News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. The G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, next month is attracting more students to learn English, according to a volunteer teacher in the city. Timothy Clancy, an Australian student at Zhejiang University, teaches children English as he works as a volunteer for the upcoming G20 Summit in Hangzhou. Security rehearsals for the summit have been carried out between 11pm and 4am. ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY Timothy Clancy, 31, an Australian who has lived in Hangzhou since 2011 with his wife, who is from Zhejiang, said, Australia has hosted such a summit before, but I never imagined that people in the host city could be so hospitable. I want to be part of this great event through the English classes and express my own welcome. Zhao Jihong, 67, one of the senior students in Clancys class, said, I am learning English here just in case I come across foreigners so that I can at least say hi to welcome them to Hangzhou. Zhao Yide, the Hangzhou Party chief, said, Thanks to the consistent efforts made by the people of Hangzhou, preparatory work for the G20 Summit has been a success. All services, including dining, transportation and security are in place. Hangzhou is now ready to host the two-day summit and welcome its distinguished guests. The summit will be held on Sept 4 and 5. Non-G20 member countries such as Laos, Chad, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Egypt have confirmed that they will take part in the summit, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Zhao said the participants will have the chance to taste Hangzhou cuisine. A 7,450-square-meter warehouse is being used to store up to 900 tons of food, and all the food and ingredients will be bought, examined, monitored, maintained and delivered through this huge building. Up to 900 vehicles are ready to transport the G20 leaders and their delegations. In addition, more than 2,000 drivers will be on duty to meet the needs of summit participants. Attention will focus on all the hotels accommodating G20 leaders, guests and the media, with security the top concern in the summit preparations. Zhao said, All the security rehearsals have been carried out between 11 pm and 4 am with advance notice, as we have tried our best not to disturb peoples daily lives. Hangzhou Mayor Zhang Hongming said: All previous hosts of G20 summits paid a lot of attention to security, with troops and police fully prepared to guarantee this. Hangzhou is very confident of making the summit a safe event, and people are volunteering to be security guards. A 760,000-member patrol group has been made up from local volunteers, according to Xinhua News Agency. wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn HURRICANE EARL IN BELIZE. Yesterday morning, after a night of light rain in my hammock deep in the Chiquibul Forest National Reserve, the rangers radioed in to HQ for the day and we got a startling message. EVACUATE. It was like being hit in the face with a bucket of cold water. A storm was coming. And thats all we knew. We packed up our tents, gear, the entire camp on the hill face sliding down to the Raspaculo River, packed into two boats and made our way to the truck near the Chalillo Dam. Flash flooding in this area is a SERIOUS risk and the rain forest branches/tree crack and fall on normal days. The weather was greybut stillwe had no signals on our phones, no radio. We had no idea what was coming our way. Hurricane Earl. Just after mid-day, I was in San Ignacio town in the west of Belize. Finding out that a probable hurricane Cat One storm was headed to Belize and that all flights and boats to the Cayes were cancelled. He hit before midnight just north of Belize Citythank god he organized late. If a Category One can do this What a night for everyone in Belize. Especially Coastal area like the North Cayes and Belize City. San Ignacio is dealing with her own issues. After SERIOUS rainfall, wind and power loss early this morning, this town on the Macal River is watching the river swellconsuming the market area and moving higher Here are the pictures taken just an hour ago. The lower bridge is completely submerged. A view down to the market. Totally underwater. The Visitors Center and bus terminal area under water. You can see the statue a few days ago. A bit earlier in the day, a view from the Hawksworth Bridge. Information on Caye Caulker has been spotty. No electricity yet. These photos were taken today around the tiny island. The Lazy Lizard. Formerly: And another shot of the beach front. And Ambergris Caye Ben Popik of Truck Stop and Island Films took these amazing drone pictures. The Palapa Bar as it stood a few days agowith the brand new second floor decking. And now. There is a GO FUND ME Page to help with donations. View of docks in town. And photos from Nook Restaurants Erin right downtown. Oh the beach. From Karen Canul in mid-town. The old Tacklebox stands alone. Ironic? The owner of the dock and the owner of Tacklebox are fighting in court about who owns the bar/restaurant. Now there is little dock left. Before the same view. And from Instagrammer John Romero this shot of Ramons Beach without a dock or dive shop at all. Absolutely devastating. This dock and building now gone. This slide now gone at Caribbean Villas. This palapa and yoga studio/dock is now gone at AkBol Restreat. Over and out for now. I am planning to fly back to San Pedro late tomorrow afternoon. We have power in San Ignacio. San Pedro is still without. Will update as I get more news. Keep your eyes on Facebook my page, the San Pedro Suns page and Ambergris Today. Please check Bob Hawkins blog for updates and lots of pictures of Tres Cocos, Ambergris Caye. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Molly Reed is the owner of rov & reeds boutique at 24 Caroline St. that sells a range of imported goods like soft furnishings, rugs, hand-crafted Moroccan leather goods, pillows, textiles and art. 2016 Saratoga Photographer.com By Maureen Werther A new boutique, rov & reeds, has opened at 24 Caroline St. in Saratoga Springs, selling a range of imported soft furnishings, rugs, hand-crafted Moroccan leather goods, pillows, textiles and art, along with other items from Southeast Asia and Morocco. The shop also offers hand-crafted furniture, sculptures, wall art and handmade jewelry by local artists such as Jenny Horstman, who creates horse sculptures using scrap iron, and Peter Reed, owner of Rusticworks canvas and leather designs. Owner Molly Reed partnered with her father, Tim Reed, who is also the owner of reeds on Exchange Street in Glens Falls. Molly and her father decided to team up in her endeavor after she returned from a four-month shopping trip across Southeast Asia and Morocco. During her travels, she purchased rugs, pillows, silks and textiles from artists in Thailand, Myamar, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal and Morocco, with a plan to sell them on her online boutique, rovimports.com. "I grew up with a father who loved finding unique items and restoring them. He also loved seeking out original pieces of art and furniture," she said. She said everyone in her family is self employed. After completing graduate school in hotel management and working 70-hour weeks for five years as hotel manager for the Four Seasons in Baltimore, she was ready for a change. She quit her job in Baltimore and spent three months in Spain. It was there she formulated a plan to become an importer and start a business of her own. She loves traveling and has inherited her father's passion for beautiful and unique things. "It all just began to make perfect sense to me," she said. She decided that she needed to get her online business up and running first. Then, about a month ago, as she was strolling through downtown Saratoga, she noticed that 24 Caroline St., which had been occupied by Halfmoon Cellars Winery, was vacant. Within 15 days of "stumbling upon the vacant storefront," Reed signed a three-month lease and opened for business on July 4, just in time for the busy summer season. She said she feels like she is doing exactly what she is supposed to be doing with her life and career. Reed will be open daily between now and the end of September. Items in the boutique range in price from as low as $3 for a bar of handmade soap, and as high as $4,800 for a horse sculpture. For more information about rov & reeds, visit www.rovimports.com. Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/04/2016 -- The report "Managed Pressure Drilling Services Market by Technology (Constant Bottom Hole Pressure, Dual Gradient Drilling, Mud Cap Drilling, Return Flow Control Drilling, by Application (Onshore & Offshore) and by Region - Global Trends and Forecasts to 2021", The managed pressure drilling services market is expected to cross USD 4.60 Billion by 2021, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% during the forecast period. Browse 65 market data Tables and 55 Figures spread through 183 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Managed Pressure Drilling Services Market Global Trends and Forecasts to 2021" Request for Sample: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=142692594 Growing energy demand coupled with declining production in onshore fields would drive the demand for new drillings, particularly in the offshore region. Apart from this, the success of managed pressure drilling in fields that were earlier considered uneconomical to drill would increase the demand for managed pressure drilling services. The global managed pressure drilling services market has been analyzed based on type, application, and region. The report covers regions including North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Offshore segment is expected to lead the market Managed pressure drilling is mainly used in offshore drilling because of high-cost associated with it. Meanwhile, increasing exploration activities in deepwater and ultra deepwater regions, mainly in Europe and Africa, where recent oil & gas discoveries have been in offshore are contributing to the growth of the managed pressure drilling services market. Constant bottom hole pressure is the most used technology of managed pressure drilling The CBHP method is mainly used for drilling wells with high uncertainties on the pressure limits and a narrow mud weight window with kicks/losses. CBHP technology is used extensively in the North American continent for drilling offshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico, where drilling conditions are tough. Drilling in the fractured carbonate formations of the Gulf of Mexico typically poses many challenges as significant nonproductive-time is wasted by lost circulation and/or gas influxes in the high-pressure formations, and a host of related problems. CBHP technique enhances well site safety by controlling the annular pressure while drilling and detecting kicks and fluid losses early. North America: the largest market for managed pressure drilling services North America is projected to be the largest market for managed pressure drilling services till 2021. Within North America, the U.S. is the largest market, accounting for the maximum share. Meanwhile, Canada is also expected to show reasonable growth, given its development of unconventional sources, such as tar sands and tight oil. Meanwhile, Africa is the fastest growing within the managed pressure drilling services market, due to the recent discoveries occurring offshore in countries such as Angola, Tanzania, and Mozambique, among others. In addition, offshore developments in the Red Sea region by countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE is expected to drive the growth of the Middle East managed pressure drilling services market. The report covers major market players such as Schlumberger Limited. (U.S.), Halliburton (U.S.), Archer Well Services (U.K.), Weatherford International (Ireland), and Baker Hughes (U.S.) among others. These companies together occupy more than three-fourth of the managed pressure drilling services market. The report covers both applications (onshore & offshore), technologies (Constant Bottom Hole Pressure (CBHP), Dual Gradient Drilling (DGD), Mud Cap Drilling (MCD), and Return Flow Control Drilling (RFCD), and regional trends. It defines and segments the managed pressure drilling services market with analysis and forecast of the global E&P revenue and applications. It also identifies driving and restraining factors for the managed pressure drilling services market, with an analysis of trends, opportunities, burning issues, and winning imperatives. Make an Enquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=142692594 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr. Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India 888-600-6441 Mailto:sales@marketsandmarkets.com Website:http://www.marketsandmarkets.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/04/2016 -- The power industry is one of the largest and essential industries globally. There is a direct correlation between the development of a nation and its power industry. No country can achieve economic and social prosperity without adequate investments in electrification across the nation. Several power projects are planned in developing economies in Asia Pacific as these economies continue to expand their power generation capacities to meet the rising electricity demand. In the last few years, several developed economies have permitted the entry of private companies in the power industry. This step has introduced competition in the power industry, especially in the generation and retail supply of electricity. This market liberalization has further improved production efficiency of the overall industry. Complete Report with TOC @ http://www.mrrse.com/indonesia-power-generation-market In Indonesia, the power generation market is still dominated by the government-owned PT PLN. Approximately 85% of power generation facilities and the entire transmission & distribution network is solely controlled by PT PLN. The coal mining industry is developed in Indonesia with several private players investing in this market. Coal still continues to account for a major share in the global power generation industry. Although the share of coal is anticipated to decline in the future years, it would continue to be the major fuel in the short-term outlook. This research study is designed to analyze the power generation market in Indonesia. The market is calculated in terms of power generation capacity (GW), power generation (TWh), and revenue (USD Billion). The market for power generation has been segmented on the basis of six major power generation technologies in Indonesia. These include coal-fired, natural gas-fired, oil-fired, geothermal, hydro, and combined cycle (gas-steam). The report provides growth forecast for the period 20142022. Projections have been provided for power generation installed capacities, power generation, and revenue. The study on the power generation market also provides historical data, detailed analysis, and statistically refined forecast for key technology segments. The size of the power generation market has been estimated based on indicators in technology segments. The report includes the key market dynamics affecting the demand for power generation technologies. As a part of our market dynamics analysis, we have analyzed market drivers, market restraints, and market opportunities in Indonesia. A comprehensive landscape, which includes company market share analysis and market attractiveness analysis, has also been provided in this report. Company market share analysis has been provided for major players involved in power generation in Indonesia. Market attractiveness analysis has been provided for six power generation technologies in Indonesia. Inquiry on this report @ http://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/716 The report also provides a detailed industry analysis of the power generation market in Indonesia with the help of Porter's Five Forces Model. The Porter's Five Forces analysis aids in understanding the five major forces that affect the industry structure and profitability of the global power generation technology market. The forces analyzed are the bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat from new entrants, threat from substitutes, and degree of competition. The Porter's Five Forces analysis has been provided across the geographies studied in the report. The report features an in-depth analysis of trends observed in each of the power generation technology segments provided in the report. Various new technologies, which are influencing the market dynamics of each power generation technology, have been identified and highlighted. Emerging trends for each power generation technology have been addressed for Indonesia. The study also includes the value chain of the power generation market in Indonesia, which provides a glimpse of fuel procurement, contract awarding, power generation, as well as the interaction of suppliers and buyers with the end-users of the product. The market attractiveness has been primarily done considering the market size and market growth. Besides market size and growth, government support, regulatory policies, environment benefits, and availability of resources have also been considered to rank/benchmark major technologies for each region. Request a Free Sample Copy of the Report @ http://www.mrrse.com/sample/716 Key participants in the power generation market in Indonesia include Alstom S.A., PT Arutmin Indonesia, Asia Resource Minerals plc, Chevron Indonesia, Hyundai Engineering Co. Ltd., Medco Power Indonesia, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., PT Adaro Energy Tbk., PT Bumi Resources Tbk., PT Cirebon Electric Power, PT Geo Dipa Energi, PT Harum Energy Tbk., PT Indonesia Power, PT Jawa Power, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy, PT PLN, PT Wartsila Indonesia, PT. Pembangkitan Jawa-Bali, Siemens AG, United Coal Indonesia. This report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial revenues, business strategies, technical performance analysis, operational standards, and awards and achievements. About MRRSE MRRSE stands for Market Research Reports Search Engine, the largest online catalog of latest market research reports based on industries, companies, and countries. MRRSE sources thousands of industry reports, market statistics, and company profiles from trusted entities and makes them available at a click. Besides well-known private publishers, the reports featured on MRRSE typically come from national statistics agencies, investment agencies, leading media houses, trade unions, governments, and embassies. London, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/04/2016 -- Throughout the United Kingdom, thousands of people have felt the impact associated with the wrongful sales of PPI insurance policies. One company, PPI Payments, is dedicated to "righting the wrongs" of the banks by helping people claim compensation from the wrongful sales associated with their insurance policies. The company recently announced the launch of their new website: www.ppipayments.co.uk and encourages individuals throughout the U.K. to visit the site and contact the company to begin the process of starting a claim. PPI, also known as credit insurance, credit protection insurance, and payment protection insurance, is a type of insurance that began in the 1990s with the intention of helping people maintain payments on borrowed loans and investments in times of crisis such as the loss of a job, injury, or illness. The insurance would help cover the cost of bills such as credit cards, mortgages, and car loans by making the minimum payments on these debts for individuals affected by unforeseen events for a period of up to 12-months. Unfortunately, many banks exploited this program, wrongfully selling insurance policies to individuals who, often, were misinformed of the policy details or were making payments on a policy they never requested. Moreover, thousands of other people who purchased PPI insurance policies and fell on hard times often realized that, although the insurance was supposed to help them pay off certain loans, these payments were never made. PPI Payments wants to help individuals affected by this pandemic by offering assistance to those needing to open a claim to reclaim lost money through the purchase of mis-sold payment protection insurance policies. The company encourages affected policyholders to visit their new website, which offers additional information and articles about payment protection insurance and mis-sold insurance claims as well as helpful tips and advice on what customers can do to seek compensation. For more information about PPI Payments, visit www.ppipayments.co.uk CONTACT: Kevin Smith PPI Payments Address: Farnsworth Court, 1 W. Parkside, London, SE10 0QF, UK Phone: 0800-634-8668 Email: contact@ppipayments.co.uk Website: www.ppipayments.co.uk Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/04/2016 -- When compared to normal antennas, smart antennas offer the advantages of capacity enhancement, coverage extension, increased transmission bandwidth, reduction of multipath fading. These antennas have two basic functions, namely: estimation of direction of arrival (DOA) and beam forming. Smart antenna systems estimate the DOA of a signal by using techniques such as multiple signal classification (MUSIC), matrix pencil method or estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (ESPRIT). Beam forming method is used for creating radiation pattern of antenna array by adding the phases of signals in the direction of desired mobiles/targets and nulling the mobiles/ targets that are undesired. By discharging these functions, smart antennas optimize their reception and/or radiation pattern automatically in response to the signal environment. The global smart antennas market has been segmented on the basis of technology, types, applications and geography. A cross sectional study of the market broadly across four major regions has also been covered under the purview of the study. Complete Report with TOC @ http://www.mrrse.com/smart-antenna Many factors such as increasing demand for smart antennas in wireless communication and increasing application of smart antennas in smart phones are driving the growth of overall smart antenna market. Smartphone have become a viable alternative to laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs), offering features such as SMS and voice messages coupled with multimedia functionality, internet applications, inbuilt GPS capabilities and high data processing capabilities. Furthermore, the healthy economic growth of emerging markets such as India and China represent massive markets for the consumer electronics for their gigantic population. This in turn, is positively impacting the growth of the smart antenna market globally. Entry of new players in the emerging markets coupled with better and innovative Smart Antenna has led to the increase in competitiveness in the market. Wireless systems are an essential part for mobile communications and they are becoming more important with the growing demand. Moreover, Smart antenna systems have emerged as a promising technology for enhancing the spectrum efficiency of the present as well as future wireless communication systems by exploiting the spatial domain. Smart antennas can significantly improve the performance of wireless systems and economies for a range of potential users. for accessing information. Wireless internet, data communication and mobile video are pushing the spectrum to its limitations. Smart antenna systems have emerged as a promising technology for enhancing the spectrum bandwidth available at present in combination it is expected to be used in t future wireless communication systems, by exploiting the spatial domain. Smart antennas can significantly improve the performance of wireless systems and economies for a range of potential users. These antennas enable the operators of cellular, personal communications services (PCS) and wireless local loop (WLL) networks to realize potential increased in signal capacity, coverage and quality. Moreover, smart antennas help two main impairments which hamper the performance of wireless communication systems, namely: multipath and co-channel interference. The adoption of tablets and smart phones is soaring and as people stream videos, share photos and browse the web, they are increasingly using more data over the airwaves than before. Mobile traffic across the globe is doubling each year and the exponential growth is expected to continue in the coming years. In order to expand the capacity of 4G LTE cellular networks, companies have devised all sorts of fixes, including ones involving smarter coordination and smaller cells. However, these solutions can sustain the oncoming surge in traffic only for next few years. Therefore, the development of 5G technology systems is being investigated and this technology for cellular systems is expected to be rolled out around 2020. The current status of 5G technology for cellular systems is very much in the nascent stage and companies are looking into technologies which could be used to be a part of this system. Inquiry on this report @ http://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/1599 The concepts that are being investigated and developed for the new 5G technology include pervasive networks, group cooperative relay, cognitive radio technology, wireless mesh networking and smart antennas. Smart antennas are expected be a major element in any 5G cellular system.. Smart antennasalso help to increase the overall cell capacity and limit the signal interference. Smart antennas using MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) systems are expected to enable new spectrum for the upcoming 5G networks. Multiple transmit and receive antennas (MIMO channels) feature in smart antennas offer much higher spectral efficiency than conventional antennas. Thus in turn it increases the data rate and improves quality of wireless transmission, which is restricted by local scattering, multipath propagation and interference. Therefore, the emergence of 5G technology is expected to drive the market. The competitive profiling of the leading players in the global smart antenna market across four major geographic regions is also covered under the scope of the report. These include various business strategies that have been adopted by the major players and the recent developments as per the secondary data available. In order to provide a competitive insight of global smart antenna market, the market attractive analysis has been provided in the report. A comprehensive analysis of market dynamics that include the market drivers, restraints and opportunities is included under the purview of the study. Market dynamics are the distinct factors which exert an influence on the growth of a particular market and therefore help in studying the current trends of the global market. Thus, this report offers an inclusive study of the global smart antenna market, along with providing the forecast of the market for the period from 2015 to 2023. Request a Free Sample Copy of the Report @ http://www.mrrse.com/sample/1599 Key players profiled in this report include Cobham Antenna Systems(Suffolk, United Kingdom), Intel Corp.( Santa Clara, California, United States), Samsung Electronics CoLtd. ( Seoul, South Korea), ArrayComm LLC ( California, United States), Alcatel-Lucent International Holdings Inc.( Paris, France), Motorola Solutions Inc.( Illinois, the U.S.), Broadcom Corp(Irvine, the U.S.), California Amplifier Inc.( Oxnard, United States), Accel Networks LLC(St. Petersburg, United States ) and Jiashan Jinchang Electronics Co., Ltd (Zhejiang, China) among others. About MRRSE MRRSE stands for Market Research Reports Search Engine, the largest online catalog of latest market research reports based on industries, companies, and countries. MRRSE sources thousands of industry reports, market statistics, and company profiles from trusted entities and makes them available at a click. Besides well-known private publishers, the reports featured on MRRSE typically come from national statistics agencies, investment agencies, leading media houses, trade unions, governments, and embassies. An international team of astronomers has found that there is a huge region in the inner part of the Galactic disc that is devoid of stars known as Cepheids. Our Milky Way Galaxy is a spiral galaxy containing many billions of stars with our Sun about 26,000 light years from its center. Measuring the distribution of these stars is crucial to our understanding of how the Galaxy formed and evolved. Variable stars called Cepheids are ideal for this. They are much younger (between 10 and 300 million years old) than the Sun and they pulsate in brightness in a regular cycle. The length of this cycle is related to the luminosity of the Cepheid, so if astronomers monitor them they can establish how bright the star really is, compare it with what we see from Earth, and work out its distance. Despite this, finding Cepheids in the inner Milky Way is difficult, as the Galaxy is full of interstellar dust which blocks out light and hides many stars from view. Dr. Noriyuki Matsunaga from the University of Tokyo and co-authors compensated for this, with an analysis of near-infrared observations made with a Japanese-South African telescope located at Sutherland, South Africa. To their surprise they found hardly any Cepheids in a huge region stretching for thousands of light years from the core of the Galaxy. We already found some while ago that there are Cepheids in the central heart of our Milky Way (in a region about 150 light years in radius), Dr. Matsunaga said. Now we find that outside this there is a huge Cepheid desert extending out to 8,000 light years from the center. This suggests that a large part of our Galaxy, called the Extreme Inner Disk, has no young stars. Our conclusions are contrary to other recent work, but in line with the work of radio astronomers who see no new stars being born in this desert, said team member Dr. Michael Feast, from the University of Cape Town and the South African Astronomical Observatory. The current results indicate that there has been no significant star formation in this large region over hundreds of millions years, added co-author Dr. Giuseppe Bono, from the Universita di Roma Tor Vergata and the Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma. The movement and the chemical composition of the new Cepheids are helping us to better understand the formation and evolution of the Milky Way. The teams findings were published online June 27 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (arXiv.org preprint). _____ Noriyuki Matsunaga et al. 2016. A lack of classical Cepheids in the inner part of the Galactic disc. MNRAS 462 (1): 414-420; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stw1548 Agriculture is the backbone of Sub-Saharan Africas economy, with many countries depending on it heavily, a reason many development institutions are investing in the sector. This rhymes well with AUs agriculture goals of shared prosperity and improved livelihoods to be attained by 2025 as stated in the Malabo Declaration on accelerated agricultural growth and transformation. However, the African Unions vision could be in danger if governments do not address the challenges that face smallholder farmers who are key partners as I learnt during a three-day field visit to southern Tanzanias Iringa region last month (25-27 July). Many farmers in my neighbourhood want these storage facilities but they are not easily accessible because they are expensive. Violet Kasike During the visit organised by Kenya-headquartered Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), I discovered that the famers have challenges such as inaccessibility to technologies and innovations that have been developed to help minimise post-harvest losses. Under the YieldWise project initiated by the Rockefeller Foundation and AGRA to reduce post-harvest losses in maize, farmers have been linked to large buyers and taught on how to store their harvests safely. This is through the use of facilities such as hermetic bags, and metal silos that can store grain safely for over two years without using chemicals. However, a number of smallholder farmers in rural Iringa cannot access these facilities because of high prices as a result of heavy taxation. Similarly, acquiring farm inputs such as seeds and fertilisers is also a challenge and farmers have to sell almost a quarter of their harvests to repay loans used to purchase inputs. In Violet Kasike, a smallholder farmer in Kiponzelo village of the region, I saw a farmer who is committed to improving yields and income from maize. Although Kasike own a metal silo for storing maize, thanks to AGRA and a project for increasing rural incomes, she is concerned that her fellow farmers are losing for lack of storage facilities. Many farmers in my neighbourhood want these storage facilities but they are not easily accessible because they are expensive, Kasike said. According to AGRA, Tanzania loses up to 30 per cent of maize production a year due to post-harvest losses. This should indeed be addressed for the country to improve its agricultural sector.Scientists and other innovators are trying their best to help smallholder farmers mitigate the challenges of agriculture on the continent.For Africa to achieve the Malabo Declaration targets, there is a need for all partners, especially governments, to help smallholder farmers access technologies to help minimise post-harvest losses.This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk. Samsung Galaxy Note 7, as Samsung stated, will set a new standard for large screen devices. It will display a number of new firsts including four new features that support HDR video streaming, iris scanning, game packs and spam protection. Aside from these, rumors are confirmed that the device has a dual-edge display, a USB Type-C post and a completely water resistant body protected with Corning's Gorilla Glass 5. Samsung has partnered with Amazon Prime video streaming service to make HDR video streaming capabilities possible in its Samsung Galaxy Note 7, SamMobile reported. The company said that HDR videos from Amazon's growing library of HDR content can be streamed on-demand by Prime subscribers on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. A highly advanced biometric authentication features have also been incorporated in Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Samsung has made the device more secure than its predecessor by adding a fingerprint scanner and the new iris scanning technology. The company said that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will support Samsung Pass. It will also eventually bring biometric authentication to more apps and services, while its iris recognition technology can be used in authenticating secure purchases made with Samsung Pay. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 also comes with a Game Pack which is available through Google Play. It includes top game titles and features four Vulkan API-ready games, which is expected to have significant performance enhancements such as improved graphics quality and frame rates stability. Galaxy Note 7 also carries a new functionality called Hiya. It protects the phone from robocalls and spam texts, IB Times reported. The service uses a data set comprised of a total of 1.5 billion active mobile and landline numbers around the world and 600 million within the United States. The service also includes a spam button that can be used to report phone numbers that seem to be spam. While Motorola remains tight lipped about the release date, specs or price of its highly anticipated Motorola Moto Z Play smartphone, new reports suggest the handset has already been certified by the Chinese telecom regulator TENAA. According to GSMArena, the TENAA listing has revealed the possible specs of the Motorola Moto Z Play handset displayed with the model number XT1635-01. As per the listing, the upcoming Motorola handset will feature a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a 1080 x 1920 resolution along with Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU, Adreno 506 GPU under its hood. There's 3GB of RAM on board, 64GB of internal storage, plus a microSD slot. Among other specs, the Motorola Moto Z Play is listed with a 3,500mAh battery, a 16MP camera for photos and videos and a 5Mp front-facing camera. The handset is expected to ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow as its operating system out of the box. The smartphone will possibly measure 156.4 x 76.4 x 6.99mm and weigh 165g. The handset is said to be offered in two Black and White color options. The device will also sport a water repellent nano-coating, and the Moto Mods connector. There's room for Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C and a fingerprint scanner as well, reported Android Headlines. As far as Motorola Moto Z Play pricing is concerned, the handset is expected to be the cheapest of the Moto Z models and cost somewhere around $300 USD. Recently, Hello Moto HK posted a leaked image of the Moto Z Play. In the picture, the handset can be seen with the 3.5mm headphone jack. It remains to be seen whether the picture is legitimate. We advise our readers to take the information with a grain of salt as the Lenovo-owned company Motorola is yet to officially announce about Moto Z Play release date, specs and pricing details. What specs and features would you like to see in Motorola Moto Z Play? Let us know in the comments below. According to SlashGear, several Apple users reported unauthorized access of their personal and financial details including their PayPal accounts, Facebook accounts as well as credit cards and debit cards after they had jailbroken their iOS devices using the Pangu tool. Mobipicker reported that a hacker accessed one of the jail breaker's PayPal account from Beijing and spent $50. Some other Redditor users also reported similar hacking issues traced back to Taiwan, Vietnam, and China. It still remains unclear if these security breaches are anyway linked to the Pangu jailbreak tool. Late last month, Pangu had initially released a Chinese version of its iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool, while an English version followed. The Chinese company 25PP hosted the tool and distributed it via the PPHelper tool. However, the PPHelper tool wasn't the only way to install the jailbreak. Cydia Impactor tool was used for the English version of Pangu tool. It is to be noted that most of the people who were hacked used the PPHelper tool. So, there are high chances that the PPHelper tool might be responsible for the data breaches. Pangu has reportedly come forward to explain its stand on the issue. The company has denied all possible links with the breach issue and released a statement on twitter which read "Neither we nor 25PP would be so stupid to make money by hacking users PayPal account via jailbreak tool. We hope to find the truth asap." Neither we nor 25pp would be so stupid to make money by hacking users paypal account via jailbreak tool. We hope to find out the truth asap. PanguTeam (@PanguTeam) July 31, 2016 The popular jailbreak team has assured users that it will investigate into the matter and find out what led to the security breach. What do you think about the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak security breach issue? Let us know in the comments section below. FLORENCE, S.C. Party in white for a purpose next month with Lighthouse Ministries. The nonprofit organization will host a Fete en Blanc to celebrate its 20th anniversary of serving the Pee Dee. For the past two decades, Lighthouse Ministries has assisted Florence County residents with their basic needs when they find themselves in a financial crisis. The Fete en Blanc, a party in white, began in Paris and has been celebrated across the world, according to a news release. Lighthouse Ministries Fete en Blanc coordinator Robin Tange said the picnic-styled event started about 30 years ago. Guests would meet in a park for a picnic and dress in white so they could find each other. Lighthouse Ministries Fete en Blanc will begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 on the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology lawn. Set-up will begin at 6 p.m. Guests must bring their own tables, chairs, linen, food, beverages and decorations. When people arrive and setup, well line them up in the order they come in, Tange said. Tables should be rectangular or square and seat two to six people. Tange said tables should include whatever guests want to eat. Linen and other table accessories should be white. Tables can be fancy or casual. You can bring your silver candelabras, flowers, make it a pretty table for a festive outdoors, but its up to the guests for what they want to bring, Tange said. Since the event isnt scheduled to end until 9:30 p.m., it is recommended that guests bring candles or some sort of lighting for their tables. There will be music at the event and a few surprises. Festivities will begin with the waving of the white. Tange said everyone will wave their white napkins, linens or paper towels. Its a very fun thing, Tange said. She attended a similar event in Ohio. Its just nice to see everybody dressed up in white. People can wear white jeans, khakis. I saw people in very elegant dresses. We arent going to turn anybody away, but the idea is to dress in white. The event will feature a brief welcome and introduction, but Tange said there wont be an auction or sales pitch. Its just come, have a great time and do something different, Tange said. Lighthouse Ministries Executive Director Cecilia Meggs said the September Fete en Blanc is a fundraiser for the organization and an opportunity for community members to show off their elegance. Its just something different that we think the Florence community will enjoy, Meggs said. Its giving an opportunity to let people know that were in the community. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com/e/fete-en-blanc-for-lighthouse-ministries-tickets-26445064901 until Sept. 1. Tickets are nonrefundable including in the event of weather cancellation. All proceeds benefit Lighthouse Ministries. People who are interested in attending the event are asked to visit lighthouseflorence.org or the Fete en Blanc for Lighthouse Ministries Facebook event page. ARTS With more money for murals and less for theater, Madison arts leaders respond to Dane Arts' direction You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close State Debate: State commentators' tongues wagging over what should be done about Donald Trump Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Following an alleged violent incident involving three carnival workers, city officials will have a conversation with the Columbia County Fair Board. We do intend to meet with (fair leaders), said Portage Parks and Recreation Manager Dan Kremer. We are going to talk through that incident. Three carnival workers, who were working at the Columbia County Fair at Veterans Memorial Field in Portage, are accused of beating up an off-duty correctional officer outside a Portage bar last week. Steven Franke, 31, of Oak Creek, Nathan Starks, 21, of Webster, and Robert Hamm II, 32, of Palestine, Texas, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court on Friday charged with felony substantial battery. That incident was raised at a meeting of city Parks and Recreation Board Tuesday. That city board oversees city parks including Veterans Memorial Field, the home of the Columbia County fairgrounds. The fair board has a contract with the city for use of the city park during the annual county fair. The city typically meets with fair officials prior to the fair and following the fair to discuss property concerns. This year, the post-fair meeting will involve a discussion about fair workers, according to Kremer. We are going to talk about it, he said, without going into specifics. The issue was raised by Common Council member Mike Charles, a member of the parks board. Charles did not blame the fair leaders for the incident but wanted to look into what could be done to prevent a similar incident in the future. Id like it to be looked into, Charles said. Another member of the city board, Common Council member Mark Hahn, noted that it has been past practice of the Portage Police Department to do sexual offender screenings of carnival workers that come into the city for various events. Hahn, a former police officer, said it was a good practice for that specific aspect of the transient workers backgrounds, but was not sure a broader criminal background check could be used to prevent similar problems. This years fair, the 165th, was held July 27-31. Keppel Corp, in a statement released on Wednesday, said it refers to a Bloomberg article citing allegations made by Zwi Skornicki, a former third-party commercial representative for Keppel in Brazil. Skornicki had told a court that five top Keppel executives, including Keppel Offshore & Marine ceo Chow Yew Yuen, authorised him to bribe public officials in exchange for Petrobras contracts that could exceed $1bn. Skornicki then paid bribes to win work for Keppel with Sete Brasil, which has filed for bankruptcy protection in April. Keppel strongly denies the allegations reportedly made that Keppel executives authorised Skornicki to pay bribes on its behalf, Keppel Corp said. None of the individuals named in the (Bloomberg) article, including the current ceo of Keppel Offshore & Marine Chow Yew Yuen, have ever authorised Skornicki to make any payments as bribes, it said. Keppel Corp has repeatedly refuted bribery allegations related to its contracts with Petrobras and an ongoing Operation Car Wash graft probe launched by the Federal Police of Brazil. Reporting a fall in Q2 net income to $12.6m compared to $16.7m in the same period a year earlier Tanker Investments ceo William Hung noted that tanker rates had been strong for the first half of 2016 but had weakened into the summer months. The softening of the market had combined with tighter availability of credit in shipping to reduce vessel values by around 20% year-to-date. The result is that Tanker Investments is switching its strategy away from asset sales. We do not believe the current market value of our fleet, or our equity value, is representative of future cash flows we expect to generate by trading our vessels, and with this in mind, Tanker Investments is now pivoting from a strategy focused on selling our fleet, to an operating strategy as we ride out the softer part of this market cycle, Hung said. The company plans to return to an asset sale strategy when tanker values improve but in the meantime will pursue a time charter out strategy. We believe Tanker Investments is well-positioned to weather what we expect to be a period of weaker rates than what we have seen in the past 24 months and move forward as a tanker company with a strong financial position and competitive break-even levels, and we remain committed to returning excess capital to shareholders via share repurchases and/or dividends, Hung added. Tanker Investments sold two vessels in the first quarter of the year the Hemsedal Spirit and Voss Spirit. The company has fleet of 10 suezmaxes and eight aframaxes. Euroseas, bulker and container vessels owner and operator, said it has terminated a contract on the construction of a ultramax vessel at Sinopacific Shipbuildings Dayang shipyard. The ultramax vessel was originally scheduled for delivery in the second quarter, but faced excessive construction delays. The Sinopacific Dayang shipyard has seen its cashflow dried up leading to unpaid wages and stalled operations amid the severe shipbuilding industry downturn. The company has demanded the return of its progress payments and other expenses as specified in the newbuilding contract and secured by refund guarantees. The parties have referred the matter to arbitration, Euroseas stated. Euroseas added it has a second newbuilding contract for a similar ultramax vessel with the same Chinese yard which is also facing significant delays. Separately, the shipowner has changed a firm shipbuilding contract for a kamsarmax vessel into an option at another Chinese yard Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. The newbuilding, yet to be built, is originally scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2018. Euroseas has now acquired the option from Yangzijiang to decide whether to continue with building the kamsarmax, or build a different type of vessel, or credit the payment already made as part of the original contract ($2.77m) to acquire a different vessel from the yard, or decide to cancel the shipbuilding contract without any additional cost. Euroseas has until 31 December 2016 to decide. Euroseas has taken delivery of a similar kamsarmax vessel, Xenia, in February this year. Navy spokesman First Admiral Edi Sucipto said the Navy was ready to deploy its personnel to the field at anytime. He added however, that to arrange the equipment needed for the joint patrols, including Indonesia's primary weapons system, called Alutsista, the Navy has to wait for a briefing from the headquarters of the Indonesian Military (TNI). "Our main duty and function is to prepare our personnel, Alutsista, and our strategic plans. We are now waiting for the command from [TNI] headquarters," Edi said. Defense ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines gathered in Bali for the third Trilateral Defense Ministers' Meeting, which ended on Tuesday. In the two-day meeting, they discussed follow-up measures to a joint declaration on maritime security signed by the three countries in Yogyakarta in May, which set out standard operating procedures (SOPs) for trilateral maritime cooperation. JUNEAU A 25-year-old Milwaukee woman is charged with bringing marijuana to Fox Lake Correctional Institution, and could face prison time. Kenjala Shontreise Johnson is charged with delivering illegal articles to an inmate and could face up to three and a half years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of the charge. Johnson made her initial appearance in court Monday. Dodge County Circuit Court Commissioner Steven Seim found probable cause and issued a $1,000 signature bond. Johnson may not have any direct or indirect contact or communication with any state correctional facility or inmate. According to the criminal complaint, prison officials were monitoring phone calls of two of the inmates and learned that two women were planning on bringing marijuana to the prison on Friday. The car the women were driving entered the prisons lot at 7:30 p.m. with three or four children in the car. The woman who had driven there stayed with the car. Johnson went into the prison to visit an inmate who was the father of one her children. Correctional staff escorted Johnson into a conference room and told her that they believed she was bringing drugs into the prison before presenting her with the transcript of the telephone conversation. Johnson told them she did not want to talk. Correctional staff then went outside to talk to the woman in the vehicle. The woman told them that she was there to visit her husband. She told staff that she knew what was going on, but did not have any drugs on her. She allowed them to search her car and they found a small handbag that had clear plastic bags that had been torn apart along with a package of colored balloons. The staff believed the items were used to bring drugs into the prison and found that the bags smell of marijuana. The correctional officer also found a court summons in the purse with Johnsons name on it. According to the criminal complaint, the woman said she had seen Johnson put marijuana in the balloons. The correctional staff then talked with Johnson again. Other staff members had seen Johnson drop something on the floor under the conference table. The bag on the floor was located and 13 balloons were found in it. The woman in the car was asked to care for the children and bring them back to Milwaukee with her to be cared for by Johnsons mother. The bags were investigated and contained marijuana and pills. Johnsons preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29. JANESVILLE - Harry Andrew Hulick, age 97, of Janesville, died on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, at Cedar Crest. He was born March 22, 1919, in Janesville, Wis., to Theodore and Alexandria Hulick. Harry was a lifelong resident of Janesville. His parents met and married in New Jersey and soon moved to Janesville. They settled in the area known as "Spring Brook", where many immigrant families lived. There couldn't have been a better place for Dad to grow up. He spent every minute he could hunting, fishing, and trapping in the nearby marsh. Wilson School was probably wondering where Dad was during some of those same minutes! Dad attended Wilson School and Janesville Vocational School, where he later taught other would be machinists. During the Great Depression, Dad joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, working to help create the beautiful Arboretum in Madison. In 1943, Dad enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served on the USS California battleship in the Pacific Theatre, playing a part in some of the most famous World War II naval battles. After the war, Dad went to work at the Borg Company in Delavan, Wis. While working at Borg's, he met the love of his life, Arlene, in the diner at the lunch counter where they ate every noon. Harry married Arlene Clare Finley on April 24, 1948. Harry then built their home in Janesville where they lived for the next 66 years. Arlene and Harry were the proud parents of five children, nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. After leaving Borg's, Harry went to work for the Parker Pen Company where he worked for 35 years. He retired as foreman of the Tool and Die Room. Harry was a skilled craftsman on many fronts. He made beautiful furniture, cabinets, and restored antique furniture to its original beauty. He was an antique gun smith and collector of wide repute. People came from all over the country to have Harry fix their guns. He was a skilled machinist, making the broken and missing parts, wood or metal, for the items he was asked to fix. Working in his basement workshop was Harry's passion which he continued to do until early in his 97th year. Harry loved the out of doors, vacationing Up North with his family, growing tomatoes and tending his raspberry patch, his pet dogs and cats, the squirrels he kept well fed at his back door, a good Western or World War II movie, the Packers, and dancing to a polka or waltz with his beloved Arlene. Harry was preceded in death, just four weeks ago, by his wife of 68 years, Arlene, on June 29, 2016; his parents; brothers, Andrew and Nicholas; and infant grandson, Connor Hulick Heinrichs. Harry is survived by his five children, George Hulick (Diane) of Madison, Alice Hulick Heinrichs (Gary) of Stoughton, Diane Hulick, Brent Hulick (Lynn), Steven Hulick (Tina) of Janesville; his grandchildren, Collin Hulick, Emily Offerdahl, Mackenzie Heinrichs, Kathryn Ewell (Dave), Elizabeth Darlington (Rock), Daniel Hulick (Susan), Alan Hulick (Leslie), Olivia and Clare Hulick; and great-grandchildren, Ava, Carson, Ella Kay, Henry, Mae, Rachel, and Grant. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, at SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY, Janesville, with the Rev. Tom Marr officiating. Interment will be in Milton Lawns Memorial Park. A visitation will be held on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME. Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project. For online condolences and registry, go to www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com. The family would like to again thank the staff at Cedar Crest for the compassionate and loving care they gave our parents in their final days. And for the many kindnesses bestowed upon our entire family during this difficult time. Truly, there are angels on earth. A standard lightbulb uses 10 percent of its energy to create light. The other 90 percent creates heat.Carla Walker-Miller may be intimately familiar with this energy fun fact . As president and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services she might even agree a lightbulb functions much like Michigans economy: small percentage corporate, much larger percentage small business.In fact, more than 98 percent of all employers in the state of Michigan are small businesses, according to data from business coalition New Detroit Small businesses are the engines in our economy, Walker-Miller says. They drive economic development in a way that is not incidental to wealth or to the growth of the economy, but foundational.By scaling beyond the startup stage, second level small businesses create jobs and power Southeast Michigans economy, she says.And she should know.Walker-Miller Energy Services helps people and the environment by reducing energy waste in the residential and commercial buildings where we live and work. In making our structures healthier, more comfortable and less expensive to operate, Walker-Miller Energy stimulates the local economy and advances sustainable energy solutions, now and for the future.The 16-year-old Detroit-based firm has grown exponentially in the last year, doubling its workforce to 80 employees, and boosting annual revenue to about $27 million, up from just $7 million in 2015. Through existing business and a project with DTE Energy, Walker-Miller has catapulted her business to the second level.And that feels wonderful, she says.Going for new business was like a dog chasing a car. Once you catch it, you have to figure out what to do with it. In reality, it was a dog chasing a rocket ship, Walker-Miller says. Im proud we were able to move a lot of jobs into Detroit and earnings into the pocketbooks of Detroit residents.Diverse hiring was top priority for Walker-Miller, as it should be for all successful companies, she says. Leaning out to hire people who dont look like you ultimately will change the workforce for the better.If you believe in fairness and equality, there should be a larger, more diverse pool considered for just about any position there is, she says. Too many dont accept that this needs to change. Any rational discussion on economic development and the good of the country or the city or town or neighborhood would reveal the need to change the dynamics of workplace hiring. Its something I deal with every day.To support second level, we need to recognize the reality of entrepreneurship is not the 25-year-old guy who develops an app, Walker-Miller says. Entities that I mentor know there is a lot of excitement as well as isolation and pain because no matter how passionate you are about your product, if you have no money, you are living a difficult life, she says. While the entrepreneurial ecosystem focus has matured from startup to sustained growth, investors need to begin stepping up.The startup area is replete with training and opportunities, but for second stage, once you reach a certain level and continue to grow, the requirement for more investment to finance the growth becomes larger, she says.Even for businesses that lay a rock-solid foundation and get through the initial startup phase, second-level funding can be elusive, agrees Maureen Krauss, senior adviser of economic development for the Detroit Regional Chamber . (Walker-Miller sits on the chambers board of directors and in 2015 received its Leadership Detroit Moving the Needle Award for transformational leadership.)Funding of that second stage is still a big gap, Krauss says. Second stage needs to be more structured. Funders want more structure, customers want more structure, and growth cycles need more structure to be successful.As a black woman business owner, Walker-Miller is part of a growing group, yet shes one of only a few large enough to have employees. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2016 the number of black female-owned businesses in the country rose nearly 67 percent from 2007 to 2012 and account for around 59 percent of black-owned businesses; only about 12 percent of all women-owned businesses have employees, according to 2012 figures.So what does it take for women to scale job-creating businesses? Access, Walker-Miller says. Unfortunately, in Detroit, access belongs to the few.Use any large project as an example, Walker-Miller says. Someone knew three years ago there would be the [Little Caesars] arena project. Those with access made investments in property, in relationships, and positioned themselves, possibly at some risk, three years ago. Then, years later, programs are created to introduce a diverse set of contractors.Too little, too late, according to Walker-Miller. The way I look at it, those opportunities are at the end of the deal flow, and the largest opportunities were at the beginning when people were discovering what was going to happen, she says. There should be an initial effort to bring a wider, more diverse group of businesses, of people, into the early part of the deal flowfor all deals, not just the arena.For small businesses to really grow, the power holders, typically white men, must lean out and pull diversity closer, Walker-Miller says. Those in power need to make themselves available to people who dont look like them or live like them, she says. All of our lives would be richer if we all did that.Change is slow. For now, Walker-Miller rejuvenates by immersing herself in business events for women and minority entrepreneurs, like the inaugural United State of Women summit in June in Washington, D.C. She recently participated in Southeast Michigan Startup's #HighGrowthHappyHour , offering advice on how businesses can scale.It is coming off the battlefield to spend time with people like me, with the same interests, Walker-Miller says. This is coveted time to lick her wounds and talk about issues relevant to women, not just women in business. Its so positive and so real about the barriers and challenges, and possibilities," she says. "Where you get love and encouragement in a very diverse group. Its quite a blessing. DASI Solutions underwent some big changes in the last year, expanding its staff with a number of hires, moving into a new home in downtown Pontiac, and preparing to offer some new cutting-edge services.The engineering/tech firm executed its move to a newly renovated building in downtown Pontiac last summer. The company also hired eight people over the last year, expanding its headcount to 45. The new employees are primarily engineering and business development professionals. It also has two openings for application engineers and is planning on adding a couple of summer interns this year.DASI Solutions is also getting ready to launch a 3-D printing-on-demand service later this month. The company plans to make 3-D printing much more affordable and accessible."We will be accepting models from our customers online," says David Darbyshire, co-owner of DASI Solutions . "We will give them an instant quote."The 18-year-old company has also been expanding its market share geographically. It recently entered into the Cleveland market. The new Cleveland office joins a handful of the firms offices across the Midwest.DASI Solutions has also been doing a lot of work with the state of Michigan's MAT2 (Michigan Advanced Technician Training) program, which helps steer high school students or recent graduates toward tech careers. Think of it as helping guide kids in high school robotics programs who might not be cut out for engineering degrees toward careers in robotics through an apprenticeship program."The best way to describe it is an internship on steroids," Darbyshire says.DASI Solutions will be participating in a MAT2 company fair for careers in mechatronics and design visualization on March 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fair will take place at Oakland Community Colleges Auburn Hills campus in Building F, 2900 Featherstone Road.Source: David Darbyshire, co-owner of DASI SolutionsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com Under current presidential election laws, America is a de facto two-party political system. No third-party candidate has even come close to the presidency since Millard Fillmore with the Whigs more than 150 years ago. (And the Whigs don't really count -- more on that in a bit.) In today's Seeker Daily report, John Iadarola discusses third party candidates and wonders aloud: Does a third party have any chance of winning this year's election? Spoiler alert! As a practical matter, the answer is no. And that's a scary situation, considering that nearly half of voters would consider a third-party nominee in this year's election, according to recent polls. Democrats and Republicans have an effective political duopoly in the U.S. -- with presidential elections, anyway -- and it's all perfectly legal. Election laws, as they're set up now, essentially prevent any third party candidate from ever reaching the White House. One major block is that Democrats and Republicans are automatically listed on the ballot in all 50 states, while third party candidates need to individually organize petitions and collect thousands of signatures. RELATED: Why Unlikeable Candidates Get Elected Third party organizations also don't get federal election funding unless they received at least five percent of the vote in the previous election. Additional barriers apply, as well. For instance, in this year's election, Green Party candidate Jill Stein would be required to raise at least $100,000 across at least 20 states in order to receive access to the federal Presidential Election Campaign Fund. The most significant obstacle for third party candidates is America's "first past the post" voting system. You can get more details on that here, but the upshot is that the system invariably leads to two-party majority in which voters only two political parties have any realistic shot at the presidency. It's not about who you want to vote for; it's about who is on the ballot. That works out nicely for the two major parties -- and keep in mind that the Whigs were a major party 150 years ago. The current Democrat/Republican duopoly emerged just after Fillmore's administration. In any case, there's little chance that election laws will ever be changed. It's a vicious cycle: Democrats and Republicans dominate legislative bodies at all levels of government, and those legislative bodies make the laws that govern elections. Absent some radical change to how the U.S. elects its public officials, third-party candidates will remain on the outside looking in. -- Glenn McDonald Learn More: Wall Street Journal: More Americans Consider Third-Party Options Washington Post: So you want an independent candidate for president? You're running out of time. Rolling Stone: Green Party's Jill Stein on Why Bernie Sanders Should Go Third-Party The Atlantic: Will U.S. Conservatives Mount a Third-Party Challenge If Trump Is the Nominee? "They are the direct and solid evidence of a great flood. Only a large flood can deposits such sediments," Wu told Discovery News. Mapping distinctive sediments that are widely distributed along the Yellow River valley, Wu and colleagues were able to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the flood. The sediments included deposits sourced from the gorge upstream. "In the absence of geological evidence for such a flood, some scholars have argued that the story is either a historicized version of an older myth or propaganda to justify the centralized power of imperial rule," David Montgomery, professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, wrote in a related Science paper. Until now no direct evidence of the cataclysm had been discovered. Yu's decades-long feat earned him "the divine mandate to establish the Xia dynasty, the first in Chinese history, and marked the beginning of Chinese civilization," Qinglong Wu, a researcher at Peking University and Nanjing Normal University, China, and colleagues wrote in Science. Folk traditions and written records recount how the hero Yu dredged and tamed the destructive floodwaters about 4,000 years ago. Researchers have found the first evidence for the legendary Great Flood on the Yellow River, a massive, catastrophic event that occurred about 4,000 years ago and ultimately produced the first dynasty of China. According to the researchers, it all began with an earthquake which destroyed the Lajia site, a settlement of the Qijia culture, which is famous for having produced the world's earliest noodles. Cave dwellings at Lajia collapsed, killing all the people there. But the quake was even more destructive. It triggered a massive rock slide that dammed the river and backed up a lake. "The lake was at least 200 meters (approx. 650 feet) deep," Purdue University professor Darryl Granger said. Within six to nine months, the lake overflowed and the landslide dam failed catastrophically, sweeping over the Lajia site. RELATED: Pond Sinkhole in China Swallows 25 Tons of Fish The researchers were able to determine the dimension of the flood channel and exactly how high the flood waters reached. "The evidence found in our investigations along the Yellow River in Qinghai Province includes remains of a landslide dam, dammed lake sediments upstream, and outburst flood sediments downstream that allow us to reconstruct the size of the lake and flood," the researchers wrote. The ancient landslide dam deposits reach an elevation of 785 feet above the present river level and stretch for more than 4,200 feet along Jishi Gorge. Overall, the flood that broke the dam was of enormous proportions. "It was about 300-500,000 cubic meters per second. To put that into perspective, it is among the largest known floods to have happened on Earth during the past 10,000 years," Granger said. Using radiocarbon dating techniques on samples that included the skeletons of children who died in the earthquake at Lajia, the researchers dated the flood to 1920 B.C. RELATED: China Bug Declared World's Longest Insect They believe the inundation shares the main characteristics of the Great Flood described in ancient texts. "Apart from its huge peak discharge, the secondary flooding on the lower plains may have been long-lasting, just as the Great Flood remained uncontrolled for 22 years until it was managed by dredging," the researchers said. If Emperor Yu's flood is indeed rooted in geological events, then scholars should propose a new start date for the Xia dynasty. It would have began some two to three centuries later than previous thought. Interestingly, the date of the flood, around 1900 B.C., roughly marks the transition from Neolithic to Bronze Age in the Yellow River valley and coincides with the beginning of the Erlitou culture that dominated China in the early Bronze Age. "This supports the arguments that the Erlitou culture is the archaeological manifestation of the Xia and that the Erlitou site was a Xia dynastic capital,"the researchers concluded. Photo: Camp Century is seen in an aerial shot during construction in 1959. Credit: US Army, American Geophysical Union When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Camp Century in Greenland back in 1959, the base's official purpose was to test construction techniques in cold weather conditions and to conduct innocuous-sounding research on the Arctic environment, such as collecting ice core samples. (Here's an unclassified 1965 U.S. Army report on the base.) But secretly, without the knowledge of the Danish government that controlled Greenland, the camp also was part of Project Iceworm. The latter was a top secret program for testing the feasibility of putting nuclear missile sites in the Arctic, where they could reach the Soviet Union more quickly. In the mid-1960s, the Joint Chiefs of Staff decided that idea was impractical, and Camp Century was shut down. The Corps of Engineers dismantled the camp and removed its nuclear reactor, but left behind refuse that included nuclear waste, diesel fuel and other chemicals. The assumption was that those hazardous materials would be covered up by Greenland's ice sheet and remain safely buried, forever. RELATED: Greenland's Melt Season Started Two Months Early But as a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters reveals, climate change could melt the protective ice cover and free the long-buried waste late in this century, allowing it to flow into the ocean and become an environmental hazard to marine ecosystems. The Corps of Engineers assumed the site would continue to accumulate cover from snowfall. But global warming, the scientists write, could within 75 years lead to a shift from net accumulation to net ablation, where melting results in more snow and ice being removed. That "would guarantee the eventual remobilization of physical, chemical, biological, and radiological wastes abandoned at the site," they conclude. The need to clean up that waste before it contaminates the environment raises the politically volatile question: Who is responsible for it? "Two generations ago, people were interring waste in different areas of the world, and now climate change is modifying those sites," the study's lead author, William Colgan, said in a press release. Colgan is a climate and glacier scientist at York University in Toronto, and a research associate at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) in Boulder, Colo. "It's a new breed of political challenge we have to think about," Colgan said. RELATED: The Pentagon's Cold War Space Project The scientists' analysis of the 136-acre site revealed that it may contain 53,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 63.000 gallons of waste water, including sewage. Based upon building materials used a the time, they say that the former base may also be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are potentially hazardous to humans. But the most attention-getting legacy of Camp Century may low-level radioactive coolant from the base's nuclear reactor. No one knows how much of that radioactive waste is buried on the site. As military historian Todd Tucker has written, Project Iceworm was part of a Pentagon mindset that envisioned a literal Cold War, in which a U.S.-Soviet version of Armageddon would take place at the frigid top of the world. Along those lines, the U.S. military developed plans for nuclear-powered trains capable of rushing forces through the snow, and a special rifle with a squeeze bar instead of a trigger, so that the shooter could wear mittens. But Iceworm was the ultimate manifestation of that strategy. According to Tucker, the plan called for 600 intermediate-range missiles that would move on railroad tracks through tunnels dug under the ice cap, across an area of 52,000 square miles. A force of 11,000 soldiers would have protected the doomsday infrastructure from Soviet forces advancing across the ice. But by the mid-1960s, the development of long-range nuclear missiles made Iceworm unnecessary, and the project was abandoned. WATCH VIDEO: Where Do We Store Nuclear Waste? God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshiped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar. In 1967, Raphael Patai was the first historian to mention that the ancient Israelites worshiped both Yahweh and Asherah. The theory has gained new prominence due to the research of Francesca Stavrakopoulou, who began her work at Oxford and is now a senior lecturer in the department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter. Information presented in Stavrakopoulou's books, lectures and journal papers has become the basis of a three-part documentary series, now airing in Europe, where she discusses the Yahweh-Asherah connection. "You might know him as Yahweh, Allah or God. But on this fact, Jews, Muslims and Christians, the people of the great Abrahamic religions, are agreed: There is only one of Him," writes Stavrakopoulou in a statement released to the British media. "He is a solitary figure, a single, universal creator, not one God among many ... or so we like to believe." NEWS: Jesus' Great-Grandmother Identified "After years of research specializing in the history and religion of Israel, however, I have come to a colorful and what could seem, to some, uncomfortable conclusion that God had a wife," she added. Stavrakopoulou bases her theory on ancient texts, amulets and figurines unearthed primarily in the ancient Canaanite coastal city called Ugarit, now modern-day Syria. All of these artifacts reveal that Asherah was a powerful fertility goddess. Asherah's connection to Yahweh, according to Stavrakopoulou, is spelled out in both the Bible and an 8th century B.C. inscription on pottery found in the Sinai desert at a site called Kuntillet Ajrud. "The inscription is a petition for a blessing," she shares. "Crucially, the inscription asks for a blessing from 'Yahweh and his Asherah.' Here was evidence that presented Yahweh and Asherah as a divine pair. And now a handful of similar inscriptions have since been found, all of which help to strengthen the case that the God of the Bible once had a wife." Also significant, Stavrakopoulou believes, "is the Bible's admission that the goddess Asherah was worshiped in Yahweh's Temple in Jerusalem. In the Book of Kings, we're told that a statue of Asherah was housed in the temple and that female temple personnel wove ritual textiles for her." J. Edward Wright, president of both The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies and The Albright Institute for Archaeological Research, told Discovery News that he agrees several Hebrew inscriptions mention "Yahweh and his Asherah." "Asherah was not entirely edited out of the Bible by its male editors," he added. "Traces of her remain, and based on those traces, archaeological evidence and references to her in texts from nations bordering Israel and Judah, we can reconstruct her role in the religions of the Southern Levant." Asherah -- known across the ancient Near East by various other names, such as Astarte and Istar -- was "an important deity, one who was both mighty and nurturing," Wright continued. "Many English translations prefer to translate 'Asherah' as 'Sacred Tree,'" Wright said. "This seems to be in part driven by a modern desire, clearly inspired by the Biblical narratives, to hide Asherah behind a veil once again." NEWS: Why Are Religious People Happier? "Mentions of the goddess Asherah in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) are rare and have been heavily edited by the ancient authors who gathered the texts together," Aaron Brody, director of the Bade Museum and an associate professor of Bible and archaeology at the Pacific School of Religion, said. Asherah as a tree symbol was even said to have been "chopped down and burned outside the Temple in acts of certain rulers who were trying to 'purify' the cult, and focus on the worship of a single male god, Yahweh," he added. The ancient Israelites were polytheists, Brody told Discovery News, "with only a small minority worshiping Yahweh alone before the historic events of 586 B.C." In that year, an elite community within Judea was exiled to Babylon and the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. This, Brody said, led to "a more universal vision of strict monotheism: one god not only for Judah, but for all of the nations. Asherah's connection to Yahweh, according to Stavrakopoulou, is spelled out in both the Bible and an 8th century B.C. inscription on pottery found in the Sinai desert at a site called Kuntillet Ajrud. The 2013 papal election is the 75th conclave in the history of the Catholic church since 1295. At that time, Pope Boniface VIII ruled that cardinals to elect a pope had to stay in a locked room cum clave (Latin for "with a key"). The 115 voting cardinals will elect the 265th successor of St. Peter. Simon Peter or Cephas (32-67) is regarded as the first pope and founder, with St. Paul, of the see of Rome. Just before the conclave starts a pro eligendo Summo Pontefice Mass, asking God to enlighten the cardinals in their choice, is celebrated in St Peter's Basilica under Michelangelo's dome. Chanting the litany of the Saints and seeking inspiration from the Holy Spirit, the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel in a solemn procession. They swear oaths of secrecy at the marble altar behind Michelangelo's Last Judgement frescoes. To vote, the cardinals sit on cherry wood chairs at specially built rows of tables which are covered in beige and bordeaux fabric. To prepare for the conclave, every small detail is taken care of. The cardinals will cast their votes on a slip of paper. The placed into a small plate which is used to tip the paper into a silver and gilded bronze urn. Once the ballots are counted and recorded, they are placed in another urn on a wooden table to be burned. Two stoves are used for the ballot burning process. The one where the ballots will be burned was first used in 1939 to elect Pope Pius XII. Another, more modern stove was introduced in 2005 to augment smoke and send a clear signal out to St. Peters square. If there is no result, chemicals are added in the modern stove to produce black smoke. If a pope is elected, a white cartridge produces white smoke, which floats up the chimney above the chapel to announce the new pope. Copper stovepipes protruding from the top of each stove are joined into a single pipe. Supported by brass scaffolding, the pipe runs up out of the window to the chimney. The chimney will be the star of St. Peter Square during the conclave days. From the white smoke puffs and the sound of ringing bells, it usually takes about 40 minutes for the new pope to appear on the Basilica's balcony The new Pope will be announced from the balcony by the French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the famous Latin formula "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus papam." (I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope!) Killers responsible for mass shootings all seem to fit the same profile. They're all depressed, pathologically narcissistic and socially isolated, finds a new study by researchers at Western New Mexico University, and putting them in the media spotlight each time a mass shooting occurs only gives them the attention they seek. According to the study's authors, "media contagion" plays a significant role in the rise of mass casualty events in the United States, with such occurrences defined as any violent episode involving injuries or deaths in a public place of multiple people not related to the perpetrator. The research is due to be presented at this year's annual convention of the American Psychological Association. RELATED: Killers as Cult Heroes: Photos As the authors note, the latest FBI analysis shows that mass shooting in the United States have tripled in the last three years, and analyses into copycat incidents suggest a common thread. "[P]revention of many mass shootings may now be within our grasp as criminologists, media communications specialists, psychologists, and contagion-modeling mathematicians converge upon a similar conclusion: a key motivator of the majority of mass shooters is the fame and power they perceive they will achieve for their crimes," the authors write. Looking at data on mass shootings collected by media outlets, the FBI and advocacy groups, the researchers paint a portrait of the typical mass murderer. Demographically speaking, most killers are white, ostensibly heterosexual men between ages 20 and 50. WATCH VIDEO: Why Have We Stopped Caring About Mass Shootings? After recent hot weather and with more on the way, air conditioners and fans are taxing Wisconsins electrical grid. Its a good thing the state is slowly but surely moving toward renewable energy, despite resistance from top elected officials. More than half of Wisconsins electricity comes from coal, and a big share of the rest is natural gas. When we ramp up consumption, we spew more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. That will mean hotter days in the future. Granted, Wisconsins share of greenhouse gas emissions is small in the global climate. We could stop burning fossil fuels entirely, and it wouldnt come close to fixing the problem. But that misses the point. Climate change is the result of many such small greenhouse gas contributions that add up to something terrible. So Wisconsin must reduce emissions along with everyone else. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, only 8.4 percent of Wisconsins net electricity generation came from renewables in 2015. Under Gov. Scott Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel, the state is stalling improvement. They continue to fight the Environmental Protection Agencys clean energy goals. But the energy sector is making progress anyway. The most recent evidence is a wind turbine project approved for St. Croix County in western Wisconsin. A judge had halted the project once over some neighbors concerns. But the Public Service Commission last month signed off on a revised plan that addresses the judges ruling. Highland Wind, the company behind the project, could start building by the end of the year, though additional litigation might delay that. At least two more wind projects are in the works. Some concerns about renewable energy may warrant further investigation, such as the effects of wind turbines on humans, bats and birds. Those should not be deal breakers, though, as long as industry and academic researchers continue to honestly research and tweak the technology to minimize problems. Skyscrapers kill birds when they fly into windows, but we dont ban them. Companies such as Highland Wind make free-market decisions, but the market exists in the context of those EPA goals and probably other federal mandates down the road. Power companies are prudently hedging their bets that the future is in renewable energy and required reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The energy industry has good fiscal reasons to pursue renewables, too. Costs are decreasing as the technology matures. Meanwhile, coal and other fossil fuels will likely cost more in the future. Wind and other renewable power sources especially solar, which can succeed in small-scale, dispersed uses will be a big part of Wisconsins, Americas and the worlds energy future. Scaling the walls as if they're lead climbing, the two robots anchor a thick cord to metal bolts. They pass the cord back and forth as they go, weaving one beautifully creepy -- and strong -- web in the corner. The bots are a University of Stuttgart design project created by artist and architect Maria Yablonina. It's a far cry from grandma's knitting session. RELATED: 10 Superhero Robots to the Rescue: Photos Yablonina's mobile robotic fabrication system for filament structures features two semi-autonomous bots working together to distribute thread. They climb walls using suction and sensing technology, and can construct a hammock-like web strong enough to support a person. Yablonina developed the project as part of her grad program at the University of Stuttgart's Institute for Computational Design. Each bot contains pathfinding software to navigate walls and electromagnets that allow them to pass the bobbin to each other. They're also equipped with a wrapping mechanism so they can wind the cord around an anchor and have it stay in place. "These robots are enabled with movement systems and a collection of sensors that allow them to travel and interact accurately along typical ground, walls, roofs, and ceilings," Yablonina explained in her project description. She envisions them being part of a "suitcase housing" scenario, where an operator lets the bots loose to construct a large structure onsite. RELATED: Soft Wearable Bot Does All Your Heavy Lifting Yablonina was on the university team behind the Elytra Filament Pavilion, a robotically fabricated modular outdoor structure on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Since receiving her masters degree, she joined the software company Autodesk as an artist in residence. One recent project is a robot cut from a single sheet of material, folded into shape, and enabled by a single actuator. Given her fascination with weird locomotion and robotics, I expect she's not done weaving webs quite yet. Meanwhile, check out her bots collaborating on a super-strong woven hammock here: A single bumblebee sits on the downy silk of a thistle. What has she been up to? How far has she traveled from her hive? Where will she go next? Until now, scientists didn't have many answers. But now, for the first time, scientists have tracked the flight paths of bumblebees over the span of their entire lives. Not only do the results help biologists better understand bee behavior, but because the insects play a critical role in pollinating crops, understanding their movements could improve how farmers manage agriculture. RELATED: Bee Backpacks Track Foraging Joseph Woodgate of Queen Mary University of London and his colleagues used radar to monitor the daily flight patterns of four different bees, from the time they first left their nests to the time they ceased to return. Because only one bee could be tracked at a time with the radar, the researchers set out four different colonies at four different times, tracking one bee each time. "For the first time, we have been able to record the complete 'life story' of a bee," study coordinator Lars Chittka said in a press release. "From the first time she saw the light of day, entirely naive to the world around her, to being a seasoned veteran forager in an environment full of sweet nectar rewards and dangerous threats, to her likely death at the hands of predators, or getting lost because she has ventured too far from her native nest." RELATED: Top 10 Tricks for Pollinators To monitor the insects with radar, the scientists affixed a tiny transponder -- just 16 millimeters tall -- to each bee using superglue. The antenna didn't harm the bee or interfere with its normal activities as it spent its days foraging a field of wild flowers and thistle in Hertfordshire, UK. From those four bees, the scientists gathered data from 244 flights, adding up to 15,000 minutes of flight and covering 111 miles. Previous studies had shown that foraging bumblebees tended to explore the area, looking for food or exploit it, settling down to harvest. But how long they explored or how long they exploited was unknown. "One of the most striking results to emerge," the researchers say in their paper published Thursday in the journal PLOS ONE, "is the large degree to which our bees differed from one another." Just look at these maps to see what they mean: In medicine the benefits of childhood vaccination are widely accepted. The evidence is clear and overwhelming: vaccines do not cause autism (or any other condition), and the benefits of preventing severe diseases far outweigh the small risks of side effects. This is non-controversial, and vaccination is a staple of preventive medicine worldwide. In political circles, however, the topic has become an issue in the presidential race. Republican nominee Donald Trump has changed his position on vaccines, suggesting at different times that they are both dangerous and safe. In March 2014 he tweeted "Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes - AUTISM. Many such cases!" But a year later during a Republican debate said "I am totally in favor of vaccines, but I want smaller doses over a longer period of time." RELATED: Vaccine Fears Not New - Here's Why The following day the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement to "correct false statements made during the Republican presidential debate last night regarding vaccines. Claims that vaccines are linked to autism, or are unsafe when administered according to the recommended schedule, have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature. It is dangerous to public health to suggest otherwise...Vaccines work, plain and simple. Vaccines are one of the safest, most effective and most important medical innovations of our time." Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who is a medical doctor, posted a July 31 tweet that "There's no evidence that autism is caused by vaccines," but within five minutes deleted that statement and replaced it with a somewhat more equivocal position: "I'm not aware of evidence linking autism with vaccines." This subtle change did not go unnoticed; a writer for "Slate" expressed concern that "the Harvard-trained physician is catering to vaccine skeptics by engaging in a bit of double-speak. Stein acknowledges that vaccines have done enormous good for public health and says she supports them. But she simultaneously suggests that there may be unresolved 'questions' about their safety and makes broad claims that the American drug-approval process has been tainted by corporate influence.... Stein's latest vacillations on Twitter haven't helped the impression that she's trying to avoid alienating anti-vaxxers without outright bear-hugging them." WATCH: The Future of Vaccines The sun is the most dominant force in the solar system. It provides its family of planets with heat (even supporting life on one of them), gives gravitational stability and shines like a beacon across thousands of light-years. Though our nearest star is beautiful and life-giving, don't mistake its altruism for weakness. RELATED: Ace Solar Observatory to Make 3,000th Comet Discovery Unfortunately for one "sungrazer" comet, it didn't take heed of the warnings and decided to play a game of "chicken" with that massive ball of superheated plasma. Needless to say, it didn't turn out so well for the comet: This animation shows observations made by the NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft that is constantly looking at the sun and its surrounding environment. And you see that bright object streak into view on the right of the frame? Yep, that's a soon-to-be ex-comet. Key to SOHO's mission is the close monitoring of space weather phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections and the solar wind. But shortly after SOHO's launch in 1995, it became clear that it wasn't only a solar mission, it was an ace comet hunter. However, SOHO's comets aren't your run-of-the-mill "we're going to keep a safe distance from that burning ball of stellar matter" comets, these comets are sungrazing comets, the ultimate icy thrillseekers with a death wish. WATCH VIDEO: Could the Sun Destroy Our Way Of Life? Sungrazers, also known as "Kreutz sungrazers" after the astronomer who first studied them, are fragments of a massive comet that broke apart hundreds of years ago. These fascinating objects regularly streak in front of SOHO's field of view, but none of the smaller chunks, usually only measuring a few meters across, survive close approach (known as perihelion). A few larger Kreutz comets do have the fortitude to survive the sun's violent heating at perihelion, such as C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy), but the majority fizzle and vaporize fast as they plunge deep into the sun's atmosphere, the corona. RELATED: There's Not REALLY a Hole in the Sun, But What Is It? This most recent sungrazer is one of the brightest examples to be spotted by SOHO, but just as it was discovered, astronomers knew its fate was sealed. "That was the total destruction of a 600 km/s snowball, witnessed exclusively by SOHO," said Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC. in a tweet. "My good friend and colleague Matthew Knight estimated the comet peaked at ~mag -0.5, putting it squarely in the top ten (five?) of SOHO's brightest Kreutz sungrazers." Though it was one of the brightest, its fame was short-lived; it didn't stand a chance against the sun's intense heat. Its water vapor and dust are now scattered through the corona, blowing in the constant breeze of the solar wind. Farewell brave unnamed sungrazer, we hardly knew ye. Source: Spaceweather.com GALLERY: The Weird and Wonderful SOHO Observations style="text-align: left;">SOHO, or the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, just celebrated 20 years in space with a main goal of learning more about the sun's activity. The spacecraft has seen some neat things, including comets, planets and unexpected solar activity. Here, based on a video recently produced by NASA, are some of the more unusual things SOHO has witnessed. style="text-align: left;">Because the planets periodically pass nearby the sun from SOHO's perspective, the spacecraft can see them in its viewfinder. They look a little overexposed because they are so bright (compared with the wispy clouds of plasma in the solar wind), but they still provide a unique view of our neighbors in space. This congregation pictured here took place in 2000 and includes Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn -- as well as a famous star cluster called the Pleiades. "Such congregations of planets are rare events, and they cannot be seen from the ground when close in the sky to the dazzling sun. But the LASCO C3 instrument on SOHO uses a mask to blot out direct sunlight, and it has a wide enough field of view (15 degrees) to take in the four planets in the same picture," the SOHO website wrote at the time. style="text-align: left;">Is that a snowstorm in space? No, it's actually energetic particles hitting the viewfinder of SOHO. These are caused by fast-moving protons coming from the sun, and you can see the view can get rather ... intense at times. This particular image happened in January 2012 during one of the strongest radiation storms since 2005. These storms are more frequent when the sun reaches its maximum, which last happened in roughly 2013-14. NASA is interested in these storms not only because they are awesome to watch, but also to monitor their effects on Earth. Solar storms can cause blackouts in radio communications, satellites and power lines if they are strong enough. Part of SOHO's role is to provide better predictions of the sun's activity and how Earth's environment will react to it. style="text-align: left;">SOHO was not designed to look for comets, but the sun happens to be a great place to look for them. The massive gravitational attraction of the star periodically pulls comets very close to its vicinity. Most of these so-called "sungrazers" do not survive their closest approach, called perihelion, but at least we can see their remains in pictures. Comet count so far? More than 3,000. This is a particularly spectacular example from 2003, when Comet NEAT made a close approach while the sun was quite active. "The LASCO pictures and movies of this comet are quite out of the ordinary, with a sizeable tail and a very bright (saturated) comet nucleus," the SOHO website wrote at the time. "We even got a nice coronal mass ejection (CME) off the west limb close to perihelion time, putting the icing on the cake!" style="text-align: left;">The sun has a fairly routine cycle of activity that lasts roughly 11 years between maximum and maximum. But it's not always a clear shot as to when you're going to see a big flare. In 2003, the sun became extremely active long after its expected peak in 2001, which shows us how much more scientists have to learn. "Some of the most intense activity that we saw was in the fall of 2003," said Joe Gurman, the U.S. project scientist for SOHO, in a NASA video posted on Twitter. "This was bit of a surprise as it was a couple of years after the maximum of the 11 year cycle." Bam seeks to help graduates secure jobs through Trabaho Centers A senator has filed a measure establishing Trabaho Centers in Senior High Schools all over the country, in a bid to bridge the gap between education and employment and address job mismatch. Sen. Bam Aquino's Senate Bill No. 170 or the Trabaho Center in Schools Act will help Senior High School graduates under the K to 12 program, who chose to enter employment find opportunities through a job placement office. The measure will amend Section 9 of Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 that implements the K to 12, to include Trabaho Centers under its scope. "While we work on equipping our graduates with the adequate skills to join the workforce, let us also bridge that gap between education and employment through the Trabaho Centers," said Sen. Bam. According to Sen. Bam, the Trabaho Center will focus on three main things - career counseling services, employment facilitation and industry matching. "Career counseling services shall be offered to help guide the students on the tracks they choose in Senior High School while Employment Facilitation is envisioned to assist the needs of a job seeker or the senior high school student," explained Sen. Bam. Through industry matching, the needs of companies will be addressed by providing them graduate listings and resume profiling of students. The Public Employment Services Office (PESO) and TESDA will join forces to create a thorough database of job opportunities in the locality and immediately coordinate further training that might be needed based on particular employment opportunities. "Through the Trabaho Centers, the needs of our nation's graduates, businesses in the country, and the vision of the Department of Education come together to make the most of our curriculum reform and help us move closer to shared prosperity," said Sen. Bam. Press Release August 4, 2016 Senate Energy Committee to Investigate Power Price Rigging On Thursday morning, Senate Committee on Energy Chairman Win Gatchalian confirmed that his committee would investigate possible price rigging by electricity industry players in connection to the simultaneous shutdown of six power plants on the Luzon grid last weekend which caused massive spikes in electricity rates for millions of consumers across the entire island. "What we want is to determine what really happened and come out with legislation to prevent this type of collusion [from] happening," Gatchalian said during a live television interview. Gatchalian, the freshman senator from Valenzuela City, said his committee would take action on a Senate resolution, filed yesterday by Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto, calling for an inquiry into possible collusion among industry insiders after the six plants, which provide more than 13 percent of the Luzon grid's installed capacity, went offline for unscheduled maintenance at the same time. As a result, electricity prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) jumped to five times the normal rate, from an average of P4 per kilowatt hour over the last month to a whopping P20 per kilowatt hour from July 29 to 30. "We have to [know] if we have mechanisms to prevent collusion and to punish collusion, and that's where the legislature will come in," said Gatchalian. Additionally, Gatchalian reiterated his commitment to working with the Duterte administration in crafting a forward-looking plan in pursuit of building a stable and efficient energy supply for the entire country. "Forecasting and planning are very important in the energy sector. This is a long-term industry, and to build a plant takes years and years. So, we really need to plan. We really need to develop strong planning and forecasting mechanisms, and at the same time work together with the legislature to come up with policies which will support these plans," Gatchalian said. Senator Gatchalian Commends Duterte for Prioritizing ROTC Revival On Thursday, Senator Win Gatchalian commended President Rodrigo Duterte for his push to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) for college students, saying that the program would be vital to instilling patriotism in the youth and shoring up the country's defense capabilities. Gatchalian's comments came after Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said earlier this week that the Duterte administration was planning to send draft legislation to Congress to reinstate mandatory ROTC, fourteen years after Congress repealed the mandatory aspect of the program. "ROTC is a powerful means of instilling patriotism and discipline in the youth of this nation. I fully support the Duterte administration's drive to reinstate mandatory ROTC in all colleges and universities," Gatchalian said. A staunch supporter of reviving mandatory ROTC since his days in the House of Representatives, Gatchalian had already filed Senate Bill No. 200, the Mandatory ROTC Act, on June 30. Gatchalian's bill would require all students enrolled in colleges, universities, and technical and vocational schools to undergo two years of military and civic training while completing their studies. A member of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Gatchalian also pointed out that building a strong military reservist force would be essential to enhancing the country's defense capabilities in light of mounting tensions in the West Philippine Sea dispute. "Mandatory ROTC will help shore up the ranks of our military in the face of continued aggression by regional rivals. We must be prepared to defend Philippine sovereignty at all costs," Gatchalian said. Legarda Lauds Enactment of Integrated History Act Senator Loren Legarda hailed the passage into law of the Integrated History Act of 2016, which mandates the integration of Filipino-Muslim and Indigenous Peoples history, culture, and identity in Philippine History subjects. Legarda, co-author of the law, said that the measure will create an inclusive history of all Filipinos through the formulation of an all-encompassing and integrative curriculum of Philippine History. "The goal of this law is to provide the youth a broader perspective of our past, reinforcing Filipino identity," said Legarda, noting that the Philippines has a very rich cultural diversity stemming from heterogeneous ethnicities. "The mere identification of our personal ancestral origin is not enough. We must have a deeper knowledge and understanding of everyone's identity, culture and history, for integration and unification can be best realized when we share a full grasp of each one's cultural heritage," she added. "The integration of Filipino Muslim and Indigenous Peoples history, culture and identity in the studies of Philippine History in both basic and higher education enhances our education system, one that guarantees equal treatment by giving significance to everyone's cultural heritage and leads to a greater sense of national identity," Legarda concluded. PANGILINAN SUPPORTS DSWD PLAN TO GIVE 40-KG RICE BAGS TO CCT BENEFICIARIES MANILA - Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Thursday said he supports the plan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to give 40-kilogram rice bags to poor family-beneficiaries of conditional cash transfer (CCT) every month. "Gusto natin ito. Ilalagay lang mula sa isang bulsa ng pamahalaan sa isa pang bulsa ang bilyong pisong halaga ng bigas na ito (We like this idea. The billions spent will simply be taking it from one government pocket and placing it in another)," said Pangilinan, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.? Earlier, DSWD Assistant Secretary Hope Hervilla said the plan implements a campaign promise of President Duterte, who reiterated it during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).? "Kung mapapatupad nang maayos, siguradong mapupunta sa nangangailangang mahihirap ang bigas at malamang na hindi ito i-rebag (If properly implemented it will certainly go to the poor who need the rice most directly and decrease the chance of rebagging)," Pangilinan, former Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (OPAFSAM). "Matutulungan ding maisaayos ang pinansya ng National Food Authority (It will also help improve the financial health of the NFA)," he added.? At P33 per kilogram of NFA rice, this additional benefit is estimated to cost the government P1,320 per CCT family-beneficiary per month, or about P5.808 billion for all 4.4 million beneficiaries per month. Press Release August 4, 2016 Senate Centennial Lecture Series Keynote Speech by Hon. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III Senate President Recto Room, 2nd Floor, Senate of the Philippines Good morning to all! Allow me to begin by thanking Senate Secretary Lutz Barbo and Director Ronald Golding of the Senate Economic Planning Office for your kind invitation for me to speak today at the third installment of the Senate Centennial Lecture Series. I am glad that you have invited me to speak about "Federalism" not only because it is the hottest issue in town nowadays but because at no other time in our history has this dream been closer to reality. President Rodrigo Duterte campaigned and won on a platform of federalism and we in PDP Laban have been advocates of federalism since our party was founded in 1982 by Sen. Nene Pimentel, among others. In fact, federalism has been part of our party's platform since its inception in the early 80s. More importantly, the debate on the appropriate form of government for our country has been fought since the beginning of our Republic. As early as the 1890s, our national hero himself Jose P. Rizal advocated for a federal form of government for our country. In his seminal work, The Philippines A Century Hence, Rizal wrote that the country would probably adopt the "freest government" and he predicted that the "islands will probably declare themselves a federal republic." While Rizal was a federalist, Andres Bonifacio, on the other hand, was a unitarian. Therefore, this debate is nothing new and the discussion on decentralization, devolution and local autonomy has been alive and well for more than a century. So, let me begin my talk by discussing our experience with decentralization and how the adoption of the federal system of government maybe the next logical step for us to take after 25 years of devolution of certain central government powers to the local governments. I will also speak about the French system of government that our President has proposed for our country. Briefly, our experience with decentralization or devolution has generally been positive. Since the Spanish colonial era up to the American Occupation and all the way to the years of our independence as a Republic in 1946 our system of governance had always been highly centralized or unitarian. All power belonged to "Imperial Manila." This system of government has stunted economic development and heightened tensions among the people in the impoverished areas of the country, particularly in the Moro dominated areas of Mindanao. Then, in 1990 the landmark Local Government Code was introduced by Tatay, Sen Nene Pimentel, and was passed by Congress and made effective in 1991. Since then, certain powers of government like those that pertain to health, agriculture, and social welfare, and snippets of power over education, environment, tourism and to some extent, police had been devolved to and exercised by local governments. Under the Local Government Code of 1991, local autonomy would now mean less reliance on the national government, including the "allotments" given by Imperial Manila, and increased reliance on internally-generated resources, or resources jointly generated with other institutions be they other LGUs or private institutions. Before the adoption of the Local Government Code, the taxes of the nation and the revenues accruing to the government from natural resources like geothermal plants, gold, copper and iron mines, and timber had been monopolized by the central government. With the adoption of the Code, these were now mandated to be shared between the central government and the local government units. Because of the devolution of certain central government powers to the local governments and the compulsory sharing of central government taxes and revenues derived from natural resources between the former and the latter, the local governments are now able to provide many of the basic services that they used to rely on the central government to deliver. Moreover, the Code gave LGUs the power to create their own sources of revenues and to levy taxes, fees, and charges, thus allowing them to become self-reliant communities. Today, more and more roads are constructed or repaired by the local governments through their local engineering offices. More and more schools and teacher needs are provided by the local governments (through the local school boards). More and more health services are delivered by local governments (through the local health boards). More and more agriculture and social welfare services are delivered through locally organized agriculture and social services offices. In a word, more and more socio-economic activities are now undertaken by local governments than ever before. While some local governments failed to deliver on the promised development for one reason or another, nonetheless by and large there has been a huge leap in the delivery of basic services to our people since the devolution of certain powers, finances and resources from the central government to the local governments. Having seen what devolution can accomplish, there is no turning back. In fact, local governments now want more. They want at least 50% of the taxes and revenues collected by the central government. They want more powers over the police, tourism, trade, and development issues in general. In fine, local governments want to raise the ante in the matter of power-tax-and-revenue sharing with the central government in order to spur more growth and development across the country. Notwithstanding what the Code was able to accomplish, much remains to be done. Our country is still mired in poverty and underdevelopment. A separatist rebellion is still raging in Mindanao and a communist insurgency lives on in the countryside. And more and more of our young people are flocking to foreign shores to earn a living because our economy has not grown enough to provide jobs for our growing labor force. While our GDP has grown considerably in the past 10 years, the rich just keeps getting richer and the vast majority of our people who are poor, even poorer. Clearly, the highly centralized and unitary system that we have had for more than a century has resulted in an imbalance in the distribution of resources among LGUs. And most importantly, it has hampered the speedy development of most areas in our country, particularly those in the countryside. This has to change. Nothing shows the yearning for change in this country more than the election of our first Mindanaoan President who lamented about the "erosion of the people's trust and confidence in government and its leaders" in his inaugural address to the nation. The problem, we submit, is our highly centralized form of government and the solution, we submit, is the adoption of the federal system. We believe that the only way to bring about equitable development in our country is for the central government to share power - political and economic - with local governments across the nation. Federalism is derived from the Latin word foedus meaning "covenant." A covenant signifies a partnership or marriage wherein individuals or groups consent to unite for common purposes without giving up their fundamental rights or identities, thus giving birth to a federal society. A federal society is one which recognizes the diversity that exists among the people. Indeed, federalism is a form of government made necessary by certain diversities in society. For a diverse and multi-cultural country such as ours with 7,100 islands spread across our great archipelago, federalism provides a system wherein national unity is maintained while at the same time recognizing and protecting the diversity of Philippine society. In federalism, sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units, like states or provinces. Each level of government usually has its particular jurisdiction; areas of public policy in which it alone has final authority, unless it decides to share it with the other. Simply put, federalism can be viewed as a system that accommodates both self rule of the constituent unit and shared rule at the federal level. While there is no single model of a federal system in the world, there are common attributes that characterize federal systems: 1. Distribution of powers between central and constituent units; 2. The participation of constituent units in central decision-making; 3. The constitutional autonomy of constituent units; 4. Accommodation of diversity; 5. Fiscal equalization; and 6. Intergovernmental instruments. For me federalism rests on the principle that the smallest unit of government knows what is best for the needs of its constituents. Decisions should therefore be made by the local governments because they know best who need help and how to help them. Since the beginning of my career, I have always believed that greater autonomy must be granted to the far flung regions of our country that are neglected and left behind in economic development. This is a vision I share with President Duterte who recognized that with federalism, the wishes and aspirations of the various groups, tribes, and peoples in Mindanao would be addressed. Thus, aside from expanding the powers and increasing the resources and finances to local governments, the next logical, and perhaps the only peaceful, legal and constitutional avenue left open to those who wish to lay down the foundations for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao, which will also speed up the economic development of the entire country, is for us to adopt a federal system of government. May I, however, strongly emphasize that under a Federal system we will be one country. There will only be one constitution. One armed forces. One flag and anthem. One central bank. One monetary system. One foreign policy. And One public education system, among others. There will only be one federal republic with states and local governments under it. My tatay, Sen. Nene Pimentel, has proposed 11 states under our Federal Republic and he has, in fact, already proposed a constitution for our new government. He will elaborate more about his proposal later. In his SONA, the President proposed the French Model which is a hybrid presidential-parliamentary system while others have proposed the pure Parliamentary system of the United Kingdom and the Presidential-Federal system of the United States. There are also others who propose the Parliamentary-Federal systems of Canada and Germany, among others. Since we are, more or less, somehow familiar with the US and British models since we have been exposed to these systems through the media, allow me to speak about the French system of government being proposed by the President. Unlike the American political system and the British political system which essentially have existed in their current form for centuries, the current form of the French system is a much more recent construct dating from 1958 and today's Fifth Republic. The current system - which gives substantial power in the President - is a response to the political weaknesses of the pre-war Third Republic and post-war Fourth Republic. Following a political crisis over France's colonial war in Algeria, Charles de Gaulle took power under a new constitution which gave the President new executive powers; making the post uniquely powerful in European politics. Under the French system, the head of state is the President and the head of government is the Prime Minister. The government under the leadership of the PM directs and decides the policies of the nation and is responsible or accountable to the French Parliament. As in other parliamentary systems, the French Parliament can dismiss the government with a motion of censure. But the similarities end there. In the past, the President was a largely ceremonial and powerless position but the constitution of the current Fifth Republic greatly increased the President's powers. Consequently, the Presidency today is easily the most powerful position in the French political system. His duties include heading the armed forces, appointment of the Prime Minister, power to dismiss or dissolve the National Assembly, chairing the Council of Ministers (equivalent to the Cabinet), appointing the members of the highest appellate court and the Constitutional Court, chairing the Higher Council of the Judiciary, negotiating all foreign treaties, and the power to call referenda, but all domestic decisions must be approved by the Prime Minister. The President also has a very limited form of suspensive veto. The term of the President is five years and he can seek a second term and normally secures it, but two Presidents of the Fifth Republic have failed a re-election bid: Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Nicolas Sarkozy. While he may just be the second highest official, the Prime Minister is nonetheless also powerful. The head of the government is the Prime Minister who is nominated by the majority party in the National Assembly and appointed by the President for an indefinite term. The Prime Minister recommends Ministers to the President, sets out Ministers' duties and responsibilities, and manages the daily affairs of government. He issues decrees and is responsible for national defense. The Council of Ministers or the Cabinet is headed by the Prime Minister but chaired by the President. The total size of the ministerial team is typically 30-40. The members of the Council are called Ministers, while the junior ministers are known as Secretaries of State - the reverse of the nomenclature in the British political system. In the French system, the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister is critical. It is not always the case that these two individuals come from the same political party and when they are of different political persuasion (as was the case in 1986, 1993 and 1997), the two figures must practice a process of 'cohabitation'. France has a bicameral legislature. The lower house is called the National Assembly while upper house is called the Senate. The lower house has 577 seats representing single-member constituencies. The 2.5 million French people living abroad have the opportunity to vote in one of 11 constituencies grouping areas of the world together. Members serve five year terms. Members of the National Assembly are directly elected in a two-stage voting system. A candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round is elected. However, if no candidate receives 50%, there is a second round which is a run-off between all those first round candidates who secured more than 12.5% of the votes in that first round. This is held one week later. The National Assembly tends to specialise in scrutinising day-to-day government operations. In cases of disagreement with the Senate, the position of the National Assembly prevails. The Senate, on the other hand, has a total of 348 seats: 323 representing mainland France, 13 representing French overseas territories, and 12 representing French nationals abroad. Many French Senators are also high-level local officials. The Senate has limited powers compared to the National Assembly. They tend to specialize in constitutional matters and foreign affairs including European integration. Members of the Senate are indirectly elected by an electoral college of 88,000 made up of city councilors and local officials. Members serve a six-year term and one-half of seats come up for election every three years. Just like us, France uses a civil legal system; that is, law arises primarily from written statutes; judges are not to make law, but merely to interpret it. The basic principles of the rule of law were laid down in the Napoleonic Code. The highest appellate court in France is called the Cour de Cassation and the six chief judges are appointed by the President. Unlike the supreme courts in other countries (such as the US), it does not have the power of judicial review. The power of judicial review is vested in a separate Constitutional Court which is a unique creation of the Fifth Republic. The court consists of nine members: one appointment made by each of the President, the President of the Senate, and the President of the National Assembly every three years for a nine-year, non-renewable term. This contrasts with the US system where the President makes all appointments to the Supreme Court but then the appointments are for life. Although there have been recent moves to decentralisation, France is still one of the most centralised major countries in Europe and the world. France is not a federal state. That is the French system. But what model do we pattern our proposal for the change in the form and system of government? I propose that we adopt the best features of the governments in Europe, North America, Australia and even Malaysia and adapt them to our needs. We should not also close your eyes to the newly emerging federations in South America and Africa. I am sure that their experiences will be a big help in crafting a federal government responsive to our needs. Since under the federal system we will be empowering our local governments, we need provide them the needed resources to be able to fulfill their mandate. Towards this end, we propose to increase the revenue share of local governments to as high as 70-80% of all government revenue. This is consistent with our belief that local governments deserve a bigger share of government resources since they are in a better position to address the needs of their constituents. To address the reality that not all states have the same resources and financial standing, there shall be an equalization fund administered by the federal government which shall be made available to states states should they need assistance. Thus, we must act now. There is no time to lose. If we want to speed up progress and economic development and lay the basis for a just and lasting peace in Mindanao, we must go federal. Towards this end President Duterte has tasked PDP Laban to take the lead in advocating for a federal system of government in our country. In compliance thereto, the party convened our leaders from across the country in a Conference on Federalism and Charter Change to consult them about moving forward in building a Federal Republic. We have also convened Study Groups composed of experts, scholars, and practitioners to help us craft our party position. Federalism's complex nature demands careful study. Scholars contend that there is not one model in the world that fits all. Each country must discern its own version of federalism according to peculiar conditions of their societies. Therefore, it is important to learn from the experiences - whether good or bad - of existing federations. We do not see federalism to be the cure-all to all our problems. In fact, there is no cure-all to all our nation's ill. Federalism is not a perfect system; but it may be the answer to the country's lingering problems rooted in our country's multi-cultural nature. Maybe it is time to recognize the Filipino identity as a "diversity of identities" and not one single monolithic artificial construct. I submit that it is the recognition of differences that make communities prepared to embrace a common identity with others. In the end, federalism is not the only step after devolution but it is the next logical step, if the Philippines chooses to further decentralize. And since we should, the decision should be well-informed, well-thought of, and participatory. In the ultimate analysis, federalism is a covenant that is made by citizens, and ultimately the decision to federalize should reflect the will of the people who choose to unite amidst their diversity. Thank you. A search will continue Thursday for a missing Chicago area woman who is presumed drowned in the Mississippi River, Grant County officials said. The unidentified 29-year-old woman was with a group of friends at Wyalusing Beach, and reportedly had been in the water when she went missing. Sheriff Nate Dreckman told WMTV the group was on a multi-day canoeing trip and ended their day to camp at the beach Tuesday night, when the woman and another canoeist jumped into the river from a dock and the missing woman didn't reappear. A 911 call came into the Grant County communications center at about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, and search efforts began shortly thereafter, with volunteers from almost 20 agencies in Wisconsin and Iowa helping in the search. "After talking with others in the group (of canoeists), the investigating deputy determined the female had entered the water and is presumed drowned," Dreckman said. "A recovery effort was then put into place." Searchers stopped the effort at 5 p.m. Wednesday, but resumed the search at 7 a.m. Thursday. Press Release August 4, 2016 Pimentel father and son open federalism information drive Making good on his promise to launch an information drive on federalism, Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III teamed up with his father and former Senate President, Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr., for a lecture. Entitled "Federalizing the Philippines," it was held on August 4, 2016 in Pasay City. This lecture is the first step of the massive information drive on federalism Koko planned in response to a survey that said 73% of Filipinos have little or no knowledge of the constitution. It is also a part of the Senate Centennial Lecture Series, held in celebration of the Senate's centennial. Koko deemed the information drive vital in getting the informed approval of the public on the proposed change of government. From his keynote speech, Koko mentioned, "Clearly, the highly centralized and unitary system that we have had for more than a century has resulted in an imbalance in the distribution of resources among LGUs. And most importantly, it has hampered the speedy development of most areas in our country, particularly those in the countryside," as one of the necessary reasons for the proposed shift. He also said that federalism provides a system wherein national unity is maintained while at the same time recognizing and protecting the diversity of Philippine society, noting that "A federal society is one which recognizes the diversity that exists among the people." Participating and adding depth in the discussion are representatives from various sectors such as the academe, other government, and non-government organizations. Press Release August 4, 2016 PH jails packed 4 times their capacity; Digong urged to free sick, old prisoners Imagine five prisoners crammed into one square meter of jail space. Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto cited the congestion rate in the four most tightly-packed jails in the country in prodding government to initiate reforms in the country's penal system which, with 135,000 inmates, are almost at four times their capacity. Recto said it is no longer accurate to call our prisons "parang sardinas sa sikip." The correct term, he said, is "daig pa ang siniksik na longganisa." One of the quick fixes Recto is proposing is for President Duterte to grant parole or pardon to "old, infirm, or gravely- or terminally-ill prisoners," especially those who are not guilty of heinous crimes. If Duterte is planning to release so-called "political prisoners" as part of the trust-building steps to cinch a peace deal with Communists, "then he must set in motion a process that will grant liberty to prisoners sick of cancer, the aged, the infirm, those who can be freed on humanitarian grounds." Duterte's predecessor, President Aquino, exercised his power to grant executive clemency only 67 times during his six years in office, according to an official report. "It is one record," Recto said, "President Digong can easily top. And he must use this power to forgive lonely, old, sick and infirm inmates who have paid their debt to society." In a resolution, Recto urged the Senate to probe "the worsening conditions" in the country's prisons which will cost taxpayers P10.1 billion to maintain this year. Another compelling reason why prisons must be reformed is their expected intake of thousands of new inmates, Recto said. With the administration's war on crime and illegal drugs netting thousands, many of whom may be jail-bound, "there's a need to find space for them because our standing-room-only prisons are filled to the rafters," Recto said. Two government agencies run the "prison republic" - the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), which is under the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which is attached to the Department of Justice. Detainees awaiting trial and those who have been sentenced by the courts to serve time for three years and below are committed to BJMP. It had 93,961 detainees under its care in September last year. Those who have been sentenced to more than three years and one day in prison are sent to eight BuCor facilities. More than half, or 23,749 of BuCor's 2016 prisoner population of 41,207 are in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. BJMP jails are 397 percent over capacity, Recto said. "Cells built for 18,881 prisoners now house 93,961." Prison manuals call for an ideal cell space of 4.7 square meters per detainee but based on official BJMP reports, the national average is 1 square meter per BJMP detainee. Citing BJMP data, Recto said the top four most congested BJMP jails - in Malolos City, Bulacan; San Pedro, Laguna; General Trias, Cavite; and the female dormitory of Quezon City Jail - have a congestion rate of 2,000 percent. 575 women prisoners in the Quezon City jail are packed into 129 square meters of cell space built for 27, according to the same report Recto cited. Those ranked 4 to 20 in the list of the most congested BJMP jails have congestion rates of 1,425 percent to 1,765 percent, the senator said. Over at the BuCor, New Bilibid Prisons reported a congestion rate of 181 percent with 23,749 prisoners staying in the old facility designed to house 8,460. The Davao Penal Colony, with 6,274 prisoners, has a congestion rate of 265 percent while the Leyte Regional Prison, home to 1,919, said it is 304 percent over capacity. Overall, BuCor said its overcapacity rate this year is 158 percent. In the resolution he filed, Recto warned that "deteriorating living conditions in jails and prisons expose detainees and inmates to hazards like the onset of infectious disease epidemic, higher suicide rates, frequent inter-prisoner violence." "Overcrowding and other problems in the Philippine corrections system could affect the security of the government jail and prison custodians, provide opportunities for acts of corruption, and cause the violation of the normative standards of jail and prison management," he added. "Instead of rehabilitating prisoners, harsh jail conditions could make them hardened criminals, with jails serving as masteral schools for a career in crime," Recto stressed. Jail and prison congestion, he said, can be eased by reforming the justice system "so that there will be fast trials, minimum court hearing postponements." "Yung iba, sampung taon na sa kulungan sa bagal ng usad ng kaso dahil kulang ang judges o tambak ang trabaho nila. Di rin sapat ang PAO lawyers. Pati prosecutors kulang din," Recto said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A onetime San Francisco chef, food truck operator and North Bay youth counselor was arrested in Sonoma County on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old he met through a social media app, authorities said. Brett Aaron Niebergall, 38, was accused by police in Petaluma, where he lives, of sodomy, oral copulation, contacting a minor to commit a felony and giving a minor a controlled substance. Police officials said Niebergall and the teenager met through the app last week and talked for several days before they agreed to meet Saturday in person at Niebergalls home. There, he allegedly drugged the teenager and committed the assault. The teenager reported the incident to police two days later. On Tuesday, officers went to Niebergalls home and found evidence they said corroborated the teenagers allegations. Police also said Niebergall made statements that implied he had intimate contact with the 16-year-old. Police arrested Niebergall on Tuesday and booked him into Sonoma County Jail. He has since been freed on $330,000 bail. Efforts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful. Niebergall was the co-owner of Frisee, a restaurant at Market and Castro streets in San Francisco that closed in 2008. He later opened Southern Sandwich Co., a food truck, which has also since closed. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Niebergall went on to work as a counselor for Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services, which has offices in San Rafael and Petaluma and helps teenage boys dealing with substance abuse. The organizations director said Thursday that Niebergall no longer works there and that no one had made allegations about his conduct on the job. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov A Deerfield man who allegedly was sexting a 16-year-old girl has been arrested on charges of child enticement. Brandon Urbanski, 36, was taken into custody Wednesday at the Janesville Mall, where he was expecting to meet the teen, but unknowingly had been texting with a detective when setting up the meeting, the Rock County Sheriffs Office said. Urbanski was tentatively charged with child enticement and exposing a child to harmful materials. He is scheduled to appear in jail court on Friday. According to the Sheriffs Office: A complaint was received on July 27 from the girls parents, after they discovered she was having a text message conversation with a 30-year-old man. The family is from Rock County, but Capt. Todd Christiansen would not disclose what city or area they lived in. The conversation contained inappropriate sexual content for a 16-year-old child, Christiansen said. The parents said they read the messages, and the 30-year-old male knew he was talking to a 16-year-old girl. Urbanski allegedly told the girl he still wanted to meet her, despite her age. The girls cellphone was given to detectives, who found the text messages and a child pornography image on her phone. It appeared the image had been sent to the male suspect, Christiansen said. Detectives were given permission by the parents to use the cellphone to continue texting with the suspect, with the detectives acting as the 16-year-old girl. When the meeting was set up, detectives and deputies were waiting for Urbanski in the mall parking lot, and arrested him while he was walking to the mall entrance. Since Urbanski lives in Dane County, Rock County detectives contacted the states Division of Criminal Investigations Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to help in the investigation. Information gathered by Rock County detectives suggests evidence of this crime, and possibly other crimes, are located at his residence in Deerfield, Christiansen said. Christiansen said other charges against Urbanski could be coming, based on the DCI investigation. The Natural Resources Board approved a land swap with a major donor to Republican Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday after balking last fall at the outright sale of publicly owned lakefront property. The state will give up 1.75 acres with waterfront access next to an 11-unit condominium owned by Elizabeth Uihlein on Rest Lake near Manitowish Waters in exchange for about 43 acres on Mann Lake in the town of Boulder Junction. George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, had criticized the original plan because it meant giving up waterfront property. Meyer told the board Wednesday that if the state is going to give up waterfront it should obtain waterfront in return. Richard Uihlein, and his wife, Elizabeth, of Lake Forest, Illinois, founded Uline Corp. and have contributed several million dollars to conservative and Republican causes, including Walkers short-lived presidential bid, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Cleaning companies that employ thousands of janitors in San Francisco and the union representing the workers reached a deal to raise custodians wages, heading off a potential strike, union leaders said. Mayor Ed Lees office helped in the talks that ended in a deal Wednesday evening between the companies and Local 87 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 3,500 janitors in the city. Union members are set to vote on the contract by Friday, said Alan Benjamin, a spokesman for the union. This was not a given. We werent sure just one day ago, Benjamin said of the agreement. We as a union are very proud that the bargaining team stuck to its guns. Workers who now make the starting pay of $13.45 an hour would get an additional $1.05 an hour in the first year of the contract, Benjamin said. Further increases would bring introductory pay to $17.29 an hour by August 2019. Workers already at the top pay scale, $19.45 an hour, would receive a 70-cent-an-hour increase in the first year, Benjamin said. Further raises would follow. The minimum wage in San Francisco is $13 an hour. It will increase $1 in July 2017 and another $1 a year after that to $15 an hour in 2018. Union representatives said employers would increase pension-fund contributions under the agreement and would implement a stronger employee grievance process. The contract covers about 85 percent of the union members who clean downtown office buildings, including those of Airbnb, Uber and The Chronicle, union officials said. Janitors staged several demonstrations as negotiations continued. Seventeen people were arrested downtown after refusing to get out of the street during a July 28 protest by hundreds of custodians. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva was arrested Thursday on charges that he supplied alcohol to underage counselors at a city-run youth camp in El Dorado National Forest and surreptitiously recorded a group of young people including a 16-year-old boy playing strip poker in Silvas bedroom at the camp in August 2015. Silva, who was voted into office in 2012 and is running for re-election, was taken into custody Thursday morning at the Silver Lake Stockton Family Camp in Amador County, south of Lake Tahoe, where he hosts an annual getaway for inner-city youth on land leased from the U.S. Forest Service. Silvas lawyer, Mark Reichel, called the allegations sensationalized. He said Silva, who was released after posting $20,000 bail, denies the charges, which stemmed from a long investigation by the FBI. He is 100 percent innocent, absolutely, Reichel said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Amador County Sheriff's Office Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Clifford Oto/Associated Press Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The charges, filed by the Amador County district attorneys office, prompted calls for Silvas resignation and represented the latest trouble for a mayor and former Stockton school board trustee who has been investigated in the past for alleged sexual misconduct. Last week, San Joaquin County prosecutors revealed that a gun stolen from Silvas home, which he failed to immediately report, was later used to kill a 13-year-old boy in Stockton. The investigation into Silvas actions at the youth camp stemmed from an incident last September when federal agents, as part of a larger investigation, seized Silvas cell phone and two of his laptops at San Francisco International Airport as he returned from a mayors conference in China. At the time, Silva said he didnt know why he had been stopped, and was confident that any forensic search of my personal devices will never ever show illegal or inappropriate activities of any sort. But Amador County prosecutors said Thursday that the FBI had retrieved 23 photographs and four video clips from his phone images they said revealed things that had happened at the camp the previous month. Prosecutors said witnesses at the camp informed FBI agents that Silva had given alcohol to the participants in the strip poker game, who were all under the age of 21, including a 16-year-old boy. Silva initially recorded video of the strip poker game, but he put his phone face-down after one of the participants objected, according to the district attorneys office. Audio continued to be recorded. The conversation between the participants indicated they were naked in his bedroom and did not want to be recorded, prosecutors said. Witnesses also allegedly told the FBI that Silva had on occasion made alcohol available to underage camp counselors and had installed cameras in his bedroom in Stockton and at the nonprofit Stockton Kids Club. Silva was charged with one felony count of recording confidential communications and three misdemeanor counts: contributing to the delinquency of a minor, furnishing alcohol to people under 21 and child endangerment. Silva has been linked in the past to allegations of sexual abuse and of allowing underage drinking, but the accusations were brought anonymously and have never prompted charges, according to the Stockton Record. Silva has maintained his innocence. The No. 1 way to come and destroy me or hurt me is the sexual type of charges, those types of things, Silva told the Record in 2012. When youre in the public eye and youre single, people are going to take those shots at you. Joaquin Palomino and Cynthia Dizikes are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jpalomino@sfchronicle.com , cdizikes@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoaquinPalomino @cdizikes Remember when BMW purchased a haggard old 507 that once belonged to Elvis Presley? After two years of work, the car is now fully restored and headed to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance later this month. As with any good celebrity owned classic car, Elvis's old BMW has an interesting story to tell. This 507, chassis #70079, was actually raced by famed driver Hans Stuck for a few months before it ended up at a BMW dealership in Frankfurt. Elvis was stationed as a soldier in Germany at the time, saw the 507 at the dealer and bought it immediately. The car was originally painted white, but Elvis had it painted redafter discovering that young ladies would write their phone numbers on the car in lipstick wherever he went. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Two San Jose men were arrested in connection with the shooting death last year of a 22-year-old man at a Santa Clara house party, police said Wednesday. Solomon Jovaan Bowen, 21, and Reymundo Duran Perez,18, were booked into Santa Clara County Jail Tuesday on no-bail murder warrants. Perez was arrested on his 18th birthday. REIDSVILLE, N.C. The suspect in a deadly Florida shooting evaded capture for decades in a mundane manner, according to authorities and friends: He got married, settled in this quiet town and ran a wallpaper store. People say the man they knew as James Manion and his wife were cordial but quiet, blending into the community of about 14,000 near the Virginia border. Manion made sure his dog, Prancer, received regular haircuts. He voted Republican in several elections, and he was seen working in his tree-shaded yard. I couldnt say enough nice things about both of them. There was never an inkling of anything amiss, said Preston Trigg, who grew up in Reidsville and kept in touch with the couple after he helped sell them his mothers house in 2002. But Manions life was part of a long deception dating back to a violent 1977 crime in Florida, according to the FBI. Authorities say the fugitive whose real name is William Claybourne Taylor was the triggerman in an attempt to assassinate the then-mayor of Williston. The mayor was wounded, but another government official died in the attack. Now Taylor is being returned to Florida to face those charges. His lawyer agreed not to oppose extradition Thursday in a three-minute hearing in Guilford County, where Taylor said nothing. Court officials said he was concerned about taking care of his wife. Taylor was indicted in 1980 on charges of murder and aggravated battery, but disappeared soon after, authorities said. By several accounts, Taylor and his wife, Sheryl Manion, were well-liked in the North Carolina town where theyd lived for more than a decade. There were signs, however, that the couple was having financial problems after the wallpaper store went out of business several years ago. Dog groomer Kim Merricks, whose father is the couples neighbor, said the neighborhood was shocked by the news. Im still kind of numb about it, she said. Im still waiting on proof that its him because he was such a nice guy. This story originally appeared on Hoodline. Starting next week, crews will be in the Haight filming segments for the forthcoming Netflix series "Girlboss," based on the memoir by Sophia Amoruso, owner of the fashion brand Nasty Gal. The comedy will star Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland) as a character based on the young Amoruso. Filming for "Girlboss" in the Haight will take place over three daysAugust 8th, 12th, and 18thout of a total of 12 shooting days in San Francisco. Location manager Gail Stempler says the show plans to shoot in an apartment over the Anarchist Collective, outside Jammin' On Haight at Haight and Masonic, and at some clothing stores on the 1500 block that have yet to be determined. News of the filming was released only last week, leaving some Haight Street merchants frustrated. Some local merchants recently underwent a protracted (and successful) fight to keep SF Public Works from resuming the Haight infrastructure improvement project until September, to ensure business traffic on Haight wasn't impacted during the height of tourist season. "August is our busiest month. It helps us get through the winter," Jammin' on Haight's Sunny Powers said via email. "We worked so hard to save our summer, and now, out of nowhere, someone is taking it away ... To take away our business in this crucial time is disrespectful and rude, and makes it apparent that whoever is doing this filming does not care about Haight Street or its merchants." Others, however, say they're not bothered by the location shoot. Emily Dobies, who manages the new Ritual Coffee Roasters location at 1300 Haight, said that unless the filming results in total street closures, she thought it would be fine. Ritual is at the eastern limit of the current infrastructure work, with backhoes and steam rollers working during the day right outside. Dobies said that the construction crews at work on the infrastructure improvement project have been "great to work with," offering to wipe down dust as needed and provide other accommodations, and that she didn't think a few days of filming would impact Ritual's business. According to representatives from the San Francisco Film Commission, the goal is for crews to begin filming as early as 4 or 5am and wrap up by noon or so, to minimize the impact on Haight. However, permits for parking will occupy city parking spaces until 10pm. The uncomfortable truce meant to keep the Republican Party united through Election Day is now hanging by the slimmest of threads. And all that is keeping the GOP from outright civil war is a raw political calculation from the party's self-styled guardian of conservative principles. For months, House Speaker Paul Ryan agonized as Donald Trump trampled on long-held GOP doctrine with his populist rage as he edged closer to the party's presidential nomination. But once Trump had the nomination in hand and after Ryan withheld his endorsement for weeks an informal deal seemed to emerge. Ryan, Wis., would campaign on his "Better Way" policy platform and make the case that Trump would be the candidate most likely to enact it into law, and Trump would "pivot" into a more conventional general-election presidential campaign. Donald Trump refuses to endorse Paul Ryan in GOP primary: 'I'm just not quite there yet' Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is refusing to back House Speaker Paul Ryan in his upcoming primary election, saying in an interview Tuesday that he is "not quite there yet" in endorsing his party's top-ranking elected official. That deal evaporated Tuesday, when Trump refused to endorse Ryan's re-election in an interview with the Phil Rucker and gave precious oxygen to his populist Republican opponent just a week before the primary. Trump also rejected the backing of Sens. John McCain, Ariz., saying he "should have done a much better job for vets" and Kelly Ayotte, N.H. whom he called "weak." McCain and Ayotte are both supporting Trump. "We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet. I'm not quite there yet," Trump said in a conscious echo of Ryan's own refusal to endorse Trump in the days after he cleared the GOP presidential field. It was a stunning assertion of dominance by Trump after days of self-inflicted controversy sparked by his criticism of the parents of a Muslim-American Army captain who died in Iraq that left Ryan and other GOP officeholders struggling to mount a reaction. Ryan on Monday put out a carefully worded statement that defended the family of Capt. Humayun Khan but did not mention Trump by name. It stopped well short of the full-throated denunciation that Democrats, Trump's Republican critics, and the Khans themselves had called for. But Trump hit back anyway, in a manner calibrated to underscore the gaping divide between Ryan conservatives and Trump populists. Donald Trump thanks Paul Ryan's primary challenger for 'kind words' Donald Trump tweeted a word of thanks to House Speaker Paul Ryan's primary opponent for his "kind words" Monday, a notable shout-out that comes eight days before the primary in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, the populist right is clearly hoping for a repeat of the 2014 dethroning of then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Va., in Ryan's primary. His unabashedly pro-Trump opponent, Paul Nehlen, has taken a hatchet to the Ryan mythos of a young conservative warrior steeped in Friedman and Von Mises and raised at the foot of Jack Kemp to reshape the federal government in Reaganesque fashion. In a Tuesday interview with the publisher of Breitbart.com, for instance, Nehlen called Ryan a "soulless globalist" and an "open borders guy" who was "grown in a petri dish in D.C." But don't expect Ryan to abandon Trump at least, not yet. Scott Walker latest high-profile state Republican to skip Donald Trump rally A spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker's campaign said Wednesday the governor would be "unable" to attend the Trump rally, his first in Wisconsin since gaining the GOP nomination. The institutional stakes are simply too high for Ryan or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Ky., to spark a GOP crackup. Both the Trump and Ryan wings need to show up on Nov. 8 and vote Republican if the party is going to keep its congressional majorities and it's Trump, not Ryan, who has the party in his thrall. That being said, there were reports late Tuesday night and into the early Wednesday morning that more Republicans would abandon Trump in the coming days as infighting in his campaign increases. In one prominent defection, Mitt Romney backer Meg Whitman of eBay fame announced that she will support Hillary Clinton and raise funds for her, calling Trump a " dishonest demagogue." The story revealed that Clinton is actively seeking the support of Republican donors (Whitman said she had a "lovely chat" with the Democratic nominee in a phone call last month). There were some signs of a campaign shake up yesterday as two senior staffers who'd previously worked for Ben Carson were let go, reports Politico's Alex Isenstadt and Ken Vogel longtime GOP operative Ed Brookover, who was advising Trump politically; and Jimmy Stracner, who was Western political director for the Western region. John Harwood of CNBC reports that things are bad inside the Trump campaign, with even campaign chairman Paul Manafort refusing to challenge the candidate and calling the staff "suicidal." NBC's Katy Tur says the chaos extends to the RNC, where Reince Priebus, who has worked to unify the party around Trump, is not happy with Trump's Ryan comments. But Liam Donovan, a former National Republican Senatorial Committee staffer who has been one of the sharpest observers of the contemporary GOP, signaled that Ryan and McConnell might not let go, just yet anyways. #NeverTrump conservatives are begging Ryan to renounce Trump and redeem their party. They include former George W. Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson, who aimed his Tuesday Washington Post column squarely at Ryan, who frequently speaks reverently of the "American idea." "Those who support Trump are setting the Republican Party at odds with the American story told by Lincoln and King: a nationalism defined by striving toward unifying ideals of freedom and human dignity," Gerson writes. "... It is not too late to repudiate." But Donovan said in an interview that the moment for party leaders taking moral stands against Trump after the Khan controversy, after his attacks on a Latino judge, after his questioning of John McCain's war record has long since past. For Ryan, he said, what will matter are House seats. "He's looking at it as protecting the [House Republican] Conference and keeping his job in the immediate term," he said. "I wish he'd do it. He'd make me feel better. But it wouldn't be a good idea from a strategic standpoint. ... Until [Trump] is dragging them down, I don't think anyone is hitting the panic button." KANSAS CITY, Mo. After-school religious clubs appear to be the next venture of a national group that sought to install a statue of Satan outside two state capitols to protest Christian monuments on public grounds. The Satanic Temple contacted nine public school districts across the country this week seeking to start after-school Satan programs. In all but one district, religious clubs are operated by the Child Evangelism Fellowships Good News Clubs, in which students can study the Bible and pray, according to temple co-founder Lucien Greaves. Several districts said they were reviewing the groups request and noted their facilities were available to community groups. Mat Staver, founder of a Christian legal aid group that has represented the Child Evangelism Fellowship, said Greaves organization was illegitimate and an atheist group masquerading as religious. Greaves described satanism as an atheist philosophy whose believers feel it provides everything a religion provides to be legitimized as such. The Satanic Temple, which is based in Salem, Mass., and has chapters in several states, said it wants to counter well-funded fundamentalist Christian organizations that it believes are eroding the separation of church and state in public schools. Greaves said the after-school program would show that people can be of different religious opinions and still be moral, upright people. We think that when kids are being exposed to the idea that they will burn in hell and other supernatural ideas, that there is a positive upshot to being exposed to the presence of a satanic after school program, he said. Greaves said his group could pose tough legal fights if its requests are denied. The Satanic Temple has taken up similar causes outside schools, including seeking to install an 8-foot-tall bronze statue of Satan at the Oklahoma Capitol to stand in contrast to a Ten Commandments monument. Oklahomas Supreme Court later banned all religious displays on Capitol grounds. The group is seeking to do the same outside Arkansas statehouse, where a Ten Commandments monument has been proposed. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt on a hot summer day in Georgia was the mistake that led to the arrest of a 24-year-old man in the shooting death of a popular school bus driver from San Carlos. Endicott McCray was arrested Wednesday outside Atlanta after federal agents noticed that he was wearing a hoodie over his head in an apparent attempt to avoid detection, according to supervisory U.S. marshal Hector Gomez. Instead, agents suspicions were aroused. A closer look at the hooded man revealed the presence of floral tattoos that matched the description of the man they were looking for. McCray was wanted in connection with the shooting death Sunday of Teqnika Moultrie, 30. She was shot in the head and killed as she walked out of a doughnut shop with her wife of three months around 2 a.m. in the Sixth Street nightclub district in Austin, Texas. Four other people were wounded. Gomez said McCray had been trying to settle a score with his brother-in-law. He fired and hit everybody except his intended victim, Gomez said. Shortly after the shooting, authorities determined that McCray was on the run and headed for the Atlanta area. McCray, an unemployed resident of Austin, was charged with murder and waived extradition back to Texas at a federal court hearing in Atlanta, Gomez said. Moultrie was a bus driver for the Sequoia Union High School District. In a statement on a GoFundMe page intended to raise money to help pay for Moultries funeral, her fellow drivers issued a statement that said Moultrie was our youngest driver, our Baby Girl of the bunch. She was a superstar at work, her colleagues said. She had a kind spirit and would give the shirt off her back if needed. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF The Republican primary challenger to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan told a radio host this week that its time for a national discussion about deporting all U.S. Muslims a step that almost certainly would violate the U.S. Constitution, according to a prominent Wisconsin conservative legal scholar. Paul Nehlen, a Delavan businessman, made the comment on a Chicago-area radio talk show earlier this week. Asked if hes suggesting the nation deport all U.S. Muslims, Nehlen responded: Im suggesting we have a discussion about it, thats for sure. Later in the interview, Nehlen denied having said that, saying instead that he wants to deport only the U.S. Muslims who adhere to Sharia the religious system of laws governing members of the Muslim faith. Nehlen also characterized Islam as the only major religion that encourages lying. Nehlens comments go beyond his partys presidential nominee, Donald Trump, with whom he has aligned his own long-shot challenge to Ryan, R-Janesville. Nehlens candidacy recently has gotten a crush of national attention after Trump used his Twitter account to praise Nehlen. Reports also show Trump supporters from outside of Wisconsin are coming here to help Nehlen oust Ryan, who has feuded with Trump. Trump has proposed banning Muslims from traveling to the U.S., spurring criticism from officials in both parties, including Ryan and other top Republicans. Nehlen is discussing going much further, targeting the more than 3 million Muslims who live in the U.S. many of whom are U.S. citizens. Rick Esenberg, a legal scholar who runs the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said any proposal to deport U.S. citizens based on their religious views likely would be unconstitutional on multiple fronts. It likely would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion, he said. If youre talking about deporting U.S. citizens based upon their religion, I think youd have a constitutional problem, Esenberg said. Nehlen also said in the interview that he wants 24-hour surveillance of U.S. mosques. They should be monitoring all the mosques very closely, Nehlen said. Nehlens comments drew a swift rebuke from one of the leading Republicans in the state Legislature. Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke said of Nehlen in a post to his Twitter account: Hes a special kind of stupid. You can quote me on that. Steineke, R-Kaukauna, has been among the most vocal Trump critics among Wisconsin Republican elected officials. Seventy-five Wisconsin National Guard members were called to state active duty to assist townships in Northwest Wisconsin affected by floods and high winds in July. Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency in nine Wisconsin counties and one tribal government allowing Wisconsin National Guard to assist townships in recovery efforts because of the flooding. More than $25 million in damage to public infrastructure and costs related to debris removal and emergency protective measures was accrued after the July 12 storm and following storms in the region. A team of two dozen Guard engineers responded to damage assessment requests in Sawyer, Washburn and Bayfield counties. They completed this assessment July 22 before a preliminary damage assessment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that was requested by Walker. The state requested a federal emergency declaration Aug. 3. At least three people died in the initial flooding. Additional debris removal and road repair missions from other municipalities may be forthcoming. LONDON One person was killed and five others were injured Wednesday night in a knife attack in London, the Metropolitan Police said. Police said they were called around 10:30 p.m. about a man with a knife attacking people in Russell Square, a park in London. A woman in her 60s was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later, the police said. Five other people were injured, but details about their conditions and injuries were not immediately available. A 19-year-old man was arrested shortly after officers arrived at the scene, the police said. A stun gun was used by one of the arresting officers. The police said in an initial statement that terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage. But a Metropolitan Police official, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, later said the early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case, Reuters reported. The episode occurred just hours after officials announced the start of Operation Hercules, an initiative that included the addition of 600 armed officers to better protect the city against an attack. The threat level here in London has not changed, but it does remain at severe and especially in light of recent deadly attacks in Europe it is important we are prepared should the unthinkable happen, Mayor Sadiq Khan of London said in a statement. We will see more armed officers on our streets, but there is no reason to be alarmed. Most London police officers do not carry firearms in a country where gun control laws remain far stricter than those in the United States. Residents in the area said police responded quickly. Police have been on heightened alert in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks in Europe. As we near the end of summer, the scent of Burning Man is in the air. Tickets to this years Labor Day weekend desert encampment are long gone, but San Francisco author (and Burning Man Project board member) Jennifer Raisers book Burning Man: Art on Fire has been released in a new and expanded edition. The large-format, color-filled album makes a case for the best of the attempts at art, which from all appearances range from the sophomoric to the splendiferous. (I have to go by photographs, not having attended the event.) Meanwhile, plans are afoot to introduce the art of Burning Man internationally, concurrent with the 2017 Venice Biennale, which is to take place May 13-Nov. 26. We Are From Dust is a nonprofit startup that intends to bring large-scale interactive works to one of the many small islands near the Italian city during the 57th Biennale. A representative said in an email that the group is looking at two islands off Venice to install the art. Its being sorted now. With a budget of $1.6 million, We Are From Dust announced a four-person board of Timur Sardarov, co-founder of Black Ocean, a technology investment company; Keith Greco, a designer for Cirque du Soleil special events and his own firm, Greco Decor; Italian businessman Marco Podini; and Katz Kiely, described as a digital entrepreneur. A total of 80 artists submitted proposals for the Biennale exhibition. Nine proposals were accepted, with budgets ranging range from about $30,000 to $160,000. The organizations grant support is expected to average about $70,000. Those receiving initial grants include artists Flux Foundation, Charlie Gadeken and Laura Kimpton of the Bay Area, as well as Kirsten Berg, Jen Lewin, Sema Payain, Kate Raudenbush, Rosanna Scimeca and Rebekah Waites. Art on TV: The dazzling, obsessive, hippie baroque sculpture of San Francisco artist David Beck is the subject of a new documentary film that will air on KQED at 6 p.m. Aug. 14 and at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 18. A press release calls Beck the smartest, most creative artist youve never heard of, though if you have ever seen a Beck work you will surely recall its brain-teasing design, meticulous detail and, often, kinetic ingenuity. Marie Chao Curious Worlds: The Art & Imagination of David Beck was produced by independent filmmaker Olympia Stone, who grew up with Becks art: Her father was the iconoclastic Allan Stone, a famous New York gallery owner who eventually came to San Francisco. Stone pere offered Beck his first exhibition at first sight of the work, as Beck tells it; today, he is represented by Hackett Mill Gallery in San Francisco. The film is a worthwhile dive into a large selection of the art objects, and it keeps its focus there, seemingly in recognition that the artists concepts are best expressed as astounding feats of engineering and craft. To see a trailer: www.floatingstone.com/curiousworlds Barbara Brown Art on film: As fun as the David Beck movie is, Eva Hesse, a documentary feature on the life and work of one of the greatest sculptors of the late 20th century, is on an entirely different plane. It opens Aug. 19 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco and the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. Quick-paced but heart-tugging from the start, the film is narrated in the words of the artist, drawn from her journals, correspondence and interviews. It ends with her embrace of death from a brain tumor at 34, having rapidly achieved a height of artistic acceptance matched by few women in the 1960s in any field. Her idea was to make an art that was on the borderline of uncontrollability, says one commentator. She began as a precocious painter and quickly progressed to pioneering work in such unconventional materials as fiberglass, plastic and latex. What she left behind was a legacy of suggestions for the future of sculpture that have yet to be followed to their resolution. To see a trailer: https://youtu.be/l2b8m9D0mK0 Art as education: In response to the XQ Challenge, a national competition for proposals reimagining the American High School, a local consortium of California College of the Arts, Summit Schools, the Silicon Schools Fund and the architecture and planning firm Gensler has advanced to the final round. Funded by Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apples Steve Jobs, the $50 million challenge will award grants of $10 million to each of five winners. XQ: The Super School Project attracted more than 700 applications; the Bay Area proposal is one of 50 to advance to the final round. Winners will be announced the week of Sept. 12. Last chance: Elizabeth Bowler, winner of the 2015-16 Tournesol Award, shows bony, bruised and swollen canvases that glower on the outside and literally glow from within, through Saturday, Aug. 6, at the Luggage Store Gallery ... Take This Hammer: Art + Media Activism From the Bay Area, a challenging and ambitious presentation that, in the end, overshoots its laudable goal of social change, is well worth checking out at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts before it closes Aug. 14. Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has so polarized the party that governors, former GOP officials and sitting members of Congress are denouncing the candidate. Though still a minority opinion, Republicans are increasingly turning their backs on Trump in responses indicating they can't support Trump "yet," to full-fledged repudiations. SAN JOSE (BCN) A strike by a union representing more than 300 Santa Clara County Superior Court employees demanding pay raises they say are long overdue will continue Thursday. The Santa Clara County Superior Court Professional Employees Association will pick up their strike at 7:30 a.m. Thursday outside the Hall of Justice in San Jose, union officials said. There were 310 union members who showed up for today's action at 7 a.m. today outside the court on West Hedding Street after failing to reach a labor contract with the court, union president Ingrid Stewart said. The court hasn't agreed to the union's request for a pay raise in the second year of its two-year contract, Stewart said. "I've been here for 36 years and I would have to say this is one of the lowest periods I've ever had with the court," said Stewart, who currently works as a courtroom clerk for the civil division at Downtown Superior Court. The union was formed at the beginning of this year after it split from Services Employees International Union Local 521 representing about 380 workers including courtroom clerks, mediators and janitors, Stewart said. The court has offered its "last, best and final offer" of a 5 percent raise when the contract is ratified and another 5 percent raise six months later, court spokesman Joe Macaluso said. The court has given the union three proposals to continue negotiations through mediation, Macaluso said. The strike has resulted in a slowdown at the county's 11 court facilities, where the largest impact is at each clerk's office that is either closed or providing limited services, he said. "At this point we have deployed all our staff to where they need to be," Macaluso said. The union agreed with the court to provide five employees to perform "essential functions" that vary from courtroom clerks to information specialists, he said. Some people summoned for jury duty have been dismissed, while others are under review to serve on a panel, Macaluso said. The public should continue to check whether or not they have to report for jury duty through the instruction provided on their summons, he said. Hearings are going on as scheduled, but a majority of cases are being continued to a later date, according to Macaluso. The scaled-back operation will continue Thursday and for as long as the strike lasts, Macaluso said. Union members were outside the court this morning walking in a circle that extended to the sidewalk while chanting phrases such as "No justice, no peace," and cheered when passing cars honked in support. A few of them were also beating drums and ringing bells. Many of the members held signs, some of which read, "Respect starts with our contract," and "No employees, no public service." Stewart criticized the court for not giving union members a pay increase despite spending more than $200 million on a new Family Justice Center Courthouse in downtown san Jose. "We need to keep getting raises to keep up with the pace of the economy," she said. In the past eight years, the workers have negotiated three prior contracts without a pay raise, union member Anna Sapp said. Sapp, a drug court coordinator, is an 18-year employee who plans to eventually retire with her job, but said she may be forced to find another position elsewhere if she doesn't see her wages go up. Sapp rents a three-bedroom home in Milpitas where she keeps her two teenage children and grandson in one room and subleases two of the rooms while she lives in the garage. Sapp wants to stay in Santa Clara County for her job and children's education, but said if she doesn't see a raise, she may be pushed out of the county. Multiple lawn chairs were spread out on the grass along with tents and tables filled with baked goods and other refreshments for the union members. Many of the items were donated from labor unions supportive of the strike, including the Santa Clara Government Attorneys' Association, which represents lawyers with the county's district attorney's and public defender's offices, and the San Jose Police Officers' Association. SJPOA President Paul Kelly, who dropped off cases of water bottles for the picketers, said he recognized the public impact the strike would have on law enforcement. Clerks help process search warrants that need to be signed by a judge before they can be served, Kelly said. He called on the public to look at the "big picture" and recognize the difficulties the court workers' union has been facing. (408) 882-2715 Having declared Donald Trump to be unfit to serve as president, President Obama urged Republican leaders to disavow the GOP nominee Tuesday. The question they have to ask themselves is, quoth the president, If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him? I just love it when Democrats make up rules that apply only to others, never themselves. Resplendent in his sanctimony, Obama was standing in a pulpit that only preaches rectitude to outside denominations. I am no fan of The Donald. I didnt vote for him in Californias June primary when he was the only Republican left standing. I lean toward Libertarian Gary Johnson. I am open to Trump doing something that tells me he actually could be an able president, but it hasnt happened yet. Now Obama says it is not enough to criticize Trump when hes wrong, good Republicans must ignore the choice of primary voters. (Nothing partisan there.) Obama declared Trump untenable after the billionaires thin-skinned reaction on Twitter to a speech made by Khizr Khan, the father of a slain Muslim U.S. Army captain. Yes, it is intemperate for any candidate to lash out at the parent of a fallen hero but its silly to get huffy about Trump talking back when Khan, after all, challenged Trump at the Democratic National Convention. Both actors were playing politics. Cable news is breathless in anticipation that this flap will lead to Trumps collapse. Im not taking the bait. Republicans who tend to fall for calls to denounce the GOP ticket for the good of the U.S.A. tend to be the usual swelled heads. In 2008, they walked away from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., because he asked then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Her shortcomings overshadowed McCains accomplishments to such precious Repubs as former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (now the Libertarian running mate), conservative scion Christopher Buckley and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Like-minded nominal Republicans lamented that they no longer recognized their party. It was an agonizing decision, they professed in opinion pieces. Democrats hailed their courage as the small stampede ran selflessly into the loving arms of Washingtons ruling elite. This year is different. A rump of GOP stalwarts resisted Trump early and for good reason. (He has a history of donating to Democrats. He doesnt hold conservative positions.) But, really, if a Republican was not with #NeverTrump before last week, why defect now? Over a tweet? Democrats show few scruples when it comes to their nominee. Hillary Clintons decision to manage her State Department emails with a home-brew server put national security at risk. She has lied repeatedly about the State Department authorizing her use of a private server, about not sending classified material and about handing over all official emails to investigators. Her tact may be operational, but her judgment is impaired. When she crosses lines, she does so with action not tweets. Everyone knows that if Clinton is elected, shell spend the next four years breaking the china, then lying about it. We can all see the future, so why are name Democrats still endorsing her? Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com Janet Varneys welcome to San Francisco story at age 14 has all the hallmarks of the sketch comedians best work. There are elements of humor, suspense, cringe-inducing self-deprecation (Theres a tidbit of this story that Im reluctant to tell you but probably will, she says) and a very solid pop culture reference. I was fairly freshly goth and still a total goofball. So I went ahead and applied a Clockwork Orange set of eyelashes, and pranced around on Haight Street as if I was some sort of ultraviolent thief from the movie, Varney says. Because obviously that was the epitome of cool. Varney and San Francisco both survived this introduction, and despite her success in Los Angeles as an actress (Youre the Worst), host (Dinner and a Movie) and podcaster (The JV Club on Nerdist), the relationship remains strong. Varney is slated to join the Barbary comedy stage at the Outside Lands festival this weekend, the first of her three San Francisco appearances in the next month. Theres a more serious version of Varneys story that she likes to tell as well. The Arizona-raised child of teachers says she was legitimately struck by her love for the city during that 1989 visit. For the first time in my life I had this sort of Oh, my God, I belong someplace feeling, and I dont think Ive had that feeling since, Varney says. Los Angeles has been great to me and I have a home there, and Im so lucky I get to do what I do for a living. But I did not go down to Los Angeles really even with the intention of staying. I had such a sense of purpose when I moved to San Francisco, and the purpose was purely to be in that city, and I was going to figure out the rest. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Courtesy SF Sketchfest Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Show More Show Less 5 of 5 After going to college for a couple of years in Arizona, she dragged a boyfriend to live in San Francisco, and enrolled at San Francisco State University. Varney co-founded SF Sketchfest in 2001 with Cole Stratton and David Owen, as a way to showcase relatively unknown sketch comedy groups. Varney left for Los Angeles in the mid-2000s her start included a small role in the Halle Berry Catwoman movie. Initially, she didnt even bother to change her phone number, she was so sure that the move would be temporary. When the whole acting thing blows up, Varney remembers thinking, Ill finally turn around and be the San Franciscan Ive always wanted to be. From there, it was a slow, steady build to stardom. Varney hosted Dinner and a Movie from 2005 to 2011, voiced the lead character in the animated series The Legend of Korra and last month received her first Emmy nomination for acting in the Web series Everyones Crazy But Us. Varney returns on Aug. 31 for the third season of the much-praised Youre the Worst on FXX, and is one of the leads in the demon-slaying comedy Stan Against Evil, created by fellow San Francisco comic Dana Gould, premiering Nov. 2 on IFC. Through it all, Varney visited San Francisco frequently, remaining involved with SF Sketchfest, which co-curates the Barbary lineup during Outside Lands. In its fourth year, the Barbary will feature a diverse group of comics, including Fred Armisen, John Mulaney, Natasha Leggero and Anthony Jeselnik. Varney will appear as a guest on the improv podcast Spontaneanation With Paul F. Tompkins, which will be recorded at the outdoor festival in Golden Gate Park. Special guests are always a possibility. Varney delights in the memory of Sir Patrick Stewart showing up at Outside Lands in 2014 to appear with Thomas Middleditch and the Improvised Shakespeare Company. He was so funny and so warm and wonderful, Varney says. Seeing everybodys reaction when he came onstage, it was giddy-inducing. It was really, really fun. Varney will make two more appearances in the city. On Aug. 13, shell be at the Sketchfest Summer Social, a triple play of movies at the Castro Theatre that includes The Great Muppet Caper with original Muppeteer Dave Goelz. Then back for San Francisco Comic Con on Sept. 2-4. (SF Sketchfest returns for the 16th time in January.) As she mentions those forthcoming dates, Varney offers an awestruck memory of Goelz, who often brings the Great Gonzo to local appearances. One of Varneys strong points, especially on the interview-based JV Club podcast, is her ability to retain a geek-centric hero worship of people of greater or even equal fame a trait she says she never intends to lose. I hope not. I dont ever want to be that version of me. Thats just gross, Varney says. Im just a huge dork, and I hope I always am. It would take so much away from what I love if I started taking that for granted. There would be an emptiness if I couldnt continue to nerd out on people. Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub The Barbary at Outside Lands: Performers include Janet Varney, Fred Armisen, John Mulaney, Anthony Jeselnik, Dan Harmon and Paul F. Tompkins. Friday-Sunday, Aug. 5-7. Golden Gate Park. www.sfoutsidelands.com SF Sketchfest Summer Social: Dave Goelzs The Great Muppet Caper (10:30 a.m.), the Doug Benson Movie Interruption presents The Rock (4:20 p.m.) and the Found Footage Festival (9 p.m.) Saturday, Aug. 13. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., S.F. www.sfsketchfest.com San Francisco Comic Con: Guests include Jason Momoa, Jenna Coleman and Janet Varney. Sept 2-4. San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St., S.F. www.sanfrancomiccon.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As many of the nation's veterans demand that Donald Trump apologize for his comments regarding the Khan family, the messy situation begs the following question: Has Donald Trump ever apologized to anyone? Trump himself has admitted that apologizing is not something that he is particularly good at. He told CNN's Anderson Cooper in a March town hall that he doesn't "let things go so easy." When Jimmy Fallon asked the billionaire why he doesn't apologize to people, Trump responded with: "I fully think apologizing is a great thing, but you have to be wrong." Media outlets are now even wondering if Donald Trump's inability to apologize is a sociopathic tendency. In an op-ed titled "Donald Trump, Sociopath," The Atlantic's James Hamblin writes that: "maybe most fitting here is his unwillingness to apologize for most anything." Sure, Trump has issued sarcastic apologies, like when he apologized to Pocahontas for using her name as a nickname for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who claims to be 1/32 Native American. And then there's this: So when has Donald Trump given an actual, sincere apology? The most concrete examples of the nominee issuing actual apologies are from 2000 and 2013, well before his presidential campaign began. In 2000, Trump and his associates issued an official apology after admitting to secretly financing newspaper advertisements that opposed the opening of new casinos in the Catskills. Trump feared the new venues would provide unwanted competition for his three Atlantic City casinos. In 2013, "Duck Dynasty" star Jase Robertson was removed from Trump Plaza after mistakenly being taken for a homeless person. Jase's brother Alan later stated that "Mr. Trump was pleased with the way we handled the situation and apologized for any inconvenience." But has Donald Trump apologized to anyone since he announced his candidacy for president of the United States? The slideshow above chronicles some of the nominee's most controversial personal feuds, and how he tried (or didn't try) to apologize for any insensitive comments. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences is leading teams of citizen scientists in a big bug census to learn just what kinds of critters are living in the homes of San Franciscans. Misha Leong and her colleagues arent looking only for dangerous pests; theyre also counting all the animals called arthropods that are variously classified as insects, arachnids, miryapods and crustaceans all the clans that include ants and flies, chiggers and spiders, centipedes and millipedes, shrimps and lice. Leong recently analyzed the results of researchers who collected, counted and classified all the arthropods they could detect in 50 homes in Raleigh, N.C., to learn how bug populations varied from home to home. They came up with a result that surprised them. The larger homes in the citys wealthier neighborhoods, they discovered, hosted far more diversity among the bugs than the smaller homes in the poorer neighborhoods. That goes against whatever preconceived notions we all seem to have, that the homes of poorer people are likely to have more kinds of arthropods than the big houses of affluent people, Leong said. The sheer amount of life thriving in your own home under carpets, in closets is astonishing. Neighborhood affluence was one of the primary predictors for the numbers of different types of arthropods mostly non-pests living inside the homes, she said. Leong and her colleagues at North Carolina State University call it the luxury effect. The Raleigh scientists, led by entomologist and plant pathologist Matthew A. Bertone, collected more than 10,000 specimens, representing over 300 families of arthropods, and estimated they represented at least 579 species. Each house was home to anywhere between 32 and 211 arthropod species, according to their study. Leong recruited a team of students at San Francisco State University in Professor John Heferniks entomology class last fall to survey all the arthropods wherever they were living in homes or apartments or boarding houses. They learned something about collecting arthropods, she said, and the results were interesting, but Im not sure the results could be published scientifically. Leong and her colleagues at the Academy of Sciences education department have recruited more than 2,000 students at 118 middle schools throughout California, including San Francisco, to collect arthropods of all kinds in their homes and schools. The kids are learning how to collect and classify the bugs, Leong said, and what they find will become part of the academys crowdsourcing program called iNaturalist, in which scientists like Leong gather the data online from young citizen scientists working as biologists. You never know, Leong said, their new arthropod data may well result in a publishable journal article. Leong and Michelle Trautwein, the academys curator of entomology, are co-authors of two scientific papers about the Raleigh study. They are published in the journal Biology Letters, and in PeerJ, a new online science journal. NEW DELHI Two men who had not been heard from since last months restaurant attack in Bangladesh were arrested Thursday on allegations they were involved in the deadly siege carried out by radical Islamists. British national Hasnat Karim and University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan were arrested in different areas of the capital, Dhaka, and a court has allowed police to keep them in custody for eight days to question them, said Masudur Rahman, a Dhaka police spokesman. Five armed gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant on the night of July 1, killing 20 people and holding others inside hostage. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages. Those killed were nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian. Karim, 47, and Khan, 22, were known to have been inside the restaurant, but Bangladeshi authorities and police denied having them in custody after the attack. Their families and New York-based Human Rights Watch had appealed for news about them and said the authorities were holding the men. Karim was in the restaurant with his wife and two daughters and the family had said they were there to celebrate the birthday of their daughter. But a South Korean man from a nearby apartment had shot a video of the scene in the restaurant in which Karim was seen talking to the attackers. Police also said there were photographs showing Karim smoking on the rooftop of the building with two of the attackers standing behind him. Hours after his arrest, Karims family said he was innocent and should be released immediately. Khan was studying global health at the University of Toronto and was a permanent resident of Canada. His father was a businessman in Bangladesh and Khan had arrived in Dhaka a day before the attack. His family has said he has not done anything wrong. WASHINGTON A cash payment of $400 million delivered to Iran in January became part of the presidential campaign Wednesday, as Donald Trump seized on the money transfer as a sign of what he called the administrations failed foreign policy prompting a forceful White House rejection. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said the payment to Iran was part of the resolution of a long-standing financial dispute between the two nations and was delivered in cash on pallets because the two nations do not have a banking relationship. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates All 300 people aboard an Emirates airliner survived a crash landing in Dubai on Wednesday, scrambling down emergency slides before flames consumed the plane in an accident that halted flights for hours at the worlds third-busiest airport. One firefighter was killed battling the blaze. The incident was the most serious ever for Emirates, which has grown at a breakneck pace over the last three decades and turned its hometown of Dubai into a major long-haul international air hub. It was the second major air disaster for a Dubai government-backed airline in less than five months. Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Emirates Group CEO and Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said 10 people were hospitalized, but stressed that all passengers were safely evacuated before the plane was engulfed in a fireball. The accident happened around 12:45 p.m. local time as Flight EK521 was arriving from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. Airline officials were not able to say what caused the accident, though the chief executive ruled out anything in terms of security issues at this stage. He said the airline would cooperate fully with local authorities during the investigation. We do not have ... all the information. Thankfully there (were) no fatalities among our passengers and crew, Sheikh Ahmed said in a video statement released within hours of the crash. Our thoughts are with everyone involved. The Boeing 777-300 was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew members from 20 different countries, according to the airline. Those on board included 226 Indians, 24 Britons, 11 Emiratis, and six each from the United States and Saudi Arabia. The pilots were Emirati and Australian and each had over 7,000 hours flight experience, Sheikh Ahmed said. A problem with the planes landing gear appeared to have at least been a contributing factor. Video shot by a passenger on another flight showed the plane tilted to its right side and careening on its belly as thick smoke poured out. The right wing looked to have been torn from the fuselage during the crash. Emirates received the plane new in 2003 and it was up-to-date with safety inspections, the CEO said. He described wind conditions as normal at the time of the crash, but said investigators are examining whether wind shear could have played a role. Yui Mok/Associated Press LONDON A Somali-Norwegian teenager went on a knife rampage through Londons Russell Square, a hub for students and tourists, fatally stabbing an American woman from Florida and wounding five other people. Police said Thursday that it wasnt terrorism but in a city on edge after a summer of attacks elsewhere in Europe, both authorities and London residents initially responded as if it were. Police flooded the streets with extra officers and mobilized counterterror detectives before saying the shocking burst of violence appeared to have been triggered by mental-health issues. Cannabis Program Under Review Today in Santa Fe, lawmakers plan to grill the New Mexico Department of Health about long delays processing medical cannabis patients program registration applications. State Auditor Tim Keller has said if the regulators dont clear a 60-day application backlog quickly. Business Plan To Engage Trade with Cuba Business around the state once trade embargos with the island nation are completely lifted after 56 years. Yesterday, Sen. Tom Udall helped open the Engage Cuba Coalitions state council offices in New Mexico. Johnson Doing Well in Midwestern States Libertarian Gary Johnson has finally ... kind of. CNN reports Johnson is polling well in Midwestern states, even if hes still not at the debate-qualifying mark nationally. Last night, during a nationally broadcast town hall meeting, , his vice presidential running mate, if they are elected. Torraco Backs Johnson State Sen. Lisa Torraco has for Gary Johnsons presidential campaign. As a New Mexican, I am proud to see that our state could play a pivotal role in deciding this election, Torraco said in her statement. Our voices matter deeply in deciding our nations most important office, and I am proud to put my voice and vote behind Gov. Johnson. New Mexico should lead the charge for the Johnson/Weld ticket. Pearce Comfortable with Trump Two weeks after the Republican National Convention, it appears Donald Trump is at war with party leadership. Now, theyre considering how to replace him on the ballot if their nominee drops out of the race. At the same time, US Rep. Steve Pearce, R-New Mexico, says hes and relates to Trump since both men are accustomed to making controversial public statements. In fact, Pearce says Trumps unabashed comments directed toward the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier are well within bounds. Obama Commutes Hundreds of Inmates Sentences President Barack Obama serving long sentences in federal prisons, convicted for a nonviolent marijuana offense. John M. Wyatt of Las Cruces was convicted in federal court in Illinois on a charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was sentenced in August 2004 to nearly 22 years in prison, eight years of supervised release and a $500 fine. His commuted sentence will expire Nov. 10, 2015. The presidents team plans even more sentence reviews and relief before he exits the White House in January. Corrections Plans to Recruit Federal Guards Officials at the New Mexico Corrections Department, which has a shortage of correctional officers, hopes to recruit and hire 300 federal prison with the closing of a private detention center in Milan, New Mexico. SF Gets Revenue Boost Starting this week, Santa Fe vacationers who find lodging through the website Airbnb . Officials hope the taxes and inspection fees will add $650,000 to city coffers. Open Records Lawsuit Moves Forward Heath Haussamens lawsuit against the City of Las Cruces to get copies of city manager applicants names and resumes after a district judge denied a motion to dismiss it. Holm Plans to Fight Again After Surgery Holly Holms manager says the 'Preachers Daughter' , but first she has to recover from surgery to repair a shattered thumb. Santa Fe Reporter Suncorp Group's New Zealand general insurance units Vero and AA Insurance lifted annual earnings as they benefitted from growth in more profitable motor business, although the local group is still focused on stripping out costs. The NZ insurance business's profit rose 12 percent to $178 million on a 3.2 percent increase in gross written premium (GWP) to $1.34 billion in the 12 months ended June 30, Suncorp said in a statement to the ASX. The Vero and AA Insurance divisions lifted motor GWP 11 percent and home GWP 5.9 percent, which provided a bigger increase in net earned premiums than corporate property, which has different reinsurance arrangements. "New Zealand continues to build a balanced multi-channel business across both personal and commercial classes and is positioned for above system growth in a competitive and challenging market," Suncorp said. "Reducing expenses and claims costs through productivity efficiencies is an ongoing focus." Suncorp's New Zealand net incurred claims increased 8.9 percent to $612 million while acquisition costs rose 5.2 percent to $263 million, and its operating expenses ratio fell to 32.4 percent from 33.4 percent a year earlier. Across the wider group, Suncorp's net profit fell 8.4 percent to A$1.04 billion as its broader general insurance business faced lower margins. Suncorp's banking, life insurance and New Zealand units all delivered gains. The board declared a final dividend of 38 Australian cents per share, taking the annual payment to 68 cents, down from 76 cents in 2015 when Suncorp also paid a 12 cents per share special dividend. The insurer today said it had paid $4.9 billion in Christchurch earthquake claims, some 92 percent of the total expected cost. "Progress in settling Christchurch earthquake claims continues and Suncorp remains protected against further significant deterioration in earthquake costs due to the original catastrophe reinsurance and the additional adverse development cover purchased for the February 2011 event," it said. Suncorp purchased natural hazards aggregate cover for the New Zealand unit which provides A$300 million of cover once the retained portion of an event greater than A$5 million exceeds a total of A$460 million, it said. The New Zealand life division, which operates under the Asteron brand, increased in-force life premiums to A$219 million. The insurer again complained about "unsustainable sales practices, particularly in high upfront commissions", saying its new commission options launched in November "resulted in over half of new business across the past six months being sold on more sustainable commission terms". Suncorp's ASX-listed shares closed yesterday at A$13.21, having gained 8.8 percent so far this year. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SKO - FY23 Interim Results Announcement Date - 23 November 2022 Downer awarded $490 million road maintenance contract SKC - 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AND TRADING UPDATE TCL - Result of AGM TradeWindow secures U.S. footprint with FoodChain ID October 28th Morning Report October 25th Morning Report Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update The Serious Fraud Office's theory about Ngatata Love's alleged fraud is wrong and payments made by developers through a company owned by his partner had no financial effect on a trust he chaired, the High Court in Wellington heard today. Love, who can be named for the first time after a three-year name suppression order was lifted, is charged with obtaining a secret commission and obtaining significant sums by deception. The Crown says he signed an agreement in late 2006 with Auckland property developer Redwood Group to ensure it could lease land owned by the Wellington Tenths Trust, which Love chaired, and he received service fees through Pipitea Street Development Limited (PSDL), a company owned by his partner Lorraine Skiffington, without the trust's knowledge. The Crown says Redwood paid Love and Skiffington $1.5 million, which they used to repay a house loan. Skiffington was also charged but has been granted a permanent stay due to her ill health, while Ngatata Love's son Matene Love had already pleaded guilty to accepting a secret commission. In day two of the 11-day trial, Love's counsel, Colin Carruthers QC, cross-examined SFO investigator Shane Mannix who worked on the investigation. Carruthers pushed Mannix on the services agreement signed by Skiffington, fellow PDSL director Shaan Stevens, and developers Redwood, where PDSL would receive payments while the trust would only get rent from leasing the land and an option to purchase the land at a discounted market rate. Carruthers said the payments under the agreement couldn't have had any effect on the financial position of the Tenths Trust. "On that basis, the payments under the services agreement can have no effect on the Tenths Trust, can they?" Carruthers said. "At this point, those costs were payable and were made by Redwood. That could have no effect on the Tenths [Trust] because what they got out of it was the rent and an option to purchase at a discounted market price, nothing to do with the cost of the project." Carruthers put it to Mannix that the SFO's underlying theory was wrong, which Mannix denied. "The theory of the SFO wasn't based on just this - you're asking me to say the theory was just based on this when it wasn't," Mannix said. "You've made a broader statement, and I'm not willing to say the entire theory of our case was wrong." Mannix said the agreement was $1.5 million to be paid to PDSL upon signing and another $1.5 million plus GST on settlement - "the money has to come from somewhere, eventually that becomes part of the consultant costs when the joint venture comes to bear." Justice Graham Lang then clarified with Mannix that the time period up for discussion was between November 2006 and January 2007 when the agreement was signed. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: SKO - FY23 Interim Results Announcement Date - 23 November 2022 Downer awarded $490 million road maintenance contract SKC - 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AND TRADING UPDATE TCL - Result of AGM TradeWindow secures U.S. footprint with FoodChain ID October 28th Morning Report October 25th Morning Report Mainfreight Investor Day / Market Update GFI - Greenfern - Offer closes 27th Oct MCY - Quarterly Operational Update NEW DELHI: India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mozambique for the import of 3.75 lakh tonne pulses over three years, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. "The government has signed a MOU with Mozambique, which fixes targets of minimum quantities of import of 'tur' and other pulses over three financial years," Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman said in her written reply. According to the MoU, 1 lakh tonne of pulses will be imported in the current fiscal, 1.25 lakh tonne in 2017-18 and 1.50 lakh tonne of pulses during 2018-19, Sitharaman said. In 2015-16, India had imported 57.97 lakh tonne pulses for $3.90 billion. Read Also: Myntra Unit of Flipkart Acquires the Indian Fashion and Lifestyle e-commerce Platform Jabong Andhra Inks MoU With Japan To Develop Food Value Chain Online Biz Cos To Give Contact Details On Their Portals: Govt Page Content The war on zika is a war on mosquitos, and our experience so far is that the population isnt as engaged, knowledgeable, and proactive as they should be said Minister of Public health Emil Lee during Wednesdays council of Ministers press briefing. The Ministry of Health has been regularly publishing articles instructing people on the importance of eliminating breeding sites for disease spreading mosquitos. Minister Lee is asking the citizens of St. Maarten for their active help in eliminating breeding grounds around their homes and neighborhoods. The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) reports that there are now 47 confirmed Zika cases on the Dutch side, and 160 confirmed cases on the French side. We are in our rainy season, therefore, citizens need to be more vigilant than ever. There are still way too many examples where residents and businesses are not being proactive enough in helping to eliminate breeding grounds in the community said Minister Lee The Ministry has developed some zika informational videos in cooperation with Curacao, which will soon be made public. The CPS is working on a comprehensive prevention plan using all tools available to control this disease vector. Ultimately, if we dont eliminate our own breeding grounds, it will end up being a problem for the whole population. Government simply doesnt have the resources to eliminate these mosquitos without the help of everyone said Minister Lee. Natural forces overpowering Antarctic Peninsula warming Posted on 4 August 2016 by Guest Author This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Roz Pidcock In the latter half of the 20th century, the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula was among the fastest warming places on Earth. But since the late 1990s, this fast-paced warming has been tempered by extreme natural forces, according to new research. So much so, that some parts have switched to cooling. In many ways, the results are unsurprising. Scientists know that natural variability superimposes temporary ups and downs on top of greenhouse gas-induced warming everywhere on Earth. Prof Robert Mulvaney, part of the team of British Antarctic Survey scientists who carried out the research, tells Carbon Brief: The results are as we would expect. The authors of the study, published today in Nature, also stress their findings are restricted to a small part of the Antarctic Peninsula, and do not imply cooling across the ice sheet as a whole. Hot spot Such is the harsh and inhospitable nature of the Antarctic environment that carrying out field research is very difficult. Monitoring stations are few and far between. The data for the new study comes from six research stations situated near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula the northernmost part of the Antarctic mainland. It is here that some of the largest temperature rises have been observed. Between 1951-2000, a station known as Vernadsky (formerly as Faraday) recorded an increase of 2.8C. As Professor Tim Naish, director of the Antarctic Research Centre at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, says: [The new paper] focuses specifically on the temperature records of the Antarctic Peninsula, which has often been referred to as a global warming hot spot. The six coastal stations are nestled quite closely together near the tip of the peninsula, as the map below shows. Together they cover an area equivalent to 1% of the Antarctic ice sheet. As the authors acknowledge, this means their results do not imply anything about the Antarctic Peninsula as a whole, much less the entire Antarctic continent. Turning point The researchers began by weighting each station based on the reliability of its information, before combining all six stations into an average temperature series. The records of two of the stations extend back to the 1950s, but most are shorter, beginning in the 1970s. Combining the records effectively removed the influence of different local effects, the paper explains. The scientists then applied a statistical technique, known as a Mann-Kendall test, to look for any point within the time series where the size or direction of the trend changes. Using this method, they found such a point occurred in late 1998 to early 1999. Before this, the stations recorded an average warming of 0.32C per decade. But afterwards, the trend turned negative, showing 0.47C of cooling per decade until the last measurement in 2014. By repeating the analysis without 1997 or 1998, the authors satisfied themselves that the switch from warming to cooling trend was not an artefact of the extreme El Nino conditions. Its important to note that all six Antarctic Peninsula stations are warmer now than they were at the beginning of the study period. You can see this in the graphs below from the paper (each coloured line is a single station). What the new paper shows is a change of pace within that longer warming trend, says Dr Ed Hawkins from the University of Reading, who wasnt involved in the study. He tells Carbon Brief: Each of the Antarctic Peninsula measurement stations shows an overall warming trend since their measurements began, but those on the very tip of the Peninsula show an apparent cooling over the last couple of decades. Natural fluctuations With temperature records in the Antarctic Peninsula spanning just a few decades, its inherently difficult to tell whether or not changes observed since the 1970s are normal for the region. To get around this, the scientists compared their results with a reconstruction of how the climate has changed in the past using ice cores. These retain a memory of past temperatures by capturing air bubbles between the ice crystals. Examining the ice core record showed the ups and downs in temperature since the 1970s are within the bounds of what the region has experienced naturally in the past. At some points, the changes were much bigger, Naish says: [D]uring past warmer-than-present climates, when carbon dioxide levels reached 400ppm or more, Antarctica did display an amplified warming pattern up to two times more than the global average. The authors of todays study attribute the cooling at the six Antarctic Peninsula stations since the late 1990s largely to more frequent cold winds, caused by a stronger mid-latitude jet. These same atmospheric circulation changes have pushed sea ice inland, the paper notes, leading to a build up along the northern Antarctic Peninsula. The extra sea ice, in turn, has amplified the cooling trend by shutting off the flow of heat from the ocean to the atmosphere. The image below from the paper shows the drop in sea ice during the fast warming in the 1980s and 1990s (green, left map) and the rise during the slight cooling in the 2000s (purple, right map). Profound changes Todays study is a good example of natural variability working both ways, says Prof Nerilie Abram from the Australian National University, who wasnt involved in the research. She says: [L]ong-term changes in our climate also have a layer of year-to-year variability on top that can cause some decades to warm particularly quickly and others to apparently not warm at all. In the same way that natural forces are aligning to cause temporary cooling in parts of the Antarctic Peninsula at the moment, they collectively pulled in the opposite direction during the 1980s and 1990s to amplify the warming coming from greenhouse gases. This pattern holds true outside of the Antarctic continent. Looking at the average temperature for the whole of Earths surface, we see the same periodic rise and fall as natural fluctuations either amplify the signal or mask it by pulling in the opposite direction. Yet the trend is still clearly one of warming. Back to Antarctica, warming in recent decades has triggered some profound changes across the Antarctic Peninsula, including disintegration of the regions ice shelves, retreating glaciers and a decline in some penguin populations. The Larsen-A ice shelf collapsed in 1995, followed by its neighbour, Larsen-B, in 2001/2. Rising air temperatures are also contributing to the thinning of Larsen-C, which is now also at risk of collapse. Talking about Larsen B, Prof Eugene Domack from the University of South Florida tells Carbon Brief: The ice shelf collapse in 2001 was in response to protracted warming throughout the 1990s that preconditioned the ice shelf to collapse during the very warm summer that season. Dual forcing But there are other destructive forces acting on the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as the changes in air temperature that todays paper discusses. A study last week described how of the 674 glaciers on the Peninsulas western side, almost 90% are retreating because of rising ocean temperatures. Lead author Dr Alison Cook from Durham University tells Carbon Brief that the new paper is not in conflict with hers, since the processes they describe are happening simultaneously. She says: The climatic cooling that [Turner et al.] report would not explain the acceleration in glacier retreat in the 1990s and the continuing retreat since then, whereas these patterns are consistent with ocean temperature patterns. Prof Andy Shepherd, an expert in monitoring the Earths icy expanses from space at the University of Leeds, echoes the warning about rising ocean warmth. He says: There are few scientists left who believe that atmospheric warming will be the main cause of Antarctic instability over the next century. The real threat is ocean warming. Looking ahead The short, sparse temperature record in the Antarctic Peninsula and across the wider ice sheet means it may take decades to unravel the precise contribution from natural variability to changes were seeing on the ground. Nevertheless, the long term outlook looks bleak. The Antarctic ice sheet is already thought to have lost 30bn tonnes of ice each year from its surface between 19922001, rising to 147bn tonnes per year from 2002-2011. The portion of ice that floats on the water rather than sitting on land has increased over the satellite record. But since this is thought to be a result of natural variability rather than a response to long term greenhouse gas warming, scientists dont expect this to continue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that if emissions keep rising as they have been, Antarctica could see 3-4C warming above preindustrial temperatures by the end of the century a prospect that holds clear consequences for the stability of the ice sheet. As with anywhere on Earth, scientists dont expect that warming to happen at the same pace everywhere. The message from the authors of todays study is that while its essential to understand the extra levels of complexity that natural variability adds to the long-term climate change picture, its for precisely this reason that short periods of 10 years or so need to be firmly couched in context of the region in question, rather than viewed in isolation. By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. Reconnaissance Man Economics for the Disinterested ...a fast-paced polar bear attack thriller! Want lies? Hire a regular consultant. Want truth? Hire an asshole. Weather Shop Click to inquire about rates. Dow Jones What They Say About SDA "Smalldeadanimals doesn't speak for the people of Saskatchewan" Former Sask Premier Lorne Calvert "I got so much traffic after your post my web host asked me to buy a larger traffic allowance." Dr.Ross McKitrick Holy hell, woman. When you send someone traffic, you send someone TRAFFIC. My hosting provider thought I was being DDoSed. - Sean McCormick "The New York Times link to me yesterday [...] generated one-fifth of the traffic I normally get from a link from Small Dead Animals." Kathy Shaidle "Thank you for your link. A wave of your Canadian readers came to my blog! Really impressive." Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs "You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella "Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky Intelliweather Seismic Map Comments Policy Read this Best Of SDA Hide The Decline The Bottle Genie (ClimateGate links) You Might Be A Liberal Uncrossing The Line Bob Fife: Knuckledragger A Modest Proposal (NP) Settled Science Series Y2Kyoto Series SDA: Reader Occupation Survey Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop Flakes On A Plane All Your Weather Are Belong To Us Song Of The Sled The Raise A Flag Debacle (Now on Youtube!) (.mwv Video) Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl Trudeaupiate Kleptocrat Jeans Child Labour I Concede Small Dead Feminist Protein Hoser: THK Interview The Werewolf Extinction Dear Laura (VRWC) We Wait Blogging The Oscars Jackson Converts To Islam Just Shut The HELL Up Manipulating Condi Gay Equality Rights Inmates used a poster to hide a hole they had smashed through plasterboard in a cell at the temporary full-time jail in Symonston earlier this year. Shadow Corrections Minister Andrew Wall described the incident as a "major security breach" in ACT parliament this week, saying he had reports damage was done to a perimeter wall in February. Shadow Corrections Minister Andrew Wall said the attempted escape from the Symonston Correctional Centre added to a "long list of security issues" under the ACT government. Credit:Jeffrey Chan The government described an incident of a lesser nature, which it said did not constitute an escape. Justice Minister Shane Rattenbury confirmed detainees had damaged the wall of a cell in the early hours of a morning in February. Click here for the full Canberra weekend guide. After selling out at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Lawrence Leung's new show Very Strange Things is coming to Canberra for the first time. It's on tonight at The Street Theatre and tomorrow at 8pm. Hailing from New York, Jared aka Party Thieves will be at Academy. Supported by Yen Sid, Leuky and Strides. Academy. $17 from moshtix.com.au. Streets of Papunya at ANU Drill Hall Gallery presents the new generation of painters from the epicentre of Western Desert art. Until August 14. Calling all Dr Who fans, a Canberra collector is trying to break the Guinness World Record with his collection. The Bigger on the inside: Collecting Dr Who is on at the Canberra Museum and Gallery until November 20. Free entry. Come to the National Archives and explore exquisite garments, sleek fashion shoots, designers, retailers and bloggers in Faith, Fashion, Fusion - Muslim Women's Style in Australia. Until September 4. TODAY'S CARTOON WEATHER Today: Partly cloudy. Light winds. Max 14. Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. Patchy fog and frost in the morning. Light winds. Min -1, max 13. Sunday: Cloudy. Areas of morning frost. Slight (30%) chance of a shower. Light winds. Min 1, max 13. Monday: Partly cloudy. Areas of morning frost. Light winds. Min -1, max 14. The mass salmonella outbreak at a Canberra restaurant that poisoned more than 160 people had the quickest incubation period one expert had ever seen, a court has heard. And the speed at which the Copa Brazilian's customers got sick could be because of the amount of bacteria ingested, the expert said. The now-closed Copa Brazilian Churrasco restaurant in Dickson. In May 2013, within a week of opening, the 161 customers were served a potato salad with a raw egg aioli in a $45 all-you-can eat deal. An ACT Health investigation traced the raw eggs to a Victorian supplier, while the Dickson restaurant eventually closed in 2014. Miss Muddy is going to get muddier in Canberra, its organisers promise. The event is changing venues for its Canberra run next February. A competitor from Miss Muddy Canberra in 2015. Credit:Jeffrey Chan It will no longer be at the Thoroughbred Park racecourse but instead at the Sutton Road Driver Training Centre on Sutton Road, Majura. Miss Muddy Canberra will be held on Saturday, February 25, with plans for a morning session and one in the evening to account for people who have to work on Saturday mornings. Six-year-old Will Bourke likes the igloo. He likes the cushions and the books. He likes being able to just sit and play with his favourite toy, a little lava lamp-like device where he can watch the coloured water flow through. "It helps me be calm," he said. "I feel better when I come out." Theodore Primary School principal Matt Holdway with student Will Bourke in a sensory igloo. Credit:Elesa Kurtz The igloo is a sensory space in his Year 1 classroom at Theodore Primary School. There is one in every of the 14 classrooms at the 352-student P-6 school. Principal Matt Holdway says the results from the igloos have been fantastic and the reduction in poor classroom behaviours has been very noticeable. Parliament has passed new powers allowing prosecutors to temporarily detain accused Canberrans even after a magistrate has ordered their release. The Legislative Assembly on Thursday voted to support a range of tough new powers to crack down on serious and organised crime, some of which had raised concerns among defence lawyers, the Greens, and civil libertarians. ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell said new powers for prosecutors "struck the right balance" between a detainee's human rights and the need for safety. Credit:Jay Cronan The most controversial measure, anti-consorting laws targeting bikies, was dropped following significant human rights concerns and a potential backlash from some within the Labor party. But new bail review powers for prosecutors remained in the bill, which was passed just after midday on Thursday. An Emirates jumbo jet crash lands in Dubai, suffers an apparent engine explosion, and loses most of its top section to fire. The plane comes to rest looking as though someone used a giant, flame-throwing can opener to rip off the length of the cabin. Despite this tremendous mechanical violence, all 300 people aboard escaped with their lives. How did this happen? The short answer is engineering and training. The incident involving Flight 521, a Boeing Co 777-300 on a flight from India, resembled the July 2013 crash landing of an Asiana Boeing 777-200 in San Francisco, which clipped a seawall, flipped, and then burned near a runway. Only three of the 291 passengers on that flight died - a 99 per cent survival rate - while the jet was destroyed. The media is constantly on my mind having spent over 40 years in the industry in Australia and globally. It is also regularly on the mind of almost everyone else! Australians spend at least 30 per cent of their time with media. A recent breakdown of the average person's day reveals eight hours sleeping, eight hours working and eight hours with the media, but I suspect with sleeping reducing for many and the working environment enabling media contact, the proportion of our time with some sort of media is increasing. I am the chairman of FreeTV and on the 60th anniversary of television it's worth having a look at our patterns of media consumption. When Hans received an AGL notice informing him he would be switched from quarterly to monthly billing, he thought "it's the same money, let it go". Except, as soon found out, it was not the same money. At his Marsfield unit in Sydney's north-west, Hans, who has asked Fairfax Media not to use his surname, usually paid between $300-350 a quarter for his electricity. But after he was switched to monthly billing he found he was being charged almost $200 a month. A Chinese consortium is set to swallow Australian vitamins and supplements maker Vitaco for more than $300 million. Less than a year since listing on the Australian sharemarket, Vitaco has entered a scheme arrangement with Shanghai Pharmaceuticals and Chinese investment firm Primavera Capital. Vitaco CEO Ryan d'Almeida. The group's brands include Nutra-Life, Bodytrim and Musashi. Credit:Louise Kennerley Vitaco's range of brands include Nutra-Life, Bodytrim and Musashi. China has a big appetite for Australian vitamins, baby formula and dairy products, which have a reputation as clean and of high quality. Niger's National Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Niger as you celebrate the 56th anniversary of your nations independence on August 3. "The United States commends Niger for its leadership in countering security threats and promoting economic development in the Sahel. We are committed to continued partnership in support of democratic institutions and humanitarian assistance, and we look forward to working together to improve irrigation and market access for agricultural products through the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact you secured this year. "I wish all the people of Niger a peaceful and joyous Independence Day." The competition watchdog will run a fine-tooth comb through Australia's communications market to ensure there is enough competition to allow new entrants and to encourage investment. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims announced a study into the communications market at an industry dinner on Thursday evening. "We recognise the communications sector is one that all Australians have an interest in, and one that facilitates economic growth. Importantly, the study will also allow the ACCC to consider a wide range of interrelated issues that have been raised by the sector and that go to the proper functioning of the market," he said. Telecommunications companies have previously raised concerns about competition problems in the industry, but would probably not be expecting a market study, Mr Sims told Fairfax Media. "After Radhika", reads a note from a senior ANZ banker and receivers from PPB including managing partner Ian Carson who discussed getting "pressure points" on billionaire couple Pankaj and Radhika Oswal to shame them just days before their fertiliser business went into receivership, a court has heard. The explosive revelation included in a file note of a phone conversation between ANZ chief risk officer Chris Page, Mr Carson and PPB receiver Simon Theobald 11 days before ANZ appointed PPB as receiver to the Oswals' Burrup Fertilisers empire was presented to court by lawyers for the Oswals. Pankaj Oswal (left) and his wife Radhika (right) and daughter Vasundhara leave court in Melbourne: There is little doubt it was the bank that blinked first. Credit:AAP "Get pressure points on cars, boats, etc ... Find out what yanks their chain," the file note reads. "After Radhika" the file note prepared by Mr Theobald adds. And it remained after the bubble burst in the late 1990s, when companies began restructuring and employees stayed at work to try to ensure they weren't laid off. Still, irregular workers - who worked without benefits or job security - were brought in, making the regular workers toil even harder. 12-hour-plus days Now, no one blinks an eyelid at 12-hour-plus days. "In a Japanese workplace, overtime work is always there. It's almost as if it is part of scheduled working hours," said Koji Morioka, an emeritus professor at Kansai University who is on a committee of experts advising the government on ways to combat karoshi. "It's not forced by anyone, but workers feel it like it's compulsory." While the basic workweek is 40 hours, many workers don't put in for extra hours for fear of being given a bad performance evaluation. This has led to the concept of "service overtime" - "service" being Japanese for "free." This relentless schedule has led to karoshi - either from a fatal heart attack or stroke, or a suicide triggered by overwork - becoming a recognised cause of death. Labor ministry figures show that 189 deaths were classified this way last year, although experts think the actual number is in the thousands. Karoshi has long been considered a male problem, but advocates say they're seeing an increasing number of women dying, almost always by killing themselves. The striking thing about them is that they're very young, often in their 20s, said Hiroshi Kawahito, a lawyer and secretary-general of the National Defense Counsel for Victims of Karoshi, which fights for victims' families. Heart attacks in early 30s Kawahito represented the family of a journalist in her early 30s who died of a heart attack. When a reporter gasped, he added: "It's actually not rare in Japan for people in their early 30s to have heart attacks." Once a death is classified as karoshi, a victim's family is automatically entitled to compensation through a kind of workers' comp system. The number of claims for karoshi-related cases rose to a record high of 2310 in the year ending in March, government figures show. But less than a third of applications are successful, Kawahito said. Kiyotaka Serizawa's death was officially certified last month. He was a supervisor responsible for overseeing building janitors in three separate locations in this town northeast of Tokyo. Struggling to keep up, Kiyotaka had tried to resign a year before his death, but his boss refused to accept his notice. Apparently concerned about inconveniencing his subordinates, he carried on working. He would sometimes stop at his parents' house to sleep as he drove between offices. "He would lie here on this couch and go into such a deep sleep that I would come and check on him to make sure his heart was still beating," said his mother, Mitsuko Serizawa. The last time his mother saw him was July last year, when he came to collect the laundry he'd been too busy to do. He stopped off for 10 minutes and watched some cute cat videos on his phone with his cat-mad mother. But then, on July 26, he went missing. Three weeks later, his body was found in his car in Nagano Prefecture, not far from a place where he'd gone on family camping holidays as a child. He'd taken his own life. Skipping annual leave Although karoshi has been a problem for several decades, it was only 18 months ago that the government passed legislation to try to tackle the problem. The act sets specific targets, such as reducing the percentage of employees working for more than 60 hours a week to 5 per cent by 2020, from the 8 to 9 per cent range recorded in the past few years. The government is also trying to get employees to actually take their paid annual leave. Most Japanese workers get 20 days leave a year, but few take even half of that because of a working culture in which taking days off is seen as a sign of slacking or lack of commitment to the job. The government hopes to entice workers to take at least 70 per cent of their leave owed. "If you're conscious of this right, then you can show that there's nothing wrong with taking time off," said Yasukazu Kurio of the ministry of health and labour's office for the prevention of karoshi. Kurio is trying to set a good example: Last year he took 17 of his 20 days. Kawahito, the lawyer, said that the government's efforts could have some impact at the margins but that they don't deal with the fundamental problem. "There's nothing that's stated under this act to penalise companies that break the rules," said Kawahito, who's not exactly a role model for work-life balance. As a younger lawyer, he used to work long hours, but now that he's reached the age of 66, he's cut back to about 60 hours a week. Still, he wants to see a law like the European Working Time Directive that stipulates 11 hours off between shifts. Too busy to complain The karoshi problem is exacerbated by the relative weakness of labour unions, which have been primarily concerned with raising wages rather than shortening working hours, and the Japanese practice of having a job for life. Most university students go into a company or a ministry after graduation with the expectation they'll be there until they retire. "In a country like the US, people have more freedom to move to a company that treats you better," said Kenichi Kuroda, a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo who specialises in labour culture. "But in Japan, people tend to stay at one company for life, so it's difficult for people to move on." Some companies, especially in the financial sector, are taking the initiative by allowing employees to come in earlier and leave earlier. So instead of working from nine to nine, they're now working from seven to seven and can be home in time to see their children. "These companies are finding ways to bring about social change, and it could influence other companies by showing how they're creating a 'dream lifestyle,'" Kuroda said, laughing to show he knew 12-hour days would not be considered revolutionary elsewhere. Still, the problem is going to be difficult to alleviate. Japan's population is ageing rapidly, with the workforce expected to shrink by at least a quarter by 2050. That means even fewer people available to work, increasing the workloads of those who remain. Morioka, the professor, said that eliminating death by overwork will mean changing the entire working culture of Japan. Indeed "policy disaster" might be a generous description because it wasn't really a policy at all. It was more an attempt to avoid one. This, you will recall, was after Kevin Rudd dropped his ETS once the politics got a bit hard. And if climate change was once the "great moral challenge of our time", why was one of the major parties having run heavily on it in 2007 suddenly throwing it to the punters to figure out? This was a collection of ordinary Australians who would spend 12 months thinking about the best response to climate change and help the government develop a policy to price carbon. At no point did this make much sense. If the best climate change policy was to price carbon, then why bother with the assembly to deliver a predetermined result? Everyone remembers Julia Gillard's "no carbon tax" moment. And everyone remembers the crippling broken promise that followed. What almost no one remembers is the policy disaster that preceded it: her "citizen's assembly". Illustration: Simon Letch At length that cost him his polling and then his leadership. Gillard, clearly intimidated by Tony Abbott's scare campaign, was searching for the most inoffensive announcement she could find. So, after the election, when it was time to govern, she had nowhere to go: "I either stuck exactly to what I said just before the election, got no action on climate change, and did the wrong thing for the nation, or I found a way to get climate change action," she would later explain in a startling admission that she'd gone to the election with nothing of use. All this came rushing back to me as Malcolm Turnbull's week unfolded. Sure, there has been no landmark catastrophe. In fact, there has been no landmark anything. Instead there has been a series of basic missteps that refuse to go away; a persistent, nagging sense that whatever the plan is meant to be, nothing is quite going according to it. Consider the main talking points in politics at the moment. The decision not to nominate Rudd for UN Secretary General simply should never have hung over into this week. It should never have led to a conveyor belt of contradicting reports about whether or not Turnbull was reflecting cabinet's view, trumping it, or simply being left by his colleagues to make the decision himself. Similarly, the decision to initiate a royal commission into juvenile detention in the Northern Territory should never have been mired in controversy over who would run it. It's one thing to set this up without consulting the indigenous community that is so disproportionately affected. It's another to appoint a commissioner who resigns in four days over a perceived conflict of interest. Malcolm Turnbull appears determined to maintain his silence on whether he contributed more than $2 million to the Liberal Party to help his re-election effort. Significantly, he hasn't denied it. But due to the archaic laws governing political donations at the federal level, we must wait until February next year before the Australian Electoral Commission publishes the disclosures of political parties and candidates. There is absolutely nothing wrong or maybe even surprising with the decision to inject a large amount of cash into a campaign in which you are seeking to be re-elected as prime minister. The Prime Minister is enormously wealthy worth an estimated $200 million and it's all perfectly legal, of course. But therein lies quite a big problem. Prof Jeffrey Grey wrote widely and influentially on the Korean and Vietnam wars and was one of Australia's foremost war historians. Jeff Guy Grey was not only a productive writer and respected scholar, but was an energetic and influential teacher, a patron to a generation of younger historians, and a figure of international renown among historians of war. Professor Jeffrey Grey was a figure of international renown among historians of war. Credit:CMU, UNSW Canberra He came from a military family (his father, Major-General Ron Grey, survives him) and grew up as an "army brat". The Greys lived in Canberra for much of Jeff's adolescence and he graduated from ANU in 1983. In the same year he began as a Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Military Studies at RMC Duntroon and completed his PhD in 1986. After a brief spell in the Historical Section of DFAT, he rejoined the University of NSW at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1988. There he remained for almost his whole career, becoming Professor in 2003. Grey taught thousands of midshipmen and cadets in the Department of History and later the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. His teaching, always confident and challenging, was informed by a profound grasp of the history of warfare across several centuries and most continents, rigorous and demanding but compassionate and understanding when required. His reputation as a supervisor of higher degrees kept him in constant demand, and he enhanced the School's reputation in Australia and beyond. Saying it was intrusive and a blatant invasion of privacy, Melbourne man Terry McManus has posted a stinging rant about the national census on a social networking site that knows how many sexual partners he has had in the last three years, and where he went to primary school. They want to know my religion, how much I earn, what my level of education is not f*cking likely, Mr McManus wrote on the site that knows from analysing search patterns and previous posting behaviour that he actually does not have a religion, and that his salary is between $74,750 and $75,250. . The rant concluded with McManus saying that, Theres no way Im filling this form in and giving the Government all of my information. Ill be spending census night playing Xbox thanks very much. The social networking site later confirmed that Mr McManus does not own an Xbox. Melania Trump's husband says she is a 10. Would Donald Trump marry a woman who wasn't? The question answers itself. But when she was younger, apparently working as a model in New York, the question is whether the former Melania Knauss was associated with another number an H-1B or a B1 or B2 visa, or perhaps some other designation that enabled a single Eastern European woman to earn a living in the US. Melania Trump's personal website was taken down after a minor controversy over her claim that she had received a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in her native Slovenia. It seems she is not actually a college graduate. So what if she isn't? It might matter because a college degree can be an important credential for someone applying for a visa to work in the US. For all the scrutiny of her lifestyle, remarkably little is known about Trump's emigration to the US. What are the facts of her prior immigration status? How did she obtain a green card, which is no easy feat? In April, GQ Magazine reported that Melania Knauss had used a work visa when she came to New York: "Paolo Zampolli, a wealthy Italian whose business interests in New York are broad and vague, brought Melania over on a modelling contract and a work visa." If we created harmony in our house, why is it so hard for the world to create peace? We create peace at home, at school, and in our community without even knowing. We show respect for other cultures by complimenting their food and cuisine. We show respect to their traditions and beliefs. It is that easy all we have to do is show respect. If we can do it in the mains of our home, why is it so hard for the world? All the world has to do is stop interfering with other cultures and religions. No conflict would be caused and there would be no need to start a war. Many people across the world regret what they have done and how it has impacted the world. The world should know; violence is wrong. The world should not fight. We should be in harmony. Almost every day I fear for those who are targeted because of who they are. There are still people out there who think that only people from their own kind are perfect. If we can create harmony in a house, we can shape tomorrow's future. Let's make tomorrow a better world. Together we can create peace and harmony. Harmony matters and always will. Miriam Warwick-Smith, St Aidan's Primary, Rooty Hill Year 5/6 runner-up. Credit:Sally Tsoutas Relationships Matter Miriam Warwick-Smith, St Aidan's Primary, Rooty Hill - Year 5/6 runner up Have you ever felt invisible because the people around you are hypnotised by the gadgets in their hands? Adults love to lecture children about the dangers of spending too much time on technology. I wonder if any of them have wondered about the effect of their addiction to technology on their children? Rejected is how their children feel and that matters. In today's world, family time is under stress. In many homes, both parents work and everyone is tired at the end of the day. Everyone in the family finds it hard to focus on their loved ones as they collapse with exhaustion at the end of the day. People now pick up a device to unwind, instead of relaxing with their family. Every hour of every day, all I see are eyes glued to a screen. Sure, they look up or down, but not if it means losing points on their game. This matters to me. When my brother was in Year 6, he had a disco to celebrate the last day of primary school. He took last minute photos of everyone. "Isn't that nice," I thought. I expected to see boys in ridiculous poses on the dance floor. When I saw that last photo, I was shocked. It was of a colossal group of boys sitting, not dancing. Instead of sharing the last few minutes at primary school acting like kids, they were in the corner of the hall and all eyes were glued to a screen. I'd hate to grow up in a generation where people have no social skills. It looks like I have no choice. That matters to me. "Move," everyone in my family yelled as they tried to see the television screen above them. They were watching their favourite television show. I moved because I knew they were already hot under their collar. Every Friday my family and I have a family games night, and I was trying to show them a list of games I had prepared on Thursday. Simply showing them the list did not get their attention, so I did what any frustrated person would do. I blocked their view! At least they noticed I was in the room. What happened to family time and our games night? That matters to me. People need to realise that their reliance on technology is affecting their ability to be sociable. A plethora of people in today's society are more focussed on their latest game score, or YouTube, than they are with the people around them. Technology really is distracting whole generations and it is impacting lives. Loneliness is already a huge problem in our society and it will only get worse if people keep ignoring other people! When you're with others, you should always listen and spend time with them. Never pick up your phone to check Facebook, or your Twitter account. When someone texts, or calls you, ignore it, if you are actually having a conversation with someone else! If you're on all these apps instead of talking to the people around you, it's called being anti-social. Our society has given that phrase a whole new meaning. People need to stop locking themselves in their rooms to stare at screens. I hate to break it to you, but technology is not a friend. Families who allow technology to rule are giving themselves just enough rope to hang themselves. Open your eyes and see the world around you. I think those who choose phones over people need to get a taste of their own medicine. I am moving out until this nonsense stops. Imogen Rogers, Penrith Christian School Year 7/8 runner-up. Credit:Sally Tsoutas Music Matters Imogen Rogers, Penrith Christian School - Year 7/8 runner-up The words circle me in a colourful haze. Flowing through my body, giving me such joy. It's been like this since birth, music has always been there for me. Friends they come and they go, they aren't always by your side, I know this through experience. I've been bullied and called crude names but who's always been there for me, always saying exactly the right thing? Music. I fall asleep to the beautiful melodies; I wake up to the captivating harmonies. My parents they fight often, but I always have a safe haven that I can call upon. I can always take away the stabbing memories of death and cries; they are the painstakingly strong memories that have haunted my life forever. Music gives me a relief from the torture, it is my antidote. My parents have cancer, both of them. I think about it every night. I'm 12 and I don't want to see them die, at least not at this age, not now. I find it hard to grasp the fact that they are sick and that I can't do anything about it. I know I cannot change the fact that they have cancer but the only thing that has stopped from driving me insane is music. Sad, happy, frustrated, excited, in love, angry it doesn't matter music is there; music is what matters. Music is the thing that keeps me going. Through all the pain, hurt, and rejection, throughout the highs and the lows of life, I can always count on music. I sing and I play piano and it gives me the greatest joy. I listen to music every day to help me get through the struggles of life. The words fill my mind and take away the thoughts that cannot go away. My mum and I don't have an amazing relationship, we fight all the time. I constantly feel not good enough. Always not getting a high enough grade, never doing anything right. Often, I find that I can't call upon my parents so the only thing I can call on is music. Listen to the flowing piano and the acoustic guitar; get swept away by the angelic voices that allow me to forget everything. I can go into my own little world with music; I can soar way up into the sky and dive deep into the ocean, it's my safe haven where I can imagine a world where I am happy; a world full of music. Family, friends they all matter but they can let you down and break your heart. Music can break your heart with its touching songs but it can also heal your broken heart. Music is where I start and where I end. I fall asleep to beautiful melodies; I wake up to captivating harmonies. Music matters. Ramneek Thind, Blacktown Girls High School Year 9/10 winner. Credit:Sally Tsoutas 21st Century Slavery Ramneek Thind, Blacktown Girls High School Year 9/10 winner At nine years of age Radha is not a child. At nine years of age she does not play with other children, she does not go to school, she does not laugh or smile. At nine years of age she is not "living". During the day she is made to do various chores receiving almost nothing for her services. At night however, she is raped four, nine, or even 15 times by people who are three times her age. If she refuses, she is beaten; if she resists, she is beaten; if she does anything besides remain compliant, she is beaten. This should not be the life of a child. But unfortunately this is the life of twp million children across the world today. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It's the illegal trading of humans for commercial or exploitive purposes and involves deceit, force and/or coercion. It's a grave violation of human rights. It's an injustice. It's an epidemic. Trafficking has become widespread and occurs in nearly every country regardless of whether it's developed or developing. It has also earned the title of being the second-fastest growing crime in the world today and will soon become a larger financial industry than the illegal drug trade. Human trafficking also does not discriminate. Anyone can be a victim irrespective of their gender, race, age and social or economic status. Although, over 50 per cent of all trafficking victims are children and this is largely because they're the most susceptible. They can easily be deceived by traffickers who use special grooming tactics and fake promises to attain their trust. Then once they're lured in, there is no escape. Those trapped in the malicious cycle of trafficking are unaware of how it feels to have dignity, to be respected and have secure feelings like we do. These individuals are exploited and forced to do things against their will as they are constantly under the threat of violence. They're not treated like humans and are unable to walk away. Girls who are no older than 10 are subjected to rape and torture, destroying their reproductive systems and robbing them of their natural right to motherhood. In the United Arab Emirates, children are used as debt bondages and are forced to participate in camel jockey races for the mere pleasure of spectators. Furthermore, in places such as Afghanistan and India where the practices of "bachcabaazi" or "laundanach" are prevalent, young boys are made to dress up as girls and entertain men, unknowingly being exploited for sexual abuse. However, perhaps the vilest aspect of human trafficking is the victim's loss of liberty. Victims of trafficking are forced to sell their inherent freedom, condemning themselves to a life that is destructive and without purpose. Unless there is intervention, the only means for victims of escaping their situation and reclaiming their most basic entitlement, freedom, is death. Death without dignity. What is even more unfortunate is that the desperate pleas of trafficking victims often go unheard as we choose to turn a blind eye towards this problem, in an attempt to shelter our privileged society from the reality of this human tragedy, a disgrace upon mankind. It is time that we seek to heal this wound that has existed for so long, on the body that is humanity, and restore the freedom to all those who have suffered at the hands of trafficking. It is time that we give Radha her life back so she can truly experience the remarkableness of "living". It is time that we let them be human again. It is time. Kirti Sharma, William Carey Christian School Year 9/10 runner-up. Credit:Sally Tsoutas Human Trafficking a crime against humanity Kirti Sharma, William Carey Christian School Year 9/10 runner-up In a world that has embraced man's unconditional control over another, the gratuitous enslavement of human beings embodies a profligate crisis facing the globe. Human trafficking is a crime against humanity; it involves the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person through the use of force or coercion for the purpose of exploiting them. It is a global phenomenon that is found in every nation and manifests itself in the forms of sex trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude and organ harvesting. A form of modern day slavery, human trafficking threatens the dignity of persons. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states in Article 4, "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms". Through this declaration, it is evident that this is not universally accepted in society, as human trafficking is a far more pressing problem in the modern world than originally thought. Officially, worldwide slavery ended more than a century ago. Unofficially, it's a growth industry that will continue to expand. Poverty and gender discrimination lies at the heart of human trafficking. In sex trafficking, women and children are diminished to the status of a gratifying sexual commodity and are commonly trafficked into the commercial sex industries. On the other hand, men are usually trafficked into tough labour jobs, while children are trafficked into labour positions in sweatshops and domestic industries. It has become an organised billion-dollar industry that generates $32 billion annually and has at its core, investors, recruiters and corrupt public officials as participants. Globalisation has given birth to a service industry completely devoted to providing transportation, forged documents and accounting assistance. Human trafficking is a system based on greed, control and power. Victims are threatened to, lied to and beaten. Traffickers use deception, fraud, threats and other psychological coercion to make promises of improvements in getting jobs, education and a better life. They prey on the vulnerabilities of people who are poor, uneducated, neglected, unemployed or immigrants. Escape is inevitable and almost impossible. However, all this can change, as life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. For starters, human trafficking is a global problem that requires a global solution. Raising awareness in countries where human trafficking hits the hardest, can help start the change that the world needs to see. Educating and helping individuals in understanding the nature of trafficking can encourage civilians to look for signs of trafficking in a person. It should not take a little motivation to encourage the community to take action; it should be in our character and personality to help those who need it the most, to show compassion to those who need it and to help people recognise the difference between right and wrong. It should be in our humanity. There is no doubt now that the world we know will always exhibit in creating disconnected individuals every day. Human trafficking is one of the greatest ethical challenges facing modern times. Eradicating human trafficking needs to start with change and if humanity is willing to allow that change to occur. The human mind is the most complex organ belonging to any species on Earth. But in the complexity lies the thought of enslaving others for profit. Caught between the sadistic system are the lives of thousands of men, women and children who are innocent and are trapped in the clutches of a sea of oppression, as their freedom, rights and dignity are stolen from them. Madeleine Mott, Holy Spirit College, Bellambi Year 11/12 winner. Credit:Sally Tsoutas We Matter Madeleine Mott, Holy Spirit College, Bellambi Year 11/12 winner I say I am a feminist and you laugh and ask why I would want to be a feminist And you laugh at the word as if it is a joke that I don't understand as if fighting for the equality of my sex is a concept a tad out of your grasp And I sit in class and ignore your sneers and your jokes and as I raise my hand and say "women matter" you all groan "here she goes again" "yeah we already know" But you don't know You don't know what it means to be discriminated against purely due to your sex And whilst you laugh at this movement you laugh at the millions of girls who will be sold into sex slavery this year alone. You laugh at those who you love most your mother your sister your daughter You laugh at the one in three women who will experience sexual assault You laugh at the three million girls who will fall victim to genital mutilation this year alone You laugh at the seven year old girl who sits on the floor waiting to have breasts ironed and bandaged in order to stop her from being desired by men becoming a child bride before she reaches the age of 10 And I am tired of your laughter. I am tired of you feeling threatened by an issue you do not understand. I am tired of having to defend my choice of standing up for the rights of my gender. I am tired of your utter lack of respect for those who are persecuted, abused, raped and held back because they are women. I am tired of being taught and warned about the consequences of walking by myself, of wearing "provocative clothing". I was warned It's not their fault for acting on their primal instincts I was asking for it After all you could see my bra strap through my singlet. I am tired of being a distraction and no, I am not your baby girl I am merely a 16 year old trying to cross the street I do not care that you think my arse looks good in these jeans And now it is my turn It is my turn to laugh at your stupidity And it is my turn to ask the questions Why do you teach your daughters about their safety But don't teach your sons about consent And I want to know how long it will take before we live in a world where 62 million girls are not denied an education simply because they are girls. How long will it take for you to not make jokes about the suffrage of my entire gender Because if the only time you bring up male victims of domestic abuse and rape is to justify the rape and abuse of women don't pretend you actually care about the issue. And so next time you ask why I am a feminist Know that just because I believe women matter Does not mean everybody else believes so too Nicholas Raphael, William Clarke College Year 11/12 runner-up. Credit:Sally Tsoutas Characters Matter Nicholas Raphael, William Clarke College Year 11/12 runner-up Two of the crew were killed on impact, the force of the collision splitting the vessel in two, and plunging the survivors into the moonlit depths. Their captain, a young lieutenant by the name of John F. Kennedy, was among them. His conduct that night would transform him from the anonymous son of a prominent businessman into a decorated and capable leader of men. Having evacuated his crew, Kennedy returned to the flames to rescue a badly burned comrade from within the petrol-laced waters, towing him to the shore by the strap of his lifejacket between his clenched teeth. Over the following days, Kennedy would lead his men across miles of treacherous waters to their ultimate rescue, an achievement which his citation attributed to "his courage, endurance, and excellent leadership." Seventeen years later, Kennedy would be elected to the Presidency of the United States, serving for three years until his tragic assassination. As both a war hero and a statesman, Kennedy's life and deeds testify to his belief that personal character and compelling leadership are intrinsically linked. As Australia nears another federal election, as the United Nations considers the appointment of its next Secretary-General, and as the United States' presidential race nears its climax, Kennedy's example of character-based leadership matters greatly in light of the challenges that we face today. A few weeks ago, I decided to join a political party. Upon discovering my decision, I was met with the astonishment and outright disgust of my friends and acquaintances. As the captain of my school and leader at my church, I frequently found myself justifying this decision to members of a generation that is all too often derided as corrupted by cynical complacency. "But Nic," I was asked, "why on Earth would you want to get involved in politics?" I listened to endless explanations of how politics was a synonym for corruption and careerism; an agent of upward mobility for an elite few, irrelevant to the lives of those it falsely claims to represent. Sadly, this attitude of despair towards the political establishment is far from uncommon. A 2014 study found that only four out of 10 citizens of surveyed countries trusted the leadership of their governments, blaming "rising inequality", "huge economic challenges" and "painful trade-offs" as areas of "particular attention in the eyes of citizens". In other words, the problems that we face today seem greater than the capacity of our leadership to solve them. Many feel helpless when confronted with a world that is seemingly hostile to their interests, and have simply lost faith in the ability of government to champion them. Loading Howard Hinton's generosity and lack of ego puts arts patrons of today to shame. Over more than half a century, Hinton purchased an estimated 1200 artworks by the greats of Australian art - Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Rupert Bunny, Margaret Preston only to give them away. Norman Carter's 1936 portrait of Howard Hinton (detail shown) will be exhibited at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery. "He only ever kept a dozen works hanging on his North Shore rented room's walls and several more in a metal trunk by his bed," says Belinda Hanrahan, the director of Hazelhurst Regional Gallery. Hinton gave the rest of his collection to the Armidale Teachers' College, which amassed one of the greatest collections of Australian art. Pauline Hanson's One Nation party is now a pivotal force in Australian politics, having secured a total of four senators and consequently a crucial balance-of-power role in the new Parliament. The Turnbull government will require the support of the One Nation bloc - as well as the three Nick Xenophon senators - to pass any legislation blocked by both Labor and the Greens. But already there are questions over how long the four Hanson senators will remain united, with election-watcher Antony Green pointing to the party's abysmal record of keeping MPs in line. The anti-Islam party benefited from a strong flow of voter preferences to win two Queensland Senate seats, including Ms Hanson's, and one in NSW, when results were finalised on Thursday. Farmer Rod Culleton has also been elected in Western Australia. Any fees? You can prepay duties and taxes with express shipping or wait for them to be calculated upon delivery with standard shipping. Sizing: Varies according to brand. Consult this chart before dropping anything into your cart. Returns: You have a 30-day window. Simply fill out the provided return form, affix the pre-paid shipping label and drop your package in a mailbox or Australia Post location. No postage is required, but a fee of $5 USD is deducted from your refund. Shopbop Delivery to Australia: Express delivery is $10 USD for orders under $100 USD and free for orders over $100 USD. Any fees? Shopbop calculates an import fees deposit and if the deposit costs are over the actual import fees, they will refund you the difference. Sizing: This chart provides a general guideline and there are links to charts throughout the website. Returns: They accept returns from Australia within 30 days, but shipping and handling will not be reimbursed. The DHL Return Fee is $43.66. Opening Ceremony Delivery to Australia: Shipping costs $26.47 USD (UPS Worldwide Expedited) to $28.09 USD (UPS Worldwide Saver). On average, order processing takes between 2 to 5 business days and should arrive within 14 business days. Any fees? For international orders, a customs duty will be incurred, which is calculated according to the item/s. Call FedEx or consult a Duty Calculator for an estimate for purchases over $1,000. They will break down purchases such as Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony boots. Sizing: This varies according to the brand. If confused, email online@openingceremony.us. Returns: All sales final on international orders. Unfortunately, you cannot return or exchange. Victoria's Secret Delivery to Australia: Costs $30 USD for orders under $150 USD and $20 USD for orders over $150 USD. You should receive your item in 13 to 17 business days. If you pay for express delivery (3 to 10 business days), expect to pay $20 USD on top of your original delivery. Any fees? Victoria's Secret does not collect duties and taxes and don't predict what they may be. These will have to be paid on delivery in order to clear customs. Sizing: They provide sizing charts here. Returns: You have 90 days to return your purchase, but shipping and handling is non-refundable and you have to pay for the return yourself. The Reformation Delivery to Australia: Free shipping via DHL Express Service. You should receive within 5 to 7 business days. Any fees? Customs, duties and taxes are the responsibility of the receiver and are due upon receiving your package. Consult Duty Calculator for an estimate. Sizing: Got a measuring tape on hand? Returns: Your return must be received within 30 business days from the date you received your shipment. You are responsible for the costs of shipping your package back to LA. Nasty Gal Delivery to Australia: $9.75 for standard shipping (4 to 7 business days) or free for orders over $175. Any fees? Customs and import duties payable upon delivery will not be calculated by Nasty Gal. Sizing: They run in US sizes, unless otherwise stated. Returns: You have 30 days to return, but will not be reimbursed for refund duties, taxes or shipping charges. Macy's Delivery to Australia: They partner with global ecommerce company Borderfree so that you can shop products in your own currency. Shipping costs vary according to weight/type of product. They're currently offering free standard shipping (4 to 13 business days) for orders over $250 USD. Any fees? Duties and taxes are estimated at checkout so you know exactly what you're paying upfront. Sizing: They've a wealth of handy guides, including this Petite Fit Guide and Fit Solutions Guide for underwear. Returns: You've got 180 days to make your return, but shipping fees will not be refunded. N.B. The same policies apply when buying from Bloomingdales. Kate Spade New York Delivery to Australia: A flat fee of $35 USD and you can expect your order to arrive within 4 to 6 business days. Any fees? These are worked out at the virtual checkout. There should not be any add-ons for purchase totals under $1000. Sizing: N/A Returns: They do not allow for international returns or exchanges. When Sydney Morning Herald photographer Nick Moir captured his PANPA finalist image, he was at the end of his tether. He had driven half way across NSW in search of some storm cells he'd seen on the meteorology charts, but the roads were blocked and he was forced to glumly turn back. His strategy out the window, he resorted to luck and luck delivered. Upon his return to Sydney he was greeted by a massive shelf cloud charging towards Bondi. "Sculpture by the Sea was on and there were hundreds of school kids all up on the headland at South Bondi. The shelf cloud was forming and everybody stopped looking at the sculptures to watch this astounding storm develop," Moir said. This image of a massive shelf cloud off Sydney, November, 2015, is among the finalists at the PANPA awards. Credit:Nick Moir He took a series of images, the best of which showed the speck of a tiny boat dwarfed by the epic shelf cloud. In the following days, the image went viral. "The weather reminds us that the elemental forces can smite us at anytime they want whether it's volcanoes, earthquakes or storms...they can be awesome to watch but equally they can be disastrous," Moir said. But there is cause for hope. It's having a profound impact on what they're choosing to study, with figures from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute showing that only 6.7 per cent of female year 12 students undertake advanced mathematics and only 17.5 per cent undertake intermediate mathematics. (Participation rates were higher across the board for males.) Female students' confidence in maths and science lags severely behind boys, according to an OECD study . For girls at co-educational schools, the numbers just aren't adding up. A new Melbourne University study has found that girls at single-sex schools grew more confident in maths. Isabelle McIndoe, who is a top year eight maths student at Lauriston Girls School, said she only started to feel confident in her maths ability after she moved to an all-girls school. The boys were more dominant and asked most of the questions in her co-ed primary school class, and she feared that she would be mocked if she asked a "dumb question". "Now, I ask every time I'm uncertain about something," she said. "Because the boys dominated, they were always louder, so it really felt like they were better". The Melbourne University study compared the attitude and achievement of girls and boys at both single-sex and co-educational schools. It found that, in year four, boys were slightly more confident in their maths ability than girls in a co-ed environment. In a statement issued on Thursday night, Senator Scullion said he was "appalled" by the cartoon, the publication of which was "particularly tasteless" on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day. The Bill Leak cartoon, published on Thursday, depicts an Aboriginal child being held by the collar by a policeman in the outback. The child's father holds a beer can and does not know his son's name. The News Corp newspaper was accused of inflaming already heightened racial tensions by publishing a cartoon criticising Indigenous family values. The Australian's editor-in-chief Paul Whittaker has defended the cartoon. "Although Australian cartoonists have a rich tradition of irreverent satire, there is absolutely no place for depicting racist stereotypes," he said. "I would urge The Australian to be more aware of the impact cartoons like the one published today can have on Indigenous communities." The newspaper has defended its controversial cartoon, with editor-in-chief Paul Whittaker saying the newspaper was "proud" of its coverage of Indigenous affairs. Whittaker - who came to the job as editor of the national broadsheet from Sydney's Daily Telegraph - said issues surrounding detention of children in the Northern Territory and the pending Royal Commission had put Aboriginal issues in the spotlight again. "Too often, too many people skirt around the root causes and tough issues," he said. "But not everyone." Police have swooped on two men who allegedly imported 154 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside a shipment of timber. The massive haul has a street value of $115 million, police said, and would have resulted in more than a million hits of the drug had it reached users. Some of the 154 kilogram of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of timber. Credit:AFP Officers from the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force had been monitoring the shipment of logs after it arrived in Sydney by sea from Africa in June. A forensic examination of the cargo found 154 kilogram of methamphetamine, or crystal meth, hidden inside 14 of the 121 logs. A former Anglican altar boy has told a royal commission of four years of abuse at the hands of a priest code-named CKC. A trial against the priest was discontinued soon after it started and the 55-year-old former altar-boy given the pseudonym CKA told how his family suffered abuse and death threats as a result of him taking action against CKC. The royal commission is conducting hearings in Newcastle this week. Credit:Jeremy Piper He said an elderly woman from the church spat on him and said he was "nothing but a troublemaker". He said he had nails put in his tyres and could have died when he realised the car he was driving felt funny and he pulled over to find all of its rear wheel nuts had been loosened. Head lice have become immune to most of the over-the-counter chemicals used to treat them, according to a new study. The study, published recently in the Journal of Medical Entomology, found insecticides such as permethrin one of the most common treatments for head lice used to be up to 100 per cent effective in killing the parasites when it was introduced in 1984. Parents will now have to comb through their kids' hair to get rid of lice because the pests have become immune to common insecticides. Credit:Joe Armao However, the chemical is now almost 100 per cent ineffective, after the lice developed a widespread "knockdown resistance" mutation, which can be passed on through generations. The study examined more than 14,000 lice, which were collected from 479 people during nearly two years to mid-2015. Lice were taken from people in rural and urban areas at 138 locations throughout the US. They are seeking damages for being hauled before the NSW corruption watchdog in a Supreme Court case costing millions. But the Obeid family's case against the Sydney silk who questioned them is "a mirage", the court heard on Thursday. From left, lawyer Nick di Girolamo, Moses Obeid, Eddie Obeid jnr, lawyer Tim Breene (back) and Paul Obeid at the Supreme Court last year. Credit:Peter Rae Former NSW Labor minister Eddie Obeid and three of his five sons are suing Geoffrey Watson, SC, the barrister who appeared as counsel assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption during an explosive inquiry relating to a $30 million coal deal. Obeid snr and his middle son, Moses, have been criminally charged over the deal. The Queensland government has stepped up its attack against its federal counterpart over the importation of asbestos materials after the deadly fibres were found on construction sites across the nation. Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace, who has previously written to Peter Dutton, the minister in charge of border protection, over the issue said a "lack of action" from the federal government was "completely unacceptable". IR Minister Grace Grace said the fibres had been found in electrical switch rooms, children's hospitals in Perth, the new Queensland government executive building, vehicle spare parts "and children's crayons" since the ban. Credit:Fiona Smith Ms Grace said the fibres had been found in electrical switch rooms, children's hospitals in Perth, the new Queensland government executive building, vehicle spare parts "and children's crayons" since the ban and was posing a "significant" health risk to workers. "In this country asbestos has been banned since 2003 and we are now finding that goods containing asbestos are not being stopped at the border and they are coming not only into Australian shores, but into work places in this state and other states around Australia," she said. A blue hatchback sparked a search through Toowoomba bushland on Thursday for Andrew Clay, a man who had been missing for four days. The vehicle, which the 60-year-old had been driving when he was last seen at Rangeville on Sunday, was found parked on Prince Henry Drive near the walking tracks at Prince Henry Heights at 6am, prompting police to scour the area. Mr Clay was found 50 metres down a steep embankment just after 8am and emergency crews worked to winch the man to safety. He had suffered hypothermia and dehydration from being stuck down the embankment for "a while", a Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said. A search and rescue has been called off for two paddleboarders north of Brisbane after one of them turned up at Redcliffe police station. Two water police vessels, along with an Emergency Management Queensland helicopter, were sent out to Moreton Bay just after 11am after reports of two paddleboarders apparently "being swept away in the wind" off Margate Parade. Water police were searching for the missing paddleboarders. Credit:Nine News Brisbane After two hours of searching, a man walked into Redcliffe police station and told staff he, along with another friend, were the paddleboarders police were searching for. Both men were safe and well. Governor Sandoval agreed, mentioning the "many, many things" the two leaders could talk about, including, presumably, the difference between the actual Vegas, and Brisbane's approximation. "It's an exciting opportunity for us to work together and one of the things we talked about is renewable energy and in Nevada we have installed over $5 billion of renewable energy products in our state and we know that is a big priority for the Premier and we see some opportunity in regards to that," he said. "We are building the largest battery factory in the world, Tesla is building its gigafactory - it will produce more batteries than the rest of the world and that will be the future of renewable energy and storage, it will also be the future of electric vehicles and we think we can work together on that as well. "We also share mining, we have some mining companies that have operations here in Queensland, as well as in Nevada. "We can talk about many, many things - I will be the chairman of the National Governor's Association and I have invited the premier to come to Nevada to come to us and she has likewise invited us here and we are looking forward to some other opportunities." I'm all for diversity in business across gender, race, age and skill. Diverse teams on average make better decisions. Doing the right thing is good business. But an increasingly hysterical campaign to promote diversity risks turning Corporate Australia into a quasi boy-girl band with one of everything to please the audience. The debate is too one note; genuine corporate leaders, male or female, want to be judged on merit and detest tokenism. Credit:Louie Douvis We risk a form of corporate social engineering that emphasises appearance over performance, allows opportunists to use the "diversity card" to get ahead, and leads to the best person for the job being overlooked because they are too homogenous. When did companies lose the ability to choose the best team for the circumstances? Most of the workers at the tech giant are in their early 20s. Credit:Emily Rauhala / The Washington Post The company behind some of the world's biggest beauty apps started out as something much humbler. When Cai Wensheng and Wu Xinhong founded the company in 2008, "selfie" had yet to be added to the Oxford English Dictionary, and Meitu was a desktop photo processor inspired by Google's Picasa. Bei Gou, a former portrait photographer who is now Meitu's senior vice president for product, said the goal was to bring simple photo editing to China, allowing users to, say, quickly crop a shot of Shanghai's skyline. The team soon realised that many users seemed focused on one type of editing: fixing their faces. Meitu adjusted accordingly, creating the one- or two-touch "beautifying" options that became their signature. "We recognised a good concept and optimised it," Bei said. Their timing was excellent. In the past five years, China's internet population has soared. There are now almost 700 million Chinese web users, about 20 per cent of the world's Internet users. That growth is partly explained by the rapid rise of affordable smartphones. Many of the people coming online here are doing so on mobile. And with each new mobile customer comes the potential for taking and sharing a photo or video, whether it's a pouty selfie or a live broadcast of a tasty lunch. The focus on beauty and self-expression resonates in particular with Chinese women, who are a rising consumer force. "Meitu sits at the intersection of two exploding forces: Chinese mobile use and rising Chinese women," said Jeffrey Towson, a professor of investment at Peking University in Beijing. "I don't know if they saw that coming, but they went with it." Meitu's users "went with it," too, sharing billions of selfies on their social and online dating accounts. The most devoted users, like Apple fanboys, form groups to share news and arrange offline meetups. Zhu Tingting, a 24-year-old college senior from Nanjing, is among the fans who regularly attend Meitu events. She said, without irony, that Meitu changed her life. She spends about two hours a day taking selfies. "Nowadays, when girls go out, it just means finding a place to take pictures and post them on social media," she said. Though you'd think that an app designed to "beautify" your face might inspire feelings of inadequacy, superfans insist it gives them confidence, providing an escape from real-world pressure. Wang Bei, a 33-year-old civil servant from Hebei province, said she appreciates the compliments she gets when she posts "beautified" selfies. "I wish I could live in the world of my Meitu phone forever." Among the tools the company features: MeituPic, a one-touch beauty app that put Meitu on the map, Meipai, a video platform with flattering filters, and a line of souped-up phones with twin 21-megapixel cameras optimised for you guessed it selfies. The challenge for Meitu is how to spin the selfie craze into hard cash. The company's revenue comes mostly from in-app advertising and its line of premium, selfie-centric phones a real but modest revenue stream. Investors are impressed by the size and spending potential of Meitu's young, female user base. What they have to do now, analysts said, is to lock in those users by creating a sense of community and new ways for them to spend. "I'm still looking for a strong business model for Meitu," said Terry Zhu, a partner at BlueRun, a Beijing-based venture capital firm. Meitu is expanding aggressively. Outside mainland China, it now has offices in Santa Monica and Palo Alto, California, and people on the ground in London; Mexico City; Tokyo; New Delhi; Singapore; Hong Kong; Taipei, Taiwan; and Sao Paulo. But there is one important question facing the company as it tries to grow: whether the Meitu conception of beauty will resonate elsewhere. The app spread quickly in Southeast Asia, but the challenge of "localisation" may be harder elsewhere, where the idea of one-touch beauty particularly skin lightening, Meitu's signature feature may seem both offensive and out of date. Last year, in a feature titled "Women photoshop themselves with an Asian beauty app," BuzzFeed filmed a multiethnic group of American women experimenting with Meitu's "BeautyPlus" app. "Wait, there's a filter called 'whitening?' " asks one. "Oh, gosh, I look really white," says another. "It definitely just stripped my brownness away." Asked to comment on skin lightening, Meitu emphasises its push to "localise" its offerings. "It's fascinating to see how a woman's definition of beauty changes from one market to the next," the company said in a statement. Tech analysts say Meitu can become a global brand even without success in the United States. The sheer size of China's domestic market means the web's centre of gravity is shifting east. A 15-year-old Coburg boy has been charged following a series of armed robberies in Melbourne's north. The teenager is the fourth person to be charged in relation to 10 incidents where taxi drivers were targeted by armed thieves. The armed thieves allegedly targeted taxi driver's in Brunswick. Credit:Jessica Shapiro The armed robberies are alleged to have occurred in Brunswick between June 5 and June 15. Police arrested the 15-year-old after he attended a court hearing for a person already charged in relation to the robberies. About 600 allied health professionals will walk out of some of Victoria's busiest hospitals from 11am on Thursday morning, striking over a "Jurassic" career structure they say is leaving patients in the hands of underqualified professionals. Waiting lists in 33 Victorian hospitals are expected to temporarily blow out on Thursday, as physiotherapists, radiographers, speech pathologists, podiatrists and other allied health professionals strike in Melbourne's CBD from 2pm. An inflatable dinosaur at The Austin, which will be used at the health worker protest in Melbourne on Thursday. Credit:Facebook The public health workers will gather at the Athenaeum Theatre for a stop-work meeting at 2pm, followed by a march down Collins Street and concluding with a "dino rally" that will feature inflatable dinosaurs - a nod to what they say is an antiquated career structure - at Treasury Place. A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the protest had been flagged as "peaceful" and the union representing allied health workers, the Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association, had informed police they would be walking down the footpath on Collins Street. The historic section of an award-winning pub outside Geelong was saved after a savage blaze ripped through the hotel's renovated function area. The fire began at Batesford Hotel located near the Moorabool River on Ballarat Road, Batesford about 12.20am on Thursday. Batesford Hotel before the fire that ripped through the renovated section of the hotel. CFA District 7 Operations Officer Geoff McGill said firefighters aggressively attacked the fire to stop it spreading. "The fire, which we believe originated in the kitchen area, moved into the roof cavity and took hold in the roof space," Operations Officer McGill said. EXCLUSIVE The tragic death of two teenagers and a string of drug overdoses linked to a prominent nightclub in Melbourne's affluent eastern suburbs are under investigation by Victoria Police and liquor licensing authorities. Room 680 nightclub in Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn. Regional Crime Inspector Kerin Moloney confirmed that Room 680 nightclub in Hawthorn was linked to an investigation over the deaths of a 17-year-old St Albans boy on July 25 and a 19-year-old Deer Park woman in May last year. Both deaths, which have not been previously reported, are believed to have been caused by drug overdoses and are also under investigation by the coroner. Premier Daniel Andrews has failed to back Melbourne's chief fire officer Peter Rau, who is under pressure after he wrote a letter warning that the controversial fire services award would be unworkable and dangerous. Asked directly on Thursday morning if he had confidence in Mr Rau, the Premier did not answer. Premier Daniel Andrews discusses Fire Brigade issues with volunteer and staff firefighters. Credit:Chris Hopkins "We are supportive of our fire services focusing on fighting fires and keeping our community safe and part of that is resolving outstanding industrial relations matters," Mr Andrews told reporters. The Premier had already expressed full support for the fire brigade's board. Police have arrested four suspects in relation to two home invasions that prompted the lockdown of two schools in Melbourne's east. Wantirna College and Regency Park Primary School were locked down for about an hour late on Thursday morning as police descended on the two schools, searching for the alleged burglars. A staff member at Regency Park Primary School said she was told not to leave the school just after 11am. Police are hunting for two offenders after reports of home invasions. Credit:Georgia Matts Two of the burglaries, one in Park Orchards at 7.55am and another at Almondsbury Court in Blackburn at 9.50am, occurred while the occupants were home. The Park Orchards victim was allegedly driven to an ATM where he was forced to withdraw cash and hand it over to five youths. A man shot and killed by a Melbourne police officer was hit by three bullets: one in his backside, one in his chest and one in his hand. Leading Senior Constable Timothy Baker allegedly told other officers he shot Vlado Micetic after he "swiped" at him with a flick knife. Police officer Timothy Baker (left) appears at an earlier court hearing on charges of murdering motorist Vlado Micetic. Credit:Wayne Taylor Mr Baker is charged with one count of murder over allegedly shooting Mr Micetic three times during a routine traffic stop on Union Street in Windsor on August 25, 2013. The prosecution alleges Mr Baker then planted a knife on his body to disguise his crime as police backup arrived. A woman has died following a head-on collision near the Great Ocean Road on Wednesday morning. The woman was the front passenger in a Volkswagen Polo car travelling on Anglesea Road, in Bellbrae, when a Holden Commodore travelling in the opposite direction collided with her vehicle around 9.20am. Victoria's road toll has risen to 178. The woman was flown to hospital with life threatening injuries, however she died that afternoon, according to police. In a separate incident, a pedestrian has died in hospital after he was hit by a truck in Camberwell last month. A 26-year-old woman who was found dead at a Seaford home on Wednesday morning had refused an ambulance the night before, after crashing her car. Investigators have been told the Wandong woman was driving her Toyota sedan south on Carder Avenue in Seaford on Tuesday night, when she lost control and crashed into two parked cars and a residential fence. Police are investigating whether the woman died from injuries sustained in the car crash on Tuesday night. Credit:Paul Rovere Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said paramedics attended the crash about 9pm, "where a person refused to be assessed by paramedics and refused to be transported to hospital". Police said the woman was taken to a station, where she returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.207 per cent, more than four times the legal limit. A mother to stand trial accused of murdering three of her children will stay in custody after a magistrate knocked back her bail bid. Akon Guode, 37, on Thursday pleaded not guilty to charges she murdered four-year-old twins Hanger and Madit and 16-month-old Bol, who drowned when the family car went into a lake in Wyndham Vale on April 8 last year. Akon Guode at the funeral for her three children in 2015. Credit:Chris Hopkins Ms Guode also pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder another of her children, Aluel, the daughter who was in the car but survived. Despite being committed to trial, Ms Guode applied for bail on Thursday and argued through her lawyer her lack of prior convictions, isolation in prison and support among Melbourne's Sudanese community constituted exceptional circumstances for her release on bail. Tiny blind fish and prawn-like creatures living underground have stifled plans for mining at the state's biggest uranium deposit in WA's Mid West. Cameco, the world's second largest supplier of uranium for nuclear power, is seeking permission to mine up to 7500 tonnes of uranium oxide annually from the Yeelirrie deposit 630 kilometres northeast of Perth, which it acquired from BHP Billiton for $US430 million, the Australian Financial Review reported. The stygofauna at Yeelirrie is unique to the area, due to its isolated evolution. Credit:Australian Geographic Western Australia's Environmental Protection Agency said the proposal would threaten more than 70 species of underground fauna, known as "stygofauna", and recommended the state's environment minister reject the plan. "The fear was that the uranium mine would destroy 100 per cent of water reserves, which is the habitat of the species, which are unique to this area due to their isolated evolution," Mia Pepper, a spokeswoman for WA's conservation council said. A teacher sacked from Guildford Grammar after he was charged with possessing child porn remained silent after a brief appearance in Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday. Jeffery McKinnell was remanded on bail to reappear in court in four weeks time. He is yet to enter a plea. When asked by media outside court if he had any comment on his charge, he remained silent and shook his head. An 81-year-old Perth man missing overnight has been found wandering the streets during the early hours of Thursday morning after media personality Tim Gossage spotted him while driving to his breakfast radio show. Gordon Vernon was reported missing by police at 2.20am this morning and was last seen at 4pm Wednesday in Joondanna. Missing man Gordon Vernon was found by Tim Gossage early Thursday morning. Credit:WA Police Mr Gossage told WAtoday he noticed Mr Vernon leaning against a tree in the rain around 4.30am in Churchlands - eight kilometres from where he was last seen. "I saw this gentleman there very quietly leaning against a tree and it literally caught my eye for two seconds," he said. Police have released CCTV footage of a vehicle they believe could be linked to the hit-and-run death of Perth man, Patrick Tiernan, on July 6. Mr Tiernan, 47, was killed on Beechboro Road North around 9pm on July 6 after his car became bogged on the side of the road in Cullacabardee, near Ballajura. Police believe he was struck by a vehicle while trying to wave down other motorists to assist him. Members of the public have told police a white 4x4 dual cab utility was seen parked at the crash scene around the time of the incident. Pretoria: South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance led in three major cities on Thursday as votes were counted in local elections, threatening to deal the biggest electoral blow to the African National Congress since the end of apartheid two decades ago. The ANC - which ended white-minority rule when it swept to power in the country's first democratic elections in 1994 - held a big lead in the national count. Election officials start the ballot counting process at a polling station on the outskirts of Cape Town. Credit:AP But it was behind the opposition DA in the municipalities that include the cities of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, areas which it has held virtually unopposed since the end of apartheid. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could reshape the political playing field ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. Beijing: The director of the law firm at the centre of China's sweeping crackdown on lawyers and rights activists has been sentenced to seven years in prison for subverting state power. Zhou Shifeng, of the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm, is the third legal rights advocate to be convicted in as many days as part of a four-day Communist Party show trial in the northern city of Tianjin. As with the two men tried before him Hu Shigen and Zhai Yanmin Zhou, 51, was refused his own legal representation and assigned a court-appointed lawyer. His family was barred from the courtroom and the judges handed down their verdict and sentence within hours of the trial commencing on Thursday. Zhou and his associates are the first group to be tried since a wide government crackdown that began last July led to more than 300 lawyers and activists being detained and interrogated. Of those, about 20 have been formally arrested and charged. But that senior figures are saying so, some publicly, and openly canvassing their options is a measure of desperation after months of them reassuring would-be campaign donors and voters that Trump would pivot to a more conventional campaign persona. Khizr Khan and his wife Ghazala, Gold Star parents, denounced Trump's stance on Muslim immigration. Credit:AP Warning that Trump risks throwing away the election, one of his most loyal supporters, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, told The Washington Post: "[He] is helping [Clinton] to win by proving he is more unacceptable than she is." Giving Trump just weeks to reposition or lose, Gingrich said: "Anybody who is horrified by Hillary should hope that Trump will take a deep breath and learn some new skills he can't win the presidency operating the way he is now. She can't be bad enough to elect him if he's determined to make this many mistakes." US Army Captain Humayun Khan was killed when he tried to stop two suicide bombers outside his base in Baqubah, Iraq, in June 2004. People close to Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Reince Priebus are telling reporters that he is stressed and "very frustrated" that his sustained counselling of Trump has had no effect and left him bereft of excuses for the candidate's wild and seemingly senseless conduct. "A new level of panic hit the street," Scott Reed, chief strategist for the US Chamber of Commerce, told the Post. "It's time for a serious reset," he said, urging Trump to "stop doing silly interviews nine times a day that get you off message." Demonstrators protest Trump and the Republican party outside its headquarters in Washington, DC. Credit:Bloomberg Party rules don't allow for the most extreme option dumping Trump as the candidate. But preparatory legal work has begun on how to deal with him deciding to quit either of his own volition or under pressure, according to ABC News. In either case, it would fall to the 168-member RNC to pick a new candidate. Donald Trump had endured a shocking week on the campaign trail. Credit:AP Instead there is talk of an "intervention", possible by a group of high-profile Republicans and by Trump's children, in the hope of settling Trump into a more conventional, offensive campaign against Clinton. In the days after Trump clinched the nomination, senior Republicans were unnerved when, instead of marketing himself as a serious presidential possibility, Trump turned gutter fighter, launching relentless attacks on the judge hearing claims on Trump's dodgy university venture which were seen as racist even by Republicans. Trumps vice-presidential pick, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Credit:AP They started breathing again by the end of the Republican convention in Cleveland, wanting to believe that Trump's egocentric convention performance had hints of what they expect from a candidate. But since the end of the Democratic jamboree which confirmed Clinton's candidacy almost a week ago, Trump has been merciless in attacking the parents of Captain Humayun Khan, who died fighting for his country in Iraq instead of turning to exploiting and exposing Clinton's many weaknesses. "I'm pulling for [Trump]. But he's not driving on the pavement he's in the ditch," Henry Barbour, an RNC member and veteran strategist in Mississippi, told the Post. "I'm frustrated. There's time to fix it, but there's [only] one person who can fix it. It's up to him. Republican voters have empowered him to be our nominee and he's the one who's got to perform. "The last several days have made this election a referendum on Donald Trump. We want it to be a referendum on Hillary Clinton." Barbour's anxiety is replicated across the country, with Senate and House candidates and their strategists despairing over the party's chances of holding its congressional majorities. Trump's missed opportunities to go after Clinton, they say, include data released on Friday showing slower-than-anticipated economic growth and a TV interview in which Clinton argued, contrary to the facts, that the FBI had agreed with her account of her controversial private email server, both of which were invitations to go on the offensive and both of which were ignored by Trump. In a rare nugget of good news for Trump, his campaign announced on Wednesday that a flood of small donations had virtually caught him up to the prodigious fundraising effort of the Clinton campaign in July, Trump and the RNC had raised a combined $US82 million. But it was accompanied by more of the usual gloomier reports a poll in Florida showed his support among Hispanics to be just 12.9 per cent, compared with about 40 per cent for the Republican candidate in the last two elections. And nationally, Clinton had a 10-point lead on him in a new Fox News poll. States that ordinarily would be a shoo-in for the GOP are becoming less certain. Polling in Arizona shows Clinton in the lead and in Utah, local GOP officials are sweating it both states have significant communities of Mormons who have registered their disgust with Trump. Worries about Trump hitting the chances for down-the-ticket GOP candidates have led party officials to a desperate hope that voters will split the ticket vote against Trump, but tick the box for the rest of the GOP slate. But experts are sceptical. "In 2008 and 2010, voters did not draw distinctions," Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party told The New York Times. "It was not like Passover, where the door was marked, 'This one should be spared.' No, the Angel of Death came in and said 'Let's kill them all'." Meanwhile, Trump goes on his merry way he didn't know what Brexit was, but maybe he feels it. Having already insulted the disabled, war heroes and the families of the fallen, Muslims and Hispanics, he turned his attention this week to babies and by association, to women [again]. When a baby in the audience started to cry during his speech to a rally in Virginia on Tuesday, Trump behaved as a model candidate: "Don't worry about that baby. I love babies ... I hear that baby crying and I like it. I like it. What a baby, what a beautiful baby. "Don't worry, don't worry ... It's young and beautiful and healthy and that's what we want, OK." New York: Police have alleged that a standoff in Randallstown, Maryland, on Monday in which a 23-year-old woman with a shotgun was killed came after she had been encouraged by her online followers to defy their orders. During the standoff, which lasted several hours, videos from inside the apartment were posted to the Instagram account of the woman, Korryn Gaines, whose five-year-old son was also in the home, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. Police said Gaines had repeatedly pointed her shotgun at officers, at least once while her son was in her arms. At one point, she said she would kill the officers if they did not leave, police said. An officer fired once at Gaines, and she fired back, police said. Then officers fired three shots, killing Gaines. Her son also suffered injuries, though they are not considered life-threatening. Critics of the police have welcomed social media - especially live video - as a way to document interactions with officers, hoping it would lead to better police behaviour or eliminate conflicting stories. In July, a Facebook video broadcast by the girlfriend of Philando Castile after an officer shot him during a traffic stop in Minnesota drew wide attention. Bangkok: Malaysia has dismissed media reports that new evidence points to a "rogue pilot" having hijacked Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and crashed the plane into the southern Indian Ocean. Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters that a flight simulator at the home of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah had plotted a path into the Indian Ocean but that it was just one of thousands of routes. A mural of flight MH370 in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Credit:AP "There is still no evidence to confirm that Captain Zaharie deliberately flew the plane into the Indian Ocean," he said. Mr Liow's comments back an evaluation by the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) that based on the available evidence a designated 120,000 square kilometres of the southern Indian Ocean has been the right search area. PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Health Emil Lee announced on Wednesday at the weekly press briefing that during his recent trip to Aruba was to work on a cooperation agreement with regards to health care. He said one of the things Aruba needs is good health inspectorate which St. Maarten well-informed inspector health that and can assist Aruba through the agreement. Minister Lee said that the meeting held recently is a follow-up meeting to improve cooperation with the Dutch Caribbean partners and the Kingdom. Therefore he is busy working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order to work closer with the Caribbean countries, especially Aruba. He said the cooperation agreement will allow the two countries to expedite an exchange of human resources manpower and expertise between the two countries. He also mentioned that Aruba has a system (software) in place that allows doctors to upload patients files when they leave the islands for medical treatment in Colombia. He said that Aruba is also using COMEVA but did not have the software to upload patients files which the doctors/ hospitals in Colombia could access. He said delay St. Maarten is having when patients are sent to Colombia is that their files are never there on time. He said Aruba found a partner in Columbia that audits the medical bills instead of going through the hospitals itself. This he said is something St. Maarten could consider following the models used by Aruba and AZV. The Minister of Health said while in Aruba he also discussed the National Health Insurance (NHI) that St. Maarten is looking into establishing. He said he met with former representatives if AZV who managed to share value information on the process Aruba used. He said this will help with the construction of the new hospital which CFT mentioned has to be in the business plan and the budget of St. Maarten. Minister Lee said with Arubas help the framework for the NHI could be worked upon while the details will be done on St. Maarten before it goes before the Council of Ministers for approval. Apart from that the Minister said they are looking into establishing a review commission that would have representatives from St. Maarten, Curacao, and Aruba would deal with medical complaints after being sent abroad for medicare. Minister Lee said he lost a lot of time taking calls from patients that have had issues either related to services from SZV, or medicare, they received on the island. He made clear that one of the things that are lacking is a place where people could voice their concerns and or complaints that can also evaluate their situation in an objective manner. He said having such a commission that has representatives that are inter-island will avoid some of the local sensitivities. This would also help bring suggestions that would help improve services such as best practices and procedures. In response to a question posed by SMN News as to why St. Maarten, namely SZV and SMMC are not considering bringing in specialists from Columbia or the Dominican Republic to work on St. Maarten part time, especially since so many patients have to be sent abroad. The Minister said that the referral of cases takes extremely long as it moves through the process, he felt the length of time the referrals take is way too long and one thing he as Minister does not understand is the reason patients have to be sent overseas for diagnosis. Minister Lee said the different entities are looking into the idea of bringing those specialists to St. Maarten to work part-time since they also have to do follow-ups with the patients they treat in their countries. Another issue the Minister said has to be considered is the type of equipment the SMMC will furnish the new hospital with when it is built. He said that St. Lucia built a new hospital that is fully furnished but not operational simply because they do not have the expertise and staff cannot operate the equipment' PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Health Emil Lee announced on Wednesday that the amount of Zika cases have increased to 47 confirmed cases on the Dutch side compared to 160 on the French side. The Minister said that he has called on the citizens of the community to try and get rid of mosquitos breeding grounds. He said he also said that St. Maarten does not have all the resources necessary to fight the spreading the Zika and as such he is depending on the citizens to monitor and to get rid of the breeding grounds for mosquitoes, especially during the rainy season. The Minister said that CPS is working diligently on a plan which involves the production of videos to educate the population. Minister Lee said while in Aruba he also discussed how that country is fighting the Zika virus. PHILIPSBURG:---The war on Zika is a war on mosquitos, and our experience so far is that the population isnt as engaged, knowledgeable, and proactive as they should be said Minister of Public health Emil Lee during Wednesday's council of Minister's press briefing. The Ministry of Health has been regularly publishing articles instructing people on the importance of eliminating breeding sites for disease spreading mosquitos. Minister Lee is asking the citizens of St. Maarten for their active help in eliminating breeding grounds around their homes and neighborhoods. The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) reports that there are now 47 confirmed Zika cases on the Dutch side, and 160 confirmed cases on the French side. We are in our rainy season, therefore, citizens need to be more vigilant than ever. There are still way too many examples where residents and businesses are not being proactive enough in helping to eliminate breeding grounds in the community said Minister Lee The Ministry has developed some Zika informational videos in cooperation with Curacao, which will soon be made public. The CPS is working on a comprehensive prevention plan using all tools available to control this disease vector. Ultimately, if we dont eliminate our own breeding grounds, it will end up being a problem for the whole population. Government simply doesnt have the resources to eliminate these mosquitos without the help of everyone said Minister Lee. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Health Emil Lee and Prime Minister William Marlin confirmed on Wednesday that some of the fires that occur on the dump are deliberately set by persons who are either looking for copper at the dump. Minister Lee said that the fire on Wednesday morning took place in the area where the tyres are stored and it is almost impossible for fires to start at that location just like that. However, Minister Lee said that his focus on the landfill is the terms of reference of the contract awarded to the contractor that manages the landfill. He said since he last spoke about that the Minister of VROMI already called in SOAB to further look at the terms of reference. Prime Minister Marlin said that he personally saw people dumping garbage in different areas on the island and when it comes to the fires on the dump he said once he tried to get the fire on the dump but could not because the area where the fire was lit was in a closed in area close to the dump. Marlin further explained that persons that are searching for items on the landfill would either light fires to get rid of flies and or mosquitos or there are persons who also burn the rubber on the cables found on the dump. Marlin said persons selling copper they found at the dump burns it close to the dump in order to get more monies when selling it. PHILIPSBURG:--- USM, Pond Island As USM seeks to strengthen its ties with global education partners, the Head of the General Arts Division; Ms. Patricia Arrindell visited the Tulane University in New Orleans from July 13th-14th, 2016. Prior to this visit, Dr. Myriam Huet and her team of students visited St. Martin and USM for a student exchange program. During their visit, they were engaged in cultural and social immersion activities which took place on both sides of the island. At Tulane University, Ms. Arrindell had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Narce, Director of the Public Service Center, Ms. Schwartz, Senior Program Coordinator and some other members of the staff and student body. In the words of Ms. Arrindell; one of the most positive experiences of my visit, was being able to witness the heightened awareness of students in the area of community service. An entire center was dedicated to that and students could even get credit for their volunteer efforts. Based on this experience, Ms. Arrindell hoped to be able to reintroduce the concept of volunteerism and community service to the USM campus. Discussions at Tulane were primarily centered on how to engage students in experiencing the cultural, social and educational aspects of St. Martin/New Orleans, while engaging in community volunteer work. Some of the possibilities explored included but were not limited to: future Tulane University students exchange at USM in the summer semester 2017; USM students future involvement in similar exchanges at Tulane, as well as funding and sponsorship for the continuity of the exchange programs. Ms. Arrindell wishes to thank the faculty, staff and students of Tulane for their support during her visit, as well as USM for its support of her endeavor. Dialogue and planning will continue in September for an exchange program where USM students will go to Tulane for two weeks, for a similar cultural immersion experience. Tropical Storm Earl is nearing hurricane strength. Heavy rain and strong winds will pound parts of northern Honduras. Landfall is expected as a hurricane early Thursday in Belize. The threat of flash flooding will spread into southern Mexico through the weekend. Tropical Storm Earl is nearing hurricane strength off the Honduran coast, and will landfall in Belize early Thursday. Hurricane warnings are posted for the Bay Islands off the north coast of Honduras and the Belize coast northward to Puerto Costa, Mexico. This includes Belize City and Chetumal, Mexico. Tropical storm warnings extend northward to Punta Allen, Mexico, but do not include either Cancun or Cozumel. Earl Latest Status The center of Earl was located about 235 miles east-southeast of Belize City, Belize, late Wednesday morning. Earl's forward speed had slowed over the past 24-48 hours, moving west at 14 mph. Tuesday night, the center of Earl reformed a bit farther south than the previous center, and the NHC noted a partial mid-level eye was suggested in microwave imagery. Some bands of rain are wrapping into parts of Honduras, and clusters of heavy rain well ahead of Earl were already soaking parts of central America, including Belize and Guatemala. (MORE: 5 Things to Know About Earl) Earl Track, Intensity Forecast First up, the center of Earl is likely to hit the Bay Islands of Honduras Wednesday. Thanks to strong high pressure aloft over the southern United States, Earl will be steered toward the coast of Belize or Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Thursday. With wind shear not too strong, a moist atmosphere, and the typically warm sea-surface temperatures of the western Caribbean Sea, Earl is expected to continue gaining some strength bef he red-shaded area denotes the potential path of the center of the tropical cyclone. Note that impacts (particularly heavy rain, high surf, coastal flooding) with any tropical cyclone may spread beyond its forecast path. This would be the first hurricane landfall on the Caribbean side of central America since Category 1 Hurricane Ernesto almost exactly four years ago. (MORE: Why Western Caribbean Sea Has Been Hurricane-Free Since 2013) Beyond that, it appears Earl's center won't spend much time, if at all, over the Bay of Campeche Friday into early Saturday. If it does, there's a chance for some minimal re-intensification before the center slides back over land this weekend in eastern Mexico. Otherwise, the remnant will simply slide over land, raining itself out over southern Mexico this weekend. Impacts Rainfall totals of 8-12 inches (locally higher) are possible along the path of Earl in parts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and southern Mexico, including the Yucatan Peninsula. Dangerous flash flooding and mudslides are possible through the weekend in these areas ore landfall most likely as a Category 1 hurricane Storm surge may raise water levels up to 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels, the National Hurricane Center said, along the coast of the Honduran Bay Islands, Belize, and adjacent parts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Battering waves riding atop the surge would also add to any flooding or beach erosion in these areas. Hurricane-force winds may arrive first in the Bay Islands of Honduras later today, then spread to the Belize coast and possibly Mexico's southern Yucatan Peninsula in the hurricane warning area overnight tonight into early Thursday. Tropical storm-force winds are expected on the rest of the northern Honduran coast today into early Thursday. The track of Earl will remain well south of the U.S. However, some increase in showers may spread to parts of South Texas this weekend. Of perhaps more concern is the threat for higher surf and rip currents by the weekend up the Texas coast, possibly as far north as Galveston. Earl's History Earl was named late Tuesday morning after a Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance mission found that an area of low pressure had formed. This system has already been impactful the last few days prior to being named Earl. Six people were killed in the Dominican Republic Sunday into Monday as this system passed near the island. (MORE: 6 Killed in Dominican Republic) As often the case, Earl's parent tropical wave could be traced back thousands of miles to a tropical wave coming off Africa the previous week. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prison guard M.J.R. (27) has been arrested on Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 at his home in Dutch Quarter by members of the National Detective Agency. M.J.Rs house was also searched in connection with the ongoing investigation. M.J.R. is suspected of smuggling drugs and other illicit goods into the prison and accepting bribes. Also arrested in the Kreeft investigation is the detainee B.R. (44). He is suspected of bribing a prison guard. Following his arrest two cell searches were carried out. During the searches files, document's and other information carriers were confiscated. These offences took place between March and May 2016. The investigation is in full swing. More arrests are not excluded. Prosecutor's Bulletin. PHILIPSBURG:--- Continuing on his mission to improve cooperation on healthcare issues both within the Kingdom and regionally, Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor Emil Lee traveled to Aruba last week to meet with Arubas Minister of Health Alex Schwengle. His first meeting was held with Minister Schwengle in St.Maarten during the International Health Regulation (IHR) conference earlier this year. In this follow-up meeting, Minister Lee learned about the different options and best practices of Aruba. One of the main topics discussed was the Alegemene Ziektekosten Verzekering (AZV), and the National Health Insurance program which Aruba put in place. During Wednesdays Council Of Minister's press briefing, Minister Lee stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is being worked on with Aruba. Aruba has a need to improve their inspectorate of health, and since we have a well-formed inspectorate of Health, we are working on a cooperation agreement with them. The Minister stated that they are looking into having a review commission in place, which will have representatives from Aruba, St. Maarten and Curacao come together to analyze and review Medical complaints related to health care . One of the benefits of having this inter-island commission is that it can avoid local sensitivity as well as provide expertise from the various islands that we can all learn from. Minister Lee met with representatives of the Alegemene Ziektekosten Verzekering (AZV) in particular Anco Ringeling and Lex de Jong. St. Maarten is currently working on a National Health Reform, and Minister Lee thought that it would be clever to meet with the representatives to learn about Arubas universal coverage and see what could be learned from their process. It was very interesting to talk to them about their experiences with the universal coverage in terms of what their challenges are, as well as to learn about their successes and difficulties .We are hoping to adopt some of the lessons learned in their process to the St. Maarten National Health Insurance scheme said Minister Lee. Its particularly interesting that Aruba has developed their own medical referral program and has software in place to manage that program. They also have a well-established review protocol, which Minister Lee believes St. Maarten should consider collaborating with Aruba. Will be handled by professionals prior to any demolition works been carried out. PHILIPSBURG:--- During the design & preparation phase of the New Prins Willem Alexander School , it was made known that asbestos might be present in the existing structure, due to the fact that the school was constructed in the 1970s in a time when the material was used widely around the world. Professionals In order not to take any risks, an asbestos investigation was commissioned by Government and executed by Royal Haskoning DHV & Sanitas Milieukunding Adviesbureau BV from the Netherlands in March of 2015. The investigation brought forth the presence of asbestos in the roof guttering and wall paneling of several classrooms at the Prins Willem Alexander school. However, it was indicated by the specialist from the Netherlands that the asbestos containing material is none-friable. Which means, the structure of which the asbestos is made up inside of the material will not be released unless damaged or tampered with as a result of reconstruction or demolition of the structure. As the assignment for the construction of the New Prins Willem Alexander School has been awarded, it is a condition that the asbestos containing material will be removed prior to any demolition works been carried out at the school. This is a norm that is been upheld and is internationally applied once asbestos has been detected. According to the standardize international norm for the removal of asbestos, this must be executed and removed by a firm that is specialize in the removal of asbestos taking the environmental and health issues into consideration. A firm specialized in the removal of asbestos internationally, is been assigned by Government and will be specifically flown in to St. Maarten, whereas the removal and the handling of the asbestos will be done accordingly in consideration with the logistics in and around the area, taking into considering the concerns of of all parties. Removal of the asbestos will be done by containment and should take approximately one (1) week to complete. Materials and fibers which has been removed from the school will be transported and shipped for processing to the Netherlands. Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE) along with Royal Haskoning DHV from the Netherlands have been charged with the supervision of the asbestos removal on behalf of Government and will be overseen by the Ministry of VROMI and the Ministry of ECYS as the Principal of the project. Once it has been established that the area has been cleared of the asbestos containing materials, only then will the existing school and its entire structure be demolished. The contractor, Designers Choice NV who was awarded the construction of the New Prins Willem Alexander School, in the meantime will be removing small items which are asbestos free (doors, windows, toilets, face basins, fans, air conditioning units, steel grills etc..) and is in good condition for salvaging prior to demolition of the structure. In connection with the continuance of the project, the pupils of the current Prins Willem Alexander school have been located to the Alma Fleming Educational Care Facilities in Belvedere. Further questions about the abovementioned procedure and process can be obtained at the Ministry of VROMI, Department of New Projects by Ms. Rena Richardson, Project Manager or Mr. Kurt A. Ruan, Department head of New Projects at tel. 54-26737. St. Peters:--- On March 14th, 2013 the public biding took place for the "Design & Engineering" for the Link 6 road which will be connecting Dutch Quarter and Bethlehem via Mildrum road to South Reward and St. Peters with an intersection at the St. Dominic School located in South Reward. Three companies submitted bids, namely Independent Consulting Engineers NV, Lievense Consulting Engineers N.V. and Energy Resource & Petroleum NV. Base on the evaluation carried out by the Ministry of VROMI, the offers as submitted by Independent Consulting Engineers and Lievense Consulting Engineers were considered the most favorable bids. The section of Bethlehem has been awarded to Lievense Consulting Engineers in the amount of Nafl. 198.500,- and the section of Mildrum road including the side roads has been awarded to Independent Consulting Engineers in the amount of Nafl. 202.000,-. The contracts were signed off by the Minister of VROMI, Mr. Angel Meyers who consider this road a high priority in alleviating traffic on the island and creating alternative routes. The sum amount of Nafl. 404.500,- was secured by Minister Meyers from the Capital Investment budget of 2016. The design & Engineering works will be carried out over a period of 3 months after which the public bidding will start for the construction of the road. In picture Minister Meyers is signing the contract with Mr. Jan Van den Eynde (Left) from Independent Consulting Engineers and from Lievense Consulting Engineers with Mr. Martin Vroegop. This signing ceremony is being witnessed by Mr. Sandro Garcia, Executive Advisor to the Minister of VROMI and Mr. Kurt Ruan (right), head of the department of New Projects at the Ministry of VROMI. Cookbook and autobiography explains how a Scottish boy cooked his way from Vegas to Barbados Celebrity Chef Grant Macpherson, has written an autobiographical travelogue and cookbook, "Word of Mouth." Chef Grant MacPherson, has cooked for heads of state and celebrities such as Margaret Thatcher, George H. W. Bush, Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, Morgan Freeman, and Julia Roberts. MacPherson has released an autobiographical recipe book "that spans 5 continents, a 30-year career, 8 world-class food and beverage destinations and offers an insight into one man's story and the people that shaped him. Original recipes, dimensional images, quotes from household names, friends and family, messages from industry influencers and a gastronomic adventure awaits the reader," he says. The book is titled Word of Mouth. It's intended for "Chefs, students, peers, home cooks, travelers, entrepreneurs, visionaries, creatives, foodies, photographers, growers, drinkers" and his fellow Scots. "Word of Mouth is something I want my sons to have, this is a thank you to those who I had the pleasure of working with and somewhat a reflection to date of such a full life and almost a wonder as to what is next", says MacPherson. MacPherson has probably worked somewhere you have dined, met someone you know or created a dish that makes your mouth water. His book covers every food joint from chopping chicken wings at Bugsy's to the James Beard House in New York City. Macpherson has designed menus for Richard Branson. He has also cooked alongside culinary stars such as Joel Robuchon, Jean Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Thomas Keller, and the late Jean Louis Palladin. MacPherson was a gold medalist at the 1992 Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany, and has directed prestigious resort kitchens on five continents, including The Regent, The Ritz-Carlton, The Four Seasons, Malaysia's Datai Hotel, and the Raf es Hotel in Singapore. MacPherson's headed the culinary operations for the Steve Wynn organization for 10 years, where he opened and overseeing operations of 50 food and beverage venues, including The Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, and Wynn Macau. While there, each Wynn resort received Five Diamond AAA Awards, Forbes Five Star Awards, and Michelin Guides Five Red Pavilions Awards. MacPherson moved from Vegas casinos to Barbados, where he became the Culinary Director and Head Chef at the celebrated Sandy Lane Hotel in St. James, Barbados. Chef MacPherson was named the Executive Chef for Viking Range Corporation's Commercial Division in early 2010. In this role, he assists Viking Commercial customers in planning and selecting their equipment, as well as providing input into new product development. MacPherson will also represent Viking Commercial at culinary events and via social media. Celebrity Chef Grant Macpherson, has written an autobiographical travelogue and cookbook, "Word of Mouth." As a part of his collaboration with Viking, MacPherson launched his first cookbook in early 2011. Entitled In the Viking Kitchen with Chef Grant MacPherson, the book features original MacPherson recipes and stunning photography of each, as well as photography of commercial and residential Viking equipment. MacPherson graduated from Niagara College in Niagara Falls, Canada. In 2006, his alma mater awarded him an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Studies Degree for outstanding professional and personal achievements in the fields of culinary arts and hospitality. He will continue serving as a consultant in the hospitality industry through his consulting firm, Scotch Myst Culinary. In 2012, he began a new partnership with Las Vegas and NYC based chef, Sammy De Marco and their new project, The Merrywell at Crown Melbourne and Metropol Perth. Pregnant Women and their Partners should not Visit Community Near Miami The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an historic warning on Monday, advising pregnant women and their partners to avoid a small community just north of downtown Miami. Agency spokesman Tom Skinner says this is the first time the CDC has warned people not to travel to an American neighborhood for fear of catching an infectious disease. Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause of microcephaly, a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than expected due to an underdeveloped brain. The condition can cause developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, problems with movement and balance, difficulty eating and swallowing, vision and hearing loss, or death. 14 people in Florida have now been infected with Zika virus after being bitten by local mosquitoes. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden announced the warning in separate news conferences Monday. 10 new cases of infection were found by door-to-door surveys of 200 people in their homes and businesses, after being tested by urine and blood samples for the virus or an antibody. Last week Florida state health officials confirmed that four people had contracted Zika from mosquitoes, all in the same 150-square- meter area. It's a mixed-use development with both upscale and lower income businesses and homes. Frieden said this mixed neighborhood composition complicates mosquito control efforts. "New test measurements over the weekend showed a risk of continued active transmission in that area," he said. "Because of this finding, we are advising pregnant women not to travel to that area and if they have traveled there on or after June 15 to visit their health care provider for testing." Local health officials believe that June 15 is the earliest date that the mosquitoes might have passed the virus, which they obtained by biting a person who had returned to the United States with the disease. Four out of five people with Zika have no symptoms, so it's possible that "person zero" had no idea they were infectious. "With 40 million travelers to and from areas where Zika is actively circulating, many can come back who feel perfectly fine," Frieden said. "But the virus could be hitchhiking in their blood." Everyone who travels to one of those areas is asked to consistently use insect repellent for at least three weeks after they return. Additional precautions recommended by the CDC about the Miami outbreak include: Pregnant women who live in or travel to the area should be tested for Zika infection in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, even if they have no symptoms of the virus. Pregnant women and their male and female partners who live in the area should take steps to prevent mosquito bits and use proper sexual protection for the length of the pregnancy, or abstain from sex altogether. Male or female partners of pregnant women who have traveled to this area should use safe sex measures for the rest of the pregnancy. Women and men who have traveled to the affected area should wait eight weeks to conceive after their return. Men with symptoms should wait a full six months. Governor Scott was quick in asking for CDC assistance. "Following today's announcement, I have requested that the Centers for Disease Control activate their emergency response team to assist (the Department of Health) in their investigation, research and sample collection efforts," Scott said. "Their team will consist of public health experts whose role is to augment our response efforts to confirmed local transmissions of the Zika virus." Some CDC personnel are already on the ground, with more arriving over the next few days. Their first task will be to understand why local mosquito control efforts failed. Aggressive mosquito control in the area has had limited results. Friedan suggested the local mosquitoes may be resistant to the pesticide being used, or maybe there are hidden spaces where small amounts of water accumulate, just enough for the insects to breed. "The Aedes aegypti is a really tough mosquito to control," Frieden added. "When Key West had an outbreak of dengue, which is carried by the same mosquito, that outbreak continued for more than a year. It's a demonstration of how intensive the efforts need to be to control the mosquito." On-the-ground testing could take several weeks, and precautions should continue to be taken by everyone living in the area or traveling to and from it. People are advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants that are thick enough to repel mosquito bites, use air conditioning and screens on doors, remove any standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs, and apply insect repellent containing 25% DEET to all uncovered skin. The community is just north of Miami. Some local transmission of the virus is expected from mosquitoes but it should not be as widespread as it has been in other parts of the world. That assessment is based on past outbreaks of two similar mosquito-borne diseases, dengue fever and chikungunya, in the United States. The diseases did not spread as rapidly when living conditions included more mosquito-control efforts and the regular use of air-conditioning. Most of the cases of Zika in the United States have been from travel to one of the 60 countries and territories where the virus is actively circulating. Fifteen people have been infected by sexual transmission, and there is one case of a laboratory-acquired infection. Only four states, Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska have not yet reported any cases. Until the announcement Friday in Florida, no US cases are believed to have been from local mosquito transmission. Encouraged by Trump's Success, Duke Wants to Defend the Rights of "European Americans" It sounds like satire, but it's not. David Duke, former KKK Grand Wizard, founder of the National Association for the Advancement of White People, and Holocaust Denier, sees the GOP nomination of Donald Trump as a sign that America finally wants his brand of politics. "My platform became the GOP mainstream," he said. "I'm overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues that I've championed for years." Duke, who calls himself a "racial realist," said on July 22 that he would be running for US Senate in his home state of Louisiana. Trump's campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks almost immediately announced that Trump "has disavowed David Duke and will continue to do so." The Presidential Nominee received some backlash earlier in his campaign after Duke publicly endorsed him. When CNN's Jake Tapper asked Trump on "State of the Union" if he would disavow the support of Duke and other white supremacist groups, Trump responded, "Just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke, OK?" Many Americans were shocked that Trump seemed unwilling to distance himself from hate groups. The next day, Trump claimed that he had misunderstood the question because of a "bad earpiece." Like Trump, the National Republican Senatorial Committee leadership quickly said that they would not support Duke's run "under any circumstance." The Republican Party of Louisiana chimed in, too, saying Duke's history of "hate" causes them to oppose his candidacy. "David Duke's history of hate marks a dark stain on Louisiana's past and has no place in our current conversation," the group said. Duke isn't new to politics, having run for various offices at both the state and federal level, first as a Democrat, then as a Republican. He won a seat in the Louisiana House in a special election in 1989, where he served for three unremarkable years before failing to be reelected. He now affiliates with the Tea Party movement. Duke supports the preservation of what he considers to be Western Culture, including Christian Family Values, Constitutionalism, abolition of the IRS, voluntary racial segregation, and white separatism. On the surface, he seems to be in agreement with many of the radical right voters who have launched Trump into the nomination, but his views on racial separation push him far into the extreme. He wrote in his 1998 autobiography "We desire to live in our own neighborhoods, go to our own schools, work in our own cities and towns, and ultimately live as one extended family in our own nation. We shall end the racial genocide of integration. We shall work for the eventual establishment of a separate homeland for African Americans, so each race will be free to pursue its own destiny without racial conflicts and ill will." As Grand Wizard in the 70's, Duke insisted he had modernized the KKK by allowing women and Catholics into the group. He said they were not "anti-black," but "pro-white" and "pro-Christian." David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American white nationalist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, politician, and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The Anti-Defamation League has called Duke anti-Semitic, a charge he denies, though he has said he objects to the "promotion of homosexuality" by Jews. Very early in his career, he would sometimes appear in public wearing a Nazi uniform. Duke has been convicted of felony tax fraud, for which he served 15 months in prison and paid a $10,000 fine. He was deported from the Czech Republic in 2009 for denying the Nazi genocide and for promoting movements that seek to suppress human rights. A general residency ban, issued by Switzerland, now prevents him from living in any European Union country. That's right: other countries have banned David Duke, while one of our major political parties has nominated Duke's preferred candidate to become the leader of the free world. Now, after decades of being scorned and shunned, Duke believes that he, too, can be elected on a platform of racism and hatred. Oh, GOP, what have you done? Enviance, a Leader in Environmental Health and Safety Technology, Names Amy Stelling as Chief Executive Officer CARLSBAD, CA (Marketwired) 08/04/16 Enviance, a leader in cloud-based environmental, health and safety (EH&S) management software, today announced that Amy Stelling has joined the company as president and CEO. Stelling who was previously an executive-in-residence at the global investment firm Battery Ventures, the backer of Enviance brings to the role a wealth of operational experience including integrating software products and teams to better serve customers. Since Batterys investment in Enviance in February of 2015, the company has focused on evolving its core products functionality as well as broadening its product portfolio by acquiring complimentary solutions in the EH&S software management market. Many of the worlds leading corporations and governments rely on the Enviance platform to comply with environmental regulations such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, as well as to promote health and safety best practices through office ergonomics, injury prevention, and safety management technologies. In April of 2015, Enviance acquired Remedy Interactive, a provider of ergonomic and safety management software and this past June, the company completed its acquisition of Actio, an EH&S software solution for materials and supply chain management. Together, these solutions enable Enviance to deliver the most comprehensive EH&S management solution on the market, providing customers a higher-level of confidence in the security, scalability and strategic value of their EH&S management data. Amys track record of successful integration projects will enable Enviance to quickly and efficiently align the teams and solutions we are bringing together now and in the future, said Russell Fleischer, a general partner at Battery Ventures and member of the Enviance board. He added: I first met Amy in 2010 at HighJump Software when I joined as the companys CEO. She is one of the most talented executives Ive had the pleasure to work with, and I look forward to partnering with her again in this new role. Prior to working with Battery Ventures, Stelling spent 13 years at HighJump Software, a supply-chain management software company and former Battery Ventures portfolio company. At HighJump, Stelling held various roles, including senior vice president and general manager for the direct-store delivery division, as well as senior VP of the worldwide-support division, which was part of a larger supply-chain execution group. She received her bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Managing environmental, health and safety (EH&S) data is of critical importance to our customers, as they demonstrate compliance with federal and state environmental regulations; ensure employee health and safety; and aim to optimize operational efficiencies, said Stelling. I look forward to working with the entire Enviance team to enhance the platform; identify strategic integrations between our current products and potential future add-ons; and above all, to maintain our strong commitment to serving our customers by delivering the most comprehensive set of market-leading solutions. Based in Carlsbad, California, Enviance is a leader in cloud-based Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) software, leveraging cloud computing technology to deliver its platform online in real-time anywhere, anytime and enterprise-wide. Deployed by some of the worlds leading corporations and governments, the companys solutions enable organizations to better measure, manage and report mission-critical EH&S data. See why EH&S success starts with Enviance at . Blakely Goltra Marketing Enviance (415) 331-4233 Ipswitch Enhances Managed File Transfer Security and Customer Value with MOVEit 2016 Leading IT and Network Management Software Provider Adds New Managed File Transfer Products and Editions LONDON, UK, 4 August, 2016 Ipswitch, the leader in easy to try, buy and use IT and network management software, today announced the launch of Ipswitch MOVEit 2016 underscoring their position as the industry leader in secure Managed File Transfer. Ipswitch MOVEit 2016 provides new easy to buy, high value editions Standard, Professional and Premium for all MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Automation products. Ipswitch is also debuting Ipswitch MOVEit Complete, an all-in-one solution for secure Managed File Transfer, delivering the best value possible at the lowest total cost of ownership. MOVEit 2016 strengthens the ability of todays IT teams to ensure secure and compliant internal and external file transfers. It also automates workflows and automatically generates reports while ensuring zero downtime and no data loss. In addition, MOVEit 2016 contains the all new Ipswitch Gateway module allowing the MOVEit Transfer module to sit behind the firewall. Targeted to industries where IT teams may require multi-layered security, such as healthcare, financial services, insurance, retail, and government, Ipswitch Gateway acts as a proxy securely communicating with MOVEit Transfer installed behind the firewall of the internal network. Ipswitch Gateway Regulations such as PCI, HIPAA, FISMA, and GDPR dictate security and process requirements that are interpreted by Risk and Compliance teams into internal policies to govern business and IT operations. As these regulations have evolved, internal policies are also evolving to require new layers of security between the public Internet and protected data. Ipswitch Gateway responds to these increasing demands by providing an intermediary function that is deployed in the DMZ network between the Internet and the companys secured network. This enables file transfer, authentication and encrypted data storage activities performed by MOVEit Transfer to occur solely within the trusted secure network behind the firewall further protecting the enterprise from Internet threats. By deploying MOVEit Transfer with Ipswitch Gateway, IT teams can: Ensure that no data ever resides in the DMZ portion of the network Eliminate all exposure of secured networked resources and authorisation services to the DMZ network Provide multi-layer data security with controlled access to user credentials stored inside the network trusted zone James Lewis, Managing Director at Pro2col, comments: Data protection regulations in the UK are in a state of flux. As such, its more important than ever for companies to adopt an intelligent, bullet-proof approach to moving digital data that minimises their exposure to risk. Companies therefore need software that is able to maintain compliance with fast changing data privacy and disclosure directives, while also protecting valuable, sensitive data from unauthorised access. As such, we welcome the launch of Ipswitch MOVEit 2016 and understand how important this latest version will be for all our customers. Pro2col is a Gold Partner, the highest partner accreditation awarded by Ipswitch. MOVEit Complete To simplify IT teams Managed File Transfer needs, Ipswitch is introducing MOVEit Complete an all-in-one Managed File Transfer solution which combines MOVEit Transfer, MOVEit Automation, Ipswitch Analytics and the newly introduced Ipswitch Gateway. This new package will be offered in three tiered editions: Standard, Professional and Premium. Ipswitch Gateway serves as an important proxy between inbound connections from the public network and your internal trusted network. This ensures that your transfers of sensitive data are protected behind multiple layers of security, says Michael Hack, Senior Vice President, EMEA Operations, at Ipswitch. Our customers are dealing with complicated compliance regulations every day and require a solution with the highest level of security possible for data transmission, one thats compliant with PCI, HIPAA, FISMA and other critical industry regulations. New Editions Ipswitch is also introducing new pricing and packaging editions to make it easier for IT teams to buy a solution that meets their exact requirements while increasing the value they receive from their investment. MOVEit Transfer (formerly MOVEit DMZ) and MOVEit Automation (formerly MOVEit Central) will now be offered in Standard, Professional and Premium editions. MOVEit Automation will also be offered in an additional edition, Basic, as an exciting entry point to the MOVEit product line. Pricing and Availability Ipswitch MOVEit 2016 is available immediately Ipswitch Gateway will be available end of August Ipswitch MOVEit Automation Basic price starts at $4,995 Trusted in industries with the highest security requirements including government, finance, and healthcare, Ipswitchs MOVEit secure Managed File Transfer solution is relied upon to reliably and predictably transfer files containing the most critical and sensitive data for thousands of customers and millions of users helping them exceed SLAs and compliance requirements. In recognition of Ipswitchs role in confidently securing sensitive data for all its customers, the company has also been named a participating organisation member with the PCI Security Standards Council, a global forum for the ongoing development, enhancement, storage, dissemination and implementation of security standards for account data protection. To learn more about MOVEit 2016, please visit: https://www.ipswitch.com/secure-information-and-file-transfer/moveit-mft-complete/whats-new-moveit Calian Reports Third Quarter Results OTTAWA, ONTARIO (Marketwired) 08/04/16 Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) today released unaudited results for the third quarter ended June 30, 2016. The Company reported revenues for the quarter of $73.2 million, a 14% increase from the $64.3 million reported in the same quarter of the previous year. For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 the Company reported revenues of $205.8 million, a 14% increase compared to revenues of $181.3 million in the prior year. EBITDA(1) for the third quarter was $6.1 million, a 53% increase compared to $4.0 million in the same quarter of the previous year and for the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, EBITDA(1) was $16.7 million, a 36% increase compared to $12.3 million in the prior year. Net profit for the third quarter was $3.9 million or $0.52 per share basic and diluted, a 77% increase compared to $2.2 million or $0.30 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the previous year. On a year-to-date basis, net profit was $10.2 million or $1.38 per share basic and diluted, an increase of 48% compared to net profit of $6.9 million or $0.94 per share basic and diluted in the previous nine-month period. Adjusted Net Profit(1) for the third quarter was $4.0 million or $0.54 per share basic and diluted, compared to $2.5 million or $0.34 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the previous year. On a year-to-date basis, adjusted net profit(1) was $10.9 million or $1.47 per share basic and diluted compared to $7.7 million or $1.05 per share basic and diluted in the previous nine-month period. See caution regarding non-GAAP measures at the end of this press release This has been an excellent quarter for the company stated Jacqueline Gauthier, CFO. Surpassing $70 million in quarterly revenues is a new milestone for Calian and our third consecutive quarter of attaining highest revenues in company history. Combined with a significant increase in cash flows and earnings, this is a testament to our teams efforts to achieve these results. We continue to execute well across all of our growth strategy pillars of customer retention, customer diversification, service line evolution and continuous improvement with wins in each element of our strategy stated Kevin Ford, CEO. For example, the $4 million in new health services contracts announced this quarter is an excellent example of our customer diversification strategy working. The announcement of our SED divisions contract this quarter with the Canadian Space Agency maintaining our over 23 year relationship is an excellent example of our customer retention pillar. Also, with continued success in the re-wins of our long term contract base and the recent announcement of the extension to our DND Health services contract, our contract backlog remains strong providing a stable base of business for the foreseeable future continued Ford. I continue to receive positive feedback on the renaming of the company to Calian Group Ltd. that aligns the corporate entity to our diverse offerings. While we are pleased with the current results, we also continue to invest in our service lines to ensure they are positioned for long term growth stated Ford. The diverse nature of the companys services and our demonstrated ability to deliver these services both domestically and globally with now over 50 profitable quarters I believe is our key differentiator. During fiscal 2016, management will continue to focus on its key strategic initiatives. Traditional markets in which Calian operates have stabilized recently and management expects organic revenue and earnings growth in most or all of its service lines through the successful execution of our growth strategy. However, we must caution that revenues realized are ultimately dependent on the extent and timing of future contract awards as well as customer utilization of existing contracting vehicles. Based on currently available information and our assessment of the marketplace, we expect revenues for fiscal 2016 to be in the range of $260 million to $280 million, net profit per share in the range of $1.65 to $1.90 per share and adjusted net profit(1) in the range of $1.74 to $1.99 per share. Caution regarding non-GAAP measures: This press release is based on reported earnings in accordance with IFRS. Reference to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) means IFRS, unless indicated otherwise. This press release is also based on non-GAAP financial measures including EBITDA, adjusted net profit and adjusted net profit per share. These non-GAAP measures are mainly derived from the interim consolidated financial statements, but do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS; therefore, others using these terms may calculate them differently. Management believes that providing certain non-GAAP performance measures, in addition to IFRS measures, provides users of our financial reports with enhanced understanding of our results and related trends and increases transparency and clarity into the core results of our business. Refer to the MD&A for definitions of these metrics and reconciliations to the most comparable IFRS measures. About Calian Calian employs over 2,500 people with offices and projects that span Canada, U.S. and international markets. The companys capabilities are diverse with services delivered through two divisions. The Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division is headquartered in Ottawa and includes the provision of business and technology services to industry, public and government in the health, training, engineering and IT services domains. Calians Systems Engineering Division (SED) located in Saskatoon plans, designs and implements complex communication systems for many of the worlds space agencies and leading satellite manufacturers and operators. SED also provides contract manufacturing services for both private sector and military customers in North America. DISCLAIMER Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Companys most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them. The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. Calian Group Ltd. (the Company) is incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act. The address of its registered office and principal place of business is 340 Legget Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2K 1Y6. The Companys capabilities include the provision of business and technology services to industry and government in the health, IT services and training domains as well as the design, manufacturing and maintenance of complex systems to the communications and defence sectors. On April 1, 2016, the Company changed its name from Calian Technologies Ltd. to Calian Group Ltd. The Company name change was done to better reflect the diversity of its services in light of the expansion into areas such as healthcare and training. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements are expressed in Canadian dollars and have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard (IAS) 34 Interim Financial Reporting, as issued by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB). These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared using accounting policies consistent with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and in accordance with the accounting policies the Company adopted in its annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2015 and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Companys Annual Report for the year ended September 30, 2015. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information required in annual financial statements. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements were authorized for issuance by the Board of Directors on August 4, 2016. IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers In April 2014, the IASB released IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Standard replaces IAS11 Construction Contracts and IAS18 Revenue, providing a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. IFRS 15 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The Company has not yet assessed the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements. IFRS 9 Financial instruments IFRS 9 was issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in November 2009 and October 2010, was amended in 2013 and finalized in July 2014 and will replace IAS 39, Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement (IAS 39). IFRS 9 uses a single approach to determine whether a financial instrument is measured at fair value through profit or loss, fair value through other comprehensive income or amortized cost, replacing the multiple rules in IAS 39. The approach in IFRS 9 is based on how an entity manages its financial instruments in the context of its business model and the contractual cash flow characteristics of those financial instruments. The new standard also requires a single impairment method to be used, replacing the multiple impairment methods in IAS 39. IFRS 9 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The Company has not yet assessed the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements. IFRS 16 Leases In January 2016, the IASB released IFRS 16 Leases which replaces IAS 17 Leases. For lessees applying IFRS 16, a single recognition and measurement model for leases would apply, with required recognition of assets and liabilities for most leases. IFRS 16 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019. The Company has not yet assessed the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements. Estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires the Companys management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods presented. Actual results could differ from those estimates. There were no significant changes in estimates or approaches to determining estimates in the periods presented when compared to the estimates or approaches used the annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2015. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year. The Companys revenues and earnings have historically been subject to some quarterly seasonality due to the timing of vacation periods and statutory holidays. Employee Share Purchase Plan During the nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company issued 21,801 (19,390) shares under the Companys Employee Share Purchase Plan at an average price of $14.92 ($17.99) for a total cash of $325 ($349) and total non-cash of $63 ($64). Stock options The Company had an established stock option plan which expired on February 5, 2016 when the shareholders elected not to renew the plan. Under the plan, eligible directors and employees were granted the right to purchase shares of common stock at a price established by the Board of Directors on the date the options were granted but in no circumstances below fair market value of the shares at the date of grant. Effective February 5, 2016, no further grants can be made under the plan. As at June 30, 2016 (2015), 415,000 (415,000) options are outstanding of which 329,100 (326,600) are exercisable. During the first nine-months ended June 30, 2016 (2015), no options were granted and 20,000 options were exercised. The diluted weighted average number of shares has been calculated as follows: Options that are anti-dilutive because the exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common shares are not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share. For the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), 320,000 (415,000) options were excluded from the above computation. Profit for the period is the measure of profit or loss used to calculate Net profit per share. Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, regarding how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Companys chief operating decision maker is the Chief Executive Officer. The Company operates in two reportable segments described below, defined by their primary type of service offering, namely Systems Engineering and Business and Technology Services. The Company evaluates performance and allocates resources based on earnings before interest income and income taxes. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in Note 2 Summary of significant accounting policies to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2015. Foreign currency risk related to contracts The Company is exposed to foreign currency exchange fluctuations on its cash balance, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and future cash flows related to contracts denominated in a foreign currency. Future cash flows will be realized over the life of the contracts. The Company utilizes derivative financial instruments, principally in the form of forward exchange contracts, in the management of its foreign currency exposures. The Companys objective is to manage and control exposures and secure the Companys profitability on existing contracts and therefore, the Companys policy is to hedge 100% of its foreign currency exposure. The Company does not utilize derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. The Company applies hedge accounting when appropriate documentation and effectiveness criteria are met. The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions. This process includes linking all derivatives to specific firm contractually related commitments on projects. The Company also formally assesses, both at the hedges inception and on an on-going basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. Hedge ineffectiveness has historically been insignificant. The forward foreign exchange contracts primarily require the Company to purchase or sell certain foreign currencies with or for Canadian dollars at contractual rates. At June 30, 2016, the Company had the following forward foreign exchange contracts: A 10% strengthening of the Canadian dollar against the following currencies at June 30, 2016 would have decreased other comprehensive income as related to the forward foreign exchange contracts by the amounts shown below. In the normal course of business, the Company is party to business and employee related claims. The potential outcomes related to existing matters faced by the Company are not determinable at this time. The Company intends to defend these actions, and management believes that the resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Companys financial condition. Amtek Engineering Services Ltd. (Amtek) Under the contingent payment arrangement, the Company is required to pay the former shareholders of Amtek an additional $900 and $900 if Amtek attains specified levels of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the years ended April 30, 2015 and 2016 respectively. During the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company paid $830 ($900) related to the first and second year earn-outs. DWP Solutions Inc. (DWP) Under the contingent consideration arrangement, the Company is required to pay the former shareholders of DWP an additional $300 and $375 if DWP attains specified levels of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the years ended June 30, 2015 and 2016 respectively. The Company paid the full $300 related to the first year earn-out in July 2015. Effective June 30, 2016, DWP has substantially met the earn-out targets related to the second year and $365 was paid in July 2016. Management Discussion and Analysis June 30, 2016: (Canadian dollars in thousands, except per share data) This MD&A is the responsibility of management and has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors of the Company. This MD&A has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Canadian Securities Administrators. The Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring that we fulfill our responsibilities for financial reporting and is ultimately responsible for reviewing and approving the MD&A. The Board of Directors carries out this responsibility principally through its Audit Committee. IFRS and non-GAAP measures: This MD&A contains both IFRS and non-GAAP measures. Non-GAAP measures are defined and reconciled to the most comparable IFRS measure. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS Revenues: For the third quarter of 2016, revenues were $73,196 compared to $64,267 reported for the same period in 2015 representing a 14% increase from the prior year. For the nine-month period ending June 30, 2016 revenues were $205,829 compared to $181,309 for 2015, an increase of 14%. Systems Engineerings (SED) revenues were $23,083 in the quarter and $60,247 on a year-to-date basis representing a 13% and 15% increase respectively when compared to the $20,433 and $52,365 recorded for the same periods in the previous year. SEDs increase in revenue for the quarter was largely attributed to satellite ground systems deliveries with the completion of a significant number of non-labor milestones while the labour activities continued at a steady pace. However the greater revenue year-to-date in comparison to the previous year is reflective of an increase in number of projects particularly in our satellite RF ground systems but also in our communications product developments and our satellite gateway solutions. Business and Technology Services (BTS) revenues were $50,113 in the quarter and $145,582 on a year-to-date basis representing a 14% and 13% increase respectively when compared to the $43,834 and $128,944 recorded for the same periods in the previous year. In addition to modest inroads with our diversification efforts, the continued recovery with government spending during the first nine-months of 2016 resulted in additional demand for our services in many of the divisions mainstay contracts. Management expects that the marketplace for the near term will continue to be very competitive and the timing of new contract awards is always subject to delay. Our solid backlog provides a reasonable level of revenue assurance on existing contracts and new opportunities continue to arise. Although we continue to focus our efforts on the diversification of our customer base outside of government, the nature and extent of future government spending remain uncertain and therefore, future revenues in this sector will ultimately be determined by customer demand on existing contracts as well as the timing of future contract awards. Gross margin Gross margin was 17.8% for the third quarter of 2016 and 17.9% on a year-to-date basis compared to the 15.6% and 16.9% recorded for the same periods in the previous year. Gross margin in Systems Engineering was 21.2% in the third quarter of 2016 and 24.3% on a year-to-date basis compared to the 18.0% and 22.6% recorded for the same periods in the previous year. The higher margins in comparison to the previous year are due to product sales, excellent project execution and a higher labor component in the current mix of projects which yields higher margins than material and subcontract procurements which dominated the same period last year. Solid performance in all of SEDs business areas has resulted in these strong results. Although the mix of revenues will always play a role in the margin ultimately realized, the diversity of the division between defence related and commercial work as well as product development and project execution will allow the division to continue to prevail in the current competitive landscape. Gross margin in Business and Technology Services was 16.2% in the third quarter of 2016 and 15.2% on a year-to-date basis compared to the 14.4% and 14.7% recorded for the same periods in the previous year. Gross margin for the third quarter of 2016 received the benefit of fewer costs from the Easter statutory holiday which fell in March this current year rather than April and from the improved mix created from the increased revenues in higher margin contracts. The traditional BTS business which is concentrated within the federal government remains stable. While stiff competition on new work is expected to temper any significant near-term improvement, the division continues to evolve its service offering with a goal to increase gross margins realized in the longer term. Because of the significant difference in gross margin between each of the two divisions, the overall gross margin of the Company is dependent on the relative level of revenue generated from each division. Management will continue to focus on operational execution and diligent negotiation of supplier costs in order to maximize margins. However, increased competition is expected to maintain the pressure on margins in both divisions. The volatility of the Canadian dollar is always an influencing factor for margins on new work in the SED division when denominated in foreign currencies. Operating expenses: For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, selling and marketing, general and administration and facilities totalled $20,086 or 9.8% of revenues compared to $18,414 or 10.2% of revenues reported in 2015. Operating costs increased in absolute dollars as a result of additional incentive accruals from improved profits and from continued investment in both business development and service line evolution capabilities. However, with growing revenues, operating costs as a percentage of revenues decreased. EBITDA(1): EBITDA(1) for the third quarter was $6,114 compared to $3,970 in the same quarter of the previous year. For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, EBITDA(1) was $16,695 compared to $12,316 in the same period of the previous year. Depreciation: For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, depreciation was $955 which is in line with the $976 recorded in fiscal 2015. Amortization of intangibles: Amortization of intangibles decreased to $936 compared to $1,073 in fiscal 2015. Deemed compensation related to acquisitions and Bargain purchase gain: For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, deemed compensation related to acquisition amounted to $642 compared to $802 recorded in fiscal 2015. The deemed amortization has now been fully expensed. Income taxes: The provision for income taxes was $3,971 or 28.0% of earnings before tax compared to $2,652 in 2015 or 27.8% of earnings before tax. The difference in effective tax rates is primarily due to the non-deductibility of the deemed compensation amounts referred to in the above paragraph. The effective tax rate for 2016, prior to considering the impact of non-taxable transactions and adjustments to reflect actual tax provision as filed, is expected to be approximately 26.9%. Net profit: As a result of the foregoing, in the third quarter of 2016 the Company recorded net profit of $3,888 or $0.52 per share basic and diluted, compared to $2,214 or $0.30 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the prior year. Adjusted net profit(1) for the third quarter was $3,996 or $0.54 per share basic and diluted, compared to $2,482 or $0.34 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the previous year. For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 the Company recorded net profit of $10,213 or $1.38 per share basic and diluted, compared to $6,890 or $0.94 per share basic and diluted in the same period of the prior year. Adjusted net profit(1) for the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 was $10,855 or $1.47 per share basic and diluted, compared to $7,692 or $1.05 per share basic and diluted in the same period of the previous year. (1) See reconciliation regarding non-GAAP measures below Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to most comparable IFRS measures: Management believes that providing certain non-GAAP performance measures, in addition to IFRS measures, provides users of the Companys financial reports with enhanced understanding of the Companys results and related trends and increases transparency and clarity into the core results of the business. EBITDA, adjusted net profit and adjusted net profit per share exclude items that do not reflect, in our opinion, the Companys core performance and helps users of our MD&A to better analyze our results, enabling comparability of our results from one period to another. These non-GAAP measures are mainly derived from the interim consolidated financial statements, but do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS; therefore, others using these terms may calculate them differently. The exclusion of certain items from non-GAAP performance measures does not imply that these are necessarily non-recurring. From time to time, we may exclude additional items if we believe doing so would result in a more transparent and comparable disclosure. Other entities may define the above measures differently than we do. In those cases, it may be difficult to use similarly named non-GAAP measures of other entities to compare performance of those entities to the Companys performance. BACKLOG The Companys backlog at June 30, 2016 was $386 million with terms extended to fiscal 2021. This compares to $442 million reported at September 30, 2015. Contracted Backlog represents maximum potential revenues remaining to be earned on signed contracts, whereas Option Renewals represent customers options to further extend existing contracts under similar terms and conditions. Most fee for service contracts provide the customer with the ability to adjust the timing and level of effort throughout the contract life and as such the amount actually realized could be materially different from the original contract value. The following table represents managements best estimate of the backlog realization for 2016, 2017 and beyond based on managements current visibility into customers existing requirements. Managements estimate of the realizable portion (current utilization rates and known customer requirements) is less than the total value of signed contracts and related options by approximately $70 million. The Companys policy is to reduce the reported contractual backlog once it receives confirmation from the customer that indicates the utilization of the full contract value may not materialize. FINANCIAL CONDITION AND CASHFLOWS Operating activities: Cash inflows from operating activities for the period ended June 30, 2016 were $9,971 compared to cash outflows of $2,719 in 2015. Cash flows have been positively impacted by the decrease in work in process offset by an increase in accounts receivables commensurate with increased activity in both divisions. In addition, amounts owed to suppliers increased as a result of significant levels of activity near quarter end. The aging of the accounts receivables remain in excellent health. These variations in cash flows are not considered unusual and reflect normal working capital fluctuations associated with the ebbs and flows of the business. The market for the Systems Engineering Division is characterized by contracts with billings tied to milestones achieved, which often results in significant working capital requirements. Conversely, given the nature of this business, it is sometimes possible to negotiate advance payments on contracts. Such advance payments give rise to unearned revenue that will be realized as revenue over the course of the contract. As at June 30, 2016, the Companys total unearned revenue amounted to $7,316. This compares to $6,980 at September 30, 2015, with the increase primarily attributable to advance billings for work to be performed in a future period. Financing activities: During the periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company paid quarterly dividends of $0.84 ($0.84) per share. The Company intends to continue with its quarterly dividend policy for the foreseeable future. Investing activities: During the nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company paid $830 ($900) for various acquisitions as described in these financial statements. During the nine-month period, the Company invested $905 in capital assets compared to $2,640 in the prior period which included significant upgrades to the manufacturing assets in the SED division. Capital acquisitions have reverted to normal levels for fiscal 2016. Capital resources: At June 30, 2016 the Company had a short-term credit facility of $10,000 with a Canadian chartered bank that bears interest at prime and is secured by assets of the Company. An amount of $75 was used to issue a letter of credit to meet customer contractual requirements. Management believes that Calian has sufficient cash resources to continue to finance its working capital requirements and pay a quarterly dividend. ADOPTION OF NEW ACCOUNTING RULES AND IMPACT ON FINANCIAL RESULTS The Company did not adopt any new accounting policies this quarter. SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA SEASONALITY The Companys operations are subject to some quarterly seasonality due to the timing of vacation periods and statutory holidays. Typically the Companys first and last quarter will be negatively impacted as a result of the Christmas season and summer vacation period. During these periods, the Company can only invoice for work performed and is also required to pay for statutory holidays. This results in reduced levels of revenues and in a drop in gross margins. This seasonality may not be apparent in the overall results of the Company depending on the impact of the realized sales mix of its various projects. OUTLOOK Management is confident that the Company is well positioned for sustained growth in the long term. The Companys strong contract backlog provides a solid base for the realization of future revenues. Leveraging the Companys diverse services offerings, the Company operates in global and domestic markets that will continue to require the services that the Company offers. To ensure the Company is positioned to respond to market requirements, the Company will focus on the execution of its growth strategy using a common framework across all of its services: The Company has completed four acquisitions in the past 4 years, and will proactively look for companies that can accelerate its growth strategy with a focus on customer diversification and service line evolution. The SED Division has been working within a sustainable satellite sector and is expecting opportunities to continue to arise as systems adopting the latest technologies will be required by customers wishing to maintain and improve their service offerings and react to an increasing demand for bandwidth. SED continues to invest in communications products, software development and manufacturing equipment to strengthen its competitive position. However in the short-term, activity levels in Custom manufacturing will continue to be directly dependent upon SEDs customers requirements and continuing volatility in orders is anticipated as both government and commercial customers continue to re-examine their traditional spending patterns. The recent delays, deferrals and cancellations of DND capital procurements have created intense competition for available manufacturing work. Finally, changes in the relative value of the Canadian dollar may negatively or positively impact the Systems Engineering Divisions competitiveness on projects denominated in foreign currencies. The BTS Divisions services are adaptable to many different markets. Currently, its strength lies in providing program management and delivery services across Canada with a significant portion of this work currently with the Department of National Defence. The division has been successful in diversifying its customer base and evolving its service offerings. As an example the division now provides direct to customer health services through the operation of managed medical clinics as well as onsite health practitioners in the oil and gas sector. Management believes that for the long term, the public and private sector will continue to require health, IT, and training services from private enterprises to achieve their business outcomes. Looking at the current outlook, the current economic climate, the results of the recent election and new federal government agenda may create uncertainty as to the extent of demand from this customer, at least in the short term. With recent investments in sales, marketing, acquisitions and success in new markets outside of the federal government, the division is better positioned to manage through these downturns. Recent acquisitions have also bolstered the divisions performance and it is expected that overall, the acquired companies will continue to meet and exceed the targets established as part of the acquisitions. GUIDANCE During fiscal 2016, management will continue to focus on its key strategic initiatives. Traditional markets in which Calian operates have stabilized recently and management expects organic revenue and earnings growth in most or all of its service lines through the successful execution of our growth strategy. However, we must caution that revenues realized are ultimately dependent on the extent and timing of future contract awards as well as customer utilization of existing contracting vehicles. Based on currently available information and our assessment of the marketplace, we expect revenues for fiscal 2016 to be in the range of $260 million to $280 million, net profit per share in the range of $1.65 to $1.90 per share and adjusted net profit(1) in the range of $1.74 to $1.99 per share. INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING During the most recent interim quarter ended June 30, 2016, there have been no changes in the design of the Companys internal controls over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Companys internal controls over financial reporting. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT Certain information included in this management discussion and analysis is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Companys most recent annual report and other reports filed by the Company with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them. The foregoing discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the financial statements for the third quarter of 2016, and with the Management Discussion and Analysis in the 2015 annual report, including the section on risks and opportunities. Contacts: Kevin Ford President and Chief Executive Officer 613-599-8600 Jacqueline Gauthier Chief Financial Officer 613-599-8600 Former Penn GK Mackenzie Wood reaches new levels with ND women's soccer Mackenzie Wood comes full circle playing her final year of soccer for Notre Dame, her hometown school Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea A space shuttle cockpit that was used to train all of the crews that launched on board the winged orbiters has landed in Oklahoma, where it will be displayed at a museum named for a veteran NASA astronaut. The Stafford Air & Space Museum, located in Weatherford, Oklahoma (known as the Sooner State), announced Wednesday (Aug. 3) its acquisition of the fixed-based simulator (FBS), a high-fidelity replica of the shuttle's flight deck and partial middeck, which was in use for three decades at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Each of the 135 astronaut crews to fly the space shuttle conducted a significant part of their primary training in the FBS," museum officials said in a release. "By acquiring an artifact of this significance, the Stafford Museum has taken a giant step towards its goal of becoming an institution of national importance." [Photos: NASA's Last Shuttle Mission in Pictures] In active use for training from before the first space shuttle launched in April 1981 through the end of the program in July 2011, the FBS was originally awarded by NASA to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, where it was sent four years ago. Although the Adler initially had plans to display the FBS, it remained crated in storage. Ultimately, the Adler found that its long-term plans did not include space for exhibiting the large simulator, with the exception of its food preparation galley and waste containment system, otherwise known as the shuttle's toilet, which remain at the Illinois planetarium. The Stafford Air & Space Museum, named for Gemini and Apollo astronaut Thomas Stafford, received the FBS from the Adler, including its exact representation of the shuttle's flight deck equipped with more than 2,200 switches, circuit breakers, gauges, displays and dials. The museum intends to display the fixed base simulator partially powered, so that its backlit control panels and screens appear as they did when the FBS was last in use by the final space shuttle crew. STS-135 commander Chris Ferguson trains to fly on the last space shuttle mission inside the fixed base simulator. (Image credit: NASA) Perhaps as soon as the start of the new year, visitors to the Stafford Museum will be able to walk between the flight deck's forward and aft sections, providing a rare up-close look at a fully-authentic shuttle cockpit. The FBS will become a major feature of the Stafford's new space shuttle gallery under development at the museum. The expanded exhibition hall will include hundreds of other artifacts from the 30-year program, including a flown space shuttle main engine nozzle, a flown segment from a solid rocket booster, an orbiter's partial tail assembly, fuel cells, spacesuits, a cargo bay pallet, experiment packages and hardware from the Hubble Space Telescope. The cost to acquire and move the simulator from Chicago to Weatherford was underwritten by the Stafford Museum's foundation, which is financed, in part, through the support of members and donors. Referred to as a "fixed base" simulator, the FBS was used in conjunction with a motion base simulator outfitted with a similar flight deck replica mounted on a hydraulic platform, such that it could approximate the orientation of the cockpit during flight. The motion base simulator was transferred to Texas A&M University in College Station at the same time the FBS was awarded to the Adler. Though Thomas Stafford never flew on the shuttle his final mission was as commander of the joint Russian-U.S. Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 he continued to serve on NASA advisory panels throughout the shuttle program, including chairing the task force for the docking missions to Russia's Mir space station and co-chairing the Stafford-Covey Space Shuttle Return to Flight Task Group after the loss of the orbiter Columbia in 2003. In addition to the space shuttle artifacts, the Stafford Air & Space Museum displays a Titan II rocket, full-size models of Gemini and Apollo spacecraft, an Apollo Saturn V F-1 rocket engine and the spacesuit that Stafford wore aboard the Apollo 10 mission to orbit the moon. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2016 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Gulemim (southern Morocco), August 04, 2016 (SPS) - The union martyr Brahim Saika, died under torture and mistreatment by Moroccan repressive authorities, The syndicalistic has been buried this morning in the city of Guelmim (South Morocco) , against the will and consent of his family, according to a source at the ministry of Occupied Territories and the Community Abroad. Saika has been buried without any autopsy without the prosecution of perpetrators indicated the same source. SPS 125/090/TRA NORWALK A Stratford man, described as having a momentous criminal history, was arraigned in Norwalk Superior Court on Wednesday in connection with a November 2015 residential burglary in Westport. Sherman Miles, 58, whose last known address was Ferry Boulevard, Stratford, was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree larceny on Tuesday. He is being held in lieu of a $175,000 cash bond. According to Miles arrest affidavit, a residential burglary on Main Street was reported to Westport police on Nov. 3, 2015. Entry was made after glass on a storm door and interior door were broken. The homeowners reported that among the missing items were a laptop, an iPhone, three jewelry boxes, a handmade watch, and an engraved Penn State ring. Court records show that a week later, police were notified through a pawn shop database that a Penn State ring, an iPhone and a watch matching the description and serial numbers of the stolen items had been sold at a Stratford pawn shop by Miles. Police reviewed video surveillance footage which showed Miles getting out of the passenger side of a vehicle outside of the pawn shop. Contact was made with the driver of the vehicle, who told police that he had given Miles a ride to the library that day about .6 miles from the burglarized home. Witness interviews, along with evidence recovered at the scene, led Westport detectives to believe that Miles committed the Westport burglary, and a warrant for his arrest was applied for. Miles criminal history dates back to the late 1970s in Connecticut and Georgia he has 19 prior arrests in Connecticut for weapons violations, first-degree assault, robbery, larceny, burglary, kidnapping, possession of burglary tools, and escape. He was discharged from the custody of the Department of Corrections on May 10, 2010. During his arraignment on Wednesday, Miles listened intently as the courts bail commissioner requested that his bond be reduced to a $25,000 surety bond. It has to be a high bond, Judge Bruce Hudock said. This record is momentous, not only for the number of convictions, but I dont think Ive ever seen a defendant charged with so many Class B felonies. Hudock set Miles bond at $100,000 cash only and set his next court date for Sept. 13. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD Two North Carolina men accused of leading authorities on an afternoon high-speed chase on Interstate 95 while throwing nearly a pound of cocaine out the window are now among a group of nine people indicted on federal drug charges. Antonio Freezie Freeland, 26, and Michael Lundy, 41, were arrested in May following their chase that exceeded 85 mph and face a bevy of state charges, including reckless endangerment, narcotics possession and sales as well as engaging police in pursuit. A federal grand jury has now indicted them along with seven others for conspiracy to distribute and possess cocaine and heroin, carrying a firearm while dealing drugs as well as aiding and abetting the sale of heroin and cocaine. According to the indictment that was unsealed this week, police and federal authorities in May seized $80,000 in cash from apartments on Amsterdam Avenue, Vincellette Street and Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport as well as $12,500 from an apartment on Commerce Street in Norwalk. Since the arrest affidavits remain sealed, its unclear if Freeland and Lundy were under surveillance when Connecticut state police attempted the traffic stop on I-95 in Darien on May 4 that led to the chase. Lindy Urso, Freelands Stamford defense attorney, said its nonsense to think the traffic stop was not related to the investigation. If federal authorities are involved, it was either the subject of a legitimate FBI investigation or even possibly the result of information illicitly gathered by the National Security Administration that was then passed along to the FBI, Urso said. State police said they were conducting motor vehicle enforcement next to exit 10 on I-95 southbound when a trooper spotted a silver Chevy Sonic with North Carolina license plates tailgating the car ahead while going through a construction zone. After initiating the stop, the Chevrolet sped away and began a high-speed chase down the highway that ended in a fiery crash in Greenwich, police said. But a Stamford police report said state police received a tip earlier in the day that two black men in a small silver car with North Carolina license plates would be moving a large amount of narcotics through Stamford in I-95. Authorities spent hours after the chase searching the roadway and found two packages of cocaine weighing 370 grams near the northbound exit 8 ramp, police said. Freeland, who has several robberies, firearm and narcotics convictions on his record, was the driver of the speeding car, police said. Lundy had been released from prison in January after serving 15 years for a 1994 drug-related murder in North Carolina. In addition to Freeland and Lundy, the federal indictment also included Bobby B.O. Gutierrez, Kenneth K.E. Brickhouse, Wilfredo Big Pun Gutierrez, David Na Na Monseratte Torres, Alberto Puns Boy Colberg, Stanley Sheedy Cavienss and Debraann Bermudez. jnickerson@scni.com; L adbrokes boss Jim Mullen thanked the Swansea journeyman who won Euro 2016 for unfancied Portugal today as the firms profits were fattened by bookie-friendly results. An extra-time winner from Eder (now playing for Lille) after a disappointing final was an outstanding result for us, said Mullen, while the appetite among punters for the tournament was undimmed despite the early exit of all the home nations except Wales. The low-scoring, draw-heavy tournament offset a dire Cheltenham and Ascot for Ladbrokes, leaving headline operating profits for the first half up 34% at 52.2 million. Ladbrokes, hobbled for so long by the profit warnings that resulted in the sacking of previous boss Richard Glynn two years ago, has lifted its profit forecasts for the year. Although digital growth led the way, betting shops grew revenues 6% and over-the-counter stakes were up 1.3%. We are fans of the UK High Street, the boss added. Thousands of Lisboners Give Euro 2016 Champions Portugal Heroes' Welcome The bookies 2.3 billion merger with Coral has been conditionally approved by the competition watchdog, subject to the sale of up to 400 betting shops, although the completion of the deal will herald a significant restructuring. According to Mullen, jobs will not be lost in betting shops but among the overlapping central functions and head offices of the two bookies, which employ more than 3000 people. The shares were up as much as 5% at one stage before settling 0.7p higher at 139.1p. Stifel analyst Jeffery Harwood raised his profit forecast by up to 6 million, saying: This is an encouraging update today and we expect the merger with Coral will accelerate the turnaround through significant merger synergies of at least 65 million and the expertise which Coral will bring. S erco chief executive Rupert Soames has urged UK firms to get on with life after Brexit as he upgraded the troubled outsourcers profit forecasts, sending shares rocketing. The ardent Remainer told the Standard: I have gone through my five stages of grief and now I am of the mind that me and the business world should just get on with it. Businesses should try and look at what the risks are, but snuggle up to the opportunities. He said annual profits have been helped by favourable currency movements, and will be at least 80 million, up from a previous guidance of 65 million. The shares surged more than 16p, to 135.15p in response. Soames said that he was happy with the progress of his turnaround plan in the wake of the criminal tagging scandal but expects potholes on the way. Serco made a pre-tax profit of 58.1 million in the six months to June 30 against a 16 million loss in the same period last year. Revenue decreased 15%. T he horrific knife attack in Russell Square last night has had one immediate effect: there is today a far greater visible police presence throughout London. Indeed, when the 19-year-old attacker ran amok with a knife, killing one woman and injuring a further five other people, there was a prompt police response: officers arrived at Russell Square rapidly and tasered the man. This does not diminish the shock of what happened, but it is true that things could have been even worse. Indeed, one of the results of a succession of appalling Islamist terrorist attacks in France and Germany this summer is that police are alert to the possibility of something similar happening here. Yesterday the Met unveiled its armed response unit no fewer than 600 trained firearms officers. Hours later, the attack happened. For Londoners the notion of violence at Russell Square, one of the sites of the 7/7 bombings, has a grim resonance but it is not yet clear what the motivation for the attack was. The Met has said that the young mans mental health was an important factor and it may prove that it was illness rather than terrorism that motivated him. The police are right to encourage increased vigilance. The most constructive thing they can do now is what they are already doing: deploying a greater visible police presence, including armed officers. It is reassuring to the public and a deterrent to potential attackers. As for the rest of us, the advice from the police is to remain calm, alert and vigilant. Plainly no amount of calmness on the part of the victims could have prevented last nights attack. But awareness of potential danger is in itself a useful defence. The Mayor responded with admirable promptness to the attack: returning at once from holiday to reinforce the message that London should carry on as before. It would be disastrous and out of character if we altered our normal habits and way of life as a result of horrors such as we saw last night. London is still open and Londoners are not easily cowed. What we can do is be as friendly and hospitable as ever to tourists it would be wrong if visitors were deterred from coming here by acts like this. No great city can ever entirely guard against random attacks but we can be as safe as good policing and intelligence can make us. Keep Calm and Carry On is a hoary slogan but in the circumstances, it sums things up rather well. World-beating institute needs the best brains The Francis Crick Institute will see the first of its 1,250 scientists move into its new 650 million building next to the British Library this month. It is a terrific project, the result of the biggest fundraising initiative ever in the UK. The intention is that the presence in one building of so many scientists working in so many disciplines will spark the kind of creative thinking and fruitful collaboration needed to find cures not just for cancer but for other diseases, such as Parkinsons and malaria. In this context, as Sir Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, observed, it is important that the new unit should be able to attract the brightest individuals from all over the world, whether Britain is inside or outside the EU. Collaboration between scientists from across the world in institutions such as this is crucial if we are to make the medical breakthroughs we need: London, post-Brexit, must remain a centre for international scientific research. L ondon awoke this morning to the horrific news of the attack in Russell Square last night. My thoughts and prayers along with those of millions of other Londoners go out to the family and friends who have lost a loved one, and to the other victims of this senseless attack. Keeping Londoners safe is the highest priority for any Mayor and it is one I take extremely seriously. Throughout the night Ive been in close contact with the Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley. I want to assure everyone that the police are doing all they can to keep the public safe. Cities across Europe are rightly on heightened alert after recent terror attacks. London is no different and, working closely with the police, we have responded accordingly. Just this week the first of the newly trained armed response teams began patrolling the streets and people will have already begun to see this increased presence. Our aim was to reassure Londoners that we are ready and prepared for any eventuality. One dead and five injured in stabbing in Russell Square But I would also urge restraint at this crucial time. It is important that we dont jump to conclusions at this stage until we know the full facts about what happened in Russell Square. It is all too easy to speculate but the police need time to undertake their investigations. Officers are doing an incredibly difficult job and they have my full support. The Met has said publicly that it believes the suspects mental health played a significant role in this attack but, of course, it is too early for any motive to be ruled out. As we have seen from previous incidents across the world, there can be a complicated mix of factors behind attacks on innocent people. Met police force to arm more officers In any event, my message to Londoners is clear the police are doing all they can to keep you safe from harm and you should continue to go about your daily lives as usual. I urge people to remain calm and vigilant, and to report anything suspicious to the police. Geared up: London's new fast-response officers are clad in grey Kevlar body armour and carry a cache of weapons (Lucy Young ) / Lucy Young Feel assured that the police and security services are doing everything in their power to prevent and respond to any attack, whatever the motive or purpose. Last night an armed police response team was at the scene in Russell Square within approximately five minutes of the incident being reported and the suspect was detained. The police need our full support in their investigations, and in keeping us safe. But I am confident that, at the same time, Londoners will not allow what has happened to sow the seeds of division in our amazing city. If theres one thing that time and again inspires me it is Londons remarkable resilience. Whatever is thrown at us as a city, we respond with strength of character that is famed the world over. We are an amazing city open, tolerant, diverse and, in spite of this attack, safe too. And when faced with adversity, London pulls together. We must do so again today. She is known for being the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, as well as the fifth grandchild of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, but Princess Beatrice is now roumered to be stepping out of the Royal shadow. Said to be looking towards a move to the United States, the Princess is supposedly starting her own business consultancy in New York. The Princess has not always shown a penchant for business, however, graduating from Goldsmiths College London University in 2011 with a 2:1 degree in BA History and History of Ideas. Another aspect of the Princess' life that has flourished in more recent years is her sense of personal style. Princess Beatrice - style file 1 /54 Princess Beatrice - style file September 6, 2000 Beatrice poses with her parents the Duke and Dutches of York on her first day of school at St. George's Liaison December 25, 2002 Leaving the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church Scott Barbour/Getty December 19, 2004 At the UK Premiere of 'The Aviator' at the Odeon West End Bruno Vincent/Getty May 11, 2008 At the Hurtwood Park Polo Masters Tournament in Cranleigh Chris Jackson/Getty June 9, 2008 At the Boodles Wonderland collection launch party Gareth Cattermole/Getty June 15, 2008 At the Vivari Queens Cup Final with her boyfriend Dave Clark Chris Jackson/Getty September 24, 2008 At Goldsmiths, University of London to begin her university degree Dan Kitwood/Getty October 30, 2008 At the Children in Crisis 15th Anniversary Ball Harold Cunningham/Getty February 24, 2009 At the unveiling of a new statue of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Chris Jackson/Getty May 23, 2009 At the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix Gareth Cattermole/Getty June 18, 2009 At The Ralph Lauren Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Pre-Wimbledon Party Gareth Cattermole/Getty June 30, 2009 At a launch for the African Carribenan Leukemia Trust Tim Whitby/Getty May 20, 2010 With mother Sarah Furguson Duchess of York at The Caudwell Children Butterfly Ball Stuart Wilson/Getty June 27, 2010 At the Veuve Clicquot Manhatten Polo Classic with boyfriend Dave Clark Chris Jackson/Getty August 24, 2010 Watching as Richard Branson prepares to Kite Surf across the English Channel Dan Kitwood/Getty April 28, 2011 At a gala pre-wedding dinner held at the Mandarin Oriental Chris Jackson/Getty April 29, 2011 At the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey Pascal Le Segretain/Getty May 23, 2011 At the Chelsea Flower Show Press and VIP Day Chris Jackson/Getty September 9, 2011 with her parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at her graduation ceremony at Goldsmiths College AFP/Getty Images October 5, 2011 At the Elie Saab SS12 runway during Paris Fashion Week Pascal Le Segretain/Getty April 5, 2012 At York Minster after a Maundy Thursday Service Chris Jackson/Getty June 5, 2012 At St Paul's Cathedral after National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee Ian Kington/AFP/Getty June 21, 2012 At Ladies Day during Royal Ascot Ben Pruchnie/Getty January 17, 2013 At the British School in Berlin Tim Rooke - Pool/Getty July 8, 2013 At the Novak Djokovic Foundation London gala dinner Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty December 25, 2013 At the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Chris Jackson/Getty March 7, 2014 At a charity event to bring young people together at Wembley Arena Tim P. Whitby/Getty March 13, 2014 At a memorial service for Sir David Frost at Westminster Abbey Chris Jackson/Getty May 19, 2014 At the Chelsea Flower Show Paul Grover/AFP/Getty June 19, 2014 At Royal Ascot Kirstin Sinclair/Getty July 1, 2014 At the annual Serpentine Galley Summer Party Stuart C. Wilson/Getty September 13, 2014 At the Markus Lupfer SS15 show during London Fashion Week Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty June 16, 2015 At Royal Ascot Chris Jackson/Getty June 18, 2015 At Royal Ascot Kirstin Sinclair/Getty June 30, 2015 At the NSPCC Neo-Romantic Art Gala Anthony Harvey/Getty September 12, 2015 At the Rebecca Minkoff SS16 show during New York Fashion Week Astrid Stawiarz/Getty February 23, 2016 At 'Cookies For Kid's Hosts 3rd Annual Chefs For Kid's Cancer Benefit' in New York Paul Zimmerman/Getty March 27, 2016 At the Easter Sunday church service at St George's Chapel Leon Neal - WPA Pool/Getty May 23, 2016 At the Chelsea Flower Show Heathcliff O'Malley - WP Pool/Getty June 10, 2016 At a lunch after the National Service of Thanksgiving as part of the 90th birthday celebrations for The Queen Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty June 14, 2016 At Royal Ascot Chris Jackson/Getty Previously keen on a bold-hued, loose-fitting chiffon dress with a clinched in waist, the 27-year-old's style has matured with age with her wardrobe filling up with more structured, flattering pieces over the past five years. Beatrice has also shown a recent interest in high fashion events, attending runway shows by the likes of Elie Saab, Markus Lupfer and Rebecca Minkoff in Paris, London and New York. And if the rumours of her next career move are true, we hope to see more of the British Princess perching on front rows as she settles in across the pond. Follow Charlie Teather on Twitter @charlieteather Follow Lifestyle on Facebook and on Twitter @ESLifeandStyle A ctor Harry Lloyd today told how he will have to be at the top of his game to come up to the standards of John Malkovich in the American stars London directorial debut. Lloyd, who has appeared in Game Of Thrones and Wolf Hall, is due to start rehearsals for Good Canary, which opens at the Rose Theatre in Kingston on September 21. The off-West End theatre is the unlikely setting for Oscar nominee Malkovichs first time running the show although the star of In The Line Of Fire and Red did appear at the Barbican as an actor in The Infernal Comedy in 2011. Lloyd, 32, who was most recently seen on screen in ITV police drama Marcella starring Anna Friel, said that meeting Malkovich for the first time was daunting, but the American immediately put him at ease. He said: When I heard John Malkovich was directing I wanted to find out what brought him here. He was very engaged and friendly. I thought he was extremely knowledgable and very smart, but he was also very relaxed and just wanted to watch people work. The last theatre I did was a one-man show two years ago so I am a bit scared, but when youre away from theatre you really miss rehearsals and the process. Im sure I will learn a lot from working with John. Written by Zach Helm, the play follows a successful young author, played by Lloyd, and his drug-addicted wife, played by Freya Mavor. Although set in New York, the show has never been staged in English before. Malkovich directed a Spanish version in Mexico City and a French production in Paris, where it won two Moliere Awards for best director and design. Former EastEnders actor Steve John Shephard completes the seven-strong cast. Lloyd, who will be seen in the forthcoming Second World War film Anthropoid with Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan and Toby Jones, said the Rose was the perfect fit for the dark yet humorous tale. Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout I ts a major event to have Billie Piper return to the stage. Anyone who has seen her tread the boards will know of her capacity to put in performances that can stun and exhaust, but shes been off the stage since she starred in Richard Beans phone hacking comedy Great Britain in 2014. Its good news for theatre fans that she returns this week, playing the lead role in Yerma at the Young Vic. Its the story of a woman driven to extreme lengths in her desperate hope to have a child, and the production marks Australian director Simon Stones first original work in the UK. Many will remember his radical reworking of Ibsens The Wild Duck, which visited the Barbican in 2014. But who is Lorca, the Spanish playwright and poet who wrote Yerma? His fascinating life story is worthy of a stage show itself let us explain more. His first love was music Lorca full name Federico Garcia Lorca was born in 1898 in a small town just west of Granada in Southern Spain. He initially had an interest in becoming a composer, inspired by years of music lessons and a friendship with composer Manuel de Falla. It wasnt until after his piano teacher died in 1916 that he began to write prose, but his work always drew on musical forms. He was a member of the Generation of 27 The Generation of 27 were a group of influential Spanish artists working in the 1920s, who established a number of avante-garde forms that formed part of European modernism, including futurism and surrealism. Lorca was among their number, and through this group he became close friends with Salvador Dali. His first experience of staging a play didnt go too well Lorcas first staged play was The Butterflys Evil Spell, an impossible love story between a cockroach and an insect. It was laughed off the stage and Lorca later never referred to it as his first play. He was passionately involved with Salvador Dali Dali and Lorca were part of the same set of artists, and Dali designed the sets for Mariana Pineda, Lorcas second play. Although their relationship between 1925 and 1928 is described as one of mutual passion, Dali rejected Lorcas erotic advances and the friends later became estranged. He went to New York after struggling with depression Lorca found it difficult to unite his public persona as a successful author with his private self and sexuality. He became more distant from his friends, and interpreted a collaboration between Dali and Luis Bunuel on their film Un Chien Andalou as an attack on himself, after which his family arranged for him to go to America. He returned to Spain to bring theatre to the people After witnessing the Wall Street crash in America, Lorca was keen to condemn capitalist societies. He came back to Spain in 1930 as the Primo de Rivera dictatorship fell and the Second Spanish Republic began. He became director of a student theatre company who were employed by the government to tour rural Spain and performed modern interpretations of Spanish classics for free. During this time, he was inspired to write his best-known plays. His greatest works railed against bourgeous Spanish society Yerma and The House of Bernada Alba allowed Lorca to challenge accepted social norms in Spain, such as class structures and the role of women. They also rejected the forms of old theatrical conventions like drawing room comedies. He was assassinated but no one knows why During the politically volatile 1930s in Spain, tensions grew. Lorcas brother-in-law became mayor of Granada and was killed within a week, with Lorca being arrested on the same day. He was shot on August 19, 1936, by what is thought to have been the Nationalist militia. Some believe it was for his outspoken socialist views, whilst others argue he was apolitical and killed because of his sexuality. His work was censored in Spain until 1953 Under Franco, Lorcas work was banned. His collected works were published when the ban was lifted in 1953, but they were censored. Productions of his most famous plays were successfully staged, but it wasnt until after Francos death that Lorcas life began to be openly discussed again. Yerma runs at the Young Vic until September 24 Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout Review at a glance I n Chekhovs Ivanov, which in 1887 became the first of his plays to be professionally produced, the main character is a negligent landowner. Hes an intense soul, whose resentfulness and agitation are typical of a drama that depicts an entire social class laid low by boredom, greed and melancholy. Geoffrey Streatfeild captures the desperate unhappiness of a man in the throes of a midlife crisis. He cant bear the company of his sickly wife Anna (the affecting Nina Sosanya) and seeks relief among the party-loving neighbours to whom he owes money. Streatfeild's Ivanov observes his own meltdown like a chemist watching an experiment take an unexpectedly nasty turn. At his most heartless, he spouts anti-Semitic invective at the expense of Anna, who has renounced her Judaism to be with him. Its a moment that causes a sharp intake of breath around the auditorium. Olivia Vinall is excellent as the lovelorn Sasha, who throws herself at him, and fine support comes from Jonathan Coy as her father, unsettled by Ivanovs decline, as well as from James McArdle as a judgemental doctor and Peter Egan as Ivanovs cynical poseur of uncle. Theres a keen sense here of the twenty-something Chekhov finding his voice as a chronicler of despondency and the traumatic consequences of candour. Until October 8, National Theatre Buy tickets for Ivanov with Going Out Tickets Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout N othing to do with Sodom-on-Sea, this Brighton is the patch of north-west Boston where Michael Harvey grew up. Its where the slaughterhouses used to be yet its mainly humans that get killed here. Blood black blood, Irish blood, bad blood spill across the pages of this remarkable book. Talk about reeking revenge. This place likes to eat its own, says Bobby Scales. And its always looking to be fed. Kevin Harveys alter ego first meets Bobby in 1971 on the banks of the Charles River, where he is putting an abused dog out of its misery: Some things are just better off dead. Kevins beloved grandmother has no sooner told him to trust no one but Bobby when she is slaughtered in her own kitchen. Instead of calling the cops the boys take matters into their own hands. A man dies. Kevin, according to his grandmother, has special written all over him. The rest of his family brutal father, harassed mother, sadistic older sister and soppy younger sister do not. Only Kevin gets away to follow a career in investigative journalism that culminates in a Pulitzer Prize so that, 27 years later, he can ignore Bobbys advice to never come back. The gun used to kill the man all those years ago turns out to be linked to far more recent crimes. Kevins beautiful black girlfriend is a prosecutor in the D As office and has her sights firmly set on replacing her boss even if Kevin gets in the way. Thus the stage is set for an epic story of loyalty and betrayal, poverty and piety, which twists and turns with jaw-dropping frequency. While the mechanics of the thriller very much dominate, Harvey combines them with the perspective and detail of an autobiography: a Brighton Beast Memoir? He has Kevin portray the unarticulated and consuming rage that lurks in the neighbourhood and beyond, list what befell his schoolfriends (drink-driving, hepatitis, blew his heart out with a speedball) and never lets him forget the dead uncles and aunts (including Shuks the boxer and Aggie the agoraphobe) that lent such colour to his childhood. More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review Its a difficult tightrope to walk but Harvey doesnt put a foot wrong. The result is an unusual novel that never relinquishes its grip. It has special written all over it. T he Brexit debate demonstrated how much Britain is still saturated with references to the Second World War though one imagines that those who thrilled to the theme music from The Great Escape being played on Nigel Farages battle bus would be surprised to learn how far British plans for the post-war world revolved around a federal Europe. They would be even more disconcerted to find that the Churchill government proposed a union between Britain and France in June 1940. Daniel Todman is superbly qualified to write the history of Britains war. He combines an interest in grand strategy with an understanding of social and cultural history. In spite of his youth this history has intertwined with his own life. His father was born just before VE day and christened Victor on the insistence of a patriotic midwife. But his grandfather who had spent May 1945 on a base in Hamburg unable to see his newborn son and dreading a posting to the Far East refused to use this bellicose name. Todmans panoramic vision seems to take in everything. The day after Churchill delivered his finest hour speech of June 18, 1940, a Mass Observation reporter found the same heroic defiance being expressed by a 25-year-old soldier from the unskilled working class: Theyre shitting themselves for nothing. We shall hold him [Hitler]. As well as zooming in on individual histories, Todd pans out to show events in their broadest context. The roots of the conflict are traced back into the 1930s but we are also shown a war that was, even before the entry of the United States and the Soviet Union, a global one in the summer of 1941 two battalions of Canadian troops were sent to garrison Hong Kong. The most striking feature of this book is, in fact, an old trick. It provides a chronological narrative. The effect of this is to show us how it was to live without the benefit of hindsight. We are reminded, for example, that Chamberlain became more popular in the early stages of the war: a proper fighting man now in the opinion of one working-class informant for Mass Observation. Todman evokes the corrosive uncertainty of war. In July 1940 George King, a clerk from Surrey, wrote a long letter to inform his son Cyril of what had happened in his absence. But George did not really know whether Cyril, who had disappeared during the fighting in France, was alive or dead. It is only 90 pages later that we find out that Cyril was to emerge from a German prisoner of war camp in 1945. George had to wait three months trying to console his distraught wife and attend to his Home Guard duties to get the news. I suppose that we will have to wait for the end of volume two before we find out what state the boy was in by the time he was released from captivity. More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review This is a wonderful book in all sorts of ways, but does it need to be 800 pages long? The Second World War was, after all, the great era of the short book and, perhaps for that reason, also a great era for reading. As he drafts the second volume Todman should ask himself the questions that people asked of books in 1940: Would I like to have this in my knapsack on a route march and would I be able to stuff it in my dressing gown pocket as I run for the bomb shelter? T he unquestioning belief that work should always have the top claim on our time has been a costly one. And it has got worse as technology has allowed a growing number of us to carry our work with us in our pockets and purses in the form of our phones wherever we go. I learned this the hard way: on the morning of 6 April 2007 I was lying on the floor of my home office in a pool of blood. On my way down, my head had hit the corner of my desk, cutting my eye and breaking my cheekbone. I had collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep. When I had my painful wake-up call, Id just returned home after taking my daughter Christina, then a junior in high school, on a tour of prospective colleges. The ground rules wed agreed on were that during the days I would not be on my BlackBerry. But that didnt mean I would stop working (sacrilege!). So each night wed eat dinner late and get back to the hotel exhausted. Then, in some sort of role reversal, Christina would do the responsible thing and go to sleep while I acted the part of the sneaky teenager and stayed up late. After shed fallen asleep, Id fire up the computers and the BlackBerrys, responding to all the urgent emails, attempting to squeeze a full days work into what should have been my sleep time. This would go on until about 3am, when I couldnt keep my eyes open any longer. And after three or four hours of sleep, Id be back up for the day shift. Work, after all, was much more important than sleep, at least to my 2007 self. Because, hey, Im running a start-up one thats got my name on it. Clearly Im indispensable, so I must work all night, responding to 100 emails and then writing a long blog post, while being the perfect mother during the day. This way of working and living seemed to serve me well until it didnt. This is why clock-watching, or simply setting boundaries, is so important. And while we owe it to ourselves as individuals to be mindful, companies also have a role to play. Thats why, at The Huffington Post, weve always made it clear that no one is expected to check work email and respond after hours, at the weekend or while on vacation. But in spite of this, as we all know, its common for people to go on vacation and put up an out-of-office message, but still respond to emails often seconds after the sender receives an out-of-office reply. Why? Because we are addicted, and because once we see an email, we feel obligated to answer it. The best apps for Londoners 1 /16 The best apps for Londoners Zip car Join, reserve, unlock and drive it really is that simple. The capitals preferred car clubs app gives 24/7 access to cars and vans in your neighbourhood and lets you extend or cancel reservations on the go. Free Uncover Sick of being stuck on waiting lists? You need Uncover, which redistributes cancelled reservations at some of the capitals top restaurants, including The River Cafe and Nobu. Not for planning freaks, though tables typically become free at 40 minutes notice. Free Uber So popular its become a verb, this private driver service has revolutionised travel in the capital. Its speedy and affordable, making it a welcome alternative to the night bus. Free Santander Cycles Launched this summer, the official app for Boris fifth child can be used to search for nearby docking stations and check bike availability. Theres also a journey planner featuring easy, moderate and fast routes to satisfy all cycling tribes. Free Plume Air Report This new app has been downloaded by 3,000 Londoners. Sensors gathering air pollution data submit updates every hour, resulting in a scale that ranges from fresh to extremely polluted. Free Nightcapp Heres an app that will have booze hounds raising their glasses. NightCapp is a map that pinpoints more than 1,500 London watering holes that stay open past 11.30pm. It also shows users when a bar is about to close by highlighting it in orange. Better get moving. Free Money Dashboard An award-winning budget planner, this helps you keep track of personal spending across multiple accounts, pay off credit cards and even makes suggestions on how to manage your finances better. Free Her Promising to introduce women to a lesbian that hasnt slept with any of your friends, this revamped dating app includes queer-themed news and blogs, upcoming event notices and an improved algorithm-matching system. Free FoodMood This new startup, which reckons its Tinder for food, pledges to narrow down your choice of lunchbreak destinations. Hit yum or yuk on photos of dishes in your area. Juvenile, but strangely addictive. Free Daily Yoga This offers more than 50 yoga sessions, as well as a database of 500 yoga poses. Suitable for all levels, programmes include yoga aimed at specific areas of the body and weight loss. Namaste to that. Free Coffee Meets Bagel Billed as the anti-Tinder, this new kid on the block delivers just a single match to users once a day. Coffee Meets Bagel uses Facebook profile information to recommend suitors based on friends of friends. Neither coffee nor bagels are included. Free. Bristlr Do you have a beard? Perhaps youd like to stroke one on a regular basis? This can be arranged. Unlike other dating apps, Bristlr is unashamedly all about hooking up the hairy with the hairless. Theres even a beard-rating option for aficionados. Free So, inspired by the German auto company Daimler, we decided to create a tech solution that would eliminate the temptation. With our new vacation email tool, all emails sent to you during your time off will be deleted automatically. The sender gets a response asking them to resend their message when youre back or to contact someone you designate if it is urgent. Emails have somehow taken over all of our lives. Its time we changed that. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @EsMagOfficial N o overseas summer sojourn for me this year, which I suppose means Im currently enjoying a staycation. Its a stupid, made-up word I wouldnt normally use but then its better than having to explain that Im a disorganised tightarse with crippling decisiveness issues who couldnt get his act together in time to book a fortnight in Spain. Anyway, its not like you have to go abroad to have a good time. When I was a kid my dad would whisk us away on family holidays to places like Carlisle, Hull and Stockton-on-Tees. Have you been to Stockton-on-Tees? Its not exactly Disneyland but we did get to go see the Tees Transporter Bridge. Yknow the Tees Transporter Bridge? Masterpiece of Edwardian engineering? In Middlesborough? Id recommend it to anyone. Cherished memories. But Im not having a staycation in Middlesborough, Im having one in London, which is even better. A fortnight off work in the greatest city in the world in the middle of summer? People pay good money for that, but Im enjoying if for free. And its great. I dont have to feel embarrassed about my accent or lack of vocabulary (well, no more than usual) and its not like my one-year-old even really knows where he is half the time anyway. I just kept telling him we were in Brazil during a recent excursion to the Woodbury Wetlands reserve and he seemed happy enough. Although I have to say, walking around the sun-drenched parks of east London last week, I really could have been on Copacabana. I mean, when did everyone get so toned, so body-confident, so hot? It was never like this in Carlisle and, weaving between groups of guys and girls all languidly eyeing each other up, the heavy atmosphere of sexual possibility actually made me wheeze. Im afraid I ruined the mood, though, because I had my son on my shoulders and for reasons for which I have to take personal responsibility, hes taken to saying Boobies quite a lot. Boobies! Boobies! he started shouting, peering down and laughing. I ran for it. Embarrassing, yes, but I should point out that my son can also say micropenis, so perhaps I got off lightly. Still, it made me think: perhaps next year it would be nice to go on holiday somewhere with a bit more of a language barrier. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @EsMagOfficial F or a YouTube love guru, Will Darbyshire is unfamiliar with the weapons of modern dating. Ghosting? Whats ghosting? he asks. I explain. So you just dont respond? That must be really unpleasant. The 23-year-old film-maker, YouTube star and now author has also never used Tinder, and looks confused when I mention aubergine emojis. Maybe its because, although he has 600,000 followers on YouTube and Instagram combined, his latest project, This Modern Love, is an old-fashioned, real-life book about lust, love and heartbreak. It is a book of relationship stories split into chronological sections: The Beginning, The Middle and The End. Its a mixed bag but many entries cover embarrassing moments; Darbyshires favourite is from a girl who drunkenly messaged her ex-boyfriend three years after they broke up to ask if he had stolen her childhood Pokemon card collection. We wanted a mix of things that were funny, serious, sad or exciting, he explains. I didnt want people to come out of it thinking Bloody hell, that was depressing. He was inspired to write the book after realising how many people regularly contacted him to offload about their love lives. The text is compiled from the 15,000 letters he received after posting probing questions on social media. He wanted it all to feel identifiable, regardless of your age, sexuality or nationality. There are letters from 98 countries, and contributors range in age from 12 to 81. Why were people so open with him? I think people felt like they related to what I was going through, he says. I felt like there needed to be a better way of showcasing the stuff I got in from people: it was so poetic and so engaging. Books to read in 2016 1 /10 Books to read in 2016 Click through our gallery to discover the best beach reads for summer 2016... Shutterstock / wavebreakmedia The Girls by Emma Cline Clines debut novel first started to make noise in 2014 when the unknown 25-year-old sold her manuscript for a reported $2 million as part of a three-book deal. Now that the book is finally out, its fast becoming clear why it was so hotly anticipated. Beautifully written, this unflinching account of 14-year-old Evie Boyds enticement into a hippie cult is loosely inspired by the Manson murders of the late Sixties. But if youre looking for the next Helter Skelter, Cline has put the grisly details on ice, focusing instead on a coming-of-age story that will reacquaint you with your teenage self: angry, unheard and passionate. Fans of The Virgin Suicides and The Bell Jar will struggle to put this down. Youll Grow Out Of It by Jessi Klein Comedian Jessi Kleins hilariously candid autobiography offers a relentlessly funny collection of real-life stories and the lessons shes learned from them. These include her transformation from tomboy to tom man, attempting to find watchable porn and identifying the difference between being called maam and miss. If you liked Amy Poehler's Yes Please, this is a must-read. Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality by Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell Keep the spirit of this months Pride celebrations alive by reading this fascinating and moving story of the lovers, lawyers, judges and activists behind the groundbreaking Supreme Court case that led to one of the most important civil rights victories in history - the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Both inspiring and unforgettable, these accounts will stay with you long after youve finished reading. Bukowski in a Sundress: Confessions from a Writing Life by Kim Addonizio Kim Addonizio's wisecracking debut memoir is a hilariously salacious account that reflects on writing, drinking, dating and her wildest years as a young writer. She captures moments of inspiration at the writing desk and adventures on the road- from a champagne-fuelled sexcapade to sparsely attended readings at remote Midwestern colleges. Barkskins by Annie Proulx At over 700 pages, this book isnt for the faint-hearted, but youll breeze through it thanks to its brilliantly genius characters. Based on the taking down of the worlds forests, the book centres around the greedy and vengeful descendants of wood-cutters over 300 years who seize what they can of a presumed infinite resource, leaving the modern-day characters face to face with possible ecological collapse. The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley Scooping the coveted Debut Novel of the Year accolade at this years Costa Book Awards, this Gothic work has earned praise from a host of literary critics and writers, including Stephen King who described it as an amazing piece of fiction". Set in 1976 it follows a familys annual stay in an old house in Lancashire, a place gripped by the mystery of the death of the local priest. The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock Set in Alabama in 1917, Pollocks novel follows dispossessed farmer Pearl Jewett and his three young sons. Several hundred miles away in southern Ohio, a farmer Ellsworth Fiddler lives with his son, Eddie, and his wife, Eula. After Ellsworth is swindled out of his family's entire fortune, his life is turned upside down, throwing him onto a tumultuous trajectory that will directly lead him to cross paths with the Jewetts. Dark, violent and funny, this book will be like nothing else youve ever read. What he was going through was a break-up that he was really beaten up about. Happily, now things could not be more different, as his YouTube channel illustrates: it regularly features videos of him with his girlfriend of nearly two years, another YouTube favourite, LA-based vlogger Arden Rose. Indeed, if Darbyshire, from Barnes, is trying to explore modern relationships, he neednt look further than his own: a pairing of two social media starlets who met at a party thrown for YouTubers and who live on opposite sides of the globe. But hes eager to emphasise they are a normal couple. Its a weird thing [to be called a YouTube power couple]. Theres that whole relationship goals thing that is very popular. I always want to be quite transparent. A lot of the time you see those couples and they seem unrealistic. Darbyshire says hes supporting himself based on the revenues from advert views / Matt Writtle The book also examines the impact of technology on relationships. I always found that technology has made couples, and long-distance couples, more in love because theyre more connected. Darbyshire prefers Snapchat for checking in with Rose, is totally cool sharing his passwords with her and, despite me having to explain the connotations of an aubergine emoji, says his sexting experiences have been pretty good. YouTube couple: with girlfriend Arden Rose / Rex Surely having hundreds of thousands of people following every social media interaction must put pressure on the relationship or worse inspire cynicism? I understand why people might think that, he concedes. But I dont think wed be in a position where weve been together for two years and doing the 5,000-mile distance if it was just for views. YouTubers share their entire lives online. While Darbyshire says he is happy being open I cant think off the top of my head of something I wouldnt want to talk about in a video he also insists that he is not straightforwardly confident. Im quite introverted, he says. I wanted to set up my channel and talk about things without having to speak to people. I think thats probably what a lot of YouTubers do theyre a load of introverts sitting and chatting about things they want to talk about. Either way its working: hes supporting himself based on the revenues from advert views. He also has a book tour planned. What else? I really want to be a film-maker, so now that the books nearing a close itll be nice to start focusing on that more. Favourite film-makers include Paul Thomas Anderson, Richard Linklater (hes unbelievable), Tarantino and Scorsese. He has lofty ambitions but the power of the YouTube celebrity is far-reaching, and with pre-orders of the book looking healthy you know his fans would be lining up in their hordes to see his directorial debut. Trailed on Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter, naturally. This Modern Love is published on August 11, by Century, price 14.99 Follow Rachael Sigee on Twitter: @littlewondering A budget airline has banned the sale of alcohol on flights before 8am in order to tackle disruptive and abusive behaviour. Jet2.com is the first airline in Europe to make the move on early-morning flights and it has called on airports and shops to follow suit. The ban, beginning Monday, follows a pledge from Aviation Minister Lord Ahmad last week to consider what more can be done to make air travel an "attractive sector for all" which is "safe and secure". It is also part of the airline's campaign, called Onboard Together, aimed at reducing disruptive behaviour on its flights. This has seen more than 500 passengers refused travel with over 50 of these given lifetime bans since it was launched in 2015. Managing director Phil Ward said: "We have decided to follow up very quickly on my comments made last week, by taking positive action to allow the millions of customers and families who fly with us to travel with confidence and have a great experience with Jet2.com. "We believe that stopping sales of alcohol before 8am on our morning flights is an effective way to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable journey. We understand that we're the first of the European airlines to take this bold step and call upon industry partners in airports to also trade responsibly." The airline said it has also encouraged other firms in the industry to support the call for fully sealed bags for alcohol purchased in airports to prohibit the illegal consumption of personal alcohol before and during flights. Recent police statistics show hundreds of passengers were arrested on suspicion of being drunk on a plane or at an airport in the last two years. Figures obtained following freedom of information requests show at least 442 people were held between March 2014 and March 2016. Last week, Jet2.com passenger Joshua Strickland, 21, of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, was handed a 12,000 bill and a lifetime ban after his "abusive and aggressive" behaviour led to a plane being diverted to Manchester. Strickland will be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on August 25. Lord Ahmad said: "I don't think we want to kill merriment altogether, but I think it's important that passengers who board planes are also responsible and have a responsibility to other passengers, and that certainly should be the factor which we bear in mind. "In terms of specific regulations of timings of outlets (which sell alcohol) and how they operate, clearly I want to have a look at that." A code of practice on disruptive passengers was published last week following collaboration between airlines, airports, the police and retailers. It includes airport shops advising passengers not to drink alcohol they have purchased before or during their flight, and training staff in bars and restaurants to limit or stop the sale of alcohol if they are concerned about disruptive behaviour. T his is the terrifying moment three masked thugs burst into a Hackney shop and "threaten to shoot staff" before beating them up in a 7,000 heist. The thieves targeted the Co-op store in Theydon Road, Clapton, at 6am on Wednesday morning as staff arrived to take deliveries. Store manager Sajisa Chowbhury told the Standard that the men blocked CCTV cameras with a van, tricking one staff member into unlocking a back door. They burst through the entrance, attacking a shop floor worker and claiming to be carrying guns before demanding a supervisor hand-over the keys to a safe. Raid: The robbers struck as staff arrived to take deliveries Dramatic footage shows one of the thieves, clad head-to-toe in black, hit the staff member in the face as he ransacks the safe. Another then holds both arms behind the petrified mans back allowing his accomplice to flee with the cash. Ms Chowbhury said the men "told staff they would shoot them if they did not open the safe but described them as wearing very heavy jackets so it was unclear whether or not they were carrying weapon. The manager added that the four-second raid has left staff with bruises and emotional trauma. She said: They are understandably very shaken up We are all scared, I have not slept since because the images of the video go round and round in my head. We go in pairs to the back now, we cannot go alone. The Met Police have confirmed they are investigating. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue. A n Israeli teenager who was stabbed when a man went on a knife rampage in Russell Square has told of her horror after she watched her attacker murder an American woman next to her. Yovel Lewkowski, 18, was visiting London with her grandfather from Tel Aviv when she was injured in the frenzied late-night attack in central London. An American woman, named tonight as Darlene Horton, was killed and five others, including Miss Lewkowski, were knifed when a teenager slashed passers-by at random. Miss Lewkowski said on her Facebook page the American victim perished in front of my eyes in a matter of seconds while she stood next to her. Tourist: Miss Lewkowski was visiting London with her grandfather from Tel Aviv / Facebook She wrote: The last few hours have taught me to appreciate every second. I don't know whether to call it luck or fate, but no doubt it is some sort of miracle compared to the woman who stood right next to me and perished in front of my eyes: a matter of seconds, metres, breaths. "I send strength to the family and ask that you take advantage of every moment - nothing is to be taken for granted. Not afraid: Miss Lewkowski said she had not been deterred from remaining in London by the attack / Facebook "It's time to say thank you to the wonderful people in your lives. I thank everyone for their warm wishes." Miss Lewkowski told Israeli media outlet Y Net she went for a walk when she came across the violent attack, near to a hotel in Russell Square where she was staying. Crime scene: A forensic officer examines the area where the woman died / PA She said: I saw a woman lying on the floor, covered in blood. Her husband supported her. Suddenly I discovered that I was bleeding. UK: One dead, six injured in London mass stabbing I looked and saw that the attacker stabbed me in the hand during the flight (sic). A man at the scene tried to calm me down, but he was covered in blood and wounded by stabbing. Luckily he survived. L ondons Chief of policing has vowed to protect our Capital after a woman was murdered and five people injured by a knifeman in Russell Square. Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said Met police officers are committed to using force to protect Londoners after last nights horrific attack. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder whilst two victims remain in hospital after the attack, believed to be linked to mental health problems. Sir Hogan-Howe said: A normal night out in our busy capital has ended in horrific circumstances. Murder scene: The forensic tent in Russell Square where the woman died / Alex Lentati "My thoughts are with the family of the woman who was murdered and those injured. "Across our capital today you will see more police officers, armed and unarmed, to reassure the public after recent events overseas. Six minutes: Police were praised for responding quickly We will protect our Capital and those who live, work and visit our city. Police previously confirmed the attack could be linked to terrorism but Sir Hogan-Howe specified the investigation was focussing on mental health. He said officers were moving fast with their investigation and had worked through the night gathering evidence, adding: As we have already made clear, mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation. The Commissioner also praised officers who attended the scene of the attack in just six minutes. He said: "Every day in London, my officers patrol and carry out operations to catch criminals in the knowledge that they face risk and danger. Investigation launched: Officers worked through the night / EPA I am proud that last night our specialist firearms officers were on the scene in six minutes and, using only a Taser, detained the subject. That demonstrates our commitment to use force in a professional and proportionate way. 'Horrific attack': The victim's body is removed from the scene / PA "Their swift response undoubtedly helped to prevent more people from getting injured. "My thoughts, and those of his colleagues, are also with the officer who was seriously injured yesterday in a separate incident. One of my Flying Squad detectives remains in hospital after he was hit by a moped as two suspected robbers tried to flee after an attempted raid." A man has been arrested after allegedly wandering into a south east London McDonald's waving a machete. Shocked customers at the Bellegrove Road restaurant in Welling called police after spotting the man. Officers were sent to the eatery at 11.50am but, by the time they arrived, the man had already left. A spokesman for Bexley police said a man was arrested a short time later on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon. He is currently being quizzed by officers at a south London police station. No one was injured during the incident, which police have described as an "isolated incident" and not terror-related. Residents reported a number of shops along the street were cordoned off while officers from Bexley police investigated. A murder investigation has been launched today hours after a teenager died in hospital following a late-night stabbing in south-east London. Police were called by paramedics to Sharratt Street in New Cross shortly before midnight on Wednesday to reports of a 19-year-old man with stab injuries. The teenager was rushed to Kings College Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11.30am on Thursday. The youth has not been identified but his next of kin have been informed. A post-mortem examination is due to be held on Friday at Greenwich Mortuary. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command launched a murder investigation hours after his death. An incident room has been set up at Lewisham police station as part of the inquiry. Scotland Yard said no arrests have been made so far. Anyone with information is asked to contact the team on 020 8721 4961 or to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 A woman has died and five other people have been injured after a knifeman started stabbing people in central London in what police say may be a terror attack. Police used Tasers on the 19-year-old man after they were called to Russell Square at 10.33pm yesterday evening following reports a knifeman was on the rampage. One woman, in her 60s, who was treated at the scene was pronounced dead a short time later. Knife attack: A woman died and up to five people were injured / @hyperlinkhelen The Metropolitan Police said five people - a woman and four men - were found injured in the area and are currently in hospital. The attacker was detained and arrested by officers. One witness, called Michael, told MailOnline: "I heard a scream, and then we went to the park and I saw a girl lying on the floor with blood coming from her back. Another girl had blood on her arm." He went on: "I only saw the victim and the girl with the arm stabbed from that group. "I just saw blood just next to her. She was lying on the floor with a friend hugging her." Lauren Brittny wrote on Twitter that her brother had witnessed the attack and desperately tried to seek help. She wrote: "Sadly my brother and his mates witnessed the stabbing in Russell Square. "My brother rang me at time as he was in shock. But all he said was the man quickly jogged passed him and they tried to grab an ambulance driver attention who was close by but did nothing. "My brother was at UCL summer camp and they were returning from a theatre trip . Footage from the Russell Square knife attack "His mentors were guarding them so he was unable to do much. I wish he filmed the guy. "But everyone was stunned by the situation." Police are investigating whether the incident was a terrorist attack but said this morning initial reports suggested mental health could also be a major factor. Extra police, including armed officers, are being deployed to the streets of the capital tomorrow morning in a bid to reassure Londoners. Anyone with information should call police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. T his is the face of the Tooting teenager suspected of murdering an American woman and attacking five others in a Russell Square knife rampage. Zakaria Bulhan, 19, has been arrested over the killing of 64-year-old American Darlene Horton during a stabbing spree just after 10.30pm last night. A photo of the Norwegian national, of Somali origin, shows the Graveney School pupil in his uniform around four years ago. Police have said the stabbings last night may have been caused by mental health issues. Zakaria Bulhan: Pictured as a Tooting school pupil / Barney Davis Ms Horton, the wife of Florida State University psychology professor Richard Wagner, died at the scene last night despite paramedics battling to save her. Before she died, Ms Horton had tried to warn others, telling them with her final words: He's still here, he's still here' She and her husband had been due to return to their home country today after coming to London for a summer study programme. Florida State University president John Thrasher said today: "There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy. "We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family and we will do all we can to assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the psychology department, as they mourn." Florida Governor Rick Scott tweeted: "Extremely saddened to hear about the loss of Darlene Horton in London. Ann and I are praying for her family and loved ones." The forensic tent at the scene in Russell Square where the woman died / Alex Lentati Scotland Yard said no evidence has been found of radicalisation or anything to suggest Bulhan was "in any way motivated by terrorism". Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "Whilst the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental-health issues. "At this time, we believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random." Five other people were injured in last nights attack, including a British man who was stabbed in the stomach. He is still in hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable. Four others who were also injured were released from hospital today. Anyone with information should call incident room on 020 8721 4868 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A rmed patrols were today stepped up across London after a woman was killed and five other people injured by a knifeman in a possible terrorist attack. Officers were called to Russell Square, Bloomsbury, at 10.33pm last night following reports of a man slashing passers-by at random. A 19-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder six minutes later in Southampton Row after being brought down with a Taser. Dozens of armed police sealed off the square, which is lined with tourist hotels and multi-million pound houses, as paramedics treated the casualties. A forensic officer examines the scene where the woman died / PA One woman in her 60s was pronounced dead at the scene, which is opposite the Imperial Hotel and near to the British Museum and UCLs main campus. The condition of the other five, a woman and four men, is not yet known and police have not yet named or revealed the ages of the victims. A white police tent was set up at the eastern edge of the square as forensic officers launched an investigation. Forensic officers carry out searches in the area / Nigel Howard Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said early indications suggest mental health played a significant factor in the attack but terrorism remains an active line of inquiry. He said: As a precaution Londoners waking up today may notice an increase in armed officers on the streets. This is to provide reassurance and ensure peoples safety. A knife on the ground near the scene of the attack in Russell Square / EPA We ask the public to remain calm, aware and alert. Manuel Simo, 32, a supervisor at the Royal National Hotel in Bedford Way, said: At first, people were confused and thought it was a traffic accident. The condition of the other five, a woman and four men / Nigel Howard When they realised what was happening people were screaming and running away from a guy who was holding a knife. Apparently he was just stabbing people randomly its horrible. People ran away in the direction of the British Museum. People are scared to go out in the street. They dont want to go to the shop to buy water or food. Its very sad. Another hotel worker said: The police came to the hotel and a guest was telling them what he saw. He said there was a madman running around with a knife just lunging at people randomly and stabbing them. People didnt realise what was happening until they saw the knife, then everyone ran. The victim's body is removed from the scene / PA It was all over very quickly, in a matter of minutes. I dont know if he was crazy or why he did it. He was just going for anyone he could see. I ran out to look and saw all the paramedics around one woman who was badly injured, trying to help her. I didnt want to stay and watch so I came back inside. A night porter at the Grange Clarendon Hotel watched as the suspect was subdued by police. He told the Standard: I could see four police officers restraining him, holding him face-down on the floor. He wasnt struggling I think he knew it was over. One police officer was about to get his handcuffs on him and was speaking into his ear. The victim's body is driven away in a private ambulance / PA Others were searching the street for something he threw. A crowd had gathered and everyone was asking what was going on, but no one knew, everyone was just trying to stay calm. A night receptionist at the Repton Hotel, yards from the scene, said: I was on my way to work and was rushing across the road because I was late. I saw a woman lying on the floor with police standing over her, checking to see if she was alive. One dead and five injured in stabbing in Russell Square She looked unconscious, they were shaking her but she was lying still. Then the ambulance arrived. A guest came in shortly afterwards saying she saw police chasing a man down the street. A worker at The President Hotel, in nearby Guildford Street, said: I heard someone was going around with a knife and just stabbing people at random. There were police cars and ambulances with lights flashing, and everyone was told to stay inside. The attack came hours after Scotland Yard launched a heavily-armed unit of 600 marksmen to provide rapid response to terror-related incidents. Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe warned at the weekend that a terror attack on the UK was highly likely, a case of when, not if. Russell Square was the scene of the most deadly blast during the 7/7 terror attacks on London in 2005, when 26 people were killed a suicide bomb was detonated on a Piccadilly line Tube from Kings Cross station. A Met spokesman said: Police were called at 10.33pm last night to reports of a man seen in possession of a knife injuring people at Russell Square. Officers attended the scene along with the London Ambulance Service. Up to six people were found injured at the location. A female was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. We await an update on the condition of the other persons injured and details of any other injuries. A man was arrested at 22:39 hours and a Taser was discharged by one of the arresting officers. Additional police units have been deployed to the area to provide reassurance. Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A woman has been rushed to hospital after a manhole cover exploded in the City this afternoon. Police and fire crews were called out to the electrical fire on Tudor Street in Blackfriars, shortly after 1pm. A woman was injured at the scene and taken to hospital. Her condition was described by police as not life-threatening. Witness John Vickers said: I heard a loud sound, along with a flash. I ducked behind a van and then came back out once I was sure it was just the one explosion. Explosion: A woman was injured / Lindsay Dodgson The woman seemed to have hurt her arm. One bloke ran towards the explosion, other people seem to stop and watch. "The police turned up quickly and cordoned it off. They said there was an underground explosion. A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said they were called at 1.08pm to reports of a fire under the pavement. The fire was extinguished around 40 minutes later. R ush-hour commuters were tonight warned to avoid London Bridge station after a fresh sinkhole opened up under the track at Forest Hill Rail operator Southern said capacity into the station was severely reduced while Network Rail repair the 30cm-wide hole, the second to emerge in less than three weeks. Engineers are currently working at the site to fix the problem, which could take several hours. Passengers have been advised tonight to use London Victoria or Blackfriars as an alternative. Network Rails acting area director, Robert Coulson, said: Our engineers are continuing to work at the site of the hole at Forest Hill but we are now expecting disruption to trains for the rest of today. Travel mayhem: Engineers work to repair the hole (Fiona Gillies/Twitter ) / Fiona Gillies/Twitter Im really sorry that passengers have had to put up with this disruption today and I know that people are upset and will want to know we are doing everything we can to return their railway to them. It comes amid another chaotic day for travellers across the capital with several services delayed and cancelled as a result of the sinkhole. Disruption on London Overground, Thameslink and Southern Rail services is set to last until at least the end of the day. Southern services towards London Bridge are affected, with trains unable to call at Norwood Junction, Anerley, Penge West, Sydenham, Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Brockley, and New Cross Gate. London Overground services are unable to run between New Cross Gate, Crystal Palace and West Croydon. Thameslink services are unable to run between East Croydon and London Bridge. Train tickets were being accepted on buses and London Underground on any reasonable route. Disgruntled passengers vented their frustration on social media to described their travel woes. John Burgess said: Another sinkhole at Forest Hill! More delightful times trying to get to work. Man lowered into sewer works at Forrest Hill sinkhole Andy S added: Yet another sink hole spotted by @networkrail at Forest Hill. Quite why they didnt check for it the last time #incompetent. Last month, passengers endured three days of travel disruption after a 13ft-deep sinkhole opened up at the south London station, close to the site of the new void. L ondon stepped up its anti-terrorism security this morning with new heavily armed police patrolling streets and near Tube stations, hours after a fatal attack in Russell Square. An elite unit of 600 extra officers has been deployed to counter the threat of a terrorist attack in the capital, bringing the total number of armed officers to 2,800. It comes after last nights shocking knife attack near the British Museum, in which one woman in her 60s died and five others were injured. A 19-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder this morning. Scotland Yard confirmed they were looking into the possibility of terrorist motivations, although "mental health" was also a factor. Forensic officers at the scene in Russell Square (AFP/Getty Images) / Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images The Mets new elite force are wearing grey Kevlar body armour and carrying firearms including submachine guns, handguns, automatic assault rifles and sniper rifles. They are masked to hide their identities, a key factor in hostage situations and kidnap attempts. One dead and five injured in stabbing in Russell Square Speedboats and BMW F800GS motorbikes are also part of the new force, allowing officers to race to an incident anywhere in London as quick as possible. Met Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley announced in the early hours of this morning that Londoners would notice the increased police presence today onwards. He said: As a precautionary measure tomorrow Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice an increased police presence on the streets including armed officers. This is there to provide reassurance and safety and we ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert. The victim's body is removed from the scene / PA The bloody attack comes days after Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe claimed a terrorist attack in London was a question of when, not if. Speaking of the terrorist atrocities Europe has seen recently, he said: "I feel and understand that fear, and as the police officer in charge of preventing such an attack I know you want me to reassure you. "I am afraid I cannot do that entirely. Our threat level has been at 'Severe' for two years. It remains there. "It means an attack is highly likely - you could say it is a case of when, not if." T he founder of Mumsnet today said she hopes the teenager whose hacking led to her London home being swatted has learned from his mistakes. Justine Roberts, 48, said she still feels the effects of the two-month ordeal last summer when hackers repeatedly targeted the parenting community. More than 2,000 user accounts were compromised, while pranksters caused a bomb scare at Mumsnets London HQ and swatted Mrs Robertss Islington home by calling police to request armed officers, who were dispatched there. David Buchanan, 18, a private schoolboy from Surrey, admitted his role in the hack because he was bored during the holidays. He was spared jail at Guildford magistrates court as prosecutors said he was not the organiser of the campaign against the website. Today Mrs Roberts, a mother of four, said she hopes he can turn his life around and use his talents for good. She said her family are still nervous. My family and I were on holidays but it was my au pair who was swatted, she said. The outcome was that everyone was pretty nervous and we had a lot of sleepless nights. The au pair had to deal with five armed policemen coming to the house. She was really freaked out. Apart from the huge resources, cost and police time, something like this stays with you. Teen hacker: David Buchanan said he took part in the hack because he was 'bored' during the holidays / Vagner Vidal/INS News Agency Ltd The court heard how Buchanan was recruited through the chatroom 8chan, where users devised a phishing expedition by setting up a fake version of Mumsnet. Buchanan, who has Aspergers, wrote a script which redirected Mumsnet users to the bogus website, where their details were harvested. Mrs Roberts believes the attack originated from the US, where swatting is more common, and was rooted in prejudice. She said: There was not just one person involved and I had the misfortune of seeing some of their chats on a forum and there is a lot of misogyny. Its also partly the thrill of being naughty towards mums... theres so much they could be doing with their talents. Since the attack, Mumsnet has spent more than 82,000 improving its security. Mrs Roberts, who is also the parenting networks chief executive, believes it is as secure as it can be. Buchanan, of Haslemere, also admitted hacking his school, RGS Guildford, in 2014. He pleaded guilty to three charges under the Computer Misuse Act and this week was given a 12-month community order and 200 hours of unpaid work. Mrs Roberts said: I really hope David Buchanan turns this experience into something he can learn from. I dont believe in punishment for its own sake but has the process been enough for him to take stock and realise there are better uses of his talents? She added: What the users would like, as parents, is for him to learn from his mistakes. J eremy Corbyn today promised to build a more caring Britain as Labours civil war escalated, with his right-hand man accusing leadership challenger Owen Smith of trying to blackmail party supporters. Mr Corbyn unveiled a blueprint to transform the country, including an economic revolution which he claimed would mean no one is left behind. But hours before his keynote speech, his top ally John McDonnell launched a stinging attack on Mr Smith, who warned Labour was teetering on the edge of a precipice and could split. Shadow chancellor Mr McDonnell told the BBC: We shouldnt be going into a leadership election which is basically saying, Vote for me or otherwise some of my supporters will split the party people dont want to be blackmailed in that way. Thats not right. He piled pressure on Labour MPs, who overwhelmingly backed a motion of no-confidence in Mr Corbyn, to res-pect the result of the leadership contest. Islington North MP Mr Corbyn is clear favourite and TSSA transport union ally Manuel Cortes predicted he would win big. Mr Corbyns pledge came as a new poll showed the Tories well ahead. The YouGov survey put the Conservatives on 42 per cent, Labour on 28 per cent, Ukip on 12 per cent and the Liberal Democrats with eight per cent. A number of Labour MPs opposing Mr Corbyn as leader fear there will be moves to deselect them when constituency boundaries are redrawn in 2018. However, Mr McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, denied he or Mr Corbyn were threatening that rebel MPs risked being ousted. The row is overshadowing the policy argument in the leadership contest, but speaking in Dagenham, Mr Corbyn outlined 10 pledges to rebuild Britain as he accused David Camerons government of a failed austerity model of turbo-Thatcherism. He revealed plans to build at least one million homes over five years, including at least 500,000 council houses, rent controls for private tenants, an industrial strategy to create a million jobs, a 500 billion programme of investment and ending privatisation in the NHS. A National Education Service would be created and the larceny of the privatised railways stopped, with franchises brought into public control. There would be eco-policies to stop Britain becoming the dirty old man of Europe after Brexit, a minimum wage of at least 10 an hour by 2020, and more funding for women refugees. Labour will ensure that no one and nowhere is left behind, Mr Corbyn was set to say. We could all be living richer lives in a sustainable, more prosperous and more caring society. He was later due to go to Cardiff for a head-to-head debate this evening with Mr Smith, who has proposed a pensions overhaul, benefits changes and a higher minimum wage. T he teenager held for allegedly stabbing to death a woman in Russell Square has been identified as a Norwegian national of Somali origin. Police have also confirmed that the woman stabbed to death last night in the bloody attack was an American national in her 60s. She was pronounced dead at the scene while five others four men and a woman - were taken to hospital with injuries. The Norwegian teenager, 19, was arrested by officers after they tasered him to the ground at the scene, near to the British Museum and UCLs main campus. He is now being held on suspicion of murder. Police said early indicatons suggest mental health played a significant factor in the attack but terrorism remains an active line of inquiry. The others injured were British, American, Israeli and Australian, confirmed Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley. Three have now been discharged from hospital. Officers were called to Russell Square, Bloomsbury, at 10.33pm last night following reports of a man slashing passers-by at random. This morning Londoners awoke to find a new elite team of 600 heavily armed anti-terrorism officers patroling the capital's streets, part of a bid to reassure the public. Mr Rowley said: As a precaution Londoners waking up today may notice an increase in armed officers on the streets. This is to provide reassurance and ensure peoples safety. The victim's body is removed from the scene / PA We ask the public to remain calm, aware and alert. Dozens of armed police sealed off the square, which is lined with tourist hotels and multi-million pound houses, as paramedics treated the casualties. A night porter at the Grange Clarendon Hotel watched as the suspect was subdued. He told the Standard: I could see four police officers restraining him, holding him face-down on the floor. He wasnt struggling I think he knew it was over. One police officer was about to get his handcuffs on him and was speaking into his ear. Others were searching the street for something he threw. The forensic tent at the scene in Russell Square where the woman died / Alex Lentati The suspect had been screaming moments earlier, one onlooker said. Another eyewitness, Zuhair Awartani, added: I arrived here at my hotel and I saw the guy getting arrested just on the block. There were two police cars and he was a man ... late 20s probably. One witness claimed she saw what she believed was the suspect parading up and down the street before the police arrived. C ommuters face further chaos today after a second hole opened up in Forest Hill just weeks after a collapsed sewer under tracks caused days of delays. Disruption on London Overground, Thameslink and Southern Rail services is set to last until at least the end of the day as engineers work to fix a 30cm-wide hole close to the site of a larger void which disrupted trains for three days last month. Nick Haley, who lives in Forest Hill, told the Standard that commuters were bemused rather than angered by the delays. The 27-year-old managed to catch a train to Victoria in a bid to get to Kensington Olympia but said he was one of very few able to travel from the station. The film director added that a crowd had gathered outside the station and were told by rail staff to catch buses to Peckham or Dulwich. More chaos: Engineers attempt to fix a sink hole at Forest Hill (Fiona Gillies/Twitter ) / Fiona Gillies/Twitter Mr Haley said: There was BTP presence which is unusual, maybe they thought people would be rowdy because it's the second time but people seem slightly bemused rather than cross. Despite there being no trains one fella is standing defiantly on the other side waiting for literally no train. Jonny Rose described chaotic scenes as the 8.01am train from Purley to London Bridge was suddenly diverted to Victoria from East Croyon. Man lowered into sewer works at Forrest Hill sinkhole The 27-year-old software marketer said he was "stuck with hundreds of angry London Bridgers suddenly being hoarded off to Victoria". He added: "I must have been the only person who was pleased because it meant I didn't have to change but swathes of people boarded the train at East Croydon and found themselves trapped in the train on the way to Victoria. "There was no point them getting off at East Croydon because nothing was going from there at all." Not again: Services from Forest Hill towards London Bridge are cancelled due to a sink hole / Nick Haley/Twitter Angela McFarlane, 49, who was trying to travel to London Bridge from Forest Hill, praised "brilliant" London Overground staff who worked to get passengers on trains to Victoria but added that passengers were "frustrated that is was the sink hole again" that had caused chaos. Disgruntled passengers took to social media to tell of travel woe. John Burgess said: Another sinkhole at Forest Hill! More delightful times trying to get to work. Andy S added: Yet another sink hole spotted by @networkrail at Forest Hill. Quite why they didnt check for it the last time #incompetent. A tweet from Twitter account Forest Hill sink hole - created during last months mayhem merely said: Im back. A spokeswoman for TfL confirmed engineers were on site trying to fix the hole as quickly as possible but could not confirm how long delays would last. Network Rail have advised passengers that disruption will continue until at least 6pm and urged them use alternative routes. Southern services towards London Bridge are affected, with trains unable to call at Norwood Junction, Anerley, Penge West, Sydenham, Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Brockley, and New Cross Gate. Trains may be diverted via Queens Road Peckham. London Overground services are unable to run between New Cross Gate, Crystal Palace and West Croydon. Thameslink services are unable to run between East Croydon and London Bridge. Train tickets were being accepted on buses and London Underground on any reasonable route. A motorcyclist has been rushed to hospital after serious crash with a bus in Lewisham. Witnesses described dramatic scenes outside a bus garage in New Cross as one onlooker tweeted to say the biker was trapped under the bus following the smash just before 6.30am today. New Cross Road was sealed off both ways as Met Police, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance crews rushed to help the motorcyclist. A Met Police spokesman confirmed that a bus had hit a silver Yamaha motorcycle. He said: "London Ambulance Service attended and took the motorcyclist to a south London hospital." Their condition is currently unknown. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue. Motorists described "madness" as they faced queues stretching as far as Kender Street in New Cross Gate and on the A2 towards Blackheath. Buses were delayed and diverted for around four hours as emergency services dealt with the crash. V ideo footage has revealed scenes of chaos inside the Emirates plane that crash-landed and burst into flames in Dubai. Passengers were seen rummaging for their belongings in overhead lockers as staff shouted at them to leave their things and jump down the emergency slide. All of the 282 passengers and 18 crew escaped with their lives after flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram in India was forced into an emergency landing before exploding in a fireball that gutted the fuselage yesterday lunchtime. As the flames took hold, a male crew member is heard shouting: Leave everything, leave the bags! and tells passengers to jump down the emergency slide. Passengers are seem herded towards the exits and a female crew member tells them: Jump Jump! Leave your bags behind! Jump and slide! Twenty-four Britons were among those on board the Boeing 777-300. Passengers on board said the pilot told them there was a problem with the landing gear and that he would be making an emergency landing. Footage posted online showed flames bursting out of the front and clouds of black smoke. A mobile phone video filmed by passenger Rehan Quereshi shows flames taking hold as he escapes the burning jet and tumbles to the runway. Tributes were today paid to firefighter Jassim Eissa al-Baloushi who died while tackling the blaze. Dubais ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, tweeted that Mr Baloushi died protecting life and saving people. Fourteen other people were treated in hospital for their injuries. Emirates said the cause of the crash was under investigation but faulty landing gear has been identified as a likely casue. E ight British tourists have been ambushed on their minibus by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, injuring at least seven of their 12-person party. The tourists were travelling with an army escort in the Chesht-e Sharif district of the country's western Herat province when the attack took place yesterday. As many as seven people were reportedly wounded, including an Afghan driver, despite being in a convoy protected by the Afghan army. Dramatic photos from the scene showed their burnt out minibus, although authorities said all the people on board avoided serious injury. Attack: Afghan security officials inspect the minibus / EPA Provincial spokesman Jilani Farhad said the insurgents opened fire on a minibus travelling from Bamyan province and also used an improvised explosive device. Mr Farhad said Afghan security forces rescued the foreigners who were taken to a hospital and were to be brought to Kabul later on Thursday. Afterwards, a spokesman for the Taliban branded the tourists foreign invaders and said they had been attacked after treating Afghans as slaves. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are providing assistance to British nationals involved in the attack in Herat and are coordinating closely with local authorities." Many Western embassies warn against travelling to Afghanistan because of high levels of kidnapping and attack. A Malaysian man who avoided jail after marrying the 14-year-old girl he allegedly raped has sparked fury among human rights groups. Ahmad Syukri Yusuf, 22, was charged with statutory rape of the girl late last year and faced up to 30 years in jail and whipping for the offence. But he later married the teenager under Islamic law, and a court in Malaysia's eastern state of Sarawak ruled last week there was no need to proceed with the case. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim said: "We have just been informed by the prosecution that a review of the case will be filed to the High Court. "A rape is rape, it has to be punished accordingly. It doesn't mean by getting married, the rape case goes away," she added. "We don't want people to treat this kind of matter lightly." Women's rights groups have criticised the court's decision, saying accused rapists should be barred from marrying their victims, and marriages with brides under the age of 18 should be banned. Under Malaysia's civil laws, the legal minimum age for marriage is 18 but Muslim girls who are under 16 can obtain permission to marry from Islamic courts. Ethnic Malays, who are Muslim, make up about 60 per cent of the country's population of 30 million. There are about 16,000 girls in Malaysia who were married before their 15th birthday, according to Human Rights Watch citing the latest available government statistics in 2010. Globally, 15 million girls are married before the age of 18 each year according to campaign group Girls Not Brides. Additional reporting by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. C lint Eastwood has backed Donald Trump in the race for the White House, praising him for saying whats on his mind and lambasting Americas politically correct pussy generation. The Dirty Harry star, 86, said Mr Trump was onto something as people were getting tired of kissing up American slang for being weak and sycophantic. What Trump is onto is hes just saying whats on his mind, the actor argued. Sometimes its not so good. And sometimes its, I mean, I can understand where hes coming from, but I dont always agree with it. He claimed the rise of the billionaire coincided with growing unease over constraints on free speech: Were really in a pussy generation. Everybodys walking on eggshells. Clint Eastwood speaks to an empty chair at the RNC in 2012 We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things werent called racist. Secretly everybodys getting tired of pol-itical correctness, kissing up. All these people that say, Oh, you cant do that, and you cant do this, and you cant say that. I guess its just the times. In the interview with Esquire magazine, the Oscar-winner said he preferred the Republican candidate over his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton: Id have to go for Trump, you know, cause shes declared that shes gonna follow in Obamas footsteps. Theres been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle. Shes made a lot of dough out of being a politician. I gave up dough to be a politician. Im sure Ronald Reagan gave up dough to be a politician. Barack Obama: Donald Trump is 'unfit' to be US president Eastwood conceded Mr Trump was wrong when he attacked federal judge Gonzalo Curiel who is presiding in a lawsuit against the tycoon linked to his Trump Univeristy by calling him a Mexican. But the actor claimed people were too sensitive in the kiss-ass generation were in right now ... hes a racist now because hes talked about this judge. And yeah, its a dumb thing to say ... to predicate your opinion on the fact the guy was born to Mexican parents or something. But everybodys going, Oh, well, thats racist, and theyre making a big hoodoo out of it. Just f****** get over it. Its a sad time in history. Eastwood, a lifelong Republican, is the former mayor of his hometown of Carmel in California, At the 2012 Republican National Convention he made a bizarre speech in which addressed an empty chair on stage, acting out an interview with an invisible Barack Obama. Speaking about politicians in general during the interview, he advised them: Id say get to work ... instead of calling everybody names, start being more understanding. But get in there and get it done. Kick ass and take names. US Election: Donald Trump's wife Melania mirrors Michelle Obama speech from 2008 Follow @StandardEnts for more entertainment news. D aisy Ridley has quit Instagram after a backlash from followers over a comment she made about gun control. The British Star Wars actress, 24, who has a dedicated following on social media, made the decision to delete her entire account this week. Ridley posted a comment about gun violence following the Teen Choice Awards over the weekend, which read: Thinking about how lucky I am like......... Serious bit: as I sat in the audience yesterday tears were streaming down my face at the tribute to those that have been lost to gun violence. "I didn't get a great picture of the incredible group that came on stage but they were so brave. It was a true moment of togetherness. We must #stoptheviolence. She immediately faced a barrage of negative comments telling her to stay out of the gun control debate. One person wrote: You're a great actress but don't express your opinions on politics, let alone constitutional rights. Educate yourself on the topic and be careful how you express your opinion, wrote someone else. Star Wars Force for Change - Happy Star Wars Day from Daisy Ridley Ridley momentarily reactivated it on Wednesday to post a comment, which read: I just want to be on my phone less. Trying to be more present and all that and got a busy few months ahead so wanted less distractions...It's all good! :) Ridley has been busy shooting scenes for the follow-up to The Force Awakens, alongside John Boyega, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Teen Choice Awards 2016 1 /26 Teen Choice Awards 2016 Loved up Brooklyn Beckham and actress Chloe Grace Moretz attend the Teen Choice Awards 2016 Kevin Mazur/Fox/Getty Images Veteran Honoree Justin Timberlake accepts the Decade Award onstage during Teen Choice Awards 2016 Kevin Winter/Getty Images Funny girl Chloe Grace Moretz accepts the award for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy Kevin Winter/Getty Images Double act Jennifer Garner and Kylie Rogers accept the Choice Movie: Drama award for Miracles from Heaven Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertaining Ne-Yo performs while victims of gun violence appear on screen Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Huge cheers Flo Rida performs in front of thousands of fans Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Presenting duties Bethany Mota and Lea Michele present the award for choice TV show: Drama Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Work it Jason Derulo puts on an energetic performance Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Hosts with the most Co-hosts John Cena and Victoria Justice speak onstage Kevin Winter/Getty Images In support Brooklyn Beckham joins girlfriend Chloe Grace Moretz at the star-studded event Kevin Mazur/Fox/Getty Images Newcomer Daisy Ridley accepts the award for Choice Movie: Breakout Star Kevin Winter/Getty Images Riding the cheers Chloe Grace Moretz receives huge cheers from the audience Kevin Winter/Getty Images Pretty in prints Lea Michele works a summery look as she arrives Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Top of the crops Jessica Alba looks stunning in a black two piece Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP New mum Cat Deeley enjoys a break from mum duties as she works the cameras Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Hosts John Cena carries Victoria Justice at the Teen Choice Awards at the Forum Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Looking all white Jason Derulo on the blue carpet Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Leggy look Victoria Justice flaunts her physique in a patterned dress Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Summer vibes Sarah Hyland arrives at the Teen Choice Awards Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Fashion forward Orange is the new black star Laverne Cox works a jumpsuit Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Follow @StandardEnts for more entertainment news. W ill Smith has branded US politics embarrassing. The Suicide Squad actor hit out at the current political landscape, but insisted he is confident that the public will make the right choices. Speaking about the race for the White House he told Sky News: "I don't think it's morally murky, it's morally very clear. There is no murk whatsoever. "There are certain things that in terms of humanity and human rights and just common human decency that people shouldn't say or do. "There are people in America that are saying and doing a lot of things that are quite embarrassing. He finished: "But I feel very confident that the American people, as we have done in history, will make the right choices." Smith was speaking at the European premiere of Suicide Squad where he was joined by Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney. Smiths comments come after fellow actor Clint Eastwood praised Republican candidate Donald Trump for blasting Americas politically correct pussy generation. Suicide Squad London premiere - in pictures 1 /38 Suicide Squad London premiere - in pictures Margot Robbie and Will Smith bump into each other on the red carpet Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Cara Delevingne checks her phone as fans scream Dave Bennet Jay Hernandez, Joel Kinnaman, Will Smith, Ezra Miller, Margot Robbie, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Karen Fukuhara, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne arriving for the Suicide Squad European Premiere Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Will Smith, Jay Hernandez, Joel Kinnaman, Karen Fukuhara, Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jai Courtney and Jared Leto pose for a selfie Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Suicide Squad selfie @WarnerBrosUK Cara Delevingne attends the European Premiere of "Suicide Squad" Dave Benett Karen Fukuhara, Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne attend the European Premiere of "Suicide Squad" Dave Benett Margot Robbie and Will Smith share a joke in front of the crowd Dave Bennet Margot Robbie and Will Smith share a big hug Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Henry Cavill, Joel Kinnaman, Jay Hernandez, Ezra Miller, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Karen Fukuhara, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevingne, Jared Leto, Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa Dave Benett Cara Delevingne hits the red carpet Richard Young/Rex Will Smith chats to fans in Leicester Square Yui Mok/PA Margot Robbie and Will Smith pose for pictures together at the London premiere Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Margot Robbie shows off the back of her dress Dave Bennet Margot Robbie and Will Smith wave to the huge crowd Dave Bennet Jared Leto looks like he's come in character as The Joker Dave Benett Ben Affleck makes a surprise appearance Dave Benett Ben Affleck aka Batman surprises fans on the red carpet Dave Benett Margot Robbie poses for photographers Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA The British actress poses in black leather Dave Bennet Cara Delevingne makes her way into the Odeon cinema Dave Bennet Squad member Joel Kinnaman looks dapper Dave Benett Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje who plays Killer Croc in the film Dave Benett Jason Momoa jumps on Henry Cavill Dave Benett Karen Fukuhara attends the European Premiere Dave Bennet Cara Delevingne all in black Richard Young/Rex Cara Delevingne David Fisher/Rex Cara is supported by sister Poppy and James Cook Dave Benett Deborah Snyder and Zack Snyder Richard Young/Rex The 86-year-old said people are tiring of walking on eggshells and hailed Trump for saying whats on his mind. Speaking to Esquire he said: Secretly everybodys getting tired of pol-itical correctness, kissing up. All these people that say, Oh, you cant do that, and you cant do this, and you cant say that. I guess its just the times. Follow @StandardEnts for more entertainment news. In January, the reporters at the Star-Herald had a meeting to toss out ideas for longer feature stories known as enterprise stories. These stories allow reporters to move away from the regular, day-to-day stories and do something different. We get to dig around on an idea, find hidden or little known facts and information and have a bit of fun. Though Ive researched for several months looking for all the information I could find, Im sure there are still more stories to tell. Special Projects Editor Steve Frederick had the idea of learning about downtown Scottsbluff, but from a different perspective. Whats upstairs? he asked. He let me take the idea and run with it. The first week I worked on the story, I didnt do any writing or researching. I just walked up and down Broadway looking at the architecture. I quickly realized I might have bit off more than I could chew. But it didnt matter, I wanted to know what was upstairs to the shops Im frequently in. As a non-native of Scottsbluff, I have found the openness and willingness of everyone who helped me learn more about my new home. I think the title, reporter, opens a few more doors for me, but everyone is so friendly, its hard to tell if its my job or just human nature that people want to tell me their stories. For me, I appreciate it whenever people let me into places most people cant go. Not only are these places interesting to see, I can share the story and photos with everyone willing to pick up a copy of the paper. While I didnt get to explore every upstairs downtown, the ones I was allowed in had a rich history that many do not even know about. My guides even asked what they could do for me to make my story better. They gave me tips on who to contact. I wasnt able to get to all of them, but those I did speak to often had little tidbits of history here and there that I could piece together a patchwork timeline of the buildings. I learned about the heyday of Scottsbluff. I learned where the kids my age used to hang out after school. I discovered theres an underground to the city that Ill have to pursue in another story. I walked where people havent been in decades. I touched and smelled and saw the past. I found people willing to embrace me and assist me on my journey. Of all the buildings I visited, the Opera House, also known as the Wade Flynn building, was my favorite. It is a magnificent building that I hope one day will be restored. As soon as I win the lottery, Ill do it myself. Realtor Janice Rahmig let me roam wherever I wanted and gave me the details she knew of the building. Louis Marquis, pronounced Mar-kwis, built the opera house between 1909-1910. The brick two-story, Victorian-style building could house more than 600 people in the opera and was always buzzing with activity before and after shows. The real beauty didnt lie in original doors with gold leaf lettering and frosted glass windows, majestic staircases or tawdry stories. The beauty of the Opera House is with Arlene Reitz, granddaughter of Louis Marquis who built the opera house. I traveled to Loveland, Colorado, to visit with her. Her descriptions and depictions of what the Opera House was like when she was younger were described so vividly that I no longer had a vision of an empty, aged room with little to no plumbing. I could almost see the actors who came and went from the upper floors of the grand old building. I felt her sadness when she spoke of the familys loss of the building and how they were never allowed to take any of Marquis belongings from it. Through her photographs, newspaper clippings, mementos and scrapbooks, the Opera House became, for me, more than just a building; it was alive. It holds the history of one of the earliest events in Scottsbluff. It holds the secrets of a family who lived and prospered there. It retains its inner beauty, waiting for someone to restore it to its once majestic glory. I hope the readers of the Star-Herald enjoy what I have discovered. While my story about whats upstairs downtown was a journey through the history of my adopted hometown, I found something more. I found people who are proud of their town and its history. And those people want to share. I know theres still more to learn, see and do, but the people are the ones who make these buildings breathe and come alive, and I hope they never stop telling their stories. Look for my photos and stories about these downtown buildings in this weekends Star-Herald. After a vacation break from fishing I was eager to get back on the lake last weekend. I considered several options. I went to Lake Minatare, because it would provide the shortest route home after I was done. The weather started out cool but got hotter toward late morning. I fished for five hours and got two bites. I lost both of them. One of them was the proverbial one-that-got-away. Whatever it was, it was big. It pulled out some line. It wallowed so slowly that I wouldnt have been surprised if it had turned out to be a snapping turtle. It was probably a big carp. End of adventure. What I learned from all that is that the summer fishing has definitely slipped into the doldrums. Some people argue that the fish get sluggish in warm water. Others claim more accurately, I believe that they have plenty to eat this time of year, with this years forage fry gaining size, and are feeling no desperation about when and where their next meal will show up. Either way, it doesnt matter. Im not telling you to stay home, but I can find other uses for five hours of my time that dont require baking under a hot summer sun. In fact, I have a couple of plans coming up a trip to Wyoming high country and maybe chasing around at dusk after schools of white bass but this column will become a little more intermittent until later in the fall. You can still turn in your entries for our annual big fish contest. It will run through Labor Day, Sept. 5, about a month from now. Meanwhile, Ill lean toward passing along other outdoor-related news from Nebraska Game and Parks and other sources. If you hunt fall turkeys, you can begin purchasing permits Aug. 8 at noon. The fall turkey season runs Sept. 15 through Jan. 31, 2017. Permits will be available at OutdoorNebraska.org and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission permitting offices. A fall turkey permit, valid statewide, allows you to shoot two turkeys, of either sex, with a shotgun or bow. You can buy two permits. Kids can participate. If your preference is quail or pheasant, the outlook this year is good. Early reports indicate that winter survival was good for pheasants, quail and other upland game in Nebraska. Nebraskas upland bird harvest saw a big increase last year, and hunter participation was up. Thats according to a Game and Parks harvest survey. Pheasant harvest was up by 26 percent. During the 2015 season, 166,285 rooster pheasants were harvested, compared to 131,423 during the 2014 season. Quail harvest increased by 73 percent, with 91,472 quail harvested in 2015, compared to 52,947 birds in 2014. In addition, resident small game permit sales were up in 2015 by 2 percent and nonresident small game permits were up by 23 percent. Game and Parks attribute the improvements to some relief from previous dought conditions. Earlier this year, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission unveiled The Berggren Plan for Pheasants, an aggressive and innovative five-year pheasant management plan. The Berggren Plan strives to provide the best pheasant hunting experience for the most hunters by growing pheasant populations and increasing the quality and quantity of upland bird habitat. Habitat improvement work has already begun in several areas across the state, with much more to be done in the coming years. If you do hunt any other migratory birds, including doves, ducks, geese, snipe, rail, coots and woodcock, Game and Parks requires you to register to register for the Harvest Information Program. Registration began Aug. 1. HIP registration is required of residents age 16 and older and all nonresidents who plan to hunt migratory game birds in Nebraska between Aug. 1, 2016 and July 31, 2017. Among those who must register in Nebraska are hunters registered in another state and holders of lifetime, 64-and-over veteran, and 69-and-over senior permits. HIP is required by federal regulations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, helping wildlife managers estimate the number of migratory birds harvested each year. Those estimates help biologists set limits and seasons. Register for the free program at OutdoorNebraska.gov/HIP or call toll-free at 877-634-8687. Registered hunters are assigned a number that they must carry with them while hunting. Hunting permits may be purchased at OutdoorNebraska.org. This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Thursday, 04 August 2016 10:42:35 (GMT+3) | Shanghai Inner Mongolia-based Chinese steelmaker Baotou Iron and Steel (Baogang) has announced that in trial operation of its e-commerce platform initiated on July 7 an overall finished steel trading volume exceeding 7,500 mt has been recorded as of July 28. In particular, the e-commerce platform had gained 300 more registered users since the initiation of the trial operation. Baogang stated that the establishment of the e-commerce platform could attract more end-users, reduce intermediate links and also more accurately reflect changes of price in the market. Thursday, 04 August 2016 23:33:00 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo Brazil s public ministry, a body of public prosecutors in the state of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ), has filed a lawsuit to void the operations of ThyssenKrupp-owned steelmaker Companhia Siderurgica do Atlantico (TKCSA or CSA). MPRJ has demanded new analysis about the impacts of the mills activities to the environment, claiming CSA hasnt obtained a license to operate since its launch in 2010. The mill, which had Vale as a former partner in a JV with ThyssenKrupp, has been subject to environment-related lawsuits. The prosecutors said CSA has been operating under a license that allows the companys installation. It also added it has a pre-operation license. The goal is to prevent that an operating license is granted to CSAs steelmaking activities before the preparation of a new environmental evaluation about the negative impacts [of the companys activities] over the health, security and welfare of the Santa Cruz and neighboring populations, the prosecutors said. MPRJ added the lawsuit also aims to prevent local environment authority, Inea, to allow CSA to operate under a TAC agreement, in which the steelmaker is expected to meet a series of obligations. Thursday, 04 August 2016 17:02:27 (GMT+3) | Istanbul The European Commission (EC) has announced that it has imposed definitive antidumping (AD) duty on imports of certain cold rolled (CR) flat steel products originating in China and Russia . These duties will be in place for five years and they will also be levied retroactively on imports registered during the two months that preceded the adoption of provisional measures on February 12, 2016. For Chinese companies, the final antidumping duties are 19.7 percent for Angang Group, 22.1 percent for Shougang Group, 20.5 percent for other cooperating companies and 22.1 percent for all other companies. For Russia , the final antidumping duties stand at 18.7 percent for Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), 34 percent for Severstal, and 36.1 percent for Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) and all other companies. The products in question currently fall under Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7209 15 00, 7209 16 90, 7209 17 90, 7209 18 91, 7209 18 99, 7209 25 00, 7209 26 90, 7209 27 90, 7209 28 90, 7211 23 30, 7211 23 80, 7211 29 00, 7225 50 80 and 7226 92 00. Thursday, 04 August 2016 17:00:13 (GMT+3) | Istanbul The International Trade Administration of South Africa has announced that it has initiated a safeguard duty investigation against cold rolled steel imports upon the request of the South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI) on behalf of ArcelorMittal South Africa , the major domestic producer of cold rolled steel products. The investigation covers the period between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015. The products subject to the safeguard duty investigation currently fall under Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7209.15, 7209.16, 7209.17, 7209.18, 7225.50 and 7226.92. Thursday, 04 August 2016 12:26:27 (GMT+3) | Istanbul The Turkish Ministry of Economy has announced its final antidumping (AD) duty rates on Chinese seamless pipe (excluding cast iron pipe ) imports. The products in question include seamless steel pipes with an outer diameter of less than 168.3 mm, while stainless steel pipes are excluded since they are not being produced in the domestic market. Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Economy, the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation for the same products from China still continues. The final duties are 16.17 percent for Hubei Xinyegang Special Tube Co., Ltd and Hubei Xinyegang Steel Co., Ltd, 17.91 percent for Shandong Haixinda Petroleum Machinery Co., Ltd and Shandong Huitong Industrial Co., Ltd, 17.55 percent for Jiangsu Changbao Steel Tube Co., Ltd, Liaocheng Ritong Steel Co., Ltd, Shandong Zhongzheng Steel Pipe Manufactoring Co., Ltd and Tianjin TianGang Special Petroleum Pipe Manufacture Co. and 21.50 percent for other Chinese companies. The antidumping duty investigation was launched in May last year upon the application by Turkish steel pipe producers Sardogan, Tufanoglu Boru Metal Mak. San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti., Kalibre Boru San. ve Tic. A.S., Borusan Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. and Antes Celik Boru San. Tic. Ltd. Sti. In February this year, the Ministry of Economy announced its preliminary antidumping duty rates valid for six months maximum. The products subject to the duty currently falls within Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7304.19.10.00.11, 7304.19.10.00.12, 7304.23.00.10.00, 7304.29.10.10.00, 7304.31.20.10.00, 7304.31.20.90.00, 7304.31.80.10.00, 7304.31.80.90.00, 7304.39.10.00.00, 7304.39.92.10.00, 7304.39.92.90.00, 7304.51.12.00.00, 7304.51.81.10.00, 7304.51.81.90.00, 7304.51.89.10.00, 7304.51.89.90.00, 7304.59.10.00.00, 7304.59.32.00.00, 7304.59.38.00.00, 7304.59.92.90.00, 7304.90.00.10.00 and 7304.90.00.90.00. Thursday, 04 August 2016 22:31:27 (GMT+3) | San Diego Last week, SteelOrbis noted that import CRC tons from Vietnamese steelmakers had skyrocketed from 222 mt in May of 2015 to 32,666 mt in May of 2016. This surge has also caught the attention of mills, SteelOrbis sources note, many of whom suspect that another US import CRC trade case petition could soon be in the works. Although some have said they feel the next CRC trade case will not be for at least a year to a year and a half, others say theyve heard rumblings that a new filing could come in as soon as 30 days. Its also worth noting that the US-sales price from import CRC from Vietnam has also trended down by $1.00 cwt. ($22/mt or $20/nt) on the low end since our last report a week ago, bringing the current average range to $29-$30 cwt. ($639-$661/mt or $580-$600/nt). Turkish CRC is also currently available, at a US sales price that is trending $1.00-$2.00 cwt. ($22-$44/mt or $20-$40/nt) above Vietnamese offers. Offer prices from both countries are still well-below US spot market prices, which continue to trend trend at $41-$42 cwt. ($904-$926/mt or $820-$840/nt), ex-Midwest mill. Vietnam is the new China, one trader said. Theyve indicated theyre going to come at the US market, with guns-blazing prices, until they have to stop. Another trader agreed. The Vietnamese mills are going to ship as much as they can until when and if a dumping suit strikes. Thursday, 04 August 2016 14:29:08 (GMT+3) | Istanbul During the past two weeks, demand for Turkish merchant bar in the export markets has remained weak, while Turkish merchant bar export offers have moved up. Despite the weak demand conditions, it has been observed that Turkish merchant bar export prices have increased due to the rises seen in global scrap prices and ex-China billet offers. Turkish merchant bar export prices have increased by $25/mt in the period in question to the following levels: Product Price ($/mt) Angle 435-455 IPN-UPN 445-465 Flat bar 455-475 IPE 445-465 All prices are on FOB basis and for September shipment. Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (440) Jan 2014 (544) Feb 2014 (475) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (921) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sep 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (662) The 'Saber Guardian-16" multinational military exercise is the expression of relationships between NATO full member states and partner states getting consolidated, as well as the implementation of one of the fundamental NATO missions, namely security through cooperation, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday at the end of the "Saber Guardian-16" exercise at the Cincu shooting range. " I have attended the 'SABER GUARDIAN 2016' annual multinational military exercise that is part of the US European Reassurance Initiative, reflecting the US decision, and implicitly NATO's, to secure the common defence of its members, as well as peace and stability in the region. Allow me to thank the Romanian Army and the US Army Europe Command, the two co-organisers of the exercise, for their planning, organisation and conduct of the exercise, as well as to the officials of the attending NATO full and partner members. This is the first major exercise to be hosted by Romania after the recent NATO Summit in Warsaw, which is a preview of a year 2017 that promises to be hectic," said Iohannis. He added that to Romanians, their country's strategic partnership with the US and NATO membership are pillars of Romania's foreign and security policy, while today's exercise is one of the practical expressions of Romania's commitment to being a trustworthy partner and a contributor to the regional defence construction. " This is our opportunity to increase interoperability of actions in a joint and multinational setting, at training facilities made available by Romania. (...) Making available to NATO a division command for the consolidation of the NATO force composition on the eastern flank is the first step toward achieving the strategic objectives related to the national and Euro-Atlantic security, given that the command has recently been confirmed at a stage of initial operational capabilities," said Iohannis. He added that the exercise allowed for the first time on location cooperation between the NATO Force Integration Unit and the Multinational Division South-East Command. "The two components of NATO are designed to facilitate rapid deployment of NATO troops in the region, planning, conduct and coordination of NATO forces through complex exercises. We want that by applying the decisions adopted in Warsaw Romania to host exercises that are at least as complex, as part of the Intensified Training Initiative, with the participation of the NATO full and partner states. Today's exercise is part of the NATO endeavour to project stability in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of NATO, including by assisting partners with developing crisis management capabilities and national resilience," said Iohannis. He added that besides other objectives, such exercises allow Romania to evaluate the endowment of its Armed Forces and the quality of their equipment, as well as the extent to which they meet the pledged level of ambitions. "I am convinced that the attending forces will capitalise to the max on the opportunity to get trained in a multinational environment, and the exercise will be a new beneficial experience to the ones involved, while increasing NATO efficiency in this region. Allow me to wish success to all the soldiers here for the exercise; good luck to the NFIU and the division command, and once again congratulations to the ones who came and got involved in the exercise. Already, first discussions with the attending military commanders have allowed us to sketch up the steerage for a larger exercise in 2017. All this shows that Romania is not a mere participant, but, in very many instances, it can take care of organising, coordinating and conducting very complex exercises," Iohannis concluded. Agerpres WASHINGTON As the Treasury Department decides whether to license sales of Boeing Co. and Airbus commercial aircraft to Iran, opponents of last year's nuclear pact with the Islamic republic have launched a lobbying campaign against the deals. The international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program made such sales possible by easing sanctions on Tehran, but some members of Congress who oppose it want to block the proposed sales of some 200 jetliners, worth about $50 billion at list prices, to renew Iran Air's aging fleet. While they oppose any action that could boost the Tehran government, they also argue that Iran could use passenger aircraft for military purposes such as transporting fighters to battle U.S. troops or allies in Syria or elsewhere. Boeing and Airbus, the world's two largest planemakers, struck provisional agreements with the Iranian carrier earlier this year. The Republican-majority Congress could pass legislation to block the sales even if the Treasury Department approved them. The House of Representatives last month passed two amendments that would have stopped the sales, although to become law they would have to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. This week, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington foreign policy research group, which has criticized the nuclear pact and advocated tougher sanctions on Iran, organized letters signed by dozens of national security figures expressing concern about the aircraft sales and promising to increase pressure on Congress. "This deal ... represents a legitimization of a State Sponsor of Terror and a direct benefit for a ruling regime responsible for gross human rights abuses, support for terrorism including threats against the U.S. and its allies," said the letters to Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's chairman, and Fabrice Bregier, chief executive of Airbus' plane manufacturing unit. The 42 signers included former Secretary of State George Shultz, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman. Heated politics Aviation industry experts said Treasury likely would not approve the sales until after the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election, even though the companies would like to move more quickly. The campaign season "is not the time to push it," said Adam Pilarski, a senior vice president at the Avitas aviation consultancy in Virginia. "Once we have a resolution of who the president is, calmer heads will prevail. It is business that is good for the U.S." Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state under Obama, supports the nuclear deal. Republican candidate Donald Trump opposes it. The Treasury had no immediate response to a question on the status of the licensing request. Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath declined comment on the lobbying campaign, saying the company was working with U.S. authorities to ensure that all its activities complied with applicable laws and regulations. John Dern, a Boeing spokesman, said the company is continuing to talk with approved Iranian airlines, that all its actions to date have been licensed by the U.S. government and that any final agreements also would need approval. Since it is based in Chicago, Boeing must obtain a license from Treasury before the sale can go through. France-based Airbus must also obtain a license, as would virtually any aircraft maker, because its planes contain more than 10 percent U.S. content. Supporters of the Boeing sale say American firms will lose out to foreign competitors if the U.S. government bars sales to Iran. Although the nuclear pact eased sanctions connected to Iran's nuclear program, restrictions related to concerns such as terrorism support and human rights abuses remain. Additional reporting by Alwyn Scott in New York and Tim Hepher in Paris. NEW YORK When Leticia Barr is ready to start back-to-school shopping, her first stop is going to be her own closets. A former teacher turned blogger, Barr knows that her family probably has on hand much of what they need already from last year's binders that are still good to stashes of pencil-top erasers. With her daughter about to start seventh grade and a son going into fifth in Washington, D.C., Barr's goal is to keep a lid on spending by focusing only on what they do not already have. The average family with kids in grades K-12 is forecast to spend an average of $673.57 this year, according to the National Retail Federation, much of that going toward clothing and electronics. Reuters spoke with Barr, also known as Tech Savvy Mama to get her back-to-school shopping tips. With free, expedited shipping available from so many retailers, do you find that this has changed shopping patterns because families don't need to stock up so much? It does take some of the pressure off. Some like to start the school year with their kids having everything they need. My kids are not growing quite as fast anymore, so they will get a couple of new t-shirts that are cute. But if things fit, they are fine with them. It's really important to assess what you already have. You can teach them that you don't need new things every year and that it's wasteful to throw things away. Then you can alleviate the financial stress and make kids great consumers too. How can social media help with the process? Shop sites that cater to gently used clothes or use apps. In our community, it happens through the parent network, it's this informal thing we have going on. We also have a community organization close to our house that accepts clothes and household items. What about the bigger ticket items, like computers? I encourage parents to look at what the kids are using at school. If it's Mac, get Mac; if it's Chromebook, get that. I also tell parents: Don't buy the machine that's just right for now. Get the best you can because you want it to last a couple of years. And I do recommended extended warranties, if you can afford to do that. Does the advice change as kids get closer to college? You want to look at machines you can upgrade. Buying memory is not all that expensive. With one kid in middle school and one close, where do you come in on the great cellphone debate? Every family situation is different. Some get phones at much younger ages. They feel they need that lifeline, if they are carpooling or going on the bus. In terms of what to get, it depends on your mobile carrier, and how much you are willing to spend. My daughter was joking with her friends about getting grandpa's flip phone. You could text, but you had to press the number button three times to get the letter you wanted. I think most families pay from $30 to $80, and then the cost of the device. We ended up getting my daughter an unlocked phone and a cheap SIM card plan for under $20 a month. She gets a lot of texts and some data. She knows she can't watch videos on the bus and she knows what the consequences are if she goes over her plan. When she's home, she has an old iPhone that's connected to Wi-Fi only and she texts through that. Does getting a cellphone for an older child lead parents to get one sooner for a younger child? My son is 10 and we're not ready. Maybe next year it will be a possibility. With its origins in the St. Louis area, The Lou Fusz Automotive Network dates back more than 60 years, when it began with two brands: Dodge and Plymouth. Today, the network has grown to represent 17 brands, 18 stores and much more than automobiles. Lou Fusz has an extensive history of charitable donations, from three concurrent years of support for the Humane Society of Missouri, to blanket donations to Cardinal Glennon and St. Louis Childrens Hospital through Lou Fusz Subaru, to a million meals provided to St. Louis food pantries and numerous other donations by Fusz auto group. The Lou Fusz Automotive Network is heavily involved with local charities. A LEGACY IN THE FAMILY The Lou Fusz auto group has been a family enterprise from its earliest days, from Lou Sr., to Lou Jr., and his four sons. In much the same way, Dave Arbogasts family tradition is ingrained in the Fusz enterprise itself. The same is true for Subaru, a feature of the Fusz DNA. The Subaru brand has been an integral part of the Fusz auto group for more than 45 of the company's 64 years in business. With among the highest measures of customer loyalty and retention and some of the highest resale value to boot, it's small wonder Subaru would be an enduring feature of the Fusz family tradition. IMMEDIATE ATTRACTION Automotive brands can be defined by any number of traits, from scissor doors and rare composites, to exotic trim and science fiction drivetrains. Chief among Subarus defining characteristics are two entirely more mundane, but entirely more useful features. One of the best things about the Subaru brand is that all of our cars have all-wheel drive, Arbogast said. Except for the BRZ ... its standard equipment its not an option you cant order it and have it put on a car, its one of the primary safety and control systems that they have. The dependability of the product is really unbelievable ... . Subarus interest in all-wheel drive dates to 1972 a time in the U.S. when the technology was thought expensive and superfluous on all but the most serious trucks and since that time, Subaru has gone on to make it a cornerstone of their product offerings. The other ubiquitous feature of the brand is Subaru's low-slung, horizontally opposed, boxier engine. The engine format is compact, offers good power-to-weight ratio, and provides a lowered center of gravity, which improves balance and handling while maximizing the effectiveness of Subarus lauded Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. THE EYES HAVE IT With all this safety and practicality in its genes, it should come as no surprise Subaru has introduced a new binocular adaptive cruise control system called EyeSight. EyeSight Driver Assist Technology looks for lane departure, can adjust speed and monitor distance to traffic and is even capable of engaging full braking force in emergency scenarios. In fact, when so equipped, the 2016 Subaru Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback, Crosstrek and WRX, all receive the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest score possible for frontal crash prevention. With this sort of commitment to engineering safety, Subaru holds IIHS Top Safety Pick awards for every year since 2011. Add to this Kelley Blue Books 2016 awards for Best Overall Brand, Most Trusted Brand and Best Resale Value, and Subaru has one very full shelf indeed. BORN IN THE USA Beyond awards, however, there are still a few additional points to feel good about. As of November 2016, Subaru is scheduled to begin production on a completely new from the ground up redesigned Impreza. According to Arbogast, the popular model will share chassis architecture with several other variants, but moreover, while the WRX, STI and Forester will still be produced in Japan, the new Impreza will join the Subaru Outback, Legacy and a yet-to-be-announced 2018-2019 seven passenger concept, in being built at Subarus Lafayette, Ind., manufacturing facility a feature less tactile than all-wheel drive perhaps, but every bit as comforting as the manufacturer warranty. ON THE MOVE With Fusz Subarus stores now in the range of 70 unit sales a month, and anticipating growth up through 100 unit sales a month, space and facilities are at a premium. Subaru has grown tremendously, Arbogast said, and with this in mind, Fusz has invested to expand facilities and refine both sales and service spaces and amenities. According to Arbogast, in the coming months, the Creve Coeur location will relocate to the former Fiat site across Lindbergh, and expand to fill a facility four times its current size. Likewise, in St. Peters, Fusz Subaru has recently adopted a location representing a 300 percent increase in floor space and capacity, by Arbogasts estimation. Of the investment and commitment to the brand, Arbogast said, ... We definitely see a very bright future for Subaru in St. Louis. This is sponsored content. To be featured, please call (314) 340-3086. The moment David Kneib learned a child was on the way 25 years ago, he decided to quit smoking. But the damage had been done. In January 2013, Kneib needed a lung transplant. But the transplant was, all things considered, good news. When I woke up (after the surgery), I knew these arent my lungs, said Kneib, now 71. I could breathe again. A new life meant a fuller life, he said. Part of that is helping people who are enduring the transplant ordeal. He volunteers to talk to patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital where his transplant took place; he counsels pre-transplant patients there and at other places. As for the fun stuff, he has a full bucket list that includes adventures with the grandkids, romantic travel with his wife, Karen Kneib, 59, and one day soon, quiet flying. Like a glider or hot air balloon. Everything Ive been up in made a lot of noise. He was one of the early pilots to fly in the fledgling county police helicopter unit in the 1970s. Helicopters make a lot of noise. And I want to ride a motorcycle again. At the top of the list though, I want to be the longest-surviving lung transplant recipient in history, he said, smiling, not laughing. He wasnt joking. As he and Karen were interviewed recently they drank from matching coffee mugs, souvenirs from a recent Florida cruise. The decision David retired from the homicide bureau of the St. Louis County Police Department 11 years ago after 33 years of service. When I was a detective, I could smoke at my desk. He had a two-pack daily smoking habit, brought on by job stress, and an initiation at 15 years old. It was cool then. Everybody smoked. It was on TV, movies, friends, adults He tried repeatedly to quit. Of all the things Ive done, stopping smoking was the hardest, Kneib said. He learned a lesson, though. The other times I tried was because others wanted me to stop. I was able to stop when I wanted to stop. The kill switch for smoking came when Karen learned she was pregnant. A light went on, he said. I wanted to be around for my child. The daughter, Ann Kneib, is now 24. He has a son, Dean, 50, from a previous marriage. His years of smoking had done a lot of damage to his lungs. And he was predisposed to lung disease from a family history. His gradual loss of stamina didnt affect his job for some years. Detectives foot-chasing suspects is pretty much only on television, he said. The realization of his condition peaked one day while visiting the St. Louis Zoo with his daughter. Theres a hill that goes up to the hoofed animals, he said. I couldnt make it up the hill. Not long afterward, he was dragging an oxygen tank, then two. He got word from his doctor hed need a transplant. Fortunately, Barnes-Jewish Hospital pioneered lung and heart-lung transplants decades ago. Dr. Derek Byers, associate professor of medicine with Washington University School of Medicine, is David Kneibs pulmonologist. He came on board after the transplant. First, Kneib had to pass a weeklong evaluation in the hospital. Byers said a number of factors can render someone ineligible. Obesity and refusing to quit smoking are frequent reasons, and age. Age is no longer as much a factor as it once was because the surgery has improved so much, Byers said. In the past, a man Kneibs age wouldnt be eligible. Money is another part of the evaluation. A transplant can cost several hundred thousand dollars, Byers said. However, the hospital helps patients put together financial aid. He says he has never turned anyone away because they couldnt pay. The average life span for a recipient is still five years because of rejection episodes. But people are living longer with improvements in medication and therapy. Kneib says he had one rejection episode early on, and that has been it. The donor The donor was a 37-year-old male. Thats all they know. Karen said he probably was a ways away because on Jan. 5 when they got the call that an organ was available, it took five hours to arrive. Waiting for surgery, stretched out in bed, David recalls, I was scared. Karen was scared, too, but shed spent decades as a police officers spouse. Shed grown accustomed to seeing him heading out to a dangerous job day after day. When he woke up in a recovery room, he breathed. The chest pain, considering hed had a part of his insides extracted and replaced, was secondary to the feeling of taking in air without laboring. Karen had seen him waste away over the years. Hes a can-do guy who does things for himself, she said. I knew how he felt when he couldnt do a lot of things he used to do. But after the surgery, she said, He was back. He sees the doctor less frequently now. With all of the adventures the couple has planned, one was foremost. Once he was out and about, the couple and their daughter and grandchildren visited the zoo. They walked up the hill to the hoofed animal area. The most important letter Michael Barrett wrote to Gov. Jay Nixon isnt the one in which he assigned the governor a case as a public defender. Thats what Barrett, the director of the states public defender office, did Tuesday, using what he believes is his statutory authority to assign private attorneys to defend indigent clients. Barrett wrote the letter to Nixon to lambaste the governor for withholding millions of dollars in funding from the public defender office because state revenue has slowed. For years now, the states public defender system has been in crisis, underfunded by millions of dollars, leaving many poor Missourians accused of crimes without access to the competent legal representation guaranteed to them by the state and federal constitutions. Last August, after the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice issued a damning report on how the St. Louis County Family Court treats poor children in part because of the states public defender crisis Barrett also wrote Nixon a letter. That letter should be a must-read for the two candidates for Missouri governor, Democrat Chris Koster and Republican Eric Greitens. In it, Barrett laments Missouris ranking as 49th in the nation for funding its public defender system, and contrasts that with the massive increase in funding for the Department of Corrections under Nixon, a trend that started before the current governor was in office. On one hand, this is a huge part of the national debate over criminal justice reform. When it comes to putting its people in prison, especially if they are poor and black, Missouri has few peers. But the story here, as it relates to who is the next governor of Missouri, is bigger than the public defenders office and the need for criminal justice reform. The Show-Me State is developing a nagging habit of being at the bottom of all sorts of categories that indicate the states priorities are upside-down. Late last month, a new study found that Missouris state workers are the lowest-paid in the nation. Nurses, social workers, corrections employees and, yes, public defenders, are all scraping the bottom of the barrel in Missouri compared to every other state. Its not that the Midwest economy cant afford to pay its state workers. In the study, Iowa state workers came out highest-paid in the nation. Illinois workers ranked third. Kansas state workers were 21st. In May, state Auditor Nicole Galloway released an annual report that compares Missouri in a variety of statistical categories to help lawmakers understand how their policies place the state in comparison to its neighbors. Want to know why lawmakers and the governor wont pay state workers or hire enough public defenders? Its because the amount of state and local tax revenue brought in Missouri as a percentage of personal income ranks 48th in the nation. Nearly every state in the nation pays higher taxes than we do here in Missouri, and that means they have money to invest in roads, in education, in workers. Missouris tobacco tax is the lowest in the nation, Galloway found. Its gasoline tax is 44th-lowest, even though Missouri has the sixth-highest amount of public road miles in the nation. Missouris state support for higher education is also 44th in the nation. How does Missouri survive? It gets a higher percentage of its state revenue from the federal government than all but four states, according to a Pew study released a week ago. Low in taxes. Low in investment. Thats the new Missouri state motto. So while Barrett addressed his letter about public defenders to the current governor, his arguments could also set the tone for the race to replace Nixon by forcing Koster and Greitens to answer serious questions about the Missouri they see in the future: Which one will find a way to fund public defenders and defend the constitutional rights of the states most vulnerable citizens? Which one will find a way to invest in the states roads and bridges? Who will pay for education, other than students and parents in the form of higher tuition and federally subsidized loans? Who will come up with a plan to end Missouris race to the bottom? The 2016 Missouri governors race shouldnt be about who can blow up Jefferson City, but who has a plan to rebuild the state. The city of Carbondale is offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to the "identity, arrest and conviction" of the person or persons who shot one of its police officers, Trey Harris, on Sunday night. Harris, 26, has been released from the hospital. Harris was shot and seriously injured late Sunday night when a suspect fired several gunshots from a fleeing vehicle in a police chase. Police haven't given specifics about Harris' injuries. At 11:38 p.m. Sunday, Carbondale officers were on patrol in the 700 block of North Robert A. Stalls Avenue. They heard shots fired and started driving toward the sound of the gunfire. Police then saw a tan, four-door vehicle speed off. The officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over. During the pursuit, someone in the vehicle fired several shots at the officers. One police car and the officer were hit. Police did not return fire, authorities say. Harris was first taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, then transferred to a St. Louis hospital. The shooting is being investigated by the Illinois State Police with help from the Jackson County states attorney, the Jackson County Sherriffs Department and the Southern Illinois University Department of Public Safety. At a news conference Monday, Carbondale Police Chief Jeff Grubbs said the shots came from a vehicle that was found abandoned and destroyed by fire in neighboring Williamson County, the Southern Illinoisan newspaper reported. Harris has been with the police department more than three years. Harris will require "further medical treatment moving forward, but we feel blessed to know he is able to further his recovery at home," the department said on its website. Anyone who wants to make donations to help in his recovery can send checks payable to "CPD Injured Officers Fund" to the City of Carbondale Police Department, 501 South Washington Street, Carbondale, IL 62901. EAST ST. LOUIS The ex-wife of former Columbia, Ill., Police Chief Joe Edwards said in a federal lawsuit filed here that the chief used spyware to illegally access information on her phone in September. The lawsuit, filed by Carla Edwards against the city and unnamed employees, says that the chief, who is not named in the suit, used police resources to access her phone, which was in her name and paid for by her. Carla Edwards was not under investigation at the time, the suit says. The chief then saved the information to a thumb drive, which he then passed to various other public employees. Those employees used the information with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and other agencies to embarrass and institute investigations into plaintiff and plaintiffs private matters and family and in an attempt to adversely affect her employment status. The suit says employees violated Illinois and federal law, violated her privacy and illegally searched her phone. The suit was originally filed July 29. An amended suit was filed Wednesday. Joe Edwards could not be reached for comment. His lawyer in the divorce case did not respond to a message seeking comment. Joe Edwards retired effective April 30 under an agreement with the city that releases the city from any lawsuits or claims by him. Edwards also received more than $40,000 for comp time and unused vacation time. His replacement, Chief Jerry Paul, referred questions to City Administrator Jimmy Morani. Morani declined to comment Thursday on whether the lawsuit was related to Joe Edwards' departure from office, citing both the pending litigation and saying technically it's still an open investigation. Joe Edwards was hired as a patrol officer in 1992, became deputy chief in 2003 and chief in 2004, according to city records. In a letter to the City Council at the time of his retirement, Edwards wrote, in part, The city of Columbia deserves to have a chief of police that does not bring with him or her personal issues and who can devote his or her time to the job 24/7. He also wrote, I will never have another job that I love more than this one. ST. LOUIS COUNTY St. Anthonys Medical Center has obtained a restraining order against a former patient who allegedly threatened a nurse there, talked of beheading people with a machete and made threats about President Barack Obama, presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. St. Louis County Circuit Judge Gloria C. Reno issued the temporary order Wednesday against Larry Kiser, 45, of the 700 block of Zeiss Avenue in Lemay. In court papers, the hospital accused Kiser of making the threats and asked a judge to bar him from its campus at 10004-10024 Kennerly Road. The order expires Aug. 18; a hearing is set for Aug. 15. Kiser has not been charged with a crime and could not be reached for comment Thursday. Court records say the hospital alerted St. Louis County police on July 24 as Kiser was being discharged, and that police notified the FBI and Secret Service. Spokeswomen for those agencies declined to comment. County police had taken Kiser to the hospital July 20 after a 911 caller reported him as a suspicious person walking along Tesson Ferry Road near Suson Hills Drive, said Sgt. Shawn McGuire. While talking to a police crisis intervention specialist, Kiser made references to having a 4 of clubs poker card, which he said was a reference to killing Obama, Clinton, Trump and Stenger, police said. Kiser also was carrying a backpack containing fake flowers, bottles of water and remnants of roadkill. McGuire said police have no allegations of violence by Kiser and only one recent contact: a July 18 complaint of him trespassing on private property in the 100 block of Fannie Avenue in Lemay. Kiser made homicidal statements about the four political figures on July 24, shortly before a doctor approved his discharge from the hospital, court records say. He also allegedly said he had a concrete slab in his backyard where he would behead people with a machete. When a nurse told him he would be given a cab voucher to the New Life Evangelistic Center in downtown St. Louis because he had nowhere to go and no vehicle, court documents say, Kiser grew hostile with her, telling her he would personally deliver a gift for what she had done. Kiser arrived at the hospital lobby the next night about midnight asking to see the nurse, the documents say. Then he returned the next day and asked to apologize in person for scaring her. When staff told him no, he said to tell her he would see her at a pool where she takes her children. McGuire said county police arent investigating him but aware of his alleged threats. A spokesman for Stenger said he was not aware of the incidents. Kisers wife obtained an order of protection last year to keep him away from her and their four children, alleging that he threatens to kill them when he gets drunk. JEFFERSON CITY Itll be at least another year of waiting for blind Missourians looking to receive damages from the state for years of miscalculated pension payments. Since the 1920's, blind residents have been receiving monthly cash benefits from the state that are based on property tax revenues. But the Missouri Council of the Blind asserted for years the payments werent being calculated correctly, and filed a lawsuit against the state. While the state corrected the problem, the amount of damages owed by the state continues to be a point of debate. There is a dispute among the parties regarding the method of calculation, which will need to be resolved by the court, said a spokesperson for the Missouri Attorney Generals office. A Western District Court of Appeals ruled in November 2015 that the states calculation of benefits for nearly 3,000 people was too low, and the state needed to pony up an additional $19 million. The state appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. Now, its been sent back to Circuit Court, which will determine the amount of unpaid payments owed. At a hearing July 26, the state argued past overpayment to blind residents should be reflected in the final amount of payment required, said Chris Gray, executive director of the Missouri Council of the Blind. Its an end-around the state meeting its obligation to the blind of Missouri, Gray said. Weve been at this with the state for over ten years now. The judge has asked both parties to submit briefs on their positions within 30 days, meaning any finality to the lengthy dispute wont happen until after August 25. John Ammann, an attorney with the St. Louis University Law Clinic who is representing the council, declined to comment while the judge is reviewing the case. Should the council win, blind residents will still be in limbo until well into 2017, when the money for the payments could be appropriated in the state budget. If both lawmakers and the governor sign off on the budget next year, those who qualify would be able to file claims for the money with the Department of Social Services, which oversees the pension program. The state will mail instructions on how to access what theyre owed. Qualifying residents are over 18 and must be totally blind, with no more than 5/200 vision or a vision field of less than 5 degrees. Those in the program can receive up to $718 a month, with state-funded health care coverage. By that time, with the election on Nov. 8, Missouri will have a new governor and a new attorney general who may have to be brought up to speed on the case. Nixon is term-limited, and Attorney General Chris Koster is running for governor. Its a long way off for people whove been waiting more than a decade already, Gray said. In the meantime, it costs us a lot of money, Gray said. The state has all the money and lawyers they could need to fight this, so thats what theyre going to do. ST. LOUIS There was a time when the first days after a primary election were for healing and regrouping. Party rifts were repaired; interparty knives were sharpened, but not yet deployed. No more. Within 48 hours after Tuesdays polls closed in Missouris heated GOP gubernatorial primaries, Republicans were back to infighting, and Democrats were on the attack. By Thursday afternoon: A planned GOP unity rally that was to include all four Republican gubernatorial candidates was scuttled after second-place finisher John Brunner refused to participate. State Democrats filed an ethics complaint against GOP nominee for governor Eric Greitens, modeled after a complaint that had been filed against him by fellow Republicans before the primary. Brunner, in an attempt to mitigate a campaign-related defamation suit that has been filed against him, released a statement that illustrated how far the tenor of the campaign had fallen. I now believe erroneous, and retract, he wrote, any statements that a contributor to the Greitens campaign was the owner of a teenage sex slave. Greitens won Tuesdays GOP primary by 10 points over Brunner, his closest competitor. It had been a bitter four-way race in which Greitens and Brunner, in particular, sparred personally. Their battle included a heated telephone argument that Brunner secretly recorded; an anonymous internet video attacking Greitens record as a former Navy SEAL; the involvement of shadowy federal super PACs; and the explosive sex slave allegation by Brunner against a top Greitens contributor. A unity event that had been planned for Thursday to showcase Missouris newly minted Republican electoral slate was scuttled before it was even announced. Several sources said it was because of continuing bad blood between Brunner and Greitens. Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock confirmed Thursday that the event had been planned and then canceled. He blamed logistical issues in getting all the candidates together. When asked if Brunners camp refused to participate, Hancock said he hadnt talked with him. But three other sources inside the party confirmed that Brunners refusal to participate is the reason the event was canceled. All three spoke on the condition of anonymity, so they could freely talk about internal party discussions. Two of the sources said the sticking point is the defamation suit against Brunner, which Brunner wants Greitens to help get dropped. One source said Greitens camp pleaded having no power over the donor who filed it. The suit is by California businessman Michael Goguen, who gave Greitens $1 million during the campaign. Goguen was later accused in a civil suit of sexually abusing a female acquaintance for years. Greitens primary opponents repeatedly slammed him for declining to return Goguens money in light of the allegation. Goguens suit against Brunner is based in part on a heated exchange between Brunner and Greitens during a televised debate in July. [I] refuse to be lectured by a guy who took $1 million from the owner of a teenage sex slave, Brunner snapped at Greitens. The woman suing Goguen has not claimed she was a teenager during the alleged events, nor that she was a sex slave. Later on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to mitigate the lawsuit against him, Brunner tweeted out his statement retracting the teenage sex slave comment. Brunners campaign didnt return messages seeking comment Thursday. In lieu of the planned unity gathering, the state party on Thursday put out a collection of short, written statements by most of the candidates, including all four gubernatorial candidates. Brunners statement doesnt mention Greitens by name, nor even the Republican Party. Instead, it offers a generic statement about the importance of electing people who put character before career, who put integrity before expediency, who put duty to God and country before themselves. The statements of the other two Republican gubernatorial candidates, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and former Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, both vowed support for the entire Republican slate, with Hanaways statement specifying support for Greitens. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL and author, will face Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Koster, currently Missouris attorney general, in the Nov. 8 general election. ethics COMPLAINT Also on Thursday, the Missouri Democratic Party filed a state ethics complaint against Greitens campaign, for accepting money through several organizations that havent identified their donors as required by Missouri law. The thrust of the complaint is almost identical to one filed against Greitens before the primary, by a fellow Republican who had supported Hanaway. That earlier complaint wasnt accepted by state ethics regulators because it was filed within 15 days before an election, in violation of statute. Both complaints are based in part on Post-Dispatch reporting about federal super PACs being set up to funnel money to Missouri races. Neither federal nor state regulators have full jurisdiction over such transfers, a loophole allowing large donations from sources that havent been identified. One of them, a federal super PAC called SEALs for Truth, gave Greitens almost $2 million, the single-largest political donation in Missouri history. In a statement, Greitens spokesman Austin Chambers called the complaint ridiculous and politically motivated. [T]hey are literally just making stuff up, he wrote. HIGHLAND About 1,000 fish 95 percent of them Asian carp have turned up dead on the east fork of Silver Creek, just below the dam for Highland Silver Lake, officials said Thursday. Public resource managers said the kill was caused by a lack of lake water running into the creek, which reduced the creek's oxygen levels. There is no problem with the lake, either in fishing or water quality, said Ryan Hummert, natural resource manager for Highland. The 550-acre lake, which serves as the city water supply, is open and safe for fishing, Hummert said. The lake is noted for catfish, bluegill, large mouth bass and other sport fish. No Asian carp have been spotted in the lake, Hummert said. The species is widely considered a nuisance. The fish kill was noticed over the weekend. The creek runs south from the lake dam and spillway. Illinois Highway 143 runs atop the dam in the northwest part of town. Chris Young, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Resources, said almost all of the dead fish were Asian carp. He said the department tested the creek water and found low oxygen content. Hummert said not much lake water has washed down the spillway this summer, even with heavy rain in other parts of southwest Illinois. He said rainfall in the Silver Creek watershed hasn't been enough to cause large overflows that could replenish the creek. Fishing is not allowed in the creek from Highway 143. Hummert said the creek flows southwest through privately owned land. It joins the Kaskaskia River below Mascoutah. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Fed up with what he says is the governors failure to properly fund his overwhelmed office, the states lead public defender ordered Gov. Jay Nixon this week to represent a poor person in Cole County this month. Michael Barrett said he was using a provision of state law that allows him in extraordinary circumstances to delegate legal representation to any member of the state bar of Missouri. Hes starting with the states highest-profile lawyer: Nixon. Barrett says the governor has repeatedly declined to give the public defender system the money it requests and is withholding promised funding increases this year. Providing counsel to poor people who face incarceration is the obligation of the state. Its not fair to go after private attorneys who are trying to pay the rent when they had nothing to do with contributing to this, Barrett said in an interview Wednesday. Barrett never exercised this power before because he thought it was wrong to place the burden of public cases on private attorneys who have in no way contributed to the current crisis, he wrote in a letter to the governor dated Tuesday. However, given the extraordinary circumstances that compel me to entertain any and all avenues for relief, it strikes me that I should begin with the one attorney in the state who not only created this problem, but is in a unique position to address it, Barrett wrote, referring to Nixon, a Democrat who was a four-term attorney general before becoming governor. Studies have found that the Missouri Public Defender System lacks the resources or staff to serve the states neediest. The system has struggled with high caseloads, high turnover, low salaries and tired, overworked attorneys for years. The Missouri constitution allows the director of the public defender system to assign cases to any lawyer in the state, regardless of whether the lawyer is a public defender, Barrett said. Just this June, the legislature granted the public defender system a $4.5 million increase, which wouldve helped in hiring 10 more employees and some private attorneys on a contractual basis. The office currently employs more than 370 attorneys. Officials with the public defenders office had asked for a $23.1 million boost, while Nixon recommended a $1 million increase. Last month, Barrett and the Missouri State Public Defender Commission filed a lawsuit claiming that Nixon withheld $3.5 million of that $4.5 million increase. Barrett claims Nixon is targeting the public defender system for budget cuts while leaving more money for other programs he likes. Nixons office could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday night. A 2014 study found that the states public defender system needs almost 270 more attorneys to meet its current case volume, which fluctuates between 70,000 and 100,000 cases every year. In 2009, Missouris was the second-lowest-funded public defender system in the country. Now, Barrett says that he has even fewer lawyers than when that study was done. Hes lost 30 lawyers because he doesnt have the money to hire replacements as employees leave for private law firms. Meanwhile, the systems caseload has gone up 12 percent over the past year to about 82,000 cases, Barrett said. Each of his lawyers has to handle 125 to more than 200 cases at a time. The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division says, Its so dire. Everyone says, Its so dire, Barrett said. LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE makes weekly gain but banks weigh on Friday Friday, October 28, 2022 - 17:08 The FTSE 100 managed a weekly gain, despite underperforming peers on Friday, while strong results from oil majors lifted the mood in New York, shaking off poor numbers from Amazon. Central banks move into focus again next week. The Federal Reserve announces its rate decision on Wednesday, with the Bank of England following on Thursday. The FTSE 100 index closed down 26.02 points, or 0.4% at 7,047.67 on Friday, but finished the week 1.1% higher. The FTSE 250 ended down 165.25 points, or 0.9%, at 17,916.67 - closing the week up 4.1%. The AIM All-Share closed down 4.09 points, or 0.5%, at 805.37, finishing 2.7% higher over the past five days The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 703.81, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 1.0% at 15,378.84, and the Cboe Small Companies ended down 0.5% at 12,320.39. The pound was quoted at $1.1595 at the London equities close Friday, up slightly from $1.1573 at the close on Thursday. Though sterling's marked rise tempered slightly on Friday, the currency has gained 3.2% over the past week. Markets have so far taken confidence from the new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In the FTSE 100, Centrica added 5.2% after it announced the reopening of the Rough natural gas storage facility off the east coast of England. Centrica, which owns British Gas, said the facility is operational for winter. The facility increases the UK's storage capacity by 50% despite it operating at just 20% of its previous capacity. GSK closed up 2.3% after it said its majority owned ViiV Healthcare venture has received the European Medicines Agency's validation for its marketing authorisation application for HIV prevention, and said its MAA for respiratory syncytial virus adult vaccine has also been accepted. NatWest was the worst performer. It plunged 8.3% as it reported strong income growth in the third quarter, boosted by both increased lending and higher interest rates, but the bank warned it is keeping a close on eye on any change in behaviour from its customers. In the three months to September 30, operating profit before tax rose to 1.09 billion from 976 million a year before. Putting a cap on the bank's profit, NatWest set aside 247 million in the quarter to cover an expected increase in bad loans, which is reversed from a 221 million gain the year prior. Lloyds fell 3.3% in negative read across. Glencore fell 1.0% as it trimmed annual guidance for some of its commodities after a disappointing third-quarter performance dominated by supply chain disruptions in Kazakhstan, extreme weather in Australia, and strikes in Canada and Norway. In the FTSE 250, ASOS tumbled 11%. The stock was rocked by a Telegraph report which stated some hedge funds have shorted the stock, just days after retailer Frasers bought a stake. Elsewhere in London, China-focused investment trusts fell. JPMorgan China Growth & Income fell 2.9% and abrdn China Investment dropped 3.5%. Investor sentiment turned sour as Chinese cities doubled down on Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. Stocks in New York were firmly in the green at the London equities close, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 2.0%, the S&P 500 index up 1.7% and the Nasdaq Composite up 1.8%. After disappointment from tech stocks, oil majors put some shine on this week's US corporate earnings calendar. Exxon Mobil revenue in the third quarter of 2022 jumped 52% to $112.07 billion from $73.79 billion a year prior. Attributable net income soared to $19.66 billion from $6.75 billion. The oil major's bottom line rose 10% from $17.85 billion in the second quarter. Chevron posted pretax earnings of $14.80 billion, up from $8.06 billion the year before. Revenue increased to $66.64 billion from $44.71 billion the year before. Exxon shares rose 1.8%, while Chevron was up 0.3%. Amazon slid 10%, after its poor numbers overnight. Wall Street also shook off a higher inflation reading for the US on Friday. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Fed's preferred inflationary measure, the core personal consumption expenditures index, which excludes food and energy, shot up 5.1% year-on-year in September, quickening from a 4.9% hike in August. "The Fed's favoured measure of inflation is heading higher, rather than lower, while employment costs continue to rise at double the rate experienced over the past 15 years. The market is probably right to expect the Fed to slow the pace of rate hikes from December, but this is by no means guaranteed," analysts at ING commented. On Thursday, the European Central Bank on Thursday lifted its benchmark interest rates by 75 basis points, as expected. In European equities on Friday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended up 0.5%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt ended up 0.2%. The euro stood at $0.9943 at the European equities close Friday, lower against $0.9984 at the same time on Thursday. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JP147.54 late Friday, higher compared to JP145.90 late Thursday. Gold was quoted at $1,640.91 an ounce at the London equities close Friday, down sharply against $1,662.60 at the close on Thursday. The precious metal has an inverse relationship with the greenback, weakening as the dollar strengthens. Brent oil was quoted at $93.34 a barrel at the London equities close Friday, down from $94.75 late Thursday. In Monday's UK corporate calendar, there are full year results from self storage company Lok'n Store and kidney disease-focused diagnostics firm Renalytix. In the economic calendar, the EU will publish its latest GDP and CPI readings. Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. FOUR new contracts to support some of Warwickshires most vulnerable residents to enable them to live independently in the community have been announced this week. Two of these services will be accommodation-based with support provided to customers living in accommodation provided for the purpose. The other two services will be provided in the community on a floating basis where support workers visit customers wherever they are already living. The contracts for these newly designed services have been awarded after a competitive tender process. The new services will be offered to customers on a short term basis for up to two years with the aim of preventing homelessness and supporting vulnerable customers to live independently in the community with a strong focus on building resilience. Services will offer a range of support covering for example, financial capability/budgeting, maximising income (including welfare benefits), liaising with landlord regarding tenancy issues, maintaining physical and/or mental health, preventing harm together with improving opportunities through education, training and employment. Cllr Jose Compton, Warwickshire County Councils portfolio holder for adult social care, said: I am so pleased that the invitation to tender for the contracts to support some of our more vulnerable residents was responded to so positively. We have had to change the way we provide the service and the recommissioning process has ensured that we can deliver appropriate support to those who most need it. Cllr Alan Webb, Chair of the Adult Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: This is important work to give vulnerable 18-25 year olds and others a supporting hand as they make their way in adult life and to be able to make their full contribution to the Warwickshire community. Although the change is driven by cost-savings, I am pleased to see such dedicated experts in this field have come forward to help. ALLEN, Texas, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- It has been a bittersweet time for WatchGuard Video, a privately-held U.S. manufacturer of law enforcement in-car and body-worn camera systems based near Dallas. Realizing an eighty percent year-over-year growth, the second quarter came to a close as the most successful quarter in the company's fourteen-year history just days before the ambush of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. "In spite of our corporate success, it has been a somber time," stated Steve Coffman, President of WatchGuard. "We take our responsibility in supporting law enforcement seriously. Our job is to develop and engineer tools that provide the transparency needed to build trust between police and the communities they serve as well as protect officers' careers. We never want to see loss of life; when that life is an officer's, well, that becomes very personal to us." $1mm per month in R&D WatchGuard's growth has averaged nearly thirty percent annually since being founded in 2002. With the public's demand for video evidence increasing, the company has expanded its staff by thirty-nine percent in the past twelve months alone. The majority of new hires have been engineers to further the company's extensive research and development efforts. WatchGuard currently spends $1 million per month on research and development to advance the video evidence technology used by law enforcement. "Almost everyone today has a high-quality video camera on their person; to the point that we have created and embraced a culture of 'citizen journalists' similar to what we recently saw with the incidents in Baton Rouge and Falcon Heights, MN," said Coffman. "Why should law enforcement officers be asked to protect us and be held accountable using a camera that is inferior to what is sold on the consumer market? Their body cameras and video equipment should be superior and the only way to accomplish that is to invest in developing the technology they need." Technological advances and adoption The record-setting growth WatchGuard experienced in the second quarter comes on the heels of the release of VISTA WiFi, a body camera that integrates with the company's 4RE in-car video system to provide multiple angles on a single incident. Over 100 agencies have placed orders for the latest technological advancement in video evidence. WatchGuard body cameras have been deployed and are in active use in more than 1,000 departments across the nation. In April, the City of Houston began deploying 4,100 of WatchGuard's VISTA body cameras, becoming the largest city in the U.S. to deploy body cameras. In July, the City of Detroit announced their choice of body camera will be VISTA WiFi and are currently in the process of User Acceptance Test, a standard part of the procurement process in large cities. "We are proud of our growth and the adoption rate of our line of body cameras, but our mission is far from being accomplished" said Coffman. "The Washington Post recently released a study showing of the 551 shooting deaths by officers in 2016, only 15% of them were equipped with body cameras. We still have a long way to go in providing the very best tools of transparency needed to restore trust and facilitate healing in these communities." About WatchGuard Video WatchGuard Video is the technology pioneer and market leader for law enforcement video systems and evidence-management software. One-third of the agencies in the United States utilize WatchGuard's proprietary solutions to capture, manage and share digital video evidence using the most durable, reliable and highest-quality American-made products including the 4RE in-car and VISTA body camera systems. To learn more please, visit www.watchguardvideo.com or call 1-800-605-6734. Contact: Jaime Carlin Email 469-342-8974 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395765 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/body-camera-manufacturer-posts-largest-quarter-in-corporate-history-300309478.html SOURCE WatchGuard Video SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that Bradley H. Feldmann, president and chief executive officer, and John D. Thomas, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will participate in a fireside chat at the 36th Annual Canaccord Genuity Growth Conference in Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday, August 11, 2016 at 11:00 am Eastern Time. To listen to the discussion, investors may visit the investor relations section of Cubics website at www.cubic.com or at http://wsw.com/webcast/canaccord23/cub. The audio webcast will be archived on Cubics website for at least 30 days. About Cubic Cubic Corporation designs, integrates and operates systems, products and services focused in the transportation, defense training and secure communications markets. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Global Defense is a leading provider of live, virtual, constructive and game-based training solutions, special operations and intelligence for the U.S. and allied forces. Cubic Mission Solutions provides networked Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities for defense, intelligence, security and commercial missions. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005445/en/ Cubic Corporation Diane Dyer, +1 858-505-2907 Investor Relations or John D. Thomas, +1 858-505-2989 Media Source: Cubic Corporation LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Mehmet Oz of "The Dr. Oz Show" will host the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) 2016 Voice Awardsa program that recognizes those in the television and film industry and community leaders who work to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders. This year's event, to be held on August 10 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, will highlight the theme "Strengthening Families through Hope and Help," and spotlight the positive impact family members have on their loved one's path to recovery. The 2016 Voice Awards will recognize actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard with a SAMHSA Special Recognition Award. The couple are known for their considerable efforts to raise awareness about mental health and addiction, support of each other on their respective journeys of recovery, and commitment to helping behavioral health community organizations. Filmmakers Rob Reiner and his son Nick Reiner will also receive a SAMHSA Special Recognition Award for sharing their personal and difficult family story about supporting Nick on his path to recovery from addiction. Their real-life inspired film, "Being Charlie," is a Voice Award finalist this year as well. In addition, Yashi Brown, Rebbie Jackson, and Stacy Brown will receive a SAMHSA Special Recognition Award for sharing their personal stories of recovery and speaking out about the importance of family support for those living with mental illness and addiction. Consumer/peer/family leaders who have embraced and promoted the role of meaningful family support in all aspects of prevention, treatment, and recovery also will be honored. The Staglin family in Rutherford, CA, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for their extraordinary contributions to mental health research, and for raising awareness about mental health in their community and nationally. Consumer/Peer/Family Leadership Awards will be presented to Sheldon Hill (Detroit, MI), Tiffany Hunsley (Rochester, MN), Julie Magers (Tigard, OR), Ted Streuli (Edmond, OK), and Sally Zinman (Berkeley, CA). The Young Adult Leadership Award will be presented to Joshua Calarino (Miami, FL). The Voice Awards also will recognize writers and producers who feature responsible and respectful portrayals of people with behavioral health conditions in their films and television shows, and highlight the powerful role family support can play for recovery. This year's finalists include Being Charlie; The Dark Horse; Love & Mercy; Touched with Fire; "Blue Bloods" (CBS); "The Carmichael Show" (NBC); "Empire" (FOX); "Madam Secretary" (CBS); "Mom" (CBS); and "Nashville" (ABC/CMT). WHAT: 2016 Voice Awardshttp://www.samhsa.gov/voice-awards WHEN: Wednesday, August 10, 2016Arrivals and Pre-Show6 p.m. PDTAwards Program7:30 p.m. PDT WHERE: Royce Hall at UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095 VISUAL: Award Winner, Host, and Presenter Photo Opportunities ATTEND: To attend in-person, please register here:www.regonline.com/2016VoiceAwards To view the live webcast, please register here:http://2016voiceawardsliveexperience.eventbrite.com To attend the event or request an interview, contact Sangeetha Sarma at 3013955227 (cell) or 2022485467 (office). For more information about the Voice Awards and to view the list of collaborating organizations, visit www.samhsa.gov/voice-awards. To join the Voice Awards conversation, like SAMHSA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/samhsa and follow @samhsagov and #VoiceAwards on Twitter. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dr-oz-to-host-samhsas-2016-voice-awards-in-los-angeles-300309325.html SOURCE Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) CHICAGO, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield's catastrophe model development team, today launches the latest edition of its monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which evaluates the impact of the natural disaster events that occurred worldwide during July 2016. Aon Benfield is the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon plc (NYSE: AON). The report reveals that much of China endured substantial seasonal "Mei-Yu" rainfall that led to a dramatic worsening of flooding along the Yangtze River Basin and in the country's northeast. Nearly 20 provincial regions were impacted by floods that have been ongoing in some areas since May. Data from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs indicated that a combined 764 people were left dead or missing, and more than 800,000 homes and other structures were damaged or destroyed. Considerable damage to the agricultural sector was also prevalent with an estimated 18 million acres of cropland damaged by floodwater. Total combined economic losses were estimated at USD33 billion, with at least USD28 billion occurring in the Yangtze River Basin. The China Insurance Regulatory Commission cited insurance claims payouts representing less than 2.0 percent of the economic cost, with most of the claims from lost agriculture. Adam Podlaha, Global Head of Impact Forecasting, said: "While it was expected that China would see above normal rainfall during the peak monsoon months with such a strong El Nino, the intensity and scope of what transpired from the associated floods were at a magnitude not seen in nearly two decades. The flood peril is one which is becoming better understood by catastrophe modelers, and the industry is better prepared than ever to help create awareness of the risks associated with such large events." Meanwhile, the United States recorded six separate outbreaks of severe convective storms and flash flooding from the Rockies to the East Coast. Total combined economic losses were minimally estimated at USD1.5 billion. By contrast to China, public and private insurers were anticipated to record losses nearing USD1.0 billion or 67% of overall economic costs. Many of the storms were spawned by an extended period of very hot and humid conditions that led to a "Ring of Fire" thunderstorm pattern. This active weather pattern also contributed to elevated thunderstorm and flood activity and damage in Canada's provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Total combined economic and insured losses were expected to well exceed USD100 million once all assessments are completed. Events to have occurred elsewhere during the month of July include: Monsoon rains also led to extensive flood damage elsewhere in Asia. More than 230 people were left dead or missing in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia and Afghanistan as tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. Super Typhoon Nepartak claimed 82 lives as it made separate landfalls in Taiwan and China. Though not officially coming ashore, its outer bands lashed northern portions of the Philippines. The heaviest damage was noted in Taiwan and China, where at least 38,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Combined economic losses were at least USD1.5 billion. Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding left considerable damage across parts of South Africa, killing at least seven people. The local insurance industry anticipated insured losses exceeding ZAR2.0 billion (USD145 million). Overall economic losses were much higher. Tropical Storm Mirinae made separate landfalls in southern China and northern Vietnam, leaving at least five people dead or missing. The storm left more than 2,000 homes and 110,000 hectares (272,000 acres) of cropland damaged or destroyed. Total combined economic losses were listed at USD20 million. The Sand Fire was ignited in California, charring more than 41,432 acres (16,770 hectares) of land. Two people were killed as the fire damaged or destroyed more than 140 homes and other structures. To view the full Impact Forecasting July 2016 Global Catastrophe Recap report, please follow the link: http://aon.io/2aPYyhB Along with the report, users can access current and historical natural catastrophe data and event analysis on Impact Forecasting's Catastrophe Insight website, which is updated bi-monthly as new data become available: www.aonbenfield.com/catastropheinsight Further information For further information please contact the Aon Benfield PR team: Andrew Wragg (+44 207 522 8183 / 07595 217168) David Bogg or Alexandra Lewis Follow Aon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aon_plcFor information on Aon plc. and to sign-up for news alerts: http://aon.mediaroom.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100719/AQ37264LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worst-flooding-since-1998-leaves-33bn-economic-toll-in-china-according-to-aon-catastrophe-report-300309287.html SOURCE Aon plc OSAKA and IWATA, Japan, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yanmar Co., Ltd.(hereafter "Yanmar") and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.(hereafter "Yamaha") announced on August 4 that they have agreed to a business alliance for the U.S. ROV (recreational off-highway vehicle) business. The companies will conclude a contract by the end of the year for the OEM supply of Yamaha's multipurpose "VIKING" and "VIKING VI" (both Yamaha model names) ROV models to Yanmar from December 2016, and for Yanmar to sell these products under the Yanmar brand name from January 2017 utilizing its farmer-oriented dealer network in the U.S. The aim of this business alliance is to expand sales in the growing U.S. ROV market by leveraging the strengths of the two companies, namely Yamaha's technical capabilities and manufacturing know-how, and Yanmar's farmer-oriented dealer network in the U.S. The two companies share the same values of creating and developing markets through "monozukuri" (engineering, manufacturing and marketing), and have previously worked together in the fields of industrial-use unmanned helicopters, generators and snow blowers. Demand for ROVs in the U.S. market has been increasing in recent years, and they are used for a variety of applications, from practical work such as agriculture and dairy farming to leisure-oriented purposes. To meet the needs of this market, in 2013 Yamaha launched the "VIKING," a 3-seater multipurpose model which provides practicality, easy handling and comfort, and in 2014 launched the "VIKING VI," a 6-seater model which delivers high-grade driving performance and comfort for a large number of passengers. Yanmar has for many years supplied just diesel engines and drive units to the U.S. agricultural transportation vehicle market (including ROVs). Through this business alliance, Yanmar is taking the next step toward entering the ROV product sales field. The two ROV models to be supplied on an OEM basis by Yamaha to Yanmar feature an exterior design refreshed to Yanmar specifications through new coloring and graphics, and will be sold under the Yanmar brand and model name as new gasoline engine-powered products. Manufacturing will be carried out in the state of Georgia by Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America. (Photo: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/prwfile/release/M000430/201608023093/_prw_OI1fl_9I8R4jU9.jpg) Outline of Yamaha Company name: Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Headquarters: 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka Pref., Japan Founded: July 1, 1955 Representative: Hiroyuki Yanagi, President, CEO and Representative Director Capital: 85,782 million yen Employees: 53,306(Yamaha Motor Group consolidated basis; as of December 31, 2015) Business activities: Manufacturing and sale of motorcycles, scooters, electric power-assisted bicycles, boats, water vehicles, pools, Japanese-style boats, fishing boats, outboard motors, all-terrain vehicles, recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs), engines for racing carts, golf cars, general-purpose engines, generators, water pumps, snowmobiles, compact snow blowers, automobile engines, surface mounters, industrial robots, industrial-use unmanned helicopters, electrical power units for wheelchairs, helmets for road use, etc. Net sales: 1,615,400 million yen(consolidated basis, for 2015 fiscal year ended December 31) Outline of Yanmar Company name: Yanmar Co., Ltd. Headquarters: 1-32, Chayamachi, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan Founded: March 22, 1912 Established: January 28, 1936 Representative: Takehito Yamaoka, Representative Director, Chairman and President Capital: 6,300 million yen Employees: Approx. 18,000(Yanmar Group consolidated basis; as of March 31, 2016) Business activities: Research, development, manufacturing, and sale of small engines, large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction equipment, energy systems, marine equipment, machine tools and components, etc. Net sales: 703,800 million yen(consolidated basis, for 2015 fiscal year ended March 31, 2016) To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yanmar-and-yamaha-motor-agree-to-alliance-regarding-us-rov-business-300308956.html SOURCE Yanmar Co., Ltd.; Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. FILE PHOTO -- A view of the Goldman Sachs stall on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo By Suzanne Barlyn (Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator has sent a second request to Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) for information about its fundraising for Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, a person familiar with the matter said. The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), in a letter sent late on Thursday, also requested a meeting with Goldman on or before Aug. 31, the person said. The request follows a letter the regulator sent to Goldman last month seeking details on the matter. The source was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. We are aware of their interest in this matter and have been in dialogue with them on it for some time," a Goldman Sachs spokesman said. The Wall Street bank's work with 1MDB is under the spotlight after the U.S. government alleged that billions of dollars earmarked for investments were diverted for the personal use of 1MDB officials, their relatives and associates. Goldman Sachs helped 1MDB, which was founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in September 2009, raise $6.5 billion in three bond sales in 2012 and 2013 to invest in energy projects and real estate to boost the Malaysian economy. Instead, more than $2.5 billion raised from those bonds was misappropriated and used to buy artwork, including paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, luxury properties in New York and London and to pay off gambling debts in Las Vegas, according to U.S. Department of Justice civil lawsuits filed in court on July 20. Goldman Sachs, which earned close to $600 million to arrange and underwrite the 1MDB bonds, was not accused of any wrongdoing in the lawsuits. But they allege investors were not properly informed about the use and nature of the bonds. NYDFS considers the meeting it is requesting a type of "supplemental special report," the person familiar with the matter said. Details the regulator wants to discuss at the meeting include the timing of disclosures to NYDFS concerning Goldman's involvement with bond transactions involving the Malaysian fund. The regulator also wants details about Goldman's due diligence in connection with transmitting the sale proceeds from the three bond offerings. Singapore's central bank said last week that it was also examining the extent of involvement by Goldman Sachs' local unit in bond deals for 1MDB. (Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Tom Brown) FORM 6-K SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 Report of Foreign Issuer Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the month of August, 2016 Commission File Number: 001-37723 Enersis Chile S.A. (Translation of Registrants Name into English) Santa Rosa 76 Santiago, Chile (Address of principal executive office) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F: Form 20-F [X] Form 40-F [ ] Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): Yes [ ] No [X] Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): Yes [ ] No [X] Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information ontained in this Form, the Registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934: Yes [ ] No [X] If ;Yes is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): N/A SIGNIFICANT EVENT Enersis Chile S.A. Securities Registration No. 1139 Santiago, August 2, 2016 Ger. Gen. No. 033/2016 Mr. Carlos Pavez T. Superintendent of Securities and Insurance Superintendence of Securities and Insurance Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins No. 1449 Santiago, Chile Ref.: Significant Event Dear Sir, In accordance with article 63 of the Chilean Corporations Act N 18,046, I hereby inform you that the Board of Directors of Enersis Chile S.A. (Enersis Chile or the Company), pursuant to the Companys By-laws has summoned an Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting to be held on October 4, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at the Estadio Enersis, located at Avenida Carlos Medina 858, Independencia, Santiago. The issues to be discussed at the Extraordinary Meeting of Shareholders will include: 1) The modification of Article One in order to change the Companys current name from Enersis Chile S.A., to Enel Chile S.A., and to add the term "open" before the expression "joint-stock company", resulting in the text of Article One reading as follows: " Article One: An open, joint-stock company which is to be called "Enel Chile S.A." (the Company"), is organized and shall be governed by these by-laws and, in their absence, by legal and regulatory norms that apply to these type of companies." 2) Modification of Article Four in order to insert a comma (,) in the first paragraph between the words "abroad" and "the exploration" and to replace the words "subsidiaries" with "related companies, subsidiaries and affiliates" in letter d), resulting in the text of Article Four reading as follows: Article Four: The purpose of the company shall be, in Chile or abroad, shall be the exploration, development, operation, generation, distribution, transmission, transformation or sale of energy, in any of its forms, directly or through other companies, as well as telecommunications activities and providing engineering consultancy services. An additional purpose shall be to invest and manage its investments in subsidiaries and affiliates such as generators, transmission companies, distributors, or electricity traders a business whose business activity corresponds to any of the following: (i) energy in any of its forms or nature, (ii) providing public services or services whose main input is energy, (iii) telecommunications and information technology services, and (iv) business intermediation via the Internet. In order to comply with its mission, the Company will carry out the following objectives: a) Promote, organize, establish, modify, dissolve or liquidate companies of any kind, whose corporate purpose is related to the purposes of the Company. b) Propose investment, financing and trade policies to its subsidiaries, as well as the accounting systems and principles to which they must adhere. c) Oversee the management of its subsidiaries. d) Lend the financial resources necessary in order for its related companies, subsidiaries and affiliates to develop their business and, furthermore, provide management services; consulting, financial, commercial, audit, technical and legal services; and, in general, services of any nature that may be necessary to improve their performance. Apart from its main purpose and always acting within the limits established by the Investment and Financing Policy approved at the Shareholders Meeting, the Company may invest in: One. The acquisition, development, construction, rental, management, intermediation, trading and disposal of all kinds of movable and immovable assets, either directly or through subsidiaries or affiliates. Two. All kinds of financial assets, including stocks, bonds and debentures, trade bills, and, in general, all kinds of transferable securities and contributions to companies, either directly or through subsidiaries or affiliates. "; 3) Modification of Article Forty-Three to insert the phrase "applicable to the open joint-stock companies" between the expressions "Regulations" and "and the ones relevant", resulting in the text of the Article Forty Three reading as follows: " Article Forty-Three: In all matters that are not expressly addressed within these by-laws, the provisions of Law 18,046, its amendments and regulations applicable to open joint-stock companies and those contained within Decree 3,500 article 111. 4) Delete the following transitory provisions: Transitory Article Two, Transitory Article Four, Transitory Article Five, Transitory Article Six, Transitory Article Seven, Transitory Article Nine and Transitory Article Ten; and 5) The adoption of agreements that are necessary to carry out the proposed by-law reform, under the terms and conditions that shall ultimately be approved by the Board of Directors, and also to grant the necessary, especially to legalize, complete and execute agreements adopted by said Board of Directors. Sincerely yours, Luca DAgnese Chief Executive Officer c.c.: Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago (Santiago Stock Exchange) Bolsa Electronica de Chile (Chilean Electronic Stock Exchange) Bolsa de Corredores de Valparaiso (Valparaiso Stock Exchange) Comision Clasificadora de Riesgos (Risk Classification Committee) Representative of Local Bond Holders SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. Enersis Chile S.A. By: /s/ Luca D'Agnese -------------------------------------------------- Title: Chief Executive Officer Date: August 4, 2016 Transport Minister Simon Bridges and the mayors of Tauranga and the Western Bay District will be officiating at the sod turning ceremony, marking the build start of the Omokoroa/Tauranga cycleway tomorrow. A private ceremony will be held tomorrow to mark start of the trail. Police investigating the disappearance of a former Tauranga woman in England, believe she was murdered. Gina Lander, 46, was reported missing from her Walsall home on March 16 by her partner David Stokes. Transport Minister Simon Bridges may need a bypass of his own if passions boil over during a public meeting taking place at the Katikati Memorial Hall tonight. The meeting will see locals voice their concerns about State Highway 2s roading issues, as well as deliver a petition to Simon which calls for the construction of the long-awaited Katikati Bypass. Oh Jeez thats just great! The profanity from seasoned Tauranga cop Sergeant Wayne Hunter is very understandable and very forgivable in the circumstances. Wayne was probably halfway through an uneventful Monday evening shift on August 12, 2013, when he was called to an accident and delivered a bombshell. Deanos gone over the side and into the water and we cant see him anymore. Katikati Post harvest company Aongatete has pledged financial support for the families of its Tongan staff who were killed in a horrific road crash on Tuesday night. Directors Allan and Nell Dawson expressed their deep condolences at last nights packed service for the men in Katikati, saying the company would support their families and help educate their children. Clint Eastwood Actor Clint Eastwood addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (J. Scott Applewhite | AP) Clint Eastwood is sick and tired of what he calls the "p---y generation." The 86-year-old "American Sniper" filmmaker tells Esquire in a new interview that he's voting for Donald Trump. He won't officially endorse the Republican presidential candidate, but he says he likes the billionaire businessman much more than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. "He's said a lot of dumb things," the four-time Oscar winner admitted. "So have all of them. Both sides. But everybody - the press and everybody's going, 'Oh, well, that's racist,' and they're making a big hoodoo out of it... Just f---ing get over it. It's a sad time in history." Eastwood told the magazine that Trump is "onto something, because secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now. We're really in a p---y generation. Everybody's walking on eggshells." "We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff," he continued. "When I grew up, those things weren't called racist." The Guardian was quick to compare his comments to his "Gran Torino" character, a Korean War veteran who hates the Asian, Latino and black families that moved into his neighborhood. Eastwood told Esquire that he knew it was a politically incorrect role, but the script was too good to turn it down. America would agree, giving "Gran Torino" a 79 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes with 90 percent of audience members liking the film. His infamous speech to an empty chair at the 2012 Republican National Convention, however, was not as well received. "So I've got Mr. Obama sitting here," he said, asking the GOP crowd to imagine the president in the moment. According to Esquire, that was plan B. He was originally going to show a scene from "The Outlaw Josey Wales," but Mitt Romney's top strategist Stuart Stevens shot the idea down. Eastwood told the magazine that he got the idea for the chair when he heard Neil Diamond's "I Am, I Said" backstage at the RNC. The 1971 song's lyrics include the line "And no one heard at all, not even the chair." "And I'm thinking, 'That's Obama.' He doesn't go to work. He doesn't go down to Congress and make a deal. What the hell's he doing sitting in the White House?" the writer-director-actor-composer said. "If I were in that job, I'd get down there and make a deal. Sure, Congress are lazy bastards, but so what? You're the top guy. You're the president of the company. It's your responsibility to make sure everybody does well." According to The Washington Post, Eastwood says "that silly thing at the Republican convention, talking to the chair" is now his biggest regret. SULLIVAN, N.Y. -- A man with two kids in his car when he crashed in Madison County was intoxicated and on drugs, and a passerby who stopped was also intoxicated, the New York State Police said. Lawrence S. Conners, age 48, of Caroline Street, Canastota, was driving a 2005 Ford Explorer east on Fyler Road in the town of Sullivan around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The vehicle left the road and hit a utility pole. State police said Conners told a trooper that he drove off the road an into the pole because he was distracted by his 2-year-old and 4-year-old arguing in the back seat. Troopers interviewing Conners believed he was impaired and field sobriety tests indicated he was under the influence of drugs, state police said. He was taken to the state police barracks in Sullivan. A drug recognition expert did an evaluation and determined he was impaired by prescription medications, state police said. State police said troopers were interviewing bystanders at the scene of the crash just after midnight when they talked to Richard J. Brookins, age 37, of Fyler Road, Kirkville. Brookins was driving west on Fyler Road and stopped to check on the vehicle that had crashed. While talking with Brookins a trooper noticed a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, state police said. Field sobriety tests indicated Brookins was intoxicated and he was arrested, state police said. A breath test later determined Brookins had a blood alcohol content of .16, state police said. Brookins was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater, and refusal of a breath screen. He is scheduled to appear in Sullivan Town Court on Aug. 9. Conners was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He was arraigned in Lenox Town Court and released on his own recognizance. Contact Ken Sturtz: 315-766-7833 | Email | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Maurice Crawley and Syracuse police officer Vallon Smith had a history. Crawley, a local anti-violence activist, often arrived at crime scenes where Smith was working and shouted at him, claiming that a "tornado" was coming to the police department and filming police, according to new details in police reports filed after Crawley's recent controversial arrest. "The defendant has been increasingly appearing on this officer's traffic stops and other investigations," Smith wrote in a criminal complaint charging Crawley with misdemeanor obstruction of government administration. "The defendant shouts at this officer, calling out my last name, stating the 'tornado' is coming and threatening lawsuits against this officer." Smith described Crawley's actions as "acts of aggression" that were an "intentional perversion of this public servant's functions, through interference and intimidation" and "created a potentially dangerous situation" for those involved. On Thursday, Smith approached Crawley, 52, who stood across the street, livestreaming an arrest on Facebook. Crawley was arrested, and Smith later punched him in the head to secure his arrest, according to the documents. The video was immediately posted to Facebook, prompting an immediate response and protest by a local chapter of the anti-police-violence group Black Lives Matter the next day. The video has so far received more than 110,000 views on YouTube, and police have said they are conducting an internal investigation into the arrest. Syracuse police officer Vallon Smith salutes the flag during the beginning of swearing-in ceremonies when he and 15 other officers were hired in 2005. Smith is the subject of an internal investigation after being captured on video arrested Maurice Crawley, a local anti-violence activist. Crawley is a common presence at shooting scenes where he carries a large sign advocating against gun violence. He can often be heard loudly warning that he believes a federal investigation is pending against the police department's leadership, though it's unclear from police documents whether that's what he meant about a "tornado" coming. Critics said the arrest was an apparent abuse of power, as Crawley was filming from across the street and did not physically interfere with the arrest. When Smith shouted at Crawley to be quiet, Crawley said he did not hear him. The officer crossed the street and told Crawley to turn around and give the officer his hands. Crawley asked why, and the camera swings toward trees, powerlines and the sky before turning green. Maurice Crawley stands at a shooting scene in June. He often arrives at shooting scenes and takes pictures and speaks with officers and bystanders. "Don't (expletive) move, you understand me?" an officer said. "Don't you (expletive) move, I'm a (expletive) you up." After Crawley said he warned Smith a "defibrillator" on his chest, Smith pressed on and reminded Crawley that he had warned him to stop "coming around" to crime scenes. The officer later detailed, in a police report accusing Crawley of resisting arrest, that Crawley refused commands and raised his hands to avoid being handcuffed. He tensed up his elbow to avoid being arrested, Smith wrote. "It was a this time that the defendant was tackled to the ground," Smith wrote. "While on the ground, the defendant continually rolled onto his back as officers attempted to handcuff him. ... The defendant then refused to produce his left hand for handcuffing. It was at this time that this officer then used a closed fisted (sic) to punch the defendant on the right side of his head/ear area, at which time he complied." Crawley has declined comment since the arrest. He is a self-styled "O.G. against violence", which stands for "original gangster" or sometimes "old guy". Note: The video contains profanity. The arrest Crawley captured Smith was identified as the arresting officer by reviewing police documents and public records. He became a Syracuse police officer in 2005, according to Syracuse.com | Post-Standard archives. Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Richard Helterline did not respond to requests for comment on the new details, saying only that the department is investigating the arrest internally. Crawley begins the 3 minute, 46-second video by saying he was livestreaming the arrest to, "see what's going on with these boys, make sure they're doing everything they're supposed to be doing." Police documents also describe the arrest that Crawley was filming. Thomaris Pease, 34, was arrested on the 100 block of South Avenue and charged with alleged criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, fourth and seventh degree and marijuana possession, according to court documents. A different officer wrote in court documents that Pease was carrying $460 in crack cocaine in addition to 22 "knotted" pieces of plastic and an undisclosed amount of marijuana. Officers could be seen searching a man in the video in the moments leading up the arrest. Use-of-force Smith did not describe in detail what prompted him to punch Crawley, though the details he provided did not mention Crawley posing a threat of death or serious injury when the officer punched him. The police department's use-of-force policy, obtained last year through a public records request, does not appear to give officers guidance on when to strike suspects, but the Syracuse Citizen Review Board earlier this year recommended an overhaul to the department's force policy to prohibit so-called "hard-hand" tactics except in cases where suspect's actions represent an imminent threat of death or serious injury to an officer or another person. David Chaplin II, who became the CRB administrator just after the board made those recommendations, declined to comment on whether Smith's use of force was appropriate. However, he said Chief Frank Fowler has told him he is "open" to changing the department's use-of-force policy, and he commended the chief for opening an internal investigation into Crawley's arrest. Murder mysteries are an audience favorite feature of the Cortland Repertory Theatre summer season. As a result, the company knows its way around a whodunnit. The current "Cards on the Table," a nimble Agatha Christie adaptation by Leslie Darbon directed by CRT Producing Artistic Director Kerby Thompson is a satisfying jaunt into the traditional English version of murder and mayhem among the oh so very civilized. The set-up of "Cards on the Table" is familiar to Christie fans. The rich and foreign Mr. Shaitana (Mark Re) invites a small group to dinner along with famed detective writer Ariadne Oliver. The kaftaned collector of precious objects confides in Mrs. Oliver that his other guests are themselves his rarest collection. The sophisticated dowager (Mary P. Williams), the respected doctor (Richard Daniel), the appealing ingenue (Caroline Kane), and the rakish Major (Daniel Wisniewski) are all murders. During an after dinner hand of bridge, someone ends up dead. The victim fairly has a bullseye plastered on their back from the start, but that's all part of the delightful game. Unlike many stage versions of Christie novels, "Cards on the Table" is not a locked room mystery. In the CRT production, it unfolds in a fairly cinematic way, moving effortlessly between settings without losing momentum. In lesser hands this could be a plodding affair, but director Thompson celebrates the mechanics of the venerable English style murder mystery. The production is beautifully paced, allowing the cast just enough space to draw us in without allowing the action to flag. "Cards on the Table" also is a gorgeously appointed production. The scenic design by Shelley Barish and costumes by Wendi R. Zea drip 1930s atmosphere. The bravura ensemble is led by Arthur Lazalde as Christie's Superintendent Battle and Wendy Bagger as Ariadne Oliver, a detective writer whose character appears in several of Christie's novels, usually as an assistant to Hercule Poirot, (The Belgian detective does not appear here, although he's featured in the original novel). The pitch-perfect Bagger handily balances Oliver's wit, eccentricity, and gimlet-eyed intelligence. When the imposing Lazalde stalks the stage staring down suspects, we can't take our eyes off him. His work with Bagger and Jason Shipman, as his assistant Sergeant O'Connor, is as close to poetry as this lowly genre can bear. The supporting players do superlative work. The suspects create lovingly drawn caricatures of fading British Empire types. Also notable are Shipman, Jennifer Brunker, who shows fine comic timing as Miss Burgess, the doctor's secretary, Erica Nicole Rothman as an endangered young woman, and Richard Westfahl as a mysterious stranger. The Details: What: "Cards on the Table" at Cortland Repertory Theatre. Where: Cortland Repertory Theatre, 6799 Little York Lake Road, Preble. When seen: August 3. Length of performance: 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission. Attendance: Capacity. Parental guide: Children may be bored, but fine from mature middle school on. Information: (800) 427-6160, (607) 756-2627, www.cortlandrep.org. CNY Theater Guide 23 horses.JPG Some horses having a moment. The New York State Department of Health says that a Cayuga County horse tested positive for the West Nile virus. (Photo by Kathe Harrington) Cato, NY -- A horse stabled on property in the Town of Cato has tested positive for the West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness that can cause serious illness and death. It appears the Cato case may be the first reported case of equine West Nile in New York this year. There were no reported cases of a horse with the virus in state records for June 19 through Aug. 3, according to state Department of Health reports. This would be the second year that a horse in Cayuga County was the first in the state to get the virus. The Cayuga County Health Department said Thursday it had received notification from the state health department that the Cato horse had tested positive for the virus. The virus is an inflammation of the central nervous system and kills about a third of infected horses, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners. There is a West Nile virus vaccine available for horses, but there is no vaccine for humans. The Cayuga County Health Department reminds the public that it's important to minimize being bitten by mosquitoes. Antonacci Onondaga County Comptroller Robert Antonacci. (Brett Carlsen | bcarlsen@syracuse.com) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Onondaga County Legislature has added a new wrinkle to an ongoing rift with the comptroller. The legislature passed a resolution Tuesday requiring Comptroller Bob Antonacci to cooperate with an audit of the county's payroll process. The resolution stems from Antonacci's unwillingness to fully engage in an audit of existing payroll controls. In January, a member of the comptroller's staff adjusted payroll to negate raises for elected officials. A staffer with the county executive's office noticed the change and undid it. Antonacci said the audit would interfere with ongoing litigation. Legislator David Knapp (R-LaFayette) introduced the resolution. He said the comptroller was not cooperating with the piece of the audit regarding the first pay period of the year, when changes were made. "I don't know who was right or wrong and I don't care," Knapp said. "The fact is, people were in the payroll changing numbers around...We have to get our arms around this." Deputy County Executive Bill Fisher said Antonacci's changes in January show that he circumvented existing controls. "If someone can bypass that control, then you've got a problem," Fisher said. "[Antonacci] knows damn well that he went around the control framework that's in place, and he's making it look like, 'Oh, this is what the judge is going to decide.' No, the judge will decide whether it was a lawful or unlawful raise." Fisher said he would like controls in place to make sure no one has the ability to unilaterally affect payroll or steal money. Antonacci said he couldn't specifically comment on the resolution because of ongoing litigation. He is currently suing the legislature and the county executive over salary raises and suing the personnel director for "tampering" with payroll files. "I'm in between a rock and a hard place," Antonacci said. "I have no problem with payroll being audited. I recommended it. I told them yesterday that this is a pending matter." Two legislators spoke in Antonacci's defense at Tuesday's meeting -- Casey Jordan (R-Clay) and Kevin Holmquist (R-DeWitt). Jordan and Holmquist had filed a lawsuit almost identical to Antonacci's, which was thrown out last week for being redundant. Jordan said the resolution dealt with an issue currently under litigation and it's best to let the courts make a determination. "This rises from the transaction that the lawsuit applies to," Jordan said. "Everybody in here is a party to that lawsuit. We could be utilizing our public office for our own benefit." Holmquist called the resolution "terrible, awful politics." Ultimately, the resolution passed 13 to two, with Jordan and Holmquist voting "no." The county has hired Dannible & McKee to audit the payroll system after accepting requests for proposals. Boeing C-32B.JPG An Air Force C-32B, a modified version of the Boeing 757, taxies at an airport in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2005. A version of the secretive plane visited Syracuse on Wednesday. (Wikimedia Commons) Syracuse, N.Y. The mysterious all-white plane doing touch-and-goes at Syracuse Hancock International Airport on Wednesday belongs to a secretive Air National Guard squadron whose missions are classified. The C-32, a modified Boeing 757-200 passenger airliner, belongs to the 150th Special Operations Squadron of the 108th Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard, said Lt. Jacquelyn Vasvari-Toke, public information officer for the wing. The plane came to Syracuse from McGuire Air Force Base near Trenton, N.J., for a series of practice landings. Vasvari-Toke said the crew chose Syracuse, 270 miles northwest of McGuire, for the touch-and-goes because its skies are less congested that those in the Trenton area, which sits about halfway between Philadelphia and New York City. Below is a video showing a C-62 landing at Split Airport in Croatia: Its appearance gave people who live and work near Hancock Airport a rare look at a secretive plane. The aircraft is painted all white with minimal markings. Vasvari-Toke said its missions are classified. While some of the 108th Wing's eight KC-135R Stratotankers flying gas stations that refuel military aircraft in flight are sometimes put on public display at air shows, the C-32's are never publicly displayed. According to the American Special Ops website, the C-32 provides "global airlift" for U.S. government crisis response teams. It said teams may include U.S. State Department's Foreign Emergency Support Team, which deploys on short notice in response to terrorism incidents around the world, and may also fly in support of CIA "special activities." A plane that appears to be a C-32, a modified version of the Boeing 757 airliner, is shown parked at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County, N.J., in a Google Maps aerial photo. The planes are so secretive that they appear to change serial numbers many times in an attempt to keep a low profile, according to the website. "These are highly secretive units, with little information publicly available about their activities," the website said. The C-32 reportedly has been fitted with enlarged fuel tanks in its cargo hold, permitting it to fly up to 6,000 miles without refueling. It's also said to be packed with sophisticated satellite communications equipment. Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 2015-12-16-sdc-drones0203.JPG An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft operated by the 174th Attack Wing of the New York Air National Guard taxies down the runway after landing at Syracuse Hancock International Airport on Dec. 16, 2015. (Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com) Syracuse, N.Y. New York will provide $5 million to support the growth of the emerging unmanned aerial systems industry in the state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the initial investment will help bolster ongoing efforts to create a hub for UAS innovation and manufacturing in Upstate New York. Among the efforts the money will support are the planning and design of next-generation systems to manage the integration of remotely piloted aircraft into the nation's air traffic system; standardized testing and rating facilities for unmanned aerial systems; and an "innovation district," dedicated to unmanned systems, in a corridor between Syracuse and Oneida County city of Rome, Cuomo said. He called the unmanned aerial systems industry an "emerging sector with high-growth potential." The $5 million is part of the state's commitment of $500 million in funding over the next five years to promote economic growth in Central New York. New York is among a number of states that are vying to become a hub for the unmanned aerial systems industry as the use of remotely piloted aircraft greatly increases. Central New York is home to several companies that are partnering to create centers for testing the airworthiness of unmanned aerial systems. Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 2014-06-24-mjg-Hanna6.JPG U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, said his offices have been flooded with phone calls since he said he would vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Hanna is shown while giving his victory speech on Election Night in 2014. (File photo / Michael Greenlar) WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna says his office has been swamped with phone calls in the two days since he became the first Republican in Congress to say he will vote for Hillary Clinton in November's presidential election. More than 100 of those calls arrived overnight Wednesday, with about 60 percent of the callers critical of his support for Clinton over GOP nominee Donald Trump, Hanna said in an interview Thursday. "A lot of those callers left ugly and disgusting messages," Hanna told Syracuse.com. "Some of them were from very foul-mouthed people, but some people were very kind." He said the majority of calls were from outside of his Upstate New York congressional district, with most calls coming from Texas and California. Hanna's decision to make his support for Clinton public in an interview and op-ed Tuesday has put an international spotlight on the retiring three-term House member, who has been content to work behind the scenes in Congress. News organizations from across the United States, Britain, France and Japan have reported on his public split with Trump and his Republican backers. The reaction from elected officials has differed from the anonymous phone messages left at Hanna's congressional offices in Utica and Washington, D.C. Hanna, who represents an eight-county Upstate New York district surrounding Syracuse, said he has received only words of encouragement from a handful of Republicans and Democrats in Congress who have contacted him since Tuesday. No members of the Republican leadership in Congress have called to rebuke Hanna, nor have officials representing Trump's campaign tried to contact him, the congressman said. The only public criticism of Hanna came from Onondaga County Republican Chairman Tom Dadey, who co-chairs Trump's campaign in New York state. Among the international readers who wrote to Syracuse.com about Hanna's decision was Pablo Altmann of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who wrote, "Please give a big hug to Mr. Hanna." Jan Osinga wrote from the Netherlands: "I need to say that I am very proud of you not to vote for Trump. We are very anxious in Europe and the Netherlands that Trump would become the next president of the USA." Hanna has stayed in Upstate New York this week, rejecting most requests for interviews, while Congress is on its seven-week summer recess. Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Paul Manafort Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort accidentally said he supports Paul Ryan "for president" during a "CBS This Morning" interview Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (CBS video still) Did Donald Trump's campaign chairman just make a Freudian slip? Paul Manafort accidentally endorsed Paul Ryan for president on national television Thursday during a discussion about Trump refusing to support the House speaker in his primary race. "Look. I support the speaker and I know after next week, I'm supporting him as a candidate for president, too," Manafort told "CBS This Morning." Manafort quickly tried to correct himself, laughing as co-hosts Norah O'Donnell, Gayle King and Charlie Rose asked about rumors that Trump could bow out of the election. The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that the Republican National Committee could replace the presidential nominee "by reason of death, declination, or otherwise," with Ryan the favorite if a last-minute change occurred. "Started another rumor," Manafort said with a chuckle. He did admit "there's a conflict within the Trump campaign," but insisted that Trump "is going to support Paul Ryan." Earlier this week, Trump refused to endorse Ryan, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Sen. John McCain just two weeks after pledging party unity at the Republican National Convention. All three candidates are facing contested primary races, but Trump said "I'm just not there yet" for Ryan, the nation's most senior elected Republican. Trump's running mate, vice presidential candidate Mike Pence, endorsed Ryan. "Donald Trump understood that relationship," Manafort said. NBC reported Wednesday that Republicans are planning an intervention for Trump to "rescue" his campaign. GOP Chairman Reince Priebus, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are rumored to be seeking Trump's children to help in a sitdown with the billionaire businessman, though Giuliani denied it Wednesday. Manafort insisted things were fine in the campaign despite lower poll numbers this week. "We feel as though in a week or so the polls are going to even out. We always thought that. We had a bounce, we knew that the Democrats would have a bounce," he told CBS. The Associated Press reports Trump also dismissed speculation about party trouble. "We've never been this united," he said at a campaign stop in Florida. NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- Fire officials are investigating after a blaze damaged the Western New York apartment of a volunteer firefighter who said he received a racist, threatening letter earlier this week. Fire officials are investigating after a blaze damaged the Western New York apartment of a volunteer firefighter who said he received this racist, threatening letter earlier this week. Firefighters were called Wednesday afternoon to the North Tonawanda home of Kenneth Walker, 28. Nobody was home at the time. On Tuesday, Walker showed Buffalo media an anonymous letter he said was left in his mailbox on Monday. It told him to resign because he's black, "or you will regret it." City police, federal prosecutors in Buffalo and the FBI are reviewing the letter. Contact information for Walker wasn't available. He told WGRZ-TV he has never had any issues with co-workers or the public in two years as a firefighter. He said the letter made him fear for the safety of his wife and two young children. The letter, which uses the N-world, says blacks "are not allowed to be firefighters" and "no one wants you in this city." The National Desk contributed to this report. American Airlines Bankrupt.JPG An American Airlines plane, seen in a file photo. (AP Photo) Charlotte, N.C. An American Airlines pilot tackled and subdued an apparently drunk passenger who allegedly assaulted a female crew member at the end of a flight to Charlotte in July. Video of the incident emerged this week, according to the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. It shows the pilot taking the passenger to the floor of the plane. The man, Michael Kerr, repeatedly ignored instructions from crew members and eventually shoved a flight attendant to the floor, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky. "Enough," the pilot told Kerr as he took him down. "You don't put your hands on my flight attendant." Kerr also threatened to break the pilot's jaw during the incident. Warning: The video contains graphic language and some violence. The pilot and others then held Kerr on the floor for 15 to 20 minutes until police arrived, said passenger Brian Colon, who recorded the video, according to the Herald-Leader. Colon, a flight attendant for Norwegian Airlines who happened to be on the flight, told the paper he had never seen anything like the incident involving Kerr. "I felt like the flight attendant's life was in danger," Colon said, according to the Herald-Leader. "I felt like someone else needed to step in, the way he treated her." Kerr continued to struggle and yell at crew members until he was removed from the plane. Kerr was apparently trying to get off the plane as it taxied to the gate in Charlotte, according to the Charlotte Observer. He appeared intoxicated during the incident and he clearly slurs his words in the new video. Kerr had three whiskeys after takeoff from Lexington, Kentucky, according to the Observer. In addition to pushing one flight attendant to the floor, he kicked another, the paper said. Kerr was a cook at a restaurant in Lexington, but has been fired, according to the Herald-Leader. He faces charges of assault, public intoxication and interfering with the duties of the flight crew, according to Mashable. He is free on $25,000 bail. The flight attendant Kerr pushed is receiving physical therapy for injuries she suffered in the incident, Mashable said. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Google + | 315-454-2112 SHARE WEDNESDAY'S SPECIAL EVENTS Line Dancing: 5-6 p.m. Aug. 3. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $30/$36. Register: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. WEDNESDAY'S RECURRING EVENTS ARTS/CRAFTS Alizarin Crimson Art Studio: Over 30 years of Fine Art Instruction Painting Classes-All Levels. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Cedar Pointe Plaza, 2611 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. All ages. 772-287-7030; Alizarincrimsonstudio.net. Professional Teaching Staff: Georgia Abood, Kate Wood & Jennifer Pollack. Imaginative Drawing Class: 4:30-7:30 p.m. The Artists Nook, 43 S.E. Kindred St., Stuart. Ages: 15+. $30-$360. paradigm_shiftin@mac.com. Rendering in Mixed Media: Learn to Draw colorfully with more than just a pencil. 7:30-10:30 p.m. The Artists Nook, 43 S.E. Kindred St., Stuart. Ages: 16+. $30-$360. paradigm_shiftin@mac.com. CHILDREN/TEENS Family Story Time: 10:30 a.m. Ages 1-3 years. Peter and Julie Cummings Library, 2551 S.W. Matheson Ave, Palm City. 772-288-2551; library.martin.fl.us. Family Story Time: 11:30 a.m. Ages: 0-12 months. Peter and Julie Cummings Library, 2551 S.W. Matheson Ave, Palm City. 772-288-2551; library.martin.fl.us. CLUBS Marine Corps League: Meeting for qualified U.S. Marines, Navy F.M.F.-Corpsmen & F.M.F.-Chaplains. 7 p.m. Stuart-Jensen Elks Lodge No. 1870, 1001 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart. Ages: 17+. Fee/dues after joining. 800-979-9096; info@martinmcl1045.org. DANCE Adult Summer Dance Camp: Classes and Social Parties for Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country Dance. 4-10 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Ages: 18+. $100 to $300 per month per person. Register: 609-356-2973; gloriana@jensenbeachballroom.com. Ballroom Dancing: 4-5 p.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $8/$10. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Dance Classes: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country and Club group and private classes. 1-9 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Discounts available. Register: 609-356-2973; www.JensenBeachBallroom.com. Dancing and Karoke: Music and Dancing at the Elks with Permanent Affair, open membership night. 6-10 p.m. Stuart-Jensen Elks Lodge 1870, 1001 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart. Ages: 21. 772-287-0277; elks1870@bellsouth.net. Group Dance Lessons: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country. 6 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. $10 per person. 609-356-2973; jensenbeachballroom.com. EXERCISE/health Aerobic Sitting Exercises: 9-10 a.m. MCP& R Log Cabin Senior Center, Langford Park, 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach. Ages: 50+. $2. 772-334-2926; zcarter@martin.fl.us. Yoga: For caregivers, family, cancer survivors hosted by How Big is Your Brave. 6-7 p.m. 2026 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. Reservation: www.howbigisyourbrave.org/programs. Zumba Gold: 9-10 a.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $4/$6. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. OTHER Citizenship Class: Free citizenship application assistance and preparation for the citizenship test. 6-8 p.m. Robert Morgade Library, 5851 S.E. Community Drive, Stuart. 772-463-3245; library.martin.fl.us. Life Skills Discussion Group: Have you got something you would like to discuss? 1-3 p.m. MCP&R Log Cabin Senior Center at Langford Park, 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach. Multigenerational. $2. 772-334-2926; zcarter@martin.fl.us. Lighthouse Sunset Tour: View the spectacular sunset atop the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Time varies by sunset. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter. Children must be at least 48" to climb. $20 or $15 for Members. Reservation: 561-7478380; www.jupiterlighthouse.org. Marine Corps League Monthly Meeting: U.S. Marines, Navy F.M.F. Corpsmen & F.M.F. Chaplains. 7 p.m. sharp! Stuart-Jensen Elk's Lodge #1870, 1001 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart. 772-919-8800; jjwilsonmcl1045@gmail.com. Piano Instruction: Beginners to concert level. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Shirley Heifetz, Jensen Beach. Ages: 8+. Registration: 772-934-6812. THURSDAY'S SPECIAL EVENTS Photography Class: Photography Class. Noon-1 p.m. Aug. 4. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 21+. $90-$100. Register: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. THURSDAY'S RECURRING EVENTS Art/Crafts Alizarin Crimson Art Studio: Over 30 years of Fine Art Instruction Painting Classes-All Levels. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Cedar Pointe Plaza, 2611 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. All ages. 772-287-7030; Alizarincrimsonstudio.net. Professional Teaching Staff: Georgia Abood, Kate Wood & Jennifer Pollack. Imaginative Drawing Class: 4:30-7:30 p.m. The Artists Nook, 43 S.E. Kindred St., Stuart. Ages: 15+. $30-$360. paradigm_shiftin@mac.com. Rendering in Mixed Media: Learn to Draw colorfully with more than just a pencil. 7:30-10:30 p.m. The Artists Nook, 43 S.E. Kindred St., Stuart. Ages: 16+. $30-$360. paradigm_shiftin@mac.com. Watercolor Classes: Class taught by two award winning area artists. 1-3 p.m. MCP&R Log Cabin Senior Center, Langford Park, 2369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach. Multigenerational. $15. 772-334-2926; zcarter@martin.fl.us. CHILDREN/TEENS "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Ages: 27-60 months. 9:30-10:30 a.m. The Children's Museum, 1707 N.E. Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach. 772-225-7575. "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Siblings. 10:45-11:45 a.m. The Children's Museum, 1707 N.E. Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach. 772-225-7575. "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Ages: 3-11 months. Noon-1 p.m. The Children's Museum, 1707 N.E. Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach. 772-225-7575. "Music & Movement": Parent/child classes designed to enhance child's growth and development. Ages: 12-18 months. 1:15-2:15 p.m. The Children's Museum, 1707 N.E. Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach. 772-225-7575. DANCE Adult Summer Dance Camp: Classes and Social Parties for Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country Dance. 4-10 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Ages: 18+. $100 to $300 per month per person. Register: 609-356-2973; gloriana@jensenbeachballroom.com. Belly Dance with Helia: A complete workout. 5:45 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Ages: 14+. $11-$45. 772-460-7971; www.movingharmonies.com. Dance Classes: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country and Club group and private classes. 1-9 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. Discounts available. Register: 609-356-2973; www.JensenBeachBallroom.com. Group Dance Lessons: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Country. 6 p.m. Jensen Beach Ballroom, 881 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach. $10 per person. 609-356-2973; jensenbeachballroom.com. EXERCISE/HEALTH Basic Yoga for Inner Peace: One hour of yoga poses and half-hour of guided meditation. 10-11:30 a.m. Unity of Stuart, 211 S.E. Central Parkway, Stuart. Adults. $10. Register: 772-214-0892; www.unityofstuart.org. Gentle Chair Yoga: 11:15 a.m.12:15 p.m. Kane Center, 900 SE Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 55+. $8/$10. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Hip Pop Fitness: Dance your way to fitness. River Walk Center, 600 N. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce. 6:30 p.m. Ages: 18+. 772-224-4506; chrystalismoments16@gmail.com. Senior Fitness: 1-2 p.m. Class using weights, balls & stretch bands. Kane Senior Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 55+. $4-$6. 772-223-7807; www.kanecenter.org. Tai Chi for Arthritis: 10-11 a.m. April 21. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 60+. $8/$10. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Total Body Workout: 4-5 p.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $4/$6. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Yoga for Inner Peace: $10. St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 5150 S.E. Railway Ave., Stuart. 4-5:30 p.m. Register: 772-286-5455; stlukes@stlukesfl.org. Zumba Gold: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $4/$6. 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. OTHER MC Genealogical Society: 5:45-7:45 p.m. Genealogy Room, Blake Library, 2351 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart. Ages: 12 +. 772-220-1638; mcgensociety.org. Piano Instruction: Beginners to concert level. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Shirley Heifetz, Jensen Beach. Ages: 8+. Registration: 772-934-6812. LOOKING AHEAD Writing Artist Statements, Bios and More: Part of Arts Council Summer Series for Artists. 9:30 a.m.-noon Aug. 5. Court House Cultural Center, 80 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. $20 for Arts Council members; $25 for nonmembers. Reservation: 772-287-6676; www.martinarts.org. Dinner/Dance Fundraiser: Dinner/Dance Fundraiser for Adult Day Program. 5-7 p.m. Aug. 5. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. $12. Ticket: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Back to School Bash: The festivities will include video game demos, a dance performance, goody bags with samples and offers, giveaways, and a variety of vendors providing service. Noon-4 p.m. Aug. 6. Treasure Coast Square, J.C. Penney Courtyard, 3174 U.S. 1, Jensen Beach. Great Back Pack Give Away: Free fully stocked back packs for children K-8. 8-11 a.m. Aug. 6. St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 5150 S.E. Railway Ave. Cove Road A1A, Port Salerno. Back To School Fair: 400 free Backpacks, Lunch, Kid's Haircuts, Eye Exams, Clothing, etc. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 6. Trinity United Methodist Church, 2221 N.E. Savannah Road, Jensen Beach. 772-334-3404; www.trinityjb.org. 2nd Annual Pup Crawl: Pup Crawl to benefit HSTC Shelter Pets. 5:30-10 p.m. Aug. 6. Downtown Stuart starting at Spoto's Oyster Bar, 131 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart. Ages: 21+. $20 per person. Ticket: 772-600-3211; czanetti@hstc1.org. Barn Theatre Auditions: Barn Theatre Auditions for "The Haunting of Hill House". 7 p.m. Aug. 7, 8, 9. The Barn Theatre, 2400 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart. www.barn-theatre.com. Biologist Beach Walk: Public insight into LMC's research department. 6:45-8:30 a.m. Aug. 8.-Sept. 30. Loggerhead Marinelife Center, 14200 U.S. 1 Juno Beach. Ages: 8+. $12. Ticket: 561-627-8280; www.marinelife.org/beachwalk. Backpack & School Supplies Distribution: Free Backpacks and School Supplies. Noon-2 p.m. Aug. 10. The Salvation Army of Martin County, 821 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Stuart. Grades: K-8. 772-288-1471; Maria.McGowan@uss.salvationarmy.org. Jazz Dance Class: 1-2 p.m. Aug. 10. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 50+. $30/$35. Register: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Coffee With A Cop: McDonald's and the Martin County Sheriff's Office are hosting. 8-10 a.m. Aug. 11. McDonald's, 3600 S.W. U.S. 1, Wedgewood Commons, Stuart. Sailfish Splash Waterpark: Free admission day to Martin County residents. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 11. Sailfish Splash Waterpark, 931 S.E. Ruhnke St., Stuart. Tales from the Archives: Learn historical research & new findings from our Museum's collection. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter. RSVP: 561-7478380; www.jupiterlighthouse.org. Estate & Long-Term Care Planning: Estate & Long-Term Care Planning. 3 p.m. Aug. 18. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 60+. RSVP: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch: Hang 20 Surf Dog Classic Pre-party and fundraiser. 5 p.m. Aug. 18. Guanabanas Waterfront Restaurant, 60 N. Highway A1A, Jupiter. Donation. RSVP: 561-737-5311; www.furryfriendsadoption.org. Lighthouse Moonrise Tour: View the Full Moon from atop the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. 7:15 p.m. Aug. 18. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter. Children must be at least 48" to climb tower. $20 or $15 for Members. Reservation: 561-747-8380; www.jupiterlighthouse.org. Beach 2 Beach 5k: Run/walk to benefit South Fork High's cross country team. 6:45 p.m. Aug. 19. Jensen Sea Turtle Beach, 4191 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach. $18-$25. Register: 772-521-3548; www.active.com/jensen-beach-fl/running/distance-running-races/beach-to-beach-5k-2016?int. Parent University: 9 a.m.-Noon. Aug. 20. Martin County High School, 2801 Kanner Highway, Stuart. martinschools.org. Hearts at Home: Hearts at Home, Congestive Heart Failure-Focused Care. 10:30 a.m. Aug. 22. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 60+. RSVP: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. Hearing Health Event: Get your free hearing checked out by an expert. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 23 & 25. Professional Audiology Associates, 1045 Southeast Ocean Blvd., Ste. #4, Stuart. Reservation: 772-220-8354; www.hearinghealthusa.com/event/free-hearing-health-event-stuart-fl/. Human Trafficking Coalition of the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee: Guest Speaker: Representative Gayle Harrell. 10-11 a.m. Aug. 23. Martin County Sheriff's Office, 800 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart. Brain Boosting Workshop: Four Week Brain Boosting Workshop. 3-4 p.m. Aug. 24. Kane Center, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Ages: 60+. RSVP: 772-223-7800; www.kanecenter.org. The Florida Chamber Foundation/Town Hall Meeting: Will roll out their 2030 plan. 8:30 a.m. Aug. 25. Indian River State College, 2400 S.E. Salerno Road, Stuart. Register: floridaflcoc.wliinc25.com/cwt/external/wcpages/wcevents/eventregistration.aspx?LK=BD8P5F7I704R1Q4L7Y4W4C2R48&EventID=674F5P. Club Scrub River Paddle II & The End of Summer: Fundraiser that will benefit JDSP Camp Murphy Mountain Bike Trails. 8 a.m. Aug. 27. Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Swim Beach River Area, S.E. U.S. 1, Hobe Sound. Clubscrub.org. Treasure Coast Yard Sale: Community yard sale & auction. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 27. Martin County Fairgrounds, 2616 S.E. Dixie Highway, Stuart. All Ages. $0-50. Register: TreasureCoastYardSale.com. SEPTEMBER Bankruptcy and Fair Debt Collections Know Your Rights: Clinics on Bankruptcy and Fair Debt Collections. 6 p.m. Sept. 6, Oct. 4, Nov. 7, Dec. 5. Port St. Lucie Civic Center, 9221 S.E. Civic Center Place, Port St. Lucie. Register: 772-466-4766; www.FRLS.org. President Barack Obama cut short the sentences of 214 federal inmates, including 67 life sentences, in what the White House called the largest batch of commutations on a single day in more than a century. (EPA/CHRIS KLEPONIS / POOL) SHARE By Ledyard King And Gregory Korte, USA TODAY WASHINGTON President Obama commuted the sentences of 30 federal inmates from Florida on Wednesday, part of his administration's ongoing effort to soften what many see as unduly harsh penalties handed down at the height of the war on drugs. The 30 were among 214 federal inmates nationwide, the largest single-day grant of commutations in the nation's history. Obama has now used his constitutional clemency power to shorten the sentences of more federal inmates than any president since Calvin Coolidge. The 30 from Florida included some from all corners of the state, including five people from the Treasure Coast. Among those granted relief were Lenwood Davies of Wabasso in Indian River County, who will be allowed to leave prison Dec. 1, nearly six years before his original 15-year sentence for selling cocaine and illegally owning a firearm was to expire. "The more we understand the human stories behind this problem, the sooner we can start making real changes that keep our streets safe, break the cycle of incarceration in this country, and save taxpayers like you money," Obama said in a Facebook post. In that post, Obama also referenced a thank-you letter he received in March from Sherman D. Chester, a St. Petersburg man who was released in December following a commutation from the president after serving nearly 23 years of a life sentence for drug possession with intent to distribute. "This is a country that believes in second chances. So we've got to make sure that our criminal justice system works for everyone," the president wrote. "We've got to make sure that it keeps our streets safe while also making sure that an entire class of people like Sherman isn't relegated to a life on the margins." The president's clemency power usually takes one of two forms: pardons, which give offenders full legal forgiveness for their crimes, and commutations, which shorten prison sentences but often leave other conditions intact. Many of those granted commutations Wednesday will continue to have supervised release. Still, advocates for more aggressive presidential clemency say Wednesday's commutations aren't enough to fulfill the promise of Obama's 2014 clemency initiative, which hoped to shorten the sentences of offenders who would have been given shorter sentences if they had been convicted of the same crime today. "While the commutations President Obama granted today are an important step forward, they remind us of how much more work this administration has to do if it is to grant relief for every person eligible," said Mark Osler, a law professor at St. Thomas University. More than 11,000 petitions are pending, and Osler said at least 1,500 people are eligible for commutation under the administration's criteria. Critics also say the commutations have often come at the expense of traditional pardons, which are more useful to former offenders looking for jobs or seeking to restore their voting or gun rights. Former pardon attorney Deborah Leff resigned this year because she said the administration wasn't devoting enough resources to the issue, and because her recommendations were often overruled. "Our work is far from finished," White House counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a blog post. "I expect the president will continue to grant clemency in a historic and inspiring fashion." But he said the laborious clemency process in which each application is reviewed by at least three levels of lawyers at the Justice Department and the White House before going to the president is no substitute for congressional action to overhaul sentencing guidelines. "The individual nature of the clemency process underscores both its incredible power to change a person's life, but also its inherent shortcoming as a tool for broader sentencing reform," Eggleston said. "While we continue to work to act on as many clemency applications as possible, only legislation can bring about lasting change to the federal system." TREASURE COAST COMMUTATIONS President Obama commuted the sentences of 214 nonviolent offenders, including 30 from Florida. This is part of a broader effort he's taken to reduce what many see as unduly harsh penalties handed down at the height of the war on drugs. These inmates are from the Treasure Coast: Lenwood Davies Wabasso Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm. Southern District of Florida Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (ordered Nov. 15, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1 Davies was one of more than 30 arrested in a 2007 drug crackdown in Indian River County by a variety of agencies. He was described as the main crack cocaine distributor in the network, which was estimated to have been dealing 10 kilograms of cocaine a week, brought in from South Florida. Bernard Jennings Vero Beach Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (three counts). Southern District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (ordered Nov. 12, 1993) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1 Donella Marie Harriel Stuart Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base. District of South Carolina Sentence: 264 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (ordered March 17, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment and a four-year term of supervised release. Derrick Tyrone Lamb Fort Pierce Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of cocaine base. Southern District of Florida Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (ordered March 3, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 151 months' imprisonment. Robert Earl Nettles Fort Pierce Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm. Southern District of Florida Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (ordered Jan. 22, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1 Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com; Twitter: @ledgeking Staff writer Will Greenlee contributed to this report. SHARE Michael Gonzalez, 36, 1900 block of Southwest Stratford Way, Palm City; possession of cocaine. Jimmy Mincey, 50, 1600 block of Southeast Apache Avenue, Stuart; warrants for sale, manufacture or delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a park, community center or recreation facility, possession of cocaine. Caffelia Pinnock, 37, West Palm Beach; warrant for violaton of probation, exploitation of eldery/disabled in a position of trust. Nathakorn Wongphuthorn, 26, 400 block of Southeast Riverside Drive, Stuart; aggravated assault domestic; battery domestic. Matthew Clow, 27, 700 block of 10th Terrace, Stuart; warrants for dealing in stolen property, giving false information to a pawnbroker, grand theft. Arrested in St. Lucie County. Jack George Iams SHARE By Jan Lindsey, special to Treasure Coast Newspapers Who: Jack George Iams, 23, who lives in the 400 block of Oleander Avenue in Port St. Lucie, although his permanent address is in New York Charges: Lewd and lascivious behavior with someone age 12 to 14 Crime: Iams allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old girl early Wednesday morning. He was arrested Wednesday afternoon. What's next: Iams will be released from the St. Lucie County Jail if he posts a $75,000 bond. Agency: St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Quote: The girl told authorities she informed Iams that she was 14, but Iams told them she said she was 18. The girl said the sex was consensual, according to an arrest affidavit. SHARE STUART Free immunizations offered The Florida Department of Health in Martin County will provide free immunizations at the Back to School Bash, noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 6 at 705 S.E. Tarpon Ave., Stuart. The event, sponsored by the Stuart Police Department and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, will provide school supplies, community resources and family friendly activities. Health Department staff will provide adolescent immunizations including the required Tdap vaccine for incoming seventh-graders, as well as vaccines to prevent human papilloma virus and meningitis. For more information, go to www.MartinCountyHealth.com. By Laurie K. Blandford of TCPalm MARTIN COUNTY Two political newcomers one who says her business experience is her advantage, another who says his experience with taxpayer money is his strength are challenging the sitting county tax collector in this year's election. Jensen Beach resident Caroline Barca, 51, owned the Plantation Pantry and Mobile gas station on Hutchinson Island, opened two Subway shops in Fort Pierce and has been working in real estate in Martin County for the past 15 years. Barca said she oversaw her own budgets that didn't consist of taxpayer money that's guaranteed to be there. "You have to bring in your own revenue," Barca said. "The money's not automatically there." Palm City resident Joe Sesta, 51, has been the fleet manager for the Sheriff's Office since 2013 and worked there since 1993. He's responsible for $10 million worth of vehicles and equipment and a budget between $3 and $4 million annually. Sesta said he doesn't answer to himself the way a business owner does because he's handling public money. "I'm used to working with a county budget that ultimately goes in front of county commission," Sesta said. Both Barca and Sesta said they would be better leaders than the incumbent, 65-year-old Palm City resident Ruth Pietruszewski. And both opponents in the all-Republican race that will be decided in the Aug. 30 primary election have ideas for how they could improve customer service and increase revenue for the office. Pietruszewski, who is seeking her third term as tax collector, had been working for the county's school district for 15 years when she decided to run for the office to fight government wasteful spending. She's proud of how she brought the office into the digital age. Everything used to be done by hand on spreadsheets, she said, and now a few clicks on the computer makes the process move more efficiently. "I'm a workaholic," Pietruszewski said. "I've got extensive experience combined with my excellent education. It qualifies me way above the other candidates." INCREASING REVENUE Both Barca and Sesta said they think the office could bring in more money for the county by focusing on the county's tourism development tax, or bed tax, that's collected from people who rent places for less than six months, such as vacation rentals. Barca suggested starting with the county Realtors Association, Treasure Coast Builders Association and the local hospitality industry to increase awareness about the tax and how it benefits the county, as well as making it easy for renters to pay the tax online. "If people don't know they need to pay the tax, they won't even know about the incentives," Barca said. "There's not been a big enough outreach into the community." In her first term, Pietruszewski started the incentive of giving free advertisement on the county's tourism website to whoever pays the bed tax. As a result, she said, the amount collected increased by 11 percent. Since then, she's found software that scans booking websites and searches advertisements for renting local properties to reach out to them about the tax. She also worked with the property appraiser to find properties that didn't claim homestead exemption and could be renting, but they didn't find many. "We don't have the revenue the other counties do because they have the big hotels," Pietruszewski said. Sesta scoured county budgets and found more than $10 million of uncollected revenue from billing for emergency ambulance and helicopter services from 2013 through 2015. Because employees take longer to do their jobs without more efficient software, he said, the office doesn't have the staffing to go out and collect fees when sometimes all it takes is a phone call. "I don't think there's a manpower shortage," Sesta said. "I just think there's a technology shortage." IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE The office uses software specifically designed for tax collector services, which include property tax payments, driver's licenses, tags and titles, road tests, fishing and hunting licenses, local business tax receipts, EMS payments and pet licenses. Barca suggested switching to cloud-based software used by most counties in the state. She said there's a larger safety net if there's a computer crash or a data breach, and the offices across the state could collaborate to make the software more efficient. She and Sesta want to stay up to date with the software to improve customer service, especially with more residents using smartphones and tablets since Pietruszewski inherited the existing software. However, the software proposed by her opponents would cost $500,000 to buy and $250,000 annually for the license compared to the existing software's cost of $75,000 annually, Pietruszewski said. "When you're elected, you just can't do what everybody else is doing," Pietruszewski said. "You need to do what's best for your office and your taxpayers." She said software that serves more clients is more appealing to hackers than software with fewer clients. She's constantly researching new software because technology changes so quickly, but she doesn't want the county to be a guinea pig. "Changing the tax system is a major, major expense," Pietruszewski said. "You don't quick fly off the handle and do things because it costs you money." To expand customer service, one of Sesta's ideas is to reopen a Jensen Beach location for the tax collector's office to add to the existing four locations in Stuart, Hobe Sound, Palm City and Indiantown. Since the Jensen Beach office closed, he said, that area has grown in population. His idea is to open a location in Treasure Coast Square mall or a strip plaza. The Jensen Beach location closed before Pietruszewski took office because it was losing money, she said, and reopening it would be too expensive. "Now you have to be careful if you want a rent a place because you're getting more and more people online," Pietruszewski said. "You're getting less and less people coming face to face. We're going into a digital world." Barca suggested saving money by being more efficient with existing offices by utilizing extra space. She agreed that current technology has changed business operations. "Because more services are being offered online," Barca said, "I don't see a need to expand the number of offices." MARTIN COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR Caroline Barca, Republican Monetary Contributions: $33,816 In-Kind Contributions: $9,015.20 Loans: $1,000 Expenditures: $33,300.03 Notable Contributions: River Palm Cottages & Fish Camp in Jensen Beach; Aunt Ds Kitchen restaurant in Jensen Beach; Captain Pips Marina in Marathon; Christopher J. Twohey P.A. law office in Stuart; Roma Pizza & Subs restaurant in Palm City; Coronado Finance in Las Cruces, New Mexico; Accountable Home Inspections in Palm City; CDAME real estate in Stuart; Pero Family Farms in Delray Beach; BJB Family farm in Fort Pierce; Raul Ocampo & Associates in Palm City; St. Clair & Sons automotive services in Jensen Beach; J.B. Bugs automotive services in Jensen Beach; Emil LaViola Custom Homes in Stuart; Sanco Construction in Jensen Beach; JE Crawford Realty in Jensen Beach; Welcome Home Realty International in Jensen Beach; Resort Construction Services in Stuart; Florida Equity Resources real estate and investment in Stuart; RCC Vision in Stuart; Brickell Motors in Miami; A&G Concrete Pools in Fort Pierce; Felice Giuliani Hardscape in Jensen Beach; Jomar Properties in Boulder, Colorado; Country Club Produce in Stuart; Jeremiah Baron & Co. commercial real estate in Stuart; Florida Commercial Enterprises in Stuart; Hovis Insurance & Financial in Stuart; Katz & Associates law firm in Stuart; Harry & The Natives restaurant in Hobe Sound; James Groves of St. Lucie Pump & Water Supply in Stuart; Dawn Connelly of Lifting Up Leaders in Palm City; environmentalist Nathaniel Reed of Hobe Sound; Realtors; real estate investment companies; ranchers; retirees; business owners; sonographer; nurse; Pilates trainer; yoga instructor; equestrian farm owner; electrician; developer; minister; teacher; appraiser; printer; contractor; mortgage broker; homemaker Notable Expenditures: Printing; photographs; petitions; badges; business cards; T-shirts; banners; signs; sponsorships; Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce events; website; Martin County Fair booth; social media; car wrap; Palm City Chamber of Commerce membership; graphics; postage; sign language interpreter; video (October 21, 2015 July 22, 2016) Ruth Pietruszewski, Republican Monetary Contributions: $41,063 In-Kind Contributions: $6,227.29 Loans: $2,658.58 Expenditures: $7,064.65 Notable Contributions: Chief Assistant State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl; Assistant State Attorney Nita Denton; Stuart commissioners Jeffrey Krauskopf and Troy McDonald; Braswell Surety Services bail bonds in Stuart; Law Office of Joshua Deckard in Stuart; Deggeller Attractions in Stuart; Agri-Gators in Palm City; Crary Buchanan law firm in Stuart; Milcor Group engineering in Stuart; dentist William Bryant in Stuart; Carls Buick GMC in Stuart; Pav-Co paving in Stuart; Long Land Company in Palm City; GCY surveying in Palm City; Southeastern printing in Stuart; former Martin County Republican Executive Committee chair Susan Auld; Jeff Gorman Law Offices in Stuart; former school board members; Jupiter Island residents; retirees; physicians; investor; attorney; CPA; marina owner Notable Expenditures: petitions; memo pads; printing; bumper stickers; signs; Republican Executive Committee; Martin County Republican Club table; shirts; banners; advertisements; Martin County NAACP banquet; Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce table; direct mail (July 2, 2015 July 21, 2016) Joe Sesta, Republican Monetary Contributions: $14,771.60 In-Kind Contributions: $24,825.08 Loans: $300 Expenditures: $14,536.95 Notable Contributions: Current and retired Martin County sheriffs deputies and employees; Police Benevolent Association political committee in West Palm Beach; Stuart dentist Dr. William Bohen; Toms Barber Shop and Styling in Stuart; Melton & Melton Properties in Palm City; Certified Collision Experts in Stuart; Leblanc Holdings in Stuart; Milano Bail Bonds in Stuart; Scott Moore Property Management in Stuart; Custom Pool & Spa Mechanics in Stuart; Custom Pool Plastering in Stuart; CPSM pool company in Palm City; Southern Style Window and Door in Stuart; Brownie Companies general contractor in Stuart; Scott Moore Property Management in Stuart; Palm City minister David Francoeur; firefighters; retirees; students; contractors; New York residents Notable Expenditures: Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce leadership class, membership and luncheons; tax collector course; Martin County Fair booth and sponsorship trophies; Hobe Sound Womens Club fundraiser; phone marketing; petitions; supplies; business cards; campaign signs; T-shirts; ink pens; jar openers; koozies; fuel for mobile billboards; vehicle wrap; vehicle magnets; banners; bottled water; bumper stickers; public records request; advertisements; sponsorships; direct mail (May 15, 2015 July 22, 2016) By Nicole Rodriguez of TCPalm Correction: This story was updated to correct the amount of time Jolien Caraballo filled in for Ron Bowen. PORT ST. LUCIE District 4 incumbent Councilman Ron Bowen faces an uphill battle to keep his seat if his past run-in with the Sunshine Law is fresh in the minds of voters, experts say. Bowen in November 2013 was charged with, but not convicted of, a second-degree criminal misdemeanor for allegedly violating the state's Sunshine Law, which prohibits elected officials from discussing city business privately among each other. Bowen was accused of using then-City Attorney Roger Orr as an intermediary to discuss issues about then-City Manager Greg Oravec. Bowen subsequently pleaded no contest to a lesser civil infraction in exchange for taking responsibility for his actions. Bowen's lone opponent, Jolien Caraballo filled his seat for approximately seven weeks while he served a nearly five-month suspension handed down by Gov. Rick Scott. Violations of public trust and laws to ensure open government tend to stick with voters regardless of how long ago they happened, said Barbara Peterson, president of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida. "In general, citizens and voters take these issues very, very seriously," Peterson said. "The whole purpose of our open government laws are to allow us an opportunity for oversight of our government officials and to hold those people accountable for their actions." Bowen insists the charges were "a political witch hunt and Port St. Lucie politics" and claims he sought advice from the former city attorney, who should have known better. Bowen doesn't believe the case will impact the race, he said. "I paid the same fine and same charge as Councilwoman (Shannon) Martin did and it didn't affect her election," Bowen said. Martin and former Mayor JoAnn Faiella were charged with civil infractions for allegedly violating the Sunshine Law in connection with Oravec's employment. Martin plead guilty and paid a $250 fine. She won her bid for re-election in 2014. Faiella, however, lost to Oravec. Her case was initially dismissed on a technicality, but an appellate court last year reversed the 2014 dismissal which means Faiella will again face a judge on the charges. Potentially further complicating Bowen's campaign is a pending lawsuit he filed in 2014 against the city for reimbursement for nearly $25,000 in legal fees stemming from the case. Bowen refused to say if he'd drop the suit. "A legal situation shouldn't be talked about at this point, to be honest with you," Bowen said. "I have a legal issue with the city, but as far as talking about it, I don't think that anybody is at liberty to talk about it." Peterson can't say for sure if the suit will stifle Bowen's chances of winning in the primary on Aug. 30, she said. The City Council rejected Bowen's request taxpayers foot the bill for his legal costs because he wasn't cleared, it said. "I can't say because I don't know the (councilman)," Peterson said. " ... He might have a stellar reputation for everything but Sunshine that could sway somebody." For her part, Caraballo steered clear of speculating on how the past charge and pending lawsuit will affect voters at the polls. "I believe in always doing things ethically and I have always run my ship, so to say, even in a business sense, ethically, honestly and transparent," Caraballo said. Caraballo, if elected, plans to avoid the shade, too, just as she did while filling in for Bowen nearly two years ago, she said. "It's no different from the processes that you do in business," Caraballo said. "There are certain policies and procedure that you always follow and you don't think twice about ... You don't make those mistakes in business and you don't make those mistakes in government either." PROVIDED PHOTO Nature in progress SHARE By Hannah Deadman, Provided to The Courier Newsweekly ... with sea turtle experts Loggerhead Marinelife Center's public summertime beach programs will highlight sea turtle research. Summertime in South Florida can only mean one thing ... peak sea turtle nesting season! With 2016 being a busy year for Loggerhead Marinelife Center's research team including a record-breaking year for loggerhead nests along the 9.5 miles of beach LMC monitors. LMC is thrilled to share the excitement of nesting season with the public through two unique programs: Biologist Beach Walks and Hatchling Releases. UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY Biologist Beach Walks present a unique opportunity for LMC educators to give the public insight into the center's research department. With permission from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a permitted staff member will lead guests down onto Juno or Tequesta beaches to discuss the nesting and hatching processes of sea turtles. After an introduction to these processes, guests may have the opportunity to witness a live excavation and create their own data sheets to take home as a souvenir. Biologist Beach Walks run every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings in August and September. $12 per person; $10 for LMC members. Walk-ins are a flat rate of $15, and a spot is not guaranteed. Hatchling Releases are a unique experience that allows visitors to learn about sea turtles and the nesting and hatching process. The program begins with an exclusive, behind-the-gate tour to meet our current sea turtle patients, followed by a presentation. TRIP TO THE BEACH The program ends with a trip to the beach to see LMC staff release sea turtle hatchlings into the ocean. Hatchling Releases run seven days a week in August and are $17 per person; $12 per person for LMC members. Walk-ins are a flat rate of $20, and a spot is not guaranteed. All individuals, including children, are required to pre-register online to reserve their spot for either program. Children must be 8 years or older to attend the programs and all participants must be able to walk up to half a mile in soft sand. The programs will not be cancelled due to inclement weather. All scheduled Biologist Beach Walks and Hatchling Releases give groups the same odds of experiencing a nest excavation with live hatchlings. There are no refunds on tickets if a nest is not excavated or hatchlings are not seen. For more information about these programs or to register, visit www.marinelife.org/beach-programs. About Loggerhead Marinelife Center: Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a non-profit sea turtle hospital that promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The center features an on-site campus hospital, research laboratory, learning exhibits and aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, a pier which hosts world-class fishing and sightseeing. Situated on the world's most important sea turtle nesting beach, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts over 300,000 visitors each year. For more information, visit www.marinelife.org or call (561) 627-8280. DALE NEISMAN/SPECIAL TO THE COURIER NEWSWEEKLY SHARE EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a Guest Editorial written by a member of the Palm Beach North and Jupiter community. Wheels Across The Pond was formed in 2007 with a goal to bring the very best of British and European Classic Cars & Motorcycles to Jupiter for our annual Wheels Across The Pond British Classic Car & Bike Show. The show, which started out at the Queen Mary British Pub in Jupiter Farms, is now held at Carlin Park in Jupiter on the Saturday of Easter weekend. And since 2009, the beneficiary of the show has been the well-loved Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter. The Sanctuary's wildlife hospital is designed to care for injured and orphaned wild animals, and their goal is to provide the medical treatment necessary to ensure the recovered patients can be released back to the wild. ONE CALL ... I remember some time back when we found an injured hawk on our property, and one call to Busch Wildlife was all that was needed to take care of this little fellow until he was ready to be released back to his natural habitat. Many have us have similar stories and Busch Wildlife is always there to the rescue, yet the facility exists purely on donations received from members of the public, and events such as Wheels Across The Pond. Staff and animals from Busch Wildlife appear at the show each year, and it's been wonderful to see the facility grow over the years into what it has become today a venue full of exhibits of well-cared for animals in their natural environment, and still with free admission to spectators. interacting with the animals ... Attendees to Wheels Across The Pond bring their cars and bikes from all over South Florida, and it's lovely to see them interacting with the animals and to be genuinely proud to be supporting such a facility as Busch Wildlife. The larger the show gets, the more liability we incur and we're not always turning a profit by the day of the show. With 300-plus event shirts, show programs and some 140-plus show class awards and huge costs associated with such an event means that we depend heavily on spectators coming along and enjoying the show. They can use our preferred parking, perhaps purchase a raffle ticket or make a small donation as we do not charge for spectator admission. This week: $2,000 ... We are very proud to support the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, and this week Wheels Across The Pond will be presenting a donation of $2,000 as proceeds from our 10th annual show that took place on March 26. Since 2009, Wheels Across The Pond has donated more than $12,000 to the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and we hope to continue the support in years to come. Next year! ... The 11th Annual Wheels Across The Pond will take place at Carlin Park in Jupiter on Saturday April 15, 2017. For more information, visit: www.WheelsAcrossThePond.com and www.BuschWildlife.org Neil Archer www.WheelsAcrossThePond.com The location of the center of Tropical Storm Earl at 4:32 p.m. EDT on Thursday. (NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER) SHARE Tropical Storm Earl, 8 a.m. Aug. 4, 2016 By Staff Report At 5 p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Earl was about 95 miles southeast of Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico. Earl is moving west near 10 mph and this general motion is expected to continue through tonight. On the forecast track, Earl will continue to move into southeastern Mexico tonight, and move near the coast along the extreme southern Bay of Campeche on Friday. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 40 mph, with higher gusts. Additional weakening is expected and Earl is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression by tonight. HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND Wind: Tropical storm conditions should continue for the next few hours in a small area near the center as it moves through portions of northwestern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico. Rainfall: Earl is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches over portions of Belize, Guatemala, and the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Veracruz through Friday morning. Isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches are possible in Belize, northern Guatemala and the central part of the Mexican state of Chiapas. These rains could result in life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. 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. The Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation has for the first time granted a private company permission to send a spacecraft to the moon. The aptly-named Moon Express plans to send a suitcase-sized lander to the moon next year for a two-week mission, founder and CEO Bob Richards told Reuters. In lieu of a manned mission, the lander's payload will consist of some commercial cargo - cremated human remains, among them - as well as gadgetry to conduct multiple science experiments. The firm's mission to the moon will cost around $25 million. That's far less than the more than $100 billion spent on the Apollo mission but no small chunk of change. Fortunately, the company may have a way to fund most of the trip. Quartz notes that Moon Express is hoping to win Google's Lunar XPRIZE which was created in 2007 to incentivize space entrepreneurs. As per the contest, the first team to land a privately funded rover on the moon, travel 500 meters and transmit high definition video and images back to earth will win the $20 million grand prize. The second privately-funded team to do so will take home $5 million. In an interview with Quartz, Moon Express co-founder and chairman Naveen Jain said that only three superpowers have ever landed on any planet, adding that they aim to be the fourth (is the moon a planet?). NASA will advise Moon Express on its mission but won't regulate the company's activities on the moon. The College Board, the not-for-profit testing company that's responsible for putting together the SAT college entrance exam used worldwide, set about redesigning the exam in 2012 under the guidance of newly-appointed CEO David Coleman. In 2013, consulting firm Gartner urged the company to better protect the sensitive testing material it was developing for the revised SAT. A year later, College Board's own employees recommended to management that access to the testing material and its answer keys should be limited. Apparently, the testing company failed to heed those warnings. Reuters said on Wednesday that a person with access to the sensitive testing material provided them with hundreds of confidential test items including 21 reading passages with questions and answers as well as around 160 math problems. To say that this is a problem would be a massive understatement. The publication said it doesn't know how widely the leaked test items have been circulated and that there's no evidence it has fallen into the "wrong hands," so to speak. After sending a copy of the data to the College Board, spokesperson Sandra Riley told the publication that the organization was moving to contain any damage from the leak. The spokesperson didn't say whether its steps to mitigate the issue would involve delaying or canceling upcoming tests, the next round of which is scheduled to take place on October 1. Should the data find its way to a nefarious third-party, they could easily sell the information for top dollar to both students and prep centers looking to gain an unfair advantage. Image courtesy Vixit, Shutterstock Wednesday marked a day of reminiscing and farewells, after Chinese state media revealed that the Jade Rabbit lunar rover finally went dark after a record 31 months of collecting data from the moon's surface. The rover arrived on the moon on Dec.14, 2013, aboard the Chang'e 3 lunar lander. It was designed to operate for only three months, and early indicators suggested that it would not even last that long, but it beat the odds and lasted for an impressive 972 days far surpassing the 322 by the former Soviet Union's Lunokhod 1 in 1970. That record streak came to an end on July 28, when Chang'e 3 went into hibernation for the 14-day lunar night and Jade Rabbit ceased operations, state media reported, citing the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. Ever since landing on the moon, Jade Rabbit, or Yutu in Chinese, has been hugely popular across the region, posting all sorts of messages on its Twitter-like Weibo microblog. It posted one such message four days ago that has since gained nearly 100,000 shares, likes and comments, when it bid farewell to all of its fans who supported it throughout the years. "The moon says it has prepared a long, long dream for me, and I'm wondering what the dream would be like would I be a [M]ars explorer, or be sent back to [E]arth?" the lunar rover continued. However, whether or not the lunar rover is truly gone remains a point of contention, since this isn't the first time the rover has seemingly shut down. Several weeks after the rover landed, engineers thought the rover was lost after it shut down due to mechanical difficulties. Fortunately, it "woke" just two hours later, posting the greeting: "Hi, anybody there?" With that incident in mind, some fans were still not ready to move forward just yet: "Please, never say farewell, just say 'see you later,'" said user Luojiahuanghou. Regardless of whether its fans are ready to move forward, however, the state already has its next big plans already in motion. Next year, China will attempt to land an unmanned spaceship on the moon that would return to Earth with samples a feat accomplished only by the United States and Russia thus far. In addition, China has hinted at a possible crewed mission to the moon. China might be late to the party, only sending out its first astronaut into space in 2003, but its space program has made great strides since then, such as with the deployment of an experimental space station. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Intel-owned Basis is voluntarily recalling all Peak fitness smartwatches after some users reported getting burned because of overheating issues. Exhausting all options in fixing the problem via software, the company had no choice but to go through with the decision, promising a full refund for customers everywhere. "We had hoped to update the software on your watch to address the problem. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we aren't able to develop such a solution without completely compromising the user experience. As a result, we are asking that you return your Basis Peak watch and authorized accessories for a full refund at your earliest convenience," Basis says, noting that the users' safety is its priority above all else. The issue was confirmed to first turn up back in June, where wearers started reporting in that the fitness trackers caused "discomfort, blistering or burns." As expected, the company advised everyone to stop wearing them temporarily at the time until it could provide a solution, sending out a firmware update in the later part of the month. However, as evidenced by the recent announcement, it couldn't solve the matter at hand. As mentioned earlier, Basis will pay customers back in full, and to make sure that everyone participates for the sake of safety, it'll turn off cloud services for the smartwatch before the next year starts. Users will only have until Dec. 31 to access their data and download them to keep their progress. Long story short, Peak smartwatches won't function anymore beyond that date, as syncing will no longer work. For the record, official accessories purchased from authorized retailers will also be completely refunded, including charging cradles and straps. Basis aims to return the payments for each watch sent back within 10 days when it receives one. To get a full refund for the Peak smartwatch, owners worldwide can head on over to the company's support website and create a ticket. For the Basis Titanium, users will get $344 in total $299 from the product, $30 from the tax and $15 from the shipping. On the other hand, for the Basis Peak, they will get $234 $199 from the product, $20 from the tax and $15 from the shipping. This is for the customers in the United States. European and Canadian users can see the breakdown of refunds at the official website linked above. Are you one of the Basis-branded smartwatch owners? If so, drop by our comments section below to let us know what you think of this safety recall. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. For the second quarter, Tesla Motors widened its loss to $293.2 million, equivalent to a loss of $2.09 per share, compared with the loss of $184.2 million, equivalent to a loss of $1.45 per share, in the corresponding quarter last year. Elon Musk, the company's visionary CEO and founder, however, remains unfazed despite the struggling financials of Tesla Motors as the company performed much worse compared to Wall Street expectations. The revenue of Tesla Motors was a bright spot in the company's earnings release, as it raked in total revenues from sales of its electric vehicles and other sources such as services of $1.27 billion, compared with $955 million in the second quarter of 2015. However, offsetting the increased revenue performance is the higher operating expenses of Tesla Motors, which was reported at $512.8 million compared with $383.6 million in last year's second quarter. Tesla Motors executives remain optimistic that the company will be able to report a profit for the first time by the end of this year. In a conference call, Tesla Motors CFO Jason Wheeler stated that a profitable quarter is achievable if the company is able to properly execute its production and delivery goals for this year's second half. Perhaps nobody is as optimistic as Musk, as he said in the call that the problems that the company faced in the production of the Model X electric SUV are now solved. "I feel we're in a good place at this point," Musk said, after the company missed delivery targets over the past several months due to shortages of parts and hubris in adding too much new technology to the Model X. "Basically we were in production hell for the first six months of this year," Musk said, but the production line of Tesla Motors is now humming with the manufacturing of the Model S and the Model X now stable. In its earnings release, Tesla Motors said that it produced 18,345 vehicles in the second quarter and ended the period with a consistent production rate of almost 2,000 vehicles per week. The company also said that its production and demand is on track to support 50,000 deliveries for the upcoming second half. According to Musk and Wheeler, Tesla Motors has been making significant improvements in its manufacturing and factory logistics, an aspect that the company hopes will get even better as it rushes to finish its $5 billion Gigafactory in Nevada to help in meeting the expected demand for the $35,000 Model 3 electric vehicle. Musk added that he is looking to make the company's factories look like "alien dreadnoughts," as he repeated his goal of perfecting "the machine that makes the machine," referring to how these factories will be churning out the electric vehicles of Tesla Motors. The Model 3 will be the overwhelming focus of Tesla Motors moving forward, Musk said, as it looks forward to what it expects to be a profitable second half. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. OnePlus has landed itself in a sticky situation thanks to an overwhelming demand for its latest OnePlus 3 smartphone. The OEM is being compelled to pause sales for the OnePlus 3 in Europe due to high demand for the Android-powered handset, which launched on June 14 this year. However, this is just a temporary suspension of sales that will last for a month to allow OnePlus to replenish its inventory. The sales of OnePlus' flagship smartphone will be suspended starting Aug. 9 and last until Sept. 12. Twenty-three countries will be affected by the halt in sales, including one city in China. The European nations affected by the OnePlus 3 sales suspension are Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands, Malta, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Greece, France, Estonia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Croatia, Bulgaria, Belgium and Austria. Hong Kong will also see a month-long suspension window due to high demand. The OnePlus 3 holds the distinction of being the fastest selling device ever from the OEM, but the company is unable to keep up with consumer requirements. Previously, OnePlus deployed an invite system to sell its phones so that it could manufacture and supply units accordingly. However, with the OnePlus 3, the company opted to discontinue this format. The unforeseen demand for the OnePlus 3 in Europe which surpassed the company's expectations has even led the smartphone maker to extend the shipping dates for new orders. Now, with OnePlus running out of stock in several markets, it is being forced to halt sales for its flagship phone. Carl Pei, the co-founder of OnePlus, has addressed consumer concerns and noted that the company is working towards replenishing its inventory. "We are working hard to secure more stock and fire up more production lines so that we can fulfill our goal of putting premium products into the hands of as many people as possible. With this note I wanted to give customers in affected regions enough advance notice to be able to purchase a OnePlus 3," says Pei. If you are in Hong Kong or any of the 23 European countries that will see a temporary pause in sales, we suggest you pick up the OnePlus 3 prior to Aug. 9 (before 6 p.m. EDT) or you could be waiting for a month. Those who intend to purchase the OnePlus 3 but are unable to do so before Aug. 9 need not be disappointed, though. Pei has promised that the company will offer an in-stock notification page. Those interested can drop their email address to get alerted when the OnePlus 3 is back in stock. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It looks like going to the moon will no longer be a privilege reserved for the government, as Moon Express has become the first private company in the world to receive permission to travel beyond Earth's orbit a development that came after months of negotiations with government officials. Now, Moon Express, having formally received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will launch launch its MX-1 lunar lander beyond Earth's orbit and to the moon in 2017. "Moon Express received the green light for pursuing its 2017 lunar mission following in-depth consultations with the FAA, the White House, the State Department, NASA and other federal agencies," the company said [pdf] on its website Wednesday. Earning The Right For Out-Of-Orbit Flight Moon Express was was born out of the Google Lunar XPrize, an international contest with $30 million up for grabs for a private company that can soft-land on the moon and travel across its surface. One would assume that earning the right to go to the moon would have involved a long, regimented process. However, as past examples have shown, making history often requires using unconventional methods, and this instance was no different. To start, Moon Express didn't begin by asking for approval, it began by purchasing a launch to the moon with Rocket Lab in October 2015. At that time, it didn't have permission from the government to go to the moon or the ability to retain ownership of any lunar resources they obtained if it could get there. However, its situation changed somewhat in the following month, November 2015, when the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act was passed, allowing private companies to have full ownership of resources they extract in space. The bill made it legal for Moon Express to mine the moon and keep what it extracted, but it still didn't have permission to travel to the moon in the first place. From a regulatory standpoint, things were all set, but things were still murky from a security standpoint. Why? Because national assets like reconnaissance satellites that monitor specific areas of the Earth are located over 20,000 miles away in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). At the time, that was the farthest private companies could place anything past Earth, and going beyond that point would give a company full view of some of the most important space-based security satellites. As a result, it's in the government's best interest to know exactly what a company intends to do on a mission past GEO. Of course, since this would be the first time a private company would fly past Earth's orbit, there was no set procedure in place in granting a company the right to do so. As such, representatives from multiple federal agencies, including the State Department and the NSA, came together and determined that the FAA, which is already responsible for granting launch licenses to rocket companies, would be the best point of contact. Heeding their advice, Moon Express did just that and submitted an application for a 2017 commercial lunar mission to the FAA on April 8, 2016, which has now been approved. "The FAA has determined that the launch of the payload does not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or international obligations of the United States," the FAA said in a statement Wednesday. "As long as none of the information provided to the FAA changes in a material manner and the FAA does not become aware of any issues the review did not consider that could affect the determination, the FAA considers this determination final." What This Means Indeed, this will mark the first time that a private company has conducted a lunar mission. If successful, it will become the fourth entity overall to soft-land on the moon. The first three to hold this distinction were all global superpowers: the U.S., the former USSR and China. However, what this doesn't mean is that other private companies will automatically be granted access to the moon. Naveen Jain, co-founder of Moon Express, was quick to note that this permission was a onetime deal for the company. All future requests for lunar travel will be addressed on a case-by-case basis until laws governing this activity can be passed. At the very least, however, all companies that might seek approval in the future will know which entity to contact for permission and what steps need to be taken while doing so. "This simply shows that every company can achieve their moon-shot," said Jain. Moving Forward Whereas other companies still need to submit their plans to the FAA before getting their hopes off the ground, Moon Express is free to move forward. For starters, Moon Express hopes to win further XPrize awards by moving across the surface. Rather than simply roving, it will re-fire its rockets on the MX-1 lander and "hop" to different locations. In the future, the company expects to boost revenue by harvesting resources on the moon, like water and Helium-3, creating a fuel depot on the surface and ultimately performing round-trip missions to ferry payloads back to the Earth. By the end of the year, Moon Express plans to double its employee base to over 50 people. Moon Express will conduct its mission in the latter half of 2017 on a rocket provided by Rocket Lab. Jain stated the mission will be profitable due to private payloads and sponsorships. NASA is expected to participate as well by providing a paid scientific payload, though Moon Express' business plan is not dependent on it. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. With Zika becoming an increasingly apparent threat, fraudsters are starting to cash in on the scare by offering products that simply don't work. In an announcement Wednesday, Aug.3, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a warning to both potential victims and the people looking to exploit them. For the potential victims, he warned them to look out for products that claim to effectively fight Zika, and warned the peddlers of these products that he would "shut them down" and called the marketing of worthless products to concerned New Yorkers "absolutely shameless." So, what are the products that these companies have been marketing to troubled locals? Schneiderman specifically mentioned products that are based in B vitamins and "essential oils," along with those that claim to emit ultrasound energy that deters mosquitoes, like the iGuard 2.0 Ultrasonic Insect Pest Repellent and STAR Ultrasonic Pest Repeller. In addition, he mentioned and indicated quite a distaste for products such as Wildheart Outdoors Natural Mosquito Repellent Bracelet and Kenza High Quality Zika Mosquito Repellent Smiley Patch, which are targeted toward children. The problem with all these products is that they use approaches that are neither supported by evidence nor approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "There are no magic objects that will keep mosquitoes at bay," said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett. While there are no sure-fire items that will keep mosquitoes at bay, we do at least have knowledge of some methods that can be undertaken to protect ourselves. For starters, removing standing water in or near your home, as well as wearing pants and long sleeves outdoors, and using mosquito nets indoors are all effective. Furthermore, insect repellents that contain DEET, Picaridin (also known as KBR 3023, icaridin or bayrepel), oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535, are all proven to be effective and are registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and as such, are safe to use. This development seems odd at first glance, since the news has been dominated by locations like Florida being a hotbed for Zika, but New York has had some cases, too (though not locally-transmitted). Health officials revealed that, thus far, 537 people infected with the virus have been confirmed in the state, the vast majority of whom were connected with travel to affected areas. In the meantime, efforts to take down the companies offering these knock-off products are already underway. One such company has been slapped with a $300,000 fine by the Federal Trade Commission for falsely claiming that its wristband can erect a 5-foot anti-mosquito barrier that protects the wearer for days. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. IBM Rolls Out New Mobile First for iOS Garage | TechTree.com IBM today unveiled a new IBM MobileFirst for iOS Garage in Bangalore, India. The Garage -- part of a network of centers at Atlanta, Cupertino, Toronto and Chicago -- will help clients around the world achieve mobile-led, digital transformations at speed and at scale on the iOS platform. IBM also announced Mobile at Scale for iOS, a new offering specifically for clients looking to invest in digital transformation projects that include more than three iOS apps over a multi-year period. Clients opting for this model have full access to IBMs portfolio of MobileFirst for iOS apps to jumpstart their digital transformation, iOS App Accelerators for rapid app development and customization, and enterprise design services that align the app experience to the needs of the user. The Garage specializes in handling these end-to-end client engagements to design, develop and implement multiple, bespoke iOS apps. IBM partnered with Apple in July 2014 to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of made for business apps -- bringing IBMs big data and analytics capabilities to Apple devices in the enterprise. To date, IBM has developed over 100 apps across 15 industries and delivered nearly 2,000 client engagements. The Garage will extend the design, development and delivery skills gained from IBM's partnership with Apple to serve a broader set of global clients. With each IBM MobileFirst for iOS clients success, we see the conversation shifting from wanting a single app to cultivating a broader business transformation led by mobile, says Mahmoud Naghshineh, general manager, Apple partnership, IBM, adding, Our global network of MobileFirst for iOS Garages are a key accelerator for our clients and a significant differentiator for IBM. The Garage is a state-of-the-art space, dedicated to enabling clients to complete digital mobility projects as quickly as possible. The Garage will tap into the worlds largest concentration of Swift developers, IBM design and iOS device expertise and consulting services. It will serve as a global development hub for iOS apps and work with existing design locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Cupertino and Toronto. IBM also plans to open satellite centers in Brazil, China, Romania and more. There are 22 interdisciplinary teams working in the Garage in Bangalore, using end-to-end DevOps, IBM Design Thinking and agile delivery approaches to deliver iOS solutions in weeks, not months. TAGS: Press Release, Apple, iOS, IBM Roposo And Uber Partner For 'Photoshoot-On-Demand' Campaign | TechTree.com Roposo, the new age fashion social network, has joined hands with Uber for a unique brand awareness campaign in the city of Ahmedabad. The event is to be held on August 6 and is aimed at bringing together photographers and fashion enthusiasts to generate awareness about the Roposo brand and also connect more personally with potential customers of the site. Uber is obviously the logistics partner who will be responsible for picking up the select entrants to the events and dropping them post-event. The campaign will be active for a 4-hour window from 1.00 PM to 5.00 PM. Riders will be able to decide on being a part of the campaign through the Uber app itself. The lucky participants will be picked by Uber from their location and will be driven to the location of the shoot. Once the shoot is done, participants will also be dropped back to their homes in an Uber. Explaining the idea behind the campaign, Avinash Saxena, co-founder of Roposo said, At Roposo, we are always looking at new and engaging ways to touch a chord with our target markets. In an innovative twist, we are bringing together two of our most active communities i.e. fashionistas and photographers. While the former get a lifestyle photoshoot for free, the latter get a chance to showcase their talent. Furthermore, we believe that our association with a widely-accepted brand such as Uber will add to the campaigns success quotient. With him on the occasion was Viral Jhaveri, the General Manager of Uber Ahmedabad, who said Uber Ahmedabad has completed two-years and as a part of our anniversary celebrations were excited to partner with Roposo to give our riders an opportunity to get a photoshoot done on-demand, and celebrate this special day with us. Roposo has fast grown to become the countrys favourite fashion social network and we are pleased to partner with them for this fun-filled campaign. Roposo and Uber are a perfect synergistic match and we look forward to more such exciting tie-ups in the future. The pre-event contest will pick the best fashionistas at the venue and will be held on the online platform of Roposo called #UberRoposo. The publicity, as one can guess, will be done through channels like the Roposo website, push notifications, emails, and social media. The main event itself will be promoted by Uber through its multiple communication channels such as the newsroom blog, social media, SMS, e-mail, splash screen on the app. The photoshoot will be targeted towards the youth that are tech-savvy, where they will be clicked indulging in day-to-tasks at the venue. Ahmedabad is selected as the location to launch the campaign because it is crucial for future business prospects of both Uber and Roposo as the fastest growing marke. For this reason, the first time riders of Uber can also use the promotional code 'ROPOSO', which can be used countrywide by users of the app. TAGS: Press Release, Uber, Lifestyle Zomato To Enable Payments Via Freecharge Wallet | TechTree.com Freecharge, Indias fastest growing digital payments platform, has partnered with restaurant search and discovery platform Zomato to offer swift and secure digital payment option to food lovers. Customers across 10 cities can now seamlessly pay for their Online Food orders, in less than 10 seconds using the Freecharge digital wallet - across all the platforms on Zomato. Through this partnership Freecharge will enable thousands of consumers who place an average of 32,000 orders a day, across over 11,000 restaurants on Zomato, to adopt digital wallet. Speaking on the partnership, Sudeep Tandon, Chief Business Officer, Freecharge, said, We are pleased to partner with Indias leading food discovery and ordering platform, Zomato. Through this partnership, we will be able to offer our fast and secure digital payment expertise to the large customer base of Zomato and gain wider acceptance as a payment option. At Freecharge, we aim to make every mundane transaction delightful for our customers, and integrating the Freecharge wallet on Zomato is a perfect way to make customers payment experience frictionless and convenient. We will continue to offer new avenues to our patrons to help them realise the need to go cashless for their daily payments. Talking about the partnership, Mukund Kulashekaran, Business Head, Online Ordering, Zomato said, The food delivery business is one of our largest priorities at the moment. Our online ordering business has been seeing tremendous growth month on month, and I think that comes from the single-minded focus we have on making our product as convenient as possible for our users. With online payments gaining a larger share of the overall transactions - we are excited to partner with Freecharge wallet, one of the leading wallet providers in the country, as an online payment option for our users, and look forward to a long term association with them. Zomatos food ordering business has crossed the 1-million-order-a-month mark and customers across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, and Jaipur leverage their services. Freecharges endeavour is to influence the daily payment habits of consumers and offer an assortment of merchants to help them move away from cash. Through such associations, Freecharge is further winning the customers trust with 99% transaction success rate and is strengthening its partner ecosystem and expanding its footprint in F&B sector. Consumers across the country use Freecharge to make prepaid, post-paid, DTH and Electricity bill payments for numerous utility service providers in addition to leading online and offline merchants. Freecharge is PCI DSS compliant for information security and is at the forefront of the mobile commerce revolution with over 90 per cent of transactions originating from mobile. Freecharge Go, the virtual card was launched in January 2016, making Freecharge wallet the universally accepted wallet in India. Zomato is a restaurant search and discovery app, providing in-depth information for over 1 million restaurants across 23 countries. In addition to restaurant search and discovery, Zomato has expanded its offering to include transactions Online Ordering, Table Reservations, and a Point-of-Sale system. TAGS: Press Release, Zomato, FreeCharge, Digital Payments App Elecciones presidenciales El pais mas grande de la region elige este domingo a su proximo mandatario. Tras no lograr hacerse con la mayoria de los votos en los comicios del 2 de octubre, Luis Inacio "Lula" Da Silva y Jair Bolsonaro se disputan la Presidencia en una balotaje que enfrenta tendencias y valores contrapuestas. Con equipos en el terreno, Telam presenta una cobertura exclusiva con noticias, anailisis, opinion, fotos y mas. Limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius as set out in the Paris Accord could be a mirage, as nations fall short of their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. | Read More Senior lawyers HS Phoolka, also a potential CM candidate, and Himmat Singh Shergill figure in the list. MP Bhagwant Mann will head the campaign. By India Today Web Desk: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today released its first list of 19 candidates for the upcoming Punjab election, due early next year, while its controversial MP from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann, will be the party's chief campaign manager. Senior lawyers HS Poolkha and Himmat Singh Shergill figure in the party's first list. While Phoolka has been fielded from Dakha, Shergill will contest from SAS Nagar. advertisement Poolkha, who had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana on an AAP ticket, is one of the main legal brains in the party. The senior lawyer has led a campaign to get justice for 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims and could be a strong contender for the party's chief ministerial face. Shergill had also unsuccessfully contested on an AAP ticket from Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency AAP issues first list for 19 candidates for upcoming Punjab elections (2017) pic.twitter.com/XJwat6zpyf; ANI (@ANI_news) 4 August 2016 WILL PUNJAB REPEAT DELHI? In releasing the list of candidates well ahead of the polling schedules being announced, the party intends to replicate the Delhi story. When it contested its maiden elections in the national capital in 2013, the AAP had declared candidates way before the polling schedules were announced. "This gave us an edge over others in terms of campaigning and chalking out strategy for each constituency," said a party leader. Interestingly, the list has been announced when party convener Arvind Kejriwal is in Nagpur on a vipassana sojourn. Also read: Sherry spike in AAP Punjab Police arrests AAP MLA Naresh Yadav for Quran sacrilege AAP to announce separate manifestos for Punjab, Goa, Gujarat More power to AAP: Former India Hockey captain Pargat Singh to join party --- ENDS --- Amar Singh and Jaya Prada, who were members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively, had moved to the Supreme Court on their expulsion from the Samajwadi Party in 2010. Amar Singh and Jaya Prada had moved to the Supreme Court on their expulsion from the Samajwadi Party in 2010. By Harish V Nair: It was an anti-climax of sorts for Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh and bollywood-actor-turned politician Jaya Prada when the Supreme Court on Wednesday, after six long years of hearing, refused to answer their queries on anti-defection law, primarily if an expelled MP/MLA could be disqualified if he or she defied party whip. The issue had cropped up after Amar and Jaya, who were members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively, moved to the Supreme Court on their expulsion from the Samajwadi Party on 2 February, 2010, anticipating ouster from Parliament over voting on Women's Reservation Bill, which their erstwhile party is fiercely opposed to. SC's refusal to clarify the issue meant that the existing rule prevails. advertisement SORRY, NO COMMENTS "The petitioners have completed their tenure. Though we heard the matter at length we find it more appropriate not to answer the questions put to us. So we are not answering any of the questions," a three judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. As the bench said "are not passing any orders", Amar and Jaya's lawyers said "we are very disappointed as your lordships had heard us for so long". The anti-defection law was intended to bring stability to the structure of political parties and strengthen parliamentary democracy by prohibiting defections. Singh, then a Rajya Sabha MP and Jaya Prada, the then Rampur MP were expelled from the SP for anti-party activities. Giving them relief, the SC on November 16, 2010 ruled that no action should be taken against them under the antidefection law. The bench then referred the question whether an expelled member could be disqualified under the law, if she/he chooses to defy a party whip, to a constitution bench. ALSO READ: Expelled Samajwadi Party MPs Jaya Prada, Amar Singh to set a legal precedent --- ENDS --- Superstar DJ Martin Garrix will hit the stage in Hanoi this September for the countrys biggest EDM event of the year. The Dutch artist will perform at Ecopark urban area on Hanoi outskirts from 4 p.m. until late on September 18, sharing the spotlight with four international DJs and several Vietnamese artists, organizers of the event confirmed at a press conference. He will certainly bring his biggest hits including the debut song Animals, which entered many top 10 lists in 2013 and put him in the worlds top 100 DJs at the age of 17. The organizers said 10,000 tickets are available on Tikkit.vn, starting from VND550,000 (US$25). Vietnam's EDM scene has been vibrant recently, with various shows by superstars DJs Skrillex, Tiesto and Zedd last year. China is ASEAN's top external partner, with 15 percent of the total, followed by Japan, the European Union and the United States. Economic growth in ASEAN countries was expected to dip to 4.5 percent in 2016 from 4.7 percent last year due to China's slowdown and uncertainties related to Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the member states said in a statement. Economic ministers meeting in Laos, which holds the ASEAN chairmanship this year, said jointly that growth in the 10-nation group's $2.4 trillion economy should recover to 4.7 percent next year due to "strong private and public consumption and improved efficiency in infrastructure." "The region is exposed to ... continued moderation in the Chinese economy, to uncertainties over the new relationship between the UK and the EU after Brexit," the statement said, adding that ASEAN remained committed to further integration. Import duties on 99.2 percent of tariffs in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand and 90.9 percent in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have been eliminated, the ministers said on the integration progress. About a quarter of the group's total trade of $2.3 trillion is intra-ASEAN. China is ASEAN's top external partner, with 15 percent of the total, followed by Japan, the European Union and the United States. The countries also said they aim to harmonise economic strategies, recognise each other's professional qualifications, improve custom clearance and intellectual property rules, and close the development gap between the poorer members - Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar - and the rest of the region. They also agreed to enhance the connectivity of their transportation infrastructure and communications, better facilitate electronic transactions, integrate industries to promote regional sourcing, and enhance private-sector involvement in the economy. ASEAN's closer economic integration is considered a major step forward from what has been considered since the earliest days of its existence as a political project for peaceful regional relations. A joint report by AmCham Singapore and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce published on Thursday showed that 53 percent of the U.S. companies thought ASEAN has become more important in terms of worldwide revenue in the past two years. About two thirds said it will become more important in the next two years. Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar were the top destinations for the U.S. companies' expansion plans within the region, with Singapore, Laos and Brunei the least preferred. Corruption, transparency and good governance remained key challenges for the regional outlook, the report showed. UP BJP general secretary Pankaj Singh said his party will raise all these issues in the coming elections in the state and nobody will be allowed to play with the dignity of the common man. By Siraj Qureshi: Speaking on the issue of law and order in Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's son and state BJP general secretary Pankaj Singh today said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav should resign over Bulandshahr gangrape incident. Pankaj said the state government has no control over the law and order condition and this is a very sensitive issue. Murders, robberies, and rape have become a daily affair in UP and their numbers are rising day after day. advertisement He said on one hand, the chief minister is unable to stop crime, on the other hand, his ministers are making obscene statements. The BJP will raise all these issues in the coming elections in UP. He said that nobody will be allowed to play with the dignity of the common man. PEOPLE IN UP DON'T LIKE CONGRESS AND SAMAJWADI PARTY He said that the Congress has no popular base in Uttar Pradesh and the people have understood the fact behind Samajwadi Party's fake development claims. He said that the Modi government has developed India in two years, that couldn't be achieved till date. The BJP will contest the elections on Modi's developmental agenda. Answering a question about the 'Tiranga Yatra' Singh said that the Yatra is being held on the occasion of the 70th independence day of India and in this Yatra, the BJP workers will promote 70 developments made by the Modi government, among the people. He didn't reply to the question about the allegations that had been levied on him during the Lok Sabha elections that quietly disappeared as soon as his father Rajnath Singh became the Union home minister. He instructed the BJP workers to get ready as the elections could be declared very soon in UP and before that, the groundwork to get every BJP candidate elected from Agra needed to be done. ALSO READ: Bulandshahr gangrape: Police investigation raises more questions than answers --- ENDS --- Local conglomerate Van Thinh Phat has reportedly entered a partnership with Pavilion Group and Genting Group from Malaysia to develop a US$6 billion complex of entertaining and housing projects in Ho Chi Minh City. Officially known as Saigon Peninsula, the complex will cover 118 hectares in District 7 to house a multi-purpose park and a wharf, besides hotels, villas and apartment buildings, news website VnExpress reported Thursday, citing a memorandum of understanding on the partnership signed the day before. South Korea's engineering companies Posco E&C and Hyundai E&C have been assigned as the contractors of the giant project, which has been approved by the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, it said. It is unknown when construction will start. Pavilion Group is a known developer of large-scaled and mixed-use shopping malls in China and Malaysia, while Genting Group is one of the biggest operators of casinos and resorts in Southeast Asia. Rescuers search for victims in a house collapse in Hanoi August 4. Photo: Minh Chien 9 others survived but some were severely injured A man and a woman were killed when a house of around 30 years old collapsed in Hanoi early on Thursday morning. The four-story house in the Old Quarter reportedly fell down at 3:15 a.m. when there were 11 people inside. Seven managed to escape, two of them with injuries. Hundreds of police and soldiers were sent to rescue the other four. But only two of them survived and were rushed to hospital. The bodies of the two victims had been recovered by noon. The house, of more than 50 square meters, was built in the 1980s. Police said it did not have a strong foundation. There was a shop selling pork pie on the ground floor. Its employees slept upstairs. Hanoi authorities have asked people living nearby to move as the collapse has left cracks on at least one house next door. Following the house collapse, rescuers pull three people out of the debris and rush them to a nearby hospital in the northern province of Cao Bang on April 17, 2016. Photo: Tran Quang A five-story house in the northern province of Cao Bang collapsed on Sunday morning, killing three people and injuring three others. The accident occurred at around 3 a.m. in the namesake town of the province when six members of Nguyen Huu Diems family were sleeping. Diem, 72, his wife Nguyen Thi Hue, 72, and his daughter-in-law Hoang Thi Duyen, 38, died on the spot, according to the authorities. Diems son, Nguyen Huu Duc, 41, and Ducs two children, 16-year-old Nguyen Duc Anh and three-year-old Nguyen Hoang Anh, were pulled out from the rubble with severe injuries and rushed to the Cao Bang General Hospital. The three are recovering, said the hospital director, Phuong Duc Cu. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. A view of the site where a centenary house on Hanoi's Tran Hung Dao Street collapsed at nearly 1 p.m. Tuesday. Photo: Quang Minh Police have rescued 15 people although more are still trapped after an old house in Hanoi downtown collapsed on Tuesday afternoon. The house on Tran Hung Dao Street in Hoan Kiem District, currently used as an office for Vietnam Railways, crashed down at nearly 1 p.m. Large chunks of its walls and bricks were thrown to residents houses nearby. Doan Duy Hoach, deputy director of the company, told news website VnExpress that the house was very old and the rain in the morning made it weaker. There are many shops crowded with customers around the house, which was built during the French colonial period. Several fire trucks and ambulances were sent to the site soon later. Initial reports said that at least eight people were injured and one was killed. Police and soldiers are still looking for more people said to be trapped in the collapse, including a 91-year-old man. They have brought in equipment to cut through the rubble and make sure they don't miss any victims. Roads around the site have been blocked to facilitate the rescue. Police are investigating the incident. A man in Hanoi has been fined VND900,000 (US$40) for letting his 6-year-old son ride a motorbike last weekend. Police summoned the father, Van Trong Tue, Wednesday after a video was posted on Facebook, showing him sitting on a motorbike, with a little boy holding the handle bar. Tue said he was driving his son on To Huu Street in Nam Tu Liem District last Sunday morning. When the street was empty, he decided to let the boy ride the bike for around 100 meters. Motorbike driving age in Vietnam is 18. Owners can be fined up to VND2 million for leaving their vehicles to an underage person. As the best travel season is coming, Vietjet offers 30,000 super-saving tickets priced only from USD0 in line with the 12pm, Its time to Vietjet from August 3 to August 5, 2016 on Vietjet's website. The promotion is applied for all routes to Taiwan and Korea, between August 23, 2016 to March 26, 2017 for HCMC/Hanoi Seoul routes and from August 6, 2016 to October 30, 2016 for HCMC Taipei/Tainan routes (except national holidays). Tickets can be booked from 12h to 14h at www.vietjetair.com (also compatible with smartphones at https://m.vietjetair.com) or at www.facebook.com/vietjetvietnam (just click the Booking tab). Payment can be easily made with debit and credit cards of Visa, MasterCard, JCB, and American Express and ATM cards issued by 24 Vietnams banks that have been registered with internet banking. Known as famous tourism destinations, Taiwan and Korea have always attracted tourists to visit, discover, go shopping and enjoy especially from August to the year-end. To better service our customer, Vietjet has recently received more aircraft. The A321 coded VN-A677 from Hamburg (Germany) landed in at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, marking the arrival of the 19th aircraft in the airlines 100th aircraft purchase/lease order signed between Airbus and Vietjet. With the new aircraft, Vietjet continues to increase flight frequency, open new routes within Vietnam and internationally. With its high-quality services, special low-fare tickets and diverse ticket classes, Vietjet offers its passengers enjoyable flights with dynamic and friendly flight crew, comfy seats, amazing hot meals and special surprises from the airlines inflight activities. Republican U.S. Presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign event at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida August 3, 2016. Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil on Wednesday after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in the Iraq war. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said. "He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus. The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus. Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message. More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election. Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burned by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support. But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said on Wednesday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing. The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing. Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States. Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans. Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN on Wednesday: "I just dont see how I get to Donald Trump anymore." Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash. "There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early on Wednesday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," Manafort said. In Daytona, Florida, Trump said the news media's coverage of him was dishonest. "We're doing quite well despite the fact that we get a totally false narrative," he told supporters at a rally. At another campaign event in Florida, in Jacksonville, Trump pointed out a group of families, known as Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in war, calling them "incredible people." He didn't mention the spat with the Khans. Recent turmoil Trump's always unruly campaign has been mired in disorder in recent days. On Monday, Trump fired Ed Brookover, a senior adviser hired as a liaison between the campaign and the RNC. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign event at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S., August 3, 2016. Ryan, who is favored to win next week in his race against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, appeared to be trying to ignore the snub from Trump. An aide to the speaker said he would not have time to meet Trump later this week, when Trump is expected to be campaigning in Wisconsin, Ryan's home state. The aide did not indicate whether anyone had requested a get-together of Trump and Ryan, but when asked whether they might meet to patch things up, the aide told Reuters, "The speaker has a full schedule cant back out of previous commitments in the (congressional) district. A Republican congressional aide said there was deep frustration on Capitol Hill that Trump keeps engaging in "petty spats." The aide said congressional offices that support Trump got two sets of talking points on Monday from the campaign about the Khan situation but have not heard anything from the campaign about Trump's Ryan comments. The dissent over the Trump campaign also took other turns. Late on Tuesday, Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE.N), endorsed Clinton's White House bid, calling Trump an "authoritarian character" and a threat to democracy. In better news for Trump, his campaign and the RNC jointly raised $80 million for his White House bid in July, the campaign said on Wednesday. That was less than the $90 million Clinton raised along with the national Democratic Party the same month, but it was a substantial bump from past months. A former reality TV star, Trump has won support particularly from white blue-collar workers who feel neglected by the political establishment. Along with his proposed ban on Muslims, his plans have included building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and renegotiating trade agreements. Opinion polls have shown Clinton benefiting from a boost after her party's convention last week. The RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls put her 4.5 percentage points ahead of Trump, at 46.5 percent to 42 percent. The Detroit Economic Club, where candidates usually appear to give major economic addresses, said Trump would speak at the club on Monday. Iraqi soldiers hold a position on the frontline on the outskirts of the Kurdish-controlled area of Makhmur, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul, on July 17, 2016. Islamic State fighters inside the jihadist group's Iraqi stronghold of Mosul are "weakening" and showing signs of frustration ahead of a battle to recapture the city, a US military official said Wednesday. Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by US-led coalition trainers and air power, have for months been edging toward Mosul, Iraq's second city and home to two million people. The Islamic State group has controlled it since June 2014. "We see them weakening inside Mosul," said Colonel Chris Garver, a coalition spokesman. "We do see some indications that morale is lower." For instance, senior commanders are executing subordinates for "failure on the battlefield," Garver said, adding that IS leaders are "not happy with where they are in Mosul." Members of the Iraqi police forces sit outside a building in the city of Fallujah on June 30, 2016 after they recaptured the city from Islamic State group jihadists. Jihadists, concerned that city residents are communicating with Iraqi security forces, have started cutting off internet access. The same thing happened in Fallujah and Ramadi before each of those cities was recaptured, Garver said. Still, he cautioned, the eventual fight for Mosul -- which is expected to begin in the coming months -- will not be easy. "We still anticipate that somewhere between 5,000 or so fighters are inside Mosul," Garver said. "We're still anticipating a tough fight." Delhi chief minister Kejriwal Kejriwal, who is a product of dharnas himself, has ostensibly banned demonstrations in front of his official residence in the national capital. By India Today Web Desk: The irony couldn't have been starker. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is a product of dharnas himself, has ostensibly banned demonstrations in front of his official residence in the national capital. The National Capital Territory (NCT) government has imposed Section 144 around the chief minister's residence in Delhi on the ground that "any demonstration, protests or dharna will create public nuisance and serious law and order problems". advertisement Section 144 of CrPC, which prevents assembly of more than four people, was imposed by Civil Lines subdivisional magistrate, BK Jha, yesterday. Kejriwal's residence is at 6, Flagstaff Road in the Civil Lines area. In a two-page order, Jha wrote, "The coming month of August has many festivals such as Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan, Parsi New Year and Janmashtami. People in general used to visit the chief minister and officer's residence during festive seasons. Therefore, it is apprehended that any demonstration, protests or dharna will create public nuisance and serious law and order problems." However, Kejriwal himself had promoted dharnas and demonstrations during the India Against Corruption's (IAC) Anna Movement and also as chief minister. As chief minister, he had sat on a two-day dharna outside the Rail Bhawan near Parliament to demand suspension of five Delhi policemen. He had even threatened to boycott and disrupt the Republic Day Parade in 2014. His Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers had also demonstrated outside the Prime Minister's official 7 Race Course Road residence. However, in a blatant display of double standards, Kejriwal now has got demonstrations banned outside his residence. This is not the only U-turn by Kejriwal after coming to power. During his IAC agitation, he had threatened to prosecute his predecessor Sheila Dikshit. However, he gave her a clean chit after coming to power. The latest order banning demonstrations outside his official residence for month is one more instance of how Kejriwal takes decisions as per his whims, fancies and convenience, contradicting his previous stands on issues. Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal loses 'Jung' with BJP in Delhi High Court: L-G administrative head Anandiben's resignation result of AAP's fight against corruption: Arvind Kejriwal --- ENDS --- Heads up to prevent injury from falls Morning walks in my neighborhood are one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. I love the coolness of daybreak and the special sightings of the stag and two does that frequent our open space. I also enjoy my walk because each day at... Signs that point to the best time for retirement Ive been thinking a lot about retirement lately. One of our amazing staff members, who has been with Senior Concerns for the last 13 years, retired last month. It just doesnt seem real. I always thought of Dana as young. Certainly not the person to... Rethinking the mandatory retirement age How old is too old for working at a job? Last week a news story hit my inbox and it really got me to thinking about age and retirement. The article noted that Target Corp. abandoned its mandatory retirement age of 65 for its CEO,... Tips to promoting a healthy nights sleep for children Question: Help, please. My daughter is almost 2 years old and has been an easy child to put into her own bed. Yet in the past few weeks she is purposefully stretching out the bedtime routine longer and longer. She wants more: more stories, more... The Opposition today stalled the functioning of both the Houses of Bihar Assembly over the issue of baton charge on Dalit students by the police on Wednesday. By Rohit Kumar Singh: The Opposition today stalled the functioning of both the Houses of Bihar Assembly over the issue of baton charge on Dalit students by the police on Wednesday. CPI ML legislator Mehboob Alam fell unconscious inside the Lower House while protesting against the Bihar government on the same issue. Later he had to be taken to hospital for treatment. advertisement The entire Opposition united against the Nitish Kumar government on the issue of Dalit students lathicharged by the Patna police on Thursday. BJP, HAM, RLSP and CPI ML legislators shouted slogans, both inside the lower and upper House and also outside and did not allow it to run. The Speaker had to adjourn functioning of both Houses after the Opposition continued to raise slogans against the government. The entire Opposition led by BJP later sat outside the Assembly with placards and posters in their hands and raised slogans against the government. BJP's leader of Opposition in Lower House Prem Kumar, BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi also staged dharna inside the lower House on the issue. It may be noted that several Dalit students on Wednesday were trying to carry out a protest march in Patna from Kargil Chowk to Bihar Assembly to protest cut in their scholarship money from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 15000. When the agitating students were denied permission from the police to carry out the protest march, they got infuriated and clashed with the police. They also tried to break to police barricading following which the police resorted lathicharge to disperse the students. In this police action, six students were severely injured and had to be admitted in the hospital for treatment. The opposition today was demanding that the scholarship money of these Dalit students be increased back to Rs. 1 lac and guilty police officers who lathicharged students should be punished. "We will carry out protest march against the Bihar government tomorrow at all district headquarters in the state over the beating of Dalit students", said State BJP President Mangal Pandey. BJP's leader of opposition, Prem Kumar said, "I demand judicial inquiry to take place in the issue of lathicharge on Dalit students or else we will not allow the House to function". Mehboob Alam, CPI-M legislator who was shouting slogans inside the lower house on this issue fell unconscious after marshalls manhandled him to remain silent, the legislator alleged. The five-day Monsoon Session of Bihar Assembly ends today. --- ENDS --- Local and state officials are in agreement that the plan to move the Washington Street exit - a notoriously congested area of the interstate near downtown - is a win for Baton Rouge commuters who will finally see some relief within the next few years. But what they can't seem to agree on -- and what they continue to quibble about -- is who deserves credit for securing the federal grant that allows the project to happen. Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday held a press conference to announce the project would get receive about $20 million to $25 million to move forward, made possible by the $60 million FASTLANE grant awarded to the state by the federal government. But the press event ruffled feathers with the state Republican Party, whose officials called it the latest example of the Democratic governor taking credit for projects led by GOP congressmen. "It's remarkable that (Edwards) is taking credit for the work of @RepGarretGraves and @SteveScalise on securing the#FASTLANE grant $," the state Republican party tweeted before the press conference. "(Edwards) will do anything to take credit for work done by others because he can't accomplish his own agenda. #DishonorCode," another tweet read. Officials said the exit ramp will be relocated to the other side of Interstate 10, closer to downtown, which is expected to alleviate the daily rush hour bottle necking at the problematic interchange. Construction could begin by 2018. At the press conference, Edwards thanked both the Congressional delegation and the local Baton Rouge Legislative delegation for supporting the project. He was joined at the podium by Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson and Congressman Cedric Richmond, a Democrat from New Orleans. "There's nothing we do as a government that should be more bipartisan than transportation infrastructure," he said in his remarks. "This was supported by legislators across the state and our entire Congressional delegation." Jason Dore, executive director of the Republican Party of Louisiana, said credit for the funding belonged to Graves, who campaigned on the issue and was a conferee on the federal transportation bill that made the money available, and to Scalise, who helped usher the bill through Congress. Edwards thanked Graves in his statements by name. He said Graves was invited to the press conference and he was hopeful he could have attended. Graves' representative did not return a phone call seeking comment. Edwards acknowledged the team effort to bring the money home, but he did not belittle his own contribution. He noted that his administration applied for the money, and he met with Washington officials including President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx. "The fact of the matter is I spent an awful lot of time as governor, with a lot of other things on my plate, to try to secure this funding," he said. But this is only the latest round of confusion over credit. In January, Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden accused the governor of taking credit away from him for alerting President Barack Obama about the Washington Street exit problems during his visit to Baton Rouge. The governor told a group of business leaders after the visit that hed informed Obama about the traffic congestion while they were driving together in a limo, and Holden later disputed the governors account to the media. On Thursday, Richmond, a witness to the conversation with Obama, backed Edwards' story. Richmond, who is running for re-election against Holden, said he recalled the mayor telling Obama about the infrastructure expansion and growing pains in the city, when Edwards jumped in. "It's my recollection that right about that time, we were passing Washington Street exit and the governor jumped in to say, 'Look, this is where it goes to one lane,'" Richmond said. Edwards said he was grateful both Holden and Richmond were there to be able to provide additional context to the Obama. But to the extent that there is an ongoing "controversy" about who got the president's attention, he said, "it's silly." A new digital marketing campaign unveiled Tuesday by the New Orleans Business Alliance is aimed at rallying local business leaders to share their stories on social media using the hashtag #WhyNOLA about why they chose to do business in New Orleans. The suicide note left by the deceased teenager indicates towards parental pressure. " I don't deserve to be your child," note said. By Rohini Swamy: A class 12 student of Delhi Public School (South) committed suicide by jumping from the ninth floor of his apartment complex in Thalgahttapura in Bengaluru. The suicide note left by the deceased teenager indicates towards parental pressure. " I don't deserve to be your child," note said. According to preliminary investigation by the police, the student had allegedly been pulled up by his parents over his studies though he was said to be a topper in the school. advertisement THE FATEFUL DAY Like every other Wednesday, his mother was waiting in the parking lot to take him to his tuition classes. The boy would travel to Jayanagar, but he returned home claiming he had forgotten to get some books. He later ended his life by jumping from the ninth floor. The boy is said to have been a topper in the 11th standard and his parents found his concentration slipping in the 12th standard and was allegedly pulled up by his parents. The victim was first rushed to a private hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. The body was later shifted to Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences. The police have registered a case of unnatural death. Meanwhile, Mansoor Ali Khan, board member of the DPS group has clarified that this was not a case of bullying. ALSO READ: Kerala: 19-year-old student commits suicide after being ragged IIT Madras shocker: 2 women commit suicide on campus on same night --- ENDS --- An assistant administrator at a Veteran's Affairs nursing home in Monroe was arrested Tuesday in connection with stealing money from a resident at the facility who was described as having "severe cognitive impairment," law enforcement documents show. Thomas W. Shoemaker, 51, of Monroe, is accused of exploitation of persons with infirmities and theft of assets of an aged or disabled person, according to a warrant by the state Inspector General's office. Shoemaker who served as assistant administrator at the Northeast Louisiana War Veterans Home from 2004 until his resignation in 2013 moved $1,812 from a resident's personal account directly into his own account, according to the document. The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation by the inspector general into Veterans Affairs facilities. Last year, David LaCerte, then the head of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, resigned in the midst of inspector general probes into nursing home conditions. Also last year, the director of the Louisiana Veterans Home in Jackson was arrested in connection with records about patients' injuries being destroyed. The alleged theft by Shoemaker occurred in August of 2012 a few months before the resident died, the warrant says. Shoemaker had gained physical control of the resident's personal checkbook and ATM card, and had moved at least $9000 from the resident's "in-house" facility account into the resident's personal account, according to the warrant. Several withdrawals of as much as $4,400 were subsequently made from the resident's personal account, which Shoemaker said were made at the resident's direction. Shoemaker, who was booked into the Ouachita Parish jail on Tuesday, was released the next day on $20,000 bond, according to jail records. Less than four in 10 public school students met Louisiana's lofty target on key state tests, state officials announced Thursday. The exams, formerly known as Common Core, are now called the 2016 LEAP assessments after legislative-ordered tweaks aimed at giving them a bigger state imprint. Like Common Core, they measure what students in grades 3-8 know about reading, English and, this year, science. The 38 percent statewide average for mastery in math and English is up from 33 percent last year. Results are divided into five achievement levels: advanced, mastery, basic, approaching basic and unsatisfactory. The state is gradually replacing basic -- partial readiness -- with mastery, as the level needed for education after high school. By 2025, A-rated schools will have to have mastery as their average performance, which is why the fourth of five achievement levels is the new standard under scrutiny. "The results we are announcing today are encouraging," state Superintendent of Education John White told reporters. "They show progress." However, White said the improvements are offset by concerns about a growing achievement gap between white and black students -- 26 percentage points -- and those from low-income families and others -- 28 percentage points. "That is a troubling fact," White said. If gains using more challenging tests are not widely shared "then we really haven't created a system for all students," he said. As in past years, students scored better on English than math and science. A total of 41 percent of the roughly 320,000 students who took the exams achieved mastery in English, according to the state Department of Education. In math, 34 percent of students achieved mastery and 24 percent did so in science. About 20 percent of voucher students achieved mastery, about half the state average. Vouchers are state aid for low-income students attending public schools rated C, D or F to attend private schools. Just over 20 percent of Recovery School District/New Orleans achieved mastery and about 15 percent of those in RSD/Baton Rouge schools did so. Brian LeJeune, president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, said he was generally pleased with the results and predicted scores will rise once changes to the annual tests are finished. "It is never good enough but we are always working to get better," said LeJeune, who is superintendent of the Jefferson Davis School District in southwest Louisiana. This year's exams were given on April 25-29 and marked the first time tests were modified after legislative action last year. Under one of the changes, the state was banned from contracting with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, the former source of questions. Also, no more than 49.9 percent of the questions on this year's exams could be like those crafted by PARCC. One year after first Common Core exams, this years tests sparking little heat Nearly one year after Common Core tests sparked statewide controversy, this years version i White said comparisons with how students in other states fared should be available in the next few weeks. The criticism that some of Louisiana's 24 U.S. Senate candidates aimed at President Barack Obama's signature health care law at a recent forum is, by now, completely familiar. U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany called it "deeply flawed" and boasted of having voted to repeal the law 60 times, albeit to no avail. His congressional colleague John Fleming labeled it a job killer. State Treasurer John Kennedy told the Louisiana Association of Health Plans audience that the law "sucks." All three, it should go without saying, are Republicans, and all three said they'd fight to end it. The Democrats on the panel, meanwhile, said that the law should be fixed, not repealed. Here's one problem with the GOP approach: The law has now been in effect since 2010, which means parents have gotten pretty used to keeping their young adult children on their insurance plans, and people with pre-existing conditions have gone six years without worrying that they could be denied coverage through no fault of their own. It's going to be awfully difficult to take those benefits away, or to concoct a new plan that keeps popular provisions such as these and eliminates the more troublesome components of the law. Face it: There's a reason the Republican Party hasn't coalesced behind a proposed replacement. And here's a newer problem for those seeking office in Louisiana: The stakes just got higher. Now that Gov. John Bel Edwards has finally reversed former Gov. Bobby Jindal's stance and supported largely federally-funded Medicaid expansion, more than 265,000 additional state residents stand to lose out if the law goes away, according to the latest sign-up figures. You could argue that a lot of those people are Democratic voters anyway, and that may well be the case. But the reality is that the state's expansion has drawn widespread positive reviews so far, and that its economic benefits to Louisiana are so obvious that even Edwards' Republican opponents for governor were looking take advantage of this provision of the Affordable Care Act. None of this is to say that "Obamacare" doesn't still make for a potent electoral issue on the Republican side. But if voters are looking for a campaign promise that a potential senator might actually be able to fulfill, they should probably look elsewhere. With every year that passes, it looks more and more like Obamacare is here to stay. It's become one of the most predictable themes of modern-day federal-level races in Republican-leaning Louisiana: That President Barack Obama's landmark health care law must go. David Vitter said so, in his winning 2010 bid for re-election to the Senate. So did fellow Republican Bill Cassidy, when he unseated three-term Democratic incumbent and Affordable Care Act "yes" vote Mary Landrieu two years ago to claim the state's other Senate seat. Here we go again. At a health care-themed forum this week, the most prominent Republicans running in this fall's election to replace the retiring Vitter staked out the same all-too-familiar ground. U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany called the law "deeply flawed" and boasted of having voted for repeal 60 times, albeit to no avail. His congressional colleague John Fleming labeled it a job killer. State Treasurer John Kennedy told the Louisiana Association of Health Plans audience that the law "sucks" and said he'd "rather drink weed killer than support Obamacare." And former U.S. Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, who once hoped that his support for a preliminary version of the law might help get him reelected in a predominantly Democratic district, reminded the audience that he had ultimately joined the party-line final vote against it. He said he, too, favors repeal. Meanwhile, independent former Alcohol and Tobacco Control Commissioner Troy Hebert said he's "no fan" of the law and argued that Republicans share the blame. The three Democrats on the panel Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, lawyer Caroline Fayard and oil and gas executive Joshua Pellerin said it should be fixed but not repealed. Here's one problem with the GOP approach: Some of the law's provisions are quite popular and, at this point, pretty well ingrained in Americans' daily lives. The law has been on the books ever since 2010. But while its rollout was anything but smooth and some of its side-effects either unexpected or financially untenable, it has in some ways been a very big hit. Six years in, parents now expect to be able to keep their young adult children on their insurance plans, and people with pre-existing conditions have gotten used to the peace of mind that comes with knowing they can't be denied coverage or charged outlandish rates. It's going to be awfully difficult to take those benefits away, or to concoct a new plan that keeps popular provisions such as these and eliminates the more troublesome components of the law. There's a reason that the GOP has been promising a replacement for all these years, yet still hasn't settled on an actual proposal. A more productive approach would be to focus on fixing the law's flaws, of course. But, then, that would dilute its power as a political issue. And here's a newer problem for those seeking office in Louisiana: The stakes just got that much higher. Now that Gov. John Bel Edwards has finally reversed former Gov. Bobby Jindal's knee-jerk opposition and accepted largely federally-funded Medicaid expansion, more than 265,000 additional state residents stand to lose out if the law goes away, according to the latest sign-up figures. You could argue that a lot of those people are Democratic voters anyway, and that may well be the case. But the reality is that the state's expansion has drawn widespread positive reviews so far, and that the economic benefits to Louisiana are so obvious that even Edwards' Republican opponents for governor talked of taking advantage of this provision of the Affordable Care Act had they won. None of this is to say that "Obamacare" doesn't still make for a potent electoral issue on the Republican side, or that any of these candidates are likely to change their tune between now and November. But if voters are looking for a campaign promise that a potential senator might actually be able to fulfill, they should probably look elsewhere. With every year that passes, it looks more and more like Obamacare is here to stay. The Chinese woman, in an inebriated state, slapped one of the cops and tried snatching the phone of the other who was recording the incident. By Rohini Swamy: It was a case of high drama that prevailed near the Sam Maneckshaw grounds in Bengaluru when a Chinese national, who was under the influence of alcohol, assaulted two traffic police men and misbehaved with an Assistant Commissioner of Police. The Chinese woman, Jiaxi, who was in an inebriated state was traveling with her Indian husband started verbally abusing and assaulting the two cops who were on-duty and came to help the couple. advertisement HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED Jiaxi, a teacher by profession, along with her Indian husband Prashant were heading home on their two-wheeler in an inebriated state and when they tried to take a turn, they fell off the vehicle. When two constables Fayaz and Lingaraju tried to help them, the woman misunderstood the intent and slapped Fayaz. Later, she later picked up a fight and began accusing the cops of misbehaving. She tried to snatch the mobile of a constable who was trying to record he incident as evidence. On realising that they were under the influence of alcohol, the cops decided to take them to the Commercial Street police station. The incident occurred around 12.30 am and Jiaxi began to abuse the policemen verbally. A woman police inspector, M Shailaja, was brought to the spot to try and control the Chinese national who was turning violent. After subjecting the couple to medical examination, cases of drunken driving and voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant have been registered. The couple has been arrested. The couple had relocated to Bengaluru from Shanghai four months ago. Also Read: Chennai cops caught on camera brutally assaulting family in public Assault on cop by MLAs: No action recommended on 2 journos Mahadayi row: Karnataka DGP suspends 6 officers for assault on elderly people --- ENDS --- Vilification on the grounds of religion is now illegal and in serious cases could result in a criminal conviction with a fine of up to $7500, under laws passed by the ACT parliament on Thursday. Both Labor and Liberal supported the move put by the Greens Shane Rattenbury, who said the display of hatred, intolerance and offensive behaviour towards Muslims was one of the biggest intolerance issues in Australia today. The ACT has outlawed vilification of people because of their religion, concerned about growing attacks on Muslims. The University of South Australia had found about 10 per cent of Australians were highly Islamophobic, and while the ACT showed the lowest rates in the country, Islamophobia was still significant here. "It is clear [Muslims] are frequently, almost constantly, exposed to discrimination, vilification and targeted offensive behaviour," he said. Scientific research staff in Canberra and Melbourne are cautious and sceptical of Science Minister Greg Hunt's announcement of returning the CSIRO's focus to climate change, according to their union. Some may see the announcement of a new strategy to be devised over the next three months, including 15 new climate science jobs, as a positive outcome, according to a CSIRO Staff Association spokesman. But others would say, once bitten, twice shy. Greg Hunt's credibility is being questioned. Credit:Eddie Jim The spokesman said it was too early to assess the announcement's impact on staff numbers in Canberra. Following the original announcement in February to cut 350 jobs, including 100 full-time jobs in its Oceans and Atmosphere department, CSIRO revised this to 74. "It's been wonderful and I've enjoyed every minute," she said of her long media career. Next week will see her conclude her on-air role after reporting federal politics for 20 years in the press gallery for SBS and ABC-TV but she will be working behind the scenes at SBS until the end of September. She will be replaced by Daniela Ritorto. Groundbreaking political correspondent Catherine McGrath is departing the press gallery after a long and distinguished career but she has no plans to leave Canberra. However, she will be staying in Canberra to focus on a business career as a media trainer and strategic event consultant. McGrath is remarkable, not only for the longevity of her career in such a highly competitive environment, she also helped raised three children with her husband, The Canberra Times columnist, Nicholas Stuart, and was the main breadwinner for the family after Stuart suffered a brain injury in a car accident in 1990 in Bangkok where he was the ABC's Indochina correspondent. Stuart has worked hard to rebuild his life and had McGrath's support at every step. "We're very much a team," she said. "And all the challenges we've had have made our life richer." McGrath, 55, originally from Sydney, started her career in commercial radio and went on to work for 26 years with the ABC, including with the AM and PM radio programs, and then almost two years with SBS. She is likely the woman with the longest on-air stint reporting politics in Australia. And she was the first ABC woman reporter with a child to be appointed a foreign correspondent when she was posted to Singapore in 1995. Unions ACT launches its election advertising campaign on Saturday, with an ad to run across prime-time television, facebook and other social media and radio for the next two months, backing Labor's re-election bid. The 30-second union-funded ad features long-time nurse Jude Dodd, standing in a friend's kitchen and asking, "What jobs will they cut next? Nurses? Public servants? Teachers? I just feel the Canberra Liberals are not being upfront with us." The advertisement follows the claim this week from Chief Minister Andrew Barr that the Liberals would cut 2000 jobs from the public service, a claim that relies on faulty calculations and assumes the Liberals will be trying to fund promises they have not made. At the last election, in 2012, just two unions spent money on Labor's re-election bid. The construction union spent $26,000 on broadcast ads and the Community and Public Sector Union spent $27,000 on broadcast ads and $20,000 on other materials. BJP on Wednesday put an end to the buzz that Amit Shah will head Gujarat after chief minister Anandiben Patel's resignation, and said BJP Chief Vijay Rupani is the frontrunner for the post. By Kumar Vikram: The buzz that Amit Shah might return to Gujarat to head the state came to an end on Wednesday as the BJP parliamentary board decided that there is no question of the BJP chief going back to Gujarat and rather he will pick the next chief minister. Senior leader Venkaiah Naidu dismissed rumours that Shah himself was in line for the top job in his home state. "Amit Shah will remain BJP president and will decide on the new CM. The party wants him to lead us in national politics," Naidu said following the board meeting which was held on Wednesday morning at the Prime Minister's residence. advertisement FRONTRUNNERS FOR THE POST Among the frontrunners for the post is Gujarat BJP Chief Vijay Rupani, a Jain leader known to be close to both PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Rupani is reputed to have a form grip over the administrative mechanism of the state government. There is also Gujarat's most senior minister Nitin Patel, who holds several key portfolios in the Gujarat government and is, like Anandiben Patel, an influential leader from north Gujarat. Patel had headed the committee that held negotiations with leaders of the Patel or Patidaar agitation for reservation in government jobs and colleges. Others in the race are union minister Purshottam Rupala and Gujarat assembly speaker Ganpat Vasava. The meeting of the Parliamentary Board, which was chaired by Shah and attended by PM Narendra Modi, appointed Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP general secretary Saroj Pandey as party's central observers to hold consultations with the MLAs for electing the new leader. URGENT CORRECTIONS TO REVIVE THE PARTY'S STOCK Shah will be travelling to Gujarat on Thursday where he will hold consultations with party leaders and attend the Legislature Party meeting, likely to be held on Friday to elect the new leader. Though her departure was anticipated, the first woman chief minister of Gujarat had offered to step down on Monday ostensibly due to her age, as she is turning 75 soon. According to senior party leaders, Anandiben Patel is accused of mismanaging both the Patel agitation for reservation and the recent Dalit protests over the brutal beating of four young men by cow vigilantes. The BJP, which has ruled the state for 25 years straight, also suffered a humiliating setback in municipal elections and the new chief minister will have to make urgent corrections to revive the party's stock in time for assembly elections next year in Gujarat, which is also PM Modi's home state. ALSO READ: BJP accepts Anandiben Patel's resignation, rules out Amit Shah as next Gujarat CM Gujarat CM orders CID probe into thrashing of youths for cow slaughter --- ENDS --- Australia's largest banks are betting that savers are no longer willing to stomach record-low returns on their cash. Instead of passing on the central bank's interest-rate reduction on Tuesday, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Westpac and NAB said they would offer higher payouts on some term deposits. Mortgage holders lost out, with the lenders trimming business and home loan costs by less than the central bank's 25 basis-point move. Lenders are battling to hold on to deposits to meet regulatory requirements while also avoiding sacrificing earnings, with net interest margins - a measure of lending profitability - already at the lowest level in eight years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Their choice to favour savers over borrowers complicates the transmission of RBA policy moves throughout the economy, with bond traders already increasing bets on another rate cut by year-end. Complaints about private health insurance have hit a record high, with much of the growth caused by Australia's largest health fund, Medibank. More than one-third of the complaints made to the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman in the past financial year were made by disgruntled Medibank policyholders. A record 4408 complaints against all health funds were made in 2015-16, up by 29 per cent on the 2013-14 figure. The Australian arm of Hollywood's powerful global lobby group is being sued by its former managing director, who alleges he was bullied, discriminated against and unfairly sacked. The Australian Screen Association is the local front of the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the six major Hollywood studios, and is better known for its own landmark copyright legal action against internet provider iiNet. The Australian Screen Association is the local arm of the powerful Motion Picture Association. Now, the ASA's former managing director Mark Day has dragged it to court alleging he was unfairly fired from the body in November. Documents submitted to the Federal Court show the Motion Picture Association of America went on a cost-cutting spree early in 2015, which resulted in a "significant reduction" in the ASA's budget. If that's Fitzgerald's yardstick of good prime ministership, Malcolm has credit to burn. Bronis Dudek, Calwell Shorten lies in wait Ross Fitzgerald is correct once again with his clever diagnosis of Malcolm Turnbull's political dysfunction ("It's a Turnbull turn-off", August 2). For such a supposedly smart man, Turnbull's not showing too many smarts when it comes to running the country. Everything Fitzgerald has written hits the mark, in fact it indicates that Turnbull is mortally wounded. How could it possibly ever come to this? A prime minister is removed from office because of unsatisfactory polls and no economic plan, according to Turnbull, and yet, after a disastrous election where the government loses 14 seats, it's considered a win. The Liberal parliamentary Party has to think about the next election, and soon. They will be decimated unless they change the leader. It must be done, there is no other solution. Turnbull's slogan "This is the term of delivery" will come true. Delivery of government to Bill Shorten who is knocking at The Lodge's front door. Lesley Beckhouse, Queanbeyan Life in the old dog yet That "tired old journalistic outfit", that "decaying forum in terms of readership and interest", which Kirsten Lawson reported Chief Minister Barr as describing the Canberra Times (June 23) has shown there is life in the old dog yet with the article "Limiting the free speech of ACT public servants is draconian and ultimately counterproductive", written by lawyers John Wilson and Kieran Pender, (July 29). The legislation as drafted reveals the clear intention of Mr Barr and his government: that is to stifle criticism. It is notable that none of the former ACT Chief Ministers, three Labor, three Liberal, discerned the need to introduce such draconian legislation. At the ACT Labor Annual Conference on July 23, Chief Minister Barr urged "the return of a progressive Labor government". The foreshadowed legislation is not progressive. It is reactionary. The nub of the Wilson/Pender article lies in noting, in the first sentence: "It seems trite to highlight the virtues of free speech", and then establishing that it is nothing of the sort. The Explanatory Statement to the legislation asserts "the need to retain public confidence in the public service outweighs any impingement on an individual's right to privacy, freedom of expression or participation in democratic processes". Rubbish. Public confidence in government and the public service is promoted by open government, not government censorship. The draft legislation is yet another example of an arrogant government displaying contempt for the people of the ACT. Ken Brazel, Weston Shady new bail laws I'm not a constitutional lawyer but it seems to me that the proposed new laws allowing prosecutors to detain people who have been given bail by a court breaks a fundamental tenet of the separation of powers i.e. a public servant (the government) will be effectively overruling the judiciary it will be a lawyer's picnic if it ever makes it into legislation. How can the decision of a prosecutor, who arguably already has a negatively biased view of the accused as a matter of course, be seen as better able to judge a bail application than an impartial court? History shows that if these sorts of powers are created they are always abused by someone somewhere I thought preventing these kinds of police-state tactics was one of the reasons we had human rights legislation. Anthony V. Adams, Reid Clinton no shoo-in The nomination of Hillary Clinton as the first woman to run for US president is certainly historic, but Jenna Price's lachrymose response to it is overblown and premature. Clinton's glorious ascendancy? She hasn't won yet, and her storied failings as a politician and a person that have nothing to do with her gender mean she's no certainty to either, even against an oaf such as Trump. Bernie Sanders is right; she was an urger for the Iraq war, and has cosied up to money her entire political life. Matt Gately, Rivett Flight path theory doubts The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Darren Chester, has spoken of a newly found wing part as likely being from ill-fated flight MH370. This may be progress let's hope so but we now must, surely, pay heed to where all of the debris is being found. This latest find is especially problematic for the accepted "deep south" crash theory. I expect that we will again hear from experts that Tanzania is consistent with oceanographic drift modelling, just like we heard that Mozambique and Madagascar were. Citizen scientists may already have studied the map of ocean currents as previous parts were found, and noted not only the huge intervening (and enthralling) gyre, but also southbound currents either side of Madagascar that, in combination, are more suggestive of a crash site very far to the north of the search zone. Yes, the chaotic possibilities with currents mean nothing can be ruled out or in, but on the face of it, new debris north of Madagascar should be a punctuation mark in the tired logic. Ross Kelly, Monash On wrong track A. Smith (Letters, August 3) twists facts in his latest letter. The type of transport is light rail, not a street tram. The two are different. Light rail trains travel on a dedicated right of way. They get priority over other traffic. Trams share traffic lanes with other vehicles. Light rail systems have a capacity of 20,000+ per hour per lane. If you have the demand, you use more trains. According to Smith, Northbourne Avenue has 1000 cars per hour per lane. Assuming 1.5 persons per car is 1500 per hour per lane. Compare that to 20,000+. We could use dedicated bus transit lanes with more buses to achieve the same objective as light rail, but the undiscounted lifetime costs of rail are lower than buses. People prefer travelling on light rail than on buses. Real estate prices are higher around train stations than they are around bus stations. For the Liberals, having dedicated public transport routes between town centres are important; it is less important what travels on them. Kevin Cox, Ngunnawal Nightmare sight I think I had a bad, bad dream. I was driving on a Sunday towards Civic on Adelaide Avenue. There were only two vehicle lanes available, the third now empty, being reserved for "southern light rail". I had to stop at a set of traffic lights when one tram passenger got off near Deakin and wanted to cross the road. Suddenly I noticed the ugly poles and wires and rails (not the ones they sell in NSW) but the ones that weren't along Adelaide Avenue when we only had buses. (Remember the buses, the ones running faster than cars, non-stop from Woden to Civic in only 17 minutes even in peak hours). I drove on. Ugly poles and wires and rails all the way, even scarring the formerly fine clean lines of Commonwealth Avenue Bridge. My eyes drifted to West Basin. Someone had part-filled the lake and built multistorey unit blocks along the foreshore. The pristine beauty and peace of the Basin and the views of Black Mountain destroyed forever, for the benefit of a few. I woke up. Let us all wake up it's October 16. John Mungoven, Stirling Congestion worry Denis Robinson (Letters, August 1) seems to accept ACT government claims that light rail will reduce traffic congestion on Northbourne Avenue. Unfortunately, light rail will prove to be a major disappointment for Mr Robinson and many other Canberrans, especially when they realise that bus rapid transit (which the Canberra Liberals have proposed) would have provided the same public transport benefits as light rail but at half the cost. Although light rail will replace bus services in the Northbourne Avenue corridor, trams won't carry many more passengers than are currently being carried by bus. I'm confident that the government would be well aware that traffic congestion will get worse, not better. That is because, firstly, traffic-light priority for trams will reduce peak period vehicle flows and, secondly, trams won't attract anywhere near enough new public transport users (existing car commuters) to reduce car usage. The vast majority of tram passengers will be existing bus users. If the government really was serious about reducing traffic congestion it would adopt the NRMA's perennial recommendation and introduce a congestion tax to discourage car usage during the morning and evening peak periods. The reality is the government won't be fazed by worsening traffic congestion on Northbourne Avenue because the viability of its proposed Northbourne Avenue plaza depends upon discouraging as many car commuters as possible from using Northbourne Avenue at all. Bruce Taggart, Aranda Supping at trough I see Peter Hendy, the failed federal member for Eden-Monaro, has been given a no doubt lucrative job in the Prime Minister's office (August 3). I know the practice of rewarding failed politicians with ambassadorships, so called adviserships and the like has a long history with both sides of politics in Australia but surely the time has come to end it. The people have decided they don't want Dr Hendy to work for them. That should be enough to remove him from supping at the public trough. Timothy Walsh, Garran A way with words Roger Dace (Letters, August 2) is worried about the ascent of euphemisms such as "troubled youngster" in place of what he sees as the more appropriate "young thug". Of course, such perceived inaccuracies are also applied to distinguished seniors (like Roger and me) when our wise utterances result in us being similarly mislabelled, as in "silly old farts". Eric Hunter, Cook To the point FIGHT TO WIN Kevin Rudd is decisive in winning or losing. He will live and die like this. Him first, anything else, last. Mokhles Sidden, South Strathfield, NSW MIND BENDER It's nice to know Kevin can also mess with Liberal minds. Bob Gardiner, Isabella Plains MULTI-TIME LOSER Congratulations Mr Turnbull. Who in their right mind could argue Kevin Rudd was the best-qualified candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations? He ranked way behind Helen Clark, among others, on merit and had no hope at all of winning the position.Why back a multi-time loser? John Mellors, Coombs VISION IN SHORT SUPPLY Most of us are aware our economy has become over-reliant on the need to house and service a rapidly growing population. We know this is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. So where are the leaders with the vision to guide us towards a more diverse, resilient and sustainable economy? Martin Tye, Kaleen PLEBISCITE A FARCE The proposed same sex marriage plebiscite has degenerated into farce. It can only lead to bitter attacks on LGBTIQ people by mediaeval bigots. If the UK and NZ can pass legislation after a respectful debate, why can't our Parliament? Richard Keys, Ainslie TRANSPORT ROW A. Smith (Letters, August 3) argues light rail cannot accommodate the transport needs of an enlarged North Canberra population in 2031. While I'm sure a couple of extra trams every half hour would help, the basic problem is population growth, and for that the federal government is largely responsible. Jenny Goldie, Michelago NSW INTERACTION LIMITED The IVF success rate is less than 1 per cent for women aged over 45. Credit:File Then let us consider the age of the mother. Using a woman's own eggs after 42-43 years is rarely successful. The average age of natural menopause is 51-53 years. Most IVF clinics in Australia will have a policy to not offer treatment to women over this age. There are good reasons for this. There is a gradual increase in the incidence of adverse obstetric outcomes from age 30. This includes infertility, miscarriage, chromosomal abnormalities, diabetes, pre-eclampsia, caesarean section and stillbirth. These risks relate to the increasing age of the eggs, the womb and other organs. None of this is avoidable, and no amount of anti-oxidant supplements or kale smoothies can arrest the inevitability of ageing. Our blood vessels, as we reach our 50s and 60s, become harder and less elastic. Women this age are more susceptible to blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes a potentially high price to pay to have a baby. Ageing is natural and inevitable. Older women are more likely to have degenerative conditions and/or chronic disease. As we get older, we slow down. What about the demands of parenting the child? Most 32-year-old mothers (and fathers) will tell you how hard it is bringing up a child. I genuinely hope that this child has her 80-year-old mother at her 18th birthday party. Her father will be 96. This baby was born at 34 weeks. Babies born six weeks premature are inevitably admitted to a Special Care Nursery. They face higher risks of respiratory problems, infection, and jaundice. The child may be more vulnerable to chest infections and asthma as it grows up. Why was baby delivered early? Growth restricted babies have higher rates of chronic disease like diabetes and hypertension in adulthood. If it was delivered early on purely maternal grounds, it had no chance to prepare for it potentially missing out on crucial brain development, and being at increased risk of learning problems and developmental delay. This baby is receiving care the equal of any in the world. But it comes at a price. A bed in a special care nursery costs around $2500 per day. Who pays for this? Even with private patients, the community pays most of the bill through our taxes which fund the Commonwealth's contribution to inpatient care, and through our pooled health insurance premiums. Limited health resources are further stretched. When this nation can properly fund General Practice and mental health services, we can talk about more money for private IVF. I would love to see savings quarantined for women's and children's health. Let's have greater investment in health education, get waiting times for public urogynaecological appointments down, enhance obstetric services for mothers who speak English as a second language, and close the gap in the perinatal and infant mortality rates suffered by Aboriginal children. The IVF ''treatment" in this case took place overseas. In most countries, there are no rules or regulations governing assisted reproduction. Most states in Australia have lax legislation with any limits of treatment provided coming down to the ethics of individual doctors and clinics. To our credit, Australia leads the world in rates of the safer process of single embryo transfer. Sadly, there is little legislative protection to stop the unscrupulous use of multiple IVF cycles to desperate older women who have single digit percentage chances of success. Some couples will not be told that it is unethical to try with their own eggs after age 42-43, where success rates are low. They will look overseas for IVF. But invariably they will choose to come home for antenatal care and delivery. It is not simply an expression of choice, or a case of "user pays". The health system picks up the bill for care in pregnancy, any complications at birth, from prematurity, and any long term sequellae. Not to mention the inescapable chance of children being orphaned based on average life expectancy statistics. Britton won an organ scholarship to Emmanuel College Cambridge to read music and modern languages (French and Spanish). But his student days were interrupted by World War II. He was trained by the Yorke Trotter method that focused on improvisation. His subsequent career as pianist, organist and accompanist was testament to the benefits. He was renowned for his "last verse improvisations" at the organ; or piano improvisations on a few notes submitted by audience members at recitals. He dubbed one improvisation "The Narcissist Variations", based on his front doorbell chime that played the notes d and b, his initials. Chilblains drove Donald Britton to emigrate to Australia in 1954. Or so he liked to say. After some training in England, his regiment formed part of the Chindit campaigns in Burma. This was an experiment in guerrilla warfare with troops parachuted into mountainous jungle behind enemy lines to prevent a Japanese advance into India. A formidable enemy and appalling conditions heat, rain, malaria and dysentery led to casualty rates of more than 50 per cent. But the campaigns helped dispel the myth of Japanese invincibility in jungle warfare. Although of a sensitive nature and thin, Britton was physically and mentally tough. One of the books about the Chindits mentions that he was one of the few who avoided hospital and went on eating (soy sausages!) when most were incapacitated by illness. He finished the war as Major Britton and was Mentioned in Despatches. He developed a deep love for the East and relished his leave times in various Indian hill stations. While in Bombay (Mumbai) he met his wife to be, Pearl Creed, a writer and illustrator for The Times of India. Pearl was doing war service with the British Censor office. When the war ended, they married in Bombay, spent six months in Mussourie where Britton was appointed military commandant of a leave station. He played a piano again for the first time in years, Italian POWs moved to tears by his playing Italian arias. They returned to the cold and rationing of post-war England so he could continue studying at Cambridge. First child Valerie was born in 1947 and Britton graduated with a double first. He was appointed to the teaching staff at Winchester College where he taught languages and music, conducted choirs and was organist at the school chapel and sometimes in Winchester Cathedral. And in Winchester daughter Cara was born. "John Allen greets me warmly as I walk up to his door on a hot Melbourne afternoon. 'How are you John?' I ask him. 'I've just got out of hospital', he tells me cheerily. 'Pleurisy, heart attack, pneumonia apart from that, I'm fine!' ". This is how Michael Veitch starts his chapter documenting Allen's war experiences in his book Heroes of the Skies. This captures the essence of a man who despite his age was alert and interested in the world around him, enjoying new opportunities and finding the best in everything. World War II pilot John Allen. John Cyril Allen was born in Cambridge, England. At age 8, he successfully auditioned for the St John's College Choir. Allen moved on to Cambridge and Country High School for Boys for a more rigorous academic education. He joined the youth-in-training program at the Post Office Engineering Department where he learnt how to maintain the new automatic telephone exchanges and then applied to the Observer Corp Network at the RAF aerodromes. Immigration has been a great strength of this country, and Melbourne in particular is often held up as a success story of multiculturalism. Although there is friction on some fronts around aspects of migration, there continues to be overwhelming support for the contribution that immigration can bring and the opportunities afforded to those who make this place their new home. A recent study gives hard evidence of the benefits migrants are bringing to regional centres, particularly those struggling with declining populations. According to a report by the Regional Australia Institute, 100 small rural communities that opened their arms to migrants have turned their fortunes around. The study presented detailed examples of small communities that either grew or maintained a stable population thanks to the successful settlement of migrants. The migrants taking up opportunities to settle in small rural towns are typically young, skilled and eager to work. Credit:Daniel Lewis The study's authors found the arrival of migrants had the effect of increasing regional economies and creating more jobs. Nhill, in north-west Victoria, was one of the communities featured in the study, after becoming home to 160 Karen refugees since early 2010. The study found that migrants such as these Karen refugees can create population stability, build diversity and counteract skill shortages. The migrants taking up opportunities to settle in small rural towns are typically young, skilled and eager to work. The ISIS published an interview with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the new leader of Boko Haram where al-Barnawai said that Christians were seeking to Christianize the society. He said they would respond by blowing up every church, and killing all Christians. Anrubakar Shekau, centre, the leader of Boko Haram who has now been replaced, according to an interview published by the ISIS. Photo: AP By AP: Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who is threatening to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday by the Islamic State group. He also says there is a Western plot to Christianize the region and has accused charities of using their aid for that, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation of an interview published on Wednesday in the Islamic State newspaper al-Nabaa. advertisement The newspaper identified Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new "Wali," or governor, of its so-called West Africa Province. The "Wali" title was previously used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. The report did not say what Shekau's current status was, although there have been rumors for weeks that he had been replaced. STRATEGY CHANGED, WILL TARGET CHRISTIANS NOW The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen. There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of school children. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. "They strongly seek to Christianize the society. ... They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children," SITE Intelligence quotes the new leader as saying. Al-Barnawi says the militants will respond to that threat by "booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross." ISLAMIC GROUPS MOVE AWAY FROM AL-QAIDA, TOWARDS ISIS Wednesday's announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al-Qaida to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said. Ansaru broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. Al-Barnawi is the pseudonym of a Nigerian journalist allied with Ansaru, which is known for kidnapping foreigners, according to Zenn. In March 2015, Shekau switched allegiance from al-Qaida and declared that Boko Haram be known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province. At the time, Boko Haram was the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria, controlling a huge area and was better equipped and motivated than Nigerian forces. Under Shekau, the seven-year insurgency spread to neighboring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and drove more than 2.2 millon from their homes, and created what aid workers are calling a catastrophic humanitarian emergency with children dying of starvation daily. advertisement MILITANTS TO SEIZE BACK TERRITORY UNDER PRESIDENT BUHARI Boko Haram last week ambushed a humanitarian convoy, killing three civilians including a UN employee and causing the suspension of UN aid to newly liberated but still dangerous areas of Nigeria's northeast. Since last year, Nigeria has a new leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator who has better armed and motivated security forces. He is also fighting corruption that diverted $2.1 billion that was meant to buy weapons to fight the Islamic uprising, and is cooperating with a multinational force that has the extremists on the run. In the interview, al-Barnawi said that under his leadership the militants will work to seize back territory. He said that increasing numbers of youth are joining the cause, though Nigeria's military reports that hundreds of its fighters have surrendered as aerial bombardments and ground assaults cut supply routes. Also Read: How revelation by ISIS suspect's friend foiled terror attack in Maharashtra ISIS labels slain Muslim American soldier an 'apostate' Prevalence of ISIS attire, flags prove group has infiltrated Bangladesh, say experts --- ENDS --- Millennials are less sexually active as young adults than previous generations were. On the surface, that looks great: They appear to be less disposed toward risky behaviours, better at saying no to unwanted encounters, more motivated to study, work and make money, which could lead to more financially secure, happier families. Yet there could be an ugly side to this that could turn what looks like increased responsibility into a demographic threat. According to a paper by Jean Twenge of San Diego State University and her colleagues Ryna Sherman and Brooke Wells, published on Tuesday in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15 percent of 20- to 24-year-old Americans born in the 1990s have had no sexual partners after their 18th birthday, compared with just 6 percent of people born in the 1960s at the same age. This is in line with previous research showing that those millennials who do have sex tend to have less or it and fewer partners. Tinder isn't helping. And when they do hook up, according to a recent study by Arielle Kuperberg of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, only a minority of U.S. college undergraduates say they had penetrative sex. It's tempting to see this as harmless. After all, an early sexual initiation increases the risk of teen pregnancies (which are quickly becoming less common) and abortions, and it may lead to riskier and less happy sex lives later on as well as high risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Let kids study and avoid cumbersome, disruptive relationships - the reasons most often cited by millennials when they are asked about their low sexual activity levels - until the reproductive urge finally catches up with them at a more mature age. The Turnbull government is "flip-flopping on climate change" and doesn't know what it stands for, Labor says, after Science Minister Greg Hunt ordered the CSIRO to restore climate research as a core priority. As Fairfax Media reported on Thursday, Mr Hunt has instructed CSIRO's executives and board to "put the focus back on climate science", just months after the national science agency slashed climate staff and programs. The cuts had prompted widespread condemnation, and fears that Australia was undermining global efforts to monitor and predict climate change. The new strategy, which is yet to be fully devised, includes 15 new climate science jobs and research investment worth $37 million over 10 years. Pauline Hanson's One Nation party is now a major force in Australian politics, having secured four Senate seats in an independent crossbench that has swelled to 11. The anti-Islam party scored two seats in Queensland, including one for Ms Hanson, and one in NSW, when results from the July 2 federal election were finalised in those two states on Thursday morning. Adding to a seat already confirmed in Western Australia earlier this week, One Nation will have four senators when the 45th Parliament begins later this month. That is one more than the other major new force, the Nick Xenophon Team, which won three Senate seats in South Australia. Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm was also re-elected in NSW, swelling the size of the independent crossbench to 11 (from eight in the previous Parliament). The 45th Parliament has not sat for a day and already it looks like being a ropey affair, hostage to a ragtag of minor party protectionists, climate deniers, Islamophobes, and the usual contingent of opportunists. Humiliating Coalition reversals have led to a razor-thin one seat majority downstairs and an eclectic potentially unnavigable upper house chamber. Both are testament to the predictable folly of forcing a double dissolution on the nation which entailed a destructively long, winter election campaign, and which wound up being a show about nothing. The most damning aspect is that for Malcolm Turnbull, installed as the great corrective giving voice for the middle, the 2016 election has hollowed that out and instead delivered a legislature thicker on the political margins. Rioter and suspected extremist Ahmad Elomar walked out of prison on Thursday afternoon just hours after the NSW government lost its bid to keep him behind bars. Elomar, 33, was released on parole from Goulburn prison after serving almost three years of a 4-year sentence for bashing a police officer with a flag pole during a violent protest in Hyde Park in 2012. He was initially granted parole last month after the parole authority said that he might become radicalised in jail and the community would therefore be better served if he was living outside with supervision. However, Corrections Minister David Elliott launched an urgent appeal, arguing that Elomar had already been radicalised in jail and that the parole authority had ignored vital evidence. It's a nasty divorce that has already led to the liquidation of one pub and two fox terriers. Now it's threatening a wealthy Sydney woman's luxury waterfront penthouse and potentially a lot more. The ex-wife and the current partner of former multimillionaire hotelier Les Young live in very different circumstances. Former wife Joanne lives in a Campbelltown housing commission block. She was Mr Young's second wife. His current partner, Josephine Smith, lives in a three-level Pyrmont penthouse. "Currently of all of the six Great Barrier Reef catchments, only three are protected. We are proposing to extend the protection to all six of the Great Barrier Reef catchments, because we know that if we are to improve the prospects of the Great Barrier Reef surviving and thriving into the future, we have got to stop putting sediment and run-off into the water, that decreases water quality. "That is what this bill seeks to do extend the area of protection, so we can improve the quality of water into the Great Barrier Reef. "I am not unmoved, of course I feel for everyone in this debate. But I think we need to understand that these laws have been in place in the past and they have seen the agriculture sector grow and increase in profitability. This will not put the brakes on any agricultural production on this state." Landowners have protested the move, warning it will cut into their ability to grow their businesses, in an already particularly harsh time for the industry. Indigenous groups have also spoken out against the tightening of the laws, concerned it will prevent Indigenous communities from establishing agricultural businesses. The government is also looking to reverse the onus of proof, a move the Queensland Law Society labelled "a step backwards for justice", where landholders would have to prove they did not clear land, instead of the department proving they did. Disgraced ex-minister Gordon Nuttall has fronted court in Queensland as the state government tries to claw back taxpayer contributions to his superannuation nest egg. The 63-year-old, who served six years behind bars for corruption before being released on parole last year, appeared briefly as he represented himself in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday. The state government is moving to strip ex-minister Gordon Nuttall of his superannuation. Credit:Glenn Hunt Crown lawyers lodged paperwork last month in a bid to recoup government contributions to his super fund, with Treasurer Curtis Pitt refusing to confirm reports the state was seeking between $800,000 to $1.2 million. The application is seeking a court order requiring Nuttall to pay a sum "considered by the judge to be just and equitable" and also cover the costs of the proceeding. Choking traffic around Indooroopilly's Walter Taylor Bridge is a sign the Centenary Highway should now be widened to six lanes and a new bridge built from Bellbowrie to Riverhills, the RACQ says. This week traffic inched for four kilometres along Honour Avenue past Chelmer and Graceville, with motorists taking 45 minutes to crawl across the Walter Taylor Bridge at Indooroopilly. Traffic crawls towards Indooroopilly's Walter Taylor Bridge. Credit:Tony Moore Brisbane City Council said "traffic congestion" on Moggill Road made the traffic situation at Indooroopilly worse than usual. The Brisbane City Council confirmed on Wednesday it had in February 2016 bought the riverside Defence Department property, Witton Barracks, beside Indooroopilly train station, for a park and a new Indooroopilly bridge. The Bombay high court today granted interim protection from arrest to Maharashtra MLA Pankaj Bhujbal. By Vidya : The Bombay High Court today granted interim protection from arrest to Maharashtra MLA Pankaj Bhujbal. Justice PN Deshmukh granted relief to Bhujbal after the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court issued non-bailable warrant against him and other accused in the case. Bhujbal's father Chauhan Bhujbal and cousin Sameer Bhujbal are already behind bars at Arthur Road Jail. Chauhan Bhujbal's bail application on medical grounds was recently rejected by the Bombay High Court. advertisement The next date of hearing in the case is August 8. --- ENDS --- A community is in mourning after Dennis Smith tragically died "doing something he loved" at Queensland Raceway on Wednesday. The 68-year-old was racing in a midweek sprint at the Willowbank motor racing circuit when he missed a turn on the track and crashed into a tyre wall about 2.30pm. Paramedics performed CPR on the northern New South Wales father, however he died on scene. His son Craig, also a motorsport enthusiast, took to Facebook late on Wednesday night to pay tribute to his "best mate". The owners of a southside Brisbane restaurant have been fined nearly $200,000 for deliberately exploiting vulnerable overseas workers through underpayments. Mother and son Sakuraya cafe owners A-Hsueh Lai and Chang Ming Liu have also been forced to pay more than $54,000 in back-pay to five former staff from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea. Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says foreign workers are especially vulnerable to exploitation. Credit:Jesse Marlow The former visa-holders who worked at the Eight Mile Plains cafe were paid as little as $10 an hour, well below the legislated $18, and their underpayments ranged from $8300 to $18,000. Comment has been sought from Ms Lai and Mr Liu, who were penalised $196,000 following legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Construction worker Marco Raulli's obsession with one woman's underwear was so extreme that he returned to her clothesline five times to sniff and steal her lingerie. Raulli's four-year underwear-stealing spree through Northcote, Richmond and South Yarra ended this year when police caught him on CCTV sniffing a pair of panties before pocketing them and fleeing. Justice finally caught up with the "snowdropper" on Thursday, when he was sentenced by Magistrate Duncan Reynolds to an 18-month community corrections order, and ordered to pay his victims $790. Raulli spent his days on construction sites, but by night he was a serial thief, stealing more than $900 worth of underwear in a spree between 2012 and 2016. One woman has been killed and five people hurt in a knife attack in central London, police said. A 19-year-old man was arrested after the attack on the woman, who was in her 60s and who died from her injuries at the scene. "Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry," London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters, according to Reuters. "But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore." Still, as Rashid acknowledges, Muslims in the military face numerous challenges. For one, 15 years of war in Muslim countries has made serving in the military a cultural minefield. Among some non-Muslim soldiers, Islam itself, not extremism, is often seen as the problem. Khizr Khan, with his wife Ghazala, speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28. Credit:New York Times In interviews, Muslim soldiers said they had all encountered at one time or another what one called "knucklehead" comments equating them with terrorists. Things got worse after 13 people were killed at Fort Hood in 2009 by a Muslim Army psychiatrist who said America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were wars against all Muslims. Other problems come from the cultural barriers, like a ban on facial hair, and dealing with military food that is often rife with pork, forbidden by Islam. Few bases have Muslim prayer services, and only five of the Army's roughly 2900 chaplains are imams. Khizr Khan and his wife on the convention stage in Philadelphia with a portrait of their son, Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed fighting in Iraq. Credit:New York Times "It can be challenging," said Rashid, whose family moved from Pakistan when he was 10. "The nature of military service is not very conducive to practicing your faith, but Islam is flexible. "I am here as an American," he added. "I benefit from the liberty and opportunity of this country, and it is my obligation to serve this nation in some way." Nazim Abdul Karreim and other members of the Muslim American Veterans Association at a wreath-laying at the National World War II Memorial in Washington last year. Credit:New York Times Thousands of Muslims have served in the military since at least the Civil War, but they make up a disproportionately small portion of the force. Just 3939 troops currently list their faith as Islam, according to Pentagon data. They make up just 0.3 per cent of the military; Muslims are estimated to make up about 1 per cent of the American civilian population. Their numbers are so few that some go most of their career without meeting another Muslim in uniform. In Europe, some countries have made moves to encourage Muslims to enlist. The British Army, which has similarly low participation among Muslims, two years ago launched a recruiting initiative, the Armed Forces Muslim Forum. The armed forces allow fasting during Ramadan and make accommodations for daily prayers, setting up prayer rooms on bases and recently adding one to a warship. A man holds a sign criticising Donald Trump as former president Bill Clinton greets Democratic supporters in Youngstown, Ohio. Credit:New York Times The Pentagon does not track how many Muslim troops have died in combat since 2001, but they have served in all branches - as officers, combat troops, interpreters and intelligence gatherers. Some say that life in the military became harder after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Captain Nadi Kassim, a company commander in the Army's Second Cavalry Regiment born to Palestinian Muslim parents, at his parents' home in Texas. Credit:New York Times "After 9/11 I really started noticing a change," said Mansoor Shams, who was born in Pakistan and served in the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004. "A few guys made negative comments, sometimes half-joking, calling me the Taliban. I decided to nip it in the bud, and most of the guys understood." Some troops also find it difficult to fight in countries their families may be from. But when it comes to religious liberty, they say the military has gone to considerable lengths to be accommodating. Troops have time to pray and can fast during Ramadan. The military even makes halal versions of MREs - or meals ready to eat, its plastic-wrapped field rations - along with kosher and vegetarian versions. "The halal MREs are actually pretty good, maybe even better than regular MREs," said Captain Nadi Kassim, a company commander in the Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Kassim, a child of Palestinian refugees who graduated from the US Military Academy in 2010, has felt nothing but support from the military since he was a cadet, he said. "I was never singled out for being a guy named Nadi Kassim," he said. "The Army minimises differences and rewards achievement, and I really thrived in that." When a recent field exercise fell during Ramadan, Kassim said, the support unit doing the cooking set aside meals so he and another Muslim could eat after sunset. "We did not ask them to," he said. "They just did it on their own to show they supported us." Though easy to overlook, Muslim culture has a firm toehold in the military, said Commander Abuhena Saifulislam, a chaplain who serves as an imam in the Navy and Marine Corps, a job he has held for 20 years. Every Friday, he said, an imam holds prayers in the Pentagon, and at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where he is stationed, he leads prayers daily. Saifulislam has been invited to lead prayers at the White House by presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. On his latest visit, during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, he walked into the White House with a 95-year-old Muslim who had fought in World War II. "Many times I have been to Afghanistan," he said. "I let them know there how we as Muslims live in America. And I have made great relationships." Saifulislam oversaw the building of a mosque at Camp Lejeune, complete with separate entrances for men and women. And in his long career in the military, he said, he has ministered to many more Christians than Muslims and has never faced a backlash. "When I was young, I came here from Bangladesh without a family," he said. "And in many ways the military became my family. I wouldn't have stayed 20 years unless I felt welcome." "America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms," Gadahn told potential al-Qaeda recruits. "You can go down to a gun show at the local convention centre, and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?" (Gadahn was killed last year in Pakistan by a CIA drone strike.) At the time, Mr Berger wrote that this was "only the latest example of gun-love from al-Qaeda and its affiliates" and that "there are compelling reasons to focus our terrorism prevention strategy on firearms-based attacks." To an extent, this prediction has come true already: According to one recent analysis by FiveThirtyEight's Carl Bialik, an increasing number of terrorist attacks in the United States are committed with firearms, in part a response to stricter laws controlling explosives and materials that can be used to create explosives. Speaking to the Times, Sarfo suggested that the Islamic State was actively seeking foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq to send back to Europe, where they could carry out attacks. Recruits with criminal histories were especially sought after by the group, "especially if they know you have ties to organised crime and they know you can get fake IDs, or they know you have contact men in Europe who can smuggle you into the European Union." Weapons were also a factor. In much of Western Europe, gun laws are tight. However, the continent's largely open borders make smuggling easy, and guns can be obtained on the black market if you know who to ask. The Islamic State recruits who attacked Paris in November 2015 were found to have firearms that had originated in Eastern Europe. The Brussels-based cell that planned and perpetrated that attack and another in Belgium five months later had links to the criminal world, and some had spent time with the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. In contrast, an attack in San Bernardino, California, in December 2015 and another in Orlando in June 2016 - two attacks both claimed by the Islamic State that killed a total of 63 people - were conducted by people with little link to organised crime. These people had not been to the Middle East to fight and their links to the Islamic State were weak, at best. In both of these shootings, the firearms used were bought legally. Momentum builds towards a new annual sales record with 28,125 units retailed to date in 2016. Record-breaking July for Crosstrek, Outback and WRX STI line. MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 3, 2016 /CNW/ - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) today announced record-breaking July sales with 4,210 units retailed in July, an increase of 4.1 percent. Subaru Canada's year-to-date sales are up 2.2 percent with 28,125 units sold during the first seven months of 2016, representing the Japanese automaker's highest year-to-date results ever. Heading into the second half of 2016 with milestone year-to-date results puts Subaru Canada in a good position to achieve its fifth consecutive annual sales record. Subaru's compact crossover, the Crosstrek, enjoyed sales growth of 6.5 percent with 840 units sold this past July. The Outback, Subaru's SUV alternative, moved 964 units to propel sales with a skyrocketing increase of 40.5 percent this month over the same period last July. Subaru's performance sedan, the WRX STI, celebrated its best July ever with 404 of the turbocharged rally icons retailed, an impressive increase of 30.7 percent. "Subaru Canada is steadily working towards its fifth consecutive annual sales record," says Shiro Ohta, chairman, president and CEO of Subaru Canada, Inc. "Our fundamental approach of product-focused selling and strong dealership network attract more and more Canadians to the brand. With brand new product on an all-new platform launching late this fall, Subaru is set to achieve unprecedented sales success." July 4,210 Month's actual 4,043 Previous year (same month) 167 Difference 4.1% MTD sales vs. STLY 28,125 2016 YTD 27,515 2015 YTD 610 Difference 2.2% YTD sales vs. STLY 4,210 Q3 2016 4,043 Q3 2015 167 Difference 4.1% Current quarter sales vs. STLY About Subaru Canada, Inc. Subaru Canada, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of 92 authorized dealers across Canada. For more information, please visit www.subaru.ca or www.pr.subaru.ca or follow @Subaru_Canada on Twitter. SOURCE Subaru Canada Inc. CONTACT: Julie Lychak, (905) 568-4959, jlychak@subaru.ca; Naomi Kislanski, (905) 568-4959, nkislanski@subaru.ca; Sebastien Lajoie, Media Relations, Quebec Region, (514) 336-0600, slajoie@subaru.ca RELATED LINKShttp://www.pr.subaru.ca 2017 Nissan Armada An In-depth Evaluation From Senior Editor Thom Cannell +VIDEO 2017 Nissan Armada - New Competition for Bling and Bash By Thom Cannell With Steve Purdy Senior Editors Michigan Bureau The Auto Channel For too long Nissan has taken a very back seat in the full sized, body-on-frame SUV set occupied by GMC Yukon, Toyota Sequoia, or Ford Expedition. Where once the Armada was more utilitarian and seemed to compete with Chevrolet Yukon and Expedition it now walks a thin line with its luxury sibling Infiniti QX 80, who knocks up against far pricier Escalade, Audi Q7, Mercedes GLS. So, how is this Armada different, better, worth your dollars? We have an advantage in this evaluation...a previous generation Armada weve driven thousands of happy and trouble-free miles. 2017 is a significant and total upgrade that only makes this underrated SUV better, and it was time for this second generation as the original Titan-based Armada (2004-2017) debut in 2004 with a major restyle in 2008. Though it looks smaller, the 2017 Armada is slightly larger. Designers have done an excellent job of making a very large package appear sleek, almost svelte, delivering increased second row leg room and reclining seats while retaining big capacity behind the 60//40 power folding third row of seats. Those seats we did not try as theres more than 9 between our knee and foot, which appears to be the seat height. Kids only! Armada is capable of the most rugged offroading, a la Jeep or Range Rover, with sharp approach and departure angles and a frame that can be torqued hard with no complaints or deviations. That frame and suspension are shared with Infinitis new QX-80 Nissans Platinum Reserve delivers saddle stitched, leather lined luxury and many, not all of the luxury touches demanded in that market leaving perceived needs for QX 80, pricier and more luxurious. Leather is also available in the SL mid-grade. While no pricing has been announced were told the entry SV trim with drivers package prices out around $44,000 plus $995 destination. In the full sized SUV marketplace that is competitive. Safety is addressed with many of the current must-haves, like Blind Spot detection, camera-based Predictive Collision warning, intelligent cruise control, Lane Departure Warning with brake induced lane centering, even Backup Collision Intervention to prevent those embarrassing rear enders; it will stop you. Nissan also offers front and rear sonar obstacle detection and multiple camera views including its Around View. Although theres good navigation and a 13-speaker Bose stereo system, whats surprisingly missing is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That said, it has Siri Hands Free. Powering the 2017 Armada is a new V8 engine with Direct Injection. That feature delivers more horsepower, more torque, and a flatter torque curve according to Nissan engineers. What it delivers to buyers is more seamless power at any speed, and a 7-speed automatic provides better fuel economy, a surprising 23 EPA combined rating. 23 more horses and 9 more foot-pounds dont seem much, but improved engine technology (mirror cylinder bores, variable valve timing in intake and exhaust, a multi-valve that improves engine warmup and evenness in temperature) create the best in class tow capability, 8,500 pounds in either 2WD or 4WD, up to a full ton more capability than some competitors. While a trailer hitch is standard, pre-wiring is an option. Previous Armadas used a 5-speed transmission. Armada ?17s new Jatco 7-speed has two more highway gears for economy and a lower first and second gear for acceleration. It also has a way to speedily heat its internal fluids for improved economy and performance. Seat of the pants evaluation says it takes off solidly, far more acceleration that youd ever expect! The new 7-speed transmission always seems to have a good gear choice ready when you need power. Considering Armada is an eight passenger vehicle, all with 60/40 folding third row (power fold for SL and Platinum grades), the center row is also 60/40 for all three models though Platinum offers center captains chairs with a removable center console. Front seats offer both heating and cooling, second row seats are heated, and the kids in the back are too rambunctious to care. Driving the Platinum Reserve we were coddled by gathered leather door sides and, for the front seat passenger, wrap-around wood finish that creates a luxury cocoon. Another feature of the new vehicle is quietness. Nissan added acoustic glass to the front doors and windscreen to make the interior nearly library quiet. Its easy to converse between front and rear, or to hear your fingers slide across the wood and leather steering wheel. Of course you can add distractions for the rear seat passengers, built-in 7 DVD-driven screens for the latest Disney movie or games (wireless headsets of course), and the 13-speaker Bose system we found lacking imagery. Normally audio designers produce a sound stage across the entire instrument panel. This, controls set to zero, seemingly had only the large center speaker. Fiddling was definitely required. Driving the 2017 Armada is a pleasure; it drives smaller than it is. On the highway youre aware that it is a truck with a fully boxed all-steel frame even though the ride is smooth, even on rough roads and off the road. Youll likely not know, or care about the double wishbone front suspension and its 36 mm stabilizer bar, only care that it steers with precision and responds promptly to your wishes. Few will ever think about the double wishbone, self-leveling rear suspension, the twin-tube dampers (shock absorbers to many) or the 26.5 mm rear stabilizer bar. Those kinds of things might matter to anyone who wants or needs to go off the road, whether to hunt, fish, or to the cabin up North. Realistically all 99% care about is that it rides with grace and precision. However you will care about, and feel the powerful four-wheel disc brakes with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Force Distribution which will do its best, along with Predictive Forward Collision Alert, to keep you from striking a car or pedestrian. The brakes feel strong and are easy to apply with just the stopping power you want, race car-like high energy stops or simply gliding up to the red light. Either works. Typically more relevant to customers are styling details like the new corporate V-Motion front grille and standard LED headlights, taillights and daytime running lights. Youll likely be more interested in its improved headroom and second row leg room, or its ability to fold seats flat from tailgate to the back of the drivers seat. What we found in hours of driving, riding in the right and rear seats was a comfortable vehicle, one thats easy to drive, precise in its steering, and one that turns far tighter than youd ever expect. It is a truck wed be even happier to drive from Michigan to Florida than its predecessor. We found the chassis to be easy to live with, if a bit stiffer than a luxury sedan, and one that can be loaded laterally for very swift driving in mountainous switchback conditions. Again, it is quiet. Riding in the back seat we can tell you the room is greatly improved over the 2004 version; its nearly a limousine and the seats recline and are more comfortable. A surprise is that the center console top opens in both directions. From the front its a large arm rest and from the rear, hinged forward, its storage. We were given opportunity to Off Road on a man made course that offered very steep side angles, abrupt break-over and descent, and some torsional bumps designed to stress the chassis. Few will attempt this kind of abuse but Armada remains true to its global Nissan Patrol heritage. We never tipped over, though feeling as if the chassis was tilted more than 45, never slid on a skid plate or axle, and on those torsional bumpswhich are actually experienced offroadingnever heard a squeak. In fact from inside those bumps were almost unfelt if driven smooth and slow. We truly appreciated, and used, the ability to stop and use camera views to examine the front right wheel, or to peer down a slope. The alternative is to get out and look for yourself, not fun in a bog, at the top of a hill, or when the hillside appears to be missing. HEELS ON WHEELS: 2016 NISSAN FRONTIER REVIEW HEELS ON WHEELS By Katrina Ramser San Francisco Bureau The Auto Channel INTRO TO THE FRONTIER VEHICLE Welding compact utility performance is the Nissan Frontier, with more eye-catching brawn than years past and a V6 engine that gets the job done. I drove a 2016 Nissan Frontier with the larger 261-horsepower 4-liter V6 engine with 281 pound-feet of torque, a five-speed automatic transmission, and a shift-on-the-fly four-wheel drive system. It also has a two-speed transfer case with 4Hi and 4Lo. Available a base S, SL, SV, Desert Runner, and PRO-4X trims as well as an extended king cab or crew cab, my Frontier PRO-4X with a crew cab came with the following standard features: unique white stitching interior trim; Rockford Fosgate premium ten-speaker audio system; NissanConnect with 5.8-inch touchscreen display and navigation; Siri Eyes Free; Bluetooth connectivity; XM Radio; rear sonar system; rear under seat storage; fog lights; manual sliding rear window; Utili-track channel system; front tow hook; sixteen-inch off-road wheels and all-terrain tires. Total price as described without options is $33,390. Competitors include the Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado both which have received very impressive restyling and performance perks. HEELS ON WHEELS REVIEW CRITERIA Stylish But Comfortable Results: While Nissan has made efforts to keep the brawny exterior looking fresh, the interior is staid, subpar, and at best can be described as straightforward (Ive come to expect this treatment from Nissans less popular utility vehicles). Controls are outdated, layout lacks ergonomic thought, and I missed simple pleasures expected at this mid-trim level such as push-button start. I also experienced quality issues with NissanConnects connectivity and Bluetooth system. It appears Nissan reserved the best interior engineering for the Murano, which has NASA-inspired seats that are as finely crafted as they are comfortable and remain my favorite seating of any vehicle (including luxury brands). The PRO-4X Package ($2,100) adds leather upholstery, power and hearted front seats, a roof rack and a moonroof all nice features; Im just not sure how these features equate to crafting a more pro image for the truck and it is too pricey. Reliability & Safety Factor: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the Murano ratings of Good in moderate overlap front and side impact crash tests, but Acceptable in head restraints and Moderate in ease of use with child seats. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet rated the model year. Standard safety equipment includes anti-lock brakes, vehicle dynamic control, and an advanced airbag system. Cost Issues: The Frontier base S trim starts at $18,290, which gets you the standard 152-horsepower four-cylinder engine, decent suspension, and some second-row under seat storage (but not much else in terms of features). The base Toyota Tacoma SR starts at $23,660. My recent Tacoma TRD Sport trim test drive started at $30,025 but also featured such options as a moonroof, push-button start, and the premium JBL audio system with Integrated Navigation and App Suite, which brought the price to around $33k; a top-of-the-line Tacoma Limited starts at $35,105 and a loaded Nissan Frontier comes in a few thousand less than that. Activity & Performance Ability: The ride under Nissan Frontiers PRO-4X package with its Blistein shocks stronger front stabilizer bar, and modified suspension is far from smooth. The 4-liter engine unfortunately hesitates and delivers uneven acceleration not what I experienced with the Toyota Tacoma, which now possesses more highway grace thanks to a better insulated cab. Again, Nissan delivered its best work to the Murano and Pathfinder with a V6 that shines under strenuous handling. The Green Concern: Fuel economy for the Frontiers 4-liter V6 engine delivers 15 miles-per-gallon city and 28 highway for a combined claim of 17 with four-wheel drive. The 3.5-liter V6 with four-wheel drive gets 17-city and 21-highway for 19 miles-per-gallon combined. FINAL PARTING WORDS The 2016 Nissan Frontier delivers straight utility as experienced from its 6.1-foot cargo bed, but thats about it as this compact truck is outshone in just about every category by its competitors. 2016 Katrina Ramser The Most Independent Nissan Vehicle Research Information Anywhere! Greatest Cause Of Traffic Fatalities? We Are. By Martha Hindes The Auto Channel A half century ago there wasn't much public emphasis on driving safety. No auto company ran safety ads. It just wasn't done. "That's because people didn't want to be reminded that cars can kill," said one long-time industry executive. That was before the federal safety act of 50 years ago. And that head-in-the-sand perception of vehicle safety is long gone now as a 180-degree flip in awareness dominates every facet of the auto industry. But being aware is still far from the desired goal, according to Dr. Mark R. Rosekind, Administrator of the National Highway and Traffic Administration (NHTSA). While the federal safety agency -- part of the Department of Transportation (DOT) -- is quick to remind everyone of the 35,200 traffic fatalities in the U.S. last year, it is really interested in only one number. That is zero. The agency also notes some other disturbing data that have emerged while calculating that staggering 2015 toll. The greatest offender in that 35+K death tally is you and me. Human beings account for 94 percent of all vehicle fatalities, he said. And that not only includes single or multiple vehicle crashes, but the traffic deaths of motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicycle riders. If it weren't for human beings, driving safety likely would be a non-issue, according to Dr. Rosekind. He was one of the speakers at the annual CAR Management Briefing Seminars held this week, that draws hundreds of auto industry executives and professionals to the annual sessions at Traverse City, Michigan. "The only appropriate target is zero (deaths)," he said. "That's the only acceptable goal for us." Dr. Rosekind's participation was at the precipice of drastic changes in the auto industry highlighted at this year's conference. Whether consumers are ready for it or not, developments in vehicle automation including self-driving cars and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication is closer than many people think, with consumer acceptance the great unknown. Part of that evolutionary development is the identification of 120 countermeasures to address the problem that can include such earlier technical advances as seat belts and air bags, but are expanding into automatic braking and other aspects of self driving vehicles. Vehicle makers have enhanced safety awareness and have won NHTSA's four- and five-star safety ratings by adding safety features designed to help prevent an accident or mitigate the effects when one occurs. Those apply to nearly every vehicle that's manufactured today, Dr. Rosekind said. "Ninety-six percent will get a four or five-star rating." One emphasis now is to learn from the aerospace industry with a stellar safety record for years. Airplane makers resolved safety issues by sharing safety data and developing solutions outside of a competitive framework so everyone benefitted. "The aerospace industry has been at zero for major commercial fatalities for a long time," he said, noting that no pilot goes into a cockpit and looks for a five-star rating on the wall. The auto industry needs to collaborate in a similar fashion, with most auto makers already signing on for a NHTSA workshop to learn how to similarly share and learn best practices. Vehicle braking is a major reason for a significant number of crashes. Federally mandating standardized features such as automated braking technology by 2022 could help motorized vehicles achieve similar results. (Toyota said it could accomplish that by 2017.) Braking is responsible tor a substantial number of crashes. But it's only one of the self-driving technologies that could bypass the human factor Dr. Rosekind encouraged consumers to contact their congressional representatives to pay for a $3.9 billion proposal from the Obama administration to develop a 10-year plan for the industry to encourage self-driving technology. The proposal was first announced by DOT secretary Anthony Foxx in January, 2016 at Detroit, Michigan's North American International Auto Show. And self-driving technology, not vulnerable to such problems as distractions, drunk driving, texting or falling asleep at the wheel could dramatically improve the chances of reaching zero. Dr. Rosekind summed up the problem in one terse sentence: "Changing the human is very hard." The very next day of the incident DGP Javed Ahmed in a press conference announced, "All culprits will be booked within 72 hours". More than 100 hours have passed and not a single lead to trace the key accused. By Anindya Banerjee: The midnight highway gangrape in Bulandshahr has shaken India. But even after more than 100 hours of the ghastly incident, the key accused is still at large. And the investigation is raising more questions than answers. The very next day of the incident DGP Javed Ahmed in a press conference announced, "All culprits will be booked within 72 hours". More than 100 hours have passed and not a single lead to trace the key accused. advertisement The political bland game aside, UP Police's investigation into the incident has been questionable from Day 1. HERE'S WHY. It's believed that all the 3 arrested and now sent to 14 days of judicial custody didn't have any criminal past. If so, is it their first crime which they executed like professionals? And if they have been operating before, why were no FIR filed, leave aside arresting them? The police did not check the mobile location of the three during the crime. Anees Ansari, SSP Bulandshahar told India Today, "Not necessarily criminals carry mobiles along while executing a crime". The kingpin of the gang is still at large. So are other accused. It is natural for cops to seek police remand for custodial interrogation to extract information. Why did the UP Police not seek police remand of the trio while being produced in front of the magistrate? The most important evidence for cracking any crime is the weapon used. Sources tell India Today, the weapon used to stop the car and the guns used to take the family members in their custody, are also missing. And most importantly has DNA samples of the 3 been taken for investigation? Ansari told India Today, "We had the victim identify the arrested trio. What more proof do we need?" But any prosecution theory is subject to be challenged by the defense. So how will the cops match samples if they haven't even taken one in the first place? ALSO READ: Bulandshahr gang rape: UP govt moves swiftly to install special highway patrol force --- ENDS --- By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI) The Union Cabinet today approved signing of an Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), a move that will promote air connectivity, besides trade and investment, between the two countries. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of a new Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), an official release said. advertisement Under the agreement, the designated airlines of the two countries would have fair and equal opportunity to operate the agreed services on specified routes, it said. The routes and frequencies would be decided subsequently, it added. The Agreement is expected to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange between the two countries bringing it in tune with the developments in the civil aviation sector, the release said. It will provide enabling environment for enhanced and seamless connectivity while providing commercial opportunities to the carriers of both the sides ensuring greater safety and security, the release said. PTI IAS RG --- ENDS --- For Dogs, its Trick and Treat Its almost Halloween, a great time to teach your dog a trick and give him a treat. Most trainers are fans of trick training. Its not as silly as it... Muzzle is not a bad word If you see a dog in a muzzle, you immediately think the dog is aggressive. Right? Well, this is not always true. Unfortunately, seeing a dog in a muzzle carries... Five years before D.C. transit cop Nicholas Young was arraigned on terrorism charges in the Alexandria, Virginia, federal courthouse, he allegedly told an undercover officer about his plans to smuggle guns into the building to attack law enforcement. Youngs arrest Wednesday morning on charges that he provided material support to ISIS ended a six-year investigation that saw him allegedly fantasizing about shooting up a courthouse, going to fight in Libya, and befriending two convicted terrorists. Young is a convert to Islam and a 12-year veteran of the D.C. Metro Transit police (and was fired after his arrest). His arrest is the 100th on ISIS-related charges since 2014. Transit police said they tipped off the FBI at some point. Metro Transit Police alerted the FBI about this individual and then worked with our federal partners throughout the investigation up to and including todays arrest, Metro General Manager and CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld told The Daily Beast in a statement. Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. Theyre disturbing to me, and theyre disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform. That year Young allegedly began a friendship with a confidential FBI informant posing as an Army reservist who wanted to fight for the caliphate. Young allegedly told the informant that he wouldnt get into trouble unless he talked about or admitted his plans to join ISIL, according to court documents using the governments name for the so-called Islamic State. The source pretended to have joined ISIS and then communicated with Young through a FBI agent posed as him to communicate with Young through a disposable email account. On one occasion in early 2015, Young allegedly praised the Charlie Hebdo attacks to the agents reading the email. Not sure if you got the news there yetA couple brotherswere named in an assault on a french newspaper, he wrote. Hopefully now people understand there are some lines you dont cross. Later, Young allegedly emailed that he needed help moving money out of the U.S. because he had enough flags on my name that I cant even buy a plane ticket without little alerts ending up in someones hands. Court documents state that Young was interviewed by police about a domestic violence allegation in June 2015. No other details are available about that incident, but he allegedly told police at the time that he dressed up as Jihadi John for Halloween 2014 and stuffed an orange jumpsuit with paper to portray a headless hostage. Jihadi John was the nickname given to a British ISIS member who beheaded American hostages on video believed to be Mohammed Emwazi. Young paraded the decapitated jumpsuit throughout a party, he told police. Then he showed them a tattoo of a Imperial German eagle on his neck and said he collected Nazi memorabilia and dressed up as Nazis, according to an FBI affidavit. As the FBI circled Young in December 2015, they interviewed him about the whereabouts of their confidential human source, who pretended to go to Syria. They even emailed Young from the mans email, saying that his mother had been questioned as well. They switched to an encrypted messaging platform, according to the affidavit. On the app, the undercover FBI agents asked Young for gift cards to pay for messaging apps to recruit more Westerners for ISIS. They told them that ISIS bought accounts for one-time use. Eventually, Young allegedly sent the agents posing as ISIS 22 sixteen-digit codes for gift cards. Glad it came through, he allegedly messaged from an account on the service on July 30, 2016. Getting rid of device nowfo real. Gonna eat the Sim card. He was arrested four days later for the gift cards worth $245. Undercover agents trailing Young reported that he worked to reduce his social media footprint for years and claimed to carry several burner phones as early as 2011. He would keep mum on his plans so that people would find out what he was going to do after it happened, Young told the undercover, according to the affidavit. Young said that if law enforcement searched Youngs home, they would have issues because Young was stockpiling weapons, the affidavit said, adding that he owned an Egyptian AK-47, a Kimber 1911 .45 caliber pistol, and an AK-47 AMD rifle. Youngs affection for jihad is long and personal, according to court documents. His friend Zachary Chesser was arrested in 2010 for attempting to provide material support to Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab, and Amine El Khalifi, who met with Young, Chesser, and the undercover agent, is serving time for a plot to blow up the U.S. Capitol. But when interrogated, Young allegedly told FBI agents that it wouldve been his religious duty to turn Chesser in if he suspected him of terror involvement. An undercover officer assigned to befriend Young in light of his interactions with Chesser found a different side, though. Young allegedly told him in 2011 that he scanned for law enforcement tails outside with his home with an AK-47, and that if someone ratted him out that persons head would be in a cinder block at the bottom of Lake Braddock, the documents state. The undercover agent even reported that Young claimed to have tortured animals as a child and that he fantasized plots about shooting up a federal courthouse. Young allegedly told the FBI in a September 2011 interview that he traveled to Libya twice that year to fight with anti-Gaddafi forces. He took a kevlar helmet, body armor, and other items with him, according to baggage searches. He also brought them back. In a 2015 email, Young allegedly said that hed served in Libya with a group that has possible links to al Qaeda, according to the documents. By Vidya : The Bombay High Court today expressed unhappiness over the status report presented by the investigating agencies in Govind Pansare and activist Narendra Dhabolkar murder cases. The much-awaited ballistic report from Scotland Yard was not produced before the court. The CBI which is investigating the Dhabolkar murder case, had sought 12-week time which was granted by court for seeking expert opinion on ballistic reports from Scotland Yard on three murders including MM Kalburgi's murder in Karnataka. advertisement The CBI feels that all these three murders could be connected. It was in June that the CBI decided to seek help of Scotland Yard but even now the formalities for sending all the material to experts in UK has not been completed by the team. Additional solicitor general Anil Singh said, "some formalities are still remaining which need to be completed." It is only after CBI completes these formalities that Scotland Yard will start looking into the case and only after that is the report expected. 'Get Scotland Yard report on Pansare, Kalburgi and Dabholkar murders': Bombay HC to Maharashtra govt Court had already granted the team six weeks time to file the report, however, after lapse of such precious time, CBI sought more 12 weeks to get the report in hand. Justice S C Dharmadhikari asked, "Diplomatic channels should help in investigation. What is the obstacle? Why can't an officer be sent to facilitate the process?" Singh told the court that there was no obstacle but in the status report which he presented to court in sealed covers, he had mentioned the difficulties. COURT RAPS CBI OVER TARDY APPROACH The CBI also told the court about an absconding accused in the case that the agency is looking for. The court has asked the agency to get his details from the accused already in custody and report in 10 days about the progress. Justice Dharmadhikari said, "The impression that people get is that there is some refined motive for this tardy approach towards investigation. There is someone wanting to see to it that the culprits are not booked for crime." Singh assured the court saying, "I assure that the court will not get that impression. I will personally speak to the investigating officers." The special investigating team which is investigating the Pansare murder case told the court that the team had taken statements of several vital witnesses in the case and in some of these statements they have vital evidence against another person. "However that suspect is avoiding the machinery and has been on the run. We are doing our best to track him down," said the public prosecutor. Justice dharmadhikari, however, came down heavily and said, "you will go on making these assurances but for everything that you say there is an outer limit." advertisement Advocate Abhay Nevagi representing the families of Dhabolkar and Pansare told the court that "Since Scotland Yard was taking this long to send report why couldn't the army laboratory in Chandigarh be used for expert opinion?" Court said that it would consider this during the next hearing. Nevagi then went on to make allegations against investigating officers which infuriated the court. He said, "some SIT officials had told Pansare's family that they should ask government to transfer this case to CBI too. Also the chief minister's office had written to the family saying that if they so desired the case can be transferred to CBI." Justice Dharmadhikari asked him to not make statements but to say everything on oath in affidavits. While granting 8 weeks time to the investigating agencies, Justice Dharmadhikari said, "We impress upon the ministries especially the MEA that investigation of crime would serve a larger public service. It will not just boost the morale of police and will send the right message to world that no crime will go unpunished in the country." "It is the prestige of criminal justice system that is at stake here so any lack of co-operation from these ministries will be viewed seriously," he added. advertisement Also Read: Govind Pansare murder: First arrest made, police say case solved Dabholkar murder: Tawade's confidant, now a prime witness, hints at conspiracy --- ENDS --- YEREVAN, Armenia It is perhaps a measure of his desperation that Sayat Harutunyan, still in a hospital bed here days after police beat him to a pulp and he lost an eye, asked us to plead with Kim Kardashian, the worlds most famous Armenian, and her husband Kanye West to try do to something, anything, that might help the fight for democracy here. What the celebrities could accomplish is not clear at all. But whats obvious is that calls for greater freedom and an incipient uprising have been met on the streets with ferocious violence by a regime close to Russias President Vladimir Putinand also with the West. The police crackdown on the anti-government protest last weekend left dozens of Armenians wounded. It had grown out of the actions of a tiny rebel band that took weapons, killed two policemen and held hostages in the center of Yerevan. But most of the victims had nothing to do with the rebels, and many had nothing to do with the protests. To prevent a scenario like Ukraines revolution in the winter of 2013-2014, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan opted for an iron fist. On Friday night, squads of well-armed security forces used gas, clubs, guns and stun grenades against a demonstration full of children. Some of the victims were random pedestrians or the merely curiosity who ran to see the fire and the rows of policemen in shining black helmets. Ambulances took more than 60 people to hospitals, including 17-year-old Sayat Harutunyan. From his bed at Grigor Lusavorich hospital on Tuesday, Harutunyan, along with his younger sister Susanna and older brother Robert, asked The Daily Beast to tell Kimye about Armenia bleeding, about what had happened to the protesters on Khorinatsi Avenue here in the nations capital. People were running away from police, some were wounded; at first I did not feel anything, then I felt sharp pain in my eye and I began to run, Sayat Harutunyan told The Daily Beast. My eye was bleeding but one of the policemen knocked me down and continued to club me on the ground. Kimye? Really? Yes. This is a small country in the Southern Caucasus, and when Kim Kardashian came to Armenia in the spring of last year to explore her roots, her visit inspired many young people. Now Harutunyan and his family want millions of people in the United States and Europe whoever cared to know about his trouble and the trouble in this country. The scale of Armenias bad news was shocking both to local and international observers. On Monday, three U.S. Army soldiers who are part of a training mission were discussing police violence and shaking their heads in astonishment in the lobby of Yerevans Marriott Hotel: It was crazy, lots of people got burns and shrapnel injuries from grenades; shocking news, one of the officers told The Daily Beast. According to the Helsinki Group, in the period between July 17, when a group of armed rebels stormed a district police station and took nine hostages, to July 31 when the rebels surrendered, police detained 675 people in Yerevan. The official aftermath of the crisis included 367 detainees and more than 100 injured people, including 49 policemen and 86 protesters. Many in Armenia sympathized with the 31 rebels and their two-week-long standoff. At least 11 rebels were veterans of the ongoing war in Nagorno-Karabakh, and they called themselves Daredevils of Sassoun, after David of Sassoun, the hero of Armenias national epic. There is a proud monument of David of Sassoun on top of a rearing horse in the square in front of the railway station in Yerevan. On Friday night, several hundred people, some from the opposition, others just random locals, tried to walk toward the occupied police station and prevent violence. Police beat journalists and destroyed their equipment. U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills visited some injured journalists at the hospital last weekend. "Free speech, he said, requires a press that can report the news free from the fear of injury. Injuring journalists injures the entire society and its democratic promise. By Friday, the rebels had released all hostages, but continued to occupy the police station and demand the resignation of President Sargsyan, as well as the release from jail of their groups activists. During the two weeks of the crisis, Armenia saw the president on television just once, and then he was talking to police commanders. That hellish night a war came right to the porch of our house, said Averik, a resident near Saritakh Avenue. Her family had nothing to do with the revolutionary attempt and its supporters. Averiks mother and six children were inside the house when the crowd of several hundred protesters rushed by, looking for a place to hide from the cops, the gas, and the clubs. Women and children among the protesters looked for shelter in courtyards or in private houses, but policemen and some unidentified men wearing civilian clothes and gloves continued to chase everyone who had been in the march. Dozens were beaten, arrested, and threatened. At one point, Averik saw a bright flash. The tree in her courtyard was burning, children screamed in horror, her mothers ear was bleedingthe woman could not hear anything. On Monday, signs of destruction were all over Averiks house, and her children still look horrified. She pointed at a big fragment of the black bomb on the porch. That bomb left my mother deaf, my children traumatized, and look what police did to my brother, Averik said and opened the door to the bedroom. On the couch her brother was moaning, bandages with blood stains covered his arms, legs and his stomach. Averiks mother showed her wounded legs and her bleeding ear. The family was so terrified by police, Averik said, they preferred to treat their family members at home and not at a hospital. Armenia has a strategic partnership with Russia. In June, President Serzh Sargsyan met with Putin to discuss Moscows support in the conflict with Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh region. At the same time, Armenia has strong ties with the West. NATO has trained Armenian soldiers for peacekeeping missionsjust the kind of thing that makes Moscow suspicious. Any attempts to bring down the sitting president in Armenia is seen as an American plot of some kind. That was an attempt to repeat the Ukrainian scenario but it failed, Russian MP Robert Schlegel told The Daily Beast. Armenian politicians denied any foreign involvement in the current political crises and several blamed the poverty and social issues more than the rebels. Parliamentary Deputy Zatuhi Postanjyan, an elegant mother of three children, marched with the protesters and witnessed the violence. Police threw stun grenades at people, at the crowd with children in itthat was a disaster, the deputy said. On Tuesday, Postanjyan tried to visit detained opposition activists, including three members of her Heritage Party, but she could not get a permit to enter the detention center. The president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, is terrified hell lose power, but all he has left is police, nobody else supports him, said the deputy. Aziz Ansari was presumably on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wednesday night to talk up his multiple Emmy nominations for his excellent Netflix show Master of None. But before they could get to that, the comedian could not help but weigh in on Donald Trumps somehow-still-happening feud with Khizr Khan, the Muslim father who lost his U.S. Army captain son in the Iraq War. As Fallon noted, the last time his guest appeared on the show, he was playing Republican presidential hopeful Bobby Jindal. Now, Ansari said, the orange-faced monster is running. Its a very riveting election, Ansari continued. Its like watching WWE wrestling. Theres like feuds and stuff. Right now its him and the Khan family. My God, they are destroying him! The Khan family is the Drake to Donald Trumps Meek Mill, Ansari added, using an analogy that only he would think to make. I mean, its crazy! The guy makes the speech like, Have you read the Constitution? Let me give you a copy! Then Trump is like, Why doesnt your wife say anything? Then the guy goes, You have a black soul, which is the coldest shit Ive ever heard. Ive never heard anyone say that, Ansari said. I heard that was going to be a line in 2Pacs Hit Em Up, and he was like, Nah, its too mean, we cant go there. Earlier this year, after Trump reiterated his proposed ban on Muslim immigrants to the United States following the attack in Orlando, Ansari penned an op-ed for The New York Times in which he called out the candidates vitriolic and hate-filled rhetoric. He was even more blunt on Twitter, where he declared, Trump wants to ban Muslim immigrants like my parents. I wrote a piece for @NYTimes telling him to go fuck himself. MIAMI It was only a matter of time before Zika came to Miami. It could have come to any neighborhoodtree-laden Coconut Grove, tourist-heavy South Beach, historic Little Havanabut it came here to Wynwood, a warehouse district turned street art mecca that has become a mandatory stop on any good Miami itinerary. According to Joseph Conlon, a technical adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA), the Aedes aegypti mosquito carrying the virus could not have picked a better spot. There are a lot of coffee shops, and other shops and restaurants outside, and those could provide areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are not only breeding but are feeding upon people, he told The Daily Beast. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes like to feed on your lower extremities. Theyll feed on your legs. Thats bad news for the legions of sundress-wearing Instagrammers who flock to Wynwood to snap a selfie in front of the Maya Hayuk mural, and for businesses like The Wynwood Yard, an outdoor food truck gathering spot which decided to close indefinitely on Tuesday. As the South Florida Business Journal noted, nearly 30 percent of tourists who stay overnight in Miami-Dade County peel themselves off the beach long enough to take a trip through Wynwood. But its not just the outdoor attractions that make this gentrifying neighborhood an ideal location for virus-laden mosquitoes. The many construction sites in and around the area provide plenty of standing water for the Zika-carrying insects to breed. In addition to rampant development in Wynwood itself, cranes building new luxury condominium towers on Biscayne Boulevard line the eastern edge of the small area identified by the CDC as a new danger zone for pregnant women and their partners. Generally around construction sites, you have catchments of water in any number of things: pails, buckets, trash, said Conlon. Anything around a construction site that can hold water is fair game. According to the CDC, almost all of the 14 cases of locally-transmitted Zika that were recently announced in Florida can be attributed to the Wynwood area and its immediate surroundings like the emerging Midtown shopping area and the luxury Design District. A CDC emergency response team is on the groundwhere local sprayers have already been working overtimeand aerial spraying of the area is expected to begin shortly. Wynwood was not always a hot spot for $12 juices, swanky Art Basel parties and, now, Zika. The neighborhood wasand in many places, still ishome to low-income residents hailing from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba. But in the 2000s, developers started eyeing the neighborhood. David Lombardi of Lombardi Properties first took stock of Wynwood in 2001. The official Lombardi Properties website claims that he discovered the Wynwood neighborhood and realized that Miamis creatives could live, work and play there. Then, in the mid 2000s, Goldman Properties began buying up substantial amounts of Wynwood property, with an eye toward transforming the area into the next SoHo. The businesses and art galleries quickly followed, drawing tourists and Miami elite alike to an area of the city that was once completely off their radar. Dr. Marcos Feldman, an assistant professor of sociology at Northeastern Illinois University, wrote a 2011 dissertation exploring the effects of Wynwood gentrification on longtime residents like Marta, a Cuban woman, who told Feldman: Everything here is now galleries. Theyll [eventually] take this house for a gallery. There in front [of my house] a factory was emptiedgallery, everything is gallery, gallery, gallery! Marta also complained about the trash left by visitors in the wake of events like Art Basel: The people [gallery patrons] are so dirty, they leave bottles, everything thrown there in front of peoples houses. Now, the roofs of these galleries and the insides of those bottles could have literally given birth to the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that contracted Zika from an infected individual and transmitted it locally. A lot of the buildings have flat roofs that are holding a lot of water, Yoel Gutierrez, the owner of a local Mosquito Joe franchise, told The Daily Beast. So, for my customers in Wynwood that have businesses, we actually get up there and we throw some larvicide in there because they do have a lot of standing water and that water has nowhere to go. There are other likely breeding grounds, Gutierrez noted, including nearby residences. But wherever the mosquitoes are breeding in the neighborhood, it is clear that the influx of tourists and international travelers made it a likely ground zero for the local transmission of the virus. I wasnt too surprised that it started there, he said. The mosquitoes are especially prevalent at dusk, too, which is peak time for a walk through the Wynwood Walls or a craft cocktail at an outdoor patio bar. Theres a lot of drinking going on there, so there are a lot of bottles and cups that get left behind, and so I assume those get filled with water as well, Gutierrez added. Fortunately, Miami was expecting Zika. Back in April, District 8 Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava sponsored an ordinance that puts more pressure on property owners to eliminate potential breeding grounds and allow sprayers on the premises. She has been campaigning for Zika prevention measures in Miami ever since the virus first appeared in Brazil. In fact, Im surprised how long it took for there to be local transmission, she said. Cava confirmed to The Daily Beast that city officials have not yet had to enforce the ordinance on uncooperative property owners but noted that they are, however, ready to use it at the drop of a hat. Conlon, too, is confident in Floridas ability to address local transmission. The Florida Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are all over this, he said. Theyre very well-prepared for this. Meanwhile, in Wynwood, some businesses are struggling to keep customers coming as news of the small outbreak spreads throughout the city. The Miami Herald is reporting that tours and reservations are already being canceled. One bar, Gutierrez told The Daily Beast, is offering free bug spray. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil Forget claims that this is the most dangerous Olympic Games in sporting history, one American star says she doesnt feel safe back at home. Ibtihaj Muhammad, an American fencer and the countrys first Olympian who wears a hijab, said there is now a climate of anti-Islamic sentiment in United States that makes her feel unsafe. Speaking in Rio, where scare stories abound about robberies, viruses, sewage, and instability, Muhammad was more concerned about the dangers awaiting her when she returns to U.S. soil. [I feel unsafe] all the time. I had someone follow me home from practice and try to report me to police, she said. And this is right on 28th and 7th in New York City. Im very vocal about these things because I want people to know I'm not a novelty, I'm not special in any way, I'm a woman who wears hijab and these are my experiences, Muhammad said. Muhammad, who came second to Michael Phelps in the vote for who should carry the U.S. flag at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, said the country is at crossroads. I want people to know that as hard as [these racist incidents] are on me, they don't come even close to things we've seen like the shooting in North Carolina or the rhetoric around the Khan family at the DNC. It's ridiculous and we as a country have to change and I feel like this is our moment. Asked by the Daily Beast what she thought about Donald Trumps contribution to Islamic relations in the U.S., she laughed and said: Who? I'm sorry, what did you say? I dont know him. As well as speaking out about her experiences in the U.S., and discussing the issues with President Obama (as well as giving Michelle Obama a fencing lesson), Muhammad has also tried to help other Muslim girls fit in by devising her own line of clothing. There was a void in the Muslim community for modest clothingwe're always buying things from overseasand to have it made available and not just have modest clothing but have it be affordable and fashionable. You can find modest clothes in the States but they're not always cute, she said. Muhammad, who was born in Maplewood, New Jersey, opens her first Olympic campaign in the sabre on Monday. Shes under direct orders to get on the medal podium. After meeting her earlier this year, Obama said: I told her to bring home the gold. TBILISI, Georgia Its been less than a month since news broke that the so-called minister of war of the so-called Islamic State, Tarkhan Batirashvili aka Omar al-Shishani (Omar the Chechen) had been killed again. And this time, since weeks have passed without a resurrection, it might just be true. But that news is not quite as good as it sounds. The famous red-bearded warlord originally from the troubled Pankisi Valley on the Georgian frontier with Chechnya allegedly perished in early July while fighting on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq. Eight times previously, he was reported killed, and eight times it turned out he was still alive, burnishing his reputation as an almost superhuman survivor. But the ninth life probably was his last. This time, ISISs very own official news agency, Amaq, bemoaned his passing as a great loss for the caliphate. More credible still is what weve heard from Pankisi, where we have interviewed Tarkhan (Omar) Batirashvilis relatives, sympathizers and intelligence contacts extensively over the last two years. According to three knowledgeable sources there, who did not want to be named for obvious security reasons, Tarkhans family got a phone call from Syria from none other than his surviving older brother, Tamaz, who confirmed Tarkhans death and offered his condolences. So, while Tarkhan is gone, which is good, Tamaz is still around, which most definitely is not. As The Daily Beast reported in detail in October 2014, in the Pankisi valley Tamaz is believed to be much more important to the Islamic States organization, its intelligence operations, and its military strategy than Tarkhan/Omar ever was. Tamaz is everything, the main actor; Tarkhan is nothing, the father of the two men, Temur, told us in 2014. It was Tamaz who went off to fight the Russians in the Chechen wars of the 1990s; it was Tamaz who became an experienced combat leader; it was Tamaz who most interested the Georgian intelligence services. They are together, said the father. Tamaz is his mentor. He survived the huge Grozny war and came back alive. [But] in Syria, Tamaz doesnt show himself. Frequentalmost dailyphone calls from the fighters in Syria to their contacts and family in Pankisi have tended to confirm that picture over the last two years. The Pankisi recruits in Syria credit Tamaz with planning the successful ISIS offensives his younger brothers fame was built on, including the conquest of Mosul and Tikrit in Iraq in 2014, which led directly to the announcement by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi that he was creating an Islamic Caliphate. We spent two years trying to get some definitive impression of Tamaz's appearance, but could not find anything conclusive. We were told that Tamaz, like his brother, had a red beard. We were told at one point that, while Tarkhan allowed himself to be photographed frequently in military gear, Tamaz prefers to dress simply, in a gown with a scarf on his head. Then, recently, from another source we received the above photo of Tamaz, second from the left, pictured with the ISIS "minister of justice" among others. No robes, and no red beard in this image. In fact, he strongly resembles his father. Tamazs military prowess and importance to Georgian intelligence was confirmed to us in 2014 by a former Georgian military official, who spoke on condition that he not be identified by name. The government in Tbilisi obviously had a huge interest in the fight going on next door in the 1990s as the Chechens fought to gain their independence from Russia, and Russia in the meantime supported rebellious breakaway territories in Georgia. Over time, Georgian intelligence enlisted many Chechens, and according to the same security source there were much more important and capable Pankisi veterans than Tarkhan. We only recruited him because we were interested in his brother Tamaz, and his friends, who were real wolves, experienced soldiers, and veterans of the Chechen wars. We had certain interests toward them. (The photograph here might well be considered a wolf pack of such veterans as they look now.) Georgias Anti-Terrorism Center, or ATC, allegedly ran some jihadists out of Pankisi to fight against Moscows troops in Grozny, a charge the Georgian government has always denied. What success Georgian intelligence had recruiting Tamaz himself is unclear, but he continued to gain fighting experience and distinguished himself as a talented up-and-coming guerilla warfare planning specialist. He joined another warlord from the Pankisi valley, Muslim (Murad) Margoshvili. Even after Russian President Vladimir Putin engineered the brutal reconquest of Grozny, the Chechen capital, the group continued what became known as the partisan wars in the forests and hills of Daghestan and Chechnya for another decade, which is to say until about 2009 or 2010. After that, according to his father, Tamaz spent some time in Ukraine under a false identity. We do not know what he was doing there. His father says he oversaw construction projects. We do know that business often is associated with the Chechen mafia. In 2013, Tamaz and Tarkhan went to Syria. Tarkhan had washed out of the Georgian security services and been imprisoned, he said, on trumped up charges. Tamaz took his wife and two children to the front, and began working closely with the array of jihadists and former Iraqi military men who are the core of the ISIS intelligence apparatus. After the establishment of the caliphate in the summer of 2014, both brothers garnered important positions in the government of the putative stateTarkhan becoming minister of war, while Tamaz took the position of counter intelligence and reconnaissance chief, all the while controlling and administering most of the prisons on the ISIS territory, according to members of the Pankisi network we questioned. For a time, new recruits were pouring into ISIS from the impoverished farms and villages of Pankisi, not least because the new Islamic State promised what came to be called five-star jihada world of luxury for true believers, including houses and businesses confiscated from infidels, and even slave girls. But in the last few months those dreams have evaporated under mounting pressure from the U.S.-backed coalition fighting ISIS from the air, and a mix of forces, mainly led by Kurdish factions, on the ground. Enthusiasm for the ISIS cause has waned in Pankisi, so has the number of willing recruits, and the surviving veterans in Syria are getting increasingly hostile toward their own countrymen. Over the last two months, audio recordings have been released cajoling and threatening Pankisis stay-at-home Muslims. Adam (Guram) Guramashvili, the so-called justice minister of ISIS, starred in the first of these. (In the photo, he has a thick beard, wire rimmed glasses, and his bare foot outstretched.) He accused the Pankisi Muslim Council, a group of respected elders, of sacrilegial inactivity and cooperation with infidels. Guramashvili called for Pankisis Muslims to swear fealty to the caliphate en masse. To underscore the seriousness of his message, he warned, Its not just Adam saying this. In Pankisi, the more authoritative figure lurking in the background of that statement was assumed to be not Allah or Muhammad, but, most likely, Tamaz. A subsequent, even more threatening message was delivered by Ruslan (Hamza) Tokhosashvili (third from the left, next to Tamaz in the photo). He was Tarkhans one-time driver and close ally, and is now in charge of his own military detachment in ISIS-land. Every day our boys are killed here, much blood is shed, your sisters and children are bleeding, said Tokhosashvili. If you dont come now, then when will you? If you stray from the righteous path, rest assured, youll regret it. Time will come and we will come to Georgia, if not us, our brothers will. And you know full well that it will be hard for you. Those who do not enlist in jihad will be seen as enemies, he said. But in the Pankisi valley these days. even hotheaded young men are reluctant to fight on a losing side. Thats what ISIS has started to look like from their perspective, and Tarkhans demise drives the point home: his nine lives have run out. Thats the problem with symbols: whatever Tarkhans talents, or lack of them, hed been made the face of the Chechens in ISISthe face of leadership, bravery, brilliance: a superhero of sorts. And being a face like that requires its own sort of talent. Today, even if Tamaz wants to step into that more public role as Abdurahman al-Shishani, his nom de guerre, he may find its hard to do. Some men are just made for the shadows. On the night of March 1, 1996, I stood in the front row at a packed Pat Buchanan rally in Greenville, South Carolina. The states Republican primary was the next day, and I was at the rally with a friend as we yelled Go Pat Go! and held up signs for the news crew in front of us. Now I find myself without a party. Last Tuesday, I changed my Maryland voter registration online from Republican to Unaffiliated. It was not a decision I took lightly. I thought and prayed about it for months. It is a bittersweet decision for me since I had a history that spanned almost 30 years as an activist, party official, and Republican voter. I started a chapter of Teen Age Republicans at my high school during the late 1980s as the shadow of Lee Atwater loomed large. Even the youngest Republicans in South Carolina had dreams of growing up to be him. As an 18-year-old, I managed a precinct in the 1992 edition of the First in the South GOP presidential primary, which was also the first time I voted. Later that year, I spent my first semester at Georgetown volunteering for the Bush campaignat the alma mater of Bill Clinton. In 1993, I attended the Christian Coalitions Road to Victory conference and ended up heavily involved in the campaign of a candidate I met there when I returned home the next semester. I worked for candidates and party committees primarily as a volunteer starting in 1994. I participated in College Republicans and the local GOP as well. I attended one national convention. In 1998, I started a news site focusing on Palmetto State news and politics that gained national attentionincluding a Drudge linkahead of the 2000 presidential primary. I have been blogging since 2003, and I moved to Maryland in 2006, where I was a registered Republican until last week. I voted for the Republican nominee for president every year since 1992, but that streak ends this year. Donald Trump is not the nominee of any party of which I will be a member. My initial support in almost every contested primary has not been for the eventual nominee, but I voted for the nominee in November every time. Asking me to vote for Trump is too much to ask this year. Trump is wholly unqualified for the job of president. On top of that, his character is so fundamentally flawed that he cannot be trusted. On the character issue, I feel the same way about Hillary Clinton so I will not be voting for her either. As a veteran who served as an intelligence analyst in the military, I will not vote for Trump based on national security and foreign policy issues. As a former soldier, Trumps assurances that the troops will follow his orderseven if they are illegal ones to target civilians just because he says soare troubling. Trumps vow to violate our treaty obligations to NATO are a major problem as well. I have concerns about Trump and his campaign managers connections to the Russian governmentwhether it was the Republican platform plank that hangs Ukraine out to dry or the Russian connections to Trump corporate finances. That doesnt include the investigation of the DNC email leaks and where that might lead. Another foreign policy issue that bothers me relates to immigration and religious intolerance. Trumps immigration policies play to the basest fears in society. Whether it is his proposed Muslim ban or his criticisms of Pope Francis, it brings out the worst in his supporters online. From Ann Coulter tweeting that the Founding Fathers were right to distrust Catholics to Trumps own proposal to keep a registry of Muslims in the country, it reminds me of one of the worst parts of American history for religious freedomthe Know Nothing era. Trumps appeals to the alt-right are nothing but a dog whistle for the fringes of the Republican Party. I have seen them get caught up in questionable conspiracy theories. They post about false flag theories after mass shootings that were supposedly were arranged in support of gun control. Jewish critics of Trump have been threatened and ridiculed for daring to question anything the man says. Polls show self-identifying evangelical Christians largely support hima fact that leaves many observers scratching their heads. As a faithful Catholic, I have also been active in the pro-life movement both locally and nationally. I do not trust Donald Trumps pandering on pro-life issues. Being around the conservative movement in Washington for the past few years, I should not have been surprised to see so many conservatives and pro-lifers in the capital who were dead set against Trump in the primaries roll over for him as soon as he became the presumptive nominee. It is about nothing but being team players for access, power, and fundraising purposes. I do not have a team politically anymore and nobody on the other side of any political issue should be considered the enemy. I am sure there are well-intentioned people voting for both Trump and Clinton. I am not voting for Donald Trump, but I also will not vote for Hillary Clinton. At this point there is a very slim chance that I could vote for Gary Johnson. However, I will likely write in someone since Marylands ballot access laws are so poor that we have only Johnson and Jill Stein as alternatives. My vote will not aid Clinton just because I am not voting for Trump. Marylands electoral votes will go to Clinton no matter how I vote. While I have left the Republican Party, in the future I could possibly return if there is a major overhaul. Otherwise, I will see what happens with any possible conservative alternatives, or I will remain independent. Despite what you may have heard, Paul Ryan is not Eric Cantor. You can be forgiven for the confusion. Ever since a political unknown took out the powerful House majority leader in a shocking primary upset two years ago, top congressional Republicans have been a little jittery. If such a shocking (and mortifying, and avoidable) defeat could happen to Cantora well-funded, well-established Republican leader with a seemingly bright futureit could happen to anyone. Thats part of the reason some of Donald Trumps top supporters have flocked to the southeast corner of Wisconsin, hoping to re-bottle the Dave Brat magic by using the anti-Cantor, anti-globalization, Trump-friendly rhetoric that proved lethal to past establishment Republicans. But odds are Paul Ryan is going to be fine. Trumps decision to abandon the speaker of the House in his own primary wont just hurt their relationship (such as it was), it could also jeopardize Trumps already long-shot efforts to unify Badger State Republicans and win Wisconsin. The laws of physics do not preclude challenger Paul Nehlen from defeating Ryan. Technically, its possible. But its going to be really, really hard. Thats because Republican voters in Ryans district like hima lot. Unlike Cantor, who hardly ever left D.C. to go back to his central Virginia district, Ryan regularly bounces back and forth between Washington and Janesville. He marches in parades, spends campaign money on TV ads, and meets with constituents. And its paying off. Charles Franklin, who heads the highly respected Marquette University Law School poll, said Ryans approval rating among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in his district is about 80 percent. More important, Franklin added, those numbers arent moving. The Republicans who like Ryan arent changing their minds. Efforts to damage Ryans reputation there simply arent working. The groundwork has not been set for an insurgence, Franklin said. Thats not for lack of effort. Nehlens advocates include some of the same right-wing media figures who helped propel Brat to his win over Cantor. Influential conservative talk radio host Laura Ingrahamwhose speech at the Republican National Convention was one of its most underratedis a dogged critic of Ryan, especially on trade. Ann Coulter, who praised Brat during his primary bid, plans to campaign with Nehlen on Aug. 6. Sarah Palin also promised to boost Nehlen, though theres little evidence shes done much to help him. And Michelle Malkin and former Rep. Tom Tancredo, two of the noisiest foes of comprehensive immigration reform, also endorsed Nehlen. On Tuesday, Trump himself said he doesnt support Ryans primary re-election bid. He also tweeted on Monday that Nehlens kind words were very much appreciated. The Trump fanfic site known as Breitbart.com has also given Nehlen affectionate, adoring coverage throughout his bid, sometimes essentially posting transcripts from his cable news interviews. It has also hosted Nehlen on its morning SiriusXM radio show, where he recently said Ryan was grown in a petri dish in D.C. But if theres a candidate imported to southeast Wisconsin from the Washington metropolitan area, its Nehlen. Hes picked up scant support in the district, and his campaign treasurer is notorious scam-PAC artist Dan Backeran Alexandria, Virginia, campaign finance lawyer who helps Tea Party groups raise small-dollar donations by sending out email blasts promising that just $5 will persuade, for example, Trey Gowdy to run for president. Another problem? Nehlens vitriolic anti-Ryan rhetoric doesnt play well in conservative southeast Wisconsin. When Brat campaigned against Cantor, he shied away from personal attacks and didnt impugn his opponents character. Nehlen, meanwhile, calls Ryan a soulless globalist and a mercenary champion. Wisconsin conservatives dont talk that way. The states most powerful RepublicansRNC chairman Reince Priebus, Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, Reps. Sean Duffy and Jim Sensenbrenner, and, of course, Ryan himselfare all even-toned, mild-mannered, and affable. When the Democrats trying to recall Walker in 2012 used angry, over-the-top, incendiary rhetoric, the placid governor stayed unrelentingly pleasant. And he won. Charlie Sykes, the most influential conservative talk radio host in the state, said Nehlens tone is a liability. It is an ugly, bitter tone that really clashes with the more upbeat, optimistic tone that people are used to hearing from people like Paul Ryan, Sykes said. And frankly, it underlines the fact that hes not from around here and doesnt appear to be familiar with any of the fights that weve had. Its very much got the feel of a scam PAC directed from Alexandria, Virginia, rather than anything genuinely grassroots, Sykes added. Matt Batzel, the Wisconsin-based national executive director for the conservative activist-training group American Majority, concurred. Nehlens getting momentum, he said, but its from the wrong people. Wisconsin has a well-developed, influential conservative media infrastructure, and its played a central role in Republicans efforts to turn the state purple. And none of the states prominent conservative media figures have come to bat for Nehlen. And those tensions could affect the presidential election. Trumps team has begun concerted efforts to reach out to Trump-skeptical conservatives in Wisconsin, especially in the corner of the state that Ryan represents. Sykes said vice presidential nominee Mike Pence sat down with him in person on July 27 to discuss how Trumps team could get anti-Trump Republicans to work with himor at least, against Hillary Clintonin November. Trump cant win Wisconsin without maximizing turnout in the states Republican-rich, Trump-skeptical southeast corner. And Ryan is the most popular Wisconsin Republican in that part of a state. By flirting with Nehlen, Trump took Pences bridge-building efforts and blow-torched them. And Ryan isnt the only top Republican left reeling over Trumps move. Priebus worked overtime to unify Wisconsins top Republicans behind Trump. Walker, Duffy, and Ryan have all judiciously avoided criticism of the mogul, despite his obvious shortcomings. Sykes chalks that up to Priebuss lobbying efforts. Wisconsin was one fairly happy Republican familythat is, until Trump took a shine to Nehlen. I dont think its possible to overstate how close Ryan and Reince Priebus are, and how angry and upset Priebus was about this, Sykes said. This was a real personal and political humiliation for Reince. Barring something extraordinary, Nehlen will lose next Tuesday. And hell take Republican unity there down with him. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports transgender students right to use restrooms that match their gender. So does the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which sided with Gavin Grimm, a 17-year-old transgender boy, in April after his Gloucester County, Virginia school district denied him access to the boys bathroom. But on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially told Grimm that hell have to wait to use the restroom recommended by medical professionals. In a 5-3 decision, which was released just weeks before Grimm begins his senior year, the justices granted the school boards emergency request to temporarily put the Fourth Circuit ruling on hold. As Amy Howe reported for SCOTUSblog, Grimm will not be able to use the boys bathroom at school when he returns in early September. If SCOTUS denies the school boards request for a full review, Grimm could regain his restroom rights soon. But if they decide to review the case, hell be waiting months for the Supreme Courts final decision. Gavin has facial hair, a deep voice, and a state ID that identifies him as male, his lawyer, ACLU senior staff attorney Joshua Block, wrote in a blog post. In every aspect of his life outside school, he is recognized as the boy that he is. But when Gavin goes back to school for his senior year of high school, he will be singled out from every other student and forced to use a separate single-stall restroom that no one else is required to use. It is still possible that SCOTUS will rule in Grimms favor. In the meantime, advocates and allies have taken to social media to send their love to the trans teen, who has long been fighting his school districts restroom ban with the help of the ACLU. I woke up this morning and couldnt believe that we had to tell our client that the court considered it an emergency to stop him from using the restroom, said Chase Strangio, the ACLU staff attorney who started the #LoveForGavin hashtag. Since Strangio first posted under the hashtag, dozens have joined him in praising Grimms courage. So far, Strangio says, Grimm has displayed remarkable grace under fire. When parents in Gloucester County first demanded that he be barred from the boys room, then 16-year-old Grimm reportedly went to the podium and said, I didnt ask to be this way. All I want to do is be a normal child and use the restroom in peace. The Supreme Courts emergency stay comes in the midst of a months-long legal battle over North Carolinas anti-transgender bathroom law, HB 2, and even as transgender people of color are being killed in the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. Battles over transgender students right to use facilities corresponding with their gender are also being fought in school districts around the country, especially after the Department of Education issued guidance reiterating this right in May. Initial research suggests that lives may be on the line in these fights. According to a February 2016 study in The Journal of Homosexuality, which used data from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey on transgender college students, denial of access to [bathrooms or campus housing] had a significant relationship to suicidality, even after controlling for interpersonal victimization. Grimm is certainly familiar with interpersonal victimization. At one public meeting, a Gloucester County resident called him a freak. Others, Grimm says, have called him an it. No matter what SCOTUS decides, Grimm will return to a school that has repeatedly tried to keep him out of the restroom in which he belongs. Sure, there may be some future positive outcome out of the Supreme Court but there are people dying today, said Strangio. We need to stand up and say to Gavin, to others, to the trans women of color who are afraid to leave their house, that we love them and are not going to stop fighting for them. The term single malt is usually immediately and reflexively followed by Scotch. Theres a good reason for that. Scots have been making whisky from malted barley for centuries, while Americans and Canadians traditionally use corn and rye. Even in nearby Irelandwhich most likely distilled whiskey firstthe biggest-selling brands start with a blend of grains. Sure, there were a select few other single malt whiskies (spirits made from only malted barley, sourced from a single distillery) on the market produced in Ireland (Bushmills) and Japan (Yamazaki, Hakushu and a few others), but the lions share of these spirits normally hail from Scotland. Things are changing. There are a growing number of small American distilleries putting out single malts, beginning with St. George Spirits (Alameda, California) and McCarthys (Portland, Oregon). But the style of whiskey is also spreading around the world, in places that just might surprise you. For starters, there are several new single malt distilleries just over the border from Scotland. Dont roll your eyes: A real English whisky tradition exists, but the last distillery closed more than 120 years ago. The English Whisky Company, advised by retired Laphroaig master distiller Iain Henderson, is trying to revive the industry and began business in 2006. Other distillers, such as Cotswolds and Lakes, have followed. Penderyn, in Wales, is even older (founded in 2000) and exports to the U.S. France isnt far from Scotland and youll find several malts there, too. Brittanys strong Celtic cultural ties may have led to whiskey distilling getting a footing in the area. The Warenghem Distillery makes its richly flavored Armorik malt whisky near the coast, in Lannion. And no one would blame you for thinking that Glann ar Mor is located somewhere in the Highlands, but its actually in Cotes-dArmor and its name means at the seas edge in Breton. At this point, however, Americans are most likely to find a bottle of Brenne, a single malt distilled in the Cognac region, on store shelves. Scandinavia is also a hotbed of whiskey distilling. Swedens Mackmyra got an early lead and is releasing a credible malt in large quantities. Countrymate Box is making whisky from antique strains of malt and aging it in a range of different barrels, including Hungarian oak. Then theres Teerenpeli in Finland and several distilleries popping up in Denmark as well. Icelands Eimverk has Floki, which is not yet 3 years old, but is produced with an interesting hybrid distillation that incorporates elements from Scotch and bourbon traditions. R. Jelinek, the historic Czech slivovitz distiller, also has a 12-year-old malt called Gold Cock (yes, thats actually its name), and Broger, in nearby Austria, has a blazingly peaty whiskey called Burn Out. There are other very small malt whiskey makers scattered across Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein. South Africa has a strong drinking culture left over from British colonial days, and the James Sedgewick distillery sells a very Scotch-like set of whiskies. An interesting grain whisky called Bains Cape Mountain complements the brands Three Ships Single Malt. Then we come to the surprising Big Three: Australia, India, and Taiwan. This triumvirate is making some of the best single malt whiskey outside of the traditional distilling regions. Australian Bill Lark started his distillery in Tasmania in 1992. While other distilleries have opened, his Lark Whiskey is still the benchmark, especially the releases aged in Australian port barrels. Indias Amrut Distillery created a sensation when its 3-year-old whisky arrived in American liquor stores. It wowed drinkers with its maturity, which is quite a feat given that the countrys hot climate aged the whiskey incredibly quickly and caused quite a bit of it to evaporate as it aged. Amrut hired Jim Swan, the worlds foremost expert on wood aging of whiskey, to solve the issues and he did an excellent job. Indias Paul John whisky is similarly precocious; samples just arrived here this week (including a pleasantly peaty one) in advance of its U.S. launch and they are quite good, mature beyond their years. But I saved the most impressive for last: Taiwans Kavalan has made an incredible world debut. Master blender Ian Chang, assisted by Swan, has created some fantastic malts in a brand-new huge distillery in a relatively rural area of northeastern Taiwan. Quick tropical aging has been adapted to traditional wood techniques, producing excellent malts that are well worth the money and time to find them. My favorite is the Solist Ex Bourbon Cask, with its balanced notes of spice and vanilla. Clearly, there are many new single malt whiskies from around the world, but are they sufficiently different from their Scottish inspiration to be notable? Some, like Kavalan, succeed based solely on sheer excellence. But others are still finding their way, looking for that unique twist or distinct regional character. Japans distillers have created a purity and subtlety that sets their malts apart; they have also pioneered the use of non-traditional oak. Bill Larks embrace of local malt has promise, and Boxs wood experiments will be interesting to watch. But thats really the whole point. At no other time in the past century could you taste whiskies that were developing this much from year to year. Its exciting to witness and savor the changes and to see how a whole new whiskey region develops. Get on board and enjoy the journey! It all started with an Instagram post. The picture showed Candy Charms, a British porn star in the hijab and baggy clothing all women must wear by law in Iran. Hey guys, she wrote, I have been on holiday in Iran. I only told my very close friends, as social networks and Twitter are banned so [it] was hard to communicate but Im back now. (In fact many Iranians are on social media, despite government attempts to restrict access.) Charms is 27. She started her porn career four years ago. She wrote about her good memories of Iran and its people. Loved Tehran, she wrote. The people are so kind and generous. Really overwhelmed by the whole trip. The people are amazing. Even when people dont have much they will do anything for you. Really puts your own life in perspective. But she could never have guessed just how many followers she would gain as a result of her post, or how many comments news of her visit would generate. Within a few short hours, she received approximately 40,000 comments from Iranians. Most of the comments were in Persian. Despite Charms acknowledgement of Iranians fabled hospitality, many of them were not terribly elevated and some were mean-spirited. We could have gone to a coffee shop if you had just let us know, wrote Hamid. What was a slut like you doing in my country? wrote Nasser. Some commenters, predictably, commented on her physique. If you sat in front of the cab there would have been no need for airbags, Ali joked. Some social media users grabbed the chance to attract new followers. Yes, she was in Iran, wrote Neda. I saw her on Tabiat Overpass and took pictures of her. If you want to see those pictures go to my page. Sadegh offered bigger bait. I have a five-minute video of her in her hotel, he teased. I will post the video on my page for 10 minutes before removing it. If you want to watch it, go to my page. The hashtag #CandyCharms raged like a wildfire across Instagram, Twitter and other social networks. Candy Charms soon satisfied her followers curiosity as to what she was doing in the Islamic Republic and ignited a round of debates in the process. She linked her Twitter account to her Instagram page and wrote, my nose was not straight and they are the best in the world in nose surgery. I had my nose done. That was a convincing reason. Iran ranks first in the world in the field of cosmetic nose surgery, Dr. Ebrahim Razmpa, president of the Fifth International Rhinology Conference of Iran, told Mehr News last year. Since the quality of surgeries is high and the prices are low, not only Iranians inside the country but also many applicants from various countriescome to Iran. Some commenters claimed Dr. Amir Hossein Nasseri had operated on Candy Charms. If true, it might explain why Dr. Nasseri has made his Instagram page private, as he could become the target of hostile comments. IranWire tried to contact Dr. Nasseri without success. Many social media users have asked why nobody noticed that a porn star was in Iran. Some pointed out that on the streets of Tehran, it would have been impossible to distinguish her from other Iranian womena view her self-portrait tends to confirm. Her picture with a headscarf is so common looking that unless you see her pictures [taken] outside Iran you would not notice that she is not [an Iranian], one user wrote. Another user replied, They say that the girls in their country [Iran] look exactly like this porn star. What they forgot to say is that they would just go crazy over such a girl. On her Instagram page, Charms thanked a friend for helping her arrange an Iranian visa. This led to more questions from commenters: Why did the Islamic Republic give a visa to a porn star when so many journalists and human-rights activists cannot even return to their own country? Hassan Ghashghavi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said that Candy Charms, used her real name as a British citizen when applying through Iran's electronic visa system. Also, he said, "Our colleagues are not supposed to know that kind of women. It would be counterproductive if they did." In Iran, they would leave you alone if you are not a journalist, a seditionist [supporter of 2009 presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi], a critic, a filmmaker, or a human rights activist, one person tweeted, even if you are a porn star. The debate soon turned political. Several commenters mentioned Hassan Abbasi, the hardliner lecturer who is well known for his outlandish remarks about western infiltration corrupting Iran. They wrote that Candy Charmss visit would provide him ample ammunition for the foreseeable future. Alas, Charmss Iranian adventure has not ended happily. She received so many strange and offensive comments that within 10 hours, she regretted having shared news of her visit to Iran, and removed her post. This article appeared originally on IranWire. By PTI: From K J M Varma Beijing, Aug 4 (PTI) China today congratulated "Chairman" Prachanda for taking over as Nepals new Prime Minister, saying Beijing is ready to further "generation-to-generation" bilateral ties, amid concerns the Maoist chief might distance from his predecessors pro-China stance. "We have noted that Chairman Prachanda has been elected as the new prime minister of Nepal and we congratulate him on that," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. advertisement "As a close friend and neighbour, China stands ready to work with Nepal to follow through with the consensus reached between the two sides, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and move forward China-Nepal comprehensive partnership for cooperation featuring generation-to-generation friendship," she said in a statement. The election of Chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, replacing the pro-China K P Sharma Oli has raised anxieties in Beijing over the return of Indias influence in the Himalayan country and the fate of a number of connectivity projects worked out by his regime to reduce Kathmandus dependence on New Delhi. "Once Prachanda takes power, he is bound to rectify Olis pro-China tendency when in government and take Indias interests into account, as India is sour about losing its grip on Nepal," an article in the state-run Global Times published on July 29 had said. "The fixed agreements between China and the Oli government are unlikely to be changed, or it will deal a heavy blow to bilateral ties, which is too much for the new government to bear," it said. "Friendly China-Nepal ties benefit the people of both countries, but that relationship may be affected by the possible lifting or resumption of an oil embargo India has imposed on Nepal, following the resignation of Oli," Wang Dehua, director of the state-run Institute for Southern and Central Asian Studies told Global Times on July 26. "It is very likely that India was behind Olis resignation because Oli had signed several deals during his State visit to China in March, which most likely irritated India," Wang Dehua, director of the Institute for Southern and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies said. Wang said a politically stable Nepal could eliminate the border security concerns for both India and China. And a positive, cooperative Sino-Nepalese relationship is in Indias interests. During his visit here Oli signed the Transit Transport Agreement (TTA) to improve the connectivity between Nepal and Tibet in a bid to end decades-old dependency on India for daily supplies. Beijing in a strategic move has also agreed to extend the train link in Tibet to Nepal to improve the connectivity by road and rail. advertisement China sent large oil supplies to Kathmandu during the border blockade imposed by the agitating Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, opposing the new constitution. PTI KJV SAI AKJ SAI --- ENDS --- Londoners woke up this morning to find armed police patrolling their streets after a mass stabbing outside a city-center subway station on Wednesday night stoked fears that the capital would soon be the target of a full-blown terror attack. It has now been confirmed that the dead woman was a U.S. citizen and the attacker was a Norwegian of Somali origin. The area where the attack happened, Russell Square, is home to many cheaper and mid-price hotels, and several of the injured are also believed to be tourists. The authorities are now seeking to establish whether the incident was inspired by jihadists, in common with the spate of recent attacks in Europe, or the result of a catastrophic mental health breakdown on the part of the attacker, and leaning toward the latter scenario. Police sought to calm nerves by stressing in an early-morning statement that mental health was a significant factor in the case, although they conceded that terrorism was a line of inquiry in the incident, which took place in the early hours of Thursday in Londons Russell Square near the British Museum and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Russell Square was one of the targets during the 7/7 terror attacks on London in 2005, when 26 people were killed after a suicide bomb was detonated on the Underground there aboard a Piccadilly Line train. Witnesses said that the attacker Tuesday morning appeared to be slashing people at random in the street and described a body lying in a pool of blood. One hotel worker told the London Evening Standard: There was a madman running around with a knife just lunging at people randomly and stabbing them. People didnt realise what was happening until they saw the knife, then everyone ran. In a grim irony police had announced on Wednesday the deployment of a new rapid reaction squad of 600 specially trained anti-terror police, and armed officers from the new unit soon flooded the area, where a 19-year-old man was swiftly arrested and taken into custody. While most Londoners viewed the stabbing as an act of criminal insanity, the incident will naturally add to concerns that another mass terror incident in the capital is all but inevitable; the chief of the Metropolitan Police, Bernard Hogan-Howe, said over the weekend that an attack on London is a matter of when not if. It was Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley who said Thursday that early indications suggest mental health played a significant factor in the attack but terrorism remains an active line of inquiry. As a precaution Londoners waking up today may notice an increase in armed officers on the streets. This is to provide reassurance and ensure peoples safety, said Rowley. We ask the public to remain calm, aware and alert. On the whole, Londoners were doing just that. One Londoner who lives in nearby Marylebone told The Daily Beast, It feels more like a mental health issue to me than a possible terrorist issue. Terrorists usually aim for rush hour, busier times, or more famous locations. It certainly added nothing to the threat in my opinion, as the threat just feels present given the frequency of nearby European attacks. A 42-year-old marketing director told The Daily Beast, I got off the tube at Oxford Circus this morning. There was no noticeable additional police presence but a palpable sense of unease. He said, Reports that it was mental health-driven did reassure me somewhatits a far more widespread issue than terrorism and Id prefer knives to bombs any day of the week. But I grew up in late 70s and 80s London, so the IRA is not too distant a memory and recent global incidents do make me wonder whether the day I next come to work will be the day I dont come home. Rowley, the assistant police commissioner, said today, While the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work that we have done so far increasingly points as having been triggered by mental health issues. At this time we believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random, he added. Rowley emphasized: So far we have found no evidence of radicalization that would suggest that the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism. When a model of Chinas 16-feet-high, two-lane-straddling bus debuted at a tech expo back in May, it looked absurd. Today it still looks absurdbut its real. This week, the Transit Elevated Bus, whose bottom half serves as a tunnel for cars so it can bypass traffic, passed its first road test in Hebei, China. The blue-and-black behemoth cruised smoothly over two slow-moving cars, as evenly placed onlookers applauded and took videos with their phones. Whether such orderly conditions qualify as a test for Chinas notoriously chaotic roads is open to debate, but watching the spaceship-like vehicle in action is still pretty cool. Watch: Ghazala Khan Claps Back After Trump Says She Has 'Nothing to Say' 'VERY QUIET' After Khizr Khan denounced him, Trump said his wife had nothing to say. He was wrong. Forty-eight years ago, a French mathematician, Rene Thom, developed a novel hypothesis called the catastrophe theory. He observed and measured how just one thing can spark a titanic event. First, Thom used his theory to explain hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Was it a shift in the tectonic plates, a lunar eclipse, or simply a drop in temperature that led to cataclysm? Then it occurred to Thom and his disciples that the catastrophe theory could be applied to something far more unpredictable: human behavior. As we all know, being human has forged the course of history: Athens versus Sparta, a battle for sea power that transitioned civilization from monopolies of influence to competitions for power, which turned on one key naval battle. The appearance of the Gutenberg press, which inspired world-changing movements of thought and religion. The American Revolution, sparked by the tax-creating, colonist-baiting Intolerable Acts. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand that ignited World War I and led to World War II. Tearing down the Berlin Wall, and with it Cold War-era communism. And yes, Cub fans, Steve Bartmans infamous lunge for that foul ball, ensuring possibly another century of unmitigated pain. All of which brings us to the here-and-now battle for the presidency. Thom would argue one event, one thing, will ultimately differentiate winning from losing, between building a huuuge Trumpian wall or dismantling an historic gender barrier. With the dueling conventions behind us, its time to ask what might that one thing be? Four possibilities: One. The Great Debates. The final 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate generated a whopping 61 percent share of television viewing. The Clinton-Trump debates this fall, all three of them, assuming Trump participates, could become political Super Bowls of similar proportion. If Trump trumps his opponent with jabs to the rigged system he abhorsas he did with stunning regularity during the GOP primarieshe could create that lock-in moment for an electorate tired of seeing America losing its edge. Conversely, if Hillary Clinton commands this stage with experience and verve, it could reinforce her campaign-fueled theme that when that 3 a.m. call of crisis comes into the White House, shes the one best prepared to answer it. Two. The Curse of the Unexpected. A chilling terrorist event, here or abroad, or another round of WikiLeaks, could further unsettle the systems defenders while emboldening Hillarys critics. This plays to the Trump narrative. Conversely, a perceived failure by Brexit boosters in the coming months, or a major p.r. coup by the president in handling a foreign or domestic crisis would, by extension, elevate his former Secretary of State. Three. A Revelation of Character. The president commands the bully pulpit, and Americans are looking for a commander-in-chief worthy of the role. Much has been made about Hillarys challenge with candor, from lost emails and Benghazi contradictions, to the Clinton Foundations fondness for rewarding foreign contributors with American access. Thats why Trump regularly bests Clinton regarding honesty, and for unabashedly calling it like he sees it. This is sacred screed from his outsiders playbook, and it appeals to the mood of a public restless for something fresh, different and real. Yet Trumps business dealings, and his true financial health, have naysayers raising questions about his business acumen and fitness for potentially serving as the nations CEO. Four. One Statement, One Moment Four years ago, Mitt Romney came to rue the moment when a smartphone captured his less-than-flattering comment about the 47 percent of Americans who dont pay taxes. How many times this year have the mediamuch less opponents right and leftwritten off Trump? The Megyn Kelly debate. The appraisal of John McCain as something less than a war hero. The Muslims-not-welcome refrain. The penchant for controversial Tweets. The Russian factor. Then again, Hillary Clinton has had her own share of moments. The missing emails, and recent WikiLeakd ones. The $250,000 speeches for Wall Street and their conveniently unavailable transcripts. The suspicious tarmac meeting between hubby and Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Lecturing coal miners their days were numbered, and misleading us with assurances that ISISs were as well. So could we reach a moment thats a step too far, or a line too radioactive to ignore? I believe that moment may be something far more fundamentalas the courtroom of public opinion has put the American system on trial. Once the verdicts in, and the jurors/voters decide between guilt and innocence, well have a winner. Welcome to the laboratory of the 2016 presidential campaign. Rene Thom would be proud. Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct an inter-state meeting on the Mahadayi water dispute. An initiative taken earlier by the Government for an out-of-court settlement with the concerned parties and states did not go the right way. By Pratiba Raman: The state government sure does face the brunt of not having handled Karnataka's drought problem really well. Keeping in mind the law and order situation with the thirst circuit of North Karnataka burning in flames last week, Karnataka's CM chose to take the first step to extinguish the fire. Siddharamaiah wrote to PM Modi seeking an inter-state meeting to hold negotiations on the issue of the Mahadayi water dispute. advertisement PREVIOUS POLITICAL INTERVENTION An initiative taken earlier by the Government for an out-of-court settlement with the concerned parties and states did not go the right way. The arid zones of Karnataka are hoping that Modi's magic this time would quench their thirst. WHY IS THE STATE REELING UNDER A WATER CRISIS? In the 12 districts of Karnataka, the average rainfall per annum is just 711mm per annum. Around 400 villages are supplied with water through water tankers. Every year, 20-30 pc of the population in each of these districts migrates at least during the summer. It's a double whammy each time with severe drought and heat wave resulting in 25 million people in that region left parched. It is but natural to understand the anger, frustration and disappointment when Mahadayi Water DisputesTribunal, in its interim order, crashed their every drop of hope. More than 28 people reported injured in the protests. Cases are registered against at least 50 people. WHAT IS THE MAHADAYI WATER DISPUTE? It may be a 30-year-old dispute over sharing water of the Mahadayi between Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Following drought for two consecutive years, the farmers of the Navalgund region in North Karnataka agitated for over 200 days last year for the Kalasa Banduri project. This project was initiated during the SM Krishna period in 2002 to divert 7.65 tmcft water from Mahadayi to Malaprabha river in Karnataka. Will the Centre intervene to ensure the Kalasa Bunduri project does not remain dead in the water? Also read: Mahadayi water dispute: Protestors including women, roughed up by cops --- ENDS --- Cows at the state-run Hingonia shed bear the brunt of the pestering dispute between the shelter employees and the government in Jaipur. By Sharat Kumar: Their carcasses cram pick-up vans and trolleys. Many of those alive are as good as dead, limping around in watery mire with their bleeding wounds. For cow vigilantes and animal lovers alike, it is perhaps an appalling case study that has unfolded at Hingonia, Jaipur. Indescribable stench permeates the air at Rajasthan's biggest cow shelter as the animals, abandoned by their caretakers for almost two weeks, starve to death. As many as 90 cows at the state-run Hingonia shed have already perished in the past two days alone, a veterinarian told India Today. WORKERS PROTEST NON-PAYMENT OF SALARIES advertisement Two weeks ago, some 225 employees of the shelter went on a strike to protest wage delays. Jaipur's municipal officials had refused to release their salaries, alleging the company they were outsourced from was blacklisted. The cows are now bearing the brunt of the festering dispute between the shelter employees and the government in Jaipur. Indescribable stench has filled the air at Rajasthan's biggest cow shelter. When the India Today crew visited the sloppy compound, they found only one animal doctor present there. On its staff rolls though, as many as 17 veterinarians are registered. The shelter's commissioner, Sher Singh, has gone on a leave. WATCH: Where are the cow protectors as carcasses of 100 cows rot in Rajasthan? Cows were seen living -- and dying -- in extreme agony. Many of them are barely in a condition to walk in the muddy slush. For almost a fortnight now, no one has drained the rain water out of their sheds. Revered otherwise above all other animals, they haven't been fed either at the shelter which is watched over by the state's BJP government. In 2010, chief minister Vasundhra Raje had presided over a public oath to protect cows. In the wake of her community pledge, Rajasthan became India's first state to create a separate department for cows. Its school curriculum also offers special lessons on the sacred animal. But cows trembling to death from hunger and thirst at the Hingonia shelter belie the tall claims of the state. HEARTBREAKING DEATHS OF COWS "Twenty cows are dying on an average every day," said veterinarian Arvind Yadav. "Those you see still alive will also pass in a day or two. They have been starving in this slosh. What can I do?" said Yadav, blaming the administration for their terrible condition. Cows bear the brunt of the pestering dispute between the shelter employees and the government in Jaipur. At its peak, the Hingonia shelter housed around 8,000 cows. Workers allege that they have not received their wages for five months now. They struck work to demand salaries. No one in command of the shelter is taking responsibility for the heartbreaking deaths of its cows. Harendra Kiwar, the shelter's deputy commissioner, stated the obvious, attributing the desolation to rains and the two-week worker strike. Watch the video here ALSO READ: Holy cow! Man thrashed, paraded naked by gau rakshaks in Karnataka for stealing calf WATCH: 4 youths stripped, tied and hit with belts by Sena leader-led cow vigilantes Two 'beef transporters' forced to eat cow dung by Haryana's Gau Rakshak Dal Muslim women beaten over suspicion of carrying beef in Madhya Pradesh Gujarat Dalits continue to protest, refuse to pick cattle carcasses from roads advertisement --- ENDS --- Deepika Padukone is on a winning spree to become a global star. Has her global domination just begun? By India Today Web Desk: When Deepika Padukone made her acting debut with Om Shanti Om, no one thought that she would become one of Bollywood' top actors. From being the highest paid actor in India to her upcoming Hollywood debut flick xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Deepika proved her mettle and the actor, today, is no less than a global star. advertisement Adding yet another feather to the cap, Deepika Padukone is now featured among Vanity Fair's pick of Hollywood's Next Generation. ALSO READ: Deepika Padukone to romance Shah Rukh Khan in Tanu Weds Manu director's next ALSO READ: With Rs 12.65 crore for Padmavati, is Deepika Padukone the highest paid female actor? Vanity Fair's list includes young actors like Elizabeth Debicki from The Great Gatsby, Lily Collins who played Snow White In Mirror Mirror, Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keogh, who was seen in films like Mad Max: Fury Road. Speaking about her personal style and fashion choices, Deepika Padukone was quoted by the NDTV as saying, "It's always comfort over anything else. You need to feel complete, you need to feel like you are wearing the clothes and the clothes aren't wearing you." "If I had a choice between a gown and a sari, I'd wear a sari," she adds. Here's the picture: @DeepikaPadukone is ravishing in red. Photograph by @tommunrostudio for V.F.'s 2016 style portfolio (link in bio). A photo posted by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Aug 3, 2016 at 9:38am PDT --- ENDS --- Unfortunately, and unlike his famous father, Pierre-Yves has had to set his focus on the ocean's protection rather than its discovery as its destruction is already upon us. A Marine Protected Area is the only solution for restoring marine life diversity and animal populations in areas overfished such as in the Cyclades, which is the worst case both in the Mediterranean and in the world. Postcard images of traditional Greek fisherman untangling fishing nets on their fishing boats perpetuate a myth of the wealth of the Aegean Sea. One thinks abundance', preserved traditions', honor', and pride'. Certainly not scarcity', recent history', shame', and fear'. The government offers subsidies to artisanal fisherman to destroy their fishing Caiques as their livelihood is threatened by the devastating practices of industrial fisherman. As the seas and the fishing nets go empty, consumers are left in the dark, totally ignorant of where their fish is coming from, how it was fished and the dreadful consequences of over-fishing. The new film Guardians of the Aegean reveals how overfishing, insufficient regulations, weak enforcement, pirate', unreported and illegal fishing, are among the main causes for the significant depletion in fish stock. Solutions to this problem are well understood but hard to implement for a number of reasons, including cultural resistance, total lack of awareness about the real benefits of such solutions, insufficient government resources and of course, corruption. The film captures stories from the Greek fishermen themselves, scattered throughout the Cyclades, further validating these harrowing facts. Marine Protected Areas lead to an increase in biodiversity, reproduction rates of marine life, healthier sized organisms, improved population density and an increase in biomass. Preserving and restoring biodiversity enhances the productivity and reliability of services provided by the sea for humanity. Despite the abundance of evidence of the benefits to people, the local economy, and the environment, there are no functional marine reserves in the Aegean Sea to date. While the creation of a Marine Protected Area in Santorini has local benefits, its widespread success would give this project further weight by setting an example that would be copied throughout Greece. Pierre-Yves proposes something seemingly radical - that we imagine not just having many Marine Protected Areas, but all of the sea registered as a protected area and instead implement distinct fishing zones. The Marine Protected Area in Santorini is a step towards that ultimate vision which he believes is the key to the survival of these seas. The signing of a first document of good intentions by Pierre-Yves Cousteau on behalf of Cousteau Divers and President Kyriakos Prekas on behalf of the professional Fisherman's Union took place earlier this year on the island of Santorini, as documented in the film. Four years has been spent convincing the deeply suspicious fishermen that the intention of the MPA was not malicious nor to erect mega-hotels on the surrounding beaches. The campaigners had gradually earned the confidence of the local communities, meanwhile liaising with several Ministries and investigating new legislation as currently, and unlike other European Union Mediterranean countries, there are no specific laws for MPAs in Greece. Sadly, to date, no further development towards the establishment of the MPA has been seen. The formation of an MPA in Santorini would be a "bottom-up" policy where the fishermen choose their own fate - to agree and contribute to the MPA formation or to stifle it. Pierre-Yves, along with Peter Nicolaides (who has been working towards this goal since 1980) and other individuals and organizations, had managed to bring together fishermen, marine researchers and local politicians to finally agree on establishing and operating/managing an MPA. This culminated in the formation of an essential trilateral committee (Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Fishermen's Union and the Municipality) as advised by Dr Manel Gazo of Submon, the MPA consultants in Spain, commissioned to produce a Management Plan for the specific MPA. This Management Plan as well as the Special Scientific Report produced by the HCMR diving-scientists team, following their detailed investigation of the area, was made possible with the funding from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The journey into the conservation of our sea is a journey into the heart; naturally wondrous surroundings acquire deeper meaning after learning more truths and meeting those people dedicated and intrinsically linked to their preservation. We communicate our reality by telling our stories and then have the chance to gain a more global perspective. With this film and its goal, we celebrate humanity; step by step we gain local supporters as a hybrid of people open themselves to new ideas and information, voice their support, and spread the word. How aptly references came to mind of Homer's Odyssey - perseverance, dedication and the duality of Journey and Destination. It is all possible, the amazing journey and reaching the hoped for outcome/destination, we just have to embark, set sail and keep faith. Years of follow-up work will be needed to develop a better global understanding of the need for a new direction towards preserving our ecology. In the meantime, this film is an important part of that new journey. This Author Kassandra Lefakinis is Greek-American, born and raised in Philadelphia and currently living in Greece. She studied Arts in Context in New York City and in Spain, and enjoys bridging her love for the Arts and Film with her passion for Greece and yachting. In her work and life she says she strives to create meaningful impact. For more information on the documentary film, Guardians of the Aegean, the Cousteau Divers and the MPA visit www.cousteaudivers.org WEBSITE & FACEBOOK PAGE FOR "GUARDIANS OF THE AEGEAN': www.guardiansoftheaegean.com www.facebook.com/Guardians-of-the-Aegean-796949370363759/ Links on FACEBOOK FOR THE MPA: www.facebook.com/groups/MarineLifePreservesThira/ www.facebook.com/pages/Santorini-MPA-friends/250258921813496 Monsanto may not be a household name in the UK but as one of the world's leading seed and chemical companies, its activities affect us all. Its best-selling weedkiller is made from a chemical called glyphosate that the World Health Organisation has found to probably cause cancer. Yet its use is now so widespread that traces are found in one out of every three loaves of bread in the UK. That's why earlier this year, in the lead up a EU decision about whether to relicense glyphosate, we mounted public pressure on decision makers through our Monsanto honest marketing campaign. We sent out thousands of spoof labels to individuals which ended up on supermarket shelves across the UK telling the truth about Monsanto's products and their corporate power. Our campaign was part of widespread opposition across Europe, which resulted in a rejection of the automatic 15-year relicense in the EU, as expected by Monsanto. Instead, glyphosate was only relicensed for 18 months pending further research. Unbelievably, selling toxic chemicals to the mass market is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Monsanto's appalling record. Monsanto is at the forefront of pushing a model of agriculture that takes control away from small-scale farmers as well as causes environmental damage. Monsanto maintains it market dominance by getting farmers hooked onto its expensive weedkillers and seeds that have be purchased every year from Monsanto. Not only is this costly for cash-strapped subsistence farmers, but it's unnecessary. Scientific evidence shows that organic, non-chemical methods are effective for growing healthy food as well as better for the environment. Being able to keep, save and exchange a wide range of seeds also helps maintain biodiversity, assists with climate adaptation and supports resilience in farming. Putting Monsanto in the dock It's for these reasons that civil society groups from around the world are holding an international 'people's tribunal' to hold Monsanto to account for its impacts on communities and the environment. Additional 'crimes' being put before this people's tribunal include Monsanto's history of producing toxic chemicals for warfare, its well-documented manipulation of scientific evidence, misleading and dishonest marketing campaigns and underhand lobbying efforts to promote its products. The Tribunal will be held at The Hague this October and conducted by legal professionals and practicing judges. It will consider whether Monsanto is guilty of the following: Violating the right to a healthy environment; the right to food; the right to health and academic freedom. These rights are enshrined in legal texts such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2011 Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Complicity in war crimes for supplying herbicides to the US military for Operation 'Ranch Hand' during the Vietnam War (see photo). This will be considered under the Rome Statute, which allows the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction to try alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. Committing ecocide - this concept, which is gaining currency in international law, is understood as "causing serious damage or destroying the environment so as to significantly and durably alter the global commons or ecosystem services upon which certain human groups rely." The Tribunal will also examine whether the Rome Statute should include this crime. Despite the legal frameworks being used in the Tribunal, the outcomes will not be legally binding as there is currently no mechanism to bring criminal charges against a company like Monsanto. Instead, the significance of the Tribunal will be largely symbolic in order to demonstrate how a corporation could be brought to account. By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) The special CBI courts designated for trial of corruption cases are being allotted matters of other agencies, the Central Vigilance Commission has said, as it expressed concern over delay in disposal of cases, some pending for over 20 years. "The Commission has noted with concern, the large number of cases pending trial in different courts for years together, at times for over 20 years. It was observed that on an average it takes more than five years for judicial proceedings in any case under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act to reach its logical conclusion after the charge sheet is filed in the designated court. advertisement "Such inordinate delays in dispensation of justice defeat the very purpose of efficient vigilance administration and are an impediment in the fight against corruption," the CVC said in its annual report tabled in Parliament recently. It is, therefore, imperative that effective measures are taken to increase the disposal of pending PC Act cases under trial, appeals or revisions in order to effectively combat corruption, it said. "The Commission is hopeful that with the increased number of special CBI courts, the pendency of the cases under trial will reduce and the average time taken for the trials will also come down," the report said. The Commission has observed that one of the reasons for the delay in conclusion of trials was that some special courts, which were specifically designated to deal with CBI cases, are also being allotted cases of other agencies thereby adversely affecting the disposal of CBI cases, it said. Out of 132 functional CBI special courts, 55 are also dealing with cases of other agencies. The Commission has therefore, requested the Supreme Court to consider the matter for suitable directions, said the report. During 2015, judgements were received in 932 court cases under trial as compared to 1,006 in 2014. Out of these 932 cases, 556 resulted in conviction, 262 in acquittal, 36 in discharge and 78 cases were disposed of for other reasons. The conviction rate decreased slightly to 65.1 per cent from 69.02 per cent in 2014, it said. At the end of the year 2015, there were 6,663 corruption cases pending in various courts. Of these, 196 were pending for over 20 years, 1,449 for more than 10 years but less than 20, 2,070 for more than five years and up to 10 years, and 2,948 for less than five years, the report said. PTI AKV KIS SK KIS --- ENDS --- He's just implementing the Lawrence Summers Principle. This principle' originates from a 1991 memo written or dictated by Summers whilst he was the World Bank's chief economist. In this memo, he promoted dumping toxic waste in the Third World for economic reasons: "Just between you and me, shouldn't the World Bank be encouraging more migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs [Least Developed Countries]? [...] A given amount of health impairing pollution should be done in the country with the lowest cost, which will be the country with the lowest wages. I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that." The uranium sector squared up to that. But for how much longer will it get away with that? Last time rebels in Mali came too close to the AREVA mines in Niger for comfort, France suddenly sent in their army. Under some humanitarian pretext. And if rebels don't succeed in capturing these remote mines, the global environmental justice movement might just succeed in closing a couple of them down. The legacy from uranium mining Being part of that movement, I've had the pleasure' of making a toxic tour around a now closed uranium mine in Bulgaria. Massive amounts of toxic sludge were stored behind a weak dam that showed signs of distress after heavy rains caused a spill in 2009. Old EU money was still keeping the dam up but as we're talking about radioactive waste, money will need to keep flowing to dam repairs for millennia to come. Since 1992, when the mines closed, and for time immemorial, that will be public money. And that's how it goes with uranium mines in places with weak or no legislation: short-term private profits followed by perpetual public losses. In Bulgaria the people are still lucky enough to be in the EU with at least some environmental regulations and EU money for environmental protections. The same goes for other EU countries like France, which has dozens of zombie mines: dead but still active. The US also has plenty more zombie mines. The lands of the Navajo Nation include over 500 abandoned uranium mines (AUMs) as well as homes and drinking water sources with elevated levels of radiation. Despite the fact that they stopped operating in 1986, new and related lung cancers, bone cancers and impaired kidney functions keep appearing. But while EU and US now have enough safeguards to keep most of their own uranium safe under the ground, there's nothing of that in Namibia or Niger. These two countries are rising players on the uranium market, both exporting their uranium to the EU. Niger has now produced more uranium than France ever did in it's whole history. It's here that UK-Australian and French companies are doing the dirty digging that destroys local environment and populace. Three reports from the EU-funded EJOLT project deal with the environmental and social issues related to uranium mining. One deals with the impacts, one concentrates on a mine in Malawi and the third dwells on the examples of successful resistance to big mining in general. Bruno Chareyron, a French nuclear engineer who authored most of these reports, has been carrying out toxic tours along uranium mines for the last two decades. That's not always an easy job, with for example the police confiscating most of your measuring equipment upon arrival in Niger. Nevertheless, Bruno was able to measure that radioactive scrap metal from the mines and mills is sold on the market. Waste rocks from the mines were used to pave roads, build homes and even at the local hospital where the radiation was 100 times above normal. Piles of radioactive waste were left in open air, unprotected, next to two cities with a total population of 120.000. The missing piece of the puzzle Where is uranium in the whole debate about nuclear energy? It's usually only mentioned when the industry says: uranium is only a tiny part of the total cost of our energy model, unlike the situation in the gas and oil industry. Well, there's a reason why it's only a tiny part of the total cost and it's called cost shifting. Ecological economists have given names to processes witnessed in the uranium sector: accumulation by contamination, ecologically unequal exchange and ecological debt. More and more, people all over the world are coming together to resist against environmental justice. Our EU and US based nuclear power is currently coming at the cost of poisoning people in Africa. But it begs the question: are we ready to face that reality? This Author: Nick Meynen is one of The Ecologist New Voices contributors. He writes blogs and books http://www.epo.be/uitgeverij/boekinfo_auteur.php?isbn=9789064455803 on topics like environmental justice, globalization and human-nature relationships. When not wandering in the activist universe or his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nick.meynen is dead, he's probably walking in nature. @nickmeynen DANIEL R. PATMORE / SPECIAL TO THE GLEANER Dwayne Culver of the Zion Fire Department steadies Cadet Jackson Simpson a junior at Henderson High School as Simpson starts to cut a hole in the roof during the Junior Firefighters program skills test Saturday at Henderson fire training grounds. SHARE DANIEL R. PATMORE / SPECIAL TO THE GLEANER Cadet Christian Brown (left) a senior at Henderson High School replaces an air tank for Robards Assistant Fire Chief Lance Wayne back as Steve Gilmore of the Zion Fire Department watches during the Junior Firefighters program skills test Saturday at Henderson fire training grounds. DANIEL R. PATMORE / SPECIAL TO THE GLEANER Cadet Matthew Carter, a freshman at Henderson County High School, uses a fire extinguisher to put out a fuel fire as fellow cadet Jackson Simpson waits for his turn during the Junior Firefighters program skills test at Henderson fire training grounds. DANIEL R. PATMORE / SPECIAL TO THE GLEANER Cadet Matthew Carter, a freshman at Henderson County High School, puts on his gear as he get ready for the Junior Firefighters program skills test Saturday at Henderson fire training grounds. DANIEL R. PATMORE / SPECIAL TO THE GLEANER Firefighting equipment waits for the Junior Firefighters program cadets to suit up for their skills test Saturday at Henderson fire training grounds. By Laura Acchiardo, laura.acchiardo@thegleaner.com "When firefighting gets in your blood, it stays there," said Melvin Fulkerson, firefighter at Zion Volunteer Fire Department. And for those who are interested in becoming a firefighter at an early age, Kentucky's Junior Firefighter Program offers a way to begin training as soon as high school. Zion Volunteer Fire Department had three recruits in its first class over the summer Christian Brown, 17, Jackson Simpson, 16, and Matthew Carter, 15. The program is aimed toward high school students between the ages of 15 and 17 and requires participants to acquire at least 30 hours of training in areas including CPR, forcible entry and portable extinguishers. The also have to maintain a C average in school. Fulkerson instructed and coordinated the program. "I went through a similar program when I was their age," he said. "I did a program for ambulance service being an EMT. I really liked it and learned a lot." On top of the 30 hours of training required by the state, Zion VFD added the requirement of practical quizzes and exams for each skill to help instill the lessons taught. At their final training exam, the teens had to demonstrate skills such as setting ladders, running hoses to fire hydrants and ventilating a roof. All three recruits said they plan to pursue firefighting in the future. Carter's mother, Katrina, is a volunteer firefighter with Zion, which is how he found out about the program. "I've learned patience and teamwork," said Carter. "Being this young and knowing how to help someone if we have to through our training, is a great feeling. If I can accomplish something bigger and better than what I already have, then I've accomplished life." Carter, who had been through some firefighting training, introduced Simpson to the program, while Brown learned about it from Fulkerson, his stepfather. "I wanted to do it because firefighting is cool," said Simpson. "It's something fun to do and I knew it would keep me out of trouble." On Tuesday, Henderson County Fiscal Court honored the junior firefighters and that night, the trio graduated from the program during a dinner hosted at Zion's department. "I think it's a great opportunity for Zion to recruit new people to the fire department," said Angela Brown, Christian's mother. "It gives positive role models for these young boys and gives them someone to look up to." Fulkerson said he hopes to continue the program for the future and would like to see it grow. "The problem I have seen with these kids at the beginning is they said they couldn't do these skills," said Fulkerson. "I told them, 'Yeah you can.' Building their confidence is one of the things that comes out of this. They improve their communication too, working as a team and building trust between the three of them." By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) A Delhi Police constable allegedly committed suicide by jumping before a train at Patel Chowk Metro Station today. Sanjay Prasad, who was posted at Communications Unit of the Delhi Police, jumped before a Samaypur Badli-bound metro train at around 2:20 PM. He was undergoing treatment for depression. A suicide note has been recovered from him, said DCP (Metro) Jitendra Mani. advertisement Police were informed around 2:30 PM. A team rushed to the spot, sent the body for autopsy and made preliminary enquiries. The illness of his son, who recently had a major surgery at RML hospital, was one of the reasons for his depression. In the suicide he wrote he was "tired", police said. Train services on the Yellow Line were "briefly" disrupted following the incident. "We follow the regular drill as warranted in such situations and within 15 minutes the operations were back to normal," a senior officer of DMRC said. PTI VIT/KND GVS SK GVS --- ENDS --- Iowa football's second-half run begins against Northwestern Within Iowa's program, there's still a belief that the 2022 season can end on a high note. A win over Northwestern on Saturday is the first step. Diligent paralyzed student admitted to university 2016-08-04 14:38 By (chinadaily.com.cn) Zhu Zhiqiang proudly shows his admission letter to Wuhan College at his home in Jiaozuo, Central China's Henan province, Aug 1, 2016. [Photo/VCG] A paralyzed student in Jiaozuo city, Central China's Henan province who made headlines previously for moving a bed into the classroom has been admitted to one of China's prestigious universities. Zhu Zhiqiang, with an impressive high score of 635 on the gaokao (the national college entrance exam), proudly showed his admission letter and said he is going to major in math. Zhu started to have spinal problems when he was a little boy. His mother has had to carry him on her back since Zhu was four, and she has kept doing so over the past 14 years. As Zhu's problem progressed, his doctors suggested he quit school because he could not sit long. Zhu refused. When he went to the high school, he moved a bed into the classroom with the schools permission so he could lie on it while attending classes and doing his homework. The dentist and her husband was thrashed by a group of youngsters as they made them wait for the treatment. By Pratiba Raman: Dr Mridula Singh, with 13 years of experience, was busy with patients in the clinic that she runs with her husband Dr Sumith. On the 30th of July, they were suddenly thrashed allegedly by a group of youngsters for making them wait to avail treatment. The incident took place in HSR Layout of Bengaluru. A case has been registered with the police. advertisement The 3 accused, aged around 20 years are students, who were later taken into custody by the HSR Layout police. They have been identified as Nithin Reddy, Nishanth Reddy and Sharath Reddy. The students had not taken a prior appointment with the dentist for treatment and when the doctor questioned this and told them to wait, the angry youths thrashed the doctor and her husband. --- ENDS --- Brothers and Friends: The Diaries of Major Warren Hamilton Lewis: An Intimate Portrait of C.S. Lewis, edited by Clyde S. Kilby and Marjorie Lamp Mead (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1982) A few weeks ago, I had the misfortune of discovering what an unattractive person Joy Davidman, C.S. Jack Lewiss wife, was in real life. She was nothing at all what I had imagined, and certainly she bore no resemblance to the stoic and inspirational character portrayed by Debra Winger in the fictionalized biopic of Lewis, Shadowlands. I did my best to express my surprise at Joy in this essay in The Imaginative Conservative, though I freely admit that my reactions were raw. Immediately after finishing the collected letters of Davidman, I read the diary of Warren Warnie Lewis, Brothers and Friends. I came away as satisfied reading this book as I was unsatisfied (and a bit scandalized) by Davidmans collected letters. Born three years before Jack, Warnie immediately strikes the reader as one of the most intelligent and earnest observers of greatness in the last century. Though he suffered from severe alcoholism, bouts of deep depression, and a strange kind of nervousness around the opposite sex, Warnie is lovable at every level. As the reader encounters a man almost utterly overshadowed by his famous younger brother, he finds himself cheering Warnie on, hoping hell get his life together. Perhaps most importantly, though, with Warnie, the reader discovers the wonders of this world afresh with an innocence shockingly devoid of cynicism (again, in complete contrast to Joy Davidman, who seems nothing but cynical). In a rare moment of frustration, Warnie wrote the following, four years after the death of Jack: CSLs home, complete with the great mans brother, is [now a] show piece for any American who happens to visit Oxford. And what is the worst is it that this situation is going to continue for the rest of my life. I suppose that on my death bedor at any rate the day before I dieI shall have some verbose American standing over me and lecturing on some little observed significance of Js work. Oh [drat], [drat], [drat]! [Diary entry, August 1, 1967] An Inklingagain overshadowed by most other InklingsWarnie served successfully as an officer in the British Army during World War I and through the 1932, being recalled briefly in World War II. After retiring at the age of thirty-seven, Warnie devoted himself to true leisurereading, editing, writing, conversation, and walking. In addition to the multiple volumes of family papers, Warnie edited, he also wrote and published seven well-respected books on the history of seventeenth-century France as well as a memoir of his brother in 1966. This memoir, Brothers and Friends, it must be noted, is the single best original source on the Inklings in print. Warnies love and admiration for Jack knew no bounds, and he supported Jack always, even when he was at a loss to understand the actions or motives of his brother. There are several of these moments in the diarywhich never shies away from controversy, but always in a singularly earnest waythe most spectacular and, to Warnie, the most unnerving as Jack in 1921 allowed Mrs. Moore, the physically attractive, single mother of one of his buddies in World War I, to live with the Lewis brothers in their home. Jack ended up living with her in a bewildering relationship until the spring of 1950. Despite Warnies own reservations about Jack on this matter and his intense dislike of Mrs. Moore, he moved in with the lot upon his retirement from the British Army. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, much of the diary discusses the dysfunctional domestic situation at The Kilns, the Lewis home, with Warnie seeking escape from it all as often as possible. Reflecting years later on those years while in a somewhat nostalgic mood, Warnie remembered all the horrors of The Kilnsthe spite, envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, the thousandth repetition of the pointless story, the pervading discomfort. As he viewed it, Mrs. Moore had enslaved Jack, though Jack had willingly allowed such enslavement. He had traded a tyrannical father for a tyrannical mother, but, in so doing, Jack had nearly destroyed his career and his life. In the memoirs, Warnie frequently imagined what Jack could have written and accomplished had Mrs. Moore not demanded so much of his time. Warnie, of course, would also have liked for that time to have been spent with him and not with him and Mrs. Moore. Throughout the book, Warnie reveals many of his own attitudes toward the world, as gleaned from his service in the army abroad and from his travels through Africa, Asia, and the United States. As much as he enjoyed his time in the military, he hated the monotony and regimented aspects of army life. Like many conservatives of his generation, he never trusted politicians (we are all their dupes, he complained), and he hated anything that seemed to be innovation merely for the sake of innovation. He also offered a number of fascinating insights into the characters and thoughts of individual Inklings, including Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, Hugo Dyson, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Christopher Tolkien. While quite close to J.R.R. Tolkien, he expressed much jealousy over the success of The Lord of the Rings, wondering why Jack could not have had that kind of success during his own lifetime. A voracious reader, Warnie also comments wisely on the books he is reading, whether Virgil or Jane Austen. Never are these insights fruitless or simple page-fillers, even nearly a century after several were made. Warnie possessed an excellent sense of bibliographic observation, especially when it came to history or poetry. Because of my own academic work on Tolkien, I had read through Brothers and Friends several times, but I had yet to read it from beginning to end. This was my first such reading. Two things surprised me about Warnie. First, though the story of Jacks conversion to Christianity is a familiar one, especially given his famous September 1931 conversation with Tolkien and Dyson that convinced him to convert fully to the faith, I had not realized that Warnie had converted earlier that same year. My most interesting personal experience while I was away was that on Saturday last, 9th [May 1931], I started to say my prayers again after having discontinued doing so for more years than I care to remember: this was no sudden impulse but the result of a conviction of the truth of Christianity. Given how much Jack idealized Warnie, it would not be at all surprising if this conversion shaped Jacks decision as much as the conversation with Tolkien and Dyson. Theres nothing but speculation here on my part, but it is an interesting question, nonetheless. Certainly, when Jack wrote Warnie of his own conversion later that year, Warnie breathed a sigh of relief. Had he not done so, I, with my altered views would have foundhardly a bar between us, but a lock of a complete identity of interest which I should have regretted. Second, I had not realized that Warnie, while rejecting Catholicism, had come to respect it in ways Jack never would or probably could. While visiting Catholic Ireland in 1947, Warnie took deathly ill, most likely from his alcoholism. He checked himself into a nearby hospital, The Convent Hospital of Our Lady of Lourdes, and, to his shock, he fell in love with these women, the first women in his life to impress him since his own mother had passed away. To the Protestantor at any rate to methere has always been something sinister, a little repulsive, almost ogreish, about the practice of the R.C. Religion, he recorded. Yet, after recovering, he recorded: There could be nothing more preposterously unlike the truth: the first thing that strikes you is the radiant happiness of these holy and lovable women. Whatever else it is, it is a life of joy, and a place of laughter. Warnie remained a friend to these nuns, and they to him, until his last days. It also seems that while he and Tolkien had been good friends prior to this, the correspondence that the two began during Warnies recovery dealing with theological questions really solidified their friendship. Certainly, it is clear that Warnie cherished his time with the nuns as well as his correspondence with Tolkien during what otherwise might have been truly dark days. Sadly, Brothers and Friends is no longer in print, but there are numerous used copies floating around. If you like C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, conservatism, England, Ireland, humanity, poetry, western civilization, or anything that truly matters, do yourself a grand favor and order a copy as soon as possible. Reading it, even in these dread and violent days of 2016, you might very well picture yourself comfortably seated in the rooms of an under-appreciated Oxford don, surrounded by great friends, talking of things that are meaningful, smoking some Old Toby, and drinking some of the finest Old Winyards. Certainly much better than Turkish Delight. The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now. AURORA The second man charged in the Hamilton County murder-for-hire case pleaded not guilty in Hamilton County District Court at his arraignment Thursday morning. Derrick Shirley, 30, of Bradshaw is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, a Class 2 felony, for conferring with Robert Honken of Aurora to kill Honkens wife. Shirley, with his attorney, Mark Porto, listened to District Judge Rachel Daugherty read him possible consequences. If convicted, Shirley could face one to 50 years in prison. Shirley and Honken were arrested on Feb. 29 after a State Patrol investigation. According to the arrest warrant affidavit for Honken, a concerned citizen contacted police, telling them "Sam" asked the citizen to kill his wife. In a controlled call with police on Feb. 27, the citizen contacted "Sam," who then told the citizen his real name was Robert. During the call, according to the affidavit, Honken said he wanted his wife "out of the way" and said he previously hired another person, Shirley, to do the job and paid him $400. Two days later, according to the affidavit, a State Patrol investigator posed as a hit man and met Honken to discuss killing Honkens wife. Honken paid the undercover investigator $500. The affidavit for Honken states that Shirley said he obtained a weapon and canvassed Honkens wifes house to prepare to kill her. In late June, Daugherty overruled pleas in abatement for both Shirley and Honken. She stated that, although Shirley never fully carried out the agreement to murder Honkens wife, Honken still tried to hire someone else, referring to the undercover investigator. According to Daughertys written decision on Shirleys plea in abatement, Shirley argued that there was no evidence shown by the state of an actual agreement between him and Honken. However, Daugherty wrote that evidence was presented that there were several discussions outlining how the murder would happen, preparations, the purchase of a gun and the exchange of money. Honken stood mute at his arraignment on July 15, and the court entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Honkens jury trial is at 9 a.m. from Nov. 14 to 18. His status hearing will be at 9 a.m. Sept. 16 in Hamilton County District Court. Shirleys status hearing is set for 9 a.m. Sept. 1 in Hamilton County District Court. His jury trial is set for 9 a.m. Nov. 28 to 30 in district court. Maharashta chief minister Devendra Fandavis has demanded a judicial inquiry into the british era bridge collapse on the Mumbai-Goa highway on Tuesday night. State govt has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to family members of driver and conductor of two state transport and buses and 18 passengers. PHOTO: PTI By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis ordered an judicial inquiry into Mahad bridge collapse incident today in assembly. Opposition was asking for such an inquiry since Wednesday. "We have deputed a team of 3 experts from IIT, Mumbai for preliminary study and this team has already began their work. Professor Jyoti Prakash (Water expert), Mr Jangid (Structural expert) and V. S. Vasudevan (Geothermal expert) are the members of this team" Devendra Fadnavis told the assembly. advertisement RECOVERY SO FAR After two days of incident, 10 bodies have been recovered from different parts of Mahad region. Dead body of state transport bus driver was recovered from Anjarle village almost 130km away from accident spot. Two state transport buses carrying 9 passengers each were swept away in this accident. State govt has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to family members of driver and conductor of two state transport and buses and 18 passengers. AUDIT ON BRITISH ERA BRIDGES DEMANDED On the backdrop of Mahad incident, Congress senior leader Anant Gadgil has asked the state government to conduct structural audit of British era bridges in the Maximum City. "There are dozen of bridges in Mumbai which were constructed by Britishers. Before anything like Mahad happens in Mumbai, it's better government conducts an audit," said Gadgil. NCP leader Ajit Pawar today asked government to take strict action against officials who are guilty for this. Also read: Mahad bridge collapse: Opposition targets Fadnavis government in Maharashtra Assembly --- ENDS --- Its a fact that Nebraskas high tax rates are harming our economic growth. Income tax rates in Nebraska, particularly for individuals and businesses earning more than $30,000, have not meaningfully improved in the last twenty years, and property tax rates are the 7th highest in the nation. Meanwhile, IRS data show the majority of income lost to out-migration in Nebraska over that time has relocated to Texas, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, and even Iowa. Despite our stable economy, these losses contributed to Nebraska falling below the national average in job and population growth in the past decade. More Nebraskans and Americans are choosing to live and work in states where they can keep more of what they earn. On average, taxpayers in these rival states pay 52 percent less personal income tax per person than in Nebraska, and 24 percent less in property tax. Federal data show residents investing in these states are creating more businesses and better jobs. To see relief in 2017, taxpayers must reject the myths being used to keep taxes high. With opponents of tax relief running out of excuses and support in the Legislature, they hope lower state revenue projections can stand in the way. But the projections do not mean state revenues are shrinking at all. Revenues are growing at a healthy pace. This latest projection means the state will have a smaller than expected windfall, but senators can still pay the bills better than at any time before. We can reduce taxes that contribute the most to out-migration without harming these revenues. Which types of taxes we rely on most is a different question from how much money we want to raise. Our current budget can be funded at the same level with greater stability, even as our tax structure imposes less burdensome rates on working and investing in Nebraska. Reducing property tax rates must be part of this, but its not enough. We cant allow payers of property and income tax to be pit against each other by another myth advanced by opponents: that the Legislature has already made major income tax cuts. Well, they probably werent for you. Among the tax cuts such groups refer to are tax incentives for special interests. But those of us who pay full price for Nebraskas taxes have not seen relief. The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council recently ranked Nebraska one of the 15 worst states for small business taxes. In the vast majority of cases, these are the same high taxes paid on family incomes and property tax bills. Real tax reform means rolling back special privileges in the tax code to make rates lower for everyone. But more can be done to grow our tax base and reduce tax rates without increasing reliance on the property tax. There is absolutely no reason both property and income tax rates cant be reduced together through comprehensive reforms that grow our sales tax base. In the states we lose the most income to, greater reliance on local option sales tax helps keep other taxes in check. Importantly, this does not require increasing sales tax rates, but reviewing the types of sales subject to the tax. Eliminating arbitrary sales tax exemptions can also provide more stable state revenues. Currently, the majority of the states general fund relies on income tax, which research from the Pew Charitable Trusts show has been less stable than sales tax nationally going back decades. For many, Kansas shadow looms over the tax reform issue. But Nebraska doesnt have to copy Kansas to have lower tax rates. Many other states across the country have provided responsible tax relief, including ten states that reduced income taxes in 2015 alone. States as diverse as New York, Indiana, Maine, and Arkansas are enacting income tax rate reductions, along with property tax relief, to remove barriers to economic growth and opportunity for their residents. Its time for Nebraskas taxpayers to unite in this coming legislative session instead of being set against each other. More excuses that prevent reform, and keep the Good Life out of reach for Nebraska families and businesses, should be rejected by all Nebraskans. For 72 long years, the family of U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Dale Robert Geddes was unable to say farewell to him with a proper burial. They will finally have that chance on Aug. 22. Geddes was killed during the World War II Battle of Tarawa in the islands in the Pacific. During the fighting, his remains were hurriedly buried. Unfortunately, they were in an area that came to be known as the Lost Cemetery because military officials were unable to find it for years. Then last year, through the work of History Flight and the Stone Foundation, the lost graves were found and among them were the remains of Pvt. Geddes. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed Tuesday that the remains were those of Geddes. Welcome home and rest in peace, Pvt. Geddes. So declares the agencys press release and those sentiments are shared by all Americans. Unfortunately, sometimes in the blur of battle theres not always time to recover the fallen. This has been true through all wars. Now, however, through enhanced DNA testing, remains found years later can be positively identified. This, through the feeling that only one who has been through it can understand, helps bring closure to families. They can finally bring their loved one home. Just this week, the agency identified the remains of six soldiers from the Korean War and two from World War II. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website gives the following information: At present, more than 83,000 Americans remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the 83,000 missing, 75 percent of the losses are located in the Asia-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (i.e. ship losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.). Finding the remains of missing American service men and women is a monumental task. The numbers are so large. But when some are found, such as those of Pvt. Geddes, a solemn remembrance should be held to honor them. These are the bravest among us. These are the ones who gave their lives in service to their country. Pvt. Geddes was killed coming to the aid of a fellow Marine who had been shot. There is no greater bravery than rushing into battle, putting ones self in danger, to help someone else. Linda Elliott, a grandniece of Geddes, summed it up best. Dale is finally coming home, she said. He is coming home to his parents. I know that I speak for the family in saying that we are all very happy, very privileged, to witness the wishes of Dales parents and Dales siblings. Our boy is coming home. The Main Street Community Center is eyeing a partnership with Edwardsville Township that would bring additional services to seniors in the township but would also raise local property taxes. The two entities are already linked by a service agreement that calls on the township to pay an annual stipend to MSCC to fund recreational and nutritional programs for elderly residents in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. In March, 2016, the service agreement was renewed for $8,000. The city of Edwardsville also provides financial support. Details of the potential partnership will be worked out in the coming months as both sides work on creating a Memorandum of Understanding. The board would then look at potentially putting a Senior Citizens Service tax on the ballot to fund construction and operation of the senior facility, Township Supervisor Frank Miles said at the townships July meeting. This will give voters an opportunity to support senior residents with services that are needed in the community. If the memorandum is approved by the Township trustees, the measure would be put before the voters on the April 2017 ballot. Miles said MSCC had approached the township to discuss the possibility of a partnership. MSCC Executive Director Sara Berkbigler met with the board on a couple of occasions to discuss what a partnership - and a joint facility - might look like. They researched other townships around the state, and both Edwardsville Township and members of the MSCC will send representatives to visit a township in northern Illinois that already has such a partnership to determine how it might work here. We welcome the opportunity to explore options with Edwardsville Township so we can better meet the needs of the growing senior population, Berkbigler said in a press release issued by Edwardsville Township. There are senior centers throughout the state of Illinois who are offering innovative and necessary programs that we would like to offer in the near future. We look forward to visiting some other programs together with Township staff to explore the possibilities for our community, she said. The center has been serving the greater Edwardsville area since 1974. The current building at 1003 N. Main St. is owned by Eden Church, which has been renting it to MSCC for $1 a year. The center is responsible for building maintenance and capital improvements. In the coming weeks, the MSCC will be developing a survey to find out what services and programs seniors are interested in. There are benefits for Edwardsville Township as well. For one thing, trustees could use the building to host their monthly board meetings, For years those meetings were held at the Hays Mallory Building, at 216 Crane St. in Edwardsville. But inspectors have found that building is in violation of several life and safety codes, and the townships Facilities Committee has been trying to figure out what to do with it as well as what to do with the Township Hall building at 300 W. Park St. Edwardsville Township meetings have been held recently at the Glen Carbon Fire Department. Miles stressed that plans for a potential partnership and talk of a tax referendum in the spring are still in the early stages. The Township could ask the voters to approve a Senior Citizens Service tax to fund construction and operation of the joint facility, Miles said in the news release. This would give voters an opportunity to support our senior residents with additional services that are important to our growing population." The 2016 Madison County ROE STEM Camp was recently hosted by the Madison County Regional Office of Education and was a tremendous success! Seventy-three students from grades two through six, representing fourteen different communities attended the week long camp in June held at Center for Educational Opportunities in Troy Illinois. The camp goal was to engage students while educating and encouraging growth in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) concepts through fun, imaginative, and challenging activities, utilizing individual and team engineering based problem solving approaches while completing more than twenty-five hands on activities. Camp teachers who provided instruction were from the Alton, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Highland and Triad school districts. Camp student volunteers, who had exceptional skills and experiences were from St. Marys school, Triad Middle School as well as the Highland and Triad High Schools. This is a unique camp in that it was a county-wide effort that brought top teachers and students together from across the county working as a team with great effort, making it possible to create a fun and enjoyable learning environment for all participants says Mike Moore ROE#41 Co-Camp Director. In doing this it allowed for an assortment of curriculum to be utilized in an effort to stimulate interests in a wide variety of careers that apply STEM concepts. Many of todays high skilled and high wage jobs are centering more and more around the STEM concepts, and as educators, we believe it is never too early to start introducing these concepts to our youth. As an example, many camp units for the second and third grader students were centered on wind power and aerodynamics through the use of activities that included construction and analysis of pinwheels, parachutes, helicopter, and fixed winged aircraft. Other topics at this grade level included go-carts and go-cart tricks, catapults, simple pneumatic machines, towers, a unit on video production and a unit in design and invention. Co Camp Director, Rachel Lewis, also from the Madison County ROE says, Students loved the hands on activities that challenge them. It was fun to see the smiles when they discover and learn how things work, and better yet, how things could work due to the STEM concepts being learned. STEM Camp provided each grade level a different type and number of activities geared to challenge them at their level of ability. The fourth grade students designed and built bridges after briefly studying a few engineering concepts typical to bridge construction via guided on-line research. At completion their bridges were weight tested for efficiency and strength. The winners took home a 100 GRAND! (Candy Bar) This age group also completed two activities in rocket building, a catapult challenge, a unit in video production, and a design and engineering bio-medical activity where they were challenged to design a life size working model of an arm or leg prosthetic. The goal was their design might afford someone who had lost a limb the ability to enjoy one of the activities they could no longer do and that many of us may take for granted. The sixth grade students spent the week deeply engaged in the physics, learning about topics such as potential and kinetic energy, acceleration and deceleration all while learning to apply the engineering problem solving methods to real world physics problems. Activities for the first three days centered around designing and building various roller coaster rides utilizing Knex Kit components, and culminated in building a mouse trap powered car in addition to constructing an entire amusement park that not only tied in many physics concepts but also a lot of math, geometry, and mechanical components. The excitement of students and parents each day was wonderful. I truly enjoyed hearing the parents share their childs excitement as they talked about their day at camp, commented co-camp director Rachel Lewis from the ROE 41 office. There were so many fun challenges presented to the students throughout the week that there was never a dull moment! Another highlight of the program was the inclusion of guest speakers, presenters, and demonstration. We brought in real world design and engineering so campers could experience first-hand the reality of what these things may look like, and possibly a glimpse of what their future, in high school and beyond, could be like if they continue with this creativity and effort. Bringing in these experiences gave students the opportunity to see and operate various types of robots from the Robotics Clubs from Edwardsville and Triad High School. They were able to observe the flight and operation of a drone with a camera from students from Highland High School. They learned how to begin utilizing on-line products such as Mine Craft to design and build creations from a student from St. Marys school in Edwardsville. You just cannot describe in words the total experience of attending this camp. We even had a visit from the Army Corps of Engineers, who demonstrated and provided hands on experiences with water ways and large scale bridge building. The 2016 Madison County ROE STEM Camp was an amazing community effort! Five armed gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant on the night of July 1, killing 20 people and holding others inside hostage. 20 people, including an Indian girl, were killed in the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka on July 1. (Photo: Reuters) By AP: Two men who had not been heard from since last month's restaurant attack in Bangladesh were arrested today on allegations they were involved in the deadly siege carried out by radical Islamists. British national Hasnat Karim and University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan were arrested in different areas of the capital, Dhaka, and police were seeking court permission to question them for 10 days, said Masudur Rahman, a Dhaka police spokesman. advertisement Five armed gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant on the night of July 1, killing 20 people and holding others inside hostage. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages. Those killed were nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian. Dhaka attack: How brave Bangladeshi youth refused to leave Tarishi Jain's side, paid with his life Karim, 47, and Khan, 22, were known to have been inside the restaurant, but Bangladeshi authorities and police denied having them in custody after the attack. Their families and New York-based Human Rights Watch had appealed for news about them and said the authorities were holding the men. Karim was in the restaurant with his wife and two daughters and the family had said they were there to celebrate the birthday of their daughter. But a South Korean man from a nearby apartment had shot a video of the scene in the restaurant in which Karim was seen talking to the attackers. ACCUSED HELPED ATTACKERS? Police also said there were photographs showing Karim smoking on the rooftop of the building with two of the attackers standing behind him. "We are taking them to a court and we have already sought 10 days police custody for further questioning," Rahman said soon after the arrests. Post Dhaka attack: Why an online magazine interview is giving India a headache Karim had lived in UK for nearly 20 years and returned to Bangladesh a few years ago when he began teaching in a private university in Dhaka. Later, he was under investigation for his alleged involvement with a banned Islamic group, Hizbut Tahrir. He left the university in 2012 and became a businessman. One of the attackers has been identified as his former student. NO CLARITY OVER INVOLVEMENT OF ISIS Bangladesh police have said they are investigating whether the attackers had links to the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the attack. The claim was rejected by Bangladesh's government, which said IS has no presence in the country and instead blamed a local radical group, Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh. advertisement Also Read: Indian girl among 20 killed in Dhaka attack Dhaka attack: One of the terrorists was educated boy from rich family, who once met Shraddha Kapoor --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Community (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Here at www.thejakartapost.com, we are looking for information and opinions from experts or scholars in a variety of fields or from any members of the general public with the appropriate writing skills. We require articles based on fact or opinion pieces on current affairs, as well as quality analysis and commentaries on Indonesia or international events. We seek thorough and in-depth analysis on issues. The content must be original and on the following subjects: Economics or Finance Democracy and political trends in Indonesia or Southeast Asia Defense and national security Environment and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Submissions on anything related to only one product/brand or written in an advertorial style will be rejected. Send submissions to academia@jakpost.com with the subject ACADEMIA. If you intend for the piece to be published in The Jakarta Post paper edition, send it to opinion@thejakartapost.com. To prevent repetitiousness, please send your article to only one email address. For first-time submissions, please include a one line description, a short bio (three or four lines) and a picture of the writer. As a community writer, you will not receive financial compensation. However, we will publish the URL to your blog or website and links to social media accounts. The URLs should be included in the short bio. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Edi Suhardi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 The scale and environmental, social and economic impacts of the palm oil industry have made it one of the most scrutinized. Therefore, the sustainability of palm oil is seen as a new model and flagship for commodity-based industries in finding the most acceptable and widely recognized platform of sustainability for other commodities to learn and replicate. Palm oil attracts a number of stakeholders to develop various sustainability standards and platforms with unique attributes competing for recognition and buy-ins from both the markets and producers. There are five types of palm oil-relevant sustainability platforms based on the originator and leading organizations. The first is government-led initiatives, such as mandatory Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and voluntary Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO). These sustainability standards based on compliance with applicable laws and regulations on palm oil create no tractions in the EU market as they are seen to add no value. Second are market-driven multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). These two schemes are widely recognized by both the market and producers. While RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil dominates the CSPO market in EU, the ISCC-certified is in the frontline of CSPO use for biofuels. Third are NGO-led initiatives, for example the Rainforest Alliance Certification using Sustainable Agriculture Network (RAC-SAN). This initiative targets a few niche producers and a subsequently small portion of the market limited to those subscribing to the NGOs initiative. Fourth is an initiative of a coalition of producers, including the Palm Oil Innovation Group and newly self-dissolved IPOP. The challenges of this business-sponsored platform lie in convincing other players to join in the group and in securing positive responses from both the government and the market. This scheme eyes a special portion of special products for the niche market. Fifth are initiatives by international organizations, such as UNDP with the Indonesian Palm Oil Platform (INPOP). This initiative is attached to other government-led platforms and designated to help strengthen the ISPO. It is noted that among the five initiatives, the market-driven multi-stakeholders initiatives, i.e. RSPO and ISCC standards are the most recognized by the premium EU market. Due to a lack of market traction and absence of demand for ISPO-certified palm oil, the government and concerned stakeholders are actively seeking ways to ensure the ISP is well-regarded and recognized by the EU markets to compete with other schemes. In my opinion, there is ample opportunity for an ISPO to gain market recognition and access to premium EU markets, provided the government is committed to changing the way ISPO works and engage other key stakeholders, including reputed NGOs and palm-oil concerned groups, value chains, market and consumer groups under the principles of participation, transparency and accountability. This is the first step toward building mutual understanding among producers, intermediary agencies and consumers of palm oil as a sine qua non of market recognition. Strengthening the government-led initiatives entails introducing two systems of nominal sustainability under the current mandatory ISPO scheme, and development of a new voluntary ISPO PLUS system. The existing mandatory ISPO certification needs to be consolidated as a minimum standard for palm oil sustainability. Under the current scheme, the government maintains the status quo and remains in charge of development of the ISPO certification system. ISPO-certified products are targeted for traditional palm oil markets, such as China, India and the domestic market. Second, introducing a new set of ISPO PLUS scheme with a totally new institutional arrangement, a reformed market-oriented forum and a system to accommodate consumer demand. The role of government needs to be changed to become a facilitator and enabler in the new multi-stakeholder forum on incentivized ISPO PLUS for the premium market. In order to gain market recognition, the reformed ISPO PLUS must be able to assess, understand and address market demand for robust sustainability standards and platforms. In return, the ISPO PLUS will be charged a premium for superior items produced by exceeding legal compliance. In line with the spirit of business competition and efforts to establish the standards that meet beyond the law stipulations, the ISPO PLUS must be designed as a voluntary membership initiative. There are four core conditions as prerequisites to achieving credible and robust sustainability standards recognized by the market. These are multi-stakeholder governance, stringent environmental and social standards, an accountable certification system and a traceability mechanism. Multi-stakeholder governance allows all stakeholders equal opportunity to voice their aspirations and become eligible to partake in decision-making and standard-setting. Through this multi-stakeholder process, the standards of ISPO PLUS with add-ons take into account market interests and consumer demands, while simultaneously incorporating producer concerns and aspirations. A common ground and mutual understanding is a modality for an applicable approach in securing green credentials for both producers and markets. To gauge the level of robustness and credibility of the standards, the ISPO PLUS forum needs to register as a member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling (ISEAL), an international forum to examine sustainability standards. Such membership will further enhance the stature of the ISPO PLUS forum. The certification system is another key area to ensure that the assessment and audit of the sustainability performance of members is in compliance with global standards. The system must demonstrate a high level of accountability and compliance. To ensure compliance with the audit of the auditor or certifying body (CB), the forum needs to foster a partnership with a reputed audit accreditation, such as Accreditation Services International (ASI). The mechanism on oversight is key to maintaining credibility and confidence in the certification system. The last aspect of sustainability platform is the need to ensure traceability of products from growers, including smallholders, mills, supply chains and refineries down to the market. Sustainability standards of palm oil must be augmented with a mechanism to verify and trace back to the first upstream source. With the above assurances, the bona fide ISPO PLUS will be well recognized by premium market in EU. This will also help improve credibility of the existing ISPO scheme and allow the ISPO PLUS system to compete with other sustainability standards and platforms. *** The writer is the vice president of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The views expressed are his own. --------------- We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com. For more information click here. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arancha Gonzalez (The Jakarta Post) Geneva Thu, August 4, 2016 Governments everywhere have ministries dedicated to womens affairs. I know of only one with a Ministry for Women Empowerment: Indonesia. Charged with the realization of gender equality and justice together with childrens well-being, the ministry frames gender equality as a matter of justice. It is also an issue of fundamental economic importance. Women are the most underutilized resource in the world economy. The social and legal discrimination that relegates hundreds of women to subordinate or marginal economic roles has a huge aggregate cost. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that raising womens wages and labor force participation to make them equal to those of men would boost global output by over 25 percent. It would be like adding a new US and China to the world economy. It is no accident that the Global Goals on Sustainable Development adopted by the UN aim to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030 and to achieve gender equality in education and work. They must happen together, or neither will. Nowhere is this clearer than in the poorest households and communities. When women are paid for their work, and have control over how the money gets spent, they invest much more of their income than men do in their families education and health. Positive social and economic effects are amplified from one generation to the next. For businesses and countries alike, greater gender equality tends to go with better economic performance. Having more women on corporate boards and in leadership positions is associated with higher profitability. Countries that provide greater economic opportunities for women generally rank higher on measures of national competitiveness. This makes sense: no team can expect to win if it neglects the talents of half of its players. Indonesias focus on empowering women is smart economic policy. Indonesian women already play leading roles in politics and the economy. The recent Cabinet shuffle saw Sri Mulyani Indrawati return as finance minister, a role occupied by men in most other leading economies. Women can be found at the top of the Indonesian business world in everything from oil and gas to cutting-edge tech companies. According to the World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap report, women in Indonesia outnumber men at university; 43 percent of firms are owned at least in part by women. And yet, only 17 percent of members of parliament are women. Less than a third of firms have women in senior management. Business surveys conducted by the International Trade Center show that only 17 percent of Indonesian firms that export are owned or managed by women. Since firms involved in trade tend to be more productive and pay higher wages, this suggests Indonesian women are significantly underrepresented in the most dynamic segments of the economy. An additional complicating fact is that the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that generate the bulk of jobs in Indonesia, including for women, are both far less productive and less globally integrated than bigger companies. This makes for lower incomes across much of the labor force. And for lower contribution to domestic growth. Tackling the obstacles facing women entrepreneurs and workers, especially in the SME sector, would be a useful complement to President Joko Jokowi Widodos ongoing moves to consolidate reforms and growth. But this is not just a job for the government. The private sector must do its part too. As I visit Indonesia this week I will be sharing the International Trade Centers SheTrades initiative, which seeks to connect one million women entrepreneurs to international market opportunities by 2020. The initiatives Call to Action spells out how governments, the private sector, and civil society can remedy obstacles holding back women-owned businesses. We need to gather gender disaggregated data to inform good policies, including trade policies. Multinationals can sign up and pledge to source more from women-owned suppliers. Governments can commit to reforming discriminatory laws and procuring more goods and services from enterprises run by women. Financial institutions can pledge to ensure all-important access to credit for women entrepreneurs, so that they can formalize and grow from micro to small and from small to medium-sized and beyond (this would be good for the banks, too, of course!). Momentum behind the initiative is building. Last month, the Nigerian government committed to enabling 200,000 women entrepreneurs to connect to global markets. Barclays Bank of Kenya set up a US$50 million fund and pledged to ensure access to financial services and business skills training for 10,000 women entrepreneurs. For a young engineer with a big idea in Bandung, SheTrades could mean equal access to venture capital for her start-up. For women coffee growers in Sumatra, SheTrades could mean getting quality certifications that open doors to lucrative niche markets. SheTrades could mean more detailed understanding of the challenges facing budding women entrepreneurs across the country. In Indonesia, SheTrades can only be what policymakers and businesses make of it. But one thing is clear: An economy with more successful, internationally-integrated, women-owned SMEs would not just be good for womens empowerment. It would be good for all Indonesians. *** The writer is the executive director of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. --------------- We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com. For more information click here. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Winarno Zain (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Sri Mulyani Indrawati has returned to the Finance Ministry as the newly appointed finance minister at a time when state finances are in distress. She is tasked with improving the health of state finances by speeding up tax collection, while on the disbursement side, she will have to ensure state expenditure is disbursed in a timely manner and ensure that the public gets maximum benefit from every rupiah that the government spends. At the end of June, half way through the budget year, state revenue was only 35 percent of the revised budget. The deficit rose to 1.85 percent of gross domestic product, more than twice the deficit in the corresponding period in 2015. Half-year revenue has been declining since 2014, falling by 2 percent in 2015, and again by 9 percent in 2016. This is unprecedented, at least since the 1970s under the Soeharto government. State expenditure was Rp 865 trillion (US$65.7 billion), or 41.5 percent of the budget, which is a better achievement than revenue performance. However, this was mainly due to routine expenditures like salaries and subsidies, the implementation of which involves no complicated procedures. Expenditures, meanwhile, which are more significant for economic growth, still lag behind. The Transportation Ministry, which deals with the most infrastructure expenditure, for instance, has disbursed only 28 percent of its allocated budget in the first half of the year, despite its hard work to start bidding earlier than in the past. In the revised 2016 budget, income tax is expected to amount to Rp 856 trillion, or 42 percent more than in 2015. However, this includes Rp 165 trillion expected from the tax amnesty implementation. Excluding this amount, income tax would be only Rp 691 trillion, or 15 percent higher than in 2015. Given the still weak economic growth and the fact that income tax only increased 8 and 10 percent in the last two years respectively, a targeted 15 percent increase (excluding tax amnesty revenue) still looks too high and difficult to achieve. Bank Indonesia (BI), the central bank, does not believe that the government will collect Rp 165 trillion in the tax amnesty program. BI forecasts that at most the government will only collect Rp 50 trillion, less than one-third of its forecast. This is probably more realistic. The same has also happened with the value added tax (VAT) trend. Because of weakening growth in the economy, VAT growth collapsed. In 2013, VAT grew by 14 percent. However, in 2014, its growth fell dramatically to only 6.2 percent and again plunged to 3.7 percent in 2015. This occurred despite relatively strong growth in consumption, which has been growing at more than 5 percent since 2012. This year, consumption growth will not be any better than in previous years, but the government has budgeted an increase of Rp 50 trillion from VAT, more than three times the 2015 increase, in economic conditions that are more or less the same as last years. The overall picture seems as though the government has set the bar too high for the revised 2016 budget. If state expenditure is implemented as set out in the revised budget to provide meaningful stimulus for the economy, it is likely that the deficit will be higher than 2.4 percent of GDP, as projected in the budget. However, the threat of a higher deficit would ironically be moderated by the inability of the government ministries to fully implement their budgets, despite prodding by President Joko Jokowi Widodo to speed up budget disbursement. The President himself has asked the law enforcement agencies not to criminalize officials for any spending that inadvertently results in administrative deviations. As finance minister, Sri Mulyani has said she will strive to implement the budget not only as a fiscal stimulus but also as a fiscal instrument to reduce poverty and inequality. However, under a tighter budget, she might have to adjust the current priorities and make decisions on where to make sacrifices, whether in infrastructure spending or in spending that could reduce poverty and inequality. A World Bank study found gross inefficiencies in the social programs targeting a reduction in poverty and income inequality. Within direct transfers, the lowest budget was spent on the most effective, the Family Hope Program (Program Keluarga Harapan, PKH), Indonesias conditional cash transfer program. Every rupiah spent on PKH reduces inequality 2.5 times more than every rupiah spent on raskin, the governments rice for the poor program, yet the budget for raskin is 10 times higher. Four times more is spent on Assistance for Poor Students (Bantuan Siswa Miskin, BSM) than PKH, and according to the World Bank, because of poor targeting, BSM was even less effective than raskin. Programs to reduce poverty and income inequality must be deep inside Sri Mulyanis heart. She must have noted how some Latin American countries, an area under her jurisdiction during her tenure as World Bank managing director, had significantly reduced poverty and inequality through fiscal policies. According to World Bank studies, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay and Costa Rica reduced their Gini coefficient between market income and final income by between 6 and 14 percent. In Indonesia, fiscal policies have reduced the corresponding Gini coefficient by only 2.5 percent, the second lowest after Ethiopia. This shows how fiscal policies in Indonesia still have a long way to go to be effective instruments to reduce poverty and inequality, especially at a time when the state budget faces many uncertainties. As government revenue will still be under pressure, Sri Mulyani will have to find a way to ensure that infrastructure projects and poverty and inequality reduction programs do not hurt each other. *** The writer is a commissioner at a publicly listed oil and gas service company. The views expressed are his own. --------------- We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Indonesian rock band Dewa 19 will be joined by its former lead vocalists, Ari Lasso and Elfonda Once Mekel, in its upcoming concert at Malang State University in East Java on Oct. 19. Ari and Once will perform the songs they each popularized during their time with the band, Tia Maulana of Barrat Enterprise, the shows event organizer, told kompas.com on Tuesday. In short, the concert will be a nostalgic one for fans of Dewa 19, also known as Baladewa. (Read also: Weekend playlist: Indonesias most popular hits from the 90s) Meanwhile, Malang was chosen as the venue due to its role as the center of music in East Java. The band itself was born in the province's capital city of Surabaya in 1986. Concert tickets will be available in three categories, with ticket prices starting at Rp 1 million ($76). Initially born under the name DEWA, Dewa 19 has changed lead vocalists several times. Prior to the release of The Best of Dewa 19 album at the end of 1999, Ari Lasso was reportedly dismissed from the band due to drug-addiction. He was then replaced by Once, who then left the band in 2010 to focus on a solo career. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 A pop-up bazaar showcasing local creative products is set to take place in Grand Indonesia shopping mall, Central Jakarta, on Aug. 26-28. The participants of the MakersMarket bazaar are tenants at MarketPlays, an e-commerce start-up established in June last year that focuses on providing a marketplace for local urban lifestyle brands. Over 200 brands and 700 products, especially leather and handmade goods, are available via the online platform. In addition to showing local brands' creativity, the event will also feature several workshops at which guests can learn firsthand how the products, ranging from denim and batik to natural dye and wood crafts, are made. One of the brands, Imaji Studio, experiments with fabric dyeing techniques as it seeks to embody the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, which refers to the beauty of imperfection in handmade objects. Working with local artisans, most of its inspiration comes from Batik dyeing methods but it focuses on being organic, raw and natural, to avoid the negative effects of using artificial dyes. (Read also: 6 local quirky bag brands on the rise) A photo posted by IMAJI Studio (@imaji.studio) on May 25, 2016 at 5:32am PDT Another local brand, Sanoesa, sells elegant, vintage wood craft products made by artisans in Surakarta. Using teak wood, every one of its products is limited to 100 pieces. (tif/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, August 3 2016 The death row inmates whose lives were spared on the night of their planned executions last week are struggling and waiting for President Joko Jokowi Widodo to decide whether he will grant them clemency, a disputed legal instrument that failed to save other inmates. This includes Pakistani Zulfiqar Ali, who eventually caved in to requesting clemency after previously insisting on being innocent: A bitter decision as his lawyer Saut Edward Rajagukguk described, but necessary to save his life. On early Friday, the government executed four drug traffickers while sparing the lives of another 10 on the initial list, arguing hazy legal and non-legal grounds for the decision. The Attorney Generals Office (AGO), for instance, executed three inmates Indonesian Freddy Budiman, Nigerians Seck Osmane and Humphrey Jefferson who had filed for clemency, while sparing another three from the list Indonesians Merri Utami, Agus Hadi and Pujo Lestari, who had done the same. The decision has drawn criticism, with accusations that the AGO carried out the executions without the knowledge of the President, who is supposed to give the results of clemency proposals before convicts can be executed. Saut said the AGO must not proceed with more executions until Jokowi answered convicts clemency pleas. Attorney General [Muhammad Prasetyo] should be ready for legal challenges by many people if he insists on carry on with the plan, Saut told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. I will definitely file a lawsuit against him if he ignores my clients appeal for clemency. Ricky Gunawan from the Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat), the lawyer of Merri, said that Merri filed for clemency on July 26, while Agus and Pujo on July 27. Indian Gurdip Singh, another convict spared from Fridays executions, also plans to file for clemency. Gurdips lawyer, Afdal Muhammad, said that he too would soon file a clemency plea on behalf of his client. We will do so immediately, Afdal said. Arguing on a provision in the Clemency Law that had been scrapped, the AGO said Jeffersons clemency request was considered invalid. The law initially limited appeals to be lodged within a year after a final verdict was handed down, but the article mandating the limit was revoked by the Constitutional Court in June. If it is proven that the AGO ignored the court ruling, the executions of the three with clemency pleas still being processed can be considered illegal, said former Constitutional Court justice Laica Marzuki. As stipulated in the Constitution, the Constitutional Courts rulings are final, Laica said. The concern that the AGO may have ignored the Constitution was also raised by constitutional law expert Feri Amsari, who said that regardless of the absence of forceful measures, all should respect Constitutional Court rulings. While the law gives the President three months to decide on whether to grant clemency after he receives input from the Supreme Court, convicts can also turn to the Prosecutors Commission, a body tasked with keeping an eye on the AGO, for justice should they suspect the AGO of foul play. We also monitor and evaluate public cases, Erna Ratnaningsih of the Prosecutors Commission said. ______________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Athens, Greece Thu, August 4, 2016 Lawmakers in Greece have approved construction of a state-funded mosque near central Athens a proposal that triggered dissent within the coalition government amid a heated public debate on how manage the migrant crisis. The proposal, approved Thursday, follows several failed attempts to implement the project that had previously faced opposition from the country's Orthodox Church. The governing left-wing Syriza party backed the 950,000 euro ($1 million) state-funded mosque, but it was opposed by its nationalist coalition partner, the Independent Greeks. Tens of thousands of Muslim migrants live in greater Athens and use informal prayer rooms around the capital. The number of Muslims in Greece has increased following the refugee crisis last year, when the country was on Europe's busiest transit route for people fleeing to the continent. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Airbus Group reportedly plans to help Indonesias aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) obtain certification for its homegrown commuter category plane N219. "Airbus will help Indonesia with the certification, which hopefully will conclude by the end of this year," PT DI president director Budi Santoso said on Wednesday. He made his statement following a meeting with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, which was also attended by Fernando Alonso, head of military aircraft at Airbus Group subsidiary Airbus Defense and Space. The state-owned company was planning to sell the N219 starting in 2017, Budi said, adding that PT DI aimed to exceed the target of selling 60 of the 19-seat planes in the opening year. Due to the technicalities and certification issues, N219 flight tests were pushed back to August after initially being scheduled for May and June. The N219 is the first locally produced commuter developed since the N250 in 1998. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 A team from Airbus Defence and Space, a unit of the Airbus Group, is in town this week to push for the sales of its products, including its signature A400M airlifter and the Eurofighter Typhoon heavy fighter, as Indonesia is looking to boost its weapons systems and diversify its sources. Fernando Alonso, the head of the military aircraft division at Airbus Defence and Space, is meeting with top ministers, including Coordinating Political, Legal and Human Affairs Minister Wiranto, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno. He will also make a visit to PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) in Bandung, West Java, the Indonesian state-owned aircraft maker that has a long history of collaboration with Spains CASA, which was absorbed by the Airbus Group in 2000. Alonso said the Airbus unit he heads is already in the process of delivering the twin-turboprop tactical military transport C295 aircraft to Indonesia, which are partly built in Bandung. Airbus is also looking at boosting sales of its other products in Indonesia, which is on a major spending spree to modernize its military hardware to reach what it calls a Minimum Essential Force by 2024. The A400M, considered the most advanced airlifter, would be the most ideal short-range transportation aircraft for Indonesia, the largest archipelagic country in the world. Having made its debut in 2003, several European countries are already using the plane. In Asia, Malaysia has taken delivery of three units of the aircraft. Airbus Defence and Space will be prepared to discuss the possibility of offsetting parts of the production of A400M with Indonesia since it has a long history of collaboration with PT DI, Alonso said. Radhika Apte is likely to play the leading lady in Dhanush's upcoming film with director Karthik Subbaraj, say reports. By India Today Web Desk: Actor Dhanush is currently busy simultaneously shooting for his much-awaited films Vada Chennai and Ennai Nokki Paayum Thotta. With the shooting of the film progressing at a rapid pace, rumours are rife that actor Radhika Apte is likely to play the leading lady in Dhanush's upcoming film. ALSO READ: Agni Natchathiram- Dhanush to reprise Karthik's role in the Hindi remake? advertisement ALSO READ: Thodari- Dhanush's film postponed again It is also rumoured that this yet-untitled project is likely to helmed by director Karthik Subbaraj, whose last outing Iraivi received enough laurels for the latter. Notably, Karthik Subbaraj has announced his next project with actor Dhanush, however, there aren't any confirmation regarding the project. Radhika Apte, who is basking in the success of her latest film Kabali, has earned a strong fan base down south. Meanwhile, Dhanush is awaiting the release of his upcoming film Thodari, where the actor plays the role of a pantry worker. Dhanush's political thriller Kodi is currently under post production stage. Dhanush will also be seen in the upcoming Hollywood film The Extraordinary Journey of Fakir, which is expected to hit the screens next year. --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Thu, August 4 2016 For the first time in Indonesian history, a number of state-owned banks are teaming up to provide a hefty commercial loan for a major oil and gas project. On Wednesday, British oil and gas giant BP and the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) signed a loan agreement worth US$3.74 billion with a consortium of international and domestic banks to fund the expansion of BPs Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in West Papua. Domestic financial institutions involved in the agreement are state-owned lenders Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and infrastructure financing company Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF), all committed to jointly provide $100 million of the total loan. This is the first time that we have involved domestic financing institutions in Indonesia for these projects and is a good start to cooperation between the finance sector and the upstream oil and gas industry. We hope that it continues further into the future, SKKMigas Amien Sunaryadi said on Wednesday. The Tangguh expansion project, worth around $8 billion, will add a third LNG processing train, dubbed Train 3, with a production capacity of 3.8 million tons per annum (mtpa), bringing total plant capacity to 11.5 mtpa. The plant will start construction in October and is expected to start operating in 2020. Up to 75 percent of all LNG produced will be sold to state-owned electricity company PLN to support the governments ambitious 35,000-megawatt (MW) electricity procurement program. Among the international lenders that provide loans under the same agreement are Mizuho Bank, Bank of China, China Construction Bank and BNP Paribas. Amien added that the loan was also unique, as the international creditors agreed to help fund the project even though a majority of the product will be distributed to the domestic market. About 20 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas will be dedicated solely to electrifying West Papua, amounting to electricity generation of 100 MW. The remaining product will be sold to Japan-based Kansai Electric Power. The Tangguh expansion project will also receive loan facilities from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and a number multilateral agencies. The project is also expected to contribute $9.035 billion to state revenues and create new job opportunities for locals. Bank Mandiri president director Kartika Wiroatmodjo claimed that the agreed loan was proof that state-owned banks were capable of participating in large-scale national upstream oil and gas projects. Upstream projects in Indonesia need investment. Although several sectors, such as coal, have decreased, the energy sector still has a good prospective. We must invest in the upstream sector in order to improve our national energy security, he said following the ceremony. The energy sector was shaken when global crude prices dropped below $30 per barrel in the beginning of the year due to overproduction and lack of demand. Since then, prices have been rising despite still staying below the $60 mark. JP/ Fedina S. Sundaryani --------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Edith M. Lederer (Associated Press) United Nations Thu, August 4, 2016 Britain and France say they're pressing for strong condemnation by the UN Security Council of North Korea's latest missile launches and possibly even more sanctions. Britain's deputy UN ambassador Peter Wilson said Wednesday's test marked the first time a missile landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from shore. "Our objective in this meeting is to draw attention to that fact, but also to come together to very, very clearly condemn it," Wilson said as he headed into an emergency council meeting called by the United States, Japan and South Korea South Korean and Japanese officials said a medium-range ballistic missile fired Wednesday flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters, one of the longest flights by a North Korean missile. The US Strategic Command said initial indications were that a second missile exploded immediately after launch. France's deputy UN ambassador Alexis Lamek said the tests violated not only council resolutions but international treaties against proliferation of ballistic missiles and threatened international peace and security. "When it comes to threats of proliferation, weakness is not an option," Lamek said. "That's why we're going to push in favor of a strong, firm and quick response by the Security Council." Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho said he wants to make clear to the council that "shooting a missile at us it fell short, but it is a major threat to our national security." The Security Council was being briefed behind closed doors by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun. In March, the council adopted its fifth and most severe sanctions resolution against North Korea in response to a Jan. 6 nuclear test and a Feb. 7 satellite launch. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States continues to be concerned about North Korea's behavior and considers it critical to work with the international community, including China and Russia, to urge the North Korean government to stop the launches. "The United States continues to believe that our response to North Korea's destabilizing activities is stronger when the international community remains united," Earnest said. The two ballistic missile launches on Wednesday were the third since the United States and South Korea announced plans on July 8 to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea by the end of next year a move Pyongyang has denounced. The council has condemned six other launches in April, May and June. The Security Council has not responded to a July 9 failed attempt by a North Korean submarine to launch a ballistic missile and the July 19 launch of two short-range Scud missiles and a Rodong intermediate-range missile. UN diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private, said attempts to condemn the launches have been held up by China. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Beijing Thu, August 4, 2016 A Chinese lawyer is in court in the third of a series of subversion trials demonstrating the ruling Communist Party's determination to shut down independent human rights activists and government critics. Zhou Shifeng's trial got underway Thursday morning in the northern city of Tianjin. Zhou had been director of Beijing's Fengrui Law Firm that took on numerous sensitive cases and represented people who dared challenge the party. His trial follows those of two legal activists earlier this week, one of whom was sentenced to 7 years and the other given a suspended sentence, both on charges of subversion. As with the others, Zhou was detained in July of last year amid a sweeping roundup of activists and lawyers, most of whom were eventually released after questioning. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 State-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) is busying itself with final preparations for the start of operations at Terminal 3 by instructing all modes of public transportation to become familiar with the terminal. Starting on August 9, the first day of Terminal 3 operation, all of PT Garuda Indonesia's domestic flights will be moved to Terminal 3. Two planes heading for Eastern Indonesia will be the first flights out of Terminal 3. "We have GA-654 to Jayapura and GA-648 to Ternate. Both of them [are scheduled to] depart at 01:40," said Garuda service director Nicodemus Lampe, at a press conference at Terminal 3 in Tangerang, Banten, on Wednesday. (Read also : Soekarno-Hatta Terminal 1 to become Lion Airs den) On August 8, a day before official operations begin at the new terminal, AP II will deploy 100 people to guide vehicles at intersections and the drop off area. AP II president director ad interim Djoko Murjatmodjo said airport taxis and buses had been ordered to drive through Terminal 3 at least once a day starting Thursday, with or without passengers. "This is part of a program to familiarize them with the pick-up and drop-off points," Djoko said. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 The government has dismissed a rumor that the health of four out of 10 Indonesian sailors taken hostages by Abu Sayyaf militants has deteriorated. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said the sailors were all in good condition. "Weve met with the families of all of the hostages. It is just a rumor disseminated by Abu Sayyaf that they are unwell," he said. The minister further said the public should not believe rumors, which he said had been spread by the kidnappers, while operations to release the hostages would continue. Echoing Wirantos statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the government crisis center had been closely monitoring the conditions of the 10 sailors, who are being held on two islands in southern Philippines. They are all safe, he went on. Arrmanatha further said Indonesia had also stepped up its multitrack strategy, in which the government utilized all possible assets and channels it had to secure the release of the hostages while at the same time, it continued to intensify communications and coordination with its stakeholders in the Philippines and the countrys officials. "Although we continue to strive for their immediate release, we also have to ensure that the Indonesian sailors' lives are not threatened," Arrmanatha said, adding that the hostages' safety were above all else. In early July, three Indonesian sailors were abducted in Malaysia's Sabah waters while they were fishing in the area. It was the latest incident in a kidnapping spree, occurring less than a month after seven Indonesian crew members were taken hostage by two different militant groups and held on different islands in the southern Philippines. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani and Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Further budget cuts are a bitter pill the government will have to swallow as it seeks to maintain the budget in a healthy state for the rest of the year. Not tight enough, that is what seems to be on the governments mind when it comes to this years state budget. One month after revising the 2016 state budget, the government is planning to implement more austerity measures to cope with the higher-than-predicted budget shortfall, especially stemming from low taxation revenues. The revenue shortfall is projected to surge to Rp 219 trillion (US$16.7 billion) from the previous estimate of Rp 190 trillion, and several options were already on the table, said newly appointed Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. We have to adjust [the state] spending, so that the deficit is kept at a level that will not trigger trust issues regarding the state budget, she said on Wednesday. The government has decided to further slash its spending by Rp 133.8 trillion. As much as Rp 65 trillion will be taken from ministerial and agency spending and Rp 68.8 trillion from the regional transfer funds. The spending cut to be faced by ministries and agencies is deeper than the Rp 16.3 trillion cut in the June revision. With the additional reduction, the ministries and agencies will be left with Rp 702.8 trillion in spending allocation from the initially planned Rp 767.8 trillion. Sri Mulyani attributed the larger shortfall projection to macroeconomic calculations in the revised budget that were too high and did not reflect the reality of the economic situation. Low commodity prices and a decrease in trade activities as a result of the sluggish global economy are among the factors hindering state revenue collection. As a result of the unrealistic budgetary calculations, the budget deficit had already reached Rp 230.7 trillion by the end of June, equal to 1.83 percent of the whole budget, whereas the government had set 2.35 percent as the deficit limit in the revision. With the new estimated shortfall, the government is now braced for the deficit to widen to 2.5 percent, which is, however, still below the 3 percent limit stipulated by law. Consequently, the former World Bank managing director said the best course of action would be to cut spending on activities that were not a priority, including business meetings, working trips and the construction of government buildings. The Finance Ministry will also cooperate with the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister and the National Development Agency (Bappenas) to explore other efficiency measures to be implemented to allow for appropriate spending on infrastructure, education and health. As for the rest, the government will maintain a growth-supportive state budget that is still accurate in spending and revenues so that it can build public confidence in the countrys economy, she said. The President has agreed to this and we will start implementing [the cuts], Sri Mulyani asserted. However, as with all actions, the move will have consequences. Economists said the austerity policy would affect this years economic growth, especially if the governments capital expenditure fell victim to the cuts as well. Lower capital expenditure would have a deeper adverse effect on economic growth as such expenditure usually triggered other economic activities, said Bank Central Asia (BCA) economist David Sumual. Samuel Asset Management economist Lana Soelistianingsih expressed a similar view, saying the spending cuts and wider deficit estimate were logical because the taxation revenue shortfall was inevitable amid a slow economy. The implementation of the Tax Amnesty Law previously expected to salvage the budget does not seem to be helpful because it has attracted less interest than expected. The government is aiming to collect Rp 165 trillion from penalties under the amnesty program. However, as of July 31, income from penalties only stood at Rp 84.46 billion, a tiny 0.05 percent of the target. There will be impacts on economic growth, but I think we can still accept it if the economy grows by 4.9 percent to 5 percent, Lana said. ____________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Rights activists grouped in a civil coalition have called for the government to establish an independent team to carry out an investigation into the alleged involvement of law enforcement personnel in drug dealing. The coalition, the Indonesian Movement to Eradicate Narcotics Mafia. was established in the wake of reports filed to the police against prominent rights activist Haris Azhar after the latter published a story online about the testimony of executed drug lord Freddy Budiman. The group is urging the independent task force to evaluate law enforcement practices in narcotic cases, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, the chair of the youth wing of Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, said on Thursday. "[The investigation] should attempt to uncover information relating to allegations of supports given by law enforcement officials in the drugs business in this country. We demand the President's commitment in the war against narcotics," Dahnil said on Thursday. The coalition slammed the National Police, Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Narcotics Agency (BNN) for reporting Hariss on defamation charges. What Haris wrote should be used as an entrance to intensify efforts to eradicate narcotics bigwigs in Indonesia, Dahnil added. The three institutions mentioned in Haris' post about his conversation with Freddy reported the former to the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) separately on Tuesday. Although Haris did not name any names in his post, in it he said that Freddy had alleged that personnel from the three institutions had been involved in his illicit business. The post was spread on social media just hours before Freddy faced the firing squad on the high-security Nusakambangan prison island last Friday. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4 2016 The South Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency netted five foreigners who did not have immigration documents residing in the Kebagusan City apartment block in Kebagusan subdistrict, Pasar Minggu, on Wednesday. The agencys head Sapto Wibowo said it found the undocumented foreigners after organizing a population sweep in the subdistrict. Those five foreigners will be handed over to the [South Jakarta] immigration office, he was quoted as saying by beritajakarta.com, while refusing to elaborate on the foreigners countries of origin. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Guinea has invited Indonesia to invest in its agricultural and mining sectors as part of efforts to further boost ties between the two countries, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has said. "Guinea is rich in mineral resources such as bauxite and gold. The President of Guinea has asked Indonesian investors to invest in the two fields [the agricultural and mining sectors]," Retno told reporters after a bilateral meeting between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Guinean President Alpha Conde at the State Palace on Wednesday. During his visit to Indonesia, Conde also visited a number of Indonesian companies such as those involved in the soy sauce industry, the banking industry and the defense industry, Retno added. "President Jokowi has encouraged both countries to boost trade in the future, Retno said. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post) Bandar Seri Begawan Thu, August 4, 2016 The Indonesian Embassy in Brunei revealed Thursday that it plans to raise the standard minimum wage (UMR) for Indonesian workers in Brunei. Pribadi Sutiono, the embassys deputy chief of mission in Brunei, told The Jakarta Post that the UMR for Indonesian workers would increase from B$250 (US$186) to B$350 per month. If we compare it to other countries, such as the Philippines, our minimum wage is quite low, while the costs of living in Brunei are quite expensive, Sutiono said in Bandar Seri Begawan. We still havent received any response from the Brunei government on this matter. The fact is, Brunei doesnt have any minimum wage regulations. Based on data from the embassy, there are currently 70,000 Indonesian workers in the neighboring country, with 60 percent of them skilled and professional workers. They work as lecturers, chefs, waiters, domestic workers and teachers. Some of them are also working in oil companies, Sutiono said. He said that Indonesian workers should be given more opportunities to work in Brunei as the two countries shared the same language and religion. By India Today Web Desk: Pregnancies always come with their fair share of unbelievable things. Also read: 8 safe exercises for you to practise if you're pregnant Everything that seems impossible has a chance to turn into reality during a pregnancy--like the fact that a human being's seemingly rigid pelvis can make way for another human to be pushed out, or the idea that babies are aware of their own development inside the mother's womb and switch their position and turn headfirst as the they near the time of delivery. advertisement In some cases, however, a breech occurs during a pregnancy--i.e. a baby stays feet-first before the completion of nine months, that can lead to a premature delivery. Depending on each pregnancy, a doctor suggests whether such a delivery should be vaginal or done through a C-section. Also read: Shveta Salve and Carol Gracias may be pregnant but they still walk the runway better than you ever will What if we told you that a doctor was shot on cam while he corrected the baby's position using just his hands? Watch the video right here: As much as it may seem like magic, it's not. In medical terms, the process is called external cephalic version, or as www.familydoctor.org states, "...is a way to try to turn a baby from breech position to head-down position while it's still in the mother's uterus. Your doctor will use his or her hands on the outside of your abdomen to try to turn the baby." Wasn't the mother's reaction just priceless? --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michelle Faul (Associated Press) Lagos, Nigeria Thu, August 4, 2016 Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who is threatening to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday by the Islamic State group. He also says there is a Western plot to Christianize the region and has accused charities of using their aid for that, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation of an interview published Wednesday in the Islamic State newspaper al-Nabaa. The newspaper identified Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new "Wali," or governor, of its so-called West Africa Province. The "Wali" title was previously used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. The report did not say what Shekau's current status was, although there have been rumors for weeks that he had been replaced. The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen. There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of school children. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. "They strongly seek to Christianize the society. ... They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children," SITE Intelligence quotes the new leader as saying. Al-Barnawi says the militants will respond to that threat by "booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those [Christians] who we find from the citizens of the cross." Wednesday's announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al-Qaeda to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said. Ansaru broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. Al-Barnawi is the pseudonym of a Nigerian journalist allied with Ansaru, which is known for kidnapping foreigners, according to Zenn. In March 2015, Shekau switched allegiance from al-Qaeda and declared that Boko Haram be known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province. At the time, Boko Haram was the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria, controlling a huge area and was better equipped and motivated than Nigerian forces. Under Shekau, the seven-year insurgency spread to neighboring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and drove more than 2.2 millon from their homes, and created what aid workers are calling a catastrophic humanitarian emergency with children dying of starvation daily. Boko Haram last week ambushed a humanitarian convoy, killing three civilians including a UN employee and causing the suspension of UN aid to newly liberated but still dangerous areas of Nigeria's northeast. Since last year, Nigeria has a new leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator who has better armed and motivated security forces. He is also fighting corruption that diverted US$2.1 billion that was meant to buy weapons to fight the Islamic uprising, and is cooperating with a multinational force that has the extremists on the run. In the interview, al-Barnawi said that under his leadership the militants will work to seize back territory. He said that increasing numbers of youth are joining the cause, though Nigeria's military reports that hundreds of its fighters have surrendered as aerial bombardments and ground assaults cut supply routes. ___ Associated Press writer Maggie Michael contributed to this report from Cairo. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Vice President Jusuf Kalla has reminded mosques to keep the volume of their loudspeakers at a reasonable level so as not to cause disturbances in the wake of a riot in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra last week following an argument over a mosque loudspeaker. The riot in Tanjung Balai ended with 12 Buddhist temples burned down and looted, and it all started when a local complained over the sound level of a mosque's speakers near her home, Kalla said on Thursday. "Speakers' volume must not be too high," he said in his opening speech in an event discussing mosques' roles to prevent deviant teachings in Jakarta as reported by tempo.co. It was not the first time Kalla, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council, urged mosques to lower their loudspeaker volumes as part of efforts to promote peace and harmony. Indonesia, a democratic country with the largest Muslim population in the world, is also home to the largest numbers of mosques in the world with 800,000 spread nationwide, he said. He said many mosques recited parts of the Quran over the loudspeaker prior to adzan (call to prayer) for nearly 30 minutes while it would only take less than that amount of time for people to arrive at mosques for prayers. Eighteen people have been named suspects by local police following the riot last week. National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, meanwhile, has blamed social media messages for inciting the violence. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Local wisdom and culture need to be taught in schools to raise students awareness about the cultures around them, an indigenous rights activist has said. Introducing local wisdom and culture to students is important in educating our people about what culture they have and who the indigenous people live around them are, Alliance of Indigenous Peoples (AMAN) deputy secretary general Rukka Sombolinggi said on Thursday. She said school students would be more aware about the diversity in their society, especially if there were indigenous students at their school, through which they could learn about their customs and traditions. We have urged teachers in regions to give introductory local culture lessons to students as a part of their local content subject since four years ago, the Culture and Education Ministrys religious beliefs and traditions director Sri Hartini said Thursday. She further said local content teachers in elementary, junior and senior high schools in several provinces had tried to share information with each other about their local cultures. They included schools in East Java, West Sumatra and five provinces in Kalimantan. This year, the ministry will provide introductory local culture lessons for teachers in West Java and Central Sulawesi, she went on. AMAN estimates that more than 70 million indigenous people live across Indonesia. (wnd/ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 State-owned lender Bank Mandiri announced on Wednesday it would soon pay 100 million ringgit (US$24.6 million) to Malaysias central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), to operate in Malaysia with full rights. Bank Mandiri corporate secretary Rohan Hafas said the lender had opened one branch office in Malaysia. However, it had not yet operated as a full bank but only been providing remittance services for Indonesian migrants working in the country, he went on. We will meet the capital requirement of 300 million ringgit by the end of this year, so that we can operate soon after the permit is issued by BMN, Rohan told reporters. He referred to a bilateral agreement signed by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and BNM on Monday, which enables banks from the two countries to establish subsidiaries in the respective other country with domestic privileges. Under the agreement, Indonesian banks are required to meet a capital requirement of 300 million ringgit. Rohan said Bank Mandiri fulfilled the requirements of a Qualified ASEAN Bank to expand within ASEAN. To qualify, the majority of a banks shares must be owned by an ASEAN native. It must also have strong capital and a good banking history. (vny/ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Thu, August 4, 2016 Daniel Sanda, a seaweed farmer from East Nusa Tenggara, could not hide his happiness about the fact that the case of the Montara rig oil spill in the Timor Sea would finally be brought to court. Daniel said he and all seaweed farmers in the province had experienced losses and suffering after their seaweed plots had been ruined following the oil spill in 2009. They could no longer afford school tuition fees for their children, among other things. Representing 13,000 East Nusa Tenggara seaweed farmers affected by the Montara oil spill, Daniel and Ferdi Tanoni, heading the Care for West Timor Foundation (YPTB)s advocacy team, filed a class action lawsuit against PTTEP Australasia as the owner of the oil rig over its alleged failure to take responsibility for the incident. (Read also : Australia-Indonesia maritime boundary treaty must be annuled: activist) Ferdi said that holding an advocacy mandate from the local people and administrations in the province, he felt relieved that the Montara oil leak case would be brought to court. He was satisfied that the local people affected by the incident could finally file a lawsuit against PTTEP Australasia with the Federal Court of Australia. Today, their voices have arrived on the Australian courts desk. For around seven years, Ive been working with them and striving to fight for their rights and justice over what they have suffered. And through hard work, I met with Greg Phelps, who then met with people from the Maurice Blackburn Lawyers office and Harbour Litigation Funder that has agreed to fund this case, said Ferdi in a press conference after the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney accepted the class action lawsuit, on Wednesday. He said the Indonesian government fully supported the case. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 Jakarta Police arrested a Moroccan national for allegedly stealing batik fabrics at an exhibition held during the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Thursday. The man, identified as Abdelaati Zakrioui, 51, allegedly stole five pieces of batik from Achmad Sofian, a visitor to the exhibition, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono said. Zakrioui allegedly stole the pieces of batik, which Sofian had just bought, after the latter left his bags at the Pertamina booth while taking some pictures. As Sofian returned to retrieve his shopping, he found that some of his batik had been taken. Sofian reported the matter to security staff, who, suspicious of Zakrioui, searched him and found the missing batik pieces. The staff then handed him over to police personnel on duty at the JCC. The police are currently investigating the case, Awi added. Awi did not say whether Zakrioui was registered as a visitor at the international event, but while in police custody he was seen wearing a WIEF visitor tag, the event is being held from August 2 to 4. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin An Baijie and Zhang Yaozhong (China Daily/ANN) Beijing Thu, August 4, 2016 A senior Japanese political figure with close ties to China was appointed to a top post in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday, a move that experts said could bring positive effects to China-Japan ties. Toshihiro Nikai, 77, took over for Sadakazu Tanigaki as secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the party's second-most powerful post following the party's president, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The appointment came amid a reshuffle of the Japanese Cabinet and ruling party's executive lineup on Wednesday. Nikai, who has been elected to the House of Representatives 11 times, previously served as economy minister and transport minister. Nikai has maintained frequent contact with Beijing. He has visited China at least eight times since 2000, including three visits last year. In May 2008, he donated 200,000 yen (US$1,980) to the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake, according to Xinhua News Agency. The magnitude-8 quake struck on May 12, 2008, leaving more than 69,000 people dead in Southwest China's Sichuan province. During a trip to Beijing in April, Nikai told State Councilor Yang Jiechi that it is very important that the heads of the two states meet with each other frequently, Kyodo News reported. Wang Ping, a senior researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that although Abe chose right-wing lawmaker Tomomi Inada as defense minister, he could still maintain a reliable communication channel with senior Chinese officials through Nikai. "It showed Abe's pragmatic logic in Japan's policy toward China," she said. Kyodo said on Tuesday that China and the Republic of Korea would be on high alert following the nomination of Inada as defense minister. Sun Cheng, a professor of international relationship studies at the China University of Political Science and Law, said that Nikai is expected to play a positive role in the development of China-Japan ties, given his friendly attitude toward China in the past. He added that Sino-Japanese economic ties and people-to-people exchanges are so important that the Japanese government has to maintain communication with China, and Nikai could improve bilateral ties when tensions rise. However, Nikai's influence on Japan's overall policies is likely to be limited, he said. Liang Yunxiang, a professor at the School of International Studies of Peking University, said he didn't believe Nikai would have much influence on China-Japan ties. "I think Abe's choosing Nikai as the party's No 2 figure is based on a comprehensive appraisal, including his capability and experience, and I don't think such an arrangement is for the purpose of amending China-Japan ties," he added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4 2016 Think before you tweet or post anything on social media. Netizens or social media enthusiasts need to be careful with their posts, or otherwise they could be charged with defamation as the government and the House of Representatives have agreed to retain a draconian article in the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law criminalizing opinions deemed to constitute defamation. Rights activists have called for the removal of the article, but legislators are of the opinion that the article should be maintained. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) chairperson Azriana (right) hands over a report on violence against women to Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki in Jakarta on Wednesday. The rights body has found several cases of violence and discrimination against women.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)(Komnas Perempuan) chairperson Azriana (right) hands over a report on violence against women to Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki in Jakarta on Wednesday. The rights body has found several cases of violence and discrimination against women.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4 2016 Players in the mining industry have expressed their commitment to develop smelters to process mineral ore despite uncertainties in the progress of the amendment to the Mining Law, which prohibits the export of unprocessed forms of the commodities. The 2009 Mining Law stipulates that miners must complete their smelters by 2014, when the export ban was to be fully put in place. The deadline, however, was extended to 2017 by then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos administration because none of the proposed smelters had been completed. Mining firms are currently allowed to continue exporting their semi-finished products until 2017 in return for progress on smelter development. In anticipation of more slow progress in smelter development, legislators are working to revise the law, whose amendment has been included in the House of Representatives list of priority legislation (Prolegnas) for this year. However, deliberation on the revision at House Commission VII overseeing energy has been progressing slowly due to extended discussions and is unlikely to be completed by the years end unless the final revision draft is signed off by the Houses plenary session this month. Golkar Party legislator and Commission VII deputy chairman Satya W. Yudha said most members on the commission were in unison about the revision, which will focus on strengthening the downstream sector and regulating the permit application and extension process. However, the legislators, he said, were still debating the details of the revision and it was unlikely that they would submit a final revision draft anytime soon. If the revision is signed off in September, it will not be completed this year but will be finished by the first quarter of 2017. Being included in Prolegnas only means the process should start in 2016 and is allowed to be completed next year, he said recently. The Mining Laws revision has been highly anticipated, especially since a total ban on raw mineral exports will be implemented in the beginning of 2017. The bans purpose is to encourage smelter development in order to strengthen the industrys downstream sector. The development is expected to reduce the countrys reliance on imports and give added value to the industry. Current regulations stipulate that mining firms working on smelter projects must deposit 5 percent of their total investment in local banks as collateral to ensure that the development continues. The surety bonds are a prerequisite for the firms to obtain permits to export semi-finished mineral products. Although smelter development has been slow, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has reported that four smelter facilities will start construction this year with a total investment of US$1.5 billion. Satya explained that one of the revisions will allow companies to combine their upstream and downstream investments in order to ensure that there is always a supply of raw minerals for the smelters that have been built. We want to permit companies who want to combine their upstream investment, which means mining coal or minerals, with their downstream activity. The integration is to ensure a security of supply, which has been a problem in current smelter development, he said. Other contentious rules under review are mining concession limits, the utilization of mining services, mandatory divestment and the conversion of contract-of-work mining permits into mining operation permits (IUPs). Meanwhile, the government has not prepared for the possibility that the revision will not be completed this year. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministrys director general for mineral and coal, Bambang Gatot Ariyono, said the government was still hoping for the revision to be passed this year. Commission VII has not officially told us that the revision will not be completed, so we hope it can be done this year, he said. The impending postponement, however, does not seem to have discouraged the mining industry. State-run diversified miner Aneka Tambang (Antam) said the company had already halted all exports of raw minerals and was committed to developing more smelters. It will only affect companies that still export raw or semi-processed minerals, corporate secretary Trenggono Sutiyoso told The Jakarta Post. Current projects include a smelter grade alumina (SGA) plant in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, an anode slime project and the ferronickel smelter in East Halmahera, North Maluku, and the expansion of the Pomalaa ferronickel plant in South Kalimantan. Bauxite mining company Cita Mineral Investindo (CITA) is also unperturbed by the law revisions delay. CITA independent director and corporate secretary Yusak L. Pardede emphasized that the companys SGA facility in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, was currently in the commissioning stage and would be the first of its kind in the country. CITA was one of the companies to have been hit with severe losses after the export ban was initially implemented. In 2015, it reported losses up to Rp 341.03 billion ($26.1 million). Meanwhile, state-owned tin mining company PT Timah said it had no plans to develop any more processing facilities as it still had some idle capacity from a total processing capacity of 51,000 to 60,000 tons per year. The company stopped exporting cassiterite, a tin oxide mineral, in 2003. However, Timah corporate secretary Agung Nugroho told the Post that the law revision delay was understandable as long as the current Mining Law was actually enforced. We dont really need to think about the delay. Whats important is law enforcement. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry often comes out with several regulations and proper law enforcement would be very helpful to make sure the industry runs smoothly, he said. 2009 Minerals and Coal Mining Law timeline January 12, 2009 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signs Law No. 4/2009 on minerals and coal mining. Articles 103 and 170 oblige holders of mining licenses/special mining licenses and contracts of work to process and refine or smelt their production in the country by the latest five years after the law is put into effect (Jan. 12, 2014). 2014 The government gives an additional three years, until 2017, for companies to continue to export semi-finished products, such as concentrates, if they pledge to build smelters. October 2, 2014 The discourse on revising Law No. 4/2009 emerges after the passage of Law No. 23/2014 on regional government, which stipulates regional governments, regents or mayors no longer have the authority to issue and revoke mining licenses, contradictory to the Minerals and Coal Mining Law, which empowers regents or mayors to issue licenses. January 25, 2016 Draft on the revised Minerals and Coal Mining Law is handed over by the government to the House of Representatives February 11, 2016 Revised Minerals and Coal Mining Law is included in the 2016 National Legislation Program, which lists priority bills to be passed during the year Source: Various Sources compiled by The Jakarta Post --------------- to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login People slid down the slide and began walking to safety. Some clutched bags and suitcases, though many left behind passports and money. Some passengers, barefoot, burned their soles on the hot runway. By AP: All seemed normal to the 300 people aboard the Emirates airliner as it flew past the world's tallest building in hazy skies and made a slow left turn over the waters of the Persian Gulf. But as soon as the plane touched down at Dubai International Airport, everyone knew something had gone wrong. "It was a big noise," said Shadi Kochuktty, a passenger from India. "We hadn't heard any announcement but it was a big noise." advertisement From that terrifying moment on, all those on board the Boeing 777 faced the nightmare all white-knuckle fliers fear: Smoke filling the cabin. People screaming. And the rush to escape. The three-and-a-half-hour, nearly 3,000-kilometer flight itself began normally. It left from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, where many of the UAEs' construction workers, taxi drivers and laborers come from in search of a better life. WIND SHEAR FEAR Flight EK521 took off at 10:19 am and was scheduled to land at 12:50 pm local time, according to Emirates. The aircraft flew over the Arabian Sea and later Oman on a northwesterly course heading toward Dubai. By the time it reached the skies over its destination, the scorching mid-day sun had raised temperatures to a humid 49 degrees Celsius. That's about average for this time of year. Winds of 39 kmph blew toward the northwest at the airfield, according to the UAE's National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology. As the aircraft made its descent, there were reports of wind shear at the airport, though it was unclear if it had any effect on what happened, Emirates CEO and chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said. Wind shear is a sudden downdraft encountered by aircraft that can be dangerous, especially for planes near the ground. The control tower at the airport remained in contact with the flight as it slowed and descended toward Runway One-Two-Right, according to air traffic recordings made by aviation website LiveATC.net. The scratchy recording includes someone calling out the flight's number and saying "returning to 4,000," suggesting the pilot attempted to abort the landing and regain altitude. But at that point, passengers inside the flight had no idea something was about to go wrong until the loud noise rang through the cabin as the plane hit the ground. The plane skidded across the airport runway, turning slightly as part of the wing tore away. THE NIGHTMARE Smoke started coming through the cabin. "All the people were shouting, all the children, all the women," said Arun Krishna, a passenger from India. Flight attendants jumped out of their seats as the plane screeched to a stop, opening emergency doors on the craft and inflating the emergency slides. advertisement Asked what the flight attendants said then, Kochuktty offered one word: "Escape!" As horrified passengers on other planes watched, people slid down the slide and began walking to safety. Some clutched bags and suitcases, though many left behind passports and money. Some passengers, barefoot, burned their soles on the hot runway. In the control tower, a female controller ordered firefighters to respond immediately: "Do not wait to proceed! ... All fire vehicles, all fire vehicles proceed to the aircraft." Trucks quickly surrounded the burning aircraft, spraying foam on it to try to contain the flames. An explosion struck one side and in the chaos, one firefighter was killed, Sheikh Ahmed, the Emirates CEO, said. The fire burned away the top of the airplane's fuselage, singeing the Emirates name in gold. The tower controller asked: "Do we want to shut down?" AIRPORT CLOSED Minutes later, the crash-landing had closed the world's third-busiest airport, diverting flights for long-haul carrier Emirates and others across the UAE and into other countries. Passengers and crew from EK521 made it inside a nearby terminal, with at least 10 requiring hospital care. By 4 pm, some passengers onboard the flight began leaving, vouchers in their hands for hotels as they entered waiting taxis. advertisement Several said they needed assistance from the Indian Consulate as they had lost all their travel documents, but they remained grateful to be alive. "See, our belongings are gone that's no problem. Our family is safe," Kochuktty said. "We have saved our life. Lord had mercy on us." ALSO READ: Emirates flight from India crash-lands, catches fire at Dubai airport as landing gear fails --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Bali Thu, August 4, 2016 Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu on Wednesday held an informal one-hour closed-door meeting with his Philippine counterpart Delfin N. Lorenzana in Bali to discuss the progress on efforts to free 10 Indonesian sailors held by the Abu Sayyaf group. Ryamizard said the neighboring country was stepping up its campaign against Abu Sayyaf to achieve the release of the ten Indonesians, who are held hostage in the Sulu Islands region. The militant group, deemed terrorists by Manila, reportedly brought the hostages to Sulu after the Philippine Army managed to clear Basiland Island of Abu Sayyaf members. Aside from the military campaign, there was a negotiation process, which had received backing from Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari, Ryamizard said, adding that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte would soon visit Indonesia to discuss the crisis. "The Sulu governor is currently working with Misuari. The negotiations are progressing well. Unlike previous governors who had supported Abu Sayyaf, the current governor of Sulu is pro-government," Ryamizard said. Misuari was formerly an ally of the Abu Sayyaf group. The first wanted the Philippine government to grant autonomy to Sulu, while the latter wanted Sulu to become an independent state. Misuari and his followers have agreed a truce with the Philippine government, while the Abu Sayyaf group keeps fighting. On Tuesday, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to engage in coordinated patrols to secure their respective borders. The agreement allows military personnel of the three countries to enter each others waters to pursue kidnappers or terrorists. Such an invasion is limited and only allowed in emergency situations with the prior knowledge of the invaded party. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 4, 2016 State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) will soon start reinforcement works at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten so that the facility can accommodate larger airplanes. The project will start in August or September and is expected to be completed within one year, AP 2 Interim President Director Djoko Murjatmodjo said in Jakarta on Wednesday. The company is also in the process of acquiring land for the third runway of Soekarno-Hatta airport, which is among the busiest airports in the words, Djoko added. The construction will be finished after 1.5 years and will be able to accommodate 86 plane movements per hour compared to 72 now, he said at the press conference at the airports Terminal 3 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia welcomed the reinforcement project, saying that when it was complete, large Garuda aircraft would not need to transit in Singapore for flights to Europe. Garuda Service Director Nicodemus Lampe said that Boeing 777-300ERs with a full tank currently had to refuel in Singapore before continuing on to London or Amsterdam as the Soekarno-Hatta runway was not strong enough to support them. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nicholas Koumjian (The Jakarta Post) Phnom Penh Thu, August 4 2016 The Jakarta Post reported last Friday that Gen. (ret.) Wiranto, the newly appointed coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, had denied accusations of his involvement in past human rights abuses. He also said of the controversy over his appointment: I want them to clearly point out when and where exactly my involvement was. Only then will I explain, one by one. As a former deputy general prosecutor for serious crimes in East Timor, I am happy to point out to Wiranto why we sought his arrest for crimes against humanity. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Star/ANN) Petaling Jaya Thu, August 4, 2016 A poor choice of words led to the temporary grounding of an Indonesia-bound AirAsia flight at KLIA2 in Malaysia. Flight AK423 was scheduled to depart for Banda Aceh in Aceh, at about 7.40 a.m. on Wednesday, but was halted after a flight attendant allegedly overheard one of the passengers talking about a bomb. Police investigations found that the passenger in question had mentioned the words ada bom kot (maybe theres a bomb). Sepang OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Aziz Ali said police received a call from the Airport Operation Control Centre (OCC), after which police were deployed to the aircraft to ascertain the situation. The 129 passengers and crew were evacuated for security reasons and a thorough bomb sweep on the plane and its cargo was conducted after the plane was brought to a secure location. However, nothing out of the ordinary was found by the police and the passenger in question was off-loaded and taken into custody. Dont joke about threats in airports or planes because action can be taken, advised ACP Aziz. An airline representative said the plane eventually departed for Indonesia at 2.13 p.m. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Su Zhou (China Daily/Asia News Network) Thu, August 4, 2016 Chinese tourists on the country's blacklist because of uncivilized behavior will face restrictions when taking flights, joining travel groups or even taking overseas trips, under a revised draft of travel regulations released on Monday. Provincial and national tourism authorities can maintain records and share them with the public, travel agencies and industry organizations. Records can also be shared with government agencies responsible for public security, customs, inspection and quarantine, border protection, transportation and finance. "Punishments can be imposed by travel agencies or other related agencies or organizations based on the record," according to the revised draft, which is in its public comment phase. A few ugly incidents involving Chinese tourists have triggered negative reactions. The China National Tourism Administration introduced a measure in April 2015 to regulate tourist behavior by keeping records of bad behavior. So far, 19 people have been named. According to the administration, examples of bad behavior include violating order on public transportation - including flights - damaging public facilities or historical relics, ignoring social customs at tourism destinations and becoming involved with gambling or prostitution. Chinese tourists have long been asked to dress modestly in public, to avoid coughing in other people's faces and avoid pressuring foreigners to stand for photos with them. Liu Simin, vice-president of the tourism branch of the China Society for Futures Studies, said the blacklist may not work as effectively in practice as it was envisioned to do. (Read also: Watch your behaviour overseas, Chinese tourists told) "It is not that difficult to introduce restrictive measures on flights," Liu said. "However, if tourism authorities want to restrict blacklisted tourists from traveling overseas, they can only do this through travel agencies. If travelers plan their own trips and skip the agencies, they're out of reach." Besides uncivilized behaviors, the proposed regulation addresses some of the public's major concerns in recent years, including tourism security, hidden traps set up by travel agencies and false information presented on travel websites. For outbound travel groups, the revised draft requires people to carry an information card filled out with personal information, disease history and emergency contacts. Zhang Hui, who works at an advertising agency in Shanghai, said to fully protect tourists' safety and rights, the government should do more after revising the regulation. "I am very pleased to see the new draft support us in getting a refund if we are forced to purchase goods during a trip," she said. "However, it may be very difficult for tourists to prove that the tour guide pressured us to buy. We can't always take videos or make recordings." It was a happy day yesterday for the family and friends of Hy Genee, the longtime leader of Kehila Kedosha Janina, the historic Greek Jewish synagogue on the Lower East Side. Mayor de Blasio signed legislation designating a section of Broome Street Hy Genee Way. A co-naming ceremony will take place later this year. Kehila Kedosha Janina, located at 280 Broome St., just west of Allen Street, is a city landmark and the only Greek Jewish synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. Genee was president of the synagogue for more than 50 years. He died at the age of 83 in 2006. Among those in attendance yesterday were Lois Genee Ledner and Marty Genee, Hys children. In a statement, Ladner described her father as, the son of immigrants from Greece, a tailor by trade and a rabbi in his heart and soul whose love for his synagogue, Romaniote liturgy and traditions and the Lower East Side have led to this day. She added, My brother and I look forward to the day when we can discuss his legacy with his great-grandchildren and show them Hy Genee Way. City Council member Margaret Chin was also present for the signing. Earlier this year, Community Board 3 approved a resolution in support of the co-naming. Heres the full text: Eulogies are our gifts to the dead. The late James Alan McPherson wrote one such eulogy for his student at the University of Virginia, Breece DJ Pancake. Pancake was an eccentric West Virginian, a constitutional nonconformist. A lonely and melancholy man who loved to drink and owned guns of every possible kind, he felt most at home outdoors. He wanted an independent study with McPherson and likely got it through sheer force of will and personality: In an environment reeking with condescension, he was inviting me to abandon my very small area of protection. McPhersons eulogy is the foreword for The Stories of Breece DJ Pancake, the only book from the writer, posthumously published. Pancakes suicide at 26 still feels like a shock to McPherson, whose eulogy is calm, not breathless; pensive, not certain. Whatever the cause of his desperation, McPherson writes, he could not express it from within the persona he had createdHow does one explain the contents of a secret room to people who, though physically close, still remain strangers? The differences between elegies and eulogies have often struck me as being both contextual and formal; and, ultimately, those differences are incidental. Forget that an elegy is supposed to be a lament and that a eulogy is supposed to contain praise; McPhersons eulogy transcends the genre. Some of that might be owed to McPhersons own literary genius; the rest we might ascribe to a careful teacher speaking about his student. His eulogy feels honest; it cuts through Pancakes literary legend. Yet many eulogies are not the result of mentorships, friendships, or family. They are the product of intimations of closeness. The recent deaths of David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, Harper Lee, Prince, and other well-known figures have resulted in a multitude of remembrances and memorials. Grief pulls us even closer to the writers, performers, and other celebrities that we adore but dont personally know. In their new book Dead People, Morgan Meis and Stefany Anne Golberg complicate our understanding of the public action of eulogy. They offer eulogies for a unique cast, including Chinua Achebe, Osama bin Laden, Susan Sontag, and Kurt Cobain. Although the origin of the word eulogy is to speak well, Golberg and Meis interrogate that idea, and instead see how the death of a fellow human being can be the opportunity to enter into that persons life. The traditional Aristotelian method of eulogy is to step back and consider someones life from a distance. Instead, the authors of Dead People dig in: Weve chosen to wear our bias on our sleeve. Weve chosen to take these lives personally. Golberg and Meis pen alternating eulogies, some of which were published previously as standalone essays. The result is a book that is very much an anthology. Dead People is not a single narrative, thesis-driven work of non-fiction. In fact, the writers introduction to the work is their only action of framing, which results in the book having many different entry points. You dont need to read Dead People front to back; its value lies within its stylish and substantive reconsideration of an ancient form. A few entries can example how Meis and Golberg use eulogies as part prose-poems, part historical reconsiderations, and part philosophical treatises. The result is an intellectually entertaining and flexible book. Meis first considers the life of Christopher Hitchens, and consistent with his plan for the book, interrogates the man for his unflinching support of the Iraq war: Hitch could never say it. There was something greater at stake for him. There was something that he valued more deeply, in this case, than he valued the truth. Its a clever way to craft a portraiture of Hitchens, as a man whose morality could exist on some other plane. Unlike many subjects in the book, Meis actually knew Hitchens they both wrote for Harpers and he examines Hitchenss legendary atheism. Hitchens, he thinks, did not have the courage to confront the works of Simone Weil, and to read them with honesty and openness and a feeling for the greatness that is contained within her words. A person could read Simone Weil for a lifetime and never become a believer. But no honest person can read Simone Weil, truly read her, and maintain the position that religious belief is a phenomenon that can be dealt with solely in the mode of contempt. Christopher Hitchens was perfectly aware of this fact, which is why he never allowed himself genuinely to read the works of Simone Weil or genuinely to contemplate the paintings of Caravaggio or genuinely to recite the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins, to pick a few random examples of greatness on this earth that, troublingly, cannot be disentangled from religion. Its a fantastic reading of the stubborn Hitchens, who was a lover of argument and persuasion. He was a lover of being right and winning at any cost. This is what made him great. Meiss eulogy for Osama bin Laden is equally thought-provoking. The scariest thing about Osama bin Laden, Meis thinks, was his quietness and his calm. That quietude became a culture, a cult: The way the 9/11 attackers spent their lives as everyday members of American society in the months leading up to that day, the way they boarded the planes as normal men, the way they flew the planes deliberately into those towers they are an outgrowth of the calm, detached violence that bin Laden personified. We find nothing to praise in a criminal like bin Laden, and yet Meis knows sustained dissection of the terrorist leader has become rote. Much more difficult is what happens we turn the lens of the eulogy on the audience, as when he considers the more public execution of Saddam Hussein in contrast to bin Ladens burial at sea: What does it do to one human being to celebrate the killing of another human being, whatever the circumstances? What happens inside you, how does it make you feel? Is that something you want to feel? Is it a way you want to be? I admit that those questions unsettled me, and that was perhaps the first moment I realized that Dead People is a special book. It should be noted here that Meis is a Catholic convert, although one comfortable with uncertainty (in an essay about his conversion, he writes I believe in a God who can err all he damn well pleases, and probably does. Or not. How could I know?). I mention this because there is a radical Catholic strain to these philosophical questions perhaps a particularly Jesuit strain, in fact. Elsewhere in Dead People, Meis shows his facility as a literary critic. His eulogy for John Updike includes a generous but perceptive observation about a scene from Rabbit at Rest: You cant overestimate how difficult it is to write about McDonalds that well. You can only write like this if you really care about the experience, if you take it seriously. Updike took it seriously. By flattening his metaphysics, by letting everything be essential, Updike discovered a new richness. He is equally spot-on about David Foster Wallace: He wanted to get hold of what its like to be a person in this particular world without either dismissing the vast sea of commercial and popular culture we live in or pretending that we dont often feel uneasy swimming around in that sea. Golbergs half of Dead People leans cultural. She eulogizes Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47. He was a sickly child who studied poetry and whose family had been exiled to Siberia. Kalashnikov once said I wanted to invent an engine that could run forever, but he instead created an instrument of violence. Rather than simply take the easy approach of sullying him, Golberg wonders Whether its a lawnmower or a locomotive or an AK-47, the inventor is always faced with the same burden how to turn chaos into order. But the chaos the inventor faces is not only the chaos of nature; it is also the chaos of human desire. The inventor stands between these two forces, pulled in both directions, servant to both nature and man. As Meis does with bin Laden, Golberg uses eulogies to not only complicate our understandings of her subjects, but also force us to look inward: As much as inventions come out of the inventors hands, they are, in the end, form to the dark shapelessness of all life. Remember, [Mary] Shelley warned us in her story, inventors only give form to substance. They cannot bring into being the substance itself. The form of Mikhail Kalashnikovs invention was an AK-47. But the substance of his invention is us. Another worthy subject is Mary Ellen Mark, who photographed people who dwelled on societys fringes: street kids, prostitutes, junkies, the homeless, women who were mentally ill. Think Amanda and her Cousin Amy, the shot of a 9-year-old, one arm across her chest, standing in a kiddie pool, smoking a cigarette. Golberg thinks Marks genius was to capture the subtlety of a womans monstrosity: the errant scar, the odd slump of a body, the too-happy smile, the worldly-wise and cynical stare. Marks photographs were affirmations of presence; she captioned each photo the same I exist. She believed that even the photographers presence was necessary in the communion of the photograph, whether it be the shots angle, the subjects pose, or even the reflection of the artist in the eyes of her subject. That might be the central metaphor of Dead People: how we see the living in those who have passed. Golbergs discussion of the enigmatic Sun Ra might be her purest act of praise. Ideas and music carried a reclusive black boy from Birmingham and transported him into outer space. Sun Ra chose jazz because it is the music of the restless, the awakened. He would tell his musicians If youre not mad at the world, you dont have what it takes. Golberg considers how Arkestra, Sun Ras orchestra, intermingled music, theatre, dance, philosophy as they combined the ancient and the radical future, African rhythms played with fists and synthesizers played with the elbows. Sun Ra wanted unity, in both his band and in the performative connection with the audience. That required a measure of discipline in the tradition of W.E.B. DuBois and Elijah Muhammad, yet discipline alone lacked, for Sun Ra, creative energy, vitality. As the authors of Dead People do best, Sun Ra becomes a vessel for a deeper discussion; When morality expressed itself in beauty, daily life had a little more of that mysterious, mystical quality to it, a quality Sun Ra was always searching for to conquer the unpleasant aspects of what it was to be human on Earth. Morality could make life sensible but beauty made life happy. Why wear only a black suit and tie when we have available to us all the colors of the rainbow? Essays about death should contain a lot of questions. Golberg and Meiss approach to eulogies models a provocative but useful approach towards the eulogy form: the ability to empathize with and yet also tell the truth about those no longer with us. Let the dead bury the dead but let the living eulogize them. By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 4 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today announced a judicial probe into the Mahad bridge collapse following which three persons drowned and 19 others are missing. Two state-run buses, in which 22 people were travelling, and several other vehicles got washed away in the swollen Savitri river near Mahad in Raigad district following collapse of a British-era bridge late on Tuesday. Three bodies were today recovered from the river. advertisement "A judicial inquiry will be conducted," Fadnavis said replying to a discussion on the issue in the state Assembly. He said a team of IIT experts has been sent to the site today. Directives have been issued to conduct structural audit of old bridges, he said, adding that a preliminary structural audit will also be conducted. In 2013, the then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and then deputy CM had received complaints about the dilapidated bridge, he pointed out. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the government should expand the scope of search operation. A body was found 100 kms from the accident site. This shows that theres a need to extend scope of search operations, he said. The government machinery showed negligence which led to the Mahad tragedy, Vikhe Patil alleged. He demanded that the PWD minister should own up responsibility and a judicial inquiry be conducted in the bridge collapse. NCP MLA Ajit Pawar said a Sena legislator had a year ago, through a query in the Assembly, spoken of fears about a tragedy waiting to happen due to the dilapidated state of the British-era bridge. While replying to the query, PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil had said the bridge was technically sound, Pawar said. Chandrakant Patil was at fault, he alleged.PTI VT GK DV --- ENDS --- Who would have thought a casual family hiking trip could lead to a rendezvous with Justin Trudeau sans shirt! *Jealous* By India Today Web Desk: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau never fails to surprise us--be it with his bhangra moves, bromance with Obama, showing support for the LGBT community, or doing Mayur asana in office. This time, the uber-cool politician has made a family's hiking trip very epic, simply by emerging from a cave, with family in tow. Peterborough Family On Vacation Met Justin Trudeau & His Family At Lusk Cave Yesterday -> https://t.co/foPj8RILXr pic.twitter.com/SMJUaFZZIv PTBO_CANADA (@Ptbo_Canada) July 27, 2016 advertisement Jim Godby and his family were on a five-day camping trip near Quebec's Gatineau Park and came across the Lusk Cave, which is an ancient marble cave located in the park's centre. As they advanced to the cave to have a peek inside, a shirtless Trudeau popped out. The adventure-loving minister was there with his wife and kids. Also read: Namaste: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is giving us yet another reason to do yoga A surprised Jim Godby told the Toronto Star, "It was like a 20-foot-wide round hole and Justin emerged with his family in tow and said, 'This is the moment of truth; do we stop here or do we carry on?'" Although the family couldn't interact much with the PM because of the body guards, Godby's son, Alexander, managed to get a selfie with Justin, who readily obliged. Before entering the cave, Jim recognised Justin by his voice, which he said "seemed more relaxed in the outdoor setting". "I think some of the other people walking by had no idea it was the PM," Godby said. Packing our bags for a Canada vacation already, are we? --- ENDS --- Sabaton Par Sundstrom here physically digitally Six months down the line, the bands ideas have finally come to fruition. The Last Stand, Sabatons eighth studio album, is here and its one topic is exactly what it says on the tin. The entire record deals with historical, defensive battles: the infamous last stands of war. As apt as its title may seem, a better name for it would simply be The Fuck Yeah! album. Because thats what its listeners are going to be screaming at the top of their lungs as they experience this new, visceral slice of unfettering power metal. The epic scale of The Last Stand is established astonishingly early with Sparta, which tackles the Greeks defending themselves against the invading Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae. In recent years, films like 300 have taken this topic from historical fact straight into the realm of epic myth, so having it open your album is an act that sets the bar extraordinarily high very early on. Even with that in mind, Sparta smashes to success in what could be one of the most enjoyably grandiose opening tracks in heavy metal history. After an ominous, ten-second build-up, it pounds its way into existence with matching, slow-paced electric guitar chords and drum beats being accompanied by empowering synthesisers. Lead vocalist Joakim Broden as well as what sounds like an army of backing vocalists breaks into deep, war dance-like chants. The first verse becomes much more subdued, but it only lets itself build to Spartas intense chorus. How this track was not chosen as a lead single, it is impossible to tell. While The Last Stand will go on to remain brilliantly strong throughout its runtime, nothing else on the album reaches the dizzying heights of its starting track. Last Dying Breath keeps the momentum flowing, following the classic Sabaton structure much closer than its predecessor, before breaking into second single Blood of Bannockburn.In what is quite possibly the best integration of bagpipes into metal since Eluveitie, the song tells of the Battle of Bannockburn, where a group of Scottish soldiers defended a recently-sieged castle from English attackers. The primary strength of Blood of Bannockburn is the perennial link between its music and lyrics; the bagpipes fit the theme of the track, demonstrating that extra step that Sabaton take in memorialising the topics they discuss not only lyrically, but also in tone and instrumentation. The spoken word Diary of an Unknown Solider leads into The Lost Battalion, an entry that succeeds almost entirely because of its choir-like vocal delivery, especially in its introduction and choruses. The same can be said for Rorkes Drift, with the exception of the songs guitar-work; its opening and chorus riffs are easily the best on the record. The title track marks a return to prominence for the synthesisers in another track that is, honestly, better than both of The Last Stands leading singles combined. Hill 3234 and Shiroyama follow, both sounding like they were genetically engineered to be played in a live setting, the former song especially; its bridge consists of roaring chants that are obviously intended to draw interaction from a large crowd. Picturing Sabaton returning to a massive festival like Wacken or Download with one of these cuts entered into the setlist will be enough to give hardcore fans chills. Winged Hussars begins and instantly sounds eerily similar to the riff from an earlier Sabaton song: Uprising from their 2010 Coat of Arms album. This in turn immediately makes this the worst song on the record for long-time fans, since it will basically distract them every time that riff breaks out. But it you arent familiar with Uprising, youll love Winged Hussars just as much as you love the rest of the record. The Last Battle is a perfectly solid closing chapter for The Last Stand, again following the classic Sabaton formula seen on Last Dying Breath. While it doesnt stick out as well as Sparta, Blood of Bannockburn or The Last Stand, it is far from leaving the listener with a sour taste in the mouth. So even though The Last Stand is a truly fantastic Sabaton record their second-best behind 2012s Carolus Rex and probably the most adrenaline-pumping album of 2016, there is no denying it is littered with a handful of small missteps that stop it from entering into album of the year contendership; Winged Hussars sounds far, far too much like Uprising, while cuts like The Last Battle and Last Dying Breath arent quite as memorable as their counterparts. But these are doubtlessly nit-picks, and while The Last Stand may not be the best record of 2016, it is definitely in the top ten. When Sabaton succeeds on this albums many high-points, it truly entices and enchants the listener. Fans of this Swedish juggernaut will be extremely far from disappointed upon hearing it for themselves. It serves as a brilliant farewell to guitarist Thobbe Englund, who will be sadly but amicably leaving the group after their latest touring cycle. 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Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain, in his over 150- page judgement, noted that the victim was a student who had come to India for her research work which she could not complete due to the incident. advertisement The court, which on July 30 had held Farooqui guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state, also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him and said the amount be given to the victim, failing which he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months. It tasked the Delhi Legal Service Authority to decide appropriate compensation for the woman. While convicting 44-year-old Farooqui, the court said the victims testimony was credible that he took advantage of the fact that their common friends were not at his residence where the researcher had visited. The court also observed that there was no reason for the victim to falsely implicate Farooqui and a delay in lodging the FIR has also been explained "satisfactorily". "I have no hesitation in holding that the prosecution has proved the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt qua the charge of rape against him," the judge said. "Testimony of the prosecutrix being truthful and credible can be relied upon as being of sterling worth for the purpose of the conviction. "It was when the prosecutrix was alone with the accused, (Farooquis) friend was away from his house, it was confirmed that common friend was not coming to the house, the accused taking advantage of the situation, raped her," the judge said. "The prosecutrix was a student. She had come to India to do her research work. After the incident she could not complete her research," the judge said while ruling out the defence that the incident could not have taken place as Farooquis friend was present in the house. The court said, "The subsequent conduct of the victim of wanting to disassociate herself from the accused and to leave his house immediately and telling about her ordeal to her friend" and the emails exchanged between her and Farooqui after the incident, "clinches the case of prosecution". Victims counsel Vrinda Grover welcomed the verdict saying, "It is an important and a landmark judgement and we welcome it. We respect the sentence awarded by the court." (More) PTI AG RRT SKV RKS SC --- ENDS --- advertisement New Thai-UK trade body to hold first meeting BANGKOK: The Thai-UK Business Leadership Council, formed in mid-July with the aim of fostering trade and investment between the two countries, will hold its first meeting in October. tourismeconomicspolitics By Bangkok Post Thursday 4 August 2016, 11:22AM Thai Prime Ministers Special Envoy Virasakdi Futrakul (left) and UK Prime Ministers Trade Envoy to Thailand Mark Garnier MP sign the agreement to launch the Thai-UK Business Leadership Council on July 12. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said the meeting will be held in Thailand to look for creative ways to encourage Thai and British businesses to build new and innovative partnerships, as well as encourage the governments of both countries to foster bilateral trade and investment. He said Britain is in the process of exiting from the European Union, thus it is the right time to hold the business leadership council meeting and strengthen economic cooperation. Mark Garnier, Britains newly-appointed minister at the Department for International Trade, met the Thai deputy prime minister last Friday (July 29) to discuss economic cooperation, bilateral trade and investment between the two states. Mr Somkid said Thailand is the first country Mr Garnier has visited in his current role. He added that both Thailand and Britain had agreed to conduct bilateral talks once Britain officially exits from the EU. Mr Somkid said Thai companies are looking for investment opportunities and technology from Britain, while British companies are eager to build new partnerships both in Thailand and with Thai companies operating in third countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. British firms are also interested in investing in aviation, bio-economy, fintech and education. Britain ranks as Thailand's 19th-largest trade partner in the world and Thailand's second-largest trade partner in Europe. Thailands trade value with Britain was registered at US$6.4 billion (B223 billion) last year, down 6.1% from $6.8 billion in 2014. For the first six months of this year, two-way trade between Thailand and Britain totalled $2.72 billion, with exports from Thailand accounting for $1.8 billion for the period, down 6.21% year-on-year. Key exports include processed chicken, cars and car parts, electrical circuits, motorcycles and parts, gems and jewellery, machinery and parts, air conditioners and parts, canned and processed seafood, plastic products and garments. Read original story here. Phuket bestowed first Australian Consul-General PHUKET: Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop has officially announced the appointment of Craig Ferguson as Australias first Consul-General in Phuket, with jurisdiction throughout the provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga. tourismpoliticseconomics By The Phuket News Thursday 4 August 2016, 09:10AM The Consulate-General in Phuket is located on the 6th Floor of the CCM Complex at 77/77 Chalermprakiat Rama 9 Rd (the bypass road). Australias first Consul-General in Phuket also has jurisdiction throughout the provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga. Craig Ferguson (left), Australia's first Consul-General in Phuket, and his team at the Australian Consulate-General office on the bypass road, north of Phuket Town. Australias Consulate-General in Phuket was opened in June 2016 as part of the largest expansion of our diplomatic network in 40 years, Ms Bishop explained A total of 900,000 Australians visit Thailand each year, with approximately a third of those travelling to Phuket, Ms Bishop noted. The Government is committed to improving access to consular and passport services in areas popular with Australian travellers, she said. Australia and Thailand have a strong relationship based on shared strategic and economic interests. We work closely together in regional and international forums, including the East Asia Summit, APEC and the United Nations, and on a range of important issues including defence, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and combatting people smuggling and human trafficking. Thailand is our eighth largest trading partner with two-way trade worth $20.7 billion (B551.4 billion) in 2015, Ms Bishop said. Mr Ferguson is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and most recently was Assistant Director, Staffing Operations Section. He has previously served overseas in Shanghai, Brasilia and New Delhi. Mr Ferguson holds a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology. I would like to thank Australias outgoing Honorary Consul in Phuket, Ms Michelle Hawryluk, for her excellent contribution to providing consular services for Australians in Phuket, Ms Bishop added. The Consulate-General in Phuket opened June 14. (See story here.) The Australian Consulate-General in Phuket is located at: 6th Floor CCM Complex, 77/77 Chalermprakiat Rama 9 Road (the bypass road), Muang Phuket 83000 Thailand (See map below.) Phone: +66 (0) 76 317 700 Fax: +66 (0) 76 317 743 Email: consular.phuket@dfat.gov.au Website: http://phuket.consulate.gov.au Hours of operation: 8.30am 4.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). Refer to the Consulate-General website for further details on services. FIR was lodged against BJP MLA T Raja Singh for supporting the flogging of Dalit men by self-styled vigilantes in Gujarat's Una. By Ashish Pandey: A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged today against BJP MLA T Raja Singh for supporting the flogging of Dalit men by self-styled vigilantes in Gujarat's Una last month over the skinning of a dead cow. The Mangalhat police station in Hyderabad has booked the Goshamahal MLA for posting a video on Facebook in which he had said that those who consume cow meat are bringing disgrace to the entire community and should be taught a lesson. advertisement "I support the beating of Dalits whoever slaughter cows to consume its meat. It is apt. I also support those who taught them a lesson," Singh said in his two-and-half minute video, captioned "My comments on recent Una Dalit incident", uploaded on July 30 and viewed nearly 80,000 times so far. READ: From India Today magazine: India Dalit dilemmas "I am asking those Dalits (who kill cows). Is it necessary to murder cow and eat its meat? This is absolutely wrong. It is because of such 'galeez' (dirty or disgusting) Dalits, that the image of whole Dalit community which is patriotic, follows dharma, and worships cows, is tarnished," he goes on. The BJP leader has been booked for promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and disrupting communal harmony. READ: Award Wapsi again: Dalit writer in Gujarat to return state honour over Una flogging On July 11, four Dalit youths were beaten up by cow vigilantes at Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Gir Somnath district when they were skinning a dead cow. Though the youths pleaded that they are from the skinning community, the cow vigilantes thrashed them alleging that they were involved in cow slaughter, The video of their thrashing soon went viral, sparking a massive outrage inside and outside Parliament. Also Read: India Today Expose: Why Dalit persecution is rampant in Gandhi's Gujarat Gujarat Dalits continue to protest, refuse to pick cattle carcasses from road --- ENDS --- Phuket officials seize another baby elephant from a photo tout PHUKET: Officials have seized another baby elephant in Phuket being used by touts to charge tourists money to have their photo taken with the iconic animal. animalscrimetourismpolice By Tanyaluk Sakoot Thursday 4 August 2016, 06:14PM Phuket Livestock officials led by Surajit Witchuwan (in blue shirt) seized 4-year-old elephant Namwan in Mai Khao yesterday afternoon (Aug 3). Photo: Phuket Provincial Livestock Office Phuket Livestock officials led by Surajit Witchuwan (in blue shirt) seized 4-year-old elephant Namwan in Mai Khao yesterday afternoon (Aug 3). Photo: Phuket Provincial Livestock Office Phuket Livestock officials led by Surajit Witchuwan (in blue shirt) seized 4-year-old elephant Namwan in Mai Khao yesterday afternoon (Aug 3). Photo: Phuket Provincial Livestock Office Phuket Livestock officials led by Surajit Witchuwan (in blue shirt) seized 4-year-old elephant Namwan in Mai Khao yesterday afternoon (Aug 3). Photo: Phuket Provincial Livestock Office Livestock officers seized 4-year-old Namwan at the Mai Khao Mart, near Mai Khao Plaza at the northern end of Phuket, yesterday afternoon (Aug 3) after a tip-off from undercover police. When officials arrived we found the mahout with Namwan asking tourists to have their photo taken with the elephant, said Surajit Witchuwan of the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office. We dont know where Namwan was born; we are still checking details on the microchip, Mr Surajit added. However, Namwans owner, Suwatchai Kamthip, has admitted to bringing her from Phang Nga to Phuket without a permit, he said. Mr Surajit estimated that Namwan was valued at about B1.8 million. We will hold Namwan for 30 days in quarantine while a suitable location for her to be moved to is chosen, he added. Mr Surajit said he did not believe Namwan was the elephant reported by tourists at Patong and Tritang beaches. At last report, livestock officials and police are still trying to track down the baby elephant reported at those locations. Were still investigating those reports, Mr Surajit said. Namwan is the second elephant to be taken into custody from photo touts this week. On Monday (Aug 1), livestock officials and police seized 6-year-old Nang Chok from touts at Bang Tao Beach in Cherng Talay. (See story here.) Phuket Police to probe claims of migrant worker shakedown by corrupt officials PHUKET: Police will investigate a list circulating on social media naming 20 government agencies accused of regularly collecting cash payments from employers of migrant workers so their labourers can continue working. corruptionimmigrationpolicecrimeeconomics By Darawan Naknakhon Thursday 4 August 2016, 02:29PM The posting of the list follows more than 100 Phuket employers massing at Provincial Hall yesterday (Aug 3) to call for officials to not arrest migrant workers who were waiting for the work permits to be issued. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada called on people to file complaints against corrupt officials so they could be investigated and face the law. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon Phuket Police Chief Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen said his officers will investigate the origin of the list, which has gone vial on Thai social media. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon Phuket Police Chief Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen said his officers will investigate the origin of the list, which has gone vial on Thai social media. I was told that officers from Provincial Police are also on the list, he said. For our part, we have to investigate whether this list was fabricated. Do the officers on the list exist, are they just made-up names? We also will investigate to find out where this list came from and who posted this list online, Gen Theerapol said. I have no involvement in this type of operation and I encourage the victims to come forward and file a complaint so we can bring those corrupt officials in to face the law, he added. The list features a list of names that resemble nicknames, such as Region 8 Narin, Wichai and Pi Moo (Elder Pig). Also on the list are the corresponding government offices where the nicknamed people work, including Patong Police, Phuket City Police, Kathu Police, Wichit Police, Tourist Police, Region 8 Police, as well as the Kathu Civil Defense Office and even the local anti-human trafficking centre, among others. The list includes mobile phone numbers and the payments collected on the 10th of each month. In response to the wide publicity the list was gaining, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada said corrupt officials in Phuket was not new, but joined Gen Teerphol in his call for victims to come forward with evidence and file complaints. Previously, many times I have sent letters to all business operators and contractors to remind them that they need to file a complaint and bring all evidence supporting their claims to police. If you have proof that government officials are involved in this, please report it to the police so police can arrest them. he said. I do not support businesses paying officials in order to keep working. Everyone should follow the law. If you do the right thing, you will not have to pay any extra fees or fines. So if you feel that you have been a victim of corrupt officials, please file a complaint so (honest) officials can investigate, he said. So far, all we have heard is rumours of corrupt officials collecting money, but no victims ever come forward to police. I am willing to investigate this case if you bring evidence supporting your claim and if you think you are being harassed, come see me, he said. The posting of the list on the Internet follows more than 150 contractors and business operators filing a complaint at Provincial Hall yesterday (Aug 3) to urge officials to stop arresting migrant workers while they were waiting for their work permits to be issued. The group said that right now most workers were waiting for their documents to be processed, and at the same time officials were out in the area arresting migrant workers who have yet to be issued their work permits. The employers also wanted officials to expand the areas listed in worker permits where their labourers may work, allowing them to work elsewhere within the same district or province of their main placre of work, rather than within a Moo Baan (village). Policeman injured in Phuket pub assault PHUKET: A police officer stationed at Thalang Police Station required hospital treatment after being assaulted by a customer inside a pub in Srisoonthorn in the early hours of yesterday morning (Aug 3). crimepoliceviolence By Eakkapop Thongtub Thursday 4 August 2016, 10:58AM The incident happened at the Makam Deekwuy pub on Thepkrasattri Rd in Srisoonthorn. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Thalang police were notified at 3:10am yesterday morning that one of their officers had been assaulted by a customer inside the Makam Deekwuy pub on Thepkrasattri Rd in Srisoonthorn. Police arrived at the pub with Kusoldharm rescue workers and were told that someone had already taken the victim to hospital. The officer, later identified as Sen Sgt Maj Sukon Kaewthongsan, received five stitches to his face at Thalang Hospital and was released immediately after receiving treatment. After being released from the hospital Sen Sgt Maj Sukon reported the incident to Capt Santichai Simai. He confirmed that he was assaulted by a customer inside the pub. The man grabbed a plastic chair and hit me in the face, Sen Sgt Maj Sukon said. Capt Santichai added that he was told by another of his colleagues that the man who assaulted Sen Sgt Maj Sukon had gone to the station at 9am yesterday morning and admitted that he had had too much drink when he carried out the assault. The Phuket News has been told that Sen Sgt Maj Sukon did not file any charges against the culprit. Prayut: Yinglucks rice damage growing from B287bn BANGKOK: The damage from the rice-pledging scheme that former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is responsible for will be higher than the recently estimated B286.6 billion as a lot of the stored grain remains unsold, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday (Aug 3). corruptionpolitics By Bangkok Post Thursday 4 August 2016, 09:25AM Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra (centre) receives roses and rice from supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court. Photo: Kitja Apichonrojarek The national rice policy and management committee acknowledged a report on the rice schemes losses yesterday. Officials reported the damage figure to the Prime Ministers Office on Monday (Aug 1). The figure was produced too quickly. It was based on a survey in 2014. The remaining stockpiled rice will deteriorate further, Gen Prayut said after the committee meeting. Apart from the B286.6-billion in damages for which Ms Yingluck is being held responsible as she had failed to stop the scheme, almost B20 billion was recorded as being the cost of fake government-to-government rice export deals that her former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom set up for pledged rice, the prime minister said. Gen Prayut stressed that the damage being done to the remaining rice stockpiles was growing as there were ongoing costs to consider and grain decaying. Officials have predicted lower consumption of rice next year and mounting stocks in many countries, he said. Commerce permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara said yesterday that actual damage would be greater to the 9.1 million tonnes of government rice stockpiles that remained. Ms Yingluck has been accused of dereliction of duty for failing to stop her governments loss-ridden rice scheme despite being warned of the potential damage. Her government was in power from August 2011 to May 2014. Under the rice-pledging programme, a key plank in the Pheu Thai Party election platform, the government bought all rice from farmers at 40-50 per cent above prevailing market rates. The aim of the programme, devised by Ms Yinglucks brother Thaksin Shinawatra, was to control supply and push up export prices. However, the world market was already experiencing an oversupply at the time and the scheme backfired badly on Thailand. As well, authorities allege there was widespread corruption in the reporting of rice transactions. The government consequently built up huge stockpiles that led to storage problems and rice deterioration. Sales are still taking place but at substantial losses. The Yingluck administration is also accused of arranging fake government-to-government rice sales that resulted in further damage. Read original story here. No he won't Kurt. What reason do you have for saying that? None, as usual. ...(Read More) Search ongoing for speedboat missing off Koh Rok south of Phuket PHUKET: A search is continuing for the Chamnina speedboat which is reported to have been missing off Koh Rok south of Phuket since 6pm yesterday evening (Aug 3) officials from the Royal Thai Navy have confirmed. militarymarinepolicetransport By Eakkapop Thongtub Thursday 4 August 2016, 02:50PM Koh Rok (circled) is an island located south of Phuket. Kuntang Police were notified at 4pm yesterday that the Chamnina speedboat which was carrying two crewmen from Phi Phi and heading to Koh Lanta was lost at sea. It has been reported that the captain of Chamnina, named only as Wijit, told police that the boast had run out of fuel and had stopped close to Koh Rok to refill. They left the area with 30 litres of fuel but it is reported they run out of gas again and did not know where they were. Officials attempted to contact them back received no reply. Kungtang Police said that fishing boats in the area helped look for the lost boat and its crew near Koh Kradan and Koh Ngai but gave up the effort because of the strong winds and high waves. Capt Phuchong Rodnikon of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command told to The Phuket News today (Aug 4), The speedboat boat lost contact after 6pm yesterday, we are looking for them in the location where the captain last spoke to police. However, we will expand the search to other areas covering Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga Bay. We do not know if they made it to shore or not. No one has filed a missing person or boat report that we know of. We have little information but will continue our search, he said. Three Phuket drug dealers arrested for possession of ya ice PHUKET: Three people who between them were found in possession of 126.41 grammes of crystal meth ya ice were arrested on Monday (Aug 1) and Tuesday (Aug 2) as part of polices ongoing anti-drug and crime campaign being carried out across the island. crimepolicedrugs By Eakkapop Thongtub Thursday 4 August 2016, 02:06PM From left: Nootsara Chanpoy, 42, Nootsara Chanpoy, 42. 2. Manus Taweesawan, 31, and Vorayod Gihuay, 29. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The arrests were announced by Commander of Phuket Provincial Police Maj Gen Teerapol Thipjaroen at a press conference held yesterday(Au 3) at Phuket City Police Station. Those arrested were named as: 1. Nootsara Chanpoy, 42. 2. Manus Taweesawan, 31. 3. Vorayod Gihuay, 29. According to the police report, on Aug 1 at 5.30pm, officers arrested 42-year-old Nootsara at the car park of the Top Charoen opticians on Rassada Rd in Phuket Town. The arrest of Nootsara came after police learned that she had been selling ya ice to people in the Phuket City area using a Toyota Vios to deliver the drugs. Police seized from her 16.94g of ya ice, drug taking paraphernalia, digital scales and small plastic bags used for packing the drugs. At midday on Aug 2 police arrested Manus after he was pointed out by Nootsara as one of her buyers. The 31 years old was found in possession of 55.59g ya ice. In addition to the drugs police also seized digital scales small plastic bags and a mobile phone. At 4:30 the same day officers were led to 29-year-old Vorayod at his house in Rassada Rd in Phuket Town who had in his possession 53.88g of ya ice, digital scales, small plastic bags, a homemade gun, two shotgun shells and six bullets. Nootsara and Manus were charged with possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell, while Vorayod was charged with possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) The first batch of 340 Haj pilgrims from Delhi today left for Jeddah while a total 1,00,020 pilgrims will be facilitated by the government across India through Haj Committee this year. "Haj pilgrimage is a cherished desire of every Muslim in his life time. All the Haj pilgrims should pray for peace, prosperity, harmony and brotherhood in our great nation as well as the entire world," Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said after flagging off the first group of pilgrims from IGI Airport here in the wee hours. advertisement Naqvi extended wishes to the pilgrims on the behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For Haj 2016, a total 1,00,020 pilgrims will be facilitated from 21 points across India through Haj Committee. Apart from this, 36,000 pilgrims will proceed through private tour operators. A total of 12,500 pilgrims will be proceeding from Delhi to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by Air Indias 37 charter flights for the pilgrimage this year. Of these, 8,690 pilgrims are residents of Uttar Pradesh, while the rest are from Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Delhis Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Haj Committee of India Chairman Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Qaiser, its member and Delhi Coordinator HB Kazmi, Ministry Secretary Rakesh Garg and others were present on the occasion. PTI ENM RT --- ENDS --- The electric bus is able to carry up to 300 passengers in its 72ft long and 25ft wide body. A video of a mini-model of the vehicle caused great excitement when it was released in May. By India Today Web Desk: It may look like something from the future, but China's long-awaited "straddling bus" ran its inaugural test in Hebei province this week. The 2m-high Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) straddles the cars below, allowing them to pass through. Powered by electricity, the bus is able to carry up to 300 passengers in its 72ft (21m) long and 25ft wide body. A video of a mini-model of the vehicle caused great excitement when it was released in May. advertisement ALSO READ: China begins production of bus that drives over traffic The trial run was conducted on a 300m-long controlled track in the north-eastern city of Qinhuangdao. The vehicle is expected to reach speeds of up to 60km per hour, running on rails laid along ordinary roads. Up to four TEBs can be linked together. There is enough space for everyone on this Transit Elevated Bus. "The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," the project's chief engineer, Song Youzhou, told state-media agency Xinhua earlier this year. "The TEB has the same functions as the subway, while its cost of construction is less than one fifth of the subway," another engineer Bai Zhiming told news outlet CCTV. ALSO READ: Elon Musk's master plan includes electric trucks and buses One TEB could replace 40 conventional buses, according to the firm. One TEB could replace 40 conventional buses, according to the firm. However, it is unclear when the vehicle will be widely used in Chinese cities. It is not a new idea, but it was not seriously considered until a mini-model of it was launched at the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May. A month later, developers announced that the TEB would be ready for a test-run in August. Thousands took to micro-blogging site Weibo to express their amazement and incredulity. Look no further, the future has arrived. ALSO READ: Volvo bags Rs 60 crore order from VRL for 51 multi-axle buses "I saw images of this not long ago and now it's actually happening?" asked one user. "This is truly build at 'Chinese speed'". "I swear I just saw ideas of this in pictures. Now it's appeared in real life," said another. --- ENDS --- 4 candidates seek two four-year terms on Codington County Commission Two of the three Codington County Commission seats have challengers this year. Here's what you need to know. By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) GE will invest up to USD 31 million in subsidiary Mytrah Vayu (Tungabhadra) Pvt Ltd to support the development of a 200 MW wind energy project in Andhra Pradesh. "Mytrah Vayu (Tungabhadra) Pvt Ltd (MVTPL), which is a 99.99 per cent subsidiary of Mytrah Energy (India).. has entered into a definitive agreement with Guayama P R Holdings BV, an investment vehicle of GE Energy Financial Services (GE), whereby GE has agreed to invest upto USD 31 million in MVTPL to support the development of a 200 MW wind energy project in Andhra Pradesh," Mytrah said in a statement. GE will invest up to 49 per cent of the capital of MVTPL, the statement added. Ravi Kailas, Chairman and CEO, Mytrah Energy Ltd said, "Attracting investment from GE is a huge endorsement of Mytrahs operations and its growing position in India?s power market and we are delighted to have successfully completed this fund raising. advertisement "With the company on track to reach 1,000 MW operating capacity by mid-2017, these new funds will help to maintain positive momentum as we enter the next development stage and support the construction of a major power project," Kailas said. Mytrah Energy in an independent power producer in renewable energy with 15 projects across eight states and has over 200 wind masts installed across multiple states in India. As Indias Smart Utility, Mytrah, through a diversified renewable energy portfolio, leverages its robust end-to-end capabilities in generating renewable energy for its projects in the country. PTI SID JM GDK ARS ABI --- ENDS --- A 17-year-old girl was allegedly burnt alive by her parents after they found out about her relationship with her uncle. By India Today Web Desk: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly burnt alive by her parents after they found out she was in a relationship with her pet uncle. The police is calling it a case of honour killing. The horrific incident was captured on video in Bhopal's Hoshangabad district on July 31. The girl can be seen being burnt alive in her courtyard, and her parents appeared indifferent to the gruesome scene. The girl was leaving to meet her uncle when she was allegedly murdered. advertisement WHAT, WHO AND WHY 17-year-old Aarti was in a relationship with her pet uncle Rakesh Sahu, 25, but her mother considered Rakesh to be her brother so she did not approve of their relationship. "Aarti loved me and on the day of the brutal incident, she was coming to meet me at my home," Rakesh told Dainik Bhaskar. A few days before the incident, Aarti's father saw her leaving Rakesh's place. In anger, he charged at Rakesh with his two sons, and a scuffle ensued. THE INCIDENT Rakesh's father and mother have told the police that Aarti's parents and brothers attacked her with a sharp weapon after which they burnt her alive in their courtyard. A SUICIDE NOTE Aarti's family, on the other hand, told police this was a case of suicide. Officials even recovered a suicide note from the spot where she was found burnt. It mentioned Rakesh's name and said he tortured her. Eventually, police found the letter to be a fake, signalling Aarti's parents wanted to cover up their heinous act. POSTMORTEM The postmortem report has proven that Aarti was attacked with a sharp weapon and after that she was set on fire. Her family is now under arrest and a case has been filed. --- ENDS --- India Today has accessed documents that suggest that the police force in the state is grossly understaffed and their work hours inhumanely stretched. Some for as long as 48 hours. By Anindya Banerjee: The midnight highway gangrape in Bulandshahr of a woman and her teenaged daughter and consequently visuals of snoozing cops on duty shocked the entire country. But very few wanted to know why policemen in Bulandshahr sleep while on duty. India Today has accessed documents that suggest that the police force in the state is grossly understaffed and their work hours inhumanely stretched. Some for as long as 48 hours. advertisement STRUGGLING WITH FEWER PERSONNEL Imagine a police force struggling with fewer personnel. For instance, the govt has sanctioned 243 Sub Inspectors for District Bulandshahr. But on ground there are only 153. So these 153 need to work additionally for the 90 sub Inspectors that are not there. The lower the grade, the problem gets multiplied. There's a sanctioned strength of 768 Male Head constables. But mere 319, less than half of the boots that should have been on ground. These people fill up for the shortage of 549 head constables. Hence, their work hours get stretched forcing them to virtually live in police stations or chowkis. When such a person was woken up during a reality check by India Today, he said," What do we do? We stay here. I am on duty for last 48 hours. That's why dozed off". Sub Inspector Male Head Constable Male Constable HO Fireman Sanctioned strength: 243 Actual strength: 153 Shortage: 90 Sanctioned strength: 768 Actual strength: 319 Shortage: 549 Sanctioned strength: 1603 Actual strength: 1167 Shortage: 436 Sanctioned strength: 23 Actual strength: 11 Shortage: 12 Sanctioned strength: 69 Actual strength: 30 Shortage: 39 NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO COMPLAIN No one wants to complain on record fearing disciplinary action. But one such head constable showed India Today how he has brought utensils to police station to eat as he doesn't get time to go home. There's a shortage of 436 male constables, 11 HOs, 39 firemen in Bulandshahr. And the list can go up. Question is why has the government didn't hire required personnel for those vacant posts when there is an acute shortage of staff? How can we expect better patrolling of NH 91 where the alleged gangrape of the mother and daughter took place if the police department is under staffed? The newly appointed SSP of Bulandshahar could not come up with a convincing answer. SP Rural and SP City did not answer our call. WHO'S TO BLAME FOR THE CRISIS Police dozing off on duty is bound to shock anyone. Since if the men in khaki choose to doze off, who will protect the citizen? But what will an over burdened, tired and stressed force do that is forced to live in chowkis and police stations? DGP Javed Ahmad has promised action against the sleeping cops. But will he wake up and realise how badly his department needs more boots on ground to keep Bulandshahr safe and ensure such ghastly incidents never repeats? advertisement Till that happens, NH 91 will remain vulnerable and citizens will be at the mercy of criminals. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: India Today finds Uttar Pradesh policemen sleeping on duty --- ENDS --- FILE - In this Aug. 1, 20`6 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Atlanta. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, cut short the sentences of 214 federal inmates, including 67 life sentences, in what the White House called the largest batch of commutations on a single day in more than a century. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) The Congress have projected Sheila Dikshit, a brahmin, as its chief ministerial candidate for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, and is looking to win back the support of the Brahmins in the state who were traditionally its vote bank. But, scratch the surface and you will find that the party has been working to win back another section of voters, toothe dalits. "The focus now is on Sheila Dikshit. However, over the last two years, a massive effort has been made in terms of cultivating the dalit constituency," said a senior Congress leader. In the last two years, the party has focused on the reserved constituencies in UP, identifying suitable candidates and providing them with organisational and logistical support. This was done as part of a project which the Congress named Development Mission for Reserved Constituencies. "All this effort has been made at the micro level. And hence, it does not occupy the same publicity as the nomination of Sheila Dikshit," the leader said. State Congress leader Bhagwati Chaudhary was in charge of the project. He was recently named vice president of the party in UP, signifying the importance the party has given to the task of cultivating reserved constituencies. Besides identifying the dalit leaders who can be given tickets from these constituencies, the Congress has made an effort to develop a support base among non-Jatav dalits. Jatav is a sub-caste that has stood firmly behind BSP supremo Mayawati, who belongs to the same caste, and have steadfastly voted for her. The exercise of building a dalit support base has involved identifying families that are not from the Jatav community and reaching out to them. In a significant gesture, Congress President Sonia Gandhi began her roadshow in Varanasi recently by garlanding a statue of Ambedkar. Congress leaders feel that while the derogatory remarks made by a BJP leader against Mayawati has definitely angered dalits, it has not resulted in any new voter moving towards her party. The assessment is that she has only consolidated her existing vote bank. It is also felt that Mayawati will not get too aggressive in taking up the comments made against her in the elections as she needs the upper caste votes, too. K. Raju, chairman, AICC scheduled castes department, said the dalits have noticed the kind of stand that the Congress has taken on issues related to the community. "They can see that the Congress is espousing their cause and the BSP, after it has come to power, has not done anything substantial for them," he said. He said that whenever incidents of atrocity against dalits have happened, the party has taken them up, raising the issues in Parliament and outside. "Rahul Gandhi has been to every site of incident, be it Rohith Vemula, or a remote village close to the Pakistan border, or a village in Haryana, where two children were burnt, or Una," he said. The Congress, Raju said, has taken up the issue of budgetary allocation for dalits and has pressurised the government to amend the SC/ST Atrocities Act. He also said that the party has been successful in dispelling misconceptions in the minds of dalits about the Congress and about Ambedkar that had been "planted wrongly by the BSP", in the past one year through programmes it undertook to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar. In a major setback to the Arvind Kejriwal government, the Delhi High Court on Thursday said the Lt. Governor (LG) is not bound by the aid and advice of the Delhi government's council of ministers . A division bench of Chief Justice G.Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath ruled that Delhi government notifications must be issued after consulting the LG. "Policy direction can't be issued without communicating to the Lt. Governor," the bench said. The court said it is constitutionally correct that Anti-Corruption Branch cannot initiate investigation against Union government officials. The court's judgement came on nine different petitions arising out of the spat between the LG and Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party government over the power to appoint bureaucrats in the national capital and other issues. Mamata Banerjees dream of having a doctorate degree might finally come true. National University of Railway Transport in Ukraine has decided to confer a honourary doctorate degree on the West Bengal chief minister for her relentless political struggle and her achievements as railway minister of India. Mamatas fight against communists has also reportedly impressed Ukraine which was formerly part of the Soviet Union. A letter has reached the West Bengal government headquarters in Nabanna for the chief ministers consent. Said a senior officer, Yes. We have received the letter. But that is yet to be verified. Chief minister is presently touring districts. This comes almost 25 years after a controversy broke regarding Mamatas claim of having a doctorate degree from an American University (named East Georgia). The controversy still haunts the Trinamool Congress leader. When she fought Lok Sabha election for the first time in 1984 against CPI(M) stalwart Somnath Chatterjee, the walls of Jadavpur university had Dr Mamata Banerjee written all over them. The CPI(M) didn't cash in on the controversy before the election as it never thought that Chatterjee would be defeated. But after the election, Jyoti Basu government ordered an inquiry. The American high commission then told the government of West Bengal that there was no such university. A controversy erupted inside and outside the Lok Sabha with Left members stalling the house over Mamatas claim. Basu lashed out at Mamata saying, She lies about her education. She is a fake doctorate. The intellectual community of the state which distanced itself from Mamata, who was then a maverick Congress leader, attacked her over her claims. The consequence was so grave that Mamata lost the next election in 1989, the only election she lost till date. Mamata has never used the prefix 'Dr' before her name. Though it begins where it ended, the book fails to evoke the gust of emotions once felt for the Harry Potter franchise. By Sarwat Fatima: It begins where it ended, and how. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part 1 & 2 is the eight installment in the series, and the last as stated by JK Rowling, the brain behind the latest treat. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany--it is the first Harry Potter story to be presented on-stage. advertisement Millions around the world rejoiced when e-commerce websites allowed readers to pre-order the book, which was officially launched on July 31st. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are now all grown-up with kids of their own, distanced from the events that occurred years ago. However, the quest to 'save the spare' (read: Cedric Diggory), sets in motion the events that Harry and his son Albus struggle to cope with. The book explores the 'other side' of characters like Draco Malfoy--who were otherwise were despised by Potter fans--and an alternate reality, providing a fresh perspective on things and characters. Also Read: With 2 million copies already sold, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sets new record Despite Rowling and Thorne's attempts to take back the readers down the memory lane, the nostalgia, however, fails to return. The mainstay behind the lost fervour is the already stone-set perception of characters, events, and enemies. For one, the bond between Albus and Scorpius, the son of Draco Malfoy, is no match for that of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, which readers had loved and immortalized in their memories. The flickering between present and alternate reality, despite some cringe-worthy twists, fails to impress. Also Read: Hogwarts tattoos to Quidditch: A look at how Potterheads ushered in a new generation of magic The relationship between Harry and his son is strained and all that was once cheered, turns into a curse for Harry, posing a threat to his relationship with his son. Along the same lines of adventure that Potter books have been hailed for, Albus and Scorpius go back in time to set things right, only to do more damage each time. The book ends with friends and enemies putting up a united front to save the world from the darkness that threatens to engulf them all. Despite the hype, this latest offering by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany has left ardent Potter fans disappointed. If you have not bought your copy yet, don't fret--let the memories of your childhood remain unspoiled. --- ENDS --- advertisement Over the last few decades, the Indian Army has become the second-largest in the world and would continue to expand in next few years as India prepares itself for the two-front war against China. The story is the same for the Indian Air Force, which is world's fourth largest with over 600 fighter jets and a modern fleet of transport planes, unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters. Though the size of the forces had expanded, their management in the defence ministry had remained under a single person, the joint secretary (Ground and Air), making it difficult for the officer to focus properly on both the forces. The defence rejig order Along with it, organising the Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations, involving parade, dance and drama shows, added to the burden. "With such important portfolios, not only the office but the officer, too, had become overburdened. The process and speed of decision-making had also become a casualty. This was happening to others as well," an officer sitting on the first floor of the South Block told THE WEEK. The two services had also pointed out there was too much on their plate and that the officers were not able to give much time to their respective cases. In the past, too, there were calls from services to rejig the structure in the ministry but an overhaul did not happen. Keeping these considerations in mind and after deliberations with his key team members and ministry officials, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has carried out the much-awaited restructuring of the babudom in his ministry. Under this, we have upgraded a few posts and some new offices have been created to carry out smooth functioning of ministerial work, and responsibilities have been distributed evenly among officers keeping in mind the workload aspect, Defence Minister Parrikar told THE WEEK. On July 25, Parrikar issued an order, a copy of which is with the THE WEEK, curtailing the powers of the joint secretary (Ground and Air) by half, making him responsible only for the ground force (army) and taking away the air force. The incumbent Jiwesh Nandan, a UP cadre IAS officer, will now manage only the army and will be known only as joint secretary (army). The charge of the air force has been given to Himachal Pradesh cadre officer Bharat Khera. He was in the department of defence production. A well-reputed officer, Khera has been given the charge of the newly-created office of joint secretary (air), said a top South Block official. With this redistribution, the officers can focus more on one particular force. Also, it would help in reducing the time taken by respective officers to learn the practices and procedures of respective services as they vary from one another. For example, Nandan had never served in the defence ministry earlier and had to learn about both the army and the air force. "With this move, the chances of hearing stories about a babu delaying a file related to buying snow jackets for soldiers in Siachen or helicopters not flying due to want of spares would be very less," a source close to Parrikar said. As part of the revamping, Parrikar has also done away with 'irrational' work distribution amongst his officials. Earlier, some important divisions of the army were being looked after by the officer in-charge of the navy and vice versa. "This irrationality has been done away with, as the joint secretary looking after the navy was also looking after the important arm of ordnance in the army." Now, ordnance has been taken away from the incumbent Rabindra Panwar, an IAS officer of the Bihar cadre. He will look after only the navy, sources said. The charge of ordnance has now been given to the joint secretary (army). As part of the distribution of work, Parrikar got the high-profile Indian Foreign Service officer, Shambhu Kumaran, into the office of joint secretary in charge of international cooperation. The specialist post had been occupied by IAS officers for the past 15 years. At a time when India is holding several foreign cooperation projects, including exercises and joint drills, this move is of diplomatic help to the ministry. The officer is also helping the government get foreign cooperation for the Make in India projects, which is the key focus area of the establishment. Parrikar has also made changes to the level of additional secretaries. K. Suresh Kumar, a 1986 Jammu and Kashmir cadre officer, has been recently empanelled as additional secretary, which has helped in reducing the workload on the two existing officers in the ministry. Kumar has not only been retained in the defence ministry, his post has also been upgraded. Ravikant, a 1984 Bihar cadre officer, must have heaved a sigh of relief as the responsibility of looking after the joint secretary in-charge of air force has been shifted to the other additional secretary, Jurugumilli R.K. Rao, an officer from Bihar cadre of 1985 batch. After the restructuring, Ravikant would now be supervising the work of joint secretaries looking after the army, navy and international cooperation, while Rao would do the same for officers in-charge of air force and works. Kumar would be looking after the all-important vigilance wing and the officers carrying out day-to-day work of the ministry, along with handling a large number of litigations and court cases involving the government. The nomenclature of these officers has also been personalised. Their offices are now known by their initials like the office of additional secretary Ravikant is known as AS(R), while JKR Raos office is known as AS(J) and K. Suresh Kumar has been designated AS (K). Earlier, the two additional secretaries were known as AS Alpha and AS Bravo. Next restructuring wave in acquisition wing As per the ministry of defences latest order, the all-critical acquisition wing has been left untouched. The wing is responsible for all the new purchases of weapon systems for the armed forces, including important items like Rafale combat aircraft. "The defence minister is considering the recommendations of the Dhirendra Singh Committee, which has recommended the creation of a new procurement wing with dedicated specialist officers to buy weaponry for each service. This, at the moment, is touted to be the next wave of restructuring in the functioning of the defence ministry," said an officer. "Based on the recommendations of the committee, an expert group under former Director General (Acquisition) Vivek Rae has been formed which will help in streamlining the acquisition process and make it timely and responsive, a defence ministry official explained. The delays in procurements for armed forces have been a major source of embarrassment for the defence ministry. A new acquisition wing under an additional secretary-rank officer was created over a decade ago but in vain. The present DG (acquisition) Smitha Nagaraj was brought back to the Centre by the Prime Ministers Office to hasten the procurement process. Old timers in the defence ministry say that attempts were made to restructure the bureaucracy in time of defence ministry when Pranab Mukherjee and A.K. Antony were at the helm, but the plan could not succeed because of the officers themselves. Parrikar, however, has been able to make the changes and, hopefully, it will transform the defence ministry into a well-oiled machine. The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2016, providing for hefty penalties for violation of road safety rules. The fine for driving without licence goes up ten times to Rs 5,000 while penalty for drunk driving increases five-fold to Rs 10,000. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The important provisions include increase in compensation for hit-and-run cases from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh. It also provides for compensation up to Rs 10 lakh in road accidents fatalities," an official release said. The cabinet also recommended that for people without helmets the new proposed penalty would be Rs 1,000 apart from suspension of licence for three months. The current penalty is Rs 100. For seat belt violation, new proposed penalty is Rs 1,000, up from Rs 100. For driving without insurance, the proposed penalty is Rs 2,000, up from Rs 1,000. For offences by juveniles, the guardian/owner shall be deemed to be guilty. They will have to pay a penalty of Rs 25,000 apart from three-year imprisonment. The juvenile will be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act and registration of his or her motor vehicle will be cancelled. The bill provides amendments in various penalties. While the old penalty for violating road rules was Rs 100, the new minimum penalty is Rs 500. Similarly, the penalty for speeding was Rs 400, but the proposed penalties for LMV (light motor vehicle) is Rs 1,000 and for medium passenger vehicle Rs 2,000. The new proposed penalty for unauthorised use of vehicles without licence would go up to Rs 5,000 from Rs 1,000. For travelling without ticket, new proposed penalty is Rs 500 which goes up from Rs 200. For driving despite disqualification, the new penalty is Rs 10,000, which is now Rs 500. The new proposed penalty for dangerous driving would go up to Rs 5,000 from Rs 1,000. For disobedience of orders of authorities, the new proposed penalty is Rs 2,000, compared with Rs 500 at present. A vehicle without permit will now have to pay up to Rs 10,000. For aggregators (violations of licencing conditions) the proposed penalty would be Rs 25,000 to Rs 1,00,000. The new proposed penalty for overloading is Rs 20,000 and Rs 2,000 per extra tonne. For not providing way for emergency vehicles the proposed penalty is Rs 10,000. For overloading of passengers, the penalty would be Rs 1,000 per extra passenger. "The bill also proposes to mandate the automated fitness testing for the transport vehicles with effect from 1st October 2018. This would reduce corruption in the Transport Department while improving the road worthiness of the vehicle," said the statement. "The penalties are also proposed for deliberate violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as body builders and spare part suppliers," it added. For overloading of two wheelers, new proposed penalty is Rs 2,000 and disqualification of licence for three months. Currently, the penalty is Rs 100. Pakistan's reluctance as host prompted Home Minister Rajnath Singh to refuse its hospitality during his first visit to Islamabad for the SAARC home ministers' conference held on Thursday. Rajnath will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in Delhi to apprise him of his Islamabad visit. Government sources said that after the first session of the SAARC meet, the Pakistani interior minister was supposed to play host for lunch, which was filled with Pakistani delicacies. Instead, he went home, which prompted the Indian delegation, too, to skip the lunch in Islamabad. The Indian high commissioner and his team attended the second session, the sources said. THE WEEK had earlier reported that the home minister was not keen to enjoy the hospitality of the Pakistan government and he had planned to leave for India the same day after the multilateral meet. The Indian government was also not in favour of bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the SAARC. READ: No bilateral talks during Rajnath's one-day visit to Pakistan Singh's tough talk has ruffled feathers in the Pakistani security establishment, which has felt the heat after the home minister minced no words at the SAARC meet criticising the rising threat of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan and the state support enjoyed by terrorists like Hafiz Saeed. Pakistan government was left red-faced after it felt the pressure from its military establishment, which was watching closely the tough stance taken by the Indian delegation led by Singh. While the bad host theory is very likely to cause some diplomatic embarrassment for the Pakistan government, sources in the Indian home ministry said that Singh's handled the situation well as his actions only underlined India's tough stance on terror. Nepal's parliament elected former Maoist rebel chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal or Prachanda, as he is popularly known, the prime minister on Wednesday after predecessor K.P. Oli resigned rather than face defeat in a vote of no-confidence. Dahal, 61, won 363 votes out of the 573 cast in the 595-member parliament, Speaker Onsari Gharti said. Prachandaa 'nom de guerre' which means 'fierce'led a decade-long insurgency that toppled a Hindu monarchy in the country. He becomes the 24th prime minister in 26 years since the Himalayan nation adopted multi-party democracy in 1990 and the eighth since the 239-year-old monarchy was abolished eight years ago. Modi assures India's support to Prachanda Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Prachanda to congratulate him and assured India's full support. During the telephonic conversation, Modi also invited him to India. "Spoke to Nepal's PM-elect Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' ji & congratulated him. Assured him of our full support & invited him to India," Modi tweeted. Prachanda was elected the prime minister for the second time and his elevation is expected to bring much-needed political stability in the country bogged down by deep divisions over the new Constitution. India also has its reasons to be relieved given that it has had an anxious relationship with the Himalayan nation under Oli, after the promulgation of a new constitution last September. Though known to have an anti-India stance, according to observers, Prachanda seems to have softened his position and his elevation may be good for Indo-Nepal ties which experienced turbulence under Oli. His party also signed a three-point agreement with the Madhesi Front to secure support from the Madhesi parties for their bid to form a new government led by him. Isabel Betts has always wanted to help children in need. She has worked for a non-profit missionary organisation called Youth for a Mission for more than 30 years. But it wasnt until Isabel met a young woman in Uganda that she realised she was able to do what she had always dreamed of. Isabel and her family have lived in Tauranga since 2005. Herself and her husband raised their children mostly in French Polynesia. Together they have travelled around the world for various charity projects. Now, aged 53, Isabel is still working on orphan projects and helps run a school in Uganda right from her living room. But how did it all start? It was almost seven years ago when I felt it was finally time to pursue my passion to help orphaned children in Africa. I have it in my heart to help internationally but I knew I had something specific to do in Africa, says Isabel. Before landing in Uganda, she came across the Orphans kNOw More charity. Just prior to her departure from Uganda, their leader told Isabel about a young, single woman who was struggling to survive caring for ten orphaned children. He said he wanted to take her on board but there was no financial support for the ten children. Thats how it all started. Isabel was sent a biography on the Ugandan lady and each of the ten children she was caring for. I felt a connection, I wanted to help her. Praise Namisi was born in Uganda as the seventh child to her 22 year-old mother. Her father was killed by his brother before she was born. Since her mother was unable to care for her, she was raised by her grandmother in a slum of Kampala, in a tiny room that was also home for her 24 siblings and cousins. As Praise grew up, she started caring for in children who were living on the street. By the time Praise was 18 years old she was looking after eight children. She was trying to pay her own way through school. She would sing gospel music and sometimes get a little money from that, but mostly survived on very little, says Isabel. When she met Praise, she was looking after 17 children. Isabel was touched by her past and how far she had come in caring for these children. They built a strong connection between each other. I cried for a few hours when I left. I just knew that I needed to come alongside this young woman and the wonderful work she was doing. Praise was doing exactly what my dream had been since childhood: picking up children from the streets and other public places, others being brought by the police the very thing Ive wanted to do my whole life. She was struggling so I wanted to help her. And she did. Isabel wrote about Praises story on her blog. From that she was able to raise money for Praise which allowed her to pay rent for three months. In February 2012 she went back to Uganda for another project but met up with Praise. She discovered that she had moved to Kikuku Village, away from the Ugandan capital, and had built a make-shift school together with the children as there was none in the area. Praise, now 29 years-old, leads the Maisha Africa project maisha meaning life which aims to give orphaned and vulnerable children a better future. When Praise came to New Zealand in 2013 for a training course, she and Isabel connected once more and Praise asked Isabel to be her adoptive mother and also help her lead Maisha Africa from her home, which Isabel happily agreed to. Together they joined to care for the orphaned and vulnerable children and run the school. It now has more than 300 children from pre-school to intermediate and is financed by donations. Since Praise married Moses in 2014, the 40 children in Praises care now enjoy having a father figure in their lives, too. Moses has joined the leadership of Maisha Africa in January of 2016. Im kind of like the backbone in terms of communication, fund-raising, overseeing finances, accountability, training and mentoring to keep the work going on the ground, says Isabel. People within Taurangas community met Praise earlier this year while she was in the region. She spoke to the community about her life and her work with Maisha Africa. She visited Bethlehem College Primary and Secondary speaking to more than 1,500 students and 500 people in total at Changepoint and St Columba churches as well as the Tauranga Business Women Network and Youth With A Mission. Isabel juggles being a mother, home-schooling her youngest, permanently fostered child, helping run Maisha Africa and working on another orphan-project, but says Its wonderful, its what I was born to do and I love it. Find out more on www.maishaafrica.org.nz The 19-year-old woman and her younger sister, known to the two of the accused, went for a car ride with them to Noida. The men dropped the sister at Pari Chowk, took the victim with them and gangraped her. By India Today Web Desk: Four persons were arrested on Tuesday in connection with an alleged gangrape of a woman in a moving car on Greater Noida Expressway. Two of the four accused were known to the victim while all four were residents of the Moti Bagh area of South Delhi. This comes merely a few days after the shocking gangrape of mother-daughter in Bulandshahr on NH 91 and that of a teacher in Bareilly. advertisement Bulandshahr: Robbers gangrape mother, daughter in front of family, two accused identified UP highway horror continues, teacher gangraped in moving bus WHAT HAPPENED The accused took the 19 year-old woman and her younger sister for a ride to Noida in an Indica car on Monday around 5 pm. Since the victim also was a resident of Moti Bagh and knew the accused, who are reported to be students, she agreed to go with them. They crossed over to Greater Noida via the Noida-Greno Expressway and dropped the younger sister at the Pari Chowk outside the police chowki, saying that they were going to a petrol pump nearby and would return. Instead of going to the petrol pump, they turned the car on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and began moving towards Delhi. The police said when the woman protested, they tied her and then gangraped her. They later dropped the victim at the Pari Chowk, and ran away. The woman immediately went to the police station at the Pari Chowk and complained, identifying the accused. The Kasna police registered the complaint on Monday night and arrested all four accused the very next day- Tuesday- from Moti Bagh. The woman's medical was conducted on Wednesday. POLICE KEPT THE INCIDENT HIDDEN The police ensured that the incident doesn't come to light since it happened merely days after the horrific Bulandshahr gangrape which was widely reported in the media. The incident was not even mentioned in the daily crime press note, and a carefyl attempt was made to keep the incident hidden. Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: India Today finds Uttar Pradesh policemen sleeping on duty Bulandshahr gangrape: BJP leader's response to Azam Khan's shameful comment is even more disgusting --- ENDS --- [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] The summer wave of Aliyah continues. 145 new olim from France landed on Tuesday, 27 Tammuz at Ben-Gurion airport, arriving with the assistance of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). The olim, consisting of 38 families, come from different cities through France, including Paris, Lyon, Marseilles, Toulouse, and Nice, which last month experienced a heavy terror attack, claiming dozens of lives. These flights are joined by two other flights coordinated by the IFCJ, which arrived last week from the Ukraine, bringing 235 new olim from the eastern part of the country. The majority of the new olim from France (111) come from Paris and talk about the drastic rise in anti-Semitism in the city, as the underlying reason behind their decision to make Aliyah. Many of the olim left behind not just their homes, but successful businesses as well which they had to sell prior to their Aliyah. One such example is the S. family, arriving from Paris on the first flight. The family Father, Mother and their three children talk about the severe antisemitism they faced. It got to the point where we had to take off our Yarmulkes when in public since they made us into a target, say the parents adding that the decision to make Aliyah did not come easily. In Paris we had a successful family business, selling a type of very popular French candy. The fear from the anti-Semitism brought us to the realization that in order to live peacefully and freely as Jewish people, we most leave for Israel. The family, which is coming from a religious background, is set to begin its new life in Jerusalem. Along with the S. family, were also the B. family, also arriving from Paris. We came from Paris and we are very happy to make Aliyah today, I have waited for this moment for 20 years, and now I get to make Aliyah with my entire family; me, my husband and our 5 children, says the mother. When asked what made them decide to make Aliyah, she answers that It was always a dream of mine and I only wish to come back home, to Israel The situation in France is very difficult, there is a lot of anti-Semitism. People arent very to Jewish people and its very difficult for us. The children are hurting by this anti-Semitism as well We are happy to be at home. The B family is set to move to Jerusalem as well, along with 20 other families that came today. In addition to the flight from Paris, carrying 111 new olim, another flight has landed Tuesday in Ben-Gurion airport from Marseilles with 35 new olim aboard it, coming from the city of Marseilles and others in the area. One such family is the K family from Marseilles. The family got learned about the IFCJ and about the opportunity to make Aliyah, following a visit by the head IFCJ , Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, to their childrens school in the city. In their meeting, the family members told Rabbi Eckstein about the hardships and fears they face in the city streets on a daily basis. According to them, the reoccurring attacks against Jewish people in the city have severely damaged their sense of security and their ability to run a normal life. We decided that if we wont do something, we might find ourselves in real danger, say the parents. We decided, along with our children, that we cannot go on like this and that only by making Aliyah, can we truly live peacefully as Jewish people. The family is set to live in Haifa. Among the olim arriving today, 78 are children between the ages of 3-18, 4 of which are babies, making this Aliyah one of the youngest of the summer. The youngest of the new immigrants is 7-months-old and the oldest is 88. The Olim are set to live in a total of 12 cities throughout Israel, including Ashkelon, Holon, Haifa, Netanya, Jerusalem, Ofakim and Sderot. This flight comes in addition to 27 other flights the IFCJ has directed in the last three months, as part of its efforts to assist the Aliyah to Israel. 4,000 new olim have made Aliyah As part of these efforts, coming from the Ukraine, France, South-America and more. As in the previous waves of Aliyah, all the olim who arrived today will also receive financial support from the IFCJ. Upon their arrival in Israel, the IFCJ is assisting the new olim with grants of $1,000 given to every adult and $500 for every child, In addition to funding their flights to Israel. This support by the IFCJ is given in addition to the various grants the olim are entitled to by the Ministry of Absorption. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, President of the IFCJ, adds that The state of Israel is home to all Jewish people worldwide. It is a home in which every Jewish person can truly lead a Jewish life in freedom, Peace, and security. The IFCJ is making every effort in order to assist all Jewish people who feel threatened in their homelands, just for being Jewish, in making Aliyah and gain the opportunity to lead a full Jewish life. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Noam Moscowitz) [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Israels Ambassador the United Nations Danny Danon and eleven of his counterparts from around the world toured Israels borders and received security briefings. The delegation flew in helicopters along the countrys narrow waistline and visited Kibbutz Nachal Oz and Sderot to hear about life under the threat of rocket fire and tunnel attacks in southern Israel. The group then flew north to Ziff Hospital in Tzfat to observe firsthand the humanitarian and medical aid offered by Israel to Syrian refugees. Later in the day the ambassadors were briefed at the Lebanese border on the threats Israel faces along its northern frontier. The ambassadors had the opportunity to observe up close the many challenges facing Israel and will return home with a better understanding of our need to stand strong in the face of the threats to our security, said Ambassador Danon. Ambassadors to the UN are at the forefront of their counties foreign services. This trip strengthens our ties with these important countries, and fosters relationships with future international leaders, the Ambassador continued. The delegation of ambassadors visiting Israel this week is organized by the American Jewish Committees Project Interchange in coordination with the Israeli Mission to the UN. They are receiving briefings on the regions security challenges and learning about Israeli culture, entrepreneurship and lifestyles. Photo: Ambassador Danon and the delegation of UN ambassadors. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: Avi Dodi) A number of Members of Knesset from the Meretz party have petitioned the High Court of Justice against the appointment of Rabbi Eyal Karim as the next IDF Chief Rabbi. Their opposition stems from a number of halachic articles written by the rav including one addressing an Eishes Yifas Toar, claiming the rabbi permits attacking women in wartime. During the controversy surrounding the appointment, the head of the militarys Personnel Branch met with Rabbi Karim, and ultimately approved the appointment as did IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott. Rabbi Karim explained the Torah concepts to the senior officers, who understand he was engaged in a Torah discourse and not a practical declaration of current matters. Nevertheless, Meretz MKs Zahava Gal-On, Michal Rozen and Tamar Zandberg remain determined to torpedo the appointment. In their petition they explain the rabbi suffers from a severe burning hate of women, homophobia and an intolerance to the toeiva community, with the latter stemming from other statements and writings from the rav, who describes a same-gender union as toeiva in line with the Torahs description. Therefore, the Meretz women feel Rabbi Karim is ill suited to hold such a public position. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita explains that if one finds oneself in a situation that negates the Torah, one must always select the Torah over anything else, and speaking in principle, this includes laws of the State of Israel. The rav as an example cites how Eliyahu HaNavi did not adhere to Achav despite being Melech Yisrael, adding to our good fortune, we do not live under Achav or Stalin. We are living in the State of Israel where there is not a single law that requires transgressing the Torahand therefore we should thank HKBH every minute. Rav Eliyahu added that while all laws pertaining to loans may not be applicable, all traffic and tax laws are applicable, for if not, anarchy would be the rule as is the case with neighboring Arab countries. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) So far this week, Donald Trump has careened from controversy to controversy, sparking headlines by escalating fights with a military family, his partys top-elected official and, even, it seemed, a baby. The Republican presidential nominee also claimed hes always wanted a Purple Heart, gave an eyebrow-raising response to how his daughter would handle workplace sexual harassment, called his general election opponent the devil, threatened to undermine the nations tradition of peaceful democracy by suggesting the election could be rigged and collected a series of bipartisan denouncements that would stagger any other candidate for office. Heres a look at Trumps week to date. THE KHAN FAMILY It was 7:10 a.m. Monday when Trump took to Twitter and fanned the flames of yet another potentially damaging political feud: his flap with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, a Muslim-American family whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004. Khzir Khan took the stage at least weeks Democratic National Convention to accuse Trump of sacrificing nothing and no one. Trump, famous for never letting a slight go, hit back in an interview over the weekend including by implying that soldiers mother stood silently alongside her husband during the speech because her religion restricted her from speaking and then returned to it on social media to start the week. Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same Nice! he posted. The back-and-forth between the nominee and the Khans soon escalated, prompting several top Republicans and The Veterans of Foreign Wars, a nonprofit service organization with 1.7 million members, to denounce Trump. RIGGED ELECTION Trump, in Ohio Monday afternoon, suggested that he fears the general election is going to be rigged an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate. His extraordinary claim one he did not back up with any immediate evidence would, if it became more than just an offhand comment, seem to threaten the tradition of peacefully contested elections and challenge the very essence of a fair democratic process. Im afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest, he said. The celebrity businessman who has been known to dabble in conspiracy theories has not elaborated. But he has repeated the assertion in interviews and also suggested that there were attempts to rig both parties primaries. REFUSAL TO ENDORSE Trump, in an interview Tuesday, declined to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, the Republicans top-ranked official, and Sen. John McCain, its 2008 presidential nominee, in a sharp blow to GOP unity just two weeks after its national convention. Both are seeking re-election this fall. Im just not there yet, Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post, closely echoing Ryans demurral before he endorsed Trump, telling CNN on May 6, Im not there right now. Trump also unleashed a startling rebuke of Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who is also up for re-election this year. All three Republicans he criticized had denounced the nominees comments about the Khan family. PURPLE HEART With controversy simmering over his remarks against a military family, Trump opened a rally in northern Virginia by accepting a Purple Heart from an audience member. Trump, who never served in the military, said it was an honor to receive the medal, which is given to soldiers wounded in combat. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart, he said. This was much easier. THE DEVIL Trump in recent days has taken to categorizing Bernie Sanders decision to support Hillary Clinton a deal with the devil. But at a rally in Pennsylvania Monday night, he unleashed on the Democratic nominee directly. Shes the devil, he said. THE BABY Trump was interrupted Tuesday in Virginia by the wails of a child and the reality TV star joked that he wanted the crying baby ejected from his rally. But he took it back right away. I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a beautiful baby, he said. Minutes later, when the baby continued to cry, Trump followed up by saying, Actually, I was just kidding. You can get that baby out of here. It was unclear if Trump was still joking. The crying soon stopped. (AP) The United States is enhancing counterterrorism cooperation with Central Asias five Stans countries. They include some of the worlds most repressive governments. The State Department says the U.S. and the countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will create a regional counterterrorism dialogue to counter the challenges of foreign terrorist fighters and radicalization to violence in Central Asia. Secretary of State John Kerry hosted the nations foreign ministers in Washington on Wednesday. Other issues discussed included business competitiveness, transportation, electricity and climate change. The department criticizes all five for rights abuses. It says Uzbekistan tortures and Tajikistan even cracks down on long beards. Turkmenistan may be the worst of the bunch. It ranks among the most corrupt nations, isolating itself in a way that draws comparisons to North Korea. (AP) The federal government for the first time has given permission to a private Florida company to fly a spaceship beyond Earths orbit and land on the moon. The Federal Aviation Administration gave clearance Wednesday to Moon Express to land a washing machine-sized vehicle on the moon that would take hops across the lunar surface. Moon Express CEO Bob Richards says the first $10 million mission is scheduled to launch late next year, probably out of New Zealand. His firm has five customers, including a company that is selling the opportunity to take peoples ashes to the moon. His parents ashes will be on the flight. However, Richards says his firm hasnt finished building the lander and the private rocket the company hopes to use has never flown before. (AP) Senator Simcha Felder was proud to roll up his sleeves and grab a broom as the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association (BCA) kicked off its 2016 Annual Community Clean Up Campaign. The opening ceremony took place in front of the BCA main office at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 50th Street where hundreds of children, volunteers and community members were on hand to participate. We are so proud of the children who work so hard to keep the community clean, said Senator Felder to the enthusiastic youngsters who gave the Senator a warm welcome. More, I continued to be impressed, every year, by the terrific job that BCA President Paul Mak does in organizing wonderful events like todays community clean-up. Nothing shows respect for our community like keeping it clean. Thank you this wonderful work, which you should all be proud of. In addition to Senator Felder, other distinguished guests who attended the Kickoff Ceremony included Assemblyman Peter Abate and Captain Kenneth Quick, Commanding Officer of the NYPDs 66th Precinct. Senator Felder joined the guests in launching the campaign by personally cleaning the sidewalk in front of the BCA office. After the ceremony, the participants cleaned up the neighborhood along Eighth Avenue, Seventh Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway, from 39th Street to 60th Street. Along the cleaning route, participants have also educated businesses and community members on the importance of maintaining a clean environment. (YWN Desk NYC) Their party in crisis, Republicans frustration with Donald Trump reached new heights on Wednesday as GOP leaders scrambled to persuade the presidential nominee to abandon divisive tactics that have led to sinking poll numbers and low morale. Party chairman Reince Priebus appealed to the New York billionaires adult children to help. Worried that that may not be enough, Priebus also joined a handful of high-profile Trump allies in considering whether to confront the candidate directly following a series of startling stances and statements with Election Day quickly approaching. Trump has exposed deepening party divisions by refusing to endorse GOP House Speaker Paul Ryans re-election and continuing to criticize the family of a slain U.S. soldier. An official with direct knowledge of Priebus thinking was granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy after one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trumps presidential campaign. Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the GOP frustration was hurting his campaign, even as he openly contemplated an Election Day loss. Wouldnt that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible, he said during a campaign stop in battleground Florida shortly after he declared, Weve never been this united. Yet the most powerful Republicans in Washington and New Yorks Trump Tower concede things will not change unless Trump wants them to. The candidate is in control of his campaign, campaign chairman Paul Manafort told the Fox News Network Wednesday afternoon, highlighting his inability to control the nominee. And Im in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign. Clinton, meanwhile, kept up her assault on Trumps business practices, holding up a Trump-branded tie as she spoke at the Knotty Tie Company in battleground Colorado. I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties, she told employees in Denver, instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado. Trump blamed the media so dishonest for growing criticism of his recent statements and his unwillingness to accept guidance from senior advisers. Priebus, Trump confidants and numerous GOP lawmakers have been particularly irked by his repeated criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, a U.S. Army captain, was killed in Iraq. The soldiers father appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week. I would say in the last couple of weeks, he has been remarkably underperforming and well see whether or not he can take a deep breath and learn these lessons, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Fox Business News. Gingrich may join Priebus and another Trump ally, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in specifically urging Trump to adjust his approach, according to the Republican official. Trumps vice presidential nominee, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, tried to put a better face on a recent difference during a phone interview with Fox. Pence said he spoke with Trump Wednesday morning about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship. He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesdays primary. And Im pleased to do it. Trump stunned Republicans by telling The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday that he wasnt ready to endorse Ryan, who faces a primary contest in Wisconsin next week. Ryan has backed Trump despite deep differences on policy and temperament, and has encouraged other Republicans to unite behind the partys nominee. The turbulent week, including Trumps criticism of the Muslim soldiers family and sinking poll numbers, has led to low morale within his small campaign team. After months of Trump promising to adopt a more presidential tone, Republicans are beginning to lose hope of a pivot for the general election. Hes incapable of changing. Hes irremediable, said Republican strategist Rick Tyler, who previously worked for Trump adversary Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Former Trump adviser Barry Bennett acknowledged signs of poor morale among the campaign staff he maintains contact with, but he also said it would be silly dismiss Trumps chances with three months before Election Day. This would be the end of any other Republican candidate in the history of the country. And hes only 5 or 6 points behind, Bennett said. Indeed, Trump on Wednesday reported raising $80 million in July for his campaign and the Republican Party, a significant improvement from past months. Clinton raised about $90 million over the same period. Clintons aides see opportunity in Trumps missteps. The Democrats campaign is expanding its outreach to moderates and independents, particularly women in key battleground states. Winning some of those voters could offset expected losses among the white working class voters drawn to Trumps anti-trade, anti-illegal immigration message, Clinton aides say. A pro-Clinton super PAC released a new ad on Wednesday featuring footage of 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and other Republicans questioning Trumps character and foreign policy credentials. Manafort dismissed reports of a so-called intervention by Priebus, Gingrich and Giuliani. The campaigns focused and the campaign is moving forward in a positive way, Manafort told Fox. The only need we have for an intervention is maybe with some media types who keep saying things that arent true. (AP) A woman has been killed and five other people injured in a possible terrorist knife attack in central London. Police were called to reports of an armed man attacking people in Russell Square, shortly after 10.30pm on Wednesday. Officers attending the incident found up to six people injured. A woman was treated at the scene but was declared dead a short time later. The condition of the other victims has not been released. A man was arrested just minutes later after a Taser was fired by one of the police officers. A police spokesman said: Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage. It comes after the Met increased the number of armed officers in London following the recent terror attacks in Europe. (Source: Sky News) By PTI: From Shirish B Pradhan Kathmandu, Aug 4 (PTI) Indian ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae today congratulated its newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. Ambassador Rae called on the newly elected 61-year-old Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) chairperson Prachanda at latters residence at Lazimpat. On the occasion, Ambassador Rae congratulated Prachanda on his election to the post of Prime Minister and wished for his successful tenure, according to sources close to the Prime Minister. advertisement Yesterday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had telephoned Prachanda and congratulated him on his election to the top executive post and also invited him to visit India. This is the second time the Maoist chief has become Prime Minister after his brief stint with premiership came to an end in 2009. PTI SBP SUA SUA --- ENDS --- A Norwegian teenager of Somali origin is suspected of going on a knife rampage through Londons tourist hub of Russell Square, killing an American woman and injuring five other people, police said Thursday. The London force sent extra officers into the city streets and mobilized counterterror detectives, but said the investigation suggested mental illness was the driving force behind the attack. The attack came just days after authorities warned the British public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the investigation increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental-health issues. So far we have found no evidence of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism, Rowley said. The name of the dead woman, thought to be in her 60s, has not been released. Rowley said the five injured people are British, American, Israeli and Australian, and none has life-threatening injuries. Two remain in a hospital, while three others have been discharged. Rowley said it appeared to be a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random. Officers used a stun gun to subdue the 19-year-old suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of murder. Detectives from the forces murder and terrorism squads interviewed the suspect, his family and witnesses and searched properties, and found no evidence of radicalization, Rowley said. The National Criminal Investigation Service in Norway confirmed the suspect was a 19-year-old Norwegian national who had left the country in 2002. Police said they received numerous calls from members of the public at around 10:30 p.m. (2130GMT, 5:30 p.m. EDT) Wednesday about a man attacking people with a knife in the streets around Russell Square, a busy central area full of students and tourists. Student Megan Sharrock, 18, looked out her window and saw someone lying on the sidewalk under a blanket. There was like two rivers of blood running away from the person so we thought, yeah, someone has been killed, she said. Helen Edwards, 33, who lives in the area, came out for a walk late Wednesday and found armed police near a subway station. In a city with vivid memories of the July 7, 2005, attacks on public transport two of which struck near Russell Square she immediately suspected that an attack had occurred. There is always that thing in the back of your mind, she said. You live with that threat of terrorism or other crimes in the back of your mind. It wasnt a huge shock I guess. Ellie Cattle, 21, a student staying in a hotel near the square, said she heard police shouting: Put it down, put it down! Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot, but it must have been the Taser, she said. After that they just stopped shouting. I didnt hear any screams from anyone. London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged the public to keep calm and remain vigilant. We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected, Khan said. Knives are the most common murder weapon in Britain, which has strict gun-control laws. There were 186 knife killings in the year to March 2015, according to government statistics a third of all murders. In the last three years London has seen two knife attacks by people inspired by radical Islam. In May 2013, two al-Qaida-inspired London men killed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby in the street near his barracks. In January, mentally ill Muhiddin Mire tried to behead a London Underground passenger, shouting that he was doing it for Syria. The Russell Square incident came within hours of an announcement by London police that they were putting more armed officers on the streets. The idea was to sustain public confidence following attacks by Islamic State-inspired groups in Europe. Police in Britain do not carry guns for the most part a principle that remains unchanged. Even with the additional armed officers, most of Londons 31,000 police officers will not be armed. (AP) [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Officials at Bnei Braks Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital have decided to reveal to the world the renovations that took place, resulting in a most welcoming maternity ward, soon to be open to the public in the hospital run under direct leadership of Gedolei Yisrael Shlita. Maternity Ward 3 is the hospitals newest, constructed amid the realization there is a growing number of women wishing to give birth in the Torah hospital for a list of reasons, comfort and the pampering that accompanies the experience being some of them. Hospital officials point out the new ward more resembles a five-star hotel than a hospital ward, which is what it is intended to be, citing it is the most elegant of its kind in Israel today. Officials explain that much thought, planning and investment went into the new ward, boasting they have taken the needs of the mothers into consideration down to the last detail including electric beds, private storage space, a shelf for ones shoes and other items, a special pillow designed to better meet the needs of new moms, a special bathing room that will pamper women, and an overall plan to provide a restful, quite, tranquil experience during ones stay during an age when patients are all too often overcome with the ambient noises of visitors, cellular telephones and an array of electronic gadgetry. The dining area for the moms is also modeled after a hotel equivalent, once again, to pamper women during their stay. Hospital Director Rav Shlomo Rothschild explains that the Ministry of Health interviewed 11,500 women who were admitted to 27 different hospitals around Israel, and patient satisfaction was highest among those in Mayanei HaYeshua as well as ranking third in the number of births among hospitals of its size in Israel. Rav Rothschild understands that with a constant growth in the number of women wishing to give birth in his facility, the maternity ward had to be expanded. Rothschild boasts his facility has introduced a new standard for maternity wards and remains at the forefront of caring for mothers during and after delivery. In his own words, Rav Rothschild explains We constantly strive for medical excellence and therefore, we are constantly recruiting more senior physicians and acquire the worlds most advanced medical equipment. We are proud to implement the slogan that accompanies us professionals with a neshama. During the past year, all of the hospitals delivery rooms have been overhauled and the staff expanded. The OB/GYN department has a new leader as well, Professor Yosef Lessing, who has an international reputation and is a former director of OB/GYN at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. One of the hospitals secrets is that often, senior physicians and professors compelled to retire from other facilities due to their age, are grabbed up, with Mayanei HaYeshua realizing they offer a wealth of knowledge accrued over decades, using these seasoned experts to mold the next generation of medical caregivers. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) An Israel Prison Authority parole board on Thursday, 29 Tammuz, announced once again it was rejected a request from former President Moshe Katsav, 71, for early release. Mr. Katsav, who has served 4.5 years of his seven-year prison term was hoping to have one-third wiped away as is customary, for good behavior. However, this request was denied first time around, as was a presidential pardon, leaving Mr. Katsavs legal team with the option of appealing the decision. Prior to hearing the second request some noteworthy events occurred, modification of rules permitting ones release on parole. While in the past part of the parole process including admitting ones guilt and remorse, this is no longer required, seemingly tailor made to accommodate Katsav who maintains his innocence, insisting he was wrongly convicted. As per the recommendation of the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority, the parole board convened for a second time, adding two social workers, and once again, denied the request. During his interview Mr. Katsav explained I am not free of errorsI was in a position of authority and should have acted differently. The authority also prepared a rehabilitation plan for the former president, which included daily limud Torah and meetings with both social worker and psychologist, to assist him in re-entering normal life. it also stipulated he must refrain from defaming the victims as he has in the past. However, the decision has been rendered and Moshe Katsav will be compelled to complete the remaining 2.5 years of his sentence barring new developments in the case. Katsav attorney Tzion Amir stated We will appeal this decision. There was blatant involvement of female Members of Knesset, calling members of the parole board. How can it be that the prosecutor agreed to the release of Dan Cohen but not Katsav?. The parole board has granted the request of convicted embezzler Etti Alon after she served 15 years in prison, as per the YWN-ISRAEL report. Former Justice Dan Cohen, 74, was also granted parole. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) A class action suit has been filed by residents of Betar Illit against a bus company, seeking damages related to poor bus service against the Netiv Express Company. The suit begins with this past Lag BOmer as Netiv Express won the Transportation Ministry tender to provide service from Betar to Meron, but the service failed miserably. Hundreds of riders including men, women and children, who purchased tickets in advance were stranded on Lag BOmer as buses never arrived. In the lawsuit filed in the Jerusalem District Court, attorney Naftali Flass explains that on Lag BOmer, Netiv Express was operating as a public bus company, providing service to a line for the ministry. The bus company Flass alleges failed miserably in providing a reasonable service for riders, who expected to arrive in Meron in a timely fashion, many wishing to attend the main hadlaka (lighting of the bonfire). Flass points out there was monetary damage but even worse, many planned to celebrate the day at the Rashbi, with a considerable number of people having planned a chalaka (upsherin) for their 3-year-old sons and this was sabotaged due to the poor performance of the bus company. In addition, people stood outdoors on a hot day for hours, waiting for buses to Meron. The suit is seeking NIS 23 million in damages from the bus company. Flass points out the Transportation Ministry must also be held accountable for it operated the Lag BOmer line, deciding to hire Netiv Express. The lawsuit adds that since riders purchased tickets in advance, the company had ample time and notification to know exactly how many buses would be required and during what hours of the day. Betar Mayor Meir Rubinstein praises the lawsuit initiative, citing the time must come for bus companies to refrain from taking their responsibilities so lightly. He calls on chareidim in all chareidi cities to stand up for your rights and begin holding bus companies accountable. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Shashi Tharoor in a report said that the quality and number of Indian Foreign Service recruits has gone down with time. By Indo-Asian News Service: A parliamentary panel has expressed concern over "deterioration" in the quality of recruits to the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and said it is "imperative" that only the best are selected. "The committee is concerned at the deterioration in quality of recruits to the IFS. This is happening at a time when the lure and appeal of the civil service examination has increased tremendously," the Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Shashi Tharoor (Congress) said in its report tabled in parliament on Tuesday. advertisement The panel said that unlike in the past when only those obtaining the highest ranks in civil services exam were taken into IFS, "it has come as a matter of surprise" that even low-ranked candidates are able to enter the service. "This development is both a symptom and a reason for the erosion of prestige in the IFS," said the committee, whose members include Sugata Bose (Trinamool Congress), Karan Singh and Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Mohammad Salim (CPI-M), Supriya Sule (NCP) and Swapan Dasgupta (Nominated). While the "relative charm" of the IFS has waned with more opportunities of foreign travel in recent years, the External Affairs Ministry "has acknowledged that people in the top 10 may not necessarily opt for the Indian Foreign Service", said the panel. The 31-member committee observed that the IFS toppers in 2014 and 2015 were ranked "24th and 14th" respectively in the overall Civil Service Examination merit list. The panel said "urgent steps" ought to be initiated to make the IFS "more attractive and remunerative as a career choice for civil service aspirants". The ministry must take urgent notice of the low strength of IFS cadre as well as that of total diplomatic corps and "initiate remedial measures at the earliest", said the panel. The sanctioned strength of 912 IFS officers is one of the smallest among all-India and central services, it said. Since diplomacy is expanding into emerging areas like economic, commercial, political and environmental diplomacy, the officers should receive mid-career training to develop expertise in specific fields based on their educational background, the panel said. --- ENDS --- Shares down: French insurance giant AXA's underlying earnings were flat at 2.6bn AXA FAILURE French insurance giant AXA has disappointed investors by missing a key target. The companys underlying earnings were flat at 2.6billion in the first half of the year despite a promise six weeks ago that it was aiming for annual growth of 3 per cent to 7 per cent. Shares in the Paris-listed firm fell by 2 per cent. UNICREDIT BOOST Troubled Italian bank UniCredit has unveiled a rise in profits for the second quarter of 2016. The lender had a tough start to the week as investors fled Italys financial sector over fears it was heading for a crisis. But it yesterday announced a 76.2 per cent profit rise to 767.3million. That still wasnt enough to calm nerves and shares fell 2.3 per cent. DUNNE DEAL The boss of O2 who resigned last week following a failed takeover by Three owner Hutchison is to join the American mobile giant Verizon. Ronan Dunne, who is leaving O2 after nine years, will become one of the most senior executives at Verizon. He will be in charge of all its wireless operations, which means the marketing of mobile phones, the networks that make them work, and customer care. He will join at a crucial time for the firm, which bought Yahoo for 3.6billion last month and plans to merge it with AOL to rival Google. RYANAIR JOY Budget airline Ryanair claimed a record number of passengers flew on its planes in July. The number of travellers grew by 12 per cent to 11.3m and its jets were flying at 96 per cent capacity. Rival Wizz Air, the low-cost airline focused on central and eastern Europe, said passengers number rose 16.2 per cent over July 2015 to 2.5million. RIO ROCKED The commodity price rout continued to hit mining giant Rio Tinto as first-half profits fell 47 per cent to 1.17billion its lowest in 12 years. It has been selling assets and cutting jobs and costs to reduce debts, which fell to 9.7billion from 10.3billion. The worlds biggest commodity market, China, provides up to half of Rios revenue and has been slowing due to economic concerns. New chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques said: We cant assume a quick recovery of China, that will not happen. Shares fell by 0.8 per cent, or 18.5p, to 2423p. SPADE WARNING US designer brand Kate Spade warned a slowdown of tourists visiting the US due to the strong dollar had led to a fall in sales. The brand, which sells brightly coloured handbags, accessories and clothing, warned full-year sales would be below expectations. Out of pocket: UBS rogue trader Kweku Adoboli is fighting extradition Ghanaian rogue trader Kweku Adoboli, 36, who lost UBS 1.3bn in unauthorised trades, has raised 15,000 through internet crowdsourcing to fund his battle against extradition. Online crowdsourcing is all the rage with financiers. Jailed Citigroup trader Tom Hayes has received 30,000 in donations to pay for an appeal against his imprisonment for Libor rigging. Perhaps Sir Philip Green should set up a donations page to 'sort' the 571m BHS pension deficit. His loyal coterie of celebrity friends could stump up the cash in no time. Financial Conduct Authority boss Andrew Bailey was known while deputy governor of the Bank of England as 'sexy turtle'. Apparently, it's a convoluted reference to 460,000 a-year Bailey's speed at completing a task, which was sometimes comparable to the time turtles take to finish copulating. Nothing to do with him being Threadneedle Street's resident stud muffin. Sadly, Andrew, 57, is no George Clooney. UK Energy, shop steward for money-grabbing energy firms, sent its spokeswoman, Scots-born Audrey Gallacher, onto Radio 4 yesterday to respond to Ofgem's plans to introduce price caps. Nervy and hesitant, she incredulously claimed the cheapest energy price 'wasn't always what people wanted'. Broadcaster Mishal Husain, 43, cast off her usual demure guise and devoured the poor woman like a starved hyena. Asked about the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency, Barclays' hulking, 8.2m-a-year all-American boss Jes Staley, 59, replies sardonically: 'My wife and I live in London.' Barclays are among the banks who've given Hillary Clinton's foundation seven-figure donations. Pundits reckon voters may hold that against her in November. Amstrad founder Lord Sugar enjoys the usual billionaire trappings. Private jet, yacht, homes in Spain, Florida and Essex. But the former market trader remains frugal in the wardrobe department. He's devoted to Charles Tyrwhitt, the cut-price haberdasher where four shirts cost just 100. This is Money has launched a new regular series called 'a coffee with...' where we will chat to some of the most colourful bosses, financial commentators and influential players in the world of finance to get under the skin of certain topics. It is a simple format: we invite them into This is Money HQ, London, buy them a coffee and ask the all-important questions. Second to be grilled by consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce is founder of peer-to-peer firm RateSetter, Rhydian Lewis. RateSetter founder: Rhydian Lewis (left) swung by This is Money HQ for a cappuccino to talk about his firm and the future of peer-to-peer After a brief chat about the awful summer weather while waiting for our cappuccinos, Rhydian Lewis and I swiftly got chatting over the furore at Lending Club - an online lender in the US which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently with fears over its future. Lending Club, a peer-to-peer firm similar to RateSetter - Rhydian's company - floated in 2014. Since then, the share price has tanked with scandals involving its chief executive and struggles attracting investors. Should that be of concern to the growing number of investors and borrowers in Britain who have piled into this relatively new concept of peer-to-peer lending? 'The thing to consider about Lending Club is the fact many of the investors are big-time institutional ones. We take in money from smaller investors to lend out to people,' Rhydian responds. This means RateSetter, which isn't listed on any stock exchange, is more reliant on smaller sums of money flowing through from investors rather than blocks of money like Lending Club. Rhydian set up RateSetter from his bedroom off Fulham Broadway, London, in 2009, with co-founder Peter Behrens, who had experience working as a banker at RBS. Peter was a loose acquaintance from school, rather than a close friend a fact Rhydian believes has helped forge a successful business partnership. Six months later, they had their first office, which he tells me was a dilapidated place, a far cry from the glossy offices associated with finance and now they employ roughly 160 staff. RHYDIAN LEWIS BACKGROUND, CV AND FINANCIAL TIP Background Rhydian Lewis, 39, founded RateSetter in 2009. Its cuts out the middleman by lending out investors cash to borrowers. The process means better returns for investors, and lower rates of borrowers CV Rhydian's first job was working at a yogurt factory aged 17. His last job before creating RateSetter was at financial firm Lazard. Biggest financial tip The average investor is more financially capable than the companies that sell to them would have them believe. These companies want finance to seem beyond the comprehension of the man on the street, because they then make money selling services. Don't take claims of complexity at face value look into these things and you might be surprised to find that they're simpler than they first appear. At This is Money, we preferred to label peer-to-peer as lend-to-save but amid concerns that investors could be confused and think they can;t lose money, we've now opted for lend-to-invest. Whatever you call it, put very simply peer-to-peer involves investors stumping up cash, which is in turn lent out to people. The most common use for RateSetter loans is for car purchase, typically at 6,000. Rhydian doesn't particularly like our term lend-to-save and labels Rate Setter customers as investors, rather than savers. This is an important point, as some could be put off by the fact it is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This scheme offers protection of up to 85,000 of savings should a firm run into difficulty, or 50,000 in the case of investments. Rhydian says: 'Peer-to-peer is more of a halfway house between the risk of playing the stock market and the low risk of a high street savings account. 'I don't believe having FSCS protection is important for our customers. 'A hundred or so providers are covered under the savings compensation scheme, so they have that option P2P should be used as part of a diverse portfolio, not putting all your eggs in the same basket. 'We also have our provision fund which acts as a safety net and to date, no investor has lost a penny.' RateSetter is offering 5.7 per cent to investors, lending out at 7.2 per cent for borrowers. To date, it has had nearly 1.3billion flow through it with growth still accelerating. Rhydian does admit, however, that the default rate has risen in the last few years. 'When we first started to lend out money, we were super paranoid hence the really low default rate of around 0.5 per cent to begin with. It is now somewhere between 1.5 per cent and 2 per cent, still far lower than banks.' Rhydian believes it will grow to the size of a large challenger bank - akin to Metro Bank or Virgin Money - and says it has seen slower growth than these because RateSetter couldn't tap into the Government's Funding for Lending Scheme. Lend to save: The industry has exploded in the last few years, thanks largely to low rates offered by high street banks P2P - who are the key players? Five years after it was set up in London, Ratesetter launched in Australia at the start of 2014, its only overseas market. The move came after an experienced businessman approached Ratesetter and asked to use it almost like a franchise model. It is now the biggest peer-to-peer lender Down Under. Rhydian hasn't ruled out targeting more overseas locations, but has his feet firmly on the ground saying there is still work to be done in Britain to keep growing. This could be the fact P2P doesn't have one top dog rather, it has three main players, which keeps competition strong. Along with RateSetter, there is similar business Zopa, and also FundingCircle which is geared towards lending to small businesses rather than individuals. They have clubbed together to create an industry body, the Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA). So are they close chums, or is it more of a case keep your friends closer and enemies closer? Rhydian smiles when I ask him. He says: 'We have a good relationship with our rivals. We appointed an independent head of the P2PFA regulation body. It helps stop the cats fighting.' He cites Betfair and eBay as two businesses that he admires, both being tech firms making marketplaces more accessible and customer focused in the 21st century. Financial crisis was good time to set up shop He also says he resisted the temptation of growing the firm too quickly by having too many major investors in the beginning. Instead, he and Peter raised money to start the business through friends and family and it has 60 private shareholders as a result. RateSetter was picked as a name as they believe at some point, they truly will be the firm setting the top rates to which other financial firms aspire. He started the business after having the idea several years earlier after the start of the millennium. Rhydian spent seven years at financial firm Lazard and decided that the financial crisis was a good time to start the business, with faith in banks at a low and managing to secure rent on an office at a rock bottom rate. Rhydian says that any investor who wants to give the industry a go should do with 100 at first, for them to get used to the concept and see how they get on. He also believes any criticism of P2P is a good thing, as it keeps the industry on its toes. Investor walked into our old office and thought we'd gone bust Rhydian tells me an anecdote of when an investor from the South Coast had placed some of his money into the firm a few years ago, after being attracted by the good rates on offer. He wanted to visit the office and set it up with Rhydian. However, Rhydian had forgotten to tell him that they had actually moved to a bigger premises in the same building, but a few floors up. 'The man turned up to find the office cleared out and just a decorator sprucing it up. He asked the decorator if he'd heard of RateSetter and he replied he hadn't.' 'Needless to say when he eventually found out we were upstairs he was sweating but thankful we hadn't gone out of business and lost his cash!' Rhydian is full of praise for the Financial Conduct Authority, which has been delicately trying to place the P2P industry into 'proper' regulation. Because it is different, the process has been long and drawn out, despite the industry being well received by the Government. But he believes full regulation is coming in the next few months and that could help the next wave of investors get on board with the concept. New life? The cash Isa market has crashed and burned in recent years - can peer-to-peer lending Isas breathe life into the market? We'll breathe life into the Isa market We get onto Isas. Recently, P2P products received the green light to be placed in a tax-free wrapper. However, I ask if it has come at the wrong time for the industry? After all, Isas have fallen out of favour somewhat with savers who have the personal savings allowance to take advantage of, while rates have crashed in recent years. 'Our Isa products are on the shelf and ready to go once we get the go-ahead from the FCA, which is part of the new regulation,' Rhydian concludes as the lift we've stepped into heads downwards. 'I do think it is a good time for us to be launching them it will help breathe life into the Isa market.' Let's hope so rates from traditional providers have fallen quicker than the lift we have just exited from the fourth floor to the ground. Better tax-free accounts could help sway investors into giving P2P a go. Brexit - crucial that staff are reassured After the recent Brexit decision, Rhydian says that as well as the economic implications, one of the key considerations is its employees. He said: 'We employ more than 170 people now, which includes a number of skilled workers from the EU. 'I'd like to see the Government provide some assurance that these people will retain the right to live and work in the UK. The founder and chairman of housebuilder Berkeley Group earned a whopping 21.5million last year although this represented a pay cut of nearly 2million. Tony Pidgley, a former Barnardos boy who spent his early years living in a disused railway carriage and set up Berkeley in 1976, earned a basic salary of 850,000 and a bonus of nearly 1.3million last year as well as 49,000 of benefits. The bulk of his pay came from share options. But his total earnings were down from 23.3million the previous year. Tony Pidgley, a former Barnardo's boy who spent his early years living in a disused railway carriage, and set up Berkeley in 1976 Pidgley, 69, owns nearly 6.5million shares in Berkeley, or 4.73 per cent of the company. His stake was worth around 165million at last nights closing price of 2538p (down 2.4 per cent or 61p). Twice-married Pidgley, who has two children from each wife, left home and school at the age of 15 barely able to read and write, and set up a haulage business that he sold at the age of 20. Pidgley is now worth 270million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, and lives on a 100-acre estate in Windsor. Berkeley is one of Britains most successful housebuilders although revenues fell 3.4 per cent to 2billion last year and profits dipped 1.6 per cent to 530.9million. The London Stock Exchange is preparing to fight off a European Union plot to snatch away its prized euro clearing business. Chief executive Xavier Rolet yesterday mounted a defence of the foreign currency market, which is being sought after by rival European exchanges. They believe that after Brexit the UK should not be allowed to host the vital euro currency clearing system, and that it should be taken back to the Continent. LSE boss Xavier Rolet yesterday mounted a defence of the foreign currency market, which is being sought after by rival European exchanges The clearing row has become a key battleground as the City prepares to fight off the threat of foreign cities such as Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam trying to pinch financial jobs. Ironically, Rolets defence of the City comes as the London Stock Exchange is on the brink of a merger with German rival Deutsche Boerse. Rolet yesterday said that the euro clearing exchange a key jewel in the UKs financial crown could not be moved abroad without a complex and time-consuming European Union treaty change. Euro-based derivative trading is a 300trillion market and the vast majority of this is handled in London, supporting thousands of jobs. France and Germany have long cast jealous eyes at this operation, but Britain last year won a landmark court ruling against a European Central Bank plot to move it to the Continent. There were fears before the EU referendum that Brussels would not allow such an economically important activity to be handled in a non-member state. Nut Frenchman Rolet insisted it would not be easily prised from the Citys grasp. An EU treaty change is not an easy thing, he said. Thats not impossible, but I would say at this time theres no immediate threat. The 2015 European Court of Justice decision found that the ECB had no power to decide where euro clearing took place, making it hard to reverse the decision without a new law. It is just one battleground in a wider row over how much access to the EUs single market could be lost following Brexit. The issue is expected to be at the heart of negotiations as ministers search for a balance between control over immigration and restrictions on trade. Access to capital markets is clearly far more developed here than anywhere else in Europe, the chief executive said. Both sides have an overriding interest in stability in the short to medium term, and a settlement that works for both sides. If no deal was cut, he said, the cost penalty would be very high not just, of course, for the UK but for the rest of the EU. Rolet was speaking as LSE posted an 8.9 per cent rise in revenue to 721.9million for the first half of 2016. Profits were down 6.9 per cent to 164.1million, partly due to one-off costs of 54.8million related to the potential takeover by Deutsche Boerse. The 21billion deal which both sides call a merger of equals has attracted controversy in Britain and only scraped through the approval process for Frankfurt-based Deutsche Boerse shareholders due to waning enthusiasm since the referendum. One of Britain's biggest insurers has urged the Government to press ahead with a crackdown on fraudulent injury claims. Aviva bosses said Britain's vote to leave the European Union should not be allowed to delay a new law ending cash payments for minor whiplash injuries. Aviva bosses said Britain's vote to leave the European Union should not be allowed to delay a new law ending cash payments for minor whiplash injuries The legislation which could save insurers 1billion a year was promised in last year's Autumn Statement but there has been little progress since. It would curb compensation for easily faked problems as well as limiting the amount of money solicitors could cream off. Andy Briggs, chief executive of Aviva UK Life and chairman of the Association of British Insurers, said tougher laws would drive down premiums. The business has pledged to pass on any fall in costs to customers, saying motorists would pay an average of 50 a year less. Briggs said whiplash claims were 19 times higher in the UK than France, which is less indulgent of the compensation culture. 'Either people in the UK have necks 19 times weaker than people in France or there's some other factor. 'We're very keen to make sure this legislation still happens, with everything else that's going on,' he said. He was speaking as the firm unveiled a 13 per cent rise in operating profits to 1.3billion for the first half of 2016. Aviva also hiked its dividend by 10 per cent to 7.42p per share. This growth was driven by a 20 per cent rise in life insurance profits after the 5.6billion takeover of rival Friends Life last year. General insurance profits were down 17 per cent due to a 23million charge for the Government's new Flood Re levy to support insurance for flood-hit homes, and higher natural catastrophe claims in Canada and France. Fellow insurance giant RSA announced a similar boost, with first-half operating profits up 20 per cent to 312million. The dividend was raised by 43 per cent to 5p per share. Chief executive Stephen Hester said he hoped to pay out 40 per cent to 50 per cent of profits as dividends. Who was declared Boko Haram's new leader by ISIS? What are the recent developments in the dispute over leadership and what is Boko Haram aiming for? Know here. By India Today Web Desk: With a threat to bomb churches and kill Christians, Abu Musab al-Barnawi announced his position as the new leader of Nigeria's terrorist outfit Boko Haram. He has promised to end attacks on mosques and markets used by Muslims as per an interview published by the Islamic State group. Islamic State newspaper al-Nabaa published an interview of the new leader and identified him as the new "Wali", governor, of the "West Africa Province". The same title was used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. advertisement Also read: Will blow up every church, kill all Christians: Boko Haram's new leader, announced by ISIS But the group's disputed leader Abubakar Shekau denounced the declaration by ISIS and said that there has been no change in the leadership. In a 10-minute audio message Shekau accused al-Barnawi of trying to stage a coup against him, reported BBC. According to the so called new leader al-Barnawi, there is a western plot to Christianise the region and has accused charities of using their aid. "They strongly seek to Christianise the society. They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianising their children," SITE Intelligence quotes the new leader as saying. Also read: Retreating Boko Haram leaves mass of throat-slit corpses near Nigerian town Boko Haram waged a war against westernisation in Nigeria in 2009 and considers western education sinful and forbidden. Here are 15 things you need to know about this militant organisation: Founded in 2002, Boko Haram has opposed westerns and "apostate" Muslims since then. The agenda of the militant outfit is to establish an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria. It aims at establishing "pure" Islamic state ruled by sharia law and put an end to westernization of Nigeria. The military operations were launched in 2009 with a goal to create Islamic state in Africa. Boko Haram switched allegiance from al-Qaida and declared itself as the Islamic State's West Africa Province in March 2015. Under the group's former leader Abubakar Shekau the insurgency spread to neighbouring countries and killed more than 20,000 people. Shekau took over as the group's leader after its founder, Muhammad Yusuf, died in Nigerian police custody in July 2009. He announced Gwoza as an Islamic caliphate in August, 2014. The group attacked Cameroon, Baga and Chad as well. Boko Haram became the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria majorly because if its impoverishment. The group created an international scar in April,2014 by kidnapping 276 Christian girls aged 12 to 15 from Chibok located in northeast Nigeria. A was released by the group that declared that the girls have been sold or forced into marriage with their abductors. 19-year-old Amina Ali Darsha, one of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, was found wandering in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno state in May,2016. She was found pregnant and traumatised and was brought to Chibok. Human rights group Amnesty International said till last year 8,000 men and boys had died in Nigerian military custody after being detained as suspected militants. The Nigerian military has not been able to deal with this insurgency. The functioning of the military is said to have been hampered by deep-rooted official corruption. Boko Haram has lost much of its territory to regional forces from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and the Niger Republic. The split in the leadership is being considered as a sign of weakening of the group. advertisement --- ENDS --- Kerala Tourism's upcoming plans are just too good to be true. Packages focused on the hills and forests of Western Ghats will be part of the tourism scheme. Picture courtesy: Mail Today By Mail Today: Kerala Tourism has come up with new and exciting initiatives to attract more tourists. Eco-Adventure, Project Muziris--aimed to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris and promoting Kerala as a MICE and wedding destination are on the priority list of the tourism board. Eco-adventure tour packages to attract young vacationers and packages focused on the hills and forests of the Western Ghats will be part of the tourism scheme. There are also plans for commissioning chartered flights and exploring possibilities of charter trains and tourist bogies in trains from major Indian markets. advertisement Also read: Muziris: Kerala's new heritage site for tourists U V Jose, director of Kerala Tourism says, "Our main objective is to promote newly started initiatives. From picture perfect landscapes and exciting getaways to rich culture and heritage, the State has a lot to showcase, not to forget the delectable cuisine, music and art." Nanda Kumar, deputy director of Kerala tourism adds, "We are promoting Kerala tourism in metro cities every year. We are also planning to campaign this in small villages and cities like Lucknow, Nagpur, Patna and Ahmedabad." Also read: Madhya Pradesh and Kerala among the big winners at the National Tourism Awards Kerala tourism also plans to open new hotels and resorts to cater to the increasing footfall of tourists. Malabar tourism will also be promoted in a big way along with the Spice Route. --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: In a major setback for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his fight with the Centre, the Delhi High Court today said Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung remains the administrative head of the National Capital Territory, and therefore, was not bound to act as per the advise of the Delhi government. "Article 239 continues to remain applicable and that makes Delhi a Union territory," the court categorically said, adding that the Council of Ministers in the national capital cannot take any decision without referring it to L-G first. advertisement A division bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath ruled that Delhi government notifications must be issued after consulting the L-G. "Policy direction can't be issued without communicating the to Lt. Governor," the bench said. The court was ruling on a batch of nine petitions arising out of the tussle between the Centre and AAP government over the administrative powers of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) on governing the national capital. One of the AAP petitions sought the quashing of the May 21, 2015 order of the Centre barring the anti-corruption branch (ACB) from proceeding against any staff under the Centre's control. The court today said no action can be taken by the ACB against the central government officials. WHAT DID AAP WANT? The AAP had also sought the quashing of July 23, 2014 notification, issued by the Home Ministry at a time when Delhi did not have an elected government and was under the direct rule of the Centre, restricting the executive power of the Delhi government acting through the ACB to investigate officers and employees of the city government only. The AAP government on May 28 last year had moved the high court, a day after the Centre approached the Supreme Court challenging a High Court order which had termed as "suspect" the Union Home Ministry's notification barring the city government's ACB from acting against its officers in criminal offences. The Delhi government had argued that in a democratic set-up, there cannot be two reporting authorities - the LG and the Chief Minister. The Centre, however, maintained that Delhi remained in its control as it was not a full-fledged state. AAP TO MOVE SUPREME COURT Reacting to the verdict, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said it will move the Supreme Court. "We will exercise all legal options," an AAP leader said. Kejriwal and the BJP-led government at the Centre have been loggerheads since he came to power in Delhi last year. The AAP has accused L-G Jung of being an agent of the Centre and working against its government in Delhi. AAP CAN'T RULE LIKE ANATCHISTS: BJP The BJP welcomed the High Court decision, saying the AAP government cannot supersede constitutional provisions and rule like anarchists. "The High Court's decision is correct because they were not following the constitutional provisions in Delhi. They were superseding the constitutional provisions which is unconstitutional," Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Upadhyay told news agency IANS. advertisement --- ENDS --- Addressing fire safety Living in San Diego County, the threat of fires is constant, that is why I have made fire safety one... Supporting animals As a trained Project Wildlife Native Songbird Rehabilitator, my experience raising orphaned and injured songbirds and returning them to the... You could end up having abnormal heart rhythms over a period of time if you consume energy drinks regularly. By Indo-Asian News Service: The high levels of caffeine in energy drinks may lead to cardiac complications, suggests a case report. The case, reported in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), adds to previous reports of adverse cardiovascular events related to consuming energy drinks, including abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) or improper beating of the heart, whether irregular, too fast or too slow. advertisement The patient was a 28-year-old man seen in the emergency department after developing vomiting with blood. On examination, the only abnormality (other than obesity) was a very fast heart rate--about 130 beats per minute. An electrocardiogram revealed an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation--a common type of arrhythmia that can lead to serious complications if sustained. Further tests showed no other heart problems. Also read: This new nutrition theory is ready to knock off all your old diet beliefs forever The patient said he routinely drank two cans of energy drinks per day--for a total caffeine content of 320 milligrams--along with two or three beers. No other common causes of his heart rhythm abnormality were apparent. With medications, the atrial fibrillation resolved over 48 hours. Endoscopy showed a tear of the stomach and oesophagus, probably caused by forceful vomiting. The patient was sent home in stable condition. At one year's follow-up, he had no further symptoms of arrhythmia. Although several factors might have contributed to the patient's atrial fibrillation, the researchers said, "We believe that energy drink consumption played a key role." Maryam Sattari of University of Florida, Gainesville is the lead author of the report. A review of the medical research identified at least eight cases of cardiovascular events linked to energy drinks. The researchers discussed several mechanisms by which the high caffeine content of these products might lead to cardiovascular events. These include other ingredients, such as taurine, that might heighten the effects of caffeine; using energy drinks along with alcohol or illicit drugs; or high stress levels. Energy drinks have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among adolescents and young adults. Marketed as nutritional supplements, these beverages are not subject to the caffeine limits on soft drinks, or to the safety testing and labeling required for medications. "We suggest that arrhythmia could be a complication of energy drink consumption," Sattari and co authors wrote. --- ENDS --- Mahmood Farooqui, co-director of Peepli Live, sentenced to 7 years in prison for raping US researcher. By India Today Web Desk: A Delhi court today sent filmmaker and artist Mahmood Farooqui to seven years of imprisonment for raping a 30-year-old American scholar last year. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the 38-year-old co-director of Peepli Live, who was convicted last week for raping the research scholar from Colombia University. Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after the judgment last week. advertisement The offence of rape entails a minimum of seven years rigorous jail and a maximum of imprisonment for life. Farooqui was drunk when he raped me, alleges American woman The American woman, in her complaint, had alleged that Farooqui was drunk when he raped her on March 28 last year at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi where she had gone to get his help for her research work. The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the woman's complaint after which he was arrested. --- ENDS --- BSP supremo Mayawati has traced the escalation in attacks against Dalits to the governance by Modi government. "I wanted to visit the victims earlier... but the BJP conspired through Dayashankar Singh and made him say unpleasant things about me... They diverted the attention of the Dalits to another issue," Mayawati claims. Photo: PTI By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Targeting the Modi government for growing atrocities on Dalits in the country, BSP chief Mayawati today launched a scathing attack on the BJP and the RSS in their home turf. The BSP supremo alleged that the atrocities against the Dalits and minorities have increased manifold ever since the BJP-led NDA government has come to power at the Centre. advertisement Mayawati visited the victims from the Dalit community in Una who were flogged for allegedly skinning a cow. Accompanied by BSP MP Satish Chandra Mishra, she distributed a cash help of Rs 2 lakh each to the victims at the trauma centre of the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. The BSP chief also announced that her party is willing to take care of further treatment of the victims in Delhi if the Gujarat government fails to provide proper treatment to them. After arriving in Ahmedabad , Mayawati headed to the Sarangpur area where she garlanded the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Addressing the public , Mayawati launched a frontal attack on the BJP and RSS. "Ever since the BJP has come to power at the Centre, attacks on Dalits and minorities have increased manifold," alleged Mayawati. ON UNA INCIDENT Striking an emotional chord with the Dalit community in Gujarat , Mayawati said, "After watching the visuals of the young men flogged mercilessly, I felt like I am getting flogged... " Mayawati then went to the Civil Hospital and interacted with the victims. The BSP chief distributed cash of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the victims. DIVERSION OF ATTENTION FROM THE DALIT ISSUE PLOY Speaking to reporters outside the Hospital, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged a conspiracy to keep her out of Gujarat after the Una incident. "I wanted to visit the victims earlier... but the BJP conspired through Dayashankar Singh and made him say unpleasant things about me... They diverted the attention of the Dalits to another issue," she claimed. Maywati also alleged that Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel's resignation was also a ploy to divert attention from the Una incident. --- ENDS --- Engineer Rashid with his supporters chanted slogans demanding plebiscite in Kashmir. By Ashraf Wani: MLA Langate and Chairman AIP (Awami Itihaad Party) Engineer Rashid was detained outside his home by police after he tried to carry protest march to UNMPO office in Srinagar to present a memorandum on recent civilian killings in police action against protesters in Kashmir. Engineer Rashid with his supporters chanted slogans demanding plebiscite in Kashmir. However, Jammu and Kashmir police had guarded outside Rashids residence in Srinagar and they did not allow him to proceed further. advertisement He was detained by the police. Curfew and protest shutdown continued in Kashmir on Thursday for the 27th consecutive day. Over 50 protesters were injured on Wednesday in Adijan area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district when their rally was intercepted by security forces. Reports said central reserve police force (CRPF) troopers torched over two dozen motorcycles and other vehicles that participated in the protest rally. --- ENDS --- Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Patrick Donachie Elmhurst Dairy, a fixture of Jamaica and one of the premier producers of milk in New York state, announced Wednesday it will close and discontinue its operations. For the first time ever, milk will not be bottled within the city limits, according to a statement released by Elmhurst announcing the closure. CEO Henry Schwartz lamented the closure and the loss of jobs for 273 people. My family was dedicated to trying to keep the plant open long past the years that it was economically viable because it was the wishes of its founder, Max Schwartz, that future generations of the family continue the business, he said. The family did so at a very high cost but is unable to do so without ongoing losses. The company was founded by Max and Arthur Schwartz at their fathers dairy farm in Elmhurst. The company eventually moved and expanded to a facility in Jamaica about 80 years ago. Over the decades, the business expanded to fill 15 acres at the site at 155-25 Styler Rd. It become the largest milk plant in the New York metro area and eventually the only remaining one in the city. Elmhurst distributed more than 5.6 million quarts of milk a week to 11 million customers per week at its height. Several farms upstate supplied milk for the facility, and the company has provided much of the milk for New York City public schools. Market swings and regulatory shifts changed the mark for city milk processing plants, however, until Elmhurst Dairys Jamaica plant was the only remaining facility bottling milk in New York. Schwartz said he and the rest of the Elmhurst staff tried to find a way to break even in the market, but continued to suffer losses. State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-Hollis) released a statement expressing his regret about the closure and frustration with the slow movement of progress in negotiations to help Elmhurst survive. I, along with other local elected officials, tried repeatedly to work with city and state agencies in order to ease the regulations imposed on Elmhurst Dairy. Unfortunately, that regulatory burden made it impossible for the company to compete with out-of-state vendors, Comrie said. I hope that the 273 hardworking employees of Elmhurst Dairy find opportunity under new ownership. In 2011, Starbucks discontinued a partnership with Elmhurst which involved the coffee chain using the dairy plants products in its city locations that many worried would harm the plant. Comrie said the facility had difficulty bringing its trucks from upstate due to the weight of the contents, and the company found it difficult to maintain a competitive edge in the market. He said it was not surprising the facility had closed. They were an important employer in our district, he said. In the statement announcing the closure, Schwartz said the company hoped to re-use the facility in a manner beneficial for the city and the surrounding Jamaica community. By Steve Barnes Queens offers a lot of ways to cool off with music during the summer months, from evenings under the stars in a city park, to rock bands cranking up the volume within sight of the Atlantic Ocean in the Rockways. But Bill Popp and The Tapes have landed on an ingenious way to combine beating the heat with enjoying some original sounds. For the next two Wednesday nights, Aug. 10 and 17, the band will be in residence at a rather unusual location: Ralphs Famous Italian Ices and Ice Cream at the Whitepoint Shopping Center at 32-07 14th Ave. in College Point. Playing three sets a night, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the band will treat audiences to a mix of sounds that runs from the 1970s, when Popp got his start playing in venues around New York City, to the present day. While Popp worked for many years as a plumber (even plying his trade at the legendary CBGBs) before his recent retirement, hes far from a stranger to the professional stage. Having played gigs in such far-flung locations as New Orleans, England and South Korea, Popp was on stage for the 50th anniversary of the legendary Maxs Kansas City and also played Gerdes Folk City, which in its day hosted performers from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez to Steely Dan and Patti Smith. However, the College Point musician has brought his distinctive musical persona to the stage without ever losing sight of the day job that paid his rent for many years. With a recent single entitled Flushing His Plumbing Job Down the Drain and a CD entitled Popps Last Flush, a wry sense of humor runs through his music, and while he never seems to take himself too seriously, the level of professonalism in his performances remains constant. The Aquarian Weekly has called his music classic rock/indie at its finest. Popps mission goes beyond just music as well. Every year, he plays a show he calls the Daddy Tapes as both a salute to his late father, George L. Popp, and a charitable fundraiser. This years edition, the 30th, was held at the Bowery Electric in the East Village and benefited the American Heart Association. While taking in Popps sounds with some frozen treats on the side might sound like the perfect way to spend an August evening, those who like to hear their classic rock in more familiar concert settings have several opportunities to do just that in the coming weeks. Bill Popp and the Tapes will be playing at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park on Aug. 16, and will take the stage at Astorias Irish Whiskey Bar, 28-48 31st St. on Sept. 17. By Bill Parry Phase 2 of the Queens Boulevard reconstruction project began last week in Elmhurst where Community Board 4 approved the plan in May, but without its controversial bike lanes. The following day Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered officials at the city DOT to ignore CB 4 and include the bike lanes as the $100 million project pushes through Elmhurst to Rego Park from 74th Street to Eliot Avenue. We have removed parking along the medians and are currently working on the pedestrian ramps at Broadway and Grand Avenue, a DOT spokesman said. We are also currently water blasting existing marks in preparation for new marking to be put in its place. The Phase II project is expected to be completed by this fall. CB 4 declined to comment, but street safety advocates and cyclists are applauding the traffic calming measures. The stretch of Queens Boulevard between 74th Street and Eliot Avenue saw 777 total injuries and five fatalities between 2010 and 2014, according to the DOT. I think the Phase 2 implementation is going to be really great and show off the mass of cyclists not only commuting to Manhattan, but also connecting to existing and planned bike routes through Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights, Glendale, Maspeth and Rego Park, said Make Queens Safer Co-founder Cristina Furlong. I ride the existing Phase 1 route weekly and Ive seen that the motor vehicle traffic is far more organized. DOT refers to it as predictable movements. Having that saves lives and helps all road users navigate whether they are crossing Queens Boulevard to the subway or trying to make their morning drive a bit less trafficky. Furlong is also a member of Queens Bike Initiative, a group working to create a bicycle greenway connecting the parks in the borough. Many of its members witnessed the chaotic scene inside the ballroom of Italian Charities of America the night CB 4 voted to reject the bike lanes. I have a friend who bikes from Queens College to Manhattan regularly. Phase 2 is going to unite neighborhoods and neighbors whether they are walking or biking. We are going to see a far more civilized route for everyone, including drivers, Furlong said. There are seriously hundreds of teens riding across our borough. We will be able to see them now, when they start using the new route. Those who complain that it isnt being used, will finally see numbers, which are not only the kids but so many older men and women. I cant wait to see them on Queens Boulevard, which will be a much safer route than what we have anywhere in the borough right now. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Lenore Skenazy Just a few weeks after the terror attacks of 9/11, Gilbert Gottfried took to the stage of the Friars Club and explained he had to leave early to catch a plane to California. I couldnt get a direct flight, he said. We have to make a stop at the Empire State Building. The crowd booed and someone yelled, Too soon! But in fact, Gottfrieds timing was impeccable. He told the joke before the invention of Twitter. Also before outrage became Americas consuming passion. The rollicking new documentary, Can We Take a Joke? brings our lust for umbrage into sharp focus. Audiences, it points out, have become hypersensitive especially on campus. Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld have both sworn off college gigs, because as Rock put it, You cant even be offensive on your way to being inoffensive. And so the film, by documentarian Ted Balaker with support from the free-speech advocacy group the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, interviews comedians both famous and up-and-coming about how theyre dealing with the onslaught of offendedness. One interviewee, stand-up Jim Norton, has worked his frustration into his routine. Why is comedy the only form of the arts where people think they have to agree with or approve the content? he asks. You dont walk through a museum with a towel and throw it over paintings you dont like, (saying) I dont want anybody else seeing this because I dont enjoy it. Comedys job is, as George Carlin once said, to find where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately. Thats been the comedians job ever since the first jester joked about the kings much younger wife. If we steered clear of every topic that could offend someone, we couldnt open our mouths, says Lisa Lampanelli, whose entire act is making fun of absolutely everyone. That might not be your thing. But if its not, stay home. Instead, audiences are coming in, sitting down, and demanding that comics not say anything crude or cruel. But when my idea of cruel is your idea of hilarious, my super-sensitivity automatically wins. I get to declare not just that the comic isnt funny, but that he is a bad person and needs to be punished. Consider what happened at Washington State University, where a student named Chris Lee wrote a musical designed to offend absolutely everyone. In fact, he billed it as such. But one night, the university itself requested 40 tickets. Those ticket holders came in and started shouting, Im offended! They stood up and shook their fists. The shouts grew into threats. And guess what? Turns out the university had paid them to attend and disrupt the show. When Chris asked the cops for protection, they wouldnt promise it. He had become someone not worth saving because he was politically incorrect. Then theres Justine Sacco. The young publicist was on her way to South Africa. As she boarded the plane she tweeted, Going to Africa. Hope I dont get AIDS. Just kidding. Im white. She was making a lame joke about the way whites see Africa, the continent where her parents had worked as anti-racism activists. But one of her handful of Twitter followers assumed this was actually a racist remark and retweeted it. It got picked up by more and more people and by the time Sacco got off her 12-hour flight, she found herself the No. 1 trending item worldwide on Twitter, with people calling for her to be raped or killed. Because of a bad joke. Jon Ronson wrote about her story in his book, So Youve Been Publicly Shamed. As he notes in the film: The mob that took her down wasnt actually making the world a better place. It was just getting off on outrage. The same thing happened to Gottfried when he joked after the 2011 tsunami, I was talking to my Japanese real estate agent. I said, Is there a school in this area? She said, Not now. But just wait. He lost his job as the Aflac duck, and became officially a terrible person more so than after 9/11, when we were still able to be shocked but move on. Now, maybe that wasnt a tasteful joke. But comedy does not have to be tasteful. It has to be allowed. It is free speech. It is the way a society copes with its fears and stands up to tyranny. Im guessing Vladimir Putin doesnt tolerate a lot of anti-Putin punch lines. Do you really want to live in a world where everyone has to think twice before they tell any kind of a joke? asks Greg Lukianoff, the president of FIRE. America, lighten up or be prepared for dark times. Can We Take a Joke? is available through iTunes and on demand through most cable and satellite providers. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Patrick Donachie New York City students showed improved scores in state exams this past year and matched New York State students in English Language Arts (ELA) scores for the first time since standardized testing was instituted for all grades in 2006. City students also showed increased proficiency on math exams, and Queens students matched the upward trends in both categories. The tests were conducted in April for students in grades 3-8. Overall, English test score proficiency improvements from 2015 were particularly notable in Queens school districts, with many marking proficiency increases of 10 percent or more across demographic and geographical lines. In District 24, including parts of middle and eastern Queens, ELA scores went up by 7 percent from 2015, while math scores stayed steady with 40 percent considered proficient. District 25, which includes parts of Flushing, Whitestone and College Point, saw a 10 percent increase in ELA scores to 53 percent, while math scores improved one point to 59 percent. In District 26, which includes Bayside and Douglaston, ELA scores increased by 7 percent to 66 percent, while math scores went from 70 to 71 percent. In District 27, which includes parts of Far Rockaway and Woodhaven, English scores went up 7 points to 37 percent, while math scores decreased by one point to 33 percent, the only percentage decrease on record in the borough. District 28, which stretches from Forest Hills to South Jamaica, saw an 8 percent ELA increase to 43 percent, while math held steady at 41 percent. In District 29, which includes parts of eastern Queens such as St. Albans and Rosedale, ELA scores jumped 8 points to 33 percent ,while math went up by one to 26 percent. And in District 30, which includes parts of Sunnyside, Astoria and Woodside, English scores jumped 10 points to 44 percent and math scores rose from 42 to 43 percent. Proficiency is measured as students who score in Level 3 or 4 questions. This year, students did not have a time limit for the first time. Additionally, the tests contained fewer questions. State Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia announced that students could complete the exam at their own pace provided they were working productively in January. With the release of the test scores, she said that it might be difficult to compare 2016 results to years prior. In addition to the increases in proficiency, we saw a substantial decrease in students scoring at the lowest proficiency level particularly black and Hispanic students. These students are making real progress towards becoming proficient, Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said. We have much to celebrate today but no time to slow down. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), the head of the New York City Councils Committee on Education, attributed the increase in proficiency among city students to more robust funding and resources for children enrolled in public schools. Our schools continue to move in the right direction, Dromm said. These improvements are the result of the citys considerable investment in public education over the past 2 1/2 years. The 63 Renewal schools, which partner with nonprofits to offer additional services, grew faster than other city schools in math, according to the city, though the schools did not improve as rapidly as other city schools in their ELA test scores. English exam proficiency increased at 59 of the 63 schools, while proficiency on the math exams increased at 40 out of the 63 schools. The state exams were marked by public controversy over parents opting-out their students from taking the tests to protest the Common Core standards. Statewide, 21 percent of students opted out, but only 3 percent of students in the city did not take the exams. However, the number of students who opted out increased to 12,999 from 7,904 the year before. The Congress said Modi is the first Prime Minister in independent India to be absent during a constitutional amendment. PM Modi was not in the Lok Sabha when the bill was debated there, and he was again missing from the Rajya Sabha. By Indo-Asian News Service: Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not being present in either house of Parliament when the GST Bill was taken up, the Congress on Thursday said that it was for the first time in independent India that a constitutional amendment bill was discussed, debated and passed without the Prime Minister being present. "This has happened for the first time in the past 66 years that the Prime Minister was missing when a constitutional amendment was being debated," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said. advertisement "It seems that Parliament has become Prime Minister-'mukt' (free of)," he said, adding that it was unprecedented and created doubts if Modi was in favour of the legislation. Ramesh said Modi was not in the Lok Sabha when the bill was debated there, and he was again missing from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday when the bill was discussed, debated and passed by the Upper House. The former Union minister said that Wednesday's debate and voting on the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha was historic, and both the government and the principal opposition moved from their stated positions to pass the bill in a "cordial atmosphere". "We hope that this cordial atmosphere will continue and the government, as demanded by all opposition parties will not bring the CGST and the IGST as money bills." "Government must not bring these bills as money bills. We believe that the cordial atmosphere will continue as there's a lot to be done," he said. CONGRESS WANTED GST TO BE FOR COMMON PEOPLE The Congress leader said that government wanted pro-industry and pro-states GST regime but the Congress wanted it to be for the common people. He also reasoned that when the tax is kept low, more and more people pay it, hence enhancing the overall collections. Ramesh said that he expects lots of confusion on GST, but "it was a positive impact on the Indian economy". "This GST is imperfect but then no bill could be perfect and a lot is to be done to make it good," he added. He also expressed happiness that many of Congress' demands on GST have been met by the government. ALSO READ | How GST impacts common man: Here's what you need to know GST, first conceptualised 16 years ago, now a reality as Rajya Sabha passes historic bill GST rollout target is April 1 next year, says government --- ENDS --- An Egyptian air strike killed the head of the Islamic State group branch behind scores of deadly attacks on security forces and suspected of downing a Russian airliner, the army said Thursday. The army\s announcement did not say when the operation took place but named the head of the Egyptian affiliate of the jihadist group based in the Sinai Peninsula as Abu Doaa al-Ansari. He was killed along with top aides and dozens of others jihadists in an operation carried out jointly by the air force and the anti-terrorism squad, the army\s spokesman said on Facebook. Since Egypt\s military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, jihadists have spearheaded an insurgency against the army and police with daily attacks in North Sinai. Most of the attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been claimed by the "Sinai Province", the Egyptian branch of IS. Military forces "were able to kill the leader Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the terrorist called Abu Doaa al-Ansari, and a number of his top aides in addition to more than 45 terrorist elements," said the spokesman. A military source told AFP that Ansari was the group\s "number one" leader. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis was the previous name of the jihadists before the group swore allegiance to the Islamic State group in November 2014. The statement said dozens of others were "targeted with precise hits" in the operation against strongholds of the group south and southwest of the Sinai city of El-Arish. The operation destroyed depots where weapons, ammunition and explosives were stashed, it added. The military has poured troops and armour into the peninsula where security forces have been battling a jihadist insurgency since then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Morsi more than three years ago. But the jihadists have remained defiant and kept up attacks mostly against the security forces using roadside bombs and ambushes. They have also targeted Egyptian Christians and claimed attacks on foreigners and diplomatic missions, including last year\s attack on the Italian consulate in Cairo In 2015 they the group also claimed to have beheaded a Croatian man who worked for French geoscience company CGG, after abducting him on a road running from the west of Cairo. Later that year the interior ministry announced the killing of top IS operative Ashraf Ali Hassanein al-Gharabli suspected of involvement in the abduction and murder of the Croatian and the bombing of the Italian consulate. In another of its worst attacks, the group claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from an Egyptian resort last year, killing all 224 people on board. The group said it had smuggled a bomb on board at an airport in the south of the peninsula. The army has regularly announced the death or capture of jihadists, who have often claimed their attacks were in retaliation for a police crackdown that has killed hundreds and left thousands in jail since Morsi\s ouster. The arid and rugged Sinai Peninsula borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip. El-Arish is the provincial capital of North Sinai where the jihadists are active. SOURCE: AFP The UN special envoy to Yemen said Thursday he plans to suspend peace talks between the country\s warring parties at the weekend but that negotiations will resume later. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been mediating the talks between President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi\s government and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies in Kuwait since April 21, without a major breakthrough. "We plan to hold the final session (of the talks) on Saturday," the Mauritanian diplomat said in an interview on state-run Kuwait TV. "We are working on issuing a communique that will emphasise on the main points we have achieved." The talks would resume later, he said, without providing a specific date or the location but he added that they could return to Kuwait. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he offered delegates a peace plan a few days ago, and thanked the government for its positive response while adding that the rebels had some reservations. The envoy said all difficult issues were discussed and some achievements were made during the negotiations. "We wanted to have a sustainable and lasting peace agreement," said Ould Cheikh Ahmed who on Wednesday briefed the UN Security Council about the talks. The peace plan calls for the rebels to withdraw from territories they occupied in September 2014 including the capital Sanaa and hand over heavy weapons, said Ould Cheikh Ahmed. The government delegation which left Kuwait this week returned to the emirate late Thursday to attend the final session, its spokesman Mohammed al-Emrani told AFP. The rebels had insisted that first a national unity government must be formed and a new consensus president appointed to oversee the transition. Yemen, home to what the United States sees as Al-Qaeda\s deadliest franchise, descended into chaos after the 2012 ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces are fighting alongside the Huthi rebels. Security deteriorated further after the Huthis swept into Sanaa and pushed south, forcing President Hadi\s government to flee into exile in March last year. The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since then, when a Saudi-led Arab coalition launched a military campaign in support of Hadi. SOURCE: AFP AP file photo Former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole SHARE Hillary Clinton may be the Democratic Party's 2016 candidate but she isn't the first woman to run for President of the United States. First was Victoria Claflin Woodhull who in 1872 was candidate for the Equal Rights Party. She ran on a platform of labor reform and women's rights including the right to vote, choose their own husbands and divorce an abusive one. She campaigned against Republican Ulysses S. Grant and Democrat Horace Greeley. Before the election Woodhull was arrested on an obscenity charge for using federal mail to send information about an alleged adulterous affair involving renown minister Henry Ward Beecher (father of Harriet Beecher Stowe) and Elizabeth Tilton. She got no electoral votes and reports vary on whether or not she got a popular vote. Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood ran twice, in 1884 and 1888, another candidate for the Equal Rights Party. Lockwood, a widow, knew education was the only way to support her family. Enrolled in seminary people were shocked any woman would want higher education. After persuading a New York college to admit her, she graduated with honors. Turned down in 1870 by Columbia Law School ("she would be a distraction to male students"), Lockwood was finally admitted to National University Law School. In 1873, although she earned the degree NULS refused her a diploma. Without a diploma she couldn't be admitted to the District of Columbia bar so Lockwood sent an impassioned letter to President Ulysses S. Grant, asking for justice. In a week she had her diploma. With a limited legal practice for five years she wrote and lobbied an anti-discrimination bill giving women the same access to the bar as men. In 1879 Congress passed it and President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it. In 1880 she was the first woman lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Both Lockwood campaigns struggled for support. Newspapers warned male readers it would be "petticoat rule" if any woman was elected president. In 1884 she got 4,100 votes. There was evidence of voter fraud; Lockwood supporters had seen ballots for her torn up and in one state, thrown away. Lockwood had a 43-year career as an attorney and spent years campaigning for world peace, women's suffrage and equal rights It would be 1920 before American women had the right to vote. In 1964 Margaret Chase Smith who served four terms in the House of Representatives and four in the Senate was the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party. She got Republican primary votes in New Hampshire, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas and other states and 27 first ballot votes at the GOP national convention. Shirley Chisolm was the first African-American woman to seek a major party's nomination for President. In 1972 she got 151.95 delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention. A teacher and director of child care centers she served in the New York state Legislature before becoming the first black woman to be elected to the House from 1969-1983. Patsy Takemoto Mink also campaigned for nomination in 1972. After serving in Hawaii's territorial and state legislatures, she was elected to the House from 1965-1977. Ellen McCormack was in 20 Democratic primaries and in 1976 and won 22 convention votes. She was the first woman to qualify for federal campaign matching funds and Secret Service protection. She ran again in 1980. Sonia Johnson ran on the Citizens Party in 1984, got matching funds and more than 70,000 votes. Patricia Schroeder entered the presidential campaign in 1988 but dropped out for lack of funds. She went on to serve Colorado 24 years in the House and as an anti-Vietnam War protester was appointed to the Armed Services Committee in her first year. Lenora Fulani ran or president in 1988 and 1992 for the New Alliance Party and qualified for matching funds Elizabeth Dole left the American Red Cross in 1999 to consider seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. She had been part of husband Robert Dole's unsuccessful 1980 and 1988 campaigns for president. After commission and cabinet posts in Nixon, Reagan and Bush administrations, she was elected U.S. Senator from North Carolina in 2002. Carol Mosley Braun was U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand when she campaigned in 2004. A Democrat, after being an Illinois state representative served a single term as the first African American woman in the Senate. Michele Bachman in 2012 won the Ames straw pole but left the race after serious losses in Iowa. Carly Fiorina was the only Republican woman to announce for the 2016 presidential campaign. She had worked for Sen. John McCain's 2008 campaign and later lost the 2010 general election for the California Senate seat to Barbara Boxer. Judith McGinnis, whose column appears here on Thursdays, may be reached at mcginnisj@timesrecordnews.com or 940-763-7534. Patrick Johnston/Times Record News Officer Brian Bohn (second from right) and Memory Semes (right), coordinators of the Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers program, go over details of board approval for rewards with Graham Police Sgts. Chris Denney (from left) and B.J. Cook on Tuesday at the Graham Police Station. SHARE Patrick Johnston/Times Record News Officer Brian Bohn, coordinator of the Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers program, reads the program certication from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to Graham Police Chief Tony Widner (right) Tuesday at the Graham Police Station. Patrick Johnston/Times Record News Graham Police Chief Tony Widner (from left) and Sgts. B.J. Cook and Chris Denney pose next to the Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers vehicle outside the Graham Police Station Tuesday. The Wichita Falls program recently expanded to include Graham and Young County. Patrick Johnston/Times Record News Officer Brian Bohn, coordinator of the Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers program, answers a few questions Graham Police Sgts. Chris Denney (left) and B.J. Cook (center) Tuesday at the Graham Police Station. By Patrick Johnston, pjohnston@gannett.com GRAHAM When police officers have little information about a crime, they often seek assistance from the public. They know someone will usually have seen or heard a key piece of information that would lead to an arrest or the case being closed. "Just about every major crime we solve involves somebody in the public that saw something or knew something," Graham Police Chief Tony Widner said. Now, Widner and the Graham Police Department are hoping to give community members a chance to keep their streets safer by joining the Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers program, expanding its reach to include four area counties. "I think Graham is seriously in need of a Crime Stoppers program," the chief said. "The benefits of having an avenue for people to report anonymously is something we've been looking for for a long time. I think it'll be a huge benefit to us." Officer Brian Bohn, coordinator of the program for the Wichita Falls Police Department, also saw a possible need in Young County a few months ago when he realized they didn't have a Crime Stoppers yet and reached out to the GPD. Already working with other law enforcement agencies in Archer, Clay and Wichita counties, Bohn thought Graham might prefer to join the established organization rather than setting everything up from scratch, including a board and financial reporting and audits. "From everything we're hearing, every body is excited, including business owners and residents," Bohn said. "They are excited to have the program down there and are willing to help out with it whether it's donations or board members or fundraisers." After a bit of paperwork to finalize the addition, Bohn delivered the program certification by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday to Widner and answered questions from GPD Sgts. Chris Denney and B.J. Cook, who recently attended training on Crime Stoppers and will be coordinating the program in Graham. "Wichita Falls has always had a top-notch program. Even our campus prog ram was voted the No. 1 program in the state last year," Bohn said. "Now we can take that knowledge down to another county that has never had this program before, or at least it's been a long time since they've had it." Anyone with information about a crime in Graham or Young County will now be able to anonymously call the Wichita Falls hotline at 940-322-9888 or toll-free at 800-322-9888. "People from Graham that will be submitting tips will be calling into a system that won't record their numbers," Widner said. "The people they are talking to won't know them and will explain to them not to give their names and numbers." The hotline doesn't have a caller ID and can't display the name or number of the caller. If a person leaves a voice message with that information, Bohn told the officers that his office by policy must delete the message because the anonymity has been breached. From there, the tip is sent to the proper law enforcement agency to follow up on. If that tip leads to an arrest, it is presented to the board for reward approval. The tipster is then able to pick up their cash anonymously from a local bank using special code information if the reward is approved. Widner hopes that, with the added financial incentive and ability to remain anonymous, people will be more willing to come forward. "In today's world, so many bad things happen that somebody knew about," Widner said. "It's nice that they are going to have the opportunity to be able to report that and not be dragged into court. They can make a difference. "If we're going to be successful as a society and a community, we all have to work together. This is the perfect mechanism for that." By submitting tips and information, callers can help get stolen items returned to its rightful owners and keep drugs out of neighborhoods. "It cuts down the time to recover stolen property or to take drugs off the street in half," Widner said. "And in the situation where drugs or violence are going to take place by making that phone call, they are saving somebody's life." For investigators like Denney, Crime Stoppers can be a valuable resource to get initial leads on a tough case. "So many times we get cases that just go unsolved because we have very little information or don't have enough to proceed," Denney said. "I'm hoping Crime Stoppers will help bring some of these people forward to give us information." Both Denney and Cook agreed that many of the crimes they see whether it's a theft of copper or wiring or someone breaking into a car or home ultimately involve illegal narcotics in some way. "Drugs stem to a lot of crime," Cook said. "It's not just the burglaries, it stems to the assaults and murders and so forth. Drugs are the big root of the problem. You're not going to ever get all of the drugs out of any city or county, but you can sure put a damper on it." In addition to having signs around town, Graham police hope to get school officials on board to bring the campus program into Graham ISD. "There's a lot of stuff that goes through our schools, and we know that," Cook said. "It's impossible for us to catch it all. I think implementing this into the schools will be great, because they do have the resources to catch it and then we can do the follow-ups from there." "These kids know a lot of what's going on, and we hope we can get them to report it," Denney added. "I think having it in the community is great, and having it in the schools is icing on the cake." Bowie Memorial Hospital SHARE By Barbara Green, The Bowie News Central Hospital of Bowie is still looking at a possible September or early fall opening as the new owners have received the state hospital license and are pursuing other licenses and certifications, including Medicare and Medicaid. The sale of the former Bowie Memorial Hospital property was finalized in mid-May for $1.5 million. The hospital authority board closed the deal with Bowie Real Estate Holdings, L.P., represented by Dr. Hasan F. Hashmi and his two sons, Faraz Hashmi and Suleman Hashmi. The Hashmi family operates Texas General Hospital in Grand Prairie, and TGH-Van Zandt Regional Medical Center in Grand Saline. Dr. Hashmi said at the closing they anticipate starting with basic core services such as an emergency room, X-ray and lab to start with. That transition to expand services also will include community input the group wants to obtain through town hall meetings. Faraz Hashmi, president and chief executive officer of Central Hospital of Bowie, said Monday this week were surprised at how quickly the license arrived. "Quite frankly, I was a little shocked it happened so quick. It is a huge deal to get the license and it usually takes longer. It is a risk to start getting things ready without the license, but it paid off," Hashmi said. Having the license in place "gets the ball rolling" in rebuilding the infrastructure of the hospital. Hashmi said there are a lot of different certifications that have to be obtained, such as those for radiology; and they are diligently working on all those applications and details. New vendor relationships also have to be established. "There is so much that happens behind the scenes. It may seem like it is just reopening with a new name, but it is more. Developing the internal infrastructure is critical to make a hospital run. Once you have that in place we will have a better start date. We are doing everything to keep it moving forward. We want to iron out all potential concerns before we see any patients. I want the focus to be high quality care not infrastructure. Have confidence we are working hard and hope to stick to the fall timeline," CEO Hashmi said. The Medicare and Medicaid applications for the changeover of Central Hospital have gone through phase one and are in phase two. The new company also is taking steps to make repairs at the former Bowie Memorial Hospital, including fixing roof and other maintenance issues. Hashmi said they also have updates to complete. The company has hired a small staff to assist with facility and infrastructure needs. The CEO added there are some familiar faces back in the halls. He anticipates once they open Central Hospital will hire about 50 full-time people. "Know I am striving to make it happen as quickly as possible, but also to maintain the highest quality. I understand the need for a hospital and the community's need, for it to come back soon. A hospital like this needs to have a centerpoint for the community, and you can feel it in so many directions. We want to be community involved and want those here to feel involved with their hospital to maintain that attachment they had before," Hashmi said. Stating that the family of deceased Satish Kumar was scared to lodge an FIR, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Lal Chand Malhi suggested that the state should become a complainant in this case so that the senseless killing of a young man does not go unpunished. By Anil Kumar: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Lal Chand Malhi, a member of the National Assembly, has demanded that a formal case should be filed in connection with the murder of a hindu boy over suspected sacrilege in sindh last week. the mla raised the issue in pakistan assembly. Stating that the family of deceased Satish Kumar was scared to lodge an FIR, Malhi suggested that the state should become a complainant in this case so that the senseless killing of a young man does not go unpunished. advertisement Insisting that this incident was 'engineered' to cause unrest among the Hindu community in Sindh, Malhi made an impassioned appeal on the house floor for intelligence agencies to investigate the matter and punish those who were responsible for this "mischief". Speaking on points of order, Hindu MNAs invited the attention of the house to the recent unrest in Daharki and Mirpur Mathelo areas of Ghotki district, where life was all but paralysed and at least one person killed in riots following an alleged incident of sacrilege late last month. PML's Darshan Lal, a member of the national assembly talking to India Today Group said that he was in touch with Ghotki SSP Masud Bangash and a case would be registered against the young man's murderers. Also Lal Malhi Told Geo TV over phone " Intolerance has become a big issue here. No political party gives priority to minorities. --- ENDS --- Storms dump 1.3-inch of rain on Wichita Falls Friday "When it rains it pours." It poured Thursday night into Friday morning causing a flood warning to be issued for some parts of the county. SHARE It is not enough to succeed, Gore Vidal once said; others must fail. As presidential nominee Hillary Clinton enjoys a bump in her polls after the Democratic National Convention, she's getting a boost from her Republican opponent Donald Trump's epic fails. First, there was his ugly and self-destructive denigration of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a fallen American military hero. Their son, Capt. Humayun Khan, who was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers from a car bomb in Iraq. Yet, as his father Khizr Khan said, standing with his wife before the Democratic National Convention on its final night, "if it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America." The most bracing moment came when the grieving father offered to lend his own pocket Constitution to Trump, invited him to visit Arlington National Cemetery and declared in a halting but clear voice, "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." We know by now that Trump, who denies having a thin skin, actually has a very thin skin, too thin to let him express the simple and sympathetic reactions of such previous presidents as George W. Bush and Barack Obama when they were criticized by Gold Star parents. They expressed sympathy and gratitude for those families' sacrifices and grief. But Trump, the man who openly shuns "political correctness," saying it "takes too much time," apparently didn't have time to think twice before claiming that he was "viciously attacked" by the Khans, which only gave the controversy more legs through the weekend. In an ABC interview Sunday, he also equated his "sacrifices" as a billionaire businessman to those made by the Khans and suggested that Mrs. Khan had not spoken because her Muslim faith forbids it. In fact, as she later explained in interviews and a Washington Post op-ed, she felt unable to speak in front of her son's photo without crying. All of this, by way, ended a week in which the Grand Old Party's nominee looked like an arrogant simpleton in three other examples of self-inflicted wounds: He invited Russian hackers to uncover and release Clinton's private emails. He sounded as confident, yet confused and ignorant, about the turmoil in Ukraine as a student who was trying to bulljive his way through an oral exam for which he had not studied. He also mocked another Democratic convention speaker, who happens to be a retired four-star general, as a failure. But at least those Trumpian attacks, like most of his previous jabs, involved public figures. His decision to pick on the grieving parents of a slain war hero is enough to raise concerns about his mental and emotional health. After all, if Trump goes this nuclear over criticism from grieving Gold Star parents, one wonders how he would deal with, say, Kim Jong Un? I, for one, hope we never have to find out. Most frustrating to other Republicans, the calls for GOP leaders to repudiate Trump for his growing list of offenses distract from their efforts to undermine Clinton. On Sunday, for example, Clinton undermined her own efforts to improve her shaky poll numbers for trustworthiness. During a Fox News interview, she uttered a whopper that was serious enough to earn "four Pinocchios," The Washington Post's fact-checking department's worst rating. She said in part that FBI Director James "Comey said my answers were truthful, and what I've said is consistent with what I have told the American people ..." Post Fact-Checker columnist Glenn Kessler wrote that she was "cherry-picking statements by Comey to preserve her narrative about the unusual setup of a private email server" and "skate past the more disturbing findings of the FBI investigation." Yet, after Trump tweeted Clinton's Pinocchios, Kessler tweeted, "Both amusing & irritating to see @realDonaldTrump tout a 4-P fact check on HRC when his staff almost never responds to fact check queries." Indeed, in this contest between two candidates with unusually low public approval ratings, neither can afford to make too many mistakes. But Trump has made enough unforced errors lately to qualify as a noncash contribution to Clinton's campaign. Email Clarence Page at cpage@tribune.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany Legislative oversight hearings are usually buttoned-down affairs, with agency heads reading from prepared texts and patiently answering genteel questions posed by lawmakers. Even when the questioning is harsh, commissioners typically avoid firing back or signaling their frustration. That wasn't the case Wednesday, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo's economic development czar Howard Zemsky alternately jousted with, rebutted and generally went head-to-head with lawmakers who posed pointed questions about job creation programs overseen by Empire State Development Corp. Several times Zemsky semi-jokingly compared the hearing his appearance ran past two hours to "medieval torture," which he said he's willing to tolerate if it helps grow New York's economy, especially upstate. He suggested lawmakers were too quick to condemn programs as failures, especially when it will take time to change the status quo across the upstate region. "I think we're making too much of running to the top of the hill and pointing fingers and crying foul," he told members of the state Assembly's Economic Development Committee, led by Western New York Democrat Robin Schimminger. "If people are going to push, I'm going to push back," Zemsky told reporters in a press gaggle after his testimony. "I'm not in grin-and-bear-it mode on this." Much of the questioning came from Schimminger and Republican Ray Walter, who also represents Western New York. At issue was the Start-Up NY tax-free zones program as well as the massive investments Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration has spearheaded in Buffalo, including construction of a Solar City solar panel plant. A number of those projects have drawn the scrutiny of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for possible improper lobbying and conflicts of interest. Schimminger asked why this year's progress report on Start-Up, which was 90 days late and quietly posted before the July 4 weekend, didn't contain all the information required by statute a contention Zemsky disputed. The lawmaker also questioned the job creation numbers from the program, which offers a 10-year tax holiday for new ventures connected to college campuses and was trumpeted with a $53 million national ad campaign. Schimminger questioned ESD's contention that the program created 408 jobs over the last three years. Data reported by participating companies, though, suggested that some positions were transfers from other locations or reflected in earlier hiring, the Assemblyman said. As he would do several times during his appearance, Zemsky focused on his belief that the program was changing the perception that the state has a hostile business climate. Start-Up, he said, would take time to gain full momentum and lead to the creation of more than 4,000 jobs over the coming years. Zemsky also said it made sense to harness the brainpower found across the numerous SUNY campuses as well as private colleges and universities across upstate. "Do we want to maintain the status quo of the last 40 years? It was going downhill forever," Zemsky said, echoing a view that Cuomo has long expressed about the slow decline of the region. Lawmakers also had questions about Solar City, which required a $475 million funding item that was introduced the night before the April 1 budget deadline. "This almost half-a-billion dollar request came at the 11th hour," said Schimminger. Explaining that the solar plant started out as a smaller venture, Zemsky said it "grew dramatically. More money was needed to make it all happen." There were other points of contention. David Friedfel, director of state studies for the Citizens Budget Commission, questioned other big-dollar programs that don't appear to have specific job targets, such as a $125 million subsidy for a titanium plant in Clinton County which he said had no established jobs criteria and which was being worked out with little transparency. E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center said the subsidies were clouding the need to improve the state's underlying economic climate, which he linked to high taxes and excessive regulations, including the pending ramp-up of a $15-an-hour minimum wage. A consortium of groups including the CBC, Reinvent Albany and Fiscal Policy Institute called for a master "Database of Deals" that would compile all the state's economic development programs as well as their costs and benefits. Schimminger later agreed that more information is needed on programs such as START-UP. "This is a very big tax break and the companies that aren't getting it want to be reassured," he said. Zemsky, a Buffalo developer who is serving for just $1 per year, stressed that economic development takes time. Appearing Wednesday in Buffalo, Cuomo said politicians should get out of Albany (they haven't been there since mid-June) and explore the ways the state's job-creation efforts have boosted the state's economy. "My advice to the Albany politicians: Go home," he said. "Get in touch with reality, talk to your neighbors, visit Buffalo you clearly haven't been there in a long time." rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Voorheesville What if phone lines go down? What if one of the interstates gets cut off? When answering a call to an oil train derailment, first responders and all those who play a part, want to make sure they will have answers to any questions that might arise and a plan to address the problems. That was the mission of a tabletop discussion for CSX rail, state, Albany County and local officials on Thursday. "It's a test of our plans, it's a test of our preparedness, it's a test of best practices," county Sheriff Craig Apple said. "It's sharing a wealth of knowledge from people who have been involved in emergency management and rail transportation for years. Things are changing constantly." Fiery derailments in West Virginia and Canada have brought a heightened awareness to oil trains, and some elected officials have called for ceasing the transportation in this state. Thursday's emergency preparedness training exercise in Voorheesville was one of many the county conducts on a regular basis, some of which have been hands-on training at the Port of Albany. This sit-down conversation brought the right people to the table, which hasn't always happened in the past, Apple said. For CSX, preparedness means a network of resources, from contractors "strategically located" in order to respond to sites across the country to special equipment to move rail cars or test soil or air for contamination, CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said. "All of these sorts of things we have on standby, ready to respond anytime there is an incident anywhere on our rails," he said. "It's good to have the chance to get together with local resources, state resources, to understand how we can work together, in the event there is an incident, to protect the public safety." Keith Goertz, DEC regional director for Region 4, said one government initiative created maps of sensitive spots along the tracks in the state. It notes places such as daycare facilities or hospitals and determines an evacuation radius. "We also have (about 25) response trailers put together that have been provided to local communities and spread out all across the state," Goertz said. For emergency personnel, the conversation surrounding oil train and safety never stops, Apple said. "We're constantly training ...preparing ... tweaking our emergency management plans because things do evolve," he said. "We're working together for the betterment of the community and keeping the public safe." afries@timesunion.com 518-454-5353 @mandy_fries This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Schenectady The city foreclosed on the now-vacant site of one of the Jay Street apartment buildings destroyed in a massive March 6, 2015, fire that killed four people, City Attorney Carl Falotico said Thursday. City records indicate the property at 100-102 Jay St. is owned by Vytas Meskauskas through Ravena Holdings LLC of New York City. As of the June 24 deadline to pay the back taxes, Ravena Holdings and Meskauskas owed $75,616 in taxes and late fees, the city tax department reported. The Union Inn also is on the latest list of properties the city foreclosed on for back taxes. It closed in June 2014 because of water damage caused by drainage problems. Its owners owe $129,768. Phil Rodriguez, a Schenectady lawyer representing Meskauskas, has previously said 100-102 Jay St. was not insured. On Thursday, he said he had not been notified that the foreclosure proceeding had been finalized but that his client "doesn't have the money to keep the taxes going." Falotico said that the property could in the future be redeveloped or the city could us it for municipal purposes. "We're going to evaluate it like we do all the other properties and decide what the best use is for it," he added. Lawsuits have alleged the sprinklers weren't working in the building, that 104 Jay St. was poorly maintained, that the fire hydrants closest to the buildings did not work and city inspectors did not properly scrutinize the building before it burned. Authorities have said the inferno began at 104 Jay St. That building had $1 million limited liability coverage, officials have previously said. Both structures were later demolished. Investigators determined the fire most likely started when a cigarette, candle or incense ignited a chair inside one apartment. The tenant was among the four people killed. City Building Inspector Eric Shilling has said his staff conducted a full inspection of 104 Jay St. on the day before the fire and found the building had an expired alarm certification. He said that didn't mean the alarms were broken. Shilling said 100-102 Jay St. had no outstanding code violations. It's unclear if the city might try to obtain 104 Jay St. The properties are across from City Hall. Mayor Gary McCarthy, who is away, did not return a call seeking comment. Falotico said a lawsuit is pending between the Union Inn's owner and the developer of a neighboring building project over whether the development caused the drainage problems. The roughly 150-year-old building at 517 Union St. was a bar for more than a century. "I expect we'll work with our economic development partners at Metroplex to find a good use for that property," Falotico said. pnelson@timesunion.com 518-454-5347 @apaulnelson This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An Emirates flight from India with 300 people on board crash landed at Dubai's main airport Wednesday, sending black smoke billowing into the air and halting all flights at the Middle East's busiest airport. A firefighter died while responding to the blaze, but none of the passengers or crew on board were killed. The accident was the most serious ever for Emirates, which has grown at a breakneck pace over the last three decades and turned its hometown of Dubai into a major long-haul international air hub. It was the second major air disaster for a Dubai government-backed airline in less than five months. Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Emirates Group CEO and chairman Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said 10 people were hospitalized after the incident, but stressed that all passengers were safely evacuated before the plane was engulfed in a fireball. He said one firefighter died trying to put out the fire. Emirates said the accident happened around 12:45 p.m. local time as Flight EK521 was arriving from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. It confirmed that "all passengers and crew are accounted for and safe," but gave no details of what went wrong. "We do not have ... all the information. Thankfully there (were) no fatalities among our passengers and crew," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, the airline's chairman and CEO, said in a video statement "Our thoughts are with everyone involved." The Boeing 777-300 was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew members from 20 different countries, according to the airline. Those onboard included 226 Indians, 24 Britons, 11 Emiratis, and six each from the United States and Saudi Arabia. Airline officials refused to answer questions from journalists, including what might have caused the accident. A problem with the plane's landing gear appeared to have at least been a contributing factor. Video shot by a passenger on another flight showed the plane tilted to its right side and careening on its belly as thick smoke poured out. The right wing appeared to have been torn off the fuselage during the crash. Emirates predicted there would be an eight-hour delay in operations across its network, disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers during the busy summer vacation season. The Dubai Media Office said flights resumed at the airport a little before 7 p.m. "Our main priority at this time is the safety and wellbeing of all involved and full co-operation is being extended to the authorities and emergency services managing the situation," Emirates said. Passengers escaped the burning plane using inflatable slides. At one point after coming to a stop, part of the plane exploded into a bright orange fireball. By the time firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, the roof of the plane had been consumed and scorched from the cockpit all the way to the tail. Director General of Residency and Foreigner Affairs at Dubai airport, Mohammed al-Marri, told The Associated Press some of the passengers had their passports with them, but that others lost their passports during the quick exit from the aircraft. Based on the passenger manifest, al-Marri said officials were able to facilitate the entry of the flight's passengers into the United Arab Emirates. By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 4 (PTI) Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan today said it is important to tackle illegal raising of deposits while the crime is in progress given the nimbleness of such "fly-by-night" operators. "We have to do this (tackle it) before the fly-by-night operator runs away with the money. We have to stop the crime in progress," he said at an event here. advertisement Underlining the challenges in fighting the menace, the outgoing Governor said some operators do not fall under the ambit of any regulator, are very small or operate from far-flung areas, making punitive action difficult. When the regulator do manage to move-in, they "morph" into such an entity, which is outside the purview of any regulator, he said, underscoring the need for coordination between financial regulators and law enforcement agencies. Rajan said there have been favourable changes in laws like the Protection of Interest of Depositors Act, and there are forums like State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC), which help in fight against unauthorised deposit raising. These give the authorities the power to intervene before the money has actually been taken away and misused, he said, making a strong appeal to public not to fall prey to such tactics. With phishing mail menace continuing, Rajan said RBI does not send any such emails promising money to people. "I suggest all of us should ask, if they have got Rs 50 lakh to give me, why do they need me to send Rs 25,000 in the first place? Why cant they just deduct the Rs 25,000 and send me the remainder? That question should be asked by anybody who gets such a solicitation," Rajan said at the launch of a website to tackle illegal deposit collection. The portal -- sachet.rbi.org.in -- will facilitate filing and tracking of complaints, besides providing information about whether any particular entity is registered with any regulator or is permitted to accept deposits. Deputy RBI Governor S S Mundra said even literate people fall prey to such tactics, despite awareness campaigns. "We see that public regularly falls prey to these kinds of activities. It is not restricted to so-called section which is not aware or educated, but we have seen in number of instances where highly educated people fall prey to such schemes and elude by very high unrealistic return which are promised," he said. Sebis wholetime member S Raman said the markets regulator has passed over 325 orders against such unscrupulous activities since 2012, when it was empowered with the changes in the legal framework. PTI HV AA GK ABK --- ENDS --- advertisement This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Obama administration warned Congress Wednesday that money to fight the Zika virus is on the verge of running out amid political stalemate on Capitol Hill. In a letter to key lawmakers, the secretary of Health and Human Services said the National Institutes of Health would exhaust its resources for vaccine development by month's end. The letter from HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said that without additional money the second phase of clinical trials would be delayed, and Americans would have to wait longer for a vaccine. The news comes as the first local transmissions of the virus have been found in Miami and authorities are warning pregnant women to stay away from the area. The virus can cause severe birth defects. Congress gridlocked over President Barack Obama's $1.9 billion emergency spending request after House Republicans added language on Planned Parenthood and other issues that was unacceptable to Democrats. Then lawmakers left town for a seven-week summer recess and they won't be back until September. Republicans have been downplaying the urgency of the issue, questioning why the administration has not spent more than $350 million already on hand, including money redirected from the Ebola fight. Burwell's letter gives a detailed accounting. The Centers for Disease Control has $222 million available for domestic response including front-line assistance to states and localities. Of that, nearly $100 million will have been provided by week's end, and resources will be exhausted by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, the letter says. The NIH started Phase I clinical trials Wednesday of a DNA-based vaccine, but without more funding, the second phase will be delayed. Additional research and development also may be constrained as NIH's $47 million in repurposed funding runs out by the end of this month. "A delay in this stage of development will delay when a safe and effective Zika vaccine is available to the American public," Burwell wrote. "These examples demonstrate the urgent need for the administration's request for $1.9 billion in emergency supplemental funding." Democrats blamed Republicans, and Republicans blamed Democrats and the administration. Although Congress typically finds a way to get beyond its partisanship and act when circumstances absolutely require, it's not clear what will happen in this case at the height of a frenzied election season, and with the virus still not widespread in this country. Times Union reporter Claire Hughes contributed to this story. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Late afternoon in Saratoga on a sparkling summer's day, and we're gazing at water with cocktails in hand. Children frolic on a beach as parents watch idly from Adirondack chairs painted in glossy red, white and blue, and boats nuzzle docks under the hazy sky. Somehow, we've stumbled on the beachiest upstate scene a short drive from the Northway and the trackside action on Union Avenue. At Lake Local, thick mariner's ropes swag the expansive gray-washed deck, and waitresses in tank tops hustle foaming pints from an outdoor bar to communal high tops and waterfront tables. It's like discovering a seaside boardwalk on the far side of town. Lake Local is tucked inside a marina at the north end of Saratoga Lake. Lacking only a Mr. Ding-a-Ling ice-cream van to complete the scene, there's a Board Shop for kayak and SUP rentals, courtesy dockage for diners, a casual menu, live music, even a food truck cooking up a weekend brunch. About now, you should be asking yourself why you've wasted hot days fighting over chairs at Victoria Pool or sweltering in track crowds when there's fish and paddleboard yoga minutes from Broadway. Michael Phinney and Jonathan Haynes, owners of the Local Pub and Tearoom, the Irish-themed pub on artsy Beekman Street, launched the Lake Local last summer after wrapping extensive renovations. That's moot if, like me, you didn't visit when it was the Tropic Hut or Bayshore before that. You won't know the white awning and outdoor bar has quadrupled capacity or that the craftsman wooden bar inside, with its vintage Hacker Craft appeal, is new. You'll be too busy marveling at the view, good from any seat, and the surprisingly delicious pina coladas ($10) churned in a slushy machine behind the bar. More Information Lake Local 550 Union Ave. Saratoga Springs Phone: 886-1373 Web: www.lakelocalsaratoga.com (Rentals: www.550marina.com) Cuisine: Freshly made burgers, fish sandwiches and salads with eclectic snack foods from Mexican street corn to curried chicken salad and flatbread pizza. This is pub fare from The Local with a heavier lakeside focus on fish. Full bar featuring cocktails and half dozen draft beers, some regional, surprisingly none local. Ambiance: Seasonal, marina casual lakeside bar and restaurant with a beachy, contemporary style. Family friendly, bar-focused. Live music Tuesdays and weekends. Price: $-$$$ Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Open seasonally from May to October/November. Credit cards: All major. Parking: Marina parking lot. Handicapped accessible: Yes. (Two restrooms inside, portable bathrooms with stairs outside.) Price ratings for inexpensive eateries based on average of entree costs: $: $9.95 and less $$: $9.95-$15.95 $$$: $15.95 and higher See More Collapse I run around looking for a table and taking it all in: the contemporary beachside style, a half boat protruding from the building, mobile luxury portable bathrooms, outdoor TVs and a bubbling, summery crowd. There are no reservations, so securing an outdoor table on a busy night involves showing up, providing a cellphone number, downloading an app (NoWait) and awaiting a text while you sip your first lakeside beverage. It's a protracted exercise for sure, but 20 minutes later we'd been sprung from our contingency spot propping up a waterfront cocktail rail. Evidently it works. Food is brought in hammered metal trays and faux fryer baskets befitting the burgers and crisp skin-on, hand-cut, twice-fried fries, blanched nightly by a dedicated employee. There's a smashing hand-chopped ahi-tuna burger held together as a patty by the lightest sear and smothered in guacamole and sweet Thai-chili sauce on an English muffin ($14). Soft tortilla fish tacos ($13) earned our top vote for firm haddock slathered in a slightly mad fusion of Sriracha-mayo and salsa with a shock of purple cabbage slaw. And with few sauces house-made, a juicy watermelon and goat cheese leaf salad ($11) stayed bright tossed with Saratoga Dressings' poppyseed vinaigrette. It's a stretch to dub this farm-to-table, though the website stakes a claim. Head chef Brady Dillon honorably rephrases it as "reliably fresh ingredients, locally sourced when we can." Tomatoes and fresh corn come from local Moe's Farm, milk for shakes and chowder from King's Dairy, and bread for the BLT is Rockhill Bakery with commercial breads rounding the rest out. Even the burgers are purveyor-made in Albany and delivered daily with fish and seafood. On such a casual seasonal menu, it's fine. This all-day kitchen isn't preserving lemons and baking bread We were smitten with the charred Mexican street corn ($9) drizzled in chipotle-spiked mayo, lime and tangy cojita. It's straight-up phenomenal sweet, salty, citrus and smoky all at once and requires a kind friend to tell you about the black bits in your teeth. The sweet local corn turns up again in a fresh, buttery steamer bucket ($24) which, at the top end of the price spectrum, seemed a little skimpy with only eight clams, three shrimp, sausage and taters and the mussels 86'd. Servers admirably check thirst levels every 15 minutes under the setting sun, so mentionable flaws are limited to bland salsa and guacamole in tiny plastic cups more commonly used for burger condiments than a $12 appetizer. And a $16 open-face "Local shaved ribeye hoagie" (keep telling yourself "Local" on the menu is only a nod to the restaurant's name) is an unexpected mash of browned ground beef under a Velveeta orange skin of "house cheddar cheese sauce". It's hard to imagine this comes from the same creative hands as the tacos and tuna burger. We cheered ourselves up with Beverly's Famous Carrot Cake ($7), a fabulous classic homemade by an investor's mother. Lake Local has obvious appeal with cocktails, cold draft beers and food (including a kids' menu) that's unfussy and surprisingly good. Better yet, it's open every day from 11 a.m. Who can't see themselves making a day of lunch and an afternoon noodling about in a kayak? Chattering friends pack the high tops; parents peaceably zone out while kids entertain themselves in the sand. There's something for everyone here, an alternative universe to the teeming summer track. Dinner for three including three appetizers, three entrees, a salad, a dessert and four cocktails came to $170.38 with tax and 20 percent tip. Susie Davidson Powell is a freelancer writer from East Greenbush. Follow her on Twitter, @SusieDP. To comment on this review, visit the Table Hopping blog, blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping. Lake Local 550 Union Ave. Saratoga Springs Phone: 886-1373 Web: www.lakelocalsaratoga.com (Rentals: www.550marina.com) Cuisine: Freshly made burgers, fish sandwiches and salads with eclectic snack foods from Mexican street corn to curried chicken salad and flatbread pizza. This is pub fare from The Local with a heavier lakeside focus on fish. Full bar featuring cocktails and half dozen draft beers, some regional, surprisingly none local. Ambiance: Seasonal, marina casual lakeside bar and restaurant with a beachy, contemporary style. Family friendly, bar-focused. Live music Tuesdays and weekends. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Price: $-$$$ Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Open seasonally from May to October/November. Credit cards: All major. Parking: Marina parking lot. Handicapped accessible: Yes. (Two restrooms inside, portable bathrooms with stairs outside.) Price ratings for inexpensive eateries based on average of entree costs: $: $9.95 and less $$: $9.95-$15.95 $$$: $15.95 and higher This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The opening of the Clara Francis Gallery on Wednesday in a renovated Harlem storefront was an exciting moment for Haile King Rubie. It was the first solo show for the 26-year-old painter, whose expressive works are all the more remarkable because he was born with Down syndrome. It also was another small step in the development of Harlem as an art gallery district. The neighborhood is still a long way from replacing Chelsea or Brooklyn as the epicenter of the city's art scene, but Harlem is now home to about a dozen galleries, and in the fall, two more big-name galleries are slated to open. The Elizabeth Dee Gallery will occupy a two-story building that is next door to the National Black Theatre and two blocks east of the Studio Museum. After many years downtown, Gavin Brown's Enterprise is moving into three floors of exhibition space at a former brewery on West 127th Street. Those newcomers join longer-term residents like the Essie Green Galleries, renowned for such African-American masters as Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden. "We have an ever-changing gallery landscape in Harlem. I've seen a number of galleries come and go, succeed and fail over the years," said Omo Misha, a Harlem-based curator. "We're seeing another shift now that will be a positive one for the community and the artist community overall. We're seeing an influx of new galleries opening, and the new ones and those already here will be a destination for art." The newest addition, the Clara Francis Gallery, came about after area artists, curators and the community urged Rubie's father, Bernardo, to mount a solo exhibition of his son's works. The elder Rubie conceived it as a pop-up exhibition space where artists who might not otherwise have a place could show their art. He renovated an unused storefront adjacent to his Latin soul food restaurant on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, where he has long featured works by local artists, including some Harlem Globetrotters players. Future exhibitions will feature the photography of Kwame Braithwaite, including his extraordinary images of Muhammad Ali; artists from Cuba; and the history of the African American Day Parade. Bernardo Rubie called Harlem "a very vibrant and fertile environment" for art. There are already two other galleries on the block. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. "I think people have always thought of Harlem as a hot bed of performance and nightlife, and I think visual arts or a gallery presence is an extension of that, although it isn't what people commonly associate with this area," said Lewis Long, owner of the Long Gallery across the street, which opened in 2011. More than 200 people from all over the city attended the opening of each of his last two shows, he said. The growth of the gallery scene is just one of a number of changes that have come to Harlem in recent years, including an influx of fancier restaurants, costlier apartments and wealthier residents. Some of those changes have unnerved long-time residents of Harlem, who worry that the wave of gentrification will make the neighborhood unaffordable and ultimately erode its historic place as a center of black culture. Misha said it was clear that the gentrification would continue, but said "the art community on the whole is optimistic about the new galleries coming. "Attention on the arts, the fact that there's a broadening art environment is exciting for everybody," she said. The painter Milton Avery (1885-1965) was a true original an enchanter, a poet of pictures, a funnyman of life-embracing warmth. In the late 1940s or thereabouts, Avery started works that pushed representational painting to the limits of legibility. Gymnastically balanced at the edges of abstraction, the artist's concise landscapes, structured puzzle-like from gobs and masses, made him a touchstone for the color field painting that emerged in the 1950s and '60s. Today, Avery's late paintings represent his most celebrated and popular works. But the artist's stylistic shift was not sudden; some of its earliest hints can be traced back to Avery's time among the rolling Green Mountains of south-central Vermont. In "Milton Avery's Vermont," a deftly prepared show of some 60 works now at the Bennington Museum, we not only track Avery's sensitivities to the specificities of place and his fascinating work process. Across these Arcadian pictures of fields, barns and cows out to pasture of a ridiculously sweet sense of ease we also follow Avery's growth into a mature painter. "It turns out he created a really significant body of work here, and I think it does help us understand how Avery became the Avery people know," said the exhibition's curator Jamie Franklin. "It was," he added, "the decade leading up to his breakthrough." Between 1935 and 1943, Avery then living in New York City spent at least six extended summers with his wife and daughter in the villages of Jamaica or Rawsonville, Vt. His wife, the artist Sally Michel, once referred to the family's summertime excursions to places like Vermont as "a time of renewal for the creative forces." They worked restlessly; Avery would dash off a watercolor before breakfast, then complete four more that afternoon. Eventually, the work brought forth change: His palette became lighter, anecdotal details started to vanish, and his application of color became less beholden to the surroundings: He painted trees blue and rocks pink. You wouldn't know from the pictures that life in Vermont was busy. Avery's drawings, watercolors and oils are tributes to life's pleasing mundanities the green languor of summer. While it spans some of the most fearsome years of the century, the artist's work is silent on matters of the wider world (at least explicitly). Unlike many artists who tried to grapple with economic collapse and injustice, or the emergence of fascism in Europe, Avery carried on singing. In paintings such as "The Picnic" (1940), he observes the simple joys of family and friends, food and the shelter of trees. "It's not the grand and important moment, it's just the everyday things they were doing. And because he was constantly sketching, it all got recorded and he gleaned the best from it," explained Franklin. During one of Avery's first stays in Vermont in 1935, it rained successively for two weeks see the damp watercolor "Vermont Rain" and the family nearly departed. Other obstacles presented themselves, too, such as the sheer pervasiveness of green above all other colors. Yet Franklin speculates that it may have been the uniformly green landscape that encouraged Avery to become more daring and non-literal with color to start rendering the trees blue, for example. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. We can't know for sure. Avery was famously tight-lipped and seldom talked about his art. (He once joked, "Why talk when you can paint?" ) Aside from interviews with the artist's daughter, March, Franklin was forced to work with fairly meager historical documentation. There's scarcely any record of Avery even mentioning Vermont. Still, the landscape remained a fascination for Avery late into his career. The exhibition concludes with the stunning "Mountain and Meadow" (1960), one of Avery's final Vermont works, and characteristic of his spare late style. Even in this clipped down landscape, these green, yellow and blue forms, there remains something, perhaps, that is quintessentially Vermont. "As he matures as an artist, there's more and more Avery and less and less the specifics of the place," Franklin said. "But he never loses it fully." James H. Miller is a frequent contributor to the Times Union. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Saratoga Springs The Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council will host a photo exhibit Tuesday at the Saratoga Race Course. Don't expect pictures of races won by a nose, triumphant jockeys or even the perennial favorite racehorses seemingly adrift in morning fog. The photographs on display at this exhibit were taken by the men and women often overlooked on the backstretch, in the city's restaurant kitchens and on farms throughout the county. Their pictures show the work going on behind the scenes. Vision, supported by the EOC through its Latino Community Advocacy Program, is in its 10th year. In the first year, the Latino advocates handed out disposable cameras and asked the workers to take pictures of things that were important to them. Over the years, the program graduated to point-and-shoot digital cameras, and the EOC began hiring professional photographers to give pointers to the amateur photographers. But the subject matter remained largely the same. More Information If you go Vision: A look at life behind the scenes When: 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday Where: At the Rail Pavilion, Saratoga Race Course. Clubhouse attire Tickets: $60. Make a reservation online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2558693 or by calling Kelly Casler at 288-3206, Ext. 111. Winners: Three cash prizes, $200 for first place; $100 for second and $50 for third, will be announced at the event. See More Collapse "I wanted to show the way we live in real life," said Ana Cruz, 26, a hot walker who works for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Cruz works two jobs. She cools horses in the early morning on the backstretch and then goes over to the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion, where she works in maintenance. She travels between Saratoga and Florida following McLaughlin, and sends money home to Mexico to support her mother, younger brother and 7-year-old son, Richard. She spends winters in Mexico. The rest of the time she is separated from her family. One of the photographs she submitted for the exhibit is of a man and his daughter on the side of a road in Mexico. The ground is laid with scrap metal and small tools for sale. Even though they seem poor, Cruz was struck by the smiles on their faces. "They don't need anything to be happy," Cruz said. She said she doesn't know the man and the girl and didn't tell them when she took their picture. But if she wins a prize at the exhibition, she vowed to find them and give them the money. Julio Castro, also from Mexico, said he has been a groom for three years, following in his father's footsteps. Grooms get a piece their horse's winnings, so on a good week, Castro, 25, can make $480 to $500, after taxes. It's a better job than anything he could find in Mexico. The Latino advocates work year-round to help guide roughly 150 migrant workers in the area through such things as medical appointments and parent-teacher conferences. In the summer, the EOC holds twice-a-week English language classes on the backstretch. About 40 students attend. There are roughly 1,500 backstretch workers at the track in the summer. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Ana Gomez, one of the instructors, learned English when her husband moved to Saratoga to take a job at GlobalFoundries. Now she is a teacher. Lessons are pragmatic, and start with the English words for track-related terms and phrases, like how to ask a store clerk for a size when you can't read the tag on a piece of clothing. Learning English helps workers get better jobs, Gomez said. Hot walker Jennifer Rodriguez, 31, is an American married to a Mexican man. She learned Spanish both from her husband and co-workers at the race tracks where she has worked. Her husband, Selvin Rodriguez, is a groom. They both work for Todd Pletcher. Life on the backstretch has improved, Rodriguez said, but there is no housing for married couples. Men and women must sleep in separate quarters. Rodriguez's photos show her husband, hip deep in straw, wrapping a horse's leg in bandages. Another picture shows two horses stretching out of their stalls toward one another. Rodriguez said she does the job because she loves horses. Michelle Paquette-Deuel, this year's chairwoman of the Vision planning committee, said the photographs are more than a record of unseen work. "The Vision event offers us the opportunity to celebrate the unheralded Latino community members who contribute so much to Saratoga Springs and our county. The photos in the exhibit represent uniquely personal narratives of too often unseen lives, and raise awareness and funding for the Economic Opportunity Council's invaluable services and advocacy on behalf of the Latino community." lhornbeck@timesunion.com 518-454-5352 @leighhornbeck If you know someone you really can't stand not someone you dislike, not someone who rubs you the wrong way, but someone you really loathe and detest send that person a ticket for "Suicide Squad." It's the kind of torment you can wish on your worst enemy without feeling too guilty, not something to inflict permanent damage, just two hours of soul-sickening confusion and sensory torment. This latest superhero consortium movie, this one from DC Comics, does something new, but it's a very bad something new, something that distances the audience from a movie that was always going to be horrible but is now even worse. The movie takes pop songs and plays them loud on the soundtrack, lyrics included, not just during the interludes between scenes, but actually during the scenes. In other words, at some moments a character will be talking out of one speaker and a song will be coming out of the other. More Information (Zero stars) Review "Suicide Squad" Rated: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language Length: 123 123 minutes **** Excellent *** Good ** Fair *Poor See More Collapse It is an awful, overdone and over-laden jumble, full of flashbacks and flashforwards and lots of scenes in which it's unclear which character is doing what or why it might matter. And here's the surprising thing. "Suicide Squad" was not made by some action-movie hack. (I'd mention an action hack now, for reference, but I don't think people should get bad reviews when they're minding their own business.) No, this movie was written and directed by David Ayer, the man who wrote "Training Day" and wrote and directed the terrific war movie "Fury" just a couple of years ago. It's really impossible to see Ayer's hand in it, except for tiny little moments like a split-second close-up of an actor's face in the midst of an action barrage that seem like an artist's trying to insert a grace note. Such grace notes don't make the scenes better, but they do suggest a filmmaker consciously trying to do something artful, even as he is failing worse than he probably ever will in his entire life. To even talk about "Suicide Squad" is misleading, because it requires imposing a coherence on the material that isn't really there. It takes place in Gotham City, at a time when Superman and Batman are already dead, and the authorities embodied by an intelligence officer played by Viola Davis is concerned about two things. She's worried that a being as powerful as Superman, but evil, might come and destroy the Earth. And she's worried about an alien that has already arrived and is growing in power. So she gets the idea to put together a team of criminals, currently incarcerated, and all of them in possession of special powers. She wants to use them to fight the aliens. The first thing you need to know is that, at the point that the intelligence officer and her assistant (Joel Kinnaman) start naming the members of this "Suicide Squad" team, the plot comes to a full stop for a series of multiple digressions as each character is introduced. There are too many to name here you'd skip the whole paragraph, if I tried but the main ones to be concerned about are Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Deadshot is a career assassin with an uncanny facility for weaponry, but he also has a conscience and a soft spot for his daughter. In a halfway decent movie, Smith could do a role like this quite well. As for Margot Robbie even though the surroundings are horrible, and even though the movie stoops so low as to try to make Harley a sentimental figure there's enough moment-by-moment invention in Robbie's zaniness that I can see this movie opening up her casting range. It's wasted this time out, but "Suicide Squad" shows that she could probably do inspired lunacy even better than the uninspired lunacy on display here. The last half hour is a video game, just characters shooting at black shapes, on the way to doing battle against some evil queen (Cara Delevingne), as the drum machines and the horns and the soaring strings underscore everything. But here's the thing: Even if you love video games, what do you love about them? Playing them, right? The experience of "Suicide Squad" is like watching other people play video games. And you can't escape. And the music is terrible. And you barely know what's going on. And you're stuck there for two hours. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the condition of Noel Alkaramla's body when it as found inside a suitcase on Dec. 30. The 21-year-old woman's body was intact. Troy From his downstairs home at 170 Third St., a man listened to the shouts coming from an apartment above. "I could hear a male and a female yelling at each other, but I couldn't make out exactly what they were yelling about," said the witness, who name was redacted from legal documents filed in Rensselaer County court. "Shortly after 10 p.m., I heard a female scream from the third floor. Immediately after the female screamed I heard a bump on the floor," he said, describing what he heard on Nov. 22. "After the scream and the bump there wasn't any more arguing." Things stayed quiet, the man said, until heard a heavy suitcase that Johnny Oquendo could not control smash into a bannister and his apartment door. The man and two other people in the apartment looked out and saw Oquendo with the suitcase. Prosecutors believe the uproar the man heard coming from Oquendo's third-floor apartment was the sounds of Noel Alkaramla's final moments alive. Her body was found Dec. 30 stuffed in a suitcase that surfaced in the Hudson River in downtown Albany. Oquendo, 39, is not charged with killing Alkaramla, his 21-year-old stepdaughter. But the district attorney's office hopes the witness statements and other court documents will convince a judge to let them take a DNA sample from Oquendo. Oquendo is being held at the county jail on a parole violation while the district attorney's office builds its case. An autopsy revealed Alkaramla had intercourse before she was killed and DNA was found during the examination of her body, according to the court documents. DNA was also found inside the suitcase that held Alkaramla's body and blood was found on her neck. Chief Assistant District Attorney Jessica Hall will present the evidence Thursday to Judge Andrew Ceresia in a second bid to get a DNA sample. The county public defender's office convinced Ceresia in June that prosecutors and police had not made a strong enough case. Attorney Bill Roberts is expected to renew his effort to block a DNA sample. Alkaramla's death certificate said she was beaten and suffocated and that she died sometime between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 22. Troy police involved in the multi-agency investigation said they hope the DNA sample will tie together their case before prosecutors present it to a county grand jury. The State Police told Troy police there appears to an link between evidence recovered in the investigation and a DNA sample from Oquendo that's on file in the state DNA database. Oquendo is on parole for first-degree robbery and second-degree assault. In 1998, he was sentenced to 12 to 25 years in prison for stickup in Troy. The court records shed new light on Alkarmala's final hours. When she finished her shift at Verdile's Restaurant in Troy, Alkaramla got a ride from a co-worker and asked him to drop her off several blocks south of her 116 Washington St. residence. The man told police he did as he was asked. Alkaramla was next spotted outside 170 Third St. smoking something with a man, according to a woman who gave a statement to authorities. She said she recognized Alkaramla but believed she saw her at 11 or 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 22. Two of the three people who lived in the first-floor apartment at 170 Third St., two floors below Oquendo's apartment, spoke to police. Both said they heard a man and woman arguing, but only one said he heard the scream. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. They said they encountered Oquendo between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m., when Oquendo attempted to bring a large blue or blue-purple suitcase down the stairs, knocking over the bannister and hitting their apartment door. They opened the door and tried to speak to Oquendo. "I tried to peek around him to see the suitcase more closely and Johnny would shift his body to block my view," one man said. "He was acting very strange and I could tell he was uncomfortable to have us watching him so we closed the door." Oquendo had worked as a butcher at Heimbold's, a detail that may have inspired the witness's next statement. "After the incident was over we all commented on the size of the suitcase. We joked that it was big enough that Johnny had probably chopped up his girlfriend and had her in the suitcase," the witness said. On Nov. 30, the same witness said he encountered Oquendo who told him he "...needed to lawyer up and he did some messed up things." During the first week in December, Oquendo was picked up on a parole violation for allegedly using drugs. He allegedly told police to look for a suitcase and then asked for an attorney, authorities said. Shortly afterward, police began to dive for the suitcase in the Hudson River near Troy. Police said they have video from surveillance cameras of a man dragging a large suitcase across the Russell Sage College campus and down to the river. FBI agents, who took part in the search, supposedly visited River Street businesses looking for additional video. kcrowe@timesunion.com 518-454-5084 @KennethCrowe This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Menands An influx of homeless families into Albany County from outside New York and a shrinking pool of shelters to house them had an unusual side effect for the county's tiniest school district this past year. Menands school district saw its number of homeless students jump from just a few to 42 for the 2015-2016 academic year. For a district of only three square miles with 250 students, that represents nearly 17 percent of the student body higher than the 3.7 percent homeless population at Albany city schools last year. Even in the years following the recession, the district's homeless population didn't creep that high. In the 2009-10 school year, the district had six students who qualified as homeless under the federal McKinney-Vento Act defined as anyone who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate night-time residence. The next two years, it had five. In 2012-13, it hit 16 students, then dropped to 11, and then to so few students (1 to 4) that the district was exempt from reporting a specific number in order to protect student privacy. "We've been working very closely with the folks from the county to try and better understand it, because for a school district like us, 42 homeless students is a significant jump," said Menands School Superintendent Maureen Long. More Information Number of homeless students in Menands school district 2009-10: 6 2010-11: 5 2011-12: 5 2012-13: 16 2013-14: 11 2014-15: s* 2015-16: 42 *s = suppressed (1-4 students identified as homeless) Source: New York State Technical & Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students See More Collapse Depending on whom you ask, the reason for the spike differs. But the likeliest explanation lies within the walls of the Schuyler Inn, an emergency housing shelter in Menands run by the Altamont Program and utilized by the county Department of Social Services. For the past 15 years, the county has had a contract to place up to 61 homeless families at the inn. It's an ideal shelter for families, since the units are large and often adjoining, said Michele McClave, executive deputy commissioner for the department. The Marillac Family Shelter near Crossgates Mall also serves this purpose, but the county's contract covers just 24 units. "There are limited options for homeless families in Albany County," McClave said. "We really have very few options when someone comes in our door for a safe place to place them." Initially, it was believed that the recent closure of motels around the county such as the Skylane and Blu-Bell motels on Central Avenue in Colonie for egregious and numerous code violations was forcing the county to increasingly rely on its contract with the Schuyler Inn. At least that's what Alison Lane, a county legislator who lives in Menands and works as legislative director for state Assemblyman Phil Steck, says county officials told her. Steck's office also stated as much in a news release issued last week announcing it had secured $150,000 in discretionary funding to help the district deal with its homeless crisis. County officials disputed that this week, saying placements at the Schuyler Inn have remained steady in recent years. In addition, the county only ever placed individuals at the recently shuttered motels, not families, they said. Schuyler Inn manager Peter Kelsey said he hasn't seen any real uptick in families being placed at the shelter in recent years, but said the families that are placed there are increasingly coming from out of state the likely culprit for the spike at Menands school. "Typically they wind up here because they had a family member who lived in the area that they hoped to be close to," he said. Under the McKinney-Vento Act, the school district where a homeless student is sheltered must educate that student. The only exception is if the student became homeless within a 50-mile radius of their temporary shelter. In that case, the student could choose to finish out the school year at their previous district a provision designed to increase stability for students already dealing with enough uncertainty. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. "We're not social scientists, we don't know the reasoning, but we did have more families come from outside that radius for homeless services," McClave said. "They've come from South Carolina, Puerto Rico, Connecticut, Syracuse, Virginia, New York City. We don't necessarily know why that happened, but we are mandated to shelter them once they arrive at our doorstep." Statistics kept by the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society of Albany show a sizable jump in the number of families seeking temporary shelter in the county last year. Across the county, 416 families sought shelter in 2015 up from 177 a year earlier. The data don't show where they wound up. In order to accommodate such a large influx of homeless students, the Menands school district began providing training to staff on cultural sensitivity and how to best work with students living in poverty, Long said. Because some of the new students spoke languages other than English, the district hired a part-time English as a new language teacher to help the full-time teacher with their case load. The district has also hired a part-time social worker to assist for the upcoming school year a position that was never needed before, Long said. Since federal law prohibits state aid from covering out-of-state homeless students, the additional aid from Steck's office should help offset those costs, she said. Steck said Tuesday he's talking to his colleagues in the Legislature to see how common the situation in Menands might be across the state, in order to see if a legislative fix might be needed in the school funding formula. "This is the first time I ever got a request like this," he said. "Would I have liked the county to find a way to balance its placements better? I would, and certainly the Menands school district would, but I felt that the better way to deal with this would be to try to get some aid to them. It's an unusual situation." bbump@timesunion.com 518-454-5387 @bethanybump Dahal or Prachanda, as he is famously known, has spent many years in India during 1996 to 2006 as his country witnessed tumultuous times while trying to work out a new Constitution and democratically elected government. By India Today Web Desk: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' was elected as Nepal's Prime Minister on Wednesday (August 3) for the second time in seven years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Prachanda immediately after he won a clear majority (363 in favour and 210 against) to replace KP Oli, to congratulate him. "Spoke to Nepal's PM-elect Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'ji & congratulated him. Assured him of our full support & invited him to India," Modi tweeted later. advertisement Dahal had described PM Modi's Nepal visit in August 2014 as a historic step. "Aapne na kewal Nepaliyon ke man ko chua hai, balki unke dilon ko bhi jeeta hai (you have won the hearts of people of Nepal)," Dahal, who is known as an old India critic, had then said. DAHAL AN OLD INDIA CRITIC Dahal or Prachanda, as he is famously known, has spent many years in India during 1996 to 2006 as his country witnessed tumultuous times while trying to work out a new Constitution and democratically elected government. Polls were held in the Himalayan country in 2007 and Maoists emerged as single largest party. Dahal was elected as PM. Initially, he maintained a cordial relation India but his move to prefer China for his first foreign tour irked New Delhi. He further called on to cancel all treaties signed between India and Nepal to be scrapped which further displeased New Delhi. Tension between the two countries increased when Dahal government decided to sack the then army chief Rookmangud Katawal. India was against this move. There was an internal conflict in the Nepali government over PM Dahal's arbitrary decision. He had to step down from the PM's chair and blamed India for it. Relationship between India and Nepal dipped to an all time low after Prachanda's resignation. Without naming India, Dahal had then said, "We he would not stand foreign pressure. I would like to bring relations with China at the same level as those with India." PRACHANDA'S LOVE FOR CHINA Dahal's love for the communist nation in the north is no secret. Infact, media had reported that he made several 'secret' visits to Beijing to invite Chinese firms to invest in Nepal. CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR DAHAL Dahal's election as Nepal's new PM is unlikely to ease the political instability that has plagued this Himalayan nation for years. The new government led by Dahal is the ninth in the past 10 years. It is also the 24th government over the last 26 years. Most have been coalition governments as squabbling over who gets to be prime minister or gets key ministerial portfolios have often resulted in a collapse of partnerships. advertisement ETHNIC TROUBLE The Madhesi ethnic group in southern Nepal bordering India clashed with police and imposed a general strike in the region. They also blocked border crossings, cutting off supplies that led to severe shortages of fuel and medicines. More than 50 people were killed in the protests, which ended in February without meeting the group's key demands - more land in the new federal state assigned to them by the new constitution. Other smaller ethnic groups also demanded their own separate states. MAOIST COMMUNIST INSURGENCY The Maoists began their insurgency in 1996 by attacking a small police station in a mountain village armed with just two old guns. By the time the rebels put their arms down in 2006, the fighting had spread to much of Nepal, leaving more than 17,000 dead and hundreds missing. The decade of war put on hold Nepal's development. The Maoists entered a UN -monitored peace deal and joined mainstream politics, and in 2008, succeeded in their campaign to end the monarchy. However, their popularity suffered as leaders like Dahal, who once walked village to village, eating simple food, moved to mansions in Kathmandu, driving around in expensive cars and are believed to have accumulated huge wealth for their families. advertisement DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE The April 25, 2015, earthquake and the aftershocks killed nearly 9,000 people and damaged 1 million buildings. Though the government and donors were quick to distribute plastic sheets, tents and food, reconstruction have been slow and nearly 4 million people are still homeless. It took nearly a year for the government to form the earthquake reconstruction authority and it managed to give the first grant installments to only a few thousand families. Foreign donors have pledged $4.1 billion in aid, but only half was made available. Nepal says it needs $7.9 billion over the next five years. (With inputs from AP) --- ENDS --- [August 04, 2016] Biopharma Leader James Hoyes Joins RxC International as Executive Partner RxC International, a premier life sciences management consulting firm, announced today that James Hoyes has joined the firm as an executive partner. Hoyes had been working with RxC International as a senior advisor since 2014. He has a long track record of creating strategies and driving exceptional performance in the life sciences sector. In addition to providing advisory services to RxC International clients, Hoyes will focus on corporate development initiatives in the life sciences sector and the implementation of key strategic initiatives designed to scale up the firm's global operations. He will be based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. RxC International Managing Partner Subbarao Jayanthi said, "Jim's addition represents another milestone in the expansion of our business. He has an outstanding track record as a leader in the life sciences sector, and his deep strategic and executive leadership expertise will be invaluable to our clients." Prior to joining RxC International, Hoyes served as President of EMD Serono, leading the company in consistent double-digit revenue gains. Prior to EMD Serono, Hoyes held leadership positions wit several leading biopharma companies, including chief commercial officer at Serono, vice president of marketing at Elan, vice president of managed markets at Sanofi, and senior director of cardiovascular and strategic marketing at Sanofi-Synthelabo. RxC International Executive Partner James Hoyes said, "Today, both the opportunities and challenges for biopharma companies are many - the growing complexity and increasing interdependencies require the right perspective and a steady hand. Actually, realizing the value of an unmet need is not always easy. RxC International helps clients navigate the competitive landscape in order to maximize value and build a sustainable position in a given therapeutic area. The business model of RxC International - working closely as partners with clients and developing a compelling strategy and a clear plan to execute - resonates well with our growing list of clients. I am pleased and excited to join the RxC International team to focus on value and growth creation for clients." Hoyes holds a bachelor of science in biology from the Pennsylvania State University. He has served on the boards of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). He currently serves as a board member of MassBIO. About RxC International RxC International is a premier life sciences management consulting firm. RxC collaborates with clients to identify and develop growth opportunities. The firm leverages consulting partners and advisers to combine strategic and operational expertise to bring multiple perspectives to every engagement. The firm has deep expertise in corporate strategy, new product planning and commercial excellence. Clients include leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technology companies around the world. The firm also supports private equity and venture capital firms on strategic transactions. The firm's corporate headquarters is located in Morristown, New Jersey, and it has offices in Massachusetts and California. Additional information about RxC International can be found at www.RxCinternational.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804006317/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 04, 2016] NEC and Netcracker provide virtualized LTE core network to ITRI in Taiwan NEC Corporation (NEC (News - Alert); TSE: 6701) and Netcracker Technology today announced that they have provided a virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) solution via NEC Taiwan Ltd. to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (News - Alert) (ITRI), a non-profit research institute working under the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan. The NEC/Netcracker vEPC solution has a proven global track record of virtualizing network functions, such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME) that accommodates LTE handset authentication and handover controls, and the Serving Gateway (News - Alert) (S-GW)/PDN Gateway (P-GW) for audio and packet processing, and enables them to run on a general-purpose IA server. The vEPC was adopted by ITRI for an experimental network established for the Small Cell LTE (News - Alert) Plugfest compatibility testing event. Ten Taiwanese small-cell LTE base station manufacturers participated in this event, seeking to verify functions for their base stations, enhance the competiveness of their systems and explore new business opportunities. NEC and Netcracker will continue to support ITRI's compatibility testing in order to further promote the expansion of the Taiwanese LTE telecom market. "We are very pleased to have recently hosted a successful Plugfest compatibility testing event, utilizing the world's first commercially available vEPC solution from NEC and Netcracker," said Dr. Sheng-Ching Cheng, Deputy General Director of the Information and Communications Research Laboratories of ITRI. "We will remain focused on undertaking R&D activities in cooperation with NEC, primarily with respect to Software Defined etworking (SDN), Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and the Internet of Things (IoT), aiming to develop new business opportunities and increase the competitiveness of the telecommunications equipment industry in Taiwan." "We are thrilled to have helped ITRI successfully leverage the virtual LTE core networks for the Plugfest event in which ITRI validated the wide-ranging capabilities for virtualized infrastructure," said Atsuo Kawamura, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. "NEC and Netcracker will continue to provide software-defined and virtualized solutions, including vEPC, to service providers in Taiwan and around the world in order to enable the delivery of better services more efficiently." "Netcracker is pleased to be part of this important technology validation of virtualized network functions for Taiwan's mobile service providers," said Loh John Wu, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Netcracker. "We look forward to helping more service providers here provide value today, while building advanced, new networks and business capabilities for the future." About NEC Corporation NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/solutionsforsociety/message.html. NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. 2016 NEC Corporation. About Netcracker Technology Netcracker Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, is a forward-looking software company, offering mission-critical solutions to service providers around the globe. Our comprehensive portfolio of software solutions and professional services enables large-scale digital transformations, unlocking the opportunities of the cloud, virtualization and the changing mobile ecosystem. With an unbroken service delivery track record of more than 20 years, our unique combination of technology, people and expertise helps companies transform their networks and enable better experiences for their customers. For more information, visit www.netcracker.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005188/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 03, 2016] US Government Approves Plan For Moon Express To Become First Private Company To Venture Beyond Earth's Orbit NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Government has made a historic ruling to allow the first private enterprise, Moon Express, Inc. (MoonEx), permission to travel beyond Earth's orbit and land on the Moon in 2017. This breakthrough U.S. policy decision provides authorization to Moon Express for a maiden flight of its robotic spacecraft onto the Moon's surface, beginning a new era of ongoing commercial lunar exploration and discovery, unlocking the immense potential of the Moon's valuable resources. Today, Moon Express receives the green light for pursuing its 2017 lunar mission following in depth consultations with the FAA, the White House, the State Department, NASA and other federal agencies. "The Moon Express 2017 mission approval is a landmark decision by the U.S government and a pathfinder for private sector commercial missions beyond the Earth's orbit," remarks co-founder & CEO, Bob Richards. "We are now free to set sail as explorers to Earth's eighth continent, the Moon, seeking new knowledge and resources to expand Earth's economic sphere for the benefit of all humanity." Up until now all commercial companies have been limited to operations in Earth's orbit, and only governments have sent missions to other worlds. With this landmark ruling, Moon Express has become the first private company approved to literally go out of this world as a pioneer of commercial space missions beyond Earth's orbit. The federal interagency approval of the Moon Express 2017 lunar mission establishes an important precedent for the private sector to engage in peaceful space exploration, bringing with it monumental implications for the advancement of technology, science, research, and development, as well as commercial ventures that expand Earth's economic sphere. The framework of the intragency approval surrounds Moon Express' proposed 'Mission Approval' arrangement that utilizes existing payload review and launch license processes under authorities of the Secretary of Transportation, and adds to them a series of voluntary disclosures intended to provide the Federal Government with sufficient information to help fulfill its supervisory obligations under the Outer Space Treaty. The company submitted its historic application for a 2017 commercial lunar mission to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 8th, 2016. "The sky is not the limit for Moon Express it is the launchpad. This breakthrough ruling is another giant leap for humanity. Space travel is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children," remarks co-founder and chairman, Naveen Jain. "In the immediate future, we envision bringing precious resources, metals, and Moon rocks back to Earth. In 15 years, the Moon will be an important part of Earth's economy, and potentially our second home. Imagine that." Moon Express was co-founded in 2010 by space visionary, Dr. Bob Richards, billionaire entrepreneur, Naveen Jain, and serial entrepreneur and artificial intelligence and space technology guru, Dr. Barney Pell, with the common vision to be at the forefront of commercial space exploration and innovation. The development of their innovative and scalable robotic spacecraft is designed to radically reduce the cost of space exploration lifting the veil on the mysteries surrounding the Moon and how its resources can be unlocked and used to benefit Earth and humanity. Moon Express is a leading contender to win in the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE competition. ABOUT MOON EXPRESS Moon Express, Inc. (MoonEx) is a privately funded commercial space company blazing a trail to the Moon to unlock its mysteries and resources with low cost robotic spacecraft products & services using exponential technologies. Driven by long-term goals of exploring and developing lunar resources for the benefit of humanity, the company has short-term business on-ramps of providing lunar transportation and services for government and commercial customers. NASA partnered with Moon Express in 2014 under its Lunar CATALYST program to help build the capability to return the United States to the surface of the Moon. In October 2015, Moon Express announced a launch contract with Rocket Lab USA for 3 launches to the Moon beginning in 2017. In 2016, Moon Express announced an agreement with the U.S. Air Force to utilize Cape Canaveral Launch Complexes 17 and 18 for the development of its spacecraft. The Moon Express founders, Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards, Naveen Jain, and Dr. Barney Pell, believe in the long-term economic potential of the Moon to produce resources essential to humanity's future on Earth and in space. For more information about Moon Express, visit: www.moonexpress.com Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395337 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395336 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-government-approves-plan-for-moon-express-to-become-first-private-company-to-venture-beyond-earths-orbit-300308628.html SOURCE Moon Express, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 03, 2016] LEOcoin, an Entrepreneur's Alternative for Bitcoin Moves to Proof of Stake LONDON, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LEOcoin, the cryptocurrency created by London-based LEOcoin Foundation has made an important change to its protocol to make it more robust and user-friendly. The organization reports successful migration from the previously used Proof of Work consensus protocol, similar to that of Bitcoin to a more efficient Proof of Stake consensus protocol. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395467 The introduction of Proof of Stake algorithm makes it possible for everyone to get involved in the staking process, without having to invest in specialized equipment like ASICs or mining farms. Anyone who can operate a computer can now take part in the staking by opening their free to use LEOcoin wallet and clicking on a button. By eliminating the need for specialized equipment LEOcoin offers a greener alternative to Bitcoin, drastically reducing the carbon footprint for every newly created coin. LEOcoin has also introduced a new rewarding structure for staking depending upon the number of coins (stake) held by each participant. Dan Andersson, the co-founder of LEOcoin offers a brief outline of the new rewards structure where those holding 1000 LEOcoins or more will receive about 10 percent returns per year, while those with 5000 and more will receive 15 percent and those with over 50000 will be receiving 20 percent returns on their stake each year. There are also new platforms being created to help spread adoption of LEOcoin, as well as other digital currencies. The latest products include My LEO Travel and LEOcoin Merchants. My LEO Travel is a travel and hotel booking platform where people can plan their trip and pay with LEOcoin alongside other payment options. LEOcoin Merchants is a recently launched site that displays merchants and businesses who are happy to accept LEOcoin in payment for the goods and services. LEOcoin is a digital crrency created in 2014 by the LEOcoin Foundation for entrepreneurs and businesses. The digital currency allows individuals to make fast and secure transactions over a decentralized peer-to-peer network. Like Bitcoin, LEOcoin offers a certain degree of anonymity and it is simple and easy to use. The Proof of Stake algorithm used in LEOcoin also ensures active community participation, further strengthening the network every passing day. LEOcoin has been appreciated by various diplomats and bureaucrats from across the world. They have also extended their support to the digital currency ecosystem created by LEOcoin. The founders of LEOcoin have participated in various international events and gatherings, rubbing shoulders with powerful people from governments who are striving to promote entrepreneurship and businesses in their home countries and outside alike. Recently, LEOcoin was supported by a representative from the Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom among others in an event which saw diplomats from over 20 countries in attendance. About LEOcoin LEOcoin is a cryptocurrency conceptualized by the well-known UK-based entrepreneurial skills training company Learning Enterprises Organization. LEOcoin is a decentralized, easy to use peer to peer digital currency maintained by LEOcoin Foundation. It is supported by a large community of established and aspiring entrepreneurs who are actively involved in building the LEOcoin community and increasing its adoption across the world. To know more about LEOcoin, please visit https://www.leocoin.org/ Learn about Learning Enterprises Organisation here http://www.learnearnown.com/ LEOcoin on Bitcoin Talk- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1545712.0 Visit My LEO Travel at https://myleotravel.com LEOcoin Merchants is available at http://leocoinmerchants.com Trade LEOcoin: https://www.leoxchange.com/MarketData.aspx https://www.cryptopia.co.nz/Exchange/?market=LEO_BTC https://leobit.net/exchange/btc https://c-cex.com/?p=leo-btc https://www.livecoin.net/ Media Contact Contact Name Mihir Magudia Contact Email [email protected] The LEOcoin community 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. Related Links Bitcoin PR Buzz LEOcoin Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS2XDkMGwjY This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leocoin-an-entrepreneurs-alternative-for-bitcoin-moves-to-proof-of-stake-300308887.html SOURCE LEOcoin community [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 04, 2016] TUV Rheinland Presents a New Certification Program for Distributed Commercial PV Systems TOKYO, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today TUV Rheinland Japan Ltd. announced its new certification program intended for stakeholders who construct distributed commercial PV systems in Japan. This third party certification program for PV power plants is a service that combines company qualification, inspections, and a certification system to ensure and enhance the quality, safety, and performance of the PV power plants. Distributed commercial PV systems continue to emerge rapidly around the world, and in Japan this middle segment represents the largest market* for PV Power Plants. Access to funds promotes growth for distributed solar projects, particularly in the middle market segment which is largely dominated by factory businesses, and building rooftops. One of the primary obstacles in securing financial funding is the lack of systematic technical quality assessments at affordable prices. The lack of these assessments deters banks and financial entities from supporting and investing in these smaller distributed PV companies. * Source: iHS report titled "Top Solar Power Trends for 2015" In order to support these companies, TUV Rheinland took every effort to lower technical evaluation costs to a fraction of what they once were, while at the same time enhancing the quality, safety, and performance of the commercial rooftop PV system market. TUV Rheinland's certification program employs a unique approach for systematically minimizing technical risks and conducting technical evaluation proofs, thereby enabling all types of investors to finally access the middle segment commercial market at an attractive and affordable price. This program is a triumph for owners, EPCs, and all other solar stakeholders. Large scale investments will view this certification as a real technical Due Diligence option towards a non-FIT based market. The new independent PV Power Plant Certification Program also allows third party certification of plants to be transferred to new ownership during the re-financing process. This increases the PV asset value, allowing for a full range of new commercial flexibility and benefits in the current and future solar securitization market. This certification opens many new commercial opportunities for all types of initial and resale transactions of PV power plants. "We have been active in the market for distributed PV systems, and with the launch of this new certification program, we will work to help accelerate the growth of this industry," said Holger Kunz, Executive Vice President Products of TUV Rheinland. "This accelerated growth will make clean energy more accessible. In addition to Japan, countries across Asia Pacific will come to benefit from PV systems certified by TUV Rheinland." At present, TUV Rheinland has successfully implemented and inspected 31 commercial distributed PV systems with this program in Japan made by TESS Engineering that total over 42MW. These systems are projects run by Global Logistics Properties (GLP). Japan is the first market for the distributed commercial PV System business in the Asia Pacific region to adopt this certification program from TUV Rheinland. Engineering company specializing in energy saving, environment preservation and operational cost-cut. https://www.tess-eng.co.jp/english Leading provider of modern logistics facilities http://www.glprop.com About TUV Rheinland: TUV Rheinland is a global leader in independent inspection services, founded more than 140 years ago. The group maintains a worldwide presence with 19,600 employees; annual turnover is nearly EUR 1.9 billion. The independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all aspects of life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, oversees projects and helps to shape processes for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, TUV Rheinland employs a global network of approved labs, testing and education centres. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. Website: www.tuv.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 04, 2016] GlobalNet Launches VectorMAX IPTV Platform NEW YORK and BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GlobalNet (globalplay.tv), a national carrier in Bogota, Colombia, launched "GlobalPlay," an IPTV service utilizing the VectorMAX TV Anywhere end to end, completely software based, IPTV delivery Platform. VectorMAX Corporation (www.vectormax.com), based in Farmingdale, New York, is a leading provider of turn-key IPTV transport technologies. VectorMAX engineers set up and deployed the GlobalPlay offering during a 60 day installation process. GlobalPlay delivers SD & HD live channels to the Colombian market. The VectorMAX Platform is fully 4K capable, which GlobalNet will implement when 4K content is available. GlobalPlay's IPTV service also incorporates VectorMAX collateral service capabilities, including delivery of weather and news information, provisioning for video and music content and a carrier controlled "closed wall" environment for a wide range of set top box applications. VectorMAX also supplied GlobalNet with branded IP set top boxes, providing a complete end to end turnkey solution for the GlobalPlay service. TV Anywhere enables carriers to deliver live linear IP broadcast channels and other rich media content over their existing or otherwise limited networks. VectorMAX's TV Anywhere IPTV Delivery Platform is a complete end to end, software based, IPTV delivery platform. TV Anywhere utilizes the VSP-2 transport protocol incorporating VectorMAX's ground breaking transport stream architecture. When delivering to subscribers on the carrier's network (ON), TV Anywhere is implemented at the carrier's network operating center (NOC), providing all the required transport functionality. When delivering to subscribers over the internet (OTT), TV Anywhere is implemented in the Cloud, providing all the functionality of a Content Delivery Network (CDN). TV Anywhere enables service providers to quickly and cost effectively deploy IPTV to set top boxes, PCs/Macs, Apple iOS and Google Android mobile devices. About GlobalNet: GlobalNet is a national MVPD carrier headquartered in Bogota, Colombia providing live linear broadcasting, VoIP, and connectivity services to the consumer and enterprise markets. GlobalNet's IPTV service is implemented through multiple network modalities, including DocSis cable, fiber optic, and terrestrial fixed wireless infrastructure. Press Contact: Marc Calvano, Vice President Communications [email protected] 1 (215) 783-5939 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globalnet-launches-vectormax-iptv-platform-300309095.html SOURCE VectorMAX [August 04, 2016] Milano Teleport Partners with COOPI to Provide Internet Capabilities in Chad (West Africa) Milano Teleport, the largest independent Italian teleport company that provides internet satellite services, has partnered with COOPI, a non-governmental organization that combats poverty and inspires growth for communities in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, to provide internet capabilities in Chad, West Africa for two years. The collaboration began in May 2016 and will continue until May 2018 with Milano Teleport supplying internet connections via satellite to about 200 remote stations in West Africa, including some NGOs. For 50 years, COOPI has been dedicated to combatting poverty and implementing growth for communities all over the world, intervening in emergency situations, executing reconstruction and fostering development. The organization operates in 24 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, carrying out 150 humanitarian projects that have affected almost 2,400,000 people. Milano Teleport's infrastructure will provide COOPI in Chad (West Africa) with free internet connectivity with up to 1.2 Mbps that will allow the organization to use email, the internet and other communication services including Skype (News - Alert) and VoLP. Milano Teleport's capabilities will support COOPI's overall operational activities in the African country. Milano Teleport's collaborative initiative with COOPI signifies the company's commitment toproviding high-quality technology and infrastructure to communities across the globe. Every day thousands of volunteers and non-governmental organizations help places all over the world that lack essential services to support development projects which can offer a horizon of hope, even to people who are excluded from the processes of globalization. Milano Teleport, the largest independent teleport in Italy providing Internet satellite services, has recently been ranked tenth in the world among Internet maritime VSAT service providers by Euroconsult, a consultancy company specialising in space markets. "Our advanced satellite technologies help make connections to even the most remote areas in the world possible," commented Umberto Gallo, CEO of Milano Teleport. "We are proud to collaborate with organizations that are committed to building futures that foster growth and recovery where poverty and the lack of necessary infrastructures prevail. For us, technological progress is closely linked to global development and freedom, and this is why we feel a particularly strong connection to COOPI." "The lack of efficient communication infrastructure negatively affects our work in the field," as reported by Marco Tamburro, COOPI head of mission in Chad. "The satellite internet connection will significantly help our mission and improve daily communications among the operators in the field throughout the country, across global COOPI offices and with the Italian headquarters." "We are grateful to Milano Teleport for its support in Chad," declared Ennio Miccoli, COOPI's general secretary. "The services provided by Milano Teleport will improve the efficiency of our operators in the field and will support the activities we implement in the country." Milano Teleport SpA (MT), founded in 1997 by private investors, focuses its business on providing internet services to maritime customers and is the largest independent teleport in Italy. Services are tailored to meet the communication requirements for both maritime and terrestrial customers, exploiting a fleet of satellites. Main applications are typically dedicated to Cruise liners, Yachts, Merchant vessels, Barges, Rigs, Mining, Construction, NGO, TV. Milano Teleport is a member of the WTA (World Teleport Association). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005522/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 04, 2016] UrtheCast Issues RFP to Prospective Industry Partners to Serve the U.S. Government with OptiSAR and UrtheDaily VANCOUVER, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - UrtheCast Corp. (TSX:UR) ("UrtheCast" or the "Company"), today announces that it has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to U.S. companies interested in a long-term strategic partnership to serve the United States Government, further to the Company's announcement on May 6, 2016. The RFP solicits prospective U.S. commercial partners with strong U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) footprints to help deliver data and services from UrtheCast's planned 8-satellite UrtheDaily Constellation and 16-satellite OptiSAR Constellation to U.S. Government user agencies. Using input received during and since the GEOINT 2016 symposium, UrtheCast has crafted the RFP to allow prospective commercial partners to propose their best creative ideas and strategies for effectively serving the imagery data, products, and services from the Company's planned satellite constellations to end users and customers across the U.S. Government. "We have been delighted by the feedback we've received to date and the excitement this process seems to be generating among candidate U.S. partners," explained UrtheCast President and CEO, Wade Larson. "This industry is undergoing a period of significant change driven by economic, technological, and regulatory forces. We're convinced that business model innovation will also be a critical element of this change. Our vision, quite simply, is to help create the partnerships and service delivery models that unlock the enormous potential of Earth observation data for the people who need it. We believe our approach is aligned with the U.S. Government's future procurement strategies and technology roadmaps to take advantage of the new and disruptive capabilities coming from the commercial sector." The issuance of this RFP follows a succession of positive developments related to UrtheCast's new technologies, including recently announced research and funding agreements with government agencies related to the OptiSAR program. For those companies seeking more information regarding the RFP, please contact Mr. Phil Downen, UrtheCast V.P. of Government Programs. Phil Downen 1.314.227.0370 [email protected] About UrtheCast Corp. UrtheCast Corp. is a Vancouvr-based technology company with operations in the U.S. and Spain that serves the rapidly evolving geospatial and geoanalytics markets with a wide range of information-rich products and services. The Company currently operates four Earth Observation sensors in space, including two cameras aboard the International Space Station and two satellites, Deimos-1 and Deimos-2. Imagery and video data captured by these sensors is downlinked to ground stations across the planet and displayed on UrtheCast's cloud-based web platform, or distributed directly to partners and customers. In June 2015, UrtheCast announced its plans to build, launch and operate the world's first fully-integrated, multi-spectral optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) commercial constellation of Earth Observation satellites, which is now known as OptiSAR. The OptiSAR Constellation is expected to comprise 16 satellites (8 optical and 8 SAR) flying in two orbital planes, with each plane consisting of four satellite pairs, equally-spaced around the orbital plane. Each pair of satellites will consist of a dual-mode, high-resolution optical satellite (video and pushbroom) and a dual-band high-resolution SAR satellite (X-band and L-band), flying in tandem. By employing two orbital planes, the OptiSAR Constellation will provide for maximum revisit rates in the mid-latitudes, while providing global coverage extending to the poles. OptiSAR will be deployed over multiple launches and is expected to begin operations in 2021. In March 2016, UrtheCast announced its UrtheDaily Constellation concept, consisting of eight additional electro-optical satellites equiphased in a sun synchronous orbit and designed to provide coverage of the Earth's entire landmasses (excluding Antarctica) in six-band multi-spectral imagery every single day. UrtheCast believes that, if realized, the 24 satellites of UrtheDaily and OptiSAR will represent an unprecedented capability for daily global collection, monitoring, change detection, and tipping-and-cueing. Common shares of UrtheCast trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange as ticker 'UR'. For more information, visit UrtheCast's website at www.urthecast.com. Forward Looking Information This release contains certain information which, as presented, constitutes "forward-looking information" or "forward-oriented financial information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information involves statements that relate to future events and often addresses expected future business and financial performance, containing words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", and "expect", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could" or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions and includes, but is not limited to: its plans for and timing of expansion of its product offering and value-added services; its future growth and operations plans; the success of a strategic partnership between UrtheCast and a U.S. partner to serve U.S. Government customers; the acceptance by its customers and the marketplace of new satellite imaging content, technologies and solutions; and the design, build, completion and operation of the proposed OptiSAR and UrtheDaily constellations. Such statements reflect UrtheCast's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by UrtheCast, are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause UrtheCast's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, any delays or failures in its ability to finance, design, develop, construct, launch and commission the proposed OptiSAR or UrtheDaily constellations, as well as those factors and assumptions discussed in UrtheCast's annual information form dated March 29, 2016, (the "AIF"), which is available under UrtheCast's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information is developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, in the AIF, and as disclosed from time to time on UrtheCast's SEDAR profile. UrtheCast undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by Canadian securities laws. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. SOURCE UrtheCast Corp. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 04, 2016] Dashlane and Google Establish New Open-Source API Project for Better Login Security, to Include Participation with Leading Password Managers NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dashlane, the leader in online identity and password management, and Google announce the upcoming launch of a new, open-source API project to enhance user security. The collaboration between Dashlane and Google, along with other leading password managers, will develop OpenYOLO (You Only Login Once), an open API that will enable App Developers to access passwords stored in password managers to easily and securely log users into their Android applications. "This is an important initiative for our industry and for the state of user security," said Emmanuel Schalit, CEO of Dashlane. "Collectively, we are committed to increasing user security and believe that the best way to do this is to champion open source security projects--which Dashlane has done earlier this year by becoming the first password manager to adopt the FIDO Alliance's Universal Second Factor (U2F) authentication standard. We look forward to expanding this collaborative project that will benefit the entire security industry." Dashlane is spearheading the collaboration with the other top password management companies to contribute the industry's security and software development expertise to further design, and implement the open API. Passwords are sers' first line of defense and the cooperation between multiple password managers is a groundbreaking step towards simplifying security for users of all devices. Google's Iain McGinniss explained, "Google is excited to support the launch of this project with Dashlane and help create a new open standard for app authentication. This project is part of our longstanding support of open technology standards that provide great, secure user experience to end users." As founding contributors to OpenYOLO, Dashlane, Google and all of the contributing leaders in password management look forward to taking the API beyond Android devices, and enabling universal implementation by various apps and password managers across all platforms and operating systems. About Dashlane Dashlane makes identity and checkouts simple with its password manager and secure digital wallet app. Dashlane allows its users to securely manage passwords, credit cards, IDs, and other important information via advanced encryption and local storage. Dashlane has helped 5 million users manage and secure their digital identity. The app is available on PC, Mac, Android, and iOS, and has won critical acclaim from top publications, including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. Dashlane's consumer app is free to use on one device, and Dashlane Premium costs $39.99/year to sync between an unlimited number of devices. Dashlane was founded by Bernard Liautaud and co-founders Alexis Fogel, Guillaume Maron, and Jean Guillou. The company has offices in New York City and Paris and has received $52.5 million in funding from TransUnion, Rho Ventures, FirstMark Capital, and Bessemer Venture Partners. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dashlane-and-google-establish-new-open-source-api-project-for-better-login-security-to-include-participation-with-leading-password-managers-300308932.html SOURCE Dashlane [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The police said 30-year-old Katrina Vetrano died from strangulation and could have been possibly sexually assaulted. Police said Katrina Vetrano dies of strangulation and might have been sexually assaulted. Photo: Instagram By AP: A New York woman was killed on an early evening run in a secluded section of a marshland park after her father warned her it might not be safe to go there without him, the New York police said on Wednesday. An autopsy found that Katrina Vetrano died from strangulation after her body was discovered late Tuesday night in Queens. Her clothes were in disarray, indicating a possible sexual assault, said police, who were still searching on Wednesday for her assailant. advertisement WHAT HAPPENED Vetrano, 30, runner, left for her daily run at about 5 pm on a trail in Spring Creek Park, part of a recreation area that's adjacent to her home in the Howard Beach neighborhood, police said. Normally, the victim ran with her father, but he stayed home because of a bad back, they said. The father, retired firefighter Philip Vetrano, "asked her not to run this path, not without him," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Tuesday at a briefing near the scene of the crime. "If you're a runner you understand that you run every night as part of your routine, so she went, and said she'd be all right." Vetrano didn't return on time and didn't answer her father's phone calls, so he contacted a police commander neighbor, who called 911. After police used cellphone signals to narrow the search area, her father spotted her body face down in the tall grass and brush along an unpaved emergency access road about 15 feet off the running trail, police said. POLICE INVESTIGATIONS ON Vetrano was last heard from by a friend with whom she texted, police said. There was also security video of her running along the edge of the park at about 5.45 pm. The New York police were examining other video to try to identify a suspect, Boyce said. "There's a lot of forensic evidence as well as digital evidence in the area," he said. The running trail Vetrano used is connected to a much longer network of paths ringing Jamaica Bay that's popular with cyclists and runners. However, people often bypass the section where her body was found because it's more overgrown and desolate. Also Read: She caught him after all: Pokemon Go helps woman catch cheating boyfriend --- ENDS --- [August 04, 2016] Inmarsat Government Awarded U.S. Navy Satellite Services Contract Inmarsat Government has been issued modification P00001 to lift the stop-work order issued due to a bid protest filed on the initial award. Inmarsat (News - Alert) Government remains the awardee on the single award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract issued against solicitation HC1013-14-R-0004 announced Sept. 8, 2015. This contract supports the U.S. Navy's Commercial Broadband Satellite Program (CBSP) Satellite Services Contract (CSSC). The single award consists of a base one-year period with four one-year option periods through 2021. Under the contract, Inmarsat Government will support the U.S. Navy's requirement to acquire worldwide commercial telecommunication services, to include satellite capacity for mobile and fixed satellite transceivers on maritime, airborne and ground platforms, as well as CT services, backhaul connectivity, monitoring and control and operations. CSSC will augment government-owned and operated telecommunication systems, providing significant improvement in data throughput and capacity redundancy to military satellite communications to meet critical mission requirements. "We understand that information dominance must be maintained in support of the servicemen and women; winning this contract demonstrates the U.S. government's trust in Inmarsat Government's ability to deliver flexible solutions that meet the Navy's specific mission-critical communication requirements cost-effectively," said Susan Miller (News - Alert), Inmarsat Government President and Chief Executive Officer. "Inmarsat Government will deliver robust and globally accessible satellite capability that can augment military satellite systems when needed, while providing the protection, resiliency and worldwide portability for military operations without service interruption," said Gabe Venturi, Inmarsat Government Chief Commercial Officer. About Inmarsat Government Inmarsat Government is the leading provider of secure, reliable and affordable mission-critical telecommunications to U.S. military, intelligence and civilian organizations. Equipped with the industry's leading satellite and terrestrial infrastructure, it delivers custom, end-to-end networks and solutions that can sustain communications anytime, anywhere. Inmarsat Government, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inmarsat plc, and an authorized Value Added Reseller (VAR) for Inmarsat Global Xpress, is responsible for Inmarsat's retail U.S. government business. It is headquartered in Reston, VA, with network assets and operations around the globe. For more information, please visit www.inmarsatgov.com. About Inmarsat Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat employs around 1,600 staff in more than 60 locations around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005194/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] JD England reflects on time as Mayor of Mitchell before stepping down JD England reflects on his time on the Mitchell police force, his first term election by just four votes and his accomplishments in office. At the campus first schoolwide assembly since the start of the pandemic, the Colina family celebrated one of its own, a custodian whose talents have extended far beyond keeping the school looking tidy to making students feel welcomed and loved. https://www.toacorn.com/articles/nate-the-great-students-surprise-beloved-custodian/ A senior official at the North's version of NASA said international sanctions won't stop Pyongyang from launching more satellites by 2020, and that he hopes to see the North Korean flag on the moon within the next 10 years. This file image shows a rocket lifting off, said to be carrying North Korea's Earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4, at the Sohae launch pad in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. (Photo: AP) By AP: North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020, and don't intend to stop there: They're also aiming for the moon, and beyond. In an interview with The Associated Press, a senior official at the North's version of NASA said international sanctions won't stop Pyongyang from launching more satellites by 2020, and that he hopes to see the North Korean flag on the moon within the next 10 years. advertisement 'MOON IN NEXT 10 YEARS' "Even though the US and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon," said Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department of North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration. The North's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. An unmanned, no-frills North Korean moon mission in the not-too-distant future isn't as far-fetched as it might seem. Outside experts say it's ambitious, but conceivable. While the US is the only country to have conducted manned lunar missions, other nations have sent unmanned spacecraft there and have in that sense planted their flags. "It would be a significant increase in technology, not one that is beyond them, but you have to debug each bit," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who maintains an exhaustive blog on international satellites and satellite launches, said in an email to the AP. Hyon said the current five-year plan, at the order of leader Kim Jong Un, focuses on launching more earth observation satellites and what would be its first geostationary communications satellite - which, technologically, would be a major step forward. He said universities are also expanding programs to train rocket scientists. "We are planning to develop the earth observation satellites and to solve communications problems by developing geostationary satellites. All of this work will be the basis for the flight to the moon," Hyon said July 28, adding that he personally would like to see that happen "within 10 years' time." North Korea has marked a number of successes in its space program - and, of course, in its development of ever-more-sophisticated long-range missiles for military use. On Wednesday, it test-fired what was believed to be a medium-range ballistic missile into the seas off Japan , the fourth reported weapons launch the North has carried out in about two weeks. It launched its latest satellite - the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star 4 - into orbit on Feb. 7, just one month after conducting what it claims was its first H-bomb test. READ| Latest North Korea missile launch lands near Japan waters, alarms Tokyo advertisement SANCTIONS ARE 'RIDICULOUS' That brought new sanctions because nuclear tests and rocket launches, which can have military applications, are banned under United Nations resolutions. Hyon said the sanctions are "ridiculous." "Our country has started to accomplish our plan and we have started to gain a lot of successes," he said. "No matter what anyone thinks, our country will launch more satellites." He said Pyongyang's long-term target is to use its satellites to provide data for crop and forestry assessments and improved communications. The North also intends "to do manned spaceflight and scientific experiments in space, make a flight to the moon and moon exploration and also exploration to other planets." The US made its first lunar flyby in 1959, only six months after its first satellite, Explorer 1, though it took eight more years and several failed attempts to succeed with a lunar orbiter. The USSR made its first moon shot after only three successful Sputnik satellites. Their probe - just a year and a half after Sputnik 1 - reached the moon, but missed its orbit. "So it's not ridiculous to attempt a moon mission early in your space program," McDowell said. "Given their low flight rate of one mission every few years, I think it is hard to see them succeeding in this in the next five years, but possible to see them attempting it," he said. advertisement The North currently has two satellites in orbit, KMS-3-2 and KMS-4. It put its first satellite in orbit in 2012, a feat few other countries have ever achieved. Rival South Korea, for example, has yet to do so. Read: North Korea does it again! Fires three ballistic missiles, flew 600 km, says South Korea Hyon said that as of July 27, KMS-4 had completed 2,513 orbits, and that within one day after its launch it transmitted 700 photographic images back to earth. He said it is still working properly and sending data whenever it passes over North Korea, which is four times a day. Foreign experts have yet to confirm any communications from the satellite. "There's been no independent evidence that KMS-4 sent data back, but no evidence that it didn't, either," McDowell said. German analyst Markus Schiller, one of the world's foremost experts on North Korea's missiles and rockets, said a geostationary satellite might be a more ambitious goal for Pyongyang than a lunar flyby or crash-landing. advertisement "Hitting the moon hard would require less performance - power, rocket size - than getting into GEO (Geostationary Equatorial Orbit), but it will still be quite a challenge," he said in an email from Munich, where he is based. "Judging from what I have seen so far with their space program, it will take North Korea about a decade or more to get to lunar orbit at best - if they really pursue this mission," he said. "My personal guess, however, is that they might try but they will fail, and we will not see a successful North Korea lunar orbiter for at least two decades, if ever." READ: North Korea threatens to turn the South into sea of fire if anti-missile system is deployed SPACE PLAN A MILIATRY PROGRAM Hyon said claims that the North's space plan is a military program in disguise are hypocritical, considering the history of space exploration. The US, Russia and China all built their space programs out of military technology. Many of the rockets they use today were initially developed as ICBMs. "It is the US that militarized space," he said. He said the North Korean military has already succeeded in developing long-range missiles that can reach anywhere on Earth, "especially to American territory," and so "there is no need for our state to use the space program for ballistic missile development." That argument isn't likely to sway sanctions advocates in Washington or Seoul. But Schiller said the claim is plausible, given the advances in weaponry the North has displayed through its overtly military missile tests and the specific designs of the Unha rockets that are used to launch its satellites. "I agree they (the military) will not learn any essential new things from launching another Unha rocket," he said. "Of course, there are lessons learned that you can also apply for the missile program. But the whole missile program shows so many different characteristics that they seem to be separated to a certain degree." Also Read: North Korea fires missile from submarine but it appears to have failed: South Korea North Korea test-fired missiles to simulate pre-emptive nuclear attack on South Korea Pakistan selling nuclear material to North Korea, China knows it: US sources --- ENDS --- On Thursday, the area of search was expanded as the first body of the driver of the bus was found more than 100 kms away from Mahad at Kinjarle beach. By Pankaj P. Khelkar, Mustafa Shaikh, Sahil Joshi: On the second day of search operation in Raigad bridge mishap, bodies of drowned people were located by search teams but still there is no trace of the state transport buses or vehicles which were washed away after the bridge collapsed. The guardian minister of Raigad district Prakash Mehta confirmed India Today that they have received 35 missing complaints till now but there is no clarity about how many vehicles were washed away. advertisement Family members and relatives of the accident victims' were seen at the spot where the tragedy took place. Many of them have lost hope and appeared dejected. Sujit Ghag, who has been waiting there since last 40 hours to hear about his 60-year-old father Pandurang Ghag, is running out of patience. "My father was coming to Mumbai to attend funeral ritual of one of his relatives. We last spoke to him when he got in to the bus at Chiplun on Tuesday, but we still haven't heard from administration about my father." Residents of Konkan area were always afraid of using these old bridges while travelling on Mumbai-Goa Highway. "We had complained about the poor state of the bridge in the past, but no one listened to us," Riyaz Khot said. Riyaz was also waiting at the help center opened near accident site as two of his cousins, who were going to Mumbai for job interview, were missing. All the bodies which were recovered have been taken to a local hospital for identification. On Thursday, the area of search was expanded as the first body of the driver of the bus was found more than 100 kms away from Mahad at Kinjarle beach. Fearing that these bodies might have washed away till Arabian Sea, the Coast Guard deployed a ship near Harihareshwar Beach in Raigad. NDRF and Navy have also continued their search. "We are now able to locate the bodies because water level has gone down but still we are unable to locate the vehicles," the NDRF said. "We have put anchors and magnets in the water but still there is no success. Looks like this is going to be a long search," Pandit Vibhute, Deputy Comandant, NDRF, said. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has declared Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family of deceased in the accident. Government has also ordered judicial probe to find out the reason behind the collapse. The British era bridge was given clearance after the pre-monsoon safety audit. But the Opposition has raised questions about this safety clearance. Congress party's Rajya Sabha MP Hussain Dalwai has accused the government of gross negligence. advertisement "I have been writing to authorities to look at the condition of the dilapidated bridge but my warnings were ignored," Dalwai said. ALSO READ: Mahad bridge collapse: Opposition targets Fadnavis govt in Maharashtra Assembly Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse: 3 more bodies recovered --- ENDS --- The Pakistan government today blacked out the speech made by Home Minister Rajnath Singh at a high-level SAARC meeting in Islamabad By India Today Web Desk: In an all-out diplomatic war, the Pakistan government today blacked out the speech made by Home Minister Rajnath Singh at a high-level SAARC meeting in Islamabad, where he called for tough action against terrorism and the countries supporting it. "There should be strongest action not only against the terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations. Mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough," Singh said at the two-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) interior ministers conclave that began in Islamabad today. advertisement "There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists. There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs," Singh said in his speech that was blacked out within Pakistan. Rajnath's visit to Islamabad comes amid unrest in the Kashmir Valley which India says is being stoked by Pakistan. The turmoil started after the July 8 killing of pro-Pakistan rebel commander Burhan Wani. In a controversial comment on the eve of the talks, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had described Wani as a "martyr" who died fighting for the "freedom" of Jammu and Kashmir. India has also repeatedly accused Pakistan of exporting terror to India and has asked for the investigation into the Pathankot and 2008 Mumbai terror attacks to be expedited. Rajnath at SAARC meet in Pakistan: There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism --- ENDS --- First Light is the gorgeous title track of indie-folk/pop songwriter Dustin Tebbuts long awaited debut album, which is finally being released tomorrow. To celebrate, Dustin has sent through this pristine live rendition, recorded in The Warehouse with a full band. All of the singles hallmarks shine through just as brightly in a live setting, which bodes very well for his national headline tour (dates below). Dustin sets off on tour today, supported by Robbie Miller and Woodes. The Sydney and Melbourne shows are already sold out, so get in quick. First Light is being released this Friday August 5 via Eleven Music, and you can pre-order it now for your chance to win a personal Music Masterclass with Dustin. DUSTIN TEBBUTT AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES August 4th | Byron Theatre, BYRON BAY August 5th | The Foundry, BRISBANE August 6th | Sol Bar, MAROOCHYDORE August 11th | Northcote Social Club, MELBOURNE (S/O) August 12th | Northcote Social Club, MELBOURNE (S/O) August 13th | Workers Club, GEELONG August 19th | Newtown Social Club, SYDNEY (S/O) August 19th | Newtown Social Club, SYDNEY (S/O) August 20th | Transit Bar, CANBERRA August 26th | Jack Rabbit Slims, PERTH August 27th | Jive, ADELAIDE September 3rd | Elsewhere the Rooftop, NEWCASTLE (supports not appearing) Nine Inch Nails look set to release a new single in September, with a possible new album to follow. The bands last album was 2013s Hesitation Marks, after which NIN chief Trent Reznor began focusing on his budding film scoring career. However, it looks like Reznor is getting the one-man-band back together. As Consequence of Sound reports, a reddit user claiming to work in the music industry has leaked an image suggesting a new NIN single entitled Dive and Slam is set to drop in September. The image is purportedly a screenshot of Kobalt Music Groups internal database, which lists Dive and Slam as set for release on 16th September via Columbia Records. The track has a running time of 4:35 and is registered with ASCAP (the US version of APRA). However, Reznor made his first appearance on Twitter to apparently rubbish the industry insiders screenshot, simply tweeting Not true. However, the NIN frontman made no reference to the reddit post, which has since been updated to state that Not True is in fact the title of the new NIN album. Reznor had previously stated that Nine Inch Nails would reactivate in 2016 and has been known to employ unique viral release campaigns for his albums, such as for 2007s Year Zero, whose campaign involved fans deciphering data on a USB stick left at a Portugal concert. Fledgling Perth outfit Wooly Mammoth have just released their debut single Running Circles and theyre sounding pretty accomplished right off the bat. Light, melodic guitar lines trickle through a spacious mix, intermingling with crisp vox, and the overall sound feels primed for a summer festival side-stage. They may not be playing those stages just yet, but they have sold out a few hometown gigs so far. Youll be able to catch the lads playing Friday August 12 at Babushka in Leederville, and Friday August 26 at the Bassendean Hotel. Attacking Kander's SecState Job is actually the most effective bit of rhetoric . . . The Hillary/Obama connection we've seen before and is pretty standard . . . In a "statistical tie" according to some pollsters, Sen. Roy Blunt is now starting a negative campaign attack against Jason Kander.Here's the latest . . .Description:starts off in Secretary of State Jason Kander's own words, explaining to Missourians that he is "the chief elections official in (his) state." The 30-second spot continues with details of three occasions in which Missouri judges have caught Kander manipulating ballot language, calling his scheme "misleading," "unfair and insufficient."Description: The 30-second spotreminds viewers that Jason Kander voted three times in the Missouri legislature to support the Obama national energy tax and will work to expand Obamacare, just like his political mentor, Hillary Clinton, who recently campaigned with Kander in St. Louis.You decide . . . A new smart phone application is offering Greeks the opportunity to have their coffee cup read online, adding another entry to the Greek entrepreneurship book, according to greekreporter.com. So, if you want your fortune read from the comfort of your home, or while basking leisurely in the sun, the application gives you the chance to do so. All you have to do is follow a few easy steps: Drink your Greek coffee a trendy iced decaf latte wont do turn the cup upside down for 5 to 10 minutes and take three clear pictures of all sides of the cup. Then upload them to an application via your smart phone, tablet, computer or via Facebook and within minutes an experienced coffee cup fortune-teller will read the cup for you. This online coffee fortune reading service is offered in the English, Greek, Turkish and Arabic languages. Three nice ladies, Efi, Maria and Daphne will study the cup and will tell you what they see on all issues that concern you. All this for only 2.33 euros, payable through paypal or bank deposit. You can even buy a cup or a VIP monthly package and get your predictions without delay. If you are not satisfied with the reading, you can request a second one by another fortune-teller that you can choose from the data uploaded to the profile. The smart idea belongs to the people of the Ocean coffee chain operating in Thessaloniki. Ocean general director Kostas Koukoulis told KoolNews.gr that in the Ocean coffee shops the Greek coffee only costs 2 euros and the cup reading is free. As a result, on a daily basis, lines of people wait to have their fortune read. Our application Coffee Cup fortune Telling Greek Style appeared on play store after six months of work and testing, Koukoulis told KoolNews.gr. An entire group of coffee cup fortune tellers already cooperate in the coffee shops. Now they do the same online. I believe in the Greek culture and tradition and that we must always be connected to our tradition In Greece, the reading of the cup is misunderstood, while in Turkey it is the second reason to visit Turkey, according to the official page of the Ministry of Tourism. And the Turkish coffee is an intangible cultural heritage of Turkey according to UNESCO, Koukoulis said. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Only a third of British holidaymakers welcomed the increased security, but almost 90% said it would not impact their holiday negatively Only a third of Britons planning a holiday this summer welcome the news that armed police will be patrolling some beaches in France following the terror attack in Nice, which claimed 84 lives. A quarter said they would find the tighter security off-putting. Security has also been increased at French airports and there will be more police on duty at large events being planned across the country this summer. Cities and towns that are unable to provide tighter security have been told to cancel large events. Armed police will be patrolling beaches in Cannes, close to Nice, and backpacks, which could conceal bombs or explosives, will be banned. In a survey, Travelzoo found that only a third of British holidaymakers welcomed the increased security, but almost 90% said it would not impact their holiday negatively. UK to follow France's lead Over one third think the UK should follow France's lead and adopt similar measures at beaches and tourist spots. Half the respondents said they would be prepared to pay at least 5% more for their breaks if it meant extra security, with one fifth saying they would pay as much as 10% or 15% more. "Over 17 million British tourists visit France every year so it is extremely important for the country to demonstrate that everything is being done to protect tourists on beaches and in public places," said Louise Hodges, head of communications at Travelzoo. "While one quarter of those surveyed say armed police on beaches could be off-putting, over a third are in favour of these new security measures, and half are prepared to pay extra for more security on holiday. "This is significant as, post-Brexit, holidays in Europe this summer will feel more expensive, given the drop in the value of the pound against the euro." Top countries respondents plan to visit this summer: 1. Spain =2. France =2. USA 4. Greece 5. Italy Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Cyprus Foreign Ministry has started moving on its action plan in dealing with the new Turkish warnings regarding the third licensing round in the islands Exclusive Economic Zone Cyprus Foreign Ministry has started moving on its action plan in dealing with the new Turkish warnings regarding the third licensing round in the islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). On Tuesday the Ministry reported that they would be sending a letter to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, on the matter. The Ministry has mentioned that it will also be sending the letter to all the permanent members of the UN Security Council, where they will highlight the situation on Turkeys fresh threats regarding exploration in block 6 of the EEZ. In the case that the issue heats up and there is a violation of Cyprus sovereignty in its EEZ, Nicosia has said that they will ask for the European Union (EU) to get involved. In an announcement on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said that Cyprus is exercising all its sovereign rights in its EEZ as all countries in the international community. Regarding the statements of the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Tanju Bilgic, Cyprus has said that his comments were a repeat of unacceptable positions and legally unfounded positions. The statement further adds that Cyprus is ready to protect its sovereign rights, and use all the methods that it has under international law. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report - See more at: http://www.sigmalive.com/en/news/politics/147559/cyprus-to-inform-un-on-turkeys-latest-threats-regarding-eez#.dpuf Saudi Arabia has agreed to assist thousands of laid-off Indian workers stranded in the kingdom without money or food, an Indian minister said on Wednesday. A sharp drop in oil prices has forced cuts to state spending in Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude exporter. Construction firms have been squeezed financially and have laid off tens of thousands of south Asian and other foreign workers. More than 6,200 of the stranded Indian workers were employed by construction firm Saudi Oger, a conglomerate owned by the family of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri, which has been unable to pay workers' salaries for months, according to Indian officials. India's junior foreign minister Vijay Kumar Singh, visiting Riyadh on Wednesday to meet Saudi Labour Minister Mufrej Al Haqbani, said the Saudi government had provided assurances that it would resolve the crisis and ensure workers' financial claims were pursued, even if the workers returned home. "Things are not as bad as they have been shown and projected," the minister said in joint remarks with Haqbani after their meeting. "Things are very fine. We are in constant touch with all the officials and the various departments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." Haqbani said Saudi Arabia's King Salman had directed officials to take all measures to resolve the problem at the government's expense, and Riyadh would hire lawyers to pursue the workers' claims and make sure their rights were respected. "Yesterday, we contracted all the providers to provide health, catering, maintenance and everything, and we contracted the airlines to send back anybody who wants to go there upon the approval of the Embassy of India," Haqbani said, according to a text of the remarks provided by his ministry. STRANDED A Lebanese newspaper reported on Wednesday that the Saudi government was in talks with Hariri on a proposal to take over Saudi Oger. Under the proposed deal, the buyer would assume all debts and financial obligations of Saudi Oger. Saudi Oger officials and Al Hariri could not be reached for comment. In the past, the company has declined to speak publicly about its finances. Saudi officials were also not available to speak about the reported takeover proposal. A total of about 7,700 Indian workers were stranded, according to Indian officials. Of these, 4,072 were staying in worker camps in Riyadh while 2,153 were in Jeddah. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday the workers faced a "food crisis" because employers had not paid their wages. The Jeddah consulate was distributing emergency rations to the workers pending efforts to repatriate them. Saudi Arabia says it investigates any complaints of companies not paying wages and if necessary obliges these firms to do so or risk fines and other penalties. Other foreign governments, including France, the Philippines and Bangladesh, have been pressing Saudi authorities and company executives to ensure that construction firms pay their workers. Before the economic slowdown, about 10 million foreigners, largely from south Asia, southeast Asia and other parts of the Middle East, worked in Saudi Arabia, many in low-paid jobs in sectors Saudis spurn, such as construction, domestic service and retailing. Reuters A 40-year-old Pakistani national was arrested by Jammu Police for crossing the international border. By Ashwini Kumar: Jammu police on Thursday arrested a 40-year-old Pakistani national near the international border in Ramgarh area of Jammu. According to police, Jhangir Nehru Chosh was under the influence of drugs when police found him about three kilometers away from the zero line border. Intelligence agencies are interrogating him to figure out how he crossed the Indo-Pak border despite the red alert issued on 200 kilomter radius of the international border in three districts of Jammu, Kathua and Samba. --- ENDS --- advertisement Siemens has energised the high-voltage substations built as part of a greenfield development under Kuwait National Petroleum Company's (KNPC) Clean Fuels Project at Mina Al Ahmadi (MAA) and Mina Abdullah (MAB) refineries in Kuwait. The substations pave the way for a significant capacity boost and increasing power stability at the two facilities. The Clean Fuels Project involves the upgrade and integration of the MAB and MAA refineries, located 60 and 45 km south of Kuwait, respectively. As part of a KD68-million ($225 million) contract, Siemens delivered and installed a 132 kV AHRF C substation at MAA and a 300/132 kV MARF W substation at MAB. The upgrade, which provides the refineries with their own dedicated substations, allows for an increase in the combined output of the two refineries to 800,000 barrels per day. Siemens also provided 250 km of cabling for the project. We are excited about reaching this important milestone. With two high-voltage substations completely dedicated to the Mina Al Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries, power is now provided to the oil facilities to meet the increasing demand. These new substations will now ensure a reliable and stable electricity supply for the refineries, said Adrian Wood, CEO of Siemens in Kuwait. Again, we would like to thank our customer KNPC for placing their trust in Siemens technology and the companys track record of successful execution and on-time delivery, Wood added. The Clean Fuels Project is one of KNPCs strategic projects, seeking to transform the two refineries into an integrated merchant refining complex that meets the diversified requirements of the world oil market. It is set for completion in 2018. - TradeArabia News Service Qatar's Nakilat-Keppel Offshore Marine (N-KOM), one of the Middle East's leading shipyards, has signed a fleet agreement with Greece-based Samos Steamship Company during the recent Posidonia exhibition held in Athens, Greece. The shipping company is an existing client of N-KOM, with several repairs undertaken for their fleet of tankers to date, said a statement from N-KOM. Under the fleet agreement, N-KOM will be the preferred shipyard in the Middle East for the repairs of all vessels owned by Samos Steamship Company, it said. Eng Abdullah Fadhalah Al Sulaiti, managing director of Nakilat, said: We are pleased to be strengthening our strategic partnership with our client Samos Steamship through the signing of this fleet agreement, during one of the largest international shipping events of the year no less. Our company has enjoyed a successful long-standing partnerships with Greek shipping companies such as Maran Gas Maritime, and we look forward to the continued support from our Greek and other international clients to grow Qatars reputation as a maritime centre of excellence in the region, he added. Anastassios Tzamouranis, managing director of Samos Steamship Company, said: We have been very satisfied with the high quality and timely repairs of our tankers by N-KOM over the years and are happy to further grow our partnership with this fleet agreement. TradeArabia News Service Dubai-based KBW Investments (KBW) will build a new LED factory in Jordan under an agreement signed recently. KBW signed two public-private partnerships (PPP) and buildoperatetransfer (BOT) agreements with respective governmental authorities of Jordan to implement large-scale LED adoption countrywide and in the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM). The initiatives were spearheaded by KBW Investments founder and chairman Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal. Prince Khaled said: The chief driving force behind KBWs investment activities in Jordan are twofold: energy security and fostering the reduction of energy consumption. KBW Investments partnered with Leotek, a subsidiary of Taiwanese multibillion dollar technology manufacturer Lite-On Group, two years ago with the ultimate goal of bringing efficient, transformative technological solutions to the region. This is Leoteks first project of this size and scale, he said. After undertaking research into PPP regulations together with Jordanian investment laws, the plans were developed as joint undertakings - a first for the country. Introducing the technology itself was one challenge we faced, and another challenge was that each roads varying conditions required specific types of luminers, he added. Leoteks technical team, together with Jordanian officials performed site surveys on more than 700 km that promised exceptional results, thereby cementing KBWs decision to invest heavily, said a statement. The two PPP and BOT agreements follow two separate memorandums of understanding (MoU) signed by Prince Khaled in 2015. The first agreement was solidified for a phase one implementation of 100,000 LED units across the Jordanian countryside and city outskirts on July 27 in the presence of Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Fawzi al-Mulki, it stated. The units are to be produced by the new LED factory employing approximately 80 people, 95 per cent of whom are Jordanian. The factory, developed as a PPP and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) project together with two Jordanian governmental entities, the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) and the Ministry of Municipalities, represented by Cities and Villages Development Bank (CVBD), is currently under construction and has an expected completion timeframe of three months. The second agreement, with GAM, was signed by Prince Khaled and the Mayor of Amman, Aqel Biltaji, on July 28. This agreement confirms KBWs commencement of conceptual development on how to best execute and implement Amman Smart city infrastructure solutions, LED street lighting replacing another 115,000 units within GAMs borders, and a solar PV power plant for future energy security and energy savings. The use of LED technology will result in energy savings of 50 per cent and in some areas up to 70 per cent compared to the existing light infrastructure, the statement said. Calculating only 100,000 LED installations, approximately $20 million will be saved annually, it added. TradeArabia News Service A firefighter was killed while battling flames that erupted when an Emirates airline plane flying from India crash-landed in Dubai, the carrier's chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said. Sheikh Ahmed said authorities were still investigating the incident, in which 14 other people were admitted to hospitals with mainly minor or moderate injuries. He said the crash-landing was not caused by any security breach. He said the plane, which had entered service in 2003, had undergone maintenance in 2015 and that the UAE pilot had over 7,000 hours of flying experience. Emirates always follows international standards and is strict in implementing safety and maintenance rules, Sheikh Ahmed told a news conference in Dubai, which was carried by Dubai television. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew members on the plane. The Dubai carrier's first significant accident happened after the crew apparently attempted to abort the landing for a second attempt amid unconfirmed witness reports of landing gear problems. Video showed a tower of flame bursting from the front of the plane, and then a thick black plume of smoke rising into the sky. Reuters was unable to verify the footage independently. Photographs on social media showed a plane lying crumpled on the tarmac with black smoke pouring from its upper section, and later images showed a gap along the length of the charred fuselage where its roof had been. "It was actually really terrifying. As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin," said passenger Sharon Maryam Sharji. "People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. We left by going down the emergency slides and as we were leaving on the runway we could see the whole plane catch fire. It was horrifying." Another passenger leaving the airport with his family said there had been a problem with the landing gear. 'GO AROUND' ATTEMPT Flights at Dubai International resumed at 6:30 p.m (1430 GMT) after all arrivals and departures were suspended for over five hours, authorities said. According to air traffic control recordings cited by Aviation Herald, a respected independent website monitoring air accidents, controllers at Dubai reminded the crew of the Boeing 777 to lower the landing gear as it came into approach. Shortly afterwards, the crew announced they were aborting the landing to "go around," a routine procedure for which pilots are well trained. But the aircraft came to rest near the end of the runway instead, Aviation Herald reported. It was not immediately clear whether the landing gear was extended by the time the aircraft touched the ground at around 0845 GMT, though a family of passengers who declined to be named said the wheels did not deploy and the jet landed on its belly. Unverified amateur video posted on Twitter appeared to show the plane sliding on its belly moments after landing, with its right engine torn away from its usual position under the wing. Both the airline and aircraft have a solid safety record. It is the first time an aircraft operated by Emirates has been damaged beyond repair since the carrier was founded in the 1980s. Boeing said it would work with Emirates to gather more information. Investigators will scour the wreckage and interview pilots, controllers and witnesses for clues to any technical malfunctions, human error or weather-related problems. Judging by footage of the aircraft's intact tail section, where the 'black box' flight recorders are located, vital voice and data recordings should be retrievable. - Reuters Iran is expecting the first deliveries of Airbus planes to be made by the end the year, said a report. According to a report in eturbonews, the deliveries will be made once the US provides the required authorisations. The first series of Airbus planes will probably arrive in Iran by the end of autumn provided that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) [of the US Treasury Department] issues the required authorization to Airbus to do so, said Irans Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi. In January, Iran signed a major contract with European aviation giant Airbus worth about $27 billion to buy 118 planes within the next few months. The contract was signed during the visit to Paris by Irans President Hassan Rouhani. Iran also sealed a deal in June worth around $25 billion with the US aerospace heavyweight, Boeing, for the purchase of 100 passenger planes. The deal with Boeing is still facing a possible ban by Congress in what many see as a result of the growing anti-Iran measures adopted by US lawmakers, the report said. Iran is also working on a scheme to purchase planes from the aviation arm of Japans Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Officials in Tehran recently announced that Tokyo has agreed to fund Irans purchase of Mitsubishi planes, it said. Mahmoud Tabbara joins luxury property Corinthia Hotel Khartoum in Sudan in as its new director of sales and marketing. A Lebanese national, Tabbara has gained experience within the hospitality sector while holding several senior positions with international hotel chains around the world including, Rotana, IHG, Ritz Carlton and Warwick. Having previously worked in Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Baghdad, he brings with him an extensive knowledge of sales and marketing in the Middle East. Tabbara will oversee the overall profitability of the hotel while also being responsible for setting and driving business strategies in order to optimise sales and boost brand awareness in the growing market. Corinthia Hotel Khartoum's general manager Nicholas Borg said: "We are happy to welcome Mahmoud to the team, his market knowledge and awareness of the luxury hospitality sector is vast. We hope to incorporate his ideas and strategic vision for the property into our plans in order to provide the best leisure and business services for our clients." Mahmoud Tabbara said, "It is an honour to be a part of the Corinthia family. I look forward to taking on this challenge and working with the team to ensure the iconic group's success in Khartoum's growing economy." - TradeArabia News Service Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is offering travellers from Kuwait discounts on Economy and Business Class seats. Travellers can fly for as low as KD124 ($411) on Economy Class to Geneva and only KD939 ($3,112.3) on Business Class to New York, with many other destinations on sale including Bangkok, Casablanca, London, Los Angeles, Manila, and Paris. The Etihad Seat Sale runs till August 6, and the travel validity for bookings made under this promotion will be from September 14 up to May 10, 2017. Etihad Guest members can earn miles for travel to all destinations across all cabins. - TradeArabia News Service The Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) is pushing ahead in its efforts to position Bahrain as a wedding destination with the siging of an agreement with Valley Media International to participate in the upcoming Jewelry Arabia. Through its participation, BTEA hopes to further attract tourists from Saudi Arabia and India. The agreement was signed between the Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority advisor Dr Ali Follad and Laith Shukayr, general manager of Valley Media International, in the presence of representatives from both entities. Jewelry Arabia is one of the top jewelry and luxury exhibitions attracting visitors from different nationalities. It is the perfect platform to promote Bahrain as a wedding destination in partnership with hotels and wedding planners, said Dr Follad. We are delighted to sign this agreement with Valley Media International, a company with vast experience in event and wedding management. The agreement will surely act as an integral tool to the success of our ongoing efforts to position Bahrain as the preferred wedding destination, he added. Valley Media International, one of the leading companies in event management, marketing and public relations, will support BTEAs 2016-2018 strategy to position the kingdom as the preferred wedding destination venue through an integrated outreach programme. The programme will focus on hosting a number of events and activities on the sidelines of the upcoming Jewelry Arabia which will be held between November 22 and 26. One of the main activities includes installing a booth at the exhibition to promote the key attributes of the kingdom in regards to its rich hospitality offering along with a fashion show hosted by Bahraini and other Arab designers. - TradeArabia News Service By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Aug 4 (PTI) Pakistan-origin British woman who died last month in mysterious circumstances was "murdered", Pakistani authorities said today, raising suspicions that she was a victim of "honour killing". Samia Shahid, 28, was found dead on July 20 at her parents house in Mangla area of Jhelum district in Punjab province. Her husband Syed Mukhtar Kazim registered a FIR on July 23 against Samias father, mother, sister, cousin Mobeen and her former husband for allegedly murdering her as they were not happy with the marriage. advertisement Kazim claimed in the FIR that Samia had been killed by her family who refused to accept their relationship because he belonged to the Shia sect. Her father initially said that she died due to cardiac arrest but later changed his stance and told police that she had committed suicide. A high level probe led by senior police official Abu Bakr Khuda Bakhash concluded that she was suffocated to death. "Yes, it is true that she was strangled to death and it is murder," said Bakhash. A beauty therapist from Bradford, Samia had previously been married to her first cousin Shakil but the couple parted ways after divorce in May 2014. She then married Kazim of Taxila in September 2014 and both started living in Dubai. Samia, a resident of Dhok Pandori village, Jehlum, some 230 km from Lahore, had come to Pakistan from Dubai about last month to see her ailing father. Earlier, British MP Naz Shah had alerted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that Samia might have been killed for honour. Honour killing is common in Pakistan. Hundreds of women are killed every year for so-called honour. Samias murder came over a week after social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her brother in a so-called honour killing which caused an international uproar forcing the Pakistani government to announce strict action against those involved in her murder. PTI SH AJR ZH --- ENDS --- When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. The Russian-made chopper, owned by the provincial government of Punjab, was on its way to Russia on routine maintenance. By Press Trust of India: A Pakistani government helicopter with seven people on-board including one Russian crash-landed in Afghanistan, today. The passengers are feared to have been taken hostages by the Taliban, official said. The Russian-made chopper, owned by the provincial government of Punjab, was on its way to Russia on routine maintenance when it suffered unknown technical glitch and had to force land in Azra district of restive Logar province. advertisement "We believe that it was our chopper but we need confirmation from the Afghan government," an official of Punjab government. The official could not confirm the whereabouts of the seven people who were in the chopper. However, he said, it included one Russian engineer and six Pakistanis, including four former army personnel. CONFLICTING REPORTS There were conflicting reports about the fate of the chopper as some reports suggested that it was set on fire by Taliban while others said that it caught fire while landing. Foreign Office said in a statement that helicopter owned by the Punjab government took off at 8.45 am (local time) for Russia. "We are trying to ascertain if it was the same helicopter which went down in Afghanistan," FO said in a statement. Afghan media reported through government sources that it was a Pakistani helicopter and that all those on board were captured by Taliban and transported to unknown location. A spokesman for Pakistani embassy in Kabul confirmed the crash, but did not provide any details on the fate of the passengers. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that so far he has no information about the incident. Pakistan Army uses Russian-made MI-17 choppers, several of which have carshed in the recent past. Seven people including two foreign ambassadors were killed in May last year when an Mi-17 army helicopter crashed at a holiday resort in the mountains of Gilgit. ALSO READ: Emirates flight from India crash-lands, catches fire at Dubai airport as landing gear fails --- ENDS --- Pentagon did not release $300 million fund to Pakistan because the Secretary did not yet certify that the country had taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network. US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter at the Pentagon in Washington. Photo: Reuters By Reuters: The Pentagon will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a US official said. Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with US officials frustrated by what they term Islamabad's unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. advertisement "The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said on Wednesday. $300 MILLION COMES UNDER CSF, WHOSE BIGGEST RECIPIENT IS PAK The $300 million comes under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), a US Defense Department program to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations. Pakistan is the largest recipient. "This decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years," Stump added. According to Pentagon data, about $14 billion has already been paid to Pakistan under the CSF since 2002. The decision by the Pentagon is a sign that while it sees some progress by Pakistan in its military operations in North Waziristan, much work remains. Pakistan rejects harboring militants but says there are limits to how much it can do as it is already fighting multiple Islamist groups and is wary of a "blowback" in the form of more terror attacks on its soil. "(The) Coalition Support Fund is one of the many cooperative arrangements between Pakistan and the United States to pursue common objectives," said Nadeem Hotiana, a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy in Washington. US-PAK RELATIONS FRAY Relations between the United States and Pakistan were tested in May by a US drone strike that killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour on Pakistani soil. There has been growing resistance in the US Congress to sending money to Pakistan. Many lawmakers have expressed concern about its nuclear program, commitment to fighting terrorist organizations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process. In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar any US funding for Islamabad's purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets. Also Read: Carter monitoring situation post terror attacks: Pentagon Pentagon to use Indian weather satellites in Afghanistan --- ENDS --- Vijay C Roy Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 4 Aimed at providing free LPG connections to women from BPL households, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas would soon launch Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the northern region comprising Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Currently, the oil marketing companies in the region are in process of identifying the beneficiaries on the basis of Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 data. The scheme provides a financial support of Rs 1,600 for each LPG connection to the BPL households. We expect to roll out the scheme in the region within a month. Currently, we are identifying the beneficiaries, said a senior official in an oil marketing company. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the scheme on May 1 this year at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. The scheme aims to provide cooking gas connections to five crore BPL beneficiaries over the next three years. On being asked about the reason behind the delay in the launch of the scheme in the northern region, sources said, Overall, LPG penetration in India is around 60%. As compared to national average, states like Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh is almost near to saturation point while in Jammu & Kashmir, it is 70%. But soon the scheme will be launched in mission mode in the region to achieve 100% saturation. According to data of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, there are around 8.5 lakh BPL households in the state who dont have LPG connection. The ambitious Rs 8,000-crore PMUY scheme will partly be funded by the money saved from 1.13 crore cooking gas users across the country who voluntarily gave up their subsidy through PMs Give It Up initiative. In Punjab, around four lakh consumers has given up their LPG subsidy, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (around 1.64 lakh) and Himachal Pradesh (67,600). In Chandigarh, around 18,000 consumers have given up their LPG subsidy under the campaign of the Oil Ministry. Aarti Kapur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 4 Panjab University has proposed to the Chandigarh Administration to hold the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections on September 9 this year. Highly placed officials in the university said a communication in this regard was sent by the university today to UT Adviser Parimal Rai for approval. In the proposal, the authorities said they wanted to conduct the elections in the second week of September as the Senate elections were also scheduled be held around that period. Last year, the student elections were held on August 26. The university authorities have also sent a communication to the Chandigarh Police for approval of the election schedule. After approval from the Chandigarh Administration, the elections will be notified eight days before the scheduled date by the university authorities. After the notification of the elections, the Lyngdoh Committee norms will come into force on the campus. An official said the date had been proposed by the authorities keeping in view the Senate elections, scheduled for August 31 and September 19. 14,000 voters There are around 14,000 voters on the campus for the student council elections. Executive committee President Vice-president Secretary Joint secretary Five other members The four office-bearers include president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary, who are elected directly by the students. Five members of the executive committee are elected by members of the students council from among themselves. Higher Education Minister of Afghanistan, Dr Farida Momand, visited Lovely Professional University (LPU) on Wednesday and honoured 21 meritorious students in the fields of academics, research, sports, social and cultural activities. The occasion was Freshmen Induction programme and Awards of Scholarship. While honouring the students and addressing freshers at LPU, Dr Momand praised the continuous and unflinching support of India and Indian people in diverse sectors for the cause and development of Afghanistan. Dr Momand also said that she would be directing 13 Afghan lecturers to pursue their PhDs at LPU in diverse fields. Awarding and interacting with Afghan students at LPU, Dr Momand said, I want that the experience that Afghan students gained during studies must be utilised for their country. LKCE to host techno fest Lyallpur Khalsa College of Engineering (LKCE) is going to organise IOT Challenge 2016 (Asias largest technical fest) in collaboration with IIT, Bombay. Lyallpur Khalsa College of engineering has got the opportunity to host the event. Before the final round of IOT Challenge 2016, its prelims round will be conducted at 8 zonal colleges of India. Lyallpur Khalsa College of Engineering , Jalandhar, is the zonal centre for Punjab in the competition. The winner will get a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Teej festival organised The nascent kids of INNOKIDS The pre-primary wing of Innocent Hearts School celebrated Teej festival with full glory and colour. The school wore a festive look as staff and students were attired in traditional Punjabi outfits. The whole campus was beautifully decorated with swings hung from trees where students and teachers swung and cherished the moments. The whole environment reflected Punjabi culture with traditional articles like bagh, phulkari, charkha etc. Everyone was overwhelmed with the preparations and creativity of mehndi by the girls of the school. On the occasion, giddha was performed by the teachers and the students of the school. KMV girls bag top positions Kanya Maha Vidyalaya (KMV) students from the PG Department of Commerce & Business Management proved their mettle by scoring university positions. Preet Paul from BCom (P) IV semester scored 540/700 marks with eighth rank in the university merit list. Sukhjit Kaur and Ramanpreet Kaur scored 537/700 and 531/700 marks, respectively, and were placed at the 10th and 15th position in the same merit list. Dr Atima Sharma Dwivedi congratulated the students who had done exceptionally well in the university exams along with the faculty of the college. TNS Home Minister Rajnath Singh is in Islamabad for the two-day SAARC conclave on terrorism, drugs and human trafficking. By India Today Web Desk: Home Minister Rajnath Singh is in Islamabad for the two-day SAARC conclave on terrorism, drugs and human trafficking. The visit so far has been headlined first by a number of terror groups protesting against Rajnath's visit, and later by Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's controversial remarks on Kashmir. Inaugurating the SAARC Interior Ministers' Conference today, Sharif, however, struck a cordial note, calling for greater cooperation between the member countries. advertisement WHAT RAJNATH SAID There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism. There should be strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations. Mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough. There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs. Here are the latest updates: Home Ministers from seven SAARC countries, minus Bangladesh, are meeting in Islamabad for a two-day conclave with regional affairs, terrorism, drugs and human trafficking on the agenda. India has denied there will be any bilateral meeting between India and Pakistan during Rajnath's visit. The Home Minister, therefore, will not be holding a one-on-one with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Upping the ante before the conference, Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday evening said Kashmir was witnessing a "new wave of freedom movement" and "not an internal matter" of India. "The resolution of the lingering dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is the corner stone of Pakistan's foreign policy," Sharif said at another event on Wednesday. As Rajnath reached Islamabad on Wednesday, thousands of activists of various religious and jihadi outfits led by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed protested across different Pakistani cities against his visit. Activists of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Hizbul Mujahideen, United Jihad Council (UJC) and other such group protested to denounce Singh's trip. Earlier, Saeed had warned that Rajnath Singh's presence in Islamabad may create "unrest" among Kashmiris as well as Pakistanis in the face of scores of killings in Kashmir. More than 50 people have been killed and over 3,000 wounded in the current bout of violence in Jammu and Kashmir following the killing of Burhan Wani, a commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. Wani has been declared a "martyr" by Islamabad while India has branded him a "terrorist". Hafiz Saeed asks Pakistan government not to allow Rajnath Singh's visit --- ENDS --- Harish Khare IT is perhaps no exaggeration to suggest that had the GST (Constitution Amendment Bill) been steered by any Cabinet minister other than Arun Jaitley, the exercise would have floundered. Apart from sporting a certain technical competence in the art of taxation and law-making, the Finance Minister was able to convey a sense of sincerity and honesty that has so often eluded the Modi regime. Indeed the Finance Minister was called upon to make for his governments confirmed weakness for duplicity. But this is not about Arun Jaitley. This is about celebrating the political process that made possible the Rajya Sabha vote on Wednesday. Just at a time when men and women of good will were getting exasperated at our politicians interminable squabbling, the divided and deadlocked Parliament was able to cobble together a very substantive as well as consequential law. This is far too important legislation which will last the next 100 years, intoned a former Union Finance Minister, P Chidambaram. And, this satisfactory denouement was possible only because the Centre had come down from its haughty pretensions to reaffirm its faith in the federal spirit and structure of our constitutional arrangement. Since May 2014, armed with an unprecedented and, liberating majority in the Lok Sabha, the Modi government has often spoken down and, that too, arrogantly to the States. The Lok Sabha majority was sought to be seen as a licence to roll back the federal assertions and propensities; since 1989 those ruling at the Centre had to depend upon numbers and partnership with regional parties, which somehow were deemed to be insufficiently mindful of national interest. Admittedly even before May 2014 there has been a healthy but unrelenting contestation between the Centre and the States. Once the Congress lost its post-Independence dominance and regional parties came to the fore in States, the tussle acquired a politically partisan hue. We only need to recall how NT Rama Rao sought to dismiss the Centre as a myth; we also need to keep in mind a document called the Anandpur Saheb Resolution; and, we are almost every week reminded of another relevant provision, Article 370. Surely, we do not have the luxury of concluding that the issue of the quantum of autonomy that the States would want to enjoy in the Union is a settled point. The GST law had to be crafted in this context of the sense of entitlement that the States have come to claim vis-a-vis the Centre. And, now, the States are being asked to give up considerably their power of taxation. The power to tax is the most fundamental attribute of sovereignty. It was left to Jaitley to make the argument that for some of those who felt that this was surrendering their sovereignty, this was, in fact, pooling in of sovereignty of the States at the Centre. Neatly put. The Finance Minister felt obliged to make his case for the GST in terms of deepening of the federal arrangement. He delineated the proposed GST Council, where the States would be able to commandeer two-third of the vote while the Centre will have to be content with one-third voting power. Any decision would have to have three-fourths of the votes. Perhaps Jaitley was not over-pitching when he argued that the whole concept of the GST Council is Indian federalism at play in the best possible mode. This recourse to the federal argument is a welcome antidote to the ominously centralising overtone to the thoughtless slogan of one nation, one tax. There has always been a very passionate and very articulate opinion that has insisted that the Centre has to be both omnipresent and omnipotent; the operative assumption invariably was that those charged with the responsibility of presiding over New Delhi and operationalising the Indian State would be solely guided by enlightened national interest and would have a pan-Indian perspective. As a matter of fact, the Constitution does charge the Centre with the responsibility of protecting the Union. And, since May 2014 the Prime Minister has behaved as if he was voted as a federal overlord. It is in this context of prime ministerial overlordism and the BJPs political dandagiri as evident in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand that the GST debate witnessed a much-needed reaffirmation of federal principles and invocation of federal virtues. The GST arrangement carries with it the risk, as Sitaram Yechury pointed out, of reducing the States to glorified municipalities who would be obliged to come with a begging bowl to the Centre for money. Yet with the exception of Tamil Nadu, all the States have boarded the GST bandwagon. This is an act of faith. Given the caterwauling context of disputes and disagreement among political parties, the consensus behind the Wednesday vote should be a silver lining. At the very least, it can be argued that the Indian political system has not become totally dysfunctional. Perhaps equally significantly, it can also be suggested that the Indian political class has not become self-defeatingly self-centred. The parliamentary democracy stood redeemed, even if the GST may turn out to be not quite the magic wand it is being projected to be. A long and uncertain journey has just begun. It is not a question of just one time act of good faith. Over the next two years the political parties would find themselves called upon to engage in rites of cooperation and collaboration to take the GST beyond its baby-steps. Deadly serious political adversaries may have to engage in sincere dialogue and discussion. No economic arrangement can sustain itself without some kind of political concord. The present turmoil in the European Union offers a lesson on the need for balance between economic benefits and political costs. The States cannot be expected to cooperate in matters of trade and taxation unless the polity is able to ensure a minimum political fairness. An important state, Tamil Nadu, and its political leadership insist that the GST Bill violates the basic structure of the Constitution. Such dissent would still need to be addressed. Success of the proposed GST architecture will ultimately depend upon the ability of the political class to carve out no conflict zones even if they continue as they must their rivalry in the electoral arena. A genuine federal polity can only proceed and prosper on the principle of live and let live. No group, party or leader would be able to trample over the autonomy of the constituting States. The Union can flourish only when the States feel they have their space and a say in the nations collective affairs. Gursharan Singh TALK to any Vice Chancellor of an Indian public university; he would be quick to lament the lack of adequate funds to run the university affairs. Few may discuss their vision about the universities. Probably their minds are too occupied with the matter to think about other issues plaguing higher education. Not only inadequacy of funds but also the timely release often is an equally alarming issue. Unfortunately, we are accustomed to a kind of system in the public universities of our country, where only the government (state/Centre) is held responsible for providing all the financial aid. Have a look at the top public universities of any advanced country; say USA. How much are these supported by the government? In US, the revenue from federal and state sources make up 37 per cent of total revenue at public colleges and universities, the remaining 63 per cent is generated by the universities from their own efforts and resources; about 20 per cent from private gifts, investment revenue, endowment income, local revenue, capital appropriation and other miscellaneous revenue; and the rest 42 per cent from tuition and fee from regular (21 per cent) and self-supporting (21 per cent) courses offered by the universities. In contrast, Indian public universities seem to be heavily dependent on the government exchequer. Government funding up to 90 per cent is provided to institutions of higher learning. It is noteworthy that over the years, government funding in the US to public universities has decreased substantially. For instance, the state of Texas funded 85 per cent of the educational costs of University of Texas in 1970; today the state pays only around 13 per cent. How are the US universities coping with this financial crunch and maintaining their world ranking, and why could not we do it; is a question which must bother every university chief executive. It is true that fee even in public universities of US is quite high and more so in the case of out-of-state and international students. Also, the number of students in any university in the US are not less than 20,000. However, keeping the mandate of a public university, we are constrained to make any steep enhancement of the fee in our universities. On an average, contribution from the fee of students in public universities remains only in single digit per cent of the total budget. But even then there are areas where we could use the foreign experience to generate reasonable finances. It has been noticed that after the students are denied admission in a government institution, they go to the private universities or colleges where they have to shell out a hefty amount as fee, much more than a public institute. Why not start a self-supporting stream for all courses, to benefit such students? Apart from catering to their degree requirements with better expertise, this will also help the universities to strengthen their exchequers. Fifty per cent of the tuition fee revenue in US universities is generated from the income through self-supporting teaching programmes. Further, universities can doubly utilise their infrastructure and facilities by starting teaching programmes in the evening shift. Even getting expertise would not be problem since we always have experienced retired expertise everywhere at considerable lower emoluments. Further, we could also utilise the expertise of graduating students as helpers to the senior faculty; apart from providing professional training to the students, the universities would be financially benefitted. It is really unfortunate that we always keep on ruing the faculty shortage but do not have the acumen to utilise the wealth of retired faculty available right at the doorstep. Private universities are utilising the services of such faculty. Probably no university in the US has more than 50 per cent of tenured regular faculty on its rolls. Adjunct faculty, guest faculty, contractual faculty and graduating students comprise about 50 per cent of the teaching force. We can emulate the western model in this regard. We also have a dismally poor track record of fostering alumni participation and corporate support. India needs to learn from the experience of foreign universities. Alumni have an emotional commitment to their alma mater; we need to learn to encash upon it. Sir Ratan Tata, the alumnus of Cornell University, and Harvard Business School made whooping donations worth $100 million to his alma mater; $50 million each to Cornell University (in 2008) and the School (in 2010). Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Group gave $10 million to the Humanities Centre at Harvard. We too have some role models. Gurdev Singh Khush, the winner of the World Food Prize, donated all his prize money of Rs 3.5 crore to his alma mater, the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The Alumni Association of MS University, Baroda, has offered to raise Rs one crore every year. What is a common practice in the US, is a rarity in India. Such efforts demand persuasion, passion and patience. If people are ready to donate to mandirs and gurdwaras, they can also be persuaded to donate for the "temples of learning". There a strong need to create public awareness. Apart from this, there is always enough scope for each university to share facilities with the general public by involvement of the students under the learn-and-earn motto. We need visionary Vice Chancellors who can plan and execute innovative projects to raise funds rather than look to the government for financial support. In the US, many university Presidents spend more than half of their working time in fund raising. While we are contemplating world-class universities, we also need to cultivate the world-class culture of commitment and action. Governments on their part must ensure timely release of earmarked funds to be judiciously utilised. Hopefully, the recommendations of the Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy to allocate 6 per cent of the GDP to education, would also be taken into account and implemented. The writer is a former Dean, Postgraduate Studies, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 4 The App bug has bitten the BJP. In a first of its kind initiative, the BJP today launched a mobile App to connect all workers of its state unit with a view to provide information pertaining to the Central and state schemes besides organisational matter. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the App as part of the Digital BJP programme organised during the training camp of the state unit at Surajkund in Faridabad district today. The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of central BJP (IT Cell) convener Arvind Gupta and state unit convener Vikram Gaur for making Haryana the first digital unit in the country. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, while addressing the participants, exhorted the BJP leaders to take the Central government schemes to the grassroots level. In fact, the state unit, which has became the first digital unit of the country, has several IT initiatives up its sleeve in the days to come. As part of that campaign, Khattar would make direct communication with all district offices on August 16. The BJP offices at Rohtak, Panchkula and Chandigarh already had the facilities of videoconferencing and the remaining offices would be connected with this facility, said sources. While the Chief Minister would be present at his residence on August 16, state BJP president Subhash Barala and in charge of the party affairs Anil Jain would be present in Panchkula and Rohtak party offices, respectively. Prominent among those present on the occasion included Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain, Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar, Industries Minister Vipul Goel, Minister of Cooperation Manish Grover, Minister of State for Public Health Engineering Banwari Lal, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Nayab Singh Saini, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Shyam Singh Rana, Bakhshish Singh Virk and Seema Trikha besides other leaders of party. Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 4 Foreign shores seem attractive destinations to woo investors, for Haryana and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is not letting any opportunity go by. Probably, that is why, in less than two years of rule in the state, a third off-shore trip is on the cards for Khattar and his team. And on the radar are Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. Sources said the trip is being scheduled for September after the monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha, slated to begin on August 26. The itinerary for the week-long visit is still being planned. He will be accompanied by newly inducted Industries Minister Vipul Goyal, besides senior officers of the Industries Department and a business delegation. Khattar, who assumed power in October 2014, went for his first trip abroad to the US and Canada in August last year right after unveiling the governments new industrial policy. He followed this up with a week-long trip to China and Japan, showcasing Haryana as an ideal investment destination to foreign investors. Later, the state held Happening Haryana, its first business global business submit, to build upon the visits abroad and invite investors on home soil to hard sell the state. Sources said the latest trip was being planned to tap investors based in the three countries. In the past, a number of Japanese and Korean companies invested in Haryana, especially in the Gurgaon-Manesar belt. A trip to Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea is being planned to bring in foreign direct investment to the state since several companies are based there and have maximum liquid fund. Encouraged by the response to Happening Haryana, we want to reinforce investors interest, an officer said. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 4 The Haryana Government is fully prepared to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill which has been passed by the Rajya Sabha, says Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu. Addressing a press conference here today, the minister said the State Excise and Taxation Department was preparing a roadmap for its implementation as the officers and officials concerned had already been imparted training on how to implement it effectively. He said as the Bill had now been passed, all states could complete the proceedings in their legislative Assemblies and pass this Bill in the Budget Session in 2017. By then, this Bill would take the form of a law, he added. Replying to a question, he said the states would not incur any revenue loss after its implementation. However, in case of losses, if any, the Central government would offer compensation up to five years after its implementation. He said that the revenue growth of the state was increasing and was better than that of the neighbouring states. Reiterating that the state government would abide by the promises made to industries and traders even after implementation of the GST system, the minister said that the system would not only benefit the states directly, but would also benefit the industrial and trade sectors, apart from the consumers. While referring to the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, he said that the state government had already made provision of Rs 4,000 crore for this purpose. These recommendations would be implemented in Haryana along with their implementation at the Centre. Haryana Chamber welcomes passage of Bill Karnal: Welcoming the passage of the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) has expressed hope that it would give relief to industry and public at large. Amit Gupta, state vice-president, HCCI, said that there would be a uniformity of tax rates which would reduce the hidden cost. Major features proposed for return filing under the GST are the common return for both the Central and state level, he said. HCCI members RL Sharma, Somdutt Sachdeva and Ranbir Arora said that small taxpayers under composition scheme would file return on quarterly basis. Besides, filing of return and payment of taxes would be done through online banking, credit or debit cards and through cheque/ cash at the bank. TNS Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 4 Nearly 100 persons were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces, which continued for the 27th day of ongoing protests across the Kashmir valley. A day after the killing of ATM guard Reyaz Ahmad Shah in the Karan Nagar area, curfew continued in downtown areas and was extended to the Batamaloo area today, with many areas witnessing fresh protests. With Shahs death, the toll during the ongoing protests in the Valley reached 50. Even as curfew continued in Anantnag, Shopian and Pampore towns and restrictions remained in force in other parts of south Kashmir, the epicentre of trouble that erupted after militant commander Burhan Wanis killing on July 8, at least 50 persons were injured in fresh clashes today. Protesters clashed with personnel of security forces in several areas of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts. Over 14 persons with pellet and shell injuries from different areas of the Kashmir valley were received at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital here by the evening, said the hospital authorities. Nearly 20 civilians were injured in Shopian areas during the clashes as residents protested raids during the night by security forces in the different areas. Six others were injured in clashes after the police stopped a rally at Seer Hamdan in the Aishmuqam area of Anantnag district. Four others were injured in clashes with police personnel after the rally was stopped in the Srigufwara area of the district. Demonstrations followed by clashes with police personnel were reported from Damhal, Hanjipora and Kulgam areas and Aang on the outskirts of Anantnag. There were no injury reports from these areas. Over 10 persons, including five women, were injured in Kupwara district in north Kashmir when protesters were intercepted by security forces at Chotipora in Handwara on the Baramulla-Kupwara road. The police used teargas shells to disperse the civilian protesters. The injured were later referred to the local hospital, sources said. Clashes between protesters and police personnel were reported from the Kaloosa area of Bandipora in north Kashmir, where the police had to resort to teargas shelling to disperse the protesters. The government decided to prevent a separatists march to Hazratbal on Friday to maintain the law and order situation in the summer capital and elsewhere in the Valley. Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 4 In a bid to curb the unrest following killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have launched a crackdown and arrested nearly 600 youth across Kashmir. The massive crackdown against alleged stone-throwers and protesters in Kashmir has begun amid the ongoing unrest, that has claimed 49 lives and left over 6,000 injured. Nearly 600 hooligans and miscreants have been arrested and a majority of them have been detained from south Kashmir, said a senior police officer in Srinagar. Many arrested youth had been lodged in jails outside Kashmir, he added. The four districts of south Kashmir -- Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian -- had been the epicentre of the present unrest. Over 40 protesters had been killed in south Kashmir following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani and two of his associates on July 8. A police spokesman said on Wednesday that at least 122 persons had been detained under prohibitory provisions of the law. In its continuous drive against hooligans and miscreants, 349 accused have been arrested in the Valley and 122 detained under prohibitory provisions of the law, the spokesman said. Sources said arrests had been made in north Kashmirs worst-hit district of Kupwara, where five deaths had taken place since the unrest began. Arrests had been made in Srinagar, Baramulla, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Budgam as well. There are many troublemakers who are still at large and efforts are on to nab them. The police are using video footage to identify stone-throwers, said another police officer in a south Kashmir district. There had been 850 incidents of protests and stone-throwing across Kashmir since the killing of Burhan Wani. Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, August 4 Amid speculation that the Centre is going to engage the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups into the dialogue process to bring normalcy in the turbulent Kashmir valley, BJPs national general secretary Ram Madhav along with some intellectuals will conduct a two-day brain-storming session to set agenda for the talks. The session will be held at the picturesque Patnitop area of the Jammu division on August 6 and 7 where intellectuals from different parts of the country will sit together and discuss prevailing situation in the Valley. The two-day meeting will be held under the banner of India Foundation, a think tank comprising journalists, thinkers and intellectuals, who are known for their inclination towards the BJP and affiliated organisations. Highly placed sources said Ram Madhav, who is the one of the member of the Board of Director of India Foundation, is instrumental in organising the meeting to set agenda for starting dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said the objective of holding this conclave was to discuss all issues with the like-minded intellectuals to evolve consensus on some contentious issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir before bringing separatists on table. A group within the BJP is of the view that the stalled dialogue process with separatist groups of Kashmir should be started to engage such forces. The coming meeting of India Foundation is first step in this direction to do home work before initiating dialogue process on the vexed Kashmir issue, said the sources, adding that some Union ministers and top stalwarts of RSS were likely to attend the closed-door conclave. Four Union ministers belonging to the BJP Suresh Prabhu, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jayant Sinha and MJ Akbar are on the board of India Foundation so they are expected to participate in the conclave. According to the official website of India Foundation, the aim of the conclave was to bring together like-minded young thinkers with a view to brainstorm over various issues of national and international significance. Ludhiana: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) showcased its strengths as well as of Punjab in the agriculture sector during "India-Mauritius Global Partnership Conference," held at Balaclava in Mauritius from July 24-27. The conference was organised by the India-Mauritius Trade and Cultural Friendship Forum with an aim to explore the areas of collaboration between the two countries. Dr Charanjit Singh Aulakh, senior agronomist, PAU delivered a key note address on "Possible areas of collaboration in agriculture between the Punjab government/PAU and the Mauritius government." He also held discussions with the Minister of Agriculture, Mauritius; officials of the Department of Agriculture and farmers. Exposure visit An exposure visit for 50 young farmers was conducted by the Directorate of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), under the Young Farmer's Training Course. The visit was organised under the guidance of Dr RS Sidhu, director of Extension Education, PAU. Coordinator Dr TS Riar highlighted the role of the PAU in the development of agriculture. The young farmers visited the Centre for Communication and International Linkages, farmer's service centre, beekeeping unit, mushroom unit, vegetable research farm and new orchard of the university. Experts apprised the farmers of PAU farm publications, role of print/electronic media in the agriculture development, PAU's extension mechanism, technology dissemination to farmers, beekeeping practices, mushroom cultivation, and vegetable and fruit cultivation. The farmers also visited the biogas plant and Water Resources Museum at the PAU. The course was also coordinated by Mr Ravinder Bhalooria. Vanamahotsava celebrated The Estate Office of the PAU celebrated Vanamahotsava in the university. Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, was the chief guest on the occasion. The Deans and Directors of the PAU also graced the occasion. Dr Dhillon said Tree plantation helps in beautifying the surroundings. The PAU is known for its healthy environment because of plantation of numerous trees on the university campus. He added Man has a long association with trees. TNS Home Minister Rajnath Singh is in Pakistan to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' conference today during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. By India Today Web Desk: Home Minister Rajnath Singh is in Pakistan to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' conference today during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. Singh, who arrived here this evening on his maiden visit to Pakistan, has been accorded tight security amid threats from Lashker-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups against his visit. advertisement LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin had warned of a nationwide protest if Singh arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PAKISTAN TERROR GROUPS PROTEST Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin on Wednesday led a protest against Home Minister Rajnath Singh who is in Islamabad to attend a two-day SAARC conclave on terrorism, drugs and human trafficking. More than 2,000 members of various religious and terror groups protested outside the Islamabad airport as well as the venue of the two-day meeting, accusing Singh for the unrest in Kashmir. Apart from Hizbul Mujahideen, activists of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, the United Jihad Council (UJC) and other such groups protested to denounce Singh's trip to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ministerial conference. Hafiz Saeed asks Pakistan government not to allow Rajnath Singh's visit --- ENDS --- Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 3 The Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association (FOPSIA) has opposed the proposed anti-dumping duty on HR coils and HR sheets and requested the Prime Minister to order an inquiry into the working of the Commerce Ministry regarding the decision. The government has decided to impose anti-dumping duty of $557 per tonne on imports of certain steel products from six countries, including China, Japan and Korea. FOPSIA president Badish Jindal said the anti-dumping duty would badly affect millions of small steel manufacturers. He said the knee jerk move has been taken to benefit 10 big steel companies only. Jindal alleged that on the request of steel manufacturers including Jindal Steel, ESSAR Steel India, TATA Steel Ltd., RINL and SAIL, the Ministry of Commerce initiated an inquiry against the import of HR coils and HR sheets and proposed an anti-dumping duty from 474$ to 557$ on various kinds of HR coils and sheets to be imported from China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil. He said if the government failed to defer the decision, it would increase the prices of HR coils in the domestic market from 40 to 50%. The HR coil and sheets are used for making almost all kinds of engineering goods such as auto parts and bicycle parts. It will put an end to Skill Development Mission The FOPSIA president said in the absence of anti-dumping duty on finished goods, the kneejerk move will lead to increase in imports of finished products as anti-dumping duty has been imposed only on raw material. Jindal said: The move will ruin the local small scale industry and put an end to Prime Minister Narendra Modis much ambitious Skill Development Mission. Bicycles are manufactured almost from HR sheets. The decision of the government will badly affect more than a million small steel consuming companies and only 10 companies will earn huge profits. This move of the government will adversely affect the industries of India as the domestic steel prices will increase which will lead to import of finished goods from other countries, he said. It is indeed shocking that the Ministry of Commerce is hardly interested in imposing the anti-dumping duty on finished product such as bicycle, fasteners, electrical and auto parts. FOPSIA has requested the PM to defer this proposed anti-dumping duty and further requested to initiate an inquiry, said Badish Essar Steel India, Steel Authority of India and JSW Steel had jointly filed an application before the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties for the initiation of anti-dumping investigation concerning the import. They requested the government to levy anti-dumping duty on the imports from these countries. New Delhi, August 4 Bollywood film Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui was on Thursday sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Delhi court for raping a US researcher here last year. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain awarded the minimum jail term prescribed for the offence to Farooqui, who was produced in the court in custody. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the 44-year-old filmmaker and said the amount be given to the victim, failing which he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months. It also tasked the Delhi Legal Service Authority to decide appropriate compensation for the woman. The court had on July 30 held him guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state. During the arguments on sentence earlier, Delhi Police had sought life imprisonment for the filmmaker, saying the crime perpetrated on the foreigner had brought disrepute to India. Farooquis counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan had said as the filmmaker suffered from bipolar disorder and had fully cooperated in the case he should be given a chance to reform. Seeking stringent punishment for Farooqui, complainants counsel Vrinda Grover had said, The foreigner (victim) was here for research work but was raped by a person she knew, who was her friend and whom she had trusted. Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in the case. Prosecutor Mohammed Ikrar had earlier said that the woman, in her complaint, had alleged that Farooqui was drunk when he raped her at his house where she had gone to seek his help for her research work in March last year. The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the womans complaint after which he was arrested. The police had on July 29 last year filed a charge sheet against Farooqui, alleging he had raped the research scholar from Columbia University at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28 last year. The court had on September 9, 2015, started the trial in the case after framing rape charge against Farooqui and the victim, based in the US, had appeared in the court on September 14, 2015, to record her statement. The woman had, during the in-camera proceedings, alleged that Farooqui had raped her and later apologised to her in several e-mails exchanged between them. Later, however, Farooqui had denied the allegations against him, saying he was falsely implicated by the woman. PTI New Delhi, August 4 The AAP government on Thursday said it will challenge the High Court order holding that the Lieutenant Governor is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory as it undermined the powers of the Council of Ministers given by the Constitution. We will move the Supreme Court against the HC verdict, Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Minister alleged said that the Kejriwal government has been prevented by the Centre from taking any action against corruption since it was formed. A Delhi government spokesperson said that initial assessment of the Delhi High Court verdict shows it has undermined powers of Council of Ministers mentioned in the Constitution. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha said the verdict will be challenged in the Supreme Court, adding that a democratically elected government cannot be undermined. This isnt a fight for supremacy, but democracy. The High Court today said that LG is the administrative head of National Capital Territory and the AAP Governments contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was without substance. The decision comes after months-long turf war between LG Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A Bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed AAP Governments plea challenging the Centres May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the National Capital. The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of the LG. AAP cant rule like anarchists: BJP The BJP on Thursday welcomed a High Court decision that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government cannot supersede constitutional provisions and rule like anarchists. The High Courts decision is correct because they were not following the constitutional provisions in Delhi. They were superseding the constitutional provisions which is unconstitutional, Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Upadhyay said. The Delhi High Court on Thursday said that the Lt Governor is not bound by advice of the Delhi governments Council of Ministers and that the latter could only issue notifications after consulting the former. The court has made it clear to them that they have to govern Delhi under the constitutional provisions, the BJP leader said, adding: The role of a Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister is defined in the Constitution for a union territory. The court also added that the Anti-Corruption Branch could not initiate investigation against Central government officials. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung will hold a press conference at 3.45 pm on Thursday. PTI/ IANS "The court has made it clear to them that they have to govern Delhi under the constitutional provisions," the BJP leader said, adding: "The role of a Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister is defined in the constitution for an union territory". The court also added that the Anti-Corruption Branch could not initiate investigation against central government officials. The court's judgement came on nine different petitions arising out of the spat between the LG and Delhi's AAP government over the power to appoint bureaucrats in the national capital and other issues. The Delhi Government has said it would appeal the order. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung will hold a press conference at 3.45 pm on Thursday. IANS Patna, August 4 The controversial third rank-holder in science stream of the Intermediate Examination from Bishun Rai College in Bihar has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Patna police, which is probing the toppers scam in the state. City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushwaha, who is a member of the SIT, said Rahul Kumar was arrested on Wednesday from his uncle Durgesh Singhs house at Azampur village and sent to judicial custody by a local court. During interrogation it was revealed that a deal of Rs 5 lakh was struck to make him a rank-holder, Kushwaha said. He was one of the four rank-holders of the college, who had been named in the FIR in the toppers scam. The other three are Shalini Rai, Saurav Sresth and Ruby Rai. Shalini Rai and Saurav Sresth have still not been arrested. Ruby Rai, the controversial topper in the arts stream of the intermediate exam, was arrested by SIT on June 25 while she was coming out after a retest by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). The retest which was conducted to check her academic abilities after her comments during a TV interview after she was declared the topper in humanities stream this year had led to the lid being taken off from the toppers scam. She had pronounced political science which was one of her subjects as prodikal science which according to her taught cooking. She was granted bail by a local court here on Monday. Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, his wife and ex-MLA Usha Sinha, Bishun Rai college secretary-cum-principal Bachha Rai and over three dozen other people have been arrested in the scam. PTI Islamabad, August 4 Frigid ties between India and Pakistan over the ongoing unrest in Kashmir became apparent at the venue of SAARC interior ministers conference as the meeting went underway on Thursday. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan greeted each other with the briefest handshake their hands barely touched before the Indian Home Minister moved to enter the conference hall. The Indian press was kept well away from the meeting hall, leading to an argument between a senior Indian and Pakistan official. Khan claimed Pakistan was "committed to SAARC processes, and, desires to see it as a successful regional organisation". "We must do a reality check of what we have achieved so far and what still remains. It is time for us to seize the moment, to leverage our potential and overcome our choices," he said. "We have made substantial contribution towards various SAARC processes and have taken a number of initiatives in furthering the goal of close regional integration," he said. Relationship between nuclear-armed rivals already strained has turned frigid in the past few weeks since violence began in Kashmir after the death of a militant commander. Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces in an operation on July 8 in Kashmirs Anantnag district. His death sparked violence that killed more than 45 people in the Valley and left nearly 6,000 injured. Pakistans repeatedly provocative statements on the issue has been condemned the statements by India, which calls the Kashmir crisis an internal dispute. Agencies Ahmedabad, August 4 The Gujarat High Court on Thursday rejected the government's decision to provide for 10 per cent quota to the economically weaker sections among the higher castes. The court was hearing a public interest litigation challenging the May 1 decision to provide quota for non-reserved categories on economic grounds that argued that it violated the spirit of the constitution to treat everyone equally. The government had argued that it had provided for the quota on economic basis without disturbing the 50 per cent reservation cap imposed by the Supreme Court. Terming the ordinance issued on May 1 as "inappropriate and unconstitutional", a Division Bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi rejected the state's argument that it is a classification under the general category and not the reserved category and held that it will breach the 50 per cent quota cap set up by the Supreme Court. Significantly, the High Court order has come when the BJP government is all set to have a new chief minister after the resignation of Anandiben Patel yesterday as the ruling party grapples with multiple challenges, including Patidar quota stir, ahead of next year's Assembly polls. The court observed that 10 per cent reservation for poor among the unreserved category takes the total quota beyond 50 per cent, which is not permitted as per the Supreme Court's earlier decision. The high court also said that the government took the decision without any study or scientific data. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Health minister Nitin Patel considered a front-runner for the chief minister's position said the state government would appeal the order in Supreme Court. However, Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel welcomed the order and said their agitation for quota under OBC category will continue. Petitioners Dayaram Verma, Ravjibhai Manani, Dulari Basarge and Gujarat Parents' Association had separately challenged the ordinance announcing reservation of 10 per cent seats to candidates belonging to the unreserved category with family income cap of Rs 6 lakh annually in government jobs and educational institutions. Their petitions were heard together. The government had declared the 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections among higher castes with an annual income of Rs 6 lakh. This followed the 10-month agitation by the Patidar community demanding reservations in jobs under the OBC category. Ten people were killed and scores were injured in the communitys violent protests for reservations in August last year. Agencies New Delhi, August 4 American defence major Lockheed Martin on Thursday said it has offered to move its lone production line of the latest version of fighter aircraft F 16-Block 70 to India from Texas to meet Indian and global requirement. However, the company made it clear the proposal is "conditional" to IAF choosing the world's largest-sold fighter aircraft for its fleet. "The offer we have given to the Indian government is unmatched and from our side unprecedented," Randall L Howard, F16 Business Development head at Lockheed Martin, said here. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Interacting with mediapersons here, Howard said the company wants to make F 16-Block 70 for India, from India and export to the world. However, he parried questions on whether the company is willing to give a commitment not to sell F16s to Pakistan saying it will be part of discussions between the Indian and American governments. Asked if the offer to move the production line from Fort Worth to India is conditional to IAF picking up the aircraft for its fleet, Abhay Paranjape, national executive, India, said, "Yes". He said it is conditional to assured orders from the Indian Air Force which is looking to acquire new aircraft to beef up its depleting strength. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said India will choose at least one more aircraft, besides the indigenous Tejas, for the IAF through the 'Make in India' route. Lockheed Martin, which has sold 4,588 F16s in the world, faces competition from its American rival Boeing (F/A-18E), Dassault Aviation of France (Rafale), Swedish plane Gripen by Saab and the Eurofighter. All the companies have offered to set up a production facility here. "But we are offering not only moving the lone production line to India but also meeting the global requirement through the same unit here," Howard said, adding it is a "win-win situation". Arguing the F 16-Block 70 will be the best fighter aircraft in the Indian region, he said, "It is critical for you to pick up a partner who will deliver on his promise. Howard said the company is having multiple discussions with the government here besides the industry and "they have not been told to go away", indicating the discussions are on. He added Lockheed believes the production in India will also bring down the cost of the aircraft which in turn will increase its global demand. Howard did not reply to questions on the kind of investment the company plans to make in the country and whether it would be looking at a 100 per cent FDI, saying it was too early to discuss this. He said the aim of the company right now was to give maximum data to the government and the IAF so they can be helped in making an informed decision. The company termed India as the "new epicentre of the world's most extensive, industrial defence network". Company sources said besides catering to India's demand, they are also looking at a potential export order of another 100 aircraft. Lockheed officials said the US Air Force will continue to fly F16s for decades to come. They added the new avionics configuration is the largest leap in F16 combat capability and represents the most significant F16 upgrade till date. The company said current order allows the production line in the US to stay open till late 2017. If a foreign order comes through, for which talks are on with the US government, the production line will be open till 2021. PTI Mahad/Mumbai (Maharashtra), August 4 Three bodies were on Thursday recovered from the swollen Savitri River after two state-run buses and some other vehicles got washed away following the collapse of a British-era bridge in Raigad district, even as rescue workers lowered a 300-kg magnet to trace the missing vehicles. Navy and Coast Guard personnel have stepped up efforts to trace those missing after the old bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa highway near Mahad, about 170 km from Mumbai, in Raigad district late on Tuesday. Twenty-two persons were travelling in the two buses. Three bodies have been recovered. One body, which is of a man, is believed to be that of a driver of one of the buses, while the second body is of a woman. These two bodies are of victims of yesterdays incident, Raigads Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Patil said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) He said another body has also been recovered, but it is yet to be confirmed if it is of a victim of the bridge collapse mishap. The bodies were fished out of the river at about 50-60 km from the mishap site, he said. There were reports yesterday that two bodies were recovered during search. However, the district police had later clarified that no bodies were found till last night. Early on Thursday morning, a 300-kg magnet was lowered with the help of a crane in the river to trace the missing buses. Something has got stuck to the magnet and efforts are on to pull it out of the river, a local official said. Navy divers resumed search operations early today, while a Chetak helicopter of the Coast Guard also started sortie of the affected area, a Defence spokesperson said. Twenty-eight Marine Commandos, over 100 jawans from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 25 personnel from the Coast Guard were pressed into search and rescue operation yesterday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accompanied by PWD Minister Chnadrakant Patil and Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil of the Congress, yesterday took an aerial survey of the area. According to district officials, one of the buses was proceeding to Mumbai from Jaigad in Raigad, and the other was on its way to Borivali (Mumbai) from Rajapur. Fadnavis orders judicial probe Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today announced a judicial probe into the Mahad bridge collapse. A judicial inquiry will be conducted, Fadnavis said replying to a discussion on the issue in the state Assembly. He said a team of IIT experts has been sent to the site today. Directives have been issued to conduct structural audit of old bridges, he said, adding that a preliminary structural audit will also be conducted. In 2013, then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and then Deputy Chief Minister had received complaints about the dilapidated bridge, he pointed out. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the government should expand the scope of search operation. A body was found 100 km from the accident site. This shows that theres a need to extend scope of search operations, he said. The government machinery showed negligence which led to the Mahad tragedy, Vikhe Patil alleged. He demanded that the PWD minister should own up responsibility and a judicial inquiry be conducted in the bridge collapse. NCP MLA Ajit Pawar said a Sena legislator had a year ago, through a query in the Assembly, spoken of fears about a tragedy waiting to happen due to the dilapidated state of the British-era bridge. While replying to the query, PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil had said the bridge was technically sound, Pawar said. Chandrakant Patil was at fault, he alleged. PTI Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 4 The Ministry of Defence has approved a strategically vital 2000-km highway that connects the western and eastern extremities of Arunachal Pradesh Tawang to Vijaynagar after incorporating the Armys views on the alignment of the road that is proposed to run all along the McMohan Line, the defacto border with China in the state. The road was proposed by the Arunachal Government to seek better connectivity between remote valleys separated by highly inaccessible mountains. The Director General of Military Operations of the Army had objected to the roads proposed alignment as it was running too close to the disputed sections of the McMohan Line. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Army had asked for fresh alignment as the area has very little population and sustaining the safety and civilian traffic would end up being the responsibility of the armed forces. Also, the road could be used by insurgents to slip-in and out of the country. There is no boundary marked on the ground, perception on the exact alignment of the McMohan Line vary by a few miles on either side in India and China. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar recently informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply: Based on operational requirement of the Army, proposal for construction of Tawang to Vijaynagar highway has been endorsed with a few changes in its alignment. The road is planned between Mago-Thingbu in Tawang to Vijaynagar in Changlang district of Arunachal. The proposed highway will pass through Tawang, East Kameng, Upper Subansiri, West Siang, Upper Siang, Dibang Valley, Desali, Chaglagam, Kibithoo, Dong, Hawai and Vijaynagar on the Arunachal Pradesh border. The government has already relaxed environmental clearances for border area projects. China disputes Indias control over the Northeastern state. The two countries have an undemarcated 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC), the McMohan line (named after British Foreign Secretary Sir Henry McMohan) is part of the LAC. In the past, China had objected to constructing infrastructure in the border areas. A concept paper with provision for consultancy services to cost Rs63 crore has already been submitted to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway. An empowered committee has been holding consultations with all stake holders. Moments after Rajnath Singh landed in New Delhi after delivering a hard hitting message to Islamabad over terrorism, Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan brought up the issue of Kashmir, saying, "killing of civilians qualifies as terrorism". By India Today Web Desk: Enraged over Home Minister Rajnath Singh's straight talk over Pakistan-backed terror during the SAARC summit in Islamabad, Pakistan today sought to downplay the issue using the Kashmir topic in response with Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan saying India didn't name any country. Moments after Rajnath Singh landed in New Delhi after delivering a hard hitting message to Islamabad over terrorism, Ali Khan brought up the issue of Kashmir, saying, "killing of civilians qualifies as terrorism". advertisement Some reports claimed Rajnath skipped lunch with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan after his speech at the SAARC conference and decided to head back to Delhi instead. Though Khan claimed that was due to a mutual understanding. Another Kasab? Arrested terrorist Bahadur Ali confesses he is from Pakistan "No country should try and hide behind the word terrorism and divert attention from demands of freedom. There is a difference between terrorism and struggling for freedom," Khan told reporters. "Pakistan is always ready for talks, we never closed our doors. We should not just point fingers at each other and then go our ways, we should sit and talk out issues," he added. Khan's response came after Rajnath called for a greater cooperation between SAARC member countries over the issue of terrorism. 'NOT GOOD OR BAD TERRORISM' In an apparent dig at Pakistan, Rajnath said that mere condemnation of terrorism was not enough. Rajnath at SAARC meet in Pakistan: There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism "There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism. There should be strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations. Mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough. There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs," Rajnath said, without naming Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had recently described slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani as a "martyr" who died fighting for the "freedom" of Jammu and Kashmir. Rajnath Singh will be making a statement about his Islamabad visit in Parliament tomorrow (August 5). PAK MEDIA BLACKS OUT RAJNATH'S SPEECH Reports said that the Pakistani media did not broadcast Rajnath's strong message to the country. Even the Indian media contingent was not allowed to cover it. Pakistan blacks out Rajnath Singh's tough talk on terror at SAARC meet "This is the Pakistan model of democracy," said Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu responding to blackout reports. Also Read: Forget terrorism or poverty, this Pakistani MLA wants Doraemon cartoons banned to protect youth advertisement India to confront Pakistan with fresh terror dossier on captured LeT terrorist --- ENDS --- New Delhi, August 4 There will be no bilateral meeting between Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said on Thursday. Singh arrived here last evening to attend the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers conference, during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross-border terrorism. (Also read: Frigid relations between India, Pak permeates SAARC meeting) There will be no bilateral meeting. We have already said that, Mehrishi told reporters when asked if any bilateral meeting between Singh and Khan would take place. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) According to official sources, the Home Minister along with his counterparts from the SAARC countries will call on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later in the day, as per tradition. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Prime Ministers Office last night. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long conference, Singh had said he was looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime. This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security, Singh had said, who is also expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. A very bleak possibility of Singh having a bilateral meeting with Khan was expected in the wake of strains in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that Kashmir will one day become Pakistan, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country will not be realised even at the end of eternity. PTI Islamabad/New Delhi, August 4 Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said those who supported and encouraged terrorists and provided sanctuary to them must be isolated, indicating Indias hardening stance against Pakistan- sponsored terrorism. He was addressing a meeting of interior ministers of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations in Islamabad. There should be strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism. There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs. There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists, Singh told the meeting, referring to Pakistans proclaiming a militant commander who was recently killed as a martyr. (Also read: Frigid relations between India, Pak permeates SAARC meeting) Mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough, Singh said, demanding action. The Indian ministers visit to Islamabad comes amid unrest in the Kashmir Valley. The relationship between India and its neighbouralready strainedhas turned frigid in the past few weeks since violence began in Kashmir after the death of a militant commander. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had described Wani as a martyr who died fighting for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir. India has accused Pakistan of stoking the unrest. Rajnath briefs PM on Pak visit The Home Minister briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Pakistan immediately on his return from Islamabad. Official sources said Singh rushed to meet Modi straight from the airport to "debrief" him about the events during his visit to Pakistan. They said Singh informed PM about the speech he made at the conference, his interactions on the sidelines with the leaders, and deliberations during the official sessions. Singh arrived here by a BSF plane at around 4.30 pm and cancelled his scheduled press briefing at the airport to meet Modi, they said. India dismisses reports of blackout of Rajnaths speech Meanwhile, India described the reports of a blackout of Home Minister Rajnath Singhs statement during the SAARC ministerial meeting as misleading. It is the standard Saarc practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media while the rest of the proceedings are in camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues, a government source said. The reaction came after there were reports that Rajnath Singhs speech was reportedly blacked out as media organisations were not allowed to cover the Saarc conference. The only broadcaster allowed inside the venue was state-owned Pakistan Television, the reports said. Meanwhile in Islamabad, an Interior Ministry official also said that there was no such blackout of Rajnaths speech as none of the speeches of participating ministers was shown. It is true that his (Rajnaths) speech was not shown live because (the) speech(es) of none of the participating ministers was shown live by the state media. He said only the inaugural session was shown live when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan made welcome speeches. The official said Singh was not discriminated against at all by the state media and he was given full official protocol. Agencies Washington, August 3 The Pentagon will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a US official said. Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with US officials frustrated by what they term Islamabads unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said on Wednesday. The $300 million comes under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), a US Defence Department programme to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations. Pakistan is the largest recipient. This decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years, Stump added. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) According to Pentagon data, about $14 billion has already been paid to Pakistan under the CSF since 2002. The decision by the Pentagon is a sign that while it sees some progress by Pakistan in its military operations in North Waziristan, much work remains. Pakistan rejects harbouring militants but says there are limits to how much it can do as it is already fighting multiple Islamist groups and is wary of a blowback in the form of more terror attacks on its soil. (The) Coalition Support Fund is one of the many cooperative arrangements between Pakistan and the United States to pursue common objectives, said Nadeem Hotiana, a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy in Washington. Relations between the US and Pakistan were tested in May by a US drone strike that killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour on Pakistani soil. There has been growing resistance in the US Congress to sending money to Pakistan. Many lawmakers have expressed concern about its nuclear programme, commitment to fighting terrorist organisations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process. In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar any US funding for Islamabads purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets. Reuters Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 4 India did some hard talking at the SAARC Home Ministers Conference in Islamabad today, without mentioning Pakistan, and bluntly raised the issue of terrorism and that of justice to the victims of the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks. There were no bilateral talks and sources privy to the developments said Home Minister Rajnath Singhs visit was not expected to lead to any kind of thaw in the India-Pakistan relations. Editorial: Another SAARC farce In his speech, Singh talked about terrorism striking Pathankot, Dhaka and Kabul, thus ensuring that the highlight was on the SAARC region and not just India. He pointed out that terrorism remains the biggest challenge and threat to our peace. South Asia continues to be deeply affected by this malady. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Denying reports that the Ministers speech was blacked out, government sources said: It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media and the rest of the proceedings are in camera. Singh also took a dig at Pakistans recent actions where it referred to slain militant Burhan Wani as a martyr: It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronised by any state. One countrys terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. He made an appeal to the SAARC nations to isolate those who sponsor terrorism: Those who provide support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorism or terrorists must be isolated. Strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. The Minister said the distinction between good and bad terrorists was misleading and urged all SAARC member states to adopt zero tolerance to any type of terrorism. Ravi S Singh & Seema Kaul Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 4 Following Delhis intervention, Saudi Arabia has committed to bail out Indian workers who are stranded on its soil. Minster for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj today informed both Houses of Parliament that the Saudi government had assured to solve the imbroglio relating to the workers within two days. It has assured to not only provide exit visas to workers, who have been laid off from jobs and are without money, but also send them to India in its own planes free of cost. Having lost their jobs due to slowdown stemming from low oil prices, a large number of Indian workers are presently lodged in labour camps in Riyadh. They are reportedly without food and have not been their salaries for the past about eight months. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Concerns were raised on the issue in Parliament by its members today. Swaraj said the Saudi government had also assured to provide ample medicines in the camps and ensure their sanitation. Riyadh will coordinate with the Indian Consulate and ensure payment of salaries and wages to workers even if they returned to India. Also, the workers will be allowed to take up jobs in other private firms depending on their eligibility. Swaraj praised the King of Saudi Arabia for his personal intervention to address New Delhis concerns. She said Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, who was sent to Saudi Arabia last Tuesday to resolve the imbroglio, would return only after the promises made by Saudi Arabia were implemented. She also hailed PM Modi for having improved ties with Riyadh and also generating goodwill there, which came in handy for speedy denouement of the logjam. Reacting to Swarajs account, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, The Indian government, Parliament and people should all thank Saudi Arabia for this. In Lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress) expressed satisfaction on the information. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 4 A day after the Rajya Sabha passed the historic 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill to pave the way for uniform tax structure, the Congress warned the government against bringing subsequent Goods and Services Tax (GST) legislations as money Bills. The Upper House cannot vote on money Bills and the Congress has a majority there. There will be a war in Parliament if that happens, Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma told The Tribune today. Officially also, the Congress said it was putting the government on notice on the matter and would make efforts to ensure the government doesnt bring two related GST Bills the Central GST Bill and the Interstate GST Bill in the winter session of Parliament as money Bills. The Congress says these Bills are far too historic to be made money Bills. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, meanwhile, indicated the government may be considering the money Bill route when he said he didnt intend to bypass the Constitution. The Constitution provides for a Bill mentioning a tax rate to be brought as a money Bill. But Congress leaders argue that the government is not obliged to follow that route. Archit Watts Tribune News Service Malout, August 4 SAD chief-cum-Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal today called AAP chief-cum-Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal a dictator. He also alleged that AAP tickets were given to candidates after getting Rs 1 crore from each of them. Now, AAP leaders will fight each other and bring to fore the factionalism within their party. They will also reveal that they had paid huge money to get the party ticket. The advance declaration of candidates by AAP will not make even a slight difference to the SAD-BJP alliance, Sukhbir said. He was here to extend financial benefits to building and construction workers under various schemes of the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board and the Labour Department. Asked when the SAD would declare its first list of candidates for the forthcoming Assembly elections, he said, We are not in a hurry to declare candidates. People already know our candidates. But I can assure you that the advance announcement of candidates will spell doom for AAP. AAP leaders were already alleging bias in ticket distribution, he said. Their statements have made it clear that only those people matter in AAP who pander to whims and fancies of Kejriwal, he said. Raikot/Samrala: Sukhbir said the main contest in the Assembly elections would be between the SAD-BJP and the Congress, while AAP would be relegated to the third position with a wide gap. He criticised both AAP and the Congress for carrying out a nefarious campaign to brand Punjabis as drug addicts. The Deputy CM today addressed gatherings at Raikot and Samrala after distributing bicycles to girl students under the Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme. Party has links with ISI, alleges Majithia Jalandhar: Revenue Minister Bikram Majthia on Thursday accused AAP leaders of hobnobbing with anti-social elements to de-stabilise the state. The minister, who was here to distribute cycles among girl students, said: They (AAP leaders) are the ones involved with Khalistanis and enjoy the support of the ISI. Their role in all sacrilege incidents should be probed. On tension between the Youth Akali Dal and AAP since the appearance of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in an Amritsar court, Majithia said: The AAP leaders are following the policy of shoot and scoot. They say big things outside but they are not saying the same inside the court. The matter will be settled soon. TNS GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 4 The turban of senior deputy mayor Avtar Singh Truckanwala was reportedly toppled following a scuffle between him and SAD leader Navdeep Goldy at an administrative meeting here on Thursday. Senior administrative officials, including the Deputy Commissioner and MC Commissioner, besides SAD Urban Amritsar president Gurpartap Singh Tikka were present at the meeting. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Sources said both used abusive language against each other and Goldy allegedly slapped Truckanwala that resulted in toppling of his turban. Later, Goldy allegedly took his bodyguards gun and pointed it at Truckanwala before leaving the spot. Truckanwala has lodged a complaint with the Civil Lines police station. It was learnt that as Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam started reading out the agenda of the development works related to Amritsar South constituency, Goldy insisted on starting deliberations on the main item that related to laying of a road in the South constituency, which Truckanwala opposed. The altercation between the two turned ugly. Consequently, the DC called off the meeting. Sushma Swaraj said that the King Salman of Saudi Arabia has instructed his officials to resolve the issue in two days. More than 7,000 Indian workers are stuck in Saudi Arabia after the company that employed them suffered a financial crisis. Sushma Swaraj said: "I want to thank Saudi rulers on behalf of India and the house. I also thank the Prime Minister. This is happening because of the relations he made during his visit to Saudi Arabia." Photo: PTI By Indo-Asian News Service: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said the King of Saudi Arabia has given instructions to help the thousands of Indian workers stuck in the Gulf kingdom, including giving them free passage back home. The Saudi King has instructed his officials to resolve the crisis faced by Indians, the minister said in identical suo moto statements on the Saudi situation in both houses of parliament. advertisement "The Saudi King has instructed his officials to solve the problem in two days. General V.K. Singh is there. He met the Labour Minister there on Wednesday, he said instructions have been given to give the Indian workers exit visa; they will send them back in their own flights, at their own expense," Sushma Swaraj said. "They have also permitted that those who are found suitable may be given another job," she said. PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE WORKERS Sushma Swaraj said V.K. Singh has interacted with important Saudi authorities, including Saudi Minister of Labour and Social Development Mufrej Al Haqbani. Regarding the dues of workers, the minister said: "Every worker will file their claim with the labour office, and the claims will be settled even after they come back." She also said the Saudi administration was arranging for providing food and other assistance to the camps where Indians were lodged. "Besides, they offered to arrange for medical care, food, and sanitation in the camps where Indians are," she said. SUSHMA THANKS THE KING The minister thanked the Saudi King for the assistance. She said: "I want to thank Saudi rulers on behalf of India and the house. I also thank the Prime Minister. This is happening because of the relations he made during his visit to Saudi Arabia." OPPOSITION ON BOARD Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad also welcomed the move. "This is a very good thing. we must thank them on behalf of people of India," he said. Some 7,700 Indian workers employed with a company in Saudi Arabia are facing a financial crisis after it shut down and laid off workers. Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh is in Riyadh to sort out the problem, including arranging to bring back those workers who want to return. CONGRESS APPRECIATES SWARAJ'S EFFORTS, EXPECT MORE In the Lok Sabha, just as some Congress members including Jyotiraditya Scindia and K.C. Venugopal wanted to speak on the issue, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked, "Do you want to compliment the minister? Sometime you must appreciate the good work." advertisement Scindia said: "I want to compliment External Affairs Minister that she came up with her statements on the issue without members raising these. On similar line, I hope other NDA ministers will also emulate External Affairs Minister and come well prepared in the house." "I also feel like the manner External Affairs Minister spoke about bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, she will speak on countries like Pakistan and China too," Scindia added. While Saudi Arabia has over three million expatriate Indians, there are over 800,000 of them in Kuwait. Most of them are blue collared workers. Also read: India to bring back 10000 workers from Saudi Arabia: Sushma Swaraj --- ENDS --- The Government of India seems to think that it is not advisable to adopt a policy of protection in order to stimulate the starting of new industries in India. Sir Thomas Holland and Sir George Barnes have both spoken recently on the subject and are very hopeful that the natural advantages in India would, when properly used, encourage capitalists to start new ventures without any protective tariff. At any rate, until the necessity for protection actually arises, there should be no anticipation of this form of encouragement. We have already stated that the Indian opinion is not satisfied with this view and the reasons are obvious. Indian capital is shy and we have to compete with powerful manufacturers in Europe and America whose industries are well-organised. Jotirmay Thapliyal Tribune News Service Dehradun, August 4 The Kedarnath forest division authorities have set up a five-member committee to look into the presence of tigers in the snow-bound Kedarnath region. The region is a home to snow leopard and has never recorded the presence of any tiger. The committee has been formed after reports of presence of tigers in the Kedarnath region. Camera traps were installed in the Kedarnath forest division and its surrounding areas to get the images of snow leopards and other wild animals. The forest authorities are now sending these images to the Wildlife Institute of India for further study. Still unconfirmed, it was reported that there are few images of tigers being captured by camera traps in the Kedarnath and Madmaheshwar regions. The committee that includes forest rangers and forest guards would travel to Madmaheswar and Kedarnath regions to get some evidences of the possible presence of tigers. The committee will submit its report to the chief wildlife warden. Significantly, tigers are found in the Terai region of the state and their presence has not been recorded in the high mountainous regions of Kedarnath. But in the aftermath of the wildlife census getting more elaborate, the mammalian biodiversity is becoming more evident. Some camera trap images have revealed the presence of tigers in the Askot region of Pithoragarh and Nainital, which was revealed some days back. It has come as a matter of curiosity for wildlife conservationists. The reports of images of tigers getting clicked in Kedarnath has added to the curiosity of wildlife enthusiasts. Tiger conservationist Dr IP Bopanna firmly believes that with camera traps being introduced, images revealing the presence of tigers in newer areas can emerge. Asked asked about what could be the possible reasons behind the presence of tigers in the mountainous regions, Bopanna said taking into account the habitat of tigers, there can be isolated incidents when tigers could have strayed into newer areas. He, however, said the recording of breeding population could be a confirmation to the presence of tigers in these mountainous areas. He admitted that places like Nainital had a high density of tigers and thus a recording of a tiger in the camera trap was not a surprise. Interestingly, now tigers being sighted in high mountains, Uttarakhand hills will be much in focus for tigers in the days to come. Washington, August 4 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is unqualified to become the US president and the billionaire tycoon has spent his career refusing to pay bills to small businesses, Democrat Hillary Clinton has alleged. There is no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump is unqualified to be president and unfit to be commander-in-chief, Clinton, 68, said. Clinton contrasted her proposals with the business practices of Trump, who she alleged has manufactured much of his merchandise abroad, and pointed to his volatile behaviour related to military and national security. Donald Trump would not pay people who did work, painters and plumbers and glass installers and marble installers and architects. We now have a very long list, she said. Clinton laid out her 100-Day Jobs Plan in Commerce City election rally aimed to sustain Americas economic growth and and create jobs. It worries me, some of what I hear him say. I mean, anyone who can be provoked by a tweet should not be anywhere near nuclear weapons, Clinton said. PTI Washington, August 4 Hillary Clinton is a founder of ISIS, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged as he stepped up his attack against the Democratic candidate. She (Clinton) should get an award from them as the founder of ISIS, Trump said at an election rally in Florida . Take a look at Orlando. Take a look at San Bernardino. Take a look at the World Trade Center. Take a look at whats going on and then worldwide, and we let ISIS take this position, Trump, 70, said. He said it would be embarrassing to lose against Clinton. Wouldnt that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible, he added. For the past several months, Trump has been calling Clinton as crooked and in the last few days he even said the former Secretary of State was a devil. Meanwhile, groups of wealthy Republicans unhappy with Trump have been privately courting prominent peers to join them in backing Democrat Hillary Clinton. Pushing back on reports that there is chaos in the Republican, Trump said the party was united never seen before. Agencies Dhaka: A British national and a student of a Canadian University have been arrested for their alleged involvement in Bangladesh's worst terror attack at a cafe last month that killed 22 people. Hasanat Karim, a Bangladeshi-Briton, and Tahmid Hasib Khan were arrested and booked Wednesday night. PTI Planned Burqini Day sparks outrage in secular France Paris: Plans for a waterpark in Marseille to set aside a day just for Muslim women wearing burqinis full-body swimsuits sparked outrage in secular France on Thursday. Pool Day set for Sept 10 at Speed Water Parc smacks of dyed-in-the-wool communalism, said Florian Philippot, a top advisor to far-right leader Marine Le Pen. afp Herat (Afghanistan), August 4 Militants attacked foreign tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in the western province of Herat today, officials said, with a military spokesman saying at least six people were wounded. Although there is no claim for the attack yet, authorities blame it on the Taliban. The nationality of the tourists was not immediately known. "The convoy was ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif district. The tourists were on their way to Herat from Bamiyan and Ghor provinces," said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor. Military spokesman Najibullah Najibi said the ambush left at least five foreign tourists and their Afghan driver wounded, adding that they were being escorted to Herat city. The attack comes as Taliban militants intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. AFP Puli Alam (Afghanistan), August 4 A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, their embassy in Kabul said, with local authorities saying all six persons on board were taken hostage by the Taliban. The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident in Azra district in the restive province of Logar. An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab Government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar, Pakistani embassy spokesman Akhtar Munir told AFP. We dont know anything about the fate of those on-board or why it crash-landed. The local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said six persons on board had been taken hostage by Taliban insurgents. They have been taken to an unknown location, he said. The helicopter caught fire after it crashed, said Logar governors spokesman Salim Saleh. Russian-made Mi-17s are used by the Pakistani military. There was no official comment from the Pakistani military or Afghan defense ministry officials. Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and continuing to nurture sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. AFP Lagos, August 4 Nigerias Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who is threatening to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, according to an interview published on Wednesday by the Islamic State group. He also says there is a Western plot to Christianise the region and has accused charities of using their aid for that, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation of an interview published yesterday in the Islamic State newspaper al-Nabaa. The newspaper identified Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new Wali, or governor, of its so-called West Africa Province. The Wali title was previously used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. The report did not say what Shekaus current status was, although there have been rumors for weeks that he had been replaced. The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen. There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of school children. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. They strongly seek to Christianise the society. ... They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children, SITE Intelligence quotes the new leader as saying. Al-Barnawi says the militants will respond to that threat by booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross. Yesterdays announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al-Qaida to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said. Ansaru broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. Al-Barnawi is the pseudonym of a Nigerian journalist allied with Ansaru, which is known for kidnapping foreigners, according to Zenn. AP Kathmandu, August 4 Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda was on Thursday sworn in as Nepals new Prime Minister, a day after being elected by lawmakers for the top post for the second time. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered oath of office to the 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre chairman at Rastrapati Bhawan, formally making him the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal. Prachanda formed a six-member cabinet that includes two deputy prime ministers. Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara is the Deputy Prime Minister with the portfolio of Finance and Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi is the Deputy Prime Minister with Home portfolio in the new cabinet. President Bhandari also administered oath to both of them. Prime Minister administered oath to the three other ministers - Ramesh Lekhak from Nepali Congress (Physical Planning and Transport), Daljit Shripali (Youth and Sports) and Gauri Shanker Chaudhary (Agriculture) from Maoist. After being elected yesterday, Prachanda had promised to lead the nation toward economic development while working as a bridge between communities. This is the second time the Maoist chief has become Prime Minister after his brief stint with premiership came to an end in 2009. He is also the only communist leader to become the Prime Minister of the country twice. Prachanda was the premier from 2008 to 2009 before a disagreement with the military over his attempt to sack the army chief brought his period in office to an early end. The Prime Ministers post had been left vacant since last month after CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli tendered his resignation. PTI By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) Armed with Cabinet approval of the annual usage charge for spectrum sale, the Telecom Department is all set to issue the main auction document early next week, paving the way for the mega auction by September-end. "We will come out with the NIA (Notice Inviting Application) early next week... this will set the process in place," Telecom Secretary J S Deepak told PTI. advertisement He said the auction of mobile airwaves will be held by September-end. The NIA is the main document of spectrum auction which carries all details of radiowaves being put up for sale, rules, price and the like and is legally binding on both the government as well as bidders. The Cabinet last evening approved 3 per cent annual usage charge for the spectrum to be procured in the upcoming auction, setting the stage for Indias biggest ever spectrum sale, which is expected to fetch a whopping Rs 5.66 lakh crore. The government expects to raise at least Rs 64,000 crore from the auction of about 2,300 Mhz of spectrum and Rs 98,995 crore from various levies and services in the telecom sector this financial year. As per the decision, spectrum to be sold in the bands of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz will attract SUC at the rate of 3 per cent of the adjusted gross revenue. The SUC for telecom operators holding BWA airwaves (2300 Mhz band) in 2010 auction along with other set of spectrum will be calculated on the basis of weighted average. PTI MBI ARD --- ENDS --- Herat (Afghanistan), August 4 Taliban militants attacked a group of 12 American and European tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in western Herat province today, leaving at least seven people wounded as the insurgents step up nationwide attacks. The tourists eight British, three Americans and one German were ambushed by Taliban gunmen in the restive district of Chesht-e-Sharif, while en route from the neighbouring provinces of Bamiyan and Ghor. It is unclear why they were travelling overland at a time when Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of kidnapping and attacks. Insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herats governor. The attack comes as Taliban militants intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become dangerous, with the Taliban frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. AFP Dushanbe (Tajikistan), August 4 A court in ex-Soviet Tajikistan sentenced a 16-year-old boy to 10.5 years in jail for calling Tajiks on social media to join the Islamic State group, a court official said on Thursday. The official said a schoolboy from the northern Sugd region operating under the pseudonym Hidoyatullo had attracted a 1,000-strong following on the Russian social network, Odnoklassniki. The official did not name the schoolboy, citing his status as a minor, but confirmed the length of the sentence, which was handed down yesterday. In December, a Tajik court sentenced seven people, three of whom were minors, to terms between seven and 27 years in jail for raising the Islamic State groups flag in the south of the country. The government has said up to 1,000 nationals, including the former chief of the interior ministrys special forces unit, have left the country to join the jihadist group fighting in Iraq and Syria. The secular Central Asian country has witnessed a heavy state crackdown on Islam recently, with widespread reports of forced beard shavings and bans on the sale of Islamic clothing in specific cities. Social media users in the Central Asian state moreover complain of regularly losing access to Russian social networks, as well as Facebook and YouTube. The government has denied authorising the blocks but consistently highlights social medias purported role in spreading extremist ideas. Tajikistans foreign minister Sirodjidin Aslov was in Washington yesterday to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry and the foreign ministers of four other Central Asian republics. The meeting was the second of its kind in the so-called C5+1 framework that Washington is using to promote cooperation with the economically depressed region bordering Afghanistan. AFP ISTANBUL, August 4 Turkish police detained 20 suspected members of the Islamic State militant group in the southern city of Adana early on Thursday, the private Dogan news agency reported. It said anti-terror police, supported by a helicopter, staged simultaneous raids on 22 addresses in the city after a tip-off that Islamic State cells were planning attacks. The suspects, who included senior local figures in the group, were taken to Adana police headquarters for questioning, it said. President Tayyip Erdogan has said Islamic State militants from the former Soviet Union were behind an attack on Istanbul's main airport in June that killed 45 people. Dozens have been detained over the attack. Islamic State controls an area of Syria along the Turkish border, east of Adana. The city of Adana is near the Incirlik Air Base, where US personnel are stationed and which is used for air missions in the fight against Islamic State. Deportation The government of Trinidad and Tobago has reportedly confirmed that nine of its citizens will be deported from Turkey after being detained while trying to enter Syria or Iraq to join the Islamic State group. The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian said in an article published yesterday that Attorney General Faris al-Rawi told it that the nine will be under surveillance and could face criminal charges for involvement with a terrorist group. At the end of the day, anybody in an alleged circumstance of terrorism has to face the courts. There is due process and it must be done fairly but at the same time you have to take an intelligence-based approach to this, al-Rawi was quoted as telling the newspaper. The attorney general could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press, but the national security minister later appeared to contradict al-Rawi. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said the Trinidad government was in touch with Turkey through diplomatic offices in London and Caracas, Venezuela, but had not yet confirmed whether any citizens had been detained or the circumstances. As to whether the individuals, if proven to be nationals and are deported back to Trinidad, will face charges on arrival, we shall have to examine all of the circumstances, Dillon told AP. In its most recent Country Report on Terrorism, the State Department said that more than 70 nationals of Trinidad and Tobago are believed to be fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria. A recent online issue of an Islamic State magazine included a profile and interview with a man who said he was a Trinidadian citizen who converted from Christianity to Islam and has since become a sniper for the group. AP London, August 4 One woman was killed and five others were injured by a man with suspected mental health issues, who went on the rampage with a knife in central London, an attack police said could be linked to terrorism. The armed police were called at 10:33 p.m. (2133 GMT) after a man with a knife started to attack people in Londons Russell Square, an elegant park near the site of a 2005 suicide bombing. Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry, London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters. But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore, said Rowley, who is Britains most senior anti-terrorism officer. The police, who arrived within five minutes of being called, used a Taser electric shock gun while arresting the 19-year-old suspect. The investigation is being handled by the homicide command with support from the counter-terrorism officers, Rowley said. The woman was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. The other injured people - one woman and four men - are being treated, Rowley said. A Reuters reporter at the scene said the southern part of the square, which sits at the heart of Londons university area and is close to landmarks such as the British Museum, was cordoned off by police. A forensic tent had been erected on the pavement, the scene of the attack, the Reuters reporter said. Britain says its terrorist attack threat level remains at severe, the second-highest level, meaning a strike is highly likely. London police had already promised to deploy more armed officers after a spate of deadly attacks in France, Germany and Belgium. Attacks across Europe have heightened tensions between some communities, raised questions about the European Unions border policies and bolstered support for anti-EU far-right groups. Police chiefs and security bosses have repeatedly warned that Islamic State fighters want to carry out attacks against Britain, a close ally of the United States. Severe threat Londons Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim Mayor of a major Western capital, called for vigilance. The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones, he said. I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police. We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected. Just hours before the Russell Square attack, Londons police chief said that he would deploy an additional 600 armed officers across the Capital to protect against any attacks. Flanked by heavily armed officers in full body armour, Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said on Wednesday that it would be foolish to ignore the recent spate of attacks in France, Germany and Belgium. London counter-terrorism police chiefs have previously warned that Islamic State was seeking to radicalise vulnerable people with mental health issues to carry out attacks. In some operations, police commanders have taken advice from specialist psychologists. London was hit by coordinated suicide bombings on July 7, 2005, when four Islamist extremists targeted three underground trains and one bus, killing 52 people. One of the bombs was detonated on an underground train travelling between Kings Cross and Russell Square while another bomb was detonated on a bus in Tavistock Square, a short distance from Russell Square. Since then, dozens of plots have been foiled and there have been smaller-scale attacks, such as the killing of an off-duty soldier on a street in south London by two extremists in May 2013. A man who attacked passengers at a London underground train station in December was jailed for life earlier this month. The judge said the attacker was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offence but that he may have been motivated by events in Syria. Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice an increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers, Assistant Commissioner Rowley said. This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert, he said. Reuters London, August 4 An American woman in her 60s was today stabbed to death and five others were injured when a suspected mentally ill teenager went on a rampage with a knife in central London. A 19-year-old Norwegian national of the Somali origin was arrested using a Taser gun on suspicion of carrying out the random mass knife attack at Russell Square near the British Museum in central London at 10.39 pm (local time yesterday), Scotland Yard said. The police said there was no evidence of radicalisation in the assault. The victims include Australian, American, Israeli and British citizens. Calling for calm and vigilance, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, Peoples safety is my number one priority. The attack came on a day Scotland Yard announced that 600 additional armed officers would be deployed around Londons major sites, including British Museum, as part of anti-terror plans in the wake of the ISIS attacks in Europe, and days after Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said a terror attack in the UK was a case of when, not if. However, Metropolitan police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said at this point we believe this is a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. PTI Using stone pelters as his shield, a terrorist open fired on a CRPF constable in Kulgam in South Kashmir. According to the reports, terrorists have been openly roaming in the streets of South Kashmir. Terrorists are now openly roaming the streets of towns especially in South Kashmir, addressing gatherings not just in street corners but also in mosques. Photo: Reuters By Gaurav C Sawant: A CRPF constable was injured when a terrorist opened fire hiding behind stone pelters in Khudwani village area of Kulgam in south Kashmir. Efforts are being made to evacuate the constable who received bullet injuries in the arm. Terrorists using stone pelters as a shield to target the security forces, is an alarming trend, top sources monitoring the situation in the troubled valley told India Today. advertisement DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR SECURITY FORCES There have been repeated instances of security forces being targeted not just by stone pelters but by terrorists shielded by stone pelters. "It is a double whammy for the security forces on ground. They cannot fire back at the terrorists because there is a crowd of stone pelters between the terrorists and the security forces. And within minutes the terrorists melt into the built up area,'' sources said. The security forces were apprehending this trouble especially after a grenade was hurled last month at the CRPF personnel in the troubled Nauhata area of downtown Srinagar during the evening withdrawal. 22 CRPF personnel were injured and two are still critical, one with a splinter in the brain. Recently the personal security officer of a bureaucrat opened fire in self defence when their vehicle was surrounded by a mob and the miscreants tried to set it on fire after assaulting the bureaucrat. "The PSO opened fire in self defence but he too received a bullet injury in his leg. He too was fired at by the mob. They managed to escape and found shelter in the nearby camp of the CRPF,'' an official privy to the ground situation said. FOREIGN TERRORISTS SURFACE IN TOWNS, VILLAGES The security establishment is also alarmed by the emergence of foreign terrorists in towns and villages. "Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists till a few months ago would be hiding in forested areas but look at the latest incident when two LeT terrorists addressed a public gathering in Kulgam. Both terrorists have been identified. But there was no police in the vicinity to engage them. And the terrorists knew this,'' sources added. TERRORISTS OPENLY ROAMING IN THE VALLEY Terrorists are now openly roaming the streets of towns especially in South Kashmir, addressing gatherings not just in street corners but also in mosques. The Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) have an altered pattern of deployment. "The security forces have been told not to engage with the stone pelting mobs. They are mostly confined to their camps. They do patrol the areas but during this patrolling they cannot take on terrorists. This is leaving not just towns but even the countryside open to terrorist movement,'' said another official. The army is also confined to its camps and is not dominating areas as aggressively as earlier in the rural areas. "But even in an area like Rajbagh in the heart of Srinagar a procession was taken out where anti-India slogans were shouted. The police were conspicuous by their absence,'' he added. advertisement When Kashmir descended into chaos the first time Pakistani terrorists took out a victory procession along the Dal lake boulevard. The fear is, if the slide continues unchecked now, history could repeat itself. Also read: Kashmir tense as security guard's body found with 300 pellets --- ENDS --- The Service you requested is not available at this time Regret the inconvenience caused. Try again after sometime. Ajith Kumar plays an Interpol officer in the upcoming yet-untitled film. Tipped to spy thriller, the team will shoot 70 per cent of the film in Europe. By India Today Web Desk: Actor Ajith Kumar, who was last seen in the hit film Vedhalam, is teaming up once again with the director Siruthai Siva. While the shooting of the film is ready to commence in Bulgaria, the producer of the film TG Thyagarajan, has revealed the plot of the film and interesting details. ALSO READ: Thala 57: After Kajal Aggarwal, Ajith's film to feature two other heroines ALSO READ: Thala 57- Kajal Aggarwal to play a housewife in the upcoming film According to Indiaglitz, Ajith, who plays an Interpol officer in the film, is in charge of a crime investigation that happens in Chennai. The subsequent investigation leads him to the European nations where 70 per cent of the film will be shot. advertisement Earlier, it was rumoured that Kamal Haasan's second daughter Akshara Haasan, has been roped in to play the second lead in the film. Now the producer has confirmed that the Shamitabh actor is indeed playing an important role. Popularly known as Thala 57 among fans, the film has already gone on floors last month. Directed by Siruthai Siva, the shooting of the film will commence in Bulgaria from next week. Tipped to be a spy thriller, the film will predominantly be shot in Europe. Also, it is said that actor Bobby Simha is likely to play the baddie in the film. The film has music by Anirudh Ravichander, who is collaborating second time with Ajith Kumar after the commercial success of Vedhalam. It is also said that Anirudh has already composed the Theme music of the film which will have four songs. --- ENDS --- On Hans Christian Andersen's 141st death anniversary, here are five lesser-known facts about him. By India Today Web Desk: Three generations of children have had the fortune of reading him. He's given these kids' creativity a boost like no other author. And it's his 141st death anniversary today. Though he's popular for The Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen holds the credit for numerous other fairy tales that turned out to be an essential part of our childhood. No wonder then that the cartoons and animated movies based on his stories are a must for kids even today. advertisement Did you know though that Andersen was dyslexic? Also read: Have you read about this waitress-turned-author? Boy, can she write! Here are five lesser-known facts about the author whose stories continue to fascinate us: His works that have been made into cartoons include The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Anderson was born on August 2, 1805, and despite being dyslexic, he achieved the feat of still being remembered as a legendary storyteller. Keeping his contributions to the literary world in mind, Anderson's birthday is observed as International Children's Book day. His stories have been translated to more than 125 languages. Frozen, which is one of the highest grossing animated movies of all time, was loosely based on Hans's The Snow Queen. --- ENDS --- Tissues keep disappearing from a box on Cheryl Conklins desk. They most often are needed by clients, but sometimes its the people in the courtroom. The tissue demand is OK with the Family & Childrens Services Family Resource coordinator. She hears sad stories about failed marriages from people who want to get a divorce behind them and go on with their lives. Conklin looked around her office, Room 357 in the Tulsa County Courthouse, and remarked if only these walls could talk. Fortunately, they cant. She has two dockets the Parenting Planned Conference Docket and the Agreed (Divorce) Docket. She also serves as a mediator for judges when needed and is occasionally called upon to mediate situations instantly. Conklin describes her job as a fixer, helping people while realizing she doesnt have solutions for every problem. Sometimes the answer is giving someone a nudge in the right direction towards getting legal help. I cannot and do not give legal advice, Conklin said. The Tulsa County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service is one resource often used. I really advocate and direct a lot of people there, she said. I tell clients using the Lawyer Referral Service to have their ducks in a row and know what they want to ask the lawyer. It is best to be clear and concise on what is needed. Anyone tongue-tied or confused will not accomplish much during that half hour. Conklin deals mostly with parents who are going through a divorce or paternity action. There is a lot of emotion regarding children and the marriage breakup is one situation. It is another for children dealing with issues often unseen by parents, especially in contentious divorces. Court required parenting planned conferences be used to bring to the parents focus to the children. The kids are used to having both parents around. We offer that docket to open their eyes so they can see what the kids are going through, she said. Family & Childrens Services has a great group of counselors for children and parents if they need reconciliation and family counseling. Many people do not think about going to counseling before filing for divorce. They are mad, hurt and tired of marriage. We have a lot of good highly trained counselors who are great for helping people figure out their problems and how to solve them. Cooperative Parenting classes are available for people to attend if they are going through with a divorce and children are going to be moving back and forth between houses, she said. A six-week communication class is free to parents who want to increase their communication level and understanding when they talk with their partner. Part of Conklins responsibility is to get people to classes and workshops. She works with people on the Parenting Planning Docket, temporary orders and mediation. Conklin said she has received positive feedback from those attending the classes. The largest number of clients are ages 19 to 35, just ahead of those ages 35-64. About one-third of the clients are pro se, or without lawyers, seeking a legal resolution to their problems. I answer my telephone, respond to emails and people line up outside my door, she said. People need help. The clerks on the second floor tell them to Talk to Cheryl Conklin. Many people have experienced a high level of frustration when they reach Conklins office. She listens to their sad stories and provides clients with tissues to wipe their eyes. Conklin reviews paperwork to make certain everything is in order. Many times it isnt because forms arent correct. People sometimes obtain divorce kits from the Internet, she said. I have a checklist to follow, Conklin said. I review paperwork to make certain everything is correct. Judges do not have time to go through and review the documents. It is my responsibility to say, Your paperwork is not correct, and this item might need to be fixed. Oklahoma has a statute, Title 43, section 111.3A that is required on the document in every divorce with minor children and visitation is involved. Judges, who have been lenient in the past, now are requiring that language be present in the document or they wont sign the decree, she said. It can be frustrating for people who take time off from their job thinking they can get their divorce that day only to find out it has been delayed. Conklin was asked to review a certificate stating that a person had completed a class because they had minor children. It wasnt valid even though the individual stated they had completed the class in the required four hours. Oklahoma has a statue that every county must provide a class on helping children cope with divorce, she said. The Tulsa County standard is the individual must attend the four-hour class in person that is taught by two presenters, a male and female who must have masters degrees or more. As far as I know, F&CS is the only organization in the area that has approved by the state, she said. People are unhappy when they learn they have not met the courts requirements, and they need tissues. There was a knock on Conklins office door with a request for tissues and the promise to bring them back. Dont worry, Conklin said. I have more here. Despite the anxiety and emotion that is confined to the office walls, Conklin loves her job and cant see doing anything else. She likens it to being a fireman trying to put out a wildfire, and after one fire is out, another pops up. I am kind of a problem-solver, a fire putter-outer, she said. I try to solve peoples problems as they come in by giving them direction to a resource or some way to get them moving down the road. Its not possible to solve all the problems, and Conklin knows that. But she also realizes she is dealing with those going through heartbreak. Sometimes people need someone to listen, she said. I listen, and I get lots (and give) lots of hugs. I get thank you notes. Conklin recently received an inquiry from a former client. After she answered the question, she received a reply saying: Thank you so much. You are a light in a dark world, and more people need to be like you. That makes the job worth it, just knowing people are calm, relaxed and there will be a solution to their problem, even if it isnt known at that moment. Usually people have a smile on their face when they leave, Conklin said. If they leave my office and still are sad, then I havent succeeded. While the tissue box is on the desk for clients, Conklin admits that she also sometimes needs them. Theyve seen London, theyve seen France... and they got to see Spain and Italy as well. Around 17 Sandites traveled to Europe and got to see how people live across the pond. Charles Page High School teacher Andrea Campfield took 14 students to Europe, visiting four countries England, France, Spain and Italy. Campfield has sponsored seven trips for CPHS students six out of the country and one to the eastern seaboard. Every tour is great, but this was great because it was very full. We went to four major cities without a lot of travel in-between. The four major European cities made the trip full, busy and educational, Campfield said. Aric Gorman, a recently graduated CPHS senior, wanted to go on one final trip before he goes off to Bible college in the fall. My favorite was Rome. We went to the prison, the Mamertine Prison, where Paul and Peter were imprisoned before they were executed. As a Christian, thats the main reason I wanted to go on the trip. Rome was great, Gorman said. He also said France was his least favorite place due to several bad experiences. I was robbed in Paris, Braden Baker got stuck in a subway turnstile, a girl from California got groped on the subway and someone tried to steal my cell phone out of my pocket. Plus, the city is really dirty and the people are rude. During the robbery incident, several girls approached Gorman, asking him to sign a petition which occupanied a donation. He pulled money out of his pocket and one of the girls grabbed some of his cash and took off. Campfield said it was more of a scam than a robbery, and she got his money back around 30 minutes later. She also said it was a good lesson for her students and they now know what some people have to do in order to survive. Sand Springs joined two other groups and made one large group while they explored each city. They joined groups from Puerto Rico and California, and Gorman said they all became like family. I fell in love with the kids from Puerto Rico. They gave me the nick name Ki Ke which is pronounced Key Kay because I was singing the whole time, and it reminded them of the Ki Ke frog. A frog that is really annoying. They also had a teacher that was the female Puerto Rico version of [CPHS teacher] Frank Cooper, Gorman said. In London, they saw Big Ben and Parliament. In Paris, they saw the Louvre, and Spain had beautiful beaches. In Rome, the students were able to see beautiful architecture like the Coliseum. Campfield and Gorman said the students were able to talk about politics with people from other countries, and Donald Trump and Brexit were hot topics. Campfield even made a facebook page so parents and friends could follow along on social media, but the students were not out of the loop when it came to events in their hometown of Sand Springs. On July 25, at around 5 p.m. in Italy, the students toasted Swift Myers and Abbi Myers for their wedding nuptials that had taken place only a few hours earlier at Saint Francis Childrens Hospital, where Swift Myers is receiving treatment for cancer. Gorman said going to Europe was now check off of his bucket list. Now, when people say they want to go Europe, I can say Oh, Ive done that, Gorman said. The main objective was, of course, education, but the students got see and experience things theyve only seen in books. These kids got to get out of the classroom and the world is the best classroom, Campfield said. After almost two years of planning, residents and tourists arriving at or departing from Tulsas airport can now get a glimpse of the Greenwood Districts entrepreneurial history. The Roots, Riot, Rebirth and Regeneration of the Greenwood District exhibit in Tulsa International Airports Schwab Hall opened Wednesday. The exhibit features four storyboards that examine the history and legacy of the districts Black Wall Street through text and photos depicting the area before, during and after the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. The Greenwood Cultural Center, the Tulsa Historical Society, the Beryl Ford Collection at the Tulsa City-County Library and the Oklahoma Historical Society contributed to the project. Author Hannibal Johnson, who has published books about Greenwood and the race riot, wrote the text. Bill White, the business relations manager at the Tulsa Regional Chamber, founded and led the project. White moved to Tulsa from Atlanta and wanted to do something that would not only showcase Greenwood as a model business hub, but would also inspire entrepreneurs. He said he hopes the exhibits location in the airport will also spur travelers to explore Tulsas history and drive tourism to the Greenwood District. The airport is the gateway to Tulsa and the region, White said. The entire intent is to move and inspire not only the citizens, but also tourists, by the story of being an entrepreneur. The exhibit is part of The Greenwood Experience branding effort. White said he hopes people will be inspired by Black Wall Streets entrepreneurs who operated their businesses under extreme duress and want to open businesses of their own. The exhibit is just one way to continue a dialogue between the city of Tulsa and the African-American community, White said. Even though there is a gulag of opinions about Greenwood and the race riot, White said, he hopes the exhibit brings people in the community together, no matter what their positions are. You have someone who knows about the history of Greenwood and doesnt say anything about it, he said, and then you have another generation that never heard of Black Wall Street, and then you have a third group of people that, every time something happens, it goes back to talking about the riot I think the exhibit will balance all that out. OKLAHOMA CITY Immigration reform advocates on Wednesday urged the states delegation to take action on the issue and repair a broken system. The Partnership for a New American Economy hosted a day of action to launch the Reason for Reform campaign, which they say took place in 50 states. It released a report showing the contributions immigrants have made to the state. Those figures included earnings of $4.2 billion in 2014. Some $346.1 million went to state and local taxes, while $714.7 million went to federal taxes, according to the report. Oklahomas immigrants also contribute to our countrys entitlement programs, the report said. In 2014, through taxes on their individual wages, immigrants contributed $128.4 million to Medicare and $521.4 million to Social Security. Supporters of immigration reform held a capitol news conference to urge residents to let members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation know that reform is urgently needed. Our plan today is not to outline any specifics on immigration reform, said Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa. Our plan is to call on our federal officers to work on an immigration reform plan for our country that works in allowing our country to grow both culturally, in business, agriculturally and to make us a better country tomorrow than we are today. Crain said the countrys immigration system is broken. Terry Detrick, president of America Farmers and Ranchers who lives in the Enid area, agreed. Something that really concerns my organization, American Farmers and Ranchers, is when immigration conversations occur, the subject often carries and unfavorable stigma unfavorable particularly because of the current political climate but also because the system we have does not work, he said. Thousands of acres of farmland each year go unplanted, while hundreds of millions of dollars of produce rots in the field, Detrick said. Finding qualified labor has never been more difficult for Oklahomas farmers, ranchers and other ag producers, he said. The problem has reached crisis-level shortages on Oklahoma farms. A comprehensive overhaul of the countrys guest worker program would allow the states farmers to employ more workers, he said. Our Oklahoma farmers are being robbed of opportunities to diversify and produce niche-market, labor-intensive crops, Detrick said. Consequently, our economy, both rural and urban, suffers employment and revenue loss. Because the United States fresh-fruit and vegetable growers have not been able to just maintain the domestic market share they held 15 years ago, imports of those food products have increased 80 percent, he said. But those imported products are not produced under the same labor and production regulations that guarantee food safety equal to that of products produced in the United States, he said. Consequently, this country and individual communities in particular have suffered a loss of jobs up the food chain in packaging, transportation, food processing, retail and other sectors, Detrick said. The Rev. Lori Walke of the Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ said immigrants make up 6 percent of the states population. While numbers are important, people must not forget we are talking about human beings. Immigration is about economics, but it is really about people, she said. People who are trying to make a better life. People who dream of starting a business. People who want to be safe. People who want to go to school. People who want the best for their kids. The Partnership for a New American Economy has more than 500 Republican, Democratic and independent mayors and business leaders who want sensible immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans. OKLAHOMA CITY Senators have requested interim studies to delve into issues ranging from reforming the states civil asset forfeiture measures to the price tag for passage of unconstitutional laws. The 36 interim study requests were assigned to committees. The study and committee assignments were released Wednesday. The chairs of the committees will be responsible for scheduling meetings. These interim studies will give senators the chance to take a more in-depth look at the issues that are important to them and their constituents, said Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa. The state constitution puts a lot of time constraints on the legislative process, so interim studies are a way to further research and discuss an issue. Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, has requested a study on the states civil asset forfeiture laws, where a conviction is not required to have ones possessions seized by law enforcement if they are suspected of being used in a crime. The seizing agency often uses the funds to pay for office operations. Last year, a bill Loveless filed failed to get a hearing in a committee chaired by Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore. The study will evaluate how policy makers and law enforcement can craft reform legislation to protect property owners without hindering law enforcement. The request has been assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Committee Chairman Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, who is termed out, said he doesnt expect to decide until after Sept. 1 how he will handle the requests assigned to his committee. Sen. Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, wants to study how much it costs taxpayers when lawmakers pass unconstitutional laws. She has requested the study several years in a row. Her request has been assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Meanwhile, Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward, and Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, want to study the funding and spending practices of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, called TSET. The entity invests funds from the Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco companies and uses the earnings to fund anti-tobacco and other initiatives. The organization recently offered a $250,000 position to a candidate, which generated a lot of discussion at the Capitol about the trusts funding and mission. It needs to be looked at, Thompson said. The request has been assigned to the General Government Committee. Thompson also wants a study to determine if agency technology consolidation under the Office of Management and Enterprise Services has saved the state money. Thompson said a lot of agencies have seen costs increase. The request has been assigned to the General Government Committee. Senate Minority Leader John Sparks, D-Norman, requested a study on how the state uses fees, licenses and permits as revenue generators. During the past decade, the Legislature has engaged in a hypocritical shell game of reducing taxes but increasing fees and fines to fill in the gaps, Sparks said. At the same time Republican leadership says we need to reduce taxes and reduce the size of government on one day and the next day they present bills to increase fees to try to keep things operating, Sparks said. The study has been assigned to the Appropriations Committee. The engine and two coaches of the Chennai-Palani Express train derailed early this morning at at Dasampatti in Tamil Nadu. By Akshaya Nath: In the early hours of Thursday morning, a minor mishap took place near Dasampatti in Tamil Nadu. A train, T.No.22651 Chennai Central Palani Express, travelling from Krishnagiri to Pazhani derailed at Dasampatti. The mishap is alleged to have been caused due to the station master's absent-mindedness. The station master who should have changed the track of the train failed to do so. The engine and one boogie of the train derailed. The incident took place at 2 am on Thursday morning and it took three and half hours before the train was moved using another engine. advertisement As the train was travelling at a slow pace the passengers were safe and a major accident was averted. The Salem railway chief is investigating the case and a report will be soon submitted to the Chennai Railway chief. Due to derailment of the locomotive and an unreserved compartment of T.No.22651 Chennai Central Palani Express near Dasampatti, T.Nos.12626 New Delhi-Trivandrum Kerala Express, 22205-Chennai Central Madurai Duronto Express, 12673-Chennai Central-Coimbatore Cheran Express, 22649-Erode -Chennai Central Yercaud Express, 17230, Hyderabad-Trivandrum Sabari Express, 12511-Gorakpur-Trivandrum Rapti Sagar Express are delayed on both sides. Train No.12626 has just started from the spot. Restoration work has been completed and T.No.22651 has started from the spot. No passenger has been injured. Help line numbers for passengers at: Salem 0427-2330194,(Railway no 65818) Erode 0424-2284775, (Railway no 68131) Chief Commercial Inspector, Erode 9600956231. Passengers can also Contact Helpline Nos: Karur 04324-232139, Chief Commercial Inspector, Karur 9003956957. Namakkal 04286-225253, Chief Commercial Inspector, Namakkal: 900396956. --- ENDS --- Turkey has sent the U.S. a second request to arrest Fetullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based preacher accused of masterminding the thwarted July 15 coup attempt, the justice minister announced Tuesday. Bekir Bozdag told reporters at parliament that Turkey made the request after a demand for Gulens extradition had been made on July 19. "We wrote and sent it, saying 'There are serious claims and expressions that Gulen has a hand in the coup attempt. That is why he needs to be immediately arrested. We have intelligence that he could flee to a third country'," said Bozdag. Bozdag said Gulen cannot leave the U.S. without the permission or approval of the country. He added that if the U.S. gave up Gulen to another country, relations between Turkey and the U.S. would be "negatively" affected. Bozdag said he hoped the U.S will meet the requirements of being a democratic state governed by the rule of law and extradite Gulen to Turkey. "I think that the U.S. cannot keep such a guilty person there anymore under any circumstances," he added. Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly July 15 coup attempt was organized by Gulens followers and his Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). Gulen is also accused of running a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. Anadolu Agency One week after Indonesia was asked by Turkey to clamp down on organizations linked to United States-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, the country has warned its citizens in Turkey away from a Gulen affiliate. Ankara has accused the Fetullah Terrorist Group (FETO) of orchestrating the attempted coup of July 15 in which FETO-linked military personnel attempted -- unsuccessfully -- to overthrow Turkeys elected government, and asked countries worldwide to cease links. Indonesia's national news agency Antara reported Tuesday that the government had asked around 300 Indonesian students in Turkey to temporarily stay away from their educational sponsor, the Pacific Nations Social and Economic Development Association (PASIAD). On July 28, PASIAD was named in a statement by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Jakarta as FETO's umbrella organization in Indonesia. It called for nine named affiliated schools to be shuttered, but Indonesia said Monday that it had carried out investigations and decided not to close them as they were no longer affiliated to PASIAD. "There were no signs at all of violence or signs of terror," Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy was reported as saying by Kompas.com. "Until 2015, the schools were working with this organization, but such cooperation has ended." The matter was not closed, however, with Indonesia's ministry of foreign affairs' director of citizens and legal entities, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, saying Monday that around 300 Indonesian students in Turkey received scholarships from PASIAD. "We have made them aware through the Indonesian students association, as well as direct communication by the embassy, to stay away from the foundation and its people, who are either personally or politically affiliated with Fetullah Gulen," Antara reported him as saying. He added that the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara or the General Consulate in Istanbul would give the students accommodation in the event of emergency. "Internally, we have discussed it with the related ministries to create some scenarios to protect them and save their education if something untoward happened," he said. On July 28, Turkey released an announcement wired by its embassies throughout the world that asked counterpart governments to shut down any schools believed to have connections with Gulen. It also asked that the activities of the Gulen Chair within the complex of the State Islam University in Ciputat, Tangerang Selatan, Banten, be ceased. "It is noteworthy to state that after the coup attempt perpetrated by the FETO terrorist organization, a number of countries decided to shut down the schools, affiliated to it," a statement by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Jakarta said. It listed the countries as Jordan, Azerbaijan, Somalia and Niger and said that authorities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus had also decided to list Fetullah Terror Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETO/PDY) as a terrorist organization. "We appreciate the true solidarity of these countries," it underlined. At least 246 people, including civilians and security personnel, were martyred -- and more than 2,100 injured -- during the illegal July 15 putsch attempt. Gulen and his followers are also accused of attempting to infiltrate Turkeys vital state institutions -- especially the military, police apparatus and judiciary -- with the ultimate aim of creating a parallel state. Anadolu Agency Coups and counter-revolutions are undesired occurrences in democracies and the complete opposite of democracies, Turkeys president said Tuesday during an interview with Mexican television. Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Televisa and reiterated his government's demand for the extradition of US-based preacher Fetullah Gulen who Ankara alleges is the mastermind behind a deadly coup attempt last month. Turkey has sent the U.S. a second request for the arrest of the Pennsylvania-based preacher, the Turkish Justice Minister announced Tuesday. You have to be prepared for any kind of scenario." Erdogan told Mexican television referring to the coup. He said the ruling government has been in power for 14 years and he was elected president with 52 percent support of the country. More than 66,000 workers at state institutions have been dismissed from their posts amid a nationwide probe following the overthrow attempt. Most of the dismissed belong to the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETO), headed by Gulen, that has infiltrated state institutions for four decades. The number, however, is not a true representation of the groups shadowy presence inside the Turkish state, he said. This incident was not a result of the people being fired, he said. However, it was -- the FETO -- the combination of about 40 years. This organization had been in this process in of organizing itself into state mechanisms for about 40 years. They infiltrated Turkish armed forces, Turkish national police and all of the government and state institutions including the judiciary. So they actually infiltrated nerve endings of our state, he said, adding that all data and indicators point to FETO as being behind the crisis. Gulen is accused of implementing the campaign to overthrow the state by forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. You need to be blind and be deaf not to understand that he is behind all of this. The most important point to take into consideration is that these people are excellent liars. They are very successful in lying and our national security strategy document now officially refers to this terrorist organization as a terrorist organization, according to Erdogan. With the strong evidence against Gulen and FETO, time is of the essence when it comes to his extradition, the president said. We have no time to wait six months or one year which is simply intolerable. Turkeys Prime Minister has said ties between Ankara and Washington would be affected if the U.S. did not hand over Gulen who has resided in the state of Pennsylvania since 1999. The coup attempt martyred at least 238 people and injured nearly 2,200 others, according to official statistics. Anadolu Agency Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini for comments she made in the immediate aftermath of a recent coup attempt last month. "Mrs. Mogherini should have first come to Turkey. Now I ask: 'What would be the reactions if the Italian parliament was bombed?,'" Erdogan told Italian TV channel Rainews24 late Tuesday. "When an incident happens in Belgium or in Paris, when five or 10 people get killed, all of them are crowding together, aren't they? They wonder what has happened, he said. A coup was staged against the democracy in Turkey and now we have 238 martyrs. Unfortunately no one from Europe, EU or the [European] Council came to Turkey", Erdogan said as he called on Mogherini to express empathy for the Turkish state and its people in the wake of the crisis. "What would Mogherini say as an Italian? Would she say, 'They did well. How will the judicial process go on? I am concerned about it'", Erdogan said. His comments follow Mogherinis remarks, who just days after the unsuccessful overthrow of the Turkish government, demanded Ankara adhere to the countrys Constitution as it investigates those behind the attempted putsch. We need to have Turkey respect democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, she said at a meeting of 28 EU foreign ministers, alongside U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), accused of using agents inside the Turkish military and government, has been accused of carrying out the coup attempt. "All viruses inside the Turkish Armed Forces, police and judiciary and all state establishments should be removed," Erdogan said as he slammed the attitude of western governments toward Turkey following the overthrow attempt. "Does the West take the side of democracy or coup? I think that they take the side of coup", he said. Regarding concerns about a possible reinstatement of the death penalty for those involved in the failed takeover, Erdogan reiterated his stance that the decision would be left up to Turkish lawmakers but he cited a strong desire by the Turkish public for capital punishment. "We don't have death sentence in Turkey. The U.S., Japan, China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, Pakistan, Taiwan, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Bahamas sill have the death sentence. Only the EU member countries don't have it. Do our people have a demand for it? Yes," he said. "Now almost 75 percent of public opinion polls show it", Erdogan added, while emphasizing that parliament's decision is above all. The government in Ankara has said the deadly coup attempt, which martyred at least 238 people and injured nearly 2,200 others, was organized by the followers of U.S.-based preacher, Fetullah Gulen. Gulen is also accused of implementing a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. Anadolu Agency Turkey's premier has said the government is planning to form a new intelligence structure after the deadly July 15 coup bid. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was speaking during a televised interview on Tuesday evening. When asked if an upcoming statutory decree will include structural changes to the Turkey's National Intelligence Agency MIT Yildirim confirmed there was an ongoing study with the organization. "There is clearly a disorder about the intelligence service," Yildirim said, adding that Turkey's security department and gendarmerie also have intelligence units. "If you don't have the intelligence, then you cannot take preventative measures," the premier said. "The intelligence restructuring that we are working on right now will include lots of measures, including the handling of threats that come from inside and outside with the same level and will effectively make operations for it," he added. Asked if the intelligence restructuring will be under MIT or another unit above it, Yildirim said teams assigned for the job "are working with a variety of options". "Some countries keep foreign intelligence and domestic intelligence separate. Some countries bring them all under one roof. There are many options in the world. We will continue with our good habits and lose the bad ones," he said. Yildirim also talked about the latest assignments of commanders, confirming that every newly-assigned general will start their duty before the weekend, aiming "not to leave any security weaknesses within the ongoing operations". He added that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit the General Staff on Wednesday. Military restructuring Under a statutory decree, seen as part of the Turkey's current three-month state of emergency, military personnel found to be national security threats as well as members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), or linked to FETO, were expelled from the army. Under the decree, Turkey's land, naval and air forces are now directly answerable to the Defense Ministry. The decree also closes all of Turkeys war academies, military high schools and high schools that train non-commissioned officers, to be replaced by a new college called the National Defense University under the Defense Ministry. When asked if he had demanded an explanation from the intelligence agency as to why it was late to inform the president and prime minister about the coup bid, Yildirim said he had asked Hakan Fidan, chief of the intelligence agency, "but could not get an answer". "He could not answer me, he was not able to say anything," Yildirim added. Yildirim was asked whether he wants to continue with Fidan, he replied: "There are things which come first". "We will do our self-criticism when we finish our part of taking measures after the coup bid," Yildirim said. "We will look back and criticize ourselves where we did wrong, where the bureaucracy did wrong. "This was a huge crisis that we averted. Fighting and blaming each other will not help defeating the results of the crisis. On the contrary, your morale will go low," Yildirim added. Executing with prejudice not for us When asked about whether innocent people could also be tried amid FETO-linked suspects, Yildirim said there may be some examples of this but "all the details are being investigated and all the options are being considered". "Executing people with prejudice is not for us," Yildirim said. "The coup-plotters will not get away with what they have done. I would like to stress that [we] will act fairly. Because Turkey is a state of law and there is no room for terminating with prejudice in states of law." The prime minister said if there had been some misjudgments made among suspended personnel, their objections will be considered. "We set out some criteria. All of the people who have direct links with [FETO], who continued to support them financially after Dec. 2013 and people who have active roles in their organizations are taken into custody," Yildirim said. The premier added that a total of 62,010 people had been suspended from duty after the failed coup bid but stressed that only 3,499 among those suspensions ended in dismissal. "We dismissed the people who actively took role in the coup bid, who are traitors who wore military uniforms," Yildirim said. U.S. based preacher Fetullah Gulen is accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. At least 238 people, including civilians and security personnel, were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured during the putsch attempt. Anadolu Agency Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused the West of backing terrorism and coups. Speaking at a meeting of international investors at the presidential complex in Ankara, Erdogan criticized a ruling by a German court that thwarted his addressing an anti-coup protest in Cologne, citing how in 2011 Germany allowed a senior PKK leader to speak at a festival in the same city. "Now I'm asking, is the West supporting terrorism in this incident? Is the West taking side with democracy or coups and terrorism?" the president asked. Erdogan, who has previously hinted at suspicions of foreign involvement in the July 15 coup attempt, also criticized some Western countries for urging people against visiting Turkey. The West is supporting terrorism and taking side with coups [since] they are not hurt as badly as we are, he said. In his remarks, the president said the failed coup was not masterminded and planned inside Turkey but orchestrated abroad. Turkey has repeatedly accused US-based preacher Fetullah Gulen of organizing the coup and has said those involved in the coup attempt are members of the banned Fetullah Terrorist Organization or FETO. In an apparent reference to an electronic board at Vienna airport used by the Kronen Zeitung newspaper to screen headlines, Erdogan said: Unfortunately, some European countries show adverts at their airports like Do not go to Turkey. You will be supporting Erdogan. What kind of democracy is that? I am not a president that came to power by military coup, rather a president who got 52 percent of the votes of public, said Erdogan. On Sunday, EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik also slammed via his Twitter account the message displayed in Vienna and described it as a scandalous sign, sheer hostility and against EU values. Erdogan said Turkey must form a strong intelligence mechanism to stop illegal activities carried out by Fetullah Terrorist Organization, which he said damaged the countrys intelligence agency, preventing it from receiving necessary information about the coup attempt. "We don't only have National Intelligence Service [MIT]. We have also Security Intelligence and Gendarme Intelligence Services," Erdogan said. "These intelligence services had not warned the relevant authorities, instead, they behaved like an enemy," he said. "We have to set up a strong intelligence mechanism to target FETO activities." Erdogan also said Turkey's presidency of telecommunication and communication would be shut down as part of a nation-wide probe against the coup plotters linked to the FETO terror organization. "It is one of the corrupted institutions," he added. Erdogan said that out of more than 3.3 million public officers, 62,000 were suspended in the country following the attempted coup. "We should not forget that they will be able to return to their duties if allegations about them proved baseless after necessary interrogations and investigations are over," he noted. Erdogan also criticized those who doubt Gulen was involved in the coup attempt despite testimonies and proven documents. "There are still some people who are unaware of what is going on in the world and saying 'We don't know if the person in America [Fetullah Gulen] is behind this [coup] attempt. "Everything is obvious, proved with documents," the president said. In addition, Erdogan urged the international community to form a consensus against terrorist activities, warning that failure to do so would hit back against countries like a boomerang. "We gave the names of the terrorists to Belgium, but they said these people were not terrorists and released them. Later, these same people blew themselves at the [Belgian] airport," he added. Anadolu Agency Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said once more that he sees no difference between terrorist groups such as the PKK, PYD, YPG, and Daesh, and U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen's FETO, or Fetullah Terrorist Organization. "All those have the capability of acting together against the Republic of Turkey," Erdogan said in an interview with Mexican television. "However, we will continue fighting them," he stressed. In the second part of his interview with Televisa broadcast late Wednesday, Erdogan slammed Gulens claims that Turkey had helped Daesh, saying that in fact Turkey had taken part in the fight against that terrorist group. He said that arms sent to the PYD and YPG in Kobani, northern Syria, reportedly to support the two in their struggle against Daesh, were also seized by Daesh itself. "I told Mr. Obama [U.S. President Barack Obama] beforehand that half of those arms sent to Kobani would go to Daesh," Erdogan said. He called on the international community to take a common stance towards all terrorist groups in order to eliminate them completely. "All the ones that are against Daesh cannot be described as 'good' terror organizations," he said. Pointing to the state of emergency in Turkey declared for three months following the July 15 coup attempt, Erdogan said the purpose was to effectively and swiftly carry out the legal process. "It is Turkey's internal matter, and we make our own decisions." According to the Turkish Constitution, the state of emergency can be declared for a maximum period of six months when serious indications of widespread violence, aimed at removing the free democracy environment or the basic rights and freedoms established by the Constitution, appear, or when the public order is distorted severely due to acts of violence. The July 15 coup attempt martyred at least 238 and wounded more than 2,200 people, who took to the streets to protest the attempt. Erdogan said the coup "was definitely repelled." The country accuses Fetullah Gulen and his parallel state of being behind the failed coup and has sent the U.S. two official requests for his extradition to face trial. Anadolu Agency Pakistan's Parliament Wednesday passed unanimous resolutions expressing strong support and solidarity with Turkey in defeating the July 15 coup attempt and protecting democracy. The National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, passed a unanimous resolution, touting "the brave people of Turkey who, setting aside political differences, displayed enormous courage and determination to demonstrate their resolve to protect democratic norms and uphold the rule of law." "This House highly values the strong historic ties between Turkey and Pakistan. It deeply appreciates Turkeys steadfast support to Pakistan on all occasions and conveys its full support and best wishes to the people of Turkey," it said. The Senate, the upper house, also praised the bravery of the Turkish people, as well as the resolve of opposition parties to protect democracy. "The Senate admires, congratulates and pays its tribute to the brave people of Turkey who displayed an uncommon courage by upholding democratic norms and defeated military coup and saved their country from anarchy and civil war. "It was so moving to see common Turks take to streets and the world witnessed that human flesh stopped steel tanks on just a single call of their leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan," the Senate resolution said. The upper house also praised "all opposition political parties for their historical and unprecedented resolve to protect democracy." The Pakistani Parliament is among the first foreign elected bodies to have passed such unanimous resolutions. Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly July 15 coup attempt, which martyred at least 238 people and injured nearly 2,200 others, was organized by the followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. Gulen is also accused of implementing a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state. Anadolu Agency Tweets by U.S.-based firm Stratfor on the Turkish presidents flight to Istanbul from Marmaris on the night of the July 15 coup attempt have drawn attention and controversy worldwide. Founded in 1996 by George Friedman, Texas-based geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor provides global analysis of economic, foreign policy, and security issues, and has also raised suspicions over its cooperation with intelligence units and spies in a number of countries. On July 15, when Turkey faced a coup attempt that claimed 237 lives, Stratfors tweets in favor of the coup traitors and against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew widespread criticism. The number of Stratfor tweets the night of the thwarted coup was prodigious. When Erdogan's airplane was returning to Istanbul from the coastal resort of Marmaris, where the president had been vacationing, Stratfor tweeted three times about its flight path even as coup-plotters were seeking Erdogans location for possible assassination. In the first tweet, Stratfor showed how Erdogan's jet was over the Sea of Marmara. In the second, Stratfor reported that Erdogan's airplane had been tracked approaching Istanbul and would likely land. In the third, Stratfor wrote that it was confirmed that Erdogan's airplane had landed in Istanbul, including a satellite image showing the location of Ataturk Airport. Contacted by Anadolu Agency, Stratfor officials were evasive when asked how they could pinpoint the exact location of the airplane and why they shared such sensitive information on a social media platform the night of the coup. The same night Stratfor also touted a false report by U.S.-based news channel MSNBC saying that Erdogan was seeking asylum in Germany, attracting more controversy. In addition to targeting Erdogan the night of the coup, the next day again on Twitter it shared a profile of Erdogan with inaccurate information. In the profile, touted as What you need to know about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Stratfor reported that Erdogan had been "arrested by the military in 1999, and served four months in prison for trying to incite violence and religious or racist hatred." The profile also claimed that Erdogan has been working to reduce the militarys power since the [the] mid-2000s," sowing the idea that he had a longstanding personal enmity for the army. This was apparently meant to convince Stratfors Twitter followers that the coup-plotters had a valid reason for attempting a coup. After the tweet attracted a backlash, Stratfor deleted it, but not before it had swayed the minds of some of the public. Not the first time Stratfor posting such tweets effectively making a country's elected leader into a target during a coup attempt was perhaps not surprising in the context of earlier incidents. For instance, an email released in 2012 by WikiLeaks written by Stratfor Vice President Fred Burton about late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also came under fire. In the email, Burton wrote, Back in the day, we would have been planning his (and Chavez's) helicopter 'accident', hinting at a covert assassination. A 2012 Atlantic magazine profile of the group said, Stratfor is not the shadow-CIA that WikiLeaks seems to believe it is, adding, A friend who works in intelligence once joked that Stratfor is just The Economist [magazine] a week later and several hundred times more expensive. Stratfor has hundreds or perhaps thousands of subscribers all around the world, including the U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon, along with defense giants and warplane manufacturers Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon. When such outlets as CNN, Bloomberg, the AP, Reuters, and the New York Times publish stories with information attributed "to credible sources," often they are referring to Stratfor. The credibility of Stratfor intelligence and its reasons for sharing this information have both attracted suspicion. WikiLeaks peeks behind the curtain The internal processes of Stratfor were laid bare by WikiLeaks in 2012 when it posted millions of pieces of Stratfor internal correspondence online. The WikiLeaks posts showed that rather than being based on reliable sources, Stratfor analyses come from intelligence gathering by its "spies" all around the world. According to one of the leaked documents, Stratfor had paid a person with connections to the Lebanese army $6,000 a month for Middle East analyses. It is unknown if Stratfor used similarly unsound methods in other countries. Questionable sources Founded by a famous political analyst in 1996, Stratfor is based in the city of Austin, the capital of the U.S. state of Texas. It touts itself as a geopolitical intelligence firm which operates on economic, foreign policy, and security issues and also provides analyses of more than 175 countries. Stratfor provides online subscriptions and custom consulting services the Atlantic said, As of 2001, a Stratfor subscription could cost up to $40,000 per year but its selling its analyses distinguishes it from a true think-tank, which finances itself through donations and sponsorships. The WikiLeaks documents revealed that Stratfor analyses, which it claims are based on reliable sources, were written by its spies who have an advanced knowledge of English and several other languages. Stratfor has many followers on social media who read its geopolitical analyses of regions important for U.S. foreign policy. Staff background George Friedman is Stratfors founder and former political analyst. He is known for his neo-conservative, anti-Islamist, and pro-Israel perspective. Born in Hungary to Jewish parents, Friedman came to the U.S at a very early age. As an adult, he became an expert on strategic warfare and military technology. Friedman resigned in 2015 when current CEO David Sikora joined the company. Prior to joining Stratfor, Sikora was the founder and CEO of Digby, where he built mobile and application storefronts. A father of three daughters, Sikora starts work at 8 am every day and works until 6 pm local time. While Sikora has no background in intelligence and military technology, Stratfor reportedly brought him on to provide more digital intelligence expertise. The intelligence background of Stratfors other senior staff is also interesting. Take, for instance, Jon Sather, who was a member of a team which conducted CIA operations for 25 years. He was recruited by Stratfor in November 2015 to be its head of intelligence. Stratfor's Vice President of Custom Intelligence Services Bret Boyd has raised eyebrows for his background in the U.S. Special Forces Command. As specialist on intelligence operations, developing countries, and army-state relations, Boyd took part in operations in Iraq. Stratfors Editor-in-Chief David Judson is also notable for his eight years of experience in Turkey. Before joining Stratfor, Judson worked for the Istanbul-based Dogan Media Group, first as managing editor of Turkish-language daily Referans and later as editor-in-chief of Hurriyet Daily News, the companys English paper. Scott Stewart, Stratfors terrorism analyst and security issues supervisor, was a special agent with the U.S. State Department for 10 years before joining Stratfor. Among his areas of expertise are terrorist tactics and organizations, terrorism trends, and protective intelligence. The number of former CIA staffers working for Stratfor is unknown, but indicators that Stratfor has close ties with a number of intelligence units in various countries have raised question marks. The night of the failed coup, the American global intelligence company publicly shared the Turkish presidents locations three times. Birol Akgun, a professor from Ankaras Yildirim Beyazit University, told Anadolu Agency, Stratfor seems transparent, but no one knows whos behind the agency. Sharing information on that night, hour by hour, shows that the companys shadow CIA-affiliated office was really aware of preparations for the coup plot. He added, The company played a role in guiding coup-plotters through open lines at a time when information about Erdogans flight was unknown to even intelligence offices in Turkey, which shows that the probable objective of this was the coups success. Akgun argued that such institutions cant be neutral and also running a business to disseminate news to the world. Stratfor is known as CIAs backyard or its unofficial shadow affiliate, he said. Pointing to the contrast between its supposed independence and its unofficial ties to deep U.S. government structures, he said, It is clear that Stratfors information doesnt come from the company itself but from U.S. intelligence services. He continued, But after 2.00 a.m. [2300GMT] on the coup night, news about the failed coup was circulating. The staff at the company must have been related to coup-plotters in Turkey from the start or somehow they have contacts with U.S. intelligence, [and were] collecting intelligence info. This is not news-gathering, it is directing. By giving the location of the presidents flight they were trying to give directions to coup planes. He pointed out that if the U.S. president had been in a similar situation, there is no way his or her location would have been revealed by Stratfor or another institution, saying, Even if they were aware, they would not dare share the location of the president. In light of Stratfors involvement buying Lebanon army information for $6,000 a month, according to WikiLeaks, Akgun said, This makes us consider the possibility of Stratfor and the coup-plotters exchanging news. The monetary source is hidden in such companies. He added, These semi-intelligence companies expend all kind of monetary resources to collect the information, they use people. In Turkey they might be linked to those who are fighting President Erdogan. Ahmet Uysal, a professor at Istanbul Marmara Universitys Institute Research of Middle East and Islamic Countries, said about Stratfors tweets, This is not sharing news, it is sort of informing against the president. It seems they almost made coup-plotters arrest the president. There is a definite purpose here, he added, If it were the U.S. president, no information would be shared. The [press] blackout came later. No one could dare tell this. The Western media would consider sharing this [information] as betrayal. Unfortunately when it is Turkey, it is painted as press freedom. Citing former CIA Vice Chair Graham Fullers public support for coup mastermind Fetullah Gulen, Uysal said, This shows the coup plot was attempted by a lobby or an intelligence team, in which the U.S. might not be involved. The same thing happened in Egypt. If it had succeeded they would have accepted it as a fair accompli, but when it fails they say, We werent aware of it. It is impossible for Western intelligence not to be aware of it. The EUs reaction to Turkeys failed July 15 coup was condemned by former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt on Tuesday, who asked if Brussels was asleep or just ignorant. Bildt, who worked to bring peace to the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, said EU leaders had responded tepidly to the attempted coup. In an article headlined Europe, Stand up for Erdogan for the Politico news website, he questioned the time it took Europes leaders to denounce the coup, which Turkey has said was carried out by the supporters of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen. There was no sign of senior EU representatives afterward flying [to] Turkey in support of an accession country facing the gravest threat to its constitutional order yet, he said. Instead, Europes leaders immediately began to question measures taken by the Turkish authorities to cleanse from power any elements thought to be associated with the Gulen movement. When Turkey asked for derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights, EU leaders howled with disapproval, forgetting that France did the same after the November terror attacks in Paris. There is no question that Turkey has the right to, and indeed must, take measures to safeguard itself against forces trying to topple its constitutional order. Bildt, who served as prime minister from 1991 to 1994 and as foreign minister from 2006 to 2014, said a successful coup would have seen major bloodshed on the streets of Ankara and Istanbul as coup forces tried to suppress opposition demonstrations and the outbreak of civil war. Millions of Turkish citizens fleeing violence, chaos and death would have joined the more than 2 million Syrian refugees hosted in Turkey in setting sail for Europe, he added. The EU would now be facing a refugee disaster of even larger magnitude than in 2015. The co-chairman of the European Council on Foreign Relations said Europe risked losing its moral authority if it does not appear particularly engaged in dealing with the coup itself. He added: The EU would be in a far better position today if EU leaders had gone to Turkey immediately to express their horror at the coup, congratulate the people of Turkey for defeating it and sit down with the president, the government, the leaders in the Grand National Assembly and others to discuss how to collectively ensure a democratic and European path for Turkey. Anadolu Agency By Sarabjeet Kaur: During a leisure trip to the US last month, Rasika Sharma, 38, a fashion designer, met with an accident. She spent 13 days in hospital, which could have cost her a fortune given the high medical expenses in the country. But what helped her tide over the difficult times, with regard to her finances, was a travel insurance plan with accidental and medical sickness benefits that she had bought before setting sail. All she had to do was to provide the required documents to the insurance agent to get her claim processed. Picture courtesy: Mail Today advertisement An accident is an accident, and it always comes unannounced. You may plan your trip to the last detail, but there is always a probability of unforeseen events leaving you poorer by a few thousands, or even lakhs. Says Rahul Agarwal, Founder and Director, Ideal Insurance Brokers: "Insurance is absolutely indispensable while travelling abroad. There are hundreds of things that can go wrong and it can have serious financial implications. Even a small accident may cause you to shell out tens of thousands of dollars. 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They should also consider the possible duration of stay and, if in doubt, should buy for a longer period to avoid hassles of extension." advertisement It is also prudent to consult your insurance advisor and share all the information before you file a claim because things such as pre-existing diseases may not be covered in a travel plan. "One should ensure that the pre-existing ailments are communicated to the insurer. Travel policies do not cover acts of terrorism, war or war-like actions, mental disorder, stress pregnancy, suicide, self-inflicted injury, anxiety, alcoholism, abuse of drugs, infection of HIV/AIDS," says Ravichandran. Also read: 5 tips to protect your ears from in-flight pain while taking off or landing How to go about it Even if you are not required to file for a claim, you must know how a claim is to be filed and what you are required to do before setting sail. If not, you may be in the dark in case of an emergency and may lose out on valuable time in the process. So, here's what you must know. One, access to your insurance company's assistance is very important if you are in difficulty during overseas travel. Therefore, keep both the domestic and international toll-free numbers of the insurer handy and, in case of a mishap, dial in at the first given opportunity, without any delay. advertisement Says Amit Bhandari, Head-Health Underwriting and Claims, ICICI Lombard: "In the event of a claim, customers can contact the 24x7 helpline number provided by the insurer and register his or her application. Customers can even drop a mail to the assistance service provider of the insurer with his or her contact details for a call back. Once customers intimate a claim, the assistance service provider will assist in the following ways: Provide necessary information about hospital details, policy coverage, embassy details, etc., and will guide the customers through the entire claims process ensuring hassle-free settlement of claims." The other important issue is to know how to make a claim for a medical emergency during or even before you actually board the aircraft. For example, if you happen to cancel your trip due to a medical emergency, your doctor's prescription and a medical certificate will help you to claim insurance. If you fall ill during your trip, contact your travel insurance service provider immediately to take medical help and, subsequently, collect the authentic reports and medical documents, and post electronic or physical copies to the insurer to support your claim. For accident cases, you may also have to submit a copy of the police complaint that was registered or relevant documents from the host country. Please note that insurance claims can only be done with full and final checking of your original documents and proofs. So, if you happen to send the documents in electronic format, you would also have to submit the originals. But before doing so, have them photocopied for future reference, if required. advertisement The third point is the importance of documents to get a travel insurance claim. The insured must also fill the form correctly and sign it. The documents that an insurer needs to claim medical insurance during overseas travel includes physician statement, medical records, investigation reports, medical bills, copy of your visa with the entry stamp of the host country. If you have lost your baggage or cash, then make sure you submit a certified copy of the police complaint, photocopy of your passport and even valuation certificates for items like jewellery. Most importantly, carry your identity proofs, including PAN and Aadhaar cards, along with the details of your tour operator. "Upon receipt of a notice of claim, the insurer will furnish the policyholder with forms required for filing proofs of loss. Original bills and receipts, such as pharmacy purchase bill, consultation bill, diagnostic bill and any other receipts or prescriptions in support of the treatment, should be submitted," says Ravichandran. Claim rejection Remember, to claim travel insurance you need to submit originals and proofs. If you have pre-existing illnesses and you plan to travel without your doctor's permission, then you cannot ask for a travel insurance claim. Important documents Attending physician statement must be filled and signed by overseas doctor who has treated the insured Insured must fill and sign the discharge form Medical records, consultation papers, investigation reports All medical expense bills Original paid receipts in case of reimbursement claim Stamped copy of visa If you have lost your baggage or cash, then make sure you submit the certified copy of the police complaint along with a photocopy of the passport Checklist for buying a policy Inclusions and exclusions: Read the fine print in detail and, if you have doubts, get them clarified. Duration of coverage: Based on your trip duration, customers can select from an annual multi-trip policy or a single trip travel insurance policy Destination coverage: Should know that sub-limits on the coverage amount are different for different geographies --- ENDS --- During the Energy Chamber's Post AGM Event at the Hyatt Regency hotel Wednesday evening, the Finance Minister Colm Imbert offered an insight into how going to the supermarket has been for him since he announced the increase in the prices of gasoline and diesel in the 2023 Budget. Eight-part reality series Mariahs World will screen in December on E! The series follows Mariah Carey as she kicks off her Sweet Sweet Fantasy tour of the United Kingdom, Europe and Africa, while planning her upcoming wedding to James Packer. The series, which features family, friends and inner circle is produced by Bunim / Murray Productions (Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Simple Life, I Am Cait) in association with Magic Carpet Productions. As reported in May, James Packer will be making an appearance. Carey has just fronted at the Television Critics Association panel ahead of the second half of her Las Vegas residency Mariah #1 to Infinity at Caesars Palace. Mariahs World premieres on December 5 at 1pm & 9:30pm on E! Minor Spoiler: Violence against women in dramas is a hot talking point in America lately, particularly in light of shows such as Game of Thrones and the upcoming Westworld (but lets just overlook those extreme Outlanders male rape scenes?). Meanwhile in the UK, Poldarks second season will avoid a rape scene written in Winston Grahams novels in which Poldark forces his former love Elizabeth onto a bed and has sex with her. In the book Warleggan, written in 1953, Elizabeth accuses him of treating her like a s***. He replies: Its time you were so treated, then a sexual assault occurs. The scene was also depicted in the original BBC Poldark production in the 1970s. But in the second season of the Aidan Turner drama, the scene has been portrayed as an affair rather than an attack. It seems consensual, and it just seems right. He goes to talk. He doesnt go to commit a crime, Turner told The Sun The government of Ukraine's decision to confer the degree is again bringing the 'East Georgio University doctorate degree' controversy to the foreground. Earlier Mamata Banerjee was accused of claiming that she had a doctorate degree from the East Georgio University in the US. By Romita Datta: An honourary doctorate degree, which has been eluding Mamata Banerjee, is finally knocking at the West Bengal chief minister's door. The National University of Railway Transport of Ukraine government has appreciated Mamata's achievement as railway minister and the different social welfare projects she has undertaken as chief minister of West Bengal. Acknowledging her contribution, the Ukraine government has decided to honour her with the degree. advertisement A letter has been shot off by the Ukraine government requesting Mamata for accepting the degree. THE CONTROVERSY Earlier Mamata Banerjee was accused of claiming that she had a doctorate degree from the East Georgio University in the US. However, such a university was found to be fake and so was the degree. The controversy had caused a major embarrassment to Trinamool Congress and even today the issue comes up now and then. Now, the government of Ukraine's decision to confer the degree is again bringing the controversy to the foreground. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is touring the districts and so there was no comment either from her or from anyone from the party. ALSO READ: Mamata Banerjee gears up for renaming of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee starts clampdown on cross-border cattle smuggling Mamata Banerjee quietly giving shape to federal front? --- ENDS --- The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) has summoned former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov for interrogation on August 9. The corresponding information was posted on the PGO's website. "Citizen Mykola Yanovych Azarov, born on December 17, 1947, registered at the following address: 20/1a Volodymyrska Street, ap. 16, Kyiv, should be present at the PGO's Main Military Prosecutor's Office on 114 Antonovycha Street, Kyiv, or on 9 Husovskoho Street, Kyiv, at 14:00 on August 9, 2016, under Articles 133 and 135 of the Criminal Procedure Code, to take part in proceedings of criminal case No. 12013220540000400 dated January 31, 2013," the summons read. This refers to the criminal proceedings over misappropriation of the property of "Ukrnafta" and "Ukrhazvydobuvannia" companies worth more than UAH 2 billion by a group of persons led by fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010-2014. ol Russian-backed militants launched 38 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas over the past day. This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center. Since 02:00, the enemy has resumed shelling of residential districts in settlements near Donetsk. "In Donetsk area, militants used 120mm and 82mm mortars and grenade launchers to fire at positions of Ukrainian soldiers in Avdiyivka [18km north of Donetsk] and Mayorske [45km north of Donetsk]. In Zaitseve [67km north-north-east of Donetsk], the enemy violated the Minsk agreements, having opened fire from the banned heavy artillery," the report reads. In Mariupol area, the tense situation was observed in two front lines: Krasnohorivka (29 km west of Donetsk) Marinka (35 km south-west of Donetsk) and Hnutove (19km north-west of Mariupol) Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), where the enemy was actively using mortars and machine guns to shell Ukrainian troops. ol No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but seven soldiers were wounded in ATO area in eastern Ukraine over the past day. Spokesman for the Presidential Administration on the ATO Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but seven soldiers were wounded as a result of armed hostilities in ATO area in eastern Ukraine over the past day, he said. He added that all the soldiers had been wounded in Donetsk region ol Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with the representatives of Malaysian business during his official visit to Malaysia on Thursday. This is reported by the press service of the Head of State. Poroshenko noted that business forums allowed a better understanding of prospects and opportunities for cooperation and expressed hope that a new page in bilateral economic cooperation would be opened. According to the Ukrainian President, one of the purposes of his visit to Malaysia is the discussion of prospects for cooperation between the countries. It is a good time for Malaysian investors to come to Ukraine, which provides many opportunities in different sectors of economy, he said. In particular, the promising areas are agriculture, information technology, space and aviation, defense industry, high-tech manufacturing. We are planning a large-scale privatization of state enterprises on a competitive and transparent basis, as well as the corporate governance reform, the President stressed noting that the list of those facilities included, inter alia, energy companies, ports and chemical plants, railway, transport and aviation companies etc. He added that the FTA agreement between Ukraine and the EU provided huge opportunities for investors. We would like to invite you to use them. Ukraine can become the gates to the EU market for Malaysian business, Poroshenko emphasized. According to the President, Malaysia, in its turn, can become the gates for Ukrainian business in the region. ol Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak says that Ukraine and Malaysia can develop mutual cooperation in many spheres, in particular in the sphere of privatization of Ukrainian companies. Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak said this at a news conference, held in the scope of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenkos visit to Malaysia. Im sure that this visit will deepen relations between Malaysia and Ukraine. I hope our peoples will use the possibilities of the both countries, the prime minister said. Razak stressed that Ukraine is an attractive state for foreign investors, including the Malaysian investors. We also discussed the participation of Malaysian companies in privatization. President Poroshenko would like to do this for his country. And we agreed that there are all possibilities for this, he said. According to the Malaysian prime minister, the Malaysians can participate in Ukrainian projects that concern railways, sea port management, energy companies, as well as housing and municipal complexes. iy An agreement on avoidance of double taxation, which was signed today between the governments of Ukraine and Malaysia, will allow enhancing business contacts and attracting investors. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said this at a joint news conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "We think that the agreement on avoidance of double taxation will contribute to these opportunities for business and help intensify our business contacts and attract investors," President Poroshenko said. Thus, according to him, the two countries confirmed the interest in expanding the full range of bilateral relations. President Poroshenko stressed that Ukraine has a lot of interesting projects for cooperation, including joint participation in the implementation of space programs, supply of Ukrainian food and medicines, and provision of Antonov transport aircrafts for the defense industry In addition, President Poroshenko said that the sides agreed to accelerate the launch of the Ukraine-Malaysia trade commission. It is planned that the first session of the commission will be held this year. iy Ukraines National News Agency Ukrinform and Kuwait News Agency KUNA have signed an Agreement on Cooperation. The ceremony of signing took place today in Kyiv with the participation of Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova, Deputy Information Policy Minister Artem Bidenko, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to Kuwait Volodymyr Tolkach, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Kuwait to Ukraine Yousef Hussain Al-Gabandi, representatives of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the Embassy of Kuwait, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The agreement was signed by Deputy Director General of Ukrinform Maryna Synhayivska and Director General of KUNA Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij As-Sabah. After the ceremony of signing, the director general of KUNA said that he was very glad to come to Ukraine, because "there is no doubt that the role of media is very important in the life of the two countries." According to him, today a new chapter in the cooperation has been opened and from now on the Kuwaiti national agency will receive reliable information about the current events in Ukraine. "The signing of the Agreement will promote bilateral cooperation, enable us to receive news from original sources in Kuwait, as well as in Ukraine," Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij As-Sabah said and thanked Ukrainian Ambassador to Kuwait Volodymyr Tolkach for furtherance of signing this document. The director general of KUNA also expressed hope that the signing of the Agreement will contribute to the implementation of practical steps and invited the management of Ukrinform to visit the Arab Media Forum that is to be held in Kuwait in October. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova noted that over the last several years Ukraine became one of the main objects of attention in the region, which intensified even more after the annexation of Crimea by Russia. First Deputy Minister told about the situation in Crimea, in particular, about human rights violation, especial of the Crimean Tatars. Deputy Director General of Ukrinform Maryna Synhayivska, in turn, noted that Ukrinform will celebrate its 100th anniversary soon and stressed that this Agreement will enable the Ukrainian national agency to inform Ukrainians on the current situation in Kuwait and to provide citizens of Kuwait with "firsthand" information about Ukraine. iy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov has handed over a flag to the National Police of Ukraine. The solemn ceremony took place at the St. Sophia Square in Kyiv on the National Police Day of Ukraine, August 4, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "I would like to emphasize that the reforms taking place in the law enforcement system should not diminish your willingness to protect our citizens," he said. Turchynov noted that he believed that the law enforcement officers would decently fulfill all the tasks set before them. "It is very important that Ukrainian people stop being afraid of their main law enforcement body. They should respect you, but this will be possible only when they feel the reliable protection of their lives, their property, their rights and their future," Turchynov said. ol Farhan Haq, UN Secretary General's deputy spokesperson first made a statement saying that they will continue to monitor the situation but the same statement was retracted by the spokesperson for Secretary General next day. Farhan Haq, who is a US citizen of Pakistani origin has been in news for his handling of Kashmir issue while working with the Secretary General's office at UN. (Picture for representation, Photo: Reuters) By Ankit Kumar: First in 2010, then in 2014 and now once again in 2016, Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for United Nations Secretary General has earned a reputation of courting a controversy every time Kashmir issue comes up. On August 1, 2016, during the official press briefing when a visiting Pakistani journalist asked two questions about Kashmir while calling Kashmir a "disputed territory", Haq was more than candid in saying "we will continue to monitor the situation including, of course, through our monitoring group on the ground, United Nations Military Observers in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)." advertisement The very next day his senior colleague and the spokesperson for the Secretary General Stephane Dujarric stood up in the same briefing room and issued a clarification regarding the comments made by Mr Haq a day back. "I just wanted to clarify something, which is that UNMOGIP, the UN observer present there, it's mandate is to report on the ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the line of control. The UN mission there doesn't have a mandate beyond the Line of Control" stated the official spokesperson of UN secretary general. This statement by the official spokesperson was exactly opposite to the statement made by Farhan Haq a day back. In fact when a reporter asked as to why he had to issue this clarification he replied "I think it needed to be said". Farhan Haq, who is a US citizen of Pakistani origin has been in news for his handling of Kashmir issue while working with the Secretary General's office at UN. He first drew attention of Indian media way back in 2010 when he circulated an email to section of Pakistani media which said that UN secretary general Ban was concerned over the prevailing situation in Kashmir. India reacted strongly to the reports and damage control had to be done by his then senior collegue as he issued a statemet saying that the statement was not issued by Ban rather it was just an information provided by his Secretariat. In February 2014, Farhan Haq was once again back in news when he made a comment that UN was available to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. "Our good offices are available if both sides were to request" said Haq while talking to journalists. India once again responded by saying that UN had no role to play in Kashmir which is an integral part of India. Once again his senior collegue had to make a clarification by saying that UN chief encouraged both countries to resolve all the differences throuh dialogue. advertisement Come 2016 and Farhan Haq once again is back in the news for same reasons. Only thing which has possibly changed this time around is that UN was quick to do a damage control, in less than 24 hours to be precise. UN Chief's spokesperson and senior colleague of Farhan Haq made a suo motu clarification the very next day. While comments made by Farhan Haq at the UN office are frequently quoted by separatist leaders and Pakistan based groups against India, it is yet to be seen if India's foreign office is willing to take this issue further. Also read: Sharif describes Kashmir as unfinished agenda of UN --- ENDS --- The Government of Ukraine has made a decision that will ensure the proper conditions for preparation and holding the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Ukraine. This is reported by the Government portal. "The corresponding decree No. 568-p was adopted at the Cabinets meeting. In particular, according to the document, the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine and the Finance Ministry of Ukraine, while preparing the draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2017, should provide the funds for holding the song contest in the amount not less than EUR 15 million," the statement reads. ol Following five months of negotiations, the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday (2 August) agreed by consensus upon a political declaration with two annexes which will pave the way for global compacts on refugees and migrants respectively in 2018. The New York Declaration for refugees and migrants and related documents are to be adopted by Heads of State, Government and other High Representatives attending the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants on 19 September. UNHCR stands ready to support the historic high-level commitments contained in the agreement. The negotiation process was clearly not an easy one, but we commend Member States for their hard work in reaching consensus on such a complex and urgent issue, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. The message from the negotiations is clear: no one government can address large-scale movements of refugees on its own. International cooperation is the only way forward. The political declaration includes a reaffirmation of basic principles of international refugee law and responsibility-sharing for refugees, and represents a solid basis on which to develop more coordinated and more equitable comprehensive responses to future large-scale refugee movements, as well as to existing protracted refugee situations. The Global Compacts to be adopted in 2018 -- will affirm the commitment to greater responsibility-sharing based on a comprehensive refugee response framework in the case of refugees, and set out a range of principles, commitments and understandings among Member States regarding international migration in all its dimensions, in the case of migrants. UNHCR looks forward to initiating the consultation process envisioned in the outcome document that will lead to the development and adoption of a Global Compact on refugees in 2018 based on the overarching framework for a comprehensive refugee response outlined in Annex I. The commitment to strengthen international governance of migration is also heartily welcomed by UNHCR, along with last weeks decision by the General Assembly to bring IOM closer to the UN. UNHCR looks forward to engaging with Member States and a broad range of partners to implement the commitments made. Media contacts: Ariane Rummery, Geneva, +41 79 200 7617 Firas Kayal, New York, +1 212 963 9145, +1 (917) 847 3702 This is going to disappoint a lot of girls. By India Today Web Desk: We are not kidding. Delhi's favourite shopping destination has been shut down for an unlimited period of time, reports Little Black Book. Sarojini Nagar, which is one of the most sought-after shopping destinations in the city, has been a hit among girls for trendy clothes available at killer prices. Also read: Attention, ladies: Trial rooms are making their way to Janpath and Sarojini Nagar advertisement The usually lively and trendy place is mostly covered with street-side shops that offer all kinds of latest footwear, clothes and accessories. A hub for trendsetters, the market was recently found deserted when Little Black Book team visited the place. Why? Apparently, the shop owners in the area complained about the business being taken away from them. As a result, the vendors and thelas have been asked to pack up, for now. A deserted Sarojini nagar lane. Picture courtesy: LBB Also read: Can you spot your-kind-of-shopaholic in this Sarojini Nagar video? Although we do hope that this is only temporary, you might have to resort to other street shopping options in the city for the time being. Till then, relive the beautiful chaos that was the market, courtesy this sketch by Mallika Dua. --- ENDS --- AMMAN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, and International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director-General William Lacy Swing today announced the successful completion of a relief operation to provide more than 75,000 people with food and humanitarian relief items. Statement by the heads of WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF, and IOM Today the World Food Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF completed an urgent relief operation to provide a one-month ration of desperately-needed food and hygiene supplies to more than 75,000 people who are trapped along a land embankment, or berm, at the Syria-Jordan border. Unable either to cross the border or turn back, the situation facing these women, men and children has grown more dire by the day. Sheltering in makeshift tents in harsh desert conditions with temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius and sudden sand storms, they are without sufficient food and have barely enough water to survive. Life-saving health care is also urgently required. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and the sick are especially vulnerable. We thank the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for supporting this critical operation, and we look forward to further efforts to reach people at the berm with humanitarian assistance in time to save their lives. Background: An estimated 75,000 people fleeing conflict in Syria are living in makeshift shelters along the border area, or the berm, that runs along the Syria-Jordan border. Jordan sealed the berm area more than a month ago following an attack at a Jordanian border post. Before the border closure, UN agencies and aid organizations regularly delivered aid from Jordans territory to Syrians stranded on the other side of the berm. About the World Food Programme (WFP) WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries. www.wfp.org About the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. It is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Today, a staff of more than 9,300 people in more than 120 countries continues to help and protect millions of refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people. www.unhcr.org About the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org. About the International Organization for Migration (IOM) A new member of the UN family, IOM is the worlds leading Migration Agency and an indispensable actor in the field of human mobility. The organization assists an estimated 20 million migrants annually and has 165 member states. Founded 65 years ago, IOMs mandate includes protection of migrants and displaced people in migration-affected communities, as well as in areas of refugee resettlement and voluntary returns, and incorporates migration in country development plans. More at www.iom.int For more information please contact: Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 346 7600521, [email protected] Ariane Rummery, UNHCR/Geneva +41 79 200 7617, [email protected] Marixie Mercado, UNICEF/New York +1 212 326 7133, [email protected] Leonard Doyle, IOM/Geneva, Mob. +41792857123, [email protected] A mother and child who fled gang violence in El Salvador and are now living as refugees in Mexico. UNHCR/Markel Redondo GENEVA A pledge by nine countries from North and Central America to work together to strengthen the protection of refugees fleeing Central America has been welcomed by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as a landmark step ahead of UN and US summits next month on refugees and migrants. It is vital and immensely gratifying to see the countries of the Americas coming together in a regional approach to devise humane, collaborative solutions for people in desperate need of life-saving help, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. This is the path to helping the most vulnerable among us regain lives of dignity, he said. In the joint San Jose Action Statement, the governments of Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and the United States acknowledged the need for stronger protection of asylum seekers, refugees and internally displaced people in the region. This is the path to helping the most vulnerable among us regain lives of dignity. We are confronted with a growing number of asylum seekers and refugees and recognize the need for asylum systems to identify and respond to those in need of international protection, the countries said. The statement, an outcome of an unprecedented gathering of concerned governments organized by UNHCR and the Organization of American States in Costa Rica last month, noted that the swelling flow of refugees and other migrants in the region was due to a variety of factors. But it also stressed the importance of timely identification and documentation of people in need of protection, of unhindered access to fair and efficient procedures for protection, of finding alternatives to detention for asylum seekers and of ensuring their access to legal aid. The San Jose meeting was also attended by four South American countries and other interested states as well as representatives of other UN agencies, international institutions including the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, International Organization for Migration, International Committee of the Red Cross, national human rights institutions, national and regional NGOs, civil society and academia. In an individual declaration accompanying the San Jose Action Statement, Costa Rica said it was committed to addressing, with the help of UNHCR and as a matter of urgency, the backlog in asylum applications and supporting the local integration of refugees. Most asylum applications are from people forced to flee violence by heavily armed transnational gangs. Most asylum applications are from people forced to flee widespread violence by heavily armed, transnational gangs in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala that have made these countries known collectively as the Northern Triangle of Central America one of the most deadly places on earth. In its accompanying declaration, Mexico said it was committed to building refugee protection capacity while the United States said it would work with UNHCR to expand its Refugee Admissions Program in order to help vulnerable people fleeing the Northern Triangle countries. Honduras acknowledged the problem of forced displacement within and across its own borders, pledging to allocate the resources needed to expand protection and emergency assistance for persons displaced by violence including through new laws, emergency shelters and public awareness-raising efforts. The San Jose Action Statement is a visible and significant demonstration of the willingness of countries from the region to work together to address the plight of refugees, internally displaced persons and others in need of protection, in a spirit of solidarity and within a collaborative responsibility sharing framework. This will be an important contribution the UN Leaders' Summit on 19 September, said UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk, who co-chaired the meeting with the Secretary of the OAS. You can read a press release version of this story here. UNHCR welcomes the San Jose Action Statement released today where nine countries from North and Central America vowed to work together to strengthen protection of refugees fleeing Central America, a landmark step ahead of UN and US summits next month on refugees and migrants. It is vital and immensely gratifying to see the countries of the Americas coming together in a regional approach to devise humane, collaborative solutions for people in desperate need of life-saving help, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. This is the path to helping the most vulnerable among us regain lives of dignity, he said. In a joint statement, the governments of Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and the United States acknowledged the need for stronger protection of asylum seekers, refugees and internally displaced people in the region. We are confronted with a growing number of asylum seekers and refugees and recognize the need for asylum systems to identify and respond to those in need of international protection, the countries said in the San Jose Action Statement. The statement, an outcome of an unprecedented gathering of concerned governments organized by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Organization of American States (OAS) in Costa Rica last month, noted that the swelling flow of refugees and other migrants in the region was due to a variety of factors. But it also stressed the importance of timely identification and documentation of people in need of protection, of unhindered access to fair and efficient procedures for protection, of finding alternatives to detention for asylum seekers and of ensuring their access to legal aid. The San Jose meeting was also attended by four countries of South America and other interested states as well as representatives of other UN agencies, international institutions including the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), national human rights institutions, national and regional NGOs, civil society and academia. In an individual declaration accompanying the San Jose Action Statement, Costa Rica said it was committed to addressing, with the help of UNHCR and as a matter of urgency, the backlog in asylum applications and supporting the local integration of refugees. Most asylum applications are from people forced to flee widespread violence by heavily-armed, transnational gangs in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala that have made these countries known collectively as the Northern Triangle of Central America one of the most deadly places on earth. In its accompanying declaration, Mexico said it was committed to building refugee protection capacity while the United States said it would work with UNHCR to expand its Refugee Admissions Program in order to help vulnerable people fleeing the Northern Triangle countries. Honduras acknowledged the problem of forced displacement within and across its own borders, pledging to allocate the resources needed to expand protection and emergency assistance for persons displaced by violence including through new laws, emergency shelters and public awareness-raising efforts. The San Jose Action Statement is a visible and significant demonstration of the willingness of countries from the region to work together to address the plight of refugees, internally displaced persons and others in need of protection, in a spirit of solidarity and within a collaborative responsibility sharing framework. This will be an important contribution the UN Leaders' Summit on 19 September, said UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk, who co-chaired the meeting with the Secretary of the OAS. Media Contacts: Washington, DC: Brian Hansford, [email protected], +1 (202) 243 7623 Washington, DC: Chris Boian, [email protected], +1 (202) 489 6884 Mexico City: Alejandra Romo, [email protected], +55 52 5083 1713 San Jose, Costa Rica: Ana-Laura Mendez, [email protected], +506 2296 0785 Geneva: Nora Sturm, [email protected], +41 (79) 200 76 18 AMMAN, 4 August 2016 World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, and International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director-General William Lacy Swing today announced the successful completion of a relief operation to provide more than 75,000 people with food and humanitarian relief items. Today the World Food Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF completed an urgent relief operation to provide a one-month ration of desperately-needed food and hygiene supplies to more than 75,000 people who are trapped along a land embankment, or berm, at the Syria-Jordan border. Unable either to cross the border or turn back, the situation facing these women, men and children has grown more dire by the day. Sheltering in makeshift tents in harsh desert conditions with temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius and sudden sand storms, they are without sufficient food and have barely enough water to survive. Life-saving health care is also urgently required. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and the sick are especially vulnerable. We thank the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for supporting this critical operation, and we look forward to further efforts to reach people at the berm with humanitarian assistance in time to save their lives. Background: An estimated 75,000 people fleeing conflict in Syria are living in makeshift shelters along the border area, or the berm, that runs along the Syria-Jordan border. Jordan sealed the berm area more than a month ago following an attack at a Jordanian border post. Before the border closure, UN agencies and aid organizations regularly delivered aid from Jordans territory to Syrians stranded on the other side of the berm. ### Back-to-school shopping trends this 2016 revealed that consumers are planning to buy tech products. This is good news for tech companies as they roll out new devices this season. According to Twice, research conducted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) revealed that 59 percent of American consumers plan to buy a tech product for their back-to-school shopping. The figure showed an increase of 12 percentage points over last year. It was estimated that a total of $18.5 billion will be spent this year on back-to-school tech products or accessories. This is a 6.2 percent increase compared to last year. "Early back-to-school promotions are building interest and momentum for the second-largest shopping event of the year," Steve Koenig, CTA's market research senior director, said. "Deals on the tech items for back-to-school including 2-in-1 laptops, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, tablets and more are creating excitement among consumers. This consumer enthusiasm also bodes well for tech sales across the second-half of the year." The top back-to-school tech product is a portable memory, with 71 percent of respondents confirming that they plan to buy one. CNET made a list on the best portable drives of 2016 which included the SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSD, Samsung Portable SSD T3 and WD My Passport Ultra (spring 2015). Next on the list was the basic calculator, with 55 percent. Headphones come in third with 52 percent of respondents saying that they want to buy new headphones. Find the perfect pair on Amazon and Best Buy. 51 percent of the research participants admitted that they are planning to buy a scientific/graphing calculator. 48 percent said that they plan to buy a protective case. Laptops, computer software, external hard drives, tablets and product subscriptions finish the list. The San Diego Union-Tribune noted how technology is continuing to become more mobile. "You could send a kid off to college these day with a backpack, a laptop and a smartphone," Jim Barry, a spokesman for the Consumer Technology Association, said in an interview. There are varying reactions to the college debt crisis of 2016. While some think that it's not affecting the economy that much, there are currently four real problems that the entire nation is facing. Fortunately, there are also possible solutions to these dilemmas. Last week, it was reported that there are people who believe that the college debt crisis has been blown out of proportion. There are four myths that are creating panic in the nation that should be taken off of people's minds. Apparently, there are college graduates that are not being burdened with college debt. Those who graduated with a bachelor's degree have been found to earn much more than those who only finished high school and the so-called "academic bloat" is not the reason for public-college tuition increase. Moreover, free tuition is not the answer. According to Vox, there are four genuine challenges that are being experienced by the American public today. The publication also shared the possible solutions to these problems. 1. Uncompleted college programs are a waste of students' time and money. A lot of those who start their postsecondary programs voluntarily are unable to finish. This problem is more serious than actually starting college in the first place. Students from disadvantaged economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds generally have a hard time completing their education. Directing money to schools and programs to help poor students should be prioritized than reducing the debt of middle-class graduates of good colleges. 2. Higher education is expensive and, more often than not, ineffective. One of the surefire ways to attract funds for support of public investments in college is to let people see that colleges are using the money wisely. 3. Faculty in the U.S. has dismal pay and horrible working conditions. The government ought to invest in a more stable career structure that will motivate teachers to do their best work, which would include training, job security and recognition. 4. There are a lot of "enrollment-hungry" colleges. Schools that have fewer than 800 students tend to have serious trouble with maintaining and staffing for a full curriculum. While there are advantages with going to small colleges, the publication suggested that some type of consolidation for these institutions should take place. Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet announced on Tuesday that they agreed to start borrowing to fund education projects. After five years, since 2011, they unanimously agreed to borrow $285 million in the next few years. The funds are needed to maintain facilities for colleges, public schools and state universities. At first, Gov. Scott refused to borrow funds. He was described to be vigorous in opposing state borrowing. However, CBS Local reports that the state made the decision to borrow an approved budget. The Public Education Capital Outlay has lent funds to pay for the construction and maintenance of educational buildings. The funding will be included in the 2016-2017 budget. A huge chunk will go toward major university projects. It includes the $20 million required for the University of Central Florida's downtown Orlando campus. In addition, a nuclear science building at the University of Florida will require $13.8 million. Another $22.5 million will go to the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine, in Tampa. Aside from these major universities, Florida's rural areas will also benefit from the funds. About $18.7 million will go to Holmes county and $11.5 million will go to Levy County. St. Augustine's school for the Deaf and the Blind will also take advantage of the funds. A $9 million grant will help pay for school improvements. Another $12.7 million will be given to Seminole State College and $8.98 million for the library at State College of Florida. St. Petersburg College will gain $10 million for its student success center. The director of the state Division of Bond Finance, Ben Watkins, said that the initial borrowings are quite small but will increase in the next few years. Florida's decision to issue new PECO bonds comes at a time with "very favorable market conditions," Watkins said. Look back in 2015 and compare Florida governor Rick Scott's plan, to spend more money on education for your children, to this year's announcement: As Arizona election approaches, one of the most primary concerns that hit voters' mind when it comes to selecting the right candidate is who will have a better program for education. It is no surprise as the majority of the voters are parents if not newly registered voters as well students. Every two years, citizens will have to choose whether to remain with the satisfaction they attained from the incumbent officials or give an opportunity to the new position aspirants to prove what they've got. Among those closely watching the candidates' programs is the Stand for Children, a public education promoting non-profit advocacy group. This group pushes on doubling the funding for children's education specifically reading. One of the Stand for Children's goals is to ensure the reading ability of the third grade before moving on to the fourth grade. This, however, would require an $80 million fund, AZ Central reported. Proposition 123, a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment that appeared on ballots on May 17, 2016, is also one major factor taken into consideration as voters select their candidate. This measure aims to put up a $3.5 billion in the education fund in the span of 10 years. It is intended to be done by allotting more on education from the general fund and the increase in the state land trust permanent funds' annual distributions, Balot Pedia reported. More eyes are set on the next step after the Proposition 123 after its win. They are watching as to whom among the candidates will have the initiative to assure that this program is implemented and acted upon. However, weeks after the Proposition 123 claimed the spot; schools were reported to still be $1.2 billion behind the fund they had before the Great Recession. Glenn Hamer, Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry president and CEO, on the other hand, cited the role that K-12 will play in the elections as incumbents are expected to their contributions on the matter. Here is a quick look at the Propositions 123. August 4 2016 Threesixty Architecture has drawn up plans for a 40 room student accommodation block in the Highland town of Fort William, together with a single storey plant room, bike store and bin room.Prepared on behalf of Cityheart and the University of the Highlands and Islands the scheme will be finished in render and grey timber effect rainscreen cladding, with panels of punchy feature colour under a slate roof.In their design statement the architects said: A simple palette of materials is proposed. This is reflective of the materials to be found in the locale without intending to create a pastiche.Mindful of an often harsh climate the architects have also incorporated broad gutters and steep roof profile.Situated on a main road close to Belford Hospital the scheme seeks to juggle an urban response to a busy junction with the more domestic scale found further along Fassifern Road.The project follows hot on the heels to deliver a similar student build in Dornoch All the latest Uttoxeter news Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Church News October 20, 2022 LIGHT OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH Needing Answers We want God to be like FedEx and deliver overnight. Things dont happen that way, but in... Church News October 13, 2022 LIGHT OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH Natures Therapy The pine tree with its solemn dignity lifts its branches to the sky as if to give... STAR FILE PHOTO SHARE By Mike Harris of the Ventura County Star A lawyer who last month won his lawsuit against Simi Valley for $533,000 in back legal fees is being sued by the Rio School District for the return of $4.8 million in attorney's fees, plus $6.5 million in other damages. The lawsuit alleges that lawyer James Negele and his downtown Los Angeles firm committed legal malpractice while representing the Oxnard district in lengthy litigation stemming from the construction of the Rio del Norte Elementary School. Negele said Tuesday that the lawyers representing him in the case haven't yet filed a formal response to the suit, which was filed in Ventura County Superior Court in April. But he said being sued by the district was "a stunning disappointment." "After helping the district for 15 years and charging really low rates, for them to turn around and do this is just absolutely mind-boggling," he said. "It's not a logical case," he added. Lawyers for the district declined to comment, saying the lawsuit speaks for itself. The case dates back to 1999 when the district contracted with FTR International Inc. to build the school, which was completed in 2001, according to the suit. During that time, several suppliers and subcontractors sued FTR and the district for nonpayment. Those lawsuits were consolidated in a lawsuit FTR filed against the district for nonpayment. The district hired Negele & Associates to represent it. In 2011, more than 10 years after the litigation began, the trial court ruled in favor of FTR, awarding it more than $9.3 million, including damages for breach of contract, the district's lawsuit says. The district settled the judgment for $6.5 million in 2015. Over the life of the case, the district says it paid Negele's firm more than $4.8 million in attorney's fees. According to the district's suit, the district had primary liability insurance coverage and excess coverage. The primary coverage in the FTR litigation was exhausted by a $50,000 payment in 2004, the suit says. Yet Negele & Associates did not notify the district's excess insurers in a timely manner, the district alleges. "The district believes ... that the excess policies would have covered the attorney fees paid by the district to defendants, and the costs of the district's ... settlement with FTR," the suit states. "Defendants, however, made no attempt to ... discuss potential insurance coverage with the district for at least three and a half years, to the district's enormous financial detriment and to defendants' benefit," according to the suit. Negele & Associates "either acted negligently by failing to tender the covered claim, or intentionally failed to tender the covered claim so they could improperly obtain nearly $5 million in attorney fees," the suit states. It seeks $11.3 million in damages for alleged professional negligence, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. The $11.3 million equals the $6.5 million settlement plus the $4.8 million in attorney's fees. A defense motion to transfer the case from Ventura County to a "neutral" county such as Santa Barbara is scheduled to be heard Aug. 30. In Negele's lawsuit against Simi Valley, a judge last month upheld an arbitration panel's finding that Simi Valley owes him nearly $533,000 in back legal fees, costs and interest. Negele sued Simi Valley in 2014 for the back fees stemming from work his firm did for the city in litigation with a construction company. Simi Valley requested fee arbitration, claiming Negele padded his bills and manipulated them to avoid City Council oversight. A three-member panel of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, however, found in Negele's favor in September. Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James Herman confirmed the panel's award July 21. But Simi Valley City Attorney Lonnie Eldridge left open the possibility the city may appeal. "The city respectfully disagrees with the judge's decision, and is evaluating all its options," he said after briefing the Simi Valley City Council on Herman's ruling in closed session last week. Simi Valley has filed its own lawsuit against Negele over fees. It is pending in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. SHARE By Wendy Leung of the Ventura County Star Somis Academy, a home study charter school, will close after the Somis Union School District board this week unanimously denied the school's petition forA renewal. District officials mailed letters Thursday telling parents the school will no longerA operate. It is the first charter school to shut in Ventura County, according to Tiffany Morse, director of charter school support and oversight at the Ventura County Office of Education. The closing has put 18 certificated and four classified employees outA ofA jobs. Board President Jane Ogne cited low academic achievement and budgetary concerns as the main reasons for not renewing plans for SomisA Academy. "It was a complicated decision, one that we spent a lot of time considering and did a lot of study on," OgneA said. In the past three years, the charter school's expenditures had exceededA revenues. The closing of the school has put parents, who planned to continue home schooling their children, in limbo. Tony Jones, of Camarillo, said he's unsure where his daughter will goA nextA year. "It was a pretty cool school," Jones said. "For it to go away for whatever reason, it's kind ofA aA shame." The academy's approximately 160 students are home-schooled and visit an assigned teacher weekly to have progressA monitored. "The educators who worked there were instrumental in giving us insights and giving us techniques," Jones said. "They empowered us to take control of our daughter's education. You get to know the teacher personally, and now they're losing theirA jobs." Carol Andersen, director of the academy, was the only employee whose layoff notice was rescinded. The former Somis School teacher has been offered a position at thatA school. Andersen was the leader in drafting the renewal petition for Somis Academy. Charter schools go through the renewal process every fiveA years. Established in 2003, the academy was part of a surge in California charter schools. In 1992, state lawmakers passed the Charter Schools Act, allowing the community to establish an alternative to the public school. Today, there are 982 charter schools in California, more than in any other state, according to the California Charter SchoolsA Association. Ventura County has 14 charter schools. In the 2010-11 school year, 7 percent of Ventura County students were enrolled in a charter school, MorseA said. In the denial of the petition for renewal, the Somis Union school board's resolution says, "Past practice does not support that this academy can become a viable, financially stable, high academically achievingA charter." Ogne said another reason for the denial was the petition's lack of clear plans for the academy to become independent of the district. Also, the school wrestled with low enrollment, while only a few of the students lived inA Somis. "For us as a district, that was a large part of the issue," Ogne said. "It wasn't serving ourA students." SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT Juan Rodriguez, 31, of Oxnard. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT By Staff Reports Oxnard police arrested a man suspected of robbing a woman during a date with her early this week, authorities said Wednesday. Officers responded about 5:45 a.m. Monday to Seventh and B streets after receiving a report that a woman had been robbed at gunpoint, Oxnard police said. Authorities said the victim was on a date with the man when he pulled out a gun and robbed her of her personal belongings. Juan Rodriguez, 31, of Oxnard, was identified as the suspect and was contacted about 10:25 a.m. Monday, police said. Rodriguez briefly ran from officers but was taken into custody, police said. The gun used in the robbery was recovered and Rodriguez, a post-release offender, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm and other violations, authorities said. SHARE Camarillo Program focuses on financial challenges The Ventura County Writers Club will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Pleasant Valley Senior Center, 1605 E. Burnley St. The program will focus on writers and other home based businesses trying to survive in challenging financial times. Attendance is free. For more information, call Sheli Ellsworth at 499-3490. Newbury Park Hunting club to discuss preparation Hunters' Alliance, local Conejo Valley hunting club, will meet from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at 3475 Old Conejo Road, unit C-2. The club will talk about preseason preparation as well as trip reports and current legislation. Anyone interested in any aspect of hunting is welcome. For more information, email ca.hunters.alliance@gmail.com. Oxnard Group holds annual jewelry sale C.I. Gulls will have its annual jewelry sale and luncheon at 11 a.m. Aug. 18 at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club, 2600 S. Harbor Blvd. Social hour is at 11 a.m. with the luncheon at noon. All proceeds go to local charities. For reservations, call Shirley at 263-6062. Port Hueneme Submariners will meet for breakfast Submariners of the USS PARCHE SS-384 Base Association will meet for breakfast and the monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 14 at the VFW Hall, 300 Surfside Road. Breakfast is served at 9:30 a.m. and the meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. The meeting topic focuses on the Camarillo Air Show. For more information, contact Bob Harmuth at saltymate@aol.com or 985-8718. Simi Valley Quilt guild will have meeting at center Simi Valley Quilt Guild will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Simi Valley Senior Center, 3900 Avenida Simi. The subject is "Quilting University." Cost is $5 for guests. For more information, visit www.simivalleyquiltguild.org or call 522-2454. Thousand Oaks Meeting includes networking JNET Thousand Oaks Business Networking will go from 7-9 p.m. Aug. 11 at Temple Etz Chaim, 1080 E. Janss Road. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Attendance is free for the first two meetings. Yearly dues are $85. For more information, visit www.templeetzchaim.org or contact Steve Marche at Steve@homeloans411.com or 374-6000. Ventura Meeting discusses nuclear weapons Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions will meet from 3-5 p.m. Sunday in the Topping Room at E.P. Foster Library, 651 E. Main St. The topic is "71 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki The state of nuclear weapons abolition and disarmament." There will be a walk to and vigil at Plaza Park. For more information, visit www.c-p-r.net or call Mary Olson at 223-1187. Speaker shares how to email photos The Ventura Beginners PC Users Group will meet from 9:15 a.m. to noon Aug. 13 Bob Crum will present "Secrets of emailing photos." For more information, call 648-1368. Parliamentarians to meet at restaurant California Zeta Chi parliamentarians will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Main Street Restaurant and Steakhouse, 3159 E. Main St. Sandra Sanders will present a parliamentary lesson called "High Ranking Matters." Non-members are welcome. For more information, call Sharon Hillbrant at 479-6738. Westlake Village Council hosts champagne brunch The Democratic Women's Council of the Conejo Valley will have a meeting and champagne brunch at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 20 at Boccaccio's Restaurant, 32123 Lindero Canyon road, No. 104, in the Landing Center. Conejo Valley School Board Candidate Betsy Connelly and Thousand Oaks City Council Candidate Ann LaFianza will attend. Cost is $25. To RSVP, call 498-7262. SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Ventura County Fire Department By Megan Diskin of the Ventura County Star Ventura County fire crews and equipment have been sent to help battle four wildfires burning in California, officials said Wednesday. The Ventura County Fire Department said it has sent aid to the Sand Fire in the Santa Clarita Valley, the Soberanes Fire near Big Sur in Monterey County, the Cold Fire in Yolo County and the Goose Fire in Fresno County. Both the Sand and Soberanes fires have burned more than 40,000 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Cold Fire has burned more than 4,000 acres and the Goose Fire has burned more than 2,000 acres, Cal Fire reported. SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/VENTURA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Eleno Emmanuel Ramirez, 22, of Oxnard. By Staff Reports An Oxnard man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the June robbery of a Ventura liquor store, officials said. The robbery was reported at 10:52 p.m. on June 21 at Log Cabin Liquor Store, 2457 Alameda Ave., Ventura police said. Cash was taken and the store clerk suffered minor injuries during a short fight after the robber came into the store, brandished a handgun and demanded money, authorities said. Detectives later discovered the robber, who only spoke Spanish during the incident, forced two of the store employees at gunpoint into a back storage room before he fled with the money, police said. Ventura police learned that Oxnard police were investigating a series of armed robberies about the same time so both agencies began working together, officials said. Detectives from Ventura and Oxnard police were on scene of a search warrant conducted at 10 a.m. Wednesday at a possible suspect's residence in the 300 block of Devonshire Street in Oxnard, authorities said. Ventura police said evidence found at the home of the suspect, identified as Eleno Emmanuel Ramirez, linked him to the liquor store robbery, police said. Ramirez, 22, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and robbery and booked into county jail, officials said. Mark Wilson/Getty Images President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 people, including 10 from California, on Wednesday. SHARE By Bartholomew Sullivan, USA Today WASHINGTON President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 people Wednesday, including 10 from California, but a Tulare County methamphetamine dealer who got more than five years knocked off is still looking at a release in 2025. Osvaldo Cisneros-Gutierrez, whose age was not available, formerly of Earlimart, was sentenced to more than 24 years in October 2006 by a federal district judge in Texas for conspiracy and possession of more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. The president's commutation grant reduced his sentence by 64 months, or just over five years. His Dallas lawyer did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages seeking comment. In addition to Cisneros-Gutierrez, the following Californians received commutation grants: SHARE On behalf of Gold Coast Health Plan and in my capacity as its associate chief medical officer, Id like to congratulate the Breastfeeding Coalition of Ventura County and the extraordinary services it provides to mothers and their families. On July 26, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors presented a resolution proclaiming August 1-7 as World Breastfeeding Week. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund sponsor this annual event. Along with the Breastfeeding Coalition and agencies like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the countys Department of Public Health, Gold Coast Health Plan understands the importance of promoting health care for children with special needs. The coalition alerted Gold Coast about the lack of quality breast pumps available to our members. As a result and with its input, our Network Operations Department identified and contracted with vendors carrying quality pumps. This has resulted in an increase in breastfeeding and the use of quality pumps by our members. I also want to congratulate Ventura County for being recognized and awarded the mother-baby friendly workplace award by the California Breastfeeding Coalition. Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula and Simi Valley hospitals were designated as baby friendly hospitals, with Santa Paula boasting the highest exclusive-breastfeeding rates in the county. We stand by the Breastfeeding Coalition in its goal to promote and support breastfeeding as the cultural norm in Ventura County. Dr. Nancy R. Wharfield, Camarillo The celebrity sightings at the D Casino Hotel Las Vegas continue as Rapper Mickey Avalon and Actor/Rapper Simon Rex, a.k.a. Dirt Nasty, stayed and enjoyed a fun night out downtown (Pictured: Simon Rex/Dirt Nasty with Mickey Avalon and the D Casino Hotel Slush Bartenders Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel). Performing at the hip downtown venue, Beauty Bar, the guys stayed at the D Casino Hotel and enjoyed a pre-show drink at the Ds World Famous Longbar. Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel Nothing gets you pumped up for a show like taking photos with sexy girls! The guys, along with D Executive Richard Wilk, joined a couple of the Ds sexy Dancing Dealers for a great photo op in the casino. Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel The sexiness didnt stop there as a trip to the D wouldnt be complete without a picture with the Ds tantalizing Slush Girls. We dont know who was more excited for the photo as we heard one of the girls talk about watching Dirt Nastys music video right as he walked up. All the girls went crazy over Simon. It really seems like the D Casino is where Hollywood comes to stay and play. The excitement is endless. With sexy girls and an enticing party atmosphere, enjoying a night out in Downtown Vegas has never been easier. Local non-profit, Lion Habitat Ranch, offers free admission for kids under 15 August 5-8, 2016 in honor of World Lion Day celebrated on August 10. Accredited by the Zoological Association of America, The Lion Habitat Ranch, has been located in Henderson for more than 26 years and is the home to more than 40 lions and also to Ozzie, the first giraffe in Nevada. Many of the lions are retired from the MGM Grand Habitat and rescued from local and national zoos. Additional adventures at the Lion Habitat Ranch include Feast with the Beast, Original Painting by the Giraffe, Be a Trainer for the Day, Behind the Scenes Tours and feeding of the animals. In addition to advocating for education about African lions in our community, The Lion Habitat Ranch support the efforts of Conservation International in Kenya. While its loved lions are able to live out their lives in the comfort of their own habitat and around the pride and people they grew up with, most lions in the wild face a much sadder fate. The donation to the non-profit as well as cannedlion.org helps to keep this project alive, protect African lions and their natural habitats. Actress Sarah Hyland from the Emmy Award winning series Modern Family, kicked off her 21st birthday weekend in Las Vegas by attending the 10:30 pm performance of Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Friday, December 09, 2011 (Photo credit: Cashman Photography). Accompanied by her boyfriend and a group of friends, they snacked on popcorn and were seen singing along to such tracks as Thriller and Black and White during the performance. After the show the group went backstage to meet some of the cast and pose for pics. Sarah mentioned that she was a huge Michael Jackson fan and that Pole Dancing was her favorite part in the show. She also raved about all the dancers. Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour will be presented at the Mandalay Bay Events Center until Dec. 27. Comedy magician Murray SawChuck has just received the news that hes been asked and has agreed to extend his show MURRAY Celebrity Magician at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino through the end of the year (Pictured: Murray SawChuck, Chloe Louise Crawford and Doug Lefty Leferovich). Murrays limited engagement this summer was so successful that theyve asked Murray to stay as a resident headliner at the hotel till 2013 throughout the holidays. So youll be seeing a lot more of Murray, Chloe & Lefty throughout the holidays this year. Murray states, I am thrilled that my brand goes so well with the new Tropicana Hotel & Casino and the Laugh Factory. Vietnams digital economy has seen significant growth over the last decade and is expected to be valued at US$57 billion by 2025. The countrys digital... Rescuers have raced to the crumbled bridge south of the financial capital of Mumbai to search for the passengers AFP The two buses were on their way to Mumbai when the older of two parallel bridges on the Mumbai-Goa highway, said to have been built under British rule, collapsed near Mahabaleshwar, media reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying. "The primary reason seems to be the high pressure caused due to flooding of river Savitri due to heavy rains," Devendra Phadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra state, said on Twitter. Mahabaleshwar is a hill station 230 km south of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra. "There is no confirmed assessment about casualties since the area is very dark. Administration will ensure speedy rescue and relief operations," Fadnavis said in another tweet. O.P. Singh, chief of the state-run National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said 80 rescuers, including divers, had rushed to the area but their efforts were being hampered by heavy rains. "We have not even spotted the buses so far," said Rakesh Ranjan, deputy commandant of operations at the NDRF. He said the river's current was very strong. Ranjan said 183 people have died and 7.7 million people have been displaced in four northeastern Indian states alone due to monsoon rains and floods so far this season. In neighbouring Nepal, 84 people have died and 37 were injured in incessant rains, with another 10 still missing. At least 42 people have died in the flooding in Bangladesh, while around 1.5 million people have been affected, officials said. Hi-tech industrial projects will prioritise energy-saving and eco-friendly products of high added value and competitiveness, while those in the port logistics sector will include facilities in support of the Cai Mep - Thi Vai international terminal. High-quality tourism projects will focus on building seaside resorts and developing ecological and spiritual tourism along with meetings, incentives conferences and exhibitions (MICE). During a local press conference on August 3, Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Long said the province has made a list of sectors eligible for investment incentives. Ba Ria - Vung Tau pledges all possible support for long-term business operations in the province, he said. An investment promotion conference is slated for August 10 to introduce the provinces potential, incentives and infrastructure to diplomatic agencies, investment and trade promotion organisations, and overseas and domestic investors. The province is a gateway to the southern key economic zone thanks to its convenient location, abundant natural resources and a massive network of seaports. In the first half of this year, the province registered seven foreign-invested projects worth nearly US$350 million, raising the total number of FDI projects to 297 with a total value of more than US$27.16 billion. Domestic projects in the six-month period counted 10 with a total registered capital of around VND1 trillion (US$45.45 million), increasing the total domestically invested projects to 442 worth approximately VND241 trillion (US$10.95 million). The local telecommunications market is the scene of fierce 3G competition The prime minister last week gave in-principle approval to FPT Group and FPT Telecom being strategic investors of EVN Telecom. EVN Telecom will this month announce its strategic investors after its negotiations with FPT and its affiliate FPT Telecom are finalised. An EVN Telecom source revealed that the stake to be sold to FPT and FPT Telecom would be more than 50 per cent. FPT Telecom was already licenced to be a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and is piloting LTE TDD technology. Mobile business is what we want in our business portfolio and we are enthusiastic in our negotiations with partners. Our investment capital will be 10-times the amount we previously planned to invest in EVN Telecom, said FPT deputy general director Phan Duc Trung Trung. FPT previously planned to invest VND400 billion ($21 million) in EVN Telecom as the former wanted to use the latters facility to provide mobile service. The upcoming involvement of FPT and FPT Telecom in EVN Telecom means there would be no chance for foreign entities to be the mobile operators strategic partners. Previously, EVN Telecom, which is expected to be the first mobile operator to be equitised in Vietnam, announced its plan to sell a 30 per cent stake to a foreign strategic investor. Details of the plan were not revealed then, except that the strategic investor would be a Singaporean or Malaysian firm. EVN Telecom then also said the foreign strategic investors name would be made public after the company completed its equitisation process in September, this year. Meanwhile, MobiFones long-awaited equitisation has seen many delays. The company was converted into a one-member company in early July and is still waiting for new government directions. The company planned to sell a 30 per cent stake to investors, including 15 per cent to strategic partners. Viettel Telecom does not have a clear equitisation plan, as it is trying to complete a restructuring proposal by expanding into other business segments such as mobile handset production. The long-awaited VinaPhone equitisation is still distant, as VNPT Groups restructuring proposal has not yet been approved by the Ministry of Information and Communications. File photo of Dubai International Airport. AFP/Karim Sahib "All operations (arrivals and departures) at (Dubai International) DXB have been suspended until further notice following the incident involving flight EK521," Dubai Airports said on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. All passengers on board the plane coming from India were evacuated safely, the government said earlier, as footage on social media showed smoke billowing from the aircraft. The cause was not immediately clear. Dubai Airports later said the airport would reopen from 6.30pm local time, with larger aircraft to be given priority. Fadi Selwan, Director of Business Development VINCI Concessions and Chairman of VINCI Highways, made the remark at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung in Hanoi on August 3. He said his group wants to exchange experience, transfer highway management and operation technology, and develop new highway projects in the Southeast Asian country. Deputy PM Dung hailed the group for expanding cooperation with Vietnam in highway investment. He said Vietnam is focusing on modernising its transport infrastructure system with a view to completing the North-South highway and developing a nationwide highway network by 2020. The country will study the development of a high-speed railway and build major airports, he said, adding that this offers an excellent opportunity for foreign businesses to invest in Vietnam. He asked the French group to directly work with Vietnamese ministries and partners to realise cooperative ideas. The Vietnamese Government will create all favourable conditions for potential investors to develop infrastructure, especially in the transport secotor, he confirmed. VINCI is managing over 7,000 km of highway and 36 airports in France and other countries. Total revenue from tourism in 2020 is to be VND120 trillion ($5.3 billion), increasing by 15 to 17 per cent each year. Occupancy rates at hotels are expected to average 60 to 65 per cent. All staff at tourism agencies are to undergo full training. To achieve its target Hanoi will select strategic investors for tourism projects in West Lake, along the new road to Noi Bai International Airport, Ba Vi National Park and Suoi Hai Lake, and Huong Son - Quan Son Lake in My Duc district. The decree also noted the results of the tourism development plan for Hanoi in the 2007-2015 period. Tourist numbers to the city have often represented one-third of those to Vietnam and increased by about 10 per cent each year. Travel website TripAdvisor reported in July that Hanoi was the least expensive international destination to visit. Its study showed that lunch for two in the capital is $28, dinner $55, taxi travel (a two-mile round-trip) and tours/activities $2, and hotels $79. The total average cost of a three-day summer trip for two comes to about $497. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), international tourist arrivals to Hanoi in July were estimated at about 192,000, a 12.4 per cent increase compared to June and up 8.8 per cent year-on-year. Arrivals by air were 172,000, up 12.6 per cent compared to June, while those arriving by water or road totaled 20,000, up 11.1 per cent. Domestic tourists visiting Hanoi numbered 770,000, a 1.1 per cent increase against June and up 5.4 per cent year-on-year. Revenue from tourism in July was estimated at VND4.585 trillion ($205 million), a 0.1 per cent increase compared to June and 13.4 per cent higher year-on-year. In the first seven months arrivals to Hanoi from some countries increased dramatically, such as China (up 96.9 per cent year-on-year), South Korea (33.6 per cent), Thailand (33.1 per cent), and Germany (35 per cent). In the first half, total tourist arrivals to the capital stood at 11.015 million. International arrivals were 2.04 million, up 33 per cent year-on-year, and domestic arrivals 8.97 million, up 6 per cent year-on-year. Total revenue from tourism was VND31.306 trillion ($1.4 billion), an increase of 24 per cent year-on-year. In 2016 Hanoi has targeted welcoming 21.165 million tourists, including 3.8 international tourists, and to earn revenue of VND60 trillion ($2.69 billion). HCM City hopes to attract investment from the US after a delegation led by a deputy chairman of its People's Committee visited that country and promised plenty of incentives - VNS Photo During the visit, speaking at a trade promotion seminar in San Francisco last month, Tuyen offered 10-year-long tax and land incentives to American investors. "HCM City will play its role in creating breakthroughs in three key fields institution, human resource quality and infrastructure to make the city an attractive and reliable destination for the investors," he told the seminar. The city would continue with its administrative reforms and offer more tax and land incentives to attract investors, he added. Tuyen also met with overseas Vietnamese and executives of top science and technology companies to solicit investment. He visited the Viet Nam Resources Group's headquarters in California to meet with 10 local IT businesses to outsource software. A Texas Instrument Company executive said the company plans to invest US$6 billion in Southeast Asia and would study the investment climate in HCM City, according to Tuyen. The Vietnamese delegation had provided the company with useful information about the Saigon Silicon City project in the Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park, the executive said. Other businesses too promised to visit and invest in HCM City. They included Allied Telesis and its partners like Quantus Corporation, which plan to work on a $300-400 million life sciences project to build a research institute, a commercial and service hub and a hospital in HCM City. Greenvity said it is considering setting up a plant at the Quang Trung Software Park to make chip-applied equipment for smart homes for the Southeast Asian market. Visiting a company called Vigilant Solutions, Tuyen sought its assistance to develop an IT project to raise awareness in HCM City of the need to obey traffic laws. The delegation introduced semi-conductors and integrated circuits made at the Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park at an expo held in San Francisco. The expo attracted more than 700 companies from around the world producing semi-conductors, electricity, electronics products and new materials. Instead, the families were told to go to the morgue to collect the bodies. The mass execution of at least 20 Sunni inmates took place at Gohardasht Prison in Iran, where a state of emergency has been declared. Its believed the execution was brought forward in order to avoid protests. The National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), who are fighting for more human rights in the Islamic Republic, have condemned the mass execution. Shahin Gobadi, of the NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee, said, Theres a long precedent by the regime in first executing prisoners and then informing their families. One explanation for this is that the regime is afraid of a public backlash and protests outside the prison by the families to halt the executions. Covering an area of 118 hectares, Saigon Peninsula will include a multifunctional park, an international cruise port, an office building, resort villas, apartment blocks, hotels, and other functional areas, as well as technical infrastructure. Pavilion Group will be in charge of implementing all major stages, including the construction of a shopping centre, along with five-star hotels, resort villas, as well as the office building. GENM will develop the cruise port, which is expected to be the largest of its kind in Vietnam once it comes into operation. Besides, two leading Korean mechanical and construction companies, namely Posco E&C and Hyundai E&C, are willing to join the projects construction as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors. The investors expect that the project will create a new look for Vietnams tourism sector in general and the city in particular and generate 30,000 jobs. In addition, it will be a stepping stone for attracting other large-scale projects to Ho Chi Minh City. Pavilion Group, under the leadership of executive chairman Desmond Lim, who is the founder and owner of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur shopping mall in Malaysia, is a visionary organiser in Malaysias real estate market with successful achievements in multi-sector development, project management, and long-term investments. Regarding GENM, in 2009 through a joint venture with VinaCapital, the company obtained an investment certificate to build a $4 billion integrated gaming and resort complex in central Quang Nam province. This 1,555-hectare project is comprised of five-star hotels, resorts and villas, along with a gambling facility for foreigners, and a maximum of 2,500 houses for sale or rent. However, in October 2012, GENM withdrew from the project because the government did not allow its citizens to enter gaming facilities. Established in 1992, Van Thinh Phat Limited Liability Company (VTP) is specialised in trading and hospitality services as well as property development. The company implemented Windsor Plaza Hotel and Sherwood Residence Serviced Apartments, as well as real estate projects focusing on residential areas and hospitality resorts in Ho Chi Minh City and its neighbouring provinces. The Philippines wants to expand its air connectivity with its Southeast Asian neighbour Viet Nam. - Photo vietnamaviation.com.vn The Philippines is eyeing air talks next month with Viet Nam the first under the Duterte administration as well as for 2016 to explore and expand air connectivity between the two nations, a government official said on August 1. In an interview, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) executive director Carmelo Arcilla said Viet Nam had recently confirmed talks with the Philippines, but the latter would need time to prepare as the government transition was still ongoing. Arcilla said new members of the Philippine Air Panel set a meeting for this week. Part of the agenda would be to schedule the air talks with Viet Nam this September, he added. He said the Philippines would want to discuss additional commercial opportunities. These could include items not covered by Protocols 5 and 6 of the ASEAN Multilateral Agreement in Air Services, or MAAS, which the Aquino administration signed last February. Under the agreement, Philippine air carriers will be allowed to fly "unlimited frequencies to and beyond the capital cities" of the ASEAN. This was expected to lead to better and more efficient connectivity and translate to more competitive fares and services. "Viet Nam is a growing economy and it has a big Filipino population," Arcilla said. Numbers collected from Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM), a joint venture associate of Honda and Toyota, showed that the two companies saw year-on-year growth in revenue and profit in the 2012-2015 period. Honda Vietnam Company Limiteds revenue and profit skyrocketed between 2012 and 2015. The companys produced an almost sevenfold revenue, boosting its figures from VND11 trillion ($500 million) in 2012 to VND70 trillion ($3.1 billion) in 2015. Hondas profits were below VND2 trillion ($90 million) in 2012 but rose to VND10 trillion ($450 million) by 2015. Honda Vietnam currently accounts for a 4.7 per cent market share for cars and 70 per cent for motorbikes. Toyota Motor Vietnam earned revenue of VND15 trillion ($672 million) in 2012. By 2015, the figure reached VND33 trillion ($1.47 billion), more than doubling over a short four years. Profit in 2012 stood at VND1 trillion ($44.8 million), which quintupled by the end of the last financial year to reach VND5 trillion ($224.2 million). Toyota currently accounts for 25.5 per cent of the domestic car market. The potential for both revenue and profit to continue growing is very high for both companies. In recent years, the car market has been producing double-digit growth. The percentage of households owning cars is still relatively low at 10 per cent in Vietnam, compared to the Philippines 53 per cent, Indonesias 54 per cent, and Malaysias 93 per cent. As the lending interest for car buyers is stable and the government has issued many policies that make it easier to own cars, such as decreasing the ownership fee, coupled with a marked rise of incomes, the number of cars is poised to increase. According to its commitments in the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, Vietnam is going to eliminate the import tariff on cars from the ASEAN by 2018. Toyota and Honda are part of the group of auto manufacturers requesting more incentives from the Vietnamese government. According to the group, the domestic automobile industry is not able to compete with imports in terms of price. Toyota earlier alluded to the possibility of closing shop in Vietnam if the government does not agree to the proposal. The Vietnam Airlines cyber incident last week was another warning shot, reminding us that we can never neglect cybersecurity. Robert Trong Tran, director of Cybersecurity Services at PwC Vietnam, talked to VIRs Hong Anh about the rising threat of cybercrimes for Vietnamese organisations in the near future. As a cybersecurity expert with over 16 years of international experience, what are your thoughts concerning last weeks incident at Vietnam Airlines? This incident once again confirmed the famous saying of John Chambers, one of the top brains in the world of technology: "There are two types of companies: those who have been hacked, and those who don't yet know that they have been hacked." I reckon that there will be similar or even worse incidents in the future, given the lack of maturity of cybersecurity in Vietnam. It is known that cybercriminals can compromise any system, no matter how much was invested in cybersecurity. In 2013, hackers stole 40 million credit card numbers from discount retailer Target in the United States, just six months after the chain invested $1.6 million in a new malware detection tool. The companys brand was severely damaged, resulting in a 46 per cent drop in net profit in the same quarter. Recently, hackers even managed to leak classified emails from the Democratic National Committee and caused presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a lot of trouble. Obviously, cybersecurity has become vital for companies, as it heavily impacts modern organisations reputation worldwide. The hackers who failed to hack a Vietnamese bank last year managed to steal $80 million from the Central Bank of Bangladesh soon thereafter. Does this mean that Vietnamese banks, in particular, are better protected than other organisations? Based on my understanding, local banks often have a maximum limit for transfers that can be automatically processed via SWIFT. Maybe this prevented the hackers from stealing the money. But frankly speaking, the maturity of cybersecurity at Vietnamese banks is still in its early stage. Generally, local bank leaders do not properly recognise the importance of cybersecurity. Many banks still believe that it is as simple as buying technology for a few hundred thousand dollars, and that is it. Local banks are not aware that professional hackers compromise their system by targeting the employees, not by challenging cybersecurity technology. Cybercriminals can easily use employees computers to access important data stored on the internal server, after tricking them into opening malicious files or clicking on links. Another issue is budgeting. Some local bank leaders tend to consider a cybersecurity budget as a burden, not as an investment for their future. This is a terrible mistake. Did you know that the Bank of America has an unlimited budget for cybersecurity for the current financial year? Besides the reasons for strict regulations regarding information privacy in the U.S. and ever-rising threats, the Bank of America also recognises cybersecurity as a value-adding factor to its brand. It is widely accepted that there is no invulnerable cybersecurity system. Why is this so? What other threats will Vietnamese organisations, particularly financial institutions, have to face in the near future? We do not have a system that can completely prevent hackers from stealing our data, because professional cybercriminals never stop developing more sophisticated and cunning methods. It is only a matter of time, but they will eventually discover and exploit our weaknesses. Based on my observations, Vietnamese organisations and banks will soon fall victim to cyberattacks relying on two major methods. The first one is phishing, which means stealing data and controlling the computer remotely after tricking the user into opening malicious files or links. The second method is the watering hole, which is not new but has seen recent use again by hackers. The watering hole is a cyberattack strategy in which the victim is a particular group, such as employees of an important function. Here, the attacker guesses or observes which websites the group often uses and infects one or more of them with malware. Eventually, some members of the targeted group get infected. The human factor is clearly the weakest link in any cybersecurity system. No matter how technologically advanced banks are, they will be hacked if their employees do not receive adequate cybersecurity training. PwCs Global State of Information Security Survey 2016 revealed that the number of recorded corporate cybercrime incidents in 2015 stood at 59 million. In Vietnam, VNCERT reported that there were 31.500 cyber-attack attempts last year. The numbers of phishing attacks quadrupled and the number of malware attacks nearly doubled compared to the year before. Although International Telecommunication Union ranked Vietnam at number 10 in their APACs Cybersecurity Index, the country only tops Laos and Cambodia in the ASEAN. In another remarkable incident at the end of last year, a commercial bank in Vietnam was targeted by international hackers in a failed theft of $1 million. It is safe to say that financial institutes will always be the most valuable targets for cybercriminals. What can local banks do to build an effective cyber-defence strategy and prepare for the worst case scenario of successful cyberattacks? A cybersecurity strategy cannot reach its full potential unless the leader properly recognises how vital it is for the business. Leaders must first change their mind-set about cybercrime and ask themselves when or how the banks cyber-defence will be compromised. They must be aware that cybersecurity is their own responsibility, not that of the IT department alone. Only after this can a leader give aggressive orders to his subordinates regarding the issue. Next, an independent third party should be brought in to help examine the current state of cybersecurity and develop a cyber-defence strategy. The strategy must be detailed and clear, with prebuilt worst case scenarios for when the hacker breaches the system, on what prevention or control methods we need to execute. We have to understand hackers behaviour, how they can dive deeper into our system and what they are looking for. Another suggestion is setting up decoys, like honeypots, dummy servers with fake data to lure hackers in and keep them preoccupied there as long as possible. Banks should also form their own response team dedicated to cybersecurity issues. Most local banks do not have such a team yet, and even if they have one, its readiness is still highly questionable. Like firefighting, you have to constantly train yourself, or you will stumble when an incident happens. Last but not least is the human factor. Local banks must continuously educate and train their employees to be aware, to avoid cyber-risks, and to demand cybersecurity assurance whenever possible. This is quite easy and will not cost banks a fortune. For instance, we can update our employees frequently via emails on current cyber-threats, o randomly test their awareness with fake files or links. If employees know how to stay away from potential threats, banks may have already reduced their chances of being digitally compromised by 70-80 per cent. I am a firm believer that cybersecurity is not only for the rich. We can all secure ourselves from cybercriminals and be cost-effective at the same time. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. In a large section of the prison, under control of The Revolutionary Guards, prisoners are subjected to the continuous sound of alarms, which serves to intensify the atmosphere of intimidation and terror, and to prevent prisoners protests. The wards doors and prison yard are still locked off. Along with the execution of Sunni political prisoners, a number of other political prisoners including Saleh Kohandel, Mohammad Ali Mansouri and Afshin Baymani have been transferred from Ward 12 of Section 4 of Gohardasht prison to an unknown location. In a show of shocking cruelty, the families of victims werent allowed to come close to the bodies of their children, and were prevented from taking them home, and burying them in their hometowns in Kurdistan. Fear of protests may be the reason for this final indignity. Instead, the bodies were scattered in section 305 of the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery. Intelligence agents, plainclothes and motorcyclist Revolutionary Guards have emptied this section and have brought it under strict control. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, described the mass execution of Sunni prisoners in Gohardasht Prison an appalling crime against humanity and called on Iranian youths to rise up in support of and in solidarity with the families of the victims. She requested that the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council to bring the record of the crimes committed by the Iranian regime before the International Criminal Court so that perpetrators of these crimes may be brought to justice. SO i was extremely happy to read that the latest build has post fader effects option. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work for me. I am running a Rane TTM57Mk2 mixer which has the sound channels to route the effects back to the mixer post fader but i still can't get it to work. In my soundcard screen i have the option to route the sampler back through these channels but not the effects. So basically i'm not getting anything post fader. Can anyone help here? The Fullington farmhouse is torn down on Aug. 2, 2016 in Hanover, N.H. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Holly Fullington Forward's family farm is shown in an undated photo in Hanover, N.H.(Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Along route 10 in Hanover, N.H., the Fullington farmhouse was torn down by Dartmouth College on Aug. 2, 2016. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News Jennifer Hauck Holly Fullington Forward holds a photograph of the family farm on Aug. 2, 2016, in Hanover N.H. Jean Kelly, of Woodstock, Vt., was watching the demolition from her car. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Hanover Holly Fullington Forward watched on Tuesday as a backhoe clawed into the roof of the Lyme Road farmhouse she grew up in, its white clapboards tumbling to the ground. In another age, Dartmouth Dairy a farm, processing and bottling plant run by her father, Haslett Fullington, and his brother, Wilson was the biggest milk operation in town, passed down from her great-grandfather, Forward said. Forty-four years after Dartmouth College purchased the home and surrounding land, the college was tearing it down. A spokeswoman said the building had fallen into disrepair. Im shaking, Forward, 68, said in the driveway, her voice catching. I am so upset about this. Forward, who lives down the road, said she was upset that she found out about the demolition only after she started asking questions when she noticed the windows were boarded up last week. Forward also mourned a piece of personal history her father was born in the house, she said that she said should have had significance to the town. When this was sold, it was in the town books, the pictures of my uncle and dad crossing the cows from the pasture, she said. Its awful. A trio of strangers had gathered near her, including Jean Kelly, who watched the demolition from her car. Somebody should have stopped this, said Kelly, a Woodstock resident. She said it conjured up memories of the Rockefellers buying up historic buildings in her town in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and tearing them down. Theres no excuse for throwing this all away into a landfill, Kelly said. Once its gone, its gone. Another, Susanne Holubar, a parent at the Hampshire Cooperative Nursery School which rents a building from Dartmouth next door, also consoled Forward. Although she said it was gracious of Dartmouth to allow (the nursery school) to stay here, she said it was short-sighted to not invest in your history. Dartmouth spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said in an email that the college notified neighbors who abutted the property as part of the demolition permitting process. Although he was not an immediate neighbor, we did notify a close member of the Fullington family as a courtesy, Lawrence said. There are no specific plans for the property, Lawrence said, noting the building had not been occupied for well over a decade. Demolition opens up space on the property and affords the Hampshire Cooperative Nursery School ... an opportunity to improve their space, she said. After learning of Forwards fathers connection to the home, the college set aside granite steps and an old tool from the attic to give to her, Lawrence said. Town records say the building dates back to at least 1900, but Forward said it was built in the early 1800s. Architect and historian Jay Barrett, who grew up in Hanover and wrote about the farm in a book on town history, estimated the structure was built sometime between the 1820s to 1840s based on its outer appearance. Dartmouth renovated it into apartments after buying the property in 1972, Forward said. According to a 1991 study report from Dartmouths Environmental Studies Program, the lot south of the farmhouse was the preferred site for the development of the Dartmouth Organic Farm, which stands there today. (Other options for the organic farm included Rennie Farm, where radioactive medical waste was dumped decades ago.) Barrett, a longtime Selectboard member in Fairlee, recalled the Fullingtons as a really hard-working family and real entrepeneurial farmers whose fleet of trucks delivered milk to the college and beyond. They were proud Guernsey breeders who ran the last dairy farm of any real significance in Hanover, he said. At one point it was very large, he said. Barrett, 63, said he didnt blame the college for taking down the house, calling it a nostalgic passing. For those of us who were old enough to remember the Fullington farms with Dartmouth Dairy, it was a good slice of Hanover history, he said. Maggie Cassidy can be reached at mcassidy@vnews.com or 603-727-3220. Although the underreported attack left 50 people wounded, several key politicians took notice and have responded. Politicians like U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who condemned the attack in a statement. Sadly, this is not the first time the residents of Camp Liberty have been the victims of horrific attacks, McCain said. And I remain deeply concerned about their safety. While I am pleased by the State Departments effort to expedite the residents resettlement to a safe location, this latest attack demonstrates the need for the United States and Iraq to do more to ensure the security of Camp Liberty during this process. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) is the umbrella organization for several dissident movements from Iran, including the Peoples Mujahedin of Iran, or MEK. The people attacked in Camp Liberty are connected to this group. When, on July 9, the Free Iran rally, an event that focused on working toward a democratic Iran, was held in Paris by the NCRI, it brought together more than 100,000 people including bi-partisan politicians, generals and activists from all over the world. The importance of the attack on Camp Liberty was highlighted as almost every American speaking at NCRI event mentioned it. Former White House director of public liaison Linda Chavez said, Lets honor and commend the bravery and dedication of Camp Liberty residents. Francis Townsend, a former homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush, brought up the bipartisan advocacy on the part of Americans. Were not done with that work until the last person leaves Camp Liberty, we will not be stopped, Townsend said. According to Jorgensen, It makes sense that Americans feel connected to what happens at Camp Liberty, since the location is a former U.S military base. The residents of the camp were evicted from their former location, Camp Ashraf, also a U.S. base. MEK members fleeing persecution in Iran set up a militarized presence in Iraq in 1986, at Ashraf, which came under U.S. control after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The MEK relinquished its weapons in 2004 and received protected status under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Retired Colonel Wesley Martin was the first U.S. military base commander, and he soon developed a professional relationship with the MEK. When his tour of duty ended he stayed in communication with the groups leaders on behalf of the State Department and the Pentagon. After 2009, U.S. support for camps such as Ashraf went away. The camp was turned over to Iraqs government. Numerous conflicts occurred, and the United Nations stepped in. Attempts at mediation with Iraq failed and in 2011, and Martin Kobler, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) took over. His goals shifted from seeking human rights assistance to a plan for relocation. This goal was much more acceptable to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. In 2012 the residents of Ashraf were removed to Camp Liberty, and they fell under the care of the UNHCR (United National High Commissioner on Refugees). The camp still exists with around 1,300 residents, who are once again being re-located at their own expense. The UNHCR released a report congratulating itself on the relocation work done so far. Senator McCain is taking more aggressive action, pushing a resolution, S.Con.Res.42, to the Foreign Relations committee. Jorgensen reports that, It passed unanimously, and now heads to the Senate for a floor vote. She concluded, This kind of soft pressure has proved effective in the past. According to Martin, larger groups of Iranians have been transferred out of the camp in recent weeks (though he worries another attack is likely to happen). The bipartisan support of humanitarian efforts to rescue people in Camp Liberty give the U.S. an even stronger voice on the issue, one expected to end by 2017. Myanmar authorities have launched an investigation into a reported threat by the Islamic State group to kill State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, state authorities say. Media reports say the threat was communicated in a two-page letter titled IS Ancaman (IS Threat) sent to the Nilai police in Negeri Semblian, one of Malaysias 13 states that lies on the western coast of the country. According to the Malaysiakini news website, the letter also threatened Malaysias Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, along with the countrys attorney general, Mohamed Apandi, and inspector general of police Khalid Abu Bakar. Quoting the Malaysian Chinese-language China Press newspaper, the website reported that the letter contained photographs of Aung San Suu Kyi and the Malaysian leaders. Zaw Htay, spokesperson for Myanmars president, told VOA that although Myanmar authorities have not received any official notification from Malaysian authorities, the government is analyzing and investigating the credibility and reliability of the sources. The spokesperson added that security measures for Aung San Suu Kyi are being taken seriously and Myanmar authorities will not underestimate such security threats. Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to visit Malaysia at the invitation of Prime Minister Razak. A date for the visit has not been announced yet. IS has been trying to establish a presence in parts of East Asia. Last June, a Malaysian fighter in Syria was featured in an IS propaganda video, threatening security personnel, according to media reports. Myanmar, a Buddhist majority country, had been under military rule. Last year, Aung San Suu Kyis National League of Democracy won an absolute majority in the countrys first openly contested elections since 1990. In an expanse of sand 60 miles (100 km) north of Senegal's capital, two men set to work digging up tree stumps to clear space for what could soon be the biggest solar plant in West Africa. In less than a year, says developer Senergy PV SA, this shrubby lot will be covered with 96,000 gleaming solar panels from China, injecting up to 30 megawatts into the grid. It is an attractive prospect for a nation with a dire power deficit, and which currently meets most of its needs by burning imported oil in hugely inefficient diesel generators. "The context is favorable," Karim Ndiaye, investment director at French private equity firm Meridiam, which bought out the original Senergy company in 2014, told Reuters. "The president has made renewables a priority." Yet three years after a deal was signed to build the plant, there were still no building materials in sight, just a couple of bulldozers bumping over dunes near Santhiou Mekhe village. Sunshine is plentiful, solar panels get cheaper by the year and demand for power is skyrocketing, but the newness of the technology, bureaucratic hurdles and investor fear of uncharted territory have held back the rollout of solar plants across Africa. Solar is less than 1 percent of Africa's power generation. Outside of South Africa and Algeria there are only a few utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants on the continent, the largest being a 20 MW plant in Ghana. Reuters collected data on over 3,500 MW of projects that have been commissioned in the past six years - roughly equal to the combined output of Senegal, Uganda, Mali and Cameroon. In Kenya and Burkina Faso, plants scheduled to open in 2014 are still awaiting construction. In Nigeria and Ghana, projects that began in 2010 and 2011 have yet to find finance. "We are seeing the same trends everywhere in sub-Saharan Africa," said Silvia Macri, analyst at IHS Markit. "There's no experience with these projects, and not much clarity around the political framework." Lenders want dependable cash flows, but in many countries weak legal frameworks, unclear land rights and poor transmission infrastructure make this hard to guarantee, Macri said. Even after construction began on the Senergy project, equipment still needed to be ordered and permits obtained, said Mathieu Peller, regional director at Meridiam. Need more time Horse carts trot past power lines in rural Senegal. Electricity is costly and 40 percent of people have no access. Cheap solar could change this. Since 2009 the price of panels has fallen 80 percent. Last year, the International Renewable Energy Agency said solar power costs were in line with or below those of fossil fuels. Senegal is ahead of its peers on the continent in at least promoting renewables - its official target is 20 percent of power from renewables by 2017, against 0.6 percent now but it has been overwhelmed by proposals. After creating a renewable energy law in 2010 the government spent three years sorting through 82 proposals and accepted 10, most of which lacked the funds to see them through, said Yasser Charafi, an officer at the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank. Senergy PV SA will sell power to the national electric company for about $0.11 per kilowatt-hour, which is slightly less than the utility pays for diesel. The World Bank aims to help Senegal slash that by almost half, Charafi said. Kenya unveiled a renewable energy scheme in 2012 and was inundated with proposals. No plants are yet under construction. Now it is considering an auction process to attract lower price bids, leaving developers in the lurch, said Tomas Adcock, chief operating officer at solar firm Kenergy Renewables. "Investors are anxious about investing in projects that may never be built," Adcock said. Kenya's Ministry of Energy did not respond to a request for comment. Developers in several countries described a lack of clear policies, pressure to pay bribes, and negotiations that dragged on for years. There is often no grid in place to transmit, a problem faced by Douglas Coleman, projects director of Blue Energy, building a long-awaited 155 MW plant in Ghana. A few projects have beaten the odds. A different plant in Ghana was completed in April by Chinese company BXC, and a 10 MW plant in Uganda is almost built, led by firms in Paris and Dubai. Nigeria signed its first solar power purchase agreements in July for 14 large-scale plants after four years of negotiations. They are now meant to close financing within a year, and finish construction 18 months later. "To be honest, some might need more time," said Yesufu Alonge, head of power procurement at Nigeria's bulk trader. A court in China jailed a prominent human rights lawyer for seven years on Thursday for subverting the government, state media said, the latest in a string of convictions linked to an unprecedented crackdown on legal defenders. Zhou Shifeng, 51, the director of the Beijing Fengrui law firm, is among dozens of lawyers and activists who since July last year have been swept up in a crackdown on dissent. President Xi Jinping's administration has tightened control over almost every aspect of civil society since 2012, citing the need to buttress national security and stability. But the detention and prosecution of lawyers and activists have caused an outcry among international rights groups and foreign governments, including the United States and Germany. China consistently rejects any criticism of its human rights record, saying it adheres to the rule of law. Zhou pleaded guilty to subversion of state power and would not appeal the sentence issued by a court in the northern city of Tianjin, the official Xinhua news agency said. "Zhou Shifeng had long been influenced by anti-China forces" and had hyped cases and made remarks online and offline about "overturning the government", Xinhua citied prosecutors as saying. Authorities have accused Zhou's firm, which has represented high-profile clients such as ethnic Uighur dissident Ilham Tohti, of orchestrating protests and politicizing legal cases in order to attract international attention. China has blamed foreign groups, such as non-governmental organizations, for stirring up trouble, including pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2014. Xinhua said Zhou had confessed that the firm's actions had drawn the attention of "foreign forces". "They actively enticed me, wanted to use us to continue to attack court trials, attack China's entire trial and judicial system, and bring trouble to the government. Their ultimate goal is to overthrow the Communist Party leadership," Zhou said in a prosecutor's statement, according the Xinhua. The court did not answer phone calls seeking comment. In China, subversion charges are commonly levelled against critics of the party. Advocates for Zhou have told Reuters his previous legal team had been replaced by government-appointed lawyers. Human rights groups argue that fair trials in such cases are not possible. The Tianjin court this week also sentenced Zhou's associates, activists Zhai Yanmin and Hu Shigen, on similar charges. Roseann Rife, East Asia research director at Amnesty International, said in statement Zhou's conviction was the latest in a series of "sham trials". U.S. presidential elections are only nominally national contests and are not decided by the popular vote. The outcome is decided in the 50 individual states as the candidates look to win the Electoral College, with each state's impact on the outcome dependent on its population and representation in Congress. Both Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, and Republican Donald Trump, a real estate tycoon seeking his first elected office, are trying to get to a majority 270 of the 538 electors to claim a four-year term in the White House. Now, new polling released Thursday shows her surging to leads over Trump in four key battleground states, even as she pulls further ahead in national voter surveys. Other projections show her with a wide edge over the one-time television reality show host in Electoral College projections, but often not yet reaching the 270 majority figure as they fight to win swing states where Democratic and Republican support is almost evenly divided in U.S. presidential elections. One political analyst, Amy Walter, said this week, "She has more options to get to 270 than he does. She is clearly the favorite. But, this race is not over." The latest battleground polling shows Clinton opening a 9-percentage-point edge in the midwestern state of Michigan, a 15-point advantage in the northeastern state of New Hampshire, an 11-point lead in the eastern state of Pennsylvania and a 6-point margin in the southeastern state of Florida. All are states where Trump has campaigned and is looking to reverse Democratic voting trends in recent elections to gain an edge in the November election to replace President Barack Obama when he leaves office in January. National polls also show Clinton, seeking to become the country's first female president, surging to bigger, but not insurmountable leads over Trump. In an average of polls, Clinton is ahead of Trump by about six points, 47.4 percent to 41.5, although the most recent poll by Fox News pegged her lead at 49-39 in the days after she and a raft of speakers denounced Trump at last week's Democratic National Convention. Fallout over Trump comments The recent polling has been conducted as Republicans have voiced sharp dismay over a series of Trump comments in the last week. In a succession of interviews and comments on Twitter, Trump seemed ignorant of the ramifications of 2014 Russian takeover of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, repeatedly belittled the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed in fighting in Iraq in 2004 after they attacked him at the convention and in subsequent television interviews and refused to endorse the country's top elected Republican official, House Speaker Paul Ryan, in his party primary next week. It almost feels like were at a tipping point, Alan Abramowitz, a long-time presidential election analyst at Emory University in Atlanta, told VOA. Its really pretty incredible. He said Trump seems to believe hes still running a primary campaign trying to win the Republican nomination, rather than taking on Clinton three months ahead of the November 8 national election. This is pretty clear, this is hurting him, Abramowitz said of Trump. We have to wonder whether well see more erosion, Abramowitz said. Theres never been a candidate like [Trump], with his lack of self-control. He said that with polls showing American voters view both candidates unfavorably, him more than her, the contest has become more about his fitness and suitability to become the U.S. commander in chief. The Democrats are trying to turn this into a referendum on Trump and hes trying to help them, Abramowitz said. Absence of any discipline Another political scientist, James Gimpel at the University of Maryland outside Washington, said The electoral map was always challenging for the Republicans. But with his seemingly almost random comments, were really in uncharted waters. Theres an absence of any discipline on Trumps part, Gimpel said. He is not a mistake-free candidate, Gimpel said, while cautioning that neither is Clinton. She might end up stumbling, too. Trump contemplated the state of the race at a campaign rally in Florida on Wednesday. "Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible," he said. Later, in an interview with a local television station, he was asked whether he has been "baited into battles" over his sometimes brash views. "I think that's probably right," he said. "We're going to focus more on Hillary Clinton." Walter, an analyst with the Cook Political Report, concluded that "Trump is running a disorganized, unconventional and seat-of-the-pants campaign that is driven as much by what he sees [and] hears on cable TV as anything else. This approach won him the primary but it really limits his pathways to 270 Electoral College votes." But Walter said, "Clinton is running an organized and disciplined campaign that lacks the sort of organic excitement or enthusiasm of a 'normal' campaign. It comes across as stilted and poll-driven to within an inch of its life." Monday was a day of sorrow and remembrance for Austin, Texas, police officer Monika McCoy, as it was for many of the people connected to the mass shooting on the University of Texas campus 50 years ago. McCoy, dressed in her full uniform in the hot sun, hugged and kissed Jeannie Speed Shone, who sat in a wheelchair in front of the Texas Red Granite memorial that contains the names of the 17 victims, including her husband, police officer Billy Speed. Jeannie Speed Shone was 21 at the time, and had been married for a little more than two years. "We had a wonderful life, but to this day, it is still hard," she said. "If I could bring him back, I would." Following in father's footsteps Monika McCoy was born a few years after the tragedy, but she is deeply connected to it through her late father, Houston McCoy, who was one of the police officers who ascended the tower looming over the campus where a deranged, heavily armed student named Charles Whitman was trying to kill as many people as possible. Putting themselves at great risk, the elder McCoy, using a shotgun, and fellow officer Ramiro Martinez, using a handgun, located Whitman in the northwest corner of the tower's observation deck and shot him dead. Monika McCoy now does nightly patrols in the same area once covered by her father, and sees the illuminated tower all the time. "When I am patrolling my beat, I don't think about it every single night," she told VOA. "From time to time, I think about it. I look up there in amazement in what happened there and sorrow in what happened there." Her father had already left the police force to work as a pilot and flight instructor when she was born, but she grew up hearing her dad's stories about police work. "Looking at his old pictures, it was very impressive; it made an impression on me," she said. "From an early age, I wanted to be a police officer." But she had a career as an accountant and raised a family before entering the Austin Police Training Academy, from which she graduated in 2013 at the age of 42. Unfortunately, her father died a year earlier. Sharing the story, easing the pain As the 40th anniversary of the tower shooting approached in 2006, Monika McCoy, still a civilian, helped organize a reunion of the officers who played a role in ending the killing. She said most of them had never discussed what happened that day, even when working together for many years. "In that generation, of course, they never spoke of anything like that," she said. "They never spoke of their emotions or shared their feelings." At the reunion 10 years ago, however, she said they opened up and talked about what they remembered, providing fascinating details about how they improvised their actions on the spot, having no instructions provided by superiors to guide them. The police force 50 years ago was not diverse or well prepared by today's standards. Officer Martinez, for example, told VOA he was one of only four Hispanics on a force of 270 mostly white men. Police officers wore pistols and often had a shotgun in their patrol car, but they had to rely on civilians with hunting rifles to keep the sniper at bay. They had radios in their cars, but no other way of keeping in touch with headquarters or each other. "For them, once they were out of their patrol car, they had no contact with one another at all," the younger McCoy said. There were many heroes She also remembers that her father and the other former officers were reluctant to think of themselves as heroes. They spoke of the civilians who helped that day, not only with their rifles, but by rescuing and aiding the wounded. "My father always said if there was one hero that day there were a thousand heroes that day," said McCoy. "He was simply a police officer doing his job. He always said he was just at the right place at the right time with the right weapon." One of the reasons she said she wanted to be a police officer is the example set by both her father and mother in being charitable and compassionate. That is the part of being a cop that appealed to her as well. "It is not just about going out and catching the criminals," she said, "It is also about helping people, protecting people, being mentors and counselors." Caring about your fellow human beings, she said, is for her an essential part of the career she has chosen and part of the legacy her father left her. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says his campaign "has never been so well united," despite several signs that the campaign and the Republican party are in disarray. The latest indication came Wednesday when Trump's vice presidential running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, endorsed Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan for reelection. Trump has gone against the party establishment by refusing to endorse Ryan for another term in the House. Pence also had kind words for longtime U.S. Senator John McCain, saying the Arizona Republican has always stood up for America and a strong military. Trump has made his dislike for McCain well known. A number of leading Republicans, including former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as Trump's former rivals for the Republican nomination, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, have either declined to publicly endorse Trump or have given him lukewarm support. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was on the short list of candidates Trump was considering as potential running mates, said Wednesday that "what Trump has done [this week] is just very self-destructive." However, Gingrich said he thinks Trump will eventually rebound from the criticism he has been receiving. While many military veterans normally would throw their backing behind a conservative candidate who talks tough, Trump has created controversy with his seemingly offhanded acceptance of a sacred Purple Heart medal from a retired officer and his feud with the Khan family, parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Emory University political scientist Alan Abromowitz tells VOA he finds the Trump campaign "pretty incredible," and says it may be at what he calls a "tipping point." "We have to wonder whether we'll see more erosion, he said. There has never been a candidate like [Trump] with his lack of self-control. The Democrats are trying to turn this into a referendum on Trump." Trump unfazed Trump appeared to be unconcerned by all the controversies during a campaign appearance Wednesday in Daytona Beach, Florida. He tore into Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, calling her one of the "founders" of Islamic State because of what he said was her weakness as secretary of state. The terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center in New York may not have been allowed into the country under a Trump immigration policy, he said. He also promised to cut taxes and put "great people" on the Supreme Court. Clinton holds lead At a rally in Commerce City, Colorado, Clinton repeated President Barack Obama's assertion that Trump is "no doubt" unfit to be commander-in-chief and unqualified to be president. Instead of insulting American servicemen and women, Clinton said she is grateful to anyone who has ever worn the uniform. She earlier visited a necktie factory in Colorado and challenged Trump to manufacture Trump-brand ties in the U.S. instead of China. A new public opinion poll released Wednesday night by Fox News shows Clinton expanding her lead over Trump from a similar survey at the end of June. In the latest poll, conducted earlier this week, Clinton holds a 10 percent (49-to-39) edge. Her previous lead was 6 percent (44-to-38). Egypt's military says it has killed Abu Duaa al-Ansari whom it identified as the leader of the Sinai branch of so-called Islamic state. The military carried out a series of airstrikes on the town of El-Arish, killing 45 Islamic State fighters as well as al-Ansari, according to a post on Brigadier General Mohammed Samir's Facebook page. The post did not specify when the airstrikes were carried out. Egyptian forces have been batting Islamic militants in the Sinai for years, but has specifically targeted Islamic State fighters in recent months. The U.S. estimates the number of IS fighters there to be in the high hundreds up to about 1,000. Senior U.N. officials warned Thursday that plans to resume intra-Syrian peace negotiations this month were at risk because of escalating fighting between government and rebel forces. Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, the U.N.'s deputy special envoy for Syria, said the world body was absolutely committed to bringing the warring parties back to the negotiating table toward the end of the month. However, "for these talks to be fruitful, I think the cessation of hostilities has to stand, has to be reinforced," Ramzy told reporters in Geneva, adding that the United States and Russia, "as co-chairs, are in discussion on that particular issue. But also, the humanitarian situation has to improve. ... Not much has been accomplished over the past month, largely due to the intensification of military activities. The Syrian civil war has lasted more than five years and resulted in more than 300,000 deaths. The United Nations says only a political solution can end the bloody conflict. U.N. officials had hoped to deliver humanitarian aid to 1.2 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas affected by conflict in July, but the effort fell far short. It is heartbreaking, really, for humanitarian workers that are ready with supplies, with trucks, with people who are willing to risk a lot to go to places, that we were prevented from reaching 60 percent" of the targeted population in need, said U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Jan Egland. Crisis in Aleppo The United Nations describes the situation in Aleppo as particularly desperate. More than 300,000 civilians have been cut off from food and other relief supplies for the past three weeks, as Syrian government forces have tightened their grip on the eastern rebel-held section of the city. The United Nations has repeatedly called for a 48-hour humanitarian pause to allow aid to reach the beleaguered population. Egeland said intensive diplomatic activity was going on to enable such an operation, and that U.N. aid agencies were ready to go into Aleppo as soon as a pause occurs. Egeland said it would be best to establish a two-way corridor one route by which people could voluntarily leave Aleppo and one by which aid could enter the besieged city. The Taliban Thursday claimed responsibility for ambushing a group of U.S. and European tourists in Afghanistans western Herat province, wounding six of the tourists and their Afghan driver. A spokesman for the insurgency said Taliban fighters targeted what he called a "joint enemy convoy" and gave a much higher casualty toll, although the group is known for releasing inflated totals. A provincial police spokesman, Jilani Farhad, told VOA that the attack took place in the Chishti Sharif area shortly after the tourists arrived from the central Bamiyan province. The wounded are in stable condition and a woman is also among them, he added, without discussing the nationalities of the victims or motives for the attack. Reports, however, say the tourists included eight Britons, three Americans and a German. Herat borders Iran and Taliban insurgents there are active in several districts. Meanwhile, a Pakistani transport helicopter has crash landed in the mountainous Afghan province of Logar. Local officials and witnesses said the Russian-made MI-17 helicopter caught fire shortly after it touched the ground. They added that a group of armed men then approached the site and took six people to an unknown location. Pakistani officials have confirmed that the helicopter made an emergency landing on the Afghan side of the border after taking off from the northwestern city of Peshawar. A security official requesting anonymity told VOA that five Pakistani crew members and a Russian navigator were on board the aircraft that belonged to the provincial government of Punjab. The helicopter was traveling to the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan for routine repair work, he said. The accident happened in the Mati area of Azra district that Afghan officials said was under Taliban control. The insurgent group has not yet commented on reports it took those on board hostage. Greece on Thursday rescued 70 migrants at sea, the largest single influx from neighboring Turkey since a failed coup there last month, authorities said. Refugee and migrant arrivals to Greek islands from Turkey, running into the thousands daily this time a year ago, have largely ebbed after a deal between Ankara and the European Union in March to stem the flow of people, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. The Greek coastguard picked up 67 people on board a dinghy off the island of Lesbos, while another three were plucked to safety after falling into the water. "There was a boat with 70 people on board in distress," a coastguard official told Reuters. On Wednesday, the Greek coastguard picked up 38 people from a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel in the southern Peloponnese, off the town of Githeon. Hundreds of thousands of refugees entered Greece by crossing the narrow sea corridor between Lesbos and the Turkish shores last year. Since March, arrivals have fallen sharply. Greece's Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said on Wednesday the deal with Turkey was largely holding, though Athens was watching developments in the neighboring country with some concern. Asked what would happen if the deal with Turkey collapses, he told Greece's Skai TV on Thursday: "If we assume the flow resumes, we will be sorely tested. No country is in a position to handle such flows." Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday to choke off businesses linked to the U.S.-based cleric he blames for an attempted coup. The 75-year-old cleric denies the allegations. On July 9, few days before the first anniversary of the Iran nuclear agreement, Irans democratic opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), held its annual Free Iran rally outside Paris, calling attention to the regimes ongoing domestic abuses and calling for regime change. More than 100,000 people gathered, including Republicans from the United States, like Newt Gingrich and John Bolton, and Democrats such as Howard Dean and Bill Richardson. European participants included former French Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade and the former President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso. At the rally, a number of prominent figures took the stage to deliver speeches. Some reiterated their skepticism about the nuclear arrangement, while others focused the lack of moderation of the Iranian regime a promise that helped to sell last summers Iran deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. According to Amess, In the aftermath of the rally, the Iranian regime showed the world community more evidence of this lack of moderation. The Iranian Foreign Ministry gave rather hysterical statements denouncing some of the countries that sent delegations to the event, and in doing so, Iranian authorities made it clear that they are unwilling or unable to tolerate a peaceful demonstration even on foreign territory, much less inside the Islamic Republic itself. He goes on to ask the question, What is the motivation behind this policy of appeasement on the nuclear deal and its implementation? Policymakers hope that the deal will stall Irans progress toward a nuclear weapon; however, critics cite a lack of transparency in International Atomic Energy Agency inspections and ongoing uncertainty of Irans baseline nuclear knowledge. More importantly, even if the nuclear issue is resolved for as much as 10 years, as its advocates claim, nothing changes the fact that Irans behavior in other areas has only grown worse. Amess states that, This has been demonstrated by the escalating rate of executions in the Islamic Republic, along with the recent spate of arrests of artists, writers and dual-nationals, and by Tehrans persistent refusal to compromise over support of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, or to limit the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian paramilitary role in conflict areas like Yemen and Iraq. President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran highlighted these, and many other factors,in her speech at the July 9 rally, saying that they rule out the rationale behind the nuclear agreement, and that It cannot be true that the Obama administration and its allies actually believe in the moderation narrative they put forward as justification for the nuclear agreement. It would seem that the alternatives we face are the choice between rapprochement and war. But Amess claims, If this was actually the case, adopting a self-defeating compromise in order to avoid another armed conflict would be somewhat understandable. However this last justification for appeasement is as misguided as the moderation narrative of the nuclear deal itself, and if the global media had paid more attention to the rally, people would better understand why. He adds, There is an alternative to conciliation and war. It involves supporting the Iranian resistance movement that gives voice to the democratic aspiration of the Iranian people. Ending appeasement, even if it is a daunting task, would be the best course of action. Yet policymakers do not seem to recognize the Iranian resistance and see the popular support it enjoys among the Iranian people; if they did, they would not need to reformulate their own policy positions. Economic sanctions brought the Iranian regime to the nuclear negotiating table. Still, the economy is on the brink of collapse. If the U.S. and the EU were to cease to appease this regime, it may happen. The U.S. and the EU must recognize that there is a way forward, there is a democratic and credible alternative waiting in the wings. A Sharia-compliant international bank's plan to launch its business in India is facing opposition from Hindu groups that say an Islamic bank should not be allowed to operate in a secular country. The Islamic Corporation for Development (ICD), a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB), is expected to set up its first Indian branch in Gujarat city of Ahmedabad. The ICD branch would operate as a non-banking financial company (NBFC), providing loans to small and medium businesses and sharing their profits and losses, instead of charging interest which is the basis of the Sharia-compliant banking. The exact date of the branch's launch in Ahmedabad has not been announced. Encourage religious conversion? Although some Muslim experts believe the financial service offered by the ICD can benefit people belonging to certain underprivileged sections in India, leaders of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), India's largest Hindu religious organization, said the Sharia-based financial institution should not be allowed entry into India because it operates against the country's principles of secularism. "They are planning to launch ICD to introduce a Sharia-based financial system in India. By establishing it, they are aiming to implement Sharia law and promote Islam in the country," Surendra Jain, joint general secretary of VHP, told VOA. "Banking activity in India is a totally secular activity. It cannot be controlled by any religious way or any religious system." He added, "If as a Hindu I seek a loan from this company, my application will be rejected. They will say, if you convert to Islam, I shall give you an interest-free loan.' The establishment of this financial company in India will encourage religious conversions in the country," he said. But Zafar Sareshwala, who heads the ICD's India operations, said those who are opposing the entry of the NBFC in India have no idea how it is set to operate in India. "Those who are opposing don't know what it is. This is not going to be the distribution of zakat [where only Muslims are the beneficiaries]. It will be a profit-making enterprise. Whoever stands the scrutiny of the lending norms will get the loans," Sareshwala told VOA. "Across the world, most of the recipients of Islamic finance are non-Muslim." IDB, which is an international investment organization, was established to provide funds for infrastructure projects in the Islamic world, as well as economic and social development programs. Following Sharia law, the IDB supports developments in 56 Islamic member countries. Indian opponents of the ICD appear to be fighting an uphill battle in their campaign against the financial institution. More branches planned When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Saudi Arabia in April, an extensive agreement was signed between his delegation and IDB to facilitate the bank's launch in India. Since the agreement, ICD, an affiliate of the IDB, has been in the process of setting up its first Indian branch in Ahmedabad, with plans to open more branches across the country. Under the agreement, India's state-run Exim Bank would provide a $100 million line of credit to help Indian exporters do business with IDB's member countries. IDB has promised to donate $55 million to India to set up some 350 mobile medical units for rural regions. H. Abdur Raqeeb, general secretary of the Indian Center for Islamic Finance, a New Delhi-based non-profit group that promotes Sharia-based banking in India, said Sharia-compliant banking will significantly contribute to development in India. "The IDB and ICD sponsored NBFC in India will be operating on participatory and ethical principles based on profit and loss sharing, without charging interest. The enterprises often operate in risky markets and are sensitive to changes in economic environments. Therefore, there is a need of an alternative system of financing, instead of the conventional one based on interest," Raqeeb told VOA. "The NBFC is going to be warmly welcomed by the religious minorities and marginalized segment of India," he said. The latest Hong Kong summer blockbuster is not about kung fu fighters, triads or Canto-pop love interests. Instead The Menu, which opens today, is about online journalists. Its dramatic trailer starts with a rather dire pronouncement "Print is almost dead" followed by action shots of digital reporters fighting for stories and clicks. The Menu, though fictional, reflects the growing interest young Hong Kongers have in both politics and the media. This former British colony, with freedoms and a worldliness not found in the rest of China, has become fertile ground for online news startsups. According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association, at least five news websites have opened in the past 12 months. Big ambitions In only its first year, Initium () has attracted 3 million unique users a month, launched an app thats been downloaded 150,000 times, and hired 70 staff in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe and the United States. Chief editor Annie Zhang, also known as Zhang Jieping (), says Initium is roughly based on the Chinese-language websites of the BBC or The New York Times. Its goal is to bring wide-ranging coverage on topics from Taiwan elections to Syrian refugees to "Chinese-speaking global citizens." (Zhang, 33, had previously written for The Times Chinese-language site). "Theres no way we could be based on the mainland," said Zhang, who is from mainland China. "We produce 'normal' news. We dont want to deal with censorship or fighting with the government." Like other critical Hong Kong media, Initium is banned in mainland China, although that's home to an estimated 10 to 15 percent of visitors who use a VPN to bypass the Great Firewall and read the site. The English-language Hong Kong Free Press has also been banned, after launching about a year ago with $180,000 worth of online donations. Those two website launches were followed in March by FactWire, a bilingual newswire and media watchdog. As of July, FactWire had raised $600,000 from 3,300 donors, in what is considered the citys largest-ever crowdsourcing campaign. Others outlets, such as Stand News, dot the landscape. Large and small Initium is relatively better funded than its competitors thanks to its founder, Stanford-educated lawyer Will Cai (), and the WI Harper investment group. Bloomberg reported in April that Cai had raised $3.7 million in venture capital, though some of that may be used for other ventures, like video or film. They are already pursuing luxury advertising. During the interview, Zhang pulled up the app on her cellphone, showing off a Bulgari watch ad. The rise of new, independent media comes as traditional outlets face increased financial and political pressure two issues that are often interlinked in Hong Kong. April was a particularly worrying month. ATV, the worlds longest-running Chinese-language television station, went dark on April 1, the same day The Sun tabloid closed. Jack Ma, the tycoon behind Chinese Internet giant Alibaba, officially took over at The South China Morning Post, the citys only English-language broadsheet. The firing of a critical editor at the Ming Pao newspaper prompted the Chinese-language broadsheet to protest by printing blank rectangles in the next mornings paper. Off to the races Meanwhile, new online outlets have emerged. Two weeks after opening, Initium sent reporters to the site of explosions that killed more than 100 people in the Chinese port city of Tianjin in August 2015. "We were not the first to report the news, but we were the first to focus on problems with the firefighting system the fact that first responders were teenagers with no training," Zhang said. Her staff wanted to find angles not explored by either the local Hong Kong media or the censored Chinese state media. In November, Initium was among the first to interview relatives of some of the Hong Kong booksellers allegedly kidnapped by mainland authorities. New challenges Last August, when Initium was less than a month old, one of its photojournalists, Anthony Kwan Hok-chun (), was jailed in Bangkok after reporting on the Erawan Shrine terrorist bombing that left 20 dead. The charge from the Thai authorities, that Kwan was wearing a bullet-proof vest without a license, was later dropped. Zhang said she remained "worried" about how to cover problems like terrorism and war, but also did not want to pull her coverage. In December, Initium ran a series of photos of fleeing Syrian refugees by Nicole Tung, a young freelance photojournalist originally from Hong Kong. "I was told that global news was expensive to produce and had a low hit-rate among local viewers," Zhang said. "But that turned out not to be true. Brexit, the German train attack, ISIS local audiences are reading about these issues. They affect us all." Local coverage But their most important work is being done locally. Surprisingly, Hong Kong does not have easily accessible voting records for elected officials. So Initium undertook a "big data" project to make sense of 200,000 voting records which will come in handy as Hong Kong heads into legislative elections in September. FactWire, meanwhile, broke the news in July that Hong Kong officials had been warned in private about safety problems with Singapore subway trains, which had been "secretly recalled" by China. Lean operation Compared to its Chinese-language counterparts, Hong Kong Free Press is run on a shoestring. When Tom Grundy, a British resident in Hong Kong, initially aimed to raise $20,000, donors flooded him with far more cash, but also demands for original news, interviews, blogs and photography. A year after it went live in June 2015, HKFP has logged 3.5 million unique visitors in total, 49,000 Facebook fans and 26,800 Twitter followers. Grundy, 33, had previously been a popular blogger called Hong Wrong and a political activist. He had held protests for Edward Snowden, Tibet and Gaza though he is still best-known for his failed citizens arrest of Tony Blair at the University of Hong Kong in 2012. He says he does not see HKFP, a registered non-profit, as a competitor to for-profit mainstream media, but as an "alternative. "The South China Morning Post is owned by a mainland company and people are skeptical," he said. He prefers to rely on microdonations. "Were hoping pennies will turn into pounds. We understand that producing good journalism is both hard and expensive." Grundy works rent-free in a corner of the D100 internet radio station, courtesy of Albert Cheng ( traditional, simplified), a 70-year-old media boss and government critic. During mass democracy demonstrations on July 1, Grundy staffed the news desk himself, producing rolling live coverage from 2 to 10 p.m. His whole staff all four people were out reporting. "Theyre all trilingual Im the only idiot here who only speaks English," Grundy said. "Everyone is a multimedia reporter. Theyre shooting short videos, doing vox pops, taking photos, posting on Twitter." For a local website, HKFP gets a significant number of U.S. viewers. "People want to figure out how Hong Kong fits into the puzzle thats China," Grundy said. HKFP also translates materials not fully available in the international media. In a series called Ministry of Truth, it wrote English subtitles for the videos of "forced confessions" extracted by the Chinese authorities. These included testimony by kidnapped bookseller Gui Minghai, journalist Gao Yu, lawyer Huang Liqun, actor Ko Chen-tung, internet figure Guo Meimei, American investor Charles Xue and pharmaceutical executive Liang Hong. Local journalists, frustrated by the pressures facing the mainstream media, have welcomed the new opportunities. When FactWires first eight reporters chosen from 280 applicants showed up for work in February, they walked into an industrial-building space where the phones and computers were not yet set up. "We had given up relatively stable jobs to join FactWire for an adventurous journey," Ng Hiu-tung, one of FactWires founders, wrote in the Hong Kong Journalists Associations magazine. "FactWire is not funded by a wealthy businessman, nor does it have a long legacy or big newsroom. The one thing we have are reporters who want to report things as they are." "Residents of Hong Kong funded FactWire because they think good information is indispensable to survive as citizens," the U.S.-based Global Investigative Journalism Network wrote in March. "They know that if they support quality, well-verified stories, they will know what is really going on, and they will not be deceived with slanted or special-interest driven information." Voters in Hong Kong will be electing members of the territorys Legislative Council September 4. During past election cycles, candidates only needed to attest they would uphold the freedoms guaranteed in Hong Kong's Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the territory; this time, however, candidates running for office needed to sign an additional pledge saying Hong Kong was an inalienable part of China. Chan Ho-tin and Yeung Ke-cheong refused to sign the pledge, which then resulted in the Hong Kong Electoral Affairs Commission banning them from the election. Edward Leung, who in the past had advocated for Hong Kongs independence, won more than 60,000 votes in the Legislative Council during a by-election in February of this year. He also signed the new pledge proclaiming one China, but was informed this week that he was barred from participating in the election. "It is very obvious that Hong Kong nowadays is not a place of rule of law, said Leung. It is a place ruled by men, ruled by the communist party. This decision is illegal but they are still doing so because they dare to do so, they dare us that we would not do anything against this authority, but that's not true. Hong Kong people will still continue to fight for our autonomy." Leung also told reporters that Communist China rules [Hong Kong]; every day there is the Basic Law, I won't be able to enter the Legislative Council. So what else can I do? Revolution." VOA contacted the Electoral Affairs Commission, but it declined an interview request. Pledge in line with Beijing objectives I do think that what we see, in a broader sense, with Beijings policy towards Hong Kong, is that in some sense [Beijing] is coming to realize what a liability even the concept of Hong Kong autonomy is to Beijings larger political goals, says John Minnich, East Asia analyst for private strategic intelligence firm Stratfor. Part of those political goals, Minnich says, came to light when Beijing detained Hong Kong booksellers through extrajudicial renditions, something he calls extreme measures that we havent seen before and I think they indicate that the government [is] moving to a position where Beijing has larger political goals its pursuing and its willing to step back, or draw back, against the one country two systems principle if it needs to in order to achieve those goals. David Lampton, director of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, likens the pledge now required of Hong Kong candidates to the McCarthy-era pledges made in the United States - something he calls sad times. Lampton says China had been trying to instill confidence in its governing practices, especially with regard to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, but he notes their latest moves are having the opposite effect. Since (President) Xi Jinping has come into office, theres been a similar political tightening in the Peoples Republic of China, and I think as the tolerance for dissent in China itself goes down, of course the tolerance for dissent in attached cities, such as Hong Kong, is also going down, Lampton says. Future implications David Lampton is unsure where Beijings tolerance will end up, but thinks the space for civic activity and citizen participation in meaningful governance unfortunately thats going down in both China and Im afraid to say, Hong Kong. While there remains a lack of clarity of the impact this kind of move will have on Hong Kong, John Minnich says that this is a concrete move toward curtailing Hong Kongs political autonomy and the prospects for Hong Kongs independence. This move is not a one-time event - not a one-time shot - but a node in a larger process that we see unfolding and the same basic trend going forward. China's newly-announced plan to stage its first joint naval drill with Russia in the South China Sea has analysts wondering: where exactly in the sensitive region will the exercise take place? The Chinese defense ministry kept the world guessing when it made the announcement last Thursday, providing few details beyond saying the drill, codenamed "Joint Sea-2016, will happen in September. "The specific location is going to be very important in determining just how controversial this drill is," said Shannon Tiezzi, editor of the online news site The Diplomat, on this week's VOA China 360 podcast. China has been engaged in decades-long disputes with five smaller neighbors who challenge its claim of sovereignty over most of the South China Sea: Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. An international court in The Hague rejected China's sovereignty claims on July 12, but Beijing vowed to ignore the ruling. WATCH: The South China Sea dispute explained: Drill scenarios Tiezzi said Beijing might avoid the ire of its neighbors if it holds the joint exercise with Moscow off the coast of the southern Chinese island of Hainan. "China has held many drills very close to Hainan, where there are not any territorial or maritime disputes because it is so close to undisputed Chinese territory and longstanding Chinese military bases, she said. "However, if the drills start moving south toward the disputed Spratly Islands and make use of some of the new facilities China has built there, that would be much more of a warning sign for the international community." Beijing has turned several Spratly islets that it has long occupied into artificial islands in the past year, using land reclamation to build military-capable runways and ports. Those reclamations have drawn criticism from the Spratly Islands' rival claimants and from the United States, although Washington has said it is neutral on the competing maritime claims and wants them to be resolved peacefully. If Beijing wanted to stage a joint exercise close to disputed South China Sea archipelagos such as the Spratlys or the Paracels, would Moscow agree? China recently has been touting what it sees as Russian support for its South China Sea stance. In April, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua "applauded" Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for criticizing efforts by some regional governments to internationalize their maritime disputes with China. Beijing has opposed such efforts because it prefers to negotiate with its weaker rivals one-by-one. Russian dilemma But Russia, like the United States, also has called for a diplomatic solution to the South China Sea disputes. One of the parties involved, Vietnam, has been buying Russian weapons since the Cold War. "If Russia is seen as siding too much with China, that is going to upset Vietnam, said Tiezzi. "There already is a sense that because of Russia's neutrality on the South China Sea issue, Vietnam now is turning to the United States for security support and jeopardizing Russia's relationship with a longstanding security partner." Moscow also faces pressure to stay on good terms with Beijing as the two sides deepen their security cooperation, which included joint drills in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Sea of Japan in 2015. Tiezzi said Russia has a common desire with China to prevent the United States from having unopposed global leadership. She said that desire trumps Russia's interest in the South China Sea, a region it does not see as vital to its security. The Diplomat editor said Moscow's ambivalence toward Chinese claims in the South China Sea is similar to Beijing's reaction to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, when Crimeans voted in a Russia-backed referendum to secede from Ukraine. "China was not thrilled, because from its point of view, allowing a group of people to choose to leave a country sets a very dangerous precedent, she said. "But at the same time, it was not a vital interest for China's leaders, and they thought they saw more benefit by at least giving Russia the appearance of support." Win-win option? One way for Russia and China to satisfy each other's needs in the South China Sea could be to stage September's exercise close to Hainan. "If we see the exercises only taking place in undisputed areas, that would be Russia walking its fine line, said Tiezzi. "That would allow China to say, 'Look, we held a joint exercise with Russia in the South China Sea,' while Russia can say, 'Yes, but this is in undisputed international waters, or waters where China has maritime control.'" Federal officials say 27 large wildfires are burning in the West. Hot, dry temperatures often combined with winds have made firefighting conditions difficult, destroying homes and forcing evacuations. Here's a look at some of the fires: California Authorities are considering potential penalties for whoever set an illegal campfire that ballooned into a massive wildfire near scenic Big Sur in California. Officials want the public's help in finding whoever started the fire that has charred almost 73 square miles and destroyed 57 homes. A bulldozer operator was killed on the fire lines during a rollover accident. To the north, officials said Wednesday that a grass fire in a popular recreational area north of San Francisco more than doubled in size in less than a day. The blaze has charred more than 7 square miles in Napa, Yolo and Solano counties since igniting Tuesday. It prompted the evacuation of an RV and tent campground off Highway 128 near Lake Berryessa. No vineyards are threatened. Idaho Firefighters are setting up sprinkler systems to protect buildings in the central Idaho town of Lowman as a wildfire expanded to 75 square miles. Nearly 1,500 firefighters are battling the blaze burning timber in rugged terrain. Officials say slightly cooler weather and winds from the northwest should help firefighters trying to prevent flames from reaching the small town. Fire spokeswoman Jennifer Myslivy says no evacuations have been ordered. Montana A western Montana wildfire has grown to 11 square miles in the Bitterroot National Forest. The fire started on Sunday about 5 miles southwest of Hamilton and destroyed 14 homes along with dozens of outbuildings and some vehicles. About 630 homes remain evacuated. Nevada Officials are reporting progress containing two large wildfires pushed by dry winds through remote rangeland and rugged canyons in northwestern Nevada. A fire that has charred more than 93 square miles in the Virginia Mountains near Pyramid Lake was about 68 percent contained. Another, farther north near Poodle Mountain, was 80 percent contained but has burned about 10 square miles in a wilderness study area. Oregon A wildfire burning southwest of Crater Lake spread to nearly 800 acres, prompting an evacuation warning for some parts of Crater Lake National Park. Fire spokeswoman Lucinda Nolan said crews are trying to keep the fire east of Pacific Crest Trail and west of Crater Lake Rim Drive. The park remained open. Utah People in Utah were allowed back into their homes after a small wildfire forced evacuations early Wednesday at a neighborhood tucked against a mountainside south of Salt Lake City. Officials said the blaze spread quickly through tinder-dry dry grass and brush. Some fences were damaged, but no homes were lost and people were allowed back into the 39 evacuated homes midday. Washington Residents have been allowed to return to their homes after a 5-square-mile wildfire prompted the evacuation of about two dozen homes in central Washington. A fire spokesman, Trooper Jeff Sevigney, says the blaze about 7 miles north of Moses Lake burned less land than initially thought but destroyed two homes and six outbuildings. Officials say a large wildfire in south-central Washington has scorched about 275 square miles of brush and grassland and was expected to be contained on Thursday. Wyoming Progress has been made on fighting wildfires in western Wyoming, and most evacuation orders were lifted. The only area still evacuated was Granite Creek in Teton County, where a wildfire was burning in Bridger-Teton National Forest. The fire has burned 46 square miles and is 84 percent contained. Two young Muslim American women were removed from an American Airlines plane this week because a male airline attendant was said to have felt threatened by their presence. According to one of the women, the incident began when American Airlines Flight 2239 was delayed Tuesday for more than five hours in Miami because of flight preparation issues and heavy rain. The situation was really humiliating and it was dehumanizing," Niala Mohammad Khalil told VOA. "I mean, if it could happen to me, it could happen to anybody. It doesnt matter how assimilated you are. I dont have to wear a hijab to be discriminated against. Khalil and her friend, who did not want to be identified, are both employed by the U.S. government and must therefore undergo periodic security investigations. Passengers who remained aboard the plane during the delay were offered one glass of water and a bag of pretzels after more than five hours, prompting a conversation between Khalils friend and a white male passenger sitting behind them about the lack of customer care, according to Khalil. Problem? 'You can leave' A male flight attendant overheard the conversation, said Khalil, who was watching a Pakistani movie and listening to it via headphones at the time. If you have a problem, you can leave the plane, the male attendant told the friend, according to Khalil, a journalist with VOA. Khalil then asked a female flight attendant walking by for her male colleagues name. Not sure who he was, the female attendant asked Khalil and her friend to point him out when you see him. The friend took a photo of the male attendant to show the female attendant. A third flight attendant walked by and said the friend committed a federal offense by taking a picture aboard a plane. When the first female attendant returned, the photo of the male attendant was presented to her. She identified him as Rog, as in Roger and then asked that the photo be deleted. Khalil said her friend promptly deleted the photo in the presence of the female attendant, although the image was automatically saved in the cameras delete folder. About 10 minutes later, American Airlines representative Lourdes Broco boarded the plane and asked Khalil and her friend to bring their belongings to the front of the plane. They were met at the ramp by several armed federal air marshals and Miami-Dade police officers, Khalil said. When asked why they, and not the white male, were removed from the plane, Broco responded that the [male attendant] said he felt unsafe and threatened, according to Khalil. Khalil then asked Broco whether they had been singled out because of their Muslim names. Broco, said Khalil, responded by saying, Its just airline regulation. If the flight attendant says he feels unsafe or uncomfortable for whatever reason, then we have to take those passengers off the flight. I work with the Voice of America, Khalil said. I work here every day to promote democracy and freedom to a predominately Muslim region. Yet at home, in America, my own home country, Im faced with this type of discrimination and intolerance. Attendant's request A spokeswoman for American Airlines said the male flight attendant observed the passenger taking pictures and asked her to stop. When she did not, the attendant had her removed from the plane. "The passenger was not removed for taking the picture," said spokeswoman Alexis Aran Coello. "The passenger was removed because she did not comply with the request from the flight attendant." Coello said the flight attendant who called taking photos on a plane a "federal offense" was incorrect. But she said American Airlines does allow its flight attendants to remove passengers who do not comply with a request to stop taking pictures, if the photography is making someone uneasy. Coello also said the subject of religion "never came up" between the passenger, her traveling companion and the customer service manager who handled the situation. She said the two women remained calm and did not complain of discrimination at the time. She said both were given $200 vouchers and put on another flight later that evening. At a housing community in Fairfax Country, Virginia, a little boy shyly approaches police officer Anthony Patalena and extends his hand. "Thank you for helping us," the boy says as the officer shakes his hand and smiles. Here, at the Grove at Huntley Meadows, residents have gathered in front of the pool house for ice cream and to get to know each other better to help keep the neighborhood safe. National Night Out is an annual event on the first Tuesday in August to help deter crime. Across the United States, millions of people in thousands of communities gather for block parties, cookouts, and other events to promote partnerships between neighborhoods and the police. Often the police stop by, like Patalena and Officer Tyler Timberlake, who both patrol Fairfax County neighborhoods by bike. Timberlake says he thinks National Night Out is great because he can help people with their safety concerns and it "humanizes us with the kids." Patalena agrees, and hands out silver paper stick-on "junior officer" badges for the children to wear. Kenyatta Williams, whose son got a badge and the chance to sit behind the wheel of a police car, says she likes that National Night Out "lets the kids talk to the cops because they normally don't get to do that." "Most of the time when someone meets a police officer, it is under negative circumstances like a burglary, fire or traffic citation," says Matt Peskin, who started National Night Out 32 years ago. "You're meeting officers under positive circumstances, and that rapport is very important in terms of crime prevention and neighborhood safety." Peskin, who also is the founder and president of the National Association of Town Watch, says he got the idea when he was writing his community's neighborhood watch newsletter. During the 1980s, Peskin explains, residential crime increased especially home break-ins because more people went to work, leaving their houses empty. The mentality at the time, he says, was for "people to lock themselves behind closed doors, instead of finding ways to deter crime under a unified community." National Night Out began simply with neighbors turning on their porch lights and sitting in front of their homes. Melissa Allen, who came to the ice cream social with her husband and two small boys, likes that "the community comes together to watch out for one another," and that "it's a way of showing her children that they don't have to be afraid of the police." Resident Gary Kosciusko adds that it gave him the opportunity to talk with the police about gang-related graffiti near the neighborhood. "Hopefully we can have that removed," he says, "so it will deter gang activity in this area." Some police stations were taking additional measures to protect their officers, after the shootings of cops in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas. Robert Urps, the crime prevention officer at Fairfax County's Mount Vernon station, said even though he didn't expect anything to happen in either safe or crime-ridden neighborhoods, two police officers instead of one were being put in a car for National Night Out, "just for their safety." The United Nations Security Council remains divided over how to respond to North Koreas increasingly provocative missile tests, while Japan and South Korea continue to face opposition at home and abroad for pursuing more aggressive military policies. The 15-member Security Council on Wednesday met at the request of Japan and the United States after North Korea launched two missiles earlier that day that landed in or very near Japanese-controlled waters. Japan's U.N. Ambassador Koro Bessho told reporters, It is certainly a major, major problem for the security and safety of our region." Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the incursion inside Japanese waters deeply troubling. "I think the Secretary-General would reiterate and renew his call to the DPRK to halt any such activities which are clearly not conducive to reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula," he said In March the United Nations imposed harsh new international sanctions on Pyongyang for conducting its fourth nuclear test and another long-range rocket launch in violation of Security Council resolutions banning North Korea from developing nuclear and ballistic missile weapons. South Korean U.N. Ambassador Oh Joon noted North Korea has responded to the sanctions by conducting 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests this year, and firing 29 various rockets. However Wednesdays Security Council meeting produced no consensus for taking any further punitive measures against North Korea. The U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, expressed confidence that the Security Council would issue a swift condemnation of North Korea. But China's U.N. Ambassador, Liu Jieyi, said nothing should be done to exacerbate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. THAAD U.S. Ambassador Powers said any suggestion that the North Korean missile tests were provoked by South Koreas decision to deploy an American advanced missile defense system is not grounded in reality and it's not grounded in history. Powers said North Korea alone was responsible for the repeated ballistic missile launches that violate U.N. resolutions. China has criticized the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean peninsula, saying it will worsen the security situation. There is growing concern that Beijings opposition to THAAD could lead to increasing support for North Korea and decreasing economic ties with South Korea. A number of opposition party lawmakers in Seoul have also voiced opposition to THAAD this week, saying the risk of alienating China outweighs the benefit of the missile defense system. Japanese defense minister Hours after the North Korean missile launch, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe named a new controversial defense minister in a move that could further aggravate tensions in the region. Chinese and South Korean media outlets have characterized Tomomi Inada, the newly appointed Japanese Defense Minister, as a right wing politician who has denied Japan's past wartime atrocities, including the sexual enslavement of thousands of women in Asia to work as prostitutes in military brothels. Inada has regularly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japans war dead, including convicted war criminals. Countries like China and South Korea that suffered under Japanese colonial rule have criticized Tokyo leaders who visit the shrine for endorsing the nations militaristic past. In 2011 Inada was one of three Japanese lawmakers who were reportedly denied entry into South Korea, because they planned to visit islands, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, that are claimed by both countries. The defense minister supports Abes plan to revise the country's pacifist constitution and to increase the power and scope of the military. She said North Koreas missile launch on Wednesday reflects a worsening security environment. But her appointment could undermine Japan's military alliance with South Korea and jeopardize relations with China, which improved after Abe publicly apologized last year for World War II atrocities committed by Japan. If the new defense minister makes comments which trigger conflict with South Korea, it will complicate cooperation efforts, said Japan analyst Hosaka Yuji with Sejong University in Seoul. As the U.S. military ramps up its military role in Libya, President Barack Obama met Thursday with top military and national security advisors to discuss the fight against Islamic State. Obama met with members of the National Security Council at the Pentagon as the U.S. launches more airstrikes in and around the terror group's stronghold of Sirte, in support of forces affiliated with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). "The finish line is in sight," Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis told reporters Tuesday, "and we are helping [the GNA] get there." The president usually meets with council members at the White House, but has occasionally met them at other locations such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department. By convening Thursday's meeting at the Pentagon, Obama planned to highlight his administration's comprehensive approach to defeating IS. Operation Odyssey Lighting The air operation in Libya, dubbed Operation Odyssey Lightning, began this week, and is designed to help the U.N.-backed government's fight to retake Sirte from IS. The Pentagon said the operation would probably last weeks rather than months. The GNA-aligned forces have spent several months whittling down IS territory along the coastline of the Gulf of Sidra from Tripoli to near Benghazi. Davis said thanks to GNA-aligned fighters, IS control in Libya has essentially collapsed to the city center of Sirte. Forces associated with the GNA have faced improvised explosive devices, small arms and sniper fire in their fight to retake the city. The Pentagon estimates IS fighter numbers have been reduced from thousands in the city to fewer than 1,000. After Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi was ousted in 2011, IS extremists targeted Libya as a safe haven outside its initial strongholds in Iraq and Syria. If Hillary Clinton is elected president in November, Republicans may look back on the week just passed as a turning point in the race. Republican Party leaders are increasingly concerned about recent national and state polls that show the Democratic nominee surging into a lead over Republican Donald Trump. Polls in battleground states such as New Hampshire, Michigan and Pennsylvania show Clinton leading by substantial margins. These came on the heels of national polls by CNN and NBC that showed Trump trailing by at least 8 percentage points. The surveys came in the wake of last weeks Democratic National Convention, which appeared to give Clinton a 5- to 7-percentage-point boost, a normal occurrence after a party convention. But they also seemed to reflect the fallout from a series of controversies involving Trump that have sparked negative reactions from not only Democrats but also some prominent Republicans. Trump remained defiant on the campaign trail despite the fretting by Republican leaders. He told a rally in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday that his campaign was in fine shape and remained on track to win in November. So I just want to tell you the campaign is doing really well. It has never been so well united, Trump said to cheers. Trump and the Khans Trumps difficult week began with his feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim American parents of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in the Iraq War in 2004. Khizr Khan denounced Trump at last weeks Democratic convention in Philadelphia, and Trumps combative reaction to the Khans drew a negative response from key Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Arizona Senator John McCain. We not only have to respect but love the family members who have made these sacrifices, McCain said. Trump also sparked a backlash among party leaders for refusing to endorse both Ryan and McCain in upcoming primary elections. The controversies swirling around Trump have some Republican leaders worried that his undisciplined approach to the campaign is helping Clinton and could hurt Republican hopes to hold their majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives. He is going to have to start convincing people that he is qualified for the presidency and has the temperament for the presidency, said University of Virginia political analyst Kyle Kondik. And I dont think that back-and-forths like this one with the Khan family are particularly helpful in that regard. Projection update Kondiks boss, Larry Sabato, issued an update Thursday on the Electoral College projection from the university's Center for Politics. It showed Clinton with a likely 347 electoral votes and Trump with 191. The projection showed Clinton increasing her chances of carrying several key states, including Colorado and Virginia, which is the home state of her vice presidential running mate, Senator Tim Kaine. Mindful of the growing party concern about his campaign, Trump told local television station WPEC in West Palm Beach, Florida, that he realized he needed to change the focus of his campaign. Well, I think that is probably right. More focus on Hillary Clinton. Shes a disaster, so were going to focus more on Hillary Clinton, Trump said. Clinton campaigned this week in Colorado, another swing state where Trump is trailing in recent polls. Clinton continued to hammer away at the notion that Trumps temperament should disqualify him from becoming president. There is no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump is unqualified to be president and unfit to be commander in chief, Clinton said Wednesday to roars from a crowd in Denver. The pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA also launched an ad this week featuring a number of Republicans criticizing Trump. Among them is Michael Hayden, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, who is seen in a video clip describing Trump as a clear and present danger. Temperament issue Clinton and Trump are well aware of polls that show Americans want change this election. But veteran political analyst Gerald Seib of The Wall Street Journal also sees a growing concern about the temperament of the candidates. I think there is a big desire for change, and that helps Donald Trump. He is the different candidate and therefore he is the change candidate, Seib told VOA. But I also think there is a parallel concern, which is a fear of the unknown. So where does this balance out? The desire for change versus fear of the unknown, because Donald Trump is very much an unknown commodity as a political leader. Trump has maintained an aggressive campaign schedule, including recent rallies in Florida and Virginia. But Republican leaders are hoping Trump will avoid distractions in the weeks ahead and focus on his message of bringing political change. Among them is Republican strategist Scot Faulkner. The key is that somebody has got to say that I will be better with Trump in the White House because he is going to do X, Y and Z. And he hasnt quite put that value proposition out there, Faulkner said. Some Republicans fear the partys congressional prospects could also suffer in November if Trump fails to refocus his campaign by early September, a time when Americans usually begin to seriously focus on the election choices before them. Human rights groups on Thursday condemned the execution of at least 20 Kurdish activists in Iran who had been charged with links to terrorism. A statement by the Iranian intelligence ministry confirmed the Wednesday executions, saying the convicts were part of a terrorist cell that was responsible for armed attacks in Irans western provinces. "These people had committed murder... killed women and children, caused destruction and acted against the security, and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions," Mohammad Javad Montazeri, Irans top prosecutor, told IRIB TV, a state-run channel. The Iranian government said that the men had ties to foreign Islamist groups, an apparent reference to Islamic State, and that they were plotting to carry out attacks inside Iran. But rights activists said the governments accusations were baseless. Imprisoned earlier Some of them had been in prison even before Daesh [Islamic State] or other Sunni extremist groups appeared in the region, said an attorney from Tehran who requested anonymity. Shahram Ahmadi, 29, a Kurdish activist from Sanandaj, was among those who were hanged. He was reportedly arrested for distributing leaflets that demanded rights for the Sunni minority in Iran. Ahmadis sister told VOA the family recently received a call from an Iranian court, asking that the relatives give him a farewell visit in prison. When we went to Tehran, we received another call saying that only [Shahrams] dad must show up, she said. But when we got [to the prison], we received the body of our executed brother. Scaring the public Rights activists in Iran say the government is using IS as an excuse to instill fear in the public. Iranian national television recently aired a documentary featuring interviews with alleged IS agents who had been arrested by Iranian intelligence forces. The men pictured in the report confessed to infiltrating Iran with the aim of destabilizing the country. The broadcast of this so-called documentary was a sign that a string of executions is under way, said Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, a spokesperson for Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group that monitors Irans executions. These sorts of tactics are used to prepare the public for upcoming actions. Ethnic Kurds make up nearly 9 percent of Irans 80 million people. They are largely Sunni Muslims in a country ruled by Shi'ite Muslims. Kurds in Iran are persecuted twice first because they are Kurds, and second because they are Sunnis, said Azad Moradian, spokesman for the Los Angeles-based Kurdish American Committee for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran. Kurds in Iran have long desired more autonomy from Tehran's firm grip, and they have been calling for cultural and political rights. Since mid-June, Irans Revolutionary Guards have been clashing with Kurds in some areas along the Iran-Iraq border. Support for Kurds alleged Tehran has accused foreign powers, Saudi Arabia in particular, of backing Kurdish rebels against Iranian forces. But Kurdish groups say this is merely a pretext for the government to justify its suppression of Kurds. Saudi Arabia is a traditional rival of Iran in the region. In Syria, Iran has been a major backer of President Bashar al-Assads regime, while Saudis have been supporting anti-government Syrian rebels. These [executions] have something to do with Irans regional policy, said Moradian. Iran is afraid of a Saudi influence in Sunni Kurds. And so these executions could be a message for Saudi Arabia. Rights groups have long criticized Iran for hangings and executions of people that the regime says are criminals. Amnesty International said 977 people were executed in 2015, mostly for drug-related offenses. Russia's steady buildup of military forces along its border with Ukraine is raising concerns that Moscow, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and then began backing separatists in eastern Ukraine militarily including with Russian troops may be considering an overt military campaign against its southwestern neighbor. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in televised remarks last week that the military had created four new divisions, nine brigades and 22 regiments since 2013 and deployed them in the Southern Military District, adjacent to southern Ukraine, as well as in Russia's restive North Caucasus region. "In recent years, the military-political situation on the southwestern strategic direction has become more acute," Shoigu said in citing the rationale for Moscow's military buildup in the region. "Mainly, this is due to the growing military presence of NATO in eastern Europe, the situation in Ukraine and the activities of international terrorist groups, including in the North Caucasus." In an interview with the newspaper Vedomosti, Russian military expert Ruslan Pukhov noted that along with reactivating the 1st Guards Tank Army in Russia's Western Military District, near its border with northern Ukraine, Moscow plans to form two other armored groups for deployment near the Ukrainian border. According to Pukhov, along Russia's border with northern Ukraine "where three years ago there were absolutely no troops," Moscow seeks to deploy three major groups for forces "capable of, if the need arises, mounting a rapid attack in the direction of Kyiv, which is only 270 kilometers from the border through [the northern Ukrainian city of] Chernigov." Further south, wrote Pukhov, Moscow wants to "create two powerful pincers to flank and strategically encircle the main group of the Ukrainian army in Left-bank Ukraine. That is the historic name of the part of Ukraine on the east bank of the Dnieper River. 'Enemy' seen as easy target An article that appeared last week in the Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye a publication which frequently features material reflecting the official position of the Russian authorities was headlined: "Ukraine has become Russia's strategic adversary: Moscow does not exclude the possibility of a major war." Alexander Golts, an independent Russian military analyst who is a visiting researcher at Sweden's University of Uppsala, says it is not surprising that Ukraine is now openly being referred to in Russia as an "enemy." "It is clear that Ukraine now is anything but a state friendly to Russia," he told VOA's Russian service. "In and of itself, the Ukrainian army, of course, is not a strategic problem for Russia. In Moscow, however, they are guided by phantom scenarios, in which Ukraine will eventually become part of NATO. One of Russia's excuses for its actions in Crimea and the Donbas is that it was acting to prevent Ukraine's possible entry into the North Atlantic alliance." According to Golts, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu already considers Ukraine part of NATO. In addition, some observers say there is a widespread belief among Russian military officials that Ukraine's capital Kyiv could be "taken easily and with little bloodshed." Konstantin Sivkov, a Russian military reserve officer who heads the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, a Moscow-based research institution, told the newspaper Vzglyad back in April 2014 that the Russian army could be in Kyiv in "two or three days." Later that year, then-European Union Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso was quoted as saying that President Vladimir Putin told him in a telephone call that he could "take Kyiv in two weeks." Russian officials later claimed Putin's comments were taken out of context. Golts said the comments about Russian forces easily taking the Ukrainian capital are not too far from the truth, but added, "The main problem is that a militaristic type of strategic thinking prevails in Russia today, unfortunately." Global challenge, threat Observers say such comments explain why Russia is widely accused of being aggressive and unpredictable. Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter named Russia first among five global strategic challenges facing the United States. Around the same time, then-British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Russia represented "a challenge and a threat" because it "ignores the norms of international conduct and breaks the rules of the international system." Russian liberal politician Leonid Gozman told VOA that bellicose Russian rhetoric should be taken "very seriously." "You can argue about the truth of the specific assessments made by our specific international opponents concerning the level of threat from Russia," he said. "But, unfortunately, it is impossible [to ignore] that we annexed Crimea and support a hybrid war in the Donbas that has killed nearly 10,000 people, and who knows how many more will die." Spiral of hate Still, Gozman expressed hope that the Russian government would not embark on something "as stupid as a direct war with Ukraine and the capture of Kyiv" which, he said, would lead sooner or later to a "world war." "We have treated Ukraine like an enemy, starting a war on its territory," Gozman said. "Citizens of Ukraine were killed at the hands of our volunteers and vacationers, he added, referring to Russian military personnel who have fought alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, ostensibly volunteering during their vacations. "Of course, Ukraine treats us accordingly," Gozman said. "It's a vicious circle, a spiral of hate. If we don't want that, we have to stop the war." The U.S. Supreme Court has put on hold a groundbreaking court ruling that required a Virginia school district to accommodate a transgender high school students request to use the boys bathroom. The high court agreed Wednesday to allow the Gloucester County School Board to bar Gavin Grimm from using the bathroom that matches his gender identity, until the justices decide whether to review an appeals court ruling in his case. The justices split, 5-3, on the issue, with Democratic-appointed Justice Stephen Breyer agreeing with the four Republican appointees. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan opposed the stay. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of the 17-year-old Grimm to challenge the school board's bathroom policy, which requires transgender students to use alternative restroom facilities. Grimm, who was born female but identifies as male, has undergone hormone therapy and has legally changed his name. Police in Bangladesh say two men who were dining at a Dhaka restaurant when it was attacked last month were arrested Thursday on allegations they were involved in the attack. Police say British national Hasnat Karim and University of Toronto student Tahmid Khan were arrested in Dhaka late Wednesday. A court has remanded them in custody for eight days. The two men were inside the Holey Artisan Bakery on the night of July 1 when five armed gunmen stormed the building, killing 20 people and taking others hostage. Neither was seen after the attack despite appeals from their family who said authorities were holding them. Police at the time denied they were in their custody before announcing the arrest. Relatives say Karim, 47, and his family were at the cafe celebrating his daughter's 13th birthday when the attack took place. "He had no links to any terrorist group," said Karim's London-based lawyer, Rodney Dixon in a statement. "There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be released without further delay." Karim, a businessman, had previously taught at a private university in Dhaka where two of the attackers studied. Local media say there was a video of Karim smoking on the rooftop with two of the attackers. Meanwhile, Khan, 22, a student at University of Toronto had just returned to Bangladesh during a break. Earlier this week, police identified the attack's mastermind as Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury. Authorities say they are investigating whether Chowdhury has links to Islamic State which has claimed responsibility for the attack. One day in 2004, Houng Phomma Chak and two friends ventured out to the countryside near their village in northeastern Laos in search of scrap metal to sell, to supplement their families' meager rice-farming incomes. They came across a piece of metal half-buried in the ground and set about digging it up. The three friends recognized it as a piece of an old bomb casing, and assumed it was no longer dangerous. They were wrong. Unknowingly, the father of five had set off a cluster bomb, known in Laos as a bombie. The shrapnel ripped through his body and those of his two friends. The friends were killed instantly; Houng was left blind in one eye and lost both his lower arms. A decade later, the incident is still vivid for Houng as the day-to-day struggles he and his family face are a constant reminder. Family and friends came together to help with the hospital bills that Houng had no money to pay for. His wife now relies on the support of fellow villagers to help with the familys rice field and his eldest daughter spends much of her time caring for her disabled father. Its very difficult for me. I need someone to help me to eat and drink water, and go to the bathroom, Houng said of his circumstances today. When the accident happened, it was very difficult for my family to live. Nobody was earning money to support my children, the 52-year-old recalled. Few support options for survivors The Lao government estimates that there are about 15,000 people in the country who have been injured by unexploded ordnance, or UXO, and are in need of support, a legacy of years of secret U.S. bombing during the war against neighboring Vietnam. Yet there are few support services available. A lack of funding means most survivors do not get access to proper medical treatment. They lack ongoing disability services, like physical therapy, access to prosthetics, mental health support and livelihood training. In one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, families are left with the burden of caring for a parent or child while trying to sustain their own livelihoods. Furthermore, most of the population lives in rural areas, adding to the challenges of getting the assistance they need. There are still people that fall through the gaps that we dont hear about until many years after their accident, said Colette McInerney, the country director of World Education, among the largest of just a few victim assistance providers in the country. The U.S.-based non-profit organization has the funding to support just 250 survivors per year. For INGOs [international non-government organizations] and NPAs [non-profit associations], there really is a serious gap in funding to provide a comprehensive support to survivors no matter where they live. And for survivors themselves, the financial burden on a family once someone is injured or killed is quite significant, she said. The government has a strategy in place that broadly takes into account the requirements across the UXO sector, but most of its energy is currently focused on the enormous task of UXO clearance, which in itself is largely dependent on foreign aid. Many people have been injured by the bombs, but at this point, the funding is not enough to help them, said Kingphet Phimmavong, the provincial coordinator for the government-affiliated UXO Laos, the largest clearance organization in the country. US expected to increase funding Between 1964 and 1973, the U.S. dropped more than 2 million tons of bombs on Laos as part of a secret operation seeking to cut off North Vietnamese supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh trail. Its estimated that close to a third of the 270 million" bombies" that were dropped did not detonate. Some 40 years after the war, the mountains and rice fields of Laos Xieng Khouang province remain riddled with the deadly ordnance, which were designed to explode into hundreds of pieces and rip through human flesh and bones. President Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos when he attends a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Vientiane next month. The U.S. Embassy in Laos confirmed that Obama would announce an increase in funding for the UXO sector, although the details have yet to be finalized. According to the advocacy group Legacies of War, between 1995 and 2015, the U.S. contributed about $4.2 million annually to the UXO sector in Laos, most of which went toward clean up efforts. The U.S.-based organization says this compares to $13.6 million spent per day (in todays figures) on the bombing of Laos between 1964 and 1973. "U.S. contributions to the UXO sector have increased many-fold over the past 10 years, reaching $19.5 million in 2016. Most of this increase has gone to clearance operations and an improved survey methodology which will improve the efficiency of the clearance work, said Titus Peachey, the groups chairman. What is needed now is increased support for the estimated 15,000 survivors of UXO accidents, many of whom will need medical and rehabilitative services for the rest of their lives," he said via email. Concern for the future Houng spends many days now at relatives restaurant, sitting idly, while his daughter works to pay for her younger siblings education and also keep an eye on her father. He says people know more about the risks of UXO today than they did in the past, but they remain unequipped to deal with those that fall victims to explosions. People dont know how to help each other, he said. I dont know how to take care of myself, I just live like this. U.S. President Barack Obama denied that a payment of $400 million in cash to Iran on the same day as a hostage release was "some nefarious deal," pointing out that the transfer was announced in January, a day after implementation of the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran. "It wasn't a secret," he said. "We were completely open about it." He said the one new piece of information, reported Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal, was that the payment was made in cash, in non-U.S. currencies, delivered in an unmarked plane. Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Obama said there was a reason the payment was made in cash. "The reason that we had to give them cash is precisely because we are so strict in maintaining sanctions and we do not have a banking relationship with Iran, so that we could not send them a check and could not wire the money," he said. WATCH: Obama on Why Cash Was Sent Earlier Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. "does not pay ransom," in response to criticism of the payment on the same day Tehran released four American hostages. Congressional criticism U.S. officials said the January payment was partially to settle a decades-old dispute over an aborted arms deal. But critics, especially those who oppose the Iran nuclear deal, have termed it a ransom payment. Florida senator Marco Rubio tweeted that the deal was "just unreal." U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce said in a statement that "paying ransom only puts more American lives in jeopardy. We already know the Iran nuclear deal was a historic mistake. It keeps getting worse." House of Representatives Majority Whip Steve Scalise cited Iranian media reports quoting senior defense officials as saying they considered the cash as a ransom payment. "By paying Iran $1.7 billion in what Iranian officials themselves are calling a ransom, the Obama administration is showing us once again how horrible their nuclear deal is for America's national security," he said in a statement. "It is an insult to American taxpayers that their hard-earned dollars are being literally airlifted by the hundreds-of-millions to the world's leading state sponsor of terror." Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence tweeted Thursday, "The $400,000,000 ransom we gave to Iran that'll be used to sponsor terrorism could've provided 8,000 4yr scholarships to impoverished youths." During a visit Thursday to Argentina, Secretary Kerry defended the move. WATCH: Kerry on Alleged Ransom Payment to Iran "The United States of America does not pay ransom and does not negotiate ransoms with any country we never have and we're not doing that now," Kerry said. "It is not our policy. That's number one. Number two: This story is not a new story. This was announced by the president of the United States himself at the very time that this transaction and the nuclear deal was being put together." The statement echoed one made earlier by White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who said that the only people arguing that the cash was a ransom payment are "right wingers in Iran and [U.S.] Republicans who don't like the [nuclear] deal." The U.S. stacked the cash in euros, Swiss francs and other currencies on wooden pallets and flew it into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane. It was the first installment on a $1.7 billion settlement stemming from the failed U.S. weapons pact with Iran in 1979 just before its last monarch, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was toppled. The U.S. dispatched the cash in foreign currencies because any transaction with Iran in dollars is illegal under U.S. law. Hostage release On the same day, last January 17, Iran released four Americans, including The Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Jason Rezaian; Marine veteran Amir Hekmati; Christian pastor Saeed Abedin; and a fourth man, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose disappearance had not been publicly known before he was freed. The cash transfer and the release of the hostages came at the same time as Iran's deal with the United States and five other world powers restraining Tehran's development of nuclear weapons, along with the lifting of sanctions that had hobbled Iran's economy. President Barack Obama said at the time, "With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well," referring to the 37-year-old arms deal that was never carried out. But Obama did not disclose the $400 million payment, a fact revealed by The Wall Street Journal in a Wednesday story. Iranian media reports have quoted senior defense officials as saying they considered the cash as a ransom payment. U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton, of complicity in the payment. "Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!" Trump said on Twitter. Later in the day, he wondered aloud if the money were being used inappropriately. "You see it, you don't believe it," he said. "Four hundred million in cash being flown in an airplane to Iran. I wonder where that money really goes by the way, right? I wonder where it really goes. Well, it went to either in their pockets, which I actually think more so, or toward terrorism probably a combination of both." U.S. military veterans denounced Donald Trump and delivered petitions Thursday to Capitol Hill, urging Senator John McCain and other Republican elders to withdraw endorsements of their party's presidential nominee. "Donald Trump's reckless ignorance about America's responsibilities in the world shocks me to the core," said Marine veteran Alexander McCoy. "We have listened as he praised and has been praised by brutal dictators. We have listened as he threatened to abandon our most loyal allies. I am done listening. "We cannot afford to have Donald Trump as commander in chief," McCoy added. "Donald Trump's hate speech, bigotry and unabashed incitement to violence against minorities, to include the Muslim community, desecrate the very values of liberty and equality which we as American military veterans swore an oath to protect," said Muslim Navy veteran Nate Terani. "It should be the solemn duty of lawmakers like Senator John McCain to denounce and unendorse Donald Trump." Trump has faced a backlash, including from prominent Republicans, for belittling Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim parents of the U.S. soldier killed in Iraq. Khizr Khan blasted Trump's proposed ban on Muslim immigrants, drawing the candidate's ire. The episode is the latest in which Trump's words have put Republicans on the defensive, including many lawmakers seeking reelection in November. McCain, a Vietnam War veteran and the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, sought to distance himself from Trump earlier this week. "Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States," McCain wrote in a statement. "I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party." But McCain, while campaigning fiercely to retain his Senate seat in a state Trump carried in the primaries, has not rescinded his endorsement of the nominee, nor given any indication he plans to do so. Meanwhile, a few prominent Republicans have offered tepid defenses of Trump's comments about the Khan family. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who competed in the Republican presidential primaries, has said the Khans and Trump should apologize to each other. Trump initially took to Twitter to complain that Khan does not know him but "viciously attacked" him at the Democratic National Convention and in subsequent television interviews. Zimbabweans living outside the country working in conjunction with Pastor Evan Mawarires #thisflag and Tajamuka-Sesijikile Campaign are planning to shutdown borders starting August 8th to protest against the governments move to block the importation of some basic commodities under Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016. Participants at the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission meeting have questioned the independence of the Commission saying the organization is failing to tackle human rights violations, especially the crackdown on protesters, being allegedly perpetrated by the police. The United States Agency for International Development is providing $127 million in new humanitarian assistance for Southern Africa in response to the drought affecting the region. Zimbabwe will receive $54.5 million, representing 42.5 per cent, of the new funding. The 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders wrapped up its activities yesterday with President Barack Obama addressing 1,000 fellows, including Zimbabweans. And is a sad day for Zimbabwe as the Germany wallops the Mighty Warriors 6-1 in a Group F match at the Olympic Games in Brazil. 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 our hosts of the Womens Round Table Marvellous Mhlanga Nyahuye and Praxedes Jeremiah will be talking with listeners about the just-ended 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. We will also focus on the rise in the number of rape cases among children in Zimbabwe. Participate by sending your messages on our WhatsApp number 001 202 465 0318. The number again 001 202 465 0318. Please note that we are livestreaming on all Studio 7 Facebook pages. Stay tuned!!!!!! The 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship presidential summit wrapped up part of this years program Wednesday in Washington D.C, with a final address of the 1,000 fellows by President Barack Obama. The fellows were very excited when President Barack Obama was introduced by Mandela Washington fellow Emmanuel Odama of Uganda, and almost immediately they started to sing happy birthday to Mr. Obama, whose 55th birthday is Thursday. President Obama said the Mandela Washington Fellowship was one of the highlights of his legacy. He said the fellows represented the true meaning of a cultural exchange. And while Im going to leave it up to historians to decide my overall legacy, one of the things that Im really proud of, is my partnership with young people like you. So years from now when youre running a big business or doing a great non-profit, or leading your country as a president or prime minister, or minister of finance or something, my hope is that you can look back and you will keep drawing from the strength and experience you got here, added Mr. Obama. Reacting to holding a town-hall with Mr. Obama, Zimbabwean fellow Freeblessing Murahwa, a community-based dentist, said the experience had changed his life. You know I never thought Id be sitting in the same room with the big man himself, so-to-speak, but its just an inspiration to hear him talk about leadership, said Murahwa.. Murahwa, who has been chosen as one of the fellows to remain for another six-week internship, said his experience will boost the work he does in rural Zimbabwe. Fellow Tinashe Basa, coordinator of an orphan day home Zimkids Orphan Trust, said this fellowship represented a moment in his life he never expected. Basa was able to shake the hand of President Obama, who made rounds after his townhall. Basa, who never completed his secondary school, said he will return to Zimbabwe and show children at Zimkids that anything is possible in life. Education is the key to success. Its very important, but its not about getting your degree but just getting education. Just basic education will get you by. Nosipho Bhebhe, from Victoria Falls who is a woman activist, said it was Mr. Obamas statement on dreams that she will carry for the rest of her life. And that statement says if your dreams are not scary, then they are not big enough, that statement is going to stay with me for the rest of my life, said Bhebhe. Bhebhe said she hopes young and older people really push their dreams and explore their potential. Often we think inside the box, were scared to go outside of the box and explore and see our full potential. Everybody was born with potential, its up to you as a woman, as a man, as a mother and a father, and a child to cash from that cash-box that you were given. Along with Murahwa, two other Zimbabweans Feri Gwata and Nyasha Mharakurwa will remain in the United States for another six weeks for internships. Other Zimbabweans including Collins Nyamadzawo, Nobukhosi Ndlovu, Chipo Chikomo and Kudzai Sakajera were given grants from USAID and CITI Bank to boost their respective projects. United States president Barack Obama gave his last address as a sitting president at the Mandela Washington Fellowship Presidential Summit townhall Wednesday urging the fellows to expand their potential and work to build their respective nations. The nearly 1,000 fellows were elated when Mr. Obama entered the ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and broke into a birthday song for the president who turns 55 on Thursday. His address covered varying topics from his tenure in the White House to several issues. Mr. Obama called for responsible political leadership on the African continent. He blasted leaders, without mentioning any names, who hang onto power and urged the fellows to rebuild the narrative of their nations. "We know the history of Africa but now the question is, what's the new history we're going to write?," asked Mr. Obama. As this is his last year in office, Mr. Obama, who created the program in 2010 under the banner 'Young African Leaders Initiative,' said he hopes the fellowship would continue after the end of his presidential term. "Even after I'm president, this will be a program I'll continue to participate in and something I'm very proud of," said President Obama. The program started with less than 25 fellows and after the change of its name to Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, in honor of Nelson Mandela, some 2,000 young Africans have come to the US under program, which seeks the empowerment of young people. Some Zimbabweans attending an outreach meeting convened by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission say the organization should engage the police and Zimbabwe National Army, which are alleged to be the top human rights violators in the country. Speaking at the gathering Thursday in Chinhoyi, local resident Cleopatra Mubvumbi, said the Commission should ensure that these state institutions need to clearly know their limits in handling members of the public. His sentiments were echoed by another local participant, political activist Tendai Musonza, who added that members of the police and the army need basic education in human rights issues. One of the commissioners, Petuna Chiriseri, told the meeting that they are also worried about police brutality. Chiriseri said the Commission has already engaged Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri about the beating up of war vets and demonstrators last month by the police. Chiriseri said the issue of brutality being perpetrated by uniformed forces has come up in almost all outreach meeting, which have been conducted by the Commission. He said the Commission is in the process of rolling out an outreach program targeted at the uniformed forces, community leaders and students. Mrs. Karukai Ratsauka, chief human rights officer of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, said the organization has taken over the work of the Ombudsman. Chiriseri urged Zimbabweans not to concentrate only on political rights but to other rights like rights to food, water, education and health. Some residents questioned the independence of the institution considering that commissioners are appointed by President Robert Mugabe, whose Zanu PF party members are accused of allegedly perpetrating violence against opposition activists. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, which was created by the new constitution in 2010, has not been functional due to lack of resources. So far 482 cases of human rights violations have been brought before the Commission. Jimmy Kimmel, historically a most merry prankster, was himself the pranked one on Wednesdays Jimmy Kimmel Live! But the man who makes children cry got off pretty easy at the hands of Britney Spears. Like, waking-up-in-bed-with-Britney-Spears-was-the-whole-prank easy. Honestly, Spearss appearance in a sleeping Kimmels bedroom, joined by a handful of scantily clad male backup dancers, might more rightly be called a pleasant surprise than a prank, but thats semantics for ya! Man, Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney (the shows co-writer and Kimmels wife) really need to work on their work/life balance, geez. John Waters has been given a lot of nicknames over the years: The Prince of Puke. The King of Trash. The Anal Anarchist. He even acknowledged to The Guardian that he looks like the child molester from central casting. (At the very least, he stands out in a crowd.) To casual fans, Waterss filmography is defined by that 1972 opus of indecency, Pink Flamingos, a movie quite literally built around a competition to be the filthiest person alive. But even before his principle early collaborator, the drag queen Divine, earned a place in the halls of film history by eating dog feces on-camera for Flamingos, there was Multiple Maniacs, which the director describes now as trainer wheels for Pink Flamingos. And for the first time since Waters distributed the movie himself 46 years ago, Maniacs will receive a true theatrical release thanks to Janus Films and the Criterion Collection. Maniacs was Waterss first full-length talkie Mondo Trasho, its predecessor, was more of a silent picture and in the clip above youll see a 4K restoration of a movie that was shot for $5,000 around the directors hometown. In the days before its August 5 limited release (national expansion will follow), Waters talked to Vulture about where his lost film has been hiding and how he got that rosary job past sensors back in 1970. The Criterion Collection is a bit more reputable than the first distributors of Maniacs. When Waters was unable to secure a traditional theatrical release for Maniacs back when he first produced it, he did the yeomans work of schlepping it around the country in the back of his car. At one point, the movie even got picked up by a small chain of cinema houses for a 20-city run. There was one tour it went on with a place called the Art Theatre Guild, which was mostly porn theaters, Waters recalls. But at midnight every week they had an underground film festival. On Saturday nights they played great stuff, and I got picked up. Maniacs later got a modest release after the success of Pink Flamingos pushed the director into the mainstream consciousness, but since then it has just been kicking around in the directors attic and on dead VHSes people forgot they had in the garage. All Waters had available was the most skeleton of crews. When you watch Multiple Maniacs, it quickly becomes clear that this was a guerilla-style operation. Waters wrote, directed, edited, produced, and shot the movie himself with a massive Arcon 0627 mounted on his shoulders, and the on-set crew consisted of him and a single teamster that he met through his film lab in Baltimore. I dont know if it was legal or not, but I paid a fee. And he was a big help. A big help, really, says Waters. He was probably appalled by the movie. I look back and wonder, What was he thinking then? Because nobody said we were good or anything. And we had been arrested the year before for making Mondo Trasho. But he hardly was a hippie. He was the opposite. The scene above, in which we see a nude Divine about to take the stage for a show called The Cavalcade of Perversions, was shot on the lawn of Waterss parents home. Waters was pioneering atrocities right from the start. In the directors early days, before audiences knew to expect the unexpected and borderline unimaginable, Waterss calling card was inventing new ways to appall viewers. Along with his stable of frequent collaborators called the Dreamlanders, he spent the Vietnam era terrorizing polite society with on-screen acts of cannibalism, incest, killing of live animals, and, yes, fecal consumption. Mondo Trasho opens with live chickens being beheaded by a man dressed as an executioner, and closes with a doctor sawing off a womans feet to replace them with those belonging to some sort of avian monster. In Flamingos the crowning achievement in Waterss Trash Trilogy Edith Massey plays a developmentally disabled woman who lives in a crib and is obsessed with hard-boiled eggs, and thats really the least shocking thing going on in the movie. For Maniacs, Waters says that when the movie went before the sensor board nearly 50 years ago, The woman cried when she saw it, and she sent it to the judge. He said, My eyes were insulted for 90 minutes, but its not illegal, which was the whole point of the movie! To make something that wasnt illegal yet. So when you see Divine on all fours in a church pew being anally penetrated with a rosary by a mysterious individual who is reciting the Stations of the Cross, that was probably possible because sensors didnt even have the language to ban a rosary job at the time. Maybe dont consider the lobster. In a pivotal scene for Divines character in Maniacs, she experiences an awakening after being raped by a lobster the size of a small car. This may seem random to some viewers, but not to Waters: It made perfect sense that if youre insane, you hallucinate, you imagine things, explains the director. In surrealism and many ways from Salvador Dali to Jack Smith I mean, really, lobsters are surreal in themselves, so it didnt seem that surprising to me that suddenly in the middle of the movie a lobster would rape somebody. Or it could have been the drugs. I took a lotta LSD back then, adds Waters. So that was normal for us. Can you become a new version of you? Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images The Americans power couple Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell have two shiny new Emmy nominations, a charming home in Brooklyn, and also a new baby. Rhys occasionally jets off to Europe to drink wine, and in their joint Hollywood Reporter interview, the two seem happy. Theres just one tiny problem: Matthew Rhys hasnt seen Felicity, the show that introduced Keri Russell to the world. Hes seen people accost Russell on the street and tell her how much they love the show (sorry about that, Keri), and hes realized how much of a a rite of passage, seminal piece of work it was in the U.S. But, when asked if hes actually seen said seminal WB series, he responds, Sadly not. I mean, Ive watched parts of it on YouTube. Matthew. Matthew. Fix this right now. Get yourself a Hulu account. Start with the pilot, written by J.J. Abrams, which allows one Felicity Abrams to make a profoundly stupid life choice without judging her (So good! So rare on TV!). Then roll straight into the great Ben and Noel debate with episodes such as Hot Objects, Spooked, and Thanksgiving. And if that hasnt convinced you, enjoy J.J. Abramss directorial debut on Todd Mulcahy parts one and two. Now, we know that people think Felicity falls off after she cuts her hair in season two, but Keri Russell herself said, I still stand by it. I loved it for the character. Shes not wrong. After the infamous haircut we still get Lisa Edelstein, a messy documentary plot, and time travel. We repeat, Time. Travel. Matthew, have fun, and let us know if youd like to write some recaps. (Also in the interview, Keri Russell says that she hasnt watched Brothers & Sisters. This is fine.) Look whos back in town! Miss Saigon, the smash 1989 musical from the minds of Les Miserables creators Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil that revolves around an ill-fated romance between a Vietnamese bar girl and American G.I. in the 1970s, will begin its Broadway revival in March. The production is moving from a successful run in London and will feature the same two leads: 20-year-old newcomer Eva Noblezada as Kim and seasoned vet Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer. The shows producer, Cameron Mackintosh, announced that the revival will be housed in the Broadway Theater, where the show began its original Broadway run in 1991. Mackintosh also noted that the limited production will only be running until January 2018, and will then tour throughout North America. Previews will begin on March 1, with opening night scheduled for March 23. Photo: Getty Images During the Television Critics Association presentation of her new reality show Mariahs World yesterday, Mariah Carey described her tenure as an American Idol judge as the most abusive experience and joked that the subject made her want another drink. Theres almost no way you dont know this, but in case somehow you forgot, Carey famously clashed with fellow judge Nicki Minaj during season 12 of the show. In response to Mariahs remarks, former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe offered some very slight shade, telling Billboard, Im looking forward to Mariahs new series and wondering if Nicki Minaj may guest. Ah, but is it shade if its both a veiled jibe and a really excellent season two idea? The answer is yeah, of course. For sure. Waller through the ages. Photo: DC Entertainment, Warner Brothers This piece originally ran in 2016. We are republishing it on the occasion of The Suicide Squads release and Viola Daviss return to the big-screen role. Comics commentator Ardo Omers voice swells when she remembers the first time she came across Amanda Waller, the hard-ass leader of the Suicide Squad. It was in the mid-00s, during an episode of Justice League Unlimited, a cartoon starring DC Comics characters that aired two decades after Waller debuted in DCs Legends mini-series. The first thing you see is Amanda Wallers presence, the way she moves, even before she speaks, recalls Omer, who is black. She was this short, big, black woman the kind of woman Id grown up seeing in my neighborhood, calling them aunties even though they werent related to me. And she was standing up to Batman! Omer was in awe. That moment is a decent encapsulation of what makes Waller groundbreaking in the annals of superhero fiction. When she was created in the mid-1980s by writer John Ostrander, she was explicitly supposed to be unlike any other comics persona. In a genre where women are drawn as pin-ups and black people are often either pure-hearted role models or streetwise hoodlums, she was and is something different: a middle-aged, heavy-set, profoundly cynical, African-American, female government apparatchik. Shes calculating, contradictory, and confrontational. She shouts down presidents and spandex-wearing crusaders. Shes had rare staying power, and thats in no small part due to the progressive aims of her creator aims that were, for a time, betrayed in a way that made her nearly unrecognizable. At the time of Wallers creation, Ostrander was on an unusual path for a comics writer, having only entered the business in his mid-30s. Prior to that, hed studied to be a Catholic priest, driven a cab in Chicago, and had a reasonably successful career as an actor and playwright there. A longtime comics fan, he turned his pen to that medium in 1983 at the behest of a theater friend named Mike Gold, who was launching a small company called First Comics. Ostranders work there, most notably on an outlandish sci-fi series called Grimjack, earned the admiration of a DC editor named Bob Greenberger. Around 1985, Greenberger floated the idea of Ostrander doing a series for the company, and Ostrander suggested resurrecting a team from the 1950s called Challengers of the Unknown. That group had already been claimed for a project, so Greenberger suggested another DC property from that period: the Suicide Squad. My first reaction was, Suicide Squad? What a stupid name for a book, Ostrander recalls. Who would knowingly belong to something that called itself Suicide Squad? Its unsurprising that he was unfamiliar with the name the team had only appeared in a handful of issues of the mid-century DC series The Brave and the Bold. They were a military group sent on particularly difficult missions, created by writer Robert Kanigher (who stole the name from a Nazi-fighting gang that appeared in a few World War IIera pulp magazines) and artist Ross Andru. It disappeared and was largely forgotten. But as Ostrander pondered, he thought of the type of person who might join an organization with that moniker: Maybe people who didnt have a choice. Well, who doesnt have a choice? Hmm. Prisoners! Prisoners dont have a choice. Okay. And that means in the [DC universe] that were talking about supervillains, and I like villains, I always have. Hed long been a fan of espionage stories and thought the team could be working for the U.S. government on secret missions against their will. That meant an operative would have to keep the project in line, ramrodding it, as Ostrander says. Once hed come to that conclusion, Ostranders self-identified left of center leanings came into play. To start off, I wanted someone who is African-American, because at the time there werent as many African-American characters in comics, he says. And I wanted the character to be female because we didnt have very many female characters, either, ones who were very strong and could basically kick ass. And I thought she should be a little bit older, because I wanted her to have a life story, something that fed into who she was. Cover of Suicide Squad No. 10. Photo: Jerry Bingham/DC Entertainment As the character percolated, he cooked up a name, Amanda Waller, and a nickname branched off in his mind: The Wall. When youre doing comics, you need a visual shorthand in order to convey certain aspects of a character, Ostrander says, and if Amanda Wallers nickname was The Wall, she had to look a little bit like a wall. She had to look formidable. By not giving her Wonder Womans muscles, and instead some heft, it sort of suggested a power in her. When all those pieces were put together, the resulting picture was unlike anything in superhero comics at the time or really, even in them now: a leading lady who was stout, black, and getting along in years. He didnt want her looks to define her, but he knew the power they held. With her very existence and presence, she made all the points that I wanted her to make, he says. Ostrander brought the notion of Waller and her Squad to Gold, who had started working as an editor for DC in 1985, and the pair began having creative meetings at Golds paper-cluttered apartment in the Chicago suburb of Evanston. They knew they were sort of ripping off the basic concept of The Dirty Dozen, the 1967 film about a military officer played by Lee Marvin leading a group of misfit prisoners on a dangerous mission. But the world of superhero comics is a place with a long tradition of ripping off outside influences (most infamously, Batman began as a more or less direct lift from pulp hero The Shadow), and there was enough here that would be different to set it apart. Waller was a big part of that. She was Lee Marvin as an overweight, black female, says Gold with a laugh. There was one last component she needed: a backstory. For that, they turned to their city. One of the most crime-ridden parts of Chicago at the time was a housing project on the Near North Side called CabriniGreen. If youre white, you never spent much time in CabriniGreen, Ill tell you right now, Ostrander recalls. That is, unless you were a progressive activist like Mike Gold had been. I went there a lot, he says. I did some drug-education work there, I was involved in some protests there. We were involved in a couple of projects about what was, at the time, an issue, asking, Are these housing projects doing more harm than good? In Golds mind, you really should write from the perspective of your knowledge, and he and Ostrander knew a lot about the place. If Waller was going to be a hardened person, why not have her come from the hardest place in her creators home city? Her precis complete, Waller made her debut in the first issue of a mini-series that was Ostranders DC debut, a 1986 crossover story called Legends. On page 15, we see a uniformed military man named Rick Flag go in for a meeting with someone hes never met, a woman who runs something called Task Force X. Before we even see her face, the dialogue establishes her personality: Youre Amanda Waller? Flag asks. You see anyone else in the room? she shoots back. When she shows him her plans to build a team of coerced villains, hes aghast, yelling, Are you out of your cotton-picking mind, lady? Turn the page and you first see her face, modeled by artist John Byrne on actress Nell Carter. Wearing thick, purple eye shadow; boxy, black business wear; bunned hair; and a sneer, she brooks no bullshit. Frankly, I couldnt be more serious, colonel! she shouts. And by the way, if you ever again call anything about me cotton-picking, mister Ill stuff those bright, shiny eagles on your shoulders so far up your butt, theyll be able to nest in your skull! Waller was already fully realized by her second page. A few issues later, readers met the reluctant foot soldiers of Task Force X informally known as the Suicide Squad who were directed by Waller and corraled in the field by Flag. Right after Legends was over, they spun out into their own series, Suicide Squad, initially penciled by artist Luke McDonnell. It was a paradigm-shifting period at DC: The company had in the past three years destroyed and rebuilt its entire cosmology in a mega-crossover called Crisis on Infinite Earths, reinvented Batman in Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns, and deconstructed the very concept of the superhero in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbonss Watchmen. Suicide Squad, though less well-known than those three series, was still quite ambitious in its attempts to make mainstream comics appealing for grown-ups. It killed off characters, it had a cast of jerks and misanthropes, and its story lines were set in decidedly un-kid-friendly geopolitical hotspots like drug-war-ridden Colombia, Sandinista-controlled Nicaragua, and the headquarters of a group of Islamic militants. Excerpt from Suicide Squad. Photo: Luke Mcdonnell; Bob Lewis and Carl Gafford/DC Entertainment Throughout, Waller got all the best lines. In an early story, she has a meeting with President Reagan and repeatedly takes jabs at him. While describing her previous life, in which she was raising a family in CabriniGreen, she remarks, Of course, in those days we had some social programs to fall back on. You do remember social programs, dont you, Mr. President? Flip open almost any issue at random and youll find barbed zingers and scowling threats. If I wanted commentary, Id get George Will, she snaps at the Penguin. When Poison Ivy puts a man under her spell, Waller twists her eyes at at her and says, Youre a slaveholder, deep down. So make your boytoy here take a nap and lets get on with business. She calls dangerous criminals Deadshot and Captain Boomerang Deadhead and Boomerbutt just to get under their skin. In one particularly memorable issue, Batman infiltrates the Squads headquarters and Waller is wholly unimpressed by him. I promise you that, if you blow the whistle on us, I will find out who you are and do the same by you, she says, extending an accusatory finger at the most intimidating hero in the DC universe. Indeed, her demeanor with everyone was cold-blooded. She attached bracelets to her team members, ones that would blow their arms off if they got out of line. She didnt care if they died on a mission and was very open with them about it. In her every appearance many of them co-written by Ostranders newlywed wife, Kim Yale she was an action-movie delight, vivid and sonorous. She wasnt a sex object, she wasnt a role model, and she wasnt a stereotype; she was something new and original. We got a lot of mail, Gold says, and neither he nor Greenberger recall any of it being racist or misogynist. Readers glommed on to the book and often reserved special praise for Waller. Suicide Squad ended up lasting for 66 issues, a remarkable amount of time for an idiosyncratic book about lower-profile characters. In 1992, facing declining sales, it was canceled. However, Waller lived on: In the ensuing decades, she became an integral piece of intellectual property for DC, operating morally questionable teams and serving as a vicious bulldog for the government. She popped up in spinoff media, perhaps most notably as a sympathetic antagonist on the acclaimed Justice League Unlimited. But when she made her big-screen debut, the character started to lose some of the characteristics that had long defined her. In 2011s Ryan Reynoldsled bomb Green Lantern, she was played by Angela Bassett, and although the actress did a fine job bringing her to life, she had one major, controversial difference from her comics counterpart: She was svelte. That same year, DC Comics rebooted its entire superhero line, with reimagined and younger versions of characters appearing in series after series. One of the rebooted titles was a new take on Suicide Squad, penned by Adam Glass and penciled by Federico Dallocchio and Ransom Getty. Dallocchio recalls a very specific editorial edict: Show her as the opposite of the Amanda from the old comic: thin and young. The revamped Amanda Waller. Photo: Fernando Dagnino and Matt Yackey/DC Entertainment Sure enough, this new Waller was slender and youthful, a standard-issue female figure for the superhero genre. DC co-publisher Jim Lee says it was done largely as a way to tie in to Green Lantern. No matter the motives, the move was met with an immediate outcry from fans. That was a colossal mistake and it revealed their lack of understanding of the cultures that they were portraying with their characters, says Joseph Illidge, a comics columnist who often writes about racial issues in the industry. In his mind, it was speaking to the community that character formally represented and saying, You are unattractive. You are not appealing. You do not have the same value in society. You, as a big, black woman, youre not attractive. Ostrander declines to comment, but Greenberger is not so reticent, saying the changes made her some other Amanda that I dont recognize. Fortunately, David Ayer wasnt interested in that new tack. DC parent company Warner Bros. signed the writer/director on to helm a big-screen adaptation of Suicide Squad in 2014, and although he says he read the rebooted series and took inspiration from it, he saw the new Amanda and had no interest in her. I didnt wanna do that, he says. I wanted someone whos had a life and has a personal history and feels like they have the wisdom to back their play. He was taken by her boundary-breaking depiction in the original Ostrander run: This is the early 80s, and this is really a character study of an African-American woman. I feel like theres a progressive quality about the comics. The result was the casting of Viola Davis, an actress who isnt the size of the original Amanda, but is certainly much closer to her in age and look than the one that was running around the comics at the time she was cast. Davis seems to get exactly what made the character work when Ostrander crafted her 30 years ago. I felt liberated to tap into that power, she says, with no vulnerability; to totally own it without apology. Viola Davis as Waller in Suicide Squad. Photo: Warner Brothers Sure enough, onscreen we see a Waller who closely resembles her envelope-pushing original incarnation, even if the depiction is a bit more extreme and unlikable than on the page: At one point she murders her FBI employees in cold blood, which is something Ostranders version probably wouldnt do, and the device she attaches to Squad members blows off heads, not arms. (To be fair, thats something the 2011 reboot version did, too.) Nevertheless, her core traits are still there: She stares down anyone who stands in her way, shes willing to compromise any ethical standard in order to protect U.S. interests, and she has some solid verbal jabs: Lets just say I put them in a hole and threw away the hole, she says of her team at one point, a line of dialogue that wouldve been right at home in her late-80s exploits. Daviss casting and Wallers new-old look has also had an effect on the world of comics: In April, without fanfare, she was abruptly changed in the comics to be older and larger again. And though the character has been written almost entirely by white men to date, a black woman, Vita Ayala, will be writing a few Suicide Squad stories starring Waller later this year. In other words, theres plenty of room for Waller to scheme and grow, and DC and Warners are placing her higher on their list of priorities than they ever have before. Thats no small accomplishment for a character who didnt fit into any of the existing molds of success when a 30-something comics newbie dreamed her up three decades ago. The fact that other people wanted to use her indicates that shes been a really compelling character, Ostrander says. And, in that way, I feel that Ive really done my job. The Greater Robinson Chamber of Commerce is having a first responders appreciation community dessert reception to show gratitude for local law enforcement and volunteer firefighters from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Robinson Volunteer Fire Station, 204 Strauss St. Firetrucks will be available for children to explore. For more information, visit www.robinson texaschamber.org. HOPES kickoff The Family Abuse Center will have a kickoff event for its new HOPES program from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday at Lions Park, 1716 N. 42nd St. The event will include free rides on the parks train and amusement rides, as well as free vision screenings. HOPES is a collaborative parent-support program for caregivers of McLennan County children, from newborns to age 5. For more information, call 732-0482. Fashion show and sale The Salvation Army Waco Fashion Show and Sale event listed in Wednesdays Briefly column had an incorrect date. The event will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday at The Salvation Army, 4721 W. Waco Drive. The event will include fashions modeled by Taina Maya and Justin Earley of KWTX-TV, Dustin and Beth from Mix 101.3 FM and others, as well as sales throughout the store. Free hot dogs will be served at 11 a.m. For more information, call 756-7271. Nonprofit giveaway The nonprofit Elegant Ladies Haven, 1017 Preston St., will have its monthly community giveaway event at 11 a.m. Friday. Items will include clothing, diapers, toiletries and paper products. For more information, call 722-3627. GOP womens lunch Baylor University economics professor James W. Henderson will speak at a meeting of the McLennan County Republican Women at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in Brazos Room C of the Waco Hilton, 113 S. University Parks Drive. Henderson will discuss Health Care, 2016 and Beyond. Cost is $15, which includes a buffet lunch. Reservations are required by Thursday. For reservations, call 772-8763 or email anitag allen@aol.com. Waco Aglow meeting Waco Aglow Community Lighthouse will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Liberty Virtual Offices, 7215 Bosque Blvd. Debbie Fasano, president of the Waco Aglow Lighthouse, will be the speaker. For more information, call 733-6161. EAA breakfast fly-in Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 59 will have a fly-in and walk-in breakfast event from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the associations hangar at McGregor Executive Airport, 27474 W. U.S. Highway 84 in McGregor. The free event is open to anyone with an interest in aviation. For more information, visit www.eaa59.org. Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302. A former McLennan County Sheriffs Office jail lieutenant was indicted Wednesday on a charge of misuse of official information. She is accused of providing one of the gang members arrested after the deadly Twin Peaks shooting with law enforcement information in the months leading up to the melee. A McLennan County grand jury indicted Jennifer Guftason Howell, 40, on the third-degree felony charge Wednesday. Howell was arrested in April after an investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Officials think she was involved in a romantic relationship with the man she provided the official information to, according to an arrest affidavit. Authorities reportedly found text messages between Howell and the gang member during a detailed review of cellphone data collected in the Twin Peaks investigation after the May 17, 2015, shooting that killed nine bikers at the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, the arrest affidavit states. Howell, who was employed with the McLennan County Sheriffs Office starting in 2009, was a sergeant at the time she sent the messages to the unidentified gang member and discussed information believed to be related to law enforcement sensitive material that is not available to the general public, about two months before the May 2015 shootout, the affidavit states. Howell provided a name and address associated with the license plate of a vehicle that had run another gang member off the road, according to the affidavit. Sheriff Parnell McNamara previously told the Tribune-Herald his office was shocked when the allegations became known, adding that Howell had been promoted to lieutenant in 2015. Two Bellmead residents are hoping to be selected by the city council to fill the vacant Precinct 4 seat. Bellmead residents William Boyd Ridings and Sandy Jordan submitted applications with the city to serve the remainder of the term vacated by Ernest Butch Anz. Anz left his post for health reasons after about two months in office. City Manager Bo Thomas said the council will have several options for how to move forward during its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bellmead City Hall, 3015 Bellmead Drive. Thomas said the council members will have the information submitted by the prospective candidates to review. Were going to tell the two candidates to be prepared to publicly say, express their interest, in a three-to-five-minute segment at the meeting, he said. Council members also will have the ability to move into executive session to discuss the duo and, if they choose, vote on the next person to represent Precinct 4 and provide the oath of office, he said. The term for the vacant seat ends in May 2018. Precinct 4 includes Brame Park and much of the citys area on the east side of Interstate 35, bounded by Loop 340 and State Highway 31. Ridings, 67, who is retired, said he has lived in Bellmead most of his life and regularly attends council meetings. When Anz stepped down, Ridings said he decided he should get involved since he has so much interest. This would be his first run at a council seat, and he said he would bring a fresh perspective to the city. Theres a few things going on over here with our police department and some of the management of the city and stuff, and I just kind of like to get involved and put my opinion in, he said. Jordan, 67, a real estate broker, said she grew up in the area and wants to continue to help build Bellmead up rather tear it down. Jordan said she could help bring cohesiveness and unity to the council and the city as a whole. She said she also would reach out to residents as a council member, since there are so many willing to help if the city would just extend an offer. This also will be Jordans first run for a council seat. The man killed in a shooting Wednesday outside Buckeye Bingo has been identified, and detectives have labeled the incident as an attempted capital murder by the man who was killed, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. Juan Marcus Howard, 35, was shot and killed outside of the bingo hall, 2423 Cole Ave., after he attacked an armed security officer in the back parking lot of the business, Swanton said. During the struggle, Howard reached for the licensed officers gun, leading to the officer being shot in his left hand before he shot Howard in the upper torso, killing him, police said. Anytime you try to grab an officers gun, we can assume you are going to try to kill us with it, Swanton said. Detectives will have to explain why they labeled it as an attempted capital-murder case, but . . . we are getting a much clearer picture as to what (the suspects) intentions were. Waco police declined to identify the security officer involved in shooting, saying he is considered a witness to the incident. Swanton said the officer worked for Pro Security Group. The Security Officers Brotherhood, a nonprofit professional organization, has identified the officer injured as Jimmy Parker, with the permission of his family. Parker was listed in stable condition, but several bones in his hand were shattered from the gunshot wound, according to the organization. He also suffered other injuries, and he will be out of work while he recovers, according to Security Officers Brotherhood officials. The organization plans to give Parker its Purple Shield award after his recovery, pending the outcome of the investigation. According to a Texas Department of Public Safety criminal record search, Howard has a criminal record that includes assault charges, criminal trespassing charges and an injury to a child charge out of McLennan County. Swanton said Howard was well known to local authorities. Swanton said the shooting investigation remains ongoing. Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump stunned the electorate last night with an extended apology. He did so without the sort of mistakes were made equivocation so often heard from establishment politicians. His confession was direct and full of humility. America, I ask you to forgive me, he began, for what I have done and what I have left undone. I humbly repent and promise to do better. The apologyathon at his New York press conference was preceded by setting the social media world aflame by tweeting simply I have sinned. #repenting. At the press event, Trump acknowledged a litany of what he labeled offenses against God and man. Forgive me, Capt. Khan, for insulting the honor of your sacrifice and your religion. Forgive me, Sen. Cruz, for alleging your father plotted with assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Forgive me, Sen. McCain, for calling you a loser for being a prisoner of war. Forgive me, Megyn Kelly, for using your gender to attack you for a tough question. Forgive me, Judge Curiel, for assuming your Latino heritage justified recusal. Forgive me, small-business colleagues, for cheating you out of money I owed you. Forgive me, Trump University graduates, for selling you a worthless degree. Forgive me, female reporters, for saying it doesnt matter what you write as long as youve got a young and beautiful piece of a--. Forgive me, female soldiers, for saying sexual assaults were an expected result of letting women in the military. Forgive me, New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, for mocking your disability. Forgive me, women of American and Eastern Europe, for treating you like property. Forgive me, President Obama, for lying about where you were born and suggesting you like it when terrorists attack us. Forgive me, African-Americans and Jews, for saying I didnt want black guys counting my money, instead only little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. Forgive me, women of childbirth age, for saying that if you get an abortion, There has to be some form of punishment. Forgive me, Hillary Clinton, for claiming that you made a deal with the devil and are the devil. Forgive me, Ivanka, for describing you by saying, What a beauty, that one. If I werent happily married and, ya know, her father and saying that if you werent my daughter, perhaps Id be dating you. Forgive me, Mexican immigrants, for suggesting you are nearly all rapists and other kinds of criminals. Forgive me, Muslims in New Jersey, for suggesting you cheered the 9/11 attacks. Forgive me, Rosie ODonnell, for saying you were a fat pig and disgusting animal. Forgive me, citizens of Ukraine, for falsely claiming Putin did not invade you. Forgive me, Republican primary colleagues, for calling you low-energy, ugly to look at, little, fat, big-eared, embarrassing and disgusting. Forgive me, Univision, Washington Post and Huffington Post, for revoking your press access simply because I could not take criticism. Finally, forgive me, God and good citizens, for never having ever asked for forgiveness before in my life. The apologies caused an immediate spike in the polls, with Trump taking a 15-point lead. In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan declared: This, this is the Donald Trump we have all waited for, that we knew was in there, waiting to come out. God bless America, and God bless Donald Trump. Within minutes of Trumps pronouncement, Hillary Clinton tweeted: Its satire. #duh. David Schleicher is an attorney. He blogs at www.TheContranym.com. Given the large number of veterans and federal employees who live and work in our area, surely we can all agree that the families of the fallen have every right to air political opinions without cheap shots from the right or left. This lesson seems lost on some and not just Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. To the horror of some Republicans as well as his team of political advisers, Trump over the past week has fielded a misguided counterattack against Khizr Khan, the Muslim-American father of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, killed in Iraq in 2004 while serving our country. With his wife standing by him, Khan spoke last week at the Democratic National Convention, ridiculing Trumps demagogy (including Muslim bans) and in one memorable moment questioning Trumps very knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. Trump says he was viciously attacked by Khan. Wed say it was more vigorous than vicious. And if youre going to dish it out to others regularly, you had best be able to take it. Patricia Smith, the grieving mother of State Department official Sean Smith, one of the Benghazi dead, also had every right during the Republican National Convention to pointedly attack then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for poor oversight of diplomatic outposts in Libya just as Khan had the right to attack Trump for questioning the patriotism and sacrifice of Muslim-Americans like his late son during the Democratic convention. The only difference is that, for whatever reason, Clinton was smart enough not to get into a war of words with Smith after the latters scorching speech before Republicans. Possibly she refrained to avoid further aggravating an issue about which most people already have their minds made up. Possibly Clintons handlers advised her that, given the damning optics of getting into a tussle with the mother of a dead State Department staffer, Clinton could gain nothing politically. Quite likely someone advised Trump of the same regarding Khans address last week before the Democrats. If so, the nominee should have heeded the advice. Instead, he unwittingly highlighted the demagogy that has highlighted his political campaign by suggesting that Khans wife stood silently by Khan during his speech because Islamic law forbade her speaking. Ghazala Khan later explained she was silent because she wasnt sure she could speak without losing her composure. So it goes in Election 2016. Instead of seriously discussing relevant issues including Clintons tenure as secretary of state and Trumps proposal that we hold off in accepting Muslim refugees till they can be properly vetted the presidential campaign continues to be lost in further bluster, vitriol and egotism. And, worse yet, we have three months more of all this to go. Saara and Stian Matthews of Astoria wore traditional clothing at the Tori (market) on Saturday at Naselle's Finnish-American Folk Festival. Stian was selling birdhouses that he had made with his grandfather. The Finnish American Folk Festival had an air of reunion about it. There were three class reunions and Naselle residents and relatives from near and far greeted each other and chatted in hallways, classrooms, at tables, at the market and in line for food. Even new visitors made connections. No one seemed to be a stranger. According to Anita Raistakka, 1,450 people signed the registration books, though not everyone who attended signed. There were visitors from 24 states and four foreign countries, including Canada, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom and Australia. "It seemed like there were more attendees than that," she said. "Many were first timers." Raistakka spoke of one man who visited the festival from Yakima. "He was in tears on Saturday because he found it all so meaningful and we were so welcoming to him," she said. "He stayed until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday to help us take down everything. I have a feeling we will see him many, many times at other Naselle events." Courtesy of Lisa Frink Dancers move around the traditional Maypole on Friday. Picture taken by Lisa Frink. There were lectures, traditional music and dancing, films, arts and crafts, food vendors and a market and more. Attendees could talk with someone about their genealogy or take in hundreds of pictures of Finnish American pioneers. The winners of the wife carry event were Sheriann and Peter Hakim from Salem. Paul Wirkkala of Olympia won the Nokia phone toss and Conor Smith won the boot toss. Sheriann Hakim, Wirkkala and Smith are all graduates of Naselle High School. Dylan Wirkkala won the men's Paavo Nurmi 5K with a time of 17:24. Samantha Shivji won the women's race with a time of 22:58. Raistakka expressed gratitude for the five adults and 15 youth who showed up on Monday from the North Creek Church in Vancouver to help set up for the event all week. WAHOO Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are no longer an option for children involved with Saunders County courts. The program, staffed by trained volunteers, provided judges with an additional set of eyes and ensured the rights and needs of children were being met. The program in the county started five years ago and was funded by a step-down Juvenile Justice grant, said Pam Lausterer, Youth Services Program Director for Saunders County. The Saunders County Board of Supervisors allocated $10,000 each of the last three years for the project directors contract. Susan Gottschalk was that director for the last five years. Gottschalk said she approached Lausterer and told her she intended to resign at the end of March. The decision was then made by the two that the program would not continue after June. Lausterer said the number of children served and their ages did not substantiate the need for the program and its grant to continue. The majority of children served were under the age of 12, and that age range falls under the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lausterer said. In 2012, 13 children were served. Only 14 were served the next year. Twenty-five children were served by the program in 2014, but only six last year. Eighteen volunteers were trained and sworn in as advocates over the last five years, Lausterer said. Lausterer said she, Gottschalk and Deputy County Attorney Duke Drouillard consulted Judge Patrick McDermott about the program and he agreed, but the numbers dont justify it. Child advocacy will now fall into the hands of the County Attorneys office, said Gottschalk. Im very confident they will be extremely helpful to families in that capacity, said Gottschalk. Once families are involved in the court process, the children in each case have their own lawyer, a guardian ad litem (GAL), appointed to them. This lawyer represents the children independently of their biological parents and is also an advocate their needs are being met. CASA advocates differ from this, as they are citizen volunteers and not part of the juvenile justice or foster care system in any other capacity. While the program no longer exists in Saunders County, it exists across the state and in many other states. Its existence in Saunders County might be resurrected at some point, as there is still funding available, Lausterer said. But, Lausterer said that if it returns, she has some suggestions for how it functions. She said she would like for CASA to develop its own 501C (non-profit) status. She would also like to see it develop its own board of directors, as the Youth Services board had allowed CASA to fall under its umbrella. All of Lausterers work with Youth Services is pre-trial not when children and families are involved in the court system. Going forward at this time, Gottschalk said the GALs were wonderful to work with and that they will do an amazing job advocating in the court system. Everybody I worked with across the board was amazing. I dont worry they (the children) wont be represented, Gottschalk said. WAHOO Wearing dark blue T-shirts with Tanner Hauck and Jessica Thomas set Oct. 1 wedding date, family and friends heard Douglas Cernys no contest plea in a Saunders County Court-room Thursday morning. Cerny, 43, of Osceola sat before Saunders County Court Judge Patrick McDermott facing two counts of misdemeanor mo-tor vehicle homicide after his involvement in the Jan. 24 double fatality west of Wahoo. Public Defender Darren Hartman, said that his client was prepared to plead guilty to the charges, but under legal advisement, plead no contest. McDermott told those gathered for the Aug. 4 proceedings that the no contest plea carried the same consequences as a guilty plea. However, it meant that his plea could not be held against him in any future civil cases. The two counts of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide charges were filed against Cerny May 12 in Saunders County after the Nebraska State Patrol reconstructed the accident. On Jan. 24, Thomas, 29, was westbound on Highway 92 with fiance Hauck, 32, as a passenger. According to the NSPs reconstruction, Cerny was northbound on Highway 77, ran a red light and collided with Thomas. Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene, and Hauck died five days following from sustained injuries. McDermott ordered a pre-sentencing investigation and set sentencing date in eight weeks. He said that was a longer pre-sentencing period than normal, but that it was warranted in this case due to time needed to gather victim impact and other information. Cernys sentencing is set for 11 a.m. on Sept. 29. GREENWOOD The Greenwood Board of Trustees has approved a plan to route 3-phase electrical power to Church Road. The project is contingent on the receipt of a third bid, but the board voted July 27 for a $75,000 plan presented by retired electrical engineer and Greenwood resident John Swain and developed by Board Chairman David Moll. The project would see the village bore 3-phase power from Main Street to the south side of Church Road at Highway 6. The town would benefit a great deal from the project, Swain said. We need this, the former village trustee said. We need this desperately. Currently, the west side of the village is served entirely by three overhead power lines, Swain said. That includes the Midwest Farmers Co-op station located along the railroad. In the event of an ice storm, windstorm or other disastrous event, the entire west side of the village could lose power if those lines were taken down. If these lines go down, we are almost totally reliant on OPPDs timeframe to repair, Moll wrote in a summary of the project given to board members. Power going out at the co-op also can have a significant impact on the village, Moll said. During the harvest season, the operation spends sometimes up to $20,000 a month on power. Thats a lot of revenue for the town, which brings in a lot of dollars through providing electrical power. Trustee Harry Swenson called it the villages cash cow. The village would be able to place a junction box near the Yoders storage facility. Workers would then bore underneath the highway and the railroad to connect that junction box set on West Street. Permits would need to be obtained from the Nebraska Department of Roads and from Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Moll estimated the permit cost for BNSF would run $600. The addition of three-phase power would hopefully allow the village to meet power needs as they change. Three-phase power gives the village the ability to effectively balance power sources throughout the town, reducing the chance of brownouts. The village struggled with overheating power motors a few years ago, but has since balanced the current power infrastructure. With the project calling for a junction box at each intersection, re-phasing power would be a quicker process. Those brownouts affected the villages primary businesses, the co-op, Yoders and Bakers Candies. The proposed project carried with it a pledge to make good on a promise made to one of those businesses 14 years ago. When Bakers moved to its present location in 2002, the village board at the time agreed to supply three-phase power to the business, Moll said. Over the last decade and a half, that hasnt happened. That wasnt exactly yesterday, Swain said. Theyve been very patient. The company representative Paul Baker was present at the meeting, and called the concern a pretty major issue. He cited issues with the buildings voltage going down, reducing their ability to produce as well as the revenue directed to the city. With plans to build a machine shop, the business is looking for a fix. Its almost a must, Baker said. Especially with some of the machines were going to add here. In Molls summary, he estimated Bakers pays an average of $1,660 a month on electrical power. The highest billing can reach upwards of $2,000. Bakers would negotiate with the village to pay for bringing the power from Church Road to the business. Were not looking for a hand-me-out, Baker said. Were just asking for what we were promised when we didnt fight annexation. Bringing three-phase power to Church Road will also aid the Village if it does expand in the future, Swain said. Any expansion would likely occur along Church Road to avoid flood plain issues on the west and train noise from the north or south. Were looking at the future, Swain said. Greenwood maintenance workers, reducing costs significantly from a $124,000 bid offered by OPPD, would complete much of the work on the project. The village would spend $62,203 this year and $13,264 in 2017 to fund the project. Money would come out of the villages power fund, which currently holds about $150,000, Moll said. Prior to holding the vote, Trustee Michelle Criswell said she would like to hold a public town hall meeting on the subject before final approval. Moll and Swain said they would rather see the project start as soon as possible. The board voted 3-1 to approve the project, with Criswell voting no. As far as the price tag is concerned, Swain said the work will more than pay for itself. Its 60 grand now, maybe 120, 130 grand in the future, he said. [August 03, 2016] Malaysia Unveils Smart Community Plans and Expands Internet of Things Business Opportunities KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia IoT Business Platform is co-hosting its 10th edition at Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur with the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS), Malaysia's national ICT R&D centre - under purview of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). Held in conjunction with the MyIoT Week, from 18th to 19th August 2016, the conference and exhibition will bring together government officials, public sectors, and business leaders in Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) sectors to discuss trends and opportunities of IoT, and its impact to businesses in Malaysia. In an interview at the previous edition, Helmi Halim, MIMOS's Senior Director & Head of Corporate Market Strategies, shared that IoT Malaysia is currently at its infancy stage, and the government will focus on value creation to implementation of IoT in strategic sectors. "IoT has definitely created new opportunities especially when it comes to industry applications and services; and we see immense growth opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We are working to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturing sector, and improve the Smart Community -- which links to enhancement of transportation for mobility in urban area sectors," explained Helmi. As an advisor to the conference agenda of Asia IoT Business Platform, Helmi emphasized the importance of real life examples and success stories of IoT, and invited solutions providers to collaborate and educate local public sectors and enterprises on their experiences in IoT. Besides MIMOS, the esteemed Advisory Board consists of leaders from Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science & Technology (CREST), Microsoft Malaysia, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Telekom Malaysia, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kontron Malaysia. Over 400 local enterprises senior management that are exploring solutions for business growth and efficiency will attend the event to learn from case studies presented by end users and solution providers. Industry Platform, organizer of Asia IoT Business Platform, recently conducted a survey among participants that have registered for the event. The results showed that 48.88% of local enterprises have started exploring and implementing IoT solutions, but only 4.17% have reported seeing the benefits of IoT implementation. The focus of Asia IoT Business Platform this year revolves around growing the IoT ecosystem in Malaysia. The 2-day conference will feature sessions including Smart Community, Smart Manufacturing, Healthcare, Intelligent Plantation and Transportation & Logistics. Malaysia is aiming to be the Premier Regional IoT Development Hub: in July 2015, it launched its National IoT Strategic Roadmap. IoT implementation is expected to contribute RM9.5 billion (US$ 2.5 billion) to the country's Gross National Income (GNI) by the year 2020 and RM42.5 billion (US$ 11.166 billion) by 2025. "Not only addressing the supply of IoT, we want to raise awareness among end users and create demand to drive digital adoption and economy growth. Our aim is turn Malaysia into a matured digital economy by 2020 -- to connect and empower government, business, people," said Dato' Ng Wan Peng, COO of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) at the previous event. Dato Ng Wan Peng will be a keynote speaker of the 10th edition of Asia IoT Business Platform, along with Dato' Sri Dr. Noorul Ainur Mohd. Nur, Secretary General of MOSTI and YB Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau, Minister of MOSTI. With M2M as a key target area, Maxis, the leading telecommunications operator in Malaysia, will take part in the discussions of IoT market trends in Malaysia as a telco sponsor. The conference is chaired by Microsoft, and sponsors include Hewlett Packard Enterprise, STMicroelectronics, Qlue, ATILZE, Huawei, ADLINK, MDT Innovations, Stratus, SL Information, Bright Box, NTT Communications, Da Fon Environmental Technology, Mawea Industries, Quantum Inventions, Axiros and DRVR. Supporting partners of the 10th edition of Asia IoT Business Platform include EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce (EUMCCI), American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), Malaysia Dutch Business Council (MDBC), Malaysian Industry Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce (AHK). Member companies are entitled to concessionary rates to participate at the conference and exhibition. About The Asia IoT Business Platform With a focus on local telecommunication companies and verticals, the Asia IoT Business Platform is an educational platform crafted by the industry, for the industry, with the aim of addressing key issues facing the adoption of IoT technologies in the ASEAN region. We drive enterprises to understand and learn about the adoption of IoT technologies for their business. Since its inception in 2013, the Asia IoT Business Platform has secured strong support from local governments and telecommunication companies for the past 8 editions. The 10th edition of Asia IoT Business Platform: IoT Malaysia will continue to explore opportunities and challenges within enterprise IoT, while providing ample networking and business matchmaking opportunities for IoT stakeholders. This is the third year running that the event will be held in Malaysia and will take place on 18-19 August 2016, after IoT Indonesia (15-16 August). The event is organized by Industry Platform Pte Ltd. For more information please visit www.iotbusiness-platform.com or follow us: LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/asiaiotbusinessplatform Twitter: https://twitter.com/AsiaIoT About Industry Platform Pte Ltd Industry Platform Pte Ltd is a Singapore incorporated firm focused on the global telecommunications sector. We are Southeast Asia's leading organizer of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) conferences and exhibitions. We work with local and global businesses, as well as public sector bodies and associations who are looking to expand their reach in Asian markets. We provide the best platforms for industry professionals to network and shape developments. For reviews, images or information please contact: Sue Yuin, Ho +65 6733 1107 [email protected] www.iotbusiness-platform.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 03, 2016] Toshiba Announces New BG SSDs with 3-Bit-Per-Cell (TLC) BiCS FLASHTM for Compact and Design-Forward Computing Devices Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), a committed technology leader, will showcase its new BG series solid state drive (SSD) family featuring cutting-edge BiCS FLASH with 3-bit-per-cell TLC (triple-level cell) technology and Toshiba's new single-package ball grid array (BGA) NVMe PCI (News - Alert) Express (PCIe) Gen3 x2 SSD at the 2016 Flash Memory Summit held in Santa Clara, California between August 8 - 11. Delivering a smaller footprint3, lower power consumption4 and better performance5 than traditional storage options, the BG SSD series is purpose-built for the future wave of ultra-thin mobile PCs, including 2-in-1 convertible notebooks and tablets. With a surface area 95 percent smaller than conventional 2.5-inch SATA storage devices and 82 percent smaller than M.2 Type 22806, the Toshiba (News - Alert) BG series condenses both the controller and NAND flash memory in a single 16mm x 20mm BGA package enabling device manufacturers to prioritize features like battery capacity for longer operating times. The BG series is also available mounted on a M.2 Type 22307 module for applications requiring socketed storage. BG SSDs utilize BiCS FLASH, a three-dimensional (3D) stacked cell structure8, making it possible to accommodate up to 512GB of storage capacity in this high-performance and compact form factor. Additionally, the BG series SSDs utilize an in-house Toshiba-developed controller and firmware for a full, vertically developed solution, ensuring technology is tightly integrated for optimal performance, power consumption and reliability. "We are thrilled to unveil the new BG series with BiCS FLASH which will deliver both a rich feature-set and high performance all within an extremely small footprint and power profile," said Jeremy Werner, vice president of SSD marketing and product planning at Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. "We expect to be in production this year with BiCS FLASH BGA SSDs, offering our customers a compelling and cost-effective storage solution for the next generation of high performance ultra-thin and light notebooks and tablets." To deliver a more compact and power efficient drive, while still delivering excellent performance in client workloads, the BG series implements the latest NVMe standard Host Memory Buffer (HMB) feature which will be shwcased during the 2016 Flash Memory Summit as a reference exhibition. HMB allocates and employs host DRAM for flash management purposes in contrast to alternative solutions that contain costly and power-hungry dedicated DRAM to perform similar functions. Host Memory Buffer technology can enable increased performance over solutions without DRAM by storing lookup data on host memory to reduce access times for commonly accessed data. The Toshiba BG SSD Family will be available in 128GB, 256GB or 512GB capacities in both a 16mm x 20mm package (M.2 Type 1620) or a removable M.2 Type 2230 module. Samples of Toshiba BGA SSDs are initially available for limited PC OEM customers, and will be available for other customers to develop with in the fourth calendar quarter of 2016. For more information on Toshiba's line of storage solutions and NAND Flash Memory solutions, please visit: http://toshiba.semicon-storage.com. To connect with Toshiba Storage, follow @ToshibaStorage on Twitter (News - Alert). About Toshiba Corp. and Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs. Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, VARs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide. A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, solid state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), discrete devices, custom SoCs/ASICs, imaging products, microcontrollers, wireless components, mobile peripheral devices, advanced materials and medical tubes that make possible today's leading smartphones, tablets, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics, industrial applications, enterprise solutions and more. Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor, solid state drive and hard disk drive manufacturer and the world's seventh largest semiconductor manufacturer (Gartner (News - Alert), 2015 Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue, January, 2016). Founded in Tokyo in 1875, Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 550 consolidated companies employing over 188,000 people worldwide. Visit Toshiba's web site at http://toshiba.semicon-storage.com. BiCS FLASH is a trademark of Toshiba Corporation. PCIe and PCI Express is registered trademark of PCI-SIG 2016 Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. All rights reserved. Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications. 1 Definition of capacity: Toshiba defines a megabyte (MB) as 1,000,000 bytes, a gigabyte (GB) as 1,000,000,000 bytes and a terabyte (TB) as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. A computer operating system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1TB = 240 = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes and therefore shows less storage capacity. Available storage capacity (including examples of various media files) will vary based on file size, formatting, settings, software and operating system, such as Microsoft (News - Alert) Operating System and/or pre-installed software applications, or media content. Actual formatted capacity may vary 2 As of August 3, 2016, Toshiba survey 3 Compared to M.2 Type 2280-S2 4 Compared to Toshiba's existing SATA SSD devices 5 Compared to SATA SSD devices in the aspect of sequential read performance 6 M.2 Type 2280-S2 7 M.2 Type 2230-S3 and M.2 Type 2230-S4 8 A structure stacking flash memory cells vertically on a silicon substrate to realize significant density improvements over planar NAND flash memory, where cells are formed on the silicon substrate. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160803006780/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] SmartBear Presents on Automated GUI Testing at Visual Studio Live! Rick Almeida, Sales Engineer at SmartBear Software, the leader in software quality tools for the connected world, is presenting, "Automated GUI Testing with TestLeft and C#," at Visual Studio Live!, taking place on Monday, August 8 - Friday, August 12, 2016 at Microsoft (News - Alert) Headquarters in Redmond, Washington. SmartBear is exhibiting its award-winning testing automation and dev collaboration tools. Visual Studio Live! provides attendees with cutting-edge techniques needed to solve development challenges with shipping or soon to be shipping technologies compatible with the .NET (News - Alert) Framework and Visual Studio. WHAT: SmartBear at Visual Studio Live: Rick Almeida Presenting, "Automated GUI Testing with TestLeft and C#," - Tuesday, August 9, 2016, 5:15 p.m. - 5:35 p.m. PDT Birds of a Feather Lunch - designated speaker, Rick Almeida, is discussing facilitating collaboration across the extended development team at lunchtime - Wednesday, August 10 Demonstrations of SmartBear's Testing Automation and Dev Collaboration Tools - Monday, August 8 - Friday, August 12, 2016 WHERE: Microsoft Headquarters, Microsoft Conference Center (Building 33), 16070 N.E. 36th Way Redmond, Washington TestLeft by SmartBear is a powerful yet lightweight functional testing tool built specifically for dev-testers in Agile (News - Alert) teams who like to author tests within IDEs such as Visual Studio. Multiple built-in features of TestLeft, such as an easy access to object and method library, help reduce test creation and maintenance time. In this presentation, attendees learn how TestLeft can help to create robust functional automated tests right from Visual Studio. For more information, visit: https://smartbear.com/product/testleft/overview/. Fully integrated with Visual Studio, SmartBear's Collaborator, the leading dev collaboration tool, helps development, testing and management teams work together to produce high quality code, applications and services. For more information, visit: https://smartbear.com/product/collaborator/free-trial/. Follow @CollaboratorSB on Twitter (News - Alert). SmartBear has a complete suite of award-winning testing automation tools, including automated testing platform, TestComplete, LoadComplete, the industry leading performance and load testing tool for Web and mobile assets, and test management tool, QAComplete. SmartBear's API Readiness framework, Ready! API, is a unified set of graphical and code-based testing tools that includes SoapUI NG for functional testing, LoadUI NG Pro for load testing, ServiceV Pro for API service virtualization, Secure Pro for dynamic API security testing and TestServer for Continuous Integration environments. SmartBear is a Gold Sponsor of Visual Studio Live. For more information, visit: https://vslive.com/events/redmond-2016/home.aspx. About SmartBear Software As the leader in software quality tools for the connected world, SmartBear supports more than four million software professionals and over 25,000 organizations in 194 countries that use its products to build and deliver the world's greatest applications. With today's applications deploying on mobile, Web, desktop, Internet of Things (IoT) or even embedded computing platforms, the connected nature of these applications through public and private APIs presents a unique set of challenges for developers, testers and operations teams. SmartBear's software quality tools assist with code review, functional and load testing, API readiness as well as performance monitoring of these modern applications. For more information, visit: http://smartbear.com, or for the SmartBear community, go to: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. All trademarks recognized. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005656/en/ Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. [August 04, 2016] Adform's Global Expansion Continues into India Through Strategic Partnership with Zirca Digital Adform (www.adform.com), the independent and open full stack ad-tech platform serving media agencies, trading desks, advertisers and publishers globally, today announced a strategic partnership with Zirca Digital Solutions (www.zirca.in), an independent digital media and brand solutions company. With this partnership, Zirca Digital Solutions has been selected as the exclusive partner and reseller of Adform's products and services in India with a focus on offering Adform's third-party ad server (TPAS) and rich-media offerings to agencies, advertisers and publishers in the market. Although digital advertising is still comparatively small, the Indian market represents a significant opportunity for the industry. With 277 million1 active Internet users, India has more digitally connected people than the US, and is second only to China. Mobile internet adoption continues to climb, giving national and global advertisers an attractive option for reaching and engaging India's consumers. India also has a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, which will contribute to the growth of the digital advertising ecosystem. As an established and respected partner to local and global publishers, advertisers and platforms in India, ZIRCA is uniquely positioned to offer Adform's buy-side and sell-side platforms. As Adform's exclusive full-service partner, ZIRCA takes full responsibility for sales outreach, contracting, campaign management, creative services, as well as local invoicing and collection. "The Indian economy has significant upsides, and the potential to become one of the biggest and most interesting online advertising markets in the world," said Christian Duus, SVP f Corporate Development for Adform. "This partnership is strategic to our global expansion plans, in that we are eager to build a business foundation and the Adform brand before the market takes off. We selected ZIRCA as our partner because of their track record, local market knowledge and because they align closely to our values. Like Adform, ZIRCA is highly service-oriented, believes in longstanding business relations and is a strong advocate of transparency, which is critical for building trust in the industry." For ZIRCA, the partnership represents an opportunity to offer a unique and leading ad tech platform to a market which has a huge need for innovative advertising technology in order to support the growth in digital advertising for a true mobile first country. "Adform has embarked on a continuous path of innovation, introducing a dazzling array of high-impact ad formats and fully streamlined and automated technology. The company has moved the whole industry forward in exciting ways, and we're delighted to bring this amazing breadth of technology to the Indian digital advertising ecosystem," said Neena Dasgupta, CEO of ZIRCA. Adding to it: "We are excited to work with one of Europe's leading Ad tech companies. Through our comprehensive partnership strategy we are confident that together we will be able to establish Adform's business in the Indian market with the same global execution standards that have garnered Adform such a distinction in the industry," said Karan Gupta, MD of ZIRCA. About Adform Adform is the independent and open full stack ad-tech platform that encompasses data, creativity and trading, servicing media agencies, trading desks, advertisers and publishers globally. All of our solutions are modular and easily inter-operate with all major technologies used throughout the digital advertising ecosystem. Adform was founded in Denmark in 2002 and is among the world's largest private and independent advertising technology companies. With offices in 18 countries, Adform has more than 700 employees globally throughout Europe, North America and APAC. Visit http://www.adform.com or http://join.adform.com for more information. About ZIRCA Digital Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ZIRCA is an independent digital media and brand Solutions Company that helps brand custodians achieves digital excellence via custom advertising and content solutions. ZIRCA represents multiple Indian and global publishers and platforms, and enables them to monetize their digital assets through digital media and sales evangelization. Their esteemed client list includes Microsoft (News - Alert), Bing, MediaMath, The Economist Group, Outbrain, TubeMogul among others. The Brand Solutions vertical of ZIRCA focuses on building content as a means of brand communication. It provides bespoke Content-led solutions and Rich Media solutions to brands. 1 Source (News - Alert): Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, 2016 Internet Trends Report, p. 7. Published May 31, 2016 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005246/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] ALLETE, Inc. operates as an energy company. The company operates through Regulated Operations, ALLETE Clean Energy, and Corporate and Other segments. It generates electricity from coal-fired, biomass co-fired / natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The company provides regulated utility electric services in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 13,000 natural gas customers, and 10,000 water customers, as well as regulated utility electric services in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 145,000 retail customers and 15 non-affiliated municipal customers. It also owns and maintains electric transmission assets in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. In addition, the company focuses on developing, acquiring, and operating clean and renewable energy projects; and owns and operates approximately 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation facility. Further, it is involved in the coal mining operations in North Dakota; and real estate investment activities in Florida. The company owns and operates 158 substations with a total capacity of 10,066 megavolt amperes. It serves taconite mining, paper, pulp and secondary wood products, pipeline, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Minnesota Power, Inc. and changed its name to ALLETE, Inc. in May 2001. ALLETE, Inc. was incorporated in 1906 and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. The following companies are subsidiares of Prudential Financial: 210-220 E. 22nd Street SSGA Owner LLC, AIG Edison, AIG Star, AREF Cayman Co Ltd., AREF GP II Pte. Ltd., AREF GP Ltd., ASPF II - Feeder Fund GmbH, ASPF II - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, ASPF II Management GmbH, ASPF III Scots L.P., ASSURANCE, AST Investment Services Inc., Adlerwerke CB Investment LLC, Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Habitat S.A., Administradora de Inversiones Previsionales SpA, Aoba Life Insurance Company, Aoba Life Insurance Company Ltd., Asia Property Fund III GP S.a.r.l., Assurance IQ LLC, Assurance Intelligence LLC, BSC CP LP, Braeloch Holdings Inc., Braeloch Successor Corporation, Brazilian Capital Fund GP Limited, Broad Street Global Advisors LLC, Broome Street Holdings LLC, CB German Retail LLC, CLIS Co. Ltd., COLICO INC., Capital Agricultural Property Services Inc., Chadwick Boulevard Investment Holdings Co. LLC, Cibecue LLC, Coconino LLC, Colico II Inc., Columbus Drive Partners L.P., Commerce Street Holdings LLC, Commerce Street Investments LLC, Coolidge LLC, Coral Reef GP, Coral Reef L.P., Coral Reef Unit Trust, Cottage Street Investments LLC, Cottage Street Orbit Acquisition LLC, DICKENS AVENUE HOLDINGS VI LLC, DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI Ireland L.P., DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI US L.P., Dale/P Minerals Limited Partnership, Don Cesar Investor LLC, Dryden Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Dryden Finance II LLC, EVP II GP S.a r.l., EVP II Horizon GP S.a r.l., EVP II Sprint GP S.a r.l., Edison Place Senior Note LLC, Essex LLC, EuroCore GP S.a r.l., European Value Partners GP S.a.r.l., Everbright PGIM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Flagstaff LLC, GA 1600 Commons LLC, GA 333 Hennepin Investor LLC, GA BV LLC, GA Bay Area GP LLC, GA Bay Area Investor LLC, GA Belden LLC, GA CLARENDON LLC, GA Cal Crossings LLC, GA Collins LLC, GA E. 22nd Street Apartments Holdings LLC, GA East 86 Street LLC, GA JHCII LLC, GA MENLO PARK INVESTOR LLC, GA Manor at Harbour Island LLC, GA Metro LLC, GA TRITON INVESTOR LLC, GA W Paces LLC, GA/MDI 333 Hennepin Associates LLC, GIBRALTAR BSN HOLDINGS SDN BHD, GIBRALTAR INDIA SOLUTIONS LLP, Gateway Holdings II LLC, Gateway Holdings LLC, German Retail Income CP LP, Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad, Gibraltar International Insurance Services Company Inc., Gibraltar International Service LLC, Gibraltar Reinsurance Company Ltd., Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company, Glenealy International Limited, Global Portfolio Strategies Inc., Gold GP Limited, Gold II L.P., Gold L.P., Graham Resources Inc., Graham Royalty Ltd., Green Harvest Asset Management LLC, Green Tree GP, Green Tree L.P., Greenlee LLC, Halsey Street Investments LLC, Hirakata LLC, IVP Fund GP LLC, Impact Investments Bridges UK S.a.r.l, Inter-Atlantic G Fund L.P., Inversiones Previsionales Chile SpA, Inversiones Previsionales Dos SpA, Ironbound Fund LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Kyarra S.a r.l., Kyoei Annuity Home Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Kyouei Nenkin Home, LINEUP LLC, Lake Street Partners IV L.P., Lotus Reinsurance Company Ltd., MC GA COLLINS HOLDINGS LLC, MC GA COLLINS REALTY LLC, MC Insurance Agency Services LLC, Manor at Harbour Island LLC, Marble Canyon LLC, Maricopa LLC, Market Street Holdings IV LLC, Montana Capital Partners, Morenci LLC, Mulberry Street Holdings LLC, Mulberry Street Investment L.P., Mulberry Street Partners LLC, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services LLC, MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, National Family Assurance Group LLC, New Savanna, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund A LP, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund II - A LP, Orchard Street Acres Inc., PAI Bay Farm LLC, PAI Bayrock Groves LLC, PAI Belvidere Farms LLC, PAI Big Cypress Farm LLC, PAI Corcoran 640 Ranch LLC, PAI DeKalb Farm LLC, PAI Delano 1500 Ranches LLC, PAI Desert Falcon Farms Manager LLC, PAI Flicker Orchard LLC, PAI Good Hope Farm LLC, PAI Hawk Creek Ranch LLC, PAI Hills Valley Ranches LLC, PAI Holly Hill Groves LLC, PAI Hunt Farm LLC, PAI Jackson Bayou Farm LLC, PAI Lake Placid Groves LLC, PAI River Bend Ranches LLC, PAI Wallula Gap Vineyard LLC, PCP V Cayman AIV GP L.P., PEREF II Co-Invest 1 GP S.a r.l., PEREF II GP S.a r.l., PFI EM-Tech Fund I LLC, PG Business Service Co. Ltd, PG Collection Service Co. Ltd., PG Friendly Partners Co. Ltd., PGA Asian Retail Limited, PGA European Limited, PGI Co. Ltd, PGIM AC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM AVP IV GP S.a r.l., PGIM Advisory Shanghai Co. Ltd., PGIM Agricultural Investments GP LLC, PGIM Australia Pty Ltd, PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Fund L.P., PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Partners LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Feeder VI LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Fund VI L.P., PGIM Custom Harvest LLC, PGIM DC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC JV GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC Solutions LLC, PGIM European Financing Limited, PGIM European Services Limited, PGIM Financial Limited, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund II L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives GP LLC, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives II GP LLC, PGIM Foreign Investments Inc., PGIM Holding Company LLC, PGIM Holdings Limited, PGIM Hong Kong Ltd., PGIM INDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM INDIA TRUSTEES PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM IRELAND LIMITED, PGIM Inc., PGIM International Financing Inc., PGIM Investments Ireland Limited, PGIM Investments LLC, PGIM Japan Co. Ltd., PGIM Korea Inc., PGIM LTIF Berlin GP S.a r.l., PGIM LTIF Berlin MLP S.ar.l., PGIM LTIF GP S.a.r.l., PGIM Limited, PGIM Loan Originator Manager Limited, PGIM M Campus GP S.a r.l., PGIM Management Partner Limited, PGIM MetaProp Investor LP LLC, PGIM Netherlands B.V., PGIM Overseas Investment Fund Management Shanghai Company Ltd, PGIM Private Capital Ireland Limited, PGIM Private Capital Limited, PGIM Private Placement Investors Inc., PGIM Private Placement Investors L.P., PGIM QUANTITATIVE SOLUTIONS LLC, PGIM REF EUROPE SCSp, PGIM REF Europe GP S.a r.l., PGIM REF Europe Member LLC, PGIM REF Intermediary Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate CD S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Capital VII GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest L.P., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest SCSp, PGIM Real Estate Co-Invest Holdings LLC, PGIM Real Estate Debt GmbH, PGIM Real Estate Finance Holding Company, PGIM Real Estate Finance LLC, PGIM Real Estate France SAS, PGIM Real Estate Germany AG, PGIM Real Estate Global Debt GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Global Master Fund GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles II S de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles S. de R.L. de C.V, PGIM Real Estate Italy S.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Japan Ltd., PGIM Real Estate Loan Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate Luxembourg S.A., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Management Luxembourg S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C., PGIM Real Estate S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate U.S. CORE Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate U.S. Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate UK Limited, PGIM Scots Limited, PGIM Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management (Feeder) I LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management Fund I L.P., PGIM Shanghai Company Ltd., PGIM Singapore Pte. Ltd., PGIM Strategic Financing LLC, PGIM Strategic Investments Inc., PGIM Taronga Investor GP LLC, PGIM U.S. Agriculture Fund LP, PGIM USPF VI Manager LLC, PGIM Wadhwani LLP, PGIM Warehouse Inc., PGLH of Delaware Inc., PIFM Holdco LLC, PIIC Limited, PIISC Holdings UK Limited, PIM KF Blocker V Holdings LLC, PIM USPF V Manager LLC, PLA Administradora Industrial SRL, PLA Administradora LLC, PLA Administradora S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional II S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional S.de R.L. de C.V., PLA Co-Investor LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager I LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager II LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Blue LP, PLA Retail Fund I Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LP, PLA Retail Fund II Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II U.S. Carry/Co-Invest LP, PLA Services Manager Mexico LLC, PLAI Limited, PMCF Holdings LLC, PMCF Properties LLC, PPPF General Partner LLP, PR GA SCP Apartments LLC, PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP LLP, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP SCOTS FEEDER LLP, PRECO Account IV LLC, PRECO Account Partnership IV LP, PRECO III GP LLP, PREFG Hanwha Manager LLC, PREI Acquisition I Inc., PREI Acquisition II Inc., PREI Acquisition LLC, PREI HYDG LLC, PREI International Inc., PRIAC Property Acquisitions LLC, PRICOA Management Partner Limited, PRISA Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Pooled Manager LLC, PRISA III Fund GP LLC, PRISA III Fund PIM LLC, PRREF Debt Fund Manager LLC, PRREF II Fund Manager LLC, PRU 3XSquare LLC, PRUCO LLC, PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL ENERGY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT (FEEDER) LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP MEMBER LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP REIT LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE 2 LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE LLC, PT PFI Mega Life Insurance, Passaic Fund LLC, Pine Tree GP, Pine Tree L.P., Platinum GP Limited, Platinum II L.P., Platinum L.P., Pramerica Business Consulting Shanghai Company Limited, Pramerica EVP CP LP, Pramerica Financial Asia Headquarters Pte. Ltd., Pramerica Financial Asia Limited, Pramerica Fixed Income Funds Management Limited, Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Pramerica Holdings Ltd, Pramerica Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Pramerica Insurance Agency China Company Ltd., Pramerica Luxembourg CP GP S.a.r.l., Pramerica PRECAP I GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP II GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP III GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP IV GP LLP, Pramerica Pan European Real Estate Scots LP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I Scotland Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital II Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital III Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Limited, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Netherlands GP LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital VI Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Scots CP GP LLP, Preco III Scotland Limited Partnership, Pru 101 Wood LLC, Pru Alpha Partners I LLC, Pru Fixed Income Emerging Markets Partners I LLC, PruVen Capital Partners Fund I L.P., Pruco Assignment Corporation, Pruco Life Insurance Company, Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, Pruco Securities LLC, Prudential 900 Aviation Boulevard LLC, Prudential Affordable Mortgage Company LLC, Prudential Agricultural Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Annuities Distributors Inc., Prudential Annuities Holding Company Inc., Prudential Annuities Inc., Prudential Annuities Information Services & Technology Corporation, Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Captive Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Universal Company, Prudential Bank & Trust FSB, Prudential Capital Energy Opportunity Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners Management Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Partners Management Fund IV L.P., Prudential Capital and Investment Services LLC, Prudential Chile II SpA, Prudential Chile SpA, Prudential Commercial Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Equity Group LLC, Prudential Financial Inc., Prudential Fixed Income Global Liquidity Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Fixed Income U.S. Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Funding LLC, Prudential General Services of Japan Y.K., Prudential Gibraltar Agency Co. Ltd. Prudential Gibraltar Agency Kabushiki Kaisha, Prudential Global Funding LLC, Prudential Holdings of Japan Inc., Prudential Huntoon Paige Associates LLC, Prudential IBH Holdco Inc., Prudential Impact Investments Mortgage Loans LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Debt LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Equity LLC, Prudential Insurance Agency LLC, Prudential International Insurance Holdings Ltd., Prudential International Insurance Service Company L.L.C., Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC, Prudential International Investments Company LLC, Prudential International Investments LLC, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, Prudential Japan Holdings LLC, Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 1 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 2 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Capital Asset Holding Company LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC, Prudential Multifamily Mortgage LLC, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC, Prudential Newark Realty LLC, Prudential QOZ Investment Fund 1 LLC, Prudential Realty Securities Inc., Prudential Retirement Financial Services Holding LLC, Prudential Retirement Holdings LLC, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, Prudential Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., Prudential Seguros S.A., Prudential Select Strategies LLC, Prudential Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Prudential Structured Settlement Company, Prudential Systems Japan Limited, Prudential Tax Services LLC, Prudential Term Reinsurance Company, Prudential Trust Co. Ltd., Prudential Trust Company, Prudential Universal Reinsurance Company, Prudential Workplace Solutions Group Services LLC, Prudential do Brasil Seguros de Vida S.A., Prudential do Brasil Vida em Grupo S.A., Prudential/TMW Real Estate Group LLC, Pruservicos Participacoes Ltda., QMA JP EM All Cap Equity Partners LLC, Quartzsite LLC, Residential Services Corporation of America LLC, Rio CP LP, Rock European Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock Global Real Estate LLC, Rock Kensington Limited, Rock Marty GP S.a r.l., Rock Oxford S.a r.l., Rock UK Real Estate II S.a.r.l., Rockstone Co. Ltd., Rosado Grande LLC, Ross Avenue Energy Fund Holdings LLC, Ross Avenue Minerals 2012 LLC, SCP Apartments LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERS VI GP LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FUND VI GP LLC, SHP IV Carried Interest LP, SHP V Carried Interest L.P., SMP Holdings Inc., SVIIT Holdings Inc., Sanei Collection Service Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Sanei Shuuno Service, Senior Housing Partners V LLC, Senior Housing Partnership Fund V LLC, Sterling Private Placement Management LLP, Stetson Street Partners L.P., Strand Investments Limited, TBG Insurance Services Corporation, TENSATOR HOLDINGS LTD, TF Proveedora S.C., TMW ASPF I Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, TMW ASPF Management GmbH, TMW Management LLC, TMW Real Estate Group LLC, TMW Realty Advisors LLC, TMW USPF Verwaltungs GmbH, TRGOAG Company Inc., The Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Keynes Dynamic Beta Strategy US Fund GP LLC, The Prudential Assigned Settlement Services Corp., The Prudential Brazilian Capital Fund LP, The Prudential Gibraltar Financial Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Prudential Home Mortgage Company Inc., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., The Prudential Real Estate Financial Services of America Inc., The WMF Group, Thurloe Commercial Guernsey Limited, USPF V - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, USPF V Carry LLC, USPF V Co-Invest LLC, USPF V Investment LP, United States Property Fund VI GP S.a r.l., VIP Australia Holding Company LLC, VIP Australia Trustee Pty Ltd, Vailsburg Fund LLC, Vantage Casualty Insurance Company, Wabash Avenue Holdings V LLC, Wabash Avenue Partners V L.P., Wadhwani Capital Limited, Waveland Avenue Holdings I LLC, Waveland Avenue Partners I Ireland L.P., Waveland Avenue Partners I US L.P., Wellness Services Ecossistema De Bem Estar Ltda., Wellness Services SRL, Yamato Life, and Yavapai LLC. Read More Empty and derelict pubs in Waterford can now be converted into houses without the need for planning permission. The Minister for Housing Darragh OBrien has... CHANGES to the junction between New Street and Barrack Street have backfired, becoming yet another source of traffic chaos in the heart of the... A Garda sergeant, who was seen assaulting a member of the Traveller community, was not prosecuted or disciplined over the incident, it has emerged. The... IF you are one of those parents who bought your child a bicycle for the new year but are struggling to find somewhere to... Valentines Day is a time to reflect and appreciate the relationships in our lives. However, it can also be a time to reflect on... Port of Waterford has estimated that it would generate 3.5m this summer with the return of cruise ships for the first time in two... Who said royal commissions don't matter? For as long as Labor was holding out the prospect of one in the lead up to the election, the banks behaved themselves. On the first Tuesday in May, as Labor ramped up its rhetoric about a commission and the Prime Minister prepared to call the election, the big four banks passed on almost every cent of the Reserve Bank's 0.25 point rate cut. Westpac, the Commonwealth and the NAB passed on the entire 0.25 points, the ANZ passed on 0.19. But with the election out of the way and the Coalition returned (with financial support from the banks that will be revealed shortly) they are once again acting as they would have were their behaviour not about be dissected by a royal commission: they are hanging on to a good deal of the largess the Reserve Bank handed them on Tuesday and using it to shore up their profits instead of helping their customers. No other Australian businesses, with the possible exception of Telstra, act as if they have the right to maintain their profits no matter what. Most are busy cutting their margins to keep customers. Controversial spit masks similar to those used on juvenile inmates in the Northern Territory have been deployed on asylum seekers in Australian immigration detention, and authorities reserve the right to use the equipment on children. The revelation shows that contentious restraint methods are being used against vulnerable people in all types of Australian detention facilities, and are not limited to the NT youth justice system. Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has called for a national monitoring system for all forms of detention, including scrutiny of restraint methods. Harrowing Four Corners footage showing Abu Ghraib-style "spit hoods" being deployed against children in the Don Dale youth centre was widely condemned, forcing the NT and West Australian governments to suspend or abolish their use against detainees in juvenile justice. In WA, spit hoods have reportedly been replaced with surgical masks and eye shields for staff, following a trial of that protection method. A police officer looks on during a mass in tribute to priest Jacques Hamel who was killed by two attackers at the Saint Etienne church, in the Cathedral Notre Dame in Rouen, Normandy, France. Credit:AP And through the coordinating role played by al-Adnani, terror planning has gone hand-in-hand with the group's extensive propaganda operations - including, Sarfo claimed, monthly meetings in which al-Adnani chose which grisly videos to promote based on battlefield events. Based on the accounts of operatives arrested so far, the Emni has become the crucial cog in the group's terrorism machinery, and its trainees led the Paris attacks and built the suitcase bombs used in a Brussels airport terminal and subway station. Investigation records show that its foot soldiers have also been sent to Austria, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia. A French flag lays on the ground next to flowers and candles as a tribute to the victims of the Bastille Day Terror Attack on the Promenade des Anglais on July 16, 2016 in Nice, France. Credit:Getty Images With European officials stretched by a string of assaults by seemingly unconnected attackers who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, Sarfo suggested that there may be more of a link than the authorities yet know. He said he was told that undercover operatives in Europe used new converts as go-betweens, or "clean men," who help link up people interested in carrying out attacks with operatives who can pass on instructions on everything from how to make a suicide vest to how to credit their violence to the Islamic State. The group has sent "hundreds of operatives" back to the European Union, with "hundreds more in Turkey alone," according to a senior US intelligence official and a senior US defence official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. Harry Sarfo, a former Islamic State fighter, inside the maximum-security prison in Oldenburg, Germany, Credit:Gordon Welters Sarfo, who was recently moved out of solitary confinement at his German prison because he is no longer considered violent, agrees with that assessment. "Many of them have returned," he said. "Hundreds, definitely." The first port of call for new arrivals to the Islamic State is a network of dormitories in Syria, just across the border from Turkey. There, recruits are interviewed and inventoried. An IS-defector has given insights into the group's strategy, including in the attack on a Tunisian beach resort in 2015. Credit:Tunisia TV1/AP Sarfo checked all the necessary boxes, and on the third day after his arrival, the members of the Emni came to ask for him. He wanted to fight in Syria and Iraq, but the masked operatives explained that they had a vexing problem. "They told me that there aren't many people in Germany who are willing to do the job," Sarfo said soon after his arrest last year, according to the transcript of his interrogation by German officials, which runs more than 500 pages. "They said they had some in the beginning. But one after another, you could say, they chickened out, because they got scared - cold feet. Same in England." Harry Sarfo Credit:Gordon Welters By contrast, the group had more than enough volunteers for France. "My friend asked them about France," Sarfo said. "And they started laughing. But really serious laughing, with tears in their eyes. They said, 'Don't worry about France.''Mafi mushkilah' - in Arabic, it means 'no problem.'" That conversation took place in April 2015, seven months before the coordinated killings in Paris in November, the worst terrorist attack in Europe in over a decade. While some details of Sarfo's account cannot be verified, his statements track with what other recruits related in their interrogations. And both prison officials and the German intelligence agents who debriefed Sarfo after his arrest said they found him credible. June 2015: Tourists pay tribute to 38 people killed at Marhaba beach in Sousse by a terrorist attack. Credit:Getty Images Since the rise of the Islamic State over two years ago, intelligence agencies have been collecting nuggets on the Emni. Originally, the unit was tasked with policing the Islamic State's members, including conducting interrogations and ferreting out spies, according to interrogation records and analysts. But French members arrested in 2014 and 2015 explained that the Emni had taken on a new portfolio: projecting terror abroad. "It's the Emni that ensures the internal security inside Dawla" - the Arabic word for state - "and oversees external security by sending abroad people they recruited, or else sending individuals to carry out violent acts, like what happened in Tunisia inside the museum in Tunis, or else the aborted plot in Belgium," said Nicolas Moreau, 32, a French citizen who was arrested last year after leaving the Islamic State in Syria, according to his statement to France's domestic intelligence agency. Moreau explained that he had run a restaurant in Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital of the group's territory, where he had served meals to key members of the Emni - including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the on-the-ground commander of the Paris attacks, who was killed in a standoff with the police days later. Other interrogations, as well as Sarfo's account, have led investigators to conclude that the Emni also trained and dispatched the gunman who opened fire on a beach in Sousse, Tunisia, in June, and the man who prepared the Brussels airport bombs. Records from French, Austrian and Belgian intelligence agencies show that at least 28 operatives recruited by the Emni succeeded in deploying to countries outside of the Islamic State's core territory, mounting both successful attacks and plots that were foiled. Officials say that dozens of other operatives have slipped through and formed sleeper cells. In his own interactions with the Emni, Sarfo realised that they were preparing a global portfolio of terrorists and looking to fill holes in their international network, he said. In his briefings with the German authorities, and again in the interview this week, Sarfo raised the possibility that some of the recent attackers in Europe who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State's leader during their assaults might have a more direct link to the group than officials believe. Sarfo explained that the Emni keeps many of its operatives underground in Europe. They act as nodes that can remotely activate potential suicide attackers who have been drawn in by propaganda. Linking them are what Sarfo called "clean men," new converts to Islam with no established ties to radical groups. "These people are not in direct contact with these guys who are doing the attacks, because they know if these people start talking, they will get caught," he said of the underground operatives. The intelligence documents and Sarfo agree that the Islamic State has made the most of its recruits' nationalities by sending them back to plot attacks at home. Yet one important region where the Emni is not thought to have succeeded in sending trained attackers is North America, Sarfo said, recalling what the members of the branch told him. Though dozens of Americans have become members of the Islamic State, and some have been recruited into the external operations wing, "they know it's hard for them to get Americans into America" once they have traveled to Syria, he said. "For America and Canada, it's much easier for them to get them over the social network, because they say the Americans are dumb - they have open gun policies," he said. "They say we can radicalise them easily, and if they have no prior record, they can buy guns, so we don't need to have no contact man who has to provide guns for them." During his time in Syria, Sarfo was contacted by other German fighters who wanted him to be an actor in a propaganda film aimed at German speakers. They drove to Palmyra, and Sarfo was told to hold the group's black flag and to walk again and again in front of the camera as they filmed repeated takes. Syrian captives were forced to kneel, and the other German fighters shot them, showing an interest only in the cinematic effect. One turned to Sarfo immediately after killing a victim and asked: "How did I look like? Did I look good, the way I executed?" MATTOON -- There is a great opportunity available for students attending Lake Land College for the 2016-2017 school year. Students can meet new friends, gain leadership skills, build a resume and earn a scholarship by becoming a Lake Land College Student Ambassador. Student Ambassador applications are now being accepted for the upcoming school year. As an ambassador, students are selected to serve as official college representatives at events such as college fairs and high school visits. In addition, ambassadors conduct campus tours and assist with special functions sponsored by the college. Being a Student Ambassador is a prestigious position on campus, said Lisa Shelton, director of new student admissions. Our ambassadors gain invaluable leadership skills and have a lot of fun at the same time. As a Student Ambassador, each student will receive official Lake Land College Student Ambassador apparel and get to take part in specific trainings and special activities, exclusively for the team members. Ambassadors who complete requirements will receive a $500 scholarship from Lake Land College for their year of service. Requirements include: participating in training sessions; attending regularly scheduled weekly meetings; serving as an official representative of Lake Land College at career fairs, high school visits and other events that involve student recruitment; conducting campus tours; assisting with student registration during the fall and spring semesters; participating in telephone and letter writing campaigns; and completing at least 10 credits of activities each semester. Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible to be considered for a Student Ambassador position: Be enrolled on campus at least half-time for both the fall and spring semesters during the year of application. Have a Lake Land College cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 as calculated by the college. Applications must be received by Friday, Sept. 2 and personal interviews will be conducted Sept. 6-9. Application materials are available at lakelandcollege.edu/ss/sl/sa/. To request a printed copy of the application or for other inquiries, contact Shelton at 217-234-5254 or lshumard-shelton@lakelandcollege.edu. During the 127th/128th Sessions of the Council in July 2016, the Delegates of the Russian Federation and Turkey informed the Council that they had settled their differences over the Harmonized System (HS) classification of certain sodium sulphate products. As a consequence, the decisions on the classification of the following two products, taken by the HS Committee at its 56th Session in September 2015, are deemed to be approved as from 1 December 2015 : classification in heading 25.30 (subheading 2530.90) of a white loose powder containing more than 99.2% by weight of anhydrous disodium sulphate, obtained by mechanical collection of thenardite formed in the open air on the surface of mirabilite which crystallised from natural lake brine due to low temperature in winter. Prior to packing, the product has been sieved through a sieve with an aperture of 0.65 mm. (Product 2); Every day I am amazed by what really happens in Mattoon. We have many businesses that are continually expanding. As an example, Justrite Manufacturing, whose products are made right here in Mattoon, are shipped worldwide including, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. Another example is Consolidated Communications who have been expanding nationwide. Most recently they acquired the Champaign Telephone Company, their first acquisition here in Illinois. Mattoon businesses are making contributions both locally and globally without any fanfare. The Chamber is always trying to find ways to help promote what Mattoon has to offer not only to prospective businesses but also to the general public, who probably don't know what really happens here on a day-to-day basis. We are going to continue to promote local businesses through what we call the Mattoon Chamber "Our Town" Gallery during our Annual Business Expo. We will have a dedicated area set aside for local industries to showcase what products and services are developed, created, manufactured and shipped worldwide from right here in Mattoon. Since 2002, the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce has held the Annual Business Expo and the Taste of the Expo at the Cross County Mall. Amy Davee and the Mall staff have been gracious hosts for all of these years. The Mall allows us to take over the concourses and have area businesses throughout the community promote the services and products they offer. This year our Annual Business Expo will be held on Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Our goal for this year is to have 75 vendors showcase what makes them unique and how they are an invaluable asset to our community. The Chamber plans on having at least one dozen Taste of the Expo vendors. Every year the Taste is the most popular part of the Expo and we are expanding the times, it will now be from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Taste is where everyone in the community gets a chance to indulge in up to six samplings of local restaurant and catering service's culinary delights for only $5. The variety and the quality of the food served is always amazing and I promise, no one will leave hungry. As previously mentioned we will also showcase our local industries through the "Our Town" Gallery, in the Main Concourse. We also cannot forget about the History of Mattoon. We will have multiple presentations of historical documents, pictures and digital displays. 100 years ago, Aug. 4, 1916 MATTOON -- Loyalty to home industries was the keynote of an enthusiastic meeting of the Merchants Association on Thursday evening. In an address by F.N. Henley, it was reported that the annual payroll of the industrial and mercantile establishments of this city are more than $2.75 million. Between $25,000 and $30,000 is paid out in wages and salaries each year by the Clark Meter Box Co. Its product is now used in every state of the union besides six foreign countries -- India, Costa Rica, Cuba, Hawaiian Islands, Canada and Mexico. The Chuse Engine Manufacturing Co. sells its Mattoon-made engines all over the world. The company has an annual payroll of $100,000. Any idea how much ice is made by the Mattoon Refrigerating Co. in a year? In 1915 this amount was 150 tons. Nor is this all the company does. Last year 1,000 railroad cars were iced while in transit. This "cold" concern pays $30,000 a year in wages and salaries... KANSAS -- William D. Travis, one of the last of the famous Civil War artists, died last week at his home in Burlington, N.J., aged 77 years. His early years were spent in Grandview in Edgar County, and after the war he returned there, married and settled on the Erasmus Allison farm about 3 miles southeast of Kansas. He was quite an artist and followed the Union army several months during the Civil War, doing field artist work for Harper's and other magazines. He left Kansas for New Jersey about 40 years ago and established a studio and painted some of his most famous pictures... WASHINGTON -- In the European War, the battle of Verdun is again raging with all the fury that characterized its inception in February. The fighting is especially violent east of the Meuse where the Germans have succeeded in occupying the southern part of the village of Fleury. In London, it is reported that Germany has entered upon another vigorous campaign with her U-boats. During the past 24 hours, the destruction of 15 allied ships was reported. Ships lost included British, Japanese and Italian. It is believed the loss of life is heavy. 50 years ago, 1966 CHARLESTON -- Miss Connie Lynn Mory, 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mory of Mattoon, was crowned Miss Coles County Fair of 1966 at the fairgrounds Wednesday night. Miss Mory, a 1966 graduate of Mattoon High School, won the title in a field of 24 contestants. Patricia Ann Kubitschek, Mattoon, was first runnerup; Bonnie Woodyard, Charleston, second runnerup; Cynthia Tyson Ink, Mattoon, third runnerup; and Charlotte Marie Hester, Mattoon, fourth runnerup and Miss Congeniality. Miss Mory was crowned by 1965 Queen Zane Hester... MATTOON -- The Artistics, an area rock band, will perform at the Illinois State Fair Aug. 12 and 20. The band will appear with comedian Red Skelton on Aug. 20, and as part of the Aug. 12 opening show, which also includes the Beach Boys and San the Sham and the Pharoahs. The Artistics' members include Jim Easter, Harold "Bo" Turner, Bob Perry, Gail Helton, Carolyn Boldt, Mike Lee and Al Adamson... CHARLESTON -- Mattoon scored a clean sweep in Tuesday's ostrich races at the Coles County Fair. The original race schedule was discarded and instead one Mattoon driver was matched against two from Charleston in all four races. Winners, listed in the order they ran, were Lew Stiff, Richard Ross, Wally Roberts and Bill Grimes. The ostrich pulling the sulky with Darrell Eaton of Charleston ran out of the track. Eaton stayed with the ostrich and was bruised. He was taken from the track in an ambulance, but was reported not seriously hurt... 25 years ago, 1991 Sunday. No paper. 100 years ago, Aug. 5, 1916 MATTOON -- C.L. James, superintendent of the Mattoon municipal water plant, reported this morning that 32.7 million gallons of water were pumped from the Paradise reservoir during the month of July. This is a new record, exceeding the previous record by about 3 million gallons... CHARLESTON -- Fire of mysterious origin Thursday night destroyed a house and barn on the farm of Clyde Manuel, three miles southeast of Charleston. Mr. and Mrs. Manuel and children left home to go to Charleston to attend the Howe Circus. When the Manuels returned, the house and barn had burned to the ground. People attracted to the fire, which lighted the sky so that the red light could be seen for miles, say they do not think one of the buildings could have been ignited by sparks from the other due to the distance between them... MATTOON -- Illinois Central Railroad Conductor J.W. Knight and Brakemen Record and Nooe were deadheaded to Evansville Thursday afternoon to bring north a special train of company officials. Trainmaster E.H. Baker has issued a bulletin to employees against a practice of train crews and yard men taking ice from the bunkers of fruit cars during the hot weather. 50 years ago, 1966 MATTOON -- The necessity and desirability of establishing a junior college in eastern Illinois at the earliest possible time was stressed at a public hearing at Mattoon High School Thursday evening. No opposition to the creation of the proposed Eastern Illinois Area Junior College was voiced. Testifying in favor of the junior college were representatives of industry, labor, farming, business, education, parents, students, health and homemakers. More than 200 people attended the hearing, which was conducted by four members of the Illinois Junior College Board and its attorney... CHARLESTON -- Tommie Eich's grand champion steer brought a record price of 85 cents a pound in the 4-H livestock auction Thursday at the Coles County Fair. The Rardin youth's prize animal, which weighed 930 pounds, was purchased by IGA stores of Mattoon and Charleston for $790.50. The grocery store chain spent a total of $5,462.50 for 16 head of cattle and a lamb... CHARLESTON -- Van Cliburn, who won the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow in 1958, will headline the 1966-67 Artists Series at Eastern Illinois University. The pianist will present a concert on April 18, 1967. Other Artist Series selections include the Robert Wagner Chorale with Orchestra, "The White Devil," a play performed by the New York Circle in the Square Company and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. All Artists Series programs will be in McAfee Gymnasium. 25 years ago, 1991 MATTOON -- Dozens of area residents tried to make America laugh on Sunday. A camera crew from Americas Funniest People television show taped various acts throughout the afternoon at the Cross County Mall. The film now will be reviewed by producers in Hollywood. If any segments are chosen, they would air this fall when the new season begins. Local acts included an auctioneer, a portrayal of a fish in the ocean, an act about mid-life crisis, imitations of celebrities such as John Wayne, Pee-Wee Herman and Harry Caray, joke-telling and making strange faces, to mention a few. A crowd of more than 100 people watched throughout the afternoon, applauding each act CHARLESTON The heat kept the big fish deep in the Eastern Illinois University pond. But worms brought the little fish right up to the waiting clutches of 13 fishermen in the revived Charleston Recreation Department Fishing Derby on Saturday. Alex Russell, owner of Boats Plus in Charleston and a member of the Illinois Conservation Bass Club, helped with the tournament. The derby once was a regular event in Charleston, said Scott Smith, director of the Rec Department. It was discontinued several years ago and restarted this year MATTOON Attorney Mark E. Ferguson has opened a private law office in Mattoon. The Springfield native has been in the legal profession for the past 10 years. Ferguson received his undergraduate degree from Eastern Illinois University and the law degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. His office is at 712 Broadway Ave. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 04, 2016 | METROPOLIS, IL By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 04, 2016 | 03:45 PM | METROPOLIS, IL Authorities have released additional details about the arrest of a Massac County man sought by police since early Wednesday morning. Massac County Sheriff Ted Holder said deputies found 26-year-old Benjamin Comer walking along Unionville Road late Thursday morning after getting a call from someone who spotted him. Comer had been the subject of an area-wide manhunt since just after 12 am Wednesday, after he allegedly stole merchandise from the southside Paducah Walmart and pulled a gun on a customer in the parking lot. Paducah Police officers pursued Comer until he fled across the Brookport Bridge into Illinois. Holder said Comer, who was reportedly armed with a shotgun, is also a suspect in a home invasion later that morning at a home on James Cary Lane. The hunt for Comer lasted nearly 36 hours, and involved dozens of officers from multiple local, state and federal agencies. Comer was taken into custody shortly after 11:00 am without incident, and was taken in for booking after receiving medical treatment at the scene. He is charged with aggravated home invasion, theft of a firearm, and criminal damage to property. Comer also faces 1st degree robbery and 1st degree fleeing or evading police charges in McCracken County for his alleged role in the Walmart incident. Holder said more charges may be filed against Comer. By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 04, 2016 | 01:19 PM | FANCY FARM, KY A new feature at the Fancy Farm Picnic this weekend will probably be a big hit for those in attendance.Picnic spokesperson Mark Wilson says "We have a new pavilion, we call it our shade pavilion. It's usually hot and humid, and maybe a little bit stormy the way the weather forecast is looking this weekend. We have several picnic tables under to provide a lot of extra shade and a place for folks to set at tables for them to eat, drink their soft drinks, and relax."Wilson told West Kentucky Star that they have needed the extra pavilion for a while, and it was time to build it.While the picnic in Graves County is perhaps best known for political speaking, the picnic actually gets underway on Friday, with plenty of food and activities like the one mile classic and 5k run, games, and of course the political speaking on Saturday afternoon. Schedule of Events Friday, Aug. 5 7:00 am Mass at the Picnic Grounds 8:00 am Blessing of meat and placing it on the pits 5:00 pm Knights of Columbus Fish Fry at KC Hall $14 for adults; $7 for ages 4 to 12; free for age 4 and under 6:00 pm 1-mile classic run (registration at 5:00 pm at parking lot across from church rectory) 7:00 pm 5K Fun Run (registration is from 5:30 6:45 pm) Music by Wes Faulkner Band There will hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, nachos, funnel cakes, pretzels, cracker jacks, cotton candy and drinks sold at the picnic grounds around 6:00 pm. Saturday, Aug. 6 8:00 am BAR-B-QUE PORK ($10 lb) AND MUTTON ($12 lb) BY THE POUND GOES ON SALE. 10:00 am OFFICIAL STARTING TIME OF PICNIC. *BINGO, *GAMES, *CRAFTS (at Country Store located in Clemons Room behind KC Hall), *MUSIC AND *FOOD FOR ALL AGES 11:00 am 7:00 pm HOME-COOKED MEAL SERVED CONTINUOUSLY IN THE AIR-CONDITIONED K OF C HALL. $15 for adults; $5 for children age 10 and under MEAL FEATURES: BAR-B-QUE PORK AND MUTTON, FRIED CHICKEN, FRESH SWEET CORN, LIMA BEANS, GREEN BEANS, PURPLE HULL PEAS, FRESH TOMATOES, CUCUMBERS, POTATO SALAD, SLAW, HOMEMADE DESSERTS. 10:00 am 1:00 pm MID-DAY MUSIC BY Harold Daniels 1:30 pm PIONEER AWARD presentation at political stand. 2:00 pm POLITICAL SPEAKING plenty of seating in and around shaded pavilion. 6:00 pm 9:00 pm NIGHTTIME MUSIC BY Swamp Donkey 10:00 pm RAFFLE DRAWING (dont have to be present to win) By The Associated Press Aug. 03, 2016 | 05:04 AM | WASHINGTON, DC Donald Trump openly taunted the leaders of his own party by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Sen. John McCain of Arizona in their GOP primaries. And so far, McCain, Ryan and other Republicans who've reluctantly declared that they plan to back Trump for president appear to be sticking with him. Trump's stunning slap at two of the nation's most prominent Republicans dramatically escalated GOP turmoil barely a week after a convention intended to promote party unity. With the general election campaign now squarely underway, Republicans found themselves once again forced to answer questions about the latest boundary-defying pronouncement from Trump at a moment when most would rather be talking about Hillary Clinton's record. Readers of this letter should tell House Speaker and king/dictator Michael Madigan how horrified you are about what is happening to our glorious State. His crown has slipped down over his eyes and paralyzed his brain. It didnt slip far enough down to cover his mouth. He has lost all sense of decency and common sense. In his frenzy to rule and dictate to the State of Illinois he has neglected to care for the citizens. The compromise bill continues the state down the disastrous financial path traveled from the past to now. Our bond rating is near junk status, and well have to pay more interest on loans to finance the deal since it is obvious that current state revenue will not pay for just legislated compromise. Does he have shame -- common sense -- a spirit of compromise -- any ethics? How can he and his Democratic colleagues go out to face the District constituents? The rest of us in the state have to work to be paid. He goes to Springfield and puts in worthless time and gets paid, when there really is not money to pay him. How fortuitous for us in downstate would be to have Chicago secede from Illinois! That would be easily accomplished with Madigans selfish power. When Madigan returns to Springfield in NOVEMBER he should be reasonable and negotiate/compromise with the Governor to get our Ship of State back on a realistic course to a BALANCED BUDGET and desperately needed reform. Lee York, Tuscola Loading... The distance between the strict morality of rural Spain in the 1930s and cosmopolitan, contemporary London seems very great but it is bridged in a blink in Simon Stone's brilliantly effective version of Yerma. Thanks to the cleverness of his own adaptation and a devastating central performance by Billie Piper, it blows the dust off Federico Garcia Lorca's 1934 original and turns it into a challenging play for today. In seven swift chapters, from Conception to Coming Home, announced on screens above the narrow stage, it charts the way a longing for a child becomes an obsession which destroys the heroine's life and the lives of those around her. When we first meet Piper's Her' she seems destined to be the girl who gets it all. Sprawled on the white carpet of Lizzie Clachan's glass-boxed setting, she has just moved into her new home with John, the man she loves (Brendan Cowell) when she conceives the idea that she wants a baby. She's a much-lauded blogger, he's a successful businessman. It seems that all that it will take is a celebratory smashing of the pill pack for their dreams to be realised. But it's not to be, and as we follow their lives through five agonising years of a ticking biological clock, their world disintegrates as her failure to get pregnant becomes the one salient truth of their lives. "We used to have a life. We have each other and my empty womb," she cries on their wedding night. In Lorca's original, Yerma's desperation is at least in part related to the Catholic society in which she lives. She has no meaning unless she has a child. The smartness of Stone's rewriting is that it suggests that you don't need societal pressures to become maddened by a longing for a baby; once a woman succumbs to that sense of need, her body's desires can take over. Its other strength is that Yerma is not portrayed as some kind of doomed saint. Her desire to continue to describe her lowest feelings on her blog in search of internet fame as much as sympathy and her resolute refusal to give up her solipsistic view of the world or even consider adoption, all count against her. Yet it is impossible not to share her agony. Piper is superb at conveying it. Her performance moves from the laughingly flirtatious to the absolutely distraught in incremental and beautifully described steps. By the close, she is unafraid to appear ugly and desperate; but en route what is impressive is the way the light seems to die from her eyes. There's terrific support too from Maureen Beattie as her dour, distant mother and Charlotte Randle as her fertile sister. Cowell copes effectively with the thankless task of being the understanding husband though I would have liked to see a little more anger and viciousness in him. My one real reservation, though, is that set. It is effective intellectually, pinioning the action in a technological other world, and allowing for some remarkable effects. But emotionally, it distances the audience from the action particularly since it requires the actors' words to be communicated via microphones. Piper's access to feeling is so immediate and the adaptation so urgent that I would have prefered to see it without a wall of glass. Yerma runs at the Young Vic until 24 September. Little if any difference in our two political parties. The Washington establishment, a term used to ascribe to both political parties acts of cronyism, corruption, and lying to the American people. No one in this elite Washington circle of politically influential people has any credibility with the average voter. The ordinary working man, without the right political connections, is being shafted, and has been for years. The vaunted Washington Republican establishment has given us three Presidential losers in a row, and is on the brink of giving us a fourth. First, there was Senator Dole, who having lost the Presidency, was relegated to hawking Viagra on TV in his twilight years. Next came Senator McCain, once held prisoner by the Viet Cong, but never had any working experience in the real world. Then came Mitt Romney, a Governor for the liberal state of Massachusetts, who had publicly endorsed Government funded health care in his home state, and was therefore unable to argue against Obama Care. Now, we have a successful business man running on the Republican ticket who is scorned and excoriated by his own party. This, while he had brought people from both parties, as well as independents under the Republican tent. Donald Trump is feared by everyone in Washington who has a political or bureaucratic job. Trump is funded by none of the lobbyists, unions or Super Pacs. He is a loose cannon as far as everyone in Washington is concerned. Many millions of dollars have been spent, coming from both parties, to derail his candidacy, all to no avail, or so it would seem. There are even Republicans such as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan who has said he would rather vote for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump. How ignorant can these seemingly learned people be? They cannot know what a Trump Presidency might look like, but they certainly know what Hillary has in mind for the American people. But, that arrogant elitist Washington establishment wants no part of Trump, as they, both Republicans and Democrats alike, mean to perpetuate their lofty financial positions in that town. Looks like the Republicans are looking for another train wreck. Hillary has accumulated more dirty baggage than a UPS depot. (At one time) under a real threat of indictment, and as distrusted and unlikable as she is, Trump (will) have a field day running against old Hillary. Jack Pierce, Mattoon On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ... Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. If I have learned anything during my career as a crusading newspaper columnist, I have learned its never a good idea to make fun of the suffering of others. I learned that lesson not long after my first hard-hitting column was published in this newspaper slightly more than a decade ago. That column described, in agonizing detail, how I had shattered the bones in my left arm while frantically chasing my two dogs, who in turn were chasing after a blind neighbourhood woman who was walking her three-legged dog. Bloomberg files Social-media networks such as Snapchat can get people into a lot of trouble and danger if they lack common sense, as some do. The very day that column appeared my buddy Bob, who also happens to be the boss of everyone at this newspaper, received a call from an irate woman, who demanded that he fire me. Why did she want Bob to fire me? Well, because its never nice to make fun of someone who has sustained a near-crippling injury, even if that someone happens to be me and I am the one writing about it. Fortunately, I did not get fired, which is why today I am able to safely write a column in which I am definitely not making fun of a Florida woman who almost blew her hand off while attempting to use her cellphone to take a Snapchat video of herself holding a gun. According to police, the 22-year-old woman was in her garage foolishly playing with a .40-calibre semi-automatic handgun, trying (why not?) to take a cool video to post on Snapchat, the social-media application wherein people send each other photos and videos that self-destruct after a few seconds. For the record, I am not being critical here. After all, what is the point of owning a high-powered handgun if you cant take videos and photos of yourself goofing around with it and then post them on social media with cute captions reading: Check out my sweet new OOPS!!! As you already know, instead of taking a cool video, the woman somehow pulled the trigger, and a bullet ripped through her right hand injuring her thumb and index finger and destroying the cellphone. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking this woman is an idiot. In her defence, however, allow me to point out neither her cellphone nor the handgun sported warning labels stating: ATTENTION IDIOTS DO NOT USE THIS PHONE TO MAKE A VIDEO OF YOURSELF HOLDING A POWERFUL HANDGUN BECAUSE YOU WILL PROBABLY SHOOT YOUR HAND OFF! So the phone was destroyed, but you are probably wondering what happened to the gun. Well, at last report, police were still searching for the weapon because the womans aunt tossed it out her car window while driving her wounded niece to the hospital. The news reports do not state where the aunt tossed the gun, but what with this being the United States, we assume it ended up in a school playground, where it would be in safer hands because at least little kids know how to make cellphone videos without shooting their fingers off. If you think this is the dumbest way a human being armed with a cellphone could sustain a crippling injury, you are, and I mean this in the best way possible, an idiot. I say this because I am holding in my quivering hands a news story concerning a 43-year-old Mississippi woman who was flipped in the air during a visit to Yellowstone National Park after she and her daughter strolled over to a bison with horns the size of machetes, turned their backs on the huge hairy beast and began posing for a selfie. They heard the bisons footsteps moving toward them and started to run, but the bison caught the mother on the right side, lifted her up and tossed her with its head, the park service said in a statement. News reports stated the family of the gored woman, who was treated for minor injuries, said they had seen other tourists hanging around with the bison so they thought it would be OK. I would like to tell you this was just an isolated incident, but the truth is it is the tip of a huge iceberg, which, when flipped over by a bison, reveals dozens and dozens of people killing or wounding themselves while trying to take selfies. According to an article in Time magazine earlier this year, there have been at least 49 selfie-related deaths since the start of 2014. You have a far better chance of killing yourself while taking a selfie than of being eaten by a shark. These tragic selfie deaths included a pair of Russian soldiers who decided to pose with a live grenade and well, you know the rest, because their phone survived the explosion. The point is, there is nothing funny about people injuring themselves, and if leaders such as Donald Trump are serious about making the world a safer place, they should stop worrying about guns and illegal immigrants. The smart thing to do would be to make smartphones illegal. And they can do that right after I post a photo with this sweet Burmese python wrapped around my neck. doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/08/2016 (2277 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Parents, not beach patrollers, are responsible for guarding the lives of children swimming at Grand Beach. The government department responsible for the beach patrol wants it known that swimmers are responsible for their own safety at provincial beaches. Beach patrol members, easily spotted in their distinctive yellow shirts as they walk the shores of provincial swimming areas, provide education and prevention training, but are not lifeguards. Over the years, the basic premise of the program has remained unchanged. Individuals are responsible for themselves, their families and groups while on provincial park beaches. We encourage families to keep children within arms reach while at the beach, said a prepared statement from the provinces sustainable development department. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A crowd enjoys the sun, sand and water at Grand Beach the morning after two children drowned. Two children who drowned at Grand Beach on Monday evening are being mourned by Winnipegs Filipino community. They were identified Wednesday as Jhonalyn Javier, 11, and David Medina, 12. A parent was watching the children in the water but apparently lost sight of them. Medina came to Canada from the Philippines in November 2014, while Javier arrived in August 2015, according to a post on Facebook. Before she came to Canada, Javier received a certificate of recognition from her elementary school in the Philippines. According to her Facebook profile, Javier was like any other 11-year-old girl: she loved Barbie, Disney princesses, the Disney movie Frozen and was a fan of pop stars Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande. Viewings for both children will take place Saturday evening at Mosaic Funeral Home on Inkster Boulevard. The service will be held Sunday. Lets extend our condolences, prayers and financial assistance to the bereaved families, said a posting on Facebook. Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox, responsible for Manitobas parks and beaches, was on government business in the Norway House area on Wednesday and was unavailable for comment about the role of beach patrols. Her department said in a statement that only three beaches Grand Beach, Winnipeg Beach, and Birds Hill have beach patrols. There were 12 beach patrol members on duty at Grand Beach at the time of Mondays tragedy, two below the maximum. The last drowning at Grand Beach was in 1990, said provincial officials. Department staff extend their sincerest sympathies to the families dealing with this tragedy, said the statement. The Beach Safety Program in Manitoba provincial parks is primarily focused on public water safety education. Safety measures provided at 83 provincial park beaches include signage, beach safety brochures, buoy lines, and risk management planning. The province said that an inquest about 25 years ago recommended against providing lifeguard services because ratios of swimmers to lifeguards would be impossible to meet on a beach with hundreds or even thousands of swimmers. The public have a misconception that we are providing lifeguard services, like at a local swimming pool. We cant do that, said Bruce Bremner, regional parks manager for the Eastman and Whitehsell regions, in 1990. While beach safety officer staff rates vary by beach and time period, peak staffing rates are currently a maximum of 20 staff at Birds Hill, 14 staff at Grand Beach; and nine staff at Winnipeg Beach. There are a total of 44 total beach safety officers employed at Birds Hill Provincial Park, and 42 beach safety officers at Grand Beach and Winnipeg Beach, said the province. The department manages resources at these three locations to maximize coverage where its significantly needed. Factors include high volumes of visitation; as well, Lake Winnipeg locations experience rapidly-changing weather conditions, strong winds, wave action, currents and variable water depth which can pose dangerous situations for swimming and other activities. FACEBOOK David Medina, left, 12, and Jhonalyn Javier, 11. The children drowned at Grand Beach while swimming at around 7:30 p.m. Monday night.This photo posted to Facebook by Eveliny Cordero was taken earlier that day. Beach safety officers have a strong focus on prevention and education, providing information to families that can be used not only at the one site, but as they visit other bodies of water as well, the province said. The Beach Safety Program predominantly focuses on the following public education messaging: swimming is unsupervised be responsible watch your children know your limits beach safety officers talk to the public if their activities have the potential to develop into hazardous situations. During summer 2015, beach safety officers provided 8,000 reminders to parents or supervisors to be within arms reach of or in close proximity to their children; advised visitors to not swim past or hang on to buoy line 655 times; retrieved swimmers on inflatables who were being pushed from the shoreline by off-shore winds 204 times; and provided kayak response to swimmers 342 times. While the number of water rescues is an important statistic, the province said Wednesday the preventative activities and interventions prevent incident rates from being much higher. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A First Nations chief says if the Pallister government wants his support on new flood channels, it needs to come to the table with a commitment for compensation for the 2011 flood. Meetings between government officials and First Nations in the Interlake on flooding issues and the proposed new flood channels have been terse and have resulted in little action, Lake Manitoba Chief Cornell McLean said. Nothing is going to move forward until our issues are dealt with from the flooding of 2011, McLean said. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Premier Brian Pallister promised to complete a new channel. At the heart of the issue is a non-binding memorandum of understanding, signed between the previous NDP Selinger government and seven Interlake First Nations Pinaymootang, Lake St. Martin, Little Saskatchewan, Dauphin River, Ebb and Flow, O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi and Lake Manitoba. They agreed to participate in constructive discussions on issues such as Operation Return Home (the return of flood evacuees to permanent homes), settlement agreements for communities affected by the use of the Fairford River Water Control Structure and Portage Diversion. The operation of the Portage Diversion ravaged McLeans community, which is on the northeast shore of the south basin of Lake Manitoba, leading to the evacuation of 179 residents. They also agreed to have full discussions on the $495-million deal to construct a flood outlet channel from Lake Manitoba and expand another one from Lake St. Martin. Since the Pallister government was elected April 19, McLean said any movement made with the memorandum has come to a halt, and they are back to the drawing board when it comes to tackling these issues. A meeting three weeks ago with Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen left McLean so frustrated, he walked out of the meeting and McLean hasnt heard from the minister since. It is a new government, and they are not ready to make a commitment, and they are scared to pull the trigger, McLean said. Where does the liability lie here? I had an offer on the table from the previous government, and I also had commitment from them, they were going help us with a few things such as loss of land. The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council, which represents seven Interlake First Nations, has signed a band council resolution stating they cannot support the proposed channels until their concerns are met which includes the need for adequate compensation when these channels are operated by the provincial government. Attempts to reach several other chiefs were unsuccessful. Pinaymootang First Nation Chief Barry Anderson told the Free Press he didnt want to comment on discussions but felt things were going positively. The Opposition NDP says it is disappointed in the governments actions. Our government understood the need to establish a meaningful framework for our relationship with First Nations, and we are disappointed to hear that First Nations feel they are not being listened to by Pallisters Conservative government, said indigenous and northern affairs critic Amanda Lathlin in a prepared statement. Sending negotiations back to the drawing board will result in needless delays for permanent flood protection for so many communities. It was written into the 1982 Constitution Act that government bodies have a duty to consult with indigenous communities when decisions may infringe upon or adversely affect the community or land. Premier Brian Pallister campaigned on a new Tory government completing construction of a new drainage channel for Lake Manitoba and an expanded Lake St. Martin outlet during its first term. McLean said First Nations such as Pinaymootang, Little Saskatchewan and Dauphin River will be the most affected by the new outlets. A request for an interview with Pedersen was denied. In a prepared statement, the rookie infrastructure minister said he is meeting regularly with the indigenous community. The intent of this non-binding (memorandum) was to encourage participation of the parties (affected communities and the Province of Manitoba) in productive discussions that would allow for the construction of a flood outlet channel from Lake Manitoba and the expansion of another from Lake St. Martin, Pedersen said . These discussions are exactly the type of activities we are currently engaged in. kristin.annable@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @kristinannable Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Thursday marked the beginning of a 150-day countdown to the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, a fact pointed out repeatedly by federal politicians who fanned out across the country to promote next years celebration. We have four themes. Theres a budget of $210 million and there will be pop-up surprise events which even if I knew what they were, I couldnt tell you because then they wont be surprise events, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said after the announcement at The Forks. He was one of nine federal Liberal ministers called on to launch a social media campaign for next years 150th anniversary of Confederation. ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr speaks at a ceremony marking the countdown to the 150th anniversary of Confederation. He announced that spontaneous activities celebrating Canada's diversity will be popping up from coast to coast in the lead-up to next year's anniversary. Indigenous drumming and dancing, followed by a rollicking fiddle rendition of the Red River Jig with dancing, showcased the afternoon announcement under the canopy. There will be plenty of activity in Manitoba, and across the nation. Its a time to revel in our diversity as a nation and our creativity, Carr said. He declined to give details of the plenty of activity, other than to promote the social media campaign. Federal Heritage Minister Melanie Joly led the fanfare from Ottawa with a similar announcement. There are four themes to the countdown: diversity and inclusiveness, the environment, young people and reconciliation with indigenous people. There were announcements made Thursday in Winnipeg, Halifax, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Charlottetown, P.E.I., the birthplace of Confederation. Carr has been preoccupied with meetings with northern and indigenous leaders over the fate of Canadas only Arctic sea port ever since Denver-based Omnitrax announced the close of the Port of Churchill last week. So far, the minister hasnt said whether Ottawa is considering re-nationalizing the port, something northern leaders want. Ottawa owned the port until 1997. It was my pledge to pass on all of their concerns and suggestions, and there were many, to my colleagues in Ottawa and to greet them in Ottawa when the time is right and for them to know we understand the consequences for Churchill and all up and down the (rail) line, Carr said, referring to the Hudson Bay Railway. alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/08/2016 (2277 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Northern Manitoba leaders are optimistic after a sit-down with Ottawa Wednesday, but theres still no certainty about a long-term plan for the future of the Port of Churchill. On Wednesday, a handful of northern mayors and chiefs met with Jim Carr, federal minister of natural resources and the senior Manitoba cabinet minister in the Trudeau government. The meeting was closed to media, but Carr confirmed afterward that leaders called on Ottawa to contribute federal dollars to save the port and the rail line as a part of a long list of ideas, suggestions and recommendations. A vessel loads up in the Port of Churchill. Omnitrax announced the closure of the Port of Churchill last week. At full capacity, the port employs 90 people 10 per cent of the towns population. Just a few days later, Omnitrax followed the blow by announcing the reduction of freight services on its northern rail lines, cutting down shipments to Churchill to one train per week from two. Asked if the federal government is considering re-nationalizing the port, which was federally owned until 1997, Carr was non-committal. We will take all this information and look at what the responsible options (are) for Canada moving forward, he said. Everything will be considered by Canada as we move forward, he added. Churchill Mayor Mike Spence was chosen as the spokesman for the leaders. He said leaders thought it was a very positive meeting. We outlined the urgency of the situation and requested the involvement of the federal government into this issue, Spence said. What we got was an honest, sincere, heartfelt dialogue. Spence said the short-term goal is to salvage whats left of the 2016 shipping season. To that end, leaders met with provincial cabinet ministers last week to put together an action plan. In the long term, Spence said the group is insisting Ottawa play a financial role. Nationalization has to be a part of it, working towards a long-term plan, Spence said. Spence said the groups ideal solution also has a place for regionalization. A handful of First Nations in the area have stepped forward and are negotiating to purchase the port from Omnitrax, but want Ottawa to be involved, too. This northern delegation is united. Were speaking with one voice, and were hoping that at the end of the day theres going to be a sustainable long-term solution to this, Spence said. By all means, lets have a made-in-Canada solution with Canadian ownership and with northern and indigenous people being a part of it. Spence said the next step has to be a meeting with Navdeep Bains, the federal minister of innovation, science and economic development. It cant happen soon enough, Spence said, as northern communities continue to struggle with the closures. Minister Carr indicated that this needs to be elevated up to Ottawa, and that Minister Bains is the minister responsible for this, Spence said. We would like to see a followup meeting with the federal government in Ottawa within 10 days. We have to move so quick. Omnitrax has not responded to request for comment. with files from Martin Cash aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offender Unit is warning women they are at risk until two past sexual offenders are found. The joint Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP unit reports Martin Louis Patrick, 33, is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for breaching his release conditions while Walter James Francis, 34, breached his probation conditions. Patrick, who was declared a long term offender in 2008, after being convicted of sexual assault with a weapon, has been assessed as very impulsive and a high risk of re-offending both sexually and violently. The unit says Patrick never went back to his approved residence and is now unlawfully at large. SUPPLIED Walter James Francis Patrick is described as aboriginal, 56 tall, weighing 217 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. Francis has a warrant for three counts of failing to comply with his probation order. He also didnt go back to his approved residence and is considered a high risk of re-offending both sexually and violently. Francis is described as aboriginal, 58 tall, 240 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. The unit is warning women they are at risk from both men. If anyone has any information on either man they are asked to contacted the unit at 204-984-1888, Winnipeg police at 204-986-6222, any RCMP detachment, or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or 1-800-222-8477. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Sharan Tappia had been a longtime volunteer at the India Pavilion when she was struck by a thought: what if there were a separate pavilion dedicated solely to the culturally rich Punjab region? Six years ago, she helped make that idea a reality, and the resplendent Punjab Pavilion has fast become one of Folkloramas most popular. The pavilion moved into a permanent home at the Punjab Cultural Centre, which opened at 1770 King Edward St. in 2013. Tappia says theres lots to love about attending the Punjab Pavilion. The whole week is like a big wedding, she says. If Punjabi music doesnt move you, you really need to see a doctor. Its famous. The food the samosas, the butter chicken. I lived in England for six years, and there are more East Indian restaurants than anything else. Every corner you can find a curry house. Who wouldnt like butter chicken? She took three years off from volunteering at Folklorama, but she couldnt stay away. She derives a lot of passion from promoting her Punjabi culture. I feel so fulfilled, I feel so content, I feel so complete, she says. I think I discovered myself doing volunteer work. The Punjab Pavilion runs until Saturday night. FP: Tell me about your history with the Punjab Pavilion? ST: Me and my husband created the Punjab Pavilion. I was working with India Pavilion for four years and then we made Punjab Pavilion. We just felt the need at that time. Punjab has such a rich culture and so much to offer its hard to fit everything into a 45-minute show. The first pavilion was at the convention centre, and that was like grand level the atmosphere was crazy, and we were, I think, in the top 5 Pavillions in the very first year. From day one, I was involved. I felt passionate about it. I still feel passionate about it. I took a three-year break, because it was so much work. But Im back again. FP: In its six years, how has the Punjab Pavilion evolved? ST: The first two were at the convention centre, and then we made the Punjab Centre, which is on King Edward, and we are so proud to call it a home. Theres a big change in that we have so many decorations of great Punjabi people already there. Having it done in that building helps us give the cultural tour to people, showing them all the Punjabi people who have made a dent in the world. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Sharan Tappia is a volunteer with the Punjab Pavilion at Folklorama this year. Its changed a lot because lots of people are getting involved, from all sides of the city. For Punjabi people, its sort of their own. Theyre coming to volunteer and help out. Its a great passion people are feeling, having something to call their own. Having it at the Punjab Centre, it gives us more contentment. You feel connected to your roots more. FP: Speaking of roots, do you find Folklorama helps you stay connected to yours? ST: Definitely. The very first time I got connected with Folklorama, it was in India Pavilion, and my kids were little. I still remember my daughter was not willing to call herself Indian. She wanted to call herself British because she was born in England. My son was born here, and still they both havent been to India at all. Once they started going to the Indian Pavilion, they found the pride in everything. I felt a big change in my kids. Its so important for kids to feel that. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The closure of the Port of Churchill and the fate of Manitobas northern rail line is not an accident due to economic circumstance: it was the inevitable result of eliminating the single-desk monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board. There were ample warnings raised about what would happen if the Conservative government of Stephen Harper scrapped the wheat board. The threats to the northern rail line and the port were clear, and it wasnt just farmers and politicians raising red flags. The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce had concerns about the economic effect on Winnipeg losses of more than 2,000 jobs. There will be arguments the rail line and the port are failing because they were not economically viable. In fact, it is cheaper for farmers in the eastern Prairies who want to ship their grain to do so through Churchill. Grain companies ship through their own terminals in Vancouver and Thunder Bay, Ont., where they can make more money and farmers make less. Supplied Port of Churchill The power relationship among producers, rail and grain companies is the same as it ever was, as is the basic geography. There are two major railways, four global grain companies and thousands of farmers. The reason for the wheat boards creation in the first place was so farmers could pool their bargaining power, and especially so that smaller players could compete on a global marketplace. The board was a single entity looking out for farmers interests, and it had the power to do so in three basic ways. First, it encouraged farmers to deliver a premium product, which established a global reputation of quality for Canadas wheat, meaning customers would pay a higher price. Second, it played a role in co-ordination and logistics, getting grain to port by rail. Finally, because it was a single desk representing all western Canadian farmers, it had the clout to overcome the bottlenecks individual farmers would face with railways and grain companies. From 2007 to 2010, farmers earned from 90 per cent to 93 per cent of the world price at port. After the wheat board lost its single-desk power, producers share of the world price dropped. Farmers in Manitobas Swan River Valley alone lost an estimated $50 million for the 2013-14 crop year. Despite record high prices, railways were leaving a bumper crop sitting on the Prairies; even fines of $100,000 a day levied by the Conservative government couldnt persuade them to shift it. To whom are farmers losing? For the most part, grain companies. The international grain market itself is different than most others: there are only four companies, mostly private and family-owned. The loss of the wheat board appears to have been a multibillion-dollar transfer of income and wealth by the Conservative government to grain companies, and, to a smaller degree, railway shareholders. The losers are farmers and rural communities, and taxpayers, who have to now have to make up losses. Grain farmers never voted to get rid of the wheat board single desk. There were issues in the 1990s, when people chafed under inflexible rules, which resulted in reforms. Its a myth anyone was ever arrested for selling wheat. Some farmers were jailed for taking their trucks out of customs impound. Try driving a seized vehicle from customs at the border today and see what happens. Throughout their 10 years in power, the Conservatives tried to get rid of the board by putting their thumb on the scale, especially in wheat board elections. A review of the wheat board included the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and excluded Manitoba. Board members who favoured the single desk were gagged by government; there were efforts to strip small farmers off the voters list; multiple ballots were sent out so some farmers could vote more than once; a referendum was held with three muddy options, and unlimited third-party spending was allowed. Despite all this, farmers voted consistently to keep the wheat board until the Conservatives scrapped it after winning a majority in 2011. It was sold perhaps given away; its not clear to agrifood company Bunge Ltd. and Saudi Arabia in 2015. The trouble for the Port of Churchill and the northern rail line, stalled grain shipments and billions in lost revenue for farmers are all clearly predicted results of scrapping the single desk. It is a crisis caused by government policy. It should go without saying it can be resolved by changing government policy. The question is how bad things have to get to generate a critical mass to create a consensus for change. Dougald Lamont is a communications consultant and a lecturer at the University of Winnipeg. He ran for the Manitoba Liberal leadership in 2013. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. There are dozens of things Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might have said in reply to the accusation put to him by Khizr Khan, the grieving Muslim father of an U.S. army captain who died in Iraq. Almost any one of them wouldve been better than his response. What have you sacrificed? Khan angrily asked Trump last Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention. Asked to reply to that question, Trump told ABC talk-show host George Stephanopoulos, I work very, very hard. Ive created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. Ive had tremendous success. Well, heres the truth. Trump didnt create those jobs out of any sense of charity or noblesse oblige. He did it to make himself rich not, forgive the cliche, that theres anything wrong with that but this is hardly a sacrifice. Its called self-interest. If only he had stopped there. Khans anger wasnt just about losing a son, but in response to Trumps well-known anti-Muslim rhetoric; promising to ban Muslim entry into the U.S. until our countrys representatives can figure out what the hell is going on and at least hinting at the implementation of a Muslim database, to name two examples. Khans most powerful remark was asking Trump if he had read the U.S. Constitution, and then offering to lend him his copy. Trump might have ignored the Muslim issue. Instead he aggravated the situation by commenting about Khans wife Ghazala, who stood silently by her husbands side during his speech, telling Stephanopoulos, She was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say. You tell me. No stereotyping here. Ghazala gave a heartfelt reply both on TV and in a Washington Post article showing her silence stemmed from grief, and not any restriction against speaking. How does Trump benefit from being seen to beat up on grieving parents, adding racist insults in the process? To be sure, given his attitude to Muslims, his latest behaviour wont cost him the Muslim vote. You cant lose what you never had, and he probably doesnt care. But he managed to offend American war veterans in the process. As U.S. senator and former POW John McCain (whose war record Trump previously insulted) said while our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered licence to defame those who are the best among us. Youd think the veterans were a natural Republican constituency. In whats expected to be a close race, does Trump really want to alienate them? Though his grief and anger at Trump are understandable, Khans what have you sacrificed question, arguably, was not. What was the point? That only those who have lost children in wars have the right to run for office, speak on war or other international issues? Again, Trump could have handled it much better. He might have gently replied that Democratic party candidate Hillary Clinton didnt lose a child either, that no one should experience such a tragedy, and that political candidacy certainly shouldnt require it as a prerequisite. Of course Trumps worst enemy has always been his own mouth. Without a TelePrompTer hes a loose cannon, but even for him this is outrageous. Hes fighting a small brushfire with gasoline. Who knows? Perhaps this was the Democrats motivation for having the Khans appear in the first place. In one of the better lines of her acceptance speech, Clinton said, A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons. Could the Democrats have predicted this fallout? Probably not, but they certainly arent hesitating to reap the benefits. Its safe to say that if they can find another way to bait Trump, they wont hesitate to use it. Arthur Chapman is a Winnipeg freelance writer. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/08/2016 (2277 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. National inquiries are as much about what they cant do as what they can do. The launch of a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women wont bring missing women and girls back, and it will not be a panacea, a quick and easy solution to a painful and complicated problem. Wednesdays announcement by Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett outlined the mandate of the inquiry that will begin Sept. 1. Marion Buller, the first female indigenous judge in B.C., will head the commission, joined by Michele Audette, the former head of the Native Womens Association of Canada, Qajaq Robinson, an Ottawa lawyer, Marilyn Poitras, a University of Saskatchewan law professor and Brian Eyolfson, a First Nations lawyer from Ontario. Remarkably, all 10 provinces and three territories have agreed to the terms of reference that will allow the commission to do its work without barriers. While Manitoba was initially reticent to participate, concerned that the inquiry would go over already existing research, the mandate makes it clear it will build on existing knowledge. This includes the pre-inquiry submissions along with the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Final Report and the reports of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry the Oppal report, which examined how authorities investigated cases involving missing women in the wake of the Robert Pickton case. JUSTIN TANG / CANADIAN PRESS Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett But this inquiry wont be able to resolve the seemingly insurmountable problem of colonization, poverty and indifference toward women who are First Nations. This inquiry wont instil trust between First Nations families and the police investigating their relatives disappearance. It wont end sloppy police work, it wont stop institutional racism, it wont make little girls safe. It wont find criminal or civil wrongdoing. Dont be surprised if the inquiry also points the finger back at the indigenous communities as well. As Joan Jack, an Ojibwa activist from Manitoba has stated, the inquiry will need to look at whats happening on reserves, where women are routinely oppressed and subjected to violence. That will be hard for some to hear, but necessary in order to move forward. While inquiries may provide recommendations to move forward, it cannot compel authorities to comply with those recommendations. For cynics, that may be the largest concern. Hold an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls with a price tag of $53.86 million and then little action is taken. It sits and rots on a library shelf somewhere while families question why. That would be the cruellest indignity to the memory of those women over 1200 and counting who have disappeared or have been found murdered between 1980 and 2013. No doubt this inquiry will make Canadians uncomfortable much like the Truth and Reconciliation hearings did over the four years of testimony from survivors of residential schools. Thats to be expected because stories of racism and misogyny are difficult to hear. As Sen. Murray Sinclair said: We will learn of things that will be hard to believe, and we will be challenged to do what we cannot now imagine. This is the third time indigenous people have told their stories: first to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and second with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This latest inquiry will give families a voice, but Canadians do need to start listening. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Every nation has sacred places, where history has stopped and lingered, and visitors are hushed by memories of redemptive sacrifice. One is the balcony outside Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. On this spot a familiar voice was stilled, but also somehow magnified, becoming part of our collective conscience. This site is now part of a fine museum the National Civil Rights Museum that unfolds the story that King told and shaped. How 12 million Africans were shipped as slaves across the Atlantic, the largest forced migration in history. How they built resilient institutions that maintained their identity and demanded their freedom. How a great war ended slavery but not oppression. How African-Americans suffered a century of cruel and systematic indignity. Then came a movement of conscience in which being a community organizer could demand the courage of a soldier and get your head cracked open. A movement opposed by domestic terrorists who bombed homes and churches, and murdered children (should we refer to them as radical Christian terrorists?). This story of a captive people who forced America to fulfill its own ideals the story of prisoners who freed themselves and also freed their jailers is one of the most compelling moral narratives outside of scripture. Leaders such as King believed that history has an arc, determined by the appeal of freedom and the Author of freedom. And their vision of human rights became an inseparable part of the American story: a nation that declared high ideals, then was judged by them, and now is motivated by them to expand the circle of inclusion, protection and promise. I happened to visit the National Civil Rights Museum at the same time that a presidential candidate attacked the mother of a fallen American soldier by employing an anti-Muslim stereotype (maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say). Donald Trump went on to assert that the soldiers father, Khizr Khan, had no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution a statement that proved Khans point. My point here is not that Trump is a classless, egotistical sadist though the case is strong. It is that Trumps view of nationalism is based on culture, ethnicity and exclusion. It does not even matter if suspicious outsiders have made what Abraham Lincoln called so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Their faith, in Trumps view, is foreign and immediately associated with stereotypes of oppression and violence. The same is true with Mexican ethnicity, which Trump has identified with sexual aggression and murder. Trump is not merely indifferent to the language of racial and religious inclusion; he is actively hostile to the premise. Leaders who support Trump members of Congress, conservative thought-leaders, figures of the religious right do so for a variety of reasons. But whatever their motivations, they are encouraging an alternate and degraded version of Americas story. In Trumps telling, this is a nation that was once great, but is now besieged and infiltrated by threats to its identity. Other nations France is no longer France have allowed their distinct cultures to be overwhelmed by immigration and outside influences. America must be protected by a strong leader from the same fate. And Trumps America is defined as the familiar nation of decades past, which was largely white and Christian. In fact, America is the model for the world when it comes to integrating Muslims and people of other faiths into a pluralistic society. Rather than recognizing this achievement, Trump would undo it, and foster the kind of conflict he warns against. But there is even more at stake. Those who support Trump are setting the Republican Party at odds with the American story told by Lincoln and King: a nationalism defined by striving toward unifying ideals of freedom and human dignity. Is this what the speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader, the chairman of the Republican Party and so many other good people intended when they entered politics? Is this how they define their souls high purpose? In his last public address, the night before his murder, King mused on mortality, saying he would die happy and not fearing any man because he was sure of his lifes mission, which included standing up for the best in the American dream. Which Republican leaders can now rest in that confidence? It is not too late to repudiate. The following editorial appeared in Monday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Solar Impulse 2 has landed. More than a year after beginning its 25,000-mile trek around the world using only the sun as a fuel source, Solar Impulse 2 has returned to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the country where its historic flight began. This is a big deal. For the first time ever, a two-pilot team was able to circle the globe without using a drop of fossil fuel. The 5,070-pound solar-powered aircraft with a 236-foot wingspan was piloted by Solar Impulse 2 chairman Bertrand Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg taking turns for long solo stretches. Though it is a monumental technological breakthrough, it didnt come easy for the pilots. The trip, which achieved average flight speeds of 28 to 56 mph, was delayed for nine months after the aircrafts 17,248 solar cells were damaged during a flight from Japan to Hawaii. Still, Solar Impulse racked up 500 flight hours and glided across four continents, three seas and two oceans. Some of its stops included China, India, Japan, Myanmar, Egypt, southern Europe and the United States. During its trek across America, Solar Impulse stopped in Pittsburgh where Paige Kassalen, a 23-year-old electrical engineering graduate of Virginia Tech, is part of the planes pit crew. (Covestro, where Kassalen works, is the lead corporate sponsor of Solar Impulse.) The strategic breakthrough that this technology represents is undeniable. Clean, renewable energy in the form of sunshine that cant be metered has provided fuel for a flight around the world for the first time in human history. This is an innovation in energy that has implications going forward for every sector of modern industrial society. It isnt too much of an exaggeration to say that Solar Impulse has ushered in a new era. As solar and other non-renewable technology matures, so will the speed and capacity of planes and other modes of transportation to travel the globe without polluting. The days of fossil fuel as a staple of transportation are numbered thanks to the year long flight of Solar Impulse. Wild River Studios opens on Main in St. Charles Wild River Studios in St. Charles was the site of last weeks Friday morning Chamber Coffee as the Chamber Ambassadors packed up the giant red scissors and hit the road for another ceremonial ribbon cutting.... WHS students selected to perform with OPUS Honor Choir Many students at Winterset schools were able to audition for the Iowa OPUS Honor Choir, which will perform at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in Ames on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. The following Winterset students... Winterset Stage presents Get Smart at the Iowa this week The Winterset Stage opens the curtain on their latest production, Get Smart, this Thursday evening. The cast of over two dozen local actors will give four performances of the play which is based on the... 2022 Harvest Gathering in Earlham The fourth annual Harvest Gathering Farm-to-Table Dinner served 129 guests on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Bricker Price Block in Earlham. The five-course meal was prepared by Proof Executive Chef Diego Rodriguez and his team, utilizing... The International Crane Foundation will hold its annual Cranes of the World Festival on Saturday to promote the conservation of cranes and their ecosystems around the world. The festivities will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include numerous activities for visitors of all ages, including guided tours, arts and crafts and face painting. Interpretive Programs Manager Andy Bingle said the festival is a way to engage families and raise awareness about crane conservation efforts locally and internationally. Its wonderful to have everyone out here, Bingle said. We want to teach people what they can do both directly and indirectly to protect cranes and their ecosystems. Guided tours will take place throughout the day during which visitors can learn about crane species from all over the world and see them firsthand. The Cranes of the World Tour examines 15 different species and takes about two hours. The Spirit of Africa Tour explores the four African crane species and runs about an hour. Both tours leave from the Cudahy Visitor Center. Naturalist, humorist and educator David Stokes will return for this years festival and take the stage at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Wattled Crane Amphitheatre. Stokes is a regional naturalist who uses live animals in his performances. Visitors can expect to hear songs, stories and see a variety of animals. He has all of these snakes that he wraps around his head and all these turtles and other animals, Bingle said. Its a jam-packed presentation with information on wetland animals that cranes use to survive. Interpretive Naturalist Intern Savanna Dahl said shes looking forward to the question-and-answer session with crane research and care staff taking place from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Whooping Crane Exhibit. Visitors can ask staff members questions about wild and captive cranes. Im excited to hear from a combination of the staff here that I dont normally get to work with, she said. Dahl also noted that shes excited to see Hope, a 9-foot-tall whooping crane mascot that was made by the same company responsible for Big Bird from Sesame Street. Hope will be at the Cudahy Visitor Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Shes our giant whooping crane mascot that you cant not be excited for, Dahl said. She doesnt talk she has a handler with her that gives out whooping crane information. Dahl has worked as Hopes handler before and, along with providing crane information for visitors, she also taught Hope how to do the Macarena. Lunch will be provided from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. by the Friends of Muraviovka Park, a nonprofit group that supports crane conservation in far eastern Russia. Visitors can purchase a bag lunch for $7 and eat while watching the cranes. A memorial for local art teacher Rochelle Robkin will be presented by Crane Foundation co-founder George Arcihbald at 3 p.m. at the whooping crane exhibit. Robkin was an avid supporter of the Crane Foundation and a friend of Archibald. The attorney for a Baraboo murder defendant says a judge should step in and force prosecutors to drop the homicide charge against his client. The district attorney has clearly abused his discretion in this matter by filing a charge that has no legal or factual support in the record, Mauston attorney Daniel Berkos wrote in a legal brief filed Tuesday. Berkos client, 31-year-old Matthew T. Harvey, is one of four people charged with being a party to the crime of first-degree homicide involving an Oct. 6 after-hours fight at the corner of Lynn and Walnut streets in Baraboo. Authorities say the fight resulted in the stabbing death of 36-year-old Anthony Inman, of North Freedom, and the serious injury of 33-year-old Anthony Peterson, of Mauston. Although prosecutors only have alleged that one man, 28-year-old Jae M. Robinson of North Freedom, carried out the repeated stabbing of Inman, they have charged all four that fled the scene that night with being a party to the crime of homicide. Each of the four also has been charged with being a party to the substantial battery of Peterson. Berkos brief states that prosecutors have attempted to create links that do not exist in any of the evidence in charging his client, Harvey, with homicide. Judge asks for clarity Days after Harvey, Robinson, and two others 37-year-old Christopher L. Nash of Baraboo and 24-year-old Amanda N. Rotar of Baraboo were arrested, a preliminary hearing was held to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to believe they had committed felonies. After prosecutors and defense attorneys questioned a detective that investigated the case, a judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence to believe that all four defendants had committed felonies. At that time, prosecutors opted to proceed with homicide charges against each of them. In February, Berkos filed a motion to dismiss the murder charge against Harvey, saying evidence produced at the hearing did not implicate his client in Inmans death. In July, Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Michael Screnock wrote in a legal brief that although prosecutors may decide which charges to pursue following a preliminary hearing, judges have the authority to determine whether a district attorney has abused his discretion in that regard. He requested the attorneys file written arguments regarding the possible dismissal of the homicide charge. Berkos: Charge unwarranted The Wisconsin Supreme Court has found that it would be improper for a district attorney to file charges against a defendant that are wholly unrelated to the evidence presented at a preliminary hearing. Such hearings often are held at the outset of a criminal case to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to believe a crime has been committed. Berkos wrote in a legal brief filed Tuesday that the homicide charge against his client is unwarranted. He said the prosecutions main witness, Baraboo Police Det. George Bonham, never implicated Harvey in the stabbing during the Oct. 14 preliminary hearing. The testimony of Det. Bonham was uncontroverted that the deceased was attacked by Jae Robinson, Berkos wrote. The other victim, Anthony Peterson, was approached by the defendant and Christopher Nash, was struck on the side of his head with a blow by a hammer, fell to the ground, and was stomped on by an unknown person. Berkos also argues that there was no evidence that Harvey knew he was about to participate in a fight that could result in a death. The alleged getaway driver, Rotar, told the detective that she was with Harvey in Wisconsin Dells when Nash and Robinson called him to come pick them up. She said there was no discussion of a fight, and the brawl already had begun when they arrived. Berkos states the detective did not hear from any witnesses that said Harvey ever engaged Inman during the fight. Witnesses said Harvey only engaged with Peterson. He said evidence presented at the October hearing failed to connect Harvey to the death of Inman. Prosecutors have yet to file a brief in opposition to Berkos motion. Harvey remains incarcerated at the Sauk County jail on a $100,000 cash bond. PORT WASHINGTON Ozaukee County became the second county to approve the merger of the Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System with the Eastern Shores System on Wednesday. Ozaukee County Clerk Julianne Winkelhorst said Ozaukee County voted in support of the merger. The vote was 23 ayes, 1 nay and 2 absent, Winkelhorst said. Dodge County was the first to approve the merger of the Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System with the Eastern Shores System on July 19. The Dodge County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the merger. The county boards in Washington and Sheboygan will consider the resolution later this month. All four counties have to approve the resolution for the merger to take place. If the merger is approved by the counties, the two systems will join together Jan. 1. The Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System, a cooperative venture between libraries in Dodge and Washington counties, offers library services to its members. The system has undergone a series of changes in the last few years, including the loss of Jefferson County, which pulled out of the cooperative. When Jefferson County left, the group began to consider merging in order to maintain a strong level of services. The cost of operating a two-county library system may have meant additional fees for individual libraries. In addition, the state could have forced the system to join another system if it did not find another system with which to merge. The Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System includes libraries in Beaver Dam, Brownsville, Fox Lake, Germantown, Hartford, Horicon, Hustisford, Iron Ridge, Juneau, Kewaskum, Lomira, Lowell, Mayville, Reeseville, Slinger, Theresa, Waupun and West Bend. Eastern Shores includes libraries in Cedar Grove, Cedarburg, Elkhart Lake, Mequon-Thiensville, Grafton, Kohler, Random Lake, Sheboygan, Oostburg, Saukville, Plymouth, Sheboygan Falls and Port Washington. The new system will include a shared catalog of more than 1.1 million holdings. It will also save the libraries about $98,000 in cumulative system fees being paid by member libraries for sharing services. It will also improve technology support and expertise. Columbus firefighters took their new drone out for a spin, flying it over Firemans Park during the National Night Out Tuesday night and showing if off to a curious crowd. Onlookers not only got to see the drone in flight, but also got to see live video as it was captured by the drones camera and played on a TV screen set up in the park. The department has owned the drone for just a couple of weeks, but it has already put it to use twice, Chief Randy Koehn said. In the early morning hours of July 25, the Randolph Police Department called for mutual aid, asking the department to send its drone up after a car accident was discovered. There were no people at the scene, and there were concerns initially that someone may have been thrown from the vehicle. The drone searched a corn field nearby, but found no one. Later that evening, the drone was sent up again, this time to fly over the Chapel Street water tower to get photos and video of the damage that had been done to it during a storm a few days earlier. Koehn said the Middleton Police Department recently used its drone to locate an armed robbery suspect who was hiding in a marsh. The drone, which can detect body heat, was able to find the suspect in just 10 minutes. In Columbia County, the Sheriffs Office has a drone, but no other fire departments do. Columbus firefighters, who were taking turns piloting the drone during the demonstrations Tuesday night, said the drone will be a useful tool for them in a number of situations. The main scenarios they envisioned using it would be: For search and rescue. The drone has a Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) camera on board that can detect heat, so it could locate a missing person, even in the dark. In structure fires. The drone can fly above a building, and the thermal imaging camera can detect where the hot spots are and show firefighters where to direct their streams. It can also show if a roof has collapsed or identify other potentially dangerous situations. In hazardous chemical situations. If a tanker truck rolls over on the highway or a train derails, a drone could be flown in close to read the chemical placards without having to send a person in. The drone was purchased with a donation made by the Columbus Area Agribusiness Council, after its annual dinner in March. About a quarter of the Columbus Fire Department has been trained to fly the drone so far. A West Allis man accused of killing a neighbor and a woman in Sauk County in May before being shot by law enforcement in Dane County, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court on Wednesday to face charges from the intervening highway chase. Zachary Hays, 20, is charged in Columbia County with two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, three counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of attempting to flee an officer. A Wisconsin State Patrol sergeant told investigators after the incident that on May 1, at about 3 p.m., she had heard through Columbia County Dispatch that a woman had been shot while driving with her family on Interstate-39/90/94 in Sauk County and the suspect vehicle was approaching DeForest and the State Trooper post there. The driver of the vehicle was suspected of being involved in the death of 42-year-old Gabriel Sanchez earlier that day in West Allis. The sergeant responded, stopping next to the median, near the Columbia-Dane county line. As the suspect approached in a Chevy Blazer, according to testimony in court documents, Hays swerved toward the sergeants vehicle and may have hit her if not for her backing up to get cover from the cement divider. Hays Blazer was disabled by road spikes and the chase ended in a standoff on the interstate during which Hays was shot by deputies with the Columbia County Sheriffs Office and taken into custody, to a hospital and eventually to Sauk County Jail. Also taken into custody were Hays two brothers who were in the vehicle with him. Following the incident, a Dane County Sheriffs Office deputy reportedly met a family that had been driving a rental car from Minneapolis to Illinois, and had been passed by Hays and pursuing law enforcement. The driver described Hays as shooting at them out the window and hearing a loud thump on the hood, likely related to what a deputy described as an obvious bullet hole. Tracy Czackowski, 44, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., who had been shot while driving back to Illinois from vacationing with her family in Wisconsin Dells, later died in the hospital. The state would ask for a cash bond in the neighborhood of $100,000, said Columbia County Assistant District Attorney Troy Cross at Wednesdays hearing. Given the nature of the charges, the state feels that a high cash bond would be required. I would note that he is already on a high cash bond in his other two cases. A judge in Milwaukee County, where Hays is charged with first-degree reckless homicide, on July 26 ordered Hays be held on a $100,000 bond during a hearing in which Hays was found competent to stand trial. Hays is in jail in Sauk County, where he has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of felony reckless endangerment and is being held on $500,000 cash bond. There was no argument from defense attorney Adam Raabe, appearing by video from Sauk County in a split screen. Hays appeared on the left half of the screen, with a shaved head as opposed to the earlier appearances in which his face had been obscured by long, curly hair. He averted the camera, leaning over the counter in front of him and turning toward the wall when not giving brief direct answers to the judges questions. Certainly Mr. Hays is facing roughly 160 years-plus on this particular complaint, said Judge Todd Hepler, not counting the potential life sentences with each of his other cases. Hays is scheduled to next appear in court Aug. 11 for a preliminary hearing. Portage residents who attend the premiere of Indie Guys will have more in store for them than their typical movie-going experience. Sunday is less of a premiere and more about getting a feel for what people think, Madison filmmaker Greg Kuper said of the 10 a.m. Sunday showing in Portage Theatres. Attendees, he clarified, will ultimately serve as a test audience, and have the opportunity to meet and greet the cast. Tickets are $10 and if they sell out, no worries. Theyll open it up for two screenings at the same time. Kuper, a Kenosha native, is co-producing and co-starring in the film with Jarrod Crooks of Portage. The men market their film as two broke guys making a movie about two broke guys making a movie a buddy film they hope will find its way into Sundance Film Festival and other festivals. From there, they hope to find a distributor, either a studio that could get their movie into theaters or a streaming service like Netflix. Sundance, Crooks explained, looks for films that are unique and different -- a quality the filmmakers feel strongly their movie possesses. We think its a film that will go over well with audiences, said Crooks, whos originally from Wausau but moved to Portage in December. Its relatable. Its about chasing your dreams and living your life, and what you have to do to accomplish your dreams. Residents looking for yet another hook to get them to the movies on Sunday should note Portage and other local attractions are featured in Indie Guys, Crooks said. Shots of Portage Theatres involve a scene where Bartels Middle School teacher Taa Egli Crooks girlfriend plays a cashier, and another scene was shot at the Portage Dairy Queen. Baraboo Candy Co. is featured in a scene with talk show host Jerry Springer, who Crooks explained happened to be filming Price Is Right at Ho-Chunk Casino in Baraboo at the time Indie Guys was being filmed. Maybe hell say yes, maybe no, but lets just try, Crooks said of the thinking hours before they shot Springers scene, for which there was no script. It didnt hurt that Kuper had worked as a production assistant for The Jerry Springer Show in the mid-1990s, Crooks added. In a matter of 18 hours we got a yes, found a location and shot it. He was wonderful to work with. And he did it for free. Kuper and Crooks are hopeful having Springer in the film will provide a boost to get them into festivals. Crooks said the filmmakers will likely submit to Sundance in August, though they might not learn until December or January if its accepted. But if it is accepted, he added, that selection would open so many doors. Mumblecore Kuper said Indie Guys is shot in a documentary style similar to how the award-winning movie The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke was filmed. Its meant to look like someones following you around with a camera, he said, comparing it also to the Rob Reiner cult-favorite This is Spinal Tap and televisions, The Office. The filmmakers were given access to Wisconsin Public Televisions Directors Cut set, and the film features mock interviews of Kuper and Crooks by the shows host, Pete Schwaba. Indie Guys falls into the film subgenre dubbed mumblecore, characterized by amateur actors who give natural, improvised performances. Its not super new, Kuper said of mumblecore, but its making a big splash in the independent world. Wisconsin Art While the film wont be rated until it finds a distributor, Kuper said its family-friendly and would likely get a PG-13 rating for language. The films very entertaining, Kuper said. If you come to the film, youre supporting independent film, which is supporting Wisconsin art were people who are passionate about doing what we do and entertaining people. Two guys making a movie with no money is exactly what making this movie was, Crooks said. Crooks and Kuper have made movies together before, but Indie Guys is their first feature-length film. We didnt have any money, but you know what, we said weve done other movies with zero dollars, so lets do this one. With numerous major changes coming for Columbia Countys court system, now might be the time to make another one, and put all full-time employees on a 40-hour work week. That was the consensus of Columbia County Circuit Court Judge W. Andrew Voigt and Clerk of Courts Susan Raimer, as they addressed Wednesdays annual joint meeting of the County Boards Executive and Human Resources committees. As part of the countys annual budgeting process, the two committees get together at about this time every year to hear various departments requests for new positions or revised hours for existing positions. This request which affects 10 people who work in the Clerk of Courts office, three judicial assistants and two who work in the Register in Probates office calls for extending the hours of full-time employees from 37.5 to 40. Human Resources Director Joseph Ruf said the 37.5-hour work week for some employees (basically 7.5 hours per day, five days per week) is a throwback to the time when employees negotiated their work hours through the American Federation of County State and Municipal Employees. As a result of the 2011 state law that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for most public employees, AFCSME no longer represents any Columbia County employees. If were going to do any of this, Voigt said, we need to do all at once. We have so many different people in so many different roles. If some full-time employees in court-related offices are extended to 40-hour work weeks while others are not, Voigt said, he envisions morale problems. And the courts, he said, are already anticipating some challenges in the coming year. Starting in July 2017, the courtrooms, and the offices of the District Attorney, Clerk of Court and Register in Probate, will be moved temporarily to the Annex at 120 W. Conant St., where theyll stay for the approximately nine months it will take to remodel the courthouse at 400 De Witt St. for court-related use only. The Annex will need to be remodeled to accommodate security and communication requirements, but quarters will be tight for everyone during the remodeling period. Raimer noted that the transition involves not only moving offices, but also moving untold numbers of paper records, which are supposed to be stored in the lower level of the new Administration Building, set to be completed in June 2017 alongside the Portage Canal. The courts, she said, need all the extra work hours they can get. There is no slow time in the court system, she said. Ruf said the countys accounting department estimated that it would cost the county an additional $45,912 next year to put all court-related full-time employees on a work week that consists of 40 hours instead of 37.5 hours an addition of 1,950 work hours per year for existing employees. HR Committee member Bruce Rashke said the benefit-related costs of this move would be minimal, because the employees working 37.5 hours per week already earn full-time employees benefits. And, Ruf said, it would make it easier for the Human Resources Department to keep track of employee work hours and compensation if all full-time employees work the same number of hours per week. Originally, there had also been a proposal to extend work hours for all employees of the district attorneys office to 40 hours per week a move that DA Jane Kohlwey said she didnt ask for. In the DAs office, Ruf said, there are no full-time employees who are working a 37.5-hour week, but there are part-time employees who work less than 40 hours per week. Kohlwey said the request for 40-hour work weeks for her employees which she said originated from the County Board committee that governs her office is premature, and she would prefer to implement as she replaces existing employees. The committee voted not to include the extended hours for the DAs office in the overall ranking of requests for new employees or extended hours. A racial discrimination lawsuit against a Lincoln used car dealer has been dismissed. The lawsuit against Dillon's Auto was dismissed earlier this week at the request of both parties. The suit was filed in 2014 by Lorenzo Nunn, a former employee of the company who had worked at both the Dillon's north dealership at 6345 N. 28th St. and at Dillon's south dealership at 2701 Jamie Lane. Nunn had alleged that the owners of Dillon's Auto had made derogatory comments about African-American customers, including referring to them with racial slurs, and also conducted employment background checks on prospective black employees but not whites. Nunn, who said in the suit he quit working at the north dealership in part due to racial harassment, also alleged that he and two other African-American employees were fired when the owners learned they had been hired at the south dealership. Dillon's Auto had denied the allegations and said it followed laws on equal opportunity employment. Mark Falheson, attorney for the used car dealer, said the lawsuit was "satisfactorily and amicably resolved," and he said Dillon's Auto was pleased with the result. Nunn's attorney, Joy Shiffermiller, declined to comment. Dillon's Auto is not affiliated with Sid Dillon dealerships in Nebraska. A judge sent a 50-year-old Lincoln man with a masters degree in behavioral disorders to prison Thursday for abusing a low-functioning woman. Brian Vandyke said first he had made a terrible judgment and wants and needs to continue to get counseling for alcohol abuse -- both for himself and for the community. I truly regret everything that happened, he said. Vandyke said he accepted "some responsibility" from the beginning for what happened early on Oct. 3. He and the state dont agree on the facts. Originally facing a sexual assault charge, he ultimately pleaded no contest to abuse of a vulnerable adult, contending that the sex between him and the 39-year-old woman was consensual but wouldnt have happened if he hadnt been drinking. His accuser, who lives in a group home, gave a different account to police. She said Vandyke, who she met the night before through a mutual friend, walked her home, then grabbed her by her wrist and took her into her bedroom. She told police she told him she didnt want to do anything, but he took off her clothes, then his own and pushed her onto the bed and they had sex. The woman said she tried to push him away but couldn't. She called police when Vandyke left. Retired Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront said Thursday that if anybody should recognize that the person he had sex with had limited ability, it was Vandyke, who has a master's degree in special education. He wasn't employed at the time. There is really no reason to excuse the offense, Cheuvront said, then sentenced Vandyke to two years in prison and a year of post-release supervision. Vandyke also will have to register as a sex offender. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Maj. Connie Holen wasnt ablaze when she exited the massive KC-135 refueling aircraft -- but that didnt stop her from being doused by a fire hose when her feet hit the ground. The Firth woman not only accepted the chilly stream flowing from atop the base's fire truck, but she embraced it with open arms. She had a career to celebrate. This drenching, one of the U.S. Air Forces many traditions, marked the end of more than 20 years spent flying, 11 from the Lincoln base. The California native's father was an F-4 pilot back in the day, and he helped her get her pilots license when she was 16. She swam at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was named an All-American there. Shes gone on multiple deployments to Guam and the Middle East and accumulated some 2,500 hours of flight time. As much as she loves her time in the air, Holen said her frequent deployments kept her away from her four young boys too much. My kids were young and just being away from them and them not quite understanding why was hard. Its a long time for a kid, even just a three-week deployment. Holen graduated from the Air Force Academy in July 2001, just two months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Since then, she said, the demand for deployment has only grown, contrary to her expectations. The past few years, as the deployment expectations have increased of my fellow pilots and other air crew, I havent been able to volunteer for things that everybody else is volunteering for, she said. It was really a realization that Im not able to play as big of a part as someone who came in who is younger or could do more deployments. Although managing a growing family and a successful career proved challenging, Connies mother-in-law, Renee Holen, beamed with pride Thursday and spoke of Connies accomplishments in awe. She is an amazing daughter-in-law. She not only does this, Renee Holen said, motioning to the huge planes behind her. But she raises four boys and bakes cookies and crochets. We are just so proud of her. In addition to chasing her four boys, Holen hopes to grow her freelance graphic design business. She will also join the Air Force Reserves and act as a liaison for the Air Force Academy and interested Nebraska high school graduates. I still feel like Im contributing to the future of the Air Force and its neat to get to see the excitement in those kids who really do want to be a part of it and want to be a pilot, she said. Im sure I will miss flying, she said. It hasnt hit me yet, it doesnt feel real, really. Today just feels like another day flying, but with a party afterward. Holen is married to fellow Air National Guard pilot Lt. Col. Wade Holen and his active duty will allow her to keep in contact with her community of friends. The Air Force is a family. Its a family that I feel close to and I feel like what were doing is important. Im proud to be friends with all the people who are out here and Im proud of the job that theyre doing. A state audit of the Nebraska Department of Education concluded that using the National School Lunch Program to determine school and district poverty levels remains unreliable and the Legislature should find another measure to use in the state aid formula. The 2015 audit noted that the Education Department is following state statute in using participation in the free- and reduced-lunch program to calculate poverty levels, but found there are inherent errors in the program. Last year, the audit report said, $125.6 million of the state's $932.9 million distribution to schools was based on the poverty portion of the formula. About $8.4 million was awarded based on students who were ineligible for the program. The report found that a more accurate, reliable measure would be more fiscally responsible. The argument over using numbers from the National School Lunch Program isnt new, because its the basis upon which billions in federal Title I money is distributed to states. But critics argue both sides: that it underestimates children in need because not all parents whose children would qualify fill out the application, and that children who dont qualify are wrongfully counted. Nearly a decade ago, then-state auditor Mike Foley issued a more strongly-worded report that found troubling errors in the school lunch program counts. The percentage of error was substantially less in the most recent audit. Bryce Wilson, the Education Departments director of financial and organizations services, said the school lunch program is still the best measure available. Is there a perfect way? Absolutely not," he said. "But I dont see a better way. In addition to school lunch numbers, the department gets low-income counts of students in each school district from the Nebraska Department of Revenue. Also, he said, since the audit was completed, the department has started using a new verification report that will provide more accurate information on school lunch numbers. The new form was just made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the National School Lunch Program. Students can qualify to participate in the free- and reduced-lunch program in a variety of ways, including participation in assistance programs such as food stamps or Medicaid. Parents also can enroll their children by filing an application with the school. Districts are required to verify 3 percent of those applications, Wilson said. Families with annual incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for reduced-price meals; those at or below 185 percent of poverty are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. For the 2016-17 school year, thats $44,955 and $31,590, respectively, for a family of four. A study released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year found an error rate of 9.8 percent in the program in 2012-13, the audit noted. That compares to the states 9.3 percent. In 2007, when Foley issued his report, the states error rate was 21 percent. A new federal program has caused further confusion. Called the Community Eligibility Provision, it allows schools and districts with at least 40 percent of its students getting assistance such as food stamps or Medicaid to provide free lunches to all students. Those schools wouldnt have to enroll students individually. Last year, just 14 of the 111 eligible schools in Nebraska took part in the Community Eligibility Provision program, according to Nebraska Appleseed, an advocacy organization. Wilson said the department's new form pulls application information from different sources, including the Community Eligibility Provision program, and will improve accuracy. Other findings in the audit included insufficient documentation of expenditures for various programs and grants, though Russ Karpisek, with the state auditors office, said overall the departments audit was positive. Given that $1.6 billion flows through education department annually, Wilson said he was pleased there were no major problems, and many of the record-keeping suggestions in the audit already have been put in place. Hitachi-GE to launch nuclear energy course in Malaysia 04 August 2016 Share Japan's Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy has renewed an agreement with two Malaysian universities under which it will conduct a new international human resources development program to train workers for the nuclear power industry. Hitachi-GE announced today that it has renewed an agreement with the National University of Malaysia (UKM) and the Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten), a private university operated by Malaysia's largest power company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad. Under the agreement, Hitachi-GE will run an international human resources development program for nuclear energy, leveraging a course that the company has jointly conducted with Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) for the past five years. So far the course has been held at venues in Southeast Asia and other regions and attended by more than 2000 students. For the new program, Hitachi-GE will work with Tokyo Tech, which has cooperation arrangements with UKM and Uniten. The new course will "target students specializing in nuclear energy as well as researchers and other specialists from institutions involved in the nuclear power industry in Malaysia", Hitachi-GE said. The first of a series of nuclear power seminars will be held at Uniten on 20 September, expected to be attended by about 80 students. "Given the need for the effective transfer of technology and other know-how built up by countries with experience in power plant construction and operation, human resource development involving highly specialized education and training in nuclear energy has become an urgent requirement," Hitachi-GE said. In 2008 and in the wake of escalating fossil fuel prices on which the country is over 90% dependent for its electricity needs, the Malaysian government expressed its tentative support for nuclear power and set up a task force to investigate the option. In early 2010 the government had set aside $7 billion for plant construction and the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water was instructed to identify suitable locations, yielding eight possible sites. In January 2011, the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation was commissioned under the new Economic Transformation Program to spearhead the eventual deployment of nuclear power plants in a 12-year time frame. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Areva disappointed with Kiggavik decision 04 August 2016 Share Areva Resources Canada said it is "very disappointed" with a decision by Canadian ministers not to approve the proposed Kiggavik uranium project. The project has been placed in in care and maintenance while the company considers its next steps. The Kiggavik exploration camp, pictured here in 2015, has now been mothballed (Image: Areva Resources Canada) The company said yesterday: "Areva and its partners in this project spent over eight years and tens of millions of dollars on the environmental assessment process. The Kiggavik Project, demonstrated through the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) review, had no unresolvable issues and would provide positive, long-term benefits to the Kivalliq Region." The final ministerial decision to accept a 2015 NIRB recommendation that the uranium mining and milling operation should not be allowed to proceed at the current time was made public last week. The lack of a definite start date or development schedule for the project in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut was cited as a major obstacle. "Having start date uncertainty is not unique to this project and it occurs quite frequently in Canada given the timeline for approvals and constantly changing market conditions," Areva said. The ministerial decision itself recognised that such a situation was common for proposed developments in Canada's northernmost regions and could largely be addressed under the provisions of existing planning legislation or through the attachment of terms and conditions. "These provisions were discussed at length throughout the process and during the NIRB final hearing and we are obviously disappointed that they were not applied to the Project. As stated throughout the regulatory review process, Areva was fully prepared to re-evaluate and confirm the accuracy of our predictions should there have been a significant delay in project start date and to evaluate performance against predictions throughout operations," the company said. Future plans The ministerial decision, like the NIRB recommendation, is not that the project should never go ahead. Canada's minister for indigenous and northern affairs, Carolyn Bennett, has reiterated that Areva may resubmit the Kiggavik Project for consideration when a more definite start date is known. However, Areva said it has no immediate plans to resume exploration activities in light of the decision and current market conditions. "At the end of this nearly eight-year process, the question remains whether the Project, as designed, could meet the requirements for development in Nunavut at this time. Further, the decision by the authorities to not apply available remedies to take into consideration an uncertain project start date influences the companys investment risk and future project advancement," it said. "We will take some time to decide our next steps and will discuss with our partners in this project in the coming months. Areva continues to believe the Kiggavik Project is sound and can offer many benefits to Nunavut without compromising the environment," the company concluded. Kiggavik is about 80 km west of the community of Baker Lake in Nunavut, which is Canada's northernmost territory. The project envisaged three open-pit mines at Kiggavik itself, plus an open-pit or underground mine at the nearby Sissons deposit. The project would also include a processing mill and an accommodation complex, plus a tailings management facility using the mined-out open pits at Kiggavik, as well as a dock site at Baker Lake. An operating life of 14 years of operation based on existing resources estimates of 132.6 million pounds U3O8 (51,000 tU) was envisaged. The project is owned in a joint venture by Areva (64.8%), JCU (Canada) Exploration Co. Ltd. (33.5%) and Daewoo Corporation (1.7%). Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Kimberly Nicole Martines, 23, admitted that she fed her 17-month-old daughter a teaspoon of salt A 17-month-old child has died and her mother has been charged with homicide by child abuse in Spartanburg, South Carolina after Peyton was poisoned with salt. Kimberly Nicole Martines, 23, admitted that she fed her child a teaspoon of salt in an attempt to get her husband to take her back. The two are separated and their three children live with Martines. The little girl was pronounced brain dead on Tuesday and died Wednesday afternoon. The Medical staff at Spartanburg Medical Center called authorities on Sunday morning after diagnosing the child with an acute case of salt poisoning, called hypernatremia. Although sodium is essential to health, too much is poisonous and can cause seizures, coma and death. Too much sodium causes water to rush out of the cells, causing damage especially to brain cells. As the cells shrink due to lack of water they are torn out of their usual locations. The torn blood vessels can cause fluid in the lunch, kidney damage and seizures. Martines admitted that she fed Peyton a teaspoon of salt followed by a drink. She was awakened later when the child started screaming. Martines told sheriffs deputies that the baby was hot and appeared to be having seizures. Emergency personnel took her to Spartanburg Medical Center, where it was confirmed that she had suffered salt poisoning. Peytons pediatrician expressed concern about the babys poor weight gain in November 2015 and referred her to a GI doctor and BabyNet. Martines cancelled the BabyNet appointment and did not show up for the GI appointment. Tiffany Lazar, Martines sister, told a local news outlet that Martines was a great mother, who would never have done anything to hurt her kids. Theres a lot more that went on than people understand. No one should judge her at all, and theres nothing in this world that would make her hurt her babies. Peytons twin sister ha been placed into protective custody with the Department of Social Services, as has an older sibling. Bond has not been set for Martines due to the severity of the charge. Amina Al-Jeffery By: Wayne Morin A group of attorneys have appealed to a court in the United Kingdom, to order the government of Saudi Arabia, to return a woman who was forcibly taken away from the country because she kissed a boy. Amina Al-Jeffery of Swansea, was 16 year old when her father, 62-year-old Mohammed Al-Jeffery, took her to his home in Jeddah. Mohammed left the country because he caught his daughter kissing a boy, and he wanted her to marry a religious Muslim. She has since been held as a prisoner at her fathers home in Jeddah. She is being starved of food and water, physically abused, and will not be allowed to marry the man of her choice. The father also made sure to shave his daughters hair to make her ugly and kept her from going to the bathroom. Amina briefly escaped from her fathers home and contacted the British embassy, and filed a complaint. In court, the father denied all the allegations. Lawyers for the woman claimed that the Saudi government is helping the father keep his daughter in the country. The High Court in London, has ruled that the father must allow his daughter to return to the United Kingdom. Amina is a dual British Saudi citizen. A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, new democracies sprang up all across Eastern Europe. It was easy to believe democracy was on the march, and that it was only a matter of time before it became the global norm. Today, it seems the tide is moving in the other direction. Exhibit No. 1 is Turkey. In the wake of the unsuccessful military coup earlier this month Turkish President Recep Erdogan has moved quickly to concentrate power in his own hands. More than 1,500 officers have been dismissed from the military. Thousands of citizens have been detained. Thousands, including professors, teachers and judges, have been fired from their government jobs. Dozens of news media organizations have been shut down, according to The Associated Press. Americans should be concerned for multiple reasons. At the top of the list is Turkeys role as an important regional ally for the United States. Many of the U.S. air attacks against ISIS leave from a Turkish air base, for example. Turkey also has been a NATO ally since 1952. In fact, it is one of the countries that stores nuclear weapons for the mutual defense organization. Hundreds of Nebraska National Air Guard members have been deployed there over the years for training and for active service during the Gulf War and the war in Iraq. Founded as a secular democratic republic in 1925 by national hero Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey is part of both Europe and the Middle East, as well as a bridge to Asia. With a population that is more than 90 percent Muslim, Turkey has a history of protecting the rights of religious minorities. Following precedent set by Attaturk, Turkish women have had equal rights under law. The Turkish educational system is open to women through university level. Erdogan professes to be committed to secularism. But under his leadership Islamic values have become more emphasized. In 2013, for example, a long-standing ban against head scarves for women was rescinded. Despite Turkeys long ties with the United States, relations are at a low point because Erdogan blames a dissident clerk living in exile in the United States for organizing the failed coup. The Turkish parliament already has declared a three-month state of emergency that allows Erodgan to rule by decree. Possibly Turkeys previously robust democratic practices could make a return in the future, but its definitely headed the wrong way. A 28-year-old Seattle man working aboard the F/V Odin was found deceased in his bunk by a fellow crew member Saturday morning. The cause of death is unknown, according to Tim Buness, Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department chief and Search and Rescue coordinator. The vessel, owned by Mark Severson of Petersburg, was located in Anita Bay near Wrangell, when the unresponsive Charles "Rhett" Richards was discovered. According to Buness, the U.S. Coast Guard and Wrangell Search and Rescue were in communication around 5:12 a.m., and search and rescue was on the scene roughly 30 minutes later. Search and rescue brought Richards to the Wrangell clinic, where he was pronounced dead and transferred to the state medical examiner's office in Anchorage for an autopsy. According to an Alaska State Trooper press release, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper in Wrangell responded to investigate. The exact cause of death is unknown pending results from the medical examiner. The M/V Chugach launched in 1925 and remained in service until 2015. The historic 62-foot long, 14 1/2-foot wide vessel spent many years operating out of Petersburg. Alaska Region. The Chugach was part of a ranger boat fleet that once numbered 11 strong, and worked along 12,000 miles of Alaska coastline. By 2005, the majority of the other ranger boats were in private ownership. The Chugach is 62-feet long and she's just over 14-feet wide. It is listed on the National Historic Register of Places, and in conjunction with the National Historic Preservation Act the agency is required to take certain steps to ask the public what could be done with the vessel. "The public is going to have really good out-of-the-box ideas that we ourselves may not have come up with on our own," Hicks said. "We're hoping that, in this case, that it has the potential to be kind of an economic development opportunity for someone in a community." People proposing their idea for the future of the vessel were asked for a brief proposal with an alternative use idea or feasibility plan. All lease proposals would be considered, and particular consideration will be given to proposals that best preserve the boat's historic integrity. Hicks said the chance of an additional comment period is likely, with less than 10 already received. The plan is honing proposals and narrowing them down to two or three. The finalists will be presented to USFS leadership and for a decision on how to continue. Hicks is currently working on a feasibility study with an architectural historian to explore what really could be possible, she said. "It's so significant to the history of the Forest Service here in Alaska," Hicks said of the vessel. "It's the last, so it's a little bit different than maybe the other ranger boats vessels that have been previously removed from the fleet." The importance of the vessel's character and integrity is key from a USFS stance. The vessel is scheduled to wrap up repairs soon, but there's no rush to get it back in the water, Hicks said. "It's also kind of sad that it's going out of service, so it's kind of mixed emotions," Hicks said. "And I've only been familiar with it for the past year. There are folks in this region who have taken numerous trips on it and are very passionate about it." One of those people fortunate enough to spend time aboard the old wooden vessel is Rachel Myron, USFS archeologist in Juneau. She's been off and on with the USFS since the late-1980s. Myron used the Chugach and another ranger vessel the M/V Sitka in Heritage Program trips to visit and inspect archeological and historical properties. A lot of the work is on the ground and labor intensive, so having a good skipper was a huge perk. "Whether it was the Chugach Ranger or Sitka Ranger, you could work with a competent skipper, which we so often had," Myron said. "We were able to shuttle ashore and then come back at night to a nice cabin-like environment, where actually, the skipper would generally prepare meals for us as well." Most trips lasted 10 days and the ranger boats made it possible to conduct work in remote places and along tough shoreline. They also allowed native tribal members to come on extended trips to work closely with USFS staff. The collaborations usually lasted three days, and the time was valuable and maximized an efficient transfer of local knowledge. Myron calls the days aboard ranger boats "a gift." Unfortunately, Myron said USFS analysis of ranger boats don't consider the emotional attachment the vessels conjure. "I just miss those boats," she said. She still thinks about trips taken with Petersburg mariner and Chugach captain Chuck Thynes. Blake Miller shows off the 16-foot boat he traveled in from Washington to Southeast Alaska, while moored in North Harbor last week. He kept the boat loaded with provisions and plenty of warm clothes. PETERSBURG When a person is rowing a freshly licensed, hand-constructed 16-foot boat from Washington to Juneau, bad days are bound to happen. One happened right before Blake Miller of Missoula, Montana, rowed into North Harbor early one morning last week. After being about 3/16 inch on his map, he ended up on a massive mud flat. So his options were, get up at 1 a.m. and be on the water by 2 a.m., or roll the boat over a couple hundred yards of rock and mud. He also had the option of waiting until 11 a.m. to launch, but he got up early and the reward was a flat Frederick Sound all to himself. "I watched the moon set and watched the sun starting to rise," Miller says. "I had at least two humpbacks that I could hear coming up to breathe and the water was glassy calm." Five days prior, Miller was in Ketchikan being a "dutiful tourist," watching the lumberjack show, checking out coffee shops and searching for a good cheese burger and fries. When he stopped in Wrangell, he arrived mid-afternoon on a Saturday, just in time to grab a cheese burger and watch the town shut down. He's been eating a lot of soup and instant rice lately so when a town is coming up Miller's motivation becomes a good burger and soft bed. After deciding to attempt this journey in January, he built a boat from a kit which cut into his planning and preparation time. He found out doing epoxy work during a cold Montana winter is a "really bad idea." Miller says the boat definitely has some manufacturing defects, but also points out it was his first time tackling a wood-working project. Miller launched from his parent's house where he grew up in Tulalip, Washington over two months ago on May 20. "I wanted to do a big adventure, and I wanted to see if I could do a really long trip," Miller says. "And I've always wanted to build a boat, for a trip, so it was like, 'Why don't I just build a row boat and row it from Washington to Alaska?'" Miller likes the day to day challenges of a solo trip. He will read a guide book and search for details about a good place to camp, but he intentionally stays away from reading accounts of other adventure seekers. "Ultimately, I'm out there and it's my call," he says. "I don't want anybody else's account of their adventure to influence my perception of what I'm going through out here." Miller ended his journey in Juneau earlier this week, and he said the last portion of his trip was by far the best part yet. He rowed next to glacier ice, encountered more humpback whales, with one coming within 50 feet of his small craft. He also got pinned down for two days in a storm, but all he needs is a tarp to lie under and Alaska to look at. "There's almost always something worth looking at, either a whale swimming by or some eagles hanging out," he says. Miller very slowly worked his way up the coast, and he rowed or sailed the entire way, except for a ferry ride from Port Hardy to Bella Bella. By the time he arrived in Ketchikan a ferry ride home started sounding good. The number of rest days needed at the end of his extended trip increased, because he was exerting more energy than he could consume. In Petersburg, Miller was tempted by the prospect of hopping on a ferry, but he pushed on and overcame. For Miller, there are a couple reasons for making the journey, and building the boat was a huge lesson in empathy. He teaches math at one of the colleges in Missoula, and deals with a lot of math-averse students. So he likes trying new things he has no experience with and to feel what it's like to start from scratch. He also took ballroom dancing lessons once, but Miller doesn't remember much of the venture other than the fact it was "absolutely terrifying." "It helps me empathize, because I do lose empathy, and I kind of need to Jess Field Miller's only security system for his dry bags and other goods too bulky to transport to and from his hotel room was pulling the sail over the items. remind myself what it's like to really go into something intimidating, not knowing anything about it," he says. Almost 10 years ago, the adventurer in Miller, 27 at the time, increased after hearing about the possibility of adult complications from a heart defect he had surgically corrected at birth. His heart essentially functions as well as someone who's had a major heart attack. "I've spent most of my life out of the medical system, which I've been very grateful for because nobody ever said to me, 'Oh no, you can't do that, you have a heart condition,'" Miller says. He goes on bigger adventures every other year or so. He's completed multiple winter trips down the Grand Canyon and been on the verge of hypothermia in the Yukon, but this year's trip might be his limit. It's not a bad thing, however, because he's already thinking about rowing back to Alaska. On the bridge from Pinnacle Bank Arena to the festival space on the west side under the letter O for Optimism is this quote attributed to Theodore C. Sorensen: "Our surest protection against assault from abroad has not been all our guards, gates, and guns, or even our two oceans, but our essential goodness as a people. Our richest asset has been not our material wealth but our values." The national convention of the Green Party of the United States opens today in Houston, Texas. Its main task will be to officially select Jill Stein as the partys candidate in the presidential election. The convention will also debate minor amendments to the partys current platform, which was adopted in 2014. Many middle-class pseudo-left organizations that had promoted the Democratic primary campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, such as the International Socialist Organization and Socialist Alternative, are coalescing around Stein and the Greens. In the aftermath of Sanders groveling embrace of Hillary Clinton, a right-wing symbol of the status quo who is despised for her corrupt relations with Wall Street and her support for US wars of aggression in the Middle East and American warmongering against Russia and China, these organizations are touting the Greens, a bourgeois party, as a genuine left alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. In this manner they are seeking to lay yet another trap for workers and youth who are being radicalized and are looking for a way to oppose the militarism, brutality and inequality of capitalism. The promotion of Stein and the Greens is meant to preempt and block the emergence of an independent and socialist movement of the working class. The Greens are the next line of defense against a political break by the working class from capitalist politics. As the World Socialist Web Site explained in a previous article dealing with the introductory sections of the Green Party platform, the party is a pro-capitalist formation that rejects the class struggle and represents the social interests of well-off layers of the upper-middle class. Steeped in a narrow nationalist outlook, it aims for nothing more than to serve as an external pressure group on the existing capitalist parties, particularly the Democrats. While certain elements of the platform will likely be amended over the weekend, the basic orientation expressed in the document will remain unchanged. At any rate, the amendments to be voted on at the convention are not based on any principled considerations. For the most part, they are verbal improvisations designed to better position the Greens to capture former Sanders supporters. A further examination of the Greens platform corroborates the analysis made in the previous WSWS article. The first major section of the platform, titled Democracy, combines the promotion of reformism with support for American imperialism. The latter emerges in the form of qualifications to the partys supposed professed pacifism. Reformism and a rejection of the class struggle Our nation was born as the first great experiment in modern democracy, the Greens write in the introduction to the section. We seek to rescue that heritage from the erosion of citizen participation. They continue: Moreover, we seek to dissolve the grip of the ideologythat government is intrinsically undesirable and destructive of liberty and that elected officials should starve the beast by slashing all spending on social program [sic], in the name of freedom. We challenge that tactic by calling on all Americans to think deeply about the meaning of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In a democracy, individuals come together to form structures of governance that protect and advance the common good. We the citizens are the government There is not a hint of a class analysis here, or any suggestion that the pretensions of democracy under capitalism, even under the best of conditions, are illusory and compromised to the core by the underlying reality of the bourgeoisies economic dictatorship, founded on its ownership of the means of production, and its ruthless exploitation of the working class based on these economic relations. The Marxist truth that the state is an instrument of repression of the dominant economic classplayed out in the daily lives of workers and youth in the form of police violence and the crushing machinery of the so-called justice system, with its vast prison complexis rejected. Instead, one gets the paupers brew of banalities and fictions typical of what passes today for liberalism. The Greens can provide no explanation as to why the American political system has become so totally unresponsive to the needs and desires of the broad mass of the population. To the extent that they offer one, it is to suggest that this situation is the result of the apathy of the population itself and the supposed fact that the people are under the sway of conservative ideology. The argument that the growth of political reaction reflects defects within the masses themselves is common to all middle-class tendencies, which reject a class analysis of political developments. The Greens concern about the dysfunctional character of American democracy is motivated primarily by the fear that the increasingly naked criminality of the American political system is creating a crisis of legitimacy, undermining the authority of American capitalism, and fueling a revolutionary challenge from below. Thus they write: We seek to heal the alienation and apathy that has been cultivated in the citizenry by the power brokers of the status quo. Righteous anger about the crippling of our democracy is rising in the land, and the Greens offer constructive alternatives [emphasis added]. In addition, they continue, we seek to repair the plummeting opinion of the United States in the international community resulting from our arrogant, narcissistic foreign policy of recent years The United States could well play a leadership role in [the community of nations] but only if we become committed to an eco-social vision of peace, national self-determination, and international cooperation. Thus, they are concerned not with the criminal character of American imperialism itself, but with the negative impact of its arrogance on the international standing of the United States as a world leader. The Greens do not call for the arrest or prosecution of any of the current or former US officials responsible for American war crimes. Instead of class struggle, the US Greens promote the reactionary utopia of class conciliation. One form of this is the Greens promotion of local and community politics. The problem, they argue, is not the division of society into mutually antagonistic social classes, but the centralization of power on a national and international scale. Thus, they write that they are committed to the strengthening of our civil society, including the many mediating institutions at the community level that have always characterized our democracy. Subsection B, titled Community, is devoted to the promotion of the illusion of social harmony within local communities. The Greens argue that at the local level, old and young, rich and poor, and people of all races and beliefs can interact individually and learn to care for each other [emphasis added]. The crisis of American democracy is far more advanced than the Greens, with their almost exclusive focus on electoral reform, let on. American capitalism is not merely distorting or corrupting democracy. It is increasingly imposing authoritarian forms of rule. The outgoing administration of Barack Obama has become synonymous with illegal dragnet surveillance, the assertion of the right of the president to assassinate people, including American citizens, by means of drones, and the transformation of local police departments into a paramilitary force. The Green platform makes no mention anywhere of Obamas drone warfare. Nowhere does it defend whistleblowers Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, or WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who have been viciously persecuted for their revelations of criminal activities by the American government. The undemocratic character of American politics is expressed in part by the monopolization of elections by the big-business Democratic and Republican parties, but the former is not reducible to the latter. In countries with looser ballot access laws and lower sums of money behind election campaigns, such as France, Germany and Greece, the experience has been fundamentally the same: massive attacks on the living standards of the working class are being forced through over broad popular opposition, and preparations are being made for dictatorship. The Citizens United ruling undoubtedly marks a further stage in the putrefaction of American democracy and consolidation of a plutocracy, but the American state has always ruthlessly defended the interests of the US ruling class. Throughout the entire history of the country, American workers engaged in mass struggles have faced the full fury of the state, with the courts, the police and the military unleashed against them. The state is not, as the Greens argue, a neutral arena that can be captured by the people through the election of new parties. The experience of the German Greens is instructive. With their entry into the federal government in 1998 in the red-green coalition, the Greens took up responsibility for implementing the domestic and foreign policy of German capitalism at a time when it was shifting sharply to the rightinitiating its abandonment of military restraint and converting the newly reunified German state into an instrument for slashing the wages and conditions of German workers and increasing their exploitation. The party that proclaimed nonviolence and social justice as two of the four pillars of its program presided over German participation in the war in the Balkans, the first foreign deployment of German troops since World War II, and the implementation of the deepest cuts in social spending in postwar German history. Pro-war pacifism The Green Partys foreign policy comprises only four-and-a-half pages of its 73-page platform, and is tacked on as a subheading in the first section. The Greens portray their foreign policy as antiwar and based on the principle of nonviolence. They write, for example, The US must recognize the sovereignty of nation-states and their right of self determination. They assert that the United States does not have the right to justify pre-emptive invasion, and urge the dismantling of Americas nuclear arsenal. There is, however, no attempt to explain why the United States has spent the past quarter-century embroiled in constant warfare. In fact, this history is hardly acknowledged. The Greens avoid any mention of the actual foreign policies being pursued by the United States, including the anti-Chinese pivot to Asia and the NATO encirclement of Russia. There is no mention of any of the wars in the Middle East initiated under Obama, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan merit only perfunctory mention. Instead, the Green Party bases its program of nonviolence on moral appeals to American imperialism to abide by international law. Its only concrete demand relating to demilitarization is for the United States military budget to be cut in half. The annual budget of the US military is more than $600 billion, not including funding for the various wars conducted by American imperialism. Cutting this budget by half would still leave the United States with by far the largest military budget in the world. And, of course, it would leave the massive apparatus of violence, murder and subversion intact. The platform includes caveats to the Greens pacifism big enough to drive a truck through. For example, paragraph 1.d. under Foreign Policy, which appears directly beneath a call for the US to recognize the sovereignty of nations, declares support for the UN-sanctioned invasion of a country in the name of opposing genocidal acts orpersistent violation and denial of the human rights of an ethnic or religious group within its boundaries. The following paragraph states, The US is obliged to render military assistance or service under UN command to enforce UN Security Council resolutions. This amounts to an explicit endorsement of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine that has served as the legal justification for a wide range of imperialist wars and occupations since the 1990s, including the war for regime change in Libya that killed more than 50,000 people and left the country in a state of blood-soaked chaos. Far from protecting human rights, such wars have produced more than 65 million refugees worldwide, the highest number since the end of World War II. The Greens touching reverence for the United Nationsthe modern incarnation of the League of Nations, which Lenin aptly called an imperialist thieves kitchenis, in and of itself, proof of their allegiance to American imperialism. In one of the few places where a specific American foreign policy is mentioned, in the subsection on Iran, the Greens write: We support negotiation with Iran for a peaceful resolution that reduces or eliminates sanctionswhile continuing or strengthening inspections to ensure adherence to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In other words, the Greens endorse the policy of the Obama administration, which has used punishing sanctions and intrusive inspections of the countrys nuclear facilities to bring to heel the bourgeois-clerical regime established by the 1979 revolution against the despotic US client regime of the Shah. Leon Trotskys scathing appraisal of middle-class pacifism applies in full to the US Greens: In these few words we have the whole program of petty-bourgeois pacifism, he wrote. Everything that is in our power to prevent war means to provide an outlet for the opposition of the masses in the shape of harmless manifestos, in which the government is given a guarantee that if war comes, no hindrance will be put in its way by the pacifist opposition. The Indian government has sent 16,000 kilograms of food to Saudi Arabia, which was distributed in front of Indias consulate in the port city of Jeddah, in an attempt to defuse mass protests by Indian migrant workers who had been laid off and left to starve. More than 10,000 Indian migrant workers in that country are battling hunger after employers refused to pay their wages. They cannot leave Saudi Arabia because their employers often hold their passports in order to control them; nor can they afford a return trip home. One Saudi construction company, Saudi Oger, has refused to pay its workers wages for seven months. It employs a total of 50,000 employees, including 4,000 Indian migrant workers. Last week, hundreds of Saudi Ogers employees, who said they had not been paid in seven months, led protests in Jeddah demanding their back wages. The protest caused traffic disruptions in northern Jeddah and shut down a gas station. The Saudi government subsequently sent police to disperse the protest. It then stationed police outside the workers camps to keep them from protesting while they starve. After interviewing workers at one of the camps, CNN Money reported: Trash collection has stopped, and theres no electricity. The workers get water from the mosque across the street. Police are stationed outside after protests erupted in recent weeks. These events expose the ruthless class relations that exist in Saudi Arabia, the NATO powers most reliable ally in the Middle East and the leading source of funding for the various US-backed Islamist insurgencies in Libya, Syria and Iraq. The parasitic multi-billionaires of the Saudi royal family deprive inhabitants of Saudi Arabiain particular, millions of super-exploited foreign migrant workersof basic social and democratic rights. There are roughly 3 million Indian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, which depends on migrant workers to fill jobs in its construction, services and manufacturing. In blue collar jobs like construction, many face severe hardship, working outdoors in extreme temperatures, and abuse by their employers. They work for a pittance, mainly in construction, transport and other low-paying sectors, and face miserable living conditions: meager meals and a lack of running water and functioning toilets in their camps. Human Rights Watch has criticised Saudi Arabia for rampant employer abuses of migrant workers, including forcing them to work against their will or on exploitative terms. A visa system that ties workers residency to employment grants employers excessive power over workers and facilitates abuse, the group said. The Indian state has never tried to defend the Indian migrant workers in the Persian Gulf oil sheikdoms. According to the latest figures of December 2015, around 7,500 Indians have filed complaints, including exploitation and torture, against their employers in Persian Gulf countries. The highest number of complaints was from Kuwait (3,236), followed by Saudi Arabia (2,472) and Bahrain (806). Indian missions in Oman, Qatar and UAE received 413, 378, and 126 complaints respectively. At the same time, about 5,900 Indian workers lost their lives in the Gulf countries last year, with most deaths reported from Saudi Arabia (2,691) and the United Arab Emirates (1,540). The abuse and exploitation of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia has intensified enormously amid the financial crisis triggered by the ongoing global collapse in oil prices. The Saudi monarchy has reacted by slashing government spending. With 70 percent of its revenue dependent on oil, it has cut public spending for 2016 by 25 percent, cutting subsidies on fuel, power and water, with gas prices set to increase by 80 percent. Mass layoffs continue to mount in oil companies and state-owned firms across the region, and since most other jobs are also connected to the petroleum industry, few workers are secure. Local construction firms, which mostly rely on Indian migrant workers, are under pressure as a result. One of the largest companies, construction giant Saudi Bin Laden Group (SBG), which has built most of the countrys public buildings, was unable to pay its work force. According to a survey by GulfTalent, an online recruitment agency, 14 percent of private companies plan to cut jobs in Saudi Arabia in 2016. In Oman, UAE and Qatar, the figure is 10 percent, 9 percent and 8 percent, respectively. The recent announcement that Saudi Arabia will implement the second phase of the Nitaqat law, which allows the government to reserve jobs for native Saudis, will create more difficulties for Indian job seekers. Migrants are already worried that Gulf countries could levy tax on their personal income. Nonetheless, head hunters in India looking for cheap labour are confident that acute poverty and social desperation that characterise Indian capitalism will continue to drive workers to seek work in the Persian Gulf sheikdoms. Wakeel Ansari, the president of Delhis association of recruiting agents, says Indian workers complaints have barely impacted their businesses, though they are suffering from the economic slowdown due to the crash in oil prices. The number of complaints is not even 1 per cent of the 7.3 million Indians residing in the Gulf, Ansari said, dismissing the mass abuse of migrants in the Persian Gulf countries. There may be some genuine cases of harassment or exploitation, but this can happen in any country, he said. The recruiting agents added that Gulf employers prefer Bangladeshi and Nepalese workers, as their wage levels are even lower than those of Indian workers. ASHLAND -- Gov. Pete Ricketts told business and civic leaders Thursday that he's prepared to propose improvements in Nebraska's package of business investment and job creation tax incentives. Those possible improvements are on the table along with possible tax cuts as the governor begins to shape his 2017 legislative agenda, Ricketts said. "We will do what we need to improve those incentives," Ricketts said during remarks at the annual federal legislative summit sponsored by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and Nebraska Chamber of Commerce. Several hundred participants, chiefly from Lincoln and Omaha, and a large contingent of state senators attended the event at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum along Interstate 80 near Ashland. "My job is to grow Nebraska," the governor said, and along with that he has focused on cutting the rate of growth in the state budget. Following his remarks, Ricketts said he has asked Courtney Dentlinger, director of the Department of Economic Development, to work with State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton to see how increased tax incentives and additional tax cuts might work within the framework of anticipated state revenue. Ricketts said he is not prepared to say whether he might recommend income tax cuts, perhaps along with additional property tax reduction, after focusing on property tax cuts during his first two years in office. "We want to see how this can fit together," the governor said. It's a "process of continuous improvement," he said. Revenue projections will be a key factor in determining what is possible, Ricketts said. The governor's attention to business incentives appeared to run counter to a comprehensive tax reduction plan being developed by Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion. Although Smith's proposal has not been revealed, he has talked about reducing tax incentives in order to help fund overall tax reduction. Later, during the event's congressional forum, Sen. Ben Sasse and Rep. Adrian Smith of Gering spoke of the value of trade to Nebraska. "Both our producers and consumers win with trade," Sasse said. Past trade agreements have resulted in increased exports, Smith said. While supportive of trade, the 3rd District congressman said, it's important to "try to get it right (so) our consumers and producers do well." Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been sharply critical of U.S. trade agreements, opposes the proposed Trans-Pacific trade agreement and has said he would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has said she does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership in its current form. Both Sasse and Smith are Republicans. Democratic Rep. Brad Ashford of Omaha said Nebraska's congressional delegation works together without regard to partisan differences. "We're too small to be divided by partisanship," he said. "And (in Nebraska) we know how to govern in a nonpartisan way." Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado warplanes stepped up their bombing operations in Iraq on Monday by striking what the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said was a training centre for the Islamic State (ISIS-Daesh). The RAF has been taking part in air strikes against ISIS in Iraq since 2014, and against Syria since last December, as part of US-led operations. In a statement, the MOD said, Tornados participated in a major coalition air strike on Saddams former palace in Mosul, used by Daesh as a headquarters and training establishment for foreign terrorists, while Typhoons destroyed a network of fortified positions on the outskirts of Manbij. According to the Independent, Britain was one of seven countries involved in the raid. News sources reported that the Tornados used two of their largest 2000 lb. Paveway laser-guided bombs to destroy hardened and deeply buried targets. The bombings mark an escalation of Britains participation in imperialist military operations in the Middle East. Although RAF planes were not reported to be involved in this weeks US airstrikes on the Libyan coast city of Sirte, they are understood to have been involved in reconnaissance missions ahead of the bombings. British Special Forces are also operating in Libya, alongside those from France and Italy. The latest strikes came just three weeks after Theresa May replaced David Cameron as Conservative Prime Minister. Within five days of entering Downing Street, May signalled that under her premiership Britains military would step up its global operations. On July 18, she authorised a debate in parliament on the renewal of the UK Trident nuclear defence system. May set the tone of the debate, in which three quarters of the Labour Party backed the renewal of Trident. The prime minister replied with an unequivocal Yes to an MP who asked if she would be personally prepared to authorise a nuclear strike that can kill a hundred thousand innocent men, women and children. May stated that her Government will continue to meet our NATO obligation to spend 2 percent of our GDP on defence. We will maintain the most significant security and military capability in Europe, and we will continue to invest in all the capabilities set out in the strategic defence and security review last year. She named seven countries/regions of the world where Britains military would continue to intervene, stating, We will meet the growing terrorist threat coming from Daesh in Syria and Iraq, from Boko Haram in Nigeria, from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, from al-Shabaab in east Africa, and from other terrorist groups planning attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. UK armed forces are already deployed in more than 80 countries across the world. Well over a decade after the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, 450 UK soldiers remain in Afghanistan and more than 275 military training personnel operate in Iraq. An additional 50 troops are to be deployed to Afghanistan due to the worsening security situation in the country and in line with the slowing and reversal of the US troop drawdown. During a visit to the RAFs base in Akrotiri, Cyprus on Tuesday, UK Defence Minister Michael Fallon stated that additional British troops would be deployed to Iraq this month to support ongoing military campaigns. In a move first announced last month, an additional 250 troops will bring the total number of British military forces to more than 500. Emphasising Britains commitment to the US-led NATO alliance, Fallon said, The uplift underlines that Britain is stepping up, not stepping back from our international commitments, following the June 23 referendum vote for the UK to leave the European Union (EU). Last month, speaking of Syria at a Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) conference on airpower, Fallon said, The RAF has not operated at this sustained operational tempo in a single theatre of conflict for a quarter of a century. The opposition Labour Party, as befitting its historic role in support of the predatory interests of British imperialism, was the critical factor in overturning an August 2013 vote against Syrian operations, due to widespread public opposition, combined with divisions within the political and military elite over their efficacy. The vote severely damaged British imperialisms standing in Washington and helped force the Obama administration to retreat from open warfare aimed at deposing Bashar al Assad and installing a client regime. In September 2014, parliament voted by a massive majority in favour of the use of UK air strikes to support Iraqi, including Kurdish, security forces efforts against ISIL in Iraq. Just 24 of 257 Labour MPs voted against, as then party leader Ed Miliband lauded military action. Air strikes by British warplanes in Iraq took place in the hours immediately following the vote. Under new, nominally left, leader Jeremy Corbyn, Labour then played a critical role in allowing British bombing in Syria. After Cameron called a vote in parliament last December for Britain to intervene militarily in Syria on the pretext of fighting ISIS, Corbyn authorised a free vote by Labour MPs on the issue. This meant they would not be censured or disciplined for supporting war. Corbyn did this knowing that a large contingent of Labour MPs would line up behind the Tory war resolution. In the event, 66 Labourites backed military action, giving the Tories their politically required majority. In January, Fallon provided an update on the escalation of Britains operation in Iraq and cited the vital importance of the Syria vote. After the vote in parliament we have doubled the number of strike aircraft and we have tripled the number of strikesby day and nightthat we are carrying out six days a week, he said. Addressing RUSI, Fallon noted, Two years on from Parliaments vote to authorise airstrikes in Iraq, seven months since the extension of that authorisation to Syria, we now have over 600 air and ground crews in RAF Akrotiri. He boasted, Our aircrew have flown more than 2,800 missions in Iraq and Syria. Theyve conducted 865 airstrikes in Iraq and, since December, 50 in Syriamore than any other nation except the United States. Fallons speech was a declaration of the global ambitions of British imperialism. Last year, crowed the Defence Secretary, our pilots and aircrew deployed to more than 60 countries. Delivering his speech just days after the June 23 referendum vote on leaving the European Union, Fallon said, The result of the referendum will not change our global outlook. Nor the shared threats we face. To counter those international challenges we must work even harder with our allies and partners, becoming, in the words of our SDSR [Strategic Defence and Security Review], international-by-design. And while weve opted out of one particular union, we take our global responsibilities seriously, as members of NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Northern Group of European nations, the Five Power Defence Arrangements in the Far East and permanent members of the UN Security Council. While nominally directed against ISIS militias, the aim of Britains military interventions is to secure a good portion of the spoils from the ongoing imperialist carve-up of the region. Moreover, these operations, which are being promoted in the bellicose language of May and Fallon, are in readiness for war against Russia and China, in alliance with the United States and NATO. Fallon stressed that the RAF was operating in Eastern Europe for the third year running protecting our NATO allies against Russian aggression. He added that the RAFs capital investment program was being increased to more than 6 billion as Our competitors are striving to close the capability gap with Russia exploiting forward-swept wing technology and with North Korea miniaturising nuclear weapons. US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte July 30 in Manila and pledged $32 million to fund Dutertes anti-drug campaign, an operation that involves death squads, police murders and concentration camps. Since Duterte took office at the end of June, more than 500 alleged criminals have been killed by police and vigilante groups. Kerry has come a long way since he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971 and denounced the conduct of the US military in Vietnam in terms of moral outrage. He told the committee that we watched while America placed a cheapness on the lives of Orientals. Kerry has long since overcome any such moral compunctions, integrating himself into the Democratic party apparatus, running unsuccessfully as the partys presidential candidate, and finally becoming the top diplomatic face of US imperialism. He is now the one who hangs Washingtons price tag on the cheapness of human lives. The $32 million he dispensed to fund the murder of impoverished Filipinos is meant to secure Manilas support for Washingtons anti-Chinese pivot to Asia. For US imperialism, the lives of Orientals have always been cheap. William McKinley bought the colony of the Philippines from Spain for $20 million in 1898. The bill of sale was written in the blood of over a million Filipinos who were killed in the war of conquest that marked the entry of the United States onto the world stage as an imperialist power. From the installation to the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay, hand-picked in 1953 by the quiet American CIA operative Edward Lansdale, to the full support it gave the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Washington has ruled its former colony with near total control, preserving it as a foothold in the Asia Pacific region. The United States is seeking to maintain its global hegemonic dominance through military means, encircling Russia and China and escalating tensions to the threshold of a new world war. Under the previous Philippine administration, headed by Benigno Aquino, Manila played a key role in spearheading the US pivot in the South China Sea, filing a legal claim against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague and signing a deal to allow the unlimited basing of US forces in the country. The newly installed Duterte administration has been more hesitant in provoking China, hoping to forge expanded economic ties with Beijing. Duterte is a fascistic figure, openly contemptuous of human life. He has granted impunity to the police and military and called upon them to exterminate criminals. He declared in a speech that he would leave office as the Idi Amin of the Philippines, a reference to the Ugandan dictator and mass murderer. The Obama administration has established a pattern of funding and support for far-right and fascistic forces around the world in pursuit of US imperialist interests. In 2013, it backed the military coup by the Egyptian butcher General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. In 2014, it supported a fascist-led coup in Ukraine as part of its campaign against Moscow. It armed the al-Nusra Front, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, as a proxy in its campaign to oust President Bashar al-Assad. The Obama administration has no qualms about funding the murderous Duterte government if it will facilitate the economic, political and military isolation and destabilization of China. Duterte is putting Washingtons funds to good use. The number reported killed by police and vigilantes ranges from fifteen to twenty a day. Those murdered come from the most impoverished layers of the population, the shantytown dwellers and the informally employed, who dwell, in their millions, on the margins and in the interstices of Philippine cities, particularly Manila. According to the New York Times, over 114,000 people, fearful of being killed in the anti-drug drive, have surrendered to the police. They have been crammed into the countrys barbaric prison system. The British Independent published a photo essay on July 31 revealing the conditions in these jails. The fetid cells, as well as the open courts and stairwells of the prisons, are so densely packed that there is no room to breathe. Industrial livestock have far better conditions than these human beings. Duterte proposes to relieve the overcrowding by constructing concentration camps. He is calling for the building of high-wire-enclosed facilities in the center of military bases throughout the country to house those he claims are no longer of service to humanity. The initial funding Duterte will use for these concentration camps was supplied by John Kerry. The New York Times on August 2 claimed that Dutertes crackdown was hugely popular with Filipinos. As evidence, it cited an opinion poll on the new presidents trustworthiness conducted before he even took office, as well as his overwhelming victory at the polls. In truth, Duterte won the presidency by a plurality, receiving a mere 38 percent of the vote. The base of support for Duterte comes overwhelmingly from the petty-bourgeoisie and big business. The new president has announced that he supports the basing of US forces in the country, and since Kerrys visit, he has begun to escalate his rhetoric against China. Washington will happily continue funding Dutertes death squads and concentration camps as long as he toes its line against China. In the 2016 US elections, the Democratic Party is presenting itself as the premiere party of US imperialism, in the interests of which it will continue to promote far-right governments and political forces internationally. The danger represented by the fascistic Donald Trump cannot be opposed through support for the party that is funding the death squads of Rodrigo Duterte. Only the independent struggle of the working class in the United States, the Philippines and around the world in the fight for socialism can put an end to war and the growing threat of fascism. Korryn Gaines, a 23-year-old mother, was shot and killed by Baltimore County police on Monday. Her five-year-old son, whom she was holding at the time of the shooting, was shot in the arm. The police, none of whom were equipped with a body camera, were at Gaines residence to serve a warrant for failure to appear in court over citations for several traffic violations dating from March. Three Baltimore County Police Department officers arrived at Gaines apartment in Randallstown, a suburb of Baltimore, at about 9:20 am on Monday. Initially, they say, no one answered the door. Stating that they could hear people inside, including the cries of a child, the police obtained a key to the apartment. Gaines asked her son who was at the door. Its the police, he answered. Why are they here? Gaines then asked. Theyre here to kill us, he cried. Upon entry, the three officers discovered Gaines sitting on the floor of the apartment, holding her five-year-old son in one arm and a shotgun in the other. She told the officers to leave. When they did not, an hours-long standoff ensued; in the course of that siege, police dispatched the SWAT unit to the home. The police continued to try and apprehend Gaines for hours; they evacuated her apartment complex, served her with the warrant, and at one point, called her parents to the apartment to coax her out. In the late afternoon, around 3:00 pm, officers report that Gaines pointed her gun at them and informed them that she would shoot them if they did not leave her apartment. They fired their guns at her, at which point they claim that she returned fire. By 3:20 pm, Gaines was dead and her son, Kodi, had been wounded. The police, using Facebooks law enforcement portal, requested an exigency deactivation of Gaines Facebook page during the siege. Shortly before she was killed, Gaines Facebook and Instagram pages were taken down. The recent case of Philando Castile, whose death after being shot by Falcon Heights, Minnesota police was live-streamed onto Facebook by his girlfriend, sparking national protests, must have no doubt weighed heavily upon the departments calculations in deactivating Gaines social media sites. For their part, the police have stated that Gaines social media followers were encouraging her recalcitrance. In their official statement, the department claimed, On-scene command staff filed a request with Facebook during the barricade to deactivate Gaines Facebook and Instagram accounts in order to preserve the integrity of negotiations with her and for the safety of Gaines, her child and officers. Gaines was posting video of the operation, and followers were encouraging her not to comply with negotiators requests that she surrender peacefully. This was a serious concern; successful negotiations often depend on the negotiators ability to converse directly with the subject, without interference or distraction during extremely volatile conditions. The department has since stated that Gaines accounts have not been deleted, and that they will be entered into evidence in the course of investigation into the shooting. Disturbing information has emerged in the aftermath of Gaines shooting, all of which points to the role that the wretched social conditions faced by Baltimore and the surrounding areas working class played in shaping Gaines life in the years before her fatal encounter with police. Gaines was the victim of lead poisoning as a child, and had successfully sued the landlords of two different Baltimore homes for lead exposure. Her doctors had diagnosed her with neurocognitive disabilities. She struggled academically throughout high school, and she was prone to anger and impulsivity. These facts were not unknown to police. Gaines had been stopped by police in March for having no tag on her car; in its place was a handwritten, cardboard sign proclaiming, Any Government official who compromises this pursuit to happiness and right to travel, will be criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right and freedom. Footage from the March encounter shows an officer removing a child from Gaines lap as another officer dragged her out of her car by the arm. Gaines had told them that if they wanted her to get out of the car, they were going to have to murder her. She frequently posted on Instagram about police shootings. She also posted long statements challenging the constitutionality of the police force. After the traffic stop, she was convinced that the police were intent on kidnapping her. Given these facts, it seems highly unusual that a SWAT unit would be set upon her without a bodycam, yet that is exactly what the Baltimore County Police Department alleges. This, along with the deactivation of Gaines social media accounts, suggests that the police could have had a motive to not only target Gaines, but to do so with as little oversight and as few witnesses as possible. The deadly showdown between Gaines and the Baltimore County police took place mere days after Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby dropped charges against the remaining three police officers in the Freddie Gray murder case. Immediately following Grays killing, President Obama took to the airwaves to urge Baltimore citizens towards nonviolence, calling protestors criminals and thugs. He elevated the role of race in police killings, despite the fact that three of the officers implicated were black: We have seen too many instances of what appears to be police officers interacting with individualsprimarily African-American, often poorin ways that have raised troubling questions, he said after Grays death. Despite their posturing, Obama and Loretta Lynch, the US Attorney General, failed to ensure that there was an independent investigation into Grays murder. Mosby claims that the police department harassed her and other state employees who were tasked with the prosecution of the case, filing suits against them and successfully demanding gag orders against them. In June, UK law firm Baker Small provoked outrage following several posts on the companys Twitter feed boasting how it blocks support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND, formerly SEN). The law firm provides legal advice to several local authorities challenging parents who request support for their disadvantaged children. Its clients include Conservative-controlled County Councils in Gloucestershire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Hertfordshire, and Labour-run Croydon Borough Council. The estimated value of contracts for Norfolk County Council and Gloucestershire County Council alone reaches 900,000. On June 11, the firm posted a tweet declaring, Crikey, had a great win last week which sent some parents into a storm! It is always a great win when the other side thinks they won! Another tweet declared, Great ABA Trib [Applied Behavioural Analysis Tribunal] win this weekinteresting to see how parents continue to persist with it. Funny thing is parents think they won ;) When tweets began to circulate criticising Baker Smalls remarks, a follow-up tweet incorporating a picture of a laughing kitten read, Some great tweets received today from people who just see a one-sided argumentjust shared them with my cat Baker Smalls CEO Mark Small issued an apology for the asinine comments, but proceeded to show his concerns were merely superficial. Of more importance was the fact that the tweets and ensuing press coverage from a publicity point of view had been a disaster. As a result of the tweets, the Independent Parental Special Education Advice charity lodged a formal complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The charity claimed the firm breached SRA regulations, including principles of equality and diversity and protecting the interests of clients. Baker Smalls callous behaviour has also been evident in the courtroom, with charities SOS!SEN and Herts Parents Carer Involvement reporting that the firms confrontational, aggressive, disrespectful attitude to parents is commonplace. Beverly Watkins of Watkins Solicitors, which specialises in SEN (special educational needs) law, said that Mark Small had a very unfortunate attitude of viewing parents of children with disabilities with distain. He didnt have any compassion for the very, very difficult lives that many parents of disabled children have. In one particular hearing, involving Richmond-on-Thames Council, the tribunal judge had to order the firm to desist from its aggressive attempts to acquire medical records from Great Ormond Street childrens hospital in London, which had led to doctors becoming concerned. The media storm quickly saw councils that utilised the firms services terminating their contracts or declaring that they would not use them in future. But as one father told the Guardian, Most of these local authorities say theyre shockedto find a contemptuous attitude to parents present at Baker Small. But SEN is a small world, and Baker Smalls modus operandi is very well known. For the local authorities that purchased their services, Baker Smalls approach with parents wont have been a surprise. For the worst Las [local authorities], it will have been an acceptable and desirable part of the package. The father goes on to state, [T]he local authority culture that creates demand for their services is the real problem. Unless its addressed, well simply see another Baker Small pop up a few months down the line. In fact, within days, a new company was registered by Mark Small under the name Essential Special Educational Needs, Ltd. Less than a month following the media reports, at least one council has gone back on its word to suspend Baker SmallLabour-controlled Croydon Borough Council, which had quarterly outgoings to the law firm of 110,000 in 2014/2015. In an Inside Croydon article of July 10, parents reported how they were once again confronting the prospect of Baker Small in the tribunal halls in upcoming cases. One outraged parent told the local paper, All theyve done is let the dust settle on the outrage, and now Croydon are just going ahead as normal, using Baker Small as if nothing has happened. This is from a borough which pretends that it cares and likes to boast that [it is an] Autism Champion. But what are they really doing? They hire a bunch of legal hit men who make life hell for families like ours. Baker Small are hired by the council just to obstruct parents and waste time, all in the knowledge that it is costing families like mine thousands of pounds to fight through the courts just to get access to the sort of services which the council is supposed to provide. They do it on the basis that we will run out of money sooner than the council will and that well go away. The Baker Small case reads like something out of a Dickens novel from Victorian England. But it is just latest symptom of the aggressive way in which successive governments have turned the screws on the most vulnerable members of society since the global economy crashed in 2008. More than 1.3 million schoolchildren in England15 percent of the totalhave been identified as needing SEND support. However, recent research by the independent schools support company, The Key, revealed that 9 out of every 10 primary schools and 8 in 10 secondary schools have had their SEND funding affected by cuts. Local authorities have slashed such funding by up to 40 percent over the last six years. The crisis in SEND provision make a mockery of the claims by the then-Conservative/Liberal Democrat government that its 2014 Children and Families Act would rectify the problems identified by the 2009 Lamb Inquiry, which concluded that parents had no confidence in the SEND system and felt left out of important decisions about their children. Councillor Roy Perry, the Conservative chairman of the Local Government Associations children and young people committee, even admitted recently, We were clear with the Department for Education at the time that implementing the SEND reforms in the Children and Families Bill was significantly underfunded by the government and this has been borne out in reality. A report by SEND solicitors Boyes Turner earlier this year concluded In our view, the special educational needs and disability system is rapidly becoming a two-tier system made up of the children of families who have resources (time, stamina, patience, wherewithal, financial) to challenge a decision, and those that do not. Research by the Department for Education (DfE) also shows that the rapid academisation of education, as a prelude to further privatisation, has also adversely affected SEND provision. Almost two thirds of secondary schools are now academies, outside local authority control, funded directly by central government and free to set their own curriculum and teachers pay and conditions. In theory, academies are not supposed to treat SEND provision any differently than local authority schools, but in the competition to improve their results, they are excluding children requiring the most help. The DfE found that academies run by government-appointed sponsors, usually a charity, were twice as likely to issue a permanent exclusion and that SEND children are eight times more likely to be singled out. As a result, more and more SEND children are being removed from mainstream education, reversing decades of educational ambitions and placed in a special school. In 2014, the figure was 41 percent. The DfE predicts that the number of special schools will increase by 30 percent in the next five years. The presidential campaign of Republican candidate Donald Trump fell deeper into crisis on Wednesday, with numerous media reports that top Republican officials were considering an intervention to redirect the campaign, or even an effort to remove Trump as the Republican nominee. The discussions within the Republican Party establishment over the fate of the Trump candidacy coincide with a campaign by the Democrats and the Clinton campaign to attack the fascistic candidate from the right, as insufficiently committed to escalating war in Syria and aggression against Russia. Several publications discussed the intricacies of Republican Party rules under which the Republican National Committee could replace Trump in the event he could be pressured to withdraw from the raceless than two weeks after accepting the presidential nomination at the Republican convention in Cleveland. Rule 9 of the Republican Party states that the RNC is hereby authorized and empowered to fill any and all vacancies which may occur by reason of death, declination, or otherwise of the Republican candidate for President of the United States The otherwise gives the committee essentially open-ended power to remove the candidate and replace him. ABC News reported that senior party officials are so frustratedand confusedby Donald Trumps erratic behavior that they are exploring how to replace him on the ballot if he drops out. NBC News reported, Key Republicans close to Donald Trumps orbit are plotting an intervention with the candidate after a disastrous 48 hours led some influential voices in the party to question whether Trump can stay at the top of the Republican ticket. NBC named RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, former Republican New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as among the group seeking to salvage the Trump campaign. The Daily News reported, Top aides, including campaign Chairman Paul Manafort have become paralyzingly frustrated with their inability to steer their boss away from waging unsavory fightsmost recently his ongoing battle with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim-American parents of a fallen U.S. soldier whom Trump has attacked repeatedly since their appearance at last weeks Democratic National Convention. The New York Times chimed in, writing, Republicans now say Mr. Trumps obstinacy in addressing perhaps the gravest crisis of his campaign may trigger drastic defections within the party, and Republican lawmakers and strategists have begun to entertain abandoning him en masse. CNN said that RNC Chairman Priebus was especially frustrated with Trump because of his well-publicized refusal Tuesday to endorse either House Speaker Paul Ryan or Senator John McCain in upcoming Republican primaries, even though both have endorsed Trump in the presidential race. CNBC reported conflicts within the inner circle of the Trump campaign, quoting an unnamed longtime ally of Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who said that Manafort had lost control over the candidate. Manafort not challenging (Trump) anymore, the source wrote. Mailing it in. Staff suicidal. In a further sign of conflicts within the Republican Party, Trumps vice-presidential running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, publicly declared his support for Ryans reelection Wednesday, although he claimed that Trump had approved his statement. The media campaign was all the more extraordinary because there has not been the slightest hint from Trump or his top aides that he was considering withdrawal. On the contrary, the candidate has continued to campaign before large crowds, while denouncing his opponents, in both the Republican and Democratic parties. There is no doubt that important sections of the financial aristocracy, including some of the most prominent backers of the Republican Party, have decided either to oppose Trump openly or sit out the November election. The most prolific spenders on behalf of right-wing Republican candidates, Charles and David Koch, refused to give any support to Trump at a conference of some 400 donors Sunday in Colorado Springs. Not only that, they reportedly convinced others to rescind their own pledges of financial support to the Republican presidential candidate. Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman, a billionaire who was the Republican candidate for governor of California in 2010, announced Tuesday night in an interview with the New York Times that she would be supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton and contributing heavily to her campaign. Whitman, who is close to 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, denounced Trump as an authoritarian character and a dishonest demagogue who has exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division. Whitman told the Times that Clinton had called her personally a month ago soliciting her support. This was part of a larger effort by the Clinton campaign, which reached out to an array of billionaires, including Michael Bloomberg, Mark Cuban and Warren Buffett, during the same period it was supposedly moving to left in negotiations on the text of the Democratic Party platform with supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The Clinton campaign was quite happy to give verbal sops to Sanders supporters while it launched a post-convention shift to the right, currying favor with billionaires and attacking Trump as insufficiently patriotic and deferential in his treatment of the militaryas demonstrated in his attack on the Khan familyand insufficiently belligerent on foreign policy, particularly in relation to Russia. Trumps claimed opposition to US wars in the Middle East, and his friendly statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin, are at odds with the foreign policy consensus in Washington. Both Democrats and Republicans back the US-NATO buildup in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, threatening war with a nuclear-armed Russia. The Obama administration is pouring weapons and special forces troops into the war in Syria, Russias lone Mideast ally, and has launched expanded bombing and drone missile attacks throughout the region, including North Africa. These foreign policy considerations were spelled out most openly in the editorial Wednesday in the New York Times, headlined, The Case for (Finally) Bombing Assad. The Times demanded a harder line from the Obama administration against the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, including launching bombing raids on Syrian government targets. The editorial devotes special venom for Russian President Putin, claiming Mr. Putin is more interested in demonstrating that Russia and its friends are winning in Syria and the United States is losing. He will not alter his approach unless he becomes convinced that it has grown too expensive. It concludes: It is time for the United States to speak the language that Mr. Assad and Mr. Putin understand. There is an unstated corollary: a US presidential candidate whose commitment to the anti-Russia, anti-Syria campaign is judged questionable, is entirely unacceptable to the Times and the Wall Street and military-intelligence quarters for which it speaks. Behind the backs of the American people, President Obama has ordered US military jets to bomb Libya even as the White House ratchets up its military intervention in Syria. As the Socialist Equality Party candidate for US president, I denounce these criminal actions that are causing more death and destruction in countries that have already suffered horribly from years of US military intervention. Workers and youth in the US and internationally must mobilize against this action, which also threatens to lead to a military clash between the US and Russia, the two most powerful nuclear-armed countries. In authorizing the 30-day airstrike on Libya, Obama defended the 2011 regime change operation carried out by the US that has left the North African country in ruin. While the fresh bombings have been carried out in the name of the war against terror, the fact is the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is the direct product of the US and its NATO allies. The Obama administration and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton relied on militias linked to Al Qaeda to overthrow the Libyan government and murder its leader Muammar Gaddafi. These same forces, armed and financed by US and European imperialism, were then sent to Syria to topple the Russian- and Iranian-backed government of Bashar al Assad. This has resulted in the deaths of over 400,000 people, the creation of 10 million refugees, and the destruction of one of the most advanced Arab societies. We did the right thing preventing what could have been a massacre, a bloodbath in Libya, Obama said referring to the 2011 US-led attack on Libya. US forces, which include an undetermined number of ground troops, would continue in order to ensure that there were strong structures in place to assure basic security and peace inside of Libya, Obama declared. The president launched the airstrike without even the pretense of congressional approval. Instead, just as his Republican predecessor Bush did to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq, Obama cited the so-called Authorization for Use of Military Force that approved military action against those who had planned and carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This is absurd, since ISIS did not even exist in 2001. The renewed violence in Libya takes place as the US and British media published new accusations from anti-Assad rebels that the Syrian government is using chemical weapons. No one should believe a word of this. Similar charges leveled by the Obama administration in 2013 to justify a full-scale military intervention were exposed as lies by journalist Seymour Hersh and others. While a US attack was forestalled because of deep opposition internationally towards another Middle East war, large sections of the American military-intelligence apparatus, including the current Democratic presidential candidate Clinton, supported the attack. The ruling class in the US is determined not only to control the oil of the Middle East but to send a signal to Russia and China that it will stop at nothing in its drive for world domination. The wars in the Middle East coincide with increasingly bellicose provocations against Russia in Eastern Europe and China in the South China Sea. Throughout last weeks Democratic National Convention, nothing was said about plans for these wars, even as the Obama administration, behind the scenes, readied for this weeks bombing campaign in Libya. Now the Clinton campaign is braying for war and attacking Republican candidate Donald Trump from the right for being insufficiently aggressive against Russia. Young people have grown up in the US knowing nothing but endless wars and a government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama, which revels in its power for mass murder and its callous disregard for human life. In Clinton, the world faces an even more dangerous warmonger. War is the product, however, not simply of the blood-thirsty character of this or that politician, but of capitalism and the outmoded system of rival and antagonistic nation states. American workers, like our brothers and sisters around the world, have no interest in killing each other over which gang of multi-billionaires controls the worlds markets, resources and profits. The Socialist Equality Party is running in this election to fight for the building of a mass international anti-war movement, based on the working class and opposed to the capitalist system. Only the unified fight of workers around the world for workers power and socialism can guarantee the next generation a future free from the barbarism of war, social inequality and poverty. I urge you to support the Socialist Equality Party election campaign and build the SEP to lead the coming mass struggles of the working class. A warning shot fired from a tower at the Nebraska State Penitentiary Tuesday as a group of inmates refused to exit the yard was the first such warning needed in nearly a year. The inmates had converged on staff Tuesday evening and had become verbally aggressive. After the warning shot, staff returned inmates to their cells and then locked down the entire prison, said prisons spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith. The last use of a warning shot was on Sept. 14 at the Nebraska Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln. It was used to break up a fight between inmates after they didn't follow orders to stop fighting on the prison exercise yard at 3220 W. Van Dorn St. The Department of Correctional Services reported at the time that an officer in the tower fired a warning shot into the ground away from the inmates. The latest altercation at the Lincoln penitentiary, which resulted in a lockdown of the facility, came after the Department of Correctional Services implemented greater control of inmate movement during meals, Smith said Wednesday. The movement issues were not related to staffing numbers or experience, she said. Prison operations require attention to the tone of the facility and management of numbers of inmates to ensure safety for both staff and inmates. Corrections Director Scott Frakes has noted in the past that staff safety is a priority, and the increased control of movement at meal times is one way to keep people safe, Smith said. She said there has been increased resistance to staff direction from a small part of the population over the past month. Tuesday's incident was resolved peacefully because of quick and decisive actions of staff, Smith said. "A significant contributing factor to the quick resolution of the incident was the reduced number of inmates out at the time due to the improvement in movement control," she said. The decision to lock down the facility was a precautionary step to ensure staff and inmate safety, she said. Smith did not respond to questions about whether there was evidence the incident was planned, nor would she estimate how long inmates would be locked down. Frakes and Warden Richard Cruickshank were unavailable for interviews, she said. The department changed or reinforced some of its policies and procedures after a riot in May 2015 in which two inmates died and two were injured. While all Nebraska men's prisons are over design capacity, according to a quarterly report for April through June, the Nebraska State Penitentiary is at 192.75 percent of capacity, with 1,348 average daily population, the largest number of inmates at any of the state's prisons. OMAHA Authorities say two firefighters have been injured while battling a blaze at a house just north of Omaha. The fire was reported at 1:20 a.m. Thursday in the Ponca Hills area, east of U.S. 75. The occupants escaped without harm. The two firefighters were taken to an Omaha hospital. The fire cause is being investigated. Officials suspect the blaze began in a pickup before spreading to a garage and then the house. BAINBRIDGE, GA (WTXL) - Officers say they found 4 ounces of crack cocaine and some marijuana when they responded to a call at a Bainbridge motel. According to officers, 27-year-old Jarard Johnson was arrested and charged in connection with the drugs. Around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Bainbridge Public Safety received a call reporting drug activity at a local motel. Police said they were told by staff that 4 black males staying at the motel were smoking marijuana at the pool. Bainbridge Public Safety said when officers arrived on scene, the group ran off. After additional officers arrived, police searched the area and saw Johnson through a motel window. Following a search of the room, police said they found the crack and marijuana in a drawer. Johnson was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of marijuana. Officers are still investigating and are on the lookout for the other suspects. TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- An American woman killed in a mass stabbing Wednesday in London has been identified as 64-year-old Darlene Horton. Horton was married to Florida State University professor Richard Wagner. The couple was in London wrapping up the university's study abroad program. Statement Released by FSU Florida State University officials have confirmed that the American woman killed in a mass stabbing Wednesday in London was the wife of an FSU eminent scholar. Richard Wagner, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology, and his wife were in London where he taught in the summer session at the universitys renowned London Study Program. Wednesday night, she and five other pedestrians were suddenly attacked by a knife-wielding man in Russell Square. She died at the scene. James Pitts, director of FSU International Programs, said students already had left the program for the summer, and none were involved in the incident at Russell Square. Pitts said that university administrators in London immediately offered assistance to Wagner. The couple had planned to return to Tallahassee today, Aug. 4, Pitts said. There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy, said FSU President John Thrasher. We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family, and we will do all we can to assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the Psychology department, as they mourn. Wagner holds the W. Russell and Eugenia Morcom Chair in Psychology. He also is the associate director of the Florida Center for Reading Research. You are the owner of this article. ROK residents watch a television broadcast reporting the deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) at the Seoul Railway Station on July 13, 2016 in Seoul, the ROK. [Photo/VCG] By deploying its Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in the Republic of Korea, the United States will harm regional peace and stability, and put Seoul in a precarious position. The crux of the Barack Obama administration's "pivot to Asia" strategy is to consolidate its military presence in the region and THAAD is an important part of that move. Apart from the ROK, the US also hopes to deploy the missile system in Guam, Japan and the Philippines. But since deployment of THAAD in the ROK was considered the most difficult to achieve, the Obama administration sees Seoul's nod as a key step forward in its "pivot to Asia" strategy and wants to complete the process before ROK President Park Geun-hye's term in office is over. Donald Trump has said the ROK should be responsible for its own security, and this attitude of the Republican presidential nominee has been worrying Seoul. When the US withdrew parts of its forces from the ROK between 1950s and 1970s, Seoul felt "unsafe". So now, given Trump's stance, the Park administration seems eager to secure US protection by opening the door to the missile defence system. The deal could even include the introduction of US tactical nuclear weapons in the ROK arsenal in the future. This should make clear why the US said it would bear all the expenses for the first THAAD in the ROK, and allowed the ROK military to test its radar electromagnetic wave radiation at its base in Guam on July 18. Gage County is seeking to overturn or get a judge to reduce a jury's $28.1 million verdict awarded to six people who went to prison in 1989 for a Beatrice woman's killing because of the reckless, cold-case investigation behind their arrests. Nearly 20 years later, three of the six still were in prison when DNA testing tied another man to the crime. Attorneys for the county late Wednesday afternoon filed a flurry of documents in U.S. District Court arguing that the judge should disregard the verdict and find in the county's favor or grant a new trial in the case, citing alleged misconduct by an attorney for the six and by the judge as well as a verdict that didn't add up. Melanie Whittamore-Mantzios called it contrary for the jury to find in favor of Jerry DeWitt, the former Gage County Sheriff, and all the defendants on the conspiracy claim, but against Gage County. "No reasonable jury could possibly find in favor of the plaintiffs on the claim against Gage County when there was no evidence to support that Sheriff DeWitt had issued policies, by word or by deed, that affirmatively commanded that the deprivation of rights occur," she wrote. The judge had instructed the jury that to find the county liable the six had to prove that DeWitt either directed the violation of their rights, authorized it or agreed with a subordinate's decision which led to it. Yet, in its verdict, the jury found against Deputy Burdette Searcey, who led the 1989 investigation that led to their arrests, and Dr. Wayne Price, a psychologist and reserve deputy who met with three of the six during the investigation, and found Gage County liable for it. "While hindsight might suggest that the case developed by Deputy Searcey had holes, as most cases do, a reasonable law enforcement officer in 1989 could have been convinced that the plaintiffs were guilty and that the evidence obtained from them as well as other witnesses supported the cases against them, including plaintiff (Joseph) White," Whittamore-Mantzios wrote. She argued that Searcey and Price's actions simply could not shock the court's conscience. But, on July 6, at the end of a four-week trial, the jury found otherwise and awarded Joseph White, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Thomas Winslow, Kathy Gonzalez, James Dean and Deborah Shelden $28.1 million in damages, split among them based on how long they had served in prison on charges related to the brutal murder of Helen Wilson in her Beatrice apartment Feb. 5, 1985. Together, they spent more than 75 years locked up before White got DNA testing that tied Bruce Allen Smith to the crime. By then, Smith already had died in an Oklahoma prison. A task force in 2008 found no connection between him and the six. After White's conviction was overturned and dismissed, and the other six were granted pardons, they sued, alleging the investigation was so reckless it shocked the conscience. A first trial, in January 2014, ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked. The second trial started June 6 and resulted in the multi-million-dollar verdict that left Gage County elected officials talking behind closed doors about their options. Asked about the decision to ask for a new trial, Myron Dorn, chairman of the Gage County Board of Supervisors, said board members worked with the outside legal team and County Attorney Roger Harris over the last month to determine which option to pursue. But he declined to comment further, citing pending litigation, and Harris could not immediately be reached. In the brief, Whittamore-Mantzios pointed to misconduct by attorneys for the six for saying they were innocent despite the judge determining before trial that wasn't for this jury to decide. Rather, this case was about whether the deputies' actions in the 1989 investigation had been reasonable. Whittamore-Mantzios also pointed to off-the-record comments Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf made during the trial advising Gage County to go after the state for errors its employees made if the county was "dinged" in the case. She argued that the judge's remarks, which appeared in news articles about the trial, could've been seen by jurors, despite a warning given by Kopf for them not to read or listen to news about the trial. Lastly, Whittamore-Mantzios argued the damages were excessive and evidence that the jury was driven by emotion and sympathy and that jurors were trying "to punish the defendants for not admitting that the plaintiffs were wrongfully convicted." She said the county was at minimum entitled to a $1,095,000 reduction of the verdict because it included time Winslow served in prison on an unrelated assault. Attorneys for the Beatrice 6 will get a chance to respond to the motion. But, reached Wednesday evening, attorney Maren Chaloupka said she hadn't yet read it and declined to comment. In addition to the verdict award, Gage County also faces a bill for attorney fees and costs for the six to be represented during the seven-year-long lawsuit. They have filed a motion seeking $1.8 million. If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. The Israel Prison Service's parole board has decided once again to reject former president and convicted rapist Moshe Katsav's request for early release on Thursday afternoon. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Two of the board members were against releasing Katsav early, while a third was initally in favor but was later convinced to vote against it as well. Katsav was sentenced to seven years in prison and two years of probation for rape, indecent acts, sexual harassment and obstruction of justice in March 2011, and he began serving in December of that year. Moshe Katsav Katsav's lawyer Zion Amir said after the parole made its decision that the former president intended to appeal the decision to the court. "This important issue will be eventually determined at the district court as part of an appeal," Amir told reporters, adding "this is a difficult day, a sad day, a day in which the principle of equality before the law was undermined." Amir asserted the decision was a result of "a campaign mounted against (Katsav), of (female) Knesset members who called and tried to contact board membersthings that in the rule of law should not be allowed to happen." He added the MKs also spoke to State Attorney Shai Nitzan as part of their "campaign." Attorney Zion Amir (Photo: Yariv Katz) Meretz chairwoman Zehava Galon criticized Amir's comments, saying his "tongue-lashing at female Knesset member only shows he doesn't understand that it is our duty to caution that the release of the rapist Katsav is against public interests." She told Ynet Radio that "we didn't call, we didn't pressure (the State Attorney)we acted as was expected of us. It's a shame that attorney Amir, who could not convince the parole board of his arguments, is taking his frustration out on us." Another one of Katsav's lawyers, Yeshoshua Resnick, claimed his client never expressed regret for his actions because "regret is being expressed over something you've done, and Mr. Katsav has constantly said: 'I didn't do the acts I've been indicted for." Resnick charged that requiring Katsav to receive treatment now, when he was not offered treatment before, "is a decision that only means one thing: 'We don't want to release you because you are the president, you committed a sex offense, you were convicted of rape.'" During the hearing, Katsav maintained a blank face. When he heard the decision, he was crestfallen, dropping his head and angrily telling the board: "Where was everyone four years ago? No one offered me to undergo treatment, and now you're remembering I haven't undergone treatment." While the parole board didn't see fit to release Katsav early, they did open up the possibility for the former president to be freed in six months "if he continues treatment for his different problems during his time in prison ... which, it is the opinion of the board members, were what led him to the acts he was indicted for." The parole board members noted that their deliberations focused on whether there has been any change in Katsav's stance, the fact he continues denying the crimes he was convicted of, the treatments he was undergoing and the treatments he would undergo upon release. "First, it should be stated that as expected, there has been no change in his stance regarding his culpability of the sex crimes he was convicted of," the board members wrote in their decision. "The undersigned asked Mr. Katsav about this issue, and his response was that there has been no change in his position on the matter." Rehabilitation plan The disgraced former president is imprisoned in the Maasiyahu prison's religious prisoners' cell block, where he has been a model prisoner. The parole board met following a new recommendation from the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority (PRA), issued last month. Four months after initially recommending that Katsav not be released early from prison, two social workers from the PRA met with him again and issued a new recommendation that advocated his early release. In his meeting with the PRA social workers, Katsav expressed his desire to return home and go through an official rehabilitation program, after insisting in his previous meeting with the authority's representatives that he did not need rehabilitation. "I am not free of mistakes and errors," he told them. "The position and power (I had) should have made me to behave differently. All of my relationships with women have been a mistake." The new opinion issued by the Prisoner RAA, which recommended to release Katsav early, stated that "it is possible to see initial signs of understanding of some of the flaws that led him to take advantage and hurt others and abuse his great power and influence while serving in senior positions. In our view, this is a changeeven if only minorfrom the previous opinion." Katsav on his first furlough from prison (Photo: Gadi Kabalo) When Katsav was confronted with the previous opinion, which stated he "appeared bothered and occupied by proving his innocence," he claimed "I don't want to prove my innocence anymore. I don't have the energy to fight ... I'm tired, I don't have the energy for anything anymore." Katsav also told the RAA, "I'd like to disappear into oblivion. I keep thinking back about where I went wrong, I am examining my own actions a lot." It is believed that ahead of the second meeting, Katsav's family members and lawyers explained to him the importance of cooperating with the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority. Due to Katsav's change of heart, the authority changed its position as well and is now in support of reducing a third of Katsav's sentence, saying he was now considered fit for rehabilitation. The authority prepared a detailed rehabilitation plan for Katsav to follow upon his release, which includes daily Torah lessons as well as regular meetings with a social worker and a psychologist who will help him reenter society. As part of his rehabilitation, the 71-year-old Katsav will have to refrain from defaming his victims. Following the PRA's updated recommendation, two of his victims spoke up and expressed their opposition to his being released early, charging that it would destroy public faith in law enforcement authorities. The State Attorney's Office also expressed its objection to releasing Katsav early. A. from the Ministry of Tourism, who was twice raped by the former president, wrote to the parole board ahead of the decision, "His despicable actions, let alone his stubborn refusal to acknowledge them and express regret, together with his distorted perception of reality, seeing himself as a victim and me and all his victims as liars and defamers, clearly shows that he has not internalized the gravity of his actions." In April, Katsav's request to be released early from prison was denied. In their decision, the parole board wrote, "the prisoner perceives himself as a victim, busy blaming external factors for his condition, is still behaving in a forceful manner and his absorbed with his needs, losses and the price that only he and his family has paid. Even in light of the commission's questions, the prisoner did not express remorse or empathy for his victims, but reiterated the he has paid and continues to pay a heavy price." Following that setback, the former president wrote to the current president, Reuven Rivlin, to ask for clemency, though to no avail. In his letter, Katsav listed a series of arguments that have to do with his fall from grace, including the lengthy trial, the punishment (which he considers severe), his bad financial state, the hardship inflicted on his family and his desire to rehabilitate himself. He also wrote, "I maintain my innocence." Meir Turgeman, Yoram Yarkoni, Telem Yahav, Raanan Ben-Zur, Gilad Morag, and Itay Blumenthal contributed to this report OMAHA Donors have pledged $150,000 needed to renovate and restore a historic pedestrian bridge in Omaha. City Councilman Pete Festersen and local resident Nick Manhart announced the donations for the Dodge Street pedestrian bridge Wednesday. Festersen thanked Manhart and his fellow Friends of the Bridge advocates for securing the more than 100 donations. "It's gratifying that so many supporters shared our vision to maintain this landmark for future generations," Festersen said. "It's part of our urban fabric and thousands of citizens will benefit from it every day." Combined with $150,000 in city bridge maintenance funds, the donations hit the total of $300,000 needed to finish the project. Major donors included Bruce and Gerry Lauritzen, Eastern Nebraska Trails Network, Mammel Foundation, Sherwood Foundation, and Joan Gibson and Donald Wurster. "It was really a group effort," Festersen said. The bridge connects two local parks and provides a safe passage across Dodge Street for cyclists, walkers and students of the nearby University of Nebraska at Omaha and St. Margaret Mary campuses. It also serves a social function as people hold signs or hang banners on it to send messages to passers-by. "I've been crossing that bridge for 40 years, and I know how important it is to the fabric of the neighborhood," he said. Construction is expected to be completed as soon as 2017 in time for the green, curvy span's 50th birthday in 2018. WASHINGTON - The United States and Israel have closed many of the remaining gaps in negotiations over a new multibillion-dollar military aid package for Washington's top Middle East ally, and the two sides hope to reach a deal soon, a senior US official said on Wednesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Jacob Nagel, acting head of Israel's national security council, wrapped up three days of closed-door discussions in Washington over a new 10-year defense pact, including a meeting with US national security adviser Susan Rice. Drawn-out aid negotiations have underscored continuing friction between US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over last year's US-led nuclear deal with Iran, Israel's arch-foe. The United States and Israel have also been at odds over the Palestinians. Netanyahu and Obama (Photo: EPA) However, with Obama due to leave office in January, both sides have appeared increasingly determined to come to an agreement to enshrine US assistance to Israel over the next decade. "We've made progress and closed many of the remaining gaps. We hope soon to be able to reach final agreement," the senior official told Reuters after the talks concluded. However, the official declined to elaborate or provide a precise timetable for completing negotiations. Raising hopes for removal of a key sticking point, Israel had signaled at the start of the talks that it might accept the Obama administration's demand that US military funds, until now spent partly on Israeli arms, will eventually be spent entirely on US-made weapons, according to US sources. It would mark a major concession by Netanyahu, who has had a fraught relationship with Obama. The prime minister has decided it would be best to forge a new memorandum of understand (MOU) with Obama rather than hoping for better terms from the next US president, according to officials on both sides. The White House has pledged to sign a new MOU that would "constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in US history." The current pact, signed in 2007 and due to expire in 2018, gave Israel around $30 billion in foreign military financing. US negotiators are believed to have stuck to a previous offer of $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion annually for Israel under the new MOU, substantially less than the $4 billion a year Netanyahu has sought but still a sizeable increase. Differences to be resolved A key disagreement has been over Washington's insistence on ending a special arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend 26.3 percent of its US defense aid on its own military industries rather than on American products. Israeli officials argue that the provision, which is given to no other country receiving US military assistance, was needed to maintain Israel's "qualitative military edge" against hostile neighbors such as Iran, and that its removal would mean the loss of thousands of Israeli defense jobs. But a congressional source briefed by the Obama administration said Israel had signaled its willingness to phase out the provision. The White House is prepared to let Israel keep the arrangement for the first five years of the new MOU but it would be gradually phased out in the second five years, except for joint US-Israeli military projects. Head of National Security Council Jacob Nagel (Photo: Wikipedia) Another sticking point has been Washington's desire to end a provision allowing Israel to spend around $400 million annually from the package on military fuels. The two sides have also haggled over US funding for Israeli missile defense. Obama's aides want to secure a new deal before his presidency ends, seeing it as an important part of his legacy. Republican critics accuse him of not being attentive enough to Israel's security, which the White House strongly denies. Netanyahu angered the White House in February when he suggested the agreement could wait for the next president. But officials on both sides say Netanyahu seeks a deal now to avoid uncertainties surrounding the next president, whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump, and also to give Israel's defense establishment the ability to plan ahead. IDF and Border Police forces along with the Israel Civil Administration demolished overnight Wednesday the homes of the terrorists behind the deadly attack at the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv in June that claimed the lives of four Israelis. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The forces demolished the home of Mohammad Mahmara in Khirbet Raqa' in the Hebron area and of his cousin, Khaled Mahmara, in Yatta. While in the past, the demolition of a terrorist's home was delayed by judicial proceedings, this time it was carried out less than two months after the attack. IDF troops demolishing the homes fo the terrorists X The troops, from the Nahal Brigafe's 50th Battalion, the Judea and Samaria Division's engineering company and from the Egoz and Yahalom units, did not meet with any resistance or rioting. They used bulldozers and explosives in the demolitions. The two terrorists were indicted a month ago , when it was revealed that a third terrorist was supposed to participate in the attack, which originally consisted of an elaborate scheme according to which the three planned to open fire inside a train and cause mass murder. The three stand accused of murder and other crimes. The two cousins and their accomplice (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The Shin Bet investigation also revealed that the 21-year-old terrorists were inspired by Islamic State to commit the attack, which claimed the lives of Ido Ben-Ari, 42, from Ramat Gan; Ilana Nave, 39, from Tel Aviv; Dr. Michael Feige, 58 from Midreshet Ben-Gurion; and Mila Mishayev, 32, from Rishon LeZion. Photo: IDF Spokesman As part of the attack, the two purchased 30cm knives. They also purchased suits, watches, leather bags, shoes and glasses at the cost of NIS 2,600. Additionally, they bought rat poison to put on the knives which would then be used to stab Israelis and maximize the damage caused. In total, the two spent NIS 4,000 on their plan. Photo: IDF Spokesman However, for the two prevented Zayn from participating in the attack as he had financial debt, a fact which according to Islamic doctrine precludes the possibility of an individual becoming a Sahid (martyr). They went to shooting practice to make sure that their weapons worked and hid them with Zayn along with the ammunition, the knives the poison and the other materials purchased for the attack. The decision to attack Sarona was unplanned and taken the same day as the attack. The Russian Foreign Ministry recently established an organization which will examine the economic situation of Russians who have moved to Israel, the US, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova and Armenia. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The body has made a number of recommendations to the government on how to persuade them to return to Russia. The project, which costs $51 million, aims to ascertain the main determining factors influencing those emigrating from Russia and, crucially, how they can be convinced to return. The body has been asked to compose a detailed report about the social and economic situation, along with the status of, those who have left Russia, including the million-strong Russian community who in Israel. Siberia (Photo: Reuters) Since 2006 Russia has embarked on a governmental program to encourage people to return from the various countries to which they immigrated. Over the last decade the project, dubbed fellow countrymen has succeeded in returning half a million Russians. Moreover, last year saw 61,000 immigrants return to Russia, several thousand of whom were Russians living in Israel. As part of the program, the government has pledged assistance which will include help finding work, finding places to live and even offering acclimatization grants. Until recently such grants were in the amount of $1,800. However, it has now been doubled to $3,600. The grant is not given to every returning citizen but rather only to those who choose to live in the Russian periphery in one of the 47 remote localities such as Siberia and Birobidzhan (the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast). Alex Tenzer, an expert in Russian media, said that Russia is going through an extremely serious demographic crisis and is seeking to increase its influence over Russian-speaking citizens of Israel. The two Border Policemen documented taking a bicycle from an 8-year-old Palestinian girl in Hebron were questioned under cautious at the Police Investigation Unit on Tuesday on suspicion of abuse of power. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The soldiers' lawyers said that "What looks in the video as cruelty towards a helpless girl was actually an act to protect the girl who sought to cross the road into the city's Jewish Quarter. The policemen, who realized that she was taking a risk and could not communicate with her in her language, took her bike from her and in that prevented the danger." The lawyers went on to say that "When it became clear to (the Border Policemen) that the girl understood the risk in riding straight into the Jewish Quarter, they allowed her to come back and retrieve the bicycle." Video of the incident by B'Tselem (: ) X "The main lesson to learn from this is that judging an incident purely based on a video without even the least bit of interest in the officers' version is a vicious and ugly thing," they added. Anwar Burqan, an eight year old Palestinian girl, lives in a-Salaimeh neighborhood in Hebron, near the Cave of the Patriarchs. On Monday of last week, she was playing with her siblings on a road not far from her home that is meant for the exclusive use of Jews and that Palestinians are barred from entering. The Border Policeman is seen in the video running towards the girl, an act that scared her, leading her to get off her bike. He is heard asking her "What are you doing here?" causing the girl to burst out in tears. The Border Policeman is seen stepping over the bicycle, preventing the girl from taking it. When another Border Policeman arrives, the girl is seen running away in tears, leaving her bicycle behind. One of the Border Policemen is then seen picking up the bike and throwing it into nearby bushes. The Border Police said in response that it "views the incident gravely and regrets it. At the end of an initial investigation, the Border Police commander instructed to immediately suspend the soldier from operational duty," adding that the Police Investigation Unit that will take over the investigation of the incident. IsraAID staff joined 1500 Yazidi refugees as they lit candles and marched though Camp Petra refugee camp in northern Greece, in memory of the Yazidi genocide which began on August 3rd 2014. when ISIS entered the town of Sinjar, killing thousands, and turning thousands of women and girls into sex slaves. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Yazidi were singing songs and crying as they mentioned the names of those who were brutally massacred, still missing, or captive. IsraAID teams are currently supporting and providing psychosocial and humanitarian support to Yazidi refugees in Iraq, Greece and Germany. The Israeli aid organization, which works in a similar manner to the American USAID, also works with Yazidi and other refugees in Germany. Based in Berlin, they provide much needed psychosocial support and trauma care to young refugees, many of whom are unaccompanied minors. Thousands of Yazidi women have been captured by ISIS and are traded as sex slaves (Photo: IsraAID) IsraAID's focus in Germany is to assist refugees with their integration process by providing German and English language support, music and art therapy, and computer, vocational and career-development skills. IsraAID has also established 'youth spaces' a safe space where young refugees can simply hang out and enjoy recreational activities. Furthermore, the aid organization launched a strategic partnership with Microsoft Germany, creating a social innovation program where volunteers from Microsoft offer training for unaccompanied refugee minors on how to properly use Microsoft Office Microsoft's volunteers and the IsraAID team also offer courses on resume writing, setting up email accounts, and accessing online platforms to learn German. Microsoft not only provides the guidance but also the hardware. Yazidi women at the memorial ceremony at a refugee camp in Greece (Photo: IsraAID) This project is an integral part of IsraAID's ongoing program to assist unaccompanied minors better cope with trauma, and develop self-confidence and leadership skills. Yazidis reading out the names of he dead, caputred, and missing (Photo: IsraAID) More than 80 refugees attended the classes to date. Following up on the success of this initiative, Microsoft requested that the IsraAID team build a long term partnership and provide similar support programs to thousands of Yazidis, Christians and Muslim refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan who are living in other parts of Germany. DAKAR - Human rights activists on Thursday demanded clemency for a Senegalese maid who was trafficked to Saudi Arabia and may face the death penalty after being charged with killing her employer. Mbayang Diop, 22, was arrested in June, weeks after arriving in the world's largest oil exporter, and accused of stabbing her employer to death in the capital of Riyadh, rights groups said. Senegalese civil society groups say Diop may have killed the woman she worked for in self-defence after a dispute, and that the Saudi authorities had not properly investigated the case. ATHENS - Cyprus will deport a "radicalised" Austrian man suspected of being a security risk by Interpol, authorities said on Thursday. The 28-year-old man was detained on Wednesday at a checkpoint in the capital Nicosia in an area straddling a ceasefire line dividing the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The man, whom police sources said was travelling alone, was crossing from the Turkish to the Greek side when he was stopped by Greek Cypriot police for a routine passport check. Soon, an official intergroup of friends the West Bank in the European Parliament will come into being for the first time. The intergroup, a form of caucus, will be composed of more than ten members of European Parliament (MEPs) from several countries, headed by Czech MEP Petr Mach (Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group). Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The parliamentarian met on Wednesday with Samaria Regional Council Chairman Yossi Dagan in Prague to formalize the intergroup's formation. In the past, officials from the regional council have held meetings in the European Parliament, and they have even been partners in organizing a conference there, but there has never been an official intergroup supporting settlements in the West Bank. Yossi Dagan and Petr Mach (: ) X The "group of friends," as Mach called it, will begin working when the European Parliament returns from its summer recess in September. One of its goals will be to oppose marking products from the West Bank and the BDS movement in general. European Parliament (Photo: Michael Zeff/TPS) Over the past three year, the Samaria Regional Council has hosted some 150 parliamentarians from all over the world and some 300 foreign journalists. This is how the connection was made to Mach, who visited the area in one of these group tours. Mach claimed that Czechia has been friendly to Israel since its creation, maintaining that, despite changing governmental positions, the Czech people have always supported the Jewish State. A photograph of what appears to be neglect of an elderly woman in Israel made the rounds on social media on Tuesday, causing an outrage and leading to the detaining of the woman's caregiver. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The photo shows an elderly woman sitting on a wheelchair outside in the scathing heat near Ayalon Mall in Ramat Gan, while her chair is tied to a fence. "The elderly woman was left outside for over 40 minutes," said Diklah Amram-Cohen, who found the woman and uploaded the photo to Facebook. "I walked into a nearby store and saw her caregiver, a foreign worker from the Philippines, shopping. She apologized, said 'Sorry, sorry,' and just went outside and took the woman quickly away." The elderly woman tied up The Israel Police elected to open an investigation into the matter later on Wednesday. With the help of welfare workers in Ramat Gan, they were able to locate the elderly woman and her caregiver. The latter was detained for questioning, and the police have stated that they are in constant communication with the former's family and welfare services. The woman and her caretaker The Population and Immigration Authority, contained within the Ministry of the Interior, has announced that, once it receives the caregiver's details, it will begin proceedings to remove her from Israel. This was in response to instructions from Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri, who called for such proceedings Wednesday night. Deri said about the incident, "This is inhuman and shameful behavior." Oren Shay, a lawyer from the Public Defense Office who is representing the Filipina, said, "The caregiver denies all accusations and is cooperating with investigators. She claims that she did not tie the elderly woman at all and was close by the elderly woman at all times." Danny Adeno Abebe contributed to this report. BURLINGTON A local businessman is now $192,833 closer to a redevelopment of the former Schuette-Daniels Furniture building. On Wednesday, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. announced it is awarding that amount to the City of Burlington to help local businessman Shad Branen redevelop the former furniture store at 425 N. Pine St. The high-end store went out of business after an April 5, 2014, fire, and Branen bought it from the Daniels family late that year. Branen is the owner of Burlingtons Plaza Theater and WIN (formerly Wisconsin Information Network) Media. He is redeveloping the property, originally Keuper Mercantile, as premier retail and office space. Branen said Wednesday he will keep the Keuper name on the building but is calling its newer version The Mercantile. In its past, the building housed a Montgomery Ward department store and Rogans Shoes, he said. WEDC said it made the grant, in a competitive bidding process, to assist in the redevelopment of the historically significant Keuper Mercantile building, which has served as a cornerstone of the citys commercial business sector for over 100 years. The Community Development Investment Grant was one of six awarded, totaling nearly $1.4 million, that primarily focus on revitalizing downtowns. The grants are an example of how WEDC is making strategic investments in communities around the state to establish a firm foundation for economic growth, stated the WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark Hogan. Tenant discussions The Mercantile and its adjacent building total about 20,000 square feet, Branen said. He plans to house WIN Media in the main building, which has three floors including the lower level. The building will house retail and offices, with a membership co-working space, or business incubator, in the lower level. Branen said he is working with a handful of potential tenants and hopes to start finalizing leases soon. We have, potentially, a good base of tenants, he said. He hopes to land a restaurant for the adjacent smaller building of about 2,000 square feet. Burlingtons Stelling & Associates is doing the architectural work. The redevelopment will approach $1 million, Branen said. The finalizing package will include bank financing, facade grants from the City of Burlington and the WEDC grant. Branen said the timing of occupancy will be based on tenants needs. Israel Prison Service officers raided prison cells holding Hamas prisoners Thursday morning, and found messages and orders for Hamas attacks outside of the prison, along with a lot of other intelligence information. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Cell phones and sim cards were also found in the raid. The Israel Prison Service said that "following intelligence received, and insubordinate behavior by the security prisoner in the Nafha Prison and Eshel Prison, IPS officers raided the cells." IPS raids Hamas cells X The raids took place in Hamas sections of the prison. In Nafha prison there was an increase in the insubordination of the prisoners including not standing in line, not agreeing to leave the prison yard and return to their cells. Meanwhile, there was intelligence that the prisoners had forbidden items in their cells. The IPS therefore decided to carry out raids on the Hamas prisoners' cells. The Hamas prisoners in Eshel Prison were temporarily moved to Ohalei Kider prison, while the IPS officers carried out a thorough inspection of the cells. The officers found orders and plans for Hamas attacks outside of the prison. The Hamas commanders who were sent to be with their subordinates in the wing have since been moved to different areas of the prison. IPS raids Hamas prison cells Meanwhile, two hunger strikes have been started over the last several days amongst the Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The first hunger strike was started by only a few dozen prisoners who are expressing solidarity with Bilal Kaid of Nablus who is hunger striking to protest his administrative detention. One of the leaders of the strike is Ahmed Sa'adat, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. Kaid himself is a member of the PFLP. The second one was started by Hamas in the Nafha and Eshel prisons to protest their conditions including the fact that they are separated from the rest of the prison population, amongst other reasons. It started as a direct response to several Hamas members being sent to other prisons. There is no connection between the PFLP hunger strike and the Hamas hunger strike. KASESE- The leaders of Uganda and Congo agreed Thursday on a plan to share security intelligence to combat rebel groups active along the countries' border. Congo President Joseph Kabila and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni made the announcement after meeting in Uganda to discuss security. The Uganda-based rebel group Allied Democratic Forces has killed at least 500 civilians in the Beni region in Congo's North Kivu province since October 2014. The son of a Jewish partisan Holocaust survivor donated this week a Nazi German flag to the State of Israel that his father found in the Buchenwald concentration camp on the day of its liberation, April 11, 1945. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The flag, which was hidden by the father, a French doctor named Robert Jacques Lederer, for 71 years. His son found it recently, fifteen years after his father's death, and transferred it to Yad Vashem. Lederer joined the American forces after liberation intending to check the medical conditions of the prisoners. At their arrival at Buchenwald, he found the flag and kept it in his house for his entire life. The donated flag His son decided to donate the flag to the State of Israel, so he contacted the Administrator General in the Ministry of Justice, who received the flag and transferred it to Yad Vashem. In addition, the son donated various documents belonging to his father from the time of the camp's liberation. Miri Keidar, who is responsible for the estates left to the state in the Administrator General, said that the son, who asked to remain anonymous, first contacted the Israeli embassy in France. "He explained that it was important to him to donate the flag to the State of Israel, and he didn't ask for any financial consideration or set any conditions. He just asked that if the flag would be used, that his father's name would be remembered," she said. The son said that he learned about his father having taken the flag 20 years ago: "My father joined the French resistance when the Germans invaded the country. He joined the American forces when they reached the country, and, as a doctor, he helped them at the liberation of concentration camps." His father would recount that the flag had been hanging at the camp: "He just took it down and took it with him. The State of Israel is the moral owner of this flag, so it was important to me to give it to her," said the son. Dr. Robert Jacques Lederer Buchenwald was one of the largest concentration camps operated by the German Nazis, with 138 secondary camps. It operated from its creation in 1937 until US forces liberated its approximately 250,000 prisoners. According to estimates, some 65,000 persons were murdered in Buchenwald, including those who died in the death marches shortly before the liberation. According to data from the Ministry of Justice, every year, millions of shekels are donated to Israel, which are handled by the Administrator General, and which are then distributed to foundations and government ministries in different fields, including education, health, and defense. Principally, these donations are bequests left to the State of Israel. According to the Administrator General's latest report, some 180 million shekels were donated in 2015, 60% of which came from France and 11% from Germany. Deputy Administrator General Sigal Ya'akovi said, "The donation of the flag demonstrates the unbreakable link between world Jewry and the State of Israel. Many dozens of donations are received every year by the Administrator General from around the world, and the Administrator General is acting to fulfill the wishes of the testators to donate to Israeli society to preserve their memory." Love him or hate him, Republican candidate for president Donald J. Trump is doing it his way, ignoring what the American professional political world believed was the only way to become a party's nominee and win "the Oval." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter No issue is more imbued with slogans and adherence to conventional wisdom than is the Middle East. Two-state solution, occupied territories, illegal settlements, incitement and even terrorismthe list is long. Yet, notwithstanding the extreme sensitivities of the regional players and the long history of seasoned diplomats failing to broker anything that even remotely resembles a lasting peace deal, Trump, the first-time-out candidate, has selected gatekeepers for Israeli-Palestinian issues whose loyalties undeniably lie on the side of the Jewish State; who are personally and professionally erudite and successful, but who are also noticeably lacking the political trial-by-fire one would expect of a senior adviser on a lightning rod issue in a presidential campaign. Nevertheless, both of the two lawyers tapped for this delicate representation qualify for the position by virtue of what Trump himself was quoted as saying he looks for in an adviser on Israeli affairs: "people who truly love Israel." David Friedman (Photo: Michael Friedson/The Media Line) Jason Greenblatt, 49, who has worked for Trump for almost two decades and who is religiously-observant, told the Jewish news agency JTA that he stays apprised of issues by accessing a number of pro-Israel sources and advocates along with members of the Israeli government. His colleaguein law and in the Trump campaignis 58-year-old David Friedman, a native New Yorker whose father, a prominent rabbi, became the first Jewish clergyman to host a sitting president for a Shabbat meal when President Regan joined the Friedman family for lunch in 1984. Speaking to Friedman, of whom it has been rumored that if Trump wins he will trade in his Jerusalem apartment for the US Ambassador's residence in Herzliya, it becomes quickly apparent that he intends to be well-served by his lack of political experience if judged by responses more akin to a deposition than to a politician's news conference. Who is David Friedman, and why has Mr. Trump made you the gate keeper on policies relative to Israel? "Well, first and foremost I'm somebody who loves Israel and someone who has Donald Trump's trust. We've known each other for 15 years. I've worked with him in some challenging circumstances and have gained his trust and I would hope his respect. When he was called upon to select advisers in various areas, one of those areas was the relationship between the US and Israe,l and he wanted to select advisers who he knew had a deep love and commitment to the state of Israel." Are you going to tell us that one of the first acts is to move the embassy to Jerusalem? "I think one of his first acts is going be to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I think the movement of the embassy to Jerusalem is logistically something that can't be done on the first day (but) I think that will happen in due course." How did you first meet Donald Trump? "My first meeting was in his office. A mutual friend introduced us. He had some issues relating to Atlantic City. From time to time I've been his lawyer, but for all the time I've been his good friend." Donald Trump (Photo: AFP) Why do you think Donald Trump should be the next president? "The president is the chief executive of the United States. He's not a legislator, he's not a committee member, and he's not an adviser. Donald Trump has outstanding executive skills. He is a terrific decision maker. His heart is in the right place. Contrary to what people say about him he's not impulsive. He is someone who listens to his advisers, and when called upon to make decisions, actually exhausts material on the subject. "He's also the right person at the right time because in America, we are very much hungering for non-teleprompted leadership and authentic leadership actually accessible to the press. If you compare Donald Trump to any other candidate in history, he dwarfs the field in terms of his accessibility to the media and being on TV every night. "I think he's what the country needs, and I think his message is resonating with people who feel that globalism has failed them. And it's a fairly large constituency in this country." Many believe that a candidate who doesn't utter the mantra of a two-state solution won't be taken seriously. Is the Trump position on a two-state solution a one-state solution? "His position is not a one-state solution. His position is that he's observed the obvious, which is that a two-state solution over the past generation has been attempted over and over again and has been a failure. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again expecting a different resultand he's not insane. To blindly embrace a two-state solution because it's been an American policy for the past 25 years is not something he's going to do, any more so than one would have expected a president in the 1970s embrace the Vietnam war because it was a 20-year policy of the United States. Policies are only good if they work." So what's his answer? "I don't think this is an area which is susceptible to jingoism. It's a very complex issue. The conventional wisdom is that Israel has to be a Jewish state or a democratic state, but can't be both. It's essentially a demographic assessment, which I think is wrong. With the removal of the Gazan population from the denominator, I think a one-state solution would reduce Israel from about 75 percent of a Jewish state to maybe about 65 percent. I don't think it's existential to do that. Ultimately, the issue is one of reducing tension and improving quality of life. That ought to be the first step, not the geography. The geography will follow if appropriate advances are made in quality of life." A good chunk of the world uses the word "illegal" before the word "settlement" when speaking about Israel. You don't. Will President Trump? "I think it's almost silly to talk about settlements in terms of legal or illegal. I'm saying that as a lawyer who has actually studied the issue. My experience has been that the legal conclusions follow the political views. I can make an argument for legality; I can make an argument for illegality. I happen to be the view that the settlements are not illegal. I think they were captured in a defensive war from a country that no longer wants them back. You could obviously make an argument for why they are legal but it's a waste of time to debate the issue." Ma'aleh Adumim (Photo: Reuters) The United States is part of the quartet which has again condemned Israel for its expansion of Jewish communities in post-1967 areas. Would a President Trump change minds and policies of the European Union, United Nations, and Russiaits partners in the Quartetor withdraw from the Quartet? "It's a good question. I haven't really given it enough thought as to whether he'd withdraw from the Quartet and what the consequences would be. He would certainly use his influence within the Quartet to have a significant change of direction. The recent criticism of Israel in regards to Gilo and Ma'aleh Adumim. (Jerusalem neighborhoods which the Palestinians claim for their state-in-waiting and object to Israeli building in those areas ed.) "I think is just ridiculous. These are significant Israeli population centers. There is no scenario under any peace accord where Gilo or Ma'aleh Adumim would ever be evacuated or become part of a new Palestinian state. I think it jeopardizes the credibility of the Quartet and it jeopardizes the credibility of the United States when they focus on these types of issues. It's really a mistake." France is planning to throw a bash for Middle East peace before the end of the year: an international conference the Palestinians support and Israel says is a bad idea. How is David Friedman advising Candidate Trump? "My advice is that it's a bad idea. The international community should not be dragging Israel against its will to a conference. I don't think France has the type of gravitas in the world community to be making that demand in any event. A Trump perspective is to support Israel and its approach to the peace process. "Trump policy first and foremost is to trust Israel that they know what they are doing. Israel has now been independent for 70 years. They're a grown up country. They are not a client state of the United States. They are a partner with the United States in a global war on terrorism. We trust our partner and we want our partner to be secure and safe. We trust them to do the right thing." Assume rumors are true and Donald Trump decides to fly Trump Force One to Israel before the election. To maintain his status as honest broker would he meet with Palestinian Authority President Abbas? "I think he might. I don't know. I haven't had that discussion with him. I think there are good reasons not to and I think there are some reasons not to do it. I'm not sure what the decision will be. "I personally think putting the Israeli leadership on a common level with Abbas is a mistake. In one case you have a sovereign nation that is democratic, and in the other case you have a leader who is hanging on by a thread, who does not have an actual mandate and who funds stipends to pay to families of terrorists while they are in jail. These are difference types of governmentsif you even want to call the Palestinian leadership a government. That doesn't mean that you don't have a meeting. The answer is, I don't know. We haven't had the discussion." What is Trump's message to Abbas and the Palestinians who fear another pro-Israel president in the White House? "The message to Abbas is that you have a burden that you have to carry to be taken seriously as a potential nation state. You haven't met that burden yet. That includes renouncing violence, recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, creating infrastructure where money and funds are handled in a non-corrupt manner." Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AFP) What will Trump do to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons? "This is at the very height of his foreign policy concerns, and what he's going to try to do is re-engage with the other significant players in the region to try and reassert leverage with Iran. The situation is absolutely untenable right now. I don't know if the agreement gets ripped up at the beginning." Where do you and Donald Trump come down on the belief that the Israeli Palestinian conflict is the region's core conflict, even when compared to Syria, ISIS and Sunni vs. Shia? "That's obviously not true. The Israeli conflict with its neighbors predated the Six-Day War. Obviously there were two wars before then, from 1948 to 1967. This is not about battle about land. It's an ideological battle about whether there will be a Jewish state, and it's a battle between a radical ihadism and the rest of the Muslim world." Hillary Clinton has just about everyone suggesting she is the most qualified person ever to be president. Where did she go wrong with the Middle Eastif she did? "I don't think she has made a right decision. I think she said some helpful things when she was the senator from New York when she had a Jewish constituency. As soon as she became secretary of state, the first thing she did was to embrace a unilateral settlement freeze. I think it completely poisoned the environment. I'm not aware of anything she did that is particularly good. I can name off the top of my head things that were nasty, like ripping up the letter from George Bush to Ariel Sharon, which I think was the only thing Israel got from evacuating Gaza. "I don't think she particularly likes Israel. I think she likes the kind of elite left among the Jewish people of Israel and in America like the Max Blumenthals, the Sidney Blumenthals and the people of that ilk who would like to turn Israel into a sort of Singapore. I think she's terrible for Israel." Hillary Clinton (Photo: AFP) Who advises David Friedman when Donald Trump wants to change the world? "Nobody. I have never really spoken of myself in the third person. I spend three to four hours a day reading everything I can up on the subject. I have had really good access to Israeli leadership who I think are doing the right thing by not endorsing anybody. I have a high level of information available to me, and I study it." Are you in touch with Palestinians or Arabs? "Both the Palestinians and Israelis that I've spoken to have asked me, and I've agreed, not to mention who they are." American Jews have shown little interest in voting foreign policy in a presidential election. How will you change that? Can you change that? "Look, it's a great disappointment to me that the Jewish Left doesn't support Israel as a priority. I'm hoping that as the American Jewish community recognizes the stark differences between a Trump administration and a Clinton administration on Israel that they will reprioritize Israel in their voting calculus. I think for a lot of the Jewish Left that does not prioritize Israel, it's because they assume that Israel no longer faces existential threats. A strong Israel un-tethered to American pressure is essential to Israel's ongoing survival." Will Donald Trump become "45"? "I hope so. At the core, the American people are very much ready for a change. He is obviously the change candidate. Hillary Clinton is the antithesis of change. She's been around for 25 years. It will come down to that. In many of the battlegrounds states, people feel tremendously neglected." If you're right, will we see you in the US ambassador's residence? "I sure hope so. It's not my decision. It's Donald Trump's decision, but I would love that opportunity." Article written by Felice Friedson Reprinted with permission from The Media Line Reserve C-130 departs to assist aerial firefighting efforts An Air Force Reserve C-130 equipped with a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System departed here today to support ongoing aerial fire fighting efforts in the Western U.S. The reserve wing received the request for assistance for one MAFFS-equipped C-130 and crew from the National Interagency Fire Center earlier this week. We are mobilizing MAFFS to ensure that we continue to have adequate airtanker capability as we experience elevated wildfire activity in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Washington, California and elsewhere in the West, said Aitor Bidaburu, Chair of NMAC in NIFCs Aug. 2 news release that announced the activation of MAFFS. The Peterson-based 302nd Airlift Wing C-130 and aircrew will be joined by a second MAFFS-equipped C-130 from the 153rd AW, Wyoming Air National Guard as they operate and support U.S. Forest Service aerial fire fighting efforts from the Boise Tanker Base, Boise, Idaho in this first MAFFS activation of 2016. MAFFS will provide a needed surge air tanker capability to the U.S. Forest Service with the increased fire activity in the West, said Col. James DeVere, commander of the 302nd AW. Our aircrews completed annual MAFFS training in May and are ready to support, added DeVere. The MAFFS certified reservists are expected to fly fire containment missions based from Boise, Idaho and other Western U.S. locations as needed. Eight MAFFS-equipped DOD C-130s are operated by four military airlift wings: The 153rdAW, Wyoming Air National Guard; 146th AW, California ANG; 145th AW, North Carolina ANG; and the 302nd AW, Air Force Reserve Command. MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system, owned by the U.S. Forest Service, that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes. The DOD, through U.S. Northern Command at Peterson AFB, provides unique military support to firefighting efforts when requested by the National Interagency Fire Center and approved by the Secretary of Defense. These diverse mission assets are prepared to respond quickly and effectively to protect lives, property, critical infrastructure and natural resources, and can include, but are not limited to, MAFFS, military helicopters and ground forces capable of supporting the firefighting efforts. This Account has been suspended. Musicians from as far away as Nashville and Denver, as well as those closer to home, will make their way to Burlington Aug. 12 and 13 for the Tall Tales Music Festival. Downtowns Chestnut street will be shut down to traffic to accommodate performances by more than a dozen national and regional acts including Dori Freeman, Cereus Bright, Los Colognes, Trapper Schoepp, William Wild, Cory Chisel, Andrew Combs, Erin Rae and the Meanwhiles, J-Council, Auralai, Seasaw, Peter Mulvey, Simon Balto, John Statz and more. And listeners of all ages are invited to come and enjoy their shows, which will take place both outside and inside the nearby Coffee House at Chestnut & Pine, 492 N. Pine St., for free. Workshops, too In its fourth year, Tall Tales is a two-day celebration of community that also offers a wide range of free, music and art workshops for ages toddler- through-teenager, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12., and running throughout the day. One of this years highlights will be an interactive, music-themed drawing demonstration led by award-winning, Chicago artist Jason Seiler (http://jasonseiler.com). Seiler whose illustrations and paintings have been featured on the cover of and inside publications such as Rolling Stone, Time, the New Yorker, the Utne Reader, the New York Times, Business Week and many more will break down the illustration process in his Saturday afternoon program, which is open to all ages, according to Patrick Sullivan of Run Run Bebop, an artist management/event production agency which partners with the Coffee House in presenting the festival. He is a phenomenal visual artist, Sullivan said. Preregistration is not required for Tall Tales workshops, but is appreciated and can be done through a link on the event website www.talltalesfestival.com, Sullivan said. It might also be a good idea to preregister since he said that almost all of last years workshops were filled to capacity. The response has been unbelievable, Sullivan said. Back for more Tall Tales 2016 musical lineup features a good mix of both new and returning artists, as well both emerging and well-established performers. Those who have played the festival in the past, such as Los Colognes, are coming back either because of popular demand or because they had such a good time the first time around, Sullivan said. They believe in what were doing and they want to be a part of it. What Tall Tales aims to do is celebrate the cultural significance of storytelling through music. Last years event drew about 1,000 people, Sullivan said. And each year, he and fellow organizers add new elements, as the scale of the event grows. Sound Opinions New for 2016 is a live broadcast of the nationally-syndicated, rock-and-roll radio show Sound Opinions, that will take place at noon Saturday and will feature an in-depth interview and music session with festival performer Cory Chisel. Also new this year is the Taste of format for the festivals food and beverage offerings. It will feature unique selections from area restaurants and other vendors, with something for every taste, Sullivan said. In the weeks leading up to the event, Tall Tales also offered an all-ages songwriting contest (entries are now closed), the winner of which will get to perform his or her song on stage at Tall Tales. Its all part of the festivals overall goal of creating an atmosphere in which people are inspired to create music, art and more, Sullivan said. Tall Tales is funded in partnership with Music Matters, a local, nonprofit organization founded to promote and support youth music programming, with sponsorship from a variety of area businesses and organizations. Festival hours are 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13. For a schedule of events and other information, go to www.talltalesfestival.com. CALEDONIA Todd Dombrowski is fighting Village Hall. The Caledonia resident, who lives along Highway K, has filed a lawsuit against the Village of Caledonia contesting a special assessment levied for water and sewer lines being installed along road from Highway V to near Interstate 94. Dombrowski, who lives at 12900 Northwestern Ave., filed the lawsuit July 25, according to Racine County Circuit Court records. A 22-year resident of the area, Dombrowski is contesting the contention that the water and sewer lines he is helping to pay for will provide him any benefit, said his attorney, Thomas Devine. Dombrowski owns 2.48 acres along the road and is being assessed $30,357 by the village for the project. He is one of 15 landowners being assessed a total of $1.3 million of the $3.8 million project. Dombrowski currently gets his water from a well and has a mound septic system. There is a question about what benefit is being conveyed to him, Devine said. He has no sewer issues. He has no water issues. The benefit he will receive is slim to none. Devine said that Dombrowski would not make any comments on the lawsuit. I have fantastic water right now, Dombrowski said in an April interview. I dont even use a filter in my house. I dont want water that has been sitting in pipes for who knows how long. Under the state law allowing special assessments, the village must show how it determined that the project would be beneficial to affected property owners, Devine said. Village Administrator Tom Christensen said he had reviewed the complaint, but could not comment on it because its pending litigation. He added he believed this was the first lawsuit against a special assessment filed against the village. The Caledonia Utility District Board was scheduled to discuss the legal challenge in closed session Wednesday night. State law allows governmental entities to discuss litigation behind closed doors. The Highway K homeowners being assessed have 20 years to pay the assessment, unless they sell their property earlier than that, Christensen said this spring, when the village approved the assessments. The water and sewer lines will provide the most benefit to a 187-acre business park project at Highway K and Interstate 94 called DeBack Farms Business Park. The park is being developed by WisPark LLC, the real estate arm of We Energies. Mount Pleasant litigation coming? The lawsuit is the first of what could be several legal challenges to special assessments made by Racine County municipalities. In late March, Mount Pleasant village trustees approved special assessments for water and sewer lines along Highway V, affecting more than 60 homeowners and costs reaching thousands of dollars per parcel. Some residents vocally opposed the project and have threatened legal action against the village. Devine, who represents several of those residents, said that those lawsuits should be filed soon. The issue also sparked several residents to run for the Mount Pleasant Village Board against board members who voted for the project. Two challengers won seats in the April 5 election. Devine said he did not know if any other Caledonia resident living along Highway K was going file a lawsuit against the village. RACINE A Milwaukee man was charged Wednesday with three felonies for allegedly stealing a van in Milwaukee and leading police on a high-speed chase on New Years Eve before crashing the vehicle. Traveon D. Leavell, 20, of the 7000 block of West Fond du Lac Avenue, appeared in Racine County Circuit Court on Wednesday to face charges of operating a motor vehicle without consent, attempting to flee an officer, and reckless driving all felonies. According to the criminal complaint, Leavell was one of two individuals who allegedly broke into a Milwaukee car repair shop and stole a 2015 Dodge Caravan on Dec. 31. The van had a GPS unit in it, according to the complaint, and Kenosha County Sheriffs deputies tracked the signal to Interstate 94 near Highway 50, according to the complaint. Deputies chased the van toward Racine, with speeds reaching 70 mph, the complaint said. State Patrol troopers joined the chase near Highway 11 as the van reached a speed of 108 mph, the complaint said. Near Highway K, the van swerved around a State Patrol squad and struck a car in the center lane, the complaint said. Leavell reportedly lost control of the van, both vehicles slammed into the median, the van rolled and came to a stop on its roof, the complaint said. Two suspects exited the vehicle, the complaint said. Leavell told investigators he fled because his license was revoked and he did not want to be arrested, the complaint said. In January, Kenosha County dismissed charges against Leavell, according to a Kenosha News report. Leavell was in the Racine County Jail on Wednesday, jail records showed. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 10, court records indicate. 48-hour offshore strike goes ahead as company rejects union offer A 48-hour strike by North Sea offshore oil and gas workers starts today (Thursday 4 August), after company managers rejected an offer from trade unions.Workers in the trade unions Unite and RMT will go ahead with the planned stoppage as part of an ongoing dispute with employers Wood Group. The workers are facing a massive cut in pay and allowances of up to 30 per cent.In last-minute meetings this week, unions had offered to suspend the strike if the company agreed to remove their current proposal in full to allow for further consultation and negotiation. The company refused.Unite regional officer John Boland said: We are extremely disappointed that Wood Group has decided to continue its attack on the pay and allowances of offshore workers. We repeat our call for proper consultation and negotiation.Industrial action is always a last resort and throughout this dispute we have constructively sought to find a resolution. We need to look forward and work towards a sustainable solution.Offshore workers do a difficult, dangerous job and we all rely on the energy they produce. We need Wood Group and other energy companies to stop constantly attacking these workers, and move on to a more positive agenda, working with the unions to address the challenges facing the industry.As part of the dispute, Unite organised a 24-hour stoppage on Tuesday 26 July, followed by a series of three-hour stoppages on platforms owned by multi-national oil company Shell. The Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Nelson, Gannet, Shearwater and Curlew platforms were all affected.During the dispute the striking workers have received declarations of support from trade unionists across the globe, including those working in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. There have also been demonstrations at Wood Groups Aberdeen headquarters.For more information, please visit: www.unitetheunion.org Figures from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) show that over the June quarter, the vacancy rate for the apartment market in Brisbanes inner city ring, which stretches 0-5km from the CBD, sat at 3.7%. That mark means the rental market for inner city apartment is considered weak by REIQ standards. In comparison, the vacancy rate for apartments in the middle ring, which stretches 5-20km from the CBD, sat at 2.7% over the June quarter, which meets the REIQs criteria for a healthy rental market. For houses, the inner city vacancy rate sits at 3.4%, which classifies it as healthy, while for houses in the middle ring the vacancy rate is considered tight at 1.8%, while Brisbanes overall vacancy rate in the quarter was 2.5%. While the vacancy rate in the inner city apartment market is at present is likely to be of concern to landlords, REIQ chief executive officer Antonio Mercorella believes demands for housing in the area will improve soon. "With major projects, such as Queens Wharf and Howard Smith Wharves, creating thousands of jobs over the next few years in Brisbane's inner city we are confident demand for housing will continue to grow, Mercorella said. We are seeing steady levels of supply and equally steady levels of demand for inner-city apartments and we expect vacancy rates will hover around these levels for some time to come, she said. Moving away from Brisbane, rental markets in other areas of south east Queensland appear healthy. On both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, vacancy rates improved from 1.5% to 1.4%, while a vacancy rate of 1%, the states lowest, was found in both the Caloundra and Maroochydore regions. With significant dwelling construction taking place on the Gold Coast we expect to see some easing of conditions in the medium term future, however for the foreseeable short term, rental conditions will remain tight, Mercorella said. The Sunshine Coast market is also tight, and with little new construction slated we expect this to continue for some time to come. Other tourism areas also saw improvements over the quarter, with Cairns vacancy rate dropping from 2.1% to 1.9%, while the Whitsundays saw its vacancy rate plummet from 10% to 6%. In the states other regional markets, conditions are still far from ideal but there are signs of improvement. In Gladstone, the vacancy rate dropped from 11.3% to 10.2%, while in Rockhampton it fell from 6.9% to 6.5%. Over the quarter, Mackays vacancy rate fell from 8.1% to 7.7% and in Townsville the vacancy rate improved from 6% to 5.7%. Bundaberg was the only regional market to see an increase in its vacancy rate, with it increasing from 5.2% to 6.3%. Despite Bundabergs rise and the other regional markets still struggling, Mercorella said the June quarter was a positive for the state overall. Overall, there has been more good news than bad in this vacancy rate report and were optimistic that the state is moving towards healthier rates across the board. Dobra, k. Szczecina 900 m2 40 miejsc parkingowych Atut: Dodatkowe dochody z paczkomatow InPostu, a juz niedugo i z myjni samoobsugowej. Tradycyjny zakup nieruchomosci, mozliwosc wykupienia uzytkowania wieczystego. Those looking for certain decorations from Wind Point resident Nick Comandes now-retired Halloween display, Hollows Way, will need to head over to Mount Pleasant instead. Comande passed down the torch and some of his decor to his first cousin twice removed, Brayden LoPiccolo, after last years holiday was Hollows Ways 50th and final year. Latest News Washington, DC - The C5+1 is a platform that brings together the five states of Central Asia and the United States to discuss and work on issues of common concern. At the first C5+1 ministerial, held in Samarkand in November 2015, the six ministers agreed to develop regional projects to improve security, promote economic connectivity, and increase resilience against the impacts of climate change. At the second C5+1 ministerial, held in Washington in August 2016, the six ministers agreed to launch five corresponding projects, which the United States plans to support with up to $15 million (pending congressional notification). 1. Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) Regional Dialogue: The GCTF Regional Dialogue will seek to counter the challenges of foreign terrorist fighters and radicalization to violence in Central Asia. The dialogue will bring together policymakers and subject-matter experts from Central Asia and abroad to share perspectives on the threat of foreign terrorist fighters, including best practices and regional approaches for countering the radicalization, departure, and return of fighters. The dialogue will also work to implement The HagueMarrakech Memorandum on Good Practices for a More Effective Response to the Foreign Terrorist Fighter Phenomenon. 2. Central Asia Business Competitiveness (CABC): The CABC project will seek to make it easier for businesses in Central Asia to increase exports and enter new markets. To begin, the project will focus on horticultural sub-sectors with strong export potential. The project will work with companies to increase their competitiveness and participation in global value chains. The project will also work with governments and trade authorities on policies that will make it easier for businesses to export goods. In addition, the project will assist businesses to attract capital and technology, with the goal of improving food production, processing, and packaging. 3. Transport Corridor Development (TCD): The TCD project will aim to reduce the cost and time of moving goods across borders in Central Asia, as well as improve the quality of transport and logistics services throughout the entire region. The project will work with businesses, trade authorities, and governments to identify and reduce non-tariff barriers to trade along key corridors. In addition, the project will work with transport and logistics firms to reduce inefficiencies and improve competitiveness. The project will also provide businesses with networking opportunities as well as training and information on topics such as competitiveness benchmarking, route planning skills, air freight trends, refrigerated transport developments, freight consolidation methods, logistics center management, and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 4. Power the Future: Power the Future will help energy sector policymakers and mid-level staff in their efforts to scale up renewable energy throughout Central Asia. The project will provide technical and planning assistance on U.S. and international best practices to increase renewable energy sector development. The United States will also provide training and technical assistance on strategic energy planning, competitive procurement, grid integration, smart incentives, renewable energy zones, and innovative finance. 5. Supporting National and Regional Adaptation Planning: This project will seek to increase the capacity of Central Asian states to plan for adaptation against the impacts of climate change. The project will work to identify regional priorities and cross-border challenges for climate change adaptation. It will also improve the availability of high-quality information on and analysis of climate science. In addition, the United States will provide technical assistance to key stakeholders and coordinate with development assistance partners. These efforts will support each countrys national adaptation planning process under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In addition, the countries will identify and share data and indicators that can improve climate services, assess cross-border climate challenges, and support evaluation and monitoring. These data will then be used to incorporate shared cross-border adaptation strategies into the countries national adaptation planning process. Latest News Washington, DC - The Security and Defense Working Group of the U.S.Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission met on July 20, 2016, in Washington, DC. The Working Group noted the historic events leading up to this meeting, including the signing of the Memorandum on Deepening the Defense and Security Partnership between the United States of America and Georgia on July 6 and the NATO Summit in Warsaw on July 8-9, which included the NATO-Georgia Commissions Joint Statement welcoming Georgias significant progress in its preparations towards membership. The Memorandum reaffirms and expands the United States and Georgias enduring and effective defense and security cooperation in areas such as defense capacity building, military and security cooperation, and information sharing. The sides underlined that a durable and strategic approach to defense and security cooperation increases the security of both countries and positively impacts regional stability and global security. The United States reaffirmed support for Georgias aspirations to integrate into Euro-Atlantic institutions, as agreed at the NATO Bucharest Summit in 2008 and reiterated in Warsaw. Both sides confirmed their commitment to full implementation of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, which helps Georgia advance in its preparation for NATO membership, and welcomed the additional practical cooperation discussed in Warsaw to help Georgia in preparation for membership. The sides expressed commitment to strengthening Black Sea security cooperation and recognized Georgias role as a special partner in the region. The United States expressed appreciation for Georgias significant contributions to NATOs mission in Afghanistan. Both sides honored the significant sacrifices of fallen and wounded Georgian and American soldiers and civilians and their families. The United States stressed unwavering support for Georgias sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Both sides reiterated calls for Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgias Abkhazia and South Ossetia/Tskhinvali regions in accordance with the 2008 ceasefire agreement. The United States expressed strong concerns about the murder of a Georgian civilian in Khurcha and called once again on Abkhaz de facto authorities for a thorough and prompt investigation to hold accountable those responsible for this tragedy. The Georgian side stressed the importance of the immediate detention and prosecution of the suspect under Georgian law. Both sides emphasized the importance of the Gali and Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms to address security incidents and the consequences of Russias borderization policy. The parties discussed the breadth and depth of the U.S.-Georgia defense and security partnership and agreed that bilateral defense cooperation will help enhance the readiness and self-defense capabilities of the Georgian Armed Forces. Both sides committed to deepening cooperation in the areas of defense readiness, counterterrorism, border and maritime security, defense and security institutional reform, cybersecurity, counternarcotics, law enforcement, and crisis management to achieve the shared goal of increasing Georgias resilience and self-defense capabilities. Both sides agreed that Georgias best security asset is its continued pursuit of democratic reforms. Both sides noted Georgias progress in this regard and the United States expressed its continued support for Georgia in this effort. The United States also emphasized the importance of apolitical law enforcement and security agencies to a strong democracy and in ensuring free, fair, and peaceful parliamentary elections in October 2016. Both sides underscored Georgias remarkable reform progress in its 25 years since regaining independence and looked forward to continuing the close partnership that has developed between the United States and Georgia. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs William Monahan and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Carpenter co-chaired the U.S. side, joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs James Walsh and representatives from across the U.S. government. First Deputy Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and Advisor to the Minister of Defense Shota Gvineria co-chaired the Georgian side, leading a broad interagency delegation. Georgian Minister of Defense Tinatin Khidasheli provided opening remarks and a strategic review of key security challenges; the Ministers participation was a testament to the importance of the U.S.Georgia strategic partnership. The U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission remains the primary mechanism for organizing and prioritizing the broad and deepening cooperation between Georgia and the United States. The Commission includes four bilateral working groups on priority areas identified in the Charter on Strategic Partnership: democracy; defense and security; economic, trade, and energy; and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. RACINE A statewide mosquito surveillance program will determine whether Racine is regionally at risk for the Zika virus. Weve done this before for different circumstances, said Dottie-Kay Bowersox, the administrator for the City of Racine Public Health Department. This is just another way to keep track and see where were at in terms of Zika. In a news release, the department announced its participation in the program, which aims to determine whether populations of the Asian tiger mosquito exist in Wisconsin. According to the release, the department has established 14 mosquito surveillance sites in the Racine area. This surveillance program will provide the State of Wisconsin with necessary information to produce a stretegic plan to prevent Zika virus cases in humans, said Marcia Fernholz, the departments director of environmental health. Bowersox said that Wisconsin has seen 11 documented cases of the Zika virus, but all of them have been related to international travel. Still, the Asian tiger mosquito, a secondary Zika transmitter, has been found in parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. The mosquitoes have a very small range in which they travel themselves but they attach themselves to vehicles and they travel that way, Bowersox said. As part of that caution, the federal Centers for Disease Control awarded Wisconsin $200,000 to help fight Zika. Bowersox said citizens should make preventing mosquito bites a priority. Each individual needs to be responsible with their own prevention of this, she said. The most vital precaution to take is eliminating collections of standing water, according to Bowersox. First and foremost, if youve got any standing water, the water needs to be dumped, she said. Any standing water where the mosquitoes could potentially be reproducing needs to be taken care of. Bowersox also recommended wearing long sleeves and pants when going outside during peak mosquito times, dawn and dusk. An effective mosquito repellent also is a must. Bowersox contends mosquito bites are something people should work to prevent, regardless of the current risk factor of transmittable illnesses. Mosquitoes have long been known to be the transmitter of a variety of maladies. Mosquito bites regardless are just an irritant, she said. Thats a good thing to pass on. Geneva: Government security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gang raped women and girls during and after heavy fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday. Zeid Ra`ad Al Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers to take "urgent action" to halt violence in the world`s newest state. "While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," Zeid said in a statement. "The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes." Los Angeles: Actor-filmmaker Clint Eastwood says he hasn't endorsed any candidate for the US presidency yet, but if given a choice between US Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump, he would choose the latter. Eastwood said that he will not go for Clinton because she will follow current US President Barack Obama's footsteps, reports variety.com. That's a tough one, isn't it? I'd have to go for Trump... You know, 'cause she's declared that she's gonna follow in Obama's footsteps, Eastwood said in an interview to Esquire magazine. There's been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle. She's made a lot of dough out of being a politician. I gave up dough to be a politician. I'm sure that Ronald Reagan gave up dough to be a politician, he added. Eastwood was clear that he hasn't endorsed anyone. I haven't talked to Trump. I haven't talked to anybody. New Delhi: YSR Congress members on Thursday continued for the fourth day their protest in the Lok Sabha over the issue of granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh. As Question Hour began, the YSR Congress members left their seats and trooped in front of the Speaker`s podium, raising slogans. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan requested them to return to their seats but to no avail. "Everyday, this is not fair. You please go back to your seats," Mahajan told agitating YSR Congress members, who also raised the issue during Zero Hour. YSR member YV Subba Reddy said: "The government had promised to grant special status to the state but so far no decision has been taken in this regard." Earlier in the day, the party members protested in the Parliament House complex over the demand, gathering in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue and displaying placards in support of their demand. During the first two days of protest, members of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a NDA constituent, also supported the protest, joining the YSR Congress members in front of the Speaker`s podium. However, following assurance on Tuesday by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar, TDP members have avoided gathering at the Speaker`s podium or raising anti-government slogans. TDP leader and Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary on Tuesday told reporters that his party will maintain a "wait and watch policy". Dhaka: A British national and a student of a Canadian university were arrested over their suspected involvement in last month's deadly terror attack at a cafe in Dhaka that killed 22 people, Bangladesh police said on Thursday. Hasnat Karim, 47, a former teacher of North South University and a British citizen, and Tahmid Hasib, 22, a student at the University of Toronto, who were witnesses to the bloody carnage inside the Holey Artisan Bakery and O' Kitchen Restaurant on July 1, were arrested on Wednesday night in Dhaka, the Daily Star reported. Neither of the two were seen in public since the end of the siege when commandos stormed the cafe on the morning of July 2, police said. Humayun Kabir, an inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, produced them before a court on Thursday and sought their 10-day custody for interrogating them over the attack. A Dhaka court remanded them to eight days police custody. The two were among the 32 hostages rescued from the cafe, where the attackers killed 22 people, including 18 foreigners and two policemen. All of them were released, except for Hasanat and Tahmid, claimed their families. They even maintained that the duo were in police custody and were yet to return. Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque told The Daily Star on Tuesday that both were "under surveillance". Washington: Pentagon has blocked USD 300 million military aid to Pakistan after Defence Secretary Ashton Carter declined to give a certification to the Congress that Pakistan is taking sufficient action against the dreaded Haqqani network. In the absence of Congressional certification, the Pentagon has blocked disbursement of USD 300 million to Pakistan under Coalition Support Fund, which is essentially reimbursement money for the expenses made by Pak Army in support of US operations in Afghanistan. "The funds (USD 300 million) could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the (Defence) Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network per the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) requirement," Pentagon Spokesman Adam Stump said. Pakistan has reimbursed USD 700 million of the USD one billion they were authorised in fiscal year 2015 under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). "With the Secretary's decision, there is no additional FY15 CSF available to Pakistan," Stump said. The Washington Post, which first reported about it, described this withholding of US military assistance to Pakistan as a "potential blow" to US-Pak ties. Noting that June 30 was the deadline for the Department of Defence to submit its omnibus reprogramming request to Congress, Stump said in order to meet that deadline Carter requested a reprogramming of USD 300 million remaining in 2015 Coalition Support Funds originally authorised for Pakistan. "The secretary decided to request reprogramming of the funds to retain the ability to use those funds for other requirements," he said, adding that this decision "does not reduce" the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years. "We continue to be encouraged by Pakistan's operations in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the FATA. Pakistan's efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the FATA as a safe haven for terrorism. However, the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan," Stump said. Pakistan has been authorised USD 900 million in fiscal 2016 CSF. Of that, USD 350 Million is subject to a Secretary of Defence certification that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network, he said. "Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF reimbursements, having received roughly USD 14 billion since 2002," Stump said. "This is the first time there's been a Secretary Defence's certification required," he added. Islamabad: Reiterating Pakistan government's commitment to the SAARC initiative, Nawaz Sharif, Thursday, said that the regional body has made commendable contribution in promoting greater regional integration in South Asia. Speaking at the inaugural session of SAARC Home Ministers' Conference, Sharif said, Pakistan has always been supportive of SAARC. South Asia is blessed with tremendous resources, SAARC will provide a platform to harness it for peace and prosperity in the region. Let's work to fight terrorism, corruption & trafficking, he added. The Pakistani PM also spoke about the steps taken by his government to tackle terrorism. At National level, remarkable gains made against terrorists through op Zarb-e-Azb and the effective implementation of National action plan reflect our government's determination to eliminate scourge of terrorism from our soil for good, he said. India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also part of the deliberations being held in Islamabad. Earlier, Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, in his opening remarks, said, We must do a reality check of what we have achieved so far and what still remains to be done. It is time for us to seize the moment, to leverage our potential and overcome our challenges, he said. Pakistan is committed to SAARC process and desires to see it a successful regional organization, Khan added. Istanbul: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday to cut off the revenues of businesses linked to the US-based Turkish cleric he blames for masterminding a failed coup, describing his schools, businesses and charities as "nests of terrorism". Business was the arena in which the network of Fethullah Gulen was still the strongest, Erdogan said in a speech at the presidential palace broadcast live on television, vowing to show no mercy in a crackdown on the cleric`s interests. Patna: She is an accused in the Bihar toppers scam, but Ruby Rai wants to move on and change her life. She wants to become a lawyer, or an officer, and not be hindered by her tainted past. Ruby, who was detained in connection with the scam, has been released from a remand home here. And it appears that her days at the home has changed her for the better. "I will focus on studies and become either a lawyer or an officer," Ruby told IANS. She said her stay at the remand home has been a life-changing experience. But those days are over. She`s now "relaxed and happy" and "ready to start life afresh". "I will work hard to prove myself. I have decided to forget what happened with me," she said. Ruby claimed she was innocent and has been the victim of a conspiracy. "I have no idea and don`t know why I was detained and sent to the remand home. I have nothing to do with the toppers scam," she said. After her name cropped up in the scam, she was detained and sent to Beur jail in Patna. Later, she was sent to a remand home as she was a minor. Ruby had reportedly topped this year`s Class 12 examination conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) in the humanities stream. She scored 444 out of 500 marks but her result was cancelled when she failed a re-test conducted by the Board of Secondary Education. She got into trouble after a sting by a television news channel showed her giving ludicrous answers to elementary questions related to her subjects. She was detained in June by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after the scam surfaced. Similarly, Class 12 science stream topper Saurabh Shreshtha was also caught on camera giving wrong answers to basic questions on science. Both Ruby and Saurabh belonged to VR College in Vaishali district. The sting suggested that the so-called toppers might have cheated in the examination. Following the sting, the SIT of Bihar Police registered an FIR against Ruby, Saurabh and three other `toppers`. After being detained, Ruby told the police that it was one Bachcha chacha (uncle) and her father who helped her to score high marks. She was referring to Bachcha Rai, the alleged kingpin of the scam and former director of VR College. Bachcha was arrested and is currently in jail. Till date over 20 persons have been arrested in connection with the scam, including former Chairman of Bihar School Examination Board Lalkeshwar Prasad and his wife Usha Sinha. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday held that powers of the AAP government's anti-corruption branch (ACB) were limited to probing graft in various departments which are under the administrative authority of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and shall not extend to employees of the Centre. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said merely because two notifications of 1986 and 1993 held that ACB can take cognisance of offences committed within the limits of the national capital territory of Delhi (NCTD), it does not amount to expanding of its jurisdiction to proceed against officers and employees of the central government. The court noted that the rules and procedure of inquiry for the branch, issued in 1977, "make it clear that power to initiate action against officers of the central government has not been conferred upon the ACB". The bench agreed with Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain's contention that the jurisdiction of ACB to proceed against the employees and officers of the Centre was limited in nature. "Thus, it is evident that the jurisdiction of ACB is limited to curbing corruption in various departments of the Delhi Administration as well as other statutory bodies over which the Lt. Governor exercises control. "In other words, the officers and employees of the central government have not been brought within the purview of ACB, GNCTD. The mere fact that under the notifications dated August 1, 1986 and November 8, 1993, it was declared that ACB can take cognisance of the offences committed within the limits of NCTD does not amount to expanding the jurisdiction of ACB to proceed against the officers/employees of the central government," the court said. The finding by the court came while upholding the Centre's notifications of July 23, 2014 and May 21, 2015 with regard to powers and jurisdiction of ACB. "Accordingly, we hold that the direction in the impugned notifications that ACB Police Station shall not take cognisance of offences against the officers and employees of the central government is neither illegal nor unconstitutional," it said. New Delhi: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday said the High Court's ruling that he is the "administrative head" of Delhi was neither a victory for him nor a defeat for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, noting its crux is to govern the city as per the provisions in the Constitution. Jung, addressing a rare press conference, said a number of decisions including Delhi Government's directions to power regulator DERC, appointment of government representatives to BSES board and certain orders relating to tax will have to be "corrected" as they did not have his concurrence. The Lt Governor, who had a long running battle with the AAP government on a host of jurisdictional issues, said he always wanted to protect the provisions of the Constitution and did not agree to AAP government's decisions when he found they were at variance with the laid down norms. "It is not a victory of anyone. It is not a win for Najeeb Jung and loss for Arvind Kejriwal. The court order is a kind of clarification that incorrect things will have to be corrected," he said. The LG, who has been targeted by the Kejriwal Government over his decisions, said, "My DNA is such that I don't get affected by abusive language." Jung said the verdict clarified that matters related to services will have to be handled by the LG and that the Centre's concurrence was not necessary on certain issues and he can take calls on them. In a huge setback for the Kejriwal Government, the High Court held that the LG is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory and the AAP Government's contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed AAP Government's plea challenging the Centre's May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital. The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of LG. The bench, in its 194-page judgement, said the AAP Government's contention that the LG is bound to act on the aid and advice of Council of Ministers cannot be accepted. Delhi: A day after the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) BK Jha issued restricting demonstrations, making of speech by any political party outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, DCP North annulled the order on Thursday. The DCP said that the SDM did not have the power to ban protests or demonstrations outside the CM's house, as per ANI. SDM BK Jha had issued an order yesterday under Section 144 of the CrPC restricting protests outside Kejriwal's residence on Flag Staff Road in North Delhi's Civil Line area. "It has been reported that various political parties and pressure groups may hold protests, demonstrations, dharnas, processions etc on political and others issues in front, near or around the residence of the chief minister, GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), which may create serious law & order problems...," the SDM's (Civil Lines) had said in his order. "These protests need to be prohibited in order to "prevent public nuisance, obstruction to traffic and persons, danger to inhuman lives or safety and public property," the order had further stated, as per PTI. He had also said that in August, there are many festivals such as Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan, Parsi New Year, Janamasthmi and people in general use to visit the CM and officers' residence in festive season. "Therefore, it is apprehended that any demonstration, protests or dharna etc will create public nuisance and serious law and order problems. It will also cause obstruction to the vehicular traffic movement, danger to human lives and property," the order had said. (With Agency inputs) Delhi: In a move, which some may call ironical, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has banned demonstrations in front of his official residence in the national capital. Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) BK Jha issued an order under Section 144 of the CrPC, restricting demonstrations, making of speech by any political party outside Kejriwal's residence on Flag Staff Road in North Delhi's Civil Line area on Wednesday. "It has been reported that various political parties and pressure groups may hold protests, demonstrations, dharnas, processions etc on political and others issues in front, near or around the residence of the chief minister, GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), which may create serious law & order problems...," the SDM (Civil Lines) said in his order. These protests need to be prohibited in order to "prevent public nuisance, obstruction to traffic and persons, danger to inhuman lives or safety and public property," the order added, as per PTI. He said in August, there are many festivals such as Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan, Parsi New Year, Janamasthmi and people in general use to visit the CM and officers' residence in festive season. "Therefore, it is apprehended that any demonstration, protests or dharna etc will create public nuisance and serious law and order problems. It will also cause obstruction to the vehicular traffic movement, danger to human lives and property," the order stated. Setback for AAP govt: HC says LG is Delhi administrative head Meanwhile, in a huge setback for Kejriwal, the Delhi High Court on Thursday held that the LG is the administrative head of National Capital Territory and the AAP government's contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". The decision comes after months-long turf war between LG Najeeb Jung and Kejriwal for the reins of Delhi. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed AAP government's plea challenging the Centre's May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital. The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of LG. The bench, in its 194-page judgement, said the AAP government's contention that the LG is bound to act on the aid and advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance and cannot be accepted". (With PTI inputs) Attica: Greece`s Parliament on Thursday voted again on resolving "bureaucratic obstacles" to building a long-delayed official mosque in Athens. A large majority of lawmakers from across the political divide approved the amendment, with 206 votes out of 300 in favour. Education Minister Nikos Filis told Parliament that the amendment was "technical and bureaucratic in nature" but aimed at pushing the project along. There have been at least seven laws passed on creating an official mosque in Athens since way back in 1890. Filis said that another four mosques had been authorised by the state in other cities. Only neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn and the Independent Greeks, a nationalist party supporting the leftist government, voted against the law. The building in the Athens district of Votanikos will have a budget of EUR 946,000 (USD 1.1 million) and will be built on land formerly used by the military. The site is close to the Eleonas migrant camp and will be able to accommodate up to 400 faithful, according to the amendment. The efforts to build the mosque in Athens have been thwarted by opposition from the influential Orthodox Church and nationalist sentiment. Four attempts to find a business group to back the project failed before a contractor was picked in 2013. Athens is one of the few European capitals without an official mosque. The Greek capital is home to an estimated 200,000 Muslims, many of them immigrants, who use flats and basements to pray. The only official mosques in Greece are situated in the northeast region of Thrace, where a Muslim minority lives. Tel Aviv: Israeli forces on Thursday razed the southern West Bank homes of two Palestinian gunmen who shot dead four Israelis at a trendy Tel Aviv cafe in June, the army said. "Overnight in accordance with government directives security forces demolished the residences of the two terrorists who carried out the terror attack at the Sarona market on June 8, killing four civilians and wounding several more," a military spokeswoman said. The Yatta home of Mohammad Makhamrah was blown up, with the windows of nearby homes shattered by the explosion. The second story of a building where Khaled Makhamrah`s family lived a short distance away was demolished by an excavator, witnesses told AFP. The pair, who are cousins, were charged last month at the Tel Aviv district court for murder, conspiring to murder and attempted murder. A third suspect also from Yatta, south of Hebron, was charged over allegedly providing them with guns. Video footage from the June attack showed the two men walking into a popular Tel Aviv cafe wearing black suits, before opening fire on customers at random. Three people were shot dead, while a fourth died of a heart attack and 15 others were wounded. According to the Shin Bet domestic security agency, the assault was planned after a July 2015 arson attack by Jewish extremists in the West Bank that killed three members of a Palestinian family, including an 18-month-old baby. Khaled Makhamrah had wanted to carry out "a revenge attack against Israel in the name of the Islamic State" group during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Shin Bet said last month. On Thursday, bystanders gathered around the rubble of what used to be his house, as a Yatta municipality bulldozer cleared the road. Ammar Makhamrah, a relative of Khaled who lives next to the demolished home, told AFP the Israeli had given family members time to leave the building and take furniture before razing it. A short distance away, Mohammad Makhamrah`s mother was consoled by women from her family in a building near the rubble that used to be home to her and 10 other relatives. Israel routinely demolishes homes of Palestinian assailants in what it says is a means to deter further attacks. Israeli forces also seized four gun-making devices overnight, a military statement read, bringing the number of such machines seized throughout the occupied West Bank to 27, with 235 firearms taken. Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 219 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces. Gandhinagar: A day after Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel formally resigned from her post, BJP national president Amit Shah arrived in Ahemdabad on Thursday to hold consultations with party MLAs to decide who will be the next chief minister. According to reports, Amit Shah and other central party observers, who also arrived here, will hold deliberate consultations with BJP MLAs to pick the new Chief Minister. An announcement in this regard is likely to be made on Friday. Nitin Patel, the number two in the state's cabinet, and Gujarat BJP chief Vijay Rupani, who is also a minister, are seen as the front-runners to succeed Anandiben Patel. Setting in motion the process for picking a new Gujarat chief minister, BJP on Wednesday gave its go ahead to incumbent Anandiben Patel to resign and authorised its president Amit Shah to pick her successor in consultation with the legislature party. Patel met Governor OP Kohli at 5 pm yesterday in Gandhinagar and officially submited her resignation. The Board also appointed Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and party general secretary Saroj Pandey as central observers for the legislature party meeting in which the new leader will be formally elected. Shah, who is an MLA in the Gujarat Assembly, will also attend the meeting. Patels successor will be among the partys MLAs, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said yesterday. He also rejected reports that Shah can replace Patel, saying the party needs his leadership at the national level as he has taken it to great heights and led it to many successes. No name of her successor was discussed in the Boards meeting, he said. Islamabad: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday arrived back in New Delhi after skipping a lunch hosted by his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. His scheduled news conference at Delhi airport was also cancelled. Khan had organised the lunch for the visiting dignitaries, who were here to attend the seventh SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference, and had scheduled it after the main meeting. However, the Pakistani Interior Minister left the venue immediately after the meeting got over despite being the host of the lunch. Singh then took the decision to skip the lunch. The Home Minister later had his lunch at his hotel room along with the members of the accompanying Indian delegation. After the lunch, Singh left for India. The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was also evident at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference here when Singh came face-to-face with Khan for the first time today and the two leaders barely shook hands. As Singh arrived at the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel here, Khan was at the gate to receive the dignitaries. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Meanwhile in Islamabad, an Interior Ministry official said that there was no such blackout of Rajnath's speech as none of the speeches of participating ministers was shown. After returning to India, the home minister said that he would unfold the facts relating to his visit to Parliament. Evading media pressure, Singh said that he had placed India`s point of view across Pakistan, adding all information can be gathered from his speech which is now in the public domain. However, the Home Minister briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his visit to Pakistan. Earlier in the day, Singh, in a strong message to Pakistan, said there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs and also called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism. Without mincing any words, Singh told the Interior/Home Ministers Conference of SAARC countries that mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough. Singh's comments in his speech came against the backdrop of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a martyr, much to India`s ire. "There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs. There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists," Singh said. Shockingly, Singh`s speech during the meet was blacked out. Members of the Indian media, who had come from New Delhi to report on the conference, were not allowed to cover the speech. They were reportedly kept at a distance by Pakistani officials. Some reports said that there was an aggressive verbal exchange between officials of the two sides over the issue. Only Pakistan state PTV was allowed to cover introductory speeches of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. Even private Pakistani media not allowed to cover the event. Singh arrived in Islamabad yesterday amid protests by supporters of various terrorist groups, including the Hizbul Mujahideen. (With Agency inputs) Islamabad: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who arrived here on Wednesday to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' conference, will raise India's concern on cross-border terrorism in Pakistan on Thursday. However, there will be no bilateral meeting between Rajanth Singh and his Pakistani counterpart. There will be no bilateral meet between Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi this morning. Singh, who arrived here yesterday evening on his maiden visit to Pakistan, has been accorded tight security and was flown in a helicopter to the Serena hotel located in posh Islamabad locality. It is also the venue of today's meeting where Singh will be underlining the need for meaningful cooperation among South Asian countries. Despite tight security, around 100 people gathered outside the hotel shouting anti-India slogans and protested against Singh's visit. Notably, LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin had warned of a nationwide protest if Singh arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Roads leading to the hotel have been heavily barricaded by the police and paramilitary forces to ward off any threat from terror groups. In the past, there have been instances when terrorists rammed explosive-laden trucks into the hotels. Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif made provocative comments on Kashmir, calling the issue as the main pillar of Islamabad's foreign policy. Sharif, addressing the concluding session of the three-day conference of Pakistani envoys in Islamabad, stated that "desire of freedom is running in the blood of Kashmiris". During the SAARC Home Ministers' Conference, Singh is expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. India has been demanding handing over of Dawood, who has been designated as a global terrorist by the anti-terror body of the United Nations, for running an organised crime syndicate from Pakistan. Even before Rajnath's arrival there wasa little possibility of Singh having a bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in the wake of strain in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. On the eve of the conference, Sharif said that Kashmir was witnessing a "new wave of the freedom movement" and asked Pakistani diplomats to apprise the world that Kashmir was "not an internal matter" of India. Apart from terrorism, other key issues to be discussed include liberalisation of visa, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and how to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat such menace. The three-tier meeting began at the joint secretary-level and then moves on to Secretary and Home Minister-level meetings. The focus of the meeting will also be on strengthening networking among police forces of SAARC member-countries and also enhance information-sharing among law enforcement agencies. Guwahati: The Centre has exempted Assam from the purview of compulsory 'Aadhaar' number required for availing UGC scholarships for higher education in the wake of requests made to Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar. A decision to this effect was communicated to Sonowal who requested Javadekar when he called on him in New Delhi, accompanied by Education Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma in this evening, a government release said here. The Chief Minister drew the attention of the Union Minister about the problems faced by the students of Assam in getting UGC scholarship because of the Aadhaar norms. They also informed the HRD Minister that the process of distribution of Aadhaar number in Assam has not been made compulsory and it will start only after the completion of NRC updation exercise underway at the moment. Javadekar conveyed his decision that henceforth the students of Assam seeking UGC scholarship will be exempted from the Aadhaar number and no students will be denied scholarship on the pretext of this, the release said. Sonowal also sought the HRD Minister's intervention in relaxing the compulsory requirement of Degree or Diploma in Education for teachers' appointment in Assam for a period of five years, to which Javadekar assured to look into the matter for an acceptable solution. On setting up of the proposed Tezpur University Campus at Jonai in the state, the Chief Minister requested Javadekar to expedite the process for the benefit of the students' community of the area. The HRD Minister also assured to address the matter with utmost sincerity, it added. New Delhi: The Congress and the Trinamool Congress on Thursday lashed out at the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha over the attack on women, Dalits and Muslims allegedly in the name of cow protection. Responding to the attack, ruling party MP Hukum Singh said it has become a fashion to oppose and criticise anything concerning cows. Congress' KC Venugopal, participating in a debate on supplementary demand for grants for 2016-17, said there is "rising intolerance" in the country with instances of attack on writers like Govind Pansare and M.M. Kalburgi and also referred to the recent attacks on Dalits, Muslims and women by cow vigilante groups. "There cannot be good economic growth in such atmosphere and with such 'intolerance'. Only freedom, fraternity feelings and equality can ensured a sustainable economic growth," he said amid interruptions. Trinamool member Abhishek Banerjee suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should see Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" film adding the abject poverty it portrays "reflects the current situation of the country". Attacking the BJP-led NDA regime in the centre, he described it as "a Government that tweets on almost every subject, but remains mum and silent on important issues like when Dalits are killed, when young minds in Kashmir are pained and anguished". Several BJP members took exceptions to his observations. Banerjee, however, did not spare Congress either and slammed for it the alliance with the Left parties in West Bengal. "Two months ago, the people of my state had three choices: an ideology-led unethical, venomous alliance; a party that runs on media hype and encourages religious fundamentalism; and the Trinamool Congress, which worked for development," he said adding people overwhelmingly voted for his party. He also said that in the past two years under the BJP-led government, "cooperative federalism" has been merely rendered a slogan. However, Singh said: "Jab tak aap guy ka virodh nahi karenge tab tak aapko secular nahi mana jaega (Till you do not oppose anything about cow, you may not be considered a secular)." Noting that the farming community has faith and respect for cows, he said that some people only try to "politicise" the issue in the name of religion. New Delhi: The UP election scenario is becoming more interesting day-by-day. Now, Shiv Sena has planned to contest 300 seats in the upcoming UP Assembly Elections. The party has already started shortlisting candidates for the UP 2017 polls, a report in TOI said. Also, interviews of probables were held at the residence of Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire in Delhi. "The party will be contesting in more than 300 seats and we have already finalised names of 30 candidates," Party media cell in-charge Vineet Chaudhary said. Reportedly, Shiv Sena is aiming to make a dent in BJP's right-wing vote bank. Islamabad: In a shocking move, Pakistan on Thursday blacked out Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh's speech at the SAARC Home Ministers' Conference in Islamabad. ANI news agency reported that no media was allowed to cover Rajnath Singh's speech at the SAARC meet. This came shortly after Rajnath Singh skipped the lunch at the SAARC conference. Interestingly, Pakistan's Home Minister Chaudhary Nisar, who was the host, also did not attend the lunch. Meanwhile, in his speech, Rajnath Singh talked tough and cautioned against classifying terrorism as good terrorism or bad terrorism. There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism, the Indian Home Minister told delegates at the meet in the Pakistani capital. In his address, Rajnath Singh took a swipe at the host nation Pakistan for describing slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani as a martyr and said, There should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. He further called for strong action against those who support terrorism or its cause. There should be strongest of action not only against terrorists but also against organisations, individuals and nations who support terror, Rajnath Singh said, without naming anyone. But it's anyone's guess that the Indian Home Minister was hinting at Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed and his outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawah, which is linked to the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba. Rajnath stressed that action and not just condemnation would help tackle the menace. Mere condemnation of terrorism is not enough, he stated. Meanwhile, ANI reported that Rajnath Singh's press interaction at the Delhi airport scheduled for today has also been cancelled. Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday rejected the government's decision to provide for 10 per cent quota to the economically weaker sections among the higher castes. The court was hearing a public interest litigation challenging the May 1 decision to provide quota for non-reserved categories on economic grounds, arguing that it violated the spirit of the constitution to treat everyone equally. The government had argued that it had provided for the quota on economic basis without disturbing the 50 per cent reservation cap imposed by the Supreme Court. The government had declared the 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections among higher castes with an annual income of Rs 6 lakh. This followed the 10-month agitation by the Patidar community demanding reservations in jobs under the OBC category. New Delhi: India on Thursday described the reports of a 'blackout' of Rajnath Singh's statement during the SAARC ministerial meeting as "misleading", hours after the Home Minister arrived back in New Delhi after skipping a lunch hosted by Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. "With reference to the Home Ministers meeting in Islamabad earlier today, media reports of a 'blackout' of our Home Minister's statement are misleading. "It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media while the rest of the proceedings are in the camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues," a government source said. The reaction came after there were reports that Rajnath Singh's speech was reportedly blacked out as media organisations were not allowed to cover the seventh SAARC Home/Interior Ministers' conference. State-owned Pakistan Television was the only broadcaster allowed inside the venue. Meanwhile, in Islamabad, an Interior Ministry official also said that there was no such blackout of Rajnath's speech as none of the speeches of participating ministers was shown. "It is true that his (Rajnath's) speech was not shown live because (the) speech(es) of none of the participating ministers was shown live by the state media." He said only the inaugural session was shown live when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan made welcome speeches. The official said Singh was not discriminated at all by the state media and he was given full official protocol. (With PTI inputs) Ahmedabad: BSP supremo Mayawati on Thursday launched a vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS, alleging that on the one hand, they talk of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas', but on the other target Dalits and Muslims in the name of 'gau raksha' (cow protection). "BJP, RSS, Shiv Sena and their other organisations, under a well thought out plan first targeted Muslims in the name of cow protection and now they are targeting Dalits," she alleged while addressing a Dalit gathering after meeting family members of the victims here. "Narendra Modi, who belongs to Gujarat, says 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas', but in reality there is no development for Dalits, only few industrialists and businessmen are getting the fruits of development," she said. She warned BJP and RSS to "stop committing atrocities against Dalits as they are not going to tolerate it anymore". Mayawati asked Dalits to form an alliance with Muslims and try to form a government in Gujarat. "You have to seek justice from the BJP government for Una incident. You need to form an alliance with Muslims and try to form a government here so that you do not have to seek justice but you are in the position give justice," she said. Later, speaking to reporters at the Ahmedabad civil hospital where she went to meet the four Dalit victims, Mayawati claimed that BJP deliberately created a situation to keep her away from visiting Gujarat as it will "send out a wrong message about the party and government". She alleged that BJP under a well thought out plan made one of its leaders in Uttar Pradesh, Dayashankar Singh, use indecent words against her, and the party sought Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's resignation timing with her announcement to visit the state, so that she does not come. "Ever since BJP came to power at Centre, people from weaker sections, including Dalits, adivasis and other backward class, are under attack in the entire country and especially in BJP-ruled states," she said. "Muslims and Christians are among religious minorities that are under attack. In upper caste, the poor are also not happy but Dalits are the most unhappy," she said. She claimed that the state government acted on the Una incident only after she raised the issue in Parliament. "BJP, RSS cadre beat up and tortured Dalits in Una...It is sad to know that police, public remained mute spectators and instead of acting against criminals, they were helping them. The victims I met today said main conspirators are still at large which troubles them," she said. She claimed that to divert attention from the Una incident after she raised the issue in the Parliament, BJP made Dayashankar Singh use indecent language against her. She claimed that BJP asked the Chief Minister here to resign to show their seriousness about the incident. "When on August 1 they came to know that I was coming to Ahmedabad, state health minister reached the hospital and asked the Superintendent to discharge Una victims admitted here but (superintendent) said their health is not good." "Thinking that my visit will send out a wrong message, the BJP government asked its woman CM here to resign, to show how serious they are about the issue. Now to divert the matter, they have created a speculation about who will be the next chief minister," she said. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. New Delhi: There is no proposal being considered now to amend the Constitution to allow reservation in higher judiciary but the issue needs to be looked into at some point of time, government said on Thursday. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told Lok Sabha that he has requested Chief Justices of High Courts to give due consideration for people from backward classes, among others, while sending proposals for appointment of judges. "The suggestions from various quarters/sources have been received for making reservations in higher judiciary and amending the Constitution. "However, at present there is no proposal under consideration to amend the Constitution for providing reservation in higher judiciary," Prasad said during Question Hour. Referring to the issue whether there should be reservation, Prasad said, "kabhi vichar karna padega (it has to be thought about at some point of time)". Prasad said appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are made under Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution and they do not provide for reservation for any caste or class of persons. "The government has, however, requested the Chief Justices of the High Courts that while sending proposals for appointment of judges, due consideration be given to suitable candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Minorities and from amongst women," the Minister said. Under Article 235 of the Constitution, the administrative control over the members of district and subordinate judiciary in the states vest with the High Court concerned, he added. Prasad also referred to the Supreme Court quashing the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) legislation passed by the Parliament and said the government would try to move forward. Justice delivery system should be good for ensuring good governance, he added. Responding to a query, the Minister said there are around 4,400 vacancies out of the 20,000 sanctioned posts in the subordinate judiciary. New Delhi: Anthony Shimray, the suspected key NSCN (IM) arms procurer, has been granted bail by a special court here in a case under the anti-terror act after NIA said his bail was "important in the interest of peace negotiations between NSCN (IM) and the Government of India". District Judge Amar Nath gave the relief to National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) leader Shimray after NIA did not oppose his bail application. "The special public prosecutor for NIA states that he has received an email (from the agency) directing him not to oppose the bail application of Shimray. "It is submitted that the bail of the accused is important in the interest of peace negotiations between NSCN (IM) and the Government of India," the court said. In its order, the court said, "Without expressing the opinion on merits of the case and only on the basis of submission made by the special public prosecutor for NIA, the accused is admitted to bail on furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs one lakh." The judge put several conditions on the accused and asked him not to tamper with evidence and not to leave the country without the court's prior permission. NIA had alleged Shimray was the chief arms and ammunition procurer of NSCN (IM) insurgent group in the north-east. In his bail application, the counsel for Shimray claimed that he was innocent and had wrongly been apprehended by NIA. He said the investigation has already been complete and the charge sheet has been filed in the case. Shimray, who was in judicial custody, was arrested by the agency in October 2010. NIA had said that a case was lodged against Shimray, T R Calvin, Hangshi Ramson Tangkhul and others under various sections of IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly conspiring to procure huge quantities of arms and ammunition from foreign countries. It had alleged that these arms were to be used for committing terror activities and waging a war against the Government of India. The accused, the agency had said, had negotiated with arms dealers in Thailand and China for purchase of arms and ammunition. They had also deposited money for the purpose with foreign arms-selling firms, NIA had said. Islamabad: On a day when Home Minister Rajnath Singh advised Pakistan not to glorify or eulogise terrorists as 'martyrs', in reference to the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, the latter again raked up the Kashmir issue. Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan advised India not to try and hide behind the word terrorism and divert attention from the demands of freedom. Kashmir has seen days of violent protests and subsequent curfew following the killing of Burhan Wani in an encounter with Indian security forces on July 8. Rajnath Singh, in his address at the SAARC Home Ministers Conference in Islamabad earlier in the day, had taken a swipe at the host nation Pakistan saying, There should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. In fact, Pakistan had even observed an official black day to protest the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani. Chaudhary Nisar, meanwhile, said that Pakistan is always ready for talks. We never closed our doors, he said. We should not just point fingers at each other and then go our ways. We should sit and talk out issues, he added. On a question as to why the Indian Home Minister did not the SAARC lunch, the Pakistani minister said, The Indian Home Minister told me that he will attend the official lunch if I am attending, but unfortunately I had another meeting. New Delhi: A day after her deputy VK Singh held extensive discussions with the Saudi authorities over the plight of thousands of laid-off Indian workers, External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the King of Saudi Arabia himself directed his officers to resolve the issue within 2 days. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Swaraj added the process of sending back workers to India, will be done on Saudi Arabia's expenses. Saudi Arabia has said that exit visas will be given as asked by India for Indian workers there, she said. Saudi Arabia has also given approval to companies there who want to employ any of these Indian workers. Saudi Arabia also said that Indian workers staying in camps will be provided medical and other facilities,food; India need not worry, she also said. Yesterday, VK Singh held extensive talks with Saudi Labour Minister Mufrej Al Haqbani who promised urgent action to resolve the difficulties being faced by around 7,000 Indians, most of whom are living in camps after losing their jobs due to economic slowdown in the oil-rich Gulf country. Satisfied over Haqbani's response, Singh said he was thankful to the Saudi government for "very positive action and maganimous attitude". Islamabad: In a hard-hitting and blunt message, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in his address to the 7th SAARC Interiors Ministers Conference, asked Pakistan not to glorify terrorists and stop encouraging terror groups. At the same time, he also called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism and their isolation. Without mincing any words, amid the strain in Indo-Pak relations, Singh said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists was not enough and that there are "no good terrorists or bad terrorists". Singh added that terrorism continued to remain the biggest challenge and threat to the region. Speaking in Hindi at the conference, Singh said there should be "strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism." "It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronised by any state," Singh said in a veiled dig at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singh's comments came against the backdrop of Sharif's praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen 'commander' as a martyr, much to India's ire. "One country's terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. I also speak for the entire humanity - not just for India or other SAARC members in urging that in no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs," he said. Calling for isolation of countries or individuals who provide any kind of support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorists, Singh said that "strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. Only this will ensure that the forces engaged in promoting the heinous crime of terrorism against humanity are effectively countered." Stressing for greater regional prosperity and cooperation between South Asian countries, Singh, however, said that mounting threats and terror incidents endanger region's peace and stability. "Terrorism remains the biggest challenge and threat to our peace. South Asia continues to be deeply affected by this malady, as witnessed most recently in cowardly terrorist attacks in Pathankot, Dhaka, Kabul and other places," Singh said after listening to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. Singh arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday evening amid anti-India protests organized by terror groups including the United Jehad Council - a militant amalgam of groups fighting in Kashmir but based in Pakistan. Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the chief the Lashkar-e-Taiba, also led an anti-India rally in Lahore where he lashed out at the Pakistan government for allowing Rajnath Singh to visit Islamabad. India dismisses reports of blackout of Rajnath's speech: Meanwhile, India today described the reports of a 'blackout' of Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement during the SAARC ministerial meeting as "misleading". "With reference to the Home Ministers meeting in Islamabad earlier today, media reports of a 'blackout' of our Home Minister's statement are misleading," a government source said, as per PTI. "It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media while the rest of the proceedings are in camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues," the source added. The reaction came after there were reports that Singh's speech was reportedly blacked out as media organisations were not allowed to cover the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers' conference. The only broadcaster allowed inside the venue was state-owned Pakistan Television, the reports said. Rajnath skips lunch hosted by Pak counterpart Interestingly, Singh today skipped a lunch hosted by his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan after the host himself left the venue. Khan had organised the lunch for the visiting dignitaries, who were here to attend the 7th SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference, and had scheduled it after the main meeting. However, the Pakistani Interior Minister left the venue immediately after the meeting got over despite being the host of the lunch. Singh then took the decision to skip the lunch. The HM later had his lunch at his hotel room along with the members of the accompanying Indian delegation. After the lunch, Singh left for India. Singh briefs PM Modi on his Pakistan visit: On the other hand, Singh today briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Pakistan. Official sources said Singh rushed to meet PM Modi straight from the airport to "debrief" him about the events during his visit to Pakistan. They said Singh informed PM about the speech he made at the conference, his interactions on the sidelines with the leaders, and deliberations during the official sessions. Singh arrived here by a BSF plane at around 4.30 pm and cancelled his scheduled press briefing at the airport to meet PM Modi, they said. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi: It's a major revelation! According to National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources, dreaded terror outfit ISIS is planning attacks on RSS, BJP and VHP leaders. According to details available so far, ISIS terrorist Shafi Armar is targeting to attack RSS, BJP and VHP leaders in India by carving out the plans in Syria. Reportedly, the terror attacks in India may also target foreign nationals. These details have come out during interrogation by NIA of an ISIS suspect. Shafi Armar Shafi Armar - the alleged fugitive terrorist from Bhatkal - has reportedly emerged as the main recruiter of ISIS in India. Reportedly, he is presently monitoring the ISIS operations from Syria. New York: The United Nations has said that Kashmir is an internal matter of India and it has no mandate beyond the Line of Control (LoC) to monitor the situation there. The remarks mark a U-turn as the UN had recently said that it will continue to monitor the situation in Kashmir through its military observer group in India and Pakistan. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric issued the clarification after the UN chief's deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters earlier this week that the UN will continue to monitor the situation in Kashmir, including through "our monitoring group" UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). "I just wanted to clarify something, which is that UNMOGIP, the UN observer presence there, its mandate is to report on the ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control. The UN Mission there does not have a mandate there beyond the Line of Control," Dujarric said regarding the situation in Kashmir. When asked why he was making the clarification, Dujarric said, "because I think it needed to be said", reported PTI news agency. Analysts are reading the latest statement to imply that the situation and incidents in Kashmir are India's internal matter and do not come under the control of UNMOGIP that only observes and reports on ceasefire violations along the LoC and does not monitor the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Dujarric was also asked why the Secretary General does not initiate efforts to settle the Kashmir conflict, even as the world body is trying to resolve conflicts in Cyprus and the Middle East. "I will leave it to you and others to...to analyse the reasoning. I think the questions on the situation in Kashmir have come up with us today and previously. Our answers to those questions remain the same," Dujarric said, without elaborating. Asked why there is "reluctance" on the part of the Secretary-General and the UN to offer any comments on the situation in Kashmir, Dujarric said when questions arise on the issue, the UN offers comments. "So I don't agree as being reluctant," he said. According to the Security Council mandate given in resolution 307 of 1971, UNMOGIP observes and reports on ceasefire violations along and across the Line of Control and the working boundary between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as reports developments that could lead to ceasefire violations. India has maintained that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC). India has always stated that it has "no role to play whatsoever". As of March 31 this year, UNMOGIP has 44 military observers, 25 international civilian personnel and 47 local civilian staff. (With PTI inputs) Srinagar: Curfew and protest shutdown continued in Kashmir on Thursday for the 27th consecutive day. Over 50 protesters were injured on Wednesday in Adijan area of south Kashmir`s Kulgam district when their rally was intercepted by security forces. Reports said central reserve police force (CRPF) troopers torched over two dozen motorcycles and other vehicles that participated in the protest rally. Protest rallies and marches also took place at Koil, Bijbehara and some other places in south Kashmir where the security forces did not intervene. Protesters marched with the body of a youth working as an ATM guard in Srinagar. The guard had died under mysterious circumstances, but the autopsy report stated that he was shot with a pellet gun from point blank range. Authorities decided to impose curfew and restrictions under section 144 CrPc (Criminal Procedure Code) in south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, Anantnag and parts of Srinagar city. Fifty-two people -- 50 civilians and two policemen -- were killed in the present unrest in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul commander, Burhan Wani in a gunfight on July 8. Jammu: Night traffic resumed on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway after remaining closed due to protests in Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. Randeep Kumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ramban told reporters that the traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was restored and vehicular traffic was moving smoothly. For the last 28 days, authorities allowed traffic on the strategic highway only during the night. The highway remains shut during the day as protesters at various places in south Kashmir either physically block the road or resort to heavy stone pelting on passing traffic. Amarnath Yatra pilgrims also use the highway to reach the cave shrine in Kashmir. Since the Valley has been reeling under officially imposed curfew and the protest shutdown called by the separatists since July 9, various retail outlets are already running thin with supplies as the highway is the only route for various essentials to reach Kashmir. All-female team fighting flood in neighbourhood An all-female disaster management group in Dodharachandani village, of Kanchanpur, is doing a laudable job raising awareness in the area about water-induced disasters, issuing flood alerts in the neighbourhood and showing up at disaster-hit areas with emergency supplies. Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devedra Fadnavis on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the Mahad tragedy, where at least 44 people in two buses were swept away after a British-era bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa Highway. Meanwhile, the death toll into the Mahad tragedy today rose to four after a woman's body was recovered near Harihareshwar in Raigad. The order was passed a day after the Opposition parties called for thorough probe into the tragic incident. Raising the issue in the State Assembly, former CM Prithviraj Chavan yesterday said a judicial probe should be conducted and action taken against those guilty of allowing the old bridge to remain open for traffic. The life of the bridge, built by the British, had ended after completion of 100 years. Despite this, an officer certified in May that the bridge was good for traffic. A case against 302 IPC should be filed against that officer, former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said. A case of IPC 302 should also be filed against PWD minister Chandrakant Patil, he said. How could a wrong audit of the bridge be conducted, the NCP leader asked. Why were warnings of the weather bureau ignored ? The state government is responsible for this tragedy, he said. Minister for Public Works Eknath Shinde told reporters that a structural audit of all bridges in Maharashtra been ordered after todays tragedy. Two state transport buses with 44 people have gone missing after the vehicles were swept away in the swollen Savitri river in Konkan region (Raigad) as an old bridge collapsed at Mahad late last night bringing traffic on the stretch to a halt. Watch the Mahad tragedy video here. Gurdaspur: Controversial Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh was on Thursday booked for allegedly sexually harassing five women personnel of the force, police said. Police teams have been dispatched to various places to nab Singh, who is on the run, they said. Earlier, the sexual harassment committee of Punjab Police had summoned him to respond to the allegations levelled against him by five policewomen, police said. Singh, a Superintendent of Police rank officer, has been asked to appear tomorrow before Inspector General Gurpreet Deo, who heads the committee, police said. He was summoned after the alleged victims, who deposed before the committee last month and submitted a signed statement listing their allegations, stood by their complaint, police said. The policewomen posted at Gurdaspur police headquarters had accused Singh of harassing them, a charge rejected by him. Police said a written copy of the statement of the alleged victims was given to the SP, asking him to respond to it. Singh was mired in a controversy over the terrorist attack at Pathankot air base. He and two others were claimed to have been abducted by the Pakistani terrorists, who used their mobile phones to contact their families and handlers in that country. They had also snatched the vehicle Singh was travelling in. Jaipur: He may come from a remote Rajasthan village but he's bright enough to detect a major technical loophole in Facebook security. He became aware of the glitch after he noticed that he was unable to logout from his Facebook account even after exiting the page. He was using his new android phone in 2014 when he noticed the problem. He decided to collect all documentary evidences and also made a video of the problem and then sent them to the Facebook's security center. After sometime Facebook contacted him and acknowledged the glitch. It also took the corrective measures to rectify the problem. And in recognition of his contribution to Facebook's security, the social media site awarded him with Rs 1 lakh. Krishna Kumar Sehaag, who hails from Molasar village in Rajasthan, was awarded with $1500, about Rs 1 lakh. Kudos to Krishna Kumar! Hyderabad: Two more persons were arrested by Telangana CID in connection with the leak of EAMCET-II question paper, taking the number of those held in the case to eight. "Two brokers, Gudipalli Chandra Shekhar Reddy of Medak district in Telangana and Shaik Shakeera, native of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh were arrested by the CID today," an official release said. "Chandra Sekhar Reddy secured four students and Shaik Shakeera secured two students. On the night of July 7, all the six aspirants were taken to Kolkata by air by Chandra Sekhar Reddy and three other brokers," it said. In Kolkata, the students were made to practise two leaked TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) entrance examination question papers at a hotel room. Later, they all were returned to Hyderabad on the night of July 8 by air, the release by CID said. Reddy collected signed blank cheques and copies of SSC and Inter Certificates of the six aspirants and gave them to a broker who conducted the practice camp in a hotel room at Kolkata, it said. "Efforts are going on to apprehend the other brokers and the accused in the question paper leak case," the CID said. On July 25, the CID had registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices and Unfair means) Act, 1997, after it found in its preliminary inquiry that there was prima facie a case for registering an FIR. Investigation also revealed that those appearing for EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) examination in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were taken to camps set up in at least five cities about two to three days prior to the exam and given practice with the leaked copies of two question papers consisting of 320 questions with correct answers, the CID had said. At a review meeting held here on Tuesday, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was informed by CID officials that Delhi turned out to be the centre for leak and there were 34 brokers, who conspired to sell the paper and as many as 200 parents were in touch with the brokers to buy the question papers. The Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET-II) was conducted on July 9 and the results were declared on July 14. The examination was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad. According to reports, some candidates who got a rank in thousands in Andhra Pradesh EAMCET had got a rank below 500 in Telangana EAMCET-II. In the wake of question paper leakage, the Telangana government on Tuesday announced the cancellation of EAMCET-II examination and the retest will be held on September 11. Bulandshahr: A case has been registered against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activists for holding a march and burning an effigy of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to protest the Bulandshahr gang-rape case, police said on Thursday. The AAP`s Ghaziabad unit on Wednesday held the protest march and also submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate, saying that the Bulandshahr gang-rape case is a "blot" on the state government. The UP government had proved incompetent to protect the women, it said. The AAP workers also burnt Akhilesh Yadav`s effigy to protest what they called the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state. "The AAP activists have been booked under Section 147 and 353 of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant legal provisions," Kavi Nagar police station Inspector Ashok Sishodia said. The women`s wing of the Congress also submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters took out a candle march in the Maliwara market on Wednesday evening and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Bulandshahr case. Allahabad: City Mayor Abilasha Gupta lodged a police complaint on Thursday regarding a "threat" she had received on social media platform Facebook wherein a person had claimed that he would "kill" her as well as her husband Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, a former Uttar Pradesh minister. "I have met the Senior Superintendent of Police of Allahabad and submitted a written complaint, along with a screenshot of the Facebook post wherein one person had said that he would kill both me as well as my husband," Gupta told reporters. "I have no idea who this person is and what could be the provocation behind posting such a comment online," she said. Police sources said that the matter was being investigated and it was being verified whether the profile belonged to a "real person". Nandi had survived a bomb attack outside his house in 2010, though a journalist was killed in the explosion. His wife won the Mayoral election in 2012 as an Independent candidate supported by BSP, which had decided not to field any nominee in the local body polls. However, the couple soon fell out with the party which expelled them in March, 2014. Nandi, thereafter, joined the Congress and contested as the party's candidate from Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency, but finished fourth. Dakar: A group that monitors extremists' online activity says al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has said it killed a Malian officer outside his Timbuktu home. SITE Intelligence Group says the jihadists said yesterday on their Twitter account the officer killed July 31 had a relationship with French and Mauritanian intelligence and was behind the deaths of two fighters in Timbuktu. It threatened similar "traitors." SITE Intelligence Group also said extremist group Ansar Dine released a video of five Malian soldiers taken prisoner after a July 19 attack on military barracks in Nampala that killed 17 others. The group's foundation posted the video on its Telegram channel. The Macina Liberation Front, which has ties to Ansar Dine, claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities arrested one its leaders for the attack last week. Johannesburg: South Africa's local elections delivered a sharp setback to the African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday, as partial results showed falling support for the party that ended apartheid. With about 80 percent of the vote counted, the ANC was ahead nationwide but it recorded its worst electoral performance since white-minority rule fell 22 years ago. The main Opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was on course to hold Cape Town and was just ahead in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The capital Pretoria and the economic hub Johannesburg were a close fight between the DA and the ANC. The results, which were expected to be concluded on Friday, open up a new era of local coalition politics in South Africa. The ANC has won more than 60 percent of the vote at every election since the country's first multi-racial vote in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president. Today evening it was on 54 percent -- down from 62 percent in the last municipal elections in 2011. The DA was on 27 percent with the radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on seven percent, according to official results. "The ANC is really losing ground, but it can join other political parties to form coalitions," Shadrack Gutto, director the Centre for African Renaissance Studies at the University of South Africa, told AFP. "The politics of the country are changing at the local level and that will escalate come the general election in 2019." Yesterday's vote was also a judgement on President Jacob Zuma, who has been plagued by a series of scandals since taking office in 2009. An unemployment rate of 27 percent and GDP growth at zero percent this year have also eaten into his popularity. "We have grown incredibly in several places, I'm quite happy," Mmusi Maimane, the DA's first black leader, told reporters. He ruled out any local coalition deals with ANC, saying: "We can't campaign for change, and then team up with them." Millions of voters had queued outside polling stations after an occasionally bitter campaign marked by disputes over alleged racial slurs. A final Ipsos survey had placed the ANC and DA neck and neck in key cities after some undecided voters drifted back to the ruling party. "Democracy is maturing so you will find... A dilution where you might not have very strong support for one party," ANC treasurer Zweli Mkhize said as results were still being announced. Vienna: Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern has called on the European Union to end membership talks with Turkey in the wake of a massive government crackdown following a failed coup. Turkey's longstanding, and recently revived, bid to join the EU has already been hit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's suggestion that he may reintroduce the death penalty in the wake of the attempted putsch on July 15 -- a move which would instantly disqualify it from joining the bloc. "We have to face reality: the membership negotiations are currently no more than fiction," Kern told Austrian media yesterday. "We know that Turkey's democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession." Kern told public broadcaster ORF that he wants to initiate a debate at a European Council summit on September 16. The chancellor said Turkey's economy also remained far below the EU average and well short of membership requirements. Making Ankara a part of the EU's single market would spark "massive economic upheaval" in a bloc already struggling to cope with its enlargement toward eastern and central Europe, he warned. Instead, the EU should seek "new alternatives" to help bring Turkey's economy closer to European standards. "(The country) remains an important partner in security and integration matters," Kern said, highlighting Turkey's key role in the ongoing migrant crisis. In March, Turkey and the EU signed a controversial deal in which Ankara agreed to take back Syrian migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for political and financial incentives. In addition to visa-free travel, the pact includes billions of euros in aid and accelerated EU membership talks. Kern said he did not believe that a halt to accession talks would torpedo the refugee pact. "Economically, we have the upper hand. Turkey depends on us," he added. Earlier this week, Kern said he would not bow to "intimidation" from Turkey after receiving online death threats from "radical" elements of Austria's sizeable Turkish community. Dhaka: A British national and a student at a Canadian university who were dining at a Bangladeshi cafe when it was besieged by jihadists last month have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack. Police said Hasnat Karim, a British citizen of Bangladesh origin, and Tahmid Khan, a University of Toronto student, were arrested late Wednesday in connection with last month`s siege in Dhaka when 20 hostages were murdered. "We can confirm they were arrested under Section 54 of CrPC (criminal procedure)," police spokesman A.K.M Shahidur Rahman told AFP on Thursday, referring to a law under which police can detain someone on suspicion of any crime. A court later remanded both men in custody for eight days, deputy commissioner of Dhaka police Aminur Rahman told AFP. Karim and Khan were both inside the Holey Artisan Bakery when gunmen raided the cafe on the night of July 1, taking a group of mainly Western diners hostage and then killing 20 of them, along with two policemen. But neither have been seen in public since the end of the siege when commandos stormed the cafe in the capital`s upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood on the morning of July 2. The men`s families have said they were being held by security forces even though there was no evidence to link them to the attackers. Police had denied the men were in their custody before announcing the arrest on Thursday. Speaking to AFP after news of the arrest, Karim`s father said his son had been used as a human shield during the siege and that he had helped save lives during the siege. "I have full confidence in the police investigation," said Rezaul Karim. "My son was a hero. He saved the life of at least eight people during the siege. I know him. He is innocent." Karim`s London-based lawyer, Rodney Dixon, said his client had "no links to any terrorist group" and demanded his immediate release. "The authorities have finally admitted that Mr. Karim is in their custody. They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries," Dixon said in a statement. "There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be let go without any further delay." Relatives say Karim, his wife and two children were at the cafe to celebrate the 13th birthday of their daughter. Reports in local media said both men were being investigated for suspicious activity during the siege. They said Khan was seen holding a firearm and Hasnat Karim strolling with the attackers on the roof. On Tuesday, national police chief. A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque, told reporters that the two had fallen under suspicion as a result of their "behaviour and actions" during the siege. Karim, 47, was a lecturer at Bangladesh`s private North-South University in Dhaka, where two of the five attackers who were gunned down at the end of the siege had studied. More recently, he had been working as a director at his father`s engineering company. The 22-year-old Khan, who is a Bangladeshi citizen, was back in his homeland while on leave from university. Police earlier this week named a Canadian citizen, Tamim Chowdhury, as the attack`s mastermind, offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his arrest. The siege was by far the deadliest in a string of attacks claimed by Islamist groups which have blighted Bangladesh over the last three years. The Islamic State organisation claimed responsibility and the gunmen were pictured posing with IS flags in images posted on a website affiliated to the group. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s government has said however that the attack was the work of a homegrown Islamist group, insisting international jihadist networks have not got a foothold in Bangladesh. Dozens of foreigners, activists and members of minority religious groups have been killed by Islamists in Bangladesh over the last three years. Many of them, including victims of the cafe attack, have been hacked to death with makeshift machetes. Chinese law firm founder jailed for subversion The founder of a Chinese law firm known for representing cases against the government has been sentenced to seven years in prison for subversion. N`Djamena: Chad has banned opposition rallies planned for this weekend, ahead of Monday`s swearing-in ceremony for President Idriss Deby`s fifth term, the interior ministry announced in a decree. "The meeting and march planned for August 6 and 7 are banned throughout national territory," the decree issued Thursday said. The opposition has called for Deby`s re-election in April to be annulled, citing voting irregularities. The planned weekend protests were to denounce a "political hold-up". Various opposition groupings met last week under an umbrella front and had also planned a day of national "mourning" on Monday, the day of Deby`s formal inauguration. Numerous overseas dignitaries will attend the ceremony. Public Security Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir said the new opposition front could "upset public order, the peace of the population and poison national and international opinion," according to the TchadInfo website. 64-year-old Deby came to power in 1990 and was re-elected in a first round vote in April with 61.5 percent of ballots cast against 12.8 percent for his nearest rival Saleh Kebzabo, according to official results. Kebzabo could not be reached for comment following the decision to ban opposition rallies. Damascus: At least seven people were killed and 20 others suffered suffocation and breathing difficulties from chemical gas attack in Aleppo, state news agency SANA said on Wednesday, citing a Russian observation centre. The Nour Addien al-Zinki rebel group on Monday fired rockets filled with poisonous gas on the government-controlled Salahuddien district in Aleppo, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying. Russia had informed the US about the rebel use of poisonous materials in Aleppo, reported SANA. Meanwhile, the rebels also accused the government on Tuesday of dropping barrel bombs stuffed with chlorine gas on the rebel-held town of Saraqeb. Both sides have repeatedly traded accusations about the use of chemical materials in the battles. SANA said seven people were killed and 41 others were wounded on Wednesday by fresh rebel shelling on the government-controlled parts of Aleppo. Aleppo has seen intensified battles and violence recently with the government troops tightening the noose on the rebel-held areas in the eastern part, while the rebels unleashed several offensives to break government siege on rebel-held areas, Xinhua news agency reported. SANA said the air force carried out 100 air strikes on rebel positions in the countryside of Aleppo on Wednesday, managing to foil a wide-scale offensive of the rebels, the third to hit within a couple of weeks. Beijing: A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer was convicted of subversion and sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday, state media reported -- the third such trial this week as authorities crack down on dissent. Lawyer Zhou Shifeng was director of the Beijing Fengrui law firm, which has defended victims of sexual abuse, members of banned religious groups and dissident scholars, among others. It was at the centre of the "709 crackdown" -- named for the July 2015 date on which it began -- which saw more than 200 activists and lawyers detained for involvement in cases considered sensitive by China`s ruling Communist party. Zhou was convicted of "subverting state power" and jailed for seven years, the official Xinhua news agency cited the Second Intermediate People`s Court in the northern city of Tianjin as saying. He pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal, Xinhua added. The proceedings were held under air-tight security, with scores of police and plainclothes personnel -- identifiable by small gold star pins --stationed for blocks around the court, clustered every few yards and filming those present on camcorders and phones. Traffic on the court side of the street was entirely cut off about 300 metres on either side of the entrance, with journalists diverted from the site and then closely trailed. Zhou is the third 709 detainee to go on trial in Tianjin this week. Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court saying that more than 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and "civilian representatives from all walks of life", as well as mainland and overseas media outlets, were present at Zhou`s proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly surveilled and forcibly being kept away from the court or seeking further information. The court said in a social media post that Zhou had twice stated in writing that he did not want his relatives to attend his trial. It included a photo of what it said was a handwritten letter signed and fingerprinted by Zhou, reading: "Given that my family members are all farmers who are not very well-educated, having them come to the court to attend my hearing would be of no benefit to either me or them." AFP was not given access to the court Thursday, and in previous cases only court-appointed defence lawyers have been present. Zhou`s trial followed those of activists Zhai Yanmin and Hu Shigen, who were both found guilty of subverting state power by the same court. Zhai was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence - considered relatively lenient by the standards of Chinese dissident prosecutions - for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans. Hu, a prominent dissident and writer who previously spent 16 years in prison for trying to organise memorials for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings, was on Wednesday given seven and a half years, with the court stating he had sought to foment "colour revolution". Washington: Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger said on Wednesday that he doesn`t see how he can endorse his party`s nominee for the White House, Donald Trump, in the wake of the week`s events. "I`m an American before I`m a Republican," he told CNN`s Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room". "I`m saying for me personally, how can I support that? Because he`s crossed so many red lines that a commander in chief or a candidate for commander in chief should never cross." Kinzinger, who has openly hesitated to embrace Trump as his party`s standard-bearer, said he went to Cleveland hoping to "at least mildly endorse the Republican front-runner." But in the aftermath of Trump`s comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the parents of fallen Muslim American soldier Capt. Humayun Khan, the third-term Illinois congressman said that he doesn`t "see how I get there anymore". "I`m a Republican because I believe that Republicanism is the best way to defend the United States of America," Kinzinger said, adding that Trump "throws all of these Republican principles on their head." But Kinzinger said he would not support Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and was contemplating writing in a candidate on his ballot come November 8, CNN reported. The second high-profile stand against Trump comes a day after Richard Hanna, a Republican congressman from New York who is retiring after this term, announced on Tuesday he would vote for Clinton in November. Cairo: An Egyptian air strike killed the head of the Islamic State group in the Sinai Peninsula along with top aides and dozens of other jihadists, the Army said on Thursday. Abu Doaa al-Ansari was among more than 45 jihadists killed in the operation carried out by the air force and the anti-terrorism squad, said a statement posted on the Army spokesman`s Facebook page. Ankara: The body of a gay Syrian refugee was found mutilated and beheaded two days after he disappeared in central Istanbul, a local rights group has said. Muhammed Wisam Sankari went missing on July 23 after leaving his home in the conservative Fatih district, Turkish gay rights group Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL) reported on Wednesday. His killing has not been widely reported in Turkish media, other than in a handful of leftist publications citing Kaos GL. There has so far been no official confirmation he was killed for being gay. On July 25 his body was found mutilated and decapitated, the association said. He arrived in Istanbul a year ago after fleeing Syria`s civil war but wanted to leave Turkey because he feared for his life. He was threatened by male gangs carrying knives who said they wanted to rape him, friends told Kaos GL. His body was so mutilated, he was only recognisable from his clothes, one of his friends who went to identify the body, told the rights organisation. "They cut Wisam violently. It was so violent, two knives had broken inside of him. They beheaded him. His upper body was beyond recognition, his internal organs were out. We recognised our friend from his trousers." The Syrian had also been kidnapped and raped five months before his death, one of his housemates told the rights organisation. "They took him by car to a forest where they beat and raped him," the refugee`s housemate, Rayan, said. He added that they previously had to leave a house because they were gay, Kaos GL said. There have been no arrests, the group reported. Homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since 1923 and was also legalised in the Ottoman Empire from the mid-nineteenth century. But gays in Turkey regularly complain of harassment and abuse in a largely conservative Muslim society where open displays of same-sex love are strongly frowned upon. The authorities in Istanbul in June banned the annual gay pride march for the second year in a row, citing security and public order fears. Atalanta: A Georgia Republican has resigned from his role as an elector, hours after saying he can't vote for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and may not support him as a member of the electoral college. Baoky Vu said in a joint statement yesterday with the Georgia Republican Party that his comments on Trump would be "detrimental" to the party. "I have not lost faith in who we stand for as a party and will continue to fight for those who uphold our Constitution and our shared values," the statement said. "It is the least that I can do as a grateful citizen of this great nation." Vu was chosen by Georgia Republicans as an elector, constitutionally required stand-ins for presidential candidates in the electoral college system. Vu put out a statement saying he wouldn't vote for Trump in November and then told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that if Trump wins Georgia's popular vote he may not support the GOP nominee as a representative in the electoral college. Georgia is one of 21 states that don't require electors chosen by political parties to back their party's candidate. "As a 2016 presidential elector, I am forever grateful to our state party and our chairman for bestowing this once-in-a-lifetime honor on me," Vu said in his initial statement. "I take my role seriously and in the face of the difficult choice before us, I will always put America first over party and labels. Thus, I will not be voting for Donald Trump in the general election." Vu, a naturalized citizen, told the newspaper that his family's experience fleeing communist rule in Vietnam makes him cherish the right to vote. Vu also said Trump's recent criticism of an American Muslim family whose son was killed in Iraq while serving in the US Army finalized his decision not to vote for the nominee. Trump supporters in Georgia immediately began calling for action from the state party after Vu's comments. State GOP Chairman John Padgett said in the party's statement that he accepted Vu's resignation and is confident Georgia Republicans will unite behind Trump. Padgett said party attorneys are considering how to replace Vu. London: The head of a major public inquiry into decades of child sex abuse in Britain resigned on Thursday without giving a reason, the investigation`s third leader to quit in the last two years. The inquiry, which will last at least five years and cost about 18 million pounds ($27 million), was set up in July 2014 after a series of child sex abuse scandals dating back to the 1970s, some involving celebrities and politicians. On Thursday, its chairwoman, New Zealand High Court Judge Lowell Goddard, quit without publicly explaining her decision. "Dame Lowell Goddard wrote to me today to offer her resignation as Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and I have accepted," interior minister Amber Rudd said in a statement. Goddard`s appointment was seen as an attempt to give the inquiry a credible head without links to the British political establishment after her two predecessors resigned amid criticism over conflicts of interest. Victims have accused politicians as well as the Catholic and Anglican Churches, councils and schools of failing to deal with abuse allegations. In a number of cases, they said institutions had actively covered up cases at the behest of powerful establishment figures including senior lawmakers, spies and police officers. "I want to assure everyone with an interest in the inquiry, particularly victims and survivors, that the work of the inquiry will continue without delay and a new chair will be appointed," Rudd said in her statement. Washington: US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has gained a 10-point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump, who has attracted outrage over his comments about a Muslim Gold Star family, according to a new national poll. Clinton leads Trump 49 per cent to 39 per cent in a head-to-head Fox News survey released on Wednesday. In a three-way race including Libertarian Gary Johnson, Clinton leads 44 per cent to 35 per cent, with Johnson claiming 12 per cent, CNN reported. A CNN/ORC poll this week showed Clinton with a 9-point edge in a head-to-head matchup with Trump. When Fox polled voters in late June -- before both conventions -- Clinton was up only six points, 44 per cent to 38 per cent. Voters also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Trump after his comments on the Muslim family of a fallen US soldier. Sixty-nine per cent of respondents familiar with the comments declared Trump`s criticism in response to the family`s speech against Trump at the Democratic convention "out of bounds", compared to 19 per cent who said it was "in bounds". Republicans are about evenly split on the back-and-forth, with 41 per cent saying similarly while 40 per cent of Republicans saying Trump`s response is "in bounds". Fox surveyed 1,022 registered voters from Sunday to Tuesday, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. Manila: Men shot and left to bleed out on busy streets, mutilated corpses dumped in vacant lots. The bodies are piling up as President Rodrigo Duterte`s drug war brings terror to Filipino slums. Hundreds of people have died since Duterte won a landslide election in May, promising to rid society of drugs and crime in six months by killing tens of thousands of criminals. In one viral image summing up the human cost, a young woman howls in pain as she cradles her partner`s blood-soaked body under the glare of television lights as horrified bystanders look on from behind yellow police crime tape. "My husband was innocent. He never hurt anyone," Jennilyn Olayres said of her partner Michael Siaron, 30, a tricycle driver -- refuting the crude cardboard poster left behind by the motorcycle-riding gunmen killers saying "drug pusher". Police figures showed this week that 402 drug suspects had been killed since Duterte was sworn in at the end of June. That figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country`s top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte`s May election, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. Police raids of suspected drug dealers` hideouts have led to near-nightly deaths. Most of the dead suspects -- often found face-down in pools of blood -- had pistols lying next to them in the act of resisting arrest, according to authorities. Suspected sympathy killings by anti-drug vigilantes have also left a trail of death. One man was attacked as he drove his tricycle, his body left hanging from the humble vehicle as blood dripped onto the street. Other people have simply turned up dead in deserted streets and vacant lots at night, their faces cocooned in packaging tape and with cardboard signs accusing them of being drug dealers hanging on their chests.At his first "State of the Nation" address to Congress, Duterte defended his anti-crime campaign and described the scene at Siaron`s shooting as a parody of Michelangelo`s 15th century Pieta marble sculpture. "And there you are, dead and portrayed in a broadsheet like Mother Mary cradling the dead cadaver of Jesus Christ," the president said, describing the tableau as "drama". For an alleged drug dealer, Siaron did not have a lifestyle like Mexican or Colombian cartel kingpins. The rented hovel that was home to him and his girlfriend, made of scraps of plywood and iron sheeting, was not much bigger than a pig pen. It stood precariously on stilts atop a smelly, garbage-choked open sewer. "At times we slept until late on purpose so we only had to worry about lunch and dinner," Olayres, a street vendor, told AFP at her partner`s wake. Held in a hall at a local government office, two more of the dead were being mourned at the same time. Olayres said Siaron was among the more than 16 million Filipino voters who had catapulted Duterte to office. The attacks have left wives and relatives crying and fainting at the carnage, but also driven drug users and small-time dealers into frantic mass surrenders to district officials. Police say a staggering 565,806 have turned themselves in. Many of those who presented themselves with pledges to straighten out their lives wore rubber wristbands bearing Duterte`s name -- materials used during his election campaign. Before the bodies started piling up, Manila police also launched a campaign, codenamed Oplan Rody -- the incoming president`s nickname -- to rid the streets of drunks and shirtless men, who were made to do 40 pushups to avoid jail time. A children`s night curfew was also imposed in some districts, with violators and their parents made to undergo counselling. Dahal returns to power Eight years after he was forced to unceremoniously resign as he attempted to remove then Nepal Army chief Rookmangud Katawal for insubordination on May 4, 2009, former commander of the Maoists rebels and current CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was on Wednesday elected to countrys top job for the second time. Belize City: Hurricane Earl thundered towards the shores of Belize on Wednesday, dumping heavy rain on Honduras and prompting people to take cover on the Caribbean coastline as the large storm closed in. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday night that within hours Earl would hit Belize and that on Thursday it would travel over Mexico`s southern Yucatan peninsula or the north of Guatemala. Earl was blowing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (121 km per hour), as it churned about 40 miles east of Belize City (64 km), the NHC said. There were over 1,000 people in shelters in Belize City, Philip Willoughby, a city official in charge of emergency management, said by telephone on Wednesday evening. In Honduras, the government said close to 150 people were evacuated. In the eastern part of the country, 88 shipwrecked fishermen were rescued in La Mosquitia, while two are still missing, Luis Florentino, deputy chief of emergency agency COPECO, said by telephone. In its last update on Wednesday, however, the NHC said the Honduran government had eliminated warnings for the coast and the Bay Islands. In Mexico, national oil company Pemex tweeted that it was monitoring the hurricane but it had not evacuated oil platforms. Quintana Roo`s tourism minister Raul Andrade Angulo said that the 410,000 travelers currently visiting the state would be safe because the region has 788 hurricane shelters for more than 280,000 people, including 55 shelters for tourists. Red flags were put up on beaches in Cancun to keep tourists away from the sea. Earl, the fifth named storm of the 2016 season, is expected to bring 8 to 12 inches of rain in parts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico`s Yucatan peninsula through Thursday night, the Miami-based NHC said in a statement. "Isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches are possible in Mexico and Belize," the NHC added. Tehran: Iran said on Thursday it had hanged 20 "terrorist" Sunni prisoners, in one of the Islamic republic`s biggest mass executions in recent years. The men, who were hanged on Tuesday, were accused of carrying out a string of attacks against civilians and religious leaders in Iran`s western Kurdish region, state media reported. Iran`s Intelligence Ministry earlier issued a statement detailing 24 armed attacks between 2009 and 2011, including bombings and robberies, allegedly committed by the group. It said the extremists were responsible for the deaths of 21 people in three western provinces during that time. "102 members and followers of the... terrorist group were identified... some of whom were killed in armed clashes with police forces and some were arrested. Some of those arrested were sentenced to death while some received prison terms," it added. One of the first plots linked to the group involved giving chocolates laced with poison to police officers and judiciary personnel, although no one was killed. Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri said the convicts, some of whom had come from abroad, followed "takfiri" ideologies, a term Shiite-majority Iran uses to describe Sunni jihadists. In 2009, the group allegedly assassinated two Sunni religious leaders, Mamusta Borhan Aali and Mamusta Mohammad Sheikh al-Islam -- a provincial representative of Iran`s powerful Assembly of Experts. Those hanged on Tuesday did not deserve mercy, IRIB state television quoted Montazeri as saying. "These people had committed murder... killed women and children, caused destruction and acted against security, and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions," Montazeri said.Iran regularly hangs large-scale drug traffickers. Murder, rape, armed robbery and adultery are also capital offences in Iran. In addition, those charged with "spreading corruption on Earth" and "waging war against God" can be put to death under the Islamic Sharia, in force in Iran since the 1979 revolution. According to human rights group Amnesty International, Iran was one of the world`s top executioners in 2015 when it put 977 people to death, mostly on drug trafficking charges. Amnesty does not include secretive China in its figures, but the number of executions in Iran exceeded both neighbouring Pakistan and regional rival Saudi Arabia. Over two days in 2009, Iran hanged 44 convicted drug traffickers in one of the country`s biggest mass executions. In 2013, the Islamic republic hanged 16 Sunnis in the eastern province of Zahedan, eight of whom were members of a Sunni militant group named Jundallah, which waged a deadly insurgency on civilians and officials in southeastern Iran for almost a decade. The group`s leader Abdulmalek Rigi was hanged in June 2010.France criticised this week`s executions, echoing statements from rights groups based in the country. "The execution of 20 people in Iran is condemned by France, which opposes the death penalty in all places and all circumstances," the French foreign ministry said in a statement. The incident comes as the European Union has reportedly proposed talks with Iran on human rights. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the EU`s top diplomat Federica Mogherini have already held preliminary discussions on the issue, said Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of Iran`s High Council for Human Rights, on Wednesday. "We are ready to talk... but the Westerners should not put themselves forward as role models," Larijani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. "We are not happy to be executing many people, but we have a relentless war against narcotics. Poppy cultivation has increased by 40 times thanks to NATO generals in Afghanistan," he added. Iran says claims by Western countries that they are supporting human rights -- for instance by opposing the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad -- have spawned greater insecurity in the region. "Westerners defend the kind of human rights that give birth to al Qaeda, Daesh and terrorists," said Larijani, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group. Jerusalem: An Israeli court on Thursday charged the Gaza director of the World Vision non-governmental organisation with passing millions of dollars to the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas and its armed wing. Mohammed al-Halabi was alleged to have diverted $7.2 million (6.5 million euros) each year since 2010, with some of it funding the Gaza Strip rulers` military campaign against Israel, said the Shin Bet internal security agency. Halabi, who was born in 1978, was arrested in June and indicted Thursday on a number of charges, including funding "terror". The charge sheet said Hamas recruited him to infiltrate World Vision more than a decade ago, and that he rose to become the head of the US-based Christian aid organisation`s Gaza operation. Shin Bet said there was no evidence World Vision`s main office was aware of Halabi`s actions. World Vision said it had "no reason to believe" the allegations against Halabi, while Hamas said it had no relationship with him. Since Halabi took over operations in 2010, roughly 60 percent of World Vision`s annual budget in Gaza was diverted to Hamas, including its military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said Shin Bet. This equated to $7.2 million per year, including about $1.5 million given in cash to Hamas combat units. World Vision, which employs tens of thousands of people globally, said its programmes were subject to "regular internal and independent audits, independent evaluations" to avoid aid misuse. "Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true," it said in a statement. Major General Yoav Mordechai, head of the military body that coordinates Israeli activities in the West Bank and Gaza, met Thursday night in Tel Aviv with what his office called "senior World Vision officials from America," without identifying them. "This is a grave incident," an English-language statement from Mordechai`s office quoted him as telling the visitors. "Assume responsibility and set your house in order." It said he gave the World Vision executives Israel`s findings on the case and a copy of Halabi`s confession and that they renounced "any support, direct or indirect for Hamas."World Vision works in conjunction with the United Nations, often implementing its projects. It has worked in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since 1975. The UN said it was "aware of the very serious allegations" and would be following the case. A 2015 statement on World Vision`s website said it provided support to roughly 90,000 people in Gaza. Since 2008, Israel has fought three wars in Gaza with Hamas, which is branded a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Israel said the charges were proof Hamas did not respect the neutrality of aid agencies. "This money was intended for construction projects, financial aid and even food donations for Gazans in need," said Mordechai in an Arabic-language video message to the people of Gaza. "Hamas stole this money and passed it to its military wing to build bases, provide salary bonuses and dig tunnels." Khalil al-Halabi, Mohammed`s father, told AFP his son had "no relationship with Hamas or any Palestinian organisation." Over two-thirds of Gaza`s 1.9 million people are dependent on some form of aid, according to the United Nations. The revelations could put increased pressure on foreign aid organisations working in Gaza, which already feel squeezed between Israel and Hamas. "We are investigating other international organisations but hope not to come across a case of this magnitude," an Israeli security official said. Late Thursday night Australia`s ambassador to Tel Aviv said that the Israeli allegations were "deeply troubling" and his government was taking immediate action. "Australia suspending funding to World Vision operations in Palestinian Territories until investigation is complete," ambassador Dave Sharma posted on his official twitter account.Israel maintains a blockade on Gaza and limits the entry of basic goods such as wood and cement, saying they can be put to military use by Hamas. Rights groups accuse Israel of collective punishment. In a detailed briefing on the allegations, Shin Bet said Halabi confessed to being recruited in 2004 by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. The official said he was given a "mission to infiltrate World Vision, get ahead and reach a position of influence". A year later he joined the organisation, rising to be its Gaza head by 2010, Shin Bet said. He was then able to divert money and resources to Hamas. Shin Bet said Halabi confessed to having handed over various envelopes of cash, with the largest over $50,000. It said materials imported to Gaza under the guise of aid projects -- including concrete blocks, scrap metal and pipes -- were diverted to Hamas, which used them to build tunnels. A military base code-named Palestine was built with money sequestered from World Vision, while food parcels and other aid intended for the needy were delivered to Hamas, according to Shin Bet. Jerusalem: Israeli forces have razed the southern West Bank homes of two Palestinian gunmen who shot dead four Israelis at a trendy Tel Aviv nightspot in June, the army said Thursday. "Overnight in accordance with government directives security forces demolished the residences of the two terrorists who carried out the terror attack at the Sarona market on June 8, killing four civilians and wounding several more," a military spokeswoman said. "Forces demolished the residence of Mohammad Makhamra in Hirbeit Ruqa, and Khaled Makhamrah in Yatta," she said. The pair, who are cousins, were charged last month at the Tel Aviv district court for murder, conspiring to murder and attempted murder along with a third suspect from Yatta, south of Hebron, who allegedly provided them with guns. According to the Shin Bet domestic security agency, the assault was planned after a July 2015 arson attack by Jewish extremists in the West Bank that killed three members of a Palestinian family, including an 18-month-old baby. Khaled Makhamrah had wanted to carry out "a revenge attack against Israel in the name of the Islamic State" group during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Shin Bet said last month. Israel routinely demolishes homes of Palestinian assailants in what it says is a means to deter further attacks. Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 219 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces. jjm/pg Bamako: The Malian defence ministry on Thursday admitted six soldiers have been missing since a deadly jihadist attack in July on a military base in the heart of the country. In a raid on a military base in Nampala in central Mali on July 19, 17 Malian soldiers were killed and 35 injured. The attack was claimed both by the Islamist Ansar Dine and a newly formed group. Ansar Dine is a mainly Tuareg group that controlled areas of Mali`s northern desert together with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a third local group in early 2012. Although the Islamists were largely ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, sporadic assaults from desert hideouts are common. "Following the tragic events in Nampala, a team of investigators was dispatched to the area. The mission concluded that 17 Malian soldiers were killed and 37 injured, and that six others are missing," defence ministry spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Sidibe told reporters. An Ansar Dine video had been posted online hours earlier, showing five men in army fatigues, and identified as soldiers taken hostage on July 19 during the Nampala raid. Distributed by private Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar, the video shows the five men seated in front of a black jihadist flag held up by two masked men. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a defence ministry source confirmed the men seen in the video were indeed five of the missing Malian soldiers. The fate of the sixth missing soldier remains unknown. Sidibe said some 500 additional troops and 100 military vehicles have been dispatched to the camp since the attack, which has been assaulted several times since 2015. Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Thursday chaired a meeting of the country`s defence committee. After the gathering, Defence Mnister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly confirmed six troops were missing, and said he had seen the footage distributed online. He did not comment on the video, however. New York: Melania Trump, the ex-model and third wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, denied reports Thursday that questioned whether she had worked illegally as an immigrant. It is the third controversy about her in less than three weeks that the potential first lady or the Trump campaign has been forced to address as her husband inflames the political establishment with his divisive campaign for the White House. "There has been a lot of inaccurate reporting and misinformation concerning my immigration status back in 1996," Melania Trump said in a statement Thursday. "Let me set the record straight: I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period," she said. "Any allegation to the contrary is simply untrue," said Melania Trump, who became a US citizen in 2006 -- a year after she married the New York billionaire. Politico on Thursday raised questions about Melania Trump`s immigration status when she first came to the United States to work as a model in the mid-1990s. Racy photographs of her, which were published in the New York Post tabloid this week, "inadvertently highlight inconsistencies" in the various accounts she has provided over the years, Politico said. "Immigration experts say, there`s even a slim chance that any years-old misrepresentations to immigration authorities could pose legal problems for her today," the news site reported. Trump has campaigned aggressively on a platform promising to wipe out illegal immigration to the United States. It is the third controversy to dog the mother of one in less than three weeks. On July 18 she delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention that plagiarized a speech by First Lady Michelle Obama -- a scandal initially dismissed as "absurd" by the Trump campaign, but which they later admitted. A Trump staffer subsequently apologized, saying she had inadvertently included phrases from Obama in the speech after Melania Trump read them out as examples of the message she wanted to convey. Last week, Melania Trump also confirmed that her professional website had been deleted after US media questioned its claim that she had a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. The website had been removed "because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests," she tweeted. In recent interviews, Melania Trump herself did not claim that she had a degree, only that she had "studied" design and architecture before dropping out to pursue a modeling career in Milan and later Paris. After the New York Post published the racy pictures this week, the Trump campaign said the images were "nothing to be embarrassed about" and "a celebration of the human body as art." Washington: Republican Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence on Wednesday distanced himself from Donald Trump and expressed his "strong" support for House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is running for re-election to his Wisconsin congressional seat. The real estate magnate`s decision not to back Ryan`s candidacy, or that of Arizona Senator John McCain, another GOP heavyweight who is running for re-election, was severely criticised on Tuesday by the Republican Party. EFE news reported. On Wednesday, Pence, who is the Governor of Indiana, told Fox News that Ryan is an old friend and said that he is a "strong conservative leader", who -- if re-elected -- will do "great things". "I strongly support Paul Ryan, strongly endorse his re-election," Pence said. "He`s a long-time friend. He`s a strong conservative leader. I believe we need Paul Ryan in leadership." In an interview with The Washington Post, the controversial GOP presidential nominee had refused to endorse Ryan in the party primaries, breaking with US political tradition and highlighting the ongoing division within the party. "I like Paul. But these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I`m just not quite there. I`m not quite there yet," Trump had said. The words Trump chose in refusing to back Ryan are similar to those Ryan used to deny his support to the New York businessman in an interview the speaker gave in May, but later he ended up giving in and endorsing him. Trump even praised Paul Nehlen, Ryan`s rival in the Republican primaries, EFE news reported. Despite having finally given Trump his support, since then Ryan has frequently criticised the magnate for his statements and behaviour, the latest instance coming last week after the billionaire got into a verbal duel with the parents of a US Muslim Army captain, who was killed in Iraq in 2004, after the soldier`s father criticised Trump in a speech before the Democratic National Convention. The show of unity by Republicans at their own national convention two weeks ago in Cleveland seems to be breaking down with the continuing controversies arising from Trump`s remarks, and in recent days several key GOP figures have announced that they will be voting for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the November election. Naypyidaw: Reports have surfaced saying there is a threat by the Islamic State group to kill Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Taking into account such reports, Myanmar authorities have launched an investigation. The Myanmar Times quoted the Star, a Malaysian newspaper, as saying that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, his deputy, the country's attorney and police inspector general's, and a handful of Cabinet ministers were listed along with Suu Kyi in a two-page letter headlined "IS threat". Reports suggest that photocopied photographs of the targeted leaders were appended to the letter, which the Malaysian officials were trying to authenticate. The threatening letter was reportedly sent to a police station in Negri Sembilan, a state southeast of Kuala Lumpur. U Zaw Htay, the deputy director general of Myanmar's President's Office, yesterday said the government was taking the threat seriously and would not be dismissive of the potential for harmful intent. "We won't be careless about their threatening. But we also don't worry about the security of the state counsellor. The IS has always sent early messages in previous incidents, such as (attacks) in France and the US. Some have really played out, so we need to be alert about it," he said. He added that the government collaborates with the international policing body Interpol and fellow ASEAN countries on potential threats posed by the ISIS. (With ANI inputs) London: British detectives questioning a 19-year-old Norwegian of Somali origin over a stabbing spree in London said Thursday they had found no evidence of terror motives or radicalisation. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters the one woman killed in the attack in central London`s Russell Square late Wednesday was a US national. Police said earlier that she was thought to be in her 60s. Among the two women and three men also injured were US, British, Australian and Israeli nationals. Three of the five have been discharged from hospital and the other two are not in a life-threatening condition. The investigation "increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," Rowley said outside London`s New Scotland Yard police headquarters. "We believe this was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. "We have found no evidence of radicalisation or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism." He said their work so far does not suggest that the suspect`s Norwegian nationality and Somali ancestry "are relevant to the motivation for his actions". He said an address had been searched in north London, while another in south London will be searched. Detectives have interviewed the suspect and spoken to his family. Witnesses have also been interviewed, while a full intelligence review was carried out by the police and the security services. Rowley called it a "horrific murder and attack". Scotland Yard is in contact with the relevant embassies, he added. He said the suspect was shot with an electric shock gun and detained by armed officers within six minutes of the first call to the emergency services. Paris: Security agencies in Paris have circulated a photo of an Afghan asylum seeker on suspicion that he might be plotting an attack on the capital, a police source said on Thursday. Police did not have a name for the Afghan, the source said, and no active manhunt was underway. Metronews reported that the man had been in France for the past two months. France is reeling after two attacks last month by Islamic State loyalists, one of whom killed 84 people by driving a truck into Bastille Day revellers in Nice while two others cut the throat of an elderly priest. The country has been under emergency rule since militant gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris in November. DoI: Nawalparasi attracted highest investment pledges last fiscal year Nawalparasi had the highest amount of pledged investments, while Kathmandu topped in terms of total industries registered in the last fiscal year. Ankara: Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, accusing him of ordering the coup attempt aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. An Istanbul court issued the warrant, the first after the failed putsch for the reclusive cleric in Pennsylvania, the Anadolu news agency said. In the warrant, Gulen stands accused of "ordering the July 15 coup", Anadolu reported. Gulen strongly denies any involvement and the movement he leads insists it is a charitable network promoting tolerant Islam. Turkey previously issued an arrest warrant for Gulen in December 2014 on charges of setting up and directing an "armed terrorist organisation" as well as using intimidation to deprive a person of their freedom. Ankara has frequently called on the United States to extradite Gulen, sending two sets of documents to Washington since the coup as evidence of his involvement in the putsch attempt. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said American officials were reviewing the documents to determine whether they constituted a formal extradition request. A rogue faction within the military tried to wrest control of the country on July 15, launching attacks on parliament and the president`s palace. At least 272 people including 34 coup plotters were killed and nearly 2,200 injured after people took to the streets and squares against the putschists. Since then thousands have been purged from their roles in the judiciary, police, military and education system, accused of being members of the coup movement while more than 25,000 people have been detained. Western allies including the EU have expressed concern over the purges, fearing a witch hunt and the possibility innocent people will be caught up in the government crackdown.Turkish media including CNN-Turk broadcaster reported that Gulen`s nephew, Muhammet Sait Gulen, was also arrested on Thursday in Ankara. Gulen`s relative was detained on July 23 in Erzurum, eastern Turkey where his 75-year-old uncle is said to have developed his deep convictions, close to his birthplace of Korucuk. He had been detained in connection with the coup and over the leak of questions from 2010 civil service exams. CNN-Turk reported that he had admitted the exam leak. He also denied being a member of the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation", the name Ankara gives to the movement it claims is running a parallel state. The cleric and members of the movement deny these accusations. Meanwhile, two members of Turkey`s top constitutional court were dismissed from the profession after they were arrested over alleged involvement in the coup attempt, Anadolu reported.Earlier in the day, Erdogan said in a speech live from the presidential palace that businesses linked to Gulen would also come under scrutiny and would be cut off. "At the moment, those captured are just the tip of the iceberg, others continue working. There is no doubt a pillar of this organisation is the business world. Perhaps that is where they are the strongest. "We will cut off all their business links, all the revenues of Gulen-linked businesses," Erdogan added in a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara. Erdogan said the Gulen "virus" spread everywhere and vowed to cleanse the state from the movement. "Each school, each house, each cramming school and each company of this structure is a hotbed of terror," he said. "Those men are murderers... those men are hypocrites... those men are insidious... those men are thieves." More than 13,000 people have been remanded in custody while nearly 75,000 passports have been cancelled since the coup bid. Over 60,000 people within military, judiciary, civil service and education have been dismissed, detained or are currently under investigation for suspected links to the Gulen movement. United Nations: The United States and its allies on Wednesday pressed the UN Security Council to condemn North Korea after it test-fired a missile into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, but they encountered resistance from China. The 15-member council met behind closed doors for emergency talks called by the United States, Japan and South Korea over the ballistic missile launch, the latest provocation from Pyongyang. US Ambassador Samantha Power called for a "strong, swift response from the Security Council" after the meeting, describing the missile test as "another grave threat to international peace and security." "This missile landed incredibly close to Japan," she told reporters. The United States was expected to circulate a draft council statement condemning North Korea, but China`s ambassador Liu Jieyi urged caution. "Nothing should be done to exacerbate tension on the Korean Peninsula," Liu said. "There is a real risk. I think we need to work responsibly." The council met in emergency session after North Korea fired two intermediate-range missiles simultaneously, however one appeared to explode on takeoff. The second missile landed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), some 155 miles (250 kilometers) off Japan`s northern coast and within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The launches followed a North Korean threat of "physical action" over the planned deployment of a sophisticated US anti-missile system in South Korea, and came just weeks before the start of large-scale joint South Korea-US military exercises. Power stressed that the US agreement with South Korea to deploy the THAAD missile defense system was "purely defensive" and in response to North Korea`s drive to refine its capabilities. South Korean Ambassador Oh Joon said North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of missile launches this year, test-firing 29 missiles of a variety of ranges. Although the council has repeatedly condemned North Korea`s missile launches, a US-drafted statement circulated last month hit a wall during negotiations with China, Pyongyang`s closest ally.Britain`s Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson said the latest launch was "a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions" that prohibit North Korea from developing missile technology. The United States, Japan and 10 other countries have meantime asked the UN sanctions committee to investigate the July 18 launch of three Scud ballistic missiles and a No Dong intermediate-range missile, according to a letter obtained by AFP. The 10 Security Council members, along with Australia and South Korea, asked the committee to review details of the launch and "take appropriate action," according to the letter sent last week. The investigation could identify individuals and companies involved in North Korea`s missile program who could face targeted sanctions including a global visa ban and assets freeze. China and Russia did not back the request. Any new sanctions against North Korean individuals or companies would require the approval of all 15 council members. North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006. The Security Council in March adopted its toughest sanctions resolution to date, banning exports of coal, iron and other minerals from North Korea and imposing other restrictions, especially in the banking sector. cml/grf Columbia: The White House on Wednesday denied renewed accusations that it paid Iran ransom for the release of four American prisoners, parrying a tidal wave of condemnations from Republicans. Amid revelations that the US helped airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran after a prisoner release, the White House insisted the two were not linked. In January, five American prisoners were released as Washington granted clemency to seven Iranians and withdrew arrest warrants for 14 others. Within hours President Barack Obama announced he had also agreed to repay $1.7 billion owed to Tehran -- one of a string of agreements that followed a deal to curb Iran`s nuclear program. The White House said it was returning cash from a 1970s Iranian military order that was not fulfilled because of the Islamic Revolution. On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported a chunk of that cash was loaded on wooden pallets and secretly airlifted to Iran in an unmarked cargo plane. "This $400 million is actually money that the Iranians had paid into a US account in 1979 as part of a transaction to procure military equipment," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Explaining the airlift, Earnest said "the fact of the matter is the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran." Earnest heatedly denied accusations that a ransom was paid. "It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages."Republicans, who have spent weeks reeling from scandals over the party`s presidential nominee Donald Trump, leapt at the opportunity to go on the attack. "If true, this report confirms our longstanding suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran," said House Speaker Paul Ryan. "It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal." "Yet again, the public deserves an explanation of the lengths this administration went to in order to accommodate the world`s leading state sponsor of terrorism." Republicans had alleged that Iran would use a sanctions windfall worth hundreds of billions of dollars to fund terrorism. Trump issued a statement on what he called the "terror money airlift," saying the money would "undoubtedly find its way into the hands of terrorists." Earnest pushed back on Republicans` assertions. "People who made that prediction were either badly misinformed or lying to the American public, and I`ll leave it to them to explain why their predictions didn`t come true," he said. The White House and independent experts have insisted the funds would be much less than Republicans predicted and most of the cash would have to be spent on fixing Iran`s economy. "We know that Iran supports Hezbollah and the Assad regime, and it certainly is possible that some of the money that Iran has is being used for those purposes, too," said Earnest. "But the bulk of the money we know has been going to shoring up their economic weakness, and that`s exactly what we predicted." "They used that money to prop up their currency that had been significantly devalued by the sanctions regime." The House Oversight Committee Wednesday requested in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry that he testify before the panel about the "contemporaneous hostage release and cash delivery." The State Department said it had received the note and would respond. Portsmouth: A jury convicted a white former police officer of voluntary manslaughter today in the shooting death of an unarmed black man accused of shoplifting. Portsmouth Officer Stephen Rankin, who was fired as he awaited trial, now faces between one and 10 years in prison as the trial shifts into the sentencing phase. Rankin shot William Chapman in the face and chest outside a Wal-Mart store last year after a security guard accused the 18-year-old of shoplifting. No video recorded the actual killing, and testimony conflicted on the details. Prosecutors said the officer could have used non-deadly force, noting that every witness but Rankin testified Chapman had his hands up. But the defense said Rankin had to shoot after trying to stun the young man because Chapman became enraged and knocked the officer's stun gun to the ground. Rankin had already killed another unarmed suspect, four years earlier, and many in Portsmouth saw his trial as a chance for accountability amid continuing reports about police-involved shootings around the nation. But his lawyers said this case had nothing to do with deadly uses of force against other black men. The jurors eight black and four white began deliberating on Tuesday in the mostly black city of 100,000. They did not convict on the first-degree murder charge prosecutors sought, but criminal charges are rare in police-involved shootings, and convictions are even more uncommon. Experts say on-duty officers kill about 1,000 suspects a year in the United States, but only 74 have been charged since 2005. Of those, a third were convicted, a third were not and the other cases are pending. Persuading a jury to convict in these cases is always difficult because people tend to give police the benefit of the doubt, said Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. "Juries are very reluctant to convict an officer because they all recognize that policing is difficult and violent." Rankin said he calmly approached Chapman to discuss the shoplifting accusation and was preparing to handcuff him when the teen refused to comply with his orders and a struggle ensued. He said he used his stun gun on him, but Chapman knocked it away and both men then faced each other from a short distance. That's when he drew his pistol, Rankin said, and repeatedly commanded Chapman to "get on the ground." Instead, he said Chapman screamed "shoot me" several times before charging at him from about six feet away. He said experienced "tunnel vision" at that point, and fearing for his life, fired twice to stop him. "I had no reason to think he was going to stop attacking me," said Rankin, 36. "I was scared." London: One woman was killed and five others were injured in a mass stabbing in central London's Russell Square on Wednesday night, police said. According to London Metropolitan Police, the suspect, a 19-year-old man was arrested at 10.39 p.m., after a Taser was discharged by an officer, the BBC reported. Police said mental health was a "significant factor" in the incident that took place in a busy area close to the British Musem and home to many hotels and restaurants popular with tourists. Early indications suggest mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry," the Guardian quoted Mark Rowley, an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan police and Britain's most senior counter terrorism officer as saying early Thursday morning. But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore," he added. Police were called at 10.33 p.m. on Wednesday night to reports of a man injuring people with a knife. The victim, a woman in her 60s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead later, the BBC said. Police said there would be an increased police presence on the streets of London from Thursday morning for reassurance and safety. The incident came after authorities earlier on Wednesday announced London would increase its presence of armed police after recent terror attacks in Europe. In the terror attacks of July 7, 2005, the underground subway line running close to Russell Square was hit by the most devastating of the four bombs that killed 52 people and injured over 700 others. Ergonomic workstations from Featherlite India unveiled Parth International, the sole distributor of Featherlite furniture in Nepal, has launched new ergonomic products in a bid to tap into the evolving market. Makalu Air aircraft makes force landing in Simikot A Makalu Air aircraft that left from Simikot airport of Humla district made a force landing after the planes engine encountered failure. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh says the Azerbaijani forces made 36 ceasefire violations in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijani contact line. The Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight August 3-4 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime for 36 times by firing more than 430 shots from various caliber weapons and 52 shots from sniper rifles at the Armenian positions in Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. The Defense Army forces are in full control of the situation in the frontline and continue confidently fulfilling their military tasks. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. An article entitled Due to provocative actions of the criminals a woman and a teenager has been detained, the employees of GALA and News.am have been subjected to violence in Gyumri has been published at www.asparez.am news agency on July 30, 2016. According to the article the same day a dispute took place during the peaceful protest in city of Gyumri during which the peaceful protesters were illegally detained by the Police. According to the march participants, the Policemen in civilian clothes provoked the situation and created the dispute. The Policemen started to curse and insult the citizens gathered in the Theater Square. After the dispute, the activists blocked the traffic of Sayat-Nova Street in Gyumri. The Police took the young people, who blocked the Street, to the adjacent sidewalk through the use of force, then the Police forces detained several citizens. According to the media reports, beside from activists, the media representatives also received injuries. In particular, several Policemen tried to detain an employee of GALA TV, a journalist of News.am agency and another journalist have received injuries, Shant TV camera has been damaged. The President of Asparez club has appeared in illegal procrastination. Based on this publication of the media the Special Investigation Service of Armenian prepares materials, Armenpress was informed from their press service. Naya Shakti congratulates PM Dahal The Naya Shakti Nepal on Thursday congratulated CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal on his election to the post of Prime Minister and wished for a successful tenure. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Government has made a decision to establish Energaimpex state company with 100% shares which will enable to buy, import and export gas from Iran. The decision was made taking into account that currently there is no structure in Armenia which can have a right to buy, import and export electricity and gas as a transit country from other states, in particular, from the Islamic Republic of Iran. With this decision we will have a structure in our country which will have those rights and will implement it, Armenpress reports, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Levon Yolyan said in the Governments August 4 session. The establishment of the company will enable to increase the import of natural gas from the territory of Iran making the use of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline more productive. Based on the agreement reached between Armenia and Iran gas and electricity exchange is being carried out. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh informs a soldier Vahan V. Mikayelyan received fatal wounds in the conservation area of a military unit located in the northern direction of the NKR Defense Army. The Ministrys announcement reads: On August 4 at 09:30, a soldier Vahan V. Mikayelyan, born in 1997, received fatal wounds in the conservation area of a military unit located in the northern direction of the NKR Defense Army. The details of the case are still unknown. An investigation is underway to clarify the details. The NKR Defense Ministry shares the grief of the loss and extends condolences to the family members, relatives and fellow servicemen of the fallen soldier. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan doesnt think that numerous officials must react to Vladimir Zhirinovskys absurd statement. He recalled that Armenian Ambassador to Russia Oleg Yesayan has commented on Zhirinovskys remarks. I do not think these absurd statement requires the reaction of numerous officials, let us not so value it, the Armenian Ambassadors response is enough. Further reaction will mean to give more value to that statement, Armenpress reports, Kocharyan said. He added that his personal attitude is the same like that of every Armenian citizen. To the question whether it is necessary to put a ban against Zhirinovsky on visiting Armenia, the Deputy FM said there is no need to give such a value to that absurd statement. Leader of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky gave an interview to the Russian TV Channel where he said: Do not care about Armenia. Who needs Armenia? There will be regular speeches. A small country, in the mountains, between Azerbaijan and Turkey, no perspective, no economy. Nearly a million Armenians remained there. But they are 6 million all over the world. Everyone went to Lebanon, Iran, Russia, France, the US. There is no place to live, only mountains. We will take back the base. This base is their salvation, otherwise, the Turks and Azerbaijanis will eliminate them. Thats why there is no need to worry about Armenia. Azerbaijan will immediately capture Nagorno Karabakh, and the Turks will help them. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. 501 thousand 118.4 tourists have arrived in Armenia in the first half of this year, Armenpress was informed by the National Statistical Service of Armenia. This number has been increased by 2.4% compared to the same period in 2015. 470 thousand 693 people have left Armenia for tourism purposes in January-June 2016. This number has been increased by 1.2% compared to the same period in 2015. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Istanbul Court has issued an arrest warrant for Turkish preacher, leader of the Gulen movement Fetullah Gulen. According to Anadolu, the warrant was issues for instructing the July 15 coup. 74 year old Fetullah Gulen has previously been a supporter of Erdogan and assisted him in becoming president, however he later became one of the most significant critics of the Turkish president. Erdogan accuses Gulen in the attempted coup and organizing the wire-tapping of high-ranking officials phone conversations, a majority of which revealed large-scale corruption activities involving Erdogans son, daughter, son-in-law and 4 government members. Erdogan announced that Gulens followers were behind this, who are trying to destroy his government. Erdogan instructed to dismiss or arrest more than thousand attorneys, police officers and prosecutors who revealed this corruption scandal. Erdogan is attempting to make the US extradite Gulen, who has been living in the US since 1998. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs that on August 4 the USD exchange rate was 476.16 AMD which is an increase of 0.02 drams compared to the previous day. Armenpress reports that the Euro decreased by 3.02 drams forming 529.78 drams. British pound decreased by 2.02 drams forming 633.10 drams, Russian ruble increased by 0.02 drams reaching to 7.16 drams on August 4. The prices for precious metals are as follows: the price for silver per gram is 315.21 AMD, gold-20,803.26 AMD, and platinum-17,773.63 AMD. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Phoenix platoon of the Armenian Armed Forces comprised of 25 servicemen will undergo sergeant trainings in Kansas, USA. The Defense Ministry of Armenia told ARMENPRESS the first two stages of the training will be held in Armenia. The third stage will be held in the US, under the instruction of Kansas National Guard. The trainings in Kansas will focus on skills of sergeants responsibilities, management of small units and sergeant-officer relations. The Phoenix platoon will also observe the projects of sergeant trainings of the US Armed Forces. The platoon consists of sergeants who displayed high-performance and professionalism, whose professional skills and abilities were also evaluated by the instructors of Kansas National Guard. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Public Defenders Office of the Chamber of Advocates has issued an announcement regarding the public defense of people involved in the July events. The announcement reads: Dear countrymen, The Public Defenders Office of the Chamber of Advocates has received 46 decisions of the agencies who carry out proceeding of criminal cases of the July events regarding providing free of charge legal assistance. In accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia, the Public Defenders Office has made immediate decisions on handing over the cases to public defenders. The PDO acted with the goal of providing immediate qualified legal assistance to detained or arrested people. The public defenders, as you know, they were able to represent people only after having the agreement of the defendants. 40 have given their agreement, and the public defenders began representing them. No public defender has assumed the defense of any arrested without having agreement. The Public Defenders have even worked in case of necessity on non-working days and hours. After the July events the public defenders worked with an extraordinary schedule, with the goal of meeting the arrested or detained people as soon as possible and ensure their rights to remain silent and receive humane attitude. Charges against 10 people who were represented by public defenders were dropped and they were released. As of this moment, public defenders are representing 21 people. The public defenders will continue acting loyal to their oaths - to defend their defendants by all lawful free and independent, unconditional and boundless measures. Not a single agency can impact the independence of the public defenders or interfere with their actions. The Public Defenders Office assures that it will be consistent, in order to deliver qualified and efficient defense for each case, and in case of such any flaw of the public defender will be subject of discussion. The Public Defenders Office is willing to represent any person who needs public defense. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan addressed a congratulatory message to US President Barack Obama on the occasion of this birthday. The message reads: Dear Mr. President, We highly value the friendship and cooperation between Armenia and the US, which is strengthening year by year, anchored first of all on common values, aspirations and mutual trust. During your Administration we have elevated the Armenian-American cooperation to the highest level through mutual efforts. In the same time we are willing to make all efforts for new achievements. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan made an unannounced visit to the Nubarashen Correctional Facility on August 4. During the visit the Ombudsman had private meetings with Armen Martirosyan, Davit Sanasaryan, Andrias Ghukasyan and Arayik Khandoyan. The visit focused on studying and examining the conditions of their incarceration and the situation of ensuring their rights. As result of the separate conversations, relevant notifications will be sent to procedural agencies. None of the abovementioned arrested individuals have filed complaints regarding the behavior of the administration of the prison, medical assistance or conditions if incarceration. Unannounced visits to correctional facilities and detention centers will from now on be carried out consistently. Once foes, now friends It was during Sher Bahadur Deubas tenure as prime minister in 1996 the Maoists launched an armed rebellion led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Deuba was prime minister again in 2002, and in April that year, he officially labelled Maoists terrorists and declared bounties on Maoist leaders heads. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. The Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of conscript Sergeant Vahan V. Mikayelyan sustaining a fatal gunshot wound. The IC told ARMENPRESS according to preliminary information the Sergeant sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the left eye from the firearm attached to him on August 4 at 09:00, while on duty. Forensic expertise has been launched along with necessary investigative measures to determine the circumstances of the incident. JPMorgan Chase wanted to buy troubled Italian rival BMPS but abandoned the plan over fears it would be vetoed by US regulators and opposed in Italy, people close to the deal told AFP Wednesday. Jamie Dimon, chief executive of the largest US bank by assets, and Daniel Pinto, the London-based head of JPMorgan's investment and finance department, are behind the plan to bail out the Banca Monte Paschi di Siena unveiled Friday, according to the sources, who asked to remain anonymous. Their first idea, the sources said, was the outright purchase of the heavily indebted BMPS, which the European Central Bank last week cited as the financial institution most susceptible to bankruptcy according to EU bank stress tests. Contacted by AFP, JPMorgan declined to comment. JPMorgan has deep pockets -- last year the firm had $24.44 billion net profit. In contrast, BMPS is in a stock plunge: The Italian bank was valued at a little more than $800 million on the market Wednesday. The problem is that the current environment is hostile to megabanks, one of the sources indicated, adding that JPMorgan hesitated to pursue a bid fearing US authorities would take an unfavorable view of a US bank rescuing a European firm. US regulators want to force large financial institutions considered a potential systemic threat to the financial system to reduce their size. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, they have imposed significant increases in capital requirements of banks deemed "too big to fail" and tightened their oversight. JPMorgan also feared a backlash to the acquisition in Italy and in Europe where big banks are not favorably viewed in the press, the other source explained. The US bank now believes the best solution would be an injection of funds, the support of the government and improved governance, the two sources stated. According to its calculations, 5-6 billion euros ($5.6-$6.7 billion) would be sufficient to stabilize BMPS. Dimon discussed this with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi while he was in Italy in early July for the 100th anniversary of JPMorgan's presence in the country, the sources said. He also discussed it with the BMPS management team. Story continues JPMorgan's rescue plan for BMPS is twofold. The first part entails the resolution of bad debts estimated at 27.7 billion euros at the end of March, which would be put in a specific financial instrument. The second part is a capital injection of five billion euros, to which Goldman Sachs and Citigroup have already agreed, according to one source. Banco Santander, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch also were expected to participate, according to the Financial Times. The rescue is aimed at restoring confidence in and stabilizing BMPS through the end of the year, preparing it for a merger with a stronger banking group, the other source close to the situation explained to AFP. Mexican policemen take positions as teachers on strike and locals chant slogans during a demonstration against the education reform in Mexico City on July 6, 2016 A Mexican industrial trade group said Wednesday it was freezing $2.6 billion in investments in regions hit by protests by teachers who have blocked roads and railroads. The Confederation of Chambers of Industry (CONCAMIN) urged the government to take measures to restore "the conditions of peace and security needed for industry to be able to perform well." The CNTE, a dissident wing of the country's teachers union, has held protests against President Enrique Pena Nieto's education reform in the western state of Michoacan and the southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas. "Under current conditions 50 billion pesos in investments by industries in the region will be held back," CONCAMIN said in a statement. The group blamed the decision to withhold investments on weeks of strikes, obstructions of roads and railways, and sit-ins at shopping plazas. The announcement came one day after Mexico's main business association, COPARMEX, said it had filed a legal complaint against the government for allegedly failing to take action against the protests. The CNTE opposes the teacher evaluations imposed by the government's 2013 reform, saying that it puts their jobs at risk and fails to take into account the cultural differences between regions. The government says the tests are needed to improve the level of education in the country. Tensions boiled over on June 19 when a shooting occurred after police broke up a road block in Nochixtlan, Oaxaca state, by CNTE supporters. Eight people died and more than 100 were wounded when, according to the authorities, unidentified radicals opened fire. Officials say teachers were not involved in the shootings. Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, who has held talks with the CNTE for the past three weeks, hit back at the business groups. "Now that we are finding an exit, we suddenly see these demonstrations, these petitions, as if we haven't made progress," he told Radio Formula. The project is about early marriages in Georgia. I approached the story by showing the places where marriages occur, the wedding, and portraits of young girls whose family members accept marriage at a young age. I wanted to do a story on women in Georgia, and when researching and looking for subjects I found out about early marriages from a Georgian center called GCRT (the Georgian Center for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims). I was surprised about the fact, being not aware of the situation myself. I found a family by accident in a village in Kakheti region the girl was 17 and her wedding was coming up. She got introduced to her 22-year-old groom for the first time on the day of their engagement. I met with him, and he invited me to the ceremony, giving me permission to photograph. It was my first step of starting the photo series. At least 90 people have been hospitalized from an anthrax outbreak in Russia, including 50 children. Eight are confirmed as infected with anthrax. Doctors believe at least 6 patients have the more virulent intestinal form of the disease, which killed one boy, age 12. Authorities say it's the first fatal anthrax outbreak in Russia in more than 75 years. The outbreak originated in a Siberian community after a heat wave melted the permafrost where spores of anthrax remained alive inside the frozen carcass of an infected reindeer. Animals fed on that thawed carcass, which may have been up to a hundred years old, then transmitted it to reindeer that nomadic herders killed and ate. Herders face a quarantine that may last until September. The deadly bacteria is also indicated in the mysterious deaths of thousands of reindeer in the regionvarious reports have placed the total number of dead animals at up to 2,500. The outbreak happened in the Yamalo-Nenets region of Western Siberia, where an unusual heat wave brought temperatures up to 82 degrees for 18 consecutive days in July. Temperatures in the Yamal tundra above the Arctic Circle have hit highs of 95 degrees this summer, compared to an average of 77 degrees. "The medical crisis was caused after reindeer became contaminated with zombie anthrax bacteria which had been frozen in the Siberian permafrost," reports the Siberian Times. Zombie anthrax? Let's break that down. The regional governor's office said in a statement to the Siberian Times that the disease probably originated from a thawed reindeer carcass that died from anthrax more than a hundred years ago. The animal's dead body was frozen on the tundra long ago, and the bacteria lay dormant. But high temperatures this summer caused the tundra to thaw, and with it, the infected carcass, which was likely encountered by hungry animals seeking food. They fed on the reindeer, and the anthrax bacteria within it. Anthrax is biologically hardy in the extreme, and can remain viable for a century or more even with temperature fluctuations well above and below freezing. It is also possible that the anthrax was embedded in a human corpse which thawed, and was eaten by vermin, which then transmitted the bacteria up the food chain to humans. Or, maybe no corpse-eating took place at all. Feeding animals need only to munch a little bit of earth near a place where an infected body is buried, human or animal, to potentially come in contact with anthrax spores. The bacteria was probably dormant since at least 1941, when the last outbreak occurred. NBC reports that authorities in the region stopped vaccinating reindeer against anthrax a decade ago, because there had been no outbreaks for over 50 years. More than 60 people are considered at risk for having been infected in the 'zombie anthrax' outbreak of 2016. Some 2,500 reindeer have also died, though some of the animal deaths may be attributable to heatstroke. "The animals are unaccustomed to such high temperatures," the governor's office told the Siberian Times. Weather.com meteorologists report that Pangody, a town in the heart of the Yamalo-Nenets region, had high temperatures of at least 82 degrees Fahrenheit 18 straight days from July 6-23, peaking at 92.7 on July 23. The region is home to a large population of Nenets people, a nomadic indigenous group who subsist on herding reindeer. The Yamalo-Nenets autonomous region is well known as source of high quality venison, a great quantity of which is exported overseas. The 12-year-old boy who died in the anthrax outbreak on Saturday is reported to have eaten infected reindeer meat, and consumed the animal's blood. His grandmother died a day earlier, but the cause of her death has not yet been confirmed as anthrax. Russian authorities are evacuating affected people to the regional capital of Salekhard. "We have taken all measures to isolate the area," regional Governor Dmitry Kolybin said to the Associated Press. "Now the most important thing is the safety and health of our fellow countrymen the reindeer herders and specialists involved in the quarantine." A mass vaccination of reindeer is taking place in the region, but those efforts may be too late, Russian Academy of Sciences biology professor Vladimir Bogdanov told NBC News. Global Meat News (yes, this publication exists) reports that the outbreak will devastate the region's venison exports. "This disease has been present in our country for a long time and we have 35,000 officially registered animals with anthrax in burial sites," Russian sanitary body Rospotrebnadzor spokesperson Julia Demina said. "These are the places where anthrax spores could be found in the soil." "We are now conducting another large burial, where we will pour bleach [into the ground], build fences and set up a special marker in navigation systems, so that, for the next 25 years, any grazing of agricultural animals here will be banned," added Vyacheslav Hritin, head of Salekhard Veterinary Center, which spends a considerable amount of time fighting against the disease. "On the one hand the permafrost began to melt, on the other the animals were short of fodder and they ate the plants together with the land," explained Professor Irina Donnik, rector of the Ural State Agricultural University. "It is obvious that there was a cattle cemetery here at some stage. This disease is transmitted very rarely from animal to animal; more often it moves via the feed base." From the Siberian Times: By Andrew Chung NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc deserved the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> paid for infringing patented designs of the iPhone, because the product's distinctive look drives people to purchase it, a group of design industry professionals told the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday. Setting up a clash with a number of Silicon Valley companies that have come out on the side of Samsung, more than 100 designers and educators signed on to a new court brief supporting Apple. They include famous fashion names Calvin Klein, Paul Smith and Alexander Wang, the industrial design director at Parsons School of Design, the design director for Bentley Motors, and Tony Chambers, the editor-in-chief of Wallpaper magazine. Samsung has appealed to the Supreme Court part of the $548 million it paid Apple last December related to a jury verdict from 2012. Samsung says the $399 million of that amount, awarded for copying the designs of the iPhone's rounded-corner front face, bezel and grid of icons, is excessive, adding that they contributed only marginally to a complex product. Apple sued in 2011, claiming the South Korean electronics company stole its technology and the look of the iPhone. Last May, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington upheld the 2012 patent infringement verdict but overturned Samsung's liability for trademark infringement. Samsung asked the Supreme Court to review the case, and in March, the justices agreed to examine whether the total profits from a product that infringes a design patent should be awarded if the patent applies only to a component of the product. The designers on Thursday said that in the minds of consumers, the "look of the product comes to represent the underlying features, functions, and total user experience." Stealing a design can lead to a lost sale, and Apple deserves to be compensated for that with the infringer's entire profits, they said. Samsung has had a number of trade groups come out on its side, including The Internet Association as well as Silicon Valley heavyweights Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc unit Google, which makes the Android operating system used in Samsung's phones. If not reversed, the Federal Circuit decision "could lead to diminished innovation, pave the way for design troll patent litigation and negatively impact the economy and consumers," Samsung spokeswoman Danielle Meister Cohen said in an email on Thursday. The case is Samsung Electronics Co Ltd v. Apple Inc, in the Supreme Court of the United States, No. 15-777. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Steve Orlofsky) One dead, five hurt in London stabbings A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was killed and five injured in a knife attack in Russell Square, central London. By Heather Somerville and Sweta Singh (Reuters) - Mobile payments company Square Inc on Wednesday reported a 41.5 percent jump in revenue and diminishing losses as more large merchants make sales using Square's technology, a sign the company has moved beyond serving only pop-up shops and food trucks. "We are finally at a place where our tools scale to any size of seller," Chief Executive Jack Dorsey, who is also the CEO of Twitter Inc, said on a call with investors. "We are seeing more and more appetite from the larger sellers" as well as chain retailers with multiple locations. Square stock was up more than 14 percent to about $12 in after-hours trading following the second-quarter earnings call. The price at closing bell was $10.44. Square's revenue reached $438.5 million, up 41.5 percent from its earnings of $310.0 million a year earlier. It processed $12.5 billion in payments, up 42 percent from a year ago, mostly due to new and larger retailers using Square, the company said. About 42 percent of total payments is coming from larger retailers, signaling a dramatic transition for Square. The company started seven years ago as a card reader that turns a mobile phone into a payment terminal, and was sold primarily to pop-up stores, coffee shops, food trucks and other small merchants that couldn't afford elaborate payment systems. Square, which went public in November, has expanded to offer an array of services for businesses such as point-of-sale registers, invoice software and loans. Square Capital, the loan program, saw a 123 percent increase over last year, with $189 million in loans made to businesses. Square added five investors to the program, which will provide capital for additional borrowers, said Sarah Friar, Square chief financial officer. About 90 percent of borrowers renew their loans. The growth in Square's loan business comes despite increased scrutiny over lending practices fueled by troubles at online lending platforms LendingClub and Prosper Marketplace. "There was definitely some swirls around the alternative lending market," Friar said on a call with journalists. Friar said Square's familiarity with borrowers - the company lends to merchants it has already done business with - and the low cost of the program distinguishes it from other lenders. "We have millions of sellers on our platform," she said. "So our customer acquisition cost is effectively zero." Square recoups its loans by taking a slice of each sale the merchant makes; default rates are around 4 percent, Friar said. For 2016, Square expects total revenue to be in the range of $1.63 billion to $1.67 billion. Still, the company is not profitable. Its losses narrowed to $27.3 million from $29.6 million during the same period last year. On a per share basis, Square lost 8 cents. [nBw3msGH3a] The company is looking to grow overseas, and is eyeing the United Kingdom as a potential next stop, executives said Wednesday. Square currently serves United States, Canada, Japan and Australia. Reuters reported last month that Square incorporated a business called Squareup Europe Ltd in Britain, lining itself up for what could be its first foray into Europe. (Removes extraneous word "by" in fifth paragraph.) (Reporting by Heather Somerville in San Francisco and Sweta Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and James Dalgleish) By Olivia Oran (Reuters) - An Italian prosecutor has proposed that Morgan Stanley pay 2.9 billion euros (2.4 billion) to settle derivative transactions, the bank said on Wednesday in a securities filing. The proposed claim argues that at least some of the derivative transactions were "improper," as was their termination, Morgan Stanley said in a 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The derivative transactions originated between 1995 and 2005 and were terminated in December 2011 and January 2012, according to the filing. Morgan Stanley received the proposed claim on July 11 from the public prosecutor for Court of Accounts for the Republic of Italy. "We believe that this proposed claim is groundless and we will defend ourselves vigorously," a Morgan Stanley spokesman said. Beginning in 2010, several Italian regions sought compensation for allegedly being misled by banks in swap deals that were intended to relieve their debt burdens. In Milan, Depfa Bank, Deutsche Bank AG , JPMorgan Chase & Co and UBS AG were fined $1.2 million each in 2012 on fraud charges in the sale of derivatives contracts. An appeals court in 2014 overturned the convictions. Italy's Lazio region also sued 11 banks, claiming $109 million in compensation for alleged hidden costs in derivatives. In 2008, the Italian government banned the use of derivatives by Italian municipalities. (Reporting by Olivia Oran in New York; editing by Grant McCool and David Gregorio) Shriti Vadera, adviser to the chair of the G20 group of developed and emerging nations, smiles during a Future of Finance Initiative conference in Horsham, southern England, December 8, 2009. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/File Photo By Andrew MacAskill and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - In early October 2008, then Business Minister Shriti Vadera called a secret meeting of bankers and government officials on the top floor of Standard Chartered's City of London headquarters to address Britain's biggest peacetime crisis. The collapse of Lehman Brothers two weeks earlier the biggest bankruptcy in history had caused UK credit markets to seize up and pushed some of Britain's biggest high street lenders, including Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, to the brink of implosion. Vadera told the meeting that if they did not quickly come up with a bold plan the economy was on the verge of collapse, according to two people present at the gathering. The strategy she came up with is credited by some as driving then Prime Minister Gordon Brown's subsequent bank bailout plan, burnishing her credentials for her latest role - representing major banks as Britain negotiates to leave the European Union. "She was one of the most important people in the banks' rescue," said a person who spent months working on the bailout. "Throughout the whole process she made people do things that they didn't want to do: the banks, the Treasury, the Bank of England. She is a force of nature." Vadera, a former investment banker, is now chairwoman of Santander UK and is being called upon to protect the banks again, this time as chair of the new lobby. Britons' vote to leave the European Union spells years of uncertainty for the UK financial industry, which accounts for about 12 percent of economic output and is the biggest generator of taxes. It is an upheaval that threatens London's dominance of global finance. The group led by Oxford-educated Vadera will push the government to retain as much access to Europe's single market as possible as it renegotiates Britain's relationship with the other 27 members of the bloc. EU leaders have made clear market access is impossible unless a country also allows EU citizens the right to work in Britain, something the banks would welcome but which many of those who voted in June to leave the bloc reject. Story continues That puts an industry scorned by Britons since the financial crisis on a collision course with large swaths of the public who reject the EU partly because of fears about immigration. People who have worked with Vadera say her directness is part of her appeal, although her style can be abrasive. Two of them said former finance minister Alistair Darling once had her locked her out of a meeting during the financial crisis after she was rude to one of his officials. "She appears to believe that unless there is blood on the carpet, preferably that of her own colleagues, then she has not done her job," Darling said of her in his memoirs. Vadera declined to comment for this story. TASK FORCE Her supporters say she has what it takes to forge consensus between the new government, divided between eurosceptics and supporters of the EU, and the disparate views of Britain's financial sector of banks, insurers, brokers and asset managers. "This is something that needs both knowledge of Europe and government and has to be done with energy, with directness," HSBC Chairman Douglas Flint told Reuters in the first public comments by a member of the group. "We need to drive quickly what's really important and it takes leadership that combines both intellect and a bit of vigour." The task force comprises about a dozen top names from the financial district, including Royal Bank of Scotland Chairman Howard Davies, insurer Aviva's chairman Adrian Montague, Allianz Global Investors' vice chair Liz Corley, and Barclays chairman John McFarlane. From an office in London's Mayfair district, it will offer advice to the Treasury, as well the newly created ministries of the Department for Exiting the European Union and International Trade in their negotiations over leaving the EU. Some of its thinking is already emerging. This includes appealing to large companies in continental Europe to make the case for Britain's continued access to the single market, perhaps coupled with continuing to contribute to the EU budget after it has formally left the bloc. "There won't be a single view but we are making sure that everyone understands the key issues, what's important and what we are fighting for," Flint said. While Prime Minister Theresa May will be mindful of the tax revenue financial services generate, other industrial sectors will be vying for her attention as well. HERDING CATS? Vadera's reputation could work against her as well as in her favour. The same two people who worked with her said she was known as "Shriti the Shriek" by government officials for her ability to reduce junior staff to tears when she worked as a minister and protege of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. A friend said that while she can be difficult, some of her public portrayal comes with an element of misogyny. "She is strong minded and strong willed, but with men that is often seen as a virtue," the person said. Born in Uganda, she was brought up in India and Britain after the dictator Idi Amin expelled her family. Days before the referendum, Vadera wrote a column after lawmaker Jo Cox was killed about the benefits of EU membership. She said Britain's long history of internationalism is a source of its economic strength and was grateful that as a stateless child she could become a British citizen. "I love the Britain that can nurture immigrants like me and make them its own," Vadera said. Vadera's task force, whose full name is the Financial Services EU Task Force, won't have the field to itself. The Financial Services Negotiation Forum also aims to bend the government's ear in trade talks, styling itself more as a grassroots body led by City veterans that wants to give smaller financial firms in London and beyond a voice as well, which will inevitably mean differing priorities. An executive at one bank, who worked on the rescue of the British banks during bailout, said he was sceptical that even a task force backed by top lenders will have much success in a sector known for the aggressive pursuit of self-interest. "I don't think the task force will have much force or many tasks," he said. "Everyone will just pursue their own agenda." He did, though, say Vadera is the best person for the role. He remembers her berating the bank CEOs who didn't want to accept taxpayer money during the financial crash and urging officials from the Treasury to get on with the bailout. "She is the most organised, capable person I can think of for this job," he said. "She is a very hard woman to say no to." (Reporting By Andrew MacAskill and Huw Jones; editing by Philippa Fletcher) Recruitment Defense Department to Host Virtual College Fair The Department of Defense's (DoD) Voluntary Education Program will host a virtual education college fair for active military personnel, veterans and family members. The DoD has partnered with CollegeWeekLive for the event, which will allow participants "to chat online with education and benefit counselors about degree programs, career and technical certificate opportunities and financial aid options," according to a news release. "This online event also introduces new certificate programs that empower military personnel to gain the skills necessary for today's most in-demand careers while on active duty." The fair will include video presentations, question and answer sessions with education experts and access to personal advice on issues such as returning to school, financial aid programs and GI Bill benefits. "Navigating higher education can sometimes be daunting," said Dawn Bilodeau, chief of DoD Voluntary Education, in a prepared statement. "The DoD Virtual Education College Fair will give our active and veteran military personnel personal advice to help guide them through this often complex process. We're excited to provide a powerful way to help them realize their highest potential." Login Lessons from CT2016 This week's Campus Technology 2016 conference offered a wealth of ideas, conversations and commentary. Here are five takeaways. At the Campus Technology 2016 conference in Boston this month, higher education IT leaders from across the country gathered to share their ideas and experiences. Here are some takeaways gleaned from the event's keynotes, sessions and conversations: Students view IT as electricity but university leadership may not, according to Thomas Hoover, associate vice chancellor and chief information officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In the session "Confessions of a Solutions-Based IT Organization," Hoover and his UTC colleagues talked about how they've tackled funding, staffing and infrastructure issues and revamped their institution's IT organization. One of their biggest challenges: moving from a break-fix funding model ("no money until there's no service") to a more strategic approach. Hoover stressed that it's up to IT to find a way to educate the administration that technology must be a continual investment. "If you don't market yourself in IT, nobody else will," he asserted. "If you are in education and you're not on Twitter, you might be missing a lot," said Jaime Casap, chief education evangelist at Google, encouraging attendees of his "Future Learning in Higher Education" session to follow him at @jcasap. And he's right, at least in the case of the CT conference an active backchannel at the event (#CampusTech) provided valuable commentary throughout many of the sessions. Two particularly prolific and insightful tweeters at CT: @koutropoulos and @BryanAlexander. Higher ed should seek transformation, not innovation. "Innovators haven't been able to get it yet" because they are finding solutions to existing problems, said keynoter Stephen Downes, MOOC pioneer and program leader for learning and performance support systems at the National Research Council of Canada. Instead, we need to focus on the changing definitions of need reframe our perception of the benefits of new technology. Don't say no, provide an alternative. Restrictive policies don't necessarily result in the best security, said Sadik Al-Abdulla, security practice director for CDW, in his session "State of Security 2016." The past two years have seen an 800 percent increase in users uploading confidential information to cloud storage services mostly people just trying to do their jobs, he noted. IT needs to provide an easy, convenient and secure way for them to accomplish the same. Wearable technologies are turning sci-fi into reality. We are going to end up in an environment where every human activity is mediated by technology, said Emory Craig, director of e-learning and instructional technologies at The College of New Rochelle (NY), who presented "Wearable Technology Innovations" with colleague Maya Georgieva, ed tech strategist and co-founder of Digital Bodies. Already, sensors can be tattooed, implanted, embedded in stickers and woven into fabrics, generating a tremendous amount of data. Craig's vision of the wearable future: "Technology will interact with us. Every possible surface will become a display. Technology that doesn't interact with us will be perceived as broken. Sensors will be everywhere. Everything that can be tracked will be tracked." We are at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to analytics, he said, and the stakes are higher when technology is worn on our bodies, generating personal data. Outgoing AG hopes his good initiative will get continuity During his three-month stint as the chief legal advisor to the KP Oli led government, Attorney General Hari Phuyal made quit a dent on administrative as well as legal fronts to ensure access to justice WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Aug. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. (OTCQB:ALLM) (the "Company"), is pleased to announce that following discussions with the Department of Energy (DOE), Alliance has submitted a full Application responsive to the DOEs Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the design and construction of a Demonstration Scale Manufacturing Plant for the production of Aviation Biofuels (JP-8) from cellulosic biomass such as yard waste, agriculture leftovers and woodchips, capable of being used in commercial jet aviation as well as military applications. Jet fuel accounts for approximately 10% of U.S. petroleum-based refinery production which amounts to approximately 22 billion gallons of jet-fuel annually at a cost to the Airlines of more than $3.00 per gallon (2014 statistics) and is projected to increase above $5.00 per gallon by 2020 (according to the FAAs Annual Energy Outlook). Using Alliances CTS process, Aviation Biofuels should be producible in the $1.00 range. Aviation Biofuels have the potential to provide the means and mechanism to meet the Airlines need to comply with government regulations to reduce carbon-emissions going forward and to manage the on-going upward price risk of petroleum based jet-fuel, fuel price volatility and the risk associated with greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum based jet-fuel. Aviation Biofuels fuels produced from Cellulosic Biomass have the ability to address these needs as well as reduce the overall carbon footprint of fuel transportation and storage by locating CTS Aviation Biofuel plants near major airline hubs. Alliances CTS process is uniquely positioned to be the ONLY commercially viable cellulosic sugar source for conversion into Aviation Biofuels. The CTS process will allow an Aviation Biofuel manufacturer to directly produce sugars from either or both food and non-food cellulosic biomass for less than $0.08 cents per pound as compared to having to purchase sugar in the wholesale market at a price ranging from $0.19-to-$0.22 cents per pound for agricultural sector sugar. The Renewable Fuel Standard enacted in 2005, revised in 2007 and updated in 2016 has caused substantial investment in failed cellulosic Biofuel research. The continued failures in enzymatic and strong-acid-hydrolysis conversion processes over the past decade have created a very cautious investment environment (justifiably so) which has left a Hugh-Gap in the production of Biofuels from Cellulosic Biomass. This Gap is now fillable by Alliances CTS Process which resolves the ongoing needs of the Airlines. Military applications will be discussed in future releases. About ALLM: Alliance BioEnergy +, Inc. (ALLM) is a publicly traded company focusing on the commercialization and licensing of a patented cellulose conversion technology that it controls through a master license agreement with the University of Central Florida. ALLMs subsidiary, AMG Energy Group, LLC (AMG), owns 50% of Carbolosic, LLC, in a joint venture with Thor Renewable Energy Singapore. Carbolosic holds the exclusive, worldwide license to three (3) issued patents and fifteen (15) filed and pending patents revolving around the core CTS (cellulose to sugar) technology. ALLM also holds the exclusive CTS rights to North America (Canada, US, and Mexico) and Africa. The CTS process is the only known patented, dry mechanical process that can convert virtually any cellulose material into sugars and other products in a matter of minutes with no liquid acids, no applied heat, pressure or hazardous materials of any kind. The CTS process when used in the production of Ethanol is clean, less expensive to build and operate than traditional ethanol plants or other cellulose ethanol technologies and is completely environmentally friendly. Information in this document constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "forecast", "anticipate", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in Alliance Media Group Holdings, Incs filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law. CLEARWATER, Fla., Aug. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health watchdog dedicated to the eradication of abuses committed under the guise of mental health, and co-founded by the Church of Scientology in 1969, is working to prevent abuse of the Baker Act in Florida by educating families on their rights and exposing unnecessary involuntary commitment of minors in Florida. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bb9fc319-cc7a-4b39-9421-4e93c99d4158 The mental health law in Florida, commonly known as the Baker Act, allows children to be involuntarily committed from school and sent for psychiatric evaluation. This is supposed to happen if it is believed the child has a mental illness and could be a serious threat to themselves or others. In practice the decision whether to Baker Act a particular child is somewhat arbitrary and is influenced by the opinions and beliefs of those making the judgment calls at Florida schools. A few years ago in the Palm Beach School district the police took students straight from school and drove them in squad cars to mental health examination facilities 256 times - an average of more than one child for every day of the school year. Examples of young children being Baker Acted unjustly are far too common. For example, one mother arrived at school to find her kindergartner huddled under a table in the school office scared to death and screaming. The mom had never seen her daughter behave like this before. Police tried to handcuff the girl whose tiny wrists were too slim for the cuffs. At the hospital she was labeled with bipolar disorder, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder and following her drug treatment for these "disorders" was Baker Acted again from school. In another instance, a fourth-grader was committed right off the school bus while on his way home. His mother said that what her son told her happened on the bus and what the bus cameras showed was different than what the school police told her. She had to leave her son at the psychiatric hospital crying and begging for her to stay with him. The boy had never slept away from home before. After release the boy told about his hospital stay where he met a girl who cut patterns into her skin with a knife, a boy addicted to pills, and a boy wearing a prison jumpsuit. And he spent his first night away from his home with a roommate who punched him in the face. The boy also recalls sitting handcuffed in the hot police car while his classmates watched him from the windows of the school bus. We consistently receive calls from parents whose children were unjustly involuntarily committed off of school grounds without their permission or knowledge, said Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida. Some of these children are as young as 6 or 7 years old and do not meet the criteria for involuntary commitment, they are not dangerous. This is a violation of the rights of the child involved and that it can happen without parental consent is a gross violation of parental rights. In 2014 the Flagler County school board discussed the rise of Baker Act incidents involving elementary school age kids and attempted to diffuse the anger parents were feeling. The presentation was made by Katrina Townsend, the districts director of student services who said I have also sat on both sides of the table at Halifax (the psychiatric ward at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach) as the parent of a patient, and as a representative of you, the school board, so I like to think I knew a little bit about it as well. And having gone through the process as a parent, I feel confident in the services that they provide to us. Townsend went onto to say, A Baker Act is absolutely not a discipline consequence." She offered this analogy between Baker Acts and an asthma attack. Mental health, just like asthma can have a critical issue or an event that requires emergency care and in mental health, that emergency care is often a Baker Act. As with a student with asthma, we would not identify that a student was having a crisis and send them home to sort it out. We would transport them for emergency care. So once I heard that analogy it kind of helped me wrap my head a round it a little bit. However, School Board member Colleen Conklin did not buy this idea and sided with the outraged parents. Conklin stated, A Baker Acting of a child is traumatically different than what was just described in the analogy of an asthma attack. The reason that you have the media and that you have some become so outraged, if you will, is because it goes against all of our senses, at the thought of a child receiving help by being placed in either handcuffs or put in the back of a patrol car. That is not dealing in the same manner as you do with somebody who has an asthma attack... That to me exacerbates the situation and is more traumatizing to a child. Taking action to stop this abuse, CCHR is educating families on their rights under the Baker Act and has mailed out tens of thousands of postcards to households with children in the Tampa Bay area after launching a new website, www.bakeractrights.org, designed to educate parents and allowing them to download a non-consent form, report abuse and encouraging them to sign a petition, http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-involuntary-commitment-of-children, to stop the involuntary commitment of children in Florida. Additionally, as part of their statewide campaign, CCHR has educated over 7,000 families on their rights and the rights of their children in dozens of family orientated events across the area. Our goal is to first reduce the number of unjust involuntary commitments of children and then change the law so that parental rights are restored and the Baker Act is no longer used as a disciplinary tool in our school systems, said Diane Stein. About Citizens Commission on Human Rights: CCHR is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious mental health watchdog. Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHRs mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections. CCHR has helped to enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive mental health practices. "It was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, who brought the terror of psychiatric imprisonment to the notice of world. In March 1969, he said, Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the free world tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of mental health. CCHR Florida has already proven a major player in the states fight against psychiatric abuse. After discovering that 55 percent of foster children in Florida had been prescribed powerful mind-altering psychotropic drugs, the commission documented the abuse to the health department which initiated changes that led to a 75 percent reduction in prescriptions for children under six. Additionally, working with the Florida legislature, CCHR Florida helped enact a law which prohibits public schools involvement in the psychiatric drugging of children. Considered a potentially abusive, marketing tool for psychiatrists, CCHR Florida led the charge that got Teen Screen, mental health screening of school children, banned from Pinellas County schools in 2005. For more information visit, www.cchrflorida.org Positive vote Flexibility on both sides can translate the three-point agreement into constitution amendment 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 Rising MFI stocks lure investors Kamala Rai, a pathology technician at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, is not a regular investor in the stock market. But she rushed to buy shares of National Micro-Finance Bittiya Sanstha when it conducted an initial public offering (IPO) that ended on Wednesday. Saudis promise relief for 'stuck migrants' Saudi Arabia has promised to help thousands of Asian migrant workers stuck without pay after losing their jobs in the construction industry. SC order against Gadhimai sacrifice The Supreme Court has issued an order to the government to stop the cruel act of sacrificing animals during Gadhimai fair. Solar fencing: Nepali villages relieved, but more tusker terror on Indian side The solar fencing erected last November from Jhiramale in Ilam district to Mechi River along the Nepal-India border has helped communities in Jhapa to keep the wild elephants at bay. Teej expenses in relief of Pyuthan landslide victims An organization of women based in Bhairahawa has publicly announced to provide the expenses estimated for the celebrations of Teej festival as a relief to the survivors of landslides and floods in Pyuthan. Pramod Mishra is a biweekly columnist for The Kathmandu Post. He is the department chair of English Studies at Lewis University in the United States. Trade deficit jumps with lentil exports in free-fall Nepals trade deficit with Bangladesh has jumped nearly threefold in a span of two years, largely due to a sharp drop in lentil exports. Uber faces ban in Taiwan Car-booking app Uber could be banned in Taiwan, after state officials claimed the company did not operate lawfully within the country. US, Japan congratulate PM Dahal The United States of America has congratulated newly appointed Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on his election as the head of the government of Nepal. While it's nice to get a city-wide nod from the French tire factory, Washington has been doing just fine without Michelin, a guide that works better in Europe than its does in the States. And I think it's shameful to exclude the suburbs entirely, which means trend-setters including the four-star Inn at Little Washington will be excluded this round. I'm wagering there will be at least two three-star restaurants on the list. (Three stars is the guide's highest rating; there are fewer than 120 such establishments world-wide.) This has been a great season for DC chefs and restaurants. Just today, Bon Appetit named Washington, D.C. as its Restaurant City of 2016 -- something those of us who live here have known to be true for awhile now. The honor recognizes the hard work and trail-blazing efforts of the chefs and restaurants I am grateful to cover. What's on your minds today, chatters? Bring me your rants and raves. Reproductive Organs and Unborn Children For almost 35 years, I have been interested in the topic of reproductive hazards in the workplace. This was the subject of the first symposium that I organized for the American Chemical Society. This is the fourth article in SOS on this subject. I've been sharing the Oakridge National Laboratory's list of Particularly Hazardous Substances (select carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and highly toxic substances) for years. It's gotten on in years and been pretty much supplanted by the Duke University EHS Department's PHS list. It;s twice as long and lists female, male, and fetal reproductive toxins. Earlier this year, I had a call from a college chemistry professor. He ask me what should he do about students in his labs who might be pregnant. I've answered this question dozens of times. I thought for a moment and responded, "What do you do about chemicals that can damage your reproductive organs?" There as a somewhat stunned silence followed by weak laughter, and then, "I use my intuition." I asked, "What could you do that might be better than your intuition?" He suggested, "I could read the SDSs." I agreed. In October, I traveled to Alabama to visit a pharmaceutical company. I happened to get to sit in on their new employee briefing. The subject of reproductive toxins was discussed, along with the need to inform your supervisor if you think you are pregnant. Two weeks later, a 47-year-old woman in Boston gave birth to a child one hour after going to the hospital with stomach cramps! OK. Here's the bottom line: When do you want to know that you are handling a chemical that can damage your male or female reproductive organs and your unborn child? Unfortunately, at Dow Chemical, they learned it once the hard way. In the Magnolia, Arkansas plant where they were making 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane, the men were going irreversibly sterile. Dow discontinued the production of this chemical. Do you want to learn after you give birth to a child that has multiple birth defects? I was an expert witness in such a case. Do you want to learn after you have gone irreversibly sterile? I'm guessing that you would probably like to know before. The question is how much before. Here's my best answer: Before you pick up the bottle. I recommend that you review all the readily available lists of reproductive toxins and then put a clear, large label on the bottle that says "Reproductive Toxin." While you are at it, how about adding labels for "Carcinogen," "Highly Toxic," "Highly Reactive," and "Peroxide Former"? And in some case, maybe you want to know before you place the order! James A. Kaufman, Ph.D., is President/CEO of the Laboratory Safety Institute in Natick, Mass. To contact him, email [email protected] Being an air stewardess can be perceived as a glamorous job, especially by people outside of the industry. The starting pay is good, particularly if you are working for Singapore Airlines. You get to travel to more cities in a single year than where most Singaporeans would dream of going to for their entire life. You are constantly surrounded by young, good-looking people who are not only your colleagues but also your travelling companions. But beneath the external glamour that the job offers lies the not so frequently mentioned fact that there are many financial pitfalls that air stewardesses are exposed to in their line of work. The #YOLO Syndrome Imagine earning a monthly starting salary of about $4,500 (inclusive of allowance), and being able to fly to different cities each week. Many of us would succumb to the temptation of purchasing luxury items at discounted prices we cannot get in Singapore. The latest Kate Spade bag from New York, the classic Louis Vuitton bag from Paris, or the ever-trendy Armani jacket from Milan. Trying out the best restaurants and partying at the most popular clubs around the world is something that travellers would look forward to as well. So why should it be of any difference for air stewardesses who are travelling to these destinations? To make things even harder, the ability to say no reduces significantly when your travelling companions (i.e. your fellow stewardesses) are all going out for shopping and dining trips together. No one wants to be left out. A common reason to be spending so much is that flying could be a short career. And if you are flying for just a few years, why not maximise the fun that you can enjoy in all these cities while you still can? Isnt that the point of being an air stewardess at a young age? Taking the #YOLO approach does make sense when one argues it in this way. We wont blame you for agreeing. But we think it does not hurt to also take in a different view of how financial planning can be incorporated into the life of an air stewardess. Story continues Being An Air Stewardess Is A Job Its important to remember that as glamorous as it appears to be, being an air stewardess is ultimately still a job. And why do we work? Primarily to earn a living for our family and ourselves. Most people dont spend thousands of dollars while working, but air stewardesses are not most people are they? While its easy for the rest of us office people to say no to spending lavishly while working in our boring CBD offices in Singapore, air stewardesses are stuck in places like London, Rome and Tokyo as part of their work. There is nothing they can really do, except to go out and enjoy the cities they are in while waiting for their return flight. It would help for air stewardesses to remember that even while they are overseas, they are not officially on holidays, and should not spend money as if they are. Nobody wants to work a job that requires him or her to spend more than they earn because of the pitfalls surrounding the job. The same logic should apply to air stewardesses as well. Saving For Your Future We all need to save for our future, be it for our wedding, HDB flat or a rainy day. When you spend less, you save more. The equation is simple. Think about where you want to be in 5 years. If you foresee yourself married, with your own home and possibly children as well, you need to start planning financially for these things today. Even if you cant foresee where you will be in 5 years, it does not give you an excuse to not be saving. At the very least, you should have an emergency fund of about 6-9 months of expenses. Life After Being An Air Stewardess We think it is fair to assume that many air stewardesses who join the industry do not envision themselves staying in their jobs for the rest of their lives. If you are not intending to be an air stewardess for life, here are some important things you need to remember. # 1 Education Costs MoneyAnd Time Like it or not, Singapores employers do look at academic qualifications. If you want to work in a big financial institution or a PR agency, having a degree could be a pre-requisite. If you want to work in specialised areas such as graphics designing or IT, you would still need technical skills. These are qualifications and skill sets that you will need time and money to acquire. A degree could cost about $25,000. In addition, you might need about 3 years worth of savings to tide yourself over the duration of the course. Based on Singapores living expenses, this could easily cost you another $36,000. You need to have enough savings to ensure that you can pay for any further education that you intend to take up in the future. # 2 You Are Likely To Earn Less In The Future Lets be realistic. If you are currently earning $5,000 a month as an air stewardess, there is a very good chance you will need to accept a much lower salary when you transit to life outside of being a cabin crew. The medium salary in Singapore is $3,949. Take home salary would be lower after accounting for CPF contributions. If you were already spending about $4,000 each month, it would be extremely difficult to readjust back to a much lower standard of living. So dont go about trying to upkeep an expensive lifestyle that is not going to be sustainable in the long run. Just because you can afford it today does not mean you will be able to do so in the future. Read Also: Why You Shouldnt Buy Something Just Because You Can Afford It # 3 Finding A Job Will Take Time Even if you have sufficient qualifications and a simple lifestyle that would make it easier to transit to a new job, it is important to remember that finding a suitable job will take time. You need to be prepared that it could take you about 6 months to find a suitable job. Depending on the sector you are applying to and the economic conditions, you might take even longer. With that, it is also important to ensure that you have sufficient savings to fall back on while you are actively searching for the right job. Read Also: 5 Signs You Are Ready To Quit Your Job Think For Your FutureToday All in all, the financial planning challenges that air stewardesses face are similar to those faced by people working in other professions. However, the exceptions lie in the fact that air stewardesses generally have much more spending power, compared to their peers in a similar age group. In addition, the frequent travelling as part of their job also gives them many more opportunities to spend their money. Hence, air stewardesses would need to be mindful of their spending habits. DollarsAndSense.sg is a website that aims to provide interesting, bite-sized financial articles which are relevant to the average Singaporean. Subscribe to our free e-newsletter to receive exclusive content not available on our website. Follow us as well on Instagram @DNSsingapore to get your daily dose of finance knowledge through photos. Top Image The post Financial Planning For Air Stewardesses In Singapore appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg. (Bloomberg) -- Hinduja Group, the industrial conglomerate controlled by four billionaire brothers, and Malaysian sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd. are among parties vying for SunEdison Inc.s Indian solar assets, people familiar with the matter said. The Indian projects have also drawn interest from Mumbai-based Tata Power Co., domestic clean power developer Greenko Energies Pvt. and Singapores Sembcorp Industries Ltd., according to the people. A deal could value the operations at about $700 million including debt, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. SunEdison, which is credited with bringing Indian solar tariffs to a record low last year, bid aggressively to win contracts in the country during a $3.1 billion buying spree that left it overloaded with borrowings. The U.S. clean-power giant filed for bankruptcy protection in April, listing $16.1 billion of liabilities. Shares of SunEdison fell 2.3 percent in New York trading Wednesday to close at a record low 12.55 cents. Suitors for the companys Indian assets havent made a final decision, and theres no certainty the talks will result in a transaction, the people said. SunEdison could pick a winner in about a month, and may prefer bidders that already have a presence in India, according to one of the people. A representative for Hinduja didnt immediately respond to e-mailed queries. SunEdison Asia-Pacific President Pashupathy Gopalan and spokesmen for Khazanah and Sembcorp Industries declined to comment. A representative for Greenko said founder Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty wasnt immediately available to comment. Tata Power said in an e-mailed statement it is evaluating various options to create shareholder value, declining to comment further. Sovereign Backing Closely-held Hinduja Group, founded in India in 1914, has interests in automobiles, finance, media and energy on several continents. It is controlled by four brothers, including Hinduja Group Chairman Srichand Hinduja, who have a combined net worth of $14.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Story continues Co-chairman Gopichand Hinduja said in an interview last month that Hinduja Group is looking at distressed assets in Indias infrastructure and power sectors. The conglomerates Hinduja National Power Corp. unit is setting up a 1,040-megawatt thermal power plant in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, according to the group website. Tata Power, controlled by the $103 billion Tata conglomerate, has an installed gross electricity generation capacity of 9.2 gigawatts, its website shows. The company agreed in June to buy a 1.1-gigawatt solar and wind portfolio from Welspun Renewable Energy Pvt. in Indias biggest clean-energy deal. Closely-held Greenko raised $230 million in June selling stock to Singapore state investment company GIC Pte and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to help triple its renewable-energy capacity. --With assistance from Bhuma Shrivastava and Kyunghee Park To contact the reporters on this story: George Smith Alexander in Mumbai at galexander11@bloomberg.net, Elffie Chew in Kuala Lumpur at echew16@bloomberg.net, Anindya Upadhyay in New Delhi at aupadhyay22@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Scent at bscent@bloomberg.net, Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net, Fion Li 2016 Bloomberg L.P. Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, accusing him of ordering the coup attempt aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the warrant, Gulen stands accused of "ordering the July 15 coup", the Anadolu news agency reported. Gulen strongly denies any involvement and the movement he leads insists it is a charitable network promoting tolerant Islam. In a surprise move that a US State Department spokesman declined to confirm, Erdogan announced in a live television interview that the US's top envoy John Kerry intends to visit Turkey later this month. "I think their secretary of state is coming on the 21th (August)," Erdogan told state-run TRT television. Within the next two weeks, a delegation led by Turkey's foreign and justice ministers will also travel to the United States to explain Gulen's alleged involvement in the coup bid, he said. If confirmed, the visits would take place despite a spike in tensions with Washington, with Ankara repeatedly demanding Gulen's extradition since the July 15 coup bid. The warrant issued by an Istanbul court for the reclusive cleric who is based in Pennsylvania is the first since the failed putsch, Anadolu said. Ankara has sent two sets of documents to Washington since the coup as evidence of his involvement in the putsch attempt. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said American officials were reviewing the documents to determine whether they constituted a formal extradition request. But he declined to comment on whether Kerry would visit Turkey later this month. The crisis in Turkey has erupted at a time when the Ankara-Washington relationship is as important as ever, with the US needing Turkish help in the battle against Islamic State militants in Syria. US fighter jets have been using Turkey's southern base of Incirlik as a crucial launch point for lethal raids against IS targets in neighbouring Syria. - Erdogan weeps - A rogue faction within the military tried to wrest control of the country on July 15, launching attacks on parliament and the president's palace. At least 272 people including 34 coup plotters were killed and nearly 2,200 injured after people took to the streets and squares in support of the government. During Thursday's live interview, Erdogan broke down in tears while watching a documentary about the civilians who died on the night of the coup. Since the putsch attempt, thousands have been purged from their roles in the judiciary, police, military and education system, accused of being members of the coup movement, while more than 25,000 people have been detained. Western allies including the EU have expressed alarm over the purges. Turkish media including CNN-Turk broadcaster reported that Gulen's nephew, Muhammet Sait Gulen, was remanded in custody in Ankara on Thursday. He was detained on July 23 in connection with the coup, and was also wanted over the leaking of questions from civil service exams in 2010. Meanwhile, two members of Turkey's top constitutional court were dismissed from the profession after they were arrested over alleged involvement in the coup attempt, Anadolu said. Earlier in the day, Erdogan said in a speech live from the presidential palace that businesses linked to Gulen would also come under scrutiny and would be cut off. "At the moment, those captured are just the tip of the iceberg, others continue working. There is no doubt a pillar of this organisation is the business world. Perhaps that is where they are the strongest. "We will cut off all their business links, all the revenues of Gulen-linked businesses," Erdogan added in a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara. Erdogan said the Gulen "virus" spread everywhere and vowed to cleanse the state from the movement. "Each school, each house, each cramming school and each company of this structure is a hotbed of terror," he said. "Those men are murderers... those men are hypocrites... those men are insidious... those men are thieves." More than 13,000 people have been remanded in custody while nearly 75,000 passports have been cancelled since the coup bid. Over 60,000 people within military, judiciary, civil service and education have been dismissed, detained or are currently under investigation for suspected links to the Gulen movement. Women participation: 33pc representation sought in Cabinet Women rights activists have demanded 33 percent women ministers in the new Cabinet under newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Police Wednesday shot dead six supporters of a Philippine mayor days after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to have him "shot on sight" for protecting his allegedly drug-dealing son. Hundreds of people have died since Duterte won a landslide election on a pledge to wipe out lawlessness by killing tens of thousands of criminals. A gunfight broke out between law enforcers and supporters of mayor Rolando Espinosa at dawn on Wednesday outside his property in the central town of Albuera on Leyte island, police said. "The incident this morning is connected to the current investigation pertaining to the involvement of the mayor and his son in the illegal drugs trade," national police spokesman Dionaldo Carlos told reporters. He said six gunmen were killed while police recovered 17 guns and several grenades. On Monday Duterte gave Espinosa and his son 24 hours to surrender after police arrested five of the mayor's bodyguards and employees in a drug sting operation. "Otherwise, an order of 'shoot on sight' will be given if they resist and endanger the lives of arresting police officers," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said on television. The mayor surrendered to police on Tuesday. The son is at large. The mayor "surrendered to me... (following) orders of the president for him to be shot on sight if he resists," said national police chief Ronald de la Rosa. Police claim to have killed more than 400 suspected drug dealers in the month since Duterte took office, but rights groups fear the total could be far higher as vigilantes have joined the spree. Photos of one vigilante's victims being cradled by his weeping girlfriend at a busy Manila intersection last week have gone viral, helping raise awareness of the rising body count that has shocked the world. The victim, pedicab driver Michael Siaron, was laid to rest at a public cemetery in Manila on Wednesday in a low-key funeral attended by his sobbing girlfriend and several dozen relatives. Hundreds of anti-narcotics and human rights groups from around the world called Tuesday for the United Nations to condemn Duterte's policy. Police chief de la Rosa said Mayor Espinosa had been listed in police records as a "drug protector" whose son controlled the narcotics trade in the Albuera region. "If you're listening now Kerwin, your father has already surrendered so you should follow your father," de la Rosa said in a bizarre live news conference with Espinosa. "If you don't surrender you will die, so better surrender because your life is really in danger." The mayor was the second high-profile drug suspect to turn himself in after being accused by Duterte of drugs-related crimes. Last month, also on national television, Duterte told a businessman at a meeting he would "finish you off" unless he stopped dealing in drugs. The businessman denied the allegations. Police said more than 100,000 other people have also surrendered to the local authorities and pledged to stop using illegal drugs. You know how Jason Bourne always disappears in between movies, impervious to any sort of detection, only to pop up just in time for the next movies crisis? Well, thats something that can only happen in the world of movies or America. If Jason Bourne were in Singapore, hed be caught within 5 minutes of arriving. While yes, Mas Selamat did elude us for quite awhile back there, Jason Bournes a little different. Hes big and hes Caucasian, and he sticks out like a sore thumb. Plus theres surveillance equipment everywhere. So heres 5 ways that Jason Bourne could be caught right after entering Singapore. The bane of all drivers. (LTA) 1. Through Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries Every car, nay, every vehicle nowadays is equipped with an in-vehicle unit so that your dollars can be sucked out every time you pass under an ERP gantry. But its not just a money-draining machine the ERP is perfectly capable of tracking cars. Add to the fact that ERP gantries are now in the heartlands, and any vehicle that Jason Bourne hijacks will giveaway his locations faster than you can say cashcard. When our giant ERP satellite system is up, Jason Bourne will be caught within 1 minute of entering Singapore. ICAs enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System. (Home Team News) 2. enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System So you know how those ICA automated systems makes our lives much easier when were entering/leaving Singapore? Theyll also be the reason that Jason Bourne is caught. I know, I know, youre going to say that those gantries can be hacked, since thats exactly what he did in the movie. But youre forgetting that Singapore is going to block Internet access for public servants. That means no hacking. Jason Bourne will be caught the minute he pulls that fake passport out. Whos watching? (Alibaba) 3. Closed-circuit television CCTV cameras are everywhere now, thanks to the fact that theyre cheap and easy to install. Even libraries are installing CCTVs now, which is testament to their ubiquity. While the resolution might not be crystal clear, its hard to mask Jason Bournes size, since hes easily twice the girth of the average Singaporean. Story continues The security guards will red flag him once they spot him. Hell be really obvious. (United International Pictures) 4. By being a Caucasian So after that whole Holland Village Standard Chartered bank robbery, Singapore are especially alert when it comes to spotting Caucasians. It also doesnt help that they really are the minority in Singapore. Its difficult to blend in when youre Caucasian and everyone else is Chinese/Malay/Indian. Once news of Jason Bourne starts spreading, everyone will be on a look out for him. Heck, he wont even be able to go to a McDonalds toilet without someone spotting him. People will complain about anything, including parkour. (Superfly Monkey Dragons) 5. By performing all sorts of crazy stunts If youve read forum letters in local newspapers lately, youll noticed that Singaporeans will complain about anything thats the slightest bit dangerous, from sewing in MRT trains to phobias created by library fines. And Jason Bourne is the champion of dangerous stunts hes got abilities surpassing those of normal men, which is why hes so dangerous, right? Hell inevitably leap off tall buildings and barrel roll through heavy traffic, some bored auntie will write a complain letter, and then Jason Bourne will get caught. The guy already looks dangerous anyway, so someone will definitely complain about him at the airport. So how would you catch Jason Bourne? Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. Hes also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own. The human gut is a complex and amazing system, and the more we learn about it, the more amazed we are. It turns out Social Networking Edmodo Updates Social Networking Platform To Improve Collaboration, Resource Sharing Edmodo, a social network for schools, has rolled out a collection of updates focused on communication, collaboration and resource sharing and discovery ahead of the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. Updates to the platform, which claims more than 65 million users from 370,000 schools around the world, include: The ability for users to view Google Drive documents directly in Edmodoand to attach them to assignments and notes; The ability for users to sign in to Edmodo with their Google credentials; A new "topics" feature that allows teachers to see who else is interested in a topic to begin quickly collaborating with colleagues from around the world; Play, a self-guided environment designed to encourage students to answer high-quality questions; Group directories for administrators; and New tools designed to encourage parental engagement. Manish Kothari, Edmodo's general manager of platform, said in a prepared statement that the company is "focusing on making communication, collaboration, resource sharing and discovery even simpler and more relevant at a local, regional and global level." Virtual Schools Ohio Students in Virtual Charter Schools Perform Worse than Those in Traditional Public Schools Students who attended virtual charter schools, or e-schools, in Ohio performed worse on state tests than students who attended traditional, brick-and-mortar district schools, according to a study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an Ohio-based education research and advocacy group. In contrast, students in grades 4 through 8 who attended brick-and-mortar charter schools performed slightly better than their district school counterparts in both reading and math, the study found. The study was conducted by professor and learning technology researcher June Ahn of New York University, using student-level data from the 2009-10 school year through 2012-13. The information was obtained from the Ohio Department of Education. Here are some other key findings in the study, which was released this week: E-school students were mostly similar in race and ethnicity to students in physical district schools. But e-school students were lower achieving and more likely to have repeated the prior grade, more likely to have participated in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program, and less likely to have participated in gifted education. Students taking online math courses were more likely to enroll in basic classes relative to students taking face-to-face courses. Almost no students took advanced math courses, like AP statistics, calculus or algebra II, online, especially compared to students who take face-to-face classes. Findings also suggest that e-schools dragged down the performance of the entire charter sector. Ohio has one of the highest virtual charter school populations in the country, with 35,000 students enrolled full-time. Enrollment for e-schools has increased 60 percent during the past four years, making e-schools the fastest growing public education sector in the Buckeye State. A total of 1.7 million students are enrolled in Ohios K12 public education system, according to the Fordham Institute and the Ohio education department. Ohios online charter schools have been in the news recently. Last month, Ohios largest charter school and largest online K12 school, the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), lost an attempt in court to block a state audit of its attendance and state funding. About 15,000 students attend ECOT, which received between $107 million and $108 in state funding for the 2015-16 school year. Not surprisingly, the Fordham study concluded that Ohios e-school students are not achieving at the same level as their peers in brick-and-mortar district schools. In its conclusion, the study made four policy recommendations: E-schools serve challenging student populations. Many of these students may not be well suited or well supported to succeed in online learning environments that require independent learning and self-direction. E-schools must figure out how to do better by this population. If e-schools cant effectively educate the students who choose to enroll, consider using them more strategically specifically, by targeting students who are well suited to benefit most from online delivery. Rethink the all-or-nothing nature of enrolling in e-schools. Instead, allow students to combine high-quality fully online and face-to-face classes (without making them jump through hoops to earn credit or pay tuition). Harness the potential of e-schools to better understand how students learn online. The full report, Enrollment and Achievement in Ohios Virtual Charter Schools, can be accessed on the Fordham Institutes website. Virtual Schools Omaha Public Schools to Open Nebraska's First Virtual School This Month Omaha Public Schools are gearing up to open Nebraskas first virtual school for K8 students this month. During its first year, the Omaha Virtual School will be open only to home-schooled students, providing a mix of face-to-face instruction and online lessons, the Omaha World-Herald reported this week. Students participating in the free program will be given a laptop so they can receive instruction at home at their own pace. Theyll also be required to report in person once a week for face-to-face activities, such as field trips or science labs, as part of the programs blended learning model. I believe strongly that a school isnt just about the building, its about the students, Wendy Loewenstein, the virtual schools director, told the World-Herald. Not every student can find success in a traditional school environment, and our school will be providing another option for families to explore. The Omaha Board of Education unanimously approved the program last month, and the district has received more than 180 applications from students who wish to enroll, the World-Herald said. Enrollment will be capped at 300 for the first year. Students will be required to sign up for a minimum of two courses, which cover core subject areas such as math and language arts, as well as several technology-oriented electives. The district plans to hire four teachers and a student learning advocate, similar to a school counselor. OPS will pay K12 Classroom LLC, a Virginia-based, for-profit online learning company, to provide the web-based software and curriculum for online classes. The company was one of two to submit bids to deliver online content. K12 has been the subject of some controversy lately. Last month, K12 agreed to pay the $8.5 million as part of a settlement with the California Attorney Generals Office. K12 and the 14 California Virtual Academies it manages are also currently undergoing an audit by the states controllers office and the California Department of Education. And just this week, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute released a study that said students in Ohios virtual charter schools performed worse on state tests than those in traditional, brick-and-mortar district schools. Ohio has one of the highest virtual charter school populations in the country, with 35,000 students enrolled full-time. OPS Superintendent Mark Evans said Omahas program will avoid the pitfalls that have challenged virtual schools in other states. Its not uncommon to see articles across the nation about online schools that didnt do well, he said at a July 18 school board meeting. In other states Ive seen it happen because they didnt do it the right way. What you just heard tonight in this brief description is someone doing it the right way. Evans said Omaha Virtual School and its staff will remain firmly under the control of the district and the Nebraska Department of Education. Teachers will be state-certified and employees of OPS, and the curriculum will align with Nebraska standards, he said. Ultimately, the goal will be to open online classes to all OPS students if district officials can persuade Nebraskas legislature to provide state funding for virtual school students, the World-Herald reported. A similar bill in the last legislative session stalled out. While Omaha Virtual School will be the first K-8 virtual school in the state, online courses for high school students are already available, for a fee, through the University of Nebraska High School, the World-Herald said. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African mobile phone operator MTN Group flagged a half-year loss on Thursday, blaming a hefty fine in Nigeria and underperformance at home. * MTN said on June 10 it had agreed to pay a heavily reducedfine of 330 billion naira ($1.2 billion), or a third of theinitial penalty, in a settlement with Nigeria for missing adeadline to deactivate more than 5 million unregistered SIMcards. * MTN, Africa's biggest mobile phone group, said itsheadline loss was expected to come in a range of 285 cents to255 cents per share in the six months to end-June. * In total, the net effect of the Nigerian fine on thecurrent period was a negative impact of 474 cents per share. * Underlying operational results for half-year 2016 werefurther affected by under-performance of MTN Nigeria * Earnings were further negatively impacted by foreignexchange losses of 135 cents per share. * Relatively weaker operational performance of MTN SouthAfrica, which is expected to report a decline in EBITDA margin,impacted by a marked increase in the sale of lower-marginhandsets during half-year 2016.Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: [MTNJ.J] (Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng and Esha Vaish; Editing by Mark Potter) By Nina Chestney Aug 3 (Reuters) - French state-owned energy company EDF (Paris: FR0010242511 - news) 's plan to build the first new nuclear plant in Britain for 20 years is being reviewed by the British government under the leadership of new Prime Minister Teresa May. If construction starts on the 3.2 gigawatt Hinkley Point C plant in 2019 as is currently envisaged, it would likely take at least a decade before it comes online and then it would provide around 7 percent of Britain's electricity generation. The timeline of the project is outlined below. July 2006: A government energy review, launched under former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, said nuclear could make a significant contribution to Britain's energy mix but the private sector would have to construct, fund and operate any new plants and cover the full cost of decommissioning and long-term waste management. February 2007: Vincent de Rivaz, the chief executive of EDF (Hanover: E2F.HA - news) Energy, EDF's UK division, said Britons would be cooking their Christmas dinners powered with energy from a new nuclear plant in Britain in 2017. September 2008: EDF bought British Energy, then operator of Britain's existing fleet of nuclear plants, for 12.4 billion pounds ($16.5 billion). The deal included a joint venture with UK utility Centrica (LSE: CNA.L - news) , which took a 20 percent stake in EDF Energy and the option to participate in its nuclear new-build programme. EDF said it wanted to build two European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) at the Hinkley Point site in Somerset where nuclear plant Hinkley Point B was in operation and Hinkley Point A was being decommissioned. October 2010: The British government said Hinkley Point was one of eight locations it thought suitable for future nuclear power plants. October 2011: EDF submitted an application for development consent to the Infrastructure Planning Commission. November 2012: The UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation awarded a nuclear site licence to EDF. Story continues December 2012: Regulators approved the use of the EPR design in Britain. February 2013: Centrica withdrew from EDF's new nuclear build programme, citing higher-than-expected construction costs and a longer timetable after a safety review of new nuclear reactors was ordered by the British government after Japan's Fukushima disaster. March 2013: The government grants planning consent but agreement was needed between EDF and the British government on the fixed "strike price" the company would be given. The strike price would guarantee EDF a certain price for each unit of power the new plant produced. The difference between the market price and the guaranteed price would be topped up with subsidies. Total (LSE: 524773.L - news) installation costs were expected to be 14 billion pounds. October 2013: A provisional agreement was reached between EDF Energy and the government over the strike price, which would be 92.50 pounds per megawatt hour for 35 years. The cost of the project had meanwhile reached 16 billion pounds. EDF said Hinkley would now not produce its first power until 2023, subject to a final investment decision in July 2014. December 2013: The European Commission opened an investigation into whether the project breached state aid rules. May 2014: Preparatory works such as temporary construction roads start to be done at the site. October 2014: The European Commission approved the project, but said the plant will cost 24.5 billion pounds. June 2015: The Austrian government filed a legal complaint with the European Commission regarding state aid for Hinkley Point C. September 2015: EDF said the project would not be completed by 2023 and a final investment decision would be taken the following month. The British government announced an initial 2 billion pound loan guarantee for Hinkley. October 2015: EDF signed a deal with China General Nuclear Power Corporation, which took a stake of a third in the project and provide 6 billion pounds. Start-up was scheduled for 2025. February 2016: EDF said the start of actual construction would not start until 2019. March 2016: EDF's finance director resigned as the project would put too much stress on EDF's already stretched balance sheet. July 2016: EDF's board of shareholders narrowly voted to proceed with the project. An EDF board member quit ahead of the vote saying the project was financially risky. Britain's new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, said the government would not sign the contract over the next few days as expected, but delayed the decision until the autumn to consider the project. Sources: UK government, EDF Energy websites; Reuters ($1 = 0.7501 pounds) (Editing by David Evans) * Financial services body to lobby for EU access in trade talks * Getting banks to speak with one voice seen as biggest challenge * Vadera's personality as issue for some, an asset for others By Andrew MacAskill and Huw Jones LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - In early October 2008, then Business Minister Shriti Vadera called a secret meeting of bankers and government officials on the top floor of Standard Chartered's City of London (LSE: CIN.L - news) headquarters to address Britain's biggest peacetime crisis. The collapse of Lehman Brothers two weeks earlier - the biggest bankruptcy in history - had caused UK credit markets to seize up and pushed some of Britain's biggest high street lenders, including Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS.L - news) and HBOS, to the brink of implosion. Vadera told the meeting that if they did not quickly come up with a bold plan the economy was on the verge of collapse, according to two people present at the gathering. The strategy she came up with is credited by some as driving then Prime Minister Gordon Brown's subsequent bank bailout plan, burnishing her credentials for her latest role - representing major banks as Britain negotiates to leave the European Union. "She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) was one of the most important people in the banks' rescue," said a person who spent months working on the bailout. "Throughout the whole process she made people do things that they didn't want to do: the banks, the Treasury, the Bank of England. She is a force of nature." Vadera, a former investment banker, is now chairwoman of Santander UK (LSE: 44RS.L - news) and is being called upon to protect the banks again, this time as chair of the new lobby. Britons' vote to leave the European Union spells years of uncertainty for the UK financial industry, which accounts for about 12 percent of economic output and is the biggest generator of taxes. It is an upheaval that threatens London's dominance of global finance. The group led by Oxford-educated Vadera will push the government to retain as much access to Europe's single market as possible as it renegotiates Britain's relationship with the other 27 members of the bloc. Story continues EU leaders have made clear market access is impossible unless a country also allows EU citizens the right to work in Britian, something the banks would welcome but which many of those who voted in June to leave the bloc reject. That puts an industry scorned by Britons since the financial crisis on a collision course with large swaths of the public who reject the EU partly because of fears about immigration. People who have worked with Vadera say her directness is part of her appeal, although her style can be abrasive. Two of them said former finance minister Alistair Darling once had her locked her out of a meeting during the financial crisis after she was rude to one of his officials. "She appears to believe that unless there is blood on the carpet, preferably that of her own colleagues, then she has not done her job," Darling said of her in his memoirs. Vadera declined to comment for this story. TASK FORCE Her supporters say she has what it takes to forge consensus between the new government, divided between eurosceptics and supporters of the EU, and the disparate views of Britain's financial sector of banks, insurers, brokers and asset managers. "This is something that needs both knowledge of Europe and government and has to be done with energy, with directness," HSBC Chairman Douglas Flint told Reuters in the first public comments by a member of the group. "We need to drive quickly what's really important and it takes leadership that combines both intellect and a bit of vigour." The task force comprises about a dozen top names from the financial district, including Royal Bank of Scotland Chairman Howard Davies, insurer Aviva (Other OTC: AIVAF - news) 's chairman Adrian Montague, Allianz (Hanover: ALVN.HA - news) Global Investors' vice chair Liz Corley, and Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) chairman John McFarlane. From an office in London's Mayfair district, it will offer advice to the Treasury, as well the newly created ministries of the Department for Exiting the European Union and International Trade in their negotiations over leaving the EU. Some of its thinking is already emerging. This includes appealing to large companies in continental Europe to make the case for Britain's continued access to the single market, perhaps coupled with continuing to contribute to the EU budget after it has formally left the bloc. "There won't be a single view but we are making sure that everyone understands the key issues, what's important and what we are fighting for," Flint said. While Prime Minister Theresa May will be mindful of the tax revenue financial services generate, other industrial sectors will be vying for her attention as well. HERDING CATS? Vadera's reputation could work against her as well as in her favour. The same two people who worked with her said she was known as "Shriti the Shriek" by government officials for her ability to reduce junior staff to tears when she worked as a minister and protege of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. A friend said that while she can be difficult, some of her public portrayal comes with an element of misogyny. "She is strong minded and strong willed, but with men that is often seen as a virtue," the person said. Born in Uganda, she was brought up in India and Britain after the dictator Idi Amin expelled her family. Days before the referendum, Vadera wrote a column after lawmaker Jo Cox was killed about the benefits of EU membership. She said Britain's long history of internationalism is a source of its economic strength and was grateful that as a stateless child she could become a British citizen. "I love the Britain that can nurture immigrants like me and make them its own," Vadera said. Vadera's task force, whose full name is the Financial Services EU Task Force, won't have the field to itself. The Financial Services Negotiation Forum also aims to bend the government's ear in trade talks, styling itself more as a grassroots body led by City veterans that wants to give smaller financial firms in London and beyond a voice as well, which will inevitably mean differing priorities. An executive at one bank, who worked on the rescue of the British banks during bailout, said he was skeptical that even a task force backed by top lenders will have much success in a sector known for the aggressive pursuit of self-interest. "I don't think the task force will have much force or many tasks," he said. "Everyone will just pursue their own agenda." He did, though, say Vadera is the best person for the role. He remembers her berating the bank CEOs who didn't want to accept taxpayer money during the financial crash and urging officials from the Treasury to get on with the bailout. "She is the most organised, capable person I can think of for this job," he said. "She is a very hard woman to say no to." (Reporting By Andrew MacAskill and Huw Jones; editing by Philippa Fletcher) A crowdfunding campaign to help families of Iraq War veterans potentially take legal action against Tony Blair has hit its 150,000 target. The initial 50,000 target was met in just nine hours when it went live on 19 July, so organisers increased their goal. Nearly 5,000 people have so far contributed to the appeal and it still has 15 days left to run. The total currently stands at more than 153,000. Reg Keys and Roger Bacon, whose sons were among the 179 UK personnel killed, are leading the push for funds. "This is great proof of the underlying support from the British people in our quest for answers and for justice," they said in a statement. "It is startling and humbling at the same time. CrowdJustice has proved an invaluable aid in this process." The money will help lawyers - currently working for free for The Iraq War Families Campaign Group - to fully analyse the 2.6 million-word report. They hope to put together "a comprehensive opinion approved by expert senior counsel" and decide whether any legal action has a chance of success. "We, the Families, wish to bring such legal proceedings against any state officials who might have acted unlawfully or in excess of their powers," says the crowdfunding page. Mr Blair, prime minister at the time of the war, was severely criticised in last month's long-awaited Chilcot report. Among its findings were that peaceful means had not been exhausted, and that the PM had told George Bush eight months before the war that he would be with him "whatever". However the report did not make a finding on whether the war was illegal. Mr Blair, speaking after the report's publication, expressed "more sorrow, regret and apology ... than you can know or may believe" over the flawed intelligence used to justify the war and the conflict's bloody aftermath. However he insisted he did not lie to the public and that all decisions were taken in good faith. 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. Ares Management is reportedly seeking to raise more than $45bn for its latest batch of funds. Florida State Board of Administration has committed more than $799m across nine funds in the second quarter. The commit Modified On Aug 04, 2016 02:18 PM By Raunak for Hyundai Elantra 2015-2019 It is expected of Hyundai to launch the sixth-generation Elantra next month Hyundai is all set to introduce the sixth-generation 2016 Elantra in India in September and dealerships have already started accepting bookings for the upcoming sedan. However, there is no official word from Hyundai regarding the bookings. Dealers are accepting bookings for the new Elantra with a payment of around Rs 25,000. Deliveries of the vehicle are expected to begin soon after its official launch. The previous Elantra is no match to the upcoming sedan, in almost every aspect. The 2016 Elantra is based on a new lightweight platform, offers new engines along with added features. In terms of design, it is based on the Hyundais Fluidic Sculpture 2.0. Like the outgoing model, the new Elantra will compete primarily with the highest-selling vehicle in its class the Toyota Corolla Altis. Rest of the rivals include the Skoda Octavia, the Volkswagen Jetta, and the Chevrolet Cruze. Moreover, the tenth-generation Honda Civic, which might become one of its chief competitors, is also expected to come next year. Similar to its predecessor, the new Elantra will be priced in the vicinity of Rs 15 lakh. Check out: what we know so far about the upcoming 2016 Hyundai Elantra including drivetrains, platform, and features Read More on : Elantra Modified On Aug 04, 2016 06:22 PM By Arun In the past decade, we have heard a few not-so-pleasant stories pertaining to Skoda, especially its after sales division. While its cars were competent offerings in themselves, the feeble dealer and workshop network, coupled with a few sour experiences hit the Czech brand hard. Now, however, Skoda has resolved to make amends and to strengthen its appeal in India. Here's how: First on the agenda is revamping the existing showrooms. The dealerships will sport a different layout, with fresh colours, aimed at making them 'customer friendly' and 'transparent'. "The customer is at the centre for all processes in the dealership, from initial greeting through the sales pitch and the test drive to delivery of the vehicle. This new concept will allow fast, direct and easy communication with the customer", read a press release issued by Skoda. Moreover, sales representatives will be armed with iPads that will allow customers to browse through products and options easily. The service, which has been a sour point for many owners, will be consciously looked upon as well. For starters, Skoda has launched an app called 'MYSKODA', which serves as a logbook for a particular car and can be used to view past services, predict the next service, and also call for roadside assistance. Other service initiatives include same-day delivery for periodic service, an itemised bill and 'menu pricing' that will ensure uniformity in service costs across workshops and let customers choose the service they require. The manufacturer will also extend the warranty to four years / one lakh kms, whichever comes first, starting September 2016. The warranty covers all major items, including the engine, gearbox, brakes and electricals. Existing owners can opt for this warranty October onwards. Before we forget, Skoda says that the service is free of charge if the customer doesn't get the car delivered on the same day or does not get an itemised bill. The Czech automaker is going the extra mile (quite literally) and offering four years of roadside assistance (RSA) at no extra cost. RSA includes services such as wheel change, fuel delivery (up to 10 litres) and taxi coordination. Other features include towing to a workshop and accommodation / alternative transport for the customers. We've already told you about Skoda's product plan for 2017, which includes four new cars and two new variants. The new products, coupled with the aggressive service ramp-up, is bound to earn the Czech automaker some brownie points with the masses. Also Read: Preview: Skoda Kodiaq The St. Petersburg, Fla.-based PSCU announced it is expanding its digital wallet offerings to include Masterpass by MasterCard and Microsoft Wallet. The CUSO plans to make the wallets available by September. As more members adopt the new generation of digital wallets, our owner credit unions need the flexibility to offer a wide range of digital payment options to their members, Denise Stevens, SVP of product delivery for PSCU, said. The availability of Masterpass and Microsoft Wallet enables our owners to offer a digital wallet to meet virtually any member requirement for device compatibility, convenience and security. Members can utilize Masterpass in the checkout process and with purchases online, in-app and in-store with one secure account. Members are required to register online and load their credit unions MasterCard credit or debit card. Members can also store their cards and shipping information to make it easier to shop online, in-app and at more than a million store locations. SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., August 3, 2016 The Center for Biological Diversity today sued California regulators for supporting a so-called aquifer exemption plan to turn underground water in the Price Canyon area of San Luis Obispo County into a permanent disposal site for oil wastewater and other fluids. There are at least 100 water supply wells for drinking water and crop irrigation within a mile of this aquifer. Todays lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in San Luis Obispo, faults regulators for not analyzing the aquifer exemption plans risks as required by the California Environmental Quality Act. The suit asks the court to set aside the states approval of the aquifer exemption and halt oil company injection into this underground water until regulators have complied with CEQA.Oil regulators are disturbingly determined to turn this aquifer into an oil industry waste dump, but they cant just shrug off Californias environmental laws, said Maya Golden-Krasner, the Center attorney bringing the lawsuit. As California sweats out another year of drought, officials must analyze the risks of sacrificing underground water in San Luis Obispo County and across the state to oil companies. If we let oil companies pollute these aquifers, Californians will bitterly regret that decision in the dry decades to come.The states Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources submitted the aquifer exemption application in February to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. If the EPA approves the plan to exempt the aquifer from protection under the Safe Drinking Water Act, oil giant Freeport-McMoRan could move forward with plans to drill hundreds of new wells in the area.This is state officials first attempt to seek an aquifer exemption following revelations last year that oil companies have been allowed to dump toxic waste into scores of protected underground water supplies across California, in violation of federal and state water-protection laws. (interactive map: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/maps/highlighted_maps/enhanced_oil_recovery_wells.html A Center analysis has identified serious flaws in the aquifer exemption application for Arroyo Grande. The application, for example, fails to mention the companys plans to dramatically expand operations in the Arroyo Grande oil field. Freeport hopes to drill up to 350 new wells (including injection wells) to achieve up to a 10-fold increase in daily oil production.The application also does not include any analysis of what will happen to the aquifer if that expansion proceeds including possible changes in pressures underground and the potential for inducing fractures that could transport pollution to other water sources.Oil industry wastewater can contain high levels of benzene and other cancer-causing chemicals. State oil officials own study detected benzene levels in oil wastewater at thousands of times the federal limits for drinking water.Its shocking that Gov. Jerry Browns oil regulators are supporting the oil industrys efforts to get federal permission to dump waste into Californias protected aquifers, Golden-Krasner said. California officials must put our thirsty states water needs ahead of oil company profits.The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.Center for Biological Diversity You dont have to cross the Atlantic to travel to Europe. In fact, select American, Canadian and Mexican cities come very close to simulating the age-old infrastructure and tight pedestrian quarters that the worlds most romantic continent is traditionally known for. For timeless looks, new-age sensibility and cheaper airfare, head to one of these instead. Before you read any further, I exhort you to pause and search for Puebla on Google Images. Ill wait. Impressive, right? Makes you want a book a flight this week. Puebla has colorful, sun-bleached Spain written all over it. Due to surrounding volcanoes, snow-capped mountains and ancient ruins, however, it may be even better than the real thing. Located 70 miles southeast of Mexico City, this one deserves to be high on your bucket list. If you drive north from New England into Quebec, youll suddenly feel as though youve been transported to another continent. The signs are in French. The air smells different. Along the way, Montreal will give a legitimate tease of Parisian life. But for an even more Paris-like experience with fewer skyscrapers and more French speakers, continue on to Quebec City (pictured at top). Its unlike anything youve ever seen or visited in North America. The capital of Puerto Rico looks more like Miami than it does Southern Europe. But if you head for the isle of Old San Juan, the historic eight-by-ten block core of the city, youll probably feel as though youve landed in Spain. As a popular cruising stop, the 500-year-old district is touristy during peak season. But the forts, castles, colored villas and cobblestone are still worth it. New Englanders might roll their eyes at this inclusion. But thats only because theyve become numbed to Bostons old age, creepy cemeteries, cobblestone streets and important New World history. For everyone else, this city just feels different. At 400 years of age, its not as old as Europe. But its not as young as the rest of America either, making it a good hybrid of what colonial lifeand by extension the once ruling European hegemonyused to look like. Truly one of Americas and the Old Worlds greatest cities. There is a highly-rated place here called Country Club Plaza that was modeled after Seville, Spain. It includes ornate towers, red tile rooms and cozy courtyards. For added European measure, theres also Roman fountains, life-size sculptures and outdoor murals. Granted, the parking stinks, which, coincidentally, is also European. But in between fine dining, twinkling lights and gondola rides, you wont believe youre in Missouri. A wonderful place to spend an afternoon or evening with the added bonus of being in one of the nations BBQ capitols. Photo: Steve Leclerc, CC-BY Off the Grid columnist Blake Snow writes epic stories for fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies. Follow him on Twitter. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search Hyundai previewed the next generation Verna sedan in concept format at the Beijing Auto Show back in April last year. Now, about 1.5 years later, the car is all set to be launched in India. Last month, Hyundai India shared a couple of teaser photos and videos of the new Verna. Now, Team-BHP has managed to click the images of the car inside the plant. These are the first undisguised images of the India-spec Verna. Compared to the variant already on sale in China, the India-spec Verna comes with extra chrome in the front. The hexagonal chrome front grille has five chrome slats within. In addition to this, the fog lamps are also encased in chorme and so are the headlight units. It will also get a sunroof, chrome door handles, tinted windows and keyless entry. Automatic climate control, touchscreen infotainment with navigation, 6 airbags and leather upholstery will also be a part of its interior features on the top end Hyundai Verna. Set on a longer wheelbase of 2,600m (30 mm longer than old Verna), the 2017 Hyundai Verna will measure 4405 mm in length (30 mm longer), 1,729 mm in width (29 mm wider), 1,469 mm in height (6 mm shorter) contributing to more space inside and better driving characteristics. Where engine specifications are concerned, 2017 Hyundai Verna will continue with the same range of engine options which are on offer with current Verna. These are 1.4 liter and 1.6 liter petrol and diesel engines. The 1.4 liter petrol engine is rated at 107 PS / 135 Nm and mated to a 5 speed MT. The 1.6 liter petrol engine is rated at 123 PS / 155 Nm and mated to a 5 speed MT or 4 speed AT. The 1.4 liter diesel engine is rated at 90 PS / 220 Nm and mated to a 6 speed MT. The 1.6 liter diesel engine is rated at 128 PS / 260 Nm and mated to a 6 speed MT or 4 speed AT. As is seen with the current Hyundai Verna, the 2017 model will also compete with the Honda City, Maruti Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid and Fiat Linea. Pricing will also be marginally increased as features are more upmarket. Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe India-launch scheduled for March 3, 2020. The SUV-coupe will come in 300 petrol and 300d diesel 4MATIC formats. Mercedes-Benz India plans to launch the facelifted coupe version of the GLC five-seater SUV on March 3, 2020. The new Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe made its global debut earlier in 2019 and will come to the Indian market in 300 petrol and 300d diesel 4MATIC formats. The facelifted GLC was launched towards the end of last year at a starting price of 52.75 lakh ex-showroom. The facelifted GLC coupe models will feature all the new-age Mercedes features that are available in the regular SUV version. This includes full-LED headlamps and tail lamps, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster which is accompanied by a 10.25-inch touchscreen; plusher upholstery and more. One of the main highlights of modern-day Mercedes products is the MBUX (Mercedes Benz User eXperience) infotainment system which opens door to a whole range of functions by multiple methods of inputs: touchscreen on the dashboard, touchpad on the central console, steering-mounted controls and voice commands (which can be activated by saying, Hey Mercedes). The Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe 300 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol motor which makes around 255bhp and 370Nm of torque. On the other hand, the GLC Coupe 300d (which would most likely be the better seller) employs a 2.0-litre i4 diesel mill, good for roughly 245bhp and 500Nm. Both BS6-compliant engines are coupled to a 9-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission. All-wheel-drive will be standard as the 4MATIC moniker suggests. At present, the GLC Coupe is available in the country only in the sporty AMG GLC 43 4MATIC avatar, which costs around Rs 75 lakh ex-showroom. Since its Indian launch back in July 2017, the GLC 43 has found a decent number of takers for a performance SUV coming at the price point. The current Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 is powered by a 3.0-litre bi-turbo V6 petrol engine that churns out 362bhp and 520Nm of torque. The engine is mated to the familiar 9-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission (tuned to handle the extra output) that sends power to all four wheels via the brands proven 4MATIC AWD system. The performance SUV-coupe has an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h. It is expected to come in the refreshed 2020 avatar (which has already hit global markets) at a later stage. Expected prices of the new Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe are in the range of Rs 60-65 lakh ex-showroom. Once launched, it will be a direct rival to the likes of the BMW X4 SUV-coupe. Shri Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister of India announced GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha and its effect will be felt by all sectors in the country and more predominantly on the auto sector. GST will have two components with regard to federal structure and include Central GST and State GST. In simpler terms, GST stands for one single tax to be imposed on all goods and services taking the place of all sorts of indirect taxes in place as on date. Where the auto industry is concerned, GST will only need to be paid by the automaker at the time of dispatch of goods as GST is destination based tax. It is yet to be ascertained whether GST will be payable on stock transfer or on sales value. Many automakers have also invested in states that offer them certain benefits in terms of taxes especially where SEZ and backward areas are concerned. Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has also asked the finance ministry to consider various issues on passing of GST Bill. It has requested that vehicle sales be included under its gambit so that there are no additional taxes levied to increase burden of both manufactures and buyers. Mr. A. K. Rastogi, GM Finance, Nippon Audiotronix has also addressed the issue of GST Bill stating that it will have a positive impact on the auto sector as it will take off all effects of taxes on cost of goods and services. As on date, automakers charge 2% CST which is included in the cost of the vehicle which is not creditable while where GST is concerned, credit will be available. While the general perception is that cost of vehicles will rise, the actual fact is that prices will be reduced which will ultimately be to the benefit of the customer. Images via CNBCTV18 Just a few weeks post launch, the KTM 790 Duke BS4 variant is being offered at a hefty discount of upto Rs.1 lakh; ahead of the BS6 launch. KTM is offering a discount of Rs.1 lakhs on the 790 Duke for a limited period only. This discount is on the current BS4 variant which is priced at Rs.8,63,945. The KTM 790 Duke is the highest displacement KTM motorcycle on sale in India currently. It is on sale in 9 cities in India. These are Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Guwahati, Surat, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. The company now plans launch of the BS6 compliant 790 Duke by March 2020. The BS6 variant will be on sale in over 30 cities of India. For Dec 2019, 790 Duke sales were 0 units. The BS4 KTM Duke 790 gets its power via a 799cc, parallel twin, liquid cooled, 8 valve DOHC engine offering 105 hp power and 87 Nm torque. It gets 4 riding modes of Sport, Street, Rain and Track and safety features that include switchable ABS, traction control, cornering ABS, and motor slip regulation. Suspension and braking is via non adjustable forks in the front and preloaded adjustable monoshock at the rear with braking via dual disc in the front and single rotors at the rear. The BS6 KTM Duke 790 will come in as a CKD unit. It is expected to command a premium of Rs.50,000 over the current model and besides the BS6 update will see no other mechanical changes. KTM is also updating the RC 390, 390 Duke and 250 Duke to comply with BS6 emission standards from later this month. The launch of these three BS6 bikes will be followed by launch of the KTM 200 Duke and RC200 BS6. The KTM 125 Duke and RC 125 are not yet a part of the update as the company will continue to sell these two bikes in its BS4 format till the end of February with upgrades to be introduced only just prior to the 1st April 2020 deadline. KTM had also showcased the 790 Adventure at the 2019 IBW in Goa along with the 390 Adventure. The 790 Adventure is slated for launch in India by last quarter of 2020. It will also come in via the CKD route and will sport design cues from the 1290 Adventure. It will be powered by a 799cc, parallel twin engine from the 790 Duke. The engine offers 94 bhp power at 8,250 rpm and 88 Nm torque at 6,600 rpm mated to a 6 speed gearbox. 4 women bikers Dr Sarika Mehta, Dr Yugma Desai, Durriya Tapia and Khyati Desai have just completed a 10,000 km long journey across 10 nations. The team finished their road trip in 39 days. The ride was a part of the PM Modis Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. The countries they covered include Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore. The 4 women bikers set off for their journey from Kathmandu on June 6, 2016 and went from nation to nation spreading the message Save Girl Child. They also educated people about issues such as female foeticide, girl child education, gender inequality and welfare and supportive measures for women empowerment. They tackled the most diverse of terrains right from the treacherous mountainous terrains in Bhutan to the forests of Nagaland and even had to contend with trouble at the borders while entering Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore. The bikers visited schools and universities along with route besides non government organizations to put forth their message. The flag-off ceremony was held on 4th June in Surat. It saw over 500 people wave checkered flags, and 15,000 bikers ride along them for 10 minutes. This gained the riders an entry in the Guinness Book of World Record of Most People Waving checkered flags. Biking Queens Club consists of 50 members as on date. It was formed by Dr. Sarika Mehta, a psychologist, in 2015. The club strives to address various social causes right from Save the Girl Child to Road Safety and Say No to Drugs. Photos For more details, visit their Facebook page. Ferrari has unveiled the new F8 Spider, a drop top sports car that is designed on the same lines as the F8 Tributo Berlinetta. It is essentially a replacement of the 488 Spider; which now comes in with several feature updates and a mid rear mounted V8 engine. It gets a retractable hard top which takes 14 seconds to open or close which can be achieved even when the car is travelling at 45 kmph. Ferrari states that the new F8 Spider is 44 pounds (20 kgs) lighter than its earlier counterpart 488 Spider; but 44 pounds heavier as compared to the 488 Pista Spider. Kerb weight of the new F8 Spider stands at 1,400 kgs. This reduction in weight of rotating and non static masses such as titanium con rods, crankshaft and flywheel allows the engine speed to increase rapidly. The exhaust layout is also modified while the exhaust line gets a new Gasoline Particulate Filter as per new homologation norms. It borrows its engine lineup from the Pista with a 3902cc V8 engine which offers 710 hp power at 8,000 rpm and 568 lb/ft (770 Nm) torque at 3,250 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 7 speed dual clutch transmission allowing for acceleration from 0 to 100 kmph in 2.9 seconds and from 0 to 199 kmph in 8.20 seconds with a top speed of 340 kmph. This torque figure is 10 Nm higher than that offered on the 488 Spider at lower engine speeds. Its top speed is also a notable improvement over the 488 Spider which had a top speed of 325 kmph. 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider gets the latest in Ferrari technology which includes electronic limited slip differential, side slip control allowing for controlled drifting, Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer system to adjust brake pressure as per individual calipers and also to optimize traction into and out of corners. It also gets better aerodynamics with a new 6.1 version of Side Slip Angle Control system. The 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider which will compete with the McLaren 720S Spider will see a price higher than that of the coupes $274,280 base price. The new F8 Spider also gets the companys 7 year maintenance program which covers all regular maintenance items for the first 7 years. Tata Motors took over Land Rover more than a decade ago. Immediately after the take over, one question that was on everyones mind was that when will we get a Land Rover based Tata SUV. This was finally answered earlier this year, in the form of Harrier. Tata Harrier is based on the Land Rover D8 platform, but has been modified extensively to be cost effective but at the same time not lose the Land Rovers off-road characteristics. What this has achieved is that the Tata Harrier is priced about 1/3 rd the cost of the most affordable Land Rover, and delivering exceptional drive and handling SUV characteristics. Now, if a report is to be believed, impressed by the Tata Harriers OMEGA ARC (short for Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture) Land Rover has decided to build a new affordable SUV, based on the Tata Harrier platform. Tata Harriers Omega ARC platform has benefitted immensely as far as cost saving is concerned. Manufactured in India using Tata Steel has helped reduce cost greatly. Codenamed L860 internally, it is possible that this is the same project which was shut down as the L851 many years ago. L851 was also a baby Land Rover / Range Rover project, which had been discontinued due to unknown reasons. It was also proposed that this new SUV will be built exclusively in India, at the Tata Motors plant in Pune. But these plans were later scrapped. This new Land Rover SUV is expected to be priced about 25,000 (Rs 23.26 lakhs) and will be launched some time in 2021. It will be first launched in the UK, and then in other countries of Europe. Considering that it is based on the Tata Harrier platform, and that it is going to be affordable, there are high chances that the SUV will be launched in India as well. No details about engine and transmission is on offer as of now. But expect the new SUV to be powered by a petrol as well as a diesel engine option. The report also states that the chassis will have space for battery as well. This means it could get hybrid powertrain as well. Unlike the Tata Harrier, Land Rover SUV will get even better ride and handling as it will employ multi-link suspension in the front as well as at the rear. It will get FWD as well as AWD option. Harrier only comes as FWD. Tata had said during Harrier launch that the platform is AWD ready, but the because there is less demand for AWD in India, they decided not to launch Harrier AWD in India. Here in India, this new affordable Land Rover SUV could take on the likes of Audi Q3, Mercedes GLA, Volvo XC40, BMW X1. Land Rover currently does not have an SUV in the compact segment. Their most affordable SUV currently is the Discovery Sport, which starts at about Rs 45 lakhs. This new Tata Harrier based Land Rover SUV in India, could be priced at about Rs 30-35 lakhs. Source If you are one of those people who think that the Rolls Royce Cullinan is a hideous automobile with exorbitant price tag, then you wouldt like this news. Yes, there are actually a lot of affluent people in this world who fancy the elite British auto marques first ever SUV parked in front of their swanky mansions. The Cullinan is proof that a good number of people associate class with heritage and brand image rather than aesthetics. The Cullinan is so successful that the Goodwood-based outfit is now currently sitting on enough orders to keep its craftsmen fully occupied till July. The ultra-luxury SUV continues to bring in more orders. The new Phantom which was introduced in 2017 is doing well too. Rolls Royce finished 2018 with record breaking sales of 4,107 units but the sales figure doesnt fully reflect the impact made by Cullinan since the deliveries commenced only towards end of the year. Thanks to the SUV, RR is looking at an even better sales performance this year. Martin Fritsches, CEO of Rolls Royce Motor Cars Americas, stated that the Cullinan has succeeded in bringing new audience to the ultra-luxury brand. About half of the Cullinan customers are new to Rolls Royce, and unlike for other models from the brand, a significant portion of the customer base comprises women. He also added that several of 44 Rolls Royce dealerships in the Americas have heavily invested in expanding or setting up new showrooms in the wake of increased demand for the Cullinan. He foresees that Canada would emerge as one of the important markets for the Rolls Royce SUV since its 44 system is suitable for the weather conditions there. To recap, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan employs the same aluminium platform which also underpins the new Phantom limousine. The high-riding Rolls derives its power from a 6.5-liter V12 petrol engine which develops 563 PS and a hefty 850 Nm of torque. The SUV sports air suspension, all-wheel drive system, high-end connectivity and infotainment system, and a lot more to justify its monumental price tag. Like any RR product, customers have the option of customizing their vehicles with seemingly limitless options. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is available in India at INR 6.95 crores (ex-showroom). Are we the only ones to be surprised that people are actually queuing up to buy this car? On World Environment Day, Salman Khan announced the launch of his own range of cycles, under the brand Being Human. At the launch event, gave a speech on road safety. This is what he said I think cycles are okay but motorcycles are really dangerous for them (youth) and for other people around. We shoot in Film City, so I see on the highway people racing and recklessly. Back in the time, there used to be races at the reclamation, I lost a friend of mine. I am against that. If you want to race, do that on the racing tracks. Dont use main roads and out yourself and others, who are traveling with you, in danger. the crashed car of Salman khan The irony here is, Salman was once convicted by a sessions court of driving his car over a footpath in a drunk state which resulted in the death of 1 and four others, who were asleep on the footpath. The judge did not believe Salman Khan that he was not the one who was driving the car at the time of accident, it was his driver. The judge did not believe him and convicted him. Judge Deshpande also charged Salman Khan with culpable homicide and awarded a sentence of 5 years. But the verdict was overturned couple of months later by the High Court and Salman Khan was acquitted of all charges. Salman Khan with the Suzuki Gixxer SF As per the verdict, all charges against 49 year old Bollywood actor have been dismissed. Bombay high court judge Anil Ramchandra Joshi announced the verdict in presence of Salman and his family. He stated The appeal is allowed and the decision of the trial court is quashed and set aside. Salman Khan is acquitted of all charges. The prosecution failed to establish [the charges] beyond reasonable doubt. Now the high court has said that key evidence including testimony from a policeman who has since died was not reliable. The state of Maharashtra is expected to appeal the verdict in a higher court. As far as images reveal, this convertible version of Maruti Jimny seems good enough to be considered for factory production Clinicians should think twice when prescribing opioid medication to patients for the first time to relieve pain, migraines or severe coughs. To prevent possible addiction, doctors and pharmacists should err on the side of caution when considering dosages or subsequent refills. This was highlighted in a study led by Richard Deyo of Oregon Health and Science University in the US, in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer. A substantial increase in opioid prescriptions over the past two decades in the US has gone hand-in-hand with a significant rise in overdoses and addiction treatment. These trends have prompted calls for the more selective use of opioids for medical reasons. Deyo's team wanted to shed light on how much and for how long opioids can be prescribed for the first time to so-called opioid-naive patients without their inadvertently becoming long-term users. They focused their attention on Oregon, the US state with the highest rate of non-medical opioid users in a 2012 survey. One year's data was obtained from Oregon's prescription monitoring program about outpatient prescriptions filled for controlled substances, including opioids, at all non-state or non-federal retail pharmacies. Data from Oregon vital records and a statewide hospital discharge registry were also included. Deyo's team began with data from 3.6 million opioid prescriptions filled for 874,765 patients. Of these, 536,767 people (61.4 percent of the total study group) were opioid-naive patients. After analyzing this first-time user group further, it was found that 26,785 (5.0 percent) became long-term opioid users who received six or more opioid fills within a year. This trend was higher among rural than urban residents (6.1 percent versus 4.4 percent respectively), while the likelihood of long-term use increased with age. The researchers then analyzed the information of patients younger than 45 years old who did not die within one year of receiving their first opioid prescription. This excluded most cancer or palliative care patients, but still left the research team with 243,427 patients. Among those with a single prescription fill, just two percent became long-term opioid users. The odds ratio of becoming a long-term opioid user was 2.25 higher among patients who received two prescription fills compared to one. It was also 2.96 higher for those initially receiving between 400 and 799 cumulative morphine milligram equivalent dosages within 30 days, compared to patients on lower doses. Long-acting opioids were associated with a higher risk than short-acting drugs. Data from this study show that the risk of long-term use can be minimized by starting off a patient with a single prescription of a short-acting opioid with no refills. Its cumulative dose should be less than 120 morphine equivalents. "The increasing risk of long-term use even at low cumulative doses supports the Centers for Disease Control recommendation of limiting therapy to three to seven days for most patients," Deyo notes. "Our data suggest the value of attention to high-risk prescribing, over which clinicians have greater control," he adds. "This in part reflects concern that we are dealing with risky drugs, not risky patients." The golden tegu lizard, previously thought to be a single species, may actually comprise four distinct clades, including three new cryptic species, according to a study published August 3, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by John Murphy from the Field Museum of Natural History, USA and colleagues. Tegus are among the largest Neotropical lizards, and while some species occur only in Brazil, Tupinambis teguixin inhabits much of northern South America. Commonly known as the golden tegu, T. teguixin is also sometimes called the "black and white" tegu and can be confused with the closely related species, Salvator merianae. To help resolve the systematics and nomenclature of this species, the authors examined museum samples of golden tegus for genetic and morphological differences across its geographical distribution. The authors noted subtle differences in leg scale morphology, as well as the shape of eye and lip areas, and identified substantial genetic divergence across the tegus large range. The authors split the species currently recognized as T. teguixin into four morphologically distinct but geographically overlapping species, including three new cryptic species -- T. cryptus, T. cuzcoensis, and T. zuliensis -- that look similar to the human eye but are genetically distinct. The authors suggest that further research in northeastern South America might identify additional species within the T. teguixin group, which would aid in planning for tegu conservation. "We demonstrate for the first time that two lineages of the Golden Tegu, Tupinambis teguixin, are living side by side at multiple locations in South America, and that T. teguixin is composed of at least four distinct species," said John Murphy. "This situation is known in many other species. What is surprising is that it has gone unrecognized in a species heavily exploited by humans for more than 200 years." The alert is out and South Floridians are taking heed. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issuing a warning for visitors and locals to avoid a neighborhood in Miami after more than a dozen individuals contracted Zika, a team of University of Miami researchers have presented a new study that shows how the flow of visitors through a popular place, such as the affected Wynwood area of Miami, determines the eventual severity and duration of such an outbreak. The study entitled, "Anomalous contagion and renormalization in networks with nodal mobility," was published in the journal Europhysics Letters on August 1 while a related paper by the same team will appear shortly in Physical Review E. Neil Johnson, a physicist at UM's College of Arts and Sciences, says the research proposes "a new contribution to introduce, model, and understand the interplay between the flow of people through, and the occupancy of, popular places such as airports, hospitals, and schools." Though the immediate interest is in the current Zika outbreak in Miami, Johnson adds that their results apply equally to popular online areas on social media, which triggered outbreaks of on-street protests. Pedro Manrique, a postdoctoral associate in the physics department and first author of the study, explains: "Our research shows that the length of time that visitors linger in a popular place can have a highly counterintuitive effect on the number of people eventually infected. Being present in the popular place is what makes people susceptible to the infection, and under certain circumstances, we find that the best solution is to increase the flow of people in and out of the popular place -- not to reduce it as one might expect." Manrique goes on to explain that the contagion process that the team studied covers a spectrum of phenomena, from viruses like Zika to extreme political ideas discussed in online chat rooms that then lead to outbreaks of violent civil disorder. Johnson points to the current Zika outbreak in the Wynwood Arts District, which is undergoing a public health alarm with 14 cases likely caused by local mosquitos. The model presented in the study focuses on two potential mechanisms for infection. One mechanism is person-to-person infection, which is when an uninfected mosquito bites an infected person and then carries and spreads the disease to other people. Broadcast, the second mechanism, refers to infection from infected mosquitos in an actual place. "One would think the best strategy would be to reduce the flow of people through the Wynwood neighborhood so it is effectively under quarantine," said Johnson. "But obviously, this is completely impractical. The question then shifts to: How should we control the flow of people through the popular place so that we keep relatively high occupancy, and yet the risk of spread is minimal?" According to the study, to maintain high occupancy of a popular place, such as Wynwood, it comes down to the rate at which people flow through the area (the mobility) compared to the rate of infection, or the rate at which the disease is transmitted from an infected person to an uninfected person. The study presents two distinct strategies that can be applied to such a scenario in order to reduce the outbreak severity. The first corresponds to decreasing the mobility through the popular place, meaning that visitors would spend far longer in the popular place and hence would be closer to recovery before moving on. The second corresponds to increasing the mobility through the popular place, meaning that visitors have less chance to become infected during their visit. It is the second scenario that the team believes corresponds to the Wynwood case for Zika, and they are now trying to pin down the numbers for this specific case. "Since the results depend on precisely what disease you are trying to control, our work shows that any answer related to these scenarios cannot be guessed. Instead, our study gives a precise recipe for what is best according to what officials wish to achieve in terms of trying to reduce both the duration and severity of the outbreak," said Johnson. Manrique and Johnson collaborated with Hong Qi and Minzhang Zheng, both with the UM physics department, as well as Chen Xu and Pak Ming Hui at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Physics Department. In an ideal medical research landscape, clinical data would quickly be made available to all public and private researchers in the quest to speed up medical advances. The research community is getting closer to that ideal thanks, in part, to the work of the Yale Open Data Access (YODA) Project, but more work needs to be done, according to an article in the Aug. 4 New England Journal of Medicine. The article on the current state of clinical trial data sharing is co-authored by Yale YODA Project leader Harlan Krumholz, M.D., and Johnson & Johnson chief medical officer Joanne Waldstreicher, M.D. The YODA Project performs independent scientific reviews of requests for data access by non-study investigators. This complete decision-making authority over the release of the data allows all requests for clinical data to be fairly judged and decided upon by an independent academic partner. Krumholz and Waldstreicher examined the data sharing environment, including YODA and the recent International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE) proposal for sharing clinical trial data. They found that the research community has made great progress in data sharing, but the transformation is just beginning. "The medical editors of research journals are reminding us that we scientists have a principal responsibility to society and to patients who agreed to participate in our studies," said Krumholz, professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine. "The YODA Project demonstrates that, by having researchers quickly share information with those at other organizations, the sky hasn't fallen and worthwhile independent research projects that could not have been done otherwise are proceeding." In their article, Krumholz and Waldstreicher take stock of the progress to date by pointing to several key examples: ICMJE has proposed to accelerate the transformation to a culture of open science. The pharmaceutical industry has articulated principles that support data sharing, and many companies, including Johnson & Johnson, have implemented programs to make their data assets available. Regulatory agencies, including the European Medicines Agency, are requiring greater sharing by companies seeking to market drugs and devices. Krumholz and Waldstreicher also point to efforts by influential organizations like the Gates Foundation policy requiring that data underlying published results be made available and open immediately. "At Johnson & Johnson, we believe sharing clinical trial data advances the science that is the foundation of medicine," said Waldstreicher. "As our environment continues to evolve, we are encouraged that more and more stakeholders are adopting policies to allow for greater access to clinical trial data. We believe collaboration among all stakeholders -- including industry, academia, patient groups and government -- is essential to developing a solution that truly advances science, medicine and ultimately public health." Krumholz and Waldstreicher added, "The ultimate measure of our success will be whether this approach creates a culture of openness on par with those of other scientific disciplines and increases the volume of high-quality medical science." Researchers have uncovered previously hidden sources of ocean pollution along more than 20 percent of America's coastlines. The study, published online Aug. 4 in the journal Science, offers the first-ever map of underground drainage systems that connect fresh groundwater and seawater, and also pinpoints sites where drinking water is most vulnerable to saltwater intrusion now and in the future. Audrey Sawyer, assistant professor of earth sciences at The Ohio State University and leader of the study, said that while scientists have long known that freshwater and seawater mix unseen below ground, until now they hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly where it was happening, or how much. Together with partners at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Sawyer was able to learn more about the previously hidden water exchanges via computer analysis, and without extensive and costly field surveys. "We're all pretty familiar with the idea that rain falls on land and flows out to the ocean in rivers, but there's another, hidden component of rainfall that infiltrates the ground near the coast and spills into the ocean below sea level," Sawyer said. "If you've ever been swimming in the ocean and felt a cold spot, there's a good chance that the cold spot is due to groundwater seeping out from underfoot." "We call it 'submarine groundwater discharge,'" she continued. "Freshwater flows out to sea, and vice versa. Urbanization, agricultural development, climate, and topography all affect how much water flows in either direction, and the exchange has a big impact on both onshore groundwater that we drink and offshore seawater where we swim and fish." The study identified 12 percent of the continental U.S. coastline -- including the northern Gulf Coast from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle, northern Atlantic Coast and Pacific Northwest -- where the once-hidden drainage systems make the ocean most susceptible to freshwater contamination from septic tanks and fertilizer runoff. There, excess nutrients in the water can cause harmful algal blooms to form and remove vital oxygen from the water. This contamination from land to sea endangers fisheries and coral reefs as well as water recreation and tourism. advertisement In contrast, another 9 percent of coastline -- including Southeastern Florida, Southern California, and Long Island -- are especially susceptible to the opposite threat: contamination from sea to land, the study found. In these areas, saltwater intrudes inland and infiltrates the fresh groundwater supply. "It takes only a small amount of saltwater to render drinking water non-potable, so saltwater invasion is a big concern for water resource management in coastal areas," Sawyer said. Among the sites on the map with the worst impacts are Los Angeles and San Francisco, which the study found to be vulnerable to both ocean contamination and saltwater intrusion simultaneously. Overall, more than 15 billion tons of freshwater flows through invisible underground networks into the ocean along the continental U.S. coastline every year, the researchers found. That sounds like a lot of water, but it's less than 1 percent of the total amount that flows from the continental United States into the ocean, pointed out study co-author Cedric David of JPL. The other 99 percent comes from rivers and surface runoff. advertisement Still, David explained, the study is significant because it provides the first continental-scale high-resolution estimate of that 1 percent -- a portion which, when compared to the other 99 percent, can be particularly rich in nutrients and other contaminants. "This Ohio State-JPL collaboration has removed the cloak from hidden groundwater transfers between land and sea," he said. Sawyer, David and James Famiglietti, also of JPL, combined U.S. topography and climate models to identify key inland regions that contribute groundwater and contaminants to the coast. They examined rainfall, evaporation rates and the amount of known surface runoff to calculate the missing portion of water that was running out below ground, and melded those results with terrain and land-use data to identify where the water ended up. For example, precipitation is similar in the Pacific Northwest and the mid-Atlantic regions, but the study found that underground drainage rates into the ocean were approximately 50 percent higher in the Pacific Northwest because the steep terrain there carries more groundwater to the coastline. Land use was critical to discharge in Florida, the study found, and Sawyer said that she was surprised by the big effect that canals had there. Since the early 20th century, Floridians have constructed thousands of miles of canals along the state's coasts for transportation, irrigation and recreation. The study found that the canals capture water that would otherwise flow underground and out to sea. As an example, Sawyer cited four adjacent counties along the Gulf Coast that have dramatically different amounts of discharge depending on the number of canals: Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, which have many canals, had about half as much below-ground drainage as Pasco and Hernando counties, which don't. The researchers commented that increased urbanization -- and the extensive pavement that goes along with it -- will also decrease submarine groundwater drainage in coastal regions where the population is growing, which increases the likelihood of saltwater intrusion. "That's why we hope others will use our analysis to better plan strategies for coastal land development and groundwater management that help preserve water quality," Sawyer said. "Right now, we've created a map of American coastlines, but we hope to be able to do it for the world shortly, as data become available." No pageantry or fanfare, just a quick stop in to say hi to our Boys and Girls in Blue says Police Minister Judith Collins yesterday. Its the first visit for the reinstated Police Minister to Tauranga Police since they moved into their premises on the corner of Willow Street and Monmouth Street. Maori landowners and honey producers will be buzzing in Rotorua over the next two days as they attend the He kai kei aku ringa National Maori Manuka Hui. Associate Minister for Economic Development Te Ururoa Flavell, who is opening the hui this morning, says there are major opportunities for Maori landowners in manuka honey because of rising demand and prices. New Zealand exports more than $220 million of honey a year and volumes have more than doubled in the last 10 years in response to rising prices. There are huge opportunities here for Maori landowners to maximise the return from their manuka-covered land, particularly in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, East Coast and Northland. Iwi are already investing in the industry and there are many success stories. Government can help support this momentum by bringing all those involved in the industry together at this hui so they have a clearer understanding of the balance between risks and rewards in the industry, Mr Flavell says. The conference is being held under the frame work of He kai kei aku ringa, the Crown-Maori Economic Growth Partnership. The conference sponsors are the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Te Puni Kokiri, the Ministry for Primary Industries and Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi in Whakatane. Guest speakers include Blanche Murray, a Director of Kai Ora Honey Ltd; Victor Goldsmith, general manager of the Ngati Porou Miere (Honey) Limited Partnership, and Matthew Slater, chief investment officer of Ngai Tahu Holdings Group. A full copy of the programme is available here Source: Office of Te Ururoa Flavell. UPDATE: Maddison Armer and her dog Nellie have been reunited. Read the story here. A little girl was so desperate to find out where police officers took her dog, she climbed a tree hoping she might see her best friend. Instead, she broke her wrist and ended up having to spend two days in the hospital, according to her mother's Facebook post. It hasn't stopped 7-year-old Maddison Armer, who has autism, from waging a campaign to have her dog Darla returned to her. Jenny Armer Authorities took the dog from her family in Lancashire, England last week, citing the country's Dangerous Dogs Act. Under the law, any breed that looks like a pit bull, Japanese tosa or Argentine mastiff can be summarily seized and euthanized. It didn't seem to matter that Maddison's family insists the dog is a gentle cross between a shar-pei and a Staffordshire bull terrier. Dodo Shows Adoption Day Hairless German Shepherd Puppies Find The Perfect Families Jenny Armer When police arrived to take away Darla, Maddison locked herself in the bathroom, along with Darla, in an effort to hold onto her. Authorities managed to wrest the dog away from her, taking Darla to an undisclosed location where visits are not permitted. In the days since losing her dog, Maddison's efforts have included making signs and waving placards, and at least one ill-fated effort to climb a tree. According to her mother, Jenny Armer, the loss of her dog has taken a terrible toll. "As people are aware, Darla is Maddison's dog, and she is really suffering without her," Jenni wrote in a Facebook post. "She's become withdrawn and very quiet, which is my biggest concern. She also isn't eating or sleeping much at all." Jenny Armer Breed-specific legislation (BSL) continues to break families - and hearts - in many jurisdictions across the globe. Nearly 5,000 dogs in England and Wales have been victimized by breed-specific legislation in the last three years. And where BSL is enforced in the U.S. and Canada, thousands more dogs are treated like contraband and locked away. Jenny Armer

Emily Aubrecht

Jessie spent the first part of her life as the only pet in her family. She had no idea what she might be missing - until she met Koda. Emily Aubrecht Koda the kitten joined Jessie's family a few months ago, and from the very beginning, he was determined to make Jessie his best friend. "Their relationship is very unique, as most dogs and cats do not act this way towards each other, very friendly and playful," Emily Aubrecht, Jessie and Koda's mom, told The Dodo. "They love to do everything together which is awesome for us as they keep each other entertained." Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Couple Meets A Beach Dog In Mexico Who Changes Their Life Emily Aubrecht Jessie has always been a very calm, easygoing dog, and so when the energetic little kitten moved in and wanted to play every chance he got, Jessie was more than happy to comply. "He constantly wants to play with Jessie and his toys," Aubrecht said. "One of his favorite activities is to run in circles around our house. His other favorite pastime is to attack Jessie's face and tail, and thank goodness she doesn't care, otherwise we would have a very bored kitty on our hands." Emily Aubrecht Four-month-old Koda was rescued from a farm that had too many cats, and spent the first few months of his life living outside. Now he has a nice warm house to live and play in - but he still loves the great outdoors. Emily Aubrecht Koda loves playing outside, especially with Jessie. Jessie loves to swim, and even though Koda isn't as keen on that activity, he has no problem being near the water, or anywhere, with Jessie by his side. Emily Aubrecht "When we travel to British Columbia, they will adventure into the forest together," Aubrecht said. "Koda enjoys riding on Jessie's back, even though Jessie isn't very fond of it!" Emily Aubrecht Jessie may not be as energetic as little Koda, but she's more than happy to keep up with him because, well, he's her brother now. For a little girl, even a single night without your best friend in the whole world is too long. For 7-year-old Maddison Armer, 19 nights without her dog, Darla, was an eternity. Ever since Darla was a puppy, the two were inseparable. Jenny Armer And Darla has been instrumental in helping Maddison deal with her autism. But on July 16, their connection was suddenly shattered when officers from Lancashire Constabulary seized Darla on suspicion of being a pit bull. In the days that followed, Maddison was inconsolable. Dodo Shows Soulmates Pig Loves To Launch Himself Onto His Dad's Lap Jenny Armer She locked herself in the family's bathroom. She climbed a tree, hoping she might be able to see where police took her dog - and fell out, spending two days in the hospital with a broken wrist. But on Thursday, Maddison Armer was finally reunited with her best friend. And a family was made whole again. Jenny Armer "I am so happy," Maddison's mother, Jenny Armer, posted on Facebook. "We are all in tears. I'm so happy I could just screeeaaaammm." A video of Darla's homecoming posted to Facebook makes it all too clear that Darla felt the same way about being separated from her family. In the clip, Darla can barely contain herself, bouncing from one family member to the next, her tail whirring like a helicopter. This browser does not support the video tag. Jenny Armer While the Lancashire Constabulary did not return requests for comment, Jenny Armer noted in her Facebook post that an independent expert's assessment played a key role in winning Darla's freedom. It's not uncommon for dogs seized under England's Dangerous Dogs Act to be returned to their owners following a period of behavioural assessment and observation. In fact, in Belfast, where the ban is also enforced, 10 out of 11 seized dogs have been returned to their families, according to a press release sent to The Dodo by Belfast City Council. Authorities in Lancashire appear to have made a similar exception for Darla, whom the family describes as a very friendly mix between a shar-pei and a Staffordshire bull terrier. Jenny Armer When police took Darla, her family was told they could either sign a disclaimer to have Darla euthanized or fight the decision in court. For a while, it seemed like Darla would meet the fate of some 5,000 dogs across England and Wales who have been put down in the last three years. It isn't much better in parts of the U.S. and Canada, where breed-specific legislation (BSL) is still tearing families apart. Jenny Armer But Darla was given a reprieve - much like a dog named Hank, who was seized just two days before Darla from his family in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Both dogs are now home with their families where they belong. And let no law come between them. Since then, Lolita's been on her own in her 20-foot-deep tank - but maybe not for long. Lolita was captured in August 1970 in Puget Sound, Wa. Known originally as Tokitae, she was captured with some 80 other members of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. She was taken to Miami Seaquarium where she lived with Hugo, a male orca who died in March 1980 after smashing his head against the wall of his tank. Now living in the smallest orca tank in North America at the Miami Seaquarium, Lolita has become the poster child for animal advocates calling for the release of captive orcas. This week the National Marine Fisheries Service is expected to rule on whether Lolita can be included with the other members of her community for protections under the Endangered Species Act. The classification could lead to a lawsuit calling for her retirement to a seaside sanctuary. Lolita, the "world's loneliest whale," may be reunited with the remaining members of her family - 44 years after she was captured from the wild. If Lolita is placed on the endangered species list, citizens gain the right to sue on her behalf - and she could be gradually reintroduced to the waters where members of her original community are likely still alive more than four decades later. Orca advocates hope that Lolita will eventually make the transition back into the wild. If she does, she'll see some familiar fins: a 103-year-old orca named Granny and a 50-year-old orca named Ophelia are still swimming in her native waters. Most importantly, an 83-year-old orca named Ocean Sun is still alive in the wild - and most researchers believe her to be Lolita's mother. The Miami Seaquarium says that Lolita will die if she's released into the wild. "This is a non-releasable animal," curator Robert Rose told the Guardian. If freed, "she's going to die without question," he said. But Lolita's fate is largely unknown. The only other whale to be released after living for a significant amount of time in a marine park was Keiko, the whale after whom the film "Free Willy" was based. Keiko died of natural causes in 2003, a year after his release into the open seas. Howard Garrett, president of Orca Network, noted that, after 23 years in a tank, according to daily satellite tracking reports, Keiko traveled around 50 to 60 miles a day, diving regularly up to 70 meters and feeding himself. "That's a fantastic accomplishment and a scientific breakthrough, and it shows what the other captive orcas are capable of," he said. Lolita is believed to be about 49 years old. Orcas in the wild have a maximum lifespan of 60 to 70 years for males and 80 to more than 100 for females - meaning that if Lolita is moved, she could live for decades among her family. CORRECTION - An exact location for Lolita's potential home has not yet been publicly identified.

Instagram/kinggoldchains

Tyga, who's well-known for being the on-again, off-again boyfriend of reality star Kylie Jenner, is even more notorious for his troubling love of big cats - especially his namesake tigers. Recently, the 26-year-old rapper got slammed by Bobbi Brink, founder and director of Lions, Tigers & Bears, a big cat and exotic animal rescue in Alpine, California, for not sparing funds to help care for his former pet tiger, now named Maverick, who now resides there - and is apparently a pricey resident, TMZ reported. Brink could not be reached for comment. Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Animals Melt Into This Woman's Arms When She Sings To Them When officials went to the home to follow up on the tip, no tiger was discovered. Officials waited for hours until Tyga returned home before questioning him about the tiger. The rapper told officials that the 7-month-old male Bengal tiger was taken to an animal shelter earlier that day - lest he face fines and and potential jail time for the illegal ownership of an exotic animal. Maverick was rescued from the shelter and transported to Lions, Tigers & Bears, where he appears to be happy and in good health. Sources reportedly close to Tyga told TMZ that he didn't realize the tiger was illegal to own and gave him up as soon as he found out. While in his care, Maverick was seen on the rapper's Instagram feed, posing on top on a Rolls- Royce .... ... and lying on the floor of what appeared to be a recording studio with Tyga himself. In many of the photos, the tiger also wore a leash. Despite this debacle, it seems Tyga still hasn't learned his lesson about casually mingling with wildlife. During a recent trip to Dubai, Tyga shared several photos on his Instagram feed that featured him bottle-feeding ... ... and petting a tiger cub. This was far from Tyga's first trip to Dubai that involved exotic wildlife - in an older Instagram post, he shared a video where he further agitated an already visibly upset lion locked in a cage. The problem with Tyga - and other celebrities like Justin Bieber who party with tigers - flaunting their up close and personal adventures is that they face the very real risk of sending the wrong message to their large fanbases: that petting, bottle-feeding and putting leashes on these animals is okay, when the reality isn't nearly as cute as filtered photos make them appear. In order to make animals like tigers tame enough to handle such close contact with humans, they're stolen from their mothers as cubs, beaten and even drugged. "If you can hug, ride or take a selfie with a wild animal, chances are cruelty is involved - so don't do it," Jan Schmidt-Burbach, a World Animal Protection (WAP) senior wildlife and veterinary adviser based in Bangkok, told The Dodo early last month. If there's one thing we know about nature, it's that it's really weird. Here are 38 animals you might not know about - but won't soon forget. Tibetan sand fox This little-known fox is native to parts of Tibet, China and a few other Asian countries. Their behavior is similar to that of other fox species, but they stand out for their unusual facial features. Long-eared jerboa This tiny rodent was first caught on film in 2007. They live in parts of China and Mongolia, and it's believed that their ears help them cool off in the desert. Chevrotain Also known as mouse-deer, chevrotains live in parts of Asia and Africa. There are several different species, but the smallest ones weigh as little as 4.4 pounds and are the tiniest known ungulates. Babirusa These wild pigs are native to Indonesia. Males have unusual upward-curving tusks that actually pierce through the top of their snout; if not worn down, the tusks can actually curve back and into their skull. Panda ant These furry creatures are actually wingless wasps - and despite their cute appearance, they pack quite a sting. Glaucus atlanticus Commonly known as blue dragons, these tiny sea slugs have been found in warm waters across the world. They float along on water currents and attack prey with a venomous sting. Honduran white bat At less than two inches long, these bats would be cute even if they weren't fuzzy. They make tents out of leaves to shelter themselves and their white fur helps them blend into the green glow of the leaves when the sun shines on them. They live in Honduras and other parts of South America. Shoebill These prehistoric (and angry) looking birds are found in the swamps of South Sudan and neighboring African countries. Reaching up to five feet in height, they're related to pelicans and use their notable beaks to go after fish, turtles and even small crocodiles. Leaf-tailed gecko This unusual gecko is endemic to Madagascar, where it uses its leafy shape to - of course - camouflage. Also known as the satanic leaf-tailed gecko, its scientific name, Uroplatus phantasticus, was chosen because of the creature's unbelievable appearance. Gelada Geladas live in the Ethiopian mountains and are the last living species of grass-eating primates. They're noteworthy for their impressive hair coats and the patch of hairless skin on their chests that can be a bright crimson color. Glass frog These unusual frogs look normal from the top, but their stomachs are highly translucent. There are several species of glass frogs, which can be found in Mexico and South America. Golden snub-nosed monkey This monkey's heavy coat helps it survive the cold mountain climate of central China. They're endangered due to habitat loss and poaching for fur, meat and use in traditional medicine. Orange tortoise spider While this rare spider is almost too cute to be real, very little is known about the species except that they live in South America. Gerenuk Gerenuk means "giraffe-necked" in Somali and it's easy to see why. These unusual antelope stand on their back legs to feed, allowing them to reach branches and vegetation their short-necked cousins can't get. They're found predominately in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. Proboscis monkey These unusual monkeys are endemic to Borneo, where males use their prominent noses to attract mates. It's believed that their noses create an echo chamber to amplify their mating call. They're unfortunately endangered due to habitat loss from logging and human expansion and are hunted for meat and bezoars, stone-like objects found in their stomachs that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Waxy planthopper nymph This nymph is just one of the thousands of the planthopper insect species, many of which exude colorful, artistic wax displays from special glands. The displays serve several purposes, including protecting them from predators. Species can be found worldwide. Maned wolf These long-legged canids (they're not actually wolves) look like a cross between a fox and a deer, and can be found in South America. The hair on their necks can stand erect when they're alert, giving them their namesake manes. General Motors Co. and Lyft Inc. are going to have a lot harder time wringing benefits from their newly minted partnership now that their biggest ride-sharing rivals just formed an alliance of their own in the worlds largest economy. Earlier this year, GM poured $500 million (U.S.) into Lyft, half of a $1 billion round that valued the San Francisco-based startup at $5.5 billion. Just months before, Lyft had received a $100-million check from Didi Chuxing, Chinas biggest ride-hailing business, solidifying an arrangement that would have helped both companies battle their shared global competitor, Uber Technologies Inc. That all but dissolved this week when Didi and Uber joined forces for a $35 billion alliance in China. With it, Uber got $1 billion in cash that it can now use to focus on the U.S. market, where GM is counting on Lyfts rapid growth to give it a real presence in the emerging business of ride sharing. I would be seriously unthrilled if I were at Lyft, said Rett Wallace, co-founder of Triton Resources, which analyzes and invests in private companies. Lyfts now alone in their fight against Uber. With its 9 per cent investment in Lyft, GM is hoping history doesnt repeat itself. The Detroit automaker has a long track record of investing in companies and then seeing them suffer later. It invested $420 million in Frances Peugeot SA in 2012, only to write down half of it within the next year. A decade ago, GM lowered the value of investments in Isuzu Motors Ltd. and reduced its stake as the Japanese company restructured. GM also spent $4 billion on a 20 per cent stake in then-troubled Fiat Auto. And in 1992, the company bought National Rental Car and took a $744 million writedown the next year. It sold the company in 1995. GM spent an inordinate amount of money to get a window seat in the ride-hailing business, said Eric Noble, president of CarLab, a consulting firm. Even before Didi changed sides, Lyft faced a tough fight against Uber, which has about 80 per cent of the U.S. ride-sharing market. San Francisco-based Uber delivered 62 million rides in the U.S. in July and 54 million in June, the company told Bloomberg. Thats up from 50 million in March. Earlier this year, Lyft told investors that it would keep losses under $50 million a month while buying growth. Uber has aggressively offered subsidies and discounts in an attempt to maintain its significant advantage over its rival. Now it will have the cash to be even more aggressive. Still, it would be wrong to count out Lyft altogether, Wallace said. Its partnership with Didi was responsible for only a minuscule number of Lyfts rides, according to people familiar with the matter who werent authorized to speak publicly about the partnership. And while Uber may have more money to spend in the U.S. now that its leaving China, Uber will also face pressure to earn profits as it eyes a public offering. Over the next few weeks, we will evaluate our partnership with Didi, Lyft said in a statement. Lyft has been growing dramatically. The startup had its best month ever in July, when it provided 13.9 million rides, according to a letter to investors obtained by Bloomberg. Thats up 12 per cent over June and 260 per cent over the July 2015. That growth comes in part from offering discounts, but Lyft told investors that it delivered 11.4 million rides, or 82 per cent, at full cost. GM says it can help Lyft grow even more, said Dave Roman, a spokesman for the automaker. The two companies are still expanding the Express Drive program in which Lyft drivers in several cities are renting new GM cars for $99 a week plus 20 cents a mile. If the drivers give enough rides, they dont have to pay. GM has rolled the program out in Baltimore, Boston and Washington. Its growing so fast that GM has plans to introduce it in more cities soon, Roman said. The two companies are also working on using self-driving cars for Lyft, a project thats moving forward, Roman said. Lyft said in the letter its 2015 revenue increased 530 per cent over 2014 and that revenue in the first half of 2016 was larger than what the company generated in all of 2015. Last year, Lyft incurred $360 million in losses on $200 million in revenue, according to a person familiar with the results who wasnt authorized to speak publicly about them. Uber, for its part, is now freed up to fight harder against Lyft. The market leader was spending millions to build its China market presence and fight Didi. Its discounting in China led to $2 billion in losses in two years in that market, people familiar with matter have said. China was seen as a growth market but became a distraction, said Arun Sundararajan, a professor at New York Universitys Leonard N. Stern School of Business, where he studies the sharing economy. Uber emerges from this deal even stronger, with the resources it had available in China now available in the U.S., Sundararajan said . It raises the stakes for Lyft to differentiate its services in the U.S. more rapidly. Read more about: SHARE: Tim Hortons is using the Philippines as a launch pad for Asian expansion in its quest to become as globally prevalent as its sister fast food chain, Burger King. Theres really no limit to how far the Tims brand can travel, Daniel Schwartz, CEO of parent company Restaurant Brands International said on a conference call Thursday to discuss second-quarter earnings. The multinational corporation has a presence in more than 100 countries, but thats largely due to the ubiquity of Burger King. The iconic Canadian coffee shop is largely limited to Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East. The company announced Tims first foray into Asia last month, with a franchise partnership agreement in the Philippines. No date has been set for its opening. Restaurant Brands chose to start with the small Southeast Asian nation because there is growing demand for quick service restaurants, and because people there have an affinity for coffee and donuts, said chief financial officer Josh Kobza. We view the Philippines as a natural gateway as we look to expand into Asia and, as such, we see it as an excellent entry point for the region, he said. Its the first step in replicating the success weve had all around the world with Burger King, and now were going to apply that model to take Tims all around the world. Restaurant Brands, which has made worldwide expansion of Tim Hortons a priority since the 2014 merger with Burger King, hinted that it would be making more international partnership announcements in the near future. At the time of the merger, Tims management cited help with an international expansion strategy as one of the key benefits of new ownership. The company is wise to focus Tims expansion efforts in Asia and the Middle East, where coffee shops are still a relatively new concept, so taste standards in those regions are lower than in more mature coffee markets such as the U.S. or Europe, said Douglas Fisher, president of food consultancy firm FHG International. In Asia, the population is so huge, coffee is becoming more and more of a staple and still no one knows what good coffee is yet, he said. The Philippines market is an ideal experiment for dipping their toes in Asia because it is so small, Fisher noted. If it doesnt do well like theyve experienced in the U.S., its not going to have a negative brand impact. The company also announced a major partnership agreement to spread Tim Hortons in the Minneapolis area, its fourth U.S. joint venture agreement since the merger. Tims has previously struggled to make inroads in the highly-saturated U.S. market, shuttering some stores in New England last year. The recent Asian expansion efforts come even as international comparable sales growth shrunk by 3.3 per cent. The company said the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, which requires fasting and fell earlier this year, was the primary factor for the decline. Restaurant Brands reported a big jump in second-quarter profits, thanks in part to cost-cutting. Net income was US$90.9 million or 38 cents per share in the three months ended June 30. That's up from US$11 million, or five cents per share in the second quarter of 2015. Revenue was little-changed and slightly less than analysts expected, at US$1.04 billion, partially due to currency fluctuations. Comparable restaurant sales growth slowed to 2.7 per cent at Tim Hortons, from the 5.5 per cent reported a year earlier and to 0.6 per cent at Burger King, much lower than the 6.7 per cent reported in the year ago period. The company reported softness in the market and slower growth due to challenging macroeconomic conditions. Quick service competitors such as McDonalds also reported slower growth during the quarter. Restaurant Brands said it remains focused on expansion despite the recent softness. As the company expands it will cater to local tastes as it does in the Middle East but will remain true to Tims classics, Schwartz said. I assure you youll still be able to get a double-double and as many Timbits as you want wherever our Tims are going to be popping up around the world. Read more about: SHARE: WASHINGTONThe Republican Party was in turmoil again Wednesday as party leaders, strategists and donors voiced increasing alarm about the flailing state of Donald Trumps candidacy and fears that the presidential nominee was damaging the party with an extraordinary week of self-inflicted mistakes, gratuitous attacks and missed opportunities. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was described as very frustrated and stressed by Trumps behaviour over the past week, having run out of excuses to make on the nominees behalf with donors and other party leaders, according to multiple people familiar with the events. Meanwhile, Trumps top campaign advisers are failing to instill discipline on their candidate, who has spent the past days lunging from one controversy to another while seemingly skipping chances to go on the offensive against his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. A new level of panic hit the street, said veteran operative Scott Reed, chief strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Its time for a serious reset. Trump allies on Wednesday publicly urged the candidate to reboot, furious that he has allowed his confrontation with the parents of dead U.S. army captain Humayun Khan to continue for nearly a week. They also are angry with Trump over his surprising refusal in a Tuesday interview with the Washington Post to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., or Arizona Sen. John McCain two of the partys top elected officials in their upcoming primary campaigns. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, one of Trumps most loyal defenders, warned that his friend was in danger of throwing away the election and helping to make Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton president unless he quickly changes course. The current race is which of these two is the more unacceptable, because right now neither of them is acceptable, Gingrich said in a Wednesday morning telephone interview. Trump is helping her to win by proving he is more unacceptable than she is. Gingrich said Trump has only a matter of weeks to reverse course. Anybody who is horrified by Hillary should hope that Trump will take a deep breath and learn some new skills, he said. He cannot win the presidency operating the way he is now. She cant be bad enough to elect him if hes determined to make this many mistakes. Reed, who managed Bob Doles 1996 presidential campaign, recommended that Trump stop doing silly interviews nine times a day that get you off message and deliver a major address seeking to reset the campaign establishing himself as the change candidate.Trump needs to do a little message discipline 101 give a reset speech on the stakes of the election, the weakness of the economy and take it to Hillary, Reed said. He needs to get back on offence. Reed said such a pivot is mandatory for Trump to be successful, as is smoothing relations with Ryan, McCain and other GOP leaders. If Trump decides he wants to go it alone, it is a lonely road, he said. Reports that senior Republicans were planning an intervention by Gingrich, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and other Trump loyalists to try to settle the candidate were dismissed by campaign chairman Paul Manafort. He told Fox News, This is the first Im hearing about that. He said the campaign is focused, in very good shape and moving forward. Still, one GOP strategist familiar with the discussions underway suggested a more informal meeting might occur, if not with outsiders, then with members of Trumps family, who have exerted the most influence on him at past moments of crisis. I think theres a lot of people talking about who they would get together. But it hasnt happened yet, said the strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the confidential discussions. Friends and allies of Manafort disputed reports that the top adviser had given up on Trump, describing him as fully committed to waging a successful campaign. But they said Manafort has been frustrated by Trumps apparent lack of discipline on the stump and in his many media interviews. Paul has good influence with Donald, said Charlie Black, a longtime GOP strategist and former business partner of Manafort. But hes Donald and hes going to operate stream of consciousness a lot of times. You just hope hell have more days on message than days on consciousness. A second Republican strategist who also knows Manafort said he believes Trumps campaign manager will be doing everything he can to get the operation on track. Hes the most aggressive guy Ive ever met, said this person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to give a candid assessment. Hes always going to lean in. My guess is hes trying to make the best of this for the campaign. This strategist added, But this is not the plan. Theres no way to explain that this is what you want done in the middle of your campaign. So there is a level of frustration that there isnt more message discipline. But with Donald Trump thats what you get. From Washington to state capitals around the country, a feeling of despair and despondence fell over the Republican establishment. Two weeks ago at the partys national convention in Cleveland, GOP leaders were buoyed by what they saw in Trump. But Trump quickly reverted to his old ways, setting off alarm bells in some parts of the party. Read more about: SHARE: OTTAWAThe prime ministers office says it stayed mum about an MPs inappropriate workplace relationship to respect the privacy of the people involved. Former cabinet minister Hunter Tootoo revealed this week that he quit his post as fisheries minister and left the Liberal caucus in May because he had been involved what he called a consensual but inappropriate relationship. And while the MP for Nunavut said he told Justin Trudeau himself about the relationship on May 31, the prime minister and his officials have for months refused to reveal the real reason for the MPs surprise departure from caucus. To discuss the relationship would have compromised the privacy of the people who are involved in this situation, Cameron Ahmad, a spokesman for Trudeau, said Thursday. The privacy of the individuals involved was paramount for us, he said. At the time he quit both cabinet and the Liberal caucus, Tootoo said only that he was seeking treatment for alcohol addiction, a line repeated by Trudeau. But that explanation raised eyebrows, given that other MPs such as Liberal MP Seamus ORegan have sought help for alcohol problems yet had remained within their respective parties. Tootoo returned from rehabilitation and resumed his political work late last month after what he called a difficult journey but still offered no details of the relationship. That put pressure on Tootoo to provide further explanation for his abrupt exit from the Liberal caucus. On Wednesday, the first-time MP provided a statement to the local CBC station in Iqaluit offering the real reason for his political exile. I made a mistake and regrettably engaged in a consensual but inappropriate relationship, and that is why I resigned, he said. Tootoo said he revealed that information to the prime minister on May 31. I voluntarily informed the prime minister that I made a mistake, he said. He declined to provide more information about the individual involved. The individual has asked me to protect her privacy and I am respecting those wishes, and I ask that you respect that wish, Tootoo told CBC. An aide for Tootoo said he was not available to speak to the Toronto Star on Thursday. In the wake of Tootoos comments, the prime ministers office for the first time confirmed that Trudeau was told in May about the relationship but avoided any mention of it publicly. On May 31, 2016, Hunter Tootoo acknowledged to the Prime Minister that he had been engaging in what was an inappropriate relationship in the workplace, Trudeaus office said Wednesday. Mr. Tootoo informed the Prime Minister that he took full and sole responsibility for his inappropriate workplace conduct, the statement said. In order to respect and protect the privacy interests of all individuals involved, we will not be commenting further on this matter, the statement said. The prime ministers office refused to provide any additional details, such as explaining what made the relationship inappropriate. A senior official also refused to speculate whether Tootoo would ever return to the Liberal caucus. Workplace lawyer Daniel Lublin, a partner at the Toronto firm Whitten and Lublin, said workplace romances arent against the law but can still be fraught with peril. There is nothing technically illegal about dating a subordinate. However, in his position, there was possibly a greater obligation not to, Lublin said. If its consensual, theres nothing illegal about it, Lublin told the Star Thursday. But in the corporate world, such romances can run afoul of office policies. And he cautioned that those in the spotlight, such as high-level executives and those in government, are held to a higher standard. In a corporate setting, an executive is vulnerable if he or she is in a relationship with a subordinate without the companys knowledge and consent, he said. In a private sector, it exposes a company to liability . . . even its an allegedly consensual relationship, at least in the executives view, when things go sideways thats when there is a problem, he said in an interview. Thats because failed romances can give rise to claims of harassment, coercion and improper terminations, he said. In most settings where you have a very recognizable, identifiable individual, it could be cause for dismissal if it hasnt been disclosed and dealt with, Lublin said. SHARE: PRINCE ALBERT, SASK.A Saskatchewan city has lifted some emergency water restrictions put in place after an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River forced it to close drinking water intakes, but children in Prince Albert might still find the dog days of summer dry. Conservation measures were implemented after a Husky pipeline leak detected July 21 spilled up to 250,000 litres of oil mixed with a lighter hydrocarbon into the river near Maidstone. The city of Prince Albert said Thursday that a new temporary pipeline is drawing water from the South Saskatchewan River and another temporary pipeline to the Little Red River is also producing sufficient water flow. Easing the restrictions means car washes, laundromats and other businesses which shut down after the spill can reopen. Residents can also fill their pools, wash their cars or water their grass again, although the city is asking people to alternate days based on their address. But civic facilities, such as splash pads and a popular water slide park, remain closed. The priority is with anyone that had hardships to their businesses, their employees certainly felt it and certainly our rural consumers that also rely on the city water supply, said Prince Albert director of community services, Jody Boulet. Theres certainly some higher priorities that need to get implemented before we bring our facilities back on. Boulet called the situation unfortunate, noting that the water park is a big regional tourist attraction. We get over 40,000 visits to the water park each season. We got about a little over halfway there before this situation occurred, he said. The city of North Battleford also closed its water intakes after the spill. A temporary line to bring water to the city was being disinfected Thursday and was expected to be operating by Monday. But the city said the new line will only provide about one-third of the lost water supply, so all restrictions for outside watering remain in place until further notice. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Economy is defending its pipeline oversight, saying it has been working for many years to strengthen regulations. Our new operating system went online in October of 2015 and, among other things, provides for online reporting. However, the oil and gas conservation regulations have included provisions requiring the reporting of incidents for decades, said Laurie Pushor, deputy minister of the economy. Saskatchewans provincial auditor said Wednesday that the province has only implemented two of seven recommendations her office made four years ago to improve oil pipeline safety. The auditors office said in 2012 that the Ministry of Energy and Resources did not have effective ways to ensure full compliance with laws for pipeline construction and operation. It said one problem is that the ministry doesnt collect enough information to know if pipelines are properly maintained or if operators can adequately respond to emergencies. We continue to work on a number of fronts, said Pushor. We are working on all of her recommendations. SHARE: KINGSTON, ONT.Police say a British lieutenant-colonel who was temporarily posted to Kingston, Ont., is charged with sexually assaulting a female officer in the Canadian military. Kingston police say the alleged victim went to a licensed establishment in downtown Kingston early on April 10 with a group of people who had attended a military function at Fort Frontenac. Investigators allege the accused followed the 52-year-old woman when she returned to her nearby hotel and sexually assaulted her in her room. They say 45-year-old Christopher Davies was arrested on Tuesday and charged with one count of sexual assault. Police say Davies has been released under strict conditions, including having no contact with the alleged victim, and had to surrender his passport. Davies, who is prohibited from leaving Ontario while the case is before the courts, is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 15. SHARE: A Vaughan man is facing an assault with a weapon charge after a coffee was thrown at a TTC driver in June. York Regional Police said the incident occurred June 8 when a TTC driver on Route 105 recognized a passenger who had verbally abused him weeks before. The driver refused to move the bus until the man left. The man then walked to the front of the bus, threw coffee at the TTC driver and exited the vehicle. Police released a video of the assault, asking for help in identifying the man. The driver was not burned. Const. Andy Pattenden told the Star its unclear if the coffee was hot. Brad Ross, spokesperson for the TTC said the incident was unacceptable and serious, and operators have the right to withhold service if they feel unsafe. Ross also said that the driver took a few days off and was assigned to a different route. The reality of the industry is that assault against bus drivers is almost inevitable, said Bob Kinnear, leader of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, which represents TTC workers. Assault particularly over fare is very common and can be a traumatic experience for the driver, Kinnear said. Pavel Osorio, 39, has been charged with assault with a weapon. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday. With files from Fakiha Baig and Ebyan Abdigir. Read more about: SHARE: A 44-year-old female gorilla from the Toronto Zoo is recovering after surgery to remove a mass from her leg. Medical staff from Torontos Scarborough Hospital performed the surgery on Tuesday in the western lowland gorilla habitat at the zoo. The zoo said Wednesday in a release that a large mass in Josephines left leg area was affecting her ability to walk so veterinarians approached the hospitals general surgery division to discuss options. The mass turned out to be a slow-growing, fatty lump underneath the skin, and it was determined Josephines ability to walk normally was also related to arthritis, which was investigated while she was under anesthetic. Dr. Saul Mandelbaum says the surgery went very well and Josephine is recovering nicely. The zoos wildlife health centre and wildlife care team are monitoring Josephine while she recovers. We wanted the best care for Josephine, who is an older gorilla, which is why we approached Dr. Mandelbaum, who performs inguinal hernia surgeries on a regular basis, often in elderly patients, said Dr. Chris Dutton, head of veterinary services at the Toronto Zoo. Josephine arrived at the Toronto Zoo from Gabon, West Africa, on May 9, 1974, before the Zoo opened in August. She has given birth to five offspring while at the Toronto Zoo, four of which were sired by Charles. She is now grandmother to five gorillas at zoos throughout North America. The Toronto Zoo is a member of the North American Gorilla Species Survival Plan, which focuses on maintaining a genetically and demographically healthy zoo gorilla population and conservation efforts to protect them in the wild. SHARE: Silversteins Bakery, a longtime staple of Torontos culinary scene, abruptly closed last week after nearly 100 years in business. The bakery, at McCaul and Baldwin streets, for generations supplied its goods to restaurants, grocery stores and delicatessens across the city using its distinctive orange trucks. Customers and employees got word last Thursday that Silversteins would be shutting down. They make the best rye bread in the city. Theres no question in my mind, said Barry Silver, owner of Yitzs Deli. I guarantee it took the entire deli industry by surprise. Silversteins has supplied Yitzs its bread products since the Eglinton Avenue delicatessen opened in 1972. Silver said his grandfather used to own another deli restaurant in the 1950s, which also served Silversteins rye bread. Silversteins opened in 1918 after original owner Kalman Silverstein arrived from Poland. By the 1930s it catered to restaurants all across the city. Kalmans sons Dave, Murray and Sonny took over in 1953, and in recent years it had been operated by Sonnys sons Mark, Brian and Jeff. Mark, who started working in the bakery when he was 10, said the business had been losing money for years and is now in receivership. He said he will miss the close relationships with customers and employees, but he really regrets the bakery didnt last another two years to see it hit the century mark. It stings. Theres a dozen different ways you could look at it that makes it hurt. That is one of them, said Mark, 56. It was a very tough decision for the family because we loved what we did in terms of baking bread for this city. Theres no reason I would want to close down a bakery started by my grandfather in 1918 unless it was economically not possible to continue, which unfortunately caught up with us. Eric Apostoli, a Silversteins baker for about 30 years, says hes still shocked by the news. Ive worked there since I was a boy. The job was a very good future to retire at, and it just abruptly shut, he said. There was no warning, nothing. Thats whats so upsetting. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union employed as drivers at Silversteins were laid off without advanced notice, said union spokesman Tim Deelstra. Mark said the family decided a few weeks ago to close after running out of money. He said they spent three years trying to reduce expenses and increase sales. They were a staple in the city, watching the trucks go by, said chef Leor Zimerman, former owner of Essen Restaurant on Dundas St. W. When you think of the big bakery, you think of Silversteins. Zane Caplansky, owner of Caplanskys Deli, said Silversteins helped him grow his business since it opened nearly nine years ago. Silversteins has been a part of my life my whole life. For me, being a regular customer of Silversteins was a point of pride, he said. It was such a great and such a consistent product. The smoked meat is the star of the show, but the bread is the context. Deli owners say they were left scrambling last week to find a new bread supplier on short notice and one that could equal the quality of Silversteins. In todays market there are not a lot of choices for rye bread or for what would be used traditionally in a Jewish-style deli, Silver. Those whose businesses relied on the bakery say its closure leaves a void not only in Torontos culinary scene, but also in the citys Jewish culture. Jewish baking is a dying art, said Caplansky. Its a sad and shocking thing because theyve been part of the fabric of the Jewish food community, the food community in general, for generations. SHARE: Consumers dont need to know to the penny how much Ontarios $8.3-billion plan to fight climate change will add to their natural gas bills, Premier Kathleen Wynne says. The premier and her new Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault said Thursday they stand behind last weeks decision by the Ontario Energy Board to include the carbon charge under the delivery line on gas bills. Opposition parties have slammed the OEB ruling, saying it hides a cost that should be listed separately and will be subject to the 13-per-cent harmonized sales tax. Overburdened Ontario families deserve to know why their natural gas bills are going to go up, said the Progressive Conservatives. Wynne, who has previously warned household natural gas bills will rise about $5 a month next year because of the carbon fee, said the decision on the bills is final because the energy board is independent of government. Weve already talked about the fact that there will be some increases, so weve done that, we will continue to be transparent of the cost, she told reporters at an east-end hospital. But critics accused the government of playing both sides of the fence when it comes to disclosure on bills. The former Ontario Clean Energy Benefit, a 10-per-cent discount on electricity dating to former premier Dalton McGuintys administration, was listed separately on hydro bills. Here we have, once again, Premier Wynne doing things to the advantage of the Liberals, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. Theyre hiding this carbon charge instead of being transparent. The Ministry of Energy said in a late-afternoon statement that the energy board has sole authority over how natural gas bills are presented with the government having regulatory power over electricity bills. The OEB revealed last week that utilities and industrial natural gas users had pressed for a separate line item for the carbon charge, not including it in the delivery fee. Thibeault, who was appointed energy minister in June, said theres nothing hidden about this when asked about the carbon charge on the way into a cabinet meeting earlier Thursday. But he acknowledged that the delivery charge is something thats important to start explaining to consumers, particularly in northern and rural areas, where costs of getting gas to homes can be higher than in cities. Under the plan revealed last spring, the government has said carbon charges would add about $5 monthly to natural gas bills and boost the price of gasoline by 4.3 cents per litre, about $13 a month for households. Most people in Ontario recognize that if we dont do something about climate change, the consequences are going to be astronomical, said Thibeault, who added that he would not overrule the board. Its not up to us as a government to tell an arms length organization what they can and cannot do. Starting in January, Ontario will join Quebec and California in a greenhouse-gas-emissions market, putting a cap on the release of carbon gases and allowing companies to trade emission credits if they are under their limits. Ontarios climate change plan, revealed in early June, includes 28 directives that include a cash-for-clunkers plan aimed at low- and moderate-income drivers, to get old cars off the road; hydro bill rebates to offset the cost of charging electric cars at home, and programs to help Ontarians make their homes more efficient in their use of energy. Those efforts will be funded, in part, by the gasoline and carbon charges that citizens will pay when they fill up their cars and on their natural gas bills. Read more about: SHARE: Weve all been there: Stranded on a sun-drenched island, needing to dry your wet clothes as quickly as humanly possible, with nary a branch or flat surface to be found. Luckily, you do have plenty of dental floss. And it makes a perfect clothesline. You saved the day, MacGyver. If youre saying to yourself right now, of course thats a thoroughly reasonable scenario, you are probably the sort of person who walks around with plenty of dental floss at all times, just in case. And that means you might have been upset to see widespread reports that the science is still inconclusive on whether it actually improves your health. Sorry scout, but rest easy: According to a collection of survivalists, crafters, do-it-yourselfers and convicted felons, there are dozens of alternative ways to use your cache of tooth-rope. Here are a few we found. Cutting a cake: We havent tried it, but a video on YouTube looks pretty legit. Using a knife is also a pretty satisfactory option, though. Usefulness score: 7/10. Hanging a picture: One way of hanging pictures is to use the wire thats designed to hang pictures. Seems preferable, but apparently picture wire can damage your walls, so soft, waxy floss could be an alternative, sure. 5/10. Murder: Were not saying you should, but apparently you could. 0/10. Here's where to get the mastered version of this song: Making music: A guy restrung his guitar with dental floss in a YouTube video. It worked, but cmon, guitar strings arent that expensive. 5/10. Silencing a dripping faucet: It seems you can tie floss to the bottom of a leaky faucet and let it hang to the sink so the water will slide inaudibly down the string rather than drip-drip-dripping and keeping you awake. We dont know if it actually works, but if so theres some high upside. 8/10. Escaping prison: Accumulate enough floss at the commissary and you could use it to fashion a rope as thick as a telephone cord, as one man in West Virginia did in 1994. Or you could combine it with toothpaste to saw through wire, as one man in Washington State did in 2002. Your prison has probably banned floss, but if you can get your hands on it, this seems pretty useful. 10/10. Fishing line: Why are you in a boat with a fishing rod and dental floss but no actual fishing reel? How did you end up in this situation? What is wrong with you? 2/10. Shoelaces: Youre on a hike, your left shoe catches a thorn just right, and suddenly your lace is shredded and your shoe is flopping everywhere. Its not completely impossible. 4/10. Sewing up your gunshot wounds: The Associated Press reported in 2012 that a group of escaped prisoners used floss to patch themselves up. Very resourceful, and they presumably had no better options. 9/10. Pulling loose baby teeth: OK, this is dental in nature, but not the purpose for which floss was intended. While it works in a pinch, the blogger behind 1,001 Uses for Dental Floss warns against it. And hes a dentist. 2/10. My ring, while not tight around the finger itself, has been on my finger and been irremovable for at least 10 years. Not a chance, will never come off! So my wonderful friend Colleen says "just YouTube ring removal with dental floss". And here are the magical results! This video is dedicated to my beautiful friend, you are AWESOME! Removing a ring thats too small: Take it from a man who sounds like hes in a great deal of pain, in a YouTube video it works. 10/10. SHARE: WASHINGTONWhen Donald Trump cried foul over what he describes as a rigged electoral system, his loosely defined claims challenged the essence of Americas democratic process and more than 200 years of peaceful transfers of power from one president to the next. He also added a new element of uncertainty in an extremely heated race: How would Trump and his supporters react to a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton, whom they view as crooked? Trump raised concerns Monday after courts rejected tough voter ID rules put in place for the first time in a presidential election in states including North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. The rulings cited a risk of disenfranchising the poor, minorities or young people who were less likely to have acceptable IDs and who are more likely to vote Democratic. Trump alluded to complaints by Clintons former Democratic rival about the primary process. Just like Bernie Sanders, I said it was rigged, well its rigged here too, believe me, he said. In all, 17 states are slated to have new restrictions, pending final appeals, even as judges in state after state found that officials could not produce any evidence of widespread fraud involving voter impersonation at the ballot box the type a photo ID could prevent. Michael Johns, a co-founder of the conservative Tea Party and a former speech writer for President George H.W. Bush, told The Associated Press that Trump is bringing taboo issues to the forefront of American political discourse in a way no other candidate has done. To have a presidential nominee stand up and say the system is rigged gives (voters) a sense of confidence that their suspicions are on target, he said. Failing to implement tougher voter ID restrictions is unacceptable and does undermine confidence in the American electoral system. Yet researchers have found few cases of fraud at the ballot box. A 2014 study by Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt, who now heads the Justice Departments voting rights unit, found 31 possible instances out of 1 billion votes cast over more than 14 years. There is no evidence that in-person voter fraud is a factor in elections, said Mary Frances Berry, former chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and author of a book on electoral fraud, Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich. Trump is saying that his voting totals will be overcome by fraudulent Latinos and African-Americans who are permitted to vote, but that kind of fraud, when people pretend to be someone they are not, is minuscule, she added. She said fraud involving bribery or misuse of absentee ballots is more common. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday that President Barack Obama has confidence in the Americas electoral process and everybody else should too. He added that fraud claims are often made by supporters of people who lose elections. Sanders lashed out against the Democratic primary system earlier this year, claiming that it favoured Clinton. He was somewhat vindicated when, last month, leaked Democratic National Committee emails revealed that party officials did prefer Clinton. But his complaints were about the candidate-selection process, not ballot box fraud. Claims of foul play in presidential politics are almost as old as the union. In recent times, voter fraud allegations received the most attention in 2000 when Democrat Al Gore lost to George W. Bush after a painstaking 36-day recount in Florida. The Supreme Court ended a statewide hand recount of under votes ballots that did not register as a vote. Several post-mortem reviews concluded that had the under votes been counted, Gore would have won. In Chicago, prosecutors are examining allegations that campaign workers paid people during the March primary to vote for a legislative candidate. Charges havent been filed, but the case fed into Chicagos vote early and often reputation for election fraud. Roger Stone, one of Trumps closest confidants, predicts widespread voter fraud. He said Trump needs to talk about it constantly. If Clinton wins, the inauguration will prompt civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath, he said in an interview with the conservative website Breitbart. No, we will not stand for it. We will not stand for it. Trumps claims of a rigged system have fanned flames in a critical week for his campaign in which hes bounced from one controversy to the next. Frustration among Republican leaders mounted Wednesday following a series of startling statements from the GOP nominee, including his refusal to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryans re-election. Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan public policy and law institute, said courts have repeatedly found little evidence of voter fraud and significant evidence that restrictive laws deter legitimate voters. Statistically you are more likely to be hit by lightning than to commit in-person voter fraud, he said. Its a scare tactic and its unfortunate. Read more about: SHARE: PYONGYANG, KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES REPUBLIC OFNorth Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020, and dont intend to stop there: Theyre also aiming for the moon, and beyond. In an interview with The Associated Press, a senior official at North Koreas version of NASA said international sanctions wont stop the country from launching more satellites by 2020, and that he hopes to see the North Korean flag on the moon within the next 10 years. Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon, said Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department of North Koreas National Aerospace Development Administration. North Koreas official name is the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. An unmanned, no-frills North Korean moon mission in the not-too-distant future isnt as far-fetched as it might seem. Outside experts say its ambitious, but conceivable. While the U.S. is the only country to have conducted manned lunar missions, other nations have sent unmanned spacecraft there and have in that sense planted their flags. It would be a significant increase in technology, not one that is beyond them, but you have to debug each bit, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who maintains an exhaustive blog on international satellites and satellite launches, said in an email to The Associated Press. Hyon said the current five-year plan, at the order of leader Kim Jong Un, focuses on launching more Earth observation satellites and what would be its first geostationary communications satellite which, technologically, would be a major step forward. He said universities are also expanding programs to train rocket scientists. We are planning to develop the Earth observation satellites and to solve communications problems by developing geostationary satellites. All of this work will be the basis for the flight to the moon, Hyon said on July 28, adding that he personally would like to see that happen within 10 years time. North Korea has marked a number of successes in its space program and, of course, in its development of ever-more-sophisticated long-range missiles for military use. On Wednesday, it test-fired what was believed to be a medium-range ballistic missile into the seas off Japan, the fourth reported weapons launch it has carried out in about two weeks. It launched its latest satellite the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star 4 into orbit on Feb. 7, just one month after conducting what it claims was its first H-bomb test. That brought new sanctions because nuclear tests and rocket launches, which can have military applications, are banned under United Nations resolutions. Hyon said the sanctions are ridiculous. Our country has started to accomplish our plan and we have started to gain a lot of successes, he said. No matter what anyone thinks, our country will launch more satellites. He said North Koreas long-term target is to use its satellites to provide data for crop and forestry assessments and improved communications. It also intends to do manned space flight and scientific experiments in space, make a flight to the moon and moon exploration and also exploration to other planets. The U.S. made its first lunar flyby in 1959, only six months after its first satellite, Explorer 1, though it took eight more years and several failed attempts to succeed with a lunar orbiter. The USSR made its first moon shot after only three successful Sputnik satellites. Its probe just a year and a half after Sputnik 1 reached the moon, but missed its orbit. So its not ridiculous to attempt a moon mission early in your space program, McDowell said. Given their low flight rate of one mission every few years, I think it is hard to see them succeeding in this in the next five years, but possible to see them attempting it, he said. North Korea currently has two satellites in orbit, KMS-3-2 and KMS-4. It put its first satellite in orbit in 2012, a feat few other countries have achieved. Rival South Korea, for example, has yet to do so. Hyon said that as of July 27, KMS-4 had completed 2,513 orbits, and that within one day after its launch it transmitted 700 photographic images back to Earth. He said it is still working properly and sending data whenever it passes over North Korea, which is four times a day. Foreign experts have yet to confirm any communications from the satellite. Theres been no independent evidence that KMS-4 sent data back, but no evidence that it didnt, either, McDowell said. German analyst Markus Schiller, one of the worlds foremost experts on North Koreas missiles and rockets, said a geostationary satellite might be a more ambitious goal for the country than a lunar flyby or crash-landing. Hitting the moon hard would require less performance power, rocket size than getting into GEO (geostationary equatorial orbit), but it will still be quite a challenge, he said in an email from Munich, where he is based. Judging from what I have seen so far with their space program, it will take North Korea about a decade or more to get to lunar orbit at best if they really pursue this mission, he said. My personal guess, however, is that they might try but they will fail, and we will not see a successful North Korea lunar orbiter for at least two decades, if ever. Read more about: SHARE: With just under 100 days until the presidential election, tensions between Donald Trump and the Republican Party have reached a boiling point in the wake of his feud with the parents of slain Muslim-American soldier Humayun Khan. Republican strategists and former elected officials are deeply perplexed by their nominees self-destructive impulses, his penchant for courting controversy and his move to further inflame intraparty chaos this week by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or Arizona Sen. John McCain for re-election. Some Republicans have given up on their dreams of a post-primary pivot and are ready to concede the White House and focus resources on saving their Senate majority, as well as candidates down the ballot. Trump, 70, is facing an electoral wipeout at this point. I think getting him to change his behaviour is a fools errand, said Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican strategist. Hes now doing intentional damage to the party. Hes hurting our candidates. Its clear he doesnt care about the Republican Party, so what responsibility does the Republican Party have to him at this point? It has been a rough week for Trump. Polls show that the Democratic national convention erased his lead after the Republican gathering and gave Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton back her advantage. Hes alienated prominent Republicans such as former representative Vin Weber, who told CNBCs John Harwood hell probably leave the party if Trump wins. The Trump-Khan spat was the final straw for several GOP figures who came out for Clinton including former California gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman, former Jeb Bush adviser Sally Bradshaw, former Chris Christie adviser Maria Comella and retiring representative Richard Hanna. Its a stupid fight to pick, said Tom Davis, a Republican former representative from Virginia, who said he isnt ready to get behind Trumps campaign. The rhetoric he used was bad, he said, adding that Trump was hurting himself by not running a disciplined campaign. I wince some nights when I watch Trump just blowing opportunities to score points and going on defence when he ought to be on offence, Davis said. Its just not the kind of campaign youd be enthused about. In a further sign of discord, Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, on Wednesday endorsed Ryan for re-election in Wisconsin, even as the presidential nominee refused. News swirled that Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus, a fellow Wisconsinite who is close to Ryan, was livid about Trumps snub. Theres a conflict within the Trump campaign, top Trump aide Paul Manafort acknowledged Thursday on ABC News. Manaforts comment came a day after he went on Fox News and dismissed reports about internal chaos among Trump aides, which has overshadowed what the Trump campaign says was a remarkable $80-million fundraising haul in July. The turmoil this is another Clinton narrative that is put out there and the media is picking up on, he said, arguing that the campaign is in very good shape we are organized, we are moving forward. Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway rejected notions of Trump dropping out of the race as wishful thinking. But reports of a campaign in disarray have pro-Trump Republicans worried. Im mostly concerned with the rumours coming out that Manafort has no operational control and that Trump is winging it. If theyre not a campaign at the top, this could be really bad for Republicans all the way down the ticket, said John Feehery, a Republican strategist and lobbyist. All this other stuff is kind of typical his blather and his inability to restrain his emotions. I dont see mass defections from his voters on this. Still, Trumps rough stretch doesnt mean GOP politicians will reject him, at least for the foreseeable future. His command of an energized plurality of the party base during the primaries means Republicans up and down the ballot this fall will rely on his voters to win their races. If youre an elected official, you have to appeal to them somehow. Just walking away from Trump is political suicide, Feehery said. In most Republican districts, Trump is very popular. And all this politically incorrect stuff is very popular with the Republican base. . . . You cant diss the Donald Trump voter. Trump rallied his base Wednesday at a campaign stop in Daytona Beach, Fla., by labelling the U.S. a third-world nation and taking aim at Clinton and President Barack Obama. Weve got to stop being the stupid country run by very stupid people, he said. Shell be worse than Obama. Believe me. In a sign that Trumps refusal to endorse Ryan or McCain is about settling personal scores, the nominee encouraged his Florida crowd to vote for former 2016 rival Marco Rubios re-election bid to the Senate. I endorsed Marco Rubio, he endorsed me. Hes doing well. Go for Marco, Trump said. Unlike Ryan or McCain, who released statements rebuking Trumps remarks on Sunday insulting the parents of Capt. Khan, Rubio largely steered clear of the controversy. Trumps actions in recent days have earned an admonishment from Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker and one of his most loyal supporters. Wednesday on Fox News, Gingrich said Trump must slow down, take a deep breath, and reorganize how hes operating, so he gets to the standard of the potential president of the United States. He has not done that up til now. Its been significantly to his disadvantage, Gingrich said. So I think some of what Trump has done is very self-destructive. . . . I dont know if its a fixable problem but I think its a very big moment for Trump. He has got to find a way to slow down, really learn some new lessons. This is like The Apprentice, except hes the apprentice and not the boss. He doesnt get to say, Youre fired. The American people get to say, Youre fired. More on thestar.com: Clint Eastwood hails Donald Trump as foe of political correctness Republicans scramble to find ways to make Trump change tactics Donald Trump risks alienating U.S. military communities in swing states Read more about: SHARE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. Republicans frustration with Donald Trump has reached new heights, with party leaders scrambling to persuade their presidential nominee to abandon divisive tactics that have triggered sinking poll numbers and low morale. Party chairman Reince Priebus is appealing to the New York billionaires adult children to help amid new signs of a campaign in trouble. Trumps operation has been beset by internal discord, including growing concern about election preparedness and a lack of support from Republican leaders, according to two people familiar with the organizations inner workings. One of the people said Trump privately blames his own staff for failing to quiet the backlash from his own party after he criticized an American Muslim family whose son, a U.S. Army captain, was killed in Iraq. The inner tension comes as Priebus and handful of high-profile Trump allies consider whether to confront the candidate directly to encourage a new approach following a series of startling stances and statements. In the midst of the uproar over his continued criticism of the Khan family, Trump infuriated Priebus and other party leaders by refusing to endorse GOP House Speaker Paul Ryans re-election. The officials, including one with direct knowledge of Priebus thinking, were granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly. This came after one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trumps presidential campaign. Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort said Thursday that Trump and Priebus have spoken several times in the last two days. Manafort, speaking on ABCs Good Morning America, played down the conflict with Ryan. He said the campaign has sort of had a rule of not getting involved in primaries and noted that Ryans rival, a strong Trump supporter, is not going to win. On CBS This Morning, Manafort said that while Trump didnt take a position in the primary, hes going to support Paul Ryan. He does support Paul Ryan. Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the GOP frustration was hurting his campaign, even as he openly contemplated an election loss. Wouldnt that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible, he said during a campaign stop in battleground Florida. He also insisted, Weve never been this united. In an interview later Wednesday with Floridas WPEC-TV, Trump was asked if he was being baited into battles. I think thats probably right, he acknowledged. Were going to focus more on Hillary Clinton. The most powerful Republicans in Washington and New Yorks Trump Tower concede things will not change unless Trump wants them to. The candidate is in control of his campaign, campaign chairman Manafort told Fox News Channel on Wednesday, highlighting his inability to control the nominee. And Im in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign. Clinton, meanwhile, kept up her assault on Trumps business practices, holding up a Trump-branded tie as she spoke at the Knotty Tie Company in battleground Colorado. I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties, she told employees in Denver, instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado. Trump blamed the media so dishonest for growing criticism of his recent statements and his unwillingness to accept guidance from senior advisers. Privately, however, Trump has concerns about his own team. He was deeply upset when GOP leaders took the other side during his ongoing quarrel with the Khan family, one person said, and blames his campaign staff for not keeping top Republicans in line. Another person said Trump is irritated that general election planning in battleground states isnt further along with less than 100 days left. The internal tension is complicated by Trumps frequent travels without his senior advisers and his adult children, who wield significant influence in the campaign, the people close to the campaign said. Trump stunned Republicans by telling The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday that he wasnt ready to endorse Ryan, who faces a primary contest in Wisconsin next week. Ryan has backed Trump despite deep differences on policy and temperament, and has encouraged other Republicans to unite behind the partys nominee. Former Trump adviser Barry Bennett acknowledged signs of poor morale among the campaign staff he maintains contact with, but he also said it would be silly to dismiss Trumps chances with three months before Election Day. This would be the end of any other Republican candidate in the history of the country. And hes only 5 or 6 points behind, Bennett said. But there was bad polling news for Trump. A new Fox survey released Wednesday evening shows Trump trailing Clinton by 10 points the largest margin since the end of the conventions. Perhaps even worse, Trump dipped back below 40 percent in overall support. Fox asked respondents who theyd pick in a head-to-head match-up or a three-way contest including Libertarian Gary Johnson. Running only against Trump, Clinton led by 10 points. With Johnson in the mix, she led by nine points, with Johnson pulling from both candidates about evenly. The support for each candidate comes from the by-now-expected demographics. Clinton leads with women by 23 points; Trump leads with men by five. Clinton leads with black votes by 83 points; Trump leads with whites by 10. Of note: Clinton trails with independents by eight points, but gets 12 percent of the Republican vote to five percent of Democrats who say theyll back Trump. The average of recent polls shows a clear separation for Clinton after the conventions, with Trumps post-convention peak quickly evaporating. A big chunk of each candidates support comes from people who want to see the other person lose, but, as with the CNN/ORC poll released this week, Clintons support is more heavily from people who want her to win. Trumps is more heavily from people who want Clinton to lose. Some of the starkest differences are found in perceptions of each candidates fitness for office. Neither Clinton nor Trump is seen as particularly honest. Only about a third of the electorate sees either that way. But Clinton has huge advantages on temperament, qualifications and knowledge for the job. The poll was in the field as the controversy over Trumps response to the family of Army Capt. Humayun Khan was raging. A staggering 69 per cent of those who were familiar with the issue thought Trumps response was out of bounds, including pluralities of every single demographic group even Republicans. Unlike that CNN/ORC poll, Trump is still seen as the better candidate on economic issues, the issue that respondents in the Fox News poll ranked as the most important. More on thestar.com: Germanys foreign minister compares Donald Trump to hate preachers Republicans are stuck with Trump despite fears hell destroy them Clint Eastwood hails Trump as foe of political correctness Includes files from Washington Post Read more about: SHARE: KINSHASA, CONGOThe World Health Organization and its partners shipped more than 6 million yellow fever vaccines to Angola in February to quash an emerging epidemic, yet when they asked country officials the following month what happened to the vaccines, they discovered that about 1 million doses had mysteriously disappeared. Of the UN agencys shipments that did make it to Angola, some vaccines were sent to regions with no yellow fever cases, while others arrived at infected areas without syringes. In neighbouring Congo, some vaccines werent always kept cold enough to guarantee they would be effective. This lack of oversight and mismanagement has undermined control of the outbreak in Central Africa, the worst yellow fever epidemic in decades, an Associated Press investigation has found. There is now a shortage of vaccines so severe that WHO has recommended doses be diluted by 80 per cent to stretch the supply, even though there is limited evidence they will be effective in African populations. WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM ON OUR HANDS, UNICEFs Robert Kezaala wrote in capital letters in a June email to his colleagues at WHO, Doctors Without Borders and other partners. WHO vowed after its fumbled response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa that it would adopt a no regrets policy to better manage future disease outbreaks with its partners in other health organizations and national governments. But according to hundreds of pages of internal emails and documents obtained by AP, the UN health agency is facing many of the same problems that compromised its handling of Ebola, an outbreak that killed 11,000 people in three West African countries. Health officials now estimate they will be short millions of doses to fight an epidemic that has also spread to Congo. To date, yellow fever is estimated to have caused upward of 5,000 cases and at least 450 deaths. More than 18 million vaccines have been sent to the continent, far short of the 40 million doses some experts think are needed to contain the outbreak. Some of the most vulnerable areas of Congos sprawling capital have been vaccinated, but millions of people still are waiting for doses as fumigation teams spray crowded neighbourhoods in an attempt to kill the mosquitoes that spread the disease. People are very afraid, says Dr. Ernest Mumakubwidi, who treats patients out of a tiny cement-block neighbourhood clinic in Kinshasa. They wont be able to vaccinate everyone that is clear. But Angolan officials disputed that any vaccines were missing at all. There has been no diversion (of the vaccines) whatsoever, said Luis Gomes Sambo, the countrys health minister. He said the government has careful accounting of where and when the shots were administered and nothing has disappeared. Amanda McClelland, a senior emergency official at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or the IFRC, said the crisis is a repeat of WHOs mismanagement of the Ebola epidemic in 2014. It was the same people at WHO that made the initial calls during Ebola and it was the exact same response: Weve got enough, we dont need any help and its all under control. Dr. Bruce Aylward, who directed WHOs Ebola response, acknowledged that more changes are still needed to enable WHO to respond quicker to complex emergencies, even though he said the agency has made substantial reforms in the past two years. It would be a mistake to think that WHO is now ready, he said. I think a lot of things are better but I dont think were there yet. A DISASTER FOR THIS COUNTRY AND THE REGION Unlike Ebola, yellow fever is not highly contagious and is easily prevented with vaccines. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same species that spreads Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. Once infected, people often fall ill with fever and muscle pain, but many recover after several days. Others, however, suffer a more toxic phase and can develop jaundice, as the virus attacks the liver and kidneys. In the worst cases, patients bleed internally in their digestive systems, becoming delirious before dying. According to WHO, the death rate for reported cases is between 15 to 50 per cent. Yellow fever has largely been eliminated in developed nations after vaccines were developed in the 1930s, but outbreaks continue in Africa and Latin America. For countries that cannot afford broad vaccination programs, a consortium was formed in 2001 by WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF. Their role is to dole out the global emergency stockpile of about 6 million vaccines, which cost less than $2 each. Until this outbreak, the consortium had never before used more than 4 million doses in any one country. Four companies produce yellow fever vaccine for WHO and its partners, and as the outbreak worsened, officials pressed manufacturers to rush the production of more. In early February, a senior UN official alerted other colleagues that cases were nearly tripling every week. WE MIGHT (FACE) A DISASTER FOR THIS COUNTRY AND THE REGION, Paolo Balladelli, the UN co-ordinator in Angola, warned in an email. On February 12, WHO announced Angola had a yellow fever outbreak in its capital, and along with its partners, sent more than 6 million doses for a vaccination campaign targeting Luanda, more doses than are usually contained in the emergency stockpile. To verify that the vaccines had reached those who needed them, health officials asked Angola for a detailed accounting of their use. The answer: 1 million doses had disappeared evaporated probably taken by friend(s) and families of the local authorities, the army or resold in the private sector, according to a WHO email to its partners. How can this happen in a situation of (vaccine) shortage? asked WHOs Sergio Yactayo, a Geneva-based yellow fever expert, in a March 4 missive to his colleagues at UNICEF, the IFRC, Doctors Without Borders and WHO. He lamented that there was no transparency in what happened to the vaccines. In a series of internal calls over the summer, health officials complained that shots approved for specific regions with documented yellow fever cases were sometimes used in areas that had no cases without any explanation according to sources familiar with the problem who were not authorized to discuss it. Experts complained that it was pointless to approve vaccine plans for Angola since the country was completely disregarding them. When asked about the million missing doses this week, WHO and partners described the loss as not unexpected. An emailed statement on behalf of WHO, IFRC, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders said that typically there is an expected 10 per cent reserve factored in for losses and wastage in mass vaccination campaigns for yellow fever. Back in March, however, Yactayo and his colleagues noted that the wastage rate in Angola was nearly double what officials would normally anticipate. He wrote that in the early phases of the outbreak, Angolan authorities had not paid enough attention to registering who was vaccinated. (I) agree it is not good, but (its) the reality, he said, adding they had attempted to improve the situation, but unhappily with little success. Several attempts to reach the Angolan government for comment were unsuccessful. WHOs Aylward said tracing the vaccines usage is an incredibly important issue and that problems may have arisen because Angola was not accustomed to such epidemics. When you see something new, such as an outbreak in an urban area of Luanda where youve not seen this for a long time, then youre concerned, can they move fast enough, is the health system strong enough to actually use this? Aylward asked. He agreed it was problematic that not all of the vaccines sent to the country could be tracked. In Congo, the vaccines did not come soon enough for 41-year-old boat operator Guillit Mbwanga. In April, Mbwanga thought he had malaria and went to his local pharmacy over the weekend for medication to treat his fever and chills. Soon though, his eyes turned yellow from jaundice and by Monday, his whole body had a yellowish tone all the way down to his feet. By Wednesday, he was dead, leaving behind his wife Nadine and their 10 children. Mbwangas medical file states that he likely died of yellow fever. Now there is no one to take care of the children financially, says his brother-in-law Mitterand Manzambi. His oldest daughter planned to go to university but who will pay for the tuition now? And what about school fees for the others? LIKE HAVING A CAR BUT NOT PETROL As yellow fever tore through Angola and Congo, UN officials made a series of other mistakes that stalled control efforts. Ahead of a key vaccination campaign, WHOs country representative in Angola learned that vaccines had been shipped but without any of the material needed to use them, including syringes. Sending the vaccines without the vaccination material is USELESS, wrote Hernando Agudelo in a May 11 email to his colleagues, who said the situation was like having a car but not petrol!! In Congo, aid workers faced another problem: how to prevent the vaccines from spoiling in the heat. The situation encounter(ed) by the logistics team is quite alarming, wrote WHO logistician Guillaume Queyras. He described breaks in the cold chain, that keeps vaccines between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. Queyras said the setup he found will hardly guarantee the quality of the vaccine at the end of the chain. Health officials in Kinshasa have been keeping the vaccine vials at a central facility with a backup generator. At other health centres, many keep the vaccines in solar-powered refrigerators of varying quality. From there, the vaccines are distributed to neighbourhoods in plastic coolers provided by the health ministry with ice packets, though not all the packets appeared to be starting the day cold at least one touched by an AP reporter at a vaccination site was warm. On July 8, an internal memo to WHOs Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan relayed more disturbing news: the sole laboratory in Kinshasa responsible for testing all yellow fever cases in Congo had halted operations two weeks earlier. The lab was awaiting more diagnostic materials. Without a lab to test samples from suspected patients, officials had no way to accurately track where the virus was spreading and determine which regions most urgently needed the vaccine. For patients, the result was an uncertain wait as doctors attempted to diagnose the disease based on yellow fever symptoms alone, which are similar to those for many other diseases in the region. At the Chinese-Congolese Friendship Hospital in Kinshasa, little Jonathan Kangu recently sat listless and ornery, on a soiled bedsheet while doctors struggled to say for sure whether he had the disease, despite his eyes turning a glowing shade of yellow beneath his long, thick lashes. We brought him to the hospital three times and they said it was malaria, said his mother, Joelle, who slept beside him in the ward for the last five nights as her 2-year-old battled high fevers. The toddler ultimately recovered and was discharged, but without knowing whether he had yellow fever, it was unclear if his family or neighbourhood needed the vaccine. SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE FOOT Confronted with an urgent demand for a limited supply of vaccines, WHO and partners are now turning to a largely untested theory to stretch the number of shots: fractional dosing, or using one fifth of the standard dose so that five people can be treated instead of just one. A WHO draft document in May pointed out some noteworthy concerns: a lack of data on children and people with weakened immune systems, no research on African populations and uncertainty about how long immunity might last. The document warned that diluting the vaccine should be forgotten because of the programmatic and safety concerns. At the conclusion of a WHO-organized meeting in June, experts bickered over the wording of the fractional dosing recommendation. In a draft press release, WHO immunization expert Philippe Duclos questioned whether there was enough proof to demonstrate that using one fifth of a standard dose would be protective, arguing that description was a bit strong. The draft release pointed out that fractional dosing would not work for mass preventive campaigns, but WHO staffer Roland Sutter argued that the operation was already planned. Not to proceed with the recommendation would be like shooting ourselves in the foot!! In a final press statement, WHO concluded that partial doses could indeed be a safe and effective option. But persuading people to get a partial dose could prove difficult since a full dose typically provides protection for at least a decade. Even though the Angolan government has received 15 million doses so far, and exhausted the supply to the point where fractional dosing is being considered it rejected the idea of using the weakened vaccines, leaving only the Congolese to use the diluted shots. The Congolese will not accept that they know others are being protected for 10 years why should they accept any less? asked Gustav Ngwanza, 44, a nurse who helped vaccinate hundreds of people with the full dose during one of the first phases of the campaign in Kinshasa. Thats not going to work here. SHARE: NEW DELHITwo men who had not been heard from since last months restaurant attack in Bangladesh were arrested Thursday on allegations they were involved in the deadly siege carried out by radical Islamists. University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan and British national Hasnat Karim were arrested in different areas of the capital, Dhaka, and police were seeking court permission to question them for 10 days, said Masudur Rahman, a Dhaka police spokesman. Five armed gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in Dhaka on the night of July 1, killing 20 people and holding others inside hostage. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages. Those killed were nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian. Khan, 22, and Karim, 47, were known to have been inside the restaurant, but Bangladeshi authorities and police denied having them in custody after the attack. Their families and New York-based Human Rights Watch had appealed for news about them and said the authorities were holding the men. Khans family asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on July 11 to intervene in the case of the young man, who is a permanent resident of Canada. The family said they dont know why Khan was being held, but insisted he had done nothing wrong. His brother, Talha Khan, who is a Canadian citizen, sent a letter through a lawyer to Trudeaus office, seeking Ottawas help in the case. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dions office said at the time that government officials had been in contact with Bangladesh officials regarding the status of a Canadian permanent resident and were monitoring the situation closely. Khan, an undergraduate student studying global health at the University of Toronto, had travelled to Dhaka to visit family, with plans to go on to Nepal where he was to begin an internship last month. Karim was in the restaurant with his wife and two daughters and the family had said they were there to celebrate the birthday of their daughter. But a South Korean man from a nearby apartment had shot a video of the scene in the restaurant in which Karim was seen talking to the attackers. Police also said there were photographs showing Karim smoking on the rooftop of the building with two of the attackers standing behind him. We are taking them to a court and we have already sought 10 days police custody for further questioning, Rahman said soon after the arrests. Karim had lived in the U.K. for nearly 20 years and returned to Bangladesh a few years ago when he began teaching in a private university in Dhaka. Later, he was under investigation for his alleged involvement with a banned Islamic group, Hizbut Tahrir. He left the university in 2012 and became a businessman. One of the attackers has been identified as his former student. Bangladesh police have said they are investigating whether the attackers had links to Daesh, which claimed responsibility for the attack. The claim was rejected by Bangladeshs government, which said Daesh has no presence in the country and instead blamed a local radical group, Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh. With files from The Associated Press SHARE: When is a $4-an-hour pay raise not a pay raise? When its given to the lowest-paid health-care workers who suddenly find their weekly incomes falling not increasing. Thats exactly whats happening for thousands of personal support workers (PSWs) in home- and community-care services across Ontario. Those same PSWs cheered loudly when the government of Premier Kathleen Wynne announced last year it was raising their minimum base wage by $4 over three years up to a maximum of $19 an hour. It was a dream come true for PSWs, most of whom work long hours and at a job that paid just $12.50 an hour. Only a handful of full-time PSWs earn more than $30,000 a year. But that dream has turned into a nightmare as government health-care agencies force PSWs, who are paid by the hour and are not on a fixed salary, to spend less time with clients and have also reduced the number of clients they see. The result is that many PSW actually earn less money now than they did before they received the government-mandated pay raise. We have received widespread complaints of our members losing clients and losing hours of work, says Miranda Ferrier, president of the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association, which has 21,000 members. Overall, there are about 34,000 PSWs working in the home- and community-care sector in Ontario. Ferrier says she has raised the issue with provincial health officials with not much success, noting the problem is worst in Northern and eastern Ontario. Clients are not receiving as many hours of care as before the pay raise, she says. For example, an elderly client at home may now get just one shower a week, rather than two. The support workers are blaming the mess on Community Care Access Centres (CCACs), the 14 government agencies that oversee home and community care across the province. Ontario is planning to disband the CCACs after a series of articles in the Star exposed widespread bureaucratic mismanagement and sky-high executive pay raises. The PSWs contend the CCACs are trying to save money on the backs of PSWs by moves such as cutting the time a worker can spend with patients from 60 minutes to 45 minutes. In such cases, home-care PSWs who are classified as part-time casual workers are paid only for 45 minutes, rather than a full hour. That means instead of being paid up to $19 an hour for a 60-minute patient visit, they are getting just $14.25 for a 45-minute visit. The reduced patient time often forces PSWs to rush their elderly clients, some of whom are in pain or have difficulty walking, in order to complete the services within the allotted time. At the same time, PSWs are seeing only the same number of patients each week or in some cases fewer patients. In addition, PSWs work all hours of the day, including weekends, must supply their own car, arent paid for travel time between clients, must pay for their uniforms and dont get paid breaks. They receive no pay if a client cancels an appointment. Overall, the result is less money not more for many PSWs than before Queens Park announced its pay raise in April, 2015. For their part, CCACs insist they arent going after PSWs to hurt them financially. A spokesperson for Champlain CCAC, which covers the Ottawa region, did not address the issue of shorter visits, but did say care plans are based on an individual patients needs and time spent with patients by the PSW is based on the actual amount of time required to complete the tasks involved in a care plan, be it 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Personal support workers are trained, licensed front-line health-care professionals whose duties include dressing, bathing, toileting and transferring patients, especially the elderly. They also provide emotional and physical support as well as companionship to isolated patients who are still living at home. As caregivers we are all here because we love what we do and we care about people and want to help them, one PSW from eastern Ontario wrote recently in an email. We are the ones with them from the beginning to the end. We are the ones holding their hands and providing comfort as they are dying. We are the ones feeling the pain of loss. We are the ones who leave heartbroken and crying for our client as they suffer and pass away. The emotional toll this takes on us no one sees, yet we do it all again because we love what we do. We wipe our tears and put on a smile and go to our next client. We deserve better and our clients definitely deserve better. Shes right because treating low-paid workers so shabbily is a disgrace. Its time the Wynne government took steps to ensure that its well-intentioned pay raise truly does mean more income, not less, for PSWs who deserve better. Bob Hepburns column appears Thursday. bhepburn@thestar.ca Read more about: SHARE: Last week, Anishinaabe comedian Ryan McMahon released an episode of his podcast, Red Man Laughing a hybrid of comedy and serious discussion of indigenous issues. This season, the podcast follows the theme Reconciliation, and to advertise the new episode Land, McMahon posted a two-sentence proposition to social media: The colonial project in Canada was/is about LAND. Reconciliation is impossible without returning land. The bluntness of this statement and the inescapability of its conclusion were a stark contrast to the news of the day about indigenous issues. Within the last month, Trudeaus Liberal government has stepped back from its oft-stated commitment to harmonize Canadian law with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), a project for which it voted as a bloc last year, and for which Trudeau reiterated his support on the campaign trail last fall. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould called the UNDRIP a simplistic (approach) and unworkable, though she insists the Liberals still intend to adopt the declaration. NDP MP Romeo Saganash, however, argued in May, You adopt legislatively, and you implement through programs and policies. Thats the distinction the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) made, and its quite an important one. On Wednesday, the government released the terms of reference for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW) as well as announced its five commissioners. Nowhere in the documents was there mention of a substantive investigation into police conduct and practices in cases related MMIW, despite demand for precisely that from community after community in the consultation process. The inquiry, instead, would focus on systemic causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls , including underlying social, economic, cultural, institutional and historical causes. Thats important too. But the lack of a direct plan to inquire why police forces across Canada have done such terrible jobs protecting indigenous women, looking for missing indigenous women, or investigating murdered indigenous women is the sign of an inquiry not designed to do what indigenous people want it to, and have demanded it do. In both cases, the gulf between the demand of what indigenous people want and what the Liberal government seems willing to give them remains enormous, and also ironic, considering the Liberals strenuous efforts to position themselves as a radically pro-indigenous alternative to the Harper government. Nothing about harmonizing the UNDRIP with Canadian law or holding police to account would be easy. But thats the problem of reconciliation. Nothing about it will be easy, either, and anyone who understands the gravity of Canadas history of atrocities against indigenous people will understand that trying to make things right will demand enormous, difficult sacrifices, precisely as McMahon argued it will. Canada is a wealthy country because of the land and resources it took from indigenous people, and few if any of those transactions were fair. Some were more savage than others, such as John A. Macdonalds direction to starve thousands of Plains Cree people in order to move them into reserves and off of the land he wanted for the Canadian Pacific Railway. In so many of its dealings with indigenous peoples, Canada stole and sometimes killed. Once it had much of the land, Canada then engaged in a century-long Indian Residential Schools project of genocide to destroy indigenous cultures, traditions, languages, histories, communities, and people. Even with that over, Canada continues to maintain the status quo of underfunding reserves and other indigenous communities, directly contributing to crises, such as the suicide epidemic in the north. If the Canadian government genuinely wishes to work toward reconciliation, then its proposals are going to have to be enormous. Theyre going to have to involve land, and theyre going to cost Canada a fortune the kind of fortune indigenous people would have had if their land hadnt been taken from them. Reconciliation is not going to happen by creating a MMIW inquiry on politicians terms, and its not going to happen by flatly rejecting the UNDRIP as legislatively unworkable (rather than, for example, seeking the means to adopt it legislatively as much as is absolutely possible). If non-Indigenous Canadians want reconciliation for the crimes and atrocities that made this country wealthy, its going to cost them. But thats the problem few people even know about those crimes, and fewer still are interested in making the sacrifices that might set the stage for real reconciliation. So if reconciliation isnt in Canadas future after all, wed better think carefully about what were going to have in its place, and what that says about us as a nation. Jesse Staniforth is a Montreal-based journalist and a regular contributor to the Nation magazine, serving the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee on the eastern coast of James Bay. SHARE: Two years ago, Iraqs ancient Yazidi minority experienced one of the darkest moments in its long and troubled history. Daesh attacked its homeland in the northwestern Sinjar region, killed some 5,000 men and older women, kidnapped and enslaved thousands of girls and women, and forcibly recruited boys as child soldiers. The United Nations declared the massive assault genocide. On Wednesday, a UN commission investigating human rights abuses said that Daesh is still committing genocide and other crimes against the Yazidis. And it made an urgent call for the international community to turn its attention to the rescue, protection of and care for the Yazidi community. So far there has been little response. Two years after Sinjar, Yazidis are very frightened, says Mirza Ismail, a Toronto-based Yazidi advocate. They can be attacked at any time, even in refugee camps. They need protection, but even when the UN says they suffered genocide, the world doesnt seem to understand. Although the horrors experienced by the Yazidis and especially the women and girls who escaped rape, torture and enslavement by Daesh made headlines around the world in August 2014, tens of thousands are living in miserable conditions as displaced people in Iraq, and refugees in Turkey. Some 3,200 women and girls are still in captivity, subjected to systematic rape by jihadists who target them as infidels. Canada and other countries have been asked to do more to ensure the Yazidis security and to relocate them from a region where their safety is precarious at best. Kurdish forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, took back former Yazidi territory around Mt. Sinjar six months ago. But most of the main town has been destroyed, and the danger of a new assault looms. There are no services to come back to, a shopkeeper living on the bleak mountain terrain above the town told The Associated Press. If I come back, (Daesh) are still in all these villages around here. The world has not been responsive to humanitarian crises like this, says Michel Aziza, a volunteer with Operation Ezra, a Winnipeg-based coalition of Jewish and multi-faith communities struggling to bring Yazidi refugees to Canada. We talk about genocide as something in history. But it is going on today, and we can save these people from extermination. The group has raised funds to sponsor seven families, two of whom have arrived after a year of bureaucratic processing. And, Aziza says, more should be done to expedite their departure from refugee camps in Turkey, as well as in Iraq, where they are considered displaced but not officially refugees. Last month, the House of Commons Immigration Committee held a series of hearings on the plight of the Yazidis, concluding that the government should accelerate asylum applications and create and implement special measures to speed the process for vulnerable survivors. On Wednesday, the immigration department said in an email that it was now putting plans into place to process (government-assisted and privately sponsored) refugee cases out of northern Iraq, which may include working with our international processing partners on the ground and/or video interviews. However, the plans currently apply only to Syrian refugees. They would bring no relief to the Yazidis languishing in nine camps in the Kurdish region, most of them in Dohuk, an hours drive from the Daesh stronghold of Mosul, which Iraqi troops are planning to attack. Payam Akhavan, a McGill University law professor who has just returned from meeting with Yazidis in Kurdistan, said that they are enduring temperatures of 45 C in camps where basic physical needs are reasonably covered. What is overlooked, however, are the psychotherapeutic needs of survivors. There are young girls that have been repeatedly raped, children that have seen their mothers and fathers butchered. They are deeply traumatized and need to heal. Healing would be helped, he added, by recognition of their suffering through documentation of their experiences and evidence obtained from mass graves, a process that is currently struggling for funds. And Yazidis former homes should be made safe so that they could eventually return. Apart from streamlining Ottawas refugee process, says Peter Fragiskatos, a Liberal MP and member of the House Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee, we need a whole government approach that will help to restore stability and the torn social fabric. Not every Yazidi can be resettled. But there is also humanitarian aid and training of security forces, where Canada is well positioned to help. For Yazidis who are survivors or continuing victims of Daesh brutality, help cannot come too soon, say human rights advocates. There is no doubt in my mind that (Daesh) targeted Yazidis for sexual violence with the intent to destroy the Yazidi population, said Zainab Hawa Bangura, the UN secretary generals envoy on sexual violence in conflict. The pattern of abduction, rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, forced abortion and human trafficking continues to this day. Clarification - August 4, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that said immigration department was putting plans into place to process refugee cases out of northern Iraq and thereby bring relief to Yazidis languishing in camps. However, those plans would apply only to Syrian refugees, not, Yazidis. Incomplete information was provided to the Star. Read more about: SHARE: On Aug. 3, 2014, Iraqs Yazidi minority was attacked by Daesh jihadists and subjected to some of the worst atrocities of the 21st century. The UN has declared it genocide, and the Canadian government has followed suit. Two years after the attack, however, Ottawas response to the Yazidis plight remains sluggish, as the immigration department struggles to meet its pledge to bring in and resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees. Only a small trickle of Yazidis has been able to enter Canada. Although the department says it is putting plans in place to process government-assisted and privately sponsored refugee cases from northern Iraq -- where tens of thousands of vulnerable Yazidis are sheltering in precarious conditions -- its plans include only Syrian refugees. This is at a time when the UN commission investigating Daeshs human rights abuses against the Yazidis has raised the alarm that the genocide is ongoing, and made an urgent plea for their rescue, protection and care. A call that thousands of survivors, and their anxious relatives, have been making since the Daesh assault. There is no question that the Yazidis are among the most threatened minorities in the Middle East, and that they meet any criteria for vulnerable people in need of protection. Kurdish-speaking followers of a mystical religion with elements of Zoroastrianism, Islam and Christianity, they have been persecuted as heretics and devil worshipers by the jihadists, who captured their homeland of Sinjar in northwestern Iraq. Over the centuries, the Yazidis have experienced numerous attempts at annihilation. This time, women and girls have been singled out for the most savage treatment, which the UN says includes a pattern of abduction, rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, forced abortion and human trafficking that continues until today. It is troubling that Ottawa has not taken the compassionate lead in bringing survivors to Canada. Some are in Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey, and others risking their lives to reach Europe in rickety boats. Dozens have died in the attempt. The Trudeau government has remained strangely impervious to their plight. Thousands of Yazidis are languishing in Turkish camps, segregated for safety from others who might attack them for their religion. Canadian groups who are trying to sponsor them say they have fallen back in the queue as the traumatized Syrian refugees were fast-tracked. Although Yazidis in Iraqi Kurdistan are displaced in their own country and thus not refugees under the UN convention, a recent House of Commons Immigration Committee study concluded that the government should create and implement special measures to help them, as Germany has done. For those outside Iraq, the immigration department takes its cue from the UN refugee agency, which counts vulnerability as a key factor in identifying refugees for resettlement. But without tracking of the ethnic, religious and sexual orientation of those who are admitted to Canada, it is impossible to say how many are in the most vulnerable categories. Entry of Yazidis and other endangered minorities could be accelerated by allowing humanitarian groups who work with them to submit lists of vulnerable people they have already identified as in harms way. Groups who work closely with Yazidis such as Operation Ezra and Project Abraham have urged this. They also suggest that Ottawa adopt a hybrid refugee program allowing for government assistance to admit Yazidis, and private organizations working with the Yazidi community to help them once they are in Canada. Creative thinking is clearly needed. As deeply traumatized Yazidis dread what the next year will bring, Canada should show its generosity with action, not bureaucratic words. Read more about: SHARE: Re: Why is the east end such a tough crowd? July 27 Re: Editorial cartoon, July 28 Why is the east end such a tough crowd? July 27 This article demonstrates perfectly why the late Rob Ford won the hearts of the suburbs and became Torontos elected mayor. Even now, 20 years after amalgamation, Star writers are still referring to an obviously central part of the city (the Beaches) as the east end. I wonder if the articles writer has ever been out to the far reaches of the eastern Scarborough boondocks like, say, maybe Morningside or Meadowvale. Of course, such a journey would take days if not weeks, so I dont blame her if she hasnt. As for us poor souls living on the edge of the world out here in Scarborough, there is a palpable feeling of exclusion and isolation due to Toronto council and mayor being perceived as overly downtown-centric always favouring the core over the burbs (thanks for the one stop subway Mr. Tory). And let me tell you, this article does nothing to assuage those feelings. It seems to me that the Star could take a lesson from Rob Ford and try to be the paper of all Toronto, just like he was the Mayor of all Toronto. Ron Laffin, Scarborough Editorial cartoon, July 28 While belief in a hereafter is increasingly recognized as delusional, portrayal of the deceased living on in a heaven or a hell remains in the cartoonists drawer to be employed from time to time. Thus, one can tolerate your Theo Moudakis showing a grossly obese Rob Ford making a complete nuisance of himself in the next world. However, after the years of hell that our ex-mayor visited on the people of Toronto, surely he should have been ensconced in Hades rather than shown haloed, be-winged, and on a heavenly cloud. John Carrick, Scarborough SHARE: Re: Fort McMurray now braces for flooding, Aug. 1 Fort McMurray now braces for flooding, Aug. 1 Reading this story about heavy rain following Fort McMurrays fires, I recalled a Scientific American article, Casualties of Climate Change, suggesting global warming is a factor in contradictory events. It cited the case of Mozambique, which suffered both flooding and drought in 2007. Likewise, Honduras in July 2001 endured drought and, just months later, tropical storms. Whats happening in Fort McMurray seems part of an international pattern: weather is becoming increasingly severe and erratic and compelling people to flee. Scientific American concludes: Migrations forced by climate change could very well become the most important humanitarian challenge of the 21st century. Powerful words to remember when sensible things like carbon pricing and renewable energy are attacked. Gideon Forman, analyst, David Suzuki Foundation, Toronto SHARE: The Hawaiian Islands are not only home to the most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island, but also boast a unique natural environment. Born by volcanic activity of a very active hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate, they are a showcase of natural history. Elliot Tiber, an artist, gay rights activist, screenplay writer and interior designer best known as a businessman who helped enable the staging of the landmark 1969 Woodstock music festival, died Aug. 3 at a hospice center in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 81. The cause was a stroke, according to his art agent, Elisa Ball. Mr. Tibers Woodstock experience coincided with his coming of age as a gay man. The festival took place just after he had been present at the Stonewall uprising in Greenwich Village. As he recalled in his memoir Taking Woodstock (2007), Mr. Tiber had been leading a double life, managing his parents motel in Bethel, N.Y., and heading the towns chamber of commerce, while spending his free time in the gay community in Manhattan. In the summer of 1969, Woodstock concert organizers had been seeking a location after efforts in Woodstock, N.Y., and nearby Wallkill failed, with local residents fearing the prospect of thousands of hippies in their small, upstate New York communities. Elliot Tiber in an undated photo. (Calvin Ki/AP) Mr. Tiber secured a permit for Bethel and allowed his motel to be used as festival headquarters, a scene that quickly turned chaotic once hundreds of thousands turned up for the three-day show, held on the farm of Max Yasgur. Mr. Tiber has said he introduced Woodstock officials to Yasgur, whose farm soon became immortalized in counterculture history, but organizer Michael Lang and others have disputed his account. Mr. Tibers memoir became a 2009 film directed by Ang Lee and starring Demetri Martin as Mr. Tiber and Eugene Levy as Yasgur. His other books included Palm Trees on the Hudson: A True Story of the Mob, Judy Garland & Interior Decorating (2011), in which he wrote of his years as an interior designer before Woodstock. Explaining part of the books title, he told Publishers Weekly that in April 1968, I was engaged to decorate a ferry boat set to cruise the Hudson River for the 50th birthday party of the nightclub owner. I was given carte blanche, so I conjured up a heady mix of Arabian Nights decor; a bevy of muscle boys covered in gold body paint and stationed as servers throughout the boat; and at least a hundred rented palm trees. And what they did to those rented palm trees, he said, lets just say it gave me a hell of a title for the book. Because of the extent of the damage, he sold off many costly possessions to avoid facing a confrontation with the mafia. Mr. Tibers book After Woodstock (2015) explores his personal and professional relationship with Belgian filmmaker Andre Ernotte. Mr. Tiber, who moved away from Woodstock soon after the concert and became a gay rights activist, collaborated with Ernotte on the 1975 novel and 1976 screenplay for Rue Haute, a drama that was Belgiums entry for the Academy Awards best foreign-language film. The movie, which centered on a Belgian woman tormented by her memories of wartime indifference and cruelty, opened in the United States as High Street. In his New York Times film review, critic Lawrence Van Gelder highlighted the tour de force performance of actress Annie Cordy and called the film an extraordinary movie, as shrill and emotional, perhaps, as its central character, and for the same good reason. It has something to say worth saying for as long as there is any danger that mankind may forget the awful sins of the past. Mr. Tiber was born Eliyahu Teichberg in Brooklyn on April 15, 1935. He was a 1956 graduate of Hunter College, and a decade later he received a master of fine arts degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. His companion, Ernotte, died in 1999 from complications of liver disease. Noting his years of psychotherapy as a young man, he told Publishers Weekly in 2011 that many younger members of todays gay/lesbian community take their current freedoms for granted. I always knew I was gay, but there was really no choice at all for many of us in the 1950s and 60s. We often had to remain closeted just to remain safe. Coming out in the summer of 1969 was the most dangerous yet liberating thing that ever happened to me. Back then, he added, it was either Story Time with Dr. Freud or the ingestion of any number of pills designed to make you feel better for being who you were. If so many people hadnt been hurt back then by the misguided theories and practices of shrinks, it would actually be funny. In the opening pages of Carousel Court, Joe McGinniss Jr.s new novel about young parents struggling to keep their house and marriage afloat in Southern California, Nick and Phoebe Maguire resort to pretty much any tactic, no matter how unseemly, to survive. A pharmaceutical rep constantly on a Klonopin bender, the 30-something Phoebe makes a doctors appointment on the pretense of discussing her anxiety and getting a check-up. But while the physician examines Phoebes nether regions, she pitches her employers latest asthma drug. This is a first, the doctor says to Phoebe, whos dressed in a paper gown on the exam table. Youre working me? Everyone seems to work everyone in this novel, which captures the desperation of the Maguires. They live on Carousel Court, in the fictional town of Serenos, near Los Angeles, where wildfires loom, coyotes roam and strangers trawl suburban streets to loot foreclosed, vacant homes. The foreboding backdrop matches the dark and darkly comic storyline of a millennial couple teetering and holding on tight to whatevers left of their mores. The Maguires have just moved west from Boston, where they met after graduation. Nick, an aspiring documentarian whose job offer at a California film production company got rescinded on the eve of their move, now works for a shady firm called EverythingMustGo! He trashes out peoples foreclosed homes, often late at night, sacrificing time hed rather spend with his toddler son. Meanwhile, Phoebe is both a slave to her own artillery of pills (not just Klonopin, but the antidepressant Effexor) and drugs she hawks for GlaxoSmithKline. Author Joe McGinniss Jr. (Beowulf Sheehan) They need to make money to pay the mortgage on their Carousel Court abode, which they tricked out with an hourglass-shaped pool, a rock-climbing wall and double-ascending stairways. Like so many of this eras get-rich-quick real estate dreamers, Nick and Phoebe struck a deal enabling them to borrow up to 125 percent of the market value of their home, hoping its worth would soar so they could flip it. But then came all the foreclosures, sapping property values, driving the couple into more debt. How do the Maguires stay married? How do they save themselves from slipping out of what they view as their rightful orbit of Equinox gyms and Montessori schools? Only in the most conniving ways possible. Nick winds up exploiting the housing crisis to his advantage: He figures out which foreclosed homes on his list of EverythingMustGo! properties have been vacant the longest and begins renting them out to other victims of the housing crisis even more desperate than him. Phoebe, for her part, re-engages a previous affair, her former and very rich financial services boss, whom she tries to con into a high-paying job in exchange for hotel sex. McGinniss spins an edgy tale, often laced with a reporters eye for the little details that make characters pop and convey a sarcastic take on what a certain slice of people need nowadays to feel uplifted: anti-anxiety pills, yes, but also the produce section of Whole Foods, where Phoebe has spent so much time that shes learned the fine mist showering the mustard greens, arugula, and summer squash is on a forty-second cycle ten seconds on, thirty seconds off. I also love the way McGinniss weaves in the happy advertisements that bombard us: Dream Extreme, one message says upon the Maguires arrival in Serenos in fact, the very first words of the book. Or, Live Radiantly, on a graffitied billboard that confronts Phoebe as she considers a rendezvous with her old boss. McGinniss, who lives in Washington, loves this kind of realism about our devious advertising age, perhaps because of his reporter genes: He notes in the books biographical blurb that he is the son of that McGinniss, the late Joe McGinniss indicted in the Janet Malcolm classic The Journalist and the Murderer, as an example of journalisms con artists. McGinniss Jr.s story usually goes fast, but the momentum sometimes stalls because the book is carved up into so many chapters 97, in fact. A more significant problem is the dialogue, which can be cheesy. Characters say or text things much of the novels warfare takes place on the cellphone screen that feel designed to squeeze the readers hand too tightly. During one of Nick and Phoebes lengthier texting death matches, he dashes off a 53-word missive that feels less like an angry husbands diatribe and more like the authors way to make sure we know exactly whats been happening for the previous hundreds of pages. But Carousel Court still manages to be a brutal story, realistic enough, at least, to scare off anyone from buying an interest-only, zero-down home in California. The whole time, I kept thinking: If only this novel had been written before the housing crisis. Ian Shapira is a staff writer for The Washington Post. I am going to use my journalistic skills to clear up some questions based on puzzling facts I have recently encountered: Is it true that millennials are incredibly lazy people who should be horsewhipped to within an inch of their lives? This question was based on a report that millennials are not buying breakfast cereal because eating breakfast cereal means deploying a bowl, which means having to wash the bowl, which is too much of a hassle. Okay, I looked into this, and it is true. But Im sure millennials are fine people otherwise. Besides, horsewhipping is antiquated and probably illegal. We should punish them by forcing them to go down to the basement and clean their rooms. Is the thing about peeing conceivably true? A recent study concludes that all mammals larger than six pounds empty their bladders with eerie consistency in about 21 seconds. It supposedly has to do with the ratio of bladder size to urethra width, and is a Darwinian adaptation to assure ease of elimination. As an atheist, I confess that this is one of these facts that makes me uncomfortable because it suggests a degree of order to the universe that seems somehow ... planned. (Another is that the diameter of the sun is 400 times as large that of the moon, yet the moon is 400 times as close to us, which is the only reason we get to see a total solar eclipse.) I decided to research the urine thing, using myself, my dog, my cat and four strangers I furtively timed in the mens room at Union Station while avoiding arrest. All were reasonably close to 21 seconds, within a standard deviation of the mean. But I realized I was missing a key demographic. So I asked a female colleague to sit in a Washington Post ladies room stall with a clipboard and a watch and secretly record others times, which she indignantly refused to do until I threatened to demand this of a summer intern (these desperate, naive youths will do anything asked of them). At this point, my colleague reluctantly agreed, on the condition that I never identify her, and if am subpoenaed for that information would lie and implicate a different woman whom she doesnt like. Anyway, she did it. Here is my report on this matter: Mammalian animals and male humans pee in roughly 21 seconds. Female humans are a little quicker, possibly attributable to the female-only phenomenon of hovering, which is uncomfortable enough to encourage haste. And yes, this pee thing does bother me, as an atheist. Are brown-eyed people losers? As a brown-eyed person, I prefer to frame the question more diplomatically: Are blue-eyed people more competitive and successful? Judging from the U.S. presidency, yes. Here is an astonishing statistic I recently encountered: Only 32 percent of the American population has blue or blue-gray eyes, but more than 70 percent of our presidents did. Digging deeper, it gets worse. Almost half of Americans are brown-eyed, but only 18 percent of our presidents have been. Moreover, of the eight with brown eyes, one was impeached (Andrew Johnson), three were so unpopular they didnt get a second term (John Quincy Adams, Chester A. Arthur, Lyndon B. Johnson), one was stupid enough to deliver an interminable inaugural address, coatless and hatless, in the chill rain, catch cold, and die in a month (William Henry Harrison). And one was ... Richard Nixon. For stories, features such as Date Lab, @Work Advice and more, visit WP Magazine. Follow the Magazine on Twitter. Like us on Facebook. Email us at wpmagazine@washpost.com. (Illustration by Paul Blow) By and large, Dale Kleber had a pretty straightforward trip up the economic ladder. He went to law school and worked his way up to general counsel of a major food distributor in Chicago and then chief executive of a dairy trade organization. He is putting his third and fourth kids through private college. Our generation was pretty spoiled, says Kleber, 60. We had it good. The economy was in a huge growth spurt. Some dips here and there, but nothing severe. But a couple of years ago, Kleber hit a roadblock. Hed left the dairy group and started looking for another job; he and his wife didnt have quite enough saved to retire comfortably. He didnt think hed have trouble finding work. Scores of applications later, with few callbacks and no offers, Kleber is close to admitting defeat and admitting that age discrimination might be one of the biggest challenges his generation has faced. One job posting, from a medical device company called CareFusion , seemed to suggest Klebers lack of success wasnt just due to a tough job market: The ad called for a maximum of seven years of legal experience. He applied anyway and, after being passed over, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging age discrimination. The case is in the discovery phase in federal court in Illinois. They expressed concerns with an older person being less likely to take supervision from someone thats younger than they are, Kleber says, paraphrasing the companys response to his suit. If I felt like I was going to be dissatisfied in the position, I wouldnt be pursuing it. That disagreement goes to the heart of the awkwardness that baby boomers are now feeling as they enter the last years of their working lives. Often needing to stay in jobs longer than they anticipated to shore up savings depleted during the Great Recession, or simply wanting to remain active further into their lengthening life spans, theyre coming up against a strong preference in America for youthful energy and innovation. That bias is so common we frequently dont recognize it. Todd Nelson, a psychology professor at California State University at Stanislaus, has singled out birthday cards for portraying advancing age as something to be ashamed of, with a tone that would never be used with race or religion. ( Ha-ha-ha, too bad youre Jewish ... wouldnt go over so well, he noted.) Internet memes like the Scumbag Baby Boomer and Old Economy Steve, which lambast boomers for transgressions from failing to adopt technology to causing the wars and recessions that millennials have weathered, channel resentment against an entire category of people in ways that might not be tolerated if they were members of another protected class. The whiteness and maleness of Silicon Valley and the tech industry have been the subject of numerous magazine cover stories, but with rare exceptions such as Dan Lyonss hilarious 2016 memoir about being a 50-something at a Cambridge, Mass., start-up, its youth passes without comment. This cultural backdrop has horrifyingly real consequences for many on the wrong side of 40. Formal age discrimination cases like Klebers spiked during the most recent recession and havent fully subsided. Long-term unemployment, defined as being jobless for 27 weeks or longer , is markedly worse for workers over age 55 than for the general population. In contrast to the respect often accorded to the generation that fought World War II, their progeny are facing relative hostility in their senescence. At a time when conditions have vastly improved for women, gay people, disabled people and minorities in the workplace, prejudice against older workers remains among the most acceptable and pervasive isms. And its not clear that the next generations ascendant Gen Xers and millennials will be treated any better. Ageism, of course, is as old as age itself. Even while venerating elders for their wisdom, cultures across the world have disparaged the weakness and unattractiveness of those past the bloom of youth. Senectus morbidus est, wrote Roman philosopher Seneca in the 1st century A.D.: Old age is a disease. In modern times, there are more formal protections: The advent of Social Security in the 1930s ensured older people wouldnt be entirely penniless when they could no longer work. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 ended some of the most egregious forms of prejudice, such as age limits for flight attendants and mandatory retirement ages for factory and mine workers. At the same time, structural, economic and demographic changes have created new types of ageism that are more subtle and widespread. One change is the presence of two large, culturally distinct generations millennials and boomers, both about 75 million strong that have found themselves in the workforce with less and less formal authority. Older workers have the misfortune of wanting to work longer just as a new generation is trying to get an economic foothold. In a weak economy, companies are sometimes all too happy to dump veteran employees, with their higher health-care costs and legacy pensions, for younger ones who expect neither. (And this isnt just an American thing: Faster-aging societies with low birthrates in Asia and Europe face an even larger demographic bulge of older citizens who will have to be supported by fewer wage earners, feeding into an image of the elderly as a drain on society. A 2013 meta-analysis found East Asian countries had even more negative attitudes toward their older populations than some Western ones grimly punctuated by climbing suicide rates in China, South Korea and Taiwan.) All of that underpins tensions in the workplace and has spawned a cottage industry of consultants who specialize in intergenerational relations. In a 2015 survey by the Harris Poll, for example, 65 percent of boomers rated themselves as being the best problem-solvers/troubleshooters, and only 5 percent of millennials agreed. Fifty-four percent of millennials thought boomers were the biggest roadblocks. Sometimes these perceptions come straight from the top: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg once said young people are just smarter. Those attitudes apply not just to perceptions of old people, but also to expectations: A 2013 experiment found that young people looked more favorably upon older adults who act their age by listening to Frank Sinatra over the Black Eyed Peas, or by being more generous with their money. One of the researchers, Michael North, an assistant professor at New York Universitys Stern School of Business, says younger people tend to resent it when older workers dont get out of the way and retire. Yet human resource consultants and the media have often placed the onus on older workers to overcome these biases, which surface in job postings for recent college graduates, applicants who enjoy the pressures of the job and those who can fit in with a young team. Over-50 job seekers are advised to update their wardrobes and hairstyles, purge their resumes of positions held during the Reagan administration and, above all, show enthusiasm. Projecting energy is another common tip , as if lethargy kicks in only after 40. And what of the legal protections for older workers? Federal anti-age-discrimination laws havent proved to be an effective deterrent, says University of Houston professor emeritus Andrew Achenbaum. Proving you were passed over because of your age is devilishly difficult, and the EEOC has a large backlog of complaints that it hasnt had the resources to deal with. I wouldnt mess around with [gender bias] if I were a university, Achenbaum says. But Im willing to take my chances on age discrimination, because there are so many [cases] that are unsolved. (Illustration by Paul Blow) Efforts to battle ageism have cropped up now and then, but they can be stymied by the sheer force and fluidity of culture. Margery Leveen Sher, 68, a former corporate consultant and nonprofit executive in the District, says she internalized the unspoken code of ageism long ago and was for many years a closeted old person. I thought, Nobody is going to want to work with me to start up a nonprofit because they will think I will want to retire shortly, she says. She never lied about her age; she just didnt mention it. And thanks to good genes, good health and a wad of money thrown regularly at my hair salon, she could easily pass for a decade younger. Sher says only since she retired and started her own business, the Did Ya Notice? Project, writing and speaking about the importance of mindfulness, has she felt ready to come out. I am not a trailblazing anti-ageism fighter. I have been a closeted coward, she says. But here goes: I am 68. I am full of energy and ideas, and I aint done yet. Multiply that sentiment by 74.9 million and maybe something will finally give. Ashton Applewhite, creator of the blog Yo, Is This Ageist? , says the size of the boomer generation should be an advantage when shifting the discourse around aging. Silicon Valley is finally getting some attention, and you know why? Educated, skilled, non-disabled white guys faced discrimination for the first time in their lives, Applewhite says. Baby boomers are starting to realize that we are actually going to have to get old. So there is this sudden awareness we have an unusual sense of demographic weight. Nobody knows this better than AARP, which has appropriated the language of Silicon Valley in its Disrupt Aging campaign. It takes aim at common stereotypes and features stories about older people living unconventional lives, like a 55-year-old YouTube entrepreneur and a 64-year-old record-breaking long-distance swimmer. But Applewhite thinks its more important to examine the source of ageist attitudes. They come from corporate interests that want to medicalize aging so they can sell you s--- to cure it, or they want to treat it as a problem so they can sell you s--- to fix it, she says. Capitalism is a problem. Capitalism has to be part of the solution too, says North, of the Stern School of Business. He contends successful companies will find ways to accommodate the needs of people nearing the end of their working lives, such as part-time schedules to help them transition rather than drop out. Companies really should be taking stock of these demographic trends, North says. Theres tremendous value to be had there, and most companies arent doing that. For his part, Dale Kleber thinks hes a better hire than he was 20 years ago, when he was in the middle of raising kids and climbing the corporate ladder. Hes had time to keep up on professional reading and stay in better shape. I think the stereotypes [about older workers] are a little misleading, because the reverse might be true, Kleber says. Ive got a good 15 years in me at least. Lydia DePillis is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle and a former Post staff writer. E-mail us at wpmagazine@washpost.com. For more articles, as well as features such as Date Lab, Gene Weingarten and more, visit The Washington Post Magazine. Follow the Magazine on Twitter. Like us on Facebook. July 17 After the Ebola Outbreak By Perry Stein You have done a great service by running Perry Steins story about the unselfish heroics of the late Dr. Martin Salia. The story reminds us what it means to take the hard, less glamorous path. Dr. Salia returned to Sierra Leone rather than staying in the U.S. and having an easier and more financially lucrative practice. I am saddened that [his wife Isatus] fundraising to establish a modern hospital in his honor has floundered; I will look for a site to make a contribution. What angers me is that the State Department billed his wife for $200,000 for his care and evacuation. I was a proud civil servant for over 30 years, so Im not a default federal government basher. I cannot fathom the reasons that someone approved billing the Salia family especially given the service he was providing to the world by fighting Ebola. Shame on the State Department and those hidebound officials who approved sending this bill. These costs should have been absorbed by the State Department. Maybe they could have offset these costs by eliminating or reducing in size and grandeur some of the countless, often frivolous, ceremonies being held; additionally, they could have also absorbed the costs by cutting back on the ceremonial tchotchkes distributed in the U.S. and internationally. Debra N. Diener, Arlington, Va. When most Americans were watching TV, one man made the ultimate sacrifice for others abroad. I was brought to tears as I journeyed with them through their selfless acts of love and kindness, also rooted in faith and compassion. They could have taken the safe road, and some would have not thought less for that decision. Im left with a question: What am I willing to die for or take action for in a time when all we do is mindless chatter on social media? Michael Razzi, Lexington Park, Md. July 10 The Hammer Blow on Carderock By Ken Otterbourg I did not read this story for one reason: The lurid and disrespectful headline. Surely the victims life did not need to be reduced to hammered ... to death. Patrice Pascual, Silver Spring, Md. I dont know why you all read Sunday Magazine supplements, but I do it to get a respite from the daily grind of hard news. Please relocate such stories to another section of the paper. Paul Gabriel-Tucci, Arnold, Md. In a magazine with a lot of other good writing, Ken Otterbourgs story on the Carderock killing was especially well done. It was fair and caring in tone, and the writing was beautiful. I especially liked the line an open-air cathedral for religions yet unnamed. John Warman, Rockville, Md. Dear Amy: Our 23-year-old son will soon move overseas. Hes been working toward a goal of teaching in a country whose culture fascinates him, and after much hard work he achieved that goal. My husband and I are so happy for him. This is a great opportunity, and the confidence weve seen him gain over just the past year or so is wonderful. Everything should be great, right? But Amy, Im terrified. I dont show it to him or anyone else, but its a feeling that grows stronger as the time for his departure grows closer. Our son has a chronic health disorder, which hes had since early childhood. It doesnt affect his ability to live normally, but it requires constant monitoring, which hes always been good about. But emergencies happen, and picturing him being halfway across the world, and possibly having a medical emergency in a country where virtually no English is spoken is, putting it mildly, a huge concern. His employers know about this health issue, and our son will qualify for national health coverage, but I still feel helpless about this. Rationally, I know he is an adult. I have no control over what happens in anyones life. But at some deep, primitive level I feel as if Im not protecting him. We have an older son who recently moved out of state, but no matter the distance, weve always been a close family. Inside Im falling apart. I have no close friends I can share these feelings with, and dont fully understand why the sadness and anxiety is becoming so intense. Is this normal? Will it pass once hes settled in his new life? How does one process these feelings? Anxious Mother Dear Anxious: Your anxiety and this current rumination are understandable because you are entering a letting-go life phase where you are, in fact, turning your sons life over to him. This feels primal because it is the cellular tug you have experienced in one way or another since dropping off your son at kindergarten. You survived that, and you will survive this. The fact that you have been helping him to manage his health will naturally increase your concern. One way to cope with anxiety is to take things in stages. Start by telling yourself your son is leaving for a limited duration. This should help get you through the initial goodbye. Make a plan to visit him. Schedule regular Skype calls. Be mindful that there are parents who are seeing their children off for military deployment; this will help you to put your sons challenges and privileges in perspective. I appreciate your stoicism, but you should not completely submerge your feelings. Be honest with your husband. Its okay to be emotional, to tell your son that you will miss him and to admit to worrying about him. You can find a Facebook group that conforms to your situation, i.e. Parents of children with diabetes and communicate with others. Learning that you are not alone should help you find new ways to cope. Dear Amy: My granddaughter has not made any attempt to write thank-you notes for her wedding gifts. The wedding was several months ago. She has made many excuses like, Oh, its a busy time. She said she didnt have money to buy cards. She had a beautiful wedding and a Caribbean honeymoon, funded partially by the money she received as wedding gifts. I have been texting her with reminders, to no avail, so I finally sent an email telling her that I am very upset that neither we (her grandparents) nor any of my family have received a thank you. I said we would not be sending a Christmas gift this year, since it is obvious that it is not appreciated. My daughter (her mother) is a little upset with me, but I said what I feel. Is this okay? Unappreciated Unappreciated: It is not your job to police your granddaughter and insist that she thank other people in a timely manner. It is only your job to deliver your own personal reaction to and consequence for her rudeness. You have done that, and the consequence sounds reasonable (to me, anyway). And now its time to stop. Dear Amy: Further comment on the question from Sad Designer, whose employee didnt ask them to create her wedding dress: This boss needs to widen the doorways to accommodate her big head! By all means, Boss, make someones wedding dress all about you. Egad. Dismayed Dismayed: Many readers agreed but you were the only one who said egad. Thank you. Amys column appears seven days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Write to Amy Dickinson at askamy@tribpub.com or Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Susan Estrich in July at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. (Richard Shotwell/Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) As a rising feminist legal scholar, Susan Estrich once wrote this in the Stanford Law Review: It should be obvious that the system already contains serious disincentives to women filing sexual harassment complaints. Start with embarrassment, loss of privacy, and sometimes shame. If the woman remains employed, she faces the prospect that her harasser and others will make her life impossible. If she has quit or been fired . . . the danger is that she will be branded a troublemaker, and find it difficult to find another job. That was in 1991. Lately, some people are wondering whether Estrich, a pioneering advocate for womens legal rights, has changed her mind. Last month, a minor shock wave coursed through feminist and legal circles when Estrichs name surfaced in an unexpected context: As the new defense co-counsel to Roger Ailes, the founder and former chief executive of the Fox News Channel. Roger Ailes has stepped down as Fox News chairman and chief executive amid a sexual harassment suit brought forward by former host Gretchen Carlson. (Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post) Ailes has been accused of harassment in a lawsuit brought by Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox host who claims he dangled advancement in exchange for sex. Some two dozen women have since contacted Carlsons lawyer to offer their accounts of Ailess allegedly predatory behavior stretching over decades. The accusations, playing out amid an avalanche of unfavorable media attention, have already led to Ailess resignation at Fox. Like Ailes, Estrich, too, was a pioneering political figure, becoming the first woman to manage a major-party presidential candidates campaign, Democrat Michael Dukakiss in 1988. Ailes was on the opposite side, advising George H.W. Bush on media strategy; they met while negotiating the terms of presidential debates. Through her prodigious writing, Estrich, 63, helped change the legal and cultural understanding of rape by highlighting the second-class status of acquaintance rape. She coined the phrase nuts and sluts defense to describe the demeaning ways female accusers are portrayed in rape cases. Susan Estrich with John Sasso. The two worked together on the 1988 presidential campaign for Democrat Michael Dukakis. (Richard Sobol/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images) Estrich in 2007. (Fred Prouser / Reuters/REUTERS) And so Estrich and Ailes make an odd couple: the liberal feminist and one of the leading architects of the modern conservative movement, joined to fight the claims of dozens of women. That Ailes, who denies the claims, would turn to Estrich to defend him seems an astonishing turn. I was just taken aback, said Louise Fitzgerald, a professor emeritus of gender and womens studies at the University of Illinois. When I was coming along as a researcher, [Estrich] was one of my goddesses. She adds, Im concerned about the impact on public perception and on how it might affect women who have been victims [of sexual harassment or rape]. Its like, wow. I have no basis to think less of her, but Im just concerned. Gloria Allred, the womens-rights attorney who is representing some of Bill Cosbys alleged victims, is even more blunt. If Mr. Ailes had approached me, theres no amount of money I would accept to represent him, says Allred, who also practices in Los Angeles and has known Estrich for years. The bottom line is, my credibility is not for sale, my reputation is not for sale, my conscience is not for sale. Estrich says she understands the reaction but frames the matter as both an act of professional responsibility and personal loyalty to a friend for the past 28 years. The man described by the media is simply not the man I know, she wrote in an exchange of emails last week. I dont think anyone in the business has done more to promote the careers of women than Roger. That includes Estrich herself, a longtime commentator on Fox. She typically takes the liberal position on panels and was a substitute for Alan Colmes on the old Hannity and Colmes crossfire program (she has also worked for NBC and ABC as a commentator). Within Fox, some employees say Ailes fostered a locker-room atmosphere with his sexually charged, inappropriate comments about women. It became common knowledge that women did not want to be alone with him, a former staffer told The Washington Post last month, speaking anonymously because of concerns over retribution. (Others heatedly dispute that characterization.) Estrich says: There are a lot of beautiful women [at Fox] because television is a visual medium, but Ive just never seen or heard anything but praise for Roger from the women at Fox. Thats just not typical of any institution, but as Roger once said to me, the measure of a person is whether he or she helps people who could never help him. That building is full of people Roger has helped, and stood by when they faced problems. He had stood by me every time. Susan Estrich was a manager on the presidential campaign team for Michael Dukakis. She is shown here with John Sasso (left) and Paul Brountas. (Steve Liss/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images) As has she. When Ailes was attacked by participants in a post-election conference at Harvard in 1988 for a campaign ad featuring the convicted felon Willie Horton, Estrich rose to his defense, pointing out that an ad created by Ailes wasnt the one widely condemned during the campaign as racist. Roger sought me out afterwards to thank me, she said. Estrich is especially grateful to Ailes for his kindness when she was hospitalized five times in 2014 with stomach pains. She spent three weeks in intensive care after a doctor perforated her colon and nicked her spleen during surgery, causing peritonitis and sepsis. During her hospitalization, she said, Ailes continued to check on her recovery and to pay her, even though she was too ill to appear on TV. A rape survivor herself, Estrich argued in her 1987 book Real Rape that acquaintance rape was systematically devalued or ignored by the legal system compared with crimes involving a stranger who brutalizes or wields a weapon against his victim. Estrich recounted in the book her own experience against an assailant who threatened her with an ice pick, noting that her legal path was relatively easier than for a victim who knows her attacker. Her argument helped heighten awareness of the crime, especially on college campuses, where instances of rape often involve classmates. Estrich was also a passionate supporter of Anita Hill when Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in 1991. She was a living symbol of womens advancement, too. In 1976, she became the first woman to head the Harvard Law Review. She won the job over classmate Merrick Garland, President Obamas stalled nominee for the Supreme Court. With such a resume and reputation, Estrich might be the ideal lawyer for Ailes, if only for the optics their association provides, says Fitzgerald, the retired womens studies professor. It gives a big boost to his credibility for a judge or jury to have such a prominent feminist in his corner, said Fitzgerald. Its going to give a certain impression, and maybe thats the right impression, I suppose for a defense against sexual harassment. Susan Estrich, left, talks with Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1980. (IS/ASSOCIATED PRESS) Estrich hasnt always been doctrinaire in her advocacy. She stood by President Clinton when he was accused of sexual harassment by Paula Jones in 1994 (her argument: that Jones had changed her story several times and was a pawn of Clintons political opponents). She was also critical of the Los Angeles Times expose about then-gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzeneggers alleged groping of women in 2003. She argued in a Times op-ed that the alleged acts do not appear to constitute any crime nor did they meet the legal test for sexual harassment. Schwarzenegger later appointed Estrich to his transition team. So far, Estrichs legal strategy on behalf of Ailes has involved arguing that Carlson is obligated to take her complaint to arbitration, as required by her employment contract with Fox rather than have her lawsuit heard in a New Jersey court a step that would probably shield the proceedings from public view. In a court filing, she and co-counsel John Quinn accused Carlsons attorney, Nancy Erika Smith, of leading a concerted smear campaign against Ailes. To which Smith replies: Estrich is a hypocrite. Susan Estrich has published scholarly articles showing that real victims of sexual harassment are frequently unfairly attacked and not believed, Smith said in a statement. However, after being hired by Ailes, she has done a complete reversal, and attacked my client, Gretchen Carlson, and other victims of Roger Ailes, as liars. . . . Frankly, I am saddened by Ms. Estrichs apparent abandonment of her principles. For her part, Estrich says the real victim in this case is Ailes. The individual gets convicted long before he or she has had an opportunity to defend himself, she said. And thats not fair, whether it is happening to a woman or a man. Dear Readers: During a trip to the store, doctors office or other places, you are seeing more parking spaces for people with disabilities. They are there for a reason: to help people who need that space. Here are some laws governing the spaces you may already know some; others you may not: According to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Americans with Disabilities Act (Ada.gov), these are some of the features of a handicapped-accessible parking space: It must have an additional five feet of width for cars, to allow for wheelchair access. For vans, there must be an additional eight feet in the space to allow for a lift. The space must be closer to the building than other spaces. The handicapped parking sign with the familiar blue symbol must be visible. What qualifies you to use a handicapped-accessible space? It can vary by state. Here are some qualifiers: If you cant fully use your arms or walk without a cane, have heart trouble, need portable oxygen or have eye issues. If you have general questions about it, research online or call the Department of Justice ADA Information Line: 800-514-0301. Dear Heloise: I work in a quick-service (fast-food) restaurant. Heres a hint for your readers: We usually can make special items that arent on the menu and can alter menu items to your liking. But please come inside, and dont order in the drive-thru. We are timed in our service speed, and special orders slow down the line tremendously. Come on inside; were happy to help you! Matt D. in Dallas Dear Readers: Have an extra fishbowl around? This is a classic hint from my mother, the original Heloise (1919-1977), from spring 1970: Fill the bowl with water and a blub-blub of bleach (to keep the water clean). You can add anything to the bowl: greenery, artificial flowers, pretty stones. A wonderful conversation piece! No live fish! Dear Heloise: Please inform your readers to never give nursing-home patients chewing gum. My mother was sent to a nursing home for a respite visit. A patient wheeled into her room and shared pieces of gum with her. My brother happened to pop in for a visit and found that our mother had choked on the gum and was blue. Had it not been for my brothers presence, we would have lost our mother. Sue F., Cleveland, Tenn. Dear Heloise: Someone used an old sneaker as a dog toy. The problem? A dog doesnt know the difference between a discarded shoe and a new one, and the dog enjoyed chewing new shoes lying around just as much as the old. Philip Z., via email Philip Z.: Im with you! Same for socks! How do they know that the play toy is not theirs if its on the floor? Woof, woof, says Chammy and Henry VIII, our dogs. Heloises column appears six days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Send a hint to Heloise , P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Tex. 78279-5000, or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. The U.S. Department of Transportations Office of Inspector General released an audit report on airline loyalty programs, which concluded that the government has the authority to regulate frequent-flier programs. (MyLoupe/UIG via Getty Images) The federal government is on the verge of regulating airline frequent-flier programs. But how far it goes may depend on you. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Transportations Office of Inspector General released a long-awaited audit report on airline loyalty programs. The investigation, requested by Rep. Alan Grayson (D.-Fla.), concluded that the government has the authority to regulate frequent-flier programs and called on officials to create new disclosure rules, which the DOTs Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings said it will do. The question is, will the new regulations go far enough to protect air travelers? Thats where you come in. The agency wants your frequent-flier program complaints. You can send them directly to the agency via its online form at Airconsumer.dot.gov. Travelers and industry experts are divided on the issue of whether there should be any new regulation. For now, the DOT is charting a tentative course, which includes strengthening its enforcement and proposing new regulations that would make it easier to find out about program changes. But the agency has yet to hear from millions of passengers who are angered by the airlines recent program changes. If or when it does, that could dramatically change the agencys direction. Collecting points is one of the great American pastimes. An estimated 630 million members are enrolled in various airline loyalty programs worldwide, with more than 300 million members in the United States. But many of the miles never are redeemed. New research by Switchfly, a travel commerce and loyalty platform, suggests that travelers havent used 70 percent of their miles or about a trillion points over the last five years. [How online travel agencies are dimming results on hotel searches] Some program members are as passionate about keeping the government out of their points as they are about collecting them. Regulating the programs is way beyond a bad idea, says Judy Serie Nagy, a business manager from San Francisco. Instead, she says airlines should self-regulate their rewards programs. She thinks the only people calling for tighter government controls on frequent-flier programs are the ones who havent taken the time to understand them. When things dont go the way they anticipate, they get upset, she says. But others are unhappy with their programs and say that government action is long overdue. I am all for regulation, says Oscar Palma, an insurance consultant from Miami. Hes worried that, with recent airline mergers and program devaluations, hell be left with hundreds of thousands of worthless miles that will eventually expire. Im afraid my points will be hijacked by my airline, he says. His fears are well founded. According to the program terms, to which you automatically agree when you sign up for an account, the miles are not your property. Your membership can be terminated at any time, for any reason, and the rules can change with no requirement of notification. Even the most dedicated point collectors often feel as if theyre chasing their tails. Even if you could freeze the current frequent-flier programs, prohibiting any new devaluations, critics say they would still be profoundly unfair on several levels. In his letter to the DOT requesting an audit, Grayson denounced modern-day airline loyalty programs as an unregulated currency. Airlines establish the rules, the terms, the value, expiration dates and the sales pitches, he wrote. Indeed, the major U.S. airlines earned an impressive $11 billion from the sale of frequent-flier programs in 2015. But instead of investigating the perceived unfairness of the programs, the DOT focused on one question: Can you redeem your miles for an award ticket? (An award ticket is a ticket redeemed with miles. It can also be called a free ticket, although with all the fees, its not really free.) Based on that criterion, airline loyalty programs passed the audit with flying colors. The DOT evaluation consisted of searching the American Airlines and Delta Air Lines websites to determine if award seats were available in 60 of their domestic markets. It found that 99 percent of flights had award seats available for the dates selected, with 63 percent available at the lowest redemption levels. This essentially prompted a collective shrug. Airlines have wide latitude with the terms and conditions of their frequent flier programs, the audit concluded. [That saucy, borderline NSFW email? Its from your airline.] As if to underscore the point that all is well in the frequent-flier world, the DOT also noted that during a two-year period from 2012 to 2014, it received only 76 complaints about frequent-flier terms and conditions. Of those, just one rose to the level of possibly being an unfair or deceptive practice. But because the DOT didnt ask the airlines for their responses to the complaints it simply forwarded them without comment regulators didnt know the fate of any of these loyalty program grievances. Whats interesting is that the DOT audit doesnt find that airlines were deceptive in any way, says Jim Hooven, vice president of operations at Clutch, a marketing technology provider. For consumers, part of the problem with airline rewards programs is that they are confusing the multiple tiers and layers add to the problem. These programs are not straightforward and unless you read the fine print, it is easy to become confused. Passengers like Palma didnt walk away empty-handed. The Office of Inspector General issued two recommendations that the agency intends to follow. First, to train DOT enforcement agents on what constitutes an unfair or deceptive practice. The department has already done that by creating a five-person frequent-flier review team within its Aviation Enforcement Division. The DOT will also change how it processes customer complaints. Before, the agency just forwarded them to airlines. Now, it will send them to the airline and ask for the airlines response. Its a small but significant move. The second recommendation: Create a new rule by the end of 2018 defining reasonable notice for consumers regarding changes to frequent-flier programs terms and conditions, and require airlines to provide such notice. Currently, theres no guidance from the department on proper notification. [Newly passed air travel legislation is an amazing win for consumers] To regulate reasonable notice and notification requirements would not make the programs any fairer, easier to understand or passenger-friendly, observers say. You have this massive marketplace trillions of points issued worldwide in which points are being seen as an alternative currency, but they dont actually belong to consumers, says Daniel Farrar, Switchflys chief executive. The value of points shifts. They expire. It is easy to understand why consumers would want some outside assurance. And thats where feedback from frequent fliers could be pivotal. Until now, most air travelers have been unaware that they could complain about their loyalty programs to the DOT; even if they did, the agency wouldnt have taken any enforcement action. Now, it promises to take complaints more seriously. The regulation question is similar to tarmac delays, an issue the department dealt with about a decade ago, department insiders say. Its a problem that affected only a fraction of air travelers, but those few passengers made a lot of noise until regulations were passed that limited how long an aircraft could wait before taking off. If theres a similar outcry, the government is prepared to act more decisively. It just needs to hear from you. Elliott is a consumer advocate, journalist and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. Email him at chris@elliott.org. The entrance to Green Valley Book Fair in Mount Crawford, Va. ( James F. Lee /for The Washington Post) We look like a store, but were actually an event. Reagan Neese, operations supervisor for Green Valley Book Fair, was describing the massive bookstore in Virginias Shenandoah Valley, where a half million recent books at rock-bottom prices entice visitors from around the country. And indeed it looked like an event or a carnival. Cars streamed into the gravel parking lot, disgorging shoppers looking for good books and good bargains. The enticing aroma of pulled pork emanated from a food tent. And a large concrete giraffe stood guard by the front door whose name, we came to learn, was Paige Turner. My wife, Carol, and I traveled to tiny Mount Crawford, Va., in the lovely Shenandoah Valley south of Harrisonburg, to see what Green Valley had to offer and, perhaps, do a little Christmas shopping for the grandkids. We drove along country roads, the pale green of springtime hinting at the deeper greens of summer. Cattle, sheep and goats grazed in pastures against the spectacular backdrop of the heavily forested Blue Ridge Mountains. Road signs pointed the way, although our GPS came in handy, especially as we entered the small valley that was our destination. Across a wide field, we saw Book Fair printed on the side of a large warehouse building tucked into a green hillside. We had arrived. It was a long way to go for books, and we wondered if it would be worth it. We walked through the front door and entered a brightly lit wide-open room with easily accessible bookshelves and tables holding lots and lots of books. Shoppers armed with baskets browsed the aisles. This is not your cozy corner book shop with comfy seats and warm lighting, yet its still a refuge for those who still like to buy books the old-fashioned way. Green Valley Book Fair opened in 1971 in an old barn that still stands on the property. Owners Leighton and Kathryn Evans initially sold used books, part of Leightons huge collection. Over time, they developed relationships with different book companies and began to get new books, and it just blossomed from there, Neese said. The Evans family tore the cow stalls out of the bottom of the barn and built shelves to hold the books, said Michele Branner, the Evans daughter and the fairs general manager. People would literally pack into the aisles. . . with no room to move to buy the new books, she said. Today, the old barn has given way to an air-conditioned, 25,000-square-foot, two-building facility that opens six times a year for two-week sessions (the next one runs from Aug. 13 to Sept. 5), offering book lovers, teachers and bargain hunters thousands of titles, including cookbooks, literature, gardening, general fiction, history, nonfiction, mystery, science fiction and childrens lit. All the sections are well marked, and there are lots of clerks on hand to offer help. Carol, basket in hand, made a beeline for the childrens section, searching among more than 1,000 titles. She found picture books ideal for a 2-year-old and classics, such as Curious George, for our older grandkids. Her basket filled up pretty quickly. In the same section we found Charlotte Frame, a teacher from Gainesville, Va., stocking up on books for her class and for her family. This is my Mothers Day present to myself, Frame said. I left a honey-do list for my husband back home and came to see my best friend. That would be fellow teacher Kelsey Bass of Harrisonburg, who first came to the sale as a student at nearby James Madison University, when a professor brought her class to visit. Its a teachers dream, she said but she never comes with a list. I found this to be good advice. While there are books in just about every category you can think of, some of the sections lack depth. But the prices cant be beat, and youre bound to find something (or, like most shoppers, many things) youre looking for. Green Valley Book Fair has more than 500,000 recent books for sale. ( James F. Lee / For The Washington Post) When I saw Frame later, she said, Ive already taken out two bags of books that I can use for class now Im shopping for my son. I headed downstairs to browse the history section, where I met Bob Leiston, a veteran from Lost River, W.Va., a town about an hour away. He and his wife come to every fair, and have been doing so for years. I have got a thing for World War II, he said. I usually find something Im looking for. By running sales sessions only six times a year, Green Valley Book Fair creates excitement around its opening days, which are usually the best-attended. Theres always a sense of anticipation of what youll find here, Neese said. The strategy has been a great success. Pins on a wall map of the United States show where visitors have come from. All 50 states are represented. Pieces of paper stuck to the side of the map indicate faraway places such as Brazil, Germany, the Marshall Islands and Nigeria. Were working on getting a world map, Neese said. Satisfied with our purchases, we left the fair heavily laden with books, yet there was still an opportunity for one more bargain. As if the prices in the store werent low enough, we stopped at the damaged book section outside just for a peek. I bought one last book for $1. Lee is a freelance writer living in Virginia Beach. More from Travel: We respect the ghosts: A spirited cider-tasting guide to Adams County, Pa. Im in this war too!: U.S. Army Womens Museum gives credit where its due Canoe through the Bronx Child welfare officials received nearly 340 reports of suspicious incidents involving employees of the Montgomery County school system during the most recent academic year as the school district stepped up its efforts to protect against child abuse. The vast majority of the reports did not rise to the level of requiring a Child Protective Services investigation, but most spurred official action, including retraining, employee conferences or disciplinary measures, according to a report by the district on the 2015-2016 year. In 14 cases, employees were suspended without pay, and 26 incidents ended in termination, resignation or retirement, the report showed. The school system asked the state to suspend or revoke the teaching certificates of seven educators who resigned while under investigation. School officials described the numbers as an indication of greater awareness of potential abuse and a new emphasis on erring on the side of reporting when in doubt. Advocates who have pushed for change said the data is a more realistic marker of employee conduct than in previous years, and they called it a step in the right direction. It speaks to people paying attention and being trained, said Donna Hollingshead, associate superintendent of school administration for the 156,000-student Montgomery system. They have the capacity to recognize, identify and report any suspicion of child abuse. The heightened attention follows a string of abuse cases in recent years that have alarmed parents and raised questions about district practices. In 2014, parents at two middle schools learned of arrests related to alleged offenses against students weeks after they occurred. Earlier, a county music teacher, Lawrence Joynes, was charged with sexually abusing 14 girls at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School; he pleaded guilty in 2015 and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in that case. [Ex-Montgomery teacher sentenced to 40 years for sexual abuse of children] Amid rising public concern, former superintendent Joshua P. Starr in early 2015 announced an effort to overhaul district practices for handling abuse allegations. Eighteen months later, many changes are in place, while others are still in the works. [Montgomery overhauling approaches to school sex abuse allegations] The report released this summer says that school staff and others reported 3,347 incidents overall to Child Protective Services last school year, more than double the number a year before. But 90 percent of the cases of alleged abuse or neglect did not implicate employees; instead, they involved others in the community, including parents, relatives or caregivers, officials said. Of reports that involved people in county schools, 338 related to district employees, five involved contractors and two involved volunteers. A total of 73 incidents a little more than 20 percent required no official action, the report said. The Montgomery school system, Marylands largest, has more than 22,000 employees. Jennifer Alvaro, a longtime child sexual abuse clinician who was part of a district advisory group, said the new figures suggest a dramatic upswing in people following the law by reporting suspicious conduct to authorities. The new policies, procedures and training they have implemented thus far seem to be working, Alvaro said. Its clear they have done a lot of hard work to begin the process to help protect our kids. That should be noted. It should also be noted that a tremendous amount of work needs to be done. Alvaro said some initiatives are not fully implemented involving volunteers, additional background checks, and parent education and she raised concern about the 26 cases of employees who were terminated, resigned or retired. Thats an astounding number of people in one school system in one year who had to leave, she said. Schools spokesman Derek Turner said such cases include violations of the employee conduct code, such as if a staff member were reported for pinching a student, which Child Protective Services is not likely to consider child abuse but is a violation of policy and a basis for an investigation. Alvaro and another advisory group member, Susan Burkinshaw, a longtime PTA leader, called for greater transparency and more parent and advocate involvement. The advisory group has not met in more than a year, they said. [Montgomery County to probe handling of school abuse allegations] They rolled out a lot, they made forward progress, but the curriculum has not been rolled out in its entirety for kids, Burkinshaw said. She noted the recent case of an 11-year-old girl who decided to report that a longtime teacher improperly touched her after she learned about such issues in a body safety class at school; the teacher was indicted in July on sexual abuse and sexual offense charges, according to online court records. [Montgomery County police charge third-grade teacher with sex abuse] The county report comes amid other efforts to expand safeguards for children within the Montgomery school system. New training for full-time employees started last school year, and an employee code of conduct also was put in place for the first time. The school system improved its collaboration with police, prosecutors and child welfare workers. The district also started background checks this year for volunteers who go on overnight outdoor education trips. School officials said in the coming school year they plan to create a volunteer code of conduct, require volunteers to take training on recognizing abuse, and will continue to roll out student lessons about personal body safety. Dan Morse contributed to this report. THE DISTRICT Anti-Semitic grafti near Chinatown Metro D.C. police have opened a criminal investigation into anti-Semitic graffiti found on a crosswalk Wednesday morning near the Chinatown Metro station. The crosswalk at Seventh and H streets NW is decorated with pictures of symbols in the Chinese zodiac. Someone wrote the word Jew on an image of a rat. The picture was circulated on Twitter. Aquita Brown, a D.C. police spokeswoman, confirmed the investigation and said authorities are urging anyone with information to call the department at 202-727-9099. A spokesman for the D.C. Department of Transportation said the graffiti had been removed Wednesday afternoon. Peter Hermann Man attacks woman in Georgetown A man believed to be armed with a knife attacked a woman and tried to sexually assault her before a witness intervened early Wednesday on a residential street in Georgetown, according to D.C. police. The attack occurred about 1:15 a.m. in a grassy area just off a sidewalk in the 1600 block of 35th Street NW, two blocks from Wisconsin Avenue and adjacent to ballfields for a school. The woman told detectives the man approached her from behind, grabbed her and covered her mouth as he threw her to the ground, according to a police report. Police said the woman believed he was armed with a knife. He forcibly removed some of her clothing before a man ran to help her, police said. The assailant was described as a black male about 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11. The woman told police he might have had an accent and was wearing dark clothes with a hood and gloves. Police said the assailant may have fled in a silver vehicle. Peter Hermann Two shootings, one fatal in Anacostia A 20-year-old man was fatally shot early Wednesday in the Anacostia neighborhood of Southeast Washington, according to D.C. police. Robert Lee Vinson of Northwest was pronounced dead at a hospital after the 2:40 a.m. shooting in the 1600 block of V Street SE. No arrests have been made, and police did not describe an apparent motive. Hours later and a block away, police said another man was shot in the lower extremities at about 10:50 a.m. in the 1600 block of W Street SE. That man survived. Police said they could not immediately determine whether the shootings were related. The homicide was the fifth in the District since Saturday, when three people were killed, including a woman inside an apartment who police said was shot in the head by her boyfriend as she held her 2-month-old child. A man was fatally stabbed Tuesday in a Mount Pleasant home. Dana Hedgpeth and Peter Hermann MARYLAND Arrest in shooting of ice cream truck driver A Hyattsville man has been arrested in the shooting and robbery of an ice cream truck driver July 4, but authorities still are looking for another suspect, police said. Demetrice Littles, 22, has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, assault, robbery and several other related charges, police said. Littles and another man approached the driver of an ice cream truck as he was parking his vehicle in a lot in the 5100 block of Buchanan Street in Edmonston at about 6 p.m. July 4, police said. The armed men demanded the drivers cash, police said. The men shot the driver nine times before fleeing with several hundred dollars, police said. The ice cream truck driver survived his injuries. Littles was taken into custody last week when he met with his parole officer, police said. He is being held without bond and has a hearing scheduled at the end of the month, according to online court records. Lynh Bui VIRGINIA Driver who killed pedestrian is charged A 92-year-old driver who struck and killed a maintenance worker while trying to park in Old Town Alexandria was charged with two counts of reckless driving, police said Wednesday. At about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Leonard Wainstein of Fairfax was attempting to park in a bank lot at 100 South Fairfax St. when he struck a parking attendant, police said. They said he then abruptly accelerated forward, driving into Swift Alley and striking and killing Jeremais Herrera Rodriguez, 44, of Alexandria. The parking attendant suffered only minor injuries, Alexandria Deputy Police Chief David Huchler said, and was treated on the scene. Wainstein remained on the scene, and Huchler said police do not believe that this was malicious. Alexandria police asked that witnesses or people with information regarding this incident contact investigator Diana Barrett at 703-746-6873. Justin Wm. Moyer Motorcyclist killed after being hit by car A motorcyclist died after being struck by a car Tuesday in Prince William County, police said. Officers responded at 9 p.m.to Aden Road and Parkgate Drive in Nokesville after the report of a crash, county police said in a statement. Cynthia Sheryl Roman, 50, of Nokesville was driving a 2001 Acura south on Aden Road approaching Parkgate Drive as Richard Anthony Gonet, 19 , of Nokesville approached the intersection traveling north on his 2002 Suzuki motorcycle, police said. Roman attempted a left turn onto Parkgate Drive from Aden Road, crossing in front of Gonet, causing a collision, according to the statement. The collision knocked Gonet from the motorcycle, which struck a third vehicle, a 2015 Honda Civic driven by a 25-year-old woman of Woodbridge, police said. Gonet, who was wearing a helmet, was transported to an area hospital where he died as a result of his injuries from the crash, police said. No other injuries were reported, according to police. Speed did not appear to be a factor in the crash. Roman was cited for the crash and charged with reckless driving, the statement said. She was released and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 8, police said. Justin Wm. Moyer Police identify man killed in Manassas fire Authorities identified a man Wednesday who died in a Manassas house fire along with a 17-year-old. The man, 36-year-old Willian Alexander Molina-Rivas of Manassas, was the second victim in the fatal blaze, police said. Molina-Rivas died in an early Sunday morning fire with 17-year-old Jose Javier Avalos. Authorities said they are investigating the fatalities as a double homicide. Police believe arson was involved in the fire. The blaze began inside Avaloss home in the 10300 block of Lomond Drive around 12:24 a.m. Sunday, police said. During an interior check of the house, crews found the teen and the 36-year-old, according to a department press release. Authorities said a short time later, around 1:45 a.m., officers found a man walking nearby with extensive burn injuries. The man, who was identified only as a 35-year-old, was found around the Manassas Mall and taken to a hospital. He was still being treated as of Wednesday and is expected to survive, police said. THE DISTRICT Man charged in July fatal shooting D.C. police on Thursday arrested a man in connection with the July 2 death of a 30-year-old man who was shot several times in Southeast. Jeremiah Jordan, 26, of Southeast, was charged with first-degree murder while armed. He was arrested by members of the D.C. police departments fugitive squad. Police charged Jordan with shooting Antoine Danell McCullough about 12:10 a.m. in the 3500 block of 18th Street SE. Police have not given a possible motive. Peter Hermann Man fatally shot in NW One man was fatally shot and another was wounded in an incident Wednesday night in Northwest. Police said they were called to Sixth and N streets NW in the Shaw neighborhood about 10 p.m. and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Police identified the slain man as Derryk Johnson, 19, of Northwest. He also has an address in Prince Georges County. A second man survived and was hospitalized, police said. Dana Hedgpeth Three men sentenced in 2015 slaying Three D.C. men were sentenced to prison terms Thursday in connection with a killing during a drug deal-turned-robbery last year, prosecutors said. At about noon on Feb. 16, 2015, Tavon Pinkney, 20; William Bass, 18; and Kalif Brown, 23; all of Washington, were driven to the 300 block of 61st Street NE for a PCP transaction with Rico Myers, 25, and his friend, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District. Pinkney pulled a gun on Myers, demanding his possessions, the statement said, and Bass began going through Myerss pockets while Brown robbed Myerss friend. When Myers began trying to defend himself, Pinkney shot him four times. The defendants ran to a car on 61st Street NE and fled in the vehicle, according to the statement. Myers ran out of the alley, collapsed on a sidewalk in the 300 block of 61st Street NE and was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the statement said. The three men pleaded guilty to charges in April 2016 in D.C. Superior Court, the statement said. Under their plea agreements, Judge Robert E. Morin sentenced Pinkney to 17 years for second-degree murder while armed, Brown to five years for robbery and Bass to 5 years for assault with intent to rob while armed, prosecutors said. Justin Wm. Moyer MARYLAND Two men die in SUV-motorcycle collision Two men were killed after a collision Wednesday involving an SUV and a motorcycle in Prince Georges County. The incident happened just before 4:45 p.m. along Crain Highway and Sylvan Drive in the Bowie area. Maryland State Police said they are investigating the crash. In an initial report, police said it appeared that the Toyota SUV and Yamaha motorcycle were on the south side of the highway, and they think the motorcycle hit the drivers side of the SUV. Both the motorcyclist and SUV driver were pronounced dead at the scene, and a 69-year-old woman who was a passenger in the SUV was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Police later identified the driver of the motorcycle as Gabriel J. Gales, 25, of Springdale, Md. They did not release the name of the SUV driver pending notification of his family. He was 71. --Dana Hedgpeth VIRGINIA Police officer convicted in shooting death A jury convicted a former Portsmouth police officer of voluntary manslaughter on Thursday for the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager last year, a court spokeswoman said. The ex-officer, Stephen Rankin, 36, had been charged with shooting William Chapman II, 18, in April 2015 while investigating a shoplifting report at a Walmart. Rankin, who faces up to 10 years in prison, was fired by the police department after his grand jury indictment. Prosecutors had charged Rankin, who is white, with first-degree murder and a weapons violation. The jury of eight African-Americans and four whites found him guilty of the lesser manslaughter charge, the spokeswoman said. Prosecutors argued that Rankin killed Chapman in what had amounted to little more than a fistfight in a Walmart parking lot in Portsmouth, about 175 miles south of Washington. Rankin testified that Chapman repeatedly ignored his commands and when he tried to handcuff him he attempted to escape. He said Chapman knocked a Taser out of his hands and charged at him before he fired. Reuters A report by the ACLU of Maryland says a federal policy that requires immigrants with certain criminal convictions to be detained without bond while they wait for their cases to be heard is excessive and costly. (Steve Ruark/AP) A federal policy that requires immigrants with certain criminal convictions to be detained without bond while they wait for their cases to be heard is excessive, costly and has resulted in lengthy and unnecessary detentions of immigrants in Maryland, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. In a report released Thursday, the ACLU said that the practice of mandatory detention has had draconian consequences for many immigrants who ultimately won their cases after months in detention. The current system of mandatory detention is heavily stacked against immigrants who have never made any mistake, and unnecessarily and unlawfully results in the detention of many who should be eligible for bond, said Sirine Shebaya, a writer of the study and a former attorney at the ACLU. Excessive use of no-bond detention appears designed to discourage people from pursuing their cases, because fighting a court battle while detained for long periods of time becomes too difficult and unbearable even for those with strong challenges to deportation. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said she could not comment until she reviewed the report. The findings on mandatory detention in Maryland mirror what is happening across the country, Shebaya said. This is pretty consistent . . . with what advocates say they are seeing, she said. There are 34,000 immigrant detainees being held on any given day across the United States, according to the report. The total which includes all immigrant detainees, not just those in mandatory detention reached a high of almost 478,000 in 2012. [Controversial quota drives immigration detention boom] The report, which was also written by Robert Koulish, a government and politics professor at the University of Maryland, tells the stories of six detainees. The report reviewed 96 cases of immigrants detained without bond. Among them are: a man in Prince Georges County who had been convicted of a minor drug offense 20 years ago; a Montgomery County man convicted of a minor theft offense; and a woman who is a permanent resident and has two U.S.-born children who had been convicted of two minor shoplifting offenses. Shebaya and Koulish questioned the use of mandatory detention in these cases. Each of the detainees almost certainly would have been released on bond if it were offered, they said, and noted that several of them posted small bonds for their criminal charges and never missed a court date. Many never faced any jail time for their crime, the report says. All had strong immigration cases, and none posed a danger to the community or a risk of flight. Yet each was held in immigration detention for months or years until the resolution of their cases, without having an opportunity to make a case for their release. Shebaya and Koulish said they hope the report demonstrates that many who are being held without bond are not dangerous offenders and that it leads to changes in the law. Their initial interviews were done in early 2015. By the release of the report, four of the six detainees had won their immigration cases and returned to their families. One obtained an administrative closure of his case after two years in detention, and the other was deported. D.C. police on Thursday arrested a suspect in the July 2 death of a 30-year-old man who was shot several times in Southeast Washington. Jeremiah Jordan, 26, of Southeast, was charged with first-degree murder while armed. He was arrested by members of the D.C. police departments fugitive squad. Jordan could make an appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Friday. Police charged Jordan with shooting Antoine Danell McCullough about 12:10 a.m. in the 3500 block of 18th Street SE. He died at an area hospital shortly after the shooting. Police have not described a possible motive. At least two people were shot one fatally in separate incidents Wednesday night in Northwest D.C. Both incidents happened around 10 p.m. One occurred at Sixth and N streets NW in the Shaw neighborhood not far from the convention center. D.C. police said two men were shot. One was shot in the head, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police identified him as Derryk Johnson, 19, of Northwest. He also has an address in Prince Georges County. The other shooting happened in a home near Ninth and Crittenden streets NW, where at least one person was injured, police said. Police said no arrests have been made in either incident. At least one man suspected of unwittingly attempting to rob an off-duty Prince Georges County sheriffs deputy has been arrested, police said. George Hunt, 18, has been charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder on suspicion of being part of a trio of men involved in the July 24 incident. Two men approached the deputy in a parking lot in the 10500 block of Campus Way South in Largo about 1:50 a.m. and attempted to rob the off-duty officer, according to a statement from Prince Georges County police. One of the men shot at the deputy and the deputy returned fire before the men ran from the scene in a car that a third person was driving, police said. Hunt is in jail and is being held without bond, police said. George Hunt was arrested in connection with shooting at an off-duty Prince George's County Sheriff's Deputy. (Courtesy of Prince George's County Police) Authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to call 301-772-4925 or 866-411-TIPS (8477). Mary Rich, mother of slain Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich, at a news conference in Bloomingdale on Aug. 4. Seth Rich was fatally shot in the D.C. neighborhood a month ago. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post) The grieving parents of a Democratic National Committee staffer who was killed in what police say was an attempted robbery near his home in Bloomingdale last month made a tearful, urgent appeal Thursday for witnesses to come forward. We want to find out who killed our son, said Mary Ann Rich, the mother of 27-year-old Seth Rich. Speaking to people who might know something but are remaining silent, the 59-year-old from Nebraska warned, Next time something like this happens, it might be someone you love. Mary Ann and her husband, Joel I. Rich, 68, joined D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier on the spot where Seth Rich was killed July 10 at Flagler Place and W Street in Northwest Washington. Two American flags mark the spot on the corner; the couple drove by Wednesday night, but Thursday was their first time standing at the location. D.C. police have said it appears that Richs attacker tried to rob him, though his wallet, credit cards and watch were not taken when he was shot in the back about 4:20 a.m. while walking home to a rowhouse he shared with roommates. His parents worried that their son might have tried to fight off the assailant. Police said at the time of the shooting that they were searching for surveillance video but have not said whether any was located. [DNC staffer Seth Rich killed near his home in Bloomingdale] The residential area north of Rhode Island Avenue had been a virtual construction zone at the time, with streets closed for a project to alleviate persistent flooding in the neighborhood. Residents complained that the work cut off street lights, making the area dark and a target for criminals. Street robberies were a problem for weeks before Rich was shot, and police had set up a task force and sent extra officers to patrol the neighborhood. Last week, police arrested a man linked to 14 armed robberies in Northwest and Northeast Washington, and one of them occurred on Flagler Place, one block from where Rich was shot. Police also recently arrested a man in the only armed robbery that has occurred in Bloomingdale since the fatal shooting. Lanier would not say whether either of those men could be linked to Richs killing. We have more questions than answers, Lanier said of the investigation. She said robbery as a motive remains a strong possibility, but she said its not definitive. [Hundreds attend vigil for slain DNC staffer Seth Rich] Rich grew up in Omaha but had always been attracted to politics. He interned for a U.S. senator and helped on two congressional campaigns while attending high school and Creighton University. He moved to the District in 2011, worked for a national polling company and then the Democratic National Committee, where he helped develop a computer program to make it easier for people across the country to locate their polling places. The former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), attended a vigil for Rich in his neighborhood. The Riches said they were in Washington this week to attend a dinner to celebrate their sons life. On Wednesday night, they dined with his co-workers, roommates and many friends, a tribute they said attracted more than 150 people. Mary Ann Rich pleaded for anyone who saw anything in the early hours on the morning her son was killed to come forward to police. If there is an arrest, she said, we can rest in peace, and your neighborhood can be safe. A man doused his clothes with lighter fluid and threatened to set himself on fire Wednesday outside of a Northwest Washington hotel where President Obama had attended an event for young African leaders. The man, who was not immediately identified, later surrendered to D.C. police after a confrontation with officers, according to a police report. No injuries were reported. President Obama was the highlighted speaker for the three-day Presidential Summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, according to the White House. Nearly 1,000 young leaders from sub-Saharan Africa had convened at the Omni Shoreham in Washington after about six weeks of academic study and leadership training around the United States. Authorities shut down the 2400 and 2500 blocks of Calvert Street NW, in front of the hotel, after officers found a man holding a blazing shirt in his left hand about 5:30 p.m. A witness told police the man initially screamed, Hands up, dont shoot! as he soaked his pants and shirt in lighter fluid, the report said. He later lit the shirt in his hand, and officers gave him repeated commands to drop it. The man eventually put the shirt down and then lay face down. Police took him into custody, and a fire department crew treated him at the scene. The man told officers that he threatened to light himself on fire for Africa, the police report said. No further information could immediately be obtained. Authorities took him to a hospital for a mental evaluation. Police closed the two blocks of Calvert Street as police dogs checked the mans car for potentially hazardous materials. Investigators cleared the scene about two hours later. President Obama was due to arrive at the event at 3:20 p.m., according to the White House schedule. It was unclear whether he was still on the scene when the incident occurred. Montgomery County police largely are deploying Tasers prudently and not using them as the weapon of choice, as many agencies across the country do, according to a study released Wednesday commissioned by the county. We find that in so many departments, officers will immediately go to the Taser because its easy, consultant Geoffrey P. Alpert said at news conference. He praised Montgomery officers on the training they receive and for trying first to use their hands when having to subdue people. What we find here, in the overwhelming majority of cases, is that they went hands-on first. They didnt go to that higher level of force until they exhausted the opportunity to manage someone with hands, Alpert said. The study was commissioned this year by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) after a Baltimore Sun article about people in Maryland who have died after Taser encounters with police since 2009. The Sun cited four examples in Montgomery. Leggett said that the county has completed its review of three of those fatalities and that county attorneys continue to review the fourth. He said he hoped that the consultants report could be used to alter any Taser standards that need changing. Despite the fact that I believe that we have one of the best police forces in North America, we can always use improvement, Leggett said. The review conducted by Alpert, an expert on police use of force and a professor at the University of South Carolina, covered 2014 and 2015. He said that he saw one case involving a fatality but that it wasnt due, necessarily, to the Taser. Alpert recommended that Montgomery adjust training with some changes that he described as minor tweaks. His strongest recommendation was that the department better tailor its Taser training around a federal court opinion that offered guidance on when they should be used. Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said the department is already taking such steps based on the court opinion and should have an official policy soon. For the most part, though, Alpert complimented Montgomery officers. He noted that before they are allowed to use a Taser, they must complete a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team Training course, which teaches alternatives to the application of force, such as de-escalation techniques, communication skills, and how to deal effectively with persons with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. In 2015, according to the report, Montgomery police made 17,682 arrests and employed the use of force 451 times. Of those, officers used a Taser 59 times. The previous year, according the report, officers used a Taser 63 times. The Montgomery force has about 1,265 officers some 560 of whom have Tasers. I think its remarkable that you have a department of this size with this many weapons on the street and you have so few deployments, Alpert said. This is an impressive department in its Taser use. Two men were killed Wednesday after a crash involving an SUV and a motorcycle in Prince Georges County. The incident happened just before 4:45 p.m. along Crain Highway and Sylvan Drive in the Bowie area. Maryland State Police said they are investigating the crash. In an initial report, police said it appeared that the Toyota SUV and Yamaha motorcycle were on the south side of the highway, and they think the motorcycle hit the drivers side of the SUV. Both the motorcyclist and SUV driver were pronounced dead at the scene, and a 69-year-old woman who was a passenger in the SUV was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Police later identified the driver of the motorcycle as Gabriel J. Gales, 25, of Springdale, Md. They did not release the name of the SUV driver pending notification of his family. He was 71. The highway was closed for about four hours as crews worked at the scene. Khizr Khan, the father of fallen soldier Humayun Khan, speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) In the week since Khizr Khan, the father of an Army captain killed in Iraq in 2004, made an impassioned call to elect Hillary Clinton, some of her supporters have found another person theyd like to see in public office: Khan. The Charlottesville lawyer and his wife, Ghazala, rose to national prominence after he challenged Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps rhetoric on Muslim Americans in a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Thomas Keefe, a Vietnam veteran and longtime Democratic activist, watched the Khans from backstage at the convention and thought of his sons friend who died while serving in Afghanistan five years ago this month. Northern Virginia native Douglas J. Green was 23. There were a lot of things that were swirling around my head when Mr. Khan was speaking, he said in a phone interview, his voice cracking. By the time Keefe, 67, had returned home to Knoxville, Tenn., he had resolved to send a message to Trump about the kind of leadership he believes Americans deserve. So he started a digital crowdfunding campaign intended to recruit Khan to run for the Virginia House of Delegates, complete with a bumper-sticker-ready slogan: Yes We Khan! Through the platform Crowdpac, 123 individuals pledged more than $13,000 in less than two days. Keefe hopes to reach $20,000 by Monday. As of Thursday afternoon, a typical pledge to Khan was $111, more than the site-wide average of $70, according to the company. Promises to give have come from people who identify as Republicans as well as Democrats. None of this appears to have motivated Khan to take concrete steps toward seeking office. In an email late Wednesday, he declined comment, saying only, We are grateful for the pouring of love, support and respect. If Khan did decide to run in the 58th District the district mentioned in the Crowdpac solicitation political experts say it would be an uphill climb, even for someone with newly earned national name recognition. The 58th includes solidly Republican households north, south and east of the liberal bastion of Charlottesville. The current officeholder, Del. Robert B. Bell (R-Albemarle), is running for the Republican nomination for attorney general. If he wins, he would face incumbent Mark Herring (D), whose campaign has a connection to the Crowdpac effort. Keefes son is the deputy director of Herrings PAC, One Commonwealth. The PACs director, Hannah Schwartz, said it is not involved in the effort to entice Khan to run. Bell and the state GOP declined comment. Crowdpacs advisers include Republicans and Democrats, and staffers are just as likely to have worked in politics as in Palo Alto. The CEO is Steve Hilton, a former aide to former British prime minister David Cameron. Liz Jaff, Crowdpacs head of business development, said the site was conceived to dilute the influence of super PAC money in favor of small donations from lots of people. The San Francisco start-up does not recruit candidates. The entire reason we exist is to be able to nominate people, said Jaff, who worked on both of President Obamas presidential campaigns. Asked if the Democratic presidential nominee was involved in the effort to recruit Khan, Sarah Peck, spokeswoman for the Clinton campaign in Virginia, reissued a general statement of support that Clinton made last week. This is a time for all Americans to stand with the Khans, and with all the families whose children have died in service to our country, it read, in part. [Ghazala Khan: Trump criticized my silence. He knows nothing about true sacrifice.] Khan created one of the most memorable moments of the convention when he panned Trumps vow to ban Muslims from entering the United States a stance Trump has since softened. Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy, Khan said, pulling a pocket-size version of the document out of his suit jacket. He added, You have sacrificed no one and nothing. The real estate mogul fired back. Trump accused Khan of being controlled by the Clinton campaign and questioned why Khans wife, Ghazala, did not speak on stage. She sat for an interview with MSNBC the following day and wrote a column for The Washington Post. Trumps remarks sparked outrage from observers in both parties. A former top aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Tuesday denounced Trumps treatment of the Khans and said she would vote for Clinton. Joining the fray with a rare political statement was Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe, who, along with her husband, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), has been close to the Clintons for decades. One of their sons is a Marine and Naval Academy graduate. As an advocate for military service members and their families, I am deeply disturbed by Donald Trumps disgraceful attacks on the Khan family, and I believe that he owes them an apology, Dorothy McAuliffe said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign. For Keefe, the final straw came Tuesday when Trump boasted at a rally in Ashburn, Va., that a supporter had given him his Purple Heart. Nobody ever wanted a Purple Heart, he said of the medal given to those killed or wounded while serving in the military. He just nauseates me. ALABAMA 1963 church bomber Blanton denied parole The lone surviving Ku Klux Klansman imprisoned for killing four black girls in a church bombing in 1963 will remain behind bars after Alabamas parole board heeded the victims families Wednesday and refused an early release. The board rejected parole for Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., 78, who has served 15 years of a life term for being part of a group of Klansmen who planted a bomb outside Birminghams 16th Street Baptist Church during the civil rights movement. Lisa McNair, a sister of bombing victim Denise McNair, was relieved by the decision. Justice is served, she said afterward. Blanton, who lives in a one-person cell and rarely has contact with other inmates at St. Clair prison, will again be eligible for parole consideration in five years, the board said. The automatic review was the first for Blanton. Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., a one-time Ku Klux Klansman convicted in the 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls in Birmingham, Ala. (AP/AP) Blanton was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Sept. 15, 1963, bombing. The blast killed the 11-year-old McNair and 14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Morris, also known as Cynthia Wesley. Inmates do not attend parole hearings under Alabama law, and no one showed up to speak on Blantons behalf. Opponents took up seats normally reserved for inmates relatives, and members of the Birmingham NAACP chapter rode to Montgomery by bus to attend. Associated Press MICHIGAN Officials vow to stay committed to Flint over water crisis Federal, state and local officials said Wednesday that they will remain committed to fixing Flints drinking water system after a federal emergency declaration over the citys lead crisis expires this month. The declaration ends Aug. 14, after which the state will bear the full cost of bottled water, filters and other water-related supplies being given to residents after tests showed elevated levels of lead in the blood of some local children. But officials said federal resources, health programs and monitoring efforts will remain in place. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys acting regional administrator, Bob Kaplan, said Flints water system is now among the best-monitored in the nation. While water quality is improving, he said, the end of the declaration does not change officials focus. We wont be at the finish line until testing can confirm that Flint residents are receiving safe, clean drinking water, Kaplan said in a statement. Associated Press Bank robber seeks prison: Linda P. Thompson has pleaded guilty in federal court after authorities said she robbed a bank in Wyoming so she could return to prison. Thompson told the judge that going back to prison would be like going home. Sentencing was set for Oct. 12. Death toll in bus crash reduced: A crash that nearly sliced a bus in half on a central California highway killed four people, not the initially reported five, a local sheriff said Wednesday. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke, who also serves as coroner, gave the new total after canvassing hospitals and checking with coroners officials in a neighboring county. He said he knew of no deaths among those taken to hospitals. From news services The Lego company named the Mindstorms robotics kits after Seymour Paperts book Mindstorms. Dr. Papert, who led an early campaign to revolutionize education with the personal computer, died July 31 at his home in East Blue Hill, Maine. He was 88. (Bob Kramer/SPA Magazine/Courtesy of the MIT Media Lab) Seymour Papert, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who led an early campaign to revolutionize education with the personal computer, a tool he championed not as a classroom gadget but as a key to unlocking a childs excitement for learning, died July 31 at his home in East Blue Hill, Maine. He was 88. His death was announced by the MIT Media Lab, where Dr. Papert was a founding faculty member. The cause of death was complications from kidney and bladder infections, said his wife, Suzanne Massie. His organs had been weakened by an accident a decade ago in Hanoi, she said, where Dr. Papert had traveled to speak at a gathering of mathematicians and educators. He was crossing a street in the Vietnamese capital when he was struck by a motorbike. The accident left him in a month-long coma, according to news reports, and he had to work to regain the ability to walk, talk and read. Dr. Papert grew up in South Africa and credited his father, an entomologist who invited Seymour along for field research on the tsetse fly, with introducing him to the joys of experiential learning. As a university student, Dr. Papert dedicated himself principally to what he called the beautiful jewel of the human spirit called pure mathematics. But his wide-ranging studies also took him to the University of Geneva in Switzerland, where he collaborated with Jean Piaget, the psychologist who formulated pioneering theories of human development. Dr. Papert with a childrens robot called the Logo Turtle. (Courtesy of Cynthia Solomon/ MIT Media Lab) By the early 1960s, Dr. Papert had landed at MIT. With a mind of extraordinary range and creativity, Seymour Papert helped revolutionize at least three fields, from the study of how children make sense of the world, to the development of artificial intelligence, to the rich intersection of technology and learning, MIT President L. Rafael Reif said in a statement. Dr. Papert first encountered a computer early in his MIT career. Fiddling around with the machine, he solved math problems that he said had dogged him for years. I was exhilarated by the tremendous power of problem solving that tool offered, he told the Portland Press Herald of Maine in 1997. Within a day or two it became an obsession to get computers in the hands of kids. At the time, Dr. Papert was a lonely evangelist for personal computers. Decades would pass before computer technology began to compete in schools with chalk and blackboards, pencils and paper. But Dr. Papert was unstinting in his promotion of computer technology, which he said facilitated an active, or constructionist, style of learning, as he termed it, as opposed to the passive memorization of facts and tables. He was credited with playing a leading role in the development of Logo, a programming language that children could use to draw shapes on a monitor. By instructing the cursor, represented by a turtle, to move different distances in different directions, the children would absorb concepts of arithmetic and geometry. Dr. Papert compared the experience to learning French not by poring over a vocabulary book, but by living in France. To parents and teachers who feared that computers would have a dulling effect on childrens minds, Dr. Papert argued that programs such as Logo would yield the opposite result. Logo is a program, which is to say its a way of making the computer do what you want it to do, Dr. Papert told the New York Times in 1985. It gives a child the possibility of exploring the power of the computer and mastery over it. Furthermore, an important part of becoming a good learner is learning how to push out the frontier of what we can express with words, he wrote in his 1980 book Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Getting a computer to do something requires that the underlying process be described, on some level, with enough precision to be carried out by the machine, he wrote. At MIT, Dr. Papert served as a director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab, now the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, along with artificial intelligence pioneer Marvin Minsky, who died in January. With Minsky, Dr. Papert wrote the 1969 volume Perceptrons. According to the MIT Press, it was the first example of a mathematical analysis carried far enough to show the exact limitations of a class of computing machines that could seriously be considered as models of the brain. More recently, he collaborated with Nicholas Negroponte, a co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, and Alan Kay, a computer scientist, on One Laptop per Child, a nonprofit initiative to distribute affordable laptops to children in developing countries. The project reflected Dr. Paperts belief that computers should be everywhere. Imagine that writing had just been invented, Dr. Papert told the Times, and somebody said, Lets take it easy. Well start by putting one pencil in each classroom. The idea of one computer in each classroom is about as absurd as one pencil in each classroom. Seymour Aubrey Papert was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on Feb. 29, 1928. He received a bachelors degree in mathematics and philosophy in 1949 and a PhD in mathematics in 1952, both from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he joined the anti-apartheid movement. He received a second PhD from the University of Cambridge in England in the late 1950s before beginning his collaboration with Piaget. Piaget brought many things together for me, Dr. Papert told the publication Technology Review in 1987. Before I met him, I had been intellectually torn between my interest in how people came to think and my interest in more abstract ideas. Piaget showed me a way in which my caring for math, for the philosophy of thinking, and for social reform all seemed to go together. Dr. Paperts books included The Childrens Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer (1993) and The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap (1996). According to MIT, Dr, Papert was married to Dona Strauss, Androula Christofides Henriques and Sherry Turkle. Survivors include his wife of 24 years, Suzanne Massie, a noted Russia scholar; a daughter from his marriage to Henriques, Artemis Papert; three stepchildren, Robert Massie IV, Susanna Massie Thomas and Elizabeth Massie; a sister; a brother; and seven grandchildren. Although much of his work centered on children and the role of computers in their education, Dr. Papert also promoted the benefits of technology for adults who often learn alongside their youngsters. I do think that having a computer in their lives makes a difference to children, he told The Washington Post in 1987. My strongest advice to parents is, yes, get a computer for your child, but treat it the way fathers used to treat electric trains play with it yourself. SOUTH AFRICA ANC faces tough test in municipal elections South Africans voted Wednesday in municipal elections described as the most closely contested for the African National Congress since it took power in the first all-race elections in 1994. About 26 million people had registered to vote at more than 22,000 polling stations as the ANC sought to retain control of key metropolitan areas despite a vigorous challenge from opposition parties. Final results are expected in the coming week. The ANC, formerly the main anti-apartheid movement, has dominated politics in democratic South Africa. But it has seen some erosion of support as voters complain that their hopes for jobs and other opportunities have not been fulfilled since the end of white minority rule. More than a dozen political candidates and party activists were killed in the run-up to the election, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal province, a stronghold of the ruling party. Campaigning elsewhere was mostly peaceful. Associated Press NEPAL Former rebel leader elected prime minister Nepals parliament on Wednesday elected a former communist rebel leader to head a coalition government as the new prime minister, a move unlikely to end the political instability in the Himalayan nation. Maoist party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal received 363 votes from lawmakers, with 210 voting against him. Dahal has the support of the Nepali Congress, the largest party, and several smaller parties. It is Dahals second stint as prime minister. His first tenure ended in 2009. Dahal led an insurgency for a decade until 2006, when the rebels signed a peace deal. More than 17,000 people were killed during the insurgency. The new government is not expected to improve Nepals political fortunes, with the two main parties in the coalition having little in common. Associated Press UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 1 killed as passenger jet crash-lands in Dubai An Emirates flight from India with 300 people aboard crash-landed at Dubais main airport on Wednesday, sending black smoke billowing into the air and temporarily halting all flights at the Middle Easts busiest airport. A firefighter died in the blaze. The accident was the most serious in the history of Emirates, which has grown at a breakneck pace over the past three decades and turned its home town of Dubai into a major long-haul international air hub. Emirates Group chief executive and chairman Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said that 10 people were hospitalized but that all passengers were safely evacuated before the plane was engulfed in a fireball. He said one firefighter died trying to put out the blaze. The plane was en route from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram and was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew members, the airline said. A problem with the planes landing gear appeared to have been a contributing factor in the crash. There were major delays in operations across the Emirates network, disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers. Associated Press Former opposition mayor sent to prison in Russia: A former mayor of the Russian city of Yaroslavl was found guilty of soliciting bribes and sentenced to 12 years in a high-security prison. Yevgeny Urlashov, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putins allies, was the only opposition mayor of a major Russian city when arrested in 2013. He was elected a year earlier on a wave of opposition protests. Yaroslavl denied the charges against him and claimed he had been framed by political rivals. Killing of 2 civilians triggers protests in Indian Kashmir: Tens of thousands of people rallied in Indian-controlled Kashmir to protest the overnight killings of two civilians by government forces amid a nearly month-long security lockdown. More than 100 civilians were injured as clashes broke out between protesters and government forces. Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan, but both claim it in its entirety. Opposition leaders in Armenia jailed after hostage crisis: Armenias top investigative body said 23 people were in custody on suspicion of organizing riots in the capital during a two-week armed standoff. Investigators said those arrested include the deputy chairman of the opposition Heritage party and the leader of the civic movement Rise Up, Armenia. Armed men seized a police compound on July 17, demanding the release of an opposition leader arrested in June. They surrendered Sunday. From news services Amanda Erickson is an assistant editor of Outlook. In recent months, J.D. Vance has become a spokesman for the white working class, explaining why many of his hillbilly friends will vote for Trump but why he wont. These people my people are really struggling, he said in a recent American Conservative interview. And there hasnt been a single political candidate who speaks to those struggles in a long time. Donald Trump at least tries. In his book Hillbilly Elegy, the politically conservative Vance focuses more on the personal than the polemic. Still, he wants people to understand something he learned only recently that for those of us lucky enough to live the American Dream, the demons of a life we left behind continue to chase us. For those who never achieved it at all, the demons the anger, the depression and more are hard to shake off. Trump, Vance said in the interview, taps into that. His apocalyptic tone, he said, matches their lived experiences on the ground. Vance grew up in what his memoir describes as an Ohio steel town that has been hemorrhaging jobs and hope for as long as I can remember. His mother struggled with addiction; he was raised by his grandparents, neither of whom graduated from high school. The statistics tell you that kids like me face a grim future that if theyre lucky, theyll manage to avoid welfare; and if theyre unlucky, theyll die of a heroin overdose. Vance himself nearly failed out of high school. But he escaped that fate. He enlisted in the Marines, served in Iraq and went on to Yale Law School. At 31, hes a successful, happily married Silicon Valley executive. Vance probes why he managed to lift himself, offering that he grew up surrounded by family and learned to believe in his own ability to make his life better. [White Trash a cultural and political history of an American underclass] Vance movingly recounts the travails of his family his grandparents, for example, who got together as teenagers and moved from Kentucky to Ohio for jobs at Armco, a steel company. Vances Papaw had a nasty drinking problem; his Mamaw could be just plain nasty. During one particularly vivid fight, Mamaw threatened to kill her husband if he ever came home drunk again. He did, so Mamaw poured lighter fluid on him and struck a match, leaving her children to put out the fire. (Papaw was, somewhat miraculously, fine.) Vances aunt and uncle moved on from this tumult largely unscathed, building stable families and solid economic foundations. His mother, though, bore the scars of her upbringing. Though she was at the top of her class, she got pregnant before she finished high school. She became a nurse but careened from man to man, marrying a half-dozen and uprooting Vance and his sister each time. And she struggled with drugs, bouncing in and out of rehab and eventually losing her nursing license. She could be neglectful (Vance lived alone for much of the ninth grade) and abusive. After one brutal fight, Vance fled to a strangers house, scared that his mother might murder him. Its enough to make anyone bitter, but Vances feelings are more complicated. Hes sympathetic to the psychic holes his mother tried to fill and to the ways the abuse she suffered as a child shaped her adult behavior. Its a tension he returns to again and again in his nuanced, thoughtful book what makes some children resilient while others succumb to the temptations that haunted their parents? Is his mother a victim, an abuser or both? Can we ever really escape our past and our class? Vance left his mothers home for good in the 10th grade, moving in with a much-mellowed Mamaw. His grandmother insisted that he work hard in school and get a job. We didnt have cell phones, he writes, and we didnt have nice clothes, but Mamaw made sure that I had one of those graphing calculators. This taught me an important lesson about Mamaws values, and it forced me to engage with school in a way I never had before. More important, she insisted that Vance held the keys to his future. Never be like those f---ing losers who think the deck is stacked against them, Mamaw used to tell her grandson. By the time Vance graduated, his grades were good enough for admission to Ohio State. But actually getting to college wasnt easy. Vance and his grandmother struggled with the financial-aid and loan forms. The potential for debt was so terrifying that Vance enlisted in the Marines. It was the right call he says the military taught him discipline, time management and confidence in his ability to power through. In law school, Vance grappled with the legacy of his childhood. Social mobility isnt just about money and economics, its about a lifestyle change, he writes. When you go from working class to professional class, almost everything about your old life becomes unfashionable at best or unhealthy at worst. Once, he took a Yale friend to Cracker Barrel, his grandmas favorite restaurant, the place hed go for special occasions. In my youth, it was the height of fine dining, he writes. With Yale friends, it was a greasy public health crisis. Another time, at a fancy recruiting dinner, he spat out his mineral water because hed never tasted it before and thought it had gone bad. [Review of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City] Though he has overcome his demons, Vance is sympathetic to those left behind. As he describes their plight, From low social mobility to poverty to divorce and drug addiction, my home is a hub of misery. And in contrast to other groups that also experience widespread poverty, working class whites are the most pessimistic group in America. Vance attributes that pessimism to their social isolation and worse, he writes, we pass that isolation to our children. The wounds are partly self-inflicted. The working class, he argues, has lost its sense of agency and taste for hard work. In one illuminating anecdote, he writes about his summer job at the local tile factory, lugging 60-pound pallets around. It paid $13 an hour with good benefits and opportunities for advancement. A full-time employee could earn a salary well above the poverty line. That should have made the gig an easy sell. Yet the factorys owner had trouble filling jobs. During Vances summer stint, three people left, including a man he calls Bob, a 19-year-old with a pregnant girlfriend. Bob was chronically late to work, when he showed up at all. He frequently took 45-minute bathroom breaks. Still, when he got fired, he raged against the managers who did it, refusing to acknowledge the impact of his own bad choices. He thought something had been done to him, Vance writes. There is a lack of agency here a feeling that you have little control over your life and a willingness to blame everyone but yourself. Perhaps Vances key to success is a simple one: that he just powered through his difficulties instead of giving up or blaming someone else. I believe we hillbillies are the toughest god----ed people on this earth, he concludes. But are we tough enough to look ourselves in the mirror and admit that our conduct harms our children? Public policy can help, but there is no government that can fix these problems for us. . . . I dont know what the answer is precisely, but I know it starts when we stop blaming Obama or Bush or faceless companies and ask ourselves what we can do to make things better. RODRIGO DUTERTE, the new president of the Philippines, is overseeing exactly what he pledged in his campaign: a terrifying surge of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers, users and criminals. From the day after he was elected, May 10, to Aug. 4, by a local account, there had been 571 killings, most of them simple executions by police and vigilante groups. Mr. Duterte promised to shoot to kill and eliminate drug dealing in the country in six months. In fact, he is killing the rule of law, and that could undermine Philippine democracy. Mr. Duterte declared in his inaugural speech that his adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising. But later that day, after taking the oath, Mr. Duterte visited a Manila slum and told a crowd, referring to drug dealers, These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, dont go into that, even if youre a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself, as getting their parents to do it would be too painful. The Philippines has a serious drug problem, chiefly with crystal meth, a.k.a. shabu. The drug trade took root in a nation plagued by rampant corruption and a discredited political establishment. Mr. Dutertes firebrand response to drugs has been popular. But the street executions are taking lives without trials or proof of criminality. Drug addicts and abusers who need medical attention and counseling are getting a bullet instead. Police have claimed suspects resisted arrest or shot at them but have provided no evidence. More than 300 organizations involved in issues related to drug production, trafficking and use have appealed to international drug-control agencies to help stop the killings and to tell Mr. Duterte that they do not constitute acceptable drug control measures. Thats putting it mildly. No one should be surprised by Mr. Dutertes brutal tactics. He has been championing extrajudicial violence for nearly two decades. From 1998 until this year he served as mayor of Davao City on the main southern island of Mindanao, where death squads took the lives of more than 1,000 people. An investigation in 2009 by Human Rights Watch documented the grisly methods of the killers; they meted out summary executions with impunity. On May 24, 2015, in a television broadcast, Mr. Duterte identified with the shadowy killers. Am I the death squad? True. That is true, he said. He pledged that if elected president, he would execute100,000 criminals and dump their bodies in Manila Bay. The past few weeks provide grim foreshadowing that he may be serious about that. Mr. Duterte won the election as a profane, take-no-prisoners leader who did not bristle at the word dictator. While the persona may have proved effective in the campaign, a real dictator, especially one with blood on his hands, is hardly what the Philippines needs. DONALD TRUMP has peddled a variety of conspiracy theories over the course of his noxious campaign, but his latest one is among the most destructive: The GOP presidential nominee has been claiming this week that the election may be rigged against him. Down in the polls, Mr. Trump might not see any cost to this preemptive effort to save face even if he wins, he can claim he prevailed despite all of this phantom rigging. But society will pay. Mr. Trumps incitements could easily lead to post-election disorder. Even if they do not, they erode faith in the nations democratic order. Mr. Trumps accusations do not come out of nowhere. Republicans, particularly at the state level, have for years pumped up fears of voter fraud in order to impose burdensome voter-ID laws. More recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) encouraged his supporters to believe the Democratic primary process was fixed, along with much else in society. His most zealous acolytes used this as pretext to obnoxiously and continually interrupt the Democratic National Convention last week. Little wonder that, even before Mr. Trump started talking about fraud, polling showed Americans trust in the electoral system to be dropping. As with many self-serving delusions, most tales about election-stealing hang by a thread of plausibility. But that thread breaks when the weight of evidence is applied. So it is with Mr. Trumps claims this week. Mr. Trumps theory is that supporters of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, will flood polling places and vote multiple times, because courts have recently repudiated restrictive voter-ID laws in various states that might have prevented such cheating. We may have people vote 10 times, he warned in a Tuesday interview with The Post. In fact, studies suggest the integrity of the nations elections is strong. A comprehensive analysis from Arizona State Universitys News21 project found only 2,068 accusations of voter fraud between 2000 and 2012. A mere 7.4 percent of those involved double voting. Voter impersonation, the sort of fraud that voter-ID laws are designed to combat, accounted for 0.5 percent of recorded fraud allegations. The United States runs one of the cleanest election systems in the world. There simply is no national voting fraud crisis. The electoral systems biggest problems involve unnecessarily limited access to the franchise gratuitous bureaucratic requirements, clumsy registration systems, long lines, poorly trained election workers, confusing ballots and so forth. Mr. Trump has upended political decorum in so many ways this election year that it is sobering to imagine what he can do if he keeps inflating his election-rigging myth. He has already given the nation a sense of the dangerous places he might go. We should have a revolution in this country! he tweeted on election night in 2012, as he speculated that President Obama might lose the popular vote but win the electoral college vote, which is what George W. Bush did in 2000. This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy! At the time, he was just a cranky billionaire TV star whom most Americans could safely ignore. Now he is a major-party presidential nominee with a large portion of the country in his thrall. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Polands Law and Justice party, in Warsaw on Feb. 5. (Marcin Wziontek/REX/Shutterstock via Associated Press) Frans Timmermans is no pushover, as the Polish government is beginning to find out. The soft-spoken but plain-speaking first vice president of the European Commission the E.U.s executive branch is responsible for ensuring that each member state abides by the rule of law. He takes it very seriously. The so-called Rule of Law Framework was introduced in 2014. As Timmermans constantly reminds his audiences, the European Union is built on a common set of values, enshrined in the E.U. Treaty. These values include respect for the rule of law. . . . Making sure the rule of law is preserved is a collective responsibility of the E.U. institutions and of all member states, he said recently. Were it as simple as that. Defying Brussels, on Saturday, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed into law a controversial amendment, which, in the view of Timmermans, undermines the independence and transparency of the Constitutional Tribunal, Polands highest court. Besides overturning decisions made by the previous center-right Civic Platform government, which appointed five judges to the Constitutional Tribunal just before it lost Octobers parliamentary elections, the law provides that four of the 15 judges will be able to block the announcement of a new ruling by up to six months. That will greatly weaken the courts ability to check government actions that violate constitutional norms. Just days before Duda signed the law, Timmermans, a former Dutch foreign minister who has much experience with human rights and rule of law issues, had issued his second warning to Warsaw. He said the commission believed there was a systemic threat to the rule of law in Poland. In jargon-free language, he went on to list a number of recommendations, from proposing that judges nominated by the previous Civic Platform government be allowed take up their positions on the tribunal to the court being allowed to publish and implement judgments. Warsaw has three months to respond. But why is Jaroslaw Kaczynski , the leader of the Law and Justice party and the real power behind Prime Minister Beata Szydlos government, so intent on curbing the powers of the Constitutional Tribunal? One reason is the politics of revenge. Law and Justice justifies all the judicial and personnel changes by saying that it is only undoing what its predecessors, Civic Platform, did during its stint in power from 2007 through 2015. Indeed, Law and Justice had already tried to steer the country in a conservative, Euroskeptic direction between 2005 and 2007, trends that Civic Platform reversed. Such polarizing politics has its roots in the Solidarity movement that brought the communist regime to its knees in 1989. Then, Solidarity and the communists agreed to hold roundtable talks to pave the way for a peaceful transition to democracy. Those talks exposed deep ideological divisions within Solidarity. One wing was dominated by liberal, secular intellectuals who believed in inclusive politics during the transition period. Their shock therapy economic policies were aimed at modernizing Poland as quickly as possible so as to end the influence of the old communist nomenklatura. The other wing, led by conservatives and hard-line anti-communists, wanted a clean break with the past. That meant no politics of inclusion. These two wings have since continued to compete for Polands past and future. The second and related reason is Law and Justices goal to regain as much sovereignty as possible from Brussels. Party officials say they have had enough of the E.U. values such as supporting gender equality, of a secularism that plays down Europes Christian traditions and of the institutions in Brussels whose intrusion the party believes undermines Polands sovereignty. Law and Justice also deeply opposes any attempts by the European Commission to relocate refugees to the member states. Kaczynskis policies have won unequivocal backing from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has become Central Europes ideological Euroskeptic leader. Timmermans, for his part, knows that if the commission were to threaten sanctions against Poland, such as suspending its voting rights, it would lead to a nasty backlash not only by Warsaw but also from other Euroskeptic movements across the E.U. Europe would be further weakened. But Law and Justice hasnt had a free ride on its own turf. Poland has a vibrant civil society and opposition. What is happening in Poland matters to the E.U., because of its size, the way the nation has managed its transition to democracy and, until recently, its outward-looking foreign policy. It particularly matters to Polands eastern neighbors, particularly Ukraine and Belarus and, further afield, Georgia and Moldova. They have looked to Poland as a model and inspiration, much to Russias chagrin. Polands current direction must please one leader above all: Vladimir Putin. The American Bar Association regrets that Teng Biao received erroneous information about his book, as he wrote in his July 29 Washington Forum commentary, How the West censors for China. We have sincerely apologized. The ABA is committed to seeing the rule of law advanced in China and has pursued that goal by supporting Chinese public-interest lawyers and civil society organizations in a range of areas, including environmental rights; indigent criminal defense; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights; and protection of victims of domestic violence. The ABA has voiced its concern in numerous statements and has long supported initiatives that challenge the Chinese government to comply with its own rights-protection laws and policies, to develop such laws and policies where they do not exist and to comply with international standards for the protection of human rights. Paulette Brown, Chicago The writer is president of the American Bar Association. As much as I admired Gen. Martin E. Dempseys service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I question his logic in his July 31 letter, Military leaders should be apolitical, in which he criticized the participation of retired generals at the two recent national political conventions. Would Gen. Dempsey have disapproved of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower becoming president of the United States? Did Eisenhower blemish his military service by exercising his right as a citizen to participate, rather successfully, in the political process? Gen. Dempseys viewpoint is purist and misguided. We are a better country because generals, as well as other veterans, have been willing to enter the political arena. Howard Freedlander, Easton, Md. The writer is an Army profession and ethic professor at the Army War College. The views expressed are his own. The dust has settled on the contretemps between retired generals John R. Allen and Michael T. Flynn, on the one hand, and Martin E. Dempsey, on the other, over Allen and Flynns endorsements of presidential candidates at last months political conventions. But the damage has been done, and the American public should understand what has been lost and why it matters. The professional ethic of the U.S. military has long held that our military establishment must remain neutral in partisan politics in order to well and faithfully discharge its duties regardless of which political party is giving the orders. Two aspects of that ethic are of particular note: its content and how it is enforced. First, the ethic has both legal and moral components. The legal ones are codified in federal statute and, if not followed, are punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice as known to the public, a courts martial for such things as dereliction of duty or conduct unbecoming an officer. But what of the moral aspects? How are they enforced and what do they produce? The answer is through internal self-policing, a process that, if done well, produces the currency of military professions: trust. Without such trust between leader and follower at every level and action in the battle, as well as externally between the military institution and the public it serves, our armed forces would be little more than bumbling bureaucracies. And they would quickly be supported as such by the American people. Because of this self-policing (which is what Dempsey was doing with his rebukes), the public respects the military above other organizations in the United States reflecting a level of trust that is, in fact, the lifeblood of their professional status. Some will argue: But the generals have the right to speak; they have broken no law. But that just conflates the two elements of the professions ethic and imputes as acceptable, within an effective and ethical military profession, the moral behavior of any politician who offers legalisms as a defense of immoral behavior. If every senior military leader took that position, how long would it be before the public, on whose support the military depends, finds our armed forces to be as untrustworthy as it does our politicians? It is true that Allen and Flynn, as retired officers and citizens, did nothing illegal, but the relevant question for the military and public is: Should they have done it? The issue is normative and professional. Such rights are often more powerfully used when not exercised, when self-restraint and self-abnegation for the good of the profession prevails. Alternatively, when retired Gen. Wesley Clark became a full-fledged candidate for president in 2003, it removed him from the military profession in the eyes of the public, thus removing the issue of whether the military can be trusted. But Allen and Flynn did not do that, and they were portrayed as generals rather than candidates. There is an even more important issue of trust involved here trust within the ranks of our military professions. When Allen and Flynn assert, I have the right, and Dempsey replies, You should not have done that, how do junior professionals react? Unfortunately, this is a fragile time for our military professions. Fifteen years of war without a clear victory is taking its toll. And now these junior professionals have seen one of their esteemed leaders Allen used as a pawn in a political campaign. He was characterized by Republican nominee Donald Trump as a failed general, which in turn allowed, predictably, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to scold Trump for being unpresidential. This all left Allen to plead in an off-key tone for his reputation: He has no credibility to criticize me or my record or anything I have done, the retired four-star general said. If hed spent a minute in the deserts of Afghanistan or in the deserts of Iraq, I might listen to what he has to say. As this campaign proceeds and these events fade, the junior professionals will come to see clearly that, for the presidential candidates, winning the weekend news cycle, not the partisan advocacy of the generals, was the real prize. They were a means to an end, and not one that engendered trust in our military professions or their senior leaders. The junior professionals will conclude that the generals entered an arena in which they did not belong, based on their professions ethic, and for which they were woefully unprepared. That was a very high price, indeed, for our military professions to pay in the currency of their vital trust relationships. An hour before Mike Pence gave the biggest speech of his life at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, officials from Donald Trumps campaign read over the text for the first time. They made no changes. Eleven days later, the Republican vice-presidential nominee crafted a statement about the Muslim American parents of an Army officer killed in Iraq. It contained none of the vitriol that Trump had directed at the same family. Again, no changes. These moments, confirmed by several campaign aides, reveal an emerging dynamic between this odd-couple Republican ticket: Theyre not always on the same page, and they dont always coordinate. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) as his running mate but the two have some big differences to work out. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) It happened again, in public, this week: Just one day after Trump had declined to endorse House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in his Wisconsin primary, Pence did so enthusiastically. In the opening weeks of their partnership, Trump has granted his running mate broad leeway with no precedent in recent presidential campaigns, amplifying differences in style and substance between the Indiana governor and New York real estate mogul. For a campaign whose mantra long has been Let Trump be Trump, the guiding principle that has formed around Pence is, as one of the aides put it, Let Mike be Mike. The strategy amounts to a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Trump advisers believe Pence could help repackage the ticket for voters turned off by Trump: Where Trump is brash and bristly, Pence is cool and collected. Trump shoots from the hip, but Pence is cautious. But at times Trump and Pence deliver contradictory, even awkward messages, as with their statements this week about Ryan. It has become clear that the two men are intentionally speaking to different groups of voters Trump to frustrated and restive outsiders and Pence to mainstream conservatives and Republican establishment figures. Their apparent lack of coordination, however, gives the partnership an unpredictable cast. [Introducing the Donald Trump-Mike Pence divergence tracker] Trumps capacity to go off-script could also interfere with the strategy. On Thursday, the candidate said at a rally in Portland, Maine, that Pence had called to ask permission before endorsing Ryan an apparent assertion of his position at the top the ticket. Those comments came shortly after Pence, traveling with reporters to a rally in Virginia Beach, deflected a question about whether he would endorse Sen. John McCain of Arizona in his upcoming Republican primary. In contrast to his unequivocal endorsement of Ryan, Pence echoed language used by Trump earlier in the week. The stakes in this election are so high, he said, according to NBC. To restore our country at home and abroad, we need new leadership, and Im looking forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump to drive that new leadership forward. It was unclear if Pence was under new instructions to respond that way. Even children, apparently, have picked up on the dynamic. An 11-year-old named Matthew asked Pence at an event Thursday morning in Raleigh: Ive been watching the news lately, and Ive been noticing that youve kind of been softening up on Mr. Trumps policies and words. Is this going to be your role in the administration? The audience laughed, as did Pence, who quipped, This boy has got a future! Pence went on to say that he is absolutely determined to work together with Trump. You know, weve nominated someone larger than life, known for charisma, so they wanted to kind of balance the ticket, Pence said. The differences in style, Matthew, should never be confused with differences in conviction. Meanwhile, there is worry among Republicans who like Pence that the arrangement will cause him permanent political damage. There are people that hold him in high regard personally that feel sorry for him, that feel sorry that he made the decision because hes now a passenger on a train whose conductor is apparently mad, said John Weaver, a veteran Republican strategist who is a strident Trump critic. [Paul Ryan says Trumps campaign is distressing but stands by endorsement] Trump said this week that his relationship with Pence has been phenomenal, but he didnt detail how often they communicate directly or how those talks go. The campaign aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, said the ticket mates speak to each other every day. Pence, who served in the House with Ryan, said he discussed his endorsement of the speaker with Trump, who encouraged him to go ahead with it. A former talk-radio host, Pence speaks in a mellow, methodical tone that bears some resemblance to fellow Midwestern radio personality Garrison Keillor. Trump will often abruptly shift from to a conversational volume to a loud yell and back again several times in the span of a single speech. While Pence strives to hit notes of humility, Trump is often partial to the flat-out brag. Im a Christian, a conservative and a Republican. In that order, Pence said Wednesday at a stop in Colorado Springs. Speaking the day in Jacksonville, Fla., Trump, in praising retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who had introduced him, quipped: I met him at a ballroom because somebody was being honored. You know who it was? It was me. Shortly after Trump tapped Pence as his running made last month, many Republicans were hopeful their differences would serve as complementary forces. He does provide some calm for the anxieties of those who worry, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said of Pence in an interview at the Republican National Convention. Knowing that he is there at the table is very helpful, added Cramer, a staunch Trump backer. He predicted the pairing would herald an ongoing evolution of thoughts and ideas. [New state and national polls suggest Trumps campaign is wobbling] The arrangement represents a break with tradition in both parties, where presidential nominees typically deploy some of their own advisers to staff their running mates to help ensure coordinated strategy and message, as well as to prevent the vice presidential nominee from going rogue, as Sarah Palin did in 2008. For instance, the Democratic campaign of Hillary Clinton installed a senior Clinton adviser, Matt Paul, as chief of staff of Sen. Tim Kaines vice-presidential campaign and dispatched longtime Clinton adviser Karen Finney to oversee Kaines communications shop. The Pence team is led by longtime Republican strategist Nick Ayers and includes finance strategist Marty Obst, close confidant Marc Short and communications operative Marc Lotter, among others. Kellyanne Conway, a longtime strategist and Pence pollster, is also helping with Pences strategy, and she advises Trump at the same time. Trumps and Pences differences extend beyond style to policy. Trump has proposed banning most foreign Muslims from entering the country because of concerns about terrorism. Last December, Pence tweeted: Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional. When it comes to trade, Trump has campaigned with a protectionist bent, voicing opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership that was favored by most congressional Republicans and by Pence. Trump also has blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement for job losses in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. Trade means jobs, but trade also means security. The time has come for all of us to urge the swift adoption of the Trans Pacific Partnership, Pence tweeted in September 2014. Pence voted in 2002 to authorize military action in Iraq. Trump routinely claims that he opposed the war from the start. (The Washington Posts Fact Checker has found no sign that Trump opposed the invasion or was vocal about it beforehand.) In their first joint TV interview, on CBSs 60 Minutes, Trump brushed off the daylight between him and Pence on Iraq. I dont care, Trump said bluntly of Pences Iraq vote. The teams distinct roles came into clear view last weekend, after Trump set off a firestorm by saying the Muslim American father of an Army officer killed in Iraq had no right to attack him and suggested the mans wife may have been barred from giving a speech. Pence issued a statement that seemed designed to smooth the moguls rough edges, calling Capt. Humayun Khan an American hero whose family should be cherished by every American. Trump, he said, will support our military and their families and we will defeat the enemies of our freedom. Some of the divergences have been ungainly. The governor, who has railed generally against political mudslinging, said in a radio interview last month: I dont think name-calling has any place in public life. One the same day, Trump was launching signature personal Twitter attacks against Crooked Hilary Clinton and Little Michael Bloomberg. Then there were the sharply contrasting words about endorsing Ryan. Trump told The Post on Tuesday: I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And Im just not quite there yet. The next day, Pence unequivocally endorsed the House speaker, whom he considers a friend. I believe we need Paul Ryan in leadership in the Congress of the United States to rebuild our military, to strengthen our economy and to ensure that we have the kind of leadership in this country that will make America great again, Pence said. Jenna Johnson contributed to this report. Model Melania Knauss with Donald Trump for the opening night of the musical Dance of the Vampires Dec. 9, 2002, at the Minskoff Theatre in New York. (Mark Mainz/Getty Images) Newly published nude photographs of Melania Trump, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, have raised questions about the story of her immigration to the United States and how the Slovenian-born former model gained her legal status here questions that the Trump campaign is not answering. Melania Trump has said she came to the country in 1996, but the photos were taken in New York in 1995. She met Donald Trump in 1998, and they were married in 2005. So what do we know about how Melania Trump came to the United States? Q: What has Melania said about her immigration? A: Melania Trump has said she came to the United States on a legal visa in 1996, got a green card in 2001 and then became a U.S. citizen in 2006. Melania Trump is a former model, jewelry designer and potential first lady. Here's your primer on The Donalds third wife. (Julie Percha/The Washington Post) I came here for my career, she told Harpers Bazaar in January. I did so well. I moved here. It never crossed my mind to stay here without papers. That is just the person you are. You follow the rules. You follow the law. Every few months you need to fly back to Europe and stamp your visa. After a few visas, I applied for a green card and got it in 2001. After the green card, I applied for citizenship. And it was a long process. Then, in February, she told MSNBC: I follow a law the way its supposed to be. I never thought to stay here without papers. I had visa. I travel every few months back to the country, to Slovenia, to stamp the visa. I came back. I applied for the green card. I applied for the citizenship later on after many years of green card. So I went by system. I went by the law, and you should do that. On Thursday, Melania Trump tweeted an additional explanation but no additional details: Let me set the record straight, she wrote. I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period. Q: Who sponsored Melania to come to the United States? What kind of visa did she hold? A: The Trump campaign has been vague. This week, Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks responded to a list of detailed questions of Melania Trumps immigration status with only one line: Melania followed the laws and is now a proud United States citizen. 1 of 10 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Life with Donald: Melania Trump View Photos The billionaire real estate mogul is often out and about with his wife by his side. Caption The billionaire real estate mogul is often out and about with his wife by his side. March 24, 2015 Real estate mogul and billionaire Donald Trump, and his wife, Melania Trump, attend golf legend Jack Nicklaus's Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue. Most of what we know about how she first came to the United States comes from Paolo Zampolli, an Italian-born businessman based in New York who once owned modeling agencies. He told The Washington Post this week that his agency, Metropolitan Models, sponsored Melania Knauss for an H-1B work visa in 1996 after he spotted her while scouting models in Milan and Paris. Working models are eligible for an H-1B if they can show distinguished merit or ability in their field. Zampolli said Melania Knauss qualified based on her past work as a model in Europe. Q: So she has said she came in 1996? A: Yes, multiple times. Her official biography in the program of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last month indicated she came to the United States in 1996. So did her biography on the Trump Organization website. That page was recently taken down after it emerged that a line indicating that Melania Trump had earned a college degree at a Slovenian university was false; she studied at the school before dropping out to pursue modeling in Paris and Milan. Q: But the nude photographs were taken in New York City in 1995? A: Correct. The photographs originally appeared in the French magazine Max and were published again in the New York Post last weekend. Marc Dolisi, chief editor of Max at the time, told The Washington Post that the pictures appeared in the February 1996 edition of the magazine and had been shot in November or December of 1995. Jarl Ale de Basseville, the photographer, said the shoot was conducted in New York. Q: How can the discrepancy be explained? A: Only Melania Trump can explain the discrepancy, which was first reported by Politico. The campaign has not responded to questions asking how those photos could be shot in 1995 if Melania Trump arrived in 1996. Q: So does that mean Melania Trump was in the United States illegally in 1995? A: Its not clear. Dolisi and de Basseville both told The Washington Post that Melania Trump was not compensated for the Max magazine photo shoot. She was a relatively unknown model at the time. Taking part in magazine photo spreads for free is common for models at that level because the exposure can help them secure commercial work. Q: Why is it important that Trump was not paid? A: Without pay, she could have been here legally on a visitors visa. Foreigners coming to the United States for brief stays can obtain B1 or B2 visitors visas allowing them to stay in the United States as either a tourist or a business visitor attending a meeting or other work event. It is, however, illegal to work in the United States on a visitors visa; that kind of illegal work has tripped up many other people who wish to legally immigrate to the United States. People applying for or holding a visitors visa are asked both at an embassy or consulate abroad and at the port of entry upon arrival whether they intend to work. If they come to the United States planning to work and claim otherwise, thats immigration fraud. It is unclear, however, if she got any other kind of compensation during her 1995 stay, such as airfare and lodging. Q: Did Melania Trump ever come to the United States on a visitors visa? A: We dont know. The Trump campaign has not answered this question. Q: Did Melania Trump do any other work in the United States before 1996? A: We dont know. The Trump campaign has not answered this question. When she first arrived in the United States, Melania Trump shared an apartment for a time with Matthew Atalian, a photographer who was friendly with Paolo Zampolli. In an interview, he said she moved in either in 1995 or in 1996 and lived with him for about a year and a half. He said he agreed to let her move in with him at the request of Zampolli, who paid her rent. His understanding at the time, he said, was that she was fresh to the United States. Q: Melania Trump described having to return to Slovenia every few months to get her visa stamped, citing her willingness to undertake these trips as a commitment to complying with U.S. immigration law. Why did she need to do this? A: We dont know. The Trump campaign would not answer this question. Immigration experts said that people who receive H1-B visas typically receive them for three years and are able to renew them for another three years. They expressed some confusion as to why Melania Trump would need to periodically return to Slovenia if she held an H-1B visa. However, several said the specifics of her situation might have required it. Only Melania Trump could describe her own experience. Q: How did Melania Trump get a green card? A: We dont know. The Trump campaign would not answer this question. A green card allows a foreigner to permanently reside in the United States. It is the golden ticket of the U.S. immigration system and highly sought after by millions of immigrants. There are several avenues Melania Trump could have pursued to get a green card. She could have won a lottery for people who immigrate from countries that dont have high immigration rates to the United States. She could have sought a green card as a person of extraordinary ability, though experts cast doubt that she had been sufficiently successful in her modeling career to qualify in this category. She could have been sponsored for a green card by an employer who made a case that there were no Americans available to fill a particular job. That process is not easy; it requires the employer to show that they have attempted to fill the job, by advertising it publicly. Michael Wildes, an immigration lawyer who has done work for the Miss Universe pageant and the Trump Organization, said his firm will typically not help models pursue this kind of green card, as it is too difficult to show that a modeling job could not be filled by an American. He said, however, that models can sometimes qualify for a green card on these grounds by seeking employment in a different field for which they are also qualified, like graphic design. Wildes said he did not have permission from the Trump Organization to comment on any specific case, including Melania Trumps. Immigrants can also obtain a green card through marriage. Melania and Donald Trump were married in a very public ceremony in 2005, four years after she has said she obtained her green card. Q: Shouldnt there be some documents available that would shed light here? A: Certainly. But experts said Melania Trumps immigration records would typically not be available for public release without her permission. The Washington Post asked Hicks to release copies of these records; she did not respond to this question. Q: Isnt it hypocritical for the Trump campaign not to answer these questions, given that Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration the centerpiece of his campaign? And given that he waged a very public campaign to insist that President Obama release a copy of his birth certificate to prove that he was born in the United States? [Donald Trump flip-flops, then flips and flops more on H-1B visas] In March, Donald Trump said he was totally committed to eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney. I will end forever the use of H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first. A: Thats a question for the voters. Alice Crites contributed to this report. President Obama chairs a meeting of the National Security Council next to Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and gets an update on the fight against the Islamic State on Thursday at the Pentagon. (Dennis Brack/European Pressphoto Agency) As he prepared to head off for his summer vacation, President Obama on Thursday made clear that he could use a break from talking about Donald Trump. Obama was asked during a news conference at the Pentagon about the Republican nominees fitness to receive national security briefings, his charges that the presidential election might be rigged and his ability to handle the countrys nuclear arsenal. After the third question on Trump, which focused on the nuclear issue, the president offered a blanket response that would cover any further inquiries about the GOP nominee and his fitness for the Oval Office. I would ask all of you to just make your own judgment, Obama said. Ive made this point already multiple times. Just listen to what Mr. Trump has to say and make your own judgment with respect to how confident you feel about his ability to manage things like our nuclear triad. To ward off further inquiries, the president warned that any further questions on the subject would receive variations on the same theme. The presidents remarks followed an extraordinary denunciation of Trumps candidacy earlier this week in which Obama described him as unfit to serve and called on Republicans to withdraw their endorsements. What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer? he challenged. Obama is scheduled to leave Saturday for a vacation with his family on Marthas Vineyard through Aug. 21. Before he departed, Obama was at the Pentagon, where he received a two-hour briefing from his top national security advisers on the expanding war against the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and most recently Libya, where U.S. planes have been bombing in support of a government offensive near Sirte. Obama vowed that the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, is inevitably going to be defeated, but he predicted that the dispersed terrorist networks it spawns are likely to continue trying to launch attacks after the group loses its major strongholds in Iraq and Syria. As weve seen, it is still very difficult to detect and prevent lone actors or small cells of terrorists who are determined to kill the innocent and are willing to die, Obama said. And thats why . . . were going to keep going after ISIL aggressively across every front of this campaign. Obama pointed to a string of battlefield defeats, suffered by the Islamic State in the last year, as proof that the group is not invincible, and said that U.S.-backed Iraq forces would use a recently recaptured air base as a hub to take back Mosul, the Islamic States largest stronghold in Iraq. Obama said he was confident that the Islamic State would continue to lose territory as Iraqi and Syrian forces, backed by American air power, close in on Mosul, Raqqa and strongholds near the Turkish border. President Obama praised Muslim Americans serving in the military amid a controversy about Donald Trumps comments on the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier at a press conference at the Pentagon on Aug. 4. (Reuters) ISIL has not been able to reclaim any significant territory that they have lost, Obama said. I want to repeat, ISIL has not had a major successful offensive operation in either Syria or Iraq in a full year. Even ISILs leaders know theyre going to keep losing. Earlier this week, the Pentagon disclosed that the United States conducted airstrikes on an Islamic State stronghold in Sirte in a significant expansion of the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State. The strikes came at the request of Libyas Western-backed unity government as its forces battled to reclaim the Mediterranean coastal city, which became an important Islamic State stronghold after militants seized it last year. [U.S. strikes Islamic State stronghold in Libya] In his opening remarks Thursday at the Pentagon, Obama said the Islamic States losses in Iraq and Syria are prompting it to shift to high-profile terrorist attacks aimed at the United States and various other countries. And he acknowledged that crushing the Islamic State on the battlefield will not be enough, so long as their twisted ideology persists. He said the group has figured out that if it can get a small cell or even one person to carry out an attack that kills scores of people, that still creates the kinds of fear and concern that elevates their profile. The greatest danger posed by the group was one of overreaction, Obama said. How we react to this is as important as the efforts we take to destroy ISIL, Obama said. The reason it is called terrorism is that these are weak enemies that cant match us in conventional power, but what they can do is make us scared. Obama warned against proposals from Trump and other Republicans to carpet-bomb Islamic State-held territory or institute religious tests that would bar Muslims from entering the United States. In order for us to ultimately win this fight, we cannot frame this as a clash of civilizations between the West and Islam, he said, arguing that such a strategy would play into the radical groups hands and undermine the fabric of American society. That plays exactly into the hands of ISIL and the perversions and perverse interpretations of Islam that theyre putting forward. It makes us weaker and makes us more vulnerable, Obama said. Many of the questions that came the presidents way focused on Trump. Pressed on whether he had qualms about Trump receiving classified intelligence briefings, Obama said he would follow the law but warned that those who aspire to the White House have got to start acting like president. And that means being able to receive these briefings and not spread them around. Asked to respond to Trumps assertion that the election was being rigged, Obama replied: I dont even know where to start on answering this question, he said. Of course the elections will not be rigged. What does that even mean? On the question of whether Trump was qualified to handle nuclear weapons, Obama said that Americans are counting on their next president to be somebody who has the right temperament and good judgment. Steven C. LaTourette, an Ohio Republican who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in his partys 1994 sweep of the chamber and stepped down after nine terms citing his frustration at rancorous partisanship, died Aug. 3 at his home in McLean, Va. He was 62. His former chief of staff, Dino DiSanto, confirmed his death. Mr. LaTourette was diagnosed in 2014 with pancreatic cancer and filed a claim against the government in May 2015 alleging that a Capitol physician had failed to inform him three years earlier of a lesion on his pancreas. Mr. LaTourette, a lawyer, won his first office at 34 when he became a county prosecutor. Six years later, he was elected to Congress, representing a swath of northeastern Ohio that included industrial and agricultural regions as well as Cleveland suburbs. He became known in Washington for his pragmatism and his wit, once hiring humorist Dave Barry to work on his Capitol Hill staff as a gag. Mr. LaTourettes voting record was the most moderate in Ohios Republican delegation, according to the Almanac of American Politics. He opposed gay marriage and abortion rights but broke with his party on key issues throughout his career, notably on budgetary matters. Mr. LaTourette in 2004. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) In 2011, he renounced a pledge, sponsored by antitax activist Grover Norquist and signed by many GOP legislators, to oppose any increase in taxes. The pledge had expired, Mr. LaTourette quipped, like milk in the refrigerator. When he made the promise, the No. 1 movie was Lion King, he said in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer explaining his decision. The world was different. To say that you have signed for life, no matter what the circumstances are, I believe would be an abdication of my responsibility. He also broke with many Republicans by supporting a boost in the minimum wage and, later, an extension of unemployment benefits in the wake of the Great Recession. He opposed the proposed $700 billion government bailout of Wall Street in 2008. Id rather have rich guys in three-piece suits buy up this bad mortgage debt and get a tax break for doing so than have taxpayers foot the bill, he said at the time. He voted to authorize the 2003 invasion of Iraq but was among the legislators who soon began to question the wisdom of the war. I think that going to war with people who have not attacked you is not a good way to conduct foreign policy, he said in 2004. Through his longevity in Congress, Mr. LaTourette won seats at times on the Appropriations and Transportation committees, allowing him to direct critical funding to his state. He was a close friend of former House Speaker John Boehner, a fellow Ohio Republican, who credited Mr. LaTourette on his retirement with pushing for commonsense reforms to eliminate duplicative programs, cut red tape and help create a better environment for private-sector job growth. Announcing his departure in 2012, Mr. LaTourette remarked that the expectation is if you want to go up the ranks in either party, youve got to give them your wallet and your voting card. The overwhelming criticism of me over the years is that sometimes I vote funny, according to my party, he continued. And Im not interested in giving them my wallet or my voting card. Steven Clare LaTourette was born in Cleveland on July 22, 1954. He received a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan in 1976 and a law degree from Cleveland State University in 1979. He began his career as a public defender and in private practice before becoming Lake County prosecutor in 1988. In that role, he attracted national attention for his prosecution of Jeffrey Lundgren, a cult leader who was executed after being convicted in 1990 of killing a family of five. In his first congressional race, Mr. LaTourette defeated two Republicans in the primary before unseating a freshman Democrat, Eric Fingerhut, in the general election. He initially pledged to serve no more than four terms but continued successfully to seek reelection, touting the influence of his seniority. His personal life figured prominently in his 2004 campaign against Democrat Capri Cafaro. Mr. LaTourettes ex-wife, Susan Koprowski, displayed a yard sign for his challenger after earlier telling a reporter that her husband had asked for a divorce because he was romantically involved with a lobbyist. In 2005, Mr. LaTourette married Jennifer Laptook, a lobbying executive who was formerly his chief of staff. After leaving Congress, he became president of Main Street Partnership, a group that backs centrist Republicans, and did fundraising work for party members facing tea party challengers. He and Jennifer LaTourette also became president and vice president, respectively, of McDonald Hopkins Government Strategies, a lobbying enterprise. Besides his wife, of McLean, survivors include four children from his first marriage, Ohio state representative Sarah LaTourette (R), Sam LaTourette, Amy LaTourette and Clare LaTourette, all of Cleveland; two children from his second marriage, Emerson LaTourette and Henry LaTourette, both of McLean; his father, Eugene LaTourette of Meadville, Pa.; a brother; two sisters; a half-sister; a half-brother; a step-brother; five step-sisters; and one grandson. In 1995, when Mr. LaTourette agreed to let Dave Barry work on his staff, the humorist was tasked with writing a speech for the congressman to deliver on the House floor. Barry selected frivolous lawsuits as his topic, and was perhaps surprised when his boss actually gave the address. As a lawyer, I am the last person to suggest that everybody in my profession is a money-grubbing, scum-sucking toad. The actual figure is only about 73 percent, read the script. Ha ha, I am of course just pulling the Speakers honorable leg. The vast majority of lawyers are responsible professionals as well as, in many ways, human beings. Every evening at dusk the mourners come, trudging up a dusty hillside to a rudimentary cemetery with rows of jagged stones. Some are taped with photos of the dead, others lettered crudely with red paint. The black-robed women kneel and caress the stones or pour water on them in blessing. The men squat nearby, fingering prayer beads. We are uneducated and old, and we can do nothing. These boys were our bright and educated youth, said Mirza Husseini, 45, an unemployed construction worker, staring glumly at the freshly dug graves one recent evening. They were our hope for a decent future and rights for our people. Now, they have killed them. The bodies buried here are among the victims of a suicide bombing July 23 that targeted a peaceful protest by minority Shiite Hazaras in the Afghan capital, who were demanding that electrical power be brought to their neglected ethnic homelands. The attack, which left 80 dead and 230 wounded, was claimed by the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State militant group. [Attack on Hazaras raises fears of Sunni-Shiite violence in Afghanistan] The horrific incident has not immediately sparked a sectarian rift in the Sunni-dominated country, as many Afghans feared it might. Sunnis lined up to donate blood at hospitals afterward and attended strangers funerals. Leaders from every ethnic and political group condemned the bombing, the deadliest in Kabul since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001. But the explosion did more than take scores of lives, mostly youthful protesters from the Hazaras Enlightenment crusade. It also upended their nonviolent reform movement, once seen as a model for Afghanistans emerging democracy, and threatened to radicalize the long-suppressed minority whose younger generation has begun flexing its political muscle. Once controlled by warlords who traded political patronage for ethnic peace, Hazaras are restive and split among conservative old-guard leadership, moderate intellectuals and young firebrands who advocate an ambitious, confrontational agenda, egged on by an assortment of government opponents. The Enlightenment movement has divided us. People are angry, and their emotions are being used by various groups to create pressure on the government, said Mohammed Alizada, a moderate Hazara legislator. We oppose the old warlords who only made deals and never demands for the people, but we need gradual reform . . . not a hardcore agenda. Although the Islamic State took credit for the bombing, it was seen largely as an opportunistic aberration rather than an alarming watershed in the Sunni militant groups operations. The real battleground remains eastern Nangahar province near the Pakistan border, where Afghan forces supported by U.S. bombers are waging an intense fight against Islamic State loyalists, mostly former tribal militants from Pakistan. [Blast kills at least 80 during peaceful protest in Kabul] In the capital, the foreign terrorist role in the July 23 bombing has been overshadowed by political finger-pointing in the ongoing domestic drama of ethnic power struggles under the government of President Ashraf Ghani. This issue has been epitomized by the dispute between Ghani and the Enlightenment crusade. Mistrust on both sides The Hazara protest movement first gained traction last November, when thousands of people converged on Kabul to protest the militant beheading of a 9-year-old Hazara girl and six others. The huge, peaceful rally awoke the nation to the grievances of the long-suppressed ethnic group, which comprises about 10 percent of the populace, and it won wide support. But the dynamics changed when the group demanded that the government reroute planned electrical power lines from Central Asia so the corridor would run through the Hazara stronghold of Bamian. After protracted negotiations, Ghani agreed to bring electricity to Bamian but leave the power corridor in another region as planned. The activists, emboldened by new radical leadership, said that was not enough. They accused the government of discrimination and organized a march through Kabul in May. Officials permitted the rally but used cargo containers to block the marchers from swarming across Kabuls official district as they had done in November. By July, community anger had intensified and a second protest was planned. The route was again cordoned off by containers, creating a bottleneck at the citys Deh Mazang Square an ideal situation to stage a suicide bombing. The explosions detonated in a densely packed crowd with nowhere to run. Even before the hillside graves had been dug, hard-line Hazara leaders accused the government of abetting the bombers and failing to protect the marchers. Raihana Azad, 34, a fiery legislator, charged that officials had paved the way for the bombing and prevented wounded victims from reaching hospitals. Azad, also an Enlightenment leader, bitterly accused Ghanis government of bias against Hazaras and said the president was behaving like a tribal dictator. Yet she insisted that the movement would remain peaceful and had no wish to sabotage the democratic gains Afghanistan has made since 2001. We have been systematically discriminated against, and I will keep raising my voice even when nobody listens, but we are not militants and we will never resort to violence, she said. We want the next generation to grow up thinking that it is not a crime to be Hazara. [Taliban strikes in heart of Kabul in deadly attack on elite agency] But some officials accused the protest leaders of refusing repeated invitations by the president to meet and negotiate, even after he found funds to ensure Bamian would get electricity years before the power corridor is finished. By displaying such intransigence, they said, these leaders put their followers at risk to advance a more confrontational political agenda. I was filled with joy when the big demonstration happened for the girl. It was a great civil exercise, but this incident has reversed it, said one aide to Ghani, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly. The radicals pushed too hard, and it backfired, he said. Fearing terrorists would look for a soft spot to attack, officials continued trying to find a compromise. But they said no, we will march, and tragedy happened. On the hilltop cemetery, visitors wandered among the graves one evening this week and kneeled to look at the names and portraits of the victims. Several showed young men with short hair and casual clothes, described in handwritten messages as engineering or psychology students. We have always been underfoot, and these youths died so we could stand up for ourselves, said a 19-year-old woman who gave her name as Sharifa. For now we have been stopped, but they have given their blood, so we cannot give up. This fight must go on. Read more: Taliban bomb targets foreign compound in Kabul; no casualties reported Six-year-old Afghan girl reportedly sold in marriage Keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan sends the right message, generals and diplomats say Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Brazilian soldiers patrol on a road in Deodoro, a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, on Aug. 3 ahead of the Olympic Games. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images) Gunmen near a Rio slum waylaid three Swedish tourists and held one temporarily captive, in the latest report of crime spilling over to target visitors in Rio for the Olympics, police said. None of the Swedes were hurt, but the incident late Wednesday pointed to wider safety worries during the Rio games, with rising crime in many neighborhoods amid a steep economic recession. The tourists two men and a woman were on their way into downtown Rio from an area near the Olympic Park when they stopped to take photos near the Complexo do Lins favela, the Brazilian name for slum districts in many large cities, the news magazine Veja reported. A gunman took away one of the tourists, and the other two were able to get help from police, according to a police statement. Police later found the missing tourist, said the report, which gave no other details. Complexo do Lins is one of the neighborhoods where Brazilian authorities have deployed a "pacification" police strategy to try to tame the violence. "I warned them that it was dangerous, but they insisted," the driver told Veja. Security in Rio has been a major concern during the preparations for the Olympics, which officially start Friday. Brazilian authorities have deployed some 88,000 soldiers and police to guard against potential terrorist attacks, but also to protect athletes and fans from assaults or robberies. Gangs that control drug trafficking operations regularly fight over territory, and gunfire is common. Read more Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world South Sudanese women and children queue to receive emergency food July 25, 2016, at the U.N. protection of civilians (POC) Site 3, which hosts about 30,000 people displaced during the recent fighting in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. (Adriane Ohanesian/Reuters) Weeks after the outbreak of deadly fighting in South Sudan, aid groups say their movement is being restricted by continued violence and government checkpoints, harming their ability to get food and medicine to severely malnourished children. We already have an extremely serious food-insecurity crisis, said U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen OBrien in an interview. And there are many circumstances where, appallingly, this only gets worse. During the intense July clashes, South Sudanese government forces looted a U.N. warehouse where food for 220,000 needy people was kept, according to U.N. officials. Humanitarian groups have reported that in parts of the country their access is limited by government checkpoints or continued fighting. Just outside the city of Wau, for example, aid workers have not been able to provide for civilian populations because of the violence. South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, when a split between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar spurred a brutal conflict that was waged largely along tribal lines. In April, Machar returned to his post as part of an internationally brokered peace deal. That appears to have crumbled recently. Hundreds of people were killed in the fighting last month, according to the United Nations. Now, the international community is once again trying to reconcile the warring factions while simultaneously attempting to contain a growing humanitarian crisis. The United Nations estimates that as many as 4.8 million people in the country face severe food shortages. It has so far been able to assist only 2.8 million. Humanitarian needs including health care, access to safe drinking water and shelter are higher in South Sudan than any other year since the conflict began, said Ashley McLaughlin, a spokeswoman in South Sudan for the International Organization for Migration. More than 160,000 people are living at six U.N.-run displacement camps across the country, many of them in remote locations with limited access to supplies. OBrien said that during a trip to South Sudan this week, he met with mothers unable to breast-feed their babies because they themselves were not getting enough food. Its that sheer level of desperation, he said. On Thursday, the U.N. human rights chief reported that preliminary investigations into last months fighting have revealed large-scale abuses, including the execution of civilians based on their ethnicity and a large number of rape cases. We have documented at least 217 cases of sexual violence in Juba between 8 and 25 July, said the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein. Even though violence has greatly diminished since last month, Hussein said that tensions remain very high, and violations continue to take place in Juba and other parts of the country. Machar has not returned to the capital, and Kiir has replaced him and fired ministers once allied with him. Many experts and officials think that it is only a matter of time before large-scale fighting resumes between the two main factions. Read more In South Sudan, bodies are being counted as peace accord appears to unravel The U.N. midwifed South Sudan five years ago. Now the country is falling apart. Three important points to help in understanding South Sudans crisis Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Mohammed el-Halabi, the Gaza director of World Vision, was indicted Aug. 4 in the Israeli city of Beersheva. (Dudu Grunshpan/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) The Gaza head of the U.S.-based humanitarian aid organization World Vision funneled as much as $7 million a year over the past 10 years to Hamass terror activities, Israels domestic security agency said Thursday. The Shin Bet said the aid groups Gaza director, Mohammed el-Halabi, is an active figure in Hamass military wing. He was indicted by Israeli authorities Thursday, accused of diverting some 60 percent of World Visions annual budget for Gaza to Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that rules the coastal enclave. He was charged with transferring money and working with a terror group. Hamas is viewed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Israel has fought three wars with Hamas since 2009. In addition to the $7 million a year in funds transferred to Hamas coffers, Shin Bet said, Halabi also handed over to Hamas piles of cash -- an additional $1.5 million a year. The Israelis also said he gave Hamas $800,000 taken from a United Kingdom donation to help build a Hamas military base. The money was designated for civilian projects in the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities said. [Why wealthy Qatar keeps the money flowing to Gaza] World Vision is among the largest Christian charities in the world and receives considerable funding from the United Nations and Western governments. Operating in more than 100 countries, it has a budget of $2.6 billion. In a statement Thursday, the charity said it was shocked to learn of the charges against Halabi and called for Israel to facilitate a fair legal process. World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice, the charity said in the statement. It has been working in Israel and the Palestinian territories for more than 40 years. Halabi was arrested at the Erez Crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip on June 15. During its investigation, the Shin Bet said Halabi admitted to being a member of Hamas since his youth and said he had received military training in the early 2000s. He said that he had been assigned by Hamas to infiltrate World Vision and that shortly after being hired, he began diverting money to the group. [Israel reportedly constructing an underground wall around Gaza] He established and promoted humanitarian projects and fictitious agricultural associations that acted as cover for the transfer of moneys to Hamas, the Shin Bet said. Examples of these projects and associations include: greenhouse construction; restoration of agricultural lands; psychological and public health projects for Gaza residents; aid to fishermen; a treatment center for the physically and mentally disabled; and farmers associations. All of these projects and associations were used to transfer funds to Hamas. Halabis brother Hamed el-Halabi said his brother has been working for World Vision for 13 years and has managed the Gaza branch for the past 10. Mohammed is very practical, Halabi said. He is a workaholic person; he travels a lot, so I dont believe that he had time to meet with Hamas or any of its other factions. Halabi also said that World Vision had recently looked into the financial situation of its office in Gaza and spent about a month auditing documents, without finding anything. A spokesman for Hamas in Gaza said that Israels accusations were simply propaganda. Hazem Qasem said that international organizations worked freely in Gaza and that Hamas did not interfere with their work or budgets. Israeli security services are using this issue to calm the Israeli society, while it is not true at all, Qasem said. Israel can arrest anybody at the Erez Crossing and claim he is a Hamas activist, but that doesnt mean it is true. Balousha reported from Gaza. Read more Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world The Center for Public Integrity's Patrick Malone explains the sting operation conducted by the Government Accountability Office that assessed the regulation of radioactive materials. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post) The clandestine groups goal was clear: Obtain the building blocks of a radioactive dirty bomb capable of poisoning a major city for a year or more by openly purchasing the raw ingredients from authorized sellers inside the United States. It should have been hard. The purchase of lethal radioactive materials even modestly dangerous ones requires a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a measure meant to keep them away from terrorists. Applicants must demonstrate they have a legitimate need and understand the NRCs safety standards, and pass an on-site inspection of their equipment and storage. But this secret group of fewer than 10 people formed in April 2014 in North Dakota, Texas and Michigan discovered that getting a license and then ordering enough materials to make a dirty bomb was strikingly simple in one of their three tries. Sellers were preparing shipments that together were enough to poison a city center when the operation was shut down. The teams members could have been anyone a terrorist outfit, emissaries of a rival government, domestic extremists. In fact, they were undercover bureaucrats with the investigative arm of Congress. And they had pulled off the same stunt nine years before. Their fresh success has set off new alarms among some lawmakers and officials in Washington about risks that terrorists inside the United States could undertake a dirty bomb attack. Heres how they did it: In Dallas, they incorporated a shell company they never intended to run and rented office space in a nondescript industrial park, merely to create an address for the license application. In a spot on the form where they were supposed to identify their safety officer, they made up a name and attached a fake resume. They claimed to need the material to power an industrial gauge used in oil and gas exploration. Last year, their application was sent not to Washington but to Texas regulators, who had been deputized by the NRC to grant licenses without federal review. When the states inspector visited the fake office, he saw it was empty and had no security precautions. But members of the group assured him that once they had a license, they would be able to make the security and safety improvements. So the inspector, who always carried licenses with him, handed them one on the spot. The two-page Texas document authorized the company to buy the sealed radioactive material in an amount smaller than needed for any nefarious purpose. But no copies were required to be kept in a readily-accessible, government database. So after using the license to place one order, the team simply made a digital copy and changed the permitted quantities, enabling it to place a new order with another seller for twice the original amount. I wouldnt call what we did very sophisticated, Ned Woodward, the mastermind of the Government Accountability Offices plot, said in a phone interview with the Center for Public Integrity. There was nothing we had done to improve that site to make it appear as if it were an ongoing business. In 2007, Woodwards colleagues in the GAO similarly set up fake businesses, got licenses to purchase low-level radioactive material and altered them to buy larger quantities. The NRC promised immediate action to address the weaknesses we identified, according to the GAOs report on that incident. The auditors aim this time around was to see whether the government had cleaned up its act and taken steps to close some simple gateways to obtaining the ingredients for a dirty bomb. It turns out, the government had not. While the purchases that Woodwards team set in motion were never completed, if they had been, his group would have had enough radioactive material to create the type of dangerous dirty bomb that terrorists may seek, according to David Trimble, director of Natural Resources and Environment at the GAO and Woodwards boss. It would have been within the groups reach to spread cancer-causing americium and beryllium dust over many blocks, threatening the health of anyone who breathed it. The quantity each seller could have sent was dangerous, and together the quantity was significantly dangerous, Trimble said, speaking on a GAO podcast. He said he is confident his investigators could have altered the license again and again, allowing them to amass an even larger quantity. Its a back door, he said in an interview. We walked through it and we showed the door was still open. We could have kept doing it. If you can forge [a license] once, theres no reason you cant forge it again and again. Texas nuclear regulatory officials have responded by quietly firing two managers and organizing new training efforts. NRC Commissioner Jeff Baran, a lawyer and former House staff member, wrote a swift letter to the two other current NRC commissioners (two positions are vacant) stating that even if Texas changed its procedures, GAOs covert testing identified a regulatory gap. He urged his colleagues to consider creating a system for tracking licenses and sales of low-level radioactive materials an idea that its members rejected seven years ago under heavy state and industry pressure. The GAOs July 15 report on the episode, which described the bare bones of its scam without naming any of the states involved or identifying the precise materials that were improperly ordered, similarly said that the NRC and state regulators arent doing enough to keep such materials out of terrorists hands. It criticized the state regulator for granting the licenses, but also said the commission needs to act to block license alterations and track sales and shipments of lower-level radiological materials, using measures like those already in place for the sale of more hazardous fissile materials. Cargo containers sit at the Port of Los Angeles in 2015. (Bob Riha Jr ./Reuters) Billions of dollars in potential economic harm Unlike a nuclear detonation, which could destroy a large city, the explosion of a dirty bomb would provoke more chaos than immediate fatalities, according to a 2007 study commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security. A terrorist attack using a dirty bomb in the United States is possible, perhaps even moderately likely, but would not kill many people, two professors at the University of Southern California wrote in the study, which was conducted with advice from government scientific and counterintelligence experts. Instead, such an attack primarily would result in economic and psychological consequences. The explosion could be lethal to someone nearby or to the first emergency personnel to arrive. But cleaning up the contaminated area would cost billions of dollars and take about a year in the scenario examined by the studys authors a dirty bomb targeting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together constitute the third-busiest in the world. At its worst, the resulting economic harm could exceed $250 billion. One key to keeping the ingredients out of terrorists hands, the authors concluded, is being more proactive in controlling and protecting the original sources of radioactive material. But they also warned that an attack that involves relatively low-level radioactive material from a U.S. facility the precise scenario tested by the GAO is more likely to be successful than an attack using imported material, because the chances of detection are so much less. Why bother smuggling it if you can just order it with a fake license, Trimble said. Radioactive materials considered useful in a dirty bomb are widely present in U.S. and international commerce, used legitimately for medical and industrial purposes in more than 70,000 high-risk devices located at 13,000 buildings, according to a 2013 Energy Department estimate. These include machinery that irradiates food or blood products or is used to diagnose illness. In the United States alone, about 21,000 licenses for the purchase of these materials are active and in some states they are reviewed by regulators only once a decade. The Obama administration highlighted the dangers associated with loose radioactive materials at international summits in 2010, 2012, 2014 and this March. On March 31, President Obamas deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes warned reporters at a media briefing that while terrorists would have a hard time building or stealing a working nuclear weapon and delivering it, making a more rudimentary dirty bomb would be less challenging. Coordinated suicide bombings in Brussels nine days earlier had stoked special anxiety about dirty bombs, because two perpetrators had secretly surveilled a senior researcher in a Belgian radioactive isotope program as he came and went from his home. The resulting videos, which police seized, prompted worries that the terrorists wanted to kidnap the man to force a handover of radioactive materials. [What we know about the attacks in Brussels] The Belgian video suggested that terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and ISIL have an interest in getting their hands on these types of materials, Rhodes said at the summit media briefing, using an acronym for the Islamic State. They want to do as much damage as possible. That was al-Qaedas position for many years; we have no reason to doubt that that is ISILs position as well. The Obama administrations ambition in convening the summits, Rhodes said, was to bring the standard up around the world so that it is at the level that we see certainly here in the United States. That level, it turns out, isnt so high. President Obama walks off-stage after speaking during a news conference at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. on April 1, 2016. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) Tighter regulation rejected in 2009 In a written statement about the report, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security, who asked for the GAOs investigation, said, radiological and nuclear terrorism remains a threat to our nations security, and the GAOs scam showed how easy it is to exploit gaps in the NRCs oversight that should have been fixed years ago. The NRC should re-evaluate its licensing requirements to ensure those who want to do us harm cannot obtain a license to purchase radioactive materials as easily as covert testers did, Thompson said. Similar demands were made, but refused, after the GAOs sting operation in 2007 exposed the same weaknesses. Then, NRC staff proposed requiring that all licensing and sales involving Category 3 radioactive materials those in types or quantities considered less dangerous than others be tracked in a single national database, as they already were for higher-risk Category 1 and 2 materials. Otherwise, it said, these Category 3 materials might be accumulated surreptitiously through the process the GAO used for potential malevolent use. Companies that sell radiological materials complained in response that they couldnt even begin to guess how burdensome an expanded tracking system might be for them. Regulators in 24 of the states that had been deputized by the NRC to issue licenses also registered their opposition to the expanded tracking, partly because the system for tracking more dangerous quantities was then not working well. Only Minnesota supported the proposal, calling it one of several essential steps that were long overdue. Then-NRC member Peter Lyons, a former official at the Los Alamos weapons laboratory, similarly argued at the time that expanded tracking will further reduce the potential for aggregating sources to a dangerous level. But NRC Commissioner Kristine Svinicki, a nuclear engineer who had worked on the civilian side of the Energy Department, said she thought the on-site inspections would be enough to stop thefts or diversions. In June 2009, the radioactive material sellers and state regulators got their way. The NRC rejected on the plan with a 2-to-2 tie vote. That left in place regulations for keeping low-level radioactive materials out of terrorists hands that were written in 1978. While the NRC is technically responsible for overseeing these rules, in practice it has granted only 13 percent of the active purchase licenses, relying instead on inspectors in 37 states to oversee the rest. They are supposed to get NRC training, and to follow the NRCs 14-point checklist rules for inspections. This is what the GAO sought to verify: We designed our test to fail through egregious behavior during on-site visits, the report said. The NRC had previously judged North Dakotas on-site inspections deficient. With high staff turnover fueled by higher-paying jobs in the states booming oil and gas industry, the NRC decided in 2011 to put its radiation protection office into a remedial heightened oversight program. But the GAOs experiment failed there, showing the state had turned around. The applicants facility was unsuited for the kind of work they said they intended to do. They couldnt even get a well-logging truck through the door of this building theyd rented, said Dale Patrick, manager of the radiation program at the North Dakota Department of Health, in a telephone interview. Similar concerns arose during a second GAO licensing effort in Michigan, where NRC regional inspectors from Illinois also blocked the GAOs scam. But Texas failed the GAOs test last year because its inspector didnt follow agreed procedures to make sure this unknown entity was a legitimate company and did not question that the applicant was not a registered business with the Texas secretary of state, according to Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texass on-site inspectors routinely carried licenses with them and commonly handed them to applicants on the spot without consulting anyone else about what theyd observed. The practice meant that a single person, operating in the field and without independent scrutiny, functioned as the sole obstruction to improper sales. Yes, that did happen, but we no longer allow that to occur, Mann said. The GAOs sting spurred change in Texas. The state fired two managers and sent letters of reprimand to two members of its licensing staff, according to Mann. The radiation control department retrained its personnel, and altered its procedures to require supervisory reviews of all licenses. A new NRC review in February, however, noted that the division still had budgetary shortfalls because the state was using its regulatory fees to raise revenues that it then spent for other purposes. It had 42 personnel to oversee more than 1,570 licensees and shippers and thousands of transactions each year. After being briefed by the GAO on what had happened, the NRC immediately revoked the license Texas had granted the GAOs shell company and told the vendors to cancel the orders. The NRC also asked all its state-level partners and regional NRC offices to review their licensing practices and updated its training courses to emphasize the need for heightened scrutiny. But unnamed NRC officials told the GAO that NRC had no current plans to take action to enact stricter regulations, because the issue had been considered and rejected in 2009. After the reports release, however, Duncan White, a senior health physicist at the NRC, wrote in an official blog post that NRC staff will restudy the issue and discuss it further with the commission later this year. A spokeswoman for the NRC, Maureen Conley, declined to add to what the blog said. Were encouraged that NRC appears to be looking closely at this issue and considering the merits of the recommendation that we made, Trimble said, which we believe is on point. The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative media organization in Washington. A North Carolina man arrested Thursday on a terrorism charge was in contact with one of the gunmen killed in a failed attack last year at a Texas exhibition of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, according to a criminal complaint. Erick Jamal Hendricks, 35, was charged by prosecutors with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State. Hendricks is accused of trying to recruit people in the United States to carry out terrorist attacks on behalf of the militant group. Hendricks made an initial appearance Thursday in federal court in Charlotte and is being held until a detention hearing next week. His attorney did not return a phone message seeking comment. Although Hendricks was arrested in North Carolina, where he lives, he was charged in Ohio, where he will be prosecuted. In court documents, the FBI said that Hendricks had used Twitter to contact Elton Simpson, an Arizona resident who, along with his roommate, Nadir Soofi, carried out the May 3, 2015, attack on the drawing contest and cartoon exhibition in Garland, Tex. According to the criminal complaint, Hendricks, a convert to Islam, was also communicating at the same time with an undercover FBI employee and put the employee in touch with Simpson in late April 2015. Prosecutors said the majority of these communications took place while the undercover employee was in Ohio. [The hundred men and women charged in federal court in connection with the Islamic State] Simpson asked the FBI employee whether he had seen a link he posted regarding the event in Garland. In a somewhat cryptic exchange, the employee told Simpson, Tear up Texas, the criminal complaint said. Simpson responded: Bro, u dont have to say that . . . U know what happened in Paris . . . I think . . . Yes or no? Simpson was referring to the January 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris. So that goes without saying . . . No need to be direct. Simpson never explicitly said he was going to drive to Texas to attack the cartoon contest, according to the communications cited in the criminal complaint. The FBI has previously said that it learned before the attack that Simpson had expressed interest in the contest but did not have any information that he intended to travel to Texas for an attack. The communications between Simpson and the undercover employee now appear to be the source of that information. Hours before the attack, the FBI issued a bulletin to law enforcement about Simpson, who along with Soofi was killed by police after the two opened fire at the cartoon event, wounding a security guard in the leg. Security had been increased at the event. According to the complaint, the FBI employee also traveled to the cartoon contest and was instructed by Hendricks to watch out for Pamela Geller, who had organized the event. If you see that pig make your voice heard against her, he said, according to the complaint. Hendricks then asked the undercover about security at the event. How many police/agents? Do u see feds there? Do you see snipers? Its not clear whether Hendricks was aware of Simpsons plans, but during a May 2 meeting in Baltimore with an FBI informant, he said sleeper cells would be used to conduct attacks in the United States. Hendricks told the informant that future targets included Geller and members of the military, according to the complaint. He said he was in contact with an imam in Arizona whom he wanted to be his groups spiritual guide. He also claimed to be in touch with Islamic State members overseas. Prosecutors didnt disclose the imams identity. After the Texas attack, Hendricks posted a document online saying the target was Geller. Our aim was (Geller) and to show her that we dont care what land she hides in or what sky shields her, the document said, according to the complaint. We will send all our Lions to achieve her slaughter. Read more: The Islamic State likes Americas gun laws Islamic State has lost this much territory in Iraq and Syria this year Islamic States ambitions and allure grow as territory shrinks. Afghan security forces inspect a vehicle that was transporting foreign tourists before it was attacked Aug. 4 by Taliban militants in Herat province. (European Pressphoto Agency) A bus-load of foreign tourists, including three Americans, was ambushed by Taliban insurgents Thursday on a highway in western Afghanistan, wounding six people. And seven Pakistanis were taken hostage by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan when their helicopter crash-landed, officials said. Both incidents were highly unusual, and initial information about them from officials was contradictory and incomplete. But together, they illustrated the wide geographical range and aggressive opportunism of the Taliban militants, who quickly capitalized on two unexpected foreign targets at opposite ends of the country. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the tourist attack, which he said was aimed at foreign occupiers and mercenaries. Officials said militants fired rockets at a convoy of foreign visitors and Afghan army escorts as they drove through Herat province, near the border with Iran. Officials said six people were wounded although none seriously, including a foreign woman and a driver. The group of visitors included six British citizens, three Americans, two Scots and one German. None has been publicly identified, and the nationalities of the wounded were not known. A spokesman for the governor of Herat said the travelers were being evacuated by helicopter to Herat City, about 100 miles west, near the border. It was not clear why they were driving through the remote region, where insurgents are known to be active, but they were reportedly en route to visit religious sites in the provincial capital. Few Western tourists visit conflict-ridden Afghanistan, and most foreign travelers are on research or aid missions. The group may have been driving from Bamian, a north-central province that is home to the historic, 1,500-year-old Buddha statues carved into high cliffs. In the second incident, Pakistani officials said seven civil engineers were aboard a helicopter on a routine maintenance mission when it crash-landed in a Taliban-controlled area of Logar province, near the border with Pakistan, and that all had been taken hostage by Taliban fighters. The craft was crossing Afghan airspace en route from Pakistans Punjab province to Russia for maintenance. It was reported to be operated by the Pakistani army, but an army spokesman denied that report . The foreign office in Islamabad said in a statement that the entire crew was taken hostage by the Taliban but provided no further details. A local district governor in Logar said six people on board had been seized as hostages by the militants and taken to an unknown location. A spokesman for the Taliban said he was not aware of the incident. The government of Pakistan supported the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and some Taliban leaders have been based inside Pakistan for years. Pakistani military officials said Thursday night that Gen. Raheel Sharif, the army commander, had called Gen. John Nicholson, the U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, to ask for assistance in rescuing the crew. They said U.S. and Afghan officials had promised to help. Read more: [U.S. widens war in Afghanistan] [U.S. will seek billions more to support Afghan military] [The fight against the Taliban is going better than expected] Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world A Kentucky high schools anti-natural-hair policy for students, loudly criticized last week by parents and activists led by state Representative-elect Attica Scott, has been abruptly suspended by administrators. The Jefferson County Public Schools district had originally shifted blame away from itself and to the specific school, Butler Traditional High. Then when Scott angrily tweeted about the new policy which banned dreadlocks, cornrows, twists, Mohawks and Afros more than two inches in length it has issued a statement on the suspended policy. When necessary, we will provide guidance to our schools to ensure their policies are not obtrusive, do not conflict with Board policy and most importantly do not infringe on the many cultures embraced across our school district, Superintendent Donna Hargens statement reads, in part. The changes are set to be voted on at a Thursday evening committee meeting, and the agenda, according to the Courier-Journal, proposes making the hair policy dictate that students hair must be well-groomed, well-kept and at a reasonable length. This rule would mean above the collar for men; no unnatural hair colors (such as pink, orange or green); and no designs or lines cut into the hair. The provision targeting dreadlocks and other styles typically worn by black students would be permanently eliminated. This proposal was a relief to Scott and the many others who showed up at a meeting to get the rules changed: Thank you to everyone who worked to get Butler to suspend its ban on natural hair. School policy sets the tone for a students experience. Attica Scott (@atticascott) July 30, 2016 Still, the changes did not come without stoking more outrage, because no one in the large group of parents and students who came to the meeting to express themselves was allowed to speak. These parents, students and community members showed up for you to listen, and what you all just did was insulting and I cant believe you did it! I cant believe you did it, a furious Scott said before the school board last week. I would love to hear from the students first because you all didnt need to be here but you showed up. So we need to listen to the young people who have something to say. Story continues Several spoke on camera to the Courier-Journal after the meeting to express their frustration. It felt like [the controversial policy] was meant more for girls, because they wear cornrows, they wear braids, they wear twists, because thats our sense of style, said one young woman wearing a Black Girls Rock T-shirt. We dont go around wearing our hair flat-ironed all the time. Another student referenced her own hair, saying, I wore these same twists last year, and noting that several teachers commented that her hair was really pretty. A mother in attendance also spoke, noting, We feel attacked because we are African American. We wear Afros every day. We wear cornrows every day. We have work lives where weve got to get up every morning, and it cuts down on a lot [of time] to not straighten our hair and then get our children together. They dont understand this. At the end of the day, it is discrimination. Even the ACLU had joined in on speaking out against the so-called racist hair rules. Singling out culturally specific hairstyles may send a signal to students of color that their very being is a distraction in the classroom ACLU of Kentucky (@ACLUofKY) July 28, 2016 Other district schools have recently revised their own student-hair policies, removing bans on dreadlocks and similar styles, according to the Courier-Journal. Although it remains to be seen what the final code will look like at Butler, were pretty it wont return to its old ways, with the community watching. Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Police guard the scene of a knife attack near Russell Square in London, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Terrorism is being examined as a potential motive for a knife rampage at Russell Square, central London, that left one woman dead and five others injured. An American woman was killed and five other people were injured in a knife attack in central London late Wednesday night. The police were called to Russell Square at about 10:30 p.m. local time on reports of a man attacking people with a knife, the Metropolitan Police said. The police arrested a man identified as a Norwegian national of Somali origin, and authorities believe the attack was triggered by mental-health issues, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said. After interviewing the suspect, his family, and witnesses, searching his home, and liaising with intelligence services, the police had not found evidence that the man was radicalised or that the attack was a planned act of terrorism. The police believe the victims were chosen at random. One American woman believed to be in her 60s died at the scene from her injuries. The people injured in the attack were of British, American, Australian, and Israeli nationalities. Three of the injured people have been discharged from the hospital, while two were still being treated with injuries that were not life-threatening. The police used a Taser device to detain the 19-year-old suspect at the scene. The man was discharged from a London hospital on Thursday morning and is in custody at a south London police station. The investigation is moving very quickly and "mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said in statement released late Thursday morning. "I am proud that last night our specialist firearms officers were on the scene in six minutes and, using only a Taser, detained the subject," Hogan-Howe said. "That demonstrates our commitment to use force in a professional and proportionate way. Their swift response undoubtedly helped to prevent more people from getting injured." Story continues Rowley added: "As a precautionary measure, Londoners will wake up this morning to notice an increased presence on the streets of officers, including armed officers today. We would urge the public to remain calm, alert, and vigilant." Police activity in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. Officers are continuing to interview witnesses as the investigation progresses. The man reportedly did not shout anything while he carried out the attack, according to a witness who spoke with The Guardian. A Spanish family who saw the attack said a man wearing black shorts and a white T-shirt was running and, while hiding his face with his arm, began stabbing people. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, urged Londoners to remain "calm and vigilant" and to report anything suspicious to the police, adding, "The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones." Russell Square, where the attack occurred, is less than a mile away from the University of London and is about 2 miles from Buckingham Palace. It is near the British Museum, an area frequented by visitors and tourists. Russell Square is also the scene of the deadliest attack of the 7/7 bombings in London. The bombing occurred on a Piccadilly Line underground train between Russell Square and King's Cross. Four suicide bombers attacked London on July 7, 2005, in what was one of the worst terrorist attacks on Britain, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds. The attack comes a day after the Metropolitan Police had announced it would add patrols to the streets of London amid concerns that a terrorist attack might be imminent. A body is removed from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. Chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe told Sky News it would be "foolish to ignore" the slew of attacks that have hit Europe over the past few weeks: "It is important that we get officers out there with firearms to respond where necessary." A few days ago, Hogan-Howe had also warned that an attack in the UK similar to those that have hit other parts of Europe is a case of "when, not if." Terrorist attacks have plagued Germany and France over the past few weeks. Last month 84 people died in Nice after a man rammed a refrigerated truck into crowds enjoying Bastille Day festivities, and just last week an 86-year-old priest was killed and three others were injured in a knife attack on a Catholic church in Normandy. Both of those attacks were claimed by ISIS, the terrorist group also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh. More From Business Insider Momma was right: You should always eat your fruits and vegetables, and perhaps the only thing better than those nutritious treats are songs about 'em. Desiigner, Lil Yachty & More Rising Rappers Bring the Hype to XXL's 2016 Freshmen Show in NYC In honor of D.R.A.M. and Lil Yachty's Billboard Hot 100 hit "Broccoli" (currently sitting at No. 29 on the list), here's a crudite plate of other tracks that would make any mother proud. Bon appetit. "Peaches N Cream" by Snoop Dogg feat. Charlie Wilson or "Peaches and Cream" by 112 Leave it to Snoop to make a song about something as innocent as a peach so darn sexual. Featuring Charlie Wilson, the bumpin' 2015 track is all about Snoop pleading that he "wants to get with you." Whether he's referring to hitting up a farm stand or heading back to his place is up for debate. (OK, it's the latter.) If you're in the mood for some raunchy R&B, there's also the 112 hit similarly titled "Peaches and Cream." "Tangerine" by Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin's legendary 1970 track is a dreamy folk-rock classic oozing with sweetness. Looking beyond the song's laid-back demeanor, frontman Jimmy Page is singing about a long lost love while belting out the name of the tiny citrus fruit in the track's catchy chorus. It's a perfectly ripe Zeppelin jam when the band was at its apex. "Collard Greens" by ScHoolboy Q feat. Kendrick Lamar Try this challenge: Don't bop your head while listening to this ScHoolboy Q jam. You'll quickly realize it's impossible, as ScHoolboy and Kendrick Lamar spit about the virtues of everyone's favorite Southern side dish. They're probably not just referring to the leafy vegetable (it's a metaphor, folks), but this track will make you yearn for a plate of collard greens with biscuits and fried green tomatoes nonetheless. "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles Story continues No good-for-you playlist would be complete without John, Paul, George and Ringo's fruity landmark single that peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 in 1967. The track actually refers to the name of a Salvation Army children's home close to where John Lennon grew up, and its deep lyrics and unforgettable melody made it one of Lennon's proudest personal accomplishments. "Diced Pineapples" by Rick Ross feat. Wale and Drake Rick Ross' 2012 slow jam, co-starring Wale and Drake, is an equally sweet and raunchy affair. While Ross probably isn't eating the high-calorie snack these days (the Bawse recently lost upward of 100 pounds), this song is a cheat meal worth chowing down on. "Squash Squash" by Blood Orange This track mixes a fruity title with a citrusy artist. From Blood Orange's acclaimed album Freetown Sound, "Squash Squash" features a sultry sax solo and Hynes' smooth vocals, a perfect soundtrack to cooking or a game of squash. Blood Orange Releases New Album 'Freetown Sound' Three Days Early: Listen "Canned Tomatoes (Whole)" by Courtney Barnett This track by Australian rocker Barnett is a highlight live and boasts a repetitive guitar riff that's almost as tasty as everyone's favorite red veggie. Much like a can of tomatoes, the song gets more savory as it plays thanks to its unique mix of layered instrumentation. "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson As breezy and easygoing as a lazy Sunday morning, Jack Johnson's 2005 staple is literally about a nice plate of banana pancakes. Chock-full of lovey-dovey language and a guitar riff that feels like it was born in a beach house, the track comes across as sweet, fluffy and warm. "Mrs. Potato Head" by Melanie Martinez From Martinez's incredible debut album Cry Baby, "Mrs. Potato Head" offers melodic commentary on the shallowness of society and less about veggies, including a scathing critique of plastic surgery. With lyrics like "Does a new face come with a warranty?," Martinez succeeds by making a bold statement so damn catchy. "Green Onions" by Booker T and the M.G.'s While onions may sting the eyes, Booker T's "Green Onions" goes easy on the ears. The classic instrumental makes the Hammond organ shine, and while many think the track is alluding to marijuana, its title was actually inspired by a cat named Onions. The song made such a mark on American music that in 2012, it was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Thirteen bears rescued from confinement are experiencing fresh grass, swimming in open ponds and raising their young for the first time. Read: Life's A Beach! Mama Bear and Her 2 Cubs Spotted Splashing in Waves Among Sunbathers After the nine grown bears and four cubs were transported to The Wildlife Animal Sanctuary in Colorado in May, PETA Deputy Director Brittany Peet told InsideEdition.com that they have already begun adjusting to their new life in an open habitat. "For bears who have been kept in tiny cages, they haven't been able to make use of their sensitive sense of smell, and their bodies aren't used to having so much space to roam," she said. As a transition to their new life, Peet said they were first moved into smaller enclosures within the larger habitat: "Being in these smaller enclosures on natural terrain just helps their body adjust to this new environment." Last week, officials determined they were in good enough shape for the doors to their enclosures to be opened. Peet said that because staff members didn't want to force the bears into their new environment too early, opening the doors will allow them to wander out at their own pace. Slowly but surely, the bears started acclimating themselves to the larger space. One of the mother bears has already taken her cub to live in the open permanently, even building a new den to raise her cub something she would never have been able to do had she still been in captivity. "For most captive bears, [cubs] are usually taken from their mothers shortly after they are born," Peet said. "The bears are bred so the cubs can either be sold or used in public photo ops." Following the Ohio Dangerous Wild Animal Act, various roadside zoos and traveling shows surrendered their bears to authorities, Peet told InsideEdition.com. The nine bears were found in poor condition. Some were underweight while others were overweight. Some were declawed, and others had parasites. All but one had broken teeth from chewing on the cages out of distress and boredom. Story continues Two of the bears, Ersila and Molly, were pregnant and had given birth in the care of Ohio officials. Read: I'll Just Take an Ubear: Animal Spotted Perched on Top of Garbage Truck, Cruising Neighborhood While their futures would have been uncertain had they remained in captivity, the fate of these bears took a drastic turn after they were transported to their forever home, where they will spend the rest of their days living with all the bear necessities. "The bears are looking good," Peet confirmed. "They're cute and they're playful. They're never going to turn back." Watch: 3-Legged Pit Bull Cuddles with Kittens Nearly 10 Years After Rescue From Michael Vick Dogfighting Ring Related Articles: When young servicemen returned home after WWII, they bought up affordable pre-owned cars like the 1932 Ford Deuce. The replacement for the Ford Model A had been a runaway hit when it debuted, and had maintained its popularity thanks to its reliability. With dirt track and dry lake bed racing becoming increasingly popular throughout the late 40s and into the 50s, G.I.s who had picked up mechanical skills during the war turned their attention to hot rodding. In addition to the simplicity of the 32 Ford, the thing that made the Deuce so special was its new flathead V8 engine. It was the first time a V8 had been put in a mass-produced car that was even remotely affordable for the average buyer. And that led to plenty of modifications, and some of the first examples of the modern hot rod we know and love today. This beautiful 1932 Ford Hi-Boy roadster is a perfect example of that, and its headed to auction at RM Sothebys in Monterey, California, later this month. RELATED: See Photos of the 1916 Ford Model T Trojan Show Rod Built by the father and son team at Longley Restorations in Florida, this Deuce is one killer tribute to the simple days of hot-rodding. The concept for the build was that of automotive guru Jack Boxstrom, and his instructions were to build a car based off of the following: a 20-year-old ex-service man buys a used 32 Roadster in 1947, removes all the unnecessary parts, hops up the motor, and goes racing. With a wealth of knowledge of the era, and a knack for finding just the right parts, the Longleys got to work. From the ammunition case floor boards off the USS Hornet, to the big n little wheel combination with 1946 hub caps all around, this rolling homage to hot-roddings early days is dialed in. The swirling marble style shift knob, the standard 1932 Ford paint with custom Lakes graphics and faux patina, bomber alloy seats, it all stays period correct. RELATED: See Photos of the 1929 Ford Flathead 22 Dragster Story continues Theres no wanting for power either, this example is gifted 120 horses from the 239 cu-in flathead V8, and you can bet youll enjoy using each and every one of them when you drop the hammer. Dual Stromberg 97 carbs, a Weiland intake, Eldebrock script finned aluminum heads make peeking under the hood an eye popping experience, while a Lakes pipes custom exhaust takes care of making your ears happy. A three-speed Ford manual transmission, torque-tube drive to a Halibrand quick-change rear-end, Vega-style steering box do their part by making sure you feel everything the car is doing. The four-inch drop front axle, front and rear Model A cross members, reverse-eye springs, four-tube shocks, and hydraulic Ford front drum brakes are there to assist with the task. But other than the brakes, Id imagine youd be hard pressed to say what part stands out in their efforts. Ford got it right with the Deuce, and the Longleys got it right with this build, which makes this car a perfect example of rodding done right. These simpler machines, free of garish amounts of chrome and Jolly Rancher-esque lacquers, have seen a big resurgence of late, and I for one couldnt be happier. RELATED: See Photos of the Ford Silver Bullet Roadster Via: Silodrome 2017 Toyota Prius Prime First Drive What a difference four years make. Toyota succumbed to customer pressure to roll out a Prius plug-in in 2012, seemingly without enthusiasm. Indeed, it was a half-hearted effort that promised some electric-only range but resorted to turning its gas engine on at every opportunity. Unsurprisingly, in our owner satisfaction survey the Prius Plug-in hybrid ranked well below the regular Prius. Clearly the company could do better. Its no secret that Toyota believes in hybrids and stays away from fully electric vehicles and, until now, even true plug-in hybrids. It seems that the automaker heard those EV-leaning buyers loud and clear, as evidenced by the new 2017 Toyota Prius Prime. With the fourth-generation Prius, the plug-in takes on a dedicated name, several styling detail differences, and, most important, the ability to go all electricno ifs, ands, or buts. We got a first-hand experience with the Prius Prime by renting one from Toyota; the car goes on sale in the fall. Thanks to an 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery, the car has a claimed range of 22 miles. Unlike its predecessor, it remains in electric mode even at full throttle or climbing hills. Once past those electric miles, the Prime reverts to regular hybrid operation. There is also a recharging mode, which runs the engine to supply the battery with juicehandy for recapturing some electric miles for future use. But there are no free ridesthat recharging cuts into fuel economy. By how much? Well find out when we buy our own Prime in the fall and test it thoroughly. Prices for the Toyota Prius Prime are expected to begin where a well-equipped Prius leaves off, about the mid-$30,000s. Three equipment levels are available, with the top trim distinguished by a larger touch screen and faux-leather seats with a power driver seat. In our hands, we actually observed a 28-mile pure-electric range without trying. Toyota says it takes 2.5 hours to recharge at 240 volts, a claim we will soon verify. Suffice it to say that the car can be charged overnight at the standard 120 volts, even if that takes six hours. Story continues Unlike the regular Prius, the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime is only a four-seater. Toyota says that the big battery takes up the space. And due to the curved rear window, there's not a rear wiper. Dont be fooled by the mere 121-horsepower stat; the Prime takes off with authority. With a full battery, the car is committed to deliver an electric car experience, complete with near-silent running and brisk response. In hybrid operation, it functions much like a regular Prius, with which we got 52 mpg overall when we tested it. Ultimately, the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime promises a combined range of more than 600 miles. A long press on the Mode button shifts into battery recharge mode, in which the engine works constantly and thus buzzes monotonously. It doesnt take long before you gain five or six miles of electric range, which can be used in an urban environment or anywhere else. In other respects the Prime drives very similarly to the regular Prius with a comfortable, steady ride and handling thats responsive and secure, though not sporty. Top trim lines get a large Tesla-like touch screen that serves as the gateway to the audio system, trip information, phone, and navigation. The expression Cant see the forest for the trees is most apt here. Youll get Toyotas various apps and other secondary items before youll figure out how to get simple good-old FM radio. Yes, its that maddening. The seat heater controls seem like they were added as an aftethoughtthe switch is low and far away on the dash, practically by your ankles. Advanced active safety systems are standard, including active cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high beams. For people who think the regular Prius is too much of a commodity and relies too much on gas yet arent ready to fully embrace a dedicated EV, the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime provides a bridge. Much like the Chevrolet Volt, the Prius Prime can go electric for short distances and rely on its hybrid powertrain for longer trips, with no range worries. Check back with us for more on the Toyota Prius Prime once we buy our own and fully test it. Read our complete Toyota Prius road test. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S. NextShark Jahrah, who only has a first name as customary in Indonesia, went out to collect rubber on Sunday morning in the forest in Jambi Province on Sumatra Island, Indonesia. The search parties only found success a day later, on Monday, when they discovered a 22-foot-long (6.7-meters-long) python with a bulging stomach resting in the woods. Her family then reported her missing to the local authorities, and a search has been carried out since then, Anto, the local villages chief, said. After the Brexit referendum, which shook the global economy in Jun 2016, investors have become jittery and are resorting to safe haven stocks. In this scenario, the consumer staples sector appears to be quite reliable. Overall, the sector has reported modest results this quarter. Lower gas prices, an improving job scenario and increasing consumer confidence have been supporting the improvement in results. Improving home sales, stepped-up economic activities, higher business and government spending and a buildup in inventories have boosted U.S. economic growth. While gradual improvement in the macro-economic scenario will act as a growth driver, decreasing commodity costs will also help improve profit margins for certain staples companies. Though lower crude oil prices are leading to worries related to global deflation and an economic slowdown, subsiding oil and natural gas prices mean that consumers are left with more disposable income. A rise in wages has also increased household wealth and boosted consumer spending. We expect these positive sentiments to translate into higher consumer spending in 2016. However, there are many consumer staple stocks, which are still suffering from continued pressure in the face of limited consumer spending, foreign exchange headwinds, declining unit volumes and other global issues. Continued appreciation of the U.S. dollar relative to most foreign currencies has become a serious headwind to the earnings of U.S.-based staples companies with significant international operations like Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB), Mondelez International, Inc. (MDLZ), The Procter & Gamble Co. (PG), Altria Group, Inc. (MO), ConAgra Foods, Inc. (CAG) and General Mills, Inc. (GIS). In such an investment climate, we have identified five stocks, which not only have strong fundamentals but are also likely to report solid quarterly numbers. So its better to grab these retail stocks now before they start touching new highs after their results. The Way to Pick the Right Stocks Obviously, there are quite a few companies in the consumer staples space, so it may be difficult to pick the right stocks for your portfolio. One way to narrow down the list of choices is by looking at stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) and a positive Earnings ESP. Earnings ESP is our proprietary methodology to determine which stocks have the best chance to surprise in their next earnings announcement. It shows the percentage difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Our research shows that for stocks with this combination, the chance of positive earnings surprise is as high as 70%. 5 Prominent Choices You may bet on Dean Foods Company (DF), which processes and distributes milk, and other dairy and dairy case products in the United States. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #1 and has an Earnings ESP of +2.56%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter of 2016 stands at 38 cents a share. This Dallas, TX-based company delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 17.81% over the trailing four quarters and has a long-term earnings growth rate of 12.00%. The company is slated to report results on Aug 8. Investors can also count on Inter Parfums Inc. (IPAR), which is a worldwide provider of prestige perfumes and mass market perfumes and cosmetics. The stock holds a Zacks Rank #1 and has an Earnings ESP of +5.26%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter of 2016 stands at 19 cents a share. The company registered an average negative earnings surprise of 5.37% over the trailing four quarters, and has a long-term earnings growth rate of 15.00%. The company is expected to report results on Aug 9. We also suggest investing in food manufacturer B&G Foods, Inc. (BGS). Based in Parsippany, NJ, B&G Foods carries a Zacks Rank #1 and has an Earnings ESP of +1.92%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third quarter of 2016 stands at 52 cents a share. The stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 10.25%. The company is expected to report results on Oct 25. Orrville, OH -based The J. M. Smucker Co. (SJM) can also be an attractive stock for investors. This food and beverage company has a Zacks Rank #1 and an Earnings ESP of +4.07%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter of 2016 stands at $1.72 a share. The stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 8.36%. The company is expected to report results on Aug 25. Another beverage company that can add value to the portfolio is Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ). The company registered an average positive earnings surprise of 8.89% over the trailing four quarters. Currently, it has a Zacks Rank #2 and an Earnings ESP of +0.60%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 stands at $1.66 a share. The stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16.34%. The company is expected to report results on Oct 5. Bottom Line We believe that investing in these companies, which have an earnings beat potential, should yield strong returns for your portfolio in the short term. 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 >> 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 DEAN FOODS CO (DF): Free Stock Analysis Report INTER PARFUMS (IPAR): Free Stock Analysis Report B&G FOODS CL-A (BGS): Free Stock Analysis Report SMUCKER JM (SJM): Free Stock Analysis Report CONSTELLATN BRD (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Categories Skincare Have you ever noticed that when youre really stressed out, your body tends to reflect that? When your to-do list is endlessly piling up, its prime time for pimples to populate your face, which leads you to stress about your blemish(es)which can result in even more breakouts. Its a vicious cycle. Yet theres science behind it. Just as stress affects your brain, it affects your bodyand, even worse, can get in the way of clear skin. Abigail Waldman, MD, a dermatologist from Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, discusses the serious side effects with Allureand offers tips on preventing the skin woes that are bound to happen when youre feeling overwhelmed. Stress can worsen preexisting conditions If you have a skin condition like psoriasis or eczema, you may have noticed that they flare up when youre really anxious or stressed. Waldman points out that beneath your skins unstable mode is a burst of the hormone cortisol, which can take a toll on your immune system and wreak havoc on your previously blemish-free face. Inadequate zzzs can make it worse We know sleep is a big factor in our well-being (just ask Arianna Huffington). But it turns out that not getting enough sleep can show up on your face. Waldman says that swollen eyes, dark circles, and increased signs of aging are all physical consequences of not getting sufficient sleep. Sleep is a time when we tell patients to use medications that can also work to repair skin, she says. Mariwalla recommends a facial moisturizer that has caffeine, which tightens the skin around your eye area if youre having trouble clocking eight solid hours of sleep. It can cause your hair to fall out The condition is called telegon effluvium, and occurs because your hair stops following its usual pattern of growing and falling out when youre super-stressed. Some doctors think that if your body sees anxiety as a threat, it could possibly view growing hair as unnecessary (scary!). The good news is that your healthy hair patterns will resume in more calm times. To help prevent hair loss, Mariwalla recommends eating at least 20 grams of protein a day and consider taking prenatal vitamins. For the six ways stress can affect your skin read the full article here. Heres what NOT to do while appearing for your next job interview Photograph: World Relief Spokane/Flickr (Under Creative Commons license) A job interview can be as frightening as it can be exciting. And in several ways a job interview isnt unlike a first date: what you say and how you say it makes all the difference. So what are the blunders you must avoid at job interviews? Lets take a look. ALSO READ 9 quick stretches to do at your workstation 1. Accepting their offer of tea/coffee It is customary in India to offer beverages to a guest. This courtesy is often extended to interviewees. It is an offer that should always be politely turned down. If you are absolutely parched, request for a glass of water. The big reason to avoid the chai-coffee offer is simply because unconsciously or consciously you are nervous while facing an interview, and your teacup/coffee mug almost always reveals your nervousness. The other good reason to turn down the offer is because you wouldnt want your tea to last longer than your interview, which can be quite uncomfortable. ALSO READ 10 things you should never do on your first job 2. Dress inappropriately However casual the organisation may be, that cannot be an excuse for showing up in a pair of jeans and sneakers. A job interview is a professional commitment and you need to understand the importance of grooming. So, opt for a pair of formal shoes and while you neednt be in a tie and a jacket, do pay attention to your clothes. You can follow the casual dress code after you join the organisationnot when youre interviewing to be part of it. 3. Not researching about the company. You will be surprised to know just how many people walk into interview rooms without having any idea about their prospective employers. It leaves a terrible impression on your interviewer because it shows that you havent made the effort to learn about the company you want to work for. And today, especially, there is no excuse to not have this kind of information. All you need to do is visit the companys website! So, ensure you have enough information about the company you want to work for. Its only fair you do that, right? Story continues ALSO READ 5 things you should not do when youre serving your notice 4. Not reading the job description carefully. Yet again, this reveals a lack of seriousness on the part of the candidate. Not reading the JD also puts you at a disadvantage because you may not be able to project yourself in a manner that is best suited to the job. 5. Revealing personal details Most interviews begin with the standard question asking you to speak something about yourself. Several people take this as a cue to tell the interviewer about their families. This is one of the most commonly committed blunders in interviews. When someone asks you to speak about yourself, focus only on your professional achievements and learning. At the same time, remember to keep it concise so the interviewer can move on to the next question. 6. Not picking up on non-verbal cues Your interview is like a first date and that involves paying attention to your interviewers non-verbal cues. So, make eye contact with your interviewer instead of looking at your shoes. The idea is to engage the interviewer and pick up on her/his body language and respond to it. If you see that your interviewer is getting bored, stop. If you see her/him being interested, tell them something more interesting about it. Dont treat a job interview like a battle in which you empty your ammunition and go away. Treat it, instead, like a conversation in which you need to get the other persons interest. 7. Not brushing up on your basics. You never know what kind of question will be thrown at you. For all you know, you may be asked about something youve studied in your first year of college. Saying you learnt it a long time ago wont help your cause. So brush up on your basics before you go for the interview. Dylann Roof, charged in the shooting death of nine black parishioners at a Charleston church, was assaulted Thursday by another inmate at a South Carolina jail, police said. Read: Dylann Roof Charged With Killing 9; Friends Say He Wanted To 'Start a Race War' In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Al Cannon said Roof was let out at 7:45 a.m. to take a shower, and officers had checked cells in the area to check that they were locked. Inmate Dwayne Stafford ran down the stairs and attacked Roof, 22, he said. Roof suffered bruises to his face and back after Stafford reportedly struck him with his fist. Roof and his attorney have indicated they have no desire to press charges, said Cannon. "We are looking at the issue of the door lock and what may have failed there," he said. He said theyre also interviewing jail employees. Roof is escorted by detention officers when he leaves his cell, but on that particular day, authorities say an officer was dropping off toilet paper when the assault happened. Another officer was on break. Cannon said this was not regular procedure. Read: Jon Stewart Gets Serious on Charleston Shooting: 'This One is Black and White' "This serves as a wake-up call," he said. The inmate who attacked him is in jail for strong armed robbery and assault, and for lying to police, he said. Roof was examined by medical personnel and then taken back to his cell. The inmate who attacked him is facing additional assault charges, according to the Associated Press. Roof has been jailed since being brought back from North Carolina a day after the June 17, 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church. He is currently awaiting trial. Watch Below: Florist Chased Dylan Roof Until Arrest: 'I Couldn't Believe It Was Him' Related Articles: Aug 4 (Reuters) - Videogame publisher Activision Blizzard Inc reported a 50.4 percent surge in quarterly revenue on Thursday, propelled by the popularity of the newly-launched "Overwatch" game and the boost from the acquisition of "Candy Crush" maker King Digital. Activision's total adjusted revenue, which excludes deferred revenue and related costs, rose to $1.57 billion in the second quarter ended June 30 from $1.04 billion a year earlier. "With Overwatch's incredibly successful launch, Call of Duty's record first half performance, and Candy Crush's continued growth as key drivers of our overall performance, we delivered a record Q2," Chief Executive Bobby Kotick said. Activision, best known for its "Call of Duty" and "World of Warcraft" games, released "Overwatch" on May 24 to rave reviews. The multi-player futuristic game now has more than 15 million players. The success of "Overwatch" gave the Blizzard unit its biggest-ever quarterly online player community, with monthly active users increasing 13 percent to 33 million. The company's net income dropped 40 percent to $127 million, or 17 cents per share, mainly due to costs associated with the near $6 billion acquisition of King Digital in February. Activision said King Digital's monthly active users declined to 409 million due to "seasonal trends and launch timing". King is expected to release one more non-Candy Crush game towards the end of the year, Activision said. King Digital games currently have no advertisements, but the unit's head, Riccardo Zacconi, had in May raised the possibility of running ads on what he touted as one of the "largest untapped audiences for advertisers in the world". King Digital has started experimenting with advertising in two games. Activision also raised its full-year revenue forecast to $6.40 billion from $6.13 billion, and its full-year profit expectations to 87 cents per share from 69 cents. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) Ted is an account manager in a productive financial firm. He's fun-loving and always a hoot at the company happy hours. But over the five years Ted has worked at the firm, his drinking has escalated. As he gained responsibilities and more stress, the weekly happy hour quickly transitioned into a drink every day after work, and then a few drinks. Recently, Ted started having a few cocktails over his lunch. The other day, his boss found him asleep at his desk. Unfortunately, Ted's story is not unusual. Drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace is a common problem in this country. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 70 percent of the 14.8 million Americans who abuse drugs are employed. And 24 percent of workers admit drinking during the day at least once in the past year. When an employee abuses drugs or alcohol, there can be serious ramifications, including injuries, absenteeism, traffic accidents and lost productivity. To address drug and alcohol abuse among their employees, there are a few key things employers can do. For one, all companies should have written substance abuse policies prohibiting drug and alcohol use at work. Companies should ask all employees to read and sign an agreement stating they understand those policies. Secondly, employers and supervisors should be on the lookout for signs of drug and alcohol abuse. And thirdly, employers should promptly and properly deal with employees they suspect of abusing. Signs an Employee Is Abusing Drugs or Alcohol Identifying an employee who is abusing drugs or alcohol isn't as easy as one might think. The first step is knowing what to look for. Substance abuse in the workplace may manifest in the following ways: -- Attendance problems: Employees who abuse drugs or alcohol are more likely to be late, use sick days and call in with unplanned, last minute absences. Sometimes patterns arise, where sick days repeatedly fall on a Monday or Friday, or after payday. Story continues -- Performance issues: Employees with substance abuse problems may miss deadlines or quotas, turn in careless work or fail to complete assignments. -- Strained work relationships: An employee who is abusing drugs or alcohol may become short tempered, belligerent or argumentative. He or she may avoid talking with co-workers at the water cooler and keep to him or herself. Mood patterns may form, with grumpiness in the mornings or following weekends or holidays. -- Behavior issues: Certain behaviors may signal drug or alcohol abuse, either on or off the job. These include the smell of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, staggering or slurring speech, excessive laughter or inappropriate loudness, tremors, excessive use of breath mints or mouthwash, avoiding meetings or contact with supervisors after lunch, and sleeping at work. Just one of these signs doesn't automatically mean an employee has a drinking or drug problem. Symptoms of abuse often come in groups of two or more. [See: 14 Ways Alcohol Affects the Aging Process.] How to Deal With Addiction in the Workplace If a supervisor suspects an employee is abusing drugs or alcohol, a good starting point is to gather evidence. Supervisors should document any and all performance problems, complete with dates and times. Companies often do not have the authority to do mandatory drug or alcohol testing. However, in most cases, companies can do voluntary testing; for example, when an employee denies intoxication and offers to take a test. Supervisors should review signs of abuse with an Employee Assistance Program counselor before meeting with the employee. From there, here are some steps an employer can take: -- Schedule a face to face: A supervisor should notify the employee of the time and place of a meeting to discuss the employee's performance. The supervisor should plan to hold the meeting in a private place. -- Tread lightly: Unless the employee has been obviously impaired on the job, a supervisor should not directly address the substance abuse in question. Instead, the supervisor should keep the focus on the employee's job performance. He or she should refer the employee to EAP and clearly explain that if the employee fails to correct the performance issues, he or she may be disciplined or terminated. A supervisor cannot force an employee to use EAP services but can strongly encourage the person to do so. -- Plan for denial: Denial is a common reaction to confrontation in substance abusers. If an employee denies the addiction and refuses help from EAP, the supervisor should continue to document problems and discipline the employee if necessary. -- Consider intervention: In cases where an employee has been intoxicated or under the influence of drugs at work, an employer may consider an intervention. During an intervention, colleagues and other people important to the addicted person confront him or her and encourage professional help. It's important to note that a trained professional -- not a supervisor -- should lead a work-based intervention. Supervisors can contact an EAP counselor for more information on the process. -- Avoid enabling: Just like family members should show some tough love to a loved one who is abusing drugs or alcohol, a supervisor should do the same. Supervisors should avoid doing things like lending the employee money, covering up for the employee, giving the employee's work to others, making excuses for the employee or trying to counsel the employee on their own. -- Put policies in place: Employers can address substance abuse in their employee populations as a whole by implementing drug and alcohol policies. By putting these rules in writing, employers can clearly explain what they will and will not tolerate with regard to drugs and alcohol. -- Offer support: To help employees with substance abuse problems get the help they need, employers should offer comprehensive health plans that cover all stages of treatment for substance abuse disorders. The best plans cover treatment, counseling, aftercare and educating employees on the dangers of abusing alcohol and drugs. [See: How to Find the Best Mental Health Professional for You.] If an Employee is Under the Influence on the Job When an employee is clearly intoxicated or under the influence of drugs at work, supervisors have more power when it comes to addressing the problem. Before anything else, a supervisor should alert the company's employee assistance program to the situation and be ready to refer the employee to EAP's services. If the employee has duties that put other people's safety in jeopardy, such as driving, operating heavy equipment, caring for patients or working around weapons, the supervisor should restrict the employee from doing these jobs. If the company has one, the supervisor can also ask the employee to spend some time in the company's health unit. The health unit can then make a call on whether or not the employee is indeed under the influence and offer an alcohol or drug test. If the employee's behavior is erratic or disruptive, the supervisor can ask the employee to leave (with a ride from a taxi, fellow employee or family member). If an employee becomes belligerent, an employer can get law enforcement involved. Any time an employer suspects an employee is using drugs or alcohol, the supervisor should document everything. This includes any performance issues, absences, problems with co-workers or incidents that sent the employee home. Overall, the goal of the employer should be to help an addicted employee get the help he or she needs to be as healthy and productive as possible. [See: 7 Health Risks of Binge Drinking You Can't Ignore.] Robert Yagoda is the executive director of Beach House Center for Recovery, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation center in Juno Beach, Florida. Yagoda is a licensed mental health counselor and certified addictions professional who has more than 10 years of combined clinical and administrative experience in facility-delivered, drug and dual diagnosis treatment. As Executive Director of Beach House Center for Recovery, Robert Yagoda brings more than 10 years of combined clinical and administrative experience in facility-delivered, drug and dual diagnosis treatment. Robert is a licensed mental health counselor and certified addictions professional. What motivates him most is seeing clients make groundbreaking strides in recovery, knowing he was part of their growth and success. First 13 routes will be rolled out. New bus services provider Go-Ahead Singapore will launch the first tranche of its operations at major roads in the city-state exactly one month from now. A joint release from Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Go Ahead Singapore showed bus services with 13 routes will start plying Singapore streets on September 4, while 11 other routes will be opened on September 18. Completing the 25 routes in the Loyang bus package is another service that will be announced in 2017. The services will operate at Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines and Yishun Bus Interchanges, as well as Changi Airport, Changi Village, Changi Business Park, New Bridge Road and Upper East Coast Bus Terminals. The package model is a relatively new experience for Singaporeans and is aimed at sustaining commuter convenience all through the transition phase. As we roll out the second package under the bus contracting model, we would like to assure commuters that LTA and the operators have been working hard to make this transition as seamless as possible and to bring about a better commuter experience with more regular bus timings and smoother bus rides, said LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong. Go-Ahead Singapore, meanwhile, called for passengers to take note of the new routes, timetables and other information on the bus services. It is very important that we get off to a smooth start and I therefore ask passengers to look out for associated publicity materials onboard the buses and at the key transport nodes, in advance of our September start date, explained Nigel Wood, Go-Ahead Singapore managing director. More From Singapore Business Review BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes believed carried out by Russian warplanes hit two displaced persons' camps west of Aleppo and near the Turkish border on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported. It said the strikes killed at least two children and wounded 30 people near the town of Atareb, which is in rebel-held territory. A number of tents were damaged or burned in the strikes, it added. Russia has waged an air campaign against insurgents in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since September. The British-based Observatory, which tracks the violence using a network of contacts on the ground, said the jets were believed to be Russian because of their color and the fact there were several planes flying in formation. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by John Stonestreet) By Tim Hepher and Alwyn Scott PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) virtually closed the gap with Boeing in their intense battle for airliner orders in July after booking about half of the 197 firm sales unveiled at last month's Farnborough Airshow, according to the latest data from both companies. Amid a broad slowdown in purchases, the European planemaker said it had sold a total of 373 jets between January and July, or 323 after adjusting for cancellations. That compares with 383 airplane sales, or 333 after cancellations, by U.S. rival Boeing (BA.N). Combined orders at the world's dominant planemakers fell 17 percent from the same period last year, weighed by concerns over the economy and relatively low oil prices, which have taken the edge off demand for new fuel-saving models. Both planemakers are struggling to book new sales in a market that is seen as somewhat oversupplied with jets, especially larger wide-body models, industry experts said. The slowdown has raised some questions about whether the companies will maintain plans to boost output later this decade. Both have also faced a slew of order deferrals in recent weeks, while insisting the trend of postponements is stable. Two industry sources said Indonesia's Lion Air, one of the largest jet buyers with hundreds on order from Boeing and Airbus, is weighing the deferral of about 25 Airbus jets. Airbus declined comment and Lion Air was not available. Airbus was also hammering out details of an order for 100 more planes from Lion Air's regional rival AirAsia (AIRA.KL), announced in a shower of publicity at Farnborough. After a slow start to the year, Airbus had looked set to end the Farnborough Airshow with 380 net orders for the year to date including the AirAsia deal, which it described as a firm order. The deal did not make it into the new tally, however, and an Airbus spokesman said paperwork was being finalised. A person close to the talks said this only involved tying up loose ends. Story continues Latest Airbus data also suggested that another order secured at the height of an industry boom in 2012 had been trimmed back. Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet has cancelled five of 40 A320neo jets it has on order, according to the monthly update. An airline spokeswoman said the change was part of an "operational swap," without giving further details. The cancellation emerged as Mexican consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in two years amid a weak economy. DELIVERY WOES While Boeing remains ahead by a whisker in the race for new orders, it maintains a solid lead on deliveries which drive revenues, handing over 432 jets between January and July. Airbus delivered 339 jets between January and July, down 4 percent on the year, due in part to a shortage of Pratt & Whitney (UTX.N) engines for its newly revamped A320neo. It delivered just three of those jets in July, including two powered by Pratt & Whitney and the first to be delivered with alternative engines from CFM International (GE.N)(SAF.PA). So far this year it has delivered 11 A320neos and 15 of its widebody A350s, another model suffering delays due in part to problems with suppliers. It aims to deliver 50 A350s this year. Industry sources say that besides widely reported problems with cabin equipment such as toilets, the A350 has faced other glitches including quality problems with wing spoilers from Austrian parts maker FACC (FACC.VI). An Airbus spokesman said these problems had been resolved. FACC declined to comment. New Airbus data also incorporated the cancellation by Qatar Airways of the first of 50 A320neo-family jets it has ordered. The Gulf airline has criticised Airbus and Pratt & Whitney over A320neo delays and said in June it would exercise a clause to abandon the first jet, one of several parked in Qatar livery outside the French factory waiting for engines . Parent Airbus Group said last week that upgraded versions of the engines were now being delivered. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways is in talks with Boeing for rival 737 MAX jets to diversify its fast-expanding fleet. (Additional reporting by Alizeh Kohari, Veronica Gomez; Editing by Greg Mahlich, Alexandra Hudson and Leslie Adler) (Adds Interjet comment, paragraph 15) By Tim Hepher and Alwyn Scott PARIS/NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Airbus virtually closed the gap with Boeing in their intense battle for airliner orders in July after booking about half of the 197 firm sales unveiled at last month's Farnborough Airshow, according to the latest data from both companies. Amid a broad slowdown in purchases, the European planemaker said it had sold a total of 373 jets between January and July, or 323 after adjusting for cancellations. That compares with 383 airplane sales, or 333 after cancellations, by U.S. rival Boeing. Combined orders at the world's dominant planemakers fell 17 percent from the same period last year, weighed by concerns over the economy and relatively low oil prices, which have taken the edge off demand for new fuel-saving models. Both planemakers are struggling to book new sales in a market that is seen as somewhat oversupplied with jets, especially larger wide-body models, industry experts said. The slowdown has raised some questions about whether the companies will maintain plans to boost output later this decade. Both have also faced a slew of order deferrals in recent weeks, while insisting the trend of postponements is stable. Two industry sources said Indonesia's Lion Air, one of the largest jet buyers with hundreds on order from Boeing and Airbus, is weighing the deferral of about 25 Airbus jets. Airbus declined comment and Lion Air was not available. Airbus was also hammering out details of an order for 100 more planes from Lion Air's regional rival AirAsia, announced in a shower of publicity at Farnborough. After a slow start to the year, Airbus had looked set to end the Farnborough Airshow with 380 net orders for the year to date including the AirAsia deal, which it described as a firm order. The deal did not make it into the new tally, however, and an Airbus spokesman said paperwork was being finalised. A person close to the talks said this only involved tying up loose ends. Story continues Latest Airbus data also suggested that another order secured at the height of an industry boom in 2012 had been trimmed back. Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet has cancelled five of 40 A320neo jets it has on order, according to the monthly update. An airline spokeswoman said the change was part of an "operational swap," without giving further details. The cancellation emerged as Mexican consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in two years amid a weak economy. DELIVERY WOES While Boeing remains ahead by a whisker in the race for new orders, it maintains a solid lead on deliveries which drive revenues, handing over 432 jets between January and July. Airbus delivered 339 jets between January and July, down 4 percent on the year, due in part to a shortage of Pratt & Whitney engines for its newly revamped A320neo. It delivered just three of those jets in July, including two powered by Pratt & Whitney and the first to be delivered with alternative engines from CFM International . So far this year it has delivered 11 A320neos and 15 of its widebody A350s, another model suffering delays due in part to problems with suppliers. It aims to deliver 50 A350s this year. Industry sources say that besides widely reported problems with cabin equipment such as toilets, the A350 has faced other glitches including quality problems with wing spoilers from Austrian parts maker FACC. An Airbus spokesman said these problems had been resolved. FACC declined to comment. New Airbus data also incorporated the cancellation by Qatar Airways of the first of 50 A320neo-family jets it has ordered. The Gulf airline has criticised Airbus and Pratt & Whitney over A320neo delays and said in June it would exercise a clause to abandon the first jet, one of several parked in Qatar livery outside the French factory waiting for engines. Parent Airbus Group said last week that upgraded versions of the engines were now being delivered. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways is in talks with Boeing for rival 737 MAX jets to diversify its fast-expanding fleet. (Additional reporting by Alizeh Kohari, Veronica Gomez; Editing by Greg Mahlich, Alexandra Hudson and Leslie Adler) Astrobiologists will probably have their hands full in a few trillion years. The odds of life evolving throughout the universe are 1,000 times greater in the far future than they are now, according to a new modeling study. The finding suggests that life on Earth may be "premature" in the cosmic scheme of things, researchers said. "If you ask, 'When is life most likely to emerge?' you might naively say, 'Now,'" study lead author Avi Loeb, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in a statement. "But we find that the chance of life grows much higher in the distant future." Loeb and his colleagues modeled how likely life is to arise at any point throughout the lifetime of the universe, starting at 30 million years after the Big Bang, when the first stars had created enough carbon, oxygen and other "heavy" elements thought to be necessary for life, and ending 10 trillion years from now, when the last stars will burn out. (The Big Bang occurred about 13.8 billion years ago.) The researchers determined that the main factor influencing the possible evolution of life on a planet is the lifetime of that planet's host star. The sun will die perhaps 5 billion years from now, but the smallest stars can live for up to 10 trillion years, giving life plenty of time to take root. "So then you may ask, 'Why aren't we living in the future next to a low-mass star?'" Loeb says. "One possibility is we're premature. Another possibility is that the environment around a low-mass star is hazardous to life." Dwarf stars do indeed seem to pose some serious challenges to the evolution of life: They're incredibly active in their youth, firing off lots of powerful flares that could strip away the atmospheres of potentially habitable planets. Studying nearby dwarf stars and their planets with instruments such as NASA's $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled to launch in late 2018, should help clarify matters, Loeb and his colleagues said. Story continues The new study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. You can read it at the online preprint site arXiv here: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1606.08448v2.pdf Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Editor's Recommendations Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The American woman stabbed to death Wednesday night in London by a knife-weilding attacker who injured five others is the wife of a Florida State University professor who was teaching abroad, PEOPLE confirms. Darlene Horton was the wife of Richard Wagner, an FSU psychology professor who had just finished teaching in the university's summer abroad program, reports the Tallahassee Democrat. In a statement to PEOPLE, the university confirms that Wagner and his wife were in Central London's Russell Square where the attack occurred. Horton died at the scene. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. "James Pitts, director of FSU International Programs, said students already had left the program for the summer, and none were involved in the incident at Russell Square," the university's statement said. "Pitts said that university administrators in London immediately offered assistance to Wagner. The couple had planned to return to Tallahassee today, Aug. 4." "There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy," said FSU President John Thrasher in the statement. "We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family, and we will do all we can to assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the psychology department, as they mourn." Florida Gov. Rick Scott mourned the loss in a Tweet: "Extremely saddened to hear about the loss of Darlene Horton in London. Ann and I are praying for her family and loved ones." Authorities who initially faced questions about a terrorist attack later backed off that concern, stating the investigation revealed the assailant was "triggered by mental heath issues," said Mark Rowley, an assistant commissioner with London's Metropolitan Police, according to The New York Times. Police arrested a 19-year-old Norwegian man of Somali ancestry, but said his background did not appear "relevant to the motivation for his actions." "So far we have found no evidence of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism," Rowley told reporters. An American woman was killed in a knife rampage by a 19-year-old attacker in London on Wednesday night, U.K. police confirmed. The woman is described as being in her 60s, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a press conference early Thursday. Five other people were wounded in the attack, including another American, an Israeli and an Australian. Two victims remain in the hospital. Rowley said the attacker, a Norwegian national of Somali origin, appears to be mentally ill and that police investigators have found no connection to radical Islam or terrorism. The British press quickly reported fears that the attack was linked to ISIS after a string of deadly attacks in France, Belgium and Germany that have shocked Europe. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. However, Rowley said: "I emphasize that so far we have found no evidence of radicalization that would suggest the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism." He added: "At this time, we believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random." Armed officers rushed to the scene of the attack in Russell Square in northwest London and Rowley praised their bravery for confronting the attacker, not knowing whether the incident was part of a wider terrorist attack. The officers subdued the assailant, whose name has not been released, without firing a shot. Instead, they stunned him with a Taser and took him into custody. Authorities have spoken with him, as well as his family. In a statement, London Mayor Sadiq Khan encouraged Londoners to "remain calm and vigilant" as the police presence in the city was heightened. "As a precautionary measure, Londoners will wake up this morning to notice an increased presence on the streets of officers, including armed officers today," Rowley said in a statement. LONDON (Reuters) - An American woman was killed by a man with suspected mental health issues who went on the rampage with a knife in London, police said on Thursday, adding there was no evidence to suggest the attack was terrorism-related. "The woman who was murdered was an American national. Those injured were Australian, American, Israeli and British," Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters outside police headquarters in central London. No further details of the victims were immediately available. Rowley said that a Norwegian national of Somali origin had been detained but they had found no evidence of radicalisation to suggest the motive was related to terrorism. "All of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," he said. "We believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random. "So far we have found no evidence of radicalization that would suggest that the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism." Earlier media reports had suggested one of the wounded was a Spanish national but Rowley made no mention of any Spanish victims. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Stephen Addison) South Korea's Army on Thursday held an event to mark the first anniversary of North Korea's land-mine attack that maimed two South Korean soldiers and escalated tensions on the Korean peninsula. In the event held at the DMZ Ecosystem Tourism Support Center in Paju, just north of Seoul, Army Chief of Staff Jang Jun-kyu and military officials encouraged and expressed thanks to the eight soldiers who were involved in reconnaissance duty on Aug. 4 last year and their families, the Army said in a statement. "We expect provocations by the North will continue down the road. We will keep our soldiers fully prepared so they can firmly and immediately counter any North Korean provocation," Jang said during the event. The two soldiers injured in the land-mine blasts also attended the event along with their six other former team members. The two have been serving in the telecommunications and medical departments under the Ministry of National Defense after undergoing treatment. In the land-mine explosion that took place in the demilitarized zone, one soldier lost both legs and the other lost one. The ensuing inter-Korean military showdown caused Seoul to restart its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts against the North, which were only discontinued after the communist country expressed "regret" over the mine explosion on Aug. 25. Sergeant First Class Jeong Kyo-seong, who led the reconnaissance team on the day of the attack, still serves in reconnaissance operations. Jeong has renewed his vow to strongly retaliate if North Korea engages in another provocation. "Through extremely hard, repetitive exercises, we have beefed up our readiness and capability to react more effectively to all types of enemy attacks (in the DMZ)," the 29-year-old noncommissioned officer said. Park Joon-ho, now discharged from the Army, said he is ready to return if a national security crisis comes up. "I hope the land-mine attacks will serve as a wake-up call to South Korean people" as the North may resume its provocation at anytime, he said. On Wednesday, a day before the one-year anniversary of the attack, the Army unveiled a tactical drill conducted by one of its reconnaissance teams near the inter-Korean border amid continued cross-border provocations that included the North's test-firing of two mid-range Rodong ballistic missiles earlier in the day. (Yonhap) complete pokedex Pokemon Go It's official: Less than a week after leaving on a global Pokemon Go adventure to complete his collection, Brooklyn-based Nick Johnson has caught all of the 145 Pokemon that are currently available very likely making him the world's first Pokemon Go master. According to the original video games that Pokemon Go is based on, there are 151 total monsters. We know that there are 142 you can catch in the US, six rare Pokemon that are currently unaccounted for, plus three more exclusive to certain international regions. In late July, Johnson became the first in America to capture all 142 Pokemon available in the USA. And so, with accommodations covered by Marriott Rewards and travel paid for by Expedia, Johnson set off last week to find those three international Pokemon and complete the set. It took some doing, and at least one flat-out sprint through Sydney, but Johnson caught 'em all. And he found that he had become something of a celebrity along the way. And now that it's done, Johnson says he feels "like the very best, like no one ever was." Pokemon journey First, Johnson went to Paris, France, to catch Europe's exclusive Mr. Mime, where they were greeted at their hotel by an employee in a Pikachu snuggie. Mr. Mime was a difficult capture, Johnson says, largely because the same day that he left, Pokemon Go developer Niantic totally changed where Pokemon appeared meaning all the intelligence he gathered from Reddit and Facebook ahead of his arrival was worthless. With only a limited timeframe in which to capture Mr. Mime before he had to move on, things got a little tight. Eventually, and luckily, he found it in a small park on the south side of the city with enough time to spare for a little R&R in Paris. pikachu snuggie nick johnson Pokemon Go Then, it was off to Hong Kong with his arrival delayed for a full day by a monsoon blowing into the region. Story continues In Hong Kong, Johnson says, he was surrounded by fans and media while he searched for Asia's Farfetch'd. Eventually, to keep to the tight travel schedule, his trip sponsors at Expedia drove him around for half an hour until they encountered the monster he needed. After that, it was onwards to Sydney, where Johnson just caught Australia's Kangaskhan marking the completion of his Pokedex, with 145 monsters caught. Regional Pokemon GO map He says that finding Kangaskhan was a huge pain: He was hanging out around Sydney's Hyde Park for five hours, just waiting, when one of his fans sent a Snapchat message informing him that one had spawned nearby. He got into an Uber, but found that the road was blocked due to construction. "So I got out and flat out sprinted for about 5 blocks," Johnson says, and ended up capturing it in front of a Tommy Bahama store. What's next Next, Johnson is off to Tokyo, where he'll do media interviews, catch up with fellow Pokemon fans, and try to visit Nintendo headquarters (they haven't yet gotten back to his tweet requesting a meeting). Meanwhile, Pokemon Go developer Niantic is hinting that those few missing monsters might be coming soon. In fact, thanks to a glitch, some people got ahold of legendary Pokemon ahead of schedule. nick johnson hong kong Pokemon Go And Johnson's journey has inspired at least one would-be rival a Wall Street finance worker who gave up after a disastrous encounter with a car in Sydney. If you want to keep up with Johnson and his global Pokemon adventure, he's chronicling the whole thing on Snapchat: nick johnson snapchat NOW WATCH: How different camera lenses affect how you appear in photos More From Business Insider By Steve Holland and Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON/PORTLAND, Me. (Reuters) - Supporters of Republican Donald Trump urged him to get back on message on Thursday after a week of dropping opinion poll numbers and a war of words with ranking Republicans over his U.S. presidential campaign. In response to the criticism, Trump pledged to focus more on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who emerged from last week's Democratic National Convention with a lead in the polls and who has been consistently attacking him as temperamentally unfit for the presidency. At a rally in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, Trump kept his attention on trying to undermine Clinton's candidacy. He said the fact that she has moved past a scandal over her use of a private email server as President Barack Obama's secretary of state was "probably the greatest accomplishment that she has ever had in politics." Since formally accepting the Republican nomination two weeks ago, Trump has exasperated many supporters by getting bogged down in a public spat with the parents of an American soldier killed in Iraq and some fellow Republicans. Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross said he still backed Trump, but urged him to stop engaging in exchanges that benefit the Democrats and make the real estate mogul's behavior the issue in the campaign. "This election is Donald's to lose and so far the Democrats have been clever about baiting him and he generally has bitten," Ross said in an email to Reuters late on Wednesday. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, who has endorsed Trump but has not received a reciprocal endorsement from the New York businessman in his re-election bid, told WTAQ radio host Jerry Bader in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that Trump has "had a pretty strange run since the convention." "You would think we ought to be focusing on Hillary Clinton, on all of her deficiencies. She is such a weak candidate that one would think we'd be on offense against Hillary Clinton, and it is distressing that that's not what we're talking about these days," he said. Story continues Michael Caputo, a former Trump adviser who still supports him, said Trump still has time to right the ship. "Staying on message is absolutely key," Caputo told Reuters. "After 30 years of speaking his mind, Mr. Trump has to understand that the general election for president of the United States is all about staying on message." Actor and director Clint Eastwood, a prominent celebrity supporter of the Republican Party who appeared at its 2012 U.S. presidential nominating convention, offered an alternative view, saying Trump says some "dumb things" but that Americans should get over it. "He's onto something because secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up," the acclaimed actor and director told Esquire magazine. "That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now." At the same time, Trump's lukewarm support for the NATO alliance drew criticism from 37 national security experts from both Democratic and Republican administrations. "We find Trumps comments to be reckless, dangerous, and extremely unwise," they wrote in a statement. Obama, at a Pentagon news conference, dismissed Trump's statements that the election could be "rigged" against him. "Of course, the elections will not be rigged," he said. Trump's rough patch has contributed to a dip in support in some battleground states. A WBUR/MassINC poll in New Hampshire showed Clinton leading Trump, 47 percent to 32 percent. Other polls showed Trump down 11 percentage points to Clinton in Pennsylvania and 6 percentage points in Florida, two states that are important to his chances of winning the election. Trump's troubles are emboldening Democrats to think big. Speaking with reporters after a Clinton campaign event in Las Vegas, U.S. Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, said he believed traditionally Republican-leaning states such as Arizona and Georgia are going to be competitive this election, and he expects Clinton to campaign there. In Portland, some people at Trump's rally said the candidate should stop getting distracted. "I don't like how he gets off track," said Bill Devine, 65, of Bath, Maine. "He needs to stay focused on his campaign." Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort told CBS's "This Morning" that the campaign is comfortable where it stands now and said the news media have built a false narrative in which Democrats are controlling the race to the Nov. 8 election. Manafort said that Trumps dropping poll numbers were expected and that he expected the numbers to even out soon. The framework of this election favors Donald Trump. If we run the campaign that we plan on running, we think were going to win," he said. Concern about Trump has spilled into at least one congressional race. U.S. Representative Mike Coffman, a Colorado Republican, has released a campaign ad in his own re-election bid promising to stand up to Trump if Trump is elected. People ask me, What do you think about Trump? Honestly, I dont care for him much. And I certainly dont trust Hillary," Coffman said in the ad. U.S. Representative Charlie Dent, a Pennsylvania Republican, told MSNBC he could not endorse Trump because of "all these unforced errors" that Trump was making. "It just seems that he's, at times, hell-bent on losing a very winnable election to a very seriously flawed candidate: Hillary Clinton," Dent said. (Additional reporting by Jennifer Ablan in New York, James Oliphant in Las Vegas and Doina Chiacu and Susan Cornwell in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham and Jonathan Oatis) The Hague (AFP) - Special forces will be deployed in Amsterdam on Saturday when hundreds of thousands are expected to flock to the annual Gay Pride parade along its famous canals, police said. The colourful climax of two weeks of celebrations in the Dutch capital comes amid heightened security in The Netherlands, and follows a series of attacks in European cities in recent months. Some 80 decorated boats are expected to float along Amsterdam's historic and picturesque canals watched by packed crowds from the banks. This year the city is also hosting the EuroPride event and authorities warned there "will be substantially more police present than last year" during the regular annual Gay Pride celebrations. No specific threat has been made against the city or the gay pride celebrations, authorities said, adding the first 10 days marked by over 300 events had gone well. But in "the interests of safety, several measures will be taken over the weekend," Amsterdam city hall said in a statement Wednesday. "There will be more a visible police presence in the city, with the deployment of special units." Special traffic measures have also been put in place to ensure the centre's crowded, and narrow streets are kept "easily accessible for emergency services." Mayor Eberhard van der Laan welcomed the parade as "an important event for Amsterdam, because we are celebrating that we have the freedom to be who we want to be." He added in a statement that "a lot of hard work had gone into making it a big, cosy and safe festival." The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage and the Gay Pride event has become an annual fixture in the free-wheeling city. Following the Orlando mass shooting in June when 49 people were killed in a gun attack on the Pulse gay nightclub, hundreds of mourners held vigils in Amsterdam. Security at Schiphol airport, just outside the city, was tightened last Saturday following an unspecified threat and remains in place. Police are carrying out thorough checks of all vehicles entering the complex. Reports of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.K. surged by 11% in the first six months of 2016 compared with the same period a year before, according to new figures. The nationwide total of 557 reported incidents was collected by British charity the Community Security Trust (CST), which has monitored anti-Jewish behavior since 1984. Its the second highest total ever recorded by the charity between January and June. The previous record for the first half of the year was 629 reports of anti-Semitic incidents in 2009 following a conflict with Israel and Gaza, says the charity, which also provides security for the Jewish community. In a statement, Home Secretary Amber Rudd condemned the deplorable spike in antisemitic hate incidents. [I] will continue to work with law enforcement partners and with the Jewish community to ensure their safety and security she said. The biggest spike in reports of hate incidents came over three months from April (99) through May (125) to June (122). In their report the charity said those months were a period that did see sustained public debate about antisemitism, particularly in relation to the Labour Party. In April, Britains main opposition party was accused of a culture of anti-Semitism when Labour lawmaker Naz Shah was shown to have posted an anti-Semitic meme on social media, and former London Mayor Ken Livingstone claimed Adolf Hitler supported Zionism. Both were suspended, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn launched an anti-Semitism and racism inquiry, which found that despite the occasionally toxic atmosphere the party was not overrun by anti-Semitism. The most common type of incident involved verbal abuse directed at Jewish people in public. Social media has also turned into an essential tool for coordinated campaigns of antisemitic harassment, says CST who recorded 133 incidents of antisemitic harassment, abuse and threats directed at Jewish politicians, student activists and other individuals, often using content generated centrally on neo-Nazi websites on social media platforms. Earlier this summer, the Pew Research Center released a report with plenty of bad news for Europe's minorities. In five European countries -- Hungary, Italy, Poland, Greece and Spain -- 50 percent or more of people surveyed expressed negative opinions of Muslims. The Roma had it even worse. Among 10 countries surveyed, a median of 48 percent of people held unfavorable views of the group. The report, however, showed people's perceptions of Jews were overall more positive. "Negative attitudes toward Jews are much less common," the poll found. A median of only 16 percent of Europeans surveyed reported unfavorable views of Jews in their countries. The picture of anti-Semitism in Europe is a complicated one, and experts say the continent is still plagued by negative perceptions of Jews. But according to Pew, anti-Jewish sentiment is actually on the wane or stable in four out of seven European countries with historical data. In Germany, perception changed in a positive direction. In spring 1991, less than two years after the Berlin Wall came down, 53 percent of Germans had favorable views of Jews. In spring 2016, that had jumped to 88 percent. Jay Geller, a professor of history and Judaic Studies at Case Western Reserve University, says that's not surprising. "Germany, particularly Western Germany, has had nearly seven decades to consider the role of anti-Semitism in the fomenting of the Holocaust and to work to educate the populace about the dangers of antisemitism and ethnic discrimination," he says. The fact that Germany has a diverse society and a growing Jewish population might also be contributing to evolving attitudes, says Ken Jacobson, deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League. Germany has at least 250,000 Jews living within its borders, but Jacobson estimates that number could be closer to 500,000. In recent years, many young Israelis have actually moved to Berlin seeking better economic opportunities. Story continues "[Jews] have become a fairly normal part of German life, which is quite ironic," Jacobson says. And that familiarity, he says, breeds more tolerance and understanding. The United Kingdom and Italy also saw increases of positive views since 2009, with 85 percent and 62 percent of people voicing positive perceptions, respectively. Although a Pew researcher said the change in the United Kingdom was statistically negligible. In France, 85 percent of citizens held positive opinions of Jews in 2016, an increase from 72 percent in 1991, the last time the data was collected. By some measures, France has the largest Jewish population in Europe. Geller, with Case Western Reserve University, says the evolving sentiment in France and elsewhere may be tied to recent attacks on European Jews. In France, Jews have been the targets of knife attacks. In 2015, four hostages were killed when a terrorist seized a Jewish grocery in Paris. [READ: Terror attacks test French resolve] "I do think that vile attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe, particularly Western Europe, have effected people's attitude towards Jewish citizens in their own countries," he says. "It's made many Europeans more aware of threats that European Jews face and has made them more sympathetic to the plight of their Jewish fellow citizens." But there's also a troubling side to the poll. In Hungary, perceptions of Jews have become less positive since 1991, with 32 percent of people harboring negative views today -- a trend Jacobson says isn't being helped by current politics. "In Hungary you have a government that has some support of groups further to the right who are anti-Semitic," he says. "The atmosphere there has not been a very good one." Fewer people in Spain -- 66 percent versus 72 percent in 2014 -- had positive views of Jews, though Pew says the decline is statistically insignificant. In Greece, 55 percent of citizens have negative views of Jews, up from 47 percent in 2014. The Anti-Defamation League, which does its own survey of perceptions of Jews, named Greece the most anti-Semitic country in Europe in 2015. The country's politics seem to reflect it's changing attitudes. In 2012, the neofascist party Golden Dawn grabbed international headlines when it entered the Greek Parliament for the first time. "Conspiracy theories seem to gain a lot of traction in Greece and they seem to have gained more traction since the collapse of the Greek economy," Geller says. While Jacobson is happy to see perceptions of Jews improve in certain countries, he remains concerned that some trends could easily reverse. "Far-right groups who have a long history of anti-Semitism, most of their focus these days are on Muslims," he says. "There is almost a different scapegoat. In many cases, Jews are not necessarily the targets, but does that bode well for Jews? It doesn't take much for them to move from Muslims to Jews." Devon Haynie is news editor, international for U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dhaynie@usnews.com. Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP/Getty Below is an excerpt from Rock Bottom: A Brief History of the 2016 Presidential Campaign, published by Yahoo University Press in 2022. The storm over Trumps comments about the Khan family raged on in the weeks after the Democratic convention. President Obama himself rebuked Republican leaders who sought to distance themselves from Trumps rhetoric while continuing to support his candidacy. There has to be a point at which you say, This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party, Obama said. The fact that that has not yet happened makes some of these denunciations ring hollow. But despite isolated defections, the presidents words seemed only to harden the resolve of most Republican leaders. They stood by Trump through mounting controversies in the months that followed, even as it became clear that the party was headed for its worst electoral defeat in generations. Included here are transcripts of some of Trumps more incendiary comments during that fall campaign, along with the responses from some Republican leaders at the time. ***** Sure, I got deferments. But excuse me, Chuck, let me finish. Would you really want a president who was dumb enough to let himself get drafted? I mean, it wasnt hard to get out of it, believe me. My doctor said I had a bump on my heel or something, I dont know. I dont even think he was a doctor, frankly. The government is just very, very stupid, OK? Which is why only I can fix it. Meet the Press, Aug. 28 House Speaker Paul Ryan: Let me just be very clear about one thing, which is that we dont think its dumb to wear the uniform of the United States armed forces. But the real issue here is that no one wants to be in a situation where we have to have a draft, period, and we believe thats much more likely to happen if Hillary Clinton is elected president. Also, we urge all Americans to have their feet checked regularly by an actual doctor. Story continues ***** I know religion better than the pope, believe me! And Romans wouldnt have crucified anybody on my watch! Weak! Sad! Twitter war with Pope Francis, Sept. 5 Former Gov. Mike Huckabee: Of course Donald didnt mean the Savior was weak. His choice of words was unfortunate. I think the point Donald was trying to make is that religion has been under attack from liberal, activist judges from the beginning of time, really. You can draw a direct line from Pontius Pilate to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I believe Donald will protect our religious liberties, which is why I support him. ***** Look, all Im saying, Anderson, is that this hajj, this pilgrimage, is happening right now, and we have not seen the president in public for a couple of days. Do I think Barack Obama is in Mecca running around in circles and planning a terrorist attack right now? Im not saying I know that for a fact. But we have satellites. Its something we should look at. CNN interview with Anderson Cooper, Sept. 9 Sen. Marco Rubio: Every election is a choice, OK? Would I choose Donald Trump over myself? No, I obviously would not. Would I choose Trump over, say, John Hinckley? Yes, I would. Would I choose Trump in a three-way race with John Hinckley and Charles Manson? Thats a tougher one. Maybe I go with Manson. It depends on what the parole board says. But anyway, this election is a choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton, and I firmly believe endorsing Trump is critical to my future. So fine, if he insists Obama is a Muslim, lets just go with that. ***** You want to see a wall that kept a lot of people safe? Go to Berlin! You see all the Muslims streaming in now? You think Putin doesnt regret tearing down the wall? What kind of idiot gave the Russians that advice? I have German friends calling me up and begging me, Donald, Donald, please, when you get done with your wall, come over here and rebuild ours! Its sad, frankly. Speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Sept. 30 Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus: Whos to say that if Ronald Reagan were alive today, he wouldnt be the first one to demand the Russians rebuild that wall? I cant know that. You cant know that. The only person who would really know is Reagan, and hes dead. So Donald Trump is the closest thing to Reagan that we have, really, and I continue to believe that he is our partys nominee. ***** No, I did not call you the devil. What I said excuse me, let me finish, Hillary what I said is that Bernie made a deal with the devil, which in this case was you. Frankly, you cant be the devil, because the devil is great, OK? The devil is in charge of all the suffering in hell, and thats a position of serious leadership. That takes a winner. You might be some kind of minor demon or something. Second presidential debate, Oct. 9 House Speaker Paul Ryan: Yeah, I saw it. No, the devil is not great. The devil is not a winner. What do you want me to say? I marched out there and I endorsed him, OK? Theres no backsies. I put the sticker on my car already. Its not one of those magnet deals. Its really on there. Id have to repaint the entire bumper. This thing is happening, OK? ***** Happy holidays to my Jewish friends! If only the Book of Life sold as many copies as Art of the Deal! No. 1 bestseller! Keep trying! Yom Kippur tweet, Oct. 11 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: Naturally I reject any comparison of Mr. Trumps work with Gods own. I do appreciate that he doesnt always bow to this rampant political correctness, but I also think there has to be a line, although I defend his right to say those things. So as Ive said all along, I respect, renounce, support and disagree with Mr. Trump. Thats as clear as I can be. ***** Frankly, I never wanted the job anyway. Why would I say all this stuff if I wanted to be president? Cmon! This was so great for my family, its just amazing. Tiffanys getting her own show. Barrons YouTube channel is through the roof! Hes caught so many Pokemons traveling around, you wouldnt believe. Just an amazing experience. Election eve news conference, Nov. 7 House Speaker Paul Ryan: Oh, for the love of Christ! Seriously? This is why I spent the last six months not talking about poverty and tax reform? And the sticker is on there, man! I tried Goo Gone, the Magic Eraser, all of it! So yeah, Im not happy. And yeah, I endorse him. What choice do you think I have now? TMZ didn't defame Sara Evans' ex-husband by saying the music star found photos of him having sex with other people on his phone, according to a decision from the California appellate court filed Tuesday. Craig Schelske sued TMZ in 2014 and the gossip site moved for dismissal under California's anti-SLAPP statute, which brings an early end to lawsuits arising from protected activities such as the freedom of speech. The trial court in 2015 granted TMZ's dismissal, and on Tuesday the appellate court affirmed it. The comments at issue stem from the couple's 2006 divorce. Those filings alleged Schelske "engaged in 'copious use of porn, rampant adultery and verbal abuse'" and Evans accused him of "storing on his cell phone 'at least 100 photographs of [himself] posing with his erect penis' and 'several photographs showing [him] having sex with other women.'" Schelske sued his ex-wife's attorney for slander and later settled. In the following years, Schelske spoke publicly about their split with a movie producer, on a father's rights panel and in an interview with Anderson Cooper. It was a 2014 TMZ on TV segment that sparked his defamation andlight lawsuit. TMZ published a story online about Schelske filing bankruptcy and the same day he was mentioned on the show. A correspondent said that Evans divorced him "after finding 'a hundred photographs of himself having sex with other people' on his phone." In the opposition to TMZ's anti-SLAPP motion, Schelske's attorneys argued his divorce wasn't a matter of public controversy and he isn't a public figure. The trial court disagreed, granting the motion. According to its unpublished opinion, the appellate panel found that Schelske is a limited-purpose public figure because he "repeatedly injected himself into the public eye on issues related to his divorce" and that TMZ did not make the statements at issue with malice because they captured the "gist" of the allegations in Evans' divorce complaint. By Deborah M. Todd SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Wednesday reported improvements in gender and ethnic diversity in June as the U.S. technology company stayed ahead of fellow Silicon Valley powerhouses Google and Facebook Inc in hiring minorities. Apple also said in its annual diversity and inclusion report that it had closed pay gaps over the last year by analysing salaries, bonuses and annual stock grants. It had also opened up its annual stock grants programme to retail employees for the first time. As of June, Apple's overall U.S. workforce was 56 percent white (up 2 percent from a year ago), 19 percent Asian (down 1 percent) 12 percent Hispanic (up 1 percent), and 9 percent black (up 1 percent). Apple's workforce includes a pool of retail employees that Google and Facebook do not have. In Apple stores, blacks and Hispanics respectively comprised 12 percent and 17 percent of general employees, and 5 percent and 10 percent of the leadership. At Alphabet Inc's Google unit, blacks and Hispanics respectively made up 2 and 3 percent of the overall workforce and 1 and 3 percent of its tech employees, little changed from last year. At Facebook, blacks and Hispanics were respectively 2 and 4 percent of the workforce and 1 and 3 percent of tech employees. Apple's global workforce was 32 percent women, up 1 percent from the end of June 2015. Women held 23 percent of technical positions, up 1 percent from a year ago, and 28 percent of leadership positions, unchanged from June last year. Reverend Jesse Jackson, who confronted Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook in 2014 about the company's lack of diversity and unfair compensation, applauded its efforts to connect with engineers of colour through partnerships with historically black colleges and universities and scholarship organizations. "They are clearly setting the pace, making measurable progress for three consecutive years. They've acted with intention, not just aspiration," Jackson said in a statement. Amazon Inc, which employs a large number of workers at distribution centres, reported late last year that its ethnic diversity exceeded the U.S. average, with a global workforce that was 21 percent black, 13 percent Hispanic, 11 percent Asian and 5 percent other ethnicities. In management positions at Amazon, however, representation dropped to 4 percent for blacks and Hispanics, 3 percent for other races, and climbed to 20 percent for Asians. (Reporting by Deborah M. Todd; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Richard Chang) Riyadh (AFP) - The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen acknowledged Thursday "shortcomings" in two out of eight cases it has investigated of UN-condemned air strikes on civilian targets in the country. A 14-member investigative team -- made up of coalition states Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Yemen -- probed claims of attacks on a residential area, hospitals, markets, a wedding and World Food Programme aid trucks. "We found shortcomings in two cases while the rest were in line with international humanitarian law," the team's Bahraini spokesman, Mansur al-Mansur, told a briefing in Riyadh. They found that the coalition, which launched an air war on Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen in March 2015, guilty of "mistakenly" hitting a residential compound in the Red Sea port city of Mokha after it had received "imprecise intelligence information". Human Rights Watch condemned as an "apparent war crime" the raid which it said killed at least 65 civilians in July last year. The investigative team is calling on families of victims to apply for compensation by contacting Yemen's Saudi-backed government, Mansur said. The team also held the coalition responsible for air strikes on Haydan hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the northern rebel stronghold of Saada. The rebels were using the hospital as a hideout, which is "a breach of international humanitarian law", said Mansur. However, the coalition should have warned MSF officials before targeting the building, he said. No deaths had been reported in these strikes. The team cleared the coalition of wrongdoing in the remaining six cases, including raids last year on a delivery by WFP trucks that had not coordinated with the coalition. The trucks were also not marked to show that they belonged to an international aid organisation, according to Mansur. The 16-month-old war in Yemen has killed some 6,400 people and exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, the United Nations says. Story continues Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to a decision in June to blacklist the coalition after a UN report found the coalition responsible for 60 percent of the 785 deaths of children in Yemen last year. UN chief Ban Ki-moon accused Saudi Arabia of threatening to cut off funding to UN aid programmes over the blacklist, a charge denied by Riyadh. - Ban: 'Strong concerns' remain - Late last month, the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah al-Mouallimi, outlined a series of measures the coalition is taking to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen, in a letter to Ban. The coalition is in "direct dialogue" with humanitarian organisations, including MSF, to guarantee protection of medical facilities, the letter said. Mouallimi also provided Ban with details of steps taken to designate targets and ensure they have "identifiable military" aims. On Tuesday, Ban reported to the UN Security Council on his controversial decision to temporarily remove the coalition from the UN list of shame, a move that sparked an outcry from human rights groups. "I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children," Ban said. Ban said he had received information on the steps taken by the coalition but that these fell short and "the content of the (UN) report (on childrens deaths) stands". Buenos Aires (AFP) - A federal court in Argentina blocked the government's move to slash electricity subsidies, an unpopular policy that has sent customers' bills soaring. Judge Martina Forns on Wednesday suspended President Mauricio Macri's much-hated rate increases indefinitely, in a nationwide ruling. It is just the latest legal setback for Macri's move to eliminate subsidies for electricity, gas and water implemented under his predecessor, Cristina Kirchner. A flurry of court challenges had already forced the government to cap the rate increases for gas at 400 percent for homes and 500 percent for businesses. The cases were filed after Argentines' utility bills initially shot up an average of 700 percent. The Macri administration has appealed that ruling. It can also appeal Wednesday's decision. The conservative president took office in December vowing to kick-start Argentina's stalled economy with free-market reforms after 12 years of leftist rule. Argentina's economy -- the third-largest in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico -- is facing a contraction of 1.5 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund forecasts. Macri, who has devalued the currency and slashed export taxes, insists his reforms are necessary medicine to restore growth. (Reuters) - Kusal Mendis excelled under pressure again, hitting a sparkling 86 and featuring in two important partnerships to help Sri Lanka overcome a shaky start and post 281 all out on the opening day of the second test against Australia on Thursday. The hosts returned to reduce Australia to 54 for two, with Dilruwan Perera dismissing David Warner (42) with the final delivery of the day. Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 11 with Australia trailing by 227 runs. Paceman Vishwa Fernando made a memorable test debut for Sri Lanka, opening the attack and dismissing Joe Burns for nought with his second delivery. It was, however, Mendis who hauled the hosts back into the contest after Mitchell Starc's two-wicket burst left them reeling at nine for two inside five overs. The 21-year-old right-hander added 108 runs with Kusal Perera (49) and 67 with captain Angelo Mathews (54) to steady the innings. Mendis pulled off a similar rescue act in the first test at Pallekele where Sri Lanka were six for two in their second innings before his career-best 176 helped secure the hosts' 106-run victory against the world's top-ranked test team. Left-arm paceman Starc (5-44) gave Australia a dream start by dismissing Dimuth Karunaratne for a golden duck after Mathews had won the toss and opted to bat on Galle's spin-friendly track. Kaushal Silva (five) also fell to an innocuous Starc delivery but Mendis and Perera staged a brilliant recovery, finding boundaries regularly during their century stand. Spinner Nathan Lyon denied Perera his half-century but runs kept flowing with Mathews dictating terms with clean hitting and decisive footwork against the spinners. The Sri Lanka captain also unfurled the reverse sweep against Lyon to collect a couple of boundaries. Starc dismissed Mendis to claim his 100th test wicket, ending the right-hander's 137-ball knock which included 10 fours and two sixes. Left-arm spinner Jon Holland impressed with his flight and loop on his debut test but had to wait for his first wicket until the final session when he trapped Dhananjaya de Silva (37) lbw with a full toss. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Ed Osmond) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f166463%2f87a3a1d5dde9435e89b31a255d51545f There are drug dealers who don't seem to bother with the darknet, these days. Instead they're trying to sell their wares on social media. Yep, traceable and far-from-anonymous platforms have become a marketplace for dealers in Australia, and police say they're hot on their tail. SEE ALSO: Cops arrest man after confusing doughnut glaze for crystal meth Four men have been arrested for trafficking controlled drugs by South Australian police, following an operation targeting drug dealing on social platforms. Police allege the four men were working independently of each other. "Those drug dealing in this way should take this as a very clear warning," Detective Chief Inspector Tony Crameri, from the Drug and Organised Crime Task Force said in a statement online. "It makes no difference to police if you are dealing drugs on a street corner, in a club or online. We will target those trafficking drugs to the people of South Australia. Police will continue to monitor internet sites used by people offering to sell illicit substances. And we will target these people no matter how small the amount." A 23-year-old man from the suburb of Angle Vale was arrested for trafficking controlled drugs, as well as a 30-year-old man from Adelaide and a 25-year-old man from Greenwith. A 32-year-old man from Aldgate was also charged with trafficking, but faces additional charges of cultivation of a controlled plant, possessing prescribed equipment and possessing a controlled drug for sale. Of course, drug dealing on social media is nothing new. Early last year, Facebook closed a secret group called "Adelaide Street Pharmacists" dedicated to trading drugs, after local newspaper The Advertiser alerted the company of the group's existence. In July last year, Canterbury Police in New Zealand sent letters to people who were part of a Facebook group it suspected to be actively involved illegal drug deals. Police sternly asked recipients to immediately review their involvement in the group. You should know this already, but Facebook isn't as "private" or "secret" as some people would like it to be. [h/t VICE] Vienna (AFP) - Austria's government said Thursday that Turkey is unfit to join the European Union in the wake of the recent post-coup crackdown, calling for the bloc to discuss ending membership talks. Turkey's longstanding, and recently revived, bid to join the EU has already been hit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's suggestion that he may reintroduce the death penalty after the July 15 attempted putsch. "We have to face reality: the membership negotiations are currently no more than fiction," Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern told the Die Presse newspaper in comments published Thursday. "We know that Turkey's democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession." Asked by public broadcaster ORF whether he wanted to halt the talks, Kern said he would initiate a debate on the matter at a summit of leaders on September 16. Austrian Defence Minister Hans-Peter Doskozil meanwhile compared Turkey to a "dictatorship", adding that "such a state has no place in the EU". "The time has come to... clearly say that the EU's negotiations with Turkey have to be suspended or ended," Doskozil told the Austria Press Agency in an interview published Thursday. - 'Disturbing' comments - The Austrian government said that apart from rights issues, Turkey's economy also remained far below the EU average and well short of membership requirements. Making Ankara a part of the EU's single market would spark "massive economic upheaval" in a bloc already struggling to cope with its enlargement toward eastern and central Europe, Kern warned. Instead, the EU should seek "new alternatives" to help bring Turkey's economy closer to European standards. "(The country) remains an important partner in security and integration matters," Kern said, highlighting NATO member Turkey's key role in the ongoing migrant crisis. In March, Turkey and the EU signed a controversial deal in which Ankara agreed to take back migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for political and financial incentives. Story continues In addition to visa-free travel, the pact includes billions of euros in aid and accelerated EU membership talks. Kern said he did not believe that a halt to accession talks would torpedo the refugee pact. "Economically, we have the upper hand. Turkey depends on us," he added. Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik called Kern's comments "extremely disturbing". "Criticism is a democratic right but there must be a distance between criticising Turkey and anti-Turkey attitude," he said. The European Commission, the bloc's executive body, refused to directly comment on the Austrian chancellor's remarks. However, Commission deputy spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said membership talks were measured against a series of requirements including "the respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms". "At the moment... the opening of further negotiation chapters is not under discussion (among leaders)," she said. Turkey's EU membership bid dates back to 1963, with its formal application made in 1987 and negotiations starting in 2005. Aziz Ansari is finding this year's election "riveting," he told Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday. He is particularly interested in the feuds the "orange-faced monster," Donald Trump, is involved in. Ansari brought up Trump's back-and-forth with the Khan family. "My God, they are destroying him," said Ansari. "The Khan family is the Drake to Donald Trump's Meek Mill." He recapped Khan offering up his own pocket Constitution to lend to Trump and Khan's rebuttal after Trump responded to him. That Time Jonah Hill Accidentally Sent His Food Diary to Drake "The guy's like, 'You have a black soul' - which is the coldest shit I've ever heard," said Ansari, referring to Khan's description of Trump. Ansari has been vocal about his criticism of Donald Trump, penning an essay for The New York Times about Trump's hateful rhetoric against Muslims. Ansari talked about how worried he is for his family of Muslim immigrants and the increased prejudice that comes with the speeches Trump makes. On a lighter note, Ansari and Fallon read each other embarrassing text exchanges between men and women trying to flirt. Hilarity ensued, especially in one conversation about a beautiful "angle." Ansari also shared a story about his almost-failed attempt to meet Joe Biden. Watch below. This article is originally published on The Hollywood Reporter. Aziz Ansari stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, and during his interview the subject of politics came up after Fallon brought up Azizs previous portrayal of former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who ran a brief bid for Republican nomination last year. He was trying to run for president and it didnt work out, and now the orange faced monster is running, he says, referencing Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump. Comparing the 2016 presidential elections to wrestling, Aziz says, Its a very riveting election, its like watching wrestling. He continues, Theres like, feuds and stuff Right now it [Trump] and the Khan family. My god they are destroying him, the Khan family is the Drake to Donald Trumps Meek Mill. For those unaware, Donald Trump has continued to be hostile to the parents of Muslim American soldier Humayun Khan, who was slain in Iraq. After criticizing Trump, Khans father was on the receiving end of Trumps hatred, with Trump saying that hed made a lot of sacrifices, too. Aziz Ansari said of the back and forth, The guy makes a speech like, Have you read the constitution? Let me give you a copy! And then Trumps like, Why doesnt your wife say anything? And the guy says, You have a black soul, which is the coldest shit Ive ever heard. I heard that was gonna be a line in Tupacs Hit Em Up and he was like, Nah its too mean we cant go there.' Watch the full interview above. More from Pigeons & Planes Aziz ansari Comedian Aziz Ansari put Donald Trump's controversial dispute with the parents of a Muslim US Army captain killed in Iraq into a rap-centric perspective on Wednesday's "Tonight Show." In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Ansari explained how the Khan family's various criticisms of Trump over the last few weeks have damaged Trump in a fashion similar to the way Drake took down rapper Meek Mill in a one-sided rap feud earlier this year. "I mean, it's crazy. The guy makes a speech like, 'Have you read the US Constitution? Let me give you a copy!'" Ansari said, recounting Khazir Khan's DNC speech. "And then Trump's like, 'Why doesn't your wife say anything?' And then the guy goes, 'You have a black soul,'" Ansari continued. "Which is the coldest s--- I've ever heard. I've never heard anyone say that. I heard that was gonna be a line in Tupac's 'Hit 'Em Up,' but he was like 'Nah, that's too mean. We can't go there.'" This is not the first time Ansari has spoken out against Trump's campaign. In June, the comedian wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled, "Aziz Ansari: Why Trump Makes Me Scared for My Family," wherein he described how "with the presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and others like him spewing hate speech, prejudice is reaching new levels. Its visceral, and scary, and it affects how people live, work, and pray." Watch the "Tonight Show" clip below. NOW WATCH: The directors of 'Catfish' and 'Nerve' reveal how to make it in Hollywood without going to film school More From Business Insider LONDON (Reuters) - London's Baltic Exchange said on Wednesday it will consult with major shareholders to seek their support for an offer by Singapore Exchange (SGX) (SGXL.SI) to acquire the business. "Subject to receiving sufficient support, and to it receiving the endorsement of the Baltic Exchange board, it is expected that a scheme of arrangement will then be circulated to shareholders and a general meeting will be announced, for shareholders to vote on an offer from SGX," the Baltic said in a statement. A Baltic spokesman said the meeting was unlikely to take place before September. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul, editing by Veronica Brown) By Paul Kilby NEW YORK, Aug 4 (IFR) - An upsized US$700m 10-year non-call five bond from Mexico's Bancomext proved to be a hit on Thursday as yield-hungry investors piled into the Basel III-compliant Tier 2 note. With order books swelling close to US$3.5bn by late morning, leads upped the size from US$500m and ratcheted in pricing 37bp before launching at a spread of 300bp over five-year Treasuries. "There hasn't been a ton of Mexican bank paper, so there is scarcity value, and it has a government guarantee," said a syndicate manager away from the deal. The state-owned entity's subordinated bond certainly meets the needs of investors looking to spruce up portfolios in a world of negative yields. "People need to find yield and they are happy to take on more complex structures from a high-quality credit rather than go down the credit-quality spectrum," Jason Trujillo, an analyst at Invesco, told IFR. For Bancomext, the deal helps diversify its funding base and hedges its capital ratio, which has mostly been denominated in pesos. That is important for a trade bank whose loan portfolio is largely US dollar-denominated, especially as the peso has sunk about 9% against the greenback this year. Basel III-compliant deals are already rare in Latin America, and the new offering lacks the write-down and write-off provisions typically found in such issues. Those features made little sense as Bancomext enjoys an explicit sovereign guarantee enshrined in domestic law. Because of that Fitch rated the deal just once notch below the bank's BBB+. It would normally push Basel III notes two notches down due to the more severe loss-absorption features. While that arguably justified tighter spread levels, investors said the borrower should pay for the call option in year five when the fixed-rate coupon starts to float. "It gives them some optionality and you want to get paid for that," said Trujillo. Price discovery was tricky, given the lack of comps, and market participants were largely looking at senior to subordinated spread differentials on Latin American bank bonds. Story continues That range has been anywhere between around 60bp and 140bp, and leads had been looking to the middle of that range. Peruvian government-owned development bank Cofide's curve is at the tight end of that range, while large private banks in Mexico such as BBVA Bancomer are closer to the higher end. At a final spread of 300bp, the deal comes some 120bp back of a theoretical senior five-year bond, which would likely price at around 183bp, Trujillo said. Bancomext's senior 4.375% 2025s have been trading at a yield of around 3.6% or at G-spreads of about 219bp. Joint bookrunners BBVA and Credit Suisse are expected to price the subordinated preferred capital notes later on Thursday. Ratings are Ba1/BBB by Moody's and Fitch. (Reporting by Paul Kilby; Editing by Marc Carnegie) In many ways, Barbara Davis has led a charmed life. Around the time she graduated college, the then-Barbara Levine married oil baron Marvin Davis. They settled in Denver, had five children, and lived in such wealth that they eventually became a model for the Carrington clan on the hit primetime soap opera Dynasty. After Marvin acquired 20th Century Fox in 1981, Barbara and her family became Hollywood royalty. Today, anyone whos anyone knows the chipper octogenarian philanthropist, whose Carousel of Hope has raised more than $100 million toward childrens diabetes research. But Barbara Davis extraordinary philanthropic efforts arose from a challenge inside her own family. Their youngest daughter, Dana, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7. At first, they didnt fully understand what she was going through. It was something that happened to other people, Davis recalls. But as soon as they got a clear picture of the diagnosis, her husband said one thing: Fix it. Michael [Buble] said it perfectly: This is bigger than the Oscars. You had Warren Beatty, Sofia Loren he was shocked that so many people were there to support Barbara. David Foster So there began a long-standing involvement with childhood-diabetes philanthropy and research. Davis founded the Childrens Diabetes Foundation in 1977. One day, Marvin said to me, How would you like to build a diabetes hospital so we can take care of Dana and all the children like her? And I said, Yes. I would love it. Davis says. The result was the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado Hospital, in Denver, which treats 7,000 patients. Davis remains charismatic, charming, and passionate as she talks about her daughters cause, and the illnesses her family has battled. A year after launching the foundation, she says, the Davises started the Carousel of Hope Ball at their Palm Springs home with some help from Frank Sinatra. Frank said to Dana one evening at dinner, Tell your mom to have a big party and Ill come and sing and your mom can raise money for her hospital. Story continues Even today, the Carousel of Hope attracts some of the biggest names in the industry. Past attendees include Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, and George Clooney. One Carousel Ball mainstay is former Tonight Show host Jay Leno an avid Barbara Davis fan. You could talk to her like a regular person. Even though her husband was this powerful guy, she never threw her weight around, says Leno. He describes her as a character whose naivete makes her relatable, likable, and funny. She would call up and say, Jay, do you know this group, the Bee Gees? Do you think they would do my dinner party? And I would say, Well, I dont know if they do dinner parties they play in stadiums. But when I went to Barbaras house, there they were, performing right in the dining room. Brillant Effort Barbara Davis support of the Childrens Diabetes Foundation is legendary $100m Amount raised by the Carousel of Hope Ball 35%+ Percentage of patients at Barbara Davis Center who are uninsured but receiving care thanks to CDF 6000 Patients cared for daily at the Barbara Davis Center Music director David Foster says the Davises changed his life, introducing him to Hollywoods biggest and brightest. Foster recalls taking a young Michael Buble to the Carousel Ball one year. Michael said it perfectly: This is bigger than the Oscars. You had Warren Beatty, Sofia Loren he was shocked that so many people were there to support Barbara, Foster says. As a fellow philanthropist, Jane Fonda, who is humbled to be honored at this years Carousel Ball, thought that Davis might discontinue her philanthropic work after Marvins death. I really shouldnt have doubted her, because I realize now what a formidable human being and fundraiser she is, Fonda says. Its very hard to be a fundraiser, an activist, and a celebrity the way she has remained, and still be a parent whose children love her. Its been 11 years since Marvin Davis died, and Barbara Davis still stands strong. But she admits he was a driving force. I guess it all started with Marvin, she says. He always cared about illness, sickness, and people in need. He was a wonderful husband, father and Im really glad I met him because he was my whole life. He was the greatest thing that ever happened. Related stories Russell Simmons Harnesses the Power of Celebrity to Effect Change HFPA Grants Write a Better Future for Students Russell Simmons and Rabbi Team to Reconcile Communities The Washington man whose spree of thefts without footwear captivated many earning him a large social media following and a movie deal, as well as the nickname "Barefoot Bandit" is set to be released from prison soon, PEOPLE confirms. A representative with the state's Department of Corrections tells PEOPLE Colton Harris-Moore will be released in late January. But his defense attorney, John Henry Browne, told the The Seattle Times on Wednesday he will be moved to a halfway house much sooner as early as this week. Browne told the paper he has hired Harris-Moore to do part-time work in his law firm, answering phones and completing other clerical tasks, which Browne confirmed to CNN. (Browne did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.) Harris-Moore was sentenced to prison in December 2011 after he pleaded guilty in state court to more than 30 felonies in a multi-state spree that began in 2008 and ended in 2010. (Harris-Moore also pleaded guilty to federal charges, and his prison sentences ran concurrently.) Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Many of his crimes were committed barefoot, earning Harris-Moore his nickname. Meanwhile, the Internet "made Harris-Moore a cult hero," according to the Seattle Times, and some hailed him as a Robin Hood figure. He would sometimes post messages directly to his Facebook followers, according to the paper. In a movie deal, Harris-Moore agreed that any profits would be given up, as required by his plea, according to CNN. (The studio in that deal, 20th Century Fox, paid more than $1 million owed by Harris-Moore in restitution, according to the Times.) Speaking to the court in January 2012, Harris-Moore said his remorse was "heartfelt," according to the Times. (His defense team has highlighted his difficult childhood.) "He'll be looking for full-time work and will eventually be going to school," Browne told the Times. The Get Down, Netflix's 12-episode musical drama about the birth of hip-hop and disco in an embattled 1970s New York City, is a project that director and ersatz showrunner Baz Luhrmann ruminated on for a decade. "I remember being in Paris and seeing this picture by Jamel Shabazz," he says of the photographer who has documented youth culture in New York City since the 1970s. The Australia-born director was inspired by the urban devastation of that era - an apocalyptic mix of burned-out buildings, poverty and violence. "I wanted to explore how these kids living in the Bronx with such struggle managed to create this art form that changed culture around the world." Recent reports indicate that the production pace was as glacial as the project's gestation, resulting in overruns of $7.5 million an episode. "We are total TV rookies," concedes Catherine Martin, Luhrmann's wife and executive producer. "Working for the small screen was a real challenge. My husband kept saying he was so tired; I pointed out he was 650 times more productive in two years than he'd ever been." Lurhmann addressed reports of The Get Down being the costliest series in TV history with THR: "It wasn't cheap. But I don't think it's the most expensive show." "I wanted her to look like the most iconic image of an angel," says San Juan of the Halston-inspired dress she designed for Guardiola's character, Myleen. The task of transforming a now-slick Manhattan, and bringing the Bronx back to the burned-out shell it was 40 years ago, fell to Martin, production designer Karen Murphy and costume designer Jeriana San Juan. DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash (who is an executive producer) contributed oral histories for reference, while high school yearbooks and the private archives of hip-hop photographers such as Joe Conzo provided a visual blueprint. For authentic exterior shots, street artists including Lady Pink and Crash and Daze consulted, with Martin translating their aesthetic: "We shot in St. Mary's Park [in the Bronx] and painted all the rocks with a special solution that would allow us to wash off the graffiti when shooting was done," says Martin, who also covered walls at the Bronx's Andrew Freedman Home library in paper, which was painted on to show decay. "Mainly, we removed tons of window air-conditioner units" in postproduction. Read more: What It Looks Like When Baz Luhrmann Helps Design a Miami Hotel Costume designer San Juan cast her net on NYC prop houses, vintage stores and beyond for era-appropriate unused inventory: "The Japanese are mad collectors of denim that is the bread and butter for clothes from this time," she says, adding, "It was important to be accurate, because people like Grandmaster Flash would be on set seeing themselves portrayed." For the disco clothing, San Juan was given access to the archives of Halston and Diane von Furstenberg: "The character of Myleen [played by Herizen F. Guardiola] wears a white, frothy dress in a nightclub scene. When we shot it, there were people behind the monitors with tears in their eyes." Other favorite looks are the denim suit with rainbow leather trim she created for lead character Ezekiel (Justice Smith) and brocade suits for nightclub king Cadillac (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). The Brooklyn lot before the shoot. (Photo by Jeremy Zalben) A costume sketch of Dizzee. Rapper Nas came on as an executive producer to lend original music to the series. "Nas was an invaluable partner as well as Grandmaster Flash, who was such a team leader for the young cast. With everything going on, I really viewed my role as a curator," says Luhrmann. "Actually, Grandmaster Flash called me a DJ because it was about mixing all these different components together." Talk about mad props. This story first appeared in the Aug. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Read more: 'Ben-Hur' Director on How His Remake Differs From Charlton Heston's Film and How He Found His Judah The Get Down, Netflix's 12-episode musical drama about the birth of hip-hop and disco in an embattled 1970s New York City, is a project that director and ersatz showrunner Baz Luhrmann ruminated on for a decade. "I remember being in Paris and seeing this picture by Jamel Shabazz," he says of the photographer who has documented youth culture in New York City since the 1970s. The Australia-born director was inspired by the urban devastation of that era -- an apocalyptic mix of burned-out buildings, poverty and violence. "I wanted to explore how these kids living in the Bronx with such struggle managed to create this art form that changed culture around the world." Watch the First Trailer for Netflix Hip-Hop Drama 'The Get Down' Recent reports indicate that the production pace was as glacial as the project's gestation, resulting in overruns of $7.5 million an episode. "We are total TV rookies," concedes Catherine Martin, Luhrmann's wife and executive producer. "Working for the small screen was a real challenge. My husband kept saying he was so tired; I pointed out he was 650 times more productive in two years than he'd ever been." Lurhmann addressed reports of The Get Down being the costliest series in TV history with THR: "It wasn't cheap. But I don't think it's the most expensive show." The task of transforming a now-slick Manhattan, and bringing the Bronx back to the burned-out shell it was 40 years ago, fell to Martin, production designer Karen Murphy and costume designer Jeriana San Juan. DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash (who is an executive producer) contributed oral histories for reference, while high school yearbooks and the private archives of hip-hop photographers such as Joe Conzo provided a visual blueprint. For authentic exterior shots, street artists including Lady Pink and Crash and Daze consulted, with Martin translating their aesthetic: "We shot in St. Mary's Park [in the Bronx] and painted all the rocks with a special solution that would allow us to wash off the graffiti when shooting was done," says Martin, who also covered walls at the Bronx's Andrew Freedman Home library in paper, which was painted on to show decay. "Mainly, we removed tons of window air-conditioner units" in postproduction. Jaden Smith Joins Baz Luhrmann Hip-Hop Series 'The Get Down Costume designer San Juan cast her net on NYC prop houses, vintage stores and beyond for era-appropriate unused inventory: "The Japanese are mad collectors of denim that is the bread and butter for clothes from this time," she says, adding, "It was important to be accurate, because people like Grandmaster Flash would be on set seeing themselves portrayed." For the disco clothing, San Juan was given access to the archives of Halston and Diane von Furstenberg: "The character of Myleen [played by Herizen F. Guardiola] wears a white, frothy dress in a nightclub scene. When we shot it, there were people behind the monitors with tears in their eyes." Other favorite looks are the denim suit with rainbow leather trim she created for lead character Ezekiel (Justice Smith) and brocade suits for nightclub king Cadillac (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Rapper Nas came on as an executive producer to lend original music to the series. "Nas was an invaluable partner as well as Grandmaster Flash, who was such a team leader for the young cast. With everything going on, I really viewed my role as a curator," says Luhrmann. "Actually, Grandmaster Flash called me a DJ because it was about mixing all these different components together." Talk about mad props. This article was originally published on Pret-a-Reporter. From Country Living Life is far from just a bowl of cherries for one Michigan farmer. Marc Santucci, the owner of Santucci Farms in Traverse City, posted a photo of over 40,000 perfectly good tart cherries that he says he was forced to dump, due to a federal regulation. Along with the photo, Marc wrote: These cherries are beautiful! But, we have to dump 14% of our tart cherry crop on the ground to rot. Why? So we can allow the import of 200 million pounds of cherries from overseas! It just doesn't seem right. What do you think? Please share this on your Facebook page. Just to let everyone know we are not allowed to donate or in any way use diverted cherries. I have people who would buy them if I could sell them. Also these are tart cherries with a very short shelf life. The photo has been shared over 60,000 times, with many commenters outraged that good food had to go to waste. According to the Huffington Post, tart cherry crops can vary wildly depending on the year, so the U.S. Department of Agriculture puts a limit of the amount of cherries that can be sold domestically every year, to stay in line with demand. The goal? To keep prices stable for growers and processors. After Marc's post went viral, he wrote a follow-up post to clarify a few things. "These cherries are tart cherries and have a one or two-day shelf life so they have to be used or processed immediately," he wrote. "Second, the cherries that are diverted cannot be sold or given away. Third, the applicable law that controls this is the agricultural marketing agreement act of 1937 as amended-farmers and processors vote every five years as to whether this program should continue. It is not [a] one man one vote, but the more cherries you produce the more votes you get. The large farmers are also processors so they control the vote and it is in their interest to continue this program." However, the Huffington Post reports that while donating surplus crops is an option-the Michigan Agricultural Surplus System works with dozens of farms in the state-the process is tricky when it comes to tart cherries, because their short shelf life requires "both farmers and processors many working at capacity during the harvest to be on board and coordinate with the food bank program in a short time period." The upside is that Marc's post caught the attention of Kath Clark, food programs manager for the Food Bank Council of Michigan, who works with a grower that has donated 40,000 pounds of tart cherries so far this year. Now that Marc knows there's a processor who will accept donated cherries, he says he plans to do so the next time there is a surplus. But, still, he says that the bigger problem at hand is the rule restricting the amount of cherries that can be sold domestically. "We weren't trying to say we're poor and we're getting screwed," he told the Huffington Post. "We're trying to say the system just doesn't work." Read more at the Huffington Post. Justice League meets the Suicide Squad! Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Jason Momoa supported their fellow members of the DC multiverse at the European premiere of Suicide Squad in London, England, on Wednesday. EXCLUSIVE: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck Are 'Making It Work' One Year After Separation, But Still Not Divorced Affleck -- aka Batman, who makes a cameo in Suicide Squad -- looked especially dapper in a gray suit, white button-down, and polka dot tie. Getty Images Not only was he all smiles on the Leicester Square red carpet, the 43-year-old Oscar winner also signed autographs and took photos with fans. Getty Images The dad of three even made the day of one very special little girl who was dressed up like Harley Quinn, hoisting her up for photogs. Getty Images PHOTOS: Jared Leto's Crazy Coat, Margot Robbie's Unicorn Dress and More of the 'Suicide Squad' Cast's Wild Red Carpet Looks! Apparently Affleck really digs fans who cosplay as Harley! Affleck's Batman v Superman co-star, Cavill, looked just as handsome at the event. The 33-year-old actor sported a navy blue checkered suit, which he paired with a gold tie and dark brown dress shoes. Getty Images Momoa -- who played Aquaman in Batman v Superman and will also star as the superhero in 2017's Justice League and 2018's Aquaman opted for a more casual look: a black T-shirt and dark gray pants, styled with shoes oddly similar to Cavill's, plus a bronze chain hanging from his belt. Getty Images WATCH: Ben Affleck Dishes on His Career Rock Bottom, Rages Against 'DeflateGate' The 37-year-old actor actually looks like he could be vying for the part of Thor with those long blonde locks -- but that would be the wrong comic universe. The Justice Leaguers let the Suicide Squad cast take center stage, however, standing on either end of the group photo. Getty Images The appearance comes on the heels of the trio's showing in San Diego, California, last month, where they assembled for their first Justice League group gathering along with Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, and Ray Fisher. That event is also where Affleck confirmed that he will be directing the solo Batman flick. Story continues But don't worry -- the guys didn't take all the thunder away from the Suicide Squad cast, who made nearly as spectacular a splash in London as they did at the film's New York premiere on Monday. Jared Leto played up his role as the Joker in a long bright green coat, pastel pink pants, and the same smoking slippers he rocked with his lion coat in NYC. Getty Images EXCLUSIVE: Jared Leto Teases 'Incredible' Thirty Seconds to Mars Album Margot Robbie, who stars as Harley Quinn, took a cue from Leto's look earlier this week. She stunned in a white maxi dress that featured a roaring lion on her bust and embroidered flowers along the straps, waist and hemline. Getty Images Not to be outdone, Cara Delevingne channeled her character, Enchantress, once again. The British model-actress' goth queen ensemble was comprised of a leather jacket with half velvet, half sheer sleeves and a slew of pins, plus a completely sheer lace dress styled with matching black high-waisted underwear, thigh-high heeled Christian Louboutin boots, and two bracelet cuffs. Getty Images WATCH: Will Smith on 'Suicide Squad': 'It's a Movie About Bad vs Evil' It's been a busy week for not just the DC family but Affleck's brood as well. His estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, made her own fetching appearance on Monday at the premiere of her new film, Nine Lives, turning heads in a bold red fit-and-flare Alaia dress. Getty Images On the red carpet in Los Angeles, Garner spoke to ET about making a movie that her and Affleck's three children -- Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4 -- can go see. Find out more in the video below. Related Articles Porto-Novo (Benin) (AFP) - With a fine ceramic minaret, multicoloured walls and a great, carved wooden door, the Grand Mosque in Benin's capital is a marvel of Afro-Brazilian architecture, yet like much in Porto-Novo it faces collapse. "It looks just like a church in all ways because the former slaves were used to building churches in Brazil," said Moubarak Mourchid, head of the city's heritage agency. "They converted to Islam as a show of rebellion against their masters and when they came back to west Africa, they became craftsmen who used the building techniques they had learned over there," the historian told AFP. "These skills were then transmitted from generation to generation." Yet unless urgent steps are taken, residents and local specialists say hundreds of these old buildings are at risk. From the end of the 18th century, Porto-Novo on the Gulf of Guinea was one of the African ports that took in freed slaves who wanted to sail home to the continent of their ancestors. The streets in what is now Benin's second city and administrative capital call to mind the old Portuguese colonial settlement of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. And much of the architecture bears witness to key Afro-Brazilian links in African history, but not a single building, not even the mosque, has been classified as a UN World Heritage Site, Mourchid said. - 'No political will' - "It must first be recognised as part of the national heritage by the state. But there's no political will concerning parts of our patrimony," he said. Without government intervention, the buildings would be left to rot but for work carried out by the House of Patrimony and Tourism of Porto-Novo, an office seen as a big step towards safeguarding Africa's heritage when it was founded in 2009. Today, a handful of committed enthusiasts are trying to fight against years of neglect, damage from rainy seasons and people ready to let their property disintegrate to cash in on its real estate value. Story continues In 2009, Porto-Novo's director of culture and patrimony Richard Hounsou counted 450 buildings of the Afro-Brazilian type but said today "there are fewer than 400 left, that's obvious." Ali Moubarak lives in one of the many imposing homes. Dressed in a long white tunic, he receives visitors and shows them the creeping damage to his three-storey house. The building is divided in two. From the inner courtyard, you can see right into the rooms, like a doll's house. "It was built by my grandfather, around 1910. He was a nurse, he was an important man," Moubarak said. Like other prominent citizens of his time, Moubarak's grandfather had his home constructed in traditional Afro-Brazilian style as a show of wealth. He had "four or five wives and I don't know many grandchildren," added Moubarak. "Under Beninese law, we are all heirs and it's the oldest who make decisions." The walls began to flake as the family grew poorer. With all the comings and goings, Moubarak does not know exactly how many people live under his roof. Cousins and children are among the residents, with teenagers working in a laundry set up in one bedroom. Another has been turned into a sewing shop. In a magnificent room on a third floor, the old glory of the house is preserved in the wooden and bamboo beams, walls painted in floral patterns and a finely carved chest with a period mirror whose frame may soon be used for firewood. The city of Porto-Novo has offered to restore the property and Moubarak has accepted, but he needs the consent of other heirs living in the commercial capital of Cotonou or in distant France, who have shown little interest in the architectural heritage. The alternative is to let the house collapse once and for all, the better to sell a sizeable plot of land or use the site to build several new houses and rake in a profit. Renovation has started on another home not far away but concrete is used to replace walls, rather than the traditional mix of sand and limestone, while trying to respect "the shape and motifs of the time", said historian Mourchid, who is supervising the work. "It would cost twice as much to use the original materials." In all, the city has inventoried 41 homes eligible for renovation if the owners agree. One belongs to Josephine Rey, an elderly woman who sells coal and wood. She loves the old home her father left her but says she has waited two years already for help repairing her roof. "I spend my nights praying that it doesn't fall down on my head," she said. Both money and expertise are problems, conceded another heritage agency official Georges Bankole, who said there are plans to open a school with Brazilian partnership to train artisans. "The budget for patrimony is the smallest in the entire culture ministry," he said. And "beyond the problems of money, we've lost building practices," said historian Mourchid, regretting that great houses gradually turning to dust are taking the memories of freed slaves with them. steak and wine We can all agree that wine pairs nicely with steak. The question is: which wine should you choose? If you're ordering a fatty cut of meat, like a ribeye or New York strip, there's only one way to go. "Ask any steakhouse in America, and they'll tell you that a Napa Valley Cabernet is king," chef Wade Wiestling of Mastro's Steakhouse in New York told Business Insider. Wiestling describes the two as a "classic combo" and explains that "you really can't go wrong with it." "If you like [your steak] charred, like I like it charred, then those Napa Valley Cabs are great," Wiestling said. Of course, Wiestling's pairing recommendations vary based on the steak's cut, aging, and sauce. "Leaner cuts like tenderloin or filet mignon don't have a whole lot of fat in them, so they can pair quite well with some of the lighter reds, like a Sangiovese or pinot noir," he said. steak and wine If your steak is seasoned with sweet spices or dried chilis, Wiestling recommends a Zinfandel. "Those Zinfandels have some spice in them and they're really rich, so obviously they cut through and complement that steak flavor," he said. Wiestling adds that in the end, your steak and wine pairing is "really a matter of taste." NOW WATCH: How to grill the perfect steak More From Business Insider Less than an hour's drive from downtown Los Angeles, the affluent Anaheim Hills neighborhood has plenty to offer homeowners, including a quiet atmosphere that's within easy reach of Irvine's commercial hub. As a result, homes don't sit on the market for long here. "People who come to the neighborhood are looking for a great place to raise a family -- good school districts, good shopping, close proximity to employment centers, access to freeways, not too far from the beach," says Mike Kelly, a real estate agent with First Team Real Estate, where he and his partner, Travis Fairweather, are one of the area's top real estate teams. But just because buyers are eager to get their hands on property in this highly desirable area doesn't mean sellers are guaranteed to get the offer they're hoping for. To help you get the best price for your Anaheim Hills home, we contacted the area's top real estate agents as identified by OpenHouse, an agent referral company (and a U.S. News partner), asking them to share advice on how to make a home appealing to buyers. Here's what they had to say. [See: The Best Apps for House Hunting.] Present the best face of your home. Making a good first impression is key. "Staging is paramount," Steve Thomas, with Thomas Real Estate Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, tells all his clients. Kelly agrees, "Once we put your house on the market, it becomes a product. You've got to make it look the best that it can look." But that doesn't mean you have to pack up your life and hire a staging company. Cleaning up clutter, touching up the paint and landscaping the yard are all things you can do rather simply, with some good advice from your agent. Showing buyers a bright, clean, open floor plan can have a substantial impact on the speed and price of your sale. "Staging can mean the difference between whether a house sits on the market for 30 days before an offer comes in, or if it gets multiple offers and maybe some bids over the asking price," Thomas says. "In our business, there is a saying that buyers know if they are going to buy the house within minutes of walking through the front door." Story continues Keep the landscaping simple. Although drought-tolerant options like artificial grass and granite have become popular throughout the Los Angeles metro area, buyers in Anaheim Hills have mixed feelings about these new and costly looks. "Today, people are definitely leaning towards drought tolerant planting, but I haven't seen it affect the price in a significant way," Thomas says. Thomas recommends keeping your landscape traditional while being aware of environmental conditions. Having flowers or succulents in a tidy, well-maintained front yard is cost-effective and drought-tolerant, all while making your home look fresh. [See: Current Design Trades That Will Date Your Home.] Have a professional photographer manage your exposure. The first place most buyers will encounter your home is on the internet. Providing photos on a multiple listing service system and other real estate sites is, according to Kelly, "vitally important." "It's shocking to me how many real estate agents don't use a professional camera," he says. "The photos they're taking are our clients' gateway to the world." If that gateway is dark, blurry or dull, the potential buyer might lose interest in the house. "Our job is to expose a seller's house to the world. And the better the exposure, the higher the demand; the higher the demand, the higher the price," Kelly says. List your home on a Friday. Although different agents have their own opinions, all of them agree that in the Anaheim Hills housing market, a listing should be new and fresh. Once it's been on the market for several weeks, buyers assume there must be something wrong with the property or the price. Thomas' firm has its own strategy based on buyer behavior. "A lot of people do their shopping on the weekends, sorting through listings online and then going to open houses over the weekend. So we try to time our listings so they come out on Friday and are fresh for the weekend." [See: 10 Unorthodox Ways Your Real Estate Agent May Market Your Home.] Find an agent you can count on. California homeowners can legally sell their own homes without help from a real estate agent, and some people feel like the strong market is a good excuse to save money on commissions, or to hire family members or friends to do the job. Given the amount of access to real estate listings provided on public sites like Trulia and Zillow, it may seem like an attractive idea. However, you should think carefully before assuming you know better than a licensed agent -- especially one who's been buying and selling homes in Anaheim Hills for years. Kelly has seen many mistakes like this made by non-local agents, who are often friends or family of the seller. For example, listing a home in the city "Anaheim" rather than the specific neighborhood of "Anaheim Hills" can make it easy for buyers who are only looking in Anaheim Hills to overlook your property. As for Thomas, he and his firm have a standard process for new clients: "A lot of sellers come to us with a price in mind, but it might not have any basis in the market reality, so we run the data and give them a fair idea what they're looking at so they don't waste their own time trying to sell if they don't actually like the price." Getting the best price on your Anaheim Hills home is worth what you'll pay in commission to your selling agent. "We can pinpoint certain valuable characteristics in a home that a non-local wouldn't know about," Kelly says. Emily Manthei is a freelance writer based in the Los Angeles area. Follow her on Twitter. LOCARNO He may have played one of the most beloved fictitious Commanders-in-Chief in recent cinematic history, but back in the real world, Bill Pullman is hoping to let Hillary Clinton get on with the job. In this day and age, I do support Hillary Clinton very strongly, he stated during a Q&A session at Switzerlands lakeside Locarno Film Festival, where the 62-year-old Independence Day star was honored with the Moet & Chandon Excellence Award in recognition of his 30-year film career. In explaining his support, he referred to this summers blockbuster sequel Independence Day: Resurgence: The message of the [film] is that we can put aside our petty differences and come together as one to overcome serious challenges. And when you think of the challenges we face now climate change and other issues of extremism theres no more important time to have a capable leader. And its human nature than when we need our strongest leaders is when were most divided over who should lead. Tacitly calling out the far-right politics of Donald Trump, Pullman continued: Theres a great frustration about national identity Globalisation is happening so fast its confusing for people, and tolerance is threatened. All the things we relied on are now adrift. These are as dangerous times as weve had, and the possibility of making wrong choices isnt a joke. Weve seen with Brexit and other things that theres a dark impulse to be petulant and frustrated with complicated solutions. Pressed by an audience member for a further comparison drawn from his own filmography, he quipped, Id like to think its a Mel Brooks movie, but Im afraid its a David Lynch one. This sober political digression came late in an otherwise light-hearted overview of a acting career that has bounced from breezy romantic comedy to dark-edged auteur cinema, including collaborations with the likes of Wim Wenders (The End of Violence), Thomas Vinterberg (Dear Wendy) and Michael Winterbottom (The Killer Inside Me), not to mention the aforementioned Lynch (Lost Highway) and Brooks (Spaceballs). Story continues The chaos of my life has a lot to do with my hair, he joked, explaining how a bad blonde dye job initially done for an audition to play a Lithuanian tank commander caught the eye of producers on Ruthless People, the madcap 1986 farce in which he made an auspicious debut as the dim-witted, dodgily coiffed blackmailer Earl. Pullman was used to eccentric arrivals by this point: As he explained, his introduction to acting was a role in a legit production of one of absurdist icon Eugene Ionescos works. Pullman, who trained as a theater director and taught acting before Hollywood came calling, still holds his stage experience dear. His face (currently bearded for the lead in upcoming western The Ballad of Lefty Brown Im not just trying to look like Hemingway, he laughed) lights up when one audience member recalls his leading turn in Edward Albees Tony-winning provocation The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? in 2002. I try to fit in theater when I can, he said, before revealing that hes currently workshopping a stage piece with family members. I enjoy that with theater, you can just go into a room with a paper bag lunch: therere no cables, no electricity. Its the purest experience. As a widely recognizable, well-regarded actor who nonetheless never became a megastar, Pullman relishes his in-between status. I was the second male lead through the 90s, he admitted with a wry grin. The guy who didnt get the girl. I got the part, but I didnt get the girl. Indeed, playing the thwarted romantic suitor twice in 1993 first in Sommersby, where he came up short against Richard Gere, and again in Sleepless in Seattle, where Meg Ryan ditched him for Tom Hanks cemented him in audiences minds as the quintessential nice guy who never quite comes first. Hed finally get the girl Sandra Bullock, namely in the 1995 hit While You Were Sleeping (Fortunately, the other guy was in a coma), but it was his firm-but-fair President Whitmore in the following years Independence Day that proved his defining multiplex role, even if it wasnt a clear lead. It felt very much like an ensemble picture, with all the actors at the same level at that point, which was kind of a wonderful moment in time, he recalled. Things werent driven by trying to feed the star vehicle. I dont feel good inside those movies. Though he remembers the alien-invasion spectacular with affection (Its genetics werent in making money, they were in trying to make the best film we could), he was happy to leave blockbuster terrain behind the very next year, Lost Highway took his career on an independent track that, the ID4 sequel notwithstanding, he maintains to this day. (Working with Lynch, he said, inspired him to make his own directorial debut with 2000s made-for-television western The Virginian: I wanted to make it as intensely personal as I could, and a lot of that inspiration came from David.) He could have taken a very different path. Pullman recalled a post-Independence Day saturation point, during which big-studio offers came thick and fast, yet to this day, the actor has no regrets about turning many of them down. They were just disaster movies. I didnt need to defeat volcanoes or earthquakes or other things. After all, hed rather leave the world-saving responsibilities in another Presidents hands. Related stories Locarno Competition Title 'The Last Family' Bows Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) Locarno Film Review: 'The Girl With All the Gifts' Films Distribution Rolls Out Pre-Sales on 'Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe' (EXCLUSIVE) (Repeats to widen distribution) By Lawrence Delevingne NEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Billionaire hedge fund manager Seth Klarman said on Wednesday he would work to get Hillary Clinton elected president of the United States because he finds recent comments by Donald Trump "shockingly unacceptable." "His words and actions over the last several days are so shockingly unacceptable in our diverse and democratic society that it is simply unthinkable that Donald Trump could become our president," Klarman said of the Republican presidential nominee. The president and chief executive of The Baupost Group told Reuters in an emailed statement that Trump's suggestion "that the election will be rigged is particularly dangerous." "I will continue to find ways to support Hillary Clinton and defeat Donald Trump," he said. On Monday, Trump told a town hall event in Columbus, Ohio, that he thought the November election might be "rigged." Trump's attacks on the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier, Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq, have drawn sharp rebukes since Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan appeared at last week's Democratic convention. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Klarman, whose Boston-based investment firm manages $29 billion, is registered as an independent voter. But a review of filings showed that his political giving has largely benefited Republicans over the years, including donations this election cycle to political action committees that supported primary candidates Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Marco Rubio. He has also given to the campaigns of Democrats, including now-U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Mark Warner, according to the filings. He contributed $4,600 to Hillary Clinton's 2007 presidential race, while also giving to the campaigns of Republicans John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. In June, Klarman gave $5,400 to Clinton's campaign. "He is completely unqualified for the highest office in the land," Klarman said in his statement, without specifying how he would further support Clinton. (Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Toni Reinhold) By Greg Roumeliotis (Reuters) - U.S. biotechnology company Biogen Inc (BIIB.O) has not received any formal expressions of interest from potential acquirers and is not actively soliciting takeover offers, according to a person familiar with the matter. While some of Biogen's peers have approached individual board directors of the company over time, nothing has been presented to Biogen's board for consideration recently, the person said on Wednesday. One reason that no formal offer has materialized is that Biogen values its portfolio of neurology drugs highly, and would expect any proposal to come with a significant premium, the person added. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources, that Allergan Plc (AGN.N) and Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) had sounded out Biogen on the possibility of a takeover. Merck expressed more of an interest in Biogen than Allergan, but this did not result in any offer, the source said. The source asked not to be identified because Biogen's deliberations are confidential. Biogen, Allergan and Merck offered no comment. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen has a market value of $70 billion. The company's $11 billion in annual revenue comes primarily from its multiple sclerosis portfolio, about $4 billion of which may be subject to generic competition in coming years. Earlier this week, Biogen said it would develop and commercialize an experimental genetic muscle-disorder drug called nusinersen after an interim analysis of late-stage data showed patients experienced statistically significant improvement. Facing slowing growth of its flagship multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera, Biogen last year embarked on a sweeping restructuring program to focus on core areas, such as neurology, with high-risk, potentially high-reward experimental treatments for Alzheimer's disease, among others. Last month, the company's chief executive, George Scangos, announced plans to step down once a successor is named. Meanwhile, Allergan recently announced the closing of a deal to sell its generics business to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) for more than $40 billion, providing Allergan with a substantial war chest that could be deployed for acquisitions. Story continues In April, Allergan, which is based in Dublin, Ireland, terminated its planned merger with U.S.-based rival Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) after new U.S. Treasury rules reduced the tax benefits of the deal. In earnings calls, Merck, based in Kenilworth, New Jersey, has expressed an interest in growing aggressively through deals, calling business development "a top priority." In 2015, it closed an acquisition of Cubist Pharmaceuticals for $9.5 billion. (Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Additional reporting by Carl O'Donnell in New York; Editing by Tom Brown) By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hong Kong-based digital currency exchange Bitfinex said late on Wednesday that after a security breach on its website it will temporarily disable trading, deposits and withdrawals. The announcement was made on its website. Bitfinex also said it was working to restore limited service to its trading platform. The firm runs one of the largest exchanges for trading bitcoin and other digital currencies such as ether, and litecoin. On Tuesday, Bitfinex announced it discovered a security breach, with about 120,000 bitcoins, or roughly $70 million, stolen from customer accounts. The company said only the bitcoins were stolen. The theft at Bitfinex is the second largest bitcoin heist from an exchange since Tokyo's MtGox lost about $350 million bitcoins in early 2014. MtGox's loss eventually forced it to file for bankruptcy protection. "To accommodate the relaunch, all withdrawals, open orders, and open funding offers will be cancelled," said Bitfinex. "Furthermore, in order to compute losses for relevant parties, settlement of all financed positions will occur in all accounts." Zane Tackett, Bitfinex's director of community and product development, said on social media website Reddit that the company is "settling all positions, not liquidating." He added that the investigation on the bitcoin theft is still ongoing. The bitcoin price fell significantly in the aftermath of Tuesday's security breach. On Tuesday, after Bitfinex confirmed the theft, bitcoin fell 11 percent. It has since recovered, and last traded at $566.79 (BTC=BTSP) on the BitStamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler) EXCLUSIVE: Black Flags: The Rise Of ISIS, the 2016 Pulitzer-winning nonfiction book by Joby Warrick, is headed to the small screen. HBO has put in development a miniseries being developed by Bradley Cooper, who executive produces with with Todd Phillips via the duos Joint Effort production banner. Bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X, Wolverine) is writing the adaptation and executive producing. Helmer Tim Van Patten (Game Of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire) executive produces and will direct. Black Flags tells the story of the rise of ISIS, from its origins in a remote Jordanian prison to its stunning success in Syria. The book tracks the groups unlikely roots and transformation into the worlds most feared terrorist organization as well as the small band of American and international agents tasked with shutting it down. After reading Black Flags, Cooper immediately envisioned it as a limited series and sought out Warrick. He and Phillips then traveled to Warricks hometown to meet with him. The duo pitched the idea for the mini and discussed collaborating on the project. Black Flags could not be more timely as the threat of ISIS continues to grow with deadly attacks across multiple continents, including a string of tragedies in the heart of Europe. Cooper and Phillips merged their Warner Bros.-based production companies into what became Joint Effort in 2014. The companys first movie release, War Dogs, comes out August 19. Cooper and Phillips are repped by CAA. Phillips also is repped by attorney Warren Dern. Warrick was repped in the deal by the Ross Yoon Agency and Hotchkiss & Associates. Related stories Marta Kauffman Sets Miniseries At HBO Starring Natalie Portman, Drama Series At Amazon HBO Orders Duplass Brothers Anthology Comedy Series 'Room 104' Vice News Sets September Premiere For Nightly Newscast On HBO (Reuters) - A prominent activist in the Black Lives Matter movement, DeRay McKesson, on Thursday sued the chief of the Baton Rouge police department and other officials over the arrests of nearly 200 demonstrators during peaceful protests about police killings. In the federal civil rights lawsuit, which seeks class action status, McKesson and fellow protesters Kira Marrero and Gloria La Riva complained that police were unnecessarily aggressive in arresting them on July 9. The lawsuit covers arrests in the Louisiana capital between July 6 and July 11. The East Baton Rouge Parish Attorney's Office said they had no immediate comment on the lawsuit. The activists were protesting the July 5 shooting of a black man, Alton Sterling, outside a convenience store, one of a string of high-profile police killings of black people by white officers over the past two years that were caught on video and reopened debate about race and discrimination in the United States. McKesson, known for his activism on social media and who ran in the 2016 Democratic Party primary for mayor of his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, said in the lawsuit that demonstrators sought to have all arrest records expunged as well as unspecified damages. The allegations in the lawsuit include 16 violations of law by Baton Rouge police, excessive use of force, conspiracy to deprive protesters of their civil rights, negligence and arrests without probable cause. The 23-page complaint said charges of simple obstruction of a highway against nearly 200 protesters who were arrested were ultimately dropped by the local prosecutors office, though they still had to pay administrative and court fees. "Throughout the protests, the Defendants responded in a militarized and aggressive manner," the complaint said. "All class members now have criminal arrest records, which in this digital age could adversely affect their future employment, education, reputations, and professional licensing." Story continues A day after Sterling's death, another black man, Philando Castile, was shot to death by a policeman during a traffic stop near St. Paul, Minnesota. The back-to-back killings brought out protesters nationwide but after a rally in Dallas, Texas, a gunman shot dead five police officers in an ambush. Days later, three Baton Rouge police officers were also killed in an ambush. Authorities said the shootings of officers by black gunmen were apparently in anger over the deaths of black people at the hands of police, but they were not connected to the peaceful protest movement. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; editing by Grant McCool) By Ross Kerber BOSTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - When Adam Kanzer wanted to stop the board of 3M Co from including the lucrative impact of share buybacks in their chief executive's pay, he quoted Laurence Fink. Sitting atop the world's largest investment fund manager, BlackRock Inc, Fink is a vocal critic of companies' excessive use of share buybacks. The practice is happening at a rapid clip among S&P 500 companies and according to critics is helping boost shareholder returns - and bosses' pay - to the detriment of long-term growth. Kanzer, who is managing director of Domini Social Investments, channeled Fink at the top of his firm's resolution to the 3M board, quoting his warning that large buybacks send "a discouraging message about a company's ability to use its resources wisely." It didn't help. The resolution failed with 94 percent of shares cast voting against it. Shares held by BlackRock, 3M's third-largest investor with a 5.7 percent stake in the maker of Post-it notes and Scotch tape, according to its proxy, apparently were not supportive. Despite their CEO's strong views, funds run by BlackRock side with company management on questions tied to stock buybacks most of the time, according to filings analyzed by research firm Proxy Insight for Reuters. BlackRock is not alone. Large asset managers like Fidelity Investments and State Street Corp have a similar voting record on the matter, according to the analysis. But Fink's exhortations and BlackRock's size make its voting record stand out. In the last three years, Fink has made his concerns about buybacks a top theme of an annual letter to other CEOs stressing the importance of companies investing for the long term. His views have been carried widely in the financial press and echoed by U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. BlackRock's nearly $5 trillion in managed assets mean that it is often a top investor in many of the companies buying back their shares, giving it an outsize voice on whether that strategy is the right one. Story continues "Larry Fink's letters demonstrate that leadership. We hope it's not all posturing," said Brandon Rees deputy director of the office of investment for the AFL-CIO, of Fink's efforts. The AFL-CIO is the largest federation of U.S. labor unions and sponsored a resolution at Illinois Tool Works that, like Domini's 3M resolution, called on the company to exclude the impact of share repurchases from executive pay calculations. The resolution failed, with 95 percent of votes cast against it. It is unclear if BlackRock, a top five investor in the equipment maker, voted for it. The company does not comment on how it votes or its engagement with individual companies, and public filings showing its votes are not yet available. Rees said while he admires Fink's sentiments, BlackRock does not release enough detail to fully evaluate whether BlackRock's engagement with particular companies has much impact. Fink, who was not made available to comment on this story, does not think all buybacks are bad. Some may be a prudent use of excess capital, and BlackRock itself has been buying roughly $275 million of its own shares every quarter, he has said. Spokesman Ed Sweeney said when BlackRock has concerns about a company's direction or corporate governance, it meets with directors and executives privately to "catalyze positive changes," and votes against management when talks fail. He added that capital allocation matters like buybacks are just one of many areas it considers in its proxy voting process. In one case, BlackRock withheld support from two directors at "a large oil and gas corporation" this spring after the company -- which it declined to name -- did not make board members available to explain their strategy and capital allocation decisions, according to its website. It also did not support a member of Discovery Communications Inc's compensation committee last year after the company awarded its CEO the largest pay package in the S&P 500, according to securities filings. To guide those decisions, BlackRock turns to a team of 22 people who determine how to vote on thousands of ballot items each year at U.S. companies' annual meetings. Sweeney said that this division, headed by Michelle Edkins, is independent and votes in accordance with, "our fiduciary duty to our clients." BlackRock did not make Edkins available to comment. Matthew Weatherley-White, managing director of investment adviser Caprock Group, said BlackRock cannot vote too aggressively because many clients would not share Fink's views. For instance, choosing to buy back shares can boost shareholder returns in the short-term because it raises earnings per share. "Fink is sincere, but structurally they have a hard time following through," Weatherley-White said. THE POWER OF THE VOTE S&P 500 firms are purchasing $445 billion in stock over the last 12 months of earnings reports, matching the previous year's peak. Add in dividends, and the total of $838 billion spent surpasses total capital expenditures of $707 billion in that time, according to a Reuters analysis Much of BlackRock's nearly $5 trillion in managed assets is in passive investment products that buy and hold stocks only because they are in a particular index. That means that proxy votes are one of the few ways of expressing displeasure with a company. Actively managed funds can sell a company's stock anytime they become dissatisfied. "As an index fund owner, you have to own some really crummy companies" that happen to be in an index, Fink said at an investor conference two years ago. The "only power you have is your vote," he said. But BlackRock rarely exercised that power. In last year's proxy season, BlackRock funds opposed five percent of resolutions to approve share buybacks or repurchases, according to Proxy Insight's analysis for Reuters. To be sure, that was a stronger record than some rivals like Vanguard Group or T. Rowe Price, which opposed the resolutions one percent of the time and 2.7 percent of the time, respectively. Both T. Rowe Price and Vanguard declined to comment. BlackRock's Global Opportunities Fund, for instance, opposed management on just two of 85 resolutions in that period, including at construction firm Bouygues SA and distiller Remy Cointreau. BlackRock's Sweeney declined to discuss the votes, but proxy adviser Glass, Lewis had recommended against both measures on concerns they could be used to thwart takeover attempts. Filings analyzed by Proxy Insight for Reuters also show that of the 30 S&P 500 companies that bought back the highest proportion of their stock in 2014, funds run by BlackRock supported those companies' directors about 97 percent of the time the following year, the most recent period available. That is roughly as often as they supported S&P 500 directors overall. Public filings showing BlackRock's votes on specific directors and shareholder proposals this year are not yet available, including Kanzer's 3M resolution on buybacks. Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services did not support the change at 3M or at Illinois Tool, which is a blow since backing from ISS can add an extra 30 percentage points or so to the support level for a typical shareholder proposal, according to pay consulting firm Semler Brossy. But Kanzer was counting on Fink's BlackRock to back him up. "Considering the helpful things Larry Fink has been saying about excessive share buybacks, we had hoped to see BlackRock underscore that message through its proxy voting," said Kanzer of Domini Social Investments, an investment adviser that specializes in socially responsible investing and sponsored the 3M resolution. Kanzer noted that his resolution at least prompted 3M to offer more disclosure around its rationale for the buybacks, and said he had a "productive conversation" with 3M management. Will Domini re-submit similar resolutions at 3M and elsewhere next year? "Still thinking about it," he said. (Additional reporting by David Gaffen and Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Edward Tobin) By Ross Kerber BOSTON (Reuters) - When Adam Kanzer wanted to stop the board of 3M Co from including the lucrative impact of share buybacks in their chief executive's pay, he quoted Laurence Fink. Sitting atop the world's largest investment fund manager, BlackRock Inc , Fink is a vocal critic of companies excessive use of share buybacks. The practice is happening at a rapid clip among S&P 500 companies and according to critics is helping boost shareholder returns and bosses pay to the detriment of long-term growth. Kanzer, who is managing director of Domini Social Investments, channeled Fink at the top of his firm's resolution to the 3M board, quoting his warning that large buybacks send "a discouraging message about a companys ability to use its resources wisely." It didn't help. The resolution failed with 94 percent of shares cast voting against it. Shares held by BlackRock, 3M's third-largest investor with a 5.7 percent stake in the maker of Post-it notes and Scotch tape, according to its proxy, apparently were not supportive. Despite their CEO's strong views, funds run by BlackRock side with company management on questions tied to stock buybacks most of the time, according to filings analyzed by research firm Proxy Insight for Reuters. BlackRock is not alone. Large asset managers like Fidelity Investments and State Street Corp have a similar voting record on the matter, according to the analysis. But Fink's exhortations and BlackRock's size make its voting record stand out. In the last three years, Fink has made his concerns about buybacks a top theme of an annual letter to other CEOs stressing the importance of companies investing for the long term. His views have been carried widely in the financial press and echoed by U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. BlackRock's nearly $5 trillion in managed assets mean that it is often a top investor in many of the companies buying back their shares, giving it an outsize voice on whether that strategy is the right one. "Larry Finks letters demonstrate that leadership. We hope it's not all posturing," said Brandon Rees deputy director of the office of investment for the AFL-CIO, of Fink's efforts. The AFL-CIO is the largest federation of U.S. labor unions and sponsored a resolution at Illinois Tool Works that, like Dominis 3M resolution, called on the company to exclude the impact of share repurchases from executive pay calculations. The resolution failed, with 95 percent of votes cast against it. It is unclear if BlackRock, a top five investor in the equipment maker, voted for it. The company does not comment on how it votes or its engagement with individual companies, and public filings showing its votes are not yet available. Rees said while he admires Fink's sentiments, BlackRock does not release enough detail to fully evaluate whether BlackRock's engagement with particular companies has much impact. Fink, who was not made available to comment on this story, does not think all buybacks are bad. Some may be a prudent use of excess capital, and BlackRock itself has been buying roughly $275 million of its own shares every quarter, he has said. Spokesman Ed Sweeney said when BlackRock has concerns about a company's direction or corporate governance, it meets with directors and executives privately to "catalyze positive changes," and votes against management when talks fail. He added that capital allocation matters like buybacks are just one of many areas it considers in its proxy voting process. In one case, BlackRock withheld support from two directors at "a large oil and gas corporation" this spring after the company -- which it declined to name -- did not make board members available to explain their strategy and capital allocation decisions, according to its website. It also did not support a member of Discovery Communications Inc's compensation committee last year after the company awarded its CEO the largest pay package in the S&P 500, according to securities filings. To guide those decisions, BlackRock turns to a team of 22 people who determine how to vote on thousands of ballot items each year at U.S. companies' annual meetings. Sweeney said that this division, headed by Michelle Edkins, is independent and votes in accordance with, "our fiduciary duty to our clients." BlackRock did not make Edkins available to comment. Matthew Weatherley-White, managing director of investment adviser Caprock Group, said BlackRock cannot vote too aggressively because many clients would not share Fink's views. For instance, choosing to buy back shares can boost shareholder returns in the short-term because it raises earnings per share. "Fink is sincere, but structurally they have a hard time following through," Weatherley-White said. THE POWER OF THE VOTE S&P 500 firms are purchasing $445 billion in stock over the last 12 months of earnings reports, matching the previous year's peak. Add in dividends, and the total of $838 billion spent surpasses total capital expenditures of $707 billion in that time, according to a Reuters analysis Much of BlackRock's nearly $5 trillion in managed assets is in passive investment products that buy and hold stocks only because they are in a particular index. That means that proxy votes are one of the few ways of expressing displeasure with a company. Actively managed funds can sell a company's stock anytime they become dissatisfied. "As an index fund owner, you have to own some really crummy companies" that happen to be in an index, Fink said at an investor conference two years ago. The "only power you have is your vote," he said. But BlackRock rarely exercised that power. In last year's proxy season, BlackRock funds opposed five percent of resolutions to approve share buybacks or repurchases, according to Proxy Insight's analysis for Reuters. To be sure, that was a stronger record than some rivals like Vanguard Group or T. Rowe Price , which opposed the resolutions one percent of the time and 2.7 percent of the time, respectively. Both T. Rowe Price and Vanguard declined to comment. BlackRock's Global Opportunities Fund , for instance, opposed management on just two of 85 resolutions in that period, including at construction firm Bouygues SA and distiller Remy Cointreau . BlackRock's Sweeney declined to discuss the votes, but proxy adviser Glass, Lewis had recommended against both measures on concerns they could be used to thwart takeover attempts. Filings analyzed by Proxy Insight for Reuters also show that of the 30 S&P 500 companies that bought back the highest proportion of their stock in 2014, funds run by BlackRock supported those companies' directors about 97 percent of the time the following year, the most recent period available. That is roughly as often as they supported S&P 500 directors overall. Public filings showing BlackRock's votes on specific directors and shareholder proposals this year are not yet available, including Kanzer's 3M resolution on buybacks. Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services did not support the change at 3M or at Illinois Tool, which is a blow since backing from ISS can add an extra 30 percentage points or so to the support level for a typical shareholder proposal, according to pay consulting firm Semler Brossy. But Kanzer was counting on Fink's BlackRock to back him up. "Considering the helpful things Larry Fink has been saying about excessive share buybacks, we had hoped to see BlackRock underscore that message through its proxy voting," said Kanzer of Domini Social Investments, an investment adviser that specializes in socially responsible investing and sponsored the 3M resolution. Kanzer noted that his resolution at least prompted 3M to offer more disclosure around its rationale for the buybacks, and said he had a "productive conversation" with 3M management. Will Domini re-submit similar resolutions at 3M and elsewhere next year? "Still thinking about it," he said. (Additional reporting by David Gaffen and Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Edward Tobin) Tesla (TSLA) is making strides in its autonomous driving technology and Chief Executive Elon Musk says what the company is developing blows his mind. "Major product announcements... you shouldn't do those on an earnings call," Musk said Wednesday after the company reported its second-quarter results . "All I will say is full autonomy is going to come a hell of a lot faster than anyone thinks it will. And, I think what we've got under development is going to blow people's minds." Tesla's semi-autonomous driving technology called Autopilot has been the focus of a lot of awe, and, more recently, a fair amount of scrutiny and criticism. A fatal crash in Florida in May involving Autopilot drew at least one federal investigation and calls to disable the system. Tesla also recently ended its relationship with Mobileye, which supplies technology for the system. But, along with the Model 3 a more affordable version of its electric cars autonomy is one of the company's top two priorities, Musk said. He was not forthcoming with details, but did say the company is already making strides in making cars fully autonomous. The challenge is not so much in the hardware, which Musk said, is already there. "Full autonomy is about developing advanced narrow AI, for the car to operate on," he explained. "When I say narrow AI, it is not going to take over the world, but it needs to be good at driving a car. So increasingly sophisticated neural nets that can operate in reasonably sized computers in the car. That is our focus. I am very optimistic about this. It blows me away. If I am this close to it and it is blowing me away, it is really going to blow other people away." Specifically asked about the company's mapping technology, Musk refused to disclose details. "What we have said thus far is that here is a need to have much higher definition maps than currently exist anywhere in the world in order to have full autonomy, and we are in the process of building those, and I think making good progress." HOUSTON -- After earning at worst a series split with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night, the Toronto Blue Jays enter the series finale against the Houston Astros almost as concerned with the start they'll get the following day. Left-hander J.A. Happ (14-3, 3.16 ERA) starts the series finale for the Blue Jays (61-47). Happ is 3-1 with a 3.50 ERA in six starts against the Astros, for whom he went 18-28 with a 4.84 ERA over parts of three seasons following his trade from the Phillies on July 29, 2010. Left-hander Francisco Liriano (6-11, 5.46 ERA) follows Happ in the rotation, making his first start with the Blue Jays on Friday night in Kansas City against the Royals. Liriano and two prospects joined the organization Monday following a trade deadline deal with the Pirates. Liriano has scuffled this season as he led the majors with 69 walks prior to the trade. But the Blue Jays are confident that Liriano can be reborn, in part because he will be reunited with former Pirates catcher Russell Martin. "I think you just need to watch him and let him go out and pitch before you jump the gun," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He's back with Russ. Let him pitch. There's nothing worse than trying to pinpoint something in someone's mind before you see him. "He may go out there and shine like there's nothing to it." Right-hander Mike Fiers (7-4, 4.42 ERA) starts the series finale for the Astros. Fiers has appeared in just two games (one start) against the Blue Jays in his career, going 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA over eight innings. Once in the precarious position of losing his spot in the rotation, Fiers has rebounded to go 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA over his last two starts. Like the Blue Jays, the Astros (56-51) have one eye on their weekend rotation. With right-hander Lance McCullers landing on the 15-day disabled list with a mild elbow sprain, rookie right-hander Joe Musgrove makes his first career start against the Rangers on Sunday. Story continues Musgrove excelled in his major league debut on Tuesday night, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief with eight strikeouts, matching the major league record for strikeouts in relief in a major league debut. Musgrove arrived from Triple-A Fresno on Sunday poised to start in place of right-hander Doug Fister (paternity list) on Monday night. Instead, opportunity knocked one day later and Musgrove validated the trust the organization showed with his promotion. "We thought he could handle it which is why we were going to give him an opportunity if Fister was gone," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "We really like this guy. He's got a lot of charisma; he's got a lot of polish to him. Even to be able to come in and warm up in front of a full crowd and both teams waiting and the umpire sort of pushing the action, it's not easy. His maturity came through with rave reviews. "He made some really good hitters look uncomfortable and I think that's a good sign. He's going to have a big test with his first start against the Rangers but I think the way he's handled this season, the way he's matured over the year is why we gave him the opportunity on the front end." BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 4, 2016 / Spending time in a car is a part of life in South Florida. All too frequently, with the restaurants, bars, and nightclubs in South Florida, people get behind the wheel after drinking too much and cause accidents that have long-lasting effects on the victims, according to Boca Raton personal injury lawyer, Andrew Norden of Osborne & Associates. The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles estimates there are nearly 250,000 motor vehicle crashes in Florida every year. http://www.dmvflorida.org/car-accident.shtml. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reports that 40,677 DUI arrests were made in Florida recently. http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/state-stats/Florida.html. Some common issues that arise for victims after being hit by a drunk driver include: - The cost of medical bills for ambulance, hospital, and doctors arising from the crash; - Pain and suffering from injuries sustained in the crash - Anxiety and fear of driving - Car repairs - Lost wages because of time missed from work There are a few ways that victims of drunk drivers can get back on their feet after an accident. All cars registered in Florida are required to have insurance. Your car insurance provides personal injury protection (PIP), referred to as "no fault," which pays 80% of the first $10,000 in medical bills. PIP pays for an ambulance, hospital and other medical treatment. The amounts not paid by PIP become part of your damage claim against the drunk driver, adds Norden, attorney for personal injury victims. If the drunk driver carries property damage coverage, your car repairs may be covered by the drunk driver's insurance company. Otherwise, if you pay for comprehensive collision coverage, your own insurance policy may pay to fix your car. Frequently, the amount of property damage caused by a drunk driver is more than the available insurance limits, creating personal exposure for the drunk driver. A top personal injury lawyer at Osborne and Associates in Boca Raton can help you through this process. Story continues Lost wages can also be paid from your PIP coverage. PIP covers 60% of your lost wages. You will be required to submit a Wage and Salary Verification form, completed by your employer, to the PIP carrier for lost wages to be processed. The 40% of your lost wages not paid by PIP will become part of your damages against the drunk driver. The drunk driver may be prosecuted as a result of his/her conduct. Florida provides an additional source of recovery for victims of drunk driving. Within the criminal case, a victim may have access to the victim compensation fund. The fund has certain requirements that a victim must comply with in order to get the benefits of the fund that are referenced here: victim compensation fund. The victim compensation fund can assist with medical bills, property damage and lost wages from the accident. You will be required to cooperate with the prosecutor in the case against the drunk driver to get the benefit of the victim compensation fund. The experienced Boca Raton personal injury lawyers at Osborne & Associates can help you navigate this process and interact with the prosecutor to maximize the resources available to you. Ultimately, you may need to pursue a civil claim against the drunk driver. In the civil case you can seek to recover all unpaid medical bills, lost wages and future wage time, out of pocket expenses for medical treatment, pharmacy costs, cost of help around the house to assist with tasks you can no longer do yourself, and damages for the pain and suffering experienced as a result of the crash. Florida law also provides a mechanism to punish and deter drunk driving, known as punitive damages. The right to seek punitive damages is not automatic. An attorney must first get permission from the court to pursue a drunk driver for punitive damages. If you have been involved in a crash with a drunk driver, contact the experienced Boca Raton personal injury lawyers at Osborne & Associates now. We handle drunk driving cases and can help you. Call 561-800-4011 now for a no-charge consultation. source: http://www.oa-lawfirm.com/boca-raton-personal-injury-lawyer-explains-recourse-hit-drunk-driver/ SOURCE: Osborne & Associates via Submit Press Release 123 NEWS BRIEF Boko Haram has a new leaderthough its unclear what happened to its old one. ISIS, in its weekly magazine Naba, published an interview with a man the group identified as Abu Musab al-Barnawi, calling him its governor for West Africa. SITE, the intelligence group that monitors the online activities of terrorist organizations, says Barnawi was identified in a January 2015 video as a spokesman for Boko Haram, the group most famous for kidnapping more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls in 2014. In a Jan 2015 vid, Barnawi was identified as the spokesman for Jamaat Ahl al-Sunnah Lil Dawa Wal Jihad (#BokoHaram) pic.twitter.com/tYmkaQTu8P SITE Intel Group (@siteintelgroup) August 2, 2016 The fate of Barnawis predecessor, Abu Bakr Shekau, remains unclear. In March 2015, he pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State, as ISIS is also known. Shekau has been reported dead many times, but has emerged in recordings pledging to continue his fight to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. Most recently, he was heard in August 2015 saying he was alive. Boko Haram has suffered major losses in recent years as the Nigerian government and its allies have conducted massive military operations against it. But the group recently carried out several attacks against regional governments. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc said the wastewater sediment discharge from its Whiting, Indiana refinery returned to permitted levels on Thursday, after several days of exceeding allowed amounts due an upset at a wastewater treatment plant. "The refinerys total suspended solids (TSS) returned to permitted levels on Aug. 4," BP spokesman Michael Abendhoff said in an emailed statement. "BP is working to safely return the refinery to normal operations as soon as possible and continues to monitor the situation closely." BP reported the increased discharges beginning on July 29 to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The Northwest Indiana Times newspaper reported BP had discharged a total of 26,621 pounds of industrial waste particles, or five times its daily limit, on Tuesday. BP has said no hydrocarbons were released into Lake Michigan. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Chris Reese) The Coulee Life Church is a resurrection of sorts, a new life rising from the painful demise last fall of the old Sand Lake Wesleyan. Once a growing church of more than 200, the 33-year-old Sand Lake congregation closed its doors after reaching an impasse during a pastoral transition. Although the old church is now a statistic, a core group of 25 people survived, convinced that they had been called to serve the Holmen/Onalaska community. Sensing their commitment, the Wisconsin District of the Wesleyan denomination called on Craig Coe, who was then working as Assistant Admissions Director for Indiana Wesleyan University. Today, the soft-spoken Coe, who had previously served as Sand Lakes Pastor of Ministry from 2010 to 2013, is directing the resurgence under a new name: Coulee Life Church. But beyond that, he has already logged six years of church planting experience in Aurora, Colo., and more importantly, wrestled with issues confronting the church-at-large in the wake of pastoral transitions. In 2004, Coe and his wife, Priscilla, and three other couples left Indiana to start a new church in Colorado, but storm clouds soon gathered over the less than two year old project. The burgeoning 150-member congregation suddenly faced the resignation of its lead pastor. Coe, as the assistant pastor, never saw it coming and the event forced him into a decision he never anticipated. I had a lot of questions as to what God had for us next, Coe recalled, noting that it was a big decision for him to accept the lead role. He remembers telling God that if he took the position, Id have to rely on his strength and power. Coe took the position, and learned a lot in the process. Its not something we expected, but God used us to help people walk through that transition, he said. Now at Coulee Life, its like history repeating itself. But this time, Coe has the field experience to help the congregation dig a secure footing. We spent time building a foundation, he said, as he described the first meetings. We needed to understand our role in the community. So they asked themselves, What is a church? What is the role of the church? And what had God called them to do? Three ministries quickly grew out of their introspection: parents night out, a babysitting service for nearly 30 children so couples could spend time together, meal service for Holmen Hope, and the Salvation Army extension program. Before school begins, the group will add a fourth project landscaping at Sand Lake Elementary School. Not surprisingly, social justice concerns and community activism happen to be in the DNA of the Wesleyan denomination. We stem from the Methodist tradition on the evangelical side, Coe explained. The Wesleyans formed in the 1800s when they sided with the abolitionists over the slavery issue. Coe hopes to increase visibility for the new start-up with a spot in the Holmen Kornfest Parade, followed by a scoop night at the church the Wednesday after the parade. This will let people know better who we are, he said. Well be talking about the vision of the church and what God has called us to do. Well lead people up the timeline to launch, he said. As a run up to launch, the church has scheduled two preview services for September with the first official service set for sometime in October. Weve already checked, he says with a grin. All the Packer games are late games. According to Coe, the Sunday morning worship service will feature a contemporary band but will weave in more traditional songs and hymns. But the focus will always be on families. Thats a large part of the demographics here, he said. Yet, even now, Coe and his group are looking far beyond October. We also have a far-reaching regional outreach, he notes, pointing to his core group that extends from West Salem to Trempealeau and points in between. Eventually we also want to be a sending church, he said. We want to understand each community and help plant another church in the area within the next five years. But for now, the goal is more immediate. Our people want to see individuals and families experience the life God has for them, he said. We want to start something fresh and new. By Ana Mano SAO PAULO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The board of Brazilian telephone operator Oi SA has referred to a bankruptcy judge an activist investor's request for legal action against company managers, its second straight bid to thwart the investor's moves, according to a securities filing late Wednesday. In the filing, Oi's board referred a decision on activist investor Societe Mondiale's late July request for a shareholders meeting to approve an arbitration claim against controlling shareholder Pharol to the Rio de Janeiro judge overseeing the company's bankruptcy. Societe Mondiale, an investment vehicle for Brazilian businessman Nelson Tanure, owns 7 percent of Oi's voting stock. It also wants Oi to pursue a claim against Santander Brasil , which advised Oi on its 2015 merger with Portugal Telecom, as Pharol was previously known. This is the second time Oi's board has refrained from discussing Societe Mondiale's proposals. On July 22, the company asked the court to rule on Societe Mondiale's request to call a shareholders meeting to seek the replacement of five members of Oi's nine-person board. That decision is pending. Tanure, known for investing in financially distressed companies, acquired a stake in Oi through Societe Mondiale after Oi filed for bankruptcy protection in June. Societe Mondiale also is proposing the annulment of a shareholders meeting held in March 2015 in which a share swap between Portugal Telecom and Oi was approved as part of Oi's takeover by the Portuguese company. Pharol remains the largest individual shareholder of Oi, with 27.49 of its voting shares. Both Pharol and Santander Brasil have declined to comment on Societe Mondiale's proposal to commence legal action against them. (Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Christian Plumb and Bill Trott) DUBLIN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Growth in Ireland's services slowed to its weakest in almost two-and-a-half years in July after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, a survey showed on Thursday. Ireland's is widely considered the European Union economy to have the most to lose from Brexit. In July, a survey of Irish manufacturers fell to its lowest level in more than three years in July. The Investec Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of activity in services fell to in 59.5 in July, from 61.2 in June. The index, which covers businesses from banks to hotels, has been above the 50 mark denoting growth for four years as Ireland recovers from its 2008 real estate and banking crash. The sharpest falls were registered in the sub-indexes for input prices, outstanding business and employment, which fell to 54.9 from 57.2 for its slowest growth since May 2013. New business also declined, but twice as many panelists reported a rise in new business during July as those that recorded a fall. There were also "surprise" increases elsewhere, said Philip O'Sullivan, chief economist at Investec Ireland, with new export business improving because of an apparent boost from continental Europe and Asia. Business expectations also improved slightly from the 34-month low seen in June's survey, when most of the responses were received before the results of the British referendum. Ireland's economy is forecast to grow faster than any other in Europe for the third straight year in 2016 at 4.9 percent. But the government has cut its forecast for 2017 to around 3.4 percent from 3.9 percent and warned of worse ahead if Britain strikes an unfavourable post-Brexit deal with the EU. "Continued growth in the wider economy and improved client demand were key factors behind the latest rise in activity, with some panelists highlighting orders from foreign clients," the survey's authors said in a statement. "On the other hand, a number of respondents indicated a dip in client sentiment following the UK's decision to leave the EU." Detailed PMI data are only available under licence from Markit and customers need to apply to Markit for a licence. (Reporting by Conor Humphries, editing by Larry King) A premier featherweight showdown between rising contenders Brian Ortega and Hacran Dias has been inked for UFC Fight Night 96 in Portland. UFC officials confirmed the fight on Wednesday, following an initial report by the Los Angeles Daily News. Former RFA champion Ortega (11-0, 1 NC) scored a victory in his Octagon debut in 2014, but had the result changed to a no-contest when he tested positive to drostanolone, an anabolic steroid. TRENDING > Conor McGregor Gets His Gangster on for UFC 202 (Behind the Scenes Video) Since returning from suspension, he has managed to keep his undefeated record intact, reeling off wins over high profile fighters Thiago Tavares, Diego Brandao, and Clay Guida, etching his name in the UFC featherweight Top 10 rankings. Dias (23-4-1) has bounced back and forth between wins and losses, going 3-3 during his UFC tenure. He enters the fight with Ortega trying to make a big leap up the rankings, coming off of a loss to Cub Swanson in April. Though UFC Fight Night 96 doesn't yet have an official headliner, the Oct. 1 card also features bouts that include Will Brooks (18-1) vs. Alex Oliveira (14-4-1) and Josh Burkman (28-13) vs. Bobby Green (23-7). (Photos courtesy of UFC) Follow MMAWeekly.com on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May will tell small business owners on Thursday that she wants to help them take advantage of the opportunities provided by Britain's vote to leave the European Union. The June 23 Brexit vote has raised serious questions about the future of the world's fifth largest economy, with some surveys indicating a recession, a hit to consumer confidence and a possible fall in investment. May is pitching a plan to reunite the country and strengthen her grip on power by raising the prospects of those who she casts as "hard-working people" together with an industrial policy that she hopes will help the economy. The new prime minister will meet representatives from Britain's 5.4 million small and medium sized businesses at Downing Street on Thursday, her office said. "From dynamic start-ups to established family firms, our small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our country," May said in remarks released by her office ahead of the meeting. "I want to build an economy that works for all, and that means working with, and listening to, smaller firms," May said. "I also want those firms, across all the sectors of our economy, to be able to take advantage of the opportunities presented by Brexit, such as exporting to new destinations." May has said the Brexit vote indicates a deep desire among voters for change to the way the economy is run. She has promised to foster what she says is a fairer economy and to overhaul corporate governance, crack down on tax evasion and avoidance, boost productivity and give the UK government a way to block foreign takeovers. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Guy Faulconbridge) Amina Al-Jeffery, 21, was a normal school girl in Wales until 2012, when her father allegedly sent her to Saudi Arabia against her will because she kissed a guy. Her story is a shocking reminder of just how far away equality for women still is in many countries around the world. Al-Jeffery, who was born and brought up in Swansea and has dual British and Saudi Arabian nationality, says her father, Mohammed Al-Jeffery, a Saudi Arabian academic, locked her up at his home in the Saudi city of Jeddah when she was 16. Her mother and eight siblings still live in the UK. She was reportedly confined to a bedroom with metal bars on the window, beaten and deprived of food and water, The Guardian reported. Al-Jeffery also said she had been physically abused by having her head smacked against a wall, and sometimes had to use her room as a toilet because she wasnt allowed to leave, reported the BBC. Al-Jefferys father claimed she had become a "reckless" teenager, taking drugs, clubbing and spending time with older men". He had also accused the British government of "doing nothing" to stop her, the BBC reported. Al-Jeffery reached out to British lawyer Anne-Marie Hutchinson QC by email last December when she had escaped and was on the run for the few days, before being put in a refuge. But she was removed from the refuge in early January, and her father then issued proceedings before the Saudi Arabian courts to compel her to observe his commands and live her life under his control, Hutchinson told the BBC. On Wednesday, a High Court judge in the UK ruled that Al-Jeffery must be allowed to return home to the UK. Mr Justice Holman said she had been "deprived of her liberty" and her father must enable her to return by the 11th of September, the BBC reported. Photo: Amina Al-Jeffery. However, the judge admitted it wont be easy to arrange her return because Saudi Arabia wont necessarily recognise the ruling. He said there was "little or nothing this court could do" if Al-Jefferys father refuses to comply and there are no conventions between Britain and Saudi Arabia. Story continues The courts in Saudi Arabia would not even recognise the basis of the claim, because it does not recognise dual nationality, the judge said. The Saudi embassy even paid for Al-Jeffery's fathers legal costs. The case highlights the culture clash between Britain and Saudi Arabia in terms of womens place in society. Sir William Patey, the former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told the BBC: While we think it's very normal that a 21-year-old woman is a freely independent actor, and can do what she likes, that's not quite the same in Saudi Arabia where a single woman is subject to the guardianship of her appropriate male relative." He also said the case would be considered as more of a "family dispute" in Saudi Arabia, rather than a legal one. Al-Jeffery has been in touch with her old school friends in the UK, the BBC reported, sending them a photo of the room she was reportedly locked in and asking them to tell the British Embassy about her situation. The Foreign Office said British embassy staff have met with Al-Jeffery to check on her welfare and helped her speak to lawyers in the UK". It's now up to the UK government and diplomats to negotiate on Al-Jeffery's behalf and ensure she comes home, Shereen Williams from the Henna Foundation, which supports Muslim families in Wales, told the BBC. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? Black Lives Matter Protestors Take UK Cities British Woman Detained After Reading Book About Syria One Dead, Five Injured In London Knife Attack Dhaka (AFP) - A British national and a student at a Canadian university who were dining at a Bangladeshi cafe when it was besieged by jihadists last month have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack. Police said Hasnat Karim, a British citizen of Bangladesh origin, and Tahmid Khan, a University of Toronto student, were arrested late Wednesday in connection with last month's siege in Dhaka when 20 hostages were murdered. "We can confirm they were arrested under Section 54 of CrPC (criminal procedure)," police spokesman A.K.M Shahidur Rahman told AFP on Thursday, referring to a law under which police can detain someone on suspicion of any crime. A court later remanded both men in custody for eight days, deputy commissioner of Dhaka police Aminur Rahman told AFP. Karim and Khan were both inside the Holey Artisan Bakery when gunmen raided the cafe on the night of July 1, taking a group of mainly Western diners hostage and then killing 20 of them, along with two policemen. But neither have been seen in public since the end of the siege when commandos stormed the cafe in the capital's upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood on the morning of July 2. The men's families have said they were being held by security forces even though there was no evidence to link them to the attackers. Police had denied the men were in their custody before announcing the arrest on Thursday. - 'My son is innocent' - Speaking to AFP after news of the arrest, Karim's father said his son had been used as a human shield during the siege and that he had helped save lives during the siege. "I have full confidence in the police investigation," said Rezaul Karim. "My son was a hero. He saved the life of at least eight people during the siege. I know him. He is innocent." Karim's London-based lawyer, Rodney Dixon, said his client had "no links to any terrorist group" and demanded his immediate release. Story continues "The authorities have finally admitted that Mr. Karim is in their custody. They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries," Dixon said in a statement. "There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be let go without any further delay." Relatives say Karim, his wife and two children were at the cafe to celebrate the 13th birthday of their daughter. Reports in local media said both men were being investigated for suspicious activity during the siege. They said Khan was seen holding a firearm and Hasnat Karim strolling with the attackers on the roof. On Tuesday, national police chief. A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque, told reporters that the two had fallen under suspicion as a result of their "behaviour and actions" during the siege. Karim, 47, was a lecturer at Bangladesh's private North-South University in Dhaka, where two of the five attackers who were gunned down at the end of the siege had studied. More recently, he had been working as a director at his father's engineering company. - Arrested on leave - The 22-year-old Khan, who is a Bangladeshi citizen, was back in his homeland while on leave from university. Police earlier this week named a Canadian citizen, Tamim Chowdhury, as the attack's mastermind, offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his arrest. The siege was by far the deadliest in a string of attacks claimed by Islamist groups which have blighted Bangladesh over the last three years. The Islamic State organisation claimed responsibility and the gunmen were pictured posing with IS flags in images posted on a website affiliated to the group. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has said however that the attack was the work of a homegrown Islamist group, insisting international jihadist networks have not got a foothold in Bangladesh. Dozens of foreigners, activists and members of minority religious groups have been killed by Islamists in Bangladesh over the last three years. Many of them, including victims of the cafe attack, have been hacked to death with makeshift machetes. Budget airline Jet2.com has become the first European carrier to ban the sale of alcohol on early morning flights. The airline has banned alcohol sales on flights before 8am in a bid to combat disruptive and abusive behaviour on board its planes. Boozing - Jet2.com has introduced the ban to combat disruptive behaviour (Picture: PA) The move, part of Jet2.coms Onboard Together campaign, will be introduced from Monday (August 8) across all of the companys bases. The airline is calling for airports and retailers to follow its lead and also ban alcohol sales before 8am. It is also calling for fully sealed bags for alcohol bought in airports to prevent the illegal consumption of personal alcohol before and during flights. Managing director Phil Ward said: We have decided to follow up very quickly on my comments made last week, by taking positive action to allow the millions of customers and families who fly with us to travel with confidence and have a great experience with Jet2.com. We believe that stopping sales of alcohol before 08:00BST on our morning flights is an effective way to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable journey. We understand that were the first of the European airlines to take this bold step and call upon industry partners in airports to also trade responsibly. Jet2.coms Onboard Together campaign aims to reduce incidences of disruptive behaviour on its flights. Since it was launched last year, it has seen more than 500 passengers refused travel with more than 50 of those given lifetime bans. Last week, new aviation minister Lord Ahmad said the way alcohol is sold in airports will be examined after a number of incidents involving drunk passengers. He said he did not want to kill merriment, but would look at the times alcohol was on sale, and passenger screening. Jet2.com said it has written to the Minister for Transport and will continue to actively consult with government bodies and MPs to engage with them on the issue. (Top Picture: Rex) The Ho-Chunk Nation has pledged their support to the victims of recent floods in northern Wisconsin and will be donating $25,000 to the Bad River Tribal Relief Fund. The decision came a day after a group of Ho-Chunk tribal leaders and employees transported donated drinking water and cleaning supplies to the Bad River Community Center located in Odanah. We are happy to be in a position to be able to provide some assistance and relief to the people of Bad River as they recover from the devastating flooding from the past week, said Henning Garvin, a Ho-Chunk Nation District 2 legislator. We are inspired to see the strength and resilience that has been displayed by our relatives to the north in meeting this immense challenge, and will continue to stand by to offer our resources to aid in the recovery. Several other area organizations and businesses contributed to the cause as well by providing over 1,000 bottles of water. An additional $5,000 worth of cleaning supplies was collected to aid in cleaning up after this flood that has been said to be the worst since the early 1900s. Beyond this $25,000 monetary donation, the Ho-Chunk Nation remains committed to assisting fellow Wisconsinites by actively supporting the Red Cross Disaster Relief program along with many other charitable organizations that aid communities throughout the region. project iceworm As if there weren't already enough reasons to worry about climate change, you can add another to your list: toxic nuclear seepage. Back in the Cold War, a lot of US defense strategy came down to placing nuclear weapons within a few minutes' striking distance of Soviet cities and bases. That led the military to consider some bizarre real estate for its silos including, for example, the moon. But one (more feasibly earth-bound) project explored the possibility of embedding ballistic missiles within Greenland's ice sheet. In 1959, the Army Corps of Engineers set up Camp Century a network of tunnels underneath Greenland's frozen surface. By 1962, the site was a full-time hub for Project Iceworm, a plan to establish a "subsurface railway" servicing 600 buried ballistic missiles. At any given time, between 85 and 200 soldiers lived and worked in the Arctic base. A nuclear reactor powered the site. Screen Shot 2016 08 04 at 2.32.49 PM When the army abandoned Camp Century in 1967, it left behind a lot of waste, some of it radioactive, beneath the ice. Assuming that barren northwestern Greenland would lie frozen forever, it didn't seem worth the effort and expense to haul it all away. A new paper in the journal Geophysical Research Letters shows that was not the wisest decision. The pace of climate change in the Arctic has far exceeded that in the rest of the world. The researchers found that meltwater around Camp Century exceeds the annual freeze, meaning that eventually all that waste will end up exposed. It could happen within just 88 years of melting at the current rate. "The question is whether its going to come out in hundreds of years, in thousands of years, or in tens of thousands of years," James White, a University of Colorado climate scientist who did not work on the study, said in a press release. "This stuff was going to come out anyway, but what climate change did was press the gas pedal to the floor and say, 'its going to come out a lot faster than you thought.'" Story continues An inventory of waste at the base found that in addition to the nuclear material at the site, building materials, oil, and years' worth of "grey water" that is, sewage pose a significant environmental hazard. And it's still unclear whether the US or Denmark, the country that controls Greenland, will take responsibility for handling the problem. Ironically, Camp Century was one of the first sites where researchers began to bring climate science into the modern era. In 1964, Willi Dansgaard was allowed to examine ice cores drilled at the site and used them to show that ice cores capture memories of our planet's climate history. NOW WATCH: The disturbing number of nuclear bombs that humans have detonated throughout history More From Business Insider (Adds Treasury statement, paragraph 7) By David Ingram and David Morgan NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Two business groups sued the Obama administration on Thursday over a crackdown on U.S. companies that try to reduce their U.S. taxes by rebasing abroad in a process known as inversion. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Association of Business filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court that said a regulation from the U.S. Treasury Department in April exceeded what the law allows the department to do. The lawsuit was the first to challenge a rule on inversion. The deals are legal, but have drawn criticism from some politicians who say U.S. companies that do them are avoiding their tax obligations. A wave of inversions largely ended after Treasury moved against the deals. The rule targeted by the lawsuit is aimed at transactions involving non-U.S. companies, such as Ireland-based drugmaker Allergan Plc that have grown through a series of acquisitions. It helped scuttle what had been a planned $160 billion combination of Allergan and U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc in what would have been the largest inversion ever. "Treasury and the IRS ignored the clear limits of a statute, and simply rewrote the law unilaterally. This is not the way government is supposed to work in America," Tom Donohue, head of the chamber, a business lobbying group, said in a statement. A Treasury spokeswoman said in a statement that its action was based on strong policy interests and clear legal authority. It said the department would continue to defend the regulations to slow the erosion of the U.S. corporate tax base. UPHILL BATTLE Lawyers with expertise in tax law have said such a lawsuit would face an uphill battle against Treasury, which has a strong record in court. The 1867 Anti-Injunction Act says that, in general, no legal challenge can be brought against a tax until it is assessed. So the administration of President Barack Obama could argue that the law bars a lawsuit for now. Story continues "I would be quite surprised if this case survived the obvious defense by the Justice Department that this is an attempt to short-circuit the regular course of tax collections," said Edward Kleinbard, a law professor at the University of Southern California. The chamber and the Texas Association of Business argue, though, that the Treasury and the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service must still follow a different law, the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). That law spells out the process agencies must follow before they impose regulations. According to the lawsuit, the Treasury rule violated the APA because Treasury lacked authority to act, its rule was arbitrary and capricious, and it did not permit public notice and comment. Allergan and Pfizer are not parties to the lawsuit, but the lawsuits cites their failed merger as an example of the harm done by the rule. Representatives of the companies declined to comment on the litigation. Pfizer is a member of the chamber and the Texas Association of Business. Allergan is a member of the chamber and the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, which in turn is a member of the Texas group, the lawsuit said. The two drug companies "would actively explore merger opportunities" if the rule were set aside, the lawsuit said. DOZENS OF DEALS Dozens of U.S. companies have done inversions since 1983, when the first such deal was completed. Treasury has periodically moved to curb the flow of deals because inversions erode the U.S. corporate income tax base. Treasury unveiled a package of rules in April meant to further discourage the deals, which typically involve a U.S. multinational buying a smaller company in a foreign country with lower corporate taxes and then rebasing there, if only on paper. Inverting U.S. companies usually leave their core U.S. operations at home, transferring only their legal tax domicile to the home country of the acquired company. Recent popular destinations for the deals are Ireland, Britain and Canada. Fast food chain Burger King inverted to Canada last year; medical technology group Medtronic to Ireland in 2014; drug maker Mylan Inc to The Netherlands that same year. The lawsuit challenges a specific rule that imposed a three-year limit on foreign companies such as Allergan bulking up on U.S. assets to avoid ownership thresholds for a later inversion. In April, Treasury defended its regulation in a statement that said it was "not consistent with the purposes" of federal law to permit a foreign company to bulk up so quickly and then enter into another inversion. Texas federal courts have been a friendly venue for groups suing the Obama administration. A judge there blocked the president's proposed overhaul of immigration. More litigation is expected in the months ahead as Treasury moves to finalize another anti-inversions rule targeting "earnings stripping," a tax-avoiding practice in which a foreign parent lends money to a U.S. unit, which sends U.S. profits back as partially U.S. tax-deductible interest. Republicans, and at times Obama, have pushed for a comprehensive tax code overhaul that would fully address inversions, but Washington for decades has lacked the political will to tackle such a complex project. (Reporting by David Morgan in Washington and David Ingram in New York; Additional reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Grant McCool) (Adds details from earnings reports, updates prices) * TSX down 34.45 points, or 0.24 percent, to 14,477.60 * Six of the TSX's 10 main groups fall TORONTO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell on Thursday as shares of insurer Manulife Financial Corp plunged after poor earnings and the exit of a major investor hurt Canadian Pacific Railway stock. Manulife, Canada's biggest life insurer, fell 5.5 percent to C$16.93 after its lower profit missed expectations and it warned of an impending charge while keeping its dividend steady. The heavyweight financials group slipped 0.8 percent. Canadian Pacific declined 3.7 percent to C$185.37, after billionaire investor William Ackman's hedge fund sold its roughly $1.5 billion stake in the railway. At 10:24 a.m. EDT (1424 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 34.45 points, or 0.24 percent, to 14,477.6. Six of the index's 10 main groups were in negative territory, amid a slew of earnings releases. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd fell 1.7 percent to C$38.77 after reporting a smaller quarterly loss as lower expenses helped offset a slump in crude prices. Earnings beats helped engineering company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc rise 2.6 percent to C$57.33 and retailer Canadian Tire Corp Ltd gain 1.2 percent to C$138.68. BCE Inc rose 0.5 percent to C$62.11 after Canada's largest telecommunications company notched strong growth in wireless. Stock exchange operator TMX Group Ltd rose 3.7 percent to C$60.86 after reporting a more than doubling of second-quarter profit late on Wednesday. Agrium fell 2 percent to C$115.25 after recording a 16 percent profit drop and lowering its profit guidance for the year. (Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Bernadette Baum) There's much more to Cara Delevingne than meets the eye. The 23-year-old British model stuns on the cover of Elle's magazine's September Issue, but it's her emotional side that shines through. READ: 19 Times Cara Delevingne Was the Most Relatable World-Famous Supermodel Ever Elle Magazine Inside the mag, Delevingne explains how yoga and Will Smith were instrumental in changing her life and career. "For me, yoga's the only way I can really feel things and check how I am," said Delevingne. "Because there is always pain somewhere, even if it's completely irrational pain, and it's always good to find it and get it out. If I don't cry pretty much every day I will hold it in, and it will manifest in me in things that are destructive, like my skin." Elle Magazine Elle Magazine Elle Magazine Last August, Delevingne opened up about her battle with depression. "All of a sudden I was hit with a massive wave of depression and anxiety and self-hatred, where the feelings were so painful that I would slam my head against a tree to try to knock myself out," she told Vogue magazine at the time. READ: Cara Delevingne Clarifies She's Not Quitting Modeling, Talks Depression: 'I Am So Lucky for the Work I Get to Do' When it comes to acting, Delevingne admitted to Elle that crying is the most challenging part of the gig. "I don't think I have ever, ever cried in front of more than one person ever, ever," she said. "Because I grew up in this very 'emotion is weak, head up, move on, onward and upward' kind of way. Which is not healthy." Luckily, Delevingne's Suicide Squad co-star helped her get comfortable tapping into certain emotions. Smith, a father of three whose eldest son is, Trey, is the same as she is, shared a parenting tool that really helped. "Will Smith was telling me he brought up his kids to put their emotions first, and when I heard that, I was just like, 'Oh my God, that sounds like a fairy tale,' because emotions should be put first. It's the most important thing," said Delevingne before adding, "No, I'm not going to start crying." Story continues EXCLUSIVE: Cara Delevingne Chops Her Hair Right Before Comic-Con Panel, Dishes on Impulsive Fresh Cut See Her New Look! Delevingne doesn't mind getting candid. She recently opened up about her 33-year-old musician girlfriend, St. Vincent, in British Vogue. Find out more in the video below. Related Articles Suicide Squad may not be a critical darling, but the cast is ready for the fans to have a say. Though the film has so far been panned -- currently sitting at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, only two percent better than the maligned Batman v Superman scored earlier this year -- star Cara Delevingne and her castmates think that audiences will have a different take when it hits theaters on Friday. "The critics have been absolutely horrific," Delevingne told Reuters at the movie's London premiere on Monday. "They're really, really horrible ... I just don't think they like superhero movies." MORE: 'Suicide Squad' Is a Step in the Right Direction for the DC Universe (and That Step Is Harley Quinn) "At the end of the day, it's the fans that we made this movie for," the 23-year-old actress added. Delevingne's co-star, Will Smith, echoed her sentiment, telling the news agency, "I think people had expectations that may have been different, but I'm excited for the fans to get to vote." WATCH: Margot Robbie Talks Permanent Tattoos She Inked on Her 'Suicide Squad' Co-Stars It's not just the cast standing behind Suicide Squad. In response to the bad Rotten Tomatoes score, a Change.org petition to shut down the site garnered more than 18,000 signatures. The drafter of the petition later suspended it, clarifying that the goal was obviously not to shut down Rotten Tomatoes, but to "deliver a message to the critics that there is a lot of people who disagree with their reviews." WATCH: Will Smith on 'Suicide Squad': 'It's a Movie About Bad vs Evil' DC Comics has had a rough go of it on the aggregator website, while Marvel movies have tended to fare much better. In response to the negative reviews, Suicide Squad director David Ayer tweeted a quote from historical Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata, that roughly translates to "It is better to die at your feet, than to live on your knees." WATCH: Ben Affleck and His Fellow Justice League Members Crash the 'Suicide Squad' Premiere in London Story continues Prefiero morir de pie que vivir de rodillas - Emiliano Zapata David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016 "Zapata quote is my way of saying I love the movie and believe in it," Ayer clarified. "Made it for the fans. Best experience of my life." PHOTOS: Jared Leto's Crazy Coat, Margot Robbie's Unicorn Dress and More of the 'Suicide Squad' Cast's Wild Red Carpet Looks! Ayer found himself in a bit of competitive hot water on Monday, when he shouted "F**k Marvel" at an audience during Suicide Squad's New York City premiere. (WARNING: NSFW language) David Ayer saying "Fuck Marvel" rt to save a life pic.twitter.com/qG6oBpJZmm maya (@jokeredleto) August 2, 2016 MORE: 'Suicide Squad' Stars Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne Can't Stop Slaying the Fashion Game "Sorry about getting caught up in the moment and saying f**k Marvel," Ayer apologized after the event. "Someone said it. I echoed. Not cool. Respect for my brother filmmakers." For the record, our take on the movie is that it's a step in the right direction for DC (although not as good as that trailer made it seem), especially for breakout star Margot Robbie. WATCH: Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne Rock Matching Track Suits to 'Suicide Squad' After-Party Meanwhile, Smith's kids are apparently not among the Suicide Squad haters! Watch the video below to see why the actor says that Willow and Jaden wanted him to stop making movies after his role in this film. Related Articles CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds are in the midst of a rebuilding process centered around their young pitching. On Thursday, they'll face St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Mike Leake, who was an integral part of the Reds' future when he was selected eighth overall by them in the 2009 draft. Leake, whom the Reds traded to the San Francisco Giants at the non-waiver deadline last July, was signed by the Cardinals as a free-agent in December. He's 8-8 with a 4.50 ERA in 21 starts this season for St. Louis. He'll be making his second career start against Cincinnati. Throughout his career, Leake has been an innings-eater who's able to limit his walks and be pitch-efficient without relying on strikeouts. His first season in a Cardinals uniform has been no different. Coming into Thursday's start at Great American Ball Park, Leake has not walked a batter in a career-high 30 straight innings, the longest active streak in the major leagues and second-longest this season. Despite his outstanding control, Leake has given up his share of runs this season. He allowed six runs and seven hits in five innings in his last start. In his only other meeting against the Reds, the 28-year old San Diego native allowed six runs and 10 hits while escaping with a no-decision in a 7-6 walk-off Cincinnati win June 7 at Great American Ball Park, where he has 34 victories. Cincinnati's starter in Thursday's finale of a three-game series is left-hander Brandon Finnegan, whom the Reds got from the Kansas City Royals last July in the Johnny Cueto trade. Finnegan has been a victim of tough luck this season, but not in his last start Friday when he tossed six shutout innings in a 6-0 win at San Diego. He has 10 quality starts but three times was the victim of a blown save and was the Reds' starter on April 21 when the Cubs' Jake Arrieta tossed a no-hitter at Great American Ball Park. Finnegan suffered a 1-0 loss on May 23 at Dodger Stadium. Story continues The Reds hope to have shortstop Zack Cozart back in the lineup Thursday after he missed two starts with a bruised right ring finger. "He did make great improvements from last night," Reds manager Bryan Price said Wednesday. "but this gives him a chance to go through more treatment and be in there tomorrow." Cincinnati won Tuesday's opener on Scott Schebler's three-run, walk-off home run. The Cardinals rebounded with a 5-4 victory Wednesday behind a pair of doubles and two RBIs by Brandon Moss, Stephen Piscotty's homer and solid relief work. The Cardinals come into Thursday's rubber game having won 18 of the past 22 series against the Reds. In the last 11 series at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati has won only three. "We've got talent out there," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "Some days it's just easier than others for whatever reason. It's never easy. Some days it's hard to get anything to go your way." It welcomed 6.89 visitors as at May 2016. The city-state's tourism industry is looking to bounce back from a dreary 2015 as it booked a 13.3% growth so far in visitor numbers. According to a report by CBRE, the increase is fuelled by a spike form the top visitor markets, most notably China. "Mainland Chinese tourists continued to show strong growth in visitor arrivals, with 55.1% increase yoy to 1.25m travelers as at YTD May 2016," the report noted. The number of Chinese visitors seem to have surpassed Indonesia, historically Singapore's largest visitor market. "For the same period, there were 1.18 mil travelers from Indonesia, a healthy 9.2% growth y-o-y," the report added. Meanwhile, CBRE said the surge in Chinese travelers was largely due to strategic partnership deals that the Singapore Tourism Board booked with Chinese online travel services. More From Singapore Business Review Chelsea Handler just got SO REAL about what she thinks victims of harassment should do Chelsea Handler just got SO REAL about what she thinks victims of harassment should do Chelsea Handler is no stranger to speaking her mind. She criticized Mariah Careys weight on Howard Sterns SiriusXM, and has called the entire country of Serbia a shame and a disappointment. via GIPHY Recently, she spoke out about TV commentator Gretchen Carlsons sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, and about how Megyn Kelly also came forward about Roger Ailes assaulting her. Chelsea argued that its always necessary to stick up for women and to speak out against sexual assault, saying it was Kelly and Carlons responsibility to speak out. She said, They did the right thing and I would expect nothing less. If youre sticking up for other women that made claims that you know to be true, then yes, it is absolutely your responsibility to confirm that. We totally agree that everyone should do everything in their power to support women, especially when they are assault survivors. But, some of Chelseas language in the interview was a bit insensitive, overlooking the varied experiences people have dealing with assault. A photo posted by Tattle Tailzz (@tattletailzz) on Jul 6, 2016 at 11:57am PDT When asked if Gretchens lawsuit was courageous on her part, Chelsea said: Did it take courage? I dont think so. I think that its your duty to come forward when somebody treats you like that. But, its not always simply a matter of coming forward as a victim, when you face tremendous pressure to stay silent, and when you fear people may not believe you or may blame you for the event occurring in the first place. As stated in Motto: While we get what Chelsea means about needing to support women, we also think its important to remember how hard it is to speak out, and to remain sensitive to that reality. The post Chelsea Handler just got SO REAL about what she thinks victims of harassment should do appeared first on HelloGiggles. (Reuters) - Debt-laden Chesapeake Energy Corp , the No.2 U.S. natural gas producer, raised its asset sales target and production forecast for the year, keeping its capital budget unchanged. The company, which has been struggling to cope with weak oil and gas prices, raised its asset sales target to more than $2.0 billion from $1.2 billion-$1.7 billion. Chesapeake said on Thursday it expected to sell "selected" Haynesville Shale acreage, located in northwest Louisiana. "Financial discipline remains our top priority, and we continue to work toward additional solutions to improve our liquidity, reduce our midstream commitments and enhance our margins," Chief Executive Doug Lawler said in a statement. The company, which had long-term debt of $8.62 billion at the end of June, said it had reduced debt by more than $1 billion so far this year. Chesapeake undertook a couple of debt-for-equity swaps, or bond swaps, this year to reduce interest payments and debt taken to fund shale development. The company raised its 2016 production forecast by 3 percent. Net loss attributable to Chesapeake's shareholders narrowed to $1.79 billion, or $2.48 per share, in the second quarter ended June 30 from $4.15 billion, or $6.27 per share, a year earlier, when it took a $5 billion impairment charge. Excluding items, the company had a loss of 14 cents per share, bigger than the 10 cents analysts on average had expected, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Total revenue more than halved to $1.62 billion, missing the average estimate of $1.93 billion. (Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirti Pandey) (Reuters) - Chevron Corp, the second-largest U.S. oil company, is selling some assets in Asia worth up to $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The company is set to start selling its offshore China assets this month, the Journal reported on Thursday. Chevron's stake in an offshore oil field venture with China's state-owned oil company CNOOC Ltd could fetch as much as $1 billion, according to the report. Chevron had disclosed in October last year plans to sell about $10 billion of assets by 2017. The oil giant is also looking for buyers for its geothermal assets in Indonesia, and is considering offers worth more than $2 billion, the Journal reported, citing sources. Natural gas field assets in Thailand are also part of the company's divestiture plans, according to the report. A Chevron spokesman said the company does not comment on rumor or speculation. Chevron shares were flat at $100.81 in afternoon trading. (Reporting by Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) CHICAGO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Prices for Chicago general obligation bonds rose in secondary market trading on Thursday as the municipal market welcomed Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to shore up the city's biggest retirement fund. The price improvement narrowed the spread over Municipal Market Data's benchmark triple-A yield scale for some Chicago bonds by about 20 basis points although the city's spreads remained hefty at 241 or 253 basis points, according to MMD analyst Daniel Berger. He added that Chicago's yield spreads over the scale are also much wider than Illinois', which has the widest spreads among the 50 states at 180 basis points for 30-year bonds. Emanuel told an investor conference on Wednesday that he is pursuing city council approval for a water and sewer tax to save Chicago's municipal pension fund from insolvency within 10 years. The rescue plan for the municipal system follows previous action by the city to boost funding for police and fire pensions through a phased-in $543 million property tax increase, and its laborers' system through a hike in a telephone surcharge. "Look the good news is that they are taking a step. This by no means solves the problems, but it is a great start," said Nicholos Venditti, a portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management. Chicago's $33.8 billion unfunded pension liability has weighed on the city's credit ratings, which span from low investment grade to "junk." "It's a positive development," said Arlene Bohner, an analyst at Fitch Ratings, which rates Chicago GO bonds BBB-minus with a negative outlook. She added the plan appears to be both sustainable and affordable, although there might be some implementation risk. In addition to city council approval, the Illinois Legislature needs to approve a new funding schedule for the pension system. John Miller, co-head of fixed income at Chicago-based Nuveen Asset Management, said the mayor's pension fix should enable the city to retain its investment-grade ratings. "The blueprint is there now," he said. (Reporting By Karen Pierog; Editing by Chris Reese) Santiago (AFP) - Chile backpedaled on a decision to ban election campaigning on social media after the ruling united politicians from both left and right in outcry. With candidates gearing up for local elections on October 23, the Chilean Electoral Service (Servel) issued a manual on the country's new electoral law that included blanket bans on campaigning via Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or newspaper websites. But politicians of all stripes united in outcry. "Servel has overstepped its limits. Its interpretation of the law is absurd. It's a serious mistake. The legislation we approved did not in any way limit campaigning via the internet," lawmaker Leonardo Soto of the ruling Socialist Party said on Wednesday. "There's been a misinterpretation," said Cristian Monckeberg, a lawmaker for right-wing party National Renewal. Hours later, the electoral authorities changed their minds. Upon further reflection, posting on social networks is private speech, not "electoral propaganda," they said. Social networks have revolutionized election campaigning around the world by giving politicians direct, instantaneous and free access to the masses. Chile's new electoral law, passed last year, replaced ones dating back to the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1998). BEIJING (Reuters) - China is to set up an anti-terrorism alliance with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, state media said on Thursday, as it seeks to boost coordination with neighbors to tackle what it says is a growing domestic militant threat. Fang Fenghui, a member of the powerful Central Military Commission which controls China's armed forces, hosted a meeting with his counterparts on Wednesday in Urumqi, capital of the western Xinjiang region, where officials say they are battling Islamist militants. The four countries recognized the serious threat of terrorism and extremism to regional stability, the official Xinhua news agency said, and they agreed to set up a "four-country mechanism" for intelligence sharing and training. "All parties reaffirmed they will cooperate to respond to these forces, and safeguard all member countries' peace and stability," Xinhua said. Afghan army chief of general staff, General Qadam Shah Shaheem, Pakistani army chief General Raheel Sharif, and the Chief of General Staff of the Tajikistan armed forces, Major General E. A. Cobidrzoda, took part in the talks, the news agency said. The meeting comes after China's defense minister this week thanked Afghanistan's Shaheem for support in fighting the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) an Islamist group that China says wants to set up a separate state in Xinjiang. China did not elaborate on the help it got. China has long been concerned that instability in Afghanistan will spill over into violence-prone Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people, where hundreds of people have died in recent years in unrest Beijing blames on extremists. The United States and the United Nations have listed ETIM as a terrorist group, though some experts have questioned its cohesiveness and say China's policies in Xinjiang have contributed to unrest. China denies that its policies stoke tension in Xinjiang or motivate Uighurs to join Islamic State militants, though it acknowledges some have gone to Syria and Iraq to join the group. China is also working with Pakistan and the United States to broker peace talks to end a Taliban insurgency that has raged for 15 years in Afghanistan. That effort never got beyond exploratory talks and appeared to break down completely when Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in May. Sources in the Taliban told Reuters that a Taliban delegation visited China in July, though Chinese officials have not confirmed it. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel) By Julie Gordon RICHMOND, British Columbia, August 4 (Reuters) - An aging mansion sits vacant on an estate outside Vancouver, the garage overtaken by a blueberry sorter and a walk-in cooler packed with the fruit. The owner, an investor from mainland China, leases the estate to Fred Liu at such a bargain the farmer grows blueberries in its fields even though the bottom has fallen out of the market. As it turns out, the same wave of Chinese wealth that has fueled real estate booms in cities like New York, Sydney and San Francisco and stoked the art market worldwide also has contributed to an unexpected glut of blueberries. Chinese investors riding a hot property market along the Pacific Coast have socked millions into a belt of protected farmland around Vancouver, long a destination for Asian immigrants, and many have taken advantage of Canadian agricultural tax breaks, agents and farmers said. Because much of the land is restricted to farming, rents have remained stubbornly low. Veteran farmers and entrepreneurial newcomers have snapped up the cheap leases, eager to cash in on the blueberry's ascent as a super food and the promise that a trade deal with China would open the worlds second-largest economy to fresh Canadian exports. But demand has yet to meet bullish projections. Delayed trade negotiations and a surge in global blueberry production have prevented China's rising middle class from eating enough of the British Columbia bumper crop that Chinese investors helped sow. The result: a bubble for Vancouver area farmland and a bust for berries. Prices for rural property near Vancouver have surged hitting, in one recent deal, 230 times the per-acre average for Canadian farmland. And blueberry prices have collapsed, dropping to less than C$1 per pound at peak season, half what some growers said they were getting a few years ago. Norm Letnick, British Columbias agriculture minister, said he doesn't see it as a glut, and he downplayed the sharp price drop at packing houses. Growers may be doing better at roadside stands, he said. "Because they don't have a middle man, they might be making very good net profit." For many farmers, that view misses the bigger picture. "Rich people, they can buy the farms, but they don't want to do the farming," said Liu, who grows organic berries for export to Asia. "It's very, very, very cheap to lease their farmland." But, he said, "farmers are not getting rich." A LAND RUSH About half the listings in recent years for smaller farms and nearly all the larger ones near Vancouver have been purchased by buyers with ties to mainland China, agents said. Canada doesnt track the nationality of property owners, and British Columbia only began doing so in June. It reported 18 percent of sales in recent weeks in Richmond, home to one of the most well-established Chinese communities in Canada, were to unspecified foreign nationals living abroad. Chinese nationals with resident status in Canada were excluded. The buying spree has set records. A 4.5 acre blueberry farm with no house sold late last year to a Chinese investor for C$2.58 million ($1.97 million), or C$573,000 per acre. Nationwide, farmland averages C$2,460 per acre, according to Farm Credit Canada. The British Columbia Blueberry Council, a trade group representing hundreds of growers, said much of the interest was from Chinese business people who see berry farms as an export opportunity, much like those who have bought vineyards in recent years to export British Columbia wine to China. Real estate agents said some Chinese nationals were looking at the redevelopment potential, viewing farms as lottery tickets that would pay out if urban sprawl one day forces officials to scrap strict prohibitions. "They're playing the long game," said agent Michael Lu. Others have built luxurious estate homes with an eye toward retirement and surrounded them with berries. TAX BREAKS Owners cut their taxes by using the land for farming, often leasing it out to local growers. Owners like blueberries because they are pretty and easy to maintain, especially compared to the provinces No. 2 produce export mushrooms. Discounts vary by municipality, but, across the province, farmland is taxed at lower rates, so long as it earns at least C$2,500 a year from crops. In Richmond, for example, a 4-acre farm with a basic house paid taxes of C$1,025 per year, according to a 2014 Metro Vancouver study. The same plot, without farm classification, would pay C$10,511 annually. "If it's not farmed, the taxes are going to be high," said Dale Badh, a real estate agent and berry farmer. British Columbia growers also are playing a long game but not by design. The province produces 80 percent by value of fresh blueberries exported by Canada, the worlds No. 2 producer. Like farmers elsewhere, they went big into blueberries, encouraged that the touted health benefits would stoke the market. They also were banking on trade talks with China. A China cherry deal, finalized in 2014, boosted export values 70 percent in one year. Newcomers have leased plots from absentee landlords because they can't afford to buy their own, and long-established farm families have rented additional plots because they are cheap. Together, they pushed British Columbias blueberry yields up 71 percent from 2010 to 2015. But the trade talks dragged on for nearly a decade. A deal, finally reached late last year, is expected to boost the provinces fresh exports to China up from C$24,466 in 2015 to C$65 million - eventually. In the meantime, British Columbia's blueberry growers are doing what they can to hang on. Farmer and packer Humraj Kallu has stopped buying from other growers because it's all he can do to sell what he produces. "I'm dealing in only my berries," he said, adding: "Farming is not the most viable thing in B.C." ($1 = 1.3071 Canadian dollars) (Additional reporting by Elizabeth Dilts; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson and Lisa Girion) A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer was convicted of subversion and sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday, the court said -- adding that he thanked President Xi Jinping for his leadership. The proceedings against Zhou Shifeng, director of the now defunct Beijing Fengrui law firm, was the third such trial this week as Communist authorities crack down on dissent. Fengrui defended victims of sexual abuse, members of banned religious groups and dissident scholars, among others. It was at the centre of the "709 crackdown" -- named for its central date in July 2015 -- which saw more than 200 activists and lawyers detained for involvement in cases considered by the the ruling party. Zhou was convicted of "subverting state power" and jailed for seven years, the Second Intermediate People's Court in the northern city of Tianjin said in a statement posted on its official social media account. Since 2011, Zhou had "attacked the socialist system" online and verbally, and used Fengrui as a platform to challenge the government, endangering national security, the judge said. Zhou pleaded guilty and said he would "never appeal", adding that the ruling would would "stand the test of history" for its fairness, footage of the trial from state broadcaster CCTV showed. The court said he thanked late paramount Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping for reforms that made his "development" possible. "The second person I would like to extend my gratitude to is Chairman Xi Jinping," it cited him as saying. "His national strategy to implement the rule of law has made China stronger." The declarations attributed to him were in marked contrast to his previous career, which included numerous politically sensitive cases. In 2008, he sued one of the countrys largest dairy producers on behalf of a victim of the notorious contaminated milk powder scandal, in which six children died and some 300,000 were sickened. Story continues Under Zhous leadership, Fengrui defended artist Ai Weiwei, Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti -- sentenced to life in prison for separatism -- and rights activist Cao Shunli. Zhou was the third 709 detainee to be tried in Tianjin this week. The spate of hearings was a "political charade" with no chance of fair trial, Roseann Rife of campaign group Amnesty International said in a statement, adding the defendants' "fates were sealed before they stepped into the courtroom". - 'No benefit' - Zhou's trial was held under air-tight security, with scores of police and plainclothes personnel -- identifiable by small gold star pins -- stationed for blocks around the court, clustered every few yards. Traffic was cut off and journalists diverted from the site before being closely trailed -- even into toilets at a nearby shopping mall. Men and women in the street pretended to wait for buses or eat lunch, before filming outsiders on camcorders and phones. Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court saying that more than 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and "civilian representatives from all walks of life", as well as mainland and overseas media outlets, were present at Zhou's proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly watched and forcibly being kept away from the court or seeking further information. In a video posted privately online, Wang Qiaoling, the wife of Li Heping, another detained 709 lawyer, said she and others had been confined to their homes. In a social media post, the Tianjin court said Zhou had twice stated in writing that he did not want his relatives to attend his trial. It included a photo of what it said was a letter he had handwritten, signed and fingerprinted, reading: "Given that my family members are all farmers who are not very well-educated, having them come to the court to attend my hearing would be of no benefit to either me or them." AFP was not given access to the court Thursday, and only court-appointed defence lawyers were present. Zhou's trial followed those of activists Zhai Yanmin and Hu Shigen, who were both found guilty of subverting state power by the same court. Zhai was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence -- considered relatively lenient by the standards of Chinese dissident prosecutions -- for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans. Hu, a prominent dissident and writer who previously spent 16 years in prison for trying to organise memorials for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings, was on Wednesday given seven and a half years, with the court stating he had sought to foment "colour revolution". Following North Korea's latest round of audacious ballistic-missile tests, the 15-member UN Security Council met at Japan's request on Wednesday. A simultaneous launch of two "No Dong" intermediate-range ballistic missiles near the western city of Hwangju was detected by US Strategic Command (STRATCOM). One of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the other was tracked over North Korea before ultimately landing in the Sea of Japan. "The missile landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone. There was no warning whatsoever," Japan's UN ambassador, Koro Bessho, told reporters. "It is certainly a major, major problem for the security and safety of our region." norte North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined that the missiles posed no threat to the US. But, according to a statement, NORAD, STRATCOM, US Northern Command, and US Pacific Command would "remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the launch as a "grave threat" to Japan and said Tokyo "strongly protested." Japan also said its self-defence force would remain on alert in case of further defiant launches from the rogue nation. The US State Department condemned the Hermit Kingdom's launch, saying it violates "multiple UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea from using ballistic missile technology." "What our focus has been is working with other like-minded partners in the region, certainly that includes China, in trying to ensure that these sanctions are implemented to the full extent possible so that the DPRK, the North Korean regime, feels the squeeze," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said. missile defense THAAD Story continues Meanwhile, China, Pyongyang's closest ally, said the missile tests have expanded since the bilateral decision between Seoul and Washington to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to the region. "If you look at the factors contributing to the tension in the Korean peninsula I think the answer is self-evident," China's UN ambassador, Liu Jieyi, said. Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN, denied that deployment of THAAD provoked North Korean missile tests and reaffirmed that the antimissile system will protect the region. "Any notion that there's some predicate by anybody other than Kim Jong Un and the DPRK regime is not grounded in reality and it's not grounded in history," Power told reporters after the closed-door meeting, in reference to the North Korean leader. According to South Korea's UN ambassador, Oh Joon, North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests and has fired 29 various rockets. As one of most advanced missile-defense systems in the world, THAAD interceptors are able to identify and obliterate incoming enemy threats both inside and outside of the atmosphere. Last month, South Korea's defense ministry said the THAAD will be located in Seongju, in the southeastern part of the country. In conjunction with the US, Seoul plans to have the unique air-defense system operational by the end of 2017. thaad sk map Following that announcement, the Hermit Kingdom fired three ballistic missiles that had a range (between 300 and 360 miles) capable of reaching all of South Korea. And at the end of July, the North held a ballistic-missile test simulating a strike on South Korean ports and airfields, where US military forces have a heavy presence. Currently the US maintains approximately 28,500 troops in South Korea. Pressure to deploy THAAD was spurred after Pyongyang tested its fourth nuclear bomb on January 6 and then launched a long-range rocket on February 7. Despite North Korean aggression, US Army Secretary Eric Fanning told reporters last week that the annual war games between the US and South Korea will commence next month. Reuters contributed to this report. NOW WATCH: Meet THAAD: Americas answer to North Korean threats More From Business Insider Shanghai (AFP) - Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines has completed a $450-million purchase of nearly a quarter stake in Brazil's third largest airline Azul, according to a statement issued Thursday, as its parent HNA embarks on an overseas investment binge. The deal, originally announced in November, gives Hainan Airlines a 23.7 percent stake in Azul, making the Chinese company the Brazilian firm's single largest shareholder, the statement said. "We view Azul as a strong and lasting partner for HNA to explore further expansion and capital investment in Latin America," Adam Tan, chief executive of Hainan Airlines' parent HNA Group, said in the statement. HNA, a conglomerate with interests in aviation and tourism, said in May it was buying a 13 percent stake in airline Virgin Australia. It also announced the same month that it was taking a share of Portuguese national airline TAP. In July it declared that a $1.5 billion offer it made for Swiss airline catering company gategroup had been successful. Hainan Airlines will cooperate with Azul in areas including code sharing, route development, marketing and cargo transport, the statement said. "We look forward to working together to create a seamless travel experience between Latin America and China," said Tan. Hainan Airlines' stock was down 0.88 percent by midday on Thursday in Shanghai trading amid a fall in the overall market. The Chinese government has encouraged the nation's companies to invest overseas to open up new markets, especially as economic growth has slowed at home. Another Chinese conglomerate, privately-owned Fosun, said on Saturday it had agreed to buy Brazilian investment management firm Rio Bravo, marking its first equity acquisition in Latin America Clint Eastwood is clearly not going "any which way but loose" in his political beliefs, backing Donald Trump and slamming the real estate mogul's critics in a new interview with Esquire magazine. The Oscar winner said Trump is onto something, because secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now." Read: Ivanka Trump Says She's Still Close With Chelsea Clinton Because They Don't Discuss Politics The actor, who once portrayed a racist codger in the 2008 film Gran Torino, also said that people need to just f***ing get over the GOP presidential candidates racist remarks. But everybody the press and everybody's going, 'Oh, well, that's racist,' and they're making a big hoodoo out of it. Just f***ing get over it. It's a sad time in history, Eastwood said. The Fistful of Dollars star said: "We're really in a p***y generation. Everybody's walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren't called racist. All these people that say, 'Oh, you can't do that, and you can't do this, and you can't say that.' I guess it's just the times... What Trump is onto is he's just saying what's on his mind. And sometimes it's not so good. And sometimes it's I mean, I can understand where he's coming from, but I don't always agree with it." The famed actor, who served as the mayor of Carmel, California, in the 80s, hasnt publically endorsed Trump. However, between the billionaire and Hillary Clinton, Eastwood said he would vote for Trump. Read: Bipartisan Folly: History's Most Memorable Political Convention Madness The Pale Rider actor said: Shes declared that she's gonna follow in Obama's footsteps. There's been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle. She's made a lot of dough out of being a politician. I gave up dough to be a politician. I'm sure that Ronald Reagan gave up dough to be a politician. Story continues Eastwood, an outspoken Republican, turned heads four years ago at the RNC when he spoke to an empty chair during his keynote address. The actor claimed it was to symbolize Obamas empty presidency. Watch: 'The Devil' Wears Pantsuits: Donald Trump Steps Up Attacks on Hillary Clinton Related Articles: Los Angeles (AFP) - Actor and director Clint Eastwood has defended Donald Trump over accusations of racism, and revealed he's leaning towards voting for the Republican presidential nominee. The 86-year-old acknowledged that the tycoon's incendiary rhetoric has been "dumb" at times but added that people were "making a big hoodoo out of it" and should "get over it." In an interview with Esquire magazine published Wednesday, Eastwood said people were getting "tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now." "We're really in a pussy generation. Everybody's walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren't called racist," he added. Trump, who trails Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in national polls ahead of the November general election, has repeatedly claimed that federal judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is handling a lawsuit against the now-defunct Trump University, is biased against him because his parents were born in Mexico. He has inflamed the political establishment with a campaign promising to build a wall along the border with Mexico, branding Mexicans criminals and insulting women and Muslims. Plain-spoken Eastwood stopped short of endorsing Trump but said when asked who he'd vote for between the reality TV star and Clinton: "I'd have to go for Trump." No stranger to controversy, the "Dirty Harry" star made a bizarre cameo at the 2012 Republican convention, veering into a surreal conversation with an imaginary President Barack Obama in an empty chair. A raucous roar went up from the thousands of delegates as the actor and director grilled the imaginary Obama for failing to revive a flagging economy. But his rambling performance sparked derision on social media among Democrats and neutrals alike, who said the multiple Oscar winning director of "Million-Dollar Baby" and star of Westerns like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" had lost his marbles. Story continues When the Politico news website asked Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt to comment on Eastwood's speech, he replied: "Referring all questions on this to Salvador Dali." Eastwood acknowledged that the "silly" stunt was one of his decisions that troubles him most. He explained that he was waiting backstage, listening to Neil Diamond's "I Am, I Said," and became worried that his speech was just a bland, unremarkable endorsement of GOP nominee Mitt Romney. Suddenly he heard Diamond sing "And no one heard at all/Not even the chair." "And I'm thinking, that's Obama. He doesn't go to work. He doesn't go down to Congress and make a deal. What the hell's he doing sitting in the White House?" Eastwood told Esquire. "If I were in that job, I'd get down there and make a deal." So he decided to turn his speech into a diatribe, berating the head-of-state. Eastwood, a former Republican mayor of his Californian hometown Carmel, is currently directing the movie "Sully," which stars Tom Hanks and hits theaters in September. In 2016, can Hillary Clinton be the candidate of the hacker crowd? That was the question posed at a fundraiser Wednesday at the annual Black Hat security conference, an affair that brings thousands of hackers and deep-pocketed security firms to the Nevada desert to learn about the latest and greatest in computer exploits. Amid a program packed with technical presentations on computer security, the fundraiser represented an unusual addition and has had a polarizing effect on some long-time attendees of the conference, who consider the event for Clinton out of step with the conferences hacker ethos. A conference that begins, for example, with a presentation on Memory Forensics Using Virtual Machine Introspection for Cloud Computing really shouldnt end with a partisan political event, some Black Hat veterans privately groused Wednesday. And for these old-timers, who reminisce about the conferences heyday in the late 1990s, when glitzy corporate sponsorships and booths didnt dominate the event as they do now, a Clinton fundraiser seems the final deathknell for the events counterculture status. Jeff Moss, the founder of the Black Hat conference, hosted the fundraiser alongside Jake Braun, a former Obama administration official now advising the Clinton campaign on cybersecurity issues. Moss said this election is a time for the hacker community to get decisively involved in policymaking around information security. Policy is coming for us, and were going to have to be ready for it, or its going to get done to us, Moss said. Donald Trump may be helping to push hackers toward Clintons embrace. Reports that operatives working on behalf of Russian intelligence stole emails and other data from Democratic National Committee servers and possibly passed them to WikiLeaks for publication have dominated talk in the conventions hallways. The Clinton camp claims the Kremlin released the messages to boost Trump, whose foreign-policy pronouncements on issues like the future of NATO and the sovereignty of Crimea have been warmly received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Story continues Braun told a crowd of about three dozen (along with a sizeable contingent of journalists), that the DNC breach may be just the beginning. Russia, he said, has attempted to manipulate elections in neighboring states and may go after electronic voting machines in the United States. Whos to say they arent going to do it here? Braun wondered. Thats something that this community should be deeply concerned about. Brauns warnings about Russian operatives tampering with the vote count comes as a slew of current and former officials have cautioned about risks to electronic voting machines. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday that his department is actively thinking about election cybersecurity. In a letter last month, a boldfaced group of former American national security officials warned that our electoral process could be a target for reckless foreign governments and terrorist groups. But that threat to the voting system represents just one vulnerability in an era of pervasive computer insecurity. Personal health and financial records, credit card data, government background checks theyre all fair game for hackers. And they are increasingly prompting legislative efforts at a fix, raising the political stakes for those about to get legislated. For many in Silicon Valley, a kind of disconnect has marked the relationship between Washington and the tech industry in recent years. Most recently, the federal government has fought to gain access to encrypted data over the vociferous objections of tech firms and security experts. Silicon Valley has also waged a high-pitched battle with the federal government over an obscure arms control regime that many in the security research industry believe would criminalize their work. And in 2012, the tech industry cried bloody murder over the Stop Online Piracy Act as a dangerous attack on free speech and succeeded in killing the measure. A future Clinton administration, Braun said, needs experienced hands to handle these issues, but whether hackers are ready to embrace Clinton remains unclear. The former secretary of state has a fairly strong record on internet freedom issues. She helped steer money toward online tools designed to protect dissidents and human rights activists. But as these tools, such as Tor and encrypted messaging tools, have been embraced by the Islamic State, the political calculus has shifted on questions of internet freedom. When Egyptian political activists required anonymous access to the web, it was a political no-brainer to support them. When the Islamic State uses the same tools to plot terror attacks, its less advantageous. Asked by the security researcher Collin Anderson whether this shift would change Clintons stance on the issue as president, Braun offered assurances that Clinton would seek to protect human rights. On encryption issues, Clinton has walked a careful line, saying Silicon Valley and Washington need to work together to determine when the government should be able to access encrypted data. When asked Wednesday where Clinton stands on an issue that has united Silicon Valley, Braun dodged the question. But facing a deeply unpopular opponent who appears to know little about technology Trump has, for example, called for closing down parts of the internet in response to the Islamic States propaganda successes Clinton appears content to rally what support she can get, rake in fundraising dollars, and position talent for a future administration. The tech trade publication Recode has called her tech platform a love letter to Silicon Valley, and Clinton has already pulled in at least $2.6 million in donations from tech industry workers. On Wednesday, she garnered at least another $20,000 in Vegas, according to Braun. Photo credit: SCOTT OLSON/Getty Images Washington (AFP) - On paper, the Clinton Foundation looks unimpeachable: a charitable organization dedicated to improving millions of lives through education and health. However, it remains mired in suspicions about conflicts of interest involving the Democratic candidate for the White House. Three months before the US presidential election, Hillary Clinton's opponents accuse her almost daily of having used her influence as secretary of state in 2009-2013 for the benefit of the foundation her husband and former president, Bill, founded in 2001. "When will we see stories from CNN on Clinton Foundation corruption and Hillary's pay-for-play at State Department?" Clinton's Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump, recently tweeted. He had already called for the the woman he taunts as "Crooked Hillary" to repay millions of dollars of Saudi donations to the foundation. In mid-July, more than 60 Republicans in Congress urged the FBI and the IRS to open an investigation into an organization they consider "lawless" and the subject of "significant issues of public corruption," according to their letter, obtained by AFP. Clinton has consistently dismissed the accusations. "There's absolutely no connection between anything that I did as a secretary of state and the Clinton foundation," she said on Fox News late last month. - Generous donors - Unsurprisingly, the attacks have focused on the financing of an organization whose resources have soared by almost 475 percent in a decade to exceed $337 million, according to its internal audits. Its generous donor contributions -- $217 million in 2014 -- have prompted controversy, especially those from foreign governments: Saudi Arabia ($10 to $25 million), Kuwait (up to $10 million), Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (up to $5 million), according to the foundation's figures. Multinational companies -- Coca-Cola, Barclays, General Electric among them -- have also supported projects of the foundation which boasts having facilitated access to HIV treatment for 11.5 million people. Story continues Although the donations -- the dates of which are unclear -- involve no known illegal act, some argue they were granted in exchange for a sympathetic ear among the US authorities. In an article published in 2015, the New York Times suggested that the State Department, headed by Clinton at the time, approved -- along with other departments of the US government -- the Russian nuclear power agency's acquisition of a major Canadian company, Uranium One, some of whose shareholders were major donors to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton's supporters have dismissed the accusations as unfounded. - Opacity - But the case revealed an inconvenient fact: some donations were not made public, contrary to commitments Clinton made before taking up her post at the State Department in early 2009 and leaving the foundation at the same time. A December 2008 memorandum obliged the foundation to reveal the name of new donors for approval by the State Department in order to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. However, that rule was ignored for a contribution of $500,000 by Algeria in 2010, The Washington Post reported in February 2015. The same year, the foundation admitted "mistakes" in its tax returns, prompting another volley of sometimes surreal suspicions. On Monday, Trump's campaign team accused the Clinton Foundation of having accepted a donation from a business with links to the Islamic State group -- the French group Lafarge, which was active in territory controlled by the jihadists, Le Monde newspaper reported. "People who don't like the Clinton will make up a reason to attack the Clinton Foundation," said Daniel Borochoff of Charity Watch, an independent group that observes humanitarian organizations, adding that donations from foreign countries are common. If Clinton is elected president in November, however, the foundation will have to make changes to head off the suspicions, her husband said in June. "You have to be careful to avoid actual or potential conflicts of interest," he said. The Clinton Foundation did not respond to numerous requests for comment from AFP. Berlin (AFP) - European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday rejected Austria's call for the EU to end membership talks with Turkey, warning that it would be a grave error. Turkey's longstanding, and recently revived, bid to join the EU has already been hit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's suggestion that he may reintroduce the death penalty after the July 15 attempted putsch. But after Austria raised the prospect of slamming the brakes on membership talks, Juncker called for calm. "If one gives the impression to Turkey now that, no matter what, the EU is not ready to take in Turkey, then I would say that is a serious foreign policy mistake," Juncker told German public broadcaster ARD. "I don't think it would be helpful if we were to unilaterally end negotiations with Turkey," he said, adding that such decisions can only be made with unanimity from all member states. "I don't see this willingness among all member states at this point in time" to break off talks, he said. At the same time, Juncker acknowledged that Turkey has work to do in order to meet membership conditions set by the bloc. "Turkey cannot be a member of the European Union in its current state, and especially not if it decided, as some have warned, to reinstate the death penalty. That would lead to the immediate breaking off of negotiations," he warned. Erdogan's suggestion that he may reinstate capital punishment, as well as other human rights concerns over the broad crackdown following the failed coup, have frayed ties between Turkey and the EU. Ankara had signalled that it could ditch a controversial deal with the EU to halt migrant flows to Europe, if the bloc failed to meet its promises including granting visa-free travel to Turks as well as accelerating membership talks. Juncker himself had warned last week that the pact was at risk of breaking down. - 'Anti-Turkey attitude' - Story continues Austria ratcheted up tensions Thursday when Chancellor Christian Kern called for the EU to discuss ending accession talks with Turkey. "We have to face reality: the membership negotiations are currently no more than fiction," he told the Die Presse newspaper. "We know that Turkey's democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession." Asked by public broadcaster ORF whether he wanted to halt the talks, Kern said he would initiate a debate on the matter at a summit of leaders on September 16. Austrian Defence Minister Hans-Peter Doskozil meanwhile compared Turkey to a "dictatorship", adding that "such a state has no place in the EU". "The time has come to... clearly say that the EU's negotiations with Turkey have to be suspended or ended," Doskozil told the Austria Press Agency in an interview published Thursday. Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik called Kern's comments "extremely disturbing". "Criticism is a democratic right but there must be a distance between criticising Turkey and anti-Turkey attitude," he said. "Such statements do no harm to Turkey, but they harm Europe's values and future," Celik later tweeted. "Suggesting to halt Turkey's negotiations is not defending EU values. It only pleases far-right in Europe and the coup plotter terrorists." Turkey's EU membership bid dates back to 1963, with its formal application made in 1987 and negotiations starting in 2005 In Wisconsin, Green Bay Police Department Capt. Kevin Warych has heard enough about the creepy clown, thank you very much. Its Halloween for this guy. People are going nuts about it. Read: Girl, 12, Claims Fictional Clown Ordered Her To Stab Stepmother to Death, Set Home On Fire On a Facebook page called Gags, there are grainy, out-of-focus photos of a very tall, very weird-looking clown clutching a bouquet of black balloons. He is supposedly wandering around Green Bay in the middle of the night, frightening or freaking out members of the general populace. A few have called police, who cant do much because its not a crime to walk around in a clown suit at any time of the day or night, Warych said. Its crazy. I cant believe its gone around the country, he said. Read: Mystery of Creepy Clown Revealed One local reporter said it was really a publicity stunt for a low-budget horror film being shot in the area, Warych said. Which would make certain sense, since the clown looks very much like the demonic, wigged menace of Stephen Kings It. Were getting calls saying A clowns walking South Broadway at 2 a.m., Warych said, laughing. People should be sleeping at 2 a.m. Watch: Man Can't Explain Why He Was Pulled Over In Clown Costume Related Articles: Trujillo (Colombia) (AFP) - Ferney Santa knows how hard it is to start over. He was forced to flee his home twice by fighters in Colombia's long civil war. That's why he is now ready to reconcile with combatants in the conflict that turned his life upside down, as they demobilize in a historic ceasefire. The farmer, now 51, and his family were driven from their home in Trujillo, in the Cauca Valley in western Colombia. In 1998 it was fighters of the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) that chased them out. In 2005 it was a right-wing militia. "We had to struggle to survive," he said. But he wants to help former fighters return to normal life as he did. At last he has an opportunity to do so. The Colombian government has signed a landmark disarmament deal with the biggest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). It hopes to do the same with the ELN. The sides hope June's ceasefire and disarmament deal soon will be followed by a full peace accord. If a final agreement is reached, the FARC's demobilization will go ahead. "People need to get out of the armed groups in order to work and earn a living. Life as a fighter cannot be very good," Ferney Santa said. He is one of the many victims of the country's half-century conflict who will have to learn to live alongside former fighters. "Soon, when they sign the peace agreement, we will not have to worry about those groups anymore," he said. "As long as they are willing to work, we can work with them." - No vengeance - One of his neighbors, coffee grower Alba Santa -- no relation to Ferney -- fled with her family in 1990 after receiving threats from right-wing paramilitaries. "They accused us of helping the guerrillas." She ignored the threats, she said, until "people started to disappear" in the area. They went to live with one of her cousins in another town. "I hope that what we lived through at that time never happens again. But those people deserve a second chance," Alba, 62, said of the armed groups. Story continues "We were very afraid and everything, but we do not seek revenge on those people." - Seven million displaced - Colombian authorities estimate that nearly seven million people have been displaced during the conflict, which started as a peasant uprising in 1964. The United Nations says that is the highest number of internally displaced people in any country in the world. If thousands of former FARC fighters demobilize over the coming months as hoped after a peace deal is signed, Colombia will have to start to heal painful divisions. As well as preparing to reintegrate the fighters, the state is working to return displaced people's land to them. "You can have the biggest military force in the world, but if you don't manage to generate income for these families, their children will very easily get involved in illegal activity," said Ricardo Sabogal, director of the state Land Restitution Unit (URT). "To make sure this conflict never happens again, you have to generate sustainable income, housing and qualifications," he told AFP. In the Cauca Valley, the URT has so far handed back 7,200 hectares (nearly 18,000 acres) of land out of a total 189,000 that the courts have ordered to be returned to the displaced. The region was ravaged by fighting from the late 1980s to 2013. It was a strategic route for drug trafficking which fueled the conflict. Some 328,000 people were displaced in the region, authorities say. Now the area around Trujillo is "free of armed groups," Lieutenant Colonel William Fernando Caicedo, commander of an army battalion patrolling the zone, told AFP. With the help of the URT, Alba Santa has expanded her farming activity to include livestock and fish. "Everything is much better here. You no longer see the armed groups," she says. "Perhaps now God wants the war to end." Bogota (AFP) - The Colombian government and FARC rebel group will sign a peace agreement after the guerrillas hold a final internal conference to approve the historic deal, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Wednesday. "The signing will officially take place after the (tenth) FARC conference, where they will receive the mandate (from their troops) to also sign," he said at the presidential palace after a meeting with political leaders. The conference of the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is set to take place before Colombians also vote to approve the deal in a popular referendum greenlighted by the country's constitutional court last month. The government and FARC are in the final phase of four years of talks that it is hoped will result in a peace deal putting to an end a half-a-century of conflict. The rebels last month signed a ceasefire and disarmament deal with the government, with the aim of becoming a political party. It would take "around 15 days to three weeks" between the time the final agreement is agreed and the rebels approve it, Santos said. The guerillas' conference would be their last before their dissolution, the president said, because "the peace agreement ending the conflict means the end of the FARC as an armed group." The previous FARC conferences, held periodically since the group's inception in 1964, have been called to discuss new policies. Negotiators for the two sides meeting in Havana have yet to decide how judges presiding over a special tribunal to hear cases about those involved in the conflict will be elected. They must also determine how and when former rebels will be able to take part in politics, as well as work out their reintegration into civilian life and the scope of an amnesty, among other issues. The sides have already reached partial agreement on agricultural development, drugs trade and reparation to victims. Former President Alvaro Uribe, who is leading the "No" referendum vote campaign, said on Wednesday that the deal would give the guerillas "total impunity." Story continues However, analysts say some 70 percent of voters support "Yes." The Colombian conflict started in the 1960s as a rural uprising for land rights that spawned the communist FARC. It has left 260,000 people dead, 45,000 missing and nearly seven million displaced, according to official figures. (The writer is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.) By Mark Miller CHICAGO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Relief may soon be on the way for more than 2 million Americans who face big cuts in their Social Security benefits simply because they worked in government jobs that come with a pension. The reductions stem from two little-understood rules, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Both are designed to prevent double-dipping from Social Security and public-sector pensions. The cuts in benefits can be very sharp. Under the WEP, a worker retiring this year who might otherwise receive a $976 monthly Social Security benefit could see that chopped to $548, according to the Congressional Research Service. The GPO can result in even sharper cuts to spousal and survivor benefits. "These are grossly unfair laws," says Jessica Klement, legislative director for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, one group that has lobbied to get rid of WEP and GPO. Legislation has been introduced in both chambers of Congress that would repeal both WEP and GPO, but the plan that seems to have traction takes an incremental approach and focuses on WEP only. The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2015, sponsored by Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican who chairs the powerful Ways and Means Committee, initially aimed to reduce the WEP penalty by 50 percent. But a revised version that surfaced in July pushes that relief back to 2026 and would only reduce the penalty by 14 percent, averaging $77 per month for future retirees. If applied in 2016, the proposal would help about 1.25 million beneficiaries. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association would prefer full repeal but supported the original version of Brady's bill. And the group is pushing back on the revisions. "Full repeal is the holy grail," Klement said. WEP affected 1.7 million beneficiaries at the end of 2015, according to the Social Security Administration, while GPO impacted about 652,000. Story continues WHY WEP AND GPO? Why would government workers be treated differently from everyone else? The answer begins with the way that Social Security benefits are distributed across wage-earners with varying incomes. Social Security's benefit formula is progressive; workers with low average lifetime earnings get a higher benefit amount compared with their earnings than people who are better paid. The formula does not distinguish between workers who had low wages and those who worked for part of their careers in jobs not covered by Social Security. Many federal and state jobs are outside the system because they are covered by government pension plans. The WEP aims to eliminate the high benefit return these workers get on their Social Security income when they are not really low-income. The impact of the WEP is reduced for workers who spend 21 to 29 years in Social Security-covered work, and it is eliminated entirely for those who spend 30 years or more in such jobs. For federal employees, the WEP applies only to workers who started their federal employment before 1983, were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System and did not contribute to Social Security. The provision does not apply to people covered by the newer Federal Employees Retirement System, which is a defined contribution plan. Those workers contribute to Social Security. WEP and GPO make some sense to policy folks but look unfair to beneficiaries, who believe they are entitled to the full benefit earned in private-sector work - full stop. Moreover, the cuts can come as a surprise when workers file for benefits. Until 2005, no law required employers to tell workers they were affected. Even now, they must only inform new workers of the possible impact on Social Security benefits earned in other jobs. The annual statement of benefits issued by the Social Security Administration has included a description of the possible impact of WEP and GPO since 2007; for workers who are affected, the statement includes a link to an online tool to help them calculate the impact (http://bit.ly/2aTCFvG). People who have worked only in jobs not covered by Social Security get a letter indicating that they are not eligible. If you think your Social Security benefits might be affected by WEP or GPO, check out this page of resources on the topic from the Social Security Administration (http://bit.ly/2axfdBK). (Editing by Lauren Young and Lisa Von Ahn) A man convicted of rape was spared from caning by Justice Chan Seng Onn due to ischemic heart disease. (Yahoo photo: Safhras Khan) A man convicted of rape had his caning sentence remitted after he was found to be suffering from ischemic heart disease. Ow Siew Hoe, also known as Ow-Yong Siew, had his medical condition made known to the High Court on Thursday (04 Aug) through his lawyer Ramesh Tiwary. Ow pleaded guilty to one charge of rape in March this year and was sentenced to 12 years jail and 12 strokes of the cane in June. A self-styled medium, Ow had confessed to raping a woman on the pretext of exorcising ghosts from her body in February 2014. The woman had met up with him after she claimed that her house was haunted and sought his help. Ow had asked the woman to go to his Bukit Batok flat where he gave her holy water that caused her to get drowsy. It was then that he raped her. Deputy Public Prosecutor David Khoo had pressed for an additional 12 months imprisonment in lieu of caning, saying Ow had committed a serious crime and that his disease was not critical. Khoo urged Justice Chan Seng Onn, who had sentenced Ow in June, to look at the aggravating factors of the case, adding that an additional 12 months imprisonment in lieu of caning would serve as a deterrent to Ow. However, Ows counsel argued that his client is already serving a long-term sentence and had pleaded guilty from the onset. He will be 50 later this year and even with remission, he will be old when he comes out, said Tiwary. Justice Chang, in passing his judgement, agreed that 12 years imprisonment is enough for Ow and remitted the caning sentence without adding a further jail sentence. HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba reported on Wednesday two new cases of residents contracting the mosquito-borne Zika virus locally, in a setback for the Caribbean country that has taken a series of measures in an attempt to stave off the epidemic. Since the current outbreak of Zika in Brazil last year, where it has been linked to hundreds of cases of a rare birth defect, it has spread rapidly through the Americas. But Cuba, renowned for its preventative health campaigns, took a series of measures to eliminate the Aedes strain of mosquito that carries Zika, drastically reducing infestations. It had only reported one locally-contracted case until now. "Last Aug. 1, two new locally contracted cases of the Zika virus were diagnosed, corresponding to residents in the city of Holguin who had not traveled abroad, which brings the total up to three," the Health Ministry said in a statement published by state media. The ministry said the patients remained hospitalized, in a good state of general health, and with a "favorable evolution". It added it was investigating the affected area to identify the possible existence of new cases and was continuing the fight against the Aedes strain of mosquito. Cuba has called out the military to help fumigate, activated neighborhood watch groups to check there is no standing water, where the insects breed, instituted health checks at airports and other entry points to the Caribbean island, among other measures. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Michael Perry) ATHENS (Reuters) - Cyprus will deport a "radicalized" Austrian man suspected of being a security risk by Interpol, authorities said on Thursday. The 28-year-old man was detained on Wednesday at a checkpoint in the capital Nicosia in an area straddling a ceasefire line dividing the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The man, whom police sources said was traveling alone, was crossing from the Turkish to the Greek side when he was stopped by Greek Cypriot police for a routine passport check. "His name was on a list of suspects for terrorism," said Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, who said the man had been "radicalize". The man would be deported to Austria, Nicolaou said. Poland's Interpol branch had the man on a suspect list. The man, who has not been charged or identified, told authorities he was planning to visit an Islamic shrine on the south coast of Cyprus. Thousands of people, including tourists, use Cyprus's checkpoints to cross daily from one side to the other. The crossing where the man was stopped is one of the busiest. Authorities on both sides have beefed up passport checks in the past year. (Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Janet Lawrence) And ex-Keppel agent says managers backed bribes. Singapore Exchange Ltd. will make a formal offer for the Baltic Exchange by the middle of this month in a move that could see another historic London marketplace end up in foreign hands, two people involved in the matter said Wednesday. Read more here. Singapores largest bank was supporting Swiber Holdings Ltd. until just before the troubled oil services company said it was unable to pay its debts. DBS Group Holdings Ltd. provided a bridging loan to Singapore-based Swiber shortly before it filed for liquidation, the bank said in an e-mail late Tuesday. Read more here. The worlds largest builder of offshore oil rigs has seen investments plummet in one of its most important markets. A major client, Sete Brasil Participacoes, has entered bankruptcy protection. Then last month a former agent fanned the flames of an ongoing corruption investigation by saying in court that the Singapore-based companys top managers authorized him to pay bribes to win work with state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA. Read more here. More From Singapore Business Review Follow @drewsilv and @Rotoworld_BB on Twitter. It appears that Aaron Nolas first full major league season is going to end with a whimper. The 23-year-old right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a right elbow sprain and Phillies manager Pete Mackanin indicated to the media that his young starter is doubtful to return this season. Either as a precautionary measure -- which would make sense given where the Phillies are and what Nola means for their future -- or because this injury is pretty serious. Nola had been scheduled to take the mound Wednesday night against the Giants, so the Phillies had to execute an emergency callup of Phil Klein to handle that turn instead. Klein was hammered for four earned runs on eight hits over five innings in a loss. Nola got off to a tremendous start this season and entered the second week of June with a 2.65 ERA and 85/15 K/BB ratio in 78 innings, but everything fell apart quickly from there and hell finish 2016 (presumably) with a season ERA of 4.78. He posted a dreadful 9.82 ERA and 36/14 K/BB ratio over his final 33 frames. Philly maintained throughout that rough stretch that there was nothing physically wrong with the 2014 first-round pick, but that obviously doesnt seem right now. His fastball velocity had been fluctuating for the past few months and it fell to a season-low in his last start, when he gave up three runs on eight hits in just five innings versus the lowly Braves. Further tests are coming for Nola over the weekend. Lets hope this doesnt lead to major surgery. Jake Thompson is expected to take the vacant spot in the Philadelphia rotation, with Klein heading right back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. Thompson, a consensus top-100 prospect leading into the 2016 campaign, has registered a 2.50 ERA, 1.095 WHIP, and 87/37 K/BB ratio in 129 2/3 innings this season at the Triple-A level. The 22-year-old right-hander could have matchup-to-matchup fantasy streaming appeal down the stretch. Story continues Yanks Youth Movement Continues With Sanchez Were going to use our young kids, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters on Wednesday, two days after one of the biggest trade deadline sell-offs in franchise history. That quote applies directly to top catching prospect Gary Sanchez, who was promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre late Tuesday night and contributed a single and a run scored to the Yankees 9-5 defeat of the crosstown Mets on Wednesday. Sanchez served as the Yankees designated hitter in that one, but hes expected to get regular starts at catcher down the stretch with Brian McCann shifting to more of a DH-oriented role. That pushes Alex Rodriguez further down the Yankees bench. Sanchez was batting .282/.339/.468 with 10 home runs, 21 doubles, and 50 RBI in 71 games this season at the Triple-A level. He had also racked up seven stolen bases, but thats probably not going to be a big part of his game moving forward. The 23-year-old is a powerful hitter moving into an everyday-like gig in a power-friendly home park and he plays a position where it can be difficult to find production. Theres a lot to like here for fantasy purposes -- long term obviously, but also for this years stretch run. Sanchez is going to play a lot. McCullers Disabled, Musgrove Promoted In Houston Lance McCullers was pulled from his start Tuesday night against the Blue Jays after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with whats being called a mild elbow sprain. He will be shut down for the next two weeks, and the Astros plan to be pretty cautious from there with the 22-year-old budding star. "We'll know more in the next couple weeks, manager A.J. Hinch told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday. What I can tell you is he's not going to do any throwing for two weeks, we'll reevaluate him and hopefully he'll be feeling better and we can build him back up." Taking his spot in the rotation this Sunday against the Rangers will be 23-year-old right-hander Joe Musgrove, who struck out eight batters over 4 1/3 scoreless innings Tuesday in relief of McCullers. That was Musgroves major league debut. Musgrove, a supplemental first-round pick (46th overall) in 2011 out of a California high school, had a 2.74 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 87/10 K/BB ratio in 85 1/3 innings this season between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno. We probably wouldnt advise using him Sunday versus Texas, but hes probably going to get several turns in the Houston rotation and there will be better matchups down the road. National League Quick Hits: Mets placed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right quad Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (wrist) remained sidelined Wednesday Andrew McCutchen, batting just .241 with a .719 OPS in 97 games this season, will be rested until Friday Mets GM Sandy Alderson said Wednesday that it doesnt look good for Lucas Duda (back) returning this season A.J. Pollock faced live pitching Tuesday for the first time since fracturing his right elbow Zack Cozart was absent again Wednesday against the Cardinals due to a bruised right ring finger A.J. Ramos blew a save in brutal fashion Wednesday as the Marlins fell to the Cubs Dodgers lefty Brett Anderson (back) allowed two unearned runs over four innings Tuesday in a rehab start with High-A Rancho Cucamonga Max Scherzer struck out 11 batters while allowing three earned runs over eight innings Wednesday in a win over the Diamondbacks Cardinals pitching prospect Luke Weaver has been promoted from Double-A Springfield to Triple-A Memphis Yangervis Solarte went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, three total RBI and four runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Brewers Dodgers starter Rich Hill (blister) tested his finger by throwing a bullpen session on Wednesday Pirates outfielder Matt Joyce hit a three-run homer and walked Wednesday to raise his OPS to .983 Cubs placed starter Jason Hammel on the bereavement list Wednesday, but he is expected to return in time for his next scheduled start Ivan Nova is scheduled to make his Pirates debut at home Saturday against the Reds Clayton Kershaw (back) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday, meaning he cant return before August 27 Francisco Cervelli was held out of the Pirates lineup Wednesday with a possible concussion Jose Reyes (oblique) is expected to be ready to return from the disabled list on August 10 Phillies infielder Andres Blanco expects to have the pin removed from his fractured left index finger in two weeks Tyson Ross (shoulder, ankle) threw about five pitches off the mound Tuesday Diamondbacks infielder Nick Ahmed (hip) is scheduled to visit a specialist in New York early next week Julio Urias joined the Dodgers bullpen on Wednesday. American League Quick Hits: X-rays turned up negative on Hanley Ramirezs jammed left wrist and he is considered day-to-day J.D. Martinez hit a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday to down the White Sox in his first game back from the disabled list Rays shortstop Matt Duffy, out since June with an Achilles strain, will resume his minor league rehab assignment Thursday with High-A Charlotte Francisco Liriano's first start with the Blue Jays will come against the Royals on Friday Mark Teixeira launched a three-run homer Wednesday in the Yankees defeat of the Mets Troy Tulowitzki remained absent from the Blue Jays starting lineup on Wednesday night against the Astros Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier drilled a three-run homer and finished 2-for-4 with a stolen base Wednesday night against the Royals Angels slugger C.J. Cron (hand) has received medical clearance to resume hitting Mike Napoli homered in his fifth consecutive game Wednesday night against the Twins James Jones will try to convert himself from an outfielder into a reliever Byron Buxton was held out of the Twins starting lineup again on Wednesday due to a tweaked right knee Orioles manager Buck Showalter expressed pessimism Wednesday that Joey Rickard (thumb) will be able to return before September Josh Donaldson hit a pair of solo homers Wednesday against the Astros Angels starter Nick Tropeano needs Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery Marco Estrada limited the Astros to one run in seven innings and struck out seven Wednesday in a win White Sox outfield prospect Charlie Tilson will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn left hamstring on Thursday Angels released outfielder Craig Gentry. WINONA, Minn. A new law in Minnesota requires college students to complete online training in preventing sexual violence, and requires colleges to keep and release more detailed records of those cases. But with fall classes beginning later this month, officials at Winonas three colleges say they dont need to change much to conform with the law that steps theyve taken in the past few years have put them ahead of the curve. We were really in compliance already, said Lori Mikl, Title IX coordinator at Winona State University. For the student training, for instance, Mikl said the school will simply need to make its voluntary program a mandatory one. The law requires students complete the training within the first 10 days of school or eventually face discipline, most likely a hold on their record. We had encouraged students to do it, Mikl said. But theres other things a student would rather do. Officials at the citys other two colleges Saint Marys University of Minnesota and Minnesota State College Southeast say the changes at their respective campuses wont be major. They, too, have been offered voluntary training. They point to other existing infrastructure teams of counselors, confidential reporting systems and strong relationships with local law enforcement as evidence theyve been moving in the right direction. Weve had a pretty robust program to address sexual assault the past couple years, said Ann Merchlewitz, an administrator and the Title IX coordinator at Saint Marys. Weve gotten a lot of good feedback from students who have gone through the process. The new law, proposed by state Rep. Marion ONeill last year and passed at the end of the 2015 legislative session, is meant to reduce the number of sexual assaults on college campuses, and to improve the handling of those cases by strengthening ties between colleges and law enforcement. It pushes colleges across Minnesota to be more transparent in recording sexual violence, requiring them to release the number of cases they investigate and the number of cases that result in discipline. It also requires colleges to implement online reporting systems, and requires campus administrators and security officers to complete their own training program. ONeill, who said three of her children were in college when she proposed the bill, argued that campuses needed to modernize the way they address sexual violence. Its a very comprehensive law that attacks the problem from a lot of different angles, she said. The goal is to reduce incidences, hold victimizers accountable, empower the victims by giving them more options, and also hold the schools accountable. Nate Emerson, an administrator and the Title IX coordinator at Minnesota Southeast, said the law is the latest in a string of laws that address campus safety. He said colleges were recently allowed to share case information with one another, looking for trends and turning away predators who are likely to offend again. If theres a predator out there, he said, they used to just pop up at another school. Now theres certain things we can do so that doesnt happen. The goal is to reduce incidences, hold victimizers accountable, empower the victims by giving them more options, and also hold the schools accountable. State Rep. Marion ONeill DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / August 4, 2016 / Recently, a Baltimore police officer named Edward Nero was found not guilty of assault in connection with the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Mr. Gray died of injuries while in police custody during a ride in a Baltimore police van, points out Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms. The prosecution's legal theory was very unusual. They claimed that the police did not have probable cause to arrest Freddie Gray, that they were therefore not authorized by law to arrest Gray, and that the arrest of Gray was therefore an assault. One of the prosecutors told the judge that the State believed that a police officer commits assault by arresting someone without probable cause even if the officer reasonably believed he had probable cause for the arrest. Officer Nero's criminal defense attorneys said that they couldn't find any Maryland case in which this theory has been used. Top criminal lawyer Helms poses this question: "Could this legal theory work in Texas? That is, if a police officer arrests someone without probable cause in Texas, does that mean that the officer could be charged with assault?" The answer is that Maryland and Texas have very different legal frameworks when it comes to the crime of assault. In Maryland, a statute passed by the state legislature, called the Maryland General Assembly, defines the crime of assault. However, there is no statute that defines defenses to assault, such as self-defense. Instead, a Maryland law says that Maryland allows any legal defense recognized by its courts. See, Maryland Code, Title 3, subtitle 2, section 3-209 This leaves it up to judges to define defenses to assault. As far as assaults by police officers during an arrest, there are few, if any, Maryland cases that deal with the standard of conduct involved in an arrest. This leaves the playing field open for an unusual theory like the one used in Officer Nero's case. Texas does it differently. Our laws specifically define a law enforcement officer's defense to an assault charge when making an arrest. Section 9.51 (a) of the Texas Penal Code provides that a "peace officeris justified in using force against another when and to the degree [the officer] reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to make or assist in making an arrest or search, if(1) [the officer] reasonably believes the arrest or search is lawfuland (2) before using force, the [officer] manifests his purpose to arrest or search and identifies himself as a peace officerunless he reasonably believes his purpose and identity are already known by or cannot reasonably be made known to the person to be arrested." Story continues In other words, in Texas, even if an officer lacked probable cause to make an arrest, the officer does not commit an assault if the officer believed he had probable cause and his belief was reasonable. Maryland law simply does not have this kind of clarity, adds attorney Helms. I believe that the prosecution of Officer Nero would not have occurred if Maryland law was as clear as Texas law. Instead, an officer was put through the incredible stress of a criminal trial only to be found not guilty, and members of the community that wanted a guilty verdict to avenge the death of Freddie Gray were given unrealistic expectations and let down by a not guilty verdict. Prosecutions of police officers can be emotional and polarizing. I know. I successfully represented former Dallas Police Officer Mark De La Paz in the first "Fake Drugs" trial in Dallas. The not guilty verdict in that federal trial was met with both relief from some and anger from others. I will never forget, though, what it felt like to hug Mark and his wife when the jury found him not guilty on all counts. If you or a loved one has been charged with assault or other crime, such as drug possession, fraud or even DWI call Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms at 214-666-8010 or contact him through his website. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102874298661508534943/+JohnHelmsLawFirmDallas Press Contact: John Helms 214-666-8010 source: http://johnhelms.attorney/dallas-criminal-lawyer-offers-insight-freddie-gray-prosecution/ SOURCE: John Helms Law Firm via Submit Press Release 123 mercury shortlist The Mercury Prize shortlist for 2016 nominees has been announced. The Hyundai Mercury Prize honors the last year of British albums, with the nominees chosen by a board of British critics and industry figures, and their list for 2016 is very strong. Including Anohni with Hopelessness, Radioheads A Moon Shaped Pool, David Bowies Blackstar, and Skeptas Konnichiwa, there are some undoubtedly fantastic albums up for the prize this year. The Mercury voting system is changing for 2016 to incorporate fan input, with votes from the public determining one album making the final shortlist which will include five records as chosen by the judging panel. In a statement, the judging panel said, This is music to make sense of our unsettling times heartfelt, angry, thoughtful and thrilling. The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize Albums of the Year are marked by their musical ambitions, unexpected instrumentation and breathtaking arrangements. Previous winners of the award include Benjamin Clementine, James Blake, PJ Harvey, the XX, Portishead, Antony and the Johnsons, and Arctic Monkeys among many others. Check out the full shortlist below and have your say here. Hyundai Mercury Prize 2016 Shortlist: Anohni: Hopelessness Bat For Lashes: The Bride David Bowie: Blackstar Jamie Woon: Making Time Kano: Made in the Manor Laura Mvula: The Dreaming Room Michael Kiwanuka: Love & Hate Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool Savages: Adore Life Skepta: Konnichiwa The 1975: I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it The Comet Is Coming: Channel the Spirits More from Pigeons & Planes David Huddleston, the burly comic actor who specialized in playing blustery characters like the Big Lebowski in the legendary Coen Brothers 1998 film, has died. He was 85. Huddleston, who portrayed another blowhard - Mayor Olsen Johnson, one of the many Johnsons in town - in the Mel Brooks comedy classic Blazing Saddles (1974), died Tuesday of heart and kidney disease in Santa Fe, N.M., his wife Sarah told The Hollywood Reporter. In The Big Lebowski, inspired by the noirish work of Raymond Chandler, Huddleston played a multimillionaire (or so he appeared) who shared the last name of the film's protagonist, the hippie Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges). Julianne Moore portrayed his daughter. In a career of more than 60 films, his breakthrough role came as a vicious gang leader with a sense of humor in Robert Benton's first film, the Civil War-set Bad Company (1972). Huddleston also appeared opposite John Wayne in Rio Lobo (1970) and McQ (1974), with Jimmy Stewart in Fools' Parade (1971), opposite Bette Davis in the telefilm Family Reunion (1981) and with Gregory Peck in Billy Two Hats (1974). He also played the title role in Santa Claus (1985). He once said that Blazing Saddles was "probably the most fun I have ever had on a set." "It was a great privilege to work with David Huddleston on Blazing Saddles," Brooks said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "His performance was sublime. He helped make all those Johnsons of Rock Ridge immortal. He was one of a kind and will be greatly missed." Huddleston also appeared as a judge in the 2005 film version of Brooks' The Producers. Huddleston received an Emmy Award nomination in 1990 for his guest-starring stint as Grandpa Arnold on The Wonder Years; produced and starred in his own series, 1979's Hizzoner, for NBC; and played a senator on NBC's The West Wing. On the stage, he said that his crowning achievement was playing Benjamin Franklin on Broadway in 1998 in a revival of 1776 and again at Ford's Theatre in Washington in 2003. He also received a Drama Desk nomination in 1984 for his portrayal of Charlie in Death of a Salesman, and he portrayed Chef James Beard in a one-man show at the Rainbow & Stars. Story continues A native of Vinton, Va., Huddleston spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy and four years in the U.S. Air Force. He took advantage of the G.I. Bill to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he graduated in 1957 and made his professional theatrical debut. His wife noted it wasn't surprising to see such great pals as James Cagney, Ralph Bellamy, Harry Morgan or Pat O'Brien hanging out in his home. He once asked Cagney, "What's the best advice you can give me on acting?" and Cagney replied, "Try never to get caught at it, kid." In 2012, Fork Union Military Academy made him one of only 14 alumni to be honored in its 100-year-plus history. In addition to his wife of 32 years, survivors include his son Michael and daughter-in-law. Read more: Blake Krikorian, Entrepreneur Who Founded Sling Media, Dies at 48 Read more: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2016 Jasons Deli A small deli chain was just named one of the most profitable restaurant chains in the US. Jason's Deli was No. 2 on QSR Magazine's ranking of the average sales per unit of the 50 biggest brands in the quick-service industry. The deli chain only trailed behind industry champion Chick-fil-A. While the chain has just 260 locations, a single restaurant made an average of $2,664,000 in sales in 2015. That's six time as much as deli rival Subway, with average unit sales of just $424,300. Average unit sales are a key measure of success in the restaurant business. Long-time leader of the list, Chick-fil-A, proves just how important the figure is for measuring growth the chain's high average sales per restaurant allowed it to become the No. 1 chicken chain in the US by sales, despite having less than half of the number of restaurants as rival KFC. Jason's Deli The first Jason's Deli was opened in 1976, in Beaumont, Texas. The chain is known for its deli classics: soups, sandwiches, and salads. Since 1980, chain's signature sandwich has been the Muffaletta, a New Orleans favorite made on crusty, grilled bread. Jason's Deli salad bar Jason's Deli has a more extensive menu than most fast-food or fast-casual chains, however, with pasta, baked potatoes, chicken nuggets, and even a full salad bar. We love each other like we love ice cream! #howdoyouswirl #engaged #jasonsdeli A photo posted by Alli Dickey (@allidickey) on Jul 9, 2016 at 12:52pm PDT on Jul 9, 2016 at 12:52pm PDT Also notable: the chain serves up free soft serve ice cream to all customers. Despite its basic deli feel, the chain has doubled down on nutrition in recent years. Holy Baked potato! #thecravingsarestronginthisone #yumm #lunch #bakedpotatoallday #jasonsdeli A photo posted by dag45678 (@dag45678) on Aug 1, 2016 at 12:02pm PDT on Aug 1, 2016 at 12:02pm PDT In 2005, the chain debuted its vegetarian menu and stopped using partially hydrogenated oils. Since then, the chain has cut MSG, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors and dyes from the menu. The chain has also launched gluten-sensitive and vegan menus. Story continues Jason's Deli As the chain updates its menu, it has also begun to update its technology. In 2015, the company launched drive-thru concept Jason's Express, and in April, announced it had begun a test of delivery with DoorDash. Part of the reason why Jason's Deli's average unit sales are so impressive is because menu prices are simply higher than competitors like Chick-fil-A and McDonald's. However, as sandwich standbys such as Subway struggle, the ongoing success of Jason's Deli could signal that the chain has the potential to win over Americans in search of a new deli. NOW WATCH: The secret ingredient to add to your grilled cheese More From Business Insider donald trump Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee Katie McGinty takes issue with Donald Trump's recent description of her state's capital as a "war zone." In an interview with Business Insider on Wednesday, McGinty characterized Trump's comments about Harrisburg as reductive, saying his criticisms would not help him win over voters in Rust Belt states the Republican presidential nominee says he'll win handily. "Donald Trump is ultimately going to fail to fool people who he is trying to fool," McGinty said when asked about Trump's comments. "He's out of touch with both the struggle as well as the successes of a place like Pennsylvania," added McGinty, who is taking on Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in November's election. "In terms of successes, we're extremely proud to have some of the best colleges and universities not only in the country, but in the world." McGinty also said Trump's restrictive trade policy and pro-manufacturing posturing was hypocritical, considering that he produced some of his own consumer products overseas. "He's got a lot of bluster and rhetoric, but his record demonstrates he doesn't have a clue beyond that," she said. "Anybody who makes his shirts in China and his ties in Bangladesh has nothing real and genuine to offer. The working families who are looking for a shot at a good-paying family they need jobs. And Donald doesn't have a clue about that." Trump's original comments about Harrisburg sparked immediate backlash among Pennsylvania officials. In a statement earlier this week, Harrisburg's director of communications, Joyce Davis, knocked Trump for "disparaging" the city. "Mr. Trump has made an unfortunate mistake in disparaging Pennsylvania's capital city after a mere glance from the window of his airplane," Davis said. "Harrisburg is renowned as the heart of our commonwealth and a capital of unique beauty and charm. Mr. Trump should know that Harrisburg and its residents are an integral part of the United States, which he is vying to lead." Story continues McGinty is one of several down-ballot Democratic candidates locked in tough races with Republican incumbents across the country. The Democratic Senate candidate has repeatedly attempted to tie Trump to Toomey, who has not endorsed Trump and has attempted to run as a moderate on issues like gun control. Recent polls show the race virtually tied, with some recent surveys conducted after the Democratic National Convention giving McGinty a slight lead over Toomey. "The campaign season hasn't even really started, and Pennsylvania is already saying, loudly and clearly, that the Trump-Toomey ticket is completely unacceptable," McGinty's communications director, Sean Coit, said in a statement on Thursday. "It probably doesn't help that Donald Trump, just in the last week, said that Pennsylvania is 'rusting and rotting' and that Harrisburg looks like a 'war zone,'" he added. "That's the guy Pat Toomey wants to be our president, so his poll numbers are just going to get worse." Ted Kwong, communications director for Toomey, fired back in a statement provided to Business Insider. Kwong said that "Trump is wrong about Harrisburg," but "even worse, McGinty was wrong when she called Pennsylvanians who live outside of Philadelphia 'misinformed.' "In the wake of Katie McGinty's disastrous and profane debut at the DNC, Pennsylvania voters will continue to learn about her extreme liberal positions, like supporting the reckless Iran nuclear deal that sent $150 billion to the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism," he added. "In contrast, Pat Toomey is the only candidate in this race with a record of bipartisan achievements and endorsements." NOW WATCH: Clinton released this anti-Pence ad 15 minutes after he was announced as Trump's VP pick More From Business Insider The Dept. of Justice's antitrust office has issued a statement explaining the reasons it believes 100 percent licensing, or "full-works licensing," is required under the consent decree. Songwriters and music publishers, as well as the U.S. Copyright Office, have voiced vehement opposition to the mandate since word of the DOJ's rule change first came down in June of last year. Previously, songwriters and the performance rights organizations (PROs) that represent them - primarily ASCAP, BMI and SESAC - were only allowed to license the portion of a song they controlled to users, like Spotify, of those works, in what's called fractional licensing. Under the new rule, any co-author or PRO of a song can license that entire ("full") work. Digital services have countered publishers' and songwriters' oppositions to the change by saying it doesn't change in any practical way how their businesses operate. "As our investigation proceeded," the DOJ writes in a statement released this morning, "we discovered that there was significant disagreement in the industry about what rights must be conveyed by the blanket licenses (as well as other categories of licenses) that the consent decrees require ASCAP and BMI to offer." It went on to say "Some argued that, in order to effectuate the purpose of the consent decrees, the blanket license must grant licensees (also called 'users') the right to publicly perform all songs in the ASCAP and BMI repertories. Others believe that the blanket licenses offered by ASCAP and BMI instead confer only rights to the fractional interests in songs owned by ASCAP's and BMI's members and that music users must obtain separate licenses to the remaining fractional interests before playing the songs." In the end, the DOJ concluded only full-work licenses could fulfill the meaning and purpose of the consent decrees. "We think the evidence favors the full-work side," the DOJ said. As for fears that licensees would shop for rate discounts, the DOJ said, "In the unlikely event that a user obtains a license from only one PRO, that PRO would have reason to increase the rate for the license to account for the full share of all the songs" it oversees. Regarding its interpretation that the consent decree requires ASCAP and BMI to accept full-works licensing, DOJ says it wrestled with whether the consent decrees imposed in 1941 continue to serve the purpose for which they were put in place, concluding that the consent decrees should remain in place. But it believes that the protections provided by the consent decrees could be addressed through a legislative solution that would also bring performance rights licensing under a similar regulatory umbrella. "The [Antitrust] Division encourages the development of a comprehensive legislative solution that ensures a competitive marketplace and obviates the need for continued Division oversight of the PROs," it concluded. UPDATE: BMI quickly announced that it was taking legal action to challenge the 100 percent licensing decision. The PRO has sent a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton requesting a pre-motion conference. This article first appeared on Billboard.com. As publishers and songwriters continue to sharply criticize the U.S. Dept. of Justice's mandate, expected to be officially released soon, that performance licenses for music follow a rule of 100 percent licensing, which allows any songwriter to license the entire song and not, in what's called fractionalized licensing, just their portion of it as has been the case for some time. Highlighting songwriters and publishers' dismay, a group of songwriter organizations sent a letter on July 27, made available to Billboard this week, to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting that she personally review the actions of the DoJ, which performance rights organizations will be required to abide by. Attorney General Loretta Lynch Says Dept. of Justice Position on Licensing, Consent Decrees Isn't Finalized The letter to Lynch was signed not only by U.S.-based songwriter organizations but also international organizations including the European Composers and Songwriter Alliance, the Songwriters Association of Canada, the Pan-African Composers & Songwriters Alliance, and the Alianza Latinoamericana de Compositores y Autores de Musica. In it, the groups write that the DoJ's proposed mandate is "naive and dangerous" to individual songwriters. DoJ lawyers, they write, "do not understand, and appear to have little concern for, how music is created. We are not multinationals making refrigerators or operating television stations. We are not airlines or telecoms. We don't have stockholders. We have ourselves, our talent and usually a few people with whom we work to help us realize our creative vision." Digital services like Spotify, however, contend that these stakeholders are making a mountain out of a molehill. While publishers initially went to the DoJ seeking an amendment to the consent decree that would allow for partial digital withdrawal from the PROs' blanket license -- so that publishers like Sony/ATV and Universal Music Publishing Group can negotiate direct licenses with digital services while still enjoying the benefit of the PRO's blanket licenses for all other types of licensees -- and to allow the PROs to issue both mechanical and performance licenses -- currently the PRO's only issue performance licenses and the ASCAP consent decree prohibits from doing mechanical licensing, while BMI has long contended that it's consent decree doesn't prohibit from engaging in mechanical licensing -- to interactive services that require both. They also requested the costly and time-consuming rate court process be changed instead to arbitration. Story continues "The DoJ heard what the publishers had to say," says Paul Fakler, an attorney with Arent Fox LLP, who represents different types of broadcasters in the DOJ review (terrestrial, cable, and satellite radio), "but when they looked into the facts, it wasn't always as the publishers said it was." ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews on Fighting Back Against the Department of Justice's Licensing Ruling 'Games of Thrones'-Style There are three main issues, among others, that publishers and songwriters have often cited since they first learned of the DoJ's impending mandate -- and digital services have a rebuttal to all of them. RATE SHOPPING The first fear cited by publishers is that 100 percent licensing will allow licensees to rate shop and get a low rate from one PRO, forcing others to compete. But digital services and their lawyers say that is far-fetched. Fakler contends that services will still need licenses from all three PROs and that the rates paid out currently already take into account what percentage of catalog each PRO controls. "The payments from services to PROs are based on the math that ASCAP and BMI each control 45 percent of songs and SESAC and GMR are another 10 percent," says an executive with one digital service. "How will the DoJ mandate change that?" The answer, according to that executive, is that it won't. Despite controlling a relatively small portion of the music, "you can't forego a SESAC license," Fakler says. "You would never have a viable music service unless you had a license from all three PROs." ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. PAYING OUTSIDE OF YOUR PROVIDER Songwriters and publishers fear that they will now have to pay songwriters who are not a part of their PRO; or at the very least collect money from the licensee and turn over a portion to another PRO. While digital services and their lawyers say the way things operate now -- with fractional payments -- takes care of that problem. The Only Certainty Is Uncertainty: What the Dept. of Justice's Decision Means for Music Publishing Under the new rule, the licensor is liable if the other songwriters aren't paid, songwriters and publishers argue. The nonpayment to all songwriters is already such a problem that there are class action lawsuits going on against digital services like Spotify. But, services' lawyers counter, there is a way to work around that problem. Whichever PRO or songwriter does 100 percent licensing to a service can put in the contract requiring the service to pay the other songwriters and PROs and indemnifying the licensing PRO, those lawyers say. BUT WHAT ABOUT CROSSING THE POND? But what of songs written in Europe and other places, where copyright is structured differently? When a European songwriter's PRO has an agreement with its American counterpart PRO to license a work, only that specific counterpart can license that song. Publishers say all of these foreign works may have to come out of the blanket license. "The DoJ was very clear that the PROs will get a year to fix whatever the publishers think needs to be fixed," says one digital service executive. In fact, that executive contends, "the DoJ is doing the publishers a favor of giving them a year to fix whatever needs fixing without fining them for violations of the consent decree." BMI and ASCAP could go to European PROs America and establish agreements around 100 percent licensing for songs written or co-written by songwriters outside of the States. At least one in the c-suite agrees with the digital services. The CEO of a prominent music publishing company tells Billboard that his sector of the industry is "overplaying" the situation. "The DoJ decision is not a key issue of the magnitude of the YouTube battle and the safe harbor issue," he says. A deadly fungal disease called white-nose syndrome is wreaking havoc on North American bat populations, spreading farther and faster last year than ever before, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Surveys National Wildlife Health Center. The result: a severe, accelerated loss of bats in the United States, with populations in some caves falling 90 to 100 percent. That could have significant consequences for both the United States economy and its food supply, according to David Blehert, a U.S. Geological Survey white-nose syndrome researcher based in Madison, Wisconsin. Bats are major predators of insects, and it has been estimated that they provide pest control services to U.S. farmers valued at greater than $3.7 billion per year, said Blehert. Globally, bats are also important seed dispersers and pollinators. White-nose syndrome is caused by the fungus P. destructans (Pd) and is named for the distinctive white fungus that tends to collect along infected bats muzzles. It has killed more than 6 million hibernating bats in North America since the winter of 20062007, when it was first detected on a bat in a cave near Albany, New York. White-nose syndrome has spread to 29 statesup four states since fall 2015as well as five Canadian provinces. This year scientists have detected Pd in 32 states and five Canadian provinces and in more caves than ever. White-nose syndrome leapfrogged to the West Coast when in March it was detected in a dead bat found in Washington state. How is the disease spreading so far, so fast? Turns out, people might be partly to blame. RELATED: This Cave May Hold the Secret to Ending the Scourge That's Killing Bats The fungus thrives in cold, damp caves, where it readily disperses spores. The spores can survive for years in soil, water, and bat guano. If a human enters [a cave] contaminated with Pd, that individual may accumulate infectious spores on their clothing, gear, or shoes, which creates risk for transferring the fungal pathogen to new locations, said Blehert. Story continues Bats contract white-nose syndrome from either their environment or direct contact with other bats. That bats naturally cluster together when hibernating helps facilitate the spread of disease during the winter months they spend hanging from the ceilings of caves. On a bat, white-nose syndrome colonizes skin tissues, causing severe skin lesions and an accumulation of snow-like white fungal fluff on the muzzlethe diseases namesake symptom. The disease also causes bats to engage in erratic behaviors that disrupt hibernation, resulting in dehydration, starvation, and death. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends that anyone who spends time in cavesusually researchers and recreational cavers called spelunkersfollow the agency's white-nose syndrome decontamination protocol. The elaborate procedure involves the washing of bodies, clothes, vehicles, and equipment. Some cavers skip it, spend less time in caves, or simply stop caving altogether, said Jennifer Foote, white-nose syndrome liaison for the National Speleological Society, a national caving association. A lot of us have reduced the amount of cave trips and gear we bring into caves because we have to consider the time and damage to our gear caused by decontamination, says Foote. It has made it more stressful than relaxing to go out and enjoy nature. In an effort to quell the spread of disease, the Fish and Wildlife Service, with the support of the U.S. Geological Survey and state wildlife agencies, restricts access to caves where white-nose syndrome have been detected. Over the past seven years, scientists have made significant strides in understanding the pathology of white-nose syndrome and why North American hibernating bats are most vulnerable to disease. Genetic research on the white-nose syndrome fungus and affected bats have played a big role in that understanding: On Wednesday, experts at the U.S. Geological Survey announced the strain of the disease found in the sick Washington state bat was genetically similar to strains found in the Eastern United States. Scientists say this could be evidence that humans spread the disease west across the continent, rather than it being brought to the U.S. from Asia, another possibility they had considered. Yet they havent been able to stop the syndrome, and the long-term effects of a massive bat die-off are not well understood. What is certain: We cant live without these winged creatures. Take the Pledge: Keep the Iraq and Syria Regional Crises in the News! Related stories on TakePart: 5 Photos That Reveal the Amazing Nature of Bats The Secret of Bat Flight Revealed Taking Fruit Bats off the Dinner Menu Will Help Stop Ebola Original article from TakePart By Rosalba O'Brien SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The proportion of Chileans who are optimistic on the country's future has fallen sharply, and many take a dim view both of the current government and potential successors, two polls showed on Thursday. The percentage of Chileans who said their country was going "in the correct direction" fell to 18 percent last month from 41 percent a year and a half ago, according to a CERC-Mori poll. Approval of the government was at 25 percent, the lowest since President Michelle Bachelet began her second non-consecutive term in March 2014. A separate poll by GfK Adimark indicated approval for the center-left leader at 22 percent, the same as last month's historical low. The once-popular Bachelet was swept into power pledging to raise taxes and overhaul education, pensions, the electoral system and labor relations. But a sharp fall in the price of copper has hit investment hard in Chile, the world's top exporter of the base metal. At the same time, a series of corruption scandals has left Chileans angry at the political and business elite. Bachelet has been caught between a right-leaning opposition, including some from her own coalition who say her reforms are damaging the country's weakened economy, and a left-wing that says they do not go far enough. One-time Bachelet mentor Ricardo Lagos, who ruled Chile in the 2000s, told La Tercera newspaper last week that the country was going through its worse institutional crisis since the 1973-1990 dictatorship. "In no moment since 1990 has there been a conjunction of such negative economic and political perceptions as there is at this time," said the CERC-Mori poll. The two names that emerged in the poll as most likely to be president after elections due in 2017 are both veteran ex-presidents who have already begun 'soft' campaigning - Lagos and center-right Sebastian Pinera. But when asked to choose between the two, most people said they would prefer not to vote (40 percent). The 78-year-old Lagos received 28 percent support, and 66-year-old Pinera 26 percent. In contrast, leftist ex-student leaders Giorgio Jackson and Gabriel Boric were named after Pinera as those with the brightest political future. Jackson has recently formed a new party to tap into voter discontent, but is too young to run for president in 2017. The CERC-Mori poll surveyed 1,200 people between July 15 and 30 and GfK Adimark polled 1,057 between July 6 and 28. Both have an error margin of 3 percentage points. (Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Dan Grebler) MADISON The state Department of Natural Resources policy board has approved limited plans for reducing manure contamination of public waters, despite complaints about excessive dairy industry influence and worries the department wont have staff to enforce any new rules. We need money to get these things done, Natural Resources Board chairman Terry Hilgenberg said after Wednesdays vote. Unfortunately, we as a board have nothing to say about how much money comes in. It will be up to lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker to decide whether to bring staffing levels up to what DNR officials say they need to more closely monitor pollution under new rules that are to be written over the next two years. DNR secretary Cathy Stepp didnt address staffing issues, which were highlighted in a recent audit report, but she was upbeat about the prospects that neighbors of large animal feedlots eventually would have cleaner water. I know we are going to stand up at the end of the process and say, Hey, Wisconsin knows how to do it right, Stepp said. Stepp told NRB members the rules wouldnt solve all of the states water problems, but they were a giant step forward. The board listened to dozens of speakers from around the state, many reporting problems with manure pollution and urging the board to reverse a DNR decision to postpone indefinitely a significant portion of the rule-making it had proposed to Walker on June 15. After Walkers office notified farm industry lobbyists, the state Dairy Business Association met with DNR officials and complained about the potential cost of new rules, prompting the agency to narrow their scope. Instead of stronger regulation of manure at CAFOs concentrated animal feeding operations statewide, any new rules will apply only in yet-to-be-defined sensitive areas where groundwater is especially vulnerable. Also removed were plans for new standards for spraying manure. Wisconsin Wildlife Federation executive director George Meyer said his members were shocked Monday to read a Wisconsin State Journal report on the way the plans were changed without notification of people affected by polluted lakes, streams and wells. What made it worse was that the governor did so after consulting (with farm groups) but without consulting with the well owners or the thousands of property owners whose property is worth less because of eutrophication of lakes, Meyer said, referring to excess nutrients in lakes, often resulting from farm runoff, that produce a lot of plant growth and can impair animal survival. Meyer added that recreational users were also affected. Some wells cant be used Pollution from millions of gallons of manure dairy operations spread on fields has rendered many drinking water wells useless in places such as Kewaunee County and left surface water clogged with weeds and contaminated by bacteria and hazardous blue-green algae. Kewaunee County has been hard hit for many years, and residents expressed impatience, but Stepp said the DNR couldnt begin to act until scientific evidence was in place. Residents of other areas where the DNR is considering approval of new CAFOs or expansion of existing ones including Bayfield County, in the states central sands region and the northwest corner of the state said they worried they would become the next Kewaunee County. The cuts to DNR as a whole are a travesty and we are paying the price, said Virginia Drath of Emerald in St. Croix County. But NRB members said the plan they approved balanced everyones interests. We arent going to flesh out this scope statement based on the court of public opinion, said board member Bill Bruins. Board member Frederick Prehn suggested that optimism was in order. I look out in the audience and see a lot of long faces, Prehn said. The bottom line is today we are finally going to address it. Member Gregory Kazmierski questioned the motives of some who criticized the rules plan. Its almost like they are almost anti-business and anti-growth, Kazmierski said. The boards seven members are appointed by the governor. Critics said rule-making should cover the entire state, include spraying standards and should be done on an emergency basis to speed solutions to contamination of drinking water in places like Kewaunee County. But the DNR said complexity of the process and opposition from the Dairy Business Association threatened to stall the process for additional years if the agency proposed broader regulations and tried to place them on the fast track. Among those who addressed the board was the director of a leading farm lobbying group who said the rule changes would be its top priority for the next two years. We have to address groundwater contamination, said Paul Zimmerman, government relations director for the state Farm Bureau Federation. We have to have a good image of agriculture across the state, he added. Rules would be incorporated in discharge permits of CAFOs. Smaller farms wouldnt need to comply unless they accepted certain types of government financial help. At this point in his (not quite) two weeks as the Republican Partys vice presidential nominee, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is probably wondering what hes gotten himself into. His running mate, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is in the midst of a remarkable political meltdown that has him sniping at top Republican leaders and picking an unwinnable fight with the grieving parents of a dead American soldier. As a matter of tradition, vice presidential candidates are supposed to subordinate their own thoughts and positions on questions of politics and policy -- at least in terms of their public statements -- to those of their presidential running mate. Doing so has sometimes resulted in charges of hypocrisy and outright mockery. George H.W. Bush was mercilessly lampooned by Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau for having reversed himself so often that he finally put his political manhood in a blind trust halfway through the Reagan years, in order to protect it from further compromise. Related: Heres What Happens If Trump Decides to Quit So far, Pence appears to be taking a different and very unusual tack. In just the past week, he has issued statements or made comments directly at odds with things that Trump has said. In some cases he has tried to smooth over the differences with careful language, but in others he has appeared to simply take a position opposed to Trumps. On Tuesday, for example, Trump pointedly refused to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan for reelection in his upcoming primary. Ryan is likely to win with or without Trumps endorsement, but the refusal was politically shocking. The next day, Pence gave a phone interview to Fox News in which he said, I strongly support Paul Ryan, strongly endorse his re-election ... He is a longtime friend. He's a strong conservative leader. I believe we need Paul Ryan in leadership in the Congress of the United States. He went on to claim that Trump himself had strongly encouraged the endorsement from his prospective second-in-command, even though he had said he wasnt prepared to do so, a claim that has to be taken with a considerable amount of salt. Story continues Odd as the episode was, it wasnt even the first in the mens budding partnership. Related: Trumps Supporters Now Include a Child Screaming Curses at Clinton (Weve Got Audio!) On the final day of the Republican convention, the newly minted vice presidential nominee staked out a position completely at odds with Trumps on the question of NATO. The nominee had suggested that the U.S. might not honor its treaty obligations to NATO countries if Trump decided that they had not paid their fair share. The U.S. would absolutely abide by its treaty agreements, Pence told PBS. We'll uphold our treaty obligations, including the mutual defense agreement that is NATO. Last week, Trump made waves by suggesting that Russian hackers who infiltrated the Democratic National Committee might be helpful in tracking down emails that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton erased before turning over to investigators a private email server that she controversially used while serving as secretary of state. Trump claimed to be joking, but not before enduring a firestorm of criticism for appearing to try to enlist a foreign power to intervene illegally in a U.S. election. Pence, by contrast, issued a release treating the attack on the DNC as a bipartisan problem about the integrity of U.S. elections. The FBI will get to the bottom of who is behind the hacking. If it is Russia and they are interfering in our elections, I can assure you both parties and the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences. Related: Warren Buffett Scolds Donald Trump: Have You No Sense of Decency, Sir? And it went on and on. Khizr Khan, the father of a slain U.S. soldier said at the Democratic convention that Trumps proposed Muslim immigration ban would keep out people like his son, Capt. Humayun Khan, who came from Pakistan as a toddler. Trump responded with days of attacks on Khan and his family. Pence, by contrast, issued a statement saying nothing at all negative about the Khans, while trying to provide some cover for Trump. Donald Trump and I believe that Captain Humayun Khan is an American hero and his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American, he said. However, even after that statement was released, Trump continued to call Khizr Khans statement vicious and suggested that the Khan family might want to allow terrorists to enter the country. At a time when running mates generally strive to reflect the greatest possible unity, Donald Trump and Mike Pence arent just singing from different hymnals. They arent even in the same church. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Allies and aides of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are aggressively pushing back on reports of tension and tumult swirling around his campaign. Multiple members of Trumps team blamed disgruntled staffers and media bias for the rumors in conversations with Yahoo News on Wednesday. Its all good, said Bruce LeVell, executive director of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. LeVell insisted that the reports were an inaccurate reflection of whats actually happening in the campaign. He pointed to Trumps success in the Republican primary as evidence of the campaigns strength. We pushed 16 people off that stage, and they werent weaklings, LeVell said. Dont underestimate us going into the general with the horsepower that we have. Were not panicked. Recent days have seen Trump endure a steady stream of negative headlines and criticism from fellow Republicans after he pushed back against the parents of a fallen Muslim American soldier who spoke out against him at last weeks Democratic National Convention. The firestorm around Trump grew still stronger after he said Tuesday that he was not ready to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain in their respective GOP primaries. This turmoil has coincided with a shift in the polls showing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton coming from behind to open up a lead against Trump. Amid this tough stretch for Trump, there have been widespread reports that members of his team are growing frustrated and even despondent about their chance of victory. CNBCs John Harwood reported that a source described members of Trumps team as suicidal. Harwoods dramatic claim was backed up by NBCs Ali Vitali, who said one of her sources told her its way worse than people realize. According to CNNs Dana Bash, the angry members of Trumps team feel like they are wasting their time due to his damaging behavior. And Reuters Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland reported that a GOP source said Trumps family members were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message. Story continues Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in Jacksonville, Fla. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP) Dan Scavino, Trumps social media director and senior adviser, said he has been with the candidate seven days a week since the campaign began last June and has not seen any signs of tension. I am not sure where the rumors are coming from as I can tell you we are on the trail now about to attend a rally and we will just keep on moving along. Rumors have been out there regarding this campaign for 14 months now. We will continue to move along and make history, Scavino wrote in an email to Yahoo News. However, there are some clear signs of discord in the campaign. One midlevel Trump aide told Yahoo News that veteran staff and volunteers who are familiar with the candidates unconventional style were weathering the barrage of bad news better than some of the newer recruits. It has weighed on everybody, the aide said of Trumps behavior. Were just waiting for it to tamp down. Another Trump adviser said Trumps actions have been a disservice to his loyal supporters. If he can realize he is letting them down, he may change course a bit, the adviser said. A top Republican National Committee official also told Yahoo News the partys chairman, Reince Priebus, was frustrated with Trump. Nevertheless, many members of Trumps inner circle dismissed the reports of internal drama as the result of biased media coverage and comments from disgruntled staffers. A high-level Trump campaign source, who declined to go on record to defend the campaign, denied there were any internal politics at play. As evidence of the campaigns strength, the source pointed to data released by the Trumps team on Tuesday showing it has had achieved success with small-dollar donors. Campaign is functioning operationally better than it ever has. Lots of money in the bank. Everyone working well together. No internal politics. Getting geared up in all 50 states to give an aggressive push post-Labor Day when people start paying attention, the source said. The person also offered a theory about the origins for reports of frustration among Trumps staff. That sentiment is probably coming from someone no longer with campaign or part of the core team, the source said. Michael Cohen, an executive vice president and special counsel at Trumps company, echoed the notion that isolated staffers were behind the reports. He suggested this was part of the standard campaign experience and predicted there are also probably some unhappy people working for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Cohen specifically pointed to the recent revelation that the Obama administration sent $400 million to Iran as four Americans detained there were released, a false claim Clinton made that the FBI director said she was being truthful about her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state, and leaked emails showing the Democratic National Committee discussed undermining Clintons primary rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Do you think for a second that there arent aides or staffers at the Clinton campaign that are frustrated or concerned because of the WikiLeaks emails, the Iranian cash or her pants-on-fire comments about the FBI? Cohen asked. A rhetorical question, as we all know the answer is an emphatic yes. Donald Trump speaks during a campaign town hall in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP) Trumps campaign has also begun firing back at the press by claiming the reports of tension are the result of media bias. The disgusting and disgraceful liberal media continues to try to create a narrative that is inaccurate and misleading, Cohen told Yahoo News. These liberal media people, all of whom are Clinton supporters, should not be permitted by their various outlets to create news as opposed to reporting news. Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort took things a step further in a Fox News interview that aired on Wednesday evening. He suggested that the press is doing Clintons bidding by depicting his campaign as in turmoil. This is another Clinton narrative that is put out there and the media is picking up on, Manafort said. Trump himself attacked the media throughout his Wednesday night speech at a rally in Jacksonville, Fla. The press is more dishonest now than Ive ever seen them, the candidate said at one point. Trumps campaign also sent out an email on Wednesday attacking the New York Times for including two negative Trump stories and zero negative Clinton stories on its front pages on Tuesday and Wednesday. The message showed pictures of the paper with a red stamp labeling it a MEDIA BIAS OFFENDER. It concluded with a message encouraging supporters to identify other anti-Trump media outlets. We welcome your suggestions for those deserving increased scrutiny, the message said. Khizr Khan isn't the only one holding up the U.S. Constitution in Donald Trump's face. On Thursday, Samuel Nunberg, a former Donald Trump campaign staffer who went on to endorse Ted Cruz, filed a blistering court brief in an attempt to keep a dispute from proceeding in arbitration. In the court papers, he asserts that the Trump Campaign is attempting to "punish and chill" his free speech rights and contends that the Trump Campaign is expressing "utter contempt and disregard for the Bill of Rights." The Trump Campaign is accusing Nunberg of breaching a 2015 confidentiality agreement by allegedly leaking information to Politico about a confrontation between top staffers. Nunberg also is charged with disparaging staffers in a June article published by GQ. Trump is seeking at least $10 million in a claim first made at the American Arbitration Association. In reaction, Nunberg is looking to a New York Supreme Court judge to stop the arbitration. That brought the Trump Campaign on July 28 to accuse Nunberg of "a calculated attempt to not only propel himself back into the spotlight, but use the Court and this Motion as a vehicle to disclose confidential information and make wild, outlandish and reckless accusations in flagrant violation of the Confidentiality Agreement." Here's the rejoinder from Thursday's court papers: "While it may be the philosophy of the Trump Campaign that all publicity is good publicity, rest assured, Mr. Nunberg's legal steps taken in response to the substantial, yet frivolous unauthorized arbitration claims raised on behalf of the Trump Campaign, cannot rationally be deemed to be publicity stunt." The two sides are fighting over which is operative: a consulting agreement with Trump's exploratory committee or an earlier agreement with another Trump entity. It appears that the latter contains an arbitration clause while the former mandates disputes in open court in New York. Story continues Although the judge's decision will turn on these contracts, Nunberg's attorney Andrew Miltenberg is looking unkindly at the suggestion he's spilling secrets and is using the opportunity to attack Trump's definition of confidentiality, which will be the larger subject of the dispute once the forum of the fight is chosen. For example, earlier court papers made reference to a New York Post Page Six article about a screaming row between former Trump campaign manager (and current CNN talking head) Corey Lewandowski and campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks. Miltenberg writes that "embarrassing shouting on a public street" can hardly qualify as confidential nor can Nunberg's endorsement of Cruz. The newest court papers then move to taunting Trump on constitutional grounds. "It is disingenuous for the Respondents (especially a presidential candidate) and their counsel to contend that Mr. Nunberg's public policy argument presented based upon First Amendment grounds to stay the arbitration is frivolous," states the Nunberg brief. "Certainly, Mr. Nunberg, as a citizen of this free country should be protected against such prior restraints of his free speech rights that the arbitration process itself will impose, especially where the arbitrators are ill-equipped to recognize or protect such fundamental rights." Read more: President Obama Calls Donald Trump's Rigged Election Claim "Ridiculous" Donald Trump Donald Trump received a wave of discouraging polling news Thursday as an extraordinarily damaging week neared its conclusion. Polls in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Hampshire suggested that a once tight race in the battlegrounds had shifted in favor of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The polls showed Clinton with a 9-point lead in Michigan, an 11-point lead in Pennsylvania, and a 17-point lead in New Hampshire. In mid-July, polls conducted in each state found the race to be within 3 points in either direction. In Michigan, where a Detroit News poll found Clinton to hold about a 9-point lead in a contest that included Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, the pollster described "shocking" leads for Clinton in Republican strongholds in the western part of the state. "He's sitting in the cellar right now, and they're going to have to do something to dramatically turn this around," said Richard Czuba, the president of the Glengariff Group Inc. polling firm. "If I were a Republican running on this ticket right now, I'd be beyond nervous." The past three polls conducted in Michigan before the Detroit News survey found Clinton with leads of 3 points, 5 points, and 3 points. "I know that there's a lot of numbers that matter in politics, but Twitter followers still don't trump poll numbers," Michigan Republican strategist Greg McNeilly told the News, referring to Trump's massive social-media following. "He should stick to his stronger, more secure, and more prosperous America message." Hillary Clinton The 11-point advantage in Pennsylvania, found in the poll conducted by Franklin & Marshall College, was the largest lead enjoyed by Clinton since late April, before Trump had sealed the GOP nomination. The poll found Clinton with a 49%-to-38% edge among likely voters that expanded to a 48%-to-35% edge among registered voters. Trump has made a strong push to put Pennsylvania in play this cycle, though the state hasn't voted for a Republican in the presidential race since 1988. Story continues Between May 8 and July 11, just two of seven polls in the state found the race in the Keystone State separated by more than 2 points, according to RealClearPolitics. Since then, Clinton has enjoyed leads of 4, 9, and now 11 points. Another eye-opening statistic from the poll: Just two in five Pennsylvania voters who watched the Republican convention last month said it made them more likely to vote for Trump. On the other hand, 53% said it made them less likely to do so. The numbers were virtually flipped for Clinton, as 62% of those who watched last week's Democratic convention held in Philadelphia said they were more likely to vote for the former secretary of state. Only 39% said it made them less likely to vote for the Democratic nominee. The other battleground poll released Thursday morning, conducted by WBUR in New Hampshire, found arguably the worst results for Trump. The Manhattan billionaire now faces a massive 17-point hole in the Granite State a state where he was found to be within 2 points in mid-July. WBUR's poll showed Clinton with a 51%-to-34% advantage over Trump. Just 63% of Republicans said they would vote for their party's nominee, while 86% of Democrats were ready to cast ballots for Clinton. Thursday brought the latest in a wave of bad polling news for Trump that has shown Clinton to be taking bigger national leads. A Fox News poll released Wednesday found Clinton holding a 10-point lead over the real-estate magnate among voters nationwide. Trump's poll numbers have taken a beating amid a feud with a military family that was critical of him at the Democratic convention. Trump has also said the fall election will be "rigged" against him, has expressed more positive feelings toward Russia, and has said he is not ready to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or Sen. John McCain of Arizona two of the most prominent Republicans in Washington in their primary races later this month. More From Business Insider Keiser University's Chancellor, Dr. Arthur Keiser, Hosts 2016 Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes in Order to Raise Awareness and Speak About Prevention, Regarding This Debilitating Disease FORT LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 4, 2016 / Dr. Arthur Keiser, Chancellor and CEO of Keiser University, will host the American Diabetes Association's 2016 Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes. The South Florida walk will take place on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at Huizenga Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Dr. Keiser, who has personal experience with the disease, is focused on raising awareness about prevention. "Every minute, more than three people will be diagnosed with diabetes, a disease that has reached near epidemic proportions in the United States," Dr. Keiser said. "We need to act now to change the future of diabetes for our youth and our loved ones." Keiser University has been a proud supporter of the mission of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for more than a decade. In the last two years, Keiser University has raised over $70,000 for a cure. The University is honored to be a sponsor of Step Out in 2016 and pledges to continue efforts to stop diabetes. According to the ADA, nearly 29 million Americans are living with diabetes, with Florida being part of what is known as the "Diabetes Belt." In South Florida, diabetes impacts more than 700,000 residents. Dr. Keiser and other community leaders recognize that this translates into a direct impact on families and the business community. "The risk of not preventing diabetes is more costly than fighting it, with one of every five health care dollars being spent on care for someone diagnosed with diabetes," Dr. Keiser said at a recent community breakfast. The South Florida Chapter of the American Diabetes Association has a goal of raising $400,000 for the 2016 walk along with recruiting 325 teams to participate. About Keiser University: Keiser University, co-founded by Dr. Arthur Keiser, Chancellor in 1977, is a private, not-for-profit University serving nearly 20,000 students offering 100 degrees at the doctoral through associate level on 18 Florida campuses, online and internationally, employing 3,800 staff and faculty. Keiser University and the Keiser Mills Foundation provide nearly $44 million annually in need-based and academic scholarships. Story continues Keiser University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates and degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctoral levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Keiser University. For more information, please visit http://www.keiseruniversity.edu/. Contact Info: Name: Kelli Lane Email: kellil@keiseruniversity.edu Organization: Keiser University Address: 1500 Northwest 49th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309 Phone: (954) 235-0331 Video URL: https://youtu.be/K8tTfeZdxqQ SOURCE: Keiser University A family from Spring Valley, New York state, were on board an Emirates airline flight from India that crash landed at Dubais main airport on Wednesday. They filmed dramatic scenes from inside the plane after the landing. Jerin George and his family did interviews while still in Dubai and after arriving back in the United States with specific details of their experience on the plane, describing it as surprising and shocking. Credit: Jerin George and Riya George How does the earnings picture look like as we near the tail end of the second-quarter reporting cycle? Actual Q2 results are turning out to be less ominous than what was expected. With 73.5% (as of Jul 29) of the S&P 500 members having already reported results, this trend is expected to continue through the end of the earnings season. Of the 317 S&P 500 companies that have reported as of Jul 29, 72.9% topped earnings expectations while 53.6% surpassed revenue estimates. Notwithstanding this modest improvement, growth still remains elusive and Q2 is headed to be the fifth quarter in a row to record an earnings decline for the S&P 500 index. Now with several pharma and major biotech companies having released their earnings results, it is clear that Medical is one of the few sectors witnessing earnings and revenue growth this season. Our Q2 scorecard shows that 63.5% of the Medical sector have reported results with a blended beat of 75.8% (the percentage of companies that have beaten both EPS as well as revenue estimates) with the sector recording 5.4% earnings growth on revenue growth of 10.5%. Per our Earnings Trends report, Medical is one of the six sectors expected to record earnings growth in Q2. This is also corroborated by the second-quarter performance of some well-known names in the Medical sector. Companies like Johnson & Johnson JNJ, Novartis, Abbott, Biogen, Amgen, AbbVie, Bristol-Myers, and Celgene have surpassed expectations, and some among these even raised their outlook for the year. However, the biggest drag was biotech major Gilead Sciences Inc.s GILD results. The company barely managed to beat earnings by a penny and even cut its product sales guidance for the year. Still, several mid- and small-sized pharma and biotech companies are yet to report Q2 results. Lets take a sneak peek at four such companies. Will these Drug Stocks Pull a Surprise? Pet therapeutics company, Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. PETX is focused on licensing, developing and commercializing innovative biopharmaceutical products for companion animals. This Leawood, KS-based company has a decent track record. The company has beaten estimates in three of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 10.69%. Aratana currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. The stocks Zacks Rank #3 when combined with an Earnings ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction uncertain. The company will report second-quarter results on Aug 5. Story continues ARATANA THERAP Price and EPS Surprise ARATANA THERAP Price and EPS Surprise | ARATANA THERAP Quote Headquartered in Berkeley, CA, Dynavax Technologies Corporation DVAX is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of vaccines and therapeutics. Dynavaxs track record so far has been mixed with the company surpassing expectations on two occasions, while missing estimates in the other two. Overall, the company has delivered a negative surprise of 4.19%. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock also has an ESP of 0.00% making a surprise prediction difficult this quarter. The company is expected to release Q2 results on Aug 5. DYNAVAX TECH CP Price and EPS Surprise DYNAVAX TECH CP Price and EPS Surprise | DYNAVAX TECH CP Quote Based in Redwood City, CA, Heron Therapeutics, Inc. HRTX is a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel, patient-focused solutions that apply its innovative science and technologies to already-approved pharmacological agents for patients suffering from cancer or pain. Herons track record has also been mixed with the company surpassing expectations on two occasions, while missing the same on the other two. Heron currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an ESP of +3.13%. As it is, we caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or #5) going into an earnings announcement.The company is expected to release Q2 results on Aug 5. HERON THERAPEUT Price and EPS Surprise HERON THERAPEUT Price and EPS Surprise | HERON THERAPEUT Quote San Diego, CA-based La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. LJPC is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative treatments for patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. La Jollas performance has been mostly disappointing with the company missing expectations in three of the last four quarters with an average negative surprise of 9.18%. Though the stocks Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of the ESP, it also has an ESP of 0.00%, making a surprise prediction uncertain this quarter. The company is expected to report second-quarter results on Aug 5. LA JOLLA PHARMA Price and EPS Surprise LA JOLLA PHARMA Price and EPS Surprise | LA JOLLA PHARMA Quote 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 >> 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 JOHNSON & JOHNS (JNJ): Free Stock Analysis Report DYNAVAX TECH CP (DVAX): Free Stock Analysis Report GILEAD SCIENCES (GILD): Free Stock Analysis Report LA JOLLA PHARMA (LJPC): Free Stock Analysis Report ARATANA THERAP (PETX): Free Stock Analysis Report HERON THERAPEUT (HRTX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Arrive in Quito, where your guide will take you by car to the Hotel Casa Gangotena. At this romantic property overlooking the Plaza San Francisco, you will enjoy a three-night stay in a luxury double room. Note: Breakfast is included throughout the trip, as are transfers and guides. Unless otherwise noted, all other meals and alcoholic drinks are at an additional cost. With its magnificent churches and cobblestoned streets, Quito, the capital of Ecuador, has one of the most stunningly preserved colonial centers in all of South America. In 1978 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, you will enjoy a guided walking tour through the main plaza, where you will see landmarks like the Government Palace and the Monastery of San Francisco, which dates to 1534. After, your guide will drive you to Panecillo Hill (Little Bread Loaf Hill) to see the iconic Virgin of Quito statue and enjoy a private picnic lunch. Next up: a chocolate tasting. Your guide will drive you to a tasting room in Quitos trendy La Floresta neighborhood, where you will learn about chocolate cultivation and production, and taste your way through 10 varieties. A gift box is included as a sweet souvenir. Capital One Cardholder Experience: A guide will take you on a behind-the-scenes tour at Casa del Alabado, a museum in colonial Quito. The museum has an archaeological collection of over 5,000 pieces (500 are on permanent display) that represents almost 7,000 years of native Ecuadorian history. You will also learn about local plants and how they are integral to the life of indigenous people, and used for medicinal or spiritual purposes, and how shamans have been the keepers of this knowledge for thousands of years. (Note: this follows the walking tour of colonial Quito.) Cotopaxi National Park Getty Images/Westend61 Leave Quito for a trip to Cotoxpaxi National Park, which lies just one hour by car south of the city. Your guide will take you to the Cotopaxi Interpretation Center to learn about the history of the areas volcanoes, flora, and fauna. You will then drive and visit scenic Limpiopungo Lake for a walk, and then horseback ride through trails in the Andes and Ecuadorian highlands. Your guide, a chagra (an Andean cowboy) may point out local species including Andean birds and wild horses. Lunch is included before your return drive to Quito. Story continues Say goodbye to Quito and embark on your next adventure: a visit to the ecological wonderland that is the Galpagos Islands. Your driver will pick you up at Hotel Casa Gangotena and transfer you to the airport in Quito for the flight to Baltra Island in the Galpagos. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the 16-passenger Ocean Spray for a four-night stay in a double cabin. Note: other passengers will be on the vessel, and it is not a private charter. Meals are included; tips and alcohol are not included. In the afternoon, set sail for Bartholomew Island, home to a variety of green, red, orange, and black volcanic -rock formations. You also may snorkel on the beach and possibly spot penguins. Condor Huasi Project, Hacienda Zuleta, Cayambe, Ecuador Getty Images/Minden Pictures RM Explore Genovesa Island and Darwin Bay, a white-sand coral beach with a half-mile trail that traces a path through mangroves. Be on the look out for some incredible animal species: Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, and sea lions. At the end of the trail, you will have the chance to snorkel and kayak. After lunch on the boat, hike the trail to El Barranco (also known as Prince Philips Steps). Your reward is spectacular views out on to the sea. Explore Santiago Island, starting with Espumilla Beach, a great place for snorkeling and spotting marine iguanas and sally lightfoot crabs. After lunch on board, visit Egas Port, also known as James Bay, a stunning place that is home to species including Galpagos hawks and quick-footed lava lizards. Hike a trail to the coast for more snorkeling in pristine tidal pools. Casa Gangotena, Quito, Ecuador Courtesy of Casa Gangotena Today you will experience North Seymour Island, which is known for its arid landscapes, windswept beaches, and remarkable bird life. After lunch, youll be transferred to Santa Cruz Island, where you will hike to the highlands of Santa Cruz, a lush, green area dotted by scalesia trees. Another surreal experience: walking through underground lava tunnels that are over a half-mile long. Also keep a look out for the giant Galpagos tortoises that make the island their home. In the morning, visit Mosquera Islet, home to one of the largest populations of sea lions. Say goodbye to the ship; take a car transfer; and check in to a double tent at the intimate Galapagos Safari Camp, an African-inspired tented camp located on the highlands of Santa Cruz on Santa Cruz Island. Note: All meals during your stay here are included; tips and alcohol are not included. In the afternoon, you may drive, bike, or trek to a local farm on the property, where lunch is included, and admire Santa Cruzs natural beauty: lava tunnels, pit craters, and scalesia forests. You may also experience the Tortoise Reserve. Explore the neighboring islands of North Seymour, Bartholomew, Plazas, and Santa F by motor vessel. Alternatively, visit Charles Darwin Research Station, a biological research station operated by the Charles Darwin Foundation, where scientists, naturalists, and volunteers study and work to conserve this remarkable wildlife destination. View of El Panecillo, Quito, Ecuador Getty Images/Westend61 Embark on a guided drive of the eastern part of Santa Cruz Island to the Cerro Mesa Reserve, which provides tremendous views of the largest crater on the island. After lunch, relax on Garrapatero Beach, a lovely stretch of white sand with turquoise water near a flamingo-filled lagoon. You can also kayak the secluded coves. Transfer to Baltra Airport for a return flight to the mainland and Quito airport. From there, you will be brought to the Hacienda Zuleta, a hotel in the Andean mountain range two hours north of Quito, in Otavalo. At this intimate property, which is set on a 4,000-acre working farm, and is run by the renowned Plaza-Lasso family, you will be staying in a standard room for two nights. Dinnera feast of traditional Andean dishesand lunch are also included daily. Begin your day with a horseback ride on a Zuleteo horse through the countryside. Lunch will be at the hacienda, followed by a horse-drawn-carriage ride through the hacienda grounds. You may also be driven to the Condor Huasi Project, a rehabilitation program for the Andean condor. Blue-footed Booby Sula, Nebouxi, North Seymour Island Galapagos Islands UIG via Getty Images After breakfast at the Hacienda Zuleta, check out and transfer to Quito for your return flight home. Worlds Best Travel Experiences Terms and Conditions Travel booked and fulfilled through Black Tomato. Specifics of itinerary and perks subject to change and availability. Details to be confirmed by Black Tomato. Offer good for travel booked before December 31, 2016 for travel before June 1, 2017. Capital One card must be used at time of booking to receive Capital One Cardholder Experience. For full trip terms and conditions, click here. Capital One Venture card: credit approval required. Credit card offered by Capital One Bank (USA), N.A. LOS ANGELES (TNS) When it comes to combating the nations opioid epidemic, politicians of all stripes say they are fully committed. President Barack Obama wants to spend a billion dollars on new treatment programs. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump talk about the ravages of addiction and the need for solutions. And Congress earlier this month passed a package of legislation to prevent overdoses, bolster law enforcement and improve recovery programs. But this spring, with little attention and virtually no public opposition, lawmakers approved and the president signed a new law that makes it more difficult for government to take action against a key player in the crisis: the pharmaceutical industry. The law allows companies accused of failing to report suspicious orders of dangerous drugs to submit a corrective action plan to persuade the Drug Enforcement Administration to postpone or abandon proceedings against them. The law also raises the bar for the DEA to temporarily suspend their licenses. The measure was backed by manufacturers, wholesalers and pharmacy chains, including some targeted by the DEA in recent years for not doing enough to keep drugs from addicts and drug dealers. Supporters maintain that the law, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016, keeps medication available for legitimate patients and will encourage cooperation between industry and law enforcement. Critics say it takes pressure off companies to detect and report drugs flowing to the black market. The top DEA official for regulation of pharmaceutical firms left the agency last fall, in part, he said, because of a bitter dispute with members of Congress over his view that the bill was misguided and would worsen the epidemic. They are taking the word of industry rather than the governments expert in diversion control, said Joseph Rannazzisi, who stepped down in October after nearly a decade as DEA deputy assistant administrator. A Los Angeles Times investigation published earlier this month revealed that drugmaker Purdue Pharma, which has reaped more than $31 billion from the painkiller OxyContin, collected extensive evidence suggesting illegal trafficking of its drug and, in many cases, did not share the information with law enforcement or cut off the flow of pills. One drug ring that Purdue monitored was operating for several years in the district of Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif. Chu co-sponsored the bill in the House. She has received more than $31,000 in contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. A spokesman said Chu was unavailable for an interview. In a statement, she said she was deeply concerned about the lack of reporting by Purdue, but believed the new law would result in the guidance needed to end the prescription drug epidemic. More than 194,000 people have died since 1999 from overdoses involving opioid painkillers, and abuse of the drugs has contributed to a national resurgence in addiction to heroin, another opiate. The new law does not alter the agencys ability to pursue criminal charges or civil penalties. But it provides a way for companies to try to avoid the DEAs administrative penalties, which can include the loss or suspension of a federal license, known as a registration, that allows them to make, sell or dispense controlled substances. The push for a new law followed action the DEA took in 2012 against a major national wholesaler, Cardinal Health Inc., over millions of painkillers supplied to two CVS pharmacies in Sanford, Fla. Data showed enough pills flowing to the small city for every man, woman and child to have 59 doses, according to court records. One CVS pharmacist described her oxycodone customers as shady and told DEA agents she had to set a daily limit on opioid prescriptions to ensure there would be enough for real pain patients, the records stated. The DEA accused Cardinal and CVS of failing to maintain effective controls against diversion as required by the federal Controlled Substances Act. Cardinal was banned from shipping prescription drugs from a Florida facility for two years and CVS paid a $22 million settlement. In the wake of the investigation, Cardinal and CVS, along with many others in the industry, began lobbying for the new law, which changes parts of the Controlled Substances Act. It allows companies accused of violations to submit a corrective action plan that addresses the DEA allegations before the DEA decides on any enforcement action. Federal officials must consider the plan in deciding whether to move forward with enforcement action or stop or postpone it. Under the new law, companies have little incentive to take steps to prevent abuse of their drug unless and until the DEA accuses them of violating the law, said Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Our concern at this point is we have 40 people a day dying of opioid abuse, he said We think the bill goes way too far. D. Linden Barber, a former DEA lawyer who now represents manufacturers and wholesalers, said the law still gives the DEA the option of revoking a companys license. The law doesnt require the agency to say, OK, Im walking away. It just says, consider it, he said. Another part of the law imposes a higher standard for suspending licenses temporarily while awaiting court approval. Previously, the DEA could shut companies, pharmacies and doctors down if it determined there was an imminent danger to the public. The new law defines that danger as a substantial likelihood of an immediate threat of death, serious bodily harm or drug abuse. Former DEA official Rannazzisi said the change offered total protection against temporary suspension for manufacturers and wholesalers. It often takes weeks for drugs to get through the supply chain from manufacturer to distributor to pharmacy, making it difficult for the DEA to argue that a failure by those companies to report and reject suspicious orders constituted an immediate threat, he said. Barber, the industry lawyer, said the change prevented the agency from shutting down companies for problems employees had already identified and fixed, something he said has occurred in the past. The fact that someone did something wrong, realized it was wrong, took action to correct it that doesnt give the agency the right to come in four to six months later and seek a suspension, he said. WASHINGTON (TNS) With the conventions over and Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton locked in a close contest, a ground-level fight for an edge in the presidential race will unfold this summer in the nations courts. Legal challenges to state election laws are still working through federal courts and possibly on to the Supreme Court this fall. The outcome of those cases on issues such as photo identification, polling locations and registration could affect voter turnout in about a dozen swing states. The courts have been siding with challengers to election law changes, including rulings in July to soften voter ID laws in Texas and Wisconsin, block a voter ID law and other election changes in North Carolina, halt a voter ID requirement in North Dakota, and strike down a registration law in Kansas. The ground game of the presidential campaigns could matter even more this year. Besides the presidency, control of the U.S. Senate is at stake and the fate of other down-ballot races could rise and fall on the same currents. In Michigan, for example, a federal judge in July struck down a Republican-backed state law ending straight-party voting, a practice in which a voter can cast a vote for all offices with one mark. Now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit is expected to decide on the issue before the Nov. 8 election. It does show you at places where the election can be expected to be close, the sides are fighting what can be a game of inches, said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine who follows election law litigation. Long lines at the polls were one of the voting issues that surfaced in states in the 2012 election. And the issue is back, most notably in Maricopa County, Arizona, the states most populous, where long lines during the March 22 primaries resulted from fewer polling places ostensibly as a cost-saving measure. The Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit over that and other voting provisions that it says disenfranchises minorities. The issue isnt just that voting locations were severely cut back, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, then chairwoman of the DNC, wrote in May in an op-ed column for The Arizona Republic. Many polling locations have been moved or changed, causing more unnecessary confusion, the Florida congresswoman wrote. In fact, almost half of all Maricopa County polling locations changed between 2006 and 2008, and election officials actually have more changes planned before Election Day in November. Oral arguments in the DNCs request for a judge to order Maricopa County to avoid those problems is set for Sept. 2. The challenges this year have a similar theme: Republican state lawmakers changed election laws, often in the name of ensuring the integrity of the vote, in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision in Shelby v. Holder in 2013 that gutted a key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That provision had required nine states and other jurisdictions including Arizona, Texas, Virginia and dozens of North Carolina counties to get preclearance from the Justice Department before they could implement voting changes. Without it, states could make changes without seeking approval that some considered discriminatory. Democratic groups challenged those changes in the name of voter protection. In some ways, its the same old, same old in that we have litigation over voter rules working their way through, Hasen said. Whats different this time is there seems to be an emerging recognition that some restrictions on voting have gone too far and courts need to come in and provide some relief. Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit stopped North Carolinas voter photo identification law put into place in 2013, ruling that the state General Assembly enacted provisions of the law with discriminatory intent. The order also stops changes to North Carolinas elections that curtailed early voting, same-day registration, out-of-precinct voting and preregistration. The North Carolina Board of Elections said in a statement that it will not ask voters to show photo ID this election, absent alternative guidance from the courts. This ruling will very likely have a noticeable impact on elections in November, both at the state and national level, said Kerry Haynie, an associate professor of political science at Duke University. North Carolina is now, without question, a battleground state in which the Hillary Clinton campaign and other Democrats have received a major boost. North Carolina, which has 15 electoral votes, split in the two most recent presidential elections with Barack Obama carrying it in 2008 and Mitt Romney winning there in 2012. Two Republican legislative leaders in North Carolina said they would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, which remains shorthanded with eight justices. If the Supreme Court is tied, that ruling would uphold the lower courts order and give no further guidance on photo ID. If North Carolina takes that route, it likely wont be the only one asking the Supreme Court to step in and resolve an election dispute in the months before the vote. There will be a flurry of emergency applications getting to the Supreme Court between now and November, said Edward B. Foley, an Ohio State University professor who specializes in election law. Yet to be fully resolved are decisions from courts that curbed voter photo identification laws in Texas and Wisconsin, which are much less dramatic wins for those challenging the laws and that could influence turnout as well. The courts in those cases seemed to find a middle ground that didnt invalidate completely a voter ID law, but insisted on accommodation for voters who genuinely would be disenfranchised from voting because they have trouble obtaining one, Foley said. As a legal proposition, that works, Foley said. But turnout is not just about disenfranchisement, its about convenience. In that way, the Texas and Wisconsin laws could still prove to be a hurdle to voting for those who arent too motivated to participate in the election. It does show you at places where the election can be expected to be close, the sides are fighting what can be a game of inches. Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian air strike killed the head of the Islamic State group branch behind scores of deadly attacks on security forces and suspected of downing a Russian airliner, the army said Thursday. The army's announcement did not say when the operation took place but named the head of the Egyptian affiliate of the jihadist group based in the Sinai Peninsula as Abu Doaa al-Ansari. He was killed along with top aides and dozens of others jihadists in an operation carried out jointly by the air force and the anti-terrorism squad, the army's spokesman said on Facebook. Since Egypt's military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, jihadists have spearheaded an insurgency against the army and police with daily attacks in North Sinai. Most of the attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been claimed by the "Sinai Province", the Egyptian branch of IS. Military forces "were able to kill the leader Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the terrorist called Abu Doaa al-Ansari, and a number of his top aides in addition to more than 45 terrorist elements," said the spokesman. A military source told AFP that Ansari was the group's "number one" leader. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis was the previous name of the jihadists before the group swore allegiance to the Islamic State group in November 2014. The statement said dozens of others were "targeted with precise hits" in the operation against strongholds of the group south and southwest of the Sinai city of El-Arish. The operation destroyed depots where weapons, ammunition and explosives were stashed, it added. - Trail of deadly attacks - The military has poured troops and armour into the peninsula where security forces have been battling a jihadist insurgency since then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Morsi more than three years ago. But the jihadists have remained defiant and kept up attacks mostly against the security forces using roadside bombs and ambushes. Story continues They have also targeted Egyptian Christians and claimed attacks on foreigners and diplomatic missions, including last year's attack on the Italian consulate in Cairo In 2015 they the group also claimed to have beheaded a Croatian man who worked for French geoscience company CGG, after abducting him on a road running from the west of Cairo. Later that year the interior ministry announced the killing of top IS operative Ashraf Ali Hassanein al-Gharabli suspected of involvement in the abduction and murder of the Croatian and the bombing of the Italian consulate. In another of its worst attacks, the group claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from an Egyptian resort last year, killing all 224 people on board. The group said it had smuggled a bomb on board at an airport in the south of the peninsula. The army has regularly announced the death or capture of jihadists, who have often claimed their attacks were in retaliation for a police crackdown that has killed hundreds and left thousands in jail since Morsi's ouster. The arid and rugged Sinai Peninsula borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip. El-Arish is the provincial capital of North Sinai where the jihadists are active. Pakistan backed up their work yesterday to make England toil on day two. Heres what we learned MAN OF THE DAY - SAMI ASLAM Following Shan Masood was never going to be a tricky ask after the openers woes in the first two Tests when he played the part of James Andersons plaything. But 20-year-old Sam Aslam did not just rest on his laurels when given the chance to opening the batting here. A willing runner, with an appreciation of the slow burn, he left positively and, upon passing fifty for the first time in his third Test, started to unfurl some shots. That his innings came to an end in the way it did a direct hit run out by James Vince having been called through by Azhar Ali is some crumb of comfort for him, as he fell 18 short of a maiden Test hundred. It was the only way England looked like getting him out. It is worth noting that he is the youngest to register a Test half-century since Ashton Agars 98 in July 2013. Let him have the spot for the next two years, regardless. He looks the business. AZHAR DOES IT A first hundred outside UAE, who played the day with the assurance that he had almost exclusively reserved for the bare pitches of his adopted home. Even when he was obdurate, he remained active, always looking for singles (even though this trait did bring about the downfall of Aslam). To his credit, coming in at 0-1, he encouraged Aslam throughout, even allowed the youngster some rest at the other end by scoring at his and was responsive to every call his partner made. Their stand of 181 was only the second time that a Pakistan second-wicket partnership has passed 150 in England. In the evening session, he showed just how good his balance was and how still is head was after five hours at the crease when he pinged Steven Finn through mid on for four. COLLECTIVE WASTE As well as Aslam and Azhar Ali batted, they were given an easy ride through to lunch. James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and even Chris Woakes allowed them to leave far too much and ended up squandering whatever juice the new ball had. Having got used to the plan of waiting for Pakistan to bring about their own downfall, they were at a loss when balls were being left outside off stump with ease and singles pinched on both sides of the wicket. Perhaps Cook should have turned to spin sooner but it would be harsh to blame him for a woefully executed bowling plan. Story continues ANDERSONS PETULANCE Despite a wicket in his first over, it was a day to forget for Anderson who might find himself dragged in front of the match referee after struggling to hide his dissatisfaction of umpire Bruce Oxenford, who was just doing his job. Each warning for running on the danger area in the middle of the pitch was greeted with a grunt and a moan, despite the fact that Oxenford gave Anderson plenty of verbal warnings before the two official ones came in the second half of the day. The frustrations were understandable but Andersons protests and the way he would snatch his jumper and hat off the umpire, was unnecessary. WHAT NEXT England dont need to panic but they will have to fight to rein in Pakistans lead. What they have messed up is not using up enough time in their first innings (and, you know, not scoring enough runs). For Pakistan, bed in, let Sarfraz run amok all the way till tea - hell, why not even the morning of day four - declare with a mountain and pick the hosts off, one wicket at a time. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Thursday extended its civilian mission in Libya by a year and allocated a 17-million-euro ($18.92 million) budget for the task. Set up in May 2013, the Tunis-based body's mandate has been extended several times, with the last due to expire on Aug. 21. It aims to provide advice to Libyan authorities on migration, border security, counter-terrorism and criminal justice issues. EU foreign ministers in May agreed to help Libya rebuild its shattered navy and coastguard to tackle migrant smugglers in respond to a request from the new U.N.-backed unity government in Tripoli. Libya is a major departure point for mainly sub-Saharan African migrants looking to reach Europe in flimsy boats arranged by people smugglers. The flow of migrants has increased in the turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. ($1 = 0.8986 euros) (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Richard Balmforth) Brussels (AFP) - The European Union on Thursday hit China and Russia with anti-dumping duties on cold rolled steel imports after EU producers complained they were being forced out of the market. The European Commission said the levies, announced provisionally in February, will run for five years as Europe tries to cope with a global steel glut largely driven by massive Chinese output. "In the wake of the global steel overcapacity crisis, the Commission is applying the trade defence instruments to re-establish a level playing field between EU and foreign producers," it said in a statement. Industry uses cold rolled steel extensively to make all sorts of goods and appliances, from automobiles to refrigerators. The Commission said the duties on Chinese cold rolled steel will range from 19.7 percent to 22.1 percent, and from 18.7 percent to 36.1 percent for Russian companies. It said the EU has more than 100 trade defence measures in place, 37 of them targeting unfair imports of steel products of which 15 are Chinese. The EU has had a series of trade disputes with China, its second-largest trading partner and which makes more than half the world's steel. Beijing has not been slow to respond to what it sees as unfair measures and late last month imposed anti-dumping tariffs on some steel imports from the EU, Japan and South Korea. EU relations with Russia, another important trade partner, have been soured by the Ukraine crisis and subsequent sanctions imposed against Moscow. Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Thursday's decision had been made without listening to Moscow's side of the argument and threatened to take the case to the World Trade Organization. By John Geddie LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Euro zone bond yields nudged lower on Thursday after a European Central Bank policymaker among the most resistant to monetary easing said its bond-buying programme could be adjusted to prevent a scarcity of eligible debt throwing it off track. Market expectations have risen that the ECB will soon change the rules of its asset purchases scheme, which put more than half of Germany's bonds out of reach and amid growing signs that purchase limits are being reached in smaller countries such as Portugal and Ireland. At its meeting last month, ECB chief Mario Draghi said policymakers had not discussed specific changes, but that technicalities would not stand in the way of asset buys and that it would reassess after fresh economic projections in September. Jens Weidmann, the president of Germany's central bank who has previously voiced doubts about the effectiveness of QE, said in an interview published on Thursday that changes could be made as long as they didn't alter the underlying design of the scheme. German 10-year bond yields, the euro zone benchmark, fell 1 basis point to minus 0.10 percent, while most other euro zone equivalents were 1-2 bps lower on the day. The euro was slightly weaker against the U.S. dollar. Sources close to the ECB have previously told Reuters that the bank is not considering such a move, while bank estimates show that it may not significantly extend a scheme which many expect to continue far beyond its scheduled end in March 2017. Other changes to the scheme to try and alleviate issues of bond scarcity could include dropping the rule on not buying debt yielding less than the deposit rate, which currently omits many German bonds, or raising the central bank's limit on only buying a third of a country's debt and each individual bond. The latter though could risk the ECB building such a large stake that it blocks future debt restructurings in the euro zone, lawyers have warned. Story continues The ECB currently buys bonds weighted to each country's contribution to the central bank's capital. Germany is currently the biggest beneficiary therefore, but changes could potentially allow other countries with higher debt loads to benefit more. Weidmann said an increase in buying bonds from countries with particularly high indebtedness or bad credit ratings would distance the ECB further from its core mandate. Euro zone bond investors were also waiting to see whether the Bank of England would, as expected, relax its monetary policy for the first time since 2009 on Thursday to counter any economic fallout from Britain's vote to leave the European Union on June 23. Some economists also expect the bank to revive its own bond-buying programme. Any resulting move in British bond yields would likely spill over to other global debt benchmarks. For Reuters new Live Markets blog on European and UK stock markets see reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=http://emea1.apps.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/cms/?pageId=livemarkets (Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, ISISs propaganda chief and spokesperson, has reportedly been named head of an intelligence unit dedicated to launching attacks abroad. A New York Times investigation found that the ISIS intelligence unit, known in Arabic as Emni, has built a complex hierarchy of lieutenants and foreign nationals empowered to plan attacks in different regions of the world. According to the Times, records show that small groups of operatives chosen by nationality have been sent to Germany, Spain, Austria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Lebanon, Tunisia and Bangladesh. Emni trainees are thought to have led the attacks on Paris in Nov. 2015 and created the suitcase bombs in Marchs Brussels assault. At the top of Emnis pyramid is the elusive Adnani, who has evaded capture from coalition forces and is one of the most senior Syrian operatives of ISIS. Here is what we know him: Early years The 39-year-old, whose birth name is Taha Sobhi Falaha, was born in the town of Binnish near the city of Idlib in northern Syria. He fought against the U.S. led coalition in Iraq and is believed to have been captured between 2005 and 2010 of the conflict. During his time at the U.S. camp detention facility Camp Bucca, it is reported that Adnani first met Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi the current leader and self-proclaimed caliph of ISIS. Becoming the voice of ISIS Adnani revealed the groups aims to be a governing entity rather than a terrorist group in June 2014 when he first declared ISIS a caliphate, led by Baghdadi. He began to be known as the official spokesman of the group and the U.S. Department of State officially designated him as a terrorist in Aug. 2014. In September that year, Adnani wrote in ISISs Dabiq magazine calling for ISIS sympathizers, or lone-wolf terrorists, to launch attacks on the West. If you are not able to find a bomb or a bullet, then smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him If you are unable to do so, then burn his home, car, or business. Or destroy his crops. If you are unable to do so, then spit in his face Adnani wrote. Wounded in battle In Jan. 2016, reports claimed Adnani was injured in an airstrike in the the Iraqi town of Barwanah. Iraqs joint operation command said he had lost large amounts of blood and was transported to the Iraqi city of Hit for treatment. The Syrian still has a $5 million bounty on his head and in an audio clip distributed on May 22, is believed to have called followers to launch attacks in Europe and the U.S. Ramadan, the month of conquest and jihad. Get prepared, be ready Adnani said, according to Reuters. To make it a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers especially for the fighters and supporters of the caliphate in Europe and America. The propagandist turns spy chief Jailed jihadist Harry Sarfo told the Times how Emni recruited and reallocated individuals to launch terrorist attacks abroad. Sarfo, who is a German national, said the big man behind everything is Abu Muhammad al-Adnani. Sarfo also claimed that recruits would meet Adnani once they finished 10 levels of training and they would pledge alliance to him blindfolded. Not even Adnanis top fighters, says Sarfo, know what this lynchpin of ISISs global terrorism operations looks like. (Adds details from court filings, comments, background, Silver appeal, case citation, bylines) By Jonathan Stempel and Joseph Ax NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision may have tainted the corruption convictions of former New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam, a Manhattan federal judge said on Thursday, allowing them to stay free on bail while they appeal. U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood said the Supreme Court's June 27 overturning of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's bribery convictions raised a "substantial question" about whether her instructions to the Skeloses' jury were proper. She also said Dean and Adam Skelos were not flight risks. The Supreme Court had ruled that routine political activities such as arranging meetings or reaching out to public officials generally did not qualify as "official acts" that could form a basis for criminal corruption prosecutions. In a court filing last month, the Skeloses said the broader definition that Wood used when instructing their jury last December may have "passed muster" at the time, but in retrospect may have caused them to be convicted based on legal conduct. Robert Gage, a lawyer for Dean Skelos, declined to comment. Christopher Conniff, a lawyer for Adam Skelos, could not immediately be reached for comment. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan had opposed bail pending appeal. A spokeswoman for Bharara declined to comment on Wood's one-page order. Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos were sentenced in May to a respective five and 6-1/2 years in prison, following their convictions on fraud and bribery charges. Prosecutors had accused the elder Skelos, a Republican, of using his position as Senate majority leader to pressure three companies that wanted his support in the state legislature into providing work and money to his son. Sheldon Silver, the former Democratic speaker of the State Assembly, has also cited McDonnell as he seeks to overturn his conviction and 12-year prison term in another corruption case. Story continues A lawyer for Silver could not immediately be reached for comment. The case is U.S. v. Skelos et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00317. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Tom Brown) By Jonathan Stempel and Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision may have tainted the corruption convictions of former New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam, a Manhattan federal judge said on Thursday, allowing them to stay free on bail while they appeal. U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood said the Supreme Court's June 27 overturning of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's bribery convictions raised a "substantial question" about whether her instructions to the Skeloses' jury were proper. She also said Dean and Adam Skelos were not flight risks. The Supreme Court had ruled that routine political activities such as arranging meetings or reaching out to public officials generally did not qualify as "official acts" that could form a basis for criminal corruption prosecutions. In a court filing last month, the Skeloses said the broader definition that Wood used when instructing their jury last December may have "passed muster" at the time, but in retrospect may have caused them to be convicted based on legal conduct. Robert Gage, a lawyer for Dean Skelos, declined to comment. Christopher Conniff, a lawyer for Adam Skelos, could not immediately be reached for comment. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan had opposed bail pending appeal. A spokeswoman for Bharara declined to comment on Wood's one-page order. Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos were sentenced in May to a respective five and 6-1/2 years in prison, following their convictions on fraud and bribery charges. Prosecutors had accused the elder Skelos, a Republican, of using his position as Senate majority leader to pressure three companies that wanted his support in the state legislature into providing work and money to his son. Sheldon Silver, the former Democratic speaker of the State Assembly, has also cited McDonnell as he seeks to overturn his conviction and 12-year prison term in another corruption case. Story continues A lawyer for Silver could not immediately be reached for comment. The case is U.S. v. Skelos et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00317. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Tom Brown) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former Wall Street investment banker proclaimed on Thursday that he was innocent of insider trading charges, testifying that he never tipped his father off to inside information about healthcare mergers. Sean Stewart, who worked at Perella Weinberg Partners and JPMorgan Chase & Co , took the stand in his own defense, telling jurors in federal court in Manhattan that he never intended to help his father profit through insider trading. "I never gave my father information so he could trade on it," Stewart testified. He acknowledged that despite his employers' requirements to keep details about unannounced mergers confidential, he "spoke very freely" with family members including his father, Robert Stewart, about his job, occasionally mentioning client names. But Stewart, 35, testified he did so in the context of discussing scheduling around his 2011 wedding or talking about his career, never expecting anyone to trade on the information. "In hind sight, what I was doing was incredibly foolish," Stewart said. Stewart's testimony came shortly after prosecutors rested in presenting evidence against him and as the trial neared its end. Closing arguments are expected on Monday. He was charged in May 2015 alongside his father, who prosecutors say with a friend, Richard Cunniffe, made $1.16 million from 2011 to 2014 trading on tips about five healthcare deals provided by his son. The case has resulted in guilty pleas by Robert Stewart, 61, and Cunniffe, 62, who, according to prosecutors, secretly recorded the elder Stewart saying his son criticized him for not trading on a tip. As evidence the younger Stewart knew about his father's actions, prosecutors cite trades Robert Stewart and Cunniffe placed before mergers the banker was working on even after at one point he was questioned about his father's trading. In that instance, a regulatory inquiry was launched into trades placed by individuals including Robert Stewart before INC Research's 2011 acquisition of Kendle International Inc, a JPMorgan client. Story continues Testifying, Stewart said he did not know about his father's trades until the inquiry and did not believe his father's denials about insider trading when he confronted him. Nevertheless, Stewart said he lied to JPMorgan compliance officials about whether his father could have learned about the deal from him, as he was worried about what would happen to his career and father. He later called his father, he said. "I told him to never do that again," Stewart said. The case is U.S. v. Stewart, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00287. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Chris Reese) By Anshuman Daga SINGAPORE (Reuters) - AirAsia Bhd , Asia's biggest budget airline, will kick off the sale of a majority stake in its plane leasing unit this month, a deal that could value the business at about $1 billion, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Malaysia-based carrier, headed by tycoon Tony Fernandes, has hired three investment banks to run the sale of the Asia Aviation Capital stake, the people said. They declined to be identified as the discussions were confidential. The deal would help AirAsia boost its finances and slash debt after it faced criticism last year for its accounting practices. At an overall valuation of $1 billion, the sale would be significant for a carrier with a market capitalization of $2 billion. AirAsia declined to comment. The airline plans to tap potential suitors including the leasing units of China's HNA Group, China Merchants Bank <600036.SS>, and the aviation leasing company backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing for the sale, the people familiar with the matter said. China Merchants Bank, HNA Group and Li's CK group did not respond to Reuters' requests for comments. AirAsia was also open to selling the unit completely, they said, and its final valuation could change depending on how talks with potential buyers proceed. The people said the carrier is considering paying down debt or paying a special dividend from the proceeds. They said AirAsia has hired Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas and RHB Bank to handle the sale, and expects to complete it by early next year. BNP Paribas and RHB Bank declined to comment, while Credit Suisse did not respond to Reuters requests for comments. (Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Denny Thomas and Kenneth Maxwell) And to think, we didn't even need a producer to manipulate Constance Zimmer behind-the-scenes to get these tears. The 45-year-old actress earned her first Emmy nomination for playing UnREAL's Quinn King, the tough-as-nails showrunner of a Bachelor-esque dating show. Zimmer will take on the likes of Downton Abbey's Maggie Smith and Game of Thrones' Lena Headey for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama and she got tearful when asked what it would mean to win. "I mean, it would make me cry," she tells ET's Kevin Frazier. "It's that thing that you have always dreamt about, and you don't ever expect, you know? It would be life-changing, as they say." RELATED: 2016 Emmys: Lady Gaga, 'The Good Wife' and More of the Most Shocking Snubs & Surprises Meanwhile, she couldn't help but laugh about life -- or at least, reality -- imitating art: A plotline from the Lifetime series was paralleled during Bachelor in Paradise the very same week, with Rachel (Shiri Appleby) slipping a diuretic into one of the contestant's food, causing, well, you know. "The episode aired on Monday and people were definitely like, 'Alright, you've definitely gone too far--' Zimmer explains. "Then cut to wakeup, 24 hours later and it actually happened on Bachelor in Paradise. Blowing my mind!" She's referring to Chad Johnson, who arrived in Paradise on Tuesday and proceeded to get very drunk, exceedingly violent and then pooped himself -- though seemingly no producer was to blame this time. (For the record, Chad later told ET, "I regret everything.") "It really makes me say, "Wow! What we're doing is not that farfetched!" Zimmer adds. When ET visited the UnREAL set, the cast weighed in on whether the show has ruined their love of reality TV and the secret to shooting those NSFW sex scenes. Get the scoop in the video below! Related Articles Eleven years ago, Damian Marley released Welcome to Jamrock, the Gold-certified winner of the 2006 Best Reggae Album Grammy, with its powerfully gritty title track winning the Best Urban/Alternative performance Grammy, a first for a Jamaican artist. Since then, Damian's busy schedule has included recording the SuperHeavy album as a member of a short lived supergroup that included Mick Jagger and Joss Stone and working with Nas on the critically lauded Distant Relatives. Damian Marley is Tidal's Newest Artist Owner Now, the reggae scion is prepping Welcome to Jamrock's much-anticipated follow up, his largely self-produced fourth studio album, Stony Hill, which is scheduled for an Oct. 28 release. Stony Hill's first single, the urgent "Nail Pon Cross," debuts today on Billboard and is streaming exclusively on Tidal, where Damian is one of several artists/co-owners. Sampling the blistering, bass heavy rhythm from Jamaican vocal trio Black Uhuru's 1984 hit "Solidarity" (produced by the legendary reggae drum and bass virtuosos Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare) Marley's succession of ingenious rapid-fire rhymes, delivered in his inimitable sing-jay style, caution against rash assessments of people irrespective of their background, color or social standing. "I wasn't thinking about anything grandiose when I was writing the lyrics, just day to day personal relationships," Marley told Billboard in an exclusive interview. "The song touches on the judgments we see in the media and in politics, but it is really about how we pass judgment on each other." [[{"fid":"623000","view_mode":"media_original","type":"media","attributes":{"height":1024,"width":1548,"alt":"Damian Marley","class":"media-element file-media-original"}}]] Damian Marley "You must understand that a man is just a man/ Don't you judge him for his ways and flaws/ Speak of love tomorrow you'll be doing good my brother/ You're working for the greatest cause," Marley sings on the track that serves as a lesson on casting the first stone, a relevant message in this strife-filled presidential election season. Story continues The video for Nail Pon Cross (Jamaican patois for "nailed on the cross") directed by Darren Craig, was filmed in Los Angeles in mid-July and is scheduled for a debut on Tidal on Aug. 9. It evokes a preeminent example of heartless condemnation - the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In its climactic scene Damian, dressed in a long sleeve shirt, jeans, a bandana around his forehead replacing a crown of thorns, is nailed to a cross alongside a young African-American male, a Mexican immigrant, a Muslim man and a Los Angeles cop. "At one point in time centuries ago, crucifixion was a widely used form of capital punishment," Damian emphasized (several media houses report this barbaric act is still practiced in Saudi Arabia and Yemen). "So we are not reenacting the crucifixion of Christ but showing the crucifixion of many. Whether people like it or not, the most important thing is to raise conversations about the judgments made against people." The act of crucifixion has underscored various messages in popular music from John Lennon's reference to his metaphorical crucifixion in the 1969 "The Ballad of John and Yoko" to Kanye West wearing a crown of thorns on a 2006 Rolling Stone cover to Madonna hanging on an oversized mirrored cross during performances of "Live to Tell," engendering interfaith criticisms, as part of her 2006 Confessions tour. Damian Marley's Welcome to Jamrock Cruise Doubles Up for 2015, Announces Lineup For the Nail Pon Cross video Marley found inspiration in Nas's forceful 1999 Hype Williams-directed video for "Hate Me Now." "The imagery in Nas's video was made to look like a modern depiction of Christ's crucifixion, that's where I got the idea for the Nail Pon Cross video," said Damian. "I haven't seen Kanye's Rolling Stone cover and Madonna's energy and message is a whole lot different than mine; they thrive on controversy and I am not doing this to be controversial, this is to represent the judgments that people make so if someone has a problem with the video, that is exactly what the song is talking about." Hailed throughout his career for his complex, uncompromising lyrics on such songs as the profoundly insightful yet chilling "Gunman World" (from Ghetto Youths International Present: Set Up Shop Vol. 2) and, of course, Welcome To Jamrock -- which depicts the harsh ghetto realities within his Jamaican birthplace -- Bob Marley's youngest son continues to uphold a renowned familial legacy. "When the single 'Welcome to Jamrock' came out, it was criticized, why am I representing Jamaica in that way? But that is life, and if there are controversies, let's talk about them," asserted Marley. "Like our father did, we want to do more than just entertain with our music, we want to make serious statements and uplift with our music, likewise our visuals." PRISTINA (Reuters) - An explosive device was thrown at Kosovo's parliament building on Thursday evening, a policeman on the scene said, adding that there were no casualties. Kosovo media reported that two motorcyclists fired a rocket propelled grenade as they drove near the parliament building. The police did not confirm media reports. The parliament is next to the government's building on a busy street in the center of Pristina. After the explosion, a special police unit sealed off the area around the parliament, a Reuters witness reported. In the past 10 months the landlocked state of 1.8 million has seen tensions rise among political parties. Opposition MPs released tear gas inside the parliament several times in a protest over an EU-brokered accord with Serbia giving more autonomy to Serb dominated municipalities. Opposition supporters clashed with the police several times during the same period. On Thursday morning the Kosovo government asked the parliament to ratify a border agreement with Montenegro, disputed by opposition parties that have said it gives away some 8,000 hectares of Kosovo land. A major opposition party called its supporters to protest against the border deal in front of the parliament earlier on Thursday, but the crowd quickly dispersed because the issue was not put on the agenda. Adopting a border deal with Montenegro is a precondition for Kosovo to get a visa-free travel regime to the Schengen zone as other countries in the region including Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia were given in 2010. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is still not recognized by Belgrade. It has signed a trade and political pact with the EU but it is still not recognized by five member states: Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Greece and Slovakia. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Ivana Sekularac, Toni Reinhold) Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has spread to many countries in the Americas. The following are some questions and answers about the virus and current outbreak: How do people become infected? Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same type that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Aedes mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile, and the virus will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where Aedes mosquitoes are found. How do you treat Zika? There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika infection. Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Zika, but the World Health Organization (WHO) had said early in 2016 that it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots. A vaccine is not expected to be ready for widespread use for at least two or three years. U.S. government researchers said they started their first clinical trial of a Zika vaccine. How dangerous is it? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. The CDC said now that the causal relationship has been established, several important questions must still be answered with studies that could take years. According to the World Health Organization, there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly in babies, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems. In addition, the agency said it could cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis. Conclusive proof of the damage caused by Zika may take months or years. Brazil reports the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly at more than 1,700 as doctors and Brazilian health officials find that some suspected cases of microcephaly are not the disorder. Suspected ones under investigation had declined to 3,257. Brazil registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus from February until April 2. Current research in Brazil indicates the greatest microcephaly risk is associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy, but health officials have warned an impact could be seen in later weeks. Recent studies have shown evidence of Zika in amniotic fluid, placenta and fetal brain tissue. What are the symptoms of Zika infection? People infected with Zika may have a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue that can last for two to seven days. But as many as 80 percent of people infected never develop symptoms. The symptoms are similar to those of dengue or chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same type of mosquito. How can Zika be contained? Efforts to control the spread of the virus focus on eliminating mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using insect repellent and mosquito nets. U.S. and international health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries where they may be exposed to Zika. How widespread is the outbreak? Active Zika outbreaks have been reported in at least 54 countries or territories, most of them in the Americas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Brazil has been the country most affected. (http://1.usa.gov/1ovAJyh) Africa (1): Cape Verde Americas (45): Anguilla, Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saba, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelmy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Eustatius, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Cacos, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela. Oceania/Pacific Islands (8): American Samoa, Fiji, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga. What is the history of the Zika virus? The Zika virus is found in tropical locales with large mosquito populations. Outbreaks of Zika have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and the Western Pacific. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the WHO. [nL2N1641YI] Can Zika be transmitted through sexual contact? The World Health Organization (WHO) said sexual transmission is "relatively common" and has advised pregnant women not to travel to areas with ongoing outbreaks of Zika virus. It also advised women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant. The U.S. CDC is investigating about a dozen cases of possible sexual transmission. Those cases involved possible transmission of the virus from men to their sex partners. But the CDC issued updated recommendations for preventing and testing for Zika infection on July 25, warning that the virus can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected female partner. A reported case of female-to-male sexual transmission in New York City, and limited human and non-human primate data indicating that Zika virus RNA can be detected in vaginal secretions, led to the new warning, the agency said. CDC's expanded warnings on sexual exposure to Zika now caution against sex without a condom or other barrier method of protection with any person, male or female, who has traveled to or lives in an area with Zika, including female to female transmission with a pregnant partner. British health officials reported Zika was found in a man's semen two months after he was infected, suggesting the virus may linger in semen long after infection symptoms fade. The PAHO said Zika can be transmitted through blood, but this is an infrequent transmission mechanism. There is no evidence Zika can be transmitted to babies through breast milk. The WHO has identified Zika cases in Argentina, Chile, France, Italy and New Zealand as likely caused by sexual transmission. What other complications are associated with Zika? Zika has also been associated with other neurological disorders, including serious brain and spinal cord infections. The long-term health consequences of Zika infection are unclear. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue. (Compiled by the Americas Desk) Stranger Things is the perfect summer binge watch fun, suspenseful and beautifully shot, with heroes and heroines that make you say, "she looks like this person I know" and then they're up against a super creepy monster. It's the kind of show that makes you feel sad when it's over (there are already rumblings about a second season). Kate Hudson called it "all kinds of awesome." Plus the music is cool. From the opening sequence, Stranger Things evokes the beloved '80s filmmaking of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Ridley Scott, John Hughes and others. The show's creators, Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, point to everyone's favorite '80s films, but don't hawk the references wholesale. The Duffer brothers just drop fun Easter egg hints and move along, apart from their casting of '80s and '90s darlings Matthew Modine and Winona Ryder, who create a sense of nostalgia in all of their scenes. There are many, many throwback moments in Stranger Things, but here's our favorite '80s movie references from the show: Firestarter, 1984 Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News Stranger Things revolves around a little girl with special powers reminiscent of Drew Barrymore's Charlie McGee in Firestarter. Eleven or "Elle," played by Millie Bobby Brown, has escaped from a lab run by Dr. Brenner (Modine), where they use her powers for top-secret spy-type stuff. She isn't a pyro, but you still don't want to tick her off she can kill big guys with guns and throw motor vehicles with just a little concentration. In a tip of the hat to Firestarter, Elle gets a nosebleed after she uses her powers, just like Charlie's telekinetic dad Andy (played by David Keith) in the classic Steven King horror film. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982 Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News Steven Spielberg's E.T. permeates Stranger Things. Elle is other-worldly, and she bonds with a little boy who decides to take her in and hide her from his mom (this time the basement instead of the closet). The pair go on bike rides with their friends shot just like the E.T. sequences she and America's most beloved alien both play dress up with blonde wigs and overly girly dresses. Story continues Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News The little boy, Will (Noah Schnapp), who goes missing in the first episode, tries to "phone home" from another dimension, and like E.T., gets sicker and weaker the longer he is away from his world. Goonies, 1985 Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News The pack of kids at the heart of the story brings to mind Goonies and relies on its popular '80s theme kids who save the day thanks to their faith in friendship. In particular, Gaten Matarazzo's portrayal of Dustin riffs off of Jeff Cohen's Chunk. In this case, Dustin is smart and diplomatic more likely to save the day than to cause trouble. Though in true Chunk fashion, he goes on a quest for food while they're hiding from the bad guys, resulting in a year's supply of chocolate pudding. There's also an element of Stand by Me, with the kids venturing out on their own and even a walking-down-the-railroad-tracks shot pulled straight from the 1986 film. Star Wars, 1977 and Raiders of the Lost Arc, 1981 Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News Another hero, police chief Jim Hopper, is a terrific combo of Han Solo (the attitude) and Indiana Jones (the hat). When one of the kids in the gang, Lucas, thinks Elle is lying, he calls her "Lando," referencing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise. Pretty in Pink, 1986 Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News Goonies meets Pretty in Pink when the gang dresses Elle in her wig and pink dress and offers a big reveal where everyone thinks she looks "pretty," but it's really the teenage characters and high school problems that evoke John Hughes' various dramas. Joe Keery's hair brings us back to a young James Spader, though his character, Steve Harrington, isn't nearly as slimy as Steff. He's a rich kid and a smooth talker, but turns out to be a good guy under all that mousse. Little Shop of Horrors, 1986 Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News The monster in Stranger Things looks a lot like the carnivorous plant in the classic musical. It doesn't sing, but it eats people Venus flytrap style and is from another world. It also seems to have hatched from a gooey egg straight out of Alien. Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984 Our Fave References to '80s Movies in Netflix's Stranger Things| Netflix, Star Wars, TV News The Netflix sleeper hit and the classic horror film share heroines named Nancy; they also look alike and are both smart, brave and determined to kill the monster. Both Nancys try to lure the creature out of its world, set a trap for it and light it on fire, with mild success. Eventually, Elle confronts the monster in a scene that feels like something out of 1986's Labyrinth, "You have no power over me!" But to find out what happens, you'll just have to watch. "Ola Bola" has the most nominations but not in the major categories. 4 Aug The full list of nominations for the 28th Malaysia Film Festival (FFM 28) has recently been announced and already it has managed to draw the ire of local movie fans and industry players alike. The controversy revolves around two of this year's highly-acclaimed movies, "Ola Bola" and "Jagat", that somehow fail to be nominated in the FFM 28 Best Film category. They were instead placed in a newly introduced category, Best Non-Bahasa Malaysia Film. The President of PENULIS (Persatuan Penulis Lakon Layar Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor), Alfie, has called out FFM, which is organised by the Malaysia Film Producers Association (PFM) and National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS), as being racist. He voiced his concern over the issue in a long Facebook post, stating that the association officially rejects a majority of the nominees for this year's festival and that the unjustified nominations proofed that FFM has not shown any progression. "However, that is not what worries us most. What's really worrying and aggravating is the existence of a Best Non-Bahasa Malaysia Film category, where movies that have done Malaysia proud and of high quality (and should be winning FFM) get dumped: such as "Ola Bola" and "Jagat"," the post stated. "Where is the 1Malaysia concept advocated by the government? This is Malaysia Film Festival, not Malay Film Festival." The post was also shared on the official Facebook page of local actress Ida Nerina, who shared the same sentiment regarding the issue. Some of the comments from netizens. Meanwhile, netizens who deem this year's list as irrelevant and one-sided have also taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction. Some accused the nominations of being based on popularity instead of quality. Neither FINAS nor PFM has released any official statements to explain the issue. Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny is a fun, wily, and infectious portrait-of-the-artist documentary, filled with things we havent seen before (theres a ton of footage of Linklater on the set), crafted with a deep curiosity about the mysterious, ever-changing nature of how movies actually get made. The film starts by going back to the halcyon indie days of 1991 and replaying the opening minutes of Slacker a sequence that features the director himself, though no one knew it at the time. Hes a talky young guy in a loose-fitting green T-shirt, with dreamy eyes and a quasi-70s bowl cut, who climbs into a taxi cab and starts waxing poetic to the driver (who greets his words with stone-cold indifference) about how if he had decided to walk or hitch a ride instead, he might have been inside a different reality. In that one, he could have met a beautiful woman who offered him a lift, and maybe the two played pinball and went back to her place, and then his face lights up I moved in with her! At that moment (its right there in the syntax), his dream of reality becomes nearly as real as the one hes living. Seen now, the sequence reverberates in ways it didnt back then. Its the seed of the Linklater vision: life as a series of moments and choices, which lead to other moments and choices, which are all part of the beauty of a destiny thats more random than we like to think it is. But the other reason the sequence resonates is that, in hindsight, its Richard Linklater revealing the obsession that drove him to become an artist. All those untraveled roads, those choices not made? He wants needs to follow them and, on some vicarious level, live them. Every moment of his filmmaking is an adventure in alternative reality. Dream Is Destiny is a pleasurably crafted career snapshot that doesnt overstay its welcome. It brims with revealing anecdotes, and it holds every dimension of Linklaters career up to the light (including the films of his that didnt quite work). Linklater himself is a lot like his movies: a clear-eyed curveball storyteller, incisive one moment and seductive the next. Theres a richness to how Dream Is Destiny captures his formative era, when he was on the path to figuring out that he wanted to become a filmmaker. He was just eight years old when his parents split up, and he moved with his mother and two older sisters to Huntsville, Texas: population 15,000, one stoplight, one movie theater. Austin, a place thats now branded with Linklaters name, was the big city he arrived in later on, but one can still feel, in his meditative style and rejection of the fantasy-blockbuster aesthetic (his whole refusal of noise), the echo of that small-town DNA. In his student-movie days, he was a one-man band of a filmmaker, recording audio tracks on his Sony Walkman. Once he got serious, though, what made Linklater special is that he became a shaggy, hang-loose communal artist with a vision that was rigorously orchestrated (thats the Linklater touch). He made Slacker with a local cinematic collective, and part of how they worked together was that they were all contributing, but really, every shot and idea was Linklaters. He was the artist, and they were part of a group-art community whod become (without quite knowing it) his crew. A friend of his recalls that when the Slacker team was looking for a place where they could shoot without permits, lay dolly tracks, be left alone, etc., the answer turned out to be downtown Austin. The key words in that story are dolly tracks. If anyone else was making a movie about a bunch of underemployed, overeducated wastrel fringe-dwellers babbling on about the cracked/inspired theories in their heads, it probably would have been all talking heads, shot with a handheld camera. But Linklater gave the quirky, insular, monologue-driven Slacker a picturesque sprawl. He gave it a gliding spaciousness it didnt need. Slacker emerged as an essential Gen-X text, and part of the reason is that Linklater was saying: Here they are now, entertaining us, but theres a larger world at play, one these people fit into without knowing it, where every reality criss-crosses another. Linklater is interviewed throughout Dream Is Destiny by the films co-producer-director, Louis Black (a co-founder of the Austin Chronicle and SXSW), and at one point Linklater thumbs through a folder of clippings about Slacker all the old media that helped to put him on the map and he says, ruefully, I dont think youd get this kind of support now. Dream Is Destiny taps a bittersweet nostalgia for the dawn of the indie-film era of the 90s. Its not so much that the odds were different as that the playing field was simpler. It gives you a shiver to hear Linklater recall what it felt like, on Dazed and Confused, to suddenly be shooting a studio film. He was like a poet whod been put in charge of a small factory. And theres a niftiness to his observation that what made Dazed unique is that it wasnt nostalgic. It saw the 70s with open eyes. Dream is Destiny weaves in and out of Linklaters ambivalence toward the studio system. His decision to remain in Austin was radical, if only from a career-politics point of view; it kept him a step away from where the action was. He claims to have never made a movie he didnt believe in, and even if you winced through his version of The Bad News Bears, you can believe it. The film features terrifically eloquent testimony to the freedom of his way of working (and to his making-the-impossible-look-easy quality) from the likes of Jack Black, Kevin Smith, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, and Matthew McConaughey. Yet the key to being a successful filmmaker is raising the money to get movies off the ground, and aspiring auteurs may be daunted by the degree to which Linklaters self-selected outsider status has made his career a perpetual uphill chug. A genre flop like The Newton Boys soured a lot of the suits on him. And while the Before Sunrise films are now thought of as an iconic series, when Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy decided to team up again on Before Sunset, it seemed crazily counterintuitive: a sequel to a movie that even indie audiences barely turned out for. Much about the Before films evolved with circumstance (Before Sunrise started out as a train-to-San-Antonio movie; it was the indie lawyer John Slosss idea to set it in Europe because of the subsidies there). Linklater recalls Before Midnight as the most difficult film he ever shot, and one can see why: He usually finds joy even in the darkness, and making a relationship drama as unrelenting as Scenes From a Marriage wrenched him. The flip side of that arrives in the story of how producer Scott Rudin pursued Linklater to direct School of Rock. Linklater turned him down, but Rudin wouldnt take no for an answer. He was right, of course its one of Linklaters most sublime achievements. He grounded the comedy, making every moment percolate with humanity and drawing out Jack Blacks bedroom-mirror rock & roll mugging to a fever pitch of jubilance. Talk about alternate reality! School of Rock remains a rare object lesson in what it might look like if high-concept Hollywood movies were made by artists. Dream Is Destiny culminates in the creation of Boyhood, and Linklater gives us a fascinatingly honest account of how, in shooting his movie (originally called Growing Up) over 12 years, he genuinely didnt know what he had. He had a great gimmick and an outline, but he wrote the script year by year, and at moments he worried that the accretion of small incidents would turn out to be a mistake, that there would be no there there. Thats not how it worked out, of course. The coalescing of Boyhood a movie at once calculated and miraculous, controlled and free-flowing turns out to be a perfect metaphor for the magical sly art of Richard Linklater: a series of moments that add up to something greater, but only because theyre allowed to be just what they are. Related stories 'Everybody Wants Some!!' Star Blake Jenner on Working With Richard Linklater 'Everybody Wants Some!!' and 'Scream Queens' Actor Glen Powell: 'I Didn't Realize My Brand Was Bromance' Richard Linklater on the Long Road to Make 'Everybody Wants Some!!' By Jim Finkle and Alan John Koshy (Reuters) - Cyber security firm FireEye Inc said on Thursday it planned to lay off 300 to 400 of its 3,400 workers as it announced quarterly sales below its own forecast, due to a slowdown in demand for its services helping businesses respond to hacking attacks. FireEye's shares were down 16.2 percent at $14.02 in extended trading. The Milpitas, California-based company also cut its full-year sales outlook. Chief Financial Officer Michael Berry told Reuters that the job cuts were part of a restructuring effort that will reduce annual costs by about $80 million. Chief Executive Kevin Mandia said the company is now responding more frequently to financially driven cyber criminals, who engage in crimes such as ransomware, which are relatively simple to clean up. "The size and scope have changed. The whole remediation was more complex" when the company was responding to large numbers of state-sponsored hacks from China, he said. FireEye cut its full-year revenue forecast to $716 million-$728 million from $780 million-$810 million. The company is still targeting non-GAAP profitability by the end of 2017 and expect to generate positive free-cash flow in 2017, Berry said on a conference call. It reported second-quarter revenue of $175 million, missing its own projection of $178 million to $185 million. Executives blamed much of the trouble on a slowdown in its services business, including its high-profile Mandiant forensics unit that helps organizations respond to cyber attacks. That division's revenue rose just 2 percent in the second quarter, compared to a 40 percent increase in the first quarter. Its total number of engagements rose, but average revenue from each one fell dramatically because work performed was less extensive. Mandia said that was due to a shift away from previous years where there were large numbers of state-sponsored espionage hackers from China attacking customers in the United States. Story continues FireEye and other cyber security firms said in June that cyber espionage attacks from China appeared to have dropped this year as the Chinese government made good on a pledge with the United States to stop supporting the digital theft of U.S. trade secrets. The company reported lower-than-expected billings, a closely watched indicator of future business. FireEye posted second-quarter billings of 196.4 million, below its forecast of $200 million to $215 million. It also cut its full-year billings forecast to a range of $835 million to $855 million, from its previous range of $975 million to $1.055 billion. In contrast, peer Symantec Corp reported second-quarter revenue and adjusted profit above the average analyst estimates, helped by strong enterprise demand for its security products. Up to Thursday's close, FireEye shares had fallen more than 62 percent in the last 12 months. (Reporting by Alan John Koshy in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Rigby) By Jim Finkle and Alan John Koshy (Reuters) - Cyber security firm FireEye Inc said on Thursday it planned to lay off 300 to 400 of its 3,400 workers as it announced quarterly sales below its own forecast, due to a slowdown in demand for its services helping businesses respond to hacking attacks. FireEye's shares were down 16.2 percent at $14.02 in extended trading. The Milpitas, California-based company also cut its full-year sales outlook. Chief Financial Officer Michael Berry told Reuters that the job cuts were part of a restructuring effort that will reduce annual costs by about $80 million. Chief Executive Kevin Mandia said the company is now responding more frequently to financially driven cyber criminals, who engage in crimes such as ransomware, which are relatively simple to clean up. "The size and scope have changed. The whole remediation was more complex" when the company was responding to large numbers of state-sponsored hacks from China, he said. FireEye cut its full-year revenue forecast to $716 million-$728 million from $780 million-$810 million. The company is still targeting non-GAAP profitability by the end of 2017 and expect to generate positive free-cash flow in 2017, Berry said on a conference call. It reported second-quarter revenue of $175 million, missing its own projection of $178 million to $185 million. Executives blamed much of the trouble on a slowdown in its services business, including its high-profile Mandiant forensics unit that helps organizations respond to cyber attacks. That division's revenue rose just 2 percent in the second quarter, compared to a 40 percent increase in the first quarter. Its total number of engagements rose, but average revenue from each one fell dramatically because work performed was less extensive. Mandia said that was due to a shift away from previous years where there were large numbers of state-sponsored espionage hackers from China attacking customers in the United States. FireEye and other cyber security firms said in June that cyber espionage attacks from China appeared to have dropped this year as the Chinese government made good on a pledge with the United States to stop supporting the digital theft of U.S. trade secrets. The company reported lower-than-expected billings, a closely watched indicator of future business. FireEye posted second-quarter billings of 196.4 million, below its forecast of $200 million to $215 million. It also cut its full-year billings forecast to a range of $835 million to $855 million, from its previous range of $975 million to $1.055 billion. In contrast, peer Symantec Corp reported second-quarter revenue and adjusted profit above the average analyst estimates, helped by strong enterprise demand for its security products. Up to Thursday's close, FireEye shares had fallen more than 62 percent in the last 12 months. (Reporting by Alan John Koshy in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Rigby) First Lady Michelle Obama makes the sweetest post for President Obamas birthday, and were dying! First Lady Michelle Obama makes the sweetest post for President Obamas birthday, and were dying! We just love love and absolutely admire President Obama and First Lady Michelles relationship. Our First Lady wished our POTUS a very happy birthday with a sweet photo and message today, giving us serious goals in the process. 55 years young and that smile still gets me every single day. Happy birthday, Barack. I love you. -mo A photo posted by First Lady Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Aug 4, 2016 at 7:34am PDT 55 years young and that smile still gets me every single day. Happy birthday, Barack. I love you. -mo, she wrote, being sure to leave her personal signature of MO, so wed all know it came directly from the source. How cute! This isnt the first time our POTUS and FLOTUS showed PDA for all of us to fawn over. Check out a few of our favorite BO and MO moments below! Like President Obamas adorable message to commemorate their wedding anniversary! We dieeeeeee. "You and I" #21Years A photo posted by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Oct 3, 2013 at 5:31pm PDT President Obama is so chivalrous. Wishing you and all your loved ones a very Merry Christmas! A photo posted by First Lady Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Dec 25, 2015 at 9:05am PST And a couple that makes embarrassing faces together, stays together. Inside all of us is a wild thing. #EasterEggRoll A photo posted by First Lady Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Mar 28, 2016 at 7:03pm PDT Our hearts are melting! A photo posted by First Lady Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Mar 10, 2016 at 5:01pm PST #goals. The post First Lady Michelle Obama makes the sweetest post for President Obamas birthday, and were dying! appeared first on HelloGiggles. Kathy Griffin has a brand new book! PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover and details of the comedian's latest publication titled Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins which is set for release on Nov. 22. "It's so good, I don't think I'll ever have to work again," Kathy laughs, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. Griffin, 55, describes the book as an A-Z index of all her "crazy celebrity experiences" that she's compiled over the years, including everyone from Woody Allen to rocker Warren Zevon. The idea for the book which is filled with tea-spilling anecdotes came when Griffin was watching Straight Outta Compton and realized she was familiar with all four leads, meaning, she has become the person who knows everybody in Hollywood. Griffin is sharing her experiences of run-ins, good and bad, with celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and even Donald Trump. The bestselling author also dishes on David Letterman still being scared of Cher, Sidney Poitier having a wicked sense of humor, and Demi Lovato having none. With all these juicy tales to read, all we need now is some popcorn. (The following statement was released by the rating agency) SINGAPORE, August 03 (Fitch) The impending spectrum allocations in 2H16 will intensify telecom rivalries and shape 4G competition in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, says Fitch Ratings. These markets are widely expected to announce spectrum details in the next few months, as telecom regulators reallocate spectrum to meet fast-growing demand for data services. Telecom operators are facing increasing challenges of high capex investments and spectrum inadequacy, thanks to the proliferation of data services - driven by the availability of low-cost smartphones, and the rise of long-term evolution (LTE) services. LTE networks are more cost efficient, enabling operators to offer bigger data bundles at cheaper cost than 3G. However, this will eventually put a strain on the networks, resulting in the need for more spectrum and network capacity. In Indonesia, it will be crucial for fourth-largest telecom operator PT Hutchison 3 Indonesia (Hutch) and the largest mobile operator PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel, AAA(idn)/Stable) to win spectrum in the upcoming assignment. Hutch has the smallest spectrum holding among the four largest Indonesian telcos. Meanwhile, Telkomsel still serves a large 2G market and will require additional spectrum to cater to its growing 4G subscriber base. Approximately 48% of its mobile subscribers are still on the 2G network. Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is scheduled to announce the spectrum assignment of two 5MHz blocks of 2100MHz, and two 15MHz blocks of 2300MHz in 2H16. It is still uncertain whether the regulator will run a, so-called, beauty contest - a comparative tender based on certain criteria - as it did in 2013, or an open auction. 4G adoption has been slow in Indonesia, although the reassignment of 1800MHz spectrum in end-2015 helped eased spectrum constraints on LTE services. In Singapore, the Infocomm Development Authority's decision to lower the reserve price of the total 60MHz spectrum set aside for a new mobile network operator (MNO) and double the allocation in the 2.3GHz band to 40MHz, were pro-consumer. The October 2016 auction will set aside 2x10MHz in 900MHz and 40MHz in 2300MHz for the new MNO, enabling the entrant to compete more effectively as it will have a good mix of spectrum for wide coverage and capacity for 4G services. Fitch believes the smaller spectrum allocation in the 900MHz band for the incumbents Singapore Telecommunications Limited (A+/Stable), StarHub and M1, will result in the companies raising their capex in the next two years. We think the new MNO will focus on price to gain market share. The spectrum reassignment by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission in early 2016 is likely to intensify competition in Malaysia when it takes effect in July 2017. The third-largest mobile operator DiGi and mobile virtual network operator U-Mobile will benefit from a larger allocation of the coveted 900MHz spectrum. This lower-frequency band is more cost-efficient for 4G deployment because of its wider coverage and better penetration within buildings. Fitch believes this will enable them to challenge the market leaders Celcom and Maxis, whose allocations for 900MHz and 1800MHz have been reduced. The spectrum fee has yet to be determined. However, the loss in spectrum for Celcom and Maxis may result in the companies increasing capex to construct new sites to ensure service quality is not compromised. There will also be more competition with the debut of fixed-line operator Telekom Malaysia's (A-/Stable) mobile service with unlimited data, SMS and voice plans. In the Philippines, the two incumbent telecom operators' joint bid for San Miguel Corporation's telecommunications business should ease escalating competition in the sector, giving the incumbents access to, among others, the 700MHz spectrum-frequency. Meanwhile, in Thailand, Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited's (BBB+/Stable) 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum acquisitions in November 2015 and May 2016, respectively, have eased regulatory risk for the incumbent, although second-largest mobile operator Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (BBB/Stable) still faces spectrum uncertainty with its 2G concession expiring in 2018. Contact: Janice Chong Director Corporates +65 6796 7241 Fitch Ratings Singapore Pte Ltd 6 Temasek Boulevard #35-05 Suntec City Tower 4 Singapore 038986 Obboon Thirachit Director +662 108 0159 Media Relations: Leslie Tan, Singapore, Tel: +65 67 96 7234, Email: leslie.tan@fitchratings.com. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com 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 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. In the summer of 1989, Ringo Starr hit the road for his first time since his days in the Beatles, and he decided to take about half of classic rock with him. He called the backing group the All-Starr Band, and it featured Billy Preston, Dr. John, Joe Walsh, Levon Helm, Jim Keltner, Rick Danko, Nils Lofgren and Clarence Clemons. The set teetered between Beatles classics, Ringo tunes and the many hits the various band members brought to the table. It made for a weird range of songs each night, but it was always wildly entertaining. Some of the best moments of the evening came when Levon Helm and Rick Danko played tunes by the Band, especially when Garth Hudson strapped on an accordion and made one of his many guest appearance. That meant the entire current lineup of the Band was out there at once. That happened on September 4th, 1989 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, and a professional camera crew captured the whole thing. Here's the All-Starr band performing "The Weight." Dr. John tackles the third verse that Levon Helm sang on the original, though Danko took the "Crazy Chester" verse just like he did on the record. One might think the song doesn't need a Clarence Clemons sax solo, three drummers and two keyboardists, but then again, why the hell not? The All-Starr band has gone through many, many permutations over the years, taking on everyone from Sheila E. to Eric Carmen and Howard Jones. But in 2012, he hit the road with Toto's Steve Lukather, Santana's Gregg Rolie, Todd Rundgren and Mr. Mister's Richard Page. These aren't the sort of heavyweights he played with that first summer, but Ringo loved the results and has stuck with them over the past four years. They even wrote an original song. They have yet another leg coming in October 2016 that will take them from Snoqualmie, Washington to Seoul, South Korea. Related (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) said it was recalling about 830,000 vehicles in North America to replace side-door latches that could unlatch while driving. The automaker said it had identified one reported accident and one reported injury that may be related to the defect. (http://ford.to/2aKYPAG) The recall includes 2013-15 Ford C-MAX and Escape, 2012-15 Ford Focus, 2015 Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC, and 2014-16 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. Ford said the recall was focused primarily on some warm weather U.S. states and in Mexico. The total cost associated with the recall is about $270 million and will be incurred mainly by the company's North American unit, the company said. The recall includes 766,682 vehicles in the United States and territories and 61,371 in Mexico. Ford had recalled some Ford Fiesta and Fusion and Lincoln MKZ models in North America in April last year due to a similar door latch malfunction. (http://reut.rs/2aX7ZtE) (Reporting by Arunima Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said it was recalling about 830,000 vehicles in North America to replace side-door latches that could unlatch while driving. The automaker said it had identified one reported accident and one reported injury that may be related to the defect. (http://ford.to/2aKYPAG) The recall includes 2013-15 Ford C-MAX and Escape, 2012-15 Ford Focus, 2015 Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC, and 2014-16 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. Ford said the recall was focused primarily on some warm weather U.S. states and in Mexico. The total cost associated with the recall is about $270 million and will be incurred mainly by the company's North American unit, the company said. The recall includes 766,682 vehicles in the United States and territories and 61,371 in Mexico. Ford had recalled some Ford Fiesta and Fusion and Lincoln MKZ models in North America in April last year due to a similar door latch malfunction. (http://reut.rs/2aX7ZtE) (Reporting by Arunima Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) Herat (Afghanistan) (AFP) - Taliban militants attacked a group of 12 American and European tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in western Herat province Thursday, leaving at least seven people wounded as the insurgents step up nationwide attacks. The tourists -- eight British, three Americans and one German national -- were ambushed by Taliban gunmen in the restive district of Chesht-e-Sharif, while en route from the neighbouring provinces of Bamiyan and Ghor. It is unclear why they were travelling overland at a time when Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of kidnapping and attacks. "The foreign tourists -- three Americans, six Britons, two Scots and one German -- were travelling with an Afghan army convoy when they were ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif," said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor. He said the insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, adding that the attack left at least six foreigners and their Afghan driver wounded. Local authorities released photographs of some of the foreigners being treated in a district hospital for apparently minor injuries. The Taliban claimed the attack on "foreign invaders" as they intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. But that has not stopped some foreign tourists from travelling to Afghanistan, endowed with stunning landscapes and archaeological sites, many of them in volatile areas prone to the Taliban insurgency. The Guardian newspaper reported the tourists came to Afghanistan with Hinterland Travel, an England-based adventure travel company which offers tours passing through central and north Afghanistan as well as volatile lapis mines in the country. Story continues The company was not immediately reachable for comment. Its latest 21-day tour through "glorious, stark mountain passes" in Bamiyan and Herat started on July 26, according to its website. - Warzone tourism - James Willcox, founder of another England-based adventure travel operator Untamed Borders, said his agency stopped using the Bamiyan-Herat road in 2009 because "it's just not safe". Bamiyan, famous for empty hillside niches that once sheltered giant Buddha statues that were blown up by the Taliban, is at the centre of Afghan efforts to boost revenue from warzone tourism. A vast, ancient landscape of russet-hued cliffs, Bamiyan is a rare oasis of tranquility but it is wedged between insurgency-hit districts. The United States has warned its citizens in Afghanistan of a "very high" kidnapping risk after an American citizen narrowly escaped abduction in the heart of Kabul. Thursday's attack follows a Taliban truck bombing on Monday at a hotel for foreigners in Kabul, which triggered a seven-hour gun and grenade assault that highlighted growing insecurity in the city. The guests and staff of the Northgate hotel escaped unharmed, but one policeman was killed after the suicide truck bomber paved the way for two other armed insurgents to enter the heavily guarded facility near Kabul airport. The attack was a grim reminder of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan since most foreign troops withdrew in 2014. The rising violence has resulted in large Afghan civilian casualties. Foreigners are also increasingly being targeted as the conflict escalates. American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed in June while travelling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province. Aid workers in particular have increasingly been casualties of a surge in militant violence in recent years. Judith D'Souza, a 40-year-old Indian charity worker, was rescued in late July, more than a month after she was taken at gunpoint near her residence in the heart of Kabul. D'Souza's abduction came after Katherine Jane Wilson, a well-known Australian NGO worker, was kidnapped on April 28 in the city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan. KABUL (Reuters) - At least five foreign tourists and their driver were wounded in Afghanistan on Thursday in an attack by gunmen on their convoy as it passed through western Herat province, government officials said. The group included at least six British citizens, three Americans and a German, said Jilani Farhad, a spokesman for Herat's governor. At least three Britons were wounded, but the nationalities of the other victims were not immediately known. Farhad said security forces had been sent to the scene. The convoy, reportedly escorted by security forces, was on its way from scenic Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan to the city of Herat when it was attacked, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said. Both officials described the foreigners as tourists. Bamiyan, home to two giant statues of Buddha carved into a mountainside and to Afghanistan's first national park, is one of the country's more peaceful areas and attracts some of the few tourists who do visit. Photographs published by local media in Herat showed uniformed men standing around what appeared to be the burned remains of a small bus with a roof rack for luggage. The group was taken by Italian military helicopters to a NATO medical facility in Herat, according to coalition spokesman Colonel Michael Lawhorn. They were treated for mostly light injuries, Farhad said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the militants, Zabiullah Mujahid, said on Twitter the group had killed the foreign "invaders" as well as seven "slave" Afghan soldiers. The British Embassy in Kabul was providing assistance to its citizens affected by the attack and was coordinating with Afghan officials, spokeswoman Jenny Jones said. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said a German national was involved but unharmed in the attack. The American Embassy did not immediately respond to request for comment. Several foreign tourism companies advertise adventure tours to Afghanistan, including one British firm which had a trip scheduled to the area in Herat this week. Afghanistan remains locked in a violent insurgency and Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all but essential travel there, citing threats of attack and kidnapping. (Editing by Louise Ireland) Worries are once again building up in the oil patch as the price of this liquid commodity slipped back to the $40 level lately on concerns of supply glut. The latest threats came from higher OPEC production and a rise in the number of rigs operating in U.S. oil fields for five successive weeks. Oil started 2016 on extremely low note, plunging to the below-$30 level in February but finally sprung to $50 level on easing supply abundance. But with output in Canada coming on stream after wildfire issues, raw crude inventory in the U.S. saw an unexpected rise last week (read: Alberta Wildfire Puts These ETFs in Focus). After this backflip by the oil patch, a new metal is emerging and will presumably replace gasoline, at least if we go by Goldman Sachs. In fact, the research houserecently termed Lithium as the new gasoline (read: 5 ETFs for Those Who Believe the Oil Rally is Over). Why Lithium Gaining Precedence The fate of the metal lithium is often associated with electric cars and in turn with the electric car maker Tesla Motors TSLA. This is becausethis material is used in making lithium-ion batteries that power electriccars. Upbeat production Outlook by Tesla Tesla remains upbeat on future production and has decided to expedite output to 500,000 units by 2018, rather than 2020 planned earlier. Notably, Tesla is witnessing a surge in demand for Model 3 cars. Higher car production will invariably drive up demand for lithium. Will Electric Cars Transform the Entire Automotive Industry? Per Bloomberg, keeping an electric car will be more affordable than buying and running a petrol or diesel car six years down the line. Moreover, the global drive against the emission of greenhouse gas will eventually boost demand for electrically run cars than conventional diesel-driven cars. Bloomberg also noted that electric vehicle at present accounts for just 1% of global vehicle sales, promising stellar growth. It is expected to constitute about 35% of all light duty vehicle sales by 2040. Story continues Needless to say, lithium will cash in on this high demand. With surging sales, manufacturing costs are on a downhill ride thanks to economies of scale. Usage of Lithium in High-Tech Gadgets Lithium-ion battery is also used in mobile phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets etc. Though global smatphones sales are expected to slow downin 2016, there is still ample scope in the under-penetrated emerging nations. Plus, there is demand from other gadgets like laptops and tablets. All these have kept demand for Lithium. China: Yet Another Driver China, which is focused on lowering greenhouse gas emission and turning environmentally friendly, is likely to opt for more lithium batteries for electric buses and other vehicles. China is even offering incentivesto electric car manufacturers to promote this area (read: Eco-Friendly ETFs to Commemorate World Environment Day). Market Impact At present, there is only one way Global X Lithium ETF LIT to target this space from a global perspective. We have described LIT in greater detail below (read: Play Surging Electric Car Demand with the Lithium ETF): Lithium ETF in Focus The product looks to give global exposure to the broad range of firms engaged in the mining of lithium, or development of lithium batteries. The product tracks the Solactive Global Lithium Index giving access to the largest and most-liquid 25 firms around the globe. The fund has amassed about $115.8 million in its asset base and trades in moderate volume of nearly 150,000 shares per day. This increases the total cost for the fund in the form of a wide bid/ask spread beyond the expense ratio of 0.77%. American firms dominate the portfolio with 34% share while Australia and Chile round off to the next two spots with a double-digit allocation each. From a sector look, the ETF is heavy on materials with 56% share, followed by industrials (17.9%) and consumer discretionary (14.6%). The fund is highly concentrated on two firms FMC Corp and Quimica Y Minera Chil-SP which together make up for over 30% of total assets. Other firms hold less than 7% in the basket. LIT is up about 21% so far this year (as of August 2, 2016). 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 >> 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 TESLA MOTORS (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report GLBL-X LITHIUM (LIT): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 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 Credit: Mark J. Rebllas, USA TODAY Sports The Denver Broncos made a difficult salary cap crunch move by trading away four-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Ryan Clady to the New York Jets. They replaced him by signing Russell Okung to a five-year deal worth $53 million. AROUND COVER32 Madden Monday: A look at the new features for this years game Fantasy Football: Where to draft suspended players Fantasy Football: Ranking the top ten kickers of 2016 Free Agency: Five teams that should call Devin Hester Predictably enough, Clady was going to find a way to make headlines by taking a shot at someone, and he did that with Okung, per Manish Mehta from the New York Daily News. Obviously, Seattle didnt want Okung. But obviously Denver wanted him. I dont feel like he should have (gone) in there without an agent, maybe. Its not exactly the greatest deal ever put together (for) a tackle. But, it is what it is. You got to move on. Im here now and Im ready to prove myself. As Mehta reminded us, the Broncos signing of Okung carries no guaranteed money and they can opt out of the contract any year they want. So Okungs decision not to have an agent is definitely questionable. That being said, Broncos fans will take it. If he plays up to his contract, theyll happily keep him on board. But on the other hand, this is something youd think Clady would just ignore. Its hard to blame him if hes somewhat sour over being dealt and having another guy take his spot. Clady was a great player for the Broncos, but after missing all of 2013 and 2015, the departure was inevitable. Time to move on. The post Former Bronco Ryan Clady takes shot at new Bronco appeared first on Cover32. Over the last few days, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has made it clear that hes playing the same cards that helped him bully the GOP establishment into lying down during the primaries and win the nomination. Never mind that his various campaign trail missteps have brought huge amounts of negative publicity down on his head. The system is rigged against him, Trump will claim. He used that storyline to great effect in the primary, making GOP leaders palpably fearful of offending him. The worry was that he might be able to convince his small but vocal core of voters to bolt the party if he asked them to -- a deathblow to the GOPs hopes of regaining the White House in an election where demographics mean Republicans could afford no mistakes. Related: A Desperate GOP Reportedly Calls for an Intervention with Trump Late Wednesday afternoon, a serious obstacle to Trumps strategy emerged in the form of a poll sponsored by the Trump-friendly Fox News Network. To be clear, thats Fox News -- the network that employs Sean Hannity, the television host who has been Trumps most ardent supporter, and Bill OReilly, who runs a close second. The poll released late Wednesday afternoon was the first from Fox since the end of June, meaning that it should have fully captured the changes in the race since both Trump and Clinton were officially made their parties nominees at their respective national conventions. The results suggest that if Trump is going to continue pushing the idea that the system is rigged, hes going to need to find a narrative that includes Fox News being co-opted as part of the conspiracy. Related: Heres What Happens If Trump Decides to Quit The Fox poll was last conducted at the end of June and it showed Clinton ahead by six percentage points nationally, 44 to 38. On Wednesday, the margin spiked to 10 percentage points, 49 percent for Clinton and 39 percent for Trump. Clinton has enjoyed 10-plus point margins in the Fox poll, but not since the spring, and certainly not since Trump has had the ability to turn his full focus on her. As recently as May, Trump was leading Clinton by a 45-42 margin. Story continues On Wednesday, Clintons lead in the poll had ballooned back up to 10 points, 49-39. More significantly, she matched the highest percentage of the vote in the poll she has had in months -- even after both parties completed their conventions. Fox News Poll The Fox poll also registered President Obamas approval rating at 52 percent, the highest it has been since early in his first term, and found the percentage of Americans happy with the direction of the country was the highest its been since 2013. There are, of course, many weeks to go before the election. But if Trump sticks to the path he appears to be taking, that path is looking pretty steep. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: On Sept. 10, a group of Muslim women and their young children will rent out the Speed Water Park for a private pool party in Pennes-Mirabeau, near the southern French city of Marseille. The event will be open to those willing to dress conservatively, with women likely to wear burqinis, or bathing suits that will cover them up from head to toe, and no boys over the age of 10 allowed to enter the pool. That means that 62-year-old mayor of Pennes Mirabeau Michel Amiel is precisely 52 years too old to even be invited to swim at an event that he has since decided he will do everything in his power to cancel. Im taking up a city bylaw that can prohibit this event on the grounds that it is likely to cause public disorder, he told French daily le Parisien on Thursday. This is communitarianism, pure and simple. How exactly a group of women and children swimming at a private party could spark public disorder remains unclear. The event is intended to give pious Muslim women a chance to swim, since theyre the ones who often have to opt out of pool parties due to men being in attendance. Instead, it turned into an opportunity for French politicians to voice their concerns about Muslims they believe are infiltrating their otherwise secular communities. There is nothing innocuous about this, said centre-right lawmaker Valerie Boyer, according to French newspaper lExpress. The battle of the veil is a visible sign of fundamentalists wanting to mark their territory and subjugate women, like men, and to establish a territory where Islam appears uniform and in social control. This isnt the first time the burqini has caused controversy in Europe. In June, a swimming pool in Neutraubling, Germany, banned anyone from wearing them for a womens swim day at a pool. Why the burqini as a full-body suit would be necessary to wear during a womens swim day is for me incomprehensible, Mayor Heinz Kiechle said at the time. This also contradicts the fundamental ideas of integration and mutual understanding, which is always being discussed in many towns. Photo credit: ANOEK DE GROOT/AFP/Getty Images Paris (AFP) - French mobile operator SFR and two key unions on Thursday announced they have reached a deal to shed a third of the company's staff through a voluntary departures plan. The decision to cut 5,000 jobs came two years after SFR was bought for more than 17 billion euros ($19 billion) by Altice, a holding company owned by French-Israeli businessman Patrick Drahi. An agreement on no forced job cuts included in SFR's purchase expires in July 2017, and Drahi said in June the company is "over-staffed". France's second-largest mobile operator currently employs more than 14,000 people. The backing of the unions, Unsa and CFDT, is enough to ensure the draft deal proposed after a meeting with Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri on Tuesday goes through. With unemployment hovering just under record highs and elections approaching next year, the French government is keen to limit mass layoffs. The CGT, a more hardline union, has announced it does not support the deal. Les Echos reported the restructuring will cost some 600 to 800 million euros ($670 to $890 million) over two years, but will bring savings of some 400 million euros a year. In an email to all SFR employees, CEO Michel Paulin said a deal with the unions had been reached. Unsa confirmed it had backed the deal. CFDT said in a statement it had also signed a deal. CFDT's Isabelle Lejeune-To told AFP it "seems absurd to us to shed a third of the company staff," but added the union was working to get the best deal for members. Alex Timbers has exited as director of Frozen, the in-the-works musical based on the wildly successful Disney animated movie. The move comes after an Actors Equity casting notice posted yesterday for a fall development lab for the project in New York that listed Timbers as director. It also listed Christopher Gattelli as choreographer, confirming another switch that had been rumored meaning original Billy Elliot choreographer Peter Darling is also out. No new director has been named. Frozen has long planned a spring 2018 Broadway bow, with a pre-Main Stem run at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts beginning in summer 2017. Making the tough calls when creating a new Broadway musical is never easy, but this was especially painful, said Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Productions, in a statement released to the press today. Alex Timbers is one of the most exciting and innovative theatre directors I know, and weve proudly worked with him from my support of the early development of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson through our work together on Peter And The Starcatcher. Though we have chosen to go in another direction with this role, we are committed to seeing Frozens tremendous theatrical potential brought to life onstage. Timbers and Disney Theatricals previously teamed on Peter And The Starcatcher, which earned him a Tony nomination in 2012. His most recent credit is the musical Rocky. Variety reported the news of Timbers exit first this morning. Related stories Broadway's First A Capella Musical 'In Transit' Sets Fall 2016 Debut 'Frozen' Story Continues With New Books & Shorts Featuring Disney's Characters 'Zootopia' Hops To $800M+ Global; Top 2016 Grosser Still Has Play To Come By Steve Holland and Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON/JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Reuters) - Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil on Wednesday after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in the Iraq war. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said. "He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus. The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus. Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message. More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election. Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burned by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support. But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said on Wednesday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing. The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing. Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States. Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans. Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN on Wednesday: "I just dont see how I get to Donald Trump anymore." Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash. "There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early on Wednesday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," Manafort said. In Daytona, Florida, Trump said the news media's coverage of him was dishonest. "We're doing quite well despite the fact that we get a totally false narrative," he told supporters at a rally. At another campaign event in Florida, in Jacksonville, Trump pointed out a group of families, known as Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in war, calling them "incredible people." He didn't mention the spat with the Khans. RECENT TURMOIL Trump's always unruly campaign has been mired in disorder in recent days. On Monday, Trump fired Ed Brookover, a senior adviser hired as a liaison between the campaign and the RNC. Ryan, who is favored to win next week in his race against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, appeared to be trying to ignore the snub from Trump. An aide to the speaker said he would not have time to meet Trump later this week, when Trump is expected to be campaigning in Wisconsin, Ryan's home state. The aide did not indicate whether anyone had requested a get-together of Trump and Ryan, but when asked whether they might meet to patch things up, the aide told Reuters, "The speaker has a full schedule cant back out of previous commitments in the (congressional) district. A Republican congressional aide said there was deep frustration on Capitol Hill that Trump keeps engaging in "petty spats." The aide said congressional offices that support Trump got two sets of talking points on Monday from the campaign about the Khan situation but have not heard anything from the campaign about Trump's Ryan comments. The dissent over the Trump campaign also took other turns. Late on Tuesday, Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise , endorsed Clinton's White House bid, calling Trump an "authoritarian character" and a threat to democracy. In better news for Trump, his campaign and the RNC jointly raised $80 million for his White House bid in July, the campaign said on Wednesday. That was less than the $90 million Clinton raised along with the national Democratic Party the same month, but it was a substantial bump from past months. A former reality TV star, Trump has won support particularly from white blue-collar workers who feel neglected by the political establishment. Along with his proposed ban on Muslims, his plans have included building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and renegotiating trade agreements. Opinion polls have shown Clinton benefiting from a boost after her party's convention last week. The RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls put her 4.5 percentage points ahead of Trump, at 46.5 percent to 42 percent. The Detroit Economic Club, where candidates usually appear to give major economic addresses, said Trump would speak at the club on Monday. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, David Alexander and Susan Cornwell; Writing by Frances Kerry; Editing by James Dalgleish and Leslie Adler) Berlin (AFP) - Germany's central bank chief Thursday blasted the European Commission for failing to impose a fine on Spain and Portugal over their overly high deficits. "At some point, infractions against the rules have to have consequences. In my opinion, the Commission and the European Council aren't consistent enough," Bundesbank (central bank) president Jens Weidmann told German weekly Die Zeit and Italian daily Corriere della Sera. Commissioners agreed in July to allow both Madrid and Lisbon to dodge a fine that is supposed to be imposed on member states that exceed a budget deficit ceiling of 3.0 percent of GDP. The path for the fine to be waived was cleared when German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble -- widely known as a stickler for fiscal rules -- abandoned his insistence on punishing the Iberian nations. Brussels justified the decision by declaring that Spain and Portugal had made considerable efforts to reduce their deficits as they recover from the financial crisis. But Weidmann complained that the decision turned the rules into "a fair-weather event with no binding power", arguing that clear rules would improve public understanding of the EU's actions. "Acceptance of the EU among citizens is suffering from the fact that rules we've set ourselves collectively are not stuck to," he argued. Spain and Portugal have been under the EU's excessive deficit procedure since 2009 because of recurrent fiscal holes. Bailed-out Portugal, long considered a star reformer for pushing ahead with stringent austerity measures, slashed its budget deficit from close to 10 percent of GDP in 2010 to 4.4 percent last year, but that still overshoots the EU's 3.0 percent target. Spain, after suffering through six years of recession, in 2015 reported a deficit of 5.1 percent of GDP, way off the 4.2 percent target set by the Commission. Representatives of eurozone finance ministers agreed to waive the fines for Spain and Portugal by qualified majority in a conference call on Friday, a source close to the talks told AFP. But "the decision has to be taken by the ministers" themselves, the source added. The agreement will stand if no minister raises an objection by midnight on Monday. BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's high court on Thursday said it rejected the creation of a third gender category of "inter" to describe people born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit the typical definitions of female or male. In a challenge to strict binary definitions of gender that evokes other court cases on both sides of the Atlantic, a panel of the Federal Court of Justice ruled against a lawsuit filed by a German citizen who was born as a female in 1989. The person now identifies as "intersex" and submitted a genetic analysis showing they were neither man nor woman. The panel ruled that German law would not allow entry of a third option of "inter" or "diverse" in the birth registry, and saw no reason to refer the matter to the German constitutional court. The high court said it found no violation of the plaintiff's basic rights since intersexual people had been able since 2013 to leave the gender entry in German birth registries blank. Germany was the only European country to offer a third alternative until last year, when a French court recognized the option of "neutral gender". A U.S. Navy veteran who identifies as neither male or female sued the U.S. State Department last October after being denied a passport for refusing to select a gender on the application. The suit claimed it was a constitutional violation to force an "intersex" person to pick a gender. The decision by the German high court was made in June, but only made public on Thursday. A group called "Third Option" said the plaintiff would file a constitutional court challenge in September. The government in Berlin estimated in 2013 there were 8,000 to 10,000 intersexual people in Germany. Interest groups say the number could be close to 80,000. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by John Stonestreet) Stralsund, Germany (Reuters) - Turkey and Germany's relationship - essential to curbing mass migration to Europe - has grown so bad the two countries have virtually "no basis" for talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday. Germany has serious concern about mass arrests carried out by Turkish officials after a thwarted coup last month, Steinmeier said. At the same time, Turkey feels Germany has not taken the July 15 coup attempt seriously, and its government is angered by German media reports suggesting it was orchestrated by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. "We are talking with each other like emissaries from two different planets," Steinmeier said, speaking in the northern German city of Stralsund. "There is essentially no basis for understanding ... no basis for discussions." Relations between Germany and Turkey have been tense for months following a June 2 vote by the German parliament to brand the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, a move sharply criticised by Erdogan and other Turkish officials. Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Erdogan during a NATO summit in Warsaw shortly before the abortive coup to try to repair the relationship, but she later said the differences would not "just disappear". Since that vote, Turkey has denied German parliamentarians access to the Incirlik airbase, where 250 German soldiers are taking part in NATO operations against Islamic State militants. Steinmeier said he had last spoken with his Turkish counterpart on Friday and assured him that Germany did view the attempted coup as a serious matter, while insisting on the right to question whether its response had been appropriate. "We must be allowed to ask if mass arrests of tens of thousands of lawyers, judges, journalists, soldiers, closure of broadcast stations and shutdowns of newspaper - were carried out under the rule of law," he said. "We are trying to end the current situation, which is unsatisfactory but also dangerous, in which we are only communicating via megaphones, or microphones and cameras," he said. Steinmeier reiterated that reinstatement of the death penalty in Turkey would prevent its entry into the European Union. But he warned against prematurely halting discussions with Ankara, as top Austrian officials have demanded. That would eliminate any leverage Europeans have regarding the many thousands of people who had been arrested in Turkey, he said. He also said Turkey and the European Union would continue to implement an agreement limiting the flow of migrants to Europe. Thus far, he said, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had made a single comment threatening to back out of the agreement, but neither Erdogan or Turkey's prime minister had made similar remarks. (Reporting by Reuters TV and Andrea Shalal, editing by Larry King) Oy with the poodles already! As Gilmore Girls fans anxiously await the November 25 release of the show's sequel, A Year in the Life, potential new plot clues have surfaced on social media. The official Gilmore Girls Instagram account posted a photo from Lorelai and Rory Gilmore's kitchen of a stack of newspapers, cup of coffee in a Netflix mug, and a very special plate of Pop-Tarts. WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: Lauren Graham Wants to 'Retire' After 'Gilmore Girls', Says Having Melissa McCarthy on Set Was 'Beautiful' "Pop-Tart appetizers to hold us over 'till the pizza comes. And one apple," they captioned the cheeky photo. Many die-hard fans will recognize the Pop-Tart app from Season 1, Episode 13, "Concert Interruptus," when Rory has Paris, Madeline, and Louise over to her house to study. Lorelai presents the girls with the Pop-Tart appetizer with an apple in the middle. "There, Pop-Tart appetizer to tide you over until the pizza comes," Lorelai (Lauren Graham) says. But the apple also has a very symbolic meaning in Stars Hollow. In a later season, Lorelai is convinced she's pregnant when she is suddenly craving apples. WATCH: Netflix's 'Gilmore Girls' Premiere Date Revealed -- Plus, Watch an Adorable Rory and Lorelai Scene! Could this mean that Lorelai or potentially even Rory will be adding another Gilmore Girl (or guy) to the show? Either way, star Lauren Graham couldn't be more thrilled by the revival. She recently told ET, "If I could retire, I would just leave it here because it was so gratifying and so fun." Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life hits Netflix on Friday, Nov. 25. Related Articles Aug 4 (Reuters) - Global demand for air travel rose 5.2 percent in June, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday, representing a slowdown from growth rates seen earlier in the year as attacks weigh on bookings. Capacity measured in available seat kilometres rose faster than demand at 5.6 percent, meaning that load factor - a measure of how full planes are - dropped 0.3 percentage points to 80.7 percent, IATA said in its monthly traffic update. "The fragile and uncertain economic backdrop, political shocks and a wave of terrorist attacks are all contributing to a softer demand environment," IATA Director General Tony Tyler said in a statement. Major European airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and British Airways owner IAG have reported weaker demand for long-haul routes to Europe as a result of attacks in France, Belgium and the attempted coup in Turkey. (Reporting by Wout Vergauwen; Editing by Victoria Bryan) (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) said on Thursday that Britain's vote to leave the European Union may adversely affect some of its operations in the EU and could require the bank to restructure some of its businesses. Brexit will also likely change arrangements by which firms in the United Kingdom are able to provide services in the EU, which may adversely affect the way the bank conducts certain operations, the bank said in regulatory filing. Goldman, which did not break down its exposure to the EU or the UK, said the timing and outcome of Brexit negotiations were highly uncertain. (http://bit.ly/2aCkUzz) The bank also raised the upper end of its estimate of legal losses it may face beyond what it has set aside to $2 billion from the $1.9 billion it estimated in the preceding quarter. In other filings this week, Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) also said its businesses and results could be adversely affected by Brexit and that it may incur additional costs if its UK entities found that their ability to conduct business in the bloc was limited. However, JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) said it did not believe that any likely scenario from Brexit would threaten the viability of its business units or its ability to serve clients in the EU and the UK. Citigroup Inc (C.N) said it had not experienced any significant negative impact on its results or client activity as a result of Brexit. (Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr) google data centers Back in March, Google finally joined up with the Open Compute Project the Facebook-led effort to build better computer hardware that's shaking up a $140 billion industry. Today, we see the first fruits of that partnership, as Google announces a new proposed standard, called Open Rack 2.0, built collaboratively with Facebook. With Open Rack 2.0, Google has contributed to the project its smartest innovations in building smaller, lower-footprint servers that are also way more power efficient. Google and Facebook are of course fierce rivals, fighting a constant battle to attract consumers and advertisers to their competing online services. But the companies share a common goal in encouraging the hardware industry to design equipment for their data centers that are as efficient as possible. Open Rack itself is pitched as a new, smarter standard for how servers should be built, first developed in-house at Facebook, and adopted by hardware manufacturers like Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The idea is that existing data center hardware standards make it too difficult to pack a lot of servers into a small space which can make life difficult for a company like Facebook, that always needs to add capacity to meet demand. These are problems that Google knows all too well from its own experiences. And so, with Open Rack 2.0, Google is contributing some of its wisdom. Where the first Open Rack standard was built around the existing 12-volt power standard, Google has been using an internally-developed 48-volt technology in-house since 2010 to great effect. "We have seen significant reduction in losses and increased efficiency compared to 12V solutions. The improved [systems power usage efficiency] with 48V has saved Google millions of dollars and kilowatt hours," Google writes in a blog entry. By including that technology in the proposed Open Rack 2.0 standard, Google and Facebook would be implicitly encouraging server hardware manufacturers to include it in their products. The end result would be the wider availability of data center hardware that can do more with less. Story continues It's not a done deal, yet: The standard will be presented the larger Open Compute Project community, which includes Microsoft, Salesforce, and Goldman Sachs, at a conference next week. They'll need to vote to adopt the updated standard. But with backing from Google and Facebook, its chances are looking pretty good. NOW WATCH: This country doesnt have Google Street View, so they created Google Sheep View More From Business Insider On a summer evening, hunched over a laptop in a small examination room in Caracas Polyclinic Hospital, Doctor Julio Castro Mendez examines a leaked government document he received earlier that day. A graph highlights Venezuelas excessive and undiagnosed febrile cases, from which Castro concludes there are roughly 8,000 weekly Zika infections. The document might be a revelation in most scientists hands, at a time when many allege the government has been censoring its official medical statistics for over a year. But for Castro? Its hardly surprising. He retrieves another document nearby, showing a similarly shaped bell curve. This is my research from March, he says. Its roughly an 85 percent match. Castro, an epidemiology-trained infectious-disease physician with 26 years of experience, has become frighteningly relevant in Latin America this year his expertise in combining social-media data and mathematical models to map, track and publicize looming public health or pandemic concerns has allowed him to go further than most others in his field, explains Jaime Torres, head of the infectious diseases section at Central University of Venezuelas Tropical Medicine Institute. Without official statistics, Castros algorithms have prognosticated dengue and chikungunya outbreaks and, finally, the mosquito-borne Zika virus, dubbed a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. Zika had many worried about the state of the 2016 Rio Olympics. In Rio, suspected new outbreaks are down to a few hundred a week. Not so for its cousin to the north, Venezuela, where over three million cases remain nationwide. By denying the occurrence of the problem, adds Torres, health authorities are also denying the possibility of minimizing Zika in large sectors of the population. Whats scarier is that, by all accounts, the government should have been able to make the same prediction. Castro relies on open data sources like Google Trends, social media and search queries, which are used to predict everything from the 2015 MERS outbreak in South Korea to foodborne illnesses in Chicago, explains Chi Bahk, vice president of operations at Epidemico, a public health informatics company based in Boston. What makes Castro different is that hes turned this standard practice performed everywhere else in the world in his field into a quiet political cause. He and others claim the government knew Zika was circulating since September last year and did nothing, says Castro. So in the face of that, hes done what Ph.D.s do: published academic papers, briefed the U.S. state department and served as a key member in Medico de Salud, an underground network of medical professionals who share information about patients, medications and equipment. He practically rebuilt the system. This foolishness is common ground, its everyday, says Jorge Juan Olavarria, a social communications professor at Andres Bello Catholic University, of the governments behavior. The government, he says, has ransacked the economy and cannot provide health solutions, whether for patients dying of cancer, AIDS or Zika. OZY contacted the governments health ministry by phone, email and in person but was not provided with a response. The story of government colliding with public health researchers is nothing new in Venezuela: The Chavez administration periodically blocked weekly health reports and hid information on yellow fever and measles outbreaks for months, says Castro. And why? National reputation, people say from the outside, though its hard to know without word from within the ministry. The government wants to give the sensation that everything is normal when its not, Castro says. He argues we can see the same trend in the response to the food crisis that emerged in recent months; the Guardian reported critics blamed the troubles on everything from price-control measures to government seizures of private property. In 2014, the government refused to recognize a chikungunya outbreak; Castro networked with doctors across the country and proved its existence through PCR tests. After publicizing his findings at a press conference in September, he says the police blocked local media from publishing the story and he went into hiding. A week later, the government began to publish scarce information of the disease, says Castro. He got back to work. Gettyimages 506931318 Municipal agents spray an anti-Zika mosquito pesticide at the Sambadromo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Source: Christophe Simon/Getty Images Long before he was cast as his countrys unofficial medical spokesperson, Castro was an infectious disease specialist at Vargas Hospital in Caracas with an aptitude for data mining. His interest in math modeling not part of Venezuelas epidemiological training, he says perplexed his colleagues. But while at Bostons Beth Israel Medical Center in 1998, he met math-geek doctors, and in his free time he audited math classes at Harvards School of Public Health. When he returned to Venezuela, Castro spent a year teaching at Vargas pro bono before taking a tenured position at the Tropical Medicine Unit. But that appointment was interrupted when he was asked to act as health director for Sucre, Venezuelas densest municipality. Over 12 years, Castro set up Sucres and the countrys first digital medical records and reestablished hospital and ambulatory services. He practically rebuilt the system, says Rafael Sierra, Sucres former budget and planning director. Impressed by Castros performance, Sucres mayor, Carlos Ocariz, asked Castro to join his 2012 reelection campaign, and Castro began combing social media, census data and surveys to catch the electorates pulse. Later, Castro would offer the same services to presidential candidate Henrique Capriles but in losing effortsfirst to Hugo Chavez in 2012 and then to current Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in 2013. Nowadays, Castro is back to research, teaching and clinical work. He worries that the Venezuelan government can use its powerful tools to shut us down. Although Castro would prefer to dedicate his limited free time to his wife and three children, the situation demands more of him. Hes more comfortable as a technocrat than politician, says Ocariz. But I do think hell be part of the next government. Related Articles Athens (AFP) - Restoration work on Athens' Acropolis is set to shift to the west side of the Parthenon under a 40-year-long effort to restore the ancient archaeological monument, officials said Thursday. "Most of the restoration work was completed in 2015, whereby we fixed the most important and urgent problems," the head of the operation Vassiliki Eleftheriou told AFP. "Now we need to address certain other areas such as the west pediment," she said. For visitors to the hill-top citadel, the project means a crane, which has been parked in front of the Parthenon, will now be moved inside the ancient temple to repair the northern wall, she added. Most of the work involves bolstering the pillars of the pediment and removing rusty iron supports dating from the early 20th century that had caused further damage to the monument. No cost estimate was given. The restoration phase will last a year but other tasks are expected to continue to 2020, Eleftheriou said. The Parthenon's western pediment once depicted a legendary contest between Poseidon, god of the sea, and Athena, goddess of wisdom, for the patronage of Athens. Like most of the temple, the pediment was damaged during a Venetian siege in 1687. In addition, the best sculpture remnants were subsequently removed in the early 19th century on the orders of British ambassador Lord Elgin, who sold them to the British government. Despite the economic crisis plaguing Greece since 2010, the Acropolis restoration works have never ceased thanks to European support funds. Female joggers are on edge around the country after a New York woman was murdered and likely sexually assaulted Tuesday during an evening run. Read: Woman Killed in London Stabbing Attack Was an American: Police Safety expert Kathleen Baty showed Inside Edition some new devices female joggers can use to protect themselves. She said: "Circle of Six is a great emergency app. You download the app and six of your contacts and if something happens a simple press of the button sends a message to your contacts that says, I need help. It also drops a GPS pin showing where you are. There is a strap where you can place a small can of mace on your hand and if something happens it is ready to go and spray in an attacker's face. There is also the Tigerlady Self-Defense Claw, a device that fits inside a runner's hand. With a squeeze, a runner can be punch or pierce an attacker with retractable spikes. Baty also advises running with a buddy and first thing in the morning before everyone is out. She also had a key tip: Avoid playing loud music on an iPod or mobile device. It's scary, you just never know. It's a shame but women have to worry about this, Baty said. Karina Vetrano, 30, was found strangled just off an isolated path where she had been running in Queens, New York. According to reports, she left her home at around 5 p.m. Karina's devastated father, Philip, found her body about six hours later. He had previously begged her not to jog alone before she went on her nightly run, according to reports. Police are now offering a $2,500 reward for information leading an arrest. Currently, the NYPD has not yet announced that they have a suspect in the case. Read: Man Tries to Flush Baby Down Toilet Before Hours-Long SWAT Standoff: Cops Police told CBS News that the woman was found with her hands clutching grass and was missing a sneaker. Her phone was in another area of the marsh and her headphones were missing. She was also discovered with scrapes on her legs and her bra and pants were pulled down. Story continues Karina described herself as a "thrill seeker" and "daydreamer." She once wrote on her website: "If by some freak accident, I died, what would happen? I think about all of the different people... that would attend my funeral." Petros Geogiadis, a friend of the victim, told Inside Edition: The only word I can use to describe Karina is incredible. I never met anybody like her. Watch: Here's How American Students Can Stay Safe While Studying Abroad Related Articles: By Dave McKinney CHICAGO (Reuters) - A group aligned with a conservative Illinois think tank sued the state in federal court on Thursday, challenging a recent law allowing Election Day voter registration at polling places in the state's most populous counties. The statute in question, passed in late 2014 by the Democratic-led legislature and enacted in early 2015 by former Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, for the first time allowed Election Day voter registration, including at polling places. But the section of the law pertaining to polling place registration applied only to counties with populations of 100,000 or more. The Chicago-based Liberty Justice Center believes that population threshold unconstitutionally discriminates against voters in Illinois less populated counties and also gives a boost to Democrats in heavily Democratic Cook County, home to Chicago and birthplace of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. It hardly seems coincidental Democratic candidates tend to do better in high-population counties, and Republican candidates do better in low-population counties, said Jacob H. Huebert, senior attorney for the group. Huebert said his group will seek an injunction against polling-place registration for the Nov. 8 election. Hueberts organization was founded by the Illinois Policy Institute, which keeps its donors secret. Republican Governor Bruce Rauner publicly has acknowledged giving the Illinois Policy Institute at least $500,000 over a period of years. State Senator Don Harmon, a Democrat from suburban Chicago and the laws chief Senate sponsor, said Illinois law commonly differentiates between counties' populations and said election officials in less-populous counties voiced concern about not having resources for polling place registration. Under the law in question, voters in smaller counties can still register on Election Day in county clerks' offices. Harmon suggested the lawsuits real aim is to dampen Democratic voter turnout this fall, particularly in party strongholds like Cook County. In 2015, there were 4 million residents in the county above the voter-eligible age of 18, according to the U.S. Census. Story continues In the March presidential primary, 1.4 million votes were cast from Cook County, nearly 80 percent of which were Democratic, state records show. I suspect the plaintiffs are much more interested in having same-day registration thrown out in Cook County than they are in extending it to every small county in Illinois, Harmon said. Thirteen states, including Illinois, allow qualified residents to go to the polls or an election officials office to register before or on Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (Reporting by Dave McKinney; Editing by Tom Brown) Any Hollywood mogul will tell you that certain givens apply when a star's latest film goes public -- the media blitz, the slick promotions, the buzz buildup. While Wall Street sits on the opposite shore, companies ready for IPO time aren't all that much different. Even the clamoring from the peanut gallery is similar: The public goes crazy before the would-be blockbuster goes public. But here's where the parallels end: If 50 bucks (that is, two tickets and a small popcorn) are all you'll have riding on a movie being a hit, the stakes get much higher for investors betting that IPO stands for "incredible profit opportunity." That's especially true in the high-tech world, though telling the e-forest from the e-trees takes some fundamental discernment. "I see about 60 to 70 tech companies every year and the quality of pre-IPO companies has risen in 2016," says Al Ramadan, co-author of "Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets," and a co-founding partner at Play Bigger Advisors in San Francisco. [See: 7 Global Goats That Could Bring Market Mayhem.] So what makes the winners stand out from the wannabes? "The most exciting companies I see create," Ramadan says. "They give us new ways of living, thinking or doing business, many times solving a problem I didn't know we had -- or a problem we didn't pay attention to because we never thought there was another way. They don't sell us better. The most exciting companies sell us different." Yet IPO could just as easily stand for "impatient people overreacting," as going public means answering to a whole new set of bosses known as shareholders. "Private investors are fine missing a quarter to win a bigger goal," says Richard Rampell, principal-in-charge at the Palm Beach, Florida, office of national accounting firm MBAF. "Public investors tend to be less forgiving, and the gyrations of a public stock price can cause massive employee morale issues in a way that isn't possible when the company is private." Story continues And sometimes, companies have to pull back before they let the Box out of the bag. That's no clumsy metaphor, but a true piece of recent market history. Box, a secure file sharing company, almost went public too early in 2014, says Mike Doonan, an investment banker turned executive search partner at San Francisco's SPMB. "The market was riding high and every company was looking to Box to be the star they could follow," Doonan says. "But watching Box prepare for their IPO was like watching a wild buffalo break away from the pack and run toward a cliff -- with the herd blindly running in tow." Then Box held off. Sure, the founders and backers could've made a killing. But in short order, weak market conditions could've killed them. "Had Box gone public, they would've had a weak IPO and poisoned the well for the next series of companies looking to go out." Doonan says. "Their pullback saved the entire technology community from itself and led to the continuance of the gravy train we've had since in the last two years." It's also set the stage for a pair of companies that have disrupted the taxi and hospitality industries -- Uber and Airbnb respectively -- to take turns ringing the opening bell on Wall Street sometime soon. [See: 8 Soaring Stocks That Suffered the Big Bounce.] "Uber is effectively the world's largest taxi company without owning a single physical taxi, while Airbnb is the world's largest hotel company, also without owning a single hotel or parcel of land," Rampell says. Another hot area is "software as a service" (SaaS), where companies offer their server farms, support staff, and software to other businesses. Among the companies to watch in this area are Docusign and Insidesales.com, says Drew Pascarella, lecturer of finance at Cornell University's Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. "These two SaaS-based software companies are focused on the enterprise sales process," Pascarella says. "I like the SaaS business model for obvious reasons. It has a steady, predicable revenue -- which Wall Street loves -- and with its focus on the sales process, it's very easy for a new customer to see the return on investment." Like Box, all of these companies could find cashing in on IPO day a mighty tempting prospect. But going public is about much more than having impressive numbers; it's also crucial that the financial accountability exists to back them up even before the first share is sold. "The most critical sign for an auditor that a company isn't ready to IPO is if the company doesn't have effective internal controls over financial reporting and the ability to report financial results timely and accurately," says David Bukzin, partner-in-charge at Marcum LLP's New York City office. And some IPOs will never see the light of day -- not because they wouldn't stand a strong chance, but because a stronger company snatched them away. Compared to the cautious IPO market of late, "the acquisition market has become relatively more attractive," says Doug Bontemps, managing director at Silicon Valley Bank. "We've seen larger companies increase their acquisition activity, looking to buy companies with interesting technology, market positions, new business models and talent for lower prices than were required in the past." Case in point: "Unilever's (ticker: UL) $1 billion purchase of Dollar Shave Club provides a meaningful market share in a new direct-to-consumer model," Bontemps says. "Acquisitions are big right now, there's no doubt about it," says Kamal Ahluwalia, chief revenue officer for San Mateo, California-based Apttus, a quote-to-cash software provider. "And sometimes some of those larger organizations are looking to add individual capabilities to provide their users with more capability and value." As for the going-public process, Ahluwalia's in the thick of it, as Apttus has cleared many a private funding round prior to what might be the Big IPO Event. Yet even for the role Apttus plays in a high-tech 21st Century marketplace, one cornerstone of its strategy remains timeless. [Read: The Valuable World of Value Investing.] Ahluwalia sums it up thus: "It's important to understand the somewhat old-school approach of operating in the black and building a successful company on sales -- not just ideas." A former longtime staff writer, editor and columnist at the Chicago Tribune, Lou Carlozo writes about investment for U.S. News & World Report, and personal finance for Money Under 30 and GOBankingRates. He is based in Chicago. Connect with him at linkedin.com/in/loucarlozo. Hailee Steinfeld and Taylor Swift may be friends, just not best friends. Hailee Steinfeld Tastes Love With Zedd & Grey on 'Starving' Speaking with Seventeen for a new cover story, Seinfeld talked about her membership to Swift's squad, saying, "I think people think we spend a lot more time together than we actually do!" The Pitch Perfect 2 star added, "She's amazing, though." Meghan Trainor Performs With James Corden, Hailee Steinfeld Covers Justin Bieber at L.A. Concert Steinfeld also talked about her struggles with bullying while in high school and how it helped prepare her for her role in The Edge of Seventeen as an awkward teenager living in her older brother's shadow. She also discussed her rising music career, saying, "I want to make the best first album I can possibly make. And I want to get to a level where I can headline my own arena tour. I know that I can make it happen. It's just the beginning. I see the future being really big." Nearly half a million dollars worth of cocaine was seized from a car that also contained two kids, aged 2 and 11. Read: TV Reporter Couple in Court on Child Abuse Charges After Cops Say Baby Tests Positive for Cocaine A 25-year-old woman driving a "vehicle that looked suspicious" was pulled over by a K9 handler near San Clemente Monday morning, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jose Hernandez said in an interview with KCBS. In the 2001 Honda Accord was her 2-year-old daughter in the back seat, and an 11-year-old boy in the front passenger seat. When a K9 officer named Sergeant did a sweep of the car, cops said they discovered 14 bricks of cocaine. Three bricks were hidden in the passenger seat on which the boy was sitting and eight bricks were underneath the toddler's seat, according to a California Border Patrol press statement. The unidentified young mother was sitting on three bricks of cocaine hidden inside the driver's seat, cops said. According to officials, there was a total of 38.25 pounds of cocaine in the car, with an estimated street value of $459,000. Read: This Drug Ring Stashed Cocaine in Toy Characters From Frozen, The Minions "This is a troubling method," Ralph DeSio from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection told InsideEdition.com. "Children may be exposed to these dangerous smuggling organizations, drug packages, [and] the trauma associated with their mother or father being arrested." The woman was arrested and turned over to a DEA task force, and the children were taken into the care of San Diego County Child Services. Watch: 73-Year-Old Driver Arrested for Trying to Snort Cocaine During Traffic Stop Related Articles: josh tetrick mayo Eggless-mayo startup Hampton Creek secretly tasked employees to buy jars of its flagship Just Mayo product at grocery stores across the US from 2014 to 2015, reports Bloomberg's Olivia Zaleski. The secret buybacks started in early 2014, about eight months before Hampton Creek closed a $90 million round of venture-capital financing. Bloomberg reviewed over 250 expense reports and receipts provided by five former workers. Contractors were also employed to call stores and ask if they had any Just Mayo in stock. "Make sure you are not wearing your HC gear when you go into Safeway. This is an undercover project," Caroline Love, now VP of mission at the company, wrote in an email to the Hampton Creek employees performing the buybacks, reports Bloomberg. Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick tells Bloomberg that the company spent $77,000, a 0.12% fraction of its sales, on these buybacks, and that they were primarily intended for quality control and to simulate the experience of buying the product in stores. It's been a turbulent 12 months for Hampton Creek, after an investigation by the FDA into whether it's allowed to call its product mayonnaise and a clash with the American Egg Board, not to mention questions raised as to the food science that goes into its products. Hampton Creek did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. NOW WATCH: The secret ingredient to add to your grilled cheese More From Business Insider Washington, D.C.In a church meeting hall in Northwest Washington, leaning toward each other in metal folding chairs and talking loudly over cheese pizza, a small group of Bernie Sanders supporters gathered on Tuesday to answer an urgent question: What happens next? Posters on the bulletin board advertised domestic-violence hotlines in Spanish and English; one simply said International Workers Solidarity. A young man named Collin handed out pamphlets for bicyclists against nuclear weapons. The crowd was diverse: Of the 30 or so attendees, half were non-white; half were women; their ages were all over the map. Bernie Sanderss political revolution promised a new kind of government for America. It promised a solution to income inequality, justice for the poor, affordable college tuition, a strategy to combat climate change, universal healthcare, and, for most Sanders supporters, it promised hope. One of the groups organizers, a middle-aged white man named Sam Meacham, hosted one of the first Sanders campaign meetings in the District last summer. I thought Holy cow, theres a guy saying the things Ive been screaming about for 25 years, Meacham said. Recommended: Missouri's Governor Wouldn't Fund Public DefendersSo He's Been Ordered to Serve as One Himself Bernie said, Its about us, not Its about me, a woman named Alicia said during group introductions. I have never heard any politician say that. I love his accent, added Maxine, a young woman sitting behind her. And Bernie recognizes that money in politics is the root of all evil! I love Bernie as a person, another woman said, without knowing him at all. Everyone laughed. They agreed. They all said Sanderss first name softly, in reverence. Jim McBride, from Silver Spring, Maryland, said he loved Sanderss America ad, the one in which colorful scenes of everyday America fly past to the tune of a Simon and Garfunkel song. That really got me, he says. That really crystalized him as the change candidate. Story continues I believe we can make D.C. one of the most progressive cities in the world! But Sanders is no longer a candidatefor change or anything else. He isnt the Democratic Partys nominee, and his name wont be on the ballot in November. What happens when a band of loyal revolutionaries loses its leader? They hold a meeting. * * * Today is not about venting our frustration about the campaign. Its not about which candidate is better or whether its better to stay home, a young Frenchman named Raphael said solemnly. This is about whats next. And whats next, for this group, is translating Bernies progressive revolution into local politics. A young, black man wearing a Paid Sick Days for All shirt stepped forward and introduced himself as Jeremiah Lowery. I believe we can make D.C. one of the most progressive cities in the world! he said, to cheers. Recommended: Ben Carson: The Khans Should Apologize to Donald Trump But first, the group set some guidelines so the brainstorming session wouldnt get out of hand, writing them down with a Sharpie marker on a piece of paper taped to the wall: Stay focused Stay motivated/constructive Respectful Open-mindedness Continue to be inclusive The guidelines seemed to speak more to the future of the movement than the meeting itselfthe future of a movement so diverse in its membership, in its ideas, and its passions, that it barely seems able to contain them all. The meeting is spent brainstorming the future of the Bernie family, as one man put it, with each family member wanting something differentand wanting it now. Representatives from several local groups stood up and advocated for their particular causes. A woman asked for support for a social-insurance program giving all employees in D.C. a minimum of 12 weeks of paid medical leave; another woman explained the importance of imposing carbon fees on area businesses, a policy that would make businesses pay city residents for polluting; and a man from an organization called Justice First criticized the citys facilitation of gentrification and touted affordable housing policies. An older man named Steve suggested everyone get on board against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement Sanders fought against throughout the course of his campaign. Someone else suggested that the groups first step should be finding a brick-and-mortar location to begin recruiting people. Recommended: The Narcissist But whats the it were recruiting for? a South Africa-born woman named Trish asked. What is it that we all want to come together for? Hands shoot up, with each person offering a different unifying point or policy. Steve again suggested rallying against TPP. Trish never got her answer. * * * One thing is certain: The group wont be unifying in support of any particular presidential candidate. In fact, most people I met are still undecided as to whom theyll vote for come Novemberand almost no one wants it to be Hillary Clinton. For this group of revolutionaries, there is an urgent need to define the it that will bring everyone together. Im Never Hillary all the way, Meacham told me, adding that he was deeply saddened when she accepted the Democratic nomination. There are more of us out there than they think. Eddie Chirino, the partnership coordinator at the Capitol Area Food Bank whose primary concern is addressing climate change, is considering a third-party option. Naturally, it would be good to have a female president. Im just not excited its her, Chirnio said. The Democratic Party wants our votes, but they dont listen to our voices, Sophia Marjanovic, a member of the Lakota tribe from Montgomery County, Maryland, told me. Marjanovic has been an advocate for Sanders since he met with Native American tribal leaders in Iowa. Bernie was listening to us, and lifting our voice. But now that Sanders has been neutralized, she said shell consider everyone. Even Trump. As Native Americans, weve actually gotten stuff done through Republicans. Bernie supporters still have three months to decide whether to get behind the Democratic nominee, pledge their allegiance to Trump or vote their consciences with a third-party candidate. But thats all secondary. For this little group of revolutionaries, there is an urgent need to keep the progressive movement alive, to define the it that will bring everyone together. To replace Bernie Sanders with some other unifying force. * * * The group pledged to get to know one another better over the next month. Some members want to make a database of their skills, others want to try to do some phone banking. At the next meeting they plan on crafting a mission statement to better define the movement. But for now, theyll start a Google Doc. In closing, Lowery channeled his inner Trump: What happens next is gonna be yuuuge. Youre gonna love it! Lowery said, to much laughter. The group moved the folding chairs aside to form a circle, while Lowery led a chant: We believe, we believe, we believe that we will win! Everyone clapped. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Forget computers, cubicles and crowded cities -- some people prefer open space, being close to nature and working outside. For many of them, agriculture is a great way to make a career out of their passion for the great outdoors. However, with the cost of college soaring, it can be difficult to earn a degree in an agriculture-related field without accumulating significant amounts of debt. Rather than rely on student loans, students can look for scholarships specifically related to agriculture. The Iowa Pork Producers Association awards several scholarships that fit this description. The Iowa Pork Foundation Scholarship, for example, is a $1,000-$1,500 award open to both incoming college freshmen and returning college students. Among the requirements, applicants must be Iowa residents enrolled at a two- or four-year Iowa institution and majoring in an agriculture-related field with an emphasis on swine production. Preference may be given to association members. [Learn how to reap the benefits of bountiful farming scholarships.] The Indiana Farm Bureau Scholarship Program is another great way for students interested in agriculture to find money to pay for college. The bureau awards multiple $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors and college students who are enrolled in an approved and accredited institution. These awards can be used for tuition, room and board, books and other education expenses. In addition to being full-time students pursuing an agricultural or agribusiness degree, applicants must either be a student member of the Indiana Farm Bureau or the child of a bureau member. Agriculture students can also check out The Community Foundation of the Ozarks, which annually offers the $1,500 Grant A. Finley Memorial Scholarship to two students, with preference given to those majoring in agriculture or who have participated in FFA, formerly the Future Farmers of America. Applicants must attend an Ozark County, Missouri, high school, have a 3.0 GPA and minimum 21 ACT score and plan to attend a two- or four-year college. Students must submit a short essay with their application and may be asked to interview. Story continues [Discover these scholarships for outdoors lovers.] The Hereford Youth Foundation of America, one of the largest junior cattle program in the country, awards nearly $30,000 in scholarships to students every year, and interested members can apply. One of these awards is the Poll-ette Founders Scholarship. Applicants must be 17-22 years of age by Jan. 1 of the current year and a member of the National Junior Hereford Association. In addition to completing the electronic application, applicants must submit one paragraph describing their involvement with Herefords and its impact on them. Finalists will participate in interviews at the Junior National Hereford Expo. Another Hereford award is The John Wayne Memorial Scholarship, which is given to two students each year. Applicants must be active National Junior Hereford Association members who are enrolled full time in college and pursuing a career in agriculture, home economics or a Hereford-related industry. Each applicant's guardian or parent must also be a paid member of the National Hereford Women or the American Hereford Association. And students must include a 250-word essay with their application on how characteristics that John Wayne exemplified can benefit the beef industry. Residents of Boone or Winnebago County, Illinois, who are majoring in agriculture, agribusiness or agriculture-related studies may be eligible for the Winnebago-Boone Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarships. Applicants must be a member of the Winnebago-Boone Farm Bureau or a spouse or dependent of a member as well as a high school graduate. They must also be accepted or enrolled in an accredited institution or community college and demonstrate their potential to successfully complete their studies. The scholarships are awarded based on exceptional scholastic ability. [Read about 10 ways to nab a scholarship to pay for college.] The IAA Foundation is another organization that offers many scholarships ranging between $1,000 and $7,500 to individuals majoring in in agriculture, agribusiness or ag-related studies. Applicants must also be Illinois residents who are related to an Illinois Farm Bureau member. One of these awards is the $7,500 Illinois Farm Bureau Legacy of Leadership Scholarship, which is open to students attending a school in Illinois and majoring in an agriculture-related field. Applicants must be starting their junior year, have a GPA of at least 3.4 and submit a 250-word essay on their vision for the future of agriculture and how they plan to contribute. These are just some examples of scholarships for those who love agriculture. With a little work, agriculture majors can grow a scholarship fund to help them cut the cost of college. Jessica Zdunek is the content marketing manager for Cappex.com, a free resource that helps match students with their best-fit colleges and provides thousands of scholarships. Cappex.com is also the parent company of College Greenlight, which helps traditionally underrepresented students achieve their educational goals. When Hayley Atwell landed the lead in ABCs Conviction pilot, fans of Marvels Agent Carter had questions. As did the SSR superstars portrayer herself. Luckily, for at least a brief spell, she found some reassurance. ABC said, This is not us cancelling Agent Carter,' Atwell recalls. This is us having a great new project and we really want you in the center of it.' RELATEDFall TV First Impression: ABCs Conviction Besides, the talk at the time was that even if both Conviction and Agent Carter landed on ABCs 2016-17 slate, the actress would find a way to do both. Asked what those logistics might have looked like, she told TVLine at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, I think they would have figured something out, in terms of making a [Marvels Agent Carter] special, or waiting until we finished this season [of Conviction] and then doing something. As such, Atwell held out hope, seeing as the short-season, midseason Marvel series occupied one of those much-loved but little places in the world of ABC. RELATEDAgent Carter Season 2 Finale Recap: A Kiss Before (Someone) Dying Agent Carter would, alas, get the hook three months later the same day that ABC ordered Conviction to series. Yet Atwell seems resolved to playing Peggy Carter again some day. Its still a much-loved show for the people involved in the making of it, and we know it has a special place in the fans hearts, she knows. And thats something that I would be very happy to go back to, if the opportunity came in the form of a TV-movie or what have you. (Netflix has dismissed the idea of picking up the Marvel series.) The great thing about Peggy is we know she lives a long life, Atwell reminds. Im banking on when Im in my 50s, saying, Lets see what Peggys up in this decade!' Story continues VIDEOSClark Gregg vs. Hayley Atwell: Who Won Lip Sync Battles Marvel Showdown? In the meantime, Atwell is zagging where do-right Peggy zigged, playing Convictions Hayes Morrison, a former First Daughter and current-day wild child who dodges a coke bust by agreeing to shepherd New York Citys Conviction Integrity Unit, which investigates potentially erroneous incarcerations. Surveying the about-face, Atwell says that as an actress, My job is to be a flexible as I can with discovering new characters and storylines. And its an easy transition when you have material that is strong enough. Its just a matter of inhabiting the world built for you. In addition to any bad habits and extracurricular affairs, Hayes is described by EP Liz Friedlander as a risk taker, though with that comes the good and the bad. She operates without rules, for better or for worse. As Atwell herself puts it, There are elements of Hayes where shes stayed at the party too long, she doesnt know when to leave! ABCs Conviction premieres Monday, Oct. 3 at 10/9c. Related stories Fall TV First Impression: Conviction ABC's Designated Survivor Trailer Debuts -- Plus: Watch Previews for Conviction, Notorious and More ABC Orders Conviction Drama to Series, Starring Agent Carter's Hayley Atwell Buenos Aires (AFP) - An Argentine judge issued an arrest warrant Thursday for the head of the acclaimed human rights group Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, which is caught up in a politically messy corruption case. Hebe de Bonafini, 87, is one of the founding members of the prominent group, which has led the fight for justice for the thousands of people abducted, tortured and killed by Argentina's military regime (1976-1983). The group had more recently branched out to launch a $53-million program to build housing, schools and health centers in low-income neighborhoods -- and that is where Bonafini's legal troubles started. Much of the money -- which came largely from the government -- went missing, triggering a scandal that brought an abrupt end to the program in 2011. Bonafini and her fellow activists are not accused in the case. Prosecutors say they were taken advantage of by their former attorney. But Bonafini, whose two sons were "disappeared" by the military regime, has ignored two summonses to testify. Police were dispatched Thursday to escort her to court from her organization's headquarters. But she apparently eluded them and boarded a mini-van bound for the Plaza de Mayo. The iconic square in front of the presidential palace is the site where the Mothers and their sister group, the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, have marched in protest every Thursday since 1977. "If they have to arrest me, then let them do it," Bonafini defiantly told supporters in the square. Bonafini was close to former president Cristina Kirchner, and her organization received generous government funding during her administration and that of her late husband, Nestor, from 2003 to 2015. She is a fierce critic of Kirchner's successor, business-friendly conservative Mauricio Macri, who has steadily undone the leftist policies of the previous 12 years. Bonafini has called him a "son of a bitch" and a "dictator." * Shuts $250 mln discretionary quant strategy -source * To launch pure systematic hedge fund strategy -source * Portfolio manager Torbjorn Andreassen leaves By Maiya Keidan LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Hedge fund Balyasny Asset Management (BAM) is closing a $250 million "discretionary" portfolio run by Torbjorn Andreassen who is leaving the firm, a source told Reuters on Thursday. BAM manages a total of $12 billion, primarily in its Atlas Global fund, and allocates some of this cash to teams of underlying portfolio managers such as Andreassen, who had been with the hedge fund in London for almost two years. The firm, which was founded in 2001 by Dimitry Balyasny, is now turning its attention to hiring a new team of traders who will focus on pure "machine-driven" investing, rather than Andreassen's discretionary strategy which involves plugging trade ideas into a computer which it then executes. Andreassen left after BAM opted to focus on pure "quant" strategies, alongside its core fundamental stock-picking, the source said. BAM did not respond to requests for comment. Hedge funds based on systematic trading programmes, driven in whole or partially by a computer, have outperformed rivals this year after many made money on an oil price fall and Britain's EU referendum. That has helped assets in systematic hedge funds to grow to $270 billion as of June 30, data from industry tracker Hedge Fund Research showed. Andreassen was deregistered from the firm on July 26, Financial Conduct Authority filings showed. (Editing by Alexander Smith) Herbalife Ltd.HLF reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2016 results on the back of higher sales, improving volume trends and renewed optimism after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) probe stated that the company is not a pyramid scheme. Herbalife also raised its view for full-year 2016. The companys shares gained 0.37% on Aug 3. This weight management and nutritional products company delivered second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.29 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.17 by 10.3%. Earnings were ahead of the guided range of $1.10$1.20 per share. Adjusted earnings also grew 4% year over year, buoyed by higher sales growth, higher-than- expected volume in net sales and lower expenses as a result of the continued focus on cost management. Second-quarter adjusted earnings were negatively impacted by 31 cents due to currency headwinds, excluding the impact of Venezuela price increases tied to foreign exchange rate movements. Net sales of $1.201 billion grew 3% from the prior-year period. This was at the higher end of the guided range of flat to up 3%. This marked the second consecutive quarter of year-over-year net sales growth despite ongoing currency headwinds. Excluding currency headwinds, sales rose 10% year over year, significantly higher than the companys guidance range of 5.5% to 8.5% growth. Sales also marginally beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.193 billion by 0.7%. The improvement in the top line was driven by 9% growth in volumes, better than the expected range of 1.5% to 4.5%. This was the first time that Herbalife recorded higher volume points in five out of the six regions. The year-over-year volume point growth resulted from an improvement in volume trends and positive member metrics due to strategic changes made to the business model. Regionally, Europe, the Middle East and Africa reported 21% volume growth, backed by the companys enhanced marketing plan, while North America recorded 14% growth. China and Mexico both reported impressive volume point growth of 10%. Volume in Asia Pacific was up 2%. However, South & Central America volume plummeted 7% in the second quarter. Story continues The company has been witnessing improving volume point trends in key markets, primarily impacted by its marketing plan changes, which were implemented in Feb 2015. In fact, the company is seeing sequential improvements in key metrics in these markets and remains encouraged by the positive trends. HERBALIFE LTD Price and Consensus HERBALIFE LTD Price and Consensus | HERBALIFE LTD Quote Third-Quarter 2016 Guidance Herbalife expects sales to be up 2% to 5% and volume growth in the range of 5% to 8% in the third quarter. On a currency adjusted basis (excluding the impact of Venezuela price increases tied to foreign exchange rate movements), sales are expected to increase 5.5% to 8.5%. For the third quarter, the company expects adjusted earnings per share in a range of 98 cents to $1.08 per share, which includes an unfavorable currency impact of approximately 14 cents per share. Excluding the currency impact (excluding the impact of Venezuela price increases tied to foreign exchange rate movements), adjusted earnings are expected in a range of $1.12 to $1.22 per share. Full-Year 2016 Guidance Raised The company has raised its guidance for 2016 on the back of better-than-expected second-quarter volume results. For full-year 2016, the company now expects adjusted earnings in a range of $4.50$4.80 per share compared with $4.40$4.75 expected previously. This includes currency impact of 90 cents, up from the previously guided headwind of 70 cents. On a currency adjusted basis (excluding Venezuelan currency devaluation), earnings are expected in a range of $5.40 to $5.70 per share compared with the previous range of $5.10 to $5.45. Herbalife continues to expect sales to grow in a range of 1.5% to 4.5%. Volumes are expected to increase 4.5% to 7.5% in 2016 compared with 2.0% to 5.0% growth expected earlier. On a currency adjusted basis (excluding Venezuelan currency devaluation), sales are expected to increase 7% to 10%, higher than 6% to 9% growth expected earlier. Other Update Herbalife has recently resolved the probe with the FTC and the Illinois Attorney General. The FTC stated that Herbalife is not a pyramid scheme, though the company paid it $203 million as charges. Herbalife had received a civil investigative demand in 2014 from the FTC related to its marketing practices. The probe followed allegations from activist investor William Bill Ackman, hedge fund manager of Pershing Square, which made a $1 billion bet against the nutrition company in Dec 2012 and accused it of being a pyramid scheme i.e. it employs deceptive marketing practices for improving business. Ackman believed that the nutrition clubs run by Herbalife's distributors focus on recruitment instead of selling products. Herbalife, on its part, has been denying the charges since 2012 and has full confidence in its business model. The recent settlement with the FTC has made investors optimistic. Herbalife is not the only company, which employs sales representatives to sell its products. Other multi-level marketing companies like Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. NUS, USANA Health Sciences Inc. USNA and Avon Products Inc. AVP also follow the same distribution model. Herbalife has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). 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 >> 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 AVON PRODS INC (AVP): Free Stock Analysis Report NU SKIN ENTERP (NUS): Free Stock Analysis Report USANA HLTH SCI (USNA): Free Stock Analysis Report HERBALIFE LTD (HLF): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Eva Moskowitz Success Academy Charter Schools Rally Charter school advocates in New York City are hailing tremendous growth on state tests as further proof that city leaders must embrace the charter-school movement. New York City charters, which are publicly funded but privately run, outperformed the city's traditional public schools in both English and math in grades three through eight. "If Mayor de Blasio needed any more evidence that City Hall should change course and embrace New Yorks charter schools, he got it this week," Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO of pro-charter school group Families for Excellent Schools, wrote in an op-ed in The New York Post. "State test results and a new public poll offer irrefutable evidence that the citys charter sector is the path to possibility for our highest-need learners," he continued. Forty-three percent of students at charters schools scored proficient in English and 48.7% in math, compared to 38% of public-school students in English and 36.4% in math. Perhaps most surprisingly, the charter-school English proficiency figure is reflective of a 14% spike year over year. Jeremiah Kittredge Some of that growth is likely related to changes in the way tests were administered this year. For example, students were given more time to answer fewer questions on the exams. "Its not an apples to apples comparison and should be viewed in that context," State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia noted at a news conference last week. Public schools in New York City also had big gains in 2016, likely related to the testing changes as well. English proficiency increased 7.6% at public schools. Eva Moskowitz, CEO of the Success Academy Charter School network, lashed out at de Blasio and New York City Chancellor Carmen Farina for touting the improvement as evidence public schools have improved under their tenure. "An eight-point jump in English test scores is prompting Mayor de Blasio to take a victory lap, and Chancellor Carmen Farina to have a three-day celebration and declare that she cant stop smiling, Moskowitz wrote in an op-ed in the New York Daily News. Story continues "Self-delusion is rarely a good strategy for effective management," she continued. Success Academy Bensonhurst Moskowitz and de Blasio have long had a rancorous history, with many public skirmishes over the issue of charter-school proliferation in New York City. In her op-ed, she launched into an explanation for why the improvement in charter scores should be heralded more than improvements at public schools: "If you want to find real improvement, you need to look at schools whose scores increased more than the seven points that were almost certainly attributable to giving students unlimited time. There is a set of schools that meets that criteria: the citys charter schools, where English proficiency increased by 14 percentage points, double the statewide average." But increases in proficiency scores at charter schools, and specifically at Success Academy charters (the largest charter network in New York City), will likely be met with skepticism. Success Academies has shouldered criticism for the way it achieves its stellar performance. Last year, a New York Times report painted a vivid picture of the pressure students in the third grade and above felt as they took standardized tests. The same article described the public shaming of students for poor grades. Earlier this year, a video emerged of a first-grade Success Academy teacher berating a student who could not answer a math question correctly. Those instances and other accusations that Success pushes out low-performing students adds a layer of complexity to evaluating the the increases in scores at charter schools this year. NOW WATCH: This lunch box for adults could change the way you eat More From Business Insider EXCLUSIVE: The dance card for Hillary Clintons latest visit to the Hollywood ATM is getting pretty packed, with a reception at the home of longtime supporters Magic Johnson and wife Cookie on August 22 now added, Ive learned. That comes as Tinseltowns top tier is hitting the fundraising court hard for the former First Lady at a series of campaign moneymakers and GOP rival Donald Trump also sees a fundraising surge over the past month. The Lakers legend was a backer of the ex-Secretary of State when she ran for President in 2008 and came out for her again soon after she announced her current bid for the White House last year. Rumored to be one of the guests at a 55th birthday party for President Barack Obama tomorrow, Johnson has appeared at several Clinton rallies and events during the past few months. On August 22, the Johnsons reception will be followed later that evening with the already announced big-bucks dinner at Haim Saban and wife Cheryls Beverly Hills pad. With tickets going from $2,700-$27,000 for a co-host and $100,000 for a hosting couple, the self-proclaimed Evening With Hillary will see the Sabans and the Johnsons as chairs plus the usual suspects including Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Megan and Peter Chernin, Los Angelese Olympics bid boss Casey Wasserman and wife Laura, Disneys potentially political-office-seeking CEO Bob Iger and Willow Bay, and Legendarys Thomas Tull and wife Alba. Also shelling out the dough and serving as chairs are ex-Clinton staffer and former Warner Bros VP of corporate business development and strategy Sean Burton and wife Teresa, CAAs Micheal Kives, manager/producer Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and her husband, Marketshare CEO Jon Vein, and Laura and Sanford Michelman all of whom have participated in past Clinton fundraisers this election. Leonardo DiCaprio The next day will see Clinton lunching with Leonardo DiCaprio at his L.A. home in a $33,400-a-ticket fundraiser. That Conversation With Hillary event at the Oscar winners place will be hosted by past Clinton backers Jennifer and Tobey Maguire, Friends alum Jennifer Aniston, frequent HRC supporter Scooter Braun and wife Yael, ICM Partners Chris Silbermann, plus Christina and Rick Yorn. Story continues Having co-produced the Hillary video that played before the candidates speech at the DNC in Philadelphia last week, Scandal EP and big-time backer Shonda Rhimes will also host the mid-day event at DiCaprios. In what is getting close to her 20th fundraising visit to Hollywood since officially announcing her POTUS run in mid-2015, Clinton will attend two additional pricey events in Laguna Beach on what is looking like a packed August 23. RelatedSeth Meyers Tells Obama, Hillary To Stay Out Of It As Donald Trump Campaign Implodes Related stories Obama Blasts Trump's "Rigged" Election Remarks As "Ridiculous" Seth Meyers Tells Obama, Hillary To "Stay Out Of It" As Donald Trump Campaign Implodes John Oliver Curses Donald Trump And Zings Chachi, Florida & Hillary Clinton's Pitbull Pantsuit Berlin (AFP) - Wartime diaries kept by top Nazi henchman Heinrich Himmler, serialised this week in Germany's daily Bild, offer chilling insights into the life of one of the principal architects of the Holocaust. Himmler, the head of the Nazi paramilitary SS, kept tabs on even the banal minutiae of his daily comings and goings, even as he oversaw the systematic slaughter of six million European Jews. The journals, unearthed in Russia in 2013 and currently being studied at the German Historical Institute in Moscow, reveal a confidant of Adolf Hitler as a micromanager marked by deep contradictions. They also "help to better make sense of key events and understand who took part in decision making for the regime," researcher Matthias Uhl of the German Historical Institute told AFP. "Now we can say exactly whom Himmler met each day, where he was, and who his closest advisers were." The documents, found in the archives of the Russia defence ministry, cover the years 1938, 1943 and 1944. The German institute plans to published an annotated version by 2018. The journals for 1941 and 1942 were already discovered in 1991 in Russia, which holds 2.5 million documents from the Wehrmacht, the Nazi-era German military. The image that emerges is of a caring family man who nevertheless kept mistresses and had secret children as part of one illicit love affair. Himmler is shown to be a passionate stargazer and avid card player even as he ordered massacres and oversaw the death camps. "The man who planned the Holocaust was obsessive about organising his personal life," Bild said. "Between (poison) gas, execution orders and thousands of rendezvous, he took care of his family, his mistress and his hobbies." On January 3, 1943, for example, Himmler received one of many "therapeutic massages" from his doctor, took part in meetings, called his wife and daughter and then ordered, after midnight, the killing of several Polish families. Story continues According to Bild, Himmler was an ambitious careerist who met with more than 1,600 people between 1943 and his suicide in British custody in May 1945. "The number of contacts, as well as attempts by Himmler to gain influence through the SS on important institutions of the party, state and army, are impressive," Uhl said. "He tried, during the course of the war, to consolidate his power." Himmler's secretaries, one of whom, Hedwig Potthast, bore him two children, noted down regular inspection tours to the concentration camps including Sachsenhausen, with Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, on March 10, 1938, and the Sobibor extermination camp on February 12, 1943. "Himmler wanted to have a demonstration of the 'effectiveness' of killing by gas," Bild said. Hollywood Medium Tyler Henry is not worried about Donald Trump and he can see the future! The E! reality series star fielded questions from a group of media members Wednesday afternoon, both during a formal press conference and in a post-Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour panel scrum. Im watching him and I am not worried, Henry told a reporter who asked about Trumps future. Take that response to mean either he foresees the GOP candidate losing in November, or potentially as Henry having no concerns about the Donalds leadership abilities. (It was probably not the latter, as this is Hollywood after all.) Also Read: Clint Eastwood on Donald Trump's Racism: 'Just F--ing Get Over It' The 20-year-old was quite composed during his turn at TCA, some might even say, rehearsed. In that regard, he did his job the promotional one. But he didnt do his other job beyond the presidential prediction, that is. The clairvoyant did not provide any personal readings to the room of roughly 100 media members, when he was met by a healthy dose of questioning about his craft. To be fair to Henry, the young man was not directly asked to perform his magic and the reality TV star explained that his dial for such a thing was turned down anyway. To get into the appropriate mental state to provide psychic services, Henry uses meditation. TCA notoriously does not provide any attendee with such requisite peace and quiet. 8 Simple Campaign Rules Donald Trump Broke This Week (Photos) Trump v The Khans: 5 Reasons His Latest Fight Is So Disastrous Donald Trump babies melania trump donald trump khizr khan ghazala khan Katrina Pierson Ivanka Trump RNC Donald Trump paul ryan selfie Donald Trump eating chicken Previous Slide Next Slide 1 of 9 Dude: What are you even doing? Breaking the normal rules of campaigning helped Donald Trump win the Republican nomination. But since the general election kicked off last week, Trump's rule-breaking has only hurt him. Here are 8 simple campaign rules he has broken, and links to how he broke them. View In Gallery Related stories from TheWrap: Clint Eastwood on Donald Trump's Racism: 'Just Fing Get Over It' Rudy Giuliani, GOP Leaders Plot Donald Trump Intervention GOP Officials Think Donald Trump Might Drop Out of Election Horizon Pharma plc HZNP is scheduled to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 8, before the opening bell. Horizon Pharmas performance has been far from encouraging with the company missing earnings estimates on two occasions while surpassing in one. Yet, the company has an average positive earnings surprise of 4.46%. In the last reported quarter, the company recorded a negative earnings surprise of 10.53%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors Influencing This Quarter At the time of announcing first-quarter 2016 results, Horizon Pharma reiterated its net sales and adjusted EBITDA expectations for the second quarter and full year 2016, which was provided in Apr 2016. The company continues to expect 2016 net sales in the range of $1.025 billion to $1.050 billion and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $505 million to $520 million (expects a reduction of roughly $10 million due to the impending acquisition of global rights to Actimmune). While 2223% of net sales are expected in the second quarter of 2016, the company projects adjusted EBITDA to be approximately 2122% also in the second quarter of 2016. We note that Horizon Pharma entered into an agreement in May 2016 under which it will acquire the global rights to Actimmune from Boehringer Ingelheim. Horizon Pharma currently owns the rights to Actimmune in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2016. Meanwhile, Horizon Pharma continued to focus its efforts on expanding the label of Actimmune and Ravicti. While patient enrolment in a phase III study (STEADFAST) on Actimmune for Friedreich's ataxia was completed in May 2016, the company filed a supplemental new drug application with the FDA for Ravicti toward the end of the quarter. The company is looking to expand the age range for chronic management of urea cycle disorders in adult and pediatric patients from two months of age to two years of age and older. Story continues As far as the companys business units are concerned, Orphan, Primary Care, and Rheumatology should continue to perform well. The company is constantly expanding its sales and marketing efforts in Rheumatology and Primary Care, which should continue to drive prescription growth of existing and newly acquired medicines. Particularly, the company is increasing promotional efforts and working on expanding commercial efforts for Krystexxa (became part of the companys portfolio following the Jan 2016 Crealta Holdings acquisition). As a result, the company expects to witness accelerated volume growth of Krystexxa in the second half of 2016. On the second-quarter call, focus will be on the performance of the business units along with the performance of products including Actimmune, Krystexxa and others. Another key area of focus will be the companys business development plans for the rest of the year. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Horizon Pharma is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to likely post an earnings beat. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is at 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 53 cents per share. Zacks Rank: Horizon Pharma currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. The stocks Zacks Rank #3 when combined with an ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. HORIZON PHARMA Price and EPS Surprise HORIZON PHARMA Price and EPS Surprise | HORIZON PHARMA Quote Stocks that Warrant a Look Here are some health care stocks that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter. These stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 and are scheduled to report second-quarter results on Aug 9. The Earnings ESP for Impax Laboratories Inc. IPXL is +3.03%. Mylan N.V. MYL has an Earnings ESP of +1.75%. The Earnings ESP for Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. IONS is +38.00%. 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 >> 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 IMPAX LABORATRS (IPXL): Free Stock Analysis Report MYLAN NV (MYL): Free Stock Analysis Report HORIZON PHARMA (HZNP): Free Stock Analysis Report IONIS PHARMACT (IONS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - A European hostel chain that offers youngsters the chance to stay in quirky buildings and events such as DJ sessions plans to double in size to 28 sites within five years, aiming to cater for the latest generation of backpackers. Generator Hostels, a private equity-backed chain, said its hostels were 96 percent full this summer despite security fears after attacks in Europe and Britain's vote to leave the European Union - issues which have dampened demand at traditional hotel groups. Hotels are also facing a growing challenge from home sharing service Airbnb, but Generator, where the average guest is aged 20 to 21, says the social aspect of its hostels set them apart. "Airbnb seems to be the biggest story in the world right now and I think it is for the traditional lodging sector if you have a more commoditized guest room experience, versus what we offer, which is an extreme social engagement," CEO Fredrick Korallus told Reuters in an interview. Generator targets Instagram and Snapchat users who share photos of its sites. The group's hostel in London is a former police station, while in Amsterdam the former auditorium of a university building serves as a quirky bar. Euromonitor travel analyst Wouter Geerts said that, while Generator still needed to compete with Airbnb, its bigger rival was shifting onto different ground. "Airbnb's product has grown up a bit and it has become more open to older consumers and business travelers," he said. With its rooms mainly sleeping four people, Generator's revenue per available room is higher than some economy hotel rivals, while the eye-catching buildings and social events mean it can charge more, said Korallus, a Swede who used to work for Radisson hotels-owner Carlson Rezidor. Generator will open its first U.S. hostel in Miami in 2017, and wants to add more locations in the United States as well as expanding elsewhere in Europe, such as Italy and Poland. Asked about funding the group's plan to double in size, Korallus said: "We would maybe need some new capital." Patron Capital has owned Generator Hostels since 2007. The chain is forecasting an annualized revenue run rate of 115 million euros, with core earnings (EBITDA) of about 40 million euros, once Miami and two other locations open next year. (Editing by Mark Potter) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday that he saw no point in bringing up the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal for a vote in any "lame duck" session of Congress later this year after November elections, because "we don't have the votes." "As long as we don't have the votes, I see no point in bringing up an agreement only to defeat it," Ryan, a Republican, said in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio. Despite both U.S. presidential candidates bashing the 12-country Pacific trade deal on the campaign trail, Obama administration officials have pledged to make a major push in coming months to persuade the Republican-majority Congress to pass TPP. Backed by dozens of business and industry groups, officials from the U.S. Commerce Department, the U.S. Trade Representative's office and the White House say they are continuing to talk with individual lawmakers about the merits of the deal, including its consequences for U.S. leadership in Asia. But Ryan said the Obama administration had negotiated a deal that "cost them dozens of votes in Congress," and said the Democratic president needed to renegotiate some components. The speaker said some agricultural and labor provisions needed fixing, and he also believed the deal would reduce intellectual property rights for biologic drugs and pharmaceuticals. For U.S. drugmakers the deal could reduce the patent protection period to eight years from the current 12. Senator Orrin Hatch, the influential Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has also raised this as a major problem with the deal. "They have to fix this agreement and renegotiate some pieces of it if they have any hope or chance of passing it," Ryan said in the radio interview, but added that he was doubtful this could happen. "I don't see how they'll ever get the votes for it." (Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler) When Raaja Nemanis plane landed in Argentina, the reality of what he was doing finally started to set in. He had quit his job in finance and purchased a one-way ticket to South America, where he planned to start his backpacking trip around the world. But now he was getting anxious. He was alone, he didnt know the language, and was unsure how he would navigate the foreign country. Nemani knew that he was in for an adventure, but he never could have imagined that this journey would change everything. That was in 2008. Today, Nemani, 34, reminisces about his 18-month global trip that took him to 30 countries and 6 continents. And he came back with more than just souvenirs and stories Nemani is now the co-founder and CEO of Bucketfeet, an innovative shoe company that was inspired by his journey. The company, which sells customized shoes designed by a global community of artists, has raised $16 million in funding from investors since 2011, and has celebrity fans like Mindy Kaling, Tilda Swinton and Aziz Ansari singing its praises. But the origin story of Bucketfeet is a lot less glamorous. It started in Argentina, when Nemani met Aaron Firestein, another American who was living abroad. The two became fast friends after volunteering together, and during one of their many talks, Firestein shared his unique hobby of customizing shoes. Before Nemani left Argentina for his backpacking adventure, Firestein customized some kicks for his new friend a colorful pair of shoes inspired by the city blocks of Buenos Aires. I thought they were a simple pair of shoes, but everywhere I went, they sparked conversation, Nemani told Yahoo Finance. This happened with old people, young people, men, women, even people who didnt speak English, it was really powerful. As it turns out, the shoes were a universal language, an icebreaker that allowed Nemani to meet new people and connect them back to his adventures in Argentina. The inspiration for Bucketfeet was born in those conversations. Story continues Travel is my happy place, and I learned from my travels that we are more similar than different. Something as simple as art on shoes can spark a conversation and bring people together, Nemani said. After his around-the-world trip, Nemani took a job in Abu Dhabi and reached out to Firestein on Facebook. They had thrown around the idea of forming a shoe business in the past, but now Nemani wanted to make it a reality. After all, their skills were complementary. Firestein was creative, had relationships with artists and had been designing shoes for years. Nemani had the business experience and knowledge of how to build and run an operation. In 2011, they both moved to Chicago and officially launched Bucketfeet. We have built a community of 40,000 artists from 120 countries like Colombia, France and Japan, he said. People come from different backgrounds, cultures, and the art they create resonates with a big audience. The artists are paid upfront for their art, usually around $250, and receive $1 for every shoe that is sold with their design. Bucketfeets most popular shoe is called the Pinappleade, which features a repetitive print of a pineapple fused with a grenade, symbolizing the peaceful farmlands that have been changed by guerrilla warfare. Bucketfeet has sold 35,000 pairs of the shoe, which was designed by DJ Lu, a Colombian street artist that some call the Banksy of Bogota. So far Bucketfeet has raised $16 million from a range of investors, including Jumpstart Ventures; Andy Dunn, co-founder and CEO of Bonobos, and Brian Spaly, CEO of Trunk Club and co-founder of Bonobos. The shoes retail from $68 to $150, and last year Bucketfeet sold more than 150,000 pairs globally. The company doesnt release specific sales metrics, but Nemani shared with Yahoo Finance that it has doubled or tripled shoe sales every year since the company launched in 2011. The Bucketfeet retail studio in Washington DC. Bucketfeet does most of its sales online to US consumers, but Asia is the second-largest market. The company has two stores (they call them retail studios) in Chicago, and a new studio in Washington, D.C., that opened last month. Over the past couple of years, the company has also used temporary pop-up shops in cities like New York, London, Amsterdam and Zurich. Nemani says they hope to one day set up permanent studios all around the world. It would be hypocritical to our mission not to do this thing globally as well. Its realistic now to focus and not jump in too quickly, but telling these stories on a global scale will be very important, he said. For Nemani, the idea of combining his love of travel with a greater message makes it easy for him to go to work everyday. Everyone cant travel the world, but I wanted to figure out a way to let people have an experience and let them connect with stories and people from around the world, he said. Anthony Bourdain uses food, and we use shoes. Brittany Jones-Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Read more: Add to your travel fund with these money-saving tips The best ways to travel the world for free How a bright red vintage trailer inspired a young couples business Turbo (Colombia) (AFP) - Hundreds of Cubans stranded in northwest Colombia have been left facing deportation after the government adopted emergency measures against illegal migration following a massive US-bound influx. Under watchful security, 38 Cubans arrived Wednesday at the migration agency in the port of Turbo as part of a voluntary deportation scheme announced a day earlier. But around 1,200 Cubans are still holed up in a 2,000 square-foot (200-square-meter) warehouse, where a sympathizer has allowed them to stay. The authorities, who have been unable to enter the private property, are waiting for a court permit to remove the migrants, who have been stuck since mid-May after Central American countries tightened their border controls. Colombian officials said they hoped people would come forward after the government announced Tuesday that migrants requesting voluntary deportation would be granted safe passage to their home countries or to the last country they were in before entering Colombia. For many of them that is Cuba or Ecuador. q "That's what we want to happen," Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin told reporters in Bogota on Wednesday, saying a total of 84 migrants had come forward. "We wanted to handle this without any pressure or force." - US bound - The Cubans had asked the government to arrange an airlift to Mexico, from where they hoped to continue to the United States, which grants asylum to most Cubans who make it to US soil. However, the authorities repeatedly rejected their request. Although some of the Cubans fear reprisals if they return to their homeland, Holguin said the Cuban authorities have guaranteed they "will not run any risk of abuse." But that has not convinced Aliex Artiles, one of the Cubans living in the warehouse, who said he would prefer "to die in Turbo than to return to Cuba." "We will be persecuted there for what we have said and for having left," he told AFP. Story continues The Cubans have turned the warehouse and its vicinity into a Cuban "neighborhood" with phrases written on cardboard such as "La Calle Ocho Miami," or Eighth Street Miami, in the heart of the US city's Little Havana. Just outside the warehouse, where the government's human rights ombudsman has criticized overcrowding and health problems, some migrants have built small shelters where six to eight people sleep together. "We are calling for a humanitarian solution to help us," said Artiles, 33, a computer engineer, who said the Cubans planned to ask the Colombian authorities to help them obtain humanitarian visas to Canada. - No to mass expulsions -- Mass expulsions are not the answer, the ombudsman, Alfonso Cajiao, said Wednesday, pointing to the difficult humanitarian situation in Turbo, where some 50 new migrants arrive every day. "Each (migrant) has a particular situation that must be reviewed by the immigration authorities," he told a news conference. Colombia's emergency measures include plans to deport thousands of Cuban and other migrants, as well as reinforcing its borders. The government is sending police and military troops to its southwestern border with Ecuador and along the Gulf of Uraba near Panama, where migrants have traveled in the hope of crossing north into Central America. Colombia has already deported more than 5,800 migrants over the past two months, most of them from Haiti and Cuba, according to official figures released last week. Last year, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico adopted policies similar to Colombia's after Nicaragua closed its border to migrants, prompting a humanitarian crisis among thousands of Cubans heading to the United States. The number of Cubans attempting to reach the US border has risen over the past two years following the rapprochement between Havana and Washington, which many fear will end its preferential treatment of Cuban migrants. Getty Images RIO DE JANEIRO This is Ibtihaj Muhammad. Being an American. Being an African-American. Being Muslim. Being a woman. These are things I cant change, and that I wouldnt change for anything, she said. What she wants to change, as the first American athlete to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab, is the conversation about Muslims. She wants to change the way theyre perceived, misconceived and threatened by increasingly hateful rhetoric in the United States. She has to, she says, because no American should live in fear in their own county, just because of who they are or what they wear. This is Ibtihaj Muhammad: an Olympic athlete who gets stalked like a criminal in New York City because she has a traditional Muslim head wrap. [I feel unsafe] all the time. I had someone follow me home from practice, trying to report me to the police. And that was right on 28th and 7th in New York City, she said. Im very vocal about these things, especially on social media. Because I want people to know that Im not an anomaly. Im not special in any way. Im a woman who wears hijab. These are my experiences. This is Ibtihaj Muhammad: a 30-year-old sabre fencer from Maplewood, New Jersey, who knows her responsibilities as an Olympian extend well beyond the arena in Rio this month. Im hoping just my presence on Team USA changes perceptions people have about the Muslim community. A lot of people have misconceptions about who Muslims are and what a Muslim woman even looks like. Who I am challenges and shatters those stereotypes, she said. Our conversation about the Muslim community has to change. Its a slippery slope when you use hateful rhetoric. When you openly use bigoted comments against a group of people, and encourage violence. I hope it changes. I hope it changes fast. Getty Images Muhammads path to Rio was unusual and exceptional, both as an athlete and as a role model. Many fencers are products of a system that identifies them in their early teens and trains them for the next 15 years. But she took up the sport as a 17 year old, and didnt have her first international competition until she was 23. Story continues My friends told me not to fence, because only dorks fence, she said. But Muhammad saw a sport whose elegance fascinated her and whose uniforms adhered to the rules of her faith, which was something she was searching for. Her arms and legs are covered. Her hijab is worn under a mask. It allowed me to be who I am, she said. People didnt look at me as a minority or as a woman. It was simply for my skills-set. Once you put on your uniform, you cant see whos behind the mask. Thats what Ive always appreciated about this sport. But even in a sport whose athletes exist in faceless anonymity, Muhammad met friction. Very early on in my sport, I remember being told that I didnt belong because I was African-American or there were things I couldnt do because Im a Muslim, she said. She overcame those impediments to thrive in her sport. But she knows many, many other minority athletes simply quit instead. I know not everybody has the same strength. They can be deterred by comments when theyre younger. So I hope just being vocal about these obstacles, and why theyre wrong, I can inspire the younger generation in face of these comments and misconceptions, she said. Its something we can all relate to: Getting picked on, getting bullied. Her history-making appearance at the Rio Games has offered Muhammad a platform for her voice. She was on a panel at SXSW. Shes had gallons of magazine ink dedicated to her. She appeared on ESPNs E:60, which did a 12-minute biographical segment on her: Shes appeared on Ellen, fencing a staff member and trying her best not to fan-girl out: So what was the bigger thrill? Meeting Ellen, or meeting the President? Thats a tough one. I feel like I need to be politically correct, said Muhammad, with a laugh, having met Barack Obama twice in the last four years. It was an honor to meet both of them, obviously. Her media appearances have been a boost to her fashion line called Louella, that makes clothes that adhere to the traditions of Muslim and some Jewish women. There was a void in the Muslim community for modest clothing that was affordable and fashionable. You can find them sometimes in the States, but theyre not always cute, she said. Her celebrity extended to the early part of the Rio Olympics, where there was serious debate about whether Muhammad, a first-time Olympian, should have been the U.S. flag-bearer in the Opening Ceremonies, an honor that eventually went to swimmer Michael Phelps. Honestly, it was an honor to be in the conversation. To have my name in the mix is very telling about our team, and who we are, she said. She said she didnt expect the media swarm that occurred before the Rio Games, but isnt uncomfortable with the idea that her role model status has outshone her status as a competitor now that shes arrived in Brazil. This whole journey has been a blessing. You have to use your moment to help the people around you, she said. Especially in the face of such opposition. Getty Images A reporter asks Ibtihaj Muhammad about Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who has made a ban on all Muslim immigrants a centerpiece of his campaign. Who? she responds. Donald Trump, he repeats it, assuming she hadnt heard him. Sorry, what did you say? Trump. Donald Trump, he shouts. Who? she says again, committing to the bit. Nah, Im kidding, she finally says, laughing and moving on to the next question without comment. While she isnt addressing Trump by name in Rio, Muhammad talks at length about the rhetoric found in his speeches and at his rallies. As a Muslim-American athlete, that means hearing from young women shes empowered by her existence and the anonymous hordes of men who are disgusted by it. Thats the gift and the curse of social media: You hear from young women all the time, but you also hear from the haters, she said. But I want people to know that as hard as theyve been on me, they dont even come close to what we saw in the shooting in North Carolina or the rhetoric around the Khan family at the DNC. Its ridiculous. We, as a country, have to change, and I feel like this is a moment. Muhammad is part of that moment. Whether she wins, whether she loses, her presence on Team USA in Rio has shattered expectations, rewritten labels and inspired countless young athletes. Its really simple: All I have to do is stand on the strip, wear my hijab and thats a part of who I am, she said. But obviously, I hope a medal comes along with that. This is Ibtihaj Muhammad. An American Olympian. Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Hillary Clinton during a campaign stop in Sacramento, Calif., on June 5. (Mike Blake/Reuters) Several staffers from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons campaign held an invitation-only conference call with 1,000 current and former aides to President Barack Obama on Wednesday night. During the off-the-record conversation, Clintons director of states and political engagement, Marlon Marshal, discussed Republican nominee Donald Trumps tendency to spout off at the mouth and its effect on the race. Obviously, I dont need to tell you all Donald Trump is kind of tripping on himself right now and continues to say just things that no one running for no one should say, period. But particularly if youre running for the office of president of the United States, Marshall said in an apparent reference to recent remarks Trump has made that drew criticism in the media and among members of the Republican party. Yahoo News listened to the call, which featured Marshall and other staffers discussing Clintons plans for the next month and her challenges with wooing young voters. At multiple points during the call, Clintons relentlessly cheerful staff asked the Obama alumni to use weeks of their vacation time to become what they called Clinton closers and volunteer for the campaign in the final months of the election. Marshall warned that Clinton supporters have a lot of work to do to ensure victory even though Trump continually courts controversy. Those thoughts and those statements are just not worthy of the office, Marshall said of Trumps comments. That being said, this election, we cannot just leave it to Donald Trumps mouth to assume this election is all said and done. The conference was declared off the record and not for press purposes, and was reportedly intended for people who were Obama administration staffers, appointees and people who worked on the presidents 2008 and 2012 campaign staff. Marshall said a major purpose of the call was to generate a sense of urgency and prevent complacency among Clinton supporters. Story continues I think sometimes when, you know, you see some of the craziness from the other side, its like, Oh, OK, you know, Hillary should win, Marshall said. We cannot be deterred from doing the organizing that we need to be successful. We want to engage all of you in getting involved in that organization. Lauren Crawford, the campaigns director of expansion state programs came on next and detailed ways the conference call listeners could volunteer for Clinton. Given their experience working for Obama, Crawford said the people on the call would be super vols. She encouraged them to phone bank and to travel to battleground states, but she said the biggest way to help would be as a Clinton Closer. Were here because youre the all-stars and youre going to go above and beyond. Were asking you to take time off that you can in October and November, Crawford explained. Crawford said the listeners would get a follow-up email where they could sign up to join the Clinton Closer volunteer program. Thats someone who can take two, three, four weeks. I mean, I might even ask for six if youre feeling, you know, ambitious. Someone who can go into any of our states [to] really help, Crawford said. Another staffer later encouraged the people on the call to make sure you have saved up some vacation time to volunteer for Clinton in the fall. Marshall also pointed out that the Clinton campaign is hiring for paid positions. He offered the listeners a preview of the campaigns plans for August and said it would be an economic month, with Clinton and her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, traveling the country and driving home our economic message. Marshall said this would include outlining Clintons economic platform and attacking Trump for some of his businesses that sell products that arent made in America. Sometimes, he can spout off at the mouth for certain things, but people also think hes a successful business person, Marshall said of Trump. Were going to remind voters more of the economy that Hillary Clinton wants to build as president of the United States. But also, Trumps success really comes at the expense of others. He talks about Made in America or Make America Great Again. That should start with the things that he has that he sells, which are actually made in other countries. At the end of the call the Clinton staffers took questions. One came from Kal Penn, an actor best known for his role in the Harold & Kumar stoner comedies, who has also worked in the Obama White House as an associate director of public engagement. Penn said he was personally getting a lot of questions from folks about youth vote. They were feeling like the anti-Trump stuff wasnt really working with young people, Penn said. The youth vote is a major concern for the Clinton campaign. Clintons primary rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, earned more votes among 18 to 29-year-olds. Trump polls well with younger men. Penn said the folks asking him about the election were looking for talking points about things Clinton has achieved that would appeal to Obama supporters. According to Penn, the various people talking to him about the race felt positive messages about Clinton were more persuasive than attacks on Trump. They wanted to know what are some good resources to sort of talk about Sen. Clintons successes tied into the Obama stuff, said Penn. Marshall responded by noting Clinton has a whole millennial/youth outreach team and there are some folks who weve added who were on Sen. Sanders team. He also addressed Penns critique of anti-Trump messaging. Obviously theres a lot of reasons why someone should not, in my opinion, support Donald Trump, Marshall said. I think everyone on this call probably agrees with that. We also know that were not going to win the election by just saying why Donald Trump would be a bad president, but we need to and will continue to make the case of why Hillary Clinton would make a fantastic president. Marshall directed Penn to Clintons website to find policies that might appeal to young voters. Lierman specifically cited Clintons college affordability plan. The call closed with Clinton staffers breaking into loud cheers. Whoooo! Yeah! Whoooo! Please Believe! Yeah! Editors note: This story has been updated to clarify which Clinton campaign staffers were involved in organizing the conference call. Indonesia's Constitutional Court is considering making gay sex a crime, with Islamic activists pushing for the change insisting Thursday the homosexual community was causing "moral degradation" in the Muslim-majority nation. The move comes after the gay community in Indonesia began coming under sustained attack earlier this year, with ministers and religious leaders denouncing homosexuality and LGBT websites blocked. The court is hearing a judicial review filed by Islamic activist group the Family Love Alliance that seeks to alter the criminal code to ban homosexual sex. "We see the moral degradation that is happening," Rita Hendrawaty Soebagio, chairwoman of the alliance, told AFP. "This is purely because of our love for our nation, we must do something while we have a chance." Her group argues that the influence of the gay community has been spreading, particularly since the United States legalised same-sex marriage nationwide last year, which activists believe triggered the backlash. Under current laws, sex is only illegal for both homosexual and heterosexual people if it involves a minor. The judicial review was filed in May and the court has held five hearings, including one this week, in which it heard from expert witnesses. The next hearing is due later this month but it is not yet known when a ruling will be handed down. The court said on its website that it was hearing the case and that testimony from health experts included claims that gay sex could cause sexually transmitted diseases. Gay sex remains legal in most of Indonesia although homosexuality is generally taboo. A small number of provinces in the country, where power is heavily decentralised, have passed Islamic-inspired laws against homosexual sex. Indonesia's current laws on homosexuality are more liberal than some of its neighbours. In Singapore sex between men remains illegal, a holdover from colonial rule that is not strictly enforced. In Malaysia sodomy is a criminal offence and can result in imprisonment, corporal punishment, and fines. By Eveline Danubrata JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian ride-hailing service Go-Jek has raised fresh funding of more than $550 million from KKR, Warburg Pincus and other investors, giving it more ammunition in the battle for market share in the country of 250 million people. Go-Jek competes with Uber [UBER.UL] and Grab, and investors in its latest round of financing also included Farallon Capital, Capital Group Private Markets and existing shareholders, it said in a statement on Thursday. Co-founder Nadiem Makarim, a Harvard Business School graduate, said in April that Go-Jek was in talks with potential investors to raise funds. Go-Jek, a play on the Indonesian word for motorbike taxis, has become popular among commuters on the traffic-clogged streets of Jakarta. It launched its app in 2015 and has expanded into food deliveries, mobile payments and even cleaning services. The announcement of the latest fund-raising came days after Uber sold its China operations to bigger domestic rival Didi Chuxing and analysts have said Uber may focus its efforts and money elsewhere, such as in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is a key battleground in the region for ride-hailing firms, which have been driving rates lower to attract more customers in the country with the world's fourth-largest population and a youthful, Internet-savvy demographic. Grab, which was co-founded by Makarim's fellow Harvard graduate Anthony Tan, announced last month that it is teaming up with Indonesian conglomerate Lippo Group to roll out a mobile payment platform in what has become its biggest market. Grab has raised around $700 million so far from backers including Japan's SoftBank Corp (9984.T), sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp [CIC.UL] and an arm of Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL]. Grab still has a "significant" amount of capital left, Tan said in Jakarta last month. While Indonesia is ripe with potential, the sprawling archipelago also comes with regulatory and logistical obstacles. Earlier this year, taxi drivers' protests turned violent in the Indonesian capital when they called for ride-hailing apps to be banned. Government ministers had also said that technology firms should be subject to the same regulatory and tax requirements as conventional public transport companies. (Reporting by Eveline Danubrata in Jakarta; Additional reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore, Kanupriya Kapoor and Cindy Silviana in Jakarta; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Susan Fenton) When Chandra Levy disappeared 15 years ago, the national media's quickly focused on then-Rep. Gary Condit, a married Democrat who represented Levy's hometown of Modesto, California. Condit denied ever having an affair with the former federal government intern before authorities would match him to DNA evidence collected from Levy's underwear in her apartment. Authorities ruled him out as a suspect in Levy's murder early in their investigation, but the scandal has followed him. Condit lost his House seat in 2002 just weeks after Levy's skeletal remains were found near a trail in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park. He has remained mostly out of the public eye ever since, briefly returning to the news cycle in 2012 when he and his wife, Carolyn, supported their son, Chad, in his failed bid for Congress. For more on the latest in the Chandra Levy case, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday. While Chad Condit refused to speak to PEOPLE about his father this week and calls to several numbers listed for Condit were not returned, the former politician now splits time between Colorado, Arizona, and California. According to the Washington Post, Condit has written a book but allegedly can't find a publisher. Soon after leaving politics, he invested in Baskin-Robbins ice cream franchises. The Post reports those stores failed and prompted a breach-of-contract suit in which Condit was ordered to pay about $98,000. A source close to the Condit family says Gary has long since left the ice cream business. Inside Gary Condit's Life Now: How the Former Congressman Connected to Chandra Levy Has Moved On| Crime & Courts, True Crime Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Condit also briefly served as the president of the Phoenix Institute of Desert Agriculture, a non-profit devoted to bringing modern farming techniques to desert farming in the developing world. That venture has since folded, records show. In 2005, court documents show Condit settled a defamation lawsuit against Vanity Fair. Two years later, he lost a civil suit against an Arizona newspaper and had to pay the paper's $42,000 legal fees. Condit's name is back in the news this week after prosecutors moved to dismiss murder charges against Ingmar Guandique, the El Salvadorian undocumented immigrant who had been facing a retrial after being convicted in 2010 of Levy's murder. In a statement to PEOPLE, Condit's lawyer, L. Lin Wood, says his client was "extremely disappointed to learn that the prosecution has decided against a retrial of Ingmar Guandique, the individual previously found guilty of the murder of Chandra Levy." But Wood adds the decision "in no way alters the fact that Mr. Condit was long ago completely exonerated by authorities in connection with Ms. Levy's death." Wood, his statement says, has "been informed by the U.S. Attorneyas office in charge of the Levy case that Mr. Condit is neither a subject nor a target of the investigation into the murder of Chandra Levy. The U.S. Attorneyas office has authorized the public release of this information." While Condit has not spoken to reporters in years, Wood tells PEOPLE he believes his client "will speak out publicly in the near future." Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f166366%2f274a27cda5614f51a722788953c3f1ad Do not mess with America's national bird. An osprey cam from Explore.org captured a rare and intense bald eagle attack on Monday. The footage shows three osprey chicks sitting in their nest on Hog Island, Maine, while both of their parents are away. Suddenly, a bald eagle can be seen swooping into view with an adult osprey in tow. SEE ALSO: Chill bear hitches a ride on a garbage truck One of the chicks flees the nest, while another attempts to defend it and the third ducks for cover. The bald eagle easily grabs the osprey chick who is defending the nest, and flies away. Its an amazing video really, says Steve Kress, vice president for bird conservation at the National Audubon Society and director of the Audubon Camp on Hog Island. Its one of the best videos Ive ever seen of eagle predation. But for some viewers the clip was heartbreaking, especially those who watched the chicks hatch this spring on Explore.org's live cam. Audubon.org also explains in a post on its website that the parent ospreys, named Rachel and Steve, also endured a bald eagle attack last year which took all their young. And while the clip is impressive to watch, it also shows that bald eagles will attack larger birds such as the chicks seen above. I didnt realize theyd take chicks that big, but now we know they do, Kress says. Audubon notes that as the bald eagle population continues to grow, these attacks could become a growing trend for coastal birds. "They take whats around and whats available, Kress says. And though the activity from the Audubon Camp located nearby usually keeps them away, in the end, theres nothing you can really do. Fortunately, the two other chicks survived the attack and were seen by Audubon Camp staffers on Tuesday. In the current oil market, investors must look into exploration and production companies operating in the utmost of efficiencies with little to no downside projects. GeoPark Limited (GPRK) is an explorer, operator and consolidator of oil and gas currently standing up to the poor oil market with strong finances and impressive operational efficiencies made possible by the inexpensive nature of Latin America. Their operations primarily take place in low-cost countries such as Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil. Latin America remains one of the most underexplored and technically capable oil destinations in the world. The regions competitive advantage has allowed GeoPark to achieve profits in the majority of its operations through the oil slump. 85% of the companys projects have remained cash flow positive maintaining profits at $25-$30/bbl. The remaining production sees profitable returns at a very reasonable $40/bbl price level. To put this into perspective, consider the major oil players struggle to get anywhere near these numbers. Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) reported a breakeven price point of $55/bbl. Brazil based Petrobas (PBR) targets a breakeven in the range of $45-$52. Meanwhile, BP (BP) is banking on $60 oil as they struggle to achieve profits at lower oil prices. Their overall financial position substantially beats competitors through the industry downturn. GeoPark has $72 million in cash on hand with an additional $141 million in secured credit lines - the majority of which was generated from its Colombian crude oil sale to the Swiss commodity trader Trafigura at the end of 2015. Excess cash flow allows them flexibility to immediately add or expand projects pending on upward trends in the oil market. GeoPark has been able to increase cash flows year to year and we can expect this trend to continue. Operational expenses have been slashed by 43% with drilling costs dropping by upwards of 25%. The companys healthy financial position is defined by managements tendency to heavily rely on internal self-funding in order to expand drilling and exploration projects. Projects continue to deliver quick sources of cash flow while enabling a capital expenditure cut of 80%. GeoPark has an impressive track record of consistent and conservative low risk growth in production and reserves. Starting from nothing, in the last 10 years the oil producer has steadily ramped up daily production and expects to hit an all-time high of 22,500 boe/d this year. The company has seen its strongest historical growth in proven and probable reserves, rising from 92 million boe in 2014 to 125 million boe last year. The net present value of this reserve base is estimated at $1.6 billion. The Latin based explorer continues to find success in its exploration projects as they recently expanded drilling in the Janaca Oil Field part of Colombias Llanos 34 Block acquired in 2012. The company currently holds 45% interest in Llanos 34. Since the acquisition four years ago, GeoPark has taken the once unproductive oil field to 34,000 boe/d of output through cost effective innovations in drilling technology combined with efficient facilities and infrastructure. At $40/bbl, the oil producer has seen paybacks on Llanos 34 operations within 12 months and this expansion is likely to be no different. GeoParks continued display of efficiency suggests geological expertise and improving technologies will likely extend the companys running trend of year over year cost cutting to drive margin growth. Analysts have upped their F1 earnings estimates by 15.5% following the Llanos 34 drilling success. 2016 first quarter earnings produced a +44% EPS surprise. GeoPark is part of Zacks #1 Rank and the target price stands at $3.75. Rex Energy Corporation (REXX) and Abraxas Petroleum (AXAS) are other Zacks #1 Rank oil producers with similar market caps. Chevron (CVX) stock is another conventional gateway to invest in Latin American oil and gas production. Most notably, they have partnered with Colombias Ecopetrol (EC) in producing oil and gas through both onshore and offshore operations Colombian projects. 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 PETROBRAS-ADR C (PBR): Free Stock Analysis Report ECOPETROL- ADR (EC): Free Stock Analysis Report BP PLC (BP): Free Stock Analysis Report CHEVRON CORP (CVX): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL DTCH SH-A (RDS.A): Free Stock Analysis Report ABRAXAS PETE/NV (AXAS): Free Stock Analysis Report REX ENERGY CORP (REXX): Free Stock Analysis Report GEOPARK LTD (GPRK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Jennifer Ablan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross stood behind Republican Donald Trump but urged him to stop engaging in exchanges that benefit the Democrats and make the real estate mogul's behavior the issue in the U.S. presidential campaign. "This election is Donald's to lose and so far the Democrats have been clever about baiting him and he generally has bitten," Ross said in an email to Reuters late on Wednesday. Ross said Trump's reaction in recent days to criticism by the parents of a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in the Iraq war "has enabled the Democrats to turn the table and instead of the behavior of the quintessential Washington insider being the issue he is in danger of letting the Democrats make his behavior be the issue." Ross added, "I assume this will change soon." A spokeswoman for Trump did not respond to requests for comment. Ross, who has made billions of dollars betting on bankruptcies and distressed assets, is a critic of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's trade views. The comments by Ross are the latest by Republican politicians and supporters expressing concern over the Trump campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 election against Clinton. Groups of wealthy Republicans unhappy with Trump have been privately courting prominent peers to join them in backing Clinton. Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser, endorsed Clinton on Tuesday. (Reporting by Jennifer Ablan; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Will Dunham) Tehran (AFP) - Iran said Thursday it had hanged 20 "terrorist" Sunni prisoners, in one of the Islamic republic's biggest mass executions in recent years. The men, who were hanged on Tuesday, were accused of carrying out a string of attacks against civilians and religious leaders in Iran's western Kurdish region, state media reported. Iran's intelligence ministry earlier issued a statement detailing 24 armed attacks between 2009 and 2011, including bombings and robberies, allegedly committed by the group. It said the extremists were responsible for the deaths of 21 people in three western provinces during that time. "102 members and followers of the... terrorist group were identified... some of whom were killed in armed clashes with police forces and some were arrested. Some of those arrested were sentenced to death while some received prison terms," it added. One of the first plots linked to the group involved giving chocolates laced with poison to police officers and judiciary personnel, although no one was killed. Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri said the convicts, some of whom had come from abroad, followed "takfiri" ideologies, a term Shiite-majority Iran uses to describe Sunni jihadists. In 2009, the group allegedly assassinated two Sunni religious leaders, Mamusta Borhan Aali and Mamusta Mohammad Sheikh al-Islam -- a provincial representative of Iran's powerful Assembly of Experts. Those hanged on Tuesday did not deserve mercy, IRIB state television quoted Montazeri as saying. "These people had committed murder... killed women and children, caused destruction and acted against security, and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions," Montazeri said. - 977 executions in 2015 - Iran regularly hangs large-scale drug traffickers. Murder, rape, armed robbery and adultery are also capital offences in Iran. In addition, those charged with "spreading corruption on Earth" and "waging war against God" can be put to death under the Islamic Sharia, in force in Iran since the 1979 revolution. Story continues According to human rights group Amnesty International, Iran was one of the world's top executioners in 2015 when it put 977 people to death, mostly on drug trafficking charges. Amnesty does not include secretive China in its figures, but the number of executions in Iran exceeded both neighbouring Pakistan and regional rival Saudi Arabia. Over two days in 2009, Iran hanged 44 convicted drug traffickers in one of the country's biggest mass executions. In 2013, the Islamic republic hanged 16 Sunnis in the eastern province of Zahedan, eight of whom were members of a Sunni militant group named Jundallah, which waged a deadly insurgency on civilians and officials in southeastern Iran for almost a decade. The group's leader Abdulmalek Rigi was hanged in June 2010. - Talks with EU - The European Union and the French government both criticised this week's executions. "The EU reiterates its strong opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances. It also recalls its concern with the high number of executions in Iran," an EU spokesman said in a statement. "The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity," the spokesman added. The incident comes as the EU has reportedly proposed talks with Iran on human rights. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini have already held preliminary discussions on the issue, said Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, on Wednesday. "We are ready to talk... but the Westerners should not put themselves forward as role models," Larijani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. "We are not happy to be executing many people, but we have a relentless war against narcotics. Poppy cultivation has increased by 40 times thanks to NATO generals in Afghanistan," he added. Iran says claims by Western countries that they are supporting human rights -- for instance by opposing the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad -- have spawned greater insecurity in the region. "Westerners defend the kind of human rights that give birth to Al-Qaeda, Daesh and terrorists," said Larijani, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group. By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - As the U.S. Treasury Department decides whether to license sales of Boeing Co and Airbus commercial aircraft to Iran, opponents of last year's nuclear pact with the Islamic republic have launched a lobbying campaign against the deals. The international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program made such sales possible by easing sanctions on Tehran, but some members of the U.S. Congress who oppose it want to block the proposed sales of some 200 jetliners, worth about $50 billion at list prices, to renew Iran Air's aging fleet. While they oppose any action that could boost the Tehran government, they also argue that Iran could use passenger aircraft for military purposes such as transporting fighters to battle U.S. troops or allies in Syria or elsewhere. Boeing and Airbus, the world's two largest planemakers, struck provisional agreements with the Iranian carrier earlier this year. The Republican-majority Congress could pass legislation to block the sales even if the Treasury Department approved them. The House of Representatives last month passed two amendments that would have stopped the sales, although to become law they would have to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. This week, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington foreign policy research group, which has criticized the nuclear pact and advocated tougher sanctions on Iran, organized letters signed by dozens of national security figures expressing concern about the aircraft sales and promising to increase pressure on Congress. "This deal ... represents a legitimization of a State Sponsor of Terror and a direct benefit for a ruling regime responsible for gross human rights abuses, support for terrorism including threats against the U.S. and its allies," said the letters to Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's chairman, and Fabrice Bregier, chief executive of Airbus' plane manufacturing unit. Story continues The 42 signers included former Secretary of State George Shultz, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman. HEATED POLITICS Aviation industry experts said Treasury likely would not approve the sales until after the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election, even though the companies would like to move more quickly. The campaign season "is not the time to push it," said Adam Pilarski, a senior vice president at the Avitas aviation consultancy in Virginia. "Once we have a resolution of who the president is, calmer heads will prevail. It is business that is good for the U.S." Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state under Obama, supports the nuclear deal. Republican candidate Donald Trump opposes it. The Treasury had no immediate response to a question on the status of the licensing request. Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath declined comment on the lobbying campaign, saying the company was working with U.S. authorities to ensure that all its activities complied with applicable laws and regulations. John Dern, a Boeing spokesman, said the company is continuing to talk with approved Iranian airlines, that all its actions to date have been licensed by the U.S. government and that any final agreements also would need approval. Since it is based in Chicago, Boeing must obtain a license from Treasury before the sale can go through. France-based Airbus must also obtain a license, as would virtually any aircraft maker, because its planes contain more than 10 percent U.S. content. Supporters of the Boeing sale say American firms will lose out to foreign competitors if the U.S. government bars sales to Iran. Although the nuclear pact eased sanctions connected to Iran's nuclear program, restrictions related to concerns such as terrorism support and human rights abuses remain. (Additional reporting by Alwyn Scott in NEW YORK and Tim Hepher in PARIS; Editing by John Walcott and Grant McCool) By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the U.S. Treasury Department decides whether to license sales of Boeing Co and Airbus commercial aircraft to Iran, opponents of last year's nuclear pact with the Islamic republic have launched a lobbying campaign against the deals. The international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program made such sales possible by easing sanctions on Tehran, but some members of the U.S. Congress who oppose it want to block proposed sales of some 200 jetliners, worth about $50 billion at list prices, to renew Iran Air's aging fleet. While the lawmakers oppose any action that could boost the Tehran government, they also argue that Iran could use passenger aircraft for military purposes such as transporting fighters to battle U.S. troops or allies in Syria or elsewhere. Boeing and Airbus, the world's two largest planemakers, struck provisional agreements with the Iranian carrier earlier this year. The Republican-majority Congress could pass legislation to block the sales even if the Treasury Department approved them. The House of Representatives last month passed two amendments that would have stopped the sales, although to become law they would have to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. This week, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington foreign policy research group, which has criticized the nuclear pact and advocated tougher sanctions on Iran, organized letters signed by dozens of national security figures expressing concern about the aircraft sales and promising to increase pressure on Congress. "This deal ... represents a legitimization of a State Sponsor of Terror and a direct benefit for a ruling regime responsible for gross human rights abuses, support for terrorism including threats against the U.S. and its allies," said the letters to Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's chairman, and Fabrice Bregier, chief executive of Airbus' plane manufacturing unit. Story continues The 42 signers included former Secretary of State George Shultz, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman. HEATED POLITICS Aviation industry experts said Treasury likely would not approve the sales until after the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election, although the companies would like to move more quickly. The campaign season "is not the time to push it," said Adam Pilarski, a senior vice president at the Avitas aviation consultancy in Virginia. "Once we have a resolution of who the president is, calmer heads will prevail. It is business that is good for the U.S." Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state under Obama, supports the nuclear deal. Republican candidate Donald Trump opposes it. Treasury said it would not address its engagement with specific companies. Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath declined comment on the lobbying campaign, saying the company was working with U.S. authorities to ensure that all its activities complied with applicable laws and regulations. John Dern, a Boeing spokesman, said the company is continuing to talk with approved Iranian airlines, that all its actions to date have been licensed by the U.S. government and that any final agreements also would need approval. Since it is based in Chicago, Boeing must obtain a license from Treasury before the sale can go through. France-based Airbus must also obtain a license, as would virtually any aircraft maker, because its planes contain more than 10 percent U.S. content. Supporters of the Boeing sale say American firms will lose out to foreign competitors if the U.S. government bars sales to Iran. Although the nuclear pact eased sanctions connected to Iran's nuclear program, restrictions related to concerns such as terrorism support and human rights abuses remain. (Additional reporting by Alwyn Scott in New York and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by John Walcott, Grant McCool and Leslie Adler) Iranian men are wearing hijabs for an absolutely amazing reason Iranian men are wearing hijabs for an absolutely amazing reason In 1983, an Iranian law was enacted that required women to wear hijabs (the veil that covers their heads and part of their chests). This was in conjunction with the order that Iranian women don loose clothing, so they can hide their sexual allure from men. Currently, the law is still being put into effect and women who refuse to comply are fined or worse detained. Now, Masih Alinejad (an Iranian journalist) is fighting back online as she works to give women the choice to wear the hijab. It makes no difference whether a woman wants to wear it or not there is no right or wrong decision but it all lies in the choice. Thats why Masih started the hashtag #MenInHijab, which encourages men to post photos of themselves in hijab to stand in solidarity with Iranian women. In turn, this has caused these men to beautifully support My Stealthy Freedom, the journalists online campaign. For a world with freedom and respect to everyone. Women should be able to choose. This is unnatural. #meninhijab #politics #humanrights, wrote the following man, to caption his meaningful snapshot: A photo posted by Bernat Ananos Martinez (@verdgris) on Aug 1, 2016 at 11:13am PDT Another man wrote, Non- hijab is not dishonor, dishonor means all these oppressions and limitations for my mother, sister and women of my country. A photo posted by Babak Inanloo (@babak_inaloo) on Aug 2, 2016 at 12:40pm PDT Men in Iran are even posing next to their wives, to show solidarity. The man below asserted that he wants his wife to be able to live in an Iran where she is the one who can determine what she can wear: A photo posted by (@rezaeinikshahla) on Jul 27, 2016 at 4:44am PDT The movement doesnt seem to be slowing down anytime soon, even though Alinejad has received some backlash for her bold work. In her defense, people are coming forward to claim that this is more than a cultural issue. This is a human rights issue, and to be silent is to be complacent in the face of oppression. Story continues A photo posted by (@mohammad.javad.jafary) on Aug 2, 2016 at 4:58am PDT Ultimately, many feel that this movement is a lovely thing to witness. Kudos to Alinejad for starting this hashtag and encouraging all of us to take a look at this very important matter, because all women deserve freedom, no matter how they choose to use it. The post Iranian men are wearing hijabs for an absolutely amazing reason appeared first on HelloGiggles. Baghdad (AFP) - Iraq's judiciary has imposed a travel ban on the speaker of parliament, two lawmakers and several other people in connection with corruption allegations, a spokesman said on Thursday. Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi on Monday told parliament that speaker Salim al-Juburi and several lawmakers were corrupt and had sought to blackmail him. The next day, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he had ordered a "temporary travel ban" against those under investigation, but Juburi rejected it, saying only the judiciary had the authority to impose such measures. After hearing testimony from Obeidi, a judiciary commission decided to impose a travel ban on Juburi, lawmakers Mohammed al-Karbouli and Taleb al-Maamari, said spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar. Four other people were also barred from travel, including a former member of parliament, he said. The commission, which is investigating the corruption allegations, will also hear testimony from current and former officials, Bayraqdar said. Juburi has denied the accusations against him, which Obeidi first made on Monday while appearing in parliament to answer graft allegations he said were brought in retribution for his rejection of corruption. Obeidi also outlined his accusations on social media, including that Juburi was involved in attempting to pass corrupt arms contracts. A post in on the minister's official Twitter account said Thursday that he would "give his testimony and provide his evidence in corruption cases of a number of politicians and MPs." Corruption is widespread in Iraq's government, from senior officials to low-level functionaries, and while Iraqis have repeatedly demonstrated for change in the past year, little in the way of real reform has taken place. The accusations against Juburi and the lawmakers are just the latest problems in a tumultuous year for the Iraqi legislature. Parliament was deadlocked for weeks over Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet, at one point had to rival claimants to the speakership, and was stormed by angry protesters, among other incidents. Iron Mountain Inc. IRM reported second-quarter 2016 normalized funds from operations (FFO) of 47 cents per share that came below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 53 cents and fell 4.1% year over year. However, revenues of $883.7 million topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $882.9 million and improved 16.3% year over year. The company reported adjusted OIBDA (operating income before depreciation and amortization) of $261.4 million compared with $223.2 million in the year-ago quarter. Operating expenses increased 24.9% year over year to $787.1 million. Operating income in the quarter decreased 25.4% from the year-ago quarter to $97 million. Balance Sheet Iron Mountain exited the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $237 million compared with $128.4 million as of Dec 31, 2015. Long-term debt was $6.1 billion compared with $4.8 billion as of Dec 31, 2015. Outlook For 2016, the company has slightly upped its guidance for normalized FFO per share. The company expects normalized FFO per share in the range of $2.15 - $2.25 compared with $2.10 to $2.20 guided earlier. Adjusted OIBDA is expected to be in the range of $1,075 - $1,110 million compared with $1,070 - $1,110 million guided earlier. Revenues are expected to be in the range of $3,450 million - $3,550 million. IRON MOUNTAIN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise IRON MOUNTAIN Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | IRON MOUNTAIN Quote Our Take Iron Mountains diversified revenue base is a positive. It is noteworthy that more than 95% of the Fortune 1000 companies are on Iron Mountains client list. In addition, its strong product portfolio, increasing market share, and promising international business are the primary growth catalysts. Moreover, the companys entry into the data center market is likely to be a growth driver. Furthermore, the company has an aggressive acquisition strategy to supplement organic growth in storage revenues. The company completed the acquisition of Recall Holdings in May 2016, which is likely to generate synergies worth $105 million with $15 million to be achieved in 2016. It will also expand the companys footprint to 45 countries from the existing 41 countries. Story continues But the costs of such initiatives are expected to weigh on financials, especially as it already has a highly leveraged balance sheet. Also, volatile currency environment and competition remain overhangs. Currently, Iron Mountain has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the same sector include Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. APLE, Boston Properties Inc. BXP and Columbia Property Trust, Inc. CXP, all carrying 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 >> 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 IRON MOUNTAIN (IRM): Free Stock Analysis Report BOSTON PPTYS (BXP): Free Stock Analysis Report APPLE HOSP REIT (APLE): Free Stock Analysis Report COLUMBIA PPT TR (CXP): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Since July 28, when they first appeared on stage at the Democratic National Convention, Capt. Humayun Khans parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, have tried to explain for the American public their sons service and sacrifice to his country. On June 8, 2004, the 27-year-old Capt. Khan died in the line of duty in Iraq when he ordered his subordinates to stand back while he inspected a suspicious vehicle that then exploded, taking his life as he sheltered his compatriots. It was an act of heroism for which the Army posthumously awarded him a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Capt. Khans parents have attributed their sons sacrifice to his sense of duty, patriotism, and love of the United States an explanation that has doubled as an eloquent riposte to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps repeated insults about the loyalty and trustworthiness of Muslim Americans. But theres another possible motivation for their sons heroism that bears examination not least because it serves as the most direct possible rebuttal to Trump. The selfless service of Capt. Khan, who was reportedly a devout Muslim, may also have been directly inspired by his faith. Theres good reason to believe that Islam was an essential, rather than incidental, aspect of his heroism. A prevailing recent narrative about Islam in the United States and abroad is that it is a religion of violence. Extremist Muslims have inarguably been responsible for perpetrating many horrific mass killings over the past two decades. And terrorists have exploited certain Quranic verses to try to justify their heinous crimes. Since the 9/11 attacks, Islamophobia has skyrocketed in the United States and around the world. More recent assaults in the United States, France, India, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, throughout the Middle East, and elsewhere have helped reinforce such stereotypes. The resulting racism and xenophobia have bled into politics and policy. One need only consider Trumps proposal to ban all Muslims, at least temporarily, from immigrating to the United States. But history demonstrates that Islamic teaching and practice offer their adherents laudable resources to encourage extraordinary selflessness, empathy, and courage. When odious crimes against humanity have taken place, Muslims have often drawn on their faith to rescue people of other religions, including Christians and Jews. Consider Abd el-Kader, a devout Muslim leader who saved thousands of Christians in Damascus in 1860 from marauding murderers. He explained his conduct as following an Islamic duty to protect innocents; indeed, the Quran states that to save a life would be as great a virtue as to save all of mankind. Kaders efforts were so admired that Abraham Lincoln sent him a gift of Colt pistols and a town in Iowa was named after him. The New York Times wrote at the time that Kader deserves to be ranked among the foremost of the few great men of the [19th] century. Although some Muslims, such as the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, conspired with Nazis during the Holocaust, other Muslims in Albania, Bosnia, Germany, the former Soviet Union, and Turkey, in fact, saved Jews. Israels Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial has officially recognized more than 70 Muslims as Righteous Among the Nations non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during that genocide. For example, in Albania (Europes only Muslim-majority country at the time), almost all of the approximately 200 indigenous Jews and 1,800 Jewish refugees survived. An Albanian code of honor, besa, compelled all residents to safeguard those in need. This code was based on Islamic tenets characterizing as blessed conduct the saving of a life. The son of an Albanian man recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations explained that his father sheltered four Jewish families because as devout Muslims we extended our protection and humanism to the Jews. Why? Besa, friendship and the holy Koran. Even Albert Einstein benefited from Albanian assistance in his emigration from Europe to the United States. Some Muslims heroically rescued Tutsis Muslims and non-Muslims alike during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and, as in Damascus and Albania, attributed such conduct to their religious principles. Muslims hid Tutsis in, among other places, their mosques, which proved much safer than churches. Yahya Msengiyuma, for one, saved as many as 50 Tutsis. Far from the way the term has typically been used and understood since 9/11, jihad, or holy struggle, has been employed by some Muslim leaders in Rwanda to refer to our war against ignorance between Hutu and Tutsi. It is our struggle to heal. In the years immediately following the genocide, thousands of appreciative Rwandans converted to Islam, doubling the number of such religious adherents in the country. If it werent for the Muslims, my whole family would be dead, said Aisha Uwimbabazi, one such grateful convert. The list of Muslim heroes goes on and on. Just this past December, al-Shabab militants, who have a history of killing non-Muslims, stormed a bus in Kenya. When ordered to separate by religion, the Muslim passengers refused, gave the Christian women hijabs to wear, and helped others hide behind luggage. The gunmen left; the mass killing of Christians was thwarted. A Kenyan cabinet secretary praised the Muslim passengers for their display of religious unity, saying, This is a very good message from my brothers and sisters from the Muslim community. And last month, in a restaurant in Bangladesh, Faraz Hossain, a Bangladeshi Muslim studying at Emory University, was among the casualties when armed militants invaded. Seeking to kill foreigners, the militants had given Hossain the opportunity to leave unharmed. He refused to abandon his two female friends who were clad in Western attire and who identified themselves as hailing from India and the United States. These Muslim men and women all sought to protect others at great risk to themselves, their families, and their communities not in spite of, but often inspired by their faith. At a time when Western leaders seek to enlist Muslims in their fight against violent extremists, a campaign that builds momentum around this protective instinct in Islam would support ongoing efforts of moderate Muslims to condemn and combat the radicals in their midst. The significant yet underappreciated and seldom celebrated role of Muslims as rescuers during conflicts, including genocide and other mass atrocities, should remind us that Muslims, like other religious groups, are not homogenous. Similarly, the Quran, like other religious texts, can be interpreted in multiple ways sometimes for ill, but often also for good. Human actions are individual choices, and heroes may exist even in groups that are vilified. Policymakers, if they hope to be effective, must understand that people are more complicated than the stereotypes about the groups to which they belong. Indeed, if anything, officials ought to go out of their way to highlight instances of courageous conduct by devout Muslims. That would not only provide a more complete record of history; it could also motivate other individuals including, but not limited to, their religious compatriots to follow the example set in times of crisis by these heroic Muslims. Capt. Khan bravely made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States. In doing so, he joined a long line of Muslims who have selflessly sought to save others. Besides reading the U.S. Constitution, as Khizr Khan recommended, Trump would do well to read more history about Islams role in the country, and world, he hopes to lead. Photo credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images By Ola Noureldin CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State has named a new leader of Boko Haram, the Nigerian militant group which last year swore allegiance to it. Abu Musab al-Barnawi was named Islamic State's governor for West Africa in a two-page interview in its weekly magazine, al-Naba, which was circulated late on Tuesday. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who took office last year, has made it a priority to defeat Boko Haram, which has tried to create a state adhering to strict sharia law in the northeast during a seven-year insurgency. Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land in northeast Nigeria around the size of Belgium at the end of 2014 but was pushed out by Nigerian troops, aided by soldiers from neighbouring countries, early last year. In the interview, al-Barnawi said Boko Haram was "still a force to be reckoned with" and that it had been receiving new recruits. Despite having been pushed out of most of the territory it controlled, Boko Haram has carried out suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad, focusing on busy public areas such as markets and mosques. Fulan Nasrullah, a security analyst, said al-Barnawi had been a senior figure within Boko Haram who was previously the group's military commander. The Islamic State publication did not mention Abubakar Shekau, who was the group's leader and represented the Nigerian jihadists in videos during an insurgency that has killed about 15,000 people and displaced more than two million. Shekau, whose death has been reported on numerous occasions by the army only for him to reappear in videos, was last seen in a video circulated in March in which he seemed to suggest he was ailing and Boko Haram was losing its effectiveness. A video emerged the following week saying there would be no surrender. In June, a senior U.S. general said Boko Haram had fractured internally, with a big group splitting away from Shekau over his failure to adhere to guidance from Islamic State. The Nigerian group swore allegiance to Islamic State, based in Syria and Iraq, in March 2015. That assessment came days after U.S. officials said they had seen no evidence that Boko Haram had so far received significant operational support or financing from Islamic State militants, concluding the loyalty pledge had so far mostly been a branding exercise. (Additional reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos; Editing by Janet Lawrence) By Ori Lewis ASHKELON, Israel (Reuters) - Israel accused U.S.-based Christian relief group World Vision's Gaza representative on Thursday of funneling millions of dollars in aid money to Hamas, charges that the Islamist militant group denied and the charity voiced scepticism over. Mohammad El Halabi, World Vision's manager of operations in Gaza, was arrested by Israel on June 15 while crossing the border into the enclave, which is under the de facto rule of Hamas, a group on the Israeli and U.S. terrorism blacklists. World Vision said it was "shocked" by Israel's allegations and said in a statement that it had regular internal and independent audits and evaluations as well as a broad range of internal controls to ensure aid reached intended beneficiaries. "Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true. We will carefully review any evidence presented to us and will take appropriate actions based on that evidence," the statement said. It was not immediately clear if Halabi had been assigned a lawyer or how he might plead in court once formally charged. Israel had previously maintained a gag order on the case. Briefing reporters on Thursday, a senior Israeli security official said Halabi, who has run the group's Gaza operations since 2010, had been under extended surveillance. The official said Halabi, a Palestinian, had confessed to siphoning off some $7.2 million a year, about 60 percent of the World Vision's Gaza funding, to pay Hamas fighters, buy arms, pay for its activities and build fortifications. "Money was used to fund Hamas and pay armed wing fighters, and food and health packs intended for Gaza residents were also given to Hamas operatives, rather than to their intended recipients, the poor and meek of Gaza," the official said. The Israeli security official said some of the money Halabi was accused of taking had been used to buy arms for insurgents in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, that also borders Israel, and that a Hamas military base was built with $80,000 of the funds. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, speaking in Gaza, said the group had "no connection to (Halabi) and therefore, all Israeli accusations are void and aim to suppress our people". Hamas also denies any links to Sinai insurgents. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Writing by Dan Williams and Ori Lewis; Editing by Louise Ireland) Jerusalem (AFP) - An Israeli court on Thursday charged the Gaza director of the World Vision non-governmental organisation with passing millions of dollars to the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas and its armed wing. Mohammed al-Halabi was alleged to have diverted $7.2 million (6.5 million euros) each year since 2010, with some of it funding the Gaza Strip rulers' military campaign against Israel, said the Shin Bet internal security agency. Halabi, who was born in 1978, was arrested in June and indicted Thursday on a number of charges, including funding "terror". The charge sheet said Hamas recruited him to infiltrate World Vision more than a decade ago, and that he rose to become the head of the US-based Christian aid organisation's Gaza operation. Shin Bet said there was no evidence World Vision's main office was aware of Halabi's actions. World Vision said it had "no reason to believe" the allegations against Halabi, while Hamas said it had no relationship with him. Since Halabi took over operations in 2010, roughly 60 percent of World Vision's annual budget in Gaza was diverted to Hamas, including its military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said Shin Bet. This equated to $7.2 million per year, including about $1.5 million given in cash to Hamas combat units. World Vision, which employs tens of thousands of people globally, said its programmes were subject to "regular internal and independent audits, independent evaluations" to avoid aid misuse. "Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true," it said in a statement. Major General Yoav Mordechai, head of the military body that coordinates Israeli activities in the West Bank and Gaza, met Thursday night in Tel Aviv with what his office called "senior World Vision officials from America," without identifying them. "This is a grave incident," an English-language statement from Mordechai's office quoted him as telling the visitors. "Assume responsibility and set your house in order." Story continues It said he gave the World Vision executives Israel's findings on the case and a copy of Halabi's confession and that they renounced "any support, direct or indirect for Hamas." - Aid groups squeezed - World Vision works in conjunction with the United Nations, often implementing its projects. It has worked in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since 1975. The UN said it was "aware of the very serious allegations" and would be following the case. A 2015 statement on World Vision's website said it provided support to roughly 90,000 people in Gaza. Since 2008, Israel has fought three wars in Gaza with Hamas, which is branded a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Israel said the charges were proof Hamas did not respect the neutrality of aid agencies. "This money was intended for construction projects, financial aid and even food donations for Gazans in need," said Mordechai in an Arabic-language video message to the people of Gaza. "Hamas stole this money and passed it to its military wing to build bases, provide salary bonuses and dig tunnels." Khalil al-Halabi, Mohammed's father, told AFP his son had "no relationship with Hamas or any Palestinian organisation." Over two-thirds of Gaza's 1.9 million people are dependent on some form of aid, according to the United Nations. The revelations could put increased pressure on foreign aid organisations working in Gaza, which already feel squeezed between Israel and Hamas. "We are investigating other international organisations but hope not to come across a case of this magnitude," an Israeli security official said. Late Thursday night Australia's ambassador to Tel Aviv said that the Israeli allegations were "deeply troubling" and his government was taking immediate action. "Australia suspending funding to World Vision operations in Palestinian Territories until investigation is complete," ambassador Dave Sharma posted on his official twitter account. - 'Cynical exploitation' - Israel maintains a blockade on Gaza and limits the entry of basic goods such as wood and cement, saying they can be put to military use by Hamas. Rights groups accuse Israel of collective punishment. In a detailed briefing on the allegations, Shin Bet said Halabi confessed to being recruited in 2004 by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. The official said he was given a "mission to infiltrate World Vision, get ahead and reach a position of influence". A year later he joined the organisation, rising to be its Gaza head by 2010, Shin Bet said. He was then able to divert money and resources to Hamas. Shin Bet said Halabi confessed to having handed over various envelopes of cash, with the largest over $50,000. It said materials imported to Gaza under the guise of aid projects -- including concrete blocks, scrap metal and pipes -- were diverted to Hamas, which used them to build tunnels. A military base code-named Palestine was built with money sequestered from World Vision, while food parcels and other aid intended for the needy were delivered to Hamas, according to Shin Bet. Ramla (Israel) (AFP) - A parole board Thursday rejected a request for early release for former Israeli president Moshe Katsav, imprisoned since 2011 for rape and other sexual offences, officials said. The decision came just four months after a previous bid by the disgraced former leader to reduce a third of his seven-year sentence, rejected in part because he had expressed no remorse over his crimes and undergone no rehabilitative process. Katsav, 70, had appealed the April decision and said he was undergoing a process of introversion and could be rehabilitated. But the parole board said Thursday that "it is not time to order the release of the prisoner or cancel the committee's previous decision", a statement issued by the court administration read. The board, however, noted that Katsav could be freed before the end of his term "if he continues dealing with his problems in prison", in which case he would could approach them again after six months. Katsav has always maintained his innocence despite being convicted in December 2010 on two counts of rape, sexual harassment, indecent acts and obstruction of justice. Ever worry that the guy helping you with your computer issue could really screw you if they were so inclined? Then you will definitely relate to I.T., the upcoming Pierce Brosnan high-tech thriller; get your exclusive first look at its new trailer above. Related: Pierce Brosnan Joins Dave Bautista in Soccer Drama Final Score The former 007 actor plays Mike Regan, a wealthy aviation tycoon who makes the mistake of inviting Ed (Animal Kingdom breakout James Frecheville), a hacker who assisted Mike during business hours, to finesse his state-of-the-art smart home. Soon, Ed is playing the creeper with Mikes daughter and enjoying live surveillance of every inch of Mikes lavish crib. I.T., directed by John Moore (Max Payne, A Good Day to Die Hard) from a script by Dan Kay and William Wisher Jr., is like the 1993 Sharon Stone thriller Sliver updated for the Edward Snowden era. Related: Edward Snowden Beams Into Comic-Con Screening of Oliver Stones Film As Eds screws prove continually looser throughout it all, the only question becomes: Is Brosnan about to go full Neeson on this guy? I.T. will be in theaters and on VOD on Sept. 23. Watch Oliver Stones Turn Off Your Phone PSA: Though plenty of late night hosts have attempted to impersonate GOP nominee Donald Trump, James Corden took things a step further on Wednesday night when he slipped into a pantsuit to play Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Actor Denis Leary joined The Late Late Show host, dressing as Hillary's husband, Bill Clinton, and together they sang a rather unusual song. MORE: Cara Delevingne and Dave Franco Brutally Rip Apart James Corden in Drop the Mic Rap Battle "Maybe he's talking from the bottom of his heart, maybe below his heart. Maybe he's talking out of his a**," Corden as Hillary said of Trump. The pair did call out a few of Hillary's controversial votes, like voting in favor of the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, but they saved their biggest insults for the Republican billionaire. "But no matter how bad we can be," Corden said. "We've never said Mexicans are racists on TV," Leary added. "Trump's an a**hole, he's an a**hole!" MORE: James Corden Reveals Kanye West Canceled on 'Carpool Karaoke' Twice, Apologized in the Most Kanye Way Ever "He won't show his taxes, he won't even try. He's kicking out babies when they start to cry, while wearing a red, white and blue Chinese tie," they sang together. After singing a few more rounds of the song and having some fun with the CBS censors, the pair shared a passionate kiss. For more watch the clip above! Related Articles James Corden and Denis Leary sang a revised version of Learys famous song Ahole on Wednesday evenings episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden with lyrics directed toward Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trumps an ahole, hes an ahole, what an ahole, both Leary and Corden sang. Dressed up like former President Bill Clinton and current Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the two comedians took the stage to slam Trumps politically-incorrect policies. American flags censored Leary and Cordens mouths as they dropped many an a-bomb. No matter how bad, how bad we can be, we never said Mexicans are rapists on TV, also sang the pair. The bit concludes with Leary and Corden making out and subsequently showered with balloons, an homage to the Clintons notoriously comical reaction at the Democratic National Convention. Leary and Cordens mock comes after Republican and former Governor of California candidate Meg Whitman denounced Trumps politics, calling him a demagogue before formally endorsing Hillary Clinton for president. Im just a girl fighting for common sense, Corden also sang. And so say we all. Related stories Clint Eastwood Would Choose Trump Over Clinton, Says We're Living in 'P---y Generation' Antonio Sabato Jr. Says Hollywood is Blacklisting Him for Supporting Donald Trump Barbra Streisand Slams Trump Repeatedly in Concert Tour Opener Denis Leary reimagined his famous "Asshole" song with a little help from James Corden on The Late Late Show Wednesday night. Dressed as Bill and Hillary Clinton, respectively, Leary and Corden paid musical tribute to Donald Trump with an updated version, titled "Trump's an Asshole." "Folks, I'd like to sing a song about the American dream," said Leary in the DNC-inspired sketch. "About me, about you and about Donald Trump and that special feeling we get whenever he speaks." Kanye West Carpool Karaoke Is Coming, James Corden Promises Corden continued, "Maybe he's talking from the bottom of his heart, maybe below his heart? Maybe he's talking out of his ass. We don't know." The pair then broke into tune with politically inspired lyrics of the things Trump has done that the Clintons haven't, with the chorus (bleeped with American flags): Trump's an asshole/He's an asshole/He's an asshole/He's the world's biggest asshole. They ended the number with a smooch - and balloons, much to Bill Clinton/Leary's excitement. Watch the pair perform the song below. Japan's hawkish new defence minister singled out North Korean provocations and Chinese use of "force" in territorial disputes on Thursday as she reviewed troops on her first day in the job. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed Tomomi Inada, a close confidante with staunchly nationalist views, on Wednesday just hours after North Korea fired a test missile that landed in Japanese-controlled waters for the first time. "North Korea is repeating militarily provocative acts such as nuclear testing and a series of ballistic missile launches," Inada told troops after performing a ceremonial review. Her appointment also came after Japan sharply criticised China in an annual defence white paper earlier this week, warning its aggressive stance in territorial disputes risks sparking unintended conflict. "China has rapidly become active in waters and airspace surrounding (Japan) and it continues its attempt to change the status quo through force," Inada said. The comments were an apparent critique of the Asian giant's reinforcement of reefs and rocks in the South China Sea claimed not just by Beijing but also several Southeast Asian countries. Japan is also embroiled in a long-running territorial dispute with Beijing over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Inada, a four-term lawmaker, has made frequent visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine, seen by China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's early 20th century colonialism and militarism. The 57-year-old's views include a desire to make changes to Japan's US-imposed constitution that renounces the right to wage war. She wrote in 2011 that Japan -- the only country in the world to suffer atomic bomb attacks -- should consider acquiring nuclear weapons. Asked on Wednesday whether she planned to visit Yasukuni on August 15, the anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, she declined to give a straight answer, saying that such a decision is a "matter of the heart". Story continues But she also told reporters that Japan "should not consider arming itself with nuclear weapons at this moment". In 2014, Inada and Sanae Takaichi, who was retained by Abe on Wednesday as internal affairs minister, were seen in separate photographs standing next to the leader of a Japanese neo-Nazi party. Spokesmen for both lawmakers acknowledged at the time that the photographs were genuine and had been taken in their offices over the previous few years, but denied any political affiliation. According to a Kyodo News Agency poll taken this week, 43.0 percent of respondents opposed Inada's appointment as defence minister, while 32.1 percent supported it. Jennifer Garner recently joined The Today Show, where she opened up about co-parenting with her husband, Ben Affleck. The two split last year but have yet to get a divorce, and are putting effort into raising their three children together. While Affleck was filming Justice League in Europe recently, Garner took them on a trip so they could spend time with their father. Garner explained that she and Affleck are still great friends and that she felt the kids should be able to benefit from the experience. She also said about raising the kids together that there is no other choice for either parent but for the children to come first. Garner also talked about battling the paparazzi. In 2013, Garner testified in front of California lawmakers in an effort to pass new privacy laws, describing the paparazzi as a swarm of large, aggressive men who terrify her young children. Since the law passed later that year, Garner says the situation is much better. She used this interview as a chance to thank the lawmakers for passing the bill. She did add that the paparazzi are still a problem in some public places and that her 4-year-old son is especially bothered by them. Garner also touched on her upcoming movie, Nine Lives, and an important lesson in the film about prioritizing as a parent. Of the lesson in the film, Garner said, I love the idea of celebrating that parenting is about time. You cant buy parenting, no matter what. You have to actually get down on the floor and spend time together. Celine Dion talks tragedy on Today: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter. TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Japanese government bonds mostly edged lower on Thursday as investors took a breather ahead of Friday's U.S. jobs data, though the benchmark 10-year JGB firmed on dip-buying after its yield spiked to a 4 1/2-month high earlier this week. The benchmark 10-year JGB yield inched down half a basis point to minus 0.095 percent, down from an earlier high of minus 0.070 percent. It jumped as high as minus 0.025 percent on Tuesday, when JGBs marked their worst sell-off in more than three years on concerns that the Bank of Japan might reduce the pace of its aggressive JGB purchases. "The JGB market has calmed down a lot, and people are now waiting for the US nonfarm payrolls report," said Tadashi Matsukawa, head of fixed income investment at PineBridge Investments in Tokyo. Economists polled by Reuters are looking for U.S. non-farm employment to have risen by 180,000 in July. The yield curve steepened as pressure remained on superlong maturities, with the 40-year JGB yield adding 3 basis points in thin volume trade to a four-month high of 0.450 percent. Sources said earlier this week that the Japanese government will issue several hundred billion yen 40-year-bonds as soon as September to help fund its new 13.5 trillion yen stimulus package. The 20-year JGB yield added 2.5 basis points to 0.285 percent, while the 30-year JGB yield rose 3.5 basis points to 0.390 percent, its highest since April 25. "Probably, until the 30-year auction, it will be like this," said Matsukawa, as investors looked to the outcome of the sale to gauge supply conditions. The Ministry of Finance will auction 800 billion yen ($7.90 billion) of 30-year JGBs on Aug. 9. September 10-year futures were down 0.12 point in afternoon trade at 151.47. ($1 = 101.2600 yen) (Reporting by Tokyo markets team; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) Jonah Hill is a fearless actor. But when it comes to being on the other end of a prank? Even he gets scared! The 32-year-old actor admits a recent prank by longtime pal and Wolf of Wall Street costar Leonardo DiCaprio left him "scared s---less." On Monday, a newsboy cap-clad DiCaprio played the part of a crazed fan while meeting up with Hill in New York City's West Village. The hilarious moment was caught on camera Hill hanging outside of a restaurant and DiCaprio, 41, storming up to the actor like with his cell phone raised like he was an amateur paparazzi. "It's such an insane story," Hill told ET on the red carpet of the premiere of his new film War Dogs on Wednesday night. "It was just funny I was totally taken off-guard!" Jonah Hill Says Leonardo DiCaprio's Crazed Fan Prank Left Him 'Scared S---less'| Movie News, People Picks, Jonah Hill, Leonardo DiCaprio Hill's genuinely terrified face can be seen in the shot of the prank. Afterwards, the two buds hugged and laughed off the joke. RELATED VIDEO: Watch Leonardo DiCaprio Cry in His Films Both DiCaprio and Hill have been known to participate in a joke or two, often at the other's expense. At this year's Golden Globes, Hill poked fun at DiCaprio's furry costar in The Revenant, dressing up as a bear while onstage at the awards ceremony. DiCaprio who also showed off his sense of humor in a recent Carpool Karaoke segment with Jennifer Lopez proved to be a fan of Hill's gag, calling it "amazing." War Dogs hits theaters Aug. 19. AMMAN (Reuters) - A court in Jordan sentenced a 22-year-old man to death on Thursday for an attack on a security complex that killed five people in June, state news agency Petra said. The state security court found Mohammad Masharfeh guilty of "committing terrorist acts that led to the death of human beings and committing terrorist acts using automatic weapons". Masharfeh pleaded not guilty to the charges at the start of the military-dominated court trial last month. An accomplice who was charged with "selling weapons for illegal use" was sentenced to a year in prison, the agency said. The court heard Masharfeh entered the compound and opened fire on security personnel of the General Intelligence Department. He was arrested close to the scene. The compound is next to a large Palestinian refugee camp. The rare attack on a security branch of the powerful intelligence apparatus jolted the U.S.-backed Arab kingdom, whose relative stability has distinguished it from neighbors Syria to the north and Iraq to the east. The government at first said the attack was linked to Islamist militants but later said the gunman was a resident of the refugee camp, which suffers a lack of economic opportunities, and had acted alone. Family sources said the man was motivated by revenge after being mistreated by interrogators at the security facility when he was detained a week before the shooting. International human rights activists say Jordan's military courts lack proper legal safeguards and say there are growing cases of the mistreatment of detainees and of extracting confessions under duress. The government denies that it mistreats detainees. (Reporting by Bushra Shakhshir; Writing by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Janet Lawrence) Amman (AFP) - A Jordanian court on Thursday sentenced a man to death for killing five intelligence agents in their office in a Palestinian refugee camp in June, state media reported. Amman's state security court "sentenced the criminal Mahmud Masharfeh to death by hanging for his terrorist act against the intelligence agency," Petra news said. Masharfeh, a Jordanian national, was arrested hours after the June 6 attack in the Baqaa camp north of Amman. Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks. But no group claimed responsibility for the Baqaa shooting, which authorities said was "an individual and isolated act". Two weeks later a car bomb killed seven soldiers near a makeshift Syrian refugee camp in Jordan's remote north. That attack was claimed by IS. By Alex Dobuzinskis (Reuters) - An Illinois judge on Thursday appointed a special prosecutor in the murder case against a white Chicago police officer in the shooting death of a black teenager, selecting a state's attorney from a neighboring county. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan announced the appointment of Kane County State's Attorney Joseph McMahon at a hearing, Anne Kavanagh, a spokeswoman for the officer's attorney, said by telephone. McMahon will bring the first-degree murder case against Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in the 2014 killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, which made national headlines and sparked protests after the release of a video of the shooting last fall. It showed the officer shooting McDonald 16 times as he jogged away from police cars. Authorities said McDonald was armed with a knife and had slashed at the tires and window of a patrol car. The appointment of McMahon allows the politically sensitive case to move forward. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez had recused herself and asked the judge to appoint a special prosecutor. Alvarez lost her re-election bid in March after protests over her taking a year to charge Van Dyke. She charged him the same day video of the shooting, taken from the dashboard of a patrol car, was released by order of a judge. Van Dyke's attorney has said the officer feared for his life when he opened fire, while prosecutors have argued the shooting was not justified. McMahon, a Republican, is seeking re-election to his post in Kane County. When he launched his campaign last year, McMahon stressed his aggressive prosecution of violent crimes and his support for rehabilitation programs for offenders who are not violent, according to a report at the time in local newspaper the Elgin Courier-News. The shooting of McDonald came at a time of heightened national debate over police use of deadly force, especially against black men. The judge has imposed a gag order in the case. Story continues McMahon, speaking outside of court under a special authorization from the judge, told reporters Van Dyke is presumed innocent until proven guilty. "I and (my) team has one goal in this case, that is to find the truth, to present the truth and ask that justice be served in this case," McMahon told reporters. Criticism of the way officials handled the McDonald shooting led to the firing of Chicago's police chief and calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Dan Grebler and David Gregorio) ALMATY (Reuters) - A court in Kazakhstan on Thursday ordered the release on parole of opposition activist Vladimir Kozlov, his lawyer said, after spending nearly five years in jail accused of participating in a failed attempt to overthrow the government. Kozlov, a vocal critic of autocratic Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in October 2012 after being found guilty of trying to rally striking oil workers into toppling the government. This was followed by rioting in December 2011 in which 15 people were killed, violence that dented the Central Asian state's reputation for political stability. Foreign oil majors are heavily invested in Kazakhstan's oil industry and the country has an annual output of around 80 million tonnes of crude. Kozlov denied the charges and denounced his trial as politically motivated, an accusation echoed by the United States and human rights bodies abroad. "The plea to release him on parole was approved by the town court of Kapchagai today," Kozlov's lawyer Aiman Umarova told Reuters. "If this decision is not appealed against, it will come into force in 15 days," she said. The 2011 riots in Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan's west were the biggest challenge to Nazarbayev since he took power in 1989. A former steelworker who rose through the ranks of the Soviet Communist party, Nazarbayev, 76, tolerates little dissent. He has overseen market reforms and attracted foreign investment, primarily for oil and gas. (Reporting by Maria Gordeyeva; Additional reporting by Raushan Nurshayeva; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) When parents and students in Louisville, Kentucky, got wind of Butler Traditional High School's dress code policies forbidding certain hairstyles, they spoke up and spoke out. The policy which outlawed cornrows, twists and dreadlocks, among other styles was first revealed to parents and students on a pink handout at registration in late July. "Hair styles that are extreme, distracting, or attention-getting will not be permitted," the flyer read. "No dreadlocks, cornrolls (sic), twists, mohawks, no jewelry will be worn in the hair. No braids will be allowed on males." "Those students who come to school in violation of the dress code will not be allowed to attend class or circulate through the school until their attire is corrected," the flyer continued. "We feel that a student's academic success is directly correlated to appropriate attire and appearance." Soooo...my daughter had registration today and let's just say she's not happy abt the #JCPS no natural hair policy. pic.twitter.com/ApPDyv3sbo a Attica Scott (@atticascott) July 27, 2016 Butler Traditional High School students and parents including State Representative elect Attica Scott quickly took to social media to express their disdain for the policy, many calling it "cultural appropriation." "My intelligent, straight-A, 4.0 daughter can't wear her natural hair in braids to school?" remarked one mom. Hmmm. My Intelligent,STRAIGHT A, 4.0 daughter can't wear her natural hair in braids to school? #CovertRacism2016 smh pic.twitter.com/BJjbdSqVEY a Cheryl Ford (@BButterflyinc) July 29, 2016 Another dad shared photos of his JCPS students all with hairstyles that would be outlawed by the new policy. Scott used examples of successful black women like Oprah, Beyonce and Maya Angelou their hair also all in styles affected by the ruling. "Please, Butler, tell Oprah how braids affect your future progress," one post said. "Butler, how did Beyonce ever manage to be successful with cornrows? Not at your school!" another read. Story continues Scott's daughter Ashnti a sophomore who describes herself as having a "big Afro" told Yahoo Beauty that she was offended when she first noticed the policy. "It said that your hair must be 'neat and clean,' which implies that these styles are not," she explained. "I was surprised that the wording was so blatant." Kentucky High School Lifts Hairstyle Ban After Furious Parents and Students Call Policy Racist| Bodywatch, Real People Stories "I'm a 4.0 student, I get straight A's," sophomore told WKLY-32. "So my grades and everything that contributes to your test scores and your rankings, I feel like they're not even caring about me." Dr. Kaila Adia Story, Associate Professor of Women's & Gender Studies and Pan African Studies at the University of Louisville, called the policy "racist," "gender biased," and "femme-phobic." "To imply that 'twists, cornrows, Afros and locs' are 'distracting, attention-seeking, and the like,' is to single out police, and/or punish students of African descent who wish to express their politics, ancestry, and personal style through the adornment and/or styling of their hair in its natural state," she wrote. The Jefferson County Public Schools responded that the controversial rules were those of Butler Traditional High School alone having been approved by a group of teachers, parents and administrators tasked with managing specific school decisions called the School-Based Decision Making Council (SDMC). Last Friday days after the controversy broke school representatives quickly said they were suspending the policy. Though the gathered group of students and parents were outraged that they were unable to address the SDMC and school board directly then, they will have an opportunity to do so on Thursday. That's when Butler's SDMC will propose it's updated dress code policy. According to the Courier-Journal, the new policy reads as follows: Hair must be well-groomed, well-kept and at a reasonable length; reasonable length for males means hair no longer than three inches and must be above the collar, the ears and the eyebrows. Both males and females must have a natural hair color. No unnatural hair colors (e.g. pink, orange, green, purple, blue, etc.). No severe contrasts. Hair must be free from designs, names or lines cut into the hair. One straight line is permissible to be cut into the hair for a part. Females only may wear headbands. (The headbands) must be worn in the hair, not across the forehead. Bandanas are not allowed. Other schools in Jefferson County have asked their SBDMs to reevaluate their dress code policies "through the lens of embracing diversity," JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens told the Courier-Journal. (Getty) As if the first day of school wasnt stressful enough for parents, one Tennessee elementary school is causing a stir with a checklist sent out to parents of skills required for their child to be ready for kindergarten. I have failed my son for kindergarten, wrote Reddit user Lucas Hatcher underneath an image of the checklist. His five year old son Jackson will be heading to the Hamilton County school this coming September and can currently do everything on the list except identify 30+ letters. The alphabet only has 26 letters. ALSO SEE: Mom shaves her head to match her daughters surgery scar We thought the 30-plus thing was funny. Thats really what it was, Hatcher told TODAY. Everyone else seemed to be pointing more toward, Hey, this is crazy, all the stuff thats on this list. I was pretty surprised by the reaction on that. Kindergarten checklist Other requirements on the list include children being able to write and say their name, hold a pencil the correct way, cut with scissors correctly, count to 10 or more, identify colours and shapes as well as be able to follow along in a book. My sons school expected him to be able to read fluently by the end of Kindergarten, Reddit user Lynoctis commented. Im thinking back on my time in Kindergarten and all I remember doing was having story and snack time, watching other kids eat boogers, and recess. Thats about it. ALSO SEE: Telling your kids to suck it up could hurt them in the long run When contacted by TODAY, Tom Arnold, principal of Ooltewah Elementary School who sent out the checklist explained it was only meant to provide a bit of guidance. Additionally, educational psychologist Michele Borba agreed that the list was pretty standard practice at most schools. If you do a search for any regular district across the U.S., these expectations are identical to what youll find, she said. What do you think of the kindergarten checklist? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA. Kite Pharma, Inc. KITE is scheduled to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 8, after the market closes. The company, which started trading from Jun 2014, posted a positive earnings surprise in the last quarter. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors at Play Kite Pharma, a development-stage biopharmaceutical company, is looking to transform the paradigm of treating cancer which involves using the bodys immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. The company uses its engineered autologous cell therapy (eACT) to genetically modify T cells to express either chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or T cell receptors (TCRs). These modified T-cells are designed to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Kite Pharmas revenues comprise the amortization of deferred collaboration revenues related to the $60 million upfront payment received under its collaboration agreement with Amgen, Inc. AMGN in the first quarter of 2015. With no approved products in its portfolio, investor focus will be primarily on the companys cash burn and pipeline updates. At the time of releasing first quarter results, Kite had guided towards 2016 net cash burn of $235 - $250 million and net loss of $295 - $310 million. KTE-C19, Kites lead pipeline candidate, is currently in the pivotal phase of a phase I-II study (ZUMA-1) in patients with refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) including primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma (PMBCL) and transformed follicular lymphoma (TFL). All these are types of aggressive non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). If the study generates positive data (interim results expected in the second half of 2016), Kite intends to seek accelerated FDA approval for the treatment of patients with refractory DLBCL, PMBCL and TFL by the end of 2016 and EU approval in 2017. If all goes well, KTE-C19 could be launched as early as 2017. Kite is also conducting a phase II study (ZUMA-2) on KTE-C19 in patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and two additional pivotal studies (phase I/II) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) - ZUMA-3 for adult ALL and ZUMA-4 for pediatric ALL, with results from all these studies due in 2017. Kite plans to move KTE-C19 into a second series of studies for additional indications and earlier lines of therapy in DLBCL patients. Apart from updates on KTE-C19, investor focus will remain on the companys progress with its collaboration agreements with several companies including Amgen. Surprise History Kites performance over the last four quarters is mixed with the company surpassing expectations in two quarters and missing in the other two. Overall, the company posted an average earnings surprise of +4.80% over the past four quarters. Story continues KITE PHARMA INC Price and EPS Surprise KITE PHARMA INC Price and EPS Surprise | KITE PHARMA INC Quote Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Kite Pharma is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to be able to beat earnings. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP for Kite Pharma is 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are a loss of $1.28 per share. Zacks Rank: Kite Pharma carries a Zacks Rank #3. Kite Pharmas Zacks Rank #3 when combined with an ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some health care stocks you may want to consider as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post a beat this quarter. The Earnings ESP for Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. IONS is +10.71% and it carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company will release second-quarter results on Aug 9. Incyte Corporation INCY has an Earnings ESP of +300.00% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. It will be reporting second-quarter results on Aug 9. 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 >> 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 AMGEN INC (AMGN): Free Stock Analysis Report INCYTE CORP (INCY): Free Stock Analysis Report KITE PHARMA INC (KITE): Free Stock Analysis Report IONIS PHARMACT (IONS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Cameron Douglas recently got out of prison and he already appears to have a new lady in his life. After serving a seven year prison sentence following a drug conviction, the recently released eldest son of 'Michael was spotted taking a stroll through Manhattan with a lady friend on Monday. The pair looked relaxed as they walked hand-in-hand through the streets. Douglas's companion has been identified as Viviane Thibes, a 38-year-old yoga instructor based out of New York City who is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Thibes has been working as a student apprentice at Jivamukti Yoga Studio in Union Square for the past five months, according to her LinkedIn page. She is a certified yoga teacher specializing in Jivamukti, an eclectic style of yoga created by David Life and Sharon Gannon in 1984. Jivamukti yoga is known for its celebrity following, and was popularized by stars like Christy Turlington. Before pursuing yoga professionally, Thibes attended Hunter College in N.Y.C., where she got her bachelor degree in film. Douglas, whose father and grandfather are screen legends, also lists film as one of his interests on Instagram. And just like Douglas's famous family, Thibes has performed in front of the camera. According to her IMDB page, she appeared in a film titled La riAa in 2008. The Brazilian film explores secret underground fight clubs operating in Sao Paulo. The film won the Bronze Palm Award at the Mexico International Film Festival in 2009. According to an Instagram account that appears to belong to Douglas, he and Thibes have been linked as far as five weeks back when he first shared a photo of the two. Getting recharged with some food, sushi is always a good idea, Thanks to my girl @vivianethibes for holding me down #Nyc #sushi #redshoes A photo posted by Cameron Douglas (@cameronmorrelldouglas) on Jun 28, 2016 at 5:32pm PDT Douglas' romantic history has been a subject of public scrutiny as two of past relationships were connected to his struggles with addiction. In 2009, Douglas' girlfriend Kelly Sott served seven months in jail after she was arrested for trying to smuggle heroin to him in an electric toothbrush while he was on house arrest. One of his defense lawyers, Jennifer Ridha, was also caught sneaking drugs to Douglas inside prison after they developed a romantic relationship. Kris Jenner was involved in a car crash near her home in Calabasas, California on Wednesday, resulting in severe damage to her Rolls-Royce. Law enforcement officials tell ET that it appears someone turned in front of her. Splash News The extent of the injuries is not known, but were told both parties refused transportation to a hospital. Meanwhile, TMZ reports that the reality TV matriarch injured her wrist and was treated by paramedics on the scene. RELATED: Kris Jenner Speaks Out About Lamar Odoms Alleged Airplane Incident: I Just Want the Very Best For Him Concerned fans mistakenly presumed daughter Kylie Jenner was in the wreck, but the 18-year-old took to social media to clear the air and reassure followers that Kris was okay. I was not involved in the accident. Everythings ok https://t.co/M90OyAza8c Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) August 3, 2016 Yes my mommy https://t.co/FFBoLgm1wq Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) August 3, 2016 I was not involved in the accident. Everythings ok, she tweeted, along with a heart emoji. She added that Kris was the only person in the car and reiterated in another tweet, Shes okay! President Obama laughs as the crowd sings Happy Birthday to him at the Young African Leaders Initiative event on Aug. 3. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP) Ever since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidents have been judged on the successes they notch during their first 100 days. Now, as Barack Obama prepares to end his star turn on the political stage, Yahoo News is launching The Last 100 Days, a look at what Obama achieved during his consequential presidency, how he navigates the last struggles of eight years filled with firsts, and what lies ahead for him beyond the gates of the White House in late January. It will also consider how the country bids farewell to its first African-American president. It wont all be about policy. As Obama himself is fond of noting, he also spent his two terms as father to daughters Malia and Sasha and husband to first lady Michelle Obama. And the cultural landscape shifted dramatically on issues like gay rights, often with little prodding from the White House. And then theres the way the president sees the presidency not just his own tumultuous years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but also the institution and its relationships (or lack thereof) with other branches of government and the news media. Were launching this column today, on Obamas 55th birthday. Slideshow: 44th president turns 55: Photos of Obama throughout the years >>> But one day earlier, he gave a gift of sorts to people interested in these issues during a wide-ranging town hall-style question-and-answer session with young African leaders. It was far from a robust cross-examination. One questioner began by telling Obama, You are definitely a visionary. There were chants of his 2008 campaign slogan, Yes, we can. They sang Happy Birthday (a day early). People cheered the prospect of presidential handshakes, though he disappointed them by saying there would be no selfies. But the friendly setting seemed to free Obama to publicly ponder his stunning rise in politics, his family life, the way reporters cover him, the tension between human rights and national security, and lobster ice cream. Story continues Here are some excerpts. Obama riffed on the way his speech to the 2004 Democratic national convention catapulted him into national politics. The fact the John Kerry picked me to speak was sort of accidental, and I gave a pretty good speech So the day after the speech my names everywhere, and Im on television. And people are saying, Wow, whos this guy Obama? You know, that was wonderful, you know, were really impressed, and hes got a future, and maybe some day hes going to run for president, etc. And I told my friend, because were still in Boston and were walking and theres these huge crowds and everybodys wants to shake my hand and I said, Im no more smarter today than I was yesterday. You know, I didnt suddenly magically become so much better than I was when I was just a state senator. Some of it had to do with just chance. It was luck. Obama is known to want to devote his postpresidency to projects helping at-risk youth and promoting criminal justice reform. But he mentioned online courses available via the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and said I might, when I have a little more time, maybe teach one of those courses myself. Right now, Im kind of busy. Obama talked about what YALI participants had experienced in the United States. So youve gotten a taste of America, which for some of you apparently included something called lobster ice cream, which Ive never tasted myself but, I have to admit, sounds terrible. But thats OK. You were very brave. President Obama in 2009, left, and in 2016. (Photos: Charles Dharapak/Jacquelyn Martin/AP) And he mused about the 2016 election. Youve also gotten a front-row seat on the fascinating roller coaster process of American democracy, because youre here during election season. And I hope you buckled your seat belts. When one questioner declared that in this room, were all brothers, and youre one of us, Obama had a quibble. I have to say that at this point, Im probably an uncle. I wish I could say I was a brother or a cousin, but now Ive got some gray hairs. So youve got to call me uncle. In one revealing section, Obama took issue with critics who charge that he lets human rights concerns take a back seat when national security is in play. Sometimes, people view this as hypocritical. [They say:] Why arent you always putting pressure on every country? If a countrys doing some things to its people, you should have no dealings with them at all. And I will tell you that thats a luxury for people who are outside of government to be able to say that. But when youre inside of government, then you have to try to balance. OK. Im going to engage with this government, were going to talk to this government. Well meet with them, and we will be honest with them about our differences even as were working with them on some of the things that we agree on. And hopefully, over time, this makes a difference, it has some impact. Obama has at times disappointed liberals who hoped he would take a tougher line on traditional allies like Egypt or Turkey, as well as on rivals like China or Russia. Obama also discussed the relationship (or lack thereof) between the public and private lives of politicians. The truth is, we have had some very great leaders who did not always have great personal lives. And Im not actually somebody who believes that if you go into public office, that your personal life I mean, unless youre committing crimes or things like that that that is necessarily the best measure, because weve also had people who were wonderful fathers and great husbands who were bad leaders I am positive that if Im lucky enough to live to a ripe old age and Im, you know, on my deathbed and Im thinking back on my life, I wont be remembering some speech I gave or some law I signed. Ill be remembering holding hands with my one of my daughters and walking them to a park. That will be the thing that is most precious for me. Obama also talked about yelling at the newspaper but ultimately said a free press helps government solve problems. And he suggested, without citing evidence, that the reporters who cover him have grown sentimental. Right now Im at the end of my presidency, so the press is kind of feeling a little sentimental. And they think, Oh, hes gotten old. Look at him, weve beat him up. Now, lets focus on the new guys coming in. But there have been times where I thought the press was very unfair, and Id open up the newspapers and Id go, What? And Id start arguing. But there have also been times where the press investigated something, and I thought, You know what, this is a problem. He also reflected on important inflection points in his political career, including the time he thought about quitting politics if he did not win his Senate race in Illinois. There were times where, during my political career, there were times where I thought, You know what? This isnt going all that well. And I remember when I ran for the United States Senate, I had already lost a race to be in Congress. I had been in the state Senate for eight years. It was putting enormous strains of my family because I was traveling a lot, and I thought to myself, You know what? This is it. If I dont win this U.S. Senate race, Im getting out of politics. Im going to go do something else. None of these statements contains earth-shattering news, or should cause a wholesale reevaluation of Obamas presidency. But as he heads into the final stretch of his time in office, his last 100 days, they shed a little light on the presidents thinking. That was Obama in his own words. Its as good a starting point as any for a column that will feature the thoughts of his political friends and foes, the reporting of other Yahoo News journalists, the diagnoses of policy experts, and the perspective of historians. BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Lebanese army arrested several members of Islamic State in a raid that erupted into a firefight in the north of the country on Thursday, a security source said. Local media said one suspect died of his wounds. Four men, two Syrians and two Lebanese, were charged with attacks against the army, involvement in terrorist activities and in executions and killings, the state-run National News Agency said. It did not elaborate on the charges. Lebanon has been repeatedly jolted by security incidents linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria, including Sunni Islamist attacks. The army has regularly shelled positions held by Islamists, including what it says are Islamic State fighters, in the north near the Syrian border. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by John Stonestreet) SINA Corporation SINA is expected to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 8. Last quarter, it posted a negative surprise of 125.00%. However, the company posted an average negative surprise of 80.40% over the trailing four quarters. SINA CORP Price and EPS Surprise SINA CORP Price and EPS Surprise | SINA CORP Quote Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors at Play SINAs business since the last quarter has been affected as a result of the non-renewal of the Alibaba contract. Moreover, the company has been seeing weakness in traditional brand advertising, especially for its portal business. The company also faces some challenges in its display advertising business owing to the ongoing transition from brand advertising to performance-based advertising. Furthermore, its business is also susceptible to be impacted by the soft macroeconomic conditions in China apart from the stringent restrictions on online search and other social-networking activities in the region. Apart from this, intensifying competition from the likes of WeChat, Sohu.com SOHU and NetEase NTES remains an overhang on the stock. Nonetheless, there can be some respite for SINA given its robust user base for its e-commerce and Weibo offerings. Also, a strong product pipeline and investment in product development and marketing are other positives. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that SINA is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESPand a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: SINA has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at a loss of 1 cent. Zacks Rank: SINA has a Zacks Rank #3 which, when combined with a 0.00% ESP, makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Story continues Stock to Consider Heres a stock that you may want to consider as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter Mylan, Inc. MYL has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #2. 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 >> 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 SINA CORP (SINA): Free Stock Analysis Report NETEASE INC (NTES): Free Stock Analysis Report SOHU.COM INC (SOHU): Free Stock Analysis Report MYLAN NV (MYL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Their family continues to grow! Little Women: LA star Terra Jole and husband Joe Gnoffo welcomed a boy, Grayson, in Los Angeles on Monday, August 1, Us Weekly has confirmed. The couple are also parents to daughter Penelope, 16 months. PHOTOS: Celebrity Babies 2016 "Getting pregnant a second time was worth all the convincing I had to do!" Jole tells Us exclusively. "Penny now gets to grow up with a baby brother!" PHOTOS: Celebrity Kids Just Like Us! "Grayson is the perfect addition to our little family, and I'm already excited about what the future holds!" adds the reality star, who shared an exclusive baby pic with Us. "I now live for being a mom and can't wait to keep our family growing. Too soon? Lol." PHOTOS: Just Like Us: Celebrity Moms The new bundle of joy weighed in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 19 inches long. (People was first to report the baby's arrival.) Us exclusively revealed in April that the Texas native was expecting her second child with Gnoffo. At the time, Jole told Us that the couple were "in heaven" about the news. "Were really hoping that this time we dont find out the gender and can go all the way without knowing," she told Us in April. Now we get to argue over two names instead of one!" She told her costars about her pregnancy in an April episode of the show, as she blurted out the news in a heated exchange with Elena Gant and Tonya Banks. Jole isn't the only one on her show with a newly expanded family, as Gant welcomed twins with husband Preston last month. Little Women: LA airs on Lifetime Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET. * LSE head says Brexit no threat to its EU business * No plans to alter terms of Deutsche Boerse deal * Expects merger to complete in first half of 2017 (Adds comments from media call) By Noor Zainab Hussain and Huw Jones Aug 4 (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange Group will be able to serve its customers in the European Union regardless of whether its merger with Deutsche Boerse proceeds or whatever Brexit brings, its chief executive said on Thursday. Xavier Rolet, chief executive of the LSEG, said the $28 billion merger with its Frankfurt-based counterpart was on track and he expected it to be completed in the first half of 2017. It still needs to secure regulatory approvals in a number of jurisdictions. He also played down the impact of Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union, noting the value of the group's existing operations across Europe which include the Milan stock exchange. Without continued access to the single market, it will be difficult for UK based financial firms to offer their services to customers in the EU without obtaining a licence from the bloc, a costly undertaking. "We do not need to apply for new licences. It's basically a weekend migration, we switch a few things," Rolet told a conference call to present the exchange's half-year results. He expects Britain to ultimately secure continued access to the single market otherwise companies across the region would be cut off from London's financial expertise. "The penalties would be very high not just for the UK but for the rest of the EU. We would be going back to fragmentation. I don't think that's what corporate issuers want," Rolet said. He urged the British government to secure transitional arrangements to provide stability for markets until final trading terms with the EU have been agreed. First half earnings were largely in line with expectations. Adjusted operating profit rose 9 percent to 333 million pounds ($443 million) in the six months ended June 30. Revenue rose 9 percent to 721.9 million pounds, boosted by strong growth in its FTSE Russell and clearing services divisions. Story continues LSE's shares were up marginally at 2746 pence at 1130 GMT. The company said it would pay an interim dividend of 12 pence per share, up from 10.8 pence per share a year earlier. CLEARING SAFE Rolet played down the threat of the European Central Bank or policymakers mandating the switch of euro denominated clearing from London to the euro zone. French President Francois Hollande also called for this after Britain's vote in June. LSE's LCH.Clearnet, which dominates euro swaps clearing, saw revenue increase by 12 percent to 167.1 million pounds in the first half. "For the moment, there is no immediate threat from that standpoint," Rolet said. It was how customers respond to any regulatory changes and not what politicians say, that determined where clearing takes place, he added. Germany's markets watchdog BaFin has expressed unease that if the merger with Deutsche Boerse goes ahead, its "topco" holding company would be in London, outside the EU. Rolet said no changes were planned to the structure of the deal. "It will be topco'd here. We will operate on the basis of dual headquarters." ($1 = 0.7517 pounds) (Editing by Mark Potter and Keith Weir) A knife attack in London has left one woman dead and five others injured. The incident took place in Russell Square, a park in central London, late Wednesday, August 3. Police were called to the scene around 10:30 p.m. local time, according to the Associated Press. Russell Square is considered a popular tourist attraction located near upscale hotels and museums. PHOTOS: Celebrity Injuries The victim killed was reportedly an American in her sixties, and those hurt were from the United States, Britain, Israel and Australia. Two who were wounded remain in the hospital while the rest have been discharged. As of now, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley believes that the situation was not an act of terrorism. Celebrity Health Scares Authorities have since arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder, the AP reports. They used a stun gun to subdue him, and they have yet to release his identity. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said in a statement that "mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation." The incident came just hours after Rowley announced that 600 more armed police officers would be on call due to recent attacks across Europe. (Back in March, a terrorist attack at a Brussels airport killed 32 people. In June, 41 were killed during a suicide bomber attack at the Istanbul airport in Turkey. Last month, more than 80 people were killed when a man drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France.) PHOTOS: Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars Weve Lost "As a precautionary measure (Thursday), Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers," Rowley told reporters Wednesday. "This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert." Story is developing. The Tomah Memorial Hospital Foundation has donated $2,500 to the Tomah Boys & Girls Club to help members complete a triple play. Officials from the philanthropic arm of Tomah Memorial Hospital made the donation Wednesday to what officials say demonstrates how eating right, keeping fit and forming positive relationships add up to a healthy lifestyle. Triple Play is one of the core components of the club, explained Boys & Girls Club of West-Central Wisconsin executive director Karen DeSanto, who oversees operations in Tomah and Baraboo. Its mind, body and soul type of things. Nationally, the goal of the program is to improve club members knowledge of healthy habits, increase the number of hours per day they participate in physical activities and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships. DeSanto said the local organization has been focusing on the health aspect of the program through its newly installed Kids Cafe where children learn about food and nutrition and are served a hot, healthy dinner before going home at the end of each day. Tomah has been designated as a food desert in our area, meaning that our families dont have access to good, healthy nutritional food on a regular basis, she said. Its actually very sad to think that they dont know where a tomato comes from other than the grocery stores or that potatoes grow underground. She said many children dont get dinner, especially those who eat breakfast and lunch through the local school districts free and reduced meal program. Its sad to think thats out there that we dont ever see that hidden problem, DeSanto said. The Tomah club has just over 350 members with a daily attendance of about 120. We see kids who are obese and diabetes is on the rise, and we look at that and its all circular, DeSanto said. It comes from learning how to eat early on, having an active lifestyle, being a good thinker and having healthy relationships. Triple Play is available to 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serving over 4.2 million youth in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, plus domestic and international U.S. military installations. Since the programs launch in 2005, officials say clubs across the country have seen encouraging lifestyle changes in their members. This is the second year the hospital foundation has supported the program, which president Pete Reichardt said meets the organizations mission. The foundation wants to give back to the community, and we have a focus on children, especially when you talk about nutrition and education about nutrition and leading healthy life styles, said Reichardt. Its a great program that perfectly fits the needs of the community and the goals of the foundation. Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f166540%2flondon_fellatio_cafe_header LONDON There have been plenty of oddly themed cafe startups in London over the last couple of years, but this one really takes the craze to a whole other level. Forget about the Blobfish Cafe and the cereal cafe there's now a cafe in the works that would actually involve customers receiving oral sex while they drink their macchiatos. SEE ALSO: Plop into Canada's first poop-themed dessert cafe next month The person behind the idea is businessman Bradley Charvet, who told the Independent he already has an official launch date (Dec. 5) for a similar cafe based in Geneva, Switzerland. There's no launch date for the London equivalent yet, apparently, but Charvet seems confident that he'll be able to get around the legal issues. "We are happy this will be a legal business in the UK, which is nice because it will be organised and controlled," he told the Evening Standard. "The project is in progress. At the moment, our lawyer is doing the job to get the right stuff done." Here are some screengrabs from the official "Fellatio Cafe" website. Image: fellatio-cafe The price above is listed as 60 ($67), but Chavert told the Independent that the Paddington cafe will have a 50 ($66) charge (plus extras if the whole thing lasts longer than 15 minutes). Image: fellatio-cafe/mashable composite The cafe involves customers choosing their "hostess" on an iPad. It's currently just for men, but the website states that they're "considering to propose a service for female customers." From the sounds of it, the cafe would also be largely open plan. "It will be a cafe like others, plus two booths for shy people," Charvet told the Independent. "In Switzerland, booths are not allowed anymore. We are talking with the UK police to fix that for the shy guys." Needless to say, the reactions online have been pretty strong. Although there were also some dissenting voices. Story continues But the big question is, will this thing actually be allowed to go ahead? Or is it all just a publicity stunt? The co-director of the End Violence Against Women Foundation, Rachel Krys, told the Evening Standard she believes the cafe would break a number of laws. "People around and about the area where places like this open also experience an increase in men behaving unpleasantly which is why licensing laws are very strict," she said. By Michael Walsh / Yahoo News U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch sounded off Wednesday on the uneasy state of relations between law enforcement and minority communities in the U.S. It was one of several topics Lynch addressed in a wide-ranging conversation with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric in Detroit. Heart-wrenching videos of police shootings of apparently unarmed black men, as well as the ambush attacks of law enforcement officers, have shaken the news cycle during the past few months. Lynch told Couric that all of the deaths have been emotionally difficult to observe. Were at a point now where we are seeing a lot of very difficult experiences that are hard to look at, Lynch said. Theyre very, very hard to look at. Its hard to watch anyone lose their life on a video. Its hard to watch the aftermath of a police ambush and know that those officers are never going to see their families again. But these troubling videos, she continued, give Americans the opportunity to get past asking whether these horrifying incidents are happening to actually working toward solutions. According to Lynch, several local law enforcement agencies have been doing positive work to address these issues and have found success implementing the suggestions offered in the final report from President Barack Obamas 21st Century Task Force on Policing. Still, she continued, other cities want to do a better job but dont know where to start. She said those cities are asking the U.S. Justice Department about steps they can take. Thats part of the reason Lynch participated in National Night Out, an annual campaign to strengthen community-police partnerships, this week in Detroit. On Wednesday, she launched a series of regional forums involving community leaders, city officials and local residents on policing in the United States. Couric asked Lynch to address the criticism that these events are nice photo opportunities but do not actually address the underlying issues or produce tangible solutions. Story continues Lynch said its been beneficial to set up citizens advisory councils so police can be more transparent about various issues, such as how they train or recruit officers. She also said its helpful to have youth advisory councils, because teenagers will tell authorities exactly what they think and wont be afraid to tell well-meaning but misguided elected officials when a program designed to connect with young people wont meet its goal. De-escalation training, she said, is one of the most promising aspects of healing the wounds between police and local communities. We at the department obviously make that a part of work, if we have a department thats under investigation or scrutiny, Lynch said. But whats also very encouraging are police departments who come to DOJ and say, You know what? My use-of-force policy hasnt been updated in some time. And Im concerned. Im concerned that I might be sitting on a powder keg like other cities. Can you look at it and give me some guidance? Couric asked Lynch whether there should be a system of independent prosecutors who investigate police misconduct. Lynch said accountability should begin in the police departments themselves. You know, theres a lot of different ways to approach that. I think that whatever system a jurisdiction chooses to have, it has to be as transparent as possible, Lynch said. It has to be a system that people in the community understand and feel invested in and feel has a process of listening to their needs and addressing their concerns fairly and openly. The nations top law enforcement official also discussed her ill-advised meeting with former President Bill Clinton, as well as the FBI directors piercing statements about Hillary Clintons email use. Lynch met with the former president in June while federal investigators were looking into whether classified material was mishandled in connection to Hillary Clintons email account. Clinton exclusively used a private email server for official business while serving as secretary of state. Lynch has said previously that her conversation with Bill Clinton was largely social, leading Couric to ask about the nonsocial parts of the discussion. Well, that was a large part of it. He talked about his travels and what hed been doing in Phoenix. And I talked a little bit about my travels. You know, we both are acquainted with former Attorney General Janet Reno, she said. We talked about our concerns for her health. Lynch continued: But I can tell you that it was as I said before it was and it was actually a very moving discussion about how the grandchildren met and all of that. Lengthy but moving and very warm, very warm. Calling Bill Clinton such a political animal, Couric suggested that people find it difficult to imagine that he did not mention politics at all in the middle of campaign season. No, no. Well, I no, we did not, Lynch said. At the time, some Republicans speculated that there might have been some sort of quid pro quo going on during the meeting. GOP nominee Donald Trump and others suggested a deal was made to keep Lynch on as attorney general in Hillary Clintons potential administration.I cant control how other people view things. All I can do is discuss my actions and explain my actions in them, Lynch said. And thats another reason why I felt it was important to talk about my role in the investigation and indicate that there was no discussion of anything like that. But D.C. is a political town. And that is how people tend to think about things. Its not the lens that I always use. But I understand that some people choose to use that lens. And thats their choice. Only July 7, before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill, FBI Director James Comey testified that Clinton had been extremely careless in her handling of classified information and described several of her statements regarding the matter as not true. Still, he said, the FBI did not find sufficient evidence to suggest that Clinton had broken the law. Comeys strongly worded censure of Clinton prompted questions about whether he had overstepped his bounds. Matthew Miller, former director of the Justice Departments public affairs office, wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post arguing that Comey violated time-honored Justice Department practices for how such matters are to be handled and set a dangerous precedent for future investigations and committed a gross abuse of his own power. When presented with this passage, Lynch said the Justice Department is aware that the matter is of great public interest and that it is looking for ways to be transparent and open with the American people. But we learn from these experiences. And we learn from that. And I view his actions as trying to provide a context for the discussions that we were later going to be having in confidence and that we were not going to be able to talk about or discuss publicly. Because they did concern an ongoing matter. And they did concern very private recommendations. The Justice Department, she said, understands it can be frustrating for people when they are not given the reasoning behind a decision, so the department is always looking for ways to provide context. She added that Comey was trying to describe the process of an investigation without going into the facts of the case. Again, in the absence of that, people will seize on that and have and tried to essentially use his comments as if they were the underlying facts of the investigation, Lynch said. But as I said before, were always trying to find ways in which we can explain to people not just what we do but how we do it. And its all a learning process. Lynch repeatedly declined to comment on statements made by Clinton or Trump, saying it would be inappropriate for the attorney general to sound off on political campaign issues. She said her department works hard to make sure that people understand that its role is independent of the political scene. Is it hard to stay that independent? Couric asked. No, no, its not, Lynch replied. Because what we do is focusing on making sure that whatever the issue is, whatever the case is, we handle it in exactly the same way. And we have to do it in that way so that people do have confidence in our work. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on D.C. police officer charged with aiding ISIS Dairy farmers across Wisconsin are opening their mailboxes this week to find an envelope that says, Share your opinion on the low dairy prices! The envelope contains a Wisconsin dairy producers survey that has been mailed to every dairy farm in Wisconsin. It invites dairy farmers to join the conversation about how to improve milk prices over the long haul. Wisconsin Farmers Union developed the survey to gather input from Wisconsin dairy farmers on different options for dairy pricing reform. According to the National Ag Statistics Service, we have lost an average of a dairy farm every day in 2016 here in the state of Wisconsin, said WFU President Darin Von Ruden. With the price of milk below the cost of production, farms large and small are losing money every time they send a load of milk down the road. No other business thinks that operating at a loss is a normal state of affairs, and we shouldnt either. Von Ruden urged dairy farmers to complete the survey immediately and return it in the envelope provided. Im a dairy farmer myself, so I know youre busy, but please take 10 minutes to answer the survey and be part of the solution, he said. If we as dairy farmers dont step up and try to improve the situation for ourselves and our neighbors, then who will? All individual survey responses will be kept confidential, Von Ruden saidl. WFU plans to compile all of the responses and present them to state and federal policy leaders. Its one thing to say, times are tough in Americas Dairyland, but its more influential if we can back that up with some hard numbers, Von Ruden said. Members of our WFU dairy committee have told us that their pay prices are not keeping up with the cost of production, that they are paying higher transportation fees to ship their milk, that their land rents are increasing, and that the Margin Protection Program has done little to help in this time of low prices. We want to see whether these trends are widespread throughout the state. The return deadline for the survey is Wednesday Aug. 31, and WFU hopes to have the results compiled by early fall. Since his first full-length album was released in November 2013, Chaseburg native Simon Balto has earned his doctoral degree and landed a job as a history professor at Ball State University in Indiana. His students, much to his chagrin, call him Doctor Balto. It makes me feel very old and very awkward, Balto said with a laugh during a recent phone interview from his home in Indianapolis. If they awarded doctoral degrees for recording projects, Balto would need to get robed up again, honor cord and all, for his second alt-folk album, Murmurations, which will be released Aug. 5. For his first album, The Roads That Make Men Weary, Balto retreated to a secluded cottage for a bare-bones rendering of his songs, but with Murmurations, Balto presents a new batch of songs in a fully realized and finely nuanced sonic landscape. I wanted this to be something bigger and more textured, Balto explained. For Murmurations, Balto worked closely with co-producer Shane Leonard, a talented multi-instrumentalist and in-demand studio musician who records his own songs with Kalispell and plays drums with Field Report. Shane is honestly the smartest musician Ive ever worked with, Balto said. Leonard also had a lot of connections with other musicians who contributed in the studio to help flesh out the songs. Balto and the others recorded in Leonards studio in Eau Claire, and for Balto it was a lengthy process creating the layers of sound, a process he said was well worth the wait. Im proud of how it turned out, he said. We just kind of built this landscape piece by piece. In hindsight, it was probably pretty foolish to not have a better idea from the start how the landscape was going to look, but I have zero complaints. Murmurations carries a couple meanings. It can signify, for one thing, the murmurings of someone, as in unintelligible utterances. Make no mistake, though, there is nothing unintelligible about Baltos songwriting. Hes masterful at turning phrases that seem simple on the surface but carry deeper meaning. The murmurations Balto had in mind are the kind that involve a flock of starlings flying in undulating patterns at twilight, like a shadowy version of the Northern Lights. For the past few years, Ive just had this obsession with murmuration. I find it just fascinating and not understandable. Whenever I see starlings in murmuration, Im just struck by how gorgeous it is. I knew that I wanted to make a record called that, Balto explained, adding that a big part of the beauty of murmuration is the mystery of it. Baltos songs are peppered with images of nature, a product of his rural rearing his nearest neighbors were a mile away and he spent a lot of time in his youth observing flora and fauna. His songs also often deal with separation, even the ultimate separation: death. One common thread through the music I make is the issue of loss and how to make sense of that, Balto said. Its the ultimate case of something unknowable. In the albums title track, Balto weaves the mysteries of murmurations and death into a memorable line in the chorus: On the bright day when it comes your time to go, I hope your heart breaks into starlings that will carry you home. Baltos songs on the new album have an immediacy and emotional edge to them that make them seem autobiographical, but he hasnt really written songs that draw directly from his own life since his first five-song EP, which came after a break up with a longtime girlfriend. And I hate it, he said, expressing gratitude that that EP is an out-of-print rarity. It was kind of an object lesson to me. I generally write better songs if Im telling stories, stories that are not about my own life, he added. I enjoy telling stories, but I dont necessarily enjoy telling my own stories. Bamako (AFP) - The Malian defence ministry on Thursday admitted six soldiers have been missing since a deadly jihadist attack in July on a military base in the heart of the country. In a raid on a military base in Nampala in central Mali on July 19, 17 Malian soldiers were killed and 35 injured. The attack was claimed both by the Islamist Ansar Dine and a newly formed group. Ansar Dine is a mainly Tuareg group that controlled areas of Mali's northern desert together with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a third local group in early 2012. Although the Islamists were largely ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, sporadic assaults from desert hideouts are common. "Following the tragic events in Nampala, a team of investigators was dispatched to the area. The mission concluded that 17 Malian soldiers were killed and 37 injured, and that six others are missing," defence ministry spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Sidibe told reporters. An Ansar Dine video had been posted online hours earlier, showing five men in army fatigues, and identified as soldiers taken hostage on July 19 during the Nampala raid. Distributed by private Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar, the video shows the five men seated in front of a black jihadist flag held up by two masked men. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a defence ministry source confirmed the men seen in the video were indeed five of the missing Malian soldiers. The fate of the sixth missing soldier remains unknown. Sidibe said some 500 additional troops and 100 military vehicles have been dispatched to the camp since the attack, which has been assaulted several times since 2015. Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Thursday chaired a meeting of the country's defence committee. After the gathering, Defence Mnister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly confirmed six troops were missing, and said he had seen the footage distributed online. He did not comment on the video, however. PARIS (Reuters) - A man died on Thursday from injuries suffered three weeks earlier in the truck attack on crowds in the Riviera city of Nice, bringing the death toll to 85, authorities said. Pierre Hattermann's wife Francoise and son were killed in the attack, and his 14-year-old daughter is still in hospital, according to French newspaper Nice Matin and other media. "All my thoughts with the daughter, family and relatives of Pierre Hattermann who just died," the president of the Riviera region, Christian Estrosi, said on his Twitter account. Islamic State claimed the attack and hailed Tunisian-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who drove a truck through a crowd of revelers on Nice's sea-front promenade on Bastille day before police shot him dead. (Reporting by Maya Nikolaeva; Editing by Andrew Heavens) In perhaps this years most criminally-induced use of a makeover, a Las Vegas judge recently ordered that a man standing trial must undergo daily makeup sessions to cover his neo-Nazi tattoos, as reported in the New York Daily news. Far from being an effort to make the defendant look pretty, the order was enacted to help ensure jurors arent unduly influenced by the notorious nature of the mans facial ink. Why such extreme action? The accused, 24-year-old Bayzle Morgan, has adorned his head with a swastika, an iron cross, and the words Baby Nazi, among other designs. If it needs to be emphasized, according to the Las Vegas Sun, Morgan has a face that even his lawyer says is scary. The Las Vegas native stands accused of robbery, murdering a 75-year-old woman, and squatting the latter being a crime that is reportedly plaguing the Las Vegas area in recent years. Whats perhaps even more controversial about the judges orders to cover Morgans tattoos is the lack of controversy over the order. In a 2009 case of a similar nature in Florida, The Tampa Bay Times opened its coverage of a local judges makeup order with a clear reminder that Taxpayers will foot the bill for a makeup artist to cover up some potentially offensive tattoos on the face and neck of a neo-Nazi during his murder trial slated for next week. Its apparently a non-trivial procedure. In the case of Morgan, the defendant has makeup applied daily in the morning and removed at night. All, of course, done in the effort that his choice of physical enhancement wont prejudice a jury over charges that have nothing to do with whats written all over his face unless its guilt. And thats something no makeup can wipe away. Read This Next: Mug Shot Study Shows People Arrested in America Cant Help but Smile Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. The man who challenged the Munich gunman could face charges for insulting the shooter as he confronted him. Thomas Salbey, 57, launched a profanity-filled verbal attack at 18-year-old gunman Ali Sonboly from his balcony in the Bavarian capital in an attempt to stop him. Confrontation - Thomas Salbey lauched a profanity-filled attack on Munich gunman Ali Sonboly (Pictures: CEN) His attack on the shooter after he killed nine people went viral on the internet in the wake of the attack. Mr Salbey also launched a beer bottle at the teenager and has since said if he had a gun he would have shot him in the head". Sonboly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Sonboly has escaped charges after dying of self-inflicted gunshot wounds after the attack in Munich (Pictures: Rex) But according to local daily paper Tageszeitung Munchen, Salbey is now being investigated by German prosecutors and could face charges himself. Spokesperson Florian Weinzierl from the State Prosecutors office of Munich confirmed that Salbey is being investigated. It has not been confirmed whether charges will be brought or what they will include, but Weinzierl suggested they could include insults to the detriment of the Dead. A court review is set to be completed very soon, Weinzierl said. Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne stepped out in matching tracksuits, and the twinning twosome couldnt have looked cooler. The stars rocked identical indigo outfits to the Suicide Squad U.K. premieres after-party in London. Splash News WATCH: Jared Letos Crazy Coat, Margot Robbies Unicorn Dress and More of the Suicide Squad Casts Wild Red Carpet Looks! Their epic ensembles included matching zip-up jackets, draw-string jogging pants and lace-up sneakers. The best part, however, may have been their names emblazoned in gold on their chests. Earlier that day, almost the entire Suicide Squad cast rocked wild ensembles on the red carpet. Jared Leto, who plays the Joker, rocked a three-quarters length lime-green coat with light pink pants, while Robbie stunned in a dress covered in embroidered flowers and a giant, roaring tiger. Getty Images WATCH: Margot Robbie Talks Permanent Tattoos She Inked on Her 'Suicide Squad Co-Stars Cara Delevingne looked killer in an all-black ensemble, including a leather jacket, a semi-sheer midi dress and thigh-high leather boots. Getty Images In fact, exotic costumes have been a staple of the Suicide Squads red carpet appearances. Earlier this week, Leto, Robbie, Delevingne and their co-star, Adam Beach, all sported some pretty wild looks to the films New York premiere. Getty Images WATCH: Will Smith on 'Suicide Squad: 'Its a Movie About Bad vs Evil While Will Smith, who plays the assassin Deadshot, dressed more conservatively in a traditional suit, that doesnt mean hes not excited for the action epic. Smith spoke with ET on the red carpet where he said the movie is so good, his kids dont think he ever needs to act again. They saw it three days ago, and theyre coming to see it again. They told me I dont ever have to work again, Smith joked. They said this is it. Ill never make anything better than this. Check out the interview below to hear more. Related Articles Continued from last week.. At some point in time, the Norwegians and the English and Germans living as neighbors began to worship together. Both the Lutheran and the Methodist Episcopal preachers carried a heavy workload and traveled many miles to spread the Word and care for their several congregations. So it seems reasonable to assume that the little Bloomingdale chapel began to be used by both of these church groups and services were held by both the Lutherans and the Methodists. In fact, the Dagsregister (daily register) at Westby Coon Prairie records many church services held at Bloomingdale starting Feb. 4, 1890. The last service recorded was March 5, 1921, when the pastor conducted three services that day: Westby, 10:30 and 7:30, and Bloomingdale, 2:30. Interestingly, Pastor Halvorsen, the much loved pastor at Coon Prairie, preached his last sermons in 1921. There were no more entries in this register after 1921. And so, there are still unanswered questions about the sweet little church on the hill above Bloomingdale. But one thing we know, this little church was created as a Methodist Episcopal Church, it still is and within its walls are many memories for the older people who can remember attending it in their childhood or even getting married there. As was the custom, the need arose for a burial ground near the little Bloomingdale Chapel. The Wold familys property bordered the land which had been quit-claimed for the church itself. Peter and Ida Wold very graciously quit-claimed a parcel of land on March 24, 1915, for cemetery purposes. Interestingly, the parcel was conveyed to the Bloomingdale Aid Association of the Lutheran Church. The women of the community organized the Bloomingdale Ladies Aid in the spring of 1878 in the home of Sina Morterud. They met every other week. They were not strictly Methodists or Lutherans, but were all good Christian women and this was their social time as well as their opportunity to do mission work. The Bloomingdale Ladies Aid met for many years, and on into the twentieth century, meeting in the basement of the little church. When families began to buy and use cars, most women did not drive. At that time most of the women were dependent on their husbands to get them up the steep hill to the little Bloomingdale Chapel for their Ladies Aid and then to pick them up later. There was no running water at the church, so water was needed to be hauled up, as well. Not very convenient by todays standards, but that was the lifestyle back then. As more of the people began going into Westby to church or to the larger church at Sugar Grove, the Ladies Aid decided to disband. The last meeting of the Ladies Aid was a sad nostalgic day for the ladies of Bloomingdale. The Aid had been in existence for 100 years! There seems to be a lack of recorded history between the year 1921 when the last Coon Prairie pastor gave a service and the 1990s. Your writer has recently learned, however, that there was a wedding held at the church in the year 1947 and surely there were others. What happened in those years and what happened to the little church on the hill? At those times in history we Americans went through two World Wars and a depression. Money was scarce and there probably was not enough money to care for a building which, at the time, was not really serving a purpose. Still, weddings and funerals were held there from time to time and it served a purpose of being a community gathering place. As the little church and the people who loved it grew older, there came a time when some renovations needed to be done. An article dated April 2, 1992, in the Westby Times tells us that twelve residents of Bloomingdale met to discuss plans to renovate the building. Those in attendance hoped somehow to be able to do foundation work, work on the chimney, and a paint job. An article in the Westby Times, dated May 28, 1992, in Maggies Musings by Margaret Gulsvig reads as follows: Syttende Mai weekend Richard Perkins of Wayzata and I played cat and mouse games: as soon as I left the house, he called. When I returned and called his motel, he was gone. So I never did find out what he wanted until he got back home and went the long distance route this week. Richard has a local concern: the Bloomingdale Church, which has become an either/or item on the agenda of people in that area. I used to take my Aunt Hilma (Wold) to the cemetery up there and wed stroll over and look at the old church at the same time Richard said. We could see it was deteriorating. We tacked a covering over a broken window and sorrowed over the sight of empty booze bottles thrown around the floor. Then the foundation started caving in and Richard and others, started talking preservation. The building may be less than a hundred years old so its not a historical treasure, but to the people who frequented it in other days, it is a treasure house of fond memories. And so, because of generous benefactors, the little Bloomingdale Chapel was renovated and stands proudly on the hill above Bloomingdale, a memorial to generations before who worshiped within its walls. If you have more information about the Bloomingdale Chapel, please call Westby Area Historical Society at 608-634-4478 to leave a message or email westbywihistory@gmail.com It's Mariah Carey's world, we're just living in it. Making an entrance in a barely there black lace dress and fishnet stockings accompanied by a half-dozen muscled shirtless men, Carey proceeded to charm journalists with her signature kooky, diva persona. Holding a glass of Veuve Clicquot aloft, the pop star pleaded: "I want to share a splash with you guys! Can we do this? Cheers, darlings. Cheers." Journalists gathered in the Beverly Hilton ballroom at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour Wednesday were provided with Veuve as well, for what was the last panel on the day for Carey's upcoming E! docuseries Mariah's World. Mariah Carey Talks Reality Show 'Mariah's World,' Divorce from Nick Cannon & Prince in 'Complex' The eight-part series will follow her on her upcoming European tour and also chronicle her personal life, including wedding plans to her Australian business manager fiance James Packer. The series also will feature her children, 5-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-husband Nick Cannon. But she admitted that the amount of access to her children is still a point of discussion with Cannon. "Here's the thing: They could have their own show because that's how funny they are," said Carey, referring to her children. "I just have to figure it out -- with Nick -- how much they're in the show. They're in my life. We'll see. I think it should be sparing." Carey was coy when one critic asked if Cannon, who hosts NBC's America's Got Talent, would also be in the show. "I can't speak for [him]. He's his own person. He's cool about coming around the show." Mariah Carey Brings Out Jermaine Dupri & Da Brat at 2016 Essence Music Festival "So he will be in the show?" the critic pressed. "Well, I said he came around, I don't know what makes the final cut," she said to uproarious reaction from the Champagne-plied journalists. Story continues "I'm sorry, was that rude in some way? I'm so not trying to slay anybody." Carey was also asked what she learned during her time as a judge on American Idol. And that question she completely dodged: "Oh, it was the most abusive experience," she said, lifting her glass. "By the way you've just driven me to drink." Mariah's World premieres Sunday, Dec. 4, at 9 p.m. Watch a trailer, below. This article was originally published on The Hollywood Reporter. (BEVERLY HILLS, California) Mariah Carey called on six half-naked muscle men, champagne and lots of attitude as she playfully promoted her upcoming docuseries, Mariahs World. Carey made her entrance for a roomful of TV critics after the shirtless gentlemen formed a chair for her to sit on. She then moved over to a rococo velvet-and-gold couch to field questions and toss a few wisecracks around. So this is perfectly normal, she said, smiling. Careys daytime outfit: a sparkling, scanty black costume with a glittering microphone as accessory. A pair of hair and makeup artists came on stage to provide a touch-up during the 30-minute news conference. I hope you dont mind. This is part of my world, she said, slyly. Carey asked if anyone else wanted a touchup, adding, Its very expensive. As a pop star, she was asked, could she share the names of up-and-coming female artists she admires? Theres a few. They would be lovely ladies and its not their day, she said. Her tone sometimes veered intriguingly into the realm of 1930s movie sexpot and quipster Mae West. Will ex-husband Nick Cannon, the Americas Got Talent host, be part of the series and what does he think of it, Carey was asked. She and Cannon have 5-year-old twins. I cant speak for what he thinks because he is his own guy and we are not together anymore. But hes cool about being on the show and he comes around and hes with the kids, she said. So hell be on the show? I didnt say that, darling. I said he came around. I dont know what makes the final cut, she said, dryly. Im sorry, was that rude? I am so not trying to slay anybody. As for their kids, they could have their own show, because thats how funny they are, Carey said. But she and Cannon will make a mutual decision on their inclusion. Story continues The eight-part E! series details the kick-off of her Sweet Sweet Fantasy concert tour and planning for her marriage to Australian billionaire James Packer. Mariahs World premieres in the United States and Canada on Sunday, Dec. 4, followed by airings on E!s international channels in Europe, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere. During her Q&A, Carey combined tongue-in-check replies with occasional and apparent seriousness, including when she was asked about her experience as an American Idol judge. She and fellow judge Nicki Minaj famously clashed during their one season on the talent series. Oh, it was the most abusive experience. By the way, youve just driven me to drink, she chided the questioner, sipping from glass of bubbly. Does she throw shade slang for trash talking and if so why? I dont, I dont throw shade, she said. I dont know why people think this. By Michael Ausiello Mariahs World will begin turning in late 2016. E!s Mariah Carey-fronted unscripted series will bow on Dec. 4 at 9/8c but do not call it a reality show. I dont consider it reality, Carey, perched in a purple throne and surrounded by nearly a dozen shirtless models, told reporters Wednesday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. Its my life. It feels like a documentary. I dont even watch reality [TV]. I dont even know what reality is. RELATED Cable/Streaming Renewal Scorecard 2016: Whats Coming Back? Whats Cancelled? Whats On the Bubble? The eight-part series will follow the flamboyant pop star as she kicks off the European leg of her latest concert tour all while planning her upcoming nuptials. Per E!, Carey has granted the network exclusive access to her life behind the mic, including her family, friends and inner circle. Carey hinted that her estranged husband Nick Canon may turn up on the show, before playfully adding, I dont know if hell make the final cut. Ultimately, Carey said her goal with the series is to make it something that can be a lasting piece of work for my fans. And for my kids. Press PLAY above to watch a new teaser, then share your Mariahs World interest level in the comments! Related stories The Royals Season 3 to Premiere in December; Elizabeth Hurleys Son Cast The Royals: British Actor Jules Knight Joins Season 3 in Powerful Role TVLine Items: GH Adds AMC Vet, Dead Prince Cast on The Royals and More Get more from TVLine: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter CardFlight Chip on Chip This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here. MasterCard announced that it has made significant EMV progress 10 months after liability for in-store fraud involving credit cards without chips shifted from issuers to merchants. Given that MasterCard is the second-largest US card company, this likely points to industrywide headway, and could thereby help accelerate broadening adoption through the second half of 2016. Cards are being re-issued at a fast pace. Eighty percent of MasterCards roughly 195 million US credit cards have chips, marking an 88% increase in adoption since October. Thats a huge uptick from MasterCards last update in April, when just 68% of its credit-card customers had chip cards. MasterCard is ahead of Visa, which expects that 75% of its US-issued credit cards will contain chips by the end of the year. MasterCard merchants are also upgrading steadily. MasterCard now counts 1.7 million EMV-enabled merchant locations, up from 1.4 million at the end of April and 1.2 million in March. Here are the key drivers of merchants' accelerating adoption: Fraud benefits: MasterCard noted that its top five EMV-enabled merchants saw a 60% decline in counterfeit fraud. Merchants have long known that EMV reduces fraud, but before many consumers had cards, the benefits were unattainable. Now that consumer adoption is rising, the likelihood that transactions at chip-enabled terminals will be processed as chip-on-chip has increased, which makes reduced fraud more attainable for merchants. That could encourage retailers to upgrade. Fewer pain points: A complex and time-consuming certification process created a lag between when merchants received EMV terminals and when they were able to activate them. But MasterCard recently updated its guidelines, simplifying the certification and activation process by reducing the number of required tests and giving acquirers and value-added resellers (VARs) more flexibility. The new guidelines and reduced timeline could be driving up chip terminal sales and activations, which in turn grows the number of enabled merchants. Story continues MasterCards continued progress will be a major driver of rising chip-on-chip transactions and volume through 2016. In 2015, just 1.98% of card-present transactions were EMV-compliant, compared with over 80% in the three regions globally where adoption is the highest. Now, CardFlight estimates that number has increased to as high as 46%. MasterCards gains are a good barometer for a much larger increase through the rest of the year. Fraud cost U.S. retailers approximately $32 billion in 2014, up from $23 billion just one year earlier. To solve the card fraud problem across in-store, online, and mobile payments, payment companies and merchants are implementing new payment protocols that could finally help mitigate fraud. John Heggestuen, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on payment security that looks at how the dynamics of fraud are shifting across in-store and online channels and explains the top new types of security that are gaining traction across each of these channels, including on Apple Pay. Here are some of the key takeaways from the report: EMV cards are being rolled out with an embedded microchip for added security. The microchip carries out real-time risk assessments on a person's card purchase activity based on the card user's profile. The chip also generates dynamic cryptograms when the card is inserted into a payment terminal. Because these cryptograms change with every purchase, it makes it difficult for fraudsters to make counterfeit cards that can be used for in-store transactions. To bolster security throughout the payments chain encryption of payments data is being widely implemented. Encryption degrades valuable data by using an algorithm to translate card numbers into new values. This makes it difficult for fraudsters to harvest the payments data for use in future transactions. Point-to-point encryption is the most tightly defined form of payments encryption. In this scheme, sensitive payment data is encrypted from the point of capture at the payments terminal all the way through to the gateway or acquirer. This makes it much more difficult for fraudsters to harvest usable data from transactions in stores and online. Tokenization increases the security of transactions made online and in stores. Tokenization schemes assign a random value to payment data, making it effectively impossible for hackers to access the sensitive data from the token itself. Tokens are often "multiuse," meaning merchants don't have to force consumers to re-enter their payment details. Apple Pay uses an emerging form of tokenization. 3D Secure is an imperfect answer to user authentication online. One difficulty in fighting online fraud is that it is hard to tell whether the person using card data is actually the cardholder. 3D Secure adds a level of user authentication by requiring the customer to enter a passcode or biometric data in addition to payment data to complete a transaction online. Merchants who implement 3D Secure risk higher shopping-cart abandonment. In full, the report: Assesses the fraud cost to US retailers and how that fraud is expected to shift in coming years Provides 5 high-level explanations of the top payment security protocols Includes 7 infographics illustrating what the transaction flow looks like when each type of security is implemented. Analyzes the strengths and weakness of each payment security protocol and the reasons why particular protocols are being put in place at different types of merchants. To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, youve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of payments security. More From Business Insider Its hard to overlook a beast that measures 24 feet long and weighs more than 16,000 lbs. (7.3 m and 7,250 kg). Its harder still to ignore a whole species of them. But thats what scientists had effectively done for, well, as long as the animal has lived on Earth, which could mean for 50 million years. The speciesa long-rumored type of beaked whaleis at last getting the recognition it deserves. And along with the new respect comes a new, if not yet official, name: karasu, or Japanese for raven. The karasu has been speculated about for more than 70 years, after Japanese whalers first reported fleeting sightings of a type of beaked whale that looked a lot like a Bairds whale, only smaller and darker. Bairds whales usually measure up to 39 ft. and weigh up to 24,000 lbs (12 m and 10,900 kg). They are also lighter in colormore of a slate-gray than a near-black. The new whaleif it existed at allshowed itself only rarely. It was reportedly seen exclusively in the Nemuro Strait, at the northeast corner of Hokkaido, Japans northernmost large island. And it was seen only in the spring. Its dark color and its floppy dorsal fin made it hard to pick out against the water before it vanished again. The sightings, however, were frequent enough that the dark, swift animal earned its raven nickname. Chatter about the karasu resurfaced in June of 2014, when a dead whale washed up on the shore of St. George Island in the Bering Sea near Alaska. It looked like a Bairds, but it was too small and too pale, and its aged, discolored teeth suggested it could not be a juvenile. It had to be a whale that was full-grown for its specieswhatever that species was. Serendipitously, the remains were spotted by a local biology teacher, who knew enough to call in other experts, who knew enough, in turn, to pass the carcass onto the branch of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in California. There it came into the custody of molecular geneticist Phillip Morin, who decided to get to the bottom of the mystery. Story continues As Morin and his team of 15 co-authors describe in a paper published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, the work they did was painstaking. They began with DNA samples from the newly discovered carcass and compared them to samples from 178 other whales that were thought to be related. Some of the material had been taken from live whales, some from dead, beached whales, some from whale flesh sold in Japanese markets. Some too was taken from museum specimens of preserved bones and bone powder. What the scientists were looking for with all this evidence was a way to distinguish the possible karasu not just from the ordinary Bairds, but from another similar species, the Arnouxs beaked whale. Just proving that the new find was not a Bairds did not have to mean it represented a species to itself; it may just have been an oddball Arnauxs. But it wasnt. Morins work found a fairly close relationship between the new specimen and Arnouxs, but not close enough for them to be part of the same species. And the beached whale was even more genetically distant from its supposedly closer kin, the Bairds. The sea raven that the Japanese whalers thought theyd seen was the real deal. Its just so exciting to think that in 2016 were still discovering things in our worldeven mammals that are more than 20 feet long, Morin told National Geographic. Now that the karasuofficial name pendinghas been proven, Morin and his colleagues are working to determine more about where and how it lives. The fact that it is rarely seen by whalers in the north suggests that it spends most of its time in warmer, more southerly waters. And the scars the carcass bore of what appears to be a shark bitealso more likely to have been incurred in the southseem to confirm that. No matter how the karasu lives, the death of this one member of the species is one more bit of proof that the sea has not yet given up all of its secrets. Even 3.5 billion years after life on Earth first emerged, it continues to surprise us. With his campaign mired in controversy, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made a curious decision at a Daytona Beach rally on Wednesday. He decided to recount several controversies from months earlier. His claim that thousands of New Jersey Muslims celebrated 9/11, his perceived mockery of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, and his comment about Megyn Kelly having blood coming out of her wherever were among the items brought up. On her show, The Kelly File, the aforementioned Fox News anchor was clearly amazed Trump would rehash these stories. What is he doing relitigating every controversy from the primary season? she asked Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist, and attorney and Trump supporter David Wohl. Among the things Kelly found amusing was Trump seemingly acting like the addition of ramps to his buildings for people with disabilities was a charitable gesture on his part, and not a requirement. Nobody is better to people with disabilities than me. I spend millions and millions of dollars on buildings taking care of people with disabilities, Trump exclaimed at his rally. The fact that Trump has put ramps in his buildings is required by law, said Kelly. He doesnt get extra credit for that. You have to! When Wohl replied, But theyre very expensive buildings, let me tell you, Kelly buried her head in her hands and said, Oh, good God. Kelly seemed to agree with the long-stated Trump assertion that the mainstream media has a vendetta against the GOP candidate. However, she said Trump should blame himself too. Its true, thats what they do, she opined. Its true that the mainstream media now hates Trump. They loved him during the primary season, they wanted him to run against Hillary. They got their wish. Now suddenly the critical coverage begins. But, but! Must he help them? Must he help them so generously every day? Joe Scarborough Says Donald Trump Asked Three Times Why We Cant Just Use Nuclear Weapons If We Have Them: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or leave your comments below. New York (AFP) - Melania Trump, the ex-model and third wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, denied reports Thursday that questioned whether she had worked illegally as an immigrant. It is the third controversy about her in less than three weeks that the potential first lady or the Trump campaign has been forced to address as her husband inflames the political establishment with his divisive campaign for the White House. "There has been a lot of inaccurate reporting and misinformation concerning my immigration status back in 1996," Melania Trump said in a statement Thursday. "Let me set the record straight: I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period," she said. "Any allegation to the contrary is simply untrue," said Melania Trump, who became a US citizen in 2006 -- a year after she married the New York billionaire. Politico on Thursday raised questions about Melania Trump's immigration status when she first came to the United States to work as a model in the mid-1990s. Racy photographs of her, which were published in the New York Post tabloid this week, "inadvertently highlight inconsistencies" in the various accounts she has provided over the years, Politico said. "Immigration experts say, there's even a slim chance that any years-old misrepresentations to immigration authorities could pose legal problems for her today," the news site reported. Trump has campaigned aggressively on a platform promising to wipe out illegal immigration to the United States. It is the third controversy to dog the mother of one in less than three weeks. On July 18 she delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention that plagiarized a speech by First Lady Michelle Obama -- a scandal initially dismissed as "absurd" by the Trump campaign, but which they later admitted. A Trump staffer subsequently apologized, saying she had inadvertently included phrases from Obama in the speech after Melania Trump read them out as examples of the message she wanted to convey. Story continues Last week, Melania Trump also confirmed that her professional website had been deleted after US media questioned its claim that she had a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. The website had been removed "because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests," she tweeted. In recent interviews, Melania Trump herself did not claim that she had a degree, only that she had "studied" design and architecture before dropping out to pursue a modeling career in Milan and later Paris. After the New York Post published the racy pictures this week, the Trump campaign said the images were "nothing to be embarrassed about" and "a celebration of the human body as art." From Esquire Donald Trump has been extra...well, Donald Trump-y lately. Like when he kicked a crying baby out of his event in Virginia. Or when he insulted the Khan family by connecting them with "radical Islamic terrorism." Or when he accepted a veteran's Purple Heart in the rudest way possible. And we can't forget about when he went full Derek Zoolander and claimed that New York Times writers "don't write good." Must we go on? Luckily, in this garbage fire of an election, there's a bright spot: It's giving the internet plenty of fodder for jokes. And the latest meme is pure brilliance -- Donald Maroney. Yep, some good soul on Tumblr thought to combine images of Trump with Jenna Maroney quotes from 30 Rock, and the perfection of it is hysterical, albeit a little scary. Photo credit: Tumblr / Donald Maroney This sounds like a feud that would happen, somehow. Photo credit: Tumblr / Donald Maroney Turns out Jenna and Trump know about the same amount when it comes to politics. Photo credit: Tumblr / Donald Maroney And we can't forget about Trump's main response to everyone who even remotely criticizes him: Photo credit: Tumblr / Donald Maroney NBC, you didn't create Trump, did you? No, seriously...did you? Turnout in Wisconsins fall primary election on Aug. 9 is expected to be 16 percent, or more than 711,000 voters, the state elections commission announced. Thats down from 19.45 percent in the 2012 fall primary, which featured a competitive Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Since 1948, voter turnout in a fall partisan primary has ranged from 8.96 percent in 2008 to 38.9 percent in 1952. This year Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson faces a potential rematch against former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat. Johnson is running unopposed in the Republican primary, while Feingold faces Kenosha Democrat Scott Harbach in the primary. The Kenosha News described Harbachs campaign as a long-shot bid. Several Congressional seats feature primary contests, including a three-way Republican primary for an open seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble. The winner faces Democrat Tom Nelson. Also House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, faces a feisty primary challenge from businessman Paul Nehlen. A handful of state legislative races will be decided on the Aug. 9 ballot because only one party fielded candidates. That includes a three-way Democratic race for an Assembly seat in Monona. There is also a Democratic primary race for Dane County District Attorney, with incumbent Ismael Ozanne facing a challenge from former Kenosha County district attorney Bob Jambois. Wisconsins open primary system does not mean voters have to declare a party affiliation. However, they can only vote for candidates from one party. The states voter ID law will be in effect for the primary. Merck KGaA MKGAF is a science and technology company specializing in the fields of healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company's portfolio comprises a wide array of products ranging from innovative pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals to life science tools, specialty chemicals and high-tech materials. The company is focused on oncology, multiple sclerosis, infertility, growth disorders, selected cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, womens and childrens health, cough and cold as well as everyday health protection. The company reports its results in three business sectors Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials. The acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich led the company to gain access to an attractive set of established brands along with an efficient supply chain to support the delivery of over 300,000 products, thereby enabling it to serve life science customers all over the world. The companys lead candidate, avelumab, is being evaluated in phase III studies for several cancer indications, in collaboration with Pfizer. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: The companys second-quarter 2016 earnings per American Depositary Receipt (ADR) came in at 80 cents, compared to the year-ago figure of 90 cents. Revenue: The company posted revenues of $4.3 billion in the reported quarter. Key Stats: All three business units continued to perform well. Organic sales growth increased 5.1%, driven by Life Science and Healthcare segments. The acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich boosted sales in the reported quarter. Guidance: For 2016, the company expects net sales in the range of 14.915.1 billion. Backed by Sigma-Aldrich acquisition, the company expects a positive portfolio effect on sales in the low double-digit percentage range. Unfavorable foreign exchange is projected to impact sales by 35%. Story continues MERCK KGAA Price MERCK KGAA Price | MERCK KGAA Quote Check back later for our full write up on earnings report later! 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 >> 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 To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Berlin (AFP) - Public support for Angela Merkel has plummeted, mainly over the chancellor's refugee policy in the wake of a series of attacks in Germany, according to a poll published Thursday. Forty-seven percent of the 1,000 people who took part in the poll by the ARD TV station said they were satisfied with Merkel's work, 12 points down from her July rating. It was Merkel's second worst poll score since she was reelected in 2013. In February 2016, 46 percent of respondents gave favourable opinions. In this latest poll, just 34 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the government's welcoming policy towards refugees. It was the lowest result on the issue since it began to be included in the monthly poll in October. Some 65 percent said they were dissatisfied with the policy. Horst Seehofer, conservative premier of Bavaria, and a staunch critic of the government's refugee policy despite being one of Merkel's allies, saw his popularity rating soar 11 points to 44 percent. Germany's first attacks claimed by the Islamic State group took place in July. Three of the assailants were seeking asylum in Germany. A few days after the two attacks, Merkel continued to defend her migration policy, repeating the "We can do it" slogan she first used in the summer of 2015. That year Germany welcomed more than a million migrants. Merkel is expected to run for a fourth term in general elections due in just over a year. In September, regional elections will be held on her home turf of Western Mecklenburg-Pomerania, where her party is trailing in the polls. In less than one year, Brandon Maxwell has transitioned from Lady Gaga's celebrated stylist to Lady Gaga's label of choice -- and he's not stopping there. Though he's dressed a slew of celebrity clientele, including A-listers Naomi Campbell, Karlie Kloss, Kerry Washington and Kate Hudson, the self-taught designer catapulted into a new realm of prestige Tuesday night by dressing the first lady of the United States. The Perfect Lady Gaga Songs for Any Breakup Michelle Obama stepped out in a custom, strapless white gown by Maxwell, which she styled with a sleek, slicked back 'do and drop earrings. The occasion was a state dinner for the prime minister of Singapore and his wife at the White House, which Michelle hosted with her husband, Barack. A very proud moment for me and my team. A photo posted by Brandon Maxwell (@brandonmaxwell) on Aug 2, 2016 at 4:54pm PDT The achievement adds to a long and growing list for Maxwell, who, after launching his celebrated collection last September, placed one of his designs on the Oscars red carpet (on Gaga, of course, above), was named a finalist for the 2016 LVMH prize and then officially added to the CFDA's roster. "A very proud moment," Maxwell wrote on Instagram. "It has been an incredible honor for me and my team to create this dress for the First Lady. Strong and elegant, she is the embodiment of the woman that inspires me to create, and a role model for women all over the globe. I am very thankful for this opportunity." As for Michelle, this marks the second time in two weeks that she's repped a young American designer on the national stage. At last week's Democratic National Convention, FLOTUS hit the stage in a royal blue dress by Christian Siriano. Many saw the choice as a vote of support for the Project Runway alum and his message of inclusion, after he volunteered to outfit Leslie Jones for the premiere of Ghostbusters when she claimed that other designers refused. This article was originally published on The Hollywood Reporter. From Esquire It's been 15 years since 9/11, a day that forever changed the lives of all Americans, including Middle Eastern Americans like myself. Two months ago in an Idaho airport, I felt the public shame of racial profiling, undoubtedly due to my black hair and black beard. In July, my brother and his friends, all American-educated doctors from top universities, were denied an Airbnb rental for a bachelor party in Los Angeles, an all too common practice for people with first names like Majid, Omar, or Hossein. Fifteen years of this unmitigated treatment finally culminated in a presidential candidate's attempt to ban an entire religion from entering the country. Last weekend, Donald Trump did the nation, and arguably the world, one profound and long-lasting favor. Trump unintentionally brought our country's Democrats, Independents, and sensible Republicans together over the unlikeliest of causes: a Muslim-American family from Virginia. Photo credit: Getty Politics become personal when arguably the most famous man in the world spews ideologies that strip you of your identity. That's what Trump's language has done to me, an Iranian-American born in Ohio to immigrant parents. Even worse, that's what Trump's rhetoric tried to do to Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim American who, before serving in the military, volunteered to help disabled children learn to swim-and who, like many other Muslim Americans before him, loved America so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own life to defend its ideals. Which is exactly what happened in June 2004. Khan, born in the United Arab Emirates, died while protecting his fellow soldiers from a suicide bomber in Iraq. Those heartbreaking events, 12 years later, brought his parents to the national stage of the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. What happened that night (Khizr Khan pulling out a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution and asking Trump if he has read the text), and in the days that followed (Trump suggesting that Ghazala Khan was not allowed to speak because of her Muslim faith) could potentially change the fate of an election. Story continues But it's not just about the November election. Trump wasn't just attacking one Muslim woman. No, he was jabbing his thumb in the eye of every female Muslim, which includes my late grandmother. She was, and continues to be, the most influential person in my life. Indeed, it was her strong faith, conviction, and discipline that I repeatedly watched in curious awe, five times a day, as she kneeled and read the Quran in a whispered tone, the very definition of deaconess. It was by learning from her many examples-such as when she knitted the ripped shoes of children at the Iranian school where she was a principal-that I began to find my own moral compass in America. Trump wasn't just attacking one Muslim woman. No, he was jabbing his thumb in the eye of every female Muslim. Strong sentiments like those from by Sen. John McCain are how we, as a people, as a society, will go a long way in bringing disenchanted Muslim and Middle Eastern-Americans back. Speaking against Trump, McCain explained Captain Khan's reasons for joining the Army: "He was inspired as a young man by his reading of Thomas Jefferson-and he wanted to give back to the country that had taken him and his parents in as immigrants when he was only two years old." And he ended with, "Lastly, I'd like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: Thank you for immigrating to America. We're a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation-and he will never be forgotten." Many Muslims in America and across the world will not likely forget this statement, either. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="" customtitles="CNN Host Skewers Trump Aide Over the Khan Fiasco" customimages="" content="article.47210"] Trump's comments reminded me of when I first moved to New York some six years ago for a job in book publishing. It was there, sitting no more than three feet away from my desk, that an older woman calmly peppered Trump-like comments my way, simply because my family was from Iran. I felt then, as I did for many years after, a stranger in America. This past weekend went a long way in bringing me-and I'm sure, countless others-back into the loving light that, in the words of Ronald Reagan, has illuminated our great "shining city upon a hill." GettyImages 580951876 Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate, declined on Thursday to endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain's reelection bid. "I look forward to supporting Republican candidates in the days and weeks ahead all over the country, and so does Donald Trump," Pence said during an interview with NBC News when asked if he would endorse McCain. Pence added: "But the stakes in this election are so high. To restore our country and home and abroad, we need new leadership, and I'm looking forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Donald Trump to drive that new leadership forward." The vice presidential candidate also declined to endorse New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. John Weaver, a Republican strategist and a former adviser to Ohio Gov. John Kasich's campaign, slammed Pence on Twitter for the move. "I remember traveling with John McCain to Indiana to campaign for, several times, for a desperate Mike Pence," he wrote. "Shame on him." Pence's refusal to make an endorsement in either race comes days after Trump did the same while blasting both senators. McCain and Ayotte have been critical of the billionaire's candidacy. The New York businessman also declined to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, something on which Pence broke with him. NOW WATCH: Heres the footage that Republicans suggest shows Hillary Clinton lied under oath More From Business Insider The director of the Missouri State Public Defender System assigned a case this week to Gov. Jay Nixon, calling on him to represent a client in need of legal defensean effort to draw attention to a program he described as overwhelmed and underfunded. Weve tried everything else, Michael Barrett, director of the Missouri State Public Defender System, told TIME. These people deserve their constitutional right, and Im just making sure they get it. The states public defender systemwhich employs about 350 attorneys who have handled about 82,000 cases in the past 12 monthsranks 49th in the U.S. in per-capita public defense spending, according to the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. In his letter to Nixon on Tuesday, Barrett said that while facing a lack of funding, he wants to avoid closing more public defender district offices. He cited a part of Missouri state law that gives him the authority to delegate the legal representation of any person to any member of the state bar of Missouri. As of yet, I have not utilized this provision because it is my sincere belief that it is wrong to reassign an obligation placed on the state by the 6th and 14th Amendments to private attorneys who have in no way contributed to the current crisis, Barrett wrote. However, given the extraordinary circumstances that compel me to entertain any and all avenues for relief, it strikes me that I should begin with the one attorney in the state who not only created this problem, but is in a unique position to address it. The Missouri legislature granted the public defender system a $4.5 million budget increase in June, after the public defenders office requested $23.1 million, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. In a lawsuit filed last month, Barrett said Nixona Democrat who served as attorney general before becoming governorlater restricted $3.5 million of that budget increase when he slashed $115 million from the state budget. Story continues Gov. Nixon has always supported indigent criminal defendants having legal representation. That is why under his administration the state public defender has seen a 15 percent increase in funding at the same time that other state agencies have had to tighten their belts and full-time state employment has been reduced by 5,100, Scott Holste, Nixons communications director, said in an email. Barrett disputed that 15% figure, citing rising litigation costs and an increasing case load. The system saw a 12% increase in cases between 2014 and 2015, he said. This is clearly a national issue, but there are a number of states, including Missouri and Louisiana recently, that have had particular problems, said Marc Schindler, executive director of the Justice Policy Institute, which has studied under-resourced public defense systems nationally. We, in recent years, have not had a commitment from elected officials to provide appropriate resources so people can get the type of defense that theyre entitled to. But Holste questioned the legality of Barretts assignment. It is well established that the public defender does not have the legal authority to appoint private counsel, he said, arguing that such authority should fall to a circuit court judge, per another state law, and require the consent of the private attorney. But Barrett, who hadnt yet heard from the governors office on Thursday afternoon, said he disagrees. I can cite the provision that gives me the authority, he said. He can certainly feel free to challenge it in court. Ultimately, Barrett said his goal is less about this particular case than it is about the systems funding: The ideal outcome is that the governor releases the funds and lets us do our job. Indonesia's Go-Jek has secured a hefty second round of funding, and the start-up could be expanding into other South East Asian countries, while Grab of neighboring Singapore is preparing for increased competition from Uber. The two-wheeled ride-hailing company will "potentially" expand into other South East Asian territories as a result of its $550M injection, TechCrunch reported. Go-Jek also provides car-based transportation as well as food, shopping, and parcel delivery among its services. Earlier in the week, Uber made peace with Didi Chuxing in China, but the Californian transportation company is now thought to be focusing on South East Asia. Meanwhile, Singaporean firm Grab is looking for $1 billion from investors, reports Business Insider, including from Didi, with CEO Anthony Tan having said that he expects Uber "to turn more attention and divert resources to our region." "But we have seen that when the local champion stays true to their beliefs and strengths, they can prevail." It was ladies night of a sort this week on Mr. Robot, as the FBIs slowly but surely tightening noose around the Five/Nine hackers put Darlene, Angela and Dom in distinctly precarious positions. RELATEDUSA Networks Falling Water, Eyewitness Get Fall Premiere Dates Seeing the FBI amass far more clues to fsocietys involvement than she ever imagined, Darlene made the decision to reach out to Angela, leveraging their shared interest in protecting Elliot with the AllSafe employee-turned-E Corp spinmeister. Darlene wants something from Angela namely, her assistance in hacking the FBIs E Corp field office and their friendship comes into play, notes Carly Chaikin, who plays fsocietys current ringleader. Angela at first was taken aback by the overture, but after getting some face time with Elliot herself and after having ex-boyfriend Ollie try to record their conversation about the fateful CD that marked ground zero for the hack! she comes around and carefully meets up with Darlene at the groups appropriated HQ. Is Angela completely on board with fsocietys cover-your-ass scheme? I cant tell you what she does, Portia Doubleday hedges, but Angela is going to do something with Darlene that is pretty spectacular. RELATEDUSA Networks Suits Renewed for Season 7 That is good to hear, since it appears that Elliot might be out of commission for a bit on his end of things, having made the mistake of looking at what Rays broken website peddles namely, a wide variety of wildly illegal things, from young abducted girls to munitions and more. Ratted out by Rat Tail, Elliot had been dragged out of bed and was getting an epic beatdown from Rays enforcers as we faded to black. Elsewhere, Joanna Wellick had her goon dispatch with the parking lot attendant who was getting way too antsy about keeping mum to protect the scrawny kid in the hoodie. Even more dramatic, after the deed was done, she inquired about every single detail of the kill, while calmly breastfeeding. Later, Joanna received a call on the burner phone and only heard breathing but pleaded with Tyrell to identify himself, to say something. Story continues Over at the cop shop, Dom and the FBI made tracks for Beijing, to snoop around E Corps servers. Upon arrival, they were introduced to Minister Zheng (sp?) aka White Roses male persona! During their first sitdown, Dom made the mistake of abruptly suggesting the culpability of the Dark Army hacker group based out of China. Afterward, at a party held at his lavish home, the minister when not regaling Dom with the exquisite fashions in the closet of his sister engaged in an almost Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling banter with the G-woman, trying to suss out the origin of her law enforcement career. Did Doms (unwitting) encounters with the Dark Army leader take her too close to the flame? At episodes end, Doms FBI field trip to one of E Corps Chinese server farms was interrupted by a harrowing hail of gunfire from two masked men, dropping colleagues left and right. Dom grabbed a gun and dispatched with one of the shooters, but as the hour drew to a close, the other seemingly had her in the crosshairs. Its no spoiler to say that, having just been introduced (and as revealed in our Comic-Con video Q&A), Dom is around at least a while longer. But the shootout will leave a mark on the intrepid fed. Well see her really struggling with having to deal with that, to go on from that, says Grace Gummer, adding that the incident both scared Dom as well as confirmed that her investigation is on the right track. Its definitely a big turning point for her. What did you think of the episode Logic Bomb? VIDEO: Mr. Robot Cast Reacts to That Theory, Teases Badass Season 2 Related stories Was BrainDead Sex Good for You? Did Night Of Miss a Bloody Mess? Frightful Olympics Water Hazard? And More Qs! Suits Renewed for Season 7 USA Network's Falling Water, Eyewitness Get Fall Premiere Dates From Country Living Back to school season is upon us, which means its time for new school supplies, first day of school pictures, and that dreaded four-letter word: lice. But this year, its not just exposure to regular lice that parents have to worry about: Theres now a treatment resistant super lice thats spreading across the United States. A whopping 42 out of 48 states tested are overrun by this so-called super lice, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology. In these 42 states, according to NBCs Today show, 100 percent of the lice tested were resistant to over-the-counter treatments. In six other states - New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Oregon, New Mexico, and North Dakota - some, but not all, the lice tested were resistant to over-the-counter treatments. Alaska and West Virginia were not part of the study. The problem, according to the Today show, is that lice have mutated, making it more difficult for the chemicals in over-the-counter treatments to lock on to the lice and eliminate it. Last August, a study made waves when it found that at least 25 states had developed treatment resistant lice. Kyong Sup Yoon, Ph.D., who worked on that study and this latest one, suggests that the only way to effectively treat these lice are with different chemicals, ones that are typically available through a prescription. If you use a chemical over and over, these little creatures will eventually develop resistance, Yoon said last year. So we have to think before we use a treatment. The good news is head lice dont carry disease. Theyre more a nuisance than anything else. Dr. Robin Gehris, the chief of pediatric dermatology at the Childrens Hospital of Pittsburg, told Today that if your child has head lice, it is more likely resistance lice than not. Gheris recommends that parents try to get rid of the infection by using over-the-counter treatment twice. Treat the entire head and leave it on for a few hours and then repeat a week later, she told Today. If you still see things moving after the second treatment its time to call the doctor. Story continues There are countless home remedies to treat lice, including putting mayonnaise, olive oil, and lotion on the scalp, but Dr. Gehris cannot guarantee their effectiveness. To parents gearing up to send their kids back to school, keep the suggested plan of action in mind: use over the counter treatment twice, and if the problem persists, pay a visit to your doctor for a prescription treatment. From Esquire (Optional Musical Accompaniment To This Post) Wednesday's edition of Where In The Hell Have The Rails Gone? began early, when one of the co-hosts of Squint And The Meat Puppet let a particularly scary kitty out of the burlap, as reported by CNBC, one of the sister networks of the National Broadcasting Company, which now was merely two days away from the First Olympiad of the Flesh-Eating Bacteria Era. "Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them why can't we use them," Scarborough said on his "Morning Joe" program. Scarborough made the Trump comments 52 seconds into an interview with former Director of Central Intelligence and ex-National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden. Is this something that actually happened? Who knows? It reads for all the world like one of He, Trump's claims that some top man somewhere told him that Martians are mating with scallops in the Central Park lagoon. Let's assume for the moment that it is true, and that some foreign policy expert was so terrified by this that his first thought was to call Squint, so that the waking nation could be told that one of the two major-party presidential nominees was, in reality, Major Kong. Does this tell us anything that we didn't know before? Why yes, it does. In the immortal words of an anonymous Irish headline writer, regarding a story about the closing of a beloved saloon, the ship is deserting the sinking rats. Photo credit: John Moore/Getty The last straw for most folks-including obvious anagram Reince Priebus, the emptiest suit in American politics-was He, Trump's musing that he "wasn't there yet" on endorsing Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny-starver from the state of Wisconsin. Given all that's happened since the Republicans closed their Masque of the Red Death convention in Cleveland, it says something about Priebus' moral compass that this was what it takes to make him realize the true nature of his party's nominee, but let's leave that aside for the moment. Story continues Khizr Khan's gift for turning the knife is plainly driving the candidate and what's left of his operation out of what's left of its mind. Just yesterday, spokesbot Katrina Pierson blamed the death of Humayan Khan on President Obama and Hillary Clinton, even though Captain Khan was killed in action in 2004. Later, just after Jeff Zucker had argued publicly that hiring him was a master stroke of media genius, as our pals at Tiger Beat On The Potomac reported, CNN embarrassment Corey Lewandowski decided that the time was right to bring the whole Birther thing back up. Via TPM: "Look, the only reason it's germane is because she brought the issue up, and said Donald Trump raised the issue of his Harvard transcripts. And I just simply said, 'Have those transcripts ever been released?' And the question was 'Did he get in as a U.S. citizen, or was he brought in to Harvard University as a citizen who wasn't from this country?' I don't know the answer." There are people at CNN that I like and respect-nobody on TV works harder than Dana Bash and Jake Tapper is a helluva reporter-but no news organization covering this freak show has demolished its credibility worse than CNN has. Between Lewandowski and Scottie Nell Hughes, Jeff Zucker should go to Media SuperMax for life. Finally, somebody inside Bedlam whispered to a number of reporters, including MSNBC's indefatigable Ali Vitali, that the campaign staff is looking longingly at the distance between the windows and the sidewalk. This prompted First Mate StarbucerPaul Manafort to issue a stern denial that everybody is just mailing it in at this point because the candidate is losing his marbles. The response from the campaign was pretty much what you'd expect. TBOTP has the wrap-up: Citing a longtime ally of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, CNBC correspondent John Harwood tweeted Tuesday that Manafort is "not challenging Trump anymore. Mailing it in. Staff suicidal." Jason Miller, Trump's senior communications adviser, responded with a Federalist article critiquing Harwood's performance as a moderator at CNBC's debate last October. I'm convinced. Thanks, Jason. Anyway, all of this has people speculating more openly about a mutiny belowdecks against the party's nominee. Technically, there's nothing stopping the party from stripping its nomination from He, Trump. Politically, of course, it would be cataclysmic, at least for the moment. Photo credit: Joe Mahoney/Getty However, I suspect that, within days, the elite political media would congratulate the Republican Party for this bold move, and work very hard to establish a Year Zero horse-race narrative between Hillary Rodham Clinton and whatever stalking horse-Mitt Romney? Paul Ryan? Zombie Rutherford Hayes?-the party throws out there. The fact that a vulgar talking yam decimated his primary opponents by running a campaign based on incoherent bigotry and mindless xenophobia, and the fact that he was able to do that because the GOP had cultivated those qualities over four decades, will go swiftly into the bonfire of institutional memory. This, of course, assumes that He, Trump would get out of the way, which ignores the fact that this is a fellow who gets into a three-day public rage over a heretofore obscure pair of Gold Star parents, and which also ignores the fact that he's lost his marbles. He's just as likely to stay in the race and spend the next 90-odd days with the Rage-o-Tron Deluxe dialed up to 11. (And, frankly, he'd have something of a point.) It also ignores the fact that ratfcker supreme Roger Stone is already out there stirring up civil insurrection in the event that HRC wins in November. How many more rats would get vigorously fcked if the party chucked its nominee over the side? The tree of liberty and all that (Financially, of course, it would be a circus, because if you think He, Trump would leave without getting luxuriously paid off, I have an Ivanka Fellowship from Trump University I would like to sell you.) I would watch the news carefully all day Wednesday to see if the stirrings in the crew quarters gets louder as everyone gets his rum ration and moves towards the weapons locker. Don't believe, no don't believe/Don't believe everything you hear Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. By Wa Lone (Reuters) - Three ethnic armed groups excluded from Myanmar's peace process will no longer be required to surrender, prior to joining the talks, a Myanmar military negotiator said on Thursday, a softening of the armed forces' tone toward the insurgents. Fighting on the eastern border with China last year pitted the military against the predominantly ethnic Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and its allies, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA). Until now, the military has demanded that the three groups disarm before being allowed to join peace negotiations that include other Myanmar ethnic armed organizations. But the army has relaxed that demand after the groups have shown "they really wanted peace", Khin Zaw Oo, a member of the Myanmar Peace Commission, told Reuters in an interview. "Previously, we made the exact demand that they lay down their arms if they wanted to get involved in the peace process - they have found that difficult to accept," said the retired lieutenant general, who is due to meet the armed groups soon. Instead, he added, the army now wants the rebels to issue a statement "showing their political willingness to abandon their weapons". Khin Zaw Oo declined to say exactly what this would entail, however. "It does not mean surrender, they just have to show their desire and willingness," he said. "Because we want all of them to be included. That's why we relaxed that previous condition. We agreed to solve their difficulty to comply with our demand." Khin Zaw Oo and two members of the peace panel will meet the groups "very soon" to discuss conditions for their participation in a nation-wide peace conference planned for the end of August. The decision to meet the groups and potentially invite them to join nationwide ceasefire negotiations is a departure in the stance of the armed forces, which have so far flatly refused to recognize them as legitimate parties in talks. The army and government leader Aung San Suu Kyi share the same goal of ending the armed conflict before the next elections in 2020, Khin Zaw Oo said. "We are working toward democracy," he added. "That's why we want to see all armed groups enter politics together, with no armed conflict." (Reporting by Wa Lone; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Viacoms overall performance continues to highlight the need for changes to leadership at the company, as National Amusements and many other investors have called for. In recent years, the companys senior management has overseen a steep erosion of revenue growth, earnings, operating performance, financial capacity and shareholder returnswith Viacom ranking at or near the very bottom of industry peers across many of these critical metrics. At the same time, there has been a significant exodus of creative and business talent. Viacoms third quarter performance does little if anything to change these adverse trends. It is National Amusements view that the current Viacom leadership has failed to articulate a credible longterm plan to reverse the companys decline. Viacoms decline has manifested itself in many ways: 1. Over the two years ending June 15, 2016, the day before National Amusements announced the election of five new Viacom directors, Viacoms stock price dropped more than 50% compared to a median decline of 12% for industry peers. Total shareholder returns have also consistently lagged by large margins, declining 48% compared to a median decline of 10% for industry peers over the same two year period. Further, the companys multiple to earnings has significantly contracted and stands at a meaningful discount to peers. 2. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of Viacoms revenue between 2013 and 2015 was negative 3% compared to median industry CAGR of more than 3%, and this diverging trend has continued through the first half of 2016. 3. Major Viacom networks have lost important creative talent and experienced substantial declines. Over the period 2013 to 2015, ratings were down doubledigits, advertising revenues shrunk and subscriber losses mounted. Viacoms performance across each of these metrics is substantially worse than prevailing industry trends, and this has continued through the first half of 2016. 4. Management has foregone valuable business opportunities and instead devoted enormous capital to share buybacks in lieu of investments in core franchises, digital distribution and strategic M&A. Between FY 2011 and FY 2015, Viacom spent approximately $15 billion on buybacks at an average cost of approximately $61 per sharenearly 40% more than its current stock pricewhile free cash flow has fallen by $750 million over the last two years. 5. This week, Moodys Investors Service warned that it may downgrade Viacoms credit rating,which could make it more expensive for the company to continue to finance its debt. Notwithstanding managements failures and Viacoms declining performance, CEO Philippe Daumans contract was extended through 2018, he was promoted to Chairman, and (as Viacom disclosed in January 2016) he was awarded $54.2 million in compensation for 2015, a 22% increase over 2014. Mr. Dauman is the third highest paid CEO in the United States and among the worst as measured by pay for performance. Including his prenegotiated golden parachute, he stands to receive almost a half billion dollars for a tenure that has seen the marked decline of one of the nations greatest media companies. National Amusements is confident in the underlying value and potential of Viacoms assets. To begin the process of strengthening Viacom, National Amusements exercised its rights to appoint five new directors, with impeccable credentials, who will bring fresh forwardlooking thinking to the board. Other major investors have endorsed these new directors and urged the board to promptly replace current leadership. On the day that National Amusements announced these appointments, Viacoms stock price surged 7%. However, against the interests of all shareholders, the current board continues to allow Viacom to remain in a state of prolonged and costly paralysis, obstructing changes that are essential to revitalize the companys assets and create longterm value. National Amusements believes that it is time for Viacoms current directors to stop supporting failed management and start representing shareholders, by allowing the new board to take the reins, and return the company to its position as an industry leader. By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's new Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda named a minority leader to the key position of home minister in his first appointments on Thursday, seeking reconciliation after months of protests by southern plainsfolk over a new constitution. The 61-year-old former rebel commander has vowed to tackle the grievances of the Madhesi minority that demands a greater say in central government by amending the constitution adopted last September. The Madhesis, who have close cultural and family ties with neighboring India, have staged protests against the charter, saying it marginalized them by dividing their southern homeland into several states. Violence, blamed by many Madhesis on the use of excessive police force, claimed more than 50 lives in the protests that petered out in February. Prachanda appointed Bimalendra Nidhi of the centrist Nepali Congress, the biggest coalition party, as deputy prime minister in charge of the home ministry, officials said. Among those appointed to the cabinet was Krishna Bahadur Mahara from Prachanda's Maoist party, who will also be a deputy prime minister in charge of the finance ministry. "Initially only a few people will represent in the cabinet, more will join later," said Prakash Sharan Mahat, an official of the Nepali Congress. Prachanda, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, still uses his wartime pseudonym, which means "fierce". He has promised to keep his cabinet small, after predecessor K.P. Oli was criticized for appointing a 32-member coalition with six deputy prime ministers. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Clarence Fernandez) EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has joined upcoming ITV drama Paranoid as co-producer. From RED Production Company, the eight-part thriller will air on ITV in the UK and roll out worldwide on the streaming service later this year. The conspiracy mystery centers around the murder of a female doctor in a rural childrens playground in front of an abundance of eyewitnesses. The Paradise and Lark Rise To Candlefords Bill Gallagher is writer and will executive produce with RED founder Nicola Shindler (Happy Valley). Producer is Tom Sherry (Prey, Ordinary Lies). Paranoid stars Indira Varma (Game Of Thrones, New Blood), Robert Glenister (The Musketeers, Law & Order UK), Neil Stuke (Suspects, Doctor Foster), Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey) and Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey). Set in the small fictional British town of Woodmere, a group of detectives must piece together what happened on the fateful morning Dr Angela Benton took her three-year-old son Luke to the playground. Watching Luke play alongside other moms and their toddlers, Angela is set upon and brutally stabbed by a man whose face is covered from view. His bizarre and disturbing behavior is noticed moments before the attack by eyewitness Lucy Cannonbury (Sharp). Her version of events instantly rings alarm bells with dedicated and compassionate cop Nina Suresh (Varma), but fellow seasoned detective Bobby Day (Glenister) is more willing to accept Lucys account of Angelas tragic murder. As the investigation deepens and darkens, the detectives realize they are in a mammoth battle with a formidable global foe whose dark dealings reach into every corner of the world. The David and Goliath story sees its heroes taking on their own personal demons before they can do battle with the real enemy. Mark Tonderai is lead director with Kenny Glennan and John Duthie also helming. Studiocanals Rola Bauer, within her U.S. co-production mandate, worked with RED and Netflix to put the deal together. Studiocanal will provide all studio services including worldwide post-Netflix sales, overseen by Katrina Neylon, EVP Sales & Marketing. Story continues Shooting took place in Cheshire and in Cologne and Dusseldorf, Germany earlier this year. Related stories 'Altered Carbon': James Purefoy, Martha Higareda & 2 Others Cast In Netflix Series 'The Get Down' Review: Baz Luhrmann's Sprawling Netflix Series Scores Scope Of Hip Hop's Best 'Rocky Horror' To World Premiere At Mipcom; Machinima Pacts With Sky, Amazon - Global Briefs From Esquire For many-well, for me-sherry conjures memories of furtively swigging a sweet, creamy substance from a sticky bottle stowed in the back of grandma's cupboard when no one was watching. Despite its low-quality reputation, the fortified wine is one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated categories in the world of wines and spirits. But that's about to change: as we learned at this year's Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in late July-think Comic-Con for the booze industry-sherry is the next big thing. Photo credit: Nola Lopez With varieties spanning the spectrum from thin and dry to viscous and sweet, the beverage is anything but new: It has been made in Spain for centuries and was integral to that county's culture well before the British brought it home as a spoil of war in the late 16th Century. Stateside, it enjoyed early, immense popularity (we're talking colonial-times early). The sherry cobbler-a mix of sherry, sugar, and citrus served over crushed ice-was so trendy in 19th Century America that it led to the rise of the straw so that those with rotted teeth could sip their cocktails pain-free. Post-Prohibition, sherry was gradually pigeonholed as the forgettable sweet aperitif synonymous with brands like Harvey's Bristol Cream-a bastardization of the traditional form. Dry sherries were nowhere to be found. Thus, with the rise of dry wine's popularity in the second half of the Twentieth Century, sherry fell out of favor, tarnished by its false reputation of always having a cloying sweetness. "It's a great lesson in how fashion so often fails us," says Talia Baiocchi, author of Sherry (2014) and co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the online magazine PUNCH. Today, dry sherry is gaining traction. Part of that is the evolution of the American palate toward acidic, savory, and bitter flavors. Another is that chefs and sommeliers are realizing it pairs together well with food, from oysters to shrimp to Iberico ham. But its revival can be largely attributed to bartenders who've rediscovered its important role in many classic cocktail recipes. "The reclamation of sherry as a classic cocktail ingredient-and, perhaps more importantly, as a modern one-really acted as the gateway for sherry back into the consumer's consciousness," says Baiocchi. Story continues WHAT IS SHERRY? Certain aspects of sherry production remain constant: By law, it is made from white grapes grown in the "Sherry Triangle" anchored by the city of Jerez de la Frontera in the southwestern Spanish province of Cadiz, in which the very light, chalky soil, called albariza, uniquely maintains moisture during the rain-deprived summer months. The grapes are fermented, the resulting wine is blended with a grape spirit to up the alcohol content, and the boozy liquid is aged in barrels that are stored aboveground (as opposed to in a cellar). All sherries are produced using the solera method-in which different vintages are combined during years of barrel aging to create the final product. Photo credit: F.J. Jimenez/Getty But that's where the similarities from one bottle to the next end. A good sherry's flavor profile is extremely complex, and can range from notes of citrus, yeast, or sweet caramel on the nose followed by salty, savory, or nutty flavors on the tongue. Many factors affect the end result-the location of the vineyard (or bodega) in relation to the nearby Atlantic Ocean, the alcohol content (ranging from 15% to 22%). But what most defines the style of sherry is the level of exposure to flor-a layer of yeast that grows at the top of most dry sherry barrels as they age, which prevents oxidation to varying degrees depending on how much the yeasty cap covers. Oxidized styles such as oloroso have shed their bright-fruit flavors entirely, giving way to more candied-fruit and nutty flavors. Sherries that have been partly or wholly protected from oxidation must be treated like other wine after opening-they should be consumed quickly to be fully enjoyed before losing freshness. I don't think Grandma realized that. As sherry's popularity returns, so too has the interest in innovative production methods. One such style is known as en rama, in which bottling takes place when the juice is unfiltered, resulting in a cloudy liquid with more minerality. "En rama is one of the more fascinating developments of late," says Rafael Mateo, owner of New York City's Pata Negra, a Spanish-style wine bar featuring a long list of sherries. "It is pure. It is all the rage now." In order of lowest to highest exposure to oxidation, here are the most common styles of dry sherry and a recommended bottle for each: STYLE: FINO Description: The classic and most widely available style. A full flor cap covers the barrel as it ages, and the spirit is therefore not exposed to air at all. Bottle Recommendation: Equipo Navazos Macharnudo ($$$) STYLE: MANZANILLA Description: This sub-style of fino "must be made in Sanlucar de Barrameda," says Mateo. This particular bottle is in the en rama style. Bottle Recommendation: Barbadillo Solear en Rama ($) STYLE: AMONTILLADO Description: This style of sherry is partially aged with a full flor before being exposed to oxidation in the barrel. Mateo describes the style as "brown, dry, nutty, and complex." Bottle Recommendation: Lustau Los Arcos ($) STYLE: PALO CORTADO Description: The most enigmatic of dry sherries, this style falls somewhere between amontillado and oloroso on the oxidation spectrum and is classified as such at the discretion of the winemaker. Bottle Recommendation: Rey Fernando de Castilla Antique ($$) STYLE: OLOROSO Description: This style is is wholly exposed to oxidation during barrel aging, giving it a darker color and richness. Bottle Recommendation: El Maestro Sierra 15 anos ($) SHERRY, STIRRED Sherry's return to cocktail menus has been as a sort of Trojan Horse, appearing first as a modifier rather than a base. (An explanation of those terms by way of example: gin or vodka is the base of a Martini, and vermouth is the modifier.) While speaking at a seminar at Tales of the Cocktail, Michael Callahan, General Manager and founding bartender of Singapore's 28 Hong Kong Street, said, "You're not seeing it used as a base that often." But he believes that the more bartenders incorporate it, the more popular it will become: "By educating staff and patrons, they are going to start wanting more of it." In that spirit, here are a few of our favorites-one old, one adapted from a classic, and one new-to get you started ahead of the inevitable curve. Photo credit: Nola Lopez UP-TO-DATE Adapted from: Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo R. Ensslin (1916) Ingredients: 1.25 oz Amontillado Sherry 1.25 oz Rye 0.25 oz Grand Marnier 2 dashes Angostura bitters Lemon twist, for garnish INSTRUCTIONS Add all ingredients except the garnish, to a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with the lemon twist. Photo credit: Nola Lopez ADONIS From: Evan Bucholz, Brix and Rye, Greenport, NY Background: While its exact origin is unknown, the cocktail was named after the play, "Adonis," which debuted at the Bijou Theater on Broadway in 1884. This recipe is an interpretation of the original, which called only for two parts "dry sherry" and one part sweet vermouth. Ingredients: 1 oz Sweet Vermouth (preferably Carpano Antica) 1 oz Amontillado Sherry 1 oz Fino Sherry Lemon twist, for garnish INSTRUCTIONS Combine all ingredients except the lemon twist in a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until chilled. Strain the cocktail into a cocktail glass. Express the oils from the lemon twist over the glass and drop it in as garnish. Photo credit: Nola Lopez EUROPEAN UNION From: John Myers, Bar Manager, Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, Maine Ingredients: 2.5 oz amontillado 1 oz Byrhh 0.75 oz Aperol Grapefruit twist, for garnish INSTRUCTIONS Add all ingredients except the garnish, to a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Express the oils from a wide grapefruit twist over the glass and garnish with the spent twist. Brett Moskowitz can be found on Twitter at @bmoskowitz. From Road & Track Last year, Honda announced that its next-generation Civic Type R will finally come to the United States. Ever since that announcement, Honda hasn't had much else to say about the Civic Type R, instead preferring to focus on the launch of the Civic sedan and Civic coupe. But if the latest rumor is accurate, the upcoming hot hatch will get a huge boost in power. AutoExpress reports that the tenth-generation Civic Type R's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder will make somewhere around 340 horsepower. Compared to the already powerful current version (shown above), that's an extra 34 ponies. But Honda probably won't be adding all-wheel drive in order to handle that extra twist. No, AutoExpress says the Civic Type R will stick with front-wheel drive. The six-speed manual will reportedly remain, as well. Considering that the current Europe-only Type R initially set a new front-wheel drive world record at the Nurburgring, a new version with even more power should be frightfully quick. We might not have to wait long to find out more. The report says Honda will show the Civic Type R at the Paris Motor Show in October. And while we've seen a prototype running around the Nurburgring with a large wing, AutoExpress thinks the production version will debut with a more subtle spoiler and somewhat more conventional looks. The question is, will Honda's new hardcore hot hatch be fast enough to take back the Nurburgring's front-wheel-drive record from the Volkswagen GTI Clubsport S? We can't wait to find out. LONDON (Reuters) - Hundreds of maintenance workers employed by Wood Group on Shell's North Sea platforms started a 48-hour strike on Thursday over a pay dispute but field production or maintenance schedules were not affected, Shell said. Two of the affected Shell oil and gas platforms, Nelson and Shearwater, are currently on outage for planned maintenance unrelated to the strike, a spokesman said. Workers stationed on these platforms who have gone on strike have been replaced by others through changes in work schedules, he added. "We expect the stoppages to be completed by the early part of next week," he said. Over 400 workers are taking part in the second strike action in just one week over protests against pay cuts and changes in work schedules on the back of cost savings across the industry. On July 26, the same workers downed tools for 24 hours in what was the first North Sea strike action undertaken by Unite members in 28 years. As many as 120,000 oil workers are expected to have lost their jobs by the end of this year in an industry-wide clamping down on costs as weak oil prices have reduced profits. Wood Group said it had agreed to suspend the changes to pay and working schedules to allow further discussions with employees and unions. "We are hugely disappointed that industrial action is progressing despite the significant movements made," said Dave Stewart, Wood Group's chief executive for its eastern region business. "The unions remain available for serious and meaningful talks," said Mick Cash, general secretary of RMT union. (Reporting by Karolin Schaps; Editing by Adrian Croft) Buenos Aires (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that no terrorist attack on the United States had ever been committed by a refugee resettled in the country. "In the course of our experience with counterterrorism, not one event in the United States, of terror, has ever been committed by a refugee who was let in the country," Kerry told a news conference in Argentina. Kerry noted that some acts had been committed by people who were traveling in the US or there on a legal visiting basis, "but not a refugee who has been resettled." His comment touched on a sensitive issue in the run-up to November's US presidential election. The provocative Republican contender Donald Trump has called for a halt to Syrian refugees entering the United States, suggesting there could be terrorists among them. The United States has suffered a string of attacks including last December's mass shooting in San Bernadino, California. One of the two suspects in that attack was a Pakistani immigrant but not a refugee. Kerry was responding to a question about security in connection with Argentina's decision to accept 3,000 refugees from war-torn Syria. "We have developed a sufficient level of screening, of a very in-depth background check" for incoming refugees, Kerry said. "We are very comfortable that we are bringing in people who will be a great plus to our country as we believe they will be a plus to your country." Syrian and Lebanese community groups estimate that there are more than three million people in Argentina who are descended from those countries. US President Barack Obama is scheduled to host a summit on refugees at the United Nations in New York in September. Kerry spoke alongside his Argentine counterpart Susana Malcorra at the foreign ministry in Buenos Aires. He was visiting Argentina before heading to Brazil to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. The second Pure & Crafted Festival, August 12-13 in Berlin, will be headlined by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, with Mando Diao and Tricky's Skilled Mechanics project also prominent. Presented by BMW Motorrad, the 2016 Pure & Crafted festival makes for a last chance to see both Noel Gallagher and Mando Diao before the end of the year. Support over the two days comes from Band Of Skulls, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Abby, The King Blues, Tim Vantol, Smile And Burn, PINS, Treetop Flyers and Otherkin. Six of the best from the Berlinmusiker Acoustic showcase series will also be performing, and a Punk Rock Karaoke celebrates the 40th anniversary of the punk music movement. The Wheels Area allows motorcycle owners to get to grips with the innards of their machines, while New York's Motorcycle Film Festival and the Rollin' Eyes motorcycle culture photography show will also be in attendance. Finland-based Nokia Corporations NOK second-quarter 2016 earnings per share (on an adjusted basis) of 0.03 (approximately 4 cents) were in line with Zacks Consensus Estimate. This quarter marked the second one for Nokia post the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent. In the year-ago quarter, Nokia had reported earnings of 0.09 (approximately 10 cents) per share. Revenues declined 11% year over year (on a comparable combined company basis) to 5.6 billion (approximately $6.3 billion) and also fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.6 billion. A disappointing performance by the Nokia Networks division hurt the top line. Quarterly adjusted gross margin was 38.8% in the reported quarter, compared with 39.2% in the prior-year quarter. Operating margin decreased 440 basis points to 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Nokia exited the second quarter of 2016 with net cash from operating activities of negative 620 million, as against 460 million at the end of 2015. Nokia Networks Segment Total revenue was approximately 5,228 million (approximately $5,904 million), down 11% year over year (on a comparable combined company basis). At constant currency, segmental net sales were down 9%. Notably, net sales declined in all regions, leading to the segments below-par performance. Net sales declined in North America (12%), Middle East & Africa (24%), Latin America (16%), Asia-Pacific (6%), Greater China (5%) and Europe (12%). Segmental gross margin contracted 50 basis points to 37.4% in the reported quarter. Quarterly adjusted operating margin came in at 6% compared with 8.7% a year ago. The segment includes Ultra Broadband Networks and IP Networks and Applications. The 12% decline in the Ultra Broadband Networks sub-group to 3,807 million hurt segmental sales. Ultra Broadband Networks comprises Mobile Networks and Fixed Networks. Ultra Broadband Networks results suffered due to a 14% reduction in net sales of Mobile Networks to 3,185 million. Fixed Networks net sales climbed 7% to 622 million. Story continues Net sales in the IP Networks and Applications sub-group decreased 11% to 1,421 million mainly due to the 7% decline in net sales at IP/Optical Networks to 1,088 million. Net sales in the Applications & Analytics unit fell 20% to 333 million. Nokia Technologies Segment Quarterly total revenue was 194 million (approximately $219 million), down 11% year over year. Adjusted operating margin in the reported quarter fell to 45.9% from 54.6% a year ago. Group Common and Other Net sales climbed 7% to 271 million (approximately $306 million). The upside was driven by strong sales at Alcatel Submarine Networks. Segmental net sales increased 3% on a constant currency basis. NOKIA CP-ADR A Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise NOKIA CP-ADR A Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | NOKIA CP-ADR A Quote Outlook The telecom giant, that officially took control of rival Alcatel-Lucent in Jan 2016, now expects to realize annual cost synergies of 1.2 billion from the deal in 2018 (the previous guidance had called for net operating cost synergies of over 900 million). Capital expenditure for the company is still projected at approximately 650 million for 2016. The company expects net sales in its primary networks division to decline in 2016 due to a declining wireless infrastructure market, among other headwinds. Segmental operating margin is now forecasted in the band of 7% to 9% (previous guidance: above 7%) for 2016. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Nokia presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the broader Computer & Technology sector may consider NTT DOCOMO Inc. DCM, KT Corp. KT and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. NTT. All the three stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong 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 >> 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 NOKIA CP-ADR A (NOK): Free Stock Analysis Report NIPPON TELE-ADR (NTT): Free Stock Analysis Report KT CORP (KT): Free Stock Analysis Report NTT DOCOMO -ADR (DCM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Noram is one of the largest direct holders of lithium claims in Nevada's Clayton Valley VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 4, 2016 / Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NRM, Frankfurt: N7R) ("Noram" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of Phase III exploration on its South Block (Zeus, Hades and Spartan) lithium claim groups in Nevada's Clayton Valley (see Figure 1). The intent of the Phase III program is to collect additional geological data and prepare an exploration plan for submission to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as the basis of Noram's permit application to carry out an initial core drilling program. Phase III will focus on the Zeus and Hades claim groups, where previously reported surface and sub-surface sample assay values ranged from 206 ppm to a high of 1,670 ppm lithium and averaged 780 ppm lithium within the claystones (see news released on July 22, 2016 and July 26, 2016). Work will include further geological mapping for structure, faulting, strike, dip, stratigraphy and correlation of the lithium-rich claystone units to further understand their continuity from one area to the next. It is expected that additional samples will be collected to assist with the correlation process and to enhance the sample database. The geological work will be followed by drill hole staking to determine hole locations, access and logistics. It is anticipated that the initial drilling campaign will include several dozen shallow, 60 to 80 feet (18 to 24 meters), core drill holes. The exact number of drill holes will be determined once the geological mapping is complete and the permitting is in place. The Company has engaged Bradley Peek, MSc and CPG, as independent technical consultant to oversee the Phase III program. Mr. Peek has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from the University of Nebraska, a Master of Science Degree in Geology from the University of Alaska; and is a member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (Certified Professional Geologist, 11299) and a member of the Society of Economic Geologists. Story continues "We are very pleased to be advancing our Clayton Valley project to the next stage of exploration after the very positive results from our Phase I and II surface and sub-surface sampling programs," said Mark Ireton, President of Noram. The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Collins, PGeo, who is a Qualified Person with respect to Norma's Clayton Valley Claim Group Project as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Noram Ventures Inc.: Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NRM Frankfurt: N7R) is a Canadian based junior exploration company, with a goal of becoming a force in the Green Energy Revolution through the development of lithium and graphite deposits and becoming a low-cost supplier for the burgeoning lithium battery industry. The Company's primary business focus since formation has been the exploration of mineral projects that include the lithium projects in Clayton Valley in Nevada and the Jumbo graphite property in British Columbia. Noram's long term strategy is to build a multi-national lithium - graphite dominant industrial minerals company to produce and sell lithium and graphite into the markets of Europe, North America and Asia. Please visit our web site for further information: www.noramventures.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS /s/ "Mark R. Ireton" President & Director This news release contains projections and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements; the uncertainty of future profitability; and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information. Actual results and future events could differ materially from anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and expressed qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstance or management's estimates or opinions change. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Noram Ventures Inc. From Popular Mechanics A medium-range ballistic missile fired Wednesday by North Korea flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters, Seoul and Tokyo officials said, one of the longest flights by a North Korean missile. The U.S. Strategic Command said North Korea fired two presumed Rodong missiles simultaneously on Wednesday, not just one. The command's statement said initial indications reveal one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the second was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan. North Korea has recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs over its goal of acquiring a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. South Korean defense officials say North Korea doesn't yet have such a weapon, but some civilian experts believe the North has the technology to mount warheads on shorter-range Rodong and Scud missiles that can strike South Korea and Japan. According to the South Korean and Japanese announcements, one suspected Rodong missile lifted off from the North's western Hwanghae province and flew across the country before falling in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it "strongly condemns" the missile launch because it explicitly shows the North's intentions of being able to launch missile attacks on South Korea and neighboring countries. Japan's Defense Ministry said the missile landed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the 200-nautical-mile offshore area where a nation has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting resources. Japanese media reported it was the first North Korean missile that has splashed down in Japan's EEZ. "It imposes a serious threat to Japan's security and it is unforgivable act of violence toward Japan's security," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. The U.S. condemned the recent launches as violating U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology. Story continues "This provocation only serves to increase the international community's resolve to counter the DPRK's prohibited activities, including through implementing existing UN Security Council sanctions," said Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the launch, saying North Korea should "immediately cease and abandon all its existing nuclear and ballistic missile activities in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner" and "refrain from any further provocative actions." North Korea has previously fired Rodong and other missiles into the sea, but South Korean analysts say Wednesday's 1,000 kilometer flight was one of the longest for a North Korean test. Several other North Korean rockets have gone farther and even over Japan. But Pyongyang called them satellite launches while Washington, Seoul and Tokyo said they were disguised tests of missile technology. After several failures, the North put its first satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket in December 2012, and conducted another successful satellite launch in February. In June, North Korea, after a string of failures, sent another type of mid-range missile known as Musudan more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) high. Analysts said the high-altitude flight meant North Korea had made progress in its push to be able to strike U.S. forces throughout the region. North Korea routinely conducts weapons tests, but the latest launch came after North Korea warned of unspecified "physical counter-actions" against a U.S. plan to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea by the end of next year. On July 19, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea, according to Seoul defense officials. The North's state media later confirmed that it fired ballistic rockets carrying trigger devices for nuclear warheads as part of simulated pre-emptive atomic attacks on South Korea. Analyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul's Institute for Far East Studies said the latest Rodong launch appeared to be aimed at showing an ability to attack U.S. military bases in Japan, a major source of reinforcements for U.S. troops should a war break out on the Korean Peninsula. Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department at the North's National Aerospace Development Administration, told The Associated Press last week that Pyongyang's military had mastered "the main and core techniques in long-range ballistic missile technology, including the starter engine technology, how to separate the different stages, guidance control techniques and re-entry and it's all ready to be operational." North Korea is known to have an arsenal of estimated 300 Rodong missiles whose maximum range is 1,300 kilometers (800 miles). A Rodong fired in March flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) while two other Rodongs launched in 2014 flew about 650 kilometers (400 miles). North Korea is expected to carry out more weapons launches in coming weeks to protest annual U.S.-South Korean military drills that begin later this month. North Korea describes the drills as an invasion rehearsal. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea and tens of thousands of more in Japan. You Might Also Like Recent reports suggest that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump insistently asked an anonymous foreign-policy expert why the United States should not use nuclear weapons more readily. This has led to a chorus of voices decrying the way in which Trump is reported to have spoken about the nuclear option, with many insisting the United States should only ever employ nuclear weapons in retaliation after an opponent has used them first. It is certainly right that such terrible weapons should only be used in extreme circumstances (a point of view Trump appears to have expressed earlier this year), but the conventional wisdom is wrong in suggesting the United States should under no circumstances be the first to use nuclear arms. This controversy is not merely another spark of the campaign season, for, according to news reports, President Barack Obama himself is considering implementing a no-first-use pledge regarding nuclear weapons that is, a promise never to be the first to use nuclear weapons. Such a pledge would be exceedingly unwise. Nuclear weapons are horrible instruments of destruction, but they are also associated with the longest period of major-power peace in human history. And they only work because potentially ambitious states believe their use is plausible enough that starting a war or escalating one against a nuclear-armed state or its allies would just be too risky to countenance. The point of reserving the right to use nuclear weapons first (which, it must be emphasized, is different from a policy of preemption or heavy reliance on them) is not to convey a madmans itchy trigger finger on the button. Rather, its purpose is to communicate clearly to any potential aggressor that attacking ones vital interests too harshly or successfully even without resorting to nuclear weapons risks prompting a devastating nuclear response, something that, at scale, is far more costly than any realistic gains. A no-first-use pledge would undermine this pacifying logic. If the policy were believed, then it would make the world safe for conventional war. Since potential aggressors would write the risk of nuclear use down to zero, they would feel they could safely start and wage fierce conventional wars. Story continues Conventional wars can be small, quick, and decisive, which is why they can also be appealing just ask Napoleon, James Polk, Otto von Bismarck, or Moshe Dayan. But they can also escalate dramatically and unpredictably, especially when major powers are involved. Thus, the most likely route to nuclear use is via a nasty conventional war, as happened in World War II. In such circumstances, high-minded pledges made in peacetime may well seem foolish or too burdensome. A believable no-first-use pledge would likely raise, rather than diminish, the likelihood of nuclear weapons being used by lightening the shadow of nuclear weapons over the decision-making of potential combatants. Better for everyone to think as carefully and clearly as possible about nuclear weapons before a war is underway. Alternatively, if the no-first-use pledge were not believed, what would the point of such a promise be other than diplomatic window dressing? It is for these reasons that the United States has never adopted a no-first-use policy. During the Cold War, the United States relied on its nuclear deterrent to compensate for perceived Soviet and Warsaw Pact conventional advantages in Europe. But even in the post-Cold War period of American military supremacy, when Washington sought to diminish its strategic reliance on nuclear weapons, it judged the future was too uncertain to dispense with the reserved right to go first. While other countries such as China and India have declared no-first-use policies (though there is a great deal of skepticism about how reliable Beijings pledge is), Washington and the allies that depend on its nuclear umbrella have always recognized that a no-first-use pledge by the United States would be unwise because of the breadth of defense commitments it has assumed. If the U.S. nuclear arsenal were solely designed to deter attacks on the continental United States, a no-first-use pledge might have more merit, as launching such an assault would be incredibly difficult. But Washington also seeks to deter attacks on its allies in areas like Eastern Europe and East Asia, where U.S. conventional superiority is far less assured. The main reason why a no-first-use pledge does not make sense for Washington, then, is the reality that the United States cannot always expect to maintain the military upper hand everywhere, and a no-first-use pledge is not the kind of commitment a nation can turn on and off without damage to its credibility and reputation. But can anyone plausibly challenge the United States in a conventional war in the near to medium term? The answer is yes; China might well be able to. Russia and North Korea are also very dangerous to the United States and its allies in their own ways, and Moscow could plausibly hope to take on the United States conventionally if it could localize a conflict in its near abroad and keep it short, but neither can reasonably expect to challenge the United States in a serious, prolonged conventional war and hope to prevail. But China at some point in the not-too-distant future might. A range of authoritative sources are showing that the conventional military balance of power between the United States and China with respect to points of contention in East Asia such as Taiwan and the South and East China Seas is, at the very least, becoming increasingly competitive. Beijing is fielding more and more highly capable forces in the Western Pacific that present a growing challenge to Americas ability to effectively project military power in the region. The days are therefore passing when the United States could easily swipe away any effort by the Peoples Liberation Army at power projection in the Western Pacific. Instead, any future fight in the region between the United States and its allies on the one hand and China on the other would be hard and nasty. And the trend lines are not moving in a good direction. Indeed, within a decade, China might be in a position where it could reasonably expect to confront a U.S. ally or partner in the Western Pacific and hope to prevail if the conflict remained relatively limited. If the United States adds to this a credible guarantee that it would not use nuclear weapons first, it would strengthen Chinas confidence that it could wage a short, sharp conventional war and gain from it, just as such confidence is rising and becoming more plausible to decision-makers in Beijing already contemplating the use of force in the region. According to a recent Reuters report, for instance, influential voices in the Chinese military establishment are already pushing for firmer security policies and even military action in the South China Sea and this at a time when the United States still enjoys the conventional upper hand. These voices are likely to seem more credible and appealing in the councils of power in Beijing as Chinese military advantages grow, and they would only be emboldened by a U.S. statement that it will not use nuclear weapons first. A no-first-use pledge would therefore increase the chances of war in Asia. Indeed, rather than excluding the possibility of American nuclear first use, Washington should be emphasizing it. This does not mean the United States should ever use its nuclear weapons lightly. Rather, Beijing should simply understand that, even if it is able to gain conventional military advantages in the Western Pacific, Washington is prepared to seriously consider using nuclear weapons first to vindicate its own vital interests and those of its allies for instance with respect to their territorial integrity. More than that, Beijing should understand clearly that if it pushes forward with its military buildup, it will spur the United States to rely even more on its nuclear forces to compensate and, if that is not enough, the real possibility that U.S. allies will be impelled to pursue nuclear arsenals of their own. Communicating all this to Beijing does not require any Strangelovian contortions. But it does require the United States to firmly and consistently say (or otherwise communicate) that it is prepared to use nuclear weapons first if truly pressed; to build the forces, such as a next-generation standoff cruise missile and intercontinental ballistic missile, useful in making such a declaration credible; and to exercise and deploy its forces in ways that show Beijing its earnestness about such a declaration. Such a policy is more likely to contribute to peace and stability than a no-first-use pledge. China is very unlikely to turn away from its effort to achieve military dominance in East Asia and the Western Pacific based on appeals to goodwill or competitions in moral preening. What might actually work is persuading Beijing that succeeding in this effort is likely to backfire by resulting in little to no gain and a more menacing and dangerous set of opposing militaries. Does China want a U.S. defense posture for Asia that relies more on nuclear weapons? A proliferated Asia-Pacific? Washington must make Beijing understand that if it continues its military buildup, those are very real probabilities. A no-first-use pledge would suggest to Beijing just the opposite that continuing to build up, and perhaps even using, its military power may not be sufficiently dangerous or costly after all. That would be far worse for Asia and America than a perhaps unfashionable reminder that there will be a grim nuclear risk if Beijing ever seeks to capitalize on its growing conventional military strength. Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images (Adds comment from Goldman, additional details, context) By Suzanne Barlyn Aug 4 (Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator has sent a second request to Goldman Sachs Group Inc for information about its fundraising for Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, a person familiar with the matter said. The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), in a letter sent late on Thursday, also requested a meeting with Goldman on or before Aug. 31, the person said. The request follows a letter the regulator sent to Goldman last month seeking details on the matter. The source was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. "We are aware of their interest in this matter and have been in dialogue with them on it for some time," a Goldman Sachs spokesman said. The Wall Street bank's work with 1MDB is under the spotlight after the U.S. government alleged that billions of dollars earmarked for investments were diverted for the personal use of 1MDB officials, their relatives and associates. Goldman Sachs helped 1MDB, which was founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in September 2009, raise $6.5 billion in three bond sales in 2012 and 2013 to invest in energy projects and real estate to boost the Malaysian economy. Instead, more than $2.5 billion raised from those bonds was misappropriated and used to buy artwork, including paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, luxury properties in New York and London and to pay off gambling debts in Las Vegas, according to U.S. Department of Justice civil lawsuits filed in court on July 20. Goldman Sachs, which earned close to $600 million to arrange and underwrite the 1MDB bonds, was not accused of any wrongdoing in the lawsuits. But they allege investors were not properly informed about the use and nature of the bonds. NYDFS considers the meeting it is requesting a type of "supplemental special report," the person familiar with the matter said. Details the regulator wants to discuss at the meeting include the timing of disclosures to NYDFS concerning Goldman's involvement with bond transactions involving the Malaysian fund. Story continues The regulator also wants details about Goldman's due diligence in connection with transmitting the sale proceeds from the three bond offerings. Singapore's central bank said last week that it was also examining the extent of involvement by Goldman Sachs' local unit in bond deals for 1MDB. (Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Tom Brown) By Suzanne Barlyn (Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator has sent a second request to Goldman Sachs Group Inc for information about its fundraising for Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, a person familiar with the matter said. The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), in a letter sent late on Thursday, also requested a meeting with Goldman on or before Aug. 31, the person said. The request follows a letter the regulator sent to Goldman last month seeking details on the matter. The source was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. We are aware of their interest in this matter and have been in dialogue with them on it for some time," a Goldman Sachs spokesman said. The Wall Street bank's work with 1MDB is under the spotlight after the U.S. government alleged that billions of dollars earmarked for investments were diverted for the personal use of 1MDB officials, their relatives and associates. Goldman Sachs helped 1MDB, which was founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in September 2009, raise $6.5 billion in three bond sales in 2012 and 2013 to invest in energy projects and real estate to boost the Malaysian economy. Instead, more than $2.5 billion raised from those bonds was misappropriated and used to buy artwork, including paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, luxury properties in New York and London and to pay off gambling debts in Las Vegas, according to U.S. Department of Justice civil lawsuits filed in court on July 20. Goldman Sachs, which earned close to $600 million to arrange and underwrite the 1MDB bonds, was not accused of any wrongdoing in the lawsuits. But they allege investors were not properly informed about the use and nature of the bonds. NYDFS considers the meeting it is requesting a type of "supplemental special report," the person familiar with the matter said. Details the regulator wants to discuss at the meeting include the timing of disclosures to NYDFS concerning Goldman's involvement with bond transactions involving the Malaysian fund. Story continues The regulator also wants details about Goldman's due diligence in connection with transmitting the sale proceeds from the three bond offerings. Singapore's central bank said last week that it was also examining the extent of involvement by Goldman Sachs' local unit in bond deals for 1MDB. (Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Tom Brown) Barack Obama President Barack Obama went on an extended rant on Thursday about a story that detailed the transfer of $400 million in cash to Iran the same day four American hostages were freed from the country. "What we have is the manufacturing of outrage in a story that we disclosed in January," Obama said at a Pentagon news conference. "And the only bit of news that is relevant on this is the fact that we paid cash." The Wall Street Journal described the transfer in a story earlier this week. The cash euros, Swiss francs, and other currencies was airlifted to Tehran on a cargo plane amid a prisoner swap in January in which seven Iranians detained in the US were exchanged for Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-American prisoners. The payment was part of a decades-old dispute over money that Iran sent to the US to buy weapons that it never received. Obama said that the US had previously disclosed the $400 million payment to Iran and argued that the reason the payment was made in cash was because of existing sanctions in place against Iran. "The reason that we had to give them cash is precisely because we are so strict in maintaining sanctions and we do not have a banking relationship with Iran, that we couldn't send them a check and we could not wire the money," he said. "And it is not at all clear to me why it is that cash, as opposed to a check or a wire transfer, has made this into a new story. Maybe because it kind of feels like a spy novel ... because cash was exchanged." The cash transfer came after the Obama administration struck a deal with Iran to limit its capacity to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief for the country. Some have said that the hostages detained in Iran, who were being held illegally, were used as bargaining chips as nuclear negotiations were underway. Story continues "It's now been well over a year since the agreement with Iran to stop its nuclear program was signed," Obama said. "And by all accounts, it has worked exactly the way we said it was going to work." He then railed against those who criticized the deal and thought that it wasn't going to work: "You will recall that there were all these horror stories about how Iran was gonna cheat and this wasn't gonna work and Iran was gonna get $150 billion to finance terrorism and all these kinds of scenarios, and none of them have come to pass. And it's not just the assessment of our intelligence community, it's the assessment of the Israeli military and intelligence community, the country that was most opposed to this deal that acknowledges this has been a game changer and that Iran has abided by the deal and that they no longer have the sort of short-term breakout capacity that would allow them to develop nuclear weapons. "Why not have some of these folks that were predicting disaster say, 'You know what, this thing actually worked'? That would be a shock. That would be impressive. If some of these folks who had said the sky is falling suddenly said, 'You know what, we were wrong and we're glad that Iran no longer has the capacity to break out in short term and develop a nuclear weapon.' But of course that wasn't going to happen." Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin noted on Twitter after Obama's comments that the main criticism of the Iran nuclear deal is that "when the deal expires, we're screwed." If Iran follows the terms of the deal, then it will not be able to build a nuclear weapon for 10 years but after that, the country could boost its centrifuges and ramp up its nuclear program. Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report. NOW WATCH: 'I don't even know how to answer that' Watch President Obama respond to Trump's claim that the election will be rigged More From Business Insider By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Wednesday that $400 million in cash paid to Iran soon after the release of five Americans detained by Tehran was not ransom as some Republicans have charged. The five, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, were released on Jan. 16 in exchange for seven Iranians held in the United States for sanctions violations. The prisoner deal coincided with the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran. At the time, the United States said it had settled a longstanding Iranian claim at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague, releasing $400 million in funds frozen since 1981, plus $1.3 billion in interest that was owed to Iran. The funds were part of a trust fund Iran used before its 1979 Islamic Revolution to buy U.S. military equipment that was tied up for decades in litigation at the tribunal. Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to appear at a future committee hearing to discuss the payment. White House spokesman Josh Earnest rejected suggestions the money transfer to Iran was ransom or a secret. "The United States, under President Obama, has not paid a ransom to secure the release of Americans unjustly detained in Iran and we're not going to pay a ransom," he said in response to a Wall Street Journal article that said Washington secretly organized the cash airlift. Earnest said Republicans, who have long opposed the Iran nuclear deal, are seizing on how the money was paid to Iran as a way to undermine the deal. "They're struggling to justify their opposition to our engagement with Iran," he told a briefing. While there have long been questions about the timing of the payment, one Iranian concern was that the Obama administration could face too much domestic political criticism if it delayed acting on the tribunal's decision. Due to international sanctions against Iran, the payment, made in euros, Swiss francs and other currencies, had to be made in cash, U.S. officials argue. One U.S. official said the $1.3 billion in interest was paid to Iran through the U.S. Treasury-administered Judgment Fund, which is used to pay awards against the United States. Senior officials at the Justice Department had objected to sending cash on a plane to Iran at the same time that Iran was releasing four imprisoned Americans (the fifth American was released separately) but were overruled by the State Department, The Wall Street Journal reported in a separate story on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the discussions. People knew what it was going to look like, and there was concern the Iranians probably did consider it a ransom payment," the newspaper quoted one of the people as saying. Justice Department prosecutors were also concerned that the United States would release too many Iranian convicts and drop too many pending criminal cases against people suspected of violating sanctions laws, the second Wall Street Journal report said. Reuters was unable to independently verify the report. In response to the report, a Department of Justice spokesman said in a statement: The Department of Justice fully supported the ultimate outcome of the Administrations resolution of several issues with Iran, including Hague settlement efforts, as well as the return of U.S. citizens detained in Iran. We will not comment further on internal interagency deliberations. A senior State Department official also responded by saying that the payment had been fully an interagency decision and that any idea that the State Department had the power to overrule was false. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump blamed his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state during Obama's first term, for launching the talks with Iran. "Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!" Trump said in a Twitter post. The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, also weighed in. "The Obama-Clinton foreign policy not only means cutting a dangerous nuclear deal with the world's number one state sponsor of terrorism, it also means paying them a secret ransom with cargo planes full of cash," he said. House Speaker Paul Ryan was more measured, saying, "If true, this report confirms our longstanding suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran." (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Patricia Zengerle and Julia Harte; Editing by John Walcott and Leslie Adler) Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Thursday vowed to continue hammering Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, but acknowledged that pressure on the jihadists was prompting them to lash out beyond their self-proclaimed caliphate. Speaking after meeting security and military officials in the Pentagon, Obama also blasted President Vladimir Putin's policy in Syria, saying he doubted the Russian leader could be trusted to cooperate on helping end the country's bloody civil war. Obama pledged the IS group would "inevitably" be crushed and said the US-led coalition would continue to aggressively target the jihadists "across every front." But "the decline of ISIL in Syria and Iraq appears to be causing it to shift to tactics that we've seen before -- an even greater emphasis on encouraging high-profile terrorist attacks, including in the United States," Obama warned, using an acronym for the IS group. Even as coalition planes target the IS group in Iraq and Syria, the Russians have simultaneously been bombing in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad. While Moscow has sometimes struck IS targets, many of its strikes have been against anti-Assad rebels. Multiple rounds of international negotiations to end the war, which erupted in 2011 after the Assad regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt, have so far failed. Obama said the United States was prepared to work with Russia to try to reduce the violence in Syria and boost the fight against the IS group and Al-Qaeda. "But Russia has failed to take the necessary steps. Given the deteriorating situation, it is time for Russia to show it is serious about pursuing these objectives," Obama said, warning he was not confident he could trust Putin. "We go into this without any blinders on," Obama said. "We're going to test and see if we can get something that sticks. And if not, then Russia will have shown itself very clearly to be an irresponsible actor around the world stage that is supporting a murderous regime." Story continues Obama's visit to the Pentagon, possibly the last of his eight-year presidency, came as the US-led effort to defeat the IS group enters its third year. The jihadists swept across vast parts of northern Syria and Iraq in 2014, leaving a trail of human butchery and horrific destruction in their wake. Since then, the coalition has conducted daily plane and drone strikes -- more than 14,000 so far -- and worked with local forces on the ground to gradually reclaim the seized territory. Despite the massive effort, the jihadists still hold Mosul -- Iraq's second-largest city -- and the Syrian city of Raqa. Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama reiterated Thursday that $400 million that the United States helped airlift to Iran earlier this year was not a ransom for the release of American prisoners. "Some of you may recall we announced these payments in January. Many months ago. They were not a secret," he told a press conference at the Pentagon, emphasizing that the United States does not pay ransoms. In January, five American prisoners were released as Washington granted clemency to seven Iranians and withdrew arrest warrants for 14 others. Soon thereafter, the United States helped airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran. The White House has said it was returning cash from a 1970s Iranian military order that was not fulfilled because of the Islamic Revolution. "We do not pay ransom for hostages. We have a number of Americans being held all around the world. I meet with their families. And it is heartbreaking," Obama said. On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported that the chunk of cash had been loaded on wooden pallets and secretly airlifted to Iran in an unmarked cargo plane. Obama said that the timing of the delivery was "dictated by the fact that as a consequence of us negotiating around the nuclear deal, we had diplomatic negotiations with Iran for the first time in several decades." Following the deal, Secretary of State John Kerry was able to "meet with the foreign minister, which meant our ability to clear accounts on a number of different issues at the same time converged." Obama said nonpayment of the owed money posed a "significant litigation risk" that could have cost the United States billions of dollars. Cash was used for the payment because the US does not have a banking relationship with Iran -- "precisely because we're so strict in maintaining sanctions," Obama said. "We could not send them a check. And we could not wire the money," he said. Washington (AFP) - Money to fight the outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the United States is running out, US President Barack Obama said Thursday, calling the situation "critical" and urging lawmakers to act. Obama spoke to reporters at the Pentagon, where he said the US government is taking the news of 15 cases of Zika being locally transmitted in Florida "extremely seriously." "As our public health experts have been warning for some time, we are now seeing the first locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus by mosquitoes in the continental United States," Obama said. "This was predicted and predictable." Obama asked Congress in February to allocate $1.9 billion for the fight against Zika, but was met with resistance by Republican lawmakers who said the funds should instead be moved from coffers previously reserved for fighting the Ebola outbreak. "Not only did the Republican-led Congress not pass our request, they worked to cut it. Then they left for summer recess without passing any new funds for Zika," said Obama. "Meanwhile, the people on the front lines have been making do. Now the money we need to fight Zika is running out." Without funding, Obama warned, clinical vaccine trials could be delayed. "The situation is getting critical," he said. "So this is not the time for politics." Zika symptoms are mild in most people and go unnoticed in four out of five cases. However, the virus can cause severe birth defects, and pregnant women are being urged to stay away from the Miami area of Wynwood where mosquitoes with Zika are believed to be lurking. Zika is currently spreading in more than 50 countries and territories of the world, particularly in Latin America. Oil may be wobbling around the $40 a barrel mark, but one strategist has told CNBC that crude is only heading higher in the near term but in the years to come, there'll be wild swings. "We're seeing a bottom right now for the second half of the year," said Francisco Blanch, the head of global commodities and derivatives research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the corporate and investing arm of the American bank. "We think what's happening in the market is very seasonal. Supply is actually going down pretty quickly, demand is moving higher, and this is going to move the market into a deficit." This will actually be a "multi-quarter deficit", according to Blanch, who believes it will push prices "quite a lot higher" and expects the commodity to hit a peak of $70 a barrel next year. Several analysts have spoken of a rebalancing in the oil market for the second half of the year, which is expected to take prices higher. However, so far this has failed to materialize, leaving some market-watchers surprised over recent weakness. Both Brent and WTI (New York Mercantile Exchange: @CL.1) dropped lower on Thursday morning. This came after data on Wednesday showed crude inventories jumped by 1.4 million barrels in the last week, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Reuters reported the build-up in stockpiles brought reserves to an all-time seasonal high of 522.5 million barrels. The commodity saw a rally in the spring but is still well below highs seen in mid-2014 when the price of oil was trading at around $115 a barrel. OPEC's reluctance to cut output has been seen as a key reason behind the fall, as well as weak global demand, a strong dollar and booming U.S. oil production. "Historically the Saudis will have been acting as a swing supplier. So they would have been in the market and out of the market, now they just don't want to do that, they want to create volatility, because they know that volatility leads to less investment which effectively means they can take a larger market share down-the-line," Blanch told CNBC. Story continues The analyst believes that investors are going to see the oil price trading in very wide ranges, with $25 or $30 a barrel for oil a possibility over the course of the next three or four years. But Blanch also suggests we could see probably see $80 or $90 a barrel with the market being so volatile. "I think the Saudis are very happy with that scenario because it's going to enable them to grow their production base. Remember their production cost in $10 a barrel, but they have all these government expenditures that they have to meet," he said, adding that their breakeven price is around $80 a barrel. This volatility means it's likely to be rough for retail investors. Analysts suggest that trading the equities of oil majors might not be the best strategy. Instead, Paul Gambles, the co-Founder of MBMG Group and an advisory board member of IDEA Economics, told CNBC that commodity trading advisers (CTAs) are way of making money out of the oil price. CTAs are described as managed futures funds, or hedge funds that use computer programs to follow trends in the market. Gambles highlights that they are "not always reliable" but added that there are "very few commodity stocks for retail investors." More From CNBC By Alexandra Ulmer RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Brazilian beach volleyball players will seek inspiration from one of the country's most vibrant venues as they attempt to end traditional American domination of the event at the Olympics. Brazilian female favourites Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca can bank on fervent fans at the Copacabana where the sport is an intrinsic part of Rio's coastal culture and does not require an Olympics to get an audience. But the United States' veteran player Kerri Walsh Jennings already has a plan to deal with the home support as she seeks a fourth successive Olympic gold medal when beach volleyball starts on Saturday. ''As we don't speak Portuguese, we are going to pretend the (fans) are cheering for us,'' Walsh Jennings joked at a recent press conference. For the past three Olympics, Walsh Jennings, nicknamed 'Six Feet of Sunshine', had Misty May-Treanor alongside her. Now she has a new partner, April Ross, to take on Brazil's reigning world champions Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas. Brazil and the U.S. will also be fierce rivals in the men's competition where the hosts are banking on world champions Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt to get the better of Phil Dalhausser and Nicholas Lucena Just as in the women's competition, America's men have three times come out on top since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1996 although in 2012 it was Germany who denied Brazil gold. Whatever happens this time, everyone agrees on one thing: an actual stretch of sand, and in Rio to boot, far outdoes past face-offs at parks, royal parade grounds, and even next to car parks. ''That's how we prefer it. We love a little wind, the hot sun, just those little elements that a beach brings,'' said American player Jacob Gibb. And for Brazilian contestants like Pedro Solberg, the sandy venue is particularly special: ''It's a unique opportunity in my life. I just want to enjoy this moment and have fun.'' (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer) A knife attack in central London on Wednesday has left one woman dead and five others injured, authorities said. Londons Metropolitan Police believe a male suspect targeted bystanders randomly in the spontaneous attack that unfolded about 10:30 p.m. local time in the busy area of Russell Square. The slain woman was an American, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley and the U.S. State Department said. Those injured are Australian, American, Israeli and British, according to Rowley. Officials have not yet released their identities. Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those killed in last nights attack in London, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement to TIME. We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen, and we are aware of reports that another U.S. citizen was injured. The condition of those wounded and the extent of their injuries was not immediately known. Of those injured, two remain hospitalized and three others have been discharged, police said. Rowley told reporters that a 19-year-old suspect was Tasered before he was arrested and placed in police custody. Whilst the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work that we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues, Rowley said in a statement. The suspect is a Norwegian national, of Somali ancestry, police said. No gunshots were fired during his arrest, according to Rowley. Police have also not ruled out terrorism as a possible motive. Authorities searched an address in north London and plan to do the same for another location in south London, but there is no evidence yet of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism, the assistant police commissioner said. There was Mrs. Trapani and Mrs. Cuteinella, and five or six others in my neighborhood. I passed their houses every day on my way to school and saw the symbol hanging in their windows: a simple Gold Star. It said they had lost their son in the war. Those families never recovered from their loss. They were shattered forever. In my family, there was my father's aunt, whose first name escapes me, but her last name was Mazzarella. I went with my parents to her house in Maspeth, Queens, the day after she received a telegram from the War Department telling her that her son had been killed in action. I was only six years old, but even today I can hear the wailing and the cries of the parents who had lost their darling boy. "Figlio mio! Figlio mio!" they cried. "My son! My son!" Their hearts were broken forever. I thought of all this when I saw parents of fallen hero U.S. soldier Capt. Humayun Khan exposing Donald Trump last week. They said Trump is unfit for the presidency, and I must say I agree with them. Pakistan-born Khizr Khan, the father of the Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq, said that if it were up to Trump, his son never would have been American or served in the military. Then Mr. Kahn reached into his pocket, pulled out a copy of the Constitution and posed a question to Donald Trump: "Have you read the Constitution? What sacrifices have you made for this country?" It was a deathblow to Trump one that he will never recover from. The last time I saw words cut down a man the same way was on June 9, 1954, during the Army-McCarthy Senate hearings. The Army hired Boston lawyer Joseph Welch. When McCarthy, who was loud, cunning, reckless and in so many ways like Trump, charged that one of Welch's attorneys had ties to a Communist organization, Welch responded with the lines that ended McCarthy's career: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." When McCarthy, who was a street fighter much like Donald Trump, tried to continue his attack, Welch, in a soft voice, interrupted: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?" Story continues Knockout. In a few months, McCarthy's immense national popularity disappeared. Trump lost me, and a lot of people I respect, early on. Build a wall and throw 11 million people out of the country? Calling Hispanics rapists? What kind of Nazi, Ku Klux Klan crap is that? Want to read about a couple of immigrants Donald Trump would have thrown out of the country if he was around before World War II? Here's the story of two of them an Italian and a Mexican whose families probably first came to the United States as illegal immigrants. John Basilone was one of a family of 10 children, born in Buffalo, New York, on November 4, 1916, to Italian parents. He was a United States Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. He held off 3000 Japanese troops at Guadalcanal after his 15-member unit was reduced to three men. Basilone was killed in action on the first day of the battle of Iwo Jima, after which he was posthumously honored with the Navy Cross. Private First Class David M. Gonzales (June 9, 1923 April 25, 1945) was a United States Army soldier who was born in Mexico. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor the United States' highest military decoration for his heroic actions during World War II. On April 25, 1945, at age 22, PFC Gonzales was killed in action in the Philippines while, in the face of fierce enemy machine-gun fire, digging out and saving the lives of fellow soldiers who had been buried in a bomb explosion. Think of these two, an Italian and a Mexican, and the many, many other men of every race and religion who were the children of immigrants legal and illegal whose bravery won them the Medal of Honor. They died so that anyone is free to run for the presidency, including that blowhard Donald Trump. This is in no way an attempt to get those of you who plan to vote for Trump to change your minds. From what I can see, for many of you, there's nothing that Trump can say or do to get you to think about what a disaster he would be as president, and how his term as president would destroy the Republican party and possible our wonderful country. So vote for him. Just don't, I beg you, give me that "I'm voting for him because I can't vote for Hillary" line. That's a cop-out. That's bullcrap. If she and Bill Clinton are as guilty of everything you believe of her, she still would be a far better president than Donald Trump or our current disaster, Barack Obama. We're talking about the future of the country. That's why, for the first time in my life, I will be casting my vote as a good Republican, and a good American, for Hillary Clinton. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Nuku'alofa (Tonga) (AFP) - Only 20 percent of Pacific Island households have access to electricity -- and the cost is among the highest in the world, according to a senior World Bank official. Kamleshwar Khelawan, an energy specialist at the World Bank, said the energy-poor region required joint government-private sector investment to develop new sources of power. "The Pacific countries lack, or have limited, indigenous energy resources while the high cost of imported fossil fuels means that Pacific Islands require an increased focus on alternative sources of energy," Khelawan said Wednesday at the Pacific Power Association Conference in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. However, while significant investment was needed, the Pacific Islands' regulatory environment did not favour private sector participation in energy development, he said. He added "weak or dated" laws in Pacific Islands countries and arrangements that were "often ambiguous in terms of roles and responsibilities" also deterred private sector investment. "About seven million of the nine million people in Pacific Island countries do not have access to electricity," Khelawan said. "Only about 20 percent of households (in the region) have access to electricity." The average figure was skewed by very low rates in Papua New Guinea (15 percent), Solomon Islands (20 percent), and Vanuatu (30 percent), which account for the bulk of the region's population. Khelawan noted there was hydropower potential in the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea and geothermal possibilities in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji. Solar and wind were the main renewable energy options. "Governments alone cannot fund the significant investment needed. A combination of government, private sector and development partners efforts are required," he said. The World Bank Group and International Finance Corporation have been involved in several energy projects in the region. Multinational oil company ConocoPhillips (COP) once again posted a higher than expected quarterly loss for Quarter 2. They have been forced to cut down their budget yet again from $5.7 billion to $5.5 billion. Earnings misses and the ongoing oil slump resulted in the stocks poor performance in 2016, falling 13.9% year-to-date. However, ConocoPhillips remains an optimistic company that should be kept on the radar. Earnings and Financial Position ConocoPhillips reported a second quarter 2016 adjusted loss of $0.79 per share, steeping lower than Zacks Consensus Estimate of $-0.62. Revenues also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by nearly 16% and dropped $8.67 billion in comparison to 2015 Quarter 2. The company put up a 2016 second half net loss of $2.5 billion, freefalling down from the $93 million in earnings made in the same period a year ago. A positive indicator in the companys current financial position is their achievement in reducing debt levels by $800 million. The oil giant has also generated $200 million in asset sales, remaining on track for the planned $1 billion in asset sales proceeds for the year. The company has cut its dividend down to $0.25 from $0.74 to further aid their financial position in successfully escaping the current oil climate. Increasing Efficiencies in Operations ConocoPhillips is in the midst of selling off its costly offshore exploration projects in favor of more efficient domestic operations. Drilling is taking place primarily in Texas through the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford, with lower costs and higher production being the catalyst behind this focus. While the oil giant plans to greatly reduce capital expenditure in the region, production is expected to persist on the same level. Management expects a margin growth of 3-5%. The firm is setting forth an exit strategy to abandon its massive deepwater exploration projects for more cost efficient North American unconventional projects. It will still allow them significant access to inventory while greatly slashing costs of operations. Most recently, ConocoPhillips successfully exited their Senegalese offshore exploration project in a $350 million interest sale to Woodside Petroleum (WOPEY). The company will also exit their joint Nova Scotia offshore drilling venture with Suncor Energy (SU) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A). By 2017, ConocoPhillips will free $800 million which will allow better access to cash and flexibility with the aforementioned North American drilling operations. Story continues Safe Haven for Oil Bulls The companys stock performance highly correlates with crude oil pricing. There is minimal risk outside of the commoditys pricing that will have damaging effects on the stock price. Following crude oils bottom out in February, ConocoPhillips made a fantastic recovery with oil, as the stock shot up 28% to date since then. The U.S. rig count is recovering rapidly as well, jumping from 11 to 341 rigs now online. This is a strong indication of where oil is headed, as major oil producers believe the bottom has already passed and now is the time to restart drilling activity. The general consensus of analysts suggests oil must rise above its current $40 range. As long as oil prices steadily increase, we are likely to see an extended rally in the stock price. Hess Corporation (HES) is another major oil player with a stock price strongly correlating with oil prices, riding the February oil rebound to a 47% increase in share price to date. The company is ranked as a Buy by Zacks.com. 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 SUNCOR ENERGY (SU): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL DTCH SH-A (RDS.A): Free Stock Analysis Report HESS CORP (HES): Free Stock Analysis Report CONOCOPHILLIPS (COP): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Orange Is the New Black star Ruby Rose is in negotiations to join Fan Bingbing and Jason Statham in Meg, the creature feature being made by Warner Bros. and Chinese company Gravity Pictures. Jon Turteltaub, best known as helmer of the National Treasure movies, is directing the movie, which has a March 2, 2018, release date. Statham leads the ensemble, playing a former Naval captain and expert diver recruited to undertake a deep-sea mission to rescue Chinese scientists under attack from a terrifying threat: a Carcharodon Megalodon, the 70-foot, 40-ton prehistoric kin to the great white shark. Rose will play Jaxx, described as a kick-ass engineering genius and member of the marine research team. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Belle Avery and Colin Wilson are among the producers. Rose is one of the breakout stars of the Netflix series Orange is the New Black who has been making a strong push into film. She has three movies in postproduction: xXx: The Return of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel; Resident Evil: The Final Chapter with Milla Jovovich; and John Wick 2 with Keanu Reeves. Rose Is repped by WME, manager Carol Bodie and attorney Howard Fishman. Read more: 'Orange Is the New Black': The 10 Most WTF Moments From Season 4 trading wisdoms Paul Tudor Jones Calls on Quants to Revamp Firm Hurt by Losses Things have changed in the trading world with banks and hedge funds hampered by new rules and regulations. Big bank trading desks are being shut down, or cannibalized, and some of the best and the brightest cant make money. When George Soros recently said he was getting back into trading the only thing I could think was how much the trading world has changed over the last 20 years. While my perspective may not be exact, I was there. I remember when my S&P desk started losing business to electronic trading. I remember how we stayed there and continued to lose market share and I remember when the open outcry orders I did disappeared. And I remember Paul Tudor Jones (Trader: A Paul Tudor Jones Documentary) doing business through our S&P 500 futures desk on the CME floor. He made quite a name for himself in the 1987 Crash. A lot has changed since then, and by all accounts, things are not getting any easier, they are getting harder. Shuffle Your Feet One of the things the Pit Bull and I talk about is how the big funds that were so famous in the late 1980s and 1990s do not make money anymore. That most of what they make are on the 2% management fee they charge. Its not hard to do the math. On a $10 billion fund they make almost $17 million a month. Many of the investors were around when the funds made big money and have been sticking around waiting for a big score that never comes. When Tudor used to do business in the S&P 500 futures pit he was smart. He had his own desk and he had a guy in the pit watching the brokers fill his orders. The guys name was Peter Harrison. Tudor also would use other desk operations to hide his buying and selling, but most of the smarter desk guys knew who the orders were coming from. He was smart, he knew about front running and fought hard to fight execution slippage. In the months leading up to the 1987 Crash everyone in the S&P knew Tudor was calling for a crash and we watched as he sold thousands of the S&Ps in the weeks leading up to the crash. Story continues Jones was already known as an upstart but that was about to change. On that fatal Friday in October 1987, when the S&P started to tumble, Tudors fame increased 100 fold. Many of his peers thought his 87 crash call was a one time wonder, that he would never regain the fame he gained, but he went on to build a large fund that was more based on stock trading. He moved away from the traditional futures trading he was known for. The Transition Over the last 10 to 15 years many of the well known hedge fund managers that were known for their big futures trading profits started losing. Finding talented futures traders became very hard to do, and the fast money the funds were known for started to disappear. Like many well known floor traders, when the pits closed and electronic trading took over, the markets got harder to trade. There was a gigantic transition from open outcry to trading on a screen. If the investment firm or hedge fund did not transition to some form of algorithmic or HTF trading they would find themselves fighting an uphill battle. While this story was released over 6 months ago the poor returns of 2015 are not shaping up very well in 2016. The Fortune article released in March of 2016 paints a very dim picture of the industry. Many of the big funds like Ackerman will never get back to their high water mark. Its all become a big game of fees, and investors are pulling out in droves. While Tudor may now be moving in the right direction, many think the day of the big hedge funds are over. Sure there are some shining stars, but like the patterns we notice in the markets, they dont last ever long. According to Bloomberg, in 2015 more hedge funds closed than opened. The news for 2016 is not very promising either. As we all know there is no way to stay in the trading business without updating or revamping your trading tools. As we have said many times over the years, tools that we used to use to make money dont work anymore, and the tools that do work dont last very long. We live in an ever changing world, and that is never going to change. Paul Jones is a smart guy, he knows that if he doesnt shuffle his feet, then it wont be long until his funds are out of business. Moving in the quants may work, but what happens when the quants fall out of favor? The story below is a great example of a big, well known firm shuffling its feet. The question is, is it too late? In Asia, 11 out of 11 markets closed higher (Nikkei +1.07%), and in Europe 11 out of 12 markets are trading higher this morning (DAX +0.88%). Todays economic calendar includes the Weekly Bill Settlement, Chain Store Sales, Rob Kaplan Speaks, Challenger Job-Cut Report, Jobless Claims, Gallup Good Jobs Rate, Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, Factory Orders, EIA Natural Gas Report, a 3-Month Bill Announcement, a 6-Month Bill Announcement, Fed Balance Sheet, and Money Supply. BOE Lowers Rates for the First Times Since 2009 Our view: Well the S&P rallied but it didnt go too far. For the most part, my call to buy weakness was right on, but the overall trade and volume was way lower. We attribute this to the upcoming jobs report on Friday. I also think that crude oil futures (CLQ16:NYM) may have put in a bottom. I still think the next $3.00 from $40.00 is up. tech levels 08-04-2016 Late in the day the guys with the better seats showed up with $520 million to buy pushing the ES up to new daily highs at 2158.25. The volume was over 1.9 million contracts on Tuesday, and it was only 1.36 million yesterday. All the jobs & Fed talk scared traders away. Our view is to sell the early rallies and buy weaknees. As always, please use protective buy and sell stops when trading futures and options. EuroIMPRO [s_static_display] Facebook twitter reddit linkedin tumblr Azhar Ali said he had realised a "dream" in scoring his first Test century outside of Asia as England great James Anderson's frustration boiled over at Edgbaston. Azhar's 139 helped guide Pakistan to 257 for three at stumps on Thursday's second day of the third Test in Birmingham, just 40 runs behind England's first innings 297. Together with Sami Aslam (82), he helped rescue Pakistan from the depths of none for one after Mohammad Hafeez's fourth-ball duck. Unfortunately for Pakistan, Ali was out to the very last ball of the day, caught at first slip by England captain Alastair Cook as Chris Woakes struck with the new ball on his Warwickshire home ground. Earlier, 20-year-old left-hander Aslam, recalled in place of the struggling Shan Masood, was run out in sight of a maiden Test century following Azhar's poor call. But given Pakistan's repeated top-order problem, Aslam and Azhar's second-wicket stand of 181 was a much-needed morale boost. Anderson may have struck early to remove Hafeez but England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker found himself involved in unpleasant scenes with on-field umpires Bruce Oxenford and Joel Wilson. Australia's Oxenford twice officially warned Anderson in one over for running on the pitch, with the Lancashire star risking being barred from bowling again in the remainder of the Pakistan innings if he receives another such caution. But it was his initial exchange with West Indian official Wilson, who first flagged up the problem, that could yet land Anderson in trouble after he appeared to question the umpire's judgement and snatched his cap from him at the end of an over. That, however, was of little concern to a delighted Azhar, whose innings left the match intriguingly poised, with the four-Test series all square at 1-1. "As a batsman, you really need just to focus as much as you can on that," the 31-year-old Azhar told reporters after stumps. Story continues "It's always a dream for any player to come in England and score a hundred," he added following his 10th century in 48 Tests. "This being my first century outside Asia makes me proud. "It could have been better had I survived the last ball." Azhar lamented the manner of Aslam's exit 18 runs shy of what would have been a fairytale century. "It was unfortunate that he got run out. I felt sorry for him and would have loved him to have reached a hundred," he said. - 'Unacceptable' - Meanwhile Anderson, for all his regret, was left facing the possibility of disciplinary action from match referee Richie Richardson, the former West Indies captain. "I had a bad half-hour where I let things get to me," said Anderson. "I've apologised to both umpires, because my behaviour wasn't acceptable. "I know I was out of order for the way I behaved. "It wasn't acceptable and it was petulant," added Anderson, reprimanded earlier this season for "disrespecting" Indian umpire S Ravi in the Lord's Test against Sri Lanka. Anderson's mood would not have been helped when Joe Root dropped Azhar off his bowling at second slip on 38. "It probably added to (the frustration), but you have to deal with things in cricket," said Anderson. "You won't get every catch taken, and there will be times when the opposition play well - which they did today." Azhar marked his century with the press-up routine and dressing room salute that have become Pakistan trademarks this series. England have not always appreciated the gestures but Anderson said: "It's up to to them how they want to celebrate. I wasn't too fussed. "Probably the look on my face was more of how the day was going than his celebrations." A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, without confirming reports six people on board were taken hostage by the Taliban. "Six people were boarding it, but we are unaware of their fate," a senior government official based in Lahore told AFP on condition of anonymity. The helicopter was being sent to Uzbekistan for overhauling when it crashed in Azra district, in the restive Afghan province of Logar, the official added. Earlier, local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said six people on board had been taken hostage by the Taliban and transported to an unknown location. The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident. Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and nurturing sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. A spokesman for Pakistani embassy in Kabul confirmed the crash, but would not say if the passengers had been kidnapped. "An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar," Akhtar Munir told AFP. "We don't know anything about the fate of those on board or why it crash-landed." The Mi-17 caught fire after the crash, according to the provincial governor's spokesman Salim Saleh. There was no official comment from the Pakistani military or Afghan defence ministry officials. Pakistan's army uses Russian-made MI-17 helicopters, several of which have crashed in recent years. In February, an army officer was killed when a military helicopter crashed in northern Pakistan on a routine night training mission. Last August, 12 people were killed when a helicopter belonging to the army crashed in northwest Pakistan. And seven people -- including two foreign ambassadors -- died in May last year when an Mi-17 army helicopter crashed at a holiday resort in the hills of Gilgit. From Road & Track At the risk of being overly blunt, this situation thoroughly sucks. A man had his 2014 Porsche Panamera stolen after a hotel valet gave the keys to the wrong person, who subsequently drove off with the car, never to be seen again. The Houston Chronicle recounts the full saga of Carlo DiMarco and his stolen Panamera, which was snatched on May 25, 2015. Apparently, DiMarco came to a Doubletree hotel in Houston for a race weekend, but sometime after he checked in, his car disappeared. Per a surveillance video, two men walked up to the valet stand, and drove off after receiving the keys from an attendant. Unfortunately for DiMarco, the hotel claims it's not liable for his stolen property since it used a third-party valet service-even though, as DiMarco's suit points out, the parking attendants wore uniforms bearing the Doubletree logo. The insurance service for the valet parking company denied DiMarco's claim, and his own insurance company only offered him $68,000 for a car that he bought for nearly double that amount. DiMarcowho's still making $2000 monthly payments on the carfiled suit against the hotel, the property management company, and the valet parking service, seeking between $200,000 and $1 million in damages. According to the Houston Chronicle, DiMarco now refuses to valet his current car, a Ferrari FF. Understandable, we'd say. We've all worried about handing our beloved cars over to a valet, but most of the time we're thinking about door dings and scuffed rims. DiMarco's experience is the kind of thing gearheads have nightmares over. And from the looks of things, his nightmare isn't over yet. PARIS (Reuters) - Security agencies in Paris have circulated a photo of an Afghan asylum seeker on suspicion that he might be plotting an attack on the capital, a police source said on Thursday, as France reels from two strikes in a month by Islamic State loyalists. Police did not have a name for the Afghan, the source said, and no active manhunt was underway. Metronews reported that the man had been in France for the past two months. France has been under emergency rule since militant gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris in November. Last month, a Tunisian drove his truck into Bastille Day revelers in Nice, killing 84 people, and two Islamist militants cut the throat of an elderly priest. Days before the Normandy church attack on July 26, France's security services had received a tip-off from a foreign intelligence agency that a suspected militant was planning an attack, and sent out a nameless photo to different agencies. The photo turned out to be of one of the church killers, 19-year-old Abdel-Malik Nabir Petitjean. Paris is on high alert, wary in particular of the potential for an attack on the "Paris Plage" beach festival. Every summer Paris closes off a major road along one bank of the river Seine and dumps sand to create an artificial beach. Following the Nice attack, vehicles and concrete blocks are being used to block entrances to the site. More than 50 summer festivals and events are receiving special security attention this year following last month's attacks. Several have been canceled on the basis that they cannot meet security standards. (This version of the story corrects last paragraph to make clear more than 50 festivals are getting special security attention, and that some events have been canceled) (Reporting by Gerard Bon; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Catherine Evans) Paul Ryan House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that his support of Donald Trump was "not a blank check," also standing by his recent criticisms of the Republican nominee's campaign amid a tumultuous week. The Wisconsin Republican talked to a local radio station two days after Trump declined to endorse the House speaker, who on Tuesday will face off in a primary against insurgent Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen. "He's had a pretty strange run since the convention," Ryan told host Jerry Bader on WTAQ radio. "You would think that we want to be focusing on Hillary Clinton, on all of her deficiencies. She is such a weak candidate that one would think that we would be on offense against Hillary Clinton, and it is distressing that that's not what we're talking about these days." Continuing with his critique of Trump's feud with Ghazala and Khizr Khan, the parents of a slain Muslim soldier, Ryan called Trump's recent remarks about the parents "beyond the pale." "You don't do that to Gold Star families," he said, using the term for immediate family members of troops killed in wartime. The Khans, who have been critical of Trump since appearing at the Democratic convention, lost a son in Iraq. "If anyone has earned the right to say whatever they want, it is Gold Star families." Ryan, who has faced pressure to rescind his endorsement of Trump, was asked by Bader what would make him abandon his support for the bombastic billionaire. Ryan said "none of these things are ever blank checks," repeating a line he has used previously. He did add, though, that he remained behind Trump after the Khan ordeal. On Tuesday, Trump said he was "not quite" ready to endorse Ryan. "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country," Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post. "We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet. I'm not quite there yet." Ryan, after initially declining to offer Trump an endorsement as the party's presumptive nominee, did endorse him in June. He also spoke at the GOP convention last month, in a sign of party unity between the two leaders. Story continues donald trump The move came just one day after Trump offered praise to Nehlen on Twitter for defending him over the Khan controversy. Trump told The Post that Nehlen, who has been reliably pro-Trump, was running "a very good campaign," but he also said he didn't offer his support and he was merely thanking him for "sending their love." Speaking with Business Insider on Tuesday evening, Nehlen called Ryan a "soulless globalist" but expressed skepticism that Trump would come to his aid with an endorsement. Nehlen, who faces near-insurmountable odds, characterized Ryan as "the most open-borders, anti-worker, pro-Wall Street member of Congress on either side." Paul Nehlen He also chastised Ryan for weighing in on the Khan debate, which has earned Trump widespread condemnation from those both within and outside the GOP. "Why does he weigh in on issues that, on the negative side, every time with Mr. Trump?" Nehlen said. "He's our nominee. He takes every opportunity to take a shot at Mr. Trump." During his Thursday interview, Ryan labeled Nehlen's campaign as "an out-of-state insurgent campaign powered by these scam PACs, staffed by out-of-state people." "I don't think Wisconsinites like these kinds of things," he said. "I feel very good where I am." NOW WATCH: Heres the footage that Republicans suggest shows Hillary Clinton lied under oath More From Business Insider Paul Ryan of Wisconsin on the second day of the Republican National Convention, July 19, 2016. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP) House Speaker Paul Ryan isnt walking back his support for Donald Trumps campaign, but he said Thursday that he would continue to speak out when the GOP nominees remarks could harm the party. In an interview with a Wisconsin radio station, Ryan said there were no blank checks for his support. But he added that Trumps recent struggles were not enough to cause him to withdraw it. If I see a situation where our conservative principles are being distorted, Im going to stand up for those conservative principles, Ryan said on The Jerry Bader Show on WTAQ in Green Bay, Wis. If I see and hear things that are wrong, Im not going to sit by and say nothing because I think I have a duty as a Republican leader to defend Republican principles and our party brand. Thats what I said I would do when I endorsed him. The speaker has been critical of Trumps feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq. The Khans spoke out against Trump at the Democratic National Convention, and Trump criticized them in response. You do nothing but honor Gold Star families, and if anyone earned the right to say whatever they want, it is Gold Star families, Ryan said Thursday. I thought [Trumps] comments were beyond the pale and I called it out I dont like doing this, but I will do this because I feel I have to. In a statement last week, Ryan said criticizing Gold Star families was unacceptable and that they deserved greater respect. Trump then told the Washington Post on Tuesday that he would not endorse Ryan in his GOP primary, saying he was not quite there yet. I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. The day before, Trump thanked Ryans opponent, businessman Paul Nehlen, for his support. The Wisconsin GOP primary is next Tuesday. Thanks to @pnehlen for your kind words, very much appreciated. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 Trump has become embroiled in other controversies in recent days, including remarks he made about a Russian invasion of Ukraine and his claim that the election would be rigged against him. Ryan said the party has to move beyond those missteps and focus its attention on the flaws of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Hes had a pretty strange run since the convention. Ryan said. You would think that we want to be focusing on Hillary Clinton, on all of her deficiencies. She is such a weak candidate that one would think that we would be on offense against Hillary Clinton, and it is distressing that thats not what were talking about these days By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) - A day after meeting with the head of the opposition-controlled Congress, Peru's prime minister said he was optimistic lawmakers would back President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's economic reforms, including plans to cut the value-added tax rate. The prime minister, Fernando Zavala, who recently stepped down as chief executive of beer maker SABMiller, said that if Congress does block the gradual VAT rate reduction to 15 percent from 18 percent, Kuczynski would seek "alternatives." "The possibility always exists that it will be denied," Zavala told Reuters in an interview. "But we do think that when they see the comprehensive proposals, we'll get a vote of approval." Kuczynski, a centrist 77-year-old former investment banker who took office on Thursday, pitched the tax reduction as central to his plans to modernize Peru by encouraging small businesses to pay taxes. But lawmakers with the rightwing party of his defeated rival Keiko Fujimori have slammed the reform as a drain on government revenues. Zavala said his cabinet was also considering new and complementary tax proposals to make it easier for small businesses to operate on the books. "Seventy percent of the economy is informal," Zavala said. "To jumpstart economic growth we have to tackle this." Kuczynski has also proposed rolling out infrastructure projects and slashing red tape to bring annual economic expansion back to at least 5 percent a year, after slumping mineral prices sapped investments in Peru, a global copper and gold exporter. Zavala said Kuczynski's team had expected the fiscal deficit, government spending capacity and economic growth to be in better shape than they are by now. "We expected the situation to be better," Zavala said. "That means bigger challenges for us but we still think we'll be able to meet" our goals. Kuczynski has had a frosty relationship with Fujimori's party since the two traded attacks in a tight race for the presidency in June. But the president of Congress, Luz Salgado, a longtime member of Fujimori's party, has praised Zavala, who spent his second day on the job offering her public apologies after Kuczynski said he would peel off new members of her party to pass legislation. "There are good spirits" now with the Fujimoristas, Zavala said, adding that Congress will likely vote on approving his cabinet on Aug. 18. If Congress blocks Kuczynski's cabinet twice in his government, he can call for new parliamentary elections. Zavala said it would never come to that. "No way," he said. (Reporting by Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino; Editing by Leslie Adler) A serial killer suspected of fatally shooting seven people in Phoenix, Arizona since mid-March has struck at least nine times, authorities said Wednesday. The suspect, who is still on the loose, has been linked to another recent incident on July 11 in which an unidentified man opened fired on a vehicle with a 21-year-old man and a 4-year-old boy inside, the City of Phoenix Police Department said. Neither victim was injured in the shooting. The threat is still alive, Phoenix Police Sgt. Jonathan Howard said, according to NBC News. We dont want to see anybody else get hurt. We want to make an arrest and stop this. Were fortunate in this new incident that nobody was injured. Police say the so-called serial street shooter has shot and killed at least seven people, including a 12-year-old child and a 19-year-old man. Most of the incidents took place while the victims were standing outside of a home or by a car on the street during the evening or early morning. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Arizona police thought the shooting spree of a suspected serial killer ended with the June slayings of a mother and her 12-year-old daughter. But officials have now tied a ninth, non-fatal attack to the gunman, who has killed seven people seemingly at random across Phoenix since March, police announced. On July 11, a gunman opened fire on a man, 21, and a 4-year-old boy as they sat in a car, the Phoenix Police Department announced in a statement. The man and boy were not injured in the shooting. The names of the man and boy have not been released. Phoenix Serial Killer Linked to 9th Random Shooting: Police| Crime & Courts, Death, Murder, Shootings, True Crime Seven people have been killed and two more wounded in a series of attacks police believe to be connected. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Police have few leads and are relying on the public to identify the shooter, described as a thin man in his 20s, according to the AP. "Investigators believe that the suspect has access to multiple vehicles which may change but the two best described are a white Cadillac or Lincoln type vehicle and a black late 90's or early 2000's 5 series BMW," the police statement said. Authorities have offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest more than double the $20,000 originally offered. Phoenix Serial Killer Linked to 9th Random Shooting: Police| Crime & Courts, Death, Murder, Shootings, True Crime "The threat is still alive," Phoenix Police Sgt. Jonathan Howard said, according to NBC News. "We don't want to see anybody else get hurt. He added: "We want to make an arrest and stop this. We're fortunate in this new incident that nobody was injured." Three of the murders linked to the suspected killer were the June 12 slayings of 12-year-old Maleah Ellis, her mom Stefanie and family friend Angela Linner as they sat in a car and listened to music outside their Maryvale home. The shooter pulled up alongside the car and opened fire, shooting the victims more than 30 times. Maleah is the killer's youngest murder victim. Stefanie's brother and Maleah's uncle, Sylvester Ellis, opened up to PEOPLE about the moment he found his sister and niece dead. "The gunshots woke me up a I'm the one that actually found them in the car. And life hasn't been the same," the 35-year-old said. "I woke up out my sleep, went outside and saw them like that a they were all slumped over in the car." Other murder victims include Diego Verdugo-Sanchez, Krystal White, Horacio De Jesus Pena, Manuel Castro Garcia. The crime spree began on March 17, with the non-fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy as he walked down the street. 4 Aug - Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach has had enough of bashers and their attacks on FHM Philippine's Sexiest Woman, Jessy Mendiola. As reported on PEP News, the beauty queen, who is an advocate against cyberbullying, took to Twitter to express her annoyance, saying, "Seriously though, enough with the Jessy Mendiola hate. Confident Filipinas should be celebrated, not condemned." She also added the hashtags NoToBodyShaming and NoToBullying. This is the second time Wurtzbach expressed her support for Mendiola. Previously, she dismissed fans who tried to pit her against Mendiola after the latter made a remark about being 'confidently sexy with a heart' and 'beating Pia Wurtzbach in the votes' at the FHM Philippines 100 Sexiest Victory Party. Wurtzbach's only response to the issue was, "What I saw was a girl who was just really ecstatic to be given that recognition. Nothing wrong with that. Congratulations, Jessy!" (Photo source: instagram.com/piawurtzbach) When a drunk passenger picked a fight with a flight attendant, a pilot took matters into his own handsliterally. He tackled the passenger to the ground, yelling, Dont put your hands on my flight attendant! The pilot restrained the passenger while law enforcement was called. The incident occurred on an American Airlines flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 21. The passenger, identified as 25-year old Michael Kerr, had been drinking some of Kentuckys finest whiskey on the plane, according to the Charlotte Observer, and had grown increasingly belligerent during the flight. When the plane landed in Charlotte, Kerr ignored the fasten seatbelt sign and flight attendants warnings and made a break for the door, even though the plane was not yet at the gate. As the Observer reported, an FBI affidavit states that Kerr remained standing and when an attendant ordered him to sit, Kerr threatened to break her jaw, kicked an attendant in the leg, and shoved another to the floor. In a cellphone video of the incident, the man can be seen ignoring a pilots command to take a seat and instead tells the pilot to move. I dont care what you want to do, youre going to take a seat right now, the pilot responded. No, Im not, Kerr replied. He then tried to shove his way past a flight attendant, who was blocking the exit. She resists his pushing and when he eventually succeeds in getting past her, she falls to the floor. Thats when Kerr was tackled by the pilot, who has not been named. Enough! the pilot yelled in the video. You dont put your hands on my flight attendant! Enough! While pinned to the ground, Kerr threatened to post the incident on Facebook. When law enforcement, he continued to put up a fight, spitting, yelling, and kicking while being dragged off the plane. Kerr was been charged with public intoxication, disruption, assault on a female, communicating threats and interfering with the duties of a flight crew or attendant, according to the Observer. Story continues He was released on $25,000 bond and has been banned him from flying while he awaits trial. Behavior like this is why the UKs travel minister is looking to restrict alcohol sales at airports. Related Articles Bernie Sanders may be out as a presidential contender, but his proposal to make public college free has worked its way into Hillary Clintons education plan. While the plan is making some private colleges nervous, his campaign has succeeded in furthering a broader conversation among university admissions directors about how to make access to higher education more equitable. The applicant pools at selective universities dont typically reflect the broader population, acknowledged Jim Rawlins, the director of admissions and assistant vice president of enrollment management at the University of Oregon, during a recent roundtable discussion with a handful of other admissions leaders in Washington, D.C. The different schools in attendanceboth public and private, small and largeagreed that needs to change. But not all schools are convinced that making in-state public schools free for students from families earning less than $125,000 a year by 2021, the gist of Clintons plan, is the right approach. Monica Inzer, the vice president and dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton College, a small private school in rural upstate New York, expressed concern that if such a proposal were to become a reality, some families might not look at private schools that could be a good fit and equally affordable. Recommended: Missouri's Governor Wouldn't Fund Public DefendersSo He's Been Ordered to Serve as One Himself As Jim Nondorf, the vice president for enrollment and student advancement and dean of admissions and financial aid at the University of Chicago, said, students often hear a sticker price and dont realize the actual cost for low- and even middle-income kids may not be as steep. His school, for instance, offers need-blind admission and promises to meet 100 percent of a familys demonstrated need. Hamilton eliminated merit aid in 2007, and went completely need blind several years later. The school also runs an emergency aid fund to help students who cannot afford to fly home to visit a sick parent, or clothes for a job interview. But many schools, including many historically black colleges, dont have the funds (Hamiltons financial aid budget alone is more than $38 million) to accommodate such students, and losing middle-class kids to free public schools could make supporting poor students even harder, or force schools to take only the very richest students who can pay full price. Story continues I think what would happen is, we would have to become more elitist, because anybody who is not really wealthy is going to go to take the free option, Sheila Bair, the president of Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, told Politico recently. I dont want us to be elitist. I want us to have a diverse student population. This stuff is relatively new. But, as Inzer and others at the roundtable pointed out, the likelihood of free college becoming a reality may be slim. Rick Clark, the director of undergraduate admission at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the school hosting the roundtable, wrote in an email after the discussion that the $125,000 line is aspirational and highly doubtful to be adopted due to feasibility and competing priorities. Recommended: Ben Carson: The Khans Should Apologize to Donald Trump For one thing, tuition often makes up a small portion of the cost of college, and its not clear how many stateswhere tuition rates are typically setwill be willing to contribute funding to the plan. Republicans, too, are reluctant to close the tax loopholes Clinton says she would use to pay for the plan. Yet Clark said he sees wisdom in starting with a high bar in order to promote discussion, debate, compromise and ultimately movement upward as it relates to Pell increases, state re-investment, and institutional action for the next tier of low [socioeconomic status students.] While the prospect of real change at the national level remains tenuous, conversations about how to make college more accessible and affordable are already happening in some states and on some campuses. Georgia Tech promises that in-state students from families earning less than $33,000 will graduate debt free, and it is looking at meeting full need for families making less than $50,000, Clark said. The University of Chicago has started traveling with a number of other schools who also belong to the Coalition Application, an online toolkit that lets students build applications to different schools, to meet prospective high-school students, so that young people see a range of options they may not have known existed. Inzers team also travels the country seeking out high school students who may not have known Hamilton existed. We were not going to get diverse without working on it, she said. Recommended: The Narcissist At the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, current students, particularly those from immigrant families who may not immediately see themselves reflected on campus, are really engaged in the recruitment and enrollment process, said Rachelle Hernandez, the associate vice provost for enrollment management and director of admissions. But admitting a diverse cohort of students is only the first step, and in the last several years schools have launched or expanded programs to help first-generation and low-income students who often come from families unfamiliar with higher education. These students families may not be tapped into the networks that so many wealthy families rely on to give their children a boost as they enter adulthood. You have to help them get their first internship, Nondorf said. This stuff is relatively new. At Georgia Tech, students are encouraged to go to one-to-one tutoring when they need it, and the school tries to intervene early when it spots issues. Universities used to make the assumption that students would take advantage of campus programs, Hernandez said, but thats no longer the case. Her team, she said, sends information home to families about whats offered on campus to keep them informed and make sure they feel included. Its saying to the student, You and your community matter to us. The University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, funds summer research and work opportunities for students so they dont have to miss out on opportunities that could advance their careers to take summer jobs, said Stephanie Dupaul, the vice president for enrollment management. Retention is actually higher among low-income students, Dupaul added. I think we should talk more about that, said Inzer, referring to retention. Its an important piece of the conversation, and more policymakers are focusing on which schools successfully graduate students who are able to find good jobs and support themselves. Students who drop out are often left with loans they struggle to repay, and there is increasing pressure on schools to help students limit their debt. Yet schools push back at some of the ideas students and some advocacy groups say would help more low-income young people earn a degree. Many schools, the University of Chicago and Georgia Tech included, have legacy admission programs that give some preference to students who come from families where a parent or sibling has attended the school, something that, by definition, benefits few first-generation students. And schools are reluctant to dip too far into their endowments; schools need to think not only about the present, Nondorf, whose school has an endowment of more than $7 billion, said, but about the future, too. Still, while there are clearly remaining challenges when it comes to enrolling and graduating students who have traditionally not had a place on college campuses, admissions leaders seem increasingly cognizant of the fact that student demographics are shifting, and, more importantly, that their increasingly varied needs are worth supporting. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Simon Jessop, Sinead Cruise and Carolyn Cohn LONDON (Reuters) - A government plan to overhaul how local authorities invest their workers' pension money is meeting opposition from some trustees worried they will be forced to accept low returns for funding new roads, railways and other capital projects. The government has proposed merging nearly 200 billion pounds ($280 billion) of local authority retirement savings into investment pools to help pay for improvements to Britain's infrastructure. It is also wooing other investors such as insurance companies who want secure, long-term revenue streams. While several years in gestation, the plan has taken on greater importance since Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union, with new Prime Minister Theresa May looking for lasting remedies to support an economy facing a period of stagnation and weak growth. But there is opposition to the ambitious scheme among the stewards of 89 Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS) in England and Wales, who together manage the retirement savings of more than 5 million people. The government says its plan will help them to trim costs and improve returns when many are struggling to plug deficits caused by weaker returns on staple bond and stock investments. But some scheme managers say they are concerned over what they see as an attempt by central government to take more control of their investment policies. "It could be very positive and mean substantial investment in infrastructure schemes or it might mean the dead hand of the Treasury comes in and say 'you will invest in this'," said David Wilcox, a councillor in Derbyshire, central England. "That's my greatest concern and the concern of the scheme members." VARIABLE RETURNS Local officials fear the investment pools could mean they end up funding riskier or lower return projects than they might choose to support independently, a Reuters analysis of minutes from council meetings between September 2015 and June 2016 and a survey of committee members in May and June showed. The schemes are used to having full control of their investments and are reluctant to surrender any more power in what is already a centralised political system. A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said the government has not said local authorities will be compelled to invest in infrastructure, just that it should be considered. Yields on building projects also vary widely. Returns on low-risk infrastructure debt could be as low as Euribor plus 250 basis points, said Peter Hobbs of advisory firm bFinance, and are unchanged since the Brexit vote. Riskier projects, meanwhile, are more akin to private equity investments and can net returns of up to 25 percent, he added. NEW PROJECTS Since taking power last month, May's administration has announced plans for a 344 million pound ($457 million) expansion of London's City Airport, and could back a multi-billion pound high-speed rail project to link London with central England. UK Treasury and DCLG spokesmen told Reuters the local government wealth fund plan will be proceeding, with the pools potentially up and running by April 2018. While the local schemes are broadly open to investing more in infrastructure, problem projects such as the over-budget Channel Tunnel linking Britain and France remain fresh in the memory of investment committees. Many say infrastructure projects are often too complex, fraught with construction and operational risks and tough to exit. Only five councils of the 89 contacted by Reuters said they had no concerns about the government's plan, while 46 said they were concerned it could see them compelled to invest in low-quality infrastructure projects. "The government's desire to find a pot of money to pay for infrastructure developments shouldn't override our basic duty of care to members to invest in the right investments," David Bawn, a councillor in Northumberland in northern England, told Reuters. Two councillors told Reuters they would consider legal action if the government sought to force them to invest in projects they did not like, or imposed an arbitrary target for infrastructure investment, citing their fiduciary duty to scheme members. FOLLOWING CANADA AND AUSTRALIA With just 1 percent of LGPS assets currently invested in infrastructure debt or equity, even a small increase in allocation would help the government. That figure contrasts with the likes of Canada and Australia, where large pension funds invest around 8-15 percent in infrastructure. Hobbs of bFinance said a realistic target in Britain was for five percent of LGPS funds to go into infrastructure over the next 5-10 years. That would not be risk-free, however. "Nudging or mandating UK pension assets to invest in UK infrastructure projects, creating jobs for UK citizens and creating economic stimulus within the UK, sounds like a laudable aspiration for a government," said BNY Mellon in a February report on the pooling initiative. "But it brings with it huge amounts of risk both for the members of the LGPS and for the council taxpayers who will have to foot the bill in the event that investments go wrong." Above all, those running local schemes value the freedom to invest as they see fit. "We would want to be invested in infrastructure where it's going to produce the best returns, whether that is supplying rolling stock in London or providing a hydroelectric plant in Norway " said Bill Gifford, who is a councillor in Warwickshire, central England. (Additional reporting by Stefano Berra and Rod Morrison; Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Keith Weir) General George Washington Resigning His Commission by John Trumbull As part of PoliticalFest, a nonpartisan festival held in conjunction with the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, the National Constitution Centerin partnership with George Washingtons Mount Vernonhosted leading presidential historians and constitutional scholars to discuss the nations first President and the lessons voters can draw when choosing a candidate in November. Akhil Reed Amar is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University. Amar spoke about his most recent book, The Law of the Land, at the Center in May 2015; you can watch that program at constitutioncenter.org. Edward Larson is University Professor and the Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University. Larson spoke about his most recent book, The Return of George Washington, at the Center in October 2014; you can watch that program at constitutioncenter.org. Douglas Bradburn is the Founding Director of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon. This show was engineered by Kevin Kilbourne and edited by Jason Gregory. It was produced by Nicandro Iannacci. Research was provided by Lana Ulrich and Tom Donnelly. The host of We the People is Jeffrey Rosen. Get the latest constitutional news, and continue the conversation, on our Facebook page and Twitter feed. We want to know what you think of the podcast! Email us at editor@constitutioncenter.org. Please subscribe to We the People and Live at Americas Town Hall on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. We the People is a member of Slates Panoply network. Check out the full roster at iTunes.com/Panoply. Despite our congressional charter, the National Constitution Center is a private nonprofit; we receive little government support, and we rely on the generosity of people around the country who are inspired by our nonpartisan mission of constitutional debate and education. Please consider becoming a member to support our work, including this podcast. Visit constitutioncenter.org to learn more. Story continues Recent Stories on Constitution Daily Will the Supreme Court take up transgender rights? A brief history of pocket constitutions and their meaning Podcast: A constitutional history of the Democratic Party London police cordoned off Russell Square after one person was killed and six injured in a knife attack late on Wednesday evening, August 3. Officers responding to the incident used a Taser to subdue and arrest one suspect, according to a Metropolitan Police press release. The Florida State University London Study Centre announced on August 4 that the wife of one of their professors was killed in the knife attack. Credit: Chanel Britton A Dallas police officer was scheduled to be taken off life support Thursday the day he was supposed to marry his fiancee, according to friends. Hans Campbell, 28, had traveled to the Philippines to celebrate his birthday and marry Chriselyn Bedolido. But tragedy struck Tuesday when he was hit by a boat while scuba diving and declared clinically dead. Read: Hundreds Gather To Honor Slain Baton Rouge Cop Shot By Ex-Marine He was kept on life support to harvest his organs. Friend Victor Wang called losing his buddy "heartbreaking," and set up a GoFundMe page to help with transportation and funeral costs. Campbell also served in the Texas Army National Guard. I spoke with Chriselyn not too long ago, and as of [Wednesday] they are finishing up things over in the Philippines and trying to get Hans back to the U.S. ASAP, Wang wrote. The reason why Im doing this is just to help Chriselyn as everyone can imagine how much is on her plate already. Read: Services Held For Slain Dallas Cops As Widow Tells 'Coward' Shooter 'Your Hate Made Us Stronger' The Dallas Police Department had no immediate comment about Campbell's death. The couple met in 2011 at a Vietnamese restaurant in California. They struck up a conversation and Campbell asked Bedolido for her phone number, according to their wedding website. She refused, giving her email address instead. And the rest, as they say, is history, the site said. Watch: Funeral Services Held For Slain Dallas Police Officers Killed In Cop Ambush Related Articles: If 2016 followed the usual pattern, national politics would now hit a late-summer lull. But so far, this election year has not been a normal one. With Congress in recess during August, many Americans on vacation, the national conventions over and the Olympics just starting, political news has long been supposed to quiet down for a few weeks before Labor Day kicks off the final stretch to Election Day. But that may no longer be the case. Thats an outdated view of presidential campaigning, said Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University. The change dates back to the 2004 election, when the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth began ads attacking Democratic candidate John Kerry during August. In 2012, President Obamas re-election campaign spent heavily against Republican Mitt Romney in August. The first few days of August have already been filled with election news. Republican nominee Donald Trump made headlines for declining to endorse Speaker of the House Paul Ryan or 2008 nominee John McCain, continued his feud with the parents of a fallen soldier, suggested his daughter should quit if she were sexually harassed at work, called Hillary Clinton the devil and suggested the election will be rigged. Donald Trump could use a lull in his campaign, Schiller told TIME. When candidates make mistakes while on the trail during the summer, thats all people talk about at the beach. Meantime, President Obama has argued Trump is unfit to serve as president; a former aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former California gubernatorial candidate and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman endorsed Hillary Clinton, while a former top adviser to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said she would vote for Clinton if its a close election in Florida. While this year the lack of an August lull is more pronounced than previously, Sunshine Hillygus, professor of political science at Duke University, told TIME the end of the August lull is also related to changes in how people read the news, including the spread of social media. Story continues It is a reflection of changes in the media environment, Hillygus said. Still, Richard Lau, a political science professor at Rutgers University, said that most voters arent going to tune in to the presidential election until the end of summer, in part because their individual vote is unlikely to make a huge difference. Theres like real life, immediate life, that you have to be thinking about all the time, and for most people most of the time, thats just much more important, he said. Another reason that people pay more attention after Labor Day is that ad spending goes up as campaigns traditionally have waited until closer to the election to make crucial decisions about how to spend their money, said Gregory Huber, a professor of political science at Yale. That is also a little different this year, as Clinton and her allies have spent more than $68 million on ads so far, with several ads aimed at defining Trump as divisive, while Trump and his allies have spent just $6 million. Still, the Clinton campaign and super PACs supporting her are expected to air nearly $100 million worth of ads through the fall. Schiller said in terms of campaigning, Clinton is playing it safe, making only appearances but not starting any fires. But while August may not be the lull it once was, that does not mean that things will not pick up. The whole nature is going to shift from Olympics to election, Huber said. By Gus Trompiz PARIS (Reuters) - The smallest French wheat harvest in at least a decade is set to push European Union production down sharply from last year's record, while persistent rain is also raising the risk of lower quality in some major wheat belts, analysts and traders said. Rain delays mean it is still too early to call the overall size and quality of the EU crop. But the plunge in French output should leave EU soft wheat output well shy of last year's record 151 million tonnes, despite bumper yields in eastern states such as Romania and Bulgaria. "When you look at the EU harvest, volumes are going to be most affected in the west," Pierre Begoc of consultancy Agritel said. "In France, the situation has continued to deteriorate." Plummeting yields in France, by far the EU's biggest wheat producer and exporter, have led to a growing consensus that soft wheat output will only reach 28-30 million tonnes, the lowest since at least 2003 and down more than a quarter from last year's record. Repeated rainfall has held up harvesting northern France but poor initial yields there have contributed to further downward revisions. Consultancy ODA Groupe this week cut its estimate by 2.2 million tonnes to 28.2 million, a 28-year low. In late spring, torrential rain, unusually low sunshine levels and widespread plant disease hampered growth of wheat grains and led to low readings for specific weights, a measure of the milling quality of wheat, analysts say. In Germany, winter wheat yields could fall 10 to 20 percent from last year, although rain delays meant only one third of the crop had been gathered so far, the Association of German Farmers said on Wednesday. "The repeated harvest interruptions means that such a small area has been gathered that no serious estimates can be made of the national yield," an association spokeswoman said. As in Germany, rain was raising concerns about quality downgrades to wheat crops in Poland. "Based on early reports, it is likely that the share of milling wheat in total wheat output will be smaller than last year. Expected unstable weather in the next two weeks may further deteriorate grain quality parameters," said Wojtek Sabaranski of analysts Sparks Polska. Sparks Polska forecasts Poland's wheat crop at 10.7 million tonnes, down 10 percent from 2015. Britain is expected to see a sharp fall in wheat production due to adverse weather and a smaller area, although harvesting was only just getting underway. "After a wet spring leading to high disease pressure and a lack of sunshine in June followed by a flash heatwave mid-July, UK crops suffered greatly in the most critical grain filling stages," analysts CRM AgriCommodities said this week. CRM AgriCommodities is forecasting a UK wheat crop of between 14.5 and 14.7 million tonnes, down from last season's 16.4 million. (Reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris, Michael Hogan in Hamburg and Nigel Hunt in London, editing by David Evans) A possible tornado was spotted near Devils Lake, North Dakota, on Wednesday, August 3. The National Weather Service had earlier issued a tornado warning for south central McIntosh County as a severe thunderstorm blew through northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. This video shows a possible tornado near Devils Lake. Credit: Natalie Lundstrom President Barack Obama attempted to shoot down speculation that the United States had paid a ransom to Iran for the release of four American hostages. Instead, Obama said Thursday that a $400 million cash transfer sent to Tehran in January only coincidentally aligned with the release of the hostages. We do not pay ransom for hostages. Weve got a number of Americans being held around the world and I meet with their families and its heartbreaking, the president said. But those families know that we have a policy that we dont pay ransom. He denied that there was any sort of nefarious deal, saying that the payment was not made in secret and that the White House announced the transfer in January. Obama spoke from the Pentagon after a meeting on counter-ISIS efforts with administration officials. Obama said Thursday that the US will continue to aggressively attack the terror network, though he said it seems that ISIS diminished presence in Syria is influencing attacks abroad. None of ISILs leaders are safe and we are going to keep going after them, the president said. Obama says ISIS has not had a major offensive operation in Syria in a full year and that they will inevitably be defeated but it will take more that military efforts to stop the group. Earlier in the week the White House vehemently denied that the administration had delivered the payment to Tehran in exchange for American prisoners. Secretary of State John Kerry commented on the situation earlier Thursday, saying that the $400 million transfer was not a ransom payment. The United States does not pay ransom and does not negotiate ransoms, Kerry reportedly said. It is not our policy. This story is not a new story. This was announced by the president of the United States himself at the same time. Yellow flowers are laid next to blood stains on the attack scene at the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Europe has been suffering, not only because of a slowing economy but also at the hands of terrorism. It has been rocked by terrorist attacks, from the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris in January 2015 to the Brussels airport attacks and the massacre in Nice this year. But perhaps far more worrying than the terrorist attacks is the fact that many, if not most, of the attackers grew up in Europe. In Europe, North America and East Asia, the image of Muslims has been hijacked by terrorism, and labeled "conservative", "extremist" or "anti-modernist" in the popular discourses. And the reason for that could be the growing divide between indigenous and migrant Europeans. Europe faces rising ethnic, social tensions, which will not go away anytime soon. Amidst all this, it is receiving more refugees from North African and the Middle East, a majority of them fleeing the Syrian civil war. And Europe seems defenseless against this double-punch of terrorism and refugee problem. Many blame this on multiculturalism across the continent, and multiculturalism (along with multiethnic and multi-religious factors) creates problems regarding social benefits, public security, traditional culture and identity politics. Compared with traditional liberalists who uphold individual rights and freedom of speech, multiculturalists emphasize the rights of groups, that is, they seek the help of dialogues to demand the same rights for all ethnic groups. Such dialogues, however, need a shield of liberalism, which includes freedom of speech, political and public participation rights, conscientious democracy and code of ethics. By Leo Carioca NATAL, Brazil (Reuters) - Inmates temporarily took control of a state prison and set fire to mattresses on Wednesday in Brazil's northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte where gangsters have unleashed a wave of violence against the government. Troops began street patrols in the state capital of Natal on Wednesday night to prevent the torching of more government vehicles just days before the Olympic Games open in Rio de Janeiro, 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) to the south. Security officials said special forces police entered the prison and retook control, extinguishing the fires. They said the revolt at the Parnamirim penitentiary outside Natal was the latest attempt by a criminal gang to reverse a government move to block cell phone signals used by the gangsters to run their business from jail. The fires were lit below the signal blockers but their flames did not damage the equipment, said a spokesman for the state's security department, Captain Christiano Couceiro. Brazil's federal government has sent 1,000 army soldiers and 200 Marines to help quell the violence. Troops began to patrol major thoroughfares and public squares of Natal, Couceiro said. The streets and shops of the city were almost empty at night as residents feared to go out and buses stopped running early. State Governor Robinson Faria called the wave of violence and attempt to intimidate the authorities. He told reporters his government will not give up its efforts to stop organized crime operating from prison cells. Police have arrested 86 people suspected of destroying 29 buses and other state vehicles with fire, setting off bombs and shooting at government buildings. Brazil's interim President Michel Temer, seeking to end the violence before the Olympic Games start on Friday in Rio, authorized the dispatch of troops to the state on Sunday. No Olympic events are taking place in Rio Grande do Norte. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Michael Perry) Priyanka Chopra looks like a boho Belle from Beauty and the Beast Priyanka Chopra looks like a boho Belle from Beauty and the Beast We love Disney princesses. We love powerful women IRL. But you know what we love even more? When powerful, real-life women are inspired by Disney princesses. The latest celeb to delight us with such a connection is none other than the ubertalented Priyanka Chopra. Here she is, in a muted yellow, mid-length dress that makes her look like a bohemian version of Beauty and the Beasts Princess Belle: Accessories Council Celebrates The 20th Anniversary of the ACE Awards - Arrivals See what we mean? priyanka chopra 5 Between the lack of sleeves, stunning yellow hue, and flowy tiers, we cant help but think that Priyanka is channeling one of our fave princesses. We are living for this photo right now: Priyanka Chopra 7 Disney, if youre reading: We highly recommend that you consider Priyanka for a future live-action princess role. The post Priyanka Chopra looks like a boho Belle from Beauty and the Beast appeared first on HelloGiggles. Warsaw (AFP) - Pro-choice activists in Poland sent a citizens' bill to parliament Thursday intended to ease access to abortion in the staunchly Catholic EU state and torpedo moves toward a near total ban on terminations. The "Save Women" group gathered 215,000 signatures for their draft legislation, which includes access to abortion until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy -- something the existing restrictive law does not provide. Although recent opinion surveys suggest a majority of Poles want access to terminations widened, the proposal has virtually no chance in the country's right-wing dominated parliament. Adopted in 1993, the current law is among the most restrictive in the EU. It bans all terminations except for pregnancies that result from rape or incest, pose a health risk to the mother, or where the foetus is severely deformed. Anti-abortion activists backed by the influential Catholic Church tabled their own "Stop Abortion" citizens' bill in parliament last month that would allow abortion only to save a woman's life. The proposal would also increase the maximum jail term for people who perform unauthorised abortions from two years to five. Women undergoing illegal abortions are also liable, although judges could waive sentences. This citizens' bill was backed by 450,000 signatures, while a minimum 100,000 are required in order for citizen-proposed legislation to be considered by parliament. Krystyna Kacpura, head of the Warsaw-based Federation for Women and Family Planning, warned Thursday that further restrictions would push Poland's flourishing illegal abortion sector even further underground. "Further underground means it would be even more dangerous and expensive," meaning even greater hardship for low income women, Kacpura told Polish media. There are fewer than 2,000 legal abortions each year in the country of 38 million people. According to Kacpura, another 100,000-150,000 procedures are performed illegally or abroad, mostly in the neighbouring Czech Republic, Germany or Slovakia. Activists say illegal abortions cost upwards of 500 euros ($560), or about half the average monthly salary. Pro-choice advocates and opponents have staged a string of rallies over the last eight months, mostly in the capital Warsaw. Donald Trump was interrupted numerous times on Thursday while stumping in Portland, Maine. A group of people were removed from the event, all holding pocket Constitutions, a nod to the now-iconic moment by the father of a fallen U.S. soldier who spoke during the Democratic National Convention, blasting Trump for his anti-immigration rhetoric. It appears at one point, one of the protesters had a whistle. The protesters were booed and called "traitors" as they were removed. Trump stopped and watched every time he was interrupted. The Republican presidential nominee did not say much concerning the protesters other than commenting on how safe his rallies are because of the heavy police presence. During one of the interruptions, Trump began shaking hands with supporters seated behind him. Hillary Clinton also had to deal with protesters on Thursday. The Democratic presidential nominee was swarmed by Secret Service agents when animal rights protesters got too close to her while she was stumping in Nevada. Clinton responded to the commotion by saying, "And apparently these people are here to protest Trump, because Trump and his kids have killed a lot of animals." Watch video from both rallies below. Another protester just escorted out. Holding pocket constitutions. #mepolitics #WGME pic.twitter.com/4Nhyob3EiG - Dan Lampariello (@DanWGME) August 4, 2016 Protesters standing silently with copies of the Constitution held high booed by @realDonaldTrump supporters: pic.twitter.com/9swBnvoBYn - Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) August 4, 2016 Secret service storms protesters at Clinton rally. pic.twitter.com/pUWz6xF5gV - Chris Reed (@CDReed) August 4, 2016 London (AFP) - Britain's former finance minister George Osborne was named on Thursday in an honours list put forward by David Cameron, who has faced criticism for awarding political allies after quitting as prime minister. Osborne is named a Companion of Honour, a title held by 65 people at any one time, for his services to government over a long period. Defence Minister Michael Fallon becomes a Knight Commander in the honours list, which has been approved by the queen and includes 46 names. In addition Cameron has awarded peerages to 16 people, many of whom held positions within his office. The royal approval of Cameron's resignation honours list follows accusations that the outgoing prime minister has used the tradition to award his financial and political backers. The list was branded "honours for cronies" by The Sunday Times newspaper, which published a leaked version on July 31. Cameron's former aide Steve Hilton said the honours were a "serious type of very British corruption" and a sign of a decaying democracy. A major donor to the Conservative Party, Vitol oil tycoon Ian Taylor, requested he be withdrawn from the round of honours after his name was published in the leaked list. Prime Minister Theresa May, who succeeded Cameron following his resignation in June, has refused to be drawn into the honours list debate. Beirut (AFP) - Two children were killed and dozens more wounded Thursday in air strikes on Syrian camps for the displaced probably carried out by Russian warplanes, a monitor said. "The probable Russian warplanes conducted eight raids in an area where two IDP camps" are located in Atareb, west of Aleppo city, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Many of these raids affected both sites, killing two children and injuring 30 others", he told AFP, adding that "10 tents were burned". The displaced fled to nearby fields, said Abdel Rahman. Rebel groups in Aleppo province are mainly concentrated in the area west of the regional capital, regularly targeted by air raids of the Syrian regime and its Russian ally. In early May, at least 28 civilians were killed in a strike on a camp for displaced people in the northwestern province of Idlib. Moscow and Damascus denied any involvement. Russia launched a campaign of air strikes in September that it says are targeting IS and other jihadist groups in Syria. A US-led coalition has also been carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria since September 2014. Santa Cruz de la Palma (Spain) (AFP) - A park ranger died while fighting a blaze in the Canary Islands allegedly sparked by a German man who set fire to toilet paper after defecating in the woods, authorities said Thursday. Some 700 people were evacuated from areas near the blaze, which is sweeping through a wooded, mountainous area in La Palma, one of the lesser-known, unspoiled islands of the Spanish archipelago off the coast of Africa. Emergency services said a further 1,800 were being moved from their homes on Thursday night as the blaze showed no sign of abating. "The fire has not come under control yet," Fernando Clavijo, regional president of the Canaries, told reporters. "The situation may get more complicated throughout the night. It's not going to be easy." The ranger, Francisco Jose Santana, died while working to put out the flames, said Spain's UGT union of which the 54-year-old was a member. "He leaves a wife and five children," it added. A spokesman for the Guardia Civil police force told AFP a 27-year-old German man was arrested Wednesday afternoon, suspected of having caused the fire. The man, whose identity has not been revealed, "told officers he accidentally provoked the blaze when he defecated... and set fire to the toilet paper he used for that," the Guardia Civil added in a statement. The man has been accused of causing a forest fire through negligence, and was expected to be questioned by a judge Thursday, it said. Some 200 people are fighting the blaze, as are helicopters and planes, a spokeswoman for the Canary Islands' emergency services said. Weather conditions are not making their task any easier, as high temperatures and strong winds fan the flames, she added. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sent his condolences to the park ranger's bereaved family. MADRID (Reuters) - A park ranger died and about 700 people have been evacuated as a wildfire blazed out of control on the Spanish island of La Palma, emergency services said on Thursday. Francisco Jose Santana, a married father of five, was killed while fighting the fire which started on Wednesday and is being fanned by high winds. Spanish police said they had arrested a 27-year-old German man who, according to a source from the investigation, has admitted to starting the fire accidentally. Spanish media reported that he had tried to burn used toilet paper. The last major fire on the island, part of the Canary Islands, was in 2009 when 4,000 people were evacuated. The island is a popular tourist destination and the wildfire comes at the height of a record summer holiday season. (Reporting by Rodrigo de Miguel; Writing by Catherine Bennett; Editing by Angus Berwick and Janet Lawrence) After hunters killed her mother, an orphaned fawn was taken into the care of a wildlife rescuer and became good friends with a bird. Faline, named after Bambis best friend, was rescued from Berkshire Park in Sydneys west in December 2015. She was taken into the care of Jess and she quickly became friends with a crested pigeon who groomed her and rode on her back as Faline went exploring around the house. Jess said Faline couldnt be released into the wild because deer are an introduced species in Australia. She is now living in a permanent carers home. Credit: Jess Reims (France) (AFP) - France's Champagne country has little to celebrate as global warming threatens to wreak havoc on production, forcing winegrowers to take a sober look at their future. "We are taking a very long-term view," says Thibaut Le Mailloux of the Champagne Committee, a trade association of independent winegrowers and merchants. Climate change has already had an effect on the champagne production cycle. The past 20 years has seen the harvest brought forward by about two weeks; grapes are bigger and the alcohol content has risen by around one degree. For the time being these factors help production, but they could spell disaster if, as experts predict, average global temperatures rise by up to five degrees Celsius between now and the end of the century. "We really must start researching now as in 25 years it will be too late," Le Mailloux says. The Champagne Committee is looking to develop new, more resistant grape varieties while retaining all the properties of the "King of Wines". Joining forces with the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and a winegrowers institute in the southern region of Montpellier, they have embarked on a 15-year programme to create grape varieties that will beat climate change. The challenge is to cross grape varieties that are allowed for the production of champagne -- black Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and white Chardonnay -- with varieties that are naturally resistant to certain diseases such as downy or powdery mildew. They are also looking for genes favouring late maturation, which provides natural resistance, the Champagne Committee says. Environmental change can not only hurt harvests and degrade quality, it can also create microclimates that encourage grapevine diseases. On the plus side, rising temperatures can lead to lower acidity levels. In addition, they lessen the risk of frost damage. Champagne is France's most northerly wine-producing area, with warm temperatures not guaranteed even in summer. Story continues - Hybrid supergrapes - Hybrid grapes are not new to Champagne -- or for that matter most of France's winegrowing regions -- which used hybridisation as well as grafting to create varieties resistant to the phylloxera aphid that wiped out vast swathes of the country's viticulture in the second half of the 19th century. "We are crossing highly resistant super-genitors with our varieties," says Arnaud Descotes, deputy technical and environmental director for the Champagne Committee. "We start out with a cluster of grapes just starting to flower which we fertilise with pollen from the variety that interests us. The first cross-breeding took place in 2015, the second in June 2016," Descotes says. "This is nothing to do with genetically modified crops, but hybrids obtained through technology," he is quick to add. The hybrid seeds -- 4,000 of them -- will be ready in six years to be planted in experimental plots across Champagne. The researchers hope to complete their analyses and tastings of the resulting wine by 2030, when they will be able to present the new varieties to the appellation authorities. Throughout the programme, "maintaining the champagne style is a central goal," Le Mailloux says. "We are keeping up our tradition of innovation -- but champagne will always be champagne." Headquartered in Miami, FL, Restaurant Brands International Inc. QSR came into existence with the merger of Tim Hortons Inc. and Burger King Worldwide Inc. Restaurant Brands is now the parent company of these two iconic quick service restaurant brands. These independently operated brands have been serving their customers for more than 50 years. Restaurant Brands International houses these two big brands, with a combined market value of roughly $19 billion. With a combined system sales of $23 billion, the new company now has over 19,000 restaurants in around 100 countries. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for QSR, as the consensus estimate has largely remained unchanged. Moreover, QSR has a superb earnings history, with the company delivering positive earnings surprises consecutively over the past four quarters, thereby bringing the average to a positive earnings surprise of 17.63%. Currently, QSR has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) but that could change following Restaurant Brands earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: QSR beat on earnings. Our consensus earnings estimate called for EPS of 35 cents per share, and the company posted adjusted EPS of 41 cents. Investors should note that these figures include stock based compensation expenses. Revenues: QSR reported revenues of $1.040 billion. This lags our consensus estimate of $1.047 billion. Key Stats to Note: Tim Hortons comparable sales increased 2.7% and Burger King comparable sales increased 0.6%. Stock Price: Shares did not show any significant movement in pre-market trading. Check back later for our full write up on this QSR earnings report later! 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 >> 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 RESTAURANT BRND (QSR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Military police in Rio de Janeiros Olympic flame convoy. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Ah, the Olympic torch. A symbol of unity as it spans the globe. A celebration of friendly competition. Well, except for the part where riot police fire rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd, paving way for the flame through Rio de Janeiro on its way to Fridays Opening Ceremony. Watch protests mar Olympic torch relay in Rio de Janeiro #Rio2016https://t.co/CtCU5Wh0Ob Press Association (@PA) August 4, 2016 Protests have plagued the torchs tour through Brazil, particularly as the procession neared its destination in recent days, when protestors angered over the high cost of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics altered the flames route through surrounding cities Itaborai, Sao Goncalo and Niteroi. [Related: Rio Olympics torch snuffed out by protesters in Brazil] After arriving Wednesday on a boat from Niteroi to Rio, the flame was scheduled to make its way through the host city for two days before entering Maracana Stadium on Friday. However, more anti-government protestors in the impoverished suburb of Duque de Caxias, dubious of the $12 billion price tag for the Olympics, threw rocks at police and blocked the torchs path, according to Reuters. And thats when riot police reportedly employed pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to carve a path through the crowd. According to Reuters, at least three people were injured by the rubber bullets, including a 10-year-old girl. So, yeah, they literally poured gas on the fire. [Related: Half of Brazilians oppose 2016 Rio Games] Surely the Olympic spirit is alive and well in Rio; you just didnt find it in Duque de Caxias. Never fear, though, since Brazilian surfer Rico de Souza is here to brighten up your day. Towed by a jet ski, de Souza ultimately surfed to the shore of Rios Macumba beach with the Olympic torch in hand. El reconocido surfista brasileno Rico de Souza dio inicio al recorrido de la antorcha hoy en #YoRioxESPN ???????????? pic.twitter.com/mak9EaYPVa Leon Lecanda (@Leonlec) August 4, 2016 Story continues And managed to do so without swallowing any water, it seems. Now thats the spirit. Yahoo Sports Greg Wyshynski reports live from the streets of Rio: Grandstanding: A Yahoo Sports podcast Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Dont Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Rebecca Gadleys father searched for months to find a therapist who could treat his teenage daughter for depression in their small Kentucky hometown. The few child psychiatrists within driving distance said shed be waiting months for an appointment; another refused to accept new patients altogether. Then, in January of this year, Rebeccas father finally found someone who could see his daughter every week. Better yet, the treatment could start immediately. There was just one catch: Rebecca and her therapist would be separated by nearly 260 miles. She would be able to hear and see her therapist, but her telehealth appointments would mean that she might never get to shake her hand. Its like Skype through a TV, says Rebecca, now 14. You get used to it. In 2015, the average child and adolescent psychiatrist in Kentucky was 55 years old, and psychiatrists say many in the field are retiring without replacements. Kentucky and most other U.S. states are facing a severe shortage of psychiatrists, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). Psychiatrists and mental health advocates say America today needs more than 30,000 child and adolescent psychiatrists, and has only 8,300and the need appears to keep rising. At Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, where Rebeccas therapist is based, children in psychiatric distress account for more than 7,000 annual emergency room visits per year. Ten years ago, the emergency room saw half as many such visits. Advocates have long scrambled for solutions to the problem: increase funding for clinics; expand loan-forgiveness programs so medical students might be encouraged to go into child psychiatry; increase the number of psychiatric beds in hospitals; and expand telehealth. More recently, U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, a Republican from Pennsylvania and a child psychologist himself, introduced the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, which included funding for collaborative telemental health programs. Story continues We need three times as many psychiatrists as we have, says Dr. Gregory Fritz, Rhode Island-based child and adolescent psychiatrist and president of the AACAP. Its estimated that there are more than 15 million children who could needand are not gettingtreatment for mental health disorders. Experts agree that as more young people emerge in need of psychiatric or psychological care, there is an ever-urgent race to find ways to deliver them the help that they require. As technology has become cheaper and more reliable, telepsychiatry has emerged as a practical approach to reaching more young people. But its not without its detractors. Some advocates disagree on whether appointments like Rebeccas are as effective as those carried out in-person. Others see telehealth as just one promising piece of what must be a larger, more comprehensive solution. It is part of an evolving landscape that has to change to get kids the services they need, and this is one very good part of that, says Dr. Kathleen Myers, program director for telepsychiatry and behavioral health at Seattle Childrens Hospital. But if you take a child psychiatrist here and have them practice [telehealth], all youve done is redistribute the manpower. We really need more than that. An Evolving Model of Care Telepsychiatry in its crudest form first emerged nearly half a century ago. There are reports from as early as 1955 of the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute using a two-way, closed-circuit television system to collaborate with a state hospital. In the next decade or so, similar setups cropped up at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and others as the technology advanced. Myers has been practicing telemedicine for nearly two decades, in fact, but shes in the minority. The kind of treatment Rebecca is receiving is far more modern than what was practiced 50 years ago, of course, providing an almost seamless digital experienceat least for those accustomed to it. Children today are used to interacting with technology, says Dr. Michael Sorter, director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cincinnati Childrens, and computers and smartphones are where they maintain relationships with friends. Because of that, it might not be so unusual for them to see a doctor the same way. They seem like they can easily relate to the TV screen, Sorter says. Another evolving model for teletherapy is where psychiatrists dont directly treat patients, but rather provide support for pediatricians and others caring for children who do not have expertise in mental illnesses. Spurred by the National Network of Child Psychiatry Access Programs, which ran a successful pilot in Massachusetts more than a decade ago, state programs are increasingly launching to both relieve some of the patient load child psychiatrists are facing, and to make it easier for doctors who are inexperienced in treating mentally ill children to seek consultation or receive training. In both telepsychiatry models, however, the distance between the trained expert and the patient has drawn some detractors. A paper published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2013 warned that video conferencing could impact the natural conversation and bedside manner that would normally occur between a mental health provider and his or her patient. The appointment might initially feel impersonal, and the psychiatrist might have to make up for that with small talk to encourage feelings of connectedness in a clinical encounter, wrote Dr. Jay H. Shore, a psychiatrist in Denver. And young children can pose particular difficulties. Myers, of Seattle Childrens Hospital, mentions that some may speak quietly, making it hard for the psychiatrist to hear them on the other end. Others say children can be restless or shy during the teleappointments. Connections can cut out, calls can drop and patients and providers can grow confused in the process, though that happens less as technology improves. Still, despite any potential downsides of teleappointments, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics all acknowledge its prominence and offer resources for patients and providers on how to practice it, while the HRSAs Office for the Advancement of Telehealth provides federal grant money for programs that support telehealth in rural areas. Earlier this year, the American Telemedicine Association reported that the number of states requiring that private insurers cover telemedicine just as they would in-person services had doubled in the past four years. Kentucky mandates that telemental health encounters like Rebeccas be covered through Medicaid and private insurers, according to the American Telemedicine Association, including those appointments through a licensed social worker. Rebeccas father, Ron, who works as a machinist for the nearby Warrior Coal mine, had never heard of telepsychiatry before his daughters diagnosis of depression. But after struggling to find a local treatment option for herthere are no child psychiatrists in Hopkins County, Ky., where the family liveshe was grateful to learn from a nurse at his workplace that his companys relationship with Cincinnati Childrens meant Rebecca could receive treatment for free. It helped me put a jumbled-up mess into perspective, Rebecca says. The therapy put everything everywhere I needed it to be in my life. Im getting active, I talk to more people, Im making more friends. One Answer to a Growing Problem Could we be approaching a world where a good deal of adolescent mental health appointments are conducted over video chat? Possibly, says Fritz, the child and adolescent psychiatrist and AACAP president. But that wont be the cure-all to the crisis of care for children who are mentally ill. He cautions that although telepsychiatry can be an attractive solution for rural children, it doesnt solve the fact that America desperately needs more child psychiatrists. Dr. Jennifer McWilliams, child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Childrens Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebr., concurs. She says about half her patients are now coming to her through telepsychiatry. She notes that huge swaths of Nebraska are without any providers at all. I got into telepsychiatry because its one answer to a really, really huge problem. Its not the answer, its just an answer to a huge crisis going on with our mental health care system. The legislation introduced by Murphy from Pennsylvania was overwhelmingly approved by the House in early July, with only two Republicans voting against. A similar bill in the Senate, developed by a bipartisan group of senators including Lamar Alexander from Tennessee and Patty Murray from Washington, is out of committee but still awaiting a vote from the full Senate. Rep. Murphy tells TIME that the lack of psychiatric care for adolescents is particularly troubling because patients entering emergency departments in the midst of a mental health crisis might be heavily sedated or strapped to a bed while they await psychiatric consultation, calling it pretty Third World in terms of an overcrowded emergency room. He adds that preventive care through psychiatry and psychology is one way to ensure a patient avoids hospitalization altogether. We know now in todays world that people are very comfortable talking to anybody on a screen, Murphy adds. What may have been foreign ten years ago is now commonand now one of those areas in healthcare where a person may be very comfortable. Telepsychiatry may also help rewrite some childrens tragic narrative, adds Sorter, the Cincinnati Childrens doctor, by providing access to immediate care so parents dont give up on trying to find help. One of Sorters recent patients suffered from a severe social phobia that caused him to panic if he was separated from his parents. Through telemental health and therapy, the childs symptoms have eased. Now hes confident, he can separate well, hes happy, Sorter says. Thats one thing about child psychiatry in general, children and family are resilient. This issue of this shortage is critical, because so many kids are needlessly suffering with very painful conditions that are treatable and can improve. Celebrity activism. Its a phrase that rarely fails to raise hackles and the specter of fashionable attachments to causes that accomplish more for the repute of the celebrity than the cause itself. But for multihyphenate mogul Russell Simmons, recognizing the power of his own celebrity was an essential step in his development into an activist and philanthropist. I think its a natural, slow process, Simmons says. I was always reading Scripture, and maybe when I was around 30 I started to pay more attention. I was about 35 when I started practicing yoga. It was back then when I started to realize that my voice mattered. I was more of a celebrity at 35 than I was at 30, and I started to feel the power of celebrity and how you can use it. Simmons direct invocation of his own celebrity is interesting, and he has little trouble recalling incidents in which celebrity endorsements had effects that were anything but superficial. For example, Simmons recalls an incident back in 2013 when he and a coalition of religious leaders, activists, and celebrities staged a rally and drafted a letter to combat harsh sentencing for nonviolent drug offenses. Justin Bieber tweeted about the prison industrial complex after we had our rally, Simmons says. And attorney general [Eric] Holder called our office right after. We had already written a letter that was signed by everyone from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Chalize Theron, to all these activists Harry Belafonte, rabbis, imams but it turned out it was Justin Biebers tweet that made it go pop. Generous Uncle: Simmons likes to support other peoples foundations and efforts, rather than continually inventing organizations that bear his name. Michael Lewis for Variety Criminal justice reform is but one of Simmons many causes, however this is a man who built a career out of intense multitasking. Its how he gained the nickname Rush as a young man, a moniker that has stayed the same, save for the addition of Uncle at the beginning. Story continues A hyperactive presence in New Yorks early hip-hop scene, Simmons steered his brothers band, Run DMC, to stardom, then co-founded hip-hops first blockbuster label, Def Jam, all the while dipping his toes into fashion, film, poetry, TV production, and digital ventures like Global Grind and All Def Digital. And for the better part of the past two decades, the 58-year-old has applied the same sort of energy to his multifaceted philanthropic endeavors, which range from his namesake Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which supports arts education in disadvantaged schools, to the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which he leads alongside Rabbi Marc Schneier to encourage greater communication between Jews and Muslims. Hes been organizing events and voter outreach programs through the Hip-Hop Action Summit Network for years now, and more recently started the Diamond Empowerment Fund to help reinvest jewel-industry profits into resources for diamond-producing regions. Beyond that, Simmons has been active with groups like the David Lynch Foundation, which supports meditation in schools (Simmons is a vocal practitioner of Transcendental Meditation); PETA (he is an outspoken vegan); AIDS-support charity RED; and U.S. Doctors for Africa. More recently, Simmons focus has been increasingly drawn to the battles against police brutality and racial profiling, and hes organized rallies and town halls in support of criminal justice reform. Benjamin Crump, the lawyer and activist who represented the families of high-profile shooting victims Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice, recalls Simmons volunteering not only to contribute financially to the Martin family after their sons death at the hands of George Zimmerman, but also to act as a liaison between the family and the hip-hop community, who helped ensure that the issue remained at the forefront of social media. Its easy to throw a couple dollars at something, Crump says. Its harder to put your name and credibility on the line for an issue, and to say were not going to stop until we get some sense of justice or resolution. Crump also recalls that later, when he and members of the National Bar Assn., of which he is president, made a trip to Flint, Mich., to raise awareness about the contaminated water crisis, Simmons was one of the first to offer help. Student Aid Rushs education efforts have have had an outsized impact 3,000 Inner-city students served annually by Rush Education 2,000 College-age students from India and Africa who have benefitted from the Diamond Empowerment Fund Russell made it his mission to go out there and get 2 million bottles of water to Flint, he says, and to put on these town-hall meetings that got people like the Kardashians, Snoop Dogg, and Jay Z involved with raising awareness about Flint. It was pretty deep, his level of commitment. I think I only gave him like 48 hours notice that some of the Bar Assn. lawyers and preachers were getting together, and Hey, it would be good if you came. Thats pretty much all I told him, and he came. Simmons trumpets what he feels are the oft-overlooked contributions of leading hip-hop figures to social justice (Theres not a rapper I know that gave away less money to charity than Donald Trump last year, he quips), and notes that, thanks to his role as a hip-hop elder statesman, he finds it easy to work with younger activists in such groups as Black Lives Matter. Im very fortunate that they still call me Uncle Rush and all that, Simmons says. Hip-hop is still cool, so [younger people] still fuck with me; Im in a good position with them. And Ill lead charges sometimes. But when Im lucky, its me following them. Appropriately, Simmons says hes happy to cede the role of leadership when he feels others are better equipped. I like to support other peoples work, he says. Whether its the Rush Foundation or the Diamond Empowerment Fund or the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, or the work that we keep doing at the Hip-Hop Summit all of that stuff is good, but helping people do better in their work is even better. Starting a foundation is oftentimes an effort thats small. Unless you can scale and do a great job, then why not support someone else? Always outspoken and willing to reach across aisles, Simmons has often courted controversy, both as an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. His prepaid debit card line RushCard always walked a fine line between providing a service to factions of the urban community traditionally without access to banks, and being a clear profit-making enterprise. It came under particular fire when a glitch left some cardholders temporarily without access to their funds. He is also upfront about having long considered Trump a friend (he feted Ivanka Trump during a fundraiser for the Diamond Empowerment Fund in 2012), though he quickly disavowed the substance of Trumps presidential campaign, writing an open letter in 2015 titled, To My Old Friend Donald Trump: Stop the Bullshit. I have this thing where I try to see people in the best light, says Simmons, who describes his politics as roughly agreeing with everything Bernie Sanders says. I see where they have a blind spot, if I think they do, and I try to see where they have great humanity, if they do. And what do I know? To me, its all about people doing the best they can as much as they can, and I dont think theres any contradiction to that. I dont like to judge too heavy, cause if I start judging, how are people gonna judge me? By that same token, he takes pride in plunging headlong into ventures that more timid (or reasonable) figures might shy away from, a tendency that has helped produce some of his greatest successes. Simmons acknowledges that the pace of activist causes can be slower than hed like. Of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which just last month raised $1.25 million at its annual Art for Life benefit, he says, Its not growing as fast as Id like, but I hope that well have a better year this year. Yet its hard to deny the positive impact so many of his ventures have produced. For Simmons, the most important of his accomplishments is his influence on the fight against the so-called Rockefeller drug laws in New York state, which saw Simmons meet with state legislators and Gov. George Pataki to push for an easing on harsh sentences for first-time drug offenders, enabling scores of inmates to apply for early release in 2004. When the Rockefeller drug laws changed, thousands of people came home from jail, Simmons says. And when I walk the street now, in the hood in New York, and people come up to me and say, Im home from jail because of you, thats an amazing thing. Simmons acknowledges that the fight against police brutality that now occupies so much of his time will be a tough one This has been ongoing for 400 years, its not new but finds solace in his Buddhist faith that says the effort alone is worth the trouble. Everybody knows that all struggle is ongoing, and you can only do the best you can do. You work every day, then you sleep at night. We cant expect anything to be solved, ever. Suffering is ongoing, lack of consciousness on some peoples part is always gonna be there. And your job is to do your part to lift people up and lift yourself up as part of that process. You have to accept that the world is in perfect order as it is, and you should do the best you can to play a part in bringing that perfection to a higher vibration. I cant become hopeless, I just have to go to work. Related stories HFPA Grants Write a Better Future for Students Russell Simmons and Rabbi Team to Reconcile Communities Barbara Davis Keeps the Carousel of Hope Charity Ball Turning SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco gangster Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison after his conviction on dozens of federal charges, including ordering the murder of a Chinatown rival, a U.S. Department of Justice spokesman said. The case against Chow was connected to a criminal sweep that ended the storied political career of a California state senator with allegations of bribery and gun-running. In January, the jury found Chow guilty on all counts stemming from charges that he ran a criminal organization that dealt drugs and laundered money. He was sentenced to life in prison on two of more than 100 counts, Justice Department spokesman Abraham Simmons said. Chow's attorney, Matthew Dirkes, said Chow plans to appeal. "Mr. Chow's belief is that during the trial process he wasnt afforded all of the rights that our system entitles criminal defendants to," Dirkes said. "He by no means views this as the conclusion of anything and he absolutely maintains his innocence." Chow was accused of being the so-called dragonhead of Chinatown's Chee Kung Tong, a Chinese fraternal organization that federal agencies suspect has a criminal component, according to an indictment. U.S. prosecutors contended Chow ordered the 2006 murder of Chee Kung Tong official Allen Leung in Leung's import/export shop in a dispute over money. During trial a prosecutor told jurors that Chow ordered Leung's death and led other criminal activity "like something straight out of 'The Godfather'." In addition to witness testimony, the government played several recorded conversations for the jury in which Chow accepted money from an undercover FBI agent for purported illegal activity. Chow was arrested in 2014 with several others including Leland Yee, a former Democratic state senator who pleaded guilty to racketeering. In February, Yee received a five-year prison sentence in the corruption case. Chow is a longtime fixture in San Francisco's Chinatown. In 2000 he testified against his former gang and served a prison sentence. His lawyers said he reformed after his release from prison but prosecutors alleged he assumed power in Chinatown and directed criminal activity. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Bill Rigby) Bordeaux (AFP) - Senegal defender Lamine Sane has left Bordeaux to join Werder Bremen, the French club announced on Thursday. Bordeaux, where the 29-year-old Sane has been since the start of his career, confirmed that he had passed a medical and penned a contract, although the length of the deal was not disclosed. Sane, who won the French Cup with Bordeaux in 2013, is the elder brother of Salif Sane, who played alongside him in France and moved to German club Hannover 96 three years ago. His arrival at the Weserstadion follows that of German international forward Max Kruse, who was signed from Wolfsburg earlier this week. Sasha Obama isn't afraid of a little hard work. The 15-year-old daughter of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama has landed a summer job at Nancy's, a popular seafood restaurant on Martha's Vineyard, the Boston Herald reports. Sasha -- who's been going by her full name Natasha while on the clock -- has been helping out at the takeout window, and is in charge of such tasks as manning the cash register and busing tables. The youngest child of the Obamas has been accompanied to work by six Secret Service agents, who sit outside the restaurant in a large SUV or on the takeout benches, the newspaper reports. On Tuesday, Sasha and a friend were spotted bringing out a tray of drinks to her security team. WATCH: Sasha Obama Fangirls Over Ryan Reynolds, Gets the Seal of Approval From Big Sis Malia Obama But the summer gig won't last for much longer. Sasha -- who's been working a four-hour shift before the restaurant opens for lunch -- is reportedly only working there until Saturday, when her parents arrive for their two-week vacation. The Obamas are no strangers to Nancy's. The president frequently stops by the Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, restaurant when in town. Getty Images Meanwhile, 18-year-old Malia Obama has been enjoying her summer before entering college. The soon-to-be Harvard student was spotted at Lollapalooza in Chicago late last month -- accompanied by Secret Service, of course -- rocking out to Norwegian producer Cashmere Cat. Getty Images Last month, the commander in chief accidentally revealed Sasha has a secret Twitter account, when he took a dig at Donald Trump's unprecedented use of Twitter during his presidential campaign. "Everybody can tweet, but nobody actually knows what it takes to do the job until you've sat behind the desk," he said. "I mean, Sasha tweets, but she doesn't think that she thereby should be sitting behind the desk!" WATCH: Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama Coordinate Outfits in Morocco, Look Incredibly Chic! When ET caught up with the first lady last May in Detroit in honor of National College Signing Day, Michelle admitted she and her husband take pride in embarrassing their teenage daughters. Story continues "I threaten them that I'm going to buy an apartment near their campus and visit and sit in their classes, but that's an idle threat," she told ET. "Barack and I take great joy in embarrassing our children. We threaten them. Sometimes when you see me whispering to them in a crowd I'm saying, 'Sit up or I'm going to embarrass you. I'm going to start dancing,' and it's 'No, mom. Please don't. Stop!' But we get that. Our kids are as humiliated by us as the next. They take it in good stride." Watch below: Related Articles DUBAI (Reuters) - An investigation by a Saudi-led coalition presented on Thursday largely defended a series of deadly coalition air strikes on markets, clinics and a wedding in Yemen, citing the presence of armed militiamen at the sites. Results of the probe, presented at a news conference in Riyadh, found that one of eight alleged mass-casualty air attacks in the second half of 2015 that it reviewed involved incomplete intelligence that led to civilian casualties. Rights groups and witnesses told Reuters at the time of the incidents from Yemen's mountain north to coastal south said air attacks had together killed hundreds of civilians. A Saudi-led military coalition at war with Yemen's dominant Houthi movement has said it is keen to avoid civilian casualties and uphold the laws of war. Mansour bin Ahmed Mansour, spokesman of the Joint Group to Assess Incidents on the Saudi-Yemeni Border, said four military targets had been identified in one incident in Al Mukha in the southern Taiz province last year. Three of the four targets were successfully attacked, he added, but the last one - a missile battery allegedly capable of attacking ships - accidentally hit a residential compound and killed several civilians. The families of the victims were paid reparations, he added. In another case, Mansour said that an air strike in December in Taiz, which aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said wounded several people at one of its mobile clinics, had targeted a group of militiamen in the area. "The result the team found was that the measures taken by the coalition forces were sound and conformed to the rules and laws of the Geneva Accords," he said. "Reviewing this evidence, the leadership of the coalition expresses its regret for unintended incidents like this." Mansour denied outright that a coalition air strike had been conducted on the day last September that an explosion ripped through a wedding procession in central Yemen, killing 131 people. Witnesses blamed the attack on Saudi-led jets. The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen in March of last year to prevent Iranian-allied Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power. At least 6,400 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations, around half of them civilians. (Reporting by Noah Browning and Mostafa Hashem; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Paris (AFP) - Researchers used super-X-ray vision to peer beneath the surface of a portrait by impressionist Edgar Degas and gaze upon the model whose likeness he painted over nearly 140 years ago, they reported Thursday. The woman, whose image Degas turned upside down before using it as a base for a new painting, was probably Emma Dobigny -- a favourite model of 19th century French artists, the team announced. "This has been a very exciting discovery," said David Thurrowgood, conservator at the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, where the painting hangs. "It is not every day that a new Degas painting is found, in this case, hidden in front of us." The existence of the "underpainting" has been known since about 1920. A vague, ghostly figure has been slowly emerging, spreading an increasingly dark stain over the face of the model that replaced her. But previous attempts to glean something about the jilted original yielded little more than a faint outline. The hidden image "has long been considered to be indecipherable" without damaging the surface painting, the research team wrote in the journal Scientific Reports. Enter the Australian Synchrotron in Victoria, a particle accelerator which generates radiation for high-resolution imaging in research, therapy, or forensic analysis. The light it produces "is a million times brighter than the Sun, many orders of magnitude greater in power and intensity compared to standard, hospital-like X-rays," synchrotron scientist and study co-author Daryl Howard told AFP. "Because of the brilliant light, we are able to reveal unprecedented structural detail of any material". - Well, hello there! - Using a technique called X-ray fluorescence, the team became the first people since Degas to gaze upon his model's face. Comparing the image to other paintings, they concluded it was likely "a previously unknown portrait of the model Emma Dobigny." Story continues Dobigny, whose real name was Marie Emma Thuilleux, modelled for Degas in 1869 and 1870 when she was about 16. "We observe (a) strong resemblance between the revealed underpainting and several of Degas' portraits of Emma Dobigny," wrote the study authors. According to former Louvre Museum director Henri Loyrette, a recognised Degas expert, "it is entirely possible" that the face belongs to Dobigny. The name of the black-clad woman who supplanted her on the canvas, however, remains unknown. Her portrait -- which dates to a few years after the original, about 1876-1880 -- is entitled simply "Portrait de Femme" (Portrait of a Woman). Degas had not applied a new basecoat, and used thin layers of oil-based paint which are now losing their "hiding power", said the authors, allowing Dobigny to start showing through. The researchers used the synchrotron to create eleven "maps" of the original canvas -- each of a different metallic element in the pigments Degas used, including arsenic, copper, zinc, cobalt, and mercury. The process took about 33 hours. Put together, the elemental maps provide a detailed reconstitution, revealing even the artist's brush strokes. The colours, however, have to be inferred. "Cobalt is probably present as a blue pigment, which is useful in defining flesh tones," wrote the team, while "mercury is predominant in the facial area and would most likely correspond to the red pigment vermillion, which would contribute to a pink flesh tone." A blurred section in Dobigny's hair suggests Degas had made several attempts at reshaping an overly pointy, pixie-shaped ear -- a quirk he was apparently known for at the time. "Concealed paintings, early compositions that have been hidden by subsequent work, are important insights into artworks and artists," wrote the team. In this case, comparing two portraits painted several years apart, showed Degas' "transformation of palette and technique." The researchers said they knew of no other method that would have worked as well as synchrotron scanning, which was also used in 2008 to reveal the portrait of a peasant woman underneath Vincent van Gogh's "Patch of Grass". The technology "will significantly impact the ways cultural heritage is studied for authentication, preservation and scholarly purposes," the team concluded. The Church of Scientology's controversial leader, David Miscavige, may be an unwitting catalyst for a dramatic power shift in the U.K. media landscape. In December, a story ran on the website of the U.K.'s Daily Mail tabloid titled "Exclusive: Inside the 'bromance' of Tom Cruise and Scientology leader David Miscavige." It laid out the usual tale of the star's links to the church, where he was said to be treated as "royalty" and would "smoke cigars and gamble in Vegas" with Miscavige, who once allegedly ordered a meadow of flowers planted so the actor could woo Nicole Kidman. Upset by the story, Miscavige filed a complaint with the U.K.'s Independent Press Standards Organization, arguing that many of the claims had been previously denied or disproved. British law is much less tolerant of press freedoms than American law, so IPSO upheld the complaint, but in an unexpected turn, Mail Online argued that since the article originated in its U.S. division, it fell outside IPSO's remit. The case has thrown British media into a quandary: Will news sites set up foreign bureaus to sidestep oversight and handle the salacious stories that drive big online traffic? Read more: Rapid Round: Paul Haggis Picks His James Bond, Talks Scientology Six Years After Leaving IPSO, which was established just two years ago in the wake of the News Corp phone-hacking scandal, appears to be caught off guard by the defense. The regulator had demanded the Mail publish an article on its home-page for 24 hours outlining how it broke the British Editor's Code of Practice, as it has with several other publications. But following the publication's refusal to respond, IPSO is now launching a review of its jurisdiction, expected to be finished by the end of the year. Some media lawyers - including those who represent celebrities - fear that given the regulator is funded by its powerful British members (including Mail owners DMG Media), it simply will give publications the chance to skirt all accountability. Story continues "One option it has is simply saying that if you have a U.S. section, it won't regulate that," says Jonathan Coad, a partner at the Lewis Silkin law firm who has had extensive dealings with the U.K. press, IPSO and Scientology. "And what will happen then is that The Sun will open up a U.S. section and so will The Mirror and everyone else. They're probably opening them up as we speak." Coad suggests if U.K. publishers have the option of operating an unregulated website section from outside the country, Fleet Street could soon return to the environment that led to the hacking scandal. Similar to the U.S., the only option for combating libel would be costly litigation, now with the added complication of the U.K.'s new defamation law, passed in 2013, that says claimants must prove their reputations had suffered "serious harm." Adds Coad, "It's essentially a further effort by the newspaper industry not to be accountable to anybody for what they write, which is a threat to us all." This story first appeared in the Aug. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Sean Bean has been set to lead the cast of Broken, a six-part BBC One drama created by Jimmy McGovern. This marks a reteam for Bean and McGovern after the former starred in McGoverns series Accused in 2012 and scored a Best Actor BAFTA TV Award nomination. In Broken, Bean will play Father Michael Kerrigan, a Catholic priest presiding over a Northern urban parish. Modern and maverick, yet flawed, Father Michael, like his congretation, struggles to reconcile his beliefs with the hypocrisies demanded by contemporary Britain. LA Productions is making the series for BBC One. Colin McKeown and Donna Molloy are producing for LA. Bean will exec produce as will Lucy Richer for the BBC. Bean also stars in ITV and A&Es The Frankenstein Chronicles and is coming up in feature thriller Drone. Written by Mr Selfridges Dan Sefton, Skys four-part event drama, Delicious, has rounded out its cast. Joining comedienne Dawn French are Emilia Fox (The Tunnel), Iain Glen (Game Of Thrones) and Sheila Hancock (The Boy In The Striped Pajamas). Fox and French play two women who go head-to-head after being betrayed by the same man. Endemol Shine Groups Bandit Television is producing for Sky 1. French is passionate cook Gina, who was once married to Leo (Glen), a successful entrepreneur, chef and hotel owner in Cornwall. Leo owes much of his success to Ginas exceptional cooking, but while hes left her for the glamorous Sam (Fox), his business continues to thrive. When Sam suspects Leo is having an affair, she confides in Gina only to later discover that its Gina herself who is the other woman. Phillippa Giles is exec producer for Bandit and Anna Ferguson for Sky. Endemol Shine International is handling world rights. This is part of a Skys large upcoming drama slate which includes the epic Roman invasion event series Britannia on which it is partnered with Amazon. Keshet International has closed deals for BBC One drama The A Word with Canadas CBC and Australias BBC First. This follows the recent announcement at TCA that SundanceTV has committed to the second season. The first is currently airing in the U.S. Season 2 was greenlit by BBC One after S1 attracted a consolidated average audience of 5.5M and a 22 share. Morven Christie and Lee Ingleby star in the story of the Hughes family whose youngest son is diagnosed with autism. Further deals have been closed with Finlands YLE, Icelands RUV, Croatias HRT and Slovenias RTV. It will also air on Israels YES. A local format deal was recently sealed with Greek broadcaster Alpha TV. Based on Keshets original series Yellow Peppers, The A Word is a co-production of Fifty Fathoms and Keshet UK. Related stories Sky & Amazon To Rule 'Britannia'; Jez Butterworth Penning Event Period Drama SundanceTV Unveils 'Rectify' Season 4 Trailer, Renews 'The A Word' - TCA Paramount And European Union Finalize Deal Over Anti-Trust Investigation GettyImages 486121240 Sean Hannity said on Thursday that if Donald Trump loses the November election, then he will blame Republican leadership. "If in 96 days Trump loses this election, I am pointing the finger directly at people like [House Speaker] Paul Ryan and [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham and John McCain and John Kasich and Ted Cruz if he won't endorse and Jeb Bush and everybody else that made promises they're not keeping," Hannity said on his radio program. Hannity, a Fox News host and one of the most influential conservative pundits in the country, said that the blame would be warranted because Republican leaders have been "more harsh" toward Trump than "Obama and his radical agenda." "They did nothing, nothing all these phony votes to repeal and replace Obamacare, show votes so they can go back and keep their power and get reelected," he said. "Sorry, you created Donald Trump, all of you, because of your ineffectiveness, because of your weakness, your spinelessness, your lack of vision, your inability to fight Obama." At one point, Hannity suggested that he may ditch his support for the Republican officials. "Honestly I am tempted to just say I don't support any of you people ever," he said. Hannity then took a dig at Ryan, saying that he may endorse the Wisconsin Republican's primary challenger, Paul Nehlen. "You know what, Paul Ryan wants to play this game I haven't made up my mind, either. He's running against a guy in the primary," he said. "I haven't made up mind who I'm going to support." Trump shocked the political world earlier this week by using similar language when he declined to endorse Ryan's reelection bid. Ryan, of course, initially declined to support the New York businessman when he first secured the Republican nomination for president. NOW WATCH: Watch this 11-year-old put Mike Pence on the spot with a tough question about his role as Trump's VP More From Business Insider Assisi (Italy) (AFP) - Pope Francis travelled to the Italian town of Assisi on Thursday for a private visit to mark the 800th anniversary of the 'Pardon of Assisi', under which the slates of sinners can be wiped clean. The 79-year-old pope arrived by helicopter in the hill-town in central Italy where Saint Francis of Assisi was born and found God, renouncing his wealth for a life of poverty and becoming an emissary of peace during the Crusades. The Argentine pontiff, who took the papal name Francis in homage to the famous Christian friar and his devotion to the downtrodden, prayed in silence in the Porziuncola, a tiny church inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels. It was here the Franciscan movement was founded, and here the venerated patron saint of Italy, animals and the environment died. The site has become a pilgrimage destination for those looking for forgiveness. "The world needs forgiveness; too many people are caught up in resentment and harbour hatred, because they are incapable of forgiving," the pope said in a meditation inside the basilica. "They ruin their own lives and the lives of those around them rather than finding the joy of serenity and peace. Let us ask Saint Francis to intercede for us, so that we may always be humble signs of forgiveness and channels of mercy," he said. Thousands of people turned out to catch a glimpse of the head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, despite the baking heat. The pope, stopping to kiss babies in the crowd, had to tear himself out of the clutches of over-enthusastic pilgrims. Born in 1181 to a wealthy silk merchant, Saint Francis fought as a soldier and was imprisoned for a year, a period in which he is believed to have discovered God. He famously discarded his riches, was disowned by his father and tended to the poor in rags. Aged 26, Francis said Jesus came to him in a vision and told him three times, "go and repair my house which is falling into ruins". Story continues Legend has it he was praying in an abandoned chapel at the foot of the Assisi hills at the time, and sold his horse to pay for the repairs to what would become the Porziuncola. - 'Greater need for pardon' - Ever since his election in 2013, Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has modelled himself on his namesake, ditching the ermine furs and papal palace of his predecessors and calling for "a poor Church for the poor". After prayers in the fresco and gold-leaf decorated chapel, and an impromptu session where he heard the confessions of 19 people including four young scouts, the pontiff visited the adjacent convent's infirmary to greet the sick clergy. Francis's trip was to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the 'Pardon of Assisi', also called the Porziuncula Indulgence, by which penitent pilgrims who take part in a solemn annual celebration on August 1 and 2 can be forgiven. The tradition was founded by the saint who, it is said, was so moved by God's mercy to him that he pressed the then pope to grant an indulgence. Catholics believe a plenary indulgence means the sins of the repentant are forgiven and that any penance -- which in the early Church was sometimes demanded in the form of money -- is scratched. "This world torn by terrorism, where people no longer understand, where politicians no longer seek the common good, has more need than ever before of mercy and the Assisi pardon," Michael Perry, head of the franciscan friars, told Vatican Radio. Saint Francis founded the Franciscan order as well as the Order of Poor Ladies, with young noblewoman Clare of Assisi at its head. He later donned diplomatic robes and headed for the Fifth Crusades, where Western European armies flying under the papal flag were trying to recapture Jerusalem by conquering the powerful Muslim dynasty in Egypt -- but swapped the sword for words. (Adds quotes from Yates) Aug 3 (Reuters) - The second movie in the Harry Potter spin-off series "Fantastic Beasts" will be released in November 2018, Hollywood movie studio Warner Bros said on Wednesday, promising "much more on the horizon" from the boy-wizard franchise. British author J.K. Rowling will write the script for the second movie as she did for the first and David Yates, who directed the last four "Harry Potter" films, will direct, Warner Bros said in a statement. The movie, yet to be titled, is part of a three-movie deal based on Rowling's book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," a prequel to her best-selling "Harry Potter" books. The first movie, starring Eddie Redmayne, will be released on Nov. 18, 2016. Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, a 'magizoologist' who arrives in New York in 1926 with a case of magical creatures that escape, wreak havoc and face threats from the non-magical humans in the city. Ahead of San Diego's Comic-Con event last month, Yates teased that a familiar character from the "Harry Potter" stories will return in "Fantastic Beasts." "There is a mention of some characters that we know and love from previous movies, but we only talk about them fleetingly," Yates told Reuters. "In the next movie, part two, we'll get to meet one of them in a significant way. He's much younger than he used to be, but he'll be coming back." In June, Yates said Rowling already had ideas for the third "Fantastic Beasts" film and said he relished not having to adapt the new stories from books. "When we adapted the books, we'd always have to leave out things you hated leaving out because they didn't quite work in the structure of the storytelling for the movie," he said. "Pottermania" returned with a vengeance in recent weeks, with rave reviews for the London stage play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," and publication of the play script in book form. U.S. and British booksellers say the book is already the best-selling title in a decade. Story continues Harry Potter theme park attractions are up and running in Florida and California, as well as in Osaka, Japan. Warner Bros, without giving details, hinted "there is much more on the horizon" from Rowling's Wizarding World. More than 450 million copies of the seven original Harry Potter books have been sold worldwide in 79 languages. The movie franchise has grossed more than $7 billion worldwide. (Reporting by Jill Serjeant, additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy and Reuters TV; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Andrew Hay) The clandestine groups goal was clear: Obtain the building blocks of a so-called radioactive dirty bomb capable of poisoning a major city for a year or more by openly purchasing the raw ingredients from authorized sellers inside the United States. It should have been hard. The purchase of lethal radioactive materials even modestly dangerous ones requires a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a measure meant to keep them away from terrorists. Applicants must demonstrate they have a legitimate need and understand the NRCs safety standards, and pass an on-site inspection of their equipment and storage. But this secret group of fewer than 10 people formed in April 2014 in North Dakota, Texas, and Michigan discovered that getting a license and then ordering enough materials to make a dirty bomb was strikingly simple in one of their three tries. Sellers were preparing shipments that together were enough to poison a city center when the operation was shut down. The teams members could have been anyone a terrorist outfit, emissaries of a rival government, domestic extremists. In fact, they were undercover bureaucrats with the investigative arm of Congress. And theyd pulled off the same stunt nine years before. Their fresh success has set off new alarms among some lawmakers and officials in Washington about risks that terrorists inside the United States could undertake a dirty bomb attack. Heres how they did it: In Dallas, Texas, they incorporated a shell company they never intended to run and rented office space in a nondescript industrial park, merely to create an address for the license application. In a spot on the form where they were supposed to identify their safety officer, they made up a name and attached a fake resume. They claimed to need the material to power an industrial gauge used in oil and gas exploration. Last year, their application was sent not to Washington but to Texas regulators, who had been deputized by the NRC to grant licenses without federal review. When the states inspector visited the fake office, he saw it was empty and had no security precautions. But members of the group assured him that once they had a license, they would be able to make the security and safety improvements. Story continues So the inspector, who always carried licenses with him, handed them one on the spot. The two-page Texas document authorized the company to buy the sealed radioactive material in an amount smaller than needed for any nefarious purpose. But no copies were required to be kept in a readily-accessible, government database. So after using the license to place one order, the team simply made a digital copy and changed the permitted quantities, enabling it to place a new order with another seller for twice the original amount. I wouldnt call what we did very sophisticated, Ned Woodward, the mastermind of the Government Accountability Offices plot, said in a phone interview with the Center for Public Integrity. There was nothing we had done to improve that site to make it appear as if it were an ongoing business. In 2007, Woodwards colleagues in the GAO similarly set up fake businesses, got licenses to purchase low-level radioactive material and altered them to buy larger quantities. The NRC promised immediate action to address the weaknesses we identified, according to the GAOs report on that incident. The auditors aim this time around was to see if the government had cleaned up its act, and taken steps to close some simple gateways to obtaining the ingredients for a dirty bomb. It turns out, the government had not. This story is part of National Security. Click here to read more stories in this topic. Don't miss another National Security investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. While the purchases that Woodwards team set in motion were never completed, if they had been, his group would have had enough radioactive material to create the type of dangerous dirty bomb that terrorists may seek, according to David Trimble, director of Natural Resources and Environment at the GAO and Woodwards boss. It would have been within the groups reach to spread cancer-causing americium and beryllium dust over many blocks, threatening the health of anyone who breathed it. The quantity each seller could have sent was dangerous, and together the quantity was significantly dangerous, Trimble said in a GAO podcast. Trimble said that he is confident his investigators could have altered the license again and again, allowing them to amass an even larger quantity. Its a back door, he said in an interview. We walked through it and we showed the door was still open. We could have kept doing it. If you can forge [a license] once, theres no reason you cant forge it again and again. Texas nuclear regulatory officials have responded by quietly firing two managers and organizing new training efforts. NRC Commissioner Jeff Baran, an attorney and former House of Representatives staff member, wrote a swift letter to the two other current NRC commissioners (two positions are vacant) stating that even if Texas changed its procedures, GAOs covert testing identified a regulatory gap. He urged his colleagues to consider creating a system for tracking licenses and sales of low-level radioactive materials an idea that its members rejected seven years ago under heavy state and industry pressure. The GAOs July 15 report on the episode, which described the bare bones of its scam without naming any of the states involved or identifying the precise materials that were improperly ordered, similarly said that the NRC and state regulators arent doing enough to keep such materials out of terrorists hands. It criticized the state regulator for granting the licenses, but also said the commission needs to act to block license alterations and track sales and shipments of lower-level radiological materials, using measures like those already in place for the sale of more hazardous fissile materials. Billions of dollars in potential economic harm Unlike a nuclear detonation, which could destroy a large city, the explosion of a dirty bomb would provoke more chaos than immediate fatalities, according to a 2007 study commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security. A terrorist attack using a dirty bomb in the United States is possible, perhaps even moderately likely, but would not kill many people, two professors at the University of Southern California wrote in the study, which was conducted with advice from government scientific and counterintelligence experts. Instead, such an attack primarily would result in economic and psychological consequences. The explosion could be lethal to someone nearby or to the first emergency personnel to arrive. But cleaning up the contaminated area would cost billions of dollars and take about a year in the scenario examined by the studys authors a dirty bomb targeting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together constitute the third busiest in the world. At its worst, the resulting economic harm could exceed $250 billion. One key to keeping the ingredients out of terrorists hands, the authors concluded, is being more proactive in controlling and protecting the original sources of radioactive material. But they also warned that an attack that involves relatively low-level radioactive material from a U.S. facility the precise scenario tested by the GAO is more likely to be successful than an attack using imported material, because the chances of detection are so much less. Why bother smuggling it if you can just order it with a fake license? said Trimble, in the podcast. Radioactive materials considered useful in a dirty bomb are widely present in U.S. and international commerce, used legitimately for medical and industrial purposes in more than 70,000 high-risk devices located at 13,000 buildings, according to a 2013 Energy Department estimate. These include machinery that irradiates food or blood products or is used to diagnose illness. In the United States alone, roughly 21,000 licenses for the purchase of these materials are active and in some states they are reviewed by regulators only once a decade. The Obama administration highlighted the dangers associated with loose radioactive materials at international summits in 2010, 2012, 2014, and this March. The summits inspired more than a dozen countries to adopt stronger physical security standards at sites that house radioactive materials and during their transportation, while others held special exercises for law enforcement and health workers whod likely respond to a dirty bomb. Still others installed radiation detectors to prevent smuggling, or pledged money to other countries to help them develop stronger safety and security standards for radiological materials. But on March 31, Obamas deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes warned reporters at a press briefing that while terrorists would have a hard time building or stealing a working nuclear weapon and delivering it, making a more rudimentary dirty bomb would be less challenging. Coordinated suicide bombings in Brussels nine days earlier had stoked special anxiety about dirty bombs, because two perpetrators had secretly surveilled a senior researcher in a Belgian radioactive isotope program as he came and went from his home. The resulting videos, which police seized, prompted worries that the terrorists wanted to kidnap the man to force a handover of radioactive materials. The Belgium example I think it reinforces what weve seen for many years, which is that we have seen indications, both through their public statements and through their actions, that terrorist organizations like al Qaeda and ISIL have an interest in getting their hands on these types of materials, Rhodes said at the summit press briefing. They want to do as much damage as possible. That was al Qaedas position for many years; we have no reason to doubt that that is ISILs position as well. The Obama administrations ambition in convening the summits, Rhodes said, was to bring the standard up around the world so that it is at the level that we see certainly here in the United States. That level, it turns out, isnt so high. Tighter regulation rejected in 2009 In a written statement about the report, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security, who asked for the GAOs investigation, said, radiological and nuclear terrorism remains a threat to our nations security, and the GAOs scam showed how easy it is to exploit gaps in the NRCs oversight that should have been fixed years ago. The NRC should re-evaluate its licensing requirements to ensure those who want to do us harm cannot obtain a license to purchase radioactive materials as easily as covert testers did, Thompson said. Similar demands were made, but refused, after the GAOs sting operation in 2007 exposed the same weaknesses. Then, NRC staff proposed requiring that all licensing and sales involving so-called Category 3 radioactive materials those in types or quantities considered less dangerous than others be tracked in a single national database, as they already were for higher-risk Category 1 and 2 materials. Otherwise, it said, these Category 3 materials might be accumulated surreptitiously through the process the GAO used for potential malevolent use. The NRC staff estimated that such a system would cost between $11 million and $14 million over a decade, with the federal government bearing 47 percent of the cost, licensees paying 39 percent and state regulators shouldering 14 percent. But companies that sell radiological materials complained in response that they couldnt even begin to guess how burdensome an expanded tracking system might be for them. We do not consider that the supposed benefits of the expansion justify this potential expenditure, Hugh Evans, secretary and treasurer of the Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals, a trade association that lobbies on behalf of companies that sell radioactive materials, wrote in a letter to the NRC on May 9, 2008. The co-chair of the Nuclear Sector Coordinating Council for Radioisotopes an industry task force recognized by the government as a partner in combatting radiological terrorism sent a separate letter with some wording identical to that in Evanss letter, suggesting a well-organized campaign. Regulators in 24 of the states that had been deputized by the NRC to issue licenses also registered their opposition to the expanded tracking, partly because the system for tracking more dangerous quantities was then not working well. Only Minnesota supported the proposal, calling it one of several essential steps that were long overdue. Then-NRC member Peter Lyons, a former official at the Los Alamos weapons laboratory, similarly argued at the time that expanded tracking will further reduce the potential for aggregating sources to a dangerous level. But Commissioner Kristine Svinicki, a nuclear engineer who had worked on the civilian side of the Energy Department, said she thought the on-site inspections would be enough to stop thefts or diversions. In June 2009, the radioactive material sellers and state regulators got their way. The NRC rejected on the plan with a 2-2 tie vote. Related story: The fuel for a nuclear bomb is in the hands of an unknown black marketeer from Russia, U.S. officials say Related story: Obama's nuclear security summits end with unfinished work Related story: Report: Brussels suicide bombers sought radioactive materials Related story: A terrorist groups plot to create a radioactive dirty bomb Don't miss another National Security investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. Egregious behavior didnt stop a Texas license That left in place regulations for keeping low-level radioactive materials out of terrorists hands that were written in 1978. While the NRC is technically responsible for overseeing these rules, in practice it has granted only 13 percent of the active purchase licenses, relying instead on inspectors in 37 states to oversee the rest. They are supposed to get NRC training, and to follow the NRCs 14-point checklist rules for inspections. This is what the GAO sought to verify: We designed our test to fail through egregious behavior during on-site visits, the report said. In its latest investigation, the GAO deliberately focused on two states North Dakota and Texas with robust oil and gas extraction industries, which issue many licenses for well-logging equipment, including gauges powered by radioactive americium combined with a lightweight, cancer-causing metal, beryllium, that are plunged into the ground to predict whether a prospective drill site would be productive. In 2014, the GAO reported that it had caught companies licensed to use well-logging equipment storing large quantities of radioactive materials that auditors said could have been easily stolen. Officials from the NRC and state regulators told the GAO the security controls are adequate. But an official from the Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration determined the security measures employed by some well loggers could put the sources at risk. No policies have been changed, however. The NRC had previously judged North Dakotas on-site inspections deficient. With high staff turnover fueled by higher-paying jobs in the states booming oil and gas industry, the NRC decided in 2011 to put its radiation protection office into a remedial heightened oversight program. But the GAOs experiment failed there, showing the state had turned around. The applicants facility was unsuited for the kind of work they said they intended to do. They couldnt even get a well-logging truck through the door of this building theyd rented, said Dale Patrick, manager of the radiation program at the North Dakota Department of Health, in a telephone interview. Similar concerns arose during a second GAO licensing application attempt in Michigan, where NRC regional inspectors from Illinois also blocked the GAOs scam. Unlike North Dakota, Texas was considered a strong performer. In 2014, an NRC audit of its licensing declared it adequate to protect public health and safety, according to an 82-page assessment. But Texas failed the GAOs test last year because its inspector didnt follow agreed procedures to make sure this unknown entity was a legitimate company and did not question that the applicant was not a registered business with the Texas Secretary of State, according to Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Texass on-site inspectors routinely carried licenses with them and commonly handed them to applicants on the spot without consulting anyone else about what theyd observed. The practice meant that a single person, operating in the field and without independent scrutiny, functioned as the sole obstruction to improper sales. Yes, that did happen but we no longer allow that to occur, Mann said. The GAOs sting spurred change in Texas. The state fired two managers and sent letters of reprimand to two members of its licensing staff, according to Mann. The radiation control department retrained its personnel, and altered its procedures to require supervisory reviews of all licenses. A new NRC review last February, however, noted that the division still had budgetary shortfalls because the state was using its regulatory fees to raise revenues that it then spent for other purposes. It had 42 personnel to oversee more than 1,570 licensees and shippers and thousands of transactions each year. After being briefed by the GAO on what had happened, the NRC immediately revoked the license Texas had granted the GAOs shell company and told the vendors to cancel the orders. The NRC also asked all its state-level partners and regional NRC offices to review their licensing practices and updated its training courses to emphasize the need for heightened scrutiny. But unnamed NRC officials told the GAO that NRC had no current plans to take action to enact stricter regulations, because the issue had been considered and rejected in 2009. After the reports release, however, Duncan White, a senior health physicist at the NRC, wrote in an official blog post that NRC staff will restudy the issue and discuss it further with the commission later this year. A spokeswoman for the NRC, Maureen Conley, declined to add to what the blog said. Were encouraged that NRC appears to be looking closely at this issue and considering the merits of the recommendation that we made, Trimble said, which we believe is on point. This story is part of National Security. 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. Ava DuVernay With her new movie, Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time" starring Oprah Winfrey, director Ava DuVernay ("Selma") is now the the first black woman to direct a $100 million-budgeted live-action movie. The milestone became public when the film, which is a fantasy adventure based on the novel by Madeleine L'Engle, appeared on a list of movies that will receive California tax incentives that Deadline posted. DuVernay confirmed the news with a pair of tweets on Wednesday: Not the first capable of doing so. Not by a long shot. Thanks to @DisneyStudios for breaking this glass with me. https://t.co/iXJ9pgV7eP Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) August 3, 2016 A shame. Hollywood and audiences have missed some wonderful voices. High hopes for change. https://t.co/5TrQRV0pO9 Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) August 3, 2016 Clearly, DuVernay thinks it's a problem that a person is just now breaking this barrier. DuVernay enters a very short list of female directors who have been given the reins for a big-budget movie. Kathryn Bigelow did it for 2002's Harrison Ford-starring submarine drama "K-19: The Widowmaker" and Patty Jenkins ("Monster") is directed the upcoming "Wonder Woman" movie. That's it! The next DuVernay film to hit theaters will be "The 13th" (out October 7 from Netflix), a documentary that looks at the US prison system and how it relates to the nation's history of racial inequality. NOW WATCH: We took a ride around NYC in the new Ghostbusters car which is actually a 1984 Cadillac hearse More From Business Insider By Nellie Peyton DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Human rights activists on Thursday demanded clemency for a Senegalese maid who was trafficked to Saudi Arabia and may face the death penalty after being charged with killing her employer. Mbayang Diop, 22, was arrested in June, weeks after arriving in the world's largest oil exporter, and accused of stabbing her employer to death in the capital of Riyadh, rights groups said. Senegalese civil society groups say Diop may have killed the woman she worked for in self-defence after a dispute, and that the Saudi authorities had not properly investigated the case. On Wednesday, the Senegalese ambassador to Saudi Arabia visited Diop in prison in the eastern city of Dammam to provide assistance, Senegal's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Saudi embassy in Dakar was not immediately available to comment on the case. Diop left Dakar without telling her family, having been approached and offered work as a maid, said her brother, Fallou. "If she had consulted us, we would have told her not to go," he said, explaining how other women from their neighbourhood in Dakar had also moved to Saudi Arabia with the promise of work. "She said she couldn't rest - that the work was very hard." Diop, who is in jail awaiting trial, is one of a growing number of Senegalese women heading to the Middle East for domestic work, lured by the prospect of a salary and a chance to escape joblessness at home, according to Amnesty International. But many have their passports confiscated by their employers and face abuse, said Amnesty's regional director Alioune Tine. "These women are of victims of violence and rape ... they are at the mercy of their employer, they are the property of their employer," Tine told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "They are the victims of a system of modern slavery." CRACKDOWN Diop has not yet seen a lawyer, appeared in court or entered a plea to the charge of murder, which is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, said Bara Gaye, the mayor of Yeumbeul, a suburb on the outskirts of Dakar that is home to Diop's family. Senegal's foreign minister Mankeur Ndiaye described Diop last week as "a victim like many others", and said the West African nation's government would crack down on traffickers. Traditionally, domestic workers in the Gulf have come from Asia but the number of African migrants is increasing, driven by the lack of opportunities at home, human rights activists say. Women are often trafficked to Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest employers of domestic workers, and forced into domestic servitude, said the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which grades countries on their anti-slavery efforts. Civil society groups and protesters this week gathered in central Dakar to demand clemency for Diop. Boubacar Seye, head of migrant rights group Horizon Sans Frontieres, called for an investigation into the case, saying none had taken place so far. "Everyone knows the conditions these women live in - they're like slaves," said Iba Sarr of the human rights group Raddho, urging the Senegalese authorities to pursue the case. (Additional Reporting and Writing By Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Jo Griffin; 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 news.trust.org) Beth Comstock If you want a job at the top with General Electric, then you had better be able to think on your feet. "I'm big these days on the quality of being able to figure things out," Beth Comstock, GE's vice chairwoman, told The New York Times' Adam Bryant during a recent interview. In job interviews, Comstock said that she likes to test candidates to understand their methods for figuring things out. She'll do this by asking questions like "Give me an example where you didn't have any rules, and what did you do?" and "What was the toughest situation you've ever encountered, and how did you deal with it?" "If I'm bringing them into a centralized role, they have to be able to navigate the company," she told Bryant. "There is no rule book for that, and they have to figure it out. They've got to connect with people inside the business, and with customers." Read the full New York Times interview here. NOW WATCH: 5 professions that are more profitable than playing in the NFL More From Business Insider "I look at my schooling as, in part, my early years at Billboard." That's how Sire Records co-founder and chairman and Warner Bros. Records VP Seymour Stein, 74, recalls his industry education. On this date 58 years ago, that upbringing included the launch of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the magazine's Aug. 4, 1958, issue. At the time, Stein was a high school student eager to learn, and help shape, the music business, soaking up information firsthand from inside Billboard's offices. The Hot 100's hot shot debut wasn't front-page news, but it did make page two, in an editorial succinctly headlined "The Billboard Hot 100." "On pages 36 and 37 of this issue, we are proud to present The Billboard Hot 100, the fastest, most complete and most sensitive index to the popularity of recorded music in America. This new chart feature, which each week will list the 100 most popular recorded sides, is a guide to potential, as well as the current hits." The more things change, the more the Hot 100's mission has stayed the same. From the first No. 1, Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool," the Hot 100 has served as the chart of record for the biggest songs in the U.S. each week. ("Time to hit the dance floor, 'Cheap Thrills' is officially the #1 song on the @Billboard Hot 100 aka the biggest song in America!," Sia's official Twitter account beamed after the song crowned the Aug. 6 chart.) The Entire First Hot 100: Aug. 4, 1958, From No. 1 to No. 100 When the ranking premiered, it encompassed "such factors as [radio] disc jockey plays, jukebox activity and record sales." Today, airplay is still a third of the Hot 100's data mix, with downloads continuing the form of record sales. Streaming is essentially a modern-era, digital jukebox, with clicks of a mouse having replaced the clicks of a mechanical arm selecting and dropping a 45 perfectly into place. Story continues At the heart of the Hot 100's launch was then-head of charts Tom Noonan, along with music-radio-TV editor Paul Ackerman and Stein. "Tom and Paul were great mentors to me," says Stein. "It was such an honor when Tom asked me to help start the Hot 100." Similar to today, as Billboard wrote in its story unwrapping the first Hot 100, "Data is obtained and tabulated right up to deadline time" (with Nielsen Music having fueled chart data since 1991, and multiple streaming sources having joined in recent years). "Weighted factors in the carefully-designed formula result [in] the fastest and most complete guide to the national popularity of records." 'Shellac in His Veins': The 2012 Billboard Icon Award Interview With Seymour Stein While the Hot 100 celebrates nearly six decades of unparalleled acclaim as the chronicle of American hits, Stein's legacy has likewise become legendary. Sire's first signee? Steven Tallarico. Then in a band called Chain Reaction, he'd change his name to Steven Tyler as frontman for Aerosmith. In 1975, Sire signed the Ramones and Talking Heads. The Pretenders followed in 1980 and Madonna in 1982. ("I realized, 'This woman is smarter than all of us. Just get out of her way,'" Stein said of Madonna in 2012.) Other acts Sire signed in that formative era: Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths and Ice-T. In 2005, Stein was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in its lifetime-achievement category. In 2012, he was honored as Billboard's first Icon Award recipient, presented to him at the annual MIDEM industry gathering in Cannes, France. "That was a long, long time ago," Stein says when looking back at the Hot 100's start. But, with a new chart released every Monday, and the second Hot 100 Music Festival ahead on Aug. 20-21, the list's impact remains as vital as it did upon its launch 58 years ago today. Here, in Stein's words, is his recollection of how the Hot 100 originated (from an interview first published in 2015), how it helped speed up the measurement of hits, thanks to the inclusion of radio airplay data, and the story of how the chart's name was (possibly) chosen. "Back in the day, before the Hot 100, there were many different charts in Billboard reflecting the success of singles in the marketplace [including] Best-Selling Pop Singles in Stores, Jukebox Favorites, Most-Heard on the Radio and Sheet Music. "Then, there was an overall chart which was called the Honor Roll of Hits. This was a [composition, not singles] chart, because back in those days, there were multiple versions of just about every song. Sometimes three or four or more were successful, like in the case of 'Unchained Melody.' To show the strength of the song, the Honor Roll of Hits would list the points of all versions to obtain a position. "Back then, jukebox sales were enormous. If a hot artist, like Perry Como, Patti Page or Nat 'King' Cole, with a successful track record put out a new single, record stores knew how to order based on their recent sales. But, in the case of new artists, and there were a lot of them in those early days of rock & roll, stores had no way of being guided. More urgently, jukebox operators needed to know quickly to get these new records into their machines. "It was the jukeboxes, in particular, that first instigated the need for a faster way of making the charts. Fortunately, this was around the same time as the dawn of top 40 radio, and the Hot 100 used radio playlists from across the country weighted by the size of the market to help compile this new chart. "It wasn't entirely error-free or 100 percent accurate; remember, this was [58] years ago. I was just 16, working at Billboard after school. From the time I was 9 years old, I knew I wanted to be in the music business." Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Singles: Chubby Checker's 'The Twist' Is No. 1 & More On Billboard's editorial impact: "As important as the charts were, the Billboard review sessions that picked spotlight winners of the week were even more important. If a record was accorded a spotlight review, it could stir the sales upwards of 75,000 copies by jukebox operators alone in the first week. Before the Hot 100, the charts were so slow, the jukebox operators couldn't wait for these records to prove themselves and had to go by the reviews in Billboard. "Paul Ackerman invited me to attend these music review sessions on Wednesday nights and even provided me with a due-bill to stay at one of the hotels close to the Billboard offices and that way I could get up and take the subway to Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. It was at these sessions that I met people like Syd Nathan of King Records, Leonard Chess, George Goldner, Lew Chudd of Imperial, Herman Lubinksy of Savoy, Don Pierce of Starday and publishers like Freddy Bienstock and Al Gallico, to name a few." As for the name Hot 100? "I can only imagine that what the industry was looking for was a hotter, quicker way of getting chart information. Tom [Noonan] could have come up with the name. I certainly did not. It might have been one of the reporters, or Paul Ackerman. I just don't remember. Then we added star performers to show quick movement upward, a.k.a. bullets. "Reaction was, of course, positive from every corner of the music business. These were still the early days of rock & roll. Mitch Miller and Hugo Winterhalter were still the heads of A&R of Columbia and RCA Victor, the two leading majors, and rooting for rock & roll not to happen. Milt Gabler over at Decca was the first of the majors to embrace rock & roll and it was Steve Sholes at RCA who arranged to buy Elvis Presley's contract from Sun; but not without first taking the advice of Paul Ackerman. "Record stores certainly reacted favorably and radio stations, too. "Through the success of the chart, more execs were drawn up to the Billboard offices, often with their artists in tow, whether it was for a story or just to say thanks for acknowledging their No. 1 position." As terrifying as Eugene Finneys encounter with a shark was, the incident actually saved his life. While on vacation with his family in Southern California, Eugene was swimming at the beach when a shark slammed into him and tore a gash down his back. Upon returning home to Boston, he went to the hospital after he continued to experience chest and back pain as well as irregular breathing stemming from the attack. The doctors determined he had internal bruising from blunt force trauma from the shark along with something much more concerning. Watch: What to Do If a Shark Attacks Through a series of tests, the doctors told me that I had interior bruising of the thoracic cavity and, Oh by the way, you also have a tumor on your kidney and its most likely cancerous, he tells The Doctors. ER physician Dr. Travis Stork says this is an example of an incidentaloma, where you seek medical help for one problem only to find another issue, often times cancer. Luckily, Eugene successfully had the tumor removed and is now doing well. Watch: Does Menstruation Attract Sharks? Speaking with CBS Boston about the incident he says, The shark was a real message to me If this didnt happen with the shark, causing me to go in with this chest pain, I would have never known about this cancer. I feel fortunate. I really feel like Ive gotten a second chance at life and Im not going to blow it. And if Eugenes story leaves you afraid to go in the water, rest assured that in 2015 there were only 98 reported unprovoked shark attacks worldwide and 6 deaths, according to the International Shark Attack File. The report noted that more people are killed each year from spiders, dogs and lighting. TORONTO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Canadian miner Sherritt International Corp said on Thursday that lenders for a large Madagascar nickel mine, which it holds with partners, will defer six principal loan payments totaling $565 million until 2021. The agreement gives additional time for nickel prices to recover and partners to manage their funding requirements, said Sherritt, which holds a 40 percent stake in the Ambatovy joint venture. Japan's Sumitomo Corp holds a 35 percent stake and Korea Resources Corp (Kores) 27.5 percent. They owe lenders, including Export Development Canada and the African Development Bank, $1.6 billion. But with nickel prices down nearly 80 percent since 2007, the mine is producing at a loss. Semi-annual cash interest payments will continue under the deferral plan, Sherritt said, with principal and interest repayments starting in 2021 or earlier, depending on cash flow generation. Sherritt Chief Executive David Pathe said in an interview last week he was "encouraged" by an increase in nickel prices to around $4.70 a pound, but that long-term prices of $8 to $9 a pound were needed to sustain an industry where about half of nickel operations are producing at a loss. Prices of nickel, a top performer among industrial metals in recent months, are likely to retreat by the end of the year even though shortages are becoming more severe, according to a Reuters poll released last week. (Reporting by Susan Taylor; Editing by Tom Brown) * Sees 2016 EPS at 6.50-6.70 euros vs pvs forecast 6.00-6.40 * Savings now seen at 950 mln to 1 bln eur vs 950-950 mln * Shares indicated up 2 percent (Adds details on cost savings, share indication, market expectations, divisions, CEO and analyst comments) FRANKFURT, Aug 4 (Reuters) - German industrial group Siemens lifted its full-year earnings forecast for the second time this year and raised its cost-savings target after most of its businesses beat expectations for quarterly results. Siemens said on Thursday it now expected undiluted EPS of 6.50 to 6.70 euros versus its previous forecast of 6.00 to 6.40 euros and cost cuts of 950 million to 1 billion euros ($1.06 to $1.11 billion) instead of 850-950 million euros for the fiscal year to end-September. Shares in the trains-to-turbines group were indicated 2 percent higher ahead of the 0700 GMT Frankfurt market open. Capital goods analysts at Barclays, who rate Siemens "equal weight/neutral", called it "a very solid Q3". Siemens beat expectations for profit from its industrial units, which rose by a fifth to 2.19 billion euros ($2.44 billion) in the quarter to end-June, compared with the average forecast of 2.06 billion euros in a Reuters poll. Chief Executive Joe Kaeser said in a statement the results came despite a "difficult market environment" and compared well with those of rivals, which include ABB, General Electric and Rockwell Automation. Siemens and the energy businesses on which it is increasingly dependent suffered from a continuing weak oil price, which has led many equipment makers to halt investments, and depressed profits at some Siemens operations including plant engineering unit Process Industries and Drives. But most of Siemens' divisions exceeded analyst forecasts, except for Process Industries and Drives and healthcare unit Healthineers, where Siemens said investments in innovation had curbed the profit margin. Power and Gas, Energy Management and Wind Power and Renewables reported marked improvements. Group orders jumped 9 percent, excluding currency and portfolio effects, to a better-than-expected 21.1 billion euros, helped by large turbine contracts from the Americas and offshore wind deals in Britain and Germany, while sales rose 7 percent to 19.8 billion euros, in line with forecasts. ($1 = 0.8974 euros) (Reporting by Georgina Prodhan and Jens Hack; Editing by Christoph Steitz and Maria Sheahan) Come on over. President Barack Obama is heading to northern Virginia to huddle with his National Security Council at the Pentagon Thursday, and will take a couple questions from the press afterward. The visit comes days after the start of a new round of U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic State in Libya, and as the U.S. and its allies continue to prepare Iraqi forces to move on Mosul, and Kurdish/Sunni Arab rebels to take the ISIS-held cities of Manbij and Raqqa, in Syria. Forces loyal to the Assad regime in Damascus have also completed the encirclement of the city of Aleppo with Russian air support amid heavy fighting there, which has trapped 250,000 civilians inside the besieged city. Aleppo. Support for Syrian rebels from the Turkish government has been placed in jeopardy by the failed July 15 coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Many of the Turkish officers most closely associated with assisting and supplying the rebel groups are now behind bars, the result of a massive purge of the military and civil sector, which has seen over 60,000 arrested or dismissed throughout the country. The generals who were leading the Turkey-Syria policy and the Turkish policy on Syrian Kurds are all in jail now, and we now see the crumbling of the Turkish security establishment, Gonul Tol, director of the Center for Turkish Studies at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told the Wall Street Journal. The Institute for the Study of War has an analysis of the fight for Aleppo here, along with a very helpful map, for the visual learners among us. Peek at Libya fighting. A Libyan commander on the front lines fighting the Islamic State around the city of Sirte gives Reuters a look at how the new U.S. airstrikes are impacting the battlefield. Mohamed Darat said, in the last two houses in this area we faced strong resistance so we asked (the U.S.) to hit that sitewe moved back and they struck. The strikes have been carried out by armed drones flown from Jordan and Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers from the USS Wasp, parked nearby in the Mediterranean Sea. U.S. defense officials have said the strikes on Monday and Tuesday are the start of an air campaign meant to dislodge ISIS from its stronghold in Sirte. SitRep has more on the American airstrikes here. Story continues Paygate. Or Not. Did Washington pay Iran a $400 million ransom to get four Americans out of Irnian jails? Depends on where you sit. The money, which was quietly sent to Tehran in January, coincided with the release of the four Americans, which had led some critics to label it as a ransom payment. The cash was originally Iranian, but Washington froze the assets when Islamist militants took over the government in 1979. As one analyst told the Washington Post, the timing may look awkward, but on the other hand, this dispute had been festering for more than three decades, and it was good to get it resolved and to get Jason and the others out, said Barbara Slavin, acting director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Those who opposed the nuclear deal will call it ransom and those who supported it will call it compensation. Friends? Secretary of State John Kerry hosted the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Washington on Wednesday to talk about creating a new regional counterterrorism effort to increase dialogue on threats from foreign terrorist fighters, and exchange best practices on countering terrorism and preventing radicalization to violence, according to a statement.The catch here is that State has long criticized all five nations for human rights abuses. So it goes. Step by step. For the first time ever, an enlisted female sailor has earned her submarine qualification. Chief Petty Officer Dominique Saavedra received her silver dolphin pin Tuesday in Bremerton, Washington, the AP reports. Soon, shell deploy on then a nuclear-powered guided missile submarine, the USS Michigan. Enlisted female sailors began training for their submarine qualifications last year, and there are roughly three dozen other enlisted women assigned to subs, working through the qualification process. Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley Quick links Hezbollah sees no end to the war in Syria. The Islamic States Deso Dogg is still alive. We think. Or at least the Pentagon does. U.S. military officials are still pretty worried about some of the things they see the Russians doing in Ukraine. China and its plans for launching a peoples war at sea. Thirty-three U.S. servicemembers have contracted Zika. Polar Roar The U.S. Air Force flew five B-52 bombers around the North Pole in what it called its Polar Roar exercise, which looks like a not-so-subtle message to Russia. The bombers carried out some target practice by dropping dummy munitions on a range in Alaska. The U.S. also let partner countries from NATO and Scandinavia practice intercepting the bombers, letting F-16s from Denmark and JAS-39 Gripens from Sweden have a go at the Cold War vintage strategic bombers. Syria The Russian government and Syrian rebels are trading accusations over which side used poisonous chemicals in the fighting over the city of Aleppo. The BBC reports that the Russian military is claiming rebel groups used unspecified toxic substances in the city. The claims follow similar charges by rebels that unidentified aircraft dropped chlorine gas in Idlib after a Russian military helicopter was shot down near the city of Saraqeb. The claims and counter-claims, however, remain unverified. The Islamic State The fight against the Islamic State has struck uncomfortably close to home as federal prosecutors charged a Washington, DC transit police officer with trying to provide assistance to the group. The New York Times reports that Nicholas Young popped up on counterterrorism officials radar after fighting with a Libyan rebel group and associating with convicted terrorists. Law enforcement first sent undercover agents to befriend young in 2011, but finally charged him after he tried to fund the Islamic State by providing gift cards to an undercover agent. Genocide The genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State against Iraq and Syrias minority Yazidi population is ongoing, according to the United Nations. The U.N.s Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic issued a statement marking the anniversary of the jihadist groups 2014 assault on Yazidis in Sinjar, Iraq. The commission took the occasion to remind the world that the Islamic State still holds thousands of Yazidi women in sexual slavery alongside their children, forcing the older children to train as child soldiers for the group. Commission chair Paulo Pinheiro urged the Security Council to refer the issue to the International Criminal Court. You never give me your money Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is holding up a $300 million payment to Pakistan because it says the country isnt doing enough to stop the powerful Haqqani militant group. The U.S. pays Pakistan to fight militants on its own soil out of something called the Coalition Support Fund, but Reuters reports that Carter will halt the payments by refusing to certify that the country has sufficiently cracked down on the Haqqani group. Pakistans intelligence service has deep ties to the Haqqani leadership and other Islamist militants, and some accuse the country of playing a double game of reaping U.S. military aid while covertly supporting terrorism. Nigeria Nigerias infamous Boko Haram terrorist group has a new boss. The AP reports that Abu Musab al-Barnawi is now in charge of the Islamic State-affiliated group that has wreaked havoc on communities throughout West Africa. The announcement is a tad awkward for Abubakar Shekau, the previous leader of Boko Haram, whose current status in the group was left unaddressed in the announcement published in an internal propaganda newspaper. al-Barnawi promised followers that the group would reverse territorial gains made by the Nigerian military, which has made slow but steady progress against Boko Haram-held towns and villages. Marines Marine aviation is taking an an operational pause following a series of F/A-18 crashes, Marine Corps Times reports. Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Lt. Gen. Jon M. Davis said squadrons that arent on a deployment must take a 24 hour pause sometime within the next seven business days to assess their aircraft. The pause comes after the fatal crashes in Twentynine Palms, California and Smyrna, Tennessee. An F/A -18 suffered a third crash this week in Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada but the pilot survived the incident. Budget cuts have eaten into maintenance for the aircraft and delays in the availability of the F-35 have pushed the Marines to use the F/A-18s for longer and longer. Technology 3-D printing in the military has hit another milestone following the first MV-22 Osprey flight to take place with a 3-D printed part. Defense Tech reports that the Navy printed out a titanium link and installed it in an MV-22 for a short hover at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. The military has been looking to take advantage of the increasingly availability of 3-D printing technology for its ability to quickly and cheaply manufacture components and equipment. The Navy, in particular, has been experimenting with putting 3-D printers on ships, even building a small drone aboard the USS Essex. Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images By Mfuneko Toyana PRETORIA (Reuters) - Urban South Africans dealt the ANC its biggest political blow since the end of apartheid on Thursday, knocking the ruling party off its perch in three cities as voters vented anger at corruption, high unemployment and poor public services. The African National Congress (ANC) - which ended white-minority rule when it won power in the first democratic national election in 1994 - held a big lead in the overall count in nationwide municipal elections. But it was trailing the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in Port Elizabeth, which it has previously held virtually unopposed for the last two decades. The ANC was also unlikely to make it to a 50 percent outright majority in the capital Pretoria and economic-hub Johannesburg. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could mark a watershed in South African society and politics as the country shifts from what has effectively been a one-party system in the era immediately post-apartheid. It could reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. The municipal vote comes as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession after a string of corruption scandals surrounding Zuma. ANC LOSES ZUMA'S HOMETOWN The ANC lost Zuma's hometown of Nkandla in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, a personal blow to Zuma, where the Inkatha Freedom Party retained its hold on the region. Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. With about two-thirds of the vote counted, the ANC led in the national count with 54 percent at 1630 GMT, against 27 percent for the DA and 7 percent for the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader Mmusi Maimane, was ahead in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power and which includes the city of Port Elizabeth. Daryl Glaser, lecturer in political studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said he expected the DA to be the biggest single party in Nelson Mandela Bay but to fall short of a majority. "In the case of Tshwane and Johannesburg the ANC will be the biggest party - but very significantly, it will fall below 50 percent, so we are looking at a major setback," he said. "We are into an era of coalition politics." The DA is expected to maintain its control of Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC, where it had a large lead over the ruling party. By late afternoon, the ANC had a slim lead in Tshwane municipality, home to the capital Pretoria. 'BEST COALITION' The ANC had 42.9 percent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the DA's 42.7 percent after half of the votes had been counted. In Johannesburg, the opposition party's lead had been trimmed to 42.09 percent to 42.02 percent for the ANC, with 40 percent of the votes tallied, while in Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 56 percent versus 38 percent, with 85 percent of votes in. The DA had 69 percent of the vote in Cape Town against the ANC's 22 percent, with 77 percent of the votes in. Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC's liberation hero would be an embarrassment for the ruling party. "While the middle classes are upset about government incompetence and corruption, the working classes are economically frustrated by the lack of jobs good paying or not," said Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, DaMina Advisors chief Africa frontier markets analyst and global managing director. The ANC said it expected to retain Tshwane municipality but was not so sure about Johannesburg or Nelson Mandela Bay. Some ANC backers said votes expected from black townships would eat into DA's lead in Nelson Mandela Bay. "I'm still hoping the ANC will win," said Yvonne Mehlo, 38, as she lay out fruit and vegetables at a roadside hawking stand in Port Elizabeth. DA leader Maimane said his party would "put the best coalition on the table" when asked if he would be open to sharing power in some areas. "We've shown some incredible growth in these elections and we're quite excited about that," said Maimane, whose party has promised to help create jobs and improve social services. "There is no metro that is a given at this point," said ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe. He said votes in the party's strongholds in Nelson Mandela Bay had not yet been counted. FRUSTRATION The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is led by firebrand Julius Malema, Zuma's one-time protege and former ANC youth leader is participating in only its second election and was running a distant third in the votes counted. It is, however, winning some support from voters frustrated about inequality in country where black people make up about 80 percent of the 54 million population, yet most of the economy in terms of ownership of land and companies remains in the hands of white people, who account for about 8 percent of the population. The rand currency and government bonds firmed on Thursday, boosted by the smooth running of the elections. "Foreign investors will probably welcome the fact that reduced support for the ruling ANC has helped the centrist DA rather than the leftist EFF," said John Ashbourne, Africa analyst at Capital Economics, in a note. Many South Africans who queued up to vote across the country said they were worried about Zuma's performance and the state of the economy, where one in four in the labour force is unemployed. Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home in Nkandla. In December, he rattled investors after changing his finance minister twice in a week, sending the rand plummeting. Zuma has said he would repay some of the funds spent on his home and rejected criticism of his conduct. (Additional reporting by Nqobile Dlula and Tanisha Heiberg in Pretoria, Joe Brock in Port Elizabeth, Wendell Roelf in Cape Town and Ed Stoddard in Johannesburg; Writing by James Macharia, editing by Pravin Char and Peter Millership) JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) failed to take control of President Jacob Zuma's hometown of Nkandla, local election results showed on Thursday, a symbolic blow to the scandal-tinged Zuma. Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home in Nkandla, located in a poverty-stricken rural area of Kwa-Zulu Natal province. "Nkandla" has become a household word in South Africa that is almost synonymous with graft. The loss, in local polls that are the sternest test the ANC has faced since the end of apartheid in 1994, will also smart because it was at the hands of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a Zulu nationalist party, which widened its tally in the area to 54 percent from 46 percent in 2011. The ruling party garnered 44 percent. Zuma, a traditional Zulu with four wives and an earthy style, has helped deliver the Zulu vote in the province for the ANC in elections, and cast his own vote in the area on Wednesday. But the IFP, which mostly appeals to Zulus, had almost 5 percent of the national vote with most of the tally completed compared to 3.6 percent in the last local elections in 2011. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia) JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand touched a nine-month high against the dollar and government bonds firmed on Thursday as the smooth running of local government elections and expectations that interest rates in leading economies will remain low boosted sentiment. At 1104 GMT, the rand traded at 13.7100 per dollar, 1.44 percent firmer from its New York close on Wednesday, its strongest level since Oct 29. The yield for the benchmark government bond due in 2026 dipped 10.5 basis points to 8.55 percent. "You can attribute some of the movements to the smooth running of the elections without any major incidence of violence or reports of cheating. On the day (the rand) is outperforming other emerging currencies against the dollar," ETM market analyst Ricardo Da Camara said. South Africans cast their votes in local elections on Wednesday and the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) led in three major cities on Thursday as votes were counted, threatening to deal the biggest electoral blow to the African National Congress (ANC) since the end of apartheid two decades ago. The ANC - which ended white-minority rule when it swept to power in the country's first democratic elections in 1994 - held a big lead in the national count. "It's not entirely clear that the DA is good and the ANC is bad but the market generally welcomes more contested democracy," Nomura analyst Peter Attard Montalto said. Other traders said the rand also got support from investors seeking higher yields after the Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time since 2009 on Thursday, while near-term U.S. rate hike prospects cool. On the bourse, stocks also gained with Sappi surging more than 7 percent after the paper maker reported an eight-fold jump in quarterly profit as of 1117 GMT. The blue-chip JSE Top-40 index was up 0.3 percent at 45,671 and the broader All-share index added 0.3 percent to 52,650. (Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng and Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Ed Cropley and Richard Balmforth) By Harriet McLeod NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The white gunman accused of killing nine black parishioners at a Charleston, South Carolina, church last year was slightly injured in jail by another inmate early Thursday, Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon said on Thursday. Dylann Roof, 22, was outside his cell and getting ready to shower at the North Charleston jail where he is detained when the assault occurred, the sheriff said. Cannon said he did not know what motivated the 25-year-old inmate, Dwayne Stafford, who is black, to punch Roof a number of times in the face and back. Officials were unaware of any verbal exchanges between the two inmates in the past, he said. Prosecutors have said Roof's attack on the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in June 2015 was racially motivated. On Thursday, two detention officers quickly responded and separated the inmates, Cannon said. The church shooting suspect is being held in a protective custody unit at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center and is not supposed to have any interaction with other inmates. Cannon said his office will investigate how Stafford was able to exit his cell, which should have been locked while Roof was showering. The sheriff said he also wanted to know why one detention officer was taking a break while another responded to an inmate who needed toilet paper, leaving Roof unguarded. "At the very least, we have complacency, which for police officers and detention officers is one of the biggest challenges we face," the sheriff said. "This certainly serves as a wakeup call." The sheriff's office issued an incident report that said an arrest warrant would be sought to charge Stafford with assault and battery, but Cannon later said Roof and his lawyer had indicated they would not pursue charges. Prosecutors have charged Roof with dozens of offenses in both state and federal courts, including murder and hate crimes, and could face the death penalty. The federal trial is set to begin Nov. 7. Story continues Court records filed by prosecutors in federal court in July said Roof used eight Glock handgun magazines and fired about 80 rounds during the massacre which he had plotted for months. [nL1N1AC22A] Roof's attorneys argued in U.S. court papers filed this week that he should not face the federal death penalty, which they deemed "cruel and unusual punishment" and, as a result, unconstitutional. (Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by David Gregorio) thaad protest :( South Korea may change the location of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile-defense system battery. In July, the South Korea defense ministry announced that the THAAD battery would be deployed to Seongju, in the southeastern part of the country. However, due to protests from residents concerned about health and environmental effects, South Korean President Park Geun-hye is considering a new site for the anti-missile system. "In consideration of concerns held by the residents of Seongju, we will consider a different site if there is any that the county recommends," Yonhap quoted Park as saying in a meeting with lawmakers. South Korea's defense ministry, in conjunction with the US, plans to have the unique air-defense system operational by the end of 2017. There are five THAAD batteries each of about 100 soldiers assigned to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. One of those batteries was deployed to Guam in April 2013 in order to deter North Korean provocations and further defend the Pacific region. Reuters contributed to this report. NOW WATCH: Meet THAAD: Americas answer to North Korean threats More From Business Insider By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir fired six ministers allied to his long-time rival Riek Machar late on Tuesday, widening a political rift in the world's newest nation and drawing threats of more fighting. Kiir filled the vacant posts, including petroleum minister, with people linked to a breakaway faction of Machar's SPLM-IO party, further aggravating divisions between senior politicians in the oil producing nation. About 60,000 people have fled an outbreak of fighting between supporters of the two men in the past three weeks, the United Nations said, on top of the hundreds of thousands already forced to flee in two years of ethnically charged violence. [nL8N1AJ41F] U.N. emergency relief coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, told a news conference during a visit to Juba that the violence and "the culture of impunity" must stop before the humanitarian crisis worsened even further. The two years of civil war that erupted after Kiir sacked Machar as vice president in 2013 has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced more than 2 million, many of whom fled to neighbouring Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. The personal rivalry between Kiir, from the Dinka group, and Machar, a Nuer, has worsened ethnic splits in a country awash with weapons. Both sides agreed a peace deal last year and set up a unity government. But the ceasefire broke down several times and Machar left the capital last month, demanding an international force intervene to keep their forces apart. The chaos has dismayed regional and world powers who helped broker South Sudan's secession from Sudan in 2011, and had hoped its independence would draw a line under decades of war and instability that spread across east Africa. In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner voiced dismay at the conflict and appeared to blame both sides. "The United States is deeply disappointed in the leadership of South Sudan, that given the opportunity of independence, and then frankly a second chance that came with the August 2015 peace agreement, have thus far failed to put aside personal power struggles for the good of their people," he told a daily briefing. Toner said the United States was putting pressure on both sides to end the violence. Kiir dismissed the ministers of the interior, petroleum, higher education, labour, water, as well as lands and housing in a statement read out on state television. The replacements were made on the recommendation of Vice President Taban Deng Gai, who announced he was taking over the SPLM-IO in July. [nL8N1AB4ZX] "We are not surprised by the steps taken by ... Kiir and Taban Deng Gai," said Machar's deputy spokesman, Nyarji Jermlili Roman. He said Machar's supporters would march to Juba "and end this drama' if a foreign protection force demanded by Machar was not deployed. (Writing by George Obulutsa. Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington.; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Grant McCool) GENEVA (Reuters) - Government soldiers and security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gang-raped women and girls during and after ethnically-charged fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations said on Thursday. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers in the U.N. Security Council to take "urgent action" to halt violence. "While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," Zeid said in a statement. Kiir fired six ministers allied to his long-time rival Riek Machar late on Tuesday, widening a political rift in the world's newest state and drawing threats of more fighting. Zeid, reporting on his office's investigation, cited two separate incidents on 11 July in which SPLA soldiers reportedly arrested eight Nuer civilians during house-to-house searches in Jubas Munuki area and took them to two nearby hotels, "where they shot four of them". On the same day, SPLA soldiers broke into another hotel where they shot and killed a Nuer journalist. At least 73 civilian deaths have been documented so far by the U.N., but it is believed the civilian death toll may turn out to be "much higher", Zeid said. "The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes," he said, adding that Nuer, Dinka and women from the three Equatorial states were all targeted, along with foreign nationals. At least 217 cases of sexual violence in Juba had been documented during the period of July 8-25, he said. "In a few areas, women from various ethnic groups were raped by heavily armed youth believed to be affiliated to the SPLA in Opposition (SPLA/IO)," Zeid said. "However, according to the information we have gathered so far, those most affected were displaced Nuer women and girls and those responsible seem to have been mostly SPLA." (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Tom Miles and Tom Heneghan) WHITE PLAINS, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 4, 2016 / SPAR Group, Inc. (SGRP), a leading global supplier of merchandising and other retail services, is happy to announce that it will be partnering with leading online home furnishings company ATGStores.com, a Lowe's company since 2011, to provide in-home, in-office and on-site assembly services of furniture and equipment to ATGStores.com customers through its SPAR Installation & Assembly division. ATGStores.com customers will be able to either bundle the assembly service with their purchase or order it separately for items they already own. SPAR Assembly & Installation provides flexible scheduling within two days of delivery for most orders with service performed by professional, friendly, fully insured technicians. The assembly service is another way for ATGStores.com to advance its position as an online home furnishings retailer that offers more personalized service options to pair with its curated product selection. Stated ATGStores.com president Michelle Newbery, "We want our customers to know ATGStores.com can provide everything they might need for their homes, from professional interior design consultation all the way through to assembly and installation. We've always been very proud of our product line, and now we have great services to complement it." Newbery went on to say that, "SPAR is a respected service provider in the furniture assembly industry and we're excited to offer their expertise to our customers to help them take their projects from concept to completion." SPAR VP of Operations and Business Development Mike Florkowski voiced his excitement at helping ATGStores.com enhance the customer experience. "ATGStores.com has worked hard at developing a great online customer shopping experience. We understand the importance of continuing that experience with great service after the customer gets the product home, and are dedicated to doing so, as we have for over 25 years with a high level of customer satisfaction." Story continues About SPAR Group, Inc. SPAR Group, Inc. is a diversified international merchandising and marketing services company and provides a broad array of services worldwide to help companies improve their sales, operating efficiency and profits at retail locations. SPAR provides merchandising and other marketing services to manufacturers, distributors and retailers worldwide, primarily in grocery, drug, big box, discount/dollar, office supercenter, warehouse/club, specialty, pet, department, and convenience/gas channels. Additional services include new store sets and remodels, price and compliance audits, fixture/display installation and service, furniture and equipment assembly in stores, offices and homes, assisted sales, product demonstrations, and Click & Collect services. SPAR provides these services in the U.S. and across the globe. SPAR started as a sales promotion analysis company in 1967, has been supplying merchandising and other retail services in the U.S. since 1979, and internationally since acquiring its first international subsidiary in Japan in 2001. SPAR currently does business in 9 countries that encompass approximately 50% of the total world population through its operations in the United States, Canada, China, Australia, India, Japan, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey. For more information, please visit SPAR Group's website at http://www.sparinc.com. For more information, contact: pressinquiries@sparinc.com. About ATGStores.com ATGStores.com, a Lowe's company since 2011, offers high-touch customer care, a curated selection of high-quality home furnishings, interior design services and professional installation for a seamless shopping experience, from concept to completion. The company features more than one million products in a host of different categories, from lighting and furniture to hardware and decor. To learn more, visit ATGStores.com or email questions to press@atgstores.com. SOURCE: SPAR Group, Inc. By Sumeet Chatterjee and Denny Thomas HONG KONG (Reuters) - Standard Chartered expects to further cut provisions for bad loans in its key markets of China and India, and is also looking to lower exposure to the heavy industry sector, the bank's Greater China and North Asia chief said on Thursday. A sharp spike in non-performing loans in China and India had weighed on the Asia-focused bank's balance sheet in the last few years, as a slowdown in the two countries' economic growth hit clients in the infrastructure and commodities sectors. But the British lender on Wednesday reported that loan impairment levels in China and India more than halved in the first six months of 2016 compared to the year-ago period; to $42 million in the case of China and $224 million in India. "That's a direction we are driving," Benjamin Hung, who is also part of the bank's top global management team, told Reuters in an interview. Standard Chartered's income from Greater China and North Asia, which includes Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and ASEAN and South Asia, within which Singapore and India are most important, accounts for nearly 70 percent of its total revenue. "What we have been doing is establishing a new risk tolerance framework and appetite, ensuring that the bank doesn't get overly concentrated in any particular single borrower or single market or single industry," Hung said. "The market remains highly uncertain, but at least we believe that this is a step in the right direction in terms of making us control our loan impairment." The bank, which swung back into profit in the first half of the year, is also looking to reduce its exposure to "old economy" companies in the region and focus more on sectors including technology and pharmaceuticals, he said. "What you are seeing is a bit of reshuffling of our industry focus, so that those then become engines for future growth," he said. "You just have to look a little bit ahead of the curve and be able to tune your portfolio before everybody does it." Story continues The bank's total credit exposure to the commodities sector, including oil and gas producers that have been hit by the drop in prices, has fallen from $60.7 billion in the first half of 2014 to $37.1 billion in the January-June period of this year. PRIVATE BANKING Standard Chartered, which has undergone sweeping restructuring since CEO Bill Winters took charge a year ago, also plans to invest more on technology and people in its private banking business in Asia, Hung said. Many global private banks have put Asia at the centre of their growth strategy, hiring thousands of staff and tapping new customer segments in a region soon expected to boast more billionaires than the United States. Winters said on Wednesday that the bank's private banking business was substantially under-exploited and that he planned to make this a "differentiated business" in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. "We are investing, first of all, quite heavily into wealth platform, the engine, the infrastructure...we are recruiting a lot of people," said Hung, who joined Standard Chartered in 1992 and has held a number of senior management positions since then. While declining to give details on headcount expansion, Hung said that the bank would leverage its existing corporate and commercial banking client base to boost its private banking assets in the region. (Editing by Mike Collett-White) By Steve Gorman (Reuters) - The mayor of Stockton, California, was arrested on Thursday on a felony eavesdropping charge stemming from a strip poker game he is accused of surreptitiously recording at a summer camp he hosts for disadvantaged inner-city children, prosecutors said. Mayor Anthony Ray Silva, 41, was also charged with three misdemeanor counts - contributing to the delinquency of a minor, child endangerment and furnishing alcoholic beverages to individuals under the legal drinking age of 21, according to a criminal complaint filed in court. Silva is accused of using his cellphone to make an audio recording of the conversation between several young people, including a 16-year-old boy, who were participating in a strip poker game with the mayor inside his cabin at the camp. Prosecutors said in a media statement that the taped conversation indicated that the participants, who were naked, were recorded against their will. Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe said those involved besides the mayor included two to three females and three males, all ranging in age from 18 to 20. The criminal complaint accuses Silva of plying six underage youths with alcohol, some of them camp counselors, according to prosecutors. The incidents, according to prosecutors, took place last August at the Stockton Silver Lake Camp in Amador County, which lies in California Gold Country on the edge of the Sierras northeast of Stockton. The camp is annually hosted by the mayor for about 75 underprivileged children ranging in age from five to 17, prosecutors said. Silva also has served as president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stockton for the past six years, according to his official biography. He was elected mayor of Stockton, a city of about 300,000 east of San Francisco, in November 2012, months after the municipality filed for bankruptcy. The city emerged from bankruptcy protection in February 2015. Neither Silva nor a lawyer was immediately available to comment. But the mayor acknowledged in a previous statement posted by a local TV station that he had been detained and had his electronic devices seized by federal agents at San Francisco International Airport last September, after returning from a mayor's conference in China. Story continues Silva, who is not married, was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday morning and released on $20,000 bond later in the day. His next court date has been set for Aug. 18. If convicted of the charges against him, he could face up to three years in prison. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler, Tom Brown and Bill Rigby) Six months after the death of A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg at age 45, the Five Foot Assassin's borough is ready for a permanent tribute to the pioneering MC. On Wednesday, New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio signed a bill that will rename a portion of Linden Blvd. at 192nd St. in St. Albans, Queens, "Malik 'Phife Dawg' Taylor Way," according to the rapper's manager, Dion Liverpool. Phife Dawg's Death: Questlove, Snoop Dogg and More React on Social Media "It's right where the cleaners in the 'Check the Rhyme' video was shot and where there's a Tribe Called Quest mural now," Liverpool told Billboard. "Someone reached out to us around the time of Phife's passing and the person who spearheaded the petition, Leroy McCarthy [who has also launched similar efforts in honor of Big Pun, Wu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G.] originally wanted it to be called 'A Tribe Called Quest Way.'" A Tribe Called Quest mural, phase one is completed. S/O to artist @vballentine99 #ATCQ #RIPPHIFEDAWG pic.twitter.com/OMnRNkUVRn - LeRoy McCarthy (@LeRoyLive) June 26, 2016 "Malik Taylor and the members of A Tribe Called Quest helped to bring hip-hop into the mainstream and used their talent to reach heights they themselves never thought possible. But in this time, they never forgot where they came from, inspiring others from Southeast Queens," Councilman I. Daneek Miller told the New York Daily News. "His passing is a loss for all of us but his impact on our community and popular culture will be remembered for generations to come." Liverpool said DeBlasio's office, in conjunction with Phife's wife, Deisha Head-Taylor, decided to stick with naming it after her late husband. Now that he bill is signed, the new plaque will go up soon and stay covered up until Phife's family decide on a date for the public unveiling. "We're working on that now, but it's at Deisha and his mom's discretion," Liverpool said. Here are 5 stocks added to the Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) List today: ATN International Inc ATNI provides wireless and wireline telecommunications services in North America, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 16.5% downward over the last 30 days. BankUnited BKU operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, National Association that provides a range of banking services to small and medium sized businesses, and individual customers in the United States. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has declined 2.4% over the last 30 days. Boyd Gaming Corporation BYD operates as a multi-jurisdictional gaming company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate revision for its current year earnings was a negative of 4.8% over the last 30 days. Colony Capital Inc CLNY is a real estate investment trust. The firm invests in the real estate markets of North America and Europe. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has moved 7.8% lower over the last 30 days. Credit Suisse Group AG CS provides various financial services worldwide. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 2.3% downward over the last 30 days. View the entire Zacks Rank #5 List 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 BOYD GAMING CP (BYD): Free Stock Analysis Report BANKUNITED INC (BKU): Free Stock Analysis Report ATN INTL INC (ATNI): Free Stock Analysis Report CREDIT SUISSE (CS): Free Stock Analysis Report COLONY CAPITAL (CLNY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Brace yourselves for a summer of Instajealously -- the fashion world has officially gone on vacation. But as the stars kick back and enjoy the good life, their social media updates are gold for updating your summer beauty look. Today, let's take a look at Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls' perfect beach look. The face of Balmain, H&M and Estee Lauder, the model is currently enjoying a holiday in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Naturally glamorous Smalls seems to have turned her vacation into a photoshoot with a backdrop of palm trees and crystal clear water. The model, who recently turned 28, has been flaunting her killer beach body on a few snaps posted to Instagram Smalls usually keeps her hair on the classic side by opting for a sleek straight do. But since she's on a summer break, the brunette dons a wavy styled-by-the-breeze look. Makeup wise, Joan Smalls keeps things natural giving her skin a rest. Her eye makeup is also very subtle. In between two dives in the ocean, Smalls enjoys a little standup paddleboarding, a nice way of having fun while still keeping active. As for her outfits, she sticks to crochet or printed floral bathing suits. Joan Smalls joined Jourdan Dunn, Sasha Luss and Alessandra Ambrosio in the FW 2016 campaign for Balmain. She also walked the Atelier Versace show at the last Paris Couture Week. Lyle Denniston, the National Constitution Center and Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent, looks at significant legal developments in a transgender rights debate that seems headed back to the Supreme Court in the near future. courtfreize535 The newest version of a civil rights movement claims of equality for transgender people has been building toward the Supreme Court at a very fast pace. On Wednesday, the Justices took their first action on the issue in a significant case, and the signals were mixed. For now, the court by a 5-3 vote has stalled the case of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. and that will very likely mean that a 17-year-old transgender boy in the town of Gloucester Courthouse, Va., will be denied access to boys restrooms at school when his senior year begins next month. At the same time, Wednesdays order created at least the impression that, if the Justices do take up the school boards case (probably weeks from now, at the earliest), they could wind up split 4-to-4 and that would mean a legal victory for G.G. and his mother, who is supporting his legal efforts. It is no doubt inevitable that at some point before long, transgender rights will become a fully developed civil rights issue before the Justices, focusing on the meaning of sex discrimination in three federal laws. The core issue is simple: Does the word sex in those civil rights laws include gender identity in the protection against discrimination? Gender identity is now the preferred phrase, within the community of transgender activists, for the medical phenomenon of a person who is assigned one gender at birth but later becomes identified as the opposite. That is the case with the boy G.G. in the Virginia case; identified as a girl at birth, he now identifies as a boy. The Obama administration, which has become very energetic in recent years in promoting equality for transgender people, has added major help to a movement for equality that had already been developing for several years. Story continues The administration recently told school officials across the nation that bias against transgender students is a violation of federal law, and they risk losing huge sums of federal money if they break the law. Lawsuits have sprung up across the country, on both sides of the issue. For a time, it looked as if the fastest developing cases were in North Carolina, contesting a new law here that restricts transgender peoples access to restrooms and changing rooms in all state facilities. But the Virginia case sped along and got to the Supreme Court first. The actual appeal is not due to be filed until near the end of this month. But the school board sought a temporary order from the Justices to delay lower court orders requiring that G.G. be given access to the boys restroom at school. While the case, at the human level and at the legal level, is about the meaning of sex in civil rights law, it reached the Supreme Court also as a potentially major case on the powers of federal government agencies to write and enforce their own rules to carry out federal laws. For the technically inclined, then, the case can be viewed as being all about Auer deference. Seeing the case that way may be a turn-off for many Americans. But, in that very sense, the lawyers for the Gloucester County school board figured they have a very good case for gaining Supreme Court review. And that might well have played a role in Wednesdays order in that case. What is that all about? The phrase refers to a Supreme Court decision in 1997, titled Auer v. Robbins. There, building upon some thoughts the court had made in 1945 in another case (Bowles v. Seminole Rock & Sand Co.), the Justices ruled that federal courts are essentially to take the word of federal officials about what their own agency rules mean if those rules are fuzzy in what they do cover. Instead of independently reviewing the agency interpretation, courts were to defer to the agency view, according to this legal perspective. Three of the four Justices who voted on Wednesday to stall the Gloucester County case have said that the whole idea of Auer deference should be reconsidered by the Court. That approach hands over to federal agencies a task that the courts are supposed to have, according to the criticism. (The late Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February and who wrote the Auer ruling for a unanimous court 19 years ago, had also become a critic of it.) This kind of deference became an issue in the Gloucester County transgender case because that is exactly the approach that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit used in accepting the view of federal education policymakers that discrimination based on sex in federal law includes discrimination based on gender identity. The governments own rules on what based on sex meant were ambiguous, the appeals court said, so the court took their word for it that gender identity was protected, too. That very likely was one factor that led at least some of the Justices to delay the Fourth Circuit Courts ruling until they could decide whether to review the school boards coming appeal. Another factor on that side of the case is that federal officials previously had written rules that schools had a legal duty to keep bathroom facilities separated for the sexes. The school board contends that those rules should be the controlling ones. It took the votes of five Justices to agree to postpone the orders in the Gloucester County case the ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court, as well as an order by a trial judge in Newport News implementing the appeals court ruling. It was clear that the delay had the explicit support of three of the Auer critics: Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Clarence Thomas. They were joined by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, to make four. Then, as an act of what he called a courtesy to the four Justices who wanted delay, Justice Stephen G. Breyer added a fifth vote for postponement. He cited the fact that the court was in summer recess probably a hint that there was not much chance for a full discussion and he added that the order only kept things as they were before the appeals court had ruled. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor said, without explanation, that they would have denied the school boards delay request. Although the dissenters did not say what their reasons were, it is probable that they saw this case as procedurally not fully developed, because there has been no final ruling on G.G.s rights, just the temporary orders that were put on hold, and also that the case involved only a schools accommodation for a single student. They also may well have thought that, given how novel the transgender legal issues are so far, it probably would be a good idea for the court to let the issue percolate some more in lower courts, to see how they react. As a result of the courts order, nothing will happen at Gloucester County high school until after the Justices have made up their minds whether to take up the case for full review. If normal schedules are followed, even that decision wont be made until at least November. For the transgender movement, there was also the prospect that, if the Court does grant review, Justice Breyer would link up with Wednesdays dissenters, and in opposition to the four Justices who unqualifiedly supported the delay. That 4-to-4 split would put back into effect the appeals court ruling in favor of G.G.s right to equal access to the boys restroom. There is a real chance that the Court will still have only eight Justices when and if the case did come up for review. The same would be true if, when the court does examine the school boards appeal, it chooses not to hear it at all, perhaps accepting the notion that it is too soon to get involved. A denial of review would simply wipe out Wednesdays temporary order. Legendary journalist Lyle Denniston is Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent. Denniston has written for us as a contributor since June 2011. Denniston has covered the Supreme Court since 1958. His work also appears on lyldenlawnews.com. Recent Stories on Constitution Daily A brief history of pocket constitutions and their meaning Women, the White House and presidential campaigns Constitution Check: Does the First Amendment protect a wedding cake as an art form? MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon Energy Ltd expects to exit corporate debt restructuring (CDR) by the end of the current fiscal year in March 2017, founder and chairman Tulsi Tanti told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. Suzlon had agreed with banks in January 2013 to restructure 95 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) of its debt under CDR, a formal process in India under which companies that need to delay repayment of loans can work with banks to roll over their debt. "We will be the fastest company to come out of CDR," Tanti said in an interview in Mumbai. ($1 = 66.8375 rupees) (Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Rafael Nam and Adrian Croft) BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian group said on Thursday it had the bodies of five people shot down in a Russian helicopter and demanded the release of prisoners in exchange for the corpses. The Russian military helicopter was downed in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Monday, killing all five people on board in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria. The demand was made in a statement seen by Reuters, signed off by a group calling itself the General Foundation for Prisoners' Affairs. It wanted the release of prisoners held in Syrian government jails and by Damascus's Lebanese Shi'ite ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. It did not say who those prisoners were, or how many it wanted released. It also demanded an end to the siege of areas blockaded by the Syrian army and its allies, and for the delivery of significant amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in besieged areas. The statement showed what appeared to be identity cards belonging to those killed in the crash. Russia's defense ministry said on Monday the Mi-8 military transport helicopter had been shot down after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo as it made its way back to Russia's main air base in the western province of Latakia. No group immediately claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter. Islamic State fighters are not active in the area, but there are other Islamist rebel groups there, as well as moderates backed by the United States and its allies. Russia has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with an air campaign against insurgents since September. Russia and Syria did not make any immediate comment on the demand. (Reporting by Samia Nakhoul and John Davison; Editing by Andrew Heavens) By Lawrence Delevingne NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Hedge fund veteran Kenneth Brody has come out of retirement to launch a new money management firm, a person familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday. Brody, who co-founded Taconic Capital Advisors and retired in 2013, has reemerged as chief executive of Sutton Square Partners, a New York-based hedge fund manager. Sutton Square will start investing on Sept. 1 with more than $100 million, including $50 million from Brody, according to the person. The fund will focus on stock picking, betting for and against stocks across sectors. Investments will be led by portfolio manager Victor Ho, previously an executive at hedge fund firm Conatus Capital Management. A team of four analysts will work with Ho, including Brody's son Charlie Brody. Brody, 73, will manage business operations and investment risk. He will also assist Melissa Whitney, the director of marketing, with fundraising. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc will serve as the firm's prime brokers, according to the person. Spokesmen for the banks did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Taconic, now led by co-founder Frank Brosens and chief investment officer Christopher DeLong, manages $6.1 billion. It uses a so-called event driven strategy, one that bets on corporate shake-ups. Brody and Brosens were partners at Goldman Sachs before launching Taconic together. (Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Chris Reese) DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Tajikistan has meted out jail terms to 170 people convicted of complicity in an armed attempt by a deputy defence minister to topple President Imomali Rakhmon last September, the chief Tajik prosecutor said on Thursday. "We gathered incontrovertible evidence proving their guilt," Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rakhmon told a news conference. The group's members were jailed for between one and 30 years for crimes including murder and membership of a criminal group, he said. General Abdukhalim Nazarzoda, the rebellious deputy defence minister, was killed with 15 other plotters after a 12-day special operation by security forces following the attempted coup, which risked stoking fresh tension in the unstable ex-Soviet state that lived through a fierce civil war in 1992-97. President Rakhmon, a 63-year-old former head of a Soviet cotton farm, who has been head of state since 1992 and Tajikistan's president since 1994, keeps a tight lid on dissent. He will be able to run for an unlimited number of terms after a series of constitutional amendments were backed in a referendum in May. The authorities closed the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) after they suppressed the rebellion, accusing it of backing the renegade general and leading IRPT leader Muhiddin Kabiri to flee abroad. "Kabiri has been declared internationally wanted," said prosecutor Rakhmon. "If he is detained, we will seek his extradition. He is accused of financing and organising the attempted military coup." Tajikistan, a Muslim nation of 8 million, lies on a drug trafficking route from neighbouring Afghanistan. Russia keeps a military base, Moscow's largest deployment of land troops abroad, in the country which depends on Russian economic aid. (This version of the story has been refiled to fixe garble in penultimate paragraph) (Reporting by Nazarali Pirnazarov; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Richard Balmforth) The first official look at Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated WWII movie Dunkirk has arrived. The Warner Bros. film centers on the British military evacuation of the French city of Dunkirk in 1940, one of the biggest battles during the war. The minute-long teaser is a series of several wartime vignettes but features very few familiar faces from the A-list cast, which includes Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh, as well as One Direction alum Harry Styles. The official trailer is set to screen ahead of Suicide Squad, the studio's big superhero release that is out this weekend. Warner Bros. released the trailer on YouTube, following a pirated clip of nearly half of the teaser that surfaced online, which appeared to be taken on a mobile device from inside a movie theater. Dunkirk, which is being shot on 65mm large format film and Imax, will hit theaters July 19, 2017. Read more: 'Suicide Squad' Cast Responds to Negative Reviews: "Critics Have Been Absolutely Horrific" Yesterday, some of the technology stocks like Arrow Electronics Inc. ARW and Paycom Software, Inc. PAYC released their quarterly numbers. Arrows second-quarter 2016 earnings and revenues missed the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Paycoms second-quarter 2016 results, on the other hand, were encouraging, wherein both the top- and bottom line fared better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate. As the second-quarter earnings cycle draws to a close, the picture that has emerged shows that we are headed toward the fifth consecutive quarter of earnings decline. Encouragingly though, the rate of decline has moderated from the previous quarter. For the technology sector, total earnings are predicted to decline 0.1% in spite of 2.7% higher revenues, marking an improvement over last quarters 4.5% earnings decline irrespective of a 0.4% improvement in revenues. We now have quarterly results from 84.6% of the technology sectors total market cap in the index as of Jul 29. Total earnings of these companies have dipped 0.9% despite 2.1% higher revenues, with a whopping 83.3% beating earnings estimates and 77.8% exceeding top-line expectations. Among the companies slated to report this week, lets find out whats in the cards for these two technology stocks scheduled to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 5. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation CTSH delivers high-quality, cost-effective, full life cycle solutions for complex software development and maintenance problems that companies face while transitioning to e-business. The company's solutions include application development and integration, application management, re-engineering, and mass change services. For the quarter, the company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is pegged at 73 cents. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 8.57%. Notably, Cognizant has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three out of the last four preceding quarters with an average positive surprise of 4.74%. (Read more: Will Cognizant's Q2 Earnings Offset Sales Woes?) Story continues COGNIZANT TECH Price and EPS Surprise COGNIZANT TECH Price and EPS Surprise | COGNIZANT TECH Quote Scientific Games Corporation SGMS is the leading integrated supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to lotteries, and the leading supplier of wagering systems and services to pari-mutuel operators. It is also a licensed pari-mutuel gaming operator in Connecticut and the Netherlands and is a leading supplier of prepaid phone cards to telephone companies. For the quarter, the company has an Earnings ESP of -29.27% and a Zacks Rank #4. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is pegged at a loss of 82 cents. Last quarter, the company posted a negative earnings surprise of 5.94%. Notably, Scientific Games has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three out of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 4.74%. (Read more: What's in Store for Scientific Games in Q2 Earnings?) SCIENTIFIC GAME Price and EPS Surprise SCIENTIFIC GAME Price and EPS Surprise | SCIENTIFIC GAME Quote 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 >> 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 PAYCOM SOFTWARE (PAYC): Free Stock Analysis Report COGNIZANT TECH (CTSH): Free Stock Analysis Report SCIENTIFIC GAME (SGMS): Free Stock Analysis Report ARROW ELECTRONI (ARW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research WESTMINSTER, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 4, 2016 / TechPrecision Corporation (TPCS) ("TechPrecision" or "the Company"), an industry leading global manufacturer of precision, large-scale fabricated and machined metal components and tested systems with customers in the defense, energy and precision industrial sectors, today announced it will release financial results for its 2017 fiscal first quarter on August 15, 2016. The Company will hold a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) time on August 15, 2016. To participate in the live conference call, please dial 1-866-635-0172 five to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time. International callers should dial 1-785-424-1629. When prompted, reference Conference ID: TECH. A replay will be available until September 15, 2016. To access the replay, dial 1-877-481-4010 or 1-919-882-2331. When prompted, enter Conference Passcode 10069. The call will also be available live by webcast at TechPrecision Corporation's website, www.techprecision.com, and will also be available over the Internet and accessible at http://www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175230. About TechPrecision Corporation TechPrecision Corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Ranor, Inc. and Wuxi Critical Mechanical Components Co., Ltd., manufactures large-scale, metal fabricated and machined precision components and equipment. These products are used in a variety of markets including: defense, aerospace, nuclear, industrial, and medical. TechPrecision's goal is to be an end-to-end service provider to its customers by furnishing customized and integrated "turn-key" solutions for completed products requiring custom fabrication and machining, assembly, inspection and testing. To learn more about the Company, please visit the corporate website at http://www.techprecision.com. Information on the Company's website or any other website does not constitute a part of this press release. Company Contact: Mr. Thomas Sammons Chief Financial Officer TechPrecision Corporation Tel: 978-883-5109 Email: sammonst@ranor.com www.techprecision.com Story continues Investor Relations Contact: Hayden IR Brett Maas Phone:646-536-7331 Email: brett@haydenir.com SOURCE: TechPrecision Corporation From Good Housekeeping Photo credit: Caters News Eating disorders, like so many illnesses, are incredibly hard to fight on one's own, but the right support system can go a long way towards helping a person suffering from anorexia, bulimia or another eating disorders. Case in point: Chiara Schober, a teen from Liechtenstein who felt truly hopeless as she battled anorexia. During her early teenage years, Schober suffered from stomach cramps that made her feel permanently full - a result that led her to guilty emotions because each time she ate, it felt like it was simply "for the sake of it" because she was never hungry. Soon after, she developed an eating disorder. At 17, Schober was consuming far below the recommended caloric intake for an adult, let alone a growing teenager. "I was eating just a peach a day, I couldn't bear the thought of eating," she told the Daily Mail. "It was like I was punishing myself." Terrified of food and unable to get herself to eat, Schober spent months in the hospital and struggled with suicidal feelings - and but even in the care of doctors, she continued to lose weight. Her condition deteriorated until a year ago when she first met Jason, her now-boyfriend, with whom she quickly fell in love. "When Jason met me ... I was a completely different person," she says. "When I look back now, I can't believe it, I was just skin and bone." Crediting the support and love she received from her partner, she felt capable of addressing her eating disorder and eventually recovering from it. "Jason stepped in and encouraged me to eat more, he would take me out for meals and buy snacks like popcorn for us," she remembers. "Soon, I found enjoyment in eating again." Realizing that she wanted a future filled with a loving marriage and children helped Schober to desire a healthy life for the both of them, as opposed to feeling hopeless and resigned. Obviously, simply falling in love can't cure an eating disorder - it's much more complicated than that - but having a strong, constant support system can make recovery seem more attainable and desirable for the sufferer. Story continues If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, head to the National Eating Disorders Association to find resources and information. [H/t Daily Mail] Follow Sam on Instagram and Twitter. MOSCOW, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Amsterdam-based telecoms provider Vimpelcom said on Thursday it saw full-year revenues and core profit margin at the lower end of its forecast range. Vimpelcom, with assets in Russia, Italy and a number of emerging markets, said earlier it expected flat to low single digit growth in organic service revenue in 2016 and that its underlying EBITDA margin would be unchanged or rise by one percentage point. In the second quarter, the company's organic service revenue, excluding forex and other items, was down 0.7 percent year-on-year due to a drop in voice revenue while total sales fell 16 percent to $2.2 billion. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 26 percent to $795 million. EBITDA margin slid to 36.9 percent from 41.6 percent in the same period a year ago but underlying margin edged up to 42.3 percent from 41.5 percent. Net profit rose 29 percent to $138 million, helped by higher profits at its Italian unit although it was hit by exceptional items amounting to $116 million at the EBITDA level and a higher effective tax rate. The company said it remained confident of securing regulatory approval from the European Commission for the merger between its Italian unit WIND and CK Hutchison Holdings' 3 Italia. The company said it has so far received no statement of objections to the merger from the European Commission, which is scheduled to rule by Sept. 8. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov and Adrian Croft) Terri Irwin still only has eyes for her late husband, Steve Irwin. The Crocodile Hunter star died nearly 10 years ago, but his wife tells The Australian Woman's Weekly that she doesn't want another romantic relationship. "I haven't been on a single date since Steve died," she admits. "If I hadn't met Steve, I probably would never have married because I wasn't looking for love when I met him. What we had was incredible." WATCH: Bindi Irwin Shares Adorable Flashback Photo and Sweet Message for Mom Terri on Her Birthday Terri met Steve in 1991 and they tied the knot in June 1992 after eight months of dating. The couple had two children together, 18-year-old Bindi and 12-year-old Robert, and were married for 14 years when Steve died after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb in September 2006. The 52-year-old conservationist told ET that she has no interest in dating because she's already had her "happily ever after." WATCH: Bindi Irwin on Mom Terri -- She's the Strongest Human Being I've Ever Known "I still feel immense love and loyalty to Steve," Terri shared. "And I've got great kids, I've got a very full life, and while I'm lonely for Steve, I'm not a lonely person." She added, "I think for other people who have lost someone and have loved again, it's a beautiful thing but it's just not really on my horizon." Related Articles Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited TEVA is a global pharmaceutical company with a strong presence in the generics as well as branded markets. Tevas main branded products include Copaxone (multiple sclerosis) and Azilect (Parkinsons disease). Besides this, Tevas branded product portfolio consists of respiratory products like ProAir, a short-acting beta-agonist for the treatment of bronchial spasms and exercise-induced bronchospasm, and Qvar, an inhaled corticosteroid for long-term control of chronic bronchial asthma. Moreover, the company has several candidates in its pipeline. Earlier this week, Teva completed its acquisition of Allergans generics business (Actavis Generics). The company also announced a deal to acquire Allergans Anda Inc., the 4th largest distributor of generic pharmaceuticals in the U.S., for $500 million. The Anda deal is slated to close in the second half of the year. Tevas earnings track record has been good with the company delivering positive earnings surprises in each of the last four quarters with an average surprise of 4.56%. Currently, TEVA has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), but that could definitely change following the companys earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: TEVAs second quarter earnings came in at $1.25 per share, beating consensus estimates of $1.18. Revenues: Teva posted revenues of $5 billion, surpassing consensus estimates of $4.8 billion. Key Stats: Currency fluctuations cut second quarter revenues by about $141 million. Lead branded product, Copaxone, posted worldwide sales of $1.1 billion, up 8%. Meanwhile, generic revenues declined during the quarter. 2016 Outlook: The company expects revenues of $22.0-22.5 billion and earnings of $5.20-5.40 per share in 2016. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 revenue and earnings are $22.29 billion and $5.16 per share and, respectively. Story continues TEVA PHARM ADR Price TEVA PHARM ADR Price | TEVA PHARM ADR Quote Check back later for our full write up on this TEVA earnings report later! 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 >> 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 TEVA PHARM ADR (TEVA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research An 11-year-old boy who dreams of being a fireman himself has donated 125 smoke detectors to a Texas fire department to be distributed to needy senior citizens. Hes an amazing kid, DeSoto Fire Rescue Chief Jerry Duffield said of Hector Montoya. Read: Boy, 5, Who Lost Feet in Lawnmower Accident Gets Running Blades, Thanks to Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor He wanted to come to DeSoto. Its not too far from where he lives. We were sure glad to get him, said Duffield. He said Montoya came to the firehouse Wednesday with his donation. He was honored in a ceremony attended by his family, several local firehouses, and the mayor. We have a very active, local senior citizens center, and were going to make the community aware of the donation through the center. Our goal is to put them in the homes of seniors who have economic hardship, who have a need, Duffield told InsideEdition.com. Theyre also going to reach out to a local church. Any seniors in need of a smoke detector can reach the department directly, he said. The chief said that the little boy with the big heart started gathering donations for smoke detectors when he was eight years old. He was moved after seeing a story on the news about a Fort Worth fire that killed a woman and one of her twin daughters. I remember that fire and how tragic that situation was. I could understand someone being inspired by that story. But at eight years old, its amazing, said Duffield. Read: Student Headed to the Olympics Reveals How She Learned to Swim After Cousins Drowned Montoya's proud grandmother, Sondra Banks, told InsideEdition.com, "Hes like an old soul." She said her grandson reached out to a local fire department to help him find the seven-year-old twin who had survived. "He brought her presents, and got the mayor to make it her day," said Banks. "He brought her a crown for her head, and said, 'It's your day today." Story continues Duffield said that Montoya has dreams of becoming a firefighter and the station is going to help him fulfill that wish. We have a fire academy here. Were giving him a scholarship for the academy. Hes given so much, and were going to give a little back to him, said Duffield. He added: "I told his mother that fires happen, no matter what we do, theyre going to happen. The gift you can give a firefighter is for a family to be sitting outside, saying, Were all here. We will lay down our lives to save them. We put our men and women in extraordinary situations. "A smoke detector wakes them up, gets them outside, saves their lives. Not only is Hector saving the lives of these folks who wake up and hear the alarm, hes also saving the lives of a firefighters who are first to respond to a scene, having to make a tough decision about sending people in. Theres a lot of layers of what hes done, he said. Montoya will also be recognized at an upcoming city council meeting, where hell be given a certificate of appreciation, according to Duffield. Watch Below: First Child to Receive Double Hand Transplant, 8, Throws Out First Pitch at Baseball Game Related Articles: The Texas woman who lost her son and husband in the July 14 deadly terror attack in Nice, France, has spoken out about that harrowing day and her subsequent grief. Kim Copeland appeared to hold back tears as she spoke about surviving the attack in which a truck drove into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84 people including her husband Sean, 51, and her son Brodie, 11. "All of a sudden, I hear my husband scream, 'Watch out!' and I look up and see a big, white truck headed straight towards us," she told NBC News. She said her husband ran over to Brodie but did not reach him in time to keep the boy from harm. Brodie died immediately, and Sean died hours later. Texas Mom Who Lost Husband and Son in Nice Terror Attack Speaks Out: 'It Was a Nightmare'| Crime & Courts, Death, Murder, Terrorism, True Crime, True Crime Along with the 84 killed, dozens were left injured. The driver was fatally shot by police. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. The Copeland family was in the French city on vacation at the time. Soon after the incident, news of two Americans killed in the attack spread. Texas Mom Who Lost Husband and Son in Nice Terror Attack Speaks Out: 'It Was a Nightmare'| Crime & Courts, Death, Murder, Terrorism, True Crime, True Crime "We were that family that was all over 'Two Americans have died,' and that's us," Copeland said. "That's our two Americans. It was a nightmare. It is a nightmare." Copeland said that although it is difficult living in the family's home without her husband and son, she endures to honor their memory. WATCH: Bastille Day Attack: Texas Father and 11-Year-Old Son Killed on Family Vacation in Nice, France "I get up and go for them," the mother told NBC. "So that they know I'm OK, because neither one of them would want me to be sad." The summer vacation turned into a tragedy for the family, but Copeland said she doesn't regret embarking on the trip. "I don't regret going on our family vacation together because we had the most amazing days and minutes together as a family of five that I wouldn't take back," she said. Parenting has never been so complicated. While earlier generations may have relied on instinct or heresay, the art of childrearing is now a science that has theories, approaches and patented styles. As a mom to two year old twins who has been there, done that, Im here to help you decode the jargon behind new-age parenting. Also read: The ABCs of Parenting: Part 1 I is for Informed Birthing - Informed birthing refers to being in the know of all the options available during the course of giving birth. From where you can give birth to the actual procedure and beyond - your birthing experience doesnt have to come as a surprise. Informed birthing believes in empowering the mother to make decisions about the way her child will come into the world. J is for Jaundice - Neonatal Jaundice is extremely common and usually harmless in most newborns. It typically develops a couple of days after birth and subsides by the time the baby is two weeks old. Depending on severity, treatment recommended is exposure to filtered sunlight, phototherapy or in extreme cases a blood transfusion. K is for Kangaroo Care - Also known as skin-to-skin, this is a form of developmental care for all newborns, especially premature babies who have to spend time in the NICU. It refers to laying a baby on the bare chest of their mom or dad. The practice is known to help stabilise heart rate, body temperature and breathing, aid in breastfeeding and weight gain as well as soothe the baby and facilitate deep sleep. L is for Leaps - A leap is considered to be a stage where a baby reaches a new mental development. The term has gained wide acceptance since the publication of the Wonder Weeks, a book and now also an app that explains how a baby goes through 10 major changes (based on their date of conception) in the first 20 months of life. These leaps are said to be accompanied by clinginess and crankiness along with changes in moods, sleeping and feeding patterns. Story continues M is for MCDs - Move over langots, Modern Cloth Diapers are here to stay. With the advent of MCDs, parents dont necessarily have to choose between convenience and eco-friendly, budget-friendly diapering. MCDs come in many varieties and styles like AIO (All-in-one), Pockets with inserts, Fitted and Prefolds. They edge out disposables when it comes to catering to the environment and are cheaper in the long run, though an initial investment to build your stash is needed. N is for NIP - Nursing in Public remains controversial but breastfeeding advocates encourage the practice because every baby has the right to nurse wherever and whenever hungry. NIP helps destigmatise the natural way a baby feeds and prevents the mother from being restricted to a space behind closed doors. Over the past generation, popular culture and the mass media have been guilty of instilling the image of a bottle-fed baby as the new normal which is why a baby breastfeeding in public is often viewed with shock or disgust. O is for Onesie - In the world of newborn and infant fashion, Onesies are your daily staple. Theyre one-piece bodysuits distinguished from T-shirts by an extension of cloth below the waist that is fastened by snap buttons. The typical design prevents the top from running up a babys tummy and makes diaper changing a breeze. P is for Playdates - In a world where everything and anything can be turned into an event, could childhood playtime remain untouched? Playdates are planned and scheduled appointments, agreed upon by parents where toddlers or children play together. My boys were first invited to a playdate when they were 8 months old by the mother of a 6 month old, long before they could even engage in even parallel play. Go figure. Q is for Quiet Book - Quiet books or busy books are handmade books for babies or young children. They are typically made of fabric, sewn or glued together and contain quiet activities designed to entertain and engage. By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "Black people do not hang themselves from trees." Weeks after a black man was found hanged in an Atlanta park, social media was rife with theories surrounding the circumstances of his death. Some people called it a lynching; authorities deemed it suicide. "Black people don't hang themselves from trees, given our history, if we gonna kill ourselves it's gonna be quick!" Twitter user @taurusk_ posted on July 14. Twitter and Instagram were deluged with posts like that one after the body was discovered. #Piedmont Park Hanging started trending online. The body in Atlanta's Piedmont Park was found the same week videos of police shootings of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota went viral. The images of black men dying at the hands of law enforcement were quickly linked in online posts to the hanging. Users lamented what they saw as disregard for black lives. Graphic videos of police shootings and arrests of black Americans in the past two years have triggered widespread protests, heightening tensions between police departments and African-Americans, who have long complained about excessive use of police force in their communities. Against that backdrop, the internet's hyper-speed blurring of fact and speculation surrounding such incidents may be adding to unease among African-Americans and contributing to the erosion of confidence in government, academic experts said. When official conclusions are in question, theories passed around online can fill that vacuum. While the voracity of such stories sometimes can be difficult to assess, they can strike a chord with African-Americans, who in the past were the target of government sanctioned discrimination and abuse under Jim Crow laws and lynchings by culprits who went unpunished. "It's not a matter of black suspicion, this is a matter of history," said Greg Carr, chair of the Afro-American studies department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Story continues In Atlanta, police reports said officers were called to Piedmont Park on July 7 after the body was discovered hanging from a white rope tied to a tree branch. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office concluded that it was suicide. "The young man hung himself," Clinton Harbin, an investigator with the medical examiner's office, told Reuters. But, spurred on by tweets from various accounts claiming that members of the Ku Klux Klan had been seen at the park before the hanging, some social media users have rejected these findings. (http://bit.ly/2b3yX24) Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who referred the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told reporters at a July 8 press conference that the police department had found no evidence that the KKK was at the park, according to a story published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (http://on-ajc.com/29nHU59) Social media helps such theories "spread like wildfire," capitalizing on the uncertainty that often accompanies unfolding news events, said Travis Gosa, a Cornell University assistant professor who has written about hip-hop and conspiracy theories. "If there is a downside to conspiracy theories in black communities, it's that sometimes these stories only complicate and hinder the ability to develop trust between black Americans and societal institutions," Gosa said. After the shooting deaths of five police officers in Dallas and three in Baton Rouge, videos appeared on various Youtube feeds that alleged the attacks were part of a government conspiracy to discredit the Black Lives Matter movement, or to enforce more control over the public. The videos got hundreds of thousands of views. (http://bit.ly/2aNcHdv) Paul Bromley, an education lawyer in New York, said his Facebook timeline lit up around that time with stories that said a black female police officer from Ohio was fired after she posted a fiery video online about racism in policing in the wake of the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge. "Nobody thought to fact check that. Instead they just shared it and shared it. It was all over the place. It turned out to not be true," Bromley said. Theories and guesswork often intermingle on the internet with verifiable concerns about police conduct or investigations. The death of Sandra Bland, a black woman found hanged in a Texas jail cell three days after she was taken into custody for a minor traffic infraction last year, sparked national outrage and questions about whether she should have been arrested at all. After Bland's death some people speculated online that officials had staged her mugshot after she was already dead, a theory debunked by video showing Bland alive during her three days in jail. (http://usat.ly/1OaNKGN) Credence for some of these theories may be derived from real events such as the Tuskegee syphilis study from 1932 to 1972, in which hundreds of black men in Alabama got "free" doctor visits, but were unknowingly denied medical care for syphilis so the disease's progression in their bodies could be analyzed over time. "Conspiracy theories become more believable once you have heard the story of Tuskegee," said Anita Waters, a black studies and sociology professor at Denison University in Ohio, who has written on African-Americans and conspiracy theories. In the case of the Atlanta hanging, members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference asked state investigators late last month for more details about the death. Even if it is ultimately concluded that there was no foul play, the impact of such rumors may remain. (http://on.11alive.com/29Lyj8c) "I don't think (rumors) have a lasting effect as ... explanations of what happened," Waters said. "But they may have a lasting effect in the mistrust that they foster in people." (Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Diane Craft) Miami (AFP) - Three different experimental Zika vaccines being developed in the United States have worked well in monkey studies, paving the way for human trials in the coming months, researchers said Thursday. The report, published in the journal Science, comes as researchers rush to find a way to prevent the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause severe birth defects. It is currently spreading in 50 countries and territories, mainly in Latin America, the Caribbean and the US state of Florida. "Three vaccines provided complete protection against Zika virus in nonhuman primates, which is the best animal model prior to starting clinical trials," said senior author Dan Barouch, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "The consistent and robust protection against Zika virus in both rodents and primates fuels our optimism about the development of a safe and effective Zika vaccine for humans." One of the vaccines in development is called a Zika purified inactivated virus (ZPIV) vaccine, made by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). Rhesus monkeys vaccinated with it "showed complete protection against both Brazilian and Puerto Rican strains of Zika," said the study. Harvard University's two candidate vaccines, one a plasmid DNA vaccine and another an adenovirus vector-based vaccine, also protected the monkeys. No adverse side effects were observed in any of the animals. According to Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, the research "describes an important step in the development of a Zika virus vaccine." But Gilbert, who was not involved in the research, advised caution in proceeding with testing the vaccines in humans. "It is known that antibodies against one serotype of the closely related dengue virus can make subsequent infections with a different serotype much more severe," she said. "It will be necessary to make sure that people receiving a Zika vaccine do not then become more susceptible to severe dengue infections, which can be fatal." She also noted that while all three vaccines were effective, the DNA vaccine "perform(ed) less well at inducing immune responses in monkeys." Two other experimental vaccines currently in human trials in the US and Canada are DNA vaccines. The Hollywood Reporter's chief TV critic Tim Goodman will be filing a series of journals from the Television Critics Association's summer press tour, looking at the bigger picture, unspinning the spin or crushing the life out of things. If you haven't noticed yet, you will: Broadcast networks and the people who run them are flaunting a positive, sunny disposition in the face of years of doom-and-gloom talk from critics and TV industry reporters - and that newfound rosiness is only the latest near-brilliant example of spin from people who could teach political operatives a lesson or seven. I still prefer a good "Things are pretty bleak but we're finding our way around this muck" over "It's not nearly as bad as everyone says," but I also don't blame those who take this latter route. If there was a guy on the deck of the Titanic talking about the ship going down but also saying how other ships elsewhere are going down as well and the water's not as cold as imagined - yeah, he'd be pretty unpopular. Spin is inherent at the network television level - great years or leap (off the building) years - it's going to be there. We're used to it. But there is one very positive tactic the networks as a whole seem to be employing: They've stopped trying to be cable channels and started programming for the masses. Now, everyone at every network would probably tell you this is what they've always done. But the truth is a copycat business is always looking around for inspiration, and when all the hip cable dramas were dark and dense and winning all the Emmys and gaining all the critical acclaim, the nets tried to mimic that style. But everybody is doing that in the cable world and that is, make no mistake about it, a huge problem for people who run cable channels. Everybody wanted in the scripted game and in short order that turned into an excess of options and a viewing audience as overwhelmed and confused as a tosspot, corn-fed bear that wandered into L.A. traffic. Story continues It's not pretty on the cable side. The winnowing is beginning. So it's smart for broadcast networks - which have seen deep and damaging cuts to their total audience and sellable demo for years now - to revert to selling the masses what the masses traditionally buy. Easy stuff. Digestible things. Familiarity. Comfort. For the most part, networks have already started making shows that are either based on existing franchises - 24: Legacy, The Blacklist: Redemption, Chicago Justice, The Exorcist, Lethal Weapon, MacGyver, Prison Break, Riverdale (Archie Comics), Taken, Time After Time, Training Day - or are otherwise cranking out patently familiar shows viewers have seen hundreds of times before, with famous and safe faces leading most. Very rarely is there a show - particularly a drama - that indicates a network taking a big swing with high-concept or high-risk. And honestly, in 2016, that's the right strategy. At best, a broadcast network should be 80 to 90 percent safe before trying an outlier that might go over big but will more than likely eat up an ad budget before imploding. I'm not saying that any of those shows listed above will be successful, regardless of how networks are spinning what's considered "successful" these diminished days. I'm just saying they have the best chance. Safe = survival. It's not what I'm looking for as a critic, of course, but I haven't looked to network television for high-quality dramas in ages. If one or two pop up - like Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Jane the Virgin, etc., great. Unexpected greatness is always welcome. Comedy, however, is where broadcast networks excel. There's plenty of greatness to be found there. And there has been for years. That's where I want experimentation, uniqueness. That's where I find the quality. Also, when there's too much of one thing, audiences will seek out something different. Cable and digital outlets have been making America think really hard about plots, motives, shifting morality and ambiguous endings for a long-ass time now - a little easy relief is nice over on broadcast. Translation: If getting noticed in this insane content glut is essential to survival, then presenting something audiences have noticed previously isn't a bad play. If the "Too Much TV" Platinum Age of television has taught us anything, it's that the paralysis of viewers having to decide which of the 79 brilliant and binge-ready series to watch has opened up a window of opportunity for broadcast networks touting familiar, middling, entertaining offerings that can be digested in about an hour. Pundits were quick to point out the benefits Sen. Tim Kaine may bring Hillary Clinton as her running mate in helping win his home-and-battleground state of Virginia. But what flew under the radar was that Kaine may play a key role in helping Clinton raise money, especially when it comes to Wall Street. Clinton has proven herself a capable fundraiser, announcing nearly $90 million in contributions for the past month. The former secretary of state is a known quantity with Wall Street as well, having delivered speeches to banks and representing the heart of the financial services industry as a senator from New York. In the lead-up to Clinton's pick of a running mate, the potential that she might choose Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren who has made cracking down on banks a centerpiece of her agenda had Wall Street ready to tighten its pockets for donations. But with Kaine, Clinton gets a running mate who is not anathema to Wall Street, rather one with a proven history of fundraising from the financial services industry. Across the board, Kaine has relationships with a variety of industries and is a proven fundraiser. He was inaugurated as Virginia's governor in 2006, and according to the Virginia Public Access Project, he raised more than $15 million over the course of that campaign. Starting in 2009, he served two years as the chair of the Democratic National Committee, where he oversaw national party fundraising. When he ran for a Senate seat in the 2012 election cycle, he raised more than $17 million, according to federal filings. "You don't win those races without raising money," said former Virginia Democratic Party Chairman C. Richard "Dickie" Cranwell. "There's no question that Tim will bring some fundraising capability to the campaign." Over the course of Kaine's time in Virginia state-level politics, including his term as lieutenant governor from 2002 to 2006, the financial services industry contributed more than $4 million to Kaine, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Story continues Some of Kaine's top donors to his statewide races included billionaire investor George Soros, former Goldman Sachs vice president Michael Bills and Berkshire Hathaway portfolio manager Ted Weschler. As governor, Kaine brings a solid economic record despite taking office just before the Great Recession hit. While in the governor's mansion, Kaine voiced support for a number of pro-business positions including Virginia's "right-to-work" law and eliminating the state's estate tax. During his Senate campaign in the 2012 cycle, Kaine continued to rake in cash from the financial services industry. He received donations from numerous bankers and financial leaders like then-JPMorgan investment banking chief James E. "Jes" Staley, Highbridge Capital Management co-founder Glenn Dubin, former World Bank and Capital One CFO Gary Perlin and Chairman of Apollo Investment John Hannan, according to federal filings. In the Senate, Kaine has taken a number of pro-business positions as well, supporting looser regulation for regional banks and voting for fast-track trade authority though he has since opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. That is not to say Kaine does not align with the rest of his party on several key issues as a legislator, and he has a 96 percent lifetime rating from labor federation AFL-CIO and a 91 percent lifetime rating from the environmental group League of Conservation Voters. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives Kaine a cumulative 52 percent rating. And as a potential vice president, Kaine backs Clinton's plan for Wall Street, which would impose certain fees and taxes and expand regulators' authority. In an email, Kaine spokesperson Amy Dudley wrote that "Sen. Kaine strongly supports Hillary Clinton's tough Wall Street reform plan the strongest of any candidate because he believes that Wall Street can never be allowed to wreck Main Street again, and that the measure of our success must be defined by how much incomes rise for hard-working families, not just CEOs and money managers." Kaine's fundraising prowess with the financial sector has led to some criticism and could provide fodder for more down the road. Republican nominee Donald Trump has tweeted that "Tim Kaine is, and always has been, owned by the banks." Of course, fundraising is an important part of a political campaign, but it is not a decisive characteristic in picking a vice presidential nominee. In 1904, the Democrats nominated railroad tycoon and former West Virginia Sen. Henry Davis as the party's vice presidential candidate, attracted by deep pockets the party hoped could help fund the presidential campaign. Since then, vice presidential nominees have become more about the political gain they offer the top of the ticket during a campaign, and their ability to govern if elected. But one of the leading vice presidential scholars, St. Louis University professor Joel Goldstein, said that fundraising assistance does come along with the nomination. "Part of the campaign activity is to participate in fundraising," Goldstein said. "Once you are picked, it's an expectation that if you have access, that you'll use it, and of course you have an incentive to use it." More From CNBC Storm clouds rolled into Cancun, Mexico, on Wednesday, August 3, as Hurricane Earl edged towards the east coast of Mexico and Belize. The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm had generated sustained winds topping 70 mph on Wednesday. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in Belize, where around 400 people were evacuated. This timelapse video shows the stormy weather passing over in Cancun on Wednesday. The storm swept through Dominican Republic on Sunday, killing at least six people and injuring 12 others when it toppled power lines on top a bus near Nagua in the northeastern part of the country, according to reports. Credit: webcamsdemexico The following timeline charts the origin and spread of the Zika virus from its discovery nearly 70 years ago: 1947: Scientists researching yellow fever in Uganda's Zika Forest identify the virus in a rhesus monkey 1948: Virus recovered from Aedes africanus mosquito in Zika Forest 1952: First human cases detected in Uganda and Tanzania 1954: Virus found in Nigeria 1960s-80s: Zika detected in mosquitoes and monkeys across equatorial Africa 196983: Zika found in equatorial Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan 2007: Zika spreads from Africa and Asia, first large outbreak on Pacific island of Yap 2012: Researchers identify two distinct lineages of the virus, African and Asian 201314: Zika outbreaks in French Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia. Retrospective analysis shows possible link to birth defects and severe neurological complications in babies in French Polynesia March 2, 2015: Brazil reports illness characterized by skin rash in northeastern states July 17: Brazil reports detection of neurological disorders in newborns associated with history of infection Oct. 5: Cape Verde has cases of illness with skin rash Oct. 22: Colombia confirms cases of Zika Oct. 30: Brazil reports increase in microcephaly, abnormally small heads, among newborns Nov. 11: Brazil declares public health emergency November 2015-January 2016: Cases reported in Suriname, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Venezuela, French Guiana, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Ecuador, Barbados, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Curacao, Jamaica Feb. 1: World Health Organization (WHO) declares public health emergency of international concern Feb. 2: First case of Zika transmission in United States; local health officials say likely contracted through sex, not mosquito bite Feb. 5: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says virus being actively transmitted in 30 countries, mostly in the Americas Feb. 8: U.S. President Barack Obama requests $1.8 billion to fight Zika Feb. 12: Brazil investigating potential link between Zika infections and 4,314 suspected cases of microcephaly. Of those, 462 confirmed as microcephaly and 41 determined to be linked to virus Feb. 17: Brazil investigating potential link between Zika and 4,443 suspected cases of microcephaly. Of those, 508 confirmed as microcephaly and most of those cases are linked to the virus. WHO seeks $56 million to fight Zika. Feb. 18: CDC adds Aruba and Bonaire to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 32. Feb. 23: CDC investigating 14 cases of possible sexual transmission of Zika. CDC also adds Trinidad and Tobago and Marshall Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 34. Feb. 25: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases number more than 580 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly. Feb. 27: France detects first sexually transmitted case of Zika. Feb. 29: CDC adds St. Maarten, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 36. March 1: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 641 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,222 suspected cases of microcephaly. March 8: WHO advises pregnant women to avoid areas with Zika outbreak and said sexual transmission of the virus is "relatively common." March 9: CDC adds New Caledonia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 37. March 15: Cuba reports first case of Zika contracted in the country. March 16: Cape Verde identifies first case of microcephaly. March 18: CDC says during Jan. 1, 2015 to Feb. 26, 2016, 116 residents of the United States had evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on laboratory testing. Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 863 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,268 suspected cases of microcephaly. March 19: CDC adds Cuba to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 38. March 21: South Korea confirms first case of Zika. March 22: CDC adds Dominica to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 39. Bangladesh confirms first case of Zika virus. Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 907 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,293 suspected cases of microcephaly. March 29: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 944 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil said the number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped slightly to 4,291. March 31: According to the World Health Organization, there is a strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, though conclusive proof may take months or years. April 1: CDC adds Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 40. April 4: CDC adds Fiji to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 41. April 5: Vietnam reports first Zika infections. April 6: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 1,046 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. The number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped to 4,046. April 7: St. Lucia confirms first two cases of Zika, contracted locally. April 12: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 1,113 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. The number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped to 3,836. It was the second week in a row that the overall total figure fell. April 13: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. The CDC said now that the causal relationship has been established, several important questions must still be answered with studies that could take years. CDC adds St. Lucia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 42. April 14: Colombia confirms two microcephaly cases linked to Zinka. April 18: Peru reports first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus. CDC adds Belize to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 43. April 19: Chilean authorities find Zika mosquito for first time in decades. April 25: Canada confirms first sexually transmitted Zika case. April 26: Brazil says the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly climbed to 1,198 from 1,168 in the week through April 23, but suspected ones under investigation continued to decline to 3,710 from 3,741 a week ago. Brazil registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus from February until April 2, the health ministry said, in its first national report on the epidemic. April 29: Puerto Rico reports first death related to Zika, according to the CDC. The country also confirmed 683 Zika cases, including 65 pregnant women, and five suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome from Zika, the CDC reported. May 4: Panama confirms four microcephaly cases tied to Zika. May 6: Spain gets first case of Zika-related brain defect in a fetus. May 9: CDC adds Papua New Guinea, Saint Barthelemy and Peru to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 46. Honduras suspects first case of microcephaly in Zika patient. May 11: Brazil says the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly dropped to 1,326 in the week through May 7 as doctors and Brazilian health officials find that some suspected cases of microcephaly are not the disorder. Suspected ones under investigation continued to decline to 3,433. May 12: CDC adds Grenada to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 47. May 13: Puerto Rico reports first case of Zika-related microcephaly. May 20: WHO says an outbreak of Zika virus on the African island chain of Cape Verde is of the same strain as the one blamed for birth abnormalities in Brazil. May 24: Brazil reports the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly at 1,434 for the latest week to May 21. Suspected ones under investigation declined to 3,257. May 26: CDC adds Argentina to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 48. June 9: WHO issues updated guidelines on prevention of sexual transmission of the Zika virus, including advising women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant. June 14: El Salvador confirms first case of microcephaly linked to Zika. June 23: CDC reports seven babies in the United States with microcephaly or other Zika-related birth defects such as serious brain abnormalities, and five lost pregnancies from either miscarriage, stillbirth or termination. June 28: First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida. June 30: CDC adds Anguilla to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 49. Guinea-Bissau confirms three cases of Zika, government says. Spain records first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus, health authorities said. July 8: CDC confirmed that a Utah resident's death last month is the first Zika-related death in the continental United States. July 14: CDC adds Saint Eustatius to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 50. July 15: New York City's health department reports the first female-to-male transmission of the Zika virus. July 18: CDC reports that caregiver of Utah man who died of Zika tested positive for virus. July 19: Florida health officials are investigating a case of Zika virus infection that does not appear to have stemmed from travel to another region with an outbreak. July 21: CDC reports 400 pregnant women in U.S. with evidence of Zika infection, up from 346 a week ago. The health agency also reports three more babies born in U.S. with birth defects linked to the Zika virus, bringing total to 12. Florida Department of Health said it was investigating a non travel-related case of Zika in Broward County, marking the second such case in the U.S. July 22: New York City health officials reports first baby born with Zika-related birth defect. July 25: Spain reports first case in Europe of baby born with Zika-related defect. CDC issues updated recommendations for preventing and testing for Zika infection, warning that the virus can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected female partner. July 26: Honduras detects 8 cases of babies with Zika-related defect. CDC adds Saba to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 51. July 27: Paraguay reports first cases of microcephaly linked to Zika. July 29: Florida authorities report what is believed to be the first evidence of local Zika transmission in the continental United States. Aug. 1: Florida identifies 10 more cases of Zika virus caused by mosquitoes, bringing total to 14. CDC issues guidelines for pregnant women who live in and traveled to affected area in a Miami neighborhood. Aug. 2: Health authorities in Florida add one more case of locally transmitted Zika, bringing total to 15. CDC adds Antigua, Barbuda, and Turks and Cacos to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 54. Aug. 3: U.S. researchers said they launched Zika vaccine clinical trial. Aug. 4: Cuba reports two cases of locally transmitted Zika. SOURCES: World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by the Americas Desk) New York (AFP) - Crooner Tony Bennett celebrated his 90th birthday on Wednesday, declaring himself in great health and ready for a new collaboration -- with Beyonce if she's interested. With his cheery grin and stylish renditions of pop standards, Bennett has been called the last in a generation of singing greats who included his friend and fellow Italian American Frank Sinatra. Bennett -- born in 1926 in New York's Astoria neighborhood though his most famous song is "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" -- was feted by his hometown where the Empire State Building prepared a light show set to his songs. On hand to turn on the lights was Lady Gaga, who in 2014 joined him for an album of traditional pop, entitled "Cheek to Cheek," and accompanying tour. NBC television announced a tribute concert, "Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet To Come," to air on December 20 with Lady Gaga and other top stars including Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder. Bennett himself has not slowed down, with a full tour schedule that will resume in Detroit next week. "I feel like I have so much more to learn yet," he told NBC's "Today" show for his birthday. "My doctor keeps telling me, 'There's not a thing wrong with you. Just keep going at it,'" he said. Bennett said he hoped to record another album with Lady Gaga, who scrapped her trademark flamboyant outfits for a more subtle approach when performing with him. "I'd like to do something again with Lady Gaga -- she's a terrific talent," he said, adding: "But I like that Beyonce." There was no immediate word on whether Beyonce, long rumored to be working on an album with her rap mogul husband Jay Z, was interested in duets with Bennett. Bennett, in a separate interview with Billboard magazine, said he hoped to record with Lady Gaga next year as she is busy in 2016, when she is expected to release a new solo album. Story continues Bennett said he exercises three times a week and credited his wife Susan with ensuring his health. With "Cheek to Cheek," Bennett, then 88, became the oldest artist to hit number one on the US album sales chart. Bennett has won 18 Grammys as well as a lifetime achievement award. A television special on him, "Tony Bennett: An American Classic," won seven Emmys in 2007. By Naomi Tajitsu TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> flagged its smallest annual profit in four years for 2016/17 as the Japanese automaker braces for the impact from a strengthening yen amid slowing demand for some of its car models in the key North American market. The world's biggest automaker by market value cut its full-year operating profit forecast on Thursday to 1.6 trillion yen ($15.78 billion), expecting it to fall 44 percent from a year ago to its lowest since 2013. Toyota trimmed its forecast from the 1.7 trillion yen given in May, as it revised its budgeted yen rate to 102 versus the U.S. dollar and 113 against the euro from previous forecasts of 105 yen and 120 yen, respectively. It promised steeper cuts to labor costs and tighter control over expenses to offset the worsening currency impact. A strong yen hurts Toyota and its smaller domestic rivals including Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> and Honda Motor Co <7267.T> as cars exported from Japan become more expensive, while it also decreases the value of earnings made overseas. A weak yen in the prior three years had led to a period of record annual profits at Toyota. The company expects currency moves to eat into this year's operating profit by a whopping 1.12 trillion yen. "The biggest change to our forecast is that we are now budgeting for the yen to trade around 100 to the U.S. dollar and the euro to trade around 110 from July," managing officer Tetsuya Otake told a results briefing. Toyota produces roughly 40 percent of its vehicles in Japan, much more than its domestic competitors. It exported nearly half of its domestic production in the first six months of 2016, during which the U.S. dollar tumbled nearly 16 percent against the yen. Takaki Nakanishi, CEO at Nakanishi Research Institute, said that Toyota was taking a proactive approach to managing the currency impact and that other automakers may follow suit by revising their rates later in the year. EARTHQUAKE COST For the April-June quarter, an appreciating yen pushed operating profit down 15 percent to 642 billion yen. That beat an average estimate of 493.5 billion yen from 11 analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S/. Toyota's global vehicle sales rose during the first quarter on higher sales in Japan, Europe and Asia. But sales fell in North America, where U.S. demand for the Prius has been sluggish since it went on sale there earlier this year, as low gasoline prices have stoked demand for gas-guzzling SUVs and pick-up trucks. Toyota said it planned to produce an additional 30,000 SUVs and larger vehicles, including its popular RAV4 crossover model, in the United States, in the fiscal year to take advantage of the shift in consumer preference that has hurt demand for models like the Prius and the Camry sedan. The automaker said a roughly two-week production halt at virtually all of its assembly plants following a strong earthquake in April had cost about 70 billion yen due to lost production of 60,000 vehicles. Toyota said it expected to make up for that lost production by the end of March. Toyota, which ceded ground to Volkswagen as the world's top selling car maker in the first half of 2016, kept its forecast for 2016/17 retail vehicle sales unchanged at 10.15 million units. (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) DailyFX.com - EURUSD - Euro Forecast to Gain Unless this Changes GBPUSD - British Pound Plunges, and Declines not Over Just Yet USDJPY - Japanese Yen Sentiment at Extremes Whats Next? XAUUSD - Gold Price Once Again set to Shine AUDUSD - Australian Dollar Sentiment Points to Gains S&P - US S&P 500 Remains a Buy until this Changes Receive the Weekly Speculative Sentiment Index report via Davids e-mail distribution list. Weekly Summary of Forex Trader Sentiment and Changes in Positioning Trade Data Warns of Further Euro Gains, USD Losses - What to Watch A significant turn in retail FX trader sentiment warns the US Dollar will likely continue lower versus the Euro, Japanese Yen, and Australian Dollar. Here is the key risk to this forecast. Why and how do we use the SSI in trading? View our video and download the free indicator here --- Written by David Rodriguez, Senior Strategist for DailyFX.com Contact David via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/DRodriguezFX original source DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets. Learn forex trading with a free practice account and trading charts from FXCM. Istanbul (AFP) - From the roads of Pennsylvania and corridors of power in Washington to the public squares of Cologne and EU offices in Brussels, the shockwaves from the July 15 failed coup have gone well beyond Turkey. The aftermath of the coup that aimed to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has prompted a drastic sharpening in Turkish rhetoric towards the EU and US, with Ankara saying it feels let down by an apparent lack of solidarity. Analysts say it would be unlikely for now that Turkey, a NATO member since 1952 and EU candidate for decades, could readjust its pro-Western stance or recalibrate its policy towards traditional rivals like Russia. But the ferocity of the rhetoric has been unprecedented, with Erdogan Tuesday accusing Turkey's Western allies of supporting the plotters and taking particular offence that Germany refused to let him address a rally in the western city Cologne via video conference. Erdogan has meanwhile warned Washington it will put relations at stake if it fails to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based preacher who Ankara accuses of being at the heart of the coup plot, charges he denies. "You have to be blind and deaf not to understand that he is behind all of this," Erdogan said. Yet to Erdogan's fury, Washington has yet to show any sign of moving against Gulen, insisting Turkey is a key partner while saying Ankara must send evidence and not just speculation. - 'Not easy going' - Yet the crisis has erupted at a time when the Ankara-Washington relationship is as important as ever, with the United States needing Turkish help in the battle against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria. US fighter jets use Turkey's southern base of Incirlik as a crucial launch point for lethal raids against IS targets in neighbouring Syria. Extremely worryingly for a base that houses dozens of American tactical nuclear weapons, Incirlik was also a key point in the coup with its Turkish commander arrested and power temporarily shut down. Story continues Meanwhile, the US military has also been unsettled by the sacking and arrest of nearly half of Turkey's generals, and believed to include figures who worked closely with American forces at Incirlik. But Turkey is still for Washington an "essential partner in the Middle East" and will do all it can to satisfy Ankara "even if they are not going to cede on Gulen", said Jean Marcou, Turkey expert at Sciences Po in Grenoble. The United States has long experience in handling difficult situations with Turkey, he said. "It's not easy going... there can be problems but that is not going to destroy an alliance and strategic equilibrium." Turkish media said US Secretary of State John Kerry would visit by the end of the month while joint chiefs of staff chairman General Joseph Dunford came to Turkey for a highly symbolic visit this week. "Dunford's visit shows the US and Turkey are still bound in a sustainable strategic alliance," said Unal Cevikoz, former Turkish ambassador to London. - 'Pro-Western strategic axis' - Relations with the European Union -- which Turkey has sought to join since the 1963 -- could prove even more fraught with top officials in Brussels angering Ankara by raising concerns over the magnitude of the post-coup purge. Turkey has also grumbled that it has so far not received its promised returns under the landmark deal to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, raising alarm about the future of the deal. Even more seriously, the Turkish government has raised the possibility of reinstating capital punishment for the coup plotters, a move which would at a stroke doom its EU membership bid. Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern on Wednesday said the membership talks were "no more than fiction". Turkey has insisted officially that membership remains a key objective. Having patched up a dispute with Russia over the November shooting down of a Russian war plane, Turkey could be tempted to head into the arms of Russia to counter its problems with the West. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu contrasted the "unconditional support" Ankara received from Moscow in the wake of the coup with other countries and Erdogan will visit Russia for the first time after the bilateral crisis in August. Yet there remain a litany of problems -- including Syria and Ukraine -- on which Moscow and Ankara can find no harmony and the countries share a regional rivalry that dates back to the Ottoman and Russian Empires. "There is not a single international crisis on which the Turks and the Russians agree, not one," said a Turkish expert who asked not to be named. Despite the Turkish rhetoric, "the Turkish-Western alliance will remain the axis on which Turkish foreign policy turns," said Marcou. With The Little Prince coming to Netflix on Friday, more than 70 years will have passed since TIME, in reviewing the story on which the film is based, called author Antoine de Saint-Exupery the most metaphysical of aviators. And, though the story of the Little Prince and his voyages among the planets is clearly fiction, Saint-Exuperys own experiences as a pilot helped inspire that tale. On the most obvious level, the plane crash that begins the story, through which the narrator meets the title character, mirrors a real mishap that left the author stranded in the Sahara in the mid-1930s, while on his way from Paris to Saigon on an airmail run. As TIME would later describe, Characteristically, while waiting to be rescued in the desert, he kept himself company with his musings, later spun the incident into his delightful childrens tale, The Little Prince. He ended up walking many miles in the desert before being rescued by a passing Bedouin. Before Saint-Exupery got around to The Little Prince, he described his ordeal in the 1939 book Wind, Sand and Stars. The harrowing experience in the desert is marked by multiple hallucinations and mirages, and imaginary encounters with strange creatures. (I walked with my eyes to the ground, he wrote, for the mirages were more than I could bear.) But Wind, Sand and Stars tells of more than just a narrative inspiration for The Little Prince. It also, as explained TIMEs 1939 review of the book, hints at the philosophy that would help Prince become one of the most enduring fables of the 20th century. Even closer partners in his Wind, Sand and Stars are the pilot and the poet, the mechanic and the metaphysician. Says Author Saint Exupery: One doesnt risk ones life for a plane any more than a farmer ploughs for the sake of the plough. But the airplane is a means of getting away from towns and their bookkeeping and coming to grips with reality. It plunges a man directly into the heart of mystery. Thus is created a new breed of men, risking death not for businessmens mailbags but for the dignity of the craft, a new human fraternity born of shared loneliness, dangers, purpose. In 1944, Saint-Exupery disappeared while on a wartime reconnaissance flight over Europe. The wreckage of his plane was discovered at sea almost exactly 60 years later, but what happened to him remains a mystery. Read the full 1943 review of The Little Prince, here in the TIME Vault: Adult Fairy Tale Washington (AFP) - Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump launched new attacks on immigrants Thursday, telling supporters that Somalis and other refugees from "terrorist nations" should be barred entry to the United States. "We are letting people come in from terrorist nations that shouldn't be allowed because you can't vet them," Trump, who has built his campaign around an anti-immigration platform, said at a rally in Portland, Maine. "You have no idea who they are. This could be the great Trojan horse of all time," he said, reprising a warning that terrorists including members of the Islamic State extremist group will sneak into the United States as refugees. "This is a practice that has to stop." He pointed to the Somali immigrant population as an example of the "thousands" of refugees who have flooded into Maine and other US states and caused problems. Trump said efforts to resettle Somali refugees -- many of them in Minnesota -- were "having the unintended consequence of creating an enclave of immigrants with high unemployment that is both stressing the state's... safety net and creating a rich pool of potential recruiting targets for Islamist terror groups." He then listed several immigrants, mostly from Muslim majority countries -- Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Uzbekistan and Yemen -- who were arrested for conducting or threatening to carry out violent attacks, teaching bomb-making to recruits, and otherwise supporting terror groups. "We're dealing with animals," he seethed. Trump caused an uproar last December when he called for a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States, and he has harangued his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for seeking to allow many times more refugees into the country than President Barack Obama has. "Hillary Clinton wants to have them come in by the hundreds of thousands," Trump warned Thursday, to a chorus of boos. "You're going to have problems like you've never seen." In an otherwise horrific week for Donald Trump, one piece of good news shone through the mire of attacks on grieving parents, terrible poll numbers and rumors of a coming campaign shake-up: Trumps fundraising operation appears to be running extremely well -- to the point of nearly matching the July totals announced by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. In typical Trumpian fashion, the campaign released the numbers in a press release touting his $80 million haul, but there was legitimate reason for crowing. The campaign took in $64 million in direct donations over the course of July, and raised another $16 million at 20 fundraising events held in conjunction with the Republican National Committee. Related: New Fox Poll Shows Things Arent Looking Pretty for Trump At a time when more and more Republican lawmakers are reconsidering their support for him or even disavowing him completely, the fundraising numbers contain another vital bit of information: A large share of that cash is coming from small-dollar donors who remain sufficiently energized by Trump to write him a check or to go online to donate. That could signal that, even as the Republican elite begins to get cold feet, a strong core of supporters still stands behind the billionaire political novice. And Trump wants everyone to know it. Hes been touting the numbers at campaign events all week. While 20 Clinton donors combined to give $60 million to her campaign, he said, he took in $35.8 million from small-dollar donors giving an average of between $60 and $70 apiece. Most Republicans, theyd get like three people giving $12 and theyd say, Well, thats about as good as were going to get. But were going to have close to 60,000 people, Trump said at a campaign stop in Virginia earlier this week. Related: Does Mike Pence Agree With Anything Donald Trump Says? Former investment banker Steve Mnuchin, Trumps finance chair, also stressed the composition of the campaigns donor pool. We are extremely proud of our 69% growth in small dollar donations which shows the broad based support of over one million donors across America, he said in a statement. Our volunteers and contributors are clearly committed to electing Donald J. Trump as President in November. Story continues In boasting about his successful fundraising, Trump is doing more than his standard self-promotion. In a week when House Speaker Paul Ryan and other senior GOP lawmakers are coming under increased pressure to revoke their endorsements of Trump, it also sends a message about what would happen if the former reality television star decides he has been betrayed by the GOP establishment. With the loyalty of millions of GOP voters, Trump could cause massive problems for the party up and down the ballot in November, and possibly beyond. That is almost certainly a major reason why Ryan, fresh off learning that his own partys presidential nominee had refused to endorse him for reelection -- even after Ryan endorsed him for president -- still cant make the break from Trump. "You would think we ought to be focusing on Hillary Clinton and all of her deficiencies, he told Wisconsin radio host Jerry Bader on Thursday. She is such a weak candidate that one would think we would be on offense against Hillary Clinton. It is distressing that this is not what we're talking about these days." Related: Why Trumps Claims of a Rigged Election Are Not That Far-Fetched Even as he admitted that Trumps recent attacks on the parents of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq were beyond the pale, he said that he would still stand behind Trump. We are a party where the grassroots Republican primary voter selects our nominee and that's as it should be and that it what it is. I think there's something to be said about respecting those voters, Ryan said. But if I see and hear things that I think are wrong, I'm not going to sit by and say nothing because I think I have a duty as a Republican leader to defend Republican principles and our party's brand. Left unsaid was that the person hes defending it from is the same guy he is telling people to elect as the next president. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: The good news for the Republican Party is that its presidential and vice presidential nominees finally appear to be on the same script. The bad news is that the script doesnt include any lines endorsing high-profile Republican senators locked in tight reelection races. Since his nomination two weeks ago, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has repeatedly voiced opinions that sounded very different from those expressed by the GOPs presidential nominee, Donald Trump. But if remarks he made to NBC News while traveling to a campaign stop in Virginia today are any evidence, the amount of daylight between Trump and Pence in the future will be greatly reduced. Related: Heres What Happens If Trump Decides to Quit Saying that he stands shoulder to shoulder with Trump in the campaign, Pence insisted that he and the candidate actually see eye to eye on the issues that appeared to have them toe-to-toe in recent weeks. That includes Trumps battle with the family of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, the response to Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee, and more. I think Donald Trump and I see eye to eye on all those issues, he said. Donald Trump and I both said that Captain Khan is an American hero and his family, like every Gold Star family, should be cherished, and by every American. He added: "With regard to other issues ... I've seen my role as simply amplifying the points that Donald Trump is making. Apparently, part of the role also involved withholding endorsements from Republicans who have offended Trump, like former GOP presidential nominee and current Arizona Sen. John McCain, and first-term Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, both of whom are locked in tight nomination battles. Related: New Fox Poll Shows Things Arent Looking Pretty for Trump In a year in which the Republican majority in the Senate is in severe peril, the idea that the partys presidential and vice presidential nominees would decline to offer their endorsement to GOP incumbents -- particularly to someone like McCain, a war hero who has served in the Senate for just short of 30 years -- is almost unbelievable. Story continues But here we are. Pence, after announcing his support for House Speaker Paul Ryan yesterday, even as Trump denied Ryan his own, didnt break with his running mate when asked about McCain and Ayotte. He simply refused to answer when asked specifically about an endorsement. I look forward to supporting Republican candidates in the days and weeks ahead all over the country, and so does Donald Trump, Pence said. But the stakes in this election are so high. To restore our country and home and abroad, we need new leadership, and I'm looking forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump to drive that new leadership forward. In a campaign that is already tearing the GOP apart, Pences refusal to stand up and support McCain and Ayotte began drawing harsh condemnation almost immediately. For example, former McCain campaign manager John Weaver tore into the Indiana governor on Twitter. Related: Trumps Fundraising Surge Sends an Important Message to the GOP I remember traveling with John McCain to Indiana to campaign for, several times, for a desperate Mike Pence. Shame on him. #Karma John Weaver (@JWGOP) August 4, 2016 In 2000, Pence was about as desperate a politician as one could find. McCain came in for him and made a difference. I was there. #shameful John Weaver (@JWGOP) August 4, 2016 Its a dilemma for Pence. He cant run for vice president while constantly contradicting his running mate without appearing disloyal. And because that running mates main goal right now appears to be alienating much of his own party, hell wind up looking disloyal anyway -- just to the party rather than to Trump. Its hard not to wonder if Pence, given the chance to do it all over again, would choose to stay in INdiana and let someone else stand shoulder to shoulder with Trump. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: The political dynamics of the Republican Partys so-called Wisconsin Mafia have been fascinating to watch this year, but never more so than this week. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus anger at Donald Trump over his failure to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is being challenged in next week Republican primary by businessman Paul Nehlen, has to be understood in the context of the chairmans relationship with Ryan. Priebus and Ryan are both from the Badger State, and are friends. They also both have deep connections with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. And while Priebus has become one of Republican nominee Donald Trumps biggest boosters over the past several months, Ryan and Walker have been reluctant supporters, at best. Ryan, before and after endorsing Trump a month ago, has repeatedly denounced Trumps most controversial statements. Walker, who dropped out of the presidential race early, waffled on endorsing Trump before eventually doing so, and in the weeks leading up to the Republican convention was said by multiple sources to be exploring whether it was possible for him to emerge at the convention as an alternative to Trump. Priebus played a crucial role in getting Ryan to overcome his reservations about Trump. When Ryan said in May, after Trump unofficially clinched the nomination, that he couldnt yet support Trump, Trump called Priebus within minutes of seeing Ryans comments on CNN. Priebus then called Ryan, he later told Politico, and he shuttled back and forth on the phone between Ryan and Trump to arrange a meeting between the two a week later at the RNC headquarters on Capitol Hill. Many observers believe that Priebus leaned heavily on Ryan and pleaded with him to endorse Trump, for the sake of the party and as a personal favor. Hence, Trumps refusal now to endorse Ryans reelection in the Republican primary next week would be seen by Priebus as a personal betrayal. Trump not only refused to endorse Ryan when asked by a Washington Post reporter Tuesday. He also threw Ryans own words from May back at the speaker. Im not quite there yet, Trump said. (Trump running mate Mike Pence is apparently there, announcing his support of Ryan on Wednesday.) Story continues House Speaker Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, July 19, 2016. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP) For Trump to say that was also kind of a personal shot at Reince, or at least he would take it as personally, said one former high-ranking RNC official. A current top RNC official told Yahoo News there was an element of truth to this. Part of his mindset is, Wait a second, dude. Youre now in my backyard. I care about Wisconsin and Paul. I dont see how this helps, the RNC official said. Priebus does feel he went to bat for Trump with Ryan. But the RNC official also said that Priebus relationship with Ryan was only part of the reason for the RNC chairmans anger at Trump. Its a culmination of a lot of things. One, were trying to clean up the Khan stuff. So its like, Youve got to be kidding me, the RNC official said. No. 2, Hillary is getting crushed on lying, and were having a conversation about this? Theres eight things happening at once. Its less about Paul and more about, Im out there every day talking about how we need to keep the team together, and then you go out and do this? the RNC official said. Charlie Sykes, a conservative Wisconsin radio talk show host who has been an outspoken critic of Trump, told Yahoo News: Reince is a friend, but I think is a tragic figure here. Hes the guy who brokered, obviously, the deal with Ryan and with Walker, Sykes said, referring to Ryan and Walkers endorsements of Trump. So you cant overstate the humiliation, the personal and political humiliation for Reince Priebus, when Trump does this with Ryan, Sykes said. This means so much to Reince. This is above politics. Its very personal that he wanted to unite the party, get Ryan and Trump on the same page, get Walker. Hes basically mortgaged his entire reputation and career for Donald Trump, Sykes said of Priebus. Trump will campaign in Green Bay, Wis., on Friday, and while Congress is out of session, Ryan will not appear at the rally with Trump. Neither will the states Republican senator, Ron Johnson, or Walker. Im 100 percent with Paul Ryan, Walker said Wednesday. Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama on Thursday dismissed as "ridiculous" Republican White House candidate Donald Trump's assertion that the US election in November will be rigged in Democrat Hillary Clinton's favor. "If Mr. Trump is suggesting there is a conspiracy theory that is being propagated across the country, including in places like Texas, where it is typically not Democrats in charge of voting booths, that is ridiculous," Obama told a press conference at the Pentagon. The sharp reaction came amid alarm among observers who warn that Trump could be laying the groundwork for rejecting a Clinton win and even sparking post-election civil unrest. Trump has routinely claimed that Bernie Sanders lost his Democratic primary race against Clinton because of a "rigged system" packed with superdelegates who could vote for the candidate of their choice. But he took his complaints to a new level Monday, warning a crowd in Columbus, Ohio that the general election itself -- already filled with bitter partisan rancor -- will be marred by corruption. That same night he sounded the alarm again: "I'm telling you, November 8th, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged," the provocative billionaire told Fox News. "And I hope the Republicans are watching closely, or it's going to be taken away from us." - Authenticity - Trump's calling card is raw authenticity, and his campaign has drawn millions of voters precisely because he has attacked the current political system and the Washington establishment as corrupt. But while Obama noted how competitors in the schoolyard or sports field complain of being cheated when they lose, "I have never heard of someone complaining of cheating... before the score is tallied." Some experts say Trump's remarks threaten the bedrock principle that America's presidential election is peacefully contested regardless of the political turmoil roiling the country. Story continues "Statements like those that Trump made, without any explanation, it does undermine the legitimacy of the system," Michael Heaney, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan, told AFP. But while Heaney said Trump's rigged election remarks are "part of his pattern of stoking fear," the nominee is tapping into legitimate public concerns about America's complex and even arcane election process. Trust in that system has waned, according to a Pew Research Center study tracking public confidence in the accuracy of the national vote. In 2004, 48 percent of Americans said they were very confident that votes were accurately counted, Pew reported. That number slipped to 43 percent in 2008 and just 31 percent in 2012. Voter fraud has played a role throughout the years, including in the close 1960 race between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon, when votes were apparently cast by the dead in Illinois. Voter controversies swelled in Ohio in 2004. Rules that differ from state to state fuel skepticism among average voters. "We actually have something like 50 election systems rather than a unified election system," said Lorraine Minnite, professor at Rutgers University and author of "The Myth of Voter Fraud." - Voter laws - Nevertheless, general election fraud remains exceedingly rare, experts say and studies show. Minnite stressed it was "not common" for a presidential candidate to suggest an upcoming election will be rigged. Republican politicians and officials have regularly pressed for a toughening of voter identification laws. The threat of fraud "has been used to justify the rules that we've seen a revival of in the last several years that are actually making access more difficult for certain groups of people," Minnite said. Democrats including Clinton have warned that Republicans seek to impose such rules to suppress the Democratic vote. Pamela Smith, president of the non-partisan election monitor Verified Voting, said "the trend has been towards more paper, physical ballots" and away from unverifiable types of systems in order to ensure accountability and accuracy. Accusations that a person illegitimately won the election are not new, but the possibility of a loser in the race making hay may be close to unprecedented. In 2000, after a legal battle halted the manual recount of ballots in Florida, Democrat Al Gore conceded defeat to George W. Bush while never rejecting the outcome. Part of Trump's not-so-subtle messaging this week was to suggest he will not go quietly should he fall to Clinton in November. While Trump's free speech is protected by the US Constitution, "I also think there are real worries about an invitation to violence or other kinds of mob action," said Ohio State University professor Dan Tokaji, who teaches election law. Presidential losers throughout US history have largely been gracious in defeat, "but Donald Trump is already intimating he will not be similarly gracious should he lose," Tokaji said. Tunis (AFP) - Tunisia's prime minister-designate Youssef Chahed began talks on Thursday aimed at creating a unity government to tackle major economic and security challenges. The 40-year-old former local affairs minister was nominated on Wednesday and given 30 days to form a cabinet. On Thursday he met officials from three minor parties, said a source close to him. Chahed was then set to meet officials from the Islamist Ennahda party that dominates parliament and from the Nobel Peace Prize-winning UGTT union, said the source, who did not wish to be named. "Consultations will continue in the coming days," he said. On Friday Chahed is set to meet representatives of his own party, Nidaa Tounes, which was founded by President Beji Caid Essebsi. If his cabinet wins the backing of parliament, Chahed will become the North African country's youngest premier since it won independence from France in 1956. He will also be Tunisia's seventh prime minister in less than six years since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Chahed said on Wednesday that his government's priorities would to fight terrorism, corruption and unemployment. He pledged to include more women in his cabinet than in previous governments. His nomination came days after the government of Habib Essid lost a vote of confidence after just 18 months in office. Essid's cabinet included Nidaa Tounes, Ennahda and two other groups. It came under heavy criticism for failing to tackle a jihadist insurgency and an economic crisis. In June, Essebsi said he would support the formation of a new unity government. Essid said he would be willing to quit, but later refused to step down without a vote of confidence. Chahed's nomination also follows a split in his own party, Nidaa Tounes, that led to it losing its parliamentary majority. Many Tunisians welcomed the nomination of a comparatively young prime minister -- especially compared with other leaders since Tunisia's youth-led revolution. Story continues Essebsi is 89 years old, while Essid is 67. But others criticised the appointment of a former minister in a government they see as having failed to address the country's challenges. They also slammed his links with the president -- whose son's presence in Nidaa Tounes is already controversial. Discontent over nepotism under Ben Ali helped fuel the revolt that ousted him. Chahed denied Wednesday that he had any direct family ties to the president, saying he had only started to work with Essebsi after the 2011 revolution. By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi named a little-known technocrat as prime minister on Wednesday after parliament ousted Habib Essid in a vote of no-confidence over his handling of economic reforms and security. Opposition parties quickly denounced the appointment of Youssef Chahed, an agricultural science specialist and junior minister under Essid, saying he lacked the credentials for the job and had been chosen simply because he was a pliant ally of the president. Since its 2011 revolution to oust Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has grown into a model of democracy in a turbulent region. But Islamist militant attacks on tourist spots last year have tested the government, and political infighting in the ruling coalition has slowed economic progress needed to ease social tensions especially among the young employed. Essebsi had been pushing for a new national unity government in an attempt to overcome Tunisia's current woes. Chahed, who is also a senior member of the secular Nidaa Tounes party, told reporters: "The president has put me in charge of the national unity government. This is a message of confidence for young people also. In this delicate time, we need a lot of audacious decisions." "Our priorities are a war on corruption, winning the war on terrorism, push for growth and balancing public finances," he said. He dismissed reports he had any family ties to Essebsi, responding to opposition criticism and local media that he was a distant relative of Essebsi. Nidaa Tounes and the Islamist Ennahda party, both part of the ruling coalition, control a majority of the seats in parliament, meaning that Chahed's nomination is likely to be accepted by lawmakers when they vote on his approval. IMF PRESSURE Essebsi already faces widespread criticism over what some see as his attempt at a hereditary transfer of power to his son Hafed, the new leader of Nidaa Tounes. This has split his party with critics breaking to form a new movement. "Essebsi succeeded in getting those close to him into power and turning the political system to his favour," Adnen Monsar, leader of the Alirada opposition party. "Now he has a premier who will follow his instructions." Chahed has 30 days to name a new government. But he will be under pressure to deliver on reforms demanded by Tunisia's multilateral lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Among the economic reforms needed in Tunisia are to overhaul investment and fiscal codes, and reduce high public subsidies as well as promoting job growth. Many young people in central and southern regions long dependent on agriculture say they feel abandoned by Tunis and let down by the revolution's promise of opportunity. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Richard Balmforth) ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police detained 20 suspected members of the Islamic State militant group in the southern city of Adana early on Thursday, the private Dogan news agency reported. It said anti-terror police, supported by a helicopter, staged simultaneous raids on 22 addresses in the city after a tip-off that Islamic State cells were planning attacks. The suspects, who included senior local figures in the group, were taken to Adana police headquarters for questioning, it said. President Tayyip Erdogan has said Islamic State militants from the former Soviet Union were behind an attack on Istanbul's main airport in June which killed 45 people. Dozens have been detained over the attack. Islamic State controls an area of Syria along the Turkish border, east of Adana. The city of Adana is near the Incirlik Air Base, where U.S. personnel are stationed and which is used for air missions in the fight against Islamic State. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan) (ANKARA, Turkey) A court in Turkey issued a formal warrant Thursday for the arrest of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the government accuses of being behind the failed July 15 coup that left more than 270 people dead. The state-run Anadolu news agency said an Istanbul-based court issued the warrant for ordering the July 15 coup attempt. The government says Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, masterminded the failed coup attempt by renegade officers in Turkeys military and wants him extradited to Turkey. Gulen has denied involvement or prior knowledge of the coup attempt. Ankara has not yet made a formal extradition request, but the arrest warrant could be the prelude. Washington has asked for evidence of the clerics involvement, and has said the extradition process must be allowed to take its course. Turkey has designated Gulens movement, which runs charities, schools and businesses across the world, as a terrorist organization and has launched a widespread crackdown on suspected members since the failed coup. Since the coup attempt, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from jobs in the civil service, judiciary, education, health care, the military and the media. And about 18,000 people have been detained or arrested, mostly from the military, on suspicion of being involved in the failed putsch. Earlier Thursday, Erdogan vowed to go after businesses linked to Gulens movement. Without doubt, this organization has an extension in the business world. Maybe it is what they are most powerful at, he said during a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara. We are determined to totally cut off all business links of this organization, which has blood on its hands. The president said that every cent that goes to the Gulen movement is a bullet placed in a barrel to be fired against this nation. In the same way that we do not pardon those who fire the bullet, we will not forgive those who financed the bullet. Story continues Erdogan added that the purge of the military would continue. After July 15, this sneaky organizations structure in the Turkish Armed Forces has started to be uncovered, he said. For now, those who are captured are the tip of the iceberg. Efforts are continuing for others. Separately, the deputy chairman of Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party, Mehdi Eker, said countries around the world need to take action against schools or other establishments linked to Gulen. Eker said the clerics movement had hundreds of schools, charities or other establishments in more than 100 countries and warned they too could face security risks from the group in the future. If we had seen that these schools were not innocent educational nests but nurseries raising members for a terror organization, we would not have lived through the (attempted coup), he told journalists in Ankara. It is our responsibility to warn countries that have (Gulen-linked) schools, Eker said. In Africa, we know that they work as nurseries (for terror) and we want to warn them. * Erdogan says Gulen network strong in business * Vows to choke off "nests of terrorism" * Foreign firms in Turkey concerned by events * EU politicians nervous about scale of crackdown (Adds arrest warrant for Gulen, European Commission chief) By Daren Butler and Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday to choke off businesses linked to the U.S.-based cleric he blames for an attempted coup, describing his schools, firms and charities as "nests of terrorism" and promising no mercy in rooting them out. Business is the arena in which the network of Fethullah Gulen is still the strongest, Erdogan said in a speech from his palace broadcast live. Those who "financed the shooters" would be treated like the coup plotters themselves, he said. Erdogan accuses Gulen of harnessing an extensive network of schools, charities and businesses, built up in Turkey and abroad over decades, to infiltrate state institutions and build a "parallel structure" that aimed to take over the country. An Istanbul court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the cleric for "giving the instructions" for the coup attempt, the latest of several warrants issued against him in recent years on charges including running a criminal network. The 75-year-old cleric denies the allegations. More than 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service and education have been detained, suspended or placed under investigation for alleged links to his "Hizmet" (Service) movement since the July 15 coup, prompting fears among Western allies and rights groups of a witch-hunt. "They have nothing to do with a religious community, they are a fully-fledged terrorist organisation ... This cancer is different, this virus has spread everywhere," Erdogan told heads of chambers of commerce and bourses attending his speech. "The business world is where they are the strongest. We will cut off all business links, all revenues of Gulen-linked business. We are not going to show anyone any mercy," he said, describing the detentions so far as just the tip of the iceberg. Story continues BUSINESS CRACKDOWN Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, has denied plotting against the state and has condemned the coup attempt, in which rogue soldiers commandeered warplanes, helicopters and tanks, bombing parliament and seizing bridges in a bid to seize power. More than 230 people were killed, excluding soldiers who were involved in the coup attempt. Many of the dead were civilians. Before the failed coup, the Turkish authorities had already seized Islamic lender Bank Asya, taken over or closed several media companies and detained businessmen on allegations of funding the cleric's movement. Although the bulk of the purges in the wake of the putsch have been in the security forces, judiciary and public sector, private firms have also been affected. The head of research at a brokerage had his licence revoked over a report to investors analysing the coup plot, while Turkish Airlines, arguably the country's most recognised brand, has fired 211 staff over alleged Hizmet links. The chairman and several executives from Boydak Holding, a prominent family-run conglomerate with interests from furniture to energy, have also been detained, as has the chief of Turkey's biggest petrochemicals firm Petkim. "KEEPING A COOL HEAD" The coup fallout risks affecting some multinational firms operating in Turkey, including delaying investment decisions. German energy group EWE, which employs around 700 people in Turkey, said around a dozen managers had left its subsidiary in recent days. A spokesman declined to give a reason but said the company, while not questioning its engagement with Turkey, was monitoring the political and economic situation very carefully. Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser told reporters on Thursday he had summoned the head of the group's Turkish operations to a supervisory board meeting a day earlier to get a first-hand account of events inside the country. The German industrial group employs 3,000 people in Turkey. "It's a question of keeping a cool head and keeping an eye on how things develop, because things are developing which are not really desirable in a modern democracy," he told a conference call to discuss the company's earnings. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey would introduce a package of reforms to encourage investment including removing some taxes, as the government looks to shore up confidence. But investors remain cautious. "Investment plans are being put on ice. Given the current emergency legislation new investment is not advisable," said Anton Boerner, head of Germany's BGA trade association, adding concern about Turkey's credit ratings had also made investment more expensive. Germany is the biggest foreign investor in Turkey with investments totalling more than 12 billion euros ($13.3 billion) since 1980, according to the German foreign ministry. STRAINS IN RELATIONS The coup and its aftermath have strained Turkey's relations with the United States, which has said it will not extradite Gulen unless Turkey provides evidence of his wrongdoing, and Europe, some of whose politicians have raised concern that Erdogan is using events to further tighten his grip on power. Turkey's EU Affairs Minister criticised comments by Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern suggesting talks on Turkey joining the European Union should be broken off, saying the EU's founding values remain a reference for Ankara. Kern said on Wednesday he would start a discussion among European heads of government to quit talks on Turkish accession because of its democratic and economic deficits. "It's disturbing that his statements are similar to those of the far right... Criticism is surely a democratic right but there has to be a difference between criticising Turkey and being against Turkey," EU minister Omer Celik told reporters. A senior EU official involved in accession talks with Turkey said Kern's comments were "too early" and part of "the domestic debate" in Austria, where the far-right Freedom Party attracts around a third of votes in opinion polls. But he did not entirely dismiss them. "The EU should not, obviously, pursue the road of ending the accession talks with Turkey, but we will have to if Turkey keeps sliding into semi-authoritarianism," the official said. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published on Thursday that it would be counterproductive to freeze accession talks, but said Turkey is currently unfit to become an EU member. The purges of Gulen's suspected followers this week extended to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Tubitak) and have also included private and military hospitals, which are now under the supervision of the health ministry. The number of staff purged at Turkey's Football Federation rose to more than 110 on Thursday, while four actors and two directors at municipal theatres in Istanbul were also suspended, according to broadcaster NTV. (Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Istanbul, Shadia Nasralla in Vienna, Francesco Guarascio in Brussels, Georgina Prodhan and Caroline Copley in Frankfurt, Joseph Nasr in Berlin; writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Peter Graff) Turns out that Phoebe Buffay was supposed to have a VERY different ending on Friends Turns out that Phoebe Buffay was supposed to have a VERY different ending on Friends Friends may have ended back in 2004, but that doesnt mean we wont continue to learn new things about our six favorite roommates. Just today, the TV gods have bestowed such a gift upon us in the form of a Phoebe Buffay alternative ending. Remember how Phoebe ended up with our collective soulmate Mike Hannigan, whos played by Paul Rudd? Well, that almost didnt happen. Though Phoebe officially ended her time on Friends with Mike, their wedding wasnt always in the cards. In fact, it was David (yes, the scientist boyfriend) who was more than ready to come between them. friends 1 The plan always was kind of to bring [David] back, Hank Azaria (the actor who played David) told The Huffington Post. I think, honestly, what happened was Paul Rudd is so awesome that they sort of found a groove with him and [my character] became more of just the grist for that mill. As opposed to the other way around. Just in case you forgot about Davids ending, lets recap: His relationship with Phoebe ended when he travelled to Minsk in the name of doing important research. However, he ended up coming back into Phoebes life after she learned that Mike never wanted to marry again because he was still scarred by his first failed marriage. At this point, David returned to propose to Phoebe, which caused Mike to do the same so he wouldnt lose her. While Phoebe turned both men down, she (of course) ended up with Mike because duh HES PAUL RUDD. Yet, though Hank loves Paul Rudd and his role on Friends, this hasnt stopped the actor from feeling bad for his character: He explained, It actually did sting a little bit. Whatever part of me is David the science guy who went to Minsk, which admittedly is probably a small part of me [laughs], but that part of me wanted to end up with Phoebe. So I was sort of sad when I didnt. Story continues Even with his sadness in mind, Hank concluded that Mike Hannigan was truly meant to be with Phoebe. He asserted, He certainly has gone on to prove that he was comedically deserving of Phoebes love. We cant help but agree! friends 2 Ultimately, when it comes to Friends endings, were just happy that Phoebes happy. The post Turns out that Phoebe Buffay was supposed to have a VERY different ending on Friends appeared first on HelloGiggles. (Reuters) - Jim Prosser, Twitter Inc's head of corporate, revenue and policy communications, said on Thursday he was leaving the microblogging website to join online lender SoFi. "Some news: after four years at @twitter, I'm joining @SoFi as VP of Communications and Policy." Prosser tweeted from an unverified account on Thursday. Prosser confirmed the news of his departure in an emailed statement to Reuters. Prosser is the second senior Twitter communications executive to exit this week. Natalie Kerris, Twitter's VP of communications, is leaving the company after joining from Apple Inc in February, Recode reported on Aug. 1. Twitter last week reported its slowest revenue growth since going public in 2013 and set a disappointing forecast, fanning concerns that faster growing social media services will make it a niche product. (Reporting by Rishika Sadam and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and David Gregorio) (Reuters) - Jim Prosser, Twitter Inc's head of corporate, revenue and policy communications, said on Thursday he was leaving the microblogging website to join online lender SoFi. "Some news: after four years at @twitter, I'm joining @SoFi as VP of Communications and Policy." Prosser tweeted from an unverified account on Thursday. Prosser confirmed the news of his departure in an emailed statement to Reuters. Prosser is the second senior Twitter communications executive to exit this week. Natalie Kerris, Twitter's VP of communications, is leaving the company after joining from Apple Inc in February, Recode reported on Aug. 1. Twitter last week reported its slowest revenue growth since going public in 2013 and set a disappointing forecast, fanning concerns that faster growing social media services will make it a niche product. (Reporting by Rishika Sadam and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and David Gregorio) Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Two Russian swimmers barred from the Olympics after an investigation found state-run doping have been given the all-clear to compete in Rio, world swimming federation FINA told AFP on Thursday. Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev had been banned after being implicated in the Richard McLaren report on state-run doping in Russia. But they were named among 31 swimmers allowed to compete in Rio, FINA said. The appeals of Yulia Efimova, a London bronze medallist, and Daria Ustinova were still pending, with Efimova's case being heard on Thursday morning. With the Rio opening ceremony fast approaching on Friday, the International Olympic Committee was racing to confirm the final list of Russians allowed to compete in the Games. A three-man IOC commission will confirm the athletes put forward by the international sports federations. The IOC gave the federations the job of determining which Russians should be eligible after opting against a blanket ban of the country. Turkey's Ugur Erdener, president of the International Archery Federation and a doctor by profession, former fencer Claudia Bokel of Germany and Spain's Juan-Antonio Samaranch Jr make up the commission. All 11 Russian judokas have been cleared -- although none had been banned in the first place. Five Russian swimmers remained banned, but all of Russia's water-polo players, synchronised swimmers and divers have been allowed into the Games. The International Boxing Association recommended that all 11 Russian boxers, nine men and two women, should be allowed to compete. Abidjan (AFP) - Two Ivorian soldiers appeared in a military court on Thursday accused of having associated with the perpetrators of a March attack on a beach resort that left 19 people dead, an AFP journalist said. Sergeants Zanga Zoumana Coulibaly and Brice Toure are being prosecuted for disobeying orders and associating with criminals. The charges relate to the pair's alleged meeting with Assane Barry, also known as Sam, one of the main suspects in the Islamist attack on the resort town of Grande Bassam. Barry, a driver by profession, is awaiting trial in a civilian court on charges of terrorism and association with criminals. "I did nothing wrong. I did not collaborate with any terrorists," Coulibaly said in court. "I am innocent. I have nothing to do with this business, which is beyond me," said Toure. When he announced the pair's arrest on July 13, military prosecutor Ange Kessi said they had lived with some of the attackers and had had conversations with Barry. "It was a serious mistake, an error, a military offence not have to denounced the presence of the driver and this group to their superiors so that we could have prevented the attack," he said, stressing the two soldiers were not suspected of complicity. On March 13, three assailants armed with grenades and assault rifles stormed three hotels in Grand Bassam, a resort popular with expats that lies 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Abidjan. The attack, the first of its kind in the Ivory Coast, was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb which has also carried out similar assaults on tourist hotspots in Mali and Burkina Faso. The jihadists claimed the attack on the former French colonial capital was in retaliation for military operations in the Sahel region led by France and its allies. In late June, Burkina Faso's interior ministry said around 10 people had been arrested in connection with the Grand Bassam attack and another attack in Ouagadougou that killed 30 people in January. Three of those detained are thought to have been involved in both attacks. By Hugh Bronstein and Gram Slattery BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday urged Argentina to be patient with the slow pace of economic progress under its new government, and urged Venezuela to allow a vote this year on whether to recall President Nicolas Maduro. In his first trip to Argentina as America's chief diplomat, Kerry praised President Mauricio Macri, a free-markets proponent who took office in December promising to attract a wave of private investment that has yet to materialize. Kerry also said he was concerned that the government of Venezuela has failed to enter into meaningful dialogue with the opposition, which is trying to organize a referendum to kick Maduro out of power. "We encourage Venezuela to embrace the recall not in a delayed way that pushes it into next year, but to do this as a sign of respect for the constitution of the country and the needs of the people of the country," Kerry told reporters. The timing is crucial because if Maduro were to lose a referendum this year, as polls indicate he would due to the country's moribund economy, it would trigger a new presidential vote, giving the opposition a chance to end 17 years of socialism. But should he lose a referendum next year, Maduro would be replaced by his vice president, maintaining the Socialist Party in power until the OPEC nation's next presidential election scheduled for the end of 2018. "BAD HABITS" Kerry also addressed growing discontent voiced by Argentines over an economy beset by stagflation. "It's not all going to change overnight," Kerry told a group of business leaders at a breakfast meeting in Buenos Aires. "Getting rid of bad habits takes a little bit of time and investment takes a little bit of time to take hold and begin to create momentum," he added. "But I am 100 percent confident, as is President Obama, that Argentina is on the right course. People need to be patient." Macri's policies follow heavy state control of the economy and allegations of corruption under previous leader Cristina Fernandez. Her former secretary of public works was caught in July trying to hide almost $9 million in a Buenos Aires convent. Argentina's economy is expected to shrink 1.3 percent this year, according to a central bank poll of analysts. The government has not made a forecast. Kerry met with his Argentine counterpart Susana Malcorra to discuss issues including Venezuela. Fernandez supported Hugo Chavez's self-styled revolution in the oil rich country, and the administration of his protege Maduro. Macri is one of the region's leading critics of Maduro, accusing him of unjustly jailing opposition leaders. From Buenos Aires Kerry was set to go on to Brazil where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday. Headwinds from Argentina's recession-racked northern neighbor are not helping Macri's investment push. Brazil, the region's biggest economy, has been paralyzed by corruption scandals and political turmoil after the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff from power. (Editing by Phil Berlowitz) By Serena Maria Daniels DETROIT (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Lorretta Lynch was in Detroit on Wednesday to spur dialogue aimed at mending the "frayed trust" between police and minority communities across the country. Lynch picked Detroit, whose police department has seen a transformation since a 2003 federal consent decree, to launch a planned nationwide series of "Justice Forums" bringing together local citizens, politicians, social activists, clergy and law enforcement. The event followed recent tensions along racial lines from the controversial shooting deaths of black men by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota, followed by retaliatory ambush killings of eight lawmen in Dallas and Baton Rouge. "This has been a very painful time in our country, and out of this pain, out of this grief can come progress," Lynch told reporters Wednesday afternoon inside the office of Barbara McQuade, the U.S. attorney for eastern Michigan. Lynch, the top U.S. law enforcement official, was also joined by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James Craig. She pointed to progress made in Detroit, whose population is 80 percent African-American, in building greater respect between citizens and a police department long criticized for heavy-handed crime-fighting tactics and indiscriminate use of force. Craig said his department was one of the first in the nation to equip its officers with body cameras, among other police reforms. "This is ongoing work, and the people of Detroit have laid down the foundation for us and the basis for us and now this is the perfect place to advance this important conversation," Lynch said. The morning-long forum followed the observation of the annual National Night Out, an event aimed at promoting positive relations between community members and police. Lynch on Tuesday night visited a park in the citys west side. She also met with members of the Arab-American and Muslim community in neighboring Dearborn, Michigan. Story continues As an envoy of the Obama administration, Lynch has sought to balance concerns about police abuses, largely against African-Americans, while showing support for law enforcement officers feeling increasingly under siege. In June, the Justice Department said more than 33,000 federal agents and prosecutors would receive training aimed at preventing unconscious bias from influencing law enforcement decisions. (Editing by Steve Gorman and Bernard Orr) From Popular Mechanics Moon Express, a private spacecraft manufacturing company, just received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch its MX-1E lunar lander to the moon next year, making them the first private space company to receive U.S. Government permission to launch a craft beyond the orbit of satellites. MoonEx is an American company made up of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and aeronautics specialists who are hoping to win the Google Lunar XPRIZE by becoming the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon. Unlike the rovers that many companies are designing for the competition, the MoonEx MX-1E would land on the moon and then hover across the lunar surface, taking pictures and perhaps even bagging moon dust samples to be returned to Earth. The company has already secured a contract with Rocket Lab to launch its lunar lander on an Electron rocket in 2017. With the U.S. Government seal of approval, the only thing now standing in MoonEx's way is its own ability to pull off the whole thing off. No U.S. regulations are currently on the books regarding private space missions to the moon and beyond, so Moon Express took it upon themselves to submit a formal request to the FAA to approve its MX-1E payload in April. On July 20, the FAA gave a favorable review of MoonEx's payload, determining that launching the spacecraft would "not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or international obligations of the United States." Photo credit: Moon Express Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty, an international treaty between 104 countries, states that, "The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty." After conferring with the State Department, the FAA determined that the MX-1E mission would comply with the Outer Space Treaty, opening the door for MoonEx to proceed with its lunar plans. The FAA still needs to approve a request from Rocket Lab for a license to launch the MX-1E payload, but this is a minor hurdle to be cleared considering there is a precedent in place to approve private rocket launches. Story continues Moon Express doesn't plan on stopping with the Lunar XPRIZE challenge. The company's contract with Rocket Lab includes two additional launches after MX-1E. MoonEx hopes to send future spacecraft to the moon to harvest resources, specifically the Helium-3 that is abundant in the moon's crust, for use in future nuclear fusion reactors (assuming we build an energy-positive one). Considering Congress recently passed the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, allowing private companies to own material harvested in outer space, MoonEx again seems only limited by its own abilities. If MoonEx is the first to land on the moon, have its spacecraft travel 500 meters, and transmit high-definition photos and video back to Earth, it will win $20 million from the Lunar XPRIZE-a nice little boost to fund its space mining plans for the future. Moon Express's biggest competitor for the grand prize is Israeli company SpaceIL, which has also secured a rocket contract (its with SpaceX) for a 2017 launch. "In the absence of legislative relief, the FAA will continue to work with the commercial space industry to provide support for non-traditional missions on a case-by-case basis when the law permits." Private space companies have taken several major steps forward recently and set ambitious goals for themselves, such as SpaceX's plans to send a Dragon capsule to Mars by 2018. Given the immediate need for legislation regarding private space missions, Congress will likely have the details ironed out in the coming years-but even without official regulations in place, it is clear that U.S. lawmakers are willing to let private companies push forward with their lofty goals. Source: Federal Aviation Administration You Might Also Like By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, hit back on Wednesday at suggestions that a United States decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile defense system in South Korea had provoked recent ballistic missile tests by North Korea. Pyongyang's ally China has said Washington's decision last month to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system would only worsen tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea threatened a physical response to the deployment decision. Speaking after the U.N. Security Council met on North Korea's missile launch on Wednesday, which landed in Japanese controlled waters for the first time, Power said the anti-missile system was to defend against the threat by North Korea. "Any notion that there's some predicate by anybody other than Kim Jong Un and the DPRK (North Korea) regime is not grounded in reality and it's not grounded in history," Power told reporters after the closed-door meeting, in reference to the North Korean leader. China's U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi said that nothing should be done to exacerbate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. When asked what could be done to de-escalate the situation, he said: "If you look at the factors contributing to the tension in the Korean peninsula I think the answer is self-evident." The 15-member Security Council met at the request of Japan and the United States following the latest in a series of launches by isolated North Korea in defiance of Security Council resolutions. "The missile landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone. There was no warning whatsoever," Japan's U.N. Ambassador Koro Bessho told reporters. "It is certainly a major, major problem for the security and safety of our region." South Korea's U.N. Ambassador Oh Joon said that this year North Korea had conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests, firing 29 various rockets. "They are doing all of this with a systematic, comprehensive purpose of upgrading and refining their missile technologies," he told reporters. "It poses a clear and present danger to the security of all countries in the region." Power said she believed the Security Council could swiftly issue a condemnation. Council statements have to be agreed by consensus and previous condemnations of North Korea missile launches have taken days or weeks. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is "deeply troubled" by North Korea's recent missile launches, his spokesman said, calling on Pyongyang to "reverse its course." [L1N1AK16P] (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Andrew Hay) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday it is upgrading a probe of more than 8 million air bag inflators made by ARC Automotive Inc after a driver was killed in Canada when an inflator ruptured in a Hyundai vehicle last month. The investigation covers inflators used by General Motors Co, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Motors Inc and covers at least 8 million inflators used by the automakers through 2004, but could include newer vehicles, the agency said. Canadian regulators are also investigating. ARC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NHTSA spokesman Bryan Thomas said the agency will "direct the collection and testing of inflators as part of its effort to determine the root cause of the rupture incidents." The upgrade comes as regulators are intensely scrutinizing air bag inflators following a series of fatalities in vehicles with Takata Corp inflators. Upward of 100 million vehicles worldwide with Takata airbag inflators have been declared defective and are linked to 13 deaths and more than 100 injuries. Takata inflators can explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel into vehicle passenger compartments. NHTSA said the ARC inflators are a hybrid design using high- pressure stored gas and a small amount of ammonium nitrate to inflate the air bags. It said its preliminary investigation shows "significant design differences between the ARC inflators and the Takata inflators currently under recall." NHTSA initially opened an investigation on 490,000 vehicles in July 2015 following two reported injuries, in a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country and a 2004 Kia Optima, after inflators produced by ARC in Tennessee ruptured. The upgrade comes after confirmation that a July 8 fatal crash in Newfoundland and Labrador was tied to an ARC air bag inflator rupture. The fatality was in a 2009 Hyundai Elantra with an inflator assembled in China. Story continues The 2009 Elantra sold in the United States did not use the Chinese-made inflator, NHTSA said in a filing, adding that it is not clear if any of those Chinese-made ARC inflators were sold in U.S. vehicles. GM, Fiat Chrysler and Hyundai all said they are fully cooperating with NHTSA's investigation. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Dan Grebler) (Adds comment from Alibaba) By Nate Raymond NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday dismissed part of a lawsuit filed last year by Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and other luxury brands accusing Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd of promoting the sale of counterfeit goods. U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan dismissed racketeering claims asserted by brands owned by Paris-based Kering SA, saying their complaint failed to allege facts that could sustain those claims. The lawsuit claimed Alibaba and 14 companies selling counterfeit goods on its online marketplaces joined to form an enterprise that sought to profit from items such as a knock-off Gucci handbag that sold for $18.99 rather than $1,250. Castel ruled the lawsuit failed to allege the existence of such an enterprise under federal racketeering law as it did not establish the merchants were aware of each other or that Alibaba could have agreed to carry out actions with them. "The fraud perpetrated by each merchant defendant could be accomplished without any assistance from any other merchant defendant," he said. The ruling did not affect various other trademark-related claims in the lawsuit against Alibaba, which had not at this time sought to dismiss the other parts of the lawsuit. Alibaba in a statement said that it was pleased with the court's decision. Kering did not respond to a request for comment. Alibaba has been dogged for years by allegations that its online shopping sites are riddled with fake or otherwise copyright-infringing goods. The company has said that it is constantly improving its monitoring and enforcement of rules against counterfeits. The case is Gucci America Inc et al v. Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-03784. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Paul Simao and Bill Trott) United Kingdom country-specific exchange traded funds rallied and the pound sterling weakened after the Bank of England implemented a bigger-than-expected package of stimulus measures Thursday. On Thursday, the iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF (HEWU) gained 1.7%, WisdomTree United Kingdom Hedged Equity Fund (DXPS) rose 1.5% and Deutsche X-Trackers MSCI United Kingdom Hedged Equity ETF (DBUK) was down 0.6%. To be fair, while the U.S.-listed ETFs are trading during hours when the underlying U.K. markets are closed, DBUK was showing a steeper -1.60% discount to its net asset value, which may explain the dip in the Deutsche fund at last check, compared to the premium to NAV of 0.02% for HEWU and 0.59% for DXPS. SEE MORE: Currency-Hedged U.K. ETFs for Improving Earnings, Depreciating Pound Meanwhile, the iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) , a non-currency-hedged U.K. ETF, was up 0.1%. The CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust (FXB) fell 1.6% as the pound depreciated 1.6% against the U.S. dollar to $1.3107. U.K. currency-hedged ETFs have been outperforming as they have been able to capture the rebound in British stocks, which mostly include larger exports that benefited from a weakening pound, while diminishing the negative effects of a weakening GBP. The Bank of England announced a stimulus package on Thursday. The central bank cut its benchmark rates to a record low 0.25% from 0.5% and anticipates it will further bring it down toward zero ahead, the Wall Street Journal reports. Trending on ETF Trends The Case for International ETF Investments ETF Investors Should Consider More International Exposure Currency-Hedged ETFs to Capitalize on Increased Japanese Stimulus Currency-Hedged U.K. ETFs for Improving Earnings, Depreciating Pound More Downside for the Yen ETF? The BOE also revived its government bond-buying program, which has been on pause since 2012, along with purchasing corporate bonds as well. Furthermore, the central bank added a new term-funding program for banks, providing lenders ultra-cheap, four-year loans to help finance lending for households and businesses as an additional step to stimulate the economy. Story continues SEE MORE: Brexit Continues to Drag on Pound ETF, Sends GBP to Three-Decade Low The aggressive moves were seen as a way to stimulate Britains economy and to mitigate the fallout of the countrys vote to leave the European Union, or so-called Brexit. Looking ahead, investors and market watchers are still waiting on the government to implement fiscal stimulus measures as well. What will really count is whether the Chancellor [of the Exchequer] provides a fiscal boost in the autumn. Monetary policy cant do much more on its own, Lucy OCarroll, chief economist at Aberdeen Asset Management, told the Wall Street Journal, arguing that the BOE had to announce a barrage of measures Thursday more for the sake of its own reputation than the economic benefits. For more information on the U.K., visit our United Kingdom category. iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An oil refining group on Thursday asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to change the way it enforces the country's biofuel mandate, stepping up pressure on the agency to alter the program. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) filed a petition urging the EPA to move the responsibility for complying with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) further downstream in the refining and distribution process. "This is an administrative petition that we're filing to try to make the program better until Congress can step in and do what really needs to be done and that is repeal the program," AFPM President Chet Thompson told Reuters. Thompson called the petition a "reasonable step" that would make the program "far more equitable." AFPM and other oil and gas groups have long been opposed to the RFS, which sets the amounts of biofuels such as ethanol that must be blended into U.S. gasoline and diesel supplies annually. They argue the mandates are costly for refiners and do not reflect actual gasoline demand, which has not risen as fast as lawmakers originally envisioned. The RFS, which is managed by the EPA, currently requires oil refiners and importers to show they are blending ethanol and other renewable fuels with gasoline and diesel. AFPM is asking that EPA make the owners of fuel at loading racks responsible for showing the mandated biofuels were blended. AFPM's petition follows a similar request filed by Valero Energy Corp in June. Oil refiners and importers are required to prove compliance with the renewable fuel mandate by either blending biofuels or buying paper credits, known as RINs, from companies that are in compliance. Companies like fuel retailers, which blend fuels, benefit from selling RINs to obligated parties. Their profits from RIN sales could soar this year as prices of the credits have jumped to highs not seen since 2013 on supply worries due to more ambitious targets for biofuels. EPA has repeatedly indicated that it would consider changing the obligated parties if it became clear the RIN market was not functioning as it should, Thompson said. "The cost of RINs today is over a dollar, it's pretty clear that the RIN market is not working," he said. "We're calling EPA out on its own promise, to reconsider it when the time was right." By Terry Wade HOUSTON (Reuters) - A pact that 15 U.S. states signed to jointly investigate Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) for allegedly misleading the public about climate change sought to keep prosecutors' deliberations confidential and was broadly written so they could probe other fossil fuel companies. The "Climate Change Coalition Common Interest Agreement" was signed by state attorneys general in May, two months after they held a press conference to say they would go after Exxon, the world's largest publicly-traded oil and gas company, and possibly other companies. The signed agreement has not been made public until now, and Reuters reviewed a copy of it on Thursday. It provides considerably more detail about the prosecutors' legal strategy than the general outline provided at their announcement in March, which was headlined by former Vice President Al Gore. In a nod to the politically charged nature of the inquiry, which quickly spilled over into Congress and corporate shareholders meetings, the pact says signatories of the agreement should keep discussions private and "refuse to disclose any shared information unless required by law." Besides Exxon, the agreement says other entities could be targeted if states felt they were delaying action to fight climate change. The pact says the states may take legal action to "defend Federal greenhouse gas emissions limits" and open investigations of "possible illegal conduct to limit or delay the implementation and deployment of renewable energy technology." It also ponders "investigations of representations made by companies to investors, consumers and the public regarding fossil fuels, renewable energy and climate change." After numerous filings under sunshine laws, a copy of the agreement was obtained by the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, a free-market think tank. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, whose website says it opposes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, had also sought the documents. Story continues "This is far less a proper common interest agreement than a sweeping cloak of secrecy," said Chris Horner, a lawyer who represents the Energy & Environment Legal Institute. The attorneys general, as previously reported, received guidance from well-known climate scientists and environmental lawyers before announcing the Exxon probe. Critics have called this a sign of meddling by special interests, though prosecutors' offices have made clear climate change is a top concern of voters. New York state's attorney's general office said confidentiality agreements are used often. "Entering into a common interest agreement is routine practice during a multistate investigation. These agreements preserve the confidentiality of non-public information shared among state law enforcement officials," the office told Reuters. Exxon, which has said that it has acknowledged the reality of climate change for years, has called subpoenas stemming from the inquiry unreasonable. It has also said it is being unfairly targeted by climate activists. The company, which supports a revenue-neutral carbon tax, declined to comment. A U.S. House of Representatives committee last month issued subpoenas to the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts over their investigations of whether Exxon misled investors on climate change risks. The two state officials said they would refuse to comply with the subpoenas, with one calling it "unconstitutional and unwarranted" interference. In a bid to try to force action on climate change, the state attorneys general said in March they would jointly investigate whether Exxon executives misled the public by contradicting research from company scientists that spelled out the threats of global warming. A pact was signed in May and included California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state and the U.S. Virgin Islands. But only a couple formal inquiries have started. In June, the Virgin Islands withdrew its subpoena after Exxon called it overly burdensome and raised questions about jurisdiction. (Reporting by Terry Wade; Editing by Leslie Adler) By Terry Wade HOUSTON (Reuters) - A pact that 15 U.S. states signed to jointly investigate Exxon Mobil Corp for allegedly misleading the public about climate change sought to keep prosecutors' deliberations confidential and was broadly written so they could probe other fossil fuel companies. The "Climate Change Coalition Common Interest Agreement" was signed by state attorneys general in May, two months after they held a press conference to say they would go after Exxon, the world's largest publicly-traded oil and gas company, and possibly other companies. The signed agreement has not been made public until now, and Reuters reviewed a copy of it on Thursday. It provides considerably more detail about the prosecutors' legal strategy than the general outline provided at their announcement in March, which was headlined by former Vice President Al Gore. In a nod to the politically charged nature of the inquiry, which quickly spilled over into Congress and corporate shareholders meetings, the pact says signatories of the agreement should keep discussions private and "refuse to disclose any shared information unless required by law." Besides Exxon, the agreement says other entities could be targeted if states felt they were delaying action to fight climate change. The pact says the states may take legal action to "defend Federal greenhouse gas emissions limits" and open investigations of "possible illegal conduct to limit or delay the implementation and deployment of renewable energy technology." It also ponders "investigations of representations made by companies to investors, consumers and the public regarding fossil fuels, renewable energy and climate change." After numerous filings under sunshine laws, a copy of the agreement was obtained by the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, a free-market think tank. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, whose website says it opposes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, had also sought the documents. "This is far less a proper common interest agreement than a sweeping cloak of secrecy," said Chris Horner, a lawyer who represents the Energy & Environment Legal Institute. The attorneys general, as previously reported, received guidance from well-known climate scientists and environmental lawyers before announcing the Exxon probe. Critics have called this a sign of meddling by special interests, though prosecutors' offices have made clear climate change is a top concern of voters. New York state's attorney's general office said confidentiality agreements are used often. "Entering into a common interest agreement is routine practice during a multistate investigation. These agreements preserve the confidentiality of non-public information shared among state law enforcement officials," the office told Reuters. Exxon, which has said that it has acknowledged the reality of climate change for years, has called subpoenas stemming from the inquiry unreasonable. It has also said it is being unfairly targeted by climate activists. The company, which supports a revenue-neutral carbon tax, declined to comment. A U.S. House of Representatives committee last month issued subpoenas to the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts over their investigations of whether Exxon misled investors on climate change risks. The two state officials said they would refuse to comply with the subpoenas, with one calling it "unconstitutional and unwarranted" interference. In a bid to try to force action on climate change, the state attorneys general said in March they would jointly investigate whether Exxon executives misled the public by contradicting research from company scientists that spelled out the threats of global warming. A pact was signed in May and included California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state and the U.S. Virgin Islands. But only a couple formal inquiries have started. In June, the Virgin Islands withdrew its subpoena after Exxon called it overly burdensome and raised questions about jurisdiction. (Reporting by Terry Wade; Editing by Leslie Adler) Anthony Tan Grab Uber's main rival in Southeast Asia is raising capital as it prepares for what could be the next ride-hailing battle. The Wall Street Journal reports that Singapore-based Grab plans to raise approximately $1 billion from investors, including China's Didi Chuxing. The company expects to complete $600 million of that fundraising this week, a source told The Journal. Now that Uber's prolonged battle with Didi has come to a close, the company is likely shifting its focus to other regions like Southeast Asia and India, where Grab and India's Ola are king. A report from Bloomberg claimed that Uber is said to be pouring more resources into Southeast Asia, redeploying 150 engineers from its China team to other markets like Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. Grab CEO Anthony Tan expects a fight between his company and Uber, writing in a company memo last week: "With the deal in China, we expect Uber to turn more attention and divert resources to our region. But we have seen that when the local champion stays true to their beliefs and strengths, they can prevail. We see this happening in China, and it will be the same here. Theyve lost once, and we will make them lose again." Grab is valued around $1.6 billion after completing its last funding round in August 2015. NOW WATCH: 'Pokemon Go' just released an update that fixes its most annoying problems More From Business Insider By Andrew MacAskill and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - In early October 2008, then Business Minister Shriti Vadera called a secret meeting of bankers and government officials on the top floor of Standard Chartered's City of London headquarters to address Britain's biggest peacetime crisis. The collapse of Lehman Brothers two weeks earlier the biggest bankruptcy in history had caused UK credit markets to seize up and pushed some of Britain's biggest high street lenders, including Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, to the brink of implosion. Vadera told the meeting that if they did not quickly come up with a bold plan the economy was on the verge of collapse, according to two people present at the gathering. The strategy she came up with is credited by some as driving then Prime Minister Gordon Brown's subsequent bank bailout plan, burnishing her credentials for her latest role - representing major banks as Britain negotiates to leave the European Union. "She was one of the most important people in the banks' rescue," said a person who spent months working on the bailout. "Throughout the whole process she made people do things that they didn't want to do: the banks, the Treasury, the Bank of England. She is a force of nature." Vadera, a former investment banker, is now chairwoman of Santander UK and is being called upon to protect the banks again, this time as chair of the new lobby. Britons' vote to leave the European Union spells years of uncertainty for the UK financial industry, which accounts for about 12 percent of economic output and is the biggest generator of taxes. It is an upheaval that threatens London's dominance of global finance. The group led by Oxford-educated Vadera will push the government to retain as much access to Europe's single market as possible as it renegotiates Britain's relationship with the other 27 members of the bloc. EU leaders have made clear market access is impossible unless a country also allows EU citizens the right to work in Britian, something the banks would welcome but which many of those who voted in June to leave the bloc reject. Story continues That puts an industry scorned by Britons since the financial crisis on a collision course with large swaths of the public who reject the EU partly because of fears about immigration. People who have worked with Vadera say her directness is part of her appeal, although her style can be abrasive. Two of them said former finance minister Alistair Darling once had her locked her out of a meeting during the financial crisis after she was rude to one of his officials. "She appears to believe that unless there is blood on the carpet, preferably that of her own colleagues, then she has not done her job," Darling said of her in his memoirs. Vadera declined to comment for this story. TASK FORCEHer supporters say she has what it takes to forge consensus between the new government, divided between eurosceptics and supporters of the EU, and the disparate views of Britain's financial sector of banks, insurers, brokers and asset managers. "This is something that needs both knowledge of Europe and government and has to be done with energy, with directness," HSBC Chairman Douglas Flint told Reuters in the first public comments by a member of the group. "We need to drive quickly what's really important and it takes leadership that combines both intellect and a bit of vigour." The task force comprises about a dozen top names from the financial district, including Royal Bank of Scotland Chairman Howard Davies, insurer Aviva's chairman Adrian Montague, Allianz Global Investors' vice chair Liz Corley, and Barclays chairman John McFarlane. From an office in London's Mayfair district, it will offer advice to the Treasury, as well the newly created ministries of the Department for Exiting the European Union and International Trade in their negotiations over leaving the EU. Some of its thinking is already emerging. This includes appealing to large companies in continental Europe to make the case for Britain's continued access to the single market, perhaps coupled with continuing to contribute to the EU budget after it has formally left the bloc. "There won't be a single view but we are making sure that everyone understands the key issues, what's important and what we are fighting for," Flint said. While Prime Minister Theresa May will be mindful of the tax revenue financial services generate, other industrial sectors will be vying for her attention as well. HERDING CATS? Vadera's reputation could work against her as well as in her favour. The same two people who worked with her said she was known as "Shriti the Shriek" by government officials for her ability to reduce junior staff to tears when she worked as a minister and protege of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. A friend said that while she can be difficult, some of her public portrayal comes with an element of misogyny. "She is strong minded and strong willed, but with men that is often seen as a virtue," the person said. Born in Uganda, she was brought up in India and Britain after the dictator Idi Amin expelled her family. Days before the referendum, Vadera wrote a column after lawmaker Jo Cox was killed about the benefits of EU membership. She said Britain's long history of internationalism is a source of its economic strength and was grateful that as a stateless child she could become a British citizen. "I love the Britain that can nurture immigrants like me and make them its own," Vadera said. Vadera's task force, whose full name is the Financial Services EU Task Force, won't have the field to itself. The Financial Services Negotiation Forum also aims to bend the government's ear in trade talks, styling itself more as a grassroots body led by City veterans that wants to give smaller financial firms in London and beyond a voice as well, which will inevitably mean differing priorities. An executive at one bank, who worked on the rescue of the British banks during bailout, said he was skeptical that even a task force backed by top lenders will have much success in a sector known for the aggressive pursuit of self-interest. "I don't think the task force will have much force or many tasks," he said. "Everyone will just pursue their own agenda." He did, though, say Vadera is the best person for the role. He remembers her berating the bank CEOs who didn't want to accept taxpayer money during the financial crash and urging officials from the Treasury to get on with the bailout. "She is the most organised, capable person I can think of for this job," he said. "She is a very hard woman to say no to." (Reporting By Andrew MacAskill and Huw Jones; editing by Philippa Fletcher) Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Britain's embattled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was accused Thursday of failing to provide a credible opposition to the government as he clashed with the man hoping to unseat him in the first debate of a bitter contest. Owen Smith, a former member of Corbyn's top team, accused the veteran socialist of "sloganising" rather than holding the Conservatives to account, and of failing to campaign hard enough to prevent a vote to leave the European Union. Corbyn hit back by accusing Smith and other Labour MPs who have rebelled against him in recent months of undermining their efforts to win the next election, telling his rival: "You walked away." Labour has been plunged into disarray since the Brexit vote on June 23, when lawmakers dissatisfied at Corbyn's leadership seized upon the turmoil that followed to demand that he step down. The 67-year-old refused, noting he was elected only last September on the back of strong grassroots and trade union support -- prompting his critics to back the relatively unknown Smith as an alternative. Corbyn has the support of many Labour members, and since February 2015 party membership has surged from 200,000 to 540,000. "People see in Corbyn a new form of politics, where people care for the poor and downtrodden," said Philip John Rosser, a 61-year-old former lecturer attending the hustings in Cardiff in Wales. But Smith has strong support among Labour MPs, who argue that Corbyn, a long-time anti-war and anti-nuclear campaigner, cannot beat Prime Minister Theresa May's centre-right Conservatives. In the debate, 46-year-old Smith repeatedly cited the latest opinion poll putting the Conservatives 14 points ahead, and another that found 29 percent of Labour voters would prefer May to Corbyn as premier. For some party members, his message is getting through. "I'd rather see Jeremy Corbyn but there's no point having him if he's not going to win," said Chris Jones, a 28-year-old civil engineer. Story continues - 'Brink of a precipice' - The battle for control of the party has exposed long-standing fault lines over Labour's core values, and led to fears that it could split, with Smith warning this week that it was "teetering on the brink of a precipice". Local party meetings have been suspended during the contest due to allegations of intimidation levelled against Corbyn's supporters. Loud boos, cheers and heckling characterised Thursday's meeting, the first of several debates ahead of a postal vote by members that will see the winner crowned on September 24. Smith promised to unite the party and said: "I see very clearly that we've not been what we need to be in recent months -- which is a powerful, credible opposition to the Tory party." Corbyn defended his record, saying: "When we work together we win." The Labour leader is backed by Momentum, a mass movement of party members who have turned out in their droves to support him at events around the country in recent days. "They say he's unelectable, and no one has faith in him any more but his rallies feel very different," said Ciera Holmes, a 24-year-old who works in private healthcare. "Even if he loses he's brought socialist and leftist politics into the forefront, and got so many people engaged, the movement will carry on.". - 'Anyone but Corbyn' - Both men have promised to strengthen workers' rights, tackle inequality and low wages, invest in infrastructure and nationalise the railways. But they clashed over Britain's nuclear deterrent, which Corbyn opposes, and whether Labour did enough to try to avert what Smith called the "unmitigated disaster" of Brexit. Smith repeated his promise to call a second referendum once the terms of Britain's exit from the EU were clear, but Corbyn would not back him. Jo Kelleher, a 53-year-old university lecturer, said she had supported Corbyn but was left "disillusioned" after the Brexit vote. She admitted to having little enthusiasm for Smith, a former lobbyist and radio producer who is barely known outside Westminster and his constituency in Wales. He is the "anyone but Corbyn candidate", she said, but added: "I think he's probably a bit more in touch with the electorate." Kuwait City (AFP) - The UN special envoy to Yemen said Thursday he plans to suspend peace talks between the country's warring parties at the weekend but that negotiations will resume later. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been mediating the talks between President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies in Kuwait since April 21, without a major breakthrough. "We plan to hold the final session (of the talks) on Saturday," the Mauritanian diplomat said in an interview on state-run Kuwait TV. "We are working on issuing a communique that will emphasise on the main points we have achieved." The talks would resume later, he said, without providing a specific date or the location but he added that they could return to Kuwait. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he offered delegates a peace plan a few days ago, and thanked the government for its positive response while adding that the rebels had some reservations. The envoy said all difficult issues were discussed and some achievements were made during the negotiations. "We wanted to have a sustainable and lasting peace agreement," said Ould Cheikh Ahmed who on Wednesday briefed the UN Security Council about the talks. The peace plan calls for the rebels to withdraw from territories they occupied in September 2014 including the capital Sanaa and hand over heavy weapons, said Ould Cheikh Ahmed. The government delegation which left Kuwait this week returned to the emirate late Thursday to attend the final session, its spokesman Mohammed al-Emrani told AFP. The rebels had insisted that first a national unity government must be formed and a new consensus president appointed to oversee the transition. Yemen, home to what the United States sees as Al-Qaeda's deadliest franchise, descended into chaos after the 2012 ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces are fighting alongside the Huthi rebels. Security deteriorated further after the Huthis swept into Sanaa and pushed south, forcing President Hadi's government to flee into exile in March last year. The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since then, when a Saudi-led Arab coalition launched a military campaign in support of Hadi. The United Nations said Thursday diplomats are working overtime to secure a humanitarian pause in the bloody fighting occurring in the Syrian city of Aleppo, and that a deal could emerge in the coming days. The world body has said that nearly 250,000 civilians are under siege in eastern Aleppo as rebels who control the area fend off Syrian, Russian, and Iranian-backed forces. We are in intensive discussions with the Russian Federation and the government of Syria to ensure that the civilian population in Aleppo is protected, U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy told journalists in Geneva. Experts said any breakthrough in the talks may be due to a cold calculation on the part of Moscow that if civilians are evacuated from the area, pro-Assad forces can ramp up their bombing campaign in Aleppo and takeover the entire city a strategic stronghold of the opposition. Assad would prefer for the rebels to leave and the Syrian army to occupy east Aleppo. But if the rebels will not leave and prefer to fight on, he will want the people out so he can bomb the city at will without lots of civilian casualties, said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. When asked if the U.S. believed that this was Moscows intention, a senior State Department official said, Its hard to know what their ultimate goal is. The official said the U.S. continues to be skeptical of Russias proposal last week to open three humanitarian corridors to allow civilians and rebels who drop their weapons to leave the area, and for deliveries of first aid and food. There [doesnt] need to be corridors. The U.N. should have full humanitarian access to all parts of Syria, said the official. For them to create this grand gesture of opening humanitarian corridors is in and of itself a contradiction to what theyve already agreed to. The official conceded that the plan could be to retake Aleppo, but he stressed that such a victory would be fleeting. Aleppo is a key city, I get it, but this thing aint gonna end if Aleppo is retaken. Story continues A European diplomat, meanwhile, noted that the bombing of Aleppo isnt just a humanitarian crisis, but a counterterrorism fiasco as well. Russias decision to besiege the city risks supercharging extremists, who are currently still in the minority among the Syrian opposition, he said. At the moment, the U.S. and Russia are in intensive discussions to prop up a deteriorated nationwide ceasefire that would unlock the entire solution, said Ramzy. Its unclear exactly where Moscows plan and the UNs plan differs, but U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said Thursday the Russian proposal is more limited, whereas the U.N. plan is much more comprehensive and would provide aid to the 250,000 civilians trapped in eastern Aleppo. We are ready to go as soon as we have the pause, and we have a two-way corridor with supplies going into the people in eastern Aleppo, but also western Aleppo, which has now become much more exposed to problems, and which has enormous access problems as well, he told reporters in Geneva. Nairobi (AFP) - The UN's top human rights official on Thursday blamed South Sudanese government troops for ethnically targeted killings and rapes committed in renewed fighting in the capital in early July and beyond. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said people of Nuer origin were specifically targeted by troops loyal to President Salva Kiir, who is from the Dinka ethnic group. Days of clashes that broke out on July 7 have led 60,000 South Sudanese to flee the country, mainly into neighbouring Uganda. More than 1.6 million people are displaced within the borders of the world's newest country, mostly as a result of previous fighting. Nearly 300 people have died in the latest bout of violence. A statement released by Hussein's office said that while crossfire during the worst of the fighting had killed people in the streets of the capital, Juba, some were targeted. "Others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," the statement said. On July 11, SPLA soldiers went house-to-house, taking away and shooting eight Nuer civilians, the rights chief's office said, adding that they had also killed a Nuer journalist. The epidemic of sexual violence that has plagued three years of on-off fighting in South Sudan also had an ethnic dimension when soldiers carried out rapes in and outside Juba. Of 217 cases of sexual violence in Juba recorded by the UN between July 8 and 25, "those most affected were displaced Nuer women and girls and those responsible seem to have been mostly SPLA," Zeid said. - UN peacekeepers criticised - A 13,500-strong UN peacekeeping force -- known as UNMISS -- has faced criticism for failing to stem the latest bloodshed or fully protect civilians during the fighting. The force command is investigating allegations that peacekeepers at a base in Juba stood by and did nothing as a woman screamed for help during an assault by two soldiers near the base's gate. Story continues The commissioner addressed this, urging "strong action in those instances where UN military personnel defaulted over their duty to protect civilians." Although the government has established a court aimed at trying SPLA soldiers who commit right abuses, "the violations continue unabated", the commissioner said, along with the forcible recruitment of boys and men. The main fallout from the crisis is now humanitarian. An AFP journalist who interviewed people internally displaced by the fighting this week found that many were arriving at an overwhelmed UN camp in the northwestern town of Wau with children who were malnourished after a poor harvest year. "We are unable to admit children with moderate malnutrition and so we are only taking the very sick children that also have medical complications," a Medicins sans Frontieres doctor told AFP. "The only option is to be here and that is the reason why we are here: because we have nothing," said Mary John, who found her home looted bare and fled for her life. The unexpected reason why youre so tired The unexpected reason why youre so tired When youre exhausted AF, the only thing that sounds enticing is getting in bed and sleeping as long as your body will let you. However, staying in bed too long might hinder your ability to catch all the zzzs. A new study from Penn Medicine shows that less time in bed might actually help you get a better nights sleep. So instead of tossing and turning, or scrolling your way through your Instagram feed, it might actually make more sense to get out from under the covers for a bit. It sounds counterintuitive, but its true. giphy To sleep well, you gotta get up. The results of the study were presented at SLEEP 2016, which is the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. The researchers found that what may prevent 70-80% of individuals with new onset insomnia (acute insomnia) from developing chronic insomnia is a natural tendency to self-restrict time in bed. So if you find yourself lying in bed trying to get to sleep, or get back to sleep, the best thing to do is just get up. giphy (3) Only sleep at night. Michael Perlis, PhD, Associate Professor in Psychiatry and director of the Penn Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, stated that people with insomnia try to combat their sleep issues by extending their sleep opportunity. He went on to say, They go to bed early, get out of bed late, and they nap. While this seems a reasonable thing to do, and may well be in the short term, the problem in the longer term is it creates a mismatch between the individuals current sleep ability and their current sleep opportunity; this fuels insomnia. giphy (4) So while we all wish naptime was a scheduled break for adults like it is for kids it might not be the best idea after all. Resist the urge to snooze when you cant sleep, and then hit the sack only when your eyes are ready to close. The post The unexpected reason why youre so tired appeared first on HelloGiggles. ISIS It's becoming clear that ISIS is losing the battle on the home front. In fact, it's not only losing out on a huge source of revenue from oil smuggling, but major campaigns by coalition forces are underway to root out its remaining bastions in Iraq and Syria. Although this may be cause for celebration, US officials are more concerned with what comes afterward. "At some point there is going to be a terrorist diaspora," said FBI Director James B. Comey at a cybersecurity conference. "Not all of the Islamic State killers are going to die on the battlefield." This supposed migration of militants lends itself to some credence in light of a recent report by Harry Sarfo, a detained Islamic State recruit. An ISIS official claimed "that they have loads of people living in European countries and waiting for commands to attack the European people," Sarfo said from a maximum-security prison in northern Germany. "And that was before the Brussels attacks, before the Paris attacks." According to US officials, however, it's not only the West that should brace for ISIS's relocation. Defense News reports that, in a recent speech, US Pacific Command's commander, Adm. Harry Harris, expressed concern for an often overlooked region of the world. "Regrettably, I believe that ISIL is also trying to rebalance to the Indo-Asia-Pacific," Harris said. This statement comes on the heels of recent terrorist attacks in Asian countries with large Muslim populations, such as Bangladesh. One of these attacks, a 10-hour siege in an upscale restaurant, ended tragically when 20 out of the 35 hostages, many of them foreigners, were killed in the beginning of July. US military Philippines "As their revenue and territory shrinks in Syria and Iraq, you could see a wave of fighters going back to the Philippines and Indonesia," claims Thomas Sanderson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "That can be greatly destabilizing to governments." Story continues Even more worrisome is the fact that existing Islamic militant groups in the region, such as the Philippines' Abu Sayyaf, have pledged their loyalty to ISIS, even going so far as to state on Twitter that if a potential recruit was unable to travel to Syria, then they should "join the mujahedeen in the Philippines." In order to combat this growing threat, analysts offer a crucial element for its solution: a multinational effort led by the US. "The US has a huge role in preventing this because it is the lead element in the global struggle against terrorism," Sanderson told Defense News. US Marine and Philippine soldier training Although the US has had a military presence in Southeast Asia, such as the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), it was officially deactivated last year after 13 years of service. This element of up to 600 US Navy SEALs, US Marine Corps and US Army operators had the traditional special-forces role of training Philippine commandos to combat terrorist elements in the region, such as Abu Sayyaf. But even without the presence of an autonomous task force such as JSOTF-P, Harris still believes that there's hope for the region. "To halt the Islamic State's cancerous spread in Asia, we can't work alone. We must work together," he outlined in his speech. "Thankfully, Japan and many other like-minded nations have joined the counter-ISIL coalition. Together, we can and will eradicate this disease." NOW WATCH: GREEN BERET: Why our strategy against terrorism is making things worse More From Business Insider Washington (AFP) - The head of the US Air Force on Thursday said she would be "concerned" if President Barack Obama were to formally declare a "no-first-use" policy for America's arsenal of nuclear weapons. US media reports have in recent weeks said Obama is weighing an overhaul of long-standing nuclear policy, including by pledging to never conduct the first strike in a nuclear conflict. "I would be concerned about such a policy," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told the New America think tank in Washington. "Having a certain degree of ambiguity is not necessarily a bad thing. You certainly want to communicate certain things to allies and to your potential adversaries around the world, but you don't necessarily want to show all your cards all the time." The US Air Force is responsible for two legs of America's nuclear defense "triad" -- a three-pronged nuclear system comprising long-range bombers, ground-launched missiles and submarines. The Washington Post last month reported that Obama, who has espoused a world free of nuclear weapons, is weighing a range of measures that he could implement before leaving office early next year. Among these measures are funding cuts to modernize America's nuclear arsenal, and canceling or delaying development of the Long-Range Stand-Off nuclear cruise missile, the Post reported. America's nuclear policy has been the subject of increased public discussion following a number of contentious comments by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. According to MSNBC presenter Joe Scarborough, citing an anonymous source, Trump repeatedly asked a foreign policy expert "why can't we use" nuclear weapons. He also has suggested providing nuclear weapons to Japan and South Korea and has refused to rule out the use of atomic bombs in Europe. On a separate matter, James reacted to this week's news that an initial squadron of Air Force F-35 jets is finally ready for combat. Story continues At nearly $400 billion for a total of 2,443 aircraft, the most expensive plane in history has been beset by delays, technical problems and cost overruns. "It has taken too long, there were too many schedule slips and of course it's gone over budget, and that's the part (of the plane's history) I would like to rewrite," James said. But "the thing I am bullish about is it's exactly the type of aircraft we need for some of these high-end threats around the world that we believe are going to be the key threats of the future." Sirte (Libya) (AFP) - Crouched behind a cement wall to avoid sniper fire, Libyan pro-government fighters say US air strikes on the Islamic State jihadist group in its Sirte bastion have boosted morale. Fighters allied to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) have waged a fierce weeks-long battle to retake the coastal city of Sirte from the jihadists. "The US intervention is very good. The air strikes are very good and have targeted sensitive Daesh (IS) positions," Mohamad al-Ahjal told AFP on Thursday as he took cover in the courtyard of an abandoned house. "We hope they will intensify the air strikes in the coming days for us to make progress on the battlefield," said Ahjal, wearing a cowboy hat and a military jacket over a black sleeveless shirt. Ahjal and nine other fighters from the pro-government "Hawks of Misrata" unit lay low in the courtyard of the house, less than 250 metres (yards) from the nearest IS position. They were waiting for the return of comrades from the frontlines to take over and jump back into the fray. "Our morale has been lifted, especially after the last raids carried out by our American friends," said Khaled al-Ghosh, another fighter. "They were excellent hits. Victory will be close if there are more such hits," he added. The United States opened a new front in its campaign against IS on Monday by launching air strikes on jihadists holed up in the centre of Sirte, at the request of the UN-backed government. The loss of Sirte would be a major blow to the jihadist group, which has faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq, where a US-led coalition and local forces are battling IS. - 'Very, very heavy casualties' - US warplanes carried out seven strikes against IS positions in Sirte on Monday and Tuesday. Libya pro-GNA forces launched the campaign to retake Sirte in May. Since then, more than 300 pro-government forces have been killed and 1,500 wounded, according to medical sources. Story continues In June, pro-government forces entered the city but their progress has been slow as IS hit back with sniper fire, suicide attacks and car bombings. "We asked for US support to limit our losses," after suffering "very, very heavy" casualties, a spokesman for the GNA forces, General Mohamad Ghassri, told AFP. "We have had more than 100 amputations, numerous clinical deaths and gravely wounded," Ghassri said. On a beach west of Sirte, three pro-GNA forces manned an observation point not far from an IS position. One was standing near a makeshift tent built with a carpet strung over a wooden stick, while inside two other fighters sheltered from the scorching heat. One of them peered through binoculars and the other, gripping a machine gun, stared ahead, his gaze locked on an IS position. - Blood can save a life - On the western outskirts of Sirte, pro-GNA forces have set up a field hospital for the wounded, who are then transferred to the city of Misrata, where they have their command centre. The field hospital has set up a special Facebook page to post pictures of pro-GNA casualties, as well as advice for fighters to wear flak jackets and helmets. It also appeals for blood donations, telling fellow Libyans: "Your blood can save a life." Further west in the capital Tripoli, road signs have been erected urging donations of money to help the campaign against "terrorism". "The US raids are intensifying the (anti-IS) campaign, but on the ground the fighters are the ones who will achieve victory," said a member of Sirte city council, now based in Misrata. "The bodies of IS jihadists are littering the streets of Sirte," he said. "We are impatient to go back to Sirte and clean up our city." Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama said Thursday the United States would keep targeting the Islamic State group "aggressively across every front." Speaking to reporters after meeting with security and military officials, the president acknowledged that pressure against the group had prompted the jihadists to increase attacks outside Syria and Iraq, such as in the United States, France and Turkey. "As we have seen, it is difficult to prevent small cells of terrorists willing to kill the innocent and (who) are willing to die. We will keep going after them aggressively across every front of this campaign," he said at a Pentagon news briefing. Tripoli (AFP) - The United States has opened a new front in its campaign against the Islamic State group, launching air strikes to support Libyan forces battling to oust the jihadists from Sirte. But the strikes risk exacerbating Libya's deep political divides. Who's fighting IS in Sirte? The forces battling IS in Sirte, halfway along Libya's coastline, are allied with the country's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Their command centre is in Misrata, 190 kilometres (120 miles) to the northwest. They include former Libyan army units and factions from across western Libya, notably the powerful Misrata militias. Formed during the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the Misrata militias are a key force in Libya, armed with tanks, MiG fighter jets and attack helicopters. Forces allied with a rival government in Libya's far east, which does not recognise the GNA's legitimacy, are not taking part in the Sirte operation. How are US strikes helping GNA forces? After a month of advances against IS in the surrounding desert, GNA forces entered Sirte on June 9. Their progress slowed as IS hit back with car bombs, snipers and booby traps. GNA forces have lost 300 fighters since the start of the operation. "There are targets that are hard to hit because they are among the houses," said Rida Issa, the GNA forces' spokesman. "American air strikes, which are very accurate, will help to destroy those targets," he added. But whether that will shift the balance in the GNA's favour is an open question. "It's not a game changer yet -- it'll be interesting if they keep it up," said Patrick Skinner, a Libya expert with the US-based Soufan Group consultancy. Why work together? Supporting pro-GNA militias, the only forces directly fighting IS in its Libyan "emirate", was a natural move for Washington, said Mattia Toaldo, a Libya expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Story continues From the militias' perspective, working with the US allows them to benefit from the Pentagon's wealth of experience fighting the group in Iraq and Syria. But there are also political reasons for Misrata forces to seek American support. Skinner said the operation could benefit the GNA in the long term by creating channels for liaison with the Pentagon. That could strengthen the GNA's position vis-a-vis its eastern rival. The strikes came days after it emerged that French special forces were working with eastern forces, in what the GNA criticised as a "violation" of the nation's sovereignty. For Misrata militias, working with the US may be a way of "showing other Libyans, particularly those in the east, that they have good relations with outside powers, too," said Toaldo. What political fallout? American strikes in Sirte may accelerate the taking of the city, but could complicate the struggle between Libya's rival governments. The eastern government on Wednesday condemned the American strikes. Ahmad al-Mismari, spokesman for the eastern forces led by General Khalifa Haftar, said they were a "political attempt by (GNA head Fayez al-) Sarraj to achieve political gains". "Sirte has become a political playing card with a major role in the American elections," he said. Toaldo said statements from the authorities in the east showed that officials there were "very nervous". The anti-ISIS fight has always been their main point of attraction in Western capitals," he said, using an alternative acronym for IS. Is Libya a new front in the global fight against IS? It is not clear whether other members of the American-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria will join the battle for Sirte. But US President Barack Obama has said he believes making sure the GNA can "finish the job" serves America's national security. "We're working in partnership with them to assure that IS does not get a stronghold in Libya, even as Libya begins what is going to be a long process to establish a functioning government and security system," he said on Tuesday. A Pentagon spokesman said the strikes would last weeks rather than months. But it is too early to say how long the campaign will go on, said Toaldo. "How many targets for air strikes can there be in 20 square kilometres controlled by ISIS in Sirte?" Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman kicked off his quarterly earnings conference call with analysts sounding confident about his battle with controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone and his efforts to sell a 49% stake in Paramount. He cites last weeks decisions at the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court and Delawares Chancery Court to proceed with cases to protect his power to help govern Redstones media empire. Redstone has tried to oust Dauman from three bodies including Viacoms board. As for negotiations for Paramount, Dauman says the court decisions will create a better environment that will allow us to progress with several parties toward a highly beneficial transaction to present to our board. Redstone and his daughter, Vice Chair Shari Redstone, oppose Daumans effort. Dauman and Viacom allege that Redstone, 93, is not competent to run his media empire and is being manipulated by Shari. The Redstones reject the charges, and say that Sumner is still calling the shots. Heres what Dauman said about the overall situation: Since our last call we have been subject to controversy relating to governance which has obviously created an overhang for our company. Last week, courts in Massachusetts and Delaware rejected motions to dismiss, allowing discovery to proceed and scheduled trials to take place in October. We view these favorable court rulings as positive steps that move us ahead to a resolution. In light of the litigation, we wont be able to comment further on this topic on todays call. Dauman did add, though, that the dispute is somewhat of a distraction. The biggest impact is on the ability to move forward rapidly on the Paramount deal where he had an agreement about a month ago. Still, his efforts continue. He adds that he sees any difficulties we face as a challenge that we will overcome.In the scope of time it will be viewed as temporary. Story continues Viacom assured analysts that it still has plenty of cash without income from a sale. We can easily pay our debt out of our free cash flows and our continued availability in the credit market, COO Tom Dooley says. I dont see any issue there whatsoever. Following the disappointing performance of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Paramount has had a rough go, Dauman says. Viacom anticipates an operating loss at the studio in the current quarter, and for this fiscal year. But the CEO says he expects the studios fortunes to turnParamount will see better days ahead. At the media networks, the company says it finished the upfront ad sales market with mid to high single digit percentage increases for the prices it charges for each 1,000 viewers. But it expects a little worse performance in ad sales this quarter due to the Olympics. Distribution revenues will depend on whether the company can complete a deal with an unnamed subscription VOD provider. That could determine whether sales for this fiscal year fall by a low or high single digit percentage. Dauman said he didnt want to go into specifics about the fruitful discussions hes having that very well may be done in this quarter. He notes that some of the big so-called traditional distributors are looking at non-traditional, virtual [pay TV] products. We have new distributors such as HuluWe have to look carefully at the interrelationship of those kinds of discussions with the licensing of shows on SVOD. Dauman disputes a widespread belief that Viacom which has several low-rated networks could suffer as pay TV and digital distributors assemble so-called skinny bundles of channels that focus on must-have services. Our top six networks account for close to 85% of our affiliate revenue and our top eight networks account for close to 95%, he says. Related stories National Amusements Says Viacom Plans Don't Change "Adverse Trends" Viacom Beats Estimates For June Quarter Weighed By 'Turtles' Underperformance Court Ruling Scuttled Viacom Settlement Talks With National Amusements: Report Victoria's Secret faux pas photo Victoria's Secrets customers are confused by a recent photo on the company's Facebook and Instagram pages. They're claiming it was poorly photoshopped, pointing to the model on the left's very thin arm and the random elbow sticking out on the side on the right side of the photo. "The Photoshopping on the arm of the girl on the left is concerning," one commenter wrote. "And her pupils have been edited. And the girl on the right has had part of her shoulder removed. Did anyone actually look at this photo before it was published?" (Other commenters have said the shoulder of the model on the right is just hard to make out from the lighting.) "Beautiful but the one arm doesn't look right?" one commenter wrote. "Yeah my first thought was wow what is wrong with that arm," another responded. "Photoshop ... LOL everytime!" another wrote. "Look at the random elbow on the right side of the photo," another wrote. victorias secret valentines "You can tell that the arms are [photoshopped]" one person wrote in a comment on Instagram. Should the commenters be right, it would be yet another photo-editing transgression for the famously sexy brand. The company has been guilty of numerous airbrushing gaffes from missing arms to lost chunks of someone's waist to a mysteriously absent body part. While these errors can provide comic relief for the internet, they also elucidate problems with excessive photo editing. In March, some of the photos on the Victoria's Secret Facebook page looked noticeably less photoshopped than preceding images, which suggested that the company was appealing to consumers' demands for more realistic imagery. Companies like American Eagle's lingerie brand, Aerie, have completely foregone using Photoshop, suggesting that women do not need to be retouched, and that they're naturally beautiful. Oddly enough, a Victoria's Secret photo editor recently told Refinery 29 that the company often makes models look curvier. Story continues "Models are thinner than you actually think they are, and we retouch them to look rounder," she said. NOW WATCH: How $98 Lululemon yoga pants compare to cheaper alternatives More From Business Insider (Reuters) - A jury convicted a former Portsmouth, Virginia, police officer of voluntary manslaughter on Thursday for the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager last year, a court spokeswoman said. The ex-officer, Stephen Rankin, 36, had been charged with shooting William Chapman II, 18, in April 2015 while investigating a shoplifting report at a Walmart. Rankin, who faces up to 10 years in prison, was fired by the police department after his grand jury indictment. The conviction in Portsmouth Circuit Court comes amid a roiling U.S. debate over police use of deadly force, especially against African-Americans. Prosecutors had charged Rankin, who is white, with first-degree murder and a weapons violation. The jury comprising eight African-Americans and four whites found him guilty of the lesser manslaughter charge, the spokeswoman said. Prosecutors argued that Rankin killed Chapman in what had amounted to little more than a fist fight in a Walmart parking lot in Portsmouth, about 175 miles south of Washington. Rankin testified that Chapman repeatedly ignored his commands and when he tried to handcuff him he attempted to escape. He said Chapman knocked a Taser out of his hands and charged at him before he fired. Chapman was shot once in the face and in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler) (Adds details on how the system allocates hours, early problems, comments from worker) By Nandita Bose CHICAGO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc has implemented a new system for scheduling workers at 650 U.S. stores, company sources and store workers said, as it aims to improve staffing levels during peak shopping times and offer more certainty over hours for employees. The world's largest retailer has acknowledged in the past that customer service needed to improve as it was hurting sales growth. Wal-Mart is investing $2.7 billion on pay and benefits and has led major retailers in raising minimum wages to $10 per hour. The new system, called Customer First Scheduling, was launched in all of Wal-Mart's 650 small-format Neighborhood Markets at the end of July. The electronic system is able to prioritize scheduling for peak shopping hours by taking into account foot traffic and sales data from every department in each store. Staff are then allocated to the remaining shifts in order of importance. A Wal-Mart official familiar with the matter who did not wish to be identified said the company is re-allocating hours in stores to specific times and specific departments based on when customers are shopping. "More hours are also available during times when the store needs to complete work to prepare for high customer traffic," he said. Wal-Mart began last year to try and improve customer service with faster checkouts and better-stocked shelves. The new system also aims to give employees more certainty over shifts and should cut down on requests for employees to work at short notice, a senior Wal-Mart official who did not wish to be named said. Labor activists, unions and politicians have been pushing retailers, including Wal-Mart, to offer more predictable hours for workers. The system allows some workers to have a fixed schedule with the same hours and days for up to six months. Those with unfixed schedules will only be slotted when they say they are available and will not be expected to be available on short notice. Story continues The new system is ostensibly designed to increase workforce retention, but it was not immediately clear how workers can get overtime hours, an important component of low-paying retail jobs. Fears of a cut in overtime pay led to worker protests across three cities in China last month when Wal-Mart launched a new but different scheduling system for that market. Electronic schedules generated by the new U.S. system, which Wal-Mart developed with workforce software company Red Prairie, have thrown up some early problems. "Some days it will schedule one person on the entire front end from 7-11 a.m. and other days it just won't schedule at all until 1 p.m.," said a store worker who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I didn't have a single cashier come in one day until mid-morning," the worker said. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Chicago; Editing by Leslie Adler) "Five years after Access Industries' acquisition of Warner Music Group, the company is growing revenue, OIBDA and market share," Stephen Cooper, Warner Music Group's CEO says of the company's third quarter earnings report, released this morning. "Our results underscore this momentum, driven by exceptional music from our artists and songwriters, our expanded global reach and strong leadership from our team around the world. With our recorded music streaming revenue now approaching double the size of our download revenue, and still growing fast, we are on course for another excellent year." During a conference call with Wall Street, Cooper added that the revenue results during the quarter represented "our largest third-quarter revenue since Access' ownership began." The company posted a $9 million loss on revenues of $811 million for the quarter ended June 30, a vast improvement over the $44 million loss it reported in the corresponding quarter last year, when revenues totaled $710 million. This represents a 14 percent growth in revenue, which it attributed to increases in digital and physical revenue, artist services and expanded rights. Operating income before depreciation and amortization, interest and taxes (OIBDA) totaled $120 million, a 20 percent increase over the $100 million the company produced in the quarter ended June 30, 2015. 'Music Isn't a Commodity': Warner Music CEO Stephen Cooper on That Streaming Milestone, the 'Value Grab' Warner Music's recorded music arm accounted for $680 million, 83 percent of total revenues, with digital making up 51.2 percent, $348 million of the total. Record label operations posted $64 million in OIBDA, up 48.8 percent from the $43 million it recorded in the corresponding year-earlier period. Major sellers over the quarter included Renaud, Twenty One Pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Coldplay. Digital recorded revenues grew 21.3 percent and made up 47 percent of overall revenue. While Warner doesn't break out download and streaming numbers, Billboard estimates that streaming totaled roughly $230 million and downloads produced about $115 million during the quarter. Story continues "Since Q3 2011, we've grown our recorded music revenue at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 5 percent, and our OIBDA at a CAGR of 9 percent," Cooper told analysts this morning. "Meanwhile, for calendar year 2011 through 2015, the recorded music industry stayed relatively flat at a CAGR of 0.1 percent a very positive [sign] that we have been outpacing the industry." Warner has made a habit out of speculative tech investments (like MQA) and unique partnerships in search of new revenue streams. Cooper says the company continues to experiment with video, licensing its music for the lip synch app Musical.ly, and striking a deal with Vevo, signed this week after years and back and forth. "We're also exploring new digital experiences such as Virtual and Augmented Reality, having recently signed a deal with effects company Digital Domain to create concert packages for fans in Greater China" he added. Moreover, he pointed to Nielsen Music market share data that shows Warner Music Group has grown its U.S. market share to 21.86 percent, up from 19.11 percent. That growth is "more than any other major," Cooper said during the conference call. "Other countries show a similar story including the UK, where we've moved up to the No. 2 spot in artist album share, and Germany, where our year-to-date album market share is at an all-time high." Music publishing revenue grew to $134 million, up from $123 million, a nearly 9 percent increase. By segment, that breaks down as such: performance licensing, $138 million (36.6 percent); digital, $94 million (24.9 percent); mechanical, $56 million (14.9 percent); synchs, $82 million (21.8 percent); and other, $7 million (1.9 percent). Through this year, ending June 30, WMG posted net income of $29 million on revenue of $2.405 billion, an improvement on the $68 million loss it reported in the first three quarters of 2015. Outside the U.S., recorded music generated $1.21 billion and publishing $213 million (after inter-segment business is eliminated). The company pointed out that revenue grew in the U.S. Europe, Asia and Latin America. "Our third-quarter results were strong across the globe, in both established and emerging markets, but we saw especially bright spots in emerging territories such as Russia and Latin America, where our operators grew revenue by 40 percent," Cooper added during the conference call. Warner Music Group Revenue Up Big, Streaming Hits Milestone Total debt came in a $2.91 billion, thought the company reported a cash balance of $345 million. Shareholder equity stood at $232 million at the end of the quarter. On July 1, the company redeemed $100 million of its 13.75 percent notes, using cash. With that redemption, "we have continued to make strides optimizing our capital structure, paying down $175 million in debt so far this year and successfully refinancing a portion of our term loan," WMG CFO Eric Levin said in a statement. Ameesha Patel is one of those Bollywood actresses who has taken the production route. While her film Desi Magic is yet to make it to the big screen, Ameesha met with the media on the sets of her movie Bhaiyyaji Superhit! Apparently, the presscon, which was getting too noisy for Ameeshas liking, got the actress all worked up. Perturbed by all the racket, the actress snapped at the photogs and screamed Silence!. The media persons apologized and asked her to continue. She then began to talk about her super hit film Gadar saying, I am so proud that Gadar has been the biggest hit of Hindi cinema She then stopped talking abruptly and said, aap ijazat do toh (if you could let me speak). Recommended: Milind Somans 76-year-old Mom Joins Him as He Continues the 'Great Indian Run When asked why there is such a big gap between her previous appearance (Race 2 in 2013) and the next one Ameesha snapped saying, If you were intelligent, you would know that I started a production house and it takes a lot of time and effort to get it running. Well, all in all, it was not one of Ameeshas best days and it seemed like the noisy presscon was not helping. What do you think of that? You need to watch Aziz Ansari hilariously use a rap beef analogy to describe Trumps latest offense You need to watch Aziz Ansari hilariously use a rap beef analogy to describe Trumps latest offense By now, you should be familiar with actual Presidential candidate Donald Trumps latest horrific behavior. Khizr and Ghazala Khan, a Muslim family, appeared at the Democratic National Convention to speak of their son, U.S. Army Capt. Human Khan, who was killed during combat. Ghazala Khan did not speak during the speech, overcome with emotion but Trump decided to jump at any opportunity for Islamophobia and stated that Ghazala was probably not allowed to speak due to the rules of her Muslim faith. Khan Family YEAH. Ghazala has since published a moving Op-Ed responding to Trumps racist claims, and Muslim women across social media have clapped back with the important #CanYouHearUsNow hashtag. And now, Aziz Ansari has also spoken out against Donald Trump but in the way that only Aziz Ansari can. Specifically, through a Drake vs. Meek Mill analogy. @champagnepapi destroying Meek Mill at the #OVOFest with some #dankmemes #drakemeekmillbeef A video posted by vijay vadgama (@producerbeast) on Aug 4, 2015 at 12:41am PDT You definitely remember when that happened. In his recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Ansari succinctly described this election with that orange-faced monster (yall know thats Trump) as WW Wrestling-esque, complete with feuds. And thats when Ansari brought up the amazingly strong Khan family. My God, theyre destroying him, he said of the Khans ability to completely crush all of Trumps Islamophobic rants. Ansari then dropped the analogy, describing the Khans as the Drake to Donald Trumps Meek Mill. Drake OH DAMNNN!!!!!!!! Ansari continued, referencing Khizr Khans retort to Trump You have a black soul, calling it the coldest sh*t Ive ever heard. Khizr Khan Ansari added, I heard that was gonna be a line in Tupacs Hit Em Up, but he was like, Nah, nah, too mean, we cant go there.' As demonstrated by such current events, these are definitely not the greatest times so thanks for making it a little bit better with your comedy, Aziz. The post You need to watch Aziz Ansari hilariously use a rap beef analogy to describe Trumps latest offense appeared first on HelloGiggles. This new website is like an Amazon for women of color and its awesome This new website is like an Amazon for women of color and its awesome When whiteness is so often seen as the norm, and every other body type is a deviation from this accepted standard, something as simple as finding nude tights that match your skin is a part of ones daily struggle. This was the case for Tayo Ade, who was preparing for a Samba dance performance and couldnt find tights in a color that were made for her skin. When she was told by her teacher to just wear beige tights, she became so frustrated that she quit the performance. Based on her own experience, and those of her daughter who once asked her if straight European hair is better than her natural Afro, Ade was motivated to do her part to fix the problem of unequal representation with her new website, Fleshtone.net. The website offers a sea of products for people of color. Tayo scours the web for anything from construction paper to bandaids that come in skintones other than white. fleshtone1 She hopes the new site will become an Amazon of sorts for people of color, providing people with a directory of products they might not be able to find otherwise. As the site grows, she hopes to build a community of people who are passionate about diversity. I always wanted a resource for the full spectrum of products that relate to darker flesh tones and there wasnt oneso I made one, she said in a recent interview. fleshtone2 It is so exciting to see how much time and effort she is putting into her project, which is so, so important for people of color everywhere. It takes quite a long time to search the internet and try to look for what people have said about them. So, having one place to really build a community and find out what people are saying is really important, she says. I am a role model for my kind and representation really does matter. The post This new website is like an Amazon for women of color and its awesome appeared first on HelloGiggles. It comes before picking a single, shooting a video or plugging in for your first show. Unless you're using a real one like Beyonce or Justin Bieber, it's the most important first decision any artist can make: picking the perfect name. After more than half a century of rock and pop acts grabbing all the good ones (and plenty of really bad ones), it's also increasingly harder to find something that has the right stickiness without being too similar to draw legal attention. Especially one that will work (and be available) as a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram handle, but which also stands out in a Spotify playlist (or if you're old school, on a CD label). That might help explain the suddenly scarce vowel. The absence of A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y's is increasingly noticeable these days. Check out this list of bands who've gone spelling rogue over the past few years: LNDN DRGS, MNEK, BTS, KSHMR, TTS, HXLT, JMSN, DVSN, SWMRS and the truly inscrutable RKCB. "I look at the younger generation that have been 'electronic' for the majority of their formative years and this is how they speak -- emoticons, leaving out vowels, shortened words -- there's this new language where when you're thinking of a name it's about being really distinctive," explained Brannon Cashion, global president at the brand strategy consultancy Addison Whitney, which helps clients such as Nike, Microsoft and Sony with verbal and visual branding. From brands that shorten their names or use letters that don't go together to make names more easily trademarked, Cashion said the trend has spread across the business world and into pop culture. "In the short term, the challenge I tell clients is that the name might be less intuitive from a pronunciation point and in the short term it might be harder to find, but in the long term the ownability of it is higher." There's actually a name for it -- disemvoweling -- and a few years ago Wired wrote an obituary for the letter "e," in light of how many technology companies had decided to drop the most frequently used letter in the English alphabet. Story continues "I wish it was more thought out than it was, but we wrote together at my place and after we wrote the first song I named the session file on my computer and I did it using my initials and his initials," explained Casey Barth, 24, of RKCB, the duo he formed in 2014 with Riley Knapp, 23, whose name has no logical pronunciation. After that co-writing session for the song "Comatose," the pair put it on Soundcloud with the four-initial word soup, and after the Hillydilly blog picked it up they just stuck with it. "We would meet with labels and they would ask, 'are you set on your name?'," Knapp said. "And now it's so oversaturated with everyone doing this same thing where it's just initials or letters... My roommate even has a jokey side project called VWLS. It's unbelievable." Just like web-based businesses that grab your eye with cleverly misspelled monikers (Flickr, Srsly, Pixlr, Timr), bands from Joe Jonas' high-profile DNCE and the Weeknd to up-and-coming acts like Canadian electronic duo DVBBS, Mexican rapper MLKMN, Florida's lo-fi XXYYXX, Canadian garage pop band JPNSGRLS and Norwegian producer CLMD get attention by forcing you to figure out what their all-cap handles (always with the all-cap) mean. And sometimes, as we've just learned, they don't mean anything. Just ask SHXCXCHCXSH, who've just released a new album called (we're not joking): SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs. "It's happening for two main reasons," said Jesse Kirshbaum of the Nue Agency, which connects brands and tech companies through music. Kirshbaum -- who used to be a booking agent for everyone from Big Sean to Capital Cities -- said part of it started with tech companies that couldn't get the traditional spellings of their names for their websites and chose to abbreviate to avoid a legal hassle. "It became a thing for companies not to spell out their full names," he said of such now well-known businesses as Tumblr. "But for musicians a lot of the culture started to find that an interesting play - it looked cool, but it's also a logistical thing. If you're a band trying to buy that website name and it's common, it's very hard. So it's a lot easier to buy a website with no vowels than to buy the straight up word." Barth said RKCB didn't explain themselves at first and slowly some blogs began to figure out the initial-only play, even as early on they faced regular competition for eyeballs from a technical computer language and a card move in bridge with the same four-letter combo. "So, for the first six months we were fending off a lot of tech blogs," he said. "At a certain point you have to wonder if people are just looking in the Scrabble dictionary [for band names]." He's also noticed an upside in the fact that sometimes the band is able to create intrigue with just its name, at which point "you've gotten over the first hurdle" of getting someone's attention. A simpler answer, according to Knapp, though, is that it's just damn hard to find an original name anymore. "You can create anything and put it online, but getting the domain name is just one thing," he said. "Everyone is a Soundcloud artist now and you have more than one artist on there with very similar names, sometimes three or four." Luckily for Jordan Kurland, owner and founder of Zeitgeist Management, the majority of his somewhat more traditionally named bands (Best Coast, New Pornographers, Bob Mould, Death Cab For Cutie) have opted out of the trend. "I don't know why they hate vowels so much these days but I feel like there are certain periods of time where... like there were a bunch of bands with 'wolf' in there name recently," he said of the wolf gang that has included everyone from Wulf, Yelawolf, Wolf Spider and Wolf Parade to Wolfmother and Reignwolf, among others. He cited MSTRKRFT (which is actually pronounced "Mystery Craft," not, as you might have thought, "Master Craft"), BLK JKS and MGMT as a few of the bands that helped kick off the avalanche of vowel-less names in the early 2000s. He joked that if a band named THNDR came to him looking for representation he wouldn't turn them down if he loved the music just because of daft spelling. "But THNDR is a terrible name. This is a phase and it won't go on forever, but we're in a world where it's more visual and Twitter and Instagram handles are a bigger consideration than how it will look on a t-shirt or album cover." When working with new bands hoping to make an impact, Mute America Project Manager/VP of Marketing Nicole Blonder counsels simplicity over the cleverness of text-speak. "One of the main drawbacks it is creates confusion over how to pronounce your name and if you can't pronounce it or it's not short for anything it comes off as gimmicky," said Blonder, whose roster includes such inscrutably named acts as Fever Ray, M83 (a tribute to the "pinwheel" galaxy of the same name) and Moderat. "Causing confusion over what your band is called is never a good idea," she said. "As a band developing your brand and profile you want to make it easy." No event signified the end of the 1960s more than Altamont, the free California festival where four people died on December 6th, 1969. The most notorious death was that of 18-year-old Meredith Hunter, who was knifed by the Hells Angels security force as the Rolling Stones played. Directors Albert and David Maysles told the story in Gimme Shelter, but longtime San Francisco Chronicle writer Joel Selvin felt the documentary, and most coverage since, have been superficial. "Nobody had done a comprehensive account of the debacle since the original report in Rolling Stone," he says. He corrects that with Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day. Employing the help of a private investigator and dozens of interviews with crew members and performers (including David Crosby and the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart), Selvin lays out how what was supposed to be the "Woodstock of the West" turned deadly. Blame goes all around: Mick Jagger, occupied with a U.S. tour, was uninterested in "practical realities" like food, water and bathrooms, and left logistics to the less-experienced team of the Grateful Dead. Selvin brings new details to light about the other deaths that received less media attention: a 19-year-old who drowned in a canal while sneaking in, and two men who were run over at a campfire by an unidentified car thief who managed to slip away from police after they questioned him. He also corrects many myths, like the story that three births happened at the fest (in fact, there likely weren't any). "That myth was probably developed to ameliorate the violent deaths," says Selvin. "We pieced together a portrait of a disaster that spun out of control almost as soon as the idea entered the ether." Related Recent attacks on American computer systems have raised concerns that electronic voting machines could be future targets. Emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) recently appeared on the WikiLeaks website. The emails showed that Democratic Party leaders failed to be neutral during the partys presidential nomination process. They worked against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who battled former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the nomination. She was officially nominated last month. The leaked emails led top DNC officials to resign. Democratic Party officials have pointed to possible Russian involvement in the attack. Richard Forno is a computer expert and director of the University of Marylands Center for Cybersecurity. He said the political response to the hacked DNC emails will lead to more attacks designed to influence the U.S. elections. Interfering with the electoral and political process of countries is a classic tool of intelligence and foreign policy, said Forno. He made the comment on the program HashtagVOA. The Brennan Center for Justice reported last year that 43 of the 50 American states will use voting machines thought to be 10 or more years old. It said these older machines are more at risk for serious security and reliability problems. But it is not like there havent been problems already. Last month, Illinois officials reported that the states voter registration system was attacked. It forced the temporary shutdown of the system. On Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he might make election equipment part of what the government calls critical infrastructure. In the United States, state and local government officials are responsible for organizing elections. Making elections critical infrastructure could free up federal money to make voting machines more secure. Theres vital interest in our election process, Johnson said. Were actively thinking about the election and cybersecurity right now." He spoke at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters in Washington, D.C. Edgardo Cortes is Commissioner of Elections in Virginia. He said an attack on his states electronic voting machines is unlikely. He told VOA that Virginia moved to take away the wireless technology for electronic voting machines to make them less open to hacking. The state also brought in an outside expert to help the state government improve security, Cortes said. He noted that Virginia is working to provide enough paper ballots in the event the voting machines fail or are hacked. But he said local governments need federal money to make their systems more secure. The Republican Partys candidate for president, Donald Trump, has raised concerns about whether voting in the November elections will be fair. He spoke to the Washington Post newspaper earlier this week. If the election is rigged, I would not be surprised, Trump said. The businessman expressed concern after courts in five states overturned state laws that required voters to show identification or proof of citizenship. In North Carolina, an appeals court ruled that the states new voting law seemed targeted at African-Americans by making it more difficult for them to vote. The court said there is no evidence of the widespread voter fraud that would require such a law. Im Bruce Alpert. Michael Lipin reported this story for VOA News. Bruce Alpert adapted the story and did additional reporting for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in this Story hacked adj. of or related to a break-in or an attack on a computer system reliability - adj. how well something works classic - adj. used to describe something that has been popular for a long time shutdown - n. the act of stopping the operation or activity of a business, machine critical infrastructure - n. the most important equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) needed for a country to function properly rigged - v. set up for someone to fail or success in an election or contest This is why that powerful #BlackLivesMatter photo is going viral This is why that powerful #BlackLivesMatter photo is going viral A photo taken at a Los Angeles Black Lives Matter protest on July 10 went viral again this week, as it is a powerful demonstration of the incredible solidarity that exists within the movement against police brutality. This specific BLM action made national news when protesters blocked the 405 freeway, and members of the Brown Berets a historical organization within the Latino rights movement stood alongside black protestors. "Womyn hold up half the sky"We are proud of our sister's smashing male patriarchy role when it comes to the "traditional" role of the mujeres in the movement. Doing security in the front Posted by East la Brown Berets on Monday, July 11, 2016 And it isnt the only image from that protest to go viral, as can be seen in this Facebook photo depicting the women of the Brown Berets performing security. So why is this so important? First, a quick history lesson: The Brown Berets rose out of 1960s Los Angeles to fight for the education, economic access, freedom, and civil rights of young Mexican-Americans, or Chicanos. The group was originally called The Young Citizens for Community Action. Then, inspired by the Black Panthers a black power political organization the YCCA expanded their rebellion against mainstream American racism by donning more militant attire. Story continues The viral photograph represents the vast diversity of activists fighting for BLM, proving again that police brutality is a human rights issue. Protest Moreover, it represents the solidarity between black and brown communities in the South Los Angeles area, who have previously conflicted over issues stemming from housing, schools, and gangs. The photographer of the image, John Garcia, told Fusion, I always hear about black and brown people clashing, but this scene captured the Brown Berets and the Nation of Islam standing side by side This picture shows the Brown Berets, the brownest of the brown, standing side by side with black people without an issue. And as Fusion also reports, a large percentage of LA police brutality victims are also Latinos. #CommunityProtectingCommunity #BlackLivesMatter #BLMLA #BrownBerets #BrownAndBlack A photo posted by Sarah Marie (@sarahmariegee14) on Jul 10, 2016 at 8:05pm PDT The National Commander of the National Brown Berets, Chimalli Cuetlachtli, shared a supportive statement: We are fully supportive of the Black Lives Matter Movement. It is extremely important that the world understands that we are in a fight for human dignity and basic human rights [Movements] and organizations that are fighting for the rights of people of color are necessary. The post This is why that powerful #BlackLivesMatter photo is going viral appeared first on HelloGiggles. By Jeb Blount and Thales Carneiro RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - If the most popular foods of Rio de Janeiro have one thing in common, it is their informality. While you can find fine restaurants in Rio, what sets the city apart and brings its residents, known as "Cariocas," together is the unpretentious food they eat in crowded bars and on busy street corners after a day at the beach. They are foods best served with lots of friends, non-stop conversation, glass after glass of cold, draft beer known as "chopp", and if you are lucky, local music. Link to photo slideshow: http://reut.rs/2aTWHIz FEIJOADA No sun-drenched Saturday in Rio is complete without lunching on a plate of dried meats and sausages stewed with black beans and served with rice, shredded collard greens, slices of orange and farofa - manioc flour mixed with eggs or banana. This meal, that many trace back to the food given slaves on sugar and coffee plantations, can be found throughout the city, but many consider Bar do Mineiro (Rua Paschoal Carlos Magno, 99 - Santa Teresa) to be among the best. Located in the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood on a hill overlooking Rio's downtown, they serve a wide variety of cachacas, a clear sugar-cane liquor that forms the basis of the caipirinha, Brazil's fruity national drink. CHURRASCARIA Brazilian barbecue has gone global and you can find expensive versions in Asia, Europe and North America. But if you want to eat at a more humble version that takes you back to a less ostentatious age where the all-you-can-eat "Rodizio" grill began, try Churrascaria Palace (Rua Rodolfo Dantas, 16 - Copacabana) a half block from Copacabana beach and across the street from the Copacabana Palace, the city's most storied hotel. The waiters will keep the food coming until you say "stop!" Popular cuts include picanha (top sirloin cap), alcatra (sirloin) and fraldinha (flank steak), while the long-grilled beef ribs are a house specialty, served with panache. But if you aren't in the mood for a meat overdose, you might try one of the many non-rodizio churrascarias in the city. One of the most popular is the always full Brazeiro da Gavea (Praca Santos Dumont, 116 - Gavea). The house favorite is its grilled linguca, or sausages, brought around on demand. Its the perfect way to open an evening of drinking along the bustling streets and restaurants of one of Rio's most popular nighttime neighborhoods, Baixo Gavea. STREET FOOD Of the myriad carioca street foods, one of the most popular is the pastel, a large deep-fried dumpling filled with cheese, meat, chicken, shrimp and other delights. They are easiest to find at the weekly farmers markets where locals buy produce. With a glass of fresh-squeezed sugar-cane juice (caldo de cana) or a coconut water (agua de coco), a pastel is the perfect thing to hold off hunger as you lug your vegetables home from the street market to cook lunch or after a walk on the beach. Podroes are the "filthy" street sandwich stands, many of which ring the edges of the busiest night life districts. Not all of them are dirty. They serve up cheap hamburgers, hotdogs and other sandwiches on a griddle with all the trimmings, just the thing you need after a night of partying. One of the best famous is Sanduicheria Rio Joana (Corner of Rua Otacilio Negrao de Lima and Rua Gonzaga Bastos - Vila Isabel). Churrascaria de Rua, or street grill: Sometimes called "cat grills" (churrascaria de gato) because of an urban legend that said they roasted cats, they remain a local favorite offering your basic beef, chicken and sometimes vegetables on a stick roasted over coals. Among the most loved can be found in Tijuca at the corners of Rua Uruguai and Rua Barao de Mesquita near the Uruguai Metro stop. In addition to meat they usually offer sausages, and sometimes a tasty roasted rubbery cheese known as queijo coalho. Don't forget to roll your meat in some toasted manioc flour to keep the fat from dripping on your shirt and to add a nice extra Brazilian taste. RIO DELICACIES Bolinho de Bacalhao, or "codfish croquettes" are perhaps the most famous Rio de Janeiro bar food. But a really sublime bolhinho, with the right mix of salt-cod, flour, potatoes and spice fried in the right oil, is hard to find. Perhaps the best can be found at Cantinho das Concertinas (Rua Capitao Felix, 110 - Benfica), or "Accordion Corner" at Rio de Janeiro's central CADEG vegetable and flower market. Cantinho das Concertinas is one of the central meeting places of Rio's large Portuguese community. On weekend afternoons, Portuguese music brings in a large, happy crowd to the busy market. There is dancing and singing and lots of happy eating and drinking. Pao de Queijo, or Brazilian cheese bread, comes from the neighboring highland state of Minas Gerais but perhaps the best pao de queijo of all time can be found in Cultivar (Rua Paschoal Carlos Magno, 124 - Santa Teresa) in Santa Teresa. Sardinha Frita, or batter-fried sardines are a staple of the city's central port district. The large Brazilian sardines are gutted, and butterfly split into a flat mat, battered, deep fried and served in stacks of ten with the tails on. The best place for sardinha frita is Beco das Sardinhas or "Sardine Alley". Of the sardine fry shops there, the most famous is O Rei dos Frangos Maritimos (Rua Miguel Couto, 139 A - Centro) or "The King of Sea Chickens". Only two blocks from the new museums, revitalized docks, cruise ships and Olympic cultural activities on the recently renovated Praca Maua, the area and its most famous snack are regaining popularity after years of neglect. (Reporting by Thales Carneiro, Jeb Blount, Sergio Moraes, Sebastian Rocandio; Editing by Dan Flynn and Mary Milliken) By Alice Lupton LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A female trafficking boss was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Thursday for using the threat of witchcraft to exert control over almost 40 women and girls brought from Nigeria to Europe for sex work, a British court prosecutor said. Franca Asemota, 38, was found guilty of conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual exploitation, trafficking persons outside of the UK for sexual exploitation, and assisting unlawful migration. Isleworth Crown Court in west London heard that Asemota was part of a criminal network that trafficked girls, boys and women to Europe, using the threat of "juju magic" and rituals with curses to exert control over her victims. Prosecutor David Davies said Asemota targeted girls from poor, rural backgrounds with little knowledge of the world, promising them legitimate jobs in Europe between August 2011 and May 2012. "Only when they were far away from their homes were they told the truth that they would have to work as prostitutes," Davies said in a statement. "The girls were told that if they disobeyed their captors or tried to escape, the curse would cause them injury, infertility or even death." Prosecutions for human trafficking in England and Wales have increased since the introduction of a new anti-slavery law last year, with about 180 people prosecuted between April and December 2015, which prosecutors said was a new record. The Modern Slavery Act - which came into force in July - increased maximum jail terms for traffickers to life and brought in measures to protect people believed to be at risk of enslavement. Studies show there are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labor, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain. Globally an estimated 45.8 million people are born into servitude, trafficked for sex work, or trapped in debt bondage or forced labor, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index by human rights group Walk Free Foundation. Forced labor generates an estimated $150 billion in illegal profits every year, according to the United Nation's International Labour Organization (ILO). (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; 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) (CHEYENNE, Wyo.) A longtime inmate who was recently released from prison pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to robbing a bank in Wyoming and asked a judge to impose the maximum sentence, saying going back to prison would be like going home. Just a week after the robbery, Linda P. Thompson, 59, waived her right to a grand jury proceeding and entered the plea to a bank robbery charge. Thompson said she had already spent about 18 years in prison for various crimes. Prison is home to me so Im just going back home, she said. She added later, Id like as much time as possible. Thompson pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain that did not contain a recommended sentence. A bank robbery conviction generally carries a maximum 20 years in prison, though the term can be lengthened when previous convictions are considered. Thompsons attorney, David Weiss, said outside court that its unusual to represent a defendant who wants to go back to prison and exceptional to have one who wants so much prison time. He described Thompson as competent and intelligent and an advocate for transgender prison inmates. She was featured a decade ago in a documentary film titled Cruel and Unusual that examined the lives of transgender prisoners. Thompson was arrested July 27 after a US Bank branch in Cheyenne was robbed by a woman who tossed the money into the air outside and offered some to passers-by. She then sat down and waited for police to arrive. Thompson told U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal that she was released June 21 from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon, where she said she had served six years after a robbery conviction. Thompson said she protested her release from the prison but her request to stay was denied. She said she hopped a freight train headed for Wyoming, where her plan to stay ended when she was assaulted in a park on July 24 and decided she was better off in prison. Story continues The easiest way to get there is rob a bank, Thompson said. Thompson was polite while speaking to the judge, and joked with her attorney. She interrupted the hearing once to ask permission to sit down because of back pain. Freudenthal set sentencing for Oct. 12 after a pre-sentence investigation is completed. By David Lawder WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The World Bank approved new rules on Thursday that aim to expand protections for people and the environment in projects financed by the bank while making it easier for borrowers to comply with its standards. But the first major update to the World Bank's safeguard policies in nearly 20 years has drawn fire from some non-profit groups for creating "loopholes" with more vague language and more reliance on borrower country laws and standards. "The bank has effectively dismantled thirty years of environmental and social protections for the world's most impoverished and vulnerable peoples," said Stephanie Fried, executive director of the Ulu Foundation, a non-profit group focused on forest preservation. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim defended the changes as a compromise that strengthens many protections while eliminating "onerous" requirements in countries whose environmental, labor and human rights standards match those of the World Bank. The new standards, which are due to be fully implemented by 2018, will also bring the World Bank's safeguards more in line with those of other multilateral development banks. Kim told reporters on a conference call that one key example of the changes will be increased protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. The bank pulled out of a $90 million loan to Uganda's health system in 2014 after the government passed a law that imposed life sentences for certain homosexual activities and made it a crime not to report violations. Kim said the World Bank had committed increased funding to work with its 189 member countries to lift their own environmental and human rights safeguards to match those of the Washington-based development lender. The new standards come at a time when the World Bank is facing new competition from the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which announced its first loans of about $509 million in June. Story continues Kim said the World Bank could create safeguards so onerous that borrowers might be unable to comply with them, or it could allow unacceptable outcomes for poor and indigenous communities. "We had to find a path down the middle where we could both ensure that abuses did not happen and at the same time make it possible for borrowers to borrow," Kim said, adding that it was a challenge getting 189 countries to agree on the new standards. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Tom Brown) Bolivia cocaine seizure Earlier this week, Bolivian police struck what the government called a vital blow against drug trafficking when they seized more than 8 tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of mineral ore. The shipment was discovered in a truck traveling on a remote mountain passage that connects landlocked Bolivia with seaports in northern Chile. "Interior Minister Carlos Romero reports the most important blow against drug trafficking," the Bolivian interior ministry said in a statement released on Monday. The country's Special Force to Combat Drug Trafficking (FELCN) "seized 7.5 metric tons of drugs, there are three detainees." The cocaine was reportedly headed to Honduras, with the US likely its final destination. Romero said the drugs were found in trucks carrying borates along a remote mountain pass. The cargo would have a value of more than $160 million in Honduras and be worth $350 million in the US, Romero said, according to Reuters. Bolivia is the world's third-largest cocaine producer, behind only Colombia, which produces the most, and Peru. The three Andean countries produce almost all of the world's cocaine. Bolivia cocaine seizure 2 The Bolivian bust comes just days after Chilean police intercepted a cocaine shipment at the northern port of Arica, and less than three months after Colombian authorities seized 8.8 tons of cocaine hidden underground on a banana plantation in Antioquia department, near the northern border with Panama. Three people were arrested in that operation, and the drugs were believed to belong to Colombia's most powerful criminal gang. The Colombian bust, with a reported value of $240 million, was called "The biggest seizure of drugs in history" for Colombia by President Juan Manuel Santos. 'They are not interested in ending drug trafficking' While Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia are all major producers of coca, the base product for cocaine, and of cocaine itself, the Bolivian government has taken a unique approach to manage production of the drug. Story continues Bolivia coca-leaf growers protest cocaine production drug legalization Long present in the Andes, coca leaf has been brewed in teas and chewed for stimulant effect for centuries. Rather than an outright prohibition and eradication scheme, "To allow this 'traditional' use of the leaf, the Bolivian government each year licenses a limited amount of land to be used for coca farming," Tom Wainwright, the former Mexico City reporter for The Economist, wrote in his recent book, "Narconomics." Coca is grown on terraces in Bolivia's mountains, then shipped by truck each of which has a license noting how much coca it's carrying and where the coca is from to one of two places in the country where the leaf can be legally traded. "The idea is to license enough cultivation to feed the market for tea, toothpaste, and all the rest of it, without growing enough to leak into the cocaine trade," Wainwright writes. The system is not airtight, however. In 2014, Bolivia's legal market handled less than two-thirds of the 33,000 tons of dried coca leaf the UN estimated was produced in the country. Much of the remainder likely entered the drug market, Wainwright notes. Evo Morales Bolivia Bolivia's lighter approach to coca has help current President Evo Morales, himself a former coca grower, remain popular. It has also put him in conflict with the US. In 2008, Morales kicked out the US ambassador and members of the US Drug Enforcement Administration stationed in the country. Morales has often inveighed against the US on the topic of narcotics, calling the war on drugs a tactic to destabilize popular leaders in the region. "They are not interested in ending drug trafficking, but with [ending] our farmers, our people," Morales said in December 2014. The US "is a very developed country, with a lot of technology and the one who consumes the most drugs." NOW WATCH: EX-UNDERCOVER DEA AGENT: What I did when drug dealers asked me to try the product More From Business Insider Yale Town Hall In April, Yale University faced intense backlash after it announced that Calhoun College, one of 12 residential colleges, would retain its name despite calls for change. The college was named for John C. Calhoun, a 19th-century alumnus and a fervent supporter of slavery. Students threw fake $1 million bills at Yale President Peter Salovey during a town-hall meeting earlier this year, insinuating that he was a "sellout," and more than 400 faculty members signed a letter expressing their dissatisfaction with the decision. Now, three months later, the school has announced that it has formed a Committee to Establish Principles on Renaming, allowing the naming of Calhoun to be reconsidered, The Yale Daily News reported. Salovey spoke to The News about the decision to form the committee: "Renaming decisions will not be made in a vacuum, but the decisions are mine. Once these principles are formulated, we can hold any request for the removal of a historical name up against those principles. I expect that a request will come in for John C. Calhoun. And then any outcome is possible." Students walk on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut November 12, 2015. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton The decision to retain Calhoun's name last spring was made by the Yale Corporation. With the formation of the naming committee, it appears that Salovey is transferring some of the authority of renaming decisions away from the Yale Corporation, the Yale Daily News reported. That decision seems to be, at least in part, a result of the massive pushback from students and faculty. "In recent months, many faculty, students, alumni, and staff have raised significant and moving concerns about that decision, and it is now clear to me that the community-wide conversation about these issues could have drawn more effectively on campus expertise," Salovey wrote in a campus-wide email on Monday. Story continues A professor who spoke anonymously to the News also pointed to the backlash stemming from the decision to retain the name of Calhoun College. The president's office is under a lot of pressure as the negative reactions continue, the professor said. While condemnation over Calhoun's name was fierce on campus, some prominent race-relations experts have said they don't think Yale erred in its decision to keep the name of Calhoun College. Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy, who has written five books about race in American, told Business Insider he didn't think Yale made a mistake. "People speak as if you keep John C. Calhoun's name, that means you're indifferent to the legacy of racism," he said in May. "I don't believe that. I think that there are people who embrace the idea of keeping his name who are deeply concerned with the legacy of slavery and racism and want to do things to address that legacy." NOW WATCH: We asked a Navy SEAL what he ate during training, and his answer shocked us More From Business Insider (Yahoo file photo) Yang Yin, the former tour guide who is currently facing two charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), has admitted that he printed two name cards with false information on them in order to appear presentable. The 42-year-old who stands accused of cheating 89-year-old Chung Khin Chun of S$1.1 million admitted to doing so after being grilled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Sanjiv Vaswani on Thursday (4 August) in the State Courts. Yang, a China-born Singapore permanent resident (PR), had earlier intended to plead guilty to two CBT charges but changed his mind on 27 July. He faces 120 charges involving falsification, immigration and cheating-related offences. Chung had given Yang control over her welfare and assets via a Lasting Power of Attorney in 2012, which was later contested by Chungs niece, Hedy Mok. The two name cards bore his name and listed him as, among other things, a director with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI), an arts broker, an antique art investment advisor and a permanent member of the Singapore Painting and Calligraphy Association. Yang, who earlier said that he never used others for his personal interest, admitted to handing out the name card to a friend from an auction company and said that he could also have given one to Mok. When asked why he needed the cards, Yang said, I wanted to look presentable and it is nothing much. The purpose of the name cards are to elevate my status when others see it. He added that the titles on the cards were empty, which prompted DPP Sanjiv to say, The title of director with SCCCI is not empty. It was also revealed by DPP Sanjiv that Yang had attempted to sell a fake painting to an auction house in Hong Kong. The painting, which was meant to be a Xu Beihong work titled Cat, was rejected once it was found to be a fake. Yang had insisted that the painting, along with a few other pieces, were given to him by his teacher, Guan Miao Lin, and that he was just helping to sell them off in return for a commission. Story continues Earlier, it was also revealed that Yang had used a fake degree certificate to apply for his PR status. DPP Sanjiv pointed to two certificates that Yang submitted in his application which showed that he was granted a certificate of graduation on 30 June 2009, a day before he was awarded his bachelors degree. However, Yang rebutted the prosecution by saying that it was normal for the certificates to mailed out a day after despite DPP Sanjiv pointing out that the dates were not postmarked. At around 5pm, Yang who appeared distressed as he was being questioned by the prosecution asked Deputy Presiding Judge Jennifer Marie to allow him to leave the witness stand as he did not wish to discuss his case further. He was told off by the judge, who reminded him that he had opted to give his evidence from the stand. However, Yang was allowed to speak to his counsel Irving Choh for a few minutes before the trial resumed. His counsel explained that his client was tired and felt unsure of Singapores jurisdiction. The trial will resume on Friday (5 August). Sarwat Husain is an American Muslim from Texas. She says people there sometimes look at the hijab she wears over her head. But Husain got more attention than she was used to on a flight to Orlando, Florida. It came from the man who sat next to her on the airplane. Husain said that after the plane took off, the man said, If this window was a door, I would have pushed you out. She said she answered, I would have taken you with me. She said the man laughed at her answer and said, Oh, youre so funny! She answered, Sir, what you said was not funny at all. Husain was flying to Florida for a meeting of the Democratic Partys Platform Committee. The meeting was called to finalize plans for the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Husain set up the San Antonio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She also helped create the American Muslim Democratic Caucus, a political organization known as the AMDC. And she has been working with the Democratic Party to help provide better political representation for Muslim-Americans across the country. The AMDC formed in the years after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 to answer the hatred its members believed was directed at Muslim-Americans. The group also wanted to persuade more Muslim-Americans to take part in the political process. Husain said her recent flight to Orlando showed the need for Muslim-Americans to become more involved and visible in American politics. She believes this will help slow what she believes is an increase in Islamophobia. After forming in Texas in 2004, the AMDC has expanded to 79 chapters. Husain believes it will continue to grow. She says the groups goal is to increase the number of Muslim-Americans who hold political office. She admits there are some people who do not want her to succeed. There are also some people who think having a Muslim will hurt the party, she said. Husain said another barrier to increased involvement of Muslim-Americans in politics is the challenge of persuading them to vote. The Pew Research Center estimates 3.3 million Muslims live in the United States. The center predicts the number will double by 2050. Muslims are one of the fastest-growing communities in the country. But many Muslim-Americans who can vote do not. Tahir Ali works at the American Muslim Alliance. He said the lack of voting is not the fault of the American government. He said their experience with voting in other countries may be the reason so few Muslims in the United States decide to vote. Where they come from the process may not be clean. It may be corrupt; it may be rigged also, he said. Ali said that is why many Muslim-American immigrants who become U.S. citizens and gain the right to vote do not do so. We have to educate them that this process is a very clean process, he said. We have to educate about the calculation of votes to the youth, to the ladies, so that they can think that it is their right to exercise their vote in order for them to be recognized. Sarwat Husain said voting is sometimes not important to immigrants. Many of the immigrants, they are still trying to settle down, their roots, you know take care of the family, raise their children, because this is an extremely family-oriented society, she said. The children of immigrants, she says, are beginning to vote. They include people like Noman Khanani. Now you are starting to see more second-generation Muslims get a little more involved, said Khanani. But a lot of them are still around my age, in their mid-twenties, early thirties, so its still too early to tell, so I think in the next five to ten years, you are going to see more and more of them involved. Khanani admits it can be difficult to persuade immigrant parents to tell their children that voting is important. I dont know how many people actually see this as an urgency, he said. A lot of immigrant parents tend to push their children towards sciences, and engineering-related subjects rather than politics. Sarwat Husain saw many young Muslim-Americans at a recent AMDC gathering in Philadelphia. She hopes the next Muslim-American political candidate was among them. Being involved in politics is a form of worship in Islam, she said. The land you live in, you must serve that land at every level in every respect. Im Christopher Jones-Cruise. VOA Correspondent Kane Farabaugh reported this story from Philadelphia. It was adapted for Learning English by Christopher Jones-Cruise. 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 hijab n. a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women visible adj. known to or noticed by the public Islamophobia n. dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force chapter n. the people in a certain area who make up one section of a large organization challenge n. a difficult task or problem; something that is hard to do rig v. to control or affect (something, such as a game or election) in a dishonest way in order to get a desired result VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 4, 2016 / YDreams Global (TSXV: YD) ("YDreams " or the "Company") is pleased to present an interactive exhibition implementing virtual reality of legend Ayrton Senna in the Formula One circuit, winner of three world titles and 43 Grand Prix's. YDreams Global, a technology and design agency focused on innovation has just released the Ayrton Senna interactive exhibition in Manaus, the capital city of the Amazonas state in Brazil, a region that has presented fast growth in Northern Brazil. The Senna Emotion event has been visited in Brazil by over 300 hundred thousand fans of the late three time Formula 1 champion and honors the legacy of his racing career. Visitors to the exhibit have been setting records during the first few days for this type of display. In partnership with the Ayrton Senna Institute, a charity organization sponsored by the Senna family, the exhibition has visited several Brazilian state capitals giving fans of all ages the opportunity to go back in time, interact with Senna's personal photos and objects and also remember the joy it was to see Senna racing on Sunday mornings during his Formula 1 career (1984-94). The successful exhibition uses YDreams Global interactive technology to deliver a powerful storytelling experience. By using Virtual Reality headsets, for example, visitors have a unique driving POV as if they were Senna themselves, an exclusive content to this exhibition. By using Augmented Reality it's also possible to hold a virtual trophy and send the photo straight to social media. Other contents include video-mapping on a real-sized car recreating all racing teams Senna drove for, a holographic helmet with his memories, as well as a selection of personal items exhibited in an interactive display. Recently YDreams Global was part of the team that won The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) 2016 Visionary of the Year Award. The award went to Rio de Janeiro's Knowledge Squares (Nave de Conhecimento) program. ICF is recognizing the program for its novel approach, which makes digital inclusion the centerpiece of neighborhood regeneration for some of the city's most impoverished and excluded citizens. The project was designed and powered by YDreams. Story continues About YDreams Global YDreams Global (www.ydreamsglobal.com), present in Vancouver, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, is a post digital agency that combines Virtual Reality Technology, Design, and Intelligence to respond to the challenges and demands of today's users and consumers. The agency works as a partner for companies and brands to re-frame their strategy through relevant human-centered ventures that integrates digital experience with the physical presence and venues. YDreams Global anticipates future challenges and connects them with the needs of the market, building innovative concepts and delivering them with international excellency. YDreams Global have developed over 700 projects for clients all over the world, such as Adidas, Vodafone, Nokia, TMN, Barclays, Coca-Cola, Santander, BBC, JCDecaux, IDEO and partnerships with Microsoft, Siemens, Geodan, Grupo Portucel Soporcel, Sonae Industria, Corticeira Amorim, Bradesco among others. More Information: hey@ydreamsglobal.com www.ydreamsglobal.com www.youtube.com/ydreamsglobal James Nelson Director, Canada Tel: 604-646-6910 SOURCE: YDreams Global By Suzanne Barlyn (Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator has sent a second request to Goldman Sachs Group Inc for information about its fundraising for Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, a person familiar with the matter said. The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), in a letter sent late on Thursday, also requested a meeting with Goldman on or before Aug. 31, the person said. The request follows a letter the regulator sent to Goldman last month seeking details on the matter. The source was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. We are aware of their interest in this matter and have been in dialogue with them on it for some time," a Goldman Sachs spokesman said. The Wall Street bank's work with 1MDB is under the spotlight after the U.S. government alleged that billions of dollars earmarked for investments were diverted for the personal use of 1MDB officials, their relatives and associates. Goldman Sachs helped 1MDB, which was founded by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in September 2009, raise $6.5 billion in three bond sales in 2012 and 2013 to invest in energy projects and real estate to boost the Malaysian economy. Instead, more than $2.5 billion raised from those bonds was misappropriated and used to buy artwork, including paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, luxury properties in New York and London and to pay off gambling debts in Las Vegas, according to U.S. Department of Justice civil lawsuits filed in court on July 20. Goldman Sachs, which earned close to $600 million to arrange and underwrite the 1MDB bonds, was not accused of any wrongdoing in the lawsuits. But they allege investors were not properly informed about the use and nature of the bonds. NYDFS considers the meeting it is requesting a type of "supplemental special report," the person familiar with the matter said. Details the regulator wants to discuss at the meeting include the timing of disclosures to NYDFS concerning Goldman's involvement with bond transactions involving the Malaysian fund. Story continues The regulator also wants details about Goldman's due diligence in connection with transmitting the sale proceeds from the three bond offerings. Singapore's central bank said last week that it was also examining the extent of involvement by Goldman Sachs' local unit in bond deals for 1MDB. (Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Tom Brown) For Immediate Release Chicago, IL August 04, 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 SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW), Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT), Spirit Airlines (SAVE), Delta Air Lines (DAL) and Alaska Air Group ( ALK). Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free. Here are highlights from Wednesdays Analyst Blog: Airline Stock Roundup: Q2 Earnings and Zika Fears The past week saw St. George, Utah-based SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) report impressive numbers for the second quarter of 2016, comfortably beating earnings and revenue estimates. Allegiant Travel Company ( ALGT) also trumped both the estimates but the revenue beat was quite marginal. Meanwhile, low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines (SAVE) revealed mixed results, beating on earnings but missing revenues. On the non-earnings front, Delta Air Lines (DAL) and Alaska Air Group ( ALK) reported traffic data for the month of July. Deltas reported a 7% decline in consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM: a key measure of unit revenue) in July, which has hurt the stock significantly. Moreover, the travel warning issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pertaining to the mosquito-borne Zika virus led to a widespread decline in airline stocks. TRANSPORTATION-AIRLINE Industry Price Index (Read the last Airline Stock Roundup for Jul 27, 2016 ). Recap of the Past Weeks Most Important Stories 1. Spirit Airlines beat on earnings, aided by low fuel costs. The carriers second-quarter 2016 earnings (on an adjusted basis) came in at $1.11 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.07. Earnings also improved 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Spirit Airlines reported operating revenues of $584.1 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $586 million. An increase in non-ticket revenues led to a 5.5% year-over-year increase in the top line. In the reported quarter, operating revenue per available seat mile fell 14.3% year over year while load factor (% of seats filled by passengers) increased to 86.4% from 86% in the year-ago quarter. The rise in load factor was driven by a 23.8% growth in traffic which outpaced capacity expansion of 23.1%. Average economic fuel price per gallon declined 29.3% to $1.47. Story continues 2. SkyWests second-quarter earnings of 77 cents per share were well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 68 cents. Earnings also improved approximately 26.2% from the year-ago figure. Quarterly revenues of $801 million comfortably beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $765 million and expanded 1.65% on a year-over-year basis. Results were aided by lower operating costs due to fewer aircraft in service apart from maintenance cost savings. 3. Allegiant Travel Companys second-quarter 2016 earnings per share of $3.68 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 14 cents. Quarterly revenues increased 7.1% year over year to $345 million, edging past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $344 million. Air traffic rose 15.5% year over year on an 18.2% rise in capacity, while load factor stood at 83.9% compared with 85.7% recorded in the year-ago quarter. Fuel expense declined 34% to $1.36 per gallon in the reported quarter. For the third quarter of 2016, the company expects cost per available seat mile (CASM), excluding fuel, to grow in the range of 4% to 6% primarily driven by the implementation of the new pilot agreement. The five-year deal has taken effect from Aug 1, 2016. Total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) in the third quarter is likely to decline in the band of 10.5% to 8.5%. In a separate development, the company inked a deal to buy 12 new Airbus A320ceo Aircraft, in line with its objective to maintain an all-Airbus fleet by 2019. 4. Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines, posted a significant rise in air traffic for Jul 2016. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) a measure of air traffic improved 7.8% on a 9.6% capacity expansion. Load factor decreased to 86.7% from 88.1% in Jul 2015 as capacity expansion outpaced the increase in traffic. 5. Delta revealed a 1.2% increase in RPMs for the month of July while capacity improved 2.1%. Load factor decreased to 87.1% from 87.9% in Jul 2015 as capacity expansion outweighed the increase in traffic. However, Delta witnessed a 7% drop in PRASM in the month, due to foreign exchange woes apart from the ongoing supply-demand imbalance in the Transatlantic and softness pertaining to domestic yield. 6. Airline stocks are faced with multiple headwinds at present. The latest blow came from the Zika outbreak in Miami which has led to fears of declining travel demand to Florida. The breakout has prompted the CDC to issue an advisory for pregnant women to avoid the Zika-affected Miami neighborhood. Naturally, airline stocks are feeling the pinch as reduced travel is likely to weigh on their top lines. 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 >> Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free. About Zacks Equity Research Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term. Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons. Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today. About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. 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 SKYWEST INC (SKYW): Free Stock Analysis Report ALLEGIANT TRAVL (ALGT): Free Stock Analysis Report SPIRIT AIRLINES (SAVE): Free Stock Analysis Report DELTA AIR LINES (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report ALASKA AIR GRP (ALK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. FRANKFURT, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG is seeking expansion opportunities in machine learning, semiconductors and sensor technologies as part of an aggressive push into autonomous driving and connected cars. The unlisted German auto supplier has been on an expansion tear, launching a bid for rival TRW Automotive in 2014, buying a 40 percent stake in German lidar maker Ibeo Automotive on Tuesday, and making a $515 million bid for Swedish brake systems group Haldex on Thursday. In addition, ZF is launching an engineering centre in India, hiring 1,000 staff with a goal to expand staffing to 2,500 engineers, ZF Chief Executive Stefan Sommer said in a call to discuss earnings on Thursday. ZF is seeking to expand its expertise in the area of deep learning, the algorithms used by cars to develop the right collision avoidance reflexes by analysing data transmitted by camera and radar sensors. ZF wants to expand its portfolio of sensor, radar and camera technologies, and develop the software algorithms which enable cars to steer, brake and accelerate without driver input as a way to gain market share in the area of self-driving technology. (Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Georgina Prodhan) Zillow Group (ZG) just released its second-quarter earnings results, posting earnings of -$0.87 per share and revenue of $208.4 million. Currently, ZG has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), but it is subject to change following the release of the companys latest earnings report. Here are 5 key statistics from this just announced report below. Zillow Group: - Missed earnings estimates. The company posted a loss of 87 cents per share, missing our Zacks Consensus Estimate of -$0.16. Investors should note that this loss includes substantial costs associated with litigation the company faced this quarter. - Beat revenue estimates. The company saw revenue figures of $208.4 million, beating out our estimate of $205 million. - The company say an all-time high of more than 171 million unique users in May to Zillow Group consumer brands. - Zillow also provided guidance today. It expects third-quarter revenue to fall between $217 million and $22 million and full-year revenue to fall between $830 million and $840 million. Our current estimates call for revenues of $217.58 million and $832.57 million, respectively. - ZG was down $1.74, or 4.43%, to $37.59 as of 5:09 p.m. EST in after-hours trading shortly after its earnings report was released. Heres a graph that looks at Zillow Groupss latest earnings performance: ZILLOW GROUP Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise ZILLOW GROUP Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | ZILLOW GROUP Quote Zillow Group, Inc. provides real estate and home-related brands on the Web and mobile. The company focuses on home lifecycle which include renting, buying, selling, financing and home improvement. Its portfolio of consumer brands consists of Zillow, Trulia, StreetEasy and HotPads. The company's business brands includes ActiveRain, Diverse Solutions, Market Leader, Mortech, Postlets and Retsly. 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 >> 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 ZILLOW GROUP (ZG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research As if there werent enough reasons to hate internet service providers, Comcast is giving you a brand new one. The company wants to be able to charge you more to better protect your privacy, or offer you cheaper plans as long as its able to sell your data to advertisers. And by data, we mean all of your browsing history, which is something most people go out of their way to guard. DONT MISS: Leaked video shows a real iPhone 7 in action for the first time ever Comcast on Monday met with the FCC to discuss the matter, The Washington Post notes. "A bargained-for exchange of information for service is a perfectly acceptable and widely used model throughout the U.S. economy, including the Internet ecosystem," Comcast wrote in a regulatory filing, after meeting the Commission. And Comcast might not be wrong seeing as others already do it, including competitors like AT&T. The company is one of Comcasts main rivals and has a special deal on broadband prices for customers who agree to let the carrier track their entire web browsing histories. But while it might be fine for Google, Facebook, Amazon and others to harvest your personal data to offer you free services or other products in return, having an ISP share all of your browsing data with advertisers might be worrying, even if said data is anonymized. It also sounds rather counterintuitive to hear an ISP ask you for more money just to guard your privacy, something it should do by default. Unless this is a ploy to simply hike prices and collect more cash in monthly fees to make up for lost revenue. And isnt it expensive to deploy privacy-breaking technology that tracks and collects huge amounts of data, technology that protects databases containing said data, and technology that serves ads based on browsing history? Unlike any other company that tracks you online, an ISP can see everything youre doing, not just data thats limited to the scope of a sites cookies. So in time, it could collect a tremendous and frightening amount of information about you, which needs to be hosted somewhere. Story continues The FCC should finalize its privacy rules for ISPs later this year, which will clarify under what terms these companies will be able to sell your data to third parties. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com The Cyber Grand Challenge is Aug. 5. On Thursday, Giovanni Vigna and his team of graduate students from the University of California, Santa Barbara will power up a supercomputer in the ballroom at the Paris Las Vegas hotel, sit back and make history. At least he hopes. Vigna, a faculty member at UCSB where he runs the schools Center for CyberSecurity, and his team, Shellphish, are taking part in a hacking competition called the Cyber Grand Challenge (CGC) and sponsored by the mad scientists at the governments Defense Advanced Research Projects Agencys (DARPA). You know, the folks who helped create the internet, pushed the development of self-driving cars and hosted a competition where a bunch of robots fell down a lot? Thats DARPA. The CGC wont give us self-driving Ferraris or accident-prone robots, but it could see the dawn of intelligent computer programs that can protect our personal devices and even government facilities against cyber attacks. Were talking about programs that can hunt for, fix and patch the kinds of software vulnerabilities hackers use to create viruses in mere seconds. Read more: The worlds best hackers are taking over Vegas at DEF CON 24 To put that in perspective, it currently takes human cyber security experts up to a year to find previously unknown software vulnerabilities, create patches for them and send out those patches to users. In the meantime, hackers can use those software vulnerabilities to break into everything from email accounts to power plants. These vulnerabilities are the inevitable result of humans creating the programs we use every day. See, every piece of software you use has been programmed by human hands. And every once in awhile, a mistake slips by. A hackers mission is to find those flaws hiding in the millions of lines of code that make up a single program and exploit them to sneak into a users computer. Vigna and Shellphish, though, are hoping their software can spot these flaws before the hackers and fix them before they can be exploited. Story continues If you write a program that does this, you have a program that is able to analyze another program and identify, exploit and patch vulnerabilities. It is going to push the limits of what can be done autonomously, Vigna explained. The Shellphish team logo The CGC is made up of seven teams including Shellphish that will each try to prove that their software and way of thinking is the best bet to improve our cyber security. The CGC is using a familiar hacking game to test the teams programs called capture the flag (CTF). But whereas you probably played CTF on the playground, this version is played entirely inside of the teams computers. In a normal game of hacker-style CTF, participating teams are given identical computers with similar software flaws. Each team is then tasked with finding those flaws on their own systems, patching them and then exploiting them on their opponents systems. At the CGC, however, all of this will happen inside of supercomputers so powerful they need to be cooled by industrial air conditioners. What DARPA tried to do is say: Okay, lets take the human out of the loop. If we dont have the super good uber hacker and only have automated tools that have to work without any human intervention, whos going to be best? Vigna explained. Vigna helped found the Shellphish team at UCSB in 2005 with a group of students. Since then, many of his students have gone on to be professors and internet security professionals. But as older students graduate and move on from the team, Vigna said, more fresh faces come on board. The team working on the software for CGC is comprised of 13 people each of whom has one or more tasks to focus on to ensure the program works the way they think it should. Giovanni Vigna A failure of the software would be devastating for the team. After all, to get to the CGC, the Shellphish team had to compete against more than 100 other teams around the country in two preliminary contests. If the team wins, it will claim a piece of the $4 million grand prize. But more importantly a win could mean a way to help bring cyber attacks under control. The results of this research, this push for autonomous analysis, will be tools to check for vulnerabilities before sending out a program, Vigna said. So imagine you had the equivalent of a very good security tester and you are pushing out a new version of Internet Explorer. I say, Well, we dont think are holes in this that can be exploited, but lets ask our automated checkers if that is actually the case. If the automated programs dont find any flaws, Vigna said, its safe to assume that new version of Internet Explorer, or whatever software youre scanning, is safe and, as a result, far more difficult for hackers to break into. If the automated programs do find flaws, though, they can fix them and send out patches to every Internet Explorer user in the world. This autonomous approach to security wouldnt just benefit commercial software users, though. Vigna said it could also protected against state-sanctioned attacks by foreign actors. The ability to proactively find flaws in software used in places like power plants means that if, for example, there is a cyber attack on one plant, the software could automatically detect the intrusion, shut the attack down, patch the vulnerability that allowed the attacker in and disseminate that patch to every other plant running the same software, ensuring that theyre protected. As Vigna puts it: I believe this event will push forward the state of the art of science. Thats the goal of DARPA, and it deserves high recognition for this. That said, even autonomous software wont be able to make software invulnerable from exploits. There wont be completely flawless programs, Vigna said. We can provide increasingly better security, but I dont think winning the race of security is anywhere close. We will always find new ways to make insecure code. More from Dan: Email Dan Howley at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley. The app developers who star in Apple's upcoming unscripted series Planet of the Apps will have some help from a trio of well-known entrepreneurs. The series has tapped Gwyneth Paltrow, will.i.am and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk to serve as mentors and advisers, with Paltrow and will.i.am also serving as executive producers on the project. Each mentor brings a slightly different perspective on technology to the table. Paltrow, known for her roles in Shakespeare in Love and The Royal Tenenbaums, is the founder of lifestyle website Goop. Will.i.am, the frontman for The Black Eyed Peas, founded i.am+ as a studio for new technologies that include a smartwatch and Bluetooth headphones. Vaynerchuk, a prolific angel investor, is the founder and CEO of digital agency VaynerMedia. Paltrow calls the process of developing and launching a business "exhilarating but intimidating," adding that her participation in the show "is a great opportunity to be part of a series that lets us use our experiences to help app developers break through and create viable businesses that will impact peoples' lives." Will.i.am adds: "As tech drives modern pop culture now more than ever, we are giving a platform for the next generation of culture makers to shine. We are searching for entrepreneurs with the vision to shape the future, solve real problems and inspire change within our daily lives." Read more: Eddy Cue on Apple's TV Plans and Why Netflix Isn't a Competitor Planet of the Apps, one of Apple's first original television projects, will explore app culture and the developers who create the apps that appear in Apple's store. Apple is producing alongside Propagate, with the production company's founders, Howard T. Owens and Ben Silverman, executive producing. Veteran reality TV producers Craig Armstrong, Rick Ringbakk and Charles Wachter will serve as showrunners and executive producers. "We are thrilled to collaborate with Gwyneth, Gary and will.i.am on Planet of the Apps," Silverman and Owens said in a statement. "Starting a new business is not easy. Our team of advisors are entrepreneurs who have each launched and built successful brands and can tap into their personal experience to offer advice to the app developers selected for the series." Story continues Propagate and Apple are looking for developers interested in appearing on the show. The producers have also teamed with website Product Hunt on a four-city tour to meet with tech entrepreneurs, which kicked off in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Apple recently announced plans to exclusively stream Carpool Karaoke, based off the popular segment on The Late Late Show With James Corden, on Apple Music. The tech giant has also filmed a project with Dr. Dre. Read more: 'Carpool Karaoke' Series Coming Exclusively to Apple Music From Popular Mechanics On July 3, hundreds of shoppers thronged the market in the Karrada district of Baghdad. They arrived after sunset, in deference to Ramadan, Islam's holy month, in which eating and drinking is only allowed at night. ISIS was expecting them. A truck laden with explosives pulled up and detonated, killing nearly 300 people. The attack was part of a larger campaign: In a matter of weeks, violent ISIS operations befell Jordan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Locals carried out the attacks, but the inspiration and timing came from ISIS leadership. Fighting such a widespread assault means figuring out how to defeat an enemy that spreads in secret, popping up inside far-flung countries like a viral epidemic. In Paris, Belgium, the U.S., and elsewhere, ISIS has used the global reach of the Internet to gain recruits, funnel money, and coordinate attacks. Now, the U.S. is finally making that shift: using the Internet to fight back. Until this year, hacking was a tool that government intelligence agencies have used mostly to spy on other government intelligence agencies. It's even chillier than a cold war. This is a silent duel of keyboard jockeys trying to steal secrets. In 2009 the Pentagon created an organization called Cyber Command to protect the United States' digital assets. It's comprised of 6,200 active-duty specialists, most of them decked out in camouflage and working at desks in Fort Meade, MD. Although Cyber Command's operatives could pull off the same kind of attacks as Anonymous or rogue hackers, they have been kept on a short leash-as far as the public was concerned, they were for defense only. Not anymore. Now, the U.S. is finally using the Internet to fight back. This year, the Pentagon officially sicced Cyber Command on ISIS. "I have given the Cyber Command really its first wartime assignment," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told reporters after a speech in April. "It means interrupting [ISIS's] ability to command and control their forces, interrupting their ability to plot against us here and anywhere else[and] interrupting their finances." Admiral Mike Rogers, the dual-hatted chief of Cyber Command and head of the National Security Agency, told Congress there will be 27 combat mission teams ready to launch offensive cyber missions by 2018. Some hackers will even be deployed overseas. Imagine: A guy with a laptop surrounded by Seal Team 6. Story continues Can cyberweapons help to prevent attacks on U.S. soil? A lot depends on how much direction a plotter actually receives from ISIS. Cyber Command would be most effective against operations like the attacks in Paris and Brussels that were directed from ISIS leadership. In an operation like the Paris shootings, a U.S. cyber warrior could spoof the communication between operatives-for example, by duplicating one of the assailants' computers and sending fake messages to other members. "This method was used in Iraq in 2007 to lure enemy personnel into positions where they could be killed by conventional weapons," says Scott Borg, the director of U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, a nonprofit research institute that studies cyber attacks. U.S. cyberagents could also trick attackers into betraying their plans. It's a lot like the online relationship con of catfishing, only against really bad guys. So-called "lone wolf" attacks like the shootings in Orlando and San Bernardino, meanwhile, are perpetrated by ISIS sympathizers with few real ties to the group. These are decentralized actions, and the best ways to stop them haven't changed: following up on leads given to local law enforcement by friends and family. That said, military cyber teams could blunt ISIS's international reach by denying them tools of mass communication. This sort of mischief sounds easy, but quickly identifying and stopping the information flow on social media is a challenge. One 2015 report from the Brookings Institute tallied 46,000 Twitter accounts used by ISIS supporters between September through December 2014. It's a lot like the online relationship con of Catfishing, only against really bad guys. To disrupt attacks, the Pentagon is considering some tried-and-true tricks-the ones perfected by crooks. ISIS communicates across nations using the Internet, like everyone else, and like everyone else they can be tricked into downloading tainted programs, what pros call phishing. "Insurgents often send each other e-mail attachments," Borg says. "They are just as likely to be fooled into opening malicious ones as the general population." Another rich target for cyberattacks is finance. When ISIS has cash in a warehouse, American warplanes bomb it. When that money is stored in a digital form, cyber attackers can clean out those accounts. Even better, almost any cyber attack can be made to look like someone within the organization did it, creating infighting and mistrust. The idea of the military using cyberspace to attack enemies might put fear in the minds of civil libertarians and Edward Snowden admirers. But the Pentagon's rules of engagement are more strict than the CIA's, which introduces tighter controls over the use of cyber tools than the limits put on spy agencies. Meanwhile, data scientists are getting the opportunity to serve their country in ways that have never before been possible. It may only be a matter of time before someone gets a medal for valor without ever leaving a desk. You Might Also Like You know the drill: Samsung launches a hot new Galaxy phone during a splashy event, and the hits at Apple keep on coming. Thats understandable, considering that Samsung has always used anti-iPhone propaganda to sell its Galaxy phones. During its event earlier this week, Samsung took several shots at Apple while presenting the impressive new Galaxy Note 7, with one of them standing out in particular. Samsung attacked Apple for a feature the upcoming iPhone is only rumored to have, or lack: the headphone jack. Thats not even confirmed, but pretty much everyone in the room got the joke Samsung made, without needing any other explanation. But Im thinking that joke will come back to bite Samsung right on the behind, as the company will surely copy some of the iPhone 7's new features soon enough. DONT MISS: Leaked video shows a real iPhone 7 in action for the first time ever You want to know what else it comes with? An audio jack, Samsungs Justin Denison said while presenting the new Note, as the audience burst into mild laughter. Im just saying. And no, Samsung was not making fun of two existing Android devices that have ditched the headphone jack, including the new Moto Z. You can see Denison deliver the joke in the following clip: https://youtu.be/N3a819Ufs2U?t=1986 Many people think Apple is removing the headphone jack to make the iPhone thinner, but the best explanation is this one: Its preparing for a radically redesigned new iPhone that will offer a bigger screen and possibly a smaller body. The headphone jack takes a lot of space underneath the display, so ditching it to reduce top and bottom bezels is a no-brainer especially since revenue from wireless headphone sales has already exceeded wired headphones. And thats not the only thing Apple is doing to potentially increase the screen-to-phone ratio. This years iPhone is also rumored to pack a redesigned capacitive home button that you cant press. In the future, the home button could be incorporated into a wraparound screen with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded beneath it. Story continues Also, removing a potential waterway like the 3.5mm headphone jack might be in Apples best interest to make the iPhone more water-resistant. iphone-7-space-gray-photos-leak-3 So how will Samsung copy the iPhone? Itll probably remove the headphone jack as well, and it might even ditch the home button too in future Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagships. Just wait for Apple to use the curved smartphone design that Samsung introduced to the market and take it to a whole new level. And its Samsungs desire to reinvent the smartphone, its research in curved displays, and its desperate need to hold onto Apples iPhone supply business that will help Apple come up with iPhones that feature curved AMOLED displays, as well as iPhones that don't have headphone jacks or physical buttons. Let's not forget that Samsung wasn't too eager to ditch microUSB for USB-C either, but it ultimately did so in the Note 7. The company might follow a similar path with the headphone jack as well. While Samsung might not hurry to copy the 2016 iPhone, it will surely replicate some of the features of next years tenth-anniversary iPhone. And down the road, we guarantee it will release plenty of smartphones without any 3.5mm headphone jack. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com Scientists are installing new mirrors to improve the quality of the X-ray laser beam at the Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. SLAC engineer Corey Hardin inspects one of the newly-arrived mirrors in a clean room facility. (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) The meter-long mirrors are the ultimate in flatness, smooth to within the height of one atom or one-fifth of a nanometer. If Earth had the same surface, the hills and valleys would only vary by the width of a pencil, says Daniele Cocco, engineering physicist and head of the optics group at SLACs Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), a DOE Office of Science User Facility. Right now, the mirrors are stored in a clean room to avoid dust and prevent damage. Cocco and other engineers only handle the mirrors while wearing gowns, hairnets, masks and gloves. Theyre testing the mirrors to see how they will respond to heat and mechanical stress while the beam is running. Both cause tiny deformations on the surface, and even changes as small as half a nanometer can cause big problems. Five of these mirrors will be installed in LCLS by the beginning of next year and available for experiments in summer 2017. The new arrivals will join the 12 flat and curved mirrors that currently steer and focus light at LCLS, which is almost one mile long. Eventually, the upgraded mirror system will have a total of 28 mirrors. This is the first time the mirrors have been replaced at LCLS. The original mirrors were installed in 2009, when the free-electron laser came online. As the laser strikes the mirrors, some degradation of the reflective surface occurs over time. Since the originals were built, there have been improvements in how the mirrors are made, and engineers also better understand how the mirrors can be tailored to the LCLS beam. When light hits the reflective surfaces, the photons slant toward a specific point. The X-rays are shaped to the need of the experiment, from a focal spot less than a micron in diameter to as wide as a few millimeters. The beam quality also must be preserved in order to reveal the state of molecules and atoms during a range of processes that occur in biology, chemistry, materials science, and energy. Time is lost when a beam isnt perfectly uniform, and youre not able to find the perfect spot on the sample, Cocco says. With mirrors this precise, its much easier. A Japanese optics company, JTEC Corporation, fabricates the mirrors for synchrotrons and other X-ray laser research facilities such as Japans Spring-8 Angstrom Compact Free-Electron Laser (SACLA) and the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (EXFEL), located in Hamburg, Germany and due to come online in 2017. May Ling Ng, SLAC engineer, makes adjustments to the mirror restraints during a test of the holding systems effect on mirror shape. These measurements are needed to maintain the flatness of the mirror within one atom over the entire one-meter length. (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) Each mirror is made from an individual silicon crystal, artificially grown in a lab. After the mirror is polished with conventional techniques, the company uses a process called elastic emission machining, where a jet of ultra-pure water containing fine particles removes any remaining imperfections atom by atom. Blemishes in the mirror can create imperfections in the X-ray beam. These latest mirrors preserve the beam quality within 97 percent, and the manufacturing technology is continuing to get better, Cocco says. With a coherent laser beam, such as the one at LCLS, photons traveling at fixed wavelengths have a specific relationship to each other. Its not random. The light propagates as a perfect wave, Cocco says. Even minimal bumps alter the properties of the beam, irreversibly destroying the perfection of the wavefront. The light beam also travels over a long distance, which means any disruption can amplify. Two of the mirrors will be installed adjacent to the front end of the undulator hall at LCLS. The other three will be located 200 meters further down the beam line, in the X-ray transport tunnel between the near and far halls. The mirrors will also be able to handle the higher energy range of LCLS-II, the next generation of SLACs X-ray laser. For questions or comments, contact the SLAC Office of Communications at communications@slac.stanford.edu. SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, Calif., SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. Well-known radio host Dave McKay has died at 55. McKay was found dead inside his home Police don't suspect foul play He was part of Dave and Veronica Show on 99.5 The St. Petersburg Police Department said McKay, whose real name was Steve Ehmke, was found dead Thursday morning in his apartment on 2nd Street South. Police said the 99.5 WQYK host didn't show up for work Thursday on the Dave & Veronica Show. A coworker who lives in his building checked on him and found him deceased. "I was shocked," said 970 WFLA's Tedd Webb, a longtime friend and colleague of McKay's. "I mean completely shocked. Because he's not old. He's not sick. And just one of those people you expected to live for a long, long time." Webb remembers McKay as someone whose warmth and vibrant personality were unforgettable. "I knew Dave when he first came into town 20-something years ago," said Webb. "He was the life of the party, a bon viveur. I mean, the guy would walk into a room and light it up." Police don't suspect foul play. According to McKay's Facebook page, he was from Bemus Point, New York. The radio station's website posted a statement that said: "Dave was one of the nicest people any of us have ever met and he was 100 percent the guy you heard on air for years ... Say a prayer for Dave's family, his friends, and all of us here at 99.5 QYK because were hurting right along with you." WQYK also made a post to Facebook for listeners to leave their condolences. You can visit the page here. We'll update this story as more information becomes available. After creating much curiosity with their teaser, Happy Bhag Jayegi has now released its new song 'Gabru Ready To Mingle Hai'. The song features Diana Penty and Mika Singh dancing at a performance by Mika, where he offers Diana the heroine's role after she runs into the room. Sung by Mika Singh and Neeti Mohan, 'Gabru Ready To Mingle Hai' feels like just another Mika party anthem, with the usual blitz and glamour, generously dosed with Punjabi slang. The dance moves also fail to impress with their same old steps. Happy Bhag Jayegi is the story of Happy, played by Diana Penty, who runs away from her marriage to meet her lover, but in a turn of events lands up in Pakistan. The narrative then follows how the governments of the two countries intervene to resolve the issue. The Cocktail actress will be making a comeback to the silver screen after four years. Also starring Abhay Deol, Jimmy Shergill and Ali Fazal, the romantic comedy will release on 19 August. Watch the song here: The Bourne trilogy, based on the spy books by Robert Ludlum of the same name, brings you an American espionage story like you have never seen before. The trilogy can be best summarised as Ghajini meets James Bond, but with an American super spy. Here's what you need to know about the famous action movie trilogy before the fourth installment starring Matt Damon as a rogue CIA operative comes out on 5 August 2016: The Bourne Identity (Bourne Movie #1) The first Bourne movie (2002) was loosely based on Robert Ludlums 1980 novel The Bourne Identity. Starring Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, the movie is about an undercover CIA operative attempting to discover his true identity. Jason Bourne, it turns out, is part of Project Treadstone, a clandestine project within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The first installment starts with Matt Damon, who is severely injured, being found floating in the Mediterranean Sea by an Italian fishing crew. Embedded into his hip is a device with the number of a Zurich bank account. After discovering numerous passports, currencies, and a gun in the bank's deposit box, the man learns that his name is Jason Bourne, and that he lives in Paris. From that moment on, Bourne is tracked by the CIA and narrowly escapes numerous attempts on his life, only to discover that he himself is a skilled CIA assassin who has gone rouge. He teams up with Marie (Franka Potente) as they try and escape trained assassins who will stop at nothing to take his life. The Bourne Supremacy (Bourne Movie #2) The same plot premise, different plot. The film, released in 2004, takes place two years after the first one's end. Jason Bourne and Marie are hiding in our country of all places, and that too in Goa (that was the defacto choice since Goa is to white people what honey is to bees). A separate CIA operation, in which the CIA is attempting to discover who stole $20 million from them seven years earlier has Bourne framed for the crime. The Russian agent who framed Bourne also tries to kill him, but ends up killing Marie instead. The movie follows Bourne trying to evade the CIA and also track down the Russian agent who killed the love of his life. Look out for: The Rohit Shetty-esque car chase sequence in the end of the movie that is a throwback to our good ol' Hindi action movies that defy logic. The Bourne Ultimatum (Bourne Movie #3) The third film picks up at the end of the second film, after Bourne escapes from the authorities in Moscow after killing the Russian assassin and goes into hiding. This time Bourne is forced out of hiding by a nosy reporter who was researching a 'CIA assassin named Jason Bourne'. The two realise they are under surveillance by a group of CIA agents and a remaining Treadstone assassin. Bourne escapes the attempt on his life, though the reporter is not so lucky. Jason Bourne has Rajinikanth's luck and his skill set. He never dies and always manages to get away from the group of highly trained assassins chasing him. With these powers, Bourne finally faces the person who oversaw his Treadstone training and behavioural modification some years earlier. New memories resurface for Bourne, the people behind Treadstone and Blackbriar are exposed, and Bourne evades another attempt on his life by jumping into a river and surviving. (Rajinikanth's skill sets, I told you) The Bourne Legacy The 2012 movie has agent Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) an operative belonging to a Defense Department black ops program called Operation Outcome, assigned to Alaska for a training exercise where he stumbles across a government conspiracy that gets him into trouble. Jason Bourne (Bourne Movie #4) It's 2016, and more than a decade later, Jason Bourne is still trying to figure out who he is. He is still trying to explore his identity and simultaneously run away from CIA operatives who want to kill him. Let's see how the new movie lives up to the earlier three when it releases on Friday, 5 August! One of the most awaited movies of 2016, Suicide Squad is set to release on 5 August. While everyone is familiar with Batman and The Joker, here's an introductory guide to the super villains that are out to redeem themselves in the new movie. Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) Harley Quinn started out as Joker's sidekick on screen in the 1992 animated Batman series. The character became so popular that she was then incorporated into the DC comic universe and now has her own comic book series. Margot Robbie's version of Harley Quinn will be her first live-action movie debut. Harleen Quinzel was an Arkham Asylum psychiatrist who fell in love with one of her subjects, the Joker. She runs away with him after refashioning herself as Harley Quinn, his devoted accomplice and girlfriend. Shes exceptionally strong and agile and immune to toxins, thanks to the intervention of her BFF Poison Ivy. Deadshot (played by Will Smith) Deadshot, also known as Floyd Lawton, is a cold blooded assassin, who as his name suggests, is an extremely talented marksman. Though he has no superpowers of his own, his abilities are further enhanced by cybernetic implants (like that glowing red eye). He is Batman's frequent adversary, acting as the villain in many Batman comics. However he is the defacto leader of the Suicide Squad and has a pretty poignant backstory involving a troubled family life, which is also the reason he has a serious death wish, which makes him the perfect candidate to be a part of the Suicide Squad. Rick Flag (played by Joel Kinnaman) Rick Flag is a character who exists in multiple incarnations in the comics. Though highly skilled and trained, Rick Flag does not have superpowers. The movie will have Rick Flag head Task Force X aka Suicide Squad. The mentally unstable leader, like Deadshot, has a major deathwish after an accident that ended his fighter pilot career and wiped out his entire unit. Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis) Amanda "The Wall" Waller is a top-ranking US government agent involved in clandestine operations, who has a longstanding rivalry with Batman. She is almost universally feared as one of the most ruthless women in espionage and politics. She created and runs the Suicide Squad, a team of super-villains running missions for the government in exchange for reduced prison sentences. El Diablo (played by Jay Hernandez) El Diablo too has multiple incarnations in the DC multiverse. The movie has Chato Santana, an ex-criminal with the ability to control fire, trying to redeem himself after he burns down a building in which there were innocent women and children who were killed in the blaze. Enchantress (played by Cara Delevingne) June Moone is an artist who stumbles across a magical being in an old, secret chamber and turns into a powerful sorceress who goes by the name of 'The Enchantress'. Her many magical powers include healing and teleportation. June constantly struggles to keep her 'Enchantress' side from growing unchecked and tipping over into the dark side. Katana (played by Karen Fukuhara) Tatsu Yamashiro is a voluntary member of the Suicide Squad, Katana is a sword-wielding Japanese super-hero with magical weaponry. Her blade is the 'Soultaker Sword' which can capture the soul of those it slays and store them inside. Captain Boomerang (played by Jai Courtney) is the master of trick boomerangs and has the power of superspeed and is typically the antagonist of The Flash. Killer Croc (played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is a villain most commonly associated with Batman. His reptilian scales serve almost as armour, and he has several special abilities including regenerative powers and superhuman strength, endurance, speed, and senses. Slipknot (played by Adam Beach), also known as Christopher Weiss is sort of like the serial killer BTK. His skill include being really good at tying ropes, strangling people with them and developing formulas for unbreakable versions of them. New Delhi: As many as 60,000 revenue officials of central and state governments will be trained on GST laws and IT infrastructure framework to prepare them for rollout of the new indirect tax regime by April 2017. As per the detailed Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout road map prepared by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, the IT infrastructure framework will be ready by March 2017 and a massive outreach and industry sensitisation programme will also be carried out. After the training on GST laws gets complete by December 2016, GSTN will train them on the related IT infrastructure by March 2017. Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is a non-government company set up by the Centre and states to provide shared IT framework and services to central and state governments, tax payers and other stakeholders. The revenue department has already started stakeholder consultation with the industry in Hyderabad and Jaipur. The IT network of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), banks, RBI, state accounting authorities and states will be ready by December-end 2016, according to the road map and the testing and integration of the IT backbone of all stakeholders is slated for JanuaryMarch 2017. To make life easier in the new regime, the Revenue Department has said no fresh registration will be needed for the existing dealers. Existing VAT/service tax/central excise dealer data are to migrate to the GST architecture. As for new dealers, a single application will be filed online and registration will be granted within three days. On GST returns, only one filing will be required for both the Centre and state governments. Average tax payers will be using only four forms for filing returns -- supplies, return for purchases, monthly and annual returns. While supplies return will be filed on the 10th of every month incorporating the list of suppliers, the same data will be incorporated in the purchase return which will have to be filed on 15th of every month. These data will be then get populated in the monthly and annual returns and the assessee will just have to sign and send it to the tax department, Adhia said. Small taxpayers who have opted for a composition scheme will have to file return on a quarterly basis. Now, that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitution Amendment Bill has been passed in the parliament, the focus will shift to the actual implementation of this key reform. With the government hoping to rollout the bill as per the scheduled date of 1 April, 2017, stock market analysts are already zeroing in on stocks and sectors that will be positively impacted by the implementation of this key tax reform. Emkay Global's Dhananjay Sinha expects the automobile sector to be biggest beneficiary once the GST becomes operational. Currently, the two-wheelers, small cars, commercial vehicles witness tax outgo of 27 percent. With the introduction of GST, a standard of 18 percent would be levied, resulting in a 9 percent reduction which could then be utilised in reducing vehicle prices and stimulate demand, Sinha says. In the automobile space, HeroMoto Corp, Bajaj Auto, TVS, Eicher Motors, Maruti Suzuki would see traction. Similarly, in auto ancillary segment, analysts are betting on Exide and Amara Raja Batteries. Among other sectors, he is upbeat on building materials, cement, consumer durables, media and infrastructure, where tax rationalisation will significantly help them save on cost front. Below is a detailed table sourced from Emkay, which highlights the sectors and stocks that will benefit from GST: Mumbai: The auction of Kingfisher House proved a damp squib yet again Thursday as no bidder turned up for the erstwhile headquarters of Vijay Mallya-led group's long-grounded airline at a reduced reserve price of Rs 135 crore. Bankers said they may have to further lower the reserve price -- which was set at Rs 150 crore in the earlier failed auction in March -- to get any prospective buyer interested for the prime property near domestic airport here. The 17-bank consortium, led by State Bank of India, have been trying to sell this property as part of their efforts to recover dues totalling over Rs 9,000 crore from Kingfisher Airlines and had reduced the reserve price by 10 percent for today's auction. The auction of Kingfisher House, has a built-up area of over 17,000 sq ft and is located in the plush Vile Parle area, started at 1100 hrs and lasted for an hour without a single bidder coming forward. "There were no bids for Kingfisher House. Even this (reserve price) Rs 135 crore was high for bidders," a source said, adding the price would need to be brought down further. Prospective bidders also had earlier termed the reserve price as too high, while multiple legal woes of Mallya-led UB Group are also being cited by many as reasons for lack of interest in buying this property. Mallya, who has been declared by some banks as wilful defaulter, had left the country in March and is currently said to be in the UK. Kingfisher House is just one of the several properties, together worth over Rs 700 crore that lenders and the tax department will put under hammer this month to recover part of their dues totalling thousands of crores of rupees. Mallya's luxurious personal jet along with everything inside that include cushy couches and even a bathrobe will be auctioned by the service tax department on 18 August. Besides Kingfisher House, lenders have also separately put up for sale some of the movable secured assets worth Rs 13.70 lakh lying at this office property. The items on sale would include eight cars, Toyota Innova, Honda City, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, among others. The reserve price of each car has been set differently in the range of Rs 90,000-2.50 lakh. These assets will be auctioned separately on 25 August. On the same day, banks will also re-auction brands and trademarks of the airlines including the Kingfisher logo as also the once-famous tagline 'Fly the Good Times'. The reserve price for auction of brands and trademarks has been reduced to Rs 330.03 crore from Rs 366.70 crore. In its heydays, the Kingfisher brand itself was valued at over Rs 4,000 crore by Grant Thornton. The airline's brand was registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks. Banks will also soon auction Kingfisher Villa in Goa. The valuation process is underway for the Villa which could be around Rs 90 crore. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended the parole of Sahara chief Subrata Roy till 16 September with a condition that he has to deposit another Rs 300 crore with Security and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). The direction for depositing the amount came after Roy complied with the order of 11 July by which he was asked to deposit the balance of Rs 300 crore, out of the Rs 500 crore promised by him when he was granted parole on humanitarian grounds following the death of his mother. Taking note that 68-year-old Roy deposited Rs 300.68 crore, a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur extended his parole and gave him the opportunity to raise the remaining amount to secure bail in the case. The bench, also comprising Justices A R Dave and A K Sikri, has allowed the Sahara group to go ahead with sale and alienation of their properties to raise an amount of Rs 5,000 crore as a bank guarantee which they have to deposit in addition to Rs 5,000 crore to get bail for Roy. During the hearing, the bench made it clear that failure to deposit Rs 300 crore by the next date of hearing would lead to Roy going back to the jail. The hearing also saw Sebi telling the bench that till now Rs 195.07 crore has been generated by it by selling Sahara properties through e-auction. However, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Roy, complained that the properties sold through the platform of e-auction has fetched less money than desired and sought a direction to Sebi to take some of the properties out of e-auction. The bench accepted the request and said that Sahara would inform Sebi in advance before the second round of e-auction about the properties the group desires to take out of the platform for negotiating on its own with the prospective buyers. It said other properties would have to be sold through e-auction and prospective buyers have to participate in it. When it was repeatedly argued by Sibal the need for pulling out the properties from e-auction, the bench warned him, saying, "Don't play games here with us." "We are tired of all your games. Don't show all these difficulties," the bench observed. Sebi said it has already sold eight properties of Sahara for Rs 195.07 crore and gave the nod for selling the remaining 50 properties through e-auction. For the interim bail of Roy, the court had put conditions like depositing Rs 5,000 crore in cash and a bank guarantee of equal amount and tough terms, including payment of the entire Rs 36,000 crore which includes interest. The money will be paid back to the investors of Sahara. Sibal said the group is working hard to generate the amount and its effort has brought result after Roy was enlarged on parole. He said that by December, the group would be in a position to fulfill all the conditions and talks were going on with Canara Bank for Rs 1,500 crore bank gaurantee. However, the bench said Rs 5,000 crore in cash along with Rs 5,000 crore of bank gurantee, was only for releasing Roy on bail and he has to return the money of the investors. The issue of sale of three overseas hotels of Sahara-- Grosvenor House Hotel in London, New York Plaza and Dream New York hotels -- also cropped up during the hearing. While Knight Frank India Pvt Ltd said negotiations were underway for the purchase of hotels at $1.3 billion, Sibal said they were offering the amount for all the three hotels, but there are parties who are ready to pay same amount for a hotel each. Sebi's counsel, senior advocate Arvind Dattar said that Sahara has got prime properties like Aamby Valley which could be utilised for raising the amount. To this, Sibal said, "Why do you worry about my golden hen that hatches golden egg." The bench shot back, saying, "You at least deposit the golden egg with Sebi." The apex court had passed an order on 29 March stating that Sebi would also not sell any property owned by the beleaguered group for a price less than 90 percent of the circle rates for the area in question without the permission of the court. To raise the money, the bench also allowed the group to encash money invested in mutual funds, gold deposits and shares in National Stock Exchange. While granting parole to Roy, the apex court had said they were free to meet prospective buyers of properties and move within the country under police escort. It had also said that Sebi would, meanwhile, continue with the auction of the properties of Sahara. The apex court had earlier asked Sebi to initiate the process of selling "unencumbered" properties of Sahara group, whose title deeds are with the market regulator, to generate the bail money for release of the group chief. Sebi was asked to devise a suitable mechanism for the sale in consultation and under the supervision of Justice B N Agrawal, former Supreme Court judge, and seek help of experts or expert agencies, if required in the process. The regulator was also asked to keep the Sahara group "duly informed about the steps taken by it in which event Sahara shall be free to provide such inputs as may be considered necessary so that the properties fetch a fair price towards sale consideration". SAN FRANCISCO Facebook Inc's News Feed will show fewer "clickbait" headlines over the next few weeks, the company announced Thursday, as it seeks to establish itself as the prime web destination for news and social updates. The company receives thousands of complaints a day about clickbait, headlines that intentionally withhold information or mislead users to get people to click on them, Adam Mosseri, vice president of product management for News Feed, said in an interview. In an effort to eliminate clickbait from the site, Facebook created a system that identifies and classifies such headlines. It can then determine which pages or web domains post large amounts of clickbait and rank them lower in News Feed. Facebook routinely updates its algorithm for News Feed, the place most people see postings on the site, to show users what they are most interested in and encourage them to spend even more time on the site. "What we hope is this will create incentives for publishers to post less clickbait," Mosseri said. "We tried to be very concrete about what we defined as clickbait." The 1.7 billion-person site has worked to better communicate how it shows news and posts to users in recent months, after a May news report alleged liberal political bias in a Facebook feature called Trending Topics. The system looks for commonly used phrases in clickbait headlines, similar to how filters for email spam work, Facebook said in a blog post. It categorized tens of thousands of headlines as clickbait by looking for headlines that intentionally withheld information and those that exaggerated the content of an article. News Feed, a team of about 200 people, uses a similar classification system to determine what it should show each user, Mosseri said. (Reporting By Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by Andrew Hay) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: Global rights group Amnesty International on Thursday asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to stop the use of pellet guns which have claimed lives and left hundreds blinded in the ongoing protests in Kashmir Valley. "Pellet guns are inherently inaccurate and indiscriminate, and have no place in law enforcement," Zahoor Wani, Senior Campaigner, Amnesty International India said in a statement issued. "Amnesty International India calls on the Jammu and Kashmir government to immediately stop the use of pellet guns in policing protests," he added. "They cannot ensure well-targeted shots and risk causing serious injury, including to bystanders or other protesters not engaging in violence. These risks are almost impossible to control." Amnesty also termed the weapon as a "less-lethal" weapon which has "deadly consequences". Authorities have termed the pellet gun as a "non-lethal" weapon. "The death of a third person in Jammu and Kashmir due to injuries caused by pellet guns is a reminder that the 'less-lethal' weapon can have deadly consequences." On Wednesday, 23-year-old Riyaz Ahmed Shah died in Srinagar of multiple pellet injuries. "The autopsy report said that Riyaz was shot at from a close range, and there were multiple pellet injuries to his vital organs. The state police have registered a murder case against unnamed security personnel," Amnesty said. Over 50 people have died and thousands injured in clashes with security forces after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on 8 July. Dear child, I heard in the news about what happened last week. A gang of dacoits attacked the car in which you and your family were travelling. They attacked all of you, forced themselves on your body, caused you physical pain and injury, looted money and jewellery and ran away. Within few hours, television, newspaper and digital medai, all over the country flashed the headlines, Mother daughter gang raped on NH 91 in Bulandshahr. Soon you were reduced to the key words Bulandshahr gangrape. Whenever these things happen, media gets a convenient trending topic and government bodies, like NCRB and NCW, get statistics. You would learn about these when you grow up. I am writing to you just to talk, maybe you would feel better with a casual conversation. Three days have passed since the incident happened. Court, police, politicians, media, public are continuously surrounding you. You must be feeling scared and confused, unable to understand what happened or what is going to happen. I read in the papers that you are crying inconsolably. It is understandable, I know that feeling. I cried too and I know it is not because your body is paining. I was around your age when I went to a clinic to get a blood test done one day. There were many other men and women standing in the queue behind me for the same test. The lab technician was collecting blood samples turn by turn but he skipped my turn and made me wait until all other patients had left. I was alone with him in the lab. While drawing my blood he deliberately pushed my hands near his private part. Then, after collecting sample, he made me stand up, slid his hands under my skirt and touched my vagina (you know that sensitive area between our legs is called vagina. We are not allowed to use that word or talk about it anyway, but always remember, vagina is your most private part, an area nobody should touch against your will, not even your mother). I thought it was all a part of the medical procedure. I didnt know I was being molested but I started crying. A reaction that came from deep within. Then he said, "Ok go." Twenty-five years later for the first time today, I am sharing this incident with somebody outside my family. I am doing this just to tell you that you are not alone, my child. A newspaper on Wednesday reported that in 2016 alone, 450 cases of minors being raped have been recorded. The NCRB website has 2014 crime statistics report, which, in a colourful tab titled figures at a glance, says 36,735 cases of rapes were recorded that year. Girls and women are being raped every hour of everyday somewhere or the other in the world. We will never know why they rape us. They rape us for fun, anger, fear, revenge, insecurity, or even love. Yes, many husbands rape their wives and say it is their love. They rape girls and women of all ages, class, caste, creed and nationality. It does not matter where you are, what time of the day it is, what you have been doing or what are you wearing. Nothing is common about rapes except just one fact the victim is always told that it is her shame and her life is ruined. You might have noticed your father and you are were asked to cover your faces while talking to the media. Do you know why? Because the great law of this country wants to protect you from your shame. Let me tell you about Suzette Jordan. Suzette was raped and to protect her from shame, media called her the Park Street Rape Victim. But what she felt was not shame. She was angry. So angry she was that she refused to hide her identity in shame and fiercely marched on a mission to punish the culprit and protest against the culture of victim-shaming. Sunitha Krishnan was gang raped and she was angrier at her family than her rapists, because the family blamed and shamed her. She has now dedicated her life to the cause of rescuing thousands of girls and women from sex slavery and give them a new life. Eve Ensler was raped and beaten by her own father when she was younger than you. She felt sad, angry and defiant but not ashamed. She grew up to be a great scholar, writer and started a worldwide movement to end violence against women. I am telling you these stories because it is time for you to be very angry. Be very angry today. Let your anger be so severe and toxic that it would consume every other emotion you feel shame, fear, honour, modesty everything would be dealt with later, first you should be angry. Be hysteric and violent in your anger. Scream and shout. Kick and punch. The society would tell you anger is not a desirable quality in good girls. Good girls should keep their voice and eyes low and shouldnt talk back. If you talk about your rape, who will marry you? What would happen to your future? they will tell you. Be angry at such people. Remember being a good girl is not your priority, marriage is not your priority. Today you are so angry that your only priority is to punish the perpetrators. Be the Goddess Kali and unleash your anger on men who violated you. Make anger a habit. Make it a culture. A culture where women are so angry at every small incidence of violence and sexual abuse that men would gather at little corners and shuddering in fear they will tell each other, Do you see girls these days, so angry all the time at the slightest thing. We cannot even grope and poke them a bit. There is a long tough journey ahead. But I know you will stay strong and brave, and one day you will be a fierce leader of our cause. From Sanjukta Basu Patna: The controversial third rank holder in science stream of the Intermediate Examination from Bishun Rai College in Bihar, has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Patna police, which is probing the toppers scam in the state. City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushwaha, who is a member of the SIT, said Rahul Kumar was arrested on Wednesday from his uncle (Phupha) Durgesh Singh's house at Azampur village in connection with the toppers scam and sent to jail custody by a local court. During interrogation it was revealed that a deal of Rs 5 lakh was struck to make him a rank-holder, Kushwaha said. He was one of the four rank-holders of the college, who had been named in the FIR in the toppers scam. The other three rank holders are - Shalini Rai, Saurav Sresth and Ruby Rai. Shalini Rai and Saurav Sresth have still not been arrested. Ruby Rai, the controversial topper in the arts stream of the intermediate exam, was arrested by SIT on 25 June while she was coming out after a retest by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). The retest which was conducted to check her academic abilities after her comments during a TV interview, after she was declared the topper in Humanities stream this year, had led to the lid being taken off from the toppers scam in the state. She had pronounced Political Science which was one of her subjects as "Prodikal science" which according to her taught cooking. She was granted bail by a local court on Monday. Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, his wife and ex-MLA Usha Sinha, Vishun Roy college secretary-cum principal Bachha Rai and over three dozen other persons have been arrested in the toppers scam. Srinagar: Curfew and protest shutdown continued in Kashmir on Thursday for the 27th consecutive day. Over 50 protesters were injured on Wednesday in Adijan area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district when their rally was intercepted by security forces. Reports said central reserve police force (CRPF) troopers torched over two dozen motorcycles and other vehicles that participated in the protest rally. Protest rallies and marches also took place at Koil, Bijbehara and some other places in south Kashmir where the security forces did not intervene. Protesters marched with the body of a youth working as an ATM guard in Srinagar. The guard had died under mysterious circumstances, but the autopsy report stated that he was shot with a pellet gun from point blank range. Authorities decided to impose curfew and restrictions under section 144 CrPc (Criminal Procedure Code) in south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, Anantnag and parts of Srinagar city. Fifty-two people - 50 civilians and two policemen - were killed in the present unrest in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul commander, Burhan Wani in a gunfight on 8 July. Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today quashed a state ordinance on 10 per cent quota for economically backward classes among the unreserved category, in a setback to BJP government which had taken the step to pacify the agitating Patel community. Terming the ordinance issued on May 1 as "inappropriate and unconstitutional", a division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi said that such quota is not a classification, as claimed by the government, but it is indeed reservation. The court also observed that 10 percent reservation for poor among the unreserved category takes the total quota beyond 50 percent, which is not permitted as per the Supreme Court's earlier decision. The high court also said that state government gave the reservation to EBCs without any study or scientific data. The state government pleader requested the court to stay its order so that they can approach Supreme Court, following which the HC issued a two-week stay on its order. Petitioners Dayaram Verma, Ravjibhai Manani, Dulari Basarge and Gujarat Parents' Association had separately challenged the ordinance announcing reservation of 10 percent seats to candidates belonging to the unreserved category with family income cap of Rs 6 lakh annually in government jobs and educational institutions. Their petitions were heard together. The petitioners submitted before the court that the reservation violates the Supreme Court's order providing 50 percent ceiling for quota in the Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case. They said that additional 10 per cent reservation reduced the number of seats in educational institutions for candidates from unreserved category with annual family income of more than Rs 6 lakh. They said the provision violates the Constitution as Article 46, which is about the directive principles of state policy, does not allow quota beyond the 50 percent cap. The government pleader told the court that the reservation is actually "a further classification in the general, open, unreserved category" and does not violate either Supreme Court order or Constitutional provisions. The state government, in its affidavit before the HC, said the ordinance does not violate provisions of the Constitution nor does it go against the Supreme Court orders. "The ordinance should be read with Article 46 of Constitution (which states that social justice is required for weaker sections of society) and not with reference to Backward Class quota," the affidavit said. On 1 May, the state had issued the ordinance providing 10 per cent reservation to persons from economically weaker sections from unreserved category, other than the SC, ST and OBC, for admissions in educational institutions and government jobs. The reservation is applicable to persons with annual family income cap of Rs 6 lakh. The BJP government has been facing violent protests led by Hardik Patel and Lalji Patel from the numerically and socially strong Patel community which is seeking reservation in education and government jobs under the OBC category and the odinance was seen as an attempt to pacify them. The BJP had suffered heavy losses in the rural local bodies polls, which were blamed on the Patel quota stir. A British-era bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa highway in Raigad district late on Tuesday. The death toll was not confirmed as two buses and several vehicles were reported to have been washed away. PTI reported that at least 22 people went missing after two state-run buses were swept away in flooded Savitri river. Hindustan Times report, however, quoted official sources and said 29 people were missing and added that 20 vehicles were washed away. The bridge collapsed around midnight on Tuesday, but vehicles, unable to see the missing section in the dark, too fell into the river. Officials said that due to strong river flow and heavy rains there was a possibility that victims could have been washed away into the sea. "The river's current is extremely strong, and with so many hours having passed before an aerial search and rescue operation was launched, it is most likely that the vehicles and people would have got washed away from the bridge vicinity," a DNA report quoted the Coast Guard as saying. The incident took place near Mahad, 170km from Mumbai. Besides the buses, several other vehicles were also believed to have fallen into the swollen river. Two state transport corporation buses with 18 passengers and four crew members went missing in the tragedy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said in a tweet. Maharashtra government on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the Mahad bridge collapse tragedy. Fadnavis too had announced a probe into the Mahad bridge collapse tragedy while he was visiting the city to take stock of the situation. Wednesday's collapse brought focus back for the administration to conduct strength check of the bridges constructed in the pre-independence era and those over a-century-old. Fadnavis had also said that a state-wide safety audit of all old bridges after Wednesday's tragic incident would be conducted, adding that the rescue operations would go on until the search is over. Mumbai-Goa bridge collapse: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis at the spot pic.twitter.com/MbigFjUsQl ANI (@ANI_news) August 3, 2016 Speaking to The Times of India, a PWD official said, "Six bridges currently in use will be replaced." According to the reports in ANI, two bodies were recovered on Thursday morning, raising the death toll to four. Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse UPDATE: Body of a woman recovered near Harihareshwar (Raigad). Death toll rises to four. ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse: Body of driver of one of missing buses recovered from Anjarle area in Dapoli. Death toll rises to 3. ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 Contrary to reports which said two bodies were recovered on Wednesday, additional SP of Raigad district Sachin Patil said no bodies had been found. "That was a false alarm, no dead body has been recovered till now. That (report of recovery of bodies) was a false call," he said later on Wednesday evening. Earlier on Wednesday, Raigad Collector Sheetal Ugale had said bodies of two men were fished out from the river by rescuers. Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse: 2 bodies have been recovered so far, says Raigad district collector, Sheetal Ugale ANI (@ANI_news) August 3, 2016Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse: 2 bodies have been recovered so far, says Rescue ops An NDRF rescue boat overturned, while carrying out a rescue operation, as the team members battled heavy rains, reports India Today. According to ANI, the NDRF team in Ahmednagar has rescued 13 people and is in the process of rescuing eight more. One of our teams is in Ahmednagar for rescuing people. Till now, they have rescued 13, process on to rescue 8 others: Raghvendra Kumar,NDRF ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 Earlier on Thursday, the NDRF commander had said that there was no need of more teams at the moment, according to ANI. We are here on standby right now, the flood situation has seen slight improvement. Water level receding :Raghvendra Kumar (Commander, NDRF) ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 More teams will be called in if required, but as of now there is no such need: Raghvendra Kumar,NDRF in Nasik (Maha) pic.twitter.com/Zmx91vDjUt ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 A 300 kg magnet was lowered into the swollen Savitri River on Thursday morning to trace the two buses carrying 22 people who were swept away by the river after the collapse. Navy divers resumed operations on Thursday morning, a Defence spokesperson said, adding, that Chetak helicopter of Coast Guard also began sortie of the affected area. A crane lowered a 300 kgs magnet into the river, with the hope of tracing the missing vehicles. Something has gotten stuck to the magnet and efforts are on to pull it out of the river, a local official said. Patil said 28 Marine Commandos, over 100 jawans from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 25 personnel from the Coast Guard were promptly pressed into search and rescue operation. He said local divers and rafters had also joined the massive operation which was called off (after 14 hours) for the night. Heavy rains hampered the search for the missing people and vehicles. "We faced a lot of problems due to inclement weather and darkness. We will resume the search and rescue operation on a war footing in the morning," the police officer said. Another senior official said there are slim chances of finding any survivors and "but we will continue our efforts". The Coast Guard, NDRF and the Indian Navy began combing the river early on Wednesday, looking for signs of vehicles that were washed away. Quoting an NDRF official, Hindustan Times reported, Something has got stuck in one of the hooks we had put in the river from the new bridge. But it is not clear if that is a vehicle as we have not been able to penetrate the surface due to the strong current in the river. The current is same as it was on Wednesday. Our officials are also trying to trace the vehicles and the people in boats up to three kilometers down the spot.We hope to recover the vehicles and some people by today evening, the official added. However, according to district officials, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) along with an engineering consultancy had visited the old bridge in May and declared it safe. Following Rajnath Singh's orders collector Ugale had said, "Two choppers of Navy and Coast Guard were involved in the operation while two choppers of IAF have carried out reconnaissance." The Coast Guard had deployed a Chetak helicopter at about 8:15 am. A Seaking 42C all-weather aircraft with a diving team was also pressed into service by the Navy. Four teams of NDRF, comprising of 40 deep divers each had joined the Coast Guard and other agencies engaged in rescue and relief operations. "As soon as we got information about the tragic incident, we dispatched two teams from Pune and two teams from Mumbai who are searching for missing persons in the swollen river," a NDRF official monitoring the rescue operations,had said. Visuals of Indian Navy aircraft carrying out search operations at the site of bridge collapse in Raigad(Maharashtra) pic.twitter.com/RohUzoDwru ANI (@ANI_news) August 3, 2016 4 NDRF teams comprising 115 personnel including divers along with 12 boats were immediately rushed to Maha bridge collapse site- HM in LS ANI (@ANI_news) August 3, 2016 Savitri is one of the five rivers which originate in Mahabaleshwar in Satara district. After reviewing the rescue work, Fadnavis announced at Mahad that the Government will carry out a safety audit of all old bridges in the state. "An in-depth inquiry will be conducted into today's incident," Fadnavis said. Fadnavis, accompanied by PWD Minister Chnadrakant Patil and opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil of Congress, conducted an aerial survey of the area. "An eyewitness informed us that he saw a few buses, cars and vehicles being swept away in the river. After corroborating his statement with the State Road Transport Corporation, we found two of its buses have not reached their destinations. Therefore, we apprehend those two buses were the same which were swept away in the river," the collector said. According to district officials, one of the buses was proceeding to Mumbai from Jaigad in Raigad, and the other was on its way to Borivali from Rajapur. Fadnavis, who was monitoring the situation, had said, "There were two parallel bridges, one a new one and one built during the British era. The old one collapsed. The primary reason seems to be the high pressure caused due to flooding of river Savitri." Lok Sabha discusses collapse Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Fadnavis and was briefed about the tragedy. "The PM offered all help in rescue and relief operation," Fadnavis said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had informed the Lok Sabha that two helicopters had also been deployed and the Centre was giving all possible help to the state administration in the rescue efforts. "What happened is very painful and unfortunate. It happened at around 11.30 pm. Two passenger buses and four other vehicles are feared to have been washed away in the river," he said. Singh had made the statement after Vinayak Raut of Shiv Sena, raised the issue, saying the incident happened as the bridge remained operational even though it was considered unsafe and another bridge over the river was constructed by the state government. Raut asked the government to present a report about such bridges and ensure that such tragic incidents do not recur. Goa PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar had faulted government engineers for negligence which could have led to the collapse of the bridge. Speaking to reporters at the state legislative assembly complex, Dhavalikar had said: "Negligence cannot be of the Maharashtra government. It is a department's mistake, engineers' mistake." With inputs from agencies Bolpur: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that if the state government was given the responsibility, it could try to retrieve the Nobel medallion of Rabindranath Tagore lost in 2004 from the Visva Bharati University. On a visit to Santiniketan, she said she deeply regretted the theft of the priceless object, saying, "Though the CBI is investigating the theft, we can try to find it out, if given the responsibility." The CBI back in 2010 had closed its investigation into the theft of the country's first Nobel prize medal awarded to Tagore n 1913 and other Tagore memorabilia citing dearth of major clues. The then CBI director, Ashwini Kumar, had said that the probe could be reopened if more information came its way. The chief minister unveiled a slew of development projects for the Birbhum district after attending an administrative meeting, among which are a new IT hub, which is already in progress, theme city Gitabitan, housing complex at Prantik and a newly designed Tarapith area. The chief minister said the district would immensely benefit with the completion of the ongoing and new projects. Apart from the under-construction IT hub, an MSME market would be built up to sell produce of small and medium artisans where products of the well-known labels like Tantuja, Manjushree and Khadi would be available. The market would also host a Biswa Bangla outlet, she said. A 129-acre land has been identified and granted to the Sriniketan-Santiniketan Development Authority (SSDA) for the development of theme city 'Gitabitan' in Bolpur, which would promote the state's art and culture. A cluster of housing complexes would come up at in the Prantik area to meet the growing demand for shelter by local people, she said, adding that work was in progress to re-design the temple town 'Tarapeeth'. Lauding the law and order situation in Birbhum district, Banerjee said the state police would raise another battalion to cope with the emerging situation in the district and its adjacent areas. She asked the police to act impartially. The chief minister held a meeting with the Visva Bharati University authority to discuss development projects. In the meeting, she discussed with the officials the theft of the Nobel medallion of Rabindranath Tagore and observed that she would be the happiest person if the priceless object could be retrieved. The Gurdaspur Police registered a rape and corruption case on Thursday against Salwinder Singh, Superintendent of Police, who was cleared of suspicion by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Pathankot terror attack probe, reported The Tribune. According to the report, a complaint was filed by the victim's husband through Chief Ministers online sangat darshan. Singh used to frequent the Gurudaspur-based victim's house in connection with a criminal case registered against her husband and reportedly asked her to develop a physical relationship with him if she wanted to see her husband acquitted in the case. A probe conducted by the Pathankot SP (Headquarters) found him guilty based on the call records of Singh and the victim. The police are on the lookout and Singh will be arrested soon, a police officer was quoted as saying in The Tribune report. Singh, who had claimed that he was abducted by the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot Indian Air Force base in January this year, was under NIA scanner following suspicion that he was part of the drug racket being run in the bordering districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur. Singh is also facing a Punjab Police enquiry for sexual harassment following a complaint by five policewomen. He was summoned to join the probe in this case. In another enquiry ordered by the Punjab DGP, Singh was accused of bigamy by a woman from Tanda town in Hoshiarpur district. She had also alleged that Singh had a teenage son with her. Police sources said that raids are being conducted at various places to arrest the officer who is believed to be on the run. With inputs from IANS Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed in an encounter in July, will now be honoured with the Tamga-e-Azeemat (Medal of Greatness) for his "dedication, sincerity and bravery", announced Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani, according to Kashmir Reader. The report added that this is the first time in the history of the armed resistance in the Kashmir Valley that a militant was honoured with a medal by a pro-freedom group. "His martyrdom has added a new life to the ongoing freedom struggle in Jammu and Kashmir. He has united and strengthened the pro-freedom voice of this troubled state and the entire nation is feeling pride in paying tributes to this Great Mujahid," Geelani was quoted as saying. Geelani also said that it is the duty of other Muslim countries to support the people of the Valley. Meanwhile, fresh protests broke out in Kashmir on Wednesday after the killing of two more civilians, including an ATM booth guard who was found dead, with hundreds of pellets fired from close range, officials and residents said. In an earlier interview with IANS, Geelani had blamed "pro-Indian forces and the Indian government for creating Burhan Wanis". "India shows no respect for humanity, fundamental rights of Kashmiris," he said. "The government has not allowed democratic forces to flourish. I am under house arrest since 2010. We are not allowed to meet people. India has unleashed a reign of terror," he added. Voices of the separatists leader grew louder after violence erupted in the Valley. Separatists leaders apart from Geelani, head of moderate faction Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik had started an agitation after the death of Burhan Wani to protest against the civilian deaths. The separatist leaders had also asked the people, particularly youths, to express their sentiments by writing pro-freedom slogans on roads, walls and shop shutters. Umar Farooq had said that blaming Pakistan for the unrest in Kashmir is "is so worn out and half-witted that it does not even warrant a response". He had said that the "Kashmiri struggle for freedom like all freedom struggles in the world is both indigenous and sacred". In many parts of Kashmir, Burhan Wani was considered a hero. Decoding Burhan Wani, David Devadas had written, "Fresh-faced youthfulness was vital to Wanis rockstar persona. Even while he became a heroic ideal, he remained 'one of us'." With inputs from agencies The Gujarat High Court on Thursday rejected the government's notification granting 10 percent quota for EBCs (economically backward classes) in educational institutions. #FLASH Gujarat HC quashes Gujarat Govt notification granting 10% quota for EBCs (economically backward classes) in educational institutions. ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 This comes at a time when the state is reeling under protests by Dalits, after self-styled cow vigilantes thrashed Dalit youths for skinning the carcass of a cow. Gujarat also, last week, saw Anandiben Patel resign from the post of chief minister. On 4 May, 2016, the Gujarat government announced to implement 10 percent quota in admission for students belonging to EBCs with effect from the current academic year, reported The Indian Express. This is apart from the existing reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, the report added. The government's move to implement the 10 percent quota came after the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti agitation demanded inclusion of the Patels in the OBC category for reservation. Patel rejected the Gujarat government's announcement of 10 percent reservation for the economically backward among upper castes. Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti rejected the move as another "lollipop" extended by the BJP and the state government to "mislead" their community. The agitation seeking reservation has been raging since late 2014. The demands came after the community was affected by the economic slowdown, and the government is now finding it difficult to control the protests. Will the special status that Naidu wants for Andhra Pradesh actually benefit the state? This question has two answers. One answer is steeped in economics. The other lies in politics. Economically, the tag of Special Category State (SCS) no longer means a windfall of special funds to any state. And politically, it only supplies plenty of grist for the propaganda mill of parties. Forty-seven years after it was first introduced, this special category has ceased to be anything special. If Andhra Pradesh, whose demand for SCS status has now reached a peak, does manage to get it, it would only help the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) boast of extracting a major concession which it will never get from the Centre. The BJP, an ally of TDP, will claim that its the Modi government that is doling out that concession. On its part, the Congress will say that it was, after all, an assurance given by Manmohan Singh in 2014. Then the party will be struck by amnesia: It will forget to mention that Singh had never come good on his hasty promise. Till 2014-15, the SCS status indeed meant a bonanza of funds from the Centre. But the Centre virtually did away with the economic privileges attached to the SCSs from 2015-16, after the Fourteenth Finance Commission raised the share of states in central taxes from 32 percent to 42. Yet the Centre can now take a political decision by bestowing this privilege on AP and still find enough reasons to deny the state the economic benefits that supposedly go with it. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu must know that its not the special label that his state needs. What it needs is cash, and here is how he can get it. But lets begin at the beginning. It was in 1969 that the SCS was for the first time granted to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland. (This is different from the Special Status that J&K enjoys under Article 370.) Later, this indulgence was extended to eight other states: Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand. It was the National Development Council (NDC) which bracketed states in this category, based on criteria like hilly and difficult terrain, unviable finances, low population density or huge tribal populations and strategic location on borders with neighbouring countries. The grounds on which Naidu has been clamouring for it is that the bifurcation of the state and creation of Telangana left Andhras economy in a mess. While the loss of Hyderabad to Telangana not only led to a loss of nearly Rs 70,000 crore in revenue for Andhra, it also means that the state will have to build a new capital at Amaravati at a huge cost. Naidus demand is prompted by the fact that the largesse that SCSs received till last year was indeed significant. In 2014-15, for instance, the centres Plan Budget, accounting for a quarter of all the Centres budgetary resources, was spent this way: 59 percent of the Plan Budget went as Central Assistance to State Plans. 41 percent went to schemes of Central departments. Out of the 59 percent Central Assistance to State Plans, 44 percent was transferred to states for Centrally Sponsored Schemes and 15 percent as Block Grants to states. Block Grants had several sub-categories that included Normal Central Assistance, Special Central Assistance and Special Plan Assistance. In 2014-15, the SCSs received 56.25 percent of all the Normal Central Assistance, 90 percent of it as grant and 10 percent as loan. (The General Category states got the remaining 43.75 percent, but only 30 percent as grant). And as they always did, only the SCSs got the Special Plan Assistance (90 percent of a projects cost as grant), Special Central Assistance untied to any projects (100 percent as grant) and a 90 percent grant in the Centrally Sponsored Schemes. Read: Chandrababu Naidu will stick to NDA for now even as discontentment with Modi grows All this dramatically changed in the 2015-16 budget. While states began to receive a higher share of 42 percent of central taxes, the Centre diluted the benefits that accompanied the SCS status and even slashed the outlay for Centrally Sponsored Schemes. The higher share in central taxes was also precisely the reason the Modi government cited for rejecting Chief Minister Nitish Kumars demand for SCS label for Bihar in 2014. Its another matter that states including Bihar are complaining that despite the higher tax share, they are getting less cash from the Centre than before. Former Indian Economic Service official GR Reddy told The Hindu that its not politically feasible to consider special status for any new state as it will result in demands from others and dilute the benefits further. Reddy is right. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa bristled in 2013 at the very possibility of the UPA government according special status to Bihar, ruled by a Congress ally. And after Andhra Pradesh was truncated and the NDA government took reins at the Centre, she shot off a letter to Modi, cautioning him against acceding to the demand of his alliance partner Naidu. She said the Centre must ensure a level-playing field for states. Any concessions that Modi will offer Naidu will raise her hackles. And Nitish Kumar, as well as the CMs of many states like Odisha, Jharkhand and Rajasthan who have been demanding the special tag, too are sure to cry foul. Modi knows better than to commit political hara-kiri by conferring on Naidu the special privilege even in its diluted form. On his part, Naidu would be wise to demand, instead of a special status that doesnt ensure funds, a special package that does. He must make sure that Modi would make good the commitments that Manmohan Singh made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 in terms of infrastructure development in the state. The TDP leader would also perhaps be within his rights to demand that the Centre shell out more cash by way of more Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Andhra Pradesh. The author tweets @sprasadindia In a bizarre twist of events, Suraj, 22, married his mother-in-law Asha Devi, 42 from Madhepura district in Bihar after the panchayat declared that it had no objection to their love affair. According to Hindustan Times, the love story began a couple of months ago when Asha visited her daughter Lalita, 19, to help Suraj recover from a health condition. Soon, the affair began and as Asha's husband worked in Delhi, the couple met frequently and later decided to live together. According to Gulf News, the two had eloped in June but later returned to their village. When they came back, the panchayat allowed them to stay together and stated that there was no reason to separate the couple believed to be 'madly' in love. After a series of events, they finally got married in a court ceremony where they filed for a formal affidavit. They now live together. However, there is no clear information on whether Asha and Suraj got an official divorce from their respective partners. Asha even claimed that she had no problem in staying with her daughter, but Lalita and her father were clearly in despair. India Today reported that Asha's first husband will take Lalita with him to Delhi. Washington: In a birthday editorial Thursday, US President Barack Obama described himself as a feminist and urged renewed effort to break down gender stereotypes. The father of two girls, who was raised by a single mother, penned an essay for Glamour magazine, declaring "this is an extraordinary time to be a woman." "I say that not just as President but also as a feminist." Listing strides made by women, from gaining the vote to cracking open previously off-bounds careers, Obama said "the most important change may be the toughest of all and thats changing ourselves." He said raising Sasha, 15, and Malia, 18, had opened his eyes to the pressure girls are under. "You see the subtle and not-so-subtle social cues transmitted through culture. You feel the enormous pressure girls are under to look and behave and even think a certain way." "We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear," he wrote. Obama turned 55 years old on Thursday. Assisi: Pope Francis travelled to the Italian town of Assisi on Thursday for a private visit to mark the 800th anniversary of the 'Pardon of Assisi', under which the slates of sinners can be wiped clean. The 79-year-old pope arrived by helicopter in the hill-town in central Italy where his namesake Saint Francis of Assisi was born and found God, renouncing his wealth for a life of poverty and becoming an emissary of peace during the Crusades. The Argentine pontiff, who took the name of Francis in homage to the famous Christian friar and his devotion to the downtrodden, prayed in silence in the Porziuncola, a tiny church inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels. It was here the Franciscan movement was founded, and here the venerated patron saint of Italy, animals and the environment died. On Wednesday the pope said it would be "a very simple pilgrimage, but a very significant one". Thousands of pilgrims turned out to catch a glimpse of the head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, despite the baking heat in the Umbrian town. Born in 1181 to wealthy silk merchant, Saint Francis fought as a soldier and was imprisoned for a year, a period in which he is believed to have discovered God. He famously discarded his riches, was disowned by his father and tended to the poor in rags. Aged 26 Francis said Jesus came to him in a vision and told him three times, "go and repair my house which is falling into ruins". Legend has it he was praying in an abandoned chapel at the foot of the Assisi hills at the time, and sold his horse to pay for the repairs to what would become the Porziuncola. 'Greater need for pardon' Ever since his election in 2013, Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has modelled himself on the Franciscan, ditching the ermine furs and papal palace of his predecessors and calling for "a poor Church for the poor". After prayers in the fresco and gold-leaf decorated chapel, the pontiff will visit the adjacent convent's infirmary to greet the sick clergy. Francis's trip is to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the 'Pardon of Assisi', also called the Porziuncula Indulgence, by which penitent pilgrims who take part in a solemn annual celebration on 1 and 2 August can be forgiven. The tradition was founded by the saint who, it is said, was so moved by God's mercy to him that he pressed the then pope to grant an indulgence. Catholics believe a plenary indulgence means the sins of the repentant are forgiven and that any penance which in the early Church was sometimes demanded in the form of money is scratched. "This world torn by terrorism, where people no longer understand, where politicians no longer seek the common good, has more need than ever before of mercy and the Assisi pardon," Michael Perry, head of the franciscan friars, told Vatican Radio. Saint Francis founded the Franciscan order as well as the Order of Poor Ladies, with young noblewoman Clare of Assisi at its head. He later donned diplomatic robes and headed for the Fifth Crusades, where Western European armies flying under the papal flag were trying to recapture Jerusalem by conquering the powerful Muslim dynasty in Egypt -- but swapped the sword for words. Chennai: Air services on the Chennai-Dubai sector were yet to be restored as three airlines have cancelled their flights on Thursday, following the crash landing of an Emirates flight in Dubai, airport authorities said. "Two flights, each belonging to Jet Airways and Indigo, in Chennai-Dubai route were cancelled this morning," they said. Similarly, budget air carrier SpiceJet said all its flights have been cancelled in this route. "Apologies for inconvenience. All flights to and from Dubai stand cancelled for today," the airliner, said in a micro-blogging site. Three hundred people, mostly Indians had a narrow escape, as an Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai Wednesday crash landed and exploded on the run way in Dubai, shutting down one of the world's busiest airports. BJP president Amit Shah reached Ahmedabad on Thursday to pick the next chief minister of Gujarat. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 2 June submitted her resignation to Governor OP Kohli in the presence of ministers and party leaders at Raj Bhavan in the evening. Kohli had asked her to continue until the new chief minister takes charge. Meanwhile, political circles are abuzz with the likely choice of her replacement. Interestingly, state unit BJP chief Vijay Rupani whose name was in the reckoning for the post, ruled himself out of the race, saying he would like to work for the party organisation. "I have told the party leadership that I would like to work for the organisation," Rupani said. Firstpost, in an article published on Wednesday, had said that 60-year-old Rupani, considered as the most non-controversial of the lot, was the topmost contender for the CM post. However, The Economic Times quoted party sources and said that Anandiben was strongly opposed to Rupani as the next CM because Rupani was Shah's choice. One of the biggest setbacks for Anandiben's government was the lack of tact and discretion when handling the Patel quota agitation. Patels have been BJP's loyal votebank in Gujarat till the protests over quota reservation begun. Rupani's appointment as the CM will not help the party quell the protests as he belongs to the Jain community. Incidentally, Rajkot is the heartland of Saurashtra and the stronghold of Patels. This is where Patel comes in. His is the second name that comes up for the post after Rupani. Patel had shown his interest in the CM's post during the 2014 General Elections. According to many media outlets, the issue of who gets to helm Gujarat in 2017 Assembly polls remains a race between Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel. Patel is being seen as a daunting contender, as he belongs to the Patidar community, especially at a time when the BJP is trying to keep Patels on its side. Even though his efforts did not yield much result, Nitin Patel has been the bridge between agitating Patel leaders and the government. Patel contested his first Assembly election in the state in 1995 and has been a member of BJP for the past 30 years. When asked about his nomination for the CM post, Nitin Patel said, "The party central leadership will decide on who will be the chief minister." The BJP Parliamentary Board met in Delhi on Tuesday, which was chaired by Shah and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appointed Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP general secretary Saroj Pandey as party's central observers to hold consultations with the MLAs for electing the new leader. Shah will hold will hold consultations with party leaders and attend the Legislature Party meeting on Friday to elect the new leader. Venkaiah Naidu during a press conference (after the Parliamentary Board meeting) on 2 August had appreciated the work done by Anandiben Patel and the party has decided to honour her decision to step down on the ground that she is reaching the 75-age cutoff mark. Naidu emphasised that no names were discussed but ruled out rumours that Shah could be in contention for the post of Gujarat chief minister. Nitin Patel, who belongs to the Patidar community, is seen as a daunting contender, especially at a time when the BJP is trying to keep Patels on its side. "Such a question does not arise. He is the party president and is going to remain the party president. The party needs his leadership at the national level. There is no such discussion at all," he said when asked about reports that Shah was also in the contention. Shah has taken the party to "great heights" and led it to many successes, he said. This also rules out Rajya Sabha member and Union minister Puroshottam Rupala. Recently appointed in the central Cabinet as the Minister of State of Agriculture, Rupala is the national BJP vice-president. Rupala was a popular pitch for the CM post when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014. Reports said that the minister is the most admired orator in party's state unit after Modi. According to leaders in BJP, the decision on Anandiben's successor could be taken by Friday (5 August). "We are yet to decide the time of the Legislature body meeting (to elect new leader) as state Observer Nitin Gadkari is busy. It (meeting) can happen any time after 3 pm tomorrow or even a day after. Our national president Amit Shah will decide it," said state unit BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma. He said the legislature party meeting to decide the next chief minister will be held in the presence of state Observers as per the process. Parrying a query on likely contenders for CM's post, Sharma said, "A party worker will be chosen as next chief minister." With inputs from PTI Dehradun: Uttarakhand BJP has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Harish Rawat following allegations made by a woman in connection with a rape case lodged against BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat, saying "conspirators had no right to remain in power". Making a U-turn, a woman who had accused Harak Singh Rawat of raping her in an FIR, has alleged that she had done so under pressure from Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat. "Harish Rawat has lost the moral right to stay in office after forcing a woman through his henchmen to lodge a false FIR against Harak Singh Rawat by threatening her with dire consequences if she refused," state BJP President Ajay Bhatt said in a statement on Wednesday evening. Claiming that the revelations made by the woman vindicate the BJP's stand, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, said the party smelt a conspiracy behind the FIR from day one. Law should take its course and the real culprits behind the conspiracy should be brought to book, Bhatt said. The conspiracy also proves that Harish Rawat is baying for the blood of all former Congress legislators and ministers who revolted against him and are now with the BJP. "It further substantiates our charge that false cases are being registered against all leaders who had revolted against Harish Rawat. Be it Kunwar Pravanav Singh Champion, Pradip Batra or the husband of former Congress MLA Rekha Arya who voted against him during floor test in the Assembly, all of them have been framed in false cases," Bhatt said. The woman had alleged in her complaint to the Safdarjung police station that Harak Singh raped her at his residence in the posh Green Park area on 29 July. Rawat was among the nine Congress MLAs who had revolted against Congress' government in the state assembly on 18 March. He is now with BJP along with the rest of the rebel MLAs. New Delhi: In a dramatic U-turn, Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said the BJP does not want a "Congress-mukht Bharat" but wants it as the main opposition party. Taking part in a discussion on the developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, Naidu accused the Congress of misusing Article 356 of the Constitution when it was in power at the Centre. "We never said 'Congress-mukt Bharat' (Congress-free India). We want a party like the Congress to be our main opposition so that we are always benefited," Naidu said. His response came as Congress leader Anand Sharma blamed the Narendra Modi government of running a campaign for 'Congress-free India'. "There is an agenda, there is a 'Congress mukht abhiyaan' (Congress-free campaign). The government stands fully exposed and condemned and the Prime Minister is silent," Sharma said. "There will be no Congress-mukt (India). We are a 131-year-old party, we have fought many battlesIf our numbers are less in the other house (Lok Sabha), don't think it will always be so," Sharma said. Naidu retorted, saying the Congress misused Article 356 to impose President's rule in states several times. "Does the Congress have any moral right to raise this question? It is like a devil quoting the scriptures. This is the party that has misused Article 356 several times. Such a party is now delivering sermons," he said. New Delhi: BJP today accused UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of rubbing salt into the wounds of Bulandshahr gangrape victims and insulting women with his "insensitive" remarks that opposition parties were "tutoring" them to serve their political interests. BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said that instead of sacking his minister Azam Khan, Yadav chose to speak the language of Khan, who had also seen a "political conspiracy" in the crime. "People expected Akhilesh Yadav to speak against Khan's remarks and take action against him. Instead, he politicised such an inhuman and horrific crime. He is practising a very low level politics by making such insensitive remarks," he said in a statement in Delhi. Earlier on Thursday, on the sidelines of a programme in Lucknow the Akhilesh Yadav has said, "The incident is unfortunate. Action will be taken against those responsible. But the question is what are BJP and other (opposition) parties tutoring the victims and showing the way of politics". Sharma reiterated the BJP's demand that the state government order a CBI probe into the incident, alleging that police was working to cover it up. Taking on the UP CM, Sharma alleged over 3,000 rapes and 12,000 murders had occurred under his rule and wondered if they were also driven by politics. "He has not only insulted the victims and rubbed salt into their wounds but also insulted women in the state by speaking the language of Azam Khan. He should have instead sacked him," he added. A political slugfest is on in Uttar Pradesh over the gangrape of a minor girl and her mother on the national highway in Bulandshahr district, with the state government coming in for severe bashing and leaders of various parties making a beeline for meeting the victims. While a BJP delegation led by state unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya has already met the victims in Ghaziabad, a Congress team headed by its chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit met them on Thursday. New Delhi: Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not being present in either house of parliament when the GST bill was taken up, the Congress on Thursday said that it was for the first time in independent India that a constitutional amendment bill was discussed, debated and passed without the Prime Minister being present. "This has happened for the first time in the past 66 years that the Prime Minister was missing when a constitutional amendment was being debated," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told media. "It seems that parliament has become Prime Minister-'mukt' (free of)," he said, adding that it was unprecedented and created doubts if Modi was in favour of the legislation. Ramesh said Modi was not in the Lok Sabha when the bill was debated there, and he was again missing from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday when the bill was discussed, debated and passed by the upper house. The former Union Minister said that Wednesday's debate and voting on the GST bill in the Rajya Sabha was historic, and both the government and the principal opposition moved from their stated positions to pass the bill in a "cordial atmosphere". "We hope that this cordial atmosphere will continue and the government, as demanded by all opposition parties will not bring the CGST and the IGST as money bills." "Government must not bring these bills as money bills. We believe that the cordial atmosphere will continue as there's a lot to be done," he said. The Congress leader said that government wanted pro-industry and pro-states GST regime but the Congress wanted it to be for the common people. He also reasoned that when the tax is kept low, more and more people pay it, hence enhancing the overall collections. Ramesh said that he expects lots of confusion on GST, but "it was a positive impact on the Indian economy". "This GST is imperfect but then no bill could be perfect and a lot is to be done to make it good," he added. He also expressed happiness that many of Congress' demands on GST have been met by the government. While Priyanka Chaturvedi, spokesperson of the Congress party seconded Jairam Ramesh's claim and tweeted Another reason why this is historic because it is first Constitutional Amendment which was debated without the PM present: @Jairam_Ramesh INC India (@INCIndia) August 4, 2016 With inputs from IANS Islamabad: A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, without confirming reports six people on board were taken hostage by the Taliban. "Six people were boarding it, but we are unaware of their fate," a senior government official based in Lahore told AFP on condition of anonymity. The helicopter crashed in Azra district, in the restive province of Logar, then caught fire, said the provincial governor's spokesman Salim Saleh. Earlier, local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said six people on board had been taken hostage by the Taliban and transported to an unknown location. The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident. Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and continuing to nurture sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. A spokesman for Pakistani embassy in Kabul confirmed the crash, but would not say if the passengers had been kidnapped. "An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar," Akhtar Munir told AFP. "We don't know anything about the fate of those on-board or why it crash-landed." There was no official comment from the Pakistani military or Afghan defence ministry officials. Auto refresh feeds "I will not accept that this problem is just one created by Pakistan or separatists," he said. "You cannot escape the issue by just blaming Pakistan for the problems in Kashmir," he said. "Just because of good tourism in one season in Kashmir, you cannot think you solved the problem. If you do not pay attention to this problem, it will turn into a law and order problem." "There must be a conspiracy being hatched by Pakistan. But you have to look at the measures you are taking to counter it," Yechury told the government in Rajya Sabha. In response, a beleaguered Arun Jaitley said that BJP will take strict action against Dayashankar Singh. "I should tell Mayawati ji that the party shares her grief over this issue, I will look into this matter, we stand with her...I am personally hurt that a BJP party person used such derogatory words against Mayawati," he said. "This is not only a woman's issue. This is a man's issue," said TMC MP Derek O'Brien. Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury stressed on the fact that the man making such remarks was none other than the vice president of the UP unit of BJP and demanded that he be arrested. "A man speaks with such language on the day both houses are discussing issues on violence on Dalits?" she said. "The nation will not forgive BJP for this, especially with what is going in Gujarat," ANI quoted Mayawati as saying. "There are wars of thoughts and ideas in the House, but never have I used derogatory words against anyone ever," she said. "The insulting words used against me are against all of womankind," said Mayawati. "Dayashankar Singh should be arrested. Otherwise, if in response to this people get violent, it will not be on my conscience," she added. UP BJP vice president Dayashankar Singh's cheap remark against BSP chief Mayawati created uproar in the Parliament as Opposition leaders attacked the Modi government over the issue. In response, a beleaguered Arun Jaitley said that BJP will take strict action against Dayashankar Singh. "I should tell Mayawati ji that the party shares her grief over this issue, I will look into this matter, we stand with her...I am personally hurt that a BJP party person used such derogatory words against Mayawati," he said. "This is not only a woman's issue. This is a man's issue," said TMC MP Derek O'Brien. Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury stressed on the fact that the man making such remarks was none other than the vice president of the UP unit of BJP and demanded that he be arrested. "A man speaks with such language on the day both houses are discussing issues on violence on Dalits?" she said. "The nation will not forgive BJP for this, especially with what is going in Gujarat," ANI quoted Mayawati as saying. "There are wars of thoughts and ideas in the House, but never have I used derogatory words against anyone ever," she said. "The insulting words used against me are against all of womankind," said Mayawati. "Dayashankar Singh should be arrested. Otherwise, if in response to this people get violent, it will not be on my conscience," she added. UP BJP vice president Dayashankar Singh's cheap remark against BSP chief Mayawati created uproar in the Parliament as Opposition leaders attacked the Modi government over the issue. "On one hand, BJP did a lot of things to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti and assured Dalits that they will do a lot to celebrate it. On the other hand, Dalits still do not have reservation rights in the private sector," she added. "The legal rights which Ambedkar created for the backward sections of the society will only reach the society when honest work is done for providing those rights to them," she said. "Even after the country got independence, whether it is Congress rule or BJP rule, the sad truth is that the Dalits are still suffering," Mayawati said in the Rajya Sabha. "There is an urgent need to change the mindset of the major political parties of the country towards Dalits," she said. "I have to tell the Union government that this is a serious matter. I ask the government to give justice to the Dalit victims in Gujarat. It is not enough to just send the Gujarat CM to meet them. Action needs to be taken against authorities which were negligent. They should be arrested," she said. "In the name of protection of cows, a lot of unfair things are being done. Injustice against Dalits is being done in the name of protection of cows," said Mayawati in the Rajya Sabha. Crimes against Dalits being done in the name of cow protection, says Mayawati "Instead of making Dalits a political weapon, Congress, BJP and other parties should be reminded that they should rise above petty politics and work for the development of backward sections," she said. "The victims often do not get justice in case of a CID probe," said Mayawati in the Rajya Sabha. "Gujarat government did not act quickly enough. It was only when the media picked up this issue that some action was taken." "This Una incident case should run in a fast track court. We also demand that one of the judges should be a Dalit," Mayawati said. "Forget about Dalits getting justice, even their FIR is not filed many times and the latest example is the Una (Gujrat) incident," she also said. Deputy Chariman PJ Kurien denies that the House is taking the subject lightly. Rajya Sabha is currently debating Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Bhagwant Mann's video of him entering Parliament by crossing several security layers. Mann then posted it on social media, inviting attack from MPs across party line, who termed his act as a security breach. In the video, which went viral, Mann was seen showing entry gate through which MPs enter Parliament House and saying how strong is the security. "The car is registered with the Lok Sabha. It has a censor, which has the vehicle details. As soon as so you come near the gate, the censor identifies the car and announces the name and number of the car," Mann says in the video with him crossing several layers of the security. On the fifth day of the Monsoon Session (Friday), Aam Aadmi Party MLA Bhagwant Mann's filmed a video entering Parliament by crossing several security layers, which eventually caused uproar in both the Houses. Mann, who posted it on social media, invited attack from MPs across party line, who termed his act as a security breach. As soon as the House assembled, she informed it about the action being taken on the issue which had led to the adjournment of Lok Sabha proceedings on July 22. "The inquiry committee shall inquire into the serious security implications and related aspects.... (and) suggest suitable remedial measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future and recommend appropriate action in the matter," the Speaker said. The member is "advised not to attend the sittings of the House" until a decision is taken in the matter, Mahajan said. Mann was not present in the House. The panel has also been asked to "suggest remedial measures" so that such episodes are not repeated. Mahajan has formed the nine member panel headed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya which includes Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena), Meenakshi Lekhi, Satya Pal Singh (both BJP), B Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal), Ratna De Nag (Trinamool) and K. C. Venugopal (Congress) and other members. Therefore, the "act of the member" has put the security of the Parliament in peril, she said. Mahajan said she had consulted leaders of all political parties and everyone supported her actions on this issue. Describing Parliament as "sanctum sanctorum" of democracy, Mahajan recalled that on 13 December, 2001, security personnel had sacrificed their lives protecting the parliament and after that entire security system was reviewed and overhauled. It put "security of the parliament in peril", Mahajan added. Mann has been asked to appear before the panel by 10.30 am tomorrow and make his submission. Addressing the Lok Sabha as soon as it reassembled after the weekend break, Mahajan said taking audio video footage of security zones in the parliament by Punjab's Sangrur MP Mann on July 21 and putting them on social networking site was improper. "The act of the member of audio-visual recording of the Parliament and posting it on the social media puts the security of Parliament in peril," the Speaker said, adding that several members had expressed concern over the issue on Friday last. The panel, chaired by BJP member Kirit Somaiya, has been asked to submit its report by August 3, while Mann has time till tomorrow morning to submit his explanation to the committee. Acting tough, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today said AAP MP Bhagwant Mann's videography of the Parliament House complex had put its security "in peril" and asked him not to attend the House till a decision is taken on the matter while setting up a nine-member panel to probe the issue. The Lok Sabha is likely to discuss The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill today. Apart from this, the Lower House is also slated to discuss The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill. Sasikala Pushpa began crying in the House over the issue of attacks on women in the country. She has alleged that she was harassed and was being forced to quit her post. "So what if we disagreed with you? This is not the country we are used to living in," O'Brien said. "The Prime Minister needs to come in the House and say that we can live in the India we know, the India of unity and diversity." "For Rs 15, they (Dalits) are being killed because they are Dalits. I am a gau sevak. But in the name of gau sevaks, don't cross the line. This is a sitaution which has gone beyond the border of this country. Since they are taking these decisions, they must listen to what the UN had to say about this country," he said. "The curb on religious fundamentalism, this is a dangerous situation. If it happens and happens and happens, it is a decision. This is a decision of this government. Otherwise, the Defence Minister would not have said what he said yesterday," TMC MP Derek O'Brien said, referring to Parrikar's remarks that Aamir Khan needs to be taught a "lesson" because of his remarks on intolerance. An angry Parrikar responded by saying that he did not take the name of any person in the video. "Since the BJP government came to power, they targeted Muslims first. Now, they are committing atrocities against the Dalits. The Prime Minister should come to the Parliament and clarify on what is happening," Mayawati said. CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury responded to Parrikar and said, "What he said is objectionable. That cannot be acceptable. Tomorrow, are you going to threaten me? If he is raksha mantri, kiska raksha ho raha hai?" Defence Minister Parrikar responded to the uproar in the Rajya Sabha over his remarks against Aamir Khan and said, "Let them see the video themselves and make up their minds." "We should think about the respect for women. In Bareilly, a teacher was abducted during daytime. This is not right. The government should speak. Why is the government silent?" she said. "There are rapes taking place against Dalit women everywhere in the country. The government should take this matter seriously," Mayawati said. Naqvi agreed with her and said the government was ready for a discussion. "I am really embarrassed for standing here and talking about the same issue once again, even after the Nirbhaya gangrape...I want a discussion on women's protection. I do not care which place. I do not want politicising of this issue," Jaya Bachchan said in the Rajya Sabha. An emotional Jaya Bachchan got up in the Rajya Sabha and demanded a discussion on the issue of safety of women. "In view of seriousness of matter, Bhagwant Mann is further advised not to attend the sessions of Parliament for further two weeks," she said. "The chairperson (of the committee) has sought extension of time for further two weeks. I have accepted the request for extension," Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said. On the issue of AAP MP Bhagwant Mann being barred from the Parliament for making a video of the Parliament House complex, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said that the committee probing this issue had asked for more time. "This legislation will only be passed after a serious discussion. I hope the Finance Minister passes the Bill not on the strength of his numbers, but on the basis of logic," Chidambaram said. "Government tried to pass the GST Bill without the support of the principal Opposition and I am happy they failed," he said. "Many issues are still outstanding issues and still need to be resolved. We had earlier tried to pass the GST Bill with the support of the Opposition and we failed," he said. "I welcome the friendly tone of the Finance Minister's speech. I think the tone and approach has changed over the last few weeks," Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said. "People of India expect low indirect taxes. There are many voices in the government which speak for the corporate, but someone must speak for the people. I am doing that," Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha. "When this Bill is passed today, we will prepare for the next stage of the debate, which is the Central GST Bill. I want an assurance from the Finance Minister....This is a very important legislation. I want an assurance that when that Bill is brought, that will be brought as a Financial Bill and not as a Money Bill," Chidambaram said. "Persuade all parties and sections of the people that a standard of 18 percent is the most appropriate," he added. "The worry that we have is creeping taxation. But that is what Parliament is for. Taxation is the exclusive power of the Parliament. It is ultimately Parliament which calls the shots in taxes," he said. "I, on behalf of my party, loudly and clearly demand that the GST rate should not exceed 18 percent," Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha. Bill in next stage of GST debate should be brought as a Financial Bill: Chidambaram Chidambaram warns that a rate too high, something like 23 percent, will be inflationary. He insists that the Bill needs to be passed as a finance Bill. The critical point we shouldnt be miss here is that the Congress is pitching for 18 percent standard GST rate and isnt ready to give up on this point in any case. This comment is crucial since the NDA government has not yet arrived on a single rate. Chidambaram attacks the Narendra Modi government, saying it does not care about the problems of the common people. Chidambaram stresses on the point that the rate should be changed only with the permission of Parliament, and thus makes Congress compromise formula that the GST rate should be included in the GST Bill, though his party is willing to compromise on the earlier demand that the rate should be included in the constitution. According to Firstpost Financial Editor Dinesh Unnikrishnan, P Chidambaram has hit the core point in his speech the final GST rate. Chidambaram positions Congress as the voice of poor and emphasises on the fact that standard GST rate should not exceed 18 percent on the lines of what governments chief economic advisor, Arvind Subrmanian, suggested. "It (GST) violates states' autonomy. It results in permanent revenue loss to the state of Tamil Nadu. We strongly oppose this Bill," AIADMK MP A Navaneethakrishnan said in the Rajya Sabha. "We have moved an amendment that the compensation should be for at least 5 years," he added. "Tamil Nadu will lose Rs 9270 crore because of GST. This is not a small amount," he said. "Till date, the revenue-neutral rate has not been fixed by the government," he said, adding that this was a problem in the GST Bill. "Petroleum and petroleum products must be kept outside GST permanently. We can save our people only then," he said. "It is a well-known fact that Tamil Nadu is a manufacturing state. It is also known that this method of taxation is destination-based. We strongly oppose that," he said. He then went on to elaborate on the changes which AIADMK wanted in the GST Bill. "The composition of the GST Council is not fair. The weightage of each state's vote should be in proportion to their representation in the country," said the AIADMK MP in the Rajya Sabha. "Now let me tell you about the ping pong match," O'Brien said "I'm feeling like a teenager in the presence of these senior lawyers," O'Brien said. "There is the politics of the Bill. GST can also be interpreted as the Girgit Samjhauta Tax," TMC MP Derek O'Brien said in the Rajya Sabha. TMC MP Derek O'Brien has always been dramatic in his speeches, and his speech during the GST Bill is a perfect example. The money has to first come from Centre to states and then from states to local bodies. If the availability of funds to local bodies gets delayed, that can seriously hamper functioning of local bodies, Patel cites. In a larger context, this problem is not for MCGB alone. It would apply to all big and small local bodies across the country in the GST regime. Patels remarks suggest the magnitude of challenge the Modi government has while implementing the revolutionary tax regime. Patel raises the challenge of GST implementation. Under the GST regime, when various indirect taxes including sales tax, VAT and Octroi get consolidated in one uniform tax rate, will large local bodies such as MCGB get funds on time for its daily functioning? Patel asks. Firstpost Financial Editor Dinesh Unnikrishnan says that NCP Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel raises an interesting case of states within the states, citing the example of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGB), which under Octroi alone garners about Rs 8000 crore to Rs 9000 crore per annum. "The Prime Minister should come to the House apologise to the nation. If he cannot come, we will be happy even if Finance Minister Jaitley apologises," Budania said. "It was Congress which forced you to follow the right path of this Bill." "At that time, the then Gujarat CM had said that this Bill is against the welfare of the nation. Today, the same man who is now PM, said that this Bill is benefitial for the nation," he said. "When the Congress had brought this Bill to the Parliament, then BJP had protested against it," said Narendra Budania, Congress MP from Rajasthan. PM Modi should apologise to the nation for his U-turn on GST Bill: Congress in Rajya Sabha "We have given this notice for discussion to wake up the government. It is unfortunate that the Taj of Hindustan is burning but the central government cannot feel the heat. Which kind of heat will wake up the Kashmir government?" Azad said. "Today, it has been 30 days since curfew was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir. I do not think that any state in India has seen curfew for 30 days since Independence," Congress leader Azad said. "Please call for an all-party meeting and send a delegation to Kashmir," he said. "This cannot be solved through law and order machinery," he said. "The silence of the Prime Minister is more eloquent than words. He is sending the message that the government does not care about the situation in Kashmir." "This is one of the most grave situations I have risen in to speak. I have not seen continuous curfew for 30 days in my life. How can we remain silent? More than 1000 incidents of firing have been reported in a month. More than 8000 have been injured. 60 are dead. It is inhuman and criminal. Why are we using pellet guns? I am told that even Israel does not use pellet guns against Palestinians," CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury said. "If you (BJP) were not opposing this Bill at that time, this Bill would have been passed two years ago. So, you are actually responsible for delaying the Parliament passing this Bill, but we are taking the blame," he said. "Why was it that in 2011, some ministers who are sitting on that side were opposing this Bill?" Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said in the Lok Sabha. "Today, the Parliament is going to take a big step for the freedom from tax terrorism," he said. "Some people will know the condition of taxation in our country," he added. "Today is 8 August. On this day many years ago, Mahatma Gandhi had moved the nation with 'Bharat choro' slogan," PM Narendra Modi said in the Lok Sabha. "Therefore, who won and who lost is not a matter of debate," the Prime Minister further said. "But the credit for this Bill does not belong to one party. It belongs to the culture of Indian democracy," Modi said. "It is true that someone created this Bill while someone else nurtured it," he said. "Just as someone gave birth to Krishna and someone else raised him," he said. "The most important requirement was the creation of trust between Centre and the states. The most important thing was to not decide this on the basis of sheer numbers. That is why I have earlier said that democracy is not just about numbers," he said. "We were successful in taking care of a lot of flaws with the GST Bill. 'Ek manch, ek manth, ek marg, ek manzil' is the mantra behind GST which all of us have experienced," the PM said. "Sometimes, there were doubts about the GST. When I was the CM, even I had doubts about GST. And today, because of seeing GST continuously as a CM, my viewpoint changed when I viewed it as Prime Minister," Modi said. "All Centre and states need to unite to create a mechanism for Ek Bharat," PM Modi said in the Lok Sabha. I had different view of GST because I looked at it earlier from the point of view of a CM: PM Modi in Lok Sabha "A message will go to the people through GST that the consumer is the king," Modi said. "GST gives a guarantee of security to small traders and businessmen. It will result in economic growth." "Despite our differences, we made efforts to take GST forward," he said. "A uniformity in the processing of taxation will come through GST." "In the entire discussion of GST, none of us used it as a platform for politics. We rose above politics for the welfare of the nation," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Lok Sabha. GST will send the message that the consumer is the king: PM Modi in LS "Even during the all-party meeting, I had said that the credit for the GST Bill goes to all political parties," the Prime Minister said. "It is a matter of great strength for Indian democracy that all of us are making efforts to take this forward together," he said. "It is also true that we need to have IT-preparedness and legal preparedness. In the world, even the countries which are praised for their democracy find it tough to deal with Bills," he said. "Because of GST, the taxpayer will realise that he will benefit from honesty. Therefore, we will succeed in bringing down the generation of black money," Modi said. "There will be data integration. Because of a strong cross-checking mechanism, a seamless method which will help in catching any wrongdoing will be created," the PM said. "GST will help in curbing corruption and black money," Modi said. "Corruption will move towards zero because of GST," he said. "When something happens in Africa, the Prime Minister tweets about it. But when the Taj of India is burning, the heat is not reaching the central government," he added. "We were told that he spoke on Kashmir issue in Madhya Pradesh because the CM told him to do so. This shows that the Parliament means nothing to the PM and he would not have spoken on the Kashmir issue if the Chief Minister had not asked him to do so," he said. "This is the fourth time we are asking the Prime Minister to provide a statement in the House," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha. PM spoke on Kashmir in Madhya Pradesh just because the CM told him to do so: Azad in RS "When you truly feel pain from the heart, it will reach Kashmir," he said. "When you say Kashmir is an integral part of India, it should not only be on paper. There should be integration of hearts and minds. What about the integration between federal and state government?" said Azad. "Law and order in Kashmir in not just in the hands of Jammu and Kashmir police, but also in the hands of paramilitary forces," Azad further said. "If someone says that Mehbooba Mufti should alone solve the problem in Kashmir, that is not possible for her," he added. "Kashmir is secular. The destruction of Kashmiriyat and insaniyat is not happening because of democracy but because of the pellet guns," he said. "There is a difference between communalism and separatism. Militants are also targeting Muslims. Militancy has no religion," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha. "You can only keep Kashmir in India when you treat Kashmiris as equals," he said. "Shoot the people but do not use pellet guns. Pellet Guns are worse than live bullets. It is worse than killing people," he further said. "The Prime Minister said that the people of the country love Kashmir. But the people of Kashmir should also love the country," JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav said. "Merely repeating what Atal Bihari Vajpayee said is not going to create that trust. Create that trust by stopping the communal polarisation that is taking place in the country," he said. "If everyday you talk about abrogating Article 370, you talk about love jihad, ghar wapsi, are you creating trust?" said Yechury. "Unless you address the central question of the promises made to the people of Kashmir at the time of independence, this problem will not be solved," he said. "The problem today can only be solved if you initiate a political dialogue. I have urging this government that this can only come through with an atmosphere of trust. "The trust deficit exists (in Kashmir) because of the string of betrayals of the promises made," said the CPI(M) leader. He also took a dig at the government's foreign policy and said, "When you want to wish Happy Birthday, you go to Pakistan." "If other governments have engaged in dialogue in the past, what is preventing this government from initiating the political dialogue?" Yechury said. "The threat we face today is not a mere question of autonomy. There is also an orchestrated terrorist threat in Kashmir," he said. "Today, there is an attempt to create dual power in Kashmir," Dasgupta further said. "Let us remember that dialogue cannot be done if we are going to tie the hands of the executive." "While I agree with Sitaram Yechury that we need a form of political approach, the form and time of that approach should be different," he said. "We have been talking about development and healing hearts and unfortunately, we have come across a rather big emotional divide. At an earlier time, it was thought that Article 370 would facilitate the process of integration. But we may have actually hardened the emotional divide," he said. "A lot of the people who have taken to the streets may be spontaneous. But there is also a large degree of pre-meditation in the protests," he said. "That was the death of Burhan Wani. The death of any Indian should be a source of anguish. But Burhan Wani never considered himself an Indian. And what do you say about a person who glamourises terrorism?" Dasgupta said. "The problem we face in Kashmir today is somewhat different from the problems we have faced earlier," he said. "Three months ago, Kashmir was peaceful. We had a unique political experiment. It was an alliance between the Valley and Jammu, something which was unique and encouraging. And then something broke loose," he added. "While we try to evolve a consensus on this issue, we should sometimes be brutally frank about what we are dealing with," Swapan Dasgupta, nominated MP, said in the Rajya Sabha. "I wish people in this Parliament talked about sending a delegation to AIIMS, where a girl injured by pellet guns is admitted," he said. "Why do we only remember Kashmir when it is burning? Guns will not solve any problem," he said. "The people of this country should understand what the problem in Jammu and Kashmir is." "Why wasn't there any problem in Kashmir until 1987?" said a dramatic PDP MP Nazir Ahmad Laway in the Rajya Sabha. Why do we remember Kashmir only when it is burning? asks PDP MP in Rajya Sabha Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia: When we are talking about Swachh Bharat, we should first clean our minds. Fringe elements have now turned into the Centre today. Why the Home Minister didn't visit Rohith Vemula? PM made a strong statement: Shoot me, not the Dalits. But why he didn't include Muslims? Muslims can never be part of Hindu nationalism but they are a part of Indian nationalism. Sexual violence against Dalit women has increased. About eight lakh Dalits are dependent on selling skins, bones of dead cows, what will they do now? AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi: No democracy in the world has prioritise animal life over human life. But the Indian democracy has. Why do gua rakshaks have come to power? The credit goes to the idealogy of ruling party. What right do so-called gau rakshaks have to look at what I eat? NK Premchandran, RSP MP from Kollam: The attrocities against the Dalits is politics. Educational, economical and social upliftment is the need of the poor. We all should work together and committ ourselves in taking action in order to stop the atrocities on Dalit. Also, I would appeal all the state governments to take strictest action against anti-social elements who try to disrupt the harmony of secular fabric of the country. It is pointless to blame the other government. Why did we celebrate Ambedkar's 125th anniversary with such genuinty? Respecting Ambedkar is like respecting India. Seva Bharati, an RSS organisation, is one of the organisations which has been majorly active at the grassroots for the upliftment of Dalits. Dalit community has contributed a lot towards Indian heritage. When India was under the British Rule, no matter how atrocities were inflicted on them, still they stood by India. They never demanded a separate country. We in the government emphathise with the Dalits. On PM Modi's silence, Singh said, "Has any PM spoken during all discussions in Parliament? When PM spoke on the atrocities, and gau rakshaks, I issued an advisory that strict action should be taken against such gau rakshaks. Our biggest challenge is to counter the twisted mentality of the perpetrators. What happened in Una was extremely condemnable. "This is rumour that after BJP came to power that the atrocities on Dalit have increased. Just ask yourselves if this is true. Show me the data records. I don't want to point fingers at any political party. But following figures would explain: In 2013, 39,346 cases were registered against atrocities, 40,300 and 35,564 were registered respectively," Singh said. "We can make India world's best country if we consider humanity above all. There are many articles in our Indian constitution for Dalits. But there is a need for effective laws to act on these articles. Our government is working at socio-economic development of the Dalits." "It is painful that even after 70 years of independence we are still discussing atrocities on Dalits. We cannot deny that there are people from several castes and religion. We should not politicise the atrocities on Dalits," Singh said. On Friday, 12 August, 2016 the bills for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha are Mental Health care Bill,2016 and Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016. Congress leader Anand Sharma said that the government should not be hypocritical. He said, "When administrators have high salary, MLAs have a good rise, why don't we get the same treatment?" Ram Gopal Yadav, SP, Uttar Pradesh raised the issue of the low wages of the members of Parliament. He said, "The pay of the MP's is only a fraction of ministers in Telangana Assembly or Delhi Legislative Assembly. We are asked to reduce our expenditure but we cannot do that when we have to entertain people of our constituency. The rising inflation also makes it difficult for us to sustain ourselves." In the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha Congress leader Shashi Tharoor raised the issue of failing start-ups in India. He said, "The government has given tax incentives to the start-ups but everyone knows that they don't make any money in the first few years. Hence the tax incentives should be given to the angel investors." After GST this is the second resolution which has been adopted unanimously. She added, "This house earnestly appeals to all sections of society in India to work for the early restoration of normalcy and harmony. This is to restore confidence in people and youth in general. The resolution is adopted unanimously." Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced that the resolutions proposed on the Kashmir issue has been passed. She said,"This house expresses serious concern over the violence in Kashmir Valley. Everyone here conveys loss of life caused by the deteriorating situation. The house is of the firm view that there cannot be a compromise on security." Dubbing passage of the GST Constitution Amendment Bill as historic, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said that manufacturing taxes and VAT will come down with the new national sales tax but the same for services tax will be decided by states and Centre. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will subsume over a dozen central and state levies including excise duty, service tax and VAT, is "perhaps the most important" tax reform, he said soon after Rajya Sabha overwhelmingly voted for the legislation. "Today is a historic day for the reason that Rajya Sabha has passed the GST bill which have been held up for a very long time. All members present at the time of voting, voted in favour of the bill," Jaitley told reporters in Parliament House. Thanking Congress and other opposition parties for supporting the legislation, he said proceedings in the Upper House demonstrated to the world that this is a great day for Indian democracy and Indian federalism. "In fact Indian democracy and Indian federalism are at there very best in as much as all national political parties and regional parties, state governments have come together to usher a major taxation reform.. The government wanted to build a larger consensus, which we succeeded in doing," he said. Asked if the implementation of the GST would mean rise in cost of air travel, mobile bills and eating out because of incidence of service tax going up in the new regime, he said that tax rate would be decided by the GST Council, comprising of the Centre and the states. "Manufacturing taxes will certainly will come down, VAT will come down. What level services taxes are to be kept is a discretion of GST Council. It will depend on what states along with Centre will decide," he later told Times Now. On Congress demand for not converting the supporting GST legislation as Money Bill, Finance Minister said he has not pre-decided on bringing the Bills as Money or Finance Bills. "Once the GST is implemented, it will bring basic changes as far as the Indian tax structure is concerned, it will converge India into one unified market, with one unified tax in the country, it will improve the base of taxation, it will make evasion extremely difficult. "The central and state governments have to work together to make this a great success. Overall, I think we had an excellent debate," he told reporters. He said although every state government is on board in order to implement one of the most important taxation reform in India, the fact is that it has been passed unanimously all regional and national parties have actively supported it. Congress hoped that subsequent legislations for its implementation like CGST and IGST bills would be brought in the Winter Session as financial and not money bills. Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said he was only half satisfied with the Finance Minister's promise made in the Upper House in this regard. "It's a half promise. Therefore, I am half satisfied," he told reporters after the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill. Chidambaram said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has assured that he will hold discussions with the Congress party before bringing the bills. Senior Congress leader and former Law Minister Kapil Sibal cited the example of Aadhaar Bill to claim the new legislations could be converted into Money Bills to block voting. "We have seen the Aadhar Bill was converted into a money bill and we were not given the right to vote on it. We have doubt that this GST bill will also be turned into a money bill whereby a discussion on it will take place in Rajya Sabha but members will not be allowed to vote on it. We are concerned over it," he said. "We hope that it will be a financial bill and there will be a discussion on it and we will be given the right to vote on it," he said. Another Congress member Renuka Chowdhury said, "They have considered many of our aspects. Have to wait and see what happens in the winter session." NCP leader Praful Patel said it is very good that the Constitution amendment bill to bring GST was passed with general consensus. "It is good for the country and states will also benefit, especially those which considered themselves as backward as they will get more revenue. "We hope that the Bill to be brought by government in November will also be passed with general consensus. Finance Minister has given an assurance that whatever bill will be brought, it will be honoured," he said. Earlier in the day, Congress had made it clear to the government that firm assurances for keeping the GST rate capped at 18 per cent and bringing subsequent legislations needed for its rollout as financial bills alone could ensure its support to the long-pending Constitution Amendment bill. "We also demanded an assurance that the CGST and IGST should not be moved as money bill. The Central GST and Integrated GST are bills which will apply on taxpayers, on common man. They must be debated and voted upon by both Houses of Parliament. We hope to get assurance from the Finance Minister. If these assurances are forthcoming, we will be able to support," Chidambaram told reporters. The GST Bill will finally be taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha. India Inc had said it is looking forward to introduction of the much-awaited Goods & Services Tax (GST), saying it would be a very significant step in the field of indirect tax reforms in India. The government has circulated official amendments to the GST bill to drop 1 percent additional tax and include a definite provision in the statute for compensating states for revenue loss for 5 years as it gears up to discuss the long-pending bill in Rajya Sabha. The eleventh day of Parliament's Monsoon Session on Monday began with AIADMK Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa's statement where she said that she was facing a "life threat" and was being "compelled to resign". Sasikala, who hit the headlines for slapping DMK leader Tiruchi Siva at the airport on Saturday, said: "I am receiving an unconditional apology from Tiruchi Siva. Something was spoken against my party leader and I behaved like that." The parliamentary proceedings over the day saw the passage of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that provide for putting the NEET in place for admission to medical and dental courses across the country from next year; and National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in Rajya Sabha. The Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws Amendment Bill 2016 was moved in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Lok Sabha: Supplementary demands over additional spending The government sought parliament's nod for additional spending of Rs 1.03 lakh crore, though the cash outgo will only be Rs 20,948.26 crore. Presenting the Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2016-17 in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought parliament's approval for a transfer of Rs 5,000 crore towards National Employment Guarantee Fund and Rs 1,000 crore for providing funds to Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves for Sovereign Strategic Crude Oil Reserve at Vizag, Mangalore, and Pudur. Bill for speedier recovery of bad loans passed The Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws Amendment Bill 2016 was moved in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing. Piloted by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the bill seeks to amend four laws the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002; the Recovery of Debts due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993; the Indian Stamp Act, 1899; and the Depositories Act, 1996. Special status: TDP MPs protest in Parliament Unhappy over the Centre's stand on special status to Andhra Pradesh, TDP, a partner in NDA government, staged protests both inside and outside Parliament. Seeking immediate announcement for special status, the MPs of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) tried to disrupt the proceedings in the Lower House. Holding placards and raising slogans in support of their demands, the TDP members in the Lok Sabha began the protest as soon as the house met for the day. They rushed to the speaker's podium, demanding that the government fulfill its commitments under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly appealed to members to return to their seats but they continued the protest. The Speaker conducted the proceedings amid the uproar before adjourning the proceedings till 2 pm. Attack on Dalits and Muslims Opposition members expressed concern over growing attacks on Dalits and minorities and called for stern action against cow vigilante groups which have been targeting them. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay underlined the need for action against those targeting the Dalits and Muslims to uphold secularism and communal harmony. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Rajya Sabha: GST Bill listed for Wednesday The government has listed the GST bill for discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, hoping it will be passed through consensus, but the opposition Congress said that consultation is still on over the issue and an agreement is not yet finalised. In view of the development, the BJP has issued whip for all its Rajya Sabha members to be present in the house for the next three days. "The GST bill is listed for Wednesday. We hope it will be passed through consensus," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said. Bills to put in place NEET passed The Rajya Sabha passed by voice vote the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that provide for putting the NEET in place for admission to medical and dental courses across the country from next year. The bills provide for a Constitutional status to the 'National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and seek to amend the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, and the Dentists Act, 1948. Responding to a debate on the bills in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda said the whole exercise was aimed to stop multiplicity of examinations, to bring transparency to curb corruption and to stop exploitation of students. Uproar over Manohar Parrikar's comments on Aamir Khan Rajya Sabha witnessed a brief uproar by opposition members over alleged remarks by Manohar Parrikar against actor Aamir Khan even as the Defence Minister denied having said what was been quoted to him. During the Zero Hour, Derek O'Brien (TMC) raised the issue of "dangerous" rise in religious fundamentalism in the country, saying the government, ministers and people associated with the ruling party were "shooting their mouths off every day". "The Prime Minister needs to come and say these are in fact mistakes, this is not thinking of the government. Prime Minister come here and assure us that we can live in the India we know Unity in Diversity". As soon as he finished his Zero Hour mention, Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted a report which said 'Parrikar takes a swipe at actor Aamir; those who speak like this must be taught a lesson'. "So may I ask him (Parrikar who was sitting in the House) what lesson he is going to teach us...The entire nation should be told what type of action and lesson he is going to teach the minorities of this conuntry," Azad said. To this, Parrikar said: "I would only say one thing. Let the members see the video...and make up their mind". However, this did not pacify the agitated opposition. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill is actually the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty second Amendment) Bill, 2014. It is an enabling amendment to the Constitution to permit the introduction of a single goods and service tax for the entire country, and to consign to history the myriad of taxes and maze of laws enacted by the central and state governments to ostensibly raise revenues. There is much euphoria that this GST Bill has now been approved by the Congress and hence, for all practical purposes, deemed to be passed by the Rajya Sabha. This was the bone in the NDAs craw having become the litmus test of the Modi governments ability to carry the "reforms" process forward. The sigh of relief is palpable and there is much euphoria in the circles that matter and optimism that the slowed down GDP train will gather speed again. But is this euphoria and optimism justified? It causes one to recall the Communist Partys favoured slogan of defiance: "Abhi tho yeh angdai hai, aage aur bhi ladai hai!" (This is just the turn; there are many battles ahead.). Indeed there are. We have just rounded a bend. The BJPs electoral victory in 2014 gave it the courage or gumption to reverse its hitherto opposition to the GST Bill introduced in Parliament by the Congress-led UPA government in 2013. The UPAs endeavor to have the Bill passed failed when several states, especially the ones ruled by the BJP, opposed it. The then Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, was most vehement in his opposition to the Bill; as to him at that time it vitiated his conception of federalism. The legislation lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha. The GST Bill was once again introduced by the Modi government and quickly passed by the Lok Sabha. No sooner Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, he adopted UPAs GST Bill, like many of its reforms Aadhar and Direct Benefit Transfer and dropped his opposition to others such as the Nuclear Liability Law. This only fitted into a pattern of appropriating not just the Congress Partys history and totems but also its policies. The UPAs inability to pass the GST Bill added significantly to the notion that it could not deliver on reforms any more. It was the aggrieved Congress Partys turn to now spite the BJP in its new monogrammed reformist suit. The country lost two more years as the two big national parties bickered. That phase seems to have now ended. The Congress made three demands to offer its support to GST. They were: a GST rate of 18% be written into in the Constitution; there be a separate and an independent dispute resolution mechanism preferably headed by a High Court judge; that the one percent inter-state levy, proposed in the BJPs GST Bill, be dropped. Even though the Congress dropped its first demand, the CPMs Sitaram Yechury spoke in the House supporting this constitutional cap to protect the common man. It will be interesting to know if Comrade Yechurys party will likewise consider supporting the writing of a cap on unmerited subsidies in the Constitution? But there is a road ahead to traverse before GST becomes reality. After the Rajya Sabha passes the Bill, it will go back to the Lok Sabha where the amendments negotiated by the Congress are to be discussed and approved. One can foresee no problem here, but there is a legislative process and that always takes some time even with the best of intentions and steamroller majorities. The Bill then has to do the modern Ashwamedha ritual. It will be sent to the state legislatures for their clearance and to become a law it has to be passed by at least fifteen of the thirty-one states. In a country where the future is as uncertain as the past, events have a way of sometimes suddenly cascading into a gridlock. Between now and mid-2017, there are several state elections due, the results of which can tax the national mood towards regression rather than reform. Tamil Nadu is already opposed to the GST Bill, which it sees as an infringement of state rights and assault on its notion of an India being a federation of states. The CPMs (two states) Sitaram Yechury has already signaled his unhappiness with some of the provisions. The Shiv Sena is opposed to the perceived loss of octroi revenue to Indias richest municipal corporation that it has long controlled and mulcted. How long will it wait before it pulls the rug from underneath the Fadnavis government? Who wins in Punjab, Goa and Gujarat are also now considered toss-ups. This bill has to run the gauntlet of regional nationalism and come out unscathed. It doesnt seem improbable, but the gauntlet must be run. Sixteen years have gone by since the idea of a nationwide GST began its rounds. In a country, which has among the worlds highest interest, rates, and low tax to GDP ratio the length of time implies exponential costs. The delay has certainly cost us much. It is speculated that the GST Bill as law will add to Indias GDP by as much as 1-1.5% annually. For it is now generally agreed that the GST Bill will reduce the incidence of taxation, increase tax revenues and reduce corruption by eliminating complex paperwork and scope for arbitrary and discretionary decisions. But there is an innate genius in Indias bureaucracy to stall and find new ways to better individual means. The GST Bill is just another swallow and that doesnt necessarily herald the arrival of another spring. India still awaits a swarm of swallows to know that the reform spring is here. Introducing a broad spectrum of economic, administrative and political reforms calls for both appetite and stamina. How much of either is left after this last debilitating process is yet to be seen. New Delhi: In a diplomatic victory for India, Saudi Arabia has agreed to give exit visas to hundreds of jobless Indian workers there and will send them back home at its own expense. Making a suo motu statement in Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Saudi Arabia has also agreed to provide free medical facility and food to the Indian workers stranded in camps and also allow those eligible to seek re-employment with other companies. She said her deputy and Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh was camping in Saudi Arabia since Tuesday evening and will return after formalising the arrangements for the Indian workers. "I am happy to inform that the Saudi ruler has taken note of the plight of Indian workers... Saudi King has instructed the officials to resolve the issue in two days," she said. Saudi Arabia, Swaraj said, has agreed to the Indian government's request to grant exit visas to the stranded worker. It has also offered to transport the workers to India. "Government of India will not have to spend a penny on that," she said. The Islamic nation has also permitted workers to take re-employment if other companies find them suitable, she said, adding that before departing, the Indian workers will register their claims of unpaid salaries and other dues with the Labour Office of Saudi Arabia. Indian Embassy in Riyadh will follow up with the Labour Office of Saudi Arabia to get all the dues of workers cleared, she said. The Minister said the Saudi ruler has also issued orders to provide free medical and food to Indian workers lodged in the camps apart from all civic amenities. Thanking the Saudi ruler, she said this was possible because of the personal and diplomatic relationship stuck by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Islamic nation. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad complimented the Indian and the Saudi governments for reaching a solution on the issue. New Delhi: A day after Rajya Sabha approved the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said he would refrain from commenting on the merits of the legislation because of a conflict between his scholarly commitment to economics and loyalty to the party. "Has any PT studied in the proposed GST Const Amendment what is the scope and role of GSTN?," he tweeted on Thursday. Swamy uses PT as shortform of 'Patriotic Tweeple'. GSTN is Goods and Services Tax Network. When one of his twitter followers asked why he has not aired his views on GST and its impact on the economy, Swamy replied, I am silent because there is conflict between my scholarly commitment to economics and my loyalty to the party's decided issues. "The only ways known so far to economists for increasing GDP growth rate is by higher investment and increased capital & labour productivity," he said in another tweet. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley believes the roll-out of national sales tax or GST Bill, to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world's biggest single market, will help add up to 2 percent to the GDP growth. BEIRUT Air strikes believed carried out by Russian warplanes hit two displaced persons' camps west of Aleppo and near the Turkish border on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported. It said the strikes killed at least two children and wounded 30 people near the town of Atareb, which is in rebel-held territory. A number of tents were damaged or burned in the strikes, it added. Russia has waged an air campaign against insurgents in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since September. The British-based Observatory, which tracks the violence using a network of contacts on the ground, said the jets were believed to be Russian because of their colour and the fact there were several planes flying in formation. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by John Stonestreet) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. First off, there is nothing new in Pakistan raising the Kashmir issue. It has been the lifeblood of Pakistani diplomacy and politics since 1947. Notable at this point is the extent of Pakistans effort to raise the pitch of protests after Burhan Wanis death four weeks ago. What is happening in Kashmir, in Pakistan, and beyond, is no longer about Wani. In fact, it has not been about Wani for more than three weeks now. It is about what Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called "a new wave of freedom struggle" in Kashmir and Pakistans overt and covert role in making this happen. Within the Valley, the immediate anger over the killing of the iconic hero was skillfully steered into an extremely dangerous tactical pattern. From the first day, police stations, paramilitary camps and convoys were targeted. Mobs of enraged boys were turned into mobile columns for the purpose. Since then, two complimentary trends have emerged in the attitude and views of Kashmiris. On one hand, the majority of adult Kashmiris are tired of participating actively in disrupting what passes here for normalcy. On the other, there is a widespread willingness to sit back and let the hartal continue long-term to see if something concrete finally emerges this time. A third, parallel, trend is keeping the protests alive: Teenagers, often joined by boys in their pre-teens, are in the forefront of enforcing the hartal, and keeping the sloganeering and demonstrations going. Activists of Islamist groups are playing a key role to organize and spur these bands of boys. Jamaat-e-Islami activists appear to be in the forefront. Jamaat is far more closely linked to Hizb, to Pakistan and to the post-Zia Pakistan Army than other group in Kashmir. Meanwhile, Pakistan has succeeded in pushing into a combine the three separatist figures who the media tend to play up Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar and Yasin Malik. Pakistan has been strongly pushing them to unite for at least the last year. Multi-pronged strategy As for what is happening in Pakistan itself, one must read between the lines of what is said, or not and by whom (even if one cannot yet figure out what they are doing). For the first time in this century, men who have been designated not only by India but internationally as "terrorists" have led a major strand of Pakistani response to Wanis death. More notable is the fact that the Hizbul Mujahideen, to which Wani belonged, has linked up with the more Salafist Lashkar-e-Toiba to protest Wanis death in Pakistan. Hafiz Sayeed, the mentor and leader of Lashkar, has been in the forefront, shoulder to shoulder with Syed Salahuddin, who is called chief commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. The two were together for a funeral prayer in absentia immediately after Wanis death. Since then, they have collaborated in protest marches. Their target is India in broad terms; Wani is barely highlighted any longer. For several years after the efforts of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, figures who had been branded "terrorists" laid low in Pakistan. India had managed to put Pakistan in the dock internationally over its allowing Sayeed to roam free. Now, his protests and statements are unapologetic. Indeed, they are an important strand of Pakistans responses. Within the context of his countrys politics, Nawaz Sharifs positions have been measured, cautious. In tandem with statements from others in the government, and those of figures at the "terrorist" end of that spectrum, it is clear that Pakistan has used Wanis killing to up the ante hugely against India. To turn away from talks to protest all this would be like pouting in front of ones bedroom mirror after a neighbour lights a fire in one of the rooms of ones house. The thing to do is to keep talking, even if only to protest that neighbours must live amicably together. Of course, the more urgent thing to do is to put out the fire in that room and clean it up, and ensure that one does not store so much flammable tinder in that room again. Lagos: Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who is threatening to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday by the Islamic State group. He also says there is a Western plot to Christianize the region and has accused charities of using their aid for that, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation of an interview published Wednesday in the Islamic State newspaper al-Nabaa. The newspaper identified Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new "Wali," or governor, of its so-called West Africa Province. The "Wali" title was previously used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. The report did not say what Shekau's current status was, although there have been rumors for weeks that he had been replaced. The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen. There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of school children. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. "They strongly seek to Christianize the society. ... They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children," SITE Intelligence quotes the new leader as saying. Al-Barnawi says the militants will respond to that threat by "booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross." Wednesday's announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said. Ansaru broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. Al-Barnawi is the pseudonym of a Nigerian journalist allied with Ansaru, which is known for kidnapping foreigners, according to Zenn. In March 2015, Shekau switched allegiance from Al-Qaeda and declared that Boko Haram be known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province. At the time, Boko Haram was the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria, controlling a huge area and was better equipped and motivated than Nigerian forces. Under Shekau, the seven-year insurgency spread to neighboring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and drove more than 2.2 million from their homes, and created what aid workers are calling a catastrophic humanitarian emergency with children dying of starvation daily. Boko Haram last week ambushed a humanitarian convoy, killing three civilians including a UN employee and causing the suspension of UN aid to newly liberated but still dangerous areas of Nigeria's northeast. Since last year, Nigeria has a new leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator who has better armed and motivated security forces. He is also fighting corruption that diverted $2.1 billion that was meant to buy weapons to fight the Islamic uprising, and is cooperating with a multinational force that has the extremists on the run. In the interview, al-Barnawi said that under his leadership the militants will work to seize back territory. He said that increasing numbers of youth are joining the cause, though Nigeria's military reports that hundreds of its fighters have surrendered as aerial bombardments and ground assaults cut supply routes. Crews battling a deadly wildfire burning well into its second week near California's Big Sur coast have carved buffer lines around a quarter of its perimeter, steering flames more deeply into the forest and away from populated areas, officials said on Wednesday. The gradual but steady progress being made against the so-called Soberanes blaze comes as wildfire season in the western United States was reaching its traditional peak, intensified by prolonged drought and extreme summer heat across the region. The 13-day-old conflagration near Big Sur is one of nearly 30 major wildfires reported to have scorched roughly 700 square miles (1,813 sq km) in 12 states, mostly in the West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. "It's bad now and it's going to get worse," AccuWeather long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said. Authorities said on Tuesday they had traced the origins of the Soberanes blaze to an illegal campfire left unattended in a state park about a mile from the famously scenic coastal drive known as Highway 1, south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Since erupting on July 22, the fire has blackened nearly 46,000 acres (18,600 hectares), destroyed at least 57 homes and claimed the life of a bulldozer operator who died when his tractor rolled over as he helped property owners battle the blaze. He became the sixth wildfire fatality in California this year. Efforts to quell the Soberanes fire have been complicated by steep, rugged terrain and persistently hot, dry weather, said Erik Scott, a spokesman for the fire command. As of Wednesday morning, a firefighting force that has grown to more than 5,500 had managed to hack through enough unburned vegetation to carve containment lines around 25 percent of the fire's perimeter, up from 18 percent a day earlier. With the fire now largely hemmed in on its northern flank, closest to communities that were threatened, the blaze is moving primarily in a southeasterly direction deeper into the Los Padres National Forest, Scott said. Some evacuation orders have been lifted, but fire officials said about 300 residents remained displaced and about 2,000 structures were listed as threatened. Several popular California state parks and campgrounds also were closed. Another fire, burning north of the San Francisco Bay Area along the Yolo-Napa county line, has scorched 4,000 acres of grass and oak woodlands since it erupted on Tuesday, prompting evacuations of a campground and residential community. Dubbed the Cold fire, that blaze was listed as just 5 percent contained. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and James Dalgleish) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Beijing: Chinese authorities on Thursday congratulated the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on becoming the Himalayan country's 39th prime minister. "China, as Nepal's close and friendly neighbour, stands ready to make joint efforts with Nepal to implement various agreements and expand mutually beneficial cooperation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. She said China will push forward the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring ever-lasting friendship. Prachanda was elected the Prime Minister on Wednesday after he received 363 votes in favour with 210 voting against him out a total 573 votes cast in the 595-member house. He was backed by the largest party in the House Nepali Congress, constituents of the United Democratic Madhesi Front and the Federal Alliance and some other fringe parties. Reports regarding massive layoffs and non-payment of wages to thousands of expatriates in Saudi Arabia for months have raised concerns in Kerala, where nearly a quarter of the total 78 lakh households depend on foreign remittances for livelihood. Although there are only 300 Keralites among 5,000 Indians stranded in Jeddah without food for over a week, migration experts feel that the steep fall in oil prices that led to the current crisis may take a heavy toll on the expatriates from the state since they are employed mostly in construction and allied sectors that bear the brunt of the crisis. Acccording to the Kerala Migration Survey conducted by the Research Unit on International Migration at the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, as many as 90 percent of the 23.6 lakh Keralites working abroad as on 2014 are in West Asia. Saudi Arabia, which is one of the worst-hit by the slump in oil prices, accommodates 25.2 percent of the total migrants as per the survey. S Irudayarajan, who heads the CDS research unit, says the crisis will have a huge impact on the migrants since the economies in Saudi Arabia are fueled by oil revenues. He said that the slowdown will not be confined to Saudi alone but also felt across the entire Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including those not directly dependent on oil. He told the Firstpost that he had suggested to the Kerala government to set up an expert team to study the crisis since it will have short-term as well as long-term implications on the Indian population living in West Asia. The authorities woke up only after workers laid off by Jeddah-based construction major Saudi Oger were found starving for days. More will face similar plight as many firms hit by the slump in oil prices in Saudi and other countries in the region have not been paying salaries to the workers for months, he said. The Oger crisis followed massive lay-off by the Saudi Binladin Group, where a large number of Keralites work. Those still on the rolls of the construction conglomerate at Jeddah have not been getting salaries for several months now. Afsal Latheef, who works in the firm, said he was working without salary for seven months. V Kunjali, president of Janata Pravasi Cultural Centre, said there were several other big and small companies that have either laid off workers or have not been paying salaries for months. Their names have not come to light as the number of the affected workers is not as large and their condition is not as bad as those employed by Saudi Oger and Saudi Binladin. An official of the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (Norka) department said they have also been getting complaints from Keralites in other cities in Saudi Arabia about non-payment of salaries. He said that the department had received complaints from many in Dammam and Jubail that they were not getting salaries for more than seven months. Sreekala, whose husband work with a mid-sized company at Jubail in Saudi Arabia, said that her husband was trapped without salaries for the last nine months. He could not even make it to their daughters marriage a couple of months ago. I am worried since he has even cut down the communication with the family. He has no money to make even telephone calls. We want him to come back, but he cannot without getting the unpaid salaries, she said. Sharjah-based Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust chairman KV Shamsudheen said the crisis was caused by the cancellation of several projects in the wake of the slump in oil prices. He told the Firstpost that many companies in other oil-dependent countries like Qatar, Oman and Kuwait were also facing similar situation. These companies are trying to survive by either laying off workers or cutting down on salaries, stopping perks and deferring promotions. They hope that the governments will come to their rescue. The Saudi government has already drawn up a diversification programme. We have to wait and see how this will save the companies and protect the workers, said Shamsudheen. Irudayarajan says the task will not be easy as the economy of most countries in the Middle East is fueled by oil revenue. The plummeting oil prices will have deep impact on the economy of most of these countries. Curiously, the slump in oil prices has not only affected oil-dependent countries but also others. Take the case of Arjun Thomas, who was forced to quit his job in a firm in Dubai after his salary was halved two years after he joined the company. The 28-year-old commerce graduate with diploma in computer application had quit his regular job in an IT firm in Thiruvananthapuram and boarded the flight to Dubai in early 2014 as he was offered a job with double the salary and free accommodation by the firm in the emirate. Over 26 lakh households in the state rely on financial support from their family members employed in the Gulf to meet their monthly expenses, which include childrens education and medical expenses He found the going tough after the company shifted him to another division with half the salary in March this year. Finding it difficult to cope with the reduced wages, Arjun put in his papers and started hunting for job in other companies. Though he could find jobs in some firms, the salary was less. He returned disappointed to his hometown after a month and is now languishing without a job. I cannot blame the company. This is the inevitable outcome of the crisis triggered by the steep fall in oil prices. I was aware of the looming crisis, but I did not expect that it would hit businesses in Dubai so fast, he said. Although Dubai is diversified away from oil, the businesses in the Emirate are tied to the oil producing countries under the GCC. Therefore any crisis in the oil-producing countries will have its impact on Dubai, says Arjun. He said several companies had cancelled projects after he returned to Kerala. A number of companies have either laid off staff or cut down on salaries forcing expats to return or continue to live with reduced salaries. Many of them have sent their families back home. The crisis will have serious implications in Kerala, which manages to sustain the high human development indices with the help of remittances received firm the migrants. The money they send through banks alone is more than Rs one lakh crore a year. This accounts for a third of the state net domestic product, 20 percent more than the annual revenue and five times the funds the state gets from the central government. Over 26 lakh households in the state rely on financial support from their family members employed in the Gulf to meet their monthly expenses, which include childrens education and medical expenses. VK Prasad, an economist and director of EMS Study Centre, feels that the crisis coming in the wake of the naturalization of labour force in many Gulf countries, will hasten the reverse migration. He feels that Kerala will be in for a serious socio-economic crisis if a sizeable number of the overseas Keralites return home. Thousands of Keralites, who have already returned to the state in the past few years, are still languishing without jobs. The state which is already grappling with a huge educated unemployment problem will not be able to provide jobs to the returnees, he added. Prasad fears that such a reverse exodus will also have serious implications on the state economy as the main source of the states revenue is sales tax. The tax comes mainly from the service sector, which is fueled by the remittances that account for over 30 percent of the state domestic product. Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has proposed an anti-recession package in his budget for 2016-17 to minimise the impact of the crisis. If the crisis in the Gulf does not moderate, the economic situation in the state will remain dismal, Isaac said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the situation was grave and people have already started returning from Gulf countries in large numbers. "Saudiisation and similar laws being implemented in other Gulf countries are turning NRKs jobless and they are forced to return," he said. The government has deputed Local Administration Minister KT Jaleel to Saudi Arabia to take stock of the situation. He said he would explore the possibility of accommodating the affected workers in other firms in the Kingdom or elsewhere. Cairo: Egypt's military said on Thursday it had killed Abu Duaa al-Ansari, whom it identified as the leader of the Sinai branch of Islamic State. It said on its Facebook page that a series of air strikes near Arish, the largest town on the Sinai peninsula, had also killed 45 other Islamic State fighters. There was no immediate confirmation from Sinai Province, Islamic State's offshoot in the peninsula that borders Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal. "This successful operation confirms the pledges of the armed forces to avenge their martyrs and... pursue all the terrorist elements and leaders wherever they are found until Egypt and its great people enjoy security and stability," the military said. Hundreds of soldiers and policemen have been killed by an insurgency since mid-2013, when then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi following mass protests. Most of the violence has taken place in northern Sinai, where Islamic State loyalists are based. The military has conducted several campaigns to crush insurgents and cut off their arms supplies, demolishing border villages and tunnels it said were used to smuggle arms and fighters from the Gaza Strip. Locals say the tunnels were used to smuggle consumer goods to Gaza to ease the consequences of the Israeli blockade. In 2014, an Egyptian militant group called Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to Islamic State and changed its name to Sinai Province. The army, which still refers to the group by its former name, did not say when the air strikes took place. PRISTINA An explosive device was thrown at Kosovo's parliament building on Thursday evening, a policeman on the scene said, adding that there were no casualties. The parliament is located next to the government's building on a busy street in the centre of Pristina. Following the explosion, a special police unit sealed off the area around the parliament, a Reuters witness reported. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Ivana Sekularac) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON/JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil on Wednesday after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in the Iraq war. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said. "He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus. The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus. Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message. More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election. Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burnt by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support. But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said on Wednesday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing. The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing. Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States. Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans. Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN on Wednesday: "I just dont see how I get to Donald Trump anymore." Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash. "There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early on Wednesday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organised. We are moving forward," Manafort said. In Daytona, Florida, Trump said the news media's coverage of him was dishonest. "We're doing quite well despite the fact that we get a totally false narrative," he told supporters at a rally. At another campaign event in Florida, in Jacksonville, Trump pointed out a group of families, known as Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in war, calling them "incredible people." He didn't mention the spat with the Khans. RECENT TURMOIL Trump's always unruly campaign has been mired in disorder in recent days. On Monday, Trump fired Ed Brookover, a senior adviser hired as a liaison between the campaign and the RNC. Ryan, who is favoured to win next week in his race against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, appeared to be trying to ignore the snub from Trump. An aide to the speaker said he would not have time to meet Trump later this week, when Trump is expected to be campaigning in Wisconsin, Ryan's home state. The aide did not indicate whether anyone had requested a get-together of Trump and Ryan, but when asked whether they might meet to patch things up, the aide told Reuters, "The speaker has a full schedule cant back out of previous commitments in the (congressional) district. A Republican congressional aide said there was deep frustration on Capitol Hill that Trump keeps engaging in "petty spats." The aide said congressional offices that support Trump got two sets of talking points on Monday from the campaign about the Khan situation but have not heard anything from the campaign about Trump's Ryan comments. The dissent over the Trump campaign also took other turns. Late on Tuesday, Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE.N), endorsed Clinton's White House bid, calling Trump an "authoritarian character" and a threat to democracy. In better news for Trump, his campaign and the RNC jointly raised $80 million for his White House bid in July, the campaign said on Wednesday. That was less than the $90 million Clinton raised along with the national Democratic Party the same month, but it was a substantial bump from past months. A former reality TV star, Trump has won support particularly from white blue-collar workers who feel neglected by the political establishment. Along with his proposed ban on Muslims, his plans have included building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and renegotiating trade agreements. Opinion polls have shown Clinton benefiting from a boost after her party's convention last week. The RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls put her 4.5 percentage points ahead of Trump, at 46.5 percent to 42 percent. The Detroit Economic Club, where candidates usually appear to give major economic addresses, said Trump would speak at the club on Monday. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, David Alexander and Susan Cornwell; Writing by Frances Kerry; Editing by James Dalgleish and Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. ATHENS Greece on Thursday rescued 70 migrants at sea, the largest single influx from neighbouring Turkey since a failed coup there last month, authorities said. Refugee and migrant arrivals to Greek islands from Turkey, running into the thousands daily this time a year ago, have largely ebbed after a deal between Ankara and the European Union in March to stem the flow of people, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. The Greek coastguard picked up 67 people on board a dinghy off the island of Lesbos, while another three were plucked to safety after falling into the water. "There was a boat with 70 people on board in distress," a coastguard official told Reuters. On Wednesday, the Greek coastguard picked up 38 people from a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel in the southern Peloponnese, off the town of Githeon. Hundreds of thousands of refugees entered Greece by crossing the narrow sea corridor between Lesbos and the Turkish shores last year. Since March, arrivals have fallen sharply. Greece's Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said on Wednesday the deal with Turkey was largely holding, though Athens was watching developments in the neighbouring country with some concern. Asked what would happen if the deal with Turkey collapses, he told Greece's Skai TV on Thursday: "If we assume the flow resumes, we will be sorely tested. No country is in a position to handle such flows." Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday to choke off businesses linked to the U.S.-based cleric he blames for an attempted coup. The 75-year-old cleric denies the allegations. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Janet Lawrence) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. NEW YORK Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross stood behind Republican Donald Trump but urged him to stop engaging in exchanges that benefit the Democrats and make the real estate mogul's behavior the issue in the U.S. presidential campaign. "This election is Donald's to lose and so far the Democrats have been clever about baiting him and he generally has bitten," Ross said in an email to Reuters late on Wednesday. Ross said Trump's reaction in recent days to criticism by the parents of a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in the Iraq war "has enabled the Democrats to turn the table and instead of the behavior of the quintessential Washington insider being the issue he is in danger of letting the Democrats make his behavior be the issue." Ross added, "I assume this will change soon." A spokeswoman for Trump did not respond to requests for comment. Ross, who has made billions of dollars betting on bankruptcies and distressed assets, is a critic of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's trade views. The comments by Ross are the latest by Republican politicians and supporters expressing concern over the Trump campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 election against Clinton. Groups of wealthy Republicans unhappy with Trump have been privately courting prominent peers to join them in backing Clinton. Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser, endorsed Clinton on Tuesday. (Reporting by Jennifer Ablan; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Will Dunham) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. London: A woman was killed and five people injured in a knife attack in central London on Wednesday, which police said they are investigating for possible terrorist links. A 19-year-old man was arrested in Russell Square in the city centre where the stabbing happened, which is near the British Museum and University of London. A woman in her 60s was treated by paramedics at the scene, but pronounced dead. No details were released about the condition of the other victims. The arrested man is currently in police custody in hospital. "Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry but of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore," Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement. Officers were called to Russell Square at 10.33pm local time (2133 GMT) following reports a man armed with a knife was attacking people. The man was arrested six minutes later as a Taser electroshock gun was fired by officers. The police cordoned off the area, a busy tourist area with a string of high end hotels. Xavery Richert, 22, a French tourist staying in youth hostel on the square, told AFP: "I was buying a beer when I heard a woman shouting who was being chased by a man. "I thought it was a bag snatching... she was not hurt. I came out for a cigarette, I went back, there were firefighters, police, and then I saw the body under a sheet. You could only see the feet sticking out." Russell Square resident Constantine Somerville said: "It's such a safe area and very quiet especially at night why would somebody commit an attack in such a quiet area?" IS-inspired attacks If a terror link is found, it would be the latest in a string of recent jihadist-inspired attacks in Europe. Last month, a driver ploughed a truck through a crowd leaving a fireworks display in Nice, killing 84, and two men slashing a priest's throat in northern France. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. The terror threat level in Britain is currently set at severe the second highest ranking meaning an attack is "highly likely" and earlier Wednesday London's police announced it would boost the number of armed officers on the streets. On Sunday, the head of London's Metropolitan Police, Bernard Hogan-Howe, wrote in the Mail on Sunday newspaper that it was a question of "when, not if" an attack happened in the capital. In the 7 July, 2005, terror attacks in London, one of the suicide bombs which hit the city's public transport system was detonated on the London Underground between Russell Square and King's Cross. While the 7 July attack, which killed 52 people, was the last large-scale terrorist attack in Britain, there have been a string of smaller incidents since. A paranoid schizophrenic man was sentenced to life behind bars on Monday for trying to behead a commuter at a London Underground station in an Islamic State-inspired attack. Soldier Lee Rigby was killed in south London in 2013 by two British Muslim converts in a terrorist murder. PARIS A man died on Thursday from injuries suffered three weeks earlier in the truck attack on crowds in the Riviera city of Nice, bringing the death toll to 85, authorities said. Pierre Hattermann's wife Francoise and son were killed in the attack, and his 14-year-old daughter is still in hospital, according to French newspaper Nice Matin and other media. "All my thoughts with the daughter, family and relatives of Pierre Hattermann who just died," the president of the Riviera region, Christian Estrosi, said on his Twitter account. Islamic State claimed the attack and hailed Tunisian-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who drove a truck through a crowd of revellers on Nice's sea-front promenade on Bastille day before police shot him dead. (Reporting by Maya Nikolaeva; Editing by Andrew Heavens) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Port-Of-Spain: The government of Trinidad and Tobago has reportedly confirmed that nine of its citizens will be deported from Turkey after being detained while trying to enter Syria or Iraq to join the Islamic State group. The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian said in an article published yesterday that Attorney General Faris al-Rawi told it that the nine will be under surveillance and could face criminal charges for involvement with a terrorist group. "At the end of the day, anybody in an alleged circumstance of terrorism has to face the courts. There is due process and it must be done fairly but at the same time you have to take an intelligence-based approach to this," al-Rawi was quoted as telling the newspaper. The attorney general could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press, but the national security minister later appeared to contradict al-Rawi. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said the Trinidad government was in touch with Turkey through diplomatic offices in London and Caracas, Venezuela, but had not yet confirmed whether any citizens had been detained or the circumstances. "As to whether the individuals, if proven to be nationals and are deported back to Trinidad, will face charges on arrival, we shall have to examine all of the circumstances," Dillon told AP. In its most recent Country Report on Terrorism, the State Department said that more than 70 nationals of Trinidad and Tobago are believed to be fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria. A recent online issue of an Islamic State magazine included a profile and interview with a man who said he was a Trinidadian citizen who converted from Christianity to Islam and has since become a sniper for the group. If the strange events happening around Pokemon Go weren't enough, here is one more to add to the craze. Ever imagined winning a chance to go around the world, that too, to catch Pokemon? Well, that just happened to this man from Brooklyn, USA, reported Business Insider. Just few days back, Nick Johnson, 28 became the first person to catch all the Pokemon in the USA. Now, the Pokemon Go player has earned himself a free trip around the world, to complete his Pokemon collection. According to Travel and Tour World, the free trip is being sponsored by Marriott Rewards and Expedia. The Pokemon Go video game has 151 characters out of which 142 are available in the US, six of them are unknown and yet to be launched, while three others are in other parts of the world. Johnson who claimed to have caught nearly all of them, is set to travel around the world to catch the remaining three characters, according to CNN. Johnson will be visiting Paris, Hong Kong, Sydney and other places across the world on this Pokemon journey to collect region specific characters Mr. Mime, Farfetch'd and Kangaskhan, according to Business Insider. He also plans to get in touch with local Pokemon Go player communities in the various countries. Johnson will be blogging about the Pokemon collection journey which will begin on 5 August. Johnson, however, may not be the only one with such a startling record in Pokemon Go. The Mirror reported that Ahmed Ali in London, UK, has collected 145 Pokemon characters, including one in US and two Asia and Australia rarities. On Wednesday, Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda was appointed the ninth Prime Minister of Nepal (if you include Khil Raj Regmi, who was the acting prime minister between March 2013 and February 2014) since May 2008. Prachanda was elected unopposed and will embark on his second premiership following his first stint between August 2008 and May 2009 after being sworn in on Thursday. Here's a bit of background: Prachanda, the holder of a diploma in the science of agriculture, was drawn to Leftist politics from an early age, and it was at the age of 27 (in 1981) that he joined the Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention), an early iteration of the CPNs that would begin to emerge. The present chairman of the CPN (Maoist-Centre), Prachanda led the decade-long insurgency against the Nepalese government waged between 1996 and 2006. 'The People's War' as it was dubbed by the erstwhile CPN (Maoist) saw the death of over 19,000 people, while between 100,000 and 150,000 people were internally displaced. In a 2001 interview to noted communist journal A World to Win, Prachanda had identified the aim of the insurgency as being "to contribute towards the attainment of glorious Communism by ending all forms of exploitation of man by man from the face of the earth". It was in that interview over the course of which he made repeated references to the work of Indian revolutionaries (read Maoists) that Prachanda stated: "(We) have been maintaining close relationships with revolutionary parties in India, who have extended great help in different waves to the development of the People's War in Nepal... The Nepalese revolution and our party have been maintaining a lively relationship with the revolutionary parties and movements in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In this respect, we feel that the Indian revolutionary parties and the Indian revolution will have the most important role to play." After over 10 years of conflict, the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (in November 2006) marked the end of the insurgency. But his interview to A World to Win is a good starting point to look at Prachanda's own relations with India. The India equation During the insurgency, Prachanda had written to the BJP government seeking India's moral support. Apparently spotting an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone (so to speak), the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government began a series of interactions with Prachanda and other Maoists from Nepal, in the hope that this engagement would inspire India's homegrown Maoists to choose the path of peaceful politics. On the Indian side, the experiment had mixed results, but for Nepal, this interaction with the Government of India culminated in the inking of the '12-point understanding reached between the Seven Political Parties and Nepal Communist Party (Maoists)' in New Delhi in November 2005. It was soon after taking power in 2008 that Prachanda who had hitherto shared warm relations with India and its government ticked New Delhi off by picking China as the destination for his first state visit. India-Nepal relations would suffer further as Prachanda would call for the review of the 1950 Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty (insisting later that it wouldn't affect bilateral ties). Bilateral ties seemed to hit a nadir until that point, anyway after the Prachanda government's sacking of army chief Rookmangud Katawal, who was believed to be close to India. In 2009, Prachanda was replaced as prime minister by Madhav Kumar Nepal a move Prachanda believed had been engineered by India. Drawing parallels with the time the Maoists refused to speak with the 2002 government appointed by King Gyanendra, Prachanda said, "We will not negotiate with the servants... We said we will talk only with the master. It is now time to say the same thing." The 'master' this time wasn't in the Narayanhity Palace in Kathmandu, but in New Delhi. Over the years, and despite maintaining that Nepal wanted "the same kind of friendship with India and China" (and reaffirming that he would never play Nepal's neighbours against each other), Prachanda continued to blow hot and cold as far as India was concerned. However, he has during that period backed down from the enemy status he had accorded hegemonic India. It was soon after taking power in 2008 that Prachanda who had hitherto shared warm relations with India and its government ticked New Delhi off by picking China as the destination for his first state visit So what does the future hold? India appears to be gaining some sort of undesirable reputation after its alleged involvement in Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa's ouster in January 2015 and now, its perceived role in toppling former Nepalese prime minister KP Oli. Both countries have in recent times, been balancing their relations with India and China, and this has not gone down too well with New Delhi. On his part, Prachanda has shown pragmatism in balancing India and China, but has lacked the requisite deftness not to ruffle feathers. His second shot at being prime minister will require him to hone that strategy. If indeed, Prachanda reached out to India including sending confidante Krishna Bahadur Mahara to speak with Indian officials, as is being speculated in the media this has bought him some time with New Delhi after an acrimonious few months for India-Nepal relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already extended Prachanda an invitation to embark on a state visit to India. However, whether or not he acquiesces and makes India his first foreign destination as prime minister a gesture that is more symbolic than anything, but significant in terms of shaping perceptions remains to be seen. So too does the matter of whether or not Prachanda chooses once again to review the 1950 India-Nepal treaty. How he deals with the Madhesis issue will also be a key indicator in predicting the trajectory of India-Nepal relations. For now though, all signs point to smooth New Delhi-Kathmandu relations... until the next hiccup, that is. Islamabad: The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident at the Saarc Interior/Home Ministers' conference, when Home Minister Rajnath Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time on Thursday, and the two leaders barely shook hands. As Singh arrived at the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel, Khan was at the gate to receive the dignitaries. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Members of the Indian media, who came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment and was kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which led to a verbal dual between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official. Indian officials said the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani was clearly visible in the conference. Meanwhile, Khan said Pakistan was "committed to Saarc processes, and, desires to see it as a successful regional organisation." "We must do a reality check of what we have achieved so far and what still remains. It is time for us to seize the moment, to leverage our potential and overcome our choices," he said. "We have made substantial contribution towards various Saarc processes and have taken a number of initiatives in furthering the goal of close regional integration," he said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) interior ministers' meet. The Union minister had earlier announced that he would be focusing on Dawood Ibrahim designated a global terrorist and cross-border terrorism. Pakistan: Home Minister Rajnath Singh at SAARC Home Ministers Conference, in Islamabad. pic.twitter.com/THA36u9gCX ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif speaking at SAARC Home Ministers' Conference in Islamabad (Pakistan) pic.twitter.com/DAZsHnFEuL ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 Just ahead of the meeting, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi announced that there would be no bilateral meeting between Rajnath and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. However, Rajnath along with his counterparts from Saarc countries will call on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Speculation was rife ahead of his visit on how the countries would discuss the prevailing violence in the Kashmir Valley after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The home minister had earlier blamed Pakistan for the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir and had said that terrorism in India is "Pakistan-sponsored." "Kashmir is India's crown (mukut). It is heaven and the neighbouring country is keeping an evil eye on it. I am hopeful that the pride of Kashmir will be restored," he had said. Even a spokesman of the US State Department had described Kashmir as an internal matter for India. Ahead of Rajnath's visit Islamabad, Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed had asked the Pakistani government not to allow Rajnath to visit Pakistan and has warned of a nationwide protest if Singh does visit the country. In fact, a group of All Parties Hurriyat Conference workers held a protest in Rawalpindi against Rajnath Singh's arrival in the country. Mishal Malik the wife of Yasin Malik, chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front also led a token protest against Rajnath's visit in front of the National Press Club. Although the Pakistani prime minister promised the highest security for the Indian minister, he made a provocative statement just ahead of the meet. Emphasising that Kashmir is "not an internal matter" of India, he said, "Today, Kashmir is witnessing a new wave of freedom movement." "This movement is running into the bloods of third generation of Kashmiri people and the world has itself seen its intensity in the wake of 8 July," Sharif said, referring to the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in Kashmir. "The Kashmiri youth are writing new chapters of sacrifices to get the right to self determination," he said. "They have lost eyesight due to bullets but the desire for freedom is guiding them to the destination," he added. He asked Pakistani envoys to apprise the world that "the Kashmir was not an internal matter of India". "The ambassador should make the world feel that Kashmir is not the internal problem of India, as India already accepted it as dispute territory and the UN also declared it as a dispute between India and Pakistan," he said. "We cannot afford a conflict. If we became part of any conflict, then our progress in the social and economic fields would be affected," he said. He said Pakistan wants peace in the world on the basis of honour, dignity and equality. "But our desire for friendly ties should not be considered as weakness. We believe in mutual interests, respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the affairs of others," Sharif had said. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long conference, Singh had said he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime." "This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security," Singh had said, who is also expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. With inputs from agencies Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday to attend the Saarc Home/Interior Ministers' conference which will be held on Thursday, where he will focus on Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross-border terrorism. Singh, who arrived in Islamambad on Wednesday evening, on his maiden visit to Pakistan, has been accorded tight security amid threats from Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups. More than 2,000 activists of various religious and jihadi outfits in Pakistan protested against the visit of Singh, accusing him for the unrest in Kashmir. Mishal Malik the wife of Yasin Malik, Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front had led a token protest against Rajnath Singh's visit in front of the National Press Club. HM Rajnath Singh's visit triggers protests across Pak(Pic:Yasin Malik's wife leads token hunger strike in Islamabad) pic.twitter.com/Mkgtr3Aw07 ANI (@ANI_news) August 4, 2016 Despite tight security arrangements, around 100 people gathered outside Singh's hotel shouting anti-India slogans protesting his visit. On Wednesday, a group of All Parties Hurriyat Conference workers also held a protest in Rawalpindi against Singh's arrival in the country to attend the conference. The protesters shouted anti-India slogans in Faizabad area of Rawalpindi, around 20 km from Islamabad where the two-day Saarc conference is being held. On Tuesday, a JuD caravan led by Talha Saeed, the son of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, had staged a sit-in at the Line of Control near Chakothi in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), where they were stopped by Pakistani security forces. The protesters on Wednesday continued their sit-in, demanding that India receives relief materials brought by them for Kashmiris. A JuD statement said that it has no plans to leave the place unless India receives relief goods, dry food and medicines for the Kashmiris. Hafiz Abdur Rauf, chief of Falayh-i-Insaniat Foundation, a sister organisation of JuD, said many doctors and paramedical staff were also present in the sit-in. "These doctors and para-medical staff want to go Srinagar to treat our injured Kashmiri brethren," he said. Hizbul Mujahideen chief Sayeed Salahudin is also holding a protest sit-in in Islamabad against the Indian minister's arrival. Earlier Salahudin had warned a nation-wide protest against Singh's visit. LeT founder Hafiz Saeed had also warned of a nationwide protest if Singh arrived in Islamabad to attend the Saarc conference which will be inaugurated by Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. He said, "It will be ironical as on the one hand the whole Pakistani nation is protesting against the Indian atrocities in Kashmir and on the other hand the Pakistani rulers will be garlanding Singh." Salahuddin had accused Singh of being a "killer of Kashmiris" and urged Islamabad to recall its envoy from India over the ongoing unrest in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing Pakistani media at the party headquarters in Mansura Auditorium in Lahore, Salahuddin had criticised the Nawaz Sharif-led government's policy on Kashmir. He said, "The rulers should give up hypocrisy and the Pakistan government should either plead the case of Kashmiris or make friends with India." The protests come in the backdrop of surge in violence in Jammu and Kashmir which has escalated tension between the two countries. More than 50 people have been killed and over 3,000 wounded in the current bout of violence in Jammu and Kashmir following the killing of Burhan Wani, a commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. He has been declared a "martyr" by Islamabad while India has branded him a "terrorist". Before leaving for Islamabad to attend Saarc, Singh said he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime." "This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security," said Singh, who is expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. With inputs from agencies PRETORIA Urban South Africans dealt the ANC its biggest political blow since the end of apartheid on Thursday, knocking the ruling party off its perch in three cities as voters vented anger at corruption, high unemployment and poor public services. The African National Congress (ANC) - which ended white-minority rule when it won power in the first democratic national election in 1994 - still held a big lead in the overall count in nationwide municipal elections. But it was trailing the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in Port Elizabeth, which it has previously held virtually unopposed for the last two decades. The ANC was also unlikely to make it to a 50 percent outright majority in the capital Pretoria and economic-hub Johannesburg. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could mark a watershed in South African society and politics as the country shifts from what has effectively been a one-party system in the era immediately post-apartheid. It could reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. The municipal vote comes as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession after a string of corruption scandals surrounding Zuma. SWITCHING ALLEGIANCE The ANC failed to win Zuma's hometown of Nkandla in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, a personal blow to Zuma, where the Inkatha Freedom Party retained its hold on the region. Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. With 85 percent of the vote counted, the ANC led in the national count with 53.5 percent at 1830 GMT, against 27.5 percent for the DA and 7.5 percent for the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader, Mmusi Maimane, was ahead in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power. It includes the city of Port Elizabeth. The DA had an unassailable lead, almost 69 percent of the vote, in Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC. RURAL/URBAN DIVIDE The ANC was dominating most of the countryside, long a key area of its support, underscoring a widening political divide between urban and rural South Africa. "The ANC vote has held up well in rural areas but fallen away sharpest in urban areas, as expected. The ANC is therefore becoming a party of the rural vote," Nomura analyst Peter Attard Montalto. The ANC had 42.9 percent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the DA's 42.7 percent after half the votes were tallied. In Johannesburg, the opposition party's lead had been trimmed to 42.09 percent to 42.02 percent for the ANC, with 47 percent of the votes counted. In Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 49.5 percent versus 39.2 percent, with 94 percent of votes in. ANC officials in Nelson Mandela Bay cried foul and said it was lodging a complaint about 500 dumped ballot papers found there with votes marked for the party. Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC's liberation hero would be an embarrassment for the ruling party. FRUSTRATION The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is led by Julius Malema, Zuma's one-time protege and a former ANC youth leader, is participating in only its second election and was running a distant third in the votes counted. It is, however, winning some support from voters frustrated about inequality in country where blacks make up about 80 percent of the population of 54 million, but ownership of land and companies remains mostly in the hands of whites, who account for about 8 percent of the population. The rand currency and government bonds firmed on Thursday, boosted by the smooth running of the elections. Many South Africans who queued up to vote across the country said they were worried about Zuma's performance and the state of the economy. Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home in Nkandla. In December, he rattled investors after changing his finance minister twice in a week, sending the rand plummeting. Zuma has said he would repay some of the funds spent on his home. (Additional reporting by Nqobile Dlula and Tanisha Heiberg in Pretoria, Joe Brock in Port Elizabeth, Wendell Roelf in Cape Town; Writing by James Macharia and Ed Stoddard; Editing by Larry King) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. JOHANNESBURG South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) failed to take control of President Jacob Zuma's hometown of Nkandla, local election results showed on Thursday, a symbolic blow to the scandal-tinged Zuma. Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home in Nkandla, located in a poverty-stricken rural area of Kwa-Zulu Natal province. "Nkandla" has become a household word in South Africa that is almost synonymous with graft. The loss, in local polls that are the sternest test the ANC has faced since the end of apartheid in 1994, will also smart because it was at the hands of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a Zulu nationalist party, which widened its tally in the area to 54 percent from 46 percent in 2011. The ruling party garnered 44 percent. Zuma, a traditional Zulu with four wives and an earthy style, has helped deliver the Zulu vote in the province for the ANC in elections, and cast his own vote in the area on Wednesday. But the IFP, which mostly appeals to Zulus, had almost 5 percent of the national vote with most of the tally completed compared to 3.6 percent in the last local elections in 2011. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BEIRUT A Syrian group said on Thursday it had the bodies of five people shot down in a Russian helicopter and demanded the release of prisoners in exchange for the corpses. The Russian military helicopter was downed in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Monday, killing all five people on board in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria. The demand was made in a statement seen by Reuters, signed off by a group calling itself the General Foundation for Prisoners' Affairs. It wanted the release of prisoners held in Syrian government jails and by Damascus's Lebanese Shi'ite ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. It did not say who those prisoners were, or how many it wanted released. It also demanded an end to the siege of areas blockaded by the Syrian army and its allies, and for the delivery of significant amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in besieged areas. The statement showed what appeared to be identity cards belonging to those killed in the crash. Russia's defence ministry said on Monday the Mi-8 military transport helicopter had been shot down after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo as it made its way back to Russia's main air base in the western province of Latakia. No group immediately claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter. Islamic State fighters are not active in the area, but there are other Islamist rebel groups there, as well as moderates backed by the United States and its allies. Russia has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with an air campaign against insurgents since September. Russia and Syria did not make any immediate comment on the demand. (Reporting by Samia Nakhoul and John Davison; Editing by Andrew Heavens) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Herat: Taliban militants attacked a group of 12 American and European tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in western Herat province Thursday, leaving at least seven people wounded as the insurgents step up nationwide attacks. The tourists eight British, three Americans and one German national were ambushed by Taliban gunmen in the restive district of Chesht-e-Sharif, while en route from the neighbouring provinces of Bamiyan and Ghor. It is unclear why they were travelling overland at a time when Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of kidnapping and attacks. "The foreign tourists three Americans, six Britons, two Scots and one German were travelling with an Afghan army convoy when they were ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif," said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor. He said the insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, adding that the attack left at least six foreigners and their Afghan driver wounded. Local authorities released photographs of some of the foreigners being treated in a district hospital for apparently minor injuries. The Taliban claimed the attack on "foreign invaders" as they intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramzan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. But that has not stopped some foreign tourists from travelling to Afghanistan, endowed with stunning landscapes and archaeological sites, many of them in volatile areas prone to the Taliban insurgency. The Guardian newspaper reported the tourists came to Afghanistan with Hinterland Travel, an England-based adventure travel company which offers tours passing through central and north Afghanistan as well as volatile lapis mines in the country. The company was not immediately reachable for comment. Its latest 21-day tour through "glorious, stark mountain passes" in Bamiyan and Herat started on 26 July, according to its website. Warzone tourism James Willcox, founder of another England-based adventure travel operator Untamed Borders, said his agency stopped using the Bamiyan-Herat road in 2009 because "it's just not safe". Bamiyan, famous for empty hillside niches that once sheltered giant Buddha statues that were blown up by the Taliban, is at the centre of Afghan efforts to boost revenue from warzone tourism. A vast, ancient landscape of russet-hued cliffs, Bamiyan is a rare oasis of tranquility but it is wedged between insurgency-hit districts. The United States has warned its citizens in Afghanistan of a "very high" kidnapping risk after an American citizen narrowly escaped abduction in the heart of Kabul. Thursday's attack follows a Taliban truck bombing on Monday at a hotel for foreigners in Kabul, which triggered a seven-hour gun and grenade assault that highlighted growing insecurity in the city. The guests and staff of the Northgate hotel escaped unharmed, but one policeman was killed after the suicide truck bomber paved the way for two other armed insurgents to enter the heavily guarded facility near Kabul airport. The attack was a grim reminder of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan since most foreign troops withdrew in 2014. The rising violence has resulted in large Afghan civilian casualties. Foreigners are also increasingly being targeted as the conflict escalates. American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed in June while travelling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province. Aid workers in particular have increasingly been casualties of a surge in militant violence in recent years. Judith D'Souza, a 40-year-old Indian charity worker, was rescued in late July, more than a month after she was taken at gunpoint near her residence in the heart of Kabul. D'Souza's abduction came after Katherine Jane Wilson, a well-known Australian NGO worker, was kidnapped on 28 April in the city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan. File photo of Arianna Quan.[Photo/Agencies] Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So, when the winner of a beauty pageant fails to win approval from the public, I don't see anything abnormal about it. For one thing, the jury panel may not represent the broad tastes of the populace. What I found disgusting is the mean spirit that goes with the disapproval. I don't know how to phrase it euphemistically, but the news of Chinese-American Arianna Quan crowned Miss Michigan for 2016 was not met with applause in the country of her birth. Judging from online feedback, Chinese netizens did not agree with the pageant judges to say the least. Well, it's not that they believe other contestants were more qualified than Quan, but that she is "so darn ugly". "She would not have a chance even at the first round had it been a Chinese competition," went one of the more polite postings. Another was less benign: "She's so ugly I wept. Is this some kind of scheme to denigrate ethnic Chinese?" Most said they could not believe she is only 23. They put her age at 43, 53 or even 63. "It shows how capitalist America quickens your aging process," said someone who seemed to flaunt his sarcasm. I lived in the United States for more than a dozen years, so I had already got accustomed to the widely diverging standards that East and West apply to Asian femininity. It is very real. I once saw a billboard on a Beijing street for a giant American company. It featured three Asian women. I told my friend that it must have been designed in New York without being vetted by its Chinese subsidiary. It would never achieve its obvious goal of endearing the brand to Chinese women. Simply put, Americans favor the supermodel type while Chinese prefer the porcelain fragile kind. Quan was born in Beijing and emigrated to the US when she was 6. I have friends whose daughters made the same move in their preteen years. The funny thing is, they had the exquisite looks when they first arrived stateside, but a couple years later they turned into - how shall I put it - typical Asian-American women. The California sun is partly the reason, but it's not just the sun-kissed skin. The whole look and feel would change, which seems to defy logic. But I found their new look healthier and brimming with self-assurance. And the way they talk and comport themselves carries the charisma that goes way beyond mere appearance. If you dig deeper, you may find traces of women's independence and equality in the Asian-American look while the typical Chinese beauty, as exemplified by Fan Bingbing, could be interpreted as "objectifying women". The notion of beauty can be shaped by group mentality. The same people who threw mud at Quan could well cheer her had they grown up on the other side of the Pacific. Matters of aesthetics are subjective. What they should learn is how to differ respectfully. Contact the writer at raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily 08/04/2016 page2) WASHINGTON "Black people do not hang themselves from trees." Weeks after a black man was found hanged in an Atlanta park, social media was rife with theories surrounding the circumstances of his death. Some people called it a lynching; authorities deemed it suicide. "Black people don't hang themselves from trees, given our history, if we gonna kill ourselves it's gonna be quick!" Twitter user @taurusk_ posted on July 14. Twitter and Instagram were deluged with posts like that one after the body was discovered. #Piedmont Park Hanging started trending online. The body in Atlanta's Piedmont Park was found the same week videos of police shootings of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota went viral. The images of black men dying at the hands of law enforcement were quickly linked in online posts to the hanging. Users lamented what they saw as disregard for black lives. Graphic videos of police shootings and arrests of black Americans in the past two years have triggered widespread protests, heightening tensions between police departments and African-Americans, who have long complained about excessive use of police force in their communities. Against that backdrop, the internet's hyper-speed blurring of fact and speculation surrounding such incidents may be adding to unease among African-Americans and contributing to the erosion of confidence in government, academic experts said. When official conclusions are in question, theories passed around online can fill that vacuum. While the voracity of such stories sometimes can be difficult to assess, they can strike a chord with African-Americans, who in the past were the target of government sanctioned discrimination and abuse under Jim Crow laws and lynchings by culprits who went unpunished. "It's not a matter of black suspicion, this is a matter of history," said Greg Carr, chair of the Afro-American studies department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In Atlanta, police reports said officers were called to Piedmont Park on July 7 after the body was discovered hanging from a white rope tied to a tree branch. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office concluded that it was suicide. "The young man hung himself," Clinton Harbin, an investigator with the medical examiner's office, told Reuters. But, spurred on by tweets from various accounts claiming that members of the Ku Klux Klan had been seen at the park before the hanging, some social media users have rejected these findings. (bit.ly/2b3yX24) Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who referred the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told reporters at a July 8 press conference that the police department had found no evidence that the KKK was at the park, according to a story published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (on-ajc.com/29nHU59) Social media helps such theories "spread like wildfire," capitalizing on the uncertainty that often accompanies unfolding news events, said Travis Gosa, a Cornell University assistant professor who has written about hip-hop and conspiracy theories. "If there is a downside to conspiracy theories in black communities, it's that sometimes these stories only complicate and hinder the ability to develop trust between black Americans and societal institutions," Gosa said. After the shooting deaths of five police officers in Dallas and three in Baton Rouge, videos appeared on various Youtube feeds that alleged the attacks were part of a government conspiracy to discredit the Black Lives Matter movement, or to enforce more control over the public. The videos got hundreds of thousands of views. (bit.ly/2aNcHdv) Paul Bromley, an education lawyer in New York, said his Facebook timeline lit up around that time with stories that said a black female police officer from Ohio was fired after she posted a fiery video online about racism in policing in the wake of the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge. "Nobody thought to fact check that. Instead they just shared it and shared it. It was all over the place. It turned out to not be true," Bromley said. Theories and guesswork often intermingle on the internet with verifiable concerns about police conduct or investigations. The death of Sandra Bland, a black woman found hanged in a Texas jail cell three days after she was taken into custody for a minor traffic infraction last year, sparked national outrage and questions about whether she should have been arrested at all. After Bland's death some people speculated online that officials had staged her mugshot after she was already dead, a theory debunked by video showing Bland alive during her three days in jail. (usat.ly/1OaNKGN) Credence for some of these theories may be derived from real events such as the Tuskegee syphilis study from 1932 to 1972, in which hundreds of black men in Alabama got "free" doctor visits, but were unknowingly denied medical care for syphilis so the disease's progression in their bodies could be analyzed over time. "Conspiracy theories become more believable once you have heard the story of Tuskegee," said Anita Waters, a black studies and sociology professor at Denison University in Ohio, who has written on African-Americans and conspiracy theories. In the case of the Atlanta hanging, members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference asked state investigators late last month for more details about the death. Even if it is ultimately concluded that there was no foul play, the impact of such rumors may remain. (on.11alive.com/29Lyj8c) "I don't think (rumors) have a lasting effect as ... explanations of what happened," Waters said. "But they may have a lasting effect in the mistrust that they foster in people." (Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Diane Craft) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Positano, an idyllic cliffside village on southern Italy's Amalfi Coast, is the second most expensive beach destination in Europe this summer, according to a survey conducted by French travel website Allovoyages.fr. The survey compared the cost of accommodation across all European holiday resorts during the month of August. The results were compiled based on average rates for the cheapest available double room in each destination. Only accommodation rated at least 3 stars and located within easy reach of a beach was considered. With an average rate of 243 per night, Positano ranks as the 2nd priciest destination in Europe. Playa d'en Bossa, located on the Spanish island of Ibiza, emerged as the most expensive spot with an average rate of 254 per night for the most affordable double room. Two other destinations in Italy also appear in the Top 10. The prestigious resort of Porto Cervo, nestled on the island of Sardinia, ranks as the 6th most expensive destination with an average of 224, while Gallipoli, a town on the west coast of the Salentina Peninsula in southern Italy, comes out in 9th position with an average rate of 213 per night. The following table shows the 10 most expensive beach destinations in Europe this August. The prices shown reflect the average rate for each destination's cheapest available double room, in accommodation rated at least 3 stars, for the period spanning 131 August 2016. Playa d'en Bossa (Spain) 254 Positano (Italy) 243 Oia (Greece) 242 Formentera (Spain) 240 Saint-Tropez (France) 229 Porto Cervo (Italy) 224 St Ives (England) 223 Mykonos (Greece) 216 Gallipoli (Italy) 213 Porto-Vecchio (France) 204 For the full results of the survey, visit: http://www.allovoyages.fr/presse/stations16.php Diane Muller Press Palasso Ltd Kinseth Hospitality Company (KHC) is pleased to announce the breaking of ground at the construction site of the Tru by Hilton in Cheyenne Wyoming. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Tru by Hilton, located at 423 Fox Farm Road, took place on August 3, 2016. To kick-off the event City of Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen, President and CEO of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce; Dale Steenbergen, Board Chair of Visit Cheyenne; Barry Sims, Gateway South Investor Tom Reiman and VP of Kinseth Hospitality; Gary Kinseth each shared their excitement for the project. Next partners Michele and Rich Bolkovatz, Kay and R.C. Reiman, Gary Kinseth, Tom Reiman, Pam and Wally Reiman, and Kim Andereck (not pictured), unveiled a 3D chalk painting of the hotel that will soon stand in the same location. The modern hotel will offer guest rooms and amenities for both leisure and business guests. "Tru is a disruptive brand, as evidenced by its statement-making entrance to the midscale category and now the Cheyenne market," said Alexandra Jaritz, Global Head for Tru by Hilton. "We know the brand will have broad appeal to by Cheyenne area travelers who span generations but share a similar 'zest for life' mindset. At its core, Tru is value-engineered to provide guests with a contemporary, consistent and fresh experience in an affordable way, while at the same time being operationally efficient to our owners." The 90 room, 4 story hotel is owned by Gateway South LLC, and will be managed by Kinseth Hospitality Companies. It is expected to be completed in late Spring 2016. About Tru by Hilton Tru by Hilton is a revolutionary midscale hotel brand providing a simplified and spirited approach that is grounded in value for business and leisure travelers. Disrupting the midscale hotel space, Tru by Hilton will offer modern and functional guest rooms and social connectivity with reimagined public spaces, including an open lobby comprised of four zones where guests can work, play, lounge and eat. Designed to appeal cross-generationally, guests will enjoy complimentary amenities including breakfast, coffee and tea; optional mobile check-in and Digital Key; a multifunctional fitness center; and high-speed Wi-Fi. Single-serve wine and beer, fun snacks and light meal options will be available for purchase at a 24/7 retail market. Tru by Hilton is the newest addition to Hilton Worldwide's portfolio of market-leading brands. Learn more at www.trubyhilton.com. About Kinseth Hospitality Kinseth Hospitality is a leading hotel management, development and ownership company. KHC has a proven track record of developing and operating award-winning hotels, restaurant and meeting facilities. Kinseth Hospitality is based in North Liberty, Iowa, and currently operates over 65 hotels and 5 branded restaurants in 12 states. For more information regarding KHC please contact our Corporate Sales and Marketing Team at 319-626-5600 or visit www.kinseth.com. Jeff Schrader 847-202-7954 Kinseth View source A Chinese legal rights activist was sentenced to 7 years in prison on subversion charges yesterday, in the second in a series of cases underscoring the ruling Communist Partys determination to rein in government critics. State broadcaster CCTV said Hu Shigen had pleaded guilty to subversion, damaging national security and harming social stability at the start of his hearing before the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court. It said Hu had decided not to appeal the sentence. His brief trial came a day after the court issued a suspended three-year sentence to activist Zhai Yanmin. Both were arrested in July last year with two others as part of a nationwide crackdown on legal rights activists. About 300 lawyers and activists were initially seized and questioned before most were released. Hu, 61, was accused of leading an underground organization that masqueraded as a church but was dedicated to identifying and drawing attention to accusations of government abuses. He worked with others, some of whom are also facing trial this week, to organize activities that manipulated public opinion and disturbed public order, prosecutors were quoted as saying by state media. Hus ideology and his behaviors have seriously harmed the country and social stability, state media quoted prosecutors as saying. Hu had been sentenced in 1994 to 20 years in prison on the now-abolished charge of counterrevolution in connection with his political activities, but was released in 2008 after his sentence was reduced. His previous prison term contributed to his harsh sentencing in the most recent case, prosecutors said. After completing his criminal punishment, Hu Shigen again committed crimes against national security and, as a recidivist, should be severely punished under the law, prosecutors said. A graduate of prestigious Peking University, Hu was a professor in the capital when he became active with a would-be political opposition party following the armys violent crackdown on 1989 pro-democracy protests centered on Beijings Tiananmen Square. Two other cases are expected to be heard by the court in the northern Chinese city this week, including those of activist Gou Hongguo and lawyer Zhou Shifeng, head of the Fengrui Law Firm that frequently took on sensitive cases and represented numerous government critics. More than a dozen other lawyers and activists remain jailed, their legal status uncertain. The trials are part of a pattern established under the administration of President Xi Jinping to use more sophisticated legal means to attack perceived opponents as it maintains pressure on activists and non-governmental organizations. Several, including fellow Fengrui lawyer Wang Yu have made televised apologies for the crimes they are accused of and denouncing the legal activism as directed by unidentified hostile foreign forces to smear and attack the Chinese government. Activists such as Hu and Zhai worked alone or in affiliation with law firms to gather evidence of government abuses and lead clients and the disgruntled in street protests while spreading word online. Their actions were harshly denounced by the authorities as interference in the legal process. Many family members of those being held say they and their retained lawyers have been denied access to the detainees for more than a year, receiving only occasional updates by word of mouth. Some have been briefly detained themselves while seeking information. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP The state-held company Angola Polishing Diamonds exported 4,462 carats of cut diamonds to the United Arab Emirates last June, invoicing about USD3.1 million at an average price of $694.5 per carat, informed the Ministry of Geology and Mines in Luanda. June diamond production in Angola amounted to 753,000 carats, with participation of eight of the twelve operational mines, bringing in $75.35 million at an average price of $100 per carat. According to a statement late last month from the Ministry, production increased 2.28 percent and sales increased 5.35 percent compared to May. The increase in volume was due to the fact that production at the Catoca mine registered a slight increase of 0.82 percent compared to the same period of 2015. The Catoca mine accounted for 620,500 carats, Camatue 41,200 carats, Cuango 39,700, Chitotolo 20,000, Calonda 12,800, Somiluana 9,000, Luo 8,700 and Lulo 808. Compared to May 2016, when 736,700 carats worth $74.9 million were produced at an average price of $101 per carat, respective increases in quantity and value of 2.23 percent and 0.51 percent were recorded. Between industrial tax and royalties paid by diamond companies, the activity brought in tax revenue of 934.1 million kwanzas ($5.6 million), up year-on-year though down 11 percent over May. Since Angolas independence, oil and diamonds have been the countrys most important resource and export, accounting for as much as 60 percent of its economy according to The Economist. Today, Angola ranks in the worldwide top 10 for diamond production. MDT/Macauhub BNU Macau closed the first half of 2016 with year-on-year growth of 17 percent in net results, which amounted to MOP278.57 million, said its chief executive officer Pedro Cardoso. Cardoso told Macauhub this week that all key banking business indicators showed improvements when half-years were compared. He highlighted, for example, that the indicator for the ratio between support staff and employees who deal directly with clients, has been falling steadily and is currently at 1.03. The number of clients increased year-on-year by 4.5 percent to this half-years figure of 217,400, virtually a third of Macaus population. Growth was noted for products per active client (up 6.1 percent to 3.46), turnover (up 16.9 percent to MOP91.155 billion), deposits (up 25.3 percent to MOP51.557 billion) and loans (up 7.5 percent to MOP27.259 billion). Cardoso also said that in the first half-year non-performing loans represented only 0.17 percent of credit granted, versus 0.50 percent during the same period of 2015, financial margin was up 13.5 percent to MOP382.3 million and that operating expenses grew by just 2.8 percent to MOP149.9 million. He highlighted that the cost to revenue ratio had fallen to under 30 percent, coming to 29.99 percent at the end of June. Regarding a future prognosis for activity in Macau until the end of the year, the CEO of BNU said that the economic climate is challenging and that BNU Macau should post only single-digit turnover growth. We think there will be some beneficial results to reap in 2017 and that they will be much more substantial in 2018, with the opening of the bridge linking Zhuhai to Macau and Hong Kong, he added. Cardoso also mentioned about the planned opening of a branch in the future on Hengqin Island in Zhuhai municipality, thereby closing an existing gap. We can support hundreds if not thousands of clients who have investments in China and which BNU Macau could never properly support. Now well be able to do so by having an established presence in mainland China. Owned by Portugals state-held Caixa Geral de Depositos financial group, BNU Macau currently has a workforce of 480 employees and 19 branches, which should rise to 20 by the end of the year. MDT/Macauhub Canadas Gem International Resources raised 1.2 million Canadian dollars upon completion of the second phase of a private share placement that earned 400,000 dollars, the company announced in a recently released statement. The company aims to use the proceeds to prospect for diamonds in Angola, specifically at a concession identified as Dala, situated near the Catoca mine, the worlds fourth largest. Gem International Resources investor relations director Andrew Philips explained that the region where the company has a concession is among the most coveted in Angola, adding were in the right spot. Philips said the companys chief executive, Denis Hayes, had decided to focus on diamond mining in Angola after exploration work in other African countries. The Macao Orchestra is set to kick off its 2016-2017 concert season in September. According to a statement issued by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the upcoming concert season is themed Your Time with Music, and will feature a number of promising classical musicians who display the youthful effervescence of the genre. Yulianna Avdeeva, first prize winner in the Chopin Competition, and Yao-yu Wu, the winner of the 2013 Besancon International Competition for Young Conductors, have been invited to perform during the upcoming concert season. Orchestral musicians including pianist Alice Sara Ott; violinist Nemanja Radoluvic; young conductors Roberto Gianola and Jose Luis Gomez will also be showcasing their talent. Amongst many other musicians, world-renowned British conductor Gordon Hunt, Hungarian conductor Gilbert Varga, German conductor Bruno Weil and Chinese violinist Ning Feng will be present and will collaboratively bring Chinese and foreign classics to convey their sentiments regarding the upcoming music voyage. Moreover, the Macao Orchestra will make its debut with the remarkable symphony by British composer Sir Edward William Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and also stage a concert of Alexander von Zemlinskys renowned opera. The orchestra will also introduce prominent music works including musical theatre and a multimedia film score concert to the region. Tickets will be available for sale from Monday, August 8, from Macau Ticketing Network outlets. Youth orchestra to perform in Queensland the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra Association is bringing three performances to Queensland as part of Prodigy Collective, an international gathering of youth orchestras. The event marks the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Queensland Youth Orchestras, according to a report by Macao Daily News. This marks the first time in nine years that the musical association returns to Queensland for a performance. During the festival, the young musicians will perform pieces of both Western classical and Chinese music. A medium-range ballistic missile fired yesterday by North Korea flew about 1,000 kilometers and landed near Japans territorial waters, Seoul and Tokyo officials said, one of the longest flights by a North Korean missile. The U.S. Strategic Command said North Korea fired two presumed Rodong missiles simultaneously yesterday, not just one. The commands statement said initial indications reveal one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the second was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan. North Korea has recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs over its goal of acquiring a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. South Korean defense officials say North Korea doesnt yet have such a weapon, but some civilian experts believe the North has the technology to mount warheads on shorter-range Rodong and Scud missiles that can strike South Korea and Japan. According to the South Korean and Japanese announcements, one suspected Rodong missile lifted off from the Norths western Hwanghae province and flew across the country before falling in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it strongly condemns the missile launch because it explicitly shows the Norths intentions of being able to launch missile attacks on South Korea and neighboring countries. Japans Defense Ministry said the missile landed inside Japans exclusive economic zone, the 200-nautical-mile offshore area where a nation has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting resources. Japanese media reported it was the first North Korean missile that has splashed down in Japans EEZ. It imposes a serious threat to Japans security and it is unforgivable act of violence toward Japans security, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. The U.S. condemned the recent launches as violating U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban North Koreas use of ballistic missile technology. This provocation only serves to increase the international communitys resolve to counter the DPRKs prohibited activities, including through implementing existing UN Security Council sanctions, said Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. North Korea has previously fired Rodong and other missiles into the sea, but South Korean analysts say yesterdays 1,000 kilometer flight was one of the longest for a North Korean test. Several other North Korean rockets have gone farther and even over Japan. But Pyongyang called them satellite launches while Washington, Seoul and Tokyo said they were disguised tests of missile technology. After several failures, the North put its first satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket in December 2012, and conducted another successful satellite launch in February. In June, North Korea, after a string of failures, sent another type of mid-range missile known as Musudan more than 1,400 kilometers high. Analysts said the high-altitude flight meant North Korea had made progress in its push to be able to strike U.S. forces throughout the region. North Korea routinely conducts weapons tests, but the latest launch came after North Korea warned of unspecified physical counter-actions against a U.S. plan to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea by the end of next year. On July 19, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea, according to Seoul defense officials. The Norths state media later confirmed that it fired ballistic rockets carrying trigger devices for nuclear warheads as part of simulated pre-emptive atomic attacks on South Korea. Analyst Kim Dong-yub at Seouls Institute for Far East Studies said the latest Rodong launch appeared to be aimed at showing an ability to attack U.S. military bases in Japan, a major source of reinforcements for U.S. troops should a war break out on the Korean Peninsula. Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department at the Norths National Aerospace Development Administration, told The Associated Press last week that Pyongyangs military had mastered the main and core techniques in long-range ballistic missile technology, including the starter engine technology, how to separate the different stages, guidance control techniques and re-entry and its all ready to be operational. North Korea is known to have an arsenal of estimated 300 Rodong missiles whose maximum range is 1,300 kilometers. A Rodong fired in March flew about 800 kilometers while two other Rodongs launched in 2014 flew about 650 kilometers. North Korea is expected to carry out more weapons launches in coming weeks to protest annual U.S.-South Korean military drills that begin later this month. North Korea describes the drills as an invasion rehearsal. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea and tens of thousands of more in Japan. Hyung-Jin Kim, Seoul, AP When I was small and my parents went out fishing, they left me in the care of an old lady in a wooden house by the sea and picked me up in the evening. I spent the day anxiously waiting for their return. When it was high tide, I knew they were coming back. This is a deep memory of my childhood, says passionate boat builder Wan Chun, ex-chairperson of the Macao Association of Shipyard Workers. Wan Chuns early years forged a bond between him and the sea that has lasted his whole life. His youth was spent in shipyards demolishing and building ships ordered by fishermen. With the decline of the industry, he changed career. Now, in retirement, he has reverted back to his passion for shipbuilding only now on a smaller scale, but applying the same hard-learned and polished expertise used decades ago. Thanks to the support of the Archives of Macao, he has been given a space to work on the porch of the institution facing the spacious open ground of Tap Seac. For the last two years, the stout, reserved 68-year-old Wan has been going to this open workshop, working from morning till night; he treats it like a full-time job which puts his not-forgotten skills to good use. The institution recently hosted an exhibition of his work. The exhibition and Wans work are testimony to one of the citys oldest industries. Shipbuilding used to be one of the most important local industries, as Macau was a city of seafarers. It was at its peak during the Sino-Japanese war in the 1940s. After Hong Kong fell, Macau became one of Chinas major shipyards. Other industries profited from the boom. In the 1950s, there were nearly 10,000 fishermen and more than 30 shipyards in Macau; the coastal villages were thriving and ocean was teeming with fish, crabs and oysters. It was during this era that Wan grew up. Wan was born in Macau in March 1948, the son of a fishing family. From his earliest years, the sea was in his blood; his family had its own small sampan. When my parents went fishing, they did not take me with them. I waited on shore in the care of an old lady in a wooden hut. They continued fishing until their retirement. They also caught oysters. Macau had so many at that time, because the waters were not polluted. When they brought them back, we children helped to break them up and sell them. Mother and I had a market store selling the fresh ones. The ones that were not so fresh we sold to the oyster sauce factory; I was around seven years old then. The Wans was a large family so they could not afford to eat what they caught; they had to sell it. Wan remembers the joys and disappointments of fishing. When we saw big fish in the nets, we were very happy. Once, we had a fish weighing more than 10 kilos it shook its tail, breaking the net and escaping. When we were in a sampan, another way to catch fish was to drop a big bucket attached to a stone to the base of the sea, six or seven meters below; eels and crabs would crawl in and could not get out. When we returned, we simply lifted the bucket and found them. It required no effort. This was the environment in which Wan grew up. Macau had many shipyards which produced hand-crafted fishing boats made of wood. In addition to working on the sea, Wans father had a job in one of these yards, demolishing old boats; the work was all done by hand. At the age of 14, Wan followed his father and his uncle into the business, with a monthly salary of 120 patacas. I wanted also to learn how to construct boats but the owner of the shipyard did not want to teach me since he was only renting the site from someone else. So he moved to another yard, for a monthly wage of only 20 patacas, and began his apprenticeship as a ship maker. He learnt like a duck taking to water. After six months, the owner treated me as a skilled craftsman and doubled my salary. I was stronger and better than the others. At the age of 21, he was formally accredited as a shipbuilder, after the three-year training period, and could choose where to work. I went back to the shipyard where I had worked demolishing vessels. The owner assigned me to complete a half-built vessel. When the ship was close to completion, the boss fired me and laughed at me. I had to swallow my pride and applied elsewhere. It was not easy, he said. After that, he was more careful and cautious in his work. I built up a reputation in the industry. I was known to be quick and could deliver work on time. The owners liked me. Usually, when a ship is nearly completed, an owner would lay off 5-6 out of the 15 workers. But I was not laid off. I regained my confidence. He also studied at night school, earning a professional diploma from Hong Kong University. With this education and his professional skill, he was invited to join the Macao Association of Shipyard Workers, to represent them in negotiations with the owners. He agreed. This was a new source of pressure. You have to work doubly hard, so as not to give the bosses a reason to say you are lazy and unqualified. But the industry was shrinking. From the 1970s, the market shifted to the mainland; local companies moved their operations there. Hand-crafted wooden junks took two months to make: metal boats were faster and more efficient. I was chairman of the union at the time and it was sad to see the industry disappearing on my watch, said Wan. Boat-making is a culture. Will the next generation even be aware of how boat-makers in Macau built boats? In 1980, he started a new job a security guard at the Metropole Hotel, for a salary of 1,200 patacas a month. They wanted someone with a trade union background. There were bonuses and double pay at the end of the year. I had married at 26 and needed a steady income for my family. They have two children. For three years, he left the shipbuilding world. Friends asked him if he wanted to set up a shipbuilding firm in the mainland. We looked at the possibility. It is not easy for an outsider to enter this industry. We decided that it was too high risk. Fishermen place an order but do not pay cash. They may cancel, leaving some shipbuilders in debt. After completing three years at the Metropole, he was looking for work again. Friends introduced him back to the shipyard. It was very hard at the beginning. I had got used to the air conditioning at the hotel. I gritted my teeth to swallow the hardship and persisted. In 1986, he was offered a full-time job at the Macau Federation of Union and remained there until his retirement in 2013. By then, the industry in Macau had died. The last shipyard, Lai Chi Van, completed its final vessel in 2005. In his retirement, Wan was never going to sit in front of the television and play mahjong. He started to handcraft miniature replicas of junks. Boat-making is a traditional craft and I make them exactly the way you would a normal fishing boat, from the materials to the tools and techniques. He spends about 120 hours on each one. He made the first one as a gift to the doctor who operated on him at the age of 60, to remove a cancerous tumor. I wanted to express my gratitude to him. Making the boats is noisy, so in April 2015 he moved from his house to a spot in Tap Seac square. It was there that a senior official of the Archives of Macao saw him and invited him to move his work place to its porch, out of the rain. His new location brought him fame. Media, local and foreign, came to interview him and he was invited to do exhibitions. The first two months were hard on my back and fingers but now I am accustomed to it. I make one boat a month and give them to friends and family. I had not made ships for 30 years but can remember everything. The models are exactly like the big ships. If given a layer of waterproof paint, they can actually sail in the sea. I make sailing boats because you do not see them any more anywhere in the sea. You start from the base then move to the head of the boat. It requires great skill and dexterity. Look, my finger is much bigger than a nail. It requires patience to do it well. Through my work, I want to send a message that a person, regardless of gender or age, can create value through work. He said that the boat he liked most was a little sampan that reminded him of the one his parents used to go out into the sea. His models include shrimp-catching boats, those used in the Song dynasty to go to Southeast Asia and Portuguese cargo ships of the 15th century. I learnt from books what they were like. The bottom of the boats was slightly different and made to suit the waters they navigated. I do not do this for money. My two children look after themselves. I have the same schedule every day. I feel happy and recognized. Thanks to this work, my condition has improved since the operation. I have a sense of well-being. Mark ONeill, Macauhub/MDT Human rights groups accused Australia yesterday of deliberately ignoring the alleged abuse of asylum seekers being held at a remote Pacific island detention facility in a bid to deter future refugees from trying to reach the country by boat. A scathing joint report by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said detainees on the Pacific island nation of Nauru, where Australia sends asylum seekers, are routinely denied critical medical care, frequently attempt suicide and endure physical assaults by locals on the island. Australias policy of exiling asylum seekers who arrive by boat is cruel in the extreme, Anna Neistat, senior director for research at Amnesty International, said in a statement. Few other countries go to such lengths to deliberately inflict suffering on people seeking safety and freedom. Australias Department of Immigration and Border Protection criticized the rights groups for not consulting with the government while preparing the report. We would strongly encourage Amnesty International to contact the department before airing allegations of this kind, the department said in a statement. The department strongly refutes many of the allegations in the report. The department did not respond to a request seeking details on what parts of the report it was refuting. Australia refuses to accept any asylum seekers who attempt to reach its shores by boat. Instead, it pays Nauru and the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea to hold them often for years. Reports of abuse, miserably hot and crowded living conditions, and frequent suicide attempts at the detention camps have plagued Australia for years; in April, an Iranian refugee on Nauru died after setting himself on fire. Human rights groups have long called on Australia to abandon its offshore detention policy, calling the practice a violation of the countrys international human rights obligations. Australia argues that the policy has saved lives by removing the incentive for migrants to attempt the dangerous and often deadly ocean crossing from Indonesia to Australia in rickety boats. Critics say the country has simply traded one evil for another. Journalists have been almost entirely banned from Nauru in recent years. But researchers from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said they were able to enter the country last month, spending 12 days interviewing 84 refugees and asylum seekers. Those interviewed said they were suffering from severe anxiety, depression and short-term memory loss. Both adults and children told interviewers they wanted to kill themselves. Since last year, asylum seekers held in the detention center have been allowed to leave the camp and move about the island during the day but many say they are too afraid to do so. Every refugee and asylum seeker interviewed by the researchers said that they or their family members had been intimidated, harassed or physically assaulted by locals, including being pelted with bottles and stones and robbed at knifepoint. Several women reported being sexually assaulted. Kristen Gelineau, Sidney, AP Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posting Instagram photos? Interesting, but not unusual. He does it all the time. But Singapores leader posting them from inside the White House, on the official presidential residence account? Now thats a different story. Lee, who is on a state visit to the United States, posted a photo of himself lounging on a floral sofa at the presidents guesthouse on Tuesday, with the caption: Stay tuned today as the White House and I do a mutual takeover of our Instagram accounts! Essentially, it meant Lee took over the White House account and had the freedom to post any picture he wanted. Ditto, the White House with his account. Local media reported that the swap was to last a day. Many followers of the official White House handle exceeding 2.5 million greeted Lee with words of welcome. Welcome Prime Minister Loong! I hope that you enjoy our country as much as I enjoyed being in yours. I hope to go back one of these days, Samantha Kelly posted. Some who posted questioned Singapores bans on chewing gum and graffiti, often cited as examples of the city states notoriously tough laws that include sentences such as caning for vandalism and the death penalty for drug smuggling. Singaporeans understandably chipped in to express their pride. Perhaps they felt that Lee, an avid photographer, would be delighted to showcase his snapshots on a larger stage. Back home in the wealthy island nation of 5.5 million people, Lee has a much smaller audience 239,000 followers on Instagram, with whom he often shares scenes from diplomatic meetings, community events and leisurely treks. These generally garner positive responses from even the countrys circle of critical shutterbugs. He also has 354,000 followers on Twitter and nearly 1.1 million on Facebook. After his first picture on the sofa, Lee shared four more, one of which was captured at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Its a big honor for us to celebrate how far our peoples have come together, Lee wrote on another snapshot, which captured delighted onlookers at an arrival ceremony. In the U.S., I have encountered our citizens all over the country, he said. Its a good reminder that our ties are not just about government or company business, but thrive in the hearts and souls of our people. On Lees Instagram account, White House administrators documented preparations for the state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, which the Singaporean leader attended with his wife, Ho Ching, and other officials. One photo was of the two leaders and their wives. Despite Singapores small size its about half the area of Los Angeles the nation has a disproportionately important relationship with the United States. The two are key trading and security partners. The city state hosts more than 3,500 U.S. companies, and its armed forces often conduct joint exercises with the U.S. military. The two nations are also part of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. For the U.S., it is a creative outreach effort to assert its soft power through social media, Eugene Tan, an associate law professor at Singapore Management University, said in an interview. Indirectly, its a powerful statement that the U.S. is a friend that can be trusted, he said. This against the backdrop of the unsettling U.S. presidential election and the U.S.-China rivalry, most significantly in East and Southeast Asia. Lee got some good press on Facebook, too. One Singaporean, Francis Chew, commented on Lees Facebook page: Good to see sustaining friendship with the U.S. and for the better. God bless you and have a fruitful trip! Citizens had good reason to celebrate Lees U.S. trip, given that the last visit by a Singaporean prime minister to the White House was in 1985 by Lees father, the late Lee Kuan Yew. That was during Ronald Reagans presidency, when the internet as we know it today didnt exist, let alone Instagram. Annabelle Liang, AP The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) 2016, scheduled to be held in the region in October, kicked off its Five Asian Cities Roadshow in Beijing last week as part of the forums fifth anniversary edition. GTEF 2016 will be held in the regions Studio City on October 15 and 16, with the theme The Growing Consumer Class, Rethinking And Reshaping The Future Tourism Landscape. According to a statement issued by the organizers, the events fifth edition will discuss how the independent-minded, resourceful and tech-savvy group is an increasingly influential force in the tourism industry. The forum will also engage public and private sector leaders in discussions on issues relating to Chinese consumers, tourism and technology, urban tourism consumption revolution, the millennial travelers, and tourism investment. A networking luncheon was hosted at Grand Hyatt Beijing last week, connecting, representatives from GTEF, China National Tourism Administration, Macau Government Tourism Office, and Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development. Commenting on the Asia roadshow Peter Wong, vice chairman of GTEF and executive chairman of China Chamber of Tourism said, GTEF is committed to fostering tourism development and cooperation between overseas tourism peers and Chinese provinces and municipalities. GTEF 2016s Asia Roadshow also went to Shanghai and will continue in Taipei (August 5), Guangzhou (August 9) and Seoul, Korea (August 11). CHINAs Defense Ministry angrily rejects accusations from Japan that the Chinese military is destabilizing the regional military balance by seeking to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas, accusing Japan of seeking to deceive the international community and sow discord between China and its neighbors. DUBAI An Emirates flight from India with 300 people on board crash lands at Dubais main airport, sending black smoke billowing into the air and halting all traffic at the Middle Easts busiest airport. Authorities said all passengers were evacuated safely. AUSTRALIA Human rights groups accuse Australia of deliberately ignoring the alleged abuse of asylum seekers being held at a remote Pacific island detention facility in a bid to deter future refugees from trying to reach the country by boat. JAPAN A woman who has downplayed Japans wartime actions and is known to have far-right views is named defense minister in a Cabinet reshuffle, a move that could unsettle relations with Asian neighbors with bitter memories of World War II-era atrocities. NEPALs parliament elected a former communist rebel leader to lead a coalition government as the countrys new prime minister, a move that will likely mean the continuation of political instability in the Himalayan nation. PAKISTAN-INDIA Hundreds of Pakistanis rallied in Islamabad against the imminent visit of Indias interior minister, Rajnath Singh, claiming the predominantly Muslim region of Kashmir, now divided between the two countries, belongs to Pakistan. CAMBODIA A truck transporting Cambodian garment workers to their factory crashed yesterday, injuring 33 people, 12 of them critically, the government said. The accident occurred in the western province of Kampong Speu. The truck crashed when the driver tried to evade another truck that had driven across the road. FRENCH President Francois Hollande has strongly criticized U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying some of the things the Republican does make him sick. Some excesses make your stomach turn, even in the United States, especially when as did Donald Trump he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier, Hollande said yesterday. GERMANY Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmlers day planner reinforces historians views of how mass murder was institutionalized and routine in Adolf Hitlers Germany. Bild newspaper this week has been publishing excerpts from the calendar, which was found in a Russian archive in 2013 and is being prepared for publication next year. Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro named new ministers in a Tuesday night shakeup of his cabinet, replacing a pro-market reformer on his economic team and appointing a military general indicted by the U.S. for drug trafficking to head the Interior Ministry. Burundis government has rejected the proposed deployment of up to 228 United Nations police to the East African nation to monitor human rights abuses and calm more than a year of violence. The announcement follows a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing such a force amid reports of serious rights abuses, including against the opposition. TWIN FALLS Magic Valleys rock climbing scene expanded this summer with the opening of a gear shop in downtown Twin Falls. Magic Valley Gear Exchange, at 364 Second Ave. E., opened June 1 and occupies space inside Magic Valley Gold Buyers. Tony Roberts, owner of both, earns his livelihood from gold, diamonds and jewelry. And then it gets spent here, he said, gesturing toward the shelves of carabiners, harnesses and quickdraws. The only way I was able to open it is to kind of share the expenses with the existing business. Roberts aims to stock all the new retail inventory that beginning to advanced climbers might want for Idahos outdoor rock climbing, such as helmets, climbing shoes, ropes, chalk and chalk bags, local guidebooks and training boards for practicing finger holds. Tonys shop is just a breath of fresh air because its a climbing shop actually owned by a climber, College of Southern Idaho climbing instructor Shawn Willsey said. You get good, knowledgeable service from someone who climbs regularly. Roberts also sells consignment gear, particularly higher-end brands, for outdoor activities more advanced than car camping. Current consignments include an alpine ax, a tent, an inflatable raft, indoor climbing holds, climbing shoes and climbing protection such as cams, nuts, pitons and belay devices. Roberts, certified by the American Mountain Guides Association as a single-pitch instructor, offers free evening clinics at the downtown store on specific aspects of the sport such as knots or proper use of fixed anchors then points people who need more thorough instruction toward CSIs climbing classes. He also leads open climbs at Dierkes Lake, giving pointers to who anyone who shows up that evening, and loaning out free gear if they drop into the store earlier in the day. A fantastic opportunity for people who couldnt otherwise give it a try, said Mandi Eldridge of Buhl, who participated in one of his open climbs. She said Roberts gave encouragement as well as advice and helped people understand how their gear should fit. Tonys kind of a gearhead. Teaching safety and technique isnt just about selling gear. Incorrect use of the fixed anchors on sport climbing routes can shorten the life of the anchors, and that affects other climbers. As a board member of the fledgling Southern Idaho Climbers Coalition which aims to preserve climbing access across the region and encourage good stewardship of resources Roberts takes a wide view. He and other coalition leaders spend hours in southern Idahos climbing areas replacing antiquated fixed anchors that are becoming dangerous. To show his Gear Exchange customers the technological improvements, Roberts keeps a pile of the old gear removed from rocks. This one took about three hours to pull out, he said, holding up a battered steel bolt. Actually, it took pulling, hammering and prying. To do that, he said, you really have to be committed to sustainable bolting. But the alternative the practice of breaking off old bolts, patching the hole and drilling a new one nearby weakens the rock face and mars its appearance. Fixed anchor replacement consumes money as well as time; each route has two top anchors, each $10 to $15. Roberts offsets the cost by making sterling silver earrings that look like tiny climbing bolts some with carabiners, some with chains and selling them online for $30 or $40 a pair. Then the store picks up the tab for the rest, as more of a community service than anything, he said. Roberts expects to see an influx of newcomers to the sport next year after GemStone Climbing opens its indoor climbing wall and fitness gym on Fifth Avenue South. GemStone, which held a groundbreaking party in July, is unaffiliated with Magic Valley Gear Exchange. Some who learn to climb at the gym, Roberts predicts, will want to give the outdoors a try, too. CSI with its classes, GemStone with its future gym, Magic Valley Gear Exchange with its outdoor focus and the Southern Idaho Climbers Coalition with its mission of access advocacy are all collaborating and trying not to step on each others toes, said Willsey, another coalition board member. If we all kind of stay in our lane, and kind of fill the role that we each have, I think we can do great things in the community, Willsey said. Were all friends, we all get along well, we all have the same goal of introducing people to the sport Right now its working very well. Hopefully it stays that way. Learn more about Magic Valley Gear Exchange and its events: 208-969-9666 or Facebook.com/MagicValleyGearExchange. Volunteers St. Lukes Home Health and Hospice is looking for new volunteers to join its team to share compassion and care and increase the quality of life for patients and their families. The program is designed to offer companionship and socialization to patients as well as respite and support for the caregivers. Information: Marie Sharp, 208-814-7603 or sharpm@slhs.org. Volunteers The Senior Companion Program at the CSI Office on Aging needs volunteers, age 55 and older, to assist homebound seniors by providing friendly visits and transportation as needed. Information: Marisol, 208-736-2122, or toll free, 800-574-8656. Volunteers The Foster Grandparent Program at the CSI Office on Aging has openings for volunteers, age 55 and older, to read to children ages 2 to 9 and assist with their academic and social skills. Placements are available throughout the Magic Valley in Head Start programs and public elementary schools. Information: Marisol, 208-736-2122 or toll free, 800-574-8656. Volunteers Hospice Visions Inc. is looking for volunteers to visit with patients and their families, do minor home modifications such as grab bars, and also volunteer Light Touch Massage therapists, hair dressers, meal assist volunteers, and to play music and games with hospice patients. Volunteers are needed with licensed certified therapy animals to love our hospice patients in their own homes or assisted living centers. Hospice Visions is looking for volunteers interested in doing art projects with patients or filming and creating a Life Legacy Video, or to take someone to the store, run an errand or out for a drive. Veterans can become a Vet-to-Vet Volunteer and visit with other veterans. Volunteers are also needed to assist with fundraising events and provide office assistance. Information: Nora at 208-735-0121 or nwells@hospicevisions.org. Training Local nonprofit Niche Assistance is holding a Volunteer Training Workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 17. A free lunch will be provided. The workshop will provide training for volunteers who want to work with homeless and other struggling individuals to help them make changes in their lives to become more self-sufficient and successful. Make reservations by Aug. 28 if you plan to attend. Contact Phyllis Berg, 208-329-3796 or nicheassistance@yahoo.com. Volunteers The Twin Falls County Historical Society is seeking volunteers for various programs and general support. Volunteers are needed to paint, weed, clean or work on docent projects and fundraising. No minimum amount of hours, commitment is flexible. Fill out an application at the Twin Falls County Historical Museum (Union School at Curry), open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Information: 208-736-4675. Volunteers The Fifth Judicial District CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Program is seeking community volunteers to become advocates for abused children. Advocates receive training and support to investigate, report, monitor and advocate for children involved in the child protection system. Advocates are needed in all eight counties of the district, but it is critical to the program to recruit volunteers in the Mini Cassia area. Information: Tahna, 208-735-1177. Drivers The Twin Falls Senior Center delivers meals to homebound seniors in the Twin Falls area Monday through Friday, and the routes take an hour or less to complete. Commitment is based on your availability; pick a day of the week or drive once or twice a month, pick a week to drive, or be a substitute driver. Volunteers must be 18 years of age with their own car, and have proof of liability insurance. Drivers receive 54 cents a mile fuel reimbursement. Information: Sandee Earl, 208-734-5084. Volunteers The Twin Falls Senior Center has a ladies group (The Crazy Quilters), who are looking for individuals to put finishing touches on quilts as a group while socializing at the same time. The group meets from 9 a.m. to noon every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All quilt project proceeds are given to the Twin Falls Senior Center. Information: 208-734-5084. FAIRFIELD Police say a woman who went missing Tuesday in the Sawtooth National Forest about 30 miles north of Fairfield apparently killed herself. Authorities found the body of Brittany Laree Stanger about 10:45 a.m. Thursday. Stanger, 31, was last seen about 12 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Fleck Summit, north of the Canyon Campground in Big Smoky Junction, Camas County Sheriff Dave Sanders said Thursday. The sheriffs office had requested the publics assistance in finding Stanger and sent out a statement to media about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Stanger was staying at a summer home on private property within the forest for several days, Sanders said. She was building a cabin on the private property with her boyfriend and a work crew when there was an argument Tuesday and Stanger left the job site in an unknown direction. They thought she just went to cool off, but she never returned, the sheriff said Thursday morning before Stangers body was found. Sanders said the area is very remote. The Camas County Sheriffs Office and its first responders are saddened and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, a statement from the office released Thursday evening said. BUHL Twin Falls County Sheriff Tom Carter praised his deputies restrained response in the face of a dangerous situation last week involving an aggressive man accused of attacking several deputies northwest of Buhl. They were fighting for their lives, Carter said Wednesday. They did what they were supposed to do They showed a whole lot of restraint. John Dale Jones, Jr., 37, of Twin Falls was arrested in the incident and arraigned Monday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on a felony count of assault or battery upon a police officer and misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing arrest. One deputys gun, an AR-15 rifle, was fired during the incident, but deputies reported it was an accidental discharge during a struggle and nobody was injured as a result. Carter said the situation could have easily ended much worse for Jones, accused of punching the officers, if the deputies believed he had a weapon. At some point, they could have made that assumption that he was armed, Carter said. It was dark, and the reason they were there to begin with was the report of gunshots. Deputies were dispatched about 10:30 p.m. last Thursday to a home on 4325 North, northwest of Buhl, where a man said a neighbor had fired a shot that ricocheted off something and hit his house. Deputies ultimately saw two men, at least one who they believed to be the shooter, get in a pickup truck and drive away. Deputy Jake Benson stopped the pickup, drew his service weapon and commanded the two men to show their hands, court documents said. At the same time, Deputy Tommy Robinson was also approaching the truck to help Benson. The pickups driver complied with the commands, but the passenger, later identified as Jones, was not compliant and kept putting his hands down, Deputy Stephanie Haught wrote in her sworn affidavit. Deputy Benson moved to the passenger side of the vehicle and ordered Jones to get on the ground, Haught wrote. Jones began demanding that Deputy Benson shoot him Jones began moving towards Deputy Benson waiving his hand in an aggressive manner demanding that Deputy Benson shoot him. Instead, Benson used his stun gun. Jones yelled and fell to the ground, Haught wrote in her affidavit. Jones began to roll and began to quickly get up Jones had successfully broke the cartridge lines. Jones sprinted east on 4325 North. Deputy Robinson chased after Jones. Robinson began gaining on Jones after about 80 yards when Jones turned around, put his fists up, jogged toward the deputy and began yelling at him, court documents said. Jones then took a fighting stance and kept coming toward Deputy Robinson with his fists clenched. Like Benson, Robinson chose to use his stun gun, and the device once again dropped Jones, but again, he broke free, court documents said. Robinson changed the cartridge on the stun gun, and right when he pulled the trigger, Jones swung a closed right fist, striking Deputy Robinson on the left side of his face. The Taser didnt seem to have any effect on Jones, Haught wrote in her affidavit. At some point during the struggle, Robinson called out on the police radio, saying we need more help! Several deputies waiting nearby, including Haught, rushed toward the fight. Jones saw me and began running toward me, causing me concern due to the way I just saw him advancing toward Deputy Robinson, Haught wrote. Haught pulled her Taser and used it to once again drop Jones, she wrote in her affidavit. While Jones was on the ground, Robinson jumped on Jones and he and Haught were able to roll the man onto his stomach with his arms behind his back. Deputy Robinson had his AR-15 slung over his shoulder and positioned on the front of his body so his rifle was between him and Jones, Haught wrote in her affidavit. At some point while attempting to handcuff Jones, Deputy Robinsons rifle fired a round. Carter called the situation an accidental discharge, and in Haughts affidavit, she reported that she later inspected the AR-15 and found the safety switch was stuck between safe and fire, and that the shell casing had failed to fully eject. As far as the gun being out, (Robinson) had every reason to have it out, and the rifle was slung correctly, Carter said, explaining that the deputies are taught to sling the rifle on their chest pointed downward. At some point, he needed both hands (to try to restrain Jones), and you dont always have time to take the gun off and secure it, Carter said. This was a special set of circumstance that during the struggle, they managed to get the safety off and the trigger depressed. The sheriff said the safety and trigger likely got caught on belts or clothing, and the rifle will be examined to check for mechanical malfunctions. He added that his deputies are regularly trained on gun retention in situations when a subject is trying to get their weapon. I think they handled the situation very well, Carter said. I see no issues at all I have no problem with that call. After the rifle was fired, deputies continued to struggle with Jones, who tried to punch Haught, grabbed Robinsons utility belt and then slipped away under a barbed wire fence, Haught wrote in her affidavit. Deputy John Hardesty finally tackled Jones, who continued to fight, and was able to handcuff him when Haught again used her stun gun to subdue Jones. Law enforcement officers from the Idaho State Police, Wendell Police and Kimberly Police also responded, for which Carter expressed his gratitude. The law enforcement community came together quickly, the sheriff said. Jones, who was also arraigned Monday on misdemeanor charges of drug possession and resisting arrest stemming from a June incident, is being held in Twin Falls County Jail in lieu of $50,000. Hes set for a preliminary hearing Aug. 12 on the felony assault charge. TWIN FALLS Across the Magic Valley, schools are installing new security equipment and making changes to improve safety for the upcoming school year. In the Twin Falls School District, boosting security was identified as a key priority during a safety audit in 2014. And two unrelated incidents this May a drive-by shooting and an accidental discharge of a handgun in a classroom led to stricter measures. School security has become a hot topic nationwide, particularly in light of school shootings such as in 2012 in Newtown, Conn. But its a balancing act. You want schools to be warm and welcoming places, but you also want to provide that level of security, said Brady Dickinson, director of operations for the Twin Falls School District. In May, Vason Widaman a ninth-grader at Canyon Ridge High School was killed in a drive-by shooting in a neighborhood near the school. Thats still fresh in everybodys mind, Dickinson said. It came less than 24 hours after a discharge of a handgun in a classroom at Robert Stuart Middle School. Police called it an accidental discharge and arrested three students. No one was injured. The case at Robert Stuart was probably the biggest school district security issue in recent years, Dickinson said. Two extra city police officers were on campus at both schools for the rest of the school year. And the Twin Falls Police Department stepped up its patrol near the schools. At Robert Stuart, students werent allowed to bring backpacks for the rest of the school year. This year, students can bring a backpack, but must leave it in their locker. Another security change: School resource officers at Twin Falls middle and high schools will be on campus earlier in the morning when students arrive. New security equipment The Twin Falls district is installing $1.3 million in new security equipment at 13 existing campuses. Funding is from a nearly $74 million bond voters approved in 2014. Middle and high schools have new high-definition security cameras. Now, the school districts technology department will install new cameras incrementally at elementary schools. Dickinson hopes the project will be done this school year. Old security cameras outside of buildings are particularly troublesome, generating fuzzy images and picking up shadows. Plus, each elementary school has only six to eight operational cameras not enough to provide coverage for the entire building. Once all of the Twin Falls schools have new security cameras, another project will begin: installing electronic card readers. School employees will come into the building using a key card. Plus, school administrators will program doors to lock and unlock at certain times of day. Obviously, one of our biggest concerns is access control to our schools, Dickinson said. Security was also a big consideration in designing two new elementary schools Rock Creek and Pillar Falls which open later this month. At each school, one main point of entry forces visitors into a front office reception area. And each pod of classrooms has a set of doors that can be locked down in an emergency. Across the Twin Falls School District, school secretaries will go through training about deescalating tense situations that may happen in the front office, Dickinson said, and how to handle emergencies. And this fall, the school districts safety committee will meet with the Twin Falls Police Department to possibly revamp lock-down procedures. Heres how three other school districts are improving security: Jerome Summit Elementary School will get new equipment this summer to allow employees to push a button to lock down hallways of classrooms. At Jerome High School, projects have been underway for more than a year to modernize and expand the building. Funding is from a nearly $24 million bond voters approved in 2014. The bulk of the money $18.46 million is being spent at the high school. Currently, the schools administrative office is on the buildings second floor, making it difficult to keep track of visitors coming in. The existing cafeteria on the first floor is being converted into an administrative office. A new gym, cafeteria, science room, art room and drama room will be used this fall. The new administrative office and auditorium remodel wont be done until later this school year. With all of the construction, well end up with fewer outside doors, Superintendent Dale Layne said. That will help with access. Another security upgrade: Were also adding a new electronic locking system for the building, he said. The project is underway, but may not be finished by the start of the school year. Once thats in place for the high school and were satisfied with it, the same system will go into place across the district within the next year or two, Layne said. New security cameras are being installed for the new section of the high school. Eventually, older cameras will be replaced for the entire high school and other Jerome school campuses. Upgrades will be paid for using an existing plant facilities levy. Once construction is complete at Jerome High, technology classes will be in the main building. It means students wont have to walk outside to a separate building. And inside the main building, there will be additional staircases. Right now, theres a major congestion, Layne said, particularly during passing periods between classes. That will help just traffic flow. Jerome High also has a new fire alarm system, with sprinklers throughout the building. Theres also a new parking policy for students. To park on campus, theyll have to register with the school by showing a drivers license and proof of insurance. Well have a little more control and knowledge of whos in the parking lot, Layne said. Kimberly The Kimberly School District will implement a new Rave emergency notification system this school year. School officials can use a phone app to notify emergency responders, who will be able to see who activated the alert and their location. And other employees in the building will know an alert has been activated. Another safety-related project will be upgrading school security cameras some of which are more than 15 years old. As we budget the plant facility money, thats something well take into consideration, Superintendent Luke Schroeder said. In May, voters approved $14 million bond for a new elementary school, plus a 10-year plant facilities levy for $300,000 annually for building maintenance. Filer In Filer, each classroom will have an emergency kit this year. And at Filer Elementary School, new security cameras and an intercom system are being installed this summer. The city is resurfacing the road in front of the elementary school and will add a turn lane. That will help alleviate traffic issues, Superintendent John Graham said. In the future, the school district wants to revamp school building entryways. And the district wants to have a school resource officer. MALTA A fire burned 200 acres of grass and sagebrush Wednesday morning and threatened nearby homes before firefighters were able to extinguish the flames. Declo Fire Chief Winn Osterhout said the fire broke out at 5:30 a.m. on State Highway 81 south of the port of entry. Most of the firefighters had left the scene by 8:30 a.m., but some remained for a couple of hours to mop up. The fire threatened nearby homes but the crews were able to douse the flames before any homes or property was damaged, Osterhout said. A number of power poles were damaged. The high wind caused the fire to run like crazy, Osterhout said. So we called out all the troops. Firefighters from Malta, Declo, Burley, Heyburn and West End Fire and Rescue helped battle the blaze along with five nearby farmers that brought tractors with discs, he said. The fire jumped highway 81 at one point and scorched some of the trees planted as a windbreak near the interstate. Osterhout said the cause of the fire could not be determined but may have been caused by something coming from the highway or an arcing power line. The unimaginable atrocities against the Yazidi minority in Iraq by militants of the Islamic State require that the international community work on the rescue, protection of, and care for the Yazidi community. This came in a report drafted by a UN Inquiry Commission on Human Rights. The attack on the community based in Sinjar, northern Iraq, dates back to 2014 when the extremist group began taking over territories, says the report, deploring that the crimes against the Yazidis, including the crime of genocide, are ongoing. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all those engaged in the fight against the extremist group to make the safety and release of the people who remain in ISILs captivity, in particular the thousands of Yazidi women and children their prime objective in their military operations. He reiterated that the groups heinous crimes against the diverse ethnic and religious communities of Iraq may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide. The report pointed out that the IS group killed or beheaded Yazidi men, sold women and girls as slaves and engaged them in sexual slavery. It is estimated that more than 3,200 women and children continue to be under their custody and are subjected to almost-unimaginable violence. IS was forced out some parts of Sinjar by Kurdish forces but it still has control of some areas in the southern part of the city. Peshmerga Commander Qashim Shesho said the extremist group continues to target the city with mortars. He said they are ready to launch a ground assault but the decision belongs to the US because they can provide aerial support. His statements were refuted by Colonel Steve Warren who denied that they make the decisions. Warren said the government of Iraq and the Iraqi Security forces, including the Peshmerga, make all decisions. The Yazidis have faced several atrocities as history states that they have been repeatedly persecuted by successive governments and invading armies. On June 16, an independent commission of the United Nations Human Rights Council ruled that self-proclaimed Islamic State is guilty of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide against the Yazidi community. The official appointment of Youssef Chahed as the new Prime Minister of Tunisia has already began to divide politicians including political parties that are part of the national unity government process. Critics claim that the Presidents choice was dictated by family ties, as the nominee is his son-in-law. Chahed, 40, a member of the Nidaa Tounes party, was serving as Local Affairs Minister in the cabinet of technocrat Prime Minister, Habib Essid. The leader of the Popular Front party, a party that withdrew from the national unity government process, said the single characteristic used to appoint Chahed is belonging to the family. He criticized President Caid Essebsi for single handedly steering the affairs of the state, deploring that the organizations of the state are being turned into a family-run council. On his part, former Culture Minister Mehdi Mabrouk said the influence of this family may increase further, which could pose a challenge for the next government. Al-Hurra bloc, which broke away from Nida Touness in January, also wondered whether the picked Prime Minister has the right characteristics to fulfil the job. Even some political parties that took part in the national unity government process may not support Chaheds nomination. This is the case of the Chaab political movement, whose leader, Zuhair al-Maghzaoui, had warned on Monday that they would withdraw from the process if the Prime Minister is selected from the two main parties. Youssef Chahed is an agricultural sciences specialist and an academic who taught in French and Tunisian universities. He dismissed reports of family ties with the President stressing that he is a distant relative. Despite the critics, Youssef Chahed could easily win the Parliaments approval as he is supported by his own party, Nidaa Tounes, and by Ennahda party, the two parties forming a majority in the parliament. Mahadevan had brought a needle with him, as well as the instrument to insert the needle and a fake bone, for the health workers to practice on. He left the equipment behind when he returned to Stanford. I am always dazzled by the ripple effects of that kind of generosity. It saves lives. On July 8, he received an exuberant email from a physician there describing the rescue of a child using the intraosseous device. A chubby baby had been suffering from advanced meningitis and was so dehydrated that there was no way to access her veins. Relying on Mahadevans training, a Malagasy clinician, Tahiry Raveloson, MD, successfully inserted the intraosseous needle into the babys shin and was able to give the ailing newborn fluids and antibiotics. The caregivers were also able to feed her breast milk via a tube threaded through her nose to her stomach. After a week, the baby began to recover, becoming conscious and alert, reported Charles Mead, MD, a PIVOT physician who mentors the Malagasy clinicians. This is a case where they didnt have an alternative. Without the IV, she wouldnt have had the fluids to survive, Bonds said. In a thank-you email to Mahadevan, he said, I am always dazzled by the ripple effects of that kind of generosity. It saves lives. It empowers our staff. These kinds of experiences give health-care providers in the developing world the confidence and ability to carry on in the face of many challenges, said Mahadevan, who founded Stanford Emergency Medicine International and has provided training and care in India, Cambodia, Mongolia and Myanmar, among other countries. That sense of hope When you are a health-care provider in a setting like that, theres a lot of helplessness, Mahadevan said. You see someone come in, and there is nothing you can do, so the next time you just give up. So having something where you can intervene is not only incredible for the patient but also for the health-care provider. It gives them that sense of hope that they can make a difference and a desire to learn more of these interventions that are simple and easy to deploy and inexpensive and can really save a life. That stays with an institution long after someone has done a training. Bonds said the visit was a big morale boost for the staff, who receive training on standard protocols but dont have a lot of access to high-quality training from experts like Mahadevan. Moreover, they operate in a country where per capita spending on health care is just $14 and child mortality is high. The area of island where Mahadevan taught the procedures has a population of 30,000 children younger than 5. He said 5,000 would likely die in the next five years from preventable illnesses, such as diarrheal disease, malaria and respiratory infections. But with PIVOTs help, he hopes to see that number reduced by half. He said the nonprofit could benefit from additional equipment and is looking for funding to help purchase more intraosseous needles, which cost about $200 apiece. He estimated that six patients every month both adults and children could be saved through use of the simple device. President Obama has approved a 30-day US airstrike in Libya following the request of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) but the foreign intervention has been criticized by the Fatwa House, a top religious body, and the Tobruk-based parliament. Obama said the GNA has already made significant progress against ISIL. He hailed it for being serious about trying to bring all the factions together to start creating a basic security structure to begin to monitor Libyas borders and cooperate internationally on fighting the Islamic State. The US carried out its first authorized airstrike in Sirte this week but Fatwa House reacted to the operation saying the request by the GNA for foreign intervention is an insult to the large numbers of martyrs in Sirte and an attempt to save Haftar in Benghazi on the pretext of fighting terrorism. The Fatwa House released a statement calling other national stakeholders to reject foreign intervention. The Defense Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk also questioned US intervention arguing that the request came from a body that is not legitimate and not constitutional. The committee, which summoned the US ambassador to Libya, claimed that the recent airstrikes are a kind of propaganda war used by the US to help the Democratic Party in the coming elections in November and wondered why the HoR is not supported in freeing Benghazi and Derna. Obama said the latest operation will help to finish the job and their partnership with the GNA will oust IS out of Libya while State Department spokesman John Kirby called for more international support for the UN-backed government because they want it to succeed as the Libyan crisis requires a political solution. Growing voices in the Tunisian political circles are calling for the resignation of the newly appointed Prime Minister of the unity government, citing his family ties with President Caid Essebsi. Wednesday, prominent journalist and politician Hachemi Hamdi, who is also the president of Al Mahaba (Love) movement, lambasted President Caid Essebsis decision to appoint Youssef Chahed as Prime Minister. He argued that Chaheds appointment violates the spirit of the 2011 Revolution, which put an end to Ben Alis dynasty. He posted a video recording calling on his supporters to take to the streets to express their rejection of the presidential nomination. Youssef Chahed, appointed Wednesday in replacement of Habib Essid, is tasked with forming a unity government. Chahed, who held the position of Minister of Local Affairs in Essids second team, is President Essebsis son in law. These family ties raise fears to see the Government becoming a family oligarchy. The leader of the Popular Front party, a party that withdrew from the national unity government process, said the single characteristic used to appoint Chahed is belonging to the family. The organizations of the state are being turned into a family-run council with Essebsi single handedly steering the affairs of the state, he said. Former culture minister Mehdi Mabrouk said the influence of this family may increase further, which could pose a challenge for the next government while the al-Hurra bloc led by Abdel Ruff Sharif asked if Chahed has the right characteristics. Al-Hurra broke away from Nida Touness in January. Chaheds nomination needs to be approved by the Tunisian Parliament, where he enjoys the support of the two largest political parties in Tunisia, namely his own Nida Tounes, founded by President Essebsi, and the Islamist Ennahda. The two parties hold a comfortable majority in the parliament, which has a month to endorse the Prime Ministers nomination. Meanwhile, politicians opposed to the nomination are calling on Tunisians to stage protests across the country to demand nullification of the Presidential nomination decree. New research from University College London, Moorfields Eye Hospital and Duke University School of Medicine has identified a gene that drives scarring, together with a rapidly translatable therapy, for the UK's most common cause of blinding conjunctivitis. The results demonstrate that the drug disulfiram, licensed for the control of alcohol abuse, normalises human and mouse scar making cell (fibroblast) functions and inhibits mouse ocular mucosal (conjunctival) scarring. Fight for Sight, UCL Business, and Moorfields Eye Charity funded the study, which is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight on 4 August. Scarring conjunctivitis is a major cause of chronic pain and sight loss. The conjunctiva is the membrane that lines the eyelid and covers the eye. In health, it helps lubricate and protect the eye, but in conditions such as ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid (ocular pemphigoid), severe eye allergy, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and trachoma inflammation trigger rapid pathological scarring, which often persists after the inflammation has gone destroying the protective functions of the conjunctiva. Ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid was chosen for current investigations because mucous membrane pemphigoid is a prototypical immune mediated mucosal scarring disorder (that affects other mucosal sites at the orifices as well as the conjunctiva). It is also the most common immune mediated scarring conjunctival disease in the UK. Standard treatment for both mucous membrane pemphigoid and its ocular form is to suppress the immune system. This controls inflammation when it works, but there are unpleasant side effects and it has little effect on scarring. Approximately 1 in 5 people with the ocular form go blind. In the current study, the research team screened for genetic activity linked to scarring in conjunctival tissue, and in the scar making cells (fibroblasts) grown from this conjunctiva. The aim was to identify potential therapeutic target molecules and provide a test bed for treatment. Professor John Dart and Professor Julie Daniels, both of NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, were joint research leads, together with Professor David Abraham at UCL Royal Free Campus. Results show that the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) family of enzymes is more active in tissue and fibroblasts from people with ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid compared to controls. ALDH1 is an enzyme that's critical for one step in the process of turning vitamin A into retinoic acid - a key protein in immunity, inflammation and scarring. Conjunctival scarring like that seen in ocular pemphigoid arises in a mouse model of severe allergic conjunctivitis previously developed by study co-author Dr Daniel Saban's team at Duke University School of Medicine. Following the ALDH1 results in tissue and fibroblasts, these mice were treated daily with eye drops containing disulfiram for 7 days after the induction of immune mediated conjunctivitis. Disulfiram is a drug that's licensed for treating alcohol abuse. It works by blocking ALDH activity, including ALDH2, which processes alcohol. Treatment reduced eye surface inflammation in the mice and prevented scarring compared to controls.Ocular pemphigoid fibroblasts were treated with disulfiram to test its effect on ALDH inhibition in these human scarring cells. In keeping with the in vivo results, disulfiram treatment of human ocular pemphigoid fibroblasts, significantly inhibited their abnormal behaviour in a range of tests. Dr Sarah Ahadome at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is the study's first author. She says: "Our results have demonstrated that inhibiting ALDH1 activity with disulfiram effectively reduces inflammation and prevents scarring in vivo, and significantly reduces the signs of scarring in vitro, in human ocular pemphigoid fibroblasts. It may be that this approach will be more effective at scar prevention when there is active inflammation, but this is an important proof-of-concept that currently untreatable scarring conjunctivitis may respond to eye drops or other topical application of a drug that can be repurposed." A companion study from Dr Saban's lab at Duke University, in collaboration with Dr Virginia Calder's lab at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, is being published at the same time. Professor Dart commented on results from both studies: "Collectively there is evidence from our data, and from that of Dr Saban's team, that aldehyde dehydrogenase has critical roles in inflammation and conjunctival fibrosis, and is produced by the dendritic cells of the immune system and by fibroblasts. We suggest that progressive scarring in ocular pemphigoid results from fibroblast self-regulation, mediated by ALDH, through its metabolite retinoic acid (Vitamin A). These findings suggest that the repurposing of disulfiram, for the topical treatment of mucosal scarring in ocular pemphigoid and similar disorders such as severe eye allergy, may result in effective anti-scarring therapy and provide justification for a randomised controlled trial of disulfiram therapy for scarring in OMMP" Fight for Sight's Director of Research, Dr Dolores M Conroy said: "This is very important work given the devastating impact of progressive scarring on the eye and other organs. There is currently just one licensed drug for fibrosis and that is for lung disease. Mucous membrane pemphigoid affects the eye in 7 in 10 people with the condition, with 1 in 5 going blind. The potential for disulfiram as an effective treatment is very exciting, particularly as we know that it may be closer to the clinic than a drug developed from scratch, and especially if it can also find an application in trachoma, which affects 40 million people around the globe. Professor Phil Luthert, Director of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology stated:"Scarring remains a major problem in eye disease, and in many other conditions, and uncontrolled conjunctival fibrosis is terrible to live with. This breakthrough offers new hope and is a great example of how discovery science can come together with smart repurposing of existing drugs to reach a solution for patients." Explore further Inflammation and scarring form a positive feedback loop in trachoma More information: Sarah D. Ahadome et al, Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition blocks mucosal fibrosis in human and mouse ocular scarring, JCI Insight (2016). Sarah D. Ahadome et al, Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition blocks mucosal fibrosis in human and mouse ocular scarring,(2016). DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.87001 Elongated fibres (fibrils) of the beta-amyloid protein form the typical senile plaque present in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. A European research team, working in conjunction with a team from the United States, has now succeeded in explaining the structure of the beta-amyloid peptide 142, which is the most important to the illness, at atomic resolution. This simplifies the targeted search for medicinal products to treat Alzheimer's dementia. Alzheimer's disease is responsible for at least 60 percent of dementia cases worldwide. It causes enormous human suffering and is associated with high costs. A cure or causal therapy are not yet available. The reason for this, among other things, is because the exact course of the illness in the brain at a molecular level has not yet been adequately clarified. We do know that the beta-amyloid protein plays an important role. This is a peptide that is 39 to 42 amino acids long, toxic to nerve cells and is able to form elongated fibrils (fibres). Beta-amyloid peptide 142 and beta-amyloid peptide 1-40 are the two main forms that appear in senile plaques. We do not know why these lead to the decay of nerve cells in the brain, but it is very interesting for the development of medications to treat Alzheimer's disease. In a joint project between the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, University of Lyon, and the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, and in cooperation with colleagues at the University of Irvine and Brookhaven National Laboratory, researchers have succeeded in clarifying the structure of a beta-amyloid peptide 142 fibril at an atomic resolution. This fibril presents the greatest danger in this disease. The researchers also furthered the work done at the University of Chicago involving the structure of beta-amyloid monomers. Further immunological examinations prove that the investigated form of the fibrils is especially relevant to the illness. Protein fibrils are in fact visible in electron microscope images (fig. 1), but it is very difficult to go down to an atomic level of detail. The conventional structural-biological methods required to achieve this assume that the macromolecule is present as an extremely regular crystal or in the form of individual molecules that are dissolved in water. However, fibrils are elongated structures that adhere to each other and neither form crystals, nor able to be dissolved in water. Only solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (solid-state NMR) is capable of offering a view at the atomic level in this case. New developments in methods are facilitating measurement of a network of distances between the atoms in the protein molecules that make up a fibril (Fig. 2). Extensive calculations enabled the atomic structure of the fibril to be reconstructed from these measurements. The main part of the beta-amyloid 1-42 peptide is shaped like a double horseshoe (fig. 3). Two of the same molecules at one level are stacked onto each other to form a long fibril. Numerous oxygen bridge connections parallel to the long axis lend the fibrils their high stability. "The structure differs fundamentally from earlier model studies, for which barely any experimental measurement data was available." explains Prof Peter Guntert, a professor of computer-aided structural biology at Goethe University. The publications released by these European and American teams, which confirm each other, have caused great excitement in expert circle, as they have enabled a targeted, structure-based search for medicinal products that will attack the beta-amyloid fibrils. The researchers hope that the horror of this scourge of old age, first described 110 years ago by a Frankfurt-based doctor Alois Alzheimer, will finally be rendered harmless over the next one or two decades. Explore further Alzheimer's researchers find clues to toxic forms of amyloid beta Drake et al. developed a systematic computational approach to incorporate gene expression and new phosphoproteomic information that has been generated from the analysis of clinical prostate cancer tissues. This analysis revealed the most comprehensive network of activated kinases and transcription factors to date in this disease. Personalized pathway diagrams constructed using phosphoproteome information for six individual CRPC patients reveal common and distinct signaling mechanisms whose details suggest targets for therapeutic consideration. Credit: Drake et al., Cell, 2016 Cancer researchers have applied a comprehensive set of analytical tools to lethal cases of metastatic prostate cancer, yielding a detailed map of the complex networks of interactions among genes and proteins that enable prostate cancer cells to proliferate and evade treatment. The team also developed a computational approach for analyzing patient-specific data to help doctors choose the most effective drugs for individual patients. The study, published August 4 in Cell, was a collaborative effort involving research teams at UC Santa Cruz and UCLA. They began with clinical tissue samples obtained at autopsy from patients with lethal metastatic prostate cancer, then performed a range of sophisticated analyses to characterize the cancer cells from each patient in unprecedented detail. A novel computational analysis of the resulting datasets produced personalized diagrams of signaling pathways in the cancer cells of each patient, the details of which suggest potential targets for therapy. "It's like having a blueprint for each tumor. This is our dream for personalized cancer therapy, so we're not just guessing any more about which drugs will work but can choose drug targets based on what's driving that patient's cancer," said Josh Stuart, the Baskin professor of biomolecular engineering at UC Santa Cruz, director of cancer and stem cell genomics at the UCSC Genomics Institute, and a senior corresponding author of the paper. "Therapies for metastatic prostate cancer are urgently needed," said Dr. Owen Witte, founding director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, university professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and a senior author of the paper. "This type of interdisciplinary research is critical as we seek to pinpoint the cellular changes occurring in aggressive prostate cancer and cross new boundaries in understanding the disease." Cancer genomics promises to enable personalized cancer treatment by revealing the genetic mutations driving an individual patient's tumor cells. But interpreting the genomic data remains a challenge. The effects of mutations and other genetic changes in cancer cells play out in the complex networks of molecular interactions or "signaling pathways" involved in cell growth, proliferation, and other hallmarks of cancer biology. By mapping the key pathways active in prostate cancer cells, the researchers were able to identify the "master switches" in those pathways that could be targeted with drugs to disrupt the disease. A key step in many signaling pathways is "phosphorylation," the activation or deactivation of a protein by adding a phosphate group at certain sites on the protein. The enzymes that phosphorylate proteins are called kinases, and many new cancer drugs are kinase inhibitors. A major component of the study was a comprehensive analysis of the "phosphoproteome" of prostate cancer tumors and cells, revealing changes in the phosphorylation states of cellular proteins. Justin Drake, a postdoctoral researcher in Witte's lab at UCLA (now an assistant professor at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey), led the phosphoproteomics work, producing a new encyclopedia of protein phosphorylation in prostate cancer cells and tissues. Evan Paull, a graduate student in Stuart's lab at UC Santa Cruz (now at Columbia University), led the computational analyses, which involved integrating the phosphoproteomic data with genomic and gene expression datasets to provide a unified view of the activated signaling pathways in late stage prostate cancer. Drake and Paull are co-first authors of the paper. "Having the phosphoproteomics data in addition to the traditional genomics and transcriptomics enabled us to get a more comprehensive view of aberrant signaling in this disease," Paull said. "We developed a method to integrate these multiple large datasets to understand what's driving the disease in individual patients." Prostate cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. The main treatment for advanced cases is androgen deprivation, because the male sex hormones (androgens, including testosterone) stimulate prostate cancer growth. Anti-androgen therapies target either androgen synthesis or the androgen receptor. Eventually, however, most cases of metastatic prostate cancer become resistant to these therapies. The new study revealed some of the mechanisms behind the resistance to anti-androgen therapies. According to Stuart, in many cases a mutation results in changes to the androgen receptor protein. In other cases, alternative kinase signaling pathways allow the cancer cells to keep growing even though androgen-receptor signaling is blocked. Individual profiles based on the analysis of each patient's tumor cells revealed clinically relevant information that could be used to prioritize the drugs most likely to be effective in these cases. The tool used to generate these individual profiles goes by the acronym pCHIPS, and the researchers created an online pCHIPS resource that allows users to make patient-specific network predictions based on their own data and visualize the results using the pCHIPS methodology. Applying these methods to prostate cancer cell lines, the researchers found that accurate predictions of drug sensitivity could be achieved using either genomics data or phosphoproteomics data alone. That's important because the comprehensive set of analyses performed on clinical samples in this study is unlikely to be available to most patients. Clinical use of genomics, however, is growing. Stuart explained that the integrated datasets from multiple analyses enabled the researchers to build a generic model of the signaling networks involved in metastatic prostate cancer. The pCHIPS tool uses that generic model and refines it based on patient-specific data, such as the genetic mutations in a patient's cancer cells. "For now it's a research tool, but the hope is to have a strategy like this to use in the clinic," Stuart said. "These mutations in the genome create a lot of havoc in the cell, and trying to interpret the genomic information can be overwhelming. You need the computer to help you make sense of it and find the Achilles heel in the network that you can hit with a drug." Explore further A new method for prostate cancer imaging Infographic/cartoon showing the various research strands and components involved in the work. Credit: Dr Christina Dold, Professor Celia Holland and Dr Jim Carolan. Scientists working out of Trinity College Dublin, Maynooth University, and Queen Mary University of London have unearthed a potential new preventative option to combat Ascaris roundworm infection. Ascaris lumbricoides is an intestinal parasite that results in severe health consequences, including growth retardation and impaired cognitive development. The infection, which affects an estimated one billion people worldwide, is particularly common in Third World countries and is estimated to be responsible for 60,000 deaths per annum. Susceptibility to Ascaris infection differs between individuals, and heavily infected individuals have more severe symptoms and higher morbidity. Building on previous studies, which showed a difference in susceptibility to Ascaris between two different strains of mice, the researchers identified a clear distinction between the two strains and published their findings in the internationally regarded peer reviewed journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. It is thought that these new insights could lead to the development of better ways to prevent and treat Ascaris infection. The lifecycle of the Ascaris roundworm in humans sees the infection progress from the stomach, following ingestion of viable eggs which hatch as larvae, to the liver before moving on to the lungs and then returning to the stomach. In mice, the roundworms do not progress beyond the lungs. Professor of Zoology at Trinity College, Celia Holland, has spent over a decade developing a mouse model to study Ascaris infection and has previously demonstrated that susceptible mice have more than ten-fold higher larval numbers in the lungs than resistant ones. This difference in susceptibility between the two strains, however, is first visible in the liver of infected mice. Following infection with identical numbers of Ascaris eggs, mice from the resistant strain show an earlier inflammatory immune response coupled with more rapid tissue repair in the liver compared with susceptible mice. The researchers therefore set out to investigate the differences in the liver proteomes (via a broad analysis of liver proteins) of both uninfected control mice and infected mice, for each strain. Professor Holland said: "By focusing on the liver we aimed to target the metaphorical front line in this particular host-parasite interaction." The researchers identified and quantified thousands of proteins and found that hundreds of liver proteins differed substantially between the two strains, even without Ascaris infections. The resistant strain showed generally higher levels of mitochondrial proteins and proteins associated with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ascaris infection increased the level of these proteins in both strains, supporting the evidence of their role in the response to the parasite. Other proteins were seen only in infected mice; these included proteins involved in a part of the immune response. Two of these proteins were absent from both strains before infection, but were among the highest expressed proteins in both strains following infection. Proteins involved in translation were of lower abundance in all infected mice livers, which suggests either a broad response in the host to the presence of Ascaris or a specific targeting of the protein synthesis machinery by the parasite itself. Lead author Gwendoline Deslyper said: "Given our findings and the central role of the liver in the Ascaris migratory pathway, we suggest a potentially novel research direction to develop alternative preventative control strategies for Ascaris. It seems that the key determinant in resistance to Ascaris in mice may lie in highly oxidative conditions that presumably restricts and arrests successful larval migration within the hepatic environment - at least of the resistant strain. By manipulating the hepatic ROS levels in the susceptible mouse strain we hope to determine the importance of the mitochondria and intrinsic ROS in conferring resistance to Ascaris." The proteomic study, which mapped the proteins of the affected organs, was led by Dr Jim Carolan, Maynooth University Department of Biology in conjunction with Dr Joe Colgan of Queen Mary University London. Discussing the findings, Dr Carolan said: "There is still a long way to go and much research to be done, but these findings point to new options in our efforts to control a disease that affects around one eighth of our planet's population." Explore further Study published on the transmission of the giant roundworm Ascaris between pigs and people Three-year-old Jonathan Kangu sits on his hospital bed in Kinshasa, Congo, on Tuesday, July 19, 2016, suffering from symptoms of yellow fever, including yellowed eyes. Because of a shortage of diagnostic materials, doctors were not able to confirm whether or not he has yellow fever, as the symptoms are similar to those for many other diseases in the region. Jonathan ultimately recovered and was discharged, but without knowing for sure whether he had yellow fever, it was unclear if his family should be prioritized to receive the vaccine. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) The World Health Organization and its partners shipped more than 6 million yellow fever vaccines to Angola in February to quash an emerging epidemic, yet when they asked country officials the following month what happened to the vaccines, they discovered that about 1 million doses had mysteriously disappeared. Of the shipments that did make it to Angola, some vaccines were sent to regions with no yellow fever cases, while others arrived at infected areas without syringes. In neighboring Congo, some vaccines weren't always kept cold enough to guarantee they would be effective. This lack of oversight and mismanagement has undermined control of the outbreak in Central Africa, the worst yellow fever epidemic in decades, an Associated Press investigation has found. There is now a shortage of vaccines so severe that WHO has recommended doses be diluted by 80 percent to stretch the supply, even though there is limited evidence they will be effective in African populations. "WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM ON OUR HANDS," UNICEF's Robert Kezaala wrote in capital letters in a June email to his colleagues at WHO, Doctors Without Borders and other partners. WHO vowed after its fumbled response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa that it would adopt a "no regrets" policy to better manage future disease outbreaks with its partners in other health organizations and national governments. But according to hundreds of pages of internal emails and documents obtained by AP, the U.N. health agency is facing many of the same problems that compromised its handling of Ebola, an outbreak that killed 11,000 people in three West African countries. Health officials now estimate they will be short millions of doses to fight an epidemic that has also spread to Congo. To date, yellow fever is estimated to have caused upward of 5,000 cases and at least 450 deaths. More than 18 million vaccines have been sent to the continent, far short of the 40 million doses some experts think are needed to contain the outbreak. Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, stand by a smoking fire on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. There is much uncertainty about the control of yellow fever in Congo, where a surge of cases could spark further waves of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Some of the most vulnerable areas of Congo's sprawling capital have been vaccinated, but millions of people still are waiting for doses as fumigation teams spray crowded neighborhoods in an attempt to kill the mosquitoes that spread the disease. "People are very afraid," says Dr. Ernest Mumakubwidi, who treats patients out of a tiny cement-block neighborhood clinic in Kinshasa. "They won't be able to vaccinate everyonethat is clear." Amanda McClelland, a senior emergency official at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or the IFRC, said the crisis is a repeat of WHO's mismanagement of the Ebola epidemic in 2014. "It was the same people at WHO that made the initial calls during Ebola and it was the exact same response: We've got enough, we don't need any help and it's all under control." Dr. Bruce Aylward, who directed WHO's Ebola response, acknowledged that more changes are still needed to enable WHO to respond more quickly to complex emergencies, even though he said the agency has made substantial reforms in the past two years. "It would be a mistake to think that WHO is now ready," he said. "I think a lot of things are better but I don't think we're there yet." ____ Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, line up to receive yellow fever vaccines on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Some experts say about 40 million vaccines are needed to extinguish the outbreakenough to immunize everyone in Angola and Kinshasa. To date, the World Health Organization and partners say they have shipped more than 18 million doses of yellow fever vaccine for emergency campaigns. They are 22 million doses short. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) "A DISASTER FOR THIS COUNTRY AND THE REGION" Unlike Ebola, yellow fever is not highly contagious and is easily prevented with vaccines. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same species that spreads Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. Once infected, people often fall ill with fever and muscle pain, but many recover after several days. Others, however, suffer a more toxic phase and can develop jaundice, as the virus attacks the liver and kidneys. In the worst cases, patients bleed internally in their digestive systems, becoming delirious before dying. According to WHO, the death rate for reported cases is between 15 to 50 percent. Yellow fever has largely been eliminated in developed nations after vaccines were developed in the 1930s, but outbreaks continue in Africa and Latin America. For countries that cannot afford broad vaccination programs, a consortium was formed in 2001 by WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF. Their role is to dole out the global emergency stockpile of about 6 million vaccines, which cost less than $2 each. Until this outbreak, the consortium had never before used more than 4 million doses in any one country. Four companies produce yellow fever vaccine for WHO and its partners, and as the outbreak worsened, officials pressed manufacturers to rush the production of more. In early February, a senior U.N. official alerted other colleagues that cases were nearly tripling every week. "WE MIGHT (FACE) A DISASTER FOR THIS COUNTRY AND THE REGION," Paolo Balladelli, the U.N. coordinator in Angola, warned in an email. On February 12, WHO announced Angola had a yellow fever outbreak in its capital, and along with its partners, sent more than 6 million doses for a vaccination campaign targeting Luanda, more doses than are usually contained in the emergency stockpile. Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, line up to receive a yellow fever vaccine on Thursday, July 21, 2016. As yellow fever tore through Angola and Congo, U.N. officials struggling to keep up with the demand for yellow fever supplies have made a series of mistakes that stalled control efforts. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) To verify that the vaccines had reached those who needed them, health officials asked Angola for a detailed accounting of their use. The answer: 1 million doses had disappeared"evaporated"probably taken by "friend(s) and families of the local authorities," the "army" or resold in the "private sector," according to a WHO email to its partners. "How can this happen in a situation of (vaccine) shortage?" asked WHO's Sergio Yactayo, a Geneva-based yellow fever expert, in a March 4 missive to his colleagues at UNICEF, the IFRC, Doctors Without Borders and WHO. He lamented that there was no transparency in what happened to the vaccines. In a series of internal calls over the summer, health officials complained that shots approved for specific regions with documented yellow fever cases were sometimes used in areas that had no caseswithout any explanationaccording to sources familiar with the problem who were not authorized to discuss it. Experts complained that it was "pointless" to approve vaccine plans for Angola since the country was completely disregarding them. When asked about the million missing doses this week, WHO and partners described the loss as "not unexpected." An emailed statement on behalf of WHO, IFRC, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders said that "typically there is an expected 10 percent reserve factored in for losses and wastage in mass vaccination campaigns for yellow fever." But Angolan officials disputed that any vaccines were missing at all. "There has been no diversion (of the vaccines) whatsoever," said Luis Gomes Sambo, the country's health minister. He said the government has careful accounting of where and when the shots were administered and nothing has disappeared. Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, receive yellow fever vaccine injections on Thursday, July 21, 2016. To date, yellow fever is estimated to have sickened about 5,000 people and caused at least 450 deaths. More than 18 million vaccines have been sent to countries, including three million to Congo, but the disease continues to spread there and experts suspect there may be many more cases since a lab responsible for testing was closed for weeks after it ran out of diagnostic supplies. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Back in March, Yactayo and his colleagues noted that the "wastage rate" in Angola was nearly double what officials would normally anticipate. He wrote that in the early phases of the outbreak, Angolan authorities had not paid enough attention to registering who was vaccinated. "(I) agree it is not good, but (it's) the reality," he said, adding they had attempted to improve the situation, "but unhappily with little success." Though WHO and partners did not investigate what happened to the doses that disappeared, Yactayo reasoned that with an exploding outbreak in a crowded city, they had no choice but to send even more of the precious vaccines. "We cannot wait weeks (to) respond." By late March, neighboring Congo had also reported cases to WHO, making it critical that the limited stockpile be judiciously used. "Vaccine is the only way to control a yellow fever epidemic," said Dr. Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "This is where WHO should insist on accountability...they have to know how the vaccine is being used to know they are making the right decisions." WHO's Aylward said tracing the vaccines' usage is an "incredibly important issue" and that problems may have arisen because Angola was not accustomed to such epidemics. "When you see something new, such as an outbreak in an urban area of Luanda where you've not seen this for a long time, then you're concerned, can they move fast enough, is the health system strong enough to actually use this?" Aylward asked. He agreed it was problematic that not all of the vaccines sent to the country could be tracked. A boy reacts as he receives a yellow fever vaccine injection in the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Yellow fever is not highly contagious and is easily prevented with vaccines. The disease is thought to have evolved in Africa about 3,000 years ago and was likely brought to the Americas by slave ships from West Africa. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) In Congo, the vaccines did not come soon enough for 41-year-old boat operator Guillit Mbwanga. In April, Mbwanga thought he had malaria and went to his local pharmacy over the weekend for medication to treat his fever and chills. Soon though, his eyes turned yellow from jaundice and by Monday, his whole body had a yellowish tone all the way down to his feet. By Wednesday, he was dead, leaving behind his wife Nadine and their 10 children. Mbwanga's medical file states that he likely died of yellow fever. "Now there is no one to take care of the children financially," says his brother-in-law Mitterand Manzambi. "His oldest daughter planned to go to university but who will pay for the tuition now? And what about school fees for the others?" ____ "LIKE HAVING A CAR BUT NOT PETROL" As yellow fever tore through Angola and Congo, U.N. officials made a series of other mistakes that stalled control efforts. Ahead of a key vaccination campaign, WHO's country representative in Angola learned that vaccines had been shippedbut without any of the material needed to use them, including syringes. Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, receive yellow fever vaccine injections on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Yellow fever is not highly contagious and is easily prevented with vaccines. The disease is thought to have evolved in Africa about 3,000 years ago and was likely brought to the Americas by slave ships from West Africa. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) "Sending the vaccines without the vaccination material is 'USELESS'," wrote Hernando Agudelo in a May 11 email to his colleagues, who said the situation was like "having a car but not petrol!!" In Congo, aid workers faced another problem: how to prevent the vaccines from spoiling in the heat. "The situation encounter(ed) by the logistics team is quite alarming," wrote WHO logistician Guillaume Queyras. He described breaks in the "cold chain," that keeps vaccines between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. Queyras said the set-up he found "will hardly guarantee the quality of the vaccine at the end of the chain." Health officials in Kinshasa have been keeping the vaccine vials at a central facility with a back-up generator. At other health centers, many keep the vaccines in solar-powered refrigerators of varying quality. From there, the vaccines are distributed to neighborhoods in plastic coolers provided by the health ministry with ice packets, though not all the packets appeared to be starting the day coldat least one touched by an AP reporter at a vaccination site was warm. On July 8, an internal memo to WHO's Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan relayed more disturbing news: the sole laboratory in Kinshasa responsible for testing all yellow fever cases in Congo had halted operations two weeks earlier. The lab was awaiting more diagnostic materials. Without a lab to test samples from suspected patients, officials had no way to accurately track where the virus was spreading and determine which regions most urgently needed the vaccine. Facing pressure from aid groups including Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym, MSF, Chan wrote directly to its international president, Dr. Joanne Liu, to assure her WHO was responding faster than its often cumbersome efforts during Ebola. Liu told AP she was "outraged" about the situation and had specifically pestered Chan about the unresolved lab problems. Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, line up to receive yellow fever vaccines on Sunday, July 24, 2016. To date, yellow fever is estimated to have sickened about 5,000 people and caused at least 450 deaths. More than 18 million vaccines have been sent to countries, including three million to Congo, but the disease continues to spread there and experts suspect there may be many more cases since a lab responsible for testing was closed for weeks after it ran out of diagnostic supplies. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) "I'm self-controlling myself right now because I don't understand why we haven't learned the very basic lessons of Ebola." In a July 16 message tapped out on her iPhone, Chan listed five measures WHO had taken to restart the lab in Kinshasa, including sending supplies and experts to deal with the backlog of untested specimens. Keen to preserve WHO's credibility and keep the lab problems out of the public spotlight, Chan asked Liu, "please do not circulate this email." By late last week, Congo's lab was still closed. Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, the lab's director, said Monday there were more than 300 samples waiting to be tested because it ran out of diagnostic materials, blaming delivery complications. "The shortage (of testing materials) was due simply to the fact that when Dakar sent the reagents by DHL, the plane stopped in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and they sent the package back to Dakar," he said. "They did not understand the urgency of the situation." For patients, the result was an uncertain wait as doctors attempted to diagnose the disease based on yellow fever symptoms alone, which are similar to those for many other diseases in the region. At the Chinese-Congolese Friendship Hospital in Kinshasa, little Jonathan Kangu recently sat listless and ornery, on a soiled bedsheet while doctors struggled to say for sure whether he had the disease, despite his eyes turning a glowing shade of yellow beneath his long, thick lashes. A member of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team fumigates the Yolo Sud neighborhood of Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday, July 22, 2016, in an effort to kill mosquitos that can transmit yellow fever. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Once infected, people often fall ill with fever and muscle pain and sometimes develop jaundice, as the virus attacks the liver and kidneys. Yellow fever kills about 15 to 50 percent of those sickened by it. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) "We brought him to the hospital three times and they said it was malaria," said his mother, Joelle, who slept beside him in the ward for the last five nights as her 2-year-old battled high fevers. The toddler ultimately recovered and was discharged, but without knowing whether he had yellow fever, it was unclear if his family or neighborhood needed the vaccine. ____ "SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE FOOT" Confronted with an urgent demand for a limited supply of vaccines, WHO and partners are now turning to a largely untested theory to stretch the number of shots: fractional dosing, or using one fifth of the standard dose so that five people can be treated instead of just one. A WHO draft document in May pointed out some noteworthy concerns: a lack of data on children and people with weakened immune systems, no research on African populations and uncertainty about how long immunity might last. The document warned that diluting the vaccine should be "forgotten because of the programmatic and safety concerns." At the conclusion of a WHO-organized meeting in June, experts bickered over the wording of the fractional dosing recommendation. In a draft press release, WHO immunization expert Philippe Duclos questioned whether there was enough proof to "demonstrate" that using one fifth of a standard dose would be protective, arguing that description was "a bit strong." The draft release pointed out that fractional dosing would not work for mass preventive campaigns, but WHO staffer Roland Sutter argued that the operation was already planned. Not to proceed with the recommendation would be like "shooting ourselves in the foot!!" Members of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team fumigate the Yolo Sud neighborhood of Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday, July 22, 2016, in an effort to kill mosquitos that can transmit yellow fever. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) In a final press statement, WHO concluded that partial doses could indeed be "a safe and effective option." But persuading people to get a partial dose could prove difficult since a full dose typically provides protection for at least a decade. Even though the Angolan government has received 15 million doses so far, and exhausted the supply to the point where fractional dosing is being consideredit rejected the idea of using the weakened vaccines, leaving only the Congolese to use the diluted shots. "The Congolese will not accept thatthey know others are being protected for 10 years why should they accept any less?" asked Gustav Ngwanza, 44, a nurse who helped vaccinate hundreds of people with the full dose during one of the first phases of the campaign in Kinshasa. "That's not going to work here." Explore further WHO plans urgent yellow fever vaccinations in Angola, Congo 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. A depiction of the double helical structure of DNA. Its four coding units (A, T, C, G) are color-coded in pink, orange, purple and yellow. Credit: NHGRI Alcohol-craving rats have provided researchers with a detailed look into the complicated genetic underpinnings of alcoholism. By comparing the genomes of rats that drank compulsively with those that abstained, Purdue and Indiana University researchers identified 930 genes associated with alcoholism, indicating that it is a highly complex trait - on par with human height - influenced by many genes and the environment. The study confirmed genes previously identified as being linked to alcoholism and uncovered new genes and neurological pathways, some of which could be promising targets for treatment. But the sheer number of genes that contribute to the trait suggests pharmaceutical treatments for alcoholism could be difficult to develop, said William Muir, professor of genetics. "It's not one gene, one problem," he said. "This trait is controlled by vast numbers of genes and networks. This probably dashes water on the idea of treating alcoholism with a single pill." One of the best predictors of alcoholism in humans is the drinking behavior of their families. But to what extent this link can be chalked up to inherited genetics - versus a shared environment - has been poorly understood and a challenge to study: Parsing out the influence of genetics on drinking habits from other factors such as stress, boredom or peers who drink is not possible in humans. "It's very difficult to tease out the difference between what your genes are telling you to do and what you choose to do," Muir said. To gain insights into genes that contribute to alcoholism, Muir and Feng Zhou, a professor of neuroscience at Indiana University School of Medicine, used a model based on rats, mammals with which we share a majority of genes. Beginning with a population of genetically diverse rats, researchers at the Indiana Alcohol Research Center bred two lines: one group that displayed classic clinical signs of alcoholism and another that completely abstained from alcohol. Breeding rats to drink was no small challenge and required several decades, Muir said. Like most animals, rats tend to have a natural aversion to drinking a high concentration of alcohol. "But typical of any genetic study, there's always an outlier - in this case, a rat that will drink large amounts," he said. Choosing and breeding the rare rats that would take a tipple of pure grain alcohol eventually yielded a line of rats that compulsively drank to excess, preferred alcohol to water, drank to maintain intoxication, performed tasks to receive alcohol and showed signs of withdrawal if alcohol was absent. Still, rats responded to intoxication in individualized ways, Zhou said. "Under the influence of alcohol, some rats became docile and fell asleep in a corner while others became aggressive," he said. The researchers sequenced and compared entire genomes from 10 rats in each line to determine genetic characteristics of drinking and abstaining. They also repeated the experiment with two additional lines of alcohol-seeking and teetotaler rats to discern which gene alterations were the result of natural selection and which were random genetic crosses. The results highlighted 930 genes associated with excessive drinking behavior, the vast majority of which are in genetic regulatory regions, not coding regions, as many researchers previously expected. Muir compared coding regions to a car and regulatory regions to the gas and brake pedals that determine the car's speed. "We all have the genes for alcoholism, but our genetic abilities to control it differ," he said. While the researchers stressed that the genetic complexity of alcoholism complicates potential treatments, they pinpointed the glutamate receptor signaling pathway - which can control a sense of reward in the brain - might be a possible target for treatments due to the number of alcoholism-associated genes it contains. One of the next steps in the research is to verify that the genes identified in alcoholic rats are relevant to human alcoholism. Though the study shows there is a large genetic component to alcoholism, environment still plays a crucial role in shaping people's drinking habits, the researchers said. "Even with the same genetics, one person might be prone to getting drunk while another doesn't drink at all," Zhou said. "Your environment can trigger the expression of genetic tendencies toward alcoholism." Or, as Muir put it, "You can't just blame your drinking on your parents." Explore further Study identifies gene for alcohol preference in rats More information: High Resolution Genomic Scans Reveal Genetic Architecture Controlling Alcohol Preference in Bidirectionally Selected Rat Model, PLOS Genetics, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006178 Journal information: PLoS Genetics High Resolution Genomic Scans Reveal Genetic Architecture Controlling Alcohol Preference in Bidirectionally Selected Rat Model, We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Shanghai Major Corporation CEFC China to Open Regional Office in Georgia Dimitri Qumsishvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economics and Sustainable Development of Georgia, has met with CEFC China chairman Ye Jianming as part of his working visit to China. The meeting was held at the head office of the Chinese corporation in Shanghai.At the meeting, the Vice Prime Minister talked about Georgias business and investment environment and put focus on the considerable growth in Chinese investors interest in the Georgian economys various sectors. Chinese companies successfully work in such fields as the housing sector, roads and infrastructure, infrastructure, and the banking sector.China ranks fourth amongst Georgias major trade partner countries, and second amongst Georgias export markets with a 9% ratio in total exports of Georgia.The parties also discussed the Chinese corporations interests in the Georgian economy. CEFC China showed readiness to open a regional office in Georgia to cover the region and Eastern Europe. Moreover, CEFC China is interested in making investments in the banking sector, power system and tourism business of Georgia.At the meeting, the parties also discussed the export of Georgian wines to China that consistently grow every year. According to official statistics, in January-June 2016, China advanced to the 3rd position from 4th place among Georgian wine exporter countries and surpassed such countries as Russia and Ukraine.In the first half of 2016, Georgia exported 1.9 million bottles of wines (0.75 liter) to China. The year on year growth marked 148%.It should also be noted that Georgia will soon be represented on the Shanghai Regions wine market, which is one of the major wine consumption markets.The parties also put focus on ongoing negotiations with China over free trade agreement issues. The countries are successfully implementing the process and the agreement will supposedly be signed by the end of 2016. Carlos Gabaldon The biggest difference [between] watching something on television and watching something in a theater, is that [in theater] you're watching it with a community of people. Theater is about community, said Scott Barrow, a guest playwright from Tectonic Theater Project in NYC, who, along with Milta Ortiz from Borderlands Theater in Arizona, is facilitating a new project at Working Classroom. Working Classroom, a nonprofit arts organization for youth in the Barelas neighborhood, is working on a year-long theater project addressing educational inequity that will be presented at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in early 2017. Meggan Gomez, the Theater Education Director, conceived of the project more than two years ago and was quick to put it into action with the support of the visiting playwrights and a host of others. The bilingual play is inspired by interviews and texts that address issues in the public school system. Collaboratorswhich include five paid student internsuse the experience of students, teachers, administrators and activists, as well as their individual experiences with public schooling, to inform the production. A preview of the work-in-progress performed in late June at the NHCC showcased the skilled and articulate student actors, using props as metaphors in an experimental, movement-based piece developed through improvisation. All we need is a well-lit stage, Gomez said of the 12-minute long piece that serves as a prologue to the year-long project. Yet, in those 12 minutes student actors delivered a remarkable performance, creating a thought-provoking parody of a classroom. One actor impersonated a student leaping for a teachers attention with her hand raised, whining, Pick me! I know the answer! Pick me! Emotion escalated as another yelled, Those with good grades have figured out the system! A chaotic, yet methodized group pulled, reached and twisted in a configuration of struggle. According to Jorja Brickhouse, a 12-year-old student actor with incredible stage presence, the cast created movement based on the interviews they conducted, listening for testimony that created an image. In the performance, Michelle Perez, one of the interns on the project, tied students wrists together, showing a distressing image of a teachers struggle to get students to succeed. Perez said the school-to-prison pipeline, a term used to describe policing in schools, prevents success when students are disciplined and expelled under the guise of safety. In the performance, Michelle Perez, one of the interns on the project, tied students wrists together, showing a distressing image of a teachers struggle to get students to succeed. Perez said the school-to-prison pipeline, a term used to describe policing in schools, prevents success when students are disciplined and expelled under the guise of safety. Another intern, Elijah Chavez, carried a basket of lemons that he systematically distributed and then took away as a metaphor for the unequal distribution of resources among schools. Chavez cited the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a standardized test on mathematics and English as an example of this. The test is online and some schools cant afford computers, he explained. Barrow pointed out that standardized tests dont include the arts. Its like saying the arts arent important, said Barrow, who believes theres no way to have a solid education without both participation and exposure to the arts. Barrow said acting teaches students communication, empathy and how to think on their feet. Barrow suggested that when students arent given an emotional outlet, they express frustration in detrimental ways. Ortiz told her own story of navigating the American school system as an immigrant from El Salvador. No one told me I had to take the SAT, she said. Once she graduated, she thought community college was her only option, not realizing she could apply for scholarships. I was a great student and I had good grades, but the public school system failed me, she said. Ortiz ended up receiving her MFA in playwriting from an Ivy League college, but she stresses this isnt the case for most students with a similar history. Many of the students dropping out and not going to college are students of color, she said. They dont see themselves reflected in history or the media positively. They dont know their history. They dont know that theyre capable of great things. We dont think were solving the problem of education inequity with our play, but wed like to think about solutions by giving a picture of what the educational system looks like today, she continued. Gomez said Working Classroom is planning a statewide tour of their play and to publish the script. They would like to have petitions available to sign at the end of performances. We want to affect statewide education policies and potentially affect policies nationwide, said Antonio Granillo, a student at Working Classroom and an actor in the play. A second preview of Working Classrooms monumental play will be shown August 6 at the Wells Fargo Theatre at the NHCC at 7pm. Performers including Antonio Granillo, David de la Cruz, Camila Lucerom Aylin Payen, Analy Morales, Elijah Chavez, Michelle Perez, and Jorja Brickhouse will show the progress theyve made in hopes of opening eyes to problems in the education system. Admission is free. For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page Flathead Audubon and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks will host a field trip from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, to learn more about bats in the Flathead Valley. Participants will be guided to a site with known bat activity. Wildlife biologists Lewis Young, Lisa Bate and Chris Hammond will have electronic equipment to detect the ultrasonic calls of bats flying overhead and have mist nets set up to capture bats for closer inspection. They will demonstrate the equipment, handle bats captured in mist nets and talk about the adaptations bats have for navigating, catching food and hibernating. Participants will not be allowed to touch or handle bats. Call Lewis Young at (406) 889-3492 to sign up and get directions to the meeting site. Headlamps or flashlights are necessary, as well as suitable clothing for evening temperatures and possibly mosquitoes. The field trip is free and all are welcome. Among full-time, year-round workers in Montana, women only earn 74 percent of the median income earned by men. Thats 45th in the nation. Its a problem that was highlighted by Gov. Steve Bullock and members of the Montana Equal Pay Task Force on Wednesday during a news conference at the First Interstate Bank building in downtown Missoula. Bullock announced an executive order encouraging businesses that work with the state to make it easier for employees to find out how much they are being paid and how their pay compares to their peers; the establishment of an equal-pay hotline to handle compensation complaints, and a statewide sticker and pledge campaign to raise community awareness on the topic. 74 percent isnt acceptable, Bullock declared. He went on to say he thought the simple notion that women should be paid equally for equal work should be fairly common sense by now. Narrowing the wage gap for Montana women not only boosts their earning potential, it strengthens Montana working families and opens up opportunities for a new generation of women in the workforce, Bullock said. Montanans believe in a fair days pay for a fair days work, and these initiatives give us more tools to ensure we are doing everything we can to close the wage gap across the state. The executive order encourages contractors who do business with the state to post salary ranges in employment listings and discourages them from talking about wage history in employment interviews. It also discourages contractors from retaliating against employees who discuss or disclose their wages in the workplace. These are all considered best practices in decreasing wage disparity between men and women. The state has a website, equalpay.mt.gov, where people can find online hiring guidance and a Self-Audit Pay Primer for businesses. The equal pay hotline, 1-844-550-FAIR, will be staffed by the Montana Human Rights Bureau to address complaints regarding equal pay, sexual harassment or discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation or pregnancy status. Jen Euell, the program director of the Womens Foundation of Montana, said she has an 8-year-old daughter and hopes that when she enters the workforce, she will be on equal pay footing. When she walks through those doors, she can know shes valued for her intelligence and skills and that gender will have nothing to do with the pay that they get, she said. State Sen. Diane Sands, a Democrat from Missoula, said she has been a womens activist for 50 years and this is one of the major issues she's tried to tackle. She recalled how her mother was hopping mad when she came home from a job interview at a school after being told she didnt need to be paid as much as her husband for the same job. She also recalled working at a Bible camp and being told that men had to be paid more to be counselors because they simply wouldnt work for less. Thats why Im thrilled that this governor is the only governor weve had who has actually cared about this issue and cared about making it a priority, Sands said. Bullock established the Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force in June of 2013. During the 2015 legislative session, the Task Force proposed three bills. The only one that passed provides for unemployment insurance benefits for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. A bill sponsored by Sands would have provided for wage transparency through a Paycheck Fairness Act designed specifically for Montana, but it did not pass. Another bill that would have required state employee benefits to be uninterrupted for people who have to take long leaves to care for children also failed. Sands said that pay equity in Montana would mean over $1 million for women here that they could use to start a business, plan for retirement or start a savings account. Those are real costs that mean something in the lives of ordinary" people, Sands said. Its going to take a lot of time to fix a situation that isnt easily fixed. Sue Larew, a vice president at First Interstate Bank, was one of the first business leaders in the state to sign the Equal Pay pledge. The businesses who sign up are agreeing to include women on hiring committees and provide diversity and gender equity training, among other things. If you are a female, whether you just graduated from college or are looking for a job through a job service, you are much less likely to negotiate for wages, she explained. We know that there are cultural barriers that ultimately have nothing to do with legislation. In 1919, Montana was the first state in the country to pass an Equal Pay for Equal Work bill. The federal Equal Pay Act didnt come until 1963. That means that even legislation doesnt get things moving swiftly. And so its been on the books for a long time, Sands said. It did not make equal pay happen. You still have to do something about it. The city of Missoula used "abusive" and "diabolical" tactics in its quest to own the local water company and Missoula County District Court allowed the practices, depriving defendants of their constitutional right to due process because the court was "apparently hell-bent on condemnation." So said Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice in a dissenting opinion in the city of Missoula's eminent domain case against Mountain Water Co. and global equity firm The Carlyle Group. "Missoula's discovery tactics were Machiavellian, to put it politely," Rice said in his dissent. "If I condoned winning at all costs, and was not concerned about the rule of law, I might even be impressed." The result of the city's "mischief" and the court's "predisposition" to condemn was an unfair trial and a ruling in favor of the private property taking, the justice said. As an example of abusive tactics, he said the city provided documents requested by defendants at the last minute, and the court didn't grant an extension to allow lawyers enough time to review the evidence before trial. "Whether the 26,581 documents Missoula dumped on Mountain Water three weeks before trial contained a smoking gun can only be ascertained after the 26,581 documents are reviewed by Mountain Water," Rice wrote. This week in a 5-2 decision, the state high court affirmed the lower court's order that the city has the right to use its power of eminent domain to buy the water system. In his scathing dissent citing the city's "gamesmanship," Rice said he would reverse. "Missoula may well have proved its case in a fair trial, but here, there wasn't one," the justice wrote. "I have no sympathies for the corporate entities involved in this case; my sympathies are for all Montanans who expect that their judicial system will not fail to enforce constitutional guarantees." Justice Laurie McKinnon also dissented. *** At a news conference Wednesday morning in the mayor's office, Natasha Prinzing Jones said the lower court's ruling focused on the evidence in the case, as did the decision from five other justices. She said the majority of the Montana Supreme Court judges evaluated the same arguments Rice did, and District Court Judge Karen Townsend reviewed the same arguments as well, and all came to a different conclusion. "Obviously, we disagree with Justice Rice in his dissent," said Jones, of Boone Karlberg. She also said the city is pleased with the order because the majority of the court focused on the proof the city presented in court. The city disputes the allegations it made a last-minute "document dump" on defendants, she said. During an earlier court hearing about attorneys' fees, Jones said the defendants never identified the format in which they wanted to receive files until after the city had spent much time fulfilling their request for documents. Had they made their wishes known in advance, the city would have provided the files in preferred format the first time around, Jones said at the time. Wednesday, she said the city focused its time in the briefing on relevant issues, and the majority's opinion shows the justices reviewed the entirety of the record to reach their conclusion that proof weighed in favor of the city. "So five out of seven judges rejected the same arguments that Justice Rice is making now," Jones said. *** In his dissenting opinion, Justice Rice found fault with Judge Townsend, writing that "the District Court exhibited a judicial preference for condemnation." Yet he said Montanans hold private property rights in the highest regard. "In Montana, the right to possess property is considered so fundamental that our constitution deems it 'inalienable,' " the dissent said. Mountain Water had the right in court for "a meaningful opportunity to be heard" before the city took its property, he said. But when the defendants requested extra time to review material the city provided after "foot dragging," the judge didn't grant the request despite the plaintiff's "flagrant discovery abuses." Rice said the lower court's order showed a bias toward finding public ownership is "more necessary" than private ownership. He quoted this passage from the district court's ruling: "Important public policy objectives are promoted by municipal ownership, including predictability and stability in rates, ability to obtain low cost financing not available in the private sector, lack of a profit motive, coordination with city services ... " and more. The justice objected to the analysis: "The District Court's broad statement is a mandatory presumption that municipal ownership is always a 'more necessary public use." So instead of the city having to prove its ownership was "more necessary," Mountain Water had to rebut the court's presumption "to the extent that such a task would even have been possible." "This unconstitutional presumption is not harmless," Rice said. Judge Townsend could not be reached Wednesday afternoon through a voicemail left with her assistant. *** Justice McKinnon also would reverse, although for different reasons. In her dissent, McKinnon concluded the court used an incorrect legal standard to determine whether condemnation was warranted, and the discussion was marred by debates around public versus private ownership, "which have no place in a judicial proceeding." She said since the use of the property was going to remain the same after condemnation, the property shouldn't be taken by the city "unless the intention of the Legislature that it be taken has been manifested in express terms or by necessary implication." In her dissent, she said the mistake originated in the state high court's "incorrect analysis" in the earlier eminent domain case against Mountain Water, which took place in the 1980s. "We have an obligation to litigants, the trial courts, and the citizens of Montana to 'get it right,' and make sure a statute has been correctly applied," McKinnon wrote. "When we have been wrong in a previous statutory interpretation, we have a similar obligation to own our mistake and provide guidance and leadership. "The litigants and the District Court were misled by our decision in Mountain Water I and our decision today reflects a strained and distorted analysis premised upon the virtues of private and public ownership when the public use will not change. "We should not perpetuate and magnify the problem we created in Mountain Water I." Journalism professor Ray Ekness will be the new director of the University of Montana Broadcast Media Center, UM announced Wednesday. Ekness follows William Marcus, who retired last summer, as the leader of the Broadcast Media Center, which comprises KUFM Radio and KUFM-TV as well as Montana Public Radio and the Montana Public Broadcasting Service. Im excited to work with the staff and hope to strengthen some of the programs at the Broadcast Media Center, Ekness said. I want to come up with some new ideas, too. I hope to find ways we can develop more Montana programs that are entertaining and informative. Ekness worked at KUFM as a student before starting his career as a commercial producer and newscast director at television stations in Montana and Idaho, according to the announcement. Ekness was a producer and director at the Broadcast Media Center for 11 years. After joining the School of Journalism full time in 2000, he chaired the Department of Radio and Television for six years and currently serves as the schools director of student success. Nearly 25 years ago, Ekness and another professor founded Made in Montana, a program that allows broadcast journalism students to film segments about successful businesses in Montana to be aired on MontanaPBS. Although Ekness said he will not continue teaching during the fall semester, he hopes to serve as an adjunct professor. The most difficult part of accepting the new gig, Ekness said, was choosing to leave his students behind. Ive met so many great students but theyll be fine, Ekness said. There is a great staff at the J-school and Im still around on campus so Ill be able to help out if anyone needs it. School of Journalism Dean Larry Abramson said Ekness leaves enormous shoes to fill, and finding a permanent replacement will take time. As of now we have not started any hiring process because the faculty and I need to talk about what to do about the classes this coming semester, Abramson said. School starts in four weeks. We have other people in the department that can handle what Ray was doing before, if we split classes among adjunct professors. Although Abramson said the schools budget is tight, the department hasnt been instructed to cut any positions and no tenured faculty positions were cut last year. Abramson said as of now, he plans to fill Ekness' position as a full-time professor. Ray had an enormous impact on the school and he shaped broadcasting all over the state of Montana, Abramson said. We need to go beyond that now. A 25-year-old Florida man who used counterfeit credit cards to buy spotting scopes at a Missoula sporting goods store and who's suspected of using the cards on a $200,000 spending spree in more than 20 states received a six-year deferred sentence Wednesday. Felipe Perez-Reyes was arrested in April after a security officer at Sportsmans Warehouse spotted him in the store. Company employees nationwide were on alert for Perez-Reyes because Sportsman's Warehouse believed he had fraudulently purchased more than $60,000 in merchandise from its stores. After his Missoula arrest, an FBI agent in Wisconsin told a Missoula detective that Perez-Reyes is suspected of similar crimes, totaling $200,000 in purchases, around the country. At the Missoula store, Perez-Reyes used a credit card issued to the name Carlos Luis Garcia to buy $4,428 in Swarovski spotting scopes. When Perez-Reyes was searched at the Missoula County jail, law enforcement allegedly found 13 credit cards, six of which were issued to the Garcia alias. Perez-Reyes also had a Nevada license with the Garcia alias and a different birthday on it, in addition to his real Florida driver's license. According to the affidavit in the case, Perez-Reyes was also suspected of making fraudulent purchases at the Missoula and Kalispell Cabela's Outpost stores. Perez-Reyes pleaded guilty to his felony theft charge in June as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors that called for the sentence imposed Wednesday by District Court Judge Leslie Halligan. Perez-Reyes also must pay a $5,000 fine and more than $6,700 in restitution to the Montana stores. His attorney Scott Hilderman objected to a condition that Perez-Reyes would not be allowed to drink alcohol and cant enter bars or casinos during the six years. Halligan struck the prohibition on bars and casinos and amended the other condition to say he could not drink to excess and must submit to testing if his probation officer believes it necessary. After putting the deferred sentence in place, Halligan informed Perez-Reyes of an outstanding warrant from Nebraska, and he said he would waive extradition to be taken there. The warrant had been issued in the spring for similar fraudulent purchases prior to Perez-Reyes arrest. Senior Deputy County Attorney Karla Painter said Wednesday Perez-Reyes qualified for a deferred sentence because this was a nonviolent first felony conviction for him, although she believes a federal case against him will be filed soon. I would just as soon get him on his way, Painter said. HAMILTON On the day the Roaring Lion fire exploded across another 3,000 acres southwest of here, someone decided to walk away from a campfire that was still smoldering just a few miles south of the blaze. While firefighters worked to shore up lines on a fire thats already claimed 14 homes and burned 11 square miles, Hamilton Volunteer Fire Chief Brad Mohn said others had to rush to extinguish the new start in the Lost Horse drainage. Luckily for the team, we were able to divert a heavy helicopter that dropped 6,000 gallons of water on the new fire, he said. They managed to keep the blaze at a quarter acre. It was stupid, Mohn said. People really need to be extremely careful with fire right now. Resources are pretty well tapped out. Both local and Forest Service firefighters are feeling the strain. In the 72 hours since the fire roared to life, Mohn said hes had eight hours of rest. Other volunteers are operating on just a little bit more. On Wednesday, Montana's Congressional delegation and Gov. Steve Bullock came to Hamilton to thank the firefighters, forest workers and local law enforcement officials. The Democrats Bullock and Sen. Jon Tester were briefed by local stakeholders Wednesday morning, then met privately with the firefighting leadership team. Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sen. Steve Daines, both Republicans, made separate stops in Hamilton later in the day for their own briefings and chance to thank the exhausted crews. The visits took place in the relative calm after an overnight firestorm when wind gusts up to 50 mph sent flames soaring 200 feet into the air. Heeding the warnings of high winds Tuesday night, Mohn called out volunteer firefighters from every Bitterroot Valley community. In the subdivisions of Whispering Pines, Gold Creek Loop and Haven Road, Mohn said those volunteer crews managed to keep the fire at bay. Not a single home was lost. There was a lot of good work done last night and some luck, he said. Im shocked that there was no loss of any homes. Former Ravalli County Commissioner Suzy Foss watched the fire from her property just south of Hamilton. From Camas Creek to Judd Creek, it was a solid line of fire, Foss said. As we watched, the wind kept changing directions. One minute it was going north, the next minute it was going south and then east and then west. It was amazing. Up against that inferno, Foss said firefighters and bulldozer operators worked to build a 30-foot-wide fire line along the back edge of her familys property. The tactic grew out of local firefighter Kurt Rorhbach's intimate understanding of the mountains he calls home. We know that we often get huge afternoon winds in the summer," Foss said. "He said the only way to stop it will be a dozer line. "When Kurt spoke up and told them what he knew, it changed their whole line of attack. Thats probably what saved our house, Foss said. As they watched the fire come down the hill, Foss said they worried it was getting too close to the men operating the bulldozers. We were so afraid that those guys on the Cats wouldnt be able to get out, she said. We could see the dust from the dozers and the flames and smoke getting closer and closer. We were all praying that that they would get off those dozers and run for it if they had to. They all worked so hard to stop that fire, Foss said. Honestly, these people. Theres no words, just no words. It makes me cry. As of Wednesday morning, the Roaring Lion fire had burned 7,130 acres. Most of the new fire activity Tuesday night occurred on the south end of the fire toward the Ward Creek drainage, which contained significant beetle-killed and drought-stressed heavy timber. By Wednesday, there were 524 firefighters assigned to the blaze, 33 engines, five bulldozers, 15 water tenders and nine helicopters. Cole said the Roaring Lion fire is the No. 1 one priority in the Forest Services Northern Region. Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton said public access into the mandatory evacuation area is off-limits until further notice. There are some rumors that there has been some looting occurring, but thats not true, Holton said. That is a huge concern for us. We dont want to have too many people driving around those evacuated structures. The sheriffs office is patrolling the area both day and night in marked and unmarked vehicles. Every six hours, Holton said officials are reevaluating the issue of access for homeowners. Our first priority is to open that area back up to residents and landowners as soon as we safely can do it, he said. If some of these decision-makers in Helena have never been out to eastern Montana and enjoyed Fort Peck Lake, they couldnt find a better time to visit than now. Its a lake that boasts a coastline greater than the coast of California. Its some of the best deer and elk hunting and walleye fishing youre ever gonna find. As I type, the famed Governors Cup Walleye Tournament is about to get underway. On the north end of the lake, youll find the historic town of Fort Peck. Grab a steak at the Gateway. Catch a show at the Fort Peck Summer Theatre. Camp at Kiwanis Park. Visit the interpretive center. Pay your respects to our nations finest at the newly minted Northeast Montana Veterans Memorial. But for many Montanans, the best way to access Fort Peck Lake is through the Hell Creek State Park and Marina at the south side of the lake. Unfortunately, the current administration under Gov. Steve Bullock is working to take that access away. In fact, just last fall, Bullocks appointees on the newly created parks board proposed walking away from Hell Creek State Park entirely. And you know what their excuse was? Money. Thats right, Fish, Wildlife and Parks had no problem buying cattle ranches, but then claim that they have to shut down Hell Creek State Park in eastern Montana because of money? The reality is, come hell or high water, Montanans can get the job done and save Hell Creek. We simply need new, innovative leaders in the governors office in Helena that are willing to work with the people to find solutions. For example, administrative costs have apparently become one of the big burdens with Hell Creek State Park from the states perspective. Im told that locals have offered to help FWP manage the site, offering a significant savings to the state of Montana. Instead of walking away from Hell Creek, state officials should be walking to the table with the local community that has offered to help keep Hell Creek open. Ive heard gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte talk with locals here in Scobey, Glasgow and elsewhere about bringing a culture of customer service back to state government. Boy is that needed in this situation. Why does the First Amendment guarantee freedom of the press, along with freedom of religion, speech, assembly and the right to petition the government? Our nations founders certainly didnt agree with everything printed in the newspapers of their time. Benjamin Franklin observed: If all printers were determined to not to print anything till it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed. Today more than ever, Americans are warring over words printed, spoken, recorded, posted, tweeted. Messengers are blamed for the messages they carry. Many readers and viewers want only messages that confirm what they already believe. Some dont bother with the facts and nuances of complex issues. The 24-hour news cycle demands new information constantly. Accuracy and fairness can fall by the wayside in races to be fast and first. What Stephen Colbert calls truthiness has reached a crescendo in this election year. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has taken the usual blame-the-media strategy to new depths: mocking a New York Times journalists disability, targeting a female Fox News anchor with his misogynist insults, banning journalists and news organizations he dislikes from his press events. Last week, the Trump campaign hit a new low in its efforts to muzzle a free press. Not only was a Washington Post reporter denied press credentials, Jose DelReal was barred from entering a Trump rally with the general public. First Trump security guards told DelReal he couldnt enter with a cellphone even though other members of the public were being allowed in with their cellphones. So DelReal went back to his car, locked up his cellphone and stood in the security line again. Security personnel patted him down, and then ordered him to leave again. Lets consider the implications when one of two major party candidates for president of the United States bans a journalist from an established news organization from a public campaign event. Why not just screen out everyone Trump doesnt like? Trump frequently says that his critics are liars. Thats truthiness. Trumps liars arent spreading falsehoods about him; they simply arent saying what Trump wants them to say. Trump, Hillary Clinton and virtually all politicians exaggerate the good that they do or promise to do. Politicians overstate their opponents flaws. In recent years, partisan candidates and elected officials have become so polarized that its news when a member of one party says something good about a member of the other party. It is the job of journalists to help readers and viewers sort through the partisan rhetoric. A free press has the duty and ability to hold those in power accountable. In a recent Pew Research Center survey, 75 percent of Americans polled said they think news organizations keep political leaders in line preventing them from doing things they shouldnt do. Survey respondents agreed that the press is effective in that role, even though 74 percent perceived the media as biased. Most of those surveyed said they get their news from television. In the newspaper business, we say that we write the first draft of history. Its often a rough draft, but consider the alternatives: Let the Democratic and Republican parties tell you everything you will be permitted to know. Depend solely on the government at federal, state and local levels to tell you what they are doing with your money. Authoritarian regimes never permit press freedom; they control information so they can control all the people. Communist leaders in China censor the internet. After staving off a coup attempt this month, Turkeys strongman, Tayyip Erdogan, quickly cracked down on the media. Press freedom means not only that journalists can write and report, but that all Americans can choose diverse sources of news independent of government for information that affects their lives, their country and their world. Thats why Americas founders enshrined freedom of the press in the First Amendment 225 years ago. BILLINGS A former Sunshine Daycare worker pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually abusing five different children in his care. Jared Addison Terhune, 40, was charged in February with five counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual intercourse without consent and four counts of sexual abuse of children. On Tuesday, he appeared before Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael Moses and pleaded guilty to all the charges. He is being held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility in lieu of a $250,000 bond. Five children between ages 2 to 13 have reported being abused by Terhune while at Sunshine Daycare or after meeting him there. Sunshine Daycare at 432 Declaration Ave., was licensed as a family child care center since 2010 with an enrollment of six children. It closed in August 2014, a month after the first report of abuse was made to police. Terhune's mother, Sunshine West, is the listed care provider for the center, according to the State of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. According to court documents, Terhune was in charge of the children when West was not present. West operated a day care from 1998-2007, closed for three years, and then reopened in 2010. Prior to 2010, West was licensed for group home child care as well as family care. In a group home, West looked after up to 12 children at a time and would have needed a second adult to look after the children. A second staff member's name is not listed. An 8-year-old alleged Terhune had abused her since she was five or six years old, according to court documents. Terhune abused her a few months before he was arrested. West told the 8 year-old victim's mother that police had arrested Terhune for molesting children.The mother asked her 8-year-old later if Terhune had ever touched her, and the girl began to cry. The girl reported Terhune had told her it was "a secret between them." West denied Terhune's actions to the parent of one of the victims, and said another mother's daughter had "tried that sh--, saying Jared touched her, but they were just playing and wrestling," according to an application for a search warrant filed in the case. According to court documents, a child, who was 7, reported the abuse to officers in July 2014. The girl formerly lived in an apartment in the basement of the day care. The child said Terhune touched her vagina while he was wrestling with her. He also touched her during a camping trip with the day care, court documents state. A 2-year-old reported Terhune had used his finger to hurt her "pee pee and her butt." Another 7-year-old reported Terhune had assaulted her while she was asleep and tried to bribe her with pie to show him her underwear. She said she refused, but that later while she was sleeping Terhune took photos of her underwear, which she later saw on his camera. She said the abuse escalated to him allegedly touching her under her underwear and rubbing her, saying he was checking her for ticks. A 13-year-old came forward in May and reported Terhune touched her in July 2013, when she awoke during a backyard camping trip to find her pants undone. She went inside the home day care and went to sleep in the basement. She said she woke up again and allegedly found Terhune with his hand down her pants. A search of Terhunes electronic devices revealed an extensive collection of child pornography. There was also a printed image of child pornography found in Terhune's possession. Since 1998, 40 children have been enrolled in some type of day care through West, according to DPHHS records. Terhune will be sentenced in October, though a final date was not set in court. Should a miner walk 3 miles to work? A court decision blocking exploration of a proposed gold mine in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness reveals the challenge of balancing the 1872 Mining Law with the Wilderness Act of 1964. The one law allows mining on public land. The other limits how the public may travel or work on federal wilderness. The conflict between these laws is obvious mining will never be compatible with wilderness, District Judge Lynn Winmill wrote in his Tuesday decision. Yet Congress has decreed that they must co-exist at times. Winmill ordered Payette National Forest officials to reconsider their decision allowing the American Independence Mines and Minerals Co. to reopen the Golden Hand mine. Among his reasons, he found the Forest Service could have required the miners to walk the 3 miles to the work site instead of driving in and out every day. The Golden Hand mine was founded in 1889 in Idahos Salmon River Mountains southwest of Darby. Its main tunnel entrance collapsed sometime in the 1920s, and no production took place after 1941. The claim lay dormant for decades before AIMMCO proposed reopening it in 2007. To do so, it had to prove there was a marketable amount of minerals to be recovered. And to do that, it needed permission from the Forest Service to drill, trench and drive into the mine site. AIMMCO proposed building 13 drill pads, an unspecified number of trenches and a bunkhouse for its workers at the site. The company met confidentially with Forest Service officials in 2009. While District Ranger Joe Harper found numerous problems with the presentation, the agency authorized the revised project in 2015. The record of decision allowed the company to use bulldozers to build 4 miles of road into the wilderness, construct up to 11 drill pads, and drive up to 571 times into the wilderness each field season. The judge ruled the Forest Service did not reveal its analysis in reaching some conclusions, may have relied on information provided in confidence not available to the public for review, and made an error in reaching one conclusion that may have affected the result. He sent the matter back to the Forest Service to correct those errors. For example, the mining company proposed allowing the workers to commute into the site with up to 400 vehicle trips per work season. The Forest Service considered making the workers ride horses, but concluded the stock impact on the land was too great. The judge found its argument for skipping the walking option less persuasive. That error could have affected its ultimate conclusion that there is no clear benefit to wilderness character from requiring workers to walk to the site rather than be transported by motorized vehicle, he wrote. Winmill noted that the Forest Service did extensive analysis of some mining claims that werent part of the argument, but apparently failed to do so for the ones at issue. He ordered the agency to reveal whatever confidential information the company, provided that justified its claims the development was necessary. (W)hatever calculus the Forest Service engaged in to conclude internally that AIMMCOs project reduced impacts to their minimum was not shared with the public in any written analysis, Winmill wrote. That violates NEPA" the National Environmental Policy Act. The case was brought by the Idaho Conservation League, The Wilderness Society, Earthworks, Friends of the Clearwater and Wilderness Watch. The court has granted a necessary reprieve to the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, Wilderness Watch executive director George Nickas said in an email. Now its up to the Forest Service to show a far greater concern for the wilderness if or when it completes the court-ordered reanalysis of this terribly destructive mining plan. BILLINGS A Yellowstone County man in his 50s has been infected with the Zika virus, which is the first known local case, according to RiverStone Health and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The infection is related to the man's travels, according to Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton. He declined to provide details about the man, including where the man had been. "All we can say is that it was a Zika-infested area," said Felton, who is also CEO of Riverstone Health. This is the fourth reported case in Montana. In February, Missoula County reported the first Zika case in Montana, which also was related to travel. As of July 27, there have been 1,658 confirmed cases of Zika in the United States. Nearly all cases were travel-related. Diagnosis of Zika is based on a persons recent travel history, symptoms and results from a blood or urine test. The first case of domestically transmitted Zika virus was identified in Florida earlier this week. The virus is spread primarily through the mosquito bites of two specific species that aren't found in Montana and isn't known to spread to other mosquito species. It can also be spread through sexual intercourse. In pregnant women, Zika virus has been linked to serious birth defects, including microcephaly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pregnant women not travel to any area affected by Zika. Felton said that 80 percent of people infected with Zika exhibit no symptoms, which makes preventative measures important. The CDC stresses the use of insect repellent and protective clothing. Women who need to travel to infected areas should talk to their health care provider and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites. Pregnant women are not advised to travel to those areas, Felton said. What we know about Zika virus and its transmission is evolving. This case reminds us that anyone traveling to a Zika-affected area should be aware of the risks, Felton said. According to the CDC, the most common symptoms of Zika infection are fever, rash, joint pain and red, itchy eyes. Many people who become infected never have symptoms. For people who get sick, the illness is usually mild. Zika has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder that can cause muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. Most people fully recover from GBS. There is no vaccine to prevent Zika virus disease and no specific medical treatment for people who are infected. For more information about the Zika virus, go to cdc.gov/zika/index.html. Butte residents may soon see Uber cars zipping around the Mining City. Uber is a phone-based application that helps connect passengers with drivers who work as independent contractors using their personal vehicles. To drive for Uber, drivers must pass a background check, get an auto inspection and submit proof of insurance. The ride-sharing service which launched in Montana Monday hosted a local kickoff event Wednesday night at Metal's Bar and Grill in Uptown Butte. During the event, the citys first ride-share driver took his maiden voyage, proudly displaying his Uber placard in the windshield of his GMC Terrain. I just thought Id be able to offer the service for the community, 74-year-old Michael Gribben told The Montana Standard. Brian Gebhardt, Uber's Montana general manager, said the rollout had a drivers apparition theme befitting of the Mining City. The city has a history of respect for hard work, said Gebhardt, adding that residents can now get a ride at the touch of a button Les Chagnon is another Butte resident who signed up as an Uber driver. He attended the Wednesday-night event and was Gribbens first passenger Uber spokespeople are calling him Butte passenger zero. Chagnon said Uber gives people more variety when it comes to transportation. I look at it as an opportunity to help provide to the people of Butte another option, he said. I think its a very progressive step forward. Kunle Ogunsakin, meanwhile, is a graduate student from Nigeria studying in Montana Techs environmental engineering program. Although he hasnt signed up as a driver, he's used the service before Its really cheap, he said and plans to use Uber locally. While Gebhardt didnt describe the service as cheap, he said that rides will cost a minimum of $6.50. The cost, he said, will consist of a $2.50 base plus a $1.75-per-mile rate and 25-cents-per-minute rate. Although Ubers presence in the state is underway, Montana Senate Bill 396, the law that made ride-sharing legal in the state, passed over a year ago. When asked what caused the delay in service, Gebhardt said it was a result of strained resources. The team that we had got deployed to larger markets, he said. However, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported in July that Ubers delay had to do with an investigation by the Montana Department of Labor as to whether drivers would be classified as independent contractors. As the article notes, the distinction is important because it gives independent contractors rights like entitlement to workers compensation. But Montana Department of Labor Communications Director Jake Troyer said by email that the department had nothing to do with the delay. The Montana Department of Labor & Industry has not delayed Uber launching their business in Montana. The first contact by Uber to the Department was May 2016, wrote Troyer, noting that no investigation took place. He went on to say that drivers classification will be analyzed according to Senate Bill 396 and relevant Montana law and that the Department has encouraged Uber to approach the 2017 Montana Legislature and address this status issue directly with lawmakers. Gebhardt echoed Troyers sentiments, adding that we believe strongly that drivers are independent contractors. Another stumbling block for prospective Uber drivers was confusion regarding insurance. According to SB 396, insurance companies are not required to insure Uber drivers, and if a drivers policy does not include using a vehicle for commercial purposes, the insurer is not responsible for any damage that occurs while the Uber app is tuned on. The law gives great discretion to the insurance industry, said Jesse Laslovich, chief legal counsel for the Montana State Auditor's office. However, drivers will not need to rely on their personal coverage in order to be insured while they drive for Uber. As Gebhardt pointed out, drivers are insured by Uber while they are using the ride-sharing app. He added that an outline of Ubers insurance structure can be found on the companys website, www.uber.com. Butte would join Billings, Belgrade, Bozeman and other Montana cities with laws regulating urban chickens if a top county official can get a new ordinance passed. Community Enrichment Director Ed Randall isnt proposing the law to follow other cities. Thats not the Butte way. But the chicken-keeping craze that has caught on in many U.S. cities is alive and well in Butte, too, and Randall says a few regulations are needed so the playing field is fair and uniform. Calls and complaints about them are on the rise. Hell need more backing from commissioners than he got three years ago, when a similar proposal never even got out of committee. There was no support for it, Randall said this week after he told the Animal Services Board he wanted to allow residents in urban Butte to have up to six hens if they meet other requirements. Chickens are not allowed in urban Butte now unless the persons lot is at least five acres. But some people like them for fresh eggs, some want them for meat, and some people well, they just like having them. The calls Randalls department gets about chickens are adding up, he said. Some folks want to know about regulations before getting the birds, and others call with complaints about their neighbors chickens. And his animal control officers are coming across them almost daily. We always have roosters and hens in our shelter because they are walking down the street, Randall told the board Tuesday. When a board member asked how many residents had chickens, Randall said there were enough to justify an ordinance. Whether its 2 percent or 40 percent, it should be on the books so we can enforce it, he said. Many Montana cities have urban chicken ordinances on the books. They include Billings, Bozeman, Belgrade, Kalispell, Missoula and Manhattan. The laws have provisions similar to the ones Randall wants. His proposal would cover most of urban Butte the old city boundaries before Butte merged with Silver Bow County in 1977 to form one local government. Residents who live in rural areas or in places such as Rocker or Ramsay or Melrose would not be included. Urban residents could have up to six female chickens (hens) but no adult roosters. They would have to be in covered, predator-resistant coops that are ventilated, cleaned, maintained, and have at least 2 square feet of space per chicken. Coops must be set back at least 20 feet from adjoining property lines unless those neighbors give written consent to be closer. Some hen owners might object to the distance requirement, but Randall said he considered it fair. Like most ordinances in other cities, chickens must be kept in their coop from sundown to sunrise. Not all Montana cities have detailed urban chicken laws. The birds are banned in all but one rural-zoned area in Great Falls, for example. The City Commission there has rejected attempts to allow them in most other areas of the city. Two Great Falls residents recently filed a complaint against the city in district court alleging its 2007 chicken ban was enacted in secret. They say citations they got for having two chickens in their yard should be voided because of that. The city has months to respond. Helena allows chickens with no restrictions as long as they are 25 feet from adjoining property. Randall wants a veterinarian to speak to the Animal Services board about the proposal and chickens at its next monthly meeting. The proposal must ultimately be approved by commissioners to become law, and that process can takes weeks or months. Lead levels in the city of Sheridans drinking water do not exceed federal water quality standards, officials said Thursday, but residents are still being advised to drink bottled water for now. Lead levels in three homes taken over a period of six months were high enough to trigger a response from state and local health and environmental officials. The highest hot spot registered 247 parts per billion of lead in a home in the 200 block of Madison Street. The other homes where the level of lead in the drinking water triggered a concern had numbers ranging from 19 to 33 parts per billion of lead, according to Department of Environmental Quality director Tom Livers. The Environmental Protection Agency sets a standard of 15 parts per billion of lead in drinking water to trigger action by state and local officials. Denvers EPA office could not be reached for comment by press time. Most of the lead levels that caused a concern came from the east side of town. Tests done at local schools, a nursing home, the hospital, and city buildings came back OK. A total of 29 samples were taken by the county from January to June and analyzed by DEQ. The sampling was part of a routine sample and analysis procedure. The town, with 700 households, is on a three-year testing cycle, and the drinking water comes from groundwater wells. Sheridans tap water has been tested and analyzed since 1975. This is the first time lead has shown up. The sampling analysis came back to DEQ on July 8. The state sent a letter to the county that day, which arrived to county officials July 11. Madison County public information officer Bonnie ONeill said Thursday that the county waited to announce the problem to the public at a special town council meeting on August 2 because the county didnt want to unnecessarily alarm the public. The county notified local media August 3. There were specific actions we had to take, ONeill said Thursday. It was really only 16 days (minus weekends), and we didnt want to misspeak about the action plan. Livers said DEQ didnt notify the public because it is, primarily the local governments responsibility. We were surprised by the info, Livers said. Theyve had decades of clean reports. Livers added that the town needed to wrap its head around the issue. And that the town had 60 days, according to state regulation, to conduct a public campaign. The state, through the local fire department and the Ruby Valley Hospital, is providing free blood-lead sampling, as well as home water sampling kits and free bottled water. The blood lead samples and water samples will be sent by courier to the state lab on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Residents will receive results back as soon as the state gets them, Jim Murphy of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services public health emergency preparedness, said. So far, 26 people 13 adults and 13 children have gone to Ruby Valley Hospital for blood tests and 125 households have picked up bottled water. The fire department is also taking bottled water to elderly people who are unable to leave their homes or who are unable to carry the bottled water. Volunteers are helping distribute the water. State and local officials held a news conference in Sheridan on Thursday that media and about 25 residents attended. Sheridan resident Karen Anderson stopped by the fire department Thursday to pick up bottled water for her family. She said she is most definitely concerned about lead showing up in the towns drinking water. I wont drink any tap water until I know its safe, she said. But another resident Travis Walker, who moved to Sheridan only a month ago, said Thursday that he was not worried. I grew up in Kansas where they struggled with water quality, Walker said. Authorities are trying to determine the source of the lead. A likely cause is older pipes in the water system, rather than groundwater, but that investigation continues. Sheridan is about 60 miles southeast of Butte on Highway 287, just south of Twin Bridges. Reporter Mike Smith contributed to this story. The lunacy continues in the Peoples Republic of Missoula. As if more roundabouts, a $5 million bike bridge over Reserve Street and ridiculous parking meters werent enough, Molly Short Carr, the International Rescue Committees new director, made a soft landing in Missoula, from where else? Nairobi, Kenya. She wants to prepare Missoula for the first (of how many?) Congolese refugees due in the next couple of months. And God knows theres work to be done! Bringing dozens of illiterate, unskilled mouths to house and feed from equatorial Africa to northern Montana requires not only a lot of work but a healthy dose of naivete, bad judgment and downright stupidity. Soon enough Carr will fly out of Missoula to round up more refugees and leave the mess shes creating for Missoulians to deal with. Good grief. Heres a hot flash for you: A more practical solution might be to fly back to Kenya and work to set up refugee housing, job training, medical care and clean water right where these refugees need it most. It would certainly be preferable to flying them halfway around the world to a strange culture, a cold climate and a dubious reception. And you could save the U.S. taxpayers the cost of English-as-a-second-language classes. Where is your common sense? And this goes for your soft landing buddies as well. -- G. Anderson, Missoula Federal officials say 27 large wildfires are burning in the West. Hot, dry temperatures often combined with winds have made firefighting conditions difficult, destroying homes and forcing evacuations. Here's a look at some of the fires burning Wednesday: CALIFORNIA Authorities are considering potential penalties for whoever set an illegal campfire that ballooned into a massive wildfire near scenic Big Sur in California. Officials want the public's help in finding whoever started the fire that has blackened more than 71 square miles and destroyed 57 homes. A bulldozer operator was killed on the fire lines during a rollover accident. To the north, a grass fire in a popular recreational area north of San Francisco has more than doubled in size in less than a day. The blaze has charred more than 6 square miles in Napa, Yolo and Solano counties since igniting Tuesday. It prompted the evacuation of an RV and tent campground off Highway 128 near Lake Berryessa. No vineyards are threatened. IDAHO Firefighters are setting up sprinkler systems to protect buildings in the central Idaho town of Lowman as a wildfire expanded to 75 square miles. Nearly 1,500 firefighters are battling the blaze burning timber in rugged terrain. Officials say slightly cooler weather and winds from the northwest should help firefighters trying to prevent flames from reaching the small town. Fire spokeswoman Jennifer Myslivy says no evacuations have been ordered. MONTANA A Roaring Lion fire in western Montana grew overnight to 11 square miles in the Bitterroot National Forest. The fire started on Sunday about 5 miles southwest of Hamilton and destroyed 14 homes along with dozens of outbuildings and some vehicles. About 630 homes remain evacuated. NEVADA Officials are reporting progress containing two large wildfires pushed by dry winds through remote rangeland and rugged canyons in northwestern Nevada. A fire that has charred more than 84 square miles in the Virginia Mountains near Pyramid Lake was about 41 percent contained. Another, farther north near Poodle Mountain, was 80 percent contained but has burned about 10 square miles in a wilderness study area. OREGON A wildfire burning southwest of Crater Lake spread to more than 700 acres, prompting an evacuation warning for some parts of Crater Lake National Park. Fire spokeswoman Lucinda Nolan said crews are trying to keep the fire east of Pacific Crest Trail and west of Crater Lake Rim Drive. The park remained open. UTAH People in Utah were allowed back into their homes after a small wildfire forced evacuations early Wednesday at a neighborhood tucked against a mountainside south of Salt Lake City. Officials said the blaze spread quickly through tinder-dry dry grass and brush. Some fences were damaged, but no homes were lost and people were allowed back into the 39 evacuated homes midday. WASHINGTON Residents have been allowed to return to their homes after a 7-square-mile wildfire prompted the evacuation of about two dozen homes in central Washington. A fire spokesman, Trooper Jeff Sevigney, says the blaze about 7 miles north of Moses Lake destroyed one home and was not contained. Officials say a large wildfire in south-central Washington has scorched about 275 square miles of brush and grassland. WYOMING Progress has been made on fighting wildfires in western Wyoming, and most evacuation orders were lifted. The only area still evacuated was Granite Creek in Teton County, where a wildfire was burning in Bridger-Teton National Forest. The fire has burned 46 square miles and is 84 percent contained. The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors met in regular session at 7:00 P.M. with Howard, Kelly, Sorensen, Sauer and Bonebrake present. Chairperson Sorensen presiding. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the agenda was approved as presented. Ayes: All. A Public Hearing was called to order by Chairperson Sorensen at 7:01 P.M. on a proposed ordinance regulating wind energy conversion systems in Muscatine County. Planning and Zoning Administrator Eric Furnas stated he developed an application form similar to the form used to request a special use permit for rural residences. Furnas stated a scoring system would be used to consider the CSR2 rating of a proposed site to analyze the effects on the land if it is removed from crop production for a wind turbine. Furnas stated the ordinance would only apply to commercial wind turbines, not residential. Furnas stated if a residential landowner is merely supplementing energy for private use by installing a wind turbine, then it does not require an application. No one spoke against the proposed ordinance. On a motion by Bonebrake, second by Kelly, the public hearing was closed at 7:07 P.M. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Bonebrake, the Board approved an ordinance regulating wind energy conversion systems in Muscatine County on the first of three readings. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. Discussion was held with Sheriff C. J. Ryan regarding the potential purchase of security cameras for the exterior of the Courthouse. Ryan stated that the additional cost of adding a second camera to the parking lot across from the Courthouse is $3,244.00 bringing the total cost for exterior cameras to $16,362.00. On a motion by Kelly, second by Howard, the Chairperson was authorized to execute a contract with FSS, Inc. in the amount of $16,362.00 for the installation of security cameras for the exterior of the Courthouse. Ayes: All. On a motion by Sauer, second by Bonebrake, minutes of the July 18, 2016 regular meeting were approved as written. Ayes: All. Correspondence: The Board received a Notice of Assessed Valuation Settlement with SSAB. Bonebrake and Sauer reported an inquiry regarding construction on Stewart Road. Howard reported a call expressing concern about the geese at Deep Lakes Park. Committee Reports: Howard attended a Muscatine County Veteran Affairs meeting July 19th. Kelly attended an Eastern Iowa Mental Health Regional meeting July 18th. Sauer attended a Muscatine County Conservation meeting July 18th. Sauer attended a Riverbend Transit meeting July 20th. Kelly attended the Lutheran Services, Inc. Ribbon Cutting July 21st Ceremony. On a motion by Kelly, second by Bonebrake, the Chair was authorized to execute Contract #5887EM70 Iowa EMS System Development FY17 Grant from the Iowa Department of Public Health in the amount of $5,253.00. Ayes: All. On a motion by Howard, second by Sauer, the Board accepted the July 2016 payroll claims. Ayes: All. The Board reviewed the budget to actual FY17 beginning fund balances. The Board recessed at 7:21 P.M. and reconvened at 7:26 P.M. On a motion by Kelly, second by Bonebrake, the Board went into closed session at 7:26 P.M. pursuant to Chapter 21.5.1(j), Code of Iowa, to discuss the sale of County-owned property. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board returned to open session at 7:56 P.M. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Chairperson was authorized to execute a purchase agreement subject to a public hearing on the proposed sale of 3500 Harmony Court. Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board approved Resolution #07-25-16-01 Setting Notice and a Date for Public Hearing on the Proposal for the Sale of Certain Real Property. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. The Public Hearing was set for August 8, 2016 at 9:00 A.M. The meeting was adjourned at 7:58 P.M. ATTEST: Leslie A. Soule, County Auditor Jeff Sorensen, Chairperson Board of Supervisors MUSCATINE, Iowa Recent shootings were isolated incidents, according to a Muscatine Police lieutenant. Officers responded to two shootings in or near downtown Muscatine in the space of three days. No arrests have been made and both incidents remain under investigation. In the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, July 26, police were called to the 600 block of Sycamore Street after receiving a report of a shots fired incident. The second shooting was reported at 2:44 a.m. Thursday, July 28. According to a press release from the Muscatine Police Department, officers were in the area of the 600 block of Spring Street when they heard several gun shots. Upon investigation, they found Gilberto Castillo, 20, address unknown, in the No. 6 alley 600 East suffering from a gunshot wound to the ankle. Castillo was transported to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City by Muscatine Fire Department ambulance. He has since been released, according to Lt. Jeff Jirak of the Muscatine Police Department. Jirak said while residents are safe, they should also remain vigilant and offer any assistance they can in the investigation. Officers found that the residence at 607 Sycamore St. was struck several times and was damaged. At least 12 shell casings were recovered at the scene, police reported. A witness reported seeing a small car leaving the area westbound in the No. 6 alley heading towards Iowa Avenue around the time of the shooting. At least three people were inside the Sycamore Street residence at the time of the shooting. No injuries were reported, according to police. The Muscatine Police Department is asking for the publics cooperation in identifying the vehicle and shooters in these incidents. If you have any information please contact the Muscatine Police Department Street Crimes Unit, Officer Todd Koch or Officer Anthony Arnaman 563-263-9922 Ext. 240 or 249. Callers may remain anonymous. MUSCATINE, IowaThe Muscatine City Council will consider approving a Pilot Sidewalk Poetry Program at the council meeting, 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. The Muscatine County Arts Councils pilot hopes to install stamped poetry in new or replacement sidewalks in various locations around Muscatine. The poetry would be stamped under the direction of the Public Works Department as part of the annual sidewalk construction projects. Winners of the 2016 Sidewalk Poetry Competition would have their works stamped into sidewalks in Muscatine. The council will also vote on the second reading of an amendment removing the mayor's power to nominate citizens for seats on boards and commissions. The code amendment would change the appointment authority for boards and commissions to the city council and the ability to appoint and remove the fire and police chiefs to the city administrator, subject to the approval of the city council. Currently, the mayor holds those appointment and removal powers, subject to the approval of the council. The first reading of code changes was by a 5 to 2 vote last week, with Council members Bob Bynum and Allen Harvey voting no. MUSCATINE, Iowa With the first day of school only 19 days away, the Muscatine Community School District maintenance staff is busy making sure the buildings and facilities are ready for students and staff this fall. Director of Facilities Jeff Miller said they have projects left to finish. The punch list includes replacement of the polycarbonate sheets on the Muscatine High School greenhouse, replacing the boilers at Madison and Franklin Elementary schools, installing cameras at West and Central Middle schools and Franklin Elementary and replacing the high school auditorium theater seats. The replacement of the auditorium seating will begin later this month and continue into the beginning of the school year. Maintenance crews took out the playground equipment at the now-closed Washington Elementary building and installed it at Franklin. Franklin had wooden playground equipment which was worn and dangerous so it needed to be replaced. Miller said in his 27 years of being the maintenance supervisor, this has been the craziest summer yet. Its been one big juggling act, Miller said. The transfer of students and teachers from Washington Elementary left the district with a juggling act to find space at other buildings. We had to get creative on how we were going to get teachers into those spaces (at Franklin and McKinley), Miller said. Miller said theyve put walls into existing classrooms to splice them into two classrooms, as well as tearing down some unneeded walls in existing classrooms to open up spaces. Beyond finding homes for the teachers before the school year starts, the 42-member summer maintenance staff had to complete other work as well, ranging from the regular maintenance of the school buildings to helping with construction projects such as the replacement of the road leading to the high school. With all these projects at varying points of progress, it's crunch time for the maintenance staff because Miller said they have to finish before the teachers start arriving to set up for the upcoming school year. Miller said that many of the projects came in under budget. We try to be fiscally responsible and get the best bang for our buck, Miller said. We take the budgets very seriously. Miller said it was thanks to the maintenance crew this summer that many of the items on his list were able to get done. The stuff couldnt have been done without the custodial staff working as a team, Miller said. MUSCATINE, Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack will be visiting community colleges across Iowa including Muscatine Community College to discuss his legislation that works to bring together local businesses and community colleges to help close the skills gap and create new jobs in Iowa. Loebsacks legislation, the New Jobs Training Act, will provide grants through the U.S. Department of Labor to create new jobs training programs at community colleges. This federal legislation is based in part on Iowas New Jobs Tax Credit program. Throughout my travels across Iowa, I have heard from many businesses who are struggling to find skilled workers to fill new jobs in high-growth industries such as advanced manufacturing, construction, finance, and health care. Over the next decade, millions of jobs will need to be filled, but the skills gap is expected to result in many of those job positions going unfilled. We must find a way to give applicants the training and skills they need to be competitive in these growing industries, and that is why I am proud to have introduced the New Jobs Training Act. At each stop, Loebsack will meet with administrators and staff from local community colleges to gain information from local leaders about the need of the grant program. Media are invited to attend. The New Jobs for the 21st Century Roundtable will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4 at Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado St The New Jobs Training Act builds on current public-private partnership efforts by encouraging community colleges to partner with local businesses to provide training for new jobs. For example, an employer that wants to create new jobs, but cannot find applicants with the necessary skills for these new positions, would be able to apply for a grant through the Department of Labor in order to fund a new jobs training program at the local community college. This legislation provides those interested in pursuing a new line of work the opportunity to receive the training they need to find employment. It will also create a pipeline for highly skilled employment, allowing businesses to grow here in America instead of looking abroad for a highly skilled workforce. Drum Corps Competition 7 p.m. Friday The fifth annual Percussion on the Pearl drum corps competition will be held at the Muscatine High School stadium, 2705 Cedar St. For more information, or to purchase tickets visit www.muskiebands.org. Vacation Bible School 6-8 p.m. Friday Muscatine Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2904 Mulberry Ave., will host Vacation Bible School for ages 4 to 14. The program will include singing, playing, creating, and learning together each evening. For more information, email vondarae@gmail.com. Farmers Market 7:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday Muscatine Area Farmers Market in the parking lot on the corner of Third and Cedar Streets. The market will include Lovstad Music Services students providing live music and activities with the Musser Public Library. A job well done. For any community to host 10,000 RAGBRAI riders and deliver an excellent experience, it is quite an undertaking. However, if your town is selected as the final stop on the 400-plus mile journey, there are actually two opportunities to make an impression. Hundreds of riders came to Muscatine the week before RAGBRAI to leave their vehicles in long-term parking and catch their shuttle bus to the start of the weeklong ride in western Iowa. The Muskie Booster Club alone parked 950 cars in the high school parking lot. More than a thousand visitors came to Muscatine before the ride even began. RAGBRAI asked Muscatine to be the positive first impression and memorable last impression their riders would have. From what I saw on Saturday, our community pulled together to go above and beyond. Thanks to the leadership of Janet Morrow at the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the entire RAGBRAI Planning Committee, our city shined for our visitors. From volunteers that started their day at 6 a.m. on the riverfront to be sure any early arrivers were greeted with a friendly welcome, to residents who created unofficial information stations in their yards, just in case anyone needed help, this is what makes that memorable experience. Because of the efforts of so many in our great city, thousands of visitors now know what a wonderful place Muscatine is. To all involved, congratulations on a job well done. This is just another example of why its great to call Muscatine our home. Shelly Maharry Muscatine Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi [] Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes [] LONDON A Somali-Norwegian teenager went on a knife rampage through Londons Russell Square, a hub for students and tourists, fatally stabbing an American woman and wounding five other people. Police said Thursday that it wasnt terrorism but in a city on edge after a summer of attacks elsewhere in Europe, both authorities and London residents initially responded as if it were. Police flooded the streets with extra officers and mobilized counterterror detectives before saying the shocking burst of violence appeared to have been triggered by mental-health issues. Police officers used a stun gun to subdue the 19-year-old suspect at the scene of the stabbings late Wednesday, among busy streets lined with hotels close to the British Museum. Terror in London ran the headline in the Mail Online, one of several media outlets to speculate that the attack was an act of terrorism. Police initially said terrorism was one line of inquiry being explored. But hours later Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said we have found no evidence of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was in any way motivated by terrorism. He said detectives from the forces murder and terrorism squads had interviewed the suspect, his family and witnesses and searched properties. We believe this was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random, Rowley said. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is no evidence at all that this man was motivated by Daesh another name for the Islamic State group or similar organizations. Rowley said the suspect, whose name hasnt been released, is a Norwegian of Somali ancestry though police dont consider that relevant to the motivation for his actions. Norways National Criminal Investigation Service said he had left the Scandinavian country in 2002, when he was a small child. The name of the dead woman, thought to be in her 60s, hasnt been released. U.S. Ambassador Matthew Barzun confirmed she was American, tweeting: Heartbreaking news that a U.S. citizen was killed in #RussellSquare attack. My prayers are with all the victims and their loved ones. Two Australians, an Israeli, an American and a British citizen were wounded, none with life-threatening injuries. Police said a British man with a stab wound to his stomach remains hospitalized. The four others were treated and released Thursday. While knife crime is a regular occurrence in London there have been two other blade killings this week the scale and randomness of the rampage rattled nerves. It came just days after authorities warned the British public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe. Student Megan Sharrock, 18, looked out her window and saw someone lying on the sidewalk under a blanket. There was like two rivers of blood running away from the person so we thought, yeah, someone has been killed, she said. Its really shocking, (a) scary world we live in to think that could happen, she said. That could happen to anyone, just walking down the street. Helen Edwards, 33, who lives in the area, came out for a walk and found it thronging with armed police near. In a city with vivid memories of the deadly July 7, 2005, bomb attacks on public transport two of which struck near Russell Square she immediately suspected that an attack had occurred. There is always that thing in the back of your mind, she said. You live with that threat of terrorism or other crimes in the back of your mind. It wasnt a huge shock I guess. INDIANAPOLIS Since his selection as Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence has tried to stay focused on winning over conservatives skeptical of the New York billionaire. His new boss keeps getting in the way. On several occasions in the past week, the Indiana governor has found himself in direct conflict with Trump, taking a different campaign tact or running damage control after one of the Republican presidential nominee's incendiary remarks. The latest came Wednesday, when Pence offered an unqualified endorsement of House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election bid a day after Trump refused to endorse Ryan. On Thursday, he was held to task by 11-year-old Matthew Schricker, who asked Pence at a Raleigh town hall why he's been "softening up on Mr. Trump's policies and words." Apparently alluding to controversial comments by Trump, Pence said, "sometimes things don't always come out like you mean." Pence added that he and Trump "have different styles," which shouldn't be "confused with differences in conviction." Curt Smith, a longtime Pence friend who runs the socially conservative Indiana Family Institute, said, "There's been some cleanup. I think you'll see more." The early days of the general election campaign have been a contortionist act for Pence, who has remained loyal to Trump while trying to maintain his reputation as a principled, down-to-earth Midwesterner with the primary mission of acting as an emissary to the conservative and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. The first noticeable split between nominee and running mate came during the Democratic convention, when Trump encouraged Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by Hillary Clinton from the private servers she used while secretary of state. At roughly the same time, Pence blasted Russia in a statement issued by the campaign that said "the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences" if Russia is "interfering in our elections." Last weekend, Pence, whose only son is a U.S. Marine, sought to quell the uproar Trump created by lashing out at Capt. Humayun Khan's parents, who appeared at the Democratic convention and have criticized Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric. Their son was killed in Iraq. In a statement, Pence said he and Trump believe Khan is "an American hero" and said "his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American." He then shifted gears to praise Trump, who he said will "support our military and their families" and "defeat the enemies of our freedom." He backed up those remarks at a Monday evening town hall meeting in Nevada, when the audience jeered a woman who asked how he can tolerate what she called Trump's disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the crowd to quiet down and then said of the questioner: "That's what freedom looks like. That's what freedom sounds like." Trump, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter that day: "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over TV doing the same... Nice!" On Tuesday, Pence held a meeting with Arizona Sen. John McCain a day after the former prisoner of war said Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us," and hours after Trump responded by telling The Washington Post he would not endorse McCain's re-election. In that same interview, Trump also refused to endorse Ryan, who faces a primary election next week. On Wednesday, Pence had a very different message. "I'm very confident after Donald Trump is elected president and Paul Ryan is re-elected to Congress these two men are going to do great things," Pence said in an interview with Fox News Channel. "I talked to Donald Trump this morning about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship. He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan." While Trump has been openly hostile toward members of the media, Pence has struck a conciliatory tone. He recently gave a reporter in his traveling press entourage cupcakes for her birthday. And after law enforcement and local volunteers barred a Washington Post reporter from entering a rally in Wisconsin, Pence said on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt's radio show the campaign would evaluate its policy and added that events would be "available to the media, whether they're fair or unfair." Campaign spokesman Marc Lotter didn't respond to a request to interview Pence about his relationship with Trump. He also would not answer questions about the Indiana governor's approach to dealing with the fallout from Trump's remarks. But there are no outward signs that Trump has any issues with Pence, or that his statements come as a surprise to the candidate at the top of the ticket. Two people familiar with the campaign's inner workings said the official statements and tweets from Pence are approved at campaign headquarters. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Indiana Republican public affairs consultant Mike Murphy compared Pence's relationship with Trump to an arranged marriage. "He's staying consistent with his character and he's not changing who he is, but he's also careful not to criticize his spouse," said Murphy, who has known Pence for nearly 30 years. Napa County Planning Commissioners heard Wednesday as if they had any doubts that the proposed Yountville Hill Winery remains controversial and they decided to give the public more time to submit comments. The commission approved the winery in July 2014, only to have the matter appealed by opponents to the county Board of Supervisors. Winery applicants agreed to do an environmental impact report and the draft version is finished. Commissioners held Wednesdays hearing to collect verbal comments. The group Save Yountville Hill requested that the county extend the comment period deadline from Aug. 15 to Sept. 29, and the commission complied. This particular application has been one of the most controversial in the last 15 years, longtime Planning Commissioner Terry Scott said. I dont think its something to rush through. Other commissioners agreed, with Commissioner Michael Basayne saying Yountville Hill Winery created a bit of a sea change in terms of public sentiment regarding winery applications. However, this particular hearing was a fairly brief, tame affair, with only six speakers from the public. Opponents said they have more work to do analyzing the bulky document at a time when some of them are turning their attention to the grape harvest. Yountville Hill Winery is to produce 100,000 gallons of wine annually, have two buildings totaling 14,000 square feet, have 35,590 square feet of caves, have up to 1,000 tasting room visitors weekly and have 58 marketing events annually. It would be located on the large hill north of Yountville near Highway 29. Two alternatives have emerged. One shrinks annual wine production to 80,000 gallons, weekly maximum visitation to 800 and annual marketing events to 50. Alternative two shrinks annual wine production to 70,000 gallons, maximum weekly visitation to 500 and annual marketing events to 48. The winery administration and visitors building would be moved lower down the hill. The draft environmental report says the environmentally superior alternative is doing nothing and leaving the now-closed, neo-Victorian Castle in the Clouds bed-and-breakfast on the site. But, given that this direction doesnt meet the project goal of constructing a winery, the report names alternative two as the superior option. The proposed project and the two project alternatives would, with mitigation, have a less than significant impact on the environment, according to the draft report. It looked at such topics as traffic, habitat and aesthetics. Were really proud of the effort weve made to listen to what people want, project applicant Eric Sklar told commissioners. Opponents have said that Yountville Hill Winery is more about hospitality and marketing than agriculture. Save Yountville Hill still sees problems with the proposed project. The project is out of scale for this particular site, said Ellison Folk, an attorney representing Save Yountville Hill. She is with the San Francisco law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger. This project is really a massive building that will be cantilevered out one of the ridges, Folk said. That makes it very prominent. Planning Commissioner Heather Phillips said she will not take part in the Yountville Hill Winery hearings. Phillips said the projects attorney made this request because she had a family member take part in the Yountville Hill Winery appeal. She said she recused herself to keep the Planning Commissions eventual decision from being challenged, though she stopped short of agreeing she has a conflict of interest. When one Planning Commissioner is targeted, we are all targeted and become vulnerable, Phillips said. Phillips also stepped down during the 2014 Yountville Hill Winery hearings at the request of the Yountville Hill Winery attorneys. Gas prices in Europe remain high in coming years Taiwan MFA outraged by Putin's speech on his status and Pelosi's visit Armenia gives no response to peace treaty proposals, Bayramov says Netanyahu expects return to power after 5th Israeli election in 4 years Armenian gravestone found in Trabzon, Turkey neighborhood Pashinyan: CSTO Secretary General's report mainly reflects existing realities Azerbaijan talks possible deliveries of its gas to international Turkish hub CSTO leaders to meet in late November: Situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border will be discussed Dollar, euro continue falling in Armenia Pelosi's house attacked, her husband injured Russias Putin to have private talks with Armenias Pashinyan, Azerbaijans Aliyev Mher Grigoryan: CIS needs a new scientific and technical agreement Pentagon strategy doesn't rule out use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear threats French National Assembly plans to pass resolution proposing certain sanctions against Azerbaijan Mher Grigoryan: There are no other corridors in the trilateral statement other than Lachin's Konstantin Zatulin: Russia should have made maximum efforts so that there would be no war in Karabakh The Hill: The American people deserve to know how the war in Ukraine will end Sochi to host trilateral talks of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on October 31 Poland receives first Turkish drones Hungarian government may extend price limits on fuel and some basic foodstuffs Armenias Simonyan attends meeting of heads of EEU countries parliaments Polish general appointed as head of EU mission to train Ukrainian troops Russia MP: Karabakh status decision is in fact its Armenians safety guarantee Zatulin: West seeks to push Russia out of negotiation process at any cost Legislature head proposes to organize, under CIS auspices, return of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan Iran prevents bomb explosion in Shiraz crowded street Iraqi parliament expresses vote of confidence in new cabinet France lawmakers visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Putin: Moscow is doing everything possible to normalize relations between Yerevan and Baku Annual shopping festival kicks off in Dubai on December 15 Lazarevsky Club: Minute of silence held in memory of fallen Russian and Armenian soldiers Bayramov and US Assistant Secretary of State discuss Yerevan-Baku relations Expansion of cooperation with Interpol is important, Armenia PM says Armenia defense minister briefs Austria envoy on situation due to recent Azerbaijan military aggression (PHOTOS) Australia can't rule out energy price caps Armenia parliament speaker: Use, threat of force undermine processes aimed at establishing peace Garo Paylan is in Yerevan Barack Obama tries to help Democrats win midterm elections Azerbaijan president, Russia first deputy PM discuss North-South transport corridor project PM Pashinyan receives France-Armenia friendship group delegation from French parliament Taiwan urges China to start talking Armen Grigoryan and Toivo Klaar discuss Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process Matviyenko: Russia will continue mediation for signing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty Politico: Scholz and Macron threaten U.S. trade retaliation CIS premiers sign several agreements at Kazakhstan meeting Konstantin Zatulin: Nagorno-Karabakh peoples right to self-determination must be respected Armenia legislature head: Policy of threats, coercion is unacceptable to us U.S. must strengthen its defense against growing threats from both China, Russia Karabakh ex-President: Necessary to rule out mistakes, miscalculations which will have irreversible consequences EU reaches agreement to ban new cars with internal combustion engine by 2035 Benny Gantz: Future of Israel and Turkey is promising EU Special Representative for South Caucasus arrives in Armenia Lazarevsky Club meeting underway in Yerevan, Moscow Yellen sees no sign of recession in U.S. economy in near future Cannes palm trees promenade named after Charles Aznavour Pashinyan: Armenia agrees to work on basis of main principles proposed by Russia CIS prime ministers meeting kicks off in Kazakhstan Newspaper: Karabakh people to make appeal to Armenia authorities Viking swords embedded in mound 1,200 years ago discovered in Sweden Residents of Moldova asked not to go out into street in dark Bloomberg reports fuel shortages in some parts of Europe British schoolboy writes book that became bestseller Lebanon, Israel sign deal on maritime border demarcation Spanish prime minister twice mistakes Kenya for Senegal during his speech Peskov: CSTO meeting to be held before Armenia-Azerbaijan-Russia summit Putin says he is ready to negotiate with Ukraine Putin compares Indian Prime Minister Modi to icebreaker Putin warns Seoul about risk of ruining relations with Russia by supplying weapons to Ukraine Interpol Secretary General visits Armenia Putin: Russia will not abandon the historical legacy of the USSR and the Russian Tsarist Empire Putin sees no point in nuclear strike on Ukraine Olaf Scholz says solution can be found to curb speculative spikes in gas prices Putin calls Russians and Ukrainians one people who find themselves in different states Putin: We proposed Armenia give 5 districts Putin: Washington version provides for recognition of Azerbaijan's sovereignty over whole Karabakh Putin calls Erdogan consistent and reliable partner, although not easy one Italy plans to double national gas production to 6 billion cubic meters a year Putin: The West, as a minority, has no right to impose values on the world Putin: As long as nuclear weapons exist, there is always a danger of their use Putin outraged by US assassination of General Soleimani: What is this all about? FM Abdollahian: Iran will not allow its interests to become plaything of terrorists Mirzoyan and Lavrov discuss preparations for CSTO Collective Security Council Putin proposes to discuss changing structure of UN and UN Security Council Pashinyan's wife accompanied in Tavush by mothers of servicemen who died in first and last days of war Shell reports almost $9.5 billion in profits Putin calls on West not to shift blame on intrigues of Kremlin Hungarian PM expresses readiness to buy electricity from Azerbaijan via Georgia Newsweek: The biggest foreign threat to the U.S. is not Russia or China. It's the EU Putin: In recent years, West has taken steps to exacerbate situation in world Armenian Defense Minister and French delegation discuss possibilities of developing defense cooperation Australia to send 70 soldiers to UK to help train Ukrainian troops Scholz condemns Turkey's stance questioning Greek sovereignty Armenian Defense Ministry: Azerbaijan hands over 10 bodies of killed servicemen to Armenian side Dollar, euro lose value in Armenia Turkish Central Bank raises inflation forecast for the end of 2022 to 65.2% U.S. State Department official visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan Prime Minister Pashinyan sends letter of condolence to Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi Secretary of Armenian Security Council and representatives of French Ministry of Defense discuss cooperation prospects Israel and Turkey to resume defense cooperation Scholz says solidarity is the only way to deal with the energy crisis Calling all lovers of humming, wing'd creatures: have you heard of the Festival of Flight? Commencing on Saturday, the 6th day of August, a most pleasant day is in sight. Investigate pollinators, butterflies, birds and witness a dragonfly capture. Walk amongst critters of which you will learn, and meet birds with Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico. Understand porcupines, lizards and snakes (don't these animals sound quite enticing?) You won't want to miss it, I make no mistake! 'Tis bound to be just mesmerizing. The invitation extends to those young and old. Not a single penny's required. The Rio Grande Nature Center is where it unfolds. And pleaseonly leave when you're tired! Rio Grande Nature Center Sat Aug 6 8am-4pm FREE ALL-AGES! View on Alibi calendar 17:49 Search operations launched to trace the remains of the two buses and private vehicles swept away in Mahad have run into adverse weather conditions coupled with high currents in the Savitri river, a senior NDRF official said. NDRF joined other agencies including the Coastguard in relief operations soon after the tragedy struck on Tuesday night and has since then been scouring the swollen waters for vehicle remains and missing people. "We are facing problems on three fronts. First the adverse weather conditions due to heavy rains, and then the extreme water current. Also, the water is so muddy that it has hindered the visibility to zero levels for our deep divers," Anupam Srivastava, a commandant of the 5th battalion told PTI. Srivastava said his team is not equipped with infra-red based technology that could help in locating objects in muddy water. Another obstacle they have to contend with is the presence of crocodiles in the water. "The latest obstacle is that our team jawans have spotted few crocodiles in the waters which means extra caution is needed while venturing out. But definitely these are not going to dampen our commitment," Srivastava said. With his crew of 160 jawans, 12 deep divers and 13 boats, DIG of NDRF (South Zone) S P Selvan is personally monitoring operations on the site. Elaborating on his team's efforts, Srivastava said, "One the first day, we lowered down a 150 kg hook as an anchor (into the river) but it could not stabilise at one place due to high currents. Then we got a 300-kg magnet from nearby MIDC but it too faced lot of resistance." "During the process, this magnet anchor got stuck to a heavy object and we guessed that it could be the one of the buses. But the crane present on the spot could not pull it out," he said. "Next day we got a big size crane from Mumbai which also failed to pull that substance out from the river. When we discussed this issue with the local administration, then we were informed that it could be a water pipeline which supplies potable water to nearby 14 villages. Therefore, for the time being, we have deferred our plans to pull out the magnet anchor until we get a confirmation about this," Anupam said. He said the severity of the conditions at the rescue site could be gauged by the fact when anchors weighing 300 kg are not getting settled in the water due to the current, then how can divers go inside. Three more bodies were today recovered from the Savitri river taking the mishap toll to 17. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Japanese government bonds mostly edged lower on Thursday as investors took a breather ahead of Friday's U.S. jobs data, though the benchmark 10-year JGB firmed on dip-buying after its yield spiked to a 4 1/2-month high earlier this week.The benchmark 10-year JGB yield inched down half a basis point to minus 0.095 percent, down from an earlier high of minus 0.070 percent.It jumped as high as minus 0.025 percent on Tuesday, when JGBs marked their worst sell-off in more than three years on concerns that the Bank of Japan might reduce the pace of its aggressive JGB purchases."The JGB market has calmed down a lot, and people are now waiting for the US nonfarm payrolls report," said Tadashi Matsukawa, head of fixed income investment at PineBridge Investments in Tokyo.Economists polled by Reuters are looking for U.S. non-farm employment to have risen by 180,000 in July.The yield curve steepened as pressure remained on superlong maturities, with the 40-year JGB yield adding 3 basis points in thin volume trade to a four-month high of 0.450 percent.Sources said earlier this week that the Japanese government will issue several hundred billion yen 40-year-bonds as soon as September to help fund its new 13.5 trillion yen stimulus package.The 20-year JGB yield added 2.5 basis points to 0.285 percent, while the 30-year JGB yield rose 3.5 basis points to 0.390 percent, its highest since April 25."Probably, until the 30-year auction, it will be like this," said Matsukawa, as investors looked to the outcome of the sale to gauge supply conditions.The Ministry of Finance will auction 800 billion yen ($7.90 billion) of 30-year JGBs on Aug. 9.September 10-year futures were down 0.12 point in afternoon trade at 151.47. REUTERS AKC RAI1128 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-870659.Xml The court was hearing a public interest litigation challenging the May 1 decision to provide quota for non-reserved categories on economic grounds, arguing that it violated the spirit of the constitution to treat everyone equally. The government had argued that it had provided for the quota on economic basis without disturbing the 50 per cent reservation cap imposed by the Supreme Court. The government had declared the 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections among higher castes with an annual income of Rs 6 lakh. This followed the 10-month agitation by the Patidar community demanding reservations in jobs under the OBC category. --IANS desai/mr ( 142 Words) 2016-08-04-12:50:02 (IANS) The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Supplementary Demand for Grants by voice vote approving additional government spending of Rs 1.03 lakh crore during the current fiscal even as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that in line with the budget commitment, a committee has been set up to review working of Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act. The panel is expected to submit its report in next two-three months, he said, adding it will be put in the public domain once received. "As stated in the budget, the FRBM panel has been already set up and it is working and examining matters and interacting with experts. At present the committee is also meeting all former Finance Ministers so that their experience is also enlisted," Jaitley said in his reply to five-hour-long debate on supplementary demand for grants (general) for 2016-17. These grants would also include a cash outgo of Rs 20,948.26 crore based on the Supplementary Demand for Grants moved by Finance Minister. Jaitley's announcement came in response to a specific query from Trinamool Congress member Sugata Bose on FRBM review panel, which is headed by former Revenue Secretary N.K. Singh and comprises former Finance Secretary Sumit Bose, Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, RBI Deputy Governor Urjit Patel and NIPFP Director Rathin Roy. The committee was initially assigned to submit its report to the government by October 31, 2016. Dwelling at various issues concerning the economy, Jaitley said the government will be able to maintain all the projections as mentioned in the budget. On fiscal deficit issue, he said: "At the moment there is no serious challenge to deficit." Jaitley however said the states and central government need to stick to their fiscal expenditure. On issues raised by various members including B. Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal), Abhishek Banerjee (Trinamool), N.K. Premchandran (Revolutionary Socialist Party) and Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress), he said that the 14th Pay Commission has been most accommodating to the states, but wondered why the states were still complaining. "However, I am yet to find a state which says we want to revert to the 13th Pay Commission." Jaitley also said that the debt crisis faced by West Bengal was a legacy of the erstwhile 34-year-old Left regime in the state. --IANS nd/vd ( 386 Words) 2016-08-04-22:58:01 (IANS) Like almost all women politicians in India, five term parliamentarian Margaret Alva has also been called a "dumb doll" by senior ministers. A survivor who has worked under four Congress Prime Minsters, Alva honed her skills , rarely speaking out of turn. When she did speak, out of a sense of hurt, she was put to pasture. Margaret Alva's autobiography Courage and Commitment is honest, detailed and provides an interesting insight into the workings of Congress politics. Elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha for four successive terms, Margaret Alva was made Central Minister at the age of 42, which in those days was a rarity. Margaret Alva was born in Mangalore in 1942, grew up in different parts of the former Madras Presidency, and imbibed the culture of the state, parts of which now belong to Andhra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Her father belonged to the Indian Civil Service. She was married into the Alva family, from Mangalore in South Kanara, which has a composite culture. She was drawn into the political scene while staying with her in-laws, both parliamentarians. She was elected for four successive terms to the Rajya Sabha, and one term in the Lok Sabha. Alva assumed several responsibilities, under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao. Even during the non-Congress years, Alva was very much a part of the Lutyen's zone political narrative that she has penned down in the book and makes for interesting reading. Of specific interest is the way she handled the fall out of the Jain Hawala case under P.V. Narasimha Rao. Not many politicians have spoken about that episode in Indian politics that changed the future course of succession in the BJP. Alva continued to maintain the confidence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, while dealing with the Bofors fallout, but later things soured when she remarked that the party was taking money before offering election nominations. She had questioned why her son Nivedith and the grandson of former Union minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief were not given nominations while relatives of two dozen leaders were given tickets in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. Her reaction expressed in a television interview created a controversy. The Congress Party, which conducted a probe under A. K. Antony, recommended her expulsion from the party. Put in cold storage for some time, Margaret Alva regained the confidence of Sonia Gandhi in 2009, when she was asked to contest on the Congress ticket for the Lok Sabha from Karwar, but was defeated. Margaret Alva was then made Governor of Uttarakhand. Living in the "Golden Cage" in the Raj Bhavan in Dehradun and later in Rajasthan, she has written her autobiography, which gives us an insider's look at the way in which pesky politicians are banished or are given gubernatorial assignments. Her autobiography also provides us an insider's look as to how the government functioned in the national capital. She also provides us an insight into the politics of Karnataka and how it functioned during elections, particularly the hard work she had put in during the election of Indira Gandhi from Chikkamagalur. The autobiography also gives us a close look of the role she played in projecting India during her visits abroad in various delegations, including as a delegate to the United Nations. The report of her visit to Cuba in 1983 and her interaction with President Fidel Castro is memorable. Fidel Castro, in his long interaction with Margaret Alva, told her "Do you know how different history would have been if the Spanish had landed in India instead of Cuba? She replied, "Yes, Fidel Castro would have been an Indian," which made Fidel Castro thump the table, and say, "I would have loved it! India is a great country." She recalls how after her long conversation with him he put his arms around her hugged her and thanked her for informing him about various issues concerning India. On her return she prepared a report of the visit and the result was she was made in charge of the Women's Front of the AICC. Asked why, she was told to contact Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi, when contacted, said, "Don't waste time asking questions. Just start working". She had earned the confidence of Rajiv Gandhi, and when he assumed power after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and won the elections held in December 1994, he personally rang up and asked her to be present in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing in as a Minister. He had trust in her ability to undertake any job. Asked what should she do, he said, "This is the problem with you! You talk too much. I have given you a job, now do it." Rajiv Gandhi took personal interest in her career recalls Alva. When her term as a Rajya Sabha member was to end, he called her and told her to meet the Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, and ensured that she was re-elected. She also recalls the role she played when she was a member of the Prime Minister's delegation to the Soviet Union, and her interaction with President Gorbachev who remarked about her speech "This Minister took Moscow by storm with her brilliant speech at the women's convention". Alva has recounted several episodes, which seem to have disappeared from public memory. She recalls how the opposition coined the slogan in 1989 elections "Gali Gali me shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi Chor Hai." The Prime Minister, she recalls, was terribly hurt. The public perception had dramatically changed and the Congress lost the elections in 1989. However, she continued her commitment to the Congress and she was a member of the team, which organized the elections in 1991. She recalls that she had seen off Rajiv Gandhi when he was flying off to Orissa, which turned out to be his last election rally. Alva returned to Bangalore to prepare for his visit to parts of Karnataka, but tragedy stuck the next day.on the night of 21 May 1991 when he was assassinated. Under Narasimha Rao, Alva functioned as the MOS for Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances. The Central Bureau of Investigation reported to her, which was like a "ticking bomb landing in her lap". She had to make a statement on the Jain Hawala case, which named many former ministers. When she remarked to many who rang her up that she had no role to play, she was told "Then why are you sitting in this ministry like a dumb doll". She also recalls that Sonia Gandhi was upset when the government decided to appeal against the Delhi High Court decision to quash complaints in the Bofors case. The instructions had gone from the office of the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, when Narasimha Rao was abroad, and Sonia Gandhi remarked "what does the Prime Minister want to do. Send me to jail?" Margaret Alva recalls "I found myself playing an (unwilling) intercessor. While Soniaji remained angry, the Prime Minister would call me over now and then on Sunday evenings to know the 'mood'at Janpath. He seemed keen to avoid a confrontation, but was unable to break the ice. My sincere efforts to help made me a suspect in both amps." In a party where loyalty to the high command is the only criterion for long term survival, Margaret Alva has had a long and stellar innings. Her autobiography is remarkable without rancour and bitterness. Courage & Commitment , an autobiography by Margaret Alva, Rupa Publications, pages 370, price Rs. 500/ Mr. I.Ramamohan Rao is a former Principal Information Officer of the Government of India. he can be reached on his e-mail raoramamohan@hotmail.com (ANI) A few days after Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Asim Ahmad Khan accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of threatening his life, he today said that a political conspiracy was being hatched in the chief minister's office at a particular point in the village. Talking to news reporter here, he said a group of women created a chaos at his father's shop with an "intention to implicate his father in false cases". The father of Mr Asim, Mr Nassem Ahmed Khan, has filed a police complaint. Mr Kejriwal sacked the former Delhi food and environment minister from his cabinet last year allegedly for taking a graft of Rs 6 lakh for allowing building construction in his constituency. However, the AAP legislator from Matia Mahal continues to be in the AAP."The CCTV footage of the incident have been provided with the police which took place at the shop in Meena Bazar along with the police complaint. We filed a case on August 1 as well since we had got prior information about such an attack. As planned, the incident occurred next day," the AAP legislator said. UNI SM RSD 0050 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0435-870473.Xml Iron ore and steel futures in China pulled back further on Thursday after recent sharp gains that lifted both commodities to multi-week highs.Steel demand was slower following the recent spike in prices and there was no rush from Chinese mills to buy iron ore cargoes given plentiful stocks at home, traders said.The most-active rebar, a construction steel product, on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was down 1.5 percent at 2,457 yuan ($370) a tonne by 0241 GMT, after touching a two-week high of 2,529 yuan on Tuesday.On the Dalian Commodity Exchange, the most-traded September iron ore slipped 1.6 percent to 475 yuan a tonne. The contract reached 489 yuan on Tuesday, the highest since April 25."We've seen mills looking for cargo, but we didn't see any rush in buying," said an iron ore trader in Shanghai.Weaker futures could deflate bids for physical iron ore cargoes and push the spot benchmark back below $60 a tonne, traders said.Iron ore for delivery to China's Tianjin port < .IO62-CNI=SI > was unchanged at $60.70 a tonne on Wednesday, according to The Steel Index (TSI). It was the highest level for iron ore since May 4."Weaker steel prices in China weighed on iron ore, with physical traders sitting on the sidelines," TSI said.Abundant iron ore stocks at Chinese ports stood at 106.05 million tonnes on July 29, the highest since December 2014, according to data tracked by SteelHome consultancy. < SH-TOT-IRONINV >Brazil's Vale SA, the world's top iron ore producer, is considering raising as much as $10 billion from the sale of up to 3 percent of future iron ore output to undisclosed Chinese companies, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.The deal, along with a series of planned asset sales, could help Chief Executive Officer Murilo Ferreira reach his goal of reducing Vale's $27.5 billion net debt by a third over the next 18 months.REUTERS RSD 0825 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-870542.Xml Protest against 'delay' in grant of a special status to Andhra Pradesh turned to be symbolic and low key move only in the Lok Sabha today with three YSR Congress members moving into the Well and pressed on their demand without causing any disturbance in the proceedings. When the House met for the day, only two YSRCP members, who were present, moved into the Well with placards and resorted to sloganeering keeping it a low-pitched affair to ensure that it did not cause much disturbance in Question Hour. After a short while, one of their colleagues also joined them in the slogan chanting. The YSRCP and the Telugu Desham Party(TDP) members have been raising their voice for grant of a special status to their home state in the House since Monday. However, the TDP that leads the government in Andhra Pradesh and an ally of BJP, ended their protests the next day following an assurance from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The YSRCP -- the principal opposition party -- did not relent even after the assurance and has been protesting.UNI SS SW 1217 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-870697.Xml With RSS supporting the separate state of Vidarbha and BJP taking a "U" turn on it, the issue has turned to be a contentious matter in the political arena of Maharahstra. Senior Sangha pracharak M.G.Vaidya supported the pro-Vidarbha movement saying that the issue is closer to the hearts of people of Central India. He suggested BJP to take initiative in this regard adding that government must take proper steps to find out the ways for forming a separate Vidarbha before the issue sparks a violent agitation. Justifying the demand for a separate Vidarbha, Mr Vaidya said here last night the development of smaller States was easier, BJP should form a State restructuring commission for the carving out of Vidarbha. Meanwhile, contrary to the RSS stand, BJP National General Secretary Murlidhar Rao categorically stated here late last evening that there cannot be a separate Vidarbha state just because people of region want it. Justifying the stand of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis towards 'united Maharashtra,' he said Fadnavis' stand was valid in the light of the BJP - Shiv Sena coalition government in the state. Separate Vidarbha could be possible only if the BJP comes to power with absolute majority. In want of absolute majority in Assembly elections, the BJP had to join hands with Sena which was opposed to separate Vidarbha state, he said. The decision of Mr Fadnavis is correct in view of the coalition government, said Mr Rao. Separate Vidarbha issue which has rocked the State politics following difference of opinion within the Congress and NCP over the matter. Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP have openly supported 'united Maharashtra' in the State legislature. Some of the senior Congress leaders were in favour of separate Vidarbha contrary to the party lines. NCP district President Ramesh Bang stated that if people of Vidarbha want a separate state then he would definitely support it. Toeing his lines, former NCP City President Ajay Patil, alleged that western Maharashtra has always done injustice to Vidarbha which must be separated, if the area has to be developed. NCP spokesperson Atul Londhe said the party will support public's choice. Meanwhile, Congress district President Rajendra Mulak opined that leaders of Vidarbha can decide about separate Vidarbha issue, not outsiders.UNI RS PK AKC ADG 1235 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-870691.Xml DMK President M Karunanidhi today wishedAICC President Sonia Gandhi, who was undergoing treatment in a hospital at New Delhi due to fever, a speedy recovery and early return to normal political activity. In a letter to Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, copies ofwhich were released to the media here, Mr Karunanidhi said he was greatly upset when he came to know that Ms Sonia Gandhi fell ill during her campaign in Varanasi yesterday. ''When she was not doing well, I feel that she should have been advised not to undertake the tour. However, the news that she is now stable and recovered to a greater extent has given me and the people of Tamil Nadu a breath of robust relief'', he added.. ''I request you to kindly convey my wishes to her for a speedyrecovery and early return to normal political activity. I also request you to please take care of her till she recovers fully'', Mr Karunanidhisaid.UNI GV CS -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-871059.Xml Efforts were on by the State government to ensure that they reach Chennai this evening. Thirty Indians, including 19 pilgrims from Kancheepuram,who went on a trip to Nepal, requested the State and Centralgovernments to ensure their safe return as they were strandedin the Himalayan Kingdom following heavy rains a few days ago. Gopinath of Thirukalimedu in Kancheepuram headed the 19 member crew that left to Nepal on July 20. They had been to the Mukthinath mountain on July 24 as part of the trip, after which they had planned to return to India. While nine of them returned to the Indian Border, the remaining ten from the State, along with 20 others from the country, were stranded in the mountain due to therains and the subsequent landslides. Though they were safe there, Gopi requested the State and the central government to take necessary action to rescue them from there at the earliest. Following this, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa ordered officials to get in touch with the officials of the IndianEmbassy in Nepal. Thanks to her efforts, the stranded passengers havelanded in New Delhi and was scheduled to reach herelater in the day.UNI GV CS -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-871107.Xml Maharashtra government has launched a scheme for the prisoners, who can now get remission by clearing yoga test in the jail. A source at the jail said here today that the state prison department has introduced the scheme, under which yoga exam were being conducted in the prisons, following the direction of the Centre to promote yoga in walk of life. He said keeping in mind the condition on the convicts, the prison department decided to launch the noble scheme. According to source, the exams were conducted in May and June in various prisons and the results were declared in July. The convicts were given remission on the basis of their performance in yoga exam, in different terms. Based on their performance, the jail authorities prepared a list of convicts due to be released before October. The source said that eight convicts, who have so far been granted remission, include four from Nagpur central jail and an equal number from Aurangabad central jails.These prisoners got remission, ranging between 30 to 40 days, so far. According to the source, the test was for 100 marks, in which some of the prisoners even scored a distinction and were granted 40-day remission of sentence. The source said that in the exam conducted at Nagpur central jail, the paper was divided into two equal parts 50 for the written test and 50 for physical while at Aurangabad central jail, the written, oral and physical tests were of 30 marks each. The source further said that 10 marks were accorded for attendance in Aurangabad. According to the source, the yoga tests were conducted by Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth, from where two trainers regularly conducted yoga classes at these central jails. Baba Ramdev had also organised yoga camps across prisons in Maharashtra, including at Arthur Road jail, which houses around 2,000 undertrials. UNI PK PS RJ 1658 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-871335.Xml Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain today ordered seven years of imprisonment to 'Peepli Live' co-producer Mahmood Farooqui on the charge of raping an American national at his south Delhi residence last year.A 35-year-old American woman, student of Columbia University, who was in the city for research work for her doctoral thesis, had alleged that Farooqui had raped her on March 28 and later apologised through several e-mails exchanged between them.More UNI XC RP1721 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-871370.Xml Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung today lauded the Delhi High Court's judgement, which established his supremacy in the administrative matters of the National Capital Territory. Earlier in the day, in a major setback to AAP government, the Delhi High Court said the Lieutenant Governor (LG) is the administrative head of National Capital Territory.Addressing mediapersons here, Mr Jung said there was never any aggression from his side and never an abusive word from his office and he will continue to cooperate with the Delhi government for city's progress. On Delhi's progress getting affected due to the tussle between him and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said, "Delhi work has not impacted as only a handful of files were returned with legal advice." "It will be exaggeration to say that the work was affected," Mr Jung added. On the other hand, the AAP said its politely disagreed with the Delhi High Court judgement on LG, and to safeguard the rights of Delhiites, it will necessarily move the Supreme Court.UNI RG/SM PR RJ 1817 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0271-871600.Xml Government has proposed to set up four new Major Ports in the country, the Lok Sabha was informed today. In a written reply, Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said the ports would come up in Enayam in Tamil Nadu, Sagar in West Bengal, Dugarajpatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Vadhawan in Maharashtra. Out of these, the Cabinet has conveyed in-principle approval for setting up of Enayam Port on July 5. Assistance would be extended by the Government based on their need. To another question, the Minister said the Government had proposed to implement utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plant projects at various major ports across the country. The funds for establishment of solar power projects were arranged by the major ports from their own resources and no funds have been released from the Ministry, he said. UNI RBE RSA 1942 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-871858.Xml All the Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports are equipped with ramps and toilets for wheel chair users, the Lok Sabha was informed today. While developing airport infrastructure, provisions for these facilities are made by the AAI from time to time to make the airports more differently-abled persons friendly. In a written reply, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said no complaint has been received in the last six months specific regarding facilities for persons with disabilities at airports. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), Section-3, Series-M, Part-I on "Carriage by Air - Persons with Disability or Persons with Reduced Mobility" to protect the interest of such passengers, he said.Provisions for ramps in public buildings, adaptations of toilets for wheel chair users and braille symbols and auditory signals in elevators and lifts were to be provided for differently abled persons, the Minister said.UNI ADP RSA 1901 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-871615.Xml The Government is pursuing Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) programme in a consultative manner, the Lok Sabha was informed. In a written reply, Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Uma Bharti said the implementation of the ILR projects involved several steps, including preparation of pre-feasibility reports/feasibility reports of links, negotiation and consensus among states concerned, preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) of the projects and clearance from appraisal agencies. She informed projects under the ILR programme were at various stages of planning. '' National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has incurred an expenditure of Rs 588.8 crore during the period for preparation of preliminary water balance studies, pre feasibility reports, feasibility reports and DPRs related to ILR programme. NWDA has identified 30 links (16 under peninsular component and 14 under Himalayan component) for preparation of feasibility reports. ''After survey and investigations feasibility reports of 14 links under peninsular component and two links in the Himalayan components have been prepared,'' she said. The DPRs of Ken-Betwa Phase I & II, Daman-Ganga-Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada have been prepared and shared with the States. Pre-feasibility Reports of 36 Intra-State link proposals out of 46 proposals of Intra-State links have been completed, the Minister said These DPRs are at various stages of approval. The in-principle approval of the standing committee of the National Wild Life Board has been received for the Ken-Betwa link project, she said. ''In order to speed up the implementation of ILR programme and to arrive at a consensus on the link proposals between the states, a 'Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers', has been constituted by this Ministry in September, 2014. ''Ten meetings of the special committee for ILR have been held so far, wherein state irrigation/ water resources ministers along with the secretaries of various states attended the meetings. ''The committee after considering the views of all the stakeholders is taking all necessary steps for expediting the objectives of interlinking rivers programme as per terms of reference of the committee,'' Ms Bharti replied. UNI RBE RSA 1952 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-871898.Xml Pakistan joined the group yesterday which also includes armed forces of Afghanistan, China and Tajikistan, daily Dawn reported quoting a statement from Pakistan army's Inter-Services Public Relations. These four countries would cooperate in counter-terrorism situation evaluation, clue verification, intelligence sharing, counter terrorism capacity building, counter terrorism joint training exercises and personnel training. "The inaugural high-level meeting on Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in counter- terrorism by the group members' armed forces or military was held in Urumqi, Xingjian Uygur autonomous region, China, yesterday", the report said. "The participants unanimously agreed that terrorism and extremism are serious threat to regional stability and reiterated to cooperate for tackling these forces for peace and stability of all member countries," a communiqu issued at the end of the meeting said. Mr Qadam Shah Shahim, CGS Afghan National Army; General Fang Fenghui, Chief of Joint Staff Department of Central Military Commission; General Raheel Sharif, COAS Pakistan Army; and Major General E. A. Cobidrzoda, First Deputy Defence Minister and CGS Tajikistan armed forces were present on the occasion, the newspaper report said..UNI XC SV SS -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0103-870596.Xml Thirty-three members of the US military have contracted the Zika virus overseas in countries where it has been identified, CNN reported today, citing a Pentagon spokesman.One US service member who contracted the virus is a pregnant woman, CNN said. Major Ben Sakrisson, the Pentagon spokesman, told the network he did not know how many service members were still ill or how many had returned to the United States. REUTERS RSD 0041 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-870471.Xml The Russian military informed the United States that rebels in the Syrian city of Aleppo launched an attack using toxic substances at 19:05 on August 2, Interfax news agency reported today, citing a Russian general.As a result of the attack, seven people died and more than 20 people were sent to hospital, Interfax reported.REUTERS RSD 0051 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-870475.Xml US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, hit back at suggestions that a United States decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile defense system in South Korea had provoked recent ballistic missile tests by North Korea.Pyongyang's ally China has said Washington's decision last month to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system would only worsen tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea threatened a physical response to the deployment decision.Speaking after the UN Security Council met on North Korea's missile launch yesterday, which landed in Japanese controlled waters for the first time, Power said the anti-missile system was to defend against the threat by North Korea."Any notion that there's some predicate by anybody other than Kim Jong Un and the DPRK (North Korea) regime is not grounded in reality and it's not grounded in history," Power told reporters after the closed-door meeting, in reference to the North Korean leader.China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi said that nothing should be done to exacerbate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.When asked what could be done to de-escalate the situation, he said: "If you look at the factors contributing to the tension in the Korean peninsula I think the answer is self-evident."The 15-member Security Council met at the request of Japan and the United States following the latest in a series of launches by isolated North Korea in defiance of Security Council resolutions."The missile landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone. There was no warning whatsoever," Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho told reporters. "It is certainly a major, major problem for the security and safety of our region."South Korea's UN Ambassador Oh Joon said that this year North Korea had conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests, firing 29 various rockets."They are doing all of this with a systematic, comprehensive purpose of upgrading and refining their missile technologies," he told reporters. "It poses a clear and present danger to the security of all countries in the region."Power said she believed the Security Council could swiftly issue a condemnation. Council statements have to be agreed by consensus and previous condemnations of North Korea missile launches have taken days or weeks.United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is "deeply troubled" by North Korea's recent missile launches, his spokesman said, calling on Pyongyang to "reverse its course."REUTERS RSD 0624 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-870520.Xml Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan.On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim US Army captain killed in the Iraq war.Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said."He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus.The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus.Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message.More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the November 8 election.Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burned by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support.But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said yesterday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing.The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing.Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States.Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans.Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN yesterday: "I just don't see how I get to Donald Trump anymore."Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash."There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early yesterday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," Manafort said.In Daytona, Florida, Trump said the news media's coverage of him was dishonest."We're doing quite well despite the fact that we get a totally false narrative," he told supporters at a rally.At another campaign event in Florida, in Jacksonville, Trump pointed out a group of families, known as Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in war, calling them "incredible people." He didn't mention the spat with the Khans.RECENT TURMOILTrump's always unruly campaign has been mired in disorder in recent days. On Monday, Trump fired Ed Brookover, a senior adviser hired as a liaison between the campaign and the RNC.Ryan, who is favored to win next week in his race against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, appeared to be trying to ignore the snub from Trump. An aide to the speaker said he would not have time to meet Trump later this week, when Trump is expected to be campaigning in Wisconsin, Ryan's home state.The aide did not indicate whether anyone had requested a get-together of Trump and Ryan, but when asked whether they might meet to patch things up, the aide told Reuters, "The speaker has a full schedule - can't back out of previous commitments in the (congressional) district."A Republican congressional aide said there was deep frustration on Capitol Hill that Trump keeps engaging in "petty spats." The aide said congressional offices that support Trump got two sets of talking points on Monday from the campaign about the Khan situation but have not heard anything from the campaign about Trump's Ryan comments.The dissent over the Trump campaign also took other turns.Late on Tuesday, Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise , endorsed Clinton's White House bid, calling Trump an "authoritarian character" and a threat to democracy.In better news for Trump, his campaign and the RNC jointly raised 80 million dollars for his White House bid in July, the campaign said yesterday. That was less than the 90 million dollars Clinton raised along with the national Democratic Party the same month, but it was a substantial bump from past months.A former reality TV star, Trump has won support particularly from white blue-collar workers who feel neglected by the political establishment. Along with his proposed ban on Muslims, his plans have included building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and renegotiating trade agreements.Opinion polls have shown Clinton benefiting from a boost after her party's convention last week. The RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls put her 4.5 per centage points ahead of Trump, at 46.5 per cent to 42 per cent.The Detroit Economic Club, where candidates usually appear to give major economic addresses, said Trump would speak at the club on Monday.REUTERS RSD 0628 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-870521.Xml South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) was leading its rivals early today as vote counting proceeded in local government elections that could see it lose control of key cities for the first time since coming to power.The party, which toppled white apartheid rule after the country's first democratic elections in 1994, is up against its stiffest electoral challenge to date against the backdrop of high unemployment, a stagnant economy and controversies surrounding President Jacob Zuma.With a quarter of the votes in so far, the ANC held a 50 per cent lead, against 34 per cent for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and 6 per cent for the Economic Freedom Fighters, which is participating in only its second election.The ANC and DA were neck-and-neck at 43 percent each in Tshwane municipality, home to the capital Pretoria, although only 15 per cent of the votes had been counted. The DA led with 61 per cent versus 30 per cent for the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay, with a fifth of the votes in.Opinion polls see a close race in Nelson Mandela Bay, named after the anti-apartheid champion and South Africa's first black president, as well as in Pretoria and South Africa's economic hub, Johannesburg.A significant loss of support for the ruling party, which led South Africa's decades-long struggle against oppressive white minority rule, would be a blow ahead of the next major test - the 2019 national elections.The ANC won an overall 62 per cent of the vote in the last municipal elections in 2011, while the DA garnered 24 per cent. Final results for this year's election are expected by Friday.The DA is expected to maintain control of Cape Town, the only big city not run by the ANC. It is an historically white-dominated movement hoping to expand support under its new black leader Mmusi Maimane."I voted DA because I'm sick of the rotten, corrupt ANC," said Simpiwe, an unemployed 55-year-old surrounded by shacks in a rundown Nelson Mandela Bay township on the southeast coast, after casting his ballot yesterday.Many South Africans who queued up to vote said they were worried about Zuma's performance and the state of Africa's most industrialised economy, where one in four in the labour force is unemployed.Senzo Makhubela, a 32-year-old security guard, said the ANC needed to build more houses and do more to develop areas like Diepsloot, the shantytown where he lives north of Johannesburg.But he was sticking with the ruling party for now, despite the travails of its leader. "Zuma doesn't make decisions alone so the ANC is not Zuma alone, it's a collective," he said.Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the 16 million dollars in state funds spent on renovating his private home.In December, he rattled investors after changing his finance minister twice in a week, sending the rand plummeting. The currency has since recovered.Zuma has said he would repay some of the funds spent on his home and rejected criticism of his conduct, but anger is rising in a country on the brink of recession.Analysts also predict a downgrade by credit ratings agencies to "junk" status later this year."A very weak outcome for the ANC, getting less than a 55 per cent national vote share and losing three metros, would likely be viewed as a market positive," said Nomura emerging market analyst Peter Attard Montalto. REUTERS RSD 0836 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-870552.Xml Women's rights activist groups have demanded 33 per cent representation of women in the Nepal Cabinet under newly-elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, failing which a movement will be launched. According to a report published in Ekantipur Times,the women rights activists said that primary task of the new government should be implementation of the Constitution. The government should not keep away from its responsibility of appointing one-third women ministers in the Cabinet. The activists also expressed concern over the women leaders keeping mum over the issue. An activist and former president of NGO Federation of Nepal Sharmila Karki said,''I wonder why woman leaders have not stood up for the right that is already enshrined in the Constitution. Even though they have chosen to remain silent, we have stepped up pressure.'' ''We have begun a campaign to make sure that woman's rights are upheld and protected as women's representation in the previous government was quite dismal,'' she added. A member of Nepal Women's Association Bijaya K C said,''The country has made history by having women in top three positionshead of state (president), speaker and chief justice. But we do not have women ministers in the Cabinet as specified by the Constitution.'' Women Security Pressure Group president Sabitri Thapa said the rights activists have already handed over a memorandum to the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress demanding 33 per cent representation for women in the Cabinet. Ms Thapa said her next move will be meeting Prime Minister Dahal, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and top leaders of Madhes-based parties to press for their demand.UNI XC SV ADG 1425 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0103-870799.Xml The United States has added the Pakistani militant group Jamaat-ur-Ahrar to its list of global terrorists, triggering sanctions against a faction that has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities and soldiers.Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for at least five major attacks in Pakistan since December, including the Easter Sunday bombing in a public park that killed 70 people in the city of Lahore.The group is a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban movement that has also declared loyalty to Islamic State's leadership in the Middle East.It also claimed responsibility for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the US Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar in March.Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has not commented on the designation that was announced by the US State Department yesterday. It means anyone who supports Jamaat-ur-Ahrar could have their assets frozen by the US government.Pakistan welcomed the decision."Pakistan has long pleaded to take concrete action against the TTP and their like who operate in Afghanistan, and they have planned and launched a number of attacks in Pakistan while operating from there," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria told a briefing, referring to the Pakistani Taliban.The Pakistani Taliban, allied with but separate from the Afghan Taliban, are fighting to topple the Islamabad government and install a strict interpretation of Islamic law.Pakistan has over the years backed militants opposed to its old rival India and governments in Afghanistan seen as pro-Indian.Pakistan says militants fighting it operate out of Afghanistan while Afghanistan says militants fighting it operate out of Pakistan.REUTERS SDR BL1514 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-871087.Xml Groups of wealthy Republicans unhappy with Donald Trump have been privately courting prominent peers to join them in backing Democrat Hillary Clinton's US presidential bid, several people involved in the effort told Reuters.They say they are seeking money and endorsements from other Republicans disillusioned by Trump, their party's candidate for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Some have received encouragement from Clinton and members of her campaign staff."I made the decision that I wouldn't be able to look at my grandkids if I voted for Trump," said Dan Webb, a former federal prosecutor and a self-described "Republican for decades" working to win over prominent Republican business people in Chicago.Trump, a New York developer making his first run at public office, has made traditional Republican donors uneasy with inflammatory statements about women, Mexicans, Muslims and war veterans, among others.Big-name Wall Street donors can make a difference for Clinton. They could inject big money into a campaign. They might influence moderate Republicans to switch sides. Their support of Clinton challenges Trump's assertion that his business successes make him a better candidate for president.With the political conventions barely over, the Republican effort to fundraise for Clinton is at an early stage. Some of the groups have yet to receive contributions because they must still file paperwork under campaign finance rules.Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks declined comment for this story. Clinton spokesman Jesse Ferguson said business leaders are supporting Clinton because of her economic plan and because Trump "cannot be trusted."WARY OF TRUMPGroups formed to support Clinton include Republicans for Her 2016, run by Republican lobbyist Craig Snyder; a grassroots organization called R4C16, led by John Stubbs and Ricardo Reyes, officials in former President George W. Bush's administration; and the Republican Women for Hillary group co-led by Jennifer Pierotti Lim, an official at the US Chamber of Commerce.The first two groups are acting independently of Clinton's own effort. The third is acting in concert with her campaign."We wanted to go out there and be the voice for Republicans who were feeling wary about Trump and weird about publicly endorsing Hillary," said Pierotti Lim, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention at the Clinton team's invitation.Webb, a partner at law firm Winston & Strawn, said he began his outreach after being approached by billionaire investor JB Pritzker and longtime Clinton associate Lanny Davis. Pritzker and Davis could not be reached for comment.Yesterday, billionaire hedge fund manager Seth Klarman said he would work to get Clinton elected because of comments by Trump he found "shockingly unacceptable." Although Klarman, who is the president and chief executive of The Baupost Group, is a registered independent, a review of filings shows his political giving has largely benefited Republicans over the years, including some of Trump's rivals in the state-by-state nominating contests this year.WHITMAN, BLOOMBERG BACK CLINTONSpearheading in part the Clinton effort to woo Republicans on Wall Street is Democratic strategist Leslie Dach, a former Walmart executive and aide to Bill Clinton, sources close to the Clinton campaign said.People familiar with the Clinton drive say the Democratic nominee herself has spoken to Republican business leaders, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chief Executive Meg Whitman, who endorsed Clinton on Tuesday.Clinton deputies courted former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ahead of a rousing speech he gave at last month's Democratic National Convention that urged Wall Street to support her.Whether Bloomberg, a self-made billionaire media mogul and an erstwhile Republican, will play a role in courting other Republican business leaders has yet to be determined, a source close to the discussions said.While some major donors are hesitant to back Trump, the candidate over the last month has pulled in millions of dollars in small-money donations to boost total contributions to more than 80 million dollar for Trump's campaign and the Republican Party, nearly matching Clinton's 90 million dollar haul during the same period.REUTERS SDR BL1535 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-871140.Xml A US woman was killed and five other people injured by a man with suspected mental health issues who went on a rampage with a knife in central London, but police said there was no evidence that the attack was terrorism related.Armed police were called at 0300 hrs after a Norwegian man of Somali origin with a knife started to attack people in London's Russell Square, an elegant park near the site of a 2005 suicide bombing.The victim, a US citizen in her 60s, was treated at the scene but pronounced dead a short time later.Another woman and four men were treated in hospital, though three of them were later discharged. Nationals from Australia, Britain, Israel and the United States were among those hurt."All of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," said London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley."We believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random," said Rowley, who is Britain's most senior anti-terrorism officer."So far we have found no evidence of radicalisation that would suggest that the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism," said Rowley. Initially he said that terrorism was a line of inquiry.Police, who arrived within six minutes of being called, used a Taser electric shock gun while detaining the 19-year-old suspect. He was later formally arrested on suspicion of murder.Police cordoned off the southern part of the square, which sits at the heart of London's university area and is close to landmarks such as the British Museum, for several hours as forensics officers examined the attack scene.Later, workmen hosed blood off the pavement."SEVERE THREAT"London's Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, called for vigilance and urged Londoners to report anything suspicious to the police, who increased their presence in the capital."The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones," he said.Just hours before the Russell Square attack, London's police chief said that he would deploy an additional 600 armed officers across the capital to protect against attacks.London counter-terrorism police chiefs have previously warned that Islamic State was seeking to radicalise vulnerable people with mental health issues to carry out attacks. In some operations, police commanders have taken advice from specialist psychologists.Islamist militants hit London with coordinated suicide bombings on July 7, 2005, killing 52 people. One of the bombs detonated on a bus close to Russell Square.Since then, dozens of plots have been foiled and there have been smaller-scale attacks, such as the beheading of an off-duty soldier by militant Islamists in a London street in May 2013.A man who attacked passengers at a London underground train station in December was jailed for life earlier this month. The judge said the attacker was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offence but may have been motivated by events in Syria. REUTERS SDR BL1710 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-871373.Xml China is to set up an anti-terrorism alliance with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, state media said today, as it seeks to boost coordination with neighbours to tackle what it says is a growing domestic militant threat.Fang Fenghui, a member of the powerful Central Military Commission which controls China's armed forces, hosted a meeting with his counterparts yesterday in Urumqi, capital of the western Xinjiang region, where officials say they are battling Islamist militants.The four countries recognised the serious threat of terrorism and extremism to regional stability, the official Xinhua news agency said, and they agreed to set up a "four-country mechanism" for intelligence sharing and training."All parties reaffirmed they will cooperate to respond to these forces, and safeguard all member countries' peace and stability," Xinhua said.Afghan army chief of general staff, General Qadam Shah Shaheem, Pakistani army chief General Raheel Sharif, and the Chief of General Staff of the Tajikistan armed forces, Major General E A Cobidrzoda, took part in the talks, the news agency said.The meeting comes after China's defence minister this week thanked Afghanistan's Shaheem for support in fighting the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) an Islamist group that China says wants to set up a separate state in Xinjiang.China did not elaborate on the help it got.China has long been concerned that instability in Afghanistan will spill over into violence-prone Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people, where hundreds of people have died in recent years in unrest Beijing blames on extremists.The United States and the United Nations have listed ETIM as a terrorist group, though some experts have questioned its cohesiveness and say China's policies in Xinjiang have contributed to unrest.China denies that its policies stoke tension in Xinjiang or motivate Uighurs to join Islamic State militants, though it acknowledges some have gone to Syria and Iraq to join the group.China is also working with Pakistan and the United States to broker peace talks to end a Taliban insurgency that has raged for 15 years in Afghanistan.That effort never got beyond exploratory talks and appeared to break down completely when Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan in May.Sources in the Taliban told Reuters that a Taliban delegation visited China in July, though Chinese officials have not confirmed it.REUTERS SDR BL1718 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-871392.Xml The United Nations said today that intensive diplomacy was going on to try to agree a humanitarian pause in the fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo, and it hoped to see an agreement for a comprehensive humanitarian plan in the next few days."There is still time, we cannot give up hope. Bear with us and I think in next few days there might be some movement," UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy told reporters in Geneva. REUTERS SDR BD1725 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-871417.Xml A court in Bangladesh today allowed police to detain two men over an attack claimed by militant group Islamic State on a cafe in the capital, Dhaka, that killed 20 hostages, mostly foreigners.The case has drawn criticism from human rights groups who say the suspects were illegally detained and denied access to a lawyer. A lawyer for one of the two men, Hasnat Karim, said his client was innocent and demanded his immediate release.Karim, who holds dual British and Bangladeshi citizenship, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student of Toronto University, were dining separately with family and friends when gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery on the evening of July 1.The suspected Islamist militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigners, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian before security forces stormed the eatery to end the 12-hour siege. Two police also died in the operation.Today, a Dhaka court remanded the men in custody for eight days for interrogation, with police official Masudur Rahman telling reporters they had been arrested last night "from two different places".UNKNOWN LOCATIONThe police assertion of arrests at different sites appeared to run counter to relatives' statements that the men were held at unknown locations after the attack."The authorities have finally admitted that Mr Karim is in their custody," his London-based lawyer, Rodney Dixon, told Reuters in a statement."They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries. There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be let go without any further delay."Rights group Amnesty International has criticised the detention of the men as having denied them their fundamental right to legal representation.The formal arrests take to seven the tally for the cafe attack, which the government blames on local militants, along with another, on July 26, in which police killed nine militants believed to be plotting a similar assault.The government has dismissed suggestions that Islamic State has a presence in Bangladesh, even though 'selfies' of some of the attackers posing with an automatic rifle were posted on the jihadi group's propaganda outlets during the siege.In the past year, al Qaeda and Islamic State have made competing claims over the killings of liberals and religious minorities in the mostly Muslim nation of 160 million.Karim and Khan were among 32 survivors rescued by police and taken into custody for questioning. Police released the others soon after, but the two men's families said they had not returned.Karim, a 47-year-old engineer, was at the cafe with his family to celebrate his daughter's 13th birthday.Relatives of Khan, 22, told the New York Times that the student, who has epilepsy, had been beaten and denied medical attention after being held.Khan's father, reached by telephone, declined to comment.REUTERS SDR VP1728 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-871432.Xml The Pakistan Election Commission started hearing the four references filed by many political parties, seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and asked them to produce documentary evidence on August 17. The five-member bench is being chaired by Chief Election Commissioner, Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza, reports Geo News. After Pakistan Peoples Party senior leader and lawyer Latif Khosa could not read from the documentary evidence that he had submitted to the Commission along with an application for disqualification of Sharif, the Commission said it cannot deliver its judgment on the basis of such evidence that could not be read. The disqualification petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Awami Tehreek and Awami Muslim League were submitted after the Panama Papers' leaks about Pakistani politicians running off shore companies. The parties have filed separate references to get Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif disqualified for allegedly hiding facts in his nomination papers and income tax returns. PML-N's Daniyal Aziz told media that all the four parties had conceded before the Election Commission that the name of the Prime Minister was not mentioned in the Panama Papers. He noted that the parties filed references without having evidence to substantiate their contention. (ANI) Cyprus will deport a "radicalised" Austrian man suspected of being a security risk by Interpol, authorities said today.The 28-year-old man was detained yesterday at a checkpoint in the capital Nicosia in an area straddling a ceasefire line dividing the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.The man, whom police sources said was travelling alone, was crossing from the Turkish to the Greek side when he was stopped by Greek Cypriot police for a routine passport check."His name was on a list of suspects for terrorism," said Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, who said the man had been "radicalised".The man would be deported to Austria, Nicolaou said. Poland's Interpol branch had the man on a suspect list.The man, who has not been charged or identified, told authorities he was planning to visit an Islamic shrine on the south coast of Cyprus.Thousands of people, including tourists, use Cyprus's checkpoints to cross daily from one side to the other. The crossing where the man was stopped is one of the busiest. Authorities on both sides have beefed up passport checks in the past year.REUTERS SDR BL1948 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-871865.Xml Launching a scathing attack on Pakistan for eulogising terrorists as 'martyrs', Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today called for zero tolerance towards people and nations who supported terrorism. The Home Minister, while addressing the SAARC Interior Ministers Conference here, demanded justice to the victims of the Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks and said state and non-state actors who were involved in such attacks must be isolated. Following Mr Singh's stern comments against terrorism, his speech was blacked out in Islamabad and also the Indian media was not allowed to film it. "Anyone who provide support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorism or terrorists must be isolated and strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them," said Mr Singh. He said merely strong condemnation of such terrorist attacks was not enough. "We must harden our resolve to eradicate this menace and also take serious steps to this end," the Home Minister added. He said it must be ensured that terrorists are not be glorified or patronised by any state. "One country's terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. I speak for the entire humanity, not just for India or other SAARC members, that in no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs,'' Mr Singh said. The SAARC nations present there supported Mr Singh's stand against terrorism and accepted his proposal to hold next meeting of High Level Group of Eminent Experts to Strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism in September this year at New Delhi. Meanwhile, showing its strong resentment against Pakistan-supported terrorist activities in Bangladesh, Dhaka did not send his Home Minister to attend SAARC meet. Mr Singh said that in the common fight against terrorism, implementation of the SAARC Regional Convention on suppression of terrorism and its additional protocol becomes crucial. This also includes ensuring effective measures so that those committing terrorist acts do not escape prosecution and punishment, and are extradited or prosecuted. The Home Minister also emphasised upon not to misuse digital technology to enhance menace of terrorism. He said in today's digital world, there was a need to look into all possible avenues of cyber-crime, its linkages with the terrorist world so that it could be dealt with strictly. The other issues that were taken up by the Home Minister included the drug trafficking and increasing circulation of fake currency. He extended New Delhi's cooperation towards implementation of Regional Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances.UNI XC NAZ SB SHK 2041 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-871957.Xml SOFIA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Bulgarian government on Wednesday approved an agreement under which the first International Congress on World Civilizations and Creative Tourism will be held here from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2016. The purpose of the event, jointly organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is to draw attention to the link between creative tourism and world civilizations as a trend in the international market, the government said in a statement. The event will also explore how science and technology contribute to the overall experience of tourists visiting a particular destination, the statement said. The 157 ministers responsible for tourism in the member states of the UNWTO were invited to participate in the congress. "Holding an event of this scale will contribute to the promotion of Bulgaria as an attractive tourist destination with tremendous opportunities for the development of cultural and historical tourism," the government said. Bulgaria has been a member of the UNWTO since 1976, and currently the country is a member of the organization's executive council. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday held talks with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith, vowing to further advance bilateral ties. Calling Laos "a close neighbor" of China, Wang said the two countries have always supported each other and enjoyed solid foundation of cooperation and broad prospect of development. China will firmly follow a friendly policy towards Laos and have full confidence in the future of bilateral ties, he said. He said China is willing to work with Laos to prepare for the attendance of Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit at the G20 Hangzhou Summit in September and better synergize the strategies of the two countries. Wang called for the early start of the construction of a railway between China and Laos and enhanced cooperation in areas including industrial parks, border trade, energy, infrastructure construction, law enforcement and people-to-people exchanges. Saleumxay said this year is of great importance in the history of bilateral relations as it marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Laos and China. He appreciated China's long-term assistance to Laos, saying his country is willing to work with China to implement consensus reached by the two presidents. Laos is the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year. Both Wang and Saleumxay agreed that the two countries need to hold a successful commemorative meeting marking the 25th anniversary of dialogue relationship between China and ASEAN this year. Wang said China has always taken the ASEAN as the priority of China's diplomacy with neighboring countries, adding that China supports ASEAN in playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (C) reviews troops upon his arrival at the airport on July 30, 2016 in the capital Khartoum. Omar al-Bashir was honoured during a ceremony upon his return from Ethiopa, where he received the African Dignity Award during the first African Dignity Forum launched by Addis Ababa University (AAU) in Addis Ababa. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) KHARTOUM, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- A Sudanese official declared that the Chinese companies acquire 75 percent of foreign investments in the country's oil sector, Sudan Tribune reported Wednesday. Mohamed Zayed Awad, Sudanese Minister of Petroleum and Gas, also announced entry of new Chinese companies to invest in fields of gas and petroleum in the country. He said that a delegation of the China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) will arrive in the country late this month to get acquainted with new projects. The company is willing to enter into new projects at a number of oil blocks, he said. Sudan is seeking to increase its oil production after losing 75 percent of its oil revenues following the separation of South Sudan in 2011. Before separation, Sudan's oil production amounted to 450,000 barrels a day. WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Wednesday strongly denied that the 400 million U.S. dollars worth of cash airlifted to Iran in January was paid as a ransom for freeing four American prisoners. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the U.S. government secretly organized an airlift of the above-mentioned cash to Iran, which coincided with the same day release of four Americans detained by Iran. Critics of the Iranian nuclear deal, including Republican Senator Tom Cotton, accused the Obama administration of paying a ransom to Iran in order to secure the release of American prisoners in violation of the longstanding U.S. policy against paying ransom to save hostages. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called the cash deal as a "scandal," while blasting his Democratic rival and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for starting the talks to give 400 million dollars in cash to Iran. "No, it was not (a ransom). It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing. Earnest explained that the money paid actually was Iran's own money as its payment for procuring U.S. military equipment which was never delivered after the 1979 Iranian revolution. Iran was seeking over 10 billion dollars from the U.S. over the failed arms deal in the 1970s in an arbitration case heard in The Hague, the Netherlands. Earnest stressed that the payment actually resolved "a longstanding claim at the Hague that saved the American people potentially billions of dollars." The money was reportedly paid as the first installment of a 1.7 billion-dollar settlement reached last year as part of the Iranian nuclear deal, in which Iran agrees to abandon its nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. easing economic sanctions. Earnest said that the cash, in euros, Swiss francs and other foreign currencies, was airlifted to Iran because the U.S. has no banking relationship with Iran. "There was a conscious, strategic decision that was made on the part of the Obama administration, as we were implementing the deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, to resolve other longstanding concerns that we had with Iran," he said. Earnest denied a link between the airlift of cash and Iran's release of American prisoners on the same day. In response to a question about the worry that the cash could be used by Iran for other purposes, Earnest said the Iranian government "has spent the money largely in the way that we expected that they would," including investing in infrastructure and paying off its debts. OTTAWA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Canada's health agency Wednesday called on pregnant women who visited the Miami area in Florida of United States on or after June 15 to take medical precaution measures against the Zika virus. The Public Health Agency's call came after the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said mosquitoes have apparently started spreading Zika on the U.S. mainland and the transmissions are limited to the Miami-Dade county of Florida. Some four million Canadians visit Florida every year, the agency said any pregnant women who visited the area on or after June 15 should see their health care providers for testing. The women who have been to the region should wait two months before trying to become pregnant. And because the virus can linger in sperm, men should wait six months before attempting to impregnate a partner, said the agency. Some 80 percent of those infected with Zika had symptoms. However, Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other severe foetal birth defects. The agency also advised pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy to avoid travel to the area in south Florida and other countries with reported mosquito-born Zika virus. Up to date, there have been no reported cases of people infected by mosquitoes in Canada because mosquitoes known to transmit the virus are not reportedly established in Canada and are not well suited to the Canadian climate. MONTEVIDEO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, which oppose Venezuela from taking over the presidency of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), will meet on Thursday in Montevideo to negotiate an end to the controversy. Although Venezuela was supposed to start its stint as president on Aug. 1, the three countries believe its current crisis means Venezuela is not positioned to assume presidency. "We will go and define how to face the six months ahead," said Paraguay's Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga at a press conference on Wednesday. To become president of the bloc, Loizaga said, Venezuela must meet all requirements, including complying with the Latin American Integration Association, which encourages economic integration across borders, and the Treaty of Asuncion in terms of human rights. "We could revise Venezuela's membership protocol to correct the situation ... and calmly follow the alphabetical order for Argentina to take the presidency," he added. The foreign ministers of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil will be joined by their Uruguayan counterpart at the Mercosur headquarters in Montevideo. On July 30, a day after Uruguay stated it had ended its time in the presidency, Venezuela issued a statement saying it had formally assumed the role. Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil rejected the declaration from Venezuela, but Uruguay said it was in favor of maintaining the current order. On Wednesday, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa said that his country will abide by Mercosur's norms after being accused by Brazil of creating "uncertainty" over its announcement of ending presidency. "Uruguay strictly followed the norms to transfer the rotating presidency of Mercosur, which belongs to Venezuela," said Nin Novoa in a statement. This file photo taken on June 07, 2016 shows Miami-Dade mosquito control worker Carlos Vargas sprays to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae at a home in Miami, Florida. (AFP Photo/Rhona Wise) OTTAWA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Canada's health agency Wednesday called on pregnant women who visited the Miami area in Florida of United States on or after June 15 to take medical precaution measures against the Zika virus. The Public Health Agency's call came after the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said mosquitoes have apparently started spreading Zika on the U.S. mainland and the transmissions are limited to the Miami-Dade county of Florida. Some four million Canadians visit Florida every year, the agency said any pregnant women who visited the area on or after June 15 should see their health care providers for testing. The women who have been to the region should wait two months before trying to become pregnant. And because the virus can linger in sperm, men should wait six months before attempting to impregnate a partner, said the agency. Some 80 percent of those infected with Zika had symptoms. However, Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other severe foetal birth defects. The agency also advised pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy to avoid travel to the area in south Florida and other countries with reported mosquito-born Zika virus. Up to date, there have been no reported cases of people infected by mosquitoes in Canada because mosquitoes known to transmit the virus are not reportedly established in Canada and are not well suited to the Canadian climate. MEXICO CITY, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm Earl was upgraded to a hurricane on its way to Mexico's Caribbean coast Wednesday afternoon, forecaster said. The maximum sustained winds of Earl reached 75 mph (120 km/h), indicating that it is now a hurricane, said the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. "Earl has become a larger system, and its hazards, primarily rainfall, will affect a large portion of Central America, the Yucatan Peninsula and eastern Mexico," the agency added. Earlier it hit north Honduras, sinking at least one fishing boat. A tropical storm advisory was still in effect for the northern Honduran coast, where 80 lobster fishermen were rescued by Nicaragua's navy after strong winds and high waves caused their fishing boats to capsize around midnight Tuesday, Honduran daily La Prensa reported. The navy rescued 80 of the original 82 crew members on Wednesday morning, the daily said. At least four other Honduran boats contacted the navy to request permission to seek safe havens in Nicaragua's Cayos Miskitos. In Honduras, heavy rains also led to the suspension of local flights from the capital Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula to the Port of Lempira, La Ceiba, Roatan and Tela, La Prensa said. The National Hurricane Center said Earl was expected to make landfall in Belize Wednesday night or early Thursday. Secret Service agents guard on top of the White House after a man brandishing a weapon outside the White House grounds was shot down in Washington D.C., the United States, May 20, 2016. The man brandishing a weapon outside the White House grounds was shot down on Friday afternoon and now is taken into custody, a U.S. Secret Service official confirmed. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Wednesday strongly denied that the 400 million U.S. dollars worth of cash airlifted to Iran in January was paid as a ransom for freeing four American prisoners. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the U.S. government secretly organized an airlift of the above-mentioned cash to Iran, which coincided with the same day release of four Americans detained by Iran. Critics of the Iranian nuclear deal, including Republican Senator Tom Cotton, accused the Obama administration of paying a ransom to Iran in order to secure the release of American prisoners in violation of the longstanding U.S. policy against paying ransom to save hostages. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called the cash deal as a "scandal," while blasting his Democratic rival and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for starting the talks to give 400 million dollars in cash to Iran. "No, it was not (a ransom). It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing. Earnest explained that the money paid actually was Iran's own money as its payment for procuring U.S. military equipment which was never delivered after the 1979 Iranian revolution. Iran was seeking over 10 billion dollars from the U.S. over the failed arms deal in the 1970s in an arbitration case heard in The Hague, the Netherlands. Earnest stressed that the payment actually resolved "a longstanding claim at the Hague that saved the American people potentially billions of dollars." The money was reportedly paid as the first installment of a 1.7 billion-dollar settlement reached last year as part of the Iranian nuclear deal, in which Iran agrees to abandon its nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. easing economic sanctions. Earnest said that the cash, in euros, Swiss francs and other foreign currencies, was airlifted to Iran because the U.S. has no banking relationship with Iran. "There was a conscious, strategic decision that was made on the part of the Obama administration, as we were implementing the deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, to resolve other longstanding concerns that we had with Iran," he said. Earnest denied a link between the airlift of cash and Iran's release of American prisoners on the same day. In response to a question about the worry that the cash could be used by Iran for other purposes, Earnest said the Iranian government "has spent the money largely in the way that we expected that they would," including investing in infrastructure and paying off its debts. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said the crimes committed by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide. In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban called on the government of Iraq to continue finding ways to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice without delay. The statement came on the occasion of the second anniversary of the IS capture of Sinjar, a town in northern Iraq, which forced thousands of families, mostly from the Yazidi minority, to leave their homes. Two years ago during the attacks launched by the IS, "unimaginable atrocities" against the Yazidi minority were conducted: Yazidi men were killed or beheaded; women and girls were sold at market or held in sexual slavery by the IS fighters, according to a UN report. Ban also called upon all those engaged in the fight against the IS to help release people who remain in the IS captivity, according to the statement. UN statistics show that over 3,200 women and children are still held by the IS. And most of them are held in Syria where Yazidi women and girls continue to be sexually enslaved and otherwise abused. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Engineers at University of California, Berkeley, have built the first dust-sized, wireless sensors that can be implanted in the body, to monitor internal nerves, muscles or organs in real time, or to stimulate the immune system or tamp down inflammation. Already shrunk to a 1 millimeter cube, about the size of a large grain of sand, and implanted in the muscles and peripheral nerves of rats, the so-called neural dust uses ultrasound both to power and read out the measurements. It contains a piezoelectric crystal that converts ultrasound vibrations from outside the body into electricity to power a tiny, on-board transistor that is in contact with a nerve or muscle fiber. A voltage spike in the fiber alters the circuit and the vibration of the crystal, which changes the echo detected by the ultrasound receiver, typically the same device that generates the vibrations, according to a release from UC Berkeley. The slight change, called backscatter, allows them to determine the voltage. "I think the long-term prospects for neural dust are not only within nerves and the brain, but much broader," Michel Maharbiz, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences and one of the two main authors of a study published Wednesday in the journal Neuron, was quoted as saying. "Having access to in-body telemetry has never been possible because there has been no way to put something supertiny superdeep. But now I can take a speck of nothing and park it next to a nerve or organ, your GI tract or a muscle, and read out the data." In their experiment, the researchers powered up the passive sensors every 100 microseconds with six 540-nanosecond ultrasound pulses, to give them a continual, real-time readout. They coated the first-generation motes -- 3 millimeters long, 1 millimeter high and 4/5 millimeter thick -- with surgical-grade epoxy, and they are currently building motes from biocompatible thin films which would potentially last in the body without degradation for a decade or more. "The original goal of the neural dust project was to imagine the next generation of brain-machine interfaces, and to make it a viable clinical technology," said neuroscience graduate student Ryan Neely. "If a paraplegic wants to control a computer or a robotic arm, you would just implant this electrode in the brain and it would last essentially a lifetime." The team is working to miniaturize the device further, find more biocompatible materials and improve the surface transceiver that sends and receives the ultrasounds, ideally using beam-steering technology to focus the sounds waves on individual motes, and also building little backpacks for rats to hold the ultrasound transceiver that will record data from implanted motes. "The beauty is that now, the sensors are small enough to have a good application in the peripheral nervous system, for bladder control or appetite suppression, for example," said Jose Carmena, a member of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and another main author of the study. "The technology is not really there yet to get to the 50-micron target size, which we would need for the brain and central nervous system. Once it's clinically proven, however, neural dust will just replace wire electrodes. This time, once you close up the brain, you're done." SAN FRANCISCO, August 3 (Xinhua) -- Stanford University researchers have mapped out how the human body creates antibodies of every class in the immune system, revealing that a diverse set of antibody-producing cells springs from the same kind of ancestor. When the immune system fights back against viruses and bacteria, defenders called B-cells swarm into affected areas, unleashing antibody molecules of different specialist classes to seek and destroy the invaders: some antibodies envelop invading pathogens or block them from entering healthy cells, while other antibodies create inflammation that can speed the healing process. "How do we make all the players that protect us?" Felix Horns, a biophysics graduate student and first author of a paper published in the journal eLife, was quoted as asking by a news release from Stanford. "What we' ve done is measure that." The team of eight researchers was led by Horns' adviser, Stanford bioengineering professor Stephen Quake, who believes that creating an overview of the body' s natural defense system will enable researchers to develop novel treatments for a variety of immune disorders. "This map will help us understand what goes awry in immune disease," said Quake. "As a result, we may be able to crack problems like allergies." To assemble their map, the researchers extracted the B-cells from blood samples from 22 young, healthy adults. Using a high-throughput genetic sequencing machine, which reads out the individual nucleotides that make up a cell' s genetic code, they created a large library of antibody-producing genes from all the B-cells in the sample, and traced the lineage of B-cells by counting the number of acquired mutations in the cells' genes, finding that cells in later generations had more genetic mutations. They also looked for evidence that the B-cells had switched the types of antibody they produced, which allows the immune system to customize its response to incoming threats. "Each B-cell starts out as a single cell that makes a certain type of antibody," Horns said. "If it protects you, it expands and creates descendants." About three-quarters of the cells the team analyzed were programmed to create the IgM antibody class. IgM is "the default class in which all antibodies are born," Horns said. "When activated by immune challenge, they undergo class switching." The insights into the class-switching process could lead to a range of new treatment approaches for immune disorders. A few doctors have tried methods like "helminthic therapy," which involves infecting patients with parasitic worms that tweak the body's antibody production. Horns envisions a more precise solution: designing drugs to mimic the signaling molecules that control the antibody class-switching process. "You can think about the worm as a very blunt instrument," he said, "whereas you can imagine using a designer drug as a scalpel." As a next step, Horns plans to sequence the genes of people who suffer from immune disorders. Finding out how their antibody production differs from his baseline map would be a key step toward creating drug therapies that would restore an optimal antibody balance. UN says 741 people killed in violence across Iraq in April, 2016. (Xinhua file photo) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said the crimes committed by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide. In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban called on the government of Iraq to continue finding ways to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice without delay. The statement came on the occasion of the second anniversary of the IS capture of Sinjar, a town in northern Iraq, which forced thousands of families, mostly from the Yazidi minority, to leave their homes. Two years ago during the attacks launched by the IS, "unimaginable atrocities" against the Yazidi minority were conducted: Yazidi men were killed or beheaded; women and girls were sold at market or held in sexual slavery by the IS fighters, according to a UN report. Ban also called upon all those engaged in the fight against the IS to help release people who remain in the IS captivity, according to the statement. UN statistics show that over 3,200 women and children are still held by the IS. And most of them are held in Syria where Yazidi women and girls continue to be sexually enslaved and otherwise abused. CANBERRA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- China is becoming more crucial to Australia's economic and multicultural future, according to the nation's preeminent demographer Bernard Salt. Penning a piece in The Australian newspaper on Thursday, Salt said that the Chinese-born Australians now make up 2 percent of the general population, while the recent free trade deal between the two nations meant Australia is relying on the burgeoning Asian power's growing middle class to supplement its steadily-growing economy. Salt said gone are the days where Australia looked to western nations to help prop its economy, instead a focus on the emerging middle class in nations such as China and India was much more valuable. China is regarded to be so important to Australia's prosperity that Salt has warned lawmakers not to become over-reliant on China as any downturn in the Chinese economy would have disastrous effects in Australia's tourism, business and trade markets. "Our economic interests and the source of our prosperity has shifted towards China to the extent that should China falter or change its relationship with Australia then large swathes of our economy would suffer," Salt wrote in The Australian newspaper. According to Salt, China replaced Japan as Australia's leading trading partner when the global financial crisis was crippling established nations, while the recently-signed China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) will only propel China further into the "lead". Also, while statistics released earlier in 2016 revealed that China was rapidly closing in on New Zealand as the nation with the most annual visitors to Australia, Chinese visitors were considered much more valuable to Australia's economy as they were outspending the Kiwis by a factor of 2 to 1. But not only are Chinese tourists playing a key part in Australia's future, Chinese-Australians are now considered a mainstay in the nation's "population mix". Salt said the cultural melting pot that is Australia was evident, as 7 million of the nation's 24 million-strong population were born overseas (30 percent), but China's prominence in this statistics was becoming more apparent. "This (7 million figure) is high by international standards. At the last census, 42 percent of Sydney's population was born overseas. This proportion for Paris is 22 percent; for New York it is 29 percent," he wrote. He said China was now the third largest contributor to Australia's population, with Chinese-born Australians making up 2 percent of the general population, behind just New Zealand and British-born Aussies. "China is now the third most important contributor to the Australian population mix and may well replace the Kiwis within a decade to claim second spot," Salt said. Bernard Salt is a partner at international consultancy firm KPMG and an adjunct professor at Curtin University's School of Business. VANCOUVER, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Home sales in Greater Vancouver dropped in July after months of record-breaking sales, apparently thanks to a new tax on foreign buyers, statistics showed on Wednesday. Residential property sales in the region totalled 3,226 in July 2016, a decline of 18.9 percent from 3,978 sales in July 2015, according to figures from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. The figures also represented a 26.7 percent decrease from June of this year when 4,400 properties were sold, the real estate board said in a statement. "After several months of record-breaking sales activity, homebuyers demand returned to more historically normal levels in July," said Dan Morrison, the president of the real estate board. It's the first time since January that home sales in the region were below the 4,000 mark, the statement added. The British Columbia government announced on July 25 that foreign buyers of Metro Vancouver residential estate must pay an extra 15 percent of property transfer tax starting from Aug. 2, aiming at curbing surging house prices in Greater Vancouver. MEXICO CITY, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of illegal immigrants passing through Mexico on their journey to the United States increased by over 150 percent from 2013 to 2015, said an official on Wednesday. The number of undocumented immigrants went from 86,000 in 2013 to 202,000 in 2015, Ardelio Vargas, commissioner of the National Institute for Migration, told lawmakers. The number of minors among those immigrants increased by 344 percent between 2013 and 2015, he noted. Most of the migrants are from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua while more Africans, Haitians, Asians and Cubans are also arriving. "Mexico has moved from a migrant-sending country to a migrant-receiving country, a situation which has become an intense problem," said Vargas. He cited violence, poverty and drought in Central America for more illegal immigrant flow to Mexico. The government will keep a close eye on the flow of illegal immigrants, Vargas said, adding all countries should work together to deal with the problem. Mexico will try to contain the illegal flow through agreements with countries of origin, he added. Mexico and the United States share a border of more than 3,000 km. Every year, some 318 million border crossings take place. A woman walks past a poster expressing opposition to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in Seongju county, South Korea, Aug. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin) BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- With the installation of an anti-missile missile system that can hardly cover Seoul but is able to spy on China and Russia's Far East, the United States aims to defend nobody in East Asia, but its insatiable appetite for hegemony and military advantage. The hidden agenda of Uncle Sam in deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) on the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula is perfectly based on its excuse of a so-called "missile threat" from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is deemed as "rogue state" and "axis of evil" by Washington. Defending allies from bullying by missiles of a "rogue state" naturally strengthens Washington's moral high ground. Nevertheless, the reality is far less noble than what Uncle Sam portraits. The fact that THAAD shields all U.S. barracks on the peninsula while leaving Seoul and its surrounding cities housing almost half of the country's population unprotected completely unmasks Uncle Sam's hidden agenda. People attend a rally to protest against deploying the U.S. missile defense system, called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), in front of the defense ministry in Seoul, South Korea, July 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Jiahui) For starters, deploying THAAD in South Korea is a crucial step to heal the Achilles heel of Washington's anti-missile missile system in the Asia Pacific, which has long been nagged by its inadequate recognition ability. With the help of THAAD's X band radar commanding surveillance of an area that extends over 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) from the peninsula, i.e. almost half of China's territory and the southern part of Russia's Far East, the United States can effectively and immediately raise the recognition accuracy. The second part of Washington's hidden agenda also concerns with the X band radar: If deployed, THAAD could help the U.S. army to collect radar data of warheads and decoys of China and Russia's strategic missiles by monitoring their experiments, thus enable the United States to neutralize their nuclear deterrence. For all that, deploying THAAD in South Korea to encounter the so-called "missile threat" from a "rogue state" is yet another self-directed and self-acted Hollywood-style drama of Uncle Sam. What lies under the savior's costume is clear and simple -- his strategic anxiety and sateless appetite for supremacy and upper hand. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday extended congratulations to Nepal's newly-elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda. "China, as Nepal's close and friendly neighbor, stands ready to make joint efforts with Nepal to implement various agreements and expand mutually beneficial cooperation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. She said China will push forward the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring ever-lasting friendship. Dahal, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center), was elected the 39th prime minister of Nepal on Wednesday. MELBOURNE, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Plans to build one of the biggest uranium mines in Australia have been thwarted by a species of desert-dwelling crustaceans. The proposed Yeelirrie uranium mine in Western Australia (WA), 650 km northeast of Perth, was blocked by WA's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) because of the threat it posed proposed to 11 species of the prawn-like creatures, stygofauna. The stygofauna, which live in caves deep below the WA desert, lack eyes and pigmentation and measure between 0.3 and 10 mm. Greens' Senator Scott Ludlam, who made a submission to the EPA's review of the project, said the stygofauna should be added to the protected species list. "(The) decision by the EPA should be the final nail in a proposal that should never have seen the light of day," Ludlam told News Limited on Thursday. Tom Hatton, chairman of the EPA, said that allowing the project to advance any further would be too risky for the region's ecosystem. "The stygofauna habitat at Yeelirrie is particularly rich with 73 species recorded - more than anywhere else in the northern Goldfields," Hatton told News Limited. "Despite the proponent's well-considered management strategies, based on current scientific understanding, the EPA concluded that there was too great a chance of loss of species that are restricted to the impact area." Canadian company Cameco bought the Yeelirrie site from BHP Billiton for 326 million U.S. dollars and were planning to turn it into a 22-year mine which would create hundreds of jobs. Cameco Australia Managing Director Brian Reilly told News Limited that the company still believes there is a "path forward" for the project with special conditions in place to protect the flora and fauna. Mike Young, managing director of a fellow uranium-mining company, said that while the result was disappointing he expected that the stygofauna would prove a significant object for the project. "It's disappointing but I'm not surprised because everyone following it knew it was a pretty unique ecosystem," he said. NEW YORK, July 19, 2016 (Xinhua) -- File photo taken on July 16, 2016 shows Donald Trump speaking during a campaign event in New York, the United States. New York billionaire Donald Trump clinched enough delegate votes to be officially selected as Republican presidential nominee Tuesday evening in the roll call voting at the ongoing Republican National Convention. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, facing growing frustration and division among the Republican elite and donors, claimed Wednesday that his campaign has never been in better shape and his party has never been so well united. "The campaign is doing really well. It's never been so well united. It's the best in terms of being united since we began," Trump announced at a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida. "I think we have never been this united," Trump went on, despite the public view that he has been trapped in a political meltdown created largely by himself. The New York billionaire made the remarks after being sharply criticized by Republican leaders for his feud with the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq War and his reluctance to endorse either Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan or Arizona Senator John McCain in their re-election bid. He even praised Ryan's primary challenger Paul Nehlen on Twitter. Both Ryan and McCain have endorsed Trump, though they keep obvious distance and often express their disagreements with the party's wild-card candidate. Earlier on Wednesday, even Trump's running mate Mike Pence publicly contradicted him by announcing strong support for Ryan. "I strongly support Paul Ryan, endorse his re-election. He is a longtime friend, a strong conservative leader," Pence told Fox News. Trump was also rebuked by his core allies, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, over his reckless attacks on the slain Muslim-American soldier's parents. "The question is can he in August slow down, take a deep breath and reorganize how he's operating so that he can get to the standard of running for president," Gingrich told the CNBC on Wednesday, noting that Trump has been "self-destructive." "I think he has the potential to win the election, I think he has potential to be a historic president, but to do that he's got to grow into the size of the job," said Gingrich. Ari Fleischer, a former White House spokesman, expressed another sense of bewilderment among Republicans when he reflected on Trump's take-no-prisoners political style. "He is such a good counter puncher that he is knocking himself out," Fleischer said Wednesday on CNN, "If he would focus on Hillary, if he'd focus on the economy, if he'd talk (President Barack) Obama and we don't want a third term, he could win this race. He's hurting himself and hurting the cause." Amid continuous controversy, several high-profile Republican donors, including billionaire businesswoman Meg Whitman, openly turned their back against Trump and said they would not vote for the Republican candidate in November. Earlier this week, Stanley Hubbard, a Minnesota broadcasting billionaire and a major donor of the Republican Party, wrote a letter urging Trump to "start saying things that are sensible; have some sensitivity," according to a report of The Hill. It is expected that Trump has to heavily rely on the Republican Party for fundraising since he lacks the political infrastructure of a conventional political candidate. Through the network with the Republican National Committee, the Trump campaign collected 80 million dollars in fundraising in July. However, resonating to Trump's "well united" claim, his campaign chairman Paul Manafort suggested Wednesday on CNN that media exaggerated the frustration among Republicans. Trump's feud with the fallen Muslim-American soldier's family "shouldn't have been that important in the context of the broader campaign ... We wanted to keep the focus on (Clinton's) record and on the Obama administration that she was a part of, and things that she put into play, not us," said Manafort. Related: Superstition trumps science in vision, hearing tests: New Zealand study WELLINGTON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- If you're having your eyes or ears tested, be aware that you could be subconsciously skewing the results, the New Zealand co-author of an international study said Thursday. The research, conducted with scientists in the United Kingdom and United States, showed people had a natural tendency to base their responses in tests on past decisions. Full story Feature: Trump supporters blast Clinton for corruption, calling for her arrest ASHBURN, United States, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Supporters of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted his rival Hillary Clinton for corruption at an event in Virginia, while demanding the Democratic nominee be locked up. TIANJIN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Zhou Shifeng, a lawyer formerly managing the Fengrui Law Firm, was convicted of subverting state power and sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday. He has also been deprived of his political rights for five years, according to the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin, a northern port city close to Beijing. Zhou, 52, pled guilty and said at the court he would not appeal. The same court announced the sentences for another two men related to Zhou respectively on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 40 people, including lawyers and journalists from home and overseas, observed Thursday's trial. No Zhou's family members were present as he requested. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Yang Luyu, former mayor of Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, is under investigation on suspicion of taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced Thursday. Yang, also former deputy secretary of Jinan City Committee of the Communist Party of China, has been placed under "coercive measures" which may include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest, the SPP said. The SPP said investigation into his case is currently under way. LONDON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A woman was killed and five other people were wounded in a knife attack in central London and the police are exploring the possibility of terrorism, authorities said Wednesday. Police were called to reports of a man in possession of a knife attacking people in central Russell Square around 10:30 p.m. (2130 GMT). Officers attending the incident found up to six people injured, including a woman who was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. A man was arrested and a Taser was discharged by one of the arresting officers, according to London Metropolitan Police. A police spokesman was quoted as saying that "terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage." The attack came on the same day the Met announced to increase the number of armed patrols in London in face of heightened terror alert. Met Chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe on Sunday warned that a terror attack in Britain was a case of "when, not if." The London attack followed a series of terrorist attacks in France and Germany. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Three officials from China's Sichuan and Hunan provinces have been arrested on suspicion of corruption, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Thursday. They include Li Kunxue, former Communist Party deputy secretary of Chengdu, capital of the southwestern Sichuan Province; Wei Changping, former vice mayor of Yibin City in Sichuan; and Pi Lin, former general manager of the Hunan Daily Group. All three are suspected of taking bribes, the SPP said, adding an investigation into their cases is currently under way. WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- What would you say to a job that takes you across the country, lets you drink all the beer you want for free, and pays you 64,650 U.S. dollars a year? If you are interested, like any normal person would be, now is the time to send your CV to the National Museum of American History, which is looking for a specialist to taste beers brewed across the country at the expense of the museum. The three-year position is part of the museum's Food History Project, aimed at documenting and study food made in the United States. To fulfil such requirements, the museum is looking for candidates who are familiar with the beer industry and has research abilities. According to museum project manager Susan Evens, thousands of excited applicants have sent their CVs, and more are expected to come. PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported products worth 4.57 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of 2016, up 10 percent if compared to the same period last year, according to the government's figures on Thursday. Garment and footwear products accounted for approximately 76 percent of the country's total export, showed the figures of the Cambodia Import-Export Inspection and Fraud Repression Directorate General, known as Camcontrol. The Southeast Asian country exported garment and footwear items in equivalent to 3.46 billion U.S. dollars during the January-June period this year, up 4 percent over the same period last year. On the import side, Cambodia shipped in goods worth 6.33 billion U.S. dollars during the first half of this year, up 12 percent over the same period last year, the figures said. Cambodian's main trading partners include European countries, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. Enditem HANOI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Non-performing loans (NPLs) as of the end of May accounted for 2.78 percent of Vietnam's entire banking system's total outstanding loans, according to Vietnamese central bank on Thursday. The level was still under the three-percent threshold targeted by the government, local Vietnam News quoted Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Hong as saying. The central bank would still consider the handling of bad debts a top priority during the last few months of the year, Hong said, adding that besides a strict control on credit growth to ensure credit quality and to avoid raising new bad debts, credit institutions have been asked to make provisions for their risky loans. In July, financial statements released by some large commercial banks showed that their bad debts increased in the first half (H1) of the year, including Eximbank (5.3 percent), Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (2 percent), and Sacombank (2.83 percent). Experts attributed the increase in bad debts of banks in H1 to the fact that the state-owned Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) which is established to deal with bad debts, bought only a small amount of bad debts in H1. It meant that the new bad debts that arose in commercial banks in H1 remained with the banks, instead of being transferred to the VAMC, as was done in previous years. The central bank reported in April that the bad debt ratio of the entire banking system as of the end of March was 2.62 percent. Enditem People from Seongju county hold banners to protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), during a rally in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on July 21, 2016. More than 2,000 people from Seongju county, where one THAAD battery will be deployed, gathered at a square in Seoul for a rally on Thursday, to protest against the deployment of THAAD. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin) BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula yet again betrayed Washington's deep-rooted Cold War mentality and its petty anxiety over the United States' declining global hegemony. The Republic of Korea (ROK) last month announced plans for a U.S.-made THAAD battery to be deployed in Seongju County, 300 km southeast of Seoul, by the end of next year. Washington claims that THAAD can help defend the ROK against potential security threats from its neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). But as the missile shield is designed to intercept incoming inter-continental ballistic missiles at relatively high altitudes, the DPRK needs only short-range rockets and conventional arms to launch attacks on its southern neighbor. This alone renders THAAD a completely ineffective deterrent, and suggest that there is a hidden agenda behind THAAD, an installation that barely covers Seoul but extends its reach to China and Russia's Far East. With its X band radar commanding surveillance of an area that extends over 1,200 miles from the peninsula, THAAD can be used to collect radar data of warheads and decoys of Chinese and Russian strategic missiles by monitoring their tests, thus enabling the United States to neutralize their nuclear deterrence and put the national security of China and Russia at risk. After years of trumpeting the fictional "China threat," Washington is now bringing real, strategic threats to China's doorstep. Deploying THAAD in the ROK to counter the so-called "missile threat" from a "rogue state" is yet another Hollywood-style drama directed by and starring Uncle Sam as part of the United States' Pivot-to-Asia strategy. What lies behind the scheme is Washington's insatiable appetite for global hegemony and its vain anxiety toward an imaginary enemy from a rising China. Such anxiety is both economically and militarily motivated from the U.S. side. Last week's lower-than-expected U.S. GDP data in the second quarter of 2016 continued to point to a significant loss of momentum that puts the economy at risk of stalling in a country that has seen growing anti-free trade sentiments. More pertinently, it is the United States' declining military supremacy that constitutes the main driver behind its THAAD muscle flexing. Deploying THAAD in the ROK is a crucial step to healing the Achilles heel of Washington's anti-missile missile system in the Asia Pacific, which has long been nagged by its inadequate recognition ability. With the help of THAAD's X band radar, the United States can effectively and immediately raise recognition accuracy. But this strategic upper hand comes at the cost of the security interests of other nations in northeast Asia. Already, the DPRK has threatened to take "physical countermeasures" to deal with THAAD, which Pyongyang says would only exacerbate tension in the region, encourage a new arms race and even provoke another Cold War. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang also warned last month that China will take necessary measures to safeguard its own interests if the United States and ROK don't stop the deployment. The United States is highly advised to stop building its own security at the cost of the security of other countries. The nearsighted actions will only destabilize the strategic balance and stability in northeast Asia, giving Washington more things to worry about. Related: China Voice: ROK should rethink THAAD deployment BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- With the Republic of Korea (ROK) continuing to stress the need to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system on its territory, Seoul has been tied to Washington's chariot. The ROK has become the outpost of the United States missile defense system. Apparently, the ROK has been dangerously coerced by the United States. The ROK media have been quite clear about this. Full story China Voice: Hot-headed Seoul skating on thin ice with THAAD plan BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula is increasing concerns in neighboring China where some worry that a new Cold War is looming. But make no mistake. It is not fear of the U.S. anti-missile shield that drives such concerns, for China has never, and will never, accepted threats that encroach on its national security. Full story Interview: THAAD deployment in S. Korea threatens regional stability: Russian military expert MOSCOW, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea poses a threat to Russia and China and undermines peace and stability in the region, a Russian military expert has said. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Transcontinental cargo trains, linking China and countries along the Belt and Road routes have become an increasingly important source of wealth. Such train routes and networks, unified under the China Railway Express brand earlier this year, have expanded quickly after the Silk Road Economic Belt was launched. With trains running more frequently between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes, loaded with goods and containers, trade volume has increased steadily. According to industry experts, the transcontinental freight train services have been providing solutions for the international logistics industry and promoting international trade ties and economic development with countries along the route. Now, railway lines for container trains have been successively opened up by 16 cities in China, heading down to 12 European cities including Duisburg and Hamburg in Germany and Madrid in Spain. In 2015, China-Europe freight trains made 815 trips, with a year-on-year increase of 165 percent, according to official figures. One of the train routes is the Yuxinou (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) railway line, which starts in Chongqing and ends in Duisburg, Germany. The railway was opened in 2011 and has seen a growing number of journeys every year since. For example, since 2011, the number of scheduled freight trains from China to Duisburg has increased from one to eight trains per week. Duisburg has become a gateway for Chinese products to European markets. Another line links China's Chengdu and Suzhou with Poland's Lodz and Warsaw. The freight train service has boosted trade between China and Poland. Officials in Lodz hoped the city, now with direct train connection with the huge market of China, will grow to become an important hub for the European economy. Apart from direct connection between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes, transcontinental trains also bring convenience to China's neighbors, such as Japan and South Korea, to help transport their goods from Asia to Europe. With improved railway infrastructure and new technology, the transcontinental train network provides high efficiency in transcontinental transportation with cheaper cost than airfreight and faster speed than shipping by sea. For enterprises and businessmen, the intercontinental cargo train network means new markets for their goods and services, thus an important source of wealth. The train network attracts more and more clients while new businesses flourish along the route. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, trade between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes, stood at some 995 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, about a quarter of the national trade volume. Still, there are huge potential with the expansion of the train network in the future, experts say. TAIPEI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A 43-year-old woman from Taiwan who spent five months in the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia with her husband and returned to Taiwan on July 24 was confirmed to have been infected with the Zika virus, Taiwan's center for disease control said Thursday. It is the fourth imported case of the Zika virus infection reported by the island and the first confirmed case involving a local resident, according to the center. The three previous cases involved people from Thailand and Indonesia. The woman saw a doctor for symptoms, including nausea and fever on July 26, and consulted a doctor again three days later after a red rash developed on her face and limbs. Test results released on August 3 showed she had been infected with the virus, the center said, adding that her condition has improved. Lab tests revealed that the gene of the virus that the woman contracted is similar to the one that has been found in Martinique, Panama and Colombia. SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Thursday that a shift in the designated area within Seongju county where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) will be deployed can be reviewed. Park held a meeting in the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae with first-term lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party who were elected in the April general elections from South Gyeongsang province where the Seongju county is located. According to the participants quoted by local media reports, President Park said that if there is any other place recommended by Seongju residents, a new site can be closely and precisely investigated and reviewed inside the Seongju county in consideration of worries among Seongju locals. Local residents will be notified in details of the results of the investigation and review over whether the new site is appropriate, Park said. Park's comments came amid growing outcry among residents in the county, some 250 km southeast of Seoul, where South Korea and the United States agreed earlier last month to deploy one THAAD battery by the end of next year. Seongju locals have held a candlelight rally every night to protest against the THAAD deployment, with some farmers plowing down their own fields of oriental melon and watermelon, the economic mainstay in the region. Following Park's comments, Seoul's defense ministry said that if Seongju county requests a review over the availability of a new site, the ministry will examine it according to its own assessment standards. KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Taliban key commander Mullah Khairullah and four of his bodyguards have been killed in Qala-e-Zal district of the northern Kunduz province, provincial police chief Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh said Thursday. "Taliban notorious commander Mullah Khairullah along with four of his bodyguards was killed after unmanned plane struck their hideout in Qala-e-Zal district late last night," Jangalbagh told Xinhua. Khairullah was commander of more than 300 armed insurgents over the past couple of years and his death could prove a major blow to the Taliban fighters in Kunduz and the neighbroing Takhar and Baghlan provinces, the police chief added. Taliban militants who are active in parts of the volatile Kunduz province have yet to make comment. The strategically important Qala-e-Zal district along the border with Tajikistan is the battleground between Taliban and government forces over the past several months. RABAT, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Morocco has tightened control of its borders, especially with Algeria, to ward off infiltration of terrorists from Libya, local media reported on Thursday. Citing security sources, Moroccan daily Al Massae said that the measures came following the launch of the U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) militants in Libya and concerns over attempts of its fighters to infiltrate into Morocco. The sources said the measures were also driven by the fact that many IS fighters are Moroccan nationals. Morocco is facing a growing threat from the IS. Last month, the Moroccan interior ministry revealed that since 2002, 159 terrorist cells have been dismantled, which had close ties with terrorist groups that are active in Iraq and Syria, including the IS. TIANJIN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Zhou Shifeng, a lawyer and former director of Fengrui Law Firm, was convicted of subverting state power and sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday. He was also deprived of his political rights for five years, according to the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin, a northern port city close to Beijing. Zhou, 52, pled guilty and told the court he would not appeal. Two other men connected to Zhou's activities were sentenced by the same court on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 40 people, including lawyers and journalists from home and overseas, observed Thursday's trial. None of Zhou's relatives were present, at his request. Zhou is originally from Anyang City, Henan Province. He was director of the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm, which was suspended in 2015 after a police investigation into several of its employees. Zhou has long been influenced by anti-China forces and gradually established ideas to overturn the country's political system, said a court statement. Since 2011, Zhou has verbally attacked the socialist system and the "one country, two systems" policy that applies to Hong Kong and Macao, and incited confrontation, the statement said. He used the law firm as a front for his subversive agenda, recruited like-minded lawyers and other staff and together they discredited judicial organs, attacked the judicial systems and promoted anti-government sentiment by interfering in and exaggerating sensitive cases. Along with members of an illegal religious organization, paid protestors, lawyers and others, he plotted and established "strategies, methods and steps" to subvert state power and carried out a series of subversive activities, which endangered national security and social stability, it said. "I plead guilty," Zhou said in his final statement, "My actions have brought instability and risks to society." HERAT, Afghanistan, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 foreign tourists were killed and five others wounded in an ambush attack in Afghanistan's western province of Herat on Thursday, a district governor said. SYDNEY, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Aussie grannies marched through the streets of Australia's largest city Sydney on Thursday protesting the numbers of indigenous youth held in detention following an explosive report into the Northern Territory's criminal justice system. Australian national television in July aired vision showing guards at the Don Dale youth detention facility in Darwin teargassing teenage aboriginal inmates and strapping a half-naked hooded boy to a chair, events the United Nations have likened to torture. It's a particular sore point for Australia's aboriginal community which make up 94 percent of the Northern Territory's inmates, prompting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to launch an official investigation into the treatment of youth in detention. "The torture of children in the Darwin youth detention centre is symptomatic of the institutionalised child abuse perpetrated by these systems of forced removal," the group called Grandmothers Against Removals said in a statement on Thursday. August 4 is Australia's national Aboriginal and Torres strait islander day. They claim forced removals of indigenous children into "out of home care" have increased 400 percent increase since former Australian Prime Minister apologized to the Stolen Generation in 2007 to be far more than those took during the genocide of the stolen generation. Instead they demand all indigenous children in foster care and detention be sent back to their communities which its claimed will stop the actions they compare to the stolen generation, with the government funds redirected into community support programs under aboriginal control. The majority of Indigenous Australians languish at the bottom of nearly ever social and economic indicator, while aboriginal kids are 28 times more likely to end up in prison than non-aboriginals. SYDNEY, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Australia's co-working space and start-up hub Fishburners is expanding internationally and has chosen Shanghai, China as its first stop. The Shanghai expansion slated to take place sometime this year will be led by Fishburners co-founder Peter Davison and Daniel Shi of China-based 23Seed, Australian media NewsCorp reported on Thursday. "Everyone you talk to just says how quickly things happen in China. My main surprise is how incredibly quickly it's happened, the space was made available and the right people were there," Fishburners chief executive Murray Hurps said. "You compare that to Sydney where it's taken over two years to find a new building." "For us, if you are going after that Chinese market, and you are part of Australia's largest community of highly scalable tech start-ups, it'll be nice to have that community extend, to go into the country and have people there as well," Hurps said. Hurps said he doesn't want companies leaving Australia, but wants to help Australian companies extend their operations into China with the right resources and connections. The new Shanghai office will be located at the Caohejing Tech Park, with Fishburners members in Australia being offered free membership if they choose to expand to China. Jones dug the hell out of that first semester at Coronado Hall. It was awesome, even if there always was some dude from Penasco or Ojo Caliente passed out, drowning in his voluminous post-beer-bong vomit in the third floor head. The world was over for that rascal except for toilets and tile floors thought Jones as he hit the shower. The Grateful Dead tapestry he put up on the window to shut out the light was, like, a total hit with his roommate and the fellows next door. And damn it all if the food wasn't a gazillion times better than at Allsup's. With Yow! and Yeah! serving as enthusiastic interjections, the semester jetted out quick across the blue dome of the world. That spring, Charlie Jones made a grip of ceramic objects, read and decoded two situationist texts and learned how to tinkle out a couple of dances by Bartok. Jones decided, as sure as eggs was eggs, he could never move home again. Living with the old man wasn't of any use, anyhow. That dude never seemed to get over his Afghan hound Duchess dying early. Twenty years had come and gone and it was still like living on the moon when Dad was around, all silent and dusty. Reckoning the student ghetto was the way to go, Charlie began exhaustive research focused on finding a shack he could call his own. He did not have to extend himself too much into that realm mostly because he happened to run into his pal Donna in front of the student union. It was just about May in those parts and Donna was gamboling about on the lawn with a lady friend who was dressed all in white. She was sporting a long skirt and sorta looked like Stevie Nicks, except for her hair. Her mop was as black as crow feathers and was blowing around in the springtime wind like it was trying to fly away into the clouds or something. After a couple of obligatory hippie-hugs, Donna introduced Zelda and let it out the two of them had found an underground haven. It was a remodeled, carpeted, and suitably dark basement apartment they had found south of campus. The deal was they needed a third person to make the rent. You gotta be fucking kidding me, Jones said as a storm came up and it started to rain like it used to do in Albuquerque before the environmental disaster of 2037. The next morning, Jones got up early and hauled his sorry ass over to the student ghetto. It was early, with the light just coming over the new jungle of tired elms that framed the place. As Charlie approached the underground pad, a dude dressed like a steam-shovel operator came racing up the stairs with Zelda on his heels in a fashion that vaguely reminded Jones of the German retreat from Stalingrad. Charlie stood there while the two of them began to argue and cajole, gesticulate and weave. After about five minutes of that, the guy in the industrial costume lumbered over to his El Camino and rolled away while April Wine blasted through the trucks speakers. Zelda gritted her teeth and extended her right hand, all friendly, acting like nothing at all weird had just happened around thereor anywhere else earthfor that matter. But Jones sensed she was unsettled about the whole thing. With Zelda standing out there in her bare feet, toeing at the dirt nervously and clad in an oversized wife-beater and sweatpants, he gravely intoneddrawing back a ways as they shook handsTell you what, I'll start bringing my stuff over tomorrow. It poured water from the sky for the next two days and the lightning flashed and flashed. When the storm let up, when Charlie Jones finally got moved in, he still thought it was a sweet deal. There was a tiny kitchen at the top of the stairs and the rest of the place really was underground; all the walls were cool to the touch and hardly any light got in at all. Donna was never home. Sometimes Jones played new wave music recordings in the big room in very back of the joint. Otherwise kept to himself and got up early every morning so as to dutifully haul his sorry ass to school. He couldnt tell whether Zelda worked or not. Every time he went by her room, the door was open with Fleetwood Mac songs floating through the air, incense wafting here and there and Zelda reclining languidly on her bed while leafing through books about food and flowers. She'd usually glance at him wanly as he passed. He'd smile vaguely or give her the Vulcan hand salute. One or the other of them would tilt their head curiously before looking away. After two months of that, a spot opened up at Harvard House, which was a broke down palace occupied by a collective of artists. Their pad was right down the street from a haunted house; a decent pizza joint was just a block away. That was an easy choice thought Jones as he handed over three Franklins to his new landlord. Charlie split from the underground chanti just before the sun came up so he didn't have to make eye contact with Zelda. He didn't see her again until a big house party came around just after Thanksgiving. By then it was easy enough for both to pretend they were strangers. That was the only pretense they chose to preserve as the two began making out on the couch. As their hands entwined, Zelda tried to remember the previous summer while Charlie attempted to recall what sorta tuneage the lady favored. Everyone else was out on the porch drinking tequila, eating pumpkin pie and watching a winter tempest come down from the mountains. AMMAN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A man who killed five intelligence members in Jordan was sentenced to death by the country's state security court on Thursday, the state-run Petra news agency reported. The victims included three officers, a guard and a staff member, who were killed in a terror attack at their office near the Baqaa refugee camp in northern Amman, the capital of Jordan, in June. Later that day, the attacker was arrested. Jordan, a key U.S. ally, has so far prevented several militant attempts to infiltrate into the kingdom to mount terror attacks. Former North South University teacher Hasnat Karim (C) arrives at a court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 4, 2016. A Bangladeshi university teacher and a student studying at a foreign university have been produced before a court in capital Dhaka on Thursday as suspects in deadly Dhaka terror attack. The two suspects were arrested Wednesday night from capital Dhaka's Bashundhara area. (Xinhua/Shariful Islam) DHAKA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Bangladeshi university teacher and a student studying at a foreign university have been produced before a court in capital Dhaka on Thursday as suspects in deadly Dhaka terror attack. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Spokesman Masudur Rahman told journalists that Hasnat Karim, former North South University (NSU) teacher, and Tahmid Hasib, studying at a Canadian university, were arrested Wednesday night from capital Dhaka's Bashundhara area. Whereabouts of the duo, who came out of Spanish cafe alive, were unclear since they were picked up by lawmen for quizzing in the aftermath of Bangladesh's first-ever hostage crisis on July 1 in which 18 foreigners were killed. They were produced before a Dhaka court on Thursday. Police sought a 10-day remand for them. The arrests came a day after Bangladesh announced a cash reward of 4 million taka (about 50,632 U.S. dollars) to anyone giving information leading to the arrest of the militant kingpins, Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and former army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque. Canadian-Bangladeshi Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury along with former army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque, who has been dismissed for a coup attempt, plotted to attack Spanish cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan, police said Wednesday. Both Chowdhury and Haque were also behind the attack near the country's largest Sholakia Eid prayer venue on July 7 and the militants gunned down in Dhaka's downtown Kalyanpur area during a raid on July 26. Responsibility for the Gulshan attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group, an assertion rejected by the authorities, who blamed "homegrown" terrorists for the incident. Six of the gunmen were killed while one was captured and detained alive, but he later died in a hospital. Bangladesh has pointed finger at the banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for the terror attack at the Spanish restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan on July 1 that left 22 people, including 18 foreigners and two police officers dead. JMB, campaigning for establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bombing attacks in 63 out of the country's 64 districts, including capital Dhaka on Aug. 17, 2005, leaving two people dead and 150 others injured. Hundreds of JMB leaders and activists were rounded up while six top leaders of the group, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007. Police said militants gunned down in Dhaka's Kalyanpur area during a raid on July 26 were involved with JMB. Before the wounds of the July 1 deadly terror attack had even begun to heal, Bangladesh suffered a fresh blow on July 7 when terrorists attacked Muslims' Eid prayers. At least four people were killed, including two police officers and one of the attackers, after several explosions and gunfire took place at the entrance of the country's largest Sholakia Eid prayer venue in Kishoreganj district, 117 km northeast of Dhaka, on the morning of July 7. CHICAGO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- SAIC USA, Wanda Group Chicago and Wanxiang America were recognized as the Most Influential Companies at the annual gala for the Chicago chapter of the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) here on Wednesday. Nanshan America was awarded the Fastest Growing Company, Hainan Airlines the Best Investor, Bank of China the Top Social Contribution, and Nexteer Automotive the Outstanding Employer prize. In his welcoming remarks, CGCC Chicago Chapter Chairman, Wanxiang America President Pin Ni, urged business leaders from the United States and China to cooperate and work toward more transparency and community. "Let's not forget that Chicago is a windy city, so with the wind of globalization, the wind of U.S.-China cooperation, I believe we can fly over any obstacle, and I truly believe that one day we are going to be the mainstream," Ni said. During the gala, Ni signed an agreement with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel renewing the 100,000 Strong Initiative. Under the program initiated by U.S. President Barack Obama and launched in 2010, the United States planned to send 100,000 American students to study in China over the next four years. Wanxiang America is a sponsor of the program. Emanuel said in his speech that it is not just business, not just investing, "but this is an opportunity to build people-to-people relationships that are essential for not just the business opportunity, but for greater understanding, which is essential for us to continue to develop." President Obama sent a congratulatory letter to the event, saying the United States and China are the world's two largest economies, and together "we must find cooperative measures that help promote growth around the globe." Obama said, "a constructive relationship between the United States and China is important to the entire world." Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai also sent a congratulatory letter. "Two-way investments between our two countries will help create more jobs and drive stronger growth," he said in the letter. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder attended the gala and also delivered a speech to over 400 government officials and business leaders from China and the United States present. The CGCC is the largest non-profit organization in the United States that represents Chinese enterprises. CGCC Chicago covers nine states in the Midwest, namely Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Statistics show that Chinese companies have invested 12.8 billion U.S. dollars and created 28,400 jobs in the U.S. Midwest region since 2000. The region is becoming a hub for Chinese investment besides the U.S. East and West Coasts. JERUSALEM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli troops have demolished the West Bank homes of two Palestinian gunmen who killed four people at a popular recreation center Tel Aviv in June, the military said on Thursday. "Overnight, following government directives, security forces demolished the residences of the two terrorists who carried out the terror attack at the Sarona Market on June 8," a military spokeswoman said, adding that the assailants killed four civilians and wounded 41. "Forces demolished the residence of Mohammad Makhamra in Hirbeit Ruqa, and Khaled Makhamrah in Yatta," she said. The homes were located in villages in the West Bank, south of the city of Hebron. Last month, the assailants, who are cousins, were indicted at the Tel Aviv District Court for murder and conspiring to murder along with a third suspect from Yatta, who allegedly helped them to obtain the guns. The attack came amidst a violent Palestinian uprising that started in mid-September. A wave of knife, car-ramming and shooting attacks claimed the lives of 34 Israelis. At the same time, at least 219 Palestinian were killed by Israelis, mostly during attacks or alleged attempted attacks, according to Israel. WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Carol Highsmith, an American photographer, never thought she would be charged for posting online a photo of her own until she received a letter from a firm associated with Getty Images accusing her of license infringement. The License Compliance Services, the copyright enforcement entity believed to be connected to Getty, even demanded a settlement fee of 120 U.S. dollars from Highsmith. The 70-year-old photographer astonishingly learned that the stock photo agency had been charging people for thousands of her pictures that she had donated to the Library of Congress for free access since 1992. She also found that another photo agency, the British-based Alamy, had been doing the same thing. Highsmith, who is famous for having captured images of the American life as a record of the early 21st century, filed a lawsuit against the two agencies for falsely claiming copyright of 18,755 photos she took, and demanded more than 1 billion dollars in reputation damages. According to the suit, Getty and Alamy are not only "unlawfully charging licensing fees" for the donated photographs, but are "falsely and fraudulently holding themselves out as the exclusive copyright owner." In a recent public statement, Getty responded that it acknowledges the images are in public domain but still maintains that "image libraries are legally permitted to charge fees for use of images in the public domain." Alamy has said even less, only with one employee saying that they are looking into the issue. Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng (C, front) attends the ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan and South Korea), or "10+3" economic ministers' meeting in the Lao capital Vientiane, Aug. 4, 2016. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan, South Korea should unite efforts to address shared growth challenges in face of increasing global uncertainties, Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng said here Thursday. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun) VIENTIANE, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan, South Korea should unite efforts to address shared growth challenges in face of increasing global uncertainties, Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng said here Thursday. Attending the ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan and South Korea), or "10+3" economic ministers' meeting in the Lao capital, Gao called for all participant countries to shelve disputes while pursuing unity and mutual benefits. The region, with a total GDP of 1.86 billion U.S. dollars and a population of nearly 2.2 billion, has strong resilience against economic risks, as East Asian economies are highly complementary to each other, he said. Gao stressed that China will continue to support ASEAN's leading role in East Asia cooperation and the "10+3" mechanism as the main cooperation channel in East Asia. "China is willing to work with its partners to promote regional economic integration to boost the region's economic prosperity and global economic growth," said Gao. To further enhance regional cooperation, Gao urged all parties to support ASEAN's centrality in the negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade pact involving the 10-member ASEAN and six other countries, including China. China firmly supports ASEAN's leading role in the RCEP negotiation and is willing to join hands with all sides to push for its conclusion by the end of this year, he said. Gao also called for more cross-border cooperation in infrastructure construction to enhance regional connectivity in East Asia under the "Belt and Road" framework, or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, which aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes. China would like to strengthen cooperation with all parties to jointly develop major transportation networks throughout East Asia to boost the region's prosperity and development with funding from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund, Asian Development Bank, as well as development aids and commercial loans, he said. Gao also proposed to enhance industrial capacity cooperation as well as trade and investment in the region by improving trade facilitation and cooperating on logistics supply chain. China, Japan and South Korea should also further enhance cooperation to add new energy to the "10+3" economic and trade cooperation, he added. KINSHASA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 7,900 South Sudanese refugees have in the last two weeks fled to Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), local authorities said Wednesday. The authorities said the South Sudanese refugees, who had fled recent fighting in their country, sought shelter in Aru territory within Ituri province, eastern DR Congo. The source added that the refugees were mostly comprised of children, women and the elderly persons coming from Juba, Morobu and Yei territories in South Sudan. The local authorities have expressed concern over the massive influx of the refugees, arguing that this may lead to infiltration of armed people into the Congolese territory. They have appealed for deployment of more soldiers along the border between South Sudan and DR Congo to control entry of refugees and protect the national territory. Since the outbreak of recent fighting in South Sudan, humanitarian organizations have reported massive arrival of refugees in DR Congo under difficult conditions. SAO PAULO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong on Wednesday visited the Confucius Institute affiliated with Sao Paulo State University and asked students there to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two peoples and help promote bilateral ties. Respectively the largest developing nations in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, China and Brazil are each other's important cooperation partner, noted Liu. The two countries have a long history of friendly exchanges and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang conducted successful visits to Brazil, which have elevated the bilateral relationship to a higher level, the Chinese vice premier said, adding that the two countries are now enjoying closer ties in such areas as education, science and culture, among others. "Not long ago, President Xi, Premier Li and I have received a letter signed by Mr. Luis Antonio Paulino, dean of the Confucius Institute and some 30 students from the school ... We are really moved by their enthusiasm for the Chinese language and their aspiration to learn more about China," said Liu. There has been increasing interest in Brazil in learning the Chinese language and the Latin American country hosts the largest number of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, Liu said. There are about 20,000 students registered at the 10 Confucius Institutes and the four middle school Confucius Classrooms in Brazil. Many primary and middle schools have incorporated the Chinese language into their regular school curriculum, she added. Meanwhile, more and more Chinese youngsters have started to learn Portuguese. Nearly 30 universities are teaching Portuguese, Liu said, adding that learning each other's language has played an irreplaceable role in enhancing the friendship between the two peoples. Liu said that she hoped the Confucius Institutes in Brazil would highlight their unique features, integrate resources and explore potential to promote the communication and coordination among them and that between Chinese and overseas enterprises and social organizations, enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and consolidate the public opinion on bilateral ties. Liu also expressed the hope that Brazilians would enhance understanding of China through learning the Chinese language and culture so that they would carry forward the China-Brazil friendship, participate in pragmatic cooperation between the two countries and promote the development of bilateral ties. The Chinese vice premier gave Chinese knots to teachers and students at Confucius Institutes as presents. "I hope Confucius Institutes will be like the Chinese knots, which represent sincere cooperation and joint efforts between China and Brazil; they are also like the Olympic rings, which represent peace and friendship," she said. During her stay in the Confucius Institute, Liu toured classrooms and the library, chatted with teachers and students and watched a stage performance. MINSK, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Another round of negotiations of the contact group for the settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine ended in Minsk on Wednesday without much progress. The session failed to bring significant progress in the withdrawal of troops, Martin Sajdik, special representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told reporters after the meeting. Sajdik said the coordinator of the safety subgroup, Ertugrul Apakan, drew attention to the urgent need for the settlement of some key issues. He stressed the necessity to ensure the full and sustainable cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, reach the framework agreement, withdraw military forces and clear the minefields. The parties must fully respect the agreements on the withdrawal of heavy weapons, he added. The special envoy also assured that work on both sides of the conflict regarding the cease-fire will continue. The next meeting of the contact group will be held on Aug. 26. LONDON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Registering more than three million European Union (EU) migrants already living in Britain would be a "huge administrative task" for the government, a new report which came out Wednesday said. Published by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, the report suggested that if all the European Economic Area (EEA) citizens already living in Britain at the beginning of 2016 applied for permanent residence in the same year, this would be equivalent to approximately 140 years' worth of work at the current rate of processing. The EEA, which entered into force in 1994, covers 31 countries including 28 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Britain is expected to seek changes to free movement rules after the June 23 referendum in which around 52 percent of voters chose to leave the EU, but details of the system have yet to be outlined. According to the bloc's rules, EU citizens can move freely among member states, which led to a surge of immigration in Britain during recent years. Director of the Observatory Madeleine Sumption said the British government might need to register EU citizens quite quickly, but it also depended on "how long the Brexit negotiation would take." "Given the sheer number of EU citizens who would need to register and the potential complexity of the process, this will be a formidable task," she said. Assuming that the free movement would come to an end after the EU exit process is formalized, EU citizens may need to obtain documents demonstrating their residence rights within a relatively short period of time in order to distinguish themselves from newly arriving EU citizens who do not continue to enjoy free movement rights, according to the study. Under the current rules, those who have lived continuously in Britain for at least five years automatically have a permanent right to reside. OTTAWA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government Wednesday launched a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, an important step to end the unacceptable rates of violence against them. The national inquiry, which is led by a five-member commission, will examine root causes of the high rates of violence against indigenous women, a national tragedy. "The launch of the inquiry represents a concrete expression of the government's commitment to honoring the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls," said Carolyn Bennett, minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, adding that the national inquiry "will play a pivotal role in helping all of us to define where best to continue to act to protect the human rights of all indigenous women and girls in Canada." The inquiry will start from September this year and last to the end of 2018, and is expected to cost at least 53.8 million Canadian dollars (about 41.2 million U.S. dollars). The government also announced 16.17 million Canadian dollars (about 12.4 million U.S. dollars) over four years to increase funding for victims and to create Family Information Liaison Units in each province and territory, which will provide centralized resources for families of missing or murdered indigenous women and girls and gather useful information for them. A report issued by the United Nations in 2015 showed that young indigenous women were much more likely to die under violent circumstances than their non-indigenous counterparts. In 2014, the statistics by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) showed that 1,181 indigenous women and girls were killed or missing between 1980 and 2012. Earlier this year, a remote aboriginal community of some 2,000 in northern Canada has declared a state of emergency after 11 people attempted to take their own lives over the weekend. ANKARA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 Islamic State (IS) suspects were detained on Thursday in an anti-terror operation in the south of Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported. The anti-terror police, supported by a helicopter, raided 22 IS hideouts simultaneously in the southern province of Adana. The suspects, including senior local figures in the group, were taken to Adana police headquarters for questioning. Five other suspects are still on the run, Anadolu said. The IS militants control an area along the Syrian borders to the east of Adana. Turkey has been on high alert as a series of suicide and car bomb attacks allegedly committed by the group have claimed many lives and wounded hundreds of others in the country. MOSCOW, Aug. 4 (Xinhua)-- Russia on Thursday imposed a temporary ban on fruits and vegetables imported from Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia's agricultural watchdog, the ban was imposed because of the dramatic increase in products with "high phytosanitary risk" imported from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Russia. Importing products from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Russia via third countries is also not allowed. In 2014, some Western countries led by the European Union (EU), the United States and Canada imposed economic sanctions on Russia because of the Ukraine crisis. Russia in turn introduced a food embargo on products from the United States, the EU, Canada, Australia and Norway later in the year. In late June this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended the ban until Dec. 31, 2017 in response to the six-month extension of economic sanctions the EU imposed on Russia after assessing Russia's implementation of the ceasefire agreements over Ukraine. NIAMEY, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nigerien army said Wednesday it had arrested two individuals suspected of supplying equipment to Boko Haram terror group in the southeast region of Diffa, near the border with Nigeria. After a mop-up operation that was launched last Thursday in Doutsi and Damasak localities in Nigeria, the two were arrested in Diffa, transporting 22 cans each containing 25 liters of petrol. Hahabi Sani, head of the operation, said their cargo that was being taken to terrorist group was also seized. In the last few days, the Multinational Joint Force that is comprised of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon launched a massive operation in Nigeria, aimed at eliminating the terrorist group. Boko Haram, which has launched attacks since 2009 in northern Nigeria, has extended attacks to other neighbouring states of Niger, Cameroon and Chad. The group's attacks have left over 20,000 people dead and displaced over 2 million others within the affected countries. NEW DELHI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A trainer aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) Thursday crashed minutes after it took off in eastern state of West Bengal, local media reports said. Two pilots inside the jet ejected safely. The Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer took off from Kalaikunda air force base in West Midnapore, about 129 km west of Kolkata city, the capital of West Bengal. "The jet crashed around 11:00 a.m (local time) inside the boundary of the base minutes after taking off," a local media report said. The IAF according to reports has ordered an inquiry into the crash. Last month, an Indian Air Force aircraft AN-32 with 29 officials on board went missing over Bay of Bengal after its takeoff from southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The aircraft destined to Port Blair city, the capital of archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar lost communication and vanished mysteriously. Despite hectic searches, so far no signs about its debris or oil slick on the sea surface were traced. JUBA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN has called on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) leaders, who are due to meet in Ethiopia on Friday, to urge South Sudan to take action to address sexual violence crimes. The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, also called for an investigation into the alleged sexual violence crimes recently committed in Juba. "I urge the Heads of State and Government, during their deliberations, to acknowledge the gravity of sexual violence; to request the South Sudanese authorities to take immediate measures to prevent their troops and associated militias from committing these crimes; and to take action against those responsible," Bangura said in a statement received in Juba Wednesday. IGAD is an eight-country bloc in Africa comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. The leaders of its member countries are due to meet in Addis Ababa for an extra-ordinary summit on the situation in South Sudan on Friday. While commending IGAD in seeking a political solution to the crisis in Juba, and its condemnation of the egregious sexual violence crimes being committed, Bangura said sexual violence crimes have been a brutal feature of the conflict in South Sudan, which began in December 2013. She called on parties to the conflict in South Sudan to issue immediate command orders to their respective troops to refrain from committing such crimes. "I call on the Government of South Sudan to launch an investigation into these allegations and to prosecute those found responsible," said the UN Special Representative. "Amidst the politics, we must not forget the survivors. The international community stands in solidarity with them and will spare no effort to ensure that they receive adequate care, assistance and livelihood support while ensuring that the perpetrators, irrespective of their ranks, are held accountable," she reiterated. Bangura said the East Africa bloc should ensure that the military and political leadership of South Sudan move beyond rhetoric, and implement the commitments they have made in their 2013 communiques on preventing and responding to sexual violence crimes. "IGAD must use its leverage over the parties to this conflict to ensure that they immediately cease, prevent and decisively respond to serious crimes, including sexual violence," Bangura said. File photo taken on Aug. 2, 2016 shows a firefighter washing a road at the site of a blast in Herat province, Afghanistan. (Xinhua/Nasim Seyamak) HERAT, Afghanistan, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 foreign tourists were killed and five others wounded in an ambush attack in Afghanistan's western province of Herat on Thursday, a district governor said. "Two mini buses carrying foreign tourists were attacked by gunmen along a main road in Chishti Sharif District Thursday morning. As a result of the incident 10 people were killed and five others wounded," district governor Farhad Khadimi told Xinhua. Details about the nationalities of the victims were not available immediately. The governor said that the buses were travelling from central Bamyan province to Herat province, with Herat city as its capital, 640 km west of Kabul. "Several travelers were rescued by security forces shortly after the incident. And an investigation was launched into the attack," Khadimi added. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua)-- China's top economic planning body has suggested more policy tools to reverse the slowing of private investment and bolster economic growth. The government should further encourage private investment with more preferential policies and remove barriers preventing private companies from entering electricity, telecommunications and other sectors that were once dominated by state-owned enterprises, the policy research department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in an article on its website. The private sector is a key pillar to supporting China's economic growth, generating about 60 percent of China's GDP and around 80 percent of jobs. However, private investment has been slowing down. It increased by only 2.8 percent in the first half, down from 3.9 percent in the first five months of the year, and 5.7 percent in the first quarter. This is far lower than the growth seen over the last decade, which was over 20 percent each year. More than one third of the decline in private investment this year is due to the slowdown in export manufacturing. Another key factor is the deterioration in business confidence over the past few years, according to a research note from HSBC. "Businessmen invest for profit, and it is understandable that they hold up investment when traditional sectors such as manufacturing and real estate now only offer marginal profits due to a lack of innovation," said Zhang Yong, deputy head of the NDRC. There is a clear divergence in private investment growth numbers, with investment in emerging sectors such as tourism and hi-tech manufacturing increasing. Output of smart equipment and electronic components in western China's Chongqing Municipality grew over 40 percent in the first half. China should promote green, smart and hi-tech manufacturing to upgrade its outdated technologies and develop new ones with independent intellectual property rights, according to the NDRC article. Private firms have been treated unfavorably, having difficulty raising funds and suffering from heavy financial burdens, according to surveys conducted by the NDRC and other departments in May. The NDRC suggests setting up policy-based guarantee institutions to offer low-cost guarantee services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), encouraging private firms to issue bonds, and helping competent players get listed, the article said. China's cabinet, the State Council, said last week that inspectors had been dispatched to seven provinces and municipalities, including Liaoning and Henan, that reported significantly slower private investment, as some local governments were found to have failed to fully implement favorable private investment measures. CHONGQING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A highway corridor linking Chongqing Municipality and Southeast Asia, to be completed this year, is expected to drive trade between the southwest China city and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The corridor consists of three routes. A route that opened in April runs from Chongqing through Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to Hanoi, Vietnam. Another, stretching from Chongqing through the border crossing at Mohan, Yunnan to Vientiane, Laos, will open by September. A final route that goes from Chongqing to Yangon, Myanmar will also open this year. Trucks travel 40 hours to complete the 1,400-kilometer trip from Chongqing to the Vietnamese capital, carrying mechanical equipment, building materials and auto parts to Southeast Asia, and bringing fruit, snacks and timber back to China. More than 26 bus services have launched in the last two months, said Zhang Chunping, director of the management committee of the Chongqing Highway Logistics Base. In the latter half of this year, two trucks will depart weekly from Chongqing, he added. "The highway trade corridor has only started to take shape, but in three to five years, it will become a transportation artery and major trade route linking central China to ASEAN," said Li Muyuan, an expert with the China Communications and Transportation Association. Chongqing authorities forecast that by 2020, regular truck services along the three routes will transport 20 billion yuan (about 3 billion U.S. dollars) of cargo a year. In 2015, trade between China and ASEAN reached 472 billion yuan, registering an annual growth rate of 18.5 percent for the past five years. "Most of the trade, however, was between ASEAN and coastal Chinese areas such as the Pearl River delta in the south and Yangtze River delta in the east. Vast areas in the central and western provincial-level regions need to join," said Yang. The Chongqing trade corridor will siphon cargo from the neighboring provinces of Sichuan, Hubei and Shaanxi. "Chongqing is opening up to all directions, through Europe-bound railways to the west, Yangtze waterways to the east and highway transportation to the south," said Li. Compared to shipping services, which take more than 20 days, highway transportation is cheaper and more convenient. Statistics show more than 80 percent of Chongqing's trade cargo is transported via highways. "The trade corridor will bring new opportunities for cooperation between ASEAN and inland Chinese regions," said Allan Yang, director of the Laos-China Association for Promotion of Economy and Trade. Laos has signed contracts with Chongqing to support cooperation in logistics. ASEAN can also capitalize on Chongqing's Yuxin'ou rail network to Europe to expand the region's trade, Yang added. China and ASEAN will need to cooperate more in customs inspection, clearing and port building to support the development of highway corridors, said Li. ACCRA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's Parliament passed the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Amendment Bill here on Wednesday to deepen the autonomy of the central bank. The amendment, which has the objective to strengthen significantly the central bank's functional autonomy, governance and ability to respond to banking sector crises, was passed after the original amendment bill had been revised. "The Bill sought to plug the loopholes identified in Act 612. These loopholes were identified in consequence of an examination of current international trends and what pertains in other jurisdictions," explained a statement issued by Deputy Minister of Finance Cassiel Ato Forson. The amendment revoked the influence of the Minister of Finance in the appointment of members of the Monetary Policy Committee, which is now the responsibility of the Bank of Ghana. The Bill also introduces a new qualification criterion for board members. The process to amend the Bill started as a result of the Three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) agreement Ghana entered into with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after severe economic crisis that saw the country's fiscal slippage ballooning to nearly 12 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although the IMF agreement required Ghana to have a zero BoG financing, with a window of 2.0 percent to 3.0 percent of BoG financing for liquidity management, the new amendment fixed the central bank financing of government deficit at 5.0 percent of the previous year's revenue. "Even though Parliament has passed a BoG financing limit of 5.0 percent of previous year's revenue in the Bank of Ghana Amendment Bill, the government remains committed and will still continue to implement the ECF Program as agreed with the Fund," the statement emphasized. It added that government of Ghana was committed to the ECF Program, adding that currently, government has no incentive to borrow from the BoG. MOSCOW, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Seven people died and more than 20 were injured as rebels attacked the northern Syrian city Aleppo with toxic gas, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday. The ministry said in a statement on its website that shells containing poisonous agents were used to attack a residential area in the eastern part of the city controlled by insurgents of Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, which claimed to be an opposition group. It said the Nusra Front, Islamic State and other terrorist groups did not stop making attempts to break the ceasefire regime. Within the last 24 hours, rebels shelled various quarters of the city as well as some areas in the Damascus Province in southwestern Syria and the Hama Province in the midwest of the country. The ministry said the cessation of hostilities was observed in most Syrian provinces in the past 24 hours, so Russian and Syrian air forces did not make strikes against armed formations of the opposition, which adhered to the truce. Aleppo has seen intensified battles and violence recently with the government troops tightening the noose on the rebel-held areas in the eastern part, while the rebels unleashed several offensives to break the government siege on rebel-held areas. SHANGHAI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Yishidun, a company with foreign links involved in high frequency trading (HFT), its two executives and a technical supervisor have been indicted for manipulating the futures market in Shanghai, prosecutors said Thursday. The First Branch of Shanghai People's Procuratorate said it had filed the charge against Yishidun, an international trade company founded in 2012 in east China's Jiangsu Province; its two executives Gao Yan and Liang Zezhong; and Jin Wenxian, the technical supervisor of China Fortune Futures, to Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court. Yishidun and the trio are alleged to have pocketed a huge amount of money after manipulating trades, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement in November last year. Two Hong Kong-based companies respectively set up by Georgy Zarya and Anton Murashov, both foreign nationals, are named investors in Yishidun, with a registered capital of 500,000 U.S. dollars, according to the ministry. Yishidun used HFT to buy and sell in huge quantities in prices far deviated from market standards and illegally pocketed more than two billion yuan (301 million U.S. dollars), said the statement. Authorities locked onto Yishidun in July 2015 when looking into fluctuations in the country's securities and futures markets that led to huge losses for many investors, said the statement. Gao and Liang worked for Yishidun and Jin provided assistance to Yishidun, according to the November statement. WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Air Force has declared the F-35A stealth fighter jets combat ready after the controversial aircraft underwent years of testing and development delays. "I am proud to announce this powerful new weapons system has achieved initial combat capability," General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, said in a release on Tuesday. "The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory, because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield," Carlisle said. Worth 110 million U.S. dollars, the single-engine F-35 fighter jet is touted by Lockheed Martin, the plane's primary contractor, as the future of military aviation. With a price tag of around 400 billion dollars for over 2,400 new F-35 fighters, the weapons program, originally conceived in 2001 to upgrade the U.S. military tactical fleet, has been the most expensive in history. However, the program has encountered numerous issues that have led to serious cost overruns and delays, sending the cost of the project up by nearly 70 percent. Earlier this year, Republican Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the costly project by describing the development of the F-35 as "a scandal." Other problems with the fighter jet included software bugs, technical glitches and complications that would risk killing lightweight pilots when they ejected from the aircraft. The U.S. Air Force plans to buy over 1,700 F-35A jets in the coming years and will operate the largest F-35 fleet in the world. Besides the F-35A, designed to conduct conventional landings and take-offs, Lockheed has developed two other variants, F-35B, capable of short take-offs and vertical landings, and F-35C, used on aircraft carriers. The F-35B was declared operational by the U.S. Marine Corps last year. Meanwhile, the F-35 is still undergoing testing and the Pentagon estimated it will be operational in 2019. SUVA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Minister for Education Mahendra Reddy hailed China's government scholarship program Thursday, as 12 Fijian students were issued university admission letters at the Chinese Embassy, getting ready to pursue further studies in the friendly Asian country. The 12 students, after going through a complete process of recommendation, assessment, interview and panel review, have been admitted by a range of colleges and universities in China for undergraduate or postgraduate programs with full scholarships provided by the Chinese government, said Chinese Ambassador Zhang Ping. "On behalf of the Chinese Embassy, I would like to extend warm congratulations to these students and their families," Zhang said, shortly before he handed out the university admission letters to the students. Reddy, present at the ceremony, spoke highly of Fiji-China ties as well as the Chinese government scholarship program. "Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1975, followed by the establishment of the Chinese Embassy in Suva in May 1976. Since then, Fiji has not looked back in terms of nurturing that relationship with China to great heights," Reddy said. Since 1984, he said, more than 130 Fijian students have gone to study in China under the Chinese government scholarship program, and many students who have benefitted from the Chinese government scholarships have come back to Fiji and assisted in the various sectors of the economy. "Fiji really needs experts in the disciplines of science, aviation engineering, law, medicine and tourism management, thus, the investment by the Chinese government is both timely and visionary," said the Fijian education minister. TIANJIN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Zhou Shifeng, a lawyer formerly managing the Fengrui Law Firm, was convicted of subverting state power and sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday. He was also deprived of his political rights for five years, according to a ruling handed down Thursday by the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin Municipality. Zhou, 51, pled guilty and told the court he would not appeal. Two other men connected to Zhou's activities were sentenced by the same court on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 40 people, including lawyers and journalists from home and overseas, observed Thursday's trial. None of Zhou's relatives were present, at his request. Zhou is originally from Anyang City, Henan Province. He was director of the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm, which was suspended from operation in 2015 after a police investigation into several of its employees. Zhou has long been influenced by anti-China forces and gradually established ideas to overturn the country's political system, said a court statement. Since 2011, Zhou has attacked the socialist system and the "one country, two systems" policy that applies to Hong Kong and Macao, the two special administrative regions, and incited confrontation, the statement said. He used the law firm as a front for his subversive agenda, recruited like-minded lawyers and other staff and together they discredited judicial organs, attacked the judicial systems and promoted anti-government sentiment by interfering in and exaggerating sensitive cases. Along with members of an illegal religious organization, paid protestors, lawyers and others, he plotted and established "strategies, methods and steps" to subvert state power and carried out a series of subversive activities, which endangered national security and social stability, it said. "I plead guilty," Zhou said in his final statement, "My actions have brought instability and risks to society." Zhou hired two attorneys, who met with him multiple times before the trial. A pre-trial conference was also held to hear the opinions of the prosecution and defense teams. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence and witness testimonies, and the defence team did not object. According to a prosecution witness, Zhou had recruited two administrative assistants, surnamed Wu and Liu, who actually acted as Zhou's "civil and martial go-getters." "Liu's duty was to analyze sensitive cases and to identify loopholes, while Wu was responsible for promoting them," said Huang who used to work in Zhou's firm, adding neither were lawyers. Zhou hired them to distort facts, cause confusion and social instability, and attack the country's judicial system, according to Huang. In March 2015, while a local court in Hebei Province was hearing an extortion case taken on by Zhou's firm, he instructed lawyers to take pictures of prosecutors and judges and posted them online, fabricating rumors on and questioning their moral characters. Another case used by Zhou occurred in May 2015, when police officer Li Lebin shot dead Xu Chunhe after Xu had continued to attack the police officer despite multiple warnings. CCTV cameras and follow-up investigations confirmed that Li had acted within the law. Zhou instructed his employees to post online articles that distorted the facts in an attempt to influence public opinion and misrepresent the incident as police brutality. In a gathering in a Beijing restaurant in February 2015, Zhou and other suspects talked about how to oppose the Party and the socialist system, according to Gou Hongguo, who is expected to stand trial in connection with this case. According to Gou, Zhou said "add some fire wood and load more sand to expedite the sinking of the giant ship of the government." Zhou said his activities such as disrupting judicial orders aroused the interests of some overseas forces. "They've been actively wooing me, and want to use us to challenge court hearings and China's entire judicial system, making trouble for the Chinese government," he confessed, adding that these outside forces want to overturn the leadership of the Communist Party of China. "China will never allow anyone to forge evidence, disrupt judicial work, conceal the truth or instigate hatred for the government ... nor will it allow anyone to carry out subversive action in the name of 'rights safeguarding,'" the prosecutors said during the trial. BEIJING/SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korea has joined China in opposing Japan's 2016 defense white paper, a policy document Tokyo is using to justify its efforts to move away from an isolated and pacifistic defense posture to a more active one. SEOUL'S OBJECTIONS South Korea on Tuesday lodged a strong protest against Japan's repeated territorial claims on its easternmost islets, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries. Seoul's Defense Ministry called in a defense attache from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the white paper, in which the islets are described as Japan's territory. It marked the 12th consecutive year since 2005 that Japan has claimed sovereignty over the islets in the annual paper. The ministry expressed deep regrets over the Japanese government in its protest letter, delivered to the summoned attache, saying Japan must immediately stop making useless claims, squarely face history and make efforts to open a new future for relations between South Korea and Japan. The protest letter said that South Korea's military will take strong actions against any Japanese attempt to damage South Korea's sovereignty over the Dokdo islets. Seoul's Foreign Ministry also summoned an official from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, lodging an official protest against the annual white paper. The foreign ministry said in a statement that South Korea strongly protests against Japan's unjust territorial claims on the Dokdo islets, which it said are its indigenous territory historically, geographically and according to international laws. The statement called on Japan to squarely face historical facts and immediately stop making groundless claims, saying Japan must make efforts to move toward a new future for South Korea-Japan relations based on trust. HYPING UP "CHINA THREAT" In the 480-page white paper, Japan devoted some 30 pages to making irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and its normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas. Analysts believed that by playing up the so-called "China threat," the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attempting to make excuses for amending the postwar pacifist constitution and building up Japan's military. On Wednesday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China is "strongly dissatisfied" with the paper's groundless accusations against China's defense development and military activities. In a statement, spokesperson Hua Chunying said China has made solemn representations to Japan over the irresponsible white paper. Japan has no right to make disparaging comments on China's legitimate activities near the Diaoyu Islands, Hua said, stressing that China's determination to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is "unshakable." She said that China's navy and air force activities are in line with international law, domestic law as well as national defense needs. China will not accept the "award" of the South China Sea arbitration initiated unilaterally by the Philippines, said Hua, adding that China will continue to strive for the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiations between countries directly concerned on the basis of respect for historical facts. The spokesperson blamed Japan for fabricating excuses for its military expansion and stirring up enmity on regional security issues. She urged Japan to learn from history, stick to a peaceful development path, act prudently in military matters and regain the trust of its neighbors instead of undermining regional stability. TOKYO'S CALCULATIONS The paper was the first of its kind issued after Japan's controversial new security laws came into effect earlier this year. Wang Xingyu, a researcher with China's Renmin University, said that this year's white paper highlights the importance and legitimacy of the security bills, and urges Japan to maintain its advantage in defense technologies over its neighbors. He said hyping up the so-called China threat is also part of Tokyo's agenda to justify the security laws that allow Japan to exercise collective self-defense rights. Since Abe became prime minister in 2012, his cabinet has been dedicated to a shift in the country's exclusively defense-oriented policy and to a revision of the constitution. To win popular support, the Japanese government has chosen to instigate a sense of crisis among its people by presenting China as a threat to regional peace and stability, he said. Analysts believed that if Tokyo puts into practice what is in the paper, then both its relations with China and the security in the Asia-Pacific will take a big hit. Wang said Japan, by stirring up China's maritime disputes with other countries in the South China Sea, is trying to team up with those claimant countries against China. This would deepen distrust between the two Asian nations, and render their ties more contentious, he said. Also in the paper, Japan stressed the necessity of enhancing the alliance between Tokyo and Washington, as well as its autonomy in the partnership, and entertained the feasibility of conducting multilateral security cooperation with the United States, Australia and India in the area that covers the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. Wang said that by doing so, Japan wants to strengthen its military clout in the region, yet that would further complicate the security situation in the area. Related: China "strongly dissatisfied" with Japan's defense white paper: Foreign Ministry BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- China is "strongly dissatisfied" with Japan's 2016 defense white paper over its groundless accusations against China's defense development and military activities, according to a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. Full story China opposes Japan's defense white paper: defense ministry PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said on Thursday that the country is committed to honoring the refugee resettlement agreement that it signed with Australia nearly two years ago, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry. The minister showed the commitment during a meeting with newly-designated Australian Ambassador to Cambodia Angela Corcoran. "His Excellency expressed the commitment of the Royal Government of Cambodia in continuing to implement the Memorandum of Understanding on Refugee Resettlement that the two countries had signed," the spokesman told reporters after the talks. "This is the official position of the Royal Government of Cambodia," he said. For her part, Angela highly appreciated the Cambodian government for its commitment to carry out the deal. Cambodia and Australia reached the refugee agreement in September 2014 and the pact would be valid until September 2018. Under the multimillion-U.S.-dollar deal, Canberra can send refugees, who intend to seek asylum in Australia and are being held in an offshore detention camp in the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, to resettle in Cambodia. However, only five (three Iranians and two Myanmar men) of hundreds of refugees on Nauru have agreed to resettle in Cambodia since the agreement was struck, and four of them had decided to go back to their birth countries after spending months in Cambodia. Currently, only one refugee from Nauru still continues to live in Cambodia. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan's latest stimulus package, in the total amount of 28.1 trillion yen (around 275 billion U.S. dollars), is unlikely to pull the country out of deflation, according to Japanese public opinion. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Wednesday a decision to introduce a stimulus package of 28.1 trillion yen to boost the country's flagging economy, the third largest after the 2008 global financial crisis, following 56.8 trillion yen (around 557 billion dollars) in 2009 and 37 trillion yen (about 363 billion dollars) in 2008. The latest stimulus package is composed of three parts -- national and local fiscal expenditures amount to 7.5 trillion yen (around 74 billion dollars), the Fiscal Investment and Loan Program (FILP) accounts for about six trillion yen (about 59 billion dollars) and investments from financial institutions and private enterprises account for 14.6 trillion yen (about 143 billion dollars). The incentive aims to invest in infrastructure and improve public services in the country, in hopes to pull the Japanese economy out of the deflation quagmire. However, Japanese economists fear Abe's "investment in future growth" action may fail again this time. First, the Japanese government may find it hard to finance the latest package, as the government is facing a total of 1000 trillion yen (around 9.8 trillion dollars) of debt and a small budget surplus in 2015. In order to fulfill the stimulus pledge, the Abe administration decided to issue construction bonds to fund stimulus spending, yet this will further worsen the government's fiscal situation and make it more difficult to achieve a budget surplus by 2020, financial experts warned. Second, Japan's FILP, which collects idle funds from households and provides low-interest loans to enterprises, may find the money being spent on useless projects, which is a total waste of investment, according to Japan's national daily, the Mainichi. Third, private investment is also an unknown element. As the Japanese population is shrinking, there might be very few Japanese enterprises which desire to invest in and expand business in the country, the newspaper Asahi Shimbun said. The latest stimulus plan, like previous "Abenomics" policies, will not drive the country out of a zombie economy, said Daisaku Ueno at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., although the government expects the latest package to lift Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) by around 1.3 percent over the next two years from the current level. The package includes investment in many public projects, which according to Chairman of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Kazuo Shii, is throwing money away by funding bankrupt public projects. Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute, pointed out that the construction of transport infrastructure in big cities can facilitate private expenditure indeed, but projects like the construction of an agriculture and fishery product export base included in the package can hardly jack up the economy in the short run. The government should be more patient and implement policies to help the Japanese economy to achieve long-term development, the Mainichi said. China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CET) senior representative (2nd R) and Ethiopian Electric Power and Sub Station Projects Officer Reta Nigussie (1st R) take part in a commencement ceremony in Welayita Sodo Zone, Ethiopia, Aug. 1, 2016.(Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CET) has officially commenced the construction of the Ethiopia-Kenya high voltage electric power transmission line project within Ethiopia. The project, which is carried out with a total investment of 1.26 billion U.S. dollars financed by the African Development Bank, runs about 1,045km, of which 445km is within Ethiopia's territory and the rest in Kenya. The 500 KV transmission line will have the transmitting capacity of 2,000 MW. The project, which aims to achieve regional power grids interconnection in the East Africa sub-region, is expected to be completed within 12 months. China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CET) on Monday officially commenced the construction of the Ethiopia-Kenya high voltage electric power transmission line project within Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) Officials from the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) and CET attended the project's commencement ceremony at Wolayta Sodo, about 425 km south of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. Announcing the official commencement, Reta Nigussie, EEP Transmission and Substation Projects Program Officer, noted that the project, upon completion, would help build Ethiopia's economy by generating foreign currency. "It will transmit 2,000 MW to Kenya and other East African countries. It will be useful for Ethiopia because it generates foreign currency. It will help our economy to develop," said Reta. Recalling that the Chinese company has successfully completed other power projects in Ethiopia, Reta expressed the hope and confidence that the company would complete the latest project as per the schedule. Speaking on the occasion, Rong Hulin, senior representative of CET, reiterated that the project would lead to huge economic benefits for Ethiopia in terms of generating foreign currency and new jobs for locals. He also expressed the company's commitment to completing and delivering the project with high quality as per the contract schedule. ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- China will continue working together with African nations to push the China-Africa cooperation forward despite all ups and downs of global economic situations, said a Chinese envoy. La Yifan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, said that the Coordinators' Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held on July 29 in Beijing, convened in a manner further promoting the cooperation between China and Africa. He said the two sides have inked a number of new agreements during the Beijing meeting, showing the dynamic development of China-Africa cooperation. The ambassador made the remarks on Wednesday during a ceremony in its embassy to award the Chinese Government 2016/17 scholarship to Ethiopian students, who will be pursuing their postgraduate studies of masters and PhD programs in China. La said the Beijing meeting deliberated on ways of jointly pushing forward the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC. The Summit opened a new era of win-win cooperation and common development between China and Africa, and was a milestone in the history of China-Africa relations, said Chinese President Xi Jinping in his message to the Coordinators' Meeting. Over the past six months, China and Africa have worked together to overcome the negative impact of the sluggish world economy, reached consensus on jointly implementing the outcomes of the summit, and achieved tangible results, Xi said. "It is not the end; it is a new beginning. We believe this South-South cooperation between China and African countries. We could work together to overcome the downward pressure of the world economy and moving forward," said La. "China will continue working together with African countries, with Ethiopia, despite all ups and downs of the current economic situations," he added. Recalling that China would host the G20 summit in Hangzhou next month, La expressed China's commitment to using the summit as a platform for deliberation on issues of sustainable development in Africa. "We certainly believe that it is not the club of the wealth and most powerful; it is the club that should pay attention to development of the south, so for that purpose we have to make sure to take on board the achievements of sustainable development goals, in particular African countries, as one of the component of the G20 summit," said the ambassador. "We will always work together with the countries in the South to achieve common progress, common prosperity," he added. HELSINKI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nokia's net sales declined and operating profit dropped sharply in the second quarter of 2016, the Finnish telecom company announced on Thursday. Nokia's net sales stood at 5.68 billion euros(6.32 billion U.S. dollars) in the second quarter, decreasing 11 percent compared with the same period in 2015, and its operating profit was 332 million euros, falling remarkably by 49 percent. Nokia said that the decline in both the net sales and the operating profit was attributed mainly to the poor performance of Networks business. Nokia Networks' net sales fell by 11 percent to 5.23 billion euros in the second quarter, and its operating profit plunged by 39 percent from 511 million euros to 312 million euros. The results were even worse than the expectations made by analysts. Earlier, a Reuters poll of analysts forecasted that from April to June, Nokia's net sales was expected to be 5.8 billion euros, which would have reduced by 8 percent on year-on-year basis, and its operating profit would have been 397 million euros, dropping by 39 percent. "The decline of our top line remains a concern, and reflects challenging market conditions," commented Rajeev Suri, President and CEO of Nokia. Suri added that Nokia did not expect those conditions to improve in the near future. However, he believed that the company was well-positioned given the scope of its portfolio and opportunities in the evolution from 4G to 5G. Nokia expected its net sales and profitability would be improved slightly in the third quarter this year, as a result of the ongoing cost saving efforts. Mikael Rautanen, a technology analyst from a Finnish analysis company, told Finnish national broadcaster Yle Nokia's poor performance was a result of weakened market situation, particularly in wireless networks. He said the operators' investments were currently at a standstill in almost all markets. Nokia's cost-saving measures could somehow hit the Finnish economy, according to Rautanen. NEW DELHI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj Thursday said Riyadh has agreed to extend its support to end the ongoing crisis faced by stranded Indian workers, who had been laid off by their employers and rendered jobless. "The Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud himself has taken note of the problems of the Indian workers who have been rendered jobless due to the closure of factories there," Swaraj told Indian parliament. "The Saudi government has clarified that it will issue exit visas to all the workers and also ensure that they will be sent back to India at the expenses of the Saudi government." According to Swaraj, India's junior minister for foreign affairs V K Singh, who is currently in Riyadh has met Social and Labour Minister of the Saudi government and discussed ways to resolve the hardships faced by Indian workers. Singh visited Riyadh on Tuesday in a bid to resolve the crisis faced by stranded Indian workers. Officials said over 10,000 Indian workers were facing food crisis in Saudi Arabia after being laid off by their employers. The stranded workers cannot afford to pay for food and a flight back home. Swaraj said the Indian Mission in Riyadh has arranged free ration to the stranded workers. Reports said the workers employed by construction companies in Saudi Arabia were laid off amid a slowdown in the industry in wake of low global oil prices. Over three million Indians are working in Saudi Arabia. With dearth of jobs and low salaries at home, thousands of Indian workers travel to the Middle East every year for better prospects. A similar crisis about laying off workers has also unfolded in Kuwait. WINDHOEK, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will kill 300 wild animals to feed people who are affected by the drought that has left more than 700,000 people without food. The announcement, made by Environment Minister Pohamba Shifeta Wednesday, comes hard on the heels of new poaching figures of 162 poached rhinos and 80 elephants from 2015 until now. Shifeta said the plan to kill wild animals is the national parks' contribution to the drought relief efforts. Although Shifeta said currently they have earmarked 300 animals, his ministry will consult with the Office of the Prime Minister on the final number. The minister said the animals that have been earmarked are from three game parks owned by the government, which are finding it difficult to cope under the drought. Small game mostly gemsbok and springbok, Shifeta explained, will be killed. "We cannot allow our people to go hungry while our animals are also dying due to the drought conditions," the minister said, adding that the move is part of harvesting sustainability and controlling animal population in the country. This is not the first time Namibia has culled animals to feed drought-stricken communities after more than 500 were killed in 2013. JERUSALEM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Eti Alon, a woman who committed possibly the largest ever bank embezzlement in Israel, was released on Thursday after serving 14.5 years of her 17-year sentence, the Prison authorities said. Between 1997 and 2002, Alon opened numerous fictitious bank accounts at her employer Trade Bank and used them to apply for loans, embezzling a total of 250 million shekels (65 million U.S. dollars) and leading to the bank's collapse. She said the embezzled money was intended for her brother, Ofer Maximov, who was described as a compulsive gambler. The early release was approved because she was a "model prisoner during all of her years in jail and was engaged in a meaningful rehabilitation process," according to a statement by the prison authorities' parole committee. The committee also noted that her crime "might be the most serious economic offense ever committed in Israel." Alon's niece, Noel Maximov, told the Hebrew Ynet news site that her family is "happy and looking forward to helping her assimilate in normative life." She also criticized Israel's justice system for Alon's "unjust" long sentence, saying the authorities were too revengeful and unforgiving in Alon's case. JERUSALEM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A parole committee on Thursday denied the request for early release of Moshe Katsav, Israel's former president who is in jail for rape and other sexual offenses. The committee has already rejected in April Katsav's plea to reduce a third of his seven-year sentence. Last month, the Lod District Court ordered the committee to adjourn again after the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority had said it launched a new rehabilitation program that Katsav could enroll to outside prison. According to Israeli rules, prisoners may be entitled to early release only if they had admitted to committing the crimes and joined a rehabilitation program inside the prison. Katsav has never admitted his offenses and refused to enroll in a rehabilitation program. His lawyers said they intend to appeal the court against the decision. Katsav, 70, served as Israel's eighth president between 2000 and 2007. In 2011, he was convicted of two counts of rape of women subordinates, as well as sexual harassment of others, and obstruction of justice. He is now serving the seven-year sentence in a jailhouse in central Israel. ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to supporting human resource development endeavors of Ethiopia and Africa, said a Chinese envoy. La Yifan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, made the remarks on Wednesday during an awarding ceremony for the 2016/17 Chinese Government Scholarship to Ethiopian students at the Chinese embassy in Addis Ababa. 26 Ethiopian students have been awarded the Chinese government scholarship to pursue their higher-level studies of masters and PhD programs at different universities in China. "Human resource development is one of the pillars of our cooperation with African countries, and also with Ethiopia," noted the ambassador. "The scholarship to enable young, bright, ambitious Ethiopian youth to pursue your studies of high learning in top universities in China, in various fields from medical science, language, engineering...that are highly needed by Ethiopia in your current pursuit of industrialization," he said. Speaking during the ceremony, Zerihun Kebede, Representative of the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, has commended China for its continued support to Ethiopia's efforts in capacity building programs by providing short and long-term training. Stating that Ethiopia and China have a very long-standing relations for several years, the official said the relation between the two countries is being manifested in different forms of cooperation and support. "This relation has gained momentum since recent years as the two sisterly countries have established a broader scope of bilateral relation and cooperation, especially in the field of education," said Kebede. "The training opportunities that we have been getting from China every year has immense contribution to our capacity building program," he added. Robel Gebre-Michael, one of the scholarship winners who will be pursuing his studies of master's degree in information and communication engineering at Harbin Engineering University, told Xinhua that he is very happy about being one of the lucky Ethiopian students traveling to China for postgraduate studies. He said they would also be ambassadors of his country to promote Ethiopia's culture to the Chinese, as well as the people-to-people relations and friendship of the two countries. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States on Wednesday and Thursday held their first legal dialogue in Beijing. The dialogue was jointly sponsored by the office of China's central leading group for judicial reform and the U.S. departments of justice and commerce. A total of 30 officials, judges and experts joined the dialogue. The two sides agreed that the dialogue was an important aspect of the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, according to a statement issued by China. The dialogue focused on reform and economic growth, commercial cases, practices and challenges. The second dialogue will be held in 2017 in Washington. NAIVASHA, Kenya, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan authorities have beefed up security at the standard gauge railway (SGR) site in Naivasha, about 90kms northwest of capital Nairobi, after a group of Maasai people attacked Chinese workers in the neighboring county on Tuesday. Naivasha Sub-County Commissioner Isaac Masinde said the government would not tolerate cases of lawlessness in the area, and urged the locals to cease attacks on the Chinese who are constructing the high-speed railway in the area. He said that the SGR was one of the government's flagship projects, adding that there are open channels to deal with any kind of grievances. "We have improved our security around the SGR site, and we are calling on any aggrieved party to follow the right procedure instead of taking the law onto their hands," Masinde warned. Masinde also called on the Chinese contractor to involve government officers of its progress so as to avoid disputes among local communities. A group of Maasai people attacked 14 Chinese workers, seriously injuring them over job opportunities in Narok County Tuesday, forcing government officers to intervene. Two local government officials together with a civilian have been arrested in connection with the attack. Narok County Police commander Jillo Galgalo has ordered security enforcement at the site, and promised Chinese nationals that security will be enhanced. NANJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua)-- The eastern city of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, has put an end to a controversial waste incineration project following public uproar. The government of Nanjing's Liuhe District announced on Thursday that it will stop the incineration project after widespread public disapproval. A scheduled public consultation on Thursday was subsequently canceled. The announcement received a lukewarm, or even hostile, reception online with many netizens saying that they are not against the incineration plant, but rather where it is built, and whether it will operate in accordance with rules to avoid pollution. Zhang Guoru, deputy head of the district's urban management bureau, said that there is currently only one incinerator in the district, which can dispose of about 150 tonnes of household garbage each day. "As the district is developing fast, the amount of garbage has exceeded 380 tonnes every day, and is predicted to reach 500 tonnes per day in three years," he said. Incinerators are considered the most feasible and effective means of disposing of garbage, but pollution concerns have led to public protests. In 2014, a planned waste incinerator in east China's Zhejiang Province led to clashes with police. JAKARTA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua)-- Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati closed on Thursday the 3-day international business forum of 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), hoping that the event would further boost the empowerment of Small-Middle Enterprises (SMEs) sector which would eventually spur economy growth of participating countries. Speaking at a joint press conference to close down the event attended by more than 400 business people from over 60 countries, Sri expected that the forum creates and facilitates the emergence of small-scaled new players in the economy. "This forum was expected to produce many new ideas, initiate efficiencies and opportunities for those involved in the businesses to further improve their competitiveness and understanding on the businesses they are working in," Sri said with WIEF Foundation Chairman Tun Musa Hitam at presence. The 12th WIEF was opened on Tuesday by President Joko Widodo and attended by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Guinea President Alpha Conde and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Shriyan Wickemenshinghe. Besides Indonesia, delegates attending the event among others came from Malaysia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kenya, Ethiopia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, South Arica, Spain and Australia. Sri said the SMEs have pivotal role to boost economic growth and job opportunities among the people as well. To address the inclusiveness in the economy, she said that alignment between SMEs and established firms was necessary so as to make each party complement to the other and contribute to the respective country's economy. Since the opening of the forum, participants have performed their creative works, resulted in a number of business agreements and MoU signings. Attendants at the business forum initiated by the Malaysia-based foundation discussed ways to enhance business potentialities in fashion, infrastructure, technology and innovation and halal industries. The host country has the world's largest Muslim community that provides great potential for Muslim-themed market in the world. Indonesian government has paid particular attention to further developing the SMEs sector in the country. JUBA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan will reject any proposal to put it under United Nations and African Union (AU) trusteeship after it gained currency in the wake of the intense July fighting, its official said on Thursday. "The South Sudan advocacy group, led by former Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) Secretary General Pagan Amum is lobbying for South Sudan to be put under UN trusteeship. The people of South Sudan will not accept and transitional unity government condemns it," deputy government spokesman Paul Akol Kordit told Xinhua in an interview in Juba. The self exiled Amum, now drumming up support for the UN administration in the country is the leader of the former detainees who were tried and released on charges of treason in the aftermath of the outbreak of fighting in December 2013, and most of them have since taken up positions in the transitional unity government. Amum, now a radical critic of President Salva Kiir, lives in the U.S. after he declined the offer to serve under the latter in the wake of the fighting in 2013. "This is regrettable he is among those who participated in the war that led to separation of this country from Sudan in 2011. I want to appeal to him that this is time for South Sudan to move forward," Akol decried. Initially, the AU/UN proposed administration of the oil impoverished war-torn country was invoked by Princeton Lyman, a senior presidential adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama and also former Sudan and South Sudan Ambassador. "There is, however, another way: put South Sudan on "life support" by establishing an executive mandate for the UN and the AU to administer the country until institutions exist to manage politics nonviolently and break up the patronage networks underlying the conflict. This will realistically take 10-15 years," Lyman wrote in an opinion in July. He added given South Sudan's extreme degree of state failure, temporary external administration is the only remaining path to protect and restore its sovereignty. "Though seemingly radical, international administration is not unprecedented and has previously been employed to guide Kosovo, East Timor and other countries out of conflict. In South Sudan, the stakes are no less," he said. South Sudan has since rejected the AU proposal to send in foreign troops from regional countries under the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development(IGAD) to help serve as buffer force between Machar's rebel force, Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA-IO) and soldiers loyal to President Kiir in the wake of the deadly clashes on July 8-11 that killed 300 people and forced about 60,000 people to flee to neighboring countries. Machar's whereabouts remain unknown as he has vowed to only return to Juba after a third force is deployed to separate the two armies, putting doubts on the peace agreement holding as intermittent fighting continues between the two forces. RAMALLAH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat on Thursday said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a "propaganda machine" to defend Israel's occupation of Palestine. In a statement, Erekat said "Once again, Israel and its propaganda machine attempt to defend its prolonged and belligerent occupation of Palestine." He said Netanyahu aims at "justifying the racist narrative that Palestinians are to blame, rather than Israel's military machine and armed settler that exercise violence and oppression against the land and people of Palestine." Erekat's remarks came after a video by Netanyahu accused Palestinians of pushing their children to death on Aug. 2. In his video, Netanyahu said "the Palestinian leadership must stop encouraging children to kill. They must stop encouraging Palestinian parents to call for the death of their own children." Netanyahu showed a few seconds in which a Palestinian father, Ayoub Sroor, carried his three-year-old child daring Israeli army soldiers to kill him. In response, Erekat said "the few seconds shown by Netanyahu omit a large portion of the physical and psychological attacks that Ayoub Sroor, who is the father of Jihad, Mamdouh, Issa, Bara'a and Mohammad, has been subject to threats for years from armed Israeli soldiers." The video is part of a weekly demonstration in Ni'lin, a village near Ramallah, severely affected by the Israeli separation wall and settlements, where large portions of agricultural lands were confiscated. "Sroor's helpless reaction shows the desperation a life under occupation creates. Netanyahu and his extremist government are the ones responsible for killing the hope in the minds and hearts of millions of Palestinians," said Erekat's statement. Erekat accused Israel of using "every opportunity to violate the rights of Palestinian children, including their right to a dignified life." He highlighted the the Israeli Knesset approved on Wednesday a law that would allow Israeli authorities to imprison Palestinian children under 14 years old and that there are currently over 400 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons. The PLO secretary general concluded his statement reiterating that the Palestinians will "continue to seek justice through international mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, to hold Israel accountable for the crime it commits against the Palestinian people." COLOMBO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) between India and Sri Lanka would benefit Sri Lanka immensely, a statement quoting India's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Y. K. Sinha said on Thursday. In a statement released by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Sinha who was speaking at the 8th Annual General meeting of the Indo, Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry held in the capital said that while the India, Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement had been beneficial to both countries, the ETCA agreement, proposed by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe when he visited India in September 2015, would also focus on sectors such as capacity building, technology, vocational training, IT and tourism, among others. Sinha added that the first round of negotiations on the ETCA would take place soon. He also reassured that India was aware that greater economic integration requires moving in an asymmetric manner. "India was prepared to move at a pace which Sri Lanka is comfortable with and address Sri Lankan concerns as well as take measures to facilitate Sri Lankan exports to India," the statement said. Noting that India had attracted Foreign Direct Investments amounting to U.S. 40 billion dollars in 2015 to 2016, the Indian High Commissioner stressed that Sri Lanka needed to take advantage of its proximity to India by linking into value chains and supply chains. Highlighting the new and transformative phase in the India, Sri Lanka bilateral relations, High Commissioner Sinha stated that four high level bilateral visits took place within first 90 days of the formation of a new government in Sri Lanka in January 2015. DHAKA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A court in Bangladesh capital Dhaka has granted eight days of remand for each of two key suspects in the deadly Dhaka cafe terror attack. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nurunnahar Yasmin passed the order presented by Bangladesh's special counter-terrorism unit. Hasnat Karim, a British-Bangladeshi man and a former North South University teacher, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a Canadian university student, seeked a 10-day remand for each before the court on Thursday, and Yasmin granted police to grill the duo for eight days in custody. Earlier in the day Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Spokesman Masudur Rahman told journalists that Karim and Hasib were arrested on Wednesday night from capital Dhaka's Bashundhara area. The whereabouts of the Spanish cafe attack survivors -- Karim and Khan - remained a mystery in the aftermath of Bangladesh's first-ever hostage crisis on July 1 in which 18 foreigners were killed. The arrests came a day after Bangladesh announced a cash reward of 4 million taka (about 50,632 U.S. dollars) to anyone giving information leading to the arrest of the militant kingpins -- Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and former army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque. Canadian-Bangladeshi Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury along with former army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque, who has been dismissed for a coup attempt, plotted to attack Spanish cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan, police said Wednesday. Both Chowdhury and Haque were also behind the attack near the country's largest Sholakia Eid prayer venue on July 7 and the militants gunned down in Dhaka's downtown Kalyanpur area during a raid on July 26. Responsibility for the Gulshan attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group, an assertion rejected by the authorities, who blamed "homegrown" terrorists for the incident. Six of the gunmen were killed while one was captured and detained alive, but he later died in a hospital. Bangladesh has pointed finger at the banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for the terror ttack at the Spanish restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan on July 1 that left 22 people, including 18 foreigners and two police officers dead. JMB, campaigning for establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bombing attacks in 63 out of the country's 64 districts, including capital Dhaka on Aug. 17, 2005, leaving two people dead and 150 others injured. Hundreds of JMB leaders and activists were rounded up while six top leaders of the group, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007. Police said militants gunned down in Dhaka's Kalyanpur area during a raid on July 26 were involved with JMB. Before the wounds of the July 1 deadly terror attack had even begun to heal, Bangladesh suffered a fresh blow on July 7 when terrorists attacked Muslims' Eid prayers. At least four people were killed, including two police officers and one of the attackers, after several explosions and gunfire took place at the entrance of the country's largest Sholakia Eid prayer venue in Kishoreganj district, some 117 km northeast of Dhaka, on the morning of July 7. GUANGZHOU, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Police in south China's Guangdong Province have busted an illegal fund-raising gang, with seven suspects detained, local police said Thursday. The major suspect, surnamed Wang, used the Internet to raise public funds with promises of high returns, according to the Public Security Bureau of Guangzhou, Guangdong's capital. Wang promoted "investment projects" in gold mine, real estate and health-keeping to the public, which drew about 770 million yuan (116 million U.S. dollars) since February 2015, police said. The police said the gang operated in a pyramid selling way, and most of the victims' money ended up being controlled by Wang. LUSAKA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Political parties in Zambia on Thursday confronted the country's electoral body on its decision to start transporting ballot papers to various parts of the country at night and in the absence of all stakeholders. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and stakeholders completed the verification of the ballot papers on Wednesday ahead of next week's general elections and the transportation of the papers to districts was scheduled to commence on Thursday and witnessed by all stakeholders. But the opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) said stakeholders were annoyed that the electoral body decided to start transporting ballot papers at night contrary to what was agreed. "Yesterday all political parties and other stakeholders who went to witness the loading and dispatching of ballot papers agreed with ECZ that the loading and dispatching of ballot papers at the ECZ warehouse should be done today in the presence of all stakeholders. However, last night ECZ, in the absence of stakeholders, loaded ballot papers and dispatched seven trucks to unknown destination," said Antonio Mwanza, the party's spokesperson. Charles Kakoma, spokesperson of the main opposition United Party for National Development (UPND), also wondered why his party was not involved in the dispatchment of the ballot papers as it is a major stakeholder. He said the electoral body needed to be transparent in the way it was conducting itself and that it should not involve itself in matters that were raising suspicions ahead of next week's general elections. But Crispin Akufuna, the electoral body's public relations manager, has defended the decision to dispatch the ballot papers in the absence of the stakeholders. He said the electoral body made contacts with stakeholders on its decision to dispatch the ballot papers early, especially in far-flung areas where it usually faces challenges. Akufuna said the stakeholders should not worry because electoral officials at districts have been informed and that all stakeholders in respective districts will have an opportunity to verify the ballot papers once they arrive. "The ECZ has nothing to hide; where we have a genuine mistake, we will own up, but to try and cheat the people of Zambia is the last thing for us," he said in a live interview on Hot FM radio. Suspicions have heightened ahead of the Aug. 11 elections. On Tuesday, supporters of the main opposition party intercepted eight trucks in the southern part of the country on suspicion that they were carrying pre-marked ballot papers. But the trucks were found to be empty after inspections. The trucks were bought by the electoral body to for ferrying election materials. CAPE TOWN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Support for the South African opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) got a boost across South Africa, early results of the local government elections showed on Thursday. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said counting of votes has been completed in all but a handful of voting stations. Election officials under the watchful gaze of party agents and observers spent the night sorting and counting ballots at their voting stations to produce results slips for each of the voting stations, the IEC said. The elections, seen by many as being the most contested since 1994, took place on Wednesday. For the first time in history, the elections saw 200 political parties and over 61,000 candidates participating. As at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, 77.8 percent of results had been captured, the IEC said. Initial results showed that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) maintained a strong lead in most municipalities across the country, but in some cities like Johannesburg, Pretoria and Nelson Mandela Bay, support for the DA grew. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also made gains in some cities. But the IEC said people should be patient to wait for the final results. Following the capture process, the results are then subjected to independent audit verification before being finalized, said the IEC. "This process is now underway in all provinces and will continue until all results have been finalized," said the commission. Speaking of the initial results, Chairperson of DA Federal Council, James Selfe said early results bode well for the DA's electoral outcomes. "In a stamp of approval for the DA's governance record, voters in Cape Town have re-elected the DA with a resounding majority, which we can project to be our strongest result in Cape Town ever," he said. Voters have endorsed the DA record of good governance in Cape Town in their numbers, Selfe said. In Midvaal district, Gauteng Province, the DA has been re-elected with an increased majority, he said. "We view this as a clear recognition of the DA's successes in governing Midvaal to be the best-run Municipality in Gauteng," Selfe said. "We can also now confirm that the Kouga Municipality in the Eastern Cape and the Cape Agulhas Municipality in the Western Cape is projected to be an outright majority for the DA, and we look forward to bringing the DA difference to Kouga and Cape Agulhas," he said. In the Western Cape results so far show that voters have come out to re-elect the DA with outright majorities in Bergrivier, Langeberg, and Overstrand returning the DA to govern. "The early results show growth for the DA across the board in South African municipalities, and we are buoyant as we await the newest results that come in," he said. People from Seongju county hold banners to protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), during a rally in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on July 21, 2016. More than 2,000 people from Seongju county, where one THAAD battery will be deployed, gathered at a square in Seoul for a rally on Thursday, to protest against the deployment of THAAD. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin) BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Both China and Russia oppose the planned deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula, which endangers their national security and challenges the region's strategic balance. The joint decision by the United States and South Korea is seen as part of a Washington-intended global anti-missile shield to serve U.S. hegemony. The move, with the declared purpose of protecting South Korea from alleged missile and nuclear threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is no doubt intended for China and Russia. The THAAD system is useless against low-altitude missiles from the North, but its X-band radar could easily penetrate into the territories of China and Russia, which the United States considers the main challengers to its supremacy. Deployment of such an anti-missile system is expected to prompt countermeasures and an arms race with a new Cold War looming in the region. Russian analysts believe this is the most serious military provocation in years in Northeast Asia. Political trust could be unraveled, prosperous economic and trade ties could be destabilized and regional security could worsen. As the Korean Peninsula plays an important role in the international geopolitical landscape, it is in the interests of China and Russia to maintain peace and stability there. The United States should not underestimate the determination of both countries to safeguard their strategic security interests. The two countries are coordinating closer than ever before, which will serve as a basis to face the THAAD challenge. For Washington, its devoted efforts towards a global anti-missile shield also reveals an anxiety over its declining influence in the world and a lack of confidence in keeping its territory safe. However, safeguarding its own security while putting other countries at risk is simply intolerable. Related: China Voice: Washington's THAAD muscle flexing unmasks anxiety over declining hegemony BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula yet again betrayed Washington's deep-rooted Cold War mentality and its petty anxiety over the United States' declining global hegemony. The Republic of Korea (ROK) last month announced plans for a U.S.-made THAAD battery to be deployed in Seongju County, 300 km southeast of Seoul, by the end of next year. Full story China Voice: ROK should rethink THAAD deployment BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- With the Republic of Korea (ROK) continuing to stress the need to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system on its territory, Seoul has been tied to Washington's chariot. The ROK has become the outpost of the United States missile defense system. Apparently, the ROK has been dangerously coerced by the United States. The ROK media have been quite clear about this. Full story China Voice: Hot-headed Seoul skating on thin ice with THAAD plan BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula is increasing concerns in neighboring China where some worry that a new Cold War is looming. But make no mistake. It is not fear of the U.S. anti-missile shield that drives such concerns, for China has never, and will never, accepted threats that encroach on its national security. Full story Interview: THAAD deployment in S. Korea threatens regional stability: Russian military expert MOSCOW, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea poses a threat to Russia and China and undermines peace and stability in the region, a Russian military expert has said. Demonstrators on the Mexican side support the young immigrants who are part of the group called "dreamers" as they cross towards U.S. at the Otay Border Crossing in Tijuana, northwest Mexico, on March 10, 2014. (Xinhua/Guillermo Arias) MEXICO CITY, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of illegal immigrants passing through Mexico on their journey to the United States increased by over 150 percent from 2013 to 2015, said an official on Wednesday. The number of undocumented immigrants went from 86,000 in 2013 to 202,000 in 2015, Ardelio Vargas, commissioner of the National Institute for Migration, told lawmakers. The number of minors among those immigrants increased by 344 percent between 2013 and 2015, he noted. Most of the migrants are from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua while more Africans, Haitians, Asians and Cubans are also arriving. Image taken on April 20, 2006 shows migrants triying to board a train that travels to the border between Mexico and the United States, in Tultitlan, State of Mexico, Mexico. (Xinhua/David de la Paz) "Mexico has moved from a migrant-sending country to a migrant-receiving country, a situation which has become an intense problem," said Vargas. He cited violence, poverty and drought in Central America for more illegal immigrant flow to Mexico. The government will keep a close eye on the flow of illegal immigrants, Vargas said, adding all countries should work together to deal with the problem. Mexico will try to contain the illegal flow through agreements with countries of origin, he added. Mexico and the United States share a border of more than 3,000 km. Every year, some 318 million border crossings take place. NAIROBI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Briton and a Kenyan were charged in a Kenyan court on Thursday for trafficking 99.7 kilograms of cocaine worth about 6 million U.S. dollars that was seized in the coastal city of Mombasa early this week. The Briton, Jack Wolf was charged alongside Francis Mwanthi before Kibera Senior Resident Magistrate Derrick Kuto after being interrogated by a special team of U.S. anti-narcotics authorities and their Kenyan counterparts in Nairobi. Prosecutors said the two suspects and accomplices trafficked the cocaine concealed in containers, through the Kilindini port in Mombasa on July 29. They denied the charges. According to port documents, the 18 containers were loaded on the vessel, MSC Posetano at Santos Port in Brazil on June 20. Each container was loaded with 520 bags of sugar. The U.S. team was also involved in the arrest of two sons of slain drug baron Ibrahim Akasha and three foreigners during sting operation on their Nyali residence in Mombasa 2014. RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has hit back at US rival Justin Gatlin over claims he needed "a medical pass" to compete at the Rio Olympics. Bolt was handed an exemption by Jamaica to compete at the August 5-21 Games after injuring his hamstring at the country's Olympic trials. "I think they have not learned over the years that the more you talk, the more I will want to beat you," Bolt was quoted as saying by Reuters on Wednesday. "It's one of those things but I'm looking forward to it, should be exciting and they will feel my full wrath as always." The 29-year-old is aiming to repeat his 100m, 200m and 4x100m victories at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games. He recovered from his injury last month by winning the 200m at the Anniversary Games in London. "I'm feeling much more confident now. I'm much more comfortable with where I'm at," he said. "I never try to predict times, because you never know what will happen. But for me the shape I'm in, I'll say I'm in much better shape, so I think 9.6sec definitely." "We've been doing a lot of work since I've been here, everything has been going well, I've been feeling great and I have no problem so I'm happy with the progress I'm making. I've familiarised myself back with the work, and it's just about going out there and executing." The final of Bolt's favorite event, the 100m sprint, will be held on August 14. KIGALI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Africa security chiefs have called for strong and bold decision as well as political action to end conflicts ravaging African continent. They made the call Thursday during an opening ceremony of the 13th Conference of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) in Rwandan capital Kigali. The meeting has brought together chiefs of intelligence services from 51 African countries as well as security experts to critically examine how African countries can stamp out security threats that have become wide spread across the continent. "Political instabilities and transnational crimes have become serious threats to Africa's social and economic growth. Serious political solution is needed to end the inextricable conflicts that have ravaged the African continent,"said Juan Antonio Bibang Nchuchuma, CISSA chairperson. He called on all security organs across the continent to play a decisive role towards silencing guns on the African continent. "Our target is to see Africa free of conflicts by 2020. This will be achieved through creation of strong mechanisms and strengthened partnerships in the fight against armed groups and terrorism in all its manifestations," Nchuchuma noted. Some African countries are currently facing violence and conflict. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, remain restive, due to perseverance of renewed conflict and violence. Erastus Mwencha, deputy chairperson of African Union Commission, said the meeting will play a key role towards bringing lasting peace and stability on the African continent. "Africa narrative has changed from being a dark continent to Africa rising, and this will be achieved through ending political instabilities, intra-state conflicts, terrorism and youth radicalization," he added. To realize a conflict-free Africa, Mwencha emphasized the need to effectively address both current and emerging threats to peace and security on the continent. Addressing the gathering, Rwanda President Paul Kagame called for strong collaboration to address the peace and security concerns of the continent. "Intelligence services are the custodians of national, regional, and global security. The need for more and stronger cooperation across the world is clear and CISSA must adapt to these changing realities," said Kagame. CISSA was established in 2004 in Abuja, Nigeria to assist the African Union to effectively address the security challenges confronting the continent. It has a permanent seat in the African Union Peace and Security Council where it makes periodic presentations and briefings. During the meeting, Rwanda will take over the CISSA chairmanship and hold the position for a period of one year. Flags fly at half-mast near the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) PARIS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Muslim community in France has a key role in preventing radicalization of youth attracted by online terror propaganda, but it's up to French authorities to fight terrorism at home, said Abdallah Zekri, general secretary of French Council of Muslim Faith. "The Muslim community in France denounces terrorist attacks and is committed to preventing radicalization, but fighting terrorism is the responsibility of the government," Zekri told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday. "We are focused on fighting radicalization through imams who are working to show youth that fighting in Syria is not a combat for democracy but for killing others," he added. Zekri noted that Muslims' participation in last Sunday's Catholic masses in several parts of France was a way to curb extremism and show solidarity in the battle against terrorist attacks. "We Muslims are alongside Christians. Daesh (another name for Islamic State) wants to divide us but it didn't succeed. On the contrary, it helped to cement relationship between the two communities," he stressed. French police stand guard near the church which was attacked in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Seine-Maritime department, France, July 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Xuefei) On July 26, two teenagers took six hostages in a church in northern France before slaughtering a priest and seriously wounding a second person. They were shot dead by police. The first assailant, identified as Adel Kermiche, tried to reach Syria twice in 2015. Pending trail on terrorism charges, he was put under house arrest and wore an electronic tag. His accomplice Abdel-Malik Nabil Petitjean was on a security watchlist since June 29 for becoming radicalized and being a potential terrorist. The church attack, claimed by Islamic State, came a few days after the Nice carnage in which a 31-year-old man drove his heavy truck into crowds killing 84 people in the southern French city. The recent attacks ignited criticism of Islamic fundamentalism and fueled feelings of insecurity in Europe and beyond. "I'm convinced that anti-Muslims acts will increase significantly following an exaggerated debate on security, Islam and terrorism," said Zekri, also president of the National Observatory of Islamophobia. "Muslims are not terrorists. Islam does not call on people to kill others and commit crimes. They [the attacks] are terrorists who want to spread terror and tarnish the image of Islam," he added. From January to June this year, 69 attacks against the Muslim community were reported, according to Zekri. In the wake of the church attack, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on "Islam of France to react and to build a new relationship with Islam in France." He proposed banning foreign financing of mosques and the training of imams in France. "Youth are being radicalized via the internet. The government has to stop that," Zekri said. French authorities must investigate "the origin of terrorism financing" and not point the finger at mosques, he added. France, home to Europe's largest Islamic community at 5 million Muslims, bans Muslim headscarves and other religious symbols from schools. BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office on Thursday stressed that talks and arrangements for Taiwan's participation in international organizations must be based on the one-China principle. Ma Xiaoguang made the remarks in response to a question about Taiwan's wish to attend the 39th session of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly. "Our position is clear and consistent. That is such participation must be arranged through negotiations between the mainland and Taiwan based on the one-China principle," Ma said. Ma said that since 2008, the mainland has made practical arrangements regarding Taiwan's participation in some international organizations and activities through negotiations with the island. Such arrangements were achieved on the basis of both sides adhering to the "1992 Consensus" and under the precondition that they would not cause "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan." The spokesman went on to say that Taiwan's authorities have yet to recognize the "1992 Consensus" or its essence, leading to a standstill of cross-Strait communication, "Taiwan bears full responsibility for this situation." "Only by recognizing the political basis of one China could the two sides continue their institutional exchanges and make talks on Taiwan's participation in international organizations possible," Ma said. The civil aviation authorities of Taiwan were invited to send staff as non-voting delegates to attend the ICAO Assembly's 38th session in 2013, after the mainland and Taiwan exchanged views on this issue. BRUSSELS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The European Union(EU) on Thursday extended the mandate of the border assistance mission to Libya, EUBAM Libya, until Aug. 21, 2017, according to a press release issued by the Council of the EU. It also approved a budget of 17 million euros (18.94 million U.S. dollars) for the period from Aug. 22, 2016 to Aug. 21, 2017. Launched in May 2013, EUBAM Libya is a civilian mission under the EU Common Security and Defence Policy, to support Libyan authorities in improving and developing the security of the country's borders. The mission is currently located in Tunis. It co-operates closely with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. JERUSALEM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli authorities said Thursday that the head of an international aid organization has transferred millions of dollars to the military wing of Hamas. A statement by the Shin Bet security service said Mohammed El-Halabi, a 38-year-old resident in the city of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, has admitted of diverting aid funds and resources to "benefit Hamas terrorist and military activities." El-Halabi, once the local manager of World Vision, a U.S.-based Evangelical aid organization, was arrested on June 15 at the Erez Crossing between Israel and Gaza. The money he transferred was used to build cross-border "terror tunnels" and for other military purposes, the Shin Bet said. On Thursday, the State Attorney's Office charged El-Halabi of his membership in a terror organization, activities in an illegal organization, commercial activities for terror purpose and several weapon offences. According to the statement, most of World Vision's resources in the Gaza Strip, originating from western states such as the United States, England and Australia, were transferred to Hamas to strengthen its terrorist arms. The Shin Bet said it has gathered evidence that El-Halabi had diverted as much as 60 percent of World Vision's annual budget for the Gaza Strip to Hamas' military wing, also known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. World Vision is one of the largest charitable and humanitarian aid organization, with branches in more than 100 countries. El-Halabi joined Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, in his youth. In 2005, Hamas dispatched El-Halabi to infiltrate World Vision, and after years of promotion, El-Halabi controlled the budget, equipment and aid packages which amounted to tens of millions of dollars, according to the Shin Bet. The funds were allegedly transferred to Hamas by inflating costs of legitimate infrastructure projects and passing the difference to Hamas accounts. Some of the money was transferred in cash to Hamas, fraudulently recorded as an aid to children in need, or by paying out salaries to Hamas operatives, who were falsely registered as employees of World Vision. Hamas has been controlling the Gaza Strip since it won the 2006 election. Israel imposed a blockade on the strip in the wake of the takeover, allowing a restricted transfer of goods in and out of the Palestinian enclave and limiting most exits and enters of people. LONDON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- British leisure airline Jet2.com is to become the first airline in Europe to impose a ban on alcohol sales. The company said the move was aimed at bolstering its commitment to tackle disruptive and abusive behavior by banning the sale of alcohol on-board before 08:00 British Summer Time(BST) on all its morning flights. The move will be introduced from August 8 across all its bases. Jet2.com, awarded top rating in Britain by TripAdvisor, is also calling on airports and retailers to follow its lead to trade responsibly and similarly ban alcohol sales before 08:00 BST. The airline also wants the aviation industry to support the call for fully sealed bags for alcohol purchased in airports to prohibit the illegal consumption of personal alcohol before and during flights. "We believe that stopping sales of alcohol before 08:00 BST on our morning flights is an effective way to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable journey. We understand that we're the first of the European airlines to take this bold step and call upon industry partners in airports to also trade responsibly,"said Phil Ward, managing director of Jet2.com on Thursday. The announcement further supports the airline's "Onboard Together" campaign which aims to reduce incidences of disruptive behavior on its flights. The initiative has already seen more than 500 passengers refused travel, with over 50 of them given lifetime bans since it was launched in 2015. LONDON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- London Metropolitan Police announced Thursday that a Norwegian national of Somali origin has been arrested on suspicion of murdering an American woman and injuring five others, in an attack on Wednesday night in central London. Speaking outside Scotland Yard headquarters, Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said there was no evidence that the 19-year-old suspect had been radicalized or was motivated by terrorism, and reasserted the view that "mental health issues" played a significant role. The suspect emigrated from Norway to Britain in 2002, at the age of five, according to the Norwegian embassy. The Metropolitan Police said they received numerous calls starting at 10:30 p.m. local time (2130 GMT) describing a "man attacking people with a knife" between Russell Square, Montague Street, Bloomsbury Square and Great Russell Street. The man was arrested at the scene after police stunned him with a Taser following the attack, near the Imperial Hotel and the British Museum. The suspect was taken to a south London police station after receiving treatment in hospital. "While the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," Rowley said. "Indeed at this time we believe it was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random," he added. Rowley said the woman who was murdered was American national, while those injured are Australian, American, Israeli and Briton. He said the police have spoken to relevant embassies and will do everything possible to support them. U.S. ambassador to Britain Matthew Barzun expressed condolences on his twitter account: "Heartbreaking news that a U.S. citizen was killed in #RussellSquare attack. My prayers are with all the victims and their loved ones." The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called for the public to remain calm and vigilant. The police were doing an incredibly difficult job, the mayor said, adding that the safety of Londoners was his "number one priority". The attack came on the same day the Metropolitan Police announced it was to increase the number of armed patrols in London as part of anti-terrorism plans. The London Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe on Sunday warned a terror attack in Britain was a case of "when, not if". The London incident followed a series of attacks in other European countries, although Britain had been relatively quite. JAKARTA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government said on Thursday that it would not pay cash to the abductor of the country's citizens, Abu Sayyaf group, in the southern Philippines, as the military is preparing for the possibility of operation to free the hostages, a senior official said here. Indonesian Security Chief Minister Wiranto said that the government would not be dictated by the terrorist group, and preferred to take a diplomatic approach while making preparation for a possible military operation. "It will not be paid. The government could not be controlled by such group. The most important is that the operation for the release of the hostages continues," he said at Grand Sahid Hotel. The government of the Philippines has launched strikes to the hideouts of the Abu Sayyaf group, killing dozens of the militants, Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizar Ryacudu has said. Seven crews of Tugboat Charles 001 and Robby barge ship 152, were abducted in the Sulu Sea of southern Philippines on June 20, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. It was the third abduction of Indonesian nationals in the waters between the two countries this year. The Abu Sayyaf group demands 59 billion rupiah (some 4.468 million U.S. dollars) ransom for the release of the hostages. A picture taken on August 2, 2016 shows a picture of US-based preacher FethullahGulenset up on a dummy at the Kizilay Square in front of a Turkish national flag in Ankara during a protest against the failed military coup, on August 2, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) ANKARA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- An Istanbul court has issued an arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen on charges of leading the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey, local Hurriyet reported Thursday. Istanbul First Court of Peace ruled for the arrest of Gulen, the first warrant issued against the U.S.-based Islamic cleric concerning the July 15 coup attempt. The ruling said Gulen organization, which infiltrated the Turkish Armed Forces in major cities, aimed to take over all the state's institutions and security bodies by changing the constitution. A probe was launched into Gulen on the legal grounds that "organization executives are sentenced as perpetrators due to all crimes committed within the frame of organization's activities," according to the ruling. It said that the coup attempt was the action of the organization and was carried out by its founder suspect Fethullah Gulen. by Larry Neild LONDON, Aug.4 (Xinhua) -- Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, outlined Thursday 10 pledges which he claims will rebuild and transform the country. It was Corbyn's most significant pledge so far in a bitter wrangle that has seen him face a challenge from rival MP, Owen Smith, for his job. Smith warned in the Thursday edition of the Guardian newspaper that Labour, the traditional party of the working class, was "teetering on the edge of a precipice" and could be bust apart and disappear. With Corbyn estranged from around 170 of his own MPs, the left-wing leader continues to attract mass support at grass roots level. This week Corbyn attracted a crowd of 10,000 to an open-air rain-soaked rally in Liverpool where he was cheered and greeted by the masses. Just 48 hours earlier, in blazing sunshine, his rival Smith attracted 200 followers. Corbyn unveiled his pledges in a speech at the town of Dagenham. He said a Labour government led by him would create jobs for a million people building infrastructure projects. He is standing on an anti-austerity ticket, vowing to ensure no parts of the country are excluding from his plans for full employment. He promised to invest nearly 660 million U.S. dollars on infrastructure, manufacturing and new industries, supported by a new National Investment Bank. Under his leadership, the party, said Corbyn, would ignore nobody, forget nobody, with talk of an inclusive Britain rather than a left-behind Britain. His plans include building 500,000 council homes across the country, a new National Education Service with universal public childcare and an end to private-sector involvement in Britain's free health service, the NHS. Smith resigned last month along with most other leading Labour MPs from Corbyn's front bench shadow cabinet team. That move came as 172 Labour MPs supported a vote of no confidence in Corbyn, in a move that triggered a leadership challenge. Smith told the Guardian that he did not want the 116-year-old Labour Party to split into two, but added that a split has become likely if Corbyn remained as leader. Smith is challenging Corbyn as a unity candidate, saying only he can reunite the divisions that have spiraled Labour into its most damaging ever civil war. A recent poll by YouGov showed that support for Labour could fall to just 20 percent if either side splintered off, exactly half of the 40 percent who back the Conservatives. It has led some political observers to propose that a multi-party alliance may be needed to challenge the grip of the Conservatives. Both contenders are traveling around the country hoping to generate support. The first head-to-head hustings was set for Thursday night in the Welsh capital Cardiff, with more planned later. More than 500,000 party members will decide the future of the party by voting for Corbyn, currently the hot favorite to win, or Smith. The result will be announced next month at the party's annual conference in Liverpool. JAKARTA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Experts from several countries and officials of international organizations will meet in Bali island, Indonesia next week to discuss ways to counter rising militant threat through their financial system. A total of 24 countries, such as the United States, Turky and Saudi Arabia, and officials of the United Nations, ASEAN, IMF, the World Bank and others, have confirmed their participation in the meeting from Aug. 8 to 10 at Nusa Dua resort of Bali, according to Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir, spokesman of the Indonesian foreign ministry. The meeting was expected to boost understanding, coordination and cooperation among legal officials and financial institutions, including sharing of intelligence information, said Gatoto Djemirin, director of international security and disarmament at the ministry. The director cited the main challenges facing the region including cross-border crimes, weapon and ammunition smuggling, and cross-border information and financing of militants. Countries need to step up commitment to fight the cross-border crimes as their level has been alarming now, said Djemirin. Indonesian President Joko Widodo is scheduled to open the meeting and give a keynote speech on Aug. 10, according to the spokesman. The countries are facing rising threat of possible strikes from the IS militants after the terrorist group ordered their members to launch attacks in their own countries following the international strikes on the IS camp in Syria, according to the Indonesian intelligence agency. EDINBURGH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The opening ceremony for the Shanghai Culture Week at Edinburgh Festival Fringe was held here on Thursday to highlight Shanghai culture and arts. The free event mainly includes public open day of traditional Shanghai culture and opening orchestral concert led by one of China's most distinguished conductors, Cao Peng, on Friday and an exhibition of Chinese contemporary design from Saturday to Sunday. Speaking at the opening ceremony at the city chambers, Donald Wilson, Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, said August is the busiest season of festivals in the city, and Shanghai Culture Week will not only promote the government-to-government and people-to-people exchange, but also strengthen the links between the two cities of Edinburgh and Shanghai. Pan Xinchun, Chinese Consul General in Edinburgh, said this is the first time for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to hold a culture week event in the name of a Chinese city. However, there are more than a dozen of Chinese cultural and art groups attending the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each year. Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener at Edinburgh city council, said the event was conceptualized during his visit to Shanghai in November 2015. Running from Aug. 5 to Aug. 29, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2016 features more than 3,000 incredible, unique and inspiring events in around 460 sites including theaters, bars and churches. Welcoming its 70th anniversary in 2017, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe maintains its open-access principle that makes the festival such a compelling and unique experience, according to Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. PUL-E-ALAM, Afghanistan, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Pakistani helicopter made a crash landing in a remote district of eastern Afghanistan's Logar province on Thursday, crew unhurt, a provincial government spokesman said. "The initial findings by our provincial security sources showed that a Pakistani chopper made an emergency landing at around midday in Azra district of Logar province. But the crew remained unhurt following the crash," spokesman Salem Salah told Xinhua. While the Pakistani army has denied its helicopter was involved in the incident in the mountainous Afghan province bordering Pakistan, some reports suggested that the helicopter was belonging to the government of Pakistan. The Pakistani Embassy in Kabul has reportedly announced that the chopper was en route to Russia for maintenance. Unofficial sources said the six-member crew was captured by local anti-government militants after the chopper went down in the province 60 km south of Kabul. An Emirates Airline flight is seen after itcrash-landedatDubaiInternational Airport, the UAE August 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) DUBAI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Dubai airport said Thursday the operations are "far from back to normal" as dozens of flights have been cancelled or delayed after Wednesday's plane crash-landing. The airport's authorities said in a public statement that the airport is now operating with only one runway (out of two). It added that full flight schedule for local carriers like the state-owned Emirates and foreign airliners would not be resumed to usual airport operations within the next 48 hours. Dubai International Airport saw the worst plane crash-landing in the past six years on Wednesday, when a Boeing 777 of Emirates Airline, flying from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai, made an emergency landing at 12:45 local time (0845 GMT). Altogether 300 people, including 18 crew members, were on board, all of whom are reported safe. The 282 passengers come from 20 countries, including 224 from India, 24 from Britain and 11 from the UAE, the Emirates said. One firefighter was killed while putting out a fire, caused by the crash-landing, which burnt out the plane. The fire was extinguished at 14:32 local time (1032 GMT) on Wednesday, according to Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. The airport has resumed departure flights at 18:30 local time (1430 GMT) on Wednesday. The authorities urged earlier in the day the passengers stranded in Dubai to check via email or text messages if their flights were rescheduled before going to the airport in case of delay or cancel. Some flights have been diverted to Dubai's second hub Al Maktoum International Airport in order to ease passenger traffic. Al Maktoum international is located an hour's drive away from Dubai International Airport. Dubai Airports, the government-controlled owner company of the airport, decided to provide free and unlimited internet connections as well as free refreshments to departing passengers. Ms. Jeri, a Dubai resident from Ethiopia whose flight from terminal one to Addis Ababa was cancelled on Wednesday said "everything was handled very professionally." Sheikh Ahmed said the investigations are still ongoing, stressing "Our priority is now the health and safety of our passengers." Dubai's civil aviation authorities on Thursday allowed arrivals and departures for all airliners again, but only on a step-by-step basis. Long-haul flights operated by wide-body planes were given priority. "Emirates flights to China are delayed today, but none of the flight is cancelled", said one sales executive at the Emirates ticket desk at the airport's terminal three. Emirates operates routes to Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Yinchuan and Zhengzhou. ISLAMABAD, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Pakistani helicopter on Thursday crash-landed in Afghanistan's Logar province where Taliban militants held its seven crew members hostage, local media reported. Samaa News said the helicopter was on its way to Uzbekistan for overhauling when it likely met some technical faults and its pilot had to land it in the Logar province, bordering Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram Agency. The chopper, with seven people on board including two Pakistani pilots, four technicians and a Russian navigator, took off from Pakistan's northwest Peshawar city's airport at 8:45 this morning (local time). All seven people have been held hostage by the Taliban who also set the chopper on fire. Some media reports said the helicopter caught fire before crash-landing in which all the seven people got injured. The Mi-17 helicopter belonged to the government of Pakistan's east Punjab province. Pakistani foreign office said they are looking into the matter and will provide details shortly. However, an official confirmed that a helicopter of Punjab government left for Uzbekistan, but they cannot confirm whether it was the same helicopter which crash-landed in Logar. The official said they are in contact with Afghan authorities for details. An Afghan army spokesperson confirmed that the Taliban have kept Pakistani helicopter's crew members as hostages. Freed Palestinian prisoner Mohammed al-Bashiti, who served 12 years in an Israeli jail after he was convicted of being a member of Hamas' armed wing, gestures as he holds a weapon in a pickup truck with Hamas militants upon his release, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, July 25, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) JERUSALEM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli authorities said Thursday that the head of an international aid organization has transferred millions of dollars to the military wing of Hamas. A statement by the Shin Bet security service said Mohammed El-Halabi, a 38-year-old resident in the city of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, has admitted of diverting aid funds and resources to "benefit Hamas terrorist and military activities." El-Halabi, once the local manager of World Vision, a U.S.-based Evangelical aid organization, was arrested on June 15 at the Erez Crossing between Israel and Gaza. The money he transferred was used to build cross-border "terror tunnels" and for other military purposes, the Shin Bet said. On Thursday, the State Attorney's Office charged El-Halabi of his membership in a terror organization, activities in an illegal organization, commercial activities for terror purpose and several weapon offences. According to the statement, most of World Vision's resources in the Gaza Strip, originating from western states such as the United States, England and Australia, were transferred to Hamas to strengthen its terrorist arms. The Shin Bet said it has gathered evidence that El-Halabi had diverted as much as 60 percent of World Vision's annual budget for the Gaza Strip to Hamas' military wing, also known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. World Vision is one of the largest charitable and humanitarian aid organization, with branches in more than 100 countries. El-Halabi joined Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, in his youth. In 2005, Hamas dispatched El-Halabi to infiltrate World Vision, and after years of promotion, El-Halabi controlled the budget, equipment and aid packages which amounted to tens of millions of dollars, according to the Shin Bet. The funds were allegedly transferred to Hamas by inflating costs of legitimate infrastructure projects and passing the difference to Hamas accounts. Some of the money was transferred in cash to Hamas, fraudulently recorded as an aid to children in need, or by paying out salaries to Hamas operatives, who were falsely registered as employees of World Vision. Hamas has been controlling the Gaza Strip since it won the 2006 election. Israel imposed a blockade on the strip in the wake of the takeover, allowing a restricted transfer of goods in and out of the Palestinian enclave and limiting most exits and enters of people. Palestinian activists from the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) demonstrate in the city of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on July 29, 2016, against the detention of Bilal Kayed, a fellow PFLP member by Israeli authorities. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) JERUSALEM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 300 Hamas prisoners declared a hunger strike on Thursday after the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) cracked down on two prisons where they were held, the IPS said Thursday. The prisoners were moved and reshuffled from two wings at the Nafah prison and the Eshel prison, both located in southern Israel, due to possible illicit communications between prisoners, IPS spokesperson Assaf Libarati said. IPS guards will continue to scan the prisons and interrogate suspects in the upcoming week to determine the nature of these communications, which are done through mobile phones and carriers, Palestinian media reports. Tensions started to arise around the Nafah prison by the end of 2015, when guards uncovered a network for smuggling mobile phones into the penitentiary, reported Times of Israel website citing a senior IPS official. Guards then used stricter measures and started separating prisoners in order to disrupt the smuggling, the official was cited as saying. There are more than 5,000 Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel over security charges. About 1,700 of them are thought to be members of Hamas. Many Palestinians view the Palestinian prisoners as freedom fighters combating the Israeli occupation. Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories, where Palestinians wish to establish a state, in the 1967 Mideast War. Israel's government passed a controversial measure last year enabling the forced feeding of hunger strikes at risk of death, fearing a death of a Palestinian prisoner would spark unrest and deteriorate the already-tense situation between Israelis and Palestinians. Damaged trucks are pictured after an airstrike on a truck parking lot in the rebel-held town of Atareb in Aleppo province, Syria August 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) DAMASCUS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A joint Syrian-Russian airstrike killed 40 rebels in the northern province of Aleppo Thursday, a military source told Xinhua. The airstrikes as well as artillery shelling targeted a position of the rebels near the town of Khan Touman in the southern countryside of Aleppo, as the rebels were bracing to attack the Syrian military positions near that area, said the source on condition of anonymity. The military forces received information about an imminent rebel attack in that area, the forth to be planned against the Syrian army, the source added. Ahead of the airstrikes, rebels announced the launch of phase four of their attack to break the recently-imposed siege by the Syrian army on rebel-held areas in the eastern part of Aleppo city. On Tuesday, the state news agency SANA said Syrian warplanes carried out 100 airstrikes against rebel positions in southern Aleppo, bringing to a halt the third phase of the rebel attack. Late last month, the Syrian army stormed the Bani Zaid area, a main rebel stronghold in the eastern part of Aleppo. The progress came days after the army severed the last rebel supply route connecting rebel-held areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo, with rebel-controlled parts in the eastern part of the city. Severing the Castello road has dealt a strong blow to the rebels inside Aleppo. With the progress made, the Syrian army has fully besieged eastern Aleppo, urging the rebels to surrender themselves and the civilians to cooperate. Moreover, President Bashar al-Assad announced an amnesty for the rebels who surrender themselves and their weapons to the authorities. The Syrian authorities in cooperation with the Russians also opened three safe passages for civilians wishing to leave eastern Aleppo. They also opened a fourth one for the rebels who would want to surrender themselves. On Tuesday, state news agency SANA said dozens of families evacuated eastern districts in Aleppo, the second batch to leave the city since the government offered the safe passages. SANA also said rebel fighters surrendered themselves to the authorities. Video clips of rebels surrendering were aired on several Syrian TVs. With the Syrian army making all this progress in Aleppo, the rebels, including jihadi ones, unleashed several attacks over the past week to try to break the government-imposed siege. However, all of their efforts have been rendered flat so far, as the government siege on rebel-held areas is still in place. Aleppo, Syria's largest province and once a thriving economic metropolis, has witnessed intensified violent battles lately as the Syrian army advances against the rebels in the north. CAIRO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian army killed the head of a Sinai-based militant group affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) and dozens of other militants in a massive airstrikes in North Sinai, an Egyptian military spokesman said Thursday. The security campaign accurately targeted hideouts of the IS-affiliate Sinai State group and managed to kill the group leader known as Abu Duaa al-Ansari and a number of his aides, Brigadier-general Mohamed Samir said in a statement. Egypt has been battling a growing wave of anti-government terrorism since the military removed former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and later blacklisted his Muslim Brotherhood group. On Sunday, a police officer was shot dead by unknown militants near a police station in Arish city of restive North Sinai province. The Sinai-based militant group claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist operations that killed hundreds of police and military men over the past few years. In response, the Egyptian military has been launching a continuous massive security campaign in the peninsula that left over 1,000 militants killed and a similar number of suspects arrested. The security raids in the peninsula, mostly in North Siani's cities of Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, are part of the country's "war against terrorism" declared by ex-military chief and now President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal. BERLIN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Bremen have completed the transfer of Lamine Sane from FC Girondins Bordeaux, the Bundesliga club announced in an official statement on Thursday. The 29-year-old center back joined the "Green-Whites" with immediate effect after putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with an option to extend for another year. "With Lamine Sane we have signed an interesting player," Bremen' s sporting director Frank Baumann told the club' s official homepage. "He is a tall central defender with a lot of experience. He has the potential to stabilize our defense." The new arrival is said to replace Alejandro Galvez who left the club to join Spanish outfit SD Eibar recently. Sane played since 2009 for Bordeaux where he marked seven goals in 186 appearances. He is, moreover, since 2009 part of Senegal' s national team and made 25 international caps. "I am very pleased that the transfer worked out," Sane said. "I want to thank Bordeaux, for agreeing on the transfer, and Bremen for the trust they place in me. I am looking forward to the Bundesliga, which I have followed intensively over the years." Sane' s new club will encounter defending champions and German giants Bayern Munich for the curtain raiser of the Bundesliga season 2016-2017 on August 26. LAGOS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Thursday called for stronger trade and economic relations with Italy. President Muhammadu Buhari made the call when Paolo Gentiloni, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation paid him a courtesy call at the State House. The Nigerian leader said although relations between Nigeria and Italy were very strong, concerted efforts should be made to strengthen the ties. Buhari commended the resilience of Italian businesses in Nigeria and expressed happiness that new businesses are about to come up in the country. He also commended Italy for supporting the Nigerian government in tackling the humanitarian situation in the North-East and the training being given to Nigerian policemen. Earlier, Gentiloni, who was accompanied by the Italian Minister of State for Interior, Domenico Manzione, announced his government's 10 million dollars humanitarian assistance to the countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. Member countries of the commission include Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. CAPE TOWN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The safety and security of all members of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) remain of paramount importance to South Africa and its Parliament, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete said on Thursday. She was speaking after visiting the injured PAP member Aissatou Sowe Diawara, who is in hospital following an attack in Johannesburg last week. Mbete reassured Diawara of the South African government's commitment to arresting those involved in the attack on July 28. Diawara and three other PAP members were attacked while on their way to a hotel from the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The other three persons were unharmed, but their belongings, including travel documents, were taken. Diawara of Senegal is recuperating in hospital after suffering serious injuries. She arrived in South Africa to attend the PAP Plenary held in Midrand near Johannesburg from July 29 to August 5. The South African Police will continue to investigate this criminal act, Mbete said. No one has been arrested for the attack which highlights the seriousness of crime in the country. The PAP has condemned the increasing attacks on its members and demanded heightened security for MPs. The PAP also demanded for the relocation of the PAP headquarters from South Africa to a country where their security can be guaranteed if the host country cannot give assurances of their safety. Responding to the concerns, Mbete said the political leadership and the administration of the South African Parliament remain seized with the safety of Members of the PAP as the host country by facilitating engagement with the relevant departments. Parliament will continue to give her the necessary support during her stay in the country, Mbete said. ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike targeted suspected militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot at a checkpoint in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa on Thursday, leaving four killed, a security official told Xinhua. "About four al-Qaida militants were killed and three others injured when their own tent and a checkpoint were targeted by U.S. missiles in Azzan town of Shabwa province," the Yemeni security source said on condition of anonymity. Residents confirmed to Xinhua that U.S. drones kept hovering over the airspace of Azzan for several hours and huge blasts were heard in the area. Elsewhere in Yemen's southern part, suspected al-Qaida militants hurled grenades on two police stations in the port city of Aden, causing only material damages. According to government officials, large Yemeni-Saudi military preparations continued in Aden on Thursday to launch a new anti-terror offensive to flush out al-Qaida militants from Abyan in the upcoming days. Last December, gunmen of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) took full control over two strategic towns in Abyan, about 45 km from Aden, where Yemen's internationally recognized government is based. Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East. The AQAP, also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009. It had claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks on Yemen's army and government institutions. It took advantage of the current security vacuum and the ongoing civil war to expand its influence and seize more territories in Yemen's southern part. Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. More than 6,400 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians. JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The latest results showed that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is surging ahead nationally in the local government elections, ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said on Thursday. According to results released by 20:00, the ANC has garnered 54.15 percent of the vote nationwide. The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) is trailing behind at a mere 26.9 percent. The ANC "is buoyant and energized" at the latest results, Kodwa said. This result affirms the organization's confidence that South Africans have once again entrusted the ANC with managing the country's municipalities, he said. South Africans have once again come out countrywide to reaffirm the ANC's progressive, pro-poor, pro-development service delivery agenda, said Kodwa. The elections, seen by many as being the most contested since 1994, took place on Wednesday. For the first time in history, the elections saw 200 political parties and over 61,000 candidates participating to seek control of more than 200 municipalities. The ANC has run a positive election campaign grounded in confidence and optimism, and rooted in the organization's outstanding service delivery track record, Kodwa noted. "As results continue to come in to the National Results Center, the ANC has the utmost confidence that as the evening wears on, we will build on our current base for more than 10 million South Africans who have entrusted the ANC with their vote for us to continue creating a better life for all," Kodwa said. Contrary to the doomsday predictions of a range of pollsters, commentators and analysts, the voters of South Africa continue to have confidence in the ANC, he said. Meanwhile, the DA also claimed victory in the elections. DA leader Mmusi Maimane said the party has won the majority vote in Nelson Mandela Bay, a highly conteste. Growth in support for the DA across South Africa as early results showed, bodes well for the DA's electoral outcomes, the party said. Voters in Cape Town have re-elected the DA with a resounding majority, early results showed. In Midvaal, Gauteng Province, the DA has also been re-elected with an increased majority. "The early results show growth for the DA across the board in South African municipalities, and we are buoyant as we await the newest results that come in," said James Selfe, Chairperson of DA Federal Council. In Pretoria and Johannesburg, the ANC and DA are running neck to neck. Election officials say it is still early to say who will be the winner in the two major cities. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Thursday reported the break of Hepatitis E virus in the Sudanese region of Darfur, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here. "Our humanitarian colleagues report that an outbreak of Hepatitis E virus has been declared in Sortony, North Darfur, with 134 suspected cases of Acute Jaundice Syndrome reported," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "The current rainy season is likely to contribute to unsanitary conditions due to overflowing latrines and related contamination in living areas, and the outbreak may continue if the issue of overcrowding is not addressed," he said. Humanitarian health, water and sanitation partners are working with the Ministry of Health to address the situation, he said. "Efforts aimed at containing the outbreak include strengthening health promotion-related activities and improving water quality through chlorination." Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by infection with a virus known as hepatitis E virus (HEV). Every year, there are an estimated 20 million HEV infections worldwide, leading to an estimated 3.3 million symptomatic cases of hepatitis E, and 56,600 hepatitis E-related deaths. Hepatitis E is usually self-limiting but some cases may develop into fulminant hepatitis (acute liver failure). The virus is transmitted via the faecal-oral route, principally via contaminated water. LAGOS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Thursday urged the Organized Private Sector (OPS) to complement its efforts toward diversifying the nation's economy. Udoma Udo Udoma, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, made the plea at a stakeholder's consultative forum on the 2017-2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) in Lagos, the nation's economic hub. Udoma, who spoke on the 2017-2019 MTEF and Fiscal Strategy, enjoined the OPS to collaborate with the federal government in bringing the needed economic change. The minister said the forum became necessary to create a citizens guide to understanding the government's economic policy and the 2016 budget. According to him, the government is interested in communicating its plans, vision and strategy in diversifying the economy with the OPS to get their input and advice. Udoma also said the government needed the support of the OPS in creating positive economic vibes that would attract investors to the country. He said the government was ready to offer support to the OPS in creating the enabling atmosphere for businesses to thrive. The minister said the OPS could leverage on the sincerity of government to project the country in good light among critical industry players globally. He urged the OPS to take advantage of the opportunities to invest in production, agriculture, solid minerals, and manufacturing sectors. He added that these would help generate foreign exchange through the exports of goods and services. LAGOS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's Defense Headquarters on Thursday dismissed the reported change in the leadership of the terrorist group Boko Haram. In a statement made available to Xinhua in Lagos, Rabe Abubakar, the defense spokesperson, also said the change is irrelevant and inconsequential to the military's operation in the north-east. He said for now, the troops are focused on clearing the remnants of the insurgents scattered around the northeast. The Islamic State militant group on Wednesday announced one Abu Musab Al-Barnawi as the new leader of the terror group in West Africa after Abubakar Shekau's exit. Al-Barnawi used to be the spokesperson of the group under Shekau. ISIS did not say what happened to Shekau who has been out of the picture since 2015. Boko Haram in 2015 pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group. The Nigerian forces have been raiding militant camps and launching air and ground attacks on suspected hideouts of Boko Haram militants over the past months. The sect seeks to enshrine the Islamic sharia law into the constitution and declares war against Western education. BAGHDAD, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi judiciary banned Thursday the parliament speaker and six lawmakers from travelling abroad over allegations of corruption revealed by the defense minister earlier in the week, a judicial official said. The ban came a day after the Supreme Judicial Council drew up a panel to examine the claims of corruption revealed by Khalid al-Obeidi during his questioning session on Monday. "The judicial panel decided to prevent the names mentioned by the minister Khalid al-Obeidi from travelling abroad," the spokesman of the Supreme Judicial Council Abdul Sattar al-Biraqdar told reporters. On Monday, the parliament summoned the defense minister to response to allegations of graft in his ministry, which led to waste of billions of dollars in the ministry's deals and the weakening of the armed forces. However, Obeidi revealed, during a closed parliament session, details of blackmail by politicians and officials, including the speaker Salim al-Jubouri and other lawmakers, relating to weapons contracts and graft. Biraqdar also said the judicial panel summoned Obeidi to get details about his allegations of graft and decided to listen to testimonies from many lawmakers and senior officials about the allegations. For his part, Jubouri denied charges of corruption, and told a televised news conference following the session that Obeidi's charges against him and other lawmakers were "baseless." Jubouri said he is "ready to go to court to answer the accusations of corruption against me." In addition, Jubouri's office said on Wednesday that the speaker filed a defamation lawsuit against Obeidi. BRASILIA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's automobile production plunged to 1.2 million in the first seven months of 2016, down 20.4 percent from a year earlier, the national automakers' association said Thursday. In July only, automakers produced 189,900 vehicles, dropping 15.3 percent compared with a year ago, according to the National Association of Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea). Sales reached 1,164,100, a decrease of 24.7 percent year-on-year, according to Anfavea. In terms of value, Brazilian vehicle exports dropped 8.1 percent from a year earlier to 5.7 billion U.S. dollars. Employment in auto industry also saw a contraction. Anfavea figures showed around 126,000 people employed in the industry, a drop of 6.6 percent from the previous year. Looking at the whole year, Anfavea estimates Brazil will produce 2.29 million cars, which marks a decrease of 5.5 percent from last year. Anfavea President Antonio Megale tried to put a positive spin on the figures, saying in a statement that the domestic market started to regain some strength. His cautious optimism was reflected in figures -- sales totaled 181,400 in July, up 5.6 percent from June. But it still marked a 20.3 percent drop compared with July 2015. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN special envoy, Staffan de Mistura, is committed to holding intra-Syrian talks by the end of August, a UN spokesman said here on Thursday, citing the deputy UN special envoy for Syria. Ramzy Ezzeldine Ramzy told reporters in Geneva that "for these talks to be fruitful, the cessation of hostilities has to stand and be reinforced," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. De Mistura, the UN mediator, has been vying to get the intra-Syrian talks back on track since negotiations seeking to reach a political agreement by Aug. 1 were put on hold in April this year. Both the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country since 2011 and fighting between government troops, opposition forces and terrorist factions have prevented negotiations from resuming. Regarding Aleppo in northern Syria, Ramzy noted that the United Nations is currently in intensive discussions with Russia and the government of Syria to ensure that the civilians are protected and that standards of international humanitarian law are respected in any aid operation, Dujarric said. In the same press encounter, the special advisor to the UN special envoy, Jan Egeland, said that UN and other humanitarian workers had hoped to reach 1.2 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas affected by conflict in July, but only reached about 40 percent of that target, largely because of continued fighting, the spokesman said. Egeland said that humanitarian pauses and a temporary end to the fighting are badly needed now, more than ever, for the city of Aleppo. "It is heartbreaking really, for humanitarian workers that are ready with supplies, with trucks and people who are willing to risk a lot, that we were prevented from reaching 60 percent of (those) we had hoped to," Egeland said. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The international prices for major food commodities saw a modest decline in July following five consecutive months of increase, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. The FAO Food Price Index (FPI) averaged 161.9 points in July 2016, slipping 0.8 percent (1.3 points) below its level in June and 1.4 percent below its level of July 2015, UN officials said here, quoting the latest FAO report. The overall decline of the price index was largely caused by drops in international quotations of grains and vegetable oils, more than offsetting firmer dairy, meat and sugar prices. The FAO Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index tracking international market prices for five major food commodity groups. The FAO Cereal Price Index fell 5.6 percent from June, led by a sharp drop in maize prices due to favourable weather conditions in the key growing regions of the United States -- the world's largest maize producer and exporter. Wheat prices also fell in July mainly driven by large global supplies and prospects for abundant export availabilities from the Black Sea region. By contrast, rice prices strengthened somewhat, as dwindling availabilities underpinned Basmati and long-grain quotations. Falling for the third consecutive month, the FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index dropped 2.8 percent from its level in June. The slide was mainly driven by palm oil, whose price dropped to a five-month low, reflecting a seasonal recovery in production in Southeast Asia combined with subdued global import demand. International prices for soybean, sunflower and rapeseed oil also eased on better than earlier anticipated supply prospects, said the officials. The FAO Dairy Price Index rose by 3.2 percent from the previous month, with butter prices seeing the sharpest rise in the group. Yet, they remain at very low levels compared to recent years. The FAO Meat Price Index increased by 1.3 percent from its revised June value. Quotations for all meat products remained firm, underpinned by a shortage of pigs for slaughter in the European Union and reduced output of sheep and bovine meat in Oceania. International demand for meat remains strong, supported by a recovery in purchases by China and sustained imports by several countries elsewhere in Asia. The FAO Sugar Price Index rose 2.2 percent in the month. International sugar prices were largely influenced by movements in real, the Brazilian currency, which strengthened against the U.S. dollar in July. BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said here on Thursday that his country supports the economic reforms initiated by Argentinean President Mauricio Macri last December. After meeting separately with Macri and Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, Kerry told a press conference that the U.S. supported "the decision by President Macri to insert Argentina into the world economy. He has made important and courageous decisions to push Argentina toward the future." Kerry said that he found a renewed sense of optimism during a meeting he held with the Argentine-American Chamber of Commerce. However, he said that Argentina should be patient in terms of foreign investment, which the country needs to renovate its infrastructure. He warned that investments take time and that, if the Macri government continues with its reform agenda, both countries will benefit. Since coming to power in December, Macri has pursued an agenda which seeks to devalue the local currency, open the country up to foreign investment and resolve Argentina's protracted negotiations with foreign creditors, which former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner refused to discuss. Kerry's visit is seen as the next step in a rapprochement which saw U.S. President Barack Obama visit in March. At the press conference, Malcorra added that "we wish to maintain our bilateral agenda through political dialogue. In our meeting, we covered all the topics which were brought up during the visit of President Obama." MEXICO CITY, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Hurricane Earl spared southeast Mexico after making landfall in neighboring Belize in the early hours of Thursday, and weakened into a tropical storm. Earl brought intermittent rain in the Caribbean and Gulf coast states of Quintana Roo and Campeche, but "there is no major damage," said Ricardo de la Cruz, head of the Interior Ministry's Civil Protection agency, in a radio telephone interview with news group Grupo Formula. Around dawn, the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm, which was moving out of Belize and into Campeche in the early afternoon, with 85 km/h sustained winds and 100 km/h gusts, the agency reported. On Wednesday evening, officials evacuated some 59 fishermen from the coastal community of Chinchorro, in Quintana Roo, as a precautionary measure, after the storm acquired hurricane force winds of 120 km/h late in the day, said De la Cruz. A red alert was also issued for southern Quintana Roo, but due to the waning storm, no more measures were needed, the official said. Earl is now expected to weaken further into a tropical depression, with winds below 63 km/h, as it passes over Campeche and enters the Gulf of Mexico, sometime around dawn on Friday. Campeche has 11 municipalities on alert for torrential downpours that might also affect the southern states of Chiapas and Tabasco. BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Argentine government will put in place a plan to receive 300 Syrian refugees in the coming months, local media reported Thursday. "The original announcement was to bring 3,000 refugees that were escaping the war in Syria. However, yesterday it was decided ... to advance gradually towards this ambitious plan, taking all the necessary steps in terms of security," said local daily La Nacion. The publication, which cited the Government Palace and the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the idea is to establish a team of advanced experts, intelligence agents and non-governmental organizations from Arab communities in Lebanon to carry out a vetting process for Syrian refugees. The Syrian refugee plan will be one of the topics of the meeting between Argentina's President Mauricio Macri and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who is in the country for an official 24-hour visit, La Nacion said. In July, Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said she was "talking with the EU and the United States, because if they (financially) accompany (Argentina), it will make it easier" to receive refugees. For over a century, Argentina has had an extensive Syrian community, which has mainly established themselves in the northwest of the South American country in provinces such as La Rioja, Catamarca and Tucuman. Delegates pose for a group photo during the 15th China-ASEAN (10+1) economic ministers' meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Aug. 4, 2016. Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun) VIENTIANE, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday vowed to deepen economic and trade cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The pledge was made during the 15th China-ASEAN (10+1) economic ministers' meeting which was held here in the Lao capital on Thursday. Speaking at the meeting, Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng highlighted the fruitful cooperation between China and ASEAN over the past 25 years. He said bilateral cooperation in trade and economy has all along been a "ballast" and "propeller" in China-ASEAN dialogue relationship. Pointing out that there is immense potential for cooperation in industrial capacity between China and ASEAN, the Chinese minister called for more efforts in this regard and building cross-border industrial chains. China stands ready to work with ASEAN on cluster cooperation in such fields as railway, information and communication, chemical industry, engineering machinery and agriculture, he said, adding that enterprises from both sides are encouraged to carry out all-round cooperation. The Chinese minister called for greater synergy between China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and development strategies of ASEAN member countries. He said the two sides should actively implement projects in related areas for mutual benefit and win-win results. Gao expressed China's willingness to support ASEAN's community construction and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 as well as to participate in the region's integration. He said China will continue to provide development assistance as its capacity allows and help narrow the development gaps between ASEAN member countries. China will also participate in the formulation and implementation of the master plan on ASEAN's connectivity and its post-2015 agenda, he added. According to Gao, China will vigorously promote China-East ASEAN Growth Area cooperation and the Lancang-Mekong cooperation and provide financial support via platforms like China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund. China will support ASEAN's centrality in pushing forward the conclusion of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of this year, he said. China is also willing to expand cooperation areas with ASEAN by supporting economic and trade cooperation between China's provincial areas and ASEAN member countries, he added. A joint communique on industrial capacity cooperation was approved at the meeting and it will be submitted to a commemorative summit marking the 25th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relationship in September this year. Related: ASEAN-China strategic partnership is crucial: Cambodian PM PHNOM PENH, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Tuesday that the strategic partnership between the ten-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China is very important and gives huge benefits to ASEAN. "The relations between ASEAN and China have provided enormous benefits to ASEAN. Therefore, Cambodia always plays a coordinating role to ensure harmony in the ASEAN-China relations," he said during the inauguration ceremony of a national road in western Kampong Speu province. Full Story People-to-people exchanges become new pillar for China-ASEAN ties GUIYANG, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang on Monday sent a congratulatory letter to the Ninth China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week held in the southwestern city of Guiyang. DHAKA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Two militant suspects in Bangladesh's deadly Eid prayer attack were killed in a gunfight with anti-crime elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Mymensingh district, some 122 km north of Dhaka, on Thursday night, a local police official said. The official who did not like to be named said they were killed as the RAB members opened fire on cohorts of the militants in retaliation of the firing during a raid at a place of the district at around 11:30 p.m. local time Thursday night. Acting on a tip-off, RAB members conducted the raid, he said. Sensing the presence of the elite force, cohorts of the criminals opened fire to them, prompting them to retaliate, triggering a gunfight. At one stage, according to the official, the militant suspects were caught in the line of fire and died on the spot while their associates managed to flee the scene. Later, he said the Rab members recovered the bodies from the spot. Three Rab members were also injured in the gunfight, he added. He said they were suspected of being involved in the attack near the country's largest Eid congregation venue on July 7. BRASILIA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Senate impeachment commission on Thursday recommended the full Senate remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff in an impeachment trial for alleged fiscal irregularities. The report, compiled by Senator Antonio Anastasia, from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), received 14 votes in favor, five against and one abstention by the commission members, who are in charge of looking into the case against Rousseff. On Aug. 9, the document will be sent to the entire Senate for a vote. Should the commission report be endorsed by a simple majority (41 votes out of 81), Rousseff will face a full impeachment trial later in August. The report said Rousseff committed a "crime against the Constitution," by delaying government payments to banks and asking for additional loans from public banks without seeking Congressional approval. The irregularities allegedly committed by Rousseff were linked to the deep economic crisis currently affecting Brazil, it added. "The fiscal manipulations used to expand spending have led to a loss of trust among economic players, investors and the general population. Today, Brazil has lost its investment grade rating from the main credit rating agencies," said the report. Rousseff was suspended from the presidency on May 12 for up to 180 days, with Vice-president Michel Temer taking over in an interim capacity. Should Rousseff be permanently impeached, Temer will complete her mandate until late 2018 and Rousseff will be banned from public office for eight years. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan (Republican of Wisconsin) makes remarks at the 2016 Republican National Convention held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. (Photo Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP/AdMedia) WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking U.S. Republican officeholder, on Thursday did not rule out the possibility that he would rescind his endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. "Of course there are," said House Speaker Ryan during an interview with local radio WTAQ in his home state of Wisconsin when asked whether there were situations that could lead to withdrawal of his endorsement. "None of these things are ever blank checks. That goes with any situation in any kind of race," said Ryan, before stressing that Trump won the GOP nomination race "fair and square." During his first public comments since Trump refused to endorse his re-election bid, Ryan, who only reluctantly took the helm of the House of Representatives less than one year ago after his predecessor John Boehner was forced to resign following intraparty rebellion, downplayed the significance of Trump's non-endorsement. "The only endorsements I want are those of my own employers here in the First Congressional District, and that's really what my focus is," said Ryan. The feud between Ryan and Trump was again put on full display early this week after Trump declined to endorse Ryan, who faces a longshot challenger in next week's Republican primary election for Ryan's House seat. "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country," said Trump in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday. "We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet." Trump's snub of Ryan this time matched Ryan's initial response to Trump's winning of the nomination race in May, when the Wisconsin lawmaker said he was "not ready" to fall in line behind the bellicose and bombastic GOP standard-bearer. A rapprochement prompted by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus later led to Ryan's endorsement of Trump. However, Ryan's criticism of his party's titular leader did not end with his endorsement. His first public breakaway from Trump since offering the endorsement came in June when he faulted Trump for his "textbook racist comments" on a judge because of his ethnic background. Tensions between the two rose again over the past weekend after Trump derisively answered criticism from Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim American solider killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004. During last week's Democratic National Convention, Khan blasted Trump for his divisive remarks and proposal to temporarily ban Muslims entering the country and implored voters to vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee. Trump responded by implying that Ghazala Khan, who accompanied her husband on stage on the final day of the Democratic National Convention, was forbidden to speak by her husband. Backlash to Trump's comments came in swiftly from both parties, with Ryan's press office releasing a scathing statement without mentioning Trump's name that denounced "a religious test for entering our country." "Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice -- and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan -- should always be honored. Period," said the statement. U.S. President Barack Obama also weighed in on Tuesday on the controversy, describing Trump as "unfit" to be U.S. president and calling on Republican leaders to rescind support. "The question they (Republican leadership) have to ask themselves is: if you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he (Trump) has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" said Obama at a press conference. "What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?" Photography by Eric Williams, Design by Rob M I came close to not graduating from high school. By the final semester I wasn't interested in the forms of social indoctrination widely available for consumption and absorption at Eldorado, a public educational institution for older adolescentsnamed after a mythical city of goldsituated in the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque, New Mexico. So, I stopped attending. I'd spend my mornings hiking in the Sandia Mountains, the afternoons at this or that friend's house playing Atari brand video games, drinking homemade wine, listening to new wave music and smoking jazz cigarettes. Then the only teacher I respected at school took me aside. It was Mr. Murdoch, the old communist who wore wool suits and sported a flat-top haircut you could land a jet upon. He looked me in the eyeand after telling me I smelled vaguely of burnt ropesaid that although he could tell I hated high school, he could also infer that I would totally dig college. Surely, he used then-current teenage lingo to impress me with his hipness but even if he hadn't, I had a feeling he was right. I stuck it out, graduated with some small bit of honor and got ready for college. Due to Murdoch's optimism and my subsequent interest, I applied at several colleges and universities. Harvard wanted me. So did Carleton College and the University of California at Santa Cruz. And UNM beckoned too, telling me that due to my ACT scores, I wouldn't have to take freshman English or algebra either. Being somewhat of a local (my parents were transferred to Burque from the Navajo Nation in 1976, although their roots had been established in the middle-Rio Grande Valley hundreds of years before), I chose UNM. I wanted to stay in Albuquerque, had recently grown interested in the local music scene and honestly felt like the state's flagship university would provide me with the knowledge and experience I needed to make it for a lifetime in my hometown. Of course, my first semester was a rough one. Every morning I commuted from the corner of Tramway and Montgomery down to the main campus on Central and Stanford. The ride to the student ghetto from one of our town's truly tony residential enclaves was a real eye-opener. After moving to Burque from the rez, I grew up believing that the poverty out in the western desert was singular, that my adopted home was an Arcadian wonderland. Proven wrong by the transients of Yale Park and the dilapidated housing surrounding my new school, I trudged through campus with a full backpack, over-full schedule and vague dreams of becoming part of something that was new and relatively unknown to me. Although I was never overwhelmed, I still felt apart from the university community. By the time the winter rolled around, I resolved to move away from home and fully embrace university life. When the spring semester commenced I used my scholarship money to pay for a dorm room at Coronado Hall, a meal ticket at La Posada Dining Room, a 400-watt Pioneer Stereo system and enough Grateful Dead tapestries to cover the walls of my new digs. The move meant getting to class would be easier. It also evolved into a situation where I could easily assimilate into the college community; after all, I was on campus 24/7 now. At the cafeteria, I met many people who would become lifelong friends and so mostly forgot about my chums from high school. I developed positive and professional relationships with members of the UNM faculty who introduced me to a way of acquiring and using knowledge that still persists in my life as a writer and artist. See to your physical, emotional, sexual and mental well-being by engaging in the forces of moderation. You'll never do excellent work on a research paper or engineering project if you lack for sleep or food. As a full-time college student, it's important to have a sanctuary to go to for rest and meditation. From Jason Knapp, I learned all about critical theory and postmodern art; Richard Berthold made the classical world come alive with his intensely detailed lectures on Greece and Rome. Jane Caputi and Wayne Shrubsall introduced me to the the intricacies of American popular culture while Mary Bess Whidden and Lee Bartlett supplemented my love for literature with an intense questioning of the nature of the written word. Of course, I could go on and on about how the University of New Mexico changed me, provided me with the intellectual ammunition and critical thinking skills necessary to conquer the world. But this article really isn't about me. It's about you, dear reader, as you embark on your own journey into higher education, here, there or practically anywhere. In concordance with that, I offer the following advice, neither fatherly nor forlorn, for seekers of their own particular path to philomath. It's from someone who certainly dug college, but also came away from the experience with mixed feelings about the process, the people and the purpose of higher education. That is well and good though, because as a successful college student you should leave the place sharpened, with more questions on your mind than the day you packed up your stuff and took the bus headed away from the mountains and toward the river. First, do not allow yourself to grow overwhelmed, academically or personally. Begin with a modest course load and a part-time job. Plan your schedule so it is effective, taking into account that you should spend at least twice the time you spend in class studying. So if you engage a 12 credit hour schedule, plan to spend at least 24 hours per week in the library or on the interwebz learning more about your course of studies. That leaves about 10-20 hours per week making feria to support your good time off on weekends and holidays. Take full advantage of the tutoring and advisement programs available at UNM. Each college, including University College, offer academic advisement designed to guide students toward success. If you develop trouble understanding and retaining the vast amounts of knowledge to which you will be exposed, develop academic relationships with peers, form study groups; take an active interest in your studies by visiting professors' office hours to ask questions, glean a deeper understanding or become a known entity within the halls of academia. See to your physical, emotional, sexual and mental well-being by engaging in the forces of moderation. You'll never do excellent work on a research paper or engineering project if you lack for sleep or food. As a full-time college student, it's important to have a sanctuary to go to for rest and meditation. Whether that place is a dorm room, an apartment, a house in said student ghetto or even the basement of your parents luxurious home in the Heights, shelter from the storm is important to your continued development as a learned individual. UNM has a wide variety of student feeding options available at all times to assuage your hunger. From the full dining room atmosphere at La Posada to the quick lunch and dinner fixes available at the Student Union Building, do not be afraid to keep your belly full to keep your mind focused. As another old-timer once noted to his students, When hungry, eat! When tired, sleep! If you overdo it, if you are questioning your sexuality or gender, if you feel sad or depressed or lonely, tell someone. Besides talking honestly with the friends and faculty you'll get to know on campus, the University of New Mexico also provides a full range of behavioral and physical health assistance through the Student Health and Counseling Center. Residential advisors in the dorms can answer many questions about campus life and the survival techniques necessary to surmount the stress, increase performance and happily shoulder the burden that comes with being a committed learner of things. Also, take it easy on yourself, but know that you are on a serious quest. Just as you shouldn't judge others, don't judge yourself. College is traditionally the place where young Americans go to experiment, to find themselves and a path forward into adult life. With that in mind, it's perfectly okay to take a class in women's studies, to spend some time watching foreign films, to go to that party where there'll be absolutely no one from your old school, to hook-up (responsibly and safely, of course) with the person from another nation or culture or way of seeing things. Finally, be safe. The world has always been a bright place and a dark place all at once. Avoid dangerous situations, be aware of your surroundings, don't over-indulge in alcohol or use street drugs. Don't take drinks or drugs offered by strangers and for Crissakes always practice safe sex. And that's about all I know about college. Oh, yeah, one more thing: Have a wonderful time; you've been granted access to a rare opportunity that will surely change your life and create someone totally different than that day in high school when you decided to ditch school, go to the mall and smoke dirt-weed while dissing your teachers and everyone who sat complacently at the Jock Wall waiting for the future to arrive. EU grant in dispute The group has retained attorney Gerald Ramdeen to fight their case, and Ramdeen has sent Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley a preaction protocol letter warning that he will begin legal action within two weeks unless the government agrees to make additional payments to the sugar workers he represents. On July 28 the Ministry of Planning and Development announced that Cabinet had decided to pay the cane farmers $57,965,675 for tranches 11 and 111 of the EU Compensation package as a final settlement to the 2007 Transitional Payment out of the Sugar Industry, on condition that they sign an agreement accepting it as the final sum due to them and that there would be no further payments. Ramdeen called a news conference in an immediate response to say the cane farmers he represented were prepared to accept the $57.9 million offered by the government without any condition. He insisted that the sugar workers he represented were entitled to the money and are prepared to go to court and fight to the end to get the remaining $45 million that they are also entitled to. Ramdeen said the $57.9 million represents the 8 million Euros provided by the European Union and stressed that, Dr Rowley and his Cabinet is not going to use the payment of that 8 million Euros as a noose around the neck of my clients. He said that the cane farmers will fight this government to the end. If they have to take it all the way to the Privy Council, they will do it. In a swift response, Minister of Planning and Development, Camille Robinson-Regis summoned journalists to her office on Friday to say that while the sugar workers were free to make use of the courts if they wished, the government can only pay former cane farmers $84 million of the $130 million promised to them. She said that while most of the former cane farmer groups had signed the agreement, one small group of some 100 former cane farmers, led by Tambie, had refused to sign and expressed its determination to fight the government in court to get the balance of the money. Robinson-Regis said that in 2007 this group had also refused to sign an agreement outlining the States strategy for its exit from the Sugar Industry after negotiations between the government and the five major groups then representing cane farmers. She said the other groups, the Sugarcane Farmers Co-operative Society Limited; the Trinidad Island Wide Cane Farmers Association; the Direct Delivery Canefarmers Co-operative Society Limited; and the Canefarmers Association of Trinidad and Tobago Limited had all signed the agreement. Robinson-Regis said the former cane farmers had already received $24 million, and we will pay an additional $57 million, so in all they will get $84 million (sic), as opposed to $130 million. The $130 million figure came out of a Cabinet decision on January 8, 2015 to pay $130 million as a final settlement to the 2007 transition payment out of the Sugar industry, and the money was to be distributed to the cane farming associations, with the first tranche to be based on TT$27 million which had already been paid to the Trinidad and Tobago government. It was agreed that when the government received the final payment of eight million Euros from the EU, which was due in 2015, a second tranche of $75 million and a third tranche of $28 million would be paid in 2016. On April 23, 2015 Cabinet agreed that the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development in collaboration with the then Ministry of Food production, now renamed the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Affairs, would be responsible for handling the distribution of the final compensation to the eligible cane farmers. Newsdays Sasha Harrinanan had reported on November 20, 2014 on what Tambie, called a very productive meeting with then Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development, Dr Bhoe Tewarie, the authorising officer for the AMSP on a proposal to resolve what had turned into an impasse over funding of the exit strategy for the former sugarcane farmers and sugarcane workers. Tewarie generally supported Tambies assessment of the meeting and its outcome, noting that the issue with the association involved private lands owned by cane farmers. While he endorsed Tambies view of the meeting, Harrinanans article added that Tewarie had said he informed Tambie that some of the things they were asking for could not be done in the way that they wanted, because firstly, there are strictures and constraints as to how the EU grant can be used and secondly, while the CPATT has said it needs TT$1.5 billion to execute its exit strategy, there is only approximately TT $25 million available from the EU grant because other parts of the funding have been utilised for other things. Tambie was later quoted as saying the $130 million would not be given directly to cane farmers but, based on a strategic business plan submitted by the association in 2013, would be used to establish several agricultural projects including the cultivation of commercial hot peppers, citrus and mixed crops, aquaponics, rearing of rabbits and sheep and goat farming. He added that a needs-based analysis report would be done in the former sugar belt. In a statement in response to an emailed query, the Charge dAffaires of the Delegation of the European Union in Trinidad and Tobago, Daniela Tramacere, said through a spokesman, the support that the TT government receives from the EU is in the form of Sector Budget Support, which means that the money is deposited into the Consolidated Fund of the national treasury and it is left up to the Government to decide how the money is to be used. The money is paid in tranches based on the fulfilment of certain indicators agreed upon between the Government and the donor - in this case the EU. The statement added that the final payment tranche under this programme - Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol - was transferred earlier this year. In response to a request for clarification, she said the funds must be used within the agricultural sector for programmes to restructure the sector, to diversify agricultural production and to reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts of the restructuring process. At her news conference, Robinson-Regis said an audit conducted by the accounting firm Ernst & Young from October 30, 2007 to June 2010 determined that 3,481 former sugarcane farmers were entitled to payments under the compensation package and they received $82,111,774 paid in 38 payment tranches over the period as transitional support for two and a half years: January 2008 June 2010. She said the payment of compensation represented an agreement for direct transitional financial support to allow the restructuring of the agricultural activities of these former sugar cane farmers after they left off sugar cultivation. Outlining other compensation to the former sugar workers, she added that those who had tenancies with Caroni or who were squatting on state lands were given two-acre agricultural leases by the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources for agricultural activities. About 6,000 farmers received approximately 13,000 acres of former Caroni lands under this programme. She told journalists that in a further move to wean the former cane farmers off the industry, arrangements were made for them to register with the ministry to allow them to benefit from the incentives of the Agricultural Incentive Programme and to get loans on concessionary terms from the low interest window of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB). A training needs assessment was undertaken in 2003 and a training plan was implemented between 2003-2007 at a cost of $16.52 million under which 18 different institutions provided training in twenty technical and agricultural programmes to about 2,500 farmers and former employees of Caroni. She pointed out that the $57,965,675 which Cabinet on July 28, 2016 approved to pay former cane farmers was in addition to the $27 million they received from the first tranche, bringing the total payment to $84,965,675, plus the $82,111,774 which was paid in 2007, making the total compensation package to former cane farmers so far $167,077,449. She said that the 8 million Euros was the final payment from the EU and the money to pay the $45 million being demanded by Tambie and his group would have to come from government resources. Robinson-Regis said of the 3,481 farmers identified by the Ernst & Young audit as being eligible to benefit from the compensation payments, cheques had been prepared for 2,740, totalling of $24,151,385. She said 316 farmers had not signed the agreement letter and statement accepting the payment as final and there were 425 queries to be dealt with. According to Robinson- Regis, cheques have so far been distributed to 2,613 cane farmers. In an interview with Newsday back in May, 2016, Robinson- Regis agreed that the money was intended for the government to compensate the State for programmes to transition workers in the sugar industry out of the industry into more viable agricultural ventures. However, she said that early last year the previous government changed the agreement and decided to use the money to pay the cane farmers directly. What the EU money was for was for the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to make the transition from cane to other areas of agriculture, in order to finance the transition. But the last government came up with a different policy and decided that they should pay the cane farmers individually. She continued, This government has seen the policy and I have brought a note to Cabinet indicating what was the last policy of the government of the last governmentand Ive asked the Attorney General, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture to examine the existing policy of the last government and determine how we will go forward with the EU tranche that has been paid. She said she had met with a group of former cane farmers who had sent a Pre-Action Protocol Letter through their attorney to the Prime Minister. She said after the letter was sent, one of the persons in that group, asked for a meeting with her and indicated that he had been misled and wanted to discuss the issue and I had a discussion with him and three other members of his team and they are quite satisfied with what I had to tell them which was that the Attorney Generals office, the office of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Minister of Finance are re-examining this issue. The Prime Minister has indicated that the second tranche will be paid to them and thereafter we will see how it goes. She said, We are going to stick to our word to re-examine the policy and to do as the Prime Minister has indicated but within certain parameters Taxing the shadow One says 2 billion in VAT revenues to be collected. The other says 12 billion. Why the discrepancy? Rumours fly of a rift in Cabinet. The Attorney General says he was taken out of context. A misreading of figures is floated as a possible explanation for the gap. Then we move on. The nineday wonder cycle is complete. Of course, while why the discrepancy exists is an important question to ask, it is not the only one. Does the discrepancy exist because of a lack of information forcing both ministers to make estimates? If there was a lack of information, is this a reflection of the quality of our tax data collection and perhaps the collection of the taxes themselves? Forgotten in all of this is an ongoing tax amnesty. This will be the countrys third tax amnesty since 2011. Is the number of tax amnesties indicative of serious, core issues within national tax collection? Initially, tax amnesties were a way for the government to work with the people, said Christine Sahadeo. Sahadeo is a former minister of finance and frequent commentator on tax affairs. But youre not supposed to be doing it all the time. Sahadeo said governments have been induced to resort to amnesties because of low levels of tax collection but a situation has arisen where frequent use of the amnesties undermines the system. Persons who pay their taxes on time feel as though they are disadvantaged, while delinquents continue not to pay, hoping for another amnesty. The inability to collect what is owed to the State is a tree with many branches. Sahadeo said firstly, people want to participate in a tax system that is fair, efficient and adequately shares the tax burden. They also want to see goods and services provided by the government reflective of the value of their taxation. Anything less may encourage persons to dodge paying their share. Sahadeo said salaried persons have borne and continue to bear much of this countrys tax burden. However, there exists a whole range of people and entities outside this bracket in what is known as the hidden or shadow economy. This is business activity that happens outside of regular, measurable channels and while it connotes illegal dealings, the definition also covers the small entrepreneur engaged in legal activity, who may not be registered, for example. In a paper written in 2004, economist, Patrick Watson et al estimated the size of the shadow or hidden economy rose from a low of 14 per cent of measured GDP in the early 1970s to a high of 36 per cent in 1981 and is currently about 20 per cent of measured GDP. Twenty per cent of a countrys GDP going untaxed is significant. The apparatus for tracking tax data and physical tax collection also needs an urgent upgrade. Sahadeo said the Board of Inland Revenue as currently constituted is unequal to the task. The former finance minister told Business Day that the BIR had inadequate management capacity and staffing, few training opportunities as well as inadequate compensation and was therefore unable to attract the best human resources. Another liability was the lack of integration of BIRs information management system. She said this was why a tax revenue authority was proposed prior to 2010. This authority was supposed to integrate the data at the BIR with the Customs information of those bringing goods into the country. Sahadeo drew a reference. Lets say I have a company where I import material. An integrated system means that the customs database is available to BIR. So when I submit my returns, there is a holistic view of my business. I cannot say my purchases are X when they are in fact substantially more. The tax authority appears to be in limbo for now. However, Sahadeo said there are steps government can take otherwise to increase compliance for individuals and corporations in the payment of tax in the meantime. Without the authority government can start to look at other ways to integrate the system. Energy revenues also still constitute a large part of our income, so we need to look closely at our legislation to ensure that we do not give away too much or not enough. It requires some fine tuning. The former finance minister added that most importantly, the will to reform the tax system and income collection had to be present. But even if the will is present and tax reform undertaken, will massive unpaid tax debt continue to be a problem for this country? What is the extent of underpayment or avoidance by individuals and the corporate sector? What is happening at the BIR? These are some of the issues we hope to examine in the coming weeks. Banking on the go Retail customers can view their account balances, transaction history and eStatements as well as conduct transfers between personal and third party Republic Bank accounts, real time Credit Card payments and VTM (Visa Travel Money) card loading and utility bill payments. Other features of the RepublicMobile App include securing of accounts with an MPIN (Mobile Personal Identification Number), Branch and ABM locator as well as setting a list of your Favourite transactions for quick access. Business Day sat down recently with Anthony Wong, general Manager, Electronic Channels and Payment Systems at RBL, to find out what sets this particular app apart from others on the market. The mobile app has been in existence for quite a number of months but weve spent considerable time and effort ensuring that the security aspects were right before officially launching it at the start of July. Republic is the only bank in TT that uses two-factor authentication, using our Republic ID-secure card. Wong explained that the apps secure log-in works the same way as Republic Online, the desktop version of RBLs eBanking services. After entering your user name and password, you must have your physical matrix card on hand to complete the login process. He said the card is easy to obtain - simply apply for one at an RBL branch and within a day or so, perhaps less, the card is ready. We made use of the two-factor authentication system mandatory around September or October 2015 for all of our Internet banking customers, so that if your user name and password are compromised, you can use your matrix card when logging in. This is a huge security feature because with the amount of malware (malicious software) that the public is exposed to online, fraudsters can capture your user name and password by loading software onto your system, often key logger programmes. Wong said the Republic IDsecure card mitigates the risk of this by adding a very strong security process to authenticate who the user is. The significance of this to our mobile app is that when you are signing on to the app, you first have to register for Republic Online, then sign into the app using this card as part of the authentication process. Wong was keen to stress the extreme lengths RBL went to during development and testing prior to the apps launch to ensure the integrity of our product. He said this took considerable time (18 months) because we had to deal with not only existing risks in the mobile world but emerging ones, in order to ensure that our mobile application is secure. It was a significant investment because of the major upgrade in our Republic Online system from version 6.4 to version 11.2. Wong explained that this means RBL can now offer a lot of functionalities and services as part of our mobile app. Convenience and value at (customers) fingertips, including Tap and Pay, all in a secure manner. The bank isnt making customers wait to enjoy new conveniences via its app - it comes with a Banking by Appointment feature which allows users to set up appointments to visit any RBL branch to get a loan, open accounts, et cetera. This already exists on Republic Online and can now be accessed via the app. Asked about the feedback to date, Wong smiled as he told Business Day, the response so far has been fantastic. We had close to 7,000 downloads within the first four days. Thats more than we had expected. In fact, people began downloading the app from their respective app stores before the ads even started running. This demonstrates that people are looking for convenience and theyre looking for a medium such as the Internet and social media to get solutions for their banking needs. Weve actually gotten some pretty good feedback already, where customers have commented on the functionality and convenience of the RepublicMobile app, Wong stated. Looking at trends in eBanking, which RBL has been tracking since 2007, the general manager, Electronic Channels and Payment Systems told Business Day that over the last three years (2013 to 2015), financial transactions have been growing more than ten percent year-on-year. Wong said inquiries are much higher; checking balances, printing statements and a host of things, but he did not have an exact figure for those types of transactions over the same period. More details about the app can be found at www. republiconline.republictt.com/ republicmobileappfaq.html Questions about standards At the end of the day it is the standards that we must adhere to that make us competitive globally and allow us to improve productivity. We need to set targets at such a level to push our people to achieve higher standards, but the target needs to be perceived as achievable if our people are going to accept the challenge. However, in real life the world is much more complex than this. While there are studies that speak to some of this, we should address a far more pernicious issue that precedent has set over the last 30 years. In this regard we have to look at the impact of the behaviour and standards set by those in position of authority. What has been the experience in our country? Are there examples of deliberately lowered standards in every walk of life that is now affecting performance? Perhaps we can start with the education system. At the end of the day the quality of students we produce will impact the quality of labour that enters the work force. What are our metrication requirements for entry into primary school, secondary school, university, the labour market? What are the determining criteria? In the school system is it available space or is it an international standard that forces our people to perform with the best globally. Has there been a systematic lowering of these standards through family relations, friendships or worse, bribery, for entry allowing lower standards to succeed? Did free and compulsory primary and secondary education come with the requisite standards or was this an elaborate day care system for parents? Did lowering the grade from a I and II at secondary school exams contribute to making us less competitive? What about the minimal requirements for entry into certain important jobs, for example having just a Grade III to be a police officer? Is this lowering standards but appearing to be kind? We can change gears and ask what about institutions that hire Ministers wives who previously held no such position nor had any training in the area? Is this an indication of lowering of standards? Is this setting the precedent for the future? Can high performance be achieved if they decide to defend political decisions rather than demand those standards that ensure a sound and reliable product, macro prudential soundest or that financial indicators are sound? Can standards be maintained in an environment where employees are not able to assess a set of parameters for fearing of retribution? Does hiring persons over the years who are not fit for purpose but are very good political supporters set a precedent that we are now reaping the world wind? Has every political party lowered the standard? Can it be argued that the claim of not being able to find persons with the right mix of skills and experience simply code for not finding compliant supporters? What about ensuring standards of products produced in the real sector, are these enforced? Do our unions insist on improvements in productivity to justify enhancement of wages? The simple fact is that the issue of standards not only relates to quality of product or labour available but also to behaviour and leadership. At the end of the day it is poor quality leadership that has resulted in the financial debacle at CL Financial and the Hindu Credit Union. When leaders are chosen whether in the political arena, private sector, as a Central Bank Governor or Deputy Governor, going forward we must insist on standards and that the standards enshrined in law be applied. Perhaps we can recognize our mistakes and correct them now. blink | bmobile retail adapting to customers needs The inaugural event at blink | bmobiles Eastern Main Road St Augustine office was also a delight to customers. This was one of a series of initiatives that are happening at the various blink | bmobile retail stores nationwide as part of transforming its retail operations to be more responsive to customers needs. Manager, Giselle Ottley, was excited and encouraged by the response from customers and the support from staff. We have been reaching out to our customers and responding to their needs. This is one of the things they have been asking for because we are in the middle of a large catchment area and its ideal for our customers to come out on Saturdays, do their chores and take care of their TSTT needs also. Ottley explained that the retail store caters to an area that includes the busy shopping districts of San Juan, St Augustine, Curepe, Tunapuna and El Dorado, so Saturdays should bring in a lot of customer traffic. Ashaki Scott was one of the customers who took advantage of the opportunity and agreed that the Saturday opening was a welcome improvement. Scott said, I went to the gas station across the street and saw the Open on Saturdays sign. I thought Wow and decided to come and pay my bill. Scott continued, People work and are busy during the week. Saturdays is when we have the time to see about our personal business. This is an amazing and wonderful idea. TSTT should keep this up because its important for service providers to open on Saturdays. Roger Hamlet, another customer, agreed that Saturdays were necessary and added, I wanted to query something on my bill but didnt have the time during the week. I was happy to see the office open today. I would definitely come on Saturdays because its fits my schedule. The Saturday openings are part of a trial which will be continued through to August 6. Cops spring into action According to Boodram, an officer told her to return in 24 hours to give an official statement. She claimed she was also informed that she would have to wait one month for a medical certificate before charges could be pressed against her attacker. Her plight was highlighted in Newsday yesterday. Boodram, a diabetic, was expected to visit the Princes Town Police Station to give an official statement but told Newsday she could not keep the appointment as she fell ill. I spoke to the victim today. We have since sorted out the matter with the medical certificate and tonight (last night) she will visit the Princes Town Police Station to give a statement, Insp Gajadhar told Newsday yesterday. He added that officers have started searching for a 50-yearold man who is an employee of the San Fernando City Corporation who is believed to have gone into hiding after Newsday published Boodrams story. When Newsday spoke to Boodram yesterday, she said the relative had sneaked into her one room apartment on Tuesday night and demanded that he sleep on the bed with her. Investigations are continuing. Man stabbed to death, thrown in drain When police responded they discovered Byrons body lying face down in the drain. He was clad in a blue and grey jersey and black long pants and bore stab wounds to the back of the head. The scene was cordoned off and District Medical Officer Dr Ravi Kawal viewed the body and ordered it removed to the Forensic Science Centre in Federation Park, St James for autopsy. However, no autopsy was done as the lone pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov and staff at the centre continued protest action over work conditions at the centre. Police officers have not ascertained a motive for Byrons murder, but were informed that he had recently moved from Morvant to Cunupia. Investigations are continuing. Two cops arrested in sting operation They were expected to be placed on identification parades yesterday. According to reports, on July 16, the officers allegedly went to the home of a 40-year-old man at Papourie Road, Barrackpore and demanded $1200 to forego prosecution for a traffic offence. They allegedly told the man that they will not execute a warrant on him if he pays them the money. It is alleged that the man left with the two officers and went to an ATM machine where he withdrew the cash and gave it to the officers. Reports are that they subsequently called the man several times and demanded more money. The man made a report to officers of the Professional Standards Bureau and a sting operation was set up between late Monday night and early Tuesday. It is alleged that one of the constables went to the mans Barrackpore home at about 7.30 am on Tuesday to collect a sum of money. While inside the mans house, he was arrested by a team of officers led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Harrikrishen Baldeo, Superintendent Renwick, Inspector Montrichard, Sgt Daniel, Cpl Joefield and others. Following the constables arrest, officers then proceeded to the Barrackpore Police Station where they arrested the other constable who was in police uniform. They were handcuffed and placed in a cell at the Barrackpore Police Station and their homes as well as their lockers at the station were searched. The officers were then taken to the Belmont and Central Police Stations where they were placed in cells. Newsday understands that investigators have already secured footage from the ATM machine where the officers allegedly received the cash from the man on July 16. Up until yesterday, 30 police officers have been charged for various offences by Officers of the Professional Standards Bureau since the start of the year. Couple beaten with bolt cutter A 43-year-old unemployed labourer also of Southern Main Road, Aripero has been detained but investigators are yet to lay charges against the suspect as Roys condition is being closely monitored. Newsday learnt that Roy, while bleeding profusely from the head successfully escaped his attacker and managed to snap a padlock on the gate, leaving his injured wife and the relative in a room in the house. He went outside into the yard and dialed 999. He also attracted the attention of some passersby who also called the police. The couple shared their house with the suspect. According to a police report, around 7.30 pm on Monday, the Seeterams were involved in an argument with the male relative when he took a bolt cutter and dealt them several blows about the body. Cpl Seurattan and PC Bissoo of Oropouche Police Station who were on mobile patrol in the area at the time, quickly responded to the report of violence at the address and upon arrival found Roy outside the house bleeding from injuries to the head - his wife, the report said was inside the house lying on the floor suffering other injuries about the body. Man charged with murder Curtis Straker was brought handcuffed into the court before Magistrate Sharon Gibson charged with the murder of Carlene Grant. According to the charge as read out in court, Straker was beaten on the head with a hammer while on guard duty at the Waterloo Community Centre last week Tuesday. Straker of Enterprise in Chaguanas was informed by Magistrate Gibson that the charge of murder in a non-bailable offense and he would be remanded into custody until determination of the case. The charge was laid by detective Cpl James. Court prosecutor Sgt Ken Ali told the magistrate that the file has been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for the appointment of a state attorney to lead the prosecution. Attorney Sheena Hassanali who represented the accused man requested that the matter be expedited. Hassanali further told the magistrate that her client suffers from diabetes and mental stress. Magistrate Gibson said that she noted the accused mans attorneys request. An autopsy performed at the Forensic Science Centre revealed that Grant was struck at least three times on the head with a hammer with the blows resulting in her skull being shattered and her brain penetrated by the hammer. Grant worked as a Estate Constable with state company National Maintainance Training and Security Services (MTS). Yesterday, Strakers relatives were present during the hearing and as the matter ended he turned and waved at them, then bent his head as he was led out of the court room by police officers to be taken to Remand Yard at Golden Grove Prison in Arouca. The case was adjourned to September 1. Man in court for shooting SRP dead The 29-year-old constable of Williams Trace, Five Rivers, Arouca, was shot and killed near his home on May 24. Ricardo Joseph, alias Cardo, of Williams Trace, Five Rivers, Arouca, was also charged with possession of firearm and ammunition and faces unrelated charges of rape, buggery, grievous sexual assault and common assault. Magistrate Avason Quinlan postponed the murder, firearm and ammunition matters to August 30 and the sex related and common assault charges were transferred to the Sangre Grande Magistrates Court and postponed to August 10. On August 2, Director of Public Prosecutions, Senior Counsel Roger Gaspard, gave instructions to the police to charge Joseph with the various offences. The charges were laid by Insp Windel Flaviney of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II. He was a pest I was expecting this to happen a long time ago. He lived by the gun and he died by the gun. That was the life he chose. Joseph told Newsday yesterday that while she and her family mourns his death, they have to face the reality that Boucaud was involved in criminal activity. She said she tried time and again to convince him to change his ways, but the pleas fell on deaf ears. The last time I spoke to him was some months aback, and even then I was pleading for him to change, said Joseph. I was begging and pleading with him to do something different from what he was doing, and I was saying that that he could not continue the life he was living, but he just bawl out oh God mommy! and continued doing what he was doing. Joseph explained that Boucaud was the youngest of her three sons, but described two of them as hardened. One of my sons was good, and the other two were pests, she said. The first one was a good child, but two years ago he got into a fight while on French Street (Woodbrook) and someone pulled out a knife and stabbed him, and now this one is dead. I just hope that the middle son learns from his brothers mistakes. According to reports, at about 4.40 am yesterday, officers of the Inter-Agency Task Force and the Port of Spain CID went to Boucauds home on Ariapita Road, St Anns, to execute a search warrant for arms and ammunition. But when they arrived at his house, police alleged that Boucaud drew a firearm and opened fire on them. They returned fire hitting Boucaud several times. Police sources indicated that Boucaud was a person of interest in the murder investigation of 30-year-old Motape Hutchinson who was killed on Monday in the same area. Bodies pile up On Tuesday, 12 bodies were brought in for autopsies following a murder-filled extended Emancipation Day weekend. No autopsy was done on Tuesday. Added to the list of 12 bodies as the Forensic were three more bodies being brought in - a man who was murdered, another who was found dead at home and a third who was shot dead during a shoot-out with police, making for at least 15 corpses now at the Centre awaiting autopsy. Yesterday, dozens of persons turned up at the Centre in Federation Park hoping autopsies could be done on their deceased loved ones. They left empty- handed. Staffers at the Centre have thrown their weight firmly behind Dr Alexandrov who is believed to be the first pathologist in the entire Commonwealth to go on a public strike by withholding his services, over adverse working conditions. We are not refusing to work, we just need help, said Dr Alexandrov in a phone conversation with Newsday. I understand the bureaucratic process and I understand that things would not change overnight. But we need a guarantee that this problem would be solved soon, so at least we can see light at the end of the tunnel, he added. Alexandrov said that although the pile-up of bodies is alarming, non-prosecution cases such as suspected suicides and sudden and natural deaths, would be sent to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for autopsies to be conducted by house officers in the mortuary department of that hospital. Alexandrov said that the situation is quickly deteriorating. He said that in July, he worked for 20 days that month and performed 79 autopsies. Of those, 38 were autopsies done to assist in homicide investigations. If anyone can explain to me what is going on, I would really like to know, because this workload is way beyond anything that anyone, even a forensic pathologist can endure, Alexandrov said. At present, he is the only Forensic Pathologist on duty with fellow pathologist Dr Eastlyn McDonald Burris out on vacation and Dr Hughvon des Vignes no longer contracted by Government. Anglicans in emergency meetings Crawford, who was detained during the 2011 State of Emergency, also appears to confirm that former prime minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar was a target, saying it would have been an honour to attempt an assassination. However he denies his group held that objective but, instead, opted to kill others. The Bishop yesterday said there was a need for an intense and serious discussion on the rapidly changing security landscape. We will have to examine all of these reports and begin to take the necessary steps, the Bishop said. We need to be mindful that times have changed, they are changing rapidly and we have to be on the lookout for any acts of hostility. A church is a place of care and we have to guarantee this kind of environment. This is a matter that will receive intense and serious discussion and deliberations at the regular statutory meetings. However, he said the meetings will have to be pulled forward to this month. August is normally vacation time, but the deliberations will have to begin during this time, Berkley said. The meetings will involve one at the Diocesan Council (comprising clergy, lay persons and officials of the church) at a parish hall, as well as further meetings at Hayes Court and Trinity Cathedral. To members of the church, Berkley said, Fear not. But we should exercise every precaution that we can and we should be very vigilant at public functions and public places. Of the possible use of metal detectors at churches, Berkley said they would have to be considered. Metal detectors are an obvious kind of sign but you would want to treat with other more subtle kinds of detection, the Bishop said. The question of metal detectors at churches recently arose last week when Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris suggested they may be considered by that church in the wake of the murder of a priest by terrorists in France. Berkley said security measures are likely to be discussed at an inter-religious level as well. The Bishops comments came as President of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) Brother Harrypersad Maharaj yesterday said there was a need for all religions to be on the alert. The IRO will hold a regular meeting next Monday. I dont think the threats being made has anything to do with Islam, Maharaj said. In this part of the world Muslims are very peaceful. I dont think there is anything to worry about but at the same time we have to always be on alert. Haji Abzal Mohammed, First Vice President of the IRO, yesterday condemned the call made in the propaganda article. God did not make the world for Muslims alone, Mohammed said. God created all human beings and he has sent messengers to teach mankind how to live. Some have followed other religions and according to Gods law that is their democratic right. The prophet of Islam says respect everyones religion. We must do so, that is the teaching of Islam. We have to respect everybodys religion. We may differ but that does not mean we will be enemies Church, the nations conscience Mundy, a pastor for 22 years, said the Police Service was doing all it could to stem the tide of violence, but partnering with faith based organizations, mainly Christian organizations, could increase the officers efficiency. We believe the Church needs to take a stand against gun violence. And so we want to be reactive as well as proactive. We are launching this new organization today. We are trying to get as much publicity as possible, because at the end of the day, we want people to know who we are, what we take a stand for and we are hoping in some way to affect the conscience of people in terms of gun violence, Mundy said. He said that the Church is the conscience of the nation. We have four executive members, we have a committee of about eight and then we started with about 45 pastors who assembled at the Marriott last year. And out of that, this ministry was birthed. Mundy is the Chair of the organization while Raymond Okeil is responsible for communications and is also the Vice Chair. Policeman Wendell Williams will primarily be responsible for secretarial work. Pastor Gary Grant of Walking in the Spirit Ministries at the corner of Duke and Nelson Street, a speaker at the event, gave his own personal testimony about living a life of crime, and how turning to Christianity revolutionised his life. A gun never shoot nobody, said Grant. People shoot people with guns. So the problem is not so much the guns, but the people who use the guns. The Bible says that, how can a young man cleanse his ways. How can a young man be transformed? The Word says by taking heed to the word of God. That is how God transformed my life. I was a gun-toter yes. I used guns. As a matter of fact, the crime that I spent years in prison for, was armed robbery with aggravation. But as the Word says, even self youve committed sin, because we know that young people today, because of the set of distractions, different things that are leading them astray, many youths have turned to the guns because they feel that the gun has power and they could get recognised having a gun...I used to feel powerful when I had a gun. Grant lamented that many young men in Trinidad and Tobago who want to turn from a life of crime are fearful of doing so as they may be killed. He encouraged them to make the right choice saying that God will protect them if they do so. 60 False Flags Admitted By Presidents, Politicians, Generals And Spies If you think false flags are wild conspiracy theories and that your government is not capable of orchestrating a terror event in order to manipulate the public, then it might be time you brush up on your history. (Article by Baxter Dmitry) Governments all over the world and all through history have relied on false flags the oldest political trick in the book to justify their actions and manipulate public opinion. They are the easiest and most powerful way to gain control of a population and bring the people to the bidding of their leaders. If you think these things only happens in faraway lands, check out numbers 12 to 20 for some eye-opening American false flags. How long until some of the recent terrorist events in the US and Europe get added to this list? In the following instances, officials in the government which carried out the attack (or seriously proposed an attack) admit to it, either orally, in writing, or through photographs or videos: (1) Japanese troops set off a small explosion on a train track in 1931, and falsely blamed it on China in order to justify an invasion of Manchuria. This is known as the Mukden Incident or the Manchurian Incident. The Tokyo International Military Tribunal found: Several of the participators in the plan, including Hashimoto [a high-ranking Japanese army officer], have on various occasions admitted their part in the plot and have stated that the object of the Incident was to afford an excuse for the occupation of Manchuria by the Kwantung Army . And see this. (2) A major with the Nazi SS admitted at the Nuremberg trials that under orders from the chief of the Gestapo he and some other Nazi operatives faked attacks on their own people and resources which they blamed on the Poles, to justify the invasion of Poland. (3) Nazi general Franz Halder also testified at the Nuremberg trials that Nazi leader Hermann Goering admitted to setting fire to the German parliament building in 1933, and then falsely blaming the communists for the arson. (4) Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev admitted in writing that the Soviet Unions Red Army shelled the Russian village of Mainila in 1939 while blaming the attack on Finland as a basis for launching the Winter War against Finland. Russian president Boris Yeltsin agreed that Russia had been the aggressor in the Winter War. (5) The Russian Parliament, current Russian president Putin and former Soviet leader Gorbachev all admit that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered his secret police to execute 22,000 Polish army officers and civilians in 1940, and then falsely blamed it on the Nazis. (6) The British government admits that between 1946 and 1948 it bombed 5 ships carrying Jews attempting to flee the Holocaust to seek safety in Palestine, set up a fake group called Defenders of Arab Palestine, and then had the psuedo-group falsely claim responsibility for the bombings (and see this, this and this). (7) Israel admits that in 1954, an Israeli terrorist cell operating in Egypt planted bombs in several buildings, including U.S. diplomatic facilities, then left behind evidence implicating the Arabs as the culprits (one of the bombs detonated prematurely, allowing the Egyptians to identify the bombers, and several of the Israelis later confessed) (and see this and this). (8) The CIA admits that it hired Iranians in the 1950?s to pose as Communists and stage bombings in Iran in order to turn the country against its democratically-elected prime minister. (9) The Turkish Prime Minister admitted that the Turkish government carried out the 1955 bombing on a Turkish consulate in Greece also damaging the nearby birthplace of the founder of modern Turkey and blamed it on Greece, for the purpose of inciting and justifying anti-Greek violence. (10) The British Prime Minister admitted to his defense secretary that he and American president Dwight Eisenhower approved a plan in 1957 to carry out attacks in Syria and blame it on the Syrian government as a way to effect regime change. (11) The former Italian Prime Minister, an Italian judge, and the former head of Italian counterintelligenceadmit that NATO, with the help of the Pentagon and CIA, carried out terror bombings in Italy and other European countries in the 1950s through the 1980s and blamed the communists, in order to rally peoples support for their governments in Europe in their fight against communism. As one participant in this formerly-secret program stated: You had to attack civilians, people, women, children, innocent people, unknown people far removed from any political game. The reason was quite simple. They were supposed to force these people, the Italian public, to turn to the state to ask for greater security so that a state of emergency could be declared, so people would willingly trade part of their freedom for the security (and see this) (Italy and other European countries subject to the terror campaign had joined NATO before the bombings occurred). And watch this BBC special. They also allegedly carried out terror attacks in France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, and other countries. False flag attacks carried out pursuant to this program include by way of example only: The murder of the Turkish Prime Minister (1960) Bombings in Portugal (1966) The Piazza Fontana massacre in Italy (1969) Terror attacks in Turkey (1971) The Peteano bombing in Italy (1972) Shootings in Brescia, Italy and a bombing on an Italian train (1974) Shootings in Istanbul, Turkey (1977) The Atocha massacre in Madrid, Spain (1977) The abduction and murder of the Italian Prime Minister (1978) The bombing of the Bologna railway station in Italy (1980) Shooting and killing 28 shoppers in Brabant county, Belgium (1985) (12) In 1960, American Senator George Smathers suggested that the U.S. launch a false attack made on Guantanamo Bay which would give us the excuse of actually fomenting a fight which would then give us the excuse to go in and [overthrow Castro]. (13) Official State Department documents show that, in 1961, the head of the Joint Chiefs and other high-level officials discussed blowing up a consulate in the Dominican Republic in order to justify an invasion of that country. The plans were not carried out, but they were all discussed as serious proposals. (14) As admitted by the U.S. government, recently declassified documents show that in 1962, the American Joint Chiefs of Staff signed off on a plan to blow up AMERICAN airplanes (using an elaborate plan involving the switching of airplanes), and also to commit terrorist acts on American soil, and then to blame it on the Cubans in order to justify an invasion of Cuba. See the following ABC news report; the official documents; and watch this interview with the former Washington Investigative Producer for ABCs World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. (15) In 1963, the U.S. Department of Defense wrote a paper promoting attacks on nations within the Organization of American States such as Trinidad-Tobago or Jamaica and then falsely blaming them on Cuba. (16) The U.S. Department of Defense even suggested covertly paying a person in the Castro government to attack the United States: The only area remaining for consideration then would be to bribe one of Castros subordinate commanders to initiate an attack on Guantanamo. (17) The NSA admits that it lied about what really happened in the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 manipulating data to make it look like North Vietnamese boats fired on a U.S. ship so as to create a false justification for the Vietnam war. (18) A U.S. Congressional committee admitted that as part of its Cointelpro campaign the FBI had used many provocateurs in the 1950s through 1970s to carry out violent acts and falsely blame them on political activists. (19) A top Turkish general admitted that Turkish forces burned down a mosque on Cyprus in the 1970s and blamed it on their enemy. He explained: In Special War, certain acts of sabotage are staged and blamed on the enemy to increase public resistance. We did this on Cyprus; we even burnt down a mosque. In response to the surprised correspondents incredulous look the general said, I am giving an example. (20) A declassified 1973 CIA document reveals a program to train foreign police and troops on how to make booby traps, pretending that they were training them on how to investigate terrorist acts: The Agency maintains liaison in varying degrees with foreign police/security organizations through its field stations . [CIA provides training sessions as follows:] a. Providing trainees with basic knowledge in the uses of commercial and military demolitions and incendiaries as they may be applied in terrorism and industrial sabotage operations. b. Introducing the trainees to commercially available materials and home laboratory techniques, likely to he used in the manufacture of explosives and incendiaries by terrorists or saboteurs. c. Familiarizing the trainees with the concept of target analysis and operational planning that a saboteur or terrorist must employ. d. Introducing the trainees to booby trapping devices and techniques giving practical experience with both manufactured and improvised devices through actual fabrication. *** The program provides the trainees with ample opportunity to develop basic familiarity and use proficiently through handling, preparing and applying the various explosive charges, incendiary agents, terrorist devices and sabotage techniques. (21) The German government admitted that, in 1978, the German secret service detonated a bomb in the outer wall of a prison and planted escape tools on a prisoner a member of the Red Army Faction which the secret service wished to frame the bombing on. (22) A Mossad agent admits that, in 1984, Mossad planted a radio transmitter in Gaddaffis compound in Tripoli, Libya which broadcast fake terrorist trasmissions recorded by Mossad, in order to frame Gaddaffi as a terrorist supporter. Ronald Reagan bombed Libya immediately thereafter. (23) The South African Truth and Reconciliation Council found that, in 1989, the Civil Cooperation Bureau (a covert branch of the South African Defense Force) approached an explosives expert and asked him to participate in an operation aimed at discrediting the ANC [the African National Congress] by bombing the police vehicle of the investigating officer into the murder incident, thus framing the ANC for the bombing. (24) An Algerian diplomat and several officers in the Algerian army admit that, in the 1990s, the Algerian army frequently massacred Algerian civilians and then blamed Islamic militants for the killings. (25) In 1993, a bomb in Northern Ireland killed 9 civilians. Official documents from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (i.e. the British government) show that the mastermind of the bombing was a British agent, and that the bombing was designed to inflame sectarian tensions. (26) The United States Armys 1994 publication Special Forces Foreign Internal Defense Tactics Techniques and Procedures for Special Forces updated in 2004 recommends employing terrorists and using false flag operations to destabilize leftist regimes in Latin America. False flag terrorist attacks were carried out in Latin America and other regions as part of the CIAs Dirty Wars. (27) Similarly, a CIA psychological operations manual prepared by a CIA contractor for the Nicaraguan Contra rebels noted the value of assassinating someone on your own side to create a martyr for the cause. The manual was authenticated by the US government. The manual received so much publicity from Associated Press, Washington Post and other news coverage that during the 1984 presidential debate President Reagan was confronted with the following question on national television: At this moment, we are confronted with the extraordinary story of a CIA guerrilla manual for the anti-Sandinista contras whom we are backing, which advocates not only assassinations of Sandinistas but the hiring of criminals to assassinate the guerrillas we are supporting in order to create martyrs. (28) An Indonesian fact-finding team investigated violent riots which occurred in 1998, and determined thatelements of the military had been involved in the riots, some of which were deliberately provoked. (29) Senior Russian Senior military and intelligence officers admit that the KGB blew up Russian apartment buildings in 1999 and falsely blamed it on Chechens, in order to justify an invasion of Chechnya. (30) As reported by BBC, Macedonian officials admit that the government murdered 7 innocent immigrants in cold blood and pretended that they were Al Qaeda soldiers attempting to assassinate Macedonian police, in order to join the war on terror. (31) At the July 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy, black-clad thugs were videotaped getting out of police cars, and were seen by an Italian MP carrying iron bars inside the police station. Subsequently, senior police officials in Genoa subsequently admitted that police planted two Molotov cocktails and faked the stabbing of a police officer at the G8 Summit, in order to justify a violent crackdown against protesters. (32) The U.S. falsely blamed Iraq for playing a role in the 9/11 attacks as shown by a memo from the defense secretary as one of the main justifications for launching the Iraq war. Even after the 9/11 Commission admitted that there was no connection, Dick Cheney said that the evidence is overwhelming that al Qaeda had a relationship with Saddam Husseins regime, that Cheney probably had information unavailable to the Commission, and that the media was not doing their homework in reporting such ties. Top U.S. government officials now admit that the Iraq war was really launched for oil not 9/11 or weapons of mass destruction. Despite previous lone wolf claims, many U.S. government officials now say that 9/11 was state-sponsored terror; but Iraq was not the state which backed the hijackers. (Many U.S. officials have alleged that 9/11 was a false flag operation by rogue elements of the U.S. government; but such a claim is beyond the scope of this discussion. The key point is that the U.S. falsely blamed it on Iraq, when it knew Iraq had nothing to do with it.). (33) Although the FBI now admits that the 2001 anthrax attacks were carried out by one or more U.S. government scientists, a senior FBI official says that the FBI was actually told to blame the Anthrax attacks on Al Qaeda by White House officials (remember what the anthrax letters looked like). Government officials also confirm that the white House tried to link the anthrax to Iraq as a justification for regime change in that country. (34) 2 months after 9/11, high-level government officials in Macedonia decided to justify their entry into the war on terror by catching and killing terrorists. According to the New York Times, Macedonian police investigators admit that the officials launched a plan which included luring foreign migrants into the country, executing them in a staged gun battle, and then claiming they were a unit backed by Al Qaeda intent on attacking Western embassies. The plan was carried out shortly afterwards, with seven immigrants killed in 2002. Photos of the dead immigrants, posed with planted evidence bags of uniforms and semiautomatic weapons at their side were released to Western diplomats. (35) According to the Washington Post, Indonesian police admit that the Indonesian military killed American teachers in Papua in 2002 and blamed the murders on a Papuan separatist group in order to get that group listed as a terrorist organization. (36) The well-respected former Indonesian president also admits that the government probably had a role in the Bali bombings. (37) Police outside of a 2003 European Union summit in Greece were filmed planting Molotov cocktails on a peaceful protester. (38) Former Department of Justice lawyer John Yoo suggested in 2005 that the US should go on the offensive against al-Qaeda, having our intelligence agencies create a false terrorist organization. It could have its own websites, recruitment centers, training camps, and fundraising operations. It could launch fake terrorist operations and claim credit for real terrorist strikes, helping to sow confusion within al-Qaedas ranks, causing operatives to doubt others identities and to question the validity of communications. (39) Similarly, in 2005, Professor John Arquilla of the Naval Postgraduate School a renowned US defense analyst credited with developing the concept of netwar called for western intelligence services to create new pseudo gang terrorist groups, as a way of undermining real terror networks. According to Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh, Arquillas pseudo-gang strategy was, Hersh reported, already being implemented by the Pentagon: Under Rumsfelds new approach, I was told, US military operatives would be permitted to pose abroad as corrupt foreign businessmen seeking to buy contraband items that could be used in nuclear-weapons systems. In some cases, according to the Pentagon advisers, local citizens could be recruited and asked to join up with guerrillas or terrorists The new rules will enable the Special Forces community to set up what it calls action teams in the target countries overseas which can be used to find and eliminate terrorist organizations. Do you remember the right-wing execution squads in El Salvador? the former high-level intelligence official asked me, referring to the military-led gangs that committed atrocities in the early nineteen-eighties. We founded them and we financed them, he said. The objective now is to recruit locals in any area we want. And we arent going to tell Congress about it. A former military officer, who has knowledge of the Pentagons commando capabilities, said, Were going to be riding with the bad boys. (40) United Press International reported in June 2005: U.S. intelligence officers are reporting that some of the insurgents in Iraq are using recent-model Beretta 92 pistols, but the pistols seem to have had their serial numbers erased. The numbers do not appear to have been physically removed; the pistols seem to have come off a production line without any serial numbers. Analysts suggest the lack of serial numbers indicates that the weapons were intended for intelligence operations or terrorist cells with substantial government backing. Analysts suggest the lack of serial numbers indicates that the weapons were intended for intelligence operations or terrorist cells with substantial government backing. Analysts speculate that these guns are probably from either Mossad or the CIA. Analysts speculate that agent provocateurs may be using the untraceable weapons even as U.S. authorities use insurgent attacks against civilians as evidence of the illegitimacy of the resistance. (41) Undercover Israeli soldiers admitted in 2005 to throwing stones at other Israeli soldiers so they could blame it on Palestinians, as an excuse to crack down on peaceful protests by the Palestinians. (42) Quebec police admitted that, in 2007, thugs carrying rocks to a peaceful protest were actually undercover Quebec police officers (and see this). (43) A 2008 US Army special operations field manual recommends that the U.S. military use surrogate non-state groups such as paramilitary forces, individuals, businesses, foreign political organizations, resistant or insurgent organizations, expatriates, transnational terrorism adversaries, disillusioned transnational terrorism members, black marketers, and other social or political undesirables. The manual specifically acknowledged that U.S. special operations can involve both counterterrorism and Terrorism (as well as transnational criminal activities, including narco-trafficking, illicit arms-dealing, and illegal financial transactions.) (44) The former Italian Prime Minister, President, and head of Secret Services (Francesco Cossiga) advised the 2008 minister in charge of the police, on how to deal with protests from teachers and students: He should do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior infiltrate the movement with agents provocateurs inclined to do anything . And after that, with the strength of the gained population consent, beat them for blood and beat for blood also those teachers that incite them. Especially the teachers. Not the elderly, of course, but the girl teachers yes. (45) At the G20 protests in London in 2009, a British member of parliament saw plain clothes police officers attempting to incite the crowd to violence. (46) Egyptian politicians admitted government employees looted priceless museum artifacts 2011 to try to discredit the protesters. (47) In 2011, a Colombian colonel admitted that he and his soldiers had lured 57 innocent civilians and killed them after dressing many of them in uniforms as part of a scheme to claim that Columbia was eradicating left-wing terrorists. (48) Rioters who discredited the peaceful protests against the swearing in of the Mexican president in 2012admitted that they were paid 300 pesos each to destroy everything in their path. According to Wikipedia, photos also show the vandals waiting in groups behind police lines prior to the violence. (49) A Colombian army colonel has admitted that his unit murdered 57 civilians, then dressed them in uniforms and claimed they were rebels killed in combat. (50) On November 20, 2014, Mexican agent provocateurs were transported by army vehicles to participate in the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping protests, as was shown by videos and pictures distributed via social networks. (51) The highly-respected writer for the Telegraph Ambrose Evans-Pritchard says that the head of Saudi intelligence Prince Bandar recently admitted that the Saudi government controls Chechen terrorists. (52) High-level American sources admitted that the Turkish government a fellow NATO country carried out the chemical weapons attacks blamed on the Syrian government; and high-ranking Turkish government admitted on tape plans to carry out attacks and blame it on the Syrian government. (53) The Ukrainian security chief admits that the sniper attacks which started the Ukrainian coup were carried out in order to frame others. Ukrainian officials admit that the Ukrainian snipers fired on both sides, to create maximum chaos. (54) Burmese government officials admitted that Burma (renamed Myanmar) used false flag attacks against Muslim and Buddhist groups within the country to stir up hatred between the two groups, to prevent democracy from spreading. (55) Britains spy agency has admitted that it carries out digital false flag attacks on targets, framing people by writing offensive or unlawful material and blaming it on the target. (56) U.S. soldiers have admitted that if they kill innocent Iraqis and Afghanis, they then drop automatic weapons near their body so they can pretend they were militants (57) Similarly, police frame innocent people for crimes they didnt commit. The practice is so well-known that the New York Times noted in 1981: In police jargon, a throwdown is a weapon planted on a victim. Newsweek reported in 1999: Perez, himself a former [Los Angeles Police Department] cop, was caught stealing eight pounds of cocaine from police evidence lockers. After pleading guilty in September, he bargained for a lighter sentence by telling an appalling story of attempted murder and a throwdownpolice slang for a weapon planted by cops to make a shooting legally justifiable. Perez said he and his partner, Officer Nino Durden, shot an unarmed 18th Street Gang member named Javier Ovando, then planted a semiautomatic rifle on the unconscious suspect and claimed that Ovando had tried to shoot them during a stakeout. Wikipedia notes: As part of his plea bargain, Perez implicated scores of officers from the Rampart Divisions anti-gang unit, describing routinely beating gang members, planting evidence on suspects, falsifying reports and covering up unprovoked shootings. This is not limited to the United States, or to police forces. (As a side note and while not technically false flag attacks police have been busted framing innocent people in many other ways, as well.) (58) A former U.S. intelligence officer recently alleged: Most terrorists are false flag terrorists or are created by our own security services. (59) The head and special agent in charge of the FBIs Los Angeles office said that most terror attacks are committed by the CIA and FBI as false flags. Similarly, the director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan Lt. General William Odom said: By any measure the US has long used terrorism. In 78-79 the Senate was trying to pass a law against international terrorism in every version they produced, the lawyers said the US would be in violation. (Audio here). (60) Postscript: Unmarked Israeli fighter jets and unmarked torpedo boats attacked and did everything they could to sink a U.S. ship off the coast of Egypt in 1967 called the USS Liberty. The attack started by targeting communications on the ship so that the Americans couldnt radio for help. The Israelis then jammed the ships emergency distress channel, and shot at escaping life rafts in an attempt to prevent survivors from escaping. Transcripts of conversations between the Israeli pilots and Israeli military show that Israel knew it was an American ship. Numerous top-level American military and intelligence officials including Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff believe that this was a failed false flag attack, and that Israel would have attempted to blame Egypt if the Israeli military had succeeded in sinking the ship. Indeed, President Lyndon Johnson dispatched nuclear-armed fighter jets to drop nuclear bombs on Cairo, Egypt. They were only recalled at the last minute, when Johnson realized that it was the Israelis and not the Egyptians who had fired on the Liberty. (See this, this, and this). The following actions are arguably an admission that Israel intended to frame Egypt for the attack, and didnt want the Libertys crew to be able to tell the world what really happened: (1) using unmarked jets and boats, (2) destroying the Libertys communication equipment and jamming the Libertys emergency distress channel, and (3) trying to sink the ship and destroy all liferafts. Leaders throughout history have acknowledged the benefits of of false flags to justify their political agenda: Terrorism is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death. Adolph Hitler Why of course the people dont want war But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. Hermann Goering, Nazi leader. The easiest way to gain control of a population is to carry out acts of terror. [The public] will clamor for such laws if their personal security is threatened. Josef Stalin Read more at: Investmentwatchblog.com Submit a correction >> China refuses GMO grain imports from the United States In a shocking twist, China has decided to suspend the issuance of permits for the importation of animal feed produced in America that is made with corn. China is not known for having exceptionally high standards, which is what makes this so disturbing. Three trading executives discussed the turn of events with Bloomberg Business Week not too long ago. Dried distillers grains, also known as DDGS by industry professionals, can no longer be exported from America to China. The reason for this puzzling decision is because the Chinese government fears that MIR 162 corn, a GM strain that the Chinese have not approved, carries a high risk of contamination. China was once the largest buyer of this American corn byproduct, which is produced in the process of making ethanol. More than 40 percent of the corn grown in the United Sates is used to make ethanol, and in 2013 China bought 34 percent of the United States DDGS exports. Of course, this turn of events is not really all that surprising. China rejected several shipments of corn that proved to be contaminated by MIR 162. In one instance, the government rejected 1.1 million metric tons of Syngenta corn that was tainted. In December 2013, the Chinese government also turned away 758 tons of corn. It is therefore understandable that the Chinese government simply decided to suspend importation of corn-based animal feeds. So China probably thinks were purposefully trying to contaminate their food supply with GMOs. Could you blame them? Our government has contaminated our own food supply with them! On the bright side, AG Web reports that a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Syngenta, MIR 162s creator and manufacturer, on behalf of American farmers. The corn was genetically engineered to be more resistant to insects, and was approved by the U.S. in 2010. The corn, also known as Agrisure Viptera, was marketed and promoted before it had received import approval from China. The ensuing turmoil over Chinas rejection of the product en masse has left farmers shortchanged. James Pizzirusso, a partner with the Hausfeld law firm in Washington, D.C., has said, Syngenta must be held accountable for its blatant misrepresentations to U.S. corn farmers. By promoting and marketing a genetically-modified corn seed before the seed had received import approval from China, Syngenta placed its own profit margins over corn farmers livelihoods. Pizzirusso also notes that Chinas rejection of the MIR 162 corn has been a nightmare for affected farmers, causing losses equating to more than 1 billion dollars. Syngenta has also been sued by both Cargill and Trans Coastal Supply Co. for their losses due to Chinas rejection of products contaminated with MIR 162. Cargill has sued for a cool $90 million, while Trans Coastal Supply Co. blames Syngenta for $41 million in losses. Naturally, Syngenta believes that it is not at fault at all. In fact, they all but pat themselves on the back for providing farmers access to their new technologies. Sources: NaturalNews.com AgWeb.com Submit a correction >> New book serves as blueprint for coming war with Russia (NationalSecurity.news) Im worried, very worried, that were sleepwalking into something absolutely catastrophic. Those were the ominous words of General Sir Richard Shirreff, who retired in 2014 as NATOs deputy supreme commander of Europe, as well as its highest-ranking British officer, in an interview with Newsweek regarding his recently-released novel, 2017: War with Russia. Its really just a novel in name only. The book is not a literary masterpiece, but it wasnt designed to be. Rather, it reads more like a battle plan, and thats because it is modelled after Shirreffs NATO experience war-gaming various combat scenarios in Europe and elsewhere. It is a chilling account of where the West is heading war with Russia if it fails to grasp the full measure of threat posed by its president, Vladimir Putin. Endorsed by other senior military officials, 2017 details how war with Russia could erupt with bloody and appalling consequences that many in the West cannot even fathom, if necessary and urgent steps are not immediately undertaken. As noted in the book, President Putin has said: We have all the reasons to believe that the policy of containment of Russia which was happening in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries is still going on If you press the spring, it will release at some point. Something you should remember. Shirreff understands that Putin is more of a strongman than president, having bounced between the Kremlin and being prime minister but always in charge. So his is a reputation built on strength; if he loses that aura or his momentum, he will appear as a failure to his people and be summarily replaced. In fact, Shirreff says that Putin has already put in motion a lethal dynamic which, if left unchecked, will likely result in his invasion of the Baltic States, which Putin believes have always rightfully belonged in Russias zone of influence. The former deputy NATO commander said that Russias invasion of Georgia in 2008 was the modern eras Rhineland moment, a reference to Nazi Germanys mid-1930s reoccupation of that region, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. It is believed that the inaction on the part of France, Great Britain and the United States following Hitlers successful, but unjustified, invasion, only emboldened him to launch future invasions throughout Europe. It was a warning sign that the rest of Europe and the U.S. ignored. In 2014, Putins forces took the Crimea, which Shirreff calls the Wests Sudetenland moment that is, Czechoslovakia, after making a pact with the Soviet Union that then-premier Josef Stalin believed would keep Nazi forces out of his country (it didnt). Since then, Russian forces have invaded eastern Ukraine, and as long as the West remains silent and unwilling to act, Shirreff believes the Baltics are next. One other thing of note: He says Western leaders believe that nuclear deterrence will keep Putin at bay, but he shows in his book why thats not the case at all. As reported by Newsweek: The novel opens with the Russians staging an attack on a school in Donetsk, the breakaway region of the Ukraine controlled by pro-Kremlin separatists since 2014. Close to 100 children are killed, and Ukrainian forces are blamed, thus giving the Russians the perfect pretext for further aggression. Its important to note that the Russians staged an attack on an apartment complex in Moscow in 1999 to justify invading the breakaway province of Chechnya. That was a slick, very professionally executed operation, he said of the conquest of Crimea, one that Putin may well try to replicate in the Baltics, based on how little real resistance he got from the West two years ago. Russia despises weakness and respects strength. As for who will likely deal better with Putin as the next U.S. president Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump the former top NATO official said he thinks Putin is helping the GOP candidate because Trump has said he isnt sure the U.S. would step up in defense of NATO members if they were attacked because many NATO allies are not spending the required amount of money on their military. But he also said that Trump was right in that NATO countries need to step up their monetary commitments. As for the general tone of the book war with Russia Shirreff was clear that without the right decisions, the possibility is higher now than at any other time. You fail to read this book at your peril, noted U.S. Navy Adm. James G Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, in praise. More: NationalSecurity.news is part of USA Features Media. Submit a correction >> Over 50 bipartisan legislators are pushing back against Massachusetts unconstitutional assault weapons ban There are few topics that are more polarizing in American society today than that of the Second Amendment and gun reform. Both sides of the issue feel extremely strongly about it, which has resulted in an endless amount of bickering back and forth. Instead of having a reasonable, factually based discussion about firearms, emotions trump statistics and logic and those debating get nowhere. Its important, however, that we dont back down to those that are trying to pass absurd regulations on firearms. For the safety of ourselves and our country, we must not give in. Recently, free Americans in Massachusetts were outraged when state Attorney General Maura Healey issued a directive that expanded the states ban on assault weapons a nonsensical liberal term that is used to try and brainwash people into fearing guns. According to Breitbart, Healeys directive means the ban on firearms with certain cosmetic features flash suppressors and folding or telescoping stocks also includes those that lack such features. Once again, those who seem to know virtually nothing about firearms are the ones trying desperately to regulate them. Many of the Massachusetts lawmakers believed that Healey was grossly overstepping her boundaries by essentially making a new law, and came together to issue a letter pointing out their issues with the Attorney Generals poor move. All 40 Republicans signed the letter, as well as 18 Democrats. For the first time in what seems like a long time, bipartisan leaders came together to fight for the greater good. Unfortunately, Maura Healey is not a lone wolf in the fight for gun regulation. She is one of many leftists who will stop at nothing to prevent law-abiding American citizens from having to deal with unconstitutional regulations on firearms. Its important to loudly voice your opinions regarding the Second Amendment. It needs to be known among the politicians that the American people will not stand for these frequent infringements of our rights. Sources: Breitbart.com MassLive.com Submit a correction >> Actress Kartika Singh turns producer with banner 'Workaholic Films' Bollywood, Thu, 04 Aug 2016 NI Wire Actress Kartika Singh has recently turned producer and is inviting writers to come up with interesting scripts which she is ready to produce. Kartika, started her career as a model, featuring on numerous reputed Indian and international brands like Amarsons and Amrapali. She also featured on several popular international fashion magazines in Hong Kong, Italy and Singapore and had made news when a famous fashion photographer Theiry Vincent got impressed by her beauty. Her modelling assignments fetched her acting offers and she finally came in front of the camera, starring in popular music videos of albums like 'Chand Sa Chehra' and others. She then shifted to films, displaying her acting chops in numerous films down South. Kartika then set off to Dubai a few years ago, while continuing her acting endeavors there and after deciding to become a producer, she has now returned to her motherland for the same. About her journey and future plans, Kartika said, "I am happy with whatever I have accomplished as a model and actor in Indian as well as internationally. But as an actor, I was getting the same kind of roles, which I was not happy with; it was getting monotonous. An actor is always greedy and hence I decided to become a producer, so that I could be part of content-driven cinema and not just the monotonous scripts. Illogical films like 'Housefull 3' touches 100 crores but content-driven films often fail. I want to bring a change to this trend in the industry and bring content-driven cinema into the limelight. I will back content-driven cinema and give them a big release, ensuring good footfalls for the film. I am not saying I will not act in all films I will produce, but it's just about being associated with something you would enjoy doing. I have gone through numerous scripts and I am ready to back other scripts as well. I want to urge any writer to approach me if they have interesting scripts and I will be very happy to back them; the association will work wonders both ways." The films would be produced under her banner Workaholic Films. Bryce Dallas Howard came on board Petes Dragon because of New Zealand!! hollywood, Thu, 04 Aug 2016 NI Wire One of the eagerly awaited family movies of the year, Pete's Dragon, a reimagining of Disney's cherished family film, "Pete's Dragon" is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon. Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliot. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliot seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories. Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Starring the Oscar winning Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard (Of Jurassic World fame), the film has special effects by the renowned award winning WETA Digital (LOTR, The Hobbit, Avatar, The Jungle Book, etc), shot in the mesmerizing locales of New Zealand where most of these films have been shot. And we hear that Bryce Dallas Howard all the more got onboard for Petes Dragon when she hard its being shot in New Zealand! She says, I came to NZ for the first time when I was 6 years old, ever since then I have always wanted to come back. And it was almost as exciting coming to New Zealand as it was getting to do Pete's Dragon. When I heard, Do you want to do Pete's Dragon? It was like, Yes, where is it shooting? New Zealand. Oh my gosh! I have been thrilled getting to come back here. Robert Redford adds, New Zealand is a country with a smile on its face. I came away with that phrase in my head. I would imagine that New Zealand today is the way America was when I was a little kid, where people bonded together, there was community work and there was joy and there was happiness, and it's a can-do thing. New Zealand is a country that appreciates itself, I couldn't help but smile..a wonderful experience for that reason. Well, looks like New Zealand sure seems to be a must visit for any movie buff seeing how so much stunning visual effects are shot there! MORE GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS WITH GUNS THAN U.S. MARINES By Chuck Baldwin August 4, 2016 NewsWithViews.com Writing for FreeBeacon.com, Elizabeth Harrington summarized a comprehensive report by a taxpayer watchdog group that chronicles the exponential increase in the militarization of police agencies in the United States during the past several years. Harrington writes, There are now more non-military government employees who carry guns than there are U.S. Marines, according to a new report. Open the Books, a taxpayer watchdog group, released a study Wednesday [June 22, 2016] that finds domestic government agencies continue to grow their stockpiles of military-style weapons, as Democrats sat on the House floor calling for more restrictions on what guns American citizens can buy. The Militarization of America report found civilian agencies spent $1.48 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment between 2006 and 2014. Examples include IRS agents with AR-15s, and EPA bureaucrats wearing camouflage. Regulatory enforcement within administrative agencies now carries the might of military-style equipment and weapons, Open the Books said. For example, the Food and Drug Administration includes 183 armed special agents, a 50 percent increase over the ten years from 1998-2008. At Health and Human Services (HHS), Special Office of Inspector General Agents are now trained with sophisticated weaponry by the same contractors who train our military special forces troops. Open the Books found there are now over 200,000 non-military federal officers with arrest and firearm authority, surpassing the 182,100 personnel who are actively serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. The IRS spent nearly $11 million on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment for its 2,316 special agents. The tax collecting agency has billed taxpayers for pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns, semi-automatic Smith & Wesson M&P15s, and Heckler & Koch H&K 416 rifles, which can be loaded with 30-round magazines. The EPA spent $3.1 million on guns, ammo, and equipment, including drones, night vision, camouflage and other deceptive equipment, and body armor. Harrington continues, Open the Books appealed to both liberals like Bernie Sanders--who has called for demilitarizing local police departments--and conservatives in its report. Conservatives argue that it is hypocritical for political leaders to undermine the Second Amendment while simultaneously equipping non-military agencies with hollow-point bullets and military style equipment, Open the Books said. One could argue the federal government itself has become a gun show that never adjourns with dozens of agencies continually shopping for new firearms. See the report: There Are Now More Bureaucrats With Guns Than U.S. Marines Most Americans would be shocked if they knew how many millions of rounds of ammunition their local and State police agencies are amassing. And dont let anybody tell you all of this ammunition is for practice. We are talking about hollow-point pistol rounds and military rifle rounds such as 5.56 and .308 calibers. I would take an educated guess (based on my conversations with both ammunition and arms suppliers and police officers themselves) that your local police agencies have enough ammunition stockpiled to kill the entire population of your community four or five times. But these numbers pale in comparison to the numbers of guns and ammunition being amassed by federal agencies--including agencies that nowhere come close to being categorized as police agencies, such as those mentioned in the above report. To realize that the alphabet agencies of the federal government have more armed agents (assigned to domestic duties) than our premier combat branch of the U.S. military (the U.S. Marines), whose job is to engage Americas enemies in direct combat, is a staggering thought. Tell me again exactly who it is that our federal government deems to be the enemy. And they wonder why more and more Americans are arming themselves? Couple the militarization of our domestic police (and non-police) agencies with the increased call from many in Washington, D.C., to strip the American people of their right to keep and bear arms--especially their right to keep and bear semi-automatic rifles--and one can understand why so many of the American people are on edge and have lost all trust in their federal government. Understanding and acknowledging the Providence of God notwithstanding, the ONLY thing standing between us and abject tyranny is a massively armed citizenry. America is the last nation in the free world that instilled the right to keep and bear arms not only in its Constitution but also in the very heart and soul of its citizens. Should the American citizenry ever cease to be an armed citizenry (and I mean armed with semi-automatic rifles with high-capacity magazines), the entire free world would collapse into the Dark Ages. Im saying it straight out: the only reason that Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, etc., have the modicum of freedom that they do is because the American citizenry is an armed citizenry. It is NOT the U.S. armed forces that are keeping this country and the rest of Western Civilization free; it is the armed citizenry of America that is protecting whatever vestiges of liberty Western Civilization has left. Disarm the American people and the entire free world falls into the abyss of tyranny and oppression--maybe for a thousand years. Listen to Daniel Webster: "Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world." When Webster talked about holding onto the Constitution, he was including the Second Amendment to the Constitution. And Daniel Webster was not alone in his veneration for the Second Amendment. To a man, Americas Founding Fathers equated the preservation of liberty with the freedom to keep and bear arms. Listen to our founders: "What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms." (Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, December 20, 1787) "Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of." (James Madison, Federalist No. 46, January 29, 1788) "To disarm the people...[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them." (George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution. June 14, 1788) "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every country in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States. A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive." (Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, October 10, 1787) "Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined. (Patrick Henry, 3 J. Elliot, Debates in the Several State Conventions 45, 2d ed. Philadelphia, 1836) The great object is that every man be armed. . . . Everyone who is able might have a gun." (Patrick Henry, Debate in Virginia Ratifying Convention, Elliot 3:380--95, 400--402, June 14, 1788) "The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside. And while a single nation refuses to lay them down, it is proper that all should keep them up. Horrid mischief would ensue were one-half the world deprived of the use of them; for while avarice and ambition have a place in the heart of man, the weak will become a prey to the strong. The history of every age and nation establishes these truths, and facts need but little arguments when they prove themselves." (Thomas Paine, "Thoughts on Defensive War" in Pennsylvania Magazine, July 1775) "[I]f circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people while there is a large body of citizens, little, if at all, inferior to them in discipline and the use of arms, who stand ready to defend their own rights and those of their fellow-citizens. This appears to me the only substitute that can be devised for a standing army, and the best possible security against it, if it should exist." (Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 29, January 9, 1788) What could be plainer? Our Founding Fathers did not engrave the right to keep and bear arms in our Constitution for the purpose of hunting or target shooting or even simply as a deterrent to domestic criminals (as necessary as those things are). No. The purpose of the Second Amendment was to keep the American people FREE, including if our own government was the enemy trying to enslave us. For the most part, utopian globalists have successfully disarmed the citizens of Western Civilization. All over the free world only governments are armed; citizens have been stripped of their right to keep and bear arms. Even the people of Switzerland are extremely regulated in this regard. Again, Ill say it plainly: if citizens are not able to freely keep and bear semi-automatic rifles, they are effectively DISARMED. The semi-automatic rifle is to us what the Roman sword was to the people in Jesus day. It is the preeminent self-defense tool. It is no coincidence that Jesus commanded His disciples to buy a Roman sword, even if they had to sell their clothes to do so. (Luke 22:36) And by the way, it was against the law for Jews to own a Roman sword at that time. Thats right: when Jesus told His disciples to buy a sword, He was telling them to break the law. Tell this to your pastor and see what he says. His response will give you a little hint as to 1) his honest understanding of scriptures and 2) his honest commitment to liberty. I submit that we would not even be having a discussion of this issue if the pastors of America were doing their jobs from the pulpit. Instead of trying to mimic Joel Osteen and Rick Warren, they should be following the example of Americas patriot pastors and equipping their people with the Biblical Natural Law principles they need to protect and defend their homes, communities, and country. And that requires teaching them the God-ordained duty of self-defense. When Barack Obama and Dianne Feinstein tried to make it illegal to possess semi-automatic rifles back in 2013, the vast majority of Americas pastors either said absolutely NOTHING or they actually told their churches, If the government outlaws your guns, Romans 13 tells us to turn them in. NO! Romans 13 teaches NO SUCH THING. When I realized the dearth of pastoral leadership regarding the Christian duty to keep and bear arms, my attorney son and I wrote a book to teach believers (and anyone else) the scriptural truth regarding their responsibility of self-defense. The book is called To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns. We show from the scriptures--all of them, including Romans 13--that self-defense is much more than a constitutional right: it is a God-ordained DUTY. We show that to surrender our means of self-defense (and that especially includes the semi-automatic rifle) is to DENY the Christian faith. If readers have not been taught this truth and are in any way uncertain or confused about it, I strongly urge you to get the book. And if you have a pastor or Sunday School teacher that doesnt understand and courageously teach this truth, buy a copy for them. To order To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns, click here. Thankfully, Obama and Feinstein failed to outlaw our semi-automatic rifles back in 2013 (no thanks to most of Americas pastors), but you can rest assured if Hillary Clinton is elected the confiscation of our semi-automatic rifles will be NUMBER ONE on the agenda. And even if she isnt elected, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are standing in the wings to compromise away every liberty we have--including the right to keep and bear arms. So, while federal agencies in Washington, D.C., are being increasingly militarized, the American people are being told they need to surrender their means of self-defense. It is no hyperbole to say that the fate of the civilized world rests with the American people--not with the U.S. armed forces, but with a free and resolute armed citizenry. [If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link.] [I also have many books and DVDs available for purchase online. Go to Chuck Baldwin Live Store] We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Danish manufacturer, Vestas, has confirmed an order to supply turbines to the 120MW khalladi wind farm in northern Morocco. The Danish wind energy giant announced that it had signed a firm and unconditional order with ACWA Power for 40 of its V90-3.0 MW wind turbines. The contract comprises the supply of the turbines and a 20-year active output management 4000 service agreement to guarantee the optimal performance of the wind park. Located in Jbel Sendouq-Khalladi, 15 KM east of Tangier near Renault factory, the new wind farm is developed under Moroccos renewable energy law. Once operational, the project will directly supply the industrial clients connected to the high voltage network. The project is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 200,000 tons of CO2 annually. By 2020, Morocco is hoping to source half of its energy from renewables, a third of that will be solar power; the other two thirds will come from wind and hydro power. A man armed with a knife went on rampage Wednesday night killing a woman in her 60s and stabbing five others in Russell Square, central London. The police, which rushed to the scene within five minutes, arrested the suspect, 19, after using a Taser electric shock gun. London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told media that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry. Yet, terrorism theory cannot be ruled out, said Rowley who is Britains most senior anti-terrorism officer. Investigations are underway to uncover the motives behind the attack. The attack occurred at one of terror scenes in July 2005 when four extremist Islamists detonated their suicide belts in three underground trains and one bus, killing 52 people. London has been on the alert for terrorist threats and the security level has been maintained at severe level. Rowleys department has reportedly foiled several plots since the Paris November terror attacks. Rowley also announced deployment of additional 600 armed police forces in the British capital in a move to protect civilians. Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice an increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers, Rowley said. This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert, he said. The nomination of Youssef Chahed as a new Tunisian Prime Minister by Tunisias President Beji Caid Essebsi has stirred controversy and angered opponents who view the nomination as an act of nepotism. The close family ties between the 40-year old Chahed and the President who both belong to the Nidae Tounes party have alarmed smaller parties of a potential power grab that would threaten Tunisias democracy. The nomination came days after a no-confidence vote by the Tunisian Parliament ousted the incumbent technocrat Prime Minister, Habib Essid, over his handling of economic reforms and security conditions in the country. Commentators fear that Essebsi, the oldest serving Arab President, is pulling the strings of the political scene in Tunisia by promoting Chahed to replace Essid. Tunisian media outlets said the Tunisian President is turning Tunisias parliamentary system into a presidential one. On social media, critics launched a campaign in Arabic dubbed keep your relatives at home, denouncing the nomination of Chahed who is the son-in-law of Essebsi for what they fear could turn Tunisias government into a family oligarchy. Chaheds nomination is pending approval by the Tunisian Parliament, which has a month to do so. In a first statement after his appointment, Chahed said he would form a government of youth with more female ministers. So far, five parties support Chahed, including the two largest his own Nida Tounes, founded by the president, and the Islamist Ennahda which together hold a comfortable majority in parliament Tunisias economy has been dealt a heavy blow by the instability that ensued the toppling of Tunisias long ruling dictator Ben Ali in 2011. The country is struggling with terrorists on its borders, increasing unemployment rates, falling currency, decreasing phosphates production and dwindling tourism returns. The International Monetary Fund, which in June approved a new $2.9 billion loan for Tunisia, has said that despite earlier reforms, the country still grapples with an overvalued currency, worsening budget composition and uneven performance on improving the business climate. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 40% of Tunisians under the age of 35 are unemployed, a rate higher even than in Egypt. The disparities that led to the overthrow of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2010 have only grown worse. Broaden your expertise, enhance patient care, and never worry about another license requirement again with Elite Passport Membership. Available across ten healthcare professions in a variety of options to suit your career goals, Passport Membership propels your career advancement and offers exceptional value to healthcare providers. Hillary Clintons doing well in the polls, but weve heard that before, havent we? Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A week after the end of convention season for both parties, its clear Hillary Clinton has regained the lead in a variety of national and battleground-state polls. With each new poll, however, its getting harder to determine if Americans are reacting to the conventions or to the new firestorm of controversies Donald Trump has ignited, particularly with his weird and sustained attacks on the Gold Star Khan family and on Republican leaders who are defending the Khans. So its not entirely clear if what we are seeing now is a normal convention bounce for Clinton that is likely to fade in the weeks just ahead, making this the close race it seemed to be just a week ago, or instead the resumption of an underlying Clinton lead that could swell to near-landslide proportions if Trump continues to struggle with himself. Five national polls taken since the Democratic National Convention ended show Clinton ahead, with net swings in her favor from previous polls ranging from minus 2 (Economist/YouGov) to plus 12 (CNN/ORC). Theres also a tracking poll from LAT/USC that had shown Trump still ahead coming out of the convention, but now shows Clinton with a small lead. All in all, the RealClearPolitics polling average has moved from a one-point Trump lead (46-45) to a five-point Clinton lead (47-42) in recent days. The last big poll to come out, from Fox News, gave Clinton the rare double-digit lead (49-39) and fed the media narrative that the Trump campaign may just be imploding. Most of these polls show what you would expect in a post-convention bounce: a stronger consolidation of Democratic voters behind Clinton, an improvement in her favorability ratings, and better performance among independents. There are a few startling findings, however. The Fox News poll shows Clinton leading by eight points among voters over the age of 55, and 11 points among voters over 65. If this is even vaguely accurate, it would indicate a backlash against Trump from change-averse older voters who have been pretty strongly trending Republican in recent years. Similarly, the CNN poll shows Clinton up 53-40 among white college graduates, a demographic group that Mitt Romney won easily in 2012. More consistently, most polls are indicating a slight improvement in Clintons reputation for being honest and trustworthy accompanied by a deterioration of Trumps standing on the same metric, making them virtually even in that respect. Aside from the new national polls, a new batch of battleground-state polls have just come out, with mostly good news for Clinton and bad news for Trump. A Franklin & Marshall poll of Pennsylvania showed Clinton up 49-38 among likely voters. A WBUR/MassINC poll of New Hampshire showed her up 51-37, after an early-July survey of the Granite State by the same pollster had the race virtually tied. A Detroit News/WDIV poll of Michigan with Gary Johnson and Jill Stein showed Clinton leading by nine points and Trump drawing only 32 percent support. And in Florida, arguably a must-win state for Trump, a new Suffolk poll shows Clinton up 48/42. The only bright spot for Trump was a SUSA poll of North Carolina sponsored by the conservative Civitas think tank, giving the mogul a four-point lead. Taking all of these polls into account, FiveThirtyEights polls-only forecast of presidential-election probabilities now rates Clintons odds of victory at 73 percent; it was actually below 50 percent just after the Republican convention. Well know a lot more in a week or two, though if Trump continues to dominate news cycles with self-destructive conduct, he may need the distraction of the Olympics to protect himself from himself. The Innocents has been used as a movie title a number of times, most famously in the 1961 adaptation of Henry James chilling ghost story The Turn of the Screw starring Deborah Kerr. But 2016s The Innocents, by French writer/ director/ actor Anne Fontaine (Gemma Bovery, Coco Before Chanel, How I Killed My Father), is a much different sort of film, concentrating on a far more earthly form of horror. Based on a suitably shocking true story, the film takes us to 1945 Poland where World War II has basically ground to a halt. All thats left is to mop up the wounded soldiers and fret about what comes next. Here we meet a taciturn, nose- to- the- grindstone doctor with the French Red Cross named Mathilde Beaulieu (Lou de Laage, Breathe). Shes based in Warsaw and spends her days assisting her male counterparts, treating the citys damaged and dying. One day shes visited by a headstrong young nun named Maria (Agata Buzek, Redemption) begging for help. Mathilde doesnt speak Polish and isnt allowed to leave her international compound. But Maria plants herself outside the hospital, praying, and Mathilde is swayed. Arriving at the Benedictine convent to which Maria belongs, Mathilide is surprised to find her patient is a young, pregnant novice. In great pain. due to a breech birth, the woman is in danger of dying. Mathilde operates quickly, saving the lives of mother and child. Despite the efforts of the secretive convent and its tightlipped abbess (Agata Kulesza, Ida), it soon becomes clear to the newcomer that the entire order has been profoundly traumatized. First, the isolated Catholic nuns was persecuted by the Germans. Then they faced even worse at the hands of their liberators, the Russians, who subjected these innocent women to a series of brutal sexual attacks. Seven of the nuns are now pregnant as a result. Needless to say, none of them knows what to do. At the urging of the rebellious and surprisingly worldly Sister Maria and the feminist-minded Dr. Beaulieu, the convents abbess agrees to let the nuns receive medical helpbut only if Mathilde offers it. The women are terrified that their secret shame might get out. Neither their conservative countrymen nor the newly Communist government are likely to look kindly on a bunch of de-virginized nuns. More than likely, the community would drive them all out and shut down the order for its perceived sins. At considerable risk to herself, Mathilde agrees to keep the secret and to look after the women until they give birth. Even outside the confines of the convent, the film finds the uncertainty and ambiguity of the time. Mathilde isnt Catholic; in fact, her parents were Communists. But she soon finds herself contemplating questions of faith and obedience. The good doctors job is made harder by the fact that the nunsdespite what has happened to themare still bound by their vows of chastity. Their bodies cannot be seen or touched, even by a doctor. Cant we set God aside while I examine them? asks Mathilde in mounting frustration. But even in these trying circumstances, setting God aside isnt so easy. Thats not to say that the nuns arent having their own crises. Some of the younger nuns, unsurprisingly, are questioning the wisdom and mercy of a God who allowed his brides to be raped by the Russian Army. Some are rejecting these children outright as punishments from the Lord. One may even be experiencing romantic feelings for her impregnator. It is, to say the least, a thinker of a situation. Even outside the confines of the convent, the film finds the uncertainty and ambiguity of the time. In one delicately balanced emotional sequence, Mathilde goes out for a night on the town with coworker (Vincent Macaigne) after a hard day in the operating room. He flirts with her, dances with her, then offhandedly mentions the murder of his Jewish family back in France. Its all in one breath, and it hardly counts as a mood change. Life and death are so commingled at the end of the devastating war that no one can seem to separate the two any more. Fontaine deals with this all in a solemn and restrained manner. There are not a lot of narrative twists and turns to be had. This is a story of a bad situation that isnt easily fixed. An early sequence in which Mathilde is nearly raped by a Russian soldier and suddenly experiences an increased sympathy for the nuns plight is a bit too narratively convenient, but its still impactful. And though it sounds like a dark and dreary tale, The Innocents is more about hope, change and the prospects for the future. As it goes on, the films title starts to refer less to the unworldy nuns and more to their offspring. Faith is 24 hours of doubt and one minute of hope, points out Sister Maria. The gradual weakening of the abbess rigid stranglehold on the convent signals a possible future in which religious and political authority might hold less of a sway over Europes affairs. At the same time, the impending births of some seven new souls give hope that life goes on, even in the wake of the horror and tragedy of war. Despite its true-life origins, the film clearly aims to be an allegory about the human races ability to cope with, respond to and recover from evil. With its monochromatic nuns, frostbitten forests and candlelit cloisters, The Innocents is a handsome, thoughtful examination of horror and hope. Fontaines slow pace, formal tone and light editorial touch show the filmmaker isnt in any particular hurry to deliver hard morality lessons. Some viewers may find this mutes her ability to make good on a strong emotional and spiritual payoff at the end. Maybe Fontaine doesnt commit hard enough to one particular viewpoint, leaving viewers to suss it out for themselves. Even so, audiences are likely to forgive the sin and appreciate the film for its painterly palette, its sharp acting and its powerful historical provenance. Melania Trump. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Melania Trump, who is married to a man who has described illegal immigration as hurting us from every standpoint, may have been an undocumented worker in the United States at one point. A detailed report in Politico highlights inconsistencies in Melania Trumps story about immigrating to the U.S., starting with the date she arrived and including what type of visa she obtained to work as a model here. Strangely enough, the questions result from the New York Posts decision to resurface photos of Melania Trump, nee Knauss, as a 25-year-old model posing nude for a January 1996 issue of Max, a now-defunct French mens mag. According to the Post, the photos were taken in Manhattan in 1995, according to Ale de Basseville, the French photographer who shot the sexy snaps. Today's cover: Melania Trump like you've never seen her before https://t.co/wkoDGWTF9g pic.twitter.com/V375rBTUEw New York Post (@nypost) July 31, 2016 Politico points out that Trump has said she came to the United States in 1996 after the alleged photo shoot took place. Other reports, including research from two Slovenian journalists who wrote a book on the moguls wife, place her in the city during 1995. In 1995 she started coming to the USA according to the jobs she was getting at fashion agencies, one of the authors, Bojan Pozar, wrote to Politico. We dont know the exact dates of those before she officially settled in New York but her visits prior to that were temporary business opportunities that she had as a model. So theres a muddled arrival timeline. But theres also a question over what type of visa Trump actually had when she came to the country. To be employed in the U.S., models would likely have to obtain an H-1B visa for specialized workers. Trump, now a U.S. citizen, has been outspoken about her adherence to immigration laws and has described how she returned to her native Slovenia to get her visa stamped. Appearing on Morning Joe in February, Trump said, I never thought to stay here without papers. I had visa. I travel every few months back to the country, to Slovenia, to stamp the visa. But according to Politico: Trumps tale of returning to Europe for periodic visa renewals is inconsistent with her holding an H-1B visa at all times she was living in New York even if it was the lesser-known H-1B visa specifically designed for models said multiple immigration attorneys and experts. An H-1B visa can be valid for three years and can be extended up to six years sometimes longer and would not require renewals in Europe every few months. If, as she has said, Trump came to New York in 1996 and obtained a green card in 2001, she likely would not have had to return to Europe even once to renew an H-1B. Instead, Trumps description of her periodic renewals in Europe are more consistent with someone traveling on a B-1 Temporary Business Visitor or B-2 Tourist Visa, which typically last only up to six months and do not permit employment. Trump got her green card in 2001. She married Trump in 2005 and became a U.S. citizen in 2006. But her status could though its probably unlikely get a little knotty if she did misrepresent her visa situation when she obtained her legal permanent residency, and later citizenship. Hope Hicks, spokesperson for the campaign of Donald I know the H-1B. I know the H-2B. Nobody knows it better than me Trump, told Politico: Melania followed all applicable laws and is now a proud citizen of the United States. The media were already digging into apparent inconsistencies in Melanias personal history. Last week, her website featuring her personal biography vanished and redirected instead to the Trump Organization. The disappearance coincided closely with questions over whether Melania Trump graduated from college in Slovenia. The RNC and her personal bio said the potential First Lady finished her degree in architecture and design, but the Slovenian journalists who wrote the book about Melania claim she only finished one year. Julia Ioffe in a GQ profile also reported that Melania decamped to Milan after her first year of college, effectively dropping out. (H-1Bs require a bachelors degree or equivalent work experience or a combination of schooling and employment history.) Then, of course, there was the time Melania got herself confused with Michelle Obama. If only Twilight Sparkle had an explanation for the visa story. Russell Square station on the one-year anniversary of the London Underground bombing on July 7, 2006. Photo: Dave Etheridge-Barnes/2006 Getty Images One woman was killed and five others were injured in a knife attack in central London on Wednesday night. A 19-year-old man began attacking people in Russell Square, which is near the British Museum, just after 10:30 p.m. local time. London Metropolitan Police said six people were treated at the scene, and the woman later died. The condition of the other victims is unknown. Within minutes, police were on the scene and had subdued the suspect with a Taser. The suspect was hospitalized after his arrest, and authorities later identified him as a Norwegian national of Somali origin. The Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called mental health the focus of the investigation. Scotland Yard said in an earlier statement that Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage, but updated it to read that authorities were keeping an open mind as to the motive. Authorities have not ruled out terrorism but said they have no evidence of radicalization yet in what was otherwise a completely random attack. An American woman in her 60s represents the one fatality. At least one of the injured victims was from the United States. A British, Australian, and Israeli nationals were reportedly also hurt, though some have already been released from the hospital. As the Washington Post notes, in recent weeks, ISIS has claimed responsibility for several attacks across Europe that were carried out with knives and axes. This post has been updated throughout. Donald Trump addresses a tea-party rally. Photo: Larry Marano/Getty Images This week, largely drowned out on the stump by his succession of own goals, Donald Trump returned to a theme he has mentioned before in the campaign his infrastructure plan, which would amount to either half a trillion dollars or a trillion dollars, depending on what day it is. Among the majority of Republicans who support Trump, this spending plan has provoked not a whimper of complaint. Among the minority who dont like Trump, the irony is bitter. If you ignore the rhetorical flourishes and stick to what he is actually advocating and how he proposes to pay for it you can call it by another name: stimulus, writes anti-Trump conservative Jonathan Tobin. So the question for Trump acolytes who now pose as the arbiters of what it means to be a conservative, what is it about Trumps stimulus that [makes] it more acceptable to Republican voters than Obamas? Why, that is quite a puzzle, isnt it? The entire Republican Party treated Obamas stimulus as a threat to the Republic, yet has said nothing as Trump has embraced a proposal with equally objectionable features. Tobin does not offer up an explanation for such a curious state of affairs, concluding only, Ive yet to hear a rational explanation for that fact. Tobin is not alone in his incredulity. Conservative intellectuals who oppose Trump frequently deride him as a liberal, pronouncing his success at winning over conservative voters baffling. Trump has talked repeatedly about favoring something like single-payer healthcare and the Obamacare mandate The man doesnt have a limited-government bone in his body, wrote RedStates Dan McLaughlin several months ago. In January, the conservative talk-show host Steve Deace ran through a long list of Trump ideological deviations and asked, So why are some conservatives still defending this typical New York City liberal? Again, he suggested no theory of the case. The question was the last line of the column. Unlike the conservatives baffled at the voters acceptance of their nominees heresies, I do have an explanation. The overwhelming majority of Republican voters found Obamas stimulus unacceptable for reasons that had nothing to do with its merits. Indeed, the same can be said of a large share of Obamas entire domestic agenda, against which Republicans have spent eight years in a frenzy of opposition. According to the official Republican history of the Obama administration, conservatives rose up in indignant protest against the administrations radical left-wing agenda. Tobin repeats this well-worn version of events, reminding his readers, opposition to Obamas stimulus was, as much as the administrations push for ObamaCare, the driving force behind the creation of the Tea Party in 2009 and 2010. It is true that conservative elites believe, as Tobin does, that the stimulus did nothing to help the economy. (This belief is in contrast to the consensus of macroeconomic forecasters and economists.) But conservatives did not believe that fiscal stimulus cant help a depressed economy until Obama took office. When the economy showed signs of sputtering in early 2008, Congress passed a fiscal stimulus by overwhelming margins (81-16 in the Senate, 380-34 in the House). With the economy in utter collapse a year later, the economic case for stimulus had grown exponentially stronger in fact, if there was only one time over the last three-quarters of a century when a Keynesian remedy was needed, early 2009 was it. But at this moment, Republican support for Keynesianism collapsed. Likewise, Mitt Romney ran for president in 2008 advocating what became Obamacare regulated exchanges with subsidies and an individual mandate and faced hardly any blowback from his base. John McCain ran as an advocate of cap and trade. But once Obama embraced those ideas, the entire party, including Romney and McCain, turned against them. Its a matter of public record that Republican leaders decided even before Obama took office that their path to power lay in total and immediate opposition to his agenda. Marshaling this extraordinary level of antipathy drove the conservative movement to the ideological right. The new Randian-inflected GOP believed Keynesian economics was now a complete fraud, Romneys health-care plan mounted an unprecedented assault on the Constitution, McCains climate proposal was now a socialist monstrosity, and so on. The rise of the tea party occurred in tandem with this new spirit of ideological purity within the movement. From the standpoint of the conservative movements elites, the two phenomena were one and the same. But the truth is that the freaked-out Republicans in America, watching Fox News in their Barcaloungers, were not animated by newfound appreciation for Rand and Hayek. As careful studies of the tea-party movement revealed, what animated Republican voters was a fear of cultural change. Their anti-statism was confined to programs that seemed to benefit people other than themselves. Racial resentment and ethnocentrism, not passion for limited government, drove the conservative base. Almost alone within the party, Trump understood this. That is why his comically long list of ideological deviations never hurt him. Trumps racism demonstrated to most Republican voters that he stood with them on the essential divide that ordered their political world one defined by identity more than ideology. In the conservative elites imagination, the romanticized history of the tea-party revolt a story of liberty-loving Americans rising up against Big Government excess still prevails. It is a story that attributes the partys extraordinary opposition to the presidents policies, not to the primal fears he aroused. Trump has not only disproven the conservative movements theory of its own base. Hes disproven its history of the Obama presidency. Photo: Courtesy of Korryn Gaines Instagram On Monday, Korryn Gaines, a 23-year-old black woman, was killed by police in Maryland following a standoff in which she had taken refuge in her apartment with her 5-year-old son. According to officers, she allegedly pointed a shotgun at police after they had arrived to serve an arrest warrant, for failing to appear in court following a March traffic stop. According to Randallstown, Maryland, police chief James Johnson, We discharged one round at her. In return, she fired several rounds back at us. We fired again at her, striking and killing her. Her son was injured in the incident, though the injury is not life-threatening. Gaines was reportedly livestreaming on Facebook and posting on Instagram during the standoff. In one Instagram post, Gaines, from behind the camera, asks her son what the police outside are trying to do. Theyre trying to kill us, he responds softly. Documenting interactions with police has become an increasingly common practice: Digital video can counter police-department narratives about brutality and death, as it did with recent police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. But whether Gainess video paints a different picture will likely never be known, because Facebook shut down her livestream at the request of law enforcement. On Tuesday, according to The Guardian, police chief Johnson said that the stream was taken down [i]n order to preserve the integrity of the negotiation process with her and for the safety of our personnel [and] her child. Ms Gaines was posting video of the operation as it unfolded. Followers were encouraging her not to comply with negotiators request that she surrender peacefully. Officers used a special portal for law enforcement to make the request, which Facebook complied with more than an hour later. Gaines was vigilant in filming her encounters with police. Instagram posts from March show the incident for which she was being served a warrant, though at no point do they appear to ask her to stop filming. Videos from May chronicle her at the police station again attempting to speak with officers, none of whom ask her to stop recording. Posts on her Instagram account often show a sustained distrust of the government. Gainess social-media accounts are still up, though the standoff livestream is not. Facebooks decision to shut it down in the middle of the event readdresses the same serious questions that come up every time livestreaming is used in police confrontation. The network wants livestreaming to encourage people to share more raw, spur-of-the-moment footage that is less performative than an edited photo or text post might be. But in doing so, it has opened the floodgate to any kind of video, even those that may be difficult to watch or have enormous social effect. Its unclear whether or not Facebook actually wants its platform to reflect the violence and suffering that occur in the real world. It leaves protesters wondering how willing Facebook is to cede to the requests of law enforcement. Braids like Beyonces? Outlawed. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Recently, the 15-year-old daughter of Attica Scott (the Kentucky State Legislatures first female African-American elect in 20 years) brought home a pink slip of paper outlining her high schools new dress code. It banned natural hairstyles mostly worn by the schools black students. No dreadlocks, cornrolls [sic], twists, mohawks, no jewelry will be worn in the hair. No braids will be allowed on males, the flyer, from Louisvilles Butler Traditional High School, read. Students coming to school with these hairstyles wouldnt be allowed into classrooms until their attire is corrected. We feel that a students academic success is directly correlated to appropriate attire and appearance. Scott posted a photo of the flyer to Twitter last week, pointing out that the new rules banned hairstyles worn by Beyonce, Oprah, and Maya Angelou. It sparked a firestorm of tweets from other parents, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, and others. Soooo...my daughter had registration today and let's just say she's not happy abt the #JCPS no natural hair policy. pic.twitter.com/ApPDyv3sbo Attica Scott (@atticascott4ky) July 27, 2016 The school districts own chief equity officer posted a photo of his three daughters cornrows and beads. They specifically outlined hairstyles that are worn most by black kids, Scott told the Courier-Journal. To me, this stinks of institutional racism. The school suspended the policy last Friday, igniting more outrage by not allowing anyone to address the school board. Tonight, students and parents will finally get to speak at a school board meeting, where an updated version of the dress codes hair policy will be proposed. Those changes are still painstakingly strict: Hair must be well-groomed, well-kept and at a reasonable length; reasonable length for males means hair no longer than three inches and must be above the collar, the ears and the eyebrows. Both males and females must have a natural hair color. No unnatural hair colors (e.g. pink, orange, green, purple, blue, etc.). No severe contrasts. Hair must be free from designs, names or lines cut into the hair. One straight line is permissible to be cut into the hair for a part. Females only may wear headbands. (The headbands) must be worn in the hair, not across the forehead. Bandannas are not allowed. In response to the controversy, the Jefferson County Public Schools district said the new hair policy was approved only at Butler Traditional High School, by a School-Based Decision Making Council (SDMC) task force of teachers, parents, and administrators. Other schools SDMCs have been asked to reassess their dress-code policies through the lens of embracing diversity, superintendent Donna Hargens told the Courier-Journal. It's some kind of retrospective, time-travelling blacklisting, apparently. It goes back 20 years from the date he appeared onstage at the RNC. Reply Parent Thread Link Blacklisted from what? You never had a career to begin with. Maybe Jesus blacklisted you from having any talent. Reply Thread Link DAMN Reply Parent Thread Link L M A O Reply Parent Thread Link You deserve a high five. Reply Parent Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link Nobody cares about you enough to even put the energy into blacklisting you. They might not even know you exist... Edited at 2016-08-04 12:20 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link I'm over people not understanding what freedom of speech is. Reply Thread Link "I can say whatever I want and you can't do a thing to stop me!" jfc what is it with adult conservatives having this toddler mentality Reply Parent Thread Link It drives me fucking INSANE. Reply Parent Thread Link he's an idiot Reply Parent Thread Link My fav is when a workplace/company fires somebody for something they said out loud or on social media and people are like "freedom of speech!!" Like how they did it with that dumbass Milo about Leslie Jones. Private companies can usually do what they want and have protocols. Reply Parent Thread Link Free speech is an absolute. So are the potential consequences. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, in my former life as a manager I had to really stress the social media policy to people. One of my employees posted a rant about a customer to FB and ended it with "bitchezzzz be crazy". I was like... Child... Reply Parent Thread Link Mte Reply Parent Thread Link duh!! Saying whatever I want should never have negative consequences ever! it's my RIIIIGHT my OPINIONNNN Literally means being above reproach!! Saying whatever I want should never have negative consequences ever! it's my RIIIIGHT my OPINIONNNN Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I got into an argument about this with my mom. She was not expecting my to pull out my phone and quote the damn 1st Amendment to her at the dinner table, LMAO. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I love that they never understand it goes both ways Reply Parent Thread Link People who scream the loudest about their specific constitutional rights are always the people who have clearly never read the damn thing. I wonder if Mr. Khan had many more of those pocket constitutions he can pass out to all these morons. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link yeah dude, it's amazing Reply Parent Thread Link Seriously. Especially those who think hate speech is the same as free speech. Reply Parent Thread Link blacklisting implies job offers beforehand Reply Thread Link I just Googled him and his Wikipedia says he's "an American actor, Republican Party advocate, and underwear model" and it's amusing me Reply Thread Link Wait, what? Already? https://t.co/iYqtewrDWk Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 4, 2016 He's also now bragging about being "great to the disabled" because he complied with mandatory ADA guidelines. Mandatory. Full bit of Trump going on lengthy riff about Serge Kovaleski, the disabled NYT reporter: pic.twitter.com/CDJXBLCtmO Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 3, 2016 Edited at 2016-08-04 12:23 am (UTC) Another day, another shit show. Odds that he'll drop out before the election?He's also now bragging about being "great to the disabled" because he complied with mandatory ADA guidelines. Mandatory. Reply Thread Link Will his ego let him drop out? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Only if he can blame it on someone else, something being rigged... etc. It's why he's laying the groundwork now that the election itself will be rigged - it won't be his fault if he loses. Reply Parent Thread Link he better drop out after august so the republican party is well and truly fucked in november Reply Parent Thread Link He's the KKKlassiest, yooogely KKKlassy candidate ever. No way is he dropping out. For real, no way. Reply Parent Thread Link No. He will be pushed out or lose outright. And when he does lose, because he is an extreme narcissist, he will throw a fit, possibly a call to violence like he did when Obama beat Romney but worse. And before you think "calling for violence is a step too far for Trump" I'd like to remind everyone that not only did he repeatedly call for "revolution" after Obama won but encouraged violence against protestors during the primaries when he was offering to pay legal fees for anyone who attacked them. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link his ego will be why he drops out. if he thinks he's going to get beat (by a woman), he will pull away and act as if he chose to do it on his own. Reply Parent Thread Link I was reading an article on what would happen if Trump did decide to drop out before the election and then I lost it. Would Pence take his place? It probably pained him to say "disabled" rather than the R word. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This fucking guy... I don't see him dropping out though, his ego is too big to take that hit and his diehard supporters would turn on him in a heartbeat. I see him riding this out and when (I refuse to say if) he loses this election, he'll just complain about the process or something, like we see him bringing up "I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged" already. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Trump can't help himself and he ALWAYS rehashes old stories about him and then what that does is remind people of all his bullshit and evil. It's basically like "oh did you forget I said this horrible thing during the primary?? Lemme rehash it again!" Like bringing up Serge or bringing up Megyn Kelly. The Clinton campaign must be so happy they get free press like this. He constantly reminds people about his incompetence. I love it lmao. Especially because it's hard to keep up with his latest scandals and inflammatory comments. I almost wanna thank him for reminding the world. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link jesus fucking christ Reply Parent Thread Link Ffs him bragging about adding ramps to his buildings like it's not required by law and then wrapping it up by saying he does it sometimes even when he doesn't have to. I can't fathom someone thinking the deserve a pat on the back for wheelchair accessibility. Reply Parent Thread Link His ego won't allow him to drop out - he is however already saying the election is rigged so he'll have an excuse on election night. Reply Parent Thread Link The only thing I'm worried about is if he does drop out the republicans and independents rally around whoever takes over him because they don't want Clinton and we end up with a republican president. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Wow @ him talking about video that has been unreleased about Iran. He along with Clinton have received clearance for classified security briefings this week. I wouldn't be shocked if this was part of his briefings. I would have loved it the people at National Intelligence gave him some bogus information to see if he would spill the beans about what he was debriefed on. Fuck this guy. I hope Hillary crushes him. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link he's gonna keep getting messier and messier up until the election Reply Parent Thread Link nah he wont drop out cause then he would prove what a loser he is. he'll wait until he loses the election so he can yell that it was rigged and he was the true winner. Reply Parent Thread Link what happens though when he drops out? is he replaced with another candidate? wouldn't that be worse for Hilary? Reply Parent Thread Link Grovel...doesn't mean what he thinks it means. Also, did...he say he's a big fan of the disabled? And that he was talking about something of substantive importance before he made the blood comment? I can't. Reply Parent Thread Link oh and "On Twitter, theres been name calling, and celebrities attacking me." tell that to everyone else who gets tweets from neo nazis calling people disgusting, vile shit. look at what happened to leslie jones, you insensitive fuck. Reply Thread Link Yeah....that's why you're not getting Hollywood jobs, since you were rolling in them before and all. Yeah....that's why you're not getting Hollywood jobs, since you were rolling in them before and all. Reply Thread Link All I remember of him is that he implied he wasn't attracted to Indian women on his flop reality dating show a few years ago so it's not surprising that he ain't shit Reply Thread Link Not even kidding when I say 'who?' What would I know this guy from? Reply Thread Link I think he was on The Young and the Restless? That's... about it. Oh he had a reality dating show for a second. Reply Parent Thread Link General Hospital back in the 90's. Early 90's at that. Edited at 2016-08-04 12:26 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Underwear ads? (26 years ago) Reply Parent Thread Link he consistently has an acting class for children available on groupon Reply Parent Thread Link if you were old like me, you'd remember him from Earth-2, a pretty cool mid-90s sci-fi show with clancy brown or from the iconic melrose place, where he played QUEEN amanda woodward's first husband (she faked her death to escape him but he found her and then she killed him) Reply Parent Thread Link Lmaoooooo I can't. I'm only here for laughter gifs Reply Thread Link if you support trump then i think you should be charged with trying to destroy america america ain't great but if you support a complete lunatic you're just making the world worse Reply Thread Link It's borderline treasonous. America will collapse if he takes office. Reply Parent Thread Link LITERALLY WHO??? Reply Thread Link bitch please. he peaked as 20 some years ago as Jagger Cates Reply Thread Link boring Reply Thread Link Did we learn nothing from the Stonewall movie? Reply Thread Link ikr , I thought that was become a learning moment but I the director said it was "an white event " the stonewall riots so .... Reply Parent Thread Link jfc I hope it's not that much of a mess if Variety's report is accurate. Bigelow isn't Roland Emmerich. Reply Parent Thread Link Hollywood stays learning nothing, making token efforts and saying some of the right things. Reply Parent Thread Link IDK, I'm taking this with a grain of salt because everyone is saying this is an ensemble movie. Also I guess no one remembers the Zero Dark Thirty casting when Joel whathisface and Chris Pratt were supposed to be the lead characters until people actually saw the movie. Wake me up when Angela Bassett is finally added to the cast please and thank you. Edited at 2016-08-04 02:16 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link We can only hope. Reply Parent Thread Link I hope you're right! Reply Parent Thread Link They're probably going to glamorize the riots and the main characters will be the "good" white saviors. Reply Thread Link I agree. The riots are such a huge and important part of Detroit history and sadly I have very little faith in Kathryn Bigelow understanding our story and telling it without resorting to ruin porn and white saviors. Reply Parent Thread Link At least they arent good looking and white, they are just white. #progress Reply Thread Link lol as if being good-looking has ever been a prerequisite for white male actors in hollywood a rotating door of attractive women are forced to play kevin james adam sandler's shrewish wives, i have to drive past billboards with those expired produce in suits and sunglasses aka miles teller and jonah hill staring down at me every day, there is no justice Reply Parent Thread Link ONTD will still somehow manage to stan for them. Reply Parent Thread Link lol please god no Reply Parent Thread Link They look like different kinds of serial killers imo Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Hollywood loves ugly white men. What offends me most is when they try to pass them off as hot. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lmaoooooo, especially eyebrows there on the left. Reply Parent Thread Link lol Reply Parent Thread Link lmao mess Reply Thread Link stonewall 2: electric boogaloo Reply Thread Link I can't Reply Parent Thread Link Omg lol Reply Parent Thread Link Crying omg Reply Parent Thread Link this assault on my eyes rn Reply Thread Link LMAO. Always trust a yt to rewrite history. Reply Thread Link I wouldn't want to watch this either way (even tho Baeyega is involved) . Killing black people in mass? no thanks. Reply Thread Link Ew Reply Thread Link Just what we needed in these trying times - more movies about white saviors. Hallelujah. Reply Thread Link smh don't do john boyega dirty like this Reply Thread Link Shut the fuck up, Morrissey. Reply Thread Link mte except i do love that fozzie bear gif Reply Parent Thread Link Everything about British politics is depressing right now. Reply Thread Link Yes, I just want to withdraw. And then sometimes I just binge consume 24 news, opinion, Youtube rants... :( Reply Parent Thread Link Oh Moz. Reply Thread Link Ohh I am the ghost of a relevant soul Reply Thread Link JFC stop talking. Reply Thread Link Farage... equal freedom for all people... sure. So long as they're white and his definition of British. Reply Thread Link So he's racist too...Hmmm...I mean we knew he was a white devil he didn't need to confirm it for us so blatantly. Reply Thread Link dude, he's been racist for AWHILE. check the tag Reply Parent Thread Link Damn. So adding Islamophobia to the mix then. Reply Parent Thread Link the song 'bengali in platforms' is the biggest piece of racist shit. i hate him. i'd hate the smiths too if it wasn't for andy rourke being a total sweetheart. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link when will he shut the fuck up Reply Thread Link it's almost comical how much of a hateful old piece of shit he is lol Reply Thread Link It's pretty well known he's a huge racist so not surprised. Reply Thread Link its amazing how much bullshit he constantly spews Reply Thread Link Moz has been a disaster for years, but liking Farage is beyond the pale. Not to mention completely baffling. Reply Thread Link I feel like he probably focuses on their blatant racism which you know appeals to him enough to ignore or explain away anything else he may not like. Reply Parent Thread Link Exactly. Before I read the quote I was thinking, yes, he's a massive fucking asshole, but even HE can't like Farage...sucks that he's such a terrible person. Ugh. Reply Parent Thread Link holy shit i didn't know they had beef! the interview questions they've answered about each other are hilarious Reply Parent Thread Link ???? wtf does "of course he eats Halal butchered beings" even have to do with this? in full context it makes even LESS sense and i don't see how it has any relevancy to what ever the fuck he's trying to say Reply Parent Thread Link A pipeline owned by Crescent Point Energy, and located in Saskatchewan, Canada, leaked approximately 630 barrels of oil emulsion on Tuesday, the fourth spill in Saskatchewan in eight months. The incident occurred near the town of Pennant, and did not affect the wildlife or the water supplies used by the wildlife. Trent Stangl, a spokesman for Crescent Point said that the spill was contained to a slough in a farmers field, and that cleanup had been nearly completed by Wednesday. The spill in Pennant comes on the heels of a July 20 spill by Husky Energy into the North Saskatchewan River. That spill was the third one in the area in a span of eight months. In the July 20 incident, over 50,000 gallons of oil and diluent were spilled near the North Saskatchewan River, and two cities had to shut down parts of their culinary water systems. Husky representatives said that they are investigating the matter. The company conducts monthly electronic tests on the pipeline and inspects it every two years. The incidents are calling into question whether or not the provinces energy regulator is properly monitoring area pipelines. Emily Eaton, a professor at Regina University who watches the industry commented: "In some ways, the oil industry in Saskatchewan has been given a free pass by the provincePipelines seem to be a particularly under-regulated part of the industry. The economy ministry is in charge of energy regulation in the province. The entity told Reuters it has never inspected Huskys 19-year-old pipeline. The auditor for Saskatchewan reported in 2012 that the economy ministry had no documented processes to regulate existing pipelines. Two years later, according to the auditor, that situation had remained unchanged. Premier Brad Wall was in the area on Wednesday following a report by Husky that water conditions in the river are returning to the guidelines. Wall said that testing is being done to ensure that Huskys report is accurate. Lincoln Brown for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Beginning Aug. 10, Red Light Ramen wont be reserved exclusively for the late night crowd. According to Chef Justin Carlisle, the after-hours ramen shop has been in soft opening mode for the past week. But they will begin serving up their delicious noodle bowls Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the restaurant's brand new space next door to Ardent beginning on Aug. 10 That said, if youre dying to get your first glimpse of the new digs at 1749 N. Farwell Ave., you can do so starting this weekend. The final "late night ramen" will be hosted in the new space this weekend, Aug 5-6, beginning at 11:30 p.m. The space, which seats about 17, is decked out in a red and black theme with red lanterns and a variety of both tables and stools for seating. The open kitchen faces the dining area, which offers a fun, relaxed vibe. "We really wanted to create this sense of a true ramen shop," notes Carlisle of the space. "Its a fun spot where people can relax and really enjoy. We want it to be a spot where people coming in multiple times a week, where they can bring their families and kids." The menu The expanded menu will include ramen, as well as a seasonal variety of snacks and desserts. "Our main focus will still be on the ramen," notes Carlisle. "But well have extra things for people to try and enjoy." Ramen options ($13 each) will include three varieties, each of which previewed on the new Red Light Ramen trailer this summer. The selection will include pork-based tonkotsu, smoked trout shio and vegetarian mushroom miso ramen. A brand new offering will include a side of rice made in a traditional Japanese donabe (earthenware pot). Snacks, which are priced $5-12, will include seafood tins imported from Spain and Portugal, which Carlisle recommends eating alongside a glass of champagne. Another snack will feature nori sheets, whipped spam pate, unagi sauce, spicy masago mayo and lightly pickled cucumbers. "Well bring everything out to the table, and you can build your own snack," says Carlisle. "You can wrap them like sushi or eat them like tacos. Additional items include roasted shishito peppers, a squash salad featuring both fermented and raw squash with yuzu vinaigrette, and corn salad with both charred and grilled corn, chile oil, mayonnaise, scallions, lime and nori. There will also be a variation on Japanese chawanmushi featuring King Crab with aerated custard. Desserts ($6) will include a chocolate sesame dessert as well as a coconut semifreddo served with fermented raspberries and white chocolate coated puffed rice. Beverages will include the popular alcoholic frozen slushes, which Carlisle notes will include a brandy old fashioned as well as one other selection, which will rotate every couple of weeks. Sake, wine and champagne will be available, as well as a larger assortment of beer, coffee and tea (including higher end matcha). Carlisle says that Red Light Ramen will also host guest chefs for events that could take place as often as once a month. "Well bring in chefs and experts who can talk about authentic ramen," he says. "It will be the same idea that we do at Ardent, introducing people to different people and the foods they make." Beginning Aug. 10, Red Light Ramen will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. For the time being, the restaurant will be dine-in only. The Red Light Ramen trailer will also continue to make appearances on Saturdays at Central Standard Distillery 613 S. 2nd St., from noon to 1 a.m. or until theyre out of ramen. Three Milwaukee photographers are aiming to harness the power of community through a new project that unites two of the citys favorite beverages: beer and coffee. Longtime friends Rob Gustafson, Simon McConico and Jake Rohde are just beginning their journey toward cafe ownership; but it's a venture that they hope could change the way Milwaukee thinks about all three. While it doesnt yet have a location (the partners are currently zeroing in on potential spaces in the Wauwatosa market), the vision is clear: Vennture Brew Company is a coffee shop and a beer bar. Its a place where beer and coffee are brewed and roasted on site, and inspiration is the mother of invention. And maybe most of all, its a community gathering space that provides not only a place to drink and work, but also a foundation for small businesses to collaborate for the greater good. Sounds great, right? But photography? Brewing? Coffee roasting? Community? How do any of these things relate? Thats the question we wanted to answer when we sat down with two of the budding entrepreneurs to find out more about their concept. From concept to reality "For my 29th birthday, me and a bunch of guys went to Michigan for the weekend," explains McConico. "And we visited a bunch of breweries. And we all had so much fun we decided to make it an annual event." In the years that followed, the guys traveled to a variety of brewing hotspots including Minneapolis, Central Wisconsin, Illinois and Denver, Colorado. During their trips, they immersed themselves in the culture and process of craft brewing. And they gained an appreciation for the way brewers support one another and cultivate mutually beneficial collaborations. And soon the wheels began turning. "Jake [Rohde] and I have been business partners for the past eight years," says McConico. "And weve known Rob [Gustafson] for about that long. And between the three of us, weve met so many people along the way. It got us brainstorming. What can we do thats artisan that employs our skill as artists thats also scale-able? And we wanted it to be something that really allowed us to take the idea of community, the people we meet every day, and pulling it together with things we love." Both Gustafson and McConico are hobby brewers who started home brewing five or six years ago. McConico even took a job tending bar at Draft & Vessel to learn the ins and outs of the hospitality side of things. Meanwhile, Rohde had developed an obsession with coffee, leading him to start roasting beans at home. "Weve all sort of immersed ourselves in the industries and the processes," says Gustafson. "And were all active learners, so weve been reading and studying and learning everything we can. And at some point, maybe two years ago, we started talking about a business concept. It was something we got really serious about in the past year." Serious meant embarking on a journey which included plenty of creative brainstorming, but also the construction of a 60-page business plan, laying out their idea for a brewery and cafe. In the process, the partners came up with the name, as well as a brand and logo that expresses the intersections between relationships and beverages. "Theres these two drinks. And there's community," says McConico "And Vennture is like this Venn diagram that illustrates how beer and coffee intersect with community." Simple, sure. But the goal is to take that simplicity and make it new again. "We want to take the pretention out of coffee and beer," says McConico. "Someone who drinks Folgers every day with lots of milk and sugar ... we want there to be an openness in our approach and an opportunity to introduce them to something they've never had. In the end, we're taking what we love from bars and coffee shops and doing something new." Beyond a gathering place "We have a lot of ideas about how we can really connect what we're doing with the concept of community," notes McConico as he and Gustafson begin reciting their wish list for the new concept. "Wed like a place with a patio and hopefully some green space," says Gustafson. "And we want a space where we can bring in food trucks for events." "We also want to have a space that would allow us to host events, including markets for artists where we can feature what other people are making," adds McConico. The two also envision a place that could function as a drop off for CSA shares from a local farm, and that those CSA boxes might be filled with extra special touches, like growlers of beer and pounds of coffee. "We also really want to take advantage of the connections we have," notes McConico. "And wed like to facilitate the idea of community among coffee roasters and brewers in the city. Wed like to see our beans at their shops and use theirs and feature beers from other small breweries." "We might even go so far as to create different experiences for people who want to explore the beer or coffee in other cities," says Gustafson. "Maybe Beer Venntures to Chicago or St. Louis." But when you get down to the brass tacks, Vennture Brew Co. is about creating a great spot to hang out. "Wed like it to be a place where people can gather, where they can work, and where they can grab a coffee or a beer and enjoy really f*cking delicious drinks," says McConico. Gustafson, McConico and Rohde will be pitching their idea at the next Fund Milwaukee meeting on Aug. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Walkers Point Stone Creek Cafe, 158 S. Barclay St. Gustafson, McConico and Rohde will be pitching their idea to local investors at the next Fund Milwaukee meeting on Aug. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Walkers Point Stone Creek Cafe, 158 S. Barclay St. You can also follow their progress on the Facebook and Twitter. It's interesting the way that a myth can grow and trickle down through the generations. Consider the story that aged across a century, along with the former Mound Street School, 2148 S. Mound St., in Bay View. Opened in 1886 as District 12-2, a companion to District 12-1 (later called Allen School), the school designed by architect Walter Holbrook was renamed for its location in 1912, when many other schools were similarly re-christened. Barely 20 years earlier, the street was planned by Edward Allis (he of Allis-Chalmers) and future mayor Ammi R. R. Butler, and named Mound Street in honor of the Indian mounds located on 6th and Lincoln, nearly a mile away. By 1974, an MPS history noted that the street crossed an Indian mound, leading to the name. Four years later, when the school was tabbed for closure by the district, a newspaper article claimed, "the school was built in 1886 over an ancient Indian burial mound." In his book, "Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names," Carl Baehr debunked the enduring falsehood. "The small hill this street runs over is not one of (the mounds), as street lore has claimed." What is not myth is the deep meaning and value a school can embody in a neighborhood. Sometimes that value is felt more in the heart than in real estate values, however. "Because the school is closing, residents fear there will be no incentive for young families to move into the area," wrote reporter Douglas Rossi in the Milwaukee Journal in October 1978. "If no young people move in, some fear the neighborhood will turn into a slum. The proliferation of "For Sale" signs on houses in the area is fueling their concern." Fast forward three decades and Bay View is one of the city's hottest neighborhoods, and still popular with families. And discussions have come full circle as Parents for Bay View Schools lobbies MPS to give Bay View High School a neighborhood focus to prevent families with children fleeing to the 'burbs to find suitable schools. But, then as now, neighborhood concern about the closure of a school in this case, Mound Street was easy to understand. The school board suggested closing Mound Street because of declining enrollment. According to Rossi's article, the attendance area population was aging and, as Milwaukeeans know, the northern edge of Bay View, where Mound Street is located, is heavily industrial, not residential. Some Mound Street families had been through this before. Or their grandparents had. When Jones Island School was closed in 1919 as part of the depopulation of the now entirely industrialized peninsula, many of the neighborhood children moved to Mound Street. The latter school was erected in 1886 at a cost of $98,650 for the land and improvements. It was expanded in 1896 and modernized three years later. At that point it boasted 14 classrooms, a small assembly hall and a basement with a lunch room and bathrooms. By the late '20s, the relatively small school had an enrollment of 626, an astonishing fact for anyone familiar with modern school enrollments. In 1957, Mound Street served as a model for other MPS buildings of its vintage when a "pilot room" was added. The pilot room was a remodeled classroom that was meant to serve as an illustration of how these solid old buildings could roll with the changes. These new rooms were clean, sleek and efficient. Gone were the ornate mouldings, wainscoating and fixtures, replaced by modern fluorescent lights running nearly the length of the room. Out with the old cast iron and wood desks bolted to the floor, with flip-up chairs attached to the desk behind; in with simple, easily moved, utilitarian chairs, two-to-a-table. Old, inefficient windows were replaced with modern examples with shades that rolled down to the bottom and up to the top from a scroll in the middle. Tall doorways capped with transom lights were replaced with metal framed contemporary doorways. Room 16 also got an acoustical ceiling, new blackboards, radiant heat and a refinished floor, though existing floors in less pristine condition were promised linoleum or asphalt tiles. Finally, the walls were painted light yellow and green. According to a newspaper report, the room was "transformed as an experiment which will help guide the modernization of teaching quarters in many of the school system's older buildings. Modernization of older schools formed a substantial part of the program which got the go-ahead signal last spring when Milwaukee voters authorized the issue of 39 million dollars in bonds during the next five years to meet future school housing needs. Nearly six million dollars of that amount was earmarked for the improvement of serviceable schools in established areas of the city." In order to make the most of that money, the school board decided to create a one-size-fits-all classroom it could retrofit into old buildings. Room 16's makeover cost $5,000 for construction and $800 for furniture. Contrasting that with estimates of $30,000-$35,000 per room for a new permanent school, the board figured it was on to something. But tinkering with classrooms couldn't change the reality of demographics and their effects on school enrollments and budgets and by the late '70s, MPS was ready to close a number of schools: Liberty-MacArthur, Fifth Street, Ludington, Warnimont Avenue, McKinley, Jefferson, Mound, Wells, Clarke Street Annex. Neighborhoods were concerned. Downtown barber Jose Ortiz had two children at Mound Street. "Close the school," he told the Journal, "and it will hasten the run to the suburbs. A school holds a neighborhood together. I believe in this neighborhood. I own my own home there. They talk about integrating the schools; well, we've done it. We have a multicultural neighborhood, with good, hard working people in it." But while these days, it's often hard to find a buyer for a century-old schoolhouse in a down economy, MPS had interested buyers for a number of properties. MSOE and a yoga school expressed interest in Jefferson (located just west of Juneau Village) and a day care operator purchased McKinley (and still owns it) and there were at least three parties interested in Fifth Street: the City Health Department wanted it for a health clinic, a church sought to open a day care there and the Opportunities Industrialization Center hoped to use it as a job training site. Maybe Bay View did OK despite the closure of Mound Street School in spring 1979 because it, too, had a buyer. Towne Realty bought the building and tapped KM Development to remodel it into Winchester Village. The building still lords over its quiet Bay View street. But instead of housing children during daylight hours, Mound Street has carpeted hallways leading to 48 apartments for the elderly and handicapped. Within a few months of opening February 1983 it was at full occupancy. Two of its first residents were 67-year-old Cecelia Wawrzyniakowski and 79-year-old Helen Sedivy. For them, moving in was something of a homecoming. "I started kindergarten here and went up to the seventh grade," Wawrzyniakowski told newspaper reporter Marilyn Gardner. Tillie, as she was known to her friends, said she loved the school. Sedivy's return was perhaps ironic. "I hated school," she told Gardner. "I played hooky and there was a truancy officer right there saying, 'You get back to school, little girl.' No matter what route I took (to skip school), that son-of-a-gun was always on my tail." A while back, I posted an illustrated collection of some of the "little landmarks" I enjoy most in Milwaukee. That list led to requests for more. Next, I discussed these posts with Nate Imig at Radio Milwaukee, which led to still more requests. So here are six more little Milwaukee landmarks according to me. You may recognize some of them, while others may not seem as familiar, but I'm guessing they'll help jolt your memory into thinking about some of your favorite places that might not qualify as full-on Milwaukee landmarks, but are definitely notable places in town. Share your favorites using the Talkback feature at the bottom and if possible, add a link to a photo. In no particular order... 1. Allis Station, 215 E. National Ave. Milwaukee Road built this concrete "astylistic utilitarian" station on National Avenue in 1915. Drawn by architect H. C. Lothholz, the waiting room and ticket counter was constructed when the railroad elevated its tracks. Service ceased here before World War II and now a model railroad club uses the space a couple times a month in season, because it's not heated. 2. Former Bethel Evangelical Church, 2392 S. Woodward St . I was lucky enough to live a block from this beautiful and unusual Romanesque Revival church for about six years and see it every day. Designed by Crane and Barkhausen and built in 1897 as Bay View Bethel Evangelical Church, it was almost demolished in the '60s, but fortunately it escaped the wrecking ball. Now it's home to a Spanish-language Seventh Day Adventist congregation. 3. Former North Milwaukee Fire Station and Town Hall, 5151 N. 35th St Designed by Leenhouts and Guthrie, this Victorian neo-classical revival building topped with an eye-catching tower was built in 1900 and added onto the following year. It began life as the firehouse for the town of North Milwaukee but also housed the town hall for a time. When the burg was annexed to Milwaukee in 1929, it became home for a couple years to MFD's engine 37 and ladder 15. For nearly a half-century after, it was a ward yard for the sanitation department. After some time in private hands, it's now back in the city's portfolio, though it is apparently vacant. 4. Former Pabst tied house, 1338-40 W. Juneau Ave. I find it a little hard to believe that this castellated corner tap isn't the work of Otto Strack, the preferred architect of Capt. Frederick Pabst, who put medieval crenelations on loads of Pabst buildings, but the Wisconsin Historical Society credits it to Charles G. Hoffmann. The building, erected in 1896, looks a lot like the old Pabst tavern that now houses Ristorante Bartolotta in Tosa, stylistically speaking. Sadly, the brick's been painted a stark white, but the Pabst medallion survives. It is currently home to a religious congregation. 5. LaFollette School, 3239 N. 9th St. Henry J. Van Ryn designed this still-open Milwaukee Public School, which opened in 1898 as District 21 No. 2 and got a large addition in either 1907 or 1910, depending on which set of plans you decide to trust. The design was pretty standard for its era (presaging a number of fairly similar designs, such as at Siefert, 37th Street, Auer Avenue and other buildings), but I like the quartet of rings on the facade near the roof line, presumably added in honor of the fact that it's at the corner of 9th and Ring Streets. In 1912, it was renamed Ring Street School (the nearby school on 3rd and Ring was 3rd Street School, later Berger, now MLK), and in 1931 was named in honor of Wisconsin politician Robert "Fighting Bob" LaFollette. 6. "Phoenix Rising" building, 954-56 N. 27th St. I know this building (on the right) is but a modest retail shop, but every time I see it, I can picture myself at one of those three beautiful arched Romanesque Revival windows upstairs watering the flowers in the boxes, and running the world's greatest record store downstairs. Designed by Wolff & Evans and built in 1902, this place has a wonderful facade, with those windows, some corbelling above and nice decorative stone courses flanking the retail space. Some call it the "Phoenix Rising" building because of the mural painted on the south wall, which Molly Snyder wrote about in 2012. When the US government sends $400 million in cash, stacked on pallets, to Iran on the same day the Iranian government releases four imprisoned Americans, it looks an awful lot like ransom. On the other hand, when the US government decides to keep $400 million sent to it by the Iranian government pursuant to an arms deal for 35 years without ever shipping the arms, it looks an awful lot like stealing. And when the US government reaches a settlement to finally pay back that money with interest, it looks an awful lot like justice. Yes, the simultaneity of payment and release looks pretty damning on both ends. On the other hand, it seems very understandable from both ends. The Iranians have had good reason to distrust the US government for more than 60 years, ever since the US overthrew their elected government and saddled them with a US-approved dictator, then stole their money when they overthrew that dictator. As often as the US has screwed them, why would they trust the US to repay them absent some kind of leverage? President Obama, on the other hand, wanted to secure the return of those prisoners, and he seems to genuinely want to improve US relations with Iran after more than three decades of cold (and sometimes not so cold) war. Coughing up cash that the US owed to Iran anyway probably looked like a good way to make progress on both of those fronts. Yeah, I guess it looks kind of bad. But you know, I don't have any heartburn over it. And I find it hard to give much credence to Republican temper tantrums over the whole thing. I don't recall Republicans complaining about the Iranians timing their release of hostages from the US embassy in Tehran to coincide with the inauguration of a Republican president (some people even believe that that Republican's running mate negotiated a secret deal with the Iranians to stretch the matter and create that coincidence). I do recall Republicans defending that same president when he was discovered to have traded arms to -- not to merely have returned money to, but to have intentionally armed -- Iran in return for assistance in achieving the release of American hostages held in Lebanon by Iran's Hezbollah allies. It seems to me that all is well here, election year partisan bluster notwithstanding. Peace gets messy now and again, but it beats the alternative. The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) organized a extensive naval exercise in the East China Sea involving around 300 ships, dozens of fighter aircraft and ground troops together with coastal-defense units. The naval drill, which commenced on August 1, involved live-firing performances and the launch of dozens of anti-ship missiles and torpedoes, among other things. Although the exercise is held by the Chinese navy in East China Sea, yet the area of disputes and contentions with regional and extra-regional powers is in South China Sea. Rationally, the issue evolves two logical questions; what the Chinese navy is doing? And why these maneuvers are being undertaken? Actually, this exercise is the ultimate harbinger of the strategic maneuvers in wake of the perceived doctrinal mind-set; the international system lets state actors to undergo. The reason behind it is that a naval exercise in a hostile environment is the result of threat perception by state A against state B, which in return involves variety of counter-measures. Whenever a state perceives threat to its sovereignty and security, the naval exercises are mainly held to demonstrate tri-fold aspects; war preparedness, deterrence and naval diplomacy. All these aspects are actually aimed at projecting the image of being hard to be swallowed and inviting adversary to the normalization. Geoffrey J. Till agrees that mobility of a naval fleet is to ensure the naval preparedness against any critical threat. Certainly, this is new chapter in the geo-politics of the world the international community in the coming days will observe in the East China Sea. In fact, there are many characteristics of maritime engagements that promptly tempt the regional and global actors to be involved in an oceanic part of the world. These characteristics are as follow: first, the maritime routes are the major source of temptation among the ambitious powers in any water body. Off-course, East and South China Seas are near the cross-roads of the huge maritime transportation from West to East. Second, territorial importance of an island or a water body is significantly important for the states due to their energy-laden richness, geo-strategic location and maritime trans-shipments. Certainly, these are the reason behind why the dispute is nascent between China and the rival group. Third, certain parts of water bodies in the world are unprecedented in the availability of sea-based foods such as fish. South Chinese Sea can not be excluded in the said realm as it is tangibly linked with the world's largest Pacific Ocean. Fourth, the scenario of the emerging powers around a specific region tempts status-quo powers to consider them as their rival and finally engaged to contain them. Thucydides projected that there is dispute between status-quo powers and the rising powers whenever some state are rising. South and east China Seas are unfortunately witnessing China as the rising super power of the world. This is another factor that fills the region with security competition. To conclude, the recent exercise is the direct outcome of the characteristics of the said seas on one hand and the security completion on the other. The rising China tempts USA and its allies to be involved in the region. If extra-regional states involve in the region, the naval engagements are the established fact. Therefore, these engagements would accelerate in future under action-reaction phenomena. Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website Operation Gladio (Image by lunaticoutpost.com) Details DMCA If you have been wondering what all the terror events in France and Germany are about, here is the answer. Washington has raised the cost of being a member of its Empire too high. Vassals such as France and Germany are beginning to exercise independent policies toward Russia. Observing the cracks in its Empire, Washington has decided to bind its vassals to Washington with terror. Most likely what we are witnessing in the French and German attacks is Operation Gladio. Washington's policy toward Russia, which has been imposed by Washington on all of Europe, benefits no one but the handful of American ideologues known as neoconservatives. Neoconservatives are crazed psychopaths willing to destroy Earth in behalf of American hegemony. A delegation of members of the French National Assembly and Senate went to Crimea to participate in Russian Navy Day on July 28. Thierry Mariani, the head of the French delegation, addressed the parliament in Crimea and said that there are no reasons for France to continue to support Washington's illegal sanctions on Russia. As the Strategic Culture Foundation reports, this "is part of a trend taking place in Europe." "On June 8, the French Senate voted overwhelmingly to urge the government to gradually reduce economic sanctions on Russia amid growing opposition to the punitive measures across Europe. The French National Assembly voted for lifting the sanctions in late April." See here. Politicians in Italy, Belgium, and Cyprus are taking the same tack. Politicians in Greece and Hungary have also questioned the sanctions. So does Donald Trump, and that is why the servile American press is trying to drive him into unacceptability and out of the race. Democratic websites are spreading the rumor that Trump never intended to win the nomination. His goal was to come in second. His campaign was just an elevation of his name recognition to help him in his deals. But he and his advisers misjudged the disaffection of the voters from the Establishment parties and Trump won. Democratic websites claim that Trump is trying to get himself so opposed by criticizing Muslim families of war heroes and women for abortions that he can withdraw, thus allowing the RNC to select a candidate that can rival Hitlery in appeal to the ruling oligarchs and pressitute media. Considering the degeneration of America, this could possibly be true. But for now we must doubt it and ascribe it to the effort to undermine Trump with his supporters. The evil that rules in America is determined to have in the White House its own servant, and that servant is Hitlery. Both Conventions are over -- the presidential candidates are set in stone -- and as Stephen King wrote, "The moon is down and the hour is none." Bernie Sanders received more votes and more pledged delegates than Hillary Clinton did in the primaries. But the Zombie Queen emerged victorious from the shitshow the DNC staged in Philadelphia. How? Hillary Clinton stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders. The End. On July 28th, 2016, Election Justice USA released a 99-page report titled Democracy Lost detailing the irregularities in the Democratic primary elections. The report stated that Bernie Sanders lost an "upper estimate of 184 pledged delegates as a result of specific irregularities and instances of fraud. Adding these delegates to Senator Sanders' pledged delegate total and subtracting the same number from Hillary Clinton's total would more than erase the 359 pledged delegate gap between the two candidates." Last June, Giovanni and Marcello Pietrobon published "Just Doing the Math, Electoral Fraud In The 2016 Democratic Primaries," showing discrepancies in 11 of the 26 primaries. The probability of this happening without fraud is 1 in 77 billion. Hillary Clinton stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders. The End. But let me be more precise here ... Hillary didn't forge the signatures in New York changing voters' affiliation from Democrat to Republican so they couldn't vote in the Democratic primary. She didn't rig voting machines in Illinois to flip a Sanders vote to a Clinton vote. Nor did she hack into the voting machines in Alabama, weighting the fractional votes towards her instead of Sanders. She didn't cut the number of polling places in Arizona from 200 to only 60. And she didn't suppress the voting process in Brooklyn where at least 125,000 New York voters were either illegally purged from the rolls, had their votes lost or thrown away, or were not permitted to vote due to broken voting machines. She didn't do any of that. Her fingerprints aren't on any of the forged registration forms or the hackers' keyboards. But I think it's a safe bet to say somebody at the DNC knows exactly who was in charge of ratfucking the Sanders campaign. Still, the end result is ... Hillary Clinton stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders. The End. I know all this stuff not because the moon told me ... but because I have a computer and a decent Internet connection ... just like Main Stream Media journalists. But they decided en masse not to tell anyone about any of it. They aren't supposed to expose the Big Con of American politics. They aren't going to tell you that my vote -- your vote, everybody's vote -- is meaningless. This is the year we should finally realize that The Game Is Over and We Lost. Voting -- the core of our democratic existence -- is a completely worthless endeavor. If we think we can change anything by voting ... we're delusional. What is even more crazy-making are the articles and videos I've seen over the past couple of weeks. What Do We Do Now That the DNC Rigged & Stole the Primary is an editorial written by Rob Kall and published at OpEdNews on July 31st. In it he explains his rationale why we should vote for a third party candidate in November. I've also read at least a dozen articles describing in great detail why we should vote for The Green Party's presidential candidate Jill Stein. Even though the primary elections were rigged ... we are still exhorted to continue to do The One Thing that we know ... doesn't work anymore: Vote. There are arguments that voting for a third party candidate is throwing your vote away. I maintain, based upon recent elections, that voting for anybody is throwing your vote away. We can vote for whoever we want but The Elite pick who they want ... and the media cobbles together a load of horseshit graphs and pie charts that supposedly show us how we "voted." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Moving On From the Convention A Real Cliff Hanger... What Happens Now? Casting aside or investigating and prosecuting the tricks and travesties of this political season Bernie Sanders would be the obvious winner in the Democratic Primary. Included in this lineup is the mainstream media, media black-outs, Associated Press, the DNC, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the debate schedule, superdelegates, vote rigging, voter suppression and election fraud, lies about Bernie's successes in Congress, the private email server in the basement of Hillary's home, the Clinton Foundation and most recently 20,000 leaked emails from the DNC undermining Bernie's campaign. Hillary's rise to power, if not halted by any of the above, will be the biggest heist in United States politics. True Progressives are infuriated at the unmitigated gall of the Democratic political machine to be lying so blatantly to millions of citizens who worked tirelessly for their candidate in this election. The 4-day Democratic National Convention, costing in excess of $84 million, is assisted throughout by mainstream media, painting a picture perfect storybook image of Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders had to have guts and integrity to jump into this election cycle. We learned throughout the primaries, how difficult it is to challenge the status quo of the political hierarchy where corporations and wealthy donors influence elected and appointed officials in power all of whom are reaping the benefits. Bernie's campaign has exposed the magnitude and insidiousness of the Clinton dynasty and all that reinforces it within our current democracy. There is no playbook to follow. This election cycle is in uncharted territory and the voters need an infusion of support from a cadre of people such as the individuals listed at the end of this article, who are not beholden to the political system currently in place. The Democratic Platform established between Bernie's and Hillary's campaigns, without vigilant watchfulness is destined to be "all talk and no action" if Hillary steps into the White House. Even if the Platform meant something, preliminary discussions may have sounded like they are moving in Bernie's favor but it could have been subterfuge to detract attention from the infuriating conclusion of FBI Director James Comey, in absolving Hillary of any negligence. Before Hillary selected Tim Kaine, the U.S. Senator from Virginia, as her Vice Presidential running mate, among others, Senator Elizabeth Warren paraded around town as a potential VP, but Warren on the ticket did not hold much promise. Hillary is far from the Progressive candidate that Bernie is and Warren's failure to endorse him speaks volumes about her integrity. Anything Warren could accomplish in Hillary's White House would be counterproductive to everything we thought she believed in and everything Sanders' campaign supporters have been fighting for and funding. Had she stayed out of the fray until the Convention that might have been her salvation. There are three questions about the primaries, the answers to which could have changed the course of history right up to the Democratic Convention and beyond. The first two involve Bernie's attorney, Brad C. Deutsch, what he did or didn't do and what he could have done. The first question is about election fraud and the second has to do with the impropriety of the media. The third question concerns the superdelegates whose moral compass may be dormant but might still be activated with the help of Bernie's most active supporters. While incorrectly counting superdelegates' endorsements all along, mainstream media acted inexcusably on June 6th, when the night before 7 critical primaries including California and New Jersey, Hillary was crowned the presumptive nominee. Led by the Associated Press, the media shared their disingenuous calculations with the viewing audience saying the requisite number of previously "uncommitted" superdelegates now had "anonymously" informed them that they would be endorsing Hillary. Superdelegates' votes, according to Party rules, are meaningless until the Convention and changeable any time up to and during the Convention. The Hillary Victory Fund concocted a convoluted and deceptive fundraising system enabling wealthy donors to contribute exorbitant sums to help candidates up and down the ballot, many of them superdelegates, when in fact the majority of the money went back to Hillary's campaign. This fundraising scheme in actuality created a conflict of interest for the superdelegates. The superdelegates need to be convinced their own integrity is on the line and it is to their benefit and the nation as a whole for them to endorse Bernie. Brad C. Deutsch, an owner of Garvey Schubert Barer Law, is Bernie's attorney. Deutsch represents "a range of House and Senate candidates, as well as corporations and their political committees." How strong is his commitment to Bernie's campaign? Is there a conflict of interest similar to the situation with Tad Devine, a senior advisor to Bernie 2016? Back in March, several comments made by Tad Devine, president of Devine, Mulvey and Longabaugh, a Democratic media consulting firm were less than stellar. Devine lost my vote of confidence early on when he shared on national television and in print media, comments about Bernie's potential for winning the nomination. When questioned about whether Sanders would consider being Hillary's running mate on her ticket and the magnitude of Sanders' campaign efforts and results in early states, his remarks put Sanders campaign in a compromised position that had to be dialed back. Sanders Aide Walks Back VP Comments http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/272217-sanders-aide-we-are-focused-on-the-presidency As Sander's chief strategist, Tad Devine is described by some as the insider most eager to make peace with the Clinton forces. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Consortium News Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Arizona. March 21, 2016. (Image by (Photo by Gage Skidmore)) Details DMCA The widespread disdain for Donald Trump and the fear of what his presidency might mean have led to an abandonment of any sense of objectivity by many Trump opponents and, most notably, the mainstream U.S. news media. If Trump is for something, it must be bad and must be transformed into one more club to use for hobbling his candidacy. While that attitude may be understandable given Trump's frequently feckless and often offensive behavior -- he seems not to know basic facts and insults large swaths of the world's population -- this Trump bashing also has dangerous implications because some of his ideas deserve serious debate rather than blanket dismissal. Amid his incoherence and insults, Trump has raised valid points on several important questions, such as the risks involved in the voracious expansion of NATO up to Russia's borders and the wisdom of demonizing Russia and its internally popular President Vladimir Putin. Over the past several years, Washington's neocon-dominated foreign policy establishment has pushed a stunning policy of destabilizing nuclear-armed Russia in pursuit of a "regime change" in Moscow. This existentially risky strategy has taken shape with minimal substantive debate behind a "group think" driven by anti-Russian and anti-Putin propaganda. (All we hear is what's wrong with Putin and Russia: He doesn't wear a shirt! He's the new Hitler! Putin and Trump have a bro-mance! Russian aggression! Their athletes cheat!) Much as happened in the run-up to the disastrous Iraq War in 2002-2003, the neocons and their "liberal interventionist" allies bully from the public square anyone who doesn't share these views. Any effort to put Russia's behavior in context makes you a "Putin apologist," just like questioning the Iraq-WMD certainty of last decade made you a "Saddam apologist." But this new mindlessness -- now justified in part to block Trump's path to the White House -- could very well set the stage for a catastrophic escalation of big-power tensions under a Hillary Clinton presidency. Former Secretary of State Clinton has already surrounded herself with neocons and liberal hawks who favor expanding the war against Syria's government, want to ratchet up tensions with Iran, and favor shipping arms to the right-wing and virulently anti-Russian regime in Ukraine, which came to power in a 2014 coup supported by U.S. policymakers and money. By lumping Trump's few reasonable points together with his nonsensical comments -- and making anti-Russian propaganda the only basis for any public debate -- Democrats and the anti-Trump press are pushing the United States toward a conflict with Russia. And, for a U.S. press corps that prides itself on its "objectivity," this blatantly biased approach toward a nominee of a major political party is remarkably unprofessional. But the principle of objectivity has been long since abandoned as the mainstream U.S. media transformed itself into little more than an outlet for U.S. government foreign-policy narratives, no matter how dishonest or implausible. Losing History To conform with the neocon-driven narratives, much recent history has been lost. For instance, few Americans realize that some of President Barack Obama's most notable foreign policy achievements resulted from cooperation with Putin and Russia, arguably more so than any other "friendly" leader or "allied" nation. President Barack Obama meets with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on the sidelines of the G20 Summit at Regnum Carya Resort in Antalya, Turkey, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice listens at left. (Image by (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)) Details DMCA For instance, in summer 2013, Obama was under intense neocon/liberal-hawk pressure to bomb the Syrian military supposedly for crossing his "red line" against the use of chemical weapons after a mysterious sarin gas attack outside Damascus on Aug. 21, 2103. Yet, hearing doubts from the U.S. intelligence community about the Assad regime's guilt, Obama balked at a military strike that -- we now know -- would have played into the hands of Syrian jihadists who some intelligence analysts believe were the ones behind the false-flag sarin attack to trick the United States into directly intervening in the civil war on their side. But Obama still needed a path out of the corner that he had painted himself into and it was provided by Putin and Russia pressuring Assad to surrender all his chemical weapons, a clear victory for Obama regardless of who was behind the sarin attack. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). by Rep. Bill Post In April of 2015, the Oregon Legislature (minus ALL Republicans in the House and Senate) passed Senate Bill 941, the Universal Background Check. There were many reasons to oppose this bill but one of the most obvious was: unintended consequences. For instance: I testified in committee and on the House floor about how a woman in my district was being threatened by her ex-husband, so she wanted to purchase a gun but didnt necessarily want it stored in her home. The bill (now law) would only allow her to transfer that gun for safe keeping to a relatives house without having a background check done. She could not transfer it to her best friends home without a background check being performed. I thought that that was very wrong and eventually would lead to a law abiding citizen actually breaking this new law by in fact handing over his or her gun to a trusted friend for safekeeping without doing a background check on that friend. Here Sheriff Tim Svenson of Yamhill County testifies on this very issue back in April of 2015: Well guess what? Its happened. As you may have heard, a pastor from Lake Oswego won an AR15 in a raffle. He had announced ahead of the raffle that he was going to win the rifle and have it melted down and made into art. I have no problem with that, its free speech and his constitutional right. Where it went wrong was the unintended consequences I spoke of earlier. He passed the background check but, not wanting to keep the rifle at home, gave it to a trusted friend with a gun safe for safekeeping. They did NOT do a background check. That is breaking the law. Read the latest on this story from KGW here. Since 99.9999% of Oregonians have no idea how this law works, I would think the pastor, after having the law described to him, would have said hey I was wrong, I was ignorant of the law, Im taking the gun back or Ill have the background check done on my friend and that would be the end of the story. No, instead, he not only broke the law but doubled down by saying its nobodys business where the gun is. Actually sir, it is. One of the strongest proponents of the law, Sen. Ginny Burdick, stated Tuesday night on KGW thats not what we intended when writing and passing this law. She meant not transfer to felons. And THAT is why I have a problem! We told her and her colleagues that this would happen. Why then didnt they write that into the law as we the Republicans asked? How hard would that have been? This pastor would have then been covered! I am asking the Clackamas County DA to prosecute this pastor under the law created by SB941. The Oregon State Police force is currently investigating the situation but ultimately it will be up to the Clackamas DA. I realize that this is an ABSOLUTE waste of the taxpayers money and I think its frivolous but it must happen to set an example. Again, the pastor could easily say I didnt know and hand the rifle over or have the additional background check done. I hate this lawits ridiculous and saves NO lives but instead, just as in the case of this pastor, hurts innocent, law abiding citizens. BUT as long as it IS the law, it MUST be enforced completely! To Oregon Democrats who passed this bill into law: will you be so bold as to recognize that the law is not only wrong but as we pointed out multiple times, its unenforceable and hurts law abiding citizens? Im waiting. Here is the video from my time on the House floor on SB941: Pakistan Army killed five militants in Chitral PESHAWAR: Pakistan Army, in the early hours of Wednesday, killed five militants while they were attempting to enter Pakistan via Dubaja in Astoi area, Chitral. According to details, the army had been monitoring the movement of the unidentified gunmen after an attack last week that left two Kalash shepherds dead and scores of their cattle stolen by armed men who came from the Afghan side. A high ranking police official in Drosh informed Daily Times that a forward formation of the army from Astoi Check Post had been observing the known crossing points when they came under attack by unknown number of armed men trying to cross into Pakistan. The soldiers were able to kill five militants in a gun battle that started at about 4:15am and lasted for over half an hour. Local sources said that the number of militants ranged from 10 to 12. The remaining infiltrators left the bodies of their comrades and returned to Nuristan province of Afghanistan. According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, locals informed the army about the presence of terrorists in the area. It added that there was no casualty among the security forces during the clash and that the forces had recovered one submachine gun with 55 rounds, one light machine gun with 60 rounds and one repeater with 12 rounds from the slain terrorists. The army brought bodies of the slain militants to a basic health unit in Bumburet valley. The bodies were later handed over to the local police. The postmortem on the bodies were performed after a doctor arrived in Bumburet from Chitral. However, no one in the local community was allowing the burial of five militants in their lands. Drosh Sub-division Police Officer Zafar Ahmad told this scribe that the militants were killed near the site of Friday's attack. "These men were trying to enter Pakistan in the dark but they were unaware of the army patrol party. One soldier sustained a minor injury when he bruised his left hand as he slipped during the action," he added. Intrusions into the Kalash summer pastures by armed men is not a new exercise, as locals date back such activities to even before the creation of Pakistan. Abdul Khaliq, local elder in Bumburet, one of the three Kalash valleys where more than 4,000 indigenous Kalash people live since ages, opined that not every attack from across the border could be attributed to the militants. "Even before the Pakistani Taliban took shelter in Afghanistan's Nuristan province, the local people of that province used to attack us and steal our goats. We are a soft target for such elements as we restrain from violence," Abdul Khaliq claimed. People in the Kalash valleys were left in fear as reports from the border areas a week ago suggested that more than 30 militants were seen there. Their fears became true when two non-Muslim shepherds were killed by militants who took away more than 700 goats in two separate attacks on Friday. Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali had asked the government to ensure border security in order to avoid such incidents in future. He demanded recruitment of at least 300 more border police personnel from the Kalash tribe for deployment along the border with Afghanistan to secure the borders and protect the people of Kalash. Malakand General Officer Commanding (GOC) Major General Asif Ghayur visited the valley on Wednsday and assured the locals that the army and other security forces were well prepared to protect the residents round the clock. He asked the locals to stay vigilant and inform the forces in case of any attack by militants from across the border. The killing of the five militants has lifted the spirits of the Kalash people, as they see it a positive step towards restoration of peace in their areas. Rangers 90-day extension approved by Interior Ministry ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry has approved a 90-day extension in the special policing powers of Sindh Rangers in Karachi with effect from July 20, 2016. The Interior Ministry issued two separate notifications regarding the Rangers powers, approving the summary sent by the Sindh government on August 1. The special powers were granted under Clause (i), Sub-section 3 of Section 4 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The first notification was regarding the deployment of Rangers in Sindh for a year, while the second one was about extension in special powers of the paramilitary force. The Sindh government had insisted on limiting the powers of Rangers to Karachi only, whereas the Federal government was of the view that the authorities of Rangers must be extended to the entire province due to an alarming law and order situation in interior Sindh. On this, the Rangers demanded authority in the entire province, adding that they should not be bound to take permission to arrest any anti-social element. Earlier in the day, the issue of extension of special powers for Rangers in Sindh echoed in the National Assembly, as the MQM and PTI lawmakers called for extending the special powers of the paramilitary force to the whole province, while PPP legislators termed it against Article 147 of the constitution. Speaking on a point of order, Parliamentary leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Syed Naveed Qamar said the Sindh government had extended Rangers powers under Article 147 of the constitution. Qamar alleged that despite the extension for a year, a press release was issued to the media stating that the Interior Ministry had not accepted the Sindh governments summary in this regard. Such acts would weaken the federation, Qamar said, and asked the federal government to clarify the matter. MQM lawmaker Asif Hasnain said his party was the first one to call for deployment of Rangers in the province to restore peace. Instead of just Karachi, Rangers powers should be extended to the whole province for achieving lasting peace, Hasnain said. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insafs Dr Arif Alvi said the situation of law and order in Karachi had considerably improved following the deployment of Rangers. There was a sharp decrease in incidents of target killing, extortion, China cutting and kidnapping for ransom, Alvi said. Around 5,000 people used to become victims of target killing every year before Rangers were deployed in the city, the PTI lawmaker said. Alvi requested the government to extend the Rangers powers to the whole province until the Sindh Police was completely de-politicised. He, however, supported the viewpoint of Naveed Qamar that the federal government had no authority to deploy Rangers without the consent of the provincial government. PPPs Nawab Yousaf Talpur alleged that the federation was trying to replicate the one unit situation, which was created by Ayub Khan and Iskander Mirza. The provinces are now empowered under the 18th Constitutional Amendment to take such decisions. Confusion, if any, should be sorted out through talks, he added. The issue of special powers given to Ringers has for long remained a bone of contention between the federation and the Sindh government. It is worth mention here that the duration of Rangers powers had expired before the change of the Sindh chief minister, but later on the matter was prolonged due to change of the provinces chief executive. On one occasion, it looked like that the leadership of the PPP sitting abroad wanted to prolong the matter, but on the other hand the Interior Ministry took a solid stance that the authority of Rangers was a must for restoring peace in Sindh. The federal government had earlier expressed its resentment over the provincial government for not extending the Rangers policing powers to the whole of Sindh. Member of Parliament (MP) for Efutu Constituency in the Central Region, Alexander Afenyo Markin, has lauded the Electoral Commission (EC) for extending the re-registration of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card hodlers whose names were deleted. Let me commend the Electoral Commission because they have acted in good faith, he told Joy News. The EC at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting of all active political parties announced the extension of the period for the re-registration of NHIS registrants whose names were deleted following Supreme Court (SC)s ruling in a case challenging the credibility of the voters register. A former National Youth Organiser of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako sued the EC over the credibility of the voters register which they claim is incapable of ensuring fairness in the upcoming December polls. The SC ordered the deletion of persons who registered in 2012 using unapproved identity cards. The Commission proceeded to delete over 56,772 NHIS registrants and gave ten (10) days for victims to get back into the register. At the end of the exercise, 24,287 persons registered out of the over 56,772 deleted names. This led to calls by sections of Ghanaians for the Commission to extend the period since it was merely complying with SCs order. Mr Markin threatened legal action against the EC saying more than 3,000 deleted NHIS registrants of his constituents out of the total 5,200 deleted were unable to re-register due to logistic challenges. The EC had initially declined calls for the exercise to be extended, but it disclosed to the political parties that the process will be extended for a period of seven (7) days beginning Friday, August 5 to 12, 2016. Welcoming the news, the Efutu MP says his threat to visit court action on the Commission was to afford it the opportunity to do the right thing. He cautioned the Commission, to instead of focusing on the limited extension period, be interested in how to retool the various registration centers in terms of registration kits which denied many people the opportunity to register during phase one of the re-registration period. I am not just interested in extension but I more particularly interested in how they are able to resolve the logistical problems that experienced in the phase one of the re-registration, he said. My particular concern is the mode of registration. Source: JFM Ghana 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. Featured Video Wildlife officials observe a stranded wild elephant in a watercourse at Sarishabari in Bangladesh's Jamalpur District Bangladesh and India are mounting a major rescue effort for a wild elephant struggling to survive after it was separated from its herd by floods and then washed across the border. On Thursday three Indian forest officials will travel to a flood-hit area in northern Bangladesh to investigate how they can help the stranded animal, which was separated from its herd in northeast India more than a month ago. A vet dispatched to the scene by Bangladesh authorities said the elephant, a female that weighs an estimated four tonnes, was "weak and tired" after its solo odyssey across the Brahmaputra river that separates the two countries. "For the last month it has been separated from its herd and stranded mostly in flood water," Sayed Hossain told AFP. "It crossed the mighty Brahmaputra and has been living mostly on paddy (rice) crop, sugar canes and a limited amount of banana plants." Forestry official Shahab Uddin said thousands of villagers in boats have been following the elephant, which has so far crossed around 100 kilometres (60 miles) of flooded terrain in northern Bangladesh. Bangladeshi authorities have dispatched a team of forest rangers, police inspectors and vets to track the wild animal, but the floods were hampering rescue efforts. A rhino calf is transported to safety after being rescued by wildlife officials in flood waters in the Kaziranga National Park in India's Assam state "Our effort to rescue the animal has been hampered by ongoing floods as there is no way we can tranquillise it in water as it might be floated downstream. The elephant must be driven to a higher ground in a bid to rescue it," Uddin said. "After seeing her latest conditions, both teams will decide how we can rescue her," he added. Uddin said the hundreds of villagers who were flocking to see the elephant were also likely hampering her ability to seek higher ground unaffected by the floods. The wild elephants of India and Bangladesh have dwindled in number in recent decades as their habitat is destroyed. The rescue bid comes days after Indian wildlife officers appealed for help in caring for eight rhino calves pulled from the floodwaters in the northeastern state of Assam. Scores of people die every year from flooding and landslides during the monsoon rains in India and neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh. So far this year 96 people have died in the worst-hit Indian states of Assam and Bihar. Explore further Bangladesh tiger poaching sparks Sundarbans ban plan 2016 AFP Tailored parallel X-rays perfectly matching the dimensions of the protein crystals enabled the scientists to determine the proteasome structure in unprecedented detail (top right). They could show that a 7-ring is formed by the reaction of the inhibitor with the proteasome (bottom). This knowledge paves the way for the design of new therapeutics. Credit: Hartmut Sebesse / Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry Cancer cells are more dependent on a cellular garbage disposal unitthe proteasomethan healthy cells, and cancer therapies take advantage of this dependency. Scientists at EMBL and MPI determined the proteasome's 3D structure in unprecedented detail and have deciphered the exact mechanism by which inhibitor drugs block the proteasome. Their surprising results, published in Science, will pave the way to develop more effective treatments. Malignant cancer cells not only proliferate faster than most healthy cells in our bodies. They also generate more "junk", such as faulty and damaged proteins. This makes cancer cells inherently more dependent on the most important cellular garbage disposal unit, the proteasome, which degrades defective proteins and removes them from circulation. Treatments for some types of cancer, such as multiple myelomaa type of bone marrow cancerexploit this dependence. Patients are treated with inhibitors, which selectively block the proteasome. The ensuing pile-up of cellular junk overwhelms the cancer cell, ultimately killing it. A team of researchers from Gottingen and Hamburg have now succeeded in determining the 3D structure of the human proteasome in unprecedented detail and have deciphered the exact mechanism by which inhibitors block the proteasome. In order to understand how cellular machines such as the proteasome work, it is essential to determine their three-dimensional structure in detail. With its more than 50.000 atoms, the barrel-shaped proteasome, however, is a true challenge for structural biologists. A group of scientists led by Ashwin Chari at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry in Gottingen and Gleb Bourenkov at EMBL have now managed to determine the three-dimensional structure of the human proteasome at an unprecedented resolution of 1.8 Angstromenabling them to pinpoint the position of single atoms in the garbage disposal unit. In a next step, the researchers solved the structure of the proteasome bound to four different inhibitors that are either already used in the clinic or are currently undergoing clinical trials. "The substantial improvement in resolution compared to previous proteasome structures has allowed us to establish the exact chemical mechanism by which inhibitors block the proteasome. This knowledge makes it possible to optimize inhibitor design and efficacysince only inhibitors tailored to the proteasome shut it down completely," says Chari, project group leader in the Department of Structural Dynamics headed by Holger Stark at the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry. The scientists discovered an important detail in the proteasome's active site. The active site is what enables the proteasome to degrade the cell's junk, and it is what the inhibitor drugs bind to in order to shut off that activity. In contrast to the common perception, a 7-ring structure is formed by the chemical reaction of inhibitor and proteasome active site, which contains an additional so-called methylene group. This has far-reaching consequences for the inhibitor's efficacy and chemical mechanism, the researchers explain. "Even though a methylene group just comprises one carbon atom and its two associated protons amidst the more than 50.000 atoms of the proteasome, it decisively influences which chemical features make the inhibitor most effective in blocking the proteasome," says Thomas Schneider, who leads a group at EMBL. "This has to be taken into account when developing new inhibitors and searching for new drug candidates," adds Holger Stark. The researchers have already filed a patent application for the chemical procedure to design such inhibitors. "Clinical applications are always preceded by knowledge about targets - therefore, the details, where every atom counts, make all the difference," Bourenkov states. Huge effort reveals a small difference The project's success is the result of fantastic teamwork, as Max Planck researcher Chari emphasizes: "A group of scientists, all experts in their respective fields, contributed their specialized knowledge, expertise, and complemented each other perfectly." Structural biologists, physicists, enzymologists, and biochemists of the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, EMBL, and the University of Gottingen developed several innovative procedures. To determine a molecule's structure using X-ray crystallography, scientists grow crystals of that molecule, then shine a powerful beam of X-ray light on the crystal. Based on how the X-rays scatter after hitting the crystal, researchers can deduce the molecule's 3D structure. Fabian Henneberg and Jil Schrader, junior scientists in Stark's department and first authors of the report now published in Science, used a new method to purify proteasomes and grow the high-quality crystals that made it possible to solve its 3D structure in such detail. The scientists have filed for a second patent application based on the purification and crystallization procedure employed in this work. "The pipeline we use to purify and crystallize the proteasome with and without inhibitors is also suitable to discover new proteasome inhibitors - in an industrial setting, screening several hundred compounds per week could be feasible," Chari predicts. However, the crystals were only one element of the project's success. The second were the cutting-edge instruments developed by the EMBL research facility on the Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY) campus in Hamburg. "The DESY light source generates X-rays of exceptional quality. With the help of powerful X-ray optics, we were able to tailor X-rays to perfectly suit the crystallized proteasome. Only this made it possible to determine the proteasome structure in unprecedented detail," concludes Bourenkov. Explore further Halting protein degradation may contribute to new cancer treatment More information: "The inhibition mechanism of human 20S proteasomes enables next-generation inhibitor design" Science, science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi 1126/science.aaf8993 Journal information: Science "The inhibition mechanism of human 20S proteasomes enables next-generation inhibitor design" Imagine where working together on open data can get us? Credit: www.shutterstock.com Over the years, citizen scientists have provided vital data and contributed in invaluable ways to various scientific quests. But they're typically relegated to helping traditional scientists complete tasks the pros don't have the time or resources to deal with on their own. Citizens are asked to count wildlife, for instance, or classify photos that are of interest to the lead researchers. This type of top-down engagement has consigned citizen science to the fringes, where it fills a manpower gap but not much more. As a result, its full value has not been realized. Marginalizing the citizen scientists and their potential contribution is a grave mistake it limits how far we can go in science and the speed and scope of discovery. Instead, by harnessing globalization's increased interconnectivity, citizen science should become an integral part of open innovation. Science agendas can be set by citizens, data can be open, and open-source software and hardware can be shared to assist in the scientific process. And as the model proves itself, it can be expanded even further, into nonscience realms. Some major citizen science successes Citizen-powered science has been around for over 100 years, utilizing the collective brainpower of regular, everyday people to collect, observe, input, identify and crossmatch data that contribute to and expand scientific discovery. And there have been some marked successes. eBird allows scores of citizen scientists to record bird abundance via field observation; those data have contributed to over 90 peer-reviewed research articles. Did You Feel It? crowdsources information from people around that world who have experienced an earthquake. Snapshot Serengeti uses volunteers to identify, classify and catalog photos taken daily in this African ecosystem. FoldIt is an online game where players are tasked with using the tools provided to virtually fold protein structures. The goal is to help scientists figure out if these structures can be used in medical applications. A set of users determined the crystal structure of an enzyme involved in the monkey version of AIDS in just three weeks a problem that had previously gone unsolved for 15 years. Since 1900 the Audubon Society has sponsored its annual Christmas Bird Count, which relies on amateur volunteers nationwide. Credit: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY Galaxy Zoo is perhaps the most well-known online citizen science project. It uploads images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and allows users to assist with the morphological classification of galaxies. The citizen astronomers discovered an entirely new class of galaxy "green pea" galaxies that have gone on to be the subject of over 20 academic articles. These are all notable successes, with citizens contributing to the projects set out by professional scientists. But there's so much more potential in the model. What does the next generation of citizen science look like? Open innovation could advance citizen science The time is right for citizen science to join forces with open innovation. This is a concept that describes partnering with other people and sharing ideas to come up with something new. The assumption is that more can be achieved when boundaries are lowered and resources including ideas, data, designs and software and hardware are opened and made freely available. Open innovation is collaborative, distributed, cumulative and it develops over time. Citizen science can be a critical element here because its professional-amateurs can become another significant source of data, standards and best practices that could further the work of scientific and lay communities. Globalization has spurred on this trend through the ubiquity of internet and wireless connections, affordable devices to collect data (such as cameras, smartphones, smart sensors, wearable technologies), and the ability to easily connect with others. Increased access to people, information and ideas points the way to unlock new synergies, new relationships and new forms of collaboration that transcend boundaries. And individuals can focus their attention and spend their time on anything they want. We are seeing this emerge in what has been termed the "solution economy" where citizens find fixes to challenges that are traditionally managed by government. People can contribute to crowdsourced projects from just about anywhere. Credit: Nazareth College, CC BY Consider the issue of accessibility. Passage of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act aimed to improve accessibility issues in the U.S. But more than two decades later, individuals with disabilities are still dealing with substantial mobility issues in public spaces due to street conditions, cracked or nonexistent sidewalks, missing curb cuts, obstructions or only portions of a building being accessible. These all can create physical and emotional challenges for the disabled. To help deal with this issue, several individual solution seekers have merged citizen science, open innovation and open sourcing to create mobile and web applications that provide information about navigating city streets. For instance, Jason DaSilva, a filmmaker with multiple sclerosis, developed AXS Map a free online and mobile app powered by Google Places API. It crowdsources information from people across the country about wheelchair accessibility in cities nationwide. Broadening the model There's no reason the diffuse resources and open process of the citizen scientist model need be applied only to science questions. For instance, Science Gossip is a Zooniverse citizen science project. It's rooted in Victorian-era natural history the period considered to be the dawn of modern science but it crosses disciplinary boundaries. At the time, scientific information was produced everywhere and recorded in letters, books, newspapers and periodicals (it was also the beginning of mass printing). Science Gossip allows citizen scientists to pore through pages of Victorian natural history periodicals. The site prompts them with questions meant to ensure continuity with other user entries. The final product is digitized data based on the 140,000 pages of 19th-century periodicals. Anyone can access it on Biodiversity Heritage Library easily and for free. This work has obvious benefits for natural history researchers but it also can be used by art enthusiasts, ethnographers, biographers, historians, rhetoricians, or authors of historical fiction or filmmakers of period pieces who seek to create accurate settings. The collection possesses value that goes beyond scientific data and becomes critical to understanding the period in which data was collected. It's also possible to imagine flipping the citizen science script, with the citizens themselves calling the shots about what they want to see investigated. Implementing this version of citizen science in disenfranchised communities could be a means of access and empowerment. Imagine Flint, Michigan residents directing expert researchers on studies of their drinking water. Crowds cant reliably rate typhoon damage like this without adequate training. Credit: Bronze Yu, CC BY-NC-ND Or consider the aim of many localities to become so-called smart cities connected cities that integrate information and communication technologies to improve the quality of life for residents as well as manage the city's assets. Citizen science could have a direct impact on community engagement and urban planning via data consumption and analysis, feedback loops and project testing. Or residents can even collect data on topics important to local government. With technology and open innovation, much of this is practical and possible. What stands in the way? Perhaps the most pressing limitation of scaling up the citizen science model is issues with reliability. While many of these projects have been proven reliable, others have fallen short. For instance, crowdsourced damage assessments from satellite images following 2013's Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines faced challenges. But according to aid agencies, remote damage assessments by citizen scientists had a devastatingly low accuracy of 36 percent. They overrepresented "destroyed" structures by 134 percent. Reliability problems often stem from a lack of training, coordination and standardization in platforms and data collection. It turned out in the case of Typhoon Haiyan the satellite imagery did not provide enough detail or high enough resolution for contributors to accurately classify buildings. Further, volunteers weren't given proper guidance on making accurate assessments. There also were no standardized validation review procedures for contributor data. Another challenge for open source innovation is organizing and standardizing data in a way that would be useful to others. Understandably, we collect data to fit our own needs there isn't anything wrong with that. However, those in charge of databases need to commit to data collection and curation standards so anyone may use the data with complete understanding of why, by whom and when they were collected. Finally, deciding to open data making it freely available for anyone to use and republish is critical. There's been a strong, popular push for government to open data of late but it isn't done widely or well enough to have widespread impact. Further, the opening of of nonproprietary data from nongovernment entities nonprofits, universities, businesses is lacking. If they are in a position to, organizations and individuals should seek to open their data to spur innovation ecosystems in the future. Citizen science has proven itself in some fields and has the potential to expand to others as organizers leverage the effects of globalization to enhance innovation. To do so, we must keep an eye on citizen science reliability, open data whenever possible, and constantly seek to expand the model to new disciplines and communities. Explore further Solving science questions by playing games This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. New studies offer insight into the people who lived, died and were buried in mass graves in the pre-Columbian city of Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis. Credit: Image courtesy Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, painting by William R. Iseminger. A new study challenges earlier interpretations of an important burial mound at Cahokia, a pre-Columbian city in Illinois near present-day St. Louis. The study reveals that a central feature of the mound, a plot known as the "beaded burial," is not a monument to male power, as was previously thought, but includes both males and females of high status. The new study, published in the journal American Antiquity, is one of several recent analyses of the site from researchers at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at the University of Illinois and their colleagues at other institutions. All of the studies confirm the presence of males and females in the beaded burial. In 1967, archaeologist Melvin Fowler discovered a massive burial site at Cahokia while excavating an unusual, ridgetop mound. This mound, now called Mound 72, held five mass graves, each containing 20 to more than 50 bodies, with dozens of other bodies buried individually or in groups, sometimes directly over the mass graves. Fowler identified 270 bodies in the mound. Scientists later determined that all of the burials occurred between about 1000 and 1200, during the rise and peak of Cahokia's power and influence. Some of the burials appeared to be high-status individuals whose bodies were placed on cedar litters. "Mound 72 burials are some of the most significant burials ever excavated in North America from this time period," said ISAS director Thomas Emerson, who conducted the most recent study with physical anthropologist Kristin Hedman and skeletal analysts Eve Hargrave of ISAS, Dawn Cobb of the Illinois State Museum Society, and Andrew Thompson of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The ISAS is a division of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois. Several mass burials and burials of high-status individuals were found in Mound 72, in Cahokia. Credit: Graphic by Julie McMahon "Fowler's and others' interpretation of these mounds became the model that everybody across the east was looking at in terms of understanding status and gender roles and symbolism among Native American groups in this time," Emerson said. Emerson and his colleagues discovered that some of those early interpretations were based on inaccurate and incomplete information. Most of the errors involved the beaded burial. Here, two central bodies were placed, one on top of the other, on a partial bed of beads that also ran between and around the bodies. Several other bodies, buried at the same time, were arranged around this pair. Fowler and later archaeologists came to believe that this was a burial of two high-status males surrounded by their servants. They interpreted the arrangement of beads associated with these central figures as the remains of a beaded cape or blanket in the shape of a bird. The pattern of beads near the heads of the two central bodies resembled a bird head, some thought. Because the bird is a common motif related to warriors and supernatural beings in some Native American traditions, Fowler proposed that the central males of the beaded burial represented mythical warrior chiefs. "One of the things that promoted the concept of the male warrior mythology was the bird image," Emerson said. Once this interpretation took hold, many researchers came to see this as evidence that Cahokia was "a male-dominated hierarchy," he said. Researchers discovered that a famous 'beaded burial' in Mound 72 at Cahokia held high-status males and females, not just males, as was previously thought. Credit: Graphic by Julie McMahon A fresh look at the early archaeologists' maps, notes and reports and the skeletal remains told a new and surprising story. First, the researchers found that there were 12 bodies associated with the beaded burial - not six, as had been previously reported. And independent skeletal analyses conducted by each of the co-authors - Thompson, Hedman, Hargrave and Cobb - revealed that the two central bodies in the beaded burial were actually male and female. Further analyses revealed other male-female pairs on top of, and near, the beaded area. Some were laid out as fully articulated bodies. Others were disarticulated bodies, the bones of which had been gathered and bundled for burial near these important couples. The researchers also discovered the remains of a child. "We had been checking to make sure that the individuals we were looking at matched how they had been described," Hedman said. "And in re-examining the beaded burial, we discovered that the central burial included females. This was unexpected." "The fact that these high-status burials included women changes the meaning of the beaded burial feature," Emerson said. "Now, we realize, we don't have a system in which males are these dominant figures and females are playing bit parts. And so, what we have at Cahokia is very much a nobility. It's not a male nobility. It's males and females, and their relationships are very important." The new findings are more in line with other evidence from Cahokia, Emerson said. Mound 72 at Cahokia held several mass graves but also burials of high-status individuals, some of which included items like these artifacts from the same region and time period. Pictured here are chunky stones likely used in games, Cahokia-style tri-notched projectile points, and marine shell disc beads like those used in the beaded burial at Cahokia. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer "For me, having dug temples at Cahokia and analyzed a lot of that material, the symbolism is all about life renewal, fertility, agriculture," he said. "Most of the stone figurines found there are female. The symbols showing up on the pots have to do with water and the underworld. And so now Mound 72 fits into a more consistent story with what we know about the rest of the symbolism and religion at Cahokia." Emerson said that those who saw warrior symbolism at Cahokia missed the special culture of the time period. "When the Spanish and the French came into the southeast as early as the 1500s, they identified these kinds of societies in which both males and females have rank," he said. "Really, the division here is not gender; it's class." "People who saw the warrior symbolism in the beaded burial were actually looking at societies hundreds of years later in the southeast, where warrior symbolism dominated, and projecting it back to Cahokia and saying: 'Well, that's what this must be,'" Emerson said. "And we're saying: 'No, it's not.'" Other recent findings related to the people buried in Mound 72 are described in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and a chapter in the book "Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization and Transformation in Complex Societies." Explore further Internal dissension cited as reason for Cahokia's dissolution More information: Thomas E. Emerson et al, Paradigms Lost: Reconfiguring Cahokia's Mound 72 Beaded Burial, American Antiquity (2016). Journal information: American Antiquity Thomas E. Emerson et al, Paradigms Lost: Reconfiguring Cahokia's Mound 72 Beaded Burial,(2016). DOI: 10.7183/0002-7316.81.3.405 Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). Credit: Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 Tropical Porites corals adjust their internal pH to enable themselves to form calcium carbonate and grow under elevated carbon dioxide concentrationseven for a longer period of time. In order to understand the ability of pH regulation in more detail, researchers of GEOMAR have used the boron isotope method to examine samples of corals that have existed at natural carbon dioxide vents in Papua New Guinea for decades. Because the oceans absorb man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, its pH declines. Effects of this chemical change on tropical coral reefs can be examined in laboratory or short-term field experiments. However, a team led by Dr. Marlene Wall, marine biologist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, chose a different approach: In the framework of the German research network BIOACID (Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification), they examined corals of the genus Porites, which grow at volcanic carbon dioxide vents in Papua New Guinea and have become a dominant species there. "It is very difficult to foresee if tropical corals are able to survive global climate change. These organisms are very sensitive to a rise in water temperatures, ocean acidification and pollution", explains Dr. Wall. "The natural carbon dioxide vents give us the opportunity to study the scenario of the future already today. Previous studies have shown that Porites is among the winners. But up to now, no one knew how they manage." Porites corals keep their internal pH at a level at which they are able to produce calcium carbonate and grow despite higher carbon dioxide concentrations and lower pH in the surrounding water - a significant advantage over many other species. In this way, they have established themselves under extreme conditions. "According to our observations, the pH regulation is a key feature when it comes to surviving under a lowered pH", emphasizes Dr. Wall. The findings about pH regulation in corals are published in the journal Scientific Reports. To better understand the ability of pH regulation, the scientific team led by Dr. Wall examined corals using the boron isotope method. For these measurements, a laser is directed at the skeletons. Material that comes off during this procedure is analysed in a mass spectrometer. The isotopic composition of boron that is included in the skeleton reveals information on the coral's internal pH. "This method gives us new insights and allows for conclusions about the physiology of the coral skeleton at the time of calcification", says Dr. Jan Fietzke, a physicist at GEOMAR and co-author of the study. "You could say we look back into the future." For the study described in the current publication, Fietzke examined the skeleton which had been formed a few days to weeks before sampling. Comparisons with pH measurements in the surrounding water proved that the boron isotopes reflected the internal pH of the coral and that it was different from the pH of the environment - pH regulation has taken place. Based on this knowledge, cores from several decades old corals are currently being evaluated. "So we can find out when and how quickly they have acclimatized." By looking back to the future, the researchers found out that Porites corals have a remarkable ability to level their pH for decades and thereby counteract global climate change. "But we had to learn that regulation is only possible up to a certain degree. When carbon dioxide concentrations exceed values that are expected after the year 2100, calcification and growth are lower - and even the winner reaches its limit", according to Dr. Wall. "Our results prove how important it is to combine laboratory experiments with long-term field studies and observations. Controlled laboratory experiments provide an understanding of the pH control, but only in combination with field observations, they paint a more detailed picture about possible long-term consequences." Explore further Researchers show corals struggle to grow under multiple stressors More information: M. Wall et al, Internal pH regulation facilitates in situ long-term acclimation of massive corals to end-of-century carbon dioxide conditions, Scientific Reports (2016). Journal information: Scientific Reports M. Wall et al, Internal pH regulation facilitates in situ long-term acclimation of massive corals to end-of-century carbon dioxide conditions,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/srep30688 A joint University of Adelaide-Shanghai Jiao Tong University study has provided the first broad picture of the evolution and possible functions in the plant of pollen allergens. Published in the journal Plant Physiology, the researchers believe their work may help with medical research into the reduction or prevention of allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (hay fever). "During the past four decades, allergic diseases have become a global health problem," says project leader Professor Dabing Zhang, who leads the University of Adelaide and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Laboratory for Plant Science and Breeding. "Studies have shown that more than 50% of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis are sensitised to pollen allergens, and the number of people affected by pollen allergy is on the increase worldwide. "Unfortunately, pollen allergens are difficult to avoid because of the extremely small size and high prevalence of pollen. "This is a serious health issue but very little is known about their evolutionary history and why plants have evolved these allergens." The researchers, including postgraduate students Miaolin Chen at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Deborah Devis at the University of Adelaide's Waite campus, performed a genome-wide analysis of potential pollen allergens in two model plants, Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) and rice by comparing those results among 25 species of plants ranging from simple alga to complex flowering plants. They used these findings to develop a model explaining how plants produced and maintained pollen allergens. "This genetic and evolutionary insight our work has provided will be useful in terms of both future medical and plant-breeding research focused on preventing pollen allergies. For instance it may help in the development of a vaccine or in modifying crop plants by screening out allergens during plant breeding," says Professor Zhang. The University of Adelaide and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Laboratory for Plant Science and Breeding was established late last year as part of an overall joint Centre for Agriculture and Health. The two universities are working together to contribute to the national food, water and health targets of their respective countries under four themes: agriculture and wine; land and water; food safety and quality; and health and nutrition. Explore further Easing your child's allergies More information: Miaolin Chen et al. Origin and Functional Prediction of Pollen Allergens in Plants, Plant Physiology (2016). Miaolin Chen et al. Origin and Functional Prediction of Pollen Allergens in Plants,(2016). DOI: 10.1104/pp.16.00625 QUEENSBURY A New York City man who forced his way into a Glens Falls home at knifepoint last year was sentenced to 7 years in prison. Jashawn J. Rotella, 25, had pleaded guilty in Warren County Court last month to third-degree burglary and third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for the Dec. 14 incident, where Rotella forced his way into a McDonald Street home, threatened a man with a knife and got into a fight. The drug charge stemmed from his selling cocaine to an undercover police officer a few weeks before the home invasion. Judge John Hall sentenced Rotella on Wednesday to 7 years with 3 years of post release supervision on the drug charge and 3 1/2 to 7 years on the burglary charge. Both sentences are to run concurrently. Runners will help raise money for a handicap-accessible playground and spray park Saturday at a color run in Moreau. The 5K run will begin at 9 a.m. at Betar Recreation Park, 19 Jan Ave. Registration is $35 for adults and $20 for children younger than age 13. Children can also register for a one-mile obstacle race, which is $5. Runners will be doused with color at stations along the race, with a special celebratory color at the finish line. Registration begins at 7 a.m. at the park. The event will also feature music, vendors and raffles. LAKE GEORGE The Lake George Association will hold its 131st annual meeting on Aug. 19 at the Lake George Club. New this year will be a discussion about development along the lakes shoreline, beginning with a presentation by Chazen Cos. that includes an atlas of data detailing the entire watershed. The study was funded by the LGA. The data atlas provides key and impartial information on the following topics: Population and housing Land use, zoning and the current environment of development Water, sewer and roadway infrastructure Residential development potential The LGA will provide homeowners, homeowner associations and municipalities with information on how to live "lake-friendly" and will detail the resources that the LGA has available, according to an LGA news release. The meeting is open to the public. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., and the meeting begins at 10 a.m. In addition, members will vote on directors to the LGAs board. Members should call the LGA office at 518-668-3558 to reserve a seat. After the meeting, attendees are invited to have a buffet at the Lake George Club for $27 per person. (There is no donation to the LGA included in this price.) Contact the LGA office to make a reservation. The Lake George Club is located at 4000 Lake Shore Drive in Diamond Point. CORINTH A new wastewater treatment plant is slated to be built by the village of Corinth on International Papers closed industrial site, the latest step in a yearslong effort to revitalize the property. The village and the company agreed in the last two months to the sale of about 4 acres of the 80-acre industrial site on which to build the treatment plant, according to Mayor Dennis Morreale. The new treatment plant will go up adjacent to the existing one on the property, which Morreale said is severely outmoded, and will take over treatment of the sites wastewater. Its construction, he said, should help attract businesses to the site by rounding out the sites infrastructure for an industrial tenant electric power, natural gas, rail lines and the Hudson River. International Paper left the site 14 years ago, and Corinth and its partners with the Saratoga Economic Development Corp. are still searching for businesses to move into it. So far, only one has: Hudson River Community Credit Union opened an operations center on a 10-acre parcel it bought from IP. But the former paper plant itself has yet to woo any investors. That doesnt mean the village hasnt made progress, though, according to Morreale, one of the three independent Better Choices Party candidates elected in 2012 after a campaign focused, in part, on the villages stagnant efforts to rehabilitate the site. Its been a long process, but its been a process thats moving ahead constantly, he said. That process was streamlined significantly last year, the mayor said, with the help of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who successfully urged International Paper to exclude its sites two landfills from its sales pitch. Companies had found the idea of having to take care of those waste sites unappealing, Morreale said. He said he had spoken recently with an investor who might be interested in the plant, but could not comment in greater detail. It would be a huge positive for the community, he said of seeing business take over the old plant. The thing that we need in Corinth is local jobs. Morreale would particularly like to see manufacturing businesses move into the site, which he hopes ends up with several symbiotic industries on it. Were looking to work with anyone who wants to come in there, he said. We are very business-friendly. We want good, clean business that brings jobs into the community, and we will go out of our way to make it easy for them. The villages comprehensive plan was updated three years ago to prioritize development at the site, downtown and at the Corinth Reservoir Recreation Area. Glens Falls resident Nancy Pasanen has been boating on Lake George for decades. But this weeks fatal boat collision on the lake will keep her off the lake at night for the foreseeable future. Its not just the circumstances of the horrific crash Monday that killed a 9-year-old girl that prompted Pasanens decision. She said she has had concerns for years about how safety-conscious many of her fellow boaters were on the lake, particularly this summer, a symptom of New York being well behind the times in terms of the safety instruction it requires of boat operators. Ive seen so many near misses this year alone, she said. Its terrible. This weeks tragedy on the lake prompted Pasanen to reach out to the regions state legislators to urge them to change the law and require boat safety instruction for all boat operators. New York is one of just eight states in the nation that do not require adult boaters to take a boating safety course before they get behind the wheel of a boat. (The law is different for personal watercraft operators, who are required to take a safety course no matter their age.) State law changed in 2014 so only those born after May 1996 have to take a sanctioned state course. The new requirement included a change that some believe has weakened the training that is required for boaters in New York. Online courses can now satisfy the requirement, and Philip Caroleo, an auxiliary U.S. Coast Guard officer who operates NY Boating Safety Inc., said the online training courses many of them outsourced to overseas operators dont provide sufficient training. The online courses boil down eight hours of instruction into three, and Caroleo said it is becoming clear on the water that many who take them have not gotten the information they needed. Armand Canestraro, a safety instructor and past commander for the boating education organization Lake George Power Squadron and longtime Lake George boater, agreed that many new boaters could use more training before they hit the water. Before the 2014 law change, there was nothing stopping an adult from heading out on the lake with no knowledge of the significance of buoys, navigation light colors or other water regulations. Prior to that, you could go to a dealer, buy a boat off the floor and take it out on the water, Canestraro said. New York hasnt always been behind other states in terms of boating safety. Decades ago, the states boating safety course was an eight-day curriculum spread over eight weeks, Caroleo said. Caroleo said it seems that lobbying by boat manufacturers, dealers and rentals operations, who were concerned the safety course would deter would-be boaters from buying or renting a watercraft, has kept New York from mandating boat safety training for all. Pasanen pointed out that some local boat dealers do support more training. Earlier this year, Boats by George! hosted an education course with the Power Squadron in Lake George. Pasanen and Canestraro said many boaters dont recognize all of the factors that go into operating a boat safely. Simply being on the water in the sun for hours can cause a boater to become tired to the point of impairment, a condition known as boater fatigue. Distracted boating is also an issue on the water, as it is for drivers on the pavement, Canestraro said. Medications can also affect boat operation, he added. State Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, acknowledged he received Pasanens inquiry, and said he agreed that a review of boat safety training seemed warranted, particularly if New York is behind most other states, and especially in light of this weeks tragedy. This is a public safety issue, he said. I thought her (Pasanens) suggestions were thoughtful and reasoned, and we definitely should look at our boating laws. The state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, which oversees state boating laws, did not respond to an inquiry as of late Thursday. Mondays crash near Cramer Point claimed the life of 9-year-old Charlotte McCue of Carlsbad, California, and injured her mother. The actions of the boater who police believe hit their boat, Alexander M. West, 24, of Lake George, are under investigation by police. He fled the scene of the crash, which occurred after he and friends attended the annual Log Bay Day party on the lake, according to the Warren County Sheriffs Office. The number of boating accident on Lake George has held steady the past few years, though they increased significantly between 2011 and 2013. Joe Johns, director of public safety for the Lake George Park Commission, said the Park Commissions boat counts have not found any significant increases. A 2015 survey found that the boat count of 1,939 was a decrease of about 20 percent from 10 years earlier. More information about boat safety on Lake George can be found at www.lgps.org and www.lakegeorge.com/boating/regulations.cfm. Silver Bay YMCA Conference and Family Retreat Center invites the public to Glens Falls Symphony Orchestras Summer Pops and fireworks Concert at 8 p.m. Aug. 18 in the historic auditorium at Silver Bay YMCA. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. No reserved seating is available. The concert is in honor of Glens Falls hometown citizen and statesman Charles Evans Hughes and will feature summertime and patriotic favorites. This concert, which has taken place for 16 years at Crandall Park in Glens Falls, honors our nations military veterans and includes music by John Philip Sousa, Armed Forces Salute, as well as music from movies and family favorites. The Glens Falls Symphony, under the musical direction of Charles Peltz, will perform music written during the lifetime of Hughes, whose long life spanned 1862-1948, a period of much social and musical change. We are wasting a lot of resources if we dont enhance the food processing and preservation end of the chain, She said. Prof. Sakyi-Dawson told the Business and Financial Times discussions on food security has centered on production, nothing we are producing and the produce are spoiling. So if we dont do something with what we have produced it will be wasted. So we definitely need to focus on processing if we want to ensure food security, Prof. Sakyi-Dawson said. WAMCO was established under a Joint-Venture structure between the Government of Ghana represented by COCOBOD holding 40% and a German investor holding the remaining 60% of the shares. READ MORE In June this year, COCOBOD warned the general public to disregard an advert by Fidelity Security Limited on the sale of WAMCO. COCOBOD said it was not involved in the attempt to sell the company, saying "any person or institution that enters into such a deal would be doing so at its own peril." Speaking in parliament Wednesday on the status of WAMCO, a Deputy Minister of Finance Cassiel Ato Forson, told parliament the board of WAMCO had "commenced official liquidation" of the company. He made the comment in respond to a question from the MP for Takoradi, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah on when the company will resume operation after it was partially shut down in 2014. On Monday, August 1, 2016, the government signed the interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. This was after the Economic Community of West African States has delayed in taking a decision as to whether to sign the EPA in their current form or not. It is believed that an ECOWAS response to the EPA would grant the sub-regional body and its member countries a bigger bargaining advantage. The European Union gave West African states a deadline of November, 2016 to sign the agreement or pay duties on exports to the European market. However, signing the Economic Partnership Agreement would grant exporters duty-free access to African markets, except exporters of rice and sugar. Foreign Affairs Minister, Hannah Tetteh revealed in July, that Ghana was waiting for a unified response from ECOWAS as to whether to sign the agreement or not. With that not forthcoming, Ghana has gone ahead to sign an interim agreement, awaiting a more substantial move from ECOWAS. Some economists have kicked against the decision to sign the EPA in its current form, as it will grant countries of the European Union access to 75% of Ghanas market. The Ghanaian Ambassador to Belguim signed the agreement in Brussels during the weekend, making Ghana the second country to sign the agreement in the West African sub region after Cote DIvoire. Job loss The Coordinator of the Third World Network, Dr Yao Graham, warned that 40,000 jobs could be lost if Ghana signs the EPA in its current form. Speaking at the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting in Accra recently, Dr Graham said the job losses would affect nascent industries. Overall the term of the EPA are not beneficial for Ghana or West Africa. The EPA will lead to a loss of jobs and other means of livelihood "In the manufacturing and other industrial sectors, the EPA will cost about 40,000 jobs in ten years. We also anticipate that there will be a collapse of domestic industry especially in the life manufacturing sector. "It will also undermine ECOWAS economic integration and the wider process of intra Africa trade and lead to the loss of government revenue from trade duties, Dr Graham said. Also, Dr Graham said a study by the Network reveals that Ghana will lose $126 million in import tariffs. What this means 1. The Law will enable the Accra, Kumasi, Koforidua, Ho, Takoradi and Sunyani polytechnics to be converted into technical universities. 2. The selected schools to be converted will now be operating under the technical university system and will also have the power to offer various degree programmes starting September. 3. Chief Administrators of the polytechnics, who were previously known as Rectors, will now be referred to as Vice Chancellors. 4. The technical universities will be in charge of industrial human resource training for the country, with their main aim being not to deviate from what makes them unique from the mainstream universities. Background Some educationists, including the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, have already rejected the presidents decision to convert some polytechnics into technical universities. Many have argued that polytechnics and universities were established for different purposes, and hence government must find ways to maximise the potentials of both. They are also of the opinion that government must provide the necessary infrastructure for the polytechnics before deciding to convert them into technical universities. Two polytechnics - Takoradi polytechnic and Sunyani polytechnic - have so far been converted into technical universities. Four other polytechnics have been selected for conversion across the country. : 9 2013 . 9 . . PRINT | EMAIL | PERMALINK Show Up! After School is Over Learn what lifes about Courtesy of the artist via Instagram I can see you in the morning when you go to school/ Don't forget your books, you know you've got to learn the golden rule/ Teacher tells you stop your play and get on with your work/ And be like Johnnie-too-good, well don't you know he never shirks/ He's coming along - School by Roger Hodgson And youre coming along too psyched or stoked or whatever as you journey to one of several concerts in the Albuquerque area guaranteed to satisfy your quasi-spiritual ethical obligations as well as those more earthly urges you feel whenever the music plays. Thursday If you dig the distillation of jazz and soul through the hip-hop sieve employed by innovators like J Dilla and Pete Rock, then have I gotta show for you. Black Milk, dudes. Hell be bringing his Motor City, electro-tastic flow to Sister (407 Central NW) on Thursday, August 4. A prolific performer and producer responsible for a series of recordings and performances that demonstrate raps overwhelming superiority to rock during the aughts and what followed, Black Milks work swerves dangerously though with utter confidence through the deconstruction of soul, synthesizers and existential angst as it places Detroit at the center of the genre. His live show, featuring a group of sidemen known as the Nat Turner Band, is one of the best live outfits touring the states this summer. Twelve Washingtons get you into this 21+ gig that goes off at 8pm. View in Alibi calendar Friday Back in the day, Weekly Alibi not only produced the bestest, hippest most well-written and good-looking paper on the planet, but we also knew how to throw a helluva party. In a nod to the past and keen eye on the futureand as the paper proceeds toward its 25th year of publicationwere going to be producing concerts again! Excellent, rocking, up-to-date-with-current-culture events thatll burn the beauty of Burque back into your brain. The first of such shows takes place at Sister (407 Central NW) on Friday, August 5. Red Light Cameras highlight an evening of local sounds that also features SuperGiant, Rock Jong Il and Artificial Flora. Join us (if youre 21+) as we rock the fuck out beginning at 9pmin the midst of a lovely summer and an awesome Downtown. Tickets cost $5 in advance through Alibi Bucks and are $10 at the door. View in Alibi calendar Saturday Courtesy of the artist via Facebook Low Spirits (2823 Second Street NW) for some raw revitalization courtesy of the Dirty Brown Jug Band. Theyll be jamming on Saturday night, August 6. The smoothly melodic guitar-based Americana ensemble uses their precise yet groovy knowledge of country-Western rhythms and blistering blues to craft a highly danceable, musically rich and thoroughly good-vibe-filled environment thats a summer necessity in these parts; much like the August-blooming monsoons were all waiting upon. Unlike the notoriously variable weather in these parts, the Dirty Brown Jug Band (featuring Jer Killinger on vocals and guitar, Justin Roque on bass and Steve Martinez on sticks) is rock steady and goes down smooth when the proper temperatures are applied. They take the stage at 9pm and for only $5 and a valid 21+ ID, you can join in the celebratory times these folks evoke. If the aforementioned aint enough to put you on the path to homegrown music appreciation, then you better drag whats left of you after the previous evenings indulgences (Hey, what happens in Burque stays in Burque, no?) over to(2823 Second Street NW) for some raw revitalization courtesy of the. Theyll be jamming on Saturday night, August 6. The smoothly melodic guitar-based Americana ensemble uses their precise yet groovy knowledge of country-Western rhythms and blistering blues to craft a highly danceable, musically rich and thoroughly good-vibe-filled environment thats a summer necessity in these parts; much like the August-blooming monsoons were all waiting upon. Unlike the notoriously variable weather in these parts, the Dirty Brown Jug Band (featuring Jer Killinger on vocals and guitar, Justin Roque on bass and Steve Martinez on sticks) is rock steady and goes down smooth when the proper temperatures are applied. They take the stage at 9pm and for only $5 and a valid 21+ ID, you can join in the celebratory times these folks evoke. View in Alibi calendar Maxim Festival is a regional communications festival hosted in Ghana, Accra between 23 25 November 2016. There are 5 different academies and a Summit day leading up to the awards evening. The entire event has been structured to educate, inspire and reward one of the fastest growing advertising, media and marketing regions globally. Lanre started his career in 1990 as a Trainee Copywriter at MC&A: Saatchi & Saatchi, Lagos, Nigeria. He has since then worked in different capacities as a creative in some of Nigerias top agencies. He was at Insight/Grey, Nigerias biggest agency, where he worked for six years, leaving in 2003 as an Associate Creative Director. From there he moved to TBWA\Concept as a Creative Director. He left TBWA\Concept as an Executive Creative Director in 2008 to found Noahs Ark. In the eight years of its existence, Noahs Ark has established itself as a leading new generation agency. In 2015, Noahs Ark ended the year on top of the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival (LAIF) Awards table with a Grand Prix in Print. It also won two emeralds at the African Cristal Awards in Marrakech. In a career spanning over 25 years, he has created outstanding work for some of the most notable brands Nigeria such as Indomie Noodles, MTN, Peak Milk, Three Crowns, Virgin Atlantic and GOtv among others. Driven by a vision to put Nigeria on the world map of advertising, Lanre is actively involved in the Nigerian creative community with a special passion for inspiring and grooming the next generation. He is the President of the Creative Directors Circle and an Adviser to the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival (LAIF). In a letter addressed to Big Events Ghana, the organisers of the award scheme, Arnold Baidoo cited an increasing workload from other equally important endeavours that wouldn't permit him to have the time and resources to handle his role as the Publicist for the scheme as the reason for his resignation. Read his resignation letter below. I wish to announce my resignation as the Public Relations Officer for the Radio & Television Personality Awards with immediate effect. An increasing workload from other equally important endeavors will not permit me to have the time and resources to handle my role as the Publicist for the scheme with the same zeal, commitment and dedication - as I did for the 2015 edition. My profuse gratitude goes out to Big Events Ghana, organizers of the RTP Awards, for the opportunity and the experience. My appreciation also goes out to all media stakeholders, radio and television personalities, fellow journalists/bloggers and the followers of the Scheme for their immense support, encouragement and varied critique. The statistics revealed that about 13,465 women also reported domestic violence cases against their spouses last year as against 15,207 the previous year. The DOWSU National Coordinator, Chief Superintendent Rev. Laurencia Wilhelmina Akorli who made this known to The Ghanaian Times said some of the reported cases were defilement, rape, attempted rape, sodomy, incest, kidnapping, murder, abortion, death threat, bigamy, causing harm, child abuse, abduction, and child trafficking. READ ALSO: Why we need to move Gender Activism from posh hotels to the streets According to her, even though men were coming out in their numbers to report on cases, those of women were still higher. She said her outfit will be engaging stakeholders such as traditional rulers and religious bodies to ensure a reduction in the cases. In total DOVVSU recorded 15,749 cases in 2015 as against 17,778 recorded in 2014, she said. She added that there were only three of the DV courts in Accra, Tema and Kumasi, a situation which is affecting the speed with which cases are being dealt with. According to him, it is disastrous for Ministers signing a petition to President Mahama to invoke Article 72. Several government appointees have signed a petition spearheaded by a pro-governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) group called Research and Advocacy Platform (RAPS) that is seeking to compel the President to pardon a presenter, Salifu Maase, popularly known as Mugabe, and two panellists, Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn of an Accra-based Montie FM, who have been convicted by the Supreme Court. The two panelists, spurred on by the presenter of the Pampaso programme, threatened to murder justices of the apex court and said they would rape the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood, over an electoral roll case in which a former Youth Organiser of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan, and Evans Nimako were challenging the credibility of the register. They were summoned and charged with contempt. A court, presided over by Justice Sophia Akuffo, handed the three men four months jail term and a penalty of GH10,000 each, a failure of which would attract another month of jail term. The lawyers for the trio have made the payment. This has led to agitations by supporters of the NDC who believe the punishment was harsh for the crime the trio committed. Change is not going to come by sitting behind my laptop or tapping away at my phone every day expressing my displeasure at what Ghana has become. I actively want to do something about it. So if by this I am now labeled a politician, then that is what I have become, Brigitte Dzogbenuku said. READ ALSO: PPP presidential nominee gives details of how he will address unemployment in Ghana The former Miss Ghana, Brigitte Dzogbenuku was presented as running mate to the party delegates on Thursday at the party headquarters in Accra. Dr Nduom earlier hinted that his running mate will be female. He believed his choice will give meaning to an all inclusive and Ghana first agenda. This was contained in a statement signed by PPPs campaign coordinator Richmond Duke Keelson. The statement also dared President Mahama and the NDC to use the same slogan during his campaign ahead of the December polls. The Progressive People's Party's Presidential Presidential Candidate Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom has reintroduced the "Yeresesamu" slogan and is daring President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC to follow In 2008, when Dr Nduom was the flagbearer for the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) he used the same yeresesamu slogan, which was also used by the then flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress Prof Evans Atta-Mills. Dr Nduom at that time accused the NDC of stealing the slogan that helped them win the election from him. The statement, therefore, calls on the NDC to use the slogan again. The statement also said the Presidential campaign of the party has started. The campaign was officially kicked off at the PPP National Convention held on July 16th during which Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom was confirmed as the party's Presidential Candidate. The campaign has already been to the Volta, Western, Greater Accra and Central Regions to introduce parliamentary candidates to the people. In the next phase of the campaign, Dr Nduom is expected to visit and campaign in five more regions. Dr. Nduom will lead national, regional and constituency executives to the Eastern, Ashanti, Northern regions and back to the Volta and Greater Accra regions between now and August 16th. Once again, the focus will be to showcase the party's parliamentary candidates. Speaking to pulse.com.gh the Regional Minister said that I will act as KMA boss until the President appoints a substantive MCE for the area. The Minister is playing this role following the resignation of Kojo Bonsu. Asanteman Traditional Council called for his removal after they accused him of allegedly taking a unilateral decision to remove Amoamanhene, Nana Agyenim Boateng from the Kejetia Market project board without informing the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. READ ALSO: KMA boss resigns In his release to the press, he said I have conveyed my resignation as the Metropolitan Chief executive for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to the President of the Republic of Ghana, His excellency John Dramani Mahama, Kojo Bonsu said. Public Relations Officer of the KMA Godwin Okumah Nyame said the appointment was done by President Mahama The director made this known in Abuja yesterday at the unveiling Renny Travels, an online platform which is a subsidiary of RennyWorld Travels and Tours. In the first of July 2016, Dubai introduced $10 per ticket, so anybody travelling there will pay $10 on every ticket purchased; so If you multiply $10 250, 000 Nigerians, its $2.5 million and if you convert it to N300 per dollar official rate, it will give you, N750 million. He said given the indices that Nigeria was paying N750 million annually to Dubai tourism aside shopping and accommodation, if the money was incorporated in the travel agency that it would be a significant contribution to the Nigerian economy," Adalikwu said. The Director emphasised that Nigeria is the largest spender in the UK travel and tour industry, calling on stakeholders to develop Nigeria's tourism industry. Stating that Nigeria adds about 40% to South Africa tourism, he described the tourism sector as a flexible sector that can accommodate as much expansion and business interests as possible. 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! According to the Daily Post, the kidnappers requested a ransom of N15m from the parents of the unnamed lady. Luck however ran out on them after falling for a bait of N7m, which was used to fish out the criminals from their hideout. ALSO READ: Army arrests suspected kidnappers in Rivers State This proved to be a good idea as they were arrested while trying to collect the money. Speaking to newsmen concerning the arrest, the Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Mohammad Mustafa, said On July 27, 2016, the gang waylaid and kidnapped a lady from Maitama in Abuja and took her to a guest inn in Sokoto where she was held hostage and locked up in a toilet." The culprits then contacted the victims family and demanded N15m as ransom, which was later reduced to N7m after much negotiation with her family." While this was going on, a team of eagle-eyed police detectives kept vigil as the suspects made frantic efforts to pick up the ransom at a location in Zamfara State." The suspects received N7m from the parents of their victim as ransom". The ransom was a bait by the police to lure the suspects out of their hideout. The suspects, Ifeanyi Paul, 34; Chukwuemeka Michael, 28; Matthew Obi, 29; Husseini Abdullahi, 35; and Musa Lawan, 27; reportedly hid the lady at a hotel in Sokoto State. One of the gang members, , Ifeanyi Paul, said a politician who was named invited them to Sokoto. The Ekiti state female preacher was murdered in cold blood by suspected Muslim fanatics in Gbazango Extension area of Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja. Gbazango is home to civil servants and low income earners in Abuja. Unemployed youths from the north find this area convenient to reside due to the low cost of house rents and free space for the construction of shanties. The highly populated area has a total of three mosques and over five churches. According to sources, Late Mrs Olawale was going about her usual early morning preaching knowing as Morning Cry when she was hacked to death on Saturday, July 9, 2016. ALSO READ: Murdered Preacher: Govt insists that justice will be served Emmanuel Asonwa, told Pulse correspondent that he heard footsteps of some people who ran pass his house while while working-out. "I was exercising within my compound that early morning when I heard footsteps of people running. They pursued the woman from this way (pointing at an opposite direction) before they killed her near the transformer," he said. "When I heard her shouting and the footsteps, I just went inside my house. My neighbours and I were discussing the issue when a guy in my compound who went clubbing the previous night came back with news that a woman was killed beside the transformer. "I had never seen her before until that day, but most people here said she is a very nice and peaceful woman," he added. Pulse learnt that men of the Nigeria Police Force made six arrests in connection with the incident. Among those arrested was a retail seller (popularly called Mallam) who owns a shop close to where the unfortunate event tookplace. While most residents see the arrest of the retail shop owner as apt, others are of the opinion that the young man was innocent of the crime. A woman who identified herself as Adaeze Uzodinma told our correspondent that suspected killers of the 42-year old female preacher were from a mosque close to the Bricks Market. She accused worshippers at the brown and milk-coloured Mosque or religious intolerance. She said some Muslim faithfuls who worshipped at the Mosque had attacked Nigerians who have a different belief system. The 49-year old woman said residents of the area now live in fear. "Those Hausa boys that pray in that mosque (pointing at the building) are very aggressive", she said. They slapped a girl for singing worship songs while passing the mosque few weeks back and that is how they usually behave. "The worst is, you cannot talk to anyone because they will all attack you. "With the way Mrs Olawale was kill, it is boys from this Mosque that did that evil to the woman. Even the Redeem Church close to the area, that is how those boys will be performing ablution there; which is very bad." On the arrests made, she said; "The police just arrested an innocent boy just because he stays close to where the woman was killed. This our police people need to be well trained! Those who stay around there said her killers pursued her, why did they arrest the poor boy? Those who participated in the act must have left. Before now, they used to be here like it's a party, but as you can see, they have deserted the place. Only a few are here now and I am sure these ones will be giving the others report of happenings in the area," she said. When our correspondent visited the late preacher's residence, her husband, Mr Elijah Olawale declined comments on the issue saying he was "instructed" by authorities of the church not to speak on the matter. "Authorities from my church headquarter instructed me not to talk about the matter. With the increasing cases of killings in the country, they just said I should keep calm on the issue so it won't cause more problems. "Whatever happened, God knows why. Who am I to question Him? ," Mr Olawale said. As the Police try to unravel the cause of death of the female preacher, there is an urgent need for increased security surveillance of the area. This would prevent a re-occurrence such incident. Yusuf, who resides in Agege, Lagos, allegedly "siphoned the diesel from a tank into 23 plastic jerry cans and filled it with water", Daily Post reports. This was confirmed by Inspector Raji Akeem, the prosecuting officer, who also said that the crime was committed in June 2016, around Oshodi Street, Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Lagos. ALSO READ: NSCDC arrests 5 IDPs in Borno Raji said, When the complainant noticed that the diesel in the tank was mixed with water, he went back to the company that supplied him the diesel and accused it of selling diesel mixed with water. The complainant said that the supplier denied the allegation and told them to go and investigate the workers. She said when he asked the security guard about the missing diesel, he became very restless and after much pressure, he confessed that he sold the diesel to one Monday, who is now at large". The prosecutor also said that the crime offences contravened Sections 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Tribune reports that Adepoju, a father of three and former staff of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), was found by his wife dangling from a rope tied to a ceiling fan in his room, with a three-page suicide note on the table. According to the bereaved widow, her husband had retired from the NEPA in Abeokuta about two years ago but his entitlement is yet to be paid and has been facing hard times since his small cement business was not moving as he had expected. Residents in the area narrate that Adepoju had sent his children on different errands before taking his own life. A member of his church said: Adepoju was a devout Christian, pious and talented. He was always offering useful suggestions whenever the welfare committee of the zone met. What could have informed this action is unclear. We were together at the early morning service at our church on Monday. We usually have such a service on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of every month. When I saw him last Monday after the evening service, he never gave any hint that he was contemplating suicide. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the death, adding that investigation was ongoing. The young lady claimed that the boy had approached her asking to be adopted. Claiming to have been concerned, Souto said that she only wanted to assist the boy, who she mentioned was being abused by his mother. She said, I was going to take him to my house. I found him in the street in Botafogo near the traffic lights. He asked me for the love of God, adopt me please. The woman now faces the possibility of going to prison for a period of six years if found guilty. According to a statement from the ministry, Umoru was arrested barely a week after three women were arrested by the officials of the ministry for the same offence and the Commissioner in charge of the ministry, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, ordered a crackdown on such perpetrators of the crime. The suspect, an indigene of Niger State, was nabbed while using the twin children who could not be more than two- years-old, to beg for alms at the Costain area of the state. When she was confronted, she first claimed the kids belong to her younger sister named Aminat, was the biological mother of the babies, before she confessed that she rents the children from their mother and pays per day whenever she uses them to beg. The ministry also stated that efforts were on to locate the real biological mother of the babies who must have fled her residence for fear of being arrested. Expressing her desire to pursue a zero tolerance for begging in the state, Akinbile-Yussuf said: It is an established law in Lagos State; Section 168 of Criminal Code of Lagos State 2015 amended prohibiting street begging. We dont want anyone . We have told people times without number that it is illegal to be begging on the streets of Lagos. This contributed to the deformity of their second child, allegedly due to the negligence of the husband, Gbenga Adeleye. Seun disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that her marriage enjoyed a period of happiness until she became pregnant with their first child. She stated that Gbenga, who is now asking for their to be dissolved, often leaves her without any money. ALSO READ: Nigerian man jailed for beating girlfriend in Cambodia Whenever I am pregnant, my husband disappears; he leaves me with no money." On how she has been coping, the woman explained that she seeks help from her husband's parents, who were not able to do much due to their old age. I had three children for him, two girls and a boy, and once he knows I am pregnant he leaves the house only to return when the child is about a year or two." I needed to undergo surgery to be able to give birth to our second child but my husband refused to help." "Eventually, the child was forced out of my womb and it affected him because he was born crippled." Our boy, Matthew, is now 11 years old but he cannot do anything on his own. I and the children had been evicted from our rented apartment and now squatting with a friend while my husband stays in a three-bedroom flat at Egbeda with another woman. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! The court heard that the 42-year-old man, Wasiu Lawal, who lives at No.1, Adeleke Agodo Street, Ikorodu area of the state, had deceived the woman into believing he had the powers to change her destiny spiritually and that she had to undergo some cleansing and in the process, he allegedly ra ped her. The police prosecutor, Sergeant Christopher Okoniko, told the court that the accused who had, at various times claimed to be a pastor, native doctor and an Alfa (Muslim cleric), forcefully had a sexual intercourse with the woman under the guise of praying for her. "The complainant said she did not know how she ended up sleeping in the mans house till the next day. She said the next day, she narrated the story to her husband who reported the matter at Ikorodu police station which led to the arrest of the accused. The accused uses one room for pastoral work, the second room to consult as a herbalist and the third one for Muslim cleric (Alfa) work," Okoniko told the court, saying that the offences contravened Section 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. According to reports, the incident happened in Makurdi, the state capital, when the retirees, some of them old and frail, took to the streets to protest against the state government over their unpaid entitlement and gratuity which spanned 11 months. They were reported to have destroyed and stole some of the camp properties, Daily Post reports. The information concerning this was provided by Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, the NSCDC boss for the state. He disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stating that the suspects were apprehended around the Bakassi camp. ALSO READ: Woman asks court to dissolve marriage with husband Abdullahi revealed that items such as windows, blends, noggin roofs, pipes and rubbers were recovered from the IDPs. The IDPs are now causing more havoc by vandalising the hard-earned structure that the government put in place. There are bad eggs among the IDPs who can do anything to get money. Some of them engage in prostitution and sexual abuses while some are into illicit hard drug use. An obstetrician and gynecologist who is herself pregnant, Maguire has become scrupulous about following the advice that she gives patients to protect against Zika, which can cause a rare but devastating birth defect. Maguire works near the city's Wynwood neighborhood identified on Friday as the first site of local Zika transmission in the continental United States. "It is frustrating to spend a lot of time avoiding mosquitoes," said Maguire, a physician at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, noting the discomfort of wearing long sleeves during Florida's steamy summer. "You just end up being inside a lot." Physicians in Miami and beyond have seen this week a spike in concerned calls from pregnant women, particularly after health officials advised them not to travel to Wynwood and said any expecting mothers who had done so since mid-June should be tested for Zika. On Wednesday, Florida said it would provide Zika testing to pregnant women at county health departments at no cost, and make available additional lab services to handle "the expected increase in tests being administered." The warnings raised anxiety in a city already on high alert for Zika's arrival from Latin America, where it has spread quickly since first being detected in Brazil last year. The threat to newborns aside, Zika is otherwise considered a mild illness, and up to 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms. All summer, Florida health officials have issued daily notices tallying the rise in cases acquired through travel to countries where Zika is widespread and advised the public to protect against mosquito bites. Along with 15 local cases, Florida is monitoring 391 picked up through travel abroad, which include 55 cases involving pregnant women. Iwuanyanwu also described attempts to remove Governor Okezie Ikpeazu from office, using the court, as a treasonable offence. According to a statement from the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ikpeazu, Enyinnaya Appolos, the PDP chieftain also said I have come as a leader of Ndi Igbo to say congratulations. I want to talk about the experience we are having currently. Were shocked to hear that somebody, a Judge ruled in Abuja that you should be removed from office. In some country this is treason, and those involved should be tried for treason. This is a matter that should go to appeal court, from appeal court to Supreme Court. But INEC hastily obeyed such an order that could potentially throw Abia State into bloodletting. No wonder people are saying INEC is corrupt. The head of State (President Muhammadu Buhari) should look into this matter. The Chief Justice of Nigeria should call his people to order. This is corruption and something should be done about it. This Judge would have put this state (Abia) into anarchy. The laws of our country are clear; it is only the Supreme Court in Nigeria that can take a final decision on such issues. When a court of first instance take decision beyond its jurisdiction we know something is wrong and we are all watching to know what this Federal government will do about this type of Judgment, this type of Judge. I cant believe that this Judge does not know that he has overstepped his bounds. I dont believe anybody who is a Judge doesnt know that he acted as if he is the Supreme Court. And of course the Supreme court has a number of Judges that sit to decide a case, it is not only one Judge that takes such decision. They vote before they reach a decision. I am surprised that only one man said the election of the governor is fouled, cancelled it, ordered INEC to swear in another and even prevented the other man from exercising his right of appeal. Even at tribunals it cannot be taken this way, yet this is a high court Judge acting alone here. What type of inducement was he given to declare such Judgment? But I thank God that the country has come to realize this. I think even those that are not members of PDP are quite worried. People have come out to fault this kind of judgement, even those that are not in PDP are showing their disapproval. We are very disappointed; people have been accusing INEC of corruption. I cant understand how INEC said they did what they have done because they are following a court order. I am surprised. This is a big embarrassment to the country. Ordinary High cannot give final decision on the issue. INEC has a legal department. Their legal department should have advised the INEC chairman on what the laws says. This is contained in a statement signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information of NAF, Group Capt. Ayodele Famuyiwa, in Abuja on Wednesday . Famuyiwa said that the attention of NAF had been drawn to apprehension and panic by members of the public living around the are "It has become necessary to allay the fear of the people with a view to sustaining public confidence and support for the ongoing operations against pipeline vandal in the South-West region. "NAF wishes to assure the general public, within the affected areas of their safety as the ongoing air operation is carefully planned to avoid collateral damage to the civil populace and property. "NAF is careful to ensure that only legitimate targets such as observation post, anti-aircraft gun position, boats laden with suspected stolen petroleum products and armed combatants, are selected for strike," he said. He explained that in aligning with the best global practice, NAF usually undertakes surveillance flights before and after each strike to mitigate incidental harm to civilians and property. Famuyiwa added that pre-strike assessment missions were undertaken to help identify and select legitimate military targets for neutralization. While post-strike or Battle Damage Assessment Missions were meant to ascertain whether the desired degree of impact was achieved or not, and if a follow-up re-attack is required. e said that NAF pilots were adequately trained, and as professionals, would not engage in human right violations and abuses. "The successes recorded in the past five days since NAF commenced strike mission in Arepo in support of surface forces under display of absolute professionalism by NAF pilots involved in the operation as no single incident of collateral damage has been recorded. "NAF, working in collaboration with men of the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Services (SBS), has set on fire the hideouts and camps used by the pipeline vandals in Arepo. "As a result, community leaders and members of the public withuseful information on the whereabouts of the fleeing vandals and other criminal elements are requested to oblige such information to the security agencies." According to the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, Zauro was arrested at Sabon Gari, Damboa Local Government Area of Borno state. Usman said Operation Lafia Dole with assistance of Vigilantes on routine checks, identified and arrested Mr Mohammed Zauro, at Sabon Gari, Damboa Local Government Area, Borno. On Tuesday,Aug. 2, at about 8.30 a.m., Preliminary investigation shows that the suspected terrorist kingpin was arrested as he was trying to flee to Birnin Kebbi, from Sambisa forest. The troops recovered a Gionee cell phone and a fake SAIE/JIBWIS identification card to perfect his escape and the sum of N7, 900. Reports of Boko Harams link to ISIS might have been confirmed following its announcement of a new leader for the Nigerian terror group. The undefinedof a new Boko Haram leader, saying it is irrelevant to the military's operation in the north east. Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture stated this on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at the ongoing All Nigerian Conference of Editors (ANEC) in Port Harcourt. According to reports, ISIS, to which Boko Haram is affiliated, has named Abu Musab Al-Barnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram sect. The minister maintained that it was too late to employ such tactics to revive the defeated Nigerian terrorist organization. "By the way, I dont believe the cheap propaganda by the global terrorist group ISIS, which has reportedly named a new leader for Boko Haram," the minister said in a statement by his special assistant, Segun Adeyemi. Our gallant military has put Boko Haram on the run and nothing will bring back the terrorists, not even the wishful thinking by ISIS." Meanwhile, Abubakar Shekau has said that he was deceived by the Islamic State. The overthrown terrorist boss spoke in an audio message released in Hausa and Arabic in reaction to ISIS announcement. The new Boko Haram leader is reported to have made the comments during an interview published by Islamic State (ISIS) newspaper, Al-Nabaa, and translated by SITE Intelligence Group. Under my leadership the militants will work to seize back territory. Increasing numbers of youth are joining the cause, though Nigerias military reports that hundreds of its fighters have surrendered as aerial bombardments and ground assaults cut supply routes, Al-Barnawi was quoted as saying. There have been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of schoolchildren. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. They strongly seek to Christianize the society. They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children. The militants will respond to that threat by booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross, he added. ALSO READ: Why ISIS removed Shekau The major states named are Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, which have suffered the worst of the Boko Haram insurgency. The US urged Americans to specifically stay away from these states because its ability to protect them in that region was severely limited. The directive was contained in an updated travel warning released on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. The warning reads in part: The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Nigeria and recommends that U.S. citizens avoid all travel to Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states because the security situation in northeast Nigeria remains fluid and unpredictable. The ability of the Mission to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states remains severely limited. The Department recommends against all but essential travel to the following states due to the risk of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks: Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, and Zamfara. The U.S. Mission advises all U.S. citizens to be particularly vigilant around government security facilities; churches, mosques, and other places of worship; locations where large crowds may gather, such as hotels, clubs, bars, restaurants, markets, shopping malls; and other areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. Boko Haram, an extremist group based in northeast Nigeria designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Department of State, has claimed responsibility for many attacks, mainly in northern Nigeria. Its members have killed or wounded thousands of people in the past five years. Kidnappings remain a security concern throughout the country. Criminal elements throughout Nigeria orchestrate kidnappings for ransom; Islamic extremists, operating predominantly in the North, also have been known to conduct kidnappings. Criminals or militants have abducted foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, from off-shore and land-based oil facilities, residential compounds, airports, and public roadways. Separatist groups have staged demonstrations in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, and Rivers states, some of which have turned violent. Militant groups have destroyed oil production infrastructure in Bayelsa and Delta states. U.S. citizens are advised to avoid the areas of these states where these incidents have occurred. Attacks by pirates off the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea have increased substantially in recent years. Armed gangs have boarded both commercial and private vessels to rob travellers. The Nigerian Navy has limited capacity to respond to criminal acts at sea. ALSO READ: ISIS appoints new leader for Boko Haram The US released its last travel warning on February 5, 2016. Nigeria is considered a security risk for foreigners due to the various militant groups fighting one cause or the other in the country and the likelihood for such foreigners to be targeted. The country is currently battling Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and violent militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Citizens also have to deal with armed robbery, kidnapping and a generally high incidence of crime. Boko Haram has attracted global attention due to the viciousness of its attacks which earned it the position of the worlds deadliest terrorist group. Jibrin, the sacked chairman of the Appropriation Committee, had alleged that Dogara bribed some lawmakers with $25,000 each to sign a vote of confidence for him and three other principal officers involved in the scandal. In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 3, Mohammed described the allegation and challenged Jibrin to name those who benefited from the bribe. "My attention has been drawn to yet another tweet by the former chairman appropriation committee, Hon. Jibrin, saying that I and others were distributing $25,000 to each member of the House," he said. "That the money was to generate signatures for speaker Dogara as vote of confidence on him. "The accusation is not only untrue but it is another tale by moonlight to hoodwink Nigerians to malign my image. "Fellow countrymen please disregard this cheap blackmail aimed at playing to the gallery. I challenge Jibrin to name at least 10 members or less who benefitted from the bribe. "My advice to Jibrin is that he should stop the mudslinging and concentrate on licking his self inflicted wounds." ALSO READ: APC in reconciliation talks with Dogara, Jibrin He said this while meeting with representatives of the IOCs in Lagos, to discuss ways to foster a closer synergy towards Nigerias economic development. The NIMASA DG said the agency will henceforth ensure that the cabotage law is strictly adhered to, environmental best practises are carried out during oil exploration activities, statutory levies due to the government are paid, there is a proper communication channel between NIMASA and the IOCs to foster effective information sharing. Peterside said By our laws, FPSOs and other offshore platforms are Cabotage vessels that are subject to NIMASAs regulation and payment of statutory levies. The spirit of the Cabotage Act is not to generate revenue in terms of waivers but to build the requisite capacity for indigenous players which will, in the long run, generate wealth and create employment for Nigerias teeming population." Speaking on the need to build the capacity of indigenous operators, he said You must give us ample notice of vessel requirements so that we can engage indigenous operators who have the capacity to do the job instead of giving it to foreign operators." Peterside who commended the IOCs for their compliance level with payment of statutory levies so far, however noted that the argument on the payment of Cabotage levies on Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSOs) facilities and other offshore platforms is unnecessary. He also promised to work closer with the IOCs, adding that NIMASA will also partner with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for the benefit of indigenous operators in Nigerias maritime environment. According to NIMASA Head of Corporate Communications, Hajia Lami Tumaka, Peterside also said "Whether you are into shipping or shipping related business, NIMASA has a role to play in ensuring that the business is done seamlessly without security risk and not at the detriment of the Nigerian state. Therefore there is the need for you to cooperate with NIMASA especially in the area of information sharing." Adding that "the new NIMASA under his watch is committed to raising a high level of service delivery and that there is the need for all key players to cooperate with the Agency by sharing relevant information that would assist the Agency in carrying out its statutory responsibilities. We will not fold our arms and watch while you do damage to our environment because environmental pollution is life threatening." Dr Dakuku Peterside, recently announced that NIMASA is determined to ensure that the Cabotage Act is implemented to the letter. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this known in Abuja on Wednesday, while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the FEC meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. He stated that the implementation of the report will give government a better grip on its tax laws. He said the movement of profits by multinational companies would be effectively monitored by relevant agencies of government once the report is implemented. "In respect of the first memo, which is the memo for Multilateral Competent Agreement and the exchange of country by country report, the whole essence is to give the government a better grip on its tax laws and also to prevent tax evasions and avoidance by multinational companies. "Where multinational companies operate in more than one country, it is quite easy for them to move profit from one territory to another territory, where the tax laws are very favourable to them. "And what has happened over the years is that the revenue companies have lost a lot of money. "As at the last count, over 1trillion dollars have been lost over a period of time and the revenue companies found out that they were losing more money in terms of tax evasion and avoidance than what they were even receiving in terms of grants from multinational agencies, he said. According to him, the approval is the first step towards the establishment of a new seaport in the Badagry area. "What is important to us in the approval is that it shows that despite all the challenges that Nigeria is facing, Nigeria is still a very preferred investment destination, he said. Reports say the Fulani herdsmen killed nine people in the first village (Gada Biyu) and two others in the second village (Akwaa). According to Punch, the herdsman attacked the two villages and burnt everything in sight. Narrating his ordeal, a community leader who witnessed the attacks said When they came to Gada Biyu on Monday morning and killed people, they only burnt part of the village, before the police arrived. At Akwaa, they could not burn the place, because the police allowed the native youths to join them in chasing out the herdsmen who were over a hundred and well armed. In the same way, Anguwan Anjo was saved. The Police were in Anguwan Anjul, but left later in the night. Just as we suspected, the Fulani re-entered our villages and burnt them down. Fortunately, we had all left. There are about 1000 houses in Anguwan Anjo where I come from. Gada Biyu and Kwaa are smaller villages but they have hundreds of houses there too. All now lie in ruins. This is the height of the rainy season, and we cannot return home. They have become much more violent since they were told that our lands are part of the Sanga Grazing Reserves. Governor Nasir El-Rufais Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan issued a statement saying The Kaduna State Government condemns the murders that were perpetrated by criminal elements that attacked our communities in Gida Biyu, Akwaa and Angwan Anjo in Jemaa Local Government Area. The Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, extends his condolence to the survivors and the families of the victims. The US gave the instruction via an updated travel warning released on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. The highest caution was given with regards to North-Eastern states, Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, which have suffered the worst of the Boko Haram insurgency. The US Department of State also listed states in the Middle Belt which have been plagued with attacks from rampaging Fulani herdsmen and states in the Niger Delta where militants operate and foreigners are often kidnapped. The 20 states are: Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Zamfara. In giving the warning, the Department of State highlighted the fact that it wouldnt be able to protect its citizens in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states because the security situation in the area remains fluid and unpredictable. The US also warned of the frequency of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks in some of the states and called for vigilance in crowded areas due to the activities of Boko Haram. Boko Haram has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Department of State. ALSO READ: US warns citizens to avoid 20 Nigerian states Mohammed said this while speaking on the sidelines of the 12th edition of the All Nigerian Editors Conference (ANEC) in Port Harcourt. "The government has a clear-cut agenda; it also has the will to drive a system that will lead to economic prosperity for the country, he said. According to him, the choice of the theme for the editors conference was well thought out, and shows that the media are indeed an agenda setter. Mohammed expressed the hope that the conference would produce ideas that would form part of the governments programme on agriculture. He said investigations carried out by explosives experts in the Niger Delta region showed that the militants develop explosives from fertilizer, adding that they uncovered the diversion of about 9, 000kg of high explosives and 16, 420 pieces of detonators for illegal use in the area. Mongonu disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday, August 4, while speaking at a meeting local manufacturers of fertilizers. Nigerians should recall the discovery that improvised explosive devices (IED) being employed by terrorists for their bombing campaigns were developed mainly from certain grades of fertilizers with particular reference to some nitrate based types including Urea Nitrate (synthesized from Urea)," he said. Accordingly, it was discovered that the indiscriminate importation of these items by all and sundry resulted into lack of control and it eased their availability to mischievous elements for use to perpetrate insecurity. This indiscriminate importation further reduced the prospects for the local manufacture of these materials and by extension, the loss of foreign exchange to avoidable imports. This ultimately culminated into the ban on importation of fertilizers to the country. Mongonu said some persons, including security operatives, suspected to be behind the explosives used by the militants have been apprehended. The major actors, including the store man of a major explosives distribution company in Nigeria, an accomplice and five (5) security operatives have been arrested and handed over to appropriate authorities. Right now, investigations are being conducted and I can assure you that they are deeply culpable and necessary actions will be taken on conclusion of investigation. Let me also reiterate that any individual or company that operates outside the confines of legitimacy or illegality will have itself to blame. We also want to add that the government of the day will not want to listen to any influence peddler in the society on behalf of any company that decides to sabotage National Security, he said. In a statement issued by the group's spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, it accused the military of killing innocent women and children in the July 28 aerial bombardment of the militants' hideouts in Arepo by the Air Force, saying the attacks will not stop them from fighting for their people. The group also claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari is against calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. The Nigeria Military is playing some war game on some illegal bunkering camps and showing video of how they carry out the bombardment. That is so unprofessional, dont think they can intimidate the NDA with those jet bombers," the statement said. They can deploy fourth generation jet-bombers that will not stop us from fighting for our people. We challenge the military to share with the public the militants killed in the so-called air strike. We are very sure they wont share the images of militants killed because none was killed except innocent women and children. The call for restructuring of Nigeria has gone beyond the NDA. The only group of persons against the restructuring is the Villa. The Federal government should just listen to the voice of the citizens instead of playing the deaf ear game. ALSO READ: NSA reveals how Avengers develop explosives, detonators The oil sector is only 15 per cent of GDP, yet oil accounts for 70 per cent of government revenues, oil accounts for 99 per cent of our foreign earnings. We got to a point when even though the numbers were staring us in the face, the entire nation was in denial, he said. In 2009 when I became governor of Central Bank, the Nigerian government spent N291 billion that year subsidizing petroleum products. Two years later in 2011, N2.13 trillion was spent on the same subsidy, so has our population increased tenfold? It was very clear that this wasnt oil subsidy; it was a scam. The whole issue of fuel subsidy was set up to create opportunity for a few people to make money, and it was presented in a manner that convinced everybody it was for the poor. For every 30,000 metric tons of kerosene imported in the country, the federation account lost 20 million dollars. We were importing 6, 7, 8 vessels per month for six years until this subsidy, the federation account was losing from 120 million to 160 million dollars every month. This is just kerosene, can you imagine a country losing $120 million every month on a non-existent subsidy on Kerosene, not PMS? This is how bad non-deregulation was because it allowed a small group of criminals to garner so much financial resources as to undermine every single institution that we had for checks and balances. Nigeria is bankrupt, we are bankrupted by a policy that was foolish, that was unrealistic, and unsustainable and by all means our refusal over the years to listen, he added. Sanusi also said that Nigeria is suffering a recession that was created by the Goodluck Jonathan administration. He said Such reports are totally unacceptable. The inspector-general of police must immediately take action and bring all those that have carted away relief materials meant for the people of the North East to book. Saraki also assured the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) that the security situation in the North-East will be reviewed. Adding that UNICEFs decision to press on in the North East despite last Thursdays attack is truly commendable. On our part, the Nigerian government must back the resolve of our international partners with greater coordination platforms in terms of security for aid workers and thorough mandate mapping exercises to ensure that we are meeting the needs of those in crisis areas." In June 2016, the Borno State Government directed security agencies to investigate the alleged diversion of large quantities of rice meant for feeding Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state. There were reports also, that the Governor of Borno, Kashim Shettima was trapped in his office when police officers and soldiers engaged in a shootout over the distribution of bags of rice allegedly meant for IDPs. The 2016 Global Nutrition Report has revealed that 1.7m children in 11 states of Northern Nigeria are malnourished. Punch reports that the protesters defied the police and marched across the Muhammadu Buhari Way. The Shiite members while holding their protest, gave out fliers to people as they moved across the city. Fauziya Saidu, one of the protesters who claimed that they were heading to Abuja, said the protesters will remain in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until El-Zakzaky is released. She said Nothing can stop us on our way to Abuja. We started trekking from Zaria since yesterday (Tuesday) and some military personnel were taking our photographs. Commenting on the development, the Kaduna state police Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Usman, said We did not know they were protesting. They did not take permission from us. A representative of the protesters, Abdullahi Mohammed, said they want the Federal Government to release El-Zakzaky, so he can get proper medical treatment. The Department of State Services (DSS) has revealed that the leader of the Shiite sect is Shekau made the comment after ISIS appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi, a former Boko Haram spokesman, as his replacement. The overthrown terrorist boss spoke in an audio message released in Hausa and Arabic in reaction to ISIS announcement. We have heard news going round and attributed to people we had earlier pledge allegiance to. Even though we are not against them based on the message we heard in the world radio but we are still on our ideology, Shekau said in the message which was translated by Sahara Reporters. In the first place, we sat and I was deceived, they said I should write my ideology to be taken if there is a mistake they will point out and bring back. They now deceived me, and it is based on some authorities and today I found out that there is one who is following principles of the infidels, which they want me to follow, he added. Shekau pledged his allegiance to ISIS in March 2015 and subsequently went underground. He resurfaced in a video in March 2016 looking weak and urged his followers to surrender. ALSO READ: Boko Haram pledges allegiance to ISIS again Lawal Shuaibu, the APC deputy national chairman (north) in a letter to Jibrin on Thursday, August 4, 2016 described the crisis rocking the green chamber as embarrassing. According to him, the party's national working committee requested Jibrin to avoid issuing any public statement on the alleged budget padding. The letter reads: As you are aware, the party, and indeed the government, has not been happy over the recent development in the house of representatives over the issue of the 2016 budget. We found it embarrassing to have to deal with another new phenomenon you tagged budget padding. Arising from the series of meetings we held with you over the subject matter, the national working committee had decided to request you to henceforth avoid issuing any public statement on this matter. This includes statements through social media or other means of transmitting an opinion on the matter to the public, as the party is now looking into it towards finding possible solution. Fani-Kayode made the comments via an article titled Are Christians Second Class Citizens in Nigeria? Read the article below: I am glad that Father Mbaka of the Catholic Church has finally seen the light and that he has denounced the Buhari regime. This coming from a man that once supported the President vigorously, even when members of his own flock and faith were being slaughtered, marginalised and humiliated, is cheery news. Yet there are still many more Church leaders that supported the Buhari government, that sold their souls to the devil and that need to follow Mbaka's example and recant. The great philosopher, writer and intellectual Mr. Dante Alighieri once said that "the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who maintain their neutrality at a time of moral crisis". To add to this it was our very own Professor Wole Soyinka, the distinguished Nobel Laureate, that said "the man died in him who remained silent in the face of tyranny". I have no doubt in my mind that this is the time to speak out because we are not only in a time of great moral crisis in our country but we are also facing persecution and wholesale tyranny. I am making this contribution not out of fear for the plight of the Christendom in Nigeria because I know that, as the Holy Bible says, "the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church". It also says "He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps". It follows that no matter what the enemies of the gospel throw our way, including one million President Buhari's, at the end of the day we shall prevail. I am making this contribution not out of fear or to divide our nation but rather in an attempt to inform the Nigerian people and the world about what is really going on in President Buhari's Nigeria. What many fail to appreciate is that the Church and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ was built and spread by the blood and the bones of the Christian martyrs. It follows that the more you persecute, jail and kill Christians and the more you subject them to terror, shame, insensitivity and humiliation the more the Church grows. Where the so-called "great" Christian leaders of Christendom with the mega-Churches and the better known Pastors and Bishops in the land have compromised with evil and have chosen to either side with the enemy or remain silent when confronted with the tyranny of the state, the Lord will raise other voices to stand up for and speak for His people. Nobody is indispensable to the Living God, no matter how large, rich and powerful your Church is and no matter how many people you have in your congregation. Once you have betrayed the faith and joined hands with those that seek to destroy the gospel and persecute Christians in our country you are finished and your end has already been determined by God. It is just a matter of time. Yet thankfully there are some men and women of God that have refused to be silenced, that have proved to the world that they are not cowards and that have chosen to remain true to the faith. These are the true believers who have not sold their heritage, faith and future for a mess of pottage. These are the faithful remnant who have refused to sit back silently and watch our Lord and His message being crucified all over again. These are the true saints whose reward is the Kingdom of God. Where are those Christian leaders who sold the Church for a plate of porridge? Where are those telling us Professor Yemi Osinbajo would stand for the Church being a Pastor? Do they involve him in all these lopsided appointments in favour of the North and Muslims or not? Do we have Christians among the APC leaders? Does Odigie-Oyegun, the National Chairman of the ruling party really belong to the Catholic Church? The fact that Buhari released these appointments the same day that the PUNCH Newspaper published an editorial titled "Buhari's parochial appointments" (this is a paper that endorsed his candidacy) is a dirty slap on the nation. To say the least, it is a corruption with impunity. Many are afraid to speak out and are being intimidated by the security operatives. Have we become second class citizens in our own country?" Nigerians said they wanted "change" and now they must live with it. Every Christian that supported President Buhari and the APC, including some of the most prominent Church leaders, should bow their heads in shame. As long as this evil continues we will not remain silent and neither shall we be intimidated. No matter how hard they try Nigeria will NEVER be Islamized and neither will our Christian faith be rubbished. When Christians are treated with respect and dignity and when they are honoured in the land that is when we will know that true change has come. When Yoruba Muslims are allowed to lead their northern counter-parts in prayer in the mosque that is when we will know that true change has come. When the secularity of the Nigerian state is reiterated and confirmed that is when we will know that true change has come. When southerners are regarded as being on the same level as northerners in the affairs of our nation that is when we will know that true change has come. When the murderous Fulani herdsmen and militias are finally disarmed and when they stop slaughtering our people with impunity and without any fear of retribution from the state that is when we will know that true change has come. When Christians are no longer murdered in cold blood in some parts of the north simply for exercising their faith whilst the government turns a blind eye that is when we will know that true change has come. When Christians leaders are no longer subjected to insults and brutal assault by over- zealous security agents simply for praying and reading the Holy Bible that is when we will know that true change has come. When the Igbo people are not treated as pariah citizens and when their children are no longer shot in the streets like stray dogs simply because, as a people, they have their own dreams and aspirations and simply because they are protesting against the manifest injustice that they have been subjected to in the land, that is when we will know that true change has come. When Middle Belters and the northern minorities are allowed to carve out their own identity and when they are freed from the intimidation, harassment, hegemony, genocide, cultural imperialism and slavery of the core Muslim north then we will know that true change has come. Governor Aregbesola urged the travellers to pray for a positive change in Nigeria's economy and Osun state, Naija247news reports. Nigerias economic situation needs the prayers of all and sundry for us to survive this situation we are in today. I believe as you are going to the holy land, God will answer your prayers. So, I appeal to you to please remember Nigeria and the state of Osun in your prayers while you are in Saudi Arabia. With God all things are possible, we need to redirect our steps as a country and turn to God and be sincere as well. Nigeria can be great again, he added. The governor also commended the intending pilgrims on the Hajj, which he described as an essential pillar of Islam, for Muslims. I congratulate you for being able to embark on this journey of spiritual rebirth despite the harsh economic situation the country is facing. I want you to maximize every minute of your spiritual journey to the holy land and pray for yourselves and the growth of Nigeria. The holy land of Mecca is a place where whatever is asked from God shall be granted. I implore you to make use of every minute of the period you will be spending there to seek the face of God. I urge you to always maintain the Omoluabi virtue which the state of Osun is known for while you are at the holy land", the governor stated. All of this was said at the farewell programme, organised for the 724 intending pilgrims from the state, at the Government Secretariat in Osogbo. According to Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, people need to stop causing disunity and confusion with religion and ethnicity. Speaking at the quarterly meeting of Kaduna State Council of Chiefs and Emirs, he called on respective leaders to counsel their followers, properly. People are using religion and ethnicity to divide people to achieve political and several interests. We must work hard and ensure that forces of disunity and confusion fail, we must continue to stand up and nip in the bud all attempts to divide Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines. The human life is sacred and as a government, we must do our best to protect lives and properties. I have said it and will continue to preach it, we have more to gain with peace and nothing to gain with violence. This is our collective resolution and we will continue to ensure peace and purposeful integration. I am here to commend you and to urge you to continue on that path", he said. Concerning the proposed religious bill, he said: The proposed amendment of religious bill before the State House of Assembly has nothing to do with stopping anybody from practicing his or her religion, whether as a Christian or a Muslim. We are calling on the people to be on alert in order not to fail in their hands of people trying to divide the people along religion and ethnicity to cause problem. Those people trying to divide our people for their selfish interest should desist. If you are a Christian, you must respect your fellow Muslim brother and if you are a Muslim, you must respect your fellow Christian brother too. Violence will not take us nowhere in the state, the governor added. This was stated by the newly-appointed Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abubakar Abdulrasheed, on Wednesday, August 3. Abdulrasheed, who resumed office on Wednesday, said that some vice-chancellors had been addressing themselves as chief executive officers, a nomenclature, which he said, does not apply to the university system. This is one of the crises in the university system. We dont have chief executive in the university system. Some vice-chancellors address themselves as chief executive officers but they are not, said the NUC boss who was Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano. The executive secretary, who promised to continue with the policies set by his predecessor, Prof. Julius Okojie, said he would do his best. He, however, called for support from all employees of the commission towards achieving a success, noting that he cannot do it alone. In a related development, the newly-appointed Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, also assumed office on Wednesday. The ICTEL Expo 2016 is a professional trade show that focuses on the ICT and the telecommunications industry was organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry, bringing together over 53 different ICT businesses. KongaPay introduced its payment platform to the Minister of Communications Technology, Barrister Adebayo Shittu who described KongaPay as an interesting solution. The ICTEL Expo 2016 also provided a great opportunity for networking as businesses got firsthand information on the benefits of adopting the use of KongaPay for their payments. KongaPay which started as a payment solution for customers on Konga.com, evolved to becoming a financial catalyst for trade and commerce for businesses; both offline and online in Nigeria. Speaking on the big picture for KongaPay, Kongas Director of Marketing & Customer Experience, Mayowa Adebayo stated We see KongaPay evolving the payment experience for everyone - online and offline, increasing its values of convenience and social benefit. This is in line with our mission of being the primary mobile financial service of choice in the world. A first in Africa and the world, KongaPay is made available to other consumers outside of the Kongas platform because it is designed to be fast, reliable, secure, flexible and above all provides a best-in- class financial solution to Nigerians and Africa at large. Lighting the way to McAfee Pass a waning moon led 21 locals the 10.7 miles that climb almost 3,000 feet to the top of the Silver Peak Range on their way from Fish Lake Valley to the Old School Saloon terminus 34 miles away in Silver Peak for the 22nd annual Silver Peak or Bust hike. The Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce has tapped a longtime public policy and economic development official in the Quad-Cities to lead its efforts to grow the area's economy. The chamber announced Thursday that Liz Murray Tallman has been picked to be chief economic development officer. She replaces Paul Rumler, who departed in May to take a job with the chamber of commerce in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Currently the senior vice president for economic development, Tallman is a veteran of public policy and economic development work in the Quad-Cities. Before joining the chamber in 2009, she worked for the Quad-City Development Group as vice president of public policy and at the city of Davenport as an economic development program manager. Before that, she was with the Bi-State Regional Commission. In a news release, Tallman said she was honored to take the job. "I love working with clients and seeing new companies locate in the region and others expand their operations," she said. Tara Barney, the chamber's chief executive, noted Tallman's longevity here and said she had been in charge of most of the deals the chamber has successfully worked on. "I can say with much certainty that the prospects and clients with whom she has worked are absolute in their praise for her style and capability," Barney said. Since 2009, the chamber said, it has directly assisted in the expansion or relocation of 60 companies. UnityPoint Trinity President and CEO Rick Seidler, who chairs the chamber's board of directors, added that Tallman has been an "influential thought leader and strategist" behind past and current efforts to stimulate growth in the Quad-Cities region. Kathy Calder hadn't won anything since her senior year in high school. At a prom raffle, she collected an electronic typewriter she used in college. So Calder, who will be 60 in November, didn't expect anything when she entered Genesius Guild's contest after watching an evening performance. The winner would land a guest role in the summer's final production, and Calder hadn't acted since a second-grade play. "I threw in $5 and didn't think much of it," Calder said. "I guess I thought it was a stretch." Last week, she got the call: She won. The Rock Island woman, who teaches at Black Hawk College, would join the cast of the Greek comedy, "The Birds" for two shows. "I just laughed," she said. "There are a lot of things I don't know, like timing and where to stand, so it's a little intimidating." Calder, who is originally from Texas, is up to the challenge. In the Greek comedy, she plays herself, a theater amateur who spontaneously wound up on stage and doesn't know her lines or have a costume. "Some of it is ridiculous and just hilarious," she said. Giving audience members a chance to win a part is a first for Genesius Guild, which closes out its 60th season this weekend. But Calder's character will fit in with the tone of the play, said Calvin Vo, who plays a lead character in "The Birds." It's tradition for the guild to finish a season with a Greek comedy that's rewritten and redone with modern references. Don Wooten, the group's founder, rewrote "The Birds" this time. He replaced jokes that would've been funny, or made sense, in 414 BC, with quips about iPhones and television shows and Pokemon. "You spend all summer with this heavy stuff, the tragedies and Shakespeare," Vo said. "This is a happier way to close out the summer." In the play, originally written by Aristophones, the two main characters are leaving Athens because "the political system has become so crazy" that they want to live with the birds, Vo said. "Whatever is going on with our politics, we poke fun at it all," he said. "You look at the crazy things that are going on that are stressful and you see that this kind of struggle has been going on for as long as people have been performing things on stage." The crew has about 10 days to put the play together, which Vo calls an "insanely fast" pace. They rehearse the other titles for at least one month. Vo read the rewritten script fresh off the printers last week. Since then, Wooten has added half a page to the script. "Everything is as polished as possible in that time period," he said. "We're all flying by the seat of our pants." Vo, who teaches drama at Moline High School, has a long theater resume, but makes an effort to act in a performance with Genesius Guild each summer. "It's because of this unique blend of people," he said. "There are high school students with people who have been doing this for 20 years, and people who went to theater school in New York alongside people who are accountants during the day," Vo said. "And we put on things like Shakespeare together that doesn't happen, especially for free shows." And now, that diverse list includes Calder. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, she'll go to the same Lincoln Park stage she has visited each summer for at least five years. Except this time, she'll be on stage,. "It wouldn't still be here after 60 years if people didn't love it," she said. "It's one of those things I didn't know I wanted to do until I got the chance." "With the farming, the band, my family and life all year, it's like I'm pushing that rock up the hill," he said. "On Friday and Saturday at the fair, it's like I get to let go and chase the rock down the hill for once and it only comes once." A Quad-Cities man charged in the death of a 3-month-old in August 2015 can wear street clothes instead of jail garb for his court appearances, a Rock Island judge ruled Wednesday. Robert J. Brewer Jr., 31, will still be shackled, however, Judge Frank Fuhr ruled during a 30-minute hearing at the Rock Island County Justice Center. Brewer, who remained in the jail on a $1 million bond, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder in the death of Eli Brewer. He has a pretrial conference set for Aug. 26. Prosecutors claim in court documents that Brewer placed an object against the babys mouth, causing his death on Aug. 16, 2015. Police found Eli, who was not breathing and had no pulse, at a home in the 1200 block of 31st Street. He was taken to Trinity Rock Island and later transferred to OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where he died two days later. A Peoria County coroner's jury ruled Eli's death as a homicide on July 14, according to a document released by Coroner Johnna Ingersoll. The cause of death of the infant was listed as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain due to asphyxiation from undetermined means, according to the corner's document. Brewer, who was listed as Eli's stepfather in his obituary, was arrested July 11 in Maquoketa, Iowa. His attorney, Assistant Public Defender Matthew Durbin, filed a motion last month to allow Brewer to wear street clothes during his pretrial court appearances. Defendants who are in custody typically wear jail garb in court but are allowed to wear street clothes at trial so as not to prejudice the jury. Durbin argued Wednesday that although he does not object to media still and video cameras in the courtroom, images of Brewer in a jail jumpsuit could prejudice potential jurors and deny him his right to a fair trial. Parading him around like a perpetrator without any proof at all does have the potential to harm his case in the future, Durbin said. Rock Island County States Attorney John McGehee objected to Durbins request, saying that it could be a burden to jail staff. Rock Island County Sheriffs Capt. Mitch Lee testified that the clothing would have to be searched before and after Brewer his appearances, which could slow things up in court. McGehee also expressed concern that allowing the request could lead to other defendants filing similar motions. Fuhr agreed with Durbin that there could be a potential problem for prospective jurors to see Brewer in jail clothing. Two men were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for their roles in a drive-by shooting in March. Markell T. Dixon, 21, of Davenport, and Brandon D. Branigan, 25, of Rock Island, pleaded guilty in June in Scott County District Court to intimidation with a dangerous weapon and felon in possession of a firearm. Scott County Attorney Mike Walton said Thursday that the two must serve a mandatory minimum of five years because the offense involved a firearm. Just before 4:30 p.m. March 17, Davenport police responded to a shots fired call in the 1300 block of West 8th Street. Police located a suspect vehicle and attempted to pull it over. Branigan, the driver, failed to stop and led police on a pursuit for several minutes, according to court documents. The vehicle was later rendered inoperable and Branigan and Dixon, the front seat passenger, fled on foot. They were both captured a short time later, according to court documents. Dixon was in possession of a Taurus .357 handgun, which was loaded with five empty casings and a live round. A second gun was found in the back seat, according to court documents At the time of his arrest, Dixon was wanted in Illinois on charges of criminal damage and a parole violation on a charge of aggravated battery with a firearm. Branigan also was wanted in Illinois for aggravated discharge of a firearm and a parole violation on a charge of armed robbery. Two of the country's leading figures in organized labor will be in the Quad-Cities next month for the Labor Day celebrations in Rock Island County. Dennis Williams, president of the United Auto Workers, will be the grand marshal of the 33rd annual parade in East Moline, the Quad-City Labor Day Alliance announced. Williams, a Rock Island native, was elected president of the UAW in 2014, and he has a long history with the union that began in 1977, when he was a salvage welder at the old JI Case plant. Williams and Lonnie Stephenson, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, will be in the Quad-Cities that day. Stephenson, who also hails from Rock Island and was appointed president of the IBEW last year, will be honored along with Williams at the Rock Island County Democratic Party's chicken fry at Illiniwek Park in Hampton. The parade and picnic are staples of Quad-City Labor Day festivities, and they often draw political and labor figures from across the region and, sometimes, the national level. Last year, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke at the picnic. This year, the political figures planning to attend the picnic are from Iowa and Illinois. U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a Chicago-area Democrat who is running for the U.S. Senate, has committed to attend, Rock Island County Democratic chairman Doug House said. Reps. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., and Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, who represent the Quad-Cities, also plan to be there. There are others who may attend, too, but the party has not yet finished its lineup, House said. The parade in East Moline is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. Participants line up at 8 a.m. at John Deere Harvester Works parking lot, 1100 13th Ave. The picnic serves food from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for children under 7 and can be purchased at the event. The speaking program generally takes place after the parade has ended. CEDAR RAPIDS Ag means trade, so when he hears presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump express opposition to trade deals, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey gets concerned. Iowa farmers and food processors produce way more than 3 million people can consume, the Spirit Lake corn and soybean farmer and third-term ag secretary said Thursday. Northey was in Cedar Rapids to welcome the National Association of County Office Employees convention. They are the people who staff the USDA Farm Service Agency offices. Iowa annually exports $1 billion worth of pork, for example, and almost 40 percent of its soybean crop, Northey said. Trade is hugely important to Iowa agriculture, Northey said. We ship almost 40 percent of our soybeans overseas, and 70 percent of our exports go to China. He understands that some people have concerns with Chinese trade, especially enforcement of trade agreements. But we dont want to lose them as customers, he said. I would argue they need our beans as much as we need to sell them. So it worries him when the presidential candidates talk about trade, especially their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. How serious are they? Northey said. Are they really looking at tariffs or blowing up NAFTA? Trump has called trade a zero-sum game, meaning the U.S. is losing if it imports more than it exports. He has talked of levying high tariffs on companies that move jobs outside the U.S. Clintons stance has shifted in recent years because of what she calls a different political environment. Although she supported the the Trans-Pacific Partnership as secretary of state, she now opposes it as a candidate. If the TPP is defeated by Congress or never brought to a vote, I dont think anything changes very much tomorrow or next month or next year other than the loss of opportunity, Northey said. Long term, however, we will be on the less aggressive side of trade, with less opportunity to decrease barriers in the future, and I think it has serious long-term effects. Theres more, he said. The U.S. stands to lose its leadership on trade if it doesnt participate in the TPP. Its not only important for the ag community, but for the country, Northey said. It would seem like it would make sense for us to be very careful about things that could damage (trade) and try to be aggressive in those things that could improve that. Northey also had meetings scheduled in Delaware and Benton counties Thursday. CEDAR FALLS The Iowa Board of Regents selected Washington, D.C.-based AGB Search as the consultant firm to assist with the selection of the next University of Northern Iowa president. We look forward to working with AGB on this critically important hire, said Katie Mulholland, Board of Regents president pro tem, who is leading the boards efforts in the search. AGB has a proven track record of assisting with successful searches in a timely and efficient manner. Northern Iowa President Bill Ruud announced in May he would be leaving the Cedar Falls university for the private Marietta College in Ohio. His last day was July 2. Provost Jim Wohlpart is serving as interim president. The firm will assist with defining the goals of the search; developing the position specifications and search timeline; identifying potential candidates; receiving nominations and applications for the position; communicating with prospective candidates; facilitating candidate interviews; and conducting background checks on applicants. The firm will be paid $85,000 for its services assisting with the search, plus expenses. The board hired search firms for its most recent presidential searches: the hiring of University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld last year, Ruud in 2012 and Iowa State University President Steven Leath in 2011. Those three searches used the same consultant firm, Parker Executive Search of Atlanta, Ga. The firm was not among the four firms to submit a request for qualification to the Iowa Board of Regents. Other than AGB Search, the firms that applied were Academic Search of Washington, D.C.; Greenwood/Asher and Associates Inc. of Miramar Beach, Florida; and RPA Inc. of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. PIERRE | For three hours Wednesday, members of the South Dakota Board of Regents and state university presidents discussed setting a goal that 65 percent of people ages 25-34 should have some type of higher-education degree by 2025. The most recent estimate, using 2014 data, is 45 percent of South Dakotans in that age group have some type of post-high school degree. Regent Pam Roberts of Pierre said the push for 65 percent should be broader than the universities and include state government agencies such as the Department of Labor and the Governors Office of Economic Development. She was a cabinet member, top aide and chief of operations for five different governors before she retired two years ago as labor secretary. I think theyre ready, Roberts said. I think the timing is really good. Regent Kathryn Johnson of Hill City said she has frequently heard citizens doubt the value of further investment in the state universities because, from their perspectives, many of the graduates leave South Dakota. Johnson supported Roberts concept of a state-level effort, saying the public needs to be shown the workforce needs that are ahead and the gap that would result in the next decade if more degree-holders werent available in South Dakota. Regent Kevin Schieffer of Sioux Falls said a specific presentation should be prepared. The board could start a plan that would be proposed and adjusted, he said. Schieffer, a former chief of staff for then-U.S. Sen. Larry Pressler and later a railroad executive, suggested showing where South Dakota would be if the 65 percent goal is reached and where South Dakota would be if it isnt. Were talking about getting the people together who are responsible for it, one way or the other, Schieffer said. The regents plan to take a formal vote today but the discussion Wednesday showed the ayes are in place. The only note of dissent came from regent Harvey Jewett of Aberdeen. He suggested the target be smaller than 65 percent but didnt offer a number. Lets not set ourselves up for failure, Jewett said. Mike Rush, Regents executive director, said 65 percent is based on the projected need in the workforce according to a Georgetown University study. I hate to set a goal thats below what we already know we need to be successful as a state, Rush said. Daniel Palmer, a vice president on the regents staff, said universities in South Dakota generate about 6,000 degrees per year and South Dakota would need another 3,000 annually, starting last year, to reach the 65 percent target by 2025. The regents are working with the Lumina Foundation, whose staff is engaging with other states about raising the number of degree holders in the key demographic group of 25-34. Two representatives from the foundation, Scott Jenkins and Susan Heegaard, met with the regents most of the morning Wednesday. It depends on what you want to be as a state, University of South Dakota President Jim Abbott said. He mentioned tourism and manufacturing as two points of emphasis in South Dakotas economy. Palmer said South Dakota long has been a net exporter of people with post-secondary degrees and a net importer of people without degrees. You have to describe a future that No. 1 is attainable, and No. 2 is a stretch for us but is beneficial to all, said Barry Dunn, president of South Dakota State University president. No county in South Dakota has reached 60 percent yet, according to a report delivered to the regents. The report looked at associate degrees or higher. Lincoln County, which includes southern Sioux Falls, was highest at 57 percent. Next came Brookings County, home to SDSU, at 54 percent, and Clay County, home to USD, at nearly 53 percent. Lowest was Buffalo County in the center of the state at less than 17 percent. The other 62 counties were in the range of less than 21 percent (Todd) to nearly 50 percent (Union). Among the most-populated counties, Beadle was 33.4 percent; Brown 41.9 percent; Codington 34.5; Davison 47.3; Hughes 46.6; Lake 42.3; Lawrence 40.9; Minnehaha 43.6; Pennington 40.1; and Yankton 36.8. Gov. Dennis Daugaard said Wednesday that Lemmon has been chosen to be South Dakota's Capital for a Day on Wednesday, Aug. 31. "I look forward to the Lemmon event, and thank community leaders for offering to host it," Daugaard said. "It's an excellent opportunity for be to become better acquainted with the people of Lemmon and the issues affecting their area." The governor's activities for the day will include a main street walk, business tours around town and a community social and coffee hour. The governor will also hold a round table for community leaders to meet and discuss the needs of the city located on the border of North Dakota. "Throughout the governor's time in office, community leaders have met with cabinet members in Pierre and now officials can see first-hand the lasting positive results of our collaborative efforts," said Lemmon Mayor Neal Pinnow. As a community newspaper editor during the 1980s, Pat Dobbs had a simple name for his recurring column: Paper Man. That tagline, as it is called in newspapers, could now serve as an epitaph for a journalist who spent decades writing and editing stories about the Black Hills he so loved. Dobbs, 60, was found dead Tuesday evening after he committed suicide in the scenic Falling Rock area near Rapid City, his daughter, Hillary Dobbs-Davis, said. Dobbs daughter, of Rapid City, described her father on Wednesday as a hardworking and outwardly unemotional man. Those qualities helped him earn respect in the news business, she said, but also hindered his ability to cope with grief. The sources of Dobbs grief included the loss of a brother to a drowning accident in 1978, and then the loss of his father to a heart attack later that same year. During the past five years, Dobbs mourned the death of his other brother, who also took his own life, and his mother. Dobbs-Davis said it seemed her dad who served as the managing editor of the Rapid City Journal at the time of his death just finally lost his ability to cope. I think it was an accumulation of 40 years of grief, she said. Thats what I think it was. He just couldnt do it anymore. Dobbs' unexpected death sent ripples of shock and sadness through the Black Hills, particularly in the media community where he was extremely well known. Numerous former colleagues and friends sent their condolences to Journal employees on Wednesday or openly shared their sadness on social media. Dobbs was born and raised in Lead, where his father was a gold miner. Dobbs also went to work as a gold miner to pay his way through college at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, where he earned an associates degree in radio and television production. He worked briefly in Wyoming early in his career but returned eagerly to the Black Hills, where he wrote and edited for a string of jointly owned newspapers in Lead, Deadwood and Spearfish. He was rarely ever seen outside of the Black Hills after that, even for brief trips. His wife always said that if he traveled anywhere, as soon as the Black Hills receded from view, he would start to wilt, said Dobbs-Davis, an employee of Black Hills Corp. And as soon as they got back, he was much better. He developed a reputation in the newspaper community as a stalwart professional. Robin McMacken, now a copy editor in Ohio for the Cox Media Group, worked for Dobbs in Deadwood and tearfully recalled him Wednesday as a positive personal and strong professional influence. Dobbs helped her through some early reporting mistakes, she said, and helped move her belongings after she suffered a difficult breakup with a boyfriend. Pat was just such an incredible mentor and editor, McMacken said, and he was tireless in his dedication to journalism. Around the time of his divorce from his first wife Dobbs-Davis' mother, Judith Dobbs moved on to do more writing and editing during a 16-year run at the Rapid City Journal. Later career moves included nearly nine years as media relations coordinator for the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation and two years as an assignment editor at KOTA-TV. In May, he returned to the Rapid City Journal to work as managing editor, the number two management position in the newsroom. During a break between jobs in his 40s, he returned to Black Hills State University, where he added a bachelors degree in mass communications to the associates degree he had earned a couple of decades earlier. No matter where he worked, he earned respect, recalled former journalist Bill Harlan, who worked with Dobbs in Lead-Deadwood and Rapid City. Pat was kind of a nose-to-the-grindstone, pay-attention-to-the-details, meticulous kind of daily news reporter, Harlan said. Dobbs deep roots in the Black Hills made him the kind of journalist who seldom lacked a source. Harlan said Dobbs could be handed the address of a fire, for example, and instantly think of a neighbor or cousin of the victim, or somebody else connected to the fire to call for an interview. When something needed to be done, Harlan said, Dobbs did it, whether that was editing a late story on deadline, fiddling with the cords under the desk of a malfunctioning computer, or rushing out to the scene of a breaking news event. In 1997, while covering a downtown Rapid City fire, Dobbs suffered minor injuries when an explosion shattered windows and blew out the rear wall of a building, causing debris to rain down on the street. Several people who knew Dobbs recalled that story Wednesday and said it was typical of him to be so close to the news. He buried himself in his work, whatever it was, Harlan said. Dobbs apparently tried to do that again Sunday, when he went unassigned on his day off to cover the annual Rapid Creek duck race, a charitable community event in Rapid City. He filed that story and then was uncharacteristically absent from work Monday, causing worry among those who knew him and eventually leading to his body being found Tuesday. Dobbs-Davis said she knew her dad had been struggling, and she had asked him recently if he was suicidal. In his typical way, she said, he kept his feelings to himself. On Wednesday morning, Dobbs-Davis was visited by members of the Front Porch Coalition, which works to prevent suicide. If theres any lesson to be learned from her fathers death, she said, its the need for suicidal people and their loved ones to communicate openly and to avail themselves of services such as those offered by the coalition. In death, Dobbs leaves a historical legacy of thousands of pieces of journalism that he wrote or edited or contributed to in some way, nearly all about the Black Hills or western South Dakota and ranging from breaking news to features to opinion. His widow, second wife Marie Louise Tesch, said his favorite role among the many he held throughout his career was West River editor for the Journal. In that job, he traveled throughout western South Dakota, doing the kind of one-on-one interviewing and storytelling that he loved the most. Tesch, who had recently separated from Dobbs, said the tagline on Dobbs columns in the 1980s, Paper Man, was a proud reflection of his identity. When Pat would show up at any occasion, someone would always say, the paper mans here, Tesch said. While mourning him on Wednesday, Dobbs friends, family and colleagues all described him in a similar way, as a newsman first and foremost. He was the kind of local news person who could spend a career in a single small community, and really, the entire Black Hills comprise a small community, Harlan said. You dont find that much anymore. Funeral arrangements are pending with Kirk Funeral Home. If you want to know who will pick up the tab for Medicaid expansion when the Federal Government pulls the upfront Fed funding, look no further Russian court upholds refusal to dismiss acting CEO of JFC MOSCOW, August 4 (RAPSI) The Thirteenth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling rejecting demands of former CEO of JFC Group Vladimir Kekhman to dismiss Igor Maslov from the position of the acting CEO, the court ruling reads on Thursday. Kekhman considers actions of Maslov, regarding the implementation of settlements with the third-rate creditors, illegal, because allegedly those violate order and the principle of proportional satisfaction of creditors' claims. He also blamed Maslov of being inactive and refusing to object claims of creditors. According to the commercial court, Maslov did not violate any laws or rights of people involved in the case. Kekhman filed another motion to dismiss Maslov, this motion will be reviewed on August 23. In September 2015, JFC Group was declared bankrupt by a Russian court. Kekhman has appealed the ruling but his complaint was dismissed. In October 2015, Sberbank filed with the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region a bankruptcy claim against Kekhman. A representative of Kekhman claimed that the former head of JFC had no obligations before Sberbank because he was already been declared bankrupt by The High Court of Justice of England in 2012 and Sberbank received its share from sales of Kekhmans property. A Sberbanks representative, on the other hand, claimed that the bank was not involved in the process and did not receive any compensation. According to the Sberbanks representative, the bank had rulings of several Russian courts on debt recovery from Kekhman. Nevertheless, Kekhmans representative insisted that the ruling of The High Court of Justice of England had been recognized by Sberbank and was to be complied with in Russia. In its ruling, the court pointed out that in the absence of international treaties, entered into by the Russian Federation, decisions on bankruptcies taken in foreign jurisdictions were to be recognized in Russia only on the reciprocity basis unless otherwise stipulated by federal laws. At present, the court stressed, the Russian Federation was not a party in any international treaty on bankruptcy issues. Ex-CEO of company related to Russian Defense Ministry found guilty of embezzlement MOSCOW, August 4 (RAPSI) Moscows Tverskoy District Court on Thursday found Alexander Yelkin, ex-CEO of Slavyanka utility company, guilty of embezzling funds allocated for renovation of the Defense Ministrys facilities, RAPSI reported from the courtroom. The court also determined guilt of two other defendants in the case, Konstantin Lapshin and Yulia Rotanova. The fraud in the company came to light in relation to the 2012 investigation into Oboronservis, which revealed fraudulent activities carried out in the course of deals involving real estate, land and shares in Oboronservis. Totally, five criminal cases over damages exceeding 3 billion rubles ($45 million) were initiated as concerned this Defense Ministry company. No key figures of these cases have pleaded guilty. Several suspects were arrested in late 2012. Charges were brought against them shortly after the arrest. Yelkin was charges with misappropriating 118 million rubles ($1.8 million), allegedly obtained as kickbacks from companies subordinate to Slavyanka. Presently bankrupt Slavyanka company has been the largest utility company in Russia, which was established to manage and maintain specialized housing facilities and utilities owned by the Defense Ministry. BOZEMAN, Mont. A swish new entry in the of-the-moment farm-to-table, nose-to-tail, and field-to-glass handbook has a nifty name besides: sheep-to-shelf. Sheep-to-shelf the notion that shortening the supply chain using wool grown, spun and sewn in the United States is both virtuous and worth paying a premium for is the latest catch phrase in the lionizing of all things local and sustainable. It even has its own hashtag: #SheeptoShelf.The Duckworth wool company in Bozeman coined the sheep-to-shelf idiom. The startup enterprise markets high-end, outdoor performance clothing from Montana source-verified Helle Rambouillet merino wool processed and built in the United States."It's a great story," said American Sheep Institute Director of Wool Marketing Rita Kourlis Samuelson. "Here's a sheep rancher that was able to take his wool and develop a line of clothing; it's a great American story, combining history with modern apparel manufacturing."With its sheep-to-shelf ethos, Duckworth seeks to distinguish itself in a marketplace suffuse with clothing and fabrics made from wool grown in Australia, New Zealand, even China, and knitted in Southeast Asia.It even has its own textile research and development organization, Duckworth Technologies, which works with the Montana State Wool Lab and the American Wool Council to, "advance performance and innovation with American wool," according to the company's website."You have no idea where globally traded wool is coming from and there's no way to trace it," said Evan Helle, Duckworth's production manager and son of the company's co-founder, rancher John Helle. "Wool traders blend different types of wool, which means the coefficient of variation goes way up."Still, the once-thriving U.S. wool industry has been on the wane for some time. For starters, the number of competing natural fibers like cotton and silk and synthetic fibers like nylon, rayon, acrylic, and polyester has increased. From 1995 to 2005, wool accounted for only about 0.6 percent of all fiber use in the U.S. mills, according to a 2008 report by The National Academy of Sciences.In addition, globalization of the textile industry eroded domestic mill use of all fibers. Finally, the loss of the National Wool Act in 1993 and other legislation that provided price support to the U.S. wool industry dealt an almost crushing blow.The industry has responded by touting the myriad benefits of wool: it's a renewable, natural fiber, resistant to both fire and odor, absorbent and resilient. It retains its color and shape, doesn't wrinkle, and, thanks to advances in recent years, can be worn all seasons, next to the skin and washed in a washing machine.It's also emphasized American wool's singularity, which Samuelson said stems from superior animal husbandry, genetics and nutrition."American wool has high resistance to compression; it's lofty," she said. "It doesn't flatten, it stays spongy, lively if you will, which is great for socks and knitwear."This spring, the American Wool Council, a division of the American Sheep Industry Association, released two new American wool logos that will adorn product tags and appear in promotions for wool consumers, one for products made in America and one for products made elsewhere using American wool."There is a trend to want to know where your product comes from," Samuelson said. "It's nice to know wool came from a sheep ranch in Montana and the product has left a smaller footprint, that it's sustainable, that it's supporting American jobs, American agriculture and American manufacturing."The idea for a sheep-to-shelf wool company was formulated on a Maverick Mountain ski lift in 2013 by John Helle and outdoor gear specialist Robert "Bernie" Bernthal. Later, the pair brought in wool textile expert Graham Stewart and Jon Edwards, owner of an outdoor retail shop in Bozeman, to launch the company.A year later, in 2014, the company hired Evan Helle, recently graduated from Montana State University with a degree in agricultural economics, and launched a few wool garments; in 2015, after good reviews in Outside Magazine and Backpacker Magazine buyer guides, it expanded its line; and in 2016, the company further grew its wholesale and online distribution. Duckworth employs 8 full- and part-time employees in Bozeman and hundreds of people at a dozen textile factories on the east coast.The Helle ranch just east of Dillon employs 15 to 20 seasonal and contract workers, including Peruvian sheepherders, sheep shearers, wool handlers and testers. The homespun origin story, now de rigueur for American startups, means something at Duckworth, Helle said, and it's because of the Rambouilett merino sheep his family has raised in the Dillon area since the 1930s.They simply make better wool. The dry, hot summer pastures at 9,500-foot elevation in the Gravelly Mountains and frigid winters in the Dillon Valley give the sheep's wool exceptional loft and durability, Helle said. (Close to 4,000 Helle sheep graze on seven allotments in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, a plan in contention by the Gallatin Wildlife Association, which last year sued the U.S. Forest Service claiming its handling of the grazing allotments violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest Management Act.)Sheep in northern climates naturally develop a fine inner fiber next to their skin and a thicker outside layer of long, soft, crimped wool. In addition, the Helles select for genetic traits like fiber diameter, comfort, staple length and crimp, which create an unsurpassed "comfort factor," ideal for outdoor clothing worn next to the skin, Helle said."You can measure that with a tool," Helle said. "We can tell the comfort factor of each sheep right there."Sheep that produce wool with a high comfort factor as measured by an Optical-based Fiber Diameter Analyzer (OFDA) are identified and bred, creating a flock with highly consistent genetics. The occasional fleeces that don't measure up don't get baled with the good stuff.The ranch's contract shearers clip between 8,000 and 10,000 ewes and lambs a year, each sheep producing an average of 12 pounds of shorn wool, each lamb about 10. It also sells breeder ewes and feeder and fat lambs for meat through Mountain States Lamb Cooperative.After the sheep are shorn and the wool is sorted, it's shipped to the Center of the Nation Wool warehouse in Billings, then on to the company's Belle Fourche, S.D., facility, where it is core tested to measure strength, length, number of microns, as well as the amount of vegetative matter present.That data allows workers to build half a dozen different lots for different yarns, which will eventually make different garments. The wool is then shipped to South Carolina, where it's scoured and combed into top, the raw material for yarn. Then it heads to mills in North Carolina, where it's spun into yarn, knitted into fabric, dyed and finished.After that, the material is cut and sewn into different products at a handful of contract textile factories in the state before traveling back to Bozeman, where its journey began. The closed-loop system seems to be working."It's more efficient if we're the ones growing the wool and the ones spinning and knitting it. It's in our interest to make wool that spins well and knits well and dyes well," Helle said. "It's a quality control thing."Moreover, it's a way to sidestep global economic forces."We went direct to the consumer with an actual brand," Helle said. "It's a ton of risk, but you do remove yourself from the volatility of the commodity market."Next, Duckworth has its sights set on the military, which, under the Berry Amendment, must give preference to home-grown products, and is already testing some of its products."It's great news for us and the American wool industry," Helle said. "They'll eventually need more wool, and we know exactly where to go to reach out to friends in Montana and in the United States. Our ultimate goal is to grow beyond our ranch, to extend that to other ranches, especially if they grow great wool."Find the Duckworth Wool Company online at http://www.duckworthco.com/. The Duckworth wool company in Bozeman markets high-end, outdoor performance clothing from Montana source-verified Helle Rambouillet merino wool processed and built in the United States. First it was bulls. Then it was broncs. And now its a chance for working cowboys to show off their grit at the Darby Rodeo Arena. The first-ever Ranch Rodeo event in Darby is slated to get underway Saturday, Aug. 6 at 4 p.m. Its going to be something different that people havent seen before, said Reed Trexler of Corvallis. Trexler spent a part of Wednesday gathering the cattle and calves the cowboys and cowgirls will rope, doctor and brand in hopes of going home with some extra cash in their pockets. We wanted to do something a little different here in Darby, Trexler said. We thought this would be a fun thing to do here. Ranch rodeos are popular in some areas in the country, but there arent too many happening around western Montana. The event pits teams of four against each other in a series of competitions that mimic the work accomplished out on the range. The team branding event puts two members on the ground. After the two on horses manage to head and heel a calf with their lariats, the other two use a blotch of paint to brand the animal. In the open division, the cowboys switch positions after they complete working two calves. In the womens division, they do the same after completing the chore on a single calf. The sort and rope and doctor event requires the cowboys separate a calf out from the herd, rope it and pretend to doctor it. There are two team roping events. One happens with a normal loop in their lariat and the other requires the cowboys to start out with an 18-foot loop. Unlike a regular rodeo where the calves are released from a chute, in these events the calves start out free in the arena. All of the events have time limits, Trexler said. It all should go pretty quick. There will be a stock saddle bronc riding contest at the end of the ranch rodeo. Trexler expects there will be 15 teams entered in the event. Were hoping that its going be something that grows, he said. At this point, Trexler said it looks like there will be $4,000 in prize money added to the open division, $1,500 in the womens and $2,000 to the stock bronc riding event. With money like that, we think it could become something in the future, Trexler said. Once the word gets out, I think it will attract people from further away. The rodeo facility in Darby is already making waves in the rodeo world. Theyve done an amazing job with that facility, he said. Its unreal what little Darby has been able to accomplish. Dear Alibi, Darnok via morguefile I love living naked at home and nearly naked elsewhere when I am warm enough. Most humans are the only animals who feel ashamed of their naked bodies and feel compelled to cover their genitals. Why be more ashamed of our genitals than our noses? Why be more ashamed of our ass cheeks than our face cheeks? I ask all who believe God created our bodies--how can any inch of our bodies be indecent or obscene? Most religious people suffer from body shame and clothes addiction. For thousands of years, many Native peoples worldwide had the good sense to take of most or all clothes when it was warm enough and to put clothes on when cold. Most US jobs require covering most of the body, even in summer. Most US jobs enforce rigid conformity and reject body freedom, natural comfort and environmental sanity. India has more than three times the US population, but India uses less electricity for all purposes than the US uses just for air cooling. I have no air conditioner or swamp cooler in my home. I open the door and windows at night. I use a small fan. I would never want to spend summer imprisoned in sweaty clothes covering most of my skin. I strongly support equal rights for women to be top-free in public as I am, if they want to be. When my mother and father were alive, I was often naked as an adult in their presence. I first experienced mixed public nudity of men and women at Spence Hot Springs in the Jemez in the early 1970s. For many years I posed naked for hundreds of artists at UNM, Illinois colleges and art groups in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Fancy clothes often hide body abuse, neglect and fat. Living naked keeps me devoted everyday to eating only raw plant foods and to exercising vigorously. Why are most people more ashamed of being seen naked than they are of paying federal income tax to murder our sisters and brothers abroad in war? I enjoy living as naked as the weather and laws allow. I have paid no federal income tax for war for 37 years. Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said that the 5000 Km embankments in Assam serve as a safeguard to rural economy and the recurring breaches on the embankments pose danger to rural economy. In a meeting with the Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan in New Delhi, Sonowal apprised Dr. Balyan the extent of devastation caused by the recent waves of floods in Assam. Sonowal drew the attention of the Union Water Resources Minister that a major chunk of the existing embankments in Assam has already outlived their utility and needs immediate intervention in terms of their repair and facelift and use them to act as a deterrent to flood and erosion. The Assam CM also requested the Centre's assistance to strengthen the embankments and said that a strong network of embankments holds the key to the growth of GDP in the State. Drawing Dr. Balyan's attention, Sonowal also demanded a special grant from Centre for flood and erosion management in the State. The Assam CM also exhorted on the need of dredging the Brahmaputra for making the river fit for navigation throughout the year. Union Minister Dr. Balyan also stated that the rivers in Assam need to be harnessed for better control of flood and erosion and river management. Sonowal, however, opined that the Ministry for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation must organise a national seminar involving all stake holders and of course the people at large for zeroing in on a comprehensive mechanism for flood and erosion control and river management. Dr. Balyan assured all help and agreed to organise a seminar in Guwahati and will also visit Assam this month to assess the situation perpetrated by flood and erosion. In the meeting Sonowal gave Dr. Balyan an overview of the damages in terms of human lives, property, agriculture and livestock that the floods in Assam have perpetuated. Sonowal also handed over a list of 66 schemes related to water resources and requested Centre's assistance for their expeditious implementation in the State. Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta, Members of Parliament R.P. Sarma and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa along with a host of senior bureaucrats were present at the meeting. *(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)* Guwahati: Fulfilling the demands of the people of Assam, the Centr on Thursday facilitated the release of crude oil royalty at pre-discounted price when Oil India Limited and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited handed over two cheques worth Rs. 1449.88 crore to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a function held at Assam Bhawan in New Delhi. It may be mentioned that with the payment of differential royalty by OIL and ONGC, Assam has been entitled to crude oil royalty at pre-discounted price similar to Gujarat with effect from February 1, 2014. The amount paid by OIL is Rs. 1149.24 crore and the amount paid by ONGC is Rs 300.64 crore. Speaking on the occasion, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal thanked the Prime Minister who took the initiative of paying the oil royalty at pre-discounted price to Assam. He also thanked the Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and oil companies for paying the royalty at one go. Stating that the people of Assam are going through difficult times because of the recent waves of flood which affected 28 districts, Sonowal said that the royalty thus received can be used for the rehabilitation of the flood affected people. He also asked the oil companies to look for ways and means to increase production because henceforth the progress of Assam will be intrinsically associated with oil production. Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that effective from 2008-09 the royalty to the State Governments including Assam was being paid at post-discounted price which he termed as 'grave injustice to the people of Assam.' To remove the disparity being perpetrated to the State Governments, his ministry under the directive of the Prime Minister took the initiative and facilitated the release of oil royalty at pre-discounted price. It may be mentioned that as per statutory provisions, royalty on production of crude oil in Assam, is paid by ONGC and OIL to the State Government. Effective from 2008-09, the royalty to all State Governments including Assam was being paid on post discounted price of crude oil realized by ONGC and OIL from the Public Sector Marketing Companies. However, in view of the litigation arising out of the loss of royalty to the State Governments due to discounts being provided by the ONGC and OIL to Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies and the decision of the Supreme Court dated February 13, 2014, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas decided to pay oil royalty to oil producing States at pre-discounted price. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma also spoke on the occasion. Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta, several MPs namely RP Sarma, Ramen Deka, Bijoya Chakraborty, Naba Sarania, Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Rameshwar Teli, Chairman ONGC DK Saraf, Chairman OIL Utpal Bora and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion. *(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)* Guwahati, August 4: Poachers killed another one horned rhinoceros in Assam's Kaziranga National Park (KNP) on Wednesday night and managed to flee with its horn. Poachers killed three rhinos in past 24 hours in the World Heritage Site. On Thursday morning, forest guards of the park had found the dehorned carcass of a male rhino inside the park. Kaziranga had lost 25 rhinos in this year so far. In the recent flood, at least 14 rhinos were died in the park. On the other hand, the state forest minister urged to the state government to deploy army in KNP and to launch intensive operation against the poachers. 'There have lack of infrastructure in the World Heritage Site and shortage of manpower to protect wild animals. I have discussed for various issues with the Chief Minister,aA state forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma said. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Kathmandu, Nepal: An aircraft of Makalu Air has met with an accident in Rauterana of Humla district at around 4 pm on Thursday. The single-engine aircraft with Sign 9N ALD saved from major accident as it was safely force-landed after technical glitch in its engine was witnessed. The aircraft was flying to Surkhet from Simikot, the district headquarters of Humla. It is said that pilot Sange Lama and co-pilot Prashanta Shah sustained minor injuries. The injured pilot and copilot are airlifted to Kathmandu by a Simrik chopper. Kathmandu, Nepal: CPN Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is the only candidate in the prime ministerial election that is going to be held on Wednesday. Though Dahal has no competitor in the election for the post of Prime Minister, he has to be elected as the new Prime Minister through the majority votes in the parliament. As Nepali Congress has backed the Maoist Chair Dahal to the post of Prime Minister, he would be elected as the Prime Minister from the Legislature-Parliament that is scheduled to hold at 11 am on Wednesday. Dahal had filed his nomination at 11: 26 on. He had reached at the parliament secretariat with the supporters to file his candidacy for the post of Prime Minister. Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba has proposed Dahal as the Prime Minister. Though the nomination deadline was fixed till 4:00 pm no other candidates dared to challenge Dahal in the Prime Ministerial election. There was a speculation that CPN-UML and its led alliance would field former Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang in the post of Prime Minister. But the UML did not filed any candidate, thanks to the internal differences in the party. According to a source close to the UML, neither Neither Nembang nor other leaders had agreed to field any candidate in the post of Prime Minister. Though party chairman KP Oli was in favor of fielding any candidate to challenge Dahal, none of the leaders stood in favor of party chairman Oli. Though the party did not field any candidate to challenge the Maoist chairman Dahal, the UML has decided to vote against him in the Prime Ministerial race. Kathmandu, Nepal: The Supreme Court (SC) the apex Court of the country, as on Thursday issued an order to the government to stop act of sacrificing animals during Gadhimai fair. A division bench of justices Ishwori Prasad Khatiwada and Anil Kumar Sinha directed the government terming it as cruel act. Likewise, the bench has also directed the government to form a special committee to take appropriate measure to halt the inhuman act of slaughtering animals at Gadhimai fair. Responding to the writ filed by advocate Arjun Kumar Aryal had, on 20 November 2014, demanding the animal slaughter be stopped at Gadhimai, the SC has made the verdict also adding that slaughtering animals in mass is not a good thing from the view point of the environment as well. Kathmandu, Nepal: The woman, who had sliced off the penis of her own husband, has been arrested by the Nepal police on Thursday. According to the Metropolitan Police Circle, Bouddha, the arrested woman is identified as Santamaya Tamang, 26, of Salambutar in Shakharapur Municipality-20. It is said that she had sliced the penis of her husband Kanchhamaya Tamang with a sharp sickle on Monday alleging him of keeping extramarital affairs with a neighboring woman. Seriously wounded Kanchhamaya has now been receiving treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH). sacw.net - 4 August 2016 The insurgency in Kashmir, India and Pakistanas ideological differences, and their political intransigence could result in the eruption of a future crisis. The atmosphere of paranoia and mistrust is exacerbated by the frightening attempts of Hindu fundamentalist groups to rewrite Indian history and the recasting of Pakistani history by Islamist organizations: efforts to radically redefine Indian and Pakistani societies in the light of ritualistic Hinduism and Islam, respectively. Writing about this anti-historical attitude, Kai Friese reported in the New York Times that in November 2002, the National Council of Education Research and Training, which is the central government organization in India that finalizes the national curriculum and supervises education of high school students, circulated a new textbook for the social sciences and history. The textbook conveniently overlooks the embarrassing fact that the architect of Indian independence, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist in 1948, a year after the proclamation of independence. Friese also points out that Indian history has been embellished with some interesting fabrications, one of which is the erasure of the Indus Valley civilization and the conjuring up of a mythical aIndusaSaraswatia civilization in its stead. This is a strategic maneuver to transform a historical civilization into a mythical one. The chapter on the Vedic civilization in the history textbook lacks important dates and is inundated with uncorroborated afacts,a such as: aIndia itself was the original home of the Aryans. The Aryans were an indigenous race and the creators of the Vedasa (Friese 2002). Similarly, mainstream Pakistani history portrays the movement for the creation of the nation-state of Pakistan as a movement for an Islamic state, the carving out of which became a historic inevitability with the first Muslim invasion of the subcontinent. This version of Pakistani history establishes the Islamic clergy as the protagonists of the movement for the creation of a theocratic state (Hoodbhoy and Nayyar 1985: 164a77). Such propaganda to further narrow agendas makes it impossible to hold informed debates on issues of political and religious import. Jingoistic textbooks and biased interpretations negate the possibility of reaching a national consensus regarding Kashmir. There is a dearth of responsible leaders in J & K: aAdmittedly, there is no Sheikh Abdullah now, no single leader who authoritatively embodies the aspirations of his peoplea (Guha 2004: 15). Within the wide political spectrum in the state, one does not even come close to a representative body willing to forge a reasonable dialogue. Duda too laments the leadership vacuum in the Indian subcontinent, made more glaring by the insidious political culture in India and Pakistan. Before he passed away in December 2009, he was working on a Causative History of Kashmir Politics since Partition with Dr Pushpesh Pant, of the Department of International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Duda writes (in an e-mail to the author dated 6 April 2008): For four and a half decades, your grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, played the same role in politics which Noor-ud-Din Wali and Lalla Arifa played in religion. I look upon him as the greatest secular leader South Asia has produced. And when I say that I have in mind Nehru and Gandhi too, who didnat come close to him in secular and humane politics. The Kashmir matter calls for two voices: problem exists; no solution seems plausible. These leaders have come to be carrying a price-tag; almost the entire leadership is a commodity for sale and purchase; there is no idealism; no patriotism; people of Kashmir (India-occupied) will suffer if Pakistan gets control over them because they might be looked upon as apostates and suffer worse; Kashmir on boil is providing to both India and Pakistan a blood-stained bowl for begging that provides access to easy money. The material problems and ambitions will continue to be rewarding in multiples if the movement continues with slaughter, death and rape of a few to seek notice and attention. Some time back I read a gossip column that an army officer from Uri, near the de facto Pakistan border, revealed that when some insurgents were trying to cross over from across the border, a bargain took place: five were killed (for a pat on the back from Army headquarters), twelve were permitted to enter (for booty-sharing of sizeable degree in US dollars). The Muslim leadership in Kashmir has reached an abysmally degenerate stage of the political marketplace where they sell the interest and honor of Kashmir to political mafiosos of India. The way the Hindu fundamentalist leadership is behaving is metaphorically spitting on the faces of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, manifesting the fast-depleting traces of secularism. Efficacy of the Discourse of International Conferences on Local Realities A feasible solution to the conflict in Kashmir must fulfill the conditions delineated decades ago by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. It should not be designed to assuage the insecurities of either India or Pakistan. But it must, unconditionally, allay the fears of ethnic and religious minorities in both countries, and it must be in accordance with the wishes of the people of the state. International legal scholar Gidon Gottleib, in his discussion of the changing world order, underlines the need to deconstruct old notions of sovereignty and, instead, construct a transnational community that would endow stateless peoples with citizenship, territorial and security guarantees: Nations and peoples that have no state of their own can be recognized as such and endowed with an international legal status. Those that are politically organized could be given the right to be a party to different types of treaties and to take part in the work of international organizations. (Gottlieb 1993, quoted in Wirsing 1994: 233) But the solution outlined by Gottleib is unrealistic and rather utopian. It is predicated on the nullification of national identity, cultural integrity intertwined with attachment to territory, and is clearly a politically vexed issue for the people of the former princely state, who, as I have underlined in the introduction, would stop being altogether in the absence of a body politic built on national pride. A solution of this sort could lead to further balkanization in the South Asian region, depleting national resources. The Indian Union is on the verge of becoming an insuperable economic power. In order to enhance its economic and political clout in the South Asian region, it requires stability. Can it begin the process of establishing itself as a stable political force by initiating a serious political process in Kashmir in which the people of the state have a substantive say? A political package short of autonomy for the entire state is viewed with suspicion by a lot of Kashmiris. Can the governments of India and Pakistan make a smooth transition into the globalized world by shelving the politics of duplicity and recognizing the autonomous status of the former princely state? I do not pretend to know the answer to these questions. I do not know if the brand of treacherous politics that pervades not just the Indian subcontinent, but also western vested interests will undergo a transformation in the years to come. Will the international community recognize the poignancy of the countless sacrifices made by the people of Kashmir over the last eighteen years? In a post 9/11 world, political and cultural edifices that have been entrenched by imperial discourse have sanctified the convenient afirst worldathird worlda dichotomy. Institutional politics have facilitated the construction of the athird worlda subject as an eternally feral being whose essential savagery is not amenable to socio-cultural conditioning. The rationale provided for the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, is those territoriesa purportedly dehumanized condition that cries out for enlightenment, underscoring the constructed bestiality of non-western, other cultures. The rhetoric of hate and destruction rent the air and engender a mass hysteria, inciting communal riots and human rights violations, as evidenced, for example, by the reprehensible negligence of human rights in J & K and the relentless persecution of Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. The construction of the afirst worldathird worlda dichotomy has befouled institutionalized politics and cultures, and vitiated progressive political and social change. In such a scenario, I, as a feminist activistascholar, have sought to reinterpret the repressive frameworks of military occupation, nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and an ethno-religious nationalism which have developed unevenly among the social classes and regions of J& K. Subsequent to the declaration of the election results in 2008, the significance of the collective will of the people was undermined by the anxious appeals made to the Congress by our regional parties to forge a jagged coalition government with them. It was interesting to watch our politicians rush to New Delhi in order to humbly submit their petitions to the Congress aHigh Command,a which observed the political developments in J & K from its minaret in the citadel of quasi-secular politics. The yearning with which our politicians awaited apositive signalsa from New Delhi about which party the Congress would choose to tie the proverbial knot with does not bode well for those of us who were hoping for a well-orchestrated fight for an independent, or at the least, autonomous, Jammu and Kashmir, and a sincere attempt to protect aKashmiriyat.a In 2014, the PDP overtly awaited similar positive signals from the ultra-nationalist right-wing BJP. Has a veil been drawn over the wishes and aspirations of the people of the state? Have the over two decades of insurgency and counter-insurgency been made insignificant by the facile claim of mainstream politicians and separatist leaders that there is a clear line of demarcation between elections within the Constitution of India and the struggle for self-determination? Is the boundary between the two truly that well-delineated? The process of nationalist self-imagining is likely to remain in a nebulous state so long as the destiny of mainstream Kashmiri politicians is etched by the pen of the calligrapher in New Delhi and that of separatist politicians is etched by Islamabad, and determined by maneuvers in the murky den of subcontinental politics. Can our politicians rise above their myopic aspiration to willy-nilly grab the throne and scepter? The obvious lack of self-reflexivity in our regional parties shows a glaring inability to carefully consider the stakes. The two mainstream regional parties a the NC and the PDP a are pawns in a game of chess in which the dice were heavily loaded in favor of the Congress and are now loaded in favor of the BJP. J & K in the current political context is a house divided against itself. It is paradoxical to watch political bigwigs, bureaucrats, civilian and paramilitary officers preening and gearing up to celebrate Indiaas Independence Day, August 15th, while several Kashmiris continue to remain in the abyss of socioeconomic deprivation and political marginalization. J & K is a palimpsest that has been inscribed upon two or three times, yet the previous texts have been imperfectly erased and, therefore, remain partially visible. A history of unfulfilled pledges, broken promises, political deception, military oppression, illegal political detentions, a scathing human rights record, sterile political alliances, mass exodus, and New Delhias malignant interference have created a gangrenous body politic, which hasnat even started to heal. The various political, religious, and cultural discourses written on the palimpsest of the state may have created alternative epistemologies but without an epicenter. On the one hand, lavish sartorial and epicurean preparations are annually made for August 15th, the day India was declared independent, on the other hand, there is a legitimately disgruntled segment of the populace which really hasnat experienced the trickle down effect of Indiaas burgeoning economy or flourishing democracy. August 15th has been a day of mourning for the marginalized, the disenfranchised, silenced and invisible people of J & K. It is my hope that political actors of various hues in the state do not inter the victims of military and police brutality to the catacombs of history in their ardent desire to ingratiate themselves with the puppeteers in New Delhi and Islamabad who are adept at manipulating marionette regional representatives. August 15th is entrenched in world history as the day the nation-state, then dominion, of India gained independence and routed the British colonial master, but in J & K it remains a day that reinforces the fragility of an ill-defined democracy and is blurred by the incessantly flowing tears of widows, orphans, dispossessed people, and despondent mothers. The intractability of the Kashmir conflict has made advocates of conflict resolution rather wary of applying a seemingly workable but facile solution to the complex political conflict. Mainstream media, intellectuals housed in academic institutions, formulators of public policy, members of think tanks are quick to point out that regardless of the bloody and seemingly infinite nature of a political, ethnic, or racial conflict a viable solution can always be found to dilute the fierceness of a conflictual situation. But one is cautioned against glibly advocating a kitsch solution to the Kashmir conundrum by the complexity of the Kashmir conflict, which embodies the brutalities of nation-building devoid of myth or self-infatuation. The unruliness of the Kashmir conflict has led many to confuse the idea of nation with the power and brute force of the nation-states of India and Pakistan. Although the idea of self-determination collides with military oppression on the contentious site of nationalism, political accommodation can lead a war-weary people out of the colonnade of duplicitous rhetoric, political domination, and forceful imposition. The debate amongst political thinkers, scholars, and policy makers about finding viable ways to placate marginalized ethnic minorities in J & K has been infinite. Since the advent of Independence, New Delhias self-deluding and self-serving ademocratica approach has been to allow the disaffected people of J & K to voice their aseditiousa opinions within the existing political framework legitimized by governmental rhetoric. The reasonableness of the autonomy solution advocated by mainstream political parties in J & K may seem axiomatic, but what is the likelihood of its being adopted in an undiluted form to metamorphose Kashmiras political, cultural, or territorial circumstances? Both India and Pakistan have a long history of deploying rhetorical strategies to skirt the issue of plebiscite or complete secession of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. When feeling particularly belligerent Pakistan cries itself hoarse declaring the legitimacy of plebiscite held under United Nations auspices in J & K; India responds just as aggressively by demanding the complete withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the territory of pre-partition J & K; or, in a moment of neighborly solicitude, for conversion of the LOC to a permanent International border. Which of these solutions is the most viable? Currently, mainstream political parties in J & K have jumped on the autonomy bandwagon. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, the differences between them are not insignificant. New Delhi asserts, time and again, that a revitalized Indian federalism will accommodate Kashmiri demands for an autonomous existence. But, historically, federalism hasnat always adequately redressed the grievances of disaffected ethnic minorities. Here, I concur with Robert G. Wirsingas observation that, awhile autonomy seems to imply less self-rule than does the term confederalism, for instance, it is generally understood to imply greater self-rule than federalism, which as in the American case, need not cater to ethnic group minorities at alla (2003: 199). Given Kashmiras treacherous political climate and the rampant political factionalism in that region, the appeal of an ambiguous aautonomya remains intact for some groups but for others, as has been forcefully pointed out to me by a couple of political scientists, it is a wrong narrative to establish in the case of Kashmir. The dismal truth is that the wish to establish the legitimacy of self-determination or autonomy vis-A -vis J & K is not universal. The current political discourse in the state has strayed far from home. Nyla Ali Khan is a member of the Harvard-based Scholars Strategy Network. She is the author of The Fiction of Nationality in an Era of Transnationalism (Routledge 2005); Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir (Palgrave Macmillan 2010); The Parchment of Kashmir, ed. (Palgrave Macmillan 2012); The Life of a Kashmiri Woman (Palgrave Macmillan 2014). Date : 20/07/2016 To, Honorable Mr. Narendraji Modi, Prime Minister of India New Delhi-110001 Subject : Extreme delay in finding the culprits and mastermind behind the brutal murder of Shahid Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Comrade Govind Pansare and Prof. Dr. M. M. Kalburgi Inquiry of anti national & anti constitutional radical organization, Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Jan Jagarn Samiti Respected Prime Minister, You must be aware that renowned Rationalist and Founder President of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samitee (MANS) Dr. Narendra Dabholkar was brutally murdered in Pune on 20th August 2013. Dr. Narendra Dabholkar dedicated whole of his life for inculcating scientific temperament in the society for the values described in the Indian Constitution. He was also founder member and editor of Sadhana weekly for 12 years which is a renowned magazine dedicated for social reforms in Maharashtra established by Sane Guruji. Though thirty five months have been passed there is no progress in the investigation. We strongly feel that the murders of rationalist Comrade Govind Pansare in Kolhapur seventeen months back and Prof. Dr. M. M. Kalburgi in Dharwad eleven month back could have been prevented if the murderers of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar were nabbed in time. We want to bring to your notice that the neglect of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar murder case by CBI. If we compare just the manpower allotted to Dr. Narendra Dabholkar case, vise a vise cases like Sheena Bora and Vyapam the neglect is evident. In sharp contrast to these cases, Dr. Narendra Dabholkar murder case there are only four officers of CBI in the investigating team despites of the repeated requests by the family to increase the manpower. Hence we sincerely urge you that, Dr. Narendra Dabholkar murder case which should be supervised by the joint director level officer posted in Mumbai or Pune. We also want to bring to your notice the stern action government of Bangaldesh has taken against the peace TV and Mr. Zakir Naik in reference to the lack of action against the hate mongering articles in the mouth piece of Sanatan Santha & Hindu Janjagaran Samitee and also on their website. As all the investigating agencies are pointing fingers towards these organizations as prime suspects, we urge you to take legal action against Daily Sanatan Prabhat and their website. We also want to bring to your attention the extreme delay caused by National Investigative agency (NIA) in investigation of Madgaon Bomb blast in 2009. Four sadhak of Sanatan Santha & Hindu Janjagaran Samitee namely Rudra Patil, Sarang Akolkar, Pravin Limbkar and Jayprakash Hegade are prime suspects of NIA from this case are absconding since 2009 till date. Their names are repeatedly mentioned as suspects in the investigation of above three murders. We request you to ask NIA to fast track the investigation of Madgaon bomb blast case in light of the new evidence coming forward form the investigation of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar case. Itas really disappointing that despite of repeated efforts our delegation of family members of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar and office bearers of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samitee (MANS) have not succeeded in getting your appointment. We sincerely urge you to give an appointment to our delegation at earliest, so we can bring the delay in the investigation to your notice in person. We also want to bring it to your notice the support to organizations suspected by the state in Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Comrade Govind Pansare and Prof. Dr. M. M. Kalburgi murder case, are getting support by certain members of your ruling party in Maharashtra. We urge you to direct Chief Minister of Maharashtra to look into this matter urgently and also give directions to your party workers about not supporting such anti constitutional forces which are supporting violence on the name of religion. We sincerely urge you to urgently look into the matter so no more murders of rationalist happen in this country and the people who take law in their hands are dealt firmly. Against violence, due to gender, caste, religion and language etc., we are conducting a national level awareness campaign aAgainst Violence, Towards Humanitya , during 20 July to 20 August 2016. Yours sincerely, (Avinash Patil) Executive President, MANS, Maharashtra Madhav Bawage, Sushila Munde, Milind Deshmukh, Prashant Potadar Principal Secretary, MANS, Maharashtra Hamid Dabholkar, Shahaji Bhosale, Nadkishir Talashilkar, Gajendra Surkar Sate Secretary, MANS, Maharashtra Prof. Sudesh Ghoderao Secretary (Jt.), National Co-Ordination, MANS, Maharashtra Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Aug-03-2016 18:10 TweetFollow @OregonNews Iowa Man Gets 70 Years for Theft Scheme and Producing Child Pornography "A Predator in Every Sense of the Word" Bradley Prucha used counterfeit bar codes such as this one to cause retail merchandise to ring up below cost. Pruchawho also sexually exploited his teenage accomplices in the multi-state retail theft schemewould then return the items for their full price or sell them online at a significant profit. (DES MOINES, IA) - When a federal judge in Iowa sentenced 39-year-old Bradley Prucha to 70 years in prison last month, it was clear the intention was to ensure the registered sex offender with a long criminal history spend the rest of his life behind bars. Among other charges, Prucha was convicted of being the ringleader of a multi-state retail theft scheme, producing child pornography, distributing a prescription narcotic to minors, and witness tampering. This man left a tremendous wake of victims and broken lives behind him, said Special Agent Kevin Kohler, who investigated the case from the FBIs Omaha Division. He is a predator in every sense of the word. In 2013, Prucha was released from a Florida prison for a retail theft scheme involving the use of counterfeit UPC bar code stickers. He placed bogus stickers on merchandise so items would ring up at a lower price. After purchasing the items, he then returned them for their full price or sold them online at a significant profit. During his incarceration, his ex-wife relocated to Iowa, bringing their son with her. Prucha followed her there from Florida to fight for custody of the child, renting a room from a woman in Des Moines. Within a week, he had enlisted his new landlord in another bar code switching scheme. He saw that the woman was desperate for money, Kohler said, and persuaded her they could both profit from his plan. Using specialized software obtained under false pretenses, Prucha printed counterfeit bar codes and, along with his accomplice, went shopping in Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska. At his direction, the woman placed counterfeit bar codes over existing bar codes so that, for example, a $400 electronics item would ring up for $49. Prucha later recruited a 15-year-old girl he met through his ex-wife to participate in the scheme. Eventually, several of the teenagers female friends were also recruited. Prucha was required to report monthly to his probation officer in Florida. He made the trip by car, taking the teens and hitting stores along the way. He provided the girls with the prescription drug Xanax and paid them to have sex with him. On several occasions, he filmed sexually explicit videos of himself with the minors. He also threatened them with violence when one girl learned about the videostaken without her knowledgeand said she was going to call the police. For the most part, these were vulnerable teenage girls who didnt have stable home lives, Kohler said. Prucha was able to recruit them by taking them on trips and buying them gifts and pretending to care about them when no one else in their lives did. In 2015, at a Barnes & Noble store in Chicago, Pruchas adult accomplice was arrested trying to make a fraudulent purchase. By that time, the theft ring had stolen so much merchandise from the chain that store security officers were on the lookout. The FBI was contacted, and the accomplice agreed to cooperate with authorities. She secretly recorded dozens of conversations in which Prucha detailed his criminal activity, including the sexual exploitation of the teenagers. After his arrest in June 2015, while he was in jail awaiting trial, Prucha offered a fellow prisoner money to contact the girls he had abused and offer to pay them to change their statements. The inmate instead contacted the FBI. On March 1, 2016, a jury convicted Prucha on multiple charges; three months later, a judge imposed the 70-year sentence. To see the system work and see justice served in a case like this is very satisfying, Kohler said, adding that Pruchas lengthy sentence was justified. There is no doubt in my mind that if he were released from prison, he would re-offend. Sources: FBI; DOJ Southern District of Iowa _________________________________________ Crime | Children | United-states | Most Commented on Articles for August 3, 2016 | Meeting Kansans at Carolyn's Essenhaus in Arlington Sawyer believes ethanol is a key factor of growth for farmers and the state Rupture is the latest film from writer-director Steven Shainberg (Secretary) and it had its world premiere at Fantasia. Shainberg often works with complex female characters and stories, and Rupture is no different. In the film, Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, Prometheus) plays a mother who's abrubtly abducted one day after dropping her son off at the ex's house for the weekend. She's drugged and wakes up in the back of a truck en route to a facility where she's kept imprisioned for experiements in fear. She discovers that she's not alone as she tries to escape her captors, who inject icky drugs into her and speak with hardly any emotion in frightening tale reminescent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I sat down with Shainberg for a virtual film school lesson on his latest production. Check out a clip from Rupture below the interview. Where did the idea for Rupture come from? Steven Shainberg: Originally it came from the idea to make a found footage movie about a person whos abducted by aliens and someone has a camera and that footage makes it into a movie. It takes place on the spaceship where they were abducted to; I was inspired by some extent by Paranormal Activity. What I found most inspiring about that film is when they put the camera down on the bureau and just let it sit there. As the idea evolved, it became more interested that the way I want a film to look is not a good fit for a found footage movie. I want production design and to move the camera. You want it to look like a movie. I want it to BE a movie! I was at your world premiere here at Fantasia, and you mentioned in the Q&A that a few things have changed since a screening in Berlin. What changed in particular? We re-did the ending and did a quite a bit of looping on the ending. It used to be two or three minutes longer and was a bit slower. What gets said was rewritten in the spots where it could be rewritten. I wanted to focus more on motherhood. One of the things the film is about is the difficulty of motherhood. I like that fact that her (Rapaces character Renee) transformation isnt complete at the end of the film, and that her motherly instinct kicks in. I like that the ending wasnt cut and dried. Exactly. The cut-and-dried version is too easy, and I dont think its truthful especially about transformation. I think there are residual parts of us that hang on. I think to do that with an actor like Noomi Rapace feels so electric, concrete, and real. When in editing, do you go through a number of cuts until youre happy? The process is different for everyone; how does it work for you? (Laughs.) Oh yeah! Its horrible! Heres the experience, and I think that any director will tell you this: in the beginning, you think its a disaster. Then you think,oh, this is starting to be something. Then you think youll never be able to fix the problems. Then you think, this is gonna be great! Youve solved everything. And then people come in and watch it in a screening, and then you think, I need to re-shoot a lot of this. You go through a spectrum of emotions from despair to euphoria. In terms of casting, well done! Did you have to search for a long time to find your cast? No. The advantage of low-budget filmmaking is that you cant afford to search long, but theres another advantage. If I made the movie with another million and all that money went to actors, Noomis character would be kidnapped and taken to a place with a bunch of recognizable people, and youd feel much more comfortable. So would Noomi, in a sense, if shed been in a room with a bunch of actors shed been around. But its not that Michael Chiklis isnt a name, and Leslie Manville is a major star as far as Im concerned. But the audience here and in most places wouldnt say, oh, its that person! That freed me to find an eclectic group thats from all over the globe. Another thing is, did you feel their personal Rupture? That doesnt mean that theyre a better actor than someone else, but means that youd feel something from them thats appropriate to this movie. Thats a very strange criteria that took awhile for me to communicate to my Toronto- and New York-based casting directors. They started bringing in people, and Id have to say, no, thats not right, and gear them towards character actors instead of very attractive people. It was a process of making a collage. The way that things were written in the script werent necessarily what I wanted, but I wanted the best people I could find. A 35-year-old African American male could turn into a 60-year-old Asian woman. What I wanted them to focus on wear finding the most interesting people possible. Thats whats compelling. I care that my group of people work together in ways that are interesting and surprising. Did this all take a very long time? No, this movie got made fast. My collaborator Brian Nelson and I wrote the script and re-wrote it quickly, and we got Noomi fast because I was working to get her into another film I was trying to get made. She wanted to do it, and we were getting the money at the same time, and it fell into place relatively quickly. Your sound design and score are wonderful, and really riveting in places. Have you developed a short hand when working with these crewmembers? I have a sound designer named Eugene Gearty whos worked with Ang Lee and Scorcese; hes THE reigning genius of the world. Hes also a great friend and he knows what I like. That said, theres a lot of trial and error and we worked for a long time to get sounds right. We had a big group on people in Toronto working on it, but all of it has to flow through one person. Nathan Larson, my composer, is one of the greats. He really understood the movie. It took a lot of work. We talk about: whats the feeling here? What do we need to see and feel? Noomi is going through an intense, almost religious experience. These sorts of ideas are the starting point for music and sound design. Theres a certain transformation for some characters in the film. What was the decision behind the CGI versus practical effects? The decision Id have to have had was more practical effects, but we couldnt afford the time. To some extent, we had to rely on saving time in preproduction. I think the last pass I got from the VFX people was number 47. It took a very long time to get through the technical aspects of working through those things. Theres always a fine line between how much time versus money you can afford. Thats right. The more you can get done practically, the better off youll be, but that really requires time, the actor, and the capacity to see whats working and whats not and youre going to have problems. Karim Hussains photography is absolutely gorgeous in Rupture. How did you meet and collaborate together? We were in Toronto and wanted to hire a Canadian DP. He was clearly the right guy open to experimenting and his stuff is phenomenal. His references, particularly with baroque Italian horror movies, was very helpful. He introduced me to a lot of old films that were enormously helpful. Stuff like Suspira and Mario Bava films? Yes, exactly! They were fascinating and beautiful films. In terms of lighting, that stuff we collaborated on together as the film evolved. Essentially, this idea came from the fact that the aliens eyes are very sensitive to light. So what does that mean in this place that theyve made for themselves? That was the freeing element we had to play with. Was the building where most of the film takes place a completely built by your team? Yes. Everything you see in interiors is a set. Theres a scene where Noomi is trying to escape and theres one little cylinder on the exterior of that building where she is everything else is completely digital. The bricks, the parking lot, the sky, the car It took a lot of work to get there. What was the biggest challenge of this production? Putting Noomi through what you see onscreen. It was hard to rely on myself to put Noomi through that and not back off, ease up, or say, yeah, thats okay. Thats tough when you adore someone, as I do Noomi. Im not inclined to be so rough, its not who I am. There are plenty of directors who get off on that, I think, but I dont. As we got closer to shooting that particular scene, I realized that this was going to be the hardest thing to do for me. You gotta be willing to do it; if you dont, the work suffers. Frankly, when I see the movie, I still think its not enough. I know that its enough, but I still couldve done more. Where are you screening next? FrightFest and Sitges, where were very excited to play. Thats where this movie belongs. Neither Heaven Nor Earth is an effective, minimalistic metaphysical thriller set in a battlefield of Afghanistan from a French visual artist/filmmaker, Clement Cogitore, in his feature film debut. It tells about French soldiers stationed in the Wakhan valley, an arid, remote mountain somewhere in Afghanistan, headed by Capt. Antares (The Dardennes Bros. regular Jeremie Renier). Through an army interpreter, they are keeping an uneasy relationship with nearby village folks, mostly sheep herders whom they are supposedly protecting from Taliban elements. First it's Antares's trusty German Shepherd, then two soldiers who were keeping the watch on the top of the south hill, who disappear without a trace one day. The platoon goes on a full alert; it could be the untrustworthy villagers who ominously keep leaving sacrificial lamb tied to a stake nearby or it could be enemy combatants' doing. The paranoia overtakes the post. Antares, a man of reason, tries to keep everything together until another soldier gets taken right in front of an already paranoid soldier who's expecting a baby back home any day. Then there is another unexpected development. A Taliban leader in the region, known as Sultan, wants to negotiate with Antares, assuming the French troops have their men, who also disappeared. After initial confusion, Antares OK's Sultan and his men's safe passage, despite objections from the soldiers, to the village where they ransack the place in vain, looking for their men. So after that, it is pretty clear that it wasn't Taliban nor the villagers who took the soldiers. There are some other forces that is in the works. The relationship between the village and French soldiers gets even more strained. The villagers who are caught on crossfire, finally speak up about the place soldiers are disappearing. It is a sacred ground, known as Allah's Valley. People and animals have been disappearing if they fall asleep on the ground. It's been happening long before the soldiers came. Soldiers report strange dreams where all the missing people are sleeping in a cave. After sending an unhelpful military chaplain home, equipped with night vision goggles and thermal detection cameras and with an unlikely aliance with the Sultan, Antares tries to get to the bottom of the phenomena. It's hard to believe the war in Afghanistan is still going on after 15 years. The Middle-East is a clusterfuck and the world is in total chaos, thanks to the destablizing effects of the whole region unequivocally caused by the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. With Neither Heaven Nor Earth, Cogitore creates an intriguing allegory of an unwinnable war. The film is a beautifully drawn, almost religious allegory that suggests there is a higher power looking down on us. Thankfully, Cogitore doesn't take the preachy route to do so. The film works well as a thriller, while its feet are firmly planted in real situations, with some striking symbolism thrown in. Neither Heaven Nor Earth is an unusual, elegant Afghan war thriller that gets its message across and even gives a salute to the hardworking military servicemen without any heavy political rhetoric. Neither Heaven Nor Earth opens on Friday, August 5 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center with other cities to follow. Dustin Chang is a freelance writer. His musings and opinions on everything cinema and beyond can be found at www.dustinchang.com If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). When local medical cannabis dispensary SPARC opened its elegant glass doors in SoMa six years ago, it was greeted with design awards and a flattering nickname for its chic aesthetic and professional atmosphere: the "Apple store of pot." But a Lower Haight expansion of SPARC has proved more contentious, pitting local business owners and organizations against each other amidst a background of rising rents, questions of neighborhood character, and even allegations of threats and intimidation between business operators. SPARC announced plans for its second retail location at 473 Haight Street last year. "We're really excited about taking the existing model and aesthetics of the original space and making it a smaller and more efficient operation," SPARC founder and president Erich Pearson told SFist at the time. "It'll be all the same elements and materials, with some refinements white oak counters, a similar but slightly different facade. It should be a nice addition to the neighborhood." The Lower Haight Merchants and Neighbors Association, or LoHaMNA, agrees and supports the business, but according to one merchant dozen local businesses disagree with that stance, with some saying that LoHaMNA doesn't speak for them. SPARC contends that the opponents in the neighborhood number less than five. With 150 signed letters of recommendation on the part of neighbors, as well as 150 more signatures from the immediate neighborhood achieved through outreach since last year, SPARC opened its "Farm Direct" cannabis pop-up several weeks ago. But one particularly vocal opponent of the location is, problematically, next-door business owner Azam Khan. Although a previous dispensary was already permitted at the location, the proprietor of Love Haight Computers has filed an Application for Discretionary Review to be considered at a Planning Commission meeting this week, blocking SPARC's anticipated remodel. "We believe that the operation of any MCD (Medical Cannabis Dispensary) in the Lower Haight district of San Francisco will be counter productive to the advancement of the neighborhood," Khan writes in his application, adding that "The smell of cannabis and the presence of an MCD adjacent to Love Haight Computers cause Love Haight Computers to appear unprofessional in a trade that demands professionalism." Khan, however, assures SFist he is not anti-marijuana. Unperturbed, SPARC spokesperson Joel Freston told Hoodline last week that "SPARC was issued a permit to operate by the Health Department on June 20th, 2016," and it's already proceeded to do so with Farm Direct. "[Farm Direct] is a simple, straightforward concept that allows us to bring a quality product directly to our local patient base ... [with] a curated selection of locally sourced cannabis." The space's previous occupant, Good Fellows, was a smoke shop with a license to sell medical marijuana that's grandfathered in and now applies to SPARC. It's unclear to what degree the business bothered Khan, who insists he still has a positive and even close relationship with its former owners. His complaint, instead, is this: According to Khan's knowledge, Good Fellows' rent was raised from just $2,700 to more than $10,000, leaving the business no choice but to fold. At that point, Khan claims his landlord assured him that the next tenant would not be a marijuana business, a promise that turned out to be false. Kahn then claims he started a Boys & Girls Club program in his basement, but SPARC contends he only did this in preparation to oppose their permit. Khan's Application for Discretionary Review of the project claims that Good Fellows was only partially an MCD, and that a full MCD should be treated as a separate matter. Across the street, Glass Key Photo owner Matt Osborne explains his objection to Hoodline. "There's a city loophole that they've been able to exploit that allows them to be, in this case, 509 feet away from an elementary school. The city ordinance is 1,000 feet from schools. If this was being treated as a new application, there's no way it ever would have been approved." Supporters, of whom there are many in the neighborhood, say that SPARC will provide a safer environment for medical cannabis sales, with a proven track record of security in SoMa. Tomorrow's hearing promises to bring together all of these players, and although the sale of cannabis is not even on the agenda it's merely the remodel which is to be considered the event promises to be a heated one. One major local figure, a part-owner and worker at Lo-Cost Meat and Fish Market (498 Haight Street) will be there to spearhead the discussion as "block captain," according to Khan: Pierre Pegeron, celebrated as a hero after he noticed a nearby fire in 2011, raising the alarm and helping to evacuate residents according to an article at the time in Haighteration. A longtime resident of the neighborhood, Haighteration quotes Pegeron as saying "if we all help each other, then this place is going to be a better place." SPARC's Pearson, however, has found someone who appears to be Pegeron to be less invested in neighborhood unity, and even threatening. "Various employees of SPARC and community members have been threatened with violence by a few of the [Discretionary Review] requesters. Specifically, a gentleman by the name of Pierre." Pearson declined to identify Pierre by his last name. Four different SPARC employees have separately reported that this same person has approached the business threateningly in the last two weeks, on four separate occasions, vocalizing threats against the business including "blowing the place up." "In an effort to ease tensions we waited to report these incidents to law enforcements until they became increasingly violent," he says. SFist has contacted SFPD to confirm the specifics of these allegations. "We find it a sad irony that those requesting [Discretionary Review] are the same people perpetuating this violence," Pearson concludes. Pegeron disputes that characterization. "I would never threaten anybody, that's not me," he tells SFist. "For me to hear this, that shows me how underhanded they can go." Instead, Pegeron feels disrespected and ignored by SPARC. "My issue is I've been here 40 years. I know the history. I'm Native American, French, and African American. When SPARC came in, they said they reached out... but they didn't reach out to my community." Like Khan, Pegeron associates marijuana with the area's history of drug use and violence and is concerned about its effect on local kids who might consume or resell it. "All I wanted [SPARC] to do was listen about the history of this place. Listen about how we came from being the drug capital of San Francisco and we got it all cleaned up... Good Fellows got robbed so many times it wasn't even funny. But [SPARC] don't want to listen to the history of it and they don't want to bring in the race thing, cause it doesn't affect them." Meanwhile, Lo-Cost Meat and Fish Market may soon find itself another changing aspect of the Lower Haight business community. Last year, Hoodline observed that the business' location was listed as "for rent" at $25,000 a month, a significant rent increase spells doom for Pegeron's business, though that could go down if there aren't any takers. "I've got two years left on my lease," Pegeron confides, "and I know good and goddamn well my rent is gonna go through the roof. Then, I'm out. It is what it is here in San Francisco. I had a good run," he says, "I've seen a lot." If the retail space does change hands, who's to tell how the neighborhood will change? One clue might come from that rental listing for what's now Pegeron's Market. "Corner Store Front - Used to be Bank of America with vault still intact... Excellent location for 'medicinal marijuana Dispensary'." Previously: Pot Boom: Two Local Dispensaries, SPARC And Apothecarium, Plot Expansions Officials yesterday released the autopsy of 19-year-old Dylan Noble, who, on June 25, was shot dead by Fresno police. According to ABC 7, the teen had alcohol and a substance associated with cocaine in his system factors which may have partially contributed to Noble's refusal to follow police commands before his death at a Chevron gas station. The autopsy, released by the Fresno County Sheriff Coroner's Office, states that Noble had a blood alcohol content of 0.12 and small amounts of benzoylecgonine which the channel refers to as "the primary component of cocaine" in his system at the time of his death. "We knew he had been consuming alcohol, we just didn't know what level it would be or how much alcohol he consumed," Chief Jerry Dyer of the Fresno Police Department told ABC 7. And while that may partially explain why Noble was supposedly acting strangely after being pulled over, it doesn't shed light on why police shot the teen, who mostly kept his hands at his waist. The Los Angeles Times reports that officers believed Noble was armed, and opened fire when he refused to drop an object that officers say they believed was a weapon it was a clear plastic box. Also, sadly, some of Noble's last words, likely because he was getting pulled over for what was not the first time and would face some serious trouble, were "I fucking hate my life," which officers on the scene allegedly interpreted to mean he was suicidal. An attorney representing Noble's family told the local ABC affiliate, "[That] doesn't mean you wanna die, it means you are kind of caught in a bad situation. He's pulled over, he's facing officers, he's thinking I'm going to get a DUI, and that might explain the comment." The fact that officers continued to shoot Noble even after he fell to the ground has outraged his friends and family. His father, Darren Noble, said the police were "trigger-happy." "Could they really think that this young man can reach into his waistband after he's already been hit, take aim at officers with guns trained on him-- that's preposterous," observed Stuart Chandler, an attorney representing Noble's mother. The Fresno County district attorneys office is investigating the shooting, and the results of that probe are expected by the end of the month. Related: 15 Years Of Officer-Involved Shootings In SF, By The Numbers A former San Francisco restaurant owner is out on bail today, after an arrest in Sonoma County for allegedly drugging then sexually assaulting a 16-year-old he met on social media. According to Petaluma Police Department spokesperson Lieutenant Danny Fish, 38-year-old Brett Aaron Niebergall was arrested Tuesday for the alleged assault on the underaged victim. Fish says that the victim "reportedly met Niebergall on a social media application and they began having electronic communications." (Citing the age of the victim and the nature of the alleged assault, police say that identifying characteristics of the victim, including gender, will not be released.) After a few days of online communication, police say, the two agreed to meet, and on July 30 the victim met Niebergall at his Petaluma home. "At some point during the meeting, the victim reported being drugged and then sexually assaulted by Niebergall," Fish says, and contacted the police two days later. Fish says that on Tuesday, police searched Niebergall's home, and "collected several items of evidence which supported the victims allegations." "During an interview of Niebergall at the scene, during the search warrant service, Detective Novello received statements from Niebergall which indicated intimate contact had occurred with the victim," Fish says. Niebergall was subsequently arrested, and was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of sodomy with the use of a controlled substance, oral copulation with the use of a controlled substance, contacting a minor to commit a felony, and unlawfully furnishing a controlled substance to a minor. Niebergall's name might be familiar to those who follow San Francisco's restaurant scene, for as the Chron notes, in recent years he was the co-owner of a Castro-area restaurant called Frisee and later owned a SF-based food truck called Southern Sandwich Co. The financial challenges that faced Frisee were detailed in this September, 2008 SF Chronicle piece. According to the article, Niebergall, who co-owned the restaurant with his brother, was "reared on a cattle ranch in the Texas Hill Country town of Bulverde and eventually "graduated from the California Culinary Academy." Though the Chron reports that Niebergall sacrificed his Castro apartment to cut costs, by the end of 2008, the struggling restaurant had shuttered. In June 2010, the brothers opened the Southern Sandwich Co. food truck, described by SF Weekly as "rolling homage to Southwestern road food." According to the food truck's Twitter account, the truck served customers throughout San Francisco and the nearby Bay Area. That business appears to have closed in November 2012, as its final tweet reads thusly: Truck has broken down: Sadly there will be no service today or tomorrow. Southern Sandwich Co (@SouthrnSandwich) November 29, 2012 Returning to the present, Fish says that Niebergall was released on $330,000 bail on Wednesday evening. The Petaluma Police department's investigation is ongoing, Fish says, but police are eager to hear from anyone who might have insights into the case. Those who do should contact PPD's Detective Lance Novello at 707-778-4334 or by email at [email protected] You can also submit an anonymous tip to them online here, or by texting 888777 with TIP PETPD at the beginning of your message. In their last regularly scheduled meeting before September, your San Francisco Supervisors eked out one final ballot measure for your consideration this November. It's on us to decide whether certain development projects just those in SoMa and the Mission should be required to replace arts and manufacturing space they displace through demolition or conversion. The board's vote was seven to four, as The Examiner reports with Jane Kim, Aaron Peskin, David Campos, Eric Mar, John Avalos, Norman Yee, and London Breed all in favor of letting voters decide the question. Why just SoMa and the Mission? As Kim put it at the meeting, "Due to some of the feedback that we've gotten over this process, we've have decided to limit this ordinance to the South of Market and Mission Neighborhood... having worked very closely with supervisor David Campos' office." Campos, along with Peskin, sponsored the measure, the Ex explains. Depending on the location of the spaces, 50, 75, or 100 percent of them would need to be replaced. Sharon Steuer, a Mission District-based artist, told the board that this is our first way to try and change the tide of our massive cultural loss. Its been devastating. Curbed cites the Planning Department, who note that commercial real estate prices are up 122 percent in five years, with office tenants willing and able to pay far more rent than Production, Distribution and Repair facilities. Scott Wiener, Kim's rival for a State Senate seat, was one dissenting vote, the others being Katy Tang, Malia Cohen, and Mark Farrell. Wiener called the measure extremely strict., adding that I think it will have a lot of impacts [that] people arent necessarily anticipating. I dont support this legislation in its current form. Many politicians, including a coalition of former SF mayors, have called on progressives not to overwhelm voters with ballot measures in November. But, as Steuer implored the board, "Why cant we be The City that solves this problem? Related: For Brava's Long-Planned Expansion, A Crowdfunding Campaign And Targeted Opening A man walking down a Richmond District sidewalk was knocked unconscious yesterday, by a fellow pedestrian who reportedly didn't even stop and check on the person he mowed down. It was 4:45 Wednesday, police say, when a 60-year-old man walked down a sidewalk near the intersection of Third Avenue and Clement Street. Suddenly, in what police are characterizing as an "aggravated assault," a man in his 30s ran straight into the pedestrian, knocking him to the ground. The older man was rendered unconscious by the fall, according to the police. The person who struck him fled on foot, and hasn't been seen since. In addition to being knocked out, the victim of the pedestrian-on-pedestrian collision suffered injuries to his eye. He was transported to San Francisco General for treatment, and is expected to survive. In a startling display of not making America great again, KRON 4 reports that the Republican mayor of Stockton has been arrested on a host of charges including recording confidential conversations and giving alcohol to minors. According to CBS 13, Mayor Anthony Silva's alleged actions are not those of a cool dude just looking to let some kids have a good time. Instead, in describing the contents of Silva's seized phone, officials claim that the mayor had something much more sinister in mind. "In one of the video clips [discovered on Silva's phone], it appeared that moments after the video began, the phone was set down, darkening the camera lens and thus only containing audio," a District Attorney press release picked up by CBS 13 reads. "That clip contains audio of a conversation between participants involved in a strip poker game that occurred in Silvas bedroom. The conversation between the participants indicated that they were naked. One of the participants was a 16 year old male." "The audio of the surreptitious recording clearly indicates that the participants did not want to be recorded," the release continues. "Witnesses also informed FBI agents that Silva provided alcohol to the participants, all of whom were underage, including a minor. Witnesses stated that Silva had supplied alcohol and made it available to a number of underage counselors at camp. This is not the first time Silva has been accused of creepy behavior. Fox 40 details a long list of allegations made against the Republican, including claims that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2011. In that case charges were never filed. Also, in 2015, Silva was inexplicably stopped and searched at SFO after a trip to China, and his "electronics" were seized. CBS 13 reports that Silva has now been charged with four different crimes: "eavesdropping on or recording confidential communications, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor and cruelty to child by endangering health." This is all unrelated to the fact that a gun Silva says was stolen from his home was used to kill a 13-year-old boy in 2015. Silva reported the gun stolen one month after the shooting. Silva was arrested Wednesday night at a youth camp for underprivileged kids and was booked into Amador County Jail this morning. Related: Stockton Man Defecates On Another Man's Yard, Brutal Double Stabbing Follows State health officials announced Thursday that two infants have been born in California with the severe birth defect associated with the Zika virus, microcephaly. According to the Sacramento Bee, both cases occurred sometime this year, but officials are declining to disclose where in the state the babies were born, or any further information about the infected mothers. In both cases, the pregnant women had traveled to foreign countries where the virus is currently more prevalent. And in one of the two cases, the new mother has returned with her affected infant to her unnamed home country. So far there have been no cases of the virus being transmitted within the state of California, or anywhere else in the US except Florida, where it's believed four cases were transmitted locally. So far out of 1,657 cases of Zika infections in the country, 114 of those have been reported in California across 22 counties, and all of them were travel-related infections. As the LA Times reports, Los Angeles County and San Diego County have both recorded the most cases thus far, with 24 and 23 respectively. The first San Francisco case came back in March. Dr. Karen Smith, director of California's Department of Public Health, tells the Bee that the state has been following 21 different cases of the virus in pregnant women here, including the two women who gave birth to babies with microcephaly. Smith tried to allay concerns about local transmissions, which are likely to be sexual transmissions, saying, "We have recognized since the beginning of the Zika event that we could see limited local transmission within California but we do believe that would be a very limited local transmission." The SF Chronicle recently said that while "the Bay Area will see its own locally acquired cases of Zika at some point," the chances of there being any kind of outbreak are very low. While there is still no vaccine, there are three in trials, and just today NBC News reported that the experimental vaccines being tested in monkeys and mice all "show promise." And, the vaccine is mostly a concern for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, since the effects of the virus are nil to mild on most everyone else. Previously: Officials: San Francisco Resident Tested Positive For Zika MOVILLE | Michelle Putze of Moville and Cole Coover of Salix were crowned queen and king of the Woodbury County Fair Wednesday night. "Im excited -- super excited, and surprised," Putze, a 2016 graduate of Woodbury Central High School, said after the ceremony. "Im really honored." Coover is a 2016 graduate of Westwood High School. Twelve contestants competed for spots on the royalty court for this year's fair. Lily Peschau, a 2016 graduate of Kingsley-Pierson High School, was crowned both Miss Congeniality and second princess at the event. Kiley Boeshart, who will be a junior at Heelan High School this fall, won the title of first princess. Paul Nelson, a 2016 graduate of Woodbury Central, earned Mr. Personality. Justin Beeson, 2016 graduate of River Valley High School, won second prince, and Colton Gray, also a 2016 River Valley graduate, took the title of first prince. The queen and king received $1,000 scholarships to the college of their choice. Princesses and princes each won $500 scholarships, and those bestowed with the title Miss Congeniality or Mr. Personality won $250 scholarships. Scholarship sponsors this year were Sloan State Bank and Goodlin Insurance Agency. Putze also received a bouquet of roses, a tiara, a sash and a trophy. Male winners received a hat (or, in Coover's case, a crown) and a plaque in addition to their scholarship. Putze, daughter of Matthew and Angie Putze of Moville, plans to attend Iowa State University in the fall as a history major. She hopes to teach high school history once she completes her schooling. Putze's favorite era of history to study is 1960s America. Putze is a nine-year member of the Arlington Future 4-H Club. She's been involved in track, cross country, quiz bowl, National Honor Society and TAG. Coover, son of Rob and Jen Ankerstjerne of Salix, will be attending Western Iowa Tech Community College this fall for an associate degree as a firefighter/paramedic. He is president of the Grant-Go-Getters 4-H Club, a member of the Woodbury County Council, an FFA member and a 4-H Super Bird winner. "My favorite part of the fair would have to be coming and enjoying a good time with your friends, meeting more people, and getting to show the animals that Ive worked with all year," Coover said. "Its a good time." Angie Schrunk, queen contest superintendent, has been involved with the fair since she was three years old and participating in 4-H. This will be her 12th and final year with the queen contest. "Obviously everyone that was here is a great representative of 4-H," Schrunk said. "They are great citizens and leaders in their communities, and we couldnt be more proud of the candidates that were here." SIOUX CITY | Andrew Shim appreciates a good challenge, even though sometimes those challenges pit him against seemingly insurmountable odds. Shim is the Briar Cliff graduate program director of kinesiology and human performance. His desire for a good test and determination against tough circumstances contributed to his status as the National Strength & Conditioning Association State Director of the Year. Shim said hes taken the role of underdog his entire professional life, but he recalls a time just months ago where he would be tested more than ever. Thanksgiving weekend, Shim was in Sioux Falls when he was struck by a drunk driver. Suffering broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken clavicle and unconsciousness, Shim faced nearly five months of recovery and medical leave. But within a couple of months, he was back at Briar Cliff to help lead the kinesiology and human performance graduate programs. Now, less than eight months after the crash, Shim boasts the title of director of the year. He received the designation at the NSCAs annual conference in New Orleans last month. A director is in charge of bringing programs and training related to strength and conditioning to his or her respective region. Shim takes responsibility for North and South Dakota. As director, he set up state conferences, wrote publications and provided presentations for anything and everything in the strength and training field. Spreading his knowledge of strength and conditioning is why hes embraced his role as state director. The awards and accolades are things that just happen to follow as a result. Never once did I think I was going to win, he said. This is something you do to do the best job you can and help others. His contributions to strength training and kinesiology extend beyond his service with the NSCA. Hes used his knowledge and passion for research to build programs at colleges and universities throughout the country. At Briar Cliff, hes helped produce publications, bring new research methods to the program and has overseen the addition of state-of-the-art equipment including a body pod, which quickly and accurately measures changes in a bodys health and function. Research, he said, is a big tool for his students. Currently, the program is analyzing how pedal-less bikes can improve the balance in children on the autism spectrum. He said projects like that will provide students with tools they may not be able to get at other programs. It gives them the edge that other schools cannot provide, he said. You can get all those advanced degrees, but it doesnt mean you can do research. Its finding the right idea. But one of Shims main lessons he aims to teach his undergrad and graduate students goes beyond research, goes beyond the basics of kinesiology and beyond the steps to get a degree. Students here recognize its not about the almighty dollar, he said. Its fulfilling to do what we do for happiness. SIOUX CITY | The once-a-year chance for shoppers in Iowa to expand their wardrobes tax free returns this weekend. The state's annual sales tax holiday starts at 12:01 a.m. Friday and runs through midnight Saturday. During the two-day period, retailers waive sales tax on most clothing and shoes priced below $100. The exemption includes the 5 percent state sales tax and 1 percent city and county sales taxes. In Woodbury County, for example, shoppers save 7 percent, or $7 on an item priced $100. Deb Speckmann, owner of What Women Want Boutique in Sioux City, looks forward to the weekend. I think everybodys just excited to save a little bit of money, Speckmann said. A lot of people think its just Oh, Ill get my kids school clothes, but its really for everybody I have a lot of teachers and secretaries that take advantage of it. James Clakeley, marketing director for Southern Hills Mall, said the tax free weekend is always huge for the Sioux City shopping center. The tax free weekend is the malls second largest shopping weekend of the year, behind the Black Friday Thanksgiving holiday, he said. We continue to have great appeal to budget and style-conscious shoppers, so with the tax-free incentive we do see a huge increase, Clakeley said. Torrey Wingert, vice president and chief financial officer of Sioux City-based Bomgaars, said the weekend is good for its chain of stores in Iowa, too. Getting over the slow of spring and summer, its a nice little bump, Wingert said. People are just getting ready for fall, thinking ahead to what theyll need to try and take advantage of the savings. While Bomgaars does not offer some of the traditional back-to-school items associated with tax-free weekend, it does still see a surge in purchases during the weekend. Were more of a work wear place and we dont have a lot of fashion or kids clothing, Wingert said. A lot of people are coming in to buy the basics blue jeans and leather boots, stuff like that. Thats our big seller that weekend. SIOUX CITY | The gun carried by a Sioux City police officer who was shot in February will be subject to ballistics testing, a judge ruled Thursday. But District Judge Steven Andreasen said he would not order the testing be done by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation's crime lab. Prosecutors and Isaiah Mothershed's attorney, however, may use the lab if testing can be completed in time for Mothershed's Sept. 13 trial for shooting Sioux City police Officer Ryan Moritz after being arrested for a string of burglaries and break-ins. Mothershed is accused of pulling a concealed gun from a couch while handcuffed and shooting Moritz in the leg on Feb. 7 while waiting to be transported to jail. In an ensuing struggle with officers, a second shot struck Mothershed in the leg. Defense attorney Matthew Metzgar requested ballistics testing of Moritz' weapon because tests of the bullets that struck Moritz and Mothershed were inconclusive that they were fired by the Glock 23 that Mothershed is accused of firing. During a hearing on Wednesday in Woodbury County District Court, Metzgar said his preference is to have the tests on Moritz' gun done by the DCI's crime lab, which tested the gun that authorities say Mothershed used. If the lab can not complete testing of Moritz' gun in time, Metzgar said he would find an independent examiner that could. Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings has called the testing request "frivolous" because Moritz's primary and secondary weapons were examined after the incident, and it was determined neither had been fired and both were fully loaded. Jennings also said tests showed the bullets from the gun believed to have been used in the shooting both had the same rifling characteristics as the bullets test-fired from the weapon. In his ruling, Andreasen ordered the prosecution to make Moritz' weapon and the two bullets available to the defense for testing to be done at the defense's expense. Mothershed, 19, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree robbery. He is accused of not only shooting Moritz but also firing a shot at a homeowner who interrupted a break-in. Mothershed is accused of four separate robberies or break-ins that occurred from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6. Five co-defendants have pleaded guilty to their involvement in some or all of the robberies. A sixth was recently charged and has pleaded not guilty. SIOUX CITY | Robert Seaberry told a judge Thursday that he wasn't being himself when he participated in three robberies earlier this year. Seaberry, 20, of Sioux City, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of third-degree burglary for his role in the home invasions and robberies from Feb. 2-6 in which he, Isaiah Mothershed and others entered homes and threatened occupants with guns in an attempt to steal items. Seaberry said during his plea hearing that he was armed with a shotgun during one of the robberies and a pistol in the others. At one home, they stole marijuana from the occupants, whom they had moved to the basement and threatened at gunpoint. "I've just got to live and hope they forgive me later in life," Seaberry told District Judge Ackerman in Woodbury County District Court prior to receiving a 20-year prison sentence. He must serve at least 10 years before he's eligible for parole. Ackerman sentenced Seaberry according to terms of a plea agreement in which Seaberry's charges were reduced from three counts of first-degree robbery, which each carried a 25-year prison sentence. As part of his plea agreement, Seaberry has agreed to testify against Mothershed. Mothershed, 19, of Sioux City, is charged with shooting a Sioux City police officer in the leg on Feb. 7 while he awaited transport to jail. He also faces charges linked to four robberies, three of which Seaberry was involved in. Mothershed is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 13 on two counts of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree robbery. In addition to being charged with shooting a police officer, he is accused of firing a shot at a homeowner who was chasing him after interrupting one of the break-ins. Seaberry was the first of five co-defendants who have pleaded guilty to their roles in some or all of the robberies to be sentenced. A sixth co-defendant was recently arrested and has pleaded not guilty. STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Laurens, Iowa, man was arrested after police say he attempted to wire counterfeit bills in an attempt to begin a romantic relationship. Wade Hartley, 45, was charged with two counts of felony forgery. A release issued by the Storm Lake Police Department said police responded to the Wal-Mart in Storm Lake because a Hartley was trying to pass several counterfeit $100 bills. Upon questioning, Hartley said he met a woman from Ghana online and she sent him two packages containing several thousand dollars in fake money, the release said. Hartley told police that he was told if he transferred the money back to the woman, it would lead to a romantic relationship between the two. The release said Hartley was believed to have known the money was counterfeit and followed through with the transfer and also kept some of the money for his own use. Police secured $1,900 in counterfeit $100 bills from Wal-Mart. Hartley was also in possession of $300 in fake bills. The police department has urged community members to be on the lookout for counterfeit bills, as some may still be in circulation. SIOUX CITY | Repairs to second-floor Woodbury County Courthouse courtrooms are causing problems scheduling trials in which parties to the lawsuit, judges and juries may participate. "We were this close to having a trial in the basement today, because we are short a courtroom," Leesa McNeil, administrator for Iowa's 3rd Judicial District Court, said Thursday during a meeting of county officials discussing the repairs. The county's Courthouse Advisory Committee for Historical Preservation met for nearly two hours to discuss getting the courthouse in good shape for the 100th anniversary of the building in 2018. Repairs have been ongoing for a few months on courtroom 203, while more fixes will be needed in the near future for rooms 201, 207 and 209. Shane Albrecht of Des Moines-based The Baker Group, the county consultant for the repairs, said the courtroom 203 repairs will take one month longer than initially estimated, moving near mid-September, or about 120 days. Walter acknowledged "the stress we've put on the court system." More positively, he said lessons learned from fixing 203 could mean the other courtrooms can be repaired more quickly. "Maybe a 30-day prospect?" McNeil asked. Walter said that timeframe could not be met, but he estimated each courtroom likely would need two months for repairs to be completed. "I see that process going much faster, more like that 60-day window," Walter said. For now, workers are handling repairs in Courtroom 203, and the cost could run to $175,000. The supervisors have set aside $450,000 in the 2016-17 fiscal year capital improvements budget for courtroom repairs. In room 203, a marble window framing section fell off and windows bowed out, so the supervisors in April declared that an emergency situation existed and ordered repairs. A 6-foot marble section detached from the window assembly. The room is not being used for court cases, as it is covered in plastic sheets as work continues. As for the new concerns, there are problems in courtrooms 201, 207 and 209. Room 207 may be the worst of those three, with metal window frames having deteriorated. Committee members and county supervisors Mark Monson, Matthew Ung and Jackie Smith also discussed the 100th anniversary of the courthouse, as county officials want to have events for the building that opened on March 31, 1918. Designed by famed architect William Steele, the courthouse at 620 Douglas St. was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1996. It's considered the largest publicly owned prairie school-design building in the world. No date for centennial events has been set, but Smith said it could be several days. Many county officials said they want tours to show visitors the grandeur of the distinctive building. Smith and others said they want the events to show people how the courthouse used to function, with early 20th century office equipment such as typewriters. "Or the coroner's old table," McNeil interjected. Committee member Jim Jung, chair of the Sioux City Historic Preservation Commission, said key pieces will be to create a courthouse anniversary logo, memorabilia to sell and, perhaps, a time capsule to bury. Editor's note: An earlier version of this story contained the wrong surname for for Shane Albrecht of The Baker Group. We believe in a limited role for the federal government in the lives of Americans, but some functions of Washington, D.C., are an absolutely essential federal responsibility. National defense is one, for example. Another is national health, including efforts to fight emerging disease threats, such as the Zika virus, which causes brain defects in infants born to infected mothers. As of today, Congress isn't fully satisfying its latter obligation. On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an unprecedented travel warning, advising pregnant women and their partners not to travel to an area just north of downtown Miami where Zika is circulating. The warning came after 10 additional people in Florida were found to have been infected with the Zika virus after having been bitten by local mosquitoes, bringing the total in the state to 14. The warning marked the first time the CDC advised people not to travel to an American neighborhood due to an infectious disease, according to CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. On Tuesday, Florida health officials raised the number of locally transmitted Zika infections in the state to 15 and reported three new travel-related Zika infections, raising the statewide total of people who acquired the Zika virus abroad to 336. This week's news should make every member of Congress sit up and take notice. In February, President Obama requested $1.9 billion in funds to combat Zika, including pursuit of a vaccine. Congress debated, but failed before its summer recess began to pass a $1.1 billion compromise funding bill. The Zika funding bill, attached to a larger, unrelated funding bill, fell victim to the usual political gamesmanship and finger pointing to which Americans have become accustomed in our Capitol, including attachment to the larger bill of several political hot potatoes. Congress must do better. We believe no chance exists for a return of Congress before the Sept. 5 end of its summer recess to debate funding for Zika. However, we hope when lawmakers do get back to work, they commit, in bipartisan and determined fashion, to meeting their responsibility for protection of public health by producing a bill with additional money to fight the growing Zika challenge as a matter of first priority. DES MOINES | Iowa is becoming a regular stop on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps travel schedule. Trump is slated to appear at a town hall rally in Des Moines on Friday afternoon after holding similar events in Davenport and Cedar Rapids last week that drew large crowds of supporters. Fridays 3 p.m. appearance at the Iowa Events Center reportedly will include running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who would be making his first stop in Iowa since earning the vice presidential nomination at last months Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Advance work was underway Wednesday in preparation for Trump's appearance, said Eric Branstad, state director for Trumps Iowa campaign, and a large turnout again was anticipated based upon the buzz from Iowans contacting the campaigns headquarters. Ive never seen anything like this before, said Branstad, who noted how he, his father, Gov. Terry Branstad, and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst marveled at the excitement Trump generated during his Iowa stops last week. Its more like a rock concert with this standing-up passion from the folks that are coming to these. Weve never seen excitement like weve seen with these events, ever. Not in my lifetime. Branstad said he expected more visits from the Trump-Pence ticket in the future as well as both Republicans and Democrats include Iowa on their list of swing states critical to landing the 270 electoral votes needed to seal the 2016 presidential election. Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire marked the occasion of Trumps return to Iowa by contrasting him with her partys 2016 presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. "This week, Hillary Clinton laid out a five-point plan to build an economy that works for everyone -- not just those at the top -- that includes the largest investment in job creation the United States has seen since World War II, she said. On the other hand, all Donald Trump has done this week is insult a gold star family, evade questions about why he manufactures products overseas, and kick a mother and her crying baby out of one of his rallies, McGuire added. Officials with the Clinton campaign said they did not have any information concerning any Iowa travel plans for the candidate since she landed her partys 2016 nomination during last weeks Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. A bare butt -- er -- bones business approach SIOUX CITY | Everyone has a business pitch but its always a good idea to know your audience first. A Sioux City man who rubbed his bare buttocks at an undercover police officer faces charges for prostitution. Martize Boyd, 28, was arrested and charged with prostitution, an aggravated misdemeanor. Court documents say Boyd approached an undercover police officer Wednesday and asked if he had any money and offered the officer sex when told "yes." The documents say the officer asked Boyd how much $100 would get and Boyd told the officer $100 gets you all of this while pointing at his exposed buttocks. To further entice the officer, Boyd asked the officer several times to rub his titty. He told the officer to meet down the block. Boyd was also charged with furnishing a contraband substance to an inmate and interference with officials acts. Drunk and DumB.B. SIOUX CITY | Drinking and guns don't mix. Drinking and fake guns, still bad. Drinking, fake guns and burglary -- a terrible idea. A Sioux City man has been charged with attempted first-degree burglary after police say he tried to break into an apartment on Court Street while he was holding a BB gun in his waistband and was under the influence of alcohol. According to court documents, 28-year-old Jonathan Michael Boggs, of Sioux City, arrived at an apartment building in the 1300 block of Court Street around 7 p.m. Tuesday with a black BB gun in his waistband. Documents say he attempted to kick in the door at the location to reach a male victim, who Boggs believed owed him money. Boggs was intoxicated, documents say. Boggs was arrested and charged with public intoxication and attempted first-degree burglary, a class C felony. He is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on $10,000 bond. His next court date is Friday. Payment network Dwolla today, Aug. 4, announced a new addition to its platform, Dwolla ACH API. The new API integrates ACH (automated clearing house) features into daily business processes and gives smaller businesses access to the same type of automated payment transfer management previously available only to larger corporations. Dwollas goal in creating the new tool, according to Jordan Lampe, director of communications and policy affairs for Dwolla, who spoke to Small Business Trends by phone, was to modernize ACH and bring it into the 21st century, to operate in line with other digitized business processes. ACH has many positive aspects, Lampe said. Its ubiquitous, low-cost and flexible compared to credit cards. On the flip side, it has no API associated with it; there are no webhooks (notification features) and no way to automate its integration into other platforms. Its a 40-year-old financial transaction network that is not compatible with modern digitized business tools and practices. Dwolla made a name for itself in the small business world a few ago by reducing payment transaction fees, compared to credit card readers and payment providers such as Square and PayPal. While the company still retains that focus, in recent years Dwolla seized upon a new opportunity by converting its payment network into a platform with which other platforms can integrate via APIs. (API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of tools used to build software applications.) Not a Tool for Small-Small Businesses Lampe clarified that the new tool is not something small-small businesses could use but is intended for bigger companies that process several hundred ACH transactions per month, and that need a better, easier and faster way to manage them. Business with one-bookkeeper, HR person or executive assistant would likely defer to paying a premium for an ACH product through an existing Freshbooks or Sage-like platform, Lampe said. But as the company scales and needs to coordinate 500 to 600 payments a month to and from employees, vendors and clients, a more integrated backend process might be necessary. He cited, as an example, a company that has a website to take online orders from customers or a mobile web app for employees to issue invoices and track jobs. They may want an integrated ACH solution to automate all of that, Lampe said. Thats where Dwollas API would come in and help them save boatloads of time and money. How Dwolla ACH API Tool Works According to Lampe, some programming is required to integrate the ACH API tool into a business process, so its not turn-key right out of the box. Once set up, however, no further technical know-how is needed. A single administrative dashboard contains all the information and presents it in a visual orientation that includes charts and graphs. Users can quickly look up and edit customer information from within the dashboard. Customer and transaction data will be arranged in a way that provides a straightforward look at the health of the business and makes it easy to establish and analyze business trends over time, a post on the official Dwolla Blog explains. Other features include the ability to search for and view transaction details to assist in the reconciliation process and to run basic accounting and business operations faster. Small businesses buy ACH access from banks and credit unions all the time, Lampe said. Were offering them no-tech-know-how required tools (with free transactions) or tech-powered small businesses with APIs in ways that are modern and efficient. Tech Platforms Primary Audience While small businesses can use the ACH API tool, the primary target audience consists of technology platform providers that wish to integrate payment processing management in a white label fashion (no Dwolla branding appears). The blog post announcing the new tool says, Today, we released an intuitive new dashboard for White Label partners to manage customers, view transaction details, and discover business trends. The partners to which the post refers, are, for the most part, technology platform providers. For example, RentMonitor uses Dwollas platform to facilitate ACH payments between tenants and landlords; Goat, a mobile retail marketplace, relies on it to process transactions between buyers and sellers; and Popular Pays, an Instagram advertising network, utilizes it to automate payouts from brands directly into ad creators bank accounts. Dwolla ACH API Cost, Benefits Dwollas new ACH API tool comes with a steep price tag: $1500 per month, according to the companys website. However, for those that need an easier way to process and monitor a high volume of ACH transactions or integrate with other platforms, the cost may be very worthwhile particularly considering the benefits, which include the ability to: See Also: PayPal Here and Invoice2go Simplify How Businesses Take Credit Card Payments Integrate and manage ACH with other platforms more easily; Reduce manual processes and save on per transaction fees (Dwolla charges no transaction fees); Easily manage customers, view transaction details and discover business trends; Onboard customers without handling their sensitive bank account information; Offload any necessary identity verification requirements to the platform; Monitor for fraud and risk in the network; Remove the need for white label partners to build a customized dashboard; Integrate payment status updates to communicate with end-users, and more. The new ACH API tool is available for use now. Visit the Dwolla website to learn more. When you get a customer complaint, how fast do you respond? You may have been told customer complaints should be resolved as soon as possible and thats probably true. But would it surprise you to learn most customers have been trained to put up with a wait of between one and three days to have their complaints addressed? Thats according to new data from GetFiveStars, a company thats created a platform encouraging small businesses to get feedback and reviews from its customers. GetFiveStars co-founder Mike Blumenthal surveyed a group of 480 adults about how long they expect a local company to respond to a complaint. While 38 percent said a local business should respond to a customer complaint within one day, that wasnt the real shocker. No, that came when a surprising 30.3 percent of those responding to Blumenthals survey said they believed three days was enough time to respond. Really? That means two-thirds of your customers, presumably, dont expect you to respond to their complaint right away. It seems like a long time to let a complaint fester. And Blumenthal believes small businesses can thank big companies for lowering the bar. Blumenthal told Small Business Trends, The consuming public have very low expectations. He suspects that the approach taken by big businesses particularly those that exist with little or no competition (like cable companies) have trained the average consumer not to expect rapid response. And some customers seem content to let their complaints go even longer than that without resolution. GetFiveStars data reveals 12.5 percent of customers dont really expect a company to get back to them to resolve their issue in less than a week. These are some understanding customers indeed! Exceeding Customer Expectations is Easy if You Address Complaints Quickly But just because customers have been trained to put up with long waits to get their issues resolved doesnt mean you should make them wait. Blumenthal explains. Its not about excellence. Its about exceeding expectations. If you want to stand out from the competition particularly big companies that make customers feel like their concerns dont matter then get in front of complaints right away. GetFiveStars data shows that only 15.9 percent of those responding expect a company to get back to them in just one to three hours. While only 1.9 percent say they expect an immediate response. But remember, this is only about what customers have been trained to expect from the companies with whom they do business. What would happen if your business went the extra mile? How much good will could you generate for your business by addressing problems within hours instead of within days? Well, a lot, it seems. Blumenthals data suggests 90 percent of customers whose complaints were addressed quickly and who felt their problems had been resolved to their satisfaction, would remain loyal to that business. Youre winning the battle for loyalty, he explains. The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless. The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well. By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism. Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.After two American soldiers were murdered by an Islamic terrorist in Afghanistan while a crowd of protesters shouted Death to Americans and Death to Infidels, General Allen visited his men.There will be moments like this when youre searching for the meaning of this loss. There will be moments like this when your emotions are governed by anger and a desire to strike back, Allen pleaded. Now is not the time for revenge, now is not the time for vengeance. General Allen had already apologized to the killers for the desecration of the Koran by American soldiers who had been destroying copies of the hateful document being used by Taliban prisoners to send notes to each other. "I offer my sincere apologies for any offence this may have caused, to the president of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan," he had whined.The noble people of Afghanistan were the ones chanting Death to America and Death to Infidels.Meanwhile General Allen was telling the American soldiers grieving the loss of their own that the real tragedy was the destruction of the terrorist books. Now is how we show the Afghan people that as bad as that act was in Bagram, it was unintentional and Americans and ISAF soldiers do not stand for this.Then Allen said that he was proud to call General Sher Mohammad Karimi my brother. Karimi, was the Afghan military strongman who had defended previous attacks on NATO troops and demanded that the American soldiers be put on trial.We admit our mistake, General Allen cringingly continued. We ask for our forgiveness.Then he praised the Holy Koran. Six American military personnel faced administrative punishments for doing their duty in order to appease the murderous Islamic mob in all its nobility in Afghanistan.This was typical of General Allens disgraceful tenure. It is also typical of his post-military career which has included a prominent spot at Brookings and a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention. After his enthusiastic endorsement of Hillary and attacks on Trump, Hillary has insisted that anyone who criticizes Allen is not fit to be president because Allen is a hero and a patriot.If theres anyone who is an expert on heroism and patriotism, its Hillary.Allens heroic post-military career brought him to Brookings. The road from the think tank runs to Qatar which donated nearly $15 million to promote its agenda. That agenda took General Allen to its US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar.Allen praised the magnificent institutions of Qatar. He endorsed the mobilization of the Jihadist terror groups known as Popular Mobilization Forces, some of whom have American blood on their hands and are owned and operated by Iran. Allen insisted that many PMF fighters are not Shia-hardliners but Iraqis who volunteered last summer, answering Grand Ayatolah Ali Sistantis fatwa to defend Iraq.Then Allen sank to a new unimaginable low by urging compassion toward ISIS Jihadists from abroad.We must strive to be a Coalition of compassionate states, Allen insisted. There is no denying that many societies find the idea of rehabilitating foreign fighters objectionable. And indeed, those who have broken the laws of our lands must be held accountable. But long-term detention cannot be the sole means of dealing with returning foreign fighters.Then he touted deradicalization and reintegration programs by Muslim countries for Jihadists.Allen claimed that seeing the Muslim faith practiced and lived in Afghanistan had made him a better Christian. But his messaging wasnt surprising considering his employment and his location.Qatar was a key international state sponsor of terror.Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, had been tipped off by a member of the Qatari royal family. The same Qatari royal family whose shindig Allen had shown up to perform at. Their terrorist media outlet, Al Jazeera, had been Al Qaedas media drop outlet of choice.Qatar is a strong backer of Hamas. It has been accused of funding Al Qaeda. More recently its been linked to backing Al Qaedas local platform in Syria, the Al Nusra Front. The Taliban opened an office in Qatar. Even an early ISIS leader got his start with patronage from Qatars royal family.A strong backer of the Arab Spring, Qatar exploited the chaos by aggressively smuggling weapons to Jihadists in the region. Two years ago, a bipartisan majority on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and its Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade had called for an investigation of Qatars links to terrorist funding.General Allens visit to Qatar was shameful. He was praising and pressing the flesh of the paymasters of Islamic terrorists whose hands were and are covered in American blood. Allen had betrayed the soldiers fighting against Islamic terrorists. He had betrayed his country and his cause. He is a traitor to both.Allens disgusting DNC performance was the climax of a series of betrayals. It is not the worst speech he has ever given. Nor is it the most dishonest or the most despicable.General Allen has gone from serving his country to serving the enemies of his country. That is the man whose endorsement Hillary Clinton is proudly waving around as if it is a badge of honor instead of a badge of shame.Allen is neither a hero nor a patriot. He is a man who has sold his soul to the highest bidder. Hillary Clinton has won this latest bid for Allens shopworn soul, alongside the tyrants of Qatar who trade in human slaves on a global scale. It is likely worth about as much as Hillarys own soul. Whatever tattered spiritual scraps are left of it.The mass deaths of American soldiers in Afghanistan under Obama still remains a largely untold story. It is the story of how Obama and his collaborators among the military elite sold out our soldiers and left them to die on the battlefield without allowing them to defend themselves so as not to offend the noble people of Afghanistan and their fine religious traditions.74.5% of American deaths in Afghanistan occurred under Obama. Countless more came home, crippled and scarred. While General Allen hobnobs at parties with Al Qaeda bosses, the men he betrayed come back in body bags.They are heroes. Allen is a traitor. WASHINGTON (Aug. 3, 2016)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., is being awarded acost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable contract to provide engineering and technical support services in support of the Naval Air Systems Command Systems Engineering Department. Services to be provided include systems engineering management, air/ship integration, systems safety, mass properties, survivability, manufacturing and quality, reliability and maintainability, electromagnetic environmental effects, anti-tamper, and mission engineering and interoperability. These efforts are focused across a broad business base comprised of Integrated Program Teams, Externally Directed Teams and Enterprise Teams, which support all Naval Air Programs. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River (98 percent); NAS Jacksonville (1.4 percent); and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (.6 percent), and is expected to be complete by July 2017. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement (Navy); fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy and Air Force); fiscal 2015 and 2016 weapons procurement (Navy); fiscal 2016 working capital funds; fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation; fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Navy); and foreign military sales funds are being obligated in the amount of $10,498,546, of which $1,084,583 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchase for the Navy ($39,006,761; 97.10 percent); the government of Japan ($536,028, 1.33 percent); the government of Australia ($271,440, 0.68 percent); the government of Saudi Arabia ($169,360, 0.42 percent); the government of Denmark ($99,760, 0.25 percent); the government of Norway ($77,920, 0.19 percent); and the government of Spain ($11,600, 0.03 percent). This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S Code 2304(c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2). The, is the contracting activity (N00421-16-C-0048)., is being awardedfor firm-fixed-price delivery order 0007 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001) for the procurement of Distributed Targeting System (DTS) A-kits and Operational Test Program (OPT) sets for F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft for the Navy and the government of Australia. Kits being procured include 218 DTS A Kits, 31 OPT sets; and 20 fiber optic interface test sets. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed August 2020. Fiscal 2014, 2015, and 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy); and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $10,226,920 are being obligated at time of award, $3,379,103 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order combines purchases for the Navy ($9,602,165; 94 percent); and the government of Australia ($624,755; 6 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded anmodification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-15-D-0007) for organizational, selected intermediate and limited depot level maintenance services for F-5 F/N aircraft. Work will be performed in Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West, Florida (40 percent); NAS Fallon, Nevada (30 percent); and Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2017. Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Navy Reserves) funds in the amount of $8,489,486 are being obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded afirm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for the procurement of performance-based contractor logistics support for the C-26 aircraft. This effort includes maintenance, repair, engineering and technical services, aircraft upgrade and modifications, and integrated logistics support services. Work will be performed in Barking Sands, Hawaii (30.4 percent); Sigonella, Italy (25.6 percent); Naples, Italy (25.6 percent); and Patuxent River, Maryland (18.4 percent). Work is expected to be completed in August 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via electronic request for proposal as a 100 percent small business set-aside. Five offers were received. The, is the contracting activity (N00019-16-D-0060). HOLLYWOOD, Md. Chesapeake Beach Mayor Bruce Wahl announced at the last monthly council meeting that he would not seek re-election for mayor in November. Wahl was elected mayor twice and has been in public service for 28 years.The 68-year-old mayor said he would like to spend more time with his family to do "fun things" and also "carve out more time" for his church family. Wahl said he chose to announce his decision about two months before the final filing date to encourage other candidates to run for office and to give local residents a chance to "reflect upon what kind of leadership they want in the mayor's office and who might be able to provide it.""Candidly, I'm truly ready to move on," Wahl said. Wahl's announcement was met with a standing ovation and long applause from dozens of people in the room. Vice President of the Town Council Pat Mahoney worked with Wahl for about two decades, and he thanked Wahl for his service."All I can say is if Bruce Wahl was paid $1 an hour for every hour that he put in for the town in 28 years, he would own one of the cruise ships he likes to go on every year," Mahoney said, following Wahl's announcement.Wahl reflected on his achievements in the past 28 years in public service. He was proud of the 11 property tax decreases in the past three decades and the lower sewer rate and water rate for local residents this year.During his speech, Wahl encouraged town citizens to support the two initiatives to pay the town council members $3,000 per year and the mayor $18,000 per year for their services. The council will vote on these issues in November. Wahl said he believes that passing the initiatives will help "create a more diverse pool of candidates for these important offices." The mayor and council members are not paid for their service at this time."I hope and pray that a good leader will emerge to run for this office," Wahl said. "We need someone who will seek the office to serve the citizens of Chesapeake Beach, and does not seek it for their own personal gain or to satisfy their ego."Born in Arlington, Va., Wahl served in the Army between 1968 and 1971. He also works for National Public Radio and said he would like to devote more time to his role at the radio station. Wahl will officially step down at the council meeting on December 15.The deadline to file to run for mayor is September 13, according to Town Clerk Sharon Humm. Anyone who wishes to file can go to Town Hall and fill out an application at which time the town clerk will sign an acknowledging receipt. Anyone who is a resident of the Town of Chesapeake Beach, a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older and a registered voter in accordance with the Town Charter is eligible to run. Inside the auditorium on the campus of Fort Lauderdale High School a group of concerned citizens assembled to learn how to survive an actor shooter situation. Deputy Arik Levy with the Broward County Sheriffs Office briefed the public on correct steps to take during an active shooter situation. The alarming number of incidents involving gun violence prompted the Sheriffs Office to offer a two-hour program Tuesday evening. Around 200 people attended the program. Stopping lone wolf terrorists is a constant struggle, law enforcement officials admit, but there are effective measures. What we can do is mitigate, said Broward Sheriff Scott Israel. RELATED: OPEN CARRY A BAD IDEA FOR FLORIDA Israel spoke about the recent killings of seven police officers in Dallas, describing it as one of the darkest days in American history. The Sheriff also encouraged gun owners to have self discipline and to be the most responsible gun owner you can be. And in the wake of another questionable shooting in North Miami, where police shot an autistic mans caregiver in the leg, Sheriff Israel admitted there are problems in the blue line. Police officers make mistakes, Israel said. But, we cant let deplorable acts of a few police officers define how we think about law enforcement. Before turning the program over to Levy, Israel informed the audience his agency has a seat at the National Operations Center in Washington, D.C. A representative spends 30 days a month in the District of Columbia monitoring bad guys, said Israel. Presently, there is no known threat to South Florida and thats a good thing, Israel said. Following Israels remarks, Levy explained the basics. An active shooter situation, Levy said, is where one or more suspects kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. This was certainly the case last month in Orlando, where 49 people were gunned down at a gay nightclub. The vast majority of the perpetrators of these shootings are suffering from mental illness, Levy said. Their condition, he said, was once referred to as going postal. The three golden rules of an active shooter situation, Levy said, are: 1. Run. 2. Hide. 3. Fight. You do what you have to do to survive and win, Levy said. The program featured clips from the Hollywood film Runaway Jury as well as an educational video produced by the Los Angeles, California Sheriffs Office. Levy encouraged citizens to not become too self absorbed with smartphones and be aware of their surroundings. If gunfire erupts, taking cover behind cars is a good defense. Leave your work behind, Levy said. That stuff is replaceable. Your life isnt. During the question and answer session, one man said there is a Fort Lauderdale bar that lacks proper exits. The man, who declined to be identified when approached by SFGN, said hes felt fear when entering some nightclubs. Ever since Orlando, I look at things differently, he said. I was in this club just the other night and was overcome by a feeling that there is no way to get out. I fear something will happen sooner or later and it deeply saddens me. When pressed to reveal the club and his name, the man declined. Meanwhile, Levy said citizens should trust their instincts. Look people in the eye, bad guys dont like that, he said. COSMOS-1908 UCLA UCLA astronomers have made the first accurate measurement of the abundance of oxygen in a distant galaxy. Oxygen, the third-most abundant chemical element in the universe, is created inside stars and released into interstellar gas when stars die. Quantifying the amount of oxygen is key to understanding how matter cycles in and out of galaxies. This research is published online in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, and is based on data collected at the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, in Hawaii. This is by far the most distant galaxy for which the oxygen abundance has actually been measured, said Alice Shapley, a UCLA professor of astronomy, and co-author of the study. Were looking back in time at this galaxy as it appeared 12 billion years ago. Knowing the abundance of oxygen in the galaxy called COSMOS-1908 is an important stepping stone toward allowing astronomers to better understand the population of faint, distant galaxies observed when the universe was only a few billion years old and galaxy evolution, Shapley said. COSMOS-1908, contains approximately 1 billion stars. In contrast, the Milky Way contains approximately 100 billion stars; some galaxies in the universe contain many more, while others contain many fewer. Furthermore, COSMOS-1908 contains approximately only 20 percent the abundance of oxygen that is observed in the sun. Typically, astronomers rely on extremely indirect and imprecise techniques for estimating oxygen abundance for the vast majority of distant galaxies. But in this case, UCLA researchers used a direct measurement, said Ryan Sanders, astronomy graduate student and the studys lead author. Close galaxies are much brighter, and we have a very good method of determining the amount of oxygen in nearby galaxies, Sanders said. In faint, distant galaxies, the task is dramatically more difficult, but COSMOS-1908 was one case for which Sanders was able to apply the robust method commonly applied to nearby galaxies. We hope this will be the first of many, he said. Shapley said that prior to Sanders discovery researchers didnt know if they could measure how much oxygen there was in these distant galaxies. Ryans discovery shows we can measure the oxygen and compare these observations with models of how galaxies form and what their history of star formation is, Shapley said. The amount of oxygen in a galaxy is determined primarily by three factors: how much oxygen comes from large stars that end their lives violently in supernova explosions a ubiquitous phenomenon in the early universe, when the rate of stellar births was dramatically higher than the rate in the universe today; how much of that oxygen gets ejected from the galaxy by so-called super winds, which propel oxygen and other interstellar gases out of galaxies at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour; and how much pristine gas enters the galaxy from the intergalactic medium, which doesnt contain much oxygen. If we can measure how much oxygen is in a galaxy, it will tell us about all these processes, said Shapley, who, along with Sanders, is interested in learning how galaxies form and evolve, why galaxies have different structures, and how galaxies exchange material with their intergalactic environments. Shapley expects the measurements of oxygen will reveal that super winds are very important in how galaxies evolved. Measuring the oxygen content of galaxies over cosmic time is one of the key methods we have for understanding how galaxies grow, as well as how they spew out gas into the intergalactic medium, she said. The researchers used an extremely advanced and sophisticated instrument called MOSFIRE (Multi-Object Spectrometer for Infra-Red Exploration) installed on the Keck I telescope at the Keck Observatory. This five-ton instrument was designed to study the most distant, faintest galaxies, said UCLA physics and astronomy professor Ian McLean, project leader on MOSFIRE and director of UCLAs Infrared Laboratory for Astrophysics. McLean built the instrument with colleagues from UCLA, the California Institute of Technology and UC Santa Cruz and industrial sub-contractors. MOSFIRE collects visible-light photons from objects billions of light years away whose wavelengths have been stretched or redshifted to the infrared by the expansion of the universe. Due to the finite speed of light, MOSFIRE is providing a view of these galaxies as they existed billions of years ago, when the light first started traveling to Earth. MOSFIRE is a type of instrument known as a spectrograph, which spreads the light from astronomical objects out into a spectrum of separate wavelengths (colors), indicating the specific amount of energy emitted at each wavelength. Spectrographs enable astronomers to determine the chemical contents of galaxies, because different chemical elements such as oxygen, carbon, iron or hydrogen each provide a unique spectral fingerprint, emitting light at specific wavelengths. To characterize the chemical contents of COSMOS-1908, Sanders analyzed a particular wavelength in the MOSFIRE spectrum of this galaxy that is sensitive to the amount of oxygen. MOSFIRE made Ryans measurement possible, said Shapley, who described it as an amazing instrument. Data for COSMOS-1908 were collected as part of the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey, a large Keck Observatory project that Shapley and Sanders have carried out in collaboration with astronomers at UC Berkeley, UC Riverside and UCSD. Between 2012 and 2016, the MOSDEF survey was allocated roughly 50 nights of MOSFIRE time on the Keck I telescope to study distant galaxies forming in the early universe. The research was funded by both the National Science Foundation and NASA. MOSFIRE was also funded by the National Science Foundation (through the Telescope System Instrumentation program), and by Gordon and Betty Moore. Ever been stuck driving between cities with no coffee options except for gas stations and chains? Do you belong to a social group with regular meet-ups? Do you often find yourself playing the role of host and coffee-klatch coordinator for groups of your friends? Are you a barista who would welcome the chance to practice your bar skills with patrons in a low-stress domestic setting? If your answer to any of the above is yes, then an app developed by Dutch entrepreneurs may have your name on it. Or rather, you may want to build a name-heralding profile in this new marketplace community. Its called Coffee Shots, and its aim is to lead discerning coffee drinkers to the homes and personal workspaces of discerning baristas, be they amateur or professional. There they use their preferred ingredients and apparatus to pull, pour, or plungeand make a little money along the way. During the Amsterdam Coffee Festival in March, the Coffee Shots stand was getting good attention. The company reported that 150 attendees, from countries as near as France and as far as Canada, volunteered as beta testers for the app, with another 100 signing up online. In May, Coffee Shots went official, the app appearing on both Google Play and in the Apple Store. So how does it work? A user downloads the free app, available for phones and tablets running iOS and Android, then creates a profile and links it to a credit card or PayPal account. Those who want to serve coffee specify where they are, when they can receive guests, the machinery on hand, and a menu. Users looking to get coffee rely on the apps geolocator to see whose doors are open at any given time. Once Coffee Shots users settle on an appealing profile and an accessible location, they request a visit and, upon approval, receive address details. Prices are set by the barista, though Coffee Shots suggests 1.50 for an espresso, 2 for a cappuccino, and 50-cent increments per shot. The company keeps 20 percent of the fee; most is earmarked for further app development, though 10 percent of that commission is for the farmeran origin-country farming project that Coffee Shots selects. Before leaving the baristas home, the customer pays digitally, via the app, and afterward, a review request is sent. When not working at perfecting the Uberisation of coffee, Coffee Shots founders Arnoud Aalbersberg and Corine Schmal work at Tropicare, a travel health-care-product company that donates 1 percent of its turnover to support the eradication of malaria. Aalbersberg, who founded Tropicare more than two decades ago and has provided much of Coffee Shots startup capital, notes how both engage with regions of the world that suffer from malaria and uneven development. Of the Coffee Shots taglinehonest coffee for everyoneAalbersberg explains: We think the farmer should work on every part of the value chain and not only get pity money for the green beans. And the other side is that we think if you pay 4 here in Amsterdam for a mediocre coffee, thats also not very honest. The peer-to-peer transaction espoused by Coffee Shots is seen as co-existing with, not replacing, commercial espresso bars. Would we ever be a threat to the coffee business? I dont think we would, but we are very quality-driven, so we might be a threat to poor-quality coffee, says Arnoud Kruiver, Coffee Shots chief roasting officer. He does that job at a small roaster alongside his work at Vintage Espresso Machines, a repair and restoration company located in the nearby suburb of Amstelveen. The company is run by Roland Buurman, who doubles as Coffee Shots chief operations officer. Where [coffee]s the core business, we wont ever be a threat, Kruiver elaborates. But there are a lot of businesses in the Netherlands where the coffee is on the side, and there, yeah, I would skip those to go to a home barista any time. For would-be home baristas lacking supplies, Coffee Shots sells bags of Kruivers roasts and vends or leases Rocket Giotto and Cellini PID espresso machines and Mahlkonig Vario grinders. Those without a suitable space can consider the Coffee Shots kiosk. Established under the auspices of MIK Amsterdam, a project that gives retail space to community-engaging startups, the small venue went operational in mid-June and is accepting baristas reservations to, essentially, time-share the bar (to schedule a shift, email info@coffeeshots.nl). Working at the kiosk brings the companys commission rate up to 50 percent, allaying costs of rent and the in-house provisions. Coffee Shots partners see a potential to become the largest and most social coffee communitynot just in the Netherlands but globally. As its been available for only some weeks, its too soon to evaluate. (The company might want to adjust its logo for a US audience, at least; cheeky as its meant to be, crosshairs over a coffee bean wont resonate the same in the States.) Yet, the app already brings to light some of the specialty scenes assetsmost often highly committed, adventurous, and welcoming types of peopleand its potential drawbacks, such as the way quality cafes frequently cluster in more affluent neighborhoods and are sometimes more conducive to interfacing with gear and gadgets than with humans. That users enlist as home baristas is a sign of trust and passion, believes Aalbersberg. They dont live from it. They dont have to make a coffee. They want to make a coffee. While the barista-as-bean-whisperer is a 21st-century notion, the app is simultaneously promoting what seems to be a now-retro social ritual. In the Netherlands, but also in other countries that I know, 20, 30 years ago it was very normal for your kitchen door to be unlocked, and your neighbor would walk around your house, open the door, say, Hello. Hey, lets have a coffee, says Aalbersberg. To bring that back by facilitating the [ritual] in a modern way is how he describes his hope for the app. So its not that the door is unlocked, he emphasizes. It is that someone in the streetor maybe a little bit further away can see: Hey, Arnoud is open for a coffee. I feel like a coffee, and I feel like a conversation. Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more Karina Hof on Sprudge. Radio Sputniks Loud and Clear spoke with Zafar Bangash, director of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought, about how Daesh was able to rise to power in parts of Libya and the US true intentions in the country and region more broadly. Bangash discussed how different self-imposed governments control different parts of Libya, and the Government of National Accord, a US-supported regime based in Western Libya, "launched a campaign against ISIL terrorists back in May. they havent made much progress. I think what the US feared was that if this government that they have recognized is not able to take control or defeat ISIL terrorists, then this is going to create another problem in the region." Bangash added that aggressive airstrikes will likely lead to a strategic retreat on the part of the part of terrorists, but not to their defeat. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Fierce clashes between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir Mayardit and those supporting First Vice President Riek Machar started in Juba on July 7 and lasted for five days, claiming the lives of over 300 people. "While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement. According to the United Nations, the Juba fighting and its aftermath resulted in the deaths of at least 73 civilians and widespread sexual violence, attributed mostly to government soldiers. MOSCOW (Sputnik) South Africas ruling African National Congress (ANC) leads the local government election by more than 25 percent of votes, results published by the Independent Electoral Commission. South Africans went to polls on Wednesday to elect district and local municipal councils in all nine provinces. President Jacob Zumas leftist ANC has 53.9 percent of votes and 57 councils. The opposition center-right Democratic Alliance (DA) trails behind with 26.89 percent of the vote and 11 councils. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a Socialist party, has 7.58 percent of votes but no councils. Middle Tennessee State University Professor of Political Science and International Relations Andrei Korobkov told Sputnik he expects Clinton to be tougher on Moscow than Obama. The reason, he explained, is that Clintons background and her foreign policy advisors are products of the 20th century standoff between the United States and former Soviet Union. "Hillarys statements during her speech and the parade of persons whom she brought, like [former Secretary of State Madeleine] Albright and a number of others, made it look like she comes not from the 21st century but from the Cold War," Korobkov said. Korobkov was referring to Clintons guests at the Democratic National Convention and her acceptance speech, which contained a single reference to Russia. "I'm proud to stand by our allies in NATO against any threat they face, including from Russia," Clinton said in accepting the Democratic Partys presidential nomination. Korobkov said he fears that Clinton will push the United States back into a second Cold War. "She probably lives mentally in a world that simply doesnt exist, because there is no ideological divide between the Russia and the US, or in general, deep ideological divides in the current political system, Korobkov explained. In contrast, Trump has much more moderate positions on a wide spectrum of issues including NATO, relations with Russia, policies in Syria and the Middle East in general, Korobkov added. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The incident took place after the vehicle of provincial council chief Tawos Adil hit an Improvised Explosive Device, Zwak said, as quoted by the Khamma Press. According to him, Adil was the main target of the attack but was only injured; however, his bodyguard was killed. In addition to Adil, eight people were wounded in the explosion. Update: One killed and Head of #Laghman provincial council among 9 wounded in a blast in Mehterlam city#Afghanistan Pajhwok Afghan News (@pajhwok) 4 2016 . According to other media reports, those injured were hospitalized, but no details about their medical condition were disclosed. DUSHANBE (Sputnik) The putsch was orchestrated last September by Tajik Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda, who was killed alongside some 60 loyalists by security forces in his hideout in mountains. "Criminal cases were launched into some 200 people We gathered solid evidence against them," Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon said, adding 170 had been convicted of having played a role in the failed coup. The countrys secular government started a crackdown in the aftermath of the coup, banning the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) as a terrorist organization and arresting a dozen of its senior members. NEW DELHI (Sputnik) India is considering buying a Russian-made deep-sea rescue vessel used to salvage ships and submarines, a source close to the Indian Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti on Thursday. "India is indeed exploring the possibility of buying a ship of this class," the source said. Russias Project 21300C rescue ship, the Igor Belousov, called on the eastern Indian port Visakhapatnam on Wednesday to restock food, water and fuel. During its four-day stay, the Indian military will have an opportunity to insect the vessel. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Afghan government is 'terribly wrong' to ask the United States to help in the fight against the Taliban by bombing the country, and such a government does not act in the accordance with the will of the Afghan people, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday. "Those who ask foreign forces to bomb Afghanistan are not representing the Afghan people or their interests. They are very wrong they are terribly wrong," Karzai said. According to him, the recent government's loss of control over the parts of Afghan territory, which fell in the hands of Taliban, should not be a reason to ask for the foreign intervention and help. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Ten foreign tourists were killed and five other injured in an attack on two buses in Afghanistan's western province of Herat on Thursday, district governor Farhad Khadimi said. There is no information on the nationality of the victims yet. "Two mini buses carrying foreign tourists were attacked by gunmen along a main road in Chishti Sharif District Thursday morning. As a result of the incident 10 people were killed and five others wounded," Khadimi told Xinhua news agency. The US has never ceased to be a Pacific Power, Akopov pointed out. "Atlanticism is only the name of its globalist ideology; after the Second World War, America attained a dominant position in Asia. It was here, on China's borders, that the US conducted its two largest wars post-1945: in Korea (where they fought directly against the Chinese army) and in Vietnam." "Today too the arc of containment runs from South Korea and Japan to Taiwan, the Philippines and Singapore. US bases hem China in from the east and impede the spread of military influence in the south. Meanwhile, it is here, in the south, that China has long focused the projection of its influence; for many centuries, the Han civilization has expanded in this direction." Of course, "this does not mean that China is preparing to take over the countries of Southeast Asia militarily." However, they do have a right, according to Akopov, "to consider these states, which since ancient times have been subject to tremendous Chinese cultural, economic and even ethnic influence, within the sphere of their national interests." Meanwhile, for Washington, "the issue of China's containment in the Pacific and Southeast Asia is of fundamental importance; without it, all their pretensions to holding on to the status of global hegemon become meaningless." Unfortunately for US planners, the US attempt to continue to 'contain' China is destined to fail, according to the journalist, not only because of the tide of history returning in Beijing's favor, "but also based on such 'trivial things' as Beijing's rising economic and military power," including the startling growth of its Navy. Still, for the moment, the conflict in the South China Sea, where China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and even Taiwan are engaged in a convoluted tug of war for the disputed islands, allows the US to hold its own. It is in Washington's direct interest to spur on these conflicts, according to Akopov. "They need strained relations between these countries and Beijing in order to continue to have an excuse to keep their bases on their territory (in the case of the Philippines), to continue to use their ports (in the case of Singapore), and to generally offer their assistance against Chinese expansion (in the case of Vietnam)." New Delhi (Sputnik) The Indian government plans to invest nearly $15 bln on this ambitious project over the next five years. The firm that bags this project will be required to design, build, operate and maintain the levitation train systems for both passenger and cargo transport. This comes ahead of a crucial seminar of global ultra high-speed train manufacturers scheduled on September 2 in India. The requirements laid down by the Indian Railways in the formal invitation of bids states that the system will be operated under a public-private partnership mode and that the trains must be capable of carrying passengers as well as cargo. The deadline for submission of bids is September 6, 2016. The SAARC Home Ministers conference was something of a face-off between India and Pakistan, as during the meeting the home ministers of the region's two nuclear powers neither made eye contact nor shook hands. In fact, Pakistan's own media failed to telecast the part of Rajnath Singh's speech in which he denounced terrorism. However, Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup clarified that it was within the protocol of the SAARC meetings to telecast only the opening program. Despite heavy security arrangements, the activists of various religious and jihadi outfits in Pakistan protested the visit of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, blaming India for the unrest in Kashmir. The region has remained divided between Pakistan and India for decades; in the most recent clashes between Indian security forces and residents, over 50 died and over 1,500 were injured. Japan wrote that Beijing "continues to act in an assertive manner," and is "determined to accomplish its unilateral demands without compromise," in the South and East China Seas. Tokyo thinks that Beijing's stance could result in "unintended consequences." China expressed "strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition against" the report, which it said "hypes up the East and South China Sea issues." Last month China rejected the verdict of The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration, which ruled against China and in favor of the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute. Rather than international arbitration, Beijing has called for the dispute to be resolved through bilateral negotiations between the parties involved. The South China Sea is a highly-contested region through which nearly $5 trillion in international trade passes annually. In addition to China and the Philippines, overlapping claims have also been made by Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei. In the East China Sea, Japan and China are locked in a territorial dispute over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, which are controlled by Japan but are claimed by China; in Chinese they are called Diaoyu Dao. NEW DELHI (Sputnik)According to Dunya News, six Pakistanis and one Russian were taking hostages by Taliban militants. The helicopter reportedly flew from Peshawar to Uzbekistans city of Bukhara for scheduled repairs. Afghan authorities permitted the helicopter to fly over Afghan territory, Dunya News said. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The chiefs of naval operations for the United States and South Korea agreed to increase bilateral efforts to ensure maritime security, especially in waters near North Korea and in the South China, the US Navy said in a press release on Thursday. "I agree with the importance of our alliance, particularly navy-to-navy, to deal with the threat from the North [Korea], as well as the instability that may take place in the South China Sea," South Korean Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jung Ho-sub said, according to the release. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The bulk of asylum-seeker children held in Australia-run migrant processing center on Nauru island are not enrolled in school not only over bullying and harassment, but also due to the mental trauma they have endured while in long-term detention, a representative of a prominent watchdog told Sputnik on Thursday. On Tuesday, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International published a report on the appalling conditions at the Nauru center, where some 1,200 asylum-seekers, among them 49 children, are currently being held. According to the report, many children stop attending classes due to frequent bullying and harassment from locals. "Save the Children Australia recently estimated that 85 percent of refugee and asylum seeking children were not enrolled in school. Bullying and harassment was a factor in that low rate of enrollment. Another factor found to contribute to low enrollment was the trauma children had undergone as the result of a year or more of detention in appalling conditions, the ongoing abuses they and their families face, and their uncertainty about their future. Our interviews with children revealed the same concerns," Michael Bochenek, senior counsel on childrens rights at HRW, told Sputnik. "The United States will do what it has to do. We will do what we have to do," he said. "The entire military side has been hardened. It was a huge loss of face." A highly-disputed region through which roughly $5 trillion in international trade passes annually, most of the South China Sea is claimed by China, though there are overlapping claims by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and the Philippines. While the Court of Arbitration ruled against Chinas claims, Beijing does not recognize the decision as legitimate. The US and its Pacific allies have expressed opposition to Chinas construction of a series of artificial islands, claiming Beijing is attempting to establish an air defense zone. China maintains it has every right to build within its own territory and that the islands will be used primarily for civilian purposes. "We were facing a situation where the medical community were telling us that 'herd immunity rates,' as they call it, need to be 95%, and we were just dropping steadily below that." The boost has led to 93% of all children between the ages of one and five being up-to-date on vaccinations, up from 90% the previous year. The unpopularity of vaccinations, in the face of consistent scientific evidence, has led to the reemergence of childhood illnesses once nearly eradicated across the globe. The debate has been especially intense in the United States, as areas have been battling outbreaks of measles. The MMR vaccine is 93% effective with one shot and up to 97% effective with a booster shot. In communities where over 80% of residents are vaccinated, the spread of the disease is improbable, if not impossible, due to the concept of herd immunity, as there are fewer people carrying the disease and most of those they come in contact with are immune, stopping the spread of the disease. There is still no treatment for the measles, making the vaccination critical. Washington has routinely encouraged Pacific allies to take a more active role in countering Beijings growing influence in the region. According to Lockyer, Australias role in this alliance is the primary motivator for the surveillance mission. "Its becoming increasingly difficult to do nothing," he said. "Our military is just there to be a part of it without being too provocative. This is what we do. Its a symbolic gesture. For the most part, we stand to do as little as we can get away with." Australia has no territorial claims in the South China Sea, but has nevertheless called on China to recognize the Court of Arbitrations ruling. An op-ed published in Chinas state-run Global Times over the weekend warned Australia against any attempt to "suppress China so as to gain a bargaining chip for economic interests." "Australias power means nothing compared to the security of China. If Australia steps into the South China Sea waters, it will be an ideal target for China to warn and strike." Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have counter-claims to the same area. China, whose claim covers most of the sea, boycotted the tribunal and rejected its verdict, claiming the process was illegal. The website, operated by Chinas National Marine Data & Information Service, features ten sections that contain news, development and management, historical archives, law and regulation, expert opinion, a timeline of events, videos, photos, a Q&A and other information. Tensions between Moscow and Brussels have prompted Russian companies to choose Chinese-manufactured products over European goods. If Moscow and Beijing continue to forge closer bilateral ties, it might allow Chinese companies to further edge out their European competitors from the Russian market, which doesnt bode well for Europes business interests, Austrian newspaper Wirtschaftsblatt reports The implementation of anti-Russian sanctions and the retaliatory food embargo imposed by Moscow cost the EU nearly 11 billion euros, according to the estimates of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies. The sanctions caused EU exports to Russia to decrease from 103 billion euros in 2014 to 74 billion euros in 2015. Furthermore, a worst-case scenario that involves terminating gas shipments and the freezing of Russian-owned properties in the West may cause these figures to plummet even further, to a total of 55 billion euros, the institute warns. Meanwhile, the Brussels-based independent think tank Bruegel reports that the share of Chinese goods in Russias imports increased from 5 percent in 2000 to 25 percent in 2014 and has continued to grow, while the share of EU-manufactured products has decreased from 70 percent to 55 percent. UK business, despite the current sanctions against Russia, has not lost interest in cooperation with the country, according to Abramov. "British businesses never hid their interest in cooperation with Russia, and, in general, this [interest] remains even though there are sanctions," Abramov said, adding that over 600 British companies, including such multinational giants like Shell, BP, AstraZeneca, GlaksoSmithKline and many others, are still operating in Russia. He added that the sanctions have had a negative impact on the Russian-British business relations, affecting a wide range of areas of mutual interest, in particular, the Russian banking sector, Russian and British oil companies and British food producers. The trade representative stressed that British businesses have displayed great interest in the Russian regions, and are eager to implement major projects in the fields of extracting oil, gas, coal, gold; the food, tobacco and perfume industries and retail trade. The United States, the European Union and some of their allies have introduced several rounds of anti-Moscow sanctions since Crimea became part of Russia in 2014, and accused the country of meddling in the Ukrainian conflict. Russia has repeatedly refuted the accusations, and warned that the sanctions are counterproductive and undermine regional and global stability. In response to the restrictive measures, Moscow has imposed a food embargo on some products originating in countries that have targeted it with sanctions. NEW DELHI (Sputnik)The Indian Navy and Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport signed a deal worth nearly $300 million to modernize 10 Russia-produced Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters, Indian Navy spokesman Capt. D.K. Sharma said Thursday. "The amount is approx 2K Crores for [the] upgrade of 10 Ka-28 ASW helicopters. The helicopters will be fitted with [the] latest sensors, details of which are not available to me and the job shall be done in 42 months approx," Sharma told RIA Novosti. The Ka-28 helicopter is an export modification of the Ka-27, designed for anti-submarine warfare missions and capable of docking on various types of ships. BEIJING (Sputnik)China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has not received any offer to take part in the privatization of Russia's Rosneft oil giant, but would consider buying a stake in the company if the price is right, CNPC International Department Director-General Li Yueqiang said Thursday. "As to Rosneft privatization, our company has not received any official invitationBut because our company is vertically integrated in terms of prospecting and development, if the price of Russian upstream assets will be reasonable and competitive for our country, we will be ready to consider cooperation in this area," Li Yueqiang told reporters in Beijing. The Russian government is expected to sell some 19.5 percent of Rosneft's shares owned by the state by the end of 2016. Erdogan may be making NATOs life in Turkey unbearable. As the Queen of War is in AIPACs pocket, and considering the Clinton Foundations by now legendary cozy ties with the House of Saud, the war target would have to be the Saudi/Israeli preferred target, on top of it pro-Damascus and in close touch with both Ankara and Moscow: Iran. But how to pull it off? One avenue, already being explored, is to bomb by all means and not figuratively the Iran nuclear deal. A concerted campaign in US mainstream media is already burying the deal; and even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei as reported in the US is on the record saying Washington cannot be trusted; They tell us Lets talk about regional issues, too. But the experience of the nuclear deal suggests this is deadly poison and in no way can the Americans be trusted. So expect from Team Clinton the proverbial media barrage of dodgy spin, baseless accusations and the occasional, perfectly positioned false flag to lure Tehran intro a trap, like, for instance, in neoliberalcon wishful thinking, Iran reviving its nuclear program. Of course this wont happen, but a Hellfire barrage of disinformation will be used by the powerful anti-Iran lobby in the US Congress to sort of make it happen, even as an illusion. And all this while Iran, among other development matters, is busy planning a new transportation corridor from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, connecting to Armenia, Georgia and Bulgaria, and positioning the nation as a key trade hub connecting the Arab world in the south and west; Central Asia in the north; and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east, all the way to Europe. Once again, Eurasian integration on the move. Tehran has myriad reasons to be on red alert if the Full Spectrum Dominatrix gets her hands on the nuclear codes (hows that not scarier than Trump?) She will act as a surefire faithful servant of the Saudi/Israeli alliance. The road map is ready. And neocons and neoliberalcons alike can hardly contain their excitement at seeing in action a force that can flex across several different mission sets and prevail. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik. But this apparent avoidance of patriotic obligation did not stop Bush three decades later becoming the 43rd president of the US in 2001 and again in 2005. While 50,000 young American men mainly from poor social backgrounds were to die in Vietnam, with many more crippled physically and mentally, Bush and other privileged, well-connected peers were able to fiddle the system and spend their war years drinking highballs and snorting cocaine. Bushs conduct record has never been pried open by the mainstream US media, even though plenty of skeletons lurk in his locker. One would think that suspicions of cowardice and fraud over Bushs dodgy military history would be especially worthy of investigation given his responsibility for instigating wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have claimed over a million lives, including thousands of his own countrymen. That legacy of death, destruction and conflict continues to blight entire regions and was all started on the watch of a man who preferred to party in mess halls than to serve his nation in a time of need. Donald Trumps own history certainly sounds disreputable. At age 22, he availed of four military service deferments for educational reasons and one for having an alleged bone problem in one his feet. Years later, Trump said he couldnt remember which foot was the cause of the medical problem. No doubt Trumps millionaire father had some bearing on why young Donald was able to avoid being shipped out to the jungles of Vietnam, unlike so many others of his generation. Trump has also not done his tawdry past many favors either. He has made the inane and flippant comparison that his personal Vietnam was avoiding contracting sexual diseases during his wild youth. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The attack occurred late on Wednesday night in Russell Square. Terrorism is not ruled out. A man was arrested by police following the attack. MORE: Met Police: 1 female killed, at least 6 injured in stabbing incident in #London's #RussellSquare; man arrested pic.twitter.com/LRd6m2XsEQ WTOC Walter Ambrose (@ambrose03) August 4, 2016 #russellsquare One knifed to death others injured. Police say possibly a terrorist attack in #London pic.twitter.com/LVaihDrhuB Joe (@politicallord) August 4, 2016 Police were called to the scene at around 22:33 local time (21:33 GMT) on Wednesday. The suspect was arrested at 22:39 local time. Two armed Islamists slit the throat of a priest after taking people hostage at the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church in northern France last month. Adel Kermiche, one of the co-authors of the attack, was shot dead by police along with the second attacker on July 26, on the church square. Since then, Kermiche's private channel on Telegram, where he had broadcast numerous audio, had remained silent. However, the French LExpress news magazine reported on Wednesday that the Telegram channel released new photos and audio on Tuesday night. The messages were removed ten minutes after publication, according to LExpress. According to police, one woman was killed and up to five other people were wounded on Wednesday night when a man attacked people with a knife in Russell Square. A suspect was arrested by police following the attack. Terrorism is not being ruled out by investigators. ROME (Sputnik) The organizers of the illegal flow of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea to the European soil may be financing the Daesh terrorist group, Italian Justice Minister Andrea Orlando said Thursday. "The is evidence to suggest that the Daesh has a role in the organization of migration flows to Europe There are suspicions that terrorist group's financing channels are through organizations which are engaged in sending migrants from Egypt and Libya and which are deciding how many people would be send to Italy, and how much to Greece and other places," Olando told the Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera. According to him, the Italian law enforcement agency is doing serious work in country's prisons to prevent the spread of terrorist threats, namely on counteracting the radicalization of Muslim prisoners. He added that now there are some 10,000 Muslim prisoners in Italy, but only 350 of them are a concern in this regard. LONDON (Sputnik) UK business, despite the current sanctions against Russia, has not lost interest in cooperation with the country, Russian Trade Representative in the United Kingdom Boris Abramov told Sputnik. "British businesses never hid their interest in cooperation with Russia, and, in general, this [interest] remains even though there are sanctions," Abramov said, adding that over 600 British companies, including such multinational giants like Shell, BP, AstraZeneca, GlaksoSmithKline and many others, are still operating in Russia. He added that the sanctions have had a negative impact on the Russian-British business relations, affecting a wide range of areas of mutual interest, in particular, the Russian banking sector, Russian and British oil companies and British food producers. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Ukrainian authorities have yet to give a response to Russia on its request regarding Russians imprisoned in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Human Rights Ombudsman Konstantin Dolgov told Sputnik. "In this document, the Foreign Ministry also asked for specific information on the number of Russian nationals in prison and other detention facilities in Ukraine. There has been no response yet. According to the information we have, hundreds of people could be detained, charged under political articles related to the internal conflict in Donbaswe expect that the Ukrainian will not delay responding to our request," the diplomat added. According to Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a note to the Ukrainian Embassy in Russia on June 28 addressing the lack of information from the Ukrainian side on Russians detained on its territory. . If you do not agree with the blocking, please use the Access to the chat has been blocked for violating the rules . You will be able to participate again through:. If you do not agree with the blocking, please use the feedback form The discussion is closed. You can participate in the discussion within 24 hours after the publication of the article. MOSCOW (Sputnik)The French Justice Ministry confirmed on Thursday that a hostage crisis was underway at Le Mans-Les Croisettes prison in northwestern France. "Earlier in the morning, a prison guard was taken hostage at the detention center," the ministry said in an official statement. The ministry said that all security measures had been taken to resolve the crisis. The national police task force (RAID) and the regional intervention team (ERIS) have been mobilized. "We have to face reality: the membership negotiations are currently no more than fiction. We know that Turkey's democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession," Kern told reporters. "We are all well advised to now say we're pressing the reset button. [Turkey] remains an important partner in security and integration matters," he added. However, the European Commission spokesperson for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Tove Ernst, told Euractiv.com that the EU remained committed to the EU-Turkey refugee deal but added that the challenge was greater than that agreement alone. LONDON (Sputnik) The detained London knife attack suspect is a Norwegian national of Somali origin whose background appears to be irrelevant to the motives behind the act, Londons Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said Thursday. A 19-year-old man has been detained shortly after the incident took place at Russell Square, the London Metropolitan PolIce said in the early hours of the day. Rowley told reporters in a televised press conference that the "spontaneous" attack was "triggered" by mental health issues and is being treated as the primary line of inquiry in the investigation. The assistant commissioner said there were no signs of the assailant's radicalization. MOSCOW (Sputnik)According to the YouGov poll, only 8 percent of the UK public think an attack is unlikely. The authors of the survey note that the perceived threat of terrorism in the United Kingdom has increased steadily over the last six years. "Today, the number who feel the threat has increased has nearly tripled to 74%, whereas just 1% of people think the threat has decreased," the survey reads. The CST have noted an increase in reports this year compared to last year, and said that at least 70 percent of incidents get reported to nobody, however they are sure that the increase in the number of attacks is not solely down to the fact that people have now started to report the incidents. CST Incidents Report January June 2016: get the facts in under 3 minutes #antisemitism2016 https://t.co/LzqR0YTpds pic.twitter.com/CDeZHEboyJ CST (@CST_UK) August 4, 2016 It is not just the Jewish community that has been targeted, over recent months and especially after the Brexit vote several other minority groups have faced abuse. The polish communities were severely targeted after the UK voted to leave the EU. Now in the wake of these recent attacks, the question is being asked as to whether more could be done by the government to stop the attacks. However, the CST believes more could be done and should be done by social media to curb online abuse. Interesting assessment in @CST_UK report on correlation between rise in antisemitism and situation in Labour Party pic.twitter.com/E0RFHhMIkF Anshel Pfeffer (@AnshelPfeffer) 4 August 2016 "We receive very good practical and moral assistance form Government and police. If anyone is failing to pull their weight, it is certain civil society groups who have repeatedly ignored or sought to excuse away anti-Semitism as it has steadily continued to climb since the year 2000. Also, social media and Internet companies need to do much better, because they are literally facilitating and publishing much of this hatred," Gardner told Sputnik. Once people report the incident, the issue of prosecution is a pressing one, with many victims often feeling that there will be no justice. We must never accept a yearly increase of Antisemitism incidents as normal, they hurt everyone, destroying society from within @CST_UK Sir Eric Pickles (@EricPickles) August 4, 2016 "Prosecution sends a vital message, both to perpetrators and victims. It depends upon the willingness and awareness of police and prosecution services, which generally is reasonably high, but with room for improvement. Victims need to be willing to follow everything through the process, which can be difficult when often they just want to try and get back to their normal lives." The most important thing however is to report all abuse and the CST have urged that if people suffer anti-Semitism, they should contact the CST or police. In an emergency, 999 should of course be called immediately. If you suffer or witness social media abuse, then screengrab it and alert CST and the relevant provider. TALLINN (Sputnik) Estonia will not negotiate with Russia on cooperation in the defense field, as the country should discuss such an issue with its allies, Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas said Thursday. In early August, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said that the ministry was ready for military consultations with Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Sweden and Finland to address military activities in the border areas to avoid incidents on sea and air. "Estonia won't discuss cooperation in the sphere of defense with Russia, because Estonia discusses such issues together with its allies," Roivas said at a government press conference in Tallinn, adding that there can be no meaningful dialogue with Russia as long as it continues "to aggressively act in Ukraine." The Commission has decided to refer Greece to the European Court of Justice because it failed to comply with a 2008 Commission decision, ordering the recovery of unlawful aid to Hellenic Shipyards. This follows a 2012 ruling by the Court, condemning Greece for its failure to implement the decision. "More than seven years after its adoption, Greece still has not implemented the Commission decision of June 2008, ordering the recovery of over US$278 million of unlawful state aid to Hellenic Shipyards. The Commission has now requested the Court of Justice to impose on Greece a lump sum penalty of about US$6.68 million," the Commission said. "The Commission has also requested that the Court impose a daily penalty of US$38,929 from the day of its judgment until the date Greece brings the infringement to an end. The implementation of the 2008 decision will remove the unfair advantage received by Hellenic Shipyards, in breach of EU state aid rules, and aims to restore the level playing field in the market." The truck was set on fire last night, where illegal immigrants had set up a blockade, piled trees, stones and so on. After they began to throw bottles with an inflammable mixture to burn down the barricade, they also hit the truck. And it appears that they attacked the driver with a saw that was in their hands, explained Coco. The situation in the Jungle is deteriorating daily. Recently, the southern part was taken down, and refugees moved to the north part of the camp. Often these casualties happen as a result of recent changes. Migrants took up arms against each other, especially when they were all moved to the northern zone. However, they are completely harmless. They just want to leave, they dont want to rest there for long, explained a volunteer from Land of Tramps (Terre derrance), a humanitarian association. When the camp was torn down, the situation only worsened. The authorities closed shops and cafes, which in terms of food was a total disaster. Food is given away once a day for 3, 500 people, and there are 7,000 of them. The government is to blame for the current situation. President Francois Hollande is willing to accept more immigrants, who want to find shelter in France. Probably it is all about money. But anyway no one thinks about our well-being. Calais became an awful place to live in, and the government does not care, said Coco. In addition, nothing changed after Brexit, Coco said. Only a few illegal immigrants want to move to England. The majority of people want to stay in Calais. They feel good here they are fed and they are given shelter. They have everything they need. KIEV (Sputnik) Kiev has taken out a $260-million loan from the United States for the construction of a repository for spent nuclear fuel at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) , Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Igor Nasalik said Thursday. "We have finally signed the loan agreement during a trip to the United States for $260 million for the construction of a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel, which will be built on the territory of [the former] Chernobyl [nuclear power plant]," Nasalik said. The list details senior salaries in relevant quangos and the total remuneration of relevant posts in local government. It provides the most comprehensive picture of the cost of employing public health top brass that has ever been produced. Today @the_tpa's first ever Nanny State Rich List reveals the 100s of public health officials on six-figure salaries https://t.co/b6X2pReGfL Jonathan Isaby (@isaby) 4 August 2016 The list includes 325 individuals employed in public health who received remuneration of over US$133,000 in 2014-15, 43 of which had total remuneration over US$200,000. There were at least 105 public health employees in local government with total remuneration of over US$133,000 in 2014-15. Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, told Sputnik: "The UK Government estimated that approximately 12,000 organizations would be covered by this legislation," Wallis said, "but to date there have only been, in total, around 400 statements published." The Transparency in the Supply Chain (TISC) data bank allows companies to confidentially disclose information they might learn about their suppliers using enslaved workers. However a recent report suggests that only 100 British companies have paid to sign up to the anti-slavery database set up to help fund an anti-trafficking helpline. 'Simply Misleading' Walls believes that the lack of take up of the TISC data bank, "is because many businesses are still developing their approach and drafting their statements, which need to be approved by the board and signed by a director. "It won't be for another 12 months or so before we see the majority of statements being published and so to compare take up on TISC report against the total cohort required to publish a statement is simply misleading." The legislation covered by the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 does not apply to small business that fall beneath the $US47.3 million turnover threshold, however anti-slavery organizers recognize that the requirement on big businesses to disclose their information has a knock-on effect on smaller firms. "Turkey is a partner in the fight against Daesh, (also known as ISIL). NATO doesn't have a viable alternative for Turkey at the moment. I think Erdogan will want to maintain [links with NATO] as it pays off for Turkey. But I think the other factor here that there are some sections within the US administration and the security and defense establishment which want to maintain strong links with Turkey," Professor Ugur told Sputnik. "They want to give sweeteners, even during this period of repression, ruling by decrees and ruling by mobs, to see that NATO connections continue. NATO will stick with Turkey, but this will tarnish the claim by NATO that it is a collection of nations ruled by democracy and rule of law." Gulen Extradition Gulen, the inspiration behind the Gulen movement, initially supported Erdogan ahead of him becoming elected in 2014. However, the two fell out over a massive corruption scandal in 2013 that cost the country US$100billion. Erdogan accused Gulen of being behind the corruption investigations. MADRID (Sputnik) High risk of fires, caused by high temperatures, has been declared in most Spanish regions, including the Balearic and Canary islands, the state Meteorological Agency (Aemet) said Thursday. Extremely high temperatures from 36 (96.8 Fahrenheit) to 40 degrees Celsius have set in almost 20 provinces, in the south and east of the country, as well as on the Mallorca Island. The situation was analyzed by Mr. Justice Holman who heard the case at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London; he concluded that Miss Al-Jeffery's freedom of movement had been constrained. He said that even though she had not been literally caged, the situation she was in could be described as caged. The judge said that as a British citizen abroad her life was in peril and she needed protection. Court orders father of Amina Al-Jeffery to permit and facilitate her return to England/Wales & pay her air fare. She must return by 11 Sept Charlotte Grant (@charlottegrant) 3 August 2016 He concluded he had the power to make protective orders and said doing nothing would be a "dereliction." This ruling comes shortly after British women named Samia Shahid visited her estranged parents near the city of Mangla in northeastern Pakistan, when she died on July 20. Her husband Syed Mukhtar Kazim alleged that she had been murdered due to the fact that she had married him. However, her family claim she had not been murdered but died of natural causes. Samia Shahid was murdered, forensic report confirms https://t.co/1tgMeXp8IR pic.twitter.com/jejbS8ojWE Geo English (@geonews_english) August 3, 2016 With the issue of honor killings coming to the forefront, news that this young girl will finally be freed and allowed home may come as a welcome surprise. Solicitor Anne-Marie Hutchinson, who represented Miss Al-Jeffery, said the ruling was a landmark one and would help other British citizens abroad who found themselves facing similar problems. "We have got exactly what we wanted. We are delighted. My only concern is I don't think Amina knows," Hutchinson said. The Brigade of Mothers employs 15 members and about 1,000 like-minded volunteers. They started to educate similar teams in Tunis and Algeria to combat radicalization. Our key aim is to say stop to radical Islam. When you watch how ruthlessly a priest is murdered, you have to act, said Remadna. In The Brigade of Mothers campaign, all women are different. Some are Muslims, other are atheists. All mothers have a different cultural background. The only thing that brings all the women together is their common desire. France is a country, which forces many to dream. The legacy that we leave to our children is to make them worthy and good citizens of France, said Remadna. According to Nadia, France has experienced a significant decrease in politics for the last 30 years. French people are trapped in their culture and traditions morally as well as physically. And the result is evident. Again (after the murder of the priest) authorities only talk about money. Many years ago, it was necessary to address the issue who is actually financing mosques and what is happening with Islam. Today, there is no point in pretending that it bothers them. It is not about how to meet the demand, it is now all about how to deal with terrorism, said Remadna. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The number of people infected by Zika virus in the United Kingdom has risen to 60 after several people have been diagnosed with Zika in Scotland, local media reported According to the Sky News television broadcaster, the Scottish government did not disclosed the number of infected people, though it assured that Zika virus did not pose threat to the public in the United Kingdom. "We can assure the public that Zika does not pose a public health risk in Scotland, and of the cases identified in the UK a very small number have been found in Scotland. The mosquito that spreads the virus is not found in the UK, and in any case would not be able to establish in Scotland because of our climate. Zika cannot be spread through person-to-person or airborne contact," a Scottish government spokesman said as quoted by the broadcaster. According to Kern, Turkey's "democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession" into the EU. "We have to face reality: the membership negotiations are currently no more than fiction. We know that Turkey's democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession," Kern told reporters. Gencehan Babis, an analyst in world affairs and security from Ankara's Institute of Strategic Research, told Sputnik Turkiye that the negotiations with the EU put Ankara in a difficult situation. "It is clear that the EU doesn't want to take any more refugees, and looks upon Turkey as a repository for refugees. Brussels is trying to shift the whole burden onto Ankara, however Turkey can't cope with this burden and needs help from the EU." Babis said that the refugee issue has "gradually become a bargaining chip between Turkey and the EU," and their negotiations on the issue have led to new obstacles. "The EU is not going to carry out negotiations about a visa-free regime with a country that has millions of refugees. That's why the situation that Turkey is in has a very negative effect on its negotiating position with the EU about full EU membership or even liberalization of the visa regime." "One way or another Brussels has to work with Ankara, but that doesn't put Turkey in a good position because it has to resolve the migrant issue in its own country. On the contrary, the agenda of negotiations between Turkey and the EU has become complicated with new, much more difficult problems, which further darken Ankara's already gloomy prospects for European integration." He added that specific proposals by his party, the second largest in the Swiss parliament, include improving opportunities for part-time work, facilitating parents who wish to combine work and family life, creating more job opportunities for people over 50 who often find it hard to remain in employment and promoting the integration of refugees living in Switzerland into the labor force. In February, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs announced that the overall unemployment rate had reached 3.6 percent, though among non-Swiss residents it was 7.6 percent. Michael Sorg also emphasized that the bilateral agreements between the European Union and Switzerland are of major importance for the Swiss economy. The Swiss people are aware of that fact, having acknowledged these agreements in referendums five times already, he noted. The Swiss are far more dependent on the EU market than Brussels is on Bern, with the former accounting for 56 percent of Swiss exports. If the negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union on an immigration deal are locked in stalemate by the end of the year, the Swiss government may enact a new law that would allow the country to continue with existing bilateral agreements, according to Sorg. "We are convinced that a solution that allows a continuation of the bilateral agreements can and will be adopted by the parliament in the form of a law before the end of this year," Michael Sorg asserted, without elaborating on details. According to a source in the embassy of Uruguay in Venezuela, Deyab was intercepted on July 26 when he left the Uruguayan consulate in Caracas. Jihad Deyab, 45, has spent over 12 years in the US Guantanamo Bay prison camp, but was never charged with a crime. He enjoys a refugee status granted by the Uruguayan government and has no legal prohibition to leave the country. LATAKIA (Sputnik) The woman, who has been living in Syria for 13 years, was having a meal with her family when their home was shelled. "A large fragment hit her right leg we had to amputate up to the knee. Her right hand was also amputated. Unfortunately, we can do nothing about the continuing inflammation. Her left leg was also seriously injured," the head of the surgical department at the Aleppo hospital told journalists. The womans son did receive injuries despite the mothers efforts to protect her children, when the shell flew into the window. According to medics, the boys life is not in danger, but the mothers condition is grave. BEIJING (Sputnik) Zhou, whose Beijing-based Fengrui law firm was known for helping dissidents in their legal battles against the Chinese government, was given a 7-year prison sentence, Chinas Xinhua news agency said. Zhou Shifeng, head of one of China's most daring law firms, sentenced to 7 yrs for subversion. Here's our first take https://t.co/z7m4J7EubW Josh Chin (@joshchin) 4 2016 . The court also suspended Zhous political rights for five years. The activist reportedly pleaded guilty and will not appeal the judgment. In July 2015, Chinese authorities launched a massive crackdown on dissent. Around 300 people, mostly rights activists and lawyers, were detained and questioned. The majority of them was later released. MOSCOW (Sputnik) An Emirates airliner, carrying 300 passengers and crew members, crash-landed and caught fire at the Dubai airport on Wednesday. No one on board was hurt, but a firefighter died while tackling the blaze. DXB is operating with one runway, with arriving flights being given priority over departures. 2/2 Dubai Airports (@DubaiAirports) 3 2016 . UAE-owned low-coaster FlyDubai said on its Facebook page it was working hard to minimize the disruption to passengers plans. "Today, there will continue to be delays and cancellations," the airline said. Flights to and from Dubai International Airport were suspended for several hours. Although it reopened, it is currently operating with one runway. TEL AVIV (Sputnik) The United States and Israel have moved forward in their talks overnight on Washingtons multi-billion military aid to the Middle Eastern nation, an informed source told reporters Thursday. "In the process of negotiations on financial assistancethe sides made progress and closed gaps between themIsrael and the US hope to reach an agreement soon," the source said. The press briefing wrapped up three days of meetings between Jacob Nagel, acting chief of Israels National Security Council, and a US delegation headed by National Security Adviser Susan Rice. ANKARA (Sputnik) Police raided 22 homes, seizing computers and electronic data storage devices, the Dogan news agency said. A police helicopter was reportedly involved in the operation. Police rounded up the suspected Islamists and ran medical checks on them before taking the suspects to the Adana security department, where they are being questioned, according to the news outlet. Turkey is in a state of emergency following last months failed coup. This gives the government wider detention powers. The country has been targeted by terror attacks several times this year, with some of them blamed on the Daesh terror group. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of militias has taken control of strategic locations in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, which is partially held by the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) jihadist group, the SDF's press service said in a statement Thursday. "Strategically important locations in Manbij have been taken under control. The IS militants' ring in the center of Manjib is shrinking," the statement reads. GENEVA (Sputnik)The United Nations will not hold a fresh round of intra-Syrian talks if a delegation of Syria's opposition High Negotiations Committee's (HNC) refuses to take part in it, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy said Thursday. "Of course if there's going to be talks, there's going to be two sides- one is the government of Syria, the other is the opposition. There's no doubt about that," he told reporters said answering a question if the talks could be resumed without the HNC's participation. On July 26, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said he aims to start the next round of intra-Syrian talks before the end of August. The aircraft on-board equipment and its reconnaissance systems require careful maintenance by experts and special infrastructure. And if in Kazan everything necessary is always at hand, in Hmeymim the plane was serviced and maintained by the crew and the experts of the airbase. And there were no malfunctions, an expert in radio-electronic systems who participated in maintenance works told the newspaper. Upon completion of its operation in Syria the leadership of the aircraft developer, Tupolev Public Joint Stock Company, filed a request with the leadership of Kazan Aviation Plant, Radio-Engineering Corporation Vega and a number of other enterprises who have been servicing the aircraft in Syria, to reward the employees who have been working in Syria. Tu-214R is a joint project between the Tupolev Public Joint Stock Company, Radio-Engineering Corporation Vega and a number of other enterprises of the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation, the Roscosmos State Corporation and the Almaz-Antey defense company. The Russian Tu-214R is a state-of-the art plane based on the Tu-214 commercial transport aircraft which was modified under the codename 'Project 141' to replace the Ilyushin IL20M ELINT. The aircraft are configured to carry the MRC-411 multi-intelligence payload, to include electronic intelligence (ELINT) sensors, side-looking Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and other Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Communications Intelligence (COMINT). The antennae of the Tu-214R can intercept the signals emitted by enemy systems (radars, aircraft, radios, combat vehicles, mobile phones etc) to build an EOB (Electronic Order of Battle) of the enemy forces: where the enemy forces are operating, what kind of equipment they are using and, by eavesdropping into their radio/phone communications, what they are doing and what will be their next move. TEHRAN (Sputnik)Iranian authorities executed 25 people from Kurdistan Province, sentenced to death for being affiliated to the Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad extremist movement, a source in the prosecutor's office told Sputnik. "25 terrorists from the province [Kurdistan], found guilty of carrying out terrorist plans in several Iranian cities, have been executed," the source said. The execution took place in the Rajai Shahr prison located west of Tehran. Back in May, US Secretary of State John Kerry set a new deadline for Syrian President Bashar Assad's transition out of power: August 1. The target date for the transition is the first of August, Kerry then told reporters. The ultimatum was reminiscent of Kerry's warning in 2011 that Assad's days were "numbered," as well as President Barack Obama's red line speech in 2012 outlining the conditions that would prompt the US to take action against the embattled president. ANKARA (Sputnik) On Wednesday, the press service of the Russian Culture Ministry said that the inter-departmental Russian delegation led by the Russian Deputy Culture Minister, Sergey Obryvalin, would visit Istanbul and Antalya on August 4-5 to discuss the implementation of recommendations on safety of Russian tourists in Turkey. The report on the assessment of the situation on the Turkish resorts will be presented at the Russian government meeting following the delegation's visit. "Istanbul hosts a meeting with the Russian delegation. We will open a blank page in the Turkish-Russian relations," Yayman wrote on his Twitter account. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan views US Democratic presidential nominee Clinton with suspicion due to her links with the Gulen movement outlawed in Turkey, founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblowing website Julian Assange said. The Gulen movement, named after US-based dissident Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Turkey started a new wave of crackdowns on members of the movement and those allegedly linked to it following a failed coup detat in July. "So Erdogan is going to look at that and treat Clinton suspiciously," Assange told the broadcaster RT, when asked what implications for Turkey-US ties the fact that some Gulen Movement members are major donors to the Clinton Foundation. Militants from the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki militant group, an Islamist group which has received US-made weapons and financial aid from the CIA, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, were reported to have fired seven shells of poison gas at a local market in the al-Awamid neighborhood of old Aleppo on Tuesday night, ostensibly in order to force the Syrian Army to stop its military operations in the city. A local man who became a victim of the attack spoke to Sputnik Arabic about his experience. "I was near where one of the shells had dropped. I quickly got the call to extinguish the fire in the al-Awamid market, but after arriving at the scene, another bomb dropped near the first. After a few minutes, I began to feel a shortness of breath and nausea; I was given help on the spot and then taken to the hospital it saved my life." A source at a local hospital informed the news agency that people arrived to local hospitals in serious condition after inhaling toxic gas. Some of the victims died on their way to the hospital. Symptoms of the poison gas included blurred vision, vomiting and shortness of breath. The shells were suspected to contain chlorine gas. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The ongoing fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo complicates the work on the ground for the humanitarian organizations, nevertheless, they will continue to render all possible assistance, leading aid agencies spokespersons told Sputnik Thursday. "Recent events within Aleppo will make the work of our teams on the ground much more difficult, but we are committed to continue supporting the victims of this tragedy," Mohammad Shakir, a spokesman for Islamic Relief that has been supporting victims of the Syrian civil war since 2011, pledged. On July 17, eastern districts of Aleppo came under siege by government forces, while fighting in other parts of the city, which is split between government and militant forces, also escalated recently amid the failure of the fragile ceasefire. According to various estimations, up to 300,000 civilians are trapped in Aleppo without access to necessities as the last delivery to reach those stranded was in June. The UN and the Iraqi government have called Daesh's crime a genocide against the Yazidi people. On Wednesday the UN reported that two years since the massacre, more than 3,200 women and children still held by the group and being subjected to almost-unimaginable violence. "Most are in Syria where Yazidi women and girls continue to be sexually enslaved and Yazidi boys, indoctrinated, trained and used in hostilities. Thousands of Yazidi men and boys remain missing," the Un wrote. On November 14 2015, Kurdish fighters liberated the city of Sinjar from Daesh, and regained control of most of the surrounding villages. However, Daesh fighters remain in some villages, and Yazidis who survived the attack remain in refugee camps, fearful of returning home to Sinjar as they are afraid of more terrorist attacks. The Yazidis say they won't feel safe in Sinjar until nearby towns like Tel Afar and Mosul, 40km away, are no longer under Daesh control. The Yazidis' Sinjar Resistance Units, which took part in the November 2015 operation to liberate Sinjar from Daesh, are keen to also take part in the operation to liberate Mosul. The incident occurred on July 17, when a five-member delegation of the rights group US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation was detained at Ben Gurion Airport, some 20 kilometers from Tel Aviv. All of the activists had US citizenship and appear to have been stopped in violation of visa agreements between Washington and Tel Aviv. Some of the activists were quickly sent back to the United States, while others were detained by Israeli border police, held in prison-like conditions for up to 18 hours. A few were banned from entering Israel for a period of ten years. Those detained, mostly people of color or of Middle Eastern descent, were stripped-searched and interrogated by law enforcement, labeled terrorists for their appearance and threatened with force, according to a press-release by the group. "A group of Taliban fighters conducted the attack on the tourists, injuring at least six However, no one is dead," Jalani Farhad, a spokesman for the Herat governor, told Al Jazeera. A number of Western embassies issued travel alerts for their citizens traveling across Afghanistan, referring to threats of attacks and kidnapping. "Northrop Grumman plans to submit a proposal to the USAF for the technical maturation and risk reduction phase of GBSD as a prime contractor," Belote said on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman has worked with the US Air Force on the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System for 60 years, Belote noted. The Thuringia Interior Ministry ordered to start recording the telephone conversations in 1999. According to Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk, tens of thousands of conversations between different law enforcement members and representatives of social services, attorneys and journalists, among others, were recorded without informing the people or asking their permission. It is still not clear who was responsible for deciding which data was to be stored and what information was destroyed. The growing ballistic missile threats to our nation and our allies are beginning to outpace the United States missile defense capability in numbers and sophistication, Inhofe stated on Wednesday. Not only do we have North Korea continuing to flex and test its missile capabilities, but Iran also continues to test medium range ballistic missiles in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. Inhofe emphasized the importance of modernizing the US military in order to effectively respond to increasing dangers. UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) The South Korean ambassador warned that North Koreas actions pose a grave challenge to the security of all regional states. "This year alone, North Korea conducted its 13th round of ballistic missile tests and it test fired a total of 29 missiles of a variety of types, ranges and trajectories, including intermediate range missiles and short-range missiles. So obviously by now, what theyre doing is not just separate, random missile tests, I think they are doing all of this with the systematic comprehensive purpose of upgrading and refining their missile technologies," Oh Joon said on Wednesday. Meanwhile US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said that Washington is committed to protecting South Korea against North Koreas provocations. The city-state, which suffers from a lack of troops, kicked off a massive military modernization program in 2004 to address possible military concerns. According to its government's plans, by 2030 the three branches of the country's military will merge into a unified network. The country is hoping to reach the stated goal by adopting a strategic concept known as 'Integrated Knowledge-based Command and Control' (IKC2), which suggests the use of support systems to help commanders to make urgent decisions on the battlefield. In the air, the SAF [Singaporean Armed Forces] will achieve Air Dominance through the coordinated employment of fighters, unmanned air vehicles and airborne surveillance aircraft, which are integrated through real-time knowledge-based systems and networks, the site of the country's Ministry of Defense reads. As of now, Singapore has acquired an Israeli airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) multi-band radar system for surveillance missions and an IAI Heron 1 medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV) for support missions. Last year, Russia announced the comeback of the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name Blackjack) in its upgraded Tu-160M2 variant, pushing back the final phase of developing the next-generation PAK-DA bomber until later. "The first Tu-160M2 is expected to take off by the end of 2018, followed by full-scale production in 2021," Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev told journalists. At the same time, the journalist recalled, "the US had long been engaged in the creation of a combat laser system, based on a modified Boeing 747-400F cargo plane. In February 2010, according to the DoD's Missile Defense Agency, this system successfully managed to hit two ballistic missiles in the boost phase of the flight; however, subsequent tests failed, and in 2011 the Department of Defense found the system unworkable and too expensive." Explaining the program's termination, Mardasov recalled that the testing was conducted at a specially-prepared range, against a known target, "and most importantly, under ideal weather conditions, since even the slightest change in the atmosphere or the presence of water vapor results in a drop in the effectiveness of such weapons by literally orders of magnitude. As a result, the Boeing carrier of the combat laser was sent into storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group," better known as the Boneyard, in Tucson, Arizona. "According to the Los Angeles Times, the project cost $5 billion." Despite that program's failure, in 2015, USAF F-35 program chief Jeffrey Harrigian bragged that the F-35 fighter program might be equipped with laser weapons. However, according to Mardasov, "it's not clear how American specialists expect to overcome the laser's dependence on ideal weather conditions, or resolve the problem of a shortage of energy; if laser weapons were to be installed onboard the F-35, the size of their batteries would be comparable to its engine." In 1994, the journalist recalled, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Nikolai Basov, the head of the Soviet-era Terra-3 program, charged with developing a high-powered laser for missile defense, commented on the possibility for developing high-powered lasers as follows: "We have firmly established that no one will be able to bring down a ballistic rocket via a laser beam, and we for our part had advanced laser technology in a major way." Indeed, Mardasov suggested, Soviet scientists actively worked on the development of weaponized laser systems since the 1970s. Soviet scientists allegedly even created an open-type CO2-based laser, meant to paralyze missiles and aircraft, with its beam capable of striking targets the size of a coin. However, following the collapse of the USSR, all work on the creation of such weapons was halted. "But the know-how and technologies have not been lost," the journalist added. Recalling the best-known Soviet laser projects, the journalist recalled that they included a laser cannon mounted onboard the Dikson search and rescue vessel, the Terra-3 program, tested at the Sary-Shagan testing ground in the Kazakh SSR, the Skif spacecraft, capable of carrying a laser weapon, an air-based laser, mounted on board the Beriev A-60 airborne laser laboratory, and perhaps most famously, the 1K17 Szhatie mobile ground-based laser system (codenamed Stiletto by Western intelligence services). At present, the Minuteman III ICBM is the only ground-based ICBM in the US arsenal. According to the latest data made available by public sources, the US has 450 Minuteman III missiles, which will serve until at least 2020. Little is known about the exact characteristics of the RS-28 Sarmat, a heavy liquid-propelled ICBM being developed for Russia's Strategic Missile Troops and set to be introduced into service in the next couple years. Some sources have indicated that the weapon is a two-stage missile, with an estimated operational range of 10,000 km, a 100 ton mass, and a payload of about 4-10 tons. The missile will be equipped with up to a dozen warheads (or up to 24 Yu-74 hypersonic glide vehicles), each warhead individually steerable during reentry. The weapon is designed with an array of anti-missile measures meant to penetrate US missile defenses. Political scientists have suggested that Russia began actively considering the modernization its nuclear deterrent after the United States withdrew from the ABM Treaty, and began positioning missile defense systems in Eastern Europe, claiming that these were designed to prevent the threat of rogue Iranian nuclear missiles. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin's doubts about the missile defense installations' real purpose were confirmed. After the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, the US has continued with the construction and deployment of its ABM systems in Eastern Europe, including permanent bases in Romania and Poland. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) On Wednesday, Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Chvarkov stated that the opposition group Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki used poisonous gas in Aleppo city on August 2. "[We] are looking into these allegations as well as the allegations of chlorine gas that was used by the regime in the town of Saraqib," Toner told reporters. "We would call on the OPCW [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] as well as the UN to use existing mechanisms to investigate these allegations thoroughly." The negotiations are trying to wear a friendly mood. Nobody tries to be hard on the other side, Okuyan said of Turkish officials position in many areas of international affairs. But media is not like that. In media therere lots of stories that leaders of the coup have connections with the US, Britain. Some officials like the mayor of Ankara directly accuse the US of orchestrating the coup. Theres certain belief among the Turkish public that the coup was facilitated from the West, as the four previous uprisings in the country were somehow linked to American authorities, Okuyan pointed out. Erdogan is trying to manipulate this attempt, he added. Erdogan has some real evidence about involvement of high level bureaucrats in the US or other NATO countries in the coup. The aim is to compromise each other. This is real bargaining but it might get out of control. The botched July 15 coup attempt by sections of the Turkish military to remove President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government has resulted in the detention of thousands of senior and junior military officers who had been critical of the elected government. In addition, thousands of educators, judges and prosecutors have been removed from their positions. Erdogan has long been suspicious of a "deep state" in Turkey composed of conspirators from the military, intelligence and judicial departments and has previously sought powers to uproot them, according to Turkish media reports. Erdogan ostensibly blames followers of Fethullah Gulen, an influential imam living in self-imposed exile in eastern Pennsylvania, for instigating the coup. Historically, the Turkish military has tasked itself with protecting the secular identity of the state and the legacy of Turkey's reformist founder Kemal Ataturk, while Erdogan is seen by many as an Islamist who is actively attempting to centralize power. According to The New Yorker, "he has long been unpopular among cosmopolitan and non-religious Turks, but he has always enjoyed staunch support among the rural and religiously conservative." According to Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump, Pakistan will not get $300 million in military reimbursement funding as it is taking sufficient measures against Haqqani militants. The United States reimburses Pakistan for its support of US operations in Afghanistan and helps it target militants on its soil. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The United States has agreed to provide five Central Asian countries with up to $15 million in aid to boost trade, support renewable energy projects and help them counter terrorism, the US Embassy in Uzbekistan said in a statement Thursday. On Wednesday, the US secretary of state met with the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Washington, DC. The ministerial level meeting of the so called C5+1 group was the second meeting of its type, and was aimed at discussing mutually-agreed projects in the fields of trade, transport, business climate, renewable energy sources, the fight against terrorism, as well as the trafficking of weapons, illicit drugs and people. "At the second ministerial C5+1 ministerial meeting, which was held in Washington in August 2016, six ministers have agreed to launch five projects, which the United States plan to support by up to $15 million dollars," the statement published on the embassy's website reads. "The Association holds a central position in the regional cooperation and integration processes If the Association as a whole, and not some of its member states, unilaterally tends to [cater to] one of the key players the US or China, it immediately loses its neutrality and, hence, its central position," he explained. On the other hand, ASEAN nations do not want to jeopardize their longstanding economic ties with Beijing. "Last year, China's trade with ASEAN countries reached a colossal $472 billion and the parties stand to lose out from any aggravation of the situation in the region," Terehov stresses. Citing China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, Terehov calls attention to the fact that "at the China-ASEAN forum, 80 percent of the time was devoted to the economy and only a small percent to the situation in the South China Sea." Southeast Asian nations are also interested in participating in the China-led New Silk Road initiative which is likely to bring them tangible benefits. Russia's stance on the developments in the South China Sea also deserves attention. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly stated that Moscow opposes the "internationalization" of the South China Sea dispute. According to the Kremlin, the regional dispute should be solved solely by the parties concerned. On July 28 Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun announced Russia and China will hold joint naval drills in the South China Sea in September, stressing that the exercises are "not aimed at third countries." The announcement has triggered a heated debate in Western media, with experts wondering whether or not Moscow and China will enter disputed waters during the drills. However, Moscow's decision to hold joint naval exercises with China in the potential regional powder keg is of a symbolic nature, according to Vzglyad columnist Petr Akopov. While the US-led NATO bloc is raising the stakes in the South China Sea, Russia is "demonstrating its solidarity with China," he believes. However, Moscow is not intending to interfere in the dispute. Its recent move aims to "emphasize that external forces should not influence the settlement of disputes between neighbors," the journalist stressed. "The US strategy of encircling Russia and China is a long-term one. So far, it has not led to any significant successes, and has even failed in some points. For example, in June 2014, an official ceremony was held in Manas, Kyrgyzstan closing the US airbase there. But the Americans have not given up, and continue to stick to their policy line." Fortunately, Alexandrov noted, "it must be said that in recent years the governments of Central Asian countries have learned to understand the difference between real diplomacy and diplomatic con artistry at which the US has become an expert. In my view, only Ukraine succumbed to such con games in the post-Soviet space. And now, having witnessed the dismal example of Ukraine, the heads of the Central Asian countries are very cautious about moving closer to the United States." "At the same time, they find it beneficial to demonstrate their formal independence from Russia. Therefore, they do not reject dialogue with Washington. It allows them to hint to Moscow that if Russia does not provide assistance, including financial assistance, these countries may correct their foreign policy to a pro-American line." "In this way," the analyst suggested, "the Americans will create the appearance of influence in the region, and of pressure on Russia. This enhances the international prestige of the United States, and strengthens the virtual image of a powerful empire, present everywhere, and able at any time to collect foreign ministers from around the world and hold briefings with them. Given the US's falling global prestige, such a PR campaign is important to them." As the Daesh group is driven back from its stronghold in the Syrian city of Manbij, the US-led coalition is obtaining significant amount of intelligence left behind by the terrorists, US President Barack Obama said during a press conference at the Pentagon. "As ISIL [Daesh] is beaten back, were gaining vast amounts of intelligence," Obama told reporters on Thursday. "Thousands of documents, thumb drives [and] digital files which we will continue to use to keep destroying ISILs networks and stop foreign fighters. US to Continue Going After Daesh Leaders The United States will continue to pursue Daesh leaders and commanders, US President Barack Obama said in a press conference at the Pentagon. Obama noted that the US-led coalition has recently killed Daesh deputy war chief Basim Muhammad al-Bajari, Mosul commander Hatim Talib al-Hamduni and its Minister of War Omar al-Shishan, or Omar the Chechen. "We continue to take out senior ISIL [Daesh] leaders and commanders," Obama told reporters on Thursday. "None of ISILs leaders are safe, and we are going to keep going after them." US Still Ready to Work With Russia on Syria, Waiting for Constructive Steps The United States is still ready to work with Russia on resolving the conflict in Syria, and urges Moscow to show its commitment and take the necessary steps, US President Barack Obama said during a press conference at the Pentagon. US remains prepared to work with Russia to try to reduce the violence and strengthen our efforts against ISIL [Daesh] and al-Qaeda in Syria, but so far Russia has failed to take the necessary steps, Obama said on Thursday. Given the deteriorating situation, it is time for Russia to show that it is serious about pursuing these objectives. The United States continues to be skeptical about Russian actions in Syria, but should try to reach a deal to cooperate with Moscow if the parties reach a genuine ceasefire in the country, Barack Obama said. "If we are able to get a genuine cessation of hostilities that prevents indiscriminant bombing, that protects civilians and allows humanitarian access and creates some sort of pathway to begin the hard work of political negotiations inside of Syria, then we have to try, because the alternative is a perpetuation of civil war," Obama stated on Thursday. "I think no. Basically due to the NATO Summit, which was recently held in Warsaw, thanks to the efforts of President Andrzej Duda, Poland, as well as other countries, will have strengthened capacity in the military context. This is a very explicit signal, directed to Russia and meaning that any intervention in any form, either in a form of an attack, or in a form of a hybrid war, or in a form of attacks in cyberspace will not pay off," he said Thursday on Polish television when answering a question on whether Poland sees threats from Russia in the near future. According to Magierowski, such signal will increase after NATO military personnel are deployed to Poland and the Baltic states, so that Russia could not undertake "risky and reckless measures." In this programme, Professor Edward Lozansky, who is the President and Founder of the American University in Moscow and the World Russia Forum, and Dr James Wirtz a recognised expert in Cold War history and geopolitical conflict who serves as dean of international graduate studies at the Naval Postgraduate School at Monteray, California, answer these questions. Professor Lozansky starts by describing what the DNC actually did: It was not just one particular date. When the DNC saw that Mr. Sanders was gaining momentum, and creating a lot of problems for Mrs Clinton, well they decided they should step in and avoid a kind of disaster. Dr Wirtz expressed that there are no actions detailed, it is really peoples rumination about ongoing events and the impact of certain developments, but I dont think that this would have had an impact on who would be the democratic nominee. Professor Lozansky responded to this: In terms of people who went to the polls, Sanders and Clinton were more or less at the same level. But what was important were the superdelegates, as most of them voted for Clinton, this made the difference. It is ironic that it was democracy that was violated and this is what was violated by the democrats themselves. We are all being told that Russia is behind the release of emails, something that Dr Wirtz considers possible because it fits in with the Russian approach to cyber warfare on the world stage, he said. To the direct question was it Russia? Dr Wirtz could not answer because he does not have access to the relevant technical information. Thus the presumption by western media that it is Russia could be seen as rather ridiculous unless western journalists have special access to technical information. Professor Lozansky made the point that so far I dont hear about any evidence. Even the CIA avoid answering a direct question. Accusations should come from experts, not originate from the press. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The next stage of the "Clear Sky" competitions will take place on August 6 in the framework of currently hosted by Russia and Kazakhstan International Army games. Teams from China, Venezuela, Egypt, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Serbia and Russia will take part in the anti-aircraft event at a firing range in Krasnodar, a statement by the Southern Military District read. "Military personnel from the participating countries will be challenged to engage two targets each from Igla MANPADS, the targets will be launched every 6-7 seconds and imitate enemy aircraft and guided missiles," the military said. This year's International Army Games kicked off on July 30 and will last two weeks. They are taking place simultaneously in Russia and Kazakhstan. A total of 23 contests have been planned for 121 teams from two dozen countries. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russia reaffirms its readiness to discuss security issues in the Baltic Sea region as soon as partners are ready for dialogue, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday. Chief of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation Sergei Koshelev said the ministry was surprised to find media reports in Latvia that its defense ministry officials have not been invited to address the Baltic republics military concerns at consultations scheduled to be held in Moscow next month. "Koshelev reiterated Russias readiness to discuss security issues in the Baltic region, as soon as the partners are ready for such dialogue," the ministry said. GENEVA (Sputnik)In March, the Russian initiative, which was initially limited to chemical terrorism, was discussed at the UN Disarmament Conference in Geneva where Italy and China proposed expanding it to include bio terrorism. Borovkin said he presented the updated convention to the UN Disarmament Conference in Geneva and that "thus, the draft convention has been submitted in its final form and is ready for further discussion." According to him, the updated text has expanded the range of activities for which criminal liability is stipulated. In addition, the updated version requires ratification by only 15 countries in order for the convention to enter into force, while the earlier draft required ratification by between 25 and 60 countries. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian President Vladimir Putin released Special Presidential Representative for the Development of Trade and Economic Relations with Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov from the post by a decree, published Thursday on the official portal of legal information. In July, Zurabov was also dismissed from the post of Russian Ambassador to Ukraine. "To adopt a decree on 'Special Presidential Representative for the Development of Trade and Economic Relations'," the decree reads. MOSCOW (Sputnik) A weapons ordnance storage facility caught on fire in the western Russian Nizhny Novgorod Regions Volodarsky District, a regional law enforcement source told RIA Novosti on Thursday, adding that there were no victims. The fire broke out at the weapon ordnance warehouses open grounds in the Yuganets settlement. According to preliminary data, the fire area is about 100 square meters [1,076 square feet], the source said. The source added that the combustion area has been contained and there were no casualties. Two enterprising brothers from Chelyabinsk Region posed for the competition photos in a swamp. In several photographs, one of them is dressed up in a smart costume surrounded by office accessories such as a desk, paper and a notebook. I really wanted to take the first place, one of Nazarov brothers told Sputnik. However, now I have other plans, but I will try my best to travel to Kyrgyzstan. Users went wild over the student in a swamp shoot, and began to Photoshop the faces of celebrities and politicians into the picture. MAKHACHKALA (Dagestan) (Sputnik) Four members of the so-called Makhachkala illegal armed group have been detained in Dagestan, an official from the republican branch of Russia's Investigative Committee said Thursday. "A criminal case has been opened against four detained Makhachkala residents, suspected of providing logistics and financial support for an illegal armed group, as well as joining an illegal armed group," Rasul Temirbekov told reporters. According to investigators, the suspects joined the so-called Makhachkala militant group operating in Dagestan in 2009 and have been providing militants with food supplies, transportation, shelter and money until the present. During the presidential primary, all 14 Republican candidates advocated some form of moratorium on Muslim refugees entering the United States. The Republican Partys nominee, Donald Trump, has also made controversial calls to ban Muslims from entering the United States, and claimed he would build a wall on the US border with Mexico to block immigration. Refugees never used to be a partisan issue, Hetfield noted. He further explained that the president has profound leverage in policy impacting refugees and asylum seekers, because the status of those persons is not a legally guaranteed right. During the Democratic primary elections, both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders said they would accept tens of thousands more refugees from Syria, specifically. The purpose of the first launch will be to test how the MX-1 performs on the surface of the moon. Representatives from Moon Express also hope to score a $30 million grant from the Google Lunar X-prize competition to land a privately funded robot on the moon by the end of 2017. "We're still shooting for the end of 2017," said Richards, "A lot has to go right, but at least we have a shot at our moon shot, given this regulatory approval." Richard said that if everything goes as planned, MoonExpress will help extract, exploit and asses materials found on the moon like water ice, which he believes will help open new opportunities in the field of space exploration. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) In 2015, the countys residents and members of the Center protested outside a state-run "aquifer exemption" hearing in San Luis Obispo. Todays lawsuit faults regulators for not analyzing the aquifer exemption plans risks as required by the California Environmental Quality Act, the release stated on Wednesday. The suit asks the court to set aside the states approval of the aquifer exemption and halt oil company injection into this underground water until regulators have complied with CEQA. The organization warned the legislatures about significant changes in pressures underground and the potential for inducing fractures that could carry dangerous elements into other water sources. American space explorers Kate Rubins, who joined the ISS crew on July 9, and Jeff Williams, the commander of the Expedition 48, spoke to journalists online on NASA TV on Wednesday. When asked whether the researchers play Pokemon Go in their spare time, Rubins smiled and said she prefers poking around for more science instead. "I got a great piece of advice before flight, which was Don't do anything in space that you can do on the ground.' So we actually spend a lot of our time looking at the Earth, taking pictures" noted the astronaut, who is conducting her very first spaceflight. "The ground's always got lots of work for us, and it's pretty fun work, so we enjoy doing a lot of that in our free time," Rubins added. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a double-digit lead over her Republican opponent Donald Trump in the US state of Pennsylvania, a key swing state in the November presidential contest, according to a poll released on Thursday. "Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 49 percent to 38 percent among likely voters," a Franklin & Marshall College poll revealed. "Her lead is a bit larger among registered voters, 48 percent to 35 percent." Additionally, respondents were more likely to favor Clinton's ability to handle foreign policy challenges. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Erick Jamal Hendricks from the US state of North Carolina for trying to help the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) coordinate an attack in the United States, the Department of Justice said in a press release on Thursday. "Hendricks allegedly told another person that his goal was to create a sleeper cell to be trained and housed at a secure compound that would conduct attacks in the United States, the release stated. The release noted 35-year-old Hendricks claimed to have ten members signed up for his cell. WASHINGTON (Sputnik)The US modernization of its B61 atomic bomb is not aimed at lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons, Air Force Secretary Deborah James said on Thursday. "There is no effort afoot to lower the threshold for using nuclear weapons," James stated at a New America conference in Washington, DC. The Air Force Secretary noted that the B61 modernization program "is designed to replace something in the inventory which will not in the future be credible and will not work." WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US Air Force is hoping to refocus some of its technical personnel and resources into offensive cyber operations in the coming years, Air Force Secretary Deborah James said on Thursday. The big challenge over the next few years is going to be to gradually shift dollars and people, manpower, away from the network ops and more focused on defense, as well as substitute cyber for kinetic effects, James said at a New America Foundation forum. A narrator then jumps in with a disclaimer that, Oliver Stones views are not necessarily that of this theater, or its owners, youre welcome to turn your phone back on after the movie. In a statement to Ars Technica, PR firm Submersive Media, acting on behalf of the film's production company Open Road Films, added that Stone would like people to turn their phones off permanently. "Oliver Stone would like you to shut off your cell phone during the movie, and then shut it off forever, the statement reads. Speaking in San Diego at Comic-Con last month, Stone also spoke out against Google and Pokemon GO, calling the wildly popular game a new level of invasion. Im hearing about it too, its a new level of invasion. Once the government had been hounded by Snowden, of course the corporations went into encryption, because they had to for survival, right? But the search for profits is enormous here. Nobody has ever seen, in the history of the world, something like Google, ever, Stone told the crowd. Its the biggest, new, fastest-growing business ever, and they have invested huge amounts of money into what surveillance is, which is data-mining. Radio Sputniks Loud & Clear sat down with Kenneth Reed, spokesman for the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, and Wesleyan University professor Kali Nicole Gross, about the roots of current tensions between black America and police, and whether the forums have credibility within the community. Gross said the forums "seem like a really hollow response to where the countrys at, at this point. People have made serious demands in terms of real change. Number one on that list needs to be police accountability." She discussed the 2014 case of Aiyana Stanley Jones, a seven-year-old girl, who was killed in her sleep by Detroit officer Joseph Weakley and a SWAT team while serving a no-knock warrant at her grandmothers house. They were looking for a man said to be involved with the childs aunt, who stayed in the same flat. Its no secret that President Obama and Vice President Biden are friends. Theyve had their differences, as Obama can come across as somewhat humorless and a little stiff, and Biden has a tendency to drop F-bombs on hot mics. But through eight years of an enormously popular administration, they have remained undeniably close. Vice President Biden (@VP) August 4, 2016 The most recent evidence of this is Bidens tweet in honor of Obamas birthday, sharing a photo of side-by-side friendship bracelets bearing the names Joe and Barack. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) In September 2015, Obama announced his plan to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States before the end of the 2016 fiscal year. "As of August 4, there have been nearly 8,000 the exact figure is 7, 905 Syrian refugees admitted, Toner told reporters. At this point, we believe there is one person responsible for these shootings, but again, were going to keep an open mind," Howard said. It takes time to go through the evidence," "Again, we dont have the suspect. So in all of these, we dont have a motive, theres no apparent relationship, so it does take time for the investigators to process the evidence and to factually confirm, yes, this is related to the others." Anyone with information about the shooter is urged to call the Phoenix Police Department. Mat Staver, founder of a Christian legal aid group who has represented the Child Evangelism Fellowship, told the Guardian that his group believes the Satanic Temple is illegitimate, and is an atheist group masquerading as what he defines as a church. Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, responded that members of his church feel it provides everything a religion provides to be legitimized as such. Followers of the Satanic Temple are generally agnostic or atheist, and dont believe an actual Satan exists, using the icon only as a symbol of rebellion. Members of the group are fierce proponents of freedom, including the freedom to offend. Satanic Temple member and criminal lawyer Stu de Haan, who is involved in the Arizona effort, told Sputnik they are working on finding a sponsor to meet the guidelines for approval. Our current situation is that we are looking for a sponsor for the program as required by the school policy. If that becomes unfeasible, we will looking into challenging that policy, de Haan said. When asked whether the groups has a backup plan should the district deny them, de Haan observed that they have no legal grounds to deny us. So far, the Granite school district in Utah has stated that if the Satanic Temple meets the requirements and pays rent, it will receive the same rights as the Christianity-based group. Two other districts are reviewing requests. Districts that do not comply could face expensive and lengthy legal battles if the temple challenges their decisions. He added that Rosatom was planning to sign a contract on the construction of the center in the near future. "In the near future we are planning to agree upon and sign a contract on the construction of the Nuclear Research and Technology Center in the Plurinational State of Bolivia and a contract on a package of life cycle services for the Center," Komarov said. Rosatom was concerned about its partners meeting all the requirements for the operation of nuclear power facilities and is ready to provide any help to its Bolivian colleagues in the development of nuclear infrastructure key elements, Komarov said. The NRTC is expected to allow Bolivia to start the development of nuclear technologies to be applied in science, healthcare, geology, agriculture, among other areas. The center is also set to be used to train personnel in the country's nuclear industry, as well as in the entire region. The NRTC construction site is located almost 4,115 meters (13,500 feet) above sea level, a higher elevation than any other nuclear research facility (the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, US is 2,231 meters above sea level), according to the press release. David Taylor Jones explains why Europe has been so inactive. The unspoken European fear was not that the United States would abandon them, but that we preferred to fight any Soviet attack with convention forces and/or nuclear weapons on European territory, reads his article. The result, he suggests, would be a burned spot between two green spots (the USA and USSR). Europeans obviously preferred the obverse: tertiary quality conventional forces sufficient only to determine that the Soviet attack was real/serious but followed by rapid US nuclear attack against the Soviets (and implicitly a Soviet response against the USA). Thus a green spot between two burned spots. NATO allies seem all too satisfied with doing as little as possible for their own defense, he says, adding that after all, Uncle Sam will do it. However both experts now say that Europe is quite capable of doing much more, and a reality check would be a useful exercise. The view is being echoed by the US-based online political magazine Politico: The difference between 1949 and [today] is that present-day Europe is more than capable of addressing todays threat, without American assistance or supervision, it quotes military historian and veteran Andrew Bacevich as arguing persuasively. Collectively, the Europeans dont need US troops or dollars, he said. Hence the magazine suggests that the US should commit to winding down its influence and contribution to NATO over the next decade. It however notes that this does not mean that the US must leave the alliance altogether. And once again quotes Bacevich: Only if Washington makes it clear that the era of free-riding has ended will Europe grow up. But grow up it must, as maintaining overwhelming US responsibility for NATO is neither needed by Europe nor helpful to us. It would serve both continents well if Europe learned to better tend to its own defense. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The United Nations is constantly monitoring the movements of Libyans who have been fleeing the coastal city of Sirte, a Daesh stronghold, amid the current campaign of the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord to retake the city from the terrorists, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and Head of UN Support Mission in Libya Martin Kobler told Sputnik on Thursday. Currently, Libya's pro-government forces, supported since Monday by US airstrikes, are battling to retake territories in Sirte from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (Daesh), which has controlled it since June 2015. Heavy fighting has prompted most of the local residents to flee. "The United Nations and its partners continue to monitor the latest movements of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the west of Libya, as the campaign against Daesh drives more families to flee from Sirte," Kobler said. DUBAI (Sputnik) Russian Helicopters is a global industry leader, building some of the worlds most popular choppers, such as the Mi-8/17 series. Russian Helicopters is a global industry leader, building some of the worlds most popular choppers, such as the Mi-8/17 series. "Russian Helicopters is an opportunity that we think has great potential commercial merit, and we are currently reviewing it as part of the investment pipeline we continually develop and screen in partnership with the Russian Direct Investment Fund," the spokesperson told RIA Novosti. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Russia has sent an invitation to Latvia to attend defense ministerial consultations in Moscow in September, the Russian Defense Ministrys Chief of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation, Sergei Koshelev, said Thursday. "The corresponding note was presented to the defense attache at the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Russia, the same information has been sent to the chief of the Latvian Defense Ministrys defense policy department by the defense attache of the Russian Embassy in Latvia," Koshelev said. Koshelev said the ministry was surprised to find media reports in Latvia that its defense ministry officials have not been invited to address the Baltic republics military concerns at the consultations next month. So far, according to available information, no official notification of the Russian citizens arrest has arrived from the Thai side. This note [sent by the Russian Embassy in Bangkok on July 16] emphasized the inadmissibility of the Russian citizens extradition to the United States and the need to address the issue exclusively within the legal field, Dolgov said. Moreover, Russian investigators believe that Dmitry Ukrainsky broke Russian law and must be extradited to Russia, Konstantin Dolgov also told Sputnik. "In this case, Russian investigators have ground to believe that Ukrainsky broke Russian law. If this is true, the investigation must be carried out in Russia and the relevant judicial processes need to take place in Russia. If the Americans are interested in fighting crime, let's do it together within the legal framework and by the rules," Dolgov said. Ukrainsky, a Russian national residing in Thailand, was detained in Pattaya in mid-July at the request of the FBI. MOSCOW (Sputnik) An international investigation report into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine is set to be published until the end of this year, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday. "We are waiting for the criminal investigation report [on the flight MH17] that is expected to be tabled towards the end of this year," Najib said during a press conference in Kiev after a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. He added that after the criminal report is published the five countries comprising the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Malaysia and Ukraine would call a meeting to determine a plan of action to bring perpetrators to justice. MOSCOW (Sputnik)Shin Bed said it discovered that World Visions Gaza branch Director Muhammad Halabi was the Hamas operative who, with the knowledge of several of his subordinates but without the knowledge of the top international aid organization officials, channeled tens of millions of dollars to Hamas, which used it to purchase construction and maintenance means for its military facilities and tunnels, according to The Jerusalem Post. Shin Bed said Halabi was arrested while trying to enter Israel from Gaza via the Erez Crossing in mid-June. The discovery of the pre-planned Hamas takeover scheme comes after almost two months investigation, the security agency added. The agency revealed that Halabi infiltrated the World Vision organization in 2005 and has by 2015 managed to rise to the leading charity's Gaza branch position, while stealing $7.2 million dollars a year from its budget. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Council of the European prolonged the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya for another year, until august 21, 2017 and has allocated additional $19 million to supports its efforts, the EU institution said in a statement on Thursday. EUBAM in Libya was established by the Council of the European Union in May 2013, and was given the mandate to support the Libyan authorities in improving and developing the security of the countrys borders. On February 15, 2015 the European Union extended the mission by six months, until August 21, 2016. "On 4 August 2016, the Council extended the mandate of the planning mission EUBAM Libya until 21 August 2017. It also approved a budget of 17 million for the period from 22 August 2016 to 21 August 2017. As part of the EU's comprehensive approach to support the transition to a democratic, stable and prosperous Libya, EUBAM Libya is mandated to plan for a possible future EU mission providing advice and capacity-building in the area of criminal justice, migration, border security and counter-terrorism," the statement reads. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian authorities will continue mounting pressure on Washington to speed up the release of jailed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko and its other nationals held in US prisons, the Kremlin spokesman said Thursday. "The Russian side and Russian diplomats and lawyers are working on the case of Yaroshenko and the rest of our citizens who are being detained in the US. We continue to defend their interests and seek their repatriation. Although this work has not yielded immediate results, we will not ease the pressure," Dmitry Peskov said. He was responding to a journalists question of whether the Kremlin would try to swap US citizens held in Russia for those detained in the United States. WASHINGTON4 (Sputnik) The $400-million cash payment the United States made to Iran in January was not negotiated by the same team that settled the Iran nuclear deal, US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a press conference in Argentina on Thursday. "What was negotiated was an agreement in the Hague tribunal. It was separated by a professional, career team, not by some political group or anything to do with the Iran group. We did not negotiate it," Kerry told reporters. On Wednesday, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said the payment aimed to reimburse funds the Iranian government paid to the United States in 1979 for military equipment that had never been provided. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday that he will deliver later in the day the first batch of declassified records on the 1976 military coup in Argentina to the countrys President Mauricio Macri. Later today, I will deliver the first tranche of those declassified documents to President Macri with more to come in the future as we continue in this effort, Kerry said in a joint press conference with Argentinas Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra. Kerry added that the move follows President Barack Obamas promise to share additional US government records on the coup, including military and intelligence, in response to requests from Macri and human rights groups. The champions of harness racings two richest events for sophomore pacers are expected to headline the field in the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park on Saturday, August 13. The connections of Betting Line, winner of the $1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup, and Control The Moment, who was victorious in the $732,050 Meadowlands Pace, have accepted invitations to compete in the Milstein. Being contested for the first time as an Invitational, the Carl Milstein Memorial, which debuted in 2014, is named in honour of the late Chairman of Northfield Park who was integral in saving the track from closing in the 1980s and building it into one of the most successful venues in harness racing. The other six top three-year-old pacers committed to go postward in the Milstein are two-year-old Breeders Crown Champion Boston Red Rocks, multiple New York Sires Stakes winner Missile J, who also captured the $300,000 Art Rooney Memorial at Yonkers, Pennsylvania Sires Stakes stalwart Adrian Hanover, Canadian standout Sintra, New Jersey Stakes winner Dontcallmefrancis and Ohio Sires Stakes star Mr Wiggle Pants. The Milstein Night undercard will feature the inaugural $50,000 Myron Charna Presidents Pace, a $50,000 Invitational for veteran Ohio-bred pacers, named for Carl Milsteins right-hand man at both Northfield Park and in his real estate empire. Millionaire Dancin Yankee is expected to return to the Buckeye State to vie for supremacy in the deep field of Ohio-breds. Multiple $40,000 divisions of the Ohio Sires Stakes for sophomore colt pacers and a trio of $20,000 Open events for pacers, trotters and filly and mare pacers will also bolster the power-packed undercard. Northfield will offer a $20,000 Guaranteed Pick pool starting in race 8 which will be anchored by the Carl Milstein Memorial in race 11, which will also have a $30,000 Guaranteed trifecta pool. First race post time is 6:00 p.m. (Northfield Park) It's Election season and our editor's mailbox is overflowing. Who do your neighbors support? Read about it here. Under a new proposed state rule, Washingtonians will one day be able to eat more fish without worrying about increasing their risk of cancer from toxic substances. The state submitted its updated clean water rule for federal approval this week. In part, the proposal regulates water pollution by measuring peoples risk of cancer from eating fish. The updated rule would set stricter regulations for all businesses and government entities that deal with treating wastewater, including the KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. and Weyerhaeuser Co. paper mills in Cowlitz County and the regional sewage treatment plant on Fibre Way. Its the result of a four-year long effort to rehash how the state controls water pollution. The highly politicized effort has been closely watched by industries, municipalities, tribal groups and environmentalists, and it landed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in court. Industry and governmental agencies in Cowlitz County and across the state are worried about whether current technologies will allow them to comply with the new proposed law. At the same time, the businesses prefer the states proposal over an alternative federal approach that would have even tighter restrictions. Because toxins can build up in fish, current federal guidelines say the states waters have to be clean enough for people to safely consume 6.5 grams of fish a day and not increase their risk of cancer beyond one in 1 million. That amount of fish would fit on top of a Ritz cracker, said Sandy Howard, spokeswoman for Dept. of Ecology. The new, updated rule would allow people to safely eat up to 175 grams of fish a day, roughly the size of small fish fillet. I dont think anyone with straight face could say 6.5 grams was good enough for Washington, Kelly Susewind, special assistant to Ecology Director Maia Bellon, said Wednesday. The latest version of the rule is stricter than the original draft rule that Ecology proposed last year. But that rule was withdrawn after Gov. Jay Inslee failed to get the Legislature to adopt new regulations on toxic pollution. Meanwhile, the EPA developed its own rule and told state officials Washington would have to adopt it if the state failed to adopt its own. Monday, Ecology submitted the state rule to the EPA. The federal agency has up to 60 days to approve it or 90 days to reject it. Environmentalists, who view the states rules as inadequate, have gone to court to try to force EPA to impose its own standard on the state. A federal judge Wednesday ordered EPA to adopt the states plan or impose its own by Nov. 15. Ecology doesnt expect the new rules to have any immediate or near-term impact on permitted entities, Susewind said. Here are some basics about the new rule: It would hold the one in 1 million cancer risk rate steady Increase the number of regulated chemicals to 97, up from 85 today Maintain the current standards for cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury and align arsenic with federal drinking standards Allow companies to incrementally implement new standards under compliance schedule (something absent from the EPAs proposal) Chris McCabe, executive director of the Northwest Pulp and Paper Association, said the states rule is better than the EPAs alternative. Were adamantly opposed to the EPA rule because its completely unattainable. We still have significant concerns with the Ecology rule, but Ecology at least acknowledged a better compliance pathway, said McCabe, whose group represents Weyerhaeuser and other Northwest papermakers. Eventually business may have to invest millions of dollars to upgrade their wastewater treatment facilities to comply with the new standards. And in some cases, the right technology may not even exist yet, McCabe said. Businesses also say the new guidelines create uncertainty. Its not clear, for example, whether new technology will be developed to detect lower thresholds of chemicals in the future, requiring additional investments to reduce the risk. Susewind defended the rule, arguing that with compliance schedules on a case-by-case basis, businesses will have time to adjust. But Brandon Housekeeper, government affairs director at Association of Washington Business, wasnt buying it. The writing is on the wall between more water quality standards and things like the governors carbon cap rule... it sends the wrong messages to businesses and likely will handicap the ability for new businesses, especially in manufacturing, to be attracted to Washington state, he said. Knowing what energy drink can do to your healthy heart will shock you! A healthy 28-year old man was found in an emergency room for reasons relating to heart diseases due to consuming two energy drinks combined with alcohol, says a new report. He is said to have experienced very fast heart rate with an irregular rhythm, which is popularly known as arrhythmia, and this has given enough reason to believe that the previous studies in the same area are true there exists a link between energy-drink consumption and heart diseases. Researchers now state that, doctors should keenly look into the energy-drink consumption of their patients complaining of unexplained heart rhythm problem. Studies conducted prior to this have stated that consumption of one energy drink per day can peak the blood pressure levels. Many instances of heart attacks caused by energy drinks stand as testimony to this. The main reason behind these is the level of caffeine content in the drinks. Usual estimate is that they contain about 4 to 5 times the amount of caffeine per serving as caffeinated soft drinks. This caffeine can cause the heart cells to release calcium, which may affect heartbeat, and high amounts of caffeine can cause heart palpitations and vomiting. Still, 400 mg of caffeine per day is considered safe for healthy adults states Mayo Clinic. The study also states that other ingredients, along with caffeine, play a major role in the development of heart problems. Taurine, a common ingredient supposedly increases the effects of caffeine and Guarana is said to boost the caffeine content of the whole beverage over and above whats mentioned in the label. And on top of this, if ones intake of energy drinks is combined with alcohol, it is said to increase the effect of caffeine thereby allowing the compound to stay in the blood a little longer. Caffeine also could lower the sedative effects of alcohol, allowing people to continue drinking longer and consume more alcohol, which, in turn, could increase intoxication and lead to arrhythmias, they said. While consumption of energy drinks has its own benefits, one should not overlook the additional side-effects it brings along with it. TL;DR -Jupiters fifth Moon has collapsible atmosphere -the moon undergoes intense volcanic activity -it emits sulphur dioxide gas A new study shows that Io, Jupiters fifth Moon has collapsible atmosphere that makes it collapse every day and goes back to normal state the same day. Scientists claim that the moon undergoes intense volcanic activity and is the most volcanic active object of our solar system, it emits sulphur dioxide gas that can extend up to 480 kilometres above Io and produce extensive basaltic lava fields. The thin atmosphere of the moon that consists of sulphur dioxide, freezes as it reaches its planets shadow, but repairs itself as soon as the eclipse gets over. This phenomenon occurs each day for two hours of the moon that makes 1.7 earth days. The result was published on Tuesday in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Scientists suspected a different behaviour of moon but they never were able to examine the moon at the time of eclipse due to lack of light on it. Therefore they used the large eight-metre Gemini North telescope in Hawaii and an instrument called the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES). TEXES measured the atmosphere using heat radiation, not sunlight, and the giant Gemini telescope sensed the faint heat signature of Ios collapsing atmosphere, this way they were able to clear their doubts. Every time Jupiter passes between Io and the sun, casting the moon into cold darkness from a balmy -235 degrees Fahrenheit in sunlight to -270 degrees in shadow, that sulfur-dioxide gas cools and drops down to the surface, freezing into a solid. After two hours the atmosphere of Io is reborn, heating the solid back to gas. John Spencer, also from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) said Though Ios hyperactive volcanoes are the ultimate source of the SO2, sunlight controls the atmospheric pressure on a daily basis by controlling the temperature of the ice on the surface. NASA: Every time Jupiter passes between Io and the sun, casting the moon into cold darkness (from a balmy -235 degrees Fahrenheit in sunlight to -270 degrees in shadow, to be precise), that sulfur-dioxide gas cools and drops down to the surface, freezing into a solid. No stars in the centre of our galaxy Milky Way; Is it becoming a stellar desert? New research by an international group of astronomers found that the centre of Milky Way galaxy is empty. From the centre to 8000 light years there are no stars. This massive stellar void has not produced any stars for hundreds of millions of years. Astronomers from Japan, South-Africa and Italy teamed up for a study, in which they were studying the evolution of our galaxy by observing the stars, which was led by Noriyuki Matsunaga from the University of Tokyo. As the galactic core is hard to observe due to all the dust present in the galaxy, they used a special telescope, South African Large Telescope (SALT). The findings are published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, suggesting that though Cepheids, youngest stars in galaxy ranging from 10 to 300 million years old, are present in the central heart of the galaxy, in a region of about 150 light years of radius, outside this there is a huge Cepheid desert extending out to 8,000 light-years from the centre. Cepheids are easy to detect as they keep pulsating in their brightness in a repeating cycle. As this pulsation time is related to its luminosity, astronomers can monitor them to determine their actual brightness; after comparing this with the brightness as seen from Earth, a distance can be determined. Our conclusions are contrary to other recent work, but in line with the work of radio astronomers who see no new stars being born in this desert, says Michael Feast, a co-author of the study, in a press release. The Milky Way measures 10,000 light years from its centre from which 8000 light years of space is found to be empty. Recent radio observations show a similar distribution of star-forming regions. Now astronomers will study the formation and movements of Cepheids to understand the evolution of Milky Way and also the reason behind this void. Warned earlier by the Security researchers last year, researchers from the Princeton University have now confirmed that the low power version can track you online and can give away details of their owners online movements. This is the threat to the smartphone users. The team of researchers from Princeton University claims that the websites are using battery information to monitor people. Using the Battery Status Application Programming Interface the websites see the status of battery of our phones. This was actually designed to help the users when they are running out of battery, the website can know about the battery status and can give a less complicated and more basic version of the site to save the battery. And also afterwards if a different website is opened through secure Virtual Private Network (VPN), then both the sites can be connected if they had same advertisement. However, some sites use this mode to sell their products on high rate, if your have low battery and you try to open a site then it will detect the status and will manipulate you in buying a stuff, unwantedly. Till now, two such cases has come into account where code was used to track users across the site where it was found. Lukasz Olejnik, a security expert said When battery is running low, people might be prone to some- otherwise different decisions. In such circumstances, users will agree to pay more for a service. He added even most unlikely mechanisms bring unexpected consequences from privacy point of view. Thats why it is necessary to analyse new features, standards, designs, architectures and products with privacy angle There is no way to disable the battery status feature right now, the only option we are left with is plugging the device into the mains as soon as it starts having low battery. hidden Turkish authorities were able to trace thousands of people they accuse of participating in an underground network linked to last month's failed military coup by cracking the weak security features of a little-known smartphone messaging app. Security experts who looked at the app, known as ByLock, at the request of Reuters said it appeared to be the work of amateur software developers and had left important information about its users unencrypted. A senior Turkish official said Turkish intelligence cracked the app earlier this year and was able to use it to trace tens of thousands of members of a religious movement the government blames for last month's failed coup. Members of the group stopped using the app several months ago after realising it had been compromised, but it still made it easier to swiftly purge tens of thousands of teachers, police, soldiers and justice officials in the wake of the coup. Turkey blames followers of U.S.-based exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen for the July 15-16 attempted coup. Gulen denies any connection to the plot. "The ByLock data made it possible for us to map their network -- at least a large part of it," a senior Turkish official said. "What I can say is that a large number of people identified via ByLock were directly involved in the coup attempt." The Turkish official said ByLock may have been created by the Gulenists themselves so they could communicate. However, experts consulted by Reuters were not able to verify this. "ByLock is an insecure messaging application that is not widely used today," Tim Strazzere, director of mobile research at U.S.-Israeli security firm SentinelOne told Reuters. "Anyone who wanted to reverse engineer the app could do so in minutes." More than a dozen security and messaging experts contacted by Reuters had never heard of ByLock until it was mentioned in recent days by the Turkish authorities. According to Matthew Green, a cryptologist and assistant professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University in the United States who examined the app's code after being contacted by Reuters, the ByLock network generates a private security key for each device, intended to keep users anonymous. But these keys are sent to a central server along with user passwords in plain, unencrypted text, meaning that anyone who can break into the server can decrypt the message traffic, he said. "From what I can tell it was either an amateur app (most likely) or something that someone wrote for the purpose," he said in an email. The ByLock messaging app appears to have been launched in 2014 on both Apple and the Google Play app stores, only to be removed by the developers later the same year. New versions subsequently appeared on less secure app downloading websites targeting Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry users. An anonymous blog post in November 2014 purporting to be from the developer claims ByLock had attracted around 1 million users, making it difficult to maintain, in part because the app had come under attack from unnamed "Middle East countries". Even if it had reached 1 million users, that would still make it miniscule compared to mainstream smartphone messaging apps like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, which each have around a billion users worldwide, or iMessage, the messaging app available on all Apple iPhones. According to some websites that allowed users to download ByLock, and to the security certificate inside the software itself, the author of the app was listed as David Keynes of Beaverton, Oregon. Reuters was unable to locate anyone matching that name or verify whether this identity is genuine. Starting in May 2015, Turkey's intelligence agency was able to identify close to 40,000 undercover Gulenist operatives, including 600 ranking military personnel, by mapping connections between ByLock users, the Turkish official said. However, the Turkish official said that while ByLock helped the intelligence agency identify Gulen's wider network, it was not used for planning the coup itself. Once Gulen network members realised ByLock had been compromised they stopped using it, the official said. Instead, the coup plotters seem to have switched to the far more secure WhatsApp by the time they launched their putsch. While WhatsApp encryption is harder to crack from the outside than ByLock, the authorities have been able to access messages sent that night by getting their hands on the phones of detained plotters. Transcripts published by Turkish media show officers coordinating troops movements in WhatsApp chat groups. "With thousands of people in a single WhatsApp chat, it only takes one person to get captured while their phone is unlocked to discover every planned detail," said Dan Guido, head of New York-based information security firm Trail of Bits. Reuters hidden By Muqbil Ahmar Imagine a situation where a doctor with Medicines sans Frontieres, stationed in a war zone in Afghanistan, is able to treat the victim of a rocket blast through live streaming, together with a surgeon from California. It does sound incredible, doesnt it? Today, this is where medical science along with modern technology, including Big Data Analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT), is headed for. Medical apps such as MDLinking are assisting doctors globally to share their best practices for treating patients on a global level. The Apps pool live streaming along with instant messaging and networking in a completely secure environment. Direct and doubly encrypted conversations among doctors take place through these Apps. The encryption guarantees that the privacy of the communications is preserved, even while the patient gets state-of-the-art medical treatment and care. Healthcare professionals that want to use the medical Apps are made to go through a rigorous credentials check before they are admitted into the system. Confidentiality has to be an inseparable part of any such Application, otherwise the trust between a patient and a doctor can be lost, which can lead to miscommunication or sometimes a total breakdown of communication. Although there have been wide-ranging changes brought about by technology in the world of medical science, this is one aspect that has not been appropriately explored till now, pointed out Dhiren Singh, an official from MerlinMD, a medical devices company. Cloud-based Big Data Analytics facilitating informed decisions In the Apps, Big Data Analytics facilitates access to an interactive educational library that features live streams, training courses, huge volumes of research, and virtual reality productions. The features permit doctors to perform high-speed analysis, go through millions of research papers and gene-sequencing data, and run through various treatment records globally, thus getting deeper insights into how a patient with a specific blood group, DNA sequence or characteristic can be treated. Physicians can yardstick patients against previous occurrences and investigate how patients with particular genes respond to various treatments, thus helping them take decisions that are based on facts, and not judgment. The element of Big Data Analytics provides doctors a huge opportunity to come up with novel treatments that may have evaded them before, said Shashank Dixit, CEO, Deskera, a Cloud-based Big Data company. Some organisations are building interlinked networks with a range of bodies globally, including medical colleges and nonprofit healthcare organisations such as Partners in Health, the Aga Khan Development Network and Doctors Without Borders. Developing live streaming medical Apps Applications will have to be designed to efficiently leverage mobile storage in order to build operational offline functionality that can be useful when there is low or no Internet connectivity in places such as rural areas, war zones or those affected by natural disasters. This is unlike other Web applications that need an uninterrupted connection. The offline functionality would let the App connect with other Cloud-based applications that can retrieve data when Internet connectivity is available. For example, medical papers and journals, which are online, can be accessed through the Apps any time even in cases where there is no Internet connection or the connection is intermittent. Medical Apps could bring quality healthcare to the Third World Millions of people around the world, particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries with typically low incomes, have inadequate healthcare. India ranks 112 on the World Health Organisations list. A large chunk of the population falls outside the purview of health services. The collective medical knowledge and expertise could help provide healthcare to people in Asia and Africa. This technology is particularly useful in those settings as it eliminates the spending on transporting patients from one healthcare facility to another. Healthcare professionals from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the USA are already signing up for such Apps, and that day may not be far when a patient in Honolulu could be operated upon by a group of surgeons located in Sidney, Amsterdam, and New Delhi. With more than 10 years of experience in journalism, the author is a technology evangelist and avid blogger. tech2 News Staff Did you know that the worlds cheapest 14-inch laptop was designed in India? RDPs ThinBook is that device and claims to be just that. At Rs 9,999 for the device, its hard to argue with that claim. The RDP ThinBook is a 14.1-inch device with a screen resolution of 1366x768. Onboard is 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 10,000mAh battery. The CPU is an Intel Atom x5-Z8300, which is a 1.8GHz quad core chip. Weve seen mobile phones with better specifications of course, but none with a 14-inch screen. The device is strikingly similar to the iBall CompBook Excelance, which offers the same specifications, albeit in a smaller form-factor. Offering the same configuration in a device with a 14-inch screen is an achievement in itself. The laptop was announced in June, but it was officially unveiled on 3 August at an event in Telangana. Telanganas IT minister, K.T. Rama Rao unveiled the device in the presence of Priyadarshi Mohapatra, Country General Manager, Consumer Channel Group, Microsoft India and Anand Ramamoorthy, Director - consumption sales, Intel South Asia and others. The company claims that the device was designed in Hyderabad and built in Taiwan, but they plan to build the device in Telangana itself. In fact, RDP suggested that producing the laptop in India might further bring down costs. The company is also offering a more powerful version of the ThinBook as well as ThinBook 2-in-1 devices, tablets and more. IANS reports that the company has invested $7-8 million so far, but theyve also earned $4 million in revenues during the last financial year. RDP expects to sell between 30,000 to 40,000 ThinBooks this year. We'd like to point out that the device is listed at Rs 10,999 rather than Rs 9,999 on RDP's online store. With inputs from IANS hidden The future of communications may be 5G, where mobile networks push bandwidth-heavy video to phones and pull data from self-driving cars, but some firms see an alternative: farm irrigation equipment, donation boxes and oysters, connected by a technology called LoRa. LoRa (for Long Range) is among a clutch of narrow band technologies that connect devices cheaply over unlicensed spectrum and vast distances, needing very little power. The catch: they can only send small parcels of data rather than the gigabytes most wired and mobile standards aspire to. But, advocates say, that may be more than enough. "It turns out you don't need that huge an infrastructure, and it can be driven by small devices that are very smart and not very expensive," says Mike Cruse, CEO of Definium Technologies, which is building LoRa-based devices for farmers, universities and mines. The so-called Internet of Things (IoT) has long promised to hook up devices, from aircraft to hair dryers, enabling owners to monitor, control and collect data from them remotely. Spending on the IoT will hit $6 trillion between 2015 and 2020, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. But the reality has been slow catching up. Ericsson this year almost halved the number of connected devices - including smartphones - it sees by 2020 to 28 billion. Part of what's holding things back, critics say, is that solutions are too expensive and elaborate for what is needed. Most involve cellular connections, which are either impractical in rural areas or beyond a user's budget. Take Richard Gardner, who runs a 2,500 hectare (6,178 acre) farm in Tasmania and pays A$1,200 per sensor for a cellular-based soil moisture measuring system. He's working with Definium to design one costing a tenth of that. "There's a lot of technology out there that works now, it's just very expensive. We've got something now that we think has better attributes and is cheaper," says Gardner, who has invested in Definium and says he already has other farmers keen to buy the company's products. LORA AND FRIENDS Making all this possible is LoRa, a narrow band standard adopted by the likes of Cisco and IBM, where the thumbnail-sized radios that send and receive data sell for a dollar or less. Dutch enthusiasts are building a global community of open-source LoRa gateways, called the Things Network. Nodes send and receive messages - about a tenth of the size of an SMS - every couple of minutes to once every few hours. Followers have rolled out their own experimental networks using the community's software in cities from Colombia to Russia. Founder Wienke Giezeman says a $300 gateway - the router connecting the LoRa nodes to the Internet - will be available next month. Half a dozen would be enough to cover an average-sized city. "This," he says, "is going to push the next phase of growth." And LoRa isn't the only narrow band technology in town. Weightless, a British-based alliance, is one. Another is a proprietary U.S. technology run by a company called Ingenu, as is Sigfox, a French firm, which has raised $150 million from companies including Samsung Electronics. POTENTIAL LOSERS The biggest potential losers are the telecoms companies, the traditional gatekeepers to the coverage these networks now claim. Ericsson says only 1.5 billion of the 16 billion IoT devices it reckons will be connected in 2021 will rely on cellular networks. Some telecoms firms are counting on NB-IOT, a narrow band standard adopted by the industry that would use their existing cellular networks. Others are hedging their bets by building LoRa and other narrow band networks. SK Telecom, for example, has rolled out a network across South Korea which it said would cost users a tenth of what they would pay to attach devices to its 4G network. Lagging, however, is how best to use these networks. Charles Anderson, an analyst at IDC, says governments and companies are still pondering what might work, and what end users might want. In the meantime, smaller players are feeling their way. One visitor to a booth at a recent IoT show in Singapore suggested connecting donation collection boxes so she'd know when they need emptying. Rishabh Chauhan of The Things Network says the community is still experimenting - from remotely monitoring mouse traps to whether moored rowboats have filled with water. "It seems people have a use case, but want to see it on a small level. They're still prototyping," he said. CITY LIMITS Much of the pioneering work is outside cities, where existing networks are poor. Gardner, the farmer, for example, sees the potential for monitoring water flow and levels, the voltage in his electric fences, or his crop sprinklers. Knowing whether they're working properly would save two trips a day and cut fuel bills, he says. In a back-room lab, Definium's Cruse shows some of the sensors he's designing for clients, all of which could easily connect to a LoRa network. They include one for measuring salt levels for shrimp farmers in Bangladesh; an LED street lamp for a mining company that could be controlled remotely; a squirrel trap which would alert a catch, and a biosensor attached to an oyster to gauge its health. Reuters tech2 News Staff Xiaomi has announced its maiden VR headset, named simply, Mi VR Play. Earlier today, news regarding Xiaomi launching a VR headset had leaked online. The Xiaomi Mi VR Play headset will be compatible with smartphones from 4.7-inch to 5.7-inch in size. As an introductory offer, Xiaomi is offering the Mi VR Play headset for a mere RMB 1, which comes to around Rs 11. This is part of a beta program for users in mainland China only. Xiaomi has received around 1 million registrations in around 8 hours after the beta programme was announced on 1 August. The Mi VR Play looks like a refined version of the ANT VR headset we have seen with the Lenovo Note series phones. The headset looks less sophisticated than the Samsung Galaxy Gear VR or the Oculus Rift. According to the source which leaked the Mi VR Play information, the pricing is expected to be around $99 which comes to around Rs 6700 approximately. The headset is 'wrapped in lightweight, durable Lycra for long-lasting comfort' says the press release. The differentiating aspect of the Xiaomi Mi VR headset is that it comes with a 2-way zipper which helps with a firm grip on the 4.7-inch to 5.7-inch smartphones. The Mi VR Play headset will be accompanied by a Mi VR app which is based on an open platform which tends to incorporate extensive library content from various partners. The current list of partners includes Conde Nast Traveller, YouKu and Korea's Dooribun. The exact price and availability date of the Mi VR Play headset has yet to be announced. We will update the copy accordingly. tech2 News Staff Xiaomi seems to be on a roll. It recently announced its first ever laptop, the Mi Notebook Air, to compete against Apples MacBook Air and just yesterday it brought the low priced Redmi 3S to India as well. Expect another product to be unveiled very soon as sources have confirmed that the company will be entering the VR space. Now an image of the alleged VR headset made by the company has leaked, which is said to work in conjunction with the company's smartphone. According to one source, the price will be just $99 (Rs 6,500 approx) and will support Google's Daydream platform for VR, which is said to arrive on Android 7.0 Nougat. The price and the fact that it will support Googles new VR platform could be the selling point of the device. Xiaomi doesnt have any device that currently supports any VR headset, and it seems like a wise choice for the company to invest in the technology as VR is definitely picking up. Recently Xiaomi General Manager Tang Mu had confirmed the VR headset and had also said that the company decided to make its own VR headset as none of the existing ones are optimized for MIUI. Another source says that Xiaomi's entry into the VR space was suppose to happen on the 1 August as an event was scheduled but it has been postponed. Expect the announcement of the Mi VR headset very soon. Also do tell us if you will be interested if Xiaomi brings the VR headset to India. Outer campuses still running M M Jasim : The Southern University Bangladesh, Chittagong Branch, is still open defying the court and the Education Ministry's order. The classes, the examinations and the activities of admission are going on, even for the next session. The other six campuses' scenario is same. When contacted an official of Chittagong Branch situated on the Mehedibag Road told The New Nation that the outer campus is active. Jamal Uddin, a guardian of an admission seeker, went to the university for his nephew's admission for the next session. The admission officer wishing anonymity demanded that Tk 10,000 for admission in BBA courses and a total of Tk 2.5 lakh for completion of the whole course. The scenario of other outer campuses of Southern University Bangladesh is the same. Some other private universities are also running their outer campuses smoothly, defying the Court and the Education Ministry's order. Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Professor Abdul Mannan told The New Nation on Wednesday that the private university should comply with the court's order. "We sent letter to the private universities to close their outer campuses and to show respect to the court. The UGC also published many advertisement in the media to make the students and the guardians aware about the outer campuses of the private universities," the UGC chairman said. "We will send further notices to the universities if they do not shut their outer campuses. The UGC will take stern action against those universities who run their outer campuses. We will also request the law enforcing agencies and local administration to close the outer campuses," Professor Mannan said. The UGC sources said, there are 63 outer campuses of nine private universities. Of them, Darul Ihsan University has 29 outer campuses, BCG Trust University two, Chittagong International Islamic University five, Southern University Bangladesh seven, America Bangladesh University 16, University of Science and Technology, Chittagong one, University of Information Technology and Sciences Chittagong one and Queens University has one outer campus. Earlier, the UGC closed 119 outer campuses of different private universities. BGC Trust University controller M Nurul Huda Sikder said that they had already closed their outer campuses and informed the government about it. He, however, declined to say how many outer campuses they had. None from Darul Ihsan University, International Islamic University and Southern University of Bangladesh could be reached for comments despite repeated attempts. On July 26, the Education Ministry declared the closure of all the outer campuses of private universities. The ministry issued an office order in this regard in accordance with a High Court verdict. South African opposition takes election lead in major cities People casting votes in South African local elections. Reuters, Pretoria : South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance led in three major cities today as votes were counted in local elections, threatening to deal the biggest electoral blow to the African National Congress since the end of apartheid two decades ago. The ANC - which ended white-minority rule when it swept to power in the country's first democratic elections in 1994 - held a big lead in the national count. But it was behind the opposition DA in the municipalities that include the cities of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, areas which it has held virtually unopposed since the end of apartheid. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could reshape the political playing field ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. The vote comes against the backdrop of increasing anger among voters at high unemployment and a lack of basic services as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession, as well as a string of corruption scandals surrounding Zuma. Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. With about half of the vote counted in the national count, the ANC held a 52 percent lead, against 31 percent for the DA and 9 percent for the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader Mmusi Maimane, was leading the ANC in Tshwane municipality, home to the capital Pretoria, in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power and which includes the city of Port Elizabeth. The DA is expected to maintain its control of Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC, where it had a large lead over the ruling party. The DA said it was "buoyant" about the growth in support across the country. "It looks like we are going to be in government in a whole lot of places where we weren't in government before," said James Selfe, a senior DA executive. The ANC said it expected to retain Tshwane municipality but was not so sure about Johannesburg or Nelson Mandela Bay. 'FRUSTRATION' The DA had 45 percent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the ANC's 40 percent although only 40 percent of the votes had been counted. In Johannesburg, the opposition party led with 44 percent to 40 percent for the ANC, with 23 percent of the votes tallied, while in Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 55 percent versus 35 percent, with 59 of the votes in. "It's becoming increasingly clear that we will be the majority party here," said the DA's Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate, Athol Trollip. "It is not yet clear if we will win an outright majority." Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC's liberation hero would be a major embarrassment for the ruling party. Analysts said it was still too early to call the vote. "The projections that I give most credence to is that the DA will be the biggest single party in Nelson Mandela Bay but won't get 50 percent," Daryl Glaser, lecturer in political studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg said. SPs wife murder suspect Bhola put on 2-day remand again Chittagong Bureau : A Chittagong court on Tuesday again granted two-day remand to arms supplier Bhola, arrested in connection with the murder of Superintendent of Police (SP) Babul Akter's wife Mahmuda Khanom Mitu. The court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Salem Mohammad Noman placed him on two-day remand after police prayed for a five-day remand in an arms case of Bakalia thana, court sources said. Earlier, police on July 10 last took Ehatashamul Hoque Bhola three-day remand as suspected murderer and arms supplier. Police arrested Bhola from city's Rajakhali area of Bakalia thana on June 27 in connection with the murder of Mahmuda Khanom Mitu. According to confession, Detective Branch of Police recovered a pistol and bullets that were used for killing Mitu from Bakalia area and an arms case was filed with Bakalia thana in this connection.Mahmuda Khanom Mitu was killed in an attack near GEC intersection on June 5.She was stabbed and shot in the head by three men when she was taking her six-year-old son for availing the school bus within the vicinity of her residence. JHENAIDAH: Students of different educational institutions formed a human chain on Monday at Post Office Intersection protesting militancy and terrorism. Obama passes baton of hope to Clinton Abu Hena : Nobody realized the exact magnitude of what Barack Obama had achieved in November 2008 when he was elected as the first black president in US history. When Obama was born in 1961, many States had laws on their books, that enforced segregation, banned mixed-race unions and restricted voting rights. Now after his election as President, America could rightly claim to have become politically color blind. Other milestones along the road to civil rights had to pass through bitterness and bloodshed, but this one was marked by joy. It was an exhilarating end to the most thrilling presidential race in generations. A sense of history hung over the election and a country that was torn apart by race for over 400 years peacefully elected a black man to the highest office in the land that overseas the world. People, black as well as white, wore T-shirts inscribed with the slogan "Making history" and cheered and wept when President Obama succeeded in unfreezing an electoral map that remained frozen for years. During the eight years of his presidency Barack Obama recalibrated the world's hopes. The world of extraordinary rendition and torture was thankfully be-gone. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ended pulling out about 3,30,000 US men and women in uniform. The 2008 economic crisis was averted. Russia's advance to Ukraine was halted. China was restrained in the South China Sea. Unemployment rate was brought down to four percent from eight percent in 2008 putting an end to millions of job losses every year. Twenty million people were brought under affordable health care coverage and fifteen million new jobs were created. An Iran at peace with America abandoned its nuclear ambition, stopped calling for the dissolution of Israel, and ended its support for Hamas and Hizbullah. Thanks to America's support, Europe was at last " whole and free", un- divided by an iron curtain with democracy ascendant in the former Soviet states and other places where dictatorship prevailed. Europeans have taken over large part of the responsibilities that once fell to America during the Balkan wars in the 1990s. To many in Europe the Obama Presidency offered a chance to sweeten a relationship that soured under George Bush. President Obama inherited a world of pressing troubles when under George Bush, America's international standing sank to awful lows. Many got the impression that the Afro-American President would simply prepare for the day when America would no longer be the sole super power. But Obama was fully prepared to rise to the occasion. In his book, the 'Audacity of Hope', he wrote about America's need to build a new international consensus to confront transnational threats. While in office he followed the roadmap and made all efforts to create international coalitions to solve international conflicts. While doing that he might have failed in some but he has succeeded in most. He is a man of dignity, superior talent, and high qualities. " In choosing him" , The Economist had predicted then "America has shown once again its unrivalled capacity to renew itself, and to surprise." On Wednesday, July 27 President Obama delivered a stirring, valedictory address at the Democratic convention ,championing optimism in America and promising to pass the baton to Hillary Clinton, hailing her as his rightful political heir and America's best hope to protect democracy and carry forward the torch of global leadership. Rebuking Donald Trump, the Republican nominee , for playing on Americans' fears, he announced, "America is already great, America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness does not depend on Donald Trump." Virtually all of the happenings on Wednesday surrounded President Obama and the symbolic passing of the torch to Hillary Clinton. He left no doubt in his commitment to helping her succeed him, saying ,"there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America." Pleading passionately for Clinton, as a trusted and reliable ally not just for him but for all Americans who need a fighter to improve their lives and keep them safe, he said "Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me," adding ,"I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me." With history in the making once again, the Time magazine came out with a brief sketch of the eventful life of the most outstanding American woman . " Growing up in the vanguard of the women's rights movement, Clinton asked NASA how to become an astronaut, only to encounter a no girl policy. When a professor at Harvard Law School said his august school needed no more women, she made herself a superstar at Yale. She kept her maiden name after marriage, in a time and place where that wasn't done. She out-earned her husband for much of her career. And she scoffed at the notion that she could ever be a cookie-baking, stand-by-your- man kind of woman From her vantage, her career looks straightforward enough : a life of pragmatic politics in service of idealistic ends, like justice and opportunity for women and children By any objective or reasonable standard, she is someone who has matched every professional challenge placed before her, from the courtrooms of Little Rock, Ark., to the brutish back rooms of high-stakes diplomacy." At 21, while studying in Wellesley College, Hillary lobbied the women's college on everything from admitting more black students and adding black studies to the curriculum, to grading some courses and ditching the skirt-required dress code in the dining hall. She arrived at her first burst of national attention as the student-government-president, as a representative crusader in a generation of change seekers. When the Wellesley president offered a platform for her speech, she stepped to the microphone on graduation day. Her speech became one of the most celebrated of that graduation season" We are, all of us, exploring a world that none of us even understands, and attempting to create within that uncertainty," Hillary said, "And so our questions - our questions about our institutions, about our colleges, about our churches, about our government---continue." The applause when she finished reportedly lasted for seven minutes. Life magazine noted her triumph and she appeared with a headline borrowed from her speech : PROTEST IS AN ATTEMPT TO FORGE AN IDENTITY. After Wellesley and Yale Hillary Rodham distinguished herself as a young attorney on the team that prepared the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. What happened next surprised many. Instead of making her way through the ranks in Washington , she moved to Arkansas to follow her law school boyfriend , Bill Clinton and soon married him. Bill was elected Governor of Arkansas but failed to be re-elected in 1980 and many observers assigned a large share of the blame to his wife who did not share her husband's surname, dressed like a hippie and called herself Ms. when she ought to be Mrs. Hillary changed herself 'lightened her hair and ditched her glasses in favor of contacts.' Clinton was re-elected and they returned to the governor's mansion with a toddler in tow. Now Hillary made the best use of her talent as a lawyer . In 1992 she reported an income of $203,172 compared with her governor husband's take-home pay of $34,527. When Bill Clinton won the White House in 1992, Hillary helped him choose his top aides and his Cabinet. As First Lady she was the first to have an office in the West Wing. As New York's Senator she passed up a seat on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for one on the Armed Services panel, where she could raise the concerns of New Yorkers in uniform and build her national security credentials. The Time magazine concluded paying rich tribute to Hillary praising her for what she has accomplished so far with great distinction and anticipating the big role she is destined to play in future : "Free to choose any life she could imagine, Hillary Rodham Clinton tasted many, discarded most and arrived in a place so unique, so vast and variegated, that simply being herself could never be enough." At this hour Hillary has nine point lead over Trump. If elected Hillary Clinton would become the 45th President of the United States, as well as the first to be married to a former president. She would be the latest in a line of Yale graduates and accomplished lawyers to lead the country. She would also be the first mother and grandmother to be commander-in- chief of the greatest country, strongest economy and strongest army in the world. [Writer is an author and columnist. Was elected MP in the 7th and the 8th Parliaments of Bangladesh] Hasnat, Tahmid put on remand after arrest Former North South University teacher Hasnat Rezaul Karim and Bangladesh-origin Canadian citizen Tahmid Hasib Khan were produced before a Dhaka Court as suspects of terror attack in cityas Gulshan CafA. They were put on eight-day remand on Thurs Court Correspondent :Abul Hasnat Rezaul Karim, a former teacher of North South University (NSU) and Canada's Toronto University student Tahmid Hasib Khan were on Thursday placed on 8-day remand each for questioning them in connection with the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan area of the capital.Magistrate Nurunnahar Yasmin of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka passed the order on Thursday after police produced them to her court with a 10-day remand plea for the duo. Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit Inspector Humayun Kabir produced them in the court. Advocate Sanwar Hossain Shomozdar submitted bail petitions on behalf of the two accused, while the court rejected their pleas. On Thursday morning, Masudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said on Wednesday night, DB police arrested them from Gulshan and Baridhara areas, Under Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) for their suspected link with the attack. However, both of them were traceless for over a month. Abul Hasnat, also a businessman and Tahmid, Bangladeshi origin, also a permanent resident of Canada were rescued along with 11 others during the commando operation at the Gulshan cafe on July 2 following a 12-hour hostage standoff. The family members also claimed, they remained traceless since then. However, the law enforcing agencies claimed that they were set free after interrogation over the attack.Twenty hostages, including 17 foreign citizens, were killed in the attack, while five militants and one suspected associate of the attackers were killed during the commando operation on July 2. Meanwhile, on August 2, Daud Patwari, 31, caretaker of a house in the city's Rupnagar area were placed on a 2-day remand for his alleged involvement in renting out a flat to one of the suspected Gulshan cafe attackers. Missing ex-NSU student found in capital UNB, Chittagong : A former student of North South University, who went missing along with his car and driver from the city on Monday, was found from Bashundhara area in the capital early Thursday. Police and family members said Junayed Ahmed Akib, 25, son of late Altaf Hossain of Kushumbagh under Khulshi thana of the city went missing from Wasa intersection along with his car driver Mostafa, 30, on his way back home from Agrabad on Monday afternoon. Their mobile phones were also found switched off after they went missing. Akib, who completed his BBA from the NSU this year, was believed to have been picked up by miscreants. Later, Akib's brother-in-law SM Manjur filed a general diary (GD) with Khulshi Police Station in this connection. Even though driver Mostafa was found at Colonel Hat of the port city on Wednesday, Akib remained missing. Police also found abandoned Akib's private car at the parking lot of Chittagong Diabetic Hospital in Khulshi area on Wednesday night. The abductors released Akib in Dhaka's Bashundhara area early in the morning, Chittagong Assistant Commissioner (DB) Kamruzzaman told UNB adding that Akib is now staying in his relative's house in the capital. Standing crops washed away Rivers in the north still swelling Staff Reporter : Flood water have started receding in the northern districts adjacent to the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna rivers in Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogra and Nilphamari districts, but swelling in Tangail, Chandpur, Faridpur and Jamalpur and central part of the country. Meanwhile, water-borne diseases have started to spread with the receding of flood water in the northern districts. National Health Crisis Management Centre sources said that around 3327 people had been attacked with diarrhoea, respiratory problems and conjunctivitis in the flood-affected areas in the past week. Flood situation is likely to continue improving in low lands adjacent to the Brahmaputra and the Jamura rivers in Jamalpur, Sirajganj and Bogra in next 72 hours. The Turag, the Balu, the Lakhya rivers around Dhaka city are on the rising trend which may likely to continue in next 24 hours. Balu river at Demra and Turag at Mirpur are flowing 15cm and 9cm below their respective danger levels. Low lands adjacent to Demra of Balu river is likely to continue rise in next 24 hours. The water in the Brahmaputra-the Jamuna and the Surma-the Kushiyara rivers are also receding and may continue to fall in next 72 hours. The Ganges remains steady. The Brahmaputra-the Jamuna, the Padma and the Surma-the Kushiyara may continue to fall in next 72 hours. Standing crops of thousands of hectares of land have been washed away by flood water in northern districts in the country. The farmers are worried about the seed beds. They do not have sufficient capital to cope up with the current situation after the deluge. In Gaibandha and Kurigram, crops on 12,595 hectares of lands have been damaged by the river water. Agriculture Expansion Department of Gaibandha sources said, Aman paddy on 1,071 hectares have been destroyed. In Kurigram, crops on 8944 hectares of lands have been damaged. The farmers say that without seeds they would not be able to cultivate the lands. Though they have time to saw seeds they do not have plants. The Agriculture Expansion Department office sources said they have prepared plants for cultivation of paddy. They can distribute the plants bringing from Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur and Rangpur. An agriculture officer from Kurigram said, "We will take the decision after the flood water retreat further. We will distribute the local varieties initially. The lands from where the water retreat, we will suggest the farmers to grow vegetables and other varieties of crops." In Saghata, the farmers lost all the jute plants they grew in the lands. Around 3000 hectares of jute have been damaged in Gaibandha and Kurigram districts. The farmers fear that they would not get fair price of their product this year. According to the Department of Disaster Management, at least 6,34,409 families in the country's 16 districts, mostly in the north and northeast, have been hit by flooding since mid-July. Some 2,000 km of roads and 58.09 km of embankments in Jamalpur, seven km of roads in Nilphamari, 327 km of roads in Sirajganj and 300 metres of dykes in Gaibandha were damaged fully or partially. SQ Chy's son picked up by police Staff Reporter : Police reportedly picked up Hummam Quader Chowdhury, youngest son of executed war criminal and BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, from in front of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court on Thursday. Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury was hanged on November 22, 2015 being convicted by International Crimes Tribunal for his crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971. Salahuddin's wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury and son Hummam Chowdhury went to the court to appear as witnesses in a case filed against them under the Information Communication Technology [ICT] Act, their family lawyer Chowdhury Mohammad Galib Ragib said. "But a group of unidentified persons introducing themselves as Detective Branch [DB] of Police picked Hummam while he just stepped down from his car at the court building. They asked Farhat Chowdhury not to interfere, saying 'let us do our job'. Later, Farhat alone appeared before the court as witness. Thursday was the second day of arguments in the case, which was filed following leakage of the judgment copy relating to Salahuddin's verdict from the administrative section of ICT with the help of some officials. Salahuddin was awarded death sentence by the ICT on October 1, 2013. But the verdict was available in the internet before it was pronounced by the court. Against this backdrop, the prosecution section of ICT filed a case against seven persons, including wife and son of Salahuddin. Aminul Gani Titu, Chief Defence lawyer, said that he had heard of the matter. "I will complain it to the judge," he said. Police, however, did not make any comment over the matter. But one of Salahuddin's family friends named Sayem said he was also in the car when a group of six persons intercepted it. "Six persons intercepted the car. They introduced themselves as members of DB. So far as I know, Hummam has been kept at DB office in the city's Mintoo Road," Sayem further said. Hummam's personal secretary Minhaj Uddin Chowdhury Shibli also said that he was picked up by the law enforcers while going to appear before a Dhaka court. At that time, the law enforcers said that there were 'more cases' against him. They however, did not show any identity cards or warrant in this regard, he said. The court fixed August 14 for the final verdict of the case. US, UK still concerned over security Vow to enhance bilateral trade, investment Staff Reporter : The United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday again expressed their concern over security in the wake of recent terror attacks stressing the need for more effective security steps. But they have shown keen interest to enhance bilateral trade and investment in Bangladesh and said they remain Bangladesh's largest trading partners and they must all work together. US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat at a function to mark commencing of Beximco Parmaceutical's export to the US at a city hotel said, the government must work to reassure foreign investors that it is taking all appropriate measures to ensure the security of their factories and personnel in the wake of recent terror attacks in Bangladesh. Marcia Bernicat said authoritative messaging from the government when attacks occur to reassure the public, and the government's unambiguous and undivided attention on defeating this new form of terrorism. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim, Vice Chairman Salman Rahman, Managing Director Nazmul Hassan, and Chief Information Officer Rabbur Reza of Beximco were present on the occasion. She said a safe and stable Bangladesh is crucial to attracting further investment and continuing economic growth to reach middle-income status. "For Bangladesh to meet the goal of becoming a middle income country, it is crucial for the country to diversify its economy and move up the value-added chain. Manufacturing plants like this one and others across Bangladesh are key to meeting this goal," Marcia Bernicat said. She said the pharmaceutical industry is arguably the most knowledge and technologically intensive export industry in Bangladesh. She, however, said the industry still only accounts for 1 per cent of GDP, the US ambassador said. "I look forward to seeing pharma's contribution to the national economy grow, and to seeing other knowledge and technologically intensive industries grow," she said. She said in order to continue to move forward there is still work needed to improve the business environment for businesses like Beximco to further entice foreign investors to bring their capital and technology to Bangladesh. Bangladesh must continue to lay the groundwork for sectors like pharmaceuticals to thrive. The US Ambassador said the protection of intellectual property, for example, is critical for the growth of a robust pharmaceutical industry. "Today is a reminder that Bangladesh is a resilient country and that the path forward for a secure future will include the mechanism this country has relied on successfully in past times of crisis - government, civil society, and the private sector all working together," she said. "On that regard, I am pleased to see Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam's comments that all parties will be included in the anti-militancy committees." She said today is also about trade between two partners, and this new trade relationship is a strong vote by my country for the successful economic future of Bangladesh. "The United States remains Bangladesh's largest trading partner and we must all work together to continue growing our two-way trade over the coming years," said Marcia Bernicat. "I am especially proud that U.S. consumers will now be able to take a life-saving drug and see "Made in Bangladesh" on the bottle," the US Ambassador said. Receiving approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration is a long and rigorous process. "I have visited several factories in Bangladesh but this visit was truly special because it heralds the future of Bangladesh's economy and its exports," she said. She added Beximco Pharma's manufacturing plant has state-of-the-art technologies, world class equipment, and highly trained professionals. UK High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake after a meeting with Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed at his Secretariat office on Thursday said her country is keen to increase trade and investment in Bangladesh but they are concerned over security. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said the UKs exit from European Union (EU) would not affect trade and investment with Bangladesh. "UK is keen to increase trade and investment in Bangladesh that is why they have come up with an investment proposal for Padma Bridge to Kuakata railway link and Payra port," he told journalists after a meeting with UK High Commissioner at his Secretariat office. Tofail said the UK envoy praised Bangladesh's security measures against terrorism and said "British citizen's movement to Bangladesh as well as trade and investment would be continued." UK is the third largest export destination of Bangladeshi products in Europe. The UK envoy told the newsmen that the existing bilateral relation between both the countries would be continued after completion of BREXIT. Terming Bangladesh as good friend, Alison Blake hinted that UK's trade with the country would boost further. The high commissioner expressed satisfaction over the security measures taken by Bangladesh against terrorism. Blake said they are not imposing any restriction on its citizens' travel to Bangladesh but they are advising them to be cautious. She said the UK will continue to work with Bangladesh government in tackling the challenges of terrorism which has become common threat globally. "Our intention is to build a strong partnership. We'll continue to work with our all friends," Blake said. Tofail said the country's 16 crore people are now united against terrorism and any nation having such unity can overcome any problem. He said Bangladesh is building 100 economic zones and the UK also wants to invest in those. Additional secretaries Shuvashish Basu and Zahir Uddin Ahmed were present at the meeting. First Hajj flight with 401 off to Jeddah The first Hajj flight carrying 401 pilgrims left for the Saudi Arabia from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:05am on Thursday. UNB, Dhaka :The first hajj flight carrying 401 Bangladeshi pilgrims to Jeddah of Saudi Arabia took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital on Thursday morning.The flight 'BG-1011' of Biman Bangladesh Airlines departed from the airport at 8:05am.Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Religious Affairs Minister Principal Motiur Rahman and high officials of the two ministries saw the pilgrims off at the airport.Besides, three more flights with hajj pilgrims will depart from the Dhaka airport on Thursday.Required numbers of Hajj flights will also operate from Chittagong and Sylhet cities as well this year.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the hajj programme for 2016 at the Hajji Camp at the city's Ashkona on Wednesday. Some 1,01,758 Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims are expected to perform the holy hajj this year.Of them, 91,758 pilgrims will perform hajj under private management while the rest 10,000 under the government arrangement. This year, the hajj flights of Biman will continue till September 5 while the return hajj flights will begin on September 17 and continue till October 15.A 292-member Bangladeshi Hajj team comprising physicians, pharmacists, nurses/brothers and assistants would go to Saudi Arabia to provide healthcare facilities to hajj pilgrims. Owners threaten to shut CNG stations if price is raised UNB, Dhaka :CNG pump owners on Thursday threatened to shut down their stations if the government raises the price of compressed natural gas."We will have no option but to shut down our pumps if the price of CNG is further increased," said Masud Khan, president of Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association, while addressing a discussion meeting at Cirdap Auditorium in the city.The threat came against the backdrop of the government proposal to raise the price of CNG by 83 percent. The proposal was submitted to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) which has since announced public hearings on August 7-18 to discuss the matter. The government has also proposed to raise the prices of gas used by households and other consumers to almost double what they are paying now.The discussion meeting, titled: "Resist Gas Price Hike, Transport Fare Hike" was also addressed, among others by, eminent columnist Syed Abul Maksud, Architect Mobassher Hossain, energy specialists Prof Badrul Imam, Prof Shamsul Alam and Prof M Ehsan. Economist Prof MM Akash moderated the discussion meeting, organised by CNG association. Expressing their grave concern about the government's move for CNG price hike, the speakers said that it will badly impact the market of essential commodities as transport fares will double like in the previous years. They said it is always evident that whenever the government raises CNG prices, transport operators subsequently raise their fares. As a result, prices of all commodities go up the next day. Syed Abul Maksud said the government seems to protect the interest of gas companies instead of considering the interests of the masses. Mobasher Hossain said the government proposes to hike gas prices to meet the expense of other sectors where corruption eats up the profits.Prof Shamsul Alam said the government is ignoring all rules in raising CNG prices.Prof Ehsan said if CNG price is increased, motor vehicles will turn to diesel for their fuel which will return Dhaka city to a polluted situation prevailing before 2000. He said CNG not only saves money, but also saves expenses in health and environment. General secretary of CNG association Farhan Noor said that despite huge profit the gas companies are pushing their price hike proposal. From left: Pellerin, Fayard, Campbell While most of the top tier candidates in the U.S. Senate race are hoping super PACs come to their rescue, if needed, during the current election cycle, the leading Democratic contenders are also wondering if the state party will come through with a unified endorsement. Party leaders say an endorsement from the Democratic State Central Committee seems unlikely any time soon. But thats not stopping the top three contenders Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, Denham Springs attorney Caroline Fayard and Acadiana oil executive Joshua Pellerin from reaching out to DSCC members. Stephen Handwerk, the partys executive director, said in an interview recently that he hadnt seen any movement one way or the other. He added that its ultimately up to the members of the DSCC. The push for an endorsement has high-profile players in different corners, with Gov. John Bel Edwards supporting Campbell and Fayards family leveraging a lifetime of financial support for Democrats. Its unknown who might be able to broker such an endorsement with these personalities involved. The party, though, may want the DSCC to steer clear of a vote. Coordinated campaigns bring in money and it may prefer three candidates with cash to completely locking out two of them. This is especially true due to the lack of attention from the national level. There is certainly a role the state party plays in this, Handwerk said. But do the national folks get involved and play a role here? Certainly that is something the chairwoman, myself and the campaigns are making the case for, that Louisiana should be in play this year. So far were not seeing any movement. IND L!VE offers highlights of the many live music events taking place around Acadiana this weekend. BRASS MIMOSA + ZACH RHEA'S NEW MUSIC COLLECTIVE Thursday, Aug. 4 Blue Moon Saloon Doors: 9:30 p.m. Zach Rheas New Music Collective is a group of Louisiana-based musicians who gather in various combinations to express themselves through improvisation and the music of drummer and bandleader Zach Rhea. What once started as an idea for a blues rock band gradually formed into the funky grooves of Brass Mimosa. Featuring Jack Langlinais on drums, Jaron Marshall on keys, Ethan Mould on alto sax, Alex Camel on bass, Blake Pujol on guitar, Eddie Muller on trombone, and Olatunde Soyombo on baritone sax, Brass Mimosa, like most local bands, comes from humble beginnings. GRASS ROOTS IN THE PARK: CHUBBY CARRIER AND THE BAYOU SWAMP BAND Thursday, Aug. 4 The Horse Farm Doors: 6 - p.m. Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band are GRAMMY award winning artists that offer Intense, High Energy, Party Music. Join us for an evening of music that will bring you to your feet. ENDLESS SUMMER WITH NEW NATIVES BRASS BAND AND NYCE Thursday, Aug. 4 Artmosphere Bistro Doors: 9 p.m. Come out and party with NEW NATIVES BRASS BAND at Atmosphere just before the semester begins. Summer doesn't have to end. SICKBAY PRESENTS DE LUNE DELUGE WITH WALKER GLORIOSO & J BURTON Friday, Aug. 5 Artmosphere Bistro Doors: 9 p.m. Admission: $10 SICKBAY presents De Lune Deluge with Walker Glorioso and J Burton at ARTMOSPHERE, Friday, August 5th, 8pm. $10 at the door or $7 with an August-dated receipt from either Lagniappe Records or Genterie Supply Co (please bring your receipt). SKYROCKET Friday, Aug. 5 The Grouse Room Doors: 10 p.m. SKYROCKET! the beloved band from Austin, Texas, debuts at the Grouse Room on August 5. The band is a supergroup of Austin songwriters and players, featuring Texas songwriter Trish Murphy and brother Darin Murphy, glam-rocker Johnny Goudie, and great side players from various touring acts, including Fastball, the Dixie Chicks, and the BoDeans. ZYDECO RADIO Friday, Aug. 5 Blue Moon Saloon Doors: 10 p.m. The group infuses traditional zydeco with funk and 60s soul, citing Allen Toussaint and The Meters as a few inspirations. BLONDE ROSES + FOXFIRE + BROTHER JAC Saturday, Aug. 6 Feed & Seed Doors: 8 p.m. Join Feed & Seed for Blonde Roses (formerly Wooden Wings) NEW band name release party featuring performances from Foxfire and Brother Jac. MONSTERS OF THE SWAMP GUITAR Saturday, Aug. 6 Route 92 Doors: 9 p.m. Route 92 welcomes Lil' Buck Sinegal, CC Adcock & The Lafayette Marquis and Michael Juan Nunez & The American Electric. PINE LEAF BOYS Saturday, Aug. 6 Blue Moon Saloon Doors: 10 p.m. Louisiana's finest, four-time Grammy-Nominated Pine Leaf Boys have made a name for presenting their own inimitable brand of Cajun music with youthful exuberance. THE MUSIC OF THE EAGLES TRIBUTE SHOW Saturday, Aug. 6 The Grouse Room Doors: 10 p.m. Join Terry Brock, Glenn DeLaune & Bryan Perrin for a special night of Eagles, Kansas and Louisiana's Leroux music. This show was a huge sellout we had to bring them back. Come dance the night away and listen to some great music. Also other special surprises and Drink Specials all night long. THE RAYO BROTHERS + SABRA & THE GET RIGHTS Saturday, Aug. 6 Artmosphere Bistro Doors: 9:30 p.m. Lafayette folk rockers The Rayo Brothers take a break from recording their sophomore album to play Artmosphere with old-time honky tonk band Sabra & The Get Rights. Special guest from the Netherlands Judy Blank opens the show. ROCK THE SYSTEM: A BENEFIT SHOW FOR SHANNON LABIT Sunday, Aug. 7 Steam Press Coffee Cafe Doors: 4 - 12 p.m. Admission: $10 Steam Press Coffee Cafe is hosting a benefit concert for Shannon Labit, who suffered from mental illness and was shot and killed by a police officer in New Iberia. This Benefit concert not only helps with some of the funds the family lost by paying for the family out of pocket, but to raise awareness of mental health and unjust police brutality. Performances by: Drood, Mangata, Radiant Knife, Brother Jac and The Nameless. Doors will be open at 4pm. Any donation of $10 or more will get you into the show. To donate now, visit https://www.gofundme.com/2ctdgubg Paris, TX (75460) Today Rain likely. Potential for heavy rainfall. High 57F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. Expression Unlimited has a new meeting location. Starting in August, the group will be meeting at Cedarhurst Assisted Living Center, 211 N. Market St. in Sparta. "Expression Unlimited is designed for anyone who enjoys sharing or even watching others share their creativeness. Its members enjoy painting, sculpting, reading, glass etching, jewelry designing, writing, speaking, music and much more," Edmond P. DeRousse said in a news release from the organization. At the monthly meetings, group members share creative experiences. "Each person has the opportunity to present a brief work in his or her favorite mode of expression," DeRousse said. Expression Unlimited meets the second Tuesday of every month. Membership is free and open to the public. The next meeting will be at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 9, at Cedarhurst Assisted Living Center in Sparta. The Southern Metal in the Mountainz 5 will rock the Granada Theater from 2:30 to 11 p.m. Aug. 6 in Mount Vernon. The event will include eight local metal and rock groups: GrooveTang Dynasty, Another Day Drowning, Annihilate the Hero, Spirit of Chaos, Lunatic, Some Kinda Khaos, Blood Tribe and Gogatta. Our mission is to continue the growing scene for Southern Illinois local original rock and heavy metal bands by providing the Metal In The Mountainz Festival as a spotlight for these artists, BALDIEZ, the group that organizes the festival, says on its website. According to BALDIEZ, Metal in the Mountainz is a nonprofit festival operated by volunteers and donations. For the fans, by the bands is our calling card. Our focus is to protect the support system of local original rock and heavy metal by offering the biggest local show for all ages, BALDIEZ says. All ages are welcome to the show, admission is $5. Granada Theater is located at 108 N. 9th St., Mount Vernon. For more information, visit www.baldiez.weebly.com or contact Christopher Ward at 618-204-7272 or baldiezzzz@gmail.com. The Southern The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about a Southern Illinois-based business that sells Chinese all-terrain vehicle parts. Chinese ATV Parts Inc., which has used addresses in Carbondale and Alto Pass, faces nearly 80 complaints from customers who say the business accepted their money and failed to deliver merchandise, BBB said Thursday in a news release. Chinese ATV Parts previously operated under the name ATVsNetWeb Inc., which also faced a rash of customer complaints about botched orders. The BBB issued an alert about the company in December 2014. Most of the customers who have filed complaints against Chinese ATV Parts Inc. say that they received wrong or incomplete orders or that they never received their orders at all. They claim they were unable to reach anyone at the company and never received their money back. The BBB has given the company an F rating in response to the complaints. According to documents filed with the Illinois secretary of state, Andrea Spurlock Kosydor is the president and secretary of Chinese ATV Parts, the BBB said. Her husband, Ronald Kosydor, may also work for the company. He was involved with ATVsNetWeb Inc. in 2014, but its unclear whether hes still connected to the business. The company operates more than 20 websites, many of which are identical. Some of these websites include ATVPartsUSAWholesale.com, BajaPartsOnline.com, BuyAtvsOnline.com, BuyATVPartsOnline.com, BuyKazuma.com, ChineseAtvOnline.com, ChineseAtvParts.com, Gy6150EnginePartsWholesale.com, HighRPMRacer.com, KazumaPartsOnline.com, LoncinEngineParts.com, KazumaRacing.com, LifanEnginePartsWholesale.com and RedCatOnline.com. Most of the sites use the same phone number and Carbondale address. CARBONDALE The postponement of a new food and beverage tax that was set to take effect Aug. 1 was the topic of a forum between the City and local business owners on Thursday. At its July 19 meeting, the City Council discussed amendments to the new food and beverage tax, adopted in June, to include prepared foods at grocery stores, convenience stores and movie theaters, in addition to prepared foods at restaurants, bars and hotels. During the forum, monitored by Executive Director of Jackson Growth Alliance Jeff Doherty, City Mayor Mike Henry presented attendees with the amendments to be considered by members of the City for the new tax ordinance at its Aug 9 meeting. "I can, since we are not in violation of the Open Meetings Act, tell you how the ordinance is coming back to the Council on Aug. 9," he said. Amendments to the ordinance will include the 4 percent rate and the extension of the new tax to include prepared foods at grocery stores, convenience stores and movie theaters, in addition to prepared foods at restaurants, bars and hotels, Henry said. "It will come back with the tax at 4 percent, it will come back with provisions which you folks asked for for places like Casey's the gas stations that sells pizza and so on and so forth to be included in this," Henry said. He further encouraged for the owners to review the new ordinance, which will be made available on the city's website prior to its meeting, and make a joint consensus on adjustments that they will like to see in regard to the amended ordinance. As the forum continued, local owners opposed the 4 percent tax and came to a joint decision to present members of the City Council with an alternative that include lowering the 4 percent to a rate that does not exceed 1 percent. The group of owners also agreed on the need for improvements in the downtown area and throughout the community. As a result each attendee agreed to propose a .25 increase for sales tax. MAKANDA Cathie Hutcheson hung up three mesh nets over hummingbird feeders in her backyard, then went to sit near the swimming pool to await the re-emergence of the little flighty birds she said had just been all over the place. Sure enough, in as little as two minutes, one hummingbird reappeared, then another, now six, now maybe 10 quick flicks of water-colored streaks signaled their presence as they flitted here, there, now back into the trees, and away again. A minute or so later, Hutcheson said that at least one of the hummingbirds had been caught in the soft netting, and she got up to retrieve it. When she walked near the netting, she discovered one set held at least two birds and she deftly stuck her hand inside and pulled each one out, putting each into a cotton drawstring bag made from half a handkerchief. The little birds protested their irritation with audible wing thumps and chirps. That is how Hutcheson catches the little bird that can zip across backyards at 30 miles per hour or 60 miles per hour during courtship in order to put a tiny silver band on its even smaller legs to help researchers track the hummingbird and its patterns and lifestyle. She's retired from her job as a clerk at Southern Illinois University, but her summer weekdays are busy, as she travels throughout the region collecting and banding hummingbirds in the yards. She's one of three people in the state of Illinois with a permit to track and band the little bird; she's banded birds since 1970, hummingbirds since 2000. She estimates she's banded at least 66,000 hummingbirds. "Banding birds is very interesting because you get to learn about their biology and you get to learn about how they function in the natural environment," she said. "Banding birds helps you know where they are, if they come back, if they survive over the years." "Banding hummingbirds is not supposed to be fun it's science but it is fun." How she does it To capture the birds, Hutcheson puts the mesh netting over a hummingbird feeder, which is filled with sweetened water, much like the nectar they get from flowers and other plants. Once they are inside the netting, she retrieves them, putting each one in a separate little drawstring pouch. She hangs them up to await their turn to be banded, and the outline of each bird is visible as it tries to fly away. Once she takes each bird out the bag, she uses specially made banding pliers to grasp a small silver band that she puts around one of the bird's thin legs; she then measures the bird, its beak and other body parts, making notations in an open book on the poolside patio table. In the roughly 30 minutes that she discusses her work, she captures and attempts to band at least a dozen hummingbirds, discovering that about four were previously banded. The notations help her see that they were done within the past few weeks. She can band from 100 to 200 hummingbirds a day, preferring to work earlier in the morning and in the afternoon, when the birds are most likely to be out looking for food. The hummingbirds in this area are known as the Ruby-throated hummingbirds, which refers specifically to the orange coating that is reflected off the throats of the males in that species. The research that she and other hummingbird banders gather is supplied to the U.S. Geological Survey; the government entity has a special section on birds, titled the U.S. Bird Banding Laboratory. It is headed by Bruce Peterjohn, who Hutcheson proudly notes is a graduate of Southern Illinois University. What motivates her to do this? "Im crazy, thats why I keep doing it," she said. "I mean, who else but a crazy person would go to 10, 12 places every week from the end of May to the beginning of October and spend all summer outside, catching birds someone who is a bit crazy." Hutcheson, who earned a bachelor's degree in biology, has contributed at least two research papers on hummingbirds, including one that looks at an isotope marker to indicate where hummingbirds are hatched. "But it's fun to find out about them," she said, "and Ive added some to the research of hummingbirds, but there is so much research now on them." What the banding research tells Some of the hummingbirds she's banded have been found as far away as Minnesota and Pennsylvania and Texas and Arkansas. She's caught birds on their migration toward their wintering grounds in Central America. The oldest hummingbird that she's recaptured was one she recovered in 2008 and that she estimated then to be at least nine years old, based on the fact that the bird's band indicated she banded it in 2000 and the bird was at least one year old then. Though the work can appear simplistic and quick, Hutcheson noted that it can take at least a year for someone to learn to properly band a hummingbird without injuring it. One of the people she taught to band hummingbirds is Vernon Kleen, who is president of the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders. On Saturday, Kleen will headline the Hummingbird Festival, at the Trail of Tears State Forest, in Jonesboro, where he will discuss and band hummingbirds. The Hummingbird Festival will run from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 6. There is no cost to attend the event, but guests can pay $5 to "adopt" a bird that they get to re-release into the wild and get updates on it should it ever be recaptured. These gatherings typically attract between 25 to 60 people, Kleen said. He estimates the he has banded bout 30,000 hummingbirds. About 10 to 25 percent of the hummingbirds he captured have already been banded by him, he said. He said he recently recaptured one that he banded in 2008, making the bird about nine years old. The average life span for a hummingbird is three to five years. "Its got a stressful life," Kleen said. "First of all, the main stressor is that is has to fly across the Gulf of Mexico once a year," about a 20-hour trip one way and a distance of about 500 miles, he said. There would be twice as many birds, in general, if there were less habitat destruction, Hutcheson said. "Too many people," she said. "Basically, human overpopulation has cut down on everything. Habitat is important, so when it goes, they have no place to come back to, and so they dont. They just die off or dont breed, and fewer birds are made, thats that downward spiral." There are so many birds in this area, she said, because it's the right habitat. UNIONVILLE Almost a day after he was last reportedly seen in Massac County, a suspect police said was "armed and dangerous" is in custody, picked up by law enforcement as he walked along Unionville Road in Brookport. The man, 26-year-old Benjamin Comer, was arrested without incident, according to a source at the Massac County Sheriff's Department. He did not have the double-barrel shotgun on him that he had reportedly taken from a home he broke into a day earlier. Comer, described as being from Massac County, was given medical treatment at the scene and transported to the Massac County Sheriff's office for booking. He is being held without bail, pending his first court appearance, which is set for Monday. He is facing charges of aggravated home invasion, theft of a firearm and criminal damage to property, according to a news release from Massac County Sheriff Ted Holder. Additional charges could be forthcoming after the Massac County Sheriff's Office confers with the State's Attorney's Office. Comer had been the subject of a manhunt by authorities in Kentucky where he robbed a Paducah Walmart of $1,200 worth of items and in Illinois where he reportedly fled, leading police on a chase. The vehicle he was driving was found abandoned in Illinois. Up to 50 officers joined the hunt for Comer, including those from the Illinois State Police patrol and Special Investigations; Massac and Pope County sheriffs' department; Metropolis and Brookport police; Illinois Department of Conservation; and U.S. Marshals Service. A few hours before authorities found the man, Sheriff Holder said he had last been seen around 7 a.m. Wednesday when he broke into a home on James Cary Lane, taking clothes and the double-barrel shotgun. When Massac County investigators arrived at the scene, they met with Paducah Police, who determined that the intruder was the man wanted in connection with the robbery at the Paducah Wal-Mart. Comer did not physically hurt a woman in the home at the time, Holder had said. "He just told her he wanted some clothes and something to drink," Holder said. The sheriff said he also took a double-barrel shotgun from the home. Holder said the department did receive two calls overnight Wednesday about dogs barking, but once those were checked out, it was believed the dogs were barking at wild animals, and another call about an alarm being triggered was attributed to the homeowner's pet setting it off. Unionville and other local residents had been asked to call 911 immediately if they saw Comer or anything out of the ordinary, Holder said. Holder had said that Unionville would have a heavy police presence on Wednesday, with Massac County Sheriff's deputies in four to five vehicles and state police troopers in four other vehicles. A man sought for an armed robbery in Paducah, is the same man that state police and Massac County Sheriff's Department officials warned is "armed and dangerous." The law-enforcement officers issued the warning Wednesday morning for 26-year-old Benjamin Comer, saying he was armed with a double-barrel shotgun and considered "armed and dangerous." Comer was wanted in connection with stealing $1,200 worth of items from a store in the Paducah area and for fleeing into Illinois, where he apparently abandoned the vehicle he was driving. Law enforcement said Comer had threatened people, and they particularly asked those in the Brookport, Unionville, Mount Sterling and Hamletsburg areas to be on the lookout for him. Comer is described as being a white male, 5'11 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, wearing grey "camo" and shorts and carrying the double-barrel shotgun. Anyone with information about Comer's whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately. People are asked to lock their doors and stay inside until he is taken into custody. The Southern One of the most active places on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus is the Marion Kleinau Theatre, an intimate performance laboratory in the Department of Communication Studies. Located on the second floor of the Communications Building at 1100 Lincoln Drive is a space where faculty, students and guest artists produce a full season of performances each year, usually 10 to 12 shows. The Kleinau Theatre and the departments program in Performance Studies create opportunities to refine performance skills and develop critical understandings of the role of performance in shaping society and culture. Most of the shows are original productions written and created by students and faculty specifically for the Kleinau. Productions often examine how communication builds communities and cultures, allowing their members to negotiate the personal and political demands of everyday life. Our students make successful leaps from the Kleinau out into the world. Graduate student Ashley Beard, who goes by the stage name A.B., is currently performing an autobiographical piece, Slant, in Melbourne, Australia, as the invited guest of Monash University and their Critical Autoethnography Conference. Like many of our students, A.B.s work began on the Kleinau stage but continues elsewhere as part of her profile as a performing scholar. Undergraduates in the program also have gone on to great success. Alumnus William Bowling, who appeared in a performance of Our Man with Goat in the Road, had his performance featured on the cover of American Theatre Magazine. Supported by the Student Fine Arts Activity Fee, a special aspect of the Kleinau performance season involves the Department of Communication Studies hosting nationally and internationally-known guest performance artists. Often coming to Carbondale for a week of workshops with students, these artists bring special talents to campus and provide students with outstanding opportunities to develop their skills. In recent seasons, internationally-known performance artist Tim Miller brought his new piece Performance! Body! Self! and spoke about the role performance plays in forming identity. Miller shared fierce and funny material and spoke about how performance can be used to embolden communities, challenge injustice and connect people with one another. Other guest artists have included Thao Nguyen, Fortunate Daughter, a performance dealing with familial pressure pushing her to marry while she struggled with the difference between coming out and coming home, and Jen Tudor, whose solo performance Suicide Punchline demonstrated that suicide is only the beginning for survivors. Dr. Marion Kleinau founded the theatre in 1966 naming it "the Calipre Stage." Thirty years later it was renamed in her honor. Kleinaus dream of creating a space for oral interpretation and group performance of non-dramatic literature lives on for students and faculty in the Department of Communication Studies who continue to use the Marion Kleinau Theatre to explore and practice performance as a method and form of scholarship. We invite interested community members to share in these unique and moving performance experiences. Please visit the website and watch for release of this years season calendar, coming soon: cola.siu.edu/communicationstudies/kleinau/. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Dear Republican Party: Congratulations. By now, one thing is beyond dispute: You have produced a candidate for the ages. This column is only 600 words or so, which gives me not nearly enough space to do justice to the many ways Donald Trump has proven himself unfit to be president. He is an overgrown frat boy trying to masquerade as a statesman. But even by the somewhat elastic new standards you and he have embraced, his attack on Khizr and Ghazala Khan represents a breathtaking new low. As the whole country knows by now, the Khans, Muslim-American immigrants, appeared last week at the Democratic National Convention to speak about their son, Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004 as he approached a suicide bomber. Your candidate, of course, has made Muslim- and immigrant-bashing a cornerstone of his campaign. With his wife standing silently beside him looking sick with sorrow, Khizr Khan questioned whether Trump has ever read the Constitution and offered to lend him a copy. And he reminded your candidate of the sacrifices of a rainbow coalition of patriots, as reflected in the tombstones at Arlington. You, he cried, have sacrificed nothing and no one! It was, granted, a stinging rebuke. But a smart candidate would have known that you dont waste energy attacking the other candidates surrogates. A smart candidate would have recognized the argument as unwinnable. A smart candidate would have let it ride. Your candidate belittled the grieving parents of an American hero. In interviews Sunday, he suggested Ghazala Khan was silent because she was not allowed to speak, i.e., a woman rendered mute and subservient by Islam. He also pushed back against her husbands charge that he has made no sacrifices. I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices, he told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. I work very, very hard. Ive created thousands and thousands of jobs. When pressed on whether that really constitutes sacrifice, he doubled down. I think those are sacrifices, he said. For the record: Ghazala Khan says she was silent because even now, 12 years later, she cannot see her sons image, which was projected on a screen behind her, without breaking down. So she was just trying to hold herself together. And working hard in your own interest is emphatically not a sacrifice, especially as compared with losing your son in this countrys service. I could elaborate, but as I told you, space is limited and I need to reserve some to say this: Shame on you. Have you no honor? Are you really so bereft of basic human decency? That question applies to every one of you, from House Speaker Paul Ryan and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, all the way to the everyday voter who endorses this man, knowing that hes a flaming oil spill of a human being. Thats incomprehensible. The economy doesnt explain it. Party loyalty doesnt excuse it. Remember the pious lectures you gave on patriotism in 2008 because Barack Obama declined to wear an American flag lapel pin? I do. And it makes your affirmation of this guy all the more inexcusable. As his attack on the Khans proves, Trump cant even fake patriotism. I respect the honorable members of your party who have recognized him for the despicable little man he is and the existential danger he represents and refused him their endorsement. For the rest of you, I offer this reminder: History is watching. History will not forget. And history will not forgive. SANTEE -- Author Verlyn Tarlton will spend most of the summer of 2016 at Santee State Park as she researches the next installment in her popular of the Swift Walker series of books for children. This trip is stepping outside of my comfort zone, said Tarlton, who is traveling with her husband and her three youngest children. Some, while they admire us to a degree, find it odd to think that we left behind a custom single family home to live in our recreational vehicle, in the middle of the woods. Tarlton had achieved ample recognition while working out of her home in King George, Virginia. She first made a name for herself writing and speaking about finance topics and interpersonal relationships to adult audiences. Then one day, while driving with several of her children, a different idea popped into her head. I asked my children what might happen if you started walking and couldnt stop, Tarlton said. They loved the idea, and it became the genesis for my first Swift Walker book. In his first adventure, the lead character took a walk around the continents. A champion of literacy, Tarlton created Swift Walker in the image of a young African American boy. Black children, especially young black males, face a tremendous challenge when it comes to literacy, largely because they dont see enough characters in books who look like them, she said. I therefore created Swift Walker to be more relatable for those young people, yet still take them outside their familiar neighborhoods and their regular settings. The success of Swift Walker: A Continental Journey led Tarlton to follow it up with Swift Walker: A Journey Around the Oceans. Next came Swift Walker: A Space Adventure, which took the young adventurer to all the planets in our solar system. The favorable response to Tarltons books also made her publisher, Plum Street Press, want to keep the series going. After due consideration, she decided that researching African American history would provide a wealth of material l for another Swift Walker adventure. So she and her husband made the decision to take to the road in their RV and explore historic places for themselves. After an initial, shakedown trip to Newport News, Virginia, to get a taste of living in the RV with their three youngest children on board, the couple decided to begin their travels in South Carolina. They chose Santee State Park as their base of operations because of its excellent RV facilities and central location to so many historic sites. We have no family or friends here, just as we had none in Newport News, she said. We're just going on this adventure and enjoying the trip. Since their arrival, the family has visited several libraries and historic sites in the vicinity of Santee and Orangeburg. They also traveled to North Charleston to visit the Jenkins Institute for Children. Founded as Jenkins Orphanage by Reverend Daniel J. Jenkins on December 1, 1891, the institute has served the needs black youth for more than a century and a quarter. I read about it a year ago and wanted to visit and find out more, Tarlton said. Rev. Jenkins was born a slave in Barnwell, S.C. in 1862, and set free after the Civil War. He moved to Charleston years later and went into business selling wood. One day on his way to work, he discovered four African American boys huddling in a boxcar to stay warm, and immediately saw the need for an orphanage. We met with Johanna Carrington, who is now 85 years old and has been associated with the institute for many years, Tarlton said. She shared a great deal of history with us history that we never learned in school. Talking to her and walking on those grounds made the history seem very real. She intends to range even farther afield in the weeks to come. For example, Tarlton intends to return to Charleston for a visit to Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture. The Avery center houses both a museum and archives that chronicle the African American experience in the Lowcountry. She also expressed an interest in visiting the vicinity of Port Royal Sound to learn more about Captain Robert Smalls and the areas Gullah culture. Gaining knowledge is like searching for treasure, you have to dig to find the real jewels, Tarlton said. Im also a big believer in giving my children the opportunity to experience learning outside of a classroom setting. Yet she still manages to keep her children up to speed with their home-schooling. In addition to the historic site visits, they get their schoolwork done. Their mother then catches up with organizing her notes and maintaining her blog after everyone else goes to sleep at night. This [trip] is one of the best things we could have done, Tarlton said. We have met the most amazing people and leaned some amazing things. Shoppers and merchants are ready and enthusiastic about the annual back-to-school sales tax holiday this weekend starting. "I think it is great," Orangeburg resident Barbara Polite said. "It saves a lot of money." Barbara and her husband, Terry, say they take advantage of the tax-free weekend every year. The couple's daughter, Fantaisha, is attending the sixth grade at Howard Middle School this year. Barbara estimates she saves close to $200 over average during the tax-free weekend. "It is expensive now, especially since she (her daughter) is in middle school," she said. "It is more now." Barbara noted that the list of nonexempt items seems to continue to grow each year. South Carolina's annual sales tax-free weekend is scheduled for Aug. 5-7 to help parents and students get ready for the new school year. The sales tax holiday will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday Aug. 5, and run through midnight on Sunday, Aug. 7. During this 17th annual sales tax holiday, shoppers will benefit from the exemption of the 6 percent state sales tax and any applicable local taxes on the purchase of school supplies. The sales tax in Orangeburg and Calhoun counties is 7 percent, and in Bamberg County it is 8 percent. In addition to shoppers typically saving approximately $2 million to $3 million over the course of the weekend, the holiday benefits in-state businesses by encouraging taxpayers to do their back-to-school shopping in South Carolina. During the holiday, sales tax will not be imposed on items such as clothing, shoes, school supplies, book bags, computers, printers, bedspreads and linens. Nonexempt items include jewelry, cosmetics, eye-wear, furniture and items placed on layaway. Jerry Hannah, owner of Goldstein's on Russell, said the store provides tax-free items throughout including school uniforms, sweaters, jackets, pants and T-shirts. "We have added on new staff and we are extending hours," Hannah said. Goldstein's will open at 9 a.m. and won't close until shoppers stop coming, he said. On Sunday, the store will open at 10 a.m. "It is a marvelous thing," Hannah said of the sales tax holiday. "It has pluses and minuses as a lot of customers know the goods we have will be gone when tax weekend comes." He said his store attracts shoppers, especially on sales tax-free weekend. "Our quality is good. Our prices are good, number two, and our customer service is good," Hannah said. James Alexander, owner of Ferses Specialty Store and Fresh Market, said the store does have school supplies as well as other items that are sales tax exempt this weekend. The store will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. "I am thrilled," Alexander said of the sales tax holiday, saying he anticipates a good weekend. It is the first sales tax weekend for Alexander and his wife, Maria, who purchased and renovated the former Ferses 5&10 by adding specialty items and a farmer's market. They plan to open a Texas-style barbecue restaurant in the building as well in the near future. Barbara is hoping the annual event continues. "It is important, especially for people who can't afford to buy supplies," she said. She said the crowds, which can be as large as they are on Black Friday prior to Christmas, do not keep her away. "It is pretty smooth even though there are a lot of people," Barbara said. Terry said the couple try to choose a day that is the least busy. "It helps a lot," he said, noting that the tax free holiday weekend is a big draw. "You have people coming from all over, especially the Cope area, down from North. You have Bowman." Because surrounding communities do not have a Walmart, they come to the Orangeburg area to shop, Terry said. Tim James, who has two school-age children, says he will take advantage of the sales tax holiday. "Hopefully, I will have some money to do it," he said, noting that saving money is a "number one priority" for him. Teresa Hughes says she enjoys the sales tax-free weekend. She shops for her son, Logan, every year. This year Logan is entering the eighth grade at Edisto Middle. "I do take advantage of it," Hughes said, noting she saves on average of about $15. "They usually have sales going at that time as well. You can double up." The sales tax holiday began in 2000. The popularity of the tax-free weekend has made it the third busiest shopping period of the year, surpassed only by the weekends after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. For more information about this years back-to-school sales tax holiday, including a list of exempt and nonexempt items as well as a listing of frequently asked questions, visit the S.C. Department of Revenue website, https://dor.sc.gov/ and click on the News section. No decision has been reached on South Carolina State University President James Clarks salary despite an Associated Press report published in Wednesday's Times and Democrat. That report, which indicated Clark would be paid an annual salary of $230,000, was incorrect, S.C. State Board Chair Charlie Way said Wednesday. There is no contract, Way said. That would require a vote by the board and that has not taken place, he noted. A committee that Way recently appointed to work out the terms of Clark's contract contacted the S.C. Agency Head Salary Commission informally to find out the range of salaries the university could pay Clark, Way said. They told us what you can pay and what you cant, he said. However, the board has not had any formal contact or made a request of the Agency Head Salary Commission, which has to approve salaries of all the states college and university presidents, Way said. The S.C. State Board will now have its attorney write up a contract and will vote on it at its meeting on Aug. 23, he said. Once the board approves the salary, it will go to the Agency Head Salary Commission for approval. According to the AP report, Clarks total salary was to be $230,000, with $195,000 of it coming from public money. Another $35,000 would have come from the S.C. State University Foundation, and Clark would have received a $25,000 annual housing fee. Former President Thomas Elzey was hired in 2014 at a base salary of $170,000 from public funds. He also received a $25,000 housing allowance and a supplement of $132,000 from an unidentified source through the S.C. State University Advancement Foundation. Trustees voted in May 2015 to terminate the universitys relationship with the foundation. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. /By Azernews/ By Nigar Abbasova Works on the construction of the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project (BTK) have been accelerated. We have already completed certain part of works and accelerated remaining," said Nadir Azmamedov, spokesman for the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC. The Georgian section of the project is comprised of four parts including Marabda-Tetriskaro with the length of 29.2 km, Tetriskaro-Tsalka and Tsalka-Akhalkalaki with the length of 49.7 km and 26.3 km respectively. "We have completed excavation works, construction of artificial structures, installation of communication devices, signals and interlocking systems as well as construction of civic and office buildings in the first section, he told Trend. Commenting on the woks done on the second section, Azmamedov said that adjustment and alignment works are currently underway at the site. We have completed work on 179 facilities, reconstructed station buildings and installed new equipment in the third section, he added. He also mentioned that test freight train has been recently launched at the Marabda-Akhalkalaki section. The construction of the Akhalkalaki-Kartsakh bridge, with the length of 153 meters has already been completed. As many as four tunnel with the length ranging from 400 to 1,165 meters are currently being constructed at the site. Azmamedov also said that 10 out of 30 trains, manufactured and delivered by Stadler Company will be launched in August 2016. Previously, Azmamedov said that the countries, involved in the project, are currently seeking to hold a trilateral meeting for defining service conditions and tariff policy for the project. Being constructed under a Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement, BTK is expected to expand multi-modal transportation opportunities, ensure the growth of passenger and freight transportation and boost the transit potential of the regional countries. It is planned to be commissioned by late 2016. Azerbaijan allocated a loan of $775 million for the construction of the railway's Georgian section. SOFAZ finances the project in accordance with the Azerbaijani president's decree 'On the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project activities', dated February 21, 2007. The project is expected to play an important role in the development of economic, socio-cultural relations and further strengthen the neighborly and fraternal relations among Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The project will enable the countries to supply domestically produced goods to the world markets as well as increase competitiveness of the transport corridor and attract greater volumes of cargoes. The troika does its best for the successful implementation of the project. The peak capacity of the railway will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At the initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo. BTK project is expected to open a new rail corridor from the Caspian Sea to Europe via Turkey, excluding the need for sea transportation. /By Azernews/ By Rashid Shirinov The analytical expertise Center of Azerbaijani Health Ministry has created a transfer service to speed up the procedure of approval of instructions for use of drugs. Despite the fact that the "Rules of state registration of medicines and maintaining the register" provide for the conclusion of a contract for carrying out preliminary examination of registration documents and charging a fee, this procedure was not followed until 2016, the Center told Trend. The Tariff Council approved the tariff for the preliminary examination after relevant talks. In the first half of 2016, proposals for the improvement of the legislative framework regarding the registration of medicines were prepared. With the aim of creating a service of pharmacovigilance, respective rules were developed, and experts of this field were sent to training in foreign countries. Currently, work on creation of electronic system on state registration of medicines is underway. Along with this, visits to the factories of several major drug manufacturers were organized. From March 2016, the Center launched a service based on the principle of "single window". Over 30 employees took part in local and international training to obtain modern technology, innovative knowledge and practical skills. The structure of the Centre has been improved. Moreover, the Centre launched a completely updated electronic website, www.pharma.az. By applying new search engine people may obtain information about drugs that have passed state registration, drug prices, and information about the pharmacy organizations. Transition to electronic workflow to speed processes in the future is currently being prepared. To date, in accordance with the new structural changes, the Department of control over the quality of drugs continues its activities as a Department on work with subjects of the pharmaceutical market. Regular participation of staff in training and monitoring, and exchange of scientific and practical experience with partners is being ensured. Particular emphasis is put on the introduction and observance of the principles and standards of GPP (Good Pharmacy Practice), GDP (Good Distribution Practice) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). Furthermore, in the first half of 2016, the Department, responsible for complaints and requests of individuals and various organizations entering the hotline of analytical expertise Center of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health, strengthened its activities. All medicines imported to Azerbaijan are examined before reaching pharmacies and hospitals. The country bans the import of medicines into the country without a license, permission, or other relevant documents. A total of 57 percent of medicines registered in Azerbaijan are produced in Europe, 26 percent in the CIS countries, including 12 percent made in Russia. The small proportion is the medicine produced in Asian countries. Moreover, Azerbaijan is conducting negotiations with companies from Turkey, Ukraine, Germany and Switzerland for joint output of pharmaceutical products. /By Azernews/ By Amina Nazarli The 8th International Music Festival running in the beautiful corner of Azerbaijan -- Gabala continues to please local and foreign audience. The festival started on July 30 brings together world-renowned musicians, art ensembles, soloists and conductors from Azerbaijan and a number of foreign countries. Spectators of the festival were mesmerized with the concert of another world-renown orchestra -- Kiev Virtuosi on the fifth day of the grandiose festival. The concert featured works by Joseph Haydn and Shostakovich, performed by Murad Adigozalzadeh, Director of the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic, world-famous violoncellist Dmitry Yablonsky, and concertmaster of the Academic Symphony orchestra of the national Philharmonic of Ukrainian Sergey Cherevatenko. Jose Manuel Rodriguez Arias, Head of the Cuban band Jovenes Clasikos Del Son said that the program of the festival is very rich. Every day audience has a chance to attend 2-3 concerts in the hall and in an open air. And what is the main thing is an increased interest of people to concerts. Presence of over 1,000 spectators at every show is a great success, he explained. "I have never met such a wonderful organization at any other event, noted the Cuban musician. Its nice to see people in the audience of all ages. Its rare to find such case in every country. Usually halls are full of elderly. But a young audience prevailed in the Gabala," he added. Meanwhile, the organizers decided to extend the format of the festival by holding several concerts in other regions of the country including Sheki, Gakh, Zagatala, and Balakan. Balakan is going to host the concert the concert of Kiev Virtuosi on August 8 at 19:00 at the Heydar Aliyev park. Next concerts are scheduled to be held in Zagatala, Gakh, and Sheki on August 9,10 and 11 respectively. Until August 5, the festival will be attended by prominent musicians, art ensembles, soloists and conductors from Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, the U.S., Italy, France, Spain, Israel, Lithuania and Cuba. Launched by Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2009, Gabala International Music Festival is an annual open-air festival of classical music, as well as jazz and mugham. The festival is held on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation with the support of Culture and Tourism Ministry and Executive Power of Gabala region. Musicians performances take place under the open sky and in chamber concert halls of Gabala. /By Azernews/ By Gunay Hasanova Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey and Azerbaijan are members of one family, the TRT Haber news channel reported on August 4. He was commenting on Ankaras fighting the movement of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of the orchestrating the July 15 failed military coup in Turkey. Erdogan pointed out that Turkey will continue to fight the Gulen movement as before. Azerbaijans flag will always be welcomed in Turkey and during the solidarity rally to be held on August 7 in Istanbul. The Turkish people dont want to see any flag other than the flags of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Northern Cyprus, he noted. The Turkish government and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will hold a joint protest rally against the military coup attempt in the country on August 7. President Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and MHP leader Devlet Bahceli will take part in the rally. In turn, Turkish Presidential Administration said that Turkey highly appreciated Azerbaijans role in Ankaras fight against the movement of Fethullah Gulen. Azerbaijan made a significant contribution to Ankaras fight against the Gulen movement and Turkey expects such reaction from other brotherly countries as well, said a source at the presidential administration. Azerbaijans support to Turkey in its fight against the Gulen movement is another bright example of brotherly relations between Baku and Ankara, said Turkeys presidential administration. Previously, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov reiterated the unacceptability of the treacherous coup attempt against the democratic will of the Turkish people and the constitutional foundations of the state. During the phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on August 2 Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan as a fraternal country is always near to Turkey. In turn, Cavusoglu said that Turkey appreciates the support and the steps taken by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan in the fight against the Gulen movement should be an example for other fraternal countries, he added.. Political, military, social and economic relations are at the high level between the two friendly and brotherly countries, which are bounded with the principle of one nation, two states. Turkey and Azerbaijan are in close cooperation in the areas of energy and transport as well. The two countries have conducted massive regional projects of strategic importance, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline, BAKU-Tbilisi-Erzurum Gas Pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project. The cooperation between two countries will further be enhanced with the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP). In turn, Turkey actively participates in the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks a peaceful solution to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey, due to the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, keeps its border with Armenia closed since 1993. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. /By Azernews/ Bu Gunay Hasanova Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will discuss military-technical cooperation in Baku The Iranian side is interested in modern Russian military equipment, Russian presidents spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestiya newspaper. Leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia, are scheduled to meet in Baku on August 8. In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is responsible for the military-industrial complex, will be within the Russian delegation. The future perspectives of North-South Transport Corridor will be discussed in the meeting as well. The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. Development of the international transport corridor is expected to reduce transport costs and strengthen the trade relations between the countries. The North-South transportation corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion of transportation to over 10 million tons. Earlier, Russian Transport minister Igor Levitin said that Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran are considering the sources of funding the construction of the railway as a part of the North-South transport corridor. Iran and Russia are strategic allies and form an axis in the Caucasus alongside Armenia. After the Western sanctions imposed on Iran, Russia became a key trading partner for Iran in the oil sector. Militarily, Iran is the only country in Western Asia that has been invited to join to Russia's own international treaty organization- Collective Security Treaty Organization. Cooperating with both main key actors in the region together will positively affect tourism, energy and trade spheres of Azerbaijan. In addition, the consequences of the meeting may positively affect the future status of the Caspian Sea. Some Saudi contractors have suggested the creation of a contractors' bank to support and finance projects in the kingdom, following a downturn in the construction sector. Fahd Alhamedi, head of the contractors committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was quoted by Arab News as saying that the current level of investment in the contracting sector is not proportional to the number of construction projects currently being implemented. He said there is a need to inject funds into the industry in order for the government projects to continue, the report quoted. Following a decline in investments in the kingdom's construction and contracting industry, the total value of the sector is now estimated at just $680 billion. With fresh investments drying up, contractors say that up to 40 per cent of all government projects are currently stalled, the report said. Alhamedi said before contractors take up a project, they now worry whether they would be able to pay their employees. He said that the recession in the industry is due to the fact that banks are not financing the contracting sector. A delegation from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Road and Transport Authority (RTA) recently visited the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting in the US as part of mutual visits aimed at enhancing cooperation and getting acquainted with the best international practices followed by the American government. The delegates included Faisal Ali Rashid, director of demand side management at the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and RTA officials Ibrahim Mohammed Ameen, manager of lighting and traffic systems maintenance, and Salim Al Rimawi, roads lighting and traffic signals manager. The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting has extensive experience in efficient streetlighting for greater savings on electricity and water. The activities of the bureau include surveys about the intensity of lighting and the colours used as well as the application of smart city solutions for better efficiency and less consumption, maintenance, and costs. Los Angeles is one of the leading cities in the world in the use of streetlighting integrating advanced technologies. The visit forms part of our efforts to support Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the demand side management strategy that aims to reduce energy demand by 30 per cent by 2030 and involves nine programmes that are all connected to our daily life. These include green building regulations, retrofitting existing buildings, district cooling, wastewater reuse, laws and standards for raising efficiency, energy-efficient street-lighting, and the Shams Dubai initiative to regulate the generation of solar energy in buildings, said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice-chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. Al Tayer affirmed the importance of cooperation between the council and the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting in different fields, including advanced streetlighting and ways to further develop such systems for the benefit of both sides. The RTA has made huge progress in increasing the efficiency of streetlighting with the launch of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting projects aimed at increasing energy-efficient measures such as fitting streetlights in some neighbourhoods with an automatic switch-off feature under the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, as directly-supervised by Etihad ESCO, added Al Tayer. Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said: The RTA in collaboration with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy endeavours to bring the latest technologies to the emirate of Dubai. It seeks to realise this goal by reviewing the best practices and models across the globe in the field of energy and streetlighting, securing the power supply required for the emirate, and improving the efficiency of energy use. The RTA also aims to convert all conventional streetlights to LED technology by 2030 and reduce the carbon footprint by more than 3,000 tonnes per annum as a result. Over the past three years, the RTA has accomplished 45 projects and initiatives related to energy and the green economy. It has also adopted the highest industry standards for green buildings, added Mattar Al Tayer. Moreover, the RTA has also launched the trial run of buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), embarked on a project for measuring the carbon footprint of vehicles in Dubai, and overseen the successful operation of environment-friendly hybrid taxis starting in in 2008. The RTA plans to enhance the existing fleet of hybrid taxis by up to 50 per cent by 2021, as such vehicles are characterised by carbon emissions that are 34 per cent lower than that of their normal counterparts, as per research conducted by the RTA, he said. The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting is one of the leading government organisations in the world particularly in the use of streetlighting powered by LED technology and other advanced solutions related to solar energy and the smart city concept, among others, said Ahmed Butti Al Muhairbi, secretary general of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. - TradeArabia News Service The UAE Ministry of Economy recently met with officials of several free zones at its headquarters in Abu Dhabi to strengthen strategic partnerships and mutual cooperation. The participants exchanged views on foreign events and participations to ensure unified efforts towards maximising the countrys international exposure, said a statement from the ministry. The meeting was organised by the ministrys Trade Promotion and Investment Department and was attended by senior representatives from several UAEs free zones such as Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi Media Zone Authority Twofour54, Masdar City, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai International Financial Center Authority, Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority, Dubai Maritime City, Dubai Creative Clusters Authority, Dubai South City, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, and Ajman Free Zone, it said. Mohammed Nasser Al Zaabi, director of Trade Promotion and Investment Department, said: The assembly forms part of a series of ongoing periodic meetings being organised by the department with its strategic partners from the public and private sectors. He added that the gatherings are intended to raise the level of coordination, review the promotion management plan, and share ideas on areas of future cooperation in foreign events and participations. Al Zaabi emphasised that the free zones represent some of the ministrys most important strategic partners, as they are major economic contributors to the state. He further noted that many of the countrys free zones are regarded as among the best in the world by international reports due to their high efficiency and global economic and investment impact, it added. TradeArabia News Service Brazil's Vale SA is considering raising as much as $10 billion from the sale of up to 3 per cent of future iron ore output to undisclosed Chinese companies, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. Under terms of the deal, Vale, the world's biggest iron ore producer, would receive streaming financing from the companies, said the sources, who asked to remain unidentified because the discussions are still private. The idea is to sell part of the company's future output over a 30-year period, the sources said. The Rio de Janeiro-based company has not yet reached a decision to complete the iron ore streaming financing deal, the sources said. The deal, along with a series of planned asset sales, could help chief executive Officer Murilo Ferreira reach his goal of reducing Vale's $27.5 billion net debt by one-third over the next 18 months. Vale's preferred shares accelerated their rise after the Reuters report. In mid-afternoon trading in Sao Paulo, its shares were up 4.5 per cent at 15.32 reais from 15.10 reais before the report was published. Streaming allows mining companies to raise cash during times of low prices, locking in sales contracts while keeping control of their mines. Several other leading miners, such as Glencore, Barrick Gold and Teck Resources, have also turned to such deals to raise cash as they grapple with a slowdown in China, the biggest metals consumer, and a subsequent decline in commodity prices. Vale itself on Tuesday tweaked an existing streaming agreement it had reached in 2013 to sell future gold output from its Salobo copper mine, boosting the portion sold to Canadas Silver Wheaton Corp to 75 per cent from an initially agreed 50 per cent. Vale will receive an upfront $800 million payment. Iron ore prices reached their lowest level in 10 years last December and are currently down more than 50 percent since the beginning of 2014. Vale expects to sell 340 million tonnes of iron ore this year, compared with 346 million tonnes last year. Annual sales of the commodity, the main ingredient for steel, reached $16.8 billion last year. The average price of iron ore in the second quarter this year was $48.30 a tonne. A spokeswoman for Vale declined to comment. Even if the iron ore streaming transaction reaches $10 billion, the sources said Vale would keep on with a slew of asset sales. They include a sale of Vale's fertilizers business, which is being negotiated with Mosaic Co, the world's top producer of concentrated phosphate. A transaction could be announced in the following months, the sources said. Reuters reported in June that both companies were negotiating a cash-and-stock deal that would turn Vale into Mosaic's biggest shareholder. On Tuesday, Mosaic chief executive Officer Joc O'Rourke said that diversified miners may be willing to sell fertilizers assets to pay down debt. "We think some of these opportunities might come to fruition, and if they do, they may add some long-term value to us, he said. Speculation that Vale might be considering selling some iron ore assets, which contribute 65 percent of annual revenue, had mounted in recent weeks. According to Rene Kleyweg, an analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities, "monetizing a small stake" in iron ore operations could help Vale raise between $7 billion and $10 billion. - Reuters The Middle East and Europe posted the fastest demand growth in air freight during June this year, with year-on-year increases of 8 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively, according to the latest data released by the International Air Transport Association (Iata). The global air freight demand posted an increase with the freight tonne kilometres (FTK) rising 4.3 per cent year-on-year, according to Iata. This was the fastest pace of growth in 14 months. Freight capacity measured in available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 4.9 per cent year-on-year, keeping yields under downward pressure, said a statement from Iata. Freight demand increased year-on-year in June across all regions with the exception of Latin America which recorded a 9.8 per cent decrease, compared to the same period last year, it said. Middle Eastern carriers posted a capacity increase of by 8.7per cent in June. Although the leader in market growth, the Middle Easts international freight growth rate (6.5 per cent) for the first six months of 2016 is less than half the 14.3 per cent average growth for the same period in 2015, it said. The regional performances are as follows: Asia-Pacific airlines reported a 3.5 per cent increase in demand for air cargo in June compared to last year. Capacity expanded 3.6 per cent. The Asia-Pacific air freight market has been improving in recent months, most notably the large within Asia market. Nonetheless freight volumes from emerging Asia continue to face headwinds from weak trade in the region and globally. North American carriers saw freight volumes expand 4.3 per cent in June 2016 compared to the same period last year. Capacity increased 4.0 per cent. International freight volumes continue to suffer from the strength of the US dollar which has kept the US export market under pressure. European airlines witnessed a 5.1 per cent increase in freight volumes and a 4.9 per cent increase in capacity in June 2016. The positive European performance corresponds with signs of an increase in export orders in Germany over the last few months. Seasonally adjusted freight results for Europe are now trending upwards. Latin American airlines reported a decline in demand of 9.8 per cent and a decrease in capacity of 2.6 per cent. The region continues to be blighted by weak economic and political conditions, particularly in the regions largest economy, Brazil. African carriers recorded 0.4 per cent freight growth in June 2016 compared to the same period last year. African airlines capacity surged by 19.9 per cent year-on-year on the back of long-haul expansion, continuing the trend seen since December 2015. Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of Iata, said: June saw an improvement in demand for air freight. Thats good news. However, we cannot read too much into one months performance. Air cargo markets have been in the doldrums for several years during which there were several false starts on indications for improvement. We will continue watching developments closely, keeping in mind that the air freight business environment is fragile, he said. Global economic growth remains sluggish, world trade volumes continue to trend downwards and the industry faces heightened uncertainty in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, he added. TradeArabia News Service Bahrain-based Batelco, a global telecom group, has reported a net profit of BD22.7 million ($60.2 million) for the first six months of the year, an 18 per cent decline compared to the corresponding period in 2015. For the second quarter of the year, the group posted a decrease of 2 per cent in net profit over Q2 2015. The reduced net profits for the period are impacted by one-off items and BD0.9 million ($2.4 million) share of loss of the groups investment in Sabafon, Yemen, a statement said. The groups gross revenues are down by 2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to BD182.9 million ($485.1 million) mainly due to competitive pressures in key markets. However, revenues have remained steady in the second quarter of 2016 compared to Q2 2015 and with a slight increase of 1 per cent since Q1 2016. EBITDA for the period was BD71.3 million ($189.1 million), representing a margin of 39 per cent, a 2 per cent increase year over year and 6 per cent increase versus Q2 2015. Throughout the period, the group was able to continue its successful cost containment programmes resulting in a 5 per cent reduction in expenditure compared to the same period last year and a 4 per cent quarter on quarter reduction from Q2 2015. The Group continues to sustain its robust EBITDA margin, the statement said. Results from operating activities for the period were BD36.8 million ($97.6 million), reflecting a 2 per cent increase year-over-year. Results from operating activities in the second quarter of 2016 increased by 7 per cent compared to the corresponding period of 2015. Batelco chairman Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said: We continue to operate smartly through synergizing Group efforts. Accordingly, our operations outside of Bahrain continue to generate over half of our revenues and EBITDA with our home operation also making a strong contribution with increased subscriber numbers for both fixed lines and Broadband in spite of the challenging market conditions in Bahrain, he said. Our combined Group-wide efforts to pool resources, technologies and expertise while continuing to focus on programmes to reduce operating costs are making good progress and helping to boost our results, Shaikh Hamad added. Batelco Group chief executive Ihab Hinnawi said a number of operations performed very well which is reflected in substantially improved customer numbers for specific services in key locations. Across the Group a number of locations showed substantial growth in their customer base, particularly for mobile services, with Umniah numbers up by 19 per cent YoY and South Atlantic and Diego Garcia reporting YoY increases of 64 per cent and 26 per cent respectively, Hinnawi said. In Bahrain mobile subscribers increased 3 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2016 and broadband services reported a 12 per cent YoY increase in subscriber numbers. Dhiraagu, our Maldivian operation continues to impress and posted YoY increases in mobile and broadband subscribers of 11 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. Hinnawi continued by saying that the communication ecosystem continues to shift in all locations and no sooner have telcos delivered the latest new technology before the next new wave is on the way. Customers, especially younger generations, have grown up in a world of always-on communications and want the newest devices and services as soon as possible. Such demands continue to challenge us to be more customer-experience-oriented. Accordingly at the moment we are very much focused on digitisation to ensure Batelco Group customers are among the first to benefit from world-class products and services which will enrich their lives beyond the pure connectivity needs, he added. Batelcos overseas operations overall remain strong and at the end of the six month period, 59 per cent of revenues and 57 per cent of EBITDA were attributable to operations outside of Bahrain. This is compared with 59 per cent of revenues and 56 per cent of EBITDA in the first half of 2015. During the period, a number of overseas markets delivered positive results due to the rollout of new and enhanced solutions to exceed their customers expectations. Hinnawi continued by stating that in Bahrain Batelco maintained a steady presence in the mobile market supported by its retention of high value post-paid residential and business customers. Mobile subscriber numbers in Bahrain were up by 3 per cent over the previous quarter but showed a slight decline year-on-year. However, both the fixed line and Broadband customer base has grown YoY with a 5 per cent and 12 per cent increase in customer numbers respectively. We are very pleased with this progress which reflects the popularity of Batelco TV and other value added services plus also the growing uptake of Batelcos fibre offers, said Hinnawi. Major news for the second quarter of the year was the launch of Bahrain wi-fi with a number of Mobile Hotspots including the Bahrain International Circuit, Seef Mall Muharraq and the Juffair Restaurant area already live and over 50 locations catering to all regions of Bahrain currently ready or in process. We are very proud of the launch of Bahrain wi-fi which is delivered by Batelco for the benefit of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The service is available for all residents and also visitors to the Island and it will undoubtedly boost Bahrains endeavours to be a leading regional communications hub. The investment required to cover Bahrain with wi-fi demonstrates our commitment in developing relevant Smart City solutions and supports the local digitisation drive. The launch of Bahrain-wi-fi combined with the rollout of Batelcos Superfast fibre network provides the most advanced digital platform for consumers and business in Bahrain, added Hinnawi. In conclusion, Shaikh Hamad stressed on the importance of leveraging on the unique strengths of each of the Groups operations and on continuing to invest wisely to deliver the relevant products and services to meet the specific needs of each operation. Among the key services under the spotlight at the moment are digital solutions. Batelco continues to invest in relevant platforms as part of its drive to become a recognised integrator of digital solutions in Bahrain and also in a number of our overseas operations. We have already laid the foundations for digital solutions and will continue to build on our strong base by developing our portfolio in-house throughout the Group and where needed by forging partnerships with other organisations, Shaikh Hamad concluded. TradeArabia News Service Iraq's crude oil production in July rose to the highest level since January, as the country's supply slowly gets back on track despite low oil prices and a conflict with Islamic State militants. The Opec member pumped 4.632 million barrels of crude oil per day in July compared with 4.559 million bpd in June, state-run Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) said in a statement on Thursday. Iraq produced 4.775 million bpd in January, official data showed. Oil exports from the country's southern ports rose to 3.2 million bpd on average in July, up from 3.175 million bpd in June, officials said on Monday, despite a pipeline leak that restrained southern exports. Iraqi officials and oil analysts expect further growth in the country's exports this year, although at a slower rate than in 2015 when the country provided the biggest rise in supply from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Foreign oil companies working in Iraq have warned that projects to boost output will be delayed if Baghdad cuts spending due to low oil prices and fighting with Islamic State. Supply from Opec rose to 33.41 million bpd in July from a revised 33.31 million bpd in June, according to a Reuters survey. July's production reported by SOMO was higher than Iraq's estimated output in the survey which was at around 4.32 million bpd. Separately, Gulf Opec member Kuwait has kept its production steady in July, pumping 2.950 million bpd, an industry source told Reuters. Supply has risen since Opec abandoned in 2014 its historic role of cutting supply to prop up prices as major producers Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran pump more. The increase in Opec production has added to downward pressure on prices. Oil has fallen from a 2016 high near $53 a barrel in June to $43 on Thursday, pressured also by concern about weaker demand. This year, Iran was Opec's fastest-growing source of supply as it recovers from Western sanctions. - Reuters In an expanse of sand 60 miles (100 km) north of Senegal's capital, two men set to work digging up tree stumps to clear space for what could soon be the biggest solar plant in West Africa. In less than a year, says developer Senergy PV SA, this shrubby lot will be covered with 96,000 gleaming solar panels from China, injecting up to 30 megawatts into the grid. It is an attractive prospect for a nation with a dire power deficit, and which currently meets most of its needs by burning imported oil in hugely inefficient diesel generators. "The context is favourable," Karim Ndiaye, investment director at French private equity firm Meridiam, which bought out the original Senergy company in 2014, told Reuters. "The president has made renewables a priority." Yet three years after a deal was signed to build the plant, there were still no building materials in sight, just a couple of bulldozers bumping over dunes near Santhiou Mekhe village. Sunshine is plentiful, solar panels get cheaper by the year and demand for power is skyrocketing, but the newness of the technology, bureaucratic hurdles and investor fear of uncharted territory have held back the rollout of solar plants across Africa. Solar is less than 1 per cent of Africa's power generation. Outside of South Africa and Algeria there are only a few utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants on the continent, the largest being a 20 MW plant in Ghana. Reuters collected data on over 3,500 MW of projects that have been commissioned in the past six years - roughly equal to the combined output of Senegal, Uganda, Mali and Cameroon. In Kenya and Burkina Faso, plants scheduled to open in 2014 are still awaiting construction. In Nigeria and Ghana, projects that began in 2010 and 2011 have yet to find finance. "We are seeing the same trends everywhere in sub-Saharan Africa," said Silvia Macri, analyst at IHS Markit. "There's no experience with these projects, and not much clarity around the political framework." Lenders want dependable cash flows, but in many countries weak legal frameworks, unclear land rights and poor transmission infrastructure make this hard to guarantee, Macri said. Even after construction began on the Senergy project, equipment still needed to be ordered and permits obtained, said Mathieu Peller, regional director at Meridiam. "NEED MORE TIME" Horse carts trot past power lines in rural Senegal. Electricity is costly and 40 per cent of people have no access. Cheap solar could change this. Since 2009 the price of panels has fallen 80 per cent. Last year, the International Renewable Energy Agency said solar power costs were in line with or below those of fossil fuels. Senegal is ahead of its peers on the continent in at least promoting renewables - its official target is 20 per cent of power from renewables by 2017, against 0.6 per cent now - but it has been overwhelmed by proposals. After creating a renewable energy law in 2010 the government spent three years sorting through 82 proposals and accepted 10, most of which lacked the funds to see them through, said Yasser Charafi, an officer at the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank. Senergy PV SA will sell power to the national electric company for about $0.11 per kilowatt-hour, which is slightly less than the utility pays for diesel. The World Bank aims to help Senegal slash that by almost half, Charafi said. Kenya unveiled a renewable energy scheme in 2012 and was inundated with proposals. No plants are yet under construction. Now it is considering an auction process to attract lower price bids, leaving developers in the lurch, said Tomas Adcock, chief operating officer at solar firm Kenergy Renewables. "Investors are anxious about investing in projects that may never be built," Adcock said. Kenya's Ministry of Energy did not respond to a request for comment. Developers in several countries described a lack of clear policies, pressure to pay bribes, and negotiations that dragged on for years. There is often no grid in place to transmit, a problem faced by Douglas Coleman, projects director of Blue Energy, building a long-awaited 155 MW plant in Ghana. A few projects have beaten the odds. A different plant in Ghana was completed in April by Chinese company BXC, and a 10 MW plant in Uganda is almost built, led by firms in Paris and Dubai. Nigeria signed its first solar power purchase agreements in July for 14 large-scale plants after four years of negotiations. They are now meant to close financing within a year, and finish construction 18 months later. "To be honest, some might need more time," said Yesufu Alonge, head of power procurement at Nigeria's bulk trader. Reuters Strong digital marketing strategy is at the top of the agenda for most UAE hoteliers, revealed a new survey. Undertaken by dmg events to identify which topic would be of the most interest to UAE hospitality industry professionals in an external training course, the results of the survey were unanimous. Developing a Digital Marketing Strategy for Revenue Optimisation, a certified training masterclass in partnership with Modul University Dubai, will take place at the 17th edition of The Hotel Show Dubai 2016, set to take up an entire day of the events popular Vision Conference. Gary Williams, event director of the dmg events hospitality portfolio, said: In a digital world, there is no denying that digital marketing is here to stay. It should form an integral part of a hotels marketing strategy, at a time where the presence of a hotels brand profile is no longer enough to drive revenue. An adaptation of a more robust marketing strategy is now inevitable. Hotel reservations and associated experiences are some of the most popular subjects for online reviews; and this continuous stream of consumer-generated content is typically regarded as more reliable, unbiased and popular than the content produced by hoteliers. Modul University, established in Vienna in 1908, has over 100 years of legacy in hospitality and tourism education in Europe. The Dubai campus in Jumeirah Lakes Towers is set to welcome its first cohort of students this September. Martin Kubler, lead Lecturer at Modul University Dubai and CEO at sps:affinity who will conduct the training session, said: This masterclass will deliver insights and expertise needed by todays hoteliers to optimise revenue through digital marketing channels including social media, mobile and web. The session will cover: Strategies to optimise your hotel's online presence; Identifying and managing your online audiences; Developing and managing online sales funnels; and Current best practice in online and social media promotions. The Developing a Digital Marketing Strategy for Revenue Optimisation certified masterclass will be held on September 17, from 9.30am to 3.30pm, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Hoteliers that book before August 6 August will pay an early booking fee of $200. Hoteleirs can register to attend at: www.thehotelshow.com. - TradeArabia News Service The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has said that an international investigation team led by the Air Accident Investigation Sector (AAIS) of the GCAA will probe the cause of the accident involving an Emirates Boeing 777-300 aircraft at the Dubai International Airport yesterday. The team will also have accredited representatives of the states of manufacture of the aircraft (US) and the engines (UK). In addition, representatives of the Boeing Company, Rolls Royce and Emirates airline will act as advisors to the accredited representatives participating in the investigation, the GCAA said today. "Work is underway to recover the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). Once recovered, the recorders will be taken to the GCAA-AAIS laboratory in Abu Dhabi for downloading and analysis of the data. The aircraft will be removed to a secure location for examination," according to the GCAA. The aircraft technical records and files and documents concerning the crew are being preserved, the statement added. "AAIS investigators are working around the clock to collect a significant number of documents and make them available to the investigation team." Ismaeil Al Hosani, assistant director-general of the AAIS, said: "According to the ICAO Annex 13 protocol, the GCAA will issue a preliminary report within one month from the accident date. On completion of the investigation, GCAA will prepare and publish the final investigation report." Wyoming Highway Patrol officials are investigating texting while driving as the cause of a fatal wreck Wednesday night at the intersection of Wyoming Boulevard and Scenic Drive. The crash resulted in the death of 31-year-old Casper resident Matthew Robinson. Robinson was driving a Toyota Camry south on Wyoming Boulevard at about 6 p.m. when his car crossed the center line into the oncoming lane. After crossing the center line, Robinsons car collided with a northbound Ford F-150 pickup driven by 39-year-old Evansville resident Shem Jeffs. The two vehicles collided in what the highway patrol described as an offset head-on crash. Patrol officials believe Robinson may have been texting at the time of the crash. Robinson, who was not wearing his seat belt, died at the scene. Jeffs and a 17-year-old passenger in his truck were wearing their seat belts. They were taken to Wyoming Medical Center, where they were treated and released. Robinson is the 54th person to die on Wyoming highways this year. There were 87 highway deaths at this point last year. CHEYENNE A Wyoming man has been sentenced to more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to shattering his 5-year-old son's femur. Prosecutors say Oliver Lancaster has a decade's worth of violent criminal history and asked for a sentence of four to six years in prison. Defense attorney Shelly Flot argued for probation instead, saying her client is deeply remorseful and has improved his life since the incident 11 months ago. Lancaster said during his sentencing hearing that he's taken parenting, relationship and anger and stress management classes while on bond. Laramie County District Judge Thomas Campbell imposed an 18- to 36-month prison term. Campbell says the man did a "horrible" thing and isn't a proper candidate for probation. More than two dozen large wildfires were burning Thursday in the West, officials said. Hot, windy weather and hard-to-access terrain have made conditions difficult for firefighters as the blazes destroy homes and force evacuations. A stubborn wildfire north of Big Sur near Californias Central Coast has grown after burning for nearly two weeks in steep, forested ridges. It has scorched more than 79 square miles and is just partially contained. A total of 57 homes have been destroyed, and another 2,000 structures are at risk. No arrests have been made since investigators determined that an unattended campfire started the blaze July 22. To the north, officials said Thursday that a grass fire in a popular recreational area north of San Francisco has charred more than 7 square miles in Napa, Yolo and Solano counties since igniting Tuesday. It prompted the evacuation of an RV and tent campground off a highway. Firefighters have set up sprinkler systems on homes in a central Idaho town to stop a 78-square-mile wildfire from coming down a creek drainage that funnels into the small community. After the wind switched direction, officials set smaller fires to eradicate fuel for the bigger flames and protect the town of Lowman, about 2 miles away. Nearly 1,500 firefighters are battling the blaze burning timber in rugged terrain. No evacuations have been ordered, but the sheriff has told residents to be alert. Officials estimate the fire wont be contained until mid-September. Cooler weather helped firefighters in western Montana gain some ground on a blaze that has destroyed 14 homes and dozens of smaller buildings. Officials say the 12-square-mile fire in the Bitterroot National Forest is partially contained, but they dont expect to have it fully under control until the end of the month. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity helped firefighters make progress. However, hotter and drier weather with the possibility of thunderstorms is expected beginning Friday and through the weekend. Residents of more than 600 homes remain evacuated, with an additional 200 on alert. Fire officials say they have contained most of two northern Nevada wildfires burning in canyons and rangeland near a lakeside town once under threat. The fires have charred more than 93 square miles of scrub brush in the Virginia Mountains, about 40 miles north of Reno. Its nearly 70 percent contained. Farther north, firefighters have almost controlled a 10-square-mile fire in a wilderness study area near where the Burning Man counterculture festival is held. A break in windy weather helped crews. Neither fire threatened buildings. A new wildfire in northwest Wyoming has burned about 3,000 acres. The Whit Fire was reported Tuesday afternoon in the Whit Creek area west of Cody. No road closures or evacuations had been announced as of Wednesday afternoon. Three helicopters, 10 engines and three hand crews are assigned to the fire, along with single-engine air tankers. Progress continued to be made on fighting wildfires elsewhere in the state, and most evacuation orders have been lifted. The only area still under evacuation Wednesday was the Granite Creek area in Teton County, which was evacuated because of a wildfire burning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The Cliff Creek Fire has burned 46 square miles but is 84 percent contained. Near the Utah border, the Tokewanna Fire, which has burned 2 square miles of private land, is now 58 percent contained. All evacuated homeowners were allowed to return home Wednesday. The fire destroyed eight homes in the area about 15 miles south of Mountain View. One firefighter suffered a minor burn injury on Friday. Firefighters have gained 60 percent containment on the Lava Mountain Fire, which has burned about 22 square miles of private and Shoshone National Forest land northwest of Dubois. That fire threatened 290 homes and guest ranches and this week led to the cancellation of an annual camp for child cancer patients and their families. There are 13 active wildfires burning across the state. Editor: Governments have been deceiving Americans since the 1930s. The biggest lobbyists against legalizing cannabis, known as pharmaceutical marijuana and hemp, are police unions and pharmaceutical corporations. They have benefited from the $2.2 trillion spent to combat drugs. Cannabis marijuana was prohibited in 1937 because of Harry J. Anslinger. He was head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which was running out of money after Prohibition ended. In 1906, the Poisons Act was established. By 1937, most states had put cannabis on it. Pharmaceutical marijuana and industrial hemp were never meant to be listed. In 1915, Wyoming added cannabis to the Poisons Act. Industrial hemp contains 0.3 percent THC; marijuana contains 5 to 30 percent THC -- as different as day and night. First, Wyoming robbed itself of billions of dollars and cheated its citizens out of a way to provide for themselves. An estimated 50,000 products can be made from industrial hemp. That requires processing plants, mills, grain elevators, refiners, farmers, bankers, factories, trucking companies, railroads and tens of thousands of workers. Next, those against cannabis say it is a gateway drug. It is it's the drug that patients and doctors turn to so they can break the addiction of prescription drugs. Third, the Poisons Act was supposed to protect people from addiction. Instead, it caused a new addiction -- to grants and money. It also prompted members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police to lobby against cannabis, in fear they and the state would lose money. Congress is trying to figure out an exit strategy, and when it does, Wyoming will have another nail in the coffin because it tried to take the easy way, like it did with the fossil fuel industry. Wyoming is going through hardship by choice. The government should have been thinking of options like becoming the banking state or milling and manufacturing capital for cannabis. Unemployment is at 8 percent in Campbell County. Health care programs are on the verge of failing. Wyoming should be on cannabis care. I wouldn't vote for anyone who thinks cannabis is bad for Wyoming. I hope you don't, either. Editor: It was refreshing to see Chuck Gray bring a debate to the misnomered Republican debate on July 26. Up until Chuck Gray livened things up by actually differentiating himself from his opponent, the debate was more of an awkward forum, and at times a snooze fest. Chuck Gray not only answered every single question completely, without giving politician answers (talking about the subject matter while giving non-answers), he pointed out where his opponent is weaker than he is in those areas. For some reason, people have grown soft and are intimidated by this. Personally, I want to know the differences between candidates, and want to know if a candidate speaks out of both sides of his or her mouth as Chucks opponent seemed to do in the debate. In Gray I see a man of morals, who is honest, has integrity, honor and a passion to turn our country around. I see a man who is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even when it does not work to his advantage. Havent we had enough politicians in Cheyenne and D.C. who are too driven by their desire for a lifelong political career to do what is in the best interest of the citizenry? Wyoming needs Gray. He will be looking out for Wyomings best interest, not what is in the best interest of a political career. I support Gray, because he is the most qualified, most honorable candidate in his race. Gray finishes what he starts, unlike his opponent who is ready to bail on the voters that elected him to City Council, halfway through his term; stealing their right to vote for his replacement, who, should Chucks opponent be elected to the Legislature, will be appointed, not elected by the people of Ward 3. Gray finishes what he starts, he will not leave the voters high and dry. I firmly believe Gray is the best candidate in HD57 to represent Wyoming values. The Tucson Airport Authority board unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday backing development of World View Enterprises new headquarters and Spaceport Tucson, despite some lingering safety concerns. The measure also commits the airport to work with the Federal Aviation Administration and key stakeholders during the licensing process, to ensure the safe operation of the high-altitude balloon operation under construction south of Tucson International Airport. At a TAA board study session last month, officials of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines voiced concerns over the safety of launching balloons from the spaceport site about a mile and a half south of Tucson International Airports runways. Southwest subsequently sent a letter to the TAA board, requesting a pause in board action as well as in site construction pending FAA approval. In adopting the resolution of support, TAA board chairman Tony Finley and other board members noted that it is the FAAs responsibility, not the airports, to vet the balloon operation and address any safety concerns as part of its licensing process. Board members noted that the World View resolution is consistent with a measure the TAA board adopted in 2013, supporting Pima Countys economic development plans, including the proposed aerospace and defense business park World View would initially anchor. Member Mike Hannley said the board has considered concerns expressed by stakeholders in letters and in two meetings since the July study session including threats, even though they are uninformed, from the airlines. Besides Southwest, the airline trade group Airlines for America and the National Business Aviation Association recently sent letters to the TAA board, expressing concern that required initial safety studies have not been performed. Hannley said the airport authority was caught in the middle of the issue, even though the balloon facility is not on airport property, but its up to the FAA to study safety issues among others as part of its licensing process. My concern is that were becoming the center of a firestorm in the aviation industry, said Hannley, CEO of Bank of Tucson. Pima County is developing the spaceport site and is constructing a building for World View to lease for balloon manufacturing and payload preparation. The county owns the property and building and will lease it to World View, which will also manage the launch pad under contract. The concrete spaceport launch pad is already completed. World View is in a pre-application process with the Federal Aviation Administration for licenses to operate a launch site and commercial manned vehicles and expects to enter the formal application process early next year, said Taber MacCallum, World View co-founder and chief technology officer. At this point, its up to the FAA, MacCallum said, expressing confidence in winning the necessary licenses. If approved, Spaceport Tucson would be the closest to a commercial airport than any of the 10 current FAA-approved space launch sites. World View estimates it would eventually average one early-morning balloon launch per week from the spaceport, tracked and controlled by the Tucson air-traffic control tower. World View has committed to eventually hiring more than 400 employees, and the county has estimated the project will have an economic impact of $3.5 billion over 20 years. The project has won backing from local business groups including the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, the Tucson Metro Chamber, the Arizona Technology Council, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Sun Corridor Inc. and the Downtown Tucson Partnership. However, the deal with World View is the target of a pending lawsuit filed by the Goldwater Institute against Pima County, challenging as unconstitutional the use of taxpayer money to finance development of the World View property. Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said he expects World View to attract similar private space-travel companies. Ask any small business owner about summertime in Tucson, and chances are most will greet the question with frowns, evil stares and maybe a little profanity. The citys slow summer months can suck something awful. But the people running the show at Sentinel Peak Brewing Company see things differently. Owners of the rapidly expanding midtown brewpub are spending their summer prepping for three newly ordered 10-barrel fermenters and a 10-barrel bright tank, equipment that will allow them to create even more beer in a shorter amount of time. Weve been getting our infrastructure ready, said co-owner Jeremy Hilderbrand. It has been good that weve been a little slower. It allows us to get ready for the fall. The expansion is the latest giant leap for the brewery, which opened its doors in 2014 in an old Phillys Finest sandwich shop at 4746 E. Grant Road and has been growing ever since. In its short time in existence, Sentinel has bulked up from 2,200 square feet to 3,500, with an additional 1,500 square feet of patio space. The brewery has spread its beer reach, working with Youngs Market Company for statewide distribution. Sentinel Peak can now be found in bars, restaurants and hotels across Arizona, from Yuma to Flagstaff, including at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix in downtown Phoenix and RoadHouse Cinemas in Tucson and Scottsdale. The midtown spot recently scored some national press with an article in The New Brewer magazine for its techniques on maximizing product output. Using methods like employing a second brew kettle, and using two inline, on-demand hot water heaters, ideas implemented by former Sentinel brewer Sam Diggins and local engineer Walter Diaz, Sentinel has been able to shave significant time off of its brewing process, upping its capacity from six kegs a day to up to 27 kegs a day. The article showcases the intricacies of the process. If you are creative, you can do a lot of things without having to spend a lot of money, Hilderbrand said. In addition to statewide recognition, Sentinel Peak will soon be the brewery behind the beers for the new Dove Mountain Brewing Company, which will open later this year in the former Lo Esencial restaurant space, 12130 N. Dove Mountain Blvd. Sentinel Peak will create two to four beers for Dove Mountain, which the restaurant will sell under its own name. It is a good relationship, Hilderbrand said. That is a side of town where we dont have a lot of exposure, so we are looking forward to that. All of the increased demand means hiring a few more brewers to help as production picks up. Not a bad problem for any business to have. SUPERIOR COURT JURY GIVEN PRAISE Sets Example for Entire State, Asserts Judge W. F. Cooper High praise was given members of the jury panel of the superior court yesterday by Judge Cooper when he excused them from further service, after a two weeks term of court for the special purpose of trying bootlegging cases. Judge Cooper stated that in his long service as district attorney and judge he had never known a jury to be more attentive to their duties or to be actuated by higher ideals of citizenship than the present jury. He stated that from answers given by jurymen, a great many did not believe in the present prohibitory law, but in spite of this fact they had brought in verdicts of guilty in accord with the law and the evidence. If I could give the members of the jury any higher praise than I have I certainly would do so, Judge Cooper said in closing. He declared that the work of the present jury would not only be an example to juries in the future in Tucson, but would be watched all over the state. The city of Tucson has filed a protective order against a couple who are suing police for negligence related to a criminal investigation into a long-running prostitution ring, court documents show. The order, filed in Pima County Superior Court last month, seeks to protect the city from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense, relating to Anne Marie and Christopher Rechlins request for police reports and evidence related to the investigation into By Spanish, the illicit massage parlors operated around Tucson, according to the documents. In November, the Rechlins filed a lawsuit against the city and Tucson Police Department, alleging the polices failure to arrest Ulises Ruiz, a suspect in the investigation, led to his assault of Anne Marie in November 2014, documents show. Ruiz confronted the couple when he discovered them taking pictures of cars in the parking lot of the alleged north-side brothel, striking Anne Marie in the shoulder with what police described as a small bat. In a March hearing, the court scheduled a January 2017 deadline for each party to produce evidence obtained during the discovery process. In June, the Rechlins filed a court motion requesting the police reports into the By Spanish investigation. The city argued that the only reason the Rechlins are asking for the reports is they believe that if the police had done more, Ruiz wouldnt have assaulted Anne Marie, according to court documents. No duty was owed to plaintiffs ... to arrest Mr. Ruiz, and plaintiffs have no standing to say who should be arrested and prosecuted for any of the alleged illegal activities, the citys response to the lawsuit stated. The citys request for the protective order says that its intended to ensure that no unnecessary expenses are incurred to defend a meritless claim. The motion argues that the court has set a deadline for the city to produce its evidence and that the city isnt obligated to provide that evidence to the Rechlins before the deadline. Last May, the Rechlins, who are representing themselves, filed a preliminary claim saying they intended to sue the city for $2 million. Its not clear how much they are seeking in their lawsuit against the city, but they are seeking reimbursement of medical expenses related to the reported assault. Ruiz was arrested after the reported incident with the Rechlins and charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He accepted an agreement in October, pleading guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. A hearing is set for later this month for Judge Gus Aragon to rule on the citys order that the Rechlins stop requesting the investigation reports. Prostitution investigation update In January, Ruiz and his girlfriend, Clarissa Lopez, were arrested and are now facing charges of illegal control of an enterprise, keeping a house of prostitution, receiving the earnings of a prostitute and money laundering, according to court records. They couples jury trial is set to begin in April 2017. The police investigation revealed that By Spanish operated out of multiple locations in Tucson from November 2011 to January 2015, when police raided 10 properties associated with the business. Ten Tucson police employees were caught up in the scandal, when their names and phone numbers were found in cellphones and records seized as evidence. Eight police officers and one evidence technician lost their jobs as a result, but none of them were charged with a crime. Two of the officers have since surrendered their state certification to work in law enforcement, and three others will appear before the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board in upcoming months, as they are now facing the loss of theirs. PHOENIX Conceding theres no evidence of fraud, an attorney for the state asked a federal judge Wednesday to allow enforcement of a new law making ballot harvesting a felony. James Driscoll-MacEachron told U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Rayes that lack of evidence is legally irrelevant. He said the Republican-controlled Legislature was entitled to approve HB 2023 to keep it from happening. It assists in preventing voter fraud and preserving the integrity of elections, Driscoll-MacEachron argued. He said limiting who can handle ballots ensures there will be no tampering. Rayes, however, expressed some concern why, after years of people being sent early ballots and years of people being able to return the ballots of others without a single instance of fraud this law criminalizing that practice is necessary. Driscoll-MacEachron said the issue is the risk that fraud might occur in the future. Still, the judge questioned why this law, given there already are state laws making it a crime to tamper with or throw out someone elses ballot. It makes sure we know where the ballots are, the attorney responded. This law serves a state interest. Sara Jane Agne, representing the Arizona Republican Party, which has intervened to help defend the law, echoed to Rayes that lawmakers are entitled to act to prevent fraud before it occurs. You need not wait until someone breaks into your house before putting a lock on the door, she said. The law makes it a felony, punishable by a year in state prison, for someone to take a voted ballot, even in a sealed envelope, and drop it off at a polling place. There are exceptions for family members, caregivers, election workers and postal workers. Proponents contend the practice is an invitation to fraud. But the question of whether Rayes blocks the law from taking effect as scheduled Saturday could turn on a different issue. The lawsuit filed by the state and national Democratic parties, the Clinton campaign and others revolves around the contention that the law illegally imposes a higher burden on minorities than the population at large. Attorney Marc Elias acknowledged he has no statistical evidence to prove that contention. Instead he cited affidavits by various individuals, including state lawmakers, who talked about how it is more common in minority communities to allow someone else to take their early ballot to the polls. In fact, Elias argued to the judge that even some of the statements offered by Republicans to defend the law actually prove his point. He said even Sen. Carlyle Begay, R-Ganado, acknowledged the effect on the Navajo Reservation he represents. Elias said, though, that Begay and others defend the law anyway saying it addresses an evil that needs to be cured. But he told Rayes the only issue that is relevant is the impact of the law, not its merits. Theres another thing working in favor of challengers: what Elias argued was an admission by the state that ballot harvesting laws are illegally discriminatory. In 2011 state lawmakers approved a less-onerous version of the same law. Rather than making it a felony to collect the ballots of others, it required anyone who delivers more than 10 early ballots to provide photo identification. At that time Arizona was required to get federal preclearance from the Department of Justice for any changes in election laws. That was based on the states history of discrimination against minorities. Federal officials raised questions about whether it complied with the Voting Rights Act, which makes it illegal for states to enact laws that disproportionately impact mino rities. The result, he said, is that Amy Bjelland, then the state elections director, simply withdrew the law from consideration, leaving the measure on the books but unenforceable. That preclearance requirement was repealed in 2013 by the U.S. Supreme Court, meaning Arizona did not need to submit HB 2023 to the Department of Justice. But Elias told Rayes it still is illegal for states to alter voting laws to discriminate against minorities. And he said this new law is as least as discriminatory as the one the state withdrew from consideration. Driscoll-MacEachron said he did not know why the state concluded the 2011 law might run afoul of the Voting Rights Act. But he told Rayes what happened then is legally irrelevant to whether HB 2023 is legal. The challenge is not based entirely on the Voting Rights Act. Elias also contends the law affects the First Amendment rights of voters. In deciding whether to enjoin enforcement of the law ahead of Saturdays effective date, Rayes has to conclude that challengers are likely to prevail after a full-blown trial. He also needs to consider the hardships that allowing the law to take effect will have on voters, versus the harm to the state if it is placed on hold. Photo editor Rick Wiley is the photo editor of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. From 1995-2004, he was director of photography at the East Valley Tribune in Mesa. From 1988-94 he was a photographer at the Tucson Citizen. He is a graduate of ASU (yes, that ASU). This week promises a cold snap, with glimpses at temperatures in the 20s, rain and possibly snow in higher elevations of Tucson. OPINION: "My original thought was, 'Why would anybody vote for Kari Lake, or any other candidate if they had no faith in our election system?' Now I understand. Because nobody wants to be a loser. And, with her or the others they cant lose," writes Oro Valley resident Ray Lindstrom. The sprawling Macayo's building on Oracle Road had been on and off the market for years, but this time Emma Vera was ready. When the aging property at 7360 N. Oracle Road went on sale this year, she jumped at the chance to open a second location for her flagship restaurant Guadalajara Original Grill. She'll call this location Guadalajara Original Grill North. (This is to differentiate her business at 1220 E. Prince Road from those of her ex-husband Seth Holzman, who owns the Guadalajara Mexican Grill at 4901 E. Broadway and Guadalajara Fiesta Grill at 750 N. Kolb Road.) Vera plans to spend several months cleaning up the space, and will hopefully open by the first of November. "It's a really pretty building, it's just been awhile since they've touched it up," she said. "We're going to reconstruct the inside, bring the walls down, ... redo the bar. It's gonna have a really nice new feeling." Macayo's, which is part of a Phoenix chain of restaurants with one other Tucson location, had been in that building since the early '80s, Vera said. It closed last month. At 8,000 square feet, the building is substantially bigger than even her Guadalajara Original Grill. But Vera doesn't seem to be nervous. Register for more free articles. Log in Sign up "I am so excited to be on Oracle, and being at an intersection that's busy. ... Just being there, it advertises itself." It will be her third restaurant, in addition to the casual taqueria Calle Tepa at 6151 E. Broadway. In the future, Vera is also thinking of opening another Calle Tepa, possibly in Oro Valley. Guadalajara Original Grill North will sport the same food and drink menu as her original, with tableside salsa and a sizable margarita list. There will be a hiring fair about six weeks before the opening. Vera plans to hire about 55 people. For opening news and general info, follow the restaurant on Facebook at facebook.com/GuadalajaraOriginalGrill Series 3 of Where the Wild Men Are begins on BBC Knowledge on Saturday. Ben Fogle (The Big Catch) returns to host the nine-part series meeting people who have turned their backs on the trappings of Western society and set up home in some of the most isolated locations on Earth. Series 3 sees Ben join fellow Brit, and the series first woman, Gaynor Leeper in the Swedish Arctic Circle. Gaynor gave up her job as a high-flying communications manager in London to become an Arctic dog musher. Ben joins Gaynor, her husband Milos and their 40 Alaskan huskies on a trek through this freezing wilderness. In Utah, USA, Ben meets twin brothers Bill and Bob Stone. Once adrenalin junkies, the twins are now canyon-dwelling renegades in their early 70s whose isolated home is 12 miles deep inside some of the worlds most striking and wild terrain. And in the deep desert sand dunes of Namibia, Ben lives with former city worker Gideon Davids and his young family. Now a master bushman, Gideon quit his career in life insurance for the dry and dusty desert. From hand washing baby nappies to learning vital desert survival skills to hunting and eating oryx, Ben discovers the realities of everyday life in this tough environment. Saturdays at 7.30pm from August 6 on BBC Knowledge. Help India! By TCN News The first batch of 340 Haj pilgrims flew from Delhi to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at 2.30 am IST on Thursday. Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi flagged off the first batch of Haj pilgrims from Indira Gandhi International Airports Haj Terminal, with prayers for unity, peace, prosperity and harmony in nation and the entire world. Support TwoCircles The Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi addressing at the flag-off ceremony of the first flight of Haj Pilgrims, in New Delhi on August 03, 2016 For Haj 2016, a total of 12,500 Haj pilgrims will be proceeding from Delhi by Air Indias 37 charter flights. Around 8,690 Haj pilgrims will be from Uttar Pradesh and rest will be from Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Speaking on the occasion, Naqvi said that Haj pilgrimage is a cherished desire of every Muslim in his lifetime and extended good wishes on behalf of the Prime Minister and himself. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Shri Manish Sisodia, Haj Committee of India Chairman Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Qaiser, Minority Affairs Ministry Secretary Shri Rakesh Garg, Haj Committee of India Member and Delhi Coordinator Shri H B Kazmi and others were present on the occasion. The Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi greeting the Haj Pilgrims, during the first flight flag-off ceremony, in New Delhi on August 03, 2016. For Haj 2016, a total 1,00,020 Haj pilgrims will be facilitated from 21 points across India through Haj Committee. Apart from this, 36,000 Haj pilgrims will proceed through private tour operators. British Hajis ask pilgrims to maintain sanctity, refrain from taking selfies The Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK (ABH), a National Hajj & Umrah specific organisation working for the welfare and well-being of pilgrims, has expressed grave concern about the growing culture of disregard for the sanctity of the House of Allah and the Haram-e-Madinah by some naive pilgrims. It is immensely disturbing that these pilgrims while they are in Haramain-e-Shareefain, focus on taking selfies, photographs and making videos rather than concentrating on their prayers, which undermines the spirit of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage. They are showing total disrespect to the Haram-e-Makkah and Madinah by deifying the wish and Sunnah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the organisation said. The nuisance has taken away the peace and serenity of the holy places and the essence of the pilgrimage and is causing extreme discomfort and disturbance to other pilgrims, it said. ABH urged that every effort should be made to protect the sanctity of the holy places against naive pilgrims in order to ensure that the other pilgrims perform their prayers in peace and tranquility . Help India! By Twocircles.net Staff Reporter Lucknow: All India Majlis-E-Ittihadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi will begin a three-day trip to Uttar Pradesh from Friday, August 5, as he looks to speak with his party workers and other political leaders to discuss possible alliances for the upcoming UP elections in 2017. Support TwoCircles Owaisi will arrive in Lucknow on Friday night, and will also be visiting Kanpur during his trip. According to reports, Owaisi will meet journalists on Saturday, following which he will address party workers in the afternoon. The party will be hosting a rally on Sunday in Kanpur and if he gets the nod from the district administration, Owaisi is likely to address the rally too. It is important to point that Owaisi has been denied entry in the state previously, at the orders of the state government. Earlier this year, AIMIM had contested the Bikapur by elections by fielding a Dalit candidate, but the move did not work and the party lost. With the party aiming at votes from both Muslims and Dalits, it remains to be seen as to how Owaisi will look at potential alliances. Help India! By TCN News, Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today awarded life imprisonment to 11 convicts for committing the brutal killings of a father-daughter duo in Mehsana district during the 2002 post Godhra riots. The High Court reversed the order of fast track trial court which had acquitted all the accused in 2005. Support TwoCircles The division bench of justice A S Dave and justice B N Karia pronounced this quantum of sentence after the prosecution and victims advocates sought death sentence. Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind hailed the verdict and termed it a victory of justice. He said that for establishing rule of justice it was more significant and essential to ensure punishment to culprits than to release innocent prisoners. Recalling horrific incident of burning alive, he advocated harshest punishment for the doers so that others learn a lesson. This is a landmark verdict and I welcome it Madani added and appreciated his advocates and JUH activists including Gujarat JUH general secretary Prof Nisar Ahmed Ansari who played crucial role for getting the conviction. In the communal riots that erupted in Meda-Adraj village in 2002, Kalumiya Saiyad and his daughter Hasinabibi, were burned alive by a violent mob. According to case details, the two victims, Kalumiya Saiyed and his 22-year old daughter Hasinabibi, could not escape the mob on March 3, 2002. Kalumiya Saiyed had taken shelter in the house of a neighbour, who was a Hindu. But the mob barged in by breaking the door and also beat up the neighbours Mukesh, and his father Joitaram Prajapati for protecting the Muslims. Both father and daughter were thrashed inside Prajaptis house and dragged out. Kerosene was sprinkled on them and they were torched alive. When the two victims jumped into a water pool nearby to douse the flames, but after some time the accused brought them out and again set them on fire. By the police reached the spot, both were dead. The police lodged FIR against 15 persons and the name of 12 more persons came up during the investigation. In 2005, the fast track trial court in Mehsana acquitted all the 27 accused for want of evidence. After that, state government along with Jamiat on behalf of the victims family appealed acquittal before High Court. The High court accepted the hearing of only 15 persons whose names were lodged in FIR the first day. Validating the six eye witness, the court accepted prosecutions claim that the father-daughter duo was chased by the mob, dragged them from their Hindu neighbours house and were burnt to death and finally awarded the punishment to 11 convicts. The right-wing Eurosceptic Law and Justice Party was victorious in the 2015 parliamentary elections in poland, forming a new Government with over 37% of the popular vote. However, on coming to power the government has passed laws which many see as weakening constitutional checks and balances. This demonstrates the growing influence of socially-conservative religious values in the political sphere, as the party argues that a secular, liberal and multi-ethnic Europe threatens religious values and sovereignty. The primary concern to the EU has been a curtailing of the power of the constitutional court, but the government has also passed legislation leading to the reform of the supposedly independent security services, civil service and public broadcasting. The controversial party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who once said that migrants carry various diseases, was side-lined during the election, but now has a significant role in the government, while the moderate Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has now herself been side-lined. The Polish governments actions have led to the first ever EU investigation into the rule-of-law of a member state, headed by Europes democracy watchdog, the Venice Commission. A 'systematic threat to the rule of law' In December 2015, the new government sacked 5 judges appointed by the previous government. They then proceeded to ban the constitutional court from publishing a judgement that criticises new executive controls over judges, which immediately put at threat the independence of the judiciary. The commission announced in late July that there was a systematic threat to the rule of law in Poland, as the commissions vice-president Frans Timmermans called on the Polish government to respond by guaranteeing the independence of the constitutional court within three months. The next step by the EU would be to suspend Polands voting rights in the bloc. However, this would risk further isolating Poland at a time when integration should be a top priority. Also, any possible sanctions called for by the commission would have to be supported by all other EU member states; but Hungary, an EU member following a similarly undemocratic path to Poland, has said that it would never support such sanctions. 'Heavy consequences' for human rights As the EUs sixth-largest economy and the biggest ex-communist state in the bloc, Poland is also a significant beneficiary of EU funds. However, political analyst Wojciech Jablonski has argued that the Law and Justice Party will not back down unless its actions endanger the money it receives from the EUs common budget to help it catch up with western European living standards; this comes despite the dispute leading to a significant fall in business investment in the country. Indeed, the Polish government has responded by arguing that the EU should instead be focusing on solving the migrant crisis and also on ensuring that more EU members dont leave the bloc as Britain is doing. Legislation was rushed through the Polish parliament in early July in an attempt to resolve the crisis before the NATO summit held in Warsaw later in the month. However, this legislation has not yet been signed by President Andrzej Duda and has thus yet to become law. On the first day of the summit, in a private meeting between Duda and Obama, the US president stated unequivocally that more needed to be done to strengthen democratic values and institutions in Poland, in an unusual move of rebuking a close American ally; this perhaps shows how seriously the US, and therefore the EU, is taking the threat to Polish democracy. Indeed, the Council of Europe, an intergovernmental human rights organisation, stated that this prolonged paralysis of Polands constitutional court bears heavy consequences for the human rights protection of all Polish citizens. I Agree This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Privacy Policy Reports are circulating that Iran has carried out a mass execution of Sunni Kurds at the infamous Rajai Shahr Prison, located just west of Tehran. Reports indicate that between 10 to 36 Kurds were executed. The National Council of Resistance of Iran pegs the number at 21, based on information from families of those executed. Iranian authorities contacted families to let them say their final goodbye, but apparently carried out the mass execution ahead of schedule. Many families were told that they were too late, that their loved ones had already been hung, and that they needed to collect the bodies. Iranian dissidents speak out Maryam Rajavi, a leading Iranian dissident and president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) called the acts an appalling Crime against humanity." This inhuman crime took place simultaneous with the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran," stated Mohammad Mohaddessin, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee ofNCRI. "The mullahs' regime is facing absolute social isolation and widespread abhorrence by the people and thus is resorting to increased executions to create a climate of fear and to prevent the possibility of a nationwide uprising." He said that more than 2500 people have been executed under Hassan Rouhani, "who falsely claimed to seek moderation. Rouhani not as reform-minded as he seems? Hassan Rouhani has often been painted as a reform-minded moderate. He recently announced that he was postponing the civil service entrance exam and ordered government branches to reconsider whether or not the 3,000 open positions currently within the Iranian government were biased in favor of men. In Iran, women make up approximately 60% of university graduates, but only about 12% of women are actively employed. Rouhani has made an effort to reach out to women and decrease segregation. With the hijab still a required attire, and numerous other repressive laws in place, however, Iran's actual commitment to reform is questionable at best. Small efforts at reform come as executions rise While Rouhani has made some progress on certain issues women have been posted to senior level positions within the government, for example executions have continued to steadily climb. Iran trails only China, a country more than ten times its size, when it comes to executions. Iran's executions have already been decried by numerous international non-profits. Many of those executed are dissidents, or else caught up in Iran's widespread drug trade. It's believed that Iran has now executed at least 2,500 prisoners so far this year. As of April, Amnesty International had reported a 31% in the number of executions carried out. According to the organization, 58 of the executions were carried out in public. Further 16 women and four juveniles had been executed. The actual trial system and legal environment in Iranare also highly suspect. Many prisoners have reported that they have been tortured and forced into signing false confessions. With the court system heavily influenced by the ruling regime, it's doubtful that many Iranians ever receive a fair trial. China boosts petrochemical sector development Updated: 2016-08-04 14:15 (Xinhua) Sinopec employees inspect natural gas pipelines in Zibo, Shandong province. [Photo/VCG] BEIJING - China must shut down outmoded facilities, consolidate production and reduce pollution to increase the competitiveness of its petrochemical industry, according to a guideline issued Wednesday. Petrochemical industrial development is hindered by overcapacity along with security and environmental constraints, according to the guideline issued by the State Council, China's cabinet. Foreign companies are to be allowed to participate in mergers and acquisitions in the sector, the guideline said. Seven planned coastal petrochemical production bases will be built to consolidate the sector. By 2020, energy consumption per 10,000 yuan (about $1,500) of output will be cut by 8 percent from the 2015 level, with carbon dioxide emissions and water consumption by 10 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Himalayan rail route endorsed Updated: 2016-08-05 01:47 By HOU LIQIANG,Cui jia(China Daily) China has the technology and experience to build line from Tibet to South Asia, experts say A Himalayan train ride at more than 100 kilometers per hour at the foot of the world's highest snow-capped mountains and oldest glaciers is no longer just a dream, Chinese railway experts say. With more than 19,000 km of high-speed up to 350 km per hour railways, China has accumulated the technology and experience to build a rail link between the Tibet antonymous region and the South Asian subcontinent, they say. The Himalayan railway would start from Xigaze, a city in Tibet, run to Gyirong, a land port on the Chinese border, and extend into Nepal, although it would not be a high-speed railway, the researchers said on Thursday at a forum in Beijing run by the China Tibetology Research Center, a Tibetan studies organization. In 2006, China built a railway running for more than 1,100 km to connect the highland region of Tibet with the rest of the country. In 2014, it built a 250-km rail link between Lhasa, the Tibet regional capital, and Xigaze, the region's second-largest city. Trains run at 100 km per hour throughout the Tibetan rail system, which according to China's railway plan for 2016 to 2020, will stretch from Xigaze to Gyirong. Nepal hopes that China can connect this port with Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital, as part of the China-Nepal international railway. China hopes the rail link will boost economic, cultural and religious communication with Nepal as part of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping. "The construction of a railway crossing the Himalayan mountains is now economically and technologically feasible," said Zong Gang, deputy director of the Science and Technology Department at Beijing University of Technology. The altitude at Gyirong port is 2,800 meters above sea level, while the Gyirong mountain pass to Nepal lies at about 1,800 meters, making the railway geographically feasible. In contrast, Lhasa is about 3,700 meters above sea level and the altitude at Xigaze is about 3,800 meters. Losang Jamcan, chairman of the Tibet autonomous region government, said on July 1 that building rail links is the most powerful way to help Tibet open up to South Asian countries. After a meeting between Premier Li Keqiang and Nepalese Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli in March, the two countries said their governments will further discuss construction of a cross-border railway and also support companies conducting preliminary research. At least two Chinese companies have shown an interest in developing rail networks connecting China with Nepal, the Kathmandu Post reported on July 2. China CAMC Engineering Co has proposed building a 121-km railway linking Kathmandu and Rasuwagadhi, a land port in Nepal facing Gyirong. China Railway Construction Corp has applied to the Railway Department in Nepal for a Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi railway feasibility study. Ma Jiali, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said a trans-Himalayan railway would be of great economic value as it could later connect China, the largest economy in Asia, with India, the continent's third-largest economy. He said that landlocked Nepal is willing to have a more convenient link to China because it believes that China's development will offer great opportunities for Nepal. Zhou Yuhui, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University who has just returned from a field visit to the China-Nepal border, said, "There are rich tourism resources, including virgin forest, canyons and historical relics in Gyirong, which has hardly been developed. "While bringing tourists and businesses to Gyirong, which will help local people to escape poverty, the China-Nepal railway will also help ... to make people more willing to integrate into modern life." contact the writers at cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn Tianjin court ensured transparency in subversion trial Updated: 2016-08-03 22:12 By Cao Yin(chinadaily.com.cn) A Tianjin court took various measures since Tuesday to ensure transparency while hearing a high-profile case involving a group of activists accused of subverting State power. Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court posted a forecast of the series of trials on its official micro-blogging account and published statements, videos and pictures on how the case hearings were developed for the public via its Twitter-like platform. It was aimed at helping people understand the judicial process and receive public supervision, the court said. On Tuesday, it publicly sentenced Zhai Yanmin, 55, who posted online comments against the government and organized petitioners to disturb public order, to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve for subverting State power. Today, it also sentenced Hu Shigen, who asked Zhai to organize and broadcasted his subversive thoughts via his illegal organization, to seven years and six months in prison for the same charge. Almost 50 people, including the media, law professors and attorneys, sat in the court's public gallery and heard the trials. Of the media, five were from overseas organizations. They registered at the court after seeing the online forecast and got the chance to hear the case. Although the courtroom has limited seats, overseas journalists who missed the registration could go to a media center in a hotel near the court, where information on the trial was provided in a timely manner via a big screen, along with some snacks, the court added. Beijing lawyer Zhou Shifeng jailed for subversion Updated: 2016-08-04 12:36 By CAO YIN in Tianjin(chinadaily.com.cn) Zhou Shifeng, a lawyer in Beijing, was jailed for seven years on Thursday by Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court for subverting State power. Zhou said that he accepted the verdict and would not appeal to a higher court. The 52-year-old former director of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm played a major role in a group of activists who attempted to manipulate public opinion and damage national security by spreading subversive thoughts, the verdict said. Thursday's trial received a large amount of public attention from both home and abroad. The verdict said that Zhou colluded with Hu Shigen, the leader of an illegal organization that broadcast subversive ideas, and activists Zhai Yanmin and Li Heping. They used the law firm as a platform to encourage lawyers to highlight sensitive cases and hired protesters to disturb the judicial system, according to the verdict. Zhou also asked administrative officers in the law firm to post anti-government comments online to stir up public sentiment, the court said. Hu and Zhai were sentenced to seven-and-a-half years and three years in jail with a four-year reprieve, respectively, earlier this week. Li is being prosecuted in a separate case. How to calculate the distance the Long March covered? Updated: 2016-08-04 13:13 By Jin Dan(chinadaily.com.cn) [China.org.cn] Just like words have meaning, sometimes numbers have cultural significance. Whenever Chinese people hear the number 25,000, they automatically think of the Long March undertaken by the Red Army from 1934 to 1936. Curious ones may be interested in how such a long distance could be measured. Historical accounts show that the length of 25,000 li (12,500 km) is a summation based on military documents and survivors' diaries rather than actual distance based on maps. In fact, the number refers to the longest distance part of the Central Red Army covered. It completed its Long March on Oct 19, 1935, when its Shaaxi-Gansu detachment arrived in Wuqi county in northern Shaanxi. "Mao Zedong told me, according to data collected by the regiment headquarters of the First Corps, that the unit covered the longest distance, 25,000 li," Xiao Feng, the party leader of the detachment, wrote in his dairy. From then on, the term "Long March of 25,000 li" began to be recorded in the formal document of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Sri Lanka ambitious to tap deeper into China's tea market Updated: 2016-08-04 16:38 By Bi Nan(chinadaily.com.cn) Performers from Sri Lanka dance at the Ceylon Tea Day event in Beijing, August 3, 2016. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Sri Lanka is launching a campaign to promote its Ceylon tea in China, mainly eyeing female consumers who are fans of black tea. "We've done a research and it shows that black tea is becoming more and more popular among the females, so Sri Lanka will primarily target on female consumers in China," said Hasitha De Alwis, director of promotion from the Sri Lanka Tea Board during the Ceylon Tea Day, an event organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing and the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Sri Lanka is also eyeing on the younger generation who is always trying new things and prefers to drink tea in a non-traditional way, like with milk and sugar. To better adapt to Chinese consumers' taste, Sri Lanka is also producing light tea in some certain regions, which is very similar to Chinese green tea, but in a fully fermented manner, which is a special feature of Ceylon tea. Hon. Navin Dissanayake, Minister of Plantation Industries in Sri Lanka, said Sri Lanka's tea export volume to China is in steady growth during recent years as the volume reached 7.2 million kilograms in 2015. Sri Lanka is especially known for its Ceylon tea, which is fully fermented black tea, and can be consumed straight or mixed with milk or sugar. As black tea is said to be quite beneficial for women, more females are turning to the black tea as their tea of choice. China ranks 11th in major exporting countries of Ceylon tea and Sri Lanka ranks second in major importing countries of Chinese tea from 2011-2014, according to Alwis. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of commercial tea plantations in Sri Lanka, a series of events are planned to take place in 2017, and China will be invited to participate at these projects as a partner. Alwis revealed that an International Tea Convention and Ceylon Tea expo will be held next year, and the world's largest tea party, intending to be included in the Guinness world record, will be staged, as well as a tea competition among world tea producers. Judicial support for coast guard Updated: 2016-08-04 07:19 (China Daily) Missile frigate Yuncheng launches an anti-ship missile during a military exercise in the water area near South China's Hainan Island and Xisha islands, July 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] The Supreme People's Court issued two judicial interpretive documents on Monday on how the courts should handle maritime cases. The judicial interpretations are of importance for China to defend its maritime rights and sovereignty. They have come at a time when the territorial disputes in the South China Sea have intensified after an award was made in an arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines. There are articles covering illegal fishing by foreign vessels in various Chinese laws. The judicial interpretation marks a giant step forward because it puts all these together and makes the procedures clear. The most notable part of the interpretations is that foreign vessels and individuals that illegally fish in Chinese waters might be sued if they refuse to leave when ordered to do so by the Chinese coast guard. In the disputed areas, the maritime law enforcement agencies of other claimants often enforce their domestic laws against Chinese fishermen, which can escalate into diplomatic frictions. For example, in 2012, Philippine police detained a number of Chinese fishing vessels, causing a major diplomatic crisis. Some other claimants have been copying the example of the Philippines, by domestically "legislating" and empowering their police to enforce these "laws" against Chinese fishing boats. By doing so they are trying to "legalize" their claims and rally the support of their citizens. In order to protect its sovereignty and territory, China has been sending coast guard vessels to patrol the disputed areas. But judicial measures are needed as well, because strict legal procedures will dispel accusations that China is acting unlawfully. The judicial interpretations of the Supreme People's Court have granted the Chinese coast guard ample legal support. We expect the two to do a better job of defending China's sovereignty and territory in the South China Sea. Chinese consumers are known to be fond of products made in Japan, and Amazon Japan has stepped in to capitalize on it. Without much fanfare, the Seattle-based online retail giant's Japanese unit rolled out a website in Mandarin in June to tap into a billion-dollar market. "Explosive purchase (baomai)" is a Japanese coinage that describes the pent-up buying habits of Chinese tourists visiting Japan primarily to buy large amounts of goods to take back home. Chinese visitors spent 80 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in Japan in the past year, according to Japanese tourist statistics. China's Ministry of Commerce says Chinese shoppers snapped up 1.2 trillion yuan worth of goods overseas in the past year. "Looking at Amazon alone, cross-border sales are now nearly 25 percent of all third-party units sold on Amazon, and its coverage in 172 countries reached 189 markets last year," Michelle Tsai, head of marketing for China (in Shanghai) for channeladvisor.com, an e-commerce solutions provider based in North Carolina, told China Daily. "Not satisfied with the homegrown success, Japanese brands are following the scent of money and are eager to tap the vast Chinese domestic market, and the quickest way to do it is through online marketplaces," she said. "With the significant demand for Japanese products in China, I imagine cross-border trade into China (will) yield significant dividends for Amazon." The most popular Japanese brand is Zojirushi, maker of rice cookers, according to Ctrip. Over-the-counter medicines and cosmetics, however, are the top sellers (rice cookers are in fifth place). Japanese medicines are known for their quality and safety, and Chinese are fond of them because they combine modern medicine with ingredients found in traditional Chinese medicine. Amazon Japan also offers reduced shipping rates to mainland homes and businesses. Bloomberg.com said Amazon.com Inc is evolving in Asia to find new revenue streams from China, where Alibaba Group Holding Ltd dominates. E-commerce demand from China to Japan is projected to almost triple to 2.34 trillion yen ($22.5 billion) in 2019, according to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. "The opportunity is huge," Jasper Cheung, president of Amazon Japan, told bloomberg.com. "We have already increased the selection that we can export by the millions over the last several weeks." Some Chinese shoppers who seek authentic Japanese products are concerned about product safety and counterfeits on some web stores in China. Those concerns have helped send more than 3 million Chinese tourists to Japan this year, up over 40 percent, and are boosting demand for Amazon.co.jp, Wandou and other outlets selling Japanese goods, according to bloomberg.com. Chinese firm to redevelop landmark Flushing theater Updated: 2016-08-04 14:19 By PAUL WELITZKIN in New York(chinadaily.com.cn) The chance to build high-end condominiums in a booming Chinatown has attracted Xinyuan Real Estate Co Ltd into another New York City project. Xinyuan, one of the first Chinese developers to enter the US market, on Monday announced the acquisition of the RKO Keith's Theater, a landmark movie palace located in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York. Xinyuan plans to tear down most of the building and construct a 269-unit condominium tower. "We expect this development will be appealing to both local and foreign buyers and investors. This is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York City, with a clear shortage of higher-end condo product. "The area is home to the second-largest Chinatown outside of Asia. We anticipate we'll be able to sell these units both in the US and China," George Liu, chief financial officer for Xinyuan, wrote in an email. Xinyuan purchased the theater built in 1928 from JK Equities LLC for $66 million. JK acquired the property three years ago for about $30 million. The theater has been closed since the mid-1980s. It will be Xinyuan's third condo project in New York. The company is involved in the 216-unit Oosten in Williamsburg in Brooklyn and a planned 100-unit project at a site in Manhattan. "This development makes Xinyuan one of the most active developers in New York City with approximately 1million square feet of buildings under construction in three boroughs. Flushing is a rising market, and this neighborhood has tremendous demand for quality modern residential units," Liu said. Once the condos are built, the 372,598-square-foot mixed-use development will have retail space on the ground floor and second floor. "This development has been prepared by the architectural firm of Pei Cobb Freed, I.M. Pei's architectural firm that designed the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, with plans for 269 modern condo residences," Liu said. "This will be a mid-rise, modern condominium building with amenities such as a 24-hour doorman, gym, tenant lounge, 305-space parking garage and landscaped courtyard as well as a large ground-floor and second-floor retail space," he said. Flushing, in the north-central part of the borough of Queens, has supplanted Manhattan's Chinatown as the most populous in New York with a population of 33,536 Chinese, according to the 2010 Census. Manhattan's Chinatown has nearly 29,000, according to the Asian American Federation, a Manhattan nonprofit. Founded in 1997 and based in Beijing, Xinyuan has been active in real estate development in California, Nevada and New York. It had an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007, with institutional private equity backers like Blue Ridge Capital and Sam Zell's Equity International. In China, the company had 21 active development projects by the end of 2015 in key markets like Beijing and Shanghai and also in several of China's second-tier cities like Jinan, Suzhou, Xi'an and Zhengzhou. Chinese companies in US outperform Updated: 2016-08-04 11:31 By Chen Weihua In Chicago(China Daily USA) Chinese companies in the United States have become increasingly bullish, despite an economic slowdown back home in China. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (seated right) and Wanxiang America President Pin Ni sign an agreement on Wednesday for Wanxiang to fi nance Chicago high school students to study Mandarin. Chinese Consul General in Chicago Hong Lei (back row, second from right) and Carola McGiff ert (back row, center), CEO of US-China Strong Foundation, also attended. The signing ceremony was held at the Art Institute of Chicago before the opening of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce ChicagoChapter annual gala. Chen Weihua / China Daily The latest 2016 annual business survey by the China General Chamber of Commerce (USA) shows that 51 percent of the Chinese-funded businesses in the US had increased their revenue in 2015 over 2014, while 27 percent saw it remain the same. About 22 percent saw revenue decline. Meanwhile, 42 percent of the companies increased their profits in 2015 over 2014, while 34 percent remained the same. And 22 percent experienced a drop. Overall, 41 percent of the Chinese-funded companies said their profit margin is higher than their companies' global average, while 32 percent said they are the same as the global average. "This shows the US is a great place to invest," said Pin Ni, chairman of the CGCC Chicago chapter and president of Wanxiang America, based in Elgin, about 40 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. He also said that Chinese investors have increasingly come to the Midwest. CGCC data show that Chinese FDI in the Midwest was $12.8 billion in from 2000-2015. The survey also shows that the majority, or 53 percent, of the Chinese investors are private, in contrast to the general public perception that state-owned enterprises are the dominant investors. It also shows that 56 percent of the companies have operated in the US for fewer than five years. "So there are lot of lessons to be learned and a lot of mistakes to be made," Ni told a packed auditorium of some 400 government officials and business leaders on Wednesday at the chapter's annual gala. He described it as a learning curve, and not only for the language and cultural differences. "There are many other things (where) the US and China are very different," he said. "Let's be patient. As long as we give the child room to grow, eventually they will become very healthy adults," Ni said. US President Barack Obama sent a congratulatory message to the annual gala. "The United States and China are the world's two largest economies, and together, we must find cooperative measures that help promote growth around the globe," Obama said. "Events like this provide a platform for business leaders to unite in a spirit of collaboration to discuss key issues and exchange ideas." Obama said such efforts not only open doors of economic opportunity for the people of both countries, but also remind them that a constructive relationship between the US and China is important to the world. Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Chinese FDI is positive for Chicago. Hong Lei, the new Chinese consul general in Chicago, called on Chinese companies to make more contributions to the Midwest and shoulder more social responsibility. The CGCC survey shows that Chinese-invested companies hired more American employees in 2015 than in 2014; most of them are reinvesting their profits for expansion in the US. Ni noted that this has been a sensitive subject, but Chinese companies are coming to the US to create jobs. However, 58 percent of the companies say they do feel bias against foreign companies in US government policy implementation, reflected in the various investigations from tax compliance to intellectual property rights to anti-corruption. Only 34 percent said the Bilateral Investment Treaty being discussed between China and the US will help them greatly or somewhat, while 23 percent said there will be no impact; 43 percent said they didn't know. The BIT, pushed by both President Xi Jinping and Obama in their summit meetings in the past two years, has been largely stalled lately due to the US presidential election season and the US government priority to press Congress to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during the lame-duck session late this year. A report by the New York-based Rhodium Group last month shows that Chinese firms poured FDI of $18.4 billion into the US in the first half of 2016. That is almost three times the amount recorded for the first half of 2015 ($6.4 billion), and more than total Chinese FDI in the US for all of 2015 ($15.3 billion). An updated report released by the Rhodium Group and the National Committee on US-China Relations in April shows that the number of Chinese-affiliated companies in the US exceeded 1,900 by the end of 2015, extending across more than 80 percent of US congressional districts. As greenfield FDI picked up and many existing companies expanded local employment, the number of Americans employed by Chinese-affiliated companies rose by another 12 percent, to 90,000, according to the report. The CGCC has grown from a small organization with fewer than 100 members a decade ago to one with six regional chapters, six industry committees and a total of more than 1,000 corporate members, 40 of which are on the 2016 Fortune 500 list, said Xu Chen, CGCC chairman. Sandy Chu, principal and national leader of the China Business Group of accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP, described the Chinese investment deals her company has worked on as interesting and rewarding. The Chinese investors have a wide range of interests, from real estate and textiles, to automotive, aerospace and insurance, and more recently, healthcare, she said, citing hospital purchases and acquisitions of medical equipment manufacturers and surgical centers. Chu said she found it fascinating that some Chinese investors that acquire entire US companies have not sent their own people from China to be in charge, but have kept all senior management and left them alone. "It surprised me when I first saw that," Chu said. The following companies were honored at the gala at the Art Institute of Chicago: The SAIC USA, Wanda Group Chicago and Wanxiang America were honored as "Most Influential Companies". Nanshan Aluminum Co won the "Fast Growing Company" award, and Hainan Airlines Chicago was named the "Best Investor". chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com Chinese firm to take NYC theater condo Updated: 2016-08-04 11:31 By Paul Welitzkin In New York(China Daily USA) Xinyuan Real Estate will build a condo tower on site of a 1928 theater in Flushing, Queens The chance to build high-end condominiums in a booming Chinatown has attracted Xinyuan Real Estate Co Ltd to another New York City project. Xinyuan, one of the first Chinese developers to enter the US market, on Monday announced the acquisition of the RKO Keith's Theater, a landmark movie palace located in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York. Xinyuan plans to tear down most of the building and construct a 269-unit condominium tower. "We expect this development will be appealing to both local and foreign buyers and investors," George Liu, chief financial officer for Xinyuan, wrote in an email. "This is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York City, with a clear shortage of higher-end condo product. "The area is home to the second-largest Chinatown outside of Asia. We anticipate we'll be able to sell these units both in the US and China." Xinyuan purchased the theater - built in 1928 - from JK Equities LLC for $66 million. JK acquired the property three years ago for about $30 million. The theater has been closed since the mid-1980s. It will be Xinyuan's third condo project in New York. The company is involved in the 216-unit Oosten in Williamsburg in Brooklyn and a planned 100-unit project at a site in Manhattan. "This development makes Xinyuan one of the most active developers in New York City with approximately 1 million square feet of buildings under construction in three boroughs. Flushing is a rising market, and this neighborhood has tremendous demand for quality modern residential units," Liu said. Once the condos are built, the 372,598-square-foot mixed-use development will have retail space on the ground floor and second floor. "This development has been prepared by the architectural firm of Pei Cobb Freed, I.M. Pei's architectural firm that designed the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, with plans for 269 modern condo residences," Liu said. "This will be a mid-rise, modern condominium building with amenities such as a 24-hour doorman, gym, tenant lounge, 305-space parking garage and landscaped courtyard as well as a large ground-floor and second-floor retail space," he said. Flushing, in the north-central part of the borough of Queens, 1as of the 2010 Census, has supplanted Manhattan's Chinatown as the most populous in New York with a population of 33,536 Chinese. Manhattan's Chinatown has nearly 29,000, according to the Asian American Federation. Founded in 1997 and based in Beijing, Xinyuan has been active in real estate development in California, Nevada and New York. It had an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007, with institutional private equity backers like Blue Ridge Capital and Sam Zell's Equity International. In China, the company had 21 active development projects by the end of 2015 in key markets like Beijing and Shanghai and also in several second-tier cities like Jinan, Suzhou, Xi'an and Zhengzhou. paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com (China Daily USA 08/04/2016 page2) Washington's THAAD muscle flexing unmasks anxiety over declining hegemony Updated: 2016-08-04 15:21 (Xinhua) People from Seongju county hold banners to protest against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), during a rally in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on July 21, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING -- The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula yet again betrayed Washington's deep-rooted Cold War mentality and its petty anxiety over the United States' declining global hegemony. The Republic of Korea (ROK) last month announced plans for a US-made THAAD battery to be deployed in Seongju County, 300 km southeast of Seoul, by the end of next year. Washington claims that THAAD can help defend the ROK against potential security threats from its neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). But as the missile shield is designed to intercept incoming inter-continental ballistic missiles at relatively high altitudes, the DPRK needs only short-range rockets and conventional arms to launch attacks on its southern neighbor. This alone renders THAAD a completely ineffective deterrent, and suggest that there is a hidden agenda behind THAAD, an installation that barely covers Seoul but extends its reach to China and Russia's Far East. With its X band radar commanding surveillance of an area that extends over 1,200 miles from the peninsula, THAAD can be used to collect radar data of warheads and decoys of Chinese and Russian strategic missiles by monitoring their tests, thus enabling the United States to neutralize their nuclear deterrence and put the national security of China and Russia at risk. After years of trumpeting the fictional "China threat," Washington is now bringing real, strategic threats to China's doorstep. Deploying THAAD in the ROK to counter the so-called "missile threat" from a "rogue state" is yet another Hollywood-style drama directed by and starring Uncle Sam as part of the United States' Pivot-to-Asia strategy. What lies behind the scheme is Washington's insatiable appetite for global hegemony and its vain anxiety toward an imaginary enemy from a rising China. Such anxiety is both economically and militarily motivated from the US side. Fury at top of Republican Party over Trump snub of House speaker Updated: 2016-08-04 09:29 (Agencies) Republican US Presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign event at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida August 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] WASHINGTON/JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil on Wednesday after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim US Army captain killed in the Iraq war. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said. "He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus. The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus. Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message. More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the Nov 8 election. Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burned by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support. But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said on Wednesday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing. The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing. Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States. Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans. Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN on Wednesday: "I just don't see how I get to Donald Trump anymore." Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash. "There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early on Wednesday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," Manafort said. In Daytona, Florida, Trump said the news media's coverage of him was dishonest. "We're doing quite well despite the fact that we get a totally false narrative," he told supporters at a rally. At another campaign event in Florida, in Jacksonville, Trump pointed out a group of families, known as Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in war, calling them "incredible people." He didn't mention the spat with the Khans. London financial community urge continued talks on Shanghai Connect Updated: 2016-08-04 18:38 By Cecily Liu in London(chinadaily.com.cn) London's financial community wants the proposed Shanghai London Stock Connect scheme to go ahead, insisting the UK's exit from the European Union will not make the London Stock Exchange's listings less attractive to Chinese investors. They reasoned that London's tougher listing rules compared to EU rules would make the exchange more attractive to high quality new listings, and London is unlikely to lose its strength as a financial center post Brexit. The Connect, already the subject of a feasibility study by the LSE, faced delay, according to the South China Morning Post on June 27 because the Chinese regulator, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, is having doubts over Brexit. The SCMP quoted an anonymous fund manager as saying the Chinese regulators' plans to soon go ahead with the Connect has been affected, and it would take some time before regulators could consider launching the scheme. In addition, the SCMP quoted Que Bo, a deputy general manager of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, as saying on June 12 that Brexit would be a "complicated issue" and the local bourse would enlist the help of other parties to further study and assess the situation. The LSE confirmed the feasibility study is continuing. Charles Bond, a partner at the law firm Gowling WLG, said he expects most major multinational firms to continue to be dual listed in London and New York. "Importantly, European stocks will still be listed here in London, thereby ensuring that London remains a relevant and viable investment platform," Bond said. Andrew Monk, CEO of VSA Capital, a London based boutique investment bank, added Brexit could even increase European companies' desire to list in London, which has tougher listing rules than EU requirements. Monk explained previously the London Stock Exchange was made to split its main board into premium listings and standard listings, to reflect different requirements of its own tougher criteria and those listings that satisfy only EU regulations. The Connect, initially discussed between the UK and Chinese governments in 2015, fits in with China's gradual attempt at capital account opening up, and follows the footsteps of similar stock market connects between Shanghai with Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Those eager to see the Connect established cite numerous benefits for investors of both markets. Alei Duan, managing director of the London advisor Abridge Capital International, said he expects British investors to benefit from access to China's highly liquid stock market, while Chinese investors can have more investment choices through access to London's leading international stock market. But analysts also recognize some possible impacts Brexit may have on the Connect's attractiveness. One key concern is the UK may lose its passporting rights to access EU financial markets, which would prompt fund managers to move out of London, affecting London's attractiveness for IPOs, said Miranda Carr, senior analyst at Haitong Securities in London. Chang Liu, China Economist from the Capital Economics, a consultancy, said one possible Brexit impact could be for the UK to lose its ability to clear euro transactions. "This, along with regulatory uncertainty for UK's financial services sector in general could lead to a gradual shift of financial activity away from the City and to continental Europe." Andre Loesekrug-Pietri, founder and managing partner of ACapital, a private equity firm in Brussels, added London's potential loss could create opportunities for the EU. "This is probably an opportunity for a mainland European stock market to establish the same type of Connect, unless the merger between LSE and Deutsche Boerse allows the combined stock markets to benefit from the best of both worlds," Loesekrug-Pietri said. To contact the reporter: cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com Yesssss!!! Its time for the BlogHer Conference, and I am pumped! This year is my third consecutive time attending the BlogHer conference, so it goes without saying that I love this conference. It has been worth it every single time, and I expect this year to be the same. I have come a long way since I first attended the conference. The first time I attended the conference, I did not know anyone. It felt like I was dizzy and playing pin the tail on the donkey on a frog. Frogs dont have tails. But I went, and I survived. Most of all, I loved it. It was in my first year that I got to be in a paid video round-table discussion, sponsored by Stayfree. I remember I had heels on that day as I ran toward the room where we would be recording. After running in heels for a while, I decided to get serious and switch to my flats. Thankfully, I had them in my bag. I have since learned to not bother packing heels for these conferences. In my second year (last year), I got to be on a paid panel, sponsored by Prudential. I. Loved. It. I talked about money and being a blogger and all that fun stuff. During that panel, I promised to register Verastic as a business. And I did. Thank you again, Prudential! Also, last year was extra special because I was two-in-one. I was six months pregnant with Ada Verastic, and people barely knew. This year is EXTRA SPECIAL. Not only am I going for my third time, but Im also going with my boo Ada Verastic. I plan on using Ada Verastic to win favors for myself; shes my good luck charm. Her father, on the other hand, has plans of just walking around the hotel and feeling himself. At this point, I dont know if he plans on attending any sessions, and I paid the full conference price for him to attend oh! In addition to walking around, waking up and having breakfast is all he currently plans on doing with Verastics money. He will soon be fired from his unpaid position as Manager. Im really excited about this years BlogHer conference; I started planning it while I was still pregnant. Oh, and Ill also be partnering up with a few brands. Yay me. Details later. Its a five-hour nonstop flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles, and just like when Ada Verastic and I traveled to Austin, Texas, my packing is different again because I have a little human being with me. I bought some cookies for me to snack on during our entire time in Los Angeles, and one-third of it has already been eaten, so this should be fun. Below is my luggage containing my property and Ada Verastics own. Oh!! One thing Im so excited about? I got my nails done!!! You may not understand, but before I had Ada Verastic, I used to let my nails grow really, really long. The picture below is an old picture of my nails, no tips/extensions. But I have been cutting them down since. However, shes 9 months now, and I am ready to go back to being vain. I made my nail appointment two whole weeks in advance, and I just could not wait to get in there and do the darn thing. Yes, I know I could have done my nails regularly after having Ada Verastic, but I didnt do them because I would have had to keep cutting them, and I love them long. And below is what they look like now. I shared the picture on Instagram. The before and after. A girl is back to getting her nails done. Theyre short now, but looking forward to letting them grow very long again #ICantKeepCalm A photo posted by Vera Ezimora (@verastic) on Aug 3, 2016 at 10:58am PDT Stay woke with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter where Ill be keeping you updated with my shenanigans in the West Coast. I will also be keeping a video diary, which Ill be sharing with you after the conference, and I promise to try my darndest to go live on either Periscope or Facebook. Last year, I attended the Blogalicious blog conference (while I was 8 months pregnant), and I made a new friend, Abi (from Raising Smart Girls). I convinced her to come to BlogHer16, so Im uber excited to see her again; we have kept in touch since last year. Its different when your conference friend is Nigerian. I can say things like I cannot come and die and shell understand. She can also say Tati thousand and Sharrppp babe! and Ill totally get it. Cant wait to see you, Abi! If my excitement isnt coming through in this blog post, then I dont know how else to say it. Thank you, BlogHer for making my heart go Paulina-Paulina. Paulina-Paulina = EXCITED/HAPPY. P.S. I dont know who Paulina is, or why the excitement/happiness of the heart is called Paulina-Paulina. But thats what my mommy calls it. P.P.S. Interestingly, in the first paragraph of last years Vera Goes To BlogHer post, I complained about not having a close blogging buddy. Look at me now! Thank You, BlogHer For The BlogHer Conference Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. BA RIA-VUNG TAU The southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province will focus its investment on hi-tech industry and agriculture, port logistics and high-quality tourism. Hi-tech industrial projects will prioritise energy-saving and eco-friendly products of high added value and competitiveness, while those in the port logistics sector will include facilities in support of the Cai Mep Thi Vai international terminal. High-quality tourism projects will focus on building seaside resorts and developing ecological and spiritual tourism along with meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE). During a local press conference yesterday, Vice-Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Long said the province had prepared a list of sectors eligible for investment incentives. Ba Ria-Vung Tau pledged all possible support to long-term business operations in the province, he said. An investment promotion conference is slated for August 10 to introduce the provinces potential, incentives and infrastructure to diplomatic agencies, investment and trade promotion organisations, and overseas and domestic investors. The province is a gateway to the southern key economic zone, thanks to its convenient location, abundant natural resources and a massive network of seaports. In the first half of this year, the province registered seven foreign investment projects worth nearly US$350 million, raising the total number of FDI projects to 297, with a total value of more than $27.16 billion. There were 10 domestic projects in the six-month period with a total registered capital of about VN1 trillion ($45.45 million), increasing the total number of projects with domestic investment to 442, worth approximately VN241 trillion ($10.95 million). VNS HA NOI Ha Noi is offering incentives to enterprises, particularly those from Japan, to apply advanced technologies in waste treatment in the capital, municipal Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen uc Chung said. At a reception held yesterday for Nakamuara Tetsunosuke, president of the Viet NamJapan Friendship Association in Japans Osaka Province, Chung said Ha Noi was seeking urgent solutions for waste and wastewater treatment, one of the key tasks in the next five years. The incentives include a 50 per cent discount in land rental fees, an 11-year exemption from corporate income tax, along with other support for Japanese workers in the city, according to Chung. Ha Noi had developed a relatively complete traffic infrastructure including a highway network, and also Noi Bai international airport, facilitating its connection with other provinces nationwide and countries in the world, Chung said. The capital city also called for investment in transport development, including eight urban railway networks, belt-ring roads and bridges, as well as in clean agricultural product processing and tourism, he said. The municipal leader expressed his admiration for the achievements Japan has made as well as the support the country has given to Viet Nam. Ha Noi has so far attracted approximately US$24 billion in foreign direct investment, including $15 billion from Japan in 600 projects, according to Chung. One large Japan-funded project in the locality was a clean water plant with a daily capacity of treating 270,000cu.m, to be completed in 2019, Chung said. The same day, the Japanese delegation met Chairman of the municipal Peoples Council Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, who called on Ha Noi and Osaka to expand their investment co-operation and strengthen sharing of experiences in legislation and human resources training. VNS HA NOI The latest report by the Nhan Co aluminum manufacturers investor on an alkali leakage incident late last month said that it had not affected human health or the environment. The state-owned Vietnam National Coal Mineral Industries Corporation (Vinacomin) also said in its report, submitted yesterday to the Industry and Trade Ministry, that it would ask its subsidiary ak Nong Aluminum Company (DAC) to install CCTV and monitor 24/7 the area where liquid alkali is stored. A line had broken in this area on July 23, letting concentrated alkaline fluid flow out into the environment. A worker turned off the lines valve and managed to stop the leakage in four minutes, according to the report. An inspection team led by the Environmental Impact Assessment and Appraisal Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), along with the local department of the MoNRE, arrived at the scene the following day to determine the preliminary impact of the incident. The team said 9.53cu.m of alkali had leaked, of which some amount was absorbed by 600sq.m of earth outside the manufacturers premises. Some of the alkaline fluid flowed into the neighbouring ak Yao stream via sluice gate number three. After implementing a number of chemical measures for alkali neutralisation, the pH scale of the affected soil and water returned to levels permitted by Viet Nams standards. The DAC, which is in charge of running the Nhan Co aluminum manufacturing firm, is working with Chinese contractor China Aluminum International Engineering Corporation (CHALIECO) to inspect all stages from design to operations to discover the cause of the broken line. CHALIECO is the only contractor of the Nhan Co aluminum project. The Nhan Co manufacturing firm, located in Nhan Co Commune, had VN7.45 trillion (US$334.1 million) in investment as of August 2013. Construction began in 2010, with the aim of producing some 650,000 tonnes of aluminum oxide a year by exploiting bauxite minerals. VNS Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc by Thu Van Earlier this week, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who has been in his post for three months, asked his cabinet to be pioneers in practising thriftiness and cutting spending. He also said as a role model, he would not get a new official car. Although it was not something big, his announcement was welcomed by many. It was a small, tangible act after the leader introduced policies attempting to create an active and transparent Government. Asserting that businesses are the driving force for national economic development, and their rights will be protected, Phuc promised that the Government would exert more efforts to boost administrative reform and seek to abolish unsuitable regulations. His cabinet has worked on the revision and supplementation of business-related laws to remove barriers for businesses so they can operate more effectively. To address unsafe food, in late April, the Prime Minister chaired a national conference on food safety. After the conference, he planned to issue a fresh directive to tighten State control of food hygiene. Prime Minister Phuc also ordered the closure of about 2.2 million hectares of natural forests in Central Highlands localities in late June to tackle deforestation, as some 300,000 ha of natural forest were cleared from 2010-14. The PMs decision to order inspections on Nui Phao mine in northern Thai Nguyen province this month after environmental pollution was alleged, and Mobifones secret acquisition of pay TV operator AVG, gave people hope that wrongdoings would be detected and addressed. They also want to see how these promises and policies turn into tangible actions. Phuc took his seat as Viet Nam faced pressing issues such as huge public debt, a high budget deficit, a State-owned sector and banking system in urgent need of reform, and other social matters such as environmental pollution and unsafe food. In 2015, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that Viet Nams competitiveness is now the lowest among the ASEAN+6 countries. To deal with the challenges that can help Viet Nam shorten the gap with its regional peers, Phuc and his cabiet will have to act boldly. Public debt Public debt is now the number one pressing problem for the country. The ratio of Viet Nams public debt to GDP increased from 59.6 per cent in 2014 to 63.3 per cent in 2015, and the World Bank forecast the ratio would rise to 63.8, 64.4 and 64.7 per cent in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. While total budget revenue in the first six months of this year was VN425 trillion (US$18 billion), budget spending hit VN508 trillion (US$22.5 billion). Vu Thanh Tu Anh, Director of Research from the Fulbright Teaching Programme in Viet Nam, said the main reason for such huge public debt is State overspending. In 2003, budget spending was 57.4 per cent of the countrys GDP. The amount increased to 80 per cent in 2015. Before he retired, former minister of planning and investment Bui Quang Vinh said that managing the budget in recent years was like walking a tightrope. Experts have recommended that the Government stabilise recurrent spending and adopt tough measures to curtail spending and increase tax collection. There wouldnt be any spare money to waste on huge projects that wont work, or for statues worth billions of ong. The Prime Minister, when he was a deputy prime minister, said that only about 30 per cent of state employees meet their job requirements, why do we have to pay for the other 70 per cent? We need to trim down the number of people receiving a salary from the State budget, which now stands at 11 million! A report in June by Minister of Finance inh Tien Dung pointed out huge wastage in the state budget. According to the report, waste was common in construction public works. For example, the Museum of Ha Noi, worth hundred of millions of dollars, has been open for nearly 5 years but has failed to attract enough visitors. The expanded Thai Nguyen Steel Plant project worth nearly $400 million is still idle almost 10 years after the project began. Dormitories for students in Ha Noi and elsewhere worth hundreds of millions of dollars have been abandoned. As for public procurement, in 2015 state agencies bought 611 cars at a total cost of nearly $30 million. Tighter control over public spending is essential and needs to be conducted aggressively. Transparency is not the only element needed, we need a mechanism to ensure responsibility. Food safety While public debt is more of a problem for high-ranking officials, food safety is something people worry about daily. As the saying goes, you are what you eat. Unsafe food has become a serious problem in Viet Nam, with food processing facilities using banned chemicals, expired frozen chicken and pork being sold to restaurants after being re-labeled and toxic chemicals found in many products. People have almost no way of knowing if their food is safe enough to eat when labels can be faked, quality can be disguised, and most importantly, when the authority assigned to check the food cannot perform its job. Greedy traders are blamed for selling unsafe food to consumers, but it is ineffective management and inspection that need to be blamed. How have quality goods become a luxury for domestic consumers? How come we have to stop using outdoor catering services and only purchase food from trustworthy producers? Efforts by authorities have been futile and the situation is getting worse. This year, violations have shown no signs of decreasing but have increased rapidly. When we cant control greed, one thing works: management and punishment. The problem lies with how punishment-related regulations are conducted. Just like many other Vietnamese people, I hope that the words of our new Prime Minister will be followed by strong actions so that we are not saddled with debt and can eat safe food. VNS Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has asked the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to boost administrative reform in tax and customs procedures, to create a more favourable business environment. Photo mof.gov.vn HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has asked the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to boost administrative reform in tax and customs procedures, to create a more favourable business environment. The request was made yesterday in his working trip to the MoF to review administrative reform, a top priority for the government. The deputy PM was told at a meeting with the ministrys leaders that the ministry had achieved remarkable progress in administrative reform in 2015 and the first half of this year. By increasing IT application in administrative procedures, it reduced the annual tax-payment time of enterprises by 420 hours to 117 hours. Customs-clearance time was cut down from 21 days to 14 days for exports and 13 days for imports. The ministry has also simplified dozens of domestic tax and customs procedures. It has carried out e-customs procedures at all customs departments and local custom branches. While acknowledging the efforts of the ministry in administrative reform, Deputy PM Binh also pointed out remaining problems. He said the ministry was late in issuing detailed guidelines for governmental policies on areas it was in charge, while some documents were unclear, leading to different implementation among offices and businesses. He also lamented complicated regulations on invoices and documents of goods, overlapping tax and customs procedures for exports, intricate goods-verifying procedures after customs clearance. Some tax and customs officials failed to act responsibly or professionally at work, the Deputy PM said. He said the ministry needed to adjust overlapping administrative procedure, publish information about necessary documents and procedures relating to tax refunds, tax reduction, and tax filing. He requested a further reduction in the processing time of tax and customs procedures. The ministry was also asked to improve IT infrastructure in the tax and customs sectors to implement a higher number of online services. People and businesses satisfaction should be regarded as the measurement of effectiveness in administrative reform, he said. VNS HAI PHONG Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has stressed the need for the northern port city of Hai Phong to protect the environment to maintain the living standards of locals as it boasts strong industrial economic development. Meeting with the citys voters yesterday, PM Phuc affirmed the Governments viewpoint of not endangering the environment for the sake of development, as well as its determination to strictly punish environmental violations. Mentioning the environmental incident in the central coast, which is attracting a lot of attention from people nationwide, he stated that the Government had directed ministries, agencies and localities to implement measures to address the incidents consequences, and asked the Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company to fulfill its commitments. The Government will clarify the responsibility of and strictly punish organisations and individuals involved in the incident, he added. Phuc also clarified several issues of concern to voters, including the concept constructive government, meaning creation of a good legal and social environment for its citizens to work. Regarding the new-style rural area building programme, the Government leader stated that the Government gives high priority to the programme and provides great resources for it. Agreeing with voters proposals on upgrading the citys transport infrastructure, particularly its railway, he said that this conforms with the target of boosting the citys socio-economic development and increasing connectivity between the city and other localities. He expressed his hope that Hai Phong will strive to become one of the localities leading the nation in education and training. He shared voters worries about food safety and hygiene, confirming that the new tenure Government will pay special attention to combating unsafe and poor quality food. The Government requires ministries, agencies and localities to carry out specific measures to improve the awareness of production and processing enterprises, and also of households, of food hygiene and safety, he said, adding that the Government will intensify inspections and strictly punish any violations. On another matter, the PM stressed that the sea and islands are a sacred and integral territorial part of the nation, and safeguarding the nations sovereignty and territorial integrity is the responsibility of each Vietnamese citizen. He requested Hai Phongs forces to continue increasing vigilance to protect the national sea and islands. The Government leader continued, by saying that the Government is determined to fight corruption and wastefulness. VNS HCM CITY A pair of conjoined twins will be separated during microsurgery by doctors at HCM City Paediatrics Hospital No.2 when the twins are three months old, a doctor said yesterday. The sacral parasitic conjoined twins are eight days old and weigh 3.4 kilos, according to Dr Nguyen Thanh Truc of the hospital. One of them is healthy and the other has a defective right rib. After the surgery, the twins could be at risk of developing disorders of urination and bowel functions as well as abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Dr Pham Ngoc Thach, the hospitals deputy head, said the technique was the preferred method because their spines were conjoined. He said that an artificial anus would be created. He said that the risk of death during surgery was not higher than the risk on twins conjoined at the chest or abdomen. The hospital had conducted a number of operations on the latter, he said. However, problems in physiological functions after surgery could affect their quality of life, Thach said. Truc said that nutrition was especially important to maintain their immune system as the twins were born prematurely. At the hospital, the twins, from Binh Phuoc Province, are turned over every six hours to avoid necrobiosis, a gradual degeneration of cells in body tissues. Doctors at other city hospitals, such as the citys Paediatrics Hospital No.1, have also successfully separated conjoined twins. In 1988, 70 local and Japanese doctors performed the first 15-hour surgery in Viet Nam to separate twins conjoined at the abdomen who had the same anus. The twins were from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. This achievement was a historical milestone in the countrys health sector, done without advanced medical equipment and medicine at the time. Prenatal screening Dr Truc said that periodic ultrasounds could detect physical anomalies, including conjoined twins, during the gestation period. The mothers of conjoined twins are advised to give birth at specialised hospitals for better delivery and care to avoid suffocation during labour. With advanced technologies, Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital can detect anomalies at the 12th week of pregnancy, Truc said, adding that pregnant women in this situation also received psychological assistance. In the case of serious defects, the women are advised to end the pregnancy. Truc said that pregnant women should schedule periodic ultrasounds at well-respected hospitals. The 24-year-old husband of the mother of the conjoined twins who will be separated during microsurgery said that his wife had received ultrasound three times at a private health clinic, but doctors had failed to notice that the twins were conjoined. VNS Forty seven provinces and cities in the country now have hotlines on violations related to land-use right and management, the Ministry for Natural Resources and Environment reported. Photo kinhtedothi.vn HA NOI Forty seven provinces and cities in the country now have hotlines on violations related to land-use right and management, the Ministry for Natural Resources and Environment reported. Thanks to the hotlines, the ministry has received 1,304 reports from April 22 to June 30, of which 402 reflected land-use and management violations and having clear addresses. For these reports, the ministry has requested authorities of localities to inspect and handle the cases. 851 reports did not involve land violations and 49 reflected issues irrelevant to land-use and management. Additionally, working-teams responsible for solving difficulties and problems in granting certificates related to land-use rights and assets-on-land ownership were set up following a Decision dated 6 May, 2016 signed by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. These teams officials have discovered 51 violations at eight cities and provinces of Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Nam inh, Thai Binh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and HCM City. Le Van Lich, deputy general director of the General Department of Land Administration said through inspections, the rate of land-use rights certificate granting at all eight localities was high. Up to May 15, 2016 the rate was 96.97 per cent in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, 92.5 per cent in Thanh Hoa, 90.4 per cent in Nghe Anh, 97.8 per cent in Nam inh, 91.3 per cent in Thai Binh, 88 per cent in HCM City, 85.5 per cent in Ha Noi and 85.3 per cent in Hai Phong. However, working-teams found a number of existing restrictions on the first registration and granting certificate to households. There were a large number of cases that were granted certificates for agricultural land but were no longer valid, and havent yet re-granted a new certificate. For example, Nam inh Province has 436,000 cases that werent re-granted land-use rights certificate and 204,000 other cases that werent registered for the first granting certificates. Besides, there were a number of remaining applications for land-use rights certificates in Ha Noi, Nghe An, Hai Phong. Authorities of some localities didnt implement new regulations on land registration and certificate granting, such as electronic cadastral books and certificates of land acquisition, according to the teams officials. On the basis of summarising the inadequacies and shortcomings related to the certificate granting in these localities, working-teams have proposed amendments and supplements to the relevant offices, aiming at solving the problems and speeding up the implementation of land registration and certificate granting. VNS HA NOI With the rescue of one person at 9.45am today, workers have saved all those who were trapped in a building collapse at No 43 Cua Bac Street in Ha Noi. Of the eight people rescued in all, the condition of one person is serious. Four people who were rescued first were Nguyen Vinh Dua, 33; Tran Van Dan, 30; Nguyen Hong Chien, 17; and Nguyen Van Thang, 18. Initial reports by the Truc Bach Ward Police in Ba inh District said the building housed the Nem Xuan Dan Restaurant owned by Tran Anh Tuan, 52, a resident at No 63 Ham Long, Hoan Kiem District in Ha Noi. The 30sq.m house had three floors. The first and second floors housed the Nem Xuan Dan Restaurant. The third floor had the bedrooms of Tuans employees. The building collapsed at about 3.30am today. When the building collapsed, six male and two female employees were sleeping inside. The structure reportedly collapsed because it was very old, and almost did not have a proper foundation. A neighbour, Nguyen Thi Van, living in house number 41, was re-building her old house and had got its foundation dug up, possibly affecting the stability of building number 43. Van had sought permission to rebuild her house, and had been granted it via a document issued on August 2 this year by the Ba inh District Urban Management Division. Chairman of the Ha Noi Peoples Committee Nguyen uc Chung asked concerned organisations to inspect all old houses located near building number 43 on Cua Bac Street to help residents avoid any danger. Earlier on August 3, at a meeting of the municipal Peoples Council, Chung answered questions related to old houses and residential quarters in the city, in which he emphasised the responsibility of local authorities in ensuring residents safety. VNS HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh yesterday asked the police to investigate the alleged removal of nearly 150 graves in central Khanh Hoa Province without the knowledge of the deceaseds relatives. The public security ministry will lead the investigation in co-ordination with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Peoples Committee of Khanh Hoa. Any violations found must be reported to the Prime Minister, Binh said. Vietnamese media reported the controversial news early this week when many families living in Nha Trangs Phuoc ong Commune suddenly realised that the final resting places of their loved ones on the Hon Ro 2 Mountain had been dug up and relocated to a public cemetery. The local Thanh Truc Ltd, Co, investor of the Thanh Truc hills and eco-villas project that stretches over the Hon Ro 2 Mountain, was said to be behind the removal of the graves. Some 147 urns were moved to a cemetery in the north of the city, without any name tags or identification marks to help the families recognise which urn was of their deceased relative. A resident Huynh Huu Hung told online newspaper zing.vn that his family had an urn in a grave on the mountain that was removed to the cemetery. Yet, when I came over to the cemetery, they showed me five different urns, he said. How on earth do I know which is of my family member and whether it is really one of those five? Some were given a new grave at the cemetery. But their next of kin said these were kind of makeshift tombs with only a gravestone standing on a pile of broken bricks and rocks. The families also doubted if their loved ones were truly lying under those new so-called graves after the removal. In a tri-party meeting yesterday between the families, the communes authorities and the Thanh Truc Company, company Director Pham Thi Ngoc Thanh apologised to the residents for not seeking their prior consent before relocating the graves. She said the company had hired a funeral services firm to remove the graves and the Nha Trang Urban Environmental Company to build new graves in the northern cemetery. But I apologise for not monitoring all processes that consequently led to the regrettable incident, she said. Thanh Truc Company will accept requests of the families to build new proper graves for the deceased and to inspect the Hon Ro 2 Mountain again to make sure no remains were left behind before starting its project. However, Thanh said she could not respond to the families demand for DNA testing of all the remains for another 10 days, as it was a complicated issue and needed further consideration. Phuoc ong Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen Van Huong said he also took responsibility for what had happened, and agreed with all the demands the families had placed before Thanh Truc Company. Infringements of graves and remains are subject to criminal charges in Viet Nam, and violators might face up to five years in prison if it leads to serious consequences, according to Article 246 of the Penal Code. VNS A NANG The first session of the Asian Youth Forum 14 was held yesterday afternoon at the a Nang University of Foreign Language Studies. The forum, under the theme "Developing Leaders for the 21st Century," was co-organised by the a Nang University of Foreign Language Studies and the Balsamo Outreach for Learning and Teaching. The forum is an occasion for 100 outstanding youth from Asian countries to discuss and share their plans for taking responsibility within the community. The forum aims to strengthen relations between Asian youth, improving their awareness of their responsibilities towards the community and creating good conditions for them to execute their plans to serve the community in the future. During the one-week forum, the youth will introduce the specific cultural characteristics of their localities. They will also study basic Vietnamese and other Asian languages. The forum members will visit 14 famous tourist sites in Viet Nam, including the Ancient Capital of Hue and the Hoi An Old Quarters. The forum will end this Sunday. VNS HA NOI The Health Environment Management Agency (HEMA) has called for an investigation into claims that 10 tonnes of medical waste have been dumped in Yen Phong Districts Van Mon Commune. HEMA, working under the Ministry of Health, made the request to the northern province of Bac Ninhs health department following reports that the provincial environment police had on Tuesday conducted an inspection and discovered Bao Ngoc Limited Company gathering the unclassified medical waste in the commune without a permit. HEMA asked the provincial health department to clarify the situation and submit a report on it to the agency today. If any violations of regulations on environmental protection in the field of medical waste management are found, strict penalties will be imposed. The company officials failed to present to inspectors any documentation permitting them to treat either normal waste or hazardous waste. They said all the waste had been collected from health care facilities in the province and other provinces to recycle and sell it to other enterprises. Local residents said medical waste started being dumped in Van Mon Commune several years ago, the online newspaper vietnamnet.vn reported. A truck transported some 3.5 tonnes of medical waste to the dump site every two days, they said. They complained to local authorities many times based on their concerns over water pollution and its effect on their health, but nothing was done to address the problem. Nguyen inh Tam, deputy director of Bac Ninh Provinces Health Department, told the newspaper that all hospitals in the province had their own on-site medical waste treatment facilities. Thus, the waste might have come from hospitals in other provinces, he said. The provincial health department would coordinate with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to uncover the source of the medical waste piling up in Van Mon Commune, Tam said. VNS LONDON A woman was killed and five people injured in a knife attack in central London on Wednesday which police said they are investigating for possible terrorist links. A 19-year-old man was arrested in Russell Square in the city centre where the stabbing happen, which near the British Museum and University of London. A woman in her 60s was treated by paramedics at the scene but pronounced dead. No details were released about the condition of the other victims. The arrested man is currently in police custody in hospital. "Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry but of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore," Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement. Officers were called to Russell Square at 10.33pm local time (2133 GMT) following reports a man armed with a knife was attacking people. The man was arrested six minutes later as a Taser electroshock gun was fired by officers. The police cordoned off the area, a busy tourist area with a string of high end hotels. Xavery Richert, 22, a French tourist staying in youth hostel on the square, said: "I was buying a beer when I heard a woman shouting who was being chased by a man. "I thought it was a bag snatching... she was not hurt. I came out for a cigarette, I went back, there were firefighters, police, and then I saw the body under a sheet. You could only see the feet sticking out." Russell Square resident Constantine Somerville said: "Its such a safe area and very quiet especially at night -- why would somebody commit an attack in such a quiet area?" IS-inspired attacks If a terror link is found, it would be the latest in a string of recent jihadist-inspired attacks in Europe. Last month a driver ploughed a truck through a crowd leaving a fireworks display in Nice, killing 84, and two men slashing a priests throat in northern France. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. The terror threat level in Britain is currently set at severe -- the second highest ranking -- meaning an attack is "highly likely" and earlier on Wednesday. Londons police announced it would boost the number of armed officers on the streets. AFP WASHINGTON Internal party turmoil over Donald Trump spilled into public alarm on Wednesday after unprecedented self-inflicted mistakes by the Republican nominee, as some conservatives prepared to do the unthinkable: vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton. While "dump Trump" calls have continued since the 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney trashed the billionaires candidacy early this year, it is unclear whether the trickle of defections to Clintons camp will become a flood after a series of bad stumbles by Trump. A nightmare 48 hours for the embattled Republican flagbearer -- he deepened his public feud with the parents of a fallen Muslim American soldier, refused to back House Speaker Paul Ryans re-election bid and used crass language while accepting a supporters Purple Heart as a gift -- has highlighted Republicans concerns. Trump allies openly upbraided their candidate on Wednesday for his inability to stay on message, demanding more self-discipline by the political neophyte. "He has not made the transition to being the potential president of the United States," former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a loyal Trump defender, told Fox Business Network on Wednesday. In another interview, he warned that Trump will hand Clinton the election unless he changes tack. "Trump is helping her to win by proving he is more unacceptable than she is," Gingrich told The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a Fox News poll showed Clinton with a 10 point lead over Trump, at 49 to 39 per cent. Just a month ago that figure stood at six points, Fox News said. Trump sought to dispel panic earlier on Wednesday, reassuring voters at a Daytona Beach, Florida rally that his campaign has "never been so well united." A growing list of Clinton converts suggests otherwise. Trump demagoguery undermines America Prominent tech executive Meg Whitman became the latest high-profile conservative to throw her support behind the former secretary of state, saying in a statement on Wednesday that "Donald Trumps demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character." Whitman is chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and used to be CEO of eBay. She spent some $140 million of her own money in an unsuccessful run for California governor in 2010. Her defection comes amid deep concerns at the top of the Grand Old Party about Trump, after a seemingly never-ending stream of controversies that include the nominee urging Russia to hack into Clintons emails. Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus backs Trump, but on Wednesday Priebus was being described as "incredibly upset" that the New York real estate mogul refused to endorse Ryans congressional re-election campaign. Trumps running mate Mike Pence sought to assuage concerns, but his Wednesday endorsement of Ryan for re-election suggested he and Trump were not on the same page. "I talked to Donald Trump this morning about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship," Pence told Fox News. "He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesdays primary and Im pleased to do it." Meanwhile, Whitman joins other key Republicans who have announced their backing for Clinton. Richard Armitage, who served as deputy secretary of state for George W.Bush and deputy secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan, defected in June. Brent Scowcroft, respected national security advisor to two Republican presidents, endorsed Clinton, as did former Republican senator Larry Pressler of South Dakota, who cited Clintons support for stricter gun laws. Bush Treasury secretary Hank Paulson, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, announced in a Washington Post column that he will vote for Clinton in the hope she can "do the things necessary to strengthen our economy." Richard Hanna on Tuesday became the first Republican member of Congress to cross the aisle and publicly back Clinton. Trump "is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna wrote in a column for Syracuse.com. AFP Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. Florida-based company won US government permission on Wednesday to send a robotic lander to the next year, the firm's founder said, marking the first time the United States has cleared a private space mission to fly beyond Earth's orbit. A group of foreign tourists were attacked in Afghanistan's western Herat province on Thursday, with preliminary reports suggesting that at least four of them were wounded. The foreigners were on a tour in Herat province, reports the Khaama Press. There are no reports regarding the identity of the foreigners and the security officials have not commented regarding the report as well. So far, no group has claimed responsibility behind the incident. Heartbreaking family update after mother-of-six was killed in horror crash Hannah Fraser's father and stepmother are trying to make it from the United Kingdom to Australia in time for their daughter's funeral. Firefighter unions latest message to Andrews Government More than a hundred fire trucks in Victoria will carry pointed messages about the Andrews Government as part of a union campaign in the lead up to next month's state election. Family of Aboriginal teen who died in apparent suicide after sexual abuse back calls for inquiry Police believe 15-year-old Layla Leering took her own life after being raped in the Northern Territory community of Bulla in 2015. Duttons declaration to voters amid Labors big mess The Opposition Leader said the Prime Minister "might write me off" but he believes Australians will vote the Coalition back into power in 2025 to clean up "the big mess" Labor will leave behind. WATERLOO One house and a parked vehicle have been struck by bullets, and police have seized three firearms in a series of gunfire incidents in Waterloo Wednesday night. No injuries were reported. Residents in the area of Sherman Avenue and Louise Street called police about 9:10 p.m. after hearing shots, and officers found bullets had shattered the rear window, windshield and headlight of a vehicle and a pierced the siding of a home at 524 Sherman. They also discovered numerous spent shell casings in the street. Around the same time, neighbors on Parker Street reported seeing people running in the area, and officers who responded found two handguns wrapped in a shirt and hidden near an alley behind 57 E. Parker. The Sherman Avenue incident came after police were called to the 1900 block of Lafayette Street where passersby also reported gunfire about 8:05 p.m. On Lafayette, police found several shell casings, but no apparent injuries. A person turned over an empty 9mm handgun to police. DES MOINES (AP) Three Iowa men convicted on drug-related charges are among 214 federal inmates to have their sentences commuted by President Barack Obama. The White House said Wednesday sentences for David Dean Millard of Grimes and Michael Sandmeyer of Rockford were commuted to expire Dec. 1. Millard was sentenced to life in October 1996 for methamphetamine distribution and Sandmeyer began serving 20 years in 2003 for methamphetamine distribution and possession of a firearm by a felon. The life sentence for Martin Ruiz Singh of Marshalltown was commuted to 20 years. He was sentenced in 2006 for distribution of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a felon. The White House says those receiving commutations were imprisoned under antiquated, overly harsh sentencing laws. Almost all were serving time for nonviolent drug offenses. CEDAR FALLS The Iowa Board of Regents took the next step toward naming the 11th president of the University of Northern Iowa. The board announced Thursday it selected Washington D.C.-based AGB Search as the consultant firm to assist with the selection of the next UNI president. We look forward to working with AGB on this critically important hire, said Katie Mulholland, Board of Regents president pro tem, who is leading the boards efforts in the UNI search. AGB has a proven track record of assisting with successful searches in a timely and efficient manner. UNI President Bill Ruud announced in May he would be leaving the Cedar Falls university for the private Marietta College in Ohio. His last day was July 2. Provost Jim Wohlpart is serving as interim president. The firm will assist with defining the goals of the search; developing the position specifications and search timeline; identifying potential candidates; receiving nominations and applications for the position; communicating with prospective candidates; facilitating candidate interviews; and conducting background checks on applicants. The firm will be paid $85,000 for its services assisting with the search, plus expenses. AGB Search estimated the expenses to be an additional $25,000, according to its request for qualification. The firm proposed a timeline in its request for qualification that included launching the search for a new president in October, after some planning and organization, and interviewing candidates in December, with a plan to oversee the presidents appointment in January. UNI United Faculty President Joe Gorton expressed some concern about the proposed timeline. Nothing is more important than having a thoughtful search, Gorton said, stressing thoughtful as opposed to a fast search. An exact timeline is not included in the contract between the firm and the Regents. AGB Search also will plan to visit campus after initial research to get input from the campus community, including administration, faculty and students. Mulholland already has begun to organize focus groups on campus to get input for the presidential search. The consultant firm will not be involved in helping form the search committee. That work will be done by the Iowa Board of Regents, though there is not a time frame for announcing the search committee, according to the Regents spokesman Josh Lehman. AGB Search, which focuses only on higher education, has assisted in more than 400 searches at 250 institutions. The firm has worked with seven Iowa institutions, including Upper Iowa University, Loras College and Luther College. AGB Searchs lead consultant will be James McCormick, though he may designate other staff to perform specific services, according to the contract the firm signed with the Regents. McCormick has served as the chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The board has hired search firms for its most recent presidential searchesthe hiring of University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld last year, Ruud in 2012 and Iowa State University President Steven Leath in 2011. Those three searches used the same consultant firm, Parker Executive Search of Atlanta, Ga. The firm was not among the four firms to submit a request for qualification to the Iowa Board of Regents. Other than AGB Search, the firms who applied were Academic Search, of Washington, D.C.; Greenwood/Asher and Associates Inc., of Miramar Beach, Fla.; and RPA Inc., of Williamsport, Pa. DES MOINES A political action committee focused on campaign finance reform has endorsed Patty Judge in Iowas U.S. Senate race. Judge, a Democrat, faces longtime Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the November election. Patty Judge has a record of serving Iowans and will continue fighting for everyday Americans in the Senate, Tiffany Muller, executive director of End Citizens United PAC, said in a statement. We will work with her to give a voice to working families by ending the undue influence that billionaires and corporate special interests have in our government. The group is named after the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that led to dramatic increases in spending on federal elections. Judge, a former Iowa agriculture secretary and lieutenant governor, said in a statement that she thinks special interest groups have stacked the political system against working families. We must reduce the influence of money in politics, beginning by overturning Citizens United and taking back our system from the millionaires and billionaires who can give unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money to influence our elections, Judge said in the statement. End Citizens United is dedicated to this fight, and I am grateful for their support. Roughly one-third of Grassleys fundraising has come from PACs, as has roughly 20 percent of Judges, according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. PACs also are investing in Iowas Senate race on their own, and most of the early spending has benefited Judge. MoveOn.org has spent nearly $20,000 in opposition to Grassley, mostly on online and billboard advertising, according to campaign finance data collected by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Sunlight Foundation. The Iowa Democratic Party has spent more than $2,600 opposing Grassley, mostly on online ads. The Judge campaign has outsourced its campaign efforts to third-party groups like Progress Iowa, and others. To campaign on the repeal of Citizens United, while hiding behind their dark money, is the very thing that fuels distrust in our political process, Grassley campaign manager Robert Haus said in a statement. WATERLOO Thunderstorms and heavy rain helped knock down branches and power to hundreds of residents in Waterloo. MidAmerican Energy reported 1,357 customers without power in the Waterloo area at 2 p.m., Thursday after the storm blew through the Cedar Valley. As of 3 p.m., that was down to 214 customers. It was weather-related, due to the storm in the area, said MidAmerican spokesperson Ashton Hockman, adding the power issues were mostly lines and trees that impacted lines. She said crews were working in the area to restore all customers Thursday afternoon. Hockman said the outage boundaries were in the 2600 block of East Donald Street on the north to the 100 block of Milwaukee Avenue to the south, and the 300 block of Skyview Road on the east and the 2200 block of Charles Street to the west. The storm seemed heavily concentrated in the Black Hawk County area. Alliant Energy, which covers other areas in eastern Iowa, reported only 4 customers without power as of 2 p.m. as the storm blew east. The Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office reported lots of calls on Waterloos east side, including on Archer and Linden avenues. A person answering the phone indicated there were several calls backed up. If you have storm damage photos, share them with us on WCF Couriers Facebook page or tag @wcfcourier on Instagram or Twitter. Two recent news stories highlight how pernicious the welfare state has become in America today. The first was an announcement by the feds food stamps can be used to have groceries delivered to a recipients door. The Obama administration says it is too much of a hardship for those on welfare to actually travel to the grocery. Whats next, cooking the meal for them? The second story was about the hullabaloo over a proposal by Maine Gov. Paul LePage to prohibit food stamp recipients from using food aid to purchase junk foods such as sugary soft drinks and candy bars. He says the state has an obesity problem and he will implement reform unilaterally or cease Maines administration of the food stamp program altogether. The Obama administration rejected his request, and leftist activists act as if saying a welfare recipient cant buy a pint of Ben & Jerrys ice cream at taxpayers expense is a violation of civil liberties. The welfare/entitlement state of mind has spiraled out of control in America. The cost of welfare is now well over $1 trillion a year. Food stamps are so ubiquitous they have become the new standard currency in many inner cities. It was only a few years ago when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi opined putting more people on unemployment insurance is one of the best ways to grow the economy. Which is more astonishing, that she believes this lunacy or that she would be dumb enough to say it out loud? We are in the seventh year of a so-called recovery, yet 45 million Americans depend on taxpayers to put food on the table. This is roughly 5 million more than when President Barack Obama took office. Medicaid rolls have exploded by more than 10 million, and Obama openly boasts about how many people hes moved into the program. The number of unemployment insurance beneficiaries has fallen, but the number of Americans collecting disability insurance has continued to climb. Disability rolls are growing even as worker safety has hit an all-time high. Food stamps and disability are the new welfare. Neither of them requires work in exchange for benefits. No one wants to admit the ease of entry into the welfare state and the generosity of the benefits are big reasons labor force participation has collapsed. Why work? Welfare expert Peter Ferrara notes a big instigator for the welfare state expansion has been the decimation of welfare reform laws enacted in 1996. Its infuriating that a law that worked incredibly well in lowering costs and getting the unemployed into the workforce has been largely gutted, he concludes. As a result, the Census Bureau tells us most families in poverty have no one working. Poverty is still widespread in America not because wages are too low but because fewer poor people have a job. If there are no wages earned at all, it is impossible to get out of the poverty trap. Welfare incentivizes nonwork in many other ways. Larry Lindsey, who was an economic adviser to President George W. Bush, reports when families with children making between $20,000 and $50,000 attempt to have a second earner go back to work, the effective tax rate on the extra earnings including lost government benefits ... is between 50 percent and 80 percent. So a $12-an-hour job can return as little as $2.50 an hour of extra income. Why work? Democrats in Congress have vociferously opposed putting even baby teeth back into work-for-welfare requirements. Even a proposed federal law mandating work for food stamp recipients who are nondisabled adults without kids got shot down. We know changing welfare laws can have a very positive impact on getting recipients back into the workforce and off welfare. In North Carolina, when unemployment benefits were reduced and the number of weeks of benefits was limited, entry into the workforce shot up. In Maine, we saw a similarly remarkable result from work requirements. According to a Heritage Foundation report, the number of food stamp recipients fell by 80 percent when able-bodied adults without dependents were forced to work. This result was in line with the federal work-for-welfare requirements enacted in 1996. Caseloads fell by more than half, and costs of aid tumbled. So why arent Republicans pushing workfare for all federal welfare recipients? Some are afraid they would be viewed as hardhearted or even cruel. But getting people off welfare and into a productive job is not just a way to reduce costs but also a proven way to rebuild broken lives and move people into the mainstream. There is dignity in work. There is despair in welfare. After three generations of the failed entitlement state, hasnt welfare done enough harm to the very people it was supposed to help? Q: When will the Highway 93 repair from Highway 63 to Sumner be finished? A: The contractor is expected to return in late August or early September to place the final lift of asphalt, and that process should take about two weeks, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Q: Is Donald Trump anti-union? A: Trump and his organization have worked regularly with unions in New York, where building trades are strongly unionized. However, in Las Vegas, management of The Trump International Hotel has fought the Culinary Workers Unions organizing effort. National labor leaders slam Trump as anti-union, but several reports indicate they are privately worried about his support among blue collar workers in Rust Belt states. Q: What has Sen. Joni Ernst done for Iowa and Washington since being in office? A: Ernst has sponsored 56 bills and cosponsored 183 bills since she was sworn in January 2015. Of those, 138 have been introduced, eight have been sent to the president and three have become law. The three she cosponsored that became law are the Female Suicide Prevention Act, the Defend Trade Secrets Act and the Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act. Those do not include other efforts that became law, like working to get measures included in the National Defense Authorization Act or supporting legislation to restore inurnment rights at Arlington National Cemetery for Women Airforce Service Pilots who served during World War II. The latter legislation was signed by the president but it was the House version of the bill that passed, not the Senate one Ernst had cosponsored. Q: For Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst: What do they see as Donald Trumps strengths that would make a person want to vote for him as president since he has no political background at all? A: Based on their public comments, much of their support for the now-Republican presidential nominee is based on their opposition to the Democrats presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. But theyve also expressed reasons related to their particular interests. Sen. Ernst, a veteran, said during an Iowa Press appearance in May she sees Trump as someone who is serious about addressing the Islamic State. She also said he has created a level of excitement among voters, particularly because of his emphasis on America first. Sen. Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, has said Trump would select the right type of people to the U.S. Supreme Court. Q: Why didnt Mitt Romney run for president this year? Was it due to his wifes health? A: Both Ann and Mitt Romney have said the timing didnt feel right to run again in 2016. Ann Romneys health did not appear to be a factor, according to interviews they both gave separately where they stressed timing. 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develop HTGR 04 August 2016 Share China Nuclear Engineering Corporation (CNEC) has signed an agreement with Indonesia's National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan) to jointly develop a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) in Indonesia. The signing of the agreement (Image: CNEC) The joint project development plan was signed on 1 August by CNEC chairman Wang Shoujun and Batan chairman Djarot Sulistio Wisnubroto during the second official Meeting of Cultural and People-to-People Exchange between China and Indonesia. Under the agreement, CNEC and Batan intend to cooperate on an Indonesian HTGR project and to train workers. Batan is promoting the introduction of nuclear power plants in Indonesia to help meet the county's demand for power. It envisages the start-up of conventional large light-water reactors on the populous islands of Bali, Java, Madura and Sumatra from 2027 onwards. In addition, it is planning for small HTGRs (up to 100 MWe) for deployment on Kalimantan, Sulawesi and other islands to supply power and heat for industrial use. Prior to the introduction of commercial reactors in Indonesia, Batan is considering building a test and demonstration HTGR with an electrical output of 3-10 MWe and a thermal output of 10-30 MWt. In August 2014, Batan signed a cooperation agreement with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) on research and development of HTGRs. JAEA has developed a small prototype gas-cooled reactor, the High-Temperature Test Reactor. This is a 30 MWt graphite-moderated helium gas-cooled reactor which achieved first criticality in November 1998. In April 2015, Rosatom announced that a consortium of Russian and Indonesian companies led by NUKEM Technologies had won a contract for the preliminary design of a multi-purpose 10 MWe HTGR at Serpong in Indonesia. CNEC has been working with Tsinghua University since 2003 on the design, construction and commercialization of HTR technology. The partners signed a new agreement in March 2014 aimed at furthering cooperation in both international and domestic marketing of the advanced reactor technology. A demonstration HTR-PM unit is under construction at Shidaowan near Weihai city in China's Shandong province. That plant will initially comprise twin HTR-PM reactor modules driving a single 210 MWe steam turbine. Construction started in late 2012 and commercial operation is scheduled to start in late 2017. A proposal to construct two 600 MWe HTRs at Ruijin city in China's Jiangxi province passed a preliminary feasibility review in early 2015. The design of the Ruijin HTRs is based on the smaller Shidaowan demonstration HTR-PM. Construction of the Ruijin reactors is expected to start next year, with grid connection in 2021. CNEC is actively promoting its HTGR technology overseas and has already signed memoranda of understanding with Dubai, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. The company said the signing of the agreement with Indonesia "marks further substantial progress in the overseas promotion of HTR technology". Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics World-renowned home-rental website Airbnb co-founder and CPO Joe Gebbia, announced the creation of Samara, a multidisciplinary innovation and design studio within Airbnb. Conceived with the support of co-founders Brian Chesky and Nathan Blecharczyk, Samara will bring together design and engineering experts from Airbnb to create new ideas and build new services that support the Airbnb community. Image Edward Caruso As a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Gebbia has always been impassioned by design and its power to reimagine the future. Inspired by the tenacious and hearty Samara seedling, the mission of this new design studio is to explore services and ideas that are consistent with Airbnbs values and vision. With experts from a range of back- grounds, Samara will explore architecture, product design, software engineering, and new economic models. Image courtesy of Airbnb ''Samara is all about generating new ideas and building products that serve the Airbnb community,'' said Gebbia. ''Samara will give us even more space to apply what weve learned over the last eight years and create new services for connection, commerce, and social change within the expanding Airbnb community.'' Image Edward Caruso The team behind Samara has already begun its work with the launch of the Yoshino Cedar House. Designed and built for Kenya Haras House Vision exhibition in Tokyo and created in collaboration with Go Hasegawa, a Tokyo-based architect, the house explores how architectural features can engender a deeper relationship between hosts and guests. Image Edward Caruso Following the exhibition, Yoshino Cedar House is permanently installed in Yoshino, a rural town in the Nara district of Japan, where it will be a bookable Airbnb that is maintained by the community. Proceeds earned from guests who book the listing will be used to strengthen the cultural legacy and future of the town, which has struggled as young people migrate away from rural communities. Image Edward Caruso As the Samara team worked to create the Yoshiro Cedar house, the team explored new ways to merge the community with space for guests. And the end result -a listing run by and for the benefit of a local village - is the first Airbnb of its kind. The Samara team will closely monitor the progress of Yoshino Cedar House and consider expanding this concept to similar communities around the world. Image Edward Caruso ''The Yoshino Cedar House is just one seed among many,'' Gebbia added. ''Given the size and scale of the Airbnb community, the areas to explore are limitless.'' Image Edward Caruso Image Edward Caruso Co-founder and CPO Joe Gebbia at the Yoshino Cedar House. Image Edward Caruso Top image Edward Caruso > via Samara/Airbnb Aug 4, 2016 | By Tess Photo: ABC Gippsland: Laura Poole One of the beauties of 3D printing technology is that its applications can be developed simultaneously by a number of parties around the globe. For instance, while yesterday we wrote about how a team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in New York used 3D printing technologies to create patient-specific 3D printed anatomical models for doctor training, today we have a story about a medical team from an Australian university who have used the technology for a similar purpose but in a completely different way. For the past two years, Paul McMenamin, the director of the Melbourne-based Monash University Centre for Human Anatomy Education, has been developing a kit of 3D printed life-like anatomical models to help train medical students. What sets the 3D printed models apart from other existing plastic training models is that they are based on real life specimens. That is, they were based on 3D scans of medical cadavers, which were then segmented into 57 pieces and 3D printed using state-of-the-art machines. The project was undertaken by McMenamin and his team to offer a suitable medical training solution for med students in more rural areas. Understandably, not all medical training facilities have the resources or even the necessary licensing to store and use cadavers. Even for well funded medical universities, the process of storing dead bodies is very expensive and rigorously monitored. The 3D printed replica kits, which can be used and reused, might just be the next best thing. Photo: ABC Gippsland: Laura Poole As McMenamin explains to ABC, A lot of people think its actually difficult to get human cadavers. Its really not. The public is very kind in the donation of bodies for medical research and medical teaching, so that's not the problem.The problem is the cost, and the technology and facilities you need to receive a dead body, embalm it, store it and have it ready for dissection, the facilities you require and the licensing from the government. Not every medical school or hospital wants to go through that, or can afford to. This is where we are hoping these 3D replicas will be most useful. The 3D printed anatomical kit was presented yesterday to students from Monash Rural Health in Churchill where about 90 first year students will now have access to the plastic models. Previously, students had to travel to the Universitys Clayton campus every couple weeks to have access to medical training specimens and facilities, now they will be able to study human anatomy in close detail locally. In fact, the 3D printed medical models might even have a slight edge over real cadavers. In a study conducted by McMenamin and his team, they found that many students were actually more hands on and comfortable with the 3D printed plastic models in comparison to the cadavers. They dont hesitate [with the replicas], they just pick it up. The barrier isnt there. Students just pick it up, and wander over and talk to their friends holding a hand or a pelvis, explained McMenamin. The kits, which cost $250,000, do take quite a long time to print, as even a hand can take up to 4 hours to be made. Other larger components can take up to a week to print. Considering the quality of the prints and how real they do actually look though, the time might be worth it. Additionally, the 3D printed replica kits are now commercially available and have garnered interest from schools and facilities around the world. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: johnnyboy wrote at 8/17/2016 6:44:18 PM:How is $250k for a kit "accessible"? Aug 4, 2016 | By Alec It must be a busy time over at the Somerville, Massachusetts HQ of resin 3D printing pioneers Formlabs. The company has just completed a staggering Series B funding round that raised a total of $35 million. With these funds, Formlabs is planning to scale up its operations to meet a growing international customer demand and expand their market presence, while they will also set up new R&D efforts. Perhaps most importantly, the company is planning to strategically collaborate with CAD software innovators Autodesk with an eye on joint marketing and software integration. Formlabs, it seems, is entering a chapter in their history. Formlabs, of course, was launched back in 2012 by a team of engineers from MIT and the Center for Bits and Atoms. They quickly changed the resin 3D printing world and in many ways their current flagship, the Form 2 3D printer, is todays benchmark for SLA 3D printing. For the third consecutive year, they have seen annual sales grow by 100 percent. Right now, Formlabs is shipping over 1,000 3D printers per month, making them the top-selling SLA 3D printing specialist in the world. They have also been very successful when it comes to raising funds, having previously brought together about $20 million from investors. This very successful series B funding, which was led by Foundry Group and also included includes participation from existing investors DFJ Growth, Pitango Venture Capital and Pascal Cagni, thus brings the total investments to date up to $55 million. According to Formlabs CEO and co-founder Max Lobovsky, this excellent series B funding result will enable them to continue introducing new materials and 3D printing opportunities. Formlabs' efforts over the years in introducing new materials and capabilities have defined the category of professional desktop 3D printing, resulting in significant growth for the company along the way, Lobovsky said. With the new investment, were excited to develop more powerful tools to enable anyone working with 3D content to create remarkable things. Formlabs will continue to grow the stereolithography business and bring new tools to the world to advance our goal of making digital fabrication more powerful and accessible. Main investor Foundry Group is a venture capital firm that is especially focused on information technology, the internet and software startups. Based in Boulder, CO, they tend to focus on North American startups. MakerBot and Fitbit have also previously received Foundry Group backing. As part of their agreement with Formlabs, their co-founder Brad Feld will join the Formlabs board. As Feld revealed, Formlabs presence in the professional 3D printing market was especially appealing. From the moment of its founding, Formlabs saw the opportunity in making professional desktop 3D printing accessible and was a key pioneer in the category, he said. While the excitement and hype around consumer 3D printing has waned, the professional 3D printing category has had unabated demand, with Formlabs emerging as the leader in desktop 3D printing. With this hugely successful series B round, expectations for Formlabs are definitely rising. And to give us a first glimpse of what can be expected, the company already revealed their collaborative agreement with software specialists Autodesk. Among others, Autodesk software is expected to be integrated into the Formlabs 3D printing platform. Formlabs has brought a lot of innovation and great execution to the desktop 3D printing market, and Autodesk is excited to invest in the companys future, said Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk. But even more importantly, were eager to work together to improve digital design and manufacturing for product designers everywhere. Whats more, Formlabs is planning to greatly extend their market presence throughout the EMEA territory (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). Pascal Cagni, who previously headed Apple in Europe, has joined Formlabs as a strategic advisor. Earlier this year, Formlabs also acquired quickly growing 3D printing community Pinshape, while they opened a location in Japan. Formlabs is thus solidifying their international presence, and they certainly have the technology necessary to turn them a 3D printing world leader. Posted in 3D Printing Applications Maybe you also like: Thessaly La Force at Artsy: Over the last couple of decades, Ed Ruschas work has come to symbolize Los Angeles and the West, but lately, it seems, Ruscha the artist has too. At 78, he is still very much a handsome man, with placid blue eyes and rugged features. He speaks deliberately and slowly, with a slight drawlhe says Los Angeles instead of L.A., and Cali-for-knee-ah, not Califor-nyah. Its a way of speaking that is reminiscent of the late 50s and early 60s, when cowboys first roamed through Marlboro ads and Marilyn Monroe dressed down in Levis rolled at the cuff. To those who admire him now, Ruscha is a little bit like a Kennedy, a type of man that we lost in the 21st centuryold-fashioned but masculine, well-mannered but tough. He possesses a laid-back cool that has helped to definealong with others such as the late Chris Burden and John Baldessariwhat we understand as the Los Angeles artist. Opening this month at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, Ed Ruscha and the Great American West emphasizes Ruschas deep commitment to place, and acknowledges the pioneer he was for heading west, not east, when he first set out to be an artist. I felt California had something to offer me, said Ruscha earlier this week over Skype, explaining his decision at the age of 18, in 1956, to attend the Chouinard Art Institute (now known as California Institute of the Arts or CalArts). New York was the center of the art world, Ruscha conceded. People dreamed about New York. When I visited, it was every bit of what I thought it would be like. But I didnt have the urge to move there. It seemed to be too cold and complicated and expensive. It would have been difficult to get across town with a piece of lumber. Instead, the palm trees and sunsets and sprawl were more alluring. California, he said, was like a new swanky place for me to go. more here. Allen Shelton at Public Books: For at least three decades, starting in the 1970s, Michel Foucault was a phenomenon nearly comparable to the Beatles, or his predecessor on the academic scene, Claude Levi-Strauss. In a history of the leather jacket in the New York Times Magazine, Foucault appears like a god alongside Marlon Brando and the Ramones as a marker for the mid-1970s, when he was becoming a worldwide celebrity. I first encountered Foucault in collections of structuralist essays in the stacks of a small Southern college library around that time. Only one other person at the school read those books; a bald French professor named Simpson. His name was always ahead of mine on the checkout card. Unbeknownst to me, Foucault was in New York at the time, as a visiting scholar for the French department at SUNY Buffalo. While he was there he visited the town of Attica, and the prison there. He gave a lecture on Manet at the museum on a Thursday night. He lived in an old hotel half a mile from where I would eventually live. A friend of mine saw him give a lecture at the university. He was dressed in a black velvet suit. The talk was entirely in French. My friend didnt understand a single word, but he described it as a turning point in his life. There were shockwaves emanating from Foucault. This was before he became an institution and declined into something like an ancient part of Las Vegas; the inevitable result of thousands of dissertations, essays, and books appropriating his voice. Is it possible today to write anything about Foucault that isnt already empty? This is the big question the sometimes poet, hypertext novelist, and theorist Michael Joyces epistolary novel confronts. The letters are addressed to a ghost-like woman named Gabrielle, and to the historical figures of Foucaults lover Jean, his mother, and a colleague and mentor. more here. A local marijuana reporter's field notes and gossip from the intersection of pot, money, and power in the epicentral San Francisco Bay Area. SEEN Summer Lemon Haze Stand Whether it's Whoopi Goldberg going to market with edibles for PMS, or Melissa Etheridge's infused wine, America's women are winning cannabis legalization. Ladies are shredding the grass ceiling in cannabis to claim roughly double the representation in weed as they hold in Congress. On Sunday, July 31, they got together to trade notes, edibles, and meet their customers in San Francisco. It was the opposite of your bearded, tatted, bro'ed-out Hempcon. Several hundred female cannabis CEOs and patients dropped by the free Lady Chatterley's Soiree: Cannabis Curated by Women afternoon event, held in a private cannabis industry space near the Folsom Street Fair grounds in SoMa. High-grade sensimilla terpenes wafted out the front door. Inside, the furnished warehouse hummed with an intimate by-women for-women product expo of about 20 brands, available for qualified patients. In the patio, Ganga Yoga from the famous Dee Dussault. The crowd stretched in the afternoon sun, as guests hit CBD vape pens, sipped medicated kombucha, and nibbled pasta and pesto with goat cheese. High-concept LolaLola flowers mingled with super-earthy regional artisan brands like Prema Flora. The event was 80 percent women at its peak. Female-oriented products are undergoing a Cambrian-era-like evolutionary explosion. Prohibition is fading, and the strict rules of legalization are years away. The free event was designed to stoke interest in products from SF startup Lady Chatterly's Lover, a delivery service that focuses on high-end women's products. "It's awesome. I love the woman-power in this room," said Jill Amen, CEO of national edibles brand House of Jane, which offered samples of their medicated iced tea. House of Jane has 20 employees and is in three states. Next up, a line of energy shots: espresso, energy, and berry CBD. Even hotter: House of Jane's Infused Powdera 4:1 CBD:THC powder "that can make anything an edible. I micro-dose with them," Amen said. "Women just want to medicate their own way," she said. The powder is sugar-free and fat-free, with a neutral taste and herbaceous finishes. Patients are evangelists for cannabis products after finding relief from PMS, endometriosis, and other maladies. One woman with an inflammatory bowel disease told Amen, "This is a testament to how it's helped me. I can be here today. Normally, I would be stuck at my house." CEO Stephen Kerford said legalization ballot initiative Proposition 64 promises to deluge his sector with customers. Women tend to me more cautious and are waiting for full legalization to try cannabis. They make 80 percent of family healthcare decisions. "This is a whole awakening universe," he said. Also Spotted: Swerve edibles are functional, enriching, and fortified with Ayurvedic herbs and cold-water hash. Check out the Buzz Bar (sativa), Snooze Bar (indica) and Snuggle Bites, a balanced hybrid mood enhancer featuring rose and pecan with Ayurvedic herbs (50 mgs THC), "formulated to increase passion," balance hormones, and counter fatigue and low libido. Several brands from regional distributor Alta met patients direct. Alta Account manager Rebekah Vega said the event is "great for delivery services, where it's harder to connect with patients." The recent college grad said the event was super-motivating. "There's some incredible women in this industry. I feel blessed." Evoke offered tiny, ninja vape pens perfect for dates and lunches. They come in black Stealth, red Engage, blue Deep indica, and white Balance+ (high-CBD). Evoke pens don't attract attention. (David Downs) Foria brought their patient-loved line of lube, and medicated suppositories. Huzzah! Yummi Karma offered brunch-tastic , low-dose chips in sriracha, zesty ranch, and sour cream and onion. Their popcorn comes in butter and salt and white cheese. Brunch-tastic cannabis chips from Yummi Karma. (David Downs) And speaking of great women's products, former Harborside Health Center employee Jessica Peters has formed Moxie Meds, a line of tinctures (available in 1:1 and 4:1 CBD:THC) made by women for women. Moxie's magic elixir is made with full plant extract, synergistic MCT oil, and organic beta-caryophyllene, plus neuro-regenerative CBG. // Lady Chatterley's Lover delivers within one hour in San Francisco, noon to 8pm daily; free delivery w/ $65 minimum donation,ladychatterley.net HEARD Attn: Budget Buds Now on Offer Psst, SoMa's interior-design-award-winning SPARC has a pop-up on Haight Street called Farm Direct. The space is in its nascency, but the doors are open and the deals are profound, including $160 ounces of Cherry AKthat's about half off the normal price. // 473 Haight St. (Lower Haight), farmdirectsf.com OBITUARIES In Memorium San Francisco Evergreen The Examiner's print alt-weekly weed insert. (2015-2016) Rest In Peace Contact Cannabis Insider's David Downs with event announcements, tips, notes, and rumors at highsociety@7x7.com. Bay Area cannabis reporter David Downs is a columnist, editor, and best-selling author. His new title, 'The Medical Marijuana Guidebook' is out now. Get to know the candidates seeking three spots on Brown Co. Commission Four people are running for the three four-year seats on the Brown County Commission. Here's a little more about each candidate. Cleveland Mining Company Ltd (ASX:CDG) is an Australian managed, ASX listed minerals company squarely focused on developing projects into mines. The company's management team have a track record for building successful projects from the ground up, providing Cleveland with the expertise to secure and build robust projects. Mining and production are underway at the Premier Gold Mine located in Crixas, in central Brazil. The company is also working to expand production developing the Lavra prospect, within the O Capitao Project, less than 10km away. Cleveland has a different approach to project selection with project economics driving target selection. Projects are chosen according to their likelihood of generating returns at the bottom of the economic cycle. Atrum Coal NL (ASX:ATU) (OTCMKTS:ATRCF) is pleased to announce that it has assisted Atlantic Carbon Group PLC (ACG) with the preparation of an announcement under Rule 2.4 of the UK Takeover Code which confirms that Atrum has approached ACG in relation to making a possible takeover offer for all of the shares issued by ACG. Atrum Acquisition of Shares in Atlantic Carbon Group Sydney, Aug 4, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Atrum Coal NL ("Atrum" or the "Company") ( ASX:ATU ) ( ATRCF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire a 26.68% stake in Atlantic Carbon Group PLC, a public but unquoted anthracite mining company operating in Pennsylvania, USA, the heart of North American anthracite operations. The acquisition is subject to certain conditions including, inter alia, final due diligence, funding and Atrum shareholder approval (further details of which are set out below). HIGHLIGHTS - Atrum Coal NL has entered into a binding agreement relating to the proposed acquisition of a 26.68% interest in Atlantic Carbon Group PLC ( ASX:LON ) ( ATCLY:OTCMKTS )(incorporated in England and Wales) (ACG). - Atrum is intending to complete the acquisition of the interest in ACG (Acquisition) by late September 2016 subject, inter alia, to shareholder approval being gained at an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) Bob Bell, Executive Chairman of Atrum, commented: "We are very excited by the possibilities offered through the acquisition of a significant stake in Atlantic Carbon Group PLC. ACG mines some of the highest quality anthracite in the USA and sells into local conventional and specialty anthracite markets. With the high quality of the sized products ACG produces, and direct access to two under-utilised deep-sea ports, we are confident of helping ACG open up new export markets for ultra-high grade anthracite. The proposed transaction provides Atrum exposure to undersupplied markets in Europe and Asia, assisting to build the Atrum brand and strengthen relationships with key international offtake customers. A Notice of Meeting will be issued shortly, to allow our shareholders to consider the opportunity to acquire a foothold in the anthracite market in North America." About ACG ACG is a high grade and ultra-high grade anthracite producer with operations in north eastern Pennsylvania, USA. It operates mines and processing plants near the town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. The Stockton mine is an established anthracite mine and is the top anthracite producing pit in the USA. It is a fully operational open-cut anthracite mine with an on-site processing plant and a new rail-loading facility providing direct rail access. ACG public documentation shows that the Stockton mine has an estimated mine life of 10 years. More information about ACG anthracite deposits at the Stockton mine can be found in the ACG Annual Report. The ACG website also provides information on the anthracite deposits at the neighbouring Hazelton Shaft and the Beaver Brook and Sandy Run project. Key performance statistics for the year ended 31 December 2015 relating to the Stockton mine are set out below: - Anthracite production of 204,746 tons, an increase of 24% on the previous year (2014: 165,046 tons). - Run on Mine (ROM) production of 638,697 tons, an increase of 87% on the previous year (2014: 341,155 tons). - Total anthracite sales in 2015 of 261,564 tons. ACG has recently acquired the Hazleton Shaft and Jeansville mines in Pennsylvania, USA. Jeansville is located 3.5 miles from the Stockton mine and Hazelton Shaft is part of the western extension of the Stockton Basin and borders the Stockton Mine. With the acquisition of the Hazleton Shaft and Jeansville mines, ACG now operates three mines, two primary processing plants and a secondary processing (drying) plant. In addition to these three operating sites, two of which have only been acquired by ACG in the last few weeks, ACG holds the following anthracite properties: - Beaver Brook and Sandy Run Project, Hazleton, Pennsylvania - fully permitted for mining with unquantified resources - Pott and Bannon Project, New Castle, Pennsylvania - fully permitted for mining with unquantified resources ACG has recently completed the full reclamation of the Gowen mine site, Nuremberg, Pennsylvania. Key financial statistics for ACG for the financial year ended 31 December 2015, prior to the purchase of Hazelton Shaft Corporation (HSC) are set out below: - Sales of US$25,877,924. - Profit before tax of US$5,446,168. - Average sales price FOB mine US$127.00/ton for sized product which makes up all but minor volumes A summary of the statement of financial position of ACG and its subsidiaries (excluding HSC) on a consolidated basis (expressed in US$) as at 31 December 2014 and 31 December 2015 is also set out in the following Table (refer to link below). Atrum has commenced financial and legal due diligence on ACG and further information about the likely effect of the Acquisition on Atrum's total assets, total equity interests, annual revenue, annual profit before tax and extraordinary items will be made available in due course. We have also begun discussions with European export customers that may have interest in purchasing this anthracite via Atrum. In a recent presentation, ACG identified target markets that included coke replacement, steel recarburization, water filtration, chemical purification, glass manufacture, activated carbon for purification, and rubber and plastics manufacture. Key Acquisition Terms The binding agreement for the Acquisition has been entered into with Stephen Best (the current CEO of ACG) and persons and entities connected with Stephen Best, including Mayford Equities Limited, Mary Best, Willoughby (465) Limited, Lucy Best, Helen Frankland, Penn Carb Inc and Mount Charles (Mayfair) Limited (together, the Vendors). Subject to the satisfaction of various conditions to completion (set out below), Atrum will acquire a total of 1,042,017,264 ACG shares and 576,000,000 warrants that are convertible into a similar number of ACG shares. The exercise of the warrants would result in Atrum acquiring a total of 1,618,017,264 ACG shares (amounting to an interest of 26.68% of ACG's enlarged issued share capital). The consideration for the Acquisition will consist of the following cash and scrip components payable on completion of the Acquisition: - a cash payment of US$3,000,000; - a cash payment of approximately US$1,130,000 for outstanding warrants and as a negative control premium, the payment of which is conditional on Atrum acquiring a minimum of 25.01% of ACG on a fully diluted basis; and - such number of Atrum shares that is equal to US$3,000,000 (Consideration Shares). When calculating the number of Consideration Shares to be issued, Atrum must use the volume weighted average price of Atrum shares during the 10 trading days immediately before completion of the Acquisition and applying the AUD/USD exchange rate for the business day before the day on which completion of the Acquisition is to occur. The transaction is not expected to result in any changes to the Atrum board. Conditions to Completion Completion of the Acquisition is subject to a number of conditions being satisfied or waived. If required by Atrum during the due diligence process, the parties will be required to enter into a more detailed share purchase agreement documenting the terms of the Acquisition. The other conditions include: - Atrum calling an EGM of its shareholders and obtaining all approvals necessary to enter into or obtain the benefit of the escrow agreement referred to below, issue the Consideration Shares to the Vendors, finance the Acquisition and otherwise complete the Acquisition. - A condition relating to the financing of the Acquisition. - The results of any due diligence investigation carried out by Atrum in relation to ACG and its subsidiaries being satisfactory to Atrum. - The Vendors each signing an escrow agreement under which they agree not to sell or otherwise deal with any of the Consideration Shares to be issued to the Vendors for a period of 12 months following completion of the Acquisition (unless the dealing is part of a transfer arranged by Atrum and approved by the relevant Vendor). Atrum Shareholder Approvals As part of the transaction, Atrum will be calling an EGM for the purpose of obtaining approval from shareholders under Listing Rule 7.1 in relation to the allotment of the Consideration Shares. Atrum has received confirmation from the ASX that it will not require Atrum to obtain approval from shareholders under Listing Rules 11.1.2 or 11.2 (or require Atrum to re-comply with the requirements for admission and quotation under Listing Rule 11.1.3). Indicative Timetable An indicative timetable for the transaction is set out in the link below. This timetable may be subject to change. To view tables and figures, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/1S1S3G68 About Atrum Coal Limited Atrum Coal Limited (ASX:ATU) is a metallurgical coal developer. The Company flagship asset is the 100%-owned Elan Hard Coking Coal Project in southern Alberta, Canada. Elan hosts large-scale, shallow, thick, hard coking coal (HCC) deposits with a current JORC Resource Estimate of 298 Mt (70 Mt Indicated and 228 Mt Inferred). Comprehensive quality testing of Elan South coal on samples from the 2018 exploration program, combined with review of substantial historical testwork data for the broader Elan Project, has confirmed Tier 1 HCC quality. The initial focus for development is the Elan South area, which is located approximately 13 km from an existing rail line with significant excess capacity, providing direct rail access to export terminals in Vancouver and Prince Rupert. Elan South shares its southern boundary with Riversdale Resources Grassy Mountain Project, which is in the final permitting stage for a 4.5 Mtpa open-cut HCC operation. Around 30km to the west, Teck Resources operates five mines (the Elk Valley complex) producing approximately 25 Mtpa of premium HCC for the seaborne market. Annual Report 2016 Perth, Aug 4, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Strategic Elements Ltd ( ASX:SOR ) submit the annual financial report of the consolidated entity comprising Strategic Elements Limited and the entities it controlled during the financial year ended 30 June 2016. Review of operations The Company is registered as a registered Pooled Development Fund (PDF) under the Australian Government's Pooled Development Fund Act 1992 ("PDF Act"). The Company invests into small to medium sized Australian companies to assist in the development or expansion of the company. Technology The Company, through its subsidiary Australian Advanced Materials (AAM) has rapidly developed the Nanocube Memory Ink under research and development agreements with UNSW. The Nanocube Memory Ink development program is ongoing for the duration of 2016, the Company will continue to advise shareholders of key achievements. The Company announced on 20th of May 2016 that the existing licence agreement with UNSW for the Nanocube Memory Ink will fall away and full ownership will be passed over to AAM. This is significant for the Company and is a result of the strong working relationship between the Company and UNSW. Additionally, having full ownership will significantly aid the Company to form global partnerships with other companies in the Printed Electronics sector and enable other corporate activities. Resources The Company pursued a deliberate strategy to position investments in both the technology and the resources sectors. The Board believes shareholders will ultimately benefit from the fact that a PDF is able to invest across multiple sectors. The Company, through its investees Strategic Materials Pty Ltd (SML) and Maria Resources Pty Ltd (MRL) has continued to progress the Company's resource projects - Golden Blocks, the Officer and Impact projects. - Golden Blocks: SML is still progressing work within Golden Blocks whilst negotiating and consultation continues with New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals over the granting of an Exploration Permit. At this stage the Company expects the new permit to be granted by late 2016. During the FY16 period, SML has continued work on Golden Blocks with various consultants in an effort to prepare for exploration activities and further understand the geology of the Golden Blocks area. Officer Project: The 700 km2 Officer Project is the first project developed in collaboration with world leading geologist Dr Franco Pirajno. After reviewing the limited exploration within a 54,000km2 area the Company discovered highly anomalous copper in several historic drill holes drilled 8km apart, which confirmed the Company's position and provides a clear exploration focus. The Company will continue to work through the remaining considerations with respect to finalising the final Officer Exploration Licences. - Impact Project: The Ilkurka Project and the Lennis Project are the two impact projects covering potential impact structures. The Company is currently waiting for Exploration Licences to be granted before conducting fieldwork. Corporate During the year the Company raised the sum of $6,400,499 before issue costs through the issue of 55,656,511 shares at an issue price of 11.5 cents per share. During the year shareholders approved the issue of 9,000,000 Performance Rights (PRs) (and the issue of shares following the vesting of those Performance Rights) under the terms of the Strategic Elements Performance Rights Plan. The issue offer was accepted by Directors on 22 December 2015. During the year 1,000,000 unlisted options were issued to an employee of the Company. The unlisted options have an exercise price of 15 cents and an expiry date of 15 May 2018. Operating result for the year The consolidated entity's loss for the year ended 30 June 2016 was $1,637,199 (year ended 30 June 2015: $921,439). Review of financial condition At 30 June 2016, the consolidated entity had $7,273,194 in cash and term deposit balances (30 June 2015: $2,149,278). Significant changes in the state of affairs In the opinion of the directors there were no other significant changes in the state of affairs of the consolidated entity that occurred during the year. Significant events after balance date Subsequent to the balance date the Company issued 500,000 shares on the exercise of 500,000 options exercisable at 10 cents per share. 700,000 options, exercisable at 10 cents per share, also expired subsequent to the balance date. No matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the year which significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the consolidated entity, the results of those operations, or the state of affairs of the consolidated entity in future financial years. Likely developments and expected results Disclosure of information regarding likely developments in the operations of the consolidated entity in future financial years and the expected results of those operations has been made in the Review of Operations above. Environmental legislation With respect to its environmental obligations regarding its exploration activities the consolidated entity endeavours to ensure that it complies with all regulations when carrying out any exploration and evaluation activities and is not aware of any breach as this time. Indemnification and insurance of Directors and Officers The Company has entered into Director and Officer Protection Deeds ("Deed") with each Director and the Company Secretary ("Officers"). Under the Deed, the Company indemnifies the relevant Officer to the maximum extent permitted by law against legal proceedings, any damage or loss incurred in connection with the Officer being an officer of the Company. The Company has paid insurance premiums to insure the Officers against liability arising from any claim against the Officers in their capacity as officers of the Company. Dividends No dividends have been paid or declared in the year. To view the Annual Report, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/7Z6B1G19 About Strategic Elements Ltd Strategic Elements (ASX:SOR) shares are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under the code SOR. The Company is registered under the Pooled Development Program run by the Australian Federal Government to encourage investment into SMEs. To assist Pooled Development Funds to invest and raise capital, the Federal Government enables most shareholders in a Pooled Development Fund to make capital gains and receive dividends tax-free. Funds Raised to Accelerate Dona Maria Drilling Sydney, Aug 4, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cleveland Mining Company Ltd ( ASX:CDG ) is pleased to provide details of a small private placement made to existing sophisticated shareholders. $AU1.075M was raised through the issue of 17.9M shares @ $0.06 per share. The placement was co-ordinated by the Company, thus keeping costs to a minimum. The Company targeted a raise of $1M and was delighted with the positive response to the raise from the very limited group of shareholders contacted. Funds will primarily be used to further the current drilling program, which is being undertaken to lift the resource base and associated mine life of the project as part of a process to re-finance the Company and increase the project value. As previously planned, the bulk of the drilling will be undertaken on the Dona Maria project, though further drilling is also planned for Metago, Mine Gate and Lavra project areas. Highlights: - $AU1.075M raised through private placement to existing sophisticated investors at $0.06 per share - Funds will primarily be used to accelerate drilling at Dona Maria Project as part of the current resource expansion project - Drilling between Dona Maria and Dona Maria South has consistently intersected the mineralised structure over a strike of 1.7km, including the previously announced circa 40,000-ounce resource of Dona Maria and the high grade intersections recorded in initial drilling in the southern extremities of the proposed structure, including 1m @ 21.56 gram per tonne gold (g/t Au) from 94m*, - Drilling is also planned to continue at other targets across Premier and O Capitao, including the Mine Gate prospect, Metago Open pit extensions and Lavra. Funds raised are to partially replace funds that were expected, though not received in June. The Company has had significant interest demonstrated by a number of investor groups and is working with these groups and with Platinum Partners LP (the Company's Senior Secured Lender) to determine the optimum finance solution and structure. About Dona Maria Dona Maria is a prospect located within Cleveland's O'Capitao project, itself located approximately 10km north of the company's Premier milling facility. Dona Maria's approximate 40,000 Oz# resource has been interpreted to represent less than 3% of the resource potential contained within the Dona Maria prospect area. Dona Maria South represents the southern extension of the interpreted mineralisation trend along strike from the Dona Maria project. Initial drilling results provide significant confidence that the interpreted model is most likely accurate, which, if so, provides much enhanced mineral and resource potential. Whilst further drilling is required to both confirm the extension and delineate resources, the initial results are extremely encouraging, due to: - correlation with the Dona Maria resource and interpreted mineralised trend, - the high gold grades intersected from the drilling at Dona Maria South, including 1m @ 21.56 gram per tonne gold (g/t Au) from 94m*, - the fact that the holes have intersected what appears to be the unit and alteration which hosts the mineralisation located along 1,700m of strike from the known resource, - Mineralisation remaining open south of the reported drilling. Cleveland's Managing Director, Mr David Mendelawitz said, "We are very encouraged by the response from the shareholders who participated in the raise. We were able to fill the book with three phone calls, and thus were able to execute very quickly and cheaply, which we see as a testament to the belief that our long-standing shareholders share in our view of the potential of the project. With the success of the initial drilling at Dona Maria and Mine Gate, along with the other areas of mineralisation that we have defined to date across the 24 km2 project area, we are confident that this drilling will take us several steps further forwards in demonstrating the value of this highly prospective project." "We are, and have been for a long time, certain that we are in the right country and location due to its potential and the low unit cost base of the region. Combining what we continue to discover in the project with the increased interest in the gold sector, this a very exciting time for this emerging Company." *Reported grades are peak grades and not representative of the average grade of the sampling program. Grades ranged from 0 to the peak grade. Insufficient data exists to assign an average grade to the geological unit at this stage. To view the release, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/M1987H2L About Cleveland Mining Co Ltd Cleveland Mining Company Ltd (ASX:CDG) is an Australian managed, ASX listed minerals company squarely focused on developing projects into mines. The company's management team have a track record for building successful projects from the ground up, providing Cleveland with the expertise to secure and build robust projects. Mining and production are underway at the Premier Gold Mine located in Crixas, in central Brazil. The company is also working to expand production developing the Lavra prospect, within the O Capitao Project, less than 10km away. Cleveland has a different approach to project selection with project economics driving target selection. Projects are chosen according to their likelihood of generating returns at the bottom of the economic cycle. First-To-Market VR Headset with Facial Tracking Technology Melbourne, Aug 4, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - GoConnect Ltd ( ASX:GCN ) are pleased to announce a joint media release from Go Green Holdings and Be & Become Inc of New York, regarding execution of their shareholder agreement. GoConnect Ltd is shareholder of 45% of Go Green Holdings. The world-first Veeso facial tracking Virtual Reality ("VR") technology is the final building block put in place for Go Green Holdings' VR media platforms to empower these platforms' "VR social networking" marketing strategy. VR social networking is continuing to gain popularity rapidly, but powered by the Veeso technology, VR social networking will finally come to life, delivering substantial branding value and hence much expected revenue to Go Green Holdings products from "Judith" brand of table grapes, to Dream Factory VR, to The Perfect Match TV series, and of course to the Veeso VR headset which will be the most advanced VR headset in the world upon its commercial launch by year end 2016. We are delighted that Be & Become Inc is able to recognize the leveraging value of partnering with Go Green Holdings in the Greater China market. Go Green Holdings and Be & Become Inc today announced a strategic partnership and the execution of a shareholder agreement to establish a jointly owned company that will own all the Intellectual Property rights to Be & Become's Virtual Reality Head Mounted Display headset ("Veeso VR HMD") with built-in Veeso facial tracking technology for the Greater China market including Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Be & Become will own 51% of this company with Go Green Holdings owning 49%. Go Green Holdings operates a brand creation and marketing business with its head office in Yunnan Province of China. Go Green Holdings has a number of media properties including a planned TV series and a VR department store Dream Factory VR to be launched. These media properties will be mobilized to market the Veeso VR HMD upon its commercial launch targeted for year-end 2016. Being the first-to-market VR HMD with built-in facial tracking technology provides the partnership with first mover advantage. The Veeso headset allows users to 'emote' through their virtual avatar bringing to life the avatars in the VR environment that no other brand of headset can. Veeso uses infra-red cameras to track eyes, eyebrows, mouth and the jaw. These movements are then recreated in real time in a digital VR avatar. The headset works with any smartphone just like Google Cardboard. Starting this year with the commercial release of the Facebook Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR, VR headset sales are projected to grow exponentially. Tractica, a firm that specializes in technology market research, forecasts a total of 15.9 million VR headsets to be shipped in 2016 rising to over 200 million VR headsets to be sold by 2020. Says Richard Li, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Go Green Holdings: "Capitalizing on our first-mover advantage, it is our mission to position the Veeso VR HMD headset as one of the leading VR headsets to be sold in Greater China within the first 24 months. Our initial focus will be to capture a reasonable share of the China VR headset market. China has the largest pool of smartphone users in the world, over 600 million. Our media properties will help spread the Veeso product message quickly throughout China to her VR consumers." Added Joseph D'Anna, CEO and co-founder of Be & Become: "We will optimize our vision for the Veeso technology, creating the most emotive experience for VR consumers. When we decided to bring that special interaction that occurs between people and bring it into virtual reality, we realized the technology is not there. With Veeso, the technology recreates the facial expressions we use to communicate our emotions in the real world while interacting in the digital world. The viral power of social networking is well understood, such as the power of Facebook and likewise, that of Tencent's WeChat. In the VR world, again social networking will be the primary driver of VR success stories. Veeso technology is what will empower and bring to life VR social networking. China is projected to be the largest and fastest growing VR market in the world. While the global market in VR is expected to generate US$30 billion in revenue by 2020, China alone is projected to account for 1/3 of that revenue. We will launch the Veeso headsets firstly in China. We are delighted to partner with Go Green Holdings, taking advantage of their media platforms to reach the mass VR consumer market of China." About Go Green Holdings Ltd Go Green Holdings Ltd operates a brand creation and marketing business with its head office in Jianshui County, Yunnan Province of China. Go Green Holdings' management and major shareholders have developed many trusted relationships in China over decades of directly operating businesses there. Their equally strong experience in Western businesses, and in particular in disruptive new media, not only enables Go Green Holdings to be a valuable conduit between Western and Chinese businesses and governments, but to spot and profit from valuable business opportunities emerging in China as she transforms from being a factory to the world to being a strong consumer led and service based economy. China's Central Government is supporting private enterprises with unprecedented amount of capital so she can overtake the West in innovations and technologies including in Virtual Reality /Augmented Reality. Go Green Holdings has seized upon this fundamental shift in the Chinese economy to create synergistic businesses in Vir tual Reality. About Be & Become Inc Developer and owner of the Veeso VR HMD technology, BE AND BECOME has been dedicated to the idea that the sublimation of technology lies in its social potential. Founded in 2010, with its headquarters in New York, BE AND BECOME Inc.'s proprietary technologies have been constructed to offer unique interactive solutions for people to interact with each other, in real time at any distance; as well as providing a new means for millions of fans to come together in virtual arenas and theatres, to communicate with each other through VR, and experience concerts, movies, gaming and music in an entirely new way. About GoConnect Limited GoConnect Limited (NSX:GO8) has been established since August 1999 as a media communications company. Since 1999 and until 2015 when it co-founded Go Green Holdings, its core business specialised in the online delivery of interactive audio and video contents via its unique and proprietary technology. Since 2015, GoConnect has transformed itself to an active investment company developing businesses that can leverage on the Company's expertise and long experience in communications technology and marketing. Albuquerque schoolchildren have gone to Robertson & Sons Violin Shop for years to rent their first instruments for orchestra class or to buy some rosin and sheet music. They take lessons there. Some have bought their first cello or double bass there. While browsing at the shop, they might run into some of the nations top musicians or get a glimpse of their very valuable instruments. Among Robertson & Sons customers is Joel Noyes, the assistant principal cellist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York, who bought his latest instrument there. Noyes met Aaron Robertson one of three sons of founder Don Robertson who work for the company when they were students at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Finding the right instrument is such a personal journey, such a personal search, Noyes said. I tried a lot of different cellos from a lot of different places. The cello that the Robertsons showed me was just the right match. Its a daunting thing to look for a fine stringed instrument. Aaron helped me get through the journey of it. Robertson experts last week were working on a bass owned by Brian Johnson of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Principal players with the Philadelphia and Toronto orchestras send their instruments to Robertson & Sons. Johnsons bass wasnt responding to his liking, said Don Robertson, who founded the company in 1971. Robertson experts put a new bridge on the bass and adjusted the location of a piece of wood on the inside called the sound post. It will cost $250 to ship the instrument back to Los Angeles. Basses have evolved a great deal in modern times. Bass players once confined their playing to a few inches on the instruments neck. These days, they play the length of the neck, but older bass necks are awkward to reach when musicians are playing the high notes. So bass players replace the necks of older instruments with longer necks that are mounted an extra 2 centimeters or so farther away from the face. David Briggs has made hundreds of necks over the years by hand, using saws and chisels and sandpaper, out of specially ordered maple wood. Precision is key. The high D on a 42-inch bass neck sounds when a string is shortened by the players finger to 190.8 millimeters. It takes Briggs a couple of weeks to make a neck. On the second floor of the shop, on Carlisle near Comanche, Christopher Savino makes prize-winning instruments. Last week, he was making a bass. The front and back are made from 2-inch-thick sheets of spruce. Savino carefully carves the wood until all that is left is a gracefully curved piece only millimeters thick at any point. Almost all of that 2-inch spruce ends up as chips and sawdust. Christian Pedersen renders the finished instruments exquisite. Hes an expert at varnishing and finishing the wood so even a violin made yesterday looks as if it has been in service for a century. It is done that way because it is beautiful. A good stringed instrument is truly a work of art, Don Robertson said. The artistic portion is overlooked by a lot of makers. The great instruments begin with the right wood, Robertson said. The wood grain in the center of the front and back of the instrument should be narrow to provide strength. The edges should have a wider grain, for flexibility. Robertson said the technology of a great stringed instrument hasnt changed much since the 1700s, when the great Italian makers, including Antonio Stradivari, were at work. Performers love Stradivarius violins because they have a bright sound that can cut through the music an orchestra makes during performances. It is a sound that refuses to be covered up, Robertson said. Like most instrument craftsmen, Don Robertson learned the art from masters, including Simone Fernando Sacconi, who was based in New York. Robertson had always been a woodworker. Raised in Amarillo, he studied music education and cello performance at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. He moved to Albuquerque, taught in public schools and played with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. The work was fun, but the pay was bad, so Robertson started repairing instruments in his garage in 1969. He opened his first shop on Monte Vista near the University of New Mexico and moved to his Carlisle location 17 years ago. The company employs 18 people. Were living in a golden age of violin making, Robertson said. Todays makers can and do replicate a Stradivarius down to a tenth of a millimeter. What they cant replicate is age, and age, as with fine wine, makes all the difference. Robertson said oxidation over years makes an old instrument stiff where it is supposed to be and limber where it is supposed to be. The result is just the right vibration. In the hands of a true musician, the sound such an instrument makes is perfection. UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Winthrop Quigley at 823-3896 or wquigley@abqjournal.com. A wonderful saloon called The Spotted Owl on Jefferson Avenue in the Tremont district of Cleveland is housed in an 1850s-vintage complex of brick buildings that was once home to a Bible publishing company. The bar, made of tulip poplar, was once the floor of an Ohio barn. Stained glass from an old church hangs behind the bar. The drinks are creative, to say the least. A margarita is made of Cazadores Blanco tequila, Pierre Ferrand dry curacao, demerara sugar, elderflower, lime, lemon and lager. The night I was there with some friends last winter, the patrons were mostly well-dressed urbanites on their way to dinner at one of Tremonts many outstanding restaurants, a bit of urban revival credited to internationally famous chef Michael Symon, who opened Lola in Tremont in 1997. Youve probably seen Tremont. It was the setting for A Christmas Story. The wedding scene from The Deer Hunter was filmed in Tremont. Until Cleveland lost most of its traditional manufacturing jobs, factory workers lived in Tremont because they could walk to the mills along the Cuyahoga River. These days, Tremont boasts boutiques, art galleries and antique stores. There are hundreds of affordable, small houses, and there is some gentrification going on. My friends spend a good deal of time in Tremont, but they have no desire to move there. Its too hillbilly, they said. I knew what they meant. Factory jobs in the 1950s and 1960s had attracted thousands of workers from West Virginia and Kentucky to Cleveland. I went to school with several of their children. Their Southern accents came with a nasal sound. They wore flannel shirts buttoned to the top. Their hair was slicked back with pomade. They had names like Darryl and Delbert. They were good kids and easy to befriend, but they werent like their urban Northern classmates. J.D. Vance is one of those hillbillies. His family moved from Kentucky to western Ohio for factory work. He was a poor kid with a drug-addicted mother. Vance was raised by his grandparents, entered the Marine Corps, got a law degree from Yale University and is now a principal in a San Francisco investment firm. In his new memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, Vance says that being an Appalachian kid at Yale was like being a Martian trying to fit in on Venus. Being an Appalachian kid in Silicon Valley isnt much better. He asked himself why there seemed to be no one of his background at Yale, and in answering the question he found himself meditating on the alienation of the white working class from the rest of America. That thread in the book has garnered Vance lots of attention from the pundits trying to understand Donald Trumps appeal to white men who have less than a college education. Vance says his grandmother set his grandfather on fire when he came home drunk (the grandfather survived). Conflict resolution between husbands and wives in his world involved much screaming and occasional violence. The people he grew up with acquired learned helplessness. He was taught an insult to your family should end in a fistfight. Vance saw no point in being educated until as a Marine he learned he did have some control over his own life and that his choices mattered. He describes growing up in a culture that almost seemed to be designed to keep people impoverished. This is the part that needs to grab New Mexicans notice. Culture matters. Here are two examples of culture acting on business. Factory jobs were abundant in the middle 20th century, so retaining a loyal workforce was tough. One factory owner noticed his hillbilly workers, who were incredibly loyal to their homes and kin, headed back to West Virginia and Kentucky nearly every weekend to visit family. He began scheduling a workweek with three- and four-day weekends. His workers loved it. A factory in northern New Mexico recruited a good local workforce that, according to some managers I talked with, would quit almost in its entirety when deer hunting season began. Anyone who pays the slightest attention knows that New Mexico relies on Santa Fe and Washington to direct its economy; it values equality of outcome perhaps as much as it values equality of opportunity; it is suspicious of success, new ideas and new people; personal relationships matter enormously, sometimes more than competence. These are all manifestations of our culture. Our state struggles to overcome pervasive poverty with tax incentives for companies that create jobs. Any jobs. We look for programs that will help our kids succeed in school. We create entrepreneurship programs at our universities and community colleges. But until we understand who we are as a people until we understand how we can live with or overcome the culture that made our economy we can expect, at best, mixed results from those efforts. UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Winthrop Quigley at 823-3896 or wquigley@abqjournal.com. Go to ABQjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor. The Albuquerque City Council is currently deciding whether to put a paid sick leave ballot initiative to city voters this Election Day. The proposal would require Albuquerque employers to offer up to seven days of paid sick leave each year to their employees. Proponents argue the measure is necessary to give people the option of staying home when sick without forgoing pay. No one should have to choose between their health and paying their bills, said Amanda Gallegos, a member of Healthy Workforce ABQ, which is behind the initiative. But new research by Thomas Ahn of the University of Kentucky suggests this choice might be made for them if the proposal is passed. Ahn finds that the costs of a paid sick leave mandate could result in fewer work hours and less income for younger employees. In the most robust and extensive analysis of a sick leave mandate to date, Ahns research examines Connecticuts first-in-the-nation state paid sick leave law, which was passed in 2011. Comparing Connecticut to the five surrounding New England states and controlling for other factors, he finds that Connecticut employees age 20-34 saw a 24-hour reduction in annual hours worked. That may not sound like much, but its the equivalent of about one weeks worth of work per year for someone working part-time. He estimates that this change cost employees about $850 in annual income. Thats roughly the cost of one months apartment rent in Albuquerque. Ahns research builds on an earlier Connecticut paid sick leave study, published in Applied Economics Letters, which finds a nearly 1 percent increase in the fraction of jobless employees in the state following the introduction of the mandate. Such academic research confirms the logic that some employers offset the costs associated with paid sick leave mandates by reducing opportunities elsewhere. Surveys of employers clarify exactly how these opportunities are reduced. For example, a survey of Connecticut employers conducted by my organization found that about one-third of affected businesses reduced employee benefits after the paid sick leave mandate took effect. In addition, one-fifth of respondents offset its costs by reducing hours or staffing levels. Proponents might counter that such labor market consequences are warranted if it means keeping sick employees out of the workplace. Its important for people to remember that it impacts all of us when a worker has to go to work sick, says Elizabeth Wagoner, an attorney at the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. But a comprehensive review of five paid sick leave studies concluded that there was little evidence to support the claim that workplace illness is reduced following the introduction of sick leave mandates. For instance, a study of San Franciscos paid sick leave law finds that just 3.3 percent of employers reported that the mandate reduced workplace illness. Similar results were reported in Seattle. Albuquerque employers worry that a paid sick leave law might be abused by some employees. This is already a problem: In a CareerBuilder poll last year of over 5,500 employees and hiring managers, nearly 40 percent of respondents said that employees called in sick from work even when they were feeling well. New research by Ahn and his colleague Aaron Yelowitz examines existing paid sick leave laws in the United States and finds that they have increased employee absenteeism by 1.2 days per year. Notably, these absences do not tend to occur in times of the most severe influenza outbreaks suggesting that employees may be using the benefit even when theyre not sick. Given the growing body of research that finds questionable benefits of these mandates and real costs, Albuquerque would be well-served by a closer look at the rose-colored rhetoric used to sell this law. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Employment Policies Institute receives support from restaurants, foundations and individuals. The attempts by Hillary Clintons campaign to paint Donald Trump as the candidate of President Vladimir Putin has led to an intense search for the Republican nominees Russian connections. Not much has turned up. But Russian oligarchs are among the Clinton campaign donors. As of today, Trumps links to Russia are tenuous. His adviser Carter Page once worked for the natural gas giant Gazprom. His campaign manager Paul Manafort once worked for the deposed Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, who is often described as pro-Russian even though he spent most of his career trying to set Russia and the European Union against each other. Manafort also had unsuccessful dealings with a Russian billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, who is still trying to recover millions of dollars from him. Trump himself once sold a very expensive house in Florida to Dmitri Rybolovlev, who made billions selling Russian potash. I mean, I do that, Trump said on ABC on Sunday. I have lots of condos. No prominent Russian-Americans have surfaced among Trumps donors. Even Leonard Blavatnik, the owner of Warner Music, who made most of his fortune estimated by Bloomberg Billionaires at $16.2 billion in Russia in oil and other industrial assets and who sprinkled donations generously among Republican candidates, has not given anything to Trump. His wife, Emily, has pitched in $33,400 to the Democratic Party and the maximum for a personal contribution, $2,700, to Clinton. Two other Clinton donors are Maria Baibakova, who gave $2,700 and who was described by Politico as a big player in Democratic Party politics, hosting fundraisers and serving on policy committees, and Daria Zhukova, with the same contributions as Emily Blavatniks. Baibakova is the daughter of Oleg Baibakov, a close associate of Mikhail Prokhorov, the owner of the Brooklyn Nets and a dwindling number of Russian assets. The sketchy privatization of Norilsk Nickel, the worlds biggest palladium producer, made Prokhorov rich; Baibakov served as vice president of Norilsk Nickel and then ran the development arm of Prokhorovs Russian investment vehicle, Onexim. Prokhorov has recently been in trouble with the Kremlin because of sensitive investigations published by a newspaper he owns. Baibakov is apolitical. Doing politics in our country is not just boring and unsafe, its pointless, he once said. So anyone looking for a Putin trail here will be disappointed. Maria Baibakova, however, drew ridicule in Russia for a callous column in the local edition of Tatler magazine on how to treat household help. She warned, for example, against handing over old clothes to staff. Zhukovas connections to Putin are somewhat murkier. She is the wife of Roman Abramovich, whose $10.7 billion fortune is based on the sale of his majority interest in the oil company Sibneft to Gazprom at a price that many considered inflated at the time. To avoid the kind of frontal attack Putin inflicted on the billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Abramovich played nice with Putin, serving for more than seven years as governor of the remote region of Chukotka and funding the post from his own pocket. Abramovich still owns a significant asset in Russia a stake in the steelmaker Evraz. Zhukova, a major figure in the contemporary art world, runs a big art center in Moscow called the Garage. That makes Abramovich, who spends most of his time outside Russia, politically vulnerable and requires him to remain a Putin ally. Zhukova, like Baibakova, is a U.S. citizen. That doesnt change the origin of her money and a certain lack of sensitivity to things that Americans may find offensive. In 2014, she was photographed sitting on a chair in the shape of a bound black woman. An online fashion publication released the photo on Martin Luther Kings birthday. Zhukova apologized, saying the chair was merely an art object and that she abhorred racism. Theres nothing wrong with these wealthy Russians affinity for Clinton: Both Baibakova and Zhukova profess to hold progressive views. Yet its easy to imagine the uproar if they were Trump supporters. A Democratic-leaning pundit would rush to point out a Kremlin connection. Looking for Russian connections in the U.S. election is a ridiculous exercise. Putin doesnt have the ability to influence the outcome of the election, and while he has reasons to prefer Trump, who is going out of his way to promise a detente with Russia, it would be imprudent of him not to be wary of both candidates. Yet the connections are everywhere: Russian money is essentially global, no matter what its origin. The world has changed since the locked-down Soviet Union was Americas arch-enemy. Leonid Bershidsky, a Bloomberg View contributor, is a Berlin-based writer. SAN DIEGO Its hard criticizing people you respect, and twice as hard if the criticism might be misinterpreted as defending someone you dont. Since Im Never Trump, Im free of the moral conflict of supporting a nominee who would stoop so low as to insult the parents of a dead soldier. This sort of thing should disqualify someone from serving as president. But then again, so does calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, mocking the disabled, demeaning women, suggesting that President George W. Bush knew about the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, beforehand, praising Saddam Hussein and Vladmir Putin, and threatening to ban an entire religion from the United States. Yet because of my line of work, Im not free to ignore the truth, even when its uncomfortable especially when its uncomfortable. Heres the truth: There are many good ways for parents to remember and honor a child theyve lost. But using their anguish as a springboard to enter the political rough and tumble by picking a fight with a partys nominee isnt one of them. When Khizr and Ghazala Khan the Gold Star parents of Capt. Humayun Khan, an American soldier killed in Iraq attacked Trump with a stinging personal rebuke at the Democratic National Convention, they did Hillary Clinton a big favor. Yet with those remarks and later television appearances, the Khans did nothing to serve the memory of their fallen son. Ive interviewed Gold Star parents, and they have a special burden to watch what they say and do so as not to let politics in any way diminish their sacrifice. Some have fallen short, and both political parties have shamelessly exploited their anger. The Khans are now in a media-fueled tit-for-tat with Trump, who in a startling lack of social skills suggested that the reason that Ghazala Khan, a grieving mother, kept quiet as her husband spoke was that Islam commands it. Even Republicans couldnt stomach such disrespect, and many of them have fired at Trump. Good for them. But, amid all the insults flying about, havent we lost sight of something rather important like an American hero? Humayun Khan was the real deal. On June 8, 2004, he lost his life when he ran toward the vehicle of a suicide bomber who was accelerating toward a facility with hundreds of American soldiers. Where do we find such people? And how did America get so lucky as to have more than her share? That Humayun Khan died serving his country is a tragedy, but how he died makes for a great story. Its a tale that I might have expected to hear from his parents when they had the chance to address the nation during the Democratic convention. But I didnt hear it from them. Instead, I heard it from subsequent media accounts and from Sen. John McCains official statement condemning Trump for his disparagement of a fallen soldiers parents and re-emphasizing as Clinton did that Humayun Khan represented the best of America. Maybe the reason I didnt hear the heroic story of Humayun Khan from his parents is because, of the 300 words in Khizr Khans convention speech, almost half 134 words were about Trump. Khan started out criticizing the real estate developer for smearing the character of Muslims, disrespecting minorities, attacking fellow Republicans, and vowing to build walls and ban Muslims from the United States. He insinuated that Trump had never read the U.S. Constitution, and offered to lend the GOP nominee his copy. He followed that broadside by asking if Trump had been to Arlington National Cemetery and seen the grave sites of patriots who come in all faiths, genders and ethnicities. He then accused Trump of having sacrificed nothing in life, and finally insisted that Americans cant solve our problems by building walls and sowing division. It was an effective political speech, the kind you expect to hear at a party convention but not what you should hear from parents of a fallen soldier. The Khans had the chance to honor their son by telling his story to the country. Instead, they wasted the opportunity by criticizing a self-centered con man and carnival barker with a mean streak who used deferments to skip out on the Vietnam War and isnt fit to have carried their sons duffel bag. Its just one more tragic element of a tale that was already guaranteed to break your heart. Copyright, The Washington Post Writers Group. BOULDER, Colo. Boulder has joined other cities across the nation in recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day each year as a way to celebrate Native American culture. The Daily Camera reports (http://bit.ly/2aTB7oM ) the City Council voted Tuesday in favor of the new holiday, which will be celebrated on Columbus Day each year. Mayor Suzanne Jones said at the city meeting she was sorry the holiday proclamation took so long. The citys decision culminates months of work spearheaded by the citys Human Relations Commission. It also comes after Democratic State Rep. Joe Salazar of Thornton authorized a bill this year seeking to replace the state Columbus Day holiday with Indigenous Peoples Day. As part of the citys new holiday declaration, officials have also decided to rename Settlers Park at the mouth of Boulder Canyon. ___ Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/ Complaints that Albuquerque-Bernalillo County air quality policies permit the build-up of harmful pollution in minority neighborhoods will be investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Civil Rights. Lilian S. Dorka, acting director of EPAs Office of Civil Rights, announced the investigation in a letter mailed recently to the SouthWest Organizing Project, an organization that says it is dedicated to social and economic justice, and the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, the two entities that filed a complaint with EPA two years ago. The complaint alleges that the Albuquerque Air Quality Division and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by not considering cumulative impacts when granting permits to air-polluting facilities in such low-income, heavily industrial communities as San Jose and Mountain View, both located south of Downtown Albuquerque. Danny Nevarez, deputy director for the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department and the man who oversees air quality, said the city and county have the highest designation of air quality granted by EPA. We have 20 years of air-quality monitoring and have hired people to review the data, Nevarez said. Essentially, no matter which way you slice the pie, Albuquerque, including the areas of concern, has good air quality. We have a monitoring station right next to the Mountain View Community Center. The areas of concern San Jose and Mountain View are communities pierced by railroad tracks and occupied by gravel and concrete companies, oil refineries and tanks filled with gasoline and other petrochemicals. Many of the people who live there are Hispanic and many of them are poor. Eighty percent (of Albuquerques) heavy industry is in these areas, said George Lujan, SWOP communications organizer. Everybody has a permit and is only putting out so much pollution. But since you have all these plants right next to each other and a school right there, the kids are getting the cumulative impact. San Jose Elementary has a higher-than-average rate of asthma. There is respiratory illness and cancer in those neighborhoods. The complaint also charged that the city and county violated the Civil Rights Act by denying a request for a hearing aimed at adopting a requirement for considering cumulative impacts of pollutants during the permitting process. Sometimes it takes the state or the feds coming down, Lujan said. Hopefully, this will push the Air Quality Control Board to protect the environmental justice community, people of color or low income dealing with an inordinate amount of pollution and impacts on health. Nevarez points out that the EPA letter, also received by the city, states that the decision to investigate is not a decision on the merits and that EPAs Office of Civil Rights will act as a neutral fact-finder as it gathers information. It certainly doesnt mean any of the allegations are founded, Nevarez said. It simply means the Office (of Civil Rights) will look into it. Water issues affect the entire nation especially New Mexico. A documentary, airing at 7 tonight on the Discovery Channel, will bring some light to the issue. Killing the Colorado was filmed over the course of a few years, and filmmaker Jesse Moss was in charge of filming in New Mexico, which forms part of the Colorado River Basin. He began filming in September 2015 and made four trips to New Mexico in six months. Its a great project and exciting to collaborate with all the other filmmakers, he said. Were exploring how it relates to the wider fabric of water use, policy and management. Moss says the documentary examines the complexities of water usage, health effects pertaining to the drought, the right to use and sell water and the direct impact it can have on communities and agriculture. Almost every state in the Colorado Basin is planning to build new dams and new diversions. New Mexicos latest effort to capture more water is a diversion on the Gila River. Though Arizona controls most of the Gila water rights, using the river to supply its farms and cities, Congress is allowing New Mexico to claim more water from the river, with $62 million of federal funds. The Gila River diversion is just an example of what a lot of communities up and down the Colorado River are either thinking about or actually pursuing, Moss said. More dams, more diversion, different ways to take more water out of the Colorado River and move it into their communities. With various communities all vying for water, the Colorado River is drying up. Since 2000, the river has lost 4 trillion gallons of water. Water has a storied history fought over, debated about, diverted, dammed and overseen by authorities, but it has never been viewed as a commodity by Wall Street until now. Water trading is a $480 billion business that is growing at the rate of 6 percent a year. As water becomes more and more scarce, the price of it soars. Moss said that in some places in the West, the price of water has increased 1,000 percent in the past two years. It was a challenge on multiple levels, he says. We wanted to grasp the intricacies of the Gila Diversion Project and how it fits in with a wider context. Moss spent time with those on both sides of the story. In New Mexico, he found subjects open to be filmed and talk about the situation. People always wanted to know where I was coming from, he said. I was trying to understand the stories and the bigger issues. Then I had to condense it to 25 minutes and still have an audience understand the issues. On TV The documentary Killing the Colorado will air at 7 tonight on Discovery Channel. It will be available on-demand on Friday. WASHINGTON Top Republican lawmakers charged the Obama administration with paying a ransom to Iranian leaders in return for the release of four American prisoners, allegations the White House forcefully denied. U.S. officials reportedly loaded an unmarked cargo plane with $400 million in cash stacked on pallets and delivered it to Iranian officials around the same time the prisoners were released in January. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news on what a front-page headline called a planeload of cash. White House officials said Wednesday the payment was not a ransom, but rather repayment of money owed to Iran for a canceled arms deal four decades ago. The payment was also raised in a January 2016 news conference. Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain of Arizona called the $400 million payment disturbing, with a few of his GOP colleagues using even more blunt language. McCain issued a statement saying that what he sees as a cash-for-hostages settlement was hardly surprising given (the administrations) long record of concessions to Americas adversaries. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California noted that America has had a longstanding policy to not reward terrorists and kidnappers with cash. Bad behavior should be punished, not subsidized, McCarthy said in a statement. But President Obama and his Iranian negotiating team threw that out the window when they stacked $400 million of euros and Swiss francs onto wooden pallets, stuck those wooden pallets in an unmarked cargo plane, and flew those stacks of cash off to Iran. Asked if the $400 million payment was sent to Iran in January in return for the prisoners release, White House press secretary Josh Earnest replied, No, it was not. It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages, Earnest told reporters. He described the payment as part of a series of negotiations between Iran, U.S. and Western officials on a range of issues. One was curbing Irans nuclear ambitions; another were the hostages; and a third was the $400 million, which the U.S. has long said is owed to Iran due to a 1979 arms deal that was canceled after the fall of the late Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. There was a conscious, strategic decision that was made on the part of the Obama administration, as we were implementing the deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, to resolve other longstanding concerns that we had with Iran, Earnest said. And that included securing the release of American citizens whod been unjustly detained in Iran and closing out a longstanding financial dispute in a way that saved the American people potentially billions of dollars, he added. So this all came to a head at the same time because we are addressing and resolving longstanding concerns with Iranian behavior and the benefits are almost too long to mention. He gave a similar answer when asked about the payment in a Jan. 19 news conference. Notably, the normally cool and even-keeled Earnest at several times became animated Wednesday when taking reporters questions about the payment and its timing. He said opponents of President Barack Obama are trying to use the report and payment to score political points. Whats more, Earnest, who never confirmed that the funds were transferred via a cargo plane, said the cash could not be easily transferred electronically from a U.S. account to an Iranian one because the countries lack a formal banking relationship. Republican lawmakers werent buying it though. Whatever the administration may claim, it is clear that this payment was a ransom for Americans held hostage in Iran, said McCain, who dubbed the payment reckless and foolish. Just like the administrations reckless nuclear deal, this cash payment incentivized further belligerent Iranian behavior, such as the arrests of two more Iranian-Americans, he said. The Iranian regime now has an additional $400 million to support Bashar Assad in Syria and terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, he added. Copyright 2016 Albuquerque Journal Members of a U.S. Marshals task force who stormed an apartment in late May to arrest a suspect had to be rescued by the Albuquerque police SWAT team after they came under gunfire, according to court documents obtained by the Journal. The gunfight with the suspect, 31-year-old Mario Montoya, left the team pinned inside the apartment, according to a search warrant affidavit written that night. The task force called APD, which arrived and was able to get them out. Montoya died at the scene. The task force had been attempting to take Montoya into custody for a probation violation aafter he disappeared from La Pasada Halfway House on Fourth Street on May 20, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court. He had been arrested in February after allegedly breaking into mailboxes near Juan Tabo and Central, and was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Montoyas mother-in-law, Victoria Ulibarri, told the Journal he had texted her daughter from the halfway house asking her to give him a ride, but she refused. Montoya left the halfway house in a black SUV and cut off his GPS ankle bracelet, according to the complaint. Deputy marshals found him and his girlfriend, Colleen Calamia, 37, at the apartment on Western Skies the evening of May 24. They arrested Calamia as she was leaving the apartment and later charged her with concealing a person from arrest. When the deputy marshals entered the apartment, Montoya fired on them and they returned fire, according to the search warrant affidavit. The U.S. Marshals had to barricade in the apartment due to an exchange of gunfire until help could arrive, the APD detective wrote in the affidavit. The SWAT team was successful in safely retrieving the U.S. Marshals from the apartment. Montoya was shot and killed by the marshals task force, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. But at the time, the marshals were not sure if he was down. The condition of the suspect is currently unknown, a detective wrote. APD filed the affidavit seeking authorization to re-enter the apartment after both teams had safely left it. The detective seeking the search warrant wrote that the situation was volatile, so she requested approval from a judge to execute it at night. After obtaining the search warrant, officers found Montoyas body in a closet. They also found casings, projectiles, narcotic pipes, a pistol, ammunition, narcotics and police gear, according to the warrant. They asked specifically to retrieve the police gear, saying it may have been lost during the retrieval of the U.S. Marshals SWIFT team from the listed apartment. Few details have been released about the shooting, except the name of the suspect. Montoyas mother-in-law said Montoya was bipolar and had struggled with drug addiction. She said he had been with her daughter, who was the mother of their four children, for 13 years, but they broke up due to his drug addiction. The names of the officers on the task force have not been released, but APD said Detective Jerrod Pelot was on the task force and involved in the incident. He has since been transferred to another APD unit. A spokesman for the Marshals service said he forwarded to the U.S. Attorneys Office several questions from the Journal about how the task force got trapped in the apartment, how many agents were involved and how many fired. They hadnt responded by Wednesday evening. A June 28 records request to APD under the Inspection of Public Records Act seeking documents related to the shooting and Pelots role was deemed excessively burdensome and broad. The department asked for additional time to complete it. The records custodian said Wednesday that he was still waiting for some records. A University of New Mexico professor who was suspended and censured after a sexual harassment investigation that involved interviews of students and faculty will return to the classroom this fall, albeit under supervision. UNM Provost Chaouki Abdallah, in a statement to the Journal, on Wednesday acknowledged the case involving assistant anthropology professor Cristobal Valencia and said the universitys goal was to prevent future misconduct. Every effort has been and will be taken to protect the rights of all students and faculty, the statement read. The findings are troubling, and the recommended discipline is designed to re-establish a good learning environment that ensures the safety and well being of everyone who is affected. But those findings remain secret as the university produced documents that were blacked out extensively. Meanwhile, the director of the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico said UNMs actions in this case would be terrifying for the victims. What theyre seeing is not only was he found guilty, but he is coming back, said Rape Crisis Center director May Sagbakken. And that speaks to the fact that youre not safe. Gail Houston, an English professor at UNM, told the Journal she had advised a student who was troubled by interactions with Valencia to report the case to the university. I thought, good, this all was going to be resolved, she said. It will be taken care of. I had trust that those institutional presences would take care of it. But Houston said that when she learned Valencia would be returning to class, she was confused. The Office of Equal Opportunity had found cause, Houston said, so why was he returning to the classroom? Valencia didnt respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. Abdallah said the university will provide counselors and psychologists for students. Additionally, he said the faculty senates ethics committee has been asked to review the anthropology department and make any additional recommendations they believe might be helpful and appropriate. And he said, if necessary, further disciplinary action would be taken against Valencia. The investigation comes at a time when the Department of Justice said UNMs policies failed to comply with some federal gender anti-discrimination laws. The federal agency released that report earlier this year and is negotiating with university officials on how to move forward. Documents redacted Documents detailing the investigation obtained from the university by the Journal under the Inspection of Public Records Act were heavily redacted by UNM even to the point of blacking out in his suspension letter what appear to be specific policies Valencia was found to have violated. The documents mention sexual harassment and differential treatment around sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity. A partially redacted memo written to Valencia by Mark Peceny, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and dated March 30, informed him that the investigation into sexual harassment and discrimination claims demonstrated that your actions were in violation of university policies Peceny said that in view of the extremely serious nature of the findings, Valencia was immediately suspended with pay from all academic duties Censure involves a permanent mark on Valencias record. Additionally, he will be monitored by other faculty members who regularly will sit in his classes, and he must report to a committee about his interactions with students. The eight-page OEO report said there was sexual harassment hostile environment and that OEO found probable cause. Valencia is appealing, according to UNM. Valencia is an assistant professor in the anthropology department and has taught courses since 2002. He teaches courses about anthropology in Latin America and New Mexico, according to the university website. The Journal also reached out to the chairman of the department, Les Field, who said he made the decision to censure Valencia, but he said he couldnt comment on the specifics of the decision because it was a personnel matter. I feel that were taking all appropriate actions to guarantee the safety within the power that we have as a department, Field said. At least four witnesses were part of the initial investigation and 44 interviews eventually were conducted of faculty and students. The documents provided by UNM indicate the investigation began in June 2015, but its unclear when it concluded or what the specific allegations were. What is clear is UNM administrators suspended Valencia from late March to June and ordered him to avoid contact with faculty and students in the department. On June 28, Peceny wrote to Valencia saying his suspension had been lifted. The dean wrote the chair of the department of anthropology (Field) has determined the appropriate disciplinary action to be censure. Copyright 2016 Albuquerque Journal Sometimes the distance between what the police charge and what prosecutors can prove is a gap. In the case handed to Assistant District Attorney Spirit Gaines, it was more like a chasm. That is why on Wednesday, when the last of the five defendants whod been charged with first-degree or second-degree murder of Richard Zarate came to court for sentencing, the longest sentence imposed was seven years for the person who actually beat up the 65-year-old victim in May 2014. That was Marcus Ryan Hamilton, 22, who already has served two years in custody and who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and using Zarates credit cards. Also sentenced Wednesday was Phillip Martin, 27, who did not participate in the beating but pleaded no contest to theft or unauthorized use of the credit card of another. He was sentenced to time served and five years of supervised probation. Most of the pleas were to fourth-degree felonies a far cry from the initial charges in 2014. The police report said Hamilton and his girlfriend Samantha Ross were friends and roommates of one of Zarates family members who had accused Zarate of a sexual assault that was under investigation at the time of the incident. Police also suggested the motive was robbery, though a defense attorney said Wednesday in court that Hamilton and his girlfriend were retrieving their personal belongings from the home when the argument erupted over a police report. What was on the police report was not what we could have presented at trial, Gaines told 2nd Judicial District Judge Christina Argyres. In police reports, it looked planned, but it came out differently in pre-trial interviews. Prosecutors conducted more than 40 interviews and got DNA samples from boots that were tested. Hamilton completely recanted his initial story that Martin was involved in the beating, and other statements corroborated this revised version. As Gaines pointed out, the prosecution must review evidence looking at reasonable doubt, the jurys mandate in deciding a case whereas police bring initial charges based on the far lower evidentiary standard of probable cause. What you start off with is not always what you end up with, but we have to look at the facts as if it were presented at trial, she said. Its been a very difficult case. It was only after the pre-trial interviews that plea offers were extended. The judge was bound by their terms if she accepted the pleas. Ashley Zarate, 21, the victims granddaughter, and her friend Ross, 23, entered guilty pleas to credit card fraud charges and were sentenced to probation in July. Maxine Casados pleaded guilty to harboring or aiding a fugitive and was sentenced Tuesday to three years on probation with credit for the 10 months she spent in custody. The pleas did not please some of the Zarate family, which wanted more prison time for the defendants. Judge Argyres was not free to impose it. Over the weekend he was beaten, each of Richard Zarates four daughters mistakenly assumed their father was with one of the others, and he was not found for three days. Zarates existing health condition and lack of medications to deal with the problem led to organ failure and his death 10 days later. Leanne Hamilton, an assistant public defender unrelated to her client, said that at the time Marcus Hamilton went to Zarates home, There was no plan, no intent to harm anyone. She said that she had seen remorse by her client, who admittedly did the wrong thing. Hamilton himself apologized and said he took full responsibility for his actions. Martins attorney Stacey Ward called witnesses who spoke highly of the defendants temperament, character and participation as a drummer in his church band. She said the prosecutor was correct in stating the case disintegrated, and suggested police misconduct was behind the false statement implicating Martin, who had never even met Zarate. The Zarate family has been misled with regard to the two suspects, she said, later adding, Phillip Martin was not responsible for the loss of life of Mr. Zarate not legally, not morally. Argyres, who often voiced sympathy for the Zarate familys frustration with the system, said Gaines has been a great prosecutor. And sometimes the facts dont pan out. Holly Holm underwent successful surgery Wednesday morning to repair a badly broken left thumb suffered during the Albuquerque MMA fighters July 23 loss to Valentina Shevchenko in Chicago, Holms agent said Wednesday. Albuquerques Lenny Fresquez, referring to the thumb as having been shattered, said the injury occurred in the first round of the match on a UFC on Fox card at the United Center. Holm lost by unanimous decision. Rehabilitation from the injury will require from six to eight weeks, Fresquez said, meaning that Holm wont resume training until mid-September or October and will not return to competition until November or December at the earliest. Shell be fine, Fresquez said. Shell come back stronger than ever. The surgery was performed in Albuquerque at Presbyterian Hospital, he said. Holm said nothing about the thumb injury in post-fight interviews and has posted nothing regarding it since then on social media. She is a left-handed fighter, meaning the left is her power hand. The former world champion boxer never stopped throwing the left during the fight but did so sparingly and with little effect. Holm is 10-2 as an MMA fighter, 3-2 in UFC competition. She has lost two fights in a row for the first time in her combat-sports career, having lost to Miesha Tate in the first defense of the UFC womens bantamweight title shed won with her stunning upset victory over Ronda Rousey in Australia last November. LAS CRUCES In contested races in the Nov. 8 general election, the average amount of campaign contributions raised by state senate candidates in Dona Ana County is $60,580, based on campaign finance reports filed by July 7 with the New Mexico Secretary of State. Candidates running for state representative have raised an average of $46,209 in donations. With a little more than three months to go before the Nov. 8 general election, the amounts of money being raised by candidates in state races is a bit surprising to some Las Crucens, while others believe the large amounts are due, at least in part, to an election year where voters will also cast ballots for U.S. president. That seems like a lot of money to me, said Las Cruces homemaker Connie Tafoya, of the average amounts of campaign contributions made so far. Youve got to figure it isnt cheap to run for office, and I imagine before its all said and done a lot more money will be raised. But $60,000 raised already for state senate, that much money does surprise me a little. The amounts are based on data compiled by New Mexico In Depth. In late July, New Mexico In Depth published stories on its website on House and Senate campaign finances for legislative races statewide. Jeff Steinborn, a Las Cruces Democrat who is running against Republican Lee Cotter for the state Senate District 36 election, said campaign contributions are rising. The amounts are increasing because of Citizens United and the opening of the flood gates allowing dark money, from anonymous donors, into elections, Steinborn said. He added campaign contributions could easily reach six figures among some candidates this year. Its becoming more common, Steinborn said. One candidate, Las Cruces Republican Terry McMillan, has already raised $106,372 in his attempt to be re-elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives. McMillan will face Democrat Joanne Ferrary for the District 37 seat in the state House. As of early July, Ferrary had raised $66,373 in campaign contributions. Total campaign contributions raised by Steinborn and Cotter through early July were close to even. Cotter, the incumbent state senator for District 36, had raised $74,092, while Steinborn, who has served in the state House of Representatives since 2013, and from 2006 until 2010, had $72,351 in campaign contributions. But Cotter has at least $65,857 available for the general election. Steinborn, who was opposed in June primary election, has $34,326. The difference comes down to costs Steinborn had in June for the primary, while Cotter did not have a challenger in the primary. Obviously, there is still a lot of work we have to do, Steinborn said. But, Im proud of support Ive been getting from 300 contributors. Its been pretty broad based. While average campaign contributions indicate more money has been contributed to campaigns, that hasnt happened among all candidates in contested races. In contrast to McMillans six-figure contributions, Republican Neal Hooks, who is running for the District 33 House seat, listed only $25 in campaign donations with the Secretary of State. Republican Charles Wender, who is running for the District 38 state Senate seat, reported $2,050 in contributions through early July. However, incumbent District 37 state senator William Soules, had contributions totaling $100,565. Donations to Soules campaign were easily the highest smong five state senate candidates, in Dona Ana County, who will be in contested races in November. Updated campaign finance reports must be submitted to the New Mexico Secretary of States Office by Sept. 12. Steve Ramirez can be reached at 575-541-5452, sramirez@lcsun-news.com, or @SteveRamirez6 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. _____ LAS CRUCES A lawsuit by a news media outlet seeking the disclosure of all applications in the search for a Las Cruces city manager cleared hurdles Wednesday that couldve stopped the case in its tracks. The public records lawsuit by Haussamen Publications, which publishes NMPolitics.net, will proceed after a state district judge denied two motions seeking its dismissal. Both the city and its consultant hiring firm, The Mercer Group Inc., had requested to end the case. Also on Wednesday, 3rd Judicial District Judge Jim Martin rejected a request by the city for an outright ruling in its favor, saying there are still facts disputed by the parties that should be cleared up. He said the denial is without prejudice, meaning the door is left open for the city to refile it in the future. As part of resolving those factual issues, NMPolitics.net will be able to carry out information-gathering, a legal process called discovery, related to the city managers search, said Las Cruces-based attorney C.J. McElhinney, whos representing the news outlet. Heath Haussamen, owner of Haussamen Publications, said in a video post Wednesday afternoon the decisions were really good news for NMPolitics.net and I would argue the public on all counts. In May, the city gave NMPolitics.net 11 applications filed by candidates in the manager search. But the city didnt turn over dozens more, arguing that the remaining names werent in the citys possession but rather in that of The Mercer Groups. The Sun-News, via a public-records request, also sought the full list of applicants to the city managers search, but didnt receive it. However, the Sun-News hasnt filed a legal action in the matter. NMPolitics.nets information-gathering going forward will pertain to a nine-point legal test identified by the New Mexico Court of Appeals in determining whether a private company doing work for a public entity is subject to the states New Mexico Public Records Act or not. The test, informally dubbed the Toomey Test because of the legal case from which it is derived, was repeatedly referenced in the courtroom on Wednesday. Attorneys for the city and The Mercer Group argued thresholds in the test werent met. McElhinney said not all parts of the Toomey Test must be met for The Mercer Group Inc. to be subject to the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act, one of the states key government transparency laws. The overall effect of the city and the companys relationship must be examined, he said. Robert Cates, deputy city of Las Cruces attorney, argued the city isnt delegating any of its authority to The Mercer Group. Rather, he contended the company is carrying only basic-level screening by eliminating applicants who dont meet minimum job-posting requirements. The idea that the city council has deferred its authority to The Mercer Group is wrong, he argued. Theyre not deferring or giving those functions over, he told Martin. Cates did say The Mercer Group in one instance forwarded a candidates name to the city council who didnt meet all of the basic criteria but was close to meeting them. McElhinney said the city council, per the city charter, is tasked with searching for and selecting a city manager. And the relationship between the city and the company meets aspects of the nine-point test, such as The Mercer Group Inc. carrying out a duty the city was otherwise required to perform. Initial screening of applicants is a job the city would be required to carry out if it didnt have a contractor, he said. Its clear there was some judgment and discretion going on that ordinarily would have been executed by the city council, he told Martin. Said McElhinney: In this case, Mercer was clearly acting on behalf of the city. Cody Rogers, an attorney for The Mercer Group, said just because a company has a contract with a public body doesnt mean that its subject to an Inspection of Public Records Act request. She argued that the instance of the company forwarding the name of an applicant to the city who was borderline qualified for the position is an indication the city council has retained its authority over the city managers search process. McElhinney said after the proceeding hes concerned an ultimate ruling against NMPolitics.net would create a bad precedent by allowing local governments to outsource aspects of their activities they want to keep secret. City spokesman Udell Vigil declined to comment on Wednesdays rulings. Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443, dalba@lcsun-news.com or @AlbaSoular 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. _____ WASHINGTON The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign (all times local): 6:34 p.m. A spokesman says Mike Pence is endorsing all GOP congressional incumbents who are seeking re-election even as Donald Trump hesitates to support several of the partys most prominent members of Congress. The mass endorsement is the latest attempt by Pence to smooth over turmoil within the Republican Party stirred by Trump in recent days. Trump previously refused to endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and House Speaker Paul Ryan. Before issuing the blanket endorsement Thursday, Pence on Wednesday endorsed Ryan in his GOP primary, which is next week. ___ 6:21 p.m. Donald Trump says the best deal he could negotiate as president would be peace all over the world. And no, Trump adds, hes not quitting the presidential race despite one of the most difficult weeks of his campaign. He tells a Maine newspaper that we fought very hard, I spent tremendous numbers of hours and days and months winningand here I am. He adds that hes really happy with his standing, despite a week in which hes clashed with Republican Party leaders, kicked a crying baby out of his rally and kept up a spat with the Muslim American parents of an Army veteran killed in Iraq. Asked by the Portland Press Herald on Thursday whats the best deal he could negotiate as president, Trump replied, Peace all over the world. He added, And I think I would know how to do it better than anybody else. ___ 5:39 p.m. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence spent the last year trying to avoid talk about conservative social issues. Now that hes Donald Trumps vice presidential nominee, hes happy to wade in. Pence told a questioner at a town hall rally in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Thursday that civil rights protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people are best addressed at the local level not nationally. Pence has deep support from social conservatives. But his approval rating in Indiana took a dive after he signed a religious objections law that critics said sanctioned discrimination against gays and lesbians on religious grounds. Critics viewed it as an attempt to overrule local ordinances granting LGBT civil rights protections. The law was changed to prohibit discrimination after it provoked a national backlash. ___ 5:20 p.m. President Barack Obama has a suggestion for Donald Trump and his claims that the election will be rigged: Go out there and try to win the election. Obama said Trumps recent suggestions that this falls election wont be completely fair are ridiculous. He added, Of course the election will not be rigged. What does that even mean? Obama noted that the federal government does not run the presidential election. Rather, thats a function carried out by states and local governments. But he said the federal government will take seriously our responsibility to monitor and preserve the integrity of the election and Americans voting rights. ___ 5:20 p.m. President Barack Obama says that Donald Trumps suggestion that the U.S. election process is rigged is ridiculous. The president addressed Trumps comments Thursday at a White House briefing. Trump said this week that elections are rigged after several states repealed laws that restricted the types of voter IDs that would be widely accepted at polling stations. ___ 5:00 p.m. President Barack Obama says Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should receive classified security briefings as the presidential nominees because its both tradition and required by the law. He adds that he expects them to start acting like a president and keep them secret. Obama had been asked during a Pentagon press conference whether he is concerned about Trump getting classified security briefings as the Republican presidential nominee. ___ 4:45 p.m. Mike Pence says his running mate, Donald Trump, does not have time for the thousands of rules of political correctness. The Indiana governor and Republican vice presidential nominee told a crowd on Thursday in Virginia Beach, Virginia, that Trump speaks straight from his heart, straight from his mind. It was just the latest instance of Pence attempting to smooth over controversy provoked by Trump, who has feuded with the family of a slain Army captain and refused to endorse prominent Republicans facing re-election. Earlier Pence said that he and Trump have different styles. And he added that his even keeled demeanor was partly intended to balance out Trumps personality. ___ 4:40 p.m. Secret service agents stepped on stage next to Hillary Clinton after protesters interrupted a Thursday campaign rally in Las Vegas. The protesters were animal rights activists. Apparently these people are here to protest Trump because Trump and his kids have killed a lot of animals, Clinton said. Trump has said his sons love to hunt. Theyve been pictured with dead exotic game animals, including a leopard and elephant tail. Killing endangered species is highly controversial and illegal in some places. ___ 4:20 p.m. Hillary Clinton is attacking rival Donald Trump for outsourcing at his companies, saying hes sending overseas the very jobs hes promised to create back at home. Clinton said after touring an electric manufacturing company : Everything hes made hes made somewhere else. Hes not put Americans to work. She said: Ive met people who were destroyed by Donald Trump, so take a look at what hes done, not what he says. Clinton is campaigning in Las Vegas where shes been talking about her economic plans. Shes been hitting Trump for manufacturing his branded products, including ties and clothing, at overseas factories. Clinton aides see the attacks as a way to undercut Trumps business credentials, which have formed the core of his campaign message. ___ 4:15 p.m. Republican Donald Trump is praising House Speaker Paul Ryan, whom he has thus far declined to endorse in his primary race. Trump told supporters at a rally in Maine, that Paul Ryans a good guy. Trump said in an interview this week that hes just not quite there yet when it comes to endorsing Ryan, who has not shied away from criticizing the Republican nominee on a number of issues. The mention of Ryan drew some boos from the crowd. Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, on Wednesday delivered a full-throated endorsement of Ryan on Wednesday, marking a break from the nominee, Trump said Pence called him to ask if hed mind the endorsement. I said go ahead and do it, 100 percent, Trump said. He also dismissed reports that the endorsement suggested there was a fissure between the two. ___ 4 p.m. Protesters holding pocket U.S. Constitutions are interrupting Donald Trumps rally in Portland, Maine. At least three groups of protesters have stood up to voice their opposition to the Republican presidential nominee. As one group was led out by private security officials, a Trump supporter tried to grab at the documents. The protesters appeared to be referencing Khizr Khan, a vocal Trump critic whose son was killed in the Iraq war. Khan delivered an emotional appeal at the Democratic National Convention, holding up a copy of the Constitution as he challenged Trump. The protesters were met by boos and chants of USA! from Trump supporters. Trumps rallies used to be marked by constant protesters, but they have died down in recent weeks. Trump responded by saying, that he sort of missed my protesters. We need law and order, he said. ___ 3:50 p.m. Republican Donald Trump is again referencing footage of Iranians off-loading $400 million in cash from a plane that his campaign says he didnt see. Trump repeated at a rally in Maine that he saw footage distributed by the Iranians showing the cash being delivered to Tehran in January. They want to embarrass our president he said. But Trumps campaign said earlier Wednesday that Trump was simply referring to old footage shown on all major broadcasts this morning when he mentioned the video. That footage was not taken in Iran and did not show Iranians offloading money. The Washington Post said the footage Trump saw was grainy nighttime video of people getting off a small plane, holding bags. Geneva, January 17, the footage is clearly labeled. Trump apparently mistakenly assumed that this footage depicted the cash transfer. ___ 3:35 p.m. Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine says he has an answer for reporters who keep asking whether he still supports his partys nominee, Donald Trump. The answers very simple: Yes. More than ever, he said at a mid-day Trump rally in his state. LePage is introducing Trump in Portland, where he is campaigning Thursday. LePage said the media has been very tough on Trump since the beginning of the race, but is giving rival Hillary Clinton a free pass. They attack him every single day, he said. They love to sensationalize a few comments and then they make a big deal about it. Trumps supporters responded to his mention of Clinton by chanting, Lock her up! LePage labeled her the queen of corruption. ____ 3:30 p.m. A Koch brothers group is announcing a new $1 million ad buy in the Wisconsin Senate race to support Republican incumbent Ron Johnson. The announcement Thursday comes two weeks after the group, Freedom Partners Action Fund, acknowledged it was canceling $2.2 million in ad reservations in the state. That earlier move was widely interpreted as Republicans writing off Johnsons chances against Democrat Russ Feingold, who has led in polls. Freedom Partners fund spokesman James Davis says the decision to get back into the race reflects some shifts in the polls and that it was a false interpretation to think the group had given up on Johnson. Johnson is one of the most vulnerable senators this election cycle. Billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch are major donors to Republicans. ___ 12:45 p.m. A Colorado congressman is the first House Republican to expressly distance himself from Donald Trump in a campaign ad. Rep. Mike Coffman faces a tough challenge in Colorados most ethnically diverse congressional seat, in suburban Denver. His Democratic opponent repeatedly compares him to Trump. Coffman starts a new television ad talking about his partys presidential nominee. Coffman looks at the camera and says hes always asked about Trump and then says, Honestly, I dont care for him much. Coffman promises that if Trump is elected, Ill stand up to him. Coffman adds that he would also stand up to Hillary Clinton. The 30-second ad begins airing in Denver Friday. Politico first reported the ad. ___ 12:30 p.m. Mike Pence came under harsh questioning at a campaign event. His interrogator: an 11-year old. At a town hall Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina, Pence, Donald Trumps running mate, took a question from a boy who identified himself as 11-year old Matthew. Matthew said Pence has been softening up on Mr. Trumps policies and words and questioned whether that would be his role in a Trump administration. That prompted an outburst of laughter from the crowd and led Pence to predict that Matthew will be governor of North Carolina someday. Apparently alluding to controversial comments by Trump, Pence said, sometimes things dont always come out like you mean. Pence added that he and Trump have different styles you might have noticed that. ___ ___ This story has been corrected to reflect Obamas quote Go out there and try to win the election. Testimony filed in a case on a proposed Facebook data center in Los Lunas reveals that the company could pay the states largest utility around $31 million each year for electricity. That revelation was among the testimony filed by Public Regulation Commission staff and parties involved in a case on a proposed Facebook data center in Los Lunas now before the commission. The testimony will be weighed by the PRC in its decision on a proposal by the Public Service Company of New Mexico to provide renewable energy to the data center. The proposal includes, among other things, a mechanism for PNM to recoup the costs of supplying energy to the data center, as well as the construction of a new solar facility. The PRC will hold a public hearing on the case Aug. 9. The testimony was due to the commission Wednesday. The parties that submitted testimony were several PNM executives, three members of the PRC utility division staff and one of the intervening parties. The cost figure came from the testimony of John Olmsted, PNMs project manager of pricing and cost of service, in response to several PRC requests for additional information from the utility. If the Los Lunas data center becomes a reality, it would be one of the largest electricity consumers in the state. A PNM spokesman said the company had no comment at this time. All of the testimony supported PNMs application, although PRC staff recommended PNM provide an annual information report to the PRC disclosing the revenues it receives as a result of supplying energy to Facebook. PRC staff also requested clarification on the companys request to waive an energy efficiency rider. According to the testimony of Anthony Sisneros, economist for the PRCs utility division, PNM is required to fund energy efficiency incentive programs in the amount of 3 percent of its customers bills or $75,000 per customer per calendar year, whichever is less. But the testimony of PNM Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Gerard Ortiz says Facebook uses state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures so substantial that if Facebook were permitted to participate in the efficiency programs it could deprive other customers of the chance to participate. Thus, PNM is asking the PRC to waive the requirement in the project. I am not an attorney but in my opinion, the above explanation does not seem sufficient, said Sisneros in his testimony. It would be helpful if PNM could provide clarification to support the requested waiver. Testimony from PNMs executives reiterated the estimated economic benefits of the project, which include up to 50 jobs at the data center in the $250 million first phase of the project as well as 250 construction jobs. Ryan Centerwall, a director for the Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico, one of the intervening parties in the case, said in his testimony that the project will have a positive economic impact on the states solar industry. There will be jobs and positive economic impacts created beyond construction, said Centerwell in the testimony. Long term operations and maintenance for the solar facilities will be required throughout the life of the asset, likely exceeding 25 years. Facebook is also considering Utah as the site of the new data center. Utahs public service commission is expted to complete its review by Aug. 31. PNM requested the PRC expedite their review process in order to make New Mexicos bid for the project more competitive. In New Mexicos favor is a $30 billion industrial revenue bond measure already passed by the Los Lunas Village Council, which would allow the community to receive payments from Facebook in exchange for a 100 percent property tax abatement. The council passed the measure in June before Facebooks role in the project was disclosed. Facebook declined a request for comment. About 27 percent of New Mexico remains under moderate drought thanks to high temperatures last month and below average rainfall. Data released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor showed that just more than a quarter of the state up 6 percent from last week is experiencing moderate drought conditions. About 95 percent of the state is considered abnormally dry or worse. The agencys drought data and map is available at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NM The drought conditions exist even after the state received a good amount of rainfall recently. For example, Albuquerque Sunport saw 3.28 inches in July 2015. This July, Albuquerque Sunport received only 1.14 inches and below the average amount for the month. Record high temperatures also have played a role. Average temperature in Roswell last month was 86.5 degrees the warmest July on record, according the National Weather Service. The agency said there were 11 record highs that were tied or broken during July in New Mexico. In addition, the first 18 days of July were 100 degrees or higher, smashing the previous 100 or higher consecutive days of 13, back in 2011. The state also saw a record-setting stretch of warm, dry weather during the winter. Monsoon rains picked up last week but so far have not brought the needed rainfall to help dry areas of the state. EDITORS NOTE This story is part of Divided America, APs ongoing exploration of the economic, social and political divisions in American society. ___ LAS VEGAS, Nev. Its a persistent paradox in American politics: Many Hispanic families have an immense personal stake in what happens on Election Day, but despite population numbers that should mean political power, Hispanics often cant vote, arent registered to vote, or simply choose to sit out. Enter Donald Trump, and the question that could make or break this years divisive presidential election in key states. By inflaming the anti-immigrant sentiments of white, working-class men, has the Republican nominee jolted awake another group the now 27.3 million eligible Hispanic voters long labeled the sleeping giant of U.S. elections? In New Mexico, which has the highest percentage of Hispanic voters of any state in the country about 40 percent of New Mexicos eligible voters are Hispanic the Trump factor could be particularly pronounced. Former Santa Fe County Republican Party treasurer Ignacio Padilla, who was removed from his post last year for organizing an anti-Trump pinata event, said Monday hes only met one Hispanic voter who is supporting Trump in New Mexico. To elect as president someone that has such racist attitudes, thats not good for our country, Padilla said. Gabriel Sanchez, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico, said Trump will probably get somewhere between 18 percent to 30 percent of the votes cast by Hispanic voters in the state a figure that would be significantly less than the amount received in 2010 and 2014 by two-term GOP Gov. Susana Martinez. He also said a recent poll conducted in neighboring Colorado suggested roughly 60 percent of Hispanic voters there said they were more enthusiastic about voting in this years election than they were four years ago, with about half of those voters saying blocking Trump was their primary motivation. He is definitely having a mobilizing effect for Latino voters, Sanchez said. However, New Mexicos Hispanic population is also unique in that a significant number of the states Hispanic residents trace back their family roots in the state for generations and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., recently told the Journal that he believes many Hispanic voters are ready to be for (Trump) if Trump softens his campaign rhetoric. A lot of times you hear this rap about how politics doesnt affect their life, says Yvanna Cancela, political director of Las Vegas largely immigrant Culinary Union. But that changes when its personal, and theres nothing more personal than Donald Trump talking about deporting 11 million immigrants. Hispanics now represent the nations largest ethnic community with some 55 million people. More than half are U.S.-born, an additional 6.5 million are naturalized citizens, and the others are legal residents or here illegally. Most trace their familial roots to Mexico, one of Trumps favorite targets. When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best, Trump said last summer, minutes into the speech that announced his candidacy. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. A cornerstone of Trumps platform is building a wall along the entire Southwest border and forcing Mexico to pay for it. How? By threatening to cut off remittances those living in the U.S. send to relatives down south. He publicly attacked and questioned the impartiality of an Indiana-born federal judge hearing a lawsuit against him because of the judges Mexican ancestry. Hes called protesters in New Mexico thugs who were flying the Mexican flag and accused the states governor a Republican who also happens to be the nations first female Hispanic governor of not doing the job. Half of that states population is Hispanic, as are 40 percent of the states eligible voters. This is hardly what the Republican National Committee had in mind three years ago when, after Mitt Romneys loss to Barack Obama, it commissioned a study about how best to bring more Hispanics, blacks, women and young voters into the fold. An entire section called America Looks Different urged Republicans to engage with minority voters, show our sincerity and embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform. Skip ahead to 2016, and surveys that show most Hispanics plan to vote against the Republican nominee. A Fox News Latino poll conducted in May found 67 percent back Hillary Clinton and only 23 percent support Trump. John Herrera, 38, is typical. He registered to vote in Las Vegas in June. Ive never really voted until now, only because of Trump being against Hispanic people, he said. I didnt think my vote would count before, but now I want to make a difference. Lionel Sosa, a prominent Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive in San Antonio, was once dubbed one of the top 25 most influential Hispanics in America by Time magazine. He helped devise strategies to attract Latino voters for the likes of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and John McCain. That was before Trump. In a June column in the San Antonio Express-News, Sosa announced hed be leaving the party upon Trumps formal nomination. A thousand points of light has been replaced by a thousand points of anger. In place of compassionate conservatism, our nominee promotes callousness, extremism and racism. And instead of a unifier, the party now cheers the ultimate us against them proponent. Divisiveness incarnate, he wrote. ___ Republican fears of Hispanic backlash are rooted in what happened after their party targeted illegal immigration in California in 1994. Gov. Pete Wilson tied his re-election campaign to a ballot measure, Proposition 187, to deny government benefits and access to public schools to people in the country illegally. The measure passed, and though it was later struck down as unconstitutional, a growing Hispanic population was infuriated. In the years since, more Latinos have been elected to office in the state and the GOP has dwindled to a mere footnote; no Republican has won a statewide election in California since 2006. Proposition 187 wasnt the only factor in the change other groups in California, like coastal whites, were shifting Democratic in the mid-90s, and Hispanics already leaned against the GOP. But the loss of California has become the example of the risk Republicans run alienating a fast-growing ethnic group. With Trump saying the things hes saying, we might see this same thing again, says Jody Agius Vallejo, a University of Southern California sociologist and author of Barrios to Burbs: The Making of the Mexican American Middle Class. Only this time, it would be nationally. There is reason, though, to be skeptical. Overall, the Hispanic voting record is not good. One obstacle is some 7.2 million Hispanic adults are here illegally and are ineligible to vote, according to estimates from the Pew Research Center. Another 5 million, while living here legally as temporary or permanent residents, are not citizens. Finally, nearly one-third of all Hispanics in the U.S., some 17.9 million, are under age 18 young people like Edysmar Diaz-Cruz, a high school student from Miami, whose 18th birthday comes one month after the presidential contest. Its so disappointing because Ive been closely following this years campaign, she says. Relatively few of the Hispanics who are eligible to vote actually register and then cast ballots. In the 2012 election, only 48 percent of eligible Hispanic voters turned out, according to the Pew Research Center . Thats compared to a 66.6 percent turnout rate among blacks and a 64.1 percent rate among whites. In Arizona, a decade of tough-on-immigration policies from Republican officials has triggered no popular uprising by the states growing Hispanic population; the GOP still controls all state offices, and activists acknowledge that increasingly conservative white votes there tend to mitigate gains among Hispanics, who now represent about one-fifth of the states voters. In Texas, where 39 percent of the population is Hispanic, Democrats have been shut out of statewide elections for decades. During 2014s midterm elections, fewer than 2.3 million Texas Hispanics reported being registered to vote, or about 46 percent of the nearly 4.9 million who were eligible, according to U.S. Census Bureau surveys. Turnout was even worse: That year, 22 percent of eligible Texas Hispanics reported voting compared to nearly 42 percent of eligible whites and 35 percent of eligible blacks. Weve been spending our money wrong, concedes Crystal Zermeno, director of special projects for the Democratic field organization Texas Organizing Project. For the past 15 to 20 years, weve been focusing on moving swing white voters. If you talk to Hispanic voters, they say, No one has asked me to vote,' Zermeno says. There has not been a focus and real expenditures historically on unlikely voters, and you cant just expect non-voters to go out in great numbers without anyone encouraging them. Unions, nonprofits and political campaigns have struggled to grow the Hispanic electorate, with mixed success. In Colorado, Democratic groups have invested for years to reach out, and Hispanic registration and turnout have edged higher. In 2013, a state assembly that had been tough on illegal immigration allowed people in the country illegally to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Nevada is another battleground state, where some 17 percent of eligible voters, or 328,000 people, are Hispanics. Here, Latinos have clearly demonstrated the power they wield when they either turn out or stay home. In 2008 and 2012 they helped President Barack Obama; they were critical in re-electing Sen. Harry Reid in 2010. In the 2014 midterms, though, Hispanic turnout plummeted, and Republicans swept every statewide office and won control of both houses of the Legislature for the first time since 1929. When you have the resources put in, you see turnout that favors the Democrats, says David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. But you need to put resources in the community. Its not just going to happen. This year with Trump priming the pump, and with former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto running to replace the retiring Reid and become the first Latina senator resources are flowing. Groups like Mi Familia Vota are sending in staff from around the country and hiring local volunteers to step up registration and turnout efforts. In June, two days after graduating from high school, Fabiola Vejar stood outside a Latin grocery store on a sweltering afternoon quizzing a parade of customers in Spanish: Are you registered to vote? Most shook their heads no. Vejar followed up: Are you eligible? Again, most responded in the negative. One man laughed and bellowed: Soy Mexicano! Im Mexican! Vejar cannot vote. Now 18, she entered the country illegally from Mexico with her mother when she was 2 years old, after her father died of leukemia. Her future, and that of her family, largely depends on this election. She is shielded from deportation under an Obama administration program that protects those brought to the country illegally as children. Hillary Clinton has promised to keep that program, and Trump to end it. Trump also has pledged to deport every person in the country illegally, and that would include not just Fabiola, but her mother and stepfather. Her two brothers are both U.S. citizens, but not yet 18. So Vejar volunteers with Mi Familia Vota, encouraging others to be heard at the ballot box. I dont have that voice, she says, but theres other people who feel the way I do. They should vote. Some, like Jose Martinez, are unconvinced. The 40-year-old security guard voted twice for Obama but told one of Vejars colleagues he is sitting this election out because hes disappointed the president did not pass a broad immigration overhaul. He promised a lot, a lot to Latinos, Martinez says. He did maybe 1 percent. We dont believe in anything now. ___ Joe Enriquez Henry remembers the moment he set out to disprove the conventional wisdom that Hispanics just dont vote. It was 2002, and then-Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, signed a bill making English the states official language. Vilsack now says he regrets the decision, but the governor then explained to Henry that Latinos just were too small a voting constituency to convince him to put down the pen. Henry, whose mothers family came to the U.S. from Mexico more than 100 years ago, vowed hed help Iowas small but significant Hispanic population now more than 170,000, or nearly 6 percent of the states population make their voices heard. Years of work paid off on Feb. 1, when as many as 13,000 Hispanics turned out for the states caucuses. Only about 1,000 had attended in 2012. The Democratic and Republican parties think we dont vote, so we wanted to prove that we do, says Henry, a vice president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. There was no magic formula. Henry scraped together $200,000 that paid for a few staffers who made phone calls, distributed fliers and knocked on doors to talk about the importance of voting with people like Mayra de Catalan, an immigrant from El Salvador who works as a bank analyst. The Des Moines resident has been in the U.S. for two decades and became a citizen only five years ago; she says she had not even considered voting. It was the first time anyone had talked to me about the importance of voting, she says, how my one vote could make a difference. Thats the same message that Victor Juarez is spreading in Nevada. He has been a member of Culinary Union Local 226 since 1989, when he started work as a cook at the Circus, Circus casino. The union represents 55,000 casino and hotel workers, half of them Hispanic and many of them immigrants; it has harnessed Las Vegas housekeepers, cooks and janitors and turned them into an electoral powerhouse. Juarez has been taking paid leaves of absence to work as an organizer for Culinary, traveling around town and knocking on doors of other union members to get them to the polls. He himself only became a citizen, able to vote, after the 2004 election; he was working two jobs to put his children through school and says he didnt have time. Often he finds families headed by people with little education who dont speak English and are wary of participating in the system. We had to open their eyes, he says. Theres a lack of education, language barriers. With Trump, he says, he has noticed a change. People whove been living here a long time are getting scared about what hes saying. Xiomara Duenas is one of them. She immigrated legally to the United States from Cuba in 1996 to join her father. She worked at a seafood processing plant in New Jersey before moving to Nevada in 2012 after medical issues forced an early retirement. She had always believed that her shaky English prevented her from becoming a citizen. She was resigned to the idea that immigrants didnt have the same rights as native-born Americans until Trumps candidacy. Duenas found a Culinary Union citizenship workshop where Spanish speakers guided her through the process. Last November, she became a citizen. This November, she plans to act. I didnt want him to become president, but I couldnt do anything, says Duenas. But now, I can vote. ___ Sergio Bustos reported from Miami. Associated Press reporters Will Weissert in Austin, Texas, and Russell Contreras in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report. WASHINGTON President Barack Obama said Thursday he does not trust Russia to cooperate militarily with the United States on ending or slowing the civil war in Syria but that the proposition must be tested to try to bring an end to the conflict. At a Pentagon news conference, Obama also criticized Russia for its continuing support of Syrian government attacks against opposition forces and its sieges of populated areas like Aleppo. He said Russian actions raise very serious questions about Moscows commitment to pulling the situation back from the brink. His administration is exploring expanded military cooperation with Russia in Syria that could include intelligence sharing, a proposal that some American defense officials have publicly expressed deep concern about. Skeptics fear the Russians will take advantage of U.S. intelligence sharing to further support the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who Obama has said has lost legitimacy to lead. Asked why he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate, Obama replied: I am not confident that we can trust the Russians and Vladimir Putin, which is why we have to test them. He said Russia must show it is willing to work to reduce the violence and focus the fight on the Islamic State group and other extremists. He accused Russia of failing to take the necessary steps to do that, adding that deteriorating conditions make it imperative for Russia to show it is serious now. If it does not, Russia will have shown itself very clearly to be an irresponsible actor on the world stage that is supporting a murderous regime and will have to answer to that on the international stage, Obama said. Your browser does not support the video tag. Update 6/5/15: KPMG has released a new video on the program. KPMG announced on Thursday a partnership with The Ohio State University Max M.Fisher Collegeof Business and the Villanova School of Businessto develop new master's degree programs focusing on data and analytics (D&A) in accounting. Dubbed the "KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics Program," KPMG is looking to "develop auditors in the digital age." "The KPMG program encompasses the newest innovation to our firm's award-winning recruiting and learning culture by facilitating data and analytics innovations in the Master of Accounting programs of two of our nation's leading business schools," stated Scott Marcello, KPMG's vice chair in Audit. "This program integrates perfectly into KPMG's D&A and cognitive capabilities, and starts real action toward meeting our profession's great demand for talent. It foundationally changes the recruiting and preparation of auditors with the right skills to analyze the vast volumes of information produced by today's business organizations." "The degree coursework developed by each business school will drive critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in a data- and analytics-focused accounting curriculum," Marcello added. "Students in the KPMG program will also have their coursework supplemented by real-world experience on KPMG teams auditing some of the world's largest companies." Notably, the new program will pay the full tuition and room/board for the 50 students who enter the universities' graduate programs in Fall 2017. Students will also work between semesters as KPMG audit interns, utilizing KPMG's data and analytics tools and preparing for their second semester in the program. Upon graduating in the summer of 2018, students from both schools will be able to join KPMG's audit practice through an advanced entry program. "We know of no other program where a company directly funds students' master's degrees in accounting analytics and provides a full-time position upon graduation," stated Villanova School of Business vice dean Daniel Wright. "[It's] a rarity in academic-business cooperation that goes well beyond tuition reimbursement." "Strong partnerships between leading companies and top academic institutions are essential to building an agile workforce equipped to meet today's business challenges," said Anil Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. chair in business atFisher Collegeof Business, in a statement. "Fisher is proud to join with KPMG and the Villanova School of Business in recognizing the importance of data analytics in accounting and in providing the next generation of industry leaders with a truly unique academic and professional experience." According to a press release, KPMG hopes to soon expand the program to other schools. For more on the program, head to KPMG's site here. Last month, from July 24-29, twenty-eight high school juniors and seniors across Massachusetts took part in Careers in Accounting and Management Professions, or CAMP - a specialized summer camp for students interested in accounting and business careers,Wicked Localreports. CAMP is a summer program coordinated and operated by theIsenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. It is co-sponsored by Rick Gulman, partner and co-founder of Woburn firm DiCicco Gulman & Company, his wife, Susan, and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. My wife and I love how CAMP provides this opportunity to minority students who would not otherwise be exposed to the endless possibilities associated with a career in accounting or business simply because of their background or environment, said Gulman, according toWicked Local. We are amazed at the enthusiasm, passion and engagement of the campers and counselors each time we visit with them. I have no doubt these students can have successful careers in our industry. Programs like this not only improve diversity but also attract very motivated and resourceful talent. Since its inception in 1998, the CAMP program offers minority high school students in Massachusetts a chance to attend a free, weeklong program to gain knowledge of accounting and other business-related fields. Activities include lectures, hands-on activities, and visits to local businesses. Students this year attended a Real World CPA panel in Boston, hosted by the MSCPA, and met PricewaterhouseCoopers employees at their Seaport office. At PwC we understand that diversity of backgrounds and experiences is critical to business, said Todd Bari, assurance partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, per Wicked Local. PwC is proud to support programs like CAMP that demonstrate the numerous doors professional services can open and the opportunities that abound should they choose to pursue a career in this field. Data from the AICPA shows that minorities represent about 1 in 6 professionals in firms nationwide. Programs such as CAMP look to expand the future pool of CPAs, as well as having the profession reflect the future population in the U.S. Our organization has a long history of supporting minority students pursuing a future career in accounting, said Amy Pitter, president and CEO of the MSCPA, per a statement. The CAMP program will allow students to get fully immersed in all that a career in accounting has to offer. The MSCPA is focused on increasing diversity in the accounting industry, and we believe this class of CAMP participants will go on to do great things in their academic and professional careers. CAMP participants are also eligible for scholarships and mentoring through the MSCPA. CAMP is a wonderful opportunity for many high school students who never thought of becoming of business leader, stated Melvin Rodriguez, assistant dean of advising and diversity from the Isenberg School of Management. This wonderful program, which is financially supported by the MSCPA and our alums Richard and Susan Gulman, has offered hundreds of students a look into the many careers in accounting and other management related fields. As a result, the students see that this is an interesting and dynamic way to become leaders, not only in business, but in their communities. For more on the UMass Amherst's accounting program, head their site here. BDO USA LLP has added Goldstein Schechter Koch, expanding the firms presence in South Florida in the latest of a string of mergers across the country. The deal will add 14 partners, 100 staff members, two offices in Fort Lauderdale and Coral Gables, and approximately $22 million in revenue to BDO. The firm recently announced revenues of $1.29 billion in fiscal year 2016 (see BDO Boosts Annual Revenue 22.9%). BDO, based in Chicago, ranked 7th on Accounting Todays 2016 list of the Top 100 Firms. GSKs two offices in South Florida will join BDO's existing offices in Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Winter Haven, Fla. Altogether BDO will have more than 300 professionals serving clients in the Sunshine State. The deal is expected to close August 16. GSK dates back to 1949 and offers accounting, tax and wealth advisory services. Its GSK Wealth Advisors unit provides portfolio management services and investment strategies for clients. GSK has worked with BDO as part of the BDO Alliance for a dozen years. For us, the relationship started when they joined our alliance program in 2004, said BDO USA CEO Wayne Berson in an interview Thursday. They were a natural firm for us to talk to. Weve been very familiar with one another for over a decade now, and weve enjoyed our interactions over the years. Weve worked together in many different ways. Their location in Coral Gables and Fort Lauderdale, combined with our existing practices in Miami and West Palm Beach, nicely rounds out our footprint in the important South Florida markets. Plus, when you add on their strength in the wealth advisory area, this is also a nice fit for our growing wealth advisory practice. There are a lot of synergies amongst the two firms. Members of GSK have attended BDO training sessions over the years, he pointed out, plus the two firms use similar software and send referrals to one another. GSK CEO Sanford Horowitz said his firm has been frequently approached by other regional and national firms over the years about doing a combination, but he was impressed by BDO. When they approached us many months ago to tell us what theyve been doing and update us on their expansions over the last four years and just what their overall approach and philosophy was, we were very impressed, he told Accounting Today. Although we had some conversations with them about 10 years ago, we werent ready for it and it didnt have the same level of direction and focus the way it was directed and focused now, so thats what it made it very attractive to us. GSK plans to retain its existing offices in Fort Lauderdale, but will eventually relocate the staff from its Coral Gables office to BDOs nearby offices in Miami. After a firm-wide meeting on Tuesday, Horowitz sent personal emails to each staff member the following morning to reassure them about the changes, and he has heard positive feedback so far. I assured them about how comfortable we are about this and I assured them about the transition, said Horowitz. I recognized that they might be a little bit nervous and I recognized that theyre probably a little bit excited. That took me about six or seven hours, but I felt that I wanted to send a message that its all about them, and they really appreciated it. In the past four years, BDO has gone through a series of 19 mergers, entering 23 new cities and expanding its footprint in 12 existing markets while adding more than 2,000 staff. The latest deal builds upon a merger last year where BDO entered the wealth advisory space. As part of BDOs strategic expansion plan, BDO is continuing to have discussions with numerous firms around the country to expand both its geographic footprint and talent. From a geographic standpoint weve added a great deal to our presence in the Central and the Atlantic regions and now weve begun to add to our critical mass in the Southeast region, said Berson. Beyond geography, we are looking to add resources in areas of growing demand. When you look at private client services, wealth management, transaction advisory, outsourcing, cybersecurity, data analytics, risk advisory and actuarial services, these are all areas were looking at. If we find a firm that has talent in these areas and expertise, we would certainly talk to them. While several deals are in the works, he is unsure if they will close before the end of the year. The further you get into the year, the harder it is to do a deal, he noted. (Bloomberg) Back-to-school time in Massachusetts isnt just celebrated by stir-crazy parents. Its also a chance to shop sales tax freeor at least it was, until the state decided not to reinstate its sales-tax holiday this August for the first time since 2009 due to slowing state revenue. The Bay State isnt the only state to forgo its sales-tax holiday in order to raise additional funds. In Kansas, North Carolina, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, state legislators are among those that have also decided against holding new tax holidays or reinstating them during the last few years, and theyll be saving money as a result, according to a July report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, or ITEP, a nonpartisan think tank. "There are lots of things tax experts disagree on, but we all agree sales tax holidays are not good tax policy," said Joseph Henchman, vice president of legal and state projects for the Tax Foundation. ITEP estimates that state and local governments that retain the holidays will lose out on more than $300 million in revenue due to the holidays this year. Those losses in revenue come as states are also poised to see aggregate tax revenue growth below 4 percent this year, down from 5.5 percent in 2015, according to Moodys Investors Service. Tax-Free Shopping The holidays typically take place during a few days in August and allow for states to exempt certain items from sales tax, such as school supplies and clothing. Some states have separate tax holidays for items such as energy-star products, firearms and hurricane preparedness items. Seventeen states will have a sales tax holiday this year, according to the Tax Foundation. The tax holidays are a "perfect example" of economics and politics being at odds, said William Fox, a business professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The holidays only move the time of year that people buy items rather than encouraging them to buy more, thereby reducing any economic stimulation, he said. Still, they sound appealing from a political standpoint, which is why legislators keep passing them. "What could be better from a political perspective than a holiday from paying taxes?" Fox said. "This is great, right? Politically, I think theyre incredibly easy to sell." Georgia state legislator Brett Harrell, a Republican, said the state should forego its tax holiday and instead lower its sales tax rate and broaden the base of items taxed. The holiday causes the state to lose about $70 million in revenue each year, he said. "Things such as a sales tax holiday on a few chosen products make it more difficult to adopt more comprehensive and permanent tax reform," he said, adding that an increasing number of legislators in Georgia are realizing that the holidays have limited benefits. Massachusetts Move Officials in Massachusetts decided not to reinstate the states sales tax holiday this August due to slowing state revenue, said Democratic legislator Stanley Rosenberg, who is president of the Massachusetts Senate. The state has struggled to maintain government services due to rising health-care costs, he said. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue estimated the state lost about $25.5 million from the holiday in 2015. This lowered the amount of money given to a trust fund for school construction by about $4 million, the department said in a Dec. 31 letter to the states comptroller. Rosenberg hasnt encountered much pushback from residents, other than a few e-mails, he said. The state senator did run into one resident who asked him about it and gave him a "glare," he said. A growing number of state senators say they will not vote in favor of the holiday again, Rosenberg said. "It is a politically popular thing, but an increasing number of members are saying theres a better way to spend $25 million than a sales-tax holiday," he said. Other Benefits But the holiday generates other economic benefits, such as retail employees working additional hours, said Bill Rennie, vice president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. For some of the associations members, the sales-tax holiday has become a bigger sales event than Black Friday weekend, Rennie said. Massachusetts retailers close to the border have to compete with neighboring New Hampshire, which doesnt levy a sales tax at all. Additionally, the retailers are negatively impacted by shoppers buying items that arent taxed from out-of-state companies online, he said. "It might be only two days, but its that equalizer," he said. "It puts the sellers here on an equal playing field." State revenue raised indirectly from the sales-tax holiday, such as from related income and corporate taxes, totaled $2.5 million in 2015, according to estimates from the Massachusetts revenue department. Reform Needs The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said in its report the holidays are being used as a substitute for reforming state sales taxes, which negatively impacts lower-income people. The short-lived exemptions offer minimal relief to residents, according to the report. "Revenue lost through sales-tax holidays will ultimately have to be made up somewhere else, either through painful spending cuts or increasing other taxes," the report states. Other states with fiscal pressures, such as Louisiana, are sticking with their sales-tax holidays this year. After enacting major budget cuts this year, Louisiana will provide residents with a 2 percent tax exemption on the states 5 percent sales tax rate on Aug. 5 and 6. Louisianas "goofy" version of the sales-tax holiday probably was a result of "political horse trading" when the state temporarily raised its sales tax by 1 percent this spring, said Scott Drenkard, director of state projects for the Tax Foundation. "Thats really frustrating as someone who wants a neutral tax code, one that raises the amount of revenue necessary but doesnt affect business or personal decisions to the most extent possible," he said. This year, SHARK WEEK celebrates its 28th anniversary in the US and remains televisions longest running and most anticipated event. Discoverys shark-programming sensation will swim into more living rooms and onto more screens than ever before, expanding to all of its networks in more than 220 countries and territories this year. Making a huge splash, Discovery Channel will bring the most fantastic event for the Indian viewers from August 8th to 12th at 7 pm. SHARK WEEK will keep viewers on the edge of their seat with all-new jaw-dropping and compelling shark stories. Working with nearly two dozen of the most respected marine biologists and science institutions, SHARK WEEK will also highlight some of the most recent breakthroughs and developments to reveal remarkable new insights into these magnificent creatures. This year, SharkCam dives deeper than ever before and follows giant great whites into the dark ocean to record never-before-seen behaviors. For the first time ever, sharks will face off with dolphins, seals, crocodiles and even humans, as one science team finds themselves surrounded by a gang of large tiger sharks. It is estimated that as many as 70 million sharks are killed annually, either for sport, caught as by-catch, or hunted for their fins in a wasteful practice called shark finning, in which the shark's fins are cut off at sea and the rest of the (live) shark is often tossed overboard where it ultimately drowns. Discovery Channel has teamed with non-profit Oceana, the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation, since 2010. In partnership with Oceana, Discoverys Saving Sharks programme will be woven into experiences available on SharkWeek.com, enabling visitors to take action on behalf of sharks everywhere. Fans can also keep up on all things sharks by following #SHARK WEEK on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. Amazing Shark Facts Sharks live in every ocean on Earth, including the Arctic. Sharks dont have any bones. Their body is supported by cartilage. Without any hands, sharks rely on bumping up against objects and their teeth and gums to examine new things. Their teeth and gums are actually much more sensitive than their skin. #Sharks can hear low frequency sounds, like those emitted from a dying fish, from a kilometer away. Sharks have amazing eyesight. They can see up to 100 feet away. All living things give off electrical currents. Humans cant seem them, but #sharks can. Sharks can smell tiny particles of blood up to half a mile away. #Sharks have more to fear from us than we do of them. Sharks only kill about 6 people per year while humans kill up to 100 million sharks per year. The SHARK WEEK programming line-up includes: Blue Serengeti Famed marine biologist and shark expert Barbara Block has been studying the white sharks off of California for more than 27 years. Now, with breakthrough camera technology and tracking technology, she's giving scientists and viewers a portrait of a formerly unseen domain. She calls it the Blue Serengeti it's a vast, rich, and hidden world, now more visible thanks to new camera tags deployed on both predator and prey. Bride of Jaws Andy Casagrande discovered that great white sharks had strangely and completely disappeared from the Neptune Islands off South Australia. Where did the sharks go? Searching west along the known great white migration route, he stumbles upon an incredible discovery a concentration of all male great white sharks off an uncharted island. Andy calls in marine biologist Dr. Jonathan Werry, and together they get up close and personal with a dozen large great whites in the hopes of solving two of the most closely guarded of all the great white's secrets where they mate, and where they have their young. Deadliest Shark Using cutting-edge research and thrilling historical evidence, Dr. Michael Domeier and Dr. Barry Bruce go looking for rare oceanic white tip sharks, to see if the species deserves the reputation as the Worlds Deadliest Shark. History says they are and when the scientists dive in the Bahamas and off Hawaii, theyre spooked by this very dangerous shark. Shallow Water Invasion Using a self-propelled shark cage called The Explorer, marine biologists Mauricio Hoyos and Grant Johnson will investigate a recent discovery at Guadalupe Island great whites moving into shallow waters at night. This movement shows that the sharks entering shallow water is actually normal behaviour which would account for some of the shark encounters happening with greater frequency in the shallows along coastlines. The Killing Games Dr. Jonathan Werry and shark cinematographer Andy Casagrande travel to a special location in South Australia to research a new great white hunting strategy, where they no longer wait for seals to enter the ocean they come out of the water and snatch them from the shore! But is this unique to Australia? Sharks are smarter than we thought and can learn new things when theres food involved. The popular telly actress, who got married to TV actor Vivek Dahiya just three weeks ago recently spoke about the popularity of her show and more in a candid chat. Edited Excerpts: So how does life feel after marriage? (Laughs) It has been just over three weeks and right now, every day feels like a party. We are visiting different relatives and friends regularly, and being treated to the best of delicacies is a divine feeling! Life just feels a lot more beautiful after marriage and I am glad that we took this decision of tying the knot at the right time. I am blessed to have a life partner who is so truthful, honest, simple and kind-hearted. Vivek is a true gentleman and in our profession, it always helps to have an actor as your life partner. Both of us understand that we have demanding schedules and never force each other for anything. You must be happy with the way your career has shaped up, especially after the success of Ye Hai Mohabbatein? Destiny plays a big role in our careers and I would call YHM a great leap of faith, which worked wonders for everyone. I have worked hard for this role and before the show, I had read the novel on which it is based (Manju Kapur's Custody). The story had moved me and I was in tears at places.When you tell a good story , a show will definitely work. I am happy with whatever I have done so far but in the future, I would love to do a crime related show. While I have done an episode of Adaalat, that is one genre which I have not explored. There has been a lot of talk about TV content in recent times. Are there any changes that you want to see? I know about this sentiment, as there are people who come and tell me that shows like Buniyaad aren't made anymore. However, I don't think that creativity has gone for a toss. We have good show-makers and story-tellers even today . The problem is more about time-management. All the great shows in the past worked because they had episode banks to rely on.Today , for most shows, we are shooting non-stop and churning out episodes on a daily basis. In such a scenario, quality is bound to suffer. I think the industry needs to look into this. May be, airing episodes on alternate days or, say , four days in a week, could be a solution. That way , people will have time to create episode banks and also breathe easy . You are active on social media. How important is this aspect for today's actors? I just enjoy sharing happy moments of my life with my fans. But I am off it these days as it has become more of a bashing medium now. If your genuine fans send a tweet per day , there will be an army of trolls spreading too much of negativity . Unless an actor really enjoys being on social media platforms, it is avoidable. We are bombarded with ads on a daily basis be it on our television screens, digital media, print publications, hoardings, public transport, in fact, every conceivable platform available. Most just pass our periphery vision, but then there are some that make us sit up and take notice. We at AdGully are introducing a new monthly feature, wherein we will be showcasing the top 5 ads of the month. We are inviting our industry experts to pick the 5 ads that they consider to be the most noteworthy and memorable in a particular month. For the month of July 2016, Deepali Naair, an expert in marketing, e-commerce, brand management, and consumer experience journeys, has done the honours of selecting her Top 5 Ads of the Month for us. These ads are mentioned in no particular order Tata Salts Namak ke Waastey aims at catalysing conversations and generate mass support for the Indian Olympians. The series of three ads featuring boxer Shiva Thapa, wrestler Babita Kumari and shot-putter Inderjeet Singh seek to create awareness about our Olympians bound for Rio and the hours of tough training that they undergo. Shiva Thapa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIjRWPPv6EQ Babita Kumari https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz46wNJT72Y Inderjeet Singh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlPRU6ixiRQ The Tourism New Zealand campaign seeks to generate awareness through a luxury and niche website, engage with the audience to showcase what New Zealand has to offer as a holiday destination, and drive traffic to the campaign landing page through targeting travel information websites. The ads feature Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra holidaying in New Zealand. Sidharth Malhotras New Zealand Diaries - Cultural Holiday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK0JV7wbuV8 Sidharth Malhotras New Zealand Diaries - Adventure Holiday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=884a-lQ21KU Center Fresh introduces their new Cola flavour, even names a railway station Colapur. Now, #ChewTheCola! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJFpj1grOZs Celebrate Unlikely Friendships with KFCs new campaign. The TVC marks the launch of KFCs new Friendship Bucket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PLErulByNw Godrej Security Solutions asks you to Keep it Personal. The three TVCs are asking consumers what are the daily valuables that they would wish to keep in Indias first personal locker Goldilocks. The three TVCs use different scenarios from our lives and highlight different daily valuables that Goldilocks can secure. Passport Goldilocks Godrej Security Solutions ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIehjhiK_W8 Wallet Goldilocks Godrej Security Solutions Ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO5oPIRE9_8 Car Goldilocks Godrej Security Solutions ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1eGxsytJVo Compass Call receives navigation upgrade Since it became operational, the EC-130H Compass Call has demonstrated its electronic combat power in tactical air operations around the world, and this year the aircraft has achieved another first. The aircraft has received an avionic viability program upgrade to make it more effective in combat and while maintaining compliance with federal and international aviation regulations. This program has been in the works for almost three years at a cost of about $45 million, said Maj. Gerardo Sanchez, the 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron assistant director of operations. Currently, we have two aircraft here at (Davis-Monthan Air Force Base) with the 55th (Electronic Combat Group), and we have two more scheduled for delivery. The upgrade revitalizes the cockpit with liquid crystal displays that consolidate vital flight information. With the new upgrades, we can grab the information with the push of a button, Sanchez said. It increases the pilots situational awareness tenfold. The entire EC-130 fleet is expected to become upgraded via the AVP. With this new AVP modernization program of the EC-130 fleet, we are more capable with precision navigation, Sanchez said. With the new radar upgrades, the EC-130H has improved navigation performance in order to sharpen tactics, techniques and procedures for precision electronic attack. The 55th ECG has set up a training plan led by approximately 20 members who have been trained as cadre to familiarize personnel with the new system. AVP training for all flight deck personnel is projected to be completed in March 2017. Flat Stanleys deploy from McConnell It was early in the morning when they got the call to deploy. Once aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker, they began their 8,000-mile expedition. It was 110 degrees when they landed in the hot and dusty country, and their journey had only just begun, the aircrew said. The paper dolls, also known as Flat Stanleys, were crafted by a class of second-graders from Columbus Elementary School in McMinnville, Oregon, and sent out to deploy with KC-135 crews from the 384th, 350th and 349th Air Refueling Squadrons. My students were fascinated with their missions, said Leah Spencer, teacher of the class. Many students had very little background information about the Air Force or the military, so it provided many opportunities for new learning. The project is a pen pal activity to increase literacy among young children. The students each talked and wrote about their flat characters journey and adventures, while receiving information and photos back from the crew. They were wonderful about sending journal updates often, which kept (the class) engaged and eager for the next bit of news, Spencer said. The pictures that we received were probably the most exciting part for the children. We learned about so many things that we never would have if they hadn't taken our flat friends on their journey. The Flat Stanleys traveled halfway around the world with the aircrew, participating in nighttime refueling missions over Southeast Asia. It was fun to fly the Stanleys around, said 1st Lt. Alexander Rindo, a 350th ARS pilot. It gave the crewmembers something else to look forward to while doing our mission and gave us a morale boost knowing it was for the kids back home. When McConnell Airmen were approached about this project through a parent, they were more than happy to help. The crew was deployed for more than a month overseas and the Flat Stanleys were alongside them every step of the way. Its always great to help out the community in any way we can, Rindo said. We love being involved when we get the chance, especially if it means making someones day. We couldnt pass up the opportunity to help out a classroom of second-graders who worked hard on creating their flat people. After the deployment, the dolls returned back home to Oregon, where the children patiently awaited their arrival. The kids were so excited they could hardly contain themselves, Spencer said. (The children) really saw the flat people as extensions of themselves, so it was so important for them to have them back from their adventure and a great way to end the school year. A special fast track court on Thursday sentenced filmmaker Mahmood Farooqui to seven years imprisonment, held guilty of raping a research scholar from the United States in Delhi last year. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain, who had found Farooqui guilty under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the IPC awarded minimum punishment of seven years in jail. He also imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on him to be paid to the rape victim, failing which he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months. The court had on July 30 held Mr Farooqui guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state. The filmmaker, who at the time of the conviction was out on bail, was taken into custody soon after the court found him guilty. During the arguments on sentence earlier, Delhi Police had sought life imprisonment for the filmmaker, saying the crime has brought disrepute to India. Mr Farooquis counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan had said as the filmmaker suffered from bipolar disorder and has fully cooperated in the case he should be given a chance to reform. Seeking stringent punishment for Mr. Farooqui, the complainants counsel Vrinda Grover had said, The foreigner was here for research work but was raped by a person she knew, who was her friend and whom she had trusted. The case relates to the March 28, 2015 rape of a 35-year-old American, a student at New Yorks Columbia University, who was in the Capital for research work on her doctoral thesis. During her deposition as a prosecution witness in the court, the woman alleged that Farooqui raped her and later apologised via several e-mails exchanged between them. Farooqui denied the allegations and said he was falsely implicated. In Islamabad for the SAARC Home Ministers Conference, Rajnath Singh on Thursday cautioned against classifying terrorism as good terrorism or bad terrorism. There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism, the Indian Home Minister told delegates at the meet in the Pakistani capital. There should be strongest of action not only against terrorists but also against organisations, individuals and nations who support terror, Singh said. But its anyones guess that the Indian Home Minister was hinting at Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed and his outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawah, which is linked to the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba. Mr. Singhs speech was not aired by Pakistans state-run PTV, which was the only media allowed to cover the conference; Indian crew were not allowed to shoot it either. Mr. Singhs visit the first by an Indian leader after the January Pathankot terror attack blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists has been clouded by visible signs of bitterness between the two countries, especially over a series of provocative comments emerging from Islamabad on Kashmir and Wani. This morning, he barely shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart Nisar Ali Khan as they met for the first time before the SAARC meeting. They barely touched their hands before Mr Singh walked off towards the meeting venue. Rajnath stressed that action and not just condemnation would help tackle the menace. Mere condemnation of terrorism is not enough, he stated. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Emirates flight, EK521 travelling from Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, India to Dubai has reportedly burst into flames in an emergency landing at Dubai International Airport, here on Wednesday at around 12.45 PM. A firefighter, Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan died after the plane, Boeing 777-300 A6-EMW, burst into flames following the emergency landing. All the passengers and the crew had been evacuated just before the plane gave way to the flames. It took almost two hours to fully extinguish the fire caused by the crash landing of the airplane. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew on board including 226 Indians, 24 British people and 11 Emirates. Around 14 people have been taken to the hospital. There has been no reports abut the cause of the emergency landing so far. All the flights had been diverted either to Maktoum International Airport or Sharjah International Airport. An airline spokesperson has said that, Our main priority at this time is the safety and wellbeing of all involved and full co-operation is being extended to the authorities and emergency services managing the situation. Around 7 PM, the Dubai International Airport was revived for boarding. Al Arabiya News Channel correspondent in Dubai Abdullah Al-Muttawa said that smoke was visible before the airplane made an emergency landing. Kuwait-based former pilot Sami al-Nusuf, told Al Arabiya, Emirates airlines has proven itself from past incidents in handling high pressure situations. Its record has been clean so far. Nusuf was questioned about the possibilities of evacuating so many people at the same time. he said, What happens is that multiple trials and scenarios are practiced by the cabin crew before they are allowed to take flights. They are trained both in getting passengers out within 90 seconds and in handling widespread panic. According to the Associated Press Dubais ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was bereaving the firefighter who died in the incident. The crash landing comes nearly four months after an airplane belonging to FlyDubai crashed and gave way to flames during landing in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, killing all 61 people on-board. Emirates has been one of the leading airplane companies with a seven star rating and a good safety record. WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 - At least fifteen states have filed lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to try and block the agencys rule on methane emissions in the oil patch. The lawsuits ask the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the EPA's rule regulating methane emissions from new, reconstructed and modified oil and gas wells that use fracking, saying the agency is exceeding its statutory authority. The agencys final rule finalizes amendments to the new source performance standards in the Clean Air Act, forming new compliance schedules for the control of volatile organic compounds. The rule, for the first time, also establishes emission standards limitations on greenhouse gases, specifically methane, and creates new categories of oil and gas facilities. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the agency's rules a gross demonstration of federal overreach and accused regulators of failing to consider the steep costs for oil and gas producers to comply. In addition to Texas, the lawsuit includes officials from Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin. When announcing the final rule in mid-May, EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said the new rules will help the U.S. cut emissions from the oil and gas sector, reducing emissions by 11 million tons per year of CO2 equivalent by 2025. Not an Agri-Pulse subscriber? Get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. Environmentalists largely welcomed the rule as a positive first step, but some groups asked for additional restrictions. In a statement, the National Wildlife Federation described the rule as a common-sense, cost-effective rules to curb methane pollution and waste from new and modified sources of oil and gas operations. Methane pollution poses a direct threat to wildlife and capturing leaking emissions will help companies make more money. That sort of common-sense, win-win solution deserves bipartisan support. Methane is a super-pollutant when compared with carbon dioxide, methane has over 80 times the impact on climate change over the course of a 20 year period, said Collin OMara president and chief executive officer of the National Wildlife Federation. #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 - The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) plans to conduct its upcoming sale of oil and gas leases off the Texas coast for the first time over the internet, saying the process will be more efficient and the sales more transparent than in the past. But Gulf Coast community groups and environmental organizations who oppose the lease sales dont see it that that way. They say the move to the internet is designed to limit public pressure thats been mounting against leases in the Gulf of Mexico and around the nation and they vow to continue demonstrations against the auctions. The administration cant silence the movement to protect the Gulf and our climate. This new plan was clearly designed to stifle public opposition and it shows theyre worried about the growing resistance to new offshore leases, says Cherri Foytlin of Bridge the Gulf. The Obama administration needs to take a strong stance on climate change and end all new offshore leases in the Gulf and waters off Alaska, rather than trying to hide from public scrutiny. The Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 248, to be held Aug. 24 at the Superdome in New Orleans, will offer 23.8 million acres offshore Texas for oil and gas exploration and development, including all available unleased areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. The bid opening will not be open to the public. Instead, it will be available for the public to view in real-time on BOEM's website via video live-streaming beginning at 9 a.m. local time on the day of the sale. BOEM says this will enable the availability of pertinent bid information immediately to a much broader national and international audience. Making government data immediately available is a valuable resource for taxpayers, both in terms of dollars and cents but also in efficiency, says BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper. Through the use of technology we can deliver our lease sale information in a much more effective and accessible way to a much wider audience. BOEM says the decision to hold the sale follows extensive environmental analysis, public comment and consideration of the best scientific information available and notes that the terms of the sale include stipulations to protect biologically sensitive resources and mitigate potential adverse effects on protected species. As a result of offering this area for lease, BOEM estimates 116 to 200 million barrels of oil and 538 to 938 billion cubic feet of natural gas will be discovered and produced. But Gulf Coast and national environmental groups are criticizing the sale, saying burning those fossil fuels would send more than 137 million metric tons of carbon-equivalent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, roughly the same as operating 40 coal-fired power plants for a year. The groups were actively organizing around the upcoming sale when BOEM announced the plan to air the bid openings via the internet. If they think that this action is going to quiet us, theyre wrong. Their action has only made us stronger and more united than ever before, says Mary Gutierrez, executive director of Earth Ethics Inc. We will not be silenced. Our voices will be heard. No new leases! Did you know Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website? Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. Blake Kopcho, an organizer with the Center for Biological Diversity who has been working with Gulf groups, said the plan is an insult to everyone concerned about climate change and the frontline communities that are most heavily impacted by it. Rainforest Action Network senior campaigner Ruth Breech weighed in, commenting that President Obama is subverting the democratic process even further with this move. Anthony Rogers-Wright, policy director with Environmental Action, feels that the move to conduct the sale on the internet is a reaction to the groups mobilization. There is actually a silver lining to this travesty and omission of transparency, and that is our movement, our coalition . is cutting through, Rogers-Wright says. The fossil fuel empire has always been surreptitious and back-handed. We can now add craven to the list of characterizations for these climate killers. The Gulf South will not be silenced, and the resistance will not be intimidated. To view the Notice of Availability of the Final Notice of Sale, click here. #30 For more news, go to: WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 The U.S. Wheat Associates is hopeful there will be no business lost and only minor trade delays after a Washington state farmer found 22 unapproved genetically modified plants growing in a field last week, a USW spokesman said. USDA officials confirmed that Japan and South Korea have suspended new purchases of U.S. wheat after the discovery, but USW spokesman Steve Mercer said Thursday that U.S. farmers likely wont lose any sales. Once the countries are ready to apply a new testing protocol to recently arrived and incoming U.S. wheat, purchases should resume on a normal pace, Mercer said. South Korea has already received new testing materials from USDA and likely began using them on Wednesday. The country will not release stored U.S. wheat to local millers until the grain has been tested to make sure there are no traces of the experimental Monsanto wheat that should not have been growing on the commercial farm in Washington. Mercer said that USW expects the testing process in South Korea to be quick and that it will not turn up any positive results for genetic engineering. South Korea still hasnt scheduled its August wheat tender. We hope that theres not going to be any disruption at all, Mercer said. They have a tender coming up they tender about once a month so well see. But Japan is taking longer, Mercer said. Thats because the country wants to customize the testing protocols that were sent there by Monsanto and USDA. There may be temporary suspension of domestic distribution of Western white that is already in-store Japan, USW said in a statement. The materials needed to create the test assay are in Japan and it should only take two to three weeks for (Japans Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) to implement the testing. As we expect the testing will detect no GM wheat, the results will end the suspension very soon after it starts testing. Japan, Mercer said, is mostly concerned with white wheat - a mixture of soft white and club wheat that is grown in the Pacific Northwest. Japan bought hard red winter and hard red spring wheat in a tender that concluded last night, but there was no purchase of white wheat, he said. Japan will likely hold three more tenders this month and its unclear if any of them will seek white wheat. Thats OK, though, Mercer said, because Japan isnt likely to go anywhere else for that white wheat. Australia has white wheat, but its not the same, he said. The protein content in our Western white is perfect for sponge cake and other real popular cakes in Japan, so its really the only source they have. Learn about the benefits of subscribing to Agri-Pulse. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. Meanwhile, USDA officials are trying to figure out how the experimental genetically engineered wheat sprouted up on the Washington farm. The last time the field in question was planted was in the spring of 2015 There is no evidence that the farmers land was ever used in a Monsanto field trial, a U.S. government official told Agri-Pulse, but the investigation is ongoing. There are no genetically engineered wheat varieties for sale or in commercial production in the United States at this time, as (USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) has not deregulated any GE wheat varieties, the agency said in a statement released this week." This is the third discovery of unapproved wheat in three years. The first case was in 2013 in Oregon, which also resulted in South Korea and Japan suspending purchases of U.S. wheat. More unapproved wheat was found in Montana in 2014. #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 - The U.S. and Mexico say they intend to conclude a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement by the end of 2016. The plan was announced following a White House meeting between President Obama and President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico on July 22. The agreement will provide an enhanced basis for the transfer of technology, fuel and other major nuclear components between the two countries, according to a release from the White House. The agreement would also enhance national capacities in the supply chain and nuclear fuel services, facilitate sharing of experiences and best practices in this sector, and boost potential emissions reduction in the power sector, the Obama administration says. The agreement replaces a longstanding project supply accord the two countries have with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Through that trilateral agreement, the U.S. supplied and continues to service Mexicos only nuclear reactors, two General Electric boiling water reactors at Laguna Verde on the Gulf of Mexico, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) said. Recent changes to U.S. export control regulations make a bilateral agreement more favorable for U.S.-Mexico nuclear commerce than the existing trilateral agreement, the NEI said. Under the previous regulation, U.S. nuclear technology exports to Mexico were broadly eligible for general authorization. However, under the new regulations, only exports to the Laguna Verde plant are generally authorized while other exports are subject to authorization by the Energy Secretary, says NEI Director of Supplier Programs Ted Jones. In June, the presidents of the U.S. and Mexico and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to producing half of the continents electricity using clean power sources, including nuclear energy, by 2025. As the Mexican government seeks to cut carbon dioxide emissions and to reduce its electricity sectors reliance on natural gas, NEI says that plans for new nuclear generating capacity have gathered momentum. Learn about the benefits of subscribing to Agri-Pulse. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. Nuclear energy provides 2 percent of Mexicos generating capacity, 4 percent of its generated electricity and 10 percent of its zero-emission electricity, says NEI. Mexican government energy plans show that three nuclear power plants are expected to begin commercial operation between 2026 and 2028, NEI reports. Mexico is also considering small modular reactors for power and seawater desalination, notes NEI. The Atomic Energy Act requires that a negotiated agreement be submitted to Congress for review for 90 days of continuous session, but because fewer than 90 days remain in the current session, NEI says the agreement will be readied for submission to the next Congress. #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com Obama Administration Discriminates Against Syrians -- If They're Christians Hundreds of Assyrian families, some of them recently arrived from Islamic State controlled areas of Syria, attend Easter Sunday service at St. Georges Assyrian Church of The East in Sed El Baouchrieh, a working class suburb of Beirut. Non-Muslim Syrian refugees have been virtually locked out by the Obama administration, according to current data from the State Department. According to the Refugee Processing Center, of the 6,877 Syrian refugees that have arrived in 2016 through July 31st, 6,834 of those are identified as Sunni, Shia, or generic Muslim. Only 43 (0.7 percent of total) refugees admitted have been non-Muslim. That 0.7 percent of refugees arriving this year represents a statistically insignificant fraction of the more than 2.6 million Catholic, Syriac, Assyrian, and Greek Orthodox Christians, as well as Yazidis, other religions, and atheists living in Syria. Yet all of these groups are being targeted by Islamic extremists -- indeed, Secretary of State John Kerry himself has claimed these groups are facing a genocide. Just yesterday, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he is opposed to any religious test for entering the United States "A religious test for entering our country is not reflective of America's fundamental values. I reject it." Despite Ryan's rejection, the State Department's own numbers reveal active discrimination targeting non-Muslim Syrian refugees. According to The Gulf/2000 Project at Columbia University, the religious breakdown of the Syrian population 2008-2009 shows that 15.98 million are Sunnis (73 percent of the population) while 3.29 million are Shiites (14.7 percent of the population). Christians account for 2.04 million people, or 9.3 percent of the population, while other religions account for 590,000 people, or 2.7 percent of the population. This past March, Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged at a State Department press conference that minority religious communities in Syria were being targeted for genocide: My purpose here today is to assert in my judgment, (ISIS) is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control including Yazidis, Christians, and Shiite Muslims. So why haven't we heard Speaker Ryan's outrage over active religious discrimination against non-Muslim minority Syrian refugees? And why is Kerry overseeing the systematic religious discrimination of Syrian refugees in his own State Department? I've witnessed this discrimination by the State Department against Mideast Christians first-hand. Two years ago, I was introduced to an Egyptian Coptic Christian man who had fled Egypt and made it to the U.S. after he was threatened by the Muslim Brotherhood following the July 2013 ouster of Mohamed Morsi. The introduction was made by my friend, Father Anthony Hanna of the St. Mary and St. Mina Coptic Church in Concord, California. In August 2013, he escorted me into Upper Egypt to survey the destruction of Egypt's churches and monasteries carried out by the Muslim Brotherhood. This man's wife and children had been attacked in their village near Minya, where attacks against Christians continue to this day. They were in hiding with family members elsewhere in Egypt, and had hoped to visit their husband and father in the United States. With the assistance of several members of Congress who had given the family members letters of support, the family applied to visas with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. And yet, the State Department denied their visa requests. August 4, 2016 Once again, the Israeli right wing is correct in claiming that the left has taken control of the media. In late May, Israeli media outlets disseminated the following left-wing statement: The Arab Peace Initiative contains positive elements that could help revive constructive negotiations with the Palestinians. We are willing to negotiate with the Arab states revisions to that initiative so that it reflects the dramatic changes in our region since 2002, but maintains the agreed goal of two states for two peoples. For those who have forgotten, the peace initiative is based on the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 border lines (with possible land swaps) and does not mention the term Jewish state. The above remarks were spoken by none other than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the ceremony anointing Avigdor Liberman as defense minister on May 31. The leader of Yisrael Beitenu, a party not known for its leftist leanings, gave the prime ministers declaration of diplomacy his full-throated support. I want to remind people that for many years I spoke more than once about recognizing, that same solution of two states for two peoples, Liberman told listeners. He added, [Egyptian] President [Fattah] al-Sisi's speech was very important and has created a genuine opportunity. We must try to pick up the gauntlet. Naturally, Israels official representatives are required to present this position at home and abroad. It therefore stands to reason that a government that advocates a two-state solution would not entrust an important diplomatic mission to a citizen who declares his out-and-out opposition to said solution. Sending a former senior official of the Judea and Samaria Settlement Council to encourage US Jews to support the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria is almost like appointing anti-Zionist, Israeli Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi of the Joint List as a Jewish Agency representative to encourage diaspora Jewry to move to Israel. Once again, however, Israeli fact trumps fiction. On Aug. 1, Dani Dayan, a veteran West Bank settler, assumed his position as Israeli consul general in New York. He was awarded the coveted position after the Brazilian government refused to accept his appointment as Israels ambassador because he is a resident of an occupied territory. (Of note, in 2006 the George W. Bush administration confirmed the nomination of Sali Meridor, a resident of the Kfar Adumim settlement, as Israels ambassador to Washington.) Unlike with ambassadors, the appointment of a consul does not require the approval of the host government. Dayan had spent the last few years on a public diplomacy campaign in Israel and abroad to strengthen opposition to the two-state solution and to encourage expansion of the settlement enterprise. Thus, for example, at the July 2014 Israel Conference on Peace, sponsored by Haaretz, Dayan said there were two problems with the two-state solution: It is not attainable, and if it is attained, it will not bring peace, only serve as a prelude to the next war. He went on to liken the peace process to a desert mirage, hot air. In an inaugural article as a senior Israeli diplomat on Aug. 1, Dayan wrote in The Huffington Post that representing Israel, which is led by a largely conservative government, in a liberal city like New York is likely one of the most challenging but exciting jobs that Israels foreign service has to offer. Indeed, a challenging job. He will probably have to try and convince people of liberal persuasions that expanding the West Bank settlement where he has his house is compatible with promoting the two-state solution. Dayan pledged in the article not to ignore the elephant in the room, namely, The Conflict, and the heated discussion how it should be solved or managed. It is unclear, however, on which side of the argument he plans to position himself. If Dayan adheres to his belief that the two-state solution is a recipe for war, he would seemingly be betraying those who dispatched him. On the other hand, if he faithfully fulfills his duty and explains the importance of the two-state solution for the attainment of peace, he would be lying to himself. The man who served as chairman of the West Bank settlement council and who ran for office on the HaBayit HaYehudi's Knesset list is considered honest, a man known for speaking his mind. How will he deal with this dilemma? Dayan has quite easily found a way out of this thicket. As he wrote in his article, he will explain that the Palestinians, not the Israelis, are to blame for a Palestinian state not having been established. The Palestinians want to annihilate the occupier, and they missed every opportunity to have a state of their own. Dayan will not be the only one in Israels New York delegation building who has conducted a campaign against the prime ministers official policy in regard to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Danny Danon, who heads Israels delegation to the United Nations, led the opposition to a Palestinian state within the Likuds Knesset faction, arguing that it would endanger Israels existence. Ron Dermer, Israels ambassador in Washington, is the third side of the right-wing triangle of Netanyahus political appointees in the United States. His close association with Republican gambling tycoon and Netanyahu patron Sheldon Adelson and his involvement in Netanyahus invitation to address Congress in March 2015 to try to turn lawmakers against the nuclear deal with Iran made Dermer a persona non-grata in Democratic circles. Who fills the Israeli consul generals chair in New York is actually not so important. Far more relevant is who will sit in the Oval Office come January. The current White House tenant has said that he believes Netanyahus 2015 statement that as long as he is in power in Israel, there will not be a Palestinian state, contrary to the prime minister's leftist declarations in favor of two states. Netanyahu has much in common with the Republican nominee, Donald Trump: Both are experts at saying one thing and the complete opposite in the same breath. On the other hand, at the home of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee and the leading contender for the White House, they remember well Netanyahus tortuous maneuvering during the negotiations with the Palestinians. They learned firsthand that Netanyahus intentions cannot be judged by his words claiming a yearning for peace, but only by his deeds. Take, for example, talking about a diplomatic arrangement with the Palestinians and then appointing outspoken opponents of the idea to the states top diplomatic posts in the most important country in the world. August 4, 2016 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Until recently, Hamas has been the only movement that has used tunnels since the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip took full effect in 2007. Hamas' use of the tunnels had started to increase after the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in the summer of 2006 during a Gaza cross-border raid. Its use of the tunnels increased further during the 2014 war as it used the tunnels to launch missiles, carry out attacks against Israeli forces and kidnap soldiers. However, these tunnels appear to no longer be the preserve of Hamas Islamic Jihad has joined in. On July 10, Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, issued a statement in which it announced for the first time the death of one of its members following the collapse of a tunnel established by the resistance in the northern Gaza Strip. However, Al-Quds Brigades provided no further details on whether the tunnel was established by Islamic Jihad alone or jointly with Hamas. In addition, local media sources reported July 18 the death of another member of Al-Quds Brigades due to the collapse of a tunnel east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Then, Al-Quds Brigades merely issued a statement announcing the death of a preparation martyr, a term used by military wings to describe the martyrs who die while training, digging tunnels or trying out weapons to be used in battles. The brigades gave no further details about the incident. Al-Monitor tried to communicate with military sources in Islamic Jihad, but those sources preferred not to make any comment about the subject at this time. On the evening of July 28, Islamic Jihad organized the Bond of Blood Festival in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza in honor of the memory of the movements victims who died in the 2014 war. The military spokesman for Al-Quds Brigades delivered a lengthy speech that conveyed several messages. Chief among these was the message addressed to the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Your freedom is a top priority and the proof is the blood of our preparation martyrs. We will dig [tunnels] and fight the occupier in all arenas, the spokesman said. Asked to comment on the festival, expert in national security affairs Ibrahim Habib told Al-Monitor, Islamic Jihad, the second-largest faction in Gaza, is seeking to keep up with Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas military wing, and it is sparing no effort to develop itself, especially as far as tunnels are concerned. Islamic Jihad has proved its ability to carry out qualitative operations behind the enemy lines such as the launch of rockets and the kidnapping of soldiers for swap operations that involve Palestinian prisoners. As part of the festival's military parade, Islamic Jihad exhibited military tools, including an advanced long-range missile that it revealed for the first time. It did not give details about its origin, name or range. Habib said that the tunnels pose the biggest threat for Israel since the war in 2014, and that missiles are not Israels major concern; Israel's primary aim is to fight the resistances main weapon, namely the tunnels, by all possible technological means in a bid to stop any potential attack against it through those tunnels. The pace of tunnel digging increased after [the war in] 2014. Therefore, Israel is using technology and heavy equipment through a reinforced concrete wall that is dozens of centimeters thick on the border with Gaza. The establishment of this wall will take three years, according to Israeli estimates. In this context, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed June 16 an Israeli plan to build a concrete wall starting in October on and below the northern border of the Gaza Strip at an estimated cost of 2.2 billion Israeli shekels (about $576 million), to prevent the infiltration of the resistances members through the tunnels. The Israeli army discovered in April and May more tunnels leading from the Gaza border to inside Israel, as part of Israel's preparations for the next inevitable confrontation with Hamas in Gaza, which a military commander described to the newspaper as the final one." In spite of this, Habib believes Israel is fully aware that the wall would not be a radical solution for the tunnels, as the resistance believes it is fighting 'a war of thoughts' and is working hard to find alternatives to any attempt to destroy, dump or bridge the tunnels with a concrete wall. For its part, Islamic Jihad told the media June 18 that Israel's decision to build the wall exposed the Israeli security systems failure to fight the resistance tunnels. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batsh said, Israels settlement activity and building of security walls is illegal and illegitimate and will not shield settlements from attacks by the resistance. Asked whether the Israeli escalation on the eastern border in early May would pave the way for a war between the resistance factions and Israel, Batsh said, The decision is always in Israels hands because it is the one that has the army and the military gear. For their part, the [Palestinian] military factions should repel any aggression that targets the Palestinian people and take all the necessary measures in this regard. Meanwhile, al-Qassam Brigades' military sources told Al-Monitor that the establishment of tunnels is ongoing on the eastern border of Gaza, in preparation for any future battle with Israel. The sources did not provide any other information. The website of al-Qassam Brigades published an Israeli military report made public by Israel's Channel 2 stating that the brigades is drilling about 10 kilometers (6 miles) of offensive tunnels a month in the Gaza Strip. During a visit July 28 to Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to harshly respond to Hamas and Islamic Jihad should any of them break the truce announced by Egypt to put an end to the 2014 war. Calm for us is equivalent to calm in the Gaza Strip. Any attack on us will lead to destroying Hamas, Islamic Jihad and anyone who tries to attack us from the other party, and we will strongly respond to any attempt to attack our towns and citizens, Netanyahu said. In recent months, the pace of Israeli military movements along the southeastern part of the Gaza border has increased, as Israel blew up some of the discovered tunnels amid continuous combing operations aimed at preventing any surprise attacks prepared by the Palestinian factions. Meanwhile, the number of preparation martyrs is on the rise and both parties stand in close proximity with a more lurking attitude than ever before. August 4, 2016 TEHRAN, Iran Iranian weekly Ya Lesarat al-Hussein (Those Who Want to Avenge the Blood of [Shiite Imam] Hussein) is once again in hot water this time over a controversial headline about Iranian actors. On July 6, it ran a full page with pictures of actors next to their wives at the Hafez Film Festival, accompanied by a short piece titled Who is the 'dayuth' [cuckold]? The story goes on to explain that a dayuth which is a particularly vulgar word in Persian is a man who is oblivious to his spouses sexual relations with other men, in a seeming critical reference to the way the actors wives dressed. Ya Lesarat al-Hussein belongs to the hard-line Ansar-e Hezbollah, a group that has always been controversial over its positions in Iranian politics. In an interview published on Ya Lesarats website, Sadegh Koushki, a hard-line cultural expert, said, Is there a clear example of cultural indifference? If you ask anyone with even little knowledge of Islamic laws and religious ethics about the Hafez Film Festival, he would surely say that this festival is an example of cultural indifference due to the improper hijab of the actresses [who were present at the event]. A series of actors and prominent political figures have issued statements of protest in response to Ya Lesarats story. Popular actor Shahab Hosseini, who won the award for best actor at this years Cannes Film Festival, wrote on Instagram, Your fingers arent worthy of holding the honored pen. Drop it and join your fellows in Daesh [Islamic State]. Shame on you. Meanwhile, famous actress Behnoosh Bakhtiari, who has 5 million followers on Instagram, wrote, Whoever is a dayuth is better than he who insults a Muslim and accuses his wife of being a harlot. The House of Cinema and Association of Iranian actors, among other guilds and cultural groups, also condemned Ya Lesarats story and called for legal action against the weekly. Meanwhile, prominent former lawmaker Ahmad Tavakoli, a conservative who shares some views with the moderates, came out to criticize both the actors and Ya Lesarat. [These] actors and their wives are losers, but Ya Lesarat is a greater loser; I invite both to repentance, because God loves the repentant. But the acceptance of Ya Lesarats repentance is conditioned on apologizing to the actors, Tavakoli wrote on Telegram. Referring to the possibility of Ya Lesarat facing legal action, Tavakoli continued, They [Ya Lesarat] should at first think of saving themselves from the blazes of hellfire and then think about correcting the behavior of others. Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Reformist Omid (Hope) faction in parliament, said, The majority of our arts community are not only not in conflict with the values [of the Islamic Revolution], but they are also promoting such values. He added, A publication shouldnt allow itself to insult the influential class of society, namely artists. If the language of insult and disrespect becomes popular in the media, we will face lawlessness. Moreover, in response to a question by an Iranian news agency, Grand Ayatollah Mousa Shobeiri Zanjani said that those who attribute someone as dayuth could face legal punishment such as "tazir." In Islamic Law, "tazir" refers to punishment for offenses at the discretion of a judge or ruler of the state. In this vein, Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance spokesman Hossein Noushabadi announced Aug. 1 that Ya Lesarats publishing license had been revoked. Noushabadi said, Given the recent event, and the insult this weekly made against the artists the Press Supervisory Board canceled the license of the weekly, and the weekly is temporarily banned. It is noteworthy that Ya Lesarat earlier this year faced another ban that time for cursing former female Vice President Shahindokht Molaverdi. However, the judiciary later allowed the weekly to resume operations. At present, despite the Press Supervisory Boards decision to ban Ya Lesarat, the weekly has not stopped operating and continues to publish. Noushabadi believes this problem lies in the lack of collaboration between the judiciary and the Press Supervisory Board. In response, Abdolhamid Mohtasham, the managing editor of Ya Lesarat and the secretary of Ansar-e Hezbollah, said, We have permission from the judiciary to publish Ya Lesarat, and this permission comes from a court that is superior to the Press Supervisory Board. In its latest edition, Ya Lesarat defends its position, citing a few hard-line clerics. Ayatollah Rouhollah Gharahi told the weekly, They [critics of Ya Lesarats controversial story] attack to silence [others], but you should perform your religious duty. Moreover, Ya Lesarat harshly slammed Hosseini and tried to take revenge for his protest. Shahab Hosseini is currently in the United States and is busy with the bureaucracy of his residency and green card in order to join the dual citizenship holders of Irans cinema. Mr. Shahab Hosseini doesnt know that part of the money he received for playing in 'The Salesman' directly came from supporters of Daesh [Islamic State], Ya Lesarat said. In a wide-ranging interview aired on state television late Aug. 2, President Hassan Rouhani also spoke of immorality in the media, which could be interpreted as a reaction to Ya Lesarat al-Hussein. Rouhani said, Regarding security, one of the important issues is morality. No media, newspaper, person or tribune should tarnish the reputation of people. He added, If we do something in society so that insulters get isolated then we have reached our supreme goal. Perhaps the administration should do more in regard to this. Indeed, experience has shown that these kinds of controversies ultimately serve to push the public further toward moderates and Reformists. In an interview with Al-Monitor, prominent Reformist political analyst Saeed Leylaz said, The goal of Ya Lesarat and [other] such publications is clear. They are seeking to radicalize the [social and political] atmosphere, because they have nothing to say in a calm situation. However, I believe these hard-line policies will lead to peoples hatred of them. He added, These actions will benefit Rouhani and the moderates, because the more people get turned away from the hard-liners, the more they get close to the Reformists and moderates. August 3, 2016 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Young Palestinians in the Gaza Strip use the internet to work with Israeli institutions, despite the challenges posed by the permanently tense relationship between Gaza and Israel. Following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel imposed a military siege on Gaza; the Israeli army waged three major military operations on Gaza in 2008, 2012 and 2014. Within the scope of measures taken by Israel to tighten the siege, it gradually stopped issuing work permits for Gazans. It should be noted that the outbreak of the 2000 Al-Aqsa intifada and the Hamas takeover seven years later marked decisive turning points that affected the Gazan workforce in Israel. The number of Gazan workers in Israel declined substantially after 2000 as a result of the stringent security measures imposed by the Israeli army on Palestinians wishing to work across the border. Israel opened its doors to the Palestinian workforce in 1968; the number of Palestinians working in Israel was nearly 116,000 in 1993, and on the eve of Al-Aqsa intifada this number stood at 120,000 workers. The Israeli government declared Gaza a hostile area after Hamas took over in 2007, and the Israeli Ministry of Security imposed a new policy on the movement of people between the Gaza Strip and Israel. This Israeli policy decides who is allowed to pass through the Erez crossing; the entry of Palestinians from Gaza to Israel to find a job or to work does not fall under this policy. Consequently, the flow of Palestinian workers from Gaza to Israel has stopped permanently and Israel has tried to replace the Palestinian workforce with a workforce of other nationalities. This situation has led to the deterioration of the economic conditions in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics press report of the labor force survey results in Palestine for the second quarter of 2015 indicated that the unemployment rate in Gaza stood at 41.0%; the highest unemployment rate was registered among youth of both sexes ages 15-24. Since Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, Israel sought to subordinate the Palestinian economy to the Israeli economy and imposed a number of measures that prevented the Palestinian economy from providing new job opportunities, by controlling the Palestinian economic resources and expropriating agricultural lands. This pushed many Palestinians to work in Israeli institutions and enterprises. Palestinians working in Israel obtain salaries higher than those received by Palestinians working in Palestine. More recently, the widespread use of the internet in Palestine has allowed young Palestinians residing in Gaza to bypass Israels tightened policy imposed on the movement of people between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Thus, they overcome the obstacles denying them entry into Israel and take advantage of the absence of Palestinian laws that prevent them from working in Israel by using the internet instead. Former Al-Monitor contributor Abeer Ayoub, a resident of the Gaza Strip, was able to work online as a journalist with the Israeli Haaretz newspaper. She told Al-Monitor that the internet is the key tool that allowed her to communicate with the Haaretz staff. She said, Working in the field of journalism is different from other workplaces since the main motive that pushed me to cooperate and publish with an Israeli newspaper is my desire to communicate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to the Israeli society. Ayoub faced widespread criticism on social networking sites by Palestinian activists; she believes this was one of the biggest challenges she encountered. In her defense, she argued that there are no Palestinian laws that criminalize working with Israeli institutions. Muhammad Sabah, a field researcher with B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, believes the internet is the main means that allowed him to overcome the siege imposed by the Israeli army on the Gaza Strip. He told Al-Monitor that he tried more than once to apply for a permit to visit the B'Tselem headquarters in Israel, but the Israeli Shin Bet did not allow him to pass through the Erez crossing. He said that since he started working with B'Tselem in 2006 the internet has allowed him to communicate with his colleagues. Sabah explained that Palestinians from Gaza working with Israeli institutions face difficulties in receiving their financial dues. He said that Israeli employers transfer salaries to banks in the West Bank town of Ramallah, and from there the money is transferred to a bank account in Gaza. On June 16, Reuters announced that Israeli company Mellanox Technologies is looking to take advantage of the Palestinian workforce that is specialized in computer technology. The article said, Working with ASAL Technologies, a Palestinian software firm, the maker of products that connect databases, servers and computers, has hired four programmers in Gaza. It hopes to add at least six more in the next six months." Al-Monitor tried to contact one of these programmers, but he did not want to talk about the issue and did not confirm nor deny his employment with Mellanox Technologies. Sources close to him told Al-Monitor that he refuses to give statements to the media since he fears he will be criticized by the people in Gaza, since Palestinians working with Israeli companies often are ostracized. In the same article, Reuters wrote, "Mellanox already employs a large number of Arab programmers in Israel and dozens in Ramallah and Nablus, in the occupied West Bank." Since the implementation of the unilateral disengagement plan from Gaza in 2005, Israel does not consider itself bound by the obligations imposed on it as an occupation power. The Hague Regulations (1907) and the Geneva Convention IV (1949) are one of the most important international charters defining Israel's obligations toward Gaza's population. Under the provisions of these charters, as well as under the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights ratified by Israel, an occupying state shall assume overall responsibility for the security and welfare of citizens living in the occupied territories. These charters recognize the right of everyone to freedom of movement, work, decent living conditions, education, decent standard of health and family life. Under the blockade imposed by the Israeli army on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the internet is their way out, allowing young Gazans to overcome the challenges preventing them from communicating with the outside world. August 4, 2016 ALEPPO, Syria On July 31, Syrian opposition factions launched a fierce attack on Aleppo in northern Syria. In a first of its kind, the attack involved all of the opposition factions and groups. Inside opposition-controlled neighborhoods, which have been besieged for almost a month by the Syrian regime, the scene changed completely when the battles erupted July 31. The residents moods shifted from confusion and anxiety to a state of optimism that their suffering under the siege was coming to an end. In the meantime, clouds of black smoke billow in the sky as a result of the residents burning of tires to prevent regime warplanes from identifying targets. The residents of Aleppo try to get on with their lives in the early morning hours as warplanes hover in the sky. At times, the regime fires its mortar and artillery shells on Aleppos neighborhoods when battles start a few hours before sunset. While these battles raise the fears of citizens, the fighting also gives the residents hope that the siege will end soon. Britta Haji Hassan, board chairman of the Free Aleppo Council, told Al-Monitor that than 320,000 people are besieged within the opposition-controlled neighborhoods of Aleppo. Extremely difficult and inhumane conditions could be in store for the residents should the blockade continue amid the lack of fuel and the gradual depletion of food stocks. Yusuf al-Muhajir, spokesman for the Ahrar al-Sham movement, one of the factions taking part in the Aleppo attack, told Al Jazeera channel Aug. 2 that the attack aims to end the siege plaguing the residents of the city of Aleppo; he said the achievement of this goal is imminent. However, Abu Bashir Maara, the military commander of the Aleppo Liberation operations room, which is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), said Aug. 2 that the battle will not stop until the entire city of Aleppo is under opposition control, and that the first phase of the battle aims to break the siege imposed by the regime on opposition-controlled neighborhoods. Ever since the FSA entered Aleppo, the economic capital of Syria, in July 2012, the city has been divided into districts under the control of the opposition and others under the control of the regime. The oppositions preparations and the huge potential employed in the attack suggest that the action is not only aimed at lifting the siege, but also at seizing the regime-controlled western neighborhoods. The attack involves 22 opposition factions, most notably the Sham Legion (Failaq al-Sham), Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest), which includes several groups such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Jabhat al-Nusra), along with the Aleppo Liberation operations room, which includes the FSA factions in Aleppo. On the first day of the battle, which was called The grand epic of Aleppo, the opposition made significant progress in south Aleppo and gained control of two hills Moota and Ohod as well as the 1070 apartment complex in the Hamdania neighborhood. On the second day, the opposition seized al-Shurfa village and moved into parts of Ramouseh, south of Aleppo. On the third day, however, this progress subsided as opposition forces started defending the areas they had gained control of. Meanwhile, the opposition-affiliated Jaish al-Fatah announced that it had repelled a regime attack on the 1070 apartment complex amid pro-regime media reports saying the regime had rolled back rebel gains in areas such as Telat al-Mahroukat, al-Amriyeh village and al-Jamiat region. The opposition provided some confirmation of this when it announced Aug. 4 the start of an attack to retake the latter region. It does not seem that the aim of the Aleppo battle is to reopen the Castello Road, in northern Aleppo, that was cut by regime forces July 7; rather, it aims to secure a new supply route for the opposition that crosses Ramouseh. This battle is a life or death battle for both parties. Not only would the opposition forces seizure of Ramouseh break the siege of the eastern neighborhoods, but it would also cut the main supply route leading to regime-controlled areas. While this supply route is still passable, the FSA released a video Aug. 3 showing a military vehicle belonging to Lebanese Hezbollah being targeted on this route. Just a few days ago, President Bashar al-Assad's regime forces seemed victorious in Aleppo, especially after they took control of the Bani Zeid and Leiramon neighborhoods in north Aleppo, and imposed a siege on the opposition-held eastern neighborhoods. This siege was what pushed the opposition forces to launch this massive attack on the city of Aleppo, and Jaish al-Fatah and Sham Legions joining of the battle of Aleppo seems to have changed the equation, especially considering that both factions were the main forces that managed to take control of the province of Idlib in March 2015. The Aleppo battles are now raging between the opposition and the regime more fiercely than ever before, and they seem to be headed toward a fast conclusion. Craft beer in Alabama Beer from Blue Pants Brewery in Madison. (File) Another group is speaking up about a new Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board proposal it believes would place an unnecessary burden on businesses. The Alabama Brewers Guild said it is against a provision that would require beer and spirit manufacturers that sell products for off-premise consumption to collect personal information, including the customer's name, address, phone number and date of birth, and report it to the state. The Birmingham organization is the latest to oppose the mandate after Free the Hops on Tuesday called it an "unprecedented, unnecessary, and overreaching invasion of privacy." The state passed a bill in March allowing breweries that make less than 60,000 barrels of beer per year to sell up to 288 ounces per customer per day for off-premise use. ABG said the record-keeping provision brought forth by the ABC Board is to "enforce a transaction limit opposed by law." "Individuals may not purchase more than 288 ounces a day from a brewery, and this provision would help the ABC Audit Division to ensure compliance," the group said in a statement Thursday. "The ABC is trying to do their job, and we understand the reasoning. However, we believe there are less invasive ways to ensure compliance. "We look forward to working with the ABC during this process, and we will be submitting written input during the public comment period." The ABC Board is made up of three members appointed by the governor: Bubba Lee of Gulf Shores, Samuetta Drew of Birmingham and Michael Ingram of Montgomery. Attempts to reach the board members were unsuccessful. Dean Argo, government relations and communications manager for the ABC Board, would not respond to questions about why the proposal is up for consideration or how the consumer information would be used by the state. "When the Legislature makes changes to law pertaining to spirits, the ABC Board must update, change or write new rules and regulations to ensure that the law is enforced adequately and correctly," he told AL.com. "Those updates, changes, or new rules are drafted by staff and then submitted to the Board for consideration. The Alabama Administrative Procedures Act requires that the proposed rules must be advertised and public comment taken. Once the Board has reviewed and considered the public input, it can then decide whether the proposed rule should be adopted or changed. " The public can submit feedback to the state through Sept. 7 by emailing admin@abc.alabama.gov or sending a written letter to the Alabama ABC Board, 2715 Gunter Park Drive West, Montgomery, AL, 36109. Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, worked with Rep. Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, to push the Growler Bill through the Legislature earlier this year. Holtzclaw on Wednesday tweeted about the proposed ABC rule, calling it a "burden on breweries and consumer." Not legislative intent. Burden on Breweries and Consumer; we will fix in 2017 Session if not rescinded https://t.co/fsyD0ydjzs @freethehops Bill Holtzclaw (@billholtzclaw) August 4, 2016 Holtzclaw said he spoke with the ABC Board on Thursday about the mandate. "We are looking forward to working with them to clarify some of the code that was kind of outside of what we originally did to enable the off-premise sales, so that's where they're going with trying to bring some of this rule making into fruition," he said. "Now that we've had this discussion, they are looking forward to working with us in February when we go back into session." Holtzclaw said the ABC Board's concerns about "when does a manufacturer not become a manufacturer and become a retailer" need to be addressed. "I'm more than happy to do that, but the way they were going about doing it, I was not in favor of," he said. The ABC Board will consider all public input on the proposal at its next meeting in late September. At that time, the body could decide to delay voting, edit certain portions of the mandate or scrap the proposal entirely. Free the Hops Vice President Carie Partain said the complete removal of the requirement is the "only reasonable outcome." "Our job, as a consumer advocacy group, is to facilitate the public awareness of the issue and encourage the public to avail themselves of the ABC's process for commentary on this proposed requirement," she said. "We are here to look out for the consumers that support our local breweries and brewpubs. We will continue to rally the public and monitor the dialogue between the industry and the ABC board." The AME Zion Church, a historic black denomination, has assigned an African-born bishop as the new leader of the 300 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Alabama and Florida. "There's always the possibility for growth, as long as you have sinners and as long as you have the gospel," Bishop Seth Lartey said in an interview with AL.com. "We intend to be very aggressive." Lartey, a native of Liberia, served the past four years as bishop of the AME Zion Church in West Africa. Lartey will work out of the district headquarters in Montgomery. Lartey said he will be arriving in Alabama next week. "I'll be coming into the area to evaluate things, see what we need to do," Lartey said. Since it's a presidential election year, Lartey wants to make sure churchgoers are exercising their rights to vote, he said. "The church will be very concerned about ensuring that people are registered and exercise their civic duties," Lartey said. "We want to make sure the rights of people are not violated, that people understand the issues. We will be promoting voter registration and voter education." Lartey was elected as a bishop at the 2012 conference of the AME Zion Church in Charlotte. Lartey was only the third African to reach that rank in the history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1796 in New York City. Before his election as bishop, Lartey served as pastor of Goler Memorial AME Zion Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., for nearly 20 years. He was founder and president of the Goler Community Development Corp., which built housing for the poor including 79 one-bedroom apartments for seniors. Lartey succeeds Bishop Dennis Proctor, who took over the Alabama-Florida district in October 2012 for a four-year term. Proctor now moves on to the Northeast district, which includes New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Lartey, 60, was born July 10, 1956, in Liberia. He graduated in 1976 from the AME Zion Academy in Monrovia, Liberia and in 1980 from the Liberian Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a bachelor's degree in 1987 from Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C., in 1987 and earned a master's degree in religious education from the School of Divinity at Duke University. He received his doctor of ministry degree in 2003 from Drew University in Madison, N.J. Liberia was torn by civil war from 1980 into the early 1990s, but by the time Lartey returned as bishop in 2012, it had rebounded significantly, he said. "By God's grace, things are returning to normality," Lartey said. "The situation is very promising," he said. "You have a resident indigenous bishop on the ground. It now can go to new heights. Even though I'm from Liberia, I pastored in America for 30 years." Lartey will return to leading the kind of outreach work he promoted as an American pastor. "Our priority is going to focus on maximizing all we can do, improving the life and opportunity of our ministers, expanding the borders of our work through evangelism, making sure educational opportunities improve," he said. For 75 years, the stone structures built by the Works Progress Administration in Chalkville sheltered girls labeled "incorrigible," "delinquent," or "wayward," although most arrived at the Alabama Training School for Girls because of behavioral and emotional problems and had committed no crimes, according to its superintendent in 1966. The school, the result of a program initially developed by the Protestant Women of Birmingham in 1909, was designed to help troubled girls learn anger management and develop life skills in a family atmosphere. Over the decades, overcrowding and lack of funding led to a more institutional environment and allegations of abuse. The reform school program was undergoing its own reform in Alabama, and the girls were being moved to a new facility built by the Department of Youth Services, when the sprawling Chalkville campus was struck by an EF3 tornado in January 2012, leveling all but four of its 15 buildings. The dorm housing the remaining 18 girls sustained little damage and no one was injured. Today, the abandoned buildings, including the historic administration building constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1936, sit empty and derelict, a place where a new generation of wayward youths illegally scale locked gates to spray paint graffiti on walls and tell stories of those who once inhabited the "school for bad girls," as it was known to locals. (NOTE: Trespassing is illegal and the buildings were deemed structurally unsafe after the tornado.) The abandoned facility Only the graffiti gives testament to the presence of vandals here; any other damage has long since merged with the devastating effects of time and the 2012 tornado. Still, the ruins hint at the incongruous lives of the girls once housed here: An ordinary looking school and recreation yard are juxtaposed against so-called "dorm" rooms with locking metal doors and narrow bunks. The "time-out" room at the former Alabama Training School for Girls. (Source: Naaman Fletcher via What's Left of Birmingham/LeftBirmingham.blogspot.com) In another part of a dormitory building, a plaque says 'timeout room,' a phrase made much more ominous by the fact that it is attached to a heavy metal door with a tiny lookout window. Above the door to the nearby Gothic chapel, the words from Psalm 119:105 are etched: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet." The door itself hangs open, allowing a triangle of light to fall on a scattering of Bibles and office supplies on the floor of the otherwise empty room. Shapes formed by a paler shade of carpet indicate where pews once stood. The pointed-arch windows are devoid of glass with the exception of a few brightly stained pieces in the large window above the door. One other building survived the storm. Also made of stone, it was likely another residence hall, one of five. Paved roads leading to overgrown fields and floodlights pointing nowhere are evidence of other buildings, those destroyed in the tornado. Missing are the school, three dorms, a gym, recreational facilities and a cafeteria that were added over the decades. At the edge of the property, a red roof stands out from the swampy surroundings. It belongs to an artesian well house likely built in the 1800s, when the land was known as the Matzuyama farm, according to David S. Rogers, deputy director for administration with the Alabama Department of Youth Services. Rogers said the 500-plus-acre site has been declared surplus property and "will be offered for sale in the very near future. In more recent decades, the Training School site had room for 92 girls, ages 12 to 18, who "were committed to the Department of Youth Services and adjudicated as delinquent by the Juvenile Courts of Alabama," Rogers said. Those housed at the facility were offered a variety of services, including "group counseling, social skills training, assertiveness training, drug and alcohol education, value clarification, sex education, medical services, remediation of basic skills (math, reading, language arts), GED preparation, physical education, and campus service projects." However, in the 1950s and 1960s, when the facility was overcrowded, young girls committed to the facility for behavioral problems would often have to spend days or weeks in county jails until space became available at the school, according to Kenneth Wooden, author of the 1966 book "Weeping in the Playtime of Others: America's Incarcerated Children." At that time, there were no group or foster homes specifically for troubled girls, he said, quoting Ann Rittenhouse, a social worker at the Training School. According to Rittenhouse, 80 percent of the girls incarcerated at the Alabama Training School for Girls "committed no crimes but are in danger of becoming institutionalized, of deteriorating, and regressing." The facility was integrated in 1971. The WPA Only two years after founding the school, the Protestant Women of Birmingham turned it over to the state in 1911. After moving to several locations in Birmingham, the Alabama Training School for Girls found a home in Chalkville in 1937, where it would remain for seven decades and undergo another name change, this time to Department of Youth Services, Chalkville Campus. The administration building, made of the same stone as the chapel, boasts a large tower with clocks whose hands were stilled on January 2012. Built circa-1936, the administration building was a project created by local workers through Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, a program designed to put people to work in an effort to end the Great Depression. A work order dated 1936 states the government agency would build "cottages, administrative building and hospital, entrance gates, etc., at Chalkville, Jefferson County." After the completion of schools and post offices - projects that put 9,000 people to work in Jefferson County alone, according to a 1943 article in The Birmingham News - WPA work came to an end in 1943. Buildings constructed by the WPA are considered historical and, in most communities, they are preserved. However, the future of the administration building is uncertain, as it will depend on who purchases the property. The future for 'incorrigible' girls After a series of court-ordered reforms, the Department of Youth Services was already phasing out use of the Chalkville campus when the tornado struck. A new facility opened in 2015 to meet court mandates. "The population that was previously enrolled at Chalkville is now placed at the J. Walter Wood Jr Treatment Facility located in Mt. Meigs," Rogers said. "This facility was built using the insurance proceeds from the destroyed campus and is operated by Rite of Passage." The facility is named in honor of Walter Wood, the longest-serving state juvenile corrections executive in the United States when he retired in 2014, and is designed to incorporate his philosophy of rehabilitation, according to the DYS website. It says: "The facility's design is intended to be more conducive to treatment and rehabilitation, which is the philosophy embraced and championed by J. Walter Wood Jr. The facility is comprised of a 16,000 square foot dorm and 11,000-square-foot education building with offices and classrooms. The facility includes smart boards for the classrooms, a library, recreational areas, an enclosed courtyard, and a safe area for severe weather events." Join al.com reporter Kelly Kazek on her weekly journey through Alabama to record the region's quirky history, strange roadside attractions and tales of colorful characters. Find her on Facebook or follow her Odd Travels and Real Alabama boards on Pinterest. Standing on an island of concrete at the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Hillcrest Road during rush hour every afternoon, Maureen Maclay holds a sign with a simple message: "Pray for peace." She's not selling anything, not collecting money for some cause. She only wants to help make the world a more peaceful place. Now in her third week of making the daily pilgrimage from her nearby home to one of Mobile's busiest intersections, her smiling visage has become a familiar sight to those who pass by on their way home from work. Many of them honk and wave, or shout encouragement - and a handful have even stopped to bring her bottles of water and Gatorade. Maclay, a self-described news junkie, said she felt compelled to do something when she saw the coverage of last month's terrorist attack in Nice, France, in which a truck mowed down a crowd of people during a Bastille Day celebration. "I had a need to speak out, but I didn't know how to direct it," she said. Following her instinct, she scribbled "Please pray for peace" on a scrap of cardboard and, on the following Monday, took it with her to stand in the spot along traffic-filled Airport Boulevard, just outside a Rite-Aid drugstore, squinting in the hot sun. That day, passerby Taylor Moody, who didn't know Maclay, saw her standing out there in capri pants, a linen shirt and a straw hat, making the peace sign in the 93-degree heat. Moody filmed her and posted the video to Facebook. Her post was shared nearly 5,000 times, and her video received nearly 275,000 views. Eventually, Maclay was tagged in the post and met Moody, thanking her for "spreading the word: Pray for peace and promote peace in our world." Since that first day, Maclay has been joined by friends, family members and strangers - and she's even inspired others, including her sisters in Tampa/St. Pete and Crystal Beach, Fla., to take a literal stand in their communities. And an offshoot group has begun holding similar signs at Cottage Hill and Schillinger roads in west Mobile. Maclay, a grandmother, writer, teacher and nanny, said she once dreamed of being an ambassador or a diplomat. As she reflected over her hour-a-day ritual now in its third week, she has realized that "one person can stand up and make a difference," she said. "Diplomacy can start right where you are." After the Orlando massacre, her minister used a jar of tiny mustard seeds in his sermon to illustrate how "one little act can make a difference in the world" - giving the example of when the bouncer at the Pulse nightclub realized what was going on and opened a back door, through which 60 people fled. Similarly, Maclay has planted a seed of peace, and kindness - and it has already grown and given back to her. "It's my boost for the day," she said. "Like that sermon about the mustard seed, I can see how things can grow even from the smallest seed. It is the little things that we do that can make a big difference in this world." The simple act of holding signs, flashing the peace sign at passersby and waving American flags "has given me a lot of hope where I had fear from news stories and the current political candidates," she said. "When I stand out there on the street and see people honking and waving, I think of how there's so much good in the world." She hopes that those driving by will see "ordinary people being peaceful," and that it will "change some mindsets." "Prayer is something anyone can do from any faith, and it's free," she said. Andy Maynard, who stopped to bring snacks to and chat with Maclay, created a Facebook page for her, "Pray for Peace in Our World." Though she says she's an introvert who's "not the leader type," Maclay's quiet activism has sparked other ideas that she hopes to pursue, such as holding a "day of peace" event at Medal of Honor Park, or speaking to schoolchildren about how to bring more peace into the world. She recently signed up for the Mobile Police Department's Citizens Academy, "to increase awareness of what officers are facing" - something she said she probably wouldn't have done before. "If there's one thing that can come out of this, it's helping to bring people together," she said. "It has renewed my faith in the goodness of people. That's the strength of our country. Positivity can be contagious." A crash between two 18-wheelers led to one fatality today in Walker County. The accident happened before 1:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 22 near Cordova, said Alabama State Trooper Johnathan Appling. Authorities described the collision between the two tractor-trailers as major. The Alabama Department of Transportation responded to the scene as well. Motorists are advised to use extreme caution in the area. Tallapoosa County Probate Judge Leon Archer has been suspended after the Judicial Inquiry Commission filed a judicial ethics complaint against him Wednesday related to admittedly exchanging sexually explicit Facebook messages with a woman who was a former litigant in his court. Archer admitted to the commission that among the sexually explicit photos he had exchanged with the woman on Facebook messaging were photos of his genitals, taken while at the county courthouse. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary will hold a hearing on the JIC complaint Monday (Aug. 8) to resolve the case after the JIC and Archer agreed to have an expedited hearing, according to documents filed Wednesday night. Archer waived the right to enter responses to the complaint in the case. Archer first admitted to the sexually explicit exchange earlier this year in an interview with the Alexander City Outlook. Efforts to reach Archer or Tallapoosa County's attorney were unsuccessful prior to publication of this story. Judges are automatically suspended from office with pay while charges are pending. The charges will be heard by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. Archer faces three charges by the Judicial Inquiry Commission, which investigates complaints of misconduct by judges. All three of the charges involve alleged violations of the canons of judicial ethics, including that judges must: maintain high standards of conduct; avoid impropriety; maintain decorum; conduct themselves in a manner to promote public confidence in the judiciary; avoid bringing their office into disrepute. If found guilty, Archer could face a range of punishment: from suspension without pay, public censure, or removal from office. The JIC charges surround an explicit conversation Archer had between a woman, identified in the complaint only as "J.T.," between Jan. 7 and Jan. 28 of this year. Archer had first met J.T. in April 2013 when she came to get a marriage license with her husband. Archer married the couple. But J.T. called back one week later seeking to get an annulment. Archer referred her to circuit court to get the annulment. J.T. then contacted Archer in 2013 seeking help with a conservatorship, according to the JIC complaint. After that Archer did not have any contact with J.T. until July 2015 when he sent a friend request on Facebook, according to the complaint. During the three weeks of Facebook messaging in January, most of the conversations took place during work hours on work days, the complaint states. "This conversation included sexually explicit content, comments, and invitations or propositions," according to the complaint. "The messages also included pictures of the judge's genitals and a female's breasts, buttocks and genitalia." At one point J.T. sent Archer a message expressing concern with the legality of an elected county official "asking for sexual favors in exchange for money and asking the person to call their private line during work." Archer replies "not if you call their personal cell #. I don't quite understand the question. I would not call the work #." Archer confirmed to the JIC that he had taken the picture of himself in the Tallapoosa county Courthouse to send to J.T., according to the complaint. J.T. around Jan. 29, met with Mitch Steen, a reporter at the Alexander City Outlook. J.T. provided a copy of her FB messages with Archer. Archer told the newspaper that he got caught up in the conversations and apologized for his poor judgement, the Outlook reported. "I should have known better, but I can't take it back," Archer said. "All that I can do at this point is ask my wife of 47 years, my children, my church family, friends and the people of Tallapoosa County to forgive me." Archer, who became a probate judge in 2012, was among dozens of judges across Alabama who were conflicted over granting marriages to gay couples. He previously served as a Shelby County commissioner and a Tallapoosa County commissioner. Updated at 6:30 a.m. Aug. 4, 2016 to note that Archer's hearing before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary to resolve the case will be held on Aug. 8. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore against the judicial ethics group that filed charges against him in May. U.S. District Court Judge W. Harold Albritton issued an order Thursday morning dismissing the lawsuit. The judge on Wednesday had cancelled a planned hearing for Thursday on the Judicial Inquiry Commission's motion to dismiss Moore's lawsuit. Albritton said that the parties in the case had agreed that all the issues had been addressed in court filings and a hearing was not necessary. Moore in the lawsuit against the JIC had challenged the law requiring automatic suspension of judges who face ethics charges from the JIC. Moore was automatically suspended when the JIC filed ethics charges May 6 against him regarding an administrative order he issued in January to probate judges regarding same-sex marriage. Albritton stated in his 19-page memorandum and opinion that a federal judge should not interfere in on-going state court proceedings. "The voters in the State of Alabama adopted a far-ranging and comprehensive new Judicial Article to the State's Constitution, Article VI, a part of which created a method of dealing with allegations of misconduct by any of the judges of the State," Albritton stated. "It created a Judicial Inquiry Commission, with authority to investigate and bring complaints of misconduct against a judge, functioning in a manner similar to a grand jury. A Court of the Judiciary was created to try and determine any such complaints brought and an adverse decision by that court could be appealed to the Supreme Court of Alabama." "The new Judicial Article also provided that a judge against whom a complaint of misconduct had been filed with the Court of the Judiciary shall be disqualified from acting as a judge, without loss of salary, while such complaint is pending," Albritton's opinion states. "Chief Justice Moore has asked this federal court to hold that the disqualification provision of the Judicial Article of the Alabama Constitution violates his due process rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and to enjoin its enforcement and reinstate him fully to his service as Chief Justice while the charges against him are proceeding." Albritton stated in his opinion that the Supreme Court of the United States has long recognized the importance that federal courts should not interfere with ongoing state court proceedings, except under very limited circumstances. "He (Moore) has chosen not to allow the state courts to determine his federal constitutional challenges, but instead to ask this federal court to act," Albritton states. "This court, out of respect for the state court's proceedings for determining discipline of the state's elected judges, in the manner provided by the state's own constitution, declines to do so." Liberty Counsel, the legal group that represents Moore, said in a statement Thursday after Albritton issued his order that they argued that striking down the automatic removal provision would not interfere with the ongoing case filed by the JIC. "Alabama is the only state that has a provision in which judges are automatically removed from the bench when the JIC files a complaint, no matter how minor the complaint," according to the statement from Liberty Counsel. "Alabama's automatic removal provision goes against the assumption in law that a person is innocent until proven otherwise," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "This provision should be struck down. We will discuss the matter with our client about appealing the ruling. We have preserved this issue in the state proceeding and will continue our challenge to this automatic removal provision." A hearing is set for Aug. 8 on the ethics charges against Moore before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. Moore is seeking dismissal of those charges at that hearing and the JIC says it wants the court to rule on its motion seeking immediate action against Moore without a trial. "We are ready for Monday's hearing to address the politically-motivated charges filed against Chief Justice Moore," said Staver. More details will be posted regarding the judge's order. Long-time Greene County Probate Judge Earlean Isaac faces judicial ethics charges that she didn't disqualify herself from acting on issues involving distribution of money from her father's estate. The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission filed ethics charges against Isaac on Wednesday to the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. That court hears charges against judges and decides whether any punishment is necessary, which could include suspension without pay or removal from office. Under the rules, the judge is suspended with pay while charges are pending. But at the request of Isaac and the JIC, a hearing on the charges has been expedited and will be held Monday. Efforts to reach Isaac on Thursday morning prior to publication of this story were unsuccessful. "Judge Isaac violated the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics by presiding over and by failing to disqualify herself from a case involving the probate of her father's estate in which she and her siblings were heirs," according to the JIC complaint. The JIC leveled four charges against Isaac claiming she had violated a number of canons of judicial ethics. The violations, according to JIC, included Isaac: entering into ex parte communications with others, including her siblings; obtaining waivers outside the court and outside the presence of all parties or their attorneys; notarizing documents she knew or should have known would be filed in a preceding before her; directing the estate's administratrix (her sister) as to who should be included as heirs; directing her attorney to request a class-action check be sent to the probate office; inserting her personal knowledge of facts and family history into the case; misusing her status as a judge to preempt tasks normally reserved for the personal representative of the state; and her comingled status as a party and judge, "abandoning her post as an impartial arbiter." "Judge Isaac admitted to the commission that although she has served as Probate Judge of Greene County for 27 years, she was unaware of the requirements of the Canons which include her required disqualification in a probate proceeding concerning a member of her family or in which she had a person financial interest," according to the complaint. Isaac's father, Robert Percy Williams, died in 2003 without a will. However, in 2013 he was awarded $62,500 (after taxes $50,000) as his share in a class-action racial discrimination lawsuit regarding the administration of a federal farm program. The heirs - Williams had 15 children including Judge Isaac -then began the process of probating the estate, according to the JIC complaint. Judge Isaac was first elected probate judge in 1989 and in 2012 was re-elected to her fifth term, which expires in 2018, according to the JIC. Isaac's hearing will be held Monday morning, 30 minutes after the Alabama Court of the Judiciary hears another expedited hearing on Tallapoosa Probate Judge Leon Archer. The JIC claimed in a complaint also filed Wednesday that Archer violated judicial ethics related to exchanging sexually explicit Facebook messages with a woman who was a former litigant in his court. The messages included an exchange of nude photos. Archer earlier this year had admitted to the Facebook messages and apologized. Suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore does not have to release to the Judicial Inquiry Commission two un-redacted memos he had sent to fellow justices last year, a judge has ruled. Chief justice of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary this Court Mike Joiner on Monday had ordered Moore to submit to him for an in-camera (private) review the two memos the Judicial Inquiry Commission wanted to review. Moore had previously submitted redacted versions of the two memos. In an order issued Wednesday, Joiner stated that Moore "has timely complied with this court's order to submit both unredacted copies and copies with proposed redactions along with a brief explanation as to why the proposed redactions are necessary." Joiner denied the JIC request for un-redacted copies saying he reviewed the memos and agrees with Moore that the redacted portions relate solely to internal Alabama Supreme Court communications and procedures that are not necessary to provide context for the remainder of the memos. "At this juncture , based on the pleadings and materials before the court it does not appear that the redacted portions describing internal court communications and procedures are relevant to the issues in this matter," Joiner states "If the arguments or evidence make the redacted material relevant the issue will be revisited," Joiner states. Moore was suspended May 6 after the JIC filed judicial ethics charges against him for a Jan. 6 administrative order to probate judges. In that order he stated that a March 2015 Alabama Supreme Court order banning the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples was still in place. Moore said he wasn't defying the U.S. Supreme Court or federal courts with that order. And in a filing last week to the Court of the Judiciary, which will hear the ethics complaint against him, Moore explained what was happening in the months before he issued his January order. He also included excerpts from the memos he had sent to fellow justices in September and October of last year urging them to act - one way or another - on whether they thought their previous orders telling probate judges not to issue marriage licenses (prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling) were still in place. Ultimately, earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court did act to dismiss the petition from the Alabama Policy Institute and others that led to its March 3, 2015 order to probate judges, but did not say it was rescinding its order. The Court of the Judiciary on Aug. 8 is to hear summary judgment motions by both Moore and the JIC. Moore is seeking dismissal of the charges and the JIC wants a ruling in their favor to remove Moore now from the bench. Roy Moore billboard.png A national gay rights group has placed a #NoMoore billboard in Montgomery, days before a court in the state's capital is to consider ethics charges against suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore regarding an order he issued involving same-sex marriage. The Human Rights Campaign - or HRC - issued a statement Thursday saying it had placed a billboard off Interstate 85 near Hutchinson Street in downtown Montgomery. The group stated in a press release that it was "calling out disgraced, notoriously anti-LGBTQ Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore." Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, which represents Moore, said that HRC is a group outside Alabama that is trying to gain media attention to itself. "I don't think they have a lot of supporters for the HRC in Alabama ... That is not the sentiment of the general population," he said. Staver pointed to Moore being the top potential candidate for Alabama governor in a recent poll as proof of the judge's popularity in Alabama. HRC said the billboard, which reads "#NoMoore: Dismiss Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore" - was placed as Moore is set for a hearing Monday in his case before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. Moore at the hearing will be asking the Court of the Judiciary (COJ) to dismiss the ethics charges brought by the state's Judicial Inquiry Commission in May. The commission, however, is asking that the COJ to instead go ahead and find Moore guilty on the ethics charges and remove him from the bench. Depending on the COJ's decision, the court might hold a full-fledged trial Sept. 28. HRC, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, said it had placed the billboard only a few blocks from Monday's hearing. "Roy Moore took an oath to uphold the laws of the United States and Alabama, yet he has flagrantly defied every federally binding pro-marriage equality ruling," Eva Kendrick, state manager of the Human Rights Campaign, Alabama, stated in the press release. "This billboard serves as a reminder that Roy Moore is unfit to serve the people of Alabama on our highest court, and should be removed and censured for his obstructionist tactics." According to a Facebook post, HRC also is urging people to attend a rally on the steps of the Alabama Supreme Court on Monday outside where the hearing will take place. Moore supporters, however, are being encouraged by friends of Moore to also be there too, beginning at noon. "Please tell your friends, your family and your church about what is happening to Judge Moore and about the trial and rally," according to the email. The email also encourages Moore supporters to pass around a video of drag queen Ambrosia, who has been outspoken against Moore. "Please pray for Judge Moore, his family, our families and our nation," the email states. HRC and other civil rights groups joined the Southern Poverty Law Center in filing ethics complaints to the JIC seeking Moore's removal for violating the obligations of his office. The JIC complaint that followed focuses on Moore's Jan. 6 order he issued to probate judges around the state. Moore has said the Jan. 6 order was to inform probate judges about the status of an injunction that had first been imposed upon them in March 2015 by the Alabama Supreme Court - prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling making gay marriage legal nationwide. After the SCOTUS ruling the Alabama Supreme Court asked parties to submit briefs on what it should do with its March 2015 order. The Alabama Supreme Court, however, did not do anything in the months after the briefs were submitted and Moore said he issued his order in January to provide state probate judges a status on where things stood. "The sole purpose of the (January 2016) Administrative Order in question was to inform the probate judges that six months after that briefing order, the Court still remained in deliberation on the matter and that, therefore, the API orders continued in effect pending 'further decision,'" according to one filing by Moore's attorneys. But Moore expressly stated in his order that he could not provide guidance to the probate judges because the matter was pending before the Alabama Supreme Court, Staver said. A New Hope man who listed an item for sale on Craigslist was shot Tuesday by two men who answered the ad. Myndarius Rogers, 21, and Travion Marquise Malone, 18, are charged with attempted murder and first-degree robbery, according to the Madison County Sheriff's Office. They were booked into the Madison County Jail in lieu of $120,000 bond. Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Brian Chaffin said that the men went Tuesday night to the victim's home in the 800 block of Honea Lane, where the shooting took place. The victim was taken to Huntsville Hospital in serious condition; he is expected to recover from his injuries. Investigators developed Rogers and Malone as suspects based on witness statements and statements made by the victim. They were arrested the day after the shooting. "The victim in this case simply listed a product on Craigslist for sale and the offenders took advantage of this situation to commit a crime to a citizen of Madison County," Chaffin said in a news release. "When conducting business in this manner, please be aware of your surroundings and make transactions at a safe location." Few of Indias abused women seek help. Social workers in Mumbai are trying to change that one hospital at a time. Mumbai, India It is mid-morning at the women and childrens block of the KB Bhabha Hospital, one of Mumbais busiest public hospitals. The hubbub is punctuated by the cries of a baby, and the contented whirring of pigeons settling to roost. A short distance from the row of open consultation cubicles with thickets of women waiting before them is a closed door marked 101. Inside, a group of women read from files, exchanging tales of unremitting male cruelty: men who bang womens heads against walls. Men who force women to sleep with them, slowly empty out their bank accounts, and then force them to sleep with them again. Men who force women to have unprotected sex with them at night, and force emergency contraceptives down their throats in the morning. Men who rain repeated blows on their wives swollen abdomens and end their pregnancies. Men who force their wives to watch graphic videos, and then submit them to the painful acts they depict. Bleak as these stories are, its unusual that they are being heard at all. The National Family Health Survey-III (NFHS-III), published in 2005, found that while 37.2 percent of women who had ever been married had faced spousal abuse, only 2 percent sought help from the police. According to the same survey, about half of these women ended up in hospital at some point owing to the violence they experienced. Over the past few years, social workers and healthcare workers in Mumbais public hospitals have used this as an opportunity to identify and help women in distress. Some train nurses and doctors to spot signs of abuse; others deploy neighbourhood field workers, usually housewives themselves, to encourage women to seek help at crisis centres like that at KB Bhabha Hospital. Unlike the default option going to the police and setting off an irreversible, uncontrollable process this approach ensures that women get the support they need, without the official scrutiny. Giving women agency and privacy, social workers say, could help to arrest the cycle of violence early on, and prevent tragedy. The socialisation of domestic violence Many factors make it difficult for women to seek help in India. Foremost among them is that women are socialised early on to submit to unfair treatment and even violence. Its ingrained with them from the beginning that they have to adjust to whatever their lot is, because marriage is a must, marriage is for life, that your husband is akin to a god to you, and that without him youre nothing, says Flavia Agnes, a lawyer whose experience of domestic violence inspired her to fight for womens rights. The programming is so effective that a higher proportion of women, compared with men, find wife-beating justifiable under some circumstances, according to the NHFS-III. Beatings are considered acceptable by more than 50 percent of both sexes. The extenuating circumstances include failing at ones domestic duties, such as not cooking food properly, neglecting ones household and children, and disrespecting ones in-laws. It's ingrained with them from the beginning that they have to 'adjust' to whatever their lot is, because marriage is a must, marriage is for life, that your husband is akin to a god to you, and that without him you're nothing. by Flavia Agnes, lawyer and women's rights activist The fact that marital rape is still not a crime is an extension of this logic. Women are considered good women or bad women according to how well they fulfil their expected duties and responsibilities, says Nayreen Daruwalla, a Mumbai-based counsellor and social worker. A good wife cooks food, doesnt confront the husband and his family, never speaks up, lets her husband take all important decisions, and allows him to have sex with her whenever he likes. This reasoning received the tacit endorsement of no less than the Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, in March this year, when she informed the upper house of Parliament that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context owing to various factors like level of education/illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values, religious beliefs, mindset of the society to treat the marriage as a sacrament. She later backtracked on her statement after an angry public response from activists, the media, and lawyers. The former additional solicitor general of India, Indira Jaising, called it patronising, while a group of actors sent up the absurdity of the stance through a parody sitcom called How I Raped your Mother. Gandhis statement served as a reminder of just why the many progressive women-centred laws and amendments passed in recent years have failed to specifically address marital rape. This includes the 2005 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, whose definition of domestic violence included physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse, and extended protections to women in a relationship in the nature of marriage. But what if the very nature of marriage takes a womans consent for granted? A 2003 study of adolescents in a low-income neighbourhood in Delhi, which documented 32 instances of serious sexual coercion across 71 interviews, suggested that this might be the case. It vividly demonstrates how normative behaviours are enforced in Indian society. The boys act with unfettered aggression and entitlement, while the girls are forced to endure abuse and be blamed for it, as in the case of a girl whose complaint about being molested was countered by the perpetrators mother, who blamed her for inviting the attack by choosing not to cover her chest with a chunni (scarf). A 19-year-old painter described how, when his repeated orders to his new wife to take off her clothes were met with silent, tearful refusal, he made her keep quiet, took her clothes off and did my work. Another girl said that her newly married sister endured violent non-consensual sex, and had to be taken to the dispensary the next day as she was in pain. Older female relatives informed girls in the neighbourhood to accept this situation, or non-consensual sex, as normal. Other relationships began as consensual, but led to forced kissing and forced sex, with subjugation at the start of the relationship [leading] to more severe violence. The report concluded: Society perpetuates abuse by tolerating certain kinds of coercion, which emboldens boys to become even more aggressive and violent. READ MORE: Vidhya Das Fighting for poor women in India Why women dont seek help When women do choose to speak out, reports suggest they are discouraged at every turn. Most women first turn to their natal family for help, says Divya Taneja, the co-ordinator of the Special Cell for Women and Children in Mumbai and the greater Konkan region. But they tell her, Oh, you just got married, give yourself time to adjust, when you have a child this will probably go away. The woman keeps getting pushed back into the family because for society the family is always considered safe. They dont realise how dangerous it is. When women turn to the police for help, anything short of physical trauma is often dismissed. She can say, Hes abusing me daily, not giving me food, not giving me money,' Taneja says. But the police counter that with, Physically toh dikhta nahin (We see no physical proof of that).' The neighbour, the police both tell her to go back home, as does the priest by Pouruchisti Wadia, a counsellor with SNEHA Most women have no alternatives: neither safe shelters, nor a family well-off enough or accepting of a potential besmirching of their honour to support them. The neighbour, the police both tell her to go back home, as does the priest, says Pouruchisti Wadia, a counsellor with the non-profit Society for Nutrition Education and Health Action (SNEHA), which works out of public hospitals in Dharavi in central Mumbai. No one tells her, No, whats happening with you is not acceptable.' Daruwalla, the counsellor who directs SNEHAs programme to prevent violence against women and children, agrees. Everyone, from the family members to caste panchayats [community groups mostly made up of older men] and the police tell them, Never mind whose fault it is, you two stay together,' she says. This does not resolve the problem. READ MORE: Opinion Rape and the Indian male Recurring trauma What it does instead is allow the violence to become chronic. Last year, Anushka Patel, a psychology graduate student, interviewed 47 women from an east Mumbai suburb who had experienced trauma in an effort to adapt a checklist of symptoms to diagnose Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to the Indian context. While analysing her results, she was startled to find that 51 percent of the women reported symptoms of PTSD, an incidence that she noted was 20 percent higher than it was for women who had experienced sexual assault in the US. When she re-read her interviews, she realised just why the figure was so bloated. These women were hyper-alert, having negative reminders of the event, bad dreams, being really careful, she recalls. All symptoms of classic PTSD. But then, unlike a war veteran who freaks out three months after hes returned from combat when he hears a car horn because he thinks its an IED, all of this is actually very adaptive for these women, because theyre all still living in traumatic situations. These women were hyper-alert, having negative reminders of the event ... All symptoms of classic PTSD. by Anushka Patel, a psychology graduate student researching PTSD in the domestic Indian context Violence that is allowed to go unchecked can reach extremes. Daruwalla and her fellow SNEHA counsellors say they often see the most severe kinds of sexual abuse, which women keep tolerating. Daruwalla recites a laundry list of such cases: We see women who have had tomatoes shoved into their vaginas, women who have been bitten all over their body. We see so many who have been made to stand outside their houses for hours, naked, without food. No clothes, for some reason, is very common, her colleague Farzeen Faroodi chimes in. Maybe because its like taking away their dignity. The drive to subjugate sometimes reaches a disturbing pitch, with women being forced to consume their husbands urine during oral sex, and even, in one case, their excrement. READ MORE: He stomped on my head: Stories of domestic abuse How hospitals are helping Not seeking help in time may have dire consequences. But seeking help can also invite unwelcome repercussions for women who remain materially dependent on their abusers. Hospitals provide an innocuous pretext for those sequestered in their homes to seek help without drawing any untoward attention. Thats why Room 101, the crisis centre in KB Bhabha Hospital, is behind an unobtrusive unmarked door in a bustling block where men are entirely absent. The health non-profit Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT) set up this centre, which they call Dilaasa (Hindi for consolation),15 years ago. Its since become a department run by the hospital, which receives about 300 new cases of domestic violence every year. The success of the model prompted nine more municipal hospitals in Mumbai to open similar centres offering free legal and psychological support. Such centres dont always slot neatly into the hospital system. Nurses and doctors sometimes face initial resistance and hostility from male colleagues and superiors. One staff nurse, who asked not to be identified, said a top hospital administrator once accused her of splitting up homes, while male colleagues often accused her of wasting time gossiping with her patients or wrangling confessions from women who seemed perfectly content to quietly endure their lot. Some other challenges lie in what goes unremarked and unrecorded. Before setting up Dilaasa, CEHATs researchers studied the goings-on in the casualty wards of Mumbais public hospitals. While scanning the registers, they noticed that although men and women arrived at the hospitals in equal numbers, the circumstances that brought them there were diametrically different. The men mostly got injured due to a fight or an occupational injury, always outside the home, recalls Aarthi Chandrasekhar, a research officer with CEHAT. But women were reporting with kicks and bites or falls which they would say were accidental. Consumption of poison can't be accidental. We realised that these cases needed to be probed into. by Aarthi Chandrasekhar, a research officer with CEHAT Despite the violent nature of these assaults, the files didnt record where they took place, or who the aggressor was. They left those sections blank, or wrote something non-incriminatory, like assault by known persons. In some cases, the women were recorded to have accidentally consumed poison, say, mistaken a bottle of floor-cleaning liquid for milk. The fact is, Chandrasekhar says, consumption of poison cant be accidental. We realised that these cases needed to be probed into. They decided that such categories of cases, which could meaningfully obscure domestic violence, invited automatic vigilance. When new clients come to these centres, case workers document evidence of adverse incidents, such as scars and dates and times of assaults, as well as clients health and personal histories. The case workers then explain their choices to them, and support them in the course of action they choose to take. All women are offered medical and emotional support within the hospital itself. Theyre also informed about their legal rights, or referred to lawyers and shelters. Some are given the option of filing a non-cognisable police complaint, which, they are assured, cannot put their partners behind bars, but will create a useful paper trail if their situation escalates. This way, they get the treatment and support they require, as well as a hefty rundown of medico-legal evidence, should they later decide to press charges or file for divorce. Sexual assault cases are often brought to the hospital by the police. In some cases, women turn up on their own, concerned about unwanted pregnancies. But most domestic violence cases are referred to the centre by doctors and nurses. READ MORE: Indian police arrest 15 in rape of mother, daughter Spotting the tell-tale signs of violence Over the past 15 years, CEHAT has been conducting periodic 10-day workshops for healthcare workers in public hospitals around the city. Doctors and nurses learn about concepts they might see play out among their patients, such as patriarchy, gender and communalism. They are taught how to ask questions sensitively, how to offer psychological first aid, and how to spot tell-tale signs of violence. Once you do one of those workshops, youre sensitised, says Rita Pande, an ob-gyn with a private practice who spoke to Al Jazeera under a pseudonym. Pande received CEHAT training while working with a renowned public hospital in south Mumbai. You start to look for signs and symptoms where before you just heard health complaints you had to treat, or just mechanically went through a checklist without stopping: Feeling OK? Passed urine? Passed stool? Among the tell-tale warning signs she learned to look out for were recurrent white discharges, multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, malnourishment, and prolapsed uteruses. About 80 percent of these women will respond and come out with the problem if you spend an extra five minutes with them, she says, but most doctors dont do that in a crowded out-patient department. The Dilaasa model helps, she adds, because it provides a portal for such confessions, and a channel to follow so its not too time-consuming. READ MORE: Magazine Mother Justice, waging a war on rape Pregnant women are among the most vulnerable To get to head nurse Sneha Sheetals office, you have to pass a narrow, half-renovated stairwell, through which heavily pregnant women in bright gauzy saris gingerly make their way to the labour ward. Over her 23 years working as a staff nurse in the citys public hospitals, including this one in suburban Mumbai, Sheetal has identified numerous cases of pregnant women facing domestic violence. What sharpens her scrutiny isnt just the training she received from CEHAT 14 years ago, but also a more personal history. Many years ago, her mother, who had five daughters, died while giving birth to the fifth. My fathers sister and mother had been threatening to get rid of her and get my father remarried if she gave birth to another daughter, she says. When she realised she did, she bled profusely and died of shock. Today I tell myself, If she had a nurse like me, she might have been saved. But, fine, I couldnt save my mummy. Ill save someone elses. Her determination to do so has transformed her from someone who only followed a doctors orders to something of an amateur sleuth. Kaaran doondne ke liye nazariya mila (Im now always on the lookout for back stories), she says, her eyes sparkling behind rimless glasses. Before, if we got ladies who showed up at midnight complaining of aching stomachs, we used to give them some pills and send them on their way. Now, we go deep. Before, if we got ladies who showed up at midnight complaining of aching stomachs, we used to give them some pills and send them on their way. Now, we go deep. by Sneha Sheetal, head nurse at a suburban Mumbai public hospital According to Pande, suspicious signs abound where pregnant women are concerned. They tolerate absolutely everything because they cant fend for themselves, she says. Sheetal always knows somethings up when womens replies are inconsistent and accompanied by poor eye contact, or when they complain of body pain but vehemently resist being examined. Nothing, however, sets off her alarm bells quicker than falls that take place in the dead of night. Most women come in saying they tripped and fell, she says. But that doesnt explain why their cheeks are black and blue, or why they have bruises on their thighs and private parts. Even when they dont speak, their scars do. They tell us: This case is different. This is an assault.' A few years ago, a young pregnant woman came into the casualty ward just past midnight, accompanied by her mother-in-law and husband. She sat staring at her feet, Sheetal says, as her husband and mother-in-law told me she fell in the bathroom and started bleeding. Her face was covered by her sari, but I could tell from her body language that she didnt exactly acquiesce to their version of events. She took the woman aside for a private examination, shutting the door in the increasingly belligerent husbands face. She asked her, Whatever were you doing in the bathroom this time of night that made you fall? The woman responded, What bathroom? What fall? Those two got together and kicked me in the stomach. They brought me here to find out if the baby was OK. READ MORE: Turning the page for feminism Silence about sexual violence When it comes to cases of sexual violence, women are even less forthcoming. Sheetal says she often sees women who turn up at the hospital with painful infections. And despite that, we know from examining them that theyve had sex the previous night, she says. We ask them, How did this happen, by force? Because their vaginas are so red and inflamed, how would they willingly allow this? The women usually stay silent and downcast. So Sheetal calls in their husbands, and tells them to take a course of medication and leave their wives alone for a little while because theyre sick and what they have is contagious. If we scare them with disease, theyll be quick to act, she says. But if you say, Youre hurting this woman, theyll never listen. If by Sneha with disease, theyll be quick to act But if you say, Youre hurting this woman, theyll never listen.] Faroodi, the counsellor, often sees women come to the hospital with piles or anal injuries. It takes a lot of probing for them to admit that they were forced to do it, she says. And when we ask why they didnt stop it, we get one of two replies: one, he wouldnt listen to me, and two, this is what I was told I had to do to have children. The problem, she says, is that the women are married off young to far older men. And nobody has told them what sex involves, she says, except that its something shameful and private, never to be talked about. The men share that opinion. Theyre orthodox, they dont speak about sex openly, Sheetal says. They say, Only faltu-log (dodgy people) talk about it. When we try to inform them about safe sexual practices, they look at us funnily, like, Whos this deviant, whys she talking about this? But then, she adds, with a dry laugh, See what these respectable men do to their women behind four walls. READ MORE: India Muslim women fight to overturn triple talaq Unmarried women Then, theres the problem of single women. The hospital setting is not necessarily an advantage in reaching out to them. Doctors and nurses dont presume to ask whether unmarried women are sexually active, due to the extreme levels of stigma about pre-marital sex. CEHAT, for their part, reminds the doctors and nurses it trains to be clinical, not moralistic with the unmarried women who come to them with unwanted pregnancies. We tell them, Treat them for what theyve come to you with, dont pass judgment on them,' says Chandrasekhar, of CEHAT. That will prevent them from accessing medical care and theyll end up going to a quack for an abortion. The women themselves never volunteer such information. Faroodi, the counsellor, recalls the case of a young woman who showed up at a central Mumbai hospital a few months ago. Shed been forced into a sexual relationship but hadnt told anyone about it, she recalls. When she came to the hospital for her check-up, she lied about when her last period had been. The same female didnt realise what had happened, that the act had been complete. So she came back to us when she was five months pregnant, by which time we couldnt do anything. Counsellors across the city have been getting increasingly inundated with a new very tricky category of case those involving foiled promises of marriage. The young women who come in with these cases have experienced multiple cruelties. Theyve had their funds siphoned off, had their heads banged against walls, and have experienced rape many times. But none of these acts of violence drive them to seek help. Sex in love relationships is identified by the survivor as violence not because its not consensual, observed a recent paper, based on an analysis of 58 such cases seen by Mumbais Special Cell for Women and Children. Its the refusal of marriage which frames the relationship as violence in retrospect. Despite the multiple sorts of violence they face, many young women still sought a reconciliation. The authors observe that the women try their level best to continue because they have gone against society and fear that their honour would be at stake if the relationship doesnt culminate in marriage. So they refuse to file a police complaint, and occasionally justify the mens violent actions, saying it was their own fault they reeled back and hit a wall, that they werent hit all that hard after all, and that forced sex was permissible because the relationship was consensual. In the past few years, a number of factors have increased the rate at which women across India report violence, including more coverage of the issue following the 2012 gang rape of a student in Delhi, and the subsequent passing of various laws concerning the rights of women. But social workers feel that these laws have led the government to focus disproportionately on exceptional instances of sexual violence by strangers and not the everyday violence that women experience, such as domestic violence, or the kind that hides within stigmatised love relationships. They are convinced that such cases have a much better chance of being reported in centres that are seamlessly integrated into hospitals, rather than the expensive one-stop-crisis centres that the Indian government has been planning to launch in the wake of the 2014 gang rape. Pande, the ob-gyn, agrees. We tell her, do your X-ray at Room 86, give your blood at 42, and speak to someone at 101. So she doesnt feel like shes doing something different, and onlookers dont either. When its integrated into the system, theres no stigma in wanting to seek such help and more women will be encouraged to come forward. Follow Shruti Ravindran on Twitter: @s_ravindran The story of two boys an Egyptian and an Israeli united in their convictions but separated by circumstances. Egyptian war correspondent Yehia Ghanem continues his series of stories on the wars he has covered and the people he has met along the way. Here he compares the lives of two children, Egyptian Mohamed and Israeli Mordechai. Read the rest of the series, Caged, here. Israel September 1994 A year after I first encountered a 12-year-old Egyptian boy called Mohamed in the offices of the newspaper where I worked and listened as he appealed to me to take him to war-torn Bosnia so that he might help free our brothers, I met another child who was growing up in vastly different circumstances but whose bravery and sense of conviction so greatly resembled Mohameds. I had been sent to Israel on assignment at a time when the mood was particularly tense. The then prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, was contemplating holding a referendum on negotiations with Syria over the occupied Golan Heights. But not everyone was in favour. One evening, after a long day at work, I was waiting on Hanasse Avenue in Haifa for some friends who were Palestinian citizens of Israel. We were going to attend a musical adaptation of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, in which a 20th-century Romeo would be an Arab and Juliet a Jew. The sentiment of the show stood in stark contrast to the mood on the street, where protesters were demonstrating against negotiations with Syria. Noticing that I was Egyptian, some members of Gush Emunim, a right-wing extremist group committed to the establishment of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, began harassing me. But no sooner had I brushed that aside than I felt a small hand tugging at the sleeve of my shirt. It belonged to an Israeli boy. He was holding a sign that read Peace Now, the name of a moderate movement established during the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace talks. He urged me not to be upset by what he described as the crazy behaviour of the extremists. His name was Mordechai, and he, too, was 12 years old. He shared Mohameds striking facial features and so much more. As he spoke animatedly, memories of Mohamed kept returning to me a child so full of promise who stood so little chance of seeing it fulfilled under a dictatorship that had stifled any possibility of a vibrant and politically engaged society. READ MORE: Meeting Mohamed The childrens war report reading club The Golan Heights, as well as all other territories occupied during the 1967 war, should be given back to Arab countries, Mordechai told me. The only thing which should be feared are the intentions of those Arab countries after their territories are returned; are they going to continue warring with us? he asked. He stood there bravely voicing his opinions just as Mohamed had his desire to help the besieged and massacred Bosnians. But while Mohamed had to be fearful of the security forces in the dictatorship in which he was born and raised, Mordechai, whose parents were demonstrating for peace on the same street, did not have to fear the extremists or the police who surrounded him. He was free to voice his opinions and to act on his beliefs. I felt as proud of Mordechai as I had been of Mohamed. But I felt great sorrow that, despite all their similarities, Mohamed would likely never feel us uninhibited as Mordechai. I realised then that the greatest crime committed against us by our dictatorships has been to instill such fear of our own thoughts that even a child who was unafraid to give up their childhood, comforts and, perhaps, even their life to protect others, would have to fear talking to a journalist at the office of a state-owned newspaper. Our rulers had brainwashed us into believing that submitting to such totalitarianism was the only way to confront the threats posed to us by the West and the Israelis, and that our only defence was to be found in military dictatorships. For years, I thought of Mohamed and Mordechai, hoping that Mohamed could one day become as free as Mordechai and that, perhaps, they could find a just and lasting peace with one another. Chronicle of a Caged Journalist is a series of excerpts from a forthcoming book. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. At last weeks summit in Laos, Phnom Penh effectively blocked any reference to The Hague ruling. J Berkshire Miller is the director of the Council on International Policy. Last week marked the first time senior officials from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) met after the landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague on the South China Sea. The ruling awarded to the Philippines earlier this month, has been roundly viewed as a rebuke on Chinas expansionist claims in the South China Sea and upends any legal standing to its ambiguous reference to the so-called nine-dash line, which encompasses most of the critical waterway. Despite this, ASEAN lacks consensus on a way forward following the PCA decision due to divisions within the group and fear that a signalling of support to the Courts ruling would undermine Beijings significant financial ties to the region. The result was a hung jury during the drafting of a communique regarding tensions in the South China Sea, with Beijings domineering influence looming over the decision-making of poorer states in ASEAN, such as Cambodia and Laos. Not to be discussed At last weeks summit in Laos, Phnom Penh effectively blocked any reference to PCA ruling in the communique released by ASEAN foreign ministers, claiming it did not want to interfere in a territorial dispute between foreign powers. Cambodia also refused to allow and reference to the militarisation of many of the reclaimed maritime features in the South China Sea, a process already being undertaken by China. The decision was neither surprising nor genuine as Cambodia has played the role of spoiler before on South China Sea issues due to its strong dependence on Chinese financial aid. When Cambodia chaired ASEAN in 2012, it railroaded any meaningful statement on the South China Sea. OPINION: Why China cares about the South China Sea Cambodias stubborn approach to the issues notwithstanding, the fact that the foreign ministers of ASEAN could not agree on any reference to the PCA decision is deeply disappointing and continues to call into question the effectiveness of the organisation on dealing with political-security matters. There are also geopolitical dynamics impacting the weakening of a united ASEAN approach towards mitigating conflict in the South China Sea. The election earlier this year of Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines has changed the tone of relations between two of the principal disputants Manila and Beijing and has opened the possibility of bilateral negotiations to resolve the row between the two sides. Beijing has essentially been able to thumb its nose at the PCA decision as non-binding and insignificant by Manila was magnanimous after losing its fight along with Vietnam and others in ASEAN to include reference to the PCA decision noting that the issue of the arbitral award is a bilateral one between China and the Philippines and it would be wrong to view the communique in zero-sum terms. In truth, the idea of bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China is not by its nature a bad choice. The concern remains, however, that Beijing will leverage positive messaging from Duterte and may look to expose Manilas softening on the arbitration ruling. A glass half-full The silver lining to the lack of a concrete statement on the South China Sea is that it does provide Beijing with a desperately needed face-saving moment after the crushing blow delivered by the PCA earlier last month. Thus, while Beijing will trumpet its diplomatic victory in avoiding reference to the ruling, it also provides domestic camouflage and buys more political space that may potentially preclude more adversarial moves in retaliation such as further land reclamation activities, militarisation and/or a unilateral declaration of an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea. In the long-term, however, a divided ASEAN is not worth a face-saving moment for China, aimed at potentially defusing tensions. OPINION: ASEAN unity and the threat of Chinese expansion One of the more disappointing takeaways from the lack of unity is that it plays into Beijings hands with regard to the role of so-called outside parties most notably the United States and its regional allies, led by Japan and Australia. China has accusedthe US and its allies of fanning the flames by its active involvement in the maritime dispute, highlighted by freedom of navigation operations and stronger military links with states in the region that oppose Chinese claims. Indeed, the largest causality of the weak ASEAN statement is the integrity and adherence to international law in the maritime domain a point that has been stressed on repeated occasions in Washington, Tokyo and Canberra along with many capitals in ASEAN. Beijing has essentially been able to thumb its nose at the PCA decision as non-binding and insignificant, with no rebuke or counterattack from the states most intimately involved in the dispute. J Berkshire Miller is the director of the Council on International Policy and is a fellow on East Asia for the EastWest Institute. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Boko Harams long-time leader Abubakar Shekau has said in an audio message he is still around despite his reported removal as leader of the Nigeria-based armed group by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). ISIL had previously named Abu Musab al-Barnawi as Boko Harams new leader, prompting the message from Shekau. People should know we are still around, Shekau said in the 10-minute message on Thursday. In an interview published by the ISIL newspaper Al Nabaa on Wednesday, Barnawi, the ISIL appointee, threatened to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by Muslims. They strongly seek to Christianise the society. They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianising their children, SITE Intelligence Group quotes the new leader as saying. Barnawi said the fighters will respond by booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross. The title of wali, now given to the new leader, was previously used to describe Shekau. The report did not say what Shekaus current status was, although there have been rumours for weeks that he had been replaced. Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from Lagos, quoted security sources as saying that the announcement was a sign of desperation among Boko Haram fighters and an effort to reinvent themselves. Boko Haram has lost much of its territory to regional forces from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and the Niger Republic, so the security forces believe that this is a sign of Boko Haram trying to be relevant in the scheme of things, he said. READ MORE: Nearly 200 refugees die of starvation in Nigeria camp The interview with Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the fighters, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and armed men. There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of schoolchildren. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. In March 2015, Shekau switched allegiance from al-Qaeda and declared that Boko Haram be known as the ISILs West Africa Province. At the time, Boko Haram was the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria, controlling a huge area and was better equipped and motivated than Nigerian forces. READ MORE: Iceland deports Boko Haram victim from Nigeria Under Shekau, the seven-year campaign spread to neighbouring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and drove more than 2.2 millon from their homes. It created what aid workers are calling a catastrophic humanitarian emergency with children dying of starvation daily. Boko Haram last week ambushed a humanitarian convoy, killing three civilians including a UN employee and causing the suspension of UN aid to newly liberated but still dangerous areas of Nigerias northeast. Mixed reaction over a planned pool day at a water park in Marseille for Muslim women who wear full-body swimsuits. Plans by a water park in the southern French city of Marseille to hold a pool day for Muslim women who wear full-body swimsuits, known as burkinis, has sparked debate and anger in the country. The event, set to be held on September 17, is being organised by a womens association, Smile13, based in the port city, where about 220,000 Muslims reside. Politicians and residents on opposite ends of the political spectrum have come out on Twitter and elsewhere to respond to the event, with some dubbing the pool day an attempt by the Muslim community to segregate themselves, while others called such criticism Islamophobic. Florian Philippot, an adviser to the far-right leader of the National Front party, Marine Le Pen, said the pool day smacked of dyed-in-the-wool communalism. This sort of event should be banned, Philippot said, warning of a risk of public disorder. Senator Michel Amiel, mayor of the northern suburb of the city, Les Pennes Mirabeau, where Speedwater park is located, also said he is seeking a ban. The calls were echoed by the mayor of the port city, Jean-Claude Gaudin, who said on Twitter he has always been opposed to communitarianism. In this context, we must fight against any division within our society. OPINION: Covered or uncovered Global female body norms Valerie Boyer, of the right-wing Republicans party, said: These practices represent an attack against our values. They have no place in our country. In response to criticism of the event, French socialist senator Samia Ghali, who is of Algerian descent, commented on Twitter that the matter was an unnecessary controversy that feeds into the confusion over the real challenges of our battle. Intolerance should not change camps, she added. Another politician, Patrick Mennucci, said: Swimming while covered is it against the law? No. Privatising a place is authorised. This is anti-Muslim controversy. On the Facebook page for the event, the organisers ask women who plan to attend to not wear bikinis, and to cover the area between their chests and knees at the minimum. There will be a male lifeguard on duty, the organisers said. Other males above the age of 10 will not be allowed to attend. Islam in France has been a hot-button issue that has intensified since the country witnessed multiple attacks, claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group. France banned the wearing of face-covering veils in public in 2011, becoming the first European country to do so. The government said wearing the veil was a symbol of male oppression. The countrys five-million-strong Muslim minority is Western Europes largest, but fewer than 2,000 women are believed to wear a face veil. African National Congress ahead but with lowest levels of backing in count seen as marker for 2019 general election. South Africas local elections have delivered a sharp setback to the African National Congress (ANC), as partial results showed falling support for the party that ended apartheid. With about 80 percent of the vote counted on Thursday, the ANC was ahead nationwide but it recorded its worst electoral performance since white-minority rule fell 22 years ago. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was on course to hold Cape Town and was just ahead in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The capital Pretoria and the economic hub Johannesburg were a close fight between the DA and the ANC. It looks like the ANC has been reduced and humbled in many ways, Somadoda Fikeni, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera. It looks like the verdict coming from the urban areas is negative in such that many will start blaming the leader of the party [Jacob Zuma] because he has been limping from one particular negative story to the other since December when he fired the finance minister. READ MORE: South African local elections ANC at a crossroads Fikeni explained that there had been debates within the ANC whether to use Zuma as the face of the party or not. The solid support he got from within party might not have worked well in urban centres where you have a high concentration of a highly-sophisticated middle class and an organised working class. The ANC has won more than 60 percent of the vote at every election since the countrys first multi-racial vote in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president. With about half of the vote counted, the ANC had 52 percent support nationwide, with the DA on 30 percent and the radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on seven percent, according to official results. Voted for change The count is seen as a marker ahead of the next general election due in 2019. The poll is also a mid-term reflection on the performance of President Jacob Zuma, who has been plagued by economic woes and a series of scandals since taking office in 2009. The ANC has dominated the political landscape since the fall of white-minority rule, but a faltering economy, rampant corruption and soaring unemployment have eaten into the partys popularity. A final Ipsos survey earlier this week placed the ANC and DA in a close battle. I just voted DA for change, said Claire King, 30, in Port Elizabeth central business district. I just think we now need change in our country. Lets give the DA a chance and see what happens. Both the ANC and DA may be forced to court smaller parties and independent candidates to cobble together outright municipal majorities. READ MORE: South Africa local elections a litmus test for ANC Even if the ANC maintains its hold on local power through party alliances, any overall drop in support would be a loss, said Silke. Contesting its first local poll after bursting onto the scene in the 2014 general election, the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EEF) may find itself playing kingmaker. The party, which won six percent of the vote in 2014, advocates land redistribution without compensation and the nationalisation of mines. A record 26.3 million people registered to choose mayors and other local representatives responsible for hot-button issues including water, sanitation and power supplies. With most of the result due in Thursday, a major collapse of support for the ANC could pile pressure on Zuma, 74, to step down before his second term ends in 2019. South Africas electoral commission said late Wednesday voting had proceeded smoothly and without major incident. Abu Duaa al-Ansari and 45 other ISIL fighters killed in operation guided by accurate intelligence, military says. The leader of the Sinai branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has been killed in a series of air strikes south of the peninsulas El Arish town, according to Egypts military. Abu Duaa al-Ansari was killed with 45 other ISIL fighters in an operation guided by accurate intelligence, Brigadier-General Mohammed Samir, the militarys chief spokesman, said on his Facebook page. He also said the army destroyed arms and ammunition stores used by the group, but did not say when the operation took place. There was no immediate confirmation from Sinai Province, ISILs offshoot in Egypts Sinai Peninsula. READ MORE: Reporting Egypts War on Terror Egyptian forces have been battling the group for years but the violence has grown deadlier since the 2013 overthrow by the military of Mohamed Morsi, the elected president. Aaron Reese, a security analyst who specialises in Egypts Sinai, told Al Jazeera that while the killing is apparently a big victory for Egyptian security forces, it may not reduce attacks. A US government estimate says that ISIS in Sinai only has several hundred fighters, so if the Egyptian security forces have killed 45 of them in one blow, that would be a major defeat [to the armed group], he said. But the Egyptian government has announced major defeats like this before, and they have not affected ISISs operational capacity. So Im not sure there would be a decline in attacks by ISIS. The campaign has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and has also targeted Western interests within the country. ISIL controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and has a presence in Libya, which borders Egypt. At least seven wounded after group of UK, US and German nationals are ambushed in Herat province. Foreign tourists being escorted by an army convoy in western Afghanistan have been ambushed by gunmen in an attack that left at least seven people wounded, Afghan officials say. Twelve tourists from the UK, the US and Germany were attacked in the Chesht-e-Sharif district of Herat on Thursday while on their way to the province from Bamiyan and Ghor. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. Qari Yousef Ahmadi, Taliban spokesman, said the foreigners were killed a claim the governors office denied. A group of Taliban fighters conducted the attack on the tourists, injuring at least six, Jalani Farhad, spokesman for the Herat governor, told Al Jazeera. However, no one is dead. The Afghan driver was also injured, he said. Al Jazeeras Qais Azimy, reporting from the capital Kabul, said the tourists vehicle had been hit by an RPG. He described the convoys route as a dangerous one, adding that even Afghans would avoid travelling on that road. This journey is three days long by road, and most of it is controlled by warlords, thieves and, of course, the Taliban, our correspondent said. All these things are raising lots of questions; why did these foreigners, in the first place, decide to travel on that road, he said, adding that no embassy, in no country, would recommend to their citizens to take that road. Everyone knows about the risk. Several foreign tourism companies advertise adventure tours to Afghanistan online, including one British firm which had a trip scheduled to the area in Herat this week. Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of attacks and kidnapping. Both Bamiyan and Herat host several archaeological sites in the country. The worlds largest Buddha statue in Bamiyan was destroyed by the Taliban in early 2001. With reporting by Shereena Qazi: @ShereenaQazi State media says the men were accused of attacking civilians and religious leaders in Irans western Kurdish region. Iran has executed a group of 20 mostly Sunni prisoners, drawing condemnation from rights groups which said the convictions may have been based on forced confessions. The men, who were hanged on Tuesday, were accused of carrying out a string of attacks against civilians and religious leaders in Irans western Kurdish region, state media reported on Thursday. These people had committed murder killed women and children, caused destructions and acted against the security and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions, IRIB television quoted Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri as saying. He said all the executions carried out by hanging took place following a lengthy trial. The countrys intelligence ministry issued a statement on Wednesday detailing 24 armed attacks between 2009 and 2011, including bombings and robberies, apparently by a single armed group, Tohid and Jihad. The group was responsible for 21 deaths during that period, the ministry said. In 2009, the group allegedly assassinated two Sunni religious leaders Mamusta Borhan Aali and Mamusta Mohammad Sheikh al-Islam a provincial representative of Irans powerful Assembly of Experts. 102 members and followers of the terrorist group were identified some of whom were killed in armed clashes with police forces and some were arrested. Some of those arrested were sentenced to death while some received prison terms, officials said. There are almost seven million Kurds in Iran, making them the third largest ethnic group in the country. While there are some Shia Kurds, the majority are Sunni and live in four western provinces. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, an independent organisation based in New York, said the countrys Supreme Court had rejected the appeal of one of the convicts, Shahram Ahmadi, against his death sentence, despite assertions his confession was made under torture. Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned Iran for what it said was the mass execution of at least 10 prisoners. Rights groups have been critical of Irans use of the death penalty, and according to Amnesty Interntional, the country executed at least 977 people in 2015. Israeli court charges Gaza representative of World Vision with siphoning off millions each year for Hamas. Israel has accused a representative of the US-based Christian relief group World Vision of funnelling millions of dollars in aid money to Hamas fighters in Gaza, charges that the group denies. Briefing reporters on Thursday, a senior Israeli security official said that Mohammad El Halabi, World Visions manager of operations in Gaza, had siphoned off about $7.2m a year around 60 percent of the organisations Gaza funding to pay Hamas fighters, buy arms, pay for its activities and build fortifications. Halabi, a Palestinian who has run World Visions Gaza operations since 2010, was arrested on June 15 while crossing the border into the enclave, which is under the de facto rule of Hamas. He was charged at a court in Beersheba on Thursday. Money was used to fund Hamas and pay armed-wing fighters, and food and health packs intended for Gaza residents were also given to Hamas operatives, rather than to their intended recipients, the poor and meek of Gaza, the Israeli official said. Halabi was also accused of buying arms for fighters in Egypts Sinai peninsula, which also borders Israel. OPINION: Why the West and Israel should talk to Hamas Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true, World Vision said in a statement, adding that it conducts regular internal and independent audits and evaluations to ensure aid reaches intended beneficiaries. We will carefully review any evidence presented to us and will take appropriate actions based on that evidence, the organisation added. Israel had previously maintained a gag order on the case and it was not immediately clear if Halabi was assigned a lawyer or how he had responded to the charges in court. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, speaking in Gaza, said the group had no connection to [Halabi] and therefore, all Israeli accusations are void and aim to suppress our people. Hamas also denied any links to fighters in Sinai. Jailed cousins Mohammad and Khaled Makhamrah are accused of killing four Israelis in Tel Aviv shooting attack in June. Israeli forces have razed the southern West Bank homes of two Palestinian men accused of shooting dead four Israelis at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot in early June, Palestinian sources have told Al Jazeera. Mohammad Makhamrah, 22, and his cousin Khaled Makhamrah, 21, were charged last month with murder, conspiring to murder and attempted murder, along with a third suspect who allegedly provided them with guns before the attack at the Sarona market, an area with restaurants and cafes. The Israeli army also said on Thursday that forces had demolished the cousins houses in Yatta, south of Hebron. Overnight, in accordance with government directives, security forces demolished the residences of the two terrorists who carried out the terror attack at the Sarona market on June 8, killing four civilians and wounding several more, a military spokeswoman said. The house of Khaled Makhamrah was demolished by an Israeli army bulldozer, while his cousins house was destroyed using explosives, Palestinian sources said. The two cousins were apprehended at the scene of the attack and have been in prison since then. After being refused an appeal by an Israeli court on a demolition order for their homes, the pairs families received a final order more than 10 days ago. Al Jazeeras Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Hebron in the occupied West Bank, said: The two cousins have only been charged with the crime they havent yet been convicted and despite numerous appeals from the Makhamrah family [several] members have now been left homeless. Collective punishment Israel routinely demolishes homes of Palestinian assailants in what it says is a means to deter further attacks. But Palestinian leaders and rights groups criticise the tactic, saying it amounts to collective punishment. Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 231 Palestinians, 36 Israelis and three other foreign nationals. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces. Palestinians are frustrated by Israels decades-long occupation and with peace talks going nowhere. Norwegian of Somali origin killed American woman in Russel Square, police say, as they rule out radicalisation. British police say a man who stabbed six people in Londons Russell Square was a Norwegian of Somali origin, but they have found no signs of radicalisation. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said on Thursday the investigation increasingly points to mental health issues as the possible cause of the attack. We believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random, he said. So far we have found no evidence of radicalisation that would suggest that the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism. The 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder following Wednesdays attack in the city centre, which was cordoned off by police. Russell Square is a busy tourist area with a string of high-end hotels and is also close to the British Museum and the University of London. Rowley said one person was killed in the attack an American woman. The five injured people are British, American, Israeli and Australian. None has life-threatening injuries. In an earlier statement, Rowley had said possible terrorism links were also being investigated, but the line was later retracted from the second statement. Two people who were injured in the #RussellSquare incident remain in hospital. Three others have been discharged. Further update to follow Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 4, 2016 The American victim, believed to be in her 60s, was treated by paramedics at the scene but pronounced dead. Two people who were injured in the Russell Square incident remain in hospital. Three others have been discharged, police said on Twitter. The arrested man is in police custody after initially receiving treatment at hospital. Police were called to Russell Square at 10:33pm local time (21:33 GMT) on Wednesday following reports a man armed with a knife was attacking people. The man was arrested six minutes later, with one of the officers firing a Taser electroshock gun. Mayors assurance In a statement on Thursday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: Safety of Londoners is my number-one priority. I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police. We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected. The threat level in Britain remains at severe, its second highest level, meaning a strike is highly likely. OPINION: Making sense of the 2016 summer of terror London police had already promised to deploy more armed offices after a spate of deadly attacks in other European countries. Police chiefs and security bosses have repeatedly warned that fighters supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL also known as ISIS) group want to carry out attacks against Britain. London police said on Wednesday they would deploy an additional 600 armed officers across the capital to protect against the threat of attacks. Rowley has previously warned that ISIL was seeking to radicalise vulnerable people with mental health issues to carry out attacks. He said that, in some operations, police commanders have taken advice from specialist psychologists. London was hit by coordinated attacks on July 7, 2005, when four suicide bombers targeted three underground trains and one bus, killing 52 people. One of the bombs was detonated on an underground train travelling between Kings Cross and Russell Square. Since then, dozens of plots have been foiled and there have been smaller-scale attacks, such as the killing of an off-duty soldier on a street in southeast London by two people in May 2013. Rights group says pellet guns should be banned immediately, a day after third person dies from pellet wounds. Pellet guns have no place in law enforcement and should be banned immediately, human rights group Amnesty International India has said, following the death of a third person owing to injuries inflicted by the weapons in Indian-administered Kashmir. Amnestys comments on Thursday come a week after the Indian government promised to set up a panel to investigate the use of pellet guns as a method of crowd control in the region. Since July 8, at least 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured as Indian security forces and protesters faced off and the tensions show little sign of abating. Parts of Kashmir are still under curfew as protests and violence rock the Kashmir valley, almost a month after security forces killed rebel leader Burhan Wani and two other fighters in southern Kashmir. Medical officials estimate that up to 100 people will lose the use of at least one eye after suffering injuries to the face owing to riot police using pellet guns to quell protests. Amnesty said that the Jammu and Kashmir government should immediately stop using the weapons. Pellet guns are inherently inaccurate and indiscriminate, and have no place in law enforcement, Zahoor Wani, senior campaigner of Amnesty International India, said. Hundreds of people have been injured, and many blinded, by the use of pellet guns by security forces in Kashmir in recent weeks. #Kashmir Amnesty India (@AIIndia) August 4, 2016 They cannot ensure well-targeted shots and risk causing serious injury, including to bystanders or other protesters not engaging in violence. These risks are almost impossible to control, he said. On Wednesday, Riyaz Ahmed Shah, 23, died in Srinagar of multiple pellet injuries. The autopsy report said that Riyaz was shot from a close range, and there were multiple pellet injuries to his vital organs, Wani said. The Indian government has faced criticism for its response to the protests in Kashmir. On July 21, the interior ministry said it would reconsider the use of pellet guns as a method of crowd control. We will form an expert committee on this that will give its report in two months so that such incidents are not repeated in future, Rajnath Singh, Indias interior minister, said. Khurram Parvez, programme director of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), said that while the Indian government is deliberating on the matter, security forces are still using the weapons on the street. He said the Indian governments comments were merely a smokescreen to confuse and to delay. The Jammu and Kashmir government has previously described the use of pellets as a necessary evil. Naeem Akhter, spokesperson for the Jammu and Kashmir government, told Al Jazeera that a decision had been taken to phase out pellets. The use of pellets were inherited from the previous government we have always been against it, he said. Blind spot Organisers of the campaign Kashmir Blind Spot have urged people around the world to write to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and promote the issue on social media. We are trying to draw attention to the Kashmir story. We feel that Kashmir has become a blind spot and the world has lost its sight when it comes to our story, Khurram Parvez of JKCCS said. Although pellets are not meant to cause deaths, at least nine people have been killed in the region since they were introduced in 2010. On July 13, a doctor at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, in Srinagar, told Al Jazeera that his department had been overwhelmed by patients with eye injuries. We have operated on more than 90 people with injuries to their eyes. Many have multiple injuries with pellets lodged inside their eyes, forehead, back and abdomen. Many need multiple operations. It is very painful and gruesome, he said. Over the past two decades more than 60,000 people have been killed in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan with both claiming the territory in its entirety. Follow Azad Essa on Twitter: @azadessa Outcome to reveal whether long-ruling political party is losing ground to the main opposition DA and the far-left EEF. South African municipal election results will reveal whether the African National Congress (ANC) is losing its grip on power two decades after the end of apartheid. The ANC has won more than 60 percent of the vote at every election since Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the countrys first black president in 1994. But 22 years after the fall of white-minority rule, a faltering economy, rampant corruption and high unemployment have eaten into the partys popularity. Voters braved cold weather to queue outside polling stations on Wednesday, bringing an end to a campaign marked by disputes over alleged racial slurs. READ MORE: South African local elections ANC at a crossroads Counting was under way on Thursday after South Africas electoral commission said voting proceeded smoothly and without major incident. Polls leading up to the vote had the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which controls Cape Town, defeating the ANC in the capital Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. A final Ipsos survey earlier this week placed the ANC slightly ahead, as previously undecided voters climbed down from the fence. Al Jazeeras Tania Page, reporting from Johannesburg, said: This election is expected to be the closest one ever. The ANCs steady decline could be at a tipping point in several important metropolitan areas. Smaller parties role Both the ANC and DA will probably find themselves forced to court smaller parties and independent candidates to piece together outright municipal majorities. Contesting its first local election after it appeared on the scene before the 2014 general vote, the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters may find itself playing kingmaker. READ MORE: South Africa local elections A litmus test for ANC A record 26.3 million people registered to choose mayors and other local representatives responsible for crucial issues including water, sanitation and power supplies. The local vote is also seen as a mid-term reflection on the performance of the ANC and the leadership of President Jacob Zuma, who has been plagued by scandals since he took office in 2009. Even if the ANC maintains its hold on power through inter-party alliances, any overall drop in support would be a loss, say analysts. Government forces and rebels allegedly committed ethnically targeted rapes and killings of civilians during clashes. The United Nations top human rights official has accused South Sudanese government troops and rebels of ethnically targeted atrocities, including extrajudicial executions and rapes, during renewed fighting over the past month. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said on Thursday that preliminary findings showed that the majority of crimes were carried out by troops loyal to President Salva Kiir, who is from the Dinka ethnic group, against people of Nuer origin. Of 217 cases of sexual violence in the capital, Juba, recorded by the UN between July 8 and 25, those most affected were displaced Nuer women and girls and those responsible seem to have been mostly SPLA [government troops], Zeid said. Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), the main armed opposition group, has also been blamed for atrocities, but to a lesser extent. Displaced by conflict Almost 300 people, including at least 73 civilians, were killed in the recent fighting. Tens of thousands of South Sudanese civilians were forced to flee the country, mainly into neighbouring Uganda. More than 1.6 million people in total have been displaced in the country from the conflict. A statement released by Zeids office said that while crossfire during the worst of the fighting had killed people in the streets of Juba, some were targeted. Others were reportedly summarily executed by government [SPLA] soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin, the statement said. On July 11, SPLA soldiers went house to house, taking away and shooting eight Nuer civilians, the UN said, adding that they had also killed a Nuer journalist. The epidemic of sexual violence that has plagued three years of on-off fighting in South Sudan also had an ethnic dimension when soldiers carried out rapes in and outside Juba. READ MORE: South Sudan minister resigns, calls for Kiir to go Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera that the number of civilians killed may be a bit higher than 73 and described the sexual violence as horrendous. The overall picture of sexual assaults, rapes and gang rapes on women is horrendous. There are a very large number of cases. Sometimes it happened in broad daylight and in large groups, he said. Colville also called on the government to take action and charge the troops accused of rape and murder, which he said is something that never happens in South Sudan. Michael Makuei, South Sudans information minister, told Al Jazeera that the government will hold troops accused of crimes accountable. The government has already given orders to the army and regular forces that whoever is implicated for any offence is arrested, he said, adding that there are over 200 soldiers who are under arrest and are being investigated. And if there are any cases of sexual assaults, then anybody who was assaulted should report it to us and we will take the necessary action. However, he also called the UN allegations misleading and said that the rebel group SPLM-IO and the UN peacekeeping force known as UNMISS were most likely responsible for the violent attacks against civilians. Facing criticism The 13,500-strong UNMISS force in the country has faced criticism for failing to stem the latest violence or fully protect civilians during the fighting. The force command is investigating allegations that peacekeepers at a base in Juba stood by and did nothing as a woman screamed for help during an assault by two soldiers near the gate of their base. READ MORE: UN says South Sudan humanitarian situation could worsen The UN commissioner addressed this, urging strong action in those instances where UN military personnel defaulted over their duty to protect civilians. Although the government has established a court aimed at trying SPLA soldiers who commit right abuses, the violations continue unabated, Zeid said, along with the forcible recruitment of boys and men. The country is also struggling to cope with a growing humanitarian crisis as UN camps become overwhelmed with displaced and malnourished people. United Nations officials believe there may be developments in US-Russian negotiations in the coming days. Senior United Nations officials have voiced concern over the world bodys failure to meet targets in the delivery of humanitarian aid to areas of war-ravaged Syria, though they have hope for a breakthrough in negotiations to restart peace talks. Only 40 percent of the aid planned for areas in Syria was delivered in June and July, the head of a UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria said on Thursday in Geneva. There is fighting in too many places, and that affects the besieged towns more than anything else, humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said, adding that the UN failed to reach its goal of helping 1.2 million Syrians during the two-month period. The UN has in recent days pinned hopes on efforts by Moscow and Washington to restore a ceasefire in Syria as fighting intensifies. Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, the UN deputy envoy for Syria, said US-Russian negotiations were ongoing and that the UN remained committed to relaunching peace talks in late August. There is still time, we cannot give up hope. Bear with us and I think in next few days there might be some movement towards holding credible talks, Ramzy told reporters in Geneva. We need to do something about Aleppo and very quickly. There is still a chance for that in the next days. READ MORE: Government forces make gains in Syrias Aleppo Once Syrias largest city, Aleppo has been roughly divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since mid-2012. After cutting off the last remaining rebel supply route to the eastern half of the city, government forces have reportedly begun retaking rebel-controlled parts. Approximately 300,000 civilians are trapped inside the besieged city, according to the UN. We are in intensive discussions with the Russian Federation and the government of Syria to ensure that the civilian population in Aleppo is protected and that standards of international humanitarian law are respected in any operation of humanitarian assistance, Ramzy said. We continue to believe that no one has an interest in further escalating the military situation in Aleppo in a way that would impede humanitarian aid and also impede chances of political settlement, he added. US President Barack Obama blamed the violation of ceasefires on the Syrian government with its vicious attacks on defenseless civilians, medieval sieges against cities like Aleppo, and blocking food from reaching families that are starving. In Thursdays news conference at the Pentagon, Obama also condemned Russias direct involvement in these actions and said it raises very serious questions about their commitment to pulling the situation back from the brink. So far Russia has failed to take the necessary steps. It is time for Russia to show it is serious about pursuing these objectives. Dozens killed in Aleppo At least 40 Syrian civilians have been reported killed since Wednesday in the besieged city, local activists told Al Jazeera. According to opposition activists, most of the victims were killed by air strikes and barrel bombs by Syrian government forces, Al Jazeeras Reza Sayah reported from Gaziantep on the Turkish border with Syria, adding that both sides in the conflict are blaming one another for the civilian casualties. The activists also said a refugee camp and an aid convoy were hit in those air strikes, Sayah said. A video shared online appeared to show what activists claimed was a destroyed aid convoy near Aleppo. It was unknown where the alleged convoy was traveling to, or who carried out the attack. The fighting over the past 24 hours is part of an intense back and forth fight between the Syrian government and the opposition over the past several days, Sayah said. The Syrian conflict began as a mostly unarmed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, but it quickly escalated into a full-blown civil war with more than 280,000 people now estimated to have been killed in fighting between between the government, the opposition and other armed groups. A court in Turkey has issued a formal warrant for the arrest of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Turkish Muslim religious leader whom the government accuses of being behind the failed July 15 coup attempt that left more than 270 people dead. The state-run Anadolu news agency said on Thursday that an Istanbul-based court issued the warrant for Gulen for ordering the July 15 coup attempt. The government says Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who now lives in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania, masterminded the coup attempt by renegade officers in the Turkish military. Ankara wants him extradited to Turkey. This arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen is more of a symbolic legal move, Al Jazeeras Bernard Smith, reporting from Istanbul, said. It is not going to have a practical effect because Gulen is not here in Turkey. READ MORE: Erdogan The West is siding with coup plotters For his part, Gulen, who has denied the governments accusations, denounced the arrest warrant. It is well-documented that the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President Erdogans drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy, he said in a statement on Thursday. Turkey has not yet made a formal extradition request, but the arrest warrant could be a prelude to that process. The US has asked for evidence of Gulens involvement, and has said the extradition process must be allowed to take its course. Previous warrants This is the first warrant issued to arrest Gulen in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt. But it is not the first arrest warrant for him in Turkey. In the past, he has been accused of being the leader of an organisation that illegally tapped into the conversations of Erdogan and Ahmet Davutoglu, the former prime minister. Turkey has designated Gulens network, which runs charities, schools and businesses across the world, as a terrorist organisation and has launched a widespread crackdown on suspected members since the failed coup attempt. Around 26,000 people have been detained or arrested, mostly from the military, on suspicion of being involved in the failed putsch, and an estimated 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from jobs in the civil service, judiciary, education, healthcare, the military, and the media. Earlier on Thursday, Erdogan pledged to go after businesses linked to Gulens network. Without doubt, this organisation has an extension in the business world. Maybe it is what they are most powerful at, Erdogan said during a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara. We are determined to totally cut off all business links of this organisation, which has blood on its hands. Erdogan said that every cent that goes to the Gulen movement is a bullet placed in a barrel to be fired against this nation. In the same way that we do not pardon those who fire the bullet, we will not forgive those who financed the bullet. Tip of the iceberg Erdogan promised that the purge of the military would continue. After July 15, this sneaky organisations structure in the Turkish Armed Forces has started to be uncovered, he said. For now, those who are captured are the tip of the iceberg. Efforts are continuing for others. OPINION: In Turkey, democratic transition defeats esotericism Meanwhile, Mehdi Eker, deputy chairman of Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party, said countries around the world need to take action against schools or other establishments linked to Gulen. Eker said the group had hundreds of schools, charities or other establishments in more than 100 countries and warned that they too could face security risks from the group in the future. It is our responsibility to warn countries that have [Gulen-linked] schools, Eker said. In Africa, we know that they work as nurseries [for terror] and we want to warn them. In a separate development, former Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu was remanded in custody early on Friday in connection with the failed coup attempt. Mutlu and 11 other suspects, including seven governors, a deputy governor and three district governors, have been remanded for being members of the Gulen network, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu agency. There are at least 8.4 million child slaves in the world today, many of them held as forced labour. There are at least 8.4 million child slaves in the world today. Nearly two million of these are forced to work as prostitutes, while almost half a million are child soldiers. It's like living in a family, but you're not a part of the family. It's like living in a home that's not your home, because eventually you know they're going to tell you to get out. by Jean-Robert Cadet, a former restavek But the largest proportion of child slaves more than five million are held as forced labour. In some countries, these child slaves are simply juvenile victims of a thriving adult slave culture, but in other countries children are bought and sold specifically as child labourers. In this episode of Slavery: A 21st Century Evil, Rageh Omaar investigates the plight of child slaves in Haiti. They are known as restaveks from the French words rester avec, meaning to stay with. This is the practice of poor families giving their children as domestic help to wealthier acquaintances or relatives. As well as taking place within Haiti, this form of slavery can also involve children being sold or trafficked to the US. Our investigation exposes the slave traders who lure these children from isolated villages and then sell them to wealthy families. This film was first broadcast on Al Jazeera English in 2011. Editors note: This film is no longer available for online viewing. In 2007 New Zealand police arrested charismatic Maori leader Tame Iti and others in anti-terrorist raids after a period of surveillance. In a long trial, Iti and three other people (the Urewera Four) were accused of running a terrorist training camp and of being members of a criminal group. The high court found them not guilty of terrorism but they were jailed for firearms offences. The case was the culmination of 170 years of conflict between the New Zealand Crown and the Ngai Tuhoe tribe, who had suffered appalling injustice including the dispossession of their land. Filmed over seven years, Iti fights to clear his name and in a surprising turn, the Crown apologises to the Ngai Tuhoe for the historical oppression. This is an extraordinary film about a clash of cultures and indigenous people reconciling with the colonial power. DIRECTORS VIEW By Kim Webby Tame Iti is a well-known activist in New Zealand who has spent his life advocating for Maori rights, in particular those of his Ngai Tuhoe tribe. He uses dramatic and spectacular actions to make his point but, in 15 years of knowing Tame, I never saw him as a violent man. When the New Zealand police raided Tames home community in 2008 seeking alleged terrorists, what I saw on the television news shocked me. The terrorists were accused of running military-style training camps. There were night raids by armed police on family homes and a massive blockade which stopped all movement in and out of the region. This was something new for New Zealand. As a filmmaker, I followed this story for seven years. It was not that I was convinced Tame was completely innocent or that I fully believed he was guilty. I just didnt believe he was a terrorist or inherently violent. Police surveillance footage in the documentary makes it clear that guns and manoeuvres took place the question for me, however, was what was the intention? And, was it sinister or not? My instinct told me that it wasnt. It is impossible to do a documentary on Tame without some focus on his tribe Ngai Tuhoe and his lifelong campaign for sovereign rights for his people and demands for government acknowledgement of past wrongs, which include land confiscation and military action. So the story of the tribe and its history became interwoven with the story of Tame Iti. Making An Innocent Warrior was largely an unfunded labour of love. It was a tough documentary to make, one that relied on the goodwill of our director of photography Jos Wheeler and the goodwill of many in the New Zealand film and television community who loaned us equipment and gave us their time. Since it has screened in New Zealand cinemas it has been described as a film that all New Zealanders should watch, a film that breaks down barriers around race relations. Similar comments have been made at festivals around the world and for me, this is the films legacy. An incoming Gator has turned her high school project into a corporation for hospital patients. Code Gray was established in April to provide hospital patients with the knowledge to advocate for themselves, said Bailey Rhodes, the projects founder. The 18-year-old UF biology freshman created notebooks with different sections where patients can file all of their medical information. You can keep track of any medications youre on, lab results, physician visits, notes and questions you might want to remember to ask, she said. Its all in one place so that its easy to keep up with. Rhodes has personal experience with medical information and hospital interactions. She spent nearly two-and-a-half years in the hospital after being diagnosed with bone cancer, and then leukemia. Rhodes said she began to document her own medical information in 2012 when she was admitted to the hospital for dehydration and a nurse had to access her IV port. Rhodes had previously been told only 1-inch needles worked for her port. The nurse had difficulty getting to the port, so Rhodes asked if she was using the right needle. The next day, Rhodes said she was marked as an unruly patient, also known as a Code Gray. As a result, Rhodes said she and her parents recorded any administration in journals. I felt like I was more in control if I knew exactly what was going on, she said. She developed Code Gray as a project for a nursing assistant class. It kind of just grew from there, Rhodes said. I would hear different stories from other people saying they wish they had it when they were in the hospital. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Two months before starting the project, she found out she was accepted to UF. I think I cried a little bit just because I was so happy, she said. Im kind of hoping Ill meet people at UF that have different connections to make Code Gray as big as I hope for it to be. Her mother, Beth Rhodes, said although shes worried for Bailey to go away to college, she believes she will do wonderful things. Shes overcome all of the challenges that shes faced, Beth Rhodes said. I think this is a path she was supposed to take because shes going to do something big with her life. Each notebook costs $4 to make, but Rhodes said she freely gives them to whomever asks. She said nearly 50 notebooks have been given out so far. It was funny; we met up with an accountant last week for advice, Beth Rhodes said. He asked if she wanted to make any money from this, and she said no. She really just wants to help people from this. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave millions to states after the first cases of Zika virus transmitted through infected mosquitoes were reported in Miami-Dade County. The CDC awarded the Florida Department of Health $720,000 to help quickly detect serious birth defects linked to the Zika virus, Bert Kelly, a CDC spokesman, wrote in an email. The CDC distributed $16 million between 40 states and territories, making Florida one of the four states to receive the highest amount of funding, Kelly said. Until the cases reported in Miami, all Zika cases in the U.S. were travel-related. The Florida Department of Health has identified an area in one neighborhood of Miami where Zika is being spread by mosquitoes, Kelly said. Due to the living conditions in the U.S., it's not likely there will be a big, sustained Zika outbreak, Kelly said. We are working hard to learn more about Zika, and although we cannot rule out the possibility of a large outbreak in an urban area, everything we have seen so far suggests that this would be unlikely, Kelly said. Multiple factors control how this virus will spread, said Roberto Pereira, a nematology and entomology scientist at UF. It all depends on how the state responds to these cases and how the population in general responds to these cases, he said. Theres a lot that needs to be done by the people in Florida themselves by preventing the breeding of mosquitoes in their backyards. Removing standing water in backyards to prevent mosquitoes from breeding When outdoors during dawn or dusk, wear long-sleeve shirts and pants Use mosquito repellent when outside Source: Roberto Pereira Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Over the past two years Ive learned a lot, and it has been an immense privilege to be able to share my opinion with all of you once a week. I had my first opinion piece published in a newspaper when I was thirteen, and since then it has always been a thrill to see my writing in print, but also somewhat terrifying! Every week I was pressed to come up with a piece of which I was proud, both stylistically and thematically. While there is certainly no shortage of topics, the difficult part is no doubt finding something original to say and doing so in less than 650 words. I have enjoyed a wide readership and was admittedly somewhat shocked that strangers recognized me around town. I was also very humbled to have a dedicated group of followers who seldom failed to leave anonymous comments weekly. It is heartening to know my opinions reached and mattered to those who might not have ever considered the world in a new light! Beyond that, readers must bear in mind that what ends up in print after I submit it reflects a whole other set of editorial judgments, many of which are counter to what I wanted in my pieces. As a professor once told me, if somebody publishes your work, they use your words to convey their opinion. In my columns I have dealt with two main themes, which did overlap somewhat: our unfortunate American, post-modern status quo and the righteousness of any and every linguistic output. In my view of politics, the game in the U.S. (and the world) is rigged and systematically favors some, while disenfranchising and crushing others. Granted, in our climate of political insanity and hysteria, amplified by our state-serving media, ignorance prevails and the rat race continues, the masses spinning in hamster wheels with the duplicitous promise of capital looming somewhere beyond. What is most interesting to me is the widespread sentiment that politics and politicians are inherently wicked, but government itself is somehow naturally good and necessary. May we all pick up the hammer of which Nietzsche wrote and philosophize with it, discarding absurd superstition and bad faith and replacing it with knowledge garnered from truth. Within linguistics, my view is that the value of various forms of language has everything to do with the power and prestige of a speaker and very little to do with the actual sounds themselves. The liberation of marginalized groups, such as blacks, latinos, queers and women, will come hand in hand with respect of their linguistic output and the disposal of the notion of a standard English by which to subjugate and scorn. I bear an immense gratitude to all those I met in Gainesville, especially the stellar professors of the Linguistics department and the other graduate students who have been great and inspirational friends and of whom Im very proud. As well, all the friends I made in Gainesville have been gems that made an already weird place all the more eccentric and marvelous. Love yall. As a final farewell, I wish to exhort all those reading to do at least one of the following: vote (or dont) per your conscience, question the unquestionable, mock the powerful, scorn the mighty, lift up the downtrodden, defend the dignity of every living being, protect our planet, drink Cuban rum, eat Ethiopian food, go to Zanzibar, learn a different language, reconcile with an enemy, take a walk in the Bed and Breakfast district and tell those you love why you love them. Im going to miss the heck out of Gainesville and its wonderful denizens, but know youre destined for greatness, in whatever form it will take. So, as my final exhortation to the Gator nation, yall keep on keeping on! Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Jordan MacKenzie is a graduating UF linguistics masters student. I could use this column to tell you how much I love Gainesville and the surrounding areas places where you can swim in a cave at Devils Den, join the drunken zoo that is Midtown or watch thousands of bats fly into the sunset at UFs Bat Barn and Bat House. I could tell you about my two years at UF, a place that endowed me with many keys to success (shoutout to DJ Khaled, despite his sad performance at Big Orange Festival). However, with graduation in less than a week, and with time to reflect on my experiences as a Gator and an Alligator crime reporter, metro editor and editor-in-chief, I feel there is more I could share with you, our dear readers. Lately, I have noticed a common theme in the world. It wasnt so obvious when I spent much of my time avoiding serious injury during weekend antics at Florida Gulf Coast University, or even when I, somehow, enrolled at UF. As I progressed in Gainesville and put more energy into becoming a journalist, I was thrust into the public sphere. Thats when I noticed a theme that permeates our society: blame. Professors in UFs College of Journalism and Communications are a harsh bunch, as they should be. These are people who truly believe skilled journalists are an important component of a well-functioning democracy. Still, some students blame the professors for their own failures. While I had one instructor who I believe should re-evaluate his or her teaching methods and, quite frankly, his or her attitude, I stayed strong and did everything possible to pass. Some of my peers did not pass, and some believed it was the result of an instructor whom they called sexist, incompetent, spiteful, etc. When I earned my first job at the Alligator, the editors would sometimes change my articles so much they were barely recognizable in the end. They dont get it, I would start to think, blaming them for being picky when I actually needed to improve a lot. If you cant relate to journalism drama, then just look to the current presidential election. Its hard to go one day without hearing someone blame their peers for simply being a democrat or republican. As someone who has written and edited hundreds of articles, and whose email is readily found online, I have received more than enough messages blaming the media for being downright evil. Im here to tell you, dear readers, that we can all do better. Professors arent plotting your demise at the dinner table, the Alligator isnt drafting some sinister agenda at its meetings and your neighbors political beliefs arent pulling us into an inevitable apocalypse. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now I can tell you we at the Alligator make regular mistakes, some larger than others, and that doesnt mean we dont care. In fact, even a misplaced comma in a sentence or a missing letter in someones name is enough to keep us up at night. Sometimes its hard to remember the people around us are all completely human, and their faults dont take away from that. How often do we sit down and consider why a goal hasnt been reached? How often do we harshly criticize others while offering no real advice or perspective? How often do we call or email someone to express our concerns about an issue? And how often do we even research an issue or seek an expert opinion before offering our criticisms? Instead of always blaming others, lets first take a look at ourselves and decide whether were part of the solution. John Dickinson said it best in his Liberty Song: Then join in hand, brave Americans all. By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall. Giuseppe Sabella is the editor-in-chief of the Alligator. The health of our unborn children is at stake if they are born in Florida, that is. Everyone should run for the hills, aka somewhere that isnt flatland Florida. What with the sudden lightning storms that can crop up at any minute, the 14 cases of Zika infections found in the Wynwood area of Miami-Dade, the alligator attacks, the vicious road rage due to our standstill traffic and a host of other dangerous occurrences that happen daily in our sunshine state, nowhere is safe. Even the people here have been lumped together as the crazed Florida Man. National headlines read, Florida Man accidentally shoots himself during job interview at elementary school and Florida Man attempts to smoke crack in ICU, almost burns down hospital. Its no wonder the people here are close to self-immolating. Born in the great, how-humid-is-it-today state, I have always noticed how Florida seems to be a hot topic in the news, more so than other states. That could be due to the saturation of local Florida news I hear, but national news stations all seem to know about the Florida brand Florida hurricanes, Florida alligators, Florida mosquitoes like these are exclusive to the uniquely blazing state of Florida. Even when I went north to college, people from out of state seemed to know only two things about the part of Florida I hail from: crime and Pitbull. As one Floridian to probably another (most of us tend to stay here because the air is too thick and sticky to move), I say enough is enough. Im sick and tired of hearing about one tragedy after another befalling (disproportionately it seems) Floridians. If I were to have a child in this environment today, Id play a fun little game with him called: Guess What State. Guess where toxic algal blooms drive tourists away and neighbors into their homes, little JackJack? Florida! Thats right. Guess where Planned Parenthood is losing funding? Florida again! Wow, youre really good at this. Guess which great state has a law against having sexual relations with a porcupine? Florida, of course! Heres a cookie. After Dwyane Wade left Miami for the even-more-violent Chicago, I knew our state was doomed. Soon our most populous areas will be underwater, we will be forced to move or die treading water in our underwater homes, and there wont be a decent Heat player left in sight! So whos with me? Whos ready to say good riddance to Florida and hello to the Pacific Northwest? Ive heard the earthquakes arent noticeable in your sleep, and the bear attacks mostly happen in the spring. Safe travels! Emma Green is a UF journalism junior. Her column appears on Thursdays. 2005 .. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the concept of government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has become toxic in many political circles. But eight years after the companies were taken over by the federal government and put into conservatorship, it is time to return Fannie and Freddie to their status as privately owned public utilities. This is not only consistent with their original legal and economic mandate; it also makes policy and logical sense. From their founding in 1939 and 1970, Fannie and Freddie were chartered by the government to create and maintain a secondary mortgage market so that during times of economic stress, when banks weakened, homebuyers could still attain mortgage credit. For generations, these firms acted like utilities and provided investors with stable earnings, lenders with liquidity, and homebuyers with the ability to get a 30-year loan regardless of economic conditions. It was only when the companies' executives pushed them to become growth stocks that they went off the rails. From 1992 until the 2008 financial crisis, the companies suffered weak oversight and transformed from conservative utilitylike entities into growth companies promising investors a 20% annual return. Congress directed them to take on more leverage and risk by creeping into more direct competition with primary market lenders. The financial crisis, when it arrived, decimated both companies. Now, however, Fannie and Freddie should operate as the privately owned public utilities they are, for the benefit of all market constituents. This will avoid the costs and risks of alternative economic approaches to ensuring nationwide mortgage availability. This idea is not exactly heresy. It is strongly aligned with suggestions made in 1991 by Nicholas Brady, the U.S. Treasury secretary under George H.W. Bush. Amid the savings and loan crisis, as Congress weighed GSE reform, Brady recognized the weaknesses in the GSEs' oversight and businesses and offered four specific recommendations to remedy them. The companies' regulator must have an explicit primary statutory mission to ensure safety and soundness, it must have sufficient stature to avoid capture by either the GSEs or special interests, the private sector should play a role in assessing the safety and soundness of the GSEs and basic statutory authorities must be consistent across the GSEs. Unfortunately, a Congress increasingly captured by the GSEs and banking interests brushed Secretary Brady's recommendations aside and, in 1992, passed legislation that placed the GSEs on a slippery downward slope. In 2008, nearly two decades after Secretary Brady offered a sensible proposal, Congress finally passed legislation to carry out his plans, creating a tough regulatory and capital regime that restricted the GSEs to their core utilitylike business. Unfortunately, two months after the law was signed and before it could be implemented, the financial crisis struck, the GSEs were deemed to have been hobbled by their mortgage holdings and they were placed into conservatorship by their new regulator. Within a few months, the largest banks and the think tanks they support began to offer plans to replace Fannie and Freddie. These plans are fundamentally unworkable and carry massive costs and risks. Even the Obama Treasury Department has said that such plans will increase the concentration of the $5 trillion mortgage market by the four largest banks. The Obama administration has proposed a bank-centric plan that, according to Treasury documents, "benefits larger institutions that have better access to funding" and could "lead to increased concentration in the banking sector and higher costs for borrowers served by smaller lenders." If the largest banks get their way, big banks will become even more systemically important and will again become "too big to fail." Big banks and their supporters in Washington argue that releasing Fannie and Freddie from conservatorship will send them back to the same broken system of oversight and rules that allowed their failures. But an honest review of the historical record through 2008 suggests otherwise. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, armed with the powerful HERA statute, fixed the GSEs' problems with the critical exception of capital. Restoring them as utilities is the way forward. Gas, sewer, water and electric utilities are all government-sponsored enterprises. Like Fannie and Freddie, they operate in essential industries that serve a public good and in which the cost of their infrastructure is too high to allow competition without supporting uneconomic outcomes like a dangerous race-to-zero. These private companies operate under strict oversight by independent public utility commissions that regulate allowable rates of return while requiring them to continuously build capital so that they can serve customers in all economic conditions. In good times or bad, citizens can be sure that when they walk into their home and flip on their lights or turn on their faucets, services are working. The government does not have to provide water and power to constituents; instead it charters private companies as utilities to do so under tight supervision and control. Private investors in these companies get a modest, regulated return in good times and bad, in exchange for leaving permanent capital in place. The same can be said for the secondary mortgage market. The government does not need to provide capital or bear credit risk for all Americans to have access to 30-year mortgages at affordable rates. If the goal of financial reform is to reduce risks to the public, we should use the time-tested and effective public utility model, rather than gamble on the same "too big to fail" model that brought us to crisis. Joshua Rosner is managing director at Graham Fisher & Co. He co-wrote the book "Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Created the Worst Financial Crisis of Our Time." Perception Problem: Women are serving on more U.K. corporate boards than ever 26% of directors of companies on the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index are female, a welcome improvement from 12.5% in 2010, according to Brenda Trenowden, global chair of the 30% Club (whose mission is to increase female representation in senior corporate leadership). But there's much more to be done, she told Bloomberg. The perception that the financial services industry is male-dominated remains an obstacle; the industry needs to find and retain more female role models and create a culture more favorable to women like, Trenowden said. She also spoke about the blatant sexism she faced as one of the few women in trading in 1991, how she opted to get used to it, and how she proved her commitment to her firm by holding a meeting with her team around her hospital bed as she recovered from a cesarean. "The thing that I learned was to be resilient," she said. "As long as you continue to deliver, that's the best defense you can have." Maternity Leave Secrecy: Speaking of mothers at work: shortly before the July 29 release of Equity, the movie about women on the Street, three real-life Wall Street executives who advised the filmmakers were interviewed by New York magazine about their own experiences being pregnant while working in finance. Barbara Byrne, Barclays' vice-chairman of investment banking, said she fought to extend her maternity leave beyond the six weeks she was told she had. Former Lehman Brothers institutional bond salesperson Linda Zwack Munger said she felt treated fairly when her news broke but before that, she tried to conceal it. "You just kept very quiet until it was obvious that you were pregnant," she said. "You didn't talk about it. You held out as long as you could." Candy Straight, former Securitas Capital advisory director said, "I didn't have children, but many of my friends hid their pregnancies until the fifth or sixth month if they could." Likability Complex: It seems like Equity has been all over the financial media lately, and causing a rehash of questions about female executives' likeability. In another interview, this time with USA Today, Byrne, the film's lead backer, said, "There isn't a woman who is accomplished in this world, in a powerful position or a position of influence, who hasn't been told, 'You know, you're rubbing people the wrong way,'" Byrne said, citing a line from the film directed at its protagonist. "It's funny how unlikable I was when I was running Merrill Lynch but how likable I was after I was fired," Sallie Krawcheck, another adviser on the film project, said in a recent panel discussion. She also cited research that found likability and success were positively correlated in men, but inversely correlated in women. "Just a few weeks ago, I was told after a meeting that I'd been overbearing," Byrne said on the same panel. "I said, 'Is that because I had an opinion or because I was correct?'" Banking on Black Businesses: Carver Bancorp's chief lending officer, Blondel Pinnock, touted some of the bank's initiatives "to help people make their businesses more bankable," during a recent appearance on a New York radio program. The bank offers an education series for entrepreneurs and has an ongoing program with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority to provide more capital to minority- and women-owned contractors. "The biggest barrier for small businesses, particularly contractors, is access to capital," she said. The bank launched a small business loans initiative earlier this year as a way to stay innovative through a series of setbacks since May. Role Call Digital Asset Holdings hired former RBS chief operating officer Carol Mathis to be chief financial officer. The blockchain startup also hired Kelly Mathieson, previously head of global collateral management and securities clearing at JPMorgan Chase, as product manager. First Bank in Creve Coeur, Mo., has named Amanda Wallis to its board. Wallis' 42-year banking career includes leadership roles at Bank of America, U.S. Trust and American Express. Sunflower Financial in Salina, Kan., has agreed to merge with Strategic Growth Bancorp in El Paso, Texas. Mollie Hale Carter, chairman and chief executive of Sunflower, will become co-chairman, president and CEO of the combined company and chairman and CEO of the bank. The deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter. The Carlyle Group promoted Sandra J. Horbach to co-head of its main U.S. buyout arm, the first woman to oversee leveraged buyouts at a major firm. Val Fick, a mortgage lender at Security State Bank in Fergus Falls, Minn., has retired, 48 years from the day she joined the bank as a secretary. About 10 years in, she transitioned to lending and marketing and she has been in her most recent role for 30 years. "I always thought of banking as numbers-only," Fick said. "I never considered it because I never liked math. But banking is way more than numbers. It's customer service, and that is what I like." In Case You Missed It Breaking Boundaries: Saudi Arabia historically holds some of the most repressive attitudes toward women, but Nahed Mohammad Taher, co-founder and CEO of Gulf One Investment Bank, is setting an example for other Saudi women as the first to serve as an investment bank CEO in the country. Taher, a former economist, recently expressed lofty goals for her region. "My ambition is to see the Saudi economy gain 20% per annum in real terms, and the unemployment rate drop to 1%. I actually have a special plan for that which makes this achievable," she said, adding that the "oil economy in its present situation can create 400,000 jobs during the next four years. The country badly needs two million jobs during this same period, and creating them represents the biggest challenge for the Kingdom. Beyond Banking Equality in the Church: Pope Francis set up a commission this week to study the role of female deacons in early Christianity. Decision-making roles in the Church are currently very limited for women and the Pope's predecessors ruled out opportunities for women to become priests. The newly formed commission will study the idea of giving women more say. Make Some Noise: "Where there is sexism, making a fuss though boring for both the person doing the complaining and for the person listening is important," says an FT columnist. "If nothing is said, nothing changes." But has sexism been absent from journalism? She points to the endless scrutiny of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who famously took a two-week-long maternity leave when she had her first child and has been condemned by observers for supposedly being a bad mother. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, by contrast, has been praised for his ability to run his company as a new father. Seemingly on the plus side, the media ran 4,200 articles about Mayer in English last year, four times more than that of AOL CEO Tim Armstrong. "We are simply more interested in women CEOs and we will go on being more interested until there are more of them," the FT says. "This is not an advantage the pressure is bad enough anyway without everyone reporting on your every move. It would be enough to make one do a Ms. Mayer, spend $500,000 of company money on private security guards and generate yet another adverse story." Please see our Women in Banking page and join our LinkedIn group. Elliptic, a startup that monitors the bitcoin network for suspicious patterns, has introduced anti-money-laundering data into its service through a partnership with LexisNexis Risk Solutions. The combined offering is being pitched as a way for banks to comfortably do business with bitcoin exchanges and other companies that deal in the digital currency. Such firms have struggled to get or keep bank accounts in recent years as financial institutions shun various industries and regions perceived as high risks for money laundering a worldwide phenomenon known as de-risking. The vendors' partnership was announced Wednesday amid one of the bitcoin ecosystem's periodic crises in this case, the theft of more than $70 million worth of the digital currency from Bitfinex, an exchange in Hong Kong. Elliptic provides data and analytics services to financial institutions and law enforcement agencies. It was a winner of the Swift Innotribe Start-up Challenge in 2015. LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a unit of Relx Group (formerly known as Reed Elsevier), services 100 of the top U.S. banks, it says, as well as 80% of U.S. federal agencies. The alliance allows Elliptic to apply bank-grade risk management practices by identifying registered users of bitcoin businesses that match individuals on money laundering, terrorism and drug dealing lists, among other links to risky behavior that brought the digital currency to notoriety, said Thomas C. Brown, senior vice president of U.S. commercial markets and global market development at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Elliptic clients can screen bitcoin entities for links to sanctions, enforcements, politically exposed persons, adverse media and state-owned companies. "We've yet to see the mainstreaming of bitcoin by financial institutions, despite the clear benefits that blockchain technology brings," Brown said. "Banks are highly regulated, so one factor that might be making banks hold back is the lack of transparency into the individuals behind those bitcoin transactions, even though [the] distributed ledger is supposed to make everything about a transaction known to all." The blockchain, the technology underpinning bitcoin, has drawn interest from banks for its potential to improve speed, efficiency and record-keeping capabilities for financial transactions, but the industry is still cautious in its approach to the digital currency. "Reasons for de-risking extend beyond money laundering and terrorist financing, to a broader range of factors that might be a threat to the financial institution," Brown said, but regarding know-your-customer and laundering risk, "this offering, which expands the risk information ecosystem, provides a way for banks to monitor the risk rather than de facto de-risk." West African fraudsters have been identified as the actors behind a worldwide email scam in which more than $60 million has been stolen from small and midsize businesses and their banks. One ringleader, identified only as "Mike," was arrested by Interpol on Monday, with help from security company Trend Micro. On Thursday morning another security company, SecureWorks, released the result of an exhaustive investigation of another ring of Nigeria-based cybercriminals. There's been a rise in "business-email-compromise" scams globally. According to the FBI, from October 2013 through February 2016, law enforcement received reports from 17,642 victims who claimed they were swindled out of more than $2.3 billion. And since January 2015, the FBI has seen a 270% increase in identified victims. The concern for banks is that their filters typically don't spot this kind of fraud. They naturally don't have control over their business customers' email accounts and when clients customarily send payments to suppliers all over the world, it's hard to identify rogue funds transfers. Yet experts say there are several things banks can encourage their business clients to do to protect themselves, such as using two-factor authentication on email accounts and building better security controls around wire transfers. One reason it's so difficult to catch business email scammers is because they typically use proxy servers that hide their IP addresses. They also don't use their real names and they often use malware that can camouflage and even delete itself to escape detection. In recent cases, researchers were able to directly monitor the scammers' computers, including their social media activity, over an extended period of time. From this they built a detailed behavioral and psychological profile of these cybercriminals. These scammers are not like the "Nigerian princes" of the 1990s who emailed naive Americans offering to send them millions of dollars, asking only for a bank account number to deposit them into. Nor do they fit the image of the stereotypical pale, young Eastern European hacker. These fraudsters are middle-aged, respected pillars of their communities who don't see their activities as crimes. In their view, they are simply taking a well-deserved reward from faceless Western firms that have profited from exploiting the country's resources. Stumbling on a Ringleader Researchers at SecureWorks were conducting a standard security investigation; they were reverse engineering malware found on a client's computer. They found a drop site to which the malware was sending the screen shots and keystroke logs it malware captured from its victims. They combed through the site to identify victims so they could notify them of anything important. As they studied the screen shots, they realized that one of the malware victims was the operator of the scam. They could see him not only conducting business email scams, but teaching others how to do them. "He was infecting himself with his own malware and was sending minute-by-minute screen shots of his activity," said James Bettke, a SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit researcher. It was a way of checking that the malware was doing what it was set up to do. "Little did he know there was a misconfigured web server on the same machine, that's how we were able to see all that," Bettke said. The researchers watched the ringleader and his associates for several months to understand how they conducted their scam and what their motivations were. They also observed the perpetrators' communications with others on Facebook chat and internet forums. "We know pretty much everything about them and how they live their lives, when they go to church on Sundays," Bettke said. "It's been a rare opportunity to get that level of insight." The scam kicks off, they found, with the use of a marketing tool that scrapes email addresses off websites, say to find the contacts of top employees at manufacturing companies in India. (They typically look for manufacturing companies, chemical companies and others that buy and sell large shipments of goods.) They'll phish that email list in the hopes of catching somebody who will unwittingly click on a malicious link or attachment and thus unleash a remote access Trojan on their computer. Once in, the malware starts scanning the victim's email accounts. This is especially easy when victims use free webmail services like SquirrelMail or Roundcube that doesn't require two-factor authentication (although Roundcube offers a second factor as an option), Bettke noted. The attackers look for communications between buyers and sellers in large transactions. When they find a transaction they think is high value they target invoices that average $30,000 to $60,000 they insert themselves in the middle of it. They'll set up a rule in the seller's email so every email the buyer sends to the seller is redirected to the hackers, who make changes and then forward the message to the seller. When an invoice comes in, they'll change the seller's bank account information on the invoice, so the buyer sends the money to the wrong account. They'll also change the phone number on the invoice, so even if the buyer calls to confirm the transaction, he will not reach the right people. "It's a full man-in-the-middle attack, but through email," Bettke said. The cybercriminal typically uses a clone email domain that's one letter off, so he can communicate with both parties and they don't realize there's a middleman. One victim, a U.S. chemical company, wired $400,000 out to a hacker's account. The money was quickly laundered and lost. As researchers watched the scammers, they noticed this was a different breed of cybercriminal than they'd seen in the past. "These guys are much older," Bettke said. "They're family men. They're well-respected in their communities, they're devoutly religious.We were really surprised by that." The fraudsters are all Facebook friends with each other, most of them live near each other and hang out at each other's houses. "They're not what you'd expect. They're not huddled up in a cybercafe wearing hoodies," he said. "This dispelled a lot of preconceived notions I had about how this activity works," said Joe Stewart, director of malware research for the SecureWorks counter threat unit research team. "When you see somebody who's actively engaged in fraud and stealing huge sums of money on the one hand, but you look at his desktop and he's also helping out his church, it's an odd juxtaposition," he said. "And they don't consider this theft. They're just taking back what [they believe] rightfully belongs to them." Reactions in these forums from fellow Nigerians tend to be positive, he said. A few commenters will protest that this activity is wrong, "but by and large most are supportive of fraudsters taking back the money they think was stolen from them during the years of colonial rule," Stewart said. (Nigeria was a British colony for parts of the 19th and 20th centuries.) Researchers like SecureWorks try to report business email scam activity to banks to warn them, but there's no central reporting authority where they can send a bank account number and have it flagged to be monitored, Stewart said. For banks, this fraud is difficult to spot because the transactions look like those their clients conduct every day. To protect their clients and, ultimately, themselves from fraud-related losses, banks should encourage their business customers to implement two-factor authentication on their email services, experts said. Stewart estimates that business-email-compromise scams account for up to $6 million a year in fraud-related losses. Same Country, Slightly Different Scam On Monday, Interpol and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission arrested a 40-year-old Nigerian business email compromise mastermind they identified only as "Mike" in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The authorities believe Mike is behind scams that have siphoned more than $60 million from hundreds of victims worldwide. (SecureWorks researchers say this person was not in the ring they investigated.) In one case, a target was conned into paying out $15.4 million. Interpol did not respond to requests for an interview. The network included more than 40 perpetrators who compromised email accounts of small to midsize businesses in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South Africa and Thailand. According to Interpol, the mastermind had money laundering contacts in the U.S., China, and Europe who set up bank accounts for the illicit cash flow. The main two types of scams run by this network, according to Interpol's press release, were payment diversion fraud where a supplier's email would be compromised and fake messages would then be sent to the buyer with instructions for payment to a bank account under the criminal's control and CEO fraud, in which the email account of a high-level executive is compromised and a request for a wire transfer is sent to another employee who has been identified as responsible for handling these requests. Mike first came onto the law enforcement radar through a report provided to Interpol by Trend Micro. Here again, Trend Micro's researchers stumbled on the scam in the course of their usual research into the criminal undergrounds in several countries, focusing on business email compromise and CEO fraud. Trend Micro's team found out the hackers were spoofing the emails of certain company officers, for instance sending fake emails that appear to be from the CEO to CFOs and others in the organization who have the authority to transfer money. "Cybersecurity purists might see this as a simple attack, but there's a level of research hackers are doing to understand not only the organization they're going to target but also the people to target," said Ed Cabrera, chief cybersecurity officer at Trend Micro. "Arguably, doing that research in this day and age is not that hard. With social media the way it is, it's not that hard to identify the CEO, the CFO and those that are not CFOs but have that ability to transfer funds from the organization." These attacks have gotten more advanced, he noted. "Early on in the evolution of spam, you could detect the emails with their misspellings and poor grammar," he said. "In these attacks, they're improving their emails the verbiage, the syntax, the slight variations on email domains that people reading email quickly don't notice." In a common scheme, hackers will craft an email that appears to come from the CEO saying, "I'm looking to invest money, but I need to transfer money quickly to this account, please don't let anybody know about this right now because it's a very confidential transaction," Cabrera said. In addition to two-factor authentication for email, Cabrera recommends that companies add controls around the transfer of money. "Most companies have policies and procedures, the question is, do they follow them when they're transferring money on a daily or hourly basis?" Cabrera said. "No funds should be transferred without some kind of secondary authentication. It doesn't have to be technical, it could be follow-up phone call to a human." Editor at Large Penny Crosman welcomes feedback at penny.crosman@sourcemedia.com. As the kerfuffle about Donald Trumps reaction to the speech by Khizr Khan at the Democratic National Convention gathered steam over the weekend, Hillary Clinton repeated her slander that somehow the families of the Benghazi dead were lying when they said she told them in front of their sons caskets they died because of a video. This time she didnt say liar, but that their grief made them misunderstand her: Over the weekend, Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton accused two Benghazi families of "not understanding her" the day bodies of the Americans killed in Benghazi were returned home. This wasn't the first time Clinton essentially called Charles Woods, father of Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, and Pat Smith, mother of information officer Sean Smith, liars. Woods and Smith say Clinton told them a video was to blame for the Benghazi attack, not terrorism. Clinton disagrees but "doesn't hold any ill feeling for someone who in that moment may not fully recall everything that was or wasnt said." "My heart goes out to both of them. Losing a child under any circumstances, especially in this case, two State Department employees, extraordinary men both of them, two CIA contractors gave their lives protecting our country, our values. I understand the grief and the incredible sense of loss that can motivate that. As other members of families who lost loved ones have said, thats not what they heard, I dont hold any ill feeling for someone who in that moment may not fully recall everything that was or wasnt said," Clinton said to Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace over the weekend. In her patronizing monotone, Hillary essentially said the Benghazi families were not only liars but stupid as well, badly in need of a copy of English for Dummies. Now, Ghazala Khan, Khizrs wife and whose son gave his life for his country in Iraq, is a Gold Star mom deserving of our respect. Her silence at the convention should be interpreted as nothing more than grief, and Donald Trump would have been wise not to rise to the media bait. But Patricia Smith, Charles Woods and other relatives of the Benghazi dead belong to Gold Star families as well. Where is their respect and media condemnation of Hillary Clintons callousness and serial lying about them and the terrorist attack that killed their sons? As Howard Kurtz, Fox News media analyst, points out: There is no question that Khan, whose soldier son was killed in Iraq, provided a heartbreaking moment in Philadelphia. Trump had nothing to do with his sons wartime death, of course, but Khan took his proposed temporary ban on Muslim immigrants and used it to question whether the candidate has even read the Constitution (which Trump says he has). The media have given this man and his wife an enormous platform -- in a way they conspicuously declined to do when Patricia Smith blamed Hillary Clinton at the Republican convention for the death of her son in Benghazi. Khans speech got a writeup on the front page of the New York Times. On Sunday he was on NBCs Meet the Press and CNNs State of the Union, calling Trump, among other things, a black soul. Yesterday it was the Today show, Morning Joe and New Day. Charles Wood, the equally grieving father of Tyrone Woods, who, along with Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, and Ambassador Christopher Stevens, died in the Benghazi terrorist attack, says he did not misunderstand what Hillary told him in front of his sons casket: This morning on America's Newsroom, Charles Woods again explained his version of events and didn't hold back about what Clinton did or said. "She stood in front of my son's casket and blamed the rage directed at American embassies on a video she said we had no part of," Woods said. "When they had the casket ceremony she also lied to the American public. These are her words as best as I can recall, 'rage was directed at American embassies as a result of that awful video that we were not responsible for. She said basically the same thing in private to the families that were grieving and then a half hour later she said basically the same thing as far as causation to the American public." Jim Geraghty, writing in National Review, notes the glaring disparity in the treatments of Ghazala Khan and Patricia Smith: Hey, remember when the first night of the Republican convention featured Patricia Smith, mother of Sean Smith, one of the Americans slain in Benghazi? Remember how her speech was called a cynical exploitation of grief? Or the unabashed exploitation of private peoples grief or the weaponization of grief? Remember how she ruined the evening? How it was, a spectacle so offensive, it was hard to even comprehend? How some liberal commentators said, Mrs. Smith was really most interested in drinking blood rather than healing? How her speech represented an early dip into the gutter? Remember how a GQ writer publicly expressed a desire to beat her to death? Patricia Smith was said to be a grieving unhinged mother that was exploited for political gain. Ghazala Khan was treated as the second coming of Cindy Sheehan, the Code Pink poster mom who the media slavishly covered as she encamped outside the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas. Patricia Smith understood and understands Hillary perfectly. As Patricia Smith said in her riveting convention speech: I know a few things couldve been done to prevent it. But nobodys admitting to anything. Right now, my understanding is Hillary didnt do a damn thing. And I wonder what she did as Secretary of State, because she disavows everything. She disavows the fact that she even got any call for security... If this is her Department, she certainly doesnt know how to run the Department. And she lied the whole time. She lied to me and called me a liar on TV, Smith continues. She told me it was the fault of the video And later when I mentioned that, she said she never said anything like that to me. How can a woman be this way! She said One of us is a liar, and it wasnt me, Smith recalls Hillary saying on air later. I am not a liar! I know what Hillary told me! In fact Ive spoken to quite a few different people Hillary and Obama, Panetta, Susan Rice, and several others every one of them told me it was the fault of the video, including Obama and he denies it! Please, tell the world. Tell the world what shes really like. Well try, Mrs. Smith. But it will be hard to be heard above the din of media hypocrites and their double standards who are more interested in protecting Hillary and trashing Trump than conveying the truth about one of the great hoaxsters in American political history. 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. It is clear based on this stage of political evolution in the West that democracy to the extent it has meaning is a form of inclusiveness, expanding the horizons of political participation. On one level it makes sense -- why should anyone be denied participation when interests in the aggregate are why we employ the term representative government? The issue as it has now developed is that extensive political involvement results in economic hazards. A government accountable to the electorate regulates to satisfy one constituency or another, borrows money for real and perceived needs, and debases the soundness of the currency for its own political advantage. Extension of political involvement also means that a servile class of those who do not work, but must be supported, are part of the democratic mosaic. Recognizing the imperfections in a free market, compassion has become a moral anodyne. The moral life, in which virtue is a constraint on certain behavior, retreats before a relativism that abjures judgment. So far in the direction of relativism have we gone that it is freedom that must be defined, not slavery. Freedom once meant the capacity to choose along with facing the consequences of that choice. There are burdens attached to freedom. Now freedom is being able to do what one wants assuming the state accepts you as a member of the servile class. There is a price to be paid for the condition. Every Western nation is in debt. The U.S. level is about to reach $20 trillion, with liabilities at least three times that sum. Deficits in fiscal budgets are the pattern, with the only question being the level of the deficit. The conditions are dicey but political inclusiveness militates against change. The politics of the era makes change a rhetorical claim, not a realistic policy option. Imagine the consequence of trying to reduce entitlement spending? Senator Bernie Sanders campaigns on free tuition. The British take great pride in a single-payer health care system that has put great strain on national finances. Greece is effectively bankrupt because the state has assumed the role of parent and insurer. Even the once affluent Germany is facing financial hardship in its attempt to incorporate a million migrants into its governmental system. Moreover, political extension, i.e. new and expanded constituencies, increase a trend towards servility and a decrease in individualism. For the French, individualism is confused with egoistic self-interest, a kind of selfish pursuit. In Europe and increasingly in the United States one discusses social justice, not free people bargaining for position. The rights once conferred by a transcendent authority are the rights vouchsafed by government. Security trumps freedom; dependency dominates liberty. In an effort to protect the growing political constituencies, governments promise to shield their citizens from victimhood, which paradoxically makes everyone a victim. Hence the temptation to protect with political correctness, a first cousin of categorical rights and to offer a safety net for those incapable of supporting themselves. But charity has morphed into entitlements. Political correctness has become a challenge to free expression and rights. In fact, once designated rights for the individual have been transmogrified into racial or ethnic rights. Individual agency is under siege. At the risk of hyperbole, there is evident throughout the West a sycophantic submission to imperial government. Friedrich Nietzsche noted: Insanity in individuals is something rare -- but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Socrates suggested in Platos Gorgias, democratic impulses pollute the souls of all who partake in the political process. Since there isnt a respite from ills and since there are always demands from the constituencies of victims, the cycle of political expansion and economic failure is inevitable. The question is not whether it can be stopped, but whether it can be stalled. Freedom loving people in the West could awaken one day to find that in the effort to address the needs of society through the agency of government, every individual in a democratic society has surrendered his sovereignty to a servile class. Herbert London is president of the London Center for Policy Research. While the media-begotten pseudo-scandals inundate the electorate with pro-Hillary messaging in an attempt to derail the Trump candidacy, it will do us well to consider some of the substance upon which concerned voters may wish to rely as they are sorting out the 2016 election. Donald Trumps nomination acceptance speech contained a brief sojourn into a important but little discussed topic he has reiterated on the stump. Somewhat buried under the details that Mr. Trump laid out regarding the utter calamity that would be a Hillary Clinton presidency was his commentary on a 1954 piece of legislation known as the Johnson Amendment. The germane section of the speech was this: At this moment, I would like to thank the evangelical community who have been so good to me and so supportive. You have so much to contribute to our politics, yet our laws prevent you from speaking your minds from your own pulpits. An amendment, pushed by Lyndon Johnson, many years ago, threatens religious institutions with a loss of their tax-exempt status if they openly advocate their political views. I am going to work very hard to repeal that language and protect free speech for all Americans. Trumps inclusion of his desire to repeal the Johnson Amendment as a component of his strategy to win the White House is something unique: it is an unexpected shot across the bow against the left, whose culture war has blocked Americans of traditional faith from using the power of the pulpit to influence political discourse over the past half-century. Even a cursory review of American history reveals that Judeo-Christian values were the bedrock of our founding, and they provided the moral and philosophical firepower to eliminate slavery and underpin the civil rights movement. The patriot pulpit of old was unafraid of political sermonizing, in spite of the fact that a ministers message could get him hanged if the authorities found it objectionable. Consider these fiery words from Congregationalist preacher Jonathan Mayhew from 1750 as he exegeted Romans 13:1-7: ... upon a careful review of the apostle's reasoning in this passage, it appears that his arguments to enforce submission, are of such a nature, as to conclude only in favor of submission to such rulers as he himself describes; i.e., such as rule for the good of society, which is the only end of their institution. Common tyrants, and public oppressors, are not entitled to obedience from their subjects, by virtue of anything here laid down by the inspired apostle. Mayhew used his religious office to express a message that resistance to tyranny is a perfectly acceptable doctrine by which Christians ought to abide. Coming a quarter-century before the American Revolution, these incendiary words could easily have been considered treason against the British Crown. Mayhew also took a public stance against the Stamp Act in 1765, preaching positively on the virtue of individual liberty and the vice of tyrannical government. Had Mayhew lived under the Obama administration, he might have found himself under IRS audit, as did the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, ostensibly for its public expressions of biblical and political positions. Politically tinged preaching has been curtailed dramatically since the 1950s, as a byproduct of the Johnson Amendment. Then-senator Lyndon Johnson (D-Texas) was embroiled in a difficult campaign fight to maintain his Senate seat, and he discovered that his opposition was backed vocally by various anti-leftist Christians. In order to stymie his opponents, LBJ had language inserted into section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code, which allows for a federal tax exemption for severally named entities (including corporations and foundations operating for religious purposes) so long as they do not use their net earnings or conduct a substantial part of their organizational activities for carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation or to participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office. Thanks to Lyndon Johnson, churches and synagogues can keep all the money donated to them as long as their public speakers stay confined to discourses that have nothing to do with politics, civics, or matters of public interest (unless of course the messenger is espousing left-wing dogma and supporting statist candidates, in which cases Uncle Sam, through the ever left-leaning bureaucracy, turns a deaf ear to their blatant religio-political diatribes). It is no wonder, then, that controversial subjects such as the pro-life position, opposition to same-sex marriage, and open support of conservative candidates all of which are contradictory to the liberal-progressive dogma, which is the de facto earthly theology of the federal bureaucracy are essentially verboten in the weekend sermons delivered throughout America. According to one report, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brings in some $7 billion annually in tithes and other donations from its worldwide congregations. If the LDS church is any indication of the amount of revenue generated by organized religious groups, the 340,000 or so Christian churches and over 3,000 synagogues in the United States are likely collecting extraordinary sums of money protected from the tax man so long as these organizations abide by the restrictions of the Johnson Amendment. Jesus told His disciples to render unto Caesar that which is Caesars; by protecting their money through tax-exempt status, Americas preachers have surrendered both their right to free speech and the moral authority that comes with taking difficult positions on matters of political interest to Caesar. Our nations clergy has effectively been bought off by the lure of filthy tax-exempt lucre. Kudos to Donald Trump for suggesting the repeal of the Johnson Amendment. Were this law excised from the tax code, the pulpit messages of preachers, ministers, and rabbis would no longer be subject to censorship of politically relevant themes due to the fear of the loss of tax exemption. This would aid mightily in de-weaponizing the federal governments attack dog agency, the IRS, which currently uses the crafty 501(c)(3) designation to silence conservatives in the ministry who do not wish to adversely impact their organizations finances. Nothing would be more beneficial to stirring a national revival of traditional Americanism than to unmute the voices of our clergy by removing the Johnson Amendments fetters that bind up their constitutional right to freedom of speech. John Steinreich graduated from Colorado Theological Seminary with a Masters in Church History and is the author of The Words of God?, an analytical comparison of the Bible and the Quran, available on Lulu Press and on Kindle. Following the Supreme Courts ruling in Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt, abortion advocates claimed it was game over for health and safety standards designed to protect women from abortion industry abuses. Headlines like Abortion Restrictions Poised to Fall Like Dominoes in Wake of SCOTUS Ruling littered the Internet. How wrong they are. The pro-life movement will never abandon women to the whims of an under-regulated, predatory abortion industry. In fact, the Supreme Courts recent decision is not a censure of legislative efforts to expose and remedy abortions negative maternal health consequences; instead, it is an implicit stamp of approval on the strategic effectiveness of the movements dominant mother-child strategy which seeks to protect and advance the interests of both a mother and her unborn child. Understanding how the recent ruling actually affirms health and safety standards is important today as voters evaluate the approaches legislators advocate as they seek elected office and announce their strategies to protect life. In its opinion, the five-justice majority placed a clear priority on maintaining mere access to abortion facilities, accepting at face value the self-serving claims of abortion advocates that enforcement of the Texas requirements would force abortion facilities to close. Contrary to established legal principles, the Court also improperly placed the burden on state officials to prophetically prove that any proposed health and safety requirements will benefit women. In doing so, the Court fully embraced its self-assumed role as the National Abortion Control Board, under which it will routinely substitute its judgment for that of state policymakers as to the need for specific health and safety requirements. This profoundly anti-woman decision and its future application by federal and state courts will make it more difficult to enact laws addressing the epidemic of substandard abortion care in America. The abortion industry will profit, and women will pay the price. Americans United for Life has documented that, over just the last six years, nearly 200 abortion providers in states across the nation have faced investigations or been cited for violating state laws and medical regulations governing the provision of abortion. However, the Court also provided guidance for pro-life efforts to protect women and their unborn children from the scourge of abortion. The Court asked for more evidence of the harms of abortion, and pro-life advocates will answer the challenge. State officials, now charged with carefully documenting the future benefits of proposed abortion regulations, will need to carefully marshal evidence in support of any proposed health and safety initiatives. Legislators should welcome every opportunity to dispel the persistent and pervasive myths that abortion is safe and to rebut the abortion industrys self-serving assertions about abortions purported benefits with the growing body of international medical evidence demonstrating the negative impact of abortion on women. The Hellerstedt majority implicitly suggests that states, armed with the requisite medical and other evidence supporting the efficacy of their legislative proposals, may still regulate abortion facilities to ensure some degree of patient safety and to address dangerous, predatory abortion providers. In doing so, the Court specifically acknowledged that the "Kermit Gosnell scandal," where a Philadelphia abortionist operated a dangerous and unsanitary clinic for years before being investigated and prosecuted for homicide and more than 200 violations of state abortion laws, was terribly wrong" and involved deplorable crimes." The Court also recognized the importance of abortion facilities being "inspected at least annually" and the inclusion of appropriate enforcement mechanisms, such as civil and criminal penalties, in abortion regulations and limitations. As states prepare for the 2017 legislative sessions, AULs groundbreaking Enforcement Module that promotes comprehensive inspections for abortion facilities and includes the strongest enforcement options for pro-life laws is the perfect response to this controversial decision. Further, legislators should also continue to promote a variety of important and protective abortion regulations including enhanced informed consent requirements for both surgical and drug-induced abortions, the prevention of coerced abortions, and increased protections for minor girls and parents rights to be involved in the abortion decisions of their daughters. They should also consider the component legislation contained in AULs Infants Protection Project which protects unborn infants from barbaric late-term abortion procedures, affords legal protection and recognition to unborn children outside of the context of abortion, and ensures that mothers facing poor prognoses for their unborn children are informed about the availability of hospice care for their families. The Project also includes new model legislation recognizing a deceased unborn infants right to dignified treatment including, at the mother or familys request, a respectful burial. These two critically important initiatives are naturally complementary. Both spotlight model legislation designed to protect unborn children and their mothers, exposing the lies propagated by the abortion industry that abortion is beneficial to women and that a womans interests are often at odds with those of her unborn child. They also encapsulate the pro-life movements mother-child strategy and are well suited to advancing the cause for life after Hellerstedt. Denise M. Burke is Vice President of Legal Affairs, Americans United for Life At birth, I was unusually small and had to be placed in an incubator. A nurse called me her little peanut. My family embraced her nickname for me. One of my nephews in Baltimore phoned his Uncle Peanut. He is black, 40-something, and a Christian. Years ago, he learned a highly in-demand trade which has earned him a very good living; owning a home and numerous big boy toys; motorcycles and cars. He is living the American Dream, right? His purpose for calling was to get my take on the presidential election; Trump vs Hillary. I was stunned that he never heard of the Benghazi attack, nor Hillary's role in the deaths of four Americans. He was also clueless about Hillary's email scandal. I felt a little anxious, pressured to dump as much info as possible into this low-info-voter in one phone call. I encouraged him to see the new D'Souza movie, Hillary's America. My nephew's ignorance regarding Hillary is a perfect example of what we are up against, folks. Due to the mainstream media covering for her, I suspect millions have never heard of any of Hillary's lies and corruption. It was also disheartening hearing the negative view of his country embedded in my nephew. His great life proves the American Dream is available to anyone who chooses to go for it. He applied himself, learned a marketable trade and made responsible choices. This formula usually works regardless of race, gender, and etc. Ignoring his success, my nephew believes America sucks for blacks. His mindset is the toxic result of decades of Democrats, public education, and the mainstream media slandering our country. My nephew believes our president and other Leftist's lie that cops make the streets dangerous for blacks. I schooled my nephew about how blacks are murdered by blacks, not cops. His hometown Baltimore is experiencing record-breaking homicides -- blacks killing blacks. In Chicago, 20, 30, 40 blacks are shot or killed by other blacks practically every weekend. While rattling off all the facts and stats I could remember to prove my points, I prayed. God help me say what is necessary to open my nephew's eyes. I am sure some of you feel a similar performance anxiety whenever gifted an opportunity to confront a liberal or enlighten a low-info-voter. By the end of our phone call, I believe I convinced my nephew to come aboard the Trump Train. My 88-year-old black preacher dad phoned from Maryland. Hey Peanut, what did you think of Trumps closing speech at the RNC? Before I continue, I want to express my gratitude that Dad is still with us; as witty, wise and mentally sharp as ever. It took several years, but my lifelong Democrat dad has left the dark side. Dad is voting for Trump, divorcing the Democrats. He has even begun recognizing liberal deceptions. Dad said he listened to a new black talk radio show and it turned his stomach. All I heard was blacks blaming whites. The host ranted that Trump was a racist whose speeches were only for white people. Dad said the host and callers acted like it was 1950 in America. Dad's negative response to liberal's messaging was encouraging. Dad said his political conversion has alienated him from blacks, even some in his household. Dad said, They think I'm the weird one. I chuckled and replied, Welcome to my world, Dad. I told Dad not to stress over blacks who just don't get it. Their brains are terminally infected with liberal poison, rendering them incapable of hearing or accepting truth. Say a prayer for them and move on to blacks with ears to hear. Decades ago, my wife Mary was a young May Kay Cosmetics beauty consultant. Mary was taught not to pursue potential new recruits who wanted to argue about the business. Simply move on. Dad and I chatted about the man in the Bible whose poor choices in life landed him in hell. The suffering man asked to be allowed to visit his brothers to warn them not to make his mistakes. My preacher Dad chimed in, Abraham said to the man, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.' Yes, some folks are just plain stuck on stupid. After years of trying to enlighten blacks, I no longer accept interview requests from black shows that only seek to prove to their audience that I'm an Uncle Tom or highly paid Republican operative (I wish). I have embraced God's instruction to the early disciples who were spreading the Gospel of Christ. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. (Matthew 10:14) At the end of our phone conversation, Dad said, Thanks for helping me see the light. I love that old guy. Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Chairman: The Conservative Campaign Committee LloydMarcus.com Stanley S. Hubbard is the billionaire Chairman and CEO of Hubbard Broadcasting, The corporation owns interests in broadcast outlets in Wisconsin, New York, New Mexico and Minnesota. Its flagship is KSTP radio1500, a 50,000 watt clear-channel Class A station; KSTP-FM 94; and KSTP-TV the region's ABC affiliate. The stations broadcast in the Twin Cities region and into western Wisconsin. Hubbard is also a major Republican donor. He is prepared to do a lot to stop Hillary Clinton. In May, Hubbard became one of the first large Republican fundraisers to sign on to help Team Trump. This week Hubbard is not happy. Not only did he write his candidate of his unhappiness, he then told the press of his actions. Hubbard has worked his entire life in the communications empire father founded. Thus it can be safely assumed this is clearly meant to be a public rebuke to Trump. On Monday, the Minnesota broadcasting billionaire Stanley Hubbard sat down and wrote Trump a letter. Start saying things that are sensible; have some sensitivity, is what Hubbard said he told Trump in the note. It frustrates all of us. Its like hes trying to shoot himself and commit suicide, added Hubbard, who said he maxed out to Trumps campaign and gave a lot of money to the pro-Trump group Great America PAC. Hubbard criticized Trump for his remarks about Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier who criticized the billionaire businessman during the Democratic convention. It doesnt make sense. You dont put down a Gold Star family. Period. You dont compare that mans sacrifice to a life thats never had to make a serious sacrifice that has affected your life or wellbeing. Its ridiculous." Hubbard also told USA Today. He added: "Everyone I talk to is disgusted youve got a crook on one side and a fruitcake on the other. Before recent events, Hubbard was working to get other major Republican donors to contribute to Trump. I dont know what hes doing trying to commit suicide? said Stan Hubbard, a Minnesota-based top donor to a pro-Trump super PAC. Hubbard has been trying to get other Republican donors, including Charles and David Koch, on board with Donald Trump for months. But he said Trumps recent comments, in particular those about the parents of a Muslim American soldier who died in the Iraq War, were just nonsense, adding that he sent Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus a note pleading with him to do something. The whole world is laughing at that. Its just very frustrating. Now Hubbard sounds both resigned and open to alternatives. . Hubbard said hes not jumping ship yet, but suggested that if Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson picked up significant momentum, he would be willing to switch over. It will be interesting to see, he said. He was a good governor. Hes not over the top. Hes not loony. If there is some sort of effort, youre darn right I could. He also acknowledged that any sort of intervention would likely be futile. I dont think anyone can control him. He should control himself. fitness as President and his sanity based on some things he says. Wouldnt it be wise to analyze Hillarys and Obamas fitness to be President based on what they have actually said and done? On September 11, 2012 our consulate was attacked in Benghazi, Libya and four Americans died. We did not know how long the attack would last yet Obama and Hillary did absolutely nothing to save those Americans. They did not meet in the situation room yet they did have time to concoct a false story blaming the video. Obama didnt even attend the intelligence briefing the following morning. On September 14 2012 the bodies came home and families have said that Hillary repeated the story about the video that she had been telling the public. On September 16, 2012 Susan Rice went on five Sunday news shows to blame the video instead of terrorism On September 28, 2012, Obama continued to tell the video lie in his UN speech. Are a President and person running for President fit to be President when they continually lied by blaming a video to protect their power instead of telling the truth about terrorism? In January 2013, Hillary said to a House committee on Benghazi that at this point what difference does it make why the Americans died. Does a person who has no empathy for those who died and doesnt care why Americans died have the right temperament to be President? From January 2009 until she left office in January 2013 Obama knew Hillary was not using secure government emails but did nothing to stop it. Are people who dont care about the nations security laws fit to be President? On July 31st, Hillary went on TV and called the mother of one of those killed in Benghazi a liar. She also called FBI Director a liar. Does a person who calls a grieving Mother and the FBI director liars have the right temperament and does she have enough empathy to be President? Is it sane to continually lie when the truth is on tape? Should Democratic leaders intervene to tell Hillary the truth is known and she cant delete the tapes? Is it sane to believe or repeat that $400 Million in cash on the same day of a hostage release isnt ransom? Is a person who repeatedly ignores the laws and their oath of office fit to be President? This morning I saw Becky Quick on CNBC say it is amazing that Hillary and the $400 million payment to Iran get so little coverage. It is appalling and intentional, not amazing. The networks have chosen their candidate, party and agenda and facts dont matter. Hillary is such an unappealing candidate and Obama and Hillary have such a poor economic and foreign policy record to run on that they have no choice but to trash Trump. Is a congenital liar who cared so little about the nations security and so much about her privacy fit to be President? Two partisans of Hillary Clinton writing at Huffington Post strongly suggested that Donald Trump leaked information about a classified video during a rally in Daytona, FL yesterday. They claimed that Trump saw the video as part of the classified briefings he and Clinton will receive as major party candidates. There's only one problem; according to Paul Manafort, Trump campaign chief, Trump has not yet received any classified briefings. Trump's description of the video that he characterized as "top secret" was vivid: Ill never forget the scene this morning, Trump told the crowd in Daytona Beach, Florida, of what he said he had watched. Iran I dont think youve heard this anywhere but here Iran provided all of that footage, the tape, of taking that money off that airplane. Over there, where that plane landed, top secret, they dont have a lot of paparazzi, you know, Trump said. The paparazzi doesnt do so well over there. But they have a perfect tape, obviously done by a government camera, and the tape is of the people taking the money off the plane. Its a military tape. Its a tape that was a perfect angle, nice and steady. The two reporters - Christina Wilkie and Jessica Schulberg - then crafted the accusation that Trump revealed information from the classified briefing: No publicly available video matches what Trump described. This raises the possibility that Trump was either fabricating the contents of a non-existent video, or he was disclosing information to which he has newly been granted access. Trumps description of the top secret tape came just days after the Republican presidential nominee became eligible to receive classified intelligence briefings a privilege afforded to the nominees of the two major political parties in order to prepare them, should they win the White House. A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign declined to say how Trump acquired the video. A spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the group that handles classified national security briefings for presidential candidates, did not immediately respond to a question about whether Trump has been briefed by the agency. But both Trump and Clinton are eligible for classified briefings now that they have secured their parties nominations, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, said late last month after the presidential conventions. The Atlantics Russell Berman reported Wednesday that Trump and Clinton could begin receiving briefings as soon as the coming days. The vividness of Trumps description of the video makes it difficult to imagine a scenario in which he made it up. He described how the video was shot by a steady hand. Nobody getting nervous theyre going to be shot because theyre taking a picture of money pouring off a plane. Trump continued: Iran released that tape, which is of quality like these guys have, he said, pointing to the media in the back of the room. Iran released that tape so that we will be embarrassed. Since Trump has yet to receive any classified videos, what is it he actually viewed? Washington Post has the answer: Several senior U.S. officials involved in the Iran negotiations told the Associated Presson Wednesday they weren't aware of any such footage. There was speculation that perhaps Trump saw the footage during one of the classified security briefings provided to presidential nominees, but Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort said in aninterview on Fox News earlier in the day that those briefings have not yet begun. The Washington Post asked Trump's spokespeople to explain what Trump was talking about and emailed a link to a Fox News clip that showed the January footage from Geneva, asking if that was the video the nominee saw. "Yes," spokeswoman Hope Hicks responded in an email. "Merely the b-roll footage included in every broadcast." Hicks has yet to respond to a follow-up email asking why Trump thought the footage showed a money transfer and not the widely watched hostage swap, and why Trump said it was recorded by the Iranian government. So, we can all relax. Trump did not release classified information. He just lied about what he saw - which is hardly unusal for Trump. More to the point, the sloppy, biased, smear job by the HuffPo writers (I will not call them journalists) should be taken down. Especially since they didn't even try to hide their antipathy toward Trump. This "Note" was stuck in at the end of the smear job: Editors note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims 1.6 billion members of an entire religion from entering the U.S. Not much bias there, right Arianna? President Obamas vanishing red line in Syria is only one of many political disasters afflicting almost every country with an interest in Syria. The Syrian people are enduring hell, of course, and the Assad regime, facing a mortal threat, is staggering, although currently enjoying considerable momentum. Its Russian and Iranian backers have suffered considerable casualties and humiliations. So has Turkey, which is now starting to reverse itself and cozy up to the Assad regime. There is, however, one country that is coming out ahead. That would be Israel. Jim Dunnigan of Strategy Page makes the case: ...one of the only local powers to come out ahead is Israel. In theory everyone involved in the Syrian civil war (Islamic terrorists, the Syrian, government and Iran) should be fighting Israel. Instead they are killing each other and Israel stays out of it, expect to keep track of how many losses its many enemies are taking each month. So far it has been well over 100,000 fighting men, plus even more civilians, often related to the dead fighters. The ace in the hole for Israel has always been Arab and Muslim factionalism. It wont be long before Israel is accused of fomenting the Syrian civil war, manipulating (puppet masters, right? thats always the Jew haters claim) Russia, Iran, Assad, ISIS, pretty much everyone involved. In the meantime, sit back and watch Israels enemies destroy each other. Hat tip: Instapundit When Jefferson and John Adams went to call on Tripolis envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman, they asked him by what right his Barbary pirates raided American ships, stole their cargo, killed, enslaved, and ransomed their crews. As Jefferson later reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress, the ambassador answered that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise. That was in the early 1800s. Seems little has changed regarding the mindset of the leaders of the Ummah. Now it turns out that Obama (Kerry?) clandestinely ransomed four American captives held by Iran. The Obama administration secretly airlifted $400 million in cash to Iran in January at the same time Tehran was releasing four jailed Americans, payment that a top congressional Republican is calling ransom. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. and European officials and congressional sources, reported that the administration procured the money from central banks in Switzerland and the Netherlands. The money was stacked on wooden pallets and flown to Tehran in an unmarked cargo plane. The Iranians know desperation when they see it and Obama was desperate for the appearance of success in the Middle East. Seems we have a president more concerned with his image than with the honor and reputation of the U.S. and its citizens. Compare this to Stephen Decatur, the hero of the Tripoli wars: He and nine volunteers made straight for the gunboat and borded her, with Decatur leading the charge. They were outnumbered five to one but fought ferociously. Decatur found the burly Muslim captain who killed his brother, and immediately confronted him... Decatur, and the men he led, must be rolling over in their graves. A previously unknown agreement signed by the 15 Democratic state attorneys' general that represents a united assault on climate change skeptics shows just how broadly the coalition will interpret the law to attack and harass those who disagree with them. The agreement also makes clear that the investigation by prosecutors will remain secret - a star chamber if there ever was one. Reuters: The "Climate Change Coalition Common Interest Agreement" was signed by state attorneys general in May, two months after they held a press conference to say they would go after Exxon, the world's largest publicly-traded oil and gas company, and possibly other companies. The signed agreement has not been made public until now, and Reuters reviewed a copy of it on Thursday. It provides considerably more detail about the prosecutors' legal strategy than the general outline provided at their announcement in March, which was headlined by former Vice President Al Gore. In a nod to the politically charged nature of the inquiry, which quickly spilled over into Congress and corporate shareholders meetings, the pact says signatories of the agreement should keep discussions private and "refuse to disclose any shared information unless required by law." Besides Exxon, the agreement says other entities could be targeted if states felt they were delaying action to fight climate change. The pact says the states may take legal action to "defend Federal greenhouse gas emissions limits" and open investigations of "possible illegal conduct to limit or delay the implementation and deployment of renewable energy technology." It also ponders "investigations of representations made by companies to investors, consumers and the public regarding fossil fuels, renewable energy and climate change." After numerous filings under sunshine laws, a copy of the agreement was obtained by the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, a free-market think tank. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, whose website says it opposes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, had also sought the documents. "This is far less a proper common interest agreement than a sweeping cloak of secrecy," said Chris Horner, a lawyer who represents the Energy & Environment Legal Institute. The attorneys general, as previously reported, received guidance from well-known climate scientists and environmental lawyers before announcing the Exxon probe. Critics have called this a sign of meddling by special interests, though prosecutors' offices have made clear climate change is a top concern of voters. New York state's attorney's general office said confidentiality agreements are used often. "Entering into a common interest agreement is routine practice during a multistate investigation. These agreements preserve the confidentiality of non-public information shared among state law enforcement officials," the office told Reuters. Note specifically that the coalition will go after companies and organizations for opposing federal environmental regulations. The clear inference is that opposing EPA regulations on climate change is illegal in and of itself and that the state AG's can "defend" the regulations and "open investigations" into entities that seek to delay emission limits. There is nothing about punishing "fraud" in seeking to delay emisssion limits. It's all about a political disagreement. How is this constitutional? It directly interferes with individuals and company's rights to "redress grievances" against the government - a First Amendment protection. There is nothing in the agreement that allows the state AG's to act only if there is illegal activity going on. But it allows the AGs to open harassing investigations for no other reason than regulations would be too onerous for some companies to comply with. The state AG's have ignored congressional subpoenas and now we know why. They are creating a star chamber to punish political dissent and reach deep into the pockets of huge corporations to create a climate change slush fund. I really hope Exxon will hold out and refuse to settle with these vultures. A good friend of mine who teaches philosophy in California asked me in an email what I thought of Trump. This was out of the blue. We had never talked politics before and were discussing technical stuff at the time. I replied to the effect that Plato says somewhere that people who want power should not be given it. Trump doesnt need or crave the Presidency. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is power mad to a degree way beyond what is normal in a politician. Then I did an online search to see if I had the Plato reference right. What I turned up was the following quote from John C. Maxwells book Becoming a Person of Influence: How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others: In most cases, those who want power probably shouldn't have it, those who enjoy it probably do so for the wrong reasons, and those who want most to hold on to it don't understand that it's only temporary. Did Maxwell get this from Plato? I have no idea and it doesnt matter. The point is that Maxwell hit the nail on the head. His comment on power describes in a nutshell the fundamental difference between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and is the best reason why Clinton should not, absolutely not be given the power of the Presidency. Look at it this way. Weve had quite enough of the abuse of power under the two terms of Obamas Presidency. The list of abuses is long and well known. There is every reason to believe Hillary Clinton will outdo Obama. Books describing what she was like when Bill Clinton was in the White House provide adequate inductive evidence. She was hell to deal with then. Are we supposed to believe that the Presidency will have a moderating influence on Hillary Clinton? What a silly idea. Its beginning to look like the Clinton camp has given up on issues as a way of framing the campaign against Trump and will stick to personality. Trump allegedly is not fit or is not suitable to serve as this countrys chief executive. Okay, turnabout is fair play. Power-mad Hillary seems to me a more effective label than Crooked Hillary. Why? Because Americans distrust people who crave power. Ruthless, fundamentally dishonest, unbelievably incompetent, bereft of a trace of judgment, and incredibly (nay, criminally) greedy is the best description that I can come up with for Hillary Clinton. She is the most unqualified candidate to contend for public office in my lifetime (which goes back to the FDR era). Her husband, in his remarks at her convention, tried to put lipstick on this pig of a candidate, by coming up with a romantic fantasy picture, which made her sound like a cross between Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Margaret Thatcher. After waxing on at almost nauseating length particularly, given his history of marital infidelity -- he told us this was the real Hillary Clinton, and the things that you were hearing from her opposition were just a caricature of this wonderful woman. Ive closely followed this greedy, lying harridan for almost 25 years, and Im here to tell you that the so-called caricature IS the real Hillary Clinton. Similarly, in his first campaign effort on Hillary Clintons behalf, in pushing the hyperbole envelope clear off the table, Obama proclaimed that Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person to ever run for president. This coming from the least qualified person to have ever occupied the office (he probably wants a successor who has a darn good chance of making his presidency look good). In point of fact, she is the least qualified to have ever tried out for the position. To add to the qualification confusion, in one recent outing Clinton announced that, while she has been called many things, unqualified is not one of them. Again, in point of fact, every thing that she has ever been called has addressed her lack of qualifications, even if you excluded her lack of ability from the qualification equation. After all, character does count (or doesnt it?) and she, like her husband, has none. While it is nice to talk about all the uplifting things she has said about the rights of women and children, in her actual jobs i.e. post-law school, first lady (of both Arkansas and the U.S.), Senator, and Secretary of State she has been something between a non factor and a dismal failure. Here, Id like to focus on one of her quasi criminal missteps that occurred in 1978, and has been commonly referred to as Cattlegate. Why cattlegate? Because it captures the essential Hillary -- incompetent, greedy, and dishonest. Readers may recall that Hillary invested $1,000.00 in the commodities market (cattle futures), and within a year the investment return was precisely $100,000.00 -- a spectacular return, even for one familiar with the intricate and dangerous vagaries of this type of investment. Hillary asserted that she did all this on the basis of her investment acumen, gained by reviewing the Wall St. Journal over a relatively brief period. Investment experts take a dimmer view of the transaction: The Journal of Economics and Statistics placed the odds of this type of return at 250 million to one. Economists from the University of North Florida and Auburn took a more pessimistic view in an article that they did for the Journal of Economics and Finance, estimating the odds of such a return of at best 1 in 31 trillion. You get the picture, Hillary, in her pursuit of greed, misstated the nature of the transaction. Actually, the transaction was illegal, and, in a more honest universe, Hillary would have gone to jail before she managed to screw up on a much larger scale in her ensuing misdeeds. But, in this relatively minor endeavor, you see the real Hillary Clinton -- lacking in judgment (i.e. a reasonably aware person would have, or should have, known that this transaction was likely to be discovered and cause her some grief), greedy in the extreme (a 100 to 1 return does seem to push the greed envelope), and brazenly dishonest (you can read the Wall St. Journal for the rest of your life, and it is doubtful that you will gain mastery of the commodities markets). Here is the real Hillary Clinton. She is not only greedy, she is quite prepared to violate the law in pursuit of her greed. From this acorn of dishonesty grew the oak of the more elaborate swindles of Hillary (and Bill) Clinton that are described in Clinton Cash by Peter Schweitzer. Screened to a full audience of mostly left viewers at New York's Civic Hall, The Uncondemned is a social tract documentary that is not anathema to those on the right. It is decidedly not a Hollywood product. Uncondemned set out ambitiously to record evidence of the vast and heavily reported but unhindered massive rape and massacre of Rwandan natives in October of 1994. In that dozens of countries have used in the past, and continue to use to this day, rape as a tool not only of dominance and triumphalism, but as a tactic to destroy a group, people, or tribe, the film has an estimable goal. The ICC, the International Criminal Court, was presented with personal testimony of hundreds of Rwandan women who had been brutalized not just raped, but savaged in unholy and vile fashion unsanctioned by religion or state. The element of getting these damaged women of all ages from preteens to older women was a mountainous task in itself. Crude, lawyerly questioning shut the women down. These women had been so savaged and traumatized that only the most sensitive, slow-going, and careful examining of the actions being archived and collected could assay any testimony. The doc, treating the subject matter in French, English, and dialects of Rwandan villages, elicited a remarkable success: the ICC judged that rape was, is, indeed a capital crime and a tool of racial genocide. It was, in 1996, the first such judgment, and it has since been used in pursuing and suing rapists in many tribes and, more so than tribes, nation-states. Where the doc fell short of the colossal terrain attached to this vile conduct is that they said nothing about the huge problem of rape among global Muslim countries or the human offal of Nigeria's Boko Haram, as well as all ISIS savages, not to mention the honor killings and wife-killings of some Hindu communities, even today, as well as all the abuses that go unreported by beaten and tortured wives and daughters under Muslim cover. They did not whisper Muslim or Islam as a concomitant for scandalous mistreatment of women. Nor did the term FGM female genital mutilation come over the neatly translated French, Rwandan, and English subtitles. The panel discussing the documentary afterward was composed of Malawian expats, American and British lawyers, and a self-possessed Rwandan victim living now in the United States. Perhaps it was asking too much for the panel and the doc itself to take on the vast mountain ranges of abuse of women, even just confining the film to rape in the reporting countries of today. Despite its many omissions, the film tried to capture the wrongs perpetrated, the failure of the international press and the United Nations, to lift a finger to stop the well bruited massacre and pandemic rapes and mutilations. The indictment and criminalization after many centuries of rape as a tool of dominance and conquest and genocide were won in 1996, but there are huge masses of rape in Somalia, Bosnia, Chechnya, and in many, many niches of the Muslim and even Hindu worlds, where women are burned to death and drowned alive, or where rape must be blamed on the victim as if she invited it, and the proof of it needs, among Muslims, four male witnesses to attest to the rape. Since these witnesses are usually the rapists, that never happens. So the upshot is that Muslim victims of rape often keep silent, fearing that their report will bring dishonor to their astonishingly unsympathetic families, where eventually they are often murdered for the shame the rape brings if the woman is culpable, even a tiny child, the men escape scot-free. The solution vouchsafed in some circles is chemical castration (where the man can never force himself on a woman again) or, more advanced, actual castration. No problem: poof. Bye-bye, rapists of the past. It stops the bleeding, stops the abuse, but does not heal the primitivism that lets such bestial "subhumans" (as Michael Savage styles them) think of women in the subservient, lower than domestic animal sense. The film dealt only with a pitifully few men who all, puzzled and, not surprisingly, unrepentant, protested they had no idea that what they were doing was wrong. I brought up the omitted aspects of the film to a Malawian on the panel, who listened respectfully and made no excuses. A man overhearing our discussion, however, chided me that we cannot interfere in "the cultural habits of nations and religions," but I looked at him with enough disbelief that he stopped, mid-bloviation. Not unlike a certain candidate and her home-brew server: Huh? Was that wrong? The IJburg neighbourhood is the latest district of Amsterdam built over a number of artificial islands which have been raised from the IJmeer lake. The ambitious project is still under construction, but more than 20,000 people have already moved in. When complete, the neighbourhood will have 18,000 homes for 45,000 residents as well as schools, shops, leisure centers, restaurants, and beachs. One of its many innovative housing projects is taking place in Waterbuurt or Water District. Waterbuurt is part of the IJburg neighbourhood and is located on Steigereiland (Jetty Island) which forms IJburgs main access route via the Enneus Heerma Bridge. The neighbourhood has 75 (93, according to Financial Times) individual floating houses moored around slender jetties like house boats. Photo credit The floating homes are supported by buoyant concrete tubs submerged in the water to a depth of half a story. A lightweight supporting steel construction is built on top, which is fitted with wooden panelling to make rooms and floors. Bedrooms and the bathroom are contained in the lowest story, which is partly submerged. The raised ground floor houses kitchen and dining spaces. Connected to an open terrace deck, the main living area occupies the cantilevered upper floor. Sunrooms, verandas, floating terraces, awnings, etc. can be easily attached to this skeleton frame. The houses were built at a shipyard about 65 km north of IJ Lake, then tugged though canal locks, which means the houses cant exceed widths of more than 6.5 meters. To ensure that the homes dont drift away or into one another, theyre anchored to the lake bed by steel mooring poles. Experiments with living on water need to take place, especially in a country like Netherlands where two-thirds of the population lives below sea level. The country has spent billions keeping water at bay by building some of the worlds most fantastic dykes and barriers. Floating neighbourhoods is also a solution to the problem of rising sea level and housing shortage in dense metropolitan areas. Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Sources: Time / Rohmer / Architectural Review Xiaomis Redmi Note 3 has just received support for CyanogenMod 13 nightlies, giving its users a chance to load up the wildly popular custom Android firmware. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has been a massive hit among consumers, being equivocally referred to the best budget smartphone in a congested Android smartphone market. For a $200 smartphone, it is crammed with specifications to the brim. The device packs a 5.5-inch 1080p display, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor, and a 4050 mAh battery, making it value for money. But the area where Xiaomi falls short is developer and custom ROM support. The Chinese company is often criticized for being uncooperative with the development of custom software for their devices. The reason behind this might be Xiaomis strategy of selling hardware at lower prices and earning profit from MIUI, their customized version of the Android OS. MIUI is a heavily skinned version of Googles Android OS. Although it includes a lot of features, MIUI has suffered a lot of negative feedback from users and developers for being buggy, slow, and entirely different from Googles stock Android experience. They have also faced heat regarding slow updates to Googles new OS. Xiaomi has only upgraded MIUI to Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 8 released in July 2016, almost a year after the official launch of the Marshmallow update by Google. This was where the developer community had an opportunity to come to the rescue with CyanogenMod. This news will come as a relief to many users who like the stock Android UI more than the heavily skinned MIUI interface. CyanogenMod 13 is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and contains all the features that are included in the stock OS while adding a lot of customization options of its own. The status of the ROM is nightly which means that the ROM will be updated almost every night with new features, bug fixes and security patches. Although everything is reported to be working, users are advised to be cautious while installing CM13 ROM as it has not been released in the Stable channel yet and bugs might pop up from time to time. Another important point to note is that each nightly update, while fixing bugs might also introduce more bugs, and it is advised not to use the CM13 ROM as a daily driver. Xiaomi has not made the process any easier, with a long wait involved in receiving the bootloader unlock code from the company. A custom recovery like TWRP is also required to flash the ROM file, following which users can flash the GApps package and enjoy the latest stock Android Marshmallow experience in their Redmi Note 3, combining the best of both worlds. Nokia isnt having the best of times recently. After Microsoft sold off whats left of the Finnish companys phone business, the once largest phone manufacturer in the world revealed that its profits for the second quarter of the year have plummeted even more than expected. This is partly because telecom operators are spending significantly less on faster mobile networks nowadays but also due to the fact that Nokia increased its cost-cutting target for its latest acquisition Alcatel-Lucent which already caused decreased profits for the company in the first quarter of the year. More specifically, Nokias second-quarter earnings before taxes and interest dropped 49% during Q2 2016, as the companys earnings within the period amounted to $370 million. To put things into context, analysts were forecasting $400 million in profits within this time frame, so Nokia missed that target by almost 8%. As for the cost-cutting target for the merger with the French global telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia announced that its now planning on saving more than $1.3 billion in 2018, $300 million more than it was originally planned. Nokias representatives stated that weak sales of its mobile networking products are the main reason for this sharp decline in profits as they account for close to four-fifths of the overall network sales decline. Geographically speaking, the latest drop is relatively evenly distributed as Nokia networks divisions revenue fell 12% in both of the companys two traditionally strongest regions, North America and Europe. The companys CEO Rajeev Suri stated that Nokias expecting slight sequential improvement in both net sales and operating margin of its networks business in the third quarter of the year but didnt try to predict how slight that improvement will be. Top industry analysts arent hiding their disappointment with these results, adding that theres no doubt Nokias stock will fall even further. Advertisement The recent $1.73 billion acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent was prompted by Nokias endeavor to continue competing with Ericsson and Huawei in the next for year until a new cycle of network upgrades begins. As things stand right now, the market has extremely limited growth potential and the Finnish communications company needs all the assets it can get to stay competitive. Xiaomi has been one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in China for quite some time now. This company has managed to sell over 70 million smartphones in 2015, which made it the largest smartphone manufacturer in its homeland, though things are a bit different now. Xiaomi has, according to some projections, been the 4th largest OEM in China (as far as shipments go) in the second quarter this year, behind Huawei, Vivo and OPPO. That being said, Xiaomi is still selling plenty of phones, but the competition is fierce in China. Anyhow, the company had introduced a number of devices this year, including a new version of their Android-based operating system, MIUI 8. The all-new version of the companys OS was announced back in May, after which Xiaomi released an open beta of this OS, and they, at the same time, announced that the stable release will become available on August 16th. The company had to postpone its launch to August 23rd, which managed to anger some fans, even though they only postponed it for a week. Well, those fans surely wont be happy now either considering Xiaomi once again postponed the release of the newest MIUI version. Xiaomi said that MIUI 8 is still coming soon, but the launch of the stable version of this OS has been postponed until the end of August, which could mean they need another week to spruce things up, though they did not mention the exact launch date this time around. So, whats new in MIUI 8? Well, quite a few things actually, the company has more or less redesigned the OS, theyve used a totally new set of colors, and made it more flat through and through. A ton of new features have also been added here, and the OS now finally has a proper volume control center, and the notification panel also looks much better now. The Dual Apps feature is also available in MIUI 8, and you can actually set up two different accounts on the device which can be tied to a completely different set of apps. It is also worth mentioning that the company plans to begin developing MIUI 9 soon, theyve already asked for feedback from consumers. With the next generation of Nexus smartphones due to be announced just about anytime, were seeing tons of rumors about the device. And now, one of the upcoming Nexus devices which is codenamed Sailfish has appeared on GFX Bench. This is the smaller Nexus device, with a 5-inch display, and the specs that appear on this listing on GFX Bench line up almost perfectly with the specs that had been leaked out in the past few weeks. Whats interesting here is that it lists INVALID Android Google Edition where it would normally show the version of Android that is there on the device. Likely because Android 7.0 Nougat isnt actually available yet. Other specs include a 5-inch 19201080 resolution display, powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. For cameras, the listing shows 11MP and 7MP, which are likely to be a 12MP and a 8MP shooter here. So theres not much that is surprising here, when it comes to the specs of the new Nexus Sailfish device. Theres no mention of who the manufacturer is here, which we still believe that HTC is creating both Sailfish and Marlin for Google. But we should find that information out rather soon, or at least get confirmation. Google is said to be working with HTC on both Nexus smartphones this year, and they should be available at some point this month. The current rumor is that Android 7.0 Nougat will be coming to current Nexus devices this month, which leads many to believe that these Nexus devices will be announced at that time. Typically, Google debuts the new version of Android with new hardware that can showcase the new software. However it looks like these Nexus devices may be coming out later on in the year, around October. And LG is touting that their LG V20 will be the first device running on Android 7.0 Nougat. Which has definitely made for some confusion around these parts. Advertisement Keep in mind that while Sailfish has made its way over to GFX Bench, this can easily be faked, and it has been done before. So its a good idea to take everything here with a grain of salt, until Google officially confirms it. Softbanks Pepper robot already landed a couple of jobs in Japan, and earlier in July the robot celebrated its first released outside its homeland and on the shores of Taiwan. But the companys humanoid robot is now preparing to attend its first gig in the United States on August 11 when it will work a temporary job at a tech retail store located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pepper is a humanoid robot developed by SoftBank in Japan, equipped with a slew of sensors designed to read human emotions, detect voices, and basically act smart and reply in kind. It was unveiled a couple of years ago in 2014, and back then it was believed that the Pepper robot will be available in the United States by the summer of 2015. Evidently the robots debut Stateside was delayed, but the good news is that Pepper is now ready to work its first temp job in the US. The robot will be employed by retailer b8ta in the San Francisco Bay Area, and will be responsible for greeting customers walking in and out of the store. It may not be as interactive of a job as waiting tables at Pizza Hut joints in Asia or selling smartphones in a SoftBank store, but obviously, this will make no difference to our robot friend. With Pepper preparing for its first demo in the United States, SoftBank is also taking this opportunity to set up a developers workshop throughout the weekend after August 11, hoping to get more programmers and developers on board with its Developer Portal unveiled at Google I/O in May 2016 along with the new Pepper SDK for Android Studio. As for the humanoid robots market release in the United States, SoftBank intends to launch Pepper later this year but prices remain unknown. However, in Japan Pepper is available for the price of 198,000 Japanese Yen, which translate to roughly $1,955 at todays conversion rate. Whether or not more businesses will have an interest in hiring Pepper remains to be seen, but to get a general idea on Peppers abilities and dimensions, you can check out the video below published by SoftBank Robotics America a couple of months ago. Russell Square terror attack: mental health, Spanish victims and an Arab gang One woman dead. Five others stabbed in what the BBC calls a London attack. The dead woman was knifed to death in Russell Square. She was in her 60s. The suspected killer is 19. He has been captured alive. No guns. He was Tasered. London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants everyone to be calm and vigilant. The BBC headline states a reason for why it happened: Metropolitan Police: Mental health factor in knife attack. Not quite. The Met also say it might be a terror attack. The Mail adds: A knifeman has gone on the rampage in central London and stabbed to death a woman in her 60s and injured five more people in a potential terror attack. But he was alone, right. We know that. No. The Mail adds: There are fears that the knifeman operated with an accomplice as the Met refused to rule out arresting more suspects. One witness said he saw a man flee on a motorbike. Others suggested a gang may have been involved. Suggested. May. Fears. What about facts? The Star stirs: Russell Square knife attack: Is second suspect still at large? Only two? No more? The paper adds: A 35-year-old eyewitness told the Daily Star Online that two Middle Eastern men were acting suspiciously at the scene after the attack and one of them sped away on a motorbike The eyewitness said: There were two men of Middle Eastern descent acting suspiciously outside the Imperial Hotel. Middle-eastern descent? What an odd description. Are they Arabic looking? Is this, then, the sort of stabbing incident that occurs in Israel? The Sun has more on the bloodbath. A WOMAN in her 60s has been killed and five others injured in a bloody central London knife attack that police believe may be terror-related. Unlike the BBC, mental health and a random killing is not the central issue. To the Sun, this is about terror. A 19-year-old man was arrested at the scene after being tasered by police in Russell Square just yards from where the 7/7 attacks bus bomb detonated in 2005. Four women and one man were also injured in the horrific attack in Russell Square. One witness described seeing another man flee from the scene on a motorbike as police confirmed mental health was a likely factor. They said: I heard a scream, and then we went to the park and I saw a girl lying on the floor with blood coming from her back. Another girl had blood on her arm. They all spoke Spanish so I guess they were a group. I only saw the victim and the girl with the arm stabbed from that group. I just saw blood just next to her. She was lying on the floor with a friend hugging her. The Guardian disagrees. This is about mental illness: Knife attack in Londons Russell Square leaves woman dead and five injured Police say 19-year-old man arrested and mental health a significant factor in the attack. No. They said it could be a factor. The Guardian and the BBC are setting the story to fit an agenda. The Sun and Star are saying what many wonder when they first hear of such an attack. No-one panic. No-one mention the war. Anorak Posted: 4th, August 2016 | In: Back pages, Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink Time to ban heated cheese, which leads to heated rows and heated violence. The unemployed should be first to feel the full force of the cheese police A Georgia man is facing criminal charges after raging at his spouse for making a grilled cheese sandwich too cheesy, cops allege. According to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department report, James De Paola, 55, began shouting and cursing at his wife Michelle during a confrontation last Wednesday afternoon in the couples Athens home. The unemployed De Paola became incensed at his 51-year-old spouse due to her using three slices of cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. De Paola told cops that he had told the victim she could make a grilled cheese sandwich with two pieces of cheese instead of three. (ANSA) - Rome, August 4 - Italy's anti-corruption agency ANAC has opened an inquiry into troubled Rome trash company AMA over rubbish management in the capital, ANSA sources said on Thursday. Rome is embroiled in a trash crisis, with uncollected rubbish in many parts of the city, that has caused mayor political problems for new Mayor Virginia Raggi of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S). Furthermore, Raggi's executive councillor for the environment Paola Muraro is under fire because of her lucrative consulting contracts in the past with AMA. M5S on Thursday chose Alessandro Solidoro to lead AMA after Daniele Fortini resigned following disagreements with Muraro. The city council environmental advisory commission on Thursday morning approved Solidoro's appointment. One of those present at the meeting, Andrea De Priamo from the conservative FdI party, lashed out at the decision, saying that ''you are proposing someone who is an expert in failure''. The head of the commission, Daniele Diaco (M5S), said that ''AMA has already gone bankrupt. It has a deficit of 600 million euros and this is the reason to get someone who is an expert in companies experiencing crises''. He added that Solidoro would be flanked by ''a director general who is an expert in specific issues and in waste management cycles''. The Rome trash emergency is a reason for "deep concern", Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti had told the Lower House hearing Wednesday. "The trash situation in the nation's capital has become frankly worrisome," Galletti said. "The legislative tools with which to leave the emergency behind already exist. I call on Mayor Raggi and (Lazio) Governor (Nicola) Zingaretti to make use of them". The minister referred to Article 35 of the so-called Unblock Italy decree, which says the Lazio region must equip itself with an incinerator with capacity of 210,000 tonnes and build waste treatment facilities capable of composting 500,000 tonnes of waste a year. He added that resorting to landfills and to exporting waste abroad is no longer an option. "(Exporting trash) does not guarantee self-sufficiency and exposes the region to EU infraction procedures," Galletti said. (ANSA) - Rome, August 4 - Ten lawmakers from Premier Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) released a signed document Thursday, in which they say they will vote 'No' on a referendum on the premier's constitutional reform law. The seven Senators and three Lower House MPs urge debate "on the merits of the reform" without "prejudicial party positions" and explained they wish to "give a voice to voters and PD managers who do not agree with this revision of the Constitution". Renzi has staked his political future on the result of the referendum. The lawmakers said that the current parliament lacks authoritativeness because it was elected under the so-called 'pigsty' electoral law that Renzi is seeking to scrap, that they object to the method with which the government has pushed its reform through parliament, that the Renzi reform fails in its stated aim of making Italy's political machinery simpler and more efficient, that it takes too much power away from regions and concentrates them in central government, and because the referendum itself has been blown out of proportion in a way that excessively affects the PD. The 10 signatories added they are aware their position is "in dissent with the official PD line". (ANSA) - Rome, August 4 - Two Tunisian terror suspects were deported today, bringing to 106 the total number of expulsions since 2015, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Thursday. "Our intensive prevention activity to lower the risk level in Italy as much as possible is ongoing, in the awareness that no country today can pronounce itself as being at zero risk," Alfano said. The two suspects were deported on a flight from Catania to Tunis for reasons of national security after an investigation ascertained they had "ties with terrorist movements and evidence they are a danger to society," Alfano said. An analysis of the suspects' cell phone traffic and Facebook profiles turned up contacts with "people who are clearly supporters of Islamist religious extremism and specifically, Islamist group Jabat al-Nusra," the minister explained. BELGRADE - Serbia is in mourning while Croatia celebrates the anniversary of the August 1995 offensive in which the Croats reconquered territory taken by Serbian rebel forces during the Yugoslav wars. The "Operation Storm" offensive, which set off an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Serb civilians, is being commemorated amid heavy tensions between the two countries, whose relations have hit their lowest point since the end of the 1991-1995 war. Croatia is celebrating its military operation as a major victory, while Serbia views the offensive as a war crime. Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic said the country was commemorating a "majestic action with which we showed that, inspired by the wishes of Croat citizens for a free independent state, we know how to defend ourselves". Serbian minister Aleksander Vulin said the operation "was a war crime for which no one has been held responsible." Union leader likely an informant on Regeni - Reuters Cites anonymous security sources (ANSAmed) - ROME, AUGUST 4 - The leader of a street vendors' union that tortured and slain Italian national Giulio Regeni had been in contact with, was a frequent visitor at Egyptian national security headquarters and met with a security official six months before the visiting scholar was abducted, tortured, and murdered, Reuters news agency cited two anonymous Egyptian security sources as saying Thursday. Whether or not Mohamed Abdallah was an informant, he was being monitored and likely "found it beneficial" to nurture relations with the security apparatus, the sources said. In May, Egypt turned over to Italian investigators records of Abdallah's cell phone traffic. Regeni had been in contact with the street vendors' union and participated in several of their meetings, the last one on December 14. Regeni, 28, went missing in Cairo on January 25, the heavily policed fifth anniversary of the uprising that ousted former strongman Hosni Mubarak, and his severely tortured, mutilated body was found on February 3 in a ditch on the city's outskirts. Egypt has denied speculation its security forces, who are frequently accused of brutally repressing opposition, were involved in the death of the Cambridge doctoral student. (ANSAmed). Austria wants EU accession talks with Turkey ended 'Diplomatic fiction' says Chancellor Kern (ANSAmed) - BERLIN, AUGUST 4 - Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern on Wednesday urged an end to EU accession talks with Turkey, calling them a ''diplomatic fiction''. In an interview with state broadcaster ORF, Kern said he would raise the possibility of an alternative plan during the EU summit in mid-September. The chancellor said that he did not think that an end to talks would have repercussions on the EU-Turkey agreement on refugees, since Brussels continues to be one of the largest investors in Turkey and the country depends a great day on the bloc for tourism revenue. Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz told Spiegel Online that Europe should not ''kneel down before Ankara'' and that it should draw up an alternative plan to reduce dependence on Turkey as concerns refugees. Kurz recalled a plan raised a few months ago that calls for the strengthening of EU external sea and land borders, the establishment of limited numbers of legal immigrants to be shared out among member states, financial investment in the refugees' countries of origin and the creation of 'hotspots' on islands using Australia's system as a model to register and possibly deport migrants not entitled to asylum. ''When I launched the proposal a few months ago I was harshly criticized. Today things have changed and support is growing among my European counterparts,'' he added. (ANSAmed) . Syria: UN helping 75,000 refugees on Jordan border Situation 'getting more desperate every day' (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, AUGUST 4 - "UN agencies have completed an urgent mission to supply a month's food rations and hygienic supplies to more than 75,000 Syrians stranded at the border between Syria and Jordan. "The situation which these women, men and children are facing is getting more desperate every day, not being able to cross the border or to turn back," the agencies said in a statement. They said the people were staying in tents in inhospitable desert environments in temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius and with the threat of sudden sandstorms. They said they do not have enough food and they have very little water. The mission by the World Food Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration and UNICEF was made possible thanks to the collaboration of Jordanian authorities, the UN agencies said. (ANSAmed). Italy delivers ship to Tunisia for Zarzis divers training To foster security in Med region (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUST 4 - The Tunisian government has received the Zarzis A710, a vessel to be used to support diving and security operations in the Mediterranean. The ship was commissioned by the Tunisian defense ministry as part of international cooperation agreements between Italy and Tunisia signed in the spring of 2015. The 36-meter-long diving support vessel with compression chamber onboard was built by the Vittoria di Adria shipyard. Tunisian authorities will use the vessel to take part in stabilization and peacemaking operations in North Africa and the Mediterranean area. The vessel will be used to train divers from the Zarzis scuba diving training center. The center, which covers a surface area of 7,200 square meters and will be able to train 75 youths every year, will open in 2018. The Tunisian defense ministry project has a total cost of about 95 million euros, 13 million of which will be funded by the Italian Development Cooperation, which will also purchase all necessary equipment. The official delivery ceremony was held at the port of Albarella (Rovigo) in the presence of Admiral Abderraouf Atallah, Chief of Staff of the Tunisian Navy, Rear Admiral Marcello Bernard, who was there on behalf of the Chiefs of Staff of the Italian Navy, and Rear Admiral Giuseppe Abbamonte, head of the third NAVARM section of the defense ministry. (ANSAmed). Turkey court issues warrant for cleric Fetullah Gulen Erdogan says those arrested just 'tip of iceberg' (ANSAmed) - ROME, AUGUST 4 - An Istanbul court has issued a warrant for the arrest of U.S. based Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen, who the Turkish government accuses of having led the attempted coup on July 15, official news agency Anadolu announced on Thursday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was visiting a group of business owners in Ankara, said the supporters of Gulen arrested after the coup are just the "tip of the iceberg". "We are determined to cut the economic ties and the resources of this bloodthirsty group," Anadolu quoted Erdogan as saying. In terms of the judiciary system, he said that "after the coup we can no longer govern with 1950s laws approved after other coups". (ANSAmed). AMMAN - The military court in Amman on Thursday sentenced suspected attacker on the intelligence office near Amman to death following a swift trial at the tribunal, judicial sources said. The attack resulted in the death of five officers at Ein al Basha officer north of the capital. The suspected pleaded not guilty and accused authorities of fabricating evidence against him, but the tribunal of military found him guilty on accounts of killing five officers before fleeing the scene. The court is run by the military and is considered in violation of basic human rights. Its verdicts are not appealable in front of civilian courts. A second man was tried in the same case for selling a pistol to the suspect. He was sentenced to one year behind bars. The attacker is accused of belonging to a cell from the Islamic State (IS), which has threatened to carry out attacks on Jordan and other west allies including Saudi Arabia. (ANSAmed) BERLIN - A 26-year-old Syrian student has become the first refugee to be crowned regional wine queen in Trier. Ninorta Bahno, a Syrian Christian who arrived in Germany three years ago, will for the next year represent wine producers from the region on the border with Luxembourg in a series of promotional events. (ANSAmed). Croatia, Serbia tensions over 'Operation Storm' anniversary Celebrations in Zagreb, mourning in Belgrade (ANSAmed) - BELGRADE, AUGUST 4 - Serbia is in mourning while Croatia celebrates the anniversary of the August 1995 offensive in which the Croats reconquered territory taken by Serbian rebel forces during the Yugoslav wars. The "Operation Storm" offensive, which set off an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Serb civilians, is being commemorated amid heavy tensions between the two countries, whose relations have hit their lowest point since the end of the 1991-1995 war. Croatia is celebrating its military operation as a major victory, while Serbia views the offensive as a war crime. Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic said the country was commemorating a "majestic action with which we showed that, inspired by the wishes of Croat citizens for a free independent state, we know how to defend ourselves". Serbian minister Aleksander Vulin said the operation "was a war crime for which no one has been held responsible." (ANSAmed). CAIRO - The spokesman of the pro-government Libyan militia fighting for the liberation of the northern coastal town of Sirte from ISIS told ANSA on Thursday that he supported proposals for the U.S. to use bases in Italy to launch air raids backing their side. Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti said Wednesday that Italy would let the United States use its bases for strikes against ISIS in Libya if requested. Defense Undersecretary Domenico Rossi said Thursday that no ''specific request to use Italian bases for dealing with the Libyan crisis'' had been received yet. "We are in favour of the use of Italian air bases and we would be very happy if Rome took a decision in that sense and made them available for the action of the USA against Daesh (ISIS) in Sirte," said General Mohammed al-Ghasri, spokesman for the militia loyal to Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's unity government. "If Italy takes this decision, we would like it if the entire world followed them, to fight Daesh, a very dangerous group which is the enemy of all humanity." Al-Ghasri also said there had been no ground fighting in Sirte over the last few hours, just "air raids against Daesh positions". He said Daesh nevertheless still had full control of several districts along the coast and near to the port of the city, and of the Ouagadougou conference centre. "The ground forces are not able to progress towards the hideouts of Daesh because of the presence of snipers on the roofs that target our soldiers," he said. The stream of innovative, internet-based services that are revolutionizing business models and peoples lives are giving impetus to a modernization of economic policy in the Asia-Pacific. It is urgently needed to address governance gaps and support their development as drivers of new growth that creates opportunities for all. Telecommunications and information officials from the 21 APEC member economies laid the groundwork for action during policy discussions with private sector representatives, which took place in the Peruvian commercial hub of Tacna. The focus is on seeding regulation and infrastructure compatible with breakthroughs ranging from the rapid expansion of ride and room-sharing services like Uber and Airbnb, to the impending arrival of driverless cars into consumer markets. Services innovations coming to market via the internet and surging in popularity are exposing gaps in preparedness for them, said Andrey Mukhanov, Chair of the APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group, which administers regional initiatives to facilitate industry development. Existing policy regimes should be developed in cooperation with the business sector to address the needs of society for further growth of the internet, electronic and digital economy. APEC and online services providers are working out the regulatory and structural needs of the industry, explained Mukhanov. Our objective is to establish enabling conditions for platforms that power entrepreneurship and growth while addressing public health, safety and privacy considerations associated with this progress. Particular attention is being directed towards sectors that are at the forefront of innovation in the online space such as education, financial services, healthcare and transportation. It contributes to implementation of the APEC Services Cooperation Framework and Boracay Action Agenda to Globalize Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises endorsed by APEC Leaders in 2015. Disruptive innovation is opening up a host of new policy challenges, noted Wang Yue of Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, overseer of project work in APEC to address them. When it comes to sharing portals, for example, ownership, licensing and liability are potential grey areas that may require a reexamination of industry regulation. APEC is leading regional efforts to build the technical bandwidth of governments and business to keep up with changing industry requirements, Wang continued. Understanding what the complexities are and exchanging lessons on how to tackle them is an important first step towards reducing digital divides between and within the regions economies. Additional attention is on the impact of internet-based services on conventional business practices and mitigating unintended economic and social consequences through measures such as improvements in regulation and supervision, resource allocation and safety nets. The rise of internet economies will continue to challenge traditional business models, labor requirements and revenue streams, concluded Volker Heistermann, Managing Director of Yushan Ventures. Collaboration in APEC is helping to guide policy adaptation to optimize economic opportunities in the digital era while insulating against growing pains. Trade and industry officials will flesh out complementary policy solutions during a cluster of technical APEC fora meetings in Lima, Peru from 15-28 August. # # # For additional information, or to arrange possible media interviews with APEC officials, please contact: David Hendrickson +65 9137 3886 at [email protected] Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 at [email protected] More on APEC meetings, events, projects and publications can be found on www.apec.org. You can also follow APEC on Twitter and join us on Facebook and LinkedIn. This is the fourth group of students to be trained by Airways from Saudi Arabias civil air services provider, the GACA helping to fill a critical gap in the Middle East region for the training of air traffic controllers. The students will spend their first year in New Zealand studying English with either Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) in Nelson or Kaplan International College in Auckland, before commencing a 12-month air traffic control course at Airways' Palmerston North training campus. They will complete an intensive Aviation English module during their first eight weeks on campus. "Airways' programme is structured so that students complete all English language requirements upfront, giving them the best foundation for their air traffic control training, says Sharon Cooke, head of training at Airways. Following their full year of English study with our training partners, the GACA students will be expected to achieve ICAO Level 4 English Language Proficiency, which is required for on-the-job air traffic control training. The Palmerston North campus has been specially designed for international students and features three aerodrome air traffic control simulators and six radar simulators. Airways operates a second such facility in Christchurch and also conducts regular training internationally. Were providing total immersion training for these students. They get to train in our state-of-the-art simulators, in an environment as close to the real thing as possible, and we customise their training to incorporate their home environment and culture wherever we can, Ms Cooke says. Airways has been training GACA students for the past five years as part of a longstanding partnership with the Saudi Arabian authority. The New Zealand air traffic control training provider has a strong reputation across the Middle East for providing high quality training. "We have an excellent relationship with GACA. The success of the programme so far is testament to the high standard of training we provide and we're looking forward to continuing this valuable partnership," Cooke said. Airways created a learning community with the students through social media before they arrived in New Zealand, with a dedicated Facebook page supporting them on anything from questions about their studies to their homestay environment and the culture in New Zealand. This was the fastest pace of growth in 14 months. Freight capacity measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs) increased by 4.9% year-on-year, keeping yields under downward pressure. Middle Eastern carriers posted the largest increase in freight volumes of all regions for the 16th consecutive month in June, 8.0% year on year. Capacity increased by 8.7%. Although the leader in market growth, the Middle Easts international freight growth rate (6.5%) for the first six months of 2016 is less than half the 14.3% average growth for the same period in 2015. June saw an improvement in demand for air freight. Thats good news. However, we cannot read too much into one months performance. Air cargo markets have been in the doldrums for several years during which there were several false starts on indications for improvement. We will continue watching developments closely, keeping in mind that the air freight business environment is fragile. Global economic growth remains sluggish, world trade volumes continue to trend downwards and the industry faces heightened uncertainty in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, said Tony Tyler, IATAs director general and CEO. Asia-Pacific airlines reported a 3.5% increase in demand for air cargo in June compared to last year. Capacity expanded 3.6%. The Asia-Pacific air freight market has been improving in recent months, most notably the large within Asia market. Nonetheless freight volumes from emerging Asia continue to face headwinds from weak trade in the region and globally. North American carriers saw freight volumes expand 4.3% in June 2016 compared to the same period last year. Capacity increased 4.0%. International freight volumes continue to suffer from the strength of the US dollar which has kept the US export market under pressure. European airlines witnessed a 5.1% increase in freight volumes and a 4.9% increase in capacity in June 2016. The positive European performance corresponds with signs of an increase in export orders in Germany over the last few months. Seasonally adjusted freight results for Europe are now trending upwards. Latin American airlines reported a decline in demand of 9.8% and a decrease in capacity of 2.6%. The region continues to be blighted by weak economic and political conditions, particularly in the regions largest economy, Brazil. African carriers recorded 0.4% freight growth in June 2016 compared to the same period last year. African airlines capacity surged by 19.9% year-on-year on the back of long-haul expansion, continuing the trend seen since December 2015. The new Dreamliner features the airlines next-generation business and economy class cabins, and will operate with 299 seats, 28 in Business class and 271 in economy, representing a 14 per cent capacity increase on the route. Peter Baumgartner, chief executive officer of Etihad Airways, said: Since launching flights between Shanghai and Abu Dhabi four years ago, we have experienced first-hand the huge growth of Chinas outbound tourism market and enjoyed strong demand from both business and leisure travellers. The decision to upgrade to the Boeing 787 reflects the importance of Shanghai and China to the airline. Shanghai is a modern metropolis and a global economic, financial, trading and shipping centre, which underlines its importance within Etihad Airways global network and supports the introduction of the new aircraft. Baumgartner added: The new Boeing 787 services will help to support the increasing demand for outbound tourism from Shanghai and its surrounding cities in Eastern China. The additional capacity will enable more Chinese business and leisure travellers to enjoy seamless one-stop connections over the Abu Dhabi hub to over 40 destinations across the Gulf region, Europe, Africa and South America. Run in association with the European Helicopter Association (EHA) will provide helicopter operators, MRO service providers, engineers and pilots with sessions that cover advanced technical information, as well as updates on the latest trends and safety regulations. Brand new content New to this years event will be the Operators Forum, where operators from across the globe can network with like-minded individuals and discuss the evolving rotorcraft industry and ways of improving missions. Held over a working lunch on Tuesday 11 October, and moderated by a leading industry expert, attendees will be able to set the agenda by submitting topic preferences in advance of the event. Another new feature will be the Technical Workshops that will offer interactive briefings on different types of technology, fit outs and missions. Delivered by leading businesses, including OEMs who will be exhibiting at Helitech International, such as Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo and Bell Helicopter, the sessions will enable attendees to garner actionable insights before making purchasing decisions. Presenting the latest insights The event will also feature new Insight Seminars, where helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), search and rescue operations (SAR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be in the spotlight. On the first day of Helitech International 2016, HEMS operators will be able to hear about future trends in emergency medicine and the impact they will have on air ambulances and mission equipment. Gillian Jenner, editorial director of conferences and seminars at Helitech International, said: Pre-hospital emergency medical services are evolving and this will inevitably lead to changes in the way helicopter air ambulances, across the globe, operate. The types of medicine that need to be carried and the care that needs to be given will be on the agenda at the event and our speakers will be helping the rotorcraft industry respond to the changing landscape. Attendees will also be able to learn how rotorcraft businesses are integrating UAVs and systems into their operations, to provide a complementary suite of services. As part of the agenda, leading experts will highlight how the exciting and growing virtual and augmented reality sectors are currently being utilised to bring added benefits to operators. Helicopters are no longer seen as a luxury and there is an ever increasing focus on delivering a quick return on the investment. As a result, Helitech International will also provide attendees with sessions devoted to helping operators create efficiency gains. Developing new strategies To help the rotorcraft community to plan for the future, Helitech Internationals Business Leaders Forum will provide a platform to discuss the most pertinent business and strategy issues facing their operations. Throughout the session on Wednesday October, 12 business leaders will be joined by experts from across the rotorcraft supply chain. Those in attendance will be able to hear speakers highlight key market insights and opinions on issues set to impact the industrys future. The European Helicopter Associations view On the opening day of Helitech International 2016, visitors will be able to attend a series of seminars hosted by the EHA. As part of the programme, the European Aviation Safety Agency will update attendees on the organisations progress and its achievements to-date. During the afternoon session, the EHA will host an interactive session designed to tackle some of the helicopter operators main concerns. Age 60, refuelling, aerial work, oxygen requirement and pilot licences will all be covered and attendees will be able to raise questions and provide feedback on each topic. Delivering safer operations While the number of helicopter-related accidents has decreased over the years, safety remains hugely important and will form a key part of this years programme. The final day will feature the Safety Workshop, hosted by the European Helicopter Safety Team (EHEST) and the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), that will enable operators to discuss the changing landscape of safety awareness as new and evolving threats emerge. John Hyde, event director of Helitech International, added: This years event is all about inspiring the rotorcraft industry and challenging the way businesses think. There are numerous challenges facing operators, such as the unpredictable future of the oil and gas market. The programme that we have put together will provide a wealth of information that will enable businesses throughout the helicopter supply chain to identify growth areas and develop new strategies to secure their long term futures. Oman Air operates double-daily flights between Muscat and Riyadh, double-daily flights between Muscat and Jeddah, up to two flights per day between Muscat and Dammam and daily flights between Muscat and Medina. The airline deploys Boeing 737s on services to Riyadh, Dammam and Medina, whilst B737s, Airbus 300s, and Boeing 787 Dreamliners are deployed on services to Jeddah. Saudi Arabian Airlines operates regular flights throughout the week from Riyadh, Jeddah, and Medina to Muscat, using Airbus 320 aircraft. Aboudy Nasser, senior vice president network and revenue management, at Oman Air said: I am delighted to announce that Oman Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement which covers flights between Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, and four destinations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This new partnership will deliver even greater choice and convenience for customers of both airlines. Saudi Arabian Airlines shares Oman Airs commitment to the highest standards of hospitality, service and onboard product, ensuring a consistently enjoyable passenger experience for all. It is a pleasure to be working alongside Saudi Arabian Airlines and we look forward to a long and prosperous partnership. Khalid A. Albassam vice president network & revenue management at Saudi Arabian Airlines added: We are proud to be working in partnership with Oman Air, as a result of this codeshare agreement. There is a natural synergy between the national carriers of our respective countries and customers are sure to appreciate the increased choice and convenience that this codeshare offers. In addition to beautiful and fascinating domestic destinations, both Saudi Arabian Airlines and Oman Air offer access to very significant international networks, which will delight business and leisure travellers alike. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. A woman has died and five other people were injured in a knife attack in Russell Square, central London, reports BBC. Police were called at 22:33 BST on Wednesday to reports of a man injuring people with a knife, including a woman in her 60s who later died. A 19-year-old man was arrested at 22:39 after a Taser was discharged by an officer. The Met said mental health was a "significant factor" in the events. London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for the public to remain "calm and vigilant". Two other women and three men received various injuries in the attack, Scotland Yard confirmed later. The Met's assistant commissioner for specialist operations, Mark Rowley, said the force's homicide command was leading the investigation into the attack, with support from the counter-terrorism unit. The 19-year-old man, whose identity has not been released, is currently under armed guard in hospital. Paul O'Geibheannaigh, who lives near to the square, said he had seen the body of the woman "on the pavement" and the area was surrounded by a "heavy armed police presence". "I haven't seen a police presence like that in this area since 7/7," he said, referring to the terror attacks on the London transport system in July 2005. A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said he saw the suspect being chased and Tasered. He said the "guy kept screaming his guts out" and "police were screaming stop, stop, stop". After the man was Tasered he said the man was on the ground "for at least 30/40 minutes" while police waited for an ambulance. Zuhair Awartani was trying to return to a hotel where he was staying, when he saw a man "with handcuffs on" who was "put in a police van". Speaking about a motive for the attack, Mr Rowley said: "Of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains... one line of inquiry for us to explore." Mr Rowley added that Londoners would wake to an increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers, to "provide reassurance and safety". Mr Khan said his "heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones". He said police were doing an "incredibly difficult job" and the safety of Londoners was his "number one priority". The mayor added: "I have spoken with the commissioner, and the assistant commissioner, who have assured me that our police officers are working extremely hard to investigate exactly what has happened and to keep the rest of us safe. "A man was arrested at the scene. Police have spoken to him and are seeking to establish the full facts including motives for this attack. I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant." A police forensics tent has been erected on Southampton Row, outside the park in the center of the square, which is close to the British Museum. There is a heavy police presence in the area and the initial cordon around the crime scene has been extended, according to BBC reporter Andy Moore at the scene. The condition of those injured and the extent of their injuries is not known at present. The woman killed in the attack had been treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. Earlier on Wednesday, Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and London Mayor Sadiq Khan had said that there would be more armed police seen on patrol in London. Sir Bernard announced the move to reassure the public and deter attackers following terror attacks in Europe. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Investigative Committee Aghvan Hovspeyan received President of the Chamber of Advocates Ara Zohrabyan on August 4. The IC told ARMENPRESS the meeting primarily focused on issues of the defense of rights of persons involved in the criminal cases regarding the disturbances of July in Yerevan. Procedural rights violations are not in the interest of the prosecuting body. It is in the investigators interest to obtain evidence by maintaining the demands of the legislation, which ensures invulnerability, Hovsepyan said, and underscored the role of attorneys. Zohrabyan presented the observations of the attorneys who are representing defendants whose cases are being investigated in the IC. The sides stressed the importance of the constructive activeness of the attorneys, and noted that the active involvement and smooth activities of the attorneys contributes to the comprehensive and objective preliminary investigation of the criminal cases. The sides agreed to discuss problems which may be documented in the process. YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker announced that Turkey is not ready to become a EU member. Turkey cannot become a EU member. First and foremost in case it does what some are talking about to reintroduce death penalty. This will lead to an immediate suspension of talks, Juncker told ARD. In his words, in order to suspend talks, the approval of all EU member states in necessary, which is currently not seen. Juncker underscored that the EU expects Ankara realization of all necessary preconditions. The EU is affirming its stance and cannot refuse its ideas in issues of human rights protection and anti-terror law, Juncker said. When the clocks go back an hour this Sunday morning, reverting to Greenwich Mean Time, the iconic Summer uniforms of the British Armys ceremonial troops will switch back to Winter Order in perfect synchronicity. by Card. John Tong Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - We publish this wide-ranging analysis by Card. John Tong, bishop of Hong Kong, on some issues related to the dialogue between the Holy See and China. It contains certain specifications: the dialogue between Rome and Beijing does not want to forget (at least on the Holy See's part) the unofficial Church, nor the bishops in prison, neither the spiritual power of the Pope to appoint bishops ... These questions were often raised by Catholics in China after some media reported overly optimistic perspectives for China-Holy See talks. Among those who more vocally expressed these questions is Card. Joseph Zen, who is a sort of spokesman for a large group of unofficial Catholics. Responding to AsiaNews' query as to why he wrote this composite report, Card. Tong told us: "I started writing this article last May 24, the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. The purpose of this article is to help promote dialogue between the Church in China and the universal Church, and between China and the Holy See. I wrote this article with consultation with various sources." One of the highlights of the article is the affirmation of the validity of the Letter of Benedict XVI to Chinese Catholics. The request that the Vatican expressed on this point has been very strong after the "betrayal" of Msgr. Taddeo Ma Daqin, Bishop of Shanghai, under house arrest since July 2012 for resigning from the Patriotic Association. In an article posted on his blog, Msgr. Ma expressed quite exaggerated appreciations of the Patriotic Association, but the Vatican remained silent. Catholics were asking whether the Letter of Benedict XVI, was still valid, as it defines the Patriotic Association "incompatible" with Catholic faith. Card. Tong told us: " Certainly, Pope Benedict's Letter for the Church in China is valid. The principles laid down in the Letter are definitely valid. And he added: Not only Pope Benedict's 2007 Letter for Catholics in China, the documents of the Vatican II also call for dialogue among Church members, and dialogue with people outside the Church, including the civil authorities. The article is dated July 31, 2016. Prologue The Catholic Church is founded by Christ and transmitted through the apostles as the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. From the day Catholicism entered China, Chinas Catholic Church has always kept these four marks. However, since the establishment of the new China in 1949, the unity between the Catholic Church in China and the universal Church has become more and more difficult. Following the expulsion of Archbishop Antonio Riberi, the Apostolic Internuncio of the Holy See to China, in 1951, contact between the Catholic Church in China and the universal Church has been deeply wounded. Therefore, it can be said that from this point on the Catholic Church in China lost its communion with the universal Church in an external sense, but in an essential sense, is not a schismatic Church. On the contrary, it is a Church that actively seeks to resume its communion with the universal Church. But communion with the universal Church should not just be a spiritual connection, it should also be expressed through the concrete action of the Roman Pontiff appointing local bishops. From the point of view of the Catholic Church, the appointment of bishops by the pope is an internal and purely religious affair that has nothing to do with politics. But over the last 60 years this has not been understood by the Chinese government, so it has been difficult for the pope to formally appoint Chinese bishops and the communion between the Church in China and the universal Church has not been manifest. Fortunately, after working for many years on this issue, the Catholic Church has gradually gained the reconsideration of the Chinese government, which is now willing to reach an understanding with the Holy See on the question of the appointment of bishops in the Catholic Church in China and seek a mutually acceptable plan. On one hand, the goal is not to harm the unity of the Catholic Church and the essential right of the Roman Pontiff to appoint bishops, and on the other, not to let the popes right to appoint bishops be considered an interference in the internal affairs of China. While being glad that the effort of the last few popes has finally achieved some early results, many people in mainland China and in the international arena who are concerned about the Catholic Church in China are worried. They doubt the possibility of reaching an agreement; they wonder if Vatican officials or the pope himself may go against the principles of the Church and aim their criticism and strong reproaches at certain Vatican officials. They even directly pinpoint their attack on the current pope, claiming that Pope Francis has violated the principles of the Church upheld by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Even though the concrete terms of the mutual agreement have not been made public, we believe that Pope Francis, as the protector of the unity and communion of the universal Church, would not accept any agreement that would harm the integrity of faith of the universal Church or the communion between the Catholic Church in China and the universal Church. He would only sign an agreement that would promote the unity and communion of the Church in China with the universal Church. Since there are many Chinese priests who are concerned about the Church in China, I think we ought to give them a clear and comprehensible explanation of these issues of concern, clearly stating the consistent stance of the Church regarding the following questions in order to avoid any unnecessary misunderstanding: Why does the Holy See persistently insist on dialogue rather than confronting the Chinese government? What does it mean by communion between the particular Churches and the universal Church? On what criteria should the bishops in the local Churches of mainland China be appointed? What role does the so-called Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China have? and what is its relationship with individual dioceses? The significance of Sino-Vatican negotiations When the gospel enters into any country, ethnic group or culture, it is not to replace, destroy or to harm the country, ethnic group or culture, but to fulfil the primordial purpose of God at the beginning of creation, which is to bring people to participate in the life of God. Pope Francis said during his interview with Asia Times on January 28 this year that it is the responsibility of the Roman Catholic Church to respect all civilisations and this is true also with respect to the Chinese civilisation, which the Catholic Church honours extremely highly. Yet the gospel does not enter into a country, ethnic group or culture in an abstract way, but concretely through the person of Christians. It is these messengers of the gospel that have put human cloaks on the gospel. People will more easily experience, understand and accept the gospel if Christians themselves live out its spirit and valuescharity, peace and mercy. Yet if Christians themselves, due to some constraints that they themselves are facing, have caused the expression of the gospel to become a kind of threat, or the Christians themselves have no intention to threaten, but due to their identity as outsiders are suspected of having conspired, then, the spread of the gospel will be hindered. The reasons the transmission of the Christian gospel into the society and culture of China have met stumbling blocks and several-times been prohibited from developing are none other than these. In fact, the spread and development of Catholicism in China still face these challenges; at least some Chinese are still doubtful in their hearts about the spread of Catholicism in China. In dealing with this scepticism of the Chinese people, we should not complain that the kindness of Christians is not being understood, since complaint does not positively transform the doubts of others, and nor should we wait passively for these doubts to automatically disappear sometime in the future. The evangelical mission of the Catholic Church to the people in China urges us to act pro-actively, so that we do not just wait and wander along passively. Therefore, the way to help certain people to let go of their misunderstanding and scepticism about the Catholic Church is through proactive dialogue and communication. Without doubt, the process from not understanding, misunderstanding to understanding, trust, acceptance and friendship, cannot be achieved overnight. Just as mutual recognition and trust between people are not simply realised through the language each other uses, but is built upon acts of mutual goodwill, our mutual understanding does not rely only on language, but also on how we act towards one another. What is more, mutual trust cannot be completely achieved through a one-time action; the only way is through long-term and consistent goodwill and action. Since the reopening of mainland China in the 1980s, the Catholic Church has countless times, through Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict and the current Pope Francis, actively extended olive branches to China, to communicate her goodwill for dialogue. Both sides have also sent delegations for mutual visits to carry out face-to-face meetings. In its two-decade-long goodwill and patient communication, the Holy See has responded with persistent humility and patience rather than hostile words when being misunderstood. This demonstrates the respect the Catholic Church has for the people of China. She wishes to give time for the people of China to slowly come to know her, so that they will come to understand that she is not an enemy of the country or an outside invader. She has no hostility towards the people of China. She is their friend and is willing to help them to better pursue their own meaning of life. As I have stressed many times, what can unlock the heart is humility, patience and persistent dialoguethis exactly is the road of heaven. Even though God is the master of the universe, he did not use violence to impose his own plans on humanity. On the contrary, when his plan was misunderstood and rejected by human beings, he spoke patiently with them. The bible records that he first sent the prophets, but they were not accepted by men and were even killed. But God did not give up. In the end he sent his only-begotten Son. But his Son was also killed by men. If we were to think humanly, God is the greatest loser. Yet, it is the death of his Son that is the greatest opportunity for God to reveal his love and the best opportunity for us to know who God is. The death of his Son is the strongest word God has spoken to mankind and is the climax of the dialogue between God and humanity. God does not use violence to conquer the human race. He uses dialogue, humility and patience to move mankind, so that it may willingly and whole-heartedly accept the invitation of God. The method of dialogue between God and humanity is what we Christians should model ourselves on in seeking dialogue with other parties. The several-decades-long dialogue between the Holy See and Beijing has also shown these characteristics; gentility, humility, sincerity, patience. The agreement, as a first step between the Holy See and Beijing, is the exact fruit of this kind of dialogue. It is a move from not understanding and not trusting to understanding and trust. It is a win-win situation, for friends will support each other and enrich each others lives. The agreement between the Holy See and Beijing is an example of human dialogue, the beginning of the normalisation of a mutual relationship. Dialogue can henceforth continue based on this mutual trust. The purpose of dialogue: Religious freedom and the communion between the Catholic Church in China with the universal Church As mentioned above, the objective of dialogue between the Holy See and Beijing is to remove any misunderstanding the Chinese government has and allow the people of China to know in a more objective manner the positive meaning and value the Catholic Church has to society and to the people of China. In sum, the goal of the dialogue between the Holy See and Beijing is to strive for and protect the rightful religious freedom and rights of the Catholic Church in China that are written in the Chinese Constitution. Through dialogue, the Holy See hopes to point out that the Catholic Church respects the legal sovereignty of the country, the legitimate power and responsibility of its rulers and its laws. Thus, the religious freedom pursued by the Church is not only the natural right of man as man, but what helps mankind strive for truth, kindness, beauty and holiness, as well as improve human relationships together with the harmony and stability of society.[1] What is spread by the Catholic Church in China is not just a gospel for the individual, but also a gospel for the whole of society. Some people criticise the content and objective of the dialogue between the Holy See and Beijing, claiming that the Holy See has not openly criticised Chinas policies on human rights and has not attempted to change certain political policies of the Chinese government. They say it seems that the Holy See has given up certain values that it has upheld. This kind of criticism is unfair. Pope Benedict has clearly stated in his 2007 Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China that the Church is certainly concerned about social justice and will not give up striving for social justice, but the Church should not confuse its duty and jurisdiction with that of the government. The mission of the Catholic Church is not to change the institution or administrative agency of nations. It cannot and should not intervene in political struggles. Rather, it should realise the above targets through rational thought and the awakening of spiritual power. Without giving up its principles, it should resolve problems through communication with the legitimate political power and not through continuous confrontation.[2] Christ the Lord did not use the sword, but in his sacrifice won salvation and true freedom for humanity. Therefore, the Catholic Church should also dialogue with Beijing with an attitude of respect and charity. The dialogue is of course not to sacrifice its principles. [3] If it were not for the purpose of protecting the truth and the principles of the Church, why would the Church repeatedly try to dialogue with Beijing? Communion between the Church in China and the universal Church "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). As is said in the Gospel of St. John, the salvific plan of God is for all people. Therefore, there is only one people of God and this kingdom is not of an earthly, but heavenly nature. Its citizens come from among all peoples. To realise this plan of the Father, the Lord Jesus has from the beginning called 12 apostles and he formed them after the manner of a college or a stable group, over which he placed Peter, who was chosen from among them. He sent them first to the children of Israel and then to all nations (cf. Romans 1:16), so that as sharers in his power they might make all peoples his disciples, and sanctify and govern them. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he gathered together the universal Church, which the Lord established on the apostles and built upon blessed Peter, their chief, Christ Jesus himself being the supreme cornerstone.[4] In sum, The Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful.[5] It is only through communion with the Roman Pontiff that there is communion with the universal Church and that anyone can become a member of the Catholic Church. Communion with the Roman Pontiff is a manner of realising communion with the universal Church and a sign of communion with the universal Church. The above principles are applicable to the Catholic Church in China too. In both spirit and in form, communion with the universal Church is necessarily achieved through communion with the Roman Pontiff, so that the Catholic Church in China becomes part of the universal Church. Pope Benedict said in his 2007 Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China: As you know, the profound unity which binds together the local Churches found in China, and which likewise places them in intimate communion with all the other local Churches throughout the world, has its roots not only in the same faith and in a common Baptism, but above all in the Eucharist and in the episcopate. Likewise, the unity of the episcopate, of which the Roman Pontiff, as the Successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible source and foundation, continues down the centuries through the apostolic succession and is the foundation of the identity of the Church in every age with the Church built by Christ on Peter and on the other Apostles. Catholic doctrine teaches that the Bishop is the visible source and foundation of unity in the local Church entrusted to his pastoral ministry. But in every local Church, in order that she may be fully Church, there must be present the supreme authority of the Church, that is to say, the episcopal College together with its Head, the Roman Pontiff, and never apart from him. Therefore the ministry of the Successor of Peter belongs to the essence of every local Church from within. Moreover, the communion of all the local Churches in the one Catholic Church, and hence the ordered hierarchical communion of all the Bishops, the successors of the Apostles, with the Successor of Peter, are a guarantee of the unity of the faith and life of all Catholics. It is therefore indispensable, for the unity of the Church in individual nations, that every Bishop should be in communion with the other Bishops, and that all should be in visible and concrete communion with the Pope.[6] The expression and practice of communion between the Church in China and the universal Church The appointment of local bishops is the expression of the communion between local Churches and the universal Church. The Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium (The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church) says this about the appointment of a local bishop: The canonical mission of bishops can come about by legitimate customs that have not been revoked by the supreme and universal authority of the Church, or by laws made or recognised by the same authority, or directly through the successor of Peter himself; and if the latter refuses or denies apostolic communion, such bishops cannot assume any office.[7] In other words, local Churches have no authority to appoint their own bishops. Only under the permission or appointment of the Roman Pontiff can anyone become the shepherd of a local Church.[8] As a result, it can be seen that the local bishops conferences do not have any authority that is independent from that of the Roman Pontiff to decide on and to appoint local bishops. Local bishops conferences can only exercise their authority to teach and shepherd local Churches with the permission of the pope. [9] Secular political power does not have any authority to appoint local bishops, for the apostolic office of bishops was instituted by Christ the Lord and pursues a spiritual and supernatural purpose. This sacred ecumenical synod declares that the right of nominating and appointing bishops belongs properly, peculiarly, and per se exclusively to the competent ecclesiastical authority. Therefore, for the purpose of duly protecting the freedom of the Church and of promoting more conveniently and efficiently the welfare of the faithful, this holy council desires that in the future no more rights or privileges of election, nomination, presentation, or designation for the office of bishop be granted to civil authorities. [10] The above principles are applicable to the way the Holy See deals with the Catholic Church in China. Pope Benedict clearly expresses in his Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China that the claim of some entities, desired by the State and extraneous to the structure of the Church, to place themselves above the Bishops and to guide the life of the ecclesial community, does not correspond to Catholic doctrine, according to which the Church is apostolic, as the Second Vatican Council underlined. The Church is apostolic in her origin because she has been built on the foundation of the apostles (Ephesians 2:20). She is apostolic in her teaching, which is the same as that of the apostles. She is apostolic by reason of her structure insofar as she is taught, sanctified and guided until Christ returns the apostles through their successors who are the bishops in communion with the Successor of Peter; to implement the principles of independence and autonomy, self-management and democratic administration of the Church is incompatible with Catholic doctrine. [11] Therefore, in realising its communion with the universal Church, the Church in China is not any different from any other local Church. They all need to obey the highest teaching and administrative authority of the Roman Pontiff. But because inside China there are people who are sceptical and worried about the Roman Pontiff having the final decision-making power on the appointment of local bishops in the Catholic Church, the appointment of bishops has become the most sensitive issue in this mutual relationship. Despite the fact that the Holy See insists on appointing bishops for the sake of protecting the unity and the community of the Church, when a bishop is appointed, the pope is exercising his highest spiritual authority and this authority in no way involves interfering in the internal political affairs or violating the sovereignty of the country. Still, the pope understands that the Chinese government is concerned about the influence the Catholic bishops may have on society. Consequently, the Holy See is willing to dialogue on the issue on the appointment of bishops in the Church in China and to reach a mutually acceptable consensus under the premises that the principles of the Catholic faith and of ecclesial communion are not violated, for dialogue does not run counter to the hierarchical communion of the Church. [12] On the appointment of Catholic bishops, canon 377 of the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church says: 1. The Supreme Pontiff freely appoints bishops or confirms those legitimately elected. 2. At least every three years, bishops of an ecclesiastical province or, where circumstances suggest it, of a conference of bishops, are in common counsel and in secret to compose a list of presbyters, even including members of institutes of consecrated life, who are more suitable for the episcopate. They are to send it to the Apostolic See, without prejudice to the right of each bishop individually to make known to the Apostolic See the names of presbyters whom he considers worthy of and suited to the episcopal function. 3. Unless it is legitimately established otherwise, whenever a diocesan or coadjutor bishop must be appointed, as regards what is called the ternus to be proposed to the Apostolic See, the pontifical legate is to seek individually and to communicate to the Apostolic See together with his own opinion the suggestions of the metropolitan and suffragans of the province to which the diocese to be provided for belongs or with which it is joined in some grouping, and the suggestions of the president of the conference of bishops. The pontifical legate, moreover, is to hear some members of the college of consultors and cathedral chapter and, if he judges it expedient, is also to seek individually and in secret the opinion of others from both the secular and non-secular clergy and from laity outstanding in wisdom. 4. Unless other provision has been legitimately made, a diocesan bishop who judges that an auxiliary should be given to his diocese is to propose to the Apostolic See a list of at least three presbyters more suitable for this office. 5. In the future, no rights and privileges of election, nomination, presentation, or designation of bishops are granted to civil authorities. It is clear from the canon on the appointment of bishops in the Code of Canon Law that the appointment of local bishops by the pope is purely a Church affair. The Church reserves this privilege and authority to itself, and does not give any privilege or special permission of election, appointment, presentation or designation to the political authority of the country. There are mainly two ways the pope appoints local bishops. First, the pope himself freely appoints. Second, the pope approves as bishop the person elected in accordance with legal provisions. Here, the legal provisions of course refer to those accepted as legitimate by the Catholic Church. [13] If there is no legal provision on which the candidates for the episcopacy ought to be based, then the pope will use his own judgement to appoint bishops, without being restricted by any civil or religious power. When the pope freely appoints bishops, he will seek the opinion of people within the Church and choose the most suitable person from a list of candidates. People to be consulted include: bishops of the other dioceses of the same province, the national bishops conference, the current or previous bishop of the diocese and the pontifical legate. The pontifical legate makes a personal visit to seek the opinion of a local Church. After the investigation, a list of candidates is reported to the pope based on the results of the investigation. The list of names includes the candidates he considers to be suitable and the candidates which the metropolitan of the province, the bishops belonging to the same province or the suffragan entities of the province, consider suitable. Canon Law also requires that the pontifical legate listen to the opinions of members of the college of consultors and cathedral chapter, and if he considers it beneficial, secretly seek the opinion of other clerics serving in the diocese and that of lay people with outstanding wisdom. The above are the main principles generally followed in the election and appointment of bishops in the Catholic Church. In concrete practice, they may be adjusted according to what is feasible in the local situation. In appointing bishops all over the world, the Catholic Church chooses ways that do not violate the principles of faith and communion according to the specific circumstances. For instance, the so-called Vietnam model is what the Apostolic See tailored to suit the situation of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. On the election of bishops by the Apostolic See and the Chinese government, the Apostolic See should not be criticised over the way it decides on the appointment of bishops in the Church in China, so long as the above principles are not violated. Regarding the appointment of bishops in the Church in China, the Apostolic See has the right to set up special provisions to target the specific circumstances faced by the Church in China. This does not violate the principles of faith nor destroy the communion and unity of the Church. Currently, there is still no bishops conference accepted by the Apostolic See in the Church in China. If the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China, after fulfilling the basic requirements of the Church, is in the future accepted by the Apostolic See as legitimate, it, or the bishops in the provinces under it, would have the right and responsibility to recommend episcopal candidates they consider as suitable to the pope. This is totally in accordance with the tradition of faith of the Church and does not destroy the communion and unity of the Catholic Church. If the agreement reached between the Apostolic See and Beijing included contents regarding the episcopal candidates for China recommended by a pontifically approved bishops conference of China, we should not consider that the Church has sacrificed its own communion with and the administrative right of the pope in the Church in China. Certainly, a bishops conference in China, once legally constituted and recognised, and the bishops in the provinces under it would only have the power of recommendation, while the power of final decision would still be reserved to the Apostolic See. The Apostolic See has the right to choose from the recommended list the candidates it considers as most suitable and the right to reject the candidates recommended by a bishops conference of China and the bishops in the provinces under it. In such cases, the process of consultation would commence again. On the bishops' conference in China A local bishops' conference has the right to recommend episcopal candidates to the Apostolic See. Yet, for reasons obvious to all, some bishops of the Catholic Church in mainland China "under the pressure of particular circumstances, have consented to receive episcopal ordination without a pontifical mandate, but have subsequently asked to be received into communion with the Successor of Peter and with their other brothers in the episcopate. The Pope, considering the sincerity of their sentiments and the complexity of the situation, and taking into account the opinion of neighbouring Bishops, by virtue of his proper responsibility as universal Pastor of the Church, has granted them the full and legitimate exercise of episcopal jurisdiction. This initiative of the Pope resulted from knowledge of the particular circumstances of their ordination and from his profound pastoral concern to favour the reestablishment of full communion. There are certain Bishopsa very small number of themwho have been ordained without the Pontifical mandate and who have not asked for, or have not yet obtained, the necessary legitimation. According to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, they are to be considered illegitimate, but validly ordained, as long as it is certain that they have received ordination from validly ordained Bishops and that the Catholic rite of episcopal ordination has been respected. [14] In mainland China, there are also some bishops of the clandestine Churches not yet recognised by the Chinese government. Some may still be living in situations deprived of freedom and are unable to exercise their ministry as bishops. Therefore, there is currently no legitimate bishops conference recognised by the Apostolic See in mainland China, for the clandestine Bishops, those not recognised by the Government but in communion with the Pope, are not part of it; it includes Bishops who are still illegitimate, and it is governed by statutes that contain elements incompatible with Catholic doctrine. [15] Consequently, a future bishops conference in China would have to include all the legitimate bishops of the open Church as well as the clandestine bishops, to form an integral bishops conference in China. Currently in mainland China, there are still bishops not yet recognised by the pope who ought to fulfil the statutes of the Catholic Church for legitimate bishops so that they can subsequently be recognised by the pope as legitimate. The Apostolic See earnestly desires: What great spiritual enrichment would ensue for the Church in China if, the necessary conditions having been established, these Pastors too were to enter into communion with the Successor of Peter and with the entire Catholic episcopate! [16] To strive for and protect the legitimate authority of the bishops of the clandestine Churches in China, Rome should also conduct a dialogue in order that these bishops be recognised by the Chinese government as legitimate. Some people are worried that the illegitimate bishops are being treated with excessive leniency in Sino-Vatican negotiations puts the principles of faith and communion of the Church in second place. Such worries are unnecessary. In its unceasing insistence on dialogue with the Chinese government, the Apostolic See aims not to sacrifice the principles of faith and communion of the Church, but to help the Chinese government understand the real meaning of the principles of faith and communion of the Church through dialogue and negotiation, so that the Chinese government will no longer be sceptical and remove its various unnecessary administrative measures imposed upon the Church in China. In this way, the integrity of faith and communion of the Church would be protected. If the Holy See has any intention of forsaking the principles of faith and communion of the Church, there would actually be no need for it to dialogue and negotiate with the Chinese government. The unceasing dialogue actually represents the unwavering stance of the Holy See towards this question. Some people are concerned that the dialogue between the Holy See and the Chinese government may sacrifice the legitimate rights of the clandestine Churches. Some are worried that the clandestine bishops in prison may be forgotten by the negotiators representing Rome. I believe that this worry could represent a mistrust of the love of the Holy See towards the Church in China. This way of thinking may indeed be an offence against the Holy See and its delegated representatives in the negotiations; it should not come from the hearts of us Catholics. The sacrifice made by the clandestine Churches in their perseverance in the faith of the Church is universally acknowledged. The universal Church also demonstrates its concern for the struggle for survival of the clandestine Churches by trying to lend a helping hand to it in all sorts of ways. The dialogue between the Holy See and Beijing in fact aims to change the clandestine Churches abnormal condition for survival, so that they may soon practice their religious faith under the protection of the law. The previous Pope Benedict begins his Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China by stating that his heart is deeply concerned about his brothers and sisters in the Church in China, and that he prays for the Catholic Church in China every day.[17] The current Pope Francis also prays for China every day in front of a statue of Our Lady of Sheshan that he keeps in his private chapel.[18] We should not doubt the deep concern of the pope towards our brothers and sisters in the clandestine Church in China. The dialogue and negotiation between the Apostolic See and the Chinese government is a long-term process. Coming to know each other, mutual understanding, mutual acceptance and mutual recognition take time. We do not expect that the problems accumulated over several decades between China and the Vatican can be solved in one go. We have to allow time and patience on both sides. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. As long as both sides have begun to establish a relationship of mutual trust, there is no reason that we should make a pessimistic forecast or give a premature death sentence to the negotiations. We dare to positively hope for fruitful results in the dialogue with each other because of our pursuit and perseverance in faith. We believe that goodness and not evil is the worlds ultimate ruling power. The Catholic Church perceives the people and the rulers of China as friends who also seek goodness, justice and other similar universal values. Friendship is nourished by contacts, by a sharing in the joy and sadness of different situations, by solidarity and mutual assistance. [19] Let us keep the smooth continuation of negotiations between the Apostolic See and Beijing in our prayer. A Sino-Vatican agreement will certainly be a win-win outcome and not a zero-sum game. Conclusion Needless to say, some people still have certain serious difficulties, misunderstandings and hostility about the communion mechanism of the Catholic Church. Thus, the Catholic Church continuously stresses that in the course of a respectful and open dialogue between the Holy See and the Chinese Bishops on the one hand, and the governmental authorities on the other, the difficulties mentioned may be overcome, hoping that an accord can be reached with the Government so as to resolve certain questions regarding the choice of candidates for the episcopate, the publication of the appointment of Bishops, and the recognitionconcerning civil effects where necessaryof the new Bishops on the part of the civil authorities. [20] Since the resumption of dialogue between the Apostolic See and the Chinese government got underway in recent years, many people have positive expectations for the development of Sino-Vatican relations, and hope that Sino-Vatican dialogue can change the survival conditions of the Church in China. Moreover, we are aware that our many brothers and sisters in the clandestine Church are also supportive of the dialogue between the Apostolic See and Beijing. They [do] not see a potential agreement between the legitimate authority of the Peoples Republic of China and the Holy See as a political compromise or even as a form of giving in. They believe that the normalisation of Sino-Vatican relations is the direction we are headed in, it could bring good things for the Chinese people and not just for Catholics, it brings [them] joy, for it would make the everyday life of Catholics in China much easier, the people of God in China will be given more space and freedom to practice the faith, thus we follow the Pope and trust any decision he takes with regard to relations with China. [21] We hope these good wishes for the Church in China will soon be realised. __________ [1] cf. Gaudium et Spes, prologue, nn.7, 11. [2] Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China, n.4. [3] Ibid., n.7. [4] Lumen Gentium, n.19. [5] Ibid., n.23. [6] Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China, n.5. [7] Lumen Gentium, n.24. [8] cf. Christus Dominus, nn.4, 18. [9] cf. Lumen Gentium, n.21. [10] Christus Dominus, n.20. [11] Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China, n.7. [12] Ibid. n.9. [13] Lumen Gentium, n.24. [14] Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China, n.8. [15] Ibid. [16] Ibid. [17] Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China, n.1. [18] Vatican Radio, 26/02/2016. [19] Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China, n.4. [20] Ibid., nn.3, 9, 12. [21] Vatican Insider, 28/01/2016. by Card. Joseph Zen Ze-kiun The bishop emeritus of Hong Kong highlights the ambiguities that drag on in talks and in the expectations of diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican: belonging to the Patriotic Association, which Benedict XVI called "incompatible" with Catholic doctrine (and which Francis confirmed); silence on the persecution of the faithful and priests; ambiguities over appointment of bishops. A critique of the revival of the Vatican's Ostpolitik. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - The article by Card. John Tong, published today, mentions the difficulties and embarrassment experienced by unofficial faithful in China at the way in which China-Holy See talks are being conducted; at the Vatican's silence on the persecution suffered by the faithful; at the ambiguity of the Patriotic Association, the organism that controls the Church in China. Card. Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, speaks out on behalf of the underground communities. In order to deepen our understanding of the issues being debated by Catholics in China and the shadows that Card. Tong tries to dispel regarding China-Holy See dialogue, we publish an article by retired bishop, that recently appeared on his personal blog. Originally, the post was an articulate response to an accusation made against Card. Zen by a journalist from Vatican Insider, according to whom the elderly prelate is inciting the "rebellion" against the Holy See's decisions. The Cardinal responds to the false interpretation of his thoughts, but also lists all the concerns that arouse the Vatican's silence on violence against Christians and the revival of a Vatican policy similar to the Ostpolitik practised under Card. Agostino Casaroli. In the text that we publish below, the uppercase and underscores are from the original. A PAINFUL APPEAL After three weeks (11 June 2 July) of terrible battle against the attack of a virus called Mycoplasma pneumoniae I am back to my religious house for a long recovery. But here I am being told that I was subject to another kind of attack, on the prestigious pages of La Stampa, from my friend Gianni Valente. My health condition could exempt me from being involved in another battle, but the truth has its rights and I cannot desert my duty of offering some clarifications. 1. AN APPEAL OF MINE IS BEING QUESTIONED First of all the status quaestions. It is a short appeal I made from my blog to my brothers in mainland China. Valente has found at last the corpus delicti (the material evidence of a crime) and cries to the scandal, not hiding a certain complacency. The title of my appeal is translated: Brothers and sisters of the continent, we need to do ourselves justice! I do not criticize the translator, I dont even know how to translate exactly my chinese. It is difficult (it is chinese!) The words I have used are, literally, contend the breath! Here the breath corresponds to speak out in Italian and the last breath would mean the final word. Being able to breathe out is a sign of dignity, while it is shame having to hold ones breath and shut up, because one knows to be in the wrong. The irony is that in our case the last word will be just a resounding silence. Here is the real content of my appeal: Let us retreat in silence with dignity! It is not a call to battle as wants Vallente: ignore it! Dont consider it! Dissent from it! No, It is just a call to retreat, an invitation to calm, to accept the defeat without giving in irrational reactions (lets not make prophets of our enemies, who say that from papists we are going to become apostates!). 2. WHAT DEFEAT? ORDER TO CHANGE COURSE. But what defeat it is about? We know that in China the atheist regime has always wanted to totally control the religions. Until now large groups of Catholics, both underground and in officialdom, making great sacrifices, remain faithful to the Church founded by Jesus on Peter and the Apostles. But today a specter appears in the horizon, of a statement coming right from the authority of the Church, that tells them to change course. What was declared as opposed to the doctrine and discipline of the Church will become legitimate and normal; everyone will have to submit to the Government that manages the Church; everyone will have to obey to bishops who until today are illegitimate and even excommunicated. So, they have been wrong for decades these poor confrontationists? My appeal is to prepare the minds for such an eventuality, which once seemed impossible, now it looks very likely. What to do? Accept to go back, as Valente says, to the catacomb situation, which is not the ordinary situation. But, when the ordinary is illegitimate and the legitimate is not allowed, there is no choice but to hold to the legitimate in a extraordinary way. Valente mentions a Sino-Vatican Pax. This makes me think of the famous Pax Romana, a peace built and maintained with iron and fire, the symbol is the triumphant return of the conquering legions pulling behind hosts of slaves. There you see, my appeal is full of sadness and sorrow. Here I could finish my article begging Valente to have mercy on us, to respect at least our sorrow and let us mourn in peace. (I remember one expression which appeared long time ago on a catholic website in China: For many years our enemies have failed to kill us. Now we have to die at the hands of our Father. All right, lets go to die.) (Have you not ever noticed that the child, even when he receives some spanking from the mom, he does not run away, but clings on to the leg of the mother, maybe crying and screaminghe has no where to go away from the mother.) 3. ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGREEMENT AND OBJECTION OF CONSCIENCE. LOYALTY TO THE POPE IN SPITE OF THE POPE. I am sure Valente will not leave me alone so easily. He will say: how about your peremptory prohibition to join the patriotic Association? My first statement is: you need not follow (that agreement all the way). Yes, in our acceptance of the provisions from Rome there is a limit, the limit of conscience. We can not follow that eventual agreement in what appears to our conscience to be clearly contrary to the authentic Catholic faith. Pope Francis has often defended the right to conscientious objection; then he, a Jesuit, who leaves even the most complicated problems to personal discernment, will not deny this right to his children. The limit of our acceptance makes it even more painful. It will be for me a real tearing of the heart, between the Salesian instinctive devotion to the Pope (yes, we call it devotion. The 3 Salesian devotions: to the Blessed Sacrament, to Our Lady and to the Pope) and the inability to follow him all the way in the case, for example, that he encourages to embrace the Patriotic Association and join a Church totally subservient to an atheist Government. We will have to refuse to take that step just because it formally contradicts the petrine authority. Yes, in the case under consideration (in this moment we still strongly hope that it does not happen) we will have to be loyal to the Pope (the Papacy, the authority of the Vicar of Christ) in spite of the Pope. If Gianni Valente gets scandalized, it means only that he is lacking knowledge of Church history. In the final part of his article, Valente speaks of the real communion with the Bishop of Rome. We entrust to the eternal Judge do judge whether the truly real communion with the Pope is ours or that of those who today cry out loud (as, for example, someone, interviewed by LEglise dAsie, said): Come on, get ready, everyone, to obey the Pope, whatever he decides! (obviously this person has great hope that the Pope will confirm the present abnormal state, in which he will continue to enjoy his acquired benefits. 4. DO NOT JOIN THE PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION. TEACHING AUTHORITY OF THE POPES. Valente would insist: There is in your appeal the peremptory prohibition to join the Patriotic Association! Yes, I have said: We must absolutely not join the Patriotic Association, but not on my own authority, it is the authoritative teaching of Pope Benedict, confirmed by Pope Francis, who said that the letter of Pope Benedict is still fully valid and we do well to read it. I have said: according to the letter of Pope Benedict, the principle of an independent Church, i.e. the way of letting the Government to run the Church, can not be harmonized with our faith. Valente would be right to say that I did not make an exact quotation, but I disagree that it was an unfaithful summary of the original text. Anyone acquainted with the reality of the Church in China will find my expression the Government runs the Church to be an exact summary of what Pope Benedict has described in his letter with different words: (Chapter VII, section 1): painful situation of strong differences, involving the lay faithful and their Pastors, highlights among the various causes the significant part played by agencies that have been imposed as the principal determinants of the life of the Catholic community. Still today, in fact, recognition from these agencies is the criterion for declaring a community, a person or a religious place legal and therefore official (Section 5): it is clear that the claim of some agencies, desired by the State and extraneous to the structure of the Church, to place themselves above the Bishops and to guide the life of the ecclesial community, does not correspond to Catholic doctrine. (Section 6): the declared purpose of the afore mentioned agencies to implement the principles of independence and autonomy, self-management and democratic administration of the Church is incompatible with Catholic doctrine (The mane of Patriotic Association is explicitly mentioned in the foot note). (Chapter VIII, section 2): persons who are not ordained, and sometimes not even baptized, control and take decisions concerning important ecclesial questions, including the appointment of Bishops, in the name of various State agencies. Consequently, we have witnessed a contempt for the Petrine and Episcopal ministries The Government says that the official Church is governed by One Association and One Conference (The Patriotic Association and the Bishops Conference), but who leads this two-in-one organism? It is the Government through the officer of the S.A.R.A. (State Agency Religious Affairs), who presides over the meetings. (The Government doesnt even feel the need to hide such reality showing with ostentation photographs where the director of S.A.R.A. chairs the meeting, while the president of the Patriotic Association and the president of Bishops Conference, to his right and left, head bowed, listen to his instructions). The supreme authority of that Church resides in The National Assembly of Catholic representatives, which is convened every five years. To preside over such meeting in the past was always Mr. Liu Bai-nian; at presidential table seat all those who are going to be elected, during the meeting, to be presidents and vice-presidents of the Patriotic Association and of the Bishops Conference. Mr. Liu Bai-nian was declared Honorary President in the last Assembly, so he must be already in retirement, but in reality he is still working as before, running from the North to the South of China. We will see who is going to preside over the coming Assembly. I think I have been able to prove sufficiently that my words in the blog perfectly match the letter of Pope Benedict. But Valente doesnt seem to be so sure of what he says. When trying to justify what in my opinion is an agreement contrary to Popes teaching he used such complicated wording, which I struggle to understand in spite of my studies of philosophy and theology and my knowledge of Italian. He presented that agreement as measures and practices as a last resort, to dodge the implications of a possible future beginning of an understanding between Beijing and the Holy See (my congratulation, if you can understand this!) 5. WE ARE IN THE DARK, AND THE CONJECTURES ARE NOT REASSURING. I have said that the possibility of an unacceptable agreement now looks likely. I have said also that in this moment we still desperately hope that it does not occur. So nothing is certain yet. Then why so much fuss? It is true that we know nothing for certain, we are kept completely in the dark. We know that bilateral contacts are multiplying, but we dont know the state of those negotiations. Unofficial contacts existed before. At the time when Cardinal Tomko was the Prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples, i.e. till year 2000, there was not yet a commission for the Church in China, but periodical meetings were held to discuss matters about the Church in China, meetings that were joint and extended (joint = with officials from both the Secretariat of State and the Congregation for Evangelization; extended = with participation of experts). As the president of the Union of Religious Superiors in Hong Kong, then as a teacher in Seminaries in China and finally as Coadjutor Bishop of Hong Kong, I was invited to those meetings, during which Mons. Celli, then undersecretary of the Secretariat of State and chief negotiator with Beijing, used to brief us on those negotiations. During the years of the successor to Cardinal Tomko there was a complete void. With the successor of the successor, in spite of the existence of a fully-fledged Commission for the Church in China, the negotiations with Beijing have become an exclusive reserve for the Roman curia, no information ever shared with the members of the Commission. Today the Commission itself has quietly disappeared. After the election of Pope Francis a meeting of the Commission was announced for the spring of 2014, but no more a word about it (no death certificate, no obituary). Extreme disrespect to the members of the Commission and to the one who set it up in the first place! Extreme deviation even from the tradition of formal politeness of the Roman Curia! The fact is that one of the two living chinese Cardinals (and not suspect of senility) is barred from knowing anything about how they are negotiating the affair of the Church in China. There is still a chinese in Rome, but he must be a nuisance, he was exiled to Guam. How sad it is that the proclaimed promoters of dialogue, have suppressed it within the Church. In this absolute lack of communication we can only resort to conjectures and guessing, trying to put together pieces of news from here and there. Fr. Heyndrickx seems to know everything, he is friend both of Rome and Beijing! At some distance there in Asia News usually pretty well informed. The picture we can make of these un-confirmed pieces of information is not reassuring at all! Things seem to be going in the direction we dread to see. 6. AM I A CONSTANT FIGHTER? I MAKE MYSELF THE VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS So far we are talking about the present crucial situation. But Valente wants to put me back into the larger picture and crown me as the unstoppable fighter (or of a gladiator in the parlance of certain high ranking Eminence). Valente accuses me of 20 year mobilization against any steps taken by the Holy See to foster relations between the chinese authorities and the Catholic Church which he did not approve of. Even more, a set and pre-packaged representation of the case of chinese Catholics over past 70 years, which aims to sweep under the carpet any facts that are not useful in the ongoing struggle. Seventy years are so many. Seventy years ago the chinese communists have not yet conquered the power. Would I be guilty of having distorted the whole history of the Church in China under communist regime from its very beginning? How can I answer to accusation of such dimensions? May be it makes more sense to talk about the 20 years. It was the 1996. At the end of that year, I was made the Coadjutor Bishop of Hong Kong. If I am not mistaken, Gianni Valente was then very much my friend and would not have qualified me as a fighter. He knew and appreciated the fact that right after the Tiananmen Square incident I entered China and for seven years went around teaching in the Seminaries of the official Catholic Community (Shanghai, Xian, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Beijing, Shenyang) spending six months a years there, in continuous dialogue with those our brothers and their persecutors. It was a long living together. The authorities treated me rather kindly, so I have no personal resentment towards those communists. Had Rome not made me a bishop, I would have continued teaching philology and theology in those seminaries with high appreciation from the authorities for my good behaviour. But during that long living together I witnessed the humiliation of those our Bishops, the suffering of so many bothers because of their faith and their deep sensus Ecclesiae which made me feel very humble. It may be more exact to say that the mobilization started in 2006, i.e. ten years later, when Pope Benedict made me a Cardinal. If since then I am a fighter, it was not out of my own whim. I speak out because I am the voice of the voiceless. In China there is no freedom of expression! May I be allowed a digression? I can not believe that Valente ignores the fact that in China there is no freedom of expression. Then how can he affirm that the bishops he interviewed in China could say whatever they wanted? Especially those bishops who are trying to come out from the underground and get recognition from the Government, they can only say what please the Government. One of them told Valente: there is no Patriotic Association in my diocese. The next day Government officer came to set up the Association. Valente may not know that. I am the voice of the voiceless not only to protest against the Communist Authorities, but also to put certain questions to our Roman Authorities. All these years actions were posited which offend the doctrine and the discipline of our Church: illegitimate and excommunicated bishops perform pontifical rites and sacred ordinations, legitimate bishops take part in illegitimateepiscopal ordinations up to four times; almost the total participation of the bishops of the official community at the National Assembly of catholic representatives. No word came from Rome! Dont our brothers in China have the right to get confused and make questions? 7. INTERNAL FIGHT? AM I AGAINST THE DIALOGUE? THE DIALOGUE MUST SUCCED AT ANY COST? What Valente emphasizes is not my fight against the communists, but rather my dissent from those in Rome who hold the handle of the knife in matters regarding the Church in China. Indeed, this is serious matter. But where is the problem? Some say: you are against the dialogue! How can that be? I strongly believe in what Pope Benedict says in his letter of 2007, chapter IV, section7, the solution to existing problems cannot be pursued via an ongoing conflict with the legitimate civil authorities (obviously only in the conclusions of dialogue you have finally the solution of problems). But the Pope went on saying: at the some time compliance with those authorities is not acceptable when they interfere unduly in matters regarding the faith and discipline of the Church. The same principle was affirmed by Pope Francis when he spoke to the Asian Bishops in Korea, that the first condition for a true dialogue consists in the coherence to ones own identity. So the foundation for hoping in the success of a dialogue lies in the sincere will to respect ones own identity and that of the dialogue partner. Is there such foundation in our case? Can a totalitarian Government accept a religion which claims its own supreme internal authority? Can a religion submit itself to the complete control of an atheist Government? We must face the fact that the communist Government is a true dictatorship! When I likened our dialogue with a communist Government to San Joseph going to talk to Herod, it sounded like a joke. But it is not that far from the reality. Our dignitaries in the Roman curia, have they ever studied Marxism-Leninism? Yes, dont forget Lenin, he gave a eternal structure to what Karl Marx said to be a temporary dictatorship of the proletariat once they achieved the victory in the class struggle. Dear Italians, you should be grateful to the Lord for having spared you the modern forms of dictatorship: Nazism and communism (Mussolinis fascism is a laughing matter in comparison). Those who have not lived under those forms of dictatorship may have difficulty to measure all their horror! In dictatorship regime there is no compromise, there is only total submission, slavery and humiliation. The chinese communists, after they have killed hundreds of thousands, maybe they dont need to kill so many nowadays. But the state of violence reigns, total denial of most basic human rights. Who doesnt know that today chinese communists are ever more arrogant abroad and oppressive at home? (a recent article by George Weigel in First Thing may give you some update). This same Government will use kindness with the Vatican? With all the recent facts (removal of crosses and demolition of Churches and all the speeches and brain washing sessions on the right of the State to guide and lead the religions) how can our most eminent Secretary of State say that the prospective of dialogue are promising? A priest of the underground community, forty years old, name PEACE, very much learned and zealous, esteemed and loved by all who know him, died in mysterious circumstance in early November 2015. The public security says they found the body in a river, he must have killed himself. But they refuse to supply any evidence to clarify the true cause of death. This priest had written: How can we hope that, while all religions are led by the Government through the Patriotic Association, we Catholics may be exempted? How can we hope to enjoy freedom of speech, while all people in China are deprived of such right? So the conclusion is to refuse dialogue? No. But you must go to the negotiating table ready to admit, in the end, perhaps for the hundredth time, that dialogue is not yet possible. How can you reasonably hope in the success of the dialogue? Will the chinese communists give up a little of the complete control of the official community of Catholics they firmly hold in their hands? In the case the dialogue fails, they lose nothing. But they come willingly to the dialogue hoping to bring home a signature, the final blessing of the Popes on the present abnormal state of that Church, which, objectively, is already schismatic. The Popes prefer to avoid the word schism only because they know many have been forced into it under severe pressure. To be able to conclude the dialogue at any cost, are our people ready to pay the price of canonizing a schismatic Church? Seemingly they are limiting the discussion to the question of Bishops appointment. But how can they leave out of consideration so many other problems which are enormous? As about the bishops appointment seemingly they tend to ratify the present procedure adopted by the official Church. But that is unacceptable. Democratic election? (there is no election in China not manipulated by the Government!); approval by the Bishops Conference? (There is no real Bishops Conference, only a name!); final consent of the Pope? (a simple formality?) What about the underground community? Every body will have to join this Chinese Church? No more Catholic Church in China! (in chinese the Catholic Church is called Church of God, in the term Chinese Church of God the contradiction is not obvious, while it is obvious in the term Chinese Catholic Church, where Chinese contradicts Catholic!). 8. OSTPOLITIK At this pointy I cant help mentioning the Ostpolitik. Its past history! No, our leaders in the Vatican are still full of illusion in the miracle worked by their teacher Cardinal Casaroli (no doubt he was a holy priest). Originally Ostpolitik is about politics; in that field it makes sense, because here there is the possibility of some bargaining, trading economic gain for political concessions. But what do we have to bargain with those who only understand reasons of money and power? Can we sell the only thing we have: the spiritual power? The Vatican diplomacy adopted the Ostpolitik under John XXIII and Paul VI. The situation of separation from the East Europe called for a way out. But was the Ostpolitik a real way out? The Iron Curtain cut all the channels of communication. The Popes and Commissions of Cardinals, in the almost complete lack of information, could only give Casaroli carte blanche, and Casaroli had to work in that quasi darkness (while the offices in the Vatican were full of spies see The End and the Beginning by George Weigel). What achievements? We assured the ecclesiastical hierarchy! But what hierarchy? Puppet bishops, not shepherds of the flock but ravening wolves, officers of the atheist Governments! We found a modus non moriendi! The Churches in those countries have not been saved through the Vatican diplomacy but thanks to the unswerving faith of the simple faithful! So confrontation is the only way? But how can you call it confrontation, that of a lamb which refuses to be eaten by the wolf? Valente has written some time ago that even Cardinal Stephen Wyszynski supported the Ostpolitik of Casaroli. How ridiculous! Of course a gentleman as Cardinal Wyszynski was, he would never publicly criticize the appointment of Casaroli as the Secretary of State by Pope John Paul II or the way Casaroli fulfilled his role. Why John Paul II has made that appointment? In a film John Paul II is made to say that, precisely because the two had different ways of understanding things,they could complement each other. May be very true. But not a few historians think (maliciously? I dont think so) that by that appointment John Paul II wanted to reassure his enemies; Casaroli could serve as the smoke screen, while John Paul II would work out, from his studio, his own politics of Liberation of Poland from the communist dictatorship. Late November 2008, I learned about a solemn commemoration of the 50o anniversary of the first illegitimate episcopal ordination in China being in preparation in Beijing. I rushed to Rome, was received by Pope Benedict accompanied by Cardinal Bertone. I pointed out that the commemoration was a act of challenge to the Popes letter of 2007 and given the existance of unofficial channel of communication with Beijing, the Vatican should voice its protest. I added a comment saying: Beijing Government dares to challenge the Vatican because they realized that the Vatican was playing Ostpolitik. At that point Pope Benedict said to Bertone: Do you remember, when John Paul II came here, he said Basta (enough) (to Ostpolitik)! There is no need I add anything. 9. POPES APPOINT BISHOPS WHO ARE IN THE PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION AND DO NOT DEMAND THAT THEY LEAVE THE ASSOCIATION. SO? There is a particular case about which Valente feels so strongly. I must say a word on that. He says popes have appointed bishops who are in the Patriotic Association where they may even hold high position. So, the fact that those bishops were formal members of the Patriotic Association was never (in the Italian original there is the close di per se which is missing in the English text) an impediment to the full and recognized sacramental communion and hierarchy between them and the Successor of Peter. Besides, the Popes have never imposed on them the duty of leaving the Association as a condition for obtaining a papal mandate for their episcopal ministry. Of course, when the Pope appoints or recognizes bishops, he gives them the sacramental and jurisdictional power, but this does not prove that di per se there is no contradiction with their membership in the Patriotic Association, which according to Benedicts letter, is founded on principles contrary to catholic ecclesiology. The faithful in China often point their finger on this contradiction. The Vatican is not used to answer questions. I drafted a sussidio (Aid or guide) for the reading of Pope Benedicts letter. He had read it carefully and approved it, for obvious reasons only the chinese translation was printed. In that sussidio I first quoted from the letter, Chapter VIII, section 11, where, concerning cases of legitimatization (and approval, which would be of the same nature) the Pope lamented two inconveniences: 1o in most cases priests and the faithful have not been adequately informed that their Bishop has been legitimized, 2 o what is more, some legitimized Bishops have failed to provide any clear signs to prove that they have been legitimized. Hence the Pope made the following 2 recommendations: 1o that legitimization, once it has occurred, is brought into the public domain at the earliest opportunity, and 2o that the legitimized Prelates provide unequivocal and ever clearer signs of full communion with the Successor of Peter. My comments were: So, there is no contradiction in Popes letter, but there is contradiction, i.e. incoherence, in certain legitimized or approved bishops, they have been accepted into the hierarchical communion by the generosity of the Holy Father, but they failed to live it up coherently. How can people who, in every occasion, shout loud their support for an independent Church, consider themselves to be in communion with the See of Peter? 10. NEED OF CLARITY When the successor of the successor of Cardinal Tomko had his successor, during a meeting, actually the last one, of the Standing Committee of the Commission for the Church in China chaired by him, it was clear to the participants that after a long period of tolerance of the situation of incoherence, resulting in a total failure, it was time for a change of the strategy: clarity is necessary! The meeting agreed on a preliminary stage of Catechesis, i.e. to tell everybody that the Patriotic Association is not acceptable. I dont know how much action followed that consensus. The matching of time allows me to believe that the consensus of that meeting was somehow been communicated to the Diocese of Shanghai. That may explain the fact that Bishop Thaddeus Ma at the end of his Episcopal ordination made that statement (met by a prolonged thunderous applause of the People of God). What happened in Shanghai four years ago, the 7 of July, should help the whole world to see the absurd tenet of the religious policy in China: if you love your country, you must act against your religious conscience! They were forcing the highly respected Bishop Aloysius Jin, S.J. to concelebrate with an illegitimate bishop, and at the mass of ordination of his successor, to prove his loyalty to his country?! The old man could not allow himself to bear this further humiliation! But today we see that in all similar cases the advice from above is to accept the humiliation, to compromise, to surrender At the stunning news of Bishop Mas about face many suspected some kind of intervention from Rome. After a week Fr. Lombardi answered that any (such) speculationis inappropriate, I would say unhelpful, but unavoidable. We are still waiting for some clarification. O Lord! Have you not told Peter strengthen your brothers!? P.S. Dear Gianni, this piece I have written has casted me a lot, I am still convalescent. Please, spare me further labour! by Nirmala Carvalho More than 150 dead and over 2 million displaced. The monsoon rains continue to fall. Caritas has activated emergency operations immediately, but roads and bridges are flooded and remote villages are inaccessible. Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Caritas India volunteers are struggling against time to bring aid to flood victims, who have been waiting for relief for over a week. In recent days heavy monsoon rains have flooded i Bihar and Assam states in eastern India, where more than 150 people have died and at least two million people are displaced. The floods have caused a lot of damage even in the west, including the collapse of a highway bridge between Mumbai and Goa. Caritas India immediatley mobilized to tackle the emergency. Shalinee, an official who is currently in Bihar, told AsiaNews: "Some villages can be reached only by boat. But since the boats are a luxury for the poor, they bind together the banana trunks and use them as rafts ". Describing her first experience in disaster relief, the woman says that she and her four companions were "so close on the raft we could feel each others heartbeats". Shalinee warned headquarters that the team failed to reach the most distant village in Baisa block, because of the submerged bridge. Similarly even the population of the village has been unable to reach out to the rescuers and to take the material assistance. Father Frederick D'Souza, Executive Director of Caritas India, says: "Imagine the suffering of more than two million people struggling against the rains at this time, while we are in the calm of our homes". The waters have damaged farmland and infrastructure, and also are putting risk the survival of protected species of animals in the Kaziranga National Park (Assam). Hundreds of people are blocked by the damaged highway in the direction of Manali, a tourist resort in Himachal Pradesh. The monsoons have also hit Nepal and China, where there have been avalanches and landslides causing dozens of deaths. Weather forecasts indicate that the rains will continue to fall for several more days. The measure follows the repeated stabbings in recent months. Minister of Justice: Youths who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law. Human rights groups criticize bill: Rather than sending children to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school". Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) Israeli lawmakers have approved jailing children as young as 12 convicted of "terrorist offences" following repeated attacks by young Palestinians. "The 'Youth Bill', which will allow the authorities to imprison a minor convicted of serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter even if he or she is under the age of 14, passed its second and third readings... Tuesday night," an English-language statement said. It added that the seriousness of attacks in recent months "demands a more aggressive approach, including towards minors". "Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law," said Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. Since October last year, following ultra-Orthodox Jews provocation of praying on Temple Mount, there have been multiple violent episodes in Israel and the Palestinian territories, in the context of the so-called "intifada of knives". So far 219 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, a Sudanese and one Eritrean have been killed. Most Palestinians were shot dead as they tried to carry out stabbings or car rammings on passersby or Israeli soldiers. Others were killed during demonstrations or clashes with the military. Israeli rights group B'Tselem criticised the Bill and Israel's treatment of Palestinian youths. "Rather than sending them to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school where they could grow up in dignity and freedom not under occupation," it said in a statement on Wednesday. by Kamran Chaudhry The bakery "S. Mohkam-ud-Din & Sons" was opened in 1879, two years after the construction of the Cathedral of the Resurrection. From the start the Muslim confectioners have developed links with Christians. The shop produces cakes and pastries typical of Christmas and Easter. Christian symbols on display in shop window. Lahore (AsiaNews) - The first bakery of the Indian subcontinent creates interfaith harmony by selling Christian items for more than a century. S. Mohkam-ud-Din & Sons bakers and confectioners is popular among local church leaders in Lahore for its rich plum cakes in Christmas, hot cross buns during lent and Easter eggs / cakes on Resurrection Sunday. Founded in 1879, the small bakery was founded by Kushbakht Hussain Naqvi who supplied tea to the British army before creation of Pakistan. Today it stands folded between cloth shops in Anarkali bazaar, one of the oldest surviving markets in South Asia. While the bakery is known for its rich plum cakes made with red wine, it's the bakery's Christian ornaments that separate it from rest of the shops. The items have been a source of attraction for our non Muslim customers. The new Muslim customers ask me if I am a Christian. I playfully reply that I am a Shia-Christian. Some fundamentalists criticize me for keeping idols and leave without shopping, Mohkam Bakht Naqvi, the second generation owner, told AsiaNews. Those not for sale include the plaque of last supper and the David star which Mohkam Naqvi, 55, received as a gift from orthodox priest when he visited Bethlehem in 1993. He now plans to visit the Vatican. Three years ago, he offered bangles and dupatta (long scarf) at the National Marian Shrine in Mariamabad, the site of annual Catholic pilgrimage. It was an unforgettable experience visiting the Church of the Nativity and other grottos. My prayers were answered and my twin daughters were born this December, he said. According to Naqvi, the anglo Indian tradition of Christmas cakes inspired Eid cakes in Pakistan [the end of Ramadan]. Before the 60s, Muslims only celebrated the religious feasts by eating and distributing sweets. The majority of customers include elite politicians, including former president Asif Zardari, church leaders and old family circles, he said adding. The Anglican Cathedral Church of the Resurrection has a long history of relationship with the bakery, says Rev. Shahid P. Meraj Dean of Lahore Cathedral. Ever since the Cathedral was built in 1877, the bakers family has been participating in Christian festivals. They also attended funeral of my parents. Its more than just business, he said. The bakery showcases a practical demonstration of interfaith harmony, tolerance and peace building. This silent contribution is helping in bringing followers of diverse religions together and spreading a positive message. Especially the holy ornaments / symbols in shop proclaim Christianity as something local, not foreigner, the Dean adds. On a visit to the Portiuncula, for the eighth centenary of the "Pardon of Assisi", Pope Francis explains that forgiveness should be given to others because we have been forgiven. To say "you will pay! is unchristian. In an unscheduled move, the Pope enters a confessional to offer the sacrament of reconciliation. Assisi (AsiaNews) - "To offer todays world the witness of mercy is a task from which none of us can feel exempted. The world needs forgiveness; too many people are caught up in resentment and harbour hatred, because they are incapable of forgiving. They ruin their own lives and the lives of those around them rather than finding the joy of serenity and peace. This was Pope Francis' urgent message this afternoon, communicated during his visit to the Portiuncula, the chapel located within the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, for which St Francis obtained the "Pardon of Assisi", which is marking its eighth centenary. And this urgent message prompted Pope Francis at the end of his homily, to call on all the bishops and friars present to go to the confessional to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. "I, too, - he added, will go to the confessional and make myself available to forgiveness". The Pope had arrived at about 4pm in the basilica and entering the Porziuncola remained several minutes in silence. Immediately after the deacon proclaimed the Gospel of Matthew (18, 21-35). Commenting on the passage, Pope Francis said that "forgiveness is certainly the high road" to reach Heaven. "Why should we forgive someone who has offended us? Because we were forgiven first, and of infinitely more. The parable says exactly this: just as God has forgiven us, so we too should forgive those who do us harm. So too does the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Our Father, in which we say: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Mt 6:12). The debts are our sins in the sight of God, and our debtors are those whom we, for our part, must forgive". Describing peoples experience when they go to confess their sins, the Pope added: "GYet God never tires of offering us his forgiveness each time we ask for it. His is a pardon that is full and complete, one that assures us that, even if we fall back into the same sins, he is merciful and never ceases to love us. "The problem he explained - unfortunately, comes whenever we have to deal with a brother or sister who has even slightly offended us. The reaction described in the parable describes it perfectly: He seized him by the throat and said, Pay what you owe! (Mt 18:28). Here we encounter all the drama of our human relationships. When we are indebted to others, we expect mercy; but when others are indebted to us, we demand justice! This is a reaction unworthy of Christs disciples, nor is it the sign of a Christian style of life. Jesus teaches us to forgive and to do so limitlessly: I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven (v. 22). What he offers us is the Fathers love, not our own claims to justice. To trust in the latter alone would not be the sign that we are Christs disciples, who have obtained mercy at the foot of the cross solely by virtue of the love of the Son of God". And before moving to the confessional to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he concluded: "May the Lord give us the grace to say the word that the Father does not allow finish, like the prodigal son: we begin to speak: 'Father, forgive me I sin ... 'may he stop our mouths and clothes us anew. The father always looks at the road awaiting the return of the prodigal son. And we all are [prodigal sons]". Since the election of Rodrigo Duterte, 704 suspected drug dealers have been killed without being brought to trial. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) denounces killings. During the election campaign Duterte vowed death to at least 100 thousand drug dealers. Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The hundreds of extrajudicial killings in recent months by the Philippine police to fight the drug trade "contravene the provisions of international conventions on the fight against drugs" and "do not serve the cause of justice, says Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), who remarked that he was "very concerned" by the increase in killings of suspected drug dealers in the Philippines. Fedotov added: "I join the United Nations Secretary-General in condemning the apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killing, which is illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms". The reference is to the president-elect Rodrigo Duterte who has vowed war on drug dealers and made the battle against drug trafficking the workhorse of his campaign. As of May 10 this year (date of Duterte's election voctory, he took office June 30) at least 704 people have been killed for alleged involvement in drug trafficking. The Philippine National Police said that from the first to the 27th of July 316 suspected drug dealers were gunned down, an average of 11 per day. According to the site Inquirer.net the "list of killings" rises to 465 if you count from 30 June to 1 August. The UNODC statement came after the International Consortium for drug policies (an NGO network) appealed to the UN to condemn the crimes perpetrated in the Philippines. During the election campaign, Duterte vowed death to at least 100 thousand drug dealers, stating that he would throw their bodies in Manila Bay to feed the fish. Once elected, the president attacked the United Nations: "F... you UN, you cant even solve the Middle East carnage couldnt even lift a finger in Africa shut up all of you. Sprite #BrutallyRefreshing Ad Campaign Withdrawn After Calls Of Sexism Trending News: Coca-Cola Really Screwed Up With This Misogynistic Ad Campaign Why Is This Important? Because it's mind boggling how ads like these get past marketing firms. Long Story Short Coca-Cola has apologized after launching an ad campaign in Ireland that was widely criticized for being sexist, misogynistic and offensive. Long Story Advertising fails have a long and storied history. From exploiting dead people to regretfully misplaced signs to stupidly letting the public name your products it shouldn't be a surprise when a company tries to be funny or touching, but comes out inappropriate, offensive or just plain stupid. Yet, when you see an ad fail as bad as what Coca-Cola just ran with in Ireland, you can't help but be surprised at the cringe-worthiness. The campaign in question is a Sprite #BrutallyRefreshing campaign, which was aimed at "celebrating those with guts to tell it like it is," according to BBC News. The male-targeted campaign included such (douchey Frat boy) "truths" as: "We all have one tight friend," "One dip is never enough," and "If you have to give your taxi driver directions, you're better off walking." The best (read: worst) one has got to be: "a 2 at 10 is a 10 at 2!" Twitter, of course, had a sh*t fit when it saw these ads on Irish website JOE.ie. (for good reason), with many calling out the campaign as misogynistic and sexist. Sprite: "We'd like to aim our product at a misogynistic audience." Marketer: "Say no more."#BrutallyRefreshing pic.twitter.com/y9VWhV9CVX Tommy Smith (@tommyxcore) August 3, 2016 Is it #BrutallyRefreshing to call @Sprite 'a-so-far-removed-from-reality, boys-club, failing-at-balancing-niche-and-edgy, bunch-of-cretins'? AP Corkhill (@APCDU) August 3, 2016 Oh dear. #BrutallyRefreshing looks like a case of a brand's marketing team deciding that they didn't really want a job anyway. Rob Clenshaw (@robclenshaw) August 3, 2016 It's truly incredible that a company as big as Coca-Cola, which probably employs one of the most robust and well-paid ad agencies out there could 'F' this up so hard. Here's what Coca-Cola had to say for itself (a very lame apology if you ask me): "We're sorry for any offense caused by the #BrutallyRefreshing Sprite campaign in Ireland, which was intended to provide an edgy but humorous take on a range of situations. "Since its introduction in Ireland, Sprite has been associated with individuality and self-expression and we have always been committed to ensuring we deliver the highest standard of advertising. "We recognize that on this particular occasion the content did not meet this standard and we apologize. The campaign has now come to an end and the advert in question will not appear again." Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Were the creatives in charge of this trying to get fired? Disrupt Your Feed Hey Coca-Cola, it's 2016 remember? Drop This Fact Coke had another ad fail recently when it let the public make gifs and add words to a commercial. What Coke got in return were gifs with words like "diarrhea," "childhood obesity" and "prepare your insulin." Tourism Australia and Qantas airlines have agreed on a new $20-million deal to promote Australia to the world, with the aim of attracting more international visitors, especially from the United States, Asia, the U.K. and Europe.The three-year agreement involves a joint investment and will have an emphasis on digital marketing. Tourism Australia and the national airline carrier will invest in joint campaigns supported through public relations, social media and trade activities. It will also include an anonymised data sharing arrangement to better reach customers who are considering travelling to Australia. Qantas Group chief executive officer Alan Joyce said its multi-million dollar investment with Tourism Australia was about continuing the momentum of the tourism boom to deliver bigger benefits for Australia.'Both Qantas and Tourism Australia want the same thing: a strong tourism industry that makes Australia the first choice for people all over the world,' he explained.'With tourism both to and within Australia on the rise, it's the ideal time for us to join forces once again.'He pointed out that over the past two years, Qantas has been increasing capacity to destinations around the world, building alliances with the world's biggest airlines, and investing in their fleet, lounges and technology to make sure that visitors to Australia get the best possible travel experience.'This new investment builds on the marketing we already do and our partnerships with state and territory governments to put Australia's best foot forward. Qantas has always been the biggest private sector supporter of Australian tourism and we will continue to focus on growing visitor numbers,' he added.In the past year alone, Qantas flew more than three-million international visitors to Australia, more than any other airline. Experts say this helped drive a double-digit percentage increase in tourists from Asia, in particular.Tourism Australia managing director, John O'Sullivan, said that the shared resources the agreement brings together are considerable.'The plans we have around data sharing are particularly exciting, allowing us to be more efficient and effective with our advertising but also enabling us to provide consumers with a much more relevant and personalised online experience,' he explained.'Qantas invests more than $80-million in promoting Australia to the world. In addition to the new partnership with Tourism Australia, this contribution to tourism promotion includes marketing partnerships with New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory marketing agencies. This is over and above Qantas' direct advertising and owned media activity across its global network,' he added.A recent Deloitte Access Economics report found that in 2014/2015, the Qantas Group facilitated $9.5 billion in tourism expenditure in Australia, or one in every nine dollars spent, supporting 105,000 jobs across the country.Qantas and Tourism Australia have collaborated on smaller projects over the past six months, including promoting the destinations featured in the airline's latest safety demonstration video.Qantas carries 27-million passengers each year. Together with its Codeshare and Oneworld partners, it offers customers travel to more than 1,000 destinations around the world. Hi everyone, Just looking for some advice on the following - will try and keep in nice and short. I applied for a 187 visa listing my partner as my de facto. We had a 3-year relationship and everything we needed to prove it. However, when we applied I was in Australia and he was offshore as he was having family problems. I got a bridging visa, he didn't come back to Australia before his previous (student) visa ran out, so he never got a bridging visa. It has now been 5 month since we applied and I haven't heard from Immigration as yet. The past few weeks have been very hard on our relationship and I think I can now safely say that we have broken up and are not a couple anymore. What do I do? I applied for my own visa without using a migration agent. Is it enough to attach a statutory declaration to my application stating that we are no longer a couple? Any advice highly appreciated. Erika In relation to financial evidence...I agree with mkarina. Ours was similar except for mortgage (in which case best to wait for approval to stay before changing and getting hit with all associated fees. Does not stop partner from contributing to payment). Also send in whatever evidence you have (now or as you receive by email and keep the email "delivery receipt" and "read" notification). Don't wait for case to be assigned or an officer to contact you. Contrary to advice given by our agent in 2013, we found out too late (at Tribunal stage actually) "Dept officer is not obligated to make contact for additional or new information". I don't know if I need to submit the evidence of qualification and skilled employment. However, before applying a visa(190), I also have to submit the certified documents of work experience(skilled employment) to Trade Recognition Australia(assessing authority) and they won't give it back to me. I have more than 150 pages of documents all together and do I have to obtain another 150 certified copies again for applying the visa OR are they generally mentioning about documents that need to submit for the authority? ( I was wondering it is no point to submit the same documents to both Immigration and the authority if I already got a positive outcome from TRA.) Nearly 11 years after it was proposed, the GST could become a reality; here is how it will impact the auto industry. The government set in motion the process for rolling out the goods and services tax (GST) on Wednesday, August 4, 2016, as the Rajya Sabha voted to approve the constitutional amendment that will help implement the tax, ending months of ambiguity. The GST is essentially an indirect tax reform which aims to remove tax barriers between states and create a single market. One of the most anticipated tax reforms in the country, GST is expected to replace as many as 17 indirect central and state tax levies and result in a cutback in logistics costs of businesses across all sectors, enhancing ease of doing business. However, while the bill has been cleared in the current session, it has to be okayed by the state assemblies and meeting the April 1, 2017 deadline for implementation could be challenging, so it might be a few more months after that until the proposed tax is completely rolled out. Impact on the auto sector The auto industry is likely to gain from the implementation of the GST since it is expected to reduce logistics costs by removing trade hurdles, paving way for more competitive manufacturing. The execution of GST will remove the effect of multiplicity of taxes on the cost of goods and services. Currently, most of car manufactures are located in few of the states in India and by some estimates, 80 percent of these cars are sold to dealers in states outside the state in which they are manufactured. In doing so, a two percent Central Sales Tax (CST) is charged on the cost of car and the same is not creditable. However, with the GST, the two percent CST will be made fully creditable. Moreover, with the effective tax rate dropping to around 18 percent from up to 27 percent for some segments currently, it will result in lower prices and consecutively, boost demand for automobiles. According to some estimates, the on-road prices of vehicles could go down by up to eight percent. I think the automotive sector will be one of the most positively impacted sectors. At present, we have multiple rates of excise duty. With the GST coming in, we are hoping we do not see more than two rates. So that will be also a very positive development as far as our industry is concerned, which we believe is very, very highly taxed. While we haven't seen the GST rate yet, whatever comes will certainly be lesser than cumulatively what it is today. according to Vishnu Mathur, director general, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). We have been hoping that GST would be implemented. It is certainly going to reduce our overall cost structure, Mathur added. "The automotive industry wholeheartedly welcomes this tax reform. GST is about unifying the market, widening the tax net and generating efficiencies throughout the value chain. Faster implementation will be critical in determining its success," Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India told Autocar India in reply to a query. Further clarity of the impact on the auto sector will emerge once the RNR (revenue neutral rate) is decided upon. The RNR is the rate at which there will be no loss in aggregate central and state tax revenue. The same will be decided by a GST council comprising Centre and state representatives. We welcome the passage of the forward looking reform which will augur well in the long term for uniform economic progress across the country. In addition to simplifying the tax structure and administration, it will aid Make in India becoming more efficient and accelerate movement between producing and consumption locations, a Tata Motors spokesperson told Autocar India. GST will minimize and simplify the taxation burden on the automotive industry. It is expected to drive overall consumer demand since the cost for the logistics and supply chain inventory will be curtailed by almost 30-40 per cent, the benefits of which are expected to be passed on to the consumers, according to Sumit Sawhney, CEO and Managing Director, Renault India. The passenger vehicle segment in India is around 2.8 million units in annual sales and is touted to reach 5 million units in annual sales by 2020, making the country the fourth-largest market in the world. SUV An amateur videographer and self-proclaimed citizen journalist named Philip Turner noticed a Texas Highway Trooper speeding on Interstate 35 without the emergency signals activated, so he took upon himself to pursue and pull over the police officer who was driving.Turner had a dash cam that was filming his trips, and he also had another video camera in his vehicle, so the entire encounter was recorded and posted on the Texans YouTube channel.The same dash cam also recorded the vehicles speed, which reached 90 mph while pursuing the police cruiser that was being driven above the states speed limit without any warning lights, as required by law.After Turner flashed his lights and honked his horn at thedriven by the officer, the Texas state trooper slowed down and pulled over. The emergency lights of the cruiser were immediately activated, and the officer exited the vehicle with a flashlight in hand.Politely, the officer asked the driver, who also stepped out of his vehicle, if there was any way he could help him. Phillip Turner left his car with a video camera in hand, and confronted the officer for speeding. He then asked for the state troopers badge number, as well as permission to film his license plate.The state trooper admitted his fault for speeding without having emergency lights activated, and apologized to the citizen. As Dallas News reports, Turner was arrested in November for filming a police station in Galveston, Texas.In the comments section of the YouTube video embedded below, Turner explained that he considered the officer to be very professional, and honest. The citizen-journalist has also noted that he believes that more police officers should mirror the state troopers attitude when confronted with something they have done wrong.We would like to remark that you should not engage in the act of attempting to pull over a police officer, even if they are speeding without they emergency lights activated. The safest way is to send the dash cam footage to the according precinct and request an official reply, avoiding confrontations of this kind. Ladies and gentlemen drivers, we are dealing with no less than a Bugatti Veyron limousine. The abomination was spotted while on the back of a trailer (image via Shmee150 ) and there are no details about the contraption.However, it looks like we're dealing with a US vehicle and the dense limo population in America would explain this.Given the kind of costs surrounding such a project, we can only assume we're dealing with a fake here. Heck, if somebody ruined an actual Bugatti to pull such an image stunt, that person should get the same punishment as the smartass who drove a Veyron into a lake, trying to grab the insurance money.The only thing that has us worried is the general image dent that's been surrounding the Veyron ever since the halo car retired. We're talking about the image stunts performed by Dutch Bugatti owner... Dutchbugs, who did it all, from going offroading in a Veyron , to drag racing a heavily tuned E34 BMW M5. And yes, the Bug lost the race.Fortunately, the case of the British-tuned Bugatti Veyron, which comes from Oakley Design , seems to steer clear of the chav path, so this is only a sign of the fact that, even your headquarters is located in Molsheim, you can't keep full control over your cars forever. In fact, the British-tuned hypercar feels more like an aftermarket-built Veyron SS.Don't get us wrong, we fully back bold moves such as turning a Ferrari 599 into a drift car (Daigo Saito is currently working on this), but we see no benefit in stunts such as the ones Dutchbugs pulled. A photo posted by daigo saito (@daigo_saito) on Apr 2, 2016 at 5:04am PDT Well, you can forget all about this - check out the image above and you'll notice a Ferrari 599 GTB that is currently undergoing a drift car conversion.While the outlandish aero kit and the color-crazy wheels might be the ones that draw attention in this image (lens tip to Chester Ng ), it's the changes underneath the skin that matter.The Fezza is being gifted with steering hardware that allows for the extreme angles required by the once-a-Grand-Tourer's newfound quest, while the also-mandatory hydraulic handbrake is also present.In fact, the cabin image shown below allows us to get a better view of the precision instrument's lever, while also showing the brutal mix between the smooth leather of the Maranello V12 machine and the monster rollcage the car is wearing now.As those of you following the slip angle realm closely have already guessed, the Drifting Horse comes from Japan's Daigo Saito, who has left America's Formula Drift to focus on Japan's D1GP for the 2016 season.Why purists will be outraged by such a contraption, there are two main reasons for which we find the 599 drift car... almost normal.First of all, Ferraris were born as racecars. In fact, there's a popular story floating around telling us about the time when Enzo tried to restore the very first Ferrari-badged car ever, the 125 S racecar, by converting it into a polished street car and selling it to a customer. The owner obviously figured everything out and ended up with a hefty discount.Then we have the sheer insanity that is Daigo Saito's shop - when the athlete came up with the world's first Lamborghini drift car last year, we should've seen this sideways-savvy Ferrari coming.P.S.: Wonder if this project will be ready to slide sooner than Ryan Tuerk's Ferrari V8-motivated Toyobaru drift car. Well, the V8 Prancing Horse spy video we have here isn't that kind of peek. While the supercar we see in this video has been caught inside the factory, the Italians have been careful enough to cover up most of the clues here.Nevertheless, the "F142M M3" code visible inside the car points out to an upcoming 488 derivative, since the F142M is the internal code of the 488 GTB . Don't let the 458 base, or the Speciale wheels of this test mule trick you though, the automaker pulled a similar stunt when testing the "regular" 488.The most likely conclusion seems to be that we're dealing with a test mule for the future 488 "Speciale". The quotes are here since the Prancing Horse changed the name of the track special supercar from one generation to another, with the 458 Speciale have been preceded by the 430 Scuderia and the 360 Challenge Stradale.As for the turbocharged clues on the test car, the hefty air intakes sitting just aft of the doors speak for themselves. The front apron also includes a pair of side air intakes that are blocked out.We'll turn to the soundtrack of the clip as a hint towards the V8 power of this Fezza. And if it seems like it's too early to talk about a 488 "Speciale", allow us to remind you that the 458 was retired early, with the 488 being just partially new. Factor in the early development stage of this prototype and the timing seems just right.Marchettino, the car spotter who brought us this footage, claims one of the two Ferrari employees seen here told his colleague not to turn on the KERS system while the camera was off, but we'll have to wait for more info to arrive before discussing such a possibility. And we'll bring you extra details as soon as we get our keyboards on them. Only a week after we called it the most beautiful coupe in the segment, the sleek luxury Machine is being driven by one of the best-known actors on television. Kit Harington will forever be remembered as Jon Snow, just like Daniel Radcliffe is Harry Potter.It's a shame, as Kit seems to be able to do quite a lot with his acting skills, not just swing a sword around. For the minute-long commercial, he was asked by Infiniti to read the famous poem "The Tyger" by William Blake, which he does in a dramatic way.While the Lord Commander of the Night's Wath does his thing, the editors sprinkled powerful exhaust sounds from Infiniti's new twin-turbo V6 , as well as some fast-paced action. The film ends with an abrupt stop from the Q60 and a knowing glance by Harington."What inspires me personally in my life, is a beautiful piece of writing something which is specific, delicate and beautiful," said Kit Harington.While Kit doesn't have a big collection of ego-stroking supercars, he did tell the media a very interesting story. Despite bound by his contract not to reveal that Jon Snow is alive, he told a policeman who let him off for speeding.Maybe Infiniti should give him a Q60 to drive around this year. "Jon Snow Knows Nothing, Is Caught Doing 100 in a 75 Area," the headlines will read. Regardless, he will be in the spotlight only for a short while, as the company has two other commercials that will replace this one soon. When you think about it, $295,000 is a lot of money for a Shelby GT350. I mean, a purebred exotica like the Ferrari 488 GTB retails for almost $50k less in the U.S. Thing is, a one-off Shelby GT350 is more exotic than a 488 GTB.All things considered, Ole Yeller here is more than the sum of its custom-tailored parts. This 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V8-powered brute pays homage to two American legends. This years one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang honors two aviation greats, the iconic and historic P-51D Mustang fighter plane, and highly decorated fighter pilot, test pilot and air show performer, Bob Hoover, who is referred to by many as one of the greatest pilots ever to have lived, said Edsel B. Ford II, a member of the FoMoCo board of directors.All proceeds from the sale of this very special Mustang will go to youth education programs. These include the Young Eagles, an outfit which has provided introductory flights to millions of young people since 1992."Were truly grateful Ford is, and has been, such a committed sponsor of EAA and AirVenture, said Jack Pelton, CEO and chairman of the EAA board. With its ninth Mustang donation, Ford has definitely delivered something exceptional that any auto or aviation enthusiast would love to own.These said, whats next? What will Ford prepare for the 2017 EAA AirVenture charity auction? The most obvious of two candidates is the Shelby GT350 , just like Ole Yeller here. If were lucky and if the Ford Motor Company can make a case for it, then it could very well be the heavily-awaited Shelby GT500. The most exciting and most powerful pony from the S550 species is expected to arrive on the market for model year 2018. The Czech brand is celebrating 15 years since it has introduced a standard umbrella incorporated into the door of the 2001 Superb , so they extended (pun intended) the offer for almost all of the models in the range.However, there is a catch - the recipients of the umbrella will not have a dedicated cutout in the door , but will find it in a special compartment beneath the seat.Furthermore, the built-in umbrella from Skoda is not standard for neither of the three models that will be able to get it. Only customers of the SE models or above for the Citigo and Fabia ranges in the United Kingdom will get the umbrella as standard, while Octavia buyers will be able to order the item in exchange for 25 pounds.In the case of Octavia customers, the umbrella is only available as an option for models with the SE trim level or above. There is no built-in umbrella availability announced for the Yeti or Rapid We must note that Skoda s built-in umbrella is not just a household item that has been placed in a box beneath the drivers seat of the vehicles mentioned above. Instead, it sits in a ventilated tray with a water-repellent lining, while the fabric that makes the umbrella do its job features an anti-bacterial coating.In the case of the United Kingdom, Skoda has announced it has decided to introduce this optional element because the country has an average of 133 days of rainfall every year. According to the Meteorological Office, the United Kingdom has an average rainfall of 885 mm a year, including hail, sleet, and snow.Skoda is not the only automaker to provide an umbrella in its cars, as Rolls-Royce shares this feature as well. Starting with August 8, 2016, British commoners will be able to afford a new car that comes with an umbrella. European-wide availability has not yet been confirmed.Evidently, the umbrellas used by the two brands are not comparable, but the Czech model does get to have one exclusive option that is only shared as an idea with the prestigious brand from Goodwood. Funkhouser Yokohama Tire Corporation has promoted Dan Funkhouser to senior director of commercial sales. His responsibilities will include all business segments in the commercial division, according to Rick Phillips, vice president of sales. "Dan has been with Yokohama for more than 20 years and has enjoyed much success in the various roles he's held during his career," said Phillips. "His years of experience with the company and his business acumen will serve him well in this new role." Funkhouser was promoted to director of commercial dealer business in 2014. He joined the company in 1994 as a district sales representative in Minnesota and was promoted to national account manager in 1998. In 2008, Funkhouser was promoted to manager of national accounts. 4 August 2016 13:45 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Citizens of Yerevan once again gathered to rally on the Freedom square on August 3. Addressing the rally opposition leader from Armenian Pre-Parliament Party Harutyun Aslamazyan said the protesters demand the release of the people arrested by illegal regime. Afterwards, protesters began a procession starting from the Freedom square in the downtown of Yerevan to the Presidential Palace. When entering the Baghramyan Avenue, the protesters were stopped by police headed by the Chief of Yerevan Police Valery Osipyan. He insisted that the march can be carried out only through the pavement and not the part of the street meant for driving. Meanwhile, non-governmental organization Freedom House made a statement on the current situation in Armenia. The two-week seizure of the police station in Yerevan received unexpected public support, calling into question the future stability of the country. In light of the authorities demonstrated commitment to meeting even peaceful activism with excessive force, this is a dangerous reality for Armenian politics, Freedom House stated. On July 17, a group of armed men entered the territory of the Armenian police patrol department in the Erebuni district of Yerevan and took several people hostage. The attackers demanded the release of Armenian opposition figure Jirair Sefilyan, who was arrested nearly a month ago on charges of illegal possession of arms. They also demanded resignation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Following the long-lasting talks, the armed group on July 23 released all of the hostages. Nevertheless, they refused to lay arms down and surrender to the authorities. On July 27, the group took new hostages. They were four ambulance doctors who arrived at the police station to assist the wounded in the shootout between the police and Sasna Tsrer members. By July 31, they were also released, and the armed group surrendered. The two-week seizure took lives of two Armenian police officers. From the first day of the seizure, Armenian people started their protest actions against authorities by gathering on Yerevans streets. Following the rally in Sari Tagh district of Yerevan, the police brutally dispersed the protesters and arrested 165 people. As a result, 73 citizens addressed medical institutions with injuries of varying degrees of severity. Currently, 15 of them still stay in hospitals. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 16:00 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The fate of Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, two Azerbaijanis for over two years being kept hostages by Armenian forces, was in the focus of the recent meeting between Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, Ali Hasanov and Elena Aymone Sessera, head of the Azerbaijani delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Hasanov received Sessera on August 3 at her own request. Both sides exchanged opinions on the current state of Asgarov and Guliyev, who were taken hostage by the Armenian armed forces while visiting their native places and graves of loved ones in the occupied Azerbaijani Kalbajar region. Following that, the so-ccaled "Nagorno-Karabakh court" sentenced the two Azerbaijani citizens. Azerbaijan in the face of the State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons and other agencies by providing necessary documents has repeatedly urged international organizations, including the ICRC, to assist in release of Guliyev and Asgarov. Nevertheless, they are still kept captive by Armenian forces. During the meeting, Hasanov stressed that since the first day of the incident the issue remains under constant control of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. On the instruction of the head of state, I discussed the release of two Azerbaijanis with the ICRC President during my visit to Geneva. I asked him to arrange assistance for direct connection of Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev with their families through capabilities of modern communications. He promised to do, but there is no result yet, Deputy Premier said. Hasanov then hailed the organization`s humanitarian programs for refugees and IDPs expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh. He lauded Sessera`s efforts towards meeting needs of the civil population. Hasanov noted the important work carried out by the ICRC in Azerbaijan in war situation. For her part, Sessera noted that when she started her activities in Azerbaijan, the representative office of ICRC worked very hard in connection with the April clashes that occurred on the contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Armed Forces. Development of Azerbaijan is apparent, she said. Sessera expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for supporting the ICRC mission in the country. The head of the ICRC Delegation in Azerbaijan told about the organization`s projects aimed at providing agricultural support and financial grants for people who live in frontline zones and whose farms were damaged or destroyed during the April provocation of the Armenian armed forces, conducting first aid trainings in the conflict zone and organizing leisure activities for children suffering from the shock of war. Armenian forces killed an Azerbaijani citizen, Hasan Hasanov, and detained Guliyev and Asgarov while they were attempting to visit the graves of their relatives in July 2014. Later, Guliyev and Asgarov were judged illegally by the unrecognized courts of a separatist regime in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Following an expedited judicial process" in December 2015, Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years. Do not worry, I am fine. Here in prison they give us water and bread. Say hello to everybody I am alive yet, Dilgam Asgarov writes in his letter from the Armenian prison to his family. He went to visit the village where he was born, to see the grave of his mother. Now Armenians say he violated the border. Armenians occupied my home, my lands, turned over one million people into refugees and IDPs in their native lands. They dont regard their actions as crime, but say that Dilgam committed a crime by visiting his motherland, his wife said in her interview to local media. Azerbaijan, whose over 4,000 citizens were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, has repeatedly declared its readiness to begin negotiations with Armenia. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 13:25 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova Deposits of the customers of Bank Standard not exceeding 30,000 manats and with a term expiring in 2016 will be paid without application of a limit, the bank said in a message on August, 3. The process will be implemented within the framework of the first stage of the recovery of the Bank Standard. The message also reads that the bank is currently engaged in the consideration of a number of proposals on the payment of funds exceeding 30,000 manats. Payment of funds, with an expiration term after 2016 will be made within the second phase of recovery, which is expected to begin in 2017. The bank will re-activate its plastic cards beginning August 4, 2016, within and beyond of Azerbaijan. New management of Bank Standard was formed during the extraordinary meeting of its shareholders on August, 3. The Financial Market Supervisory Body (FMSB) appointed a temporary administrator at the bank on May 3 for three months, due to the deterioration of the quality of its assets, as the banks liquidity and capital position have significantly weakened. A moratorium was imposed on payments for all deposits, except for social payments. Bank Standard got support from the Central Bank (CBA) and a recovery program was worked out for the bank to restore its financial sustainability. The controlling stake of Bank Standard was transferred to Azer Turk Bank for recovery. Earlier, highlighting the issue of the existence of troubled bank in the country, Head of the FMSB Board of Directors Rufat Aslanli said that currently the country has no problem banks except the International Bank of Azerbaijan and Bank Standard. Nevertheless, the closure of these banks is not currently on the agenda. FMSB has recently developed a special program for each bank of the country taking into account processes that occur within the national and global countrys economy. Banks of Azerbaijan have been hit by lower oil prices and a double devaluation of the Azerbaijani manat in 2015, which deteriorated situation in the banking sector of the country and resulted in the increase of the non-performing loans and worsened the quality of assets. Bank Standard is considered to be one of the largest private commercial banks operating in Azerbaijan since 1995. The bank holds high volume of deposits. Currently, 33 banks have licenses for implementing banking activities in Azerbaijan. -- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 18:45 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova The authorized capital of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping CJSC will be increased by almost 15 percent from 383.42 million Azerbaijani manats ($240.91) to 440.05 million manats ($276.50). Thus, total volume of additional issue of shares will be 56.63 million manats ($35.58). The capital was increased based on the decision of the countrys Cabinet of Ministers, which made amendments to the decision of 24 January 2014 on the approval of the charter and structure of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company. All shares are state-owned. Financial statements and the consolidated financial reports of the company are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. The company owns the offshore support, merchant fleets and two shipyards. The merchant fleet consists of 98 vessels being 34 tankers, 13 ferries, 14 universal dry-cargo, 2 Ro-Ro type ships as well as 35 different auxiliary ships. Offshore support fleet is comprised of 188 vessels of which 21 crane vessels, 22 supply and tug vessels, 29 passenger ships, 2 pipe lay barges, 7 firefighting vessels, 5 geological survey vessels, 11 diving support vessels, and 84 other support vessels. The company provides marine transportation of goods and passengers in the Caspian Sea as well as provides offshore support services for oil and gas operations. -- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 16:25 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Heraldic Academy of Vatican awarded the honored artist of Azerbaijan Sakit Mammadov the title of Count. The honorable title became the third reward presented to national artist on the eve of his 58th birthday on August 5. In addition, the European Academy of Natural Sciences (EAEN) awarded the artist with Konrad Adenauer Medal, Albrecht Durer Medal for the contribution to the art and culture, Azertac reported. Mammadov could won hearts of thousands by his mastery of painting. He can even be called a master of colored paints, bringing light to darkness, calmness to anxiety and inspiration to reluctance. The works of Sakit Mammadov are among those that collectors want to get with great pleasure in the world museums, galleries, and the auctions. Artist's paintings are exhibited at the most prestigious galleries in Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Belgium, Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Australia and other countries. Sun, passion and bright colors are the key tools of Sakit. His paintings are full of energy. They create good mood in their viewers. They are filled with generosity and lively spirit. Mammadov's painting helps the viewer to feel the world depicted through the artist's imagination. His paintings create a special atmosphere. At first glance, they might seem simple, but to look attentively, they seem more complicated and delicate. The works represent an excellent blend contrasts, being modern and traditional, powerful and delicate, complex and simple. He has won hearts of thousands by his mastery of painting. He can even be called a master of colored paints, bringing light to darkness, calmness to anxiety and inspiration to reluctance.... Sun, passion and bright colors are the key tools of Sakit. His paintings are full of energy. They create good mood in their viewers. They are filled with generosity and lively spirit. His paintings create a special atmosphere. At first glance, they might seem simple, but to look attentively, they seem more complicated and delicate. The works are both modern and traditional, powerful and delicate, complex and simple. A portrait of Pope John Paul II can be definitely called as one of the artist's most famous paintings, as it brought Mammadov many proposals from Italy, Turkey and Georgia. Mammadov, however, rejected all these offers, because no one would know that the picture was painted by the Azerbaijani artist. And he was right. Now, this picture is hanging in the Vatican Museum. It has been donated to Pope on behalf of the Republic of Azerbaijan. As a member of UNESCO Union of Artists, Mammadov pays special attention to Azerbaijan's culture. Seeking to continuously improve his works, Sakit believes that it is necessary to strive for world recognition. An interesting offer to the artist was associated with a Monica Bellucci's portrait. After he finished the work, the artist received an offer to draw the gorgeous actress naked. The client said that they would pay a large amount of money to get the picture, which they would present to Bellucci herself. However, the artist rejected the offer, saying that he could do it only after the actress's approval. Opalism is a school, a style the foundation of which was laid by academic artist Sakit Mammadov. Opalism words etymology was taken from the opal stone. The warm color pattern in opal had won Sakit Mammadovs admiration from the youth. Almost in all his works the colors of stone is found. The fact of proud is that the Opalism school created by Sakit Mamedov is presented by the students of the artist with high professionalism. The style created by the artist will be continued with his followers. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 15:37 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The co-chairs of the Minsk group of the OSCE are looking for an opportunity to organize next meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick told RIA Novosti on August 3. He said that no decision can be forcibly imposed to any of the parties of the conflict. Both sides take part in substantial negotiations and work with co-chairs on creating measures of decreasing the threat of violence across the line of contact. The last meeting between presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan was held on June 20 in Saint-Petersburg in a trilateral format with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, the two presidents met in Vienna on May 16. The diplomat stressed that the co-chairs, namely representatives of Russia, the United States and France, are committed to continuing dialogue between presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and it is important to continue positive momentum in the process over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We are seeking for an opportunity of organizing another meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents for achieving additional progress in the peaceful process, Warlick said. The meetings of Presidents in Vienna and St. Petersburg achieved certain results in reducing violence on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. The negotiation process is restored and agreement to reduce the risks of violence was reached, co-chair stressed. Warlick also noted that both sides of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict are expected to commit their obligations of peaceful solution of the problem. Despite the fact that the situation along the line of contact and Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable, we are concerned by the recent ceasefire regime violation. We expect the sides to implement their assumed responsibilities for the peaceful solution of the conflict and will avoid escalation of violence, diplomat noted. Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated the US President Barack Obama on his birthday. I extend my sincerest congratulations and best wishes to you on your birthday. Currently, Azerbaijan and the US are bound by close and multilateral cooperation built on friendly relations, said President Aliyev. The fruitful mutual cooperation between our countries continues successfully both in the bilateral and multilateral formats, said the president. The relations in ensuring energy security have developed increasingly and reached the strategic partnership level. The effective cooperation in fighting global threats and terrorism causes satisfaction, added Azerbaijans president. You have great merits in achieving the current level of bilateral relations and cooperation which is expanding day after day, said President Aliyev. I believe that the friendship and cooperation relations between Azerbaijan and the US will further develop and strengthen. At the same time, we pin great hopes on the efforts of the US as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing country and personally your efforts for peaceful, fair settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in line with the international law, added the president. On this remarkable day, I once again heartily congratulate you, wish you robust health, happiness and success in your activities, said President Aliyev. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 10:49 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan`s Defence Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov has met newly-appointed British Ambassador to the country Carole Crofts, Azertac reported. They discussed military-political situation in the region. The parties applauded development of Azerbaijani-British ties. They also stressed the importance of further boosting cooperation between the Armed Forces. The two emphasized the significance of improvement of the agreements gained in the military educational field. Carole Crofts, in turn, said she would try her best for further development of ties. The sides assured that cooperation between the two countries in the military field would further develop. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 11:37 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan and Pakistan have discussed prospects for cooperation between air forces as Ambassador Ali Alizade met with Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistani Air Force Marshal Sohael Aman. They agreed to organize reciprocal visits of senior air force officials and exchange experience, Azertac reported. Ambassador Alizade highlighted the recent provocation of the Armenian armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. He said Pakistans strong support for the country has always been highly appreciated by the Azerbaijani government and people. Marshal Aman said his country had always supported Azerbaijans territorial integrity. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 12:09 (UTC+04:00) Ambassador of Romania Daniel Cristian Ciobanu paid working visits to Gabala and Sheki on August 1-3. On the first day of his visit the ambassador met the head of the Executive Power of the Gabala region Sabuhi Abdullayev and on August 2 he met with the head of the Executive Power of the Sheki region Elkhan Usubov. Romanian Ambassador was informed about the major social and economic infrastructure projects carried out in these two regions. Daniel Cristian Ciobanu expressed his high appreciation for the impressive developments in Gabala and Sheki. He underlined that Romania is interested in continuing the process of enlarging its economic cooperation with different regions of Azerbaijan Republic. Azerbaijan is a country of pivotal importance for Europes energy security and offers, at the same time, huge opportunities in the field of freight transport. For Romania Azerbaijan is a strategic partner and during the last years bilateral cooperation strongly developed in all fields. Political dialogue between Romania and Azerbaijan expanded through joint visits, interaction at the level of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries intensified, economic cooperation flourished as is shown by the significant growth of the volume of bilateral trade, relations in the cultural field diversified. For almost eight years Romanian Embassy successfully fulfills the tasks of NATO Contact Point Embassy in Azerbaijan. Its the only current case of such a long involvement of a country as a NATO Contact Point Embassy. Ambassador Ciobanu mentioned that during his diplomatic term, which will end on August 17, 2016, had the pleasure to deliver speeches at two public diplomacy events in Sheki dedicated to NATO-Azerbaijan relations. Ambassador Ciobanu expressed his confidence that cooperation between Romania and Azerbaijan will continue to fruitfully develop in the coming years for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 17:31 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey and Azerbaijan are members of one family, the TRT Haber news channel reported on August 4. He was commenting on Ankaras fighting the movement of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of the orchestrating the July 15 failed military coup in Turkey. Erdogan pointed out that Turkey will continue to fight the Gulen movement as before. Azerbaijans flag will always be welcomed in Turkey and during the solidarity rally to be held on August 7 in Istanbul. The Turkish people dont want to see any flag other than the flags of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Northern Cyprus, he noted. The Turkish government and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will hold a joint protest rally against the military coup attempt in the country on August 7. President Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and MHP leader Devlet Bahceli will take part in the rally. In turn, Turkish Presidential Administration said that Turkey highly appreciated Azerbaijans role in Ankaras fight against the movement of Fethullah Gulen. Azerbaijan made a significant contribution to Ankaras fight against the Gulen movement and Turkey expects such reaction from other brotherly countries as well, said a source at the presidential administration. Azerbaijans support to Turkey in its fight against the Gulen movement is another bright example of brotherly relations between Baku and Ankara, said Turkeys presidential administration. Previously, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov reiterated the unacceptability of the treacherous coup attempt against the democratic will of the Turkish people and the constitutional foundations of the state. During the phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on August 2 Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan as a fraternal country is always near to Turkey. In turn, Cavusoglu said that Turkey appreciates the support and the steps taken by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan in the fight against the Gulen movement should be an example for other fraternal countries, he added.. Political, military, social and economic relations are at the high level between the two friendly and brotherly countries, which are bounded with the principle of one nation, two states. Turkey and Azerbaijan are in close cooperation in the areas of energy and transport as well. The two countries have conducted massive regional projects of strategic importance, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline, BAKU-Tbilisi-Erzurum Gas Pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project. The cooperation between two countries will further be enhanced with the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP). In turn, Turkey actively participates in the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks a peaceful solution to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey, due to the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, keeps its border with Armenia closed since 1993. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 17:40 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov The analytical expertise Center of Azerbaijani Health Ministry has created a transfer service to speed up the procedure of approval of instructions for use of drugs. Despite the fact that the "Rules of state registration of medicines and maintaining the register" provide for the conclusion of a contract for carrying out preliminary examination of registration documents and charging a fee, this procedure was not followed until 2016, the Center told Trend. The Tariff Council approved the tariff for the preliminary examination after relevant talks. In the first half of 2016, proposals for the improvement of the legislative framework regarding the registration of medicines were prepared. With the aim of creating a service of pharmacovigilance, respective rules were developed, and experts of this field were sent to training in foreign countries. Currently, work on creation of electronic system on state registration of medicines is underway. Along with this, visits to the factories of several major drug manufacturers were organized. From March 2016, the Center launched a service based on the principle of "single window". Over 30 employees took part in local and international training to obtain modern technology, innovative knowledge and practical skills. The structure of the Centre has been improved. Moreover, the Centre launched a completely updated electronic website, www.pharma.az. By applying new search engine people may obtain information about drugs that have passed state registration, drug prices, and information about the pharmacy organizations. Transition to electronic workflow to speed processes in the future is currently being prepared. To date, in accordance with the new structural changes, the Department of control over the quality of drugs continues its activities as a Department on work with subjects of the pharmaceutical market. Regular participation of staff in training and monitoring, and exchange of scientific and practical experience with partners is being ensured. Particular emphasis is put on the introduction and observance of the principles and standards of GPP (Good Pharmacy Practice), GDP (Good Distribution Practice) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). Furthermore, in the first half of 2016, the Department, responsible for complaints and requests of individuals and various organizations entering the hotline of analytical expertise Center of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health, strengthened its activities. All medicines imported to Azerbaijan are examined before reaching pharmacies and hospitals. The country bans the import of medicines into the country without a license, permission, or other relevant documents. A total of 57 percent of medicines registered in Azerbaijan are produced in Europe, 26 percent in the CIS countries, including 12 percent made in Russia. The small proportion is the medicine produced in Asian countries. Moreover, Azerbaijan is conducting negotiations with companies from Turkey, Ukraine, Germany and Switzerland for joint output of pharmaceutical products. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 19:00 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation (ATUC) and 24 NGOs (non-governmental organizations) held a meeting of initiators to create an initiative group in connection with the constitutional referendum, scheduled for September 26. The initiative group, that was created during the meeting was called "Civil Society". Participants of the meeting highly appreciated the proposed amendments to the constitution, mentioning a necessity of making changes, which in their turn will lead to the further strengthening of the country. A notice on creation of the Civil Society initiative group was submitted to the Central Election Commitee for registration. Earlier, the ruling New Azerbaijan (Yeni Azerbaijan party) also created a group to participate as a campaign group in the referendum. The participants decided to call the initiative group New Azerbaijan, taking into consideration the purpose of amendments. Members of the party said that the changes proposed to the constitution are aimed at strengthening the security system, development of the state apparatus system, liberalization of participation in the elections. President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on holding a referendum on amendments to the countrys constitution on September 26, 2016. The Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan approved the draft amendments to the Constitution at its meeting on July 25. The Court concluded that the changes proposed by President Ilham Aliyev are in line with the requirements of the Constitution of Azerbaijan and may be put up for a nationwide vote. The results of the Referendum will be announced till October, 21 -- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 14:40 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova The state of emergency imposed in Turkey after the military coup attempt is the internal affair of the country, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 4, Anadolu Agency reported. By introducing the state of emergency, Turkey suspended the implementation of the agreement on the European Convention on Human Rights, he added. Previously, Turkeys Minister for EU affairs Omer Celik said that the European Union (EU) should welcome the fact that the military coup attempt in Turkey was prevented, reported TRT Haber News on August 3. Turkish people's support of democracy demonstrates that the countrys population has a concept of healthy democracy, said Celik. Currently, the state of emergency is applicable on the French territory as well, said Erdogan. Over 20,000 people were detained and nearly 10,000 people were arrested after the coup attempt in Turkey, said the Turkish president. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 12:46 (UTC+04:00) Bu Gunay Hasanova Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will discuss military-technical cooperation in Baku The Iranian side is interested in modern Russian military equipment, Russian presidents spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestiya newspaper. Leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia, are scheduled to meet in Baku on August 8. In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is responsible for the military-industrial complex, will be within the Russian delegation. The future perspectives of North-South Transport Corridor will be discussed in the meeting as well. The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. Development of the international transport corridor is expected to reduce transport costs and strengthen the trade relations between the countries. The North-South transportation corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion of transportation to over 10 million tons. Earlier, Russian Transport minister Igor Levitin said that Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran are considering the sources of funding the construction of the railway as a part of the North-South transport corridor. Iran and Russia are strategic allies and form an axis in the Caucasus alongside Armenia. After the Western sanctions imposed on Iran, Russia became a key trading partner for Iran in the oil sector. Militarily, Iran is the only country in Western Asia that has been invited to join to Russia's own international treaty organization- Collective Security Treaty Organization. Cooperating with both main key actors in the region together will positively affect tourism, energy and trade spheres of Azerbaijan. In addition, the consequences of the meeting may positively affect the future status of the Caspian Sea. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 19:28 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova The U.S. Air Forces can still use the military base Incirlik in Turkey for the application of air strikes on the positions of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS), said US State Department spokesman John Kirby. Turkey is a member of NATO and an important strategic partner, he said. In addition, Turkey is a key country in the fight against the IS. Commenting on the attempt of military coup in Turkey, Kirby said that the U.S., as they mentioned before, condemns it. We remember that a serious coup attempt happened in Turkey, and Ankara, in turn, is conducting an investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice, said Kirby. At the same time the United States urged Turkey to respect the rule of law and be confident in their democratic institutions, said the representative of U.S. State Department. Previously, some Turkish media reported that the the military base "Incirlik" allegedly will be shut down for the U.S. Incirlik airbase was the think tank of plotters in Turkey, the Sabah newspaper reported on July 28. Reportedly, a day before the military coup attempt, the generals supporting Fethullah Gulen gathered at Incirlik airbase for a secret meeting. The fact was revealed after the testimony of one of the detained Turkish generals who were involved in the military coup attempt. Moreover, reportedly, a U.S. lieutenant general, whose name hasnt been disclosed yet, also participated in this meeting. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 17:48 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Restoration of relations with Turkey and the situation in Syria will be raised at a meeting of Russian Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, RIA Novosti reported. "There will be an important exchange of views on how fast and in what order we will manage the restoration of our relationship. Moreover, there are ongoing issues related to the economic activities. We can surely predict that there will a detailed exchange of views regarding the regional issues, including Syria, said Peskov. The agenda of the meeting is easily predicted, he added. Prior to the certain incident, i.e. the tragedy of Russian plane, Russia and Turkey had advanced partnership relationship covering trade, economic and investment cooperation and maintained a very intense political dialogue, said Peskov. The crisis in relations between the two countries followed after the incident with the downed Russian plane. In response, the Russian president signed a decree on measures to ensure national security and launch special economic measures against Turkey. On June 29 the presidents of Russia and Turkey held a telephone conversation. The heads of two states agreed to work out the possibility of holding near-term personal meeting. The last talks between the two leaders were held last fall at the summit of "Big Twenty" in Antalya. Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his Russian counterpart, where he expressed condolences to the family of the deceased pilot of SU-24 and regret over the incident with the Russian aircraft. In turn, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich at the meeting with Turkish Deputy PM Simsek said that apologies of the Turkish side served as a basis for the restoration of relations between Russia and Turkey. Moreover, the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 9 in St. Petersburg. Commenting earlier the warming in relations between Russia and Turkey, the Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim thanked Azerbaijan for assistance in normalization of relations with Russia. Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 4 August 2016 17:12 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Abbasova The recent straining in the relations between the United States and Turkey remains on top of political agenda. The strategically critical U.S.-Turkey relationship became tense following the recent developments in Turkey and efforts of the Turkish authorities to crack down alleged coup plotters and sympathizers. Extradition of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of implementing the campaign to overthrow the government in Turkey, is considered to be the main reason of the recent crisis in relations between the two NATO allies. Turkish government has repeatedly reiterated the demand for the extradition of US-based preacher. Nevertheless the U.S. government still reject to extradite Gulen. Earlier Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told CNN Turk that it would be wrong to antagonize the relations between Turkey and the United States because of Fethullah Gulen, nevertheless any support of the U.S. government to the Gulen movement may deteriorate friendly relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, senior U.S. officials have recently said the request will be considered if Turkey submits legitimate evidence of Gulen's involvement. Togrul Ismayil, political scientist, believes that the cooling of relations, which is currently observed between the two countries, is temporary and will soon come to nought. "Staining of relations between the USA and Turkey is a temporary phenomenon," Ismayil, who is an associate professor of the Department of International Relations at the Ankara-based TOBB University of Economics and Technology told Trend. The two countries have their own interests, which may not coincide in some cases, but such developments are normal, he added. Ismayil stressed that Turkey is still of strategic interest for the USA, regardless all problems that currently exist between the two countries. The United States and Turkey have a long history of alliance, partnership and cooperation. Ankara is considered to be a critical American ally in the fight against the so-called Islamic State group operating in Iraq and Syria, both of which border Turkey. Incirlik Air Base, shared with the Turkish military, is used for U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State, thus being a key hub for airlift operations. The base plays a key role in military presence of the USA in the region and is heavily used in the air campaign against ISIS in Syria. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. Hours after the uprising began, the White House called on all parties in Turkey to support the democratically elected government of the country and avoid any violence or bloodshed. Turkish government also insists that coups and counter-revolutions are undesired occurrences and the complete opposite of democracies. -- Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Katy Perry and her British beau Orlando Bloom blah, blah, blah, couldnt keep their hands to themselves while docked on the shores of Sardinia in southern Italy this week blah, blah. When Bloom and Perry got onto one of the paddle boards,,blah, blah, blah, Bloom blah, blah, stripped down to his birthday suit. Cut to the chase. Heres his ass and cock. Share this: Tweet More Email Print Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Sunny skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 79F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 48F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Franchised coffee chain, Esquires Coffee has opened its 25th shop in Buckingham (Bucks) and aims to open five more by the end of the year. The new store will be open next week for consumers (Monday 8 August) and will create 11 new jobs in the area. Esquires Coffee marketing manager Kerry Noble told British Baker: Things are onwards and upwards for Esquires. We will be trying out some news things in the Buckinghamshire site, such as changing our crockery, and altering our uniform to a more relaxed look. The coffee chain launched a refurbishment programme in May across its 24 stores, and this will apply to the site in Buckinghamshire as it looks to grow rapidly in the UK. She added: Weve rebranded about half of our existing network stores so far in the UK and we will get the next lot done over the next year-and-a-half. Esquires revealed that it will be opening new sites in Bradford in September, Dartford (Kent) in October, Yate (Gloucestershire) around November December, as well as Guildford (Surrey) and Newport, which will be its first store in Wales. Its ambition is to have 200 outlets by 2020 in the UK by attracting more franchises and multi-store operators. Esquires Coffee Houses is an international chain of premium coffee houses, founded in Canada in 1993. Tampa and St. Petersburgs downtown districts are about to be more connected than ever. A high-speed commuter ferry between the two metropolitan areas is being supported and funded by both local governments. Tampa to fund ferry project along with St. Petersburg Each has pledged $350K to the project The ferry will connect the two downtown districts While St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has long supported the ferry, Hillsborough County was the first to pledge $350,000, or 25 percent of the total project cost, during a city council meeting in Tampa. Members voted 6-1 in favor of the funding. City Councilman Charlie Miranda was the only hold out. Little discussion was had before the vote, but the council's agenda for the day reflected a clearly favorable outlook: Passenger ferries could be a cost effective option for providing transportation between the communities and destinations around the Tampa Bay area. The passenger ferries have the potential to boost tourism in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Pinellas County and Hillsborough County. Later Thursday in a council meeting on the other side of the Bay, the City of St. Petersburg joined Tampa in a vote that would match their funding. They also passed the vote 6-1. The pilot project is slated to begin a six-month trial run in November. The ferry system would run twice per day, three times on Fridays and would carry 150 passengers at a time. Officials said a round trip fare during non-commuter hours would cost $20, but only $5-$10 during typical commuting times. At a meeting Thursday, St. Petersburg city council members approved spending $20 million to develop the area leading up to what will be the new pier. St. Pete City Council approves funds for pier approach development Council would spend $20 million on surrounding area Pier slated to open in 2018 St. Pete Pier Approach Diagram Images/Renderings (on Dropbox) St. Pete Pier complete BN9 coverage The vote is a huge financial leap forward in making the new pier and its park a reality. I think youre seeing us move forward from what are initial impressions, piecing together, said Darden Rice, St. Petersburg City Council woman. A lot of different elements that were presented. Its all very exciting, but we do have to stay within the budget. Before the vote, council members got a fresh glimpse at what those millions of dollars will be used to create. The design team for the Pier Approach, W Architecture and Landscape Architecture and Wannemacher Jensen Architects, released new before images and after renderings of the area around the pier. "Right now, there's a lot of black top out there, and so there will be a lot more green space," said Chris Ballestra, St. Petersburg's City Development Director. "Additionally the entire theme of the Pier was you went 7 or 8 city blocks to get to one location. Now it will be activated all the way along the way." The new Pier - and its approach - are expected to completed by 2018. The Big Dipper vs. Oregon Coast Waves: Nocturnal Beauty Contest Published 08/03/2016 at 6:51 PM PDT - Updated 08/04/2016 at 1:29 PM PDT By Andre' G.W. Hagestedt (Manzanita, Oregon) There are moments when, believe it or not, the best times to enjoy the Oregon coast are well after dark. This is often my favorite time to go out and explore at least photographically as true exploration at night would be too dangerous. (Above: the Big Dipper above Newport). Yet often just trekking out onto one of these strands in the dead of night is exploration in itself. You get to see another side of a place you know well, and once your eyes get used to it, some startling new shades. Other times, it's just plain fun to play amateur astronomer and chase stars, meteor showers and the Aurora Borealis at night along the coastline. As I did during one summer, several years ago. One set of nocturnal sessions, I'd focused my attention on chasing the Big Dipper. It's all happened one particular summer that didn't yield much in the way of sunlight. It was exceptionally cloudy those three months. But a few evenings cleared up well. At Manzanita, the night sky reflects this, with clear conditions allowing unobstructed views of a monster Big Dipper hovering over Neahkahnie Mountain. A handful of streetlights and some homes with residents still up at this hour provide a reminder of civilization below. Theres that irresistible mist that hovers close to Neahkahnie as well, there more often than not. Then, fast forward a few months to the weekend of Halloween in Newport, about 100 miles away from Manzanita. There, the Big Dipper makes and appearance again, hovering over Yaquina Head and Agate Beach. This time, its at a slightly different angle, and a bit lower. This shot was taken atop a bluff at Nye Beach, so the waters surrounding Agate Beach and the bright dot of the lighthouse are clearly visible as well, along with some nifty colors that are created by various manmade light sources. Amusingly, the Big Dipper really kind of looks like a giant shopping cart to modern eyes. It seems the Big Dipper is visible year round, according to astronomers. Its high in the evening sky in the summer, but in the in fall its more towards the northwest. In winter, the gets rather low in the northern horizon, so some of the geography around you may block it especially on the Oregon coast, as theres almost always something to the north of you. It will undoubtedly be easier to spot from vantage points like Cape Foulweather and maybe the lookouts just south of Cannon Beach. In springtime, it shows up more towards the northeast, which could present a problem for those on the coast trying to check it out, as the coast range mountains may get it in the way. Whatever the case, it never fails to impress when the nights along the Oregon coast get so crystal clear. There's even more below of astounding sights along these shores at night. Oregon Coast Hotels in these areas - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted TravelParanormal.com allows you to submit your own creepy tale or debunk one - or see up-to-the-minute news headlines about travel and the paranormal. News Headlines from All Over Oregon Need to scan Oregon headlines? Constantly updated news from all over Oregon: a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute display of news headlines from a variety of media Oregon Coast Oceanfront Lodging, Hotels, Rentals A Guide to Oregon Coast Seafood Restaurants, Dining Find us on Google+ Two Sizzling, Dazzling Sights on Oregon Coast Hiding in Front of You Published 08/03/2016 at 10:11 PM PDT - Updated 08/04/2016 at 1:11 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Oregon Coast) One sits on the central Oregon coast, practically on the very middle of that 368-mile-long stretch of the state. The other on the north coast, hiding in plain sight. Two Oregon coast beaches offer some truly unique but incredibly divergent means of relaxation and repose, along with bundles of discovery. You probably don't even know about them. Now, you do. Bob Creek Wayside between Yachats and Florence. South of Yachats, and just barely south of Strawberry Hill and Neptune State Park, you'll find this almost mystical spot. Tide pool creatures far, far outnumber the humans meandering about, looking for agates or exploring Bob Creek's myriad of crannies, nooks and notches. At lower tides, a wildly-shaped mushroom-like blob emerges from the tide pools, which quickly draw your attention. Starfish and hordes of brightly colored critters reside here, seemingly as far as the eye can see. Given the right tidal conditions, there's a kind of a ramp going down to the sea, really just a break between basalt slabs that house all the tide pools. The sands become much larger and coarser, unlike most any place along the Oregon coast. In fact most of this ramp is more covered in stones than sand. It's shockingly thick stuff: abrasive and rough, but somehow still pleasant. At the southern end of Bob Creek, there's also a small sea cave one that rises and falls dramatically in height, depending on the sand levels. There's much less of it in summer when sands pile up, but winter when it's as safe to enter it's a tall, eerie natural feature that immediately makes you think of pirate treasure. Close by, you'll find a huge boulder that creates a sort of arch by leaning up against the cliffs. It's like a mini-sea cave here, but awfully close to the tides. So be careful. At the north end, you'll find plenty of mussels - but you'll have to cross the creek to do so. During the winter that's difficult if not impossible, and often certainly unwise. During the summer months, it's much easier. Crescent Beach at Cannon Beach. This almost-cove sits in the middle of one of the Oregon coast's more popular hotspots: Cannon Beach is usually smothered with people. But there are some sections less traveled, far less populated, like the very northern end, near the southern face of the cliffs of Ecola State Park. It takes some walking, but that's why you'll find fewer folks and plenty to explore. These basalt headlands are perhaps half a mile from the nearest beach access, which lies at the end of a private neighborhood at the end of 5th St. But tides do not usually let you cross here. Only at extreme low tides is this possible and then only for a time. You'd best hurry. You can, however, reach it by a mile or so trail from the forested road en route to Ecola State Park. Parking here is sketchy at best: it's a private neighborhood and it's easy to intrude. You often have to walk a ways to the trailhead. Crescent Beach, however, is a wonder and a half. There, you'll find a large half-moon of a beach, cut off from any access but that lengthy hike. Pristine sands surround you, with almost never a human being there. As if designed by Mother Nature to be a centerpiece, a sizable, monolithic sandstone sits practically in the middle. You can look down on this clandestine beach from the overlooks at Ecola State Park. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate More than 700 local Special Olympics Texas athletes will benefit from a fundraising event held by Painting with a Twist at 229 Dowlen Rd. The painting business holds a "Painting with a Purpose" fundraiser once a month to raise funds for different non-profits. The event, which is open to painters 14 and over, will be held on Friday, Aug. 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. "Giving back to our community is a huge part of our business model and I feel like giving back to the people of SETX is the only right thing to do," Ashley Hebert, owner of painting with a Twist said. "Special Olympics provides such valuable and special services to those that need them, and we're humbled to be able to give back to the organization that serves our neighbors, families, and friends." Herbert says that this fundraiser was also held last year where $600 were raised for Special Olympics Texas. All money raised in the area stays in the area to help with programs for local athletes, according to Special Olympics Texas Area Director, Alicia Permenter. Fifty percent of the proceeds made from the class, which costs $35 per painter, will be donated to the Special Olympics Texas, a non-profit organization that empowers people with intellectual abilities through the power of sports. "Special Olympics Texas is very appreciative to Painting With a Twist for hosting 'Painting with a Purpose' for our athletes," Permenter said. "The people of Southeast Texas have always supported the community and it is a great feeling to me to be from this area." Efforts like the ones from Painting with a Twist help fund competitions for athletes, according to Permenter. The money goes toward venues, food, drinks and equipment. Registration for the painting class can be completed at goo.gl/Be9bCU. An Austin man is wanted for allegedly killing a 3-month-old puppy by feeding it rubbing alcohol while he was high. The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that Joshua Paul Fortier, 23, is charged with animal cruelty for the death of Kano, a Blue Heeler mix. READ MORE: Authorities investigating 2 men after hamster set ablaze The American-Statesman reports Fortier was standing outside crying when his girlfriend came home on May 5. According to the newspaper, the woman found the puppy floating in the bathtub and an empty bottle of rubbing alcohol near the dog's water bowl. Fortier left before his girlfriend could confront him, according to the American-Statesman. KEYE news station in Austin reports Fortier was high on drugs and thought the dog was a demon. According to KEYE, a neighbor who heard Kano whimpering and crying in the apartment said that Fortier unexpectedly walked into his apartment while naked. The neighbor told police he gave Fortier clothes and asked him to leave. Hours after fleeing from his girlfriend, Fortier flagged down a police officer, KEYE reports. Fortier admitted to the officer he fed the puppy rubbing alcohol. Investigators took Fortier to a hospital because he was suspected of being high on drugs. According to the news station, investigators discovered Fortier consumed LSD, ecstasy and the synthetic marijuana, K2. READ MORE: Authorities investigate woodchuck killing by golf cart Kano was adopted by Fortier and his girlfriend in November from Austin Pets Alive, an animal rescue shelter. The organization condemned Fortier for killing Kano. "We are heartsick that this has happened to one of our graduates," Austin Pets Alive said in a statement on its website. "Thankfully the court system is pursuing justice for Kano and we hope it will exhaust every option to hold this person accountable for a horrific crime." This week, Anthem asked Judge John Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to fast-track its trial over its Cigna merger, according to The New York Times. Here are five key notes: 1. Anthem also asked Judge Bates to make its case separate from the pending Aetna/Humana merger. 2. On July 21, the Justice Department filed lawsuits against the two megamergers, claiming they will harm consumers by stifling competition. 3. Anthem asked the court to make its decision on the deal by the end of 2016, as the payer wants the merger to close by April 30, 2017. 4. In Anthem's filings, the payer said if the deal doesn't go through by April 30, Cigna will terminate the deal the following day. 5. Anthem has maintained its deal with Cigna will allow the payers to negotiate better from those negotiations to the consumers. More articles on coding & billing: The payer megamerger deals may soon unravel, leaving the ACA exchanges to suffer another blow: 5 points Improper billing for Medicare payments is still common amongst providers; but is the system to blame? 5 things to know Aetna cancels ACA expansion plans after facing losses totaling $300M: 5 notesprices from healthcare providers. After suffering hefty losses, two more co-ops are filing lawsuits against the Obama administration over the Affordable Care Act's risk-corridor program, according to Wall Street Journal. Here are five observations: 1. In their suits, New Mexico Health Connections and Minuteman Health of Massachusetts claim the program has an inaccurate formulate that favors large insurers. 2. Maryland's Evergreen Health was the first co-op to file a suit, with a federal judge denying the co-ops request earlier this week to delay payment while officials evaluate the risk-corridor program. 3. A CMS spokesperson said the agency is working to identify and amend the program's deficiencies and added, "We continue to work with companies and states to refine the program so that risk adjustment works for both insurance companies and consumers shopping for affordable coverage." 4. However, many co-ops argue they have already suffered the losses and therefore should not have to pay large funds to the federal government. 5. Of the ACA's original 23 co-ops, only seven remain viable. Several ACA co-ops have closed midway through this year, leaving many patients to face escalated out-of-pocket costs and find new physicians. More articles on coding & billing: Humana brings Ameritox to court for false & fraudulent claims; seeks to recover millions: 5 key insights Escalating drug prices will hurt Medicare's catastrophic prescription coverage: 5 things to know The payer megamerger deals may soon unravel, leaving the ACA exchanges to suffer another blow: 5 points The following hospitals announced plans to expand, upgrade or renovate their facilities in the last week. 1. Adventist, HCA plan to open 2 hospitals Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System and Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America have submitted plans to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to build new hospitals, according to an Orlando Business Journal report. 2. CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System, The Children's Hospital of San Antonio break ground on new pediatric pavilion San Antonio, Texas-based CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System and The Children's Hospital of San Antonio recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the hospital's new Stone Oak pavilion, according to the Commercial Property Executive. 3. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin relocating clinic to updated facility Milwaukee-based Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is set to open a new primary and specialty care clinic in Mequon, Wis., to replace a facility in Fox Point, Wis., that is shutting down next month, according to Milwaukee Business News. 4. First phase of Elizabethtown Community Hospital's $10M expansion nears completion Phase one of a three-phase, $10 million expansion project at Elizabethtown (N.Y.) Community Hospital is almost complete, according a WPTZ report. 5. Methodist South begins ICU renovations Memphis, Tenn.-based Methodist South Hospital, a subsidiary of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, started renovations to its 16-bed ICU, The Daily News reported. 6. Jackson Health reveals $1.8B building plan Miami-based Jackson Health System has a $1.8 billion building plan that includes renovations and rebuilding at the Jackson Memorial Hospital campus, according to a Miami Herald report. 7. 3 things to know about Portsmouth Regional Hospital's planned ER Portsmouth (N.H.) Regional Hospital plans to build a freestanding emergency room in Seabrook, N.H., The Daily News reports. Bon Secours Medical Group, part of the Bon Secours Richmond (Va.) Health System, will close the Urbanna (Va.) Medical Center, according to SSentinel.com. David Budinger, executive director of Bon Secours Medical Group, disclosed the news in a press release. All current patients will receive a letter notifying them of the closure and offering alternatives for care. Bon Secours will continue to provide care to patients of the Urbanna practice until August 31, according to the report. Urbanna Medical Center opened as a family practice clinic in January 2014 under Glen Monteiro, MD. In June, Dr. Monteiro resigned to take a position in California. A nurse practitioner has served as the medical center's primary provider since Dr. Monteiro left, according to the report. All existing Urbanna Medical Center staff will retain jobs with Bon Secours and be transferred to the Hartfield (Va.) Medical Center or Tappahannock (Va.) Primary Care. Patients and community members can continue to receive care through various Bon Secours locations, with Hartfield Medical Center as the primary site of care. As a result of the June 12 shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, 56 victims were taken to a hospital for treatment, including three patients who spent two weeks in the intensive care unit and one patient who is still in the hospital in critical condition. Kaiser Health News examined the financial impact of the shooting in terms of healthcare spending, potential medical debt and uncompensated care costs. Below are five findings. 1. Estimated costs of the Orlando shooting vary depending upon the expert, according to the article. Urban Institute senior fellow Embery Howell estimated the shooting cost hospitals around $1 million in healthcare services. That number is based on the average cost of a gunshot victim in 2010. 2. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation researcher Ted Miller estimated the total cost of the Orlando shooting between $385 million and $395 million. That number includes costs associated with medical treatment, police response and costs to employers. It does not account for mental health costs. 3. From the region's demographics, experts predict a high rate of uninsurance among victims. "They're young, primarily Latino and living in Florida," a state that has not expanded its Medicaid program, Ms. Howell told Kaiser Health News. "My guess would be you have a high rate of uninsured." 4. Orlando (Fla.) RegionalMedicalCenter expects to take on uncompensated care costs in excess of $5 million for care administered to shooting victims. An ORMC spokesperson confirmed the hospital treated 44 of the 56 shooting victims. It did not comment on the number of uninsured victims. 5. Uninsured shooting victim Mario Perez told Kaiser Health News the cost of his emergency medical treatment could ruin his financial future. Mr. Perez was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center's emergency department where he was treated for a minor gunshot wound and received stitches. His bill from the hospital was $20,000. Mr. Perez has yet to receive bills for X-rays and specialists' services. Here are nine recent news updates on key health IT companies. 1. Cerner was ranked No. 12 on Glassdoor's "Best Places to Interview" list. 2. Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley, Calif., launched its $53 million Epic EHR. 3. Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth and Miami-based Borinquen Health Care Center of Miami Dade partnered to combat the Zika virus throughout Florida. 4. Jonathan Bush, co-founder and CEO of athenahealth, sold 4,000 shares of his company's stock, worth $512,670. 5. Cerner's second quarter earnings totaled $166.5 million, up 44.8 percent from the previous year's second quarter earnings of $115 million. Additionally, Cerner reported an 8 percent revenue increase. 6. In the fall, Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia, Ga., plans to transition to MEDITECH's 6.1 web-based EHR platform. 7. Epic's first Australian customer is now live on its EHR. Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne had its big bang go-live between April 30 and May 1. 8. McKesson received a patent for the technology at use in its McKesson Provider Manager and other network management products. 9. Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York City selected Allscripts Sunrise EHR and revenue cycle management solutions. More articles on health IT: Banner Health suffers year's largest data breach; 3.7M affected Riverside University Health launches $53 million Epic EHR Areas with poor broadband tend to have poorer health State regulators would have to approve Yale-New Haven (Conn.) Health System's acquisition of New London, Conn.-based Lawrence + Memorial Hospital by next month to let the systems avoid an additional $250,000 in regulatory fees, according to The Day. However, under an executive order issued by Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in February, a decision on the proposed transaction is not possible until next year. Under his order, decisions on certain CON applications will be delayed until Jan. 15, 2017. If the order holds and state officials do not approve the potential merger by Sept. 8, the organizations risk paying more fees to re-file documents with the FTC and restart the process. Lawrence + Memorial officials said the merger is necessary in order to keep the financially troubled hospital open.. If the merger does not go through, L+M officials said they will most likely have to look for another partner. The governor's order only applies to transactions that could result in a health system's operating revenue accounting for more than 20 percent of hospital operating revenues in the state, based on fiscal year 2014 numbers. The executive order does not apply to out-of-state companies seeking to acquire Connecticut hospitals Gulfport, Miss.-based Memorial Hospital and Singing River Health System in Pascagoula, Miss., have filed suit against the Division of Medicaid after the agency denied their appeal to recover underpayments from FY 2014, according to the Mississippi Business Journal. The lawsuit, filed in Hinds County Chancery Court, seeks recovery for the 2014 underpayments and lawyers' fees. The public hospitals have filed appeals to recoup alleged Medicaid underpayments for fiscal years 2014, 2015 and 2016. In June, the hospitals received noticed that their appeal for payments in 2014 was denied. An appeal for fiscal year 2015 underpayments remains outstanding. The hospitals also have another lawsuit against DOM pending, that one related to underpayments in 2016. SRHS estimates a total of nearly $21 million in Medicaid underpayments, while Memorial hospital officials said its underpayments total roughly $25 million. Medical test results for at least 14 military veterans were mistakenly mailed to the wrong patients within the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, according to the Journal-Gazette. Result letters were processed in June at the VA mailing center in Marion, Ind. Jay Miller, acting director of the system, said the process of filing and mailing the letters is entirely mechanic: the letters are prepared by a machine that folds and inserts each letter into an envelope, seals it and stamps postage, according to the report. An eight-person committee tasked to review the incident claims the error may have occurred due to a malfunction with the letter-folding machine or that the machine operator or staff may have sorted the letters incorrectly, according to the report. Officials phoned the fourteen patients for whom the letters were intended to let them know of the incident. The system includes hospitals in Fort Wayne and Marion, Ind. Aetna analyzed 8.6 million insurance claims to identify and notify physicians prescribing the highest amount of opioids, The Washington Post reported. Last week, the Hartford, Conn.-based insurer sent 931 physicians a notification reading, "You have been identified as falling within the top 1 percent of opioid prescribers within your specialty." Oncologists and other physicians who prescribe high levels of painkillers as a part of their specialty practice were excluded from the list and only physicians who prescribed opioids at least 12 times per year were included in the analysis. Aetna spokesperson Matthew Clyburn told Becker's Hospital Review it excluded some physicians to "avoid outliers. For example, a physician that wrote only one opioid prescription that year and refilled it once would have a 1.0 refill ratio, which is much higher than the average but not the behavior the insurer is trying to identify. By including physicians with more than 12 prescriptions in that year and looking at the refill-to-fill ratio, Aetna narrowed in on the prescribing behavior it knows leads to abuse and addiction." Aetna CMO Harold Paz, MD, said if the 931 physicians aligned their average opioid refill rate 4.5 per prescription with the overall average 0.3 per prescription the amount of pills dispensed annually would decrease by 1.4 million. According to Aetna data, the top prescribers of opioids were family medicine physicians (58 percent) and internists (31 percent). By state, Pennsylvania housed the most "superprescribers" at 136, while Missouri followed with 87 and Florida with 78. Dr. Paz said showing physicians statistics is the best way to influence behavior. While Aetna said it cannot and should not evaluate physicians' judgment with each patient, it is asking physicians to check themselves. "We're asking you to look at your practice ... and identify if the way you're prescribing narcotics is best practice," Dr. Paz told The Washington Post. "And if it's not, here's an opportunity to improve." More articles about payer issues: How Aetna, Cigna, Humana and Anthem fared in Q2 Humana posts large profits despite 24% decline in commercial members UnitedHealthcare pays out $148M in quality bonuses to 1.9k physicians Indianapolis-based Anthem said its acquisition of Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna must close by April 30 or Cigna will walk out the next day, the Hartford Courant reported. Last month the U.S. Department of Justice denied Anthem's ask for a speedy trial, which Anthem requested begin in October and close by the end of the year. The DOJ said one of its two lawsuits to block multibillion insurance mergers one against Anthem and Cigna and another against Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana should begin Feb. 17. However, the judge has not chosen which one. Anthem said Tuesday even if its transaction is approved, it would need a few months to gain state approval before the expected April 30 termination date. Several states have paused their investigations in the wake of the DOJ's lawsuits, according to the report. However, the DOJ filed a counter-argument saying the insurer is requesting a quick trial because it is on bad terms with Cigna, which may prelude to inefficiencies that could result from the merger. Cigna has not said if it will terminate the agreement May 1, the Harford Courant reported. All parities in both cases are scheduled to meet with a judge in Washington Thursday. More articles about payer issues: How Aetna, Cigna, Humana and Anthem fared in Q2 Humana posts large profits despite 24% decline in commercial members UnitedHealthcare pays out $148M in quality bonuses to 1.9k physicians Ten critical access hospitals in Montana, Nevada and North Dakota will participate in a project testing new models of integrated and coordinated care to increase care access for Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas. Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox! The Frontier Community Health Integration Project Demonstration, launched by the CMS Innovation Center in collaboration with the HHS Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, will test these care models in the nation's most sparsely populated rural counties over three years, CMS said. The federal government's overall goal is to encourage the 10 participating hospitals to provide essential services that are often not financially viable in rural communities. According to CMS, the demonstration offers financial incentives for care coordination activities for local critical access hospitals to reduce unnecessary admissions and readmissions. "Medicare beneficiaries who live in frontier areas of the country sometimes travel hundreds of miles to see a doctor. This increases the cost of care and can discourage beneficiaries from seeking treatment," Patrick Conway, MD, principal deputy administrator and CMO of CMS, said in a news release. "The effort that is beginning today will look at ways to shrink the distance between the Medicare beneficiary and the care they need." Specifically, CMS said, the demonstration aims to: On Wednesday, an aerial spraying campaign aimed at Zika-carrying mosquitoes was launched over a 10-mile area in Florida, including the one-square-mile swath of land north of downtown Miami that has been identified as the nucleus of local Zika transmission in the state, according to Reuters. There have been 15 cases of local transmission reported in the state as of Tuesday. On Monday, the CDC issued an unprecedented travel warning advising pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant to avoid traveling to the Miami neighborhood with active local Zika transmission. According to Reuters, Tom Frieden, MD, CDC director, expressed concern during a conference call that mosquito control measures in the area have not been as effective as hoped. Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox! One of the insecticides being deployed in the aerial campaign is Naled. Naled has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and has reportedly been used widely in the Southern U.S. to control mosquito populations. The CDC recommended Naled for an aerial spraying campaign in Puerto Rico, where nearly 700 pregnant women have been infected with Zika and the epidemic continues to worsen. The agency backed away from the campaign after it was met with disapproval from the island's governor who cited worries about the insecticide's safety. Health officials from Miami-Dade recommended that those with known allergies remain indoors during the spraying campaign. No additional special precautions have been suggested. More articles on the Zika virus: athenahealth works to fight Zika in Florida CDC awards $16M to states, territories to fight Zika, detect microcephaly FDA halts blood collection in 2 Fla. counties over Zika fears Patients suffering from a heart attack or congestive heart failure encounter worse outcomes in hospitals that rely on intensive care units to treat these conditions, according to a new study published in CHEST. For the study, researchers examined Medicare records for more than 570,000 hospital stays that occurred in 2010. For the more than 150,000 hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction, 46 percent received treatment in the ICU. Researchers also determined that 16 percent of the more than 400,000 heart failure hospitalizations included a stay in the ICU. Using the federal government's Hospital Compare website, researchers divided the thousands of hospitals examined in the study into quantiles, from lowest to highest ICU use. While quality of care across the spectrum appeared to be good, there were some notable disparities leading to suboptimal care for thousands. Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox! Hospitals with high rates of ICU usage were less likely to give heart attack patients aspirin and other drugs known to improve outcomes upon arrival at the hospital, for instance. High-ICU facilities were also less likely to give heart failure patients important medications, administer key tests regarding heart function and counsel patients on the benefits of smoking abstention. The most significant disparity between high-ICU and low-ICU facilities was in 30-day mortality post-discharge. Heart attack patients were found to be 6 percent more likely to die within 30 days of discharge after being treated at a high-ICU hospital. For heart failure patients, the increased risk of death was 8 percent. "In this country, we still have an open question of what to use the ICU for, and when, and very little evidence to guide physicians," said Thomas Valley, MD, the study's first author and a critical care specialist at the University of Michigan Health System's critical care medicine unit in Ann Arbor. "Is it for those who were already sick and got worse, or is it a place to send people proactively when we think they might get sicker? And the answer can vary on different days, or based on how many beds are available right then. We hope to build a body of evidence about how to use this valuable resource in the most effective way." More articles on quality: Thousands of children enroll in clinical trials that go unfinished or unpublished Sleep disorders linked to stroke risk Johns Hopkins students create device to help injured soldiers breathe Dennis P. Devito, MD, and Kornelis Poelstra, MD, will host a webinar on their experiences using Mazor Robotics technology. Here are five takeaways: 1. During the webinar, the physicians will also discuss how robotics is evolving and touch on the features of the new Mazor X surgical system. 2. Mazor announced its newest technology in July. The Mazor X system expands on Mazor's existing robotic guidance technology to include analytical tools, multiple-source data, precision guidance, optical tracking, intra-op verification and connectivity technologies. 3. Mazor will commercially launch the product in October at the North American Spine Society 2016 Annual Meeting in Boston. 4. Dr. Devito is a pediatric orthopedic spine surgeon with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. He has performed more than 500 procedures with Mazor Robotics technology. 5. Dr. Poelstra is the medical director of the spine center at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach, Fla. He helped pioneer Mazor's PROlat solution for pedicle screw placement in a lateral decubitus position following interbody fusion. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Bupa profits fell as a result in a drop in gas and oil revenues and a one-off charge Private healthcare firm Bupa has seen half-year profits slump 45% after it was hit by reduced revenues in the oil and gas sector and a one-off charge. Statutory pre-tax profits tumbled from 255.4 million to 139.6 million in the first six months of the year, with the company taking a 112.3 million hit from an early redemption of historic debt. Chief executive Evelyn Bourke told the Press Association: "Globally, corporate oil and gas contracts have suffered as a result of the falling oil price, resulting in reduced revenues and profits. While oil and gas firms still see the benefit of having cover for employees, they are reducing some of the benefits." Oil prices have plunged over the past 18 months, and Bupa's business in Saudi Arabia was particularly affected. The firm said: "Some corporate clients have faced economic pressures, particularly in the oil and gas sector, reducing the corporate and SME (small and medium enterprises) books. This has had a significant impact on earned revenue in some regions and remains a key area of focus for 2016." Nevertheless, revenue was up 7% to 5.3 billion on a constant currency basis with Bupa, which operates globally, benefiting from the fall in sterling. Underlying pre-tax profits were up 2% to 261.7 million in the period. Ms Bourke, who was appointed chief executive in April, added that she plans to refresh Bupa's strategy under her leadership. "The focus will be on the customer experience, building loyalty and digital. We will also continue to expand selectively in markets where we see the most opportunity - China, the Middle East, the UK and North America." Bupa covers 32 million customers in 190 countries, running hospitals, care homes and health insurance schemes. The chief executive said the firm, which operates 283 homes, remains "committed" to the care home sector. However, she warned that in the face of falling local authority fees and rising costs, Bupa would close homes that were no longer sustainable. "We are in active negotiations with local authorities to ensure their fees reflect the true cost of care. We have been prepared to close homes in the past and we will again if they are not sustainable." The care sector has been vocal about the impact of the National Living Wage on profitability. On Brexit, Ms Bourke said that Bupa will look to mitigate any impact through enhancing the customer experience. She added: "The immediate impact on Bupa's financial position following the EU referendum in June has been limited. While there will be some operational and legal impacts, it is too early to conclude how the Leave vote will affect our underlying businesses and employees. We will continue to monitor the situation closely." Northern Ireland could be on the way to recession following the Brexit vote, a leading economist has warned. New figures have revealed a contraction in the services sector across the UK in July. Economist John Simpson said this reflected predictions made by experts ahead of the EU referendum in June. The Markit/CIPS services purchasing managers' index (PMI), showed a reading of 47.4 in July, down from 52.3 in June - the biggest monthly fall in activity on record. It marked the first contraction in the services sector since December 2012 and the steepest rate of decline for more than seven years, while the month-on-month drop was the worst since records began in July 1996. Mr Simpson said: "We said that if we had to leave the EU then the economy would suffer, although there were disagreements over how much it would suffer and how quickly. "What this survey shows is that the economists were right to say that the decision to leave the EU would have a negative impact. "The fact they are going in the direction we all expected suggests it could be the beginning of a serious worry, particularly in Northern Ireland, where the economy has been recovering more slowly than the rest of the UK. "I do think it is a moment to be slightly worried." Mr Simpson said he believed employment levels may drop and that the housing market may also be affected. "If I were selling cars over the next six months I would be worried," he said. "We may be going into a period of recession that may well last for a year or so." It comes as the Chancellor is being urged to deliver a feel-good autumn statement as businesses lose confidence in the prospects for the UK economy. The Institute of Directors (IoD) has called for Philip Hammond to take "bold steps". London-born actress and star of US series The Good Wife Cush Jumbo believes British television "doesn't represent the country we live in". Jumbo, 30, revealed how she had been told that her mixed-race background made her unsuitable for several roles she had auditioned for on British TV. In an interview with Phil Williams on BBC Radio 5 Live she said: "You get feedback from auditions - and they might say something along the lines of, 'we're only casting fully black or fully white people for this particular project, and because you're mixed (race) that doesn't work'. "Or I've had, 'you were the absolute best person for the part but you don't fit with the family shade-wise'." She added: "It's not that I think those people are racist or don't like me, it's that we have an idea in our heads here of ... you know, representation on TV -- and it doesn't represent the country we live in ... and it should. "I would like it to more. I would jump at the chance for there to be more parts for me here." The actress, whose mother is British and her father Nigerian, called for change to start at the top. "I think we have to start from the top down," she explained. "It's a little bit like what happened with the Oscars where they made some huge changes very quickly because they realised they had to. "If our producers and the people sitting on our boards and trusts and the people writing don't have different experiences, then of course the work that drips down is just of one or two or three experiences ... not the experience of anybody else." Having starred as lawyer Lucca Quinn in The Good Wife, Jumbo said America also had "huge race problems" - but said she could find more work across the Atlantic because there were "more options for you to try". David Bowie has been nominated for the Mercury Prize for his last album, Blackstar, almost seven months after his death. The record will compete against albums by artists including Radiohead, Skepta and Laura Mvula, as well as The 1975 and Bat For Lashes. Radiohead received a nod for the hotly anticipated offering A Moon Shaped Pool. Mvula was praised for her album The Dreaming Room, while rapper Skepta made the list for Konnichiwa. The 1975's record I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It will also compete against Bat For Lashes' The Bride. The other records to make the list of 12 albums of the year, chosen by the Mercury Prize judging panel were Hopelessness by Anohni, Making Time by Jamie Woon, Made In The Manor by Kano, Love & Hate by Michael Kiwanuka, Adore Life by Savages and Channel The Spirits by The Comet Is Coming. The list will be shortened to six and a winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Eventim Apollo in London on September 15, which will be broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music. The judging panel said of the contenders: "This is music to make sense of our unsettling times - heartfelt, angry, thoughtful, and thrilling. The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize Albums of the Year are marked by their musical ambitions, unexpected instrumentation and breathtaking arrangements." Fans will be able to vote for their favourite to make the final six at www.mercuryprize.com. Matty Healy, lead singer of The 1975, said it was "humbling" to be named on the same list as Bowie. He added: "It's crazy just to be invited along and to be with contemporaries we are so in love with, like Skepta." Healy, who is the son of TV stars Tim Healy and Denise Welch, went on: "Everyone is incredibly proud. It's a very nice surprise. "Making a second record is a difficult thing to do so we wanted to approach it with the purity we had back in the early days. "We got rid of thinking about reviews and critics and acclaim and that is what is being recognised." The band have recently enjoyed huge success in America and secured some well-known fans. Asked to name the most famous person in his phone, Healy replied: "Probably Taylor Swift but she's probably changed her number by now." He joked: "I keep texting her." Skepta's shortlisted debut album was give a huge boost when Adele tweeted about it, referring to him as "Tottenham Boy". Reflecting on what that meant to him, he said: "I was ready to quit that day. What it made me know was that being myself was the best thing I could have ever done. "For Adele, for another artist who goes through the same things as me, knows how hard it it. "I love how she keeps herself to herself, she is not in the papers, she's not excited by other stuff. She knows it's a blessing but she tells us how to treat her. "She tells us 'Don't run after me, don't pap me, don't follow me, don't take me for these other artists." However, that does not mean there is a collaboration on the cards. Skepta said: "We are both on the planet, hopefully something can happen, but there are so many artists that I thought 'When I meet them I want to collaborate with them'. But sometimes that's not why you're meant to meet. "You're meant to give each other a good life talk or push you in a better direction. Always going for the collaboration spoils it and I don't want to spoil it." Neil Reid's unusual idea of heaven is a day out digging at the sites of 18th century rubbish dumps. Hell is a day out at Ikea. The civil engineer from Banbridge has built up an impressive collection of Victorian era antiques from his digs - but he won't be satisfied until he finds an old Bann Mineral Water stone bottle, originating from his hometown. "I know that two of these Banbridge stoneware bottles exist and would love to get my hands of them," says Neil (40). "They were produced approximately 100-130 years ago and were all hand made. No two bottles are the same, due to the processes involved, but the minor flaws are what add to their charm." Neil displays his collection of over 90 bottles in an antique book case at his home in Naas, Co Kildare, where he has lived since taking up a job with Dublin Water Lead, two and a half years ago. His widowed father still lives in Banbridge and is helping Neil in his quest for the rare local bottle. "I've an interest in local history and the stoneware bottle collecting grew out of that," Neil explains. "I was given one five years by Helen McFadden of the Wellington House bar in Dromore and I just liked it, because of the age of and the local interest, and I've picked one up wherever I can ever since. "They display very well and I think they're a good representation of Victorian Ireland. They're small and no fuss. I started picking up a few of the stoneware bottles at various antique markets, with the initial intention of gathering one from every county in Ireland. I've covered most of them at this time, but I still can't find the Banbridge bottle." Authentic Victorian stoneware bottles can range in value from 5 to hundreds of pounds. Neil spends most of his spare time scouring flea markets and antique shops in his quest to complete his collection. "You could pick one up for 50p in a flea market or dig one up worth hundreds," he says. "I met a collector in Kildare who invited me to a dig at an old farmhouse, where he'd heard there were some buried. Apparently, a few had been found when a field was ploughed up there previously. "We found a good few more - it was exciting; a great adrenaline rush. To see something 150 years old coming up out of the soil. Some of them were in immaculate condition; others pretty fragile. They'd been used for stout and ginger ale in the past." Stoneware bottles were gradually replaced by mass produced glass bottles. As a result, many of the 'stonies', as they are described by collectors, were buried in landfill sites or dumped in rivers and canals, and are therefore difficult to locate. "I've hunted everywhere for the Banbridge bottle," Neil admits. "I know of two in existence but none of my contacts can get a lead on them. They could be at the bottom of the Bann or in a landfill. If there was a detector for stoneware, it would make my life a lot easier. "I contacted Waterways Ireland and the DRD but no luck yet. It's usually only when rivers are dredged that they turn up. But my circle of friends is now regularly helping me gather up bottles and although my focus is mainly bottles from Ireland, I have had friends who send me bottles from Chicago, New York and even South Africa. "Oh, and I have when on holiday in Kerry tried to negotiate with a barman for a beautiful Dingle bottle in a pub - unsuccessfully, unfortunately." Next stop on Neil's search for Victorian dump sites is the local historical societies. Everywhere he goes he puts up A5 sized posters asking for help in locating his quarry. "I don't think it's a funny hobby to have - everybody has some sort of hobby or collection. Mine just happens to be these sort of antiques. What's being manufactured nowadays is throw-away and won't be around in another 100 years," he says. "The Victorians had their idea of throwaway furniture too but it was very well made and long-lasting. My idea of hell is shopping in the likes of Ikea. I prefer to spend a bit more on something designed to last a lot longer. "And I'm determined to get my Banbridge bottle on display while I'm here working in Kildare. Banbridge is home and you never forget where you come from, and to find a bottle from there would just be the icing on the cake of my collection. I am hugely proud of where I came from and no matter where I travel, Banbridge and Northern Ireland will always be my home. "I'm also keen to further my overall collection so if anyone has any stoneware bottles or cream pots and pot lids from across Ireland - with product and place names stamped on - then I'd be delighted if they got in touch. "I'm certainly open to the prospect of digging for buried bottles and pots, so if a reader is aware of an old bottle dump on a farm or private land, I would very much welcome the opportunity to get my spade out." Neil can contacted on: Neilreid76@gmail.com or tel: 00353 86600 6622 How old rubbish dumps can hold key to a fortune Some of the rarer stoneware bottles can sell for hundreds of pounds. In his book Digging for Treasure, veteran bottle digger Ron Dale said specimens worth 5 to 8 when he first started out in the Seventies now sell for 800 to 1,000. The prize bottles are those dating from 130-100 years ago. Stoneware bottles, used mainly for ginger beer in late Victorian and Edwardian times, continued to be produced individually, by hand, for some time after 1920. Pictorial trade marks and strong embossing help with the price, and local rarities again push the price up. Watch out for a very famous rarity in the poisons field. It is called a Wasp-waist and is cobalt blue, flat in shape but with a narrowed waist in the centre part of the container. There are less than a dozen of these known and they usually reach 1,000 at auction. Tips for locating Victorian stoneware Competitors Bruce Anstey and Guy Martin racing at the Ulster Grand Prix near the site of the proposed cemetery Plans for a new cemetery on the site of the Ulster Grand Prix have been blasted by the motorcycle race organisers. An application has been lodged for a 96-acre graveyard near Dundrod village on the Quarterland road, close to the route of the race, which attracts thousands of tourists each year. Top superbike rider Glenn Irwin has slammed the proposal, saying: "You wouldn't build a cemetery in Windsor Park, so why build it on the Ulster Grand Prix track?" The private applicant has not been named, but a planning firm representing them says the new site is vital to meet a growing shortage of burial spaces in Lisburn, Belfast and south Antrim. Robert Graham, chair of the Dundrod District Motorcycle Club said: "This proposal is fundamentally incompatible with the long established Ulster Grand Prix circuit." He insisted that local residents and members of the Ulster Grand Prix Supporters Club (UGPSC) would resist any attempt to further the planning application submitted to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council. While the applicant has suggested closing the cemetery on racing days, Mr Graham says it would cause chaos. "What would we then do if we changed racing from a Thursday to a Friday only to discover that numerous burials had been planned for that day? It would create utter chaos and an impossible situation," he said. Des Stewart, chairman of the UGPSC said: "The ambience of a cemetery of this magnitude is irreconcilable with the nature of a high adrenaline sport such as motorcycle road racing, during which the public access roads to the cemetery would be closed, and I just do not see how the two can co-exist in harmony." Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Irwin commented: "If there's a cemetery there and someone passes away and needs to be buried on the Saturday, they'll be buried on Saturday. There just couldn't be racing that day. "If you don't have the cemetery in the first place you'll never fall into that question. "Another way to look at it is that the event brings so much into the local economy, it's not just for petrolheads. "I think putting something like that in could disrupt it." Racing legend Phillip McCallen said he was in two minds over the controversy, and could see both sides of the argument. "As an Ulster Grand Prix lover you would hate for any cemetery to interfere with the race," he said. "But looking on the other side, many people who love motorcycle racing might actually like to be buried close to the Ulster Grand Prix - it could be a famous resting spot. "Maybe it could be a complete success." Richard Bowman of planning consultancy Strategic Planning is representing the applicant for the cemetery. He said the proposal would be a 35 million investment creating 345 construction jobs. And he added that the local community had been fully consulted throughout the application. "This is a unique opportunity to supply much needed, high quality cemetery provision to serve the needs of people in the Lisburn City, Belfast and South Antrim areas," he added. Tributes have been paid to the teacher at a top Belfast grammar school who died at her family home. Lynda O'Kane a history teacher and form tutor at Methodist College on the Malone Road in the city, died suddenly on Tuesday. Mrs O'Kane, who was aged in her early 50s, is understood to have lived in the Crumlin area with her family. She had been feeling unwell and her husband John was getting ready to take her to hospital when she collapsed. He rang 999 and an ambulance responded immediately. Paramedics worked on Mrs O'Kane but sadly she passed away before reaching hospital. She was mother to three daughters, Catherine, Claire and Cara. She has been described as a "dedicated, inspiring and brilliant" teacher. The president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Rev Bill Mullally, said that he was saddened to learn of the teacher's sudden death. "I want to express the church's deep condolences to Lynda's husband and three daughters, who are all mourning her passing," he said. "Lynda was a dedicated history teacher at Methodist College." Hundreds have paid their respects and expressed their shock over the news of the popular teacher's death on social media. "This is so sad, she was my teacher for GCSE, and I ended doing a degree in history due to her enthusiasm and inspiring teaching," said Lynne Wylie. Mrs O'Kane was the form tutor and history teacher of Anne Harper, she said: "Deepest sympathy to her family." James Currie added: "As a Collegian I came across Mrs O'Kane on many occasions. While she never taught me personally I always heard good reports of her as a teacher. "As part of my Senior Prefect duties in Upper Sixth I was responsible for several tutor groups and she was one of the tutors. She was always as helpful as she could have been and she will be missed." Mrs O'Kane's funeral will take place on Friday at The Chapel of Unity at Methodist College. A death notice for the teacher said that she died suddenly at her home on August 2. It read: "Beloved wife of John and loving mother of Catherine, Claire and Cara. Lynda will be removed from her late residence on Friday, August 5 at 10am to arrive at The Chapel of Unity, Methody College, 1 Malone Road, Belfast for a service at 11am, funeral afterwards to Ballee Cemetery, 170 Toome Road, Ballymena. "Deeply regretted by her husband, daughters and entire family circle". Jet2.com has banned the early morning sale of alcohol on flights before 8am in a bid to tackle abusive and disruptive behaviour. The airline, which flies to 17 destinations from Belfast International Airport, says it is the first airline in Europe to take the step. The ground-breaking move will be introduced from Monday, August 8. The airline is calling for airports and retailers to follow its lead to trade responsibly and similarly ban alcohol sales before 8am. It also encourages industry partners to support the call for fully sealed bags for alcohol purchased in airports to prohibit the illegal consumption of personal alcohol before and during flights. Phil Ward, managing director of Jet2.com said: We have decided to follow up very quickly on my comments made last week, by taking positive action to allow the millions of customers and families who fly with us to travel with confidence and have a great experience with Jet2.com. We believe that stopping sales of alcohol before 08:00BST on our morning flights is an effective way to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable journey. We understand that were the first of the European airlines to take this bold step and call upon industry partners in airports to also trade responsibly. The announcement further supports the airline's Onboard Together campaign which aims to reduce incidents of disruptive behaviour on its flights. The initiative has seen more than 500 passengers refused travel with over 50 of these given lifetime bans since it was launched in 2015. A woman has been left "badly shaken" after being ordered out of her car by two men in the Dunluce Avenue area of Belfast. At around 2.55pm on Thursday the woman was approached by two men who told her to get out of her black VW Passat then made off in the car. A short time later a robbery was reported at commercial premises on the nearby Lisburn Road. It was reported that a large masked man entered a pharmacy armed with a suspected firearm and demanded tablets from the staff. A number of items were handed over and the men then made off from the scene in a black VW Passat in the direction of Tates Avenue. Detective Sergeant Hawthorne said: "The woman was not injured but was left badly shaken. The first male was described as approximately 58 in height, with short dark brown hair, of thin build and was wearing a dull coloured jacket. "The second male was described as around 510 in height, with short dark hair, of large build wearing a white t-shirt." Detectives from Reactive and Organised Crime believe both incidents to be linked and have appealed for anyone who witnessed either incident or who has any information to contact detectives in Musgrave on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland 19th April 2016 Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Seana McGibbon joins members of the public at a vigil in the grounds of Holy Cross Church, Ardoyne, in support of the family of taxi driver and father-of-four Michael McGibbon who was shot dead in North Belfast at the weekend. A man and a woman arrested in connection with the murder of Michael McGibbon have been released by police. Both aged 35, they were arrested in the north of the city and taken to Musgrave police station for questioning on Wednesday morning. They were later released unconditionally. Mr McGibbon, (33) died after he was shot several times in the leg in north Belfast in April. He was ordered to go to an alleyway in Ardoyne and met men who are believed to be paramilitaries. The father-of-four bled to death in the arms of his wife Joanne just yards from their family home. Dissident republicans were blamed for the killing. Several kilometres of a tributary of the River Faughan at Claudy, Co Londonderry has been contaminated with suspected silage effluent Environmental officials are trying to establish the source of a devastating pollution incident that killed more than 1,000 fish in a Northern Ireland river. Several kilometres of a tributary of the River Faughan at Claudy, Co Londonderry has been contaminated with suspected silage effluent. A range of fish species died in the polluted waters. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said officials from the Loughs Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) had been on site since the incident was first reported on Monday night trying to establish the origin of the pollution. A DAERA spokesman said: "Staff from Loughs Agency, who are leading this investigation, are working closely with NIEA to quantify the number and species of fish affected, and the cause, which is suspected to be silage effluent. "The latest available figures are that in excess of 1,000 fish of a range of species have been killed over several kilometres of river. Assessment of the fish kill is still ongoing." East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell called for an urgent investigation. "This is a major pollution tragedy on the Faughan which is a well-known salmon and trout river in the North West for anglers," said the DUP representative. "The wider implications on this major fish kill for future generations of fish stock cannot be underestimated and it is imperative that the source of the pollution is found as soon as possible to minimise further losses." Sinn Fein Assembly member Caoimhe Archibald called for tough penalties for anyone found guilty of polluting a river. "The penalties imposed for incidents such as this should be as severe as the law allows," she said. "At times the fines are not a sufficient deterrent and do not match the damage being done to the environment." Kerb painted in rainbow colours outside a bar in Belfast during the annual Pride festival The body representing psychologists in Northern Ireland has supported the campaign for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. Medical experts once recommended "aversion therapy" - which included electric shock treatment and brainwashing - in an effort to convert homosexuals. Members of the British Psychological Society in Northern Ireland today avoided attempting to change the minorities on the basis that they can be "cured". Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK or Ireland where same-sex marriage is not recognised and a campaign for change is growing. Society chair Dr Barbara McConnell said: "During Belfast Pride it is so important that we call for equality for those who feel undervalued and excluded to prevent potentially harmful impacts on our LGBT community here." She called for greater awareness of the processes involved in creating stigma and oppression within society. "The society in Northern Ireland values diversity and we must use our influence, informed by research evidence, to promote visibility and inclusion rather than reinforce stigmatising attitudes surrounding LGBT community in Northern Ireland." In the 1950s and 1960s, behavioural therapy was used to try to "cure" gay men in the UK. Those convicted of homosexual a cts were routinely given electric shock treatment, hallucinogenic drugs and subjected to brainwashing techniques. One form of treatment was aversion therapy of the kind featured in the film, A Clockwork Orange. Men were shown pictures of naked men and given electric shocks or drugs to make them vomit. Once the pain ended they were shown pictures of naked women or even taken out on "dates" with nurses. The society now believes all so-called conversion therapy is ineffective. Clinical psychologists do not view these forms of sexual preferences as 'disorders' and do not see an individual's sexual orientations as something that can or should be changed. The organisation said: "The endorsement of Love Equality, a campaign for civil marriage equality, is consistent with this affirmative practice understanding in psychology, which promotes a sense of safety and belonging, for those who identify as LGBT." Although gay people can enter into a civil partnership in Northern Ireland marriage is denied and the mainstream churches maintain that the ceremony is between a man and a woman. Although the Stormont Assembly has repeatedly refused to legislate for gay marriage a campaign has been growing to allow the practice. In 2008 former First Minister Peter Robinson's wife, Iris, created an outcry when she told the BBC homosexuality was an "abomination" and that with help, gay people could be "turned around". Earlier this week Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who is engaged to an Irish woman, endorsed the campaign for marriage equality in Northern Ireland. More than a third of internet users in Northern Ireland have taken a "digital detox" to spend more time with friends and family or pursue other interests, the communications regulator said. Hooked surfers spent almost 19 hours a week online but two-thirds cut down on use of social media use or browsing the web and half of parents limited their children's time online, according to an Ofcom report. Six in 10 neglected housework, almost half missed sleep and almost a third admitted skipping spending time with friends and family, the study showed. Ofcom Northern Ireland director Jonathan Rose said: "In search of a better tech-life balance, many people are choosing to take a bit of breathing space from the web and instead spending more time with friends and family." More people are online at home or on the move than ever before. The Ofcom report warned: "Two thirds of people have felt ignored because the person they were with was using a device. "And there is a risk of collisions too - six in 10 people in Northern Ireland have had someone bump into them because the other person was engrossed in their phone. "People don't want to put their devices down and some are spending more time online than they planned. When they do it is sleeping and housework that are neglected." According to Ofcom's Communications Market Report Northern Ireland 2016: :: Six out of 10 people felt hooked on their connected devices. :: Almost a fifth felt nervous or anxious when offline and three in 10 felt nervous without their mobiles. :: Around a third have given themselves a digital detox and a third abstained completely from the internet for some time as they thought they had been using it too much. :: Eight out of ten said the internet saved time and effort during banking and shopping. The same proportion felt more up-to-date with news and current affairs. The review added: "Six in 10 internet users in Northern Ireland say they can work more flexibly because of the internet and this is a greater proportion than the UK as a whole. "However, a fifth feel as though they are always at work as a result of this constant connectivity." The prospect of a new North-South forum on Brexit hinges on the backing of unionist parties in Northern Ireland, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has admitted. Mr Flanagan said the support of "all parties" will be required for such a body to be set up, but that a forum is not necessarily essential to the post-Brexit negotiations. "As regards the forum, I don't believe any forum is workable without the involvement and full engagement of all parties. But I do believe and certainly recognise the need for dialogue, North and South," Mr Flanagan said. Pressed on whether this means the DUP must agree in advance for such a forum to be set up, Mr Flanagan replied: "Obviously the position of the DUP is significant in the context of it being the largest party holding the most ministerial positions." His remarks put himself at odds with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin who has said he wants to see a forum established in the autumn - and that the DUP's support is not necessarily required. Reacting to the Fianna Fail leader's remarks this week, the DUP questioned the need for a new body at all. Meanwhile, on the issue of the border, Mr Flanagan said he could not elaborate on remarks by Enda Kenny in Downing Street that a virtual border could be agreed. He said these issues will only be ironed out once Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50. "On the matter of Brexit, we need to acknowledge the fact that negotiations haven't even commenced," Mr Flanagan continued. "It's going to be early next year before Theresa May formally serves the notice under Article 50 which will result in the commencement of the negotiations which may take a number of years. "It's too early to speculate on the type of detail you refer. I believe a heavily fortified EU frontier, whether it be for security and immigration on the one hand, or for trade and economic development on the other hand, I don't see it being workable. And we need to work on appropriate alternatives." Mr Flanagan yesterday discussed the fallout from Brexit with his EU counterparts. Asked whether he secured guarantees that there would be no hard border, Mr Flanagan replied: "They offered me an appreciation of the unique position of Ireland on the island of Ireland and the need to ensure that whatever shape or form that EU frontier takes, that it doesn't militate against what has been a hugely successful engagement across a range of economic and social issues," he said. Gardai investigating the Co Donegal murder of Denis Donaldson in April 2006 have arrested a man in his 40s. He is currently detained at Letterkenny Garda Station under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939. Last month, a 74-year-old man appeared in court in Dublin accused of withholding information about the murder. Mr Donaldson (55), a senior Sinn Fein official and close colleague of party president Gerry Adams, was shot dead at an isolated cottage near Glenties in Co Donegal in April 2006. The Belfast man had been living there since his exposure as an MI5 agent the previous year. In the early 2000s, Donaldson was appointed Sinn Fein's Northern Ireland Assembly group administrator in Parliament Buildings. Dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the murder, but the circumstances surrounding Mr Donaldson's outing and subsequent murder have been shrouded in mystery. A long-delayed inquest into the shooting has been adjourned almost 20 times. Gardai have repeatedly urged the coroner to postpone the probe, citing concerns it might compromise their criminal investigation. The delays have been a source of anger for Mr Donaldson's relatives. They have launched a legal action against the Irish state as a consequence. In 2014, the Garda made a mutual assistance request to a police force outside the Irish Republic in a bid to gain what it described as potentially "significant" evidential material. That material was secured in March this year. Gardai are appealing to any persons who may have information in relation to this investigation to contact them at the Incident Room at Letterkenny Garda Station at 074 9167100, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666111 or any Garda Station. New electronic border control options that would allow vehicles to cross from Northern Ireland to the Irish Republic without stopping are being explored. They are being developed by Irish Revenue officials, and informal contacts have already taken place with the UK, the Irish Independent has reported. The head of Irish Revenue's Customs division said the plan is in its early stages and could take a number of years to fully build. Anthony Buckley, deputy director general of Irish Customs with the Revenue Commissioners, said the aim is to develop a system whereby a truck can drive from one end of the island to the other without having to stop. "Even if there's a free-trade agreement (between the UK and EU), we'll still need to know what is being traded, what's crossing the border," Mr Buckley told a Brexit briefing organised by the Irish Exporters' Association (IEA). "Our design challenge is that a truck should be able to drive from Cork to Belfast or from Holyhead to Galway, without stopping. That would be the ideal, and we want to achieve that. "We're starting the design process at the moment. We've already started the scoping and we will be building, but it will take us two or three years to build." Revenue's aim is to ensure that information about a truck's load, for example, could be put into a computer on this side of the border, and then be automatically conveyed to the UK authorities. The movement of the truck could then be monitored in an eFlow-style electronic camera system similar to Dublin's M50. Customs clearance facilities would have to be provided, Revenue believes, but they don't have to be at the border. Existing tax offices in border areas may serve the purpose. But at the border itself, vehicle examination areas may be needed. Spot checks of vehicles may have to take place to combat smuggling and fraud. Denis Donaldson was shot dead at an isolated cottage near Glenties in Co Donegal Detectives investigating the murder of Denis Donaldson, a British spy inside the IRA, have arrested a man. The suspect, aged in his 40s, is being questioned at Letterkenny Garda Station, Co Donegal, about the April 2006 killing. He is being held under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. Mr Donaldson, 55, a Sinn Fein official and close colleague of party president Gerry Adams, was shot dead at an isolated cottage near Glenties in Co Donegal. Last week, an elderly man from Scotland was granted bail after he was charged with withholding information in relation to the same investigation. Another man, in his 40s, was released without charge while a file was being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr Donaldson had been living in a remote area of Donegal following his exposure as an MI5 agent a year before his death. Dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the murder in 2008 but the circumstances surrounding Mr Donaldson's outing as a British agent and subsequent assassination have long been shrouded in mystery. A long-delayed inquest into the shooting has been adjourned almost 20 times. Gardai have repeatedly urged the coroner to postpone the probe, citing concerns it might compromise their criminal investigation. In 2014, the Garda made a mutual assistance request to a police force outside the Irish Republic in a bid to gain what it described as potentially "significant" evidential material. That material was secured in March this year. Investigating gardai have reissued an appeal for anyone with information about the murder to get in contact. A private ambulance crew remove a body from Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed. The woman was killed and five people injured in a knife attack in central London late on August 3 which police said they are investigating for possible terrorist links. / AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images Police forensic officers in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. A body is removed from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. A body is driven away in a private ambulance from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. A police forensic officer at the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. Police activity at the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a woman was killed and five people injured in a mass stabbing incident. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire Police activity at the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a woman was killed and five people injured in a mass stabbing incident. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire A body is driven away in a private ambulance from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. A private ambulance crew remove a body from Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed. The woman was killed and five people injured in a knife attack in central London late on August 3 which police said they are investigating for possible terrorist links. / AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 04: A police officer guards the scene of a knife attack on August 4, 2016 in London, England. Six people were attacked by a 19 year old man with a knife at 10.30pm in Russell Square, London last night. A woman died of her injuries. The suspect was arrested at the scene and is being held at a London Hospital. Police say mental health issues are a significant factor but aren't ruling out terrorism. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Flowers are left near the scene of the knife attack in Russell Square, London. A woman died of her injuries. The suspect was arrested at the scene and is being held at a London Hospital. Police say mental health issues are a significant factor but aren't ruling out terrorism. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Police have said the suspect in the Russell Square knife attack in London, is a Norwegian national of Somalia origin and that "mental health issues" may have triggered the incident. A woman was killed and five others injured in the attack in Russell Square in central London. One man has been held on suspicion of murder. Meanwhile, a Northern Ireland man has told of his shock after he came across one of the victims of the mass knife attack in London. Pol O Geibheannaigh has lived in London for the past 12 years, he told the BBC of the moment he came across the victim. He said: "I was out, just at the cinema when we stumbled across what was a heavy police presence in Russell Square - and then we saw the body lying on the Pavement. "Which was quite disconcerting as it was not covered at the time. "Then we went for a late night drink with a friend and everyone was in shock in the bar. Then the police came in and interviewed us and at that stage we didn't know there were others injured. "At first we thought it was gang related. "There was a massive police presence - I have not seen a police presence like it since 7/7. And that just brought those memories back. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Paul O Geibheannaigh. Pic BBC screengrab A police forensics tent is placed at the scene of a knife attack on August 4, 2016 in London, England. Six people were attacked by a 19 year old man with a knife at 10.30pm in Russell Square, London. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 04: A police officer guards the scene of a knife attack on August 4, 2016 in London, England. Six people were attacked by a 19 year old man with a knife at 10.30pm in Russell Square, London last night. A woman died of her injuries. The suspect was arrested at the scene and is being held at a London Hospital. Police say mental health issues are a significant factor but aren't ruling out terrorism. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Getty Images A private ambulance crew remove a body from Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed. The woman was killed and five people injured in a knife attack in central London late on August 3 which police said they are investigating for possible terrorist links. / AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A body is driven away in a private ambulance from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. PA Police activity at the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a woman was killed and five people injured in a mass stabbing incident. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire PA Police activity at the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a woman was killed and five people injured in a mass stabbing incident. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire PA A police forensic officer at the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. PA A body is driven away in a private ambulance from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. PA A body is removed from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. PA Police forensic officers in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. A 19-year-old man has been arrested. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2016. See PA story POLICE Attack. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire. PA A private ambulance crew remove a body from Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed. The woman was killed and five people injured in a knife attack in central London late on August 3 which police said they are investigating for possible terrorist links. / AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Paul O Geibheannaigh. Pic BBC screengrab "You don't see that in central officers. There must have been 70 or 80 police officers all carrying sub machine guns." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for the public to remain "calm and vigilant" as police investigate whether a knife attack that left one woman dead and five people injured was terror-related. Mr Khan said his "heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones" after the death of the woman, who has not been identified but is believed to have been in her 60s. Two women and three men suffered "various injuries" in the incident in central London and are receiving treatment in hospital. Armed police are being deployed on the streets of London on Thursday to reassure the public who were recently warned that it was a case of "when, not if" a terrorist attack took place in Britain. Mr Khan said police were doing an "incredibly difficult job" and the safety of Londoners was his "number one priority". "I have spoken with the Commissioner, and the Assistant Commissioner, who have assured me that our police officers are working extremely hard to investigate exactly what has happened and to keep the rest of us safe. "A man was arrested at the scene. Police have spoken to him and are seeking to establish the full facts including motives for this attack. "I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police. We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected." The attack took place metres away from a floral tribute to murdered MP Jo Cox, with a sign reading "Lest London forgets Jo Cox MP for Yorkshire", and sunflowers hanging from the metal fence around the square. Tommaso Greco, 26, who works in Pret opposite the scene, said: "I am quite shocked because I used to come here every day at 5am and every day it is quiet. This morning I came, and no. "I am a little bit worried, for sure. Because it could happen to anyone. They were just in the middle of the street. And here, generally, there are a lot of people. It is a tourist area." He added that staff at the coffee shop had initially been told that it would not open today, but that the instructions later changed. The attack took place metres away from a floral tribute to murdered MP Jo Cox, with a sign reading "Lest London forgets Jo Cox MP for Yorkshire", and sunflowers hanging from the metal fence around the square. Tommaso Greco, 26, who works in Pret opposite the scene, said: "I am quite shocked because I used to come here every day at 5am and every day it is quiet. This morning I came, and no. "I am a little bit worried, for sure. Because it could happen to anyone. They were just in the middle of the street. And here, generally, there are a lot of people. It is a tourist area." He added that staff at the coffee shop had initially been told that it would not open today, but that the instructions later changed. French film-maker Sophie Toscan du Plantier who was murdered in 1996. The French authorities are set to make a fresh bid to extradite British journalist Ian Bailey for questioning over the killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier (39). Paris police are reported by the French media to have issued a fresh arrest warrant for the Manchester-born journalist who has been based in west Cork for the past 25 years. The warrant is understood to have been issued following an eight year probe conducted by the French police into the death of the mother of one. The French authorities will be going to a court shortly to lodge documentation which will in effect mean that Bailey has been charged in relating to the matter. Sophie was found battered to death on an isolated lane way to her holiday home at Toormore outside Schull in west Cork on December 23 1996. She had been beaten to death as she apparently attempted to flee from an intruder at her home. Ms du Plantier had been spending a brief holiday in Ireland at her holiday home before planning to fly back to France to spend Christmas with her family. Expand Close File photo shows Ian Bailey leaving the High Court in Dublin PA Wire/Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp File photo shows Ian Bailey leaving the High Court in Dublin Mr Bailey was arrested twice by Gardai in connection with the matter in 1997 and 1998. He was released without charge on both occasions. He has since repeatedly claimed that attempts were made to "stitch him up" for the crime. Expand Close Victim: Sophie Toscan du Plantier / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victim: Sophie Toscan du Plantier Mr Bailey has also vehemently protested his innocence. When no-one was every charged with the killing in Ireland, the French authorities - under pressure from Sophie's family and friends - launched their own probe. This was under Paris-based Magistrate Patrick Gachon and enjoyed the co-operation of the Irish authorities. Expand Close Sophie Toscan du Plantier was found beaten to death outside her holiday home near Schull in 1996 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sophie Toscan du Plantier was found beaten to death outside her holiday home near Schull in 1996 This included allowing elite French police units access to the original murder file and the ability to re-interview all the original witnesses. French police units had made multiple trips to Ireland over the past five years. Six years ago, the French issued a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) seeking the extradition of Mr Bailey to France for questioning. Mr Bailey vigorously opposed the warrant and, in a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2012, the Irish courts refused to extradite Mr Bailey. Since then, Mr Bailey sued the Irish State for wrongful arrest. He lost that action though it is currently under appeal to the Supreme Court. The French probe under Magistrate Gachon concluded earlier this year and it was widely expected that it would recommend a Paris-based trial. Mr Bailey has repeatedly predicted that the French would attempt to try him in absentia. Under France's Napoleonic law based system such trials in absentia are perfectly permissible and have taken place before. Mr Bailey and his legal team were unavailable for comment today. It is understood that Mr Bailey will again vigorously contest any French attempt to extradite him. The Manchester native has complained that his life has been rendered "a nightmare" by the ongoing French legal process. Because of the French extradition stance, he was unable to attend a family funeral in the UK two years ago amid fears the Paris police might demand that the UK police exercise the EAW. Irish Independent Yes, it was very good to see Muslims attending church in support of the murdered French priest, but before he gets too carried away perhaps Henry McDonald (Comment, August 2) should reflect that it was Ahmadiyyah Muslims who did that - not all shades of Islam. Ahmadiyyahs are considered a heretical sect by most other Muslims and are themselves persecuted, so they understand what is happening to Christians. What a pity other Muslims did not join them in their admirable stance. STELLA WILSON Tandragee, Co Armagh We cannot allow the recent brutal slaughter of a French priest to trigger religious animosity between communities. I have just returned from Nice. I lived very close to Promenade des Anglais, the place that witnessed the mass murder of innocents. One can feel palpable tension in the city. However, we must all remember that 30 of the victims were Muslims themselves and that, so far, terror organisations have murdered more Muslims than Christians, Westerners or any other minorities. Pope Francis was right to reiterate the salient fact that the world is at war, but it is not a war of religions. Wisdom must prevail. There is every need to reinvigorate and put into practice the Amman message, an illuminating script instigated by King Abdullah II of Jordan, which sought to clarify the true tenets of Islam to the entire world. It offers fertile ground for constructive interactions between people of diverse religious denominations. As we live in an unstable world, where dark forces are threatening to tear us asunder, this message becomes imperative to remind us of the common values that bind us all: compassion, mercy, equality, fairness, justice, kindness, inclusiveness and moderation. DR MUNJED FARID AL QUTOB By email Hit the road this summer with these dashcams and satnavs, which will all set you back just under 100. Polly Weeks reports. Nextbase 212, 62 from 69.99, www.halfords.com Nextbase have led the field in dashcams over the last few years and this model is another example of why they're so well respected. It has a 140 viewing angle, records in HD and, most importantly, is quite easy to set up and use. It's even easy to mount - it just slots into place thanks to the Click & Go Powered Magnetic Car Mounting system. It's also got night vision and is small enough to not get in your way. THINKWARE Dashcam X330, 99, www.thinkwaredashcam.uk Just sneaking in under the 100 limit is the new THINKWARE model. In addition to having a 140-degree viewing angle and 2.7-inch LCD screen, it's got some really excellent extras. Connect it to the GPS antenna and you'll receive updates when approaching speed cameras. It also comes with Time Lapse technology, alongside a Parking Surveillance mode. Cobra CDR 835 Drive HD Dashcam, 79.99, www.cobraelectronics.co.uk. If having a wide viewing angle is the most important factor when it comes to buying a dashcam, this is the one for you. The lens reaches 160 degrees and records in full HD. It saves to an 8GB micro SD memory card (it automatically overwrites old clips when full) and there's also a 'parking mode' to protect your car even when you're not in it. RAC 04 Plug and Play Dashcam, 59.99, www.proofcam.com In addition to getting change from 60 with this model, you'll also get a very good camera. It records in HD, has a 120-degree field of view and the 8GB Micro SD card provides plenty of space to store your clips. You can of course wipe them off easily enough, freeing up room on the card. It's easy to set up and takes just an hour to fully charge. TomTom Start 25 Full EU maps and One Year speed camera updates, 79.99, www.argos.co.uk Perhaps the biggest of the Satnav brands, if you're driving to Europe this summer, this TomTom model could be just the accessory you need. It comes with maps for all EU countries and what's more, you'll get TomTom's Lifetime European Map Updates, which means that as roads change over the years and new points of interest come along, you can keep up to date with the best routes for free. It also comes with a year's free speed camera location updates. Maplin M220 720p Dashcam, 39.99 from 49.99, www.maplin.co.uk Proving that good things come in small packages, this dinky - and cheap - dashcam ticks all the boxes. It will spring into action as soon as you turn your car on and will remain on for a few minutes after you've parked. It records to a span of 120 degrees and you get good quality video too. If required, you can easily transfer the footage onto your PC, making this a good buy if you want the security of having a dashcam, without wanting to spend extra on fancy features. Bangladeshi authorities Thursday announced the arrests of a British citizen and Canadian resident as suspects in the Dhaka cafe terrorist attack, although they earlier had denied claims from relatives that police, in fact, had arrested the pair weeks ago. Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Hasib Khan were inside the Holey Artisan Cafe during a July 1 terrorist siege that left 20 hostages dead, including 17 foreigners. They were among people taken captive there, according to early reports, but police have officially accused the two of playing a role in the attack. Back on July 14, Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Masudur Rahman said that the department had released the two men on July 8 after questioning them, and had no information on their whereabouts. However in mid-July, two other police sources told BenarNews that the authorities were holding the pair for questioning in mid-July. We [cannot] announce that they are [still] in our custody. If we declare this, we must present them before a court in the next 24 hours. But we need to interrogate them further, one of the sources told Benar then on condition of anonymity. Karim and Khan were arrested on Wednesday night from two neighborhoods in Dhaka, under Section 54 of Bangladesh criminal code which allows the police to arrest anyone on suspicion, Masudur Rahman said Thursday. As part of the evidence cited in a statement that was read out at a Dhaka court, where the two men were brought Thursday, a mobile phone app that was downloaded on Karims phone 10 minutes after the attack began, was used to send gory pictures of people who had been hacked to death inside the cafe by the terrorists. Those pictures were disseminated by Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack, authorities alleged. The court granted police an eight-day remand to interrogate Karim, a British passport holder and a former professor at North South University in Dhaka, and Khan, a student at the University of Toronto. Police had sought a 10-day remand, but Judge Nurunnahar Yasmin cut it to eight. Karims lawyer, Sanwar Hossain Samaddar, and Khans lawyer, Motiur Rahman, opposed the remand request, arguing that their clients had been in police custody for more than a month. So no more remand is needed, Samaddar told the judge. Under suspicion Amid tight security on Thursday, members of the polices counterterrorism and transnational crimes unit brought the men to court around 3 p.m. A police sub-inspector, Ronop Kumar Bhakta, read a statement alleging that Karim and Khan had suspicious roles in the attack. The prosecution described Khan as an aide to Karim. Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told BenarNews that bloody photos of the victims were sent from Karims mobile phone. Amaq, the Islamic States (IS) official news agency, ended up posting the pictures several hours before commandoes stormed the cafe on the morning of July 2, killing five militants and ending the standoff. Police claim that Karim and Khan are suspects because they were not tortured and were allowed to leave. Karims family said the attackers allowed him to go because he did not misbehave and was able to recite verses from the Quran. According to news reports, the attackers segregated non-Muslim hostages from those who could recite Quranic verses, and killed most of the ones who could not recite them. Karims family also claims that militants took his phone to post the pictures, according to media reports. Samaddar called Karim a victim of circumstance. He went to the Holey Artisan cafe to celebrate his daughters birthday. If he was involved in the killing, he would not take his wife and daughters there, Samaddar said. Attorney Motiur Rahman said Khan was innocent, and had gone to the cafe to meet friends. If police had specific proof of his complicity, they could have presented it in the court. Why should he be arrested as a suspect under section 54 if police had proof? Motiur Rahman said. Amnesty International reacts Rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI), which had questioned last month why the men were presumably being held by police, responded Thursday to the action taken in court against them. While it is a positive step that Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Khan have been produced in court and formally arrested, the Bangladeshi authorities must now ensure that their rights in detention are being met, including access to a lawyer of their choosing, their families and any medical attention they may require, The Daily Mail, a British newspaper, quoted AI as saying on Thursday. We call on the Bangladeshi authorities to charge them promptly with a recognizable crime, in line with international law and standards, or else release them. There must be justice for the victims of the horrific attack in Dhaka, but Bangladesh must ensure that human rights are now not sacrificed in the name of national security, Amnesty added. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) last month had voiced concerns about the whereabouts of the two men, who were then presumed to be in police custody. Karim and Khan have not had access to a lawyer, and the police continue to deny holding them, although they are clearly still being held by the Detective Branch. The authorities need to either charge or release them immediately, Brad Adams, HRWs Asia director, said in a statement issued July 15. Officials at the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka could not be reached for comment Thursday, but an official at the British High Commission told BenarNews on condition of anonymity that it was communicating with Bangladeshi authorities over Karims case. Jesmin Papri in Dhaka contributed to this report. ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern. neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke. Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. The Bible has been under attack in the western world for over 200 years but never more intensely than today. These attacks have taken different forms and have come from many different corners of the academic world, from philosophers, to scientists, to textual critics. In the specialized world of archaeology the attacks have increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Once a specialization filled with Bible believing individuals, the field of archaeology is now overrun with atheists and skeptics, agnostics and those committed to the destruction of the Bible as a source of true historical information. These attacks on the Bible are a part of a sweeping movement in western culture. Spearheaded by academic elitists in the university and the public educational system, the news and popular media, and the entertainment industry, these revisionists cloak themselves with supposed objectivity, purity of motives, and the superiority of science over the "uninformed", "unscientific", religious community. They regularly mock those who question their world-view and their conclusions by name-calling and the worst forms of anti-Bible and anti-Christian propaganda. They have powerfully infected the church by turning Bible believing Christians against the very Scripture which is the foundation of truth and life in this world. Instead of contending for the Bible, Christian academics, pastors, and lay-persons are making egregious accommodations to these destroyers of faith and truth. In these days of intense spiritual battle, God has called ABR to step into the gap to contend for the truth and to assist the church in this critical hour. ABR is a non-profit ministry dedicated to demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible and to give answers to questions being asked by believers and non-believers alike. We do this by using original archaeological fieldwork and research along with studies in other apologetic disciplines. We take on the bold claims of skeptics and critics. We challenge the bizarre anti-biblical propaganda that is purveyed upon the public as gospel through television and print media. We uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is God's message for the salvation of all mankind! 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, August 4, 2016 Contact: Taylor McKinnon, (801) 300-2414, tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org 'Bundy Militia' Pocket Constitution Tops Amazon Charts Amidst Trump-Khan Feud NCCS Constitution Cloaked in Recruitment Materials for Sagebrush Rebel Movement Steeped in Racism, Anti-federal Domestic Terrorism WASHINGTON Following Khazir Khans challenge to Donald Trump to read the U.S. Constitution, sales of pocket-sized versions published by the right-wing religious group National Center for Constitutional Studies (NCCS) are topping the Amazon charts. The bestseller is the same pocket Constitution waved by armed militants who staged paramilitary conflicts at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016 and in Nevada in 2014, but it is not the one used by Khazir Khan. Ammon Bundy with NCCS pocket Constitution in his shirt pocket. Photo by Gage Skidmore. This photo is available for media use. The Idaho-based NCCS opposes the separation of church and state, holds that the U.S. Constitution is based on Christian scripture, and advances a radical anti-federal agenda. The pamphlets, offered at low cost, include religious quotes from historical figures, recruitment rhetoric and links to the NCCS website that compelled a Florida Supreme Court justice in 2013 to bar its use in the states civics education programs. The NCCS says 15 million pocket Constitutions have been distributed to individuals, schools and government since 2004. W. Cleon Skousen, the founder of NCCS, was an ultra-right, anti-federal conspiracist notorious for, among other things, racist writings on slavery and African-Americans. He opposed anti-discrimination laws, unions, minimum wage and the creation of the EPA, sought to eliminate the Federal Reserve System, and advocated selling off federal public lands, including national parks. Through the NCSS and its predecessor, The Freeman Institute, Skousens radical anti-federal ideas shaped the Sagebrush rebel movement, the thinking of Cliven Bundy also notorious for racist statements about the Negro and that of other proponents of county or state seizure of federal public lands. Most notably, proponents of public-land seizure assert that the federal government lacks the authority to own federal public lands contrary to two centuries of case law. The armed militants who mounted conflicts at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in January and Nevada in 2014 frequently held up the NCCS pocket Constitution when making their claims. Cliven Bundy said of the NCCS pocket Constitution in the Los Angeles Times: Its something Ive always shared with everybody and I carry it with me all the time. Thats where I get most of my information from. Federal authorities recovered dozens of guns and assault rifles, more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition, and bomb-making materials after the Bundy-led occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. At least 16 of the occupiers have been indicted in connection with the seizure of the refuge. It's a perverse twist that Khan's powerful speech inspired so many people to buy a version of the Constitution thats a recruitment tool for a movement full of so much hate, misinformation and ignorance, said Taylor McKinnon with the Center for Biological Diversity. Download the Southern Poverty Law Centers report on the NCCS here. For Immediate Release, August 3, 2016 Contacts: Amaroq Weiss, Center for Biological Diversity, (707) 779-9613, aweiss@biologicaldiversity.org Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands, (314) 482-3746, nick@cascwild.org John Mellgren, Western Environmental Law Center, (541) 359-0990, mellgren@westernlaw.org Wildlife Agency to Kill Wolves in Northeast Washington Members of Profanity Peak Pack to Be Targeted in Ferry County OLYMPIA, Wash. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials announced late today they will kill members of the Profanity Peak pack in Ferry County. The kill order was issued following investigations concluding the wolves recently killed three calves and a cow and that three other calf deaths are probable wolf kills. All of the losses occurred on public lands grazing allotments, in territory occupied by the Profanity Peak pack. The decision was made under the guidelines of a new lethal removal protocol that was agreed to this spring by the state Wolf Advisory Group, a stakeholder group convened by the Department of Fish and Wildlife that includes agency staff and representatives from the ranching, hunting and conservation community. Teanaway wolf courtesy Western Transportation Institute. We appreciate the agencys use of nonlethal measures to try to prevent losses of both livestock and wolves, and are glad to hear the ranchers in question have been working cooperatively with the state, but we are deeply saddened that wolves are going to die, said Amaroq Weiss, West Coast wolf organizer at the Center for Biological Diversity. We are not part of the advisory group but have made clear to the group that we dont support the killing of the publics wildlife on public lands. According to the protocol agreed to by the advisory group, lethal removal of wolves is considered after four confirmed depredations in one calendar year, or six confirmed depredations in two calendar years. The protocol also requires that the affected ranchers have employed sanitation measures to avoid attracting wolves to livestock carcasses and have tried at least one proactive measure to deter conflicts with wolves at the time the livestock losses took place. Its tragic to see wolves killed, and I hope we continue to see growing wolf populations in Washington despite the yearly culling that inevitably takes place, said Nick Cady, legal director at Cascadia Wildlands. I do not believe it makes sense to spend taxpayer dollars to kill wolves in remote roadless areas on public lands. The decision to kill wolves is always a sad event, and one that should not be taken lightly said John Mellgren, staff attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. But it is even harder to stomach when that decision relates to wolves on our publicly owned lands. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Cascadia Wildlands educates, agitates, and inspires a movement to protect and restore Cascadia's wild ecosystems. We envision vast old-growth forests, rivers full of salmon, wolves howling in the backcountry, and vibrant communities sustained by the unique landscapes of the Cascadia Bioregion. We like it wild. Join us at: www.cascwild.org The Western Environmental Law Center is a public interest nonprofit law firm. WELC combines legal skills with sound conservation biology and environmental science to address major environmental issues throughout the West. WELC does not charge clients and partners for services, but relies instead on charitable gifts from individuals, families, and foundations to accomplish its mission. www.westernlaw.org Etisalat, in partnership with O.A. Bella Resources, has empowered 100 individuals with basic life skills and basic equipment to help them maximise their potential, through the establishment of start-up businesses. Etisalat empowers entrepreneurs The beneficiaries were pulled from six communities in four states in the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria. These include Oromeruezimgbu, Rumuokuta and Awalama Communities in Rivers State; Yenizuegene Community in Bayelsa State; Usogun community in Auchi, Edo State; and Uburu community in Ebonyi state. Speaking during the presentation of certificates of participation and starter packs to the beneficiaries, head: government and community relations, Mohammed Suleh-Yusuf said the Community Skills Set Programme is tailored towards creating entrepreneurs and setting up community-based enterprises in the beneficiary states. Etisalat believes in building sustainable societies and empowering communities which is what we are doing with the Community Skills Set Programme. We are complementing the vision of the respective states to empower their youth to become self-reliant and socially responsible entrepreneurs who will in turn set up community-based enterprises, he said. Also speaking, Francis Wokoma, whose organisation E.O. Bella Resources conducted the training, described the initiative as heart-lifting and a timely intervention that will guarantee a future for the beneficiaries, particularly in the face of instability and rising unemployment rate across the country. One of the beneficiaries, Amaka Amadi from Rumuokuta community in Rivers State also spoke about the impacts of the initiative on her, describing it as an eye-opener. I believe in creating useful things my hands and not carrying my certificates about looking for someone to employ me. I do not know how others see opportunities, but when I am given one, I take it a step higher. I have been trained in soap and floor cleaner making, and I will do more research on soap and cream making. I have been given some useful tips which I want to build on, and I am really grateful for that. Nigerias youth unemployment rate is put at 38% according to a recent World Bank statistics. However, there are arguments that the figure realistically is 80% with secondary leavers mostly found among unemployed rural population accounting for about half of this figure. In order to stand out from the rest, brands have introduced programmes that reward customer loyalty. Statistics have shown that increasing customer loyalty by just 5% could lead to an increase in the average profit per customer 25-100%. However, while this tactic has worked in the past, consumers overall engagement in traditional loyalty programmes has declined, forcing brands to refocus their loyalty programmes in order to compete effectively. According to an infographic, put together by customer analytics guru Invesp, retailers believe that a loyalty programme is the best way for brands to connect with customers today; unlike in the past when saving money was the main drawcard for consumers. Customers love to feel valued. Feeling as if you are part of the bigger picture and valued for your investment in a brands success, is one way to make sure you go back for more. While it is starting to become clear that customers have much to benefit from loyalty programmes, so do brands. The infographic has also shown that 49% of customers say that they are willing to spend more money on a brand if they have signed up for a loyalty programme possibly because they are getting something in return. If customers are spending more and recommending the brand to more people, profits are sure to increase steadily. Building a lasting connection Customer lifetime value (CLV) is the net profit attributed to the relationship a brand maintains with a customer. This measures how valuable customers are to you now and how valuable interactions with them will be in the future. Studies have shown that a loyalty programme can help increase this value relationship with customers. It is clear that brands need to do much more than simply throw money at traditional advertising. They need to be clever about their targeting and encourage customers to build a long-term bond with them. By giving them a reason to come back time and time again, brands have the ability to build brand ambassadors out of their customer base. Moreover, those ambassadors will then go out, spread the message of the loyalty benefits, and convert more strangers into leads. At our company, we are passionate about rewarding loyalty and giving back to those who help us grow into the brand we want to be. While it is a work in progress, we are confident that our dedication to rewarding travellers for being loyal to us will help us take our brand to the next level. Shareholders in unlisted liquor group KWV Holdings will not taste a rich special dividend anytime soon. At a meeting on Friday, shareholders approved proposals to sell KWVs operating assets to international businessman Vivian Imermans Vasari group for R1.15bn. Former stockbroker Greg Blank, shareholder activist Chris Logan and former KWV CEO Thys Loubser were some of the shareholders who congratulated the executives on a good deal. Blank noted: "You negotiated very well I think you guys extricated full value (for the operating assets)." But KWV directors made it clear it would be some time before any decision was made on deploying the transaction proceeds, which involve a staggered settlement over three years. If the Vasari deal is concluded, KWV will hold a net asset value of about R20 per share, which will be underpinned by R17 per share in cash. Shareholders at the meeting were keen to know how KWV which is controlled by Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) subsidiary Niveus would unlock value for shareholders. KWV and Niveus CEO Andre van der Veen said there were two options: distribute the cash or look at new investment alternatives to deploy the cash. "The consensus is that the management team take its time to assess its options. We have a track record of creating value for shareholders. If we find nothing to invest in, then it will be detrimental to hold the cash, and we will distribute." Van der Veen, however, indicated the company would look at creating a mechanism where shareholders could exit the company. This could involve the company buying back shares. He said the remaining assets in KWV included the La Concorde head office and leisure property, Laborie. "There could be a push to maximise the value of these properties. Real estate in Paarl is getting more valuable, and we do have undeveloped land," Van der Veen said. Such a move would fit in with a recent strategic thrust into property development at HCI. Logan suggested KWV launch a share buy-back at R16 per share, arguing this would enhance value for shareholders who wanted to remain invested in the company. KWV chairman Marcel Golding said that, while this was possible, it might be premature. "We cant build a bridge before weve even got to the river we have to get the cash first." Poultry group Country Bird Holdings (CBH) has dug its claws deeper into rival Sovereign Food Investments following a sizeable block trade on the JSE on Friday. CBH CEO Marthinus Stander confirmed that the company had pushed its stake in Eastern Cape-based Sovereign from about 17.7% to more than 25%. The move should add considerable spice to Sovereigns annual general meeting, which is being held in Port Elizabeth today. It appears that smaller investment boutiques and individual investors opted to sell out to CBH at about 875c/share. CBH has tabled a takeover bid for Sovereign at 900c/share. But so far, three of Sovereigns biggest shareholders Prudential, Old Mutual and Sanlam have not indicated support for the bid. RECM and Calibre, which owns more than 11% of Sovereign, signalled last week it would not accept CBHs bid and reiterated its confidence in managements ability to deliver good longer-term returns. The big four shareholders support Sovereigns controversial empowerment proposals that would see Sovereigns senior management participate in the new black economic empowerment structure. Sovereign shareholders were due to vote on the empowerment transaction last week, but the meeting was adjourned until mid-October to give shareholders time to mull the CBH offer. The deal may now be at risk as CBH would hold enough shares to block the transaction at the forthcoming meeting. But last week, Sovereign indicated it had received further backing for the empowerment transaction, claiming irrevocable support for the deal now amounted to more than 75% of the offer shares. CBHs takeover offer is conditional on the empowerment deal not being implemented and on it being able to secure a 50% stake in Sovereign. For the first time since 2004, South Africa has imported white maize from the United States. In mid-April, SA imported 1,330 tons of white maize from the US. In the marketing year ending 30 April 2016, South Africa already imported over 70,000 tonnes of white maize from Mexico and Zambia, according to South African Grain Information Service (SAGIS) data. White maize is the staple source of calories in South Africa where yellow maize is traditionally used to feed animals. Industry sources estimate imports of over a million tonnes of this variety of the grain in the coming marketing season between May and April next year after the domestic crop was scorched by drought. South Africa, which is a net exporter of agricultural products, last year experienced the lowest rainfall since records started in 1904, damaging crops and raising prices. Zambia and other countries in the region have also been hit by drought and so will not be able to export enough white maize to meet South Africa's needs. That leaves Mexico and the United States as the main sources of the grain. The countrys grain buyers will work to source more non-genetically modified white corn from the US and Mexico in the next few months to supplement domestic demand, which is forecast at about 1.1 million tons through April 2017, says Wandile Sihlobo, economist with Grain SA. While the price of corn in the US, the biggest producer, has more than halved from a record in 2012 because of a glut in supply, the cost of the white variety of the grain produced in South Africa has more than doubled since the start of last year because of the drought. Africa is endowed with immense fertile soils and good climatic conditions. It boasts of huge chunks of unexploited arable land, presenting it opportunities to become a food basket for the world. Radim Z via Wikimedia Commons Despite this, malnutrition and hunger are common, with some countries on the continent having to depend on food handouts to feed their starving populations. All this could, however, change with the commitment from African leaders and financial institutions to extend more funding to agriculture. Though African leaders committed to increasing agriculture funding to at least 10 percent of national budgets as per the 2003 Maputo Declaration on agriculture and food security, the majority are yet to fulfill the pledge. Poor infrastructure and bias toward the sector have also conspired to scare away private sector players from investing in agriculture. Banks see farming as risky, explaining why only about 5 percent of those involved in farming on the continent access loans, which has affected the sector's performance and growth. Therefore, the continent needs to act now and adopt more proactive approaches, research, and modern farming practices. There is also need to provide access to targeted funding by governments and banks, especially to farmer cooperatives and large-scale farmers. Private sector participation is crucial for services like tailor-made agro-insurance products and large-scale farming initiatives to spur production. On top of that, more funds need to be committed to research to assure a steady supply of high-yielding varieties, and provision of new farming innovations and interventions. With the weather patterns becoming unpredictable because of climate change, it is essential to embrace smart agricultural practices, like irrigation and application of fertilisers. Agriculture should also be promoted as a business, with governments encouraging the youth to engage in the sector. Such initiatives will help make farming sustainable, enabling the continent to feed its population, including the extra two billion people Africa is expected to add by 2050. This will require some sacrifices, forging of partnerships between the public and private sector, as well as promoting modern farming methods. The 6th annual South African architecture conference, ArchitectureZA (AZA16), presented by the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) and hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), will take place at the university from 1 - 3 September 2016. AZA16 is a three-day architecture and design festival, showcasing six international speakers and over 20 local speakers, tour guides and workshop leaders. The festival delves into the theme of SCALE, how it transcends professions, and the endless array of interpretations it manifests. AZA16 will be shaped around its communities of architect and design delegates, and extend outwards from the Wits campus into various locations in neighbouring Braamfontein. Delegates can expect a stellar line-up of expert speakers such as AECOMs Director of Technical Practice, Dale Sinclair; Founder of UrbanWorks, Thiresh Govender; and Collaborate000 founder, Clara da Cruz Almeida. The growing list of speakers can be viewed here. For more information on the conference, visit: architectureza.org/ An affidavit filed by the SABC in response to a ruling by the Labour Court regarding the dismissal of journalists has been labelled as vague and unconvincing. The broadcaster filed an affidavit on Tuesday ahead of a deadline set by the court for Sebolelo Ditlhakanyane and Simon Tebele to explain why they should not be held personally responsible for the cost of the Labour Court action taken by trade union Solidarity to get four journalists reinstated. The court ruled the affidavit should be submitted by 2 August. The journalists were fired in July for protesting against a ban on the reporting of violent protests, and the Labour Court ordered them to be reinstated. Anton van der Bijl, head of Solidarity's Centre for Fair Labour Practices, said it was stated in the affidavits that Tebele made the decision to dismiss the journalists but no clear explanation was given as to why the decision was made. "Instead of putting direct and pertinent evidence before court, the sworn affidavits only contain very vague assertions," he said. A source close to the case, who declined to be named, said the affidavit was unconvincing and palpably failed to tackle the central issue, which was to go ahead and dismiss the journalists at a time that there was a case before the Labour Court seeking their reinstatement. SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago declined to comment on the Solidarity statement, saying the court had requested the two managers to supply the information and not Solidarity, so he would not respond to their views on the affidavit. Source: Business Day via I-Net Bridge Driven by an increase in the number of foreign visitors to the African continent, South Africa's hotel industry is set for steady growth in the next five years. "Although the South African economy has weakened considerably, the overall outlook for hotels in South Africa is expected to remain positive,"says Pietro Calicchio, Industry leader of Hospitality & Gambling, PwC Southern Africa. davidlee770924 via pixabay According to PwCs 6th edition Hotels Outlook 2016 2020, revenue from hotel room accommodation in South Africa rose 8.1% in 2015 to R14.2 billion, reflecting an increase in stay unit nights and a 6.5% rise in the average room rate. Overall, hotel room revenue is projected to expand at a 7.8% compound annual rate to R20.6 billion in 2020. PwCs report features information about hotel accommodation in South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya, and Tanzania. Visa regulations The devaluation of the rand and the relaxation of certain visa regulations has had a positive impact on the tourism industry in South Africa, making the country a more attractive tourism destination. This has also had a positive impact on the number of foreign visitors to South Africa over the past six months, says Calicchio. The new visa regulations had a sharp impact on the South African tourism industry. After growing at an 8% compound annual rate between 2009 and 2013, the number of foreign overnight visitors rose only 0.2% in 2014 before falling 6.8% in 2015 the biggest decline in six years, according to official statistics. China had the largest decrease of 46% in 2014, while the decrease from India was 23.5%. Visits from China edged up 2.2% in 2015, but remained 45% lower than the peak in 2013, while visits from India fell an additional 8.5% in 2015 for a cumulative 30% decline over the past two years. A key factor cited as contributing to the decline was the requirement that foreign travellers appear in person at South African embassies to have their biometric information taken. However, some countries such as India, Russia and China have very few South African visa processing centres. In October 2015, some of these regulations were eased and the Department of Home Affairs is considering introducing further amendments. Source of visitors Overall, in 2015 there was a decline in the number of foreign travellers to South Africa from every region except the Middle East and North Africa. Of non-African countries, the UK is still the largest source of visitors to South Africa at 407 486 in 2015, an increase of 1.4%. It was one of the few countries from where visitors increased in 2015, but that gain did not offset the overall 6.8% decline from 2014. Visits from the US dipped below 300,000 in 2015, down 3.9% from 2014. Germany was down 6.5% in 2015, while Australia fell 10.8%. Of African countries, the largest numbers of foreign visitors to South Africa in 2015 came from Zimbabwe (2.1 million), followed by Lesotho (1.5 million) and Mozambique (1.3 million) but all were lower than in 2014. On a more positive note, the number of monthly overnight tourist visitors to South Africa started picking up towards the end of 2015 and rose above the one million mark for the first time in January 2016, with international visitor numbers up by 16.8% for the months of January to April 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015. Visitor numbers from Europe have increased by 13.6%, China 38.0% and North America 16.4% through to April 2016 when compared to the first four months of 2015. For 2016 as a whole, a 12.4% increase in foreign visitors is anticipated. Hotel accommodation: South Africa Nigeria Mauritius Kenya - Tanzania The number of hotel rooms planned in Africa has increased from prior years in the wake of a number of developments across the continent. Overall, room revenue in South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya and Tanzania rose 6.7% in 2015, the largest gain since 2011. Tanzania had the largest increase with a 14.4% gain, the result of a large increase in the average room rate that offset a drop in stay unit nights. It is promising to see a growing number of new hotels that are planned for the South African market over the next five years. We are forecasting an additional 2,600 hotel rooms to be added over the next five years, says Calicchio. We forecast that hotel room revenue will grow by 11.9% in 2016 to R15.8 billion. The interest in new hotel developments in Cape Town reflects its strong growth rates and its appeal as a tourist attraction. Five-star hotels had the highest occupancy rates in the market at 79.5% in 2015, up from 70.7% in 2014 as stay unit nights increased by 12.5%. The hotel sector in Mauritius experienced an increase in stay unit nights in 2015, but a drop in the average room rate that resulted in a 6.7% increase in room revenue. Nigerias long-term prospects for the hospitality sector remain positive, though the impact of its current weaker economy is likely to reflect in near-term hotel performance. Kenyas economic growth has been strong and a number of initiatives have contributed to a recent increase in the tourism industry. South Africa: The Outlook (2016 2020) With occupancy rates and visitor numbers on the rise, there is renewed activity in the hotel sector. There are a number of major hotels expected to open in the next five years and several others in the planning stage. The number of available hotel rooms is projected to rise at a 0.8% compound annual rate to 63,700 in 2020 from 61,100 in 2015. Stay unit nights are expected to increase at a 1.9% compound annual rate to 14.6 million in 2020 from 13.3 million in 2015. With stay unit nights growing faster than room supply, the occupancy rate for hotels is forecast to rise from 59.6% in 2015 to 62.6% in 2020. Nigeria Mauritius Kenya Tanzania: The Outlook (2016 2020) The hotel market in Nigeria has not fared as well as South Africa with stay unit nights dropping 12% and room revenue down by 3.6% over the past two years. There are a number of new hotels planned or under construction and we forecast an additional 4,700 rooms to be added in Nigeria during the next five years. Hotel room revenue is expected to grow to US$ 507 million in 2020 from the US$321 million achieved in 2015, due to increases in both stay unit nights and average room rates. The number of tourist arrivals to Mauritius increased by 10.9% in 2015, the largest increase during the past five years. The number of available hotel rooms is expected to increase at a 2.8% compound annual rate, rising to 15,600 in 2020 with hotel room revenue forecast to grow at a 10.6% compound annual rate to Euro 920 million in 2020. Kenyas hotel market is recovering, with growth being achieved for the first time in four years due to an increase in the average room rate even though stay units fell 2.8% in 2015. Revenue is projected to grow at 6.1% compounded annually to 2020. Tanzanias hotel room revenue amounted to US$222 million in 2015 and is expected to grow by 10.8% compounded annually to US$371 million in 2020. The hotel market in each country is affected by both the local and global economy, with some countries being more dependent on foreign visitors than others. The growth forecast is, therefore, dependent on how well both the local and global economy performs and grows over the next five years. The tourism industry continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors of Africas economy. In spite of recent challenges, including the change in visa regulations in South Africa and the contraction of the global economy, the sector has significant potential to create jobs and uplift inclusive economic growth across the continent, concludes Calicchio. The impact of recent terror attacks in Europe on the international travel industry has been small, but measurable. The monthly Trans-Atlantic report from Donald N. Martin Company, Inc. sites a 0.5% decline in trans-Atlantic travel in June, continuing this year's trend of depressed growth. Unsplash via pixabay The low growth in Trans-Atlantic European traffic is in contrast to the US Department of Commerce numbers, which cite a 7.63% increase year over year through March with Europe remaining the most popular overseas destination for US travelers, a sign that at least for North American travellers, concerns about terrorist attacks dont seem to be a major deterrent from planning or taking trips to Europe. Scott McCartney credited a strong dollar and cheaper airline tickets as the driving forces that were overpowering terrorism fears in a recent Wall Street Journal article, but the latest series of attacks including the attack in Nice and at the Ataturk Airport may test the industry in new ways. The resiliency of the travel industry tested A recent Fox News article cites a study from the World Travel and Tourism Council, which claims that the tourism industry can usually recover from the impact of a terror attack within 13 months. The council, a London-based industry trade group, put this figure in context by citing that the tourism industry usually takes longer to recover from disease (21 months), environmental disaster (24 months) and political unrest (27 months) than from acts of terror. Yeganeh Morakabati, an associate professor at Bournemouth University, said that the travel industry is resilient and that people generally have fairly short memories when it comes to planning travel. As long as the attacks are once-off, the impact tends to be small. This is what we have seen in the past, she said. While the recent attacks in Europe have come in different locations, its difficult to classify them as one-off attacks and the fear for those in the travel industry is that the cumulative impact of these terror attacks may be significant. The impact of terrorism on the tourism industry can indeed be significant depending upon the scale and nature of the attack. Following the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, for example, a sharp and immediate decline in arrivals to the United States was observed, and the number of foreign visitor arrivals to the US did not return to pre-9/11 levels until 2007. Only time will tell if the recent flurry of terror attacks in Europe, unprecedented in their frequency, will have a similar and long-lasting impact on the European travel industry, but polling by YouGov suggests that it will not. The impulse to resist terror: most travellers undeterred A recent YouGov poll of high-income travellers (defined as US adults with $100,000 or more in annual household income) cites that 62% of those polled have not made any changes to their international travel plans in the wake of recent attacks, despite the fact that 54% of those polled dont feel safe traveling overseas right now. High-income travelers remain resilient in the face of terrorism, with 69% of those polled saying that placing self-restrictions on my plans is the equivalent of letting terrorists dictate how I live my life. Only 7% of high-earning travellers polled have cancelled a booked trip in response to the recent terror attacks. YouGovs data indicates that 10% of all travellers polled have canceled their plans as a result of terrorist fears. Cara David, managing partner at YouGov, summed up the survey results by saying the desire to travel is strong The fact is, people are standing up for what they want, and that is reflective of their independent spirit. As for the impact on business travellers, in the short term, you can expect to book airfare for reduced rates as many airlines slash prices to keep people flying. Tourism in Mpumalanga has seen a decline in the past few years, reportedly falling from second to fourth place on the list of SA's most visited provinces, with around 1, 2 million foreign arrivals reported in 2013 (the most recently available statistics). On the bright side, domestic tourism appears to be picking up. On the road Mpumalanga Bringing in an estimated R10 billion a year, tourism is a vital part of the provinces economy (as it is for South Africa as a whole). Hence the importance of TOMSA, a tourism levy collected by participating tourism establishments, which goes towards the marketing of destination South Africa. TOMSA is currently partnering with the Sunday Times Finders Keepers competition, which offers readers the chance to win R1 million and simultaneously sets out to encourage domestic tourism. The TOMSA Sunday Times Finders Keepers team recently reached Mpumalanga, where they set out to highlight some of the provinces many attractions. The team was particularly taken with the Sudwala Dinosaur Park, where visitors can encounter various species of dinosaurs roaming amid the verdant bush. (Theyre replicas, of course). This park can be found alongside the Sudwala Caves, another of the regions popular attractions. Dinosaurs of Mpumlanga The team also visited the Blyde River Canyon, "Three Rondawels" and Gods Window. While these places are already famed for their spectacular views, plans are underway to further leverage these attractions through the creation of three flagship projects in the Blyde River Canyon nature reserve a skywalk, which will allow visitors to walk on a glass cantilevered structure out over the Blyde River Canyon, with a vertiginous drop below them as well as a cableway and hotel. The teams road trip also took in sections of the spectacular Panorama Route, famous for the lovely Lisbon, Berlin, and Mac Mac waterfalls. Blyde River Canyon The team also took a game drive in the Kruger National Park, where a skilful guide led them to all of the big five. The Kruger National Park attracts an estimated one million visitors a year, making it one of the worlds most-visited parks. The Kaapsehoop horses, on the other hand, are not so well known, yet they draw visitors keen to catch a glimpse of the wild horses, whose origins are shrouded in mystery. One theory holds that they escaped from a travelling circus bus that crashed in the mid-1800s. Another theory is that they were abandoned cavalry horses from deceased soldiers in the Battle of Delville Wood in 1916. Horses of Kaapsehoop Mpumalanga is also famous as the home of Percy Fitzpatricks Jock of the Bushveld, with many attractions dedicated to one of the worlds most famous dogs. The team, therefore, included a visit to his statue in the old gold mining town of Barberton. And theres another reason to head to this area: Barberton is surrounded by some of the oldest mountains on earth, said to date back around 3.5 million years. For this reason, the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains of the Barberton Greenstone Belt have been included on the tentative list for UNESCOs World Heritage Site status. The geo trail that snakes through this area is a must-see for anyone interested in peering through the ancient mists of time. Eating on the run at Stefano's During their whirlwind visit, the TOMSA/Sunday Times Finders Keepers team stayed at a number of excellent establishments: Forever Resorts Blyde River, Sabi River Sun Resort, Town Lodge Mbombela and Protea Hotel Malaga. All of these great hotels are contributing to the marketing of destination SA, and therefore to the stimulation of local tourism and the local economy. They are excellent points from which to explore a region celebrated for its scenic beauty, wildlife, waterfalls - and even its dinosaurs. The power of the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect us to everyday objects and allow them to send and receive data has the potential to change the way we buy, sell, manage and service goods and commodities. However, for this to have a real impact on the way you do business, you need to go back to the drawing board and incorporate IoT innovation in your business model from the start. Moving from a hardware first to a software first mindset There has been a legacy of businesses focusing on hardware first, and of bigger businesses outsourcing various aspects of their products and services. The result is a functioning product that does what its meant to, but without the business functionality to monitor usage or have any further input in the customers experience. The same businesses are beginning to see the benefits of including an IoT component into their products. For example, imagine operating an office automation business and being able to monitor toner usage in your customers devices so that you can deliver new cartridges before the customer even knows they need to be replaced. Or you may own a lighting company and thanks to real-time data monitoring, you may be able to find a problem and redevelop a lightbulb that many of your customers have been having trouble with. It changes the nature of your business from being purely a manufacturer or distributor, to being able to take responsibility for the full customer experience. However, a lot of existing companies are trying to retrofit IoT technology into their products to take advantage of these benefits and, quite simply, because they need to in order to stay relevant. The problem with this is that if you have been in business for several years, your business model has probably been devised around the way you sell and service your products. Simply plugging IoT into your existing model is going to be difficult. Thats where newer or more innovative companies have an advantage. Many of them are starting with a blank canvas and designing products with software and service at their core focus. Tesla Motors embodies this way of thinking. The company designed its whole business around its car, in a ground-up approach. Tesla is in control of its entire ecosystem, from manufacturing through to aftersales service because IoT technology was part of its business model from the beginning. Its a prime example of using IoT to take control of customer experience at every touchpoint, and making these customers lives as simple as possible by choosing to use this product. Improved customer service and deeper insights This highlights one of the two main advantages of incorporating IoT into your business: the positive impact it has on customer service. Its a relatively easy way of looking after your customers by monitoring their usage of your product and then stepping in with assistance before they have to reach out to you. The knock-on effect of this is creating customer loyalty to your brand. This creates a proactive approach as opposed to our current reactive nature in business. Beyond customer service, IoT can also be a useful tool for you to monitor and manage customer data and gain insights from this data. Alarm companies have been monitoring our homes using a form of IoT technology for years, and they have the potential to take this further by incorporating data collection, storage and analysis to develop a picture of how many houses are being broken into in each suburb. Although they are currently doing it, the incorporation of an IoT platform, allows them much more insight into the data they are able to collect. They then have the opportunity to work on their product offering and security strategies, to address this. Companies involved in water management and electricity management are also ideally placed to take advantage of IoT. In South Africa, the City of Johannesburg has already rolled out approximately 92,000 smart meters and plans to deploy another 250,000 by the end of 2016. This can give the municipality important information about energy consumption in the area and per household and the more broadly this is rolled out, the more information there is for the government to make decisions about energy regulations within the country. Apart from that, its also a useful tool for consumers to monitor their own energy consumption and manage it more effectively to cut costs. Its already fairly common to have an app on your phone linking to your circuit board to turn off circuits that arent being used. And there is the potential to develop a similar system to manage water consumption too. Addressing real, relevant problems This shows that IoT innovation is not only a nice to have for improving customer service and consumer experience, but actually addresses real and relevant problems within the South African landscape. The good news is that we have a lot of young, innovative talent in the country ready to help us ride the IoT wave by developing new technology and looking at how to transform existing business models to incorporate it. The technology on the back-end is ready to roll. All you need to do now is start thinking beyond your existing business model and put IoT software and services at the centre of your business model. Were not far away from making this connected world a reality so the time is now to start innovating to make sure youre riding the wave rather than being washed away. South African Airways (SAA), which must negotiate new aircraft leases for a part of its fleet as these expire soon, has called for bids from locally based leasing companies only, saying that preference will be given to bidders that are 51% black-owned. Most aircraft-leasing companies are large international operations, usually linked to large international banks. There is only one established black-owned aircraft-leasing company in operation, Global Airways, which has a limited fleet. The bid documents suggest that bidders who do not meet the ownership or other transformation criteria can form joint ventures with small or medium black-owned enterprises. This will mean that financiers wishing to bid will need to form joint ventures with partners who are new to the business. Other criteria that will carry additional weight in the adjudication are companies that are woman- or youth-owned; companies located in rural areas; and companies owned by military veterans. The bid document is reminiscent of attempts by SAA in 2015 to renegotiate a lease agreement with Airbus to bring in "an African leasing company" as a middleman into the transaction. The Treasury refused to give permission for the change, which it said was expensive and risky. The aircraft in question are six 737s whose leases expire in the next six to 18 months. SAA says it plans to replace these aircraft with SA-based leasing companies for A320s. Procurement policies SAA has previously been in trouble with the Treasury over its procurement policies for adding criteria for awarding tenders that are not in line with government policy. The existing Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act allows for a maximum 10% weighting for black empowerment and does not permit nonprice criteria other than empowerment to be used in scoring. But the leaderships of many state-owned enterprises are frustrated by the regulations, which they feel do not go far enough to encourage the transformation of the economy. The result is that they have increasingly made up their own rules, setting preselection criteria that disqualify certain bidders before the tender evaluation takes place. Spokesman Tlali Tlali said SAA was confident the request for proposals (RFP) was compliant with the procurement regulatory framework. Companies that do not have majority black ownership would not be excluded from bidding, he said. SAA has been developing its supplier database through engagements with black-owned businesses. Asked whether the RFP was compliant, the Treasury referred Business Day to the Preferential Procurement Framework Act. Source: Business Day Following the elections on 3 August 2016, Times Media will be hosting 'Business Day Dialogues: The Hangover fired up by Nando's - what the election results really mean' on Thursday 11 August at the Wits Business School. At the breakfast gathering, a panel of leading political analysts will discuss: What the 2016 election results mean for the future of South Africas democracy The challenges and opportunities facing a country that has had little experience with political coalitions and their impact on policymaking How all of the above stands to affect the countrys tentative economy Justice Malala, one of South Africas most respected and experienced political commentators, along with Peter Bruce, editor-in-chief of BDFM (which owns Business Day, BDlive, the Financial Mail and Business Day TV) will sit alongside the panel, facilitated by Jeremy Maggs. Maggs is co-presenter of the flagship evening current affairs programme News Night on eNCA, presents a daily current affairs show Power 98.7FM and is a regular columnist for the Financial Mail. Business Day editor, Tim Cohen, says, We need a morning like this to help South Africans make headway through the political clutter giving an insight into what potentially lies ahead for each of us. We have rounded up who we believe to be the best, most informed, and most credible voices to shed light on the way the nation voted, and we are excited about the debate that will be stimulated. The partnership with Nandos is an interesting match, with the brand often airing its (mostly irreverent and humorous) commentary on the social and political machinations taking place in South Africa. Doug Place, chief marketing officer for Nandos says, The brand believes in creating conversation and reducing tension. This happens when you eat a delicious meal in our restaurants; see our advertising that uses humour as a mechanism for creating conversation and reducing tension; and by our sponsorship of the event. We are known for our courage and believe this is a courageous event that will encourage debate around pressing social, economic and political issues. To book, click here or contact Claire Schimper at az.oc.aidemsemit@crepmihcs or +27 (0) 11 280 3530. Local rock artist, Dan Patlansky returns to South Africa for his Guitar Weekend in Clarens from 19-21 August after having launched his latest studio album, 'Introvertigo', in Europe. Patlansky performed 26 shows in Germany, Netherlands and the UK over May and June. Patlanksy recently received a nomination from the British Blues Awards for best 'Overseas Artist'. This adds to his long list of accolades he has received in international press such as being voted #4 of the Best Rock Guitarists In The World by Total Guitar Magazine (December 2015), Male Artist of the Year by Blues & Soul Magazine (December 2015) and Top 20 Rock Artists by Blues Magazine (December 2015). Dan was also nominated for 'Best International Solo Artist' at the Planet Rock Radio 'Rocks' Awards in February 2016. "Dan Patlansky's really something he delivers every time." - Joe Satriani. Patlanskys Guitar Weekend in Clarens, presented by Fender and Mix 93.8 FM, will consist of three days of guitar workshops. All skills levels are welcome. Patlansky will then return to Europe in late August for performances in Germany, Slovakia, Hungary and Denmark. Ticket details (spaces are limited) Price: R3,850 More info / bookings: moc.liamg@sdnekeewratiugpd www.danpatlansky.com MILAN: Italian sportscar maker Ferrari said on Tuesday it was headed for a record net profit this year after posting its best-ever quarterly results. "A record second quarter, on the way to another record year," the luxury automaker said in a brief statement. jingoba via Pixabay Net profit grew 29 percent in the three months to June to 97 million euros ($88.6 million) on sales of 811 million euros, up 5.9 percent. The results beat forecasts by analysts who had been looking for net profit of 85 million euros and sales of 785 million, according to consensus data compiled by Factset. Ferrari delivered 2,214 cars in the second quarter, up eight percent from the year-earlier period. Unit sales to China alone rose by 26 percent, to 160. Ferrari is now looking to sell more than 8,000 vehicles over the full year and to generate sales of more than three billion euros. Ferrari shares, which had been trading lower in Milan ahead of the announcement, were up 1.7 percent at 41.17 euros in late afternoon, bucking a sharply weaker overall market trend. Source: AFP #WomensMonth: Kriya Gangiah and staying true to yourself Kriya Gangiah is an MC, DJ, brand ambassador, actress, television presenter and digital leader. She's a busy lady, and has made a name for herself in all areas of the media industry. She is currently a DJ on Jacaranda FM and a presenter for Mela, which airs every Sunday on SABC 3. She manages to balance a fast-paced lifestyle and believes in being yourself in the media industry. Give us some background about yourself, and how you got into the role you're in now? Give us some background about yourself, and how you got into the role you're in now? Gangiah: In 2007 I got my first break as a radio presenter on TuksFM. From there, I moved to ETVs Craz-E in 2009 and started a show at Highveld Stereo before moving to Ballz Visual Radio where I was a producer and a presenter on The Business alongside Ian F. After a year with Ballz I moved to Jacaranda FM where I am currently a DJ and digital leader at Kagiso Media for Jacaranda FM and Zalebs. In between all that, I get whisked away to various locations around the country and abroad to be filmed as one of the television presenters for the Mela show on SABC 3, which airs every week on Sundays. I am also the Brand Ambassador for CATRICE, Carrera and Zoya. What barriers did you face, as a woman, becoming successful in your field, and how did you overcome them? What barriers did you face, as a woman, becoming successful in your field, and how did you overcome them? Gangiah: As a woman in the media industry it can be quite challenging at times. For example there are a limited number of positions available and you always have to stay at the top of your game. It can also be very time consuming and demanding, which means that it can sometimes be difficult to achieve the perfect balance between your life and work. Another problem that you see in every workplace, not just in the media industry, is the lack of support that women give each other. I believe that it is so important and essential that women start nurturing and growing each other to ensure that skills are developed and transferred. Does a glass ceiling exist for women in the radio industry? Does a glass ceiling exist for women in the radio industry? Gangiah: I may be quite naive in this answer because I feel that there is never a glass ceiling in any industry. If you work extremely hard, put in as much effort as you can and prove that you are capable, then I believe that you can achieve anything. What do you think is the biggest issue facing women today? What do you think is the biggest issue facing women today? Gangiah: The biggest issue currently facing women today is that life has become more demanding of women. You need to be a leader in your industry, a mum, a daughter, a friend, a wife or a girlfriend and this means that you will need to split your time between so many factors. Trying to balance your work and life, but still managing to carve out some time for yourself is an art that is often hard to achieve. Is enough done to celebrate women in Womens Month? Is enough done to celebrate women in Womens Month? Gangiah: Hehehehe, maybe women should get the whole month off :) Who is your biggest influence/role model/icon? Who is your biggest influence/role model/icon? Gangiah: My role model is Sureshnie Rider because, besides the fact that she is absolutely beautiful and a great radio and TV personality, she is also an ambassador and activist for womens rights and the rights of the youth. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to women pursuing a career in your field? Based on your experience, what advice would you give to women pursuing a career in your field? Gangiah: Always be yourself and work as hard as you can to build your career. This may sound quite cheesy, but this is the advice that I always give to people. You succeed in the media industry because of who you are and how you as an individual can capture the attention of an audience. The easiest way to do this is to be you! What is your message for Women's Month? What is your message for Women's Month? Gangiah: Women have the power to be whoever they want to be and achieve whatever they want to achieve. Always remember to preserve and overcome your obstacles. Dont ever let anything stop you! There is no trade-off between business and sustainability, according to Unilever, which launched its Sustainable Living Plan (USLP), five years ago. Unilever CEO, Paul Polman, with former First Lady, Dr Graca Machel Consumers expect more of brands and businesses now and they reward those that deliver a wider social benefit in addition to the traditional product performance at an affordable price. In line with this, Unilever embarked on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) five years ago. The companys purpose is simple but clear - to make sustainable living commonplace. The USLP is Unilevers blueprint for growing its business, whilst decoupling its environmental footprint from growth and increasing its positive social impact. Meaningful sustainability How the implementation of meaningful sustainability measures can positively benefit business and society was the subject of a high-level discussion recently at a Unilever Collective action Business Breakfast in South Africa with 200 business and government influencers. The key point of discussion was achieving collective action to drive sustainability and deliver positive change to meet the targets set out in South Africas National Development Plan (NDP), as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unilever CEO, Paul Polman, told the audience at the gathering in June 2016, that, It will take much more than one company, government and community to solve the issues that face us. We need collective action for a brighter and more sustainable future for all. Consumers expect more of brands and businesses now and they reward those that deliver a wider social benefit in addition to the traditional product performance at an affordable price, Polman said. Polman added to the discussion: Business can play a leadership role in disrupting markets in support of sustainable living and they will be rewarded by consumers who are also seeking responsibility and meaning, as well as high quality products at the right price. There is no trade-off between business and sustainability; it is creating real value for Unilever. Consumer attitudes Participants at the Unilever event also discussed shifting trends in consumer attitudes around sustainability, including new Unilever research challenging the commonly held perception that sustainability doesnt sell. The research shows that: Sustainability is no longer a niche issue. 54% of consumers want to buy more sustainably. Many already are. And it tells us that more want to. Consumers want it all - high performing products, the right price, and with a purpose that they can connect with. Professor John Simpson, director of the UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing, joined Polman on stage to debate how collective sustainable action can positively impact the South African economy, environment and, ultimately, improve peoples lives. Sustainability is now a strategic element of business that South African organisations should embed in their daily operations. There is more that local companies can do to emulate early adopters such as Unilever who have incorporated sustainability with growth to deliver its targets on people, profit and planet, said Simpson. Globally, Unilever has helped around 482 million people to improve their health and hygiene, including through handwashing, improving self-esteem and oral hygiene. The majority of its foods and beverage portfolio met, or are better than, benchmarks based on national nutritional recommendations and 34% met highest nutritional standards. Unilever also enabled around 600,000 smallholder farmers and 1.8 million small-scale retailers to access training and support. In its own operations, Unilever continues to make good progress since 2008, the company has reduced CO emissions from energy by 39% per tonne of production; water by 37% per tonne of production; and waste sent to disposal by 97% per tonne of production. The company aims to be carbon positive by 2030. Polman concluded, Unilever will continue to design products that are less carbon and water intensive, as well as educate and support suppliers and consumers to operate more sustainably. However, we will not meet our goals, nor will society fulfil its potential, unless we mobilise collective action to achieve wider transformation. When Scan Display set out to create a completely unique stand for this year's Markex show, a major consideration was how social media would add value to the stand, driving foot traffic and increasing interaction with attendees. Scan Displays production team at Markex 2016 Weve used social media as an add-on at previous years Markex shows, explains Scan Displays Managing Director, Justin Hawes, but this year we wanted it to be a focal point for us, something we could leverage for actual return on investment. By planning in advance, using social media cleverly, and encouraging attendees to get involved, Scan Display saw an Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) return of R998,727. Attendees at the exhibition were encouraged to visit the Scan Display stand, get creative with a picture of themselves on the stand, and post it to social media using #ScanMarkex. Hawes adds that through a simple strategy, Scan Display not only got everybody who visited the stand involved, but also reached way beyond the attendees of Markex 2016: Tweets about our activation reached overseas, with lots of interaction coming from clients and social media users outside of Markex 2016. Jodene Shaer, co-owner of social media agency, Chat Factory, assisted Scan Display with its activation for Markex 2016: Monitoring the online activity of all involved in Markex 2016 showed the #ScanMarkex activation to be streets ahead. It is refreshing to see a brand use the power of social media, not only in a well-planned strategy, but also incorporated into the stand itself. By following these simple steps, Scan Display was able to garner almost R1-million worth of social media coverage: Plan in advance It is absolutely essential that you start planning early. The team at Scan Display started four months ahead of Markex 2016 to ensure that all the elements required to integrate the social media strategy into the exhibition stand were in place. Make sure you have an event or activation You cant just expect people to tweet about you, explains Hawes. Put something fun together on your stand for people to do or enjoy to get them involved. Scan Display incorporated a 103 screen onto the stand, which displayed a live Twitter feed. Grind Mobile Coffees delicious complimentary coffee was a big drawcard, bringing visitors to the stand. Staff members encouraged attendees to join the conversation by taking a photo and sharing their experience with the team on Twitter or Instagram. Without something to talk about, theres nothing for people to say about you. Include a build-up phase Its crucial to start talking about your activation beforehand. Attendees will know something is happening on your stand and are more likely to come looking for you once they arrive at the exhibition. To get people excited beforehand, talk about what youll be doing, wholl be there and why they should stop by your stand. Competitions work Giving away a grand prize and spot prizes is a great way to keep people popping in more than once and to incentivise them to engage with your brand on social media. This year, Scan Displays grand prize was a balloon safari and champagne breakfast for two with Bill Harrops Original Balloon Safaris, and a one-night stay for two including dinner at Mokoya Lodge. The spot prizes were beautiful Shweshwe aprons and bags from Soweto Sewing Company. Train your staff Giving your staff training on how the social media activations on your stand work is imperative, stresses Hawes: Everybody working on the stand needs to know how to clearly explain your social media activities to attendees. You dont want people walking away confused about how youre trying to engage with them on social media. Finally, Hawes adds that choosing the correct social media platforms to use is important as not everybody has every platform, and not everybody may want to engage on your preferred platform: Test all the audio visual equipment and software beforehand to make sure everythings working correctly and ensure the social media platforms are easy enough to use." Speaking following his appointment as the UK's Minister for Africa, Tobias Ellwood, pledged continued support for the African continent. The economic potential of Africa is vast, with one third of all African economies expected to grow by 5 % or more this year. With our diplomatic network of 36 African posts, 19 British Council offices and 16 DFID offices, the UK remains well placed to work with Africa to maximise this economic potential and the opportunities for prosperity it offers. Given that one in three people in Africa are aged between 10 and 24, ensuring they have hope for the future is also vital, Ellwood said. In order to boost Africas economies, it is also crucial to improve stability and security across the continent, particularly in East Africa. We will continue to work with the African Union (AU) and through our role on the UN Security Council (UNSC) on these important issues. For example, this has included working with France and the US on a joint approach to tackling the threats from Boko Haram in Nigeria, dealing with the effects of the Ebola outbreak, and helping to improve security in Somalia. Ellwood added: The UK has strong and enduring links with Africa and I want to ensure African people know that this international cooperation and our engagement with the continent will continue even once the UK is outside the EU. Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens. Answers Africa is one of a kind platform created for Africans both locally and in the diaspora and those seeking for more in-depth information about Africa. We have always focused on creating the highest quality informational contents right from the beginning. We share the most relevant information on the latest and trending news, events, people, and places in Africa. We produce contents across various categories including Politics, People, Love and Romance, Nature, Entertainment, Technology and pretty much everything else that Africans may find relevant. We aim to answer the most relevant questions about Africa in areas of entertainment, famous people, emerging technologies while we also engage with various distribution capabilities to connect with Africans in need of information who rely on our website to keep in touch with the world that is changing so fast. These are some of the articles you may be interested in reading: 10 Famous TV Personalities Born In Ethiopia Ethiopia is a country best known for its fast athletes like Dibaba and Bekele, breathtaking models like Liya Kebede and of course Haile Selassie but there are also famous TV personalities who are doing a great job in entertainment and pushing the country to civilization. The following is a list of ten most famous TV ... 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Her Husband and Family Facts There has been a gradual paradigm shift in the world of sports which has today produced the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and other female athletes that are pulling great feats in different sporting fields. Their achievements have also been followed by the emergence of female sports journalists such as Jillian Mele, Eboni Williams, ... Is Brittany Wagner Married, Who Is The Husband, How Old Is She? Brittany Wagner has been an inspiration to a lot of sports youngster. She has won the hearts of many athletic students with her role as a life coach and an academic counselor. She is well groomed in her career and has worked over a decade for The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and The National ... 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The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ... Lisa Joyners Biography Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ... 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He is also an actor a Visibrains study, conducted with help from crisis communications specialist Nicolas Vanderbiest from the University of Leuven in Belgium, analyzed more than 100 of the biggest PR disasters over the past 12 months and found that brands are now 13% more likely to suffer a PR disaster than they were just three years ago. Overall, there were 109 crises in 2015, or an average of two per week. Furthermore, the study found that almost all (94%) PR disasters either started on, or were disseminated via, Twitter. The platform has become a prime arena in which consumers name and shame brands, and are they are quick to jump on those who make a mistake. One in five (19%) of the analyzed PR disasters broke on Twitter more than on Facebook (16%), YouTube (4%) or on blogs (4%). Social media has always been a battleground for brands, and it appears that Twitter is leading the trend, said Nicolas Huguenin, CEO of Visibrain. Despite many brands feeling that theyve finally got social networking, Twitter is increasingly moving from a platform for two-way communication to an environment of trolling and provocation. Naw Htoo Htoo, director of Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), said: In summary, there still isnt anyone that will take effective legal actions against the violations of womens rights. KHRGs new report: Hidden Strengths, Hidden Struggles: Womens testimonies from southeast Myanmar highlights the many obstacles and abuses that women face. Presented yesterday in Rangoon, the report is based on 98 interviews and 1,048 documents from January 2012 to March 2016. [It] highlights gender discrimination and abuse. We have recommended [for the authorities] to take effective action in such cases with transparency, Naw Htoo Htoo told KIC News. Published in Burmese and English, the one-hundred page report provides recommendations for the government, civil society groups, international community and armed groups on protecting women from discrimination and violence. Women face different obstacles than men in health, education and earning a livelihood, according to the report. Furthermore, they are subject to arbitrarily violence, both at the hands of their spouses and the Burma Army and paramilitary groups. May Sabai Phyu, director of the Gender Equality Network, said that abuses against women detailed in the report are common experiences faced by rural women all over the country, pointing out that real reconciliation won't happen unless these issues are also addressed. Myanmar Human Rights Commission (MHRC)s chairman U Win Mara said: I am very satisfied with this report because it has been able to present its points while being balanced, adding that in the past the government wouldnt accept any criticism on human rights violations. Since the KHRG was established in 1992, the organization has released a number of reports to raise awareness on human rights violations in conflicts areas. Reporting by Saw Tun Linn for KIC News Translated by Thida Linn Edited by BNI staff Puerto Rico's government made Aug. 1 debt payments only when the money had already been placed in escrow accounts. A Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico source outlined the policy to The Bond Buyer on Wednesday. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla earlier this week vetoed a House bill to allot $450 million for debt payments due in this fiscal year, according to his office. The approved budget has no money approved for paying the government's debt. The GDB source said debt service or debt service reserve accounts were used to pay the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corp. (COFINA), Employees Retirement System, Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority, and Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company debt. According to Moody's Investors Service, COFINA owed $256 million, ERS $14 million, and PRHTA $600,000 on Aug. 1. Moody's didn't specify that PRIDCO had any debt due. The GDB source said $278 million was paid for COFINA bonds, $14 million for ERS bonds, $1 million was paid for PRIDCO bonds, and $100,000 was paid for PRHTA bonds. In addition, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority had $2.5 million due. PRASA said it made this payment. The GDB source indicated that the GDB, Puerto Rico Infrastructure Finance Authority, Public Finance Corp., and Puerto Rico (general obligation), didn't make their payments. According to Moody's the GDB owed $28.5 million, Puerto Rico owed $1.3 million for the GO, and PRIFA owed $700,000. Moody's didn't indicate that the PFC had any debt due Monday. On Monday the governor's office announced his veto of House Bill 2959 for the commonwealth government's payment of debt. The funds for the payments were to come primarily from money normally allocated to the PRHTA. The governor said this diversion was inconsistent with his policy of ensuring essential services for the Puerto Rican public. Garcia Padilla said it would be premature to allocate particular resources to paying debts before the control board set up under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act is in place. According to Reorg Research, House Bill 2959 would have diverted $308 million from the PRHTA, $113 million in rum taxes from the PRIFA, and $30 million from the Convention Center District Authority. In the budget Garcia Padilla submitted in May, he had proposed using $209 million for paying debt service. Puerto Rico sources have given conflicting indications as to whether its sales taxes will continue to flow into COFINA to pay off those bonds. The Puerto Rico House bill also had money for the island's pension system and for the payment of Social Security to the island's police force. Garcia Padilla noted these allocations and said that he might call a special legislation to let the legislature pass a bill addressing only these areas. As of right now the legislature is in recess until a new legislature sits in early January. AllianceBernstein director of municipal credit research Joseph Rosenblum said the governor's rejection of debt service in the fiscal year, "seems to have only short term significance in my opinion. The key is what the control board determines is the priority of payments." In other Puerto Rico debt news, Garcia Padilla said he was recommending Alberto Bac- Bague as an interim president at the GDB. Then-GDB president Melba Acosta Febo gave notice of her departure on July 7 and stopped work there at the end of July. Bac- Bague has been on the GDB board of directors. He has been serving as Secretary of the Economic Development Department and will continue in that role, according to a source in the governor's office. A high speed internet provider has been awarded more than $9 million to expand access in unserved and underserved areas of New York, including portions of Cayuga County. TDS Telecom will receive nearly $9.4 million in state grants, including $1,424,793 to expand broadband access for 996 homes in the central New York and Finger Lakes regions. The expansion project will cost $2,849,586. The state is covering 50 percent of the cost. TDS Telecom will provide the other half of the total. The awards were announced Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He toured upstate to reveal which projects will receive funding in the first round of the state's New NY Broadband Program. "Access to high-speed internet is critical to keeping pace with the rising demands of the modern economy," Cuomo said. "The New NY Broadband Program is advancing our vision for inclusive, interconnected communities that empower individuals, support small businesses and advance innovation." Overall, the first round of awards will help provide broadband access to 34,000 unserved homes. The program is accepting requests for proposals for the second round. The goal of the initiative is to ensure all New Yorkers have access to broadband by the end of 2018. Along with the state's support for various projects, Cuomo revealed that Charter Communications, which recently merged with Time Warner Cable, will expand broadband access to 145,000 unserved homes in upstate New York. The company also plans to provide broadband speeds of 100 megabits per second for more than 2 million businesses and homes in upstate New York by early next year. There are many unseen forces that shape our opinion as outsiders. No, I am not implying supernatural phenomena. This invisible power is the effect of face-to-face or phone business-to-consumer relations, otherwise known as customer service. Service providers know very well how customer service can make or break their business. The entire business community, especially, because we have a growing tourism industry in Cayuga County, would do well to remember that it is not only what you sell that keeps them coming back, but how you sell it. Our collective success in economic development as a region depends on how local businesses deliver customer service. So far this year, 391 tourists have visited the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, over 17,000 people came to watch the Bassmaster Elite Series on Cayuga Lake in June, and hundreds of people from across the U.S. and Canada toured the Finger Lakes region for the Model T Ford Club Internationals 60th annual Summer Tour in July. Tourists come here not only for our products and services, but also for the experience. At the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, we frequently receive phone calls from out-of-towners who are excited about their getaway to the Finger Lakes so they can relax and enjoy all we have to offer. They commonly ask for more information about places to go and things to do in our area, and we refer them to chamber member businesses. Often, the chamber is their first encounter with an actual person from the region they are planning on coming to visit. We all know the value of first impressions, so when we talk with people who are considering a visit or a move to our area, it is important to promote with a positive energy. It is that first impression that shapes newcomers opinions. So much hangs on that crucial moment. Basic human relationship and interaction skills such as smiling, making eye contact, greeting and welcoming guests, thanking and inviting them back are all key. All of this translates to over-the-phone impressions in the age-old adage, Its not what you say. Its how you say it. Not only does it help to smile when you answer the companys phone line because a listener can hear the smile in your voice, but be sincere, anticipate their needs and offer assistance. If you do not know the answer, put them in touch with someone who does. So, how can business owners and operators ensure that staff are delivering excellent customer service and acting as ambassadors to our region? Business leaders set the guidelines informing employees on how to satisfy customers. The business leader decides what he or she wants customers to experience. Leaders best understand their branding, know where their problem areas are and have the best view of the horizon where they want their company to go and how they want to be perceived by customers or clients. More importantly, the head of a company or organization must know his or her clients wants and needs. Ideally, the companys brand blended with the customer bases need should meet, if not exceed the customers expectation. The reality is that people have become accustomed to expect less from their customer service experience. Therefore, exceeding expectations is important; however, its even more important to consistently meet expectations. Once these items are in place, the vision must be communicated to staff. Management must train staff well enough to be able to reorganize them based on customer need. It would help if every staff member was trained in human relations, especially if through reorganization due to staff shortage or coverage needs, they wind up at reception or answering phones. This position is directly involved in customer service and arguably one of the most important in attracting new business. If management leads by example, treating staff the way they want guests to be treated, they can then empower staff to deliver the company or organizations brand with that same energy. With this hypothesis, you can see how if management is having a bad day, things can go south for customer service quickly. Employees attitudes are a reflection of management's. In a recent letter to The Citizen, Katie MacIntyre pleaded with fellow Auburnians to support the good and forward-moving happenings, in our community. She was writing about the need for positive attitudes, which not only helps morale when things are going poorly. A positive, forward-thinking attitude also supports and drives growth when times are good. All local businesses play a part in promoting our region at the moment of that first face-to-face or phone interaction. With the increase in volume of visitors to our area, and as the Harriet Tubman National Park development continues and, subsequently, becomes an established tourism site, we will continue to see the economic benefits that come with them. As business owners, service providers and residents of Cayuga County, we are representatives of our region to the outside world. As human beings, we can decide how we want to behave and, therefore, whether or not we want to welcome others into our beautiful hometowns. I went to a talk on some of Auburn's historic properties and the speaker showed a picture of the Paddock House at 6 N. Fulton St. I have walked by this house and noticed this once handsome older home built around 1890 needs a lot of work. To bring this house and other older Auburn homes in similar condition requires someone willing to spend the money needed and put in the labor required. You have to give these people a lot of credit for taking on one of these projects. The Paddock House has had many owners and tenants over the years. Lewis Paddock moved to Auburn in 1844. He was a school teacher. He started with Fulton Street School and went from school teacher, becoming principal and then school commissioner. He was an advanced educator. From 1863 onward he developed real estate, first Grant Avenue and Five Corners. He put up a lot of homes in the Auburn area. He was the first president of Southern Central Railway. He was also an alderman. Lewis' wife Florina W. White died Dec. 28, 1873, and Lewis died Nov. 5, 1909. When the speaker mentioned Fulton Street School, it brought back many memories. Lewis Paddock taught at an earlier Fulton Street School than the one I attended in the 1950s. The building is gone now but my memories of Fulton Street School remain. And I am lucky I live in a senior building in downtown Auburn and I learn so much listening to the other residents. We re-live the old days of Auburn and this week we remembered and talked about riding in Model T cars as we watched them drive by. I was talking to Phyliss Cunliffe Tanner and we reminisced about our days at Fulton Street School. How the day started with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, a prayer and a song. We talked about marching to the auditorium to the tune of a John Philip Sousa march on the loudspeakers. And I told her I remember her and my sister and the other members of the sixth grade on stage in the auditorium singing to Ms. Ostrander on her retirement. My sources for this article was information I found at the Cayuga County Historian's Office, the Local History Discovery Center at the Seymour Library and the Cayuga Community College Local History Room and the Biographical Review Biographal Sketches of the Leading Citizens of Cayuga County, New York. John R. St. Croix Auburn SANDY SPRINGS, GALooks as though things havent changed much since adult retailer Sherri Williams sued the state of Alabama several years ago to allow her stores to sell adult novelties, aka sex toys, since thats the case the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals cited in its ruling, filed Tuesday, upholding a lower courts dismissal of a lawsuit filed by two adult stores against Sandy Springs 2009 anti-toy ordinance. The suit was brought by two local adult stores, Flanigans and Inserection, as well as intervenor individuals Melissa Davenport, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and needs to use the sex toys to facilitate intimacy, and Marshall Henry, an artist who uses sex toys in his work, seeking to overturn the ordinance passed by the Sandy Springs City Council which, according to the Eleventh Circuit opinion, criminalizes the commercial distribution of obscene material and defines [a]ny device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs as obscene. Among the plaintiffs claims were that the law violates their Fourteenth Amendment due process rights by illegally depriving them of life, liberty or property. Henry had the additional complaint that the law violated his First Amendment right of free expression, but that claim was dismissed early on. The Appellants contend that they have a fundamental right to engage in acts of private, consensual sexual intimacy, and that the Ordinance burdens this right, noted Judge Charles R. Wilson, writing for a unanimous three-judge panel. In the end, the appeals court based its ruling almost entirely on the Williams case known her as Williams IV, where Judge Wilson, recalling that history, stated, We concluded that the Supreme Courts then-recent decision in Lawrence v. Texas identified no such fundamental right and, utilizing the Washington v. Glucksberg analysis for defining and assessing newly asserted fundamental rights, we concluded that our history and tradition did not support assigning constitutional protection to a right to sell, buy, and use sexual devices, adding, The Appellants in this case challenge a law similar to the one at issue in Williams IV and present us with, effectively, the same arguments against its enforcement. The plaintiffs claims here sought to have the appeals court overturn Williams IV based on more recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings in U.S. v. Windsor (which struck down the Defense of Marriage Act) and Obergefell v. Hodges (which legalized same-sex marriage). The panels reply? Although we are persuaded that Windsor and Obergefell cast serious doubt on Williams IV, we are unable to say that they undermine our prior decision to the point of abrogation Therefore, unless and until our holding in Williams IV is overruled en banc, or by the Supreme Court, we are bound to follow it. Although we are sympathetic to the Appellants Fourteenth Amendment Due Process claim, we are constrained by our prior precedent in Williams IV, and we are obligated to follow it even though convinced it is wrong. The Appellants are free to petition the court to reconsider our decision en banc, and we encourage them to do so. [Emphasis added; citations removed] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote a short article on the decision, which can be found here, but whats most interesting are some of the reader comments it generated. Someone needs to go to city hall and leave a case of astroglide on the steps and a note attached saying please use this since you're insistent on forcefully inserting yourselves into our sex lives, wrote Steven. You can't buy a dildo but you can buy a gun at a dozen different stores, wrote Brian. Ah, you can go to a movie theater and watch scenes of unimaginable blood and gore *and* bring the kids along to make it family fun night, but a dildo is obscene, noted James. And our fave: Sandy Springs must be a perfect placeall kids are well fed and over-educated, no homeless people needing help, etc.for them to take any time passing any laws like this, wrote Randall. No word yet whether the appellants will petition the Eleventh Circuit for an en banc hearing, or for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case. LAS VEGASCB-X Male Chastity is taking steps to combat counterfeiting of its award-winning brand of devices. To aid in the effort, the manufacturer created a Brand Protection Department which recently won a case against a company in the U.K. that had hijacked its trademarks. The unnamed company has now transferred these trademarks back to CB-X. "We have been involved in fighting bootleggers for over 10 years and have received multiple judgments against counterfeiters in the last decade," said Nikki Yates, corporate director of A.L. Enterprises, the manufacturers of CB-X Male Chastity. "Counterfeit products not only tarnish the CB-X brand, they endanger the safety of our valued customers. Now it's time to not only bring awareness to customers about how to spot a counterfeit CB-X device, but put a stop to this nonsense altogether." The recent victory over trademark infringement is just the beginning of what the manufacturer's new Brand Protection Department has in store for anyone unlawfully reproducing male chastity devices under the guise of the CB-X brand. Those carrying, selling or involved in any type of bootlegging of CB-X products will face legal action by the manufacturer. Of the case in the U.K., which CB-X recently won, the manufacturer's attorney released this statement: "CB-X Male Chastity, as part of its ongoing worldwide campaign to eliminate the marketing of counterfeit and infringing products, successfully enforced its IP rights in the UK by forcing a UK-based competitor to relinquish rights to confusingly similar UK trademarks and to stop selling counterfeit CB-X products." Additionally, the manufacturer has a video on its official YouTube channel to help consumers spot the difference between a counterfeit or bootleg product and an authentic CB-X Male Chastity device. Distributors and retailers who would like to prevent facing legal action or would like to ensure they are selling authentic CB-X devices are encouraged to send any questions to [email protected] Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The RCA Museum at CFB Shilo landed an impressive and rare gun from the First World War. A QF 13 Pounder field gun was officially unveiled at the museum in late July after a year of work to bring it to Manitoba. Museum director Andrew Oakden said a benefactor, Seymour Schulich from Toronto, was essential in acquiring the field gun. Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum at CFB Shilo recently acquired a First World War-era 13-pound gun. He did it as a memorial for his father Julius, who served in the First World War with the Seventh Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, and then with an ammunition column, transporting and loading munitions in the guns, Oakden said. The QF 13 Pounder was a field gun. It was standard equipment for the British Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Canadian Horse Artillery during the First World War, but when the fighting ended, three-quarters of the guns were converted to anti-aircraft guns. The 13 refers to the weight of the shell (actually closer to 12.5 pounds), while QF refers to quick-fire. That meant only 56 remained as a field gun, which is the condition we have it, and 168 were converted to AA guns, Oakden said. He doesnt know exactly how much fighting the acquired gun was engaged in, just that it was in theatre in India for the First World War. That wasnt as vicious, you might say, as the Western front, so that may be why it survived, he said. The gun, made of British parts, was constructed in India. It eventually wound up in a museum in South Africa until it was bought by a private collector in Britain who owned a film prop company. The museum purchased it off him, Oakden said. The owner said you could fire it its operational, its not de-militarized. Serial numbers indicate the gun was built in 1910, and remains in nearly original condition. Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Andrew Oakden, director of the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum at CFB Shilo, shows the shell used with the museum's latest acquisition, a First World War-era 13-pound gun. It looks really nice, he added. Oakden said the museum doesnt publicize what was paid for the 13 Pounder. We dont like to talk about values, but its a lot. Were really fortunate to have it, he said. The QF 13 Pounder will be featured in a temporary exhibit, The Somme: The Mechanization of War, before being added to the museums permanent First World War display. The RCA Museum is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Victoria Day to Labour Day. Its located on Patricia Road on CFB Shilo. tbateman@brandonsun.com Twitter: @tombatemann Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Two opponents to the Whitewater Lake water management project are voicing their concerns about the project currently before federal and provincial regulators. Ducks Unlimiteds Rick Andrews, head of conservation programs for Manitoba, said his organization is opposed to the project on a number of fronts. The flooding at Whitewater Lake is the symptom of a larger problem that needs to be addressed in this province and that is unregulated and poorly regulated drainage, Andrews said. The solution is not more drainage. The project, which was proposed by the Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester, includes the construction of two outlet channels from the lake. The west channel would discharge to the Medora Creek, which links up with the Souris River near Napinka, while the north channel would funnel water to the Elgin Creek, which links to the Souris River near Souris. Both channels would be operated between May 15 and Oct. 31, and only when downstream flows were low with the goal of maintaining a target level on Whitewater Lake of 1,628 feet above sea level. The lake is currently closer to 1,633 feet above sea level and has swollen to the point where it is covering large chunks of private farm land. The problem is this water has to go somewhere. Its going to go downstream, which is the Souris River, the Assiniboine River, Lake Manitoba and Winnipeg. The flooding issues are there, Andrews said. There is too much water in the system, so how can the solution be to put more water in the system? Whitewater Lakes size and shallowness has made it one of the best birding areas in the province, which considers it a wildlife management area. In the past, the lake has dried out numerous times, most recently in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Andrews said part of the problem is that adjacent land has been drained into Whitewater Lake, and as natural marshland continues to dry up due to drainage, bodies of water continue to expand. The water that used to be stored on the land is now moving very quickly and effectively into Whitewater Lake, Andrews said. The Prairies have been historically dotted with these potholes that would buffer these flood events. The data shows we have lost in excess of 100,000 acres of wetlands over the last 30 years. Thats a lot of storage. Bob Miller, a councillor for the Municipality of Grassland, is also opposed to the project. Miller, who represents the ward that the north channel would weave through, is concerned about additional water hitting the reservoir east of Elgin. My concern is that our infrastructure cant handle it, he said. And once that ditch is dug, it will be open season for guys who want to drain their farmland into it thats how these things work. The Elgin reservoir was recently drained, according to Miller, to kill off predatory fish so it can be stocked with trout. Its an area that must be protected due to the tourism it creates, he said. Deloraine-Winchester Head of Council Gordon Weidenhamer said Whitewater Lake needs to be managed in order to protect Deloraine. He believes the lake could provide storage during major rain events and help offset the high flows by holding water back, provided there is room. This is the headwaters of one of the watersheds that feed the Souris River Basin, and I think could be used as a storage in the peak years like in 2014 if there was some capacity there, he said. The expansion has hurt birding habitat in some areas, according to Weidenhamer. It is a lake now and there is no environment for the waterfowl to habitat, he said. No one wants to take away that habitat but everyone wants it where its supposed to be and be able to farm their land. A spokeswoman with Sustainable Development said the environmental assessment and licensing process is still underway. A final decision on federal environmental assessment requirements will be made by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency once details of the proposed operation of the project have been confirmed by the proponents, she said. If approvals to manage lake levels are issued, the proposal would then undergo review from the water management perspective. ctweed@brandonsun.com Twitter: @CharlesTweed Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. On Tuesday evening, Aug. 9, an authentically-restored, century-old grand piano with an intriguing local story will be featured onstage at Brandon University. This rare Bluthner grand piano, made of exotic Rosewood, was built in Leipzig, Germany in 1905. Bluthner pianos, known for their singing-tone, featured a mysterious, patented over-string that adds a unique silvery-quality to the sound. How this exotic European musical instrument actually ended up in Manitoba is a fascinating story in itself, to be revealed on this special evening. Over the past year, this instrument has undergone extensive renovations, including replacement of the pianos delicate soundboard, which is considered the heart of the piano. Bruce Bumstead/The Brandon Sun Senior piano technician Mark Cramer recently completed a rebuild of a rare 1905 Bluthner Rosewood grand piano. The original soundboard was so badly cracked, reusing it simply wasnt an option, says Mark Cramer, Brandon Universitys resident piano technician, who directed the restoration. The art of restoring pianos of this vintage, is to have a guiding-vision of the instruments original tone and touch, so that we can hear music today, the way it would have sounded over a century ago. Cramer will give a pre-concert talk, sharing photographs of the year-long restoration, along with intriguing details of this instruments past lives. Later that evening, several distinguished pianists with significant local connections of their own, will take the stage to perform a mini-concert of piano solos showcasing the Bluthners signature sound. Entitled The Art of Restoration, this presentation is the opening feature of Augustfest 2016, a casual-comfortable summertime homecoming of international artists and musicians with Westman roots, sharing music, art and lively discussion. Everyone is welcome! Submitted Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Infrastructure plans at Brandons two post-secondary institutions remain in a holding pattern as administrators wait to hear back on funding requests from various levels of government. At Brandon University, president Gervan Fearon said he was pleased to get confirmation that a 2.5 per cent increase in the provincial operating grant to universities, announced on Jan. 7, will continue. But for a handful of other funding promises for projects, including a new affordable housing complex for students, mum is the word. The housing project, in the works since 2011, received a $12-million promise from the provincial NDP government in January. Construction on the 42-unit project was slated to start this summer but without an confirmation of the provincial dollars, BU isnt racing to start the build. Lets put it this way there are no shovels in the ground at this moment, but there is still, simultaneously, a lot of thinking that needs to go into some of the details of the project in terms of architectural drawings and so on. There is work and thoughtfulness continuing on, Fearon said. He pointed out BUs recent success in attracting students is stressing already-full student housing at BU. As we look forward, last year weve had a five per cent growth in enrolment. This year, I think were on tap to do that or maybe even better, he said. What it says is that as a university were growing, were vibrant and were doing a great job in that regard. At the moment, government is still looking at some of the details, and were awaiting the definitive statement on announcements or approval to move forward. Fearon said the federal governments recent interest in providing infrastructure money may be looked at to help with fundraising. Theres really good value for money being proposed in that initiative, Fearon said. Questions also surround two packages of indigenous funding promised in January. The province has put a hold on transfers of $50,000 designated to support indigenous culture on campus and $150,000 to support a new Metis studies program at BU both were included in the Jan. 7 announcement. About 15 per cent of BU students self-declare as indigenous, according to Fearon, who served on the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples Council for two years. There definitely is an expressed commitment to indigenous education by the provincial government and thats been expressed very clearly by the minister to us, he said. But for the time being, no news is fine news. At Assiniboine Community College, president Mark Frison is awaiting word on submissions to two funds for the colleges planned Centre for Health, Energy and Environment in the Parkland Building on the North Hill Campus. Frison said ACC has applied to the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the Building Canada Fund, via the Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Secretariat. The benefactors of SIF were expected to be announced by June 30. On that fund in particular, there was emphasis around stimulus so Im sure everybody is anxious to get those going, Frison said. We continue to get questions periodically from our partners in Manitoba Education and Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Secretariat. Were still getting the odd question on the project, but no work yet on if or when therell be an announcement. ACC first submitted to the Building Canada Fund in June 2015, he said. The president isnt picky about where money comes from for the Parkland project. Our goal is to get it funded. Were not as particular where the resources come from, he said. Because the project involves a lot of renovation work to the inside of the Parkland building, missing a construction season is less of an issue, he said. But the sooner the project is constructed, the sooner the new programs can come online that the labour market requires. So like anything, timing is important. tbateman@brandonsun.com Twitter: @tombatemann Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 03/08/2016 (2277 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For a teen from Virden whose dream would be to curate at a place like the Canadian War Museum, being named a Beaverbrook Vimy Prize recipient is all (she) can ask for. One of 16 recipients, Jane Harkness has been awarded a two-week study opportunity in Europe. The program, organized and funded through the Vimy Foundation and its partners, gives youth 14 to 17 years old an opportunity to pursue their interest in world war history on the very grounds it was made. As the organizations members like to say, its a chance to walk through the footsteps of history. Submitted Jane Harkness stands with a Second World War uniform display in the Virden Pioneer Home Museum, where she works summers. Harkness has been named a Beaverbrook Vimy Prize recipient of a two-week study opportunity in Europe. I think being immersed in history is the best way to learn about it, and so obviously going to Europe, going over the trenches and the tunnels and all these places where all these events took place, is the best way to learn because you can put yourself in their shoes, Harkness said. While Harkness has loved history since she was a little girl, she has developed a particular interest in the time of the world wars because of the social changes that followed. I think its how it transitions because before World War I, you get subtle hints that theres going to be a transition from an old world into a new, but World War I is really the force that brings it to that end, the Grade 12 student explained. Then you have World War II, and it just pushes it further Before that, very little changed throughout society and innovation. There had been some but not many changes, and just how that is a cascading point is so interesting. The foundation will send Harkness, 13 other Canadian students, as well as a student from England and France to participate in the Aug. 7 trip. As it is considered a scholarship opportunity, the students will participate in lectures at Oxford University, and tours at Juno Beach, Vimy and other historically significant sites. And because it is a scholarship opportunity, the winners have also been given homework. For one task, Harkness researched a local veteran who died while serving in Europe, Pte. Lorne Carscadden. Although its unknown where he was buried, Carscaddens name is engraved on the Vimy Memorial, and this is where Harkness will deliver a short presentation on her findings. She has prepared for the trip on her time off from the Virden Pioneer Home Museum and luckily finds the assignments interesting. She knew her hard work was expected by the foundation from their five-part application process. After submitting a short story, her resume, a letter of recommendation written by a teacher, and an essay explaining her candidacy, Harkness was finally called for an interview. We thought that with (her interest in) history, student achievement in school, but also outside of school with that extra experience, we thought that she would be a good candidate for a program like this, explained Jeremy Diamond, the Vimy Foundations executive director. Were always excited to see that there are 16-, 17-year-olds that care about Canadian history. When asked what part of the trip she was looking forward to most, the teen first said the lectures at Oxford but then also listed the Vimy trenches, national memorial, and the Imperial War Museum. On second thought, she said: Im literally excited for all of it. aantoneshyn@brandonsun.com Twitter: @AAntoneshyn Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. At long last, Birdtail Sioux First Nation is open for business. In a stunning reversal of fortune for the chief of Birdtail Sioux First Nation and his councillors, reserve members overwhelmingly voted in favour of a plan that will allow the band to lease land for commercial and industrial development. And oddly enough, the First Nation has the former Conservative federal government under Stephen Harper to thank for it. Three years ago, a simple majority of Birdtail voters who turned out for a day-long vote decided against the creation of a new railway spur along a two-kilometre stretch of reserve land. Out of more than 500 eligible voters at the time, 121 residents voted against the plan, and only 62 voted in favour. Under the original plan put forward by Chief Ken Chalmers and his band council, about 1,884 acres of reserve land were to be parcelled out for lease to either corporations or to community members who had a business idea and financial backing. Birdtails chief and council had convinced the Canadian National Railway to allow a railway spur to connect with their main line, which runs near the reserve. At the time, the council had already negotiated with top oil companies to develop an oil terminal at the site, in order to take advantage of Manitobas growing energy sector. But that first vote was destined to fail. And looking back, its not difficult to see why. In the lead-up to the first vote, Birdtail had lined up several corporations that were interested in building limited partnership agreements with the reserve once land had been designated for lease under changes made by the Conservative federal government to the Indian Act in 2012, as part of Bill C-45 an omnibus bill that made several sweeping changes to many different federal laws. The act changed legislation contained in 64 acts or regulations, including the Indian Act, the Navigation Protection Act and the Environmental Assessment Act all of which was vehemently opposed by the leaders of the Idle No More Indigenous protest movement. In fact, the creation of Idle No More was at least in part a direct reaction to Bill C-45. Prior to Bill C-45, in order to designate any reserve land for commercial lease, a band government had to obtain a majority vote from a majority of voting members essentially a majority of a majority for the federal government to approve the designation. If a majority of voters didnt show up to vote, the band would have to hold another expensive referendum. The Conservative governments changes ensured that First Nation communities could green light the lease of designated reserve lands upon the favourable vote of a simple majority of referendum participants, regardless of the number of persons eligible to vote. Birdtails vote was to be the first test run of this legislation. But the change was roundly criticized by Canadian aboriginal groups such as the Assembly of First Nations and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, who pointed to the arbitrary changes to the federal Indian Act as an attack on the rights of Canadas indigenous people. Further to that, Idle No More organizers said the Indian Act changes allowed for the opening up of treaty lands and territory to potential sale which was actually untrue. The new legislation merely made it easier for those reserves that wanted to lease land to do so there were no changes made to the rules governing sales of reserve land. To Chalmers eyes, the changes presented a huge opportunity for his people. This is available now, Chalmers said in 2013. The process was designed exactly for this, so we could move at the speed of business. The world moves at the speed of business and they go someplace else. We dont have to go referendum after referendum. Its not about the almighty dollar. My childrens future is in the mix here. But Birdtails vote came at the height of aboriginal anger to the Harper government in this country, and Idle No Mores warnings of the dire consequences of joining forces with oil companies and the Conservatives found fertile ground among the Dakota people, and the vote collapsed. On Tuesday evening, all of that changed, when 148 band members voted in favour of a plan to designate two parcels of land owned by the First Nation for leasing purposes the recently acquired urban reserve in Foxwarren, and of course the stretch of land near the CN main line that runs near Birdtail. Only 60 were opposed. So what changed? Well, the Idle No More movement seems to have run out of steam, especially since the election of a Liberal government under Justin Trudeau. That certainly has changed how First Nations perceive the federal government more of an ally than an adversary. To be fair, we suggest the Tory change to the Indian Act was a particularly good piece of legislation, even though we quite disliked the fact that it was stuck in the middle of a 400-page omnibus bill. But more importantly, Tuesdays vote came with no strings attached. Instead of bringing on potential businesses such as those in the oil industry before the community has its say, the community was merely asked to vote on whether to designate the land for leasing. Once the federal process is complete, the community will have complete say over who and what companies obtain the right to lease Birdtail land. Birdtail has now taken control of its economic future. If all goes well with the federal government and its new partner, CN Rail, the reserve and all of its neighbours in western Manitoba stand to benefit and prosper as a result. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/08/2016 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Liberals, Tories can share blame Regarding the Regional Viewpoint: Long-term Thinking Is Needed For Churchill, Brandon Sun, Aug. 2. Both the Liberal Chretien and Conservative Harper governments are responsible for this loss. Port of Churchill is the latest casualty due to loss of single-desk CWB. It was a previous Liberal government that privatized the railroads and allowed the sale of the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay rail line to a Denver-based company called OmniTrax. (1997) The Harper government knew that the chance of the Churchill port surviving after the termination of the Canadian Wheat Board was nil. The wheat board directed almost 95 per cent of the grain going through the port. Minister Ritz camouflaged the negative impact for the Port of Churchill by providing the subsidy, states Jan Slomp, NFU president. Dont be so quick to judge The rules for handicap parking state: As a permit holder, you may use the permit in any vehicle, whether you are the driver or passenger. In addition, if you (the permit holder) remain in the vehicle while a companion is running errands, you may not occupy a designated space. From time to time, my wife, who is a permit holder, requests that I drive her and I will park in a designated spot for her use and wait for her. This is not an abuse of the parking privilege, so please do not assume that every vehicle in handicap parking should be empty. If I run the errand while my wife remains in the vehicle, I do not use the handicap space. Nothing to fear here There is a mailman in my neighbourhood that anytime my dogs are outside when hes around, he will refuse to give me the mail even just giving it to me over the fence. On a couple occasions, he has cussed at me, which isnt OK. I will gladly put the dogs in the house, but I dont need to be treated in such a way when asked to do so. I believe if your job means going door-to-door, then you should be more comfortable with dogs. Smelly sewer suggestion Regarding a sick smelling sewer: All you have to do is flush the toilet or go to where the drain pipe is down at your washing machine and pour some water down it or you can add some bleach if you want. But your landlord should be able to tell you how to fix it if not, he should not be in business. That is the simplest solution. Or just call a plumber and send the bill to the landlord. And by the way, this suggestion is from a landlord. Jonathan Kernan decided the traditional wedding march wasnt good enough for his childhood sweetheart Siobhan Connolly, so he went in a very different direction. The couple, who hail from Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, first met in secondary school and got married yesterday at the Darver Castle in Readypenny, Dundalk, Co Louth. Ambulance workers look set to go on strike next week if last-minute talks do not break the deadlock between the two sides. Unions representing staff at the National Ambulance Service are meeting with the HSE and Department of Health today. Update - 5.50pm: Ian Bailey's solicitor says his client has not been contacted by French authorities. It follows reports that Mr Bailey is to face criminal proceedings in connection with the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Ian Bailey's solicitor, Frank Buttimer, said: "Mr Bailey received media reports today to the effect that there is now intended to be some form of criminal proceeding against him in France with regards to the murder of Sophie Tuscan du Plantier. "That is media information only and he is responding to that. "His actual response is that he has been wrongly associated with the unlawful killing of Madam du Plantier for 20 years and this is the latest chapter in a long saga." Earlier: It is being reported by French media that authorities there have issued an arrest warrant for Ian Bailey in connection with the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Broadcaster France Inter say Mr Bailey has been indicted with her murder in west Cork on December 23, 1996, after the warrant was sent to Irish authorities. Mr Bailey has been arrested twice in connection with the 39-year-old film producer's murder but was never charged. A request to extradite Mr Bailey to France had been rejected by the Supreme Court in 2011. He subsequently sued the State and An Garda Siochana for wrongful arrest and conspiracy, but lost his High Court action in March 2015. A Chinese lawyer has been jailed for seven years in the third in a series of subversion trials demonstrating the ruling Communist Party's determination to silence independent human rights activists and government critics. The sentence given to Zhou Shifeng results from his role as director of Beijing's Fengrui Law Firm, which took on sensitive cases and represented people who dared to challenge the party. Zhou, 52, accepted the ruling and will not appeal, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. His half-day trial in the northern city of Tianjin followed those of two related legal activists earlier this week, both on charges of subversion. As with the others, Zhou was detained in July last year during a sweeping round-up of activists and lawyers. About 300 people were initially seized and questioned before most were released. Zhou was accused of coming under the influence of "anti-China forces" and opposing China's government and political system. He was also accused of opposing the "one country, two systems" policy applied in former foreign colonies Hong Kong and Macau. Zhou Shifeng arrives for his trial at the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in northern China's Tianjin Municipality today. Pic: AP Zhou "played a major role in a group of activists who attempted to manipulate public opinion and damage national security by spreading subversive thoughts", state media quoted the verdict as saying. It said Zhou worked with activists Hu Shigen, Zhai Yanmin and Li Heping "to encourage lawyers to highlight sensitive cases and hired protesters to disturb the judicial system". Hu was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday and Zhai was given a suspended three-year sentence on Tuesday. Li is being tried separately. Zhou also "asked administrative officers in the law firm to post anti-government comments online to stir up public sentiment", the verdict said. Zhou established Fengrui in 2007, and the following year took on one of the country's biggest dairies in a massive tainted infant formula scandal that the government had tried to suppress. The firm also represented clients targeted by the government, including members of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect and activist artist Ai Weiwei. Zhou's final case involved Zhang Miao, a news assistant for German weekly Die Zeitm who was detained for nine months after helping with the magazine's coverage of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Zhou was meeting Zhang at a hotel in suburban Beijing following her release when he was seized, hooded and driven away by agents. This week's trials are part of a pattern established under the administration of President Xi Jinping to use more sophisticated legal means to attack perceived opponents as it maintains pressure on activists and non-governmental organisations. The trials show China is intent on silencing anyone who "raises legitimate questions about human rights and uses the legal system to seek redress", Amnesty International said in a statement on Zhou's conviction. "The authorities are using vague legal provisions as a weapon to give their politically motivated assault the veneer of legitimacy. When state security laws are open to such rampant abuse, the law needs to change," Roseann Rife, the group's East Asia research director, said in the statement. Several of those detained, including Zhou and fellow Fengrui lawyer Wang Yu, have made televised apologies for the crimes they are accused of, saying their legal activism was directed by unidentified "hostile foreign forces" to smear and attack the Chinese government. Fengrui often worked with activists to gather evidence of government abuses and lead clients and the disgruntled in street protests while spreading word online. Their actions were harshly denounced by the authorities as thuggery and interference in the legal process. Many family members of those being held say they and their retained lawyers have been denied access to the detainees for more than a year, receiving only occasional updates by word of mouth. Some have been briefly detained themselves while seeking information. Zhou and others were assigned government-appointed lawyers who worked closely with the court. More than a dozen of those detained last year remain in custody, their legal fates still unknown. The Russell Square knife attack in London, in which one woman died and five were injured, follows warnings that Islamic State may be targeting people with mental health problems to inspire them to carry out such incidents. Police said they are keeping an open mind over the motive behind the attack in central London, and said terrorism was "one line of inquiry that we should explore". The killing is currently being investigated by the Metropolitan Police's homicide team with the support of the force's counter-terrorism unit, but Scotland Yard said early indications suggested "mental health is a significant factor in this case". It comes just days after a schizophrenic knifeman who tried to behead a Tube passenger during an Islamic State-inspired rampage was sent to Broadmoor high-security hospital to begin a life sentence. Somali-born Muhiddin Mire, 30, targeted strangers at random in the ticket hall at Leytonstone Underground station in east London on December 5 last year. He grabbed fellow passenger Lyle Zimmerman and attempted to murder the 56-year-old musician after they travelled on the same train from Stratford to Leytonstone, where Mire lived alone in Sansom Road. He will serve a minimum of eight and a half years before being considered for parole. But Mire could serve the entirety of his sentence at the psychiatric unit, which has housed some of the country's most notorious criminals. Elsewhere, a suicide bomber who injured more than a dozen people when he blew himself up in Ansbach, Germany, last month was reported to have received psychiatric care, including for two attempts on his own life. And claims emerged after the Nice lorry massacre that the attacker had undergone psychiatric treatment. A report from Europol last month said recent academic research has shown that around 35% of the perpetrators of "lone actor attacks" which occurred between 2000 and 2015 suffered from some sort of mental health disorder. A previous paper published by the EU law enforcement agency said a "significant proportion" of foreign fighters had been diagnosed with mental health problems before joining IS. One estimate put the number at 20%, while another suggested it was even higher. Senior counter-terrorism figures in the UK have raised concerns that IS is deliberately targeting propaganda at people with mental health problems to encourage them to carry out violence. Scotland Yard Commander Dean Haydon said material is aimed at the vulnerable to inspire atrocities. Speaking in June, he said: "If you look at some of the propaganda that's coming out of IS and Syria and elsewhere, part of their propaganda is specifically targeted in relation to the vulnerable. "We're not just talking about mental health here, we're talking about vulnerable individuals within the community." Earlier this year it emerged that psychologists were being deployed to work alongside counter-terrorism units. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the UK's most senior counter-terrorism officer, previously described how authorities were seeing a "very different dynamic". Last year he told MPs around a quarter of investigations involve "vulnerable" people, adding: "So you have young people dealing with mental health issues and other challenges." A 19-year-old man is under guard in hospital after a woman was killed and five people were injured in a London knife attack. The woman, who has not been identified but is believed to have been in her 60s, died and two women and three men received "various injuries" in the attack in Russell Square late on Wednesday. Police said they are keeping an open mind over the motive behind the attack, understood to have taken place near the Imperial Hotel. Scotland Yard said early indications suggested "mental health is a significant factor in this case", and said terrorism was also "one line of inquiry that we should explore". The killing is currently being investigated by the Met's homicide team with the support of the force's Counter Terrorism Command. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was arrested after officers fired a Taser. As a result of the attack armed police and other officers will be deployed on the streets of London on Thursday as a "precautionary measure" to provide reassurance, the Met said as it urged the public to remain "calm, vigilant and alert". The scene of the stabbings. Picture: PA Speaking outside Scotland Yard in the early hours of Thursday morning, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said it had been a "tragic incident". He said: "Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry. "But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and, consequently, terrorism as a motivation remains one line of enquiry for us to explore." Police were called to Russell Square, a popular tourist area near the British Museum in Bloomsbury, shortly after 10.30pm to reports of a man armed with a knife assaulting people. "Armed officers arrived at the scene within five minutes, they discharged the Taser whilst confronting and arresting the suspect," Mr Rowley said. "Six people have been injured, including the one woman who sadly died at the scene, and the others have received various injuries." Police at the scene overnight. The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said it sent four ambulance crews, a responder in a car, an advanced paramedic and two officers to the scene. A medical team of a doctor and paramedic from London's Air Ambulance also attended in a car. Paramedics gave the woman " extensive treatment" at the scene but she could not be saved. The five injured people were all taken to hospital for treatment, the LAS said . The suspected attacker was arrested shortly after 10.39pm and is currently in police custody at hospital. 'Locked down' Witnesses described seeing armed police flood the area in the wake of the attack and o fficers established a large cordon to seal off the square where a forensics tent was later seen. Paul Hutchinson, who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, told Sky News: "Russell Square was all taped-off by armed police and there was a body on the floor which you could see the feet sticking out from underneath where the rest of the body was covered up. "There were loads and loads of armed police, lots of police cars with lights on, a couple of ambulances and the body on the floor." Bystander Abdulrahman Muammar wrote on Twitter: "#London Russell Square locked down & surrounded with police officers. Many police cars & ambulances." Helen Edwards tweeted: "#Police guarding cordon around #russellsquare #bedfordplace #southamptonrow Saw armed police & paramedics earlier. I saw armed police guarding the cordon around Russell Square plus ambulance at other end of Bedford place." The attack came on the day that Scotland Yard announced it was to put more armed officers on public patrol as part of anti-terrorism plans. On Sunday Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe warned that a terror attack in the UK was a case of "when, not if". Counter-terror police are also probing the attempted abduction of a serviceman at knifepoint from a road near RAF Marham in Norfolk on July 20. Wednesday's incident took place a short distance from where a bomb exploded on the top deck of a bus in the July 7 2005 terror attacks, when a bomb was also detonated on a tube train between King's Cross and Russell Square. Scotland Yard appealed for witnesses to last night's incident with information to call police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Republican party leaders scrambled to persuade Donald Trump to abandon the divisive tactics that have triggered sinking poll numbers and low morale. However with their party in crisis, there was one piece of good news with superstar actor and director Clint Eastwood (pictured) praising the billionaire tycoon for being an enemy of political correctness. 'Donald Trump is on to something' Clint Eastwood said Mr Trump was "on to something" as an enemy of political correctness, adding: "Everybody's walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren't called racist." Although Eastwood said he was not endorsing anyone, when asked to choose between Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton, he said: "I'd have to go for Trump ... 'cause she's declared that she's gonna follow in Obama's footsteps. There's been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle." The actor, 86, delighted the internet in 2012 when he spoke at the Republican national convention and appeared to speak to an empty chair. On accusations The Donald is racist, Clint urged people to get over it. What Trump is onto is hes just saying whats on his mind. And sometimes its not so good. And sometimes its I mean, I can understand where hes coming from, but I dont always agree with it, he said. The 86-year-old's new film Sully - about Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the airline pilot who became a national hero when he safely landed a US Airways plane on the Hudson River off Manhattan in 2009 - opens in September. Meanwhile, Republican party chairman Reince Priebus appealed to Mr Trump's adult children to help amid new signs of a campaign in trouble. Mr Trump's operation has been beset by internal discord, including growing concern about election preparedness and a lack of support from Republican leaders. One source said Mr Trump privately blames his own staff for failing to stop the backlash from his own party after he criticised an American Muslim family whose son, a US Army captain, was killed in Iraq. The inner tension comes as Mr Priebus and other high-profile Trump allies consider whether to confront the candidate directly to encourage a new approach following a series of startling statements. In the middle of the uproar over his continued criticism of the Khan family, Mr Trump infuriated Mr Priebus and other party leaders by refusing to endorse Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election. Mr Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the frustration was hurting his campaign, even as he openly contemplated losing. "Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible," he said during a campaign stop in battleground Florida. He also insisted: "We've never been this united." "The candidate is in control of his campaign," campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Fox News Channel, highlighting his inability to control the nominee. "And I'm in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign." "I would say in the last couple of weeks, he has been remarkably under-performing and we'll see whether or not he can take a deep breath and learn these lessons," said former house speaker Newt Gingrich. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, kept up her assault on Mr Trump's business practices, holding up a Trump-branded tie as she spoke at the Knotty Tie Company in battleground Colorado. She told employees in Denver: "I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties, instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado." Mr Trump stunned Republicans by saying on Tuesday that he was not ready to endorse Mr Ryan, who faces a primary contest in Wisconsin next week. Mr Ryan has backed Mr Trump despite deep differences on policy and temperament, and has encouraged other Republicans to unite behind the party's nominee. The tycoon's vice presidential nominee, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, said he spoke to Mr Trump on Wednesday morning "about my support for Paul Ryan and our long-time friendship". Mr Pence said: "He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesday's primary. And I'm pleased to do it." North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches will be condemned by the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Samantha Power predicted following an emergency meeting. She told reporters after the closed meeting there were "strong condemnations across the board" from all 15 council members, which she found encouraging. However UN diplomats said attempts to condemn the launches have been held up by China. South Korean and Japanese officials said a medium-range ballistic missile fired on Wednesday flew about 620 miles and landed near Japan's territorial waters. It was one of the longest flights by a North Korean missile, and the first time a missile landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from shore. The US Strategic Command said initial indications were that a second missile exploded immediately after launch. Britain's deputy UN ambassador Peter Wilson said as he headed into the emergency council meeting they were concerned that it was the first time a North Korean missile had landed in Japan's EEZ. "Our objective in this meeting is to draw attention to that fact, but also to come together to very, very clearly condemn it," he said. After the meeting, Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho was heartened by the "many messages of solidarity" after his appeal to the council to be united and send a strong message to the world and especially to North Korea that its actions are "totally unacceptable". No date was announced for a follow-up meeting of council members or experts, but Mr Bessho said he hopes for council action as soon as possible. South Korea's UN Ambassador Oh Joon said so far this year North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of missile tests - including the firing of 29 missiles of different varieties, ranges and trajectories using mobile launchers and submarines. "They are doing all of this with a systematic, comprehensive purpose of upgrading and refining their missile technologies, which is not only a grave challenge to the global nonproliferation system but also poses a clear and present danger to the security of all countries in the region," he said. "It is definitely in the interest of all countries to stop this dangerous series of provocations immediately." The ballistic missile launches on Wednesday were the third since the US and South Korea announced plans on July 8 to deploy an advanced missile defence system in South Korea by the end of next year - a move Pyongyang has denounced. The council has condemned six other launches in April, May and June, but has not responded to a July 9 failed attempt by a North Korean submarine to launch a ballistic missile and the July 19 launch of two short-range Scud missiles and a Rodong intermediate-range missile. China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi told reporters that "the situation is tense and we need to do everything to de-escalate the situation". Ms Power said the South Korea missile defence system was "purely defensive" and aimed solely at protecting the South Korean people and US and other forces stationed there from North Korean ballistic missiles. She stressed that the US will be pushing for implementation and enforcement of the sanctions - and is looking at adding individuals and organisations to the sanctions blacklist, which requires approval by all 15 council members. Israel's internal security agency has arrested a senior employee of the international aid group World Vision in the Gaza Strip, accusing him of siphoning millions of dollars of the charity's funds and transferring them to the Islamic militant group Hamas. Mohammed el-Halabi established a "systematic and sophisticated mechanism" to divert up to 50 million dollars over the years to the militant group, which rules Gaza, creating fictitious humanitarian projects and doctoring inflated receipts in order to get the funds to Hamas, said the Shin Bet. El-Halabi, whose actions helped Hamas build illegal underground tunnels and purchase weapons for terror attacks, was charged on Thursday, the Shin Bet said. World Vision, a US-based Christian aid group that works in nearly 100 countries, said in a statement on its website that it was "shocked" by the allegations and said it has "no reason to believe" they are true. Kent Hill, a senior official with the organisation, was holding meetings in Israel over the accusations, an Israeli foreign ministry official said. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem called the allegations "lies that may be part of the justification of the blockade imposed by the occupation on Gaza". El-Halabi, who is in his late thirties and from Jebaliya in the Gaza Strip, was arrested in June as he was crossing from Israel into Gaza. The Shin Bet said he underwent Hamas military and organisational training in the early 2000s and was "planted" by the group at World Vision in 2005, where he climbed the ranks to become director of the Gaza branch. "He began to conduct security operations for Hamas' military wing which was essentially exploiting the organisation's funds for Hamas' fortification," the Shin Bet said. To divert the funds, the Shin Bet said el-Halabi initiated fictitious projects meant to help farmers, the disabled and fishermen. He would falsely list Hamas operatives as workers on those projects and write up inflated receipts, according to the Shin Bet. Companies hired to carry out certain projects under fictitious tenders were "made aware" that 60% of the project's funds were destined for Hamas, the Shin Bet statement said, adding that some of World Vision's budget was used to pay the salaries of Hamas operatives. The Shin Bet also said el-Halabi would transfer to Hamas materials such as steel, digging equipment and pipes that were meant for World Vision agricultural assistance. Thousands of packages with food and medical aid received monthly would allegedly be diverted to Hamas operatives and their families rather than reach Gazan civilians. Beyond arms purchases and tunnel digging, the funds also helped build military bases, including one constructed in 2015 built entirely from British aid money, according to the Shin Bet. The security agency also said that since his arrest, el-Halabi divulged intelligence about employees working for United Nations agencies and other aid groups who were also assisting Hamas. A LinkedIn profile that appears to be el-Halabi's says he has worked at World Vision since January 2006 and has served as the Gaza zonal manager since July 2014. The profile says he previously worked at UNDP, the UN's development agency. Major General Yoav Mordechai, commander of Israel's defence body COGAT, said in an Arabic video address that el-Halabi confessed to funnelling World Vision funding to Hamas. "Hamas stole this money and passed it to its military wing to build bases, provide salary bonuses and dig the tunnels of death that have brought destruction upon you and the Gaza Strip," Maj Gen Mordechai said. "Hamas is burying you and your hope of living a normal life." THE HAGUE: Climate activists glued themselves to Johannes Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' at a Dutch museum on... SAN FRANCISCO: US tech titans looking to the future are seeing growth take a beating in the face of foreign... HAMBURG: The lowest price offered in the tender from Pakistan to purchase 500,000 tonnes of wheat which closed on... SINGAPORE: Chinas crude oil imports in September rose from the previous month but stayed 2% below their level a... ISLAMABAD: The number of cellular subscribers as well as teledensity declined for the second consecutive month in... Canberrans could soon be able to safely and legally access medical cannabis products under a new ACT government run scheme. The government has announced that it will establish a medical cannabis scheme as a "priority" and "as soon as practicable". Assistant health minister Meegan Fitzharris said setting up the schemeit needed to be done in a way that was evidence-based and supported vulnerable people. "The ACT's scheme will work to establish the ACT as a leader in the research and development of cannabis products here in Australia and develop a framework for the prescription, use and distribution of medicinal cannabis to those who need them on medical grounds," she said. A speeding ticket holding the key to an elderly man's disappearance. A "missing" woman leaving her husband for another man. These types of cases would not have made headlines during Missing Persons Week which is wrapping up, but they're not uncommon for officers at ACT Policing's Missing Persons Unit. Detective Sergeant Joanne van der Son, team leader of the ACT Police Missing Persons Unit. Credit:Graham Tidy Three months after distraught family members to a terminally ill missing elderly man came to Detective Sergeant Joanna van der Son, the man wandered into his local police station after returning from a road trip around Australia. "He just decided he wanted to pack his bags and go on a holiday without telling his family," Sergeant van der Son said. The Australian Dance Party is here and wants your vote. No, it's not a new fringe political group standing for the upcoming ACT election. The Dance Party (slogan: "toe the party line") is actually Canberra's first new contemporary dance company for years. Alison Plevey with dancers Janine Proost, Liz Lea and Gabriel Comerford. Credit:Jamila Toderas It's led by choreographer and performer Alison Plevey, who has been working on the project for the past two years. "It started with an initiation from myself and some potential supporters... [for] the development of a professional dance company, which we haven't had for a number of years here in Canberra," she said. "They were very interested to know why we don't have a company and how that might happen." A stalemate over construction of the planned Coombs shopping centre in the Molonglo Valley has been resolved, according to the Environment and Planning Directorate. A spokeswoman said a stop-work order over the site, in place since January, had been lifted and a development application approved with conditions. Veteran Canberra developer Renato Cervo. Credit:Jay Cronan Developer Renato Cervo had hoped to have the Coombs centre open by this winter but had his development application for the project knocked back twice by the directorate, citing problems including noise management and an unattractive design. A stop-work order was placed over the site in January by Access Canberra until the approvals were given. Drug-busts for amphetamine-type stimulants has skyrocketed in the ACT, a new report has found. The total weight of amphetamine-type stimulants (excluding ecstasy) seized in the territory rose by more than 104 per cent in 2014-15 from the year before, from 16 kilograms to nearly 33 kilograms. Drug-busts for amphetamine-type stimulants has skyrocketed in the ACT. Credit:Police The number of seizures rose by nearly 70 per cent over the same period from from 196 to 328, compared with a national rise of 22 per cent, according to the latest Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's Illicit Drug Data Report. Amphetamine-type stimulants are synthetic drugs that can appear in different forms and include speed, 'dexies', ice, ecstasy and methamphetamine. Passengers on a Qantas flight to Dubai that was forced to turn back to Sydney due to an on-board emergency will fly out again this morning. The QF1 flight had been flying for about an hour yesterday afternoon when a cabin temperature warning light came on, prompting the captain to make the call to return to Sydney. Qantas says engineers inspected the aircraft overnight and fixed the fault, but passengers have lamented the delay to their travel plans. "Unfortunately I was on this flight and means I'll miss the first game at West Ham," Cornelius Sullivan wrote on Facebook. Meanwhile Australian authorities are urgently trying to contact Australians who were on a plane that crashed and burst into flames at Dubai airport. The competition watchdog is concerned baby boomers and the elderly will lose a major source of quality local news if Seven West Media is allowed to acquire News Corp's The Sunday Times newspaper and perthnow website. It has also raised concerns that advertisers trying to reach the lucrative retiree market will be exploited if Seven has a monopoly on weekend newspapers, according to a statement of issues released on Thursday morning. Newspaper advertising is particularly effective at reaching older demographics, according to the ACCC's market research Credit:Erin Jonasson Seven West Media [SWM] wants to buy The Sunday times and perthnow.com.au from News Limited for about $15 million. SWM already owns The West Australian, The Weekend West, thewest.com.au, weekly classified paper The Quokka, the Seven Network, regional radio stations, and half of Community Newspaper Group. Dr Sedat Mulayim, the head of the RMIT University translating and interpreting programs, died after a five-month battle with cancer. Mulayim was admired and loved at RMIT and within the wider translating and interpreting community. This was evident at a memorial service held at RMIT on July 19 where there was standing room only. The variety of backgrounds of those who attended and their deep sense of loss at his parting were evidence of the harmonious multicultural environment that he so ably nurtured and led. Sedat Mulayim helped people with limited English navigate the system. Sedat Mulayim was born in Ankara, Turkey. He graduated from the translating and interpreting program at Haceteppe University in that city before coming to Australia with his parents, Ali and Behiye, and his four siblings. In Melbourne, he attended the translating and interpreting course at Victoria College (now Deakin University). Ismail Akinci, a classmate and close friend, remembers his fellow student as a friendly personality who mingled well with his peers while demonstrating an early dedication to his chosen career. He went on to teach at Deakin and pursue a Masters degree by research in translation studies while forging a career as a freelance practitioner. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. I got pretty good at listening to people's problems and counselling people too. One young woman confided in me that her boyfriend was anorexic. I was shocked. This was a first for me - I'd never ever heard of men having anorexia, I thought anorexia was a women only disorder. I was intrigued and gently probed her into divulging why. It turns out her boyfriend had been raped by another man at a party. This was a lot for 15-year-old me to digest. I never knew men could even get raped. I listened with an open heart and gave her my unworldly 15-year-old advice - "maybe you guys just need a nice relaxing holiday?!" Pretty sure I'd heard adults say that to other stressed out adults. Another man put his hand on my leg. I responded by politely lifting the offending hand back off and mentioning that Dad took his number plate...then continued chatting away about my teenage self. One old guy did not say a single word the entire car journey. I asked a couple of questions to be polite but got nothing back except silence. I wasn't sure if he was really rude or completely deaf . Either way was fine by me, I put my CD Walkman on and listened to The Doors all the way home. I think I got a grunt out of him when we pulled up. I ended up at a party one time instead of going home. I got a lift with some teenagers on their P-plates in a station wagon, surfboards on roof racks - two boys and a girl coming back from a surf trip in Margaret River. They took me under their wing. I called Mum to say I was staying at a friend's place the night. It was the first teenage party I'd been to, everyone was so friendly, the music was pumping 1989 anthems, disco lights, joints passed around, I drank Cinzano, I didn't even know what Cinzano was, I kissed a boy, threw up, fell asleep on a sofa, woke up and got my new friends to drive me home the next day. Queensland's lone Greens senator has grimaced at the prospect of working with One Nation in the Federal Parliament, as the make-up of the new Senate became clearer on Thursday. The state's allocation of senators was announced on Thursday morning, with One Nation securing two seats, including that of party founder Pauline Hanson. Greens senator Larissa Waters is not thrilled about working with Pauline Hanson in the 45th Senate. Credit:Glenn Hunt In order of election, Queensland's senators in the 45th Parliament will be George Brandis (Liberal National Party), Murray Watt (Australian Labor Party), Pauline Hanson (One Nation), Matthew Canavan (LNP), Anthony Chisholm (ALP), James McGrath (LNP), Claire Moore (ALP), Ian Macdonald (LNP), Larissa Waters (Greens), Barry O'Sullivan (LNP), Chris Ketter (ALP) and Malcolm Roberts (One Nation). The declaration of results was due to occur in Brisbane at 11am on Friday. The Australian government has denied any role in a Papua New Guinea court order for resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers held in detention on Manus Island, saying it is not a party to the case. PNG's Supreme Court is expected to consider Australia's legal responsibility in resettlement of about 900 men being held in the controversial detention centre, but the Department of Immigration and Border Protection denied Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia had summoned an Australian representative to the court on Thursday. The court ordered a resettlement plan in a hearing on Tuesday, a move detainee advocates feared would further delay any release or compensation. The latest case follows a decision in April that found the detention centre was unconstitutional, prompting the PNG government to begin moves to close it. My super power is finding four-leaf clovers. I found my first one at age 11 and consistently ever since. Some estimates say there are 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every one four-leaf clover. That's much better odds than winning Lotto or playing pokies but it doesn't explain why I can find them without really looking. Hillary Clinton, with her daughter Chelsea, says "no one gets through life alone". Credit:AP I'll often glance down and instantly spot the four-leaf clover in the middle of the patch, and I've even found clovers with five, six and seven leaves. As far as super powers go, it's not as useful as my friend's ability to always find a killer parking space. But my clover power is quirky and it suits my optimistic personality, because of course it's supposed to be lucky. A teaching style embraced by schools across Australia has been condemned as nothing more than a fad. Leading education academics have warned that the strategy of tailoring teaching to students' so-called "learning styles" was based on flawed theories that were not based on any evidence. 'Kinesthetic' learning is just a fad, says leading academic Credit:Peter Braig Yet this teaching style - which identifies learners as "visual, auditory or kinesthetic" - is still being promoted by state education departments as best practice teaching. Professor Stephen Dinham, who has been teaching, researching and advising governments on education policy for 40 years, said schools were administering unreliable tests that categorised students as different types of learners. Brisbane City Council has no plans to introduce traffic calming to a Runcorn street in which a car has crashed into a home for a second time. The latest car crashed into the home, on the corner of Brandon Road and Susan Court, in the early hours of Thursday morning. There were no serious injuries when a car was driven through a house in Brisbane. Credit:Nine News The male driver, 20, was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital with minor injuries. A police spokesman said while the man had tested positive to an alcohol breath test, he had not yet been charged late on Thursday as they were waiting on blood tests to come back. Now senator-elect Hanson casts her vote earlier in 2016. Credit:Robert Shakespeare "The community elected them and we treated them with respect and worked with them," Mr Beattie said after it was confirmed One Nation had won two Queensland Senate spots and four nationally in the 2016 election. "We didn't agree with their policies but we went out and dealt with the concerns of their constituents," he told Fairfax Media. Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie says Pauline Hanson deserves recognition for her determination. Credit:Tony Moore "And their constituents were worried about jobs, their futures, their kids." Unemployment was a major issue in the early to mid-1990s and youth unemployment was in double figures in many regional Queensland cities and towns. "There was a lot of job insecurity at the time and that's what we did," Mr Beattie said. "We just treated them with respect and worked with them. "Whether I agreed with their policies, or not, was beside the point. "The fact is they're elected and once they have been elected they are legitimately representatives of democracy and you have to work with and you have to listen to them." Mr Beattie said he could not give an example where One Nation used its numbers to influence legislation, "because we stuck pretty close to our program". But he said he began Labor's "community cabinets" in regional cities after the 1998 election. "The first community cabinet was held in a One Nation seat around Cairns; Mulgrave I think it was," he said. "We went into Mulgrave and we got all the local people to come and talk to us." Mr Beattie said the One Nation MPs of 1998 were "relatively inexperienced" and "went through their own internal traumas". "But they are a different kettle of fish now," he said. "Pauline Hanson is not inexperienced. She has been around a long time." One Nation won 11 Queensland seats at Queensland's 1998 state poll, but infighting led to One Nation being de-registered in Queensland in 1999. At the 2001 state election all but three One Nation MPs lost their seats and all MPs standing for their splinter group, the City Country Alliance, lost their seats. "Their political inexperience I think partly led to their downfall," Mr Beattie said. "But they are not going to go through the same thing again," he said. "Pauline Hanson has been around longer than me." Mr Beattie said he could not see One Nation senators falling away from the party like Clive Palmer's senators did in the previous federal parliament, or like One Nation's Queensland MPs did in 1999. In Queensland in 1998-99, One Nation's MPs split into the now disbanded City Country Alliance and One Nation. One Nation has held a Queensland senate previously, between 1998 and 2004, when Len Harris was given One Nation's senate spot that was originally won by respected Ipswich family resource worker Heather Hill. Former Young Australian of the Year finalist Jean Madden will fight the fraud charge she's facing, her lawyer says. Ms Madden, who has been charged in relation to the charity she founded, Street Swags, was due to front the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday. Street Swags creator Jean Madden, a former Queensland Young Australian of the Year, is charged with fraud. Credit:Paul Harris But her lawyer Kris Jahnke asked for her appearance to be excused. Outside court, Mr Jahnke said his client would be defending the charge. A professional Melbourne firefighter is allowed to continue in the brigade despite being banned from working as an osteopath for "unwarranted" touching of three female patients. The brigade moved to sack Garth Duggan earlier this year after it was revealed he had been banned from providing health services and that his registration as an osteopath had been cancelled for at least six years. Credit:Paul Jeffers / Fairfax Media The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruling against Mr Duggan was made in March this year and related to complaints made in 2009 and 2010 that he touched three patients inappropriately. Mr Duggan did not reveal to the MFB the ruling, or the case, when he was recruited last year. A West Australian man has pleaded guilty to 61 charges related to the sexual abuse of a girl who was offered up for sexual abuse by her own father. In the Perth Magistrates Court today Ryan Trevor Clegg has pleaded guilty to charges including sexual penetration of a child and indecently recording a child. The girl's father has been jailed for 22 years. He's had his bail renewed to appear in the West Australian District Court on September 30. Six other men have faced court over the sexual abuse of the girl. London: An American woman was murdered and two Australians were among those injured in a mass stabbing attack in central London, which police believe was carried out by a young man with suspected mental health issues. The victim was identified as Darlene Horton, 64, who was the wife of a US psychology professor. Scotland Yard confirmed an Australian man and woman were among the victims, but it was unclear if they were related or a couple. The woman suffered a knife wound to her back and the man suffered a wound to his chest. Both were discharged from hospital on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said a third Australian, a woman, was at the scene of the attack but unhurt. "He entered the bank, he presented a demand note and robbed the bank of an undisclosed amount of cash," Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, told the Gazette-Mail. The note claimed that the intruder was carrying both a bomb and a weapon, and it demanded an immediate windfall of cash, WJLA reported. The teller handed the man an undisclosed amount of money, but not before surveillance footage captured images of him. Then, the man drove off in a green Mazda Miata. A few minutes after the robbery occurred, Johnson reappeared at the blackjack table, where he continued to play, police said. Meanwhile, police released surveillance footage of the green Miata, along with the images from inside the bank. In response, they received an anonymous tip that Kerry Johnson had just purchased a new Mazda Miata and perfectly fit the description of the suspect. Latest News Westpac announces major partnership with NRL, NRLW Funding designed to grow sport for both women and men Westpac predicts another RBA double hike If it is correct, an average borrower with a $500k loan could be paying an additional $800 a month, expert says Settling a $7.5m commercial property deal just two weeks after being approached is a scenario that would impress many experienced brokers used to slower lender decisions that leave clients uncertain, and at risk.However, its not an unusual turnaround time for non-bank Chifley Securities , says director Joe Morello. Our credit team responds really quickly to new enquiries, so brokers know theyll get an answer saying we either like a deal and want to move forward, or that we cant proceed. Theres no wasting time.Referred by a broker, the client in this case was purchasing a retail centre in Campbelltown in Sydney as an investment. With a number of shop leases either coming to an end or expired, the clients bank reneged on the deal two days before the start of a two-week notice to complete, requiring urgent action.The broker came to us first because he knew hed get a yes or no fast, Morello says. We got the valuation done straight away, and everything stacked up for us we knew that in this case it was a strong borrower so we were able to settle in two weeks, ensuring the client didnt have to lose their deposit.Chifley Securities bases decisions primarily on the quality of the asset and the financial position and character of the borrower. That means that, unlike a bank, the lender can take a more flexible, entrepreneurial approach to deals, and because interest is capitalised, it doesnt need to prioritise monthly loan serviceability to the same extent.For us, security comes down to the strength of the asset, which is tested through a valuation, and the borrower behind the deal. Monthly repayments are essentially capitalised into the loan at the outset, and our process doesnt require clients to jump through as many hoops as a tier one bank, Morello says.In another deal, the representative of an investment syndicate was seeking $11m to purchase multiple adjacent sites worth $22m in Sydneys Wolli Creek for a future development. Although the banks were reluctant to lend because on paper the sites werent generating significant income, Chifley Securities was able to act fast to lock in the land, despite a more complicated corporate structure that required more due diligence.The representative was in a rush to settle and hadnt been able to lock anything in, despite having made commitments to investors, Morello says. We were able to ensure the client saved face by settling in a little over two weeks, and we continue to receive more business from those investors.Chifley Securities has offered brokers 1% commission on settled deals since launching in 2014. However, its the ability to act fast with its total pool of $1.1bn in capital that is setting it apart from other lenders in the market. In fact, the broker who referred both the Campbelltown and Wolli Creek deals is in the process of settling three more deals and entering into a white label agreement.The ability to get a decision even a negative decision allows brokers to move on, and safeguard the thing that they trade on: their reputation, Morello says. No one likes to get a no, but a quick no is always better for the broker.Morello says he expects more traditional bank deals to be referred by brokers to Chifley Securities, as these mainstream lenders continue to neglect potentially good investments and clients to maintain more conservative lending standards.We are seeing more deals where a client has ample net assets to cover a debt, but they are receiving overly conservative responses from mainstream lenders, and that is good for us. Latest News Westpac announces major partnership with NRL, NRLW Funding designed to grow sport for both women and men Westpac predicts another RBA double hike If it is correct, an average borrower with a $500k loan could be paying an additional $800 a month, expert says Consistent with the famous brand identification of the multinational, multifaceted Virgin Group, Virgin Money Australia kicked off its recent entry into the home loan market with a focus on building meaningful relationships with its customers and industry partners.Customer research conducted by Virgin Money revealed that heading the customer wish list is for lenders to stop viewing them as just another number.The Virgin Money survey dug deeper and found a need to feel valued is a key factor determining a borrowers choice of lender.Accordingly, explained Virgin Money head of distribution Adrian Cunningham, a focus on establishing personal relationships and satisfying a borrowers need to feel recognised and rewarded for the value they bring has been pivotal in shaping the companys vision, strategies and mortgage product.Teaming up with the broker channel was a given because it provides customers with the opportunity to engage in face-to-face interactions. It also replicates the model utilised by Virgin Money in the UK, which does close to 90% of its lending through the third-party channel.We dont have branches, so the broker channel makes sense. Our research told us customers would value the opportunity to apply for a Virgin Money home loan face-to-face. There are good synergies between the service provided by mortgage brokers and Virgin Moneys commitment to simplifying money and delivering a great customer experience, said Cunningham.Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson started Virgin Money in the UK 30 years ago. Virgin Money Australia launched its new mortgage product in May. Simultaneously, NextGen .Nets electronic lodgement solution ApplyOnline went live, a clear indication that empowering brokers at the point of sale, driving efficiencies and giving brokers maximum control is high on Virgin Moneys agenda.For us its always about going to where the strength is and making it as easy as possible. So NextGen.Net was it, said Cunningham.One of the first things we looked at in terms of process and an operating model was how we receive loans. Brokers are familiar with the ApplyOnline platform and our principle is keep things beautifully simple for everyone. So it made sense to use the platform that brokers are most familiar with.NextGen.Net sales executive Greg Phillips said, From day one their focus has corresponded with ours in terms of providing best-in-class solutions for the broker channel to drive efficiencies at the point of sale and reduce operational costs in the residential home loans market.From NextGen.Nets perspective, its great to partner with Virgin Money because its a brand that people are familiar with and respect, and like NextGen.Net it has a reputation for being innovative.Up front, Adrian made it known that Virgin Money was looking for a technology partner versus just a technology solution.For Cunningham this translated as customisation.Were actively working with NextGen.Net to learn how to improve the broker experience so they capture the right information and can get relevant information up front and minimise the amount of time they have to go back to borrowers, Cunningham said. Its up to the lender how far they turn that dial.Weve sought NextGen.Nets guidance on what works best for brokers along the entire spectrum.NextGen.Net has a lot of great little tools. Almost as soon as we partnered with them for our base platform we started looking at their Supporting Documents tool. Weve now signed up to introduce that, which will deliver further efficiencies for brokers and for us.Were also looking at their online servicing calculator, which is a format that brokers are familiar with and takes us back to our tenet to keep things simple and clean.Its been barely two months since ApplyOnline went live, but Cunningham says feedback from the back office and brokers is very positive.We have a couple of quirky little fields [on the loan application] that may be different to other lenders and could have caused problems, but our back office is giving us the thumbs up. So its going remarkably well, he said. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams They had the right to remain excited! Scores of families celebrated the relationship between police and community during the boroughs various National Night Out Against Crime celebrations on Aug. 2. Locals all over Brooklyn enjoyed noshing on hot dogs and Italian ices, jumping on bouncy castles, and watching kids dance performances alongside the men and women in blue. Police were tasked with ensuring everyones safety, but officers didnt shy away from having fun with their neighbors, according to one Mill Basinite who attended the 63rd Precincts in Marine Park and said she wasnt the slightest bit intimidated kickin it with cops. I was comfortable talking to them, absolutely. And it was fun spending time with them and talking to them. I felt safe, said Ola Baruwa, who brought her three kids. The kids had so much fun the bouncy castle, they did some games, they watched the dancing group, they had the food, we got a lot of free stuff. And one Sheepshead Bay resident had a blast cheering on his 12-year-old daughter, who shook it with her dance company at the 61st Precincts party, he said. We watched their performance, absolutely excellent work, said Mehat Ramis. Its very, very fun and lots of food. Over at the 60th Precincts night out in Coney Island, three clowns made sure no one walked away without a smile on their face. And Sgt. Frances Goldschlager added a little color to her uniform with a crafted pink balloon hat. Up in Park Slope during the 78th Precincts event, a police-officer-turned-disc-jockey for the night spun music for the crowds and kids enjoyed rock climbing on an inflatable wall. And in Bay Ridge during the 68th Precincts night out, local heroes from the Fort Hamilton base including new leader Col. Peter Sicoli shook hands with kids and posed for photos. Councilman Vincent Gentile (DBay Ridge) spent part of the evening with the precinct commanding officer Capt. Joseph Hayward and said the camaraderie amongst the local officers and community members during the event was a great sign in light of tense community-police relations nationwide. The relationship between the community and the brave men and women in blue who protect us each and every day must continue to prosper, especially in todays climate, said Gentile. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams https://www.brooklynpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/bp-radio-2016-7-28-full-show.mp3 https://www.brooklynpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/bp-radio-2016-7-28-full-show.mp3 Technical difficulties put a halt to yesterdays live webcast of Brooklyn Paper Radio, but dont fret! Well play it live for all to listen today during your early Friday drive home at 4 pm! The episode is mercifully bereft of Gersh Kuntzman, who is working on his new Fringe Festival play Murder at the Food Co-op. In his stead, Brooklyn Paper editor-in-chief Vince is joined by Deputy Editor Max Jaeger to discuss Presidential politics now that the owners of Schnitzel Haus in Bay Ridge removed an autographed picture of one-time patron Donald Trump from the walls of the beloved restaurant. Then, Deputy Editor Ruth Brown joined the fray, giving her two cents on a story about unequal pay for doormen and security workers at separate portions of one Downtown project. That led to a scintillating discussion of the Jay Street bike lane and, of course, cocktails. Of course, this doesnt mean you cant listen to Gersh during last weeks unheralded episode, which snuck its way on Thursday without much fanfare. In that edition, Gersh and Vince discussed Brooklyns L-Pocalypse with a random Williamsburg resident who may or may not have been former Brooklyn Paper reporter Aaron Short. Was there a murder 100 years ago at Yardley's Continental Tavern? Frank Lyons began excavating the basement of the Continental Tavern in Yardley. He found a gun, bloody corset and part of a woman's purse. American Gothics The Gross Clinic deals with the aftermath of Mitch being named the Silver Bells Killer. Of course, things cant be that easy. Mitch may have had an accomplice. So who could it have been? Why did Garrett Leave Boston? American Gothics The Gross Clinic begins with Christina talking to the police about her history with Garrett, but she finds out Mitch was really the killer. Then Garrett wakes up in the hospital to find Detective Cutter waiting to interrogate him. The whole family is at the hospital watching the news about Mitch. They then get to see Garrett, who tells them that he found rope and bells in his dads stuff. He thought there was an explanation, but the next day David Morales died. He confronted his dad, who got really defensive. Garret knew it was him. He left Boston after telling his dad hed come back and expose him if there was another murder. There wasnt another murder, which seemed to prove it was Mitch. Tessa was pretty pissed he left them with a killer. They all leave, but not before Garrett tells Cam he needs a favor. American Gothic Recap: Which Hawthorne Is The Killer? >>> Later, Madeline says that she was worried what Garrett would say but he was smart. He says he told his story so people would stop asking questions. Dont second guess this. Its best to let your father take the fall for everything, she says. So is Mitch not the killer? Did they work together? Will Alison Choose Tom Or Naomi? Alison confides in Naomi over how terrible it will be to live in her fathers shadow. She considers ending the campaign, but Naomi wants to run some focus groups. Tom comes home and things get awkward, so Naomi leaves. Then, Tom goes to the guest room. Things get worse the next day. Toms company is losing clients. This will affect their whole lives if they dont work together. Tom wants Naomi out of the picture. He admits he deleted Naomis text earlier. She tells him to go sleep with someone else too, but he says the campaigns over and Naomis only extending it to stay in her life. They need to end it. Alison later sees the results from her focus group and things do not look good for her campaign, so she tells Naomi to schedule a press conference so she can drop out. Naomi says shes willing to stay in Boston for Alison. She admits that Tom confronted her about their relationship. She thinks theyre more than just a hookup, but now the balls in Alisons court. Tom then flirts with some woman just before the press conference. Meanwhile, Alison tells Madeline shes ending her campaign, but she tries to change her mind. She even slaps Alison. So Alison gives her press conferences. She says she sympathizes with the victims families. She wishes she knew who her father was so she could have stopped him, but she didnt kill anyone. Her great grandfather loved his theater program signed by the actor Edwin Booth. He loved it, despite the actors brother murdering the president. She shouldnt be punished for her fathers crime, so she isnt quitting the race. Bradys Investigation Continues Tessa blames Brady for Garretts stabbing. He says he wants to take some time off for them to work on their relationship. She changes the subject and talks about how obsessed she used to be about hot air balloon rides and says her dad took her once for her 10th birthday. That was the same day he killed his first victim, so Tessa smashes her souvenir from that day. She questions everything about her dad. So Brady suggests that Tessa should go back on her medication. Brady, Detective Cutter and the police then start filing things away from the case, but Brady notices a file and sneaks away with it. Brady winds up speeding through the city and times himself, but Detective Cutter follows him. Brady realizes that Mitch couldnt have killed his first victim and make it home in time for Tessas birthday hot air balloon ride. Detective Cutter demands to work with him to figure this out. Brady and Detective Cutter go to meet the new homeowner of the first victims house. He loves true crime stories, so he was all into the investigation. They reenact the murder to see if the timing fits. They try six times and the timeline works, but just barely. Then the homeowner mentions that a bandit moved some stuff around at the house across the street before the first murder. He made it so that one chair was separate from the others. They think that was the killers first attempt, but a dogs barking interrupted him. Then the homeowner happens to say that the lawn gnome outside had a camera, which may have caught the break in. Tessa Loses It Tessa starts to have a serious panic attack at her house. She calls her doctor and makes an appointment for the next day. She gets another call, though, from her principal. And it doesnt sound like good news. Will Cam Fall Off The Wagon? So Garrett sent Cam to see Christina. He tells her that Garrett wants to see her and explain himself. Hes insane. Youre insane. Youre familys insane. It must be in your blood. Dont ever come near me again, she says. On his way back to his car, Cam then gets tempted by a drug dealer. Later, Cams about to get high with Sophie when Tessa and Jack walk in. Tessa tells him to go to rehab or hell lose his son. So Cam decides to go to rehab. He wants Jack to stay with Tessa instead of Sophie and Sophies furious. Tessa threatens to call child protective services, so Sophie storms out. Tessa and Jack then go to visit Garrett and Tessa tells him that Cams in rehab, but he made it to Christina first. Shes still pissed about him not telling them about Mitch and he gets emotional about thinking about everything he missed in her life. He thought he was doing the right thing, though. Tessa goes to her appointment and leaves Jack with Garrett. Jacks as creepy as ever and wants to see some dead bodies, so Garrett takes him. American Gothic Interview: Megan Ketch and EP on Tessas Role in the Family, Fine Art and More >>> Jack Goes Too Far Jack takes the stuffed animal that Garrett gave him and throws it over the covered pool. The twins want to play with it, so he tells them that if they to play with it, they need to go in to get it. Meanwhile, Tom hooks up with that woman. Back at the homestead, one of the twins falls into the pool and Tom, Alison and Tessa run out to help. Tessa was apparently supposed to be watching them. Tom and Alison leave with the twins while Jack explains he wanted to see how oxygen deprivation affected the twins brain for science. What is wrong with you? Tessa screams. Tessa tells Cam he should send Jack to a facility in Maine. What the hells in our genes, Tess? he asks. Meanwhile, Tom, Alison and the twins all promise to stick together. Alison even ends things with Naomi the next day and Naomi does not take it well. Back at the house, Tessa also gets a voicemail from her doctor. Shes pregnant. What Is Garrett Hiding? Christina winds up visiting Garrett in the hospital. He says he felt guilty for what his father did and he wanted to check up on her. So he followed her. He even purposefully cut his hand. He didnt think shed wind up meaning something to him, though, and he says what they had was real. But she doesnt believe him. His pulse keeps going up when hes lying. She asks him what hes hiding, but he doesnt answer, so she leaves and he punches the machine. Later, Garrett tells Madeline hes done and that he cant keep staring people I love in the eye and lying to them. He asks what shed do if he wanted to tell the truth. Is that what happened with dad? He wanted to tell the truth and you killed him? he asks. Madeline says he wont get Christina back if he comes clean. Hed just wind up losing everything. Its too late, though, Brady and Detective Cutter find the footage from the gnome. They see someone getting into the passengers side of the car. Someone was with the killer. Could it have been Madeline? Or Garrett? American Gothic airs on Wednesday nights at 10pm on CBS. (Image courtesy of CBS) latest news 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 ... On this episode of Suits, Turn, Mike contemplates taking Cahills deal, Rachel begins her work with the Innocence Project, Jessica does battle with Stu and Louis meets the woman of his dreams. Rachel gets started on her case for the Innocence Project. The man in question is named Leonard Bailey, and hes been on death row for 12 years for a double homicide. For the past 10, hes been writing letters to lawyers, pleading with them to listen to his story. So, hes a bit put out to find out that the best hope he has is a law student, but Rachel convinces him to give her a shot. Risky Business Harvey breaks the news to Mike that he has to inform on his cellmate. If Mike can get Kevin to turn on his father-in-law, Mike gets to walk. The timing isnt great since Mike just had a heart-to-heart with Kevin about his kids and revealed how his own parents were killed by a drunk driver. Mike wants to know what Kevins father-in-law did, a detail Harvey doesnt think is important but Mike does. Kevin is Mikes only friend, and hes not eager to betray him. Harvey doesnt care about friendship, Gallo is trying to kill Mike, and Harvey and Cahill are giving him a way out. Suits Recap: Gallo Continues to Threaten Mike; Louis Meets His Match >>> Mike figures that hes got the Gallo situation under control. He tells Harvey that he figured out a way to get Gallo parole, but Harvey assures Mike that will never happen. Whos going to vouch for the guy? But Mike thinks that instead of Harvey spending his time trying to get Mike to roll over on Kevin, he should be working on freeing Gallo. Harvey has no intention of ever helping Gallo. Mike thinks the plan is risky. He could turn on the one guy he trusts, based on a plan Cahill has that they dont even know will work. But what Harvey is really offering Mike is a chance to get his life back while it still looks the same. Stu and his traders continue to be a thorn in Louis (who Stu has taken to calling Louis Shit) side. They used his coffee mugs for urine tests, and after bickering back and forth, throwing out terms like douche stick, Louis realizes there isnt much he can do since Stu cut a side deal with Harvey. Mike heads to work, and thanks to Julius, Kevin has pulled kitchen duty as well. Kevin wants to know whats up with Mikes lawyer paying him a surprise visit, and Mike gets cagey. For someone who has been lying to people for quite a while, Mikes poker face sucks. Mike does tell Kevin that Harvey couldnt get Gallo transferred, but Kevin says as long as they stick together, they should be okay. Harvey has to buy time with Cahill. Harvey tells Cahill that Mike wants to see the deal in writing. Cahill swears his word is good, and while thats good enough for Harvey, Mike doesnt want to risk putting a target on his back only to find out that commuting his sentence really means cutting it in half. Cahill swears there is no risk because nobody will find out, but Harvey points out thats probably exactly what Gallo thought too, but his snitch status is out in the open. Cahill figures out Mike didnt go for it. Harveys convinced Mike will come around, but Cahills put out after having pulled a lot of strings to get the deal in the first place. Harvey knows Cahill wouldnt have put this all in motion if it didnt benefit him. Cahill agrees to give Harvey some time, but if he finds a way to move forward without Mike in the meantime, Mike does the full two years. Wolf of Wall Street While Mike faces his moral dilemma, Harvey and Jessica have a problem with their newest client, Nathan Byrnes. Nathan thinks someone is trying to take over his company because someone is selling off a block of his stock. This doesnt make sense to Harvey since they bought Sutters shares from him. Jessica realizes the traders are the most likely culprits. Harvey doesnt believe they would do that without talking to him, having bought it in good faith. But Jessica is convinced theyre dumping it in bad faith. Jessica confronts Stu about dumping Nathans stock. Stu argues that its technically his stock, and he can do whatever he wants with it. Jessica tells Stu hes going to buy the shares back, but Stu assures her that isnt going to happen. Jessica starts to pay the landlord card, but it backfires. Stu knows that the fact the firm had to take on tenants at all means Jessica doesnt have much of an operation. As Jessica warns Stu that he has no idea who hes messing with, the skin-crawl worthy trader asks Jessica out on a date. If she does, just maybe hell back off the trade. Jessica cant enjoy a meal staring down the barrel of a shotgun, so she gives Stu the option of unwinding the trade and then asking her out. After that, Jessica might be willing to give Stu the chance to prove hes as charming as he thinks he is. Jessica may be hot, but not hot enough for Stu to unwind the trade without getting something in return. The Sting Mike decides the benefits dont outweigh the risks. After a brief phone call with Rachel who assures him that things are good between them, he tells Donna to pass along the message that hes not taking the deal. If someone finds out, Mike may never make it back to Rachel at all. Donna tries to convince Mike otherwise, but theres no changing his mind. And if Harvey shows up at Danbury in an effort to try, Mike wont see him. Donna tells Harvey the bad news, and he decides the best course of action is to tell Rachel. Donna says Harvey cant tell her. If Rachel finds out Mike isnt taking the deal, it will tear her apart. Rachel is already feeling guilty that her Innocence Project case has given her something to focus on other than her fiance behind bars. It took a lot of reassurance from Donna to convince Rachel its okay to move on with her life. Mikes predicament is killing Harvey. His bestie is sitting in jail instead of him with a guy Harvey put away. He cant just sit by and do nothing. Donna tells Harvey he has to find another way. Harvey goes to Cahill and asks him to go see Mike. The only thing that might get Mike to change his mind is if Cahill pleads the case directly to him, showing him the victims of whatever this guy did. Cahill points out that if anyone sees him go into the prison, the plan is dead in the water, and Mikes life is worth shit. Harveys got a plan, but Cahill isnt going to like it. It involves pulling another string, and doing so before Gallo takes another shot at Mike. Gallo decides to give Mike a reprieve, just as long as he makes good on his promise to get him out on parole. If Mike fails to deliver, or screws him on any level, Gallo will finish what he started. At First Sight Donna has an idea of how Louis can minimize his interactions with the tenants, hire an architect to reconfigure the offices. A few well-placed walls, and Louis might find the time to focus on something else, like practicing law. The architect turns out to be a Grade-A hottie, Tara Messer. Tara is also a lover of the ballet and opera. Louis hires her on the spot. Tara also gets Louis attachment to the bullpen. She seems too good to be true. And you can see the wheels spinning when Tara tells Louis its too bad the space is sublet because her firm is looking to expand, and the space would have been perfect. If prune juice and bran bars were enough to get Louis to oust the traders, the prospect of a beautiful lady architect has Louis sprinting to Jessica to declare they have to get rid of the traders. Jessica denies Louis request, convinced that theyll just be having this conversation again regarding whoever they replace them with. Why? Because Louis is out of his mind. Louis promises that wont be the case since hes in love with an architect. This doesnt further his cause. Louis wants Jessica to further antagonize people shes already fighting with because Louis doesnt have the balls to ask a woman out. Yep, that sums it up. Louis is forced to break the news to Tara that she wont be renovating his office. But he offers her the opportunity to rent his summer house in the Hamptons instead. Extensive wooing on Louis part seems imminent. Whats more, Jessica forbids Louis from hiring Tara at all, threatening to throw him off the roof of the building if he does. Dead Man Walking Rachel has gotten a bit carried away with Baileys case. After meeting with him, she combed through his case files and is now convinced he is innocent. She runs to her professor who reminds his eager student that her job was to assess his case and present evidence. Just because Baileys on the Innocence Projects radar doesnt mean representation is a guarantee. Professor Dunbar is taken back by Rachels naivete. She spends 10 minutes with a man and wants to put his case on the top of the pile. Rachel shoots back that she just left two boxes of textbook prosecurial misconduct with Dubars secretary. Not only is Rachel a bright student, shes been a kick-ass paralegal at a top firm for years. Dunbars impressed with Rachels enthusiasm and agrees to look through the material. Suits Renewed for Season 7 But Is the End Near? >>> Undercover Brother Mike collapses in the yard and winds up in the infirmary. Harvey shows up at the prison but is denied access to his client, so he demands to see the warden. Harvey makes a huge scene as hes led through the prison to Mikes cell. Its obvious this is all part of an elaborate scheme. Harvey questions Kevin if he saw Gallo with Mike. Mike and Gallo had their chat about Gallos appeal during lunch. But Kevin doesnt get why Gallo would poison Mike if the ex-lawyer was getting him out. Harvey argues Gallo didnt really take Mike up on his offer, he just used it as an excuse to get close. Kevin believes maybe it was Gallos way of warning Mike what would happen if he failed. Harvey warns Kevin to stay away from Gallo. On his way out, Harvey encounters Gallo and accuses him of poisoning Mike. Gallo denies it, and the two come close to blows before Gallo is hauled off. Outside, its revealed that the warden was in on the plan. Everyone needed to believe Mike was unconscious in the infirmary and that Harvey held Gallo responsible. Mike is off in some secure location. The warden warns Harvey that Mike has a monitor on his leg, and if it goes dark for a second, hell make sure Harvey winds up at Danbury in a cell with him. Harvey promises Mike will be back as promised and once he is, Harveys getting him out for good. Mike wakes up in a car with Harvey. Cahill got the warden and the prison doctor to put something in Mikes food. The only way they could get Mike to change his mind was to get him out from behind bars. Harvey drops Mike off at his apartment, hoping a few hours with the woman he loves will sway him. Harvey kept his word and didnt tell Rachel, even though he believes Mike should. Mike pieces together a story about the fight with Gallo, being thrown in solitary, subsequently proving he was defending himself, and the prison giving him a few hours of furlough to prevent a lawsuit. A bit of a stretch to say the least. (Im thinking more and more, Suits should have time jumped and resumed near the end of Mike sentence. This whole Gallo thing, and Mikes continued preferential treatment thanks to Harvey, a corporate lawyer, is getting harder to swallow.) Jessica finds a way to screw over Stu. She uses her connections to leak information about a merger negotiation involving a company Stu has sunk a considerable amount of change, and the stock is plummeting. Jessica warns Stu not to mess with her again. Cahill arrives at the firm incredibly pissed off. Hes been waiting at his office for Harvey and Mike for hours. When Donna has no choice but to tell him that Mikes basically enjoying a conjugal visit, Cahill threatens to do what exactly Harvey told him to, show Mike the innocent people who lost everything because of the guy theyre trying to put away. Donna gives Cahill the same excuse she gave Harvey for not making Rachel privy to this deal. Mike already chose prison over her once, and shes not likely to forgive him doing it again. Cahill isnt interested in shielding Rachel, and in fact, hes going to make sure to tell her everything. Thank God Rachel isnt as clueless as shes been pretending to be. Post-coitus, she urges Mike to come clean about whats really going on. Just as Cahill and Harvey are about to come to blows on Mikes front stoop, Mike emerges and announces that hes taking the deal. Suits airs Wednesdays at 10pm on USA. (Image courtesy of USA) Lawsuit seeks $5M in wages for Great Adventure hourly workers The class action lawsuit says workers should be paid for time spent walking across Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson. made its second invetsment in the Indian renewable space by investing $31 million in Mytrah Energy (India) Private Limited. Earlier it has invested $24 million in Welspun Renewable to fund its solar power project. A limited network presence is a major challenge for luxury carmakers, which are keen to expand their market share. Theyve been trying to overcome this limitation and take their product to more buyers in cities where they do not have a physical presence. Food major Industries is contemplating an entry back into categories like salted snacks and breakfast as the company looks to expand its presence beyond bakery and dairy. The move comes as rivals such as Nestle, ITC, Parle Products and Mondelez are aggressively expanding their portfolios. Indian wind turbine manufacturer Ltd expects to exit corporate debt restructuring (CDR) by the end of the current financial year in March 2017, founder and chairman Tulsi Tanti told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. Suzlon had agreed with banks in January 2013 to restructure 95 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) of its debt under CDR, a formal process in India under which that need to delay repayment of loans can work with banks to roll over their debt. "We will be the fastest company to come out of CDR," Tanti said in an interview in Mumbai. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday called for tough action against terrorism and countries supporting it, saying terrorists should not be glorified as "martyrs". "There should be strongest of action not only against terrorists but also against organisations, individuals and nations who support terrorism," Rajnath Singh told a meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) interior ministers here. "There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism. There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs." The Indian minister's visit to Islamabad comes amid unrest in the Kashmir Valley which India says is being stoked by Pakistan. The turmoil started after the July 8 killing of pro-Pakistan rebel commander Burhan Wani. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had described Wani as a "martyr" who died fighting for the "freedom" of Jammu and Kashmir. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today announced a judicial probe into the following which three persons drowned and 19 others are missing. Two state-run buses, in which 22 people were travelling, and several other vehicles got washed away in the swollen Savitri river near Mahad in Raigad district following collapse of a British-era bridge late on Tuesday. Three bodies were today recovered from the river. "A judicial enquiry will be conducted," Fadnavis said replying to a discussion on the issue in the state Assembly. He said a team of IIT experts has been sent to the site today. Directives have been issued to conduct structural audit of old bridges, he said, adding that a preliminary structural audit will also be conducted. In 2013, the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and then deputy CM had received complaints about the dilapidated bridge, he pointed out. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the government should expand the scope of search operation. A body was found 100 kms from the accident site. This shows that there's a need to extend scope of search operations, he said. The government machinery showed negligence which led to the Mahad tragedy, Vikhe Patil alleged. He demanded that the PWD minister should own up responsibility and a judicial enquiry be conducted in the bridge collapse. NCP MLA Ajit Pawar said a Sena legislator had a year ago, through a query in the Assembly, spoken of fears about a tragedy waiting to happen due to the dilapidated state of the British-era bridge. While replying to the query, PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil had said the bridge was technically sound, Pawar said. Chandrakant Patil was at fault, he alleged. Taking citizen engagement to another level, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will launch a mobile app for PMO, which has been developed by six students, selected through a contest to make the app. In a surprising development, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's speech during the seventh SAARC Home Ministers meeting held here was blacked out. Members of the Indian media, who had come from New Delhi to report on the conference, were not allowed to cover the speech. They were reportedly kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which led to a verbal dual between officials of the two sides. Only Pakistan state PTV was allowed to cover introductory speeches of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. Even private Pakistani media not allowed to cover the event. As per reports, the Indian Home Minister has left for Islamabad Airport to return to New Delhi. Media reports also said that his scheduled news conference at Delhi airport has been cancelled. During his speech, Singh launched a veiled attack on Pakistan, saying mere condemnation of terrorism and individual acts by terrorists was not enough as far as New Delhi was concerned. He said that as far as the Indian government was concerned, there could be no distinction made between a " good terrorist" or a "bad terrorist". Singh said there should be the strongest of action not only against terrorists but also against organizations, individuals and nations who support terror. Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhary Ali Nisar Khan, was also conspicuous by his absence at a lunch hosted for the SAARC Home Ministers. Rajnath also did not attend the lunch. The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident when Singh came face- to-face with Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time today. The two leaders barely shook hands at the entrance of the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel. Singh arrived in Islamabad yesterday amid protests by supporters of the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Harkat ul Mujahideen. The protests were held at a distance of about 10 kilometers from the Assembly. Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin was also present during the protests. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is here to participate in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ministerial conference, today along with his counterparts from the member countries called on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singh was part of the joint delegation of the interior ministers and home ministers of SAARC nations when they called on the Pakistani prime minister at his office. "It was a formal courtesy call, nothing else," an official said. The ministers from the SAARC nations were with Sharif for about 20 minutes, during which only pleasantries were exchanged, the official said, adding that nothing formal was discussed. Sharif's meeting with a senior Indian functionary came amidst the ongoing strain in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan following the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". The decision of Singh joining the ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials from the ministries of home, external affairs and the Prime Minister's Office last night. The eight-member SAARC grouping comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. External Affairs Minister (EAM) on Thursday said that the King of Saudi Arabia has given instructions to help the thousands of Indian workers stuck in the Gulf Kingdom, including giving them free passage back home. The Saudi King has instructed his officials to resolve the crisis faced by Indians, the minister said in identical suo moto statements on the Saudi situation in both houses of parliament. "The Saudi King has instructed his officials to solve the problem in two days. General (Retd) V K Singh is there. He met the Labour Minister there yesterday (Wednesday), he said instructions have been given to give the Indian workers exit visa; they will send them back in their own flights, at their own expense," said. "They have also permitted that those who are found suitable may be given another job," she said. said that Singh has interacted with important Saudi authorities, including Saudi Minister of Labour and Social Development Mufrej Al Haqbani. Regarding the dues of workers, the minister said: "Every worker will file their claim with the labour office, and the claims will be settled even after they come back." She also said the Saudi administration was arranging for providing food and other assistance to the camps where Indians were lodged. "Besides, they offered to arrange for medical care, food, and sanitation in the camps where Indians are," she said. The minister thanked the Saudi King for the assistance. She said: "I want to thank Saudi rulers on behalf of India and the house. I also thank the Prime Minister. This is happening because of the relations he made during his visit to Saudi Arabia." Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad also welcomed the move. "This is a very good thing. we must thank them on behalf of people of India," he said. Some 7,700 Indian workers employed with a company in Saudi Arabia are facing a financial crisis after it shut down and laid off workers. MoS for External Affairs General (Retd) V K Singh is in Riyadh to sort out the problem, including arranging to bring back those workers who want to return. In the Lok Sabha, just as some Congress members including Jyotiraditya Scindia and K C Venugopal wanted to speak on the issue, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked: "Do you want to compliment the minister? Sometime you must appreciate the good work." Scindia said: "I want to compliment EAM that she came up with her statements on the issue without members raising these. On similar line, I hope other NDA ministers will also emulate EAM and come well prepared in the house." "I also feel like the manner EAM spoke about bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, she will speak on countries like Pakistan and China too," Scindia added. While Saudi Arabia has over three million expatriate Indians, there are over 800,000 of them in Kuwait. Most of them are blue collared workers. Indian workers in Saudi Arabia are already feeling the impact of low crude oil prices over the past few years. Unable to balance its budget on account of low crude oil prices Saudi Arabia decided to cut down on projects resulting in lay-offs of workers, most of them from the Indian sub-continent. Indian government is now planning to evacuate these workers. Legislative Council today passed six legislations including the Value Added Tax (VAT) (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which seeks to propose an increase of .50 per cent to one per cent to the existing VAT rate. The Bill proposed to mop up an additional Rs 1,200 crore in the current financial year. The VAT (Amendment) Bill, 2016 proposes to increase one per cent of VAT rate from five per cent on various goods, while there would be a .50 per cent increase of goods not covered under the Bihar VAT Act, 2005 at 15 per cent from 14.5 per cent earlier. Defending the tax hike proposal, Commercial Taxes minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said the hike would not affect the common people as items consumed and utilised by them have been left untouched. Stating that the government may be able to mop up Rs 1,200 crore from the hike, Yadav said the government needs money to fund its various scheme of the ambitious 'Seven Resolves' and hence a very little hike has been proposed. Refuting Leader of Opposition Sushil Kumar Modi's claim that there was a shortfall of 35 per cent in revenue collection in the first quarter of the current fiscal, the minister said it was not unusual as it has been witnessed that both revenue collection and expenditure were low in the first quarter. It has been witnessed that tax collections do not increase with the increase in tax rate, Sushil said adding there was an increase of 20 per cent every year in revenue collection when the NDA was in power and when it reduced taxes on more than 150 goods and items. The Legislative Council also passed the Bihar State University (Amendment) Bill, 2016 proposing to set up two universities, one each at Patna and Purnea, by carving out some colleges from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya and B N Mandal University at Madhepura. Education minister Ashok Chaudhary, who introduced the Bill, admitted that Bihar has been lagging behind in providing quality education in the state. He also gave assured that the government would consider setting up a university at Munger. The Council passed the Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Bill, 2016 introduced by industries minister Jai Kumar Singh. The Bill sought to bring out a new and attractive policy conducive for investment, Singh said adding there would be a Secretariat Council headed by the Industrial Development Commissioner and would give clearances within 30 days for setting up an industry in the state. Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Resources minister Awadesh Kumar Singh moved the Bihar Animal Science University Bill, 2016 for research on subjects relating to animal science and invention of new techniques to optimally utilise resources for financial betterment of cattle rearers. The Legislative Council also passed the Bihar Agriculture University (Repeal) Act, 2016 after Agriculture minister Ram Vichar Rai introduced the Bill seeking to repeal the law in view of the erstwhile Pusa-based Bihar Agriculture University being upgraded by the Centre as Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University. Transport minister Chandrika Rai moved the Bihar Motor Vehicle Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the House with an aim to levy additional taxes on purchase of vehicles and licence fees on various vehicles, which was passed. Replying to a debate on the Bill, Rai said additional taxes have been proposed to collect funds for putting in place road safety mechanism to prevent fatalities in road accidents. The transport department would be the nodal department of a committee to be formed for the purpose. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2016, providing for hefty penalties for violation of road safety rules. The fine for driving without licence goes up ten times to Rs 5,000, while penalty for drunken driving increases five-fold to Rs 10,000. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The important provisions include increase in compensation for hit-and-run cases from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh. It also provides for compensation up to Rs 10 lakh in road accidents fatalities," an official release said. The Cabinet also recommended that for persons without helmets the new proposed penalty would Rs 1,000 apart from suspension of licence for three months. The current penalty is Rs 100. For seat belt violation, new proposed penalty is Rs 1,000, up from Rs 100. For driving without insurance, the proposed penalty is Rs 2,000, up from Rs 1,000. For offences by juveniles, the guardian/owner shall be deemed to be guilty. They will have to pay a penalty of Rs 25,000 apart from three-year imprisonment. The juvenile will be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act and registration of his or her motor vehicle will be cancelled. The Bill provides amendments in various penalties. While the old penalty for violating road rules was Rs 100, the new minimum penalty is Rs 500. Similarly, the penalty for speeding was Rs 400, but the proposed penalties for LMV (light motor vehicle) is Rs 1,000 and for medium passenger vehicle Rs 2,000. The new proposed penalty for unauthorised use of vehicles without license would go up to Rs 5,000 from Rs 1,000. For travelling without ticket, new proposed penalty is Rs 500 which goes up from Rs 200. For driving despite disqualification, the new penalty is Rs 10,000, which is now Rs 500. The new proposed penalty for dangerous driving would go up to Rs 5,000 from Rs 1,000. For disobedience of orders of authorities, the new proposed penalty is Rs 2,000, compared with Rs 500 at present. The vehicle without permit will now have to pay up to Rs 10,000. For aggregators (violations of licencing conditions) the proposed penalty would be Rs 25,000 to Rs. 1,00,000. The new proposed penalty for overloading is Rs 20,000 and Rs 2,000 per extra tonne. For not providing way for emergency vehicles the proposed penalty is Rs 10,000. For overloading of passengers, the penalty would be Rs 1,000 per extra passenger. "The bill also proposes to mandate the automated fitness testing for the transport vehicles with effect from October 1, 2018. This would reduce corruption in the Transport Department while improving the road worthiness of the vehicle," said the statement. "The penalties are also proposed for deliberate violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as body builders and spare part suppliers," it added. For overloading of two wheelers, new proposed penalty is Rs 2,000 and disqualification of licence for three months. Currently, the penalty is Rs 100. The same political party ruling at the Centre and the state has come as a bonus for the Assam government, with the Union petroleum ministry prevailing upon Oil India Ltd (OIL) and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to pay Rs 1,450 crore to the state in royalty. Relaxing chequebook norms, the Reserve Bank Thursday left it to the lender's discretion on whether to issue fresh chequebooks or not in cases of dishonour of Rs 1 crore and above. As per the existing directive, banks are not allowed to issue fresh chequebooks in the event of cheque dishonour valuing Rs 1 crore and above on four occasions during a financial year for want of sufficient funds. Also, in such cases the bank may consider closing the current account at its discretion. said it has reviewed these instructions and it will be now up to the discretion of banks how to respond in such cases. "Banks should put in place an appropriate policy approved by the board or its committee taking into consideration the need to prevent misuse of cheque drawing facility and avoid penalising customers for unintended dishonour of cheques," said in a notification. The bank regulator also asked the banks to make this policy transparent and bring it to the knowledge of the customers. Life insurance companies are in a fix over the provision of claims, being mandatorily required to be passed after three years of the policy being in force. With the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) asking insurers to keep expenses under control, companies are worried about investigation expenses going up. Central Water Commission under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation carries out techno-economic appraisal of major and medium irrigation projects (Command Area more than 2000 hectare) which are planned on Inter-State river / river basins. There are two major projects in Chhattisgarh portion of Mahanadi basin at appraisal stage in CWC, out of which one project viz. Arpa Bhaisajhar Project is a Barrage project. . . No specific study to assess the impact on available water in river Mahanadi in Odisha after construction of projects in upstream has been carried out. . . DPR of Arpa Bhaisajhar Project was sent by Government of Chhattisgarh to Government of Odisha vide letter dated 28.7.2015. Government of Odisha sent their views to Government of Chhattisgarh vide their letter dated 26.4.2016. The DPR of Arpa Bhaisajhar Project is under appraisal in CWC. . . An Inter-State Meeting was held on 29.07.2016 under the Chairmanship of Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to consider the various water resources issues/projects in Mahanadi Basin. . . This information was given by Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. . . Samir/jk There is no procedural complication in the disbursement of pension/family pension of a Central Government pensioner/family pensioner. It is credited regularly to his/her pension account and it does not require his/her physical presence in the pension disbursing bank to get his/her pension/family pension. The amount of pension/family pension can be withdrawn by him/her like any other amount from the bank. Further, a pensioner/family pensioner need not visit the bank even for submitting Life Certificate, which can either be submitted on-line through Aadhaar-based biometric authentication or be signed by a person designated by the Government for this purpose. In case a pensioner sends intimation about his serious illness/incapacitation supported by a medical certificate, a nominee of the paying branch of the bank visits the pensioner at home/hospital for recording his life certificate. . . This was stated by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by Shri Anubhav Mohanty in the Rajya Sabha today. . . In the august presence of Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu and Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Raman Singh, Joint Venture Agreement was signed between Ministry of Railways and State Government of Chhattisgarh for Formation of Joint Venture Company". On this occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy and Mines was also especially present on the occasion. Member Engineering Shri Aditya Kumar Mittal, other Board Members and Senior Officials were present. On behalf of the Railway Ministry Shri S.C. Jain, Executive Director (Works) signed the JV Agreement whereas on behalf of Government of Chhattisgarh Shri Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of Chhattisgarh and Secretary to Chief Minister, Government of Chhattisgarh signed the Agreement. The Agreement was signed in the background of Railway Ministers Budget announcement regarding setting up of Joint Ventures with States for focused project development, resource mobilization, land acquisition, project implementation and monitoring of critical rail projects. . . Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that todays agreement with the Chhattisgarh Govt. will accelerate the economy of the country, as Chhattisgarh is a State with abundant natural resources. He said that proper exploration and supply of coal and other excavation items can boost our economy. He said that to meet the demands of the people, it is better that all State Governments join hands with Railway Ministry and become partner with us. Signing of such Agreements is in line with the Prime Ministers philosophy of cooperative federalism, he added. . . In his address, Shri Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh thanked Ministry of Railways for supporting the State of Chhattisgarh for development of New Railway Infrastructure. He stated that 760 kilometre additional railway lines have been spread in the State of Chhattisgarh in a very short span of time which in itself is a record. He said that the improved railway network in the State has helped the State in processing the natural resources in its full potential. . . Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines said that formation of JV Company in the State of Chhattisgarh will help in the improving congested rail lines, rail rakes. He said that due to the real effort of the Ministry of Railways, coal is available in all the power plants of the country that too with surplus stock. He said that signing of todays Agreement is a very forward looking and visionary step. . . Background:- . . In order to expand Railway network in States, Ministry of Railways has taken initiative for formation of JV Companies with States. 17 States have consented for formation of such companies and 8 states have signed MOUs with Ministry of Railways in this regard. . . Today, Chhattisgarh has become the third state to sign JV Agreement with Ministry of Railways after Odisha and Haryana. . . The JV Company will have 51% share from Government of Chhattisgarh and 49% from Ministry of Railways and will work in identifying projects which may be taken up in Chhattisgarh. The company will have its HQ at Raipur or Naya Raipur. . . One Stop Centers and Women Helpline (181) are being set up to facilitate women to access justice. Swadhar Greh and Ujjawala Schemes are being administered by Ministry of Women and Child Development for relief and rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances, including the victims of rape. . . Ministry of Finance, Government of India had set up a dedicated fund called Nirbhaya Fund for implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. Set up in 2013, the corpus transferred to the Public Account for the Nirbhaya fund till 2015-16 is Rs. 2000 Crore. . . Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs has issued guidelines for simplified procedure for making optimal utilization of Funds from the Nirbhaya Fund. Ministry of Women & Child Development in consultation with the Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs has also issued guidelines for proposals from Central Government Ministries/Departments, States/UTs to be funded under Nirbhaya Fund. . . This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development , Smt. Krishana Raj in the Rajya Sabha today. . . Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has gained a double digit national lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump who has been going through a rough patch over the past few weeks, according to a latest poll. "The Clinton-Kaine ticket leads the Trump-Pence ticket by 10 points (49-39 per cent) in the race for the White House," Fox News said as it released results of its first poll after the conclusion of the back to back conventions last week. While Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia is the vice presidential running mate of Clinton, Governor Mike Pence is Trump's running mate. Clinton's double digit lead is considered to be significant as it is outside the margin of error. A month ago, Clinton was up by six points (44-38 per cent, June 26-28), the report said. According to the poll, however, 61 per cent of the respondents think Clinton is dishonest. According to the report, Democrat is winning among the "Obama coalition", the key voting blocs that secured his re-election. Clinton is favoured among women by 23 points (57-34 per cent), blacks by 83 (87-4 per cent), Hispanics by 48 (68-20 per cent) and voters under 30 by 18 (49-31 per cent), it said. As per RealClearPolitics, which monitors all major nation polls, Clinton is leading Trump by 5.1 percentage points in an average of these polls. After the Democratic convention in Philadelphia last week, Clinton's popularity has soared. Air services on the Chennai-Dubai sector were yet to be restored as three airlines have cancelled their flights for Thursday, following the crash landing of an Emirates flight in Dubai, airport authorities said. "Two flights, each belonging to Jet Airways and Indigo, in Chennai-Dubai route were cancelled this morning," they said. Similarly, budget air carrier SpiceJet said all its flights have been cancelled in this route. "Apologies for inconvenience. All flights to and from Dubai stand cancelled for today," the airliner, said in a micro-blogging site. Three hundred people, mostly Indians had a narrow escape, as an Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai on Wednesday crash landed and exploded on the run way in Dubai, shutting down one of the world's busiest airports. A Beatrice church is celebrating its 100th anniversary with games, activities and music this weekend. The Church of the Nazarene in Beatrice is also changing its name this year to Finish Line Church of the Nazarene. "The name change went into effect in June, but we haven't changed signage yet," said Janece Wheeler, the wife of the church's pastor, Rob Wheeler. "The name comes from First Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 24 through 27. It's a verse about running the race to completion and reaching the finish line." Janece Wheeler said the name change was voted on by church members, is reflective of the community's love for racing and is a way to freshen up the church in its centennial year. "It's a testament to the community," Wheeler said. "We're still here and the church will continue to get better." Wheeler said attendance at the church's Sunday services dipped to about 12 at one point several years ago. Now, attendance averages 40 people, she said, with new families and individuals also visiting. "Our church is growing again," she said. Wheeler said that despite financial struggles in the past, the church is doing well, which the congregation is thankful for. The church is located at 1600 Sara Road. Events to celebrate the church's centennial this weekend are as follows: Saturday: Outdoor activities and games at 4 p.m., followed by a meal and a concert by Homeward Bound Quartet. Church services at 6:30 p.m., with guest speaker Pastor Dan Cole. Sunday: Coffee and doughnuts, followed by church services at 10 a.m. with guest speaker Bob Broadbooks and worship music led by Luke Hursh. Wheeler said the events were planned "just to celebrate the fact that God has been faithful for 100 years and to celebrate where we are and that we're still here and part of the community." Cole is the superintendent of the Nebraska district of the Church of the Nazarene, which is organized into districts and global regions. Broadbooks, who grew up in Beatrice and attended what is now Finish Line Church of the Nazarene, is the director of the United States and Canada region for the church. "The average life of any local church is 70 years," Broadbooks said. "It's pretty rare for a church to celebrate its 100th anniversary. It's pretty unusual for a church to last that long." Broadbooks graduated from BHS and attended the church and lived in Beatrice until age 18. He said his father, Melvin Broadbooks, was a member of the church for 84 years, until he died at age 98. "The church has had wonderful pastors and faithful laypersons through the years, and because of their relationship between pastor and people, the church has been able to continue on," Broadbook said. "It's never been a big church, but always filled with happy and holy people. Good people." Broadbooks lives in Kansas City. He said it's been 10 years since he's visited what is now Finish Line Church of the Nazarene and that he "thought it would be nice for (him) to come home." According to a 1991 Beatrice Daily Sun article, the church was organized July 10, 1916 with 67 members following a series of citywide evangelistic services conducted by James Delk. George Hamlin, a farmer and contractor, borrowed $500 using his prize Chester white hogs as collateral to lease a vacant store on Main Street for the services. The church was located at Fourth and Ella streets and moved to its current location in 1961. An educational wing was added to the church in 1981. The Russian defence ministry said that seven people died in an attack by Syrian rebels in the battleground city of Aleppo using weapons loaded with a "poisonous agent". Lieutenant-General Sergei Chvarkov was cited by Russia's TASS news agency as saying that the Nureddin al-Zenki rebel group yesterday launched weapons packed with an unnamed "poisonous agent" from an opposition-held neighbourhood to a government-controlled area of Aleppo. Chvarkov, the head of Russia's reconciliation centre in Syria, said that "as a result of this terrorist attack, seven people died and 23 were evacuated to hospitals in Aleppo with breathing problems and airway burns." He said the Russian authorities have informed the United States, which backs the rebels, of the attack. Syrian state media said that five people were killed and that eight suffered injuries induced by suffocation after rebels fired rockets containing poison gases. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll from the rocket attack at six dead, saying the casualties were in fact soldiers. Speaking to AFP, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman could not confirm that any kind of gas had in fact been used. The Russian claim came a day after the Observatory reported 24 people suffered breathing difficulties in rebel-held Saraqeb, a town 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Aleppo, after a barrel bomb attack. expects to further cut provisions for bad loans in its key markets of China and India, and is also looking to lower exposure to the heavy industry sector, the bank's Greater China and North Asia chief said on Thursday. A sharp spike in non-performing loans in China and India had weighed on the Asia-focused bank's balance sheet in the last few years, as a slowdown in the two countries' economic growth hit clients in the infrastructure and commodities sectors. But the British lender on Wednesday reported that loan impairment levels in China and India more than halved in the first six months of 2016 compared to the year-ago period; to $42 million in the case of China and $224 million in India. "That's a direction we are driving," Benjamin Hung, who is also part of the bank's top global management team, told Reuters in an interview. Standard Chartered's income from Greater China and North Asia, which includes Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and ASEAN and South Asia, within which Singapore and India are most important, accounts for nearly 70% of its total revenue. "What we have been doing is establishing a new risk tolerance framework and appetite, ensuring that the bank doesn't get overly concentrated in any particular single borrower or single market or single industry," Hung said. "The market remains highly uncertain, but at least we believe that this is a step in the right direction in terms of making us control our loan impairment." The bank, which swung back into profit in the first half of the year, is also looking to reduce its exposure to "old economy" companies in the region and focus more on sectors including technology and pharmaceuticals, he said. "What you are seeing is a bit of reshuffling of our industry focus, so that those then become engines for future growth," he said. "You just have to look a little bit ahead of the curve and be able to tune your portfolio before everybody does it." The bank's total credit exposure to the commodities sector, including oil and gas producers that have been hit by the drop in prices, has fallen from $60.7 billion in the first half of 2014 to $37.1 billion in the January-June period of this year. Standard Chartered, which has undergone sweeping restructuring since CEO Bill Winters took charge a year ago, also plans to invest more on technology and people in its private banking business in Asia, Hung said. Many global private banks have put Asia at the centre of their growth strategy, hiring thousands of staff and tapping new customer segments in a region soon expected to boast more billionaires than the United States. Winters said on Wednesday that the bank's private banking business was substantially under-exploited and that he planned to make this a "differentiated business" in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. "We are investing, first of all, quite heavily into wealth platform, the engine, the infrastructure...we are recruiting a lot of people," said Hung, who joined in 1992 and has held a number of senior management positions since then. While declining to give details on headcount expansion, Hung said that the bank would leverage its existing corporate and commercial banking client base to boost its private banking assets in the region. Even as mutual funds' are at an all-time high and the outlook remains encouraging, particularly in the equity segment, the fund managers have come under "unique" and "unprecedented" pressure. A Dhaka court on Thursday relieved 26 people, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of the charges on an arson attack that left a bus driver dead in 2014. Metropolitan Magistrate Khurshid Alam passed the order after scrutinising the case dockets and other relevant documents, reports the Daily Star. The court also accepted the charges against six accused. On September 6, last year, detectives pressed charges against the six people dropping the names of Fakhrul and the 25 others. Bus driver Mohammad Babul Howlader and two passengers sustained critical injuries when a bus was set aflame near Shahbagh on January 3, 2014. Howlader, succumbed to his injuries later. The Calcutta High Court will on Thursday hear the bail plea for four accused in the Saradha Chit Fund scam. An elderly senior advocate representing one of the accused came to court and complained of high blood pressure and requested for an adjournment earlier on July 15. In a gesture of camaraderie not usually seen in courtrooms, the other well known senior advocate representing two other matters said he would also take adjournment and would rush his colleague to the emergency room. The court agreed. The four accused had been preparing for bail and it was the first time that the court would have heard in full the application of Manoranjana Sinh, whose case was partially heard for the first time on June 23 last but was then adjourned at the request of the Special Prosecutor of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It has been Manoranjana's plea that she was detained as an accused on October 7, 2015 and filed an application for bail on January 19, 2016 in the High Court, which according to sources close to her, is yet to be heard. Manoranjana won a little reprieve when the Supreme Court directed the Calcutta High Court on May 25 to expedite the hearing at the earliest. Sinh appealed on the basis of merits of her case, saying she has fully cooperated with investigation by Justice Sen Commission, SIT Bidhannagar Kolkata, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and she is a woman allowed under special provision of law to be considered for bail and that she has suffered from multiple ailments for more than nine months. In the chargesheets filed by CBI on January 4, 2016 and the Enforcement Directorate on March 31, 2016, the partial investment made by Bengal Media of the Saradha Group into her companies is recorded, identified and has also be filed by her company and her duly in taxes. Manoranjana case made headlines also because her estranged husband Matang Sinh, an ousted from Congress party former Union Minister was found to be influencing investigation. Manoranjana has been in acrimonious disputes with him in Guwahati and Delhi courts all the way up to the Supreme Court since she filed an FIR against her estranged husband in September 2008. Her lawyers allege that there is a misconception that still links Manoranjana with her estranged husband. Today's postponed hearings included former Saradha legal advisor Naresh Bhalodia, entrepreneur Shantanu Ghosh and one Ramesh Gandhi said to be a consultant to Saradha head Sudipto Sen. Meanwhile, the accused have been constantly pressing various courts to conclude their investigation and give them a chance to go to trial. Sources said Manoranjana's lawyers will fight for the right to liberty, life and justice for a single woman with a young child who has been victimised as she had signed an agreement with Bengal Media to not interfere with her ongoing dispute with her estranged husband on her rights to marital property, jointly owned businesses from which he had ousted her and even out in the agreement that Bengal Media (Sudipto) will not invest with and help her fight against Matang Sinh. Quite surreptitiously, she alleges that Sudipto was pressurised by Matang Sinh and stopped investing in her companies in end 2011 and around the same time invested more into Matang Sinh companies than in Manoranjana's. Manoranjana received Rs 25 crores in accounted investment as claimed by Sudipto in his investigation and as fracked and identified by ED and CBI. Lawyers claim that in the unique case of a woman accused, with charge sheets already filed, money tracked and cooperation with investigation she stands on merit for bail. CBI is alleged to have introduced an element in recent months of not wanting courts to release accused on bail pending completion of investigation which is now only trying to include certain regulatory authorities officials who may also be involved. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) announced entering into a Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) with the Indian subsidiary of a Japanese trading company. This is a first of its kind Bilateral Advance Pricing agreement with a Japanese company having a rollback provision in it. Overall, it is fourth bilateral APA signed by CBDT. Signing of this bilateral APA is an important step towards ascertaining certainty in transfer pricing matters of multinational company cases and dispute resolution. The APA Scheme was introduced in the Income-tax Act in 2012 and the 'Rollback' provisions were introduced in 2014. The scheme endeavors to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying the methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance. The progress of the APA Scheme strengthens the Government's mission of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime. The CBDT expects more APAs to be concluded and signed in the near future. China has accused the United States of working with the separatists in Hong Kong and Taiwan to undermine the country and plunge it into chaos. In an online video posted by Chinese Supreme People's Procuratorate, the highest agency at the national level responsible for prosecution and investigation in China, apocalyptic images of Syria and Iraq are contrasted with bucolic views of today's China, reports the CNN. "The haze of domestic and international concerns has not dispersed from the Chinese sky," says the video. "Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan separatism, as well as dissident leaders, lawyers who would fight until death and other agents of Western forces are damaging China's internal stability and harmony. Behind all these incidents, we can often catch a glimpse of the dark shadow of the Stars and Stripes," the video adds. In a post on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, the Procuratorate also urged the people to "stay alert for color revolutions" or see "peaceful and stable China" become like Syria or Iraq. A warning against independence movements in Taiwan and Hong Kong is overlaid on photos of Joshua Wong, a leading Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner and Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen. In a statement, Wong dismissed the video as laughable, adding that it was full of "false statements." Beijing's warnings come as the authorities in Hong Kong barred several pro-independence politicians from standing in the upcoming elections to the Legislative Council, the city's parliament. One of the barred politicians, Edward Leung of Hong Kong Indigenous, denounced the commission's decision as political censorship, warning that Hong Kong will never have true democracy as long as it is under Chinese control and called for a revolution. China will by no means compromise its strategic security in the wake of the threat posed by the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea to counter Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) increasing nuclear threat. "With the THAAD deployment, South Korea now enters the U.S. missile defense network, which would harm the geopolitical balance in the region and provoke strategic change from China and Russia," read an editorial published in the People's Daily on Wednesday. It further stated that according to experts, THAAD will raise regional tensions rather than deter the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats, which the South Korean government cited as a main reason for the THAAD deployment on its territory. A Russian newspaper also pointed out that the US is trying to excuse its long-term presence around China and Russia under the pretext of the North Korean nuclear issue. The article further said that Seoul may not able to afford the domino effect brought by its decision, as the price will be regional stability and the security interests of its neighbors. The rushed and risky decision made by Seoul and Washington have crossed the security bottom line drawn by the South Korean public. A recent poll also showed that public support for South Korean President Park Geun-hye has dropped, said the article. At the same time, the South Korean public staged protests against the government's surrendering of its national interests, and the opposition party has urged the government to rescind its decision on the THAAD deployment, it added. The article also claimed that earlier the US and South Korea promised to negotiate with China on the deployment of the THAAD system, but later turned hostile and announced the rushed decision. Analysts have stressed that deploying missile defense systems may fuel a dangerous arms race in Northeast Asia, as China and Russia would probably take counter-measures that the US and South Korea cannot afford. The Saket Court will on Thursday pronounce the quantum of sentence for 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui in the rape case of an American lady. The Delhi Police had earlier sought maximum punishment of life imprisonment for the film maker. The court had on July 30 convicted Farooqui for raping a 35-year-old American in 2015. The police had accused Farooqui of raping a 35-year-old American woman, who was in India to conduct research for her doctoral thesis from Columbia University. Farooqui, however, denied the allegations, saying he was falsely implicated. Earlier, the court had started the trial in the case after framing charges of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Farooqui. A chargesheet was filed against the filmmaker alleging he had raped the research scholar at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28. In Jammu and Kashmir, the curfew will continue in Anantnag town while restrictions under Section 144 will remain in force in Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts today. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) of 1973 empowers a magistrate to prohibit an assembly of more than ten people in an area. Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Dr. Farooq Lone said that curfew-like restrictions under Section 144 will continue in areas under five old city police stations and areas under Batmaloo and Maisuma police stations of up-town Srinagar. DIG Police North Kashmir Uttam Chand said there will be no curfew or restrictions in North Kashmir districts. The valley has been under boil ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter by the security forces on July 8. A California man wanted for sexually assaulting a child was arrested in Gage County this week. Investigators from the Gage County Sheriffs Office were contacted by the Lincoln Police Department with a request to locate and arrest Kenneth G. Hubbard for a felony warrant from California for sexual assault of a child, according to a press release from the Sheriffs Office. Investigators confirmed that Hubbard lived at 310 Vermont St. in Cortland and attempted to contact him, but he was not home at the time. At approximately 10 p.m., Gage County Sheriffs deputies located Hubbard at home and took him into custody without incident. He is currently being held in the Gage County jail awaiting extradition to California. Due to torrential rains, Aurangabad District Collector Dr. Nidhi Pandey has issued a high alert for the nearby villages situated at the bank of the Godavari river after the continuous release of flood water from upstream dams situated in Nashik and Ahmednagar. Pandey issued a high alert for villages situated at the bank of the Godavari river in Vaijapur and Gangapur talukas of the district following the release of water from Nashik district due to the incessant rains. The continuous release of water from upstream dams situated in Nashik and Ahmednagar linked to the Aurangabad district has increased the water level in the biggest dam 'Jayakwadi' known as the life line of Marathwada region. The Aurangabad district administration had evacuated 1,600 peoples residing in Vaijapur and Gangapur tehsils to safer places. The district administration sources said, in view of heavy inflow released from all the 11 upstream dams situated in Nashik and Ahmendnagar district, the inflow of water is about one lakh cusec per second. According to sources of the Command Area Development Authority (CADA) of flood control warned, the water level increased by 5.14 percent. "The latest observation at 1800 hours shows that the level is continuously increasing due to heavy inflow of flood water through Nagamthan dam," said sources adding, ''We are monitoring the situation at every hour.'' The rising level of the Jaykwadi Dam defiantly bring cheers to the peoples of Marathwada region and industries, who were reeling under the acute water shortage from last three years due to scanty rainfall. Report from these areas also stated that crop has been damaged due to entering flood water in these villages. The villages are identified as Dongaon, Babtara, Lakhganga, Purangaon, Nagamthan, Bhabulgaon, Savkheda, Nandurtok and Vajargaon in Vaijapur taluka from where 225 families comprising 1100 people while Amalner, Khibatpur and Nevargaon in Gangapur of 100 families comprising 500 peoples, they said. The flood control rooms are monitoring the flood situation by the respected revenue officials, they added. The Mangalhat Police on Thursday registered a case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Raja Singh for his remarks against the Dalits. Singh had put a video on his Facebook page overtly supporting the Gau Rakshak Samiti (Cow Protection Committee) workers who thrashed Dalits who were skinning a dead cow in Una, Gujarat. "I support the beating of Dalits whoever slaughter cows to consume its meat...I also support those who taught them a lesson," Singh said in his two-and-half minute video, uploaded on July 30. He reportedly called the Dalits who indulged in cow slaughter as 'galeez' (filthy). Justifying the assault on Dalits in Una, Singh said, "Those Dalits who were taking the cow, the cow meat, those who were beaten, it was a very good thing to happen." He appealed to the Gau Rakshaks to keep up the good work and continue to serve the nation and community this way. He issued a threat to people of all the communities to refrain from any activity that requires killing of cows. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a massive protest earlier on August 2 in favour of food diversity as its and state leadership protested against Singh's statement. Security has been beefed up in Upper Assam in view of "threats to disrupt" Independence Day celebrations by various militant groups. The Assam Government considers "serious" the recent arrest of ULFA cadres and linkman in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts in Upper Assam, and their subsequent statements that they were on a mission to disrupt the I-Day celebration in Upper. In order to prevent any eventuality, Assam Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have been deployed in all the sensitive areas in Upper Assam. In Jorhat, police and CRPF personnel are conducting round-the-clock naka checking in town and on highways. Besides night patrolling, police are conduction search operations in all vulnerable areas regularly in order to avoid any attempt to sabotage the I-Day celebration by any militant group. Union Finance Minister Thursday said the rolling out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill will increase opportunities for ease of doing in India as the tax rates are likely to come down. "I am sure once the GST is rolled out, doing in India would be easier, and it will help large body of traders, people and citizen of India enjoy easy taxation," he said. With this major step in the direction of having a uniform tax in the country, Jaitley said the imposition of tax will eventually impact the cost of many goods and services in the country. The biggest tax reform since Independence, the GST Bill, was yesterday approved by the Rajya Sabha to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world's biggest single market. "The constitutional amendment was pending for a long time, predominantly because Rajya Sabha was not able to reach a consensus," said Jaitley expressing his delight over the passage of bill. "Most important thing is that it was passed with unanimity, except for the AIADMK who walked out," added the minister. The 66-year-old Constitution, which gives power to Centre to levy taxes like excise and empowers states to collect retail sales taxes, was amended though the 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill. The bill was approved by the Upper House after a seven-hour debate with 203 votes in favor and none against. Indian Railways has announced mega expansion plans to improve connectivity and infrastructure in other northeastern states apart from Tripura. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu recently launched two different projects in Manipur and Nagaland. Prabhu recently laid the foundation stone of the Imphal Railway station in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Ikrom Ibobi Singh. Prabhu also announced the commencement of works on the country's longest tunnel on the Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge railway line in Manipur. The Railway Board has sanctioned Rs 1,397 crores for the project. The Union minister also stressed upon the Trans-Asia Railway Network connectivity through this initiative. It will open new gateway for trade and better connectivity. Prabhu said, "This is a part of Trans-Asian Railway Network that we are trying to develop. As you know, this is India's part of signatory on overall agreement for the development of Trans-Asian railway network. Once we bring it as to the border of Myanmar, then we will get connected to South-East Asia. There is already been connectivity between South East Asia and East Asia. So, will actually connect completely and if you real look at it, this also helps us to connect to central Asia in an over period of time. So, Asia will become one continent through connectivity. ASEAN, a UN body is also working on the overall connectivity of the entire Asian continent." Manipur Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh said, "Today, while Suresh Prabhuji is attending the function here for laying foundation of Imphal Rail station and longest Indian railway tunnel, I would also like to request to extend railway link from Imphal to Moreh as a gift to the people of Manipur. And I think that if it is not extended from Imphal to Moreh, the International border town of Moreh, our honorable PM's dream for achieving 'Act East Policy' will not be able to fulfill." Prabhu also laid a foundation stone of Dhansiri (Dimapur)-Zubza broad gauge line at the Dimapur railway station. The new development will fulfill the long-cherished dream of the locals by connecting Kohima to Delhi. Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang said, "The present PM is very keen to implement all the projects, which is concerning the connectivity towards South East Asian countries. So, this is one of the important points where we can implement the 'Act east policy' project. Finally, I appealed to the people of Nagaland, specially the land owners, along with the new railway line to cooperate with state government, NE frontal railway, railway board and also assist and facilitate the contractors and their work." Improving rail and road connectivity will bring an economic change in the Northeast and will boost connectivity towards the mainland India as well as South-East Asia. The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has rejected the Pakistan government's proposal to include teachings of Quran in the schools syllabus up to 2tenth standard. The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training had sent a set of books containing Quran verses with translation to the CII for vetting and proposed to teach these books in schools up to tenth standard. However, the CII members rejected the proposal and said that too many lacunas were present in the books. The Council also held discussions on the Hague convention on Parental Responsibility and Protection of Children, sent by the Law Ministry and ruled that Pakistan should not sign it. The meeting was chaired by CII chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani, who said that certain clauses of the Hague Convention were contradictory to the Constitution of Pakistan. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar government for failing to act appropriately after several Dalit students staged a protest who were baton charged by police officials. LJP leader Chirag Paswan also criticised state police personnel's decision to baton charge students who were protesting against the alleged scholarship scam that surfaced in Patna. "I am unable to understand the reason behind the baton charge by police officials against the protesting students. They are students, they are our future, what harm can they do?, he asked "One thing is clear; if anybody raises their concerns against the ruling dispensation the government will quash them," he added. Paswan further said that step taken by the state government to reduce the scholarship was "tyrannical" and attributed the fall of revenue due to ban of alcohol to be one the reasons behind the reduction. "It seems that ever since they banned consumption of alcohol in the state, the revenue has gone down and it may be one of the reasons to cut scholarship benefits extended to SC and ST students, nevertheless their step to cut the scholarship is a tyrannical," he told ANI. He sought central government's intervention on the matter and asked the state government to take stringent action against the police personnel who baton charged the students and also the person who gave the order. Yesterday, several Dalit students from various colleges in Bihar staged protest over scholarship scam that surfaced in Patna. Earlier this year, Kumar-led government landed in controversy after a scholarship scam emerged in Nawada district of Bihar. Reportedly, as per a probe conducted by the district administration, out of the total of 60 students given scholarships in 2015 for the session 2012-13, only one was found genuine. The SC and ST department pays an annual tuition fee of Rs. 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh to each of the scholarship to students. The Maharashtra Government on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse incident. The body of the driver of one of the missing buses and of a woman were recovered today morning, thereby increasing the death toll to four. Two bodies were yesterday found after a British-era bridge collapsed on the highway in Maharashtra earlier on August 2 following torrential rain. Prakash Mehta, the Guardian Minister of Raigad district, yesterday said as many as two buses and five-six private vehicles were still missing after a bridge over the Savitri River collapsed. Mehta confirmed that two buses and at least six private vehicles had fallen into the river, adding the water flow was too strong to undertake a rescue effort. The buses were travelling between Jaigad-Mumbai and another Rajapur-Borivali, respectively. An NDRF team from Pune yesterday started search and rescue operations at the spot. Meanwhile, heavy rain is causing hurdles in the rescue operation. New Delhi, Aug.4 (ANI): Like almost all women politicians in India, five term parliamentarian Margaret Alva has also been called a "dumb doll" by senior ministers. A survivor who has worked under four Congress Prime Minsters, Alva honed her skills , rarely speaking out of turn. When she did speak, out of a sense of hurt, she was put to pasture. Margaret Alva's autobiography Courage and Commitment is honest, detailed and provides an interesting insight into the workings of Congress politics. Elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha for four successive terms, Margaret Alva was made Central Minister at the age of 42, which in those days was a rarity. Margaret Alva was born in Mangalore in 1942, grew up in different parts of the former Madras Presidency, and imbibed the culture of the state, parts of which now belong to Andhra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Her father belonged to the Indian Civil Service. She was married into the Alva family, from Mangalore in South Kanara, which has a composite culture. She was drawn into the political scene while staying with her in-laws, both parliamentarians. She was elected for four successive terms to the Rajya Sabha, and one term in the Lok Sabha. Alva assumed several responsibilities, under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao. Even during the non-Congress years, Alva was very much a part of the Lutyen's zone political narrative that she has penned down in the book and makes for interesting reading. Of specific interest is the way she handled the fall out of the Jain Hawala case under P.V. Narasimha Rao. Not many politicians have spoken about that episode in Indian politics that changed the future course of succession in the BJP. Alva continued to maintain the confidence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, while dealing with the Bofors fallout, but later things soured when she remarked that the party was taking money before offering election nominations. She had questioned why her son Nivedith and the grandson of former Union minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief were not given nominations while relatives of two dozen leaders were given tickets in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. Her reaction expressed in a television interview created a controversy. The Congress Party, which conducted a probe under A. K. Antony, recommended her expulsion from the party. Put in cold storage for some time, Margaret Alva regained the confidence of Sonia Gandhi in 2009, when she was asked to contest on the Congress ticket for the Lok Sabha from Karwar, but was defeated. Margaret Alva was then made Governor of Uttarakhand. Living in the "Golden Cage" in the Raj Bhavan in Dehradun and later in Rajasthan, she has written her autobiography, which gives us an insider's look at the way in which pesky politicians are banished or are given gubernatorial assignments. Her autobiography also provides us an insider's look as to how the government functioned in the capital. She also provides us an insight into the politics of Karnataka and how it functioned during elections, particularly the hard work she had put in during the election of Indira Gandhi from Chikkamagalur. The autobiography also gives us a close look of the role she played in projecting India during her visits abroad in various delegations, including as a delegate to the United Nations. The report of her visit to Cuba in 1983 and her interaction with President Fidel Castro is memorable. Fidel Castro, in his long interaction with Margaret Alva, told her "Do you know how different history would have been if the Spanish had landed in India instead of Cuba? She replied, "Yes, Fidel Castro would have been an Indian," which made Fidel Castro thump the table, and say, "I would have loved it! India is a great country." She recalls how after her long conversation with him he put his arms around her hugged her and thanked her for informing him about various issues concerning India. On her return she prepared a report of the visit and the result was she was made in charge of the Women's Front of the AICC. Asked why, she was told to contact Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi, when contacted, said, "Don't waste time asking questions. Just start working". She had earned the confidence of Rajiv Gandhi, and when he assumed power after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and won the elections held in December 1994, he personally rang up and asked her to be present in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing in as a Minister. He had trust in her ability to undertake any job. Asked what should she do, he said, "This is the problem with you! You talk too much. I have given you a job, now do it." Rajiv Gandhi took personal interest in her career recalls Alva. When her term as a Rajya Sabha member was to end, he called her and told her to meet the Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, and ensured that she was re-elected. She also recalls the role she played when she was a member of the Prime Minister's delegation to the Soviet Union, and her interaction with President Gorbachev who remarked about her speech "This Minister took Moscow by storm with her brilliant speech at the women's convention". Alva has recounted several episodes, which seem to have disappeared from public memory. She recalls how the opposition coined the slogan in 1989 elections "Gali Gali me shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi Chor Hai." The Prime Minister, she recalls, was terribly hurt. The public perception had dramatically changed and the Congress lost the elections in 1989. However, she continued her commitment to the Congress and she was a member of the team, which organized the elections in 1991. She recalls that she had seen off Rajiv Gandhi when he was flying off to Orissa, which turned out to be his last election rally. Alva returned to Bangalore to prepare for his visit to parts of Karnataka, but tragedy stuck the next day.on the night of 21 May 1991 when he was assassinated. Under Narasimha Rao, Alva functioned as the MOS for Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances. The Central Bureau of Investigation reported to her, which was like a "ticking bomb landing in her lap". She had to make a statement on the Jain Hawala case, which named many former ministers. When she remarked to many who rang her up that she had no role to play, she was told "Then why are you sitting in this ministry like a dumb doll". She also recalls that Sonia Gandhi was upset when the government decided to appeal against the Delhi High Court decision to quash complaints in the Bofors case. The instructions had gone from the office of the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, when Narasimha Rao was abroad, and Sonia Gandhi remarked "what does the Prime Minister want to do. Send me to jail?" Margaret Alva recalls "I found myself playing an (unwilling) intercessor. While Soniaji remained angry, the Prime Minister would call me over now and then on Sunday evenings to know the 'mood'at Janpath. He seemed keen to avoid a confrontation, but was unable to break the ice. My sincere efforts to help made me a suspect in both camps." In a party where loyalty to the high command is the only criterion for long term survival, Margaret Alva has had a long and stellar innings. Her autobiography is remarkable without rancour and bitterness. Courage & Commitment , an autobiography by Margaret Alva, Rupa Publications, pages 370, price Rs. 500/ Mr. I.Ramamohan Rao is a former Principal Information Officer of the Government of India. he can be reached on his e-mail raoramamohan@hotmail. Turns out, mid-life risks not only the body, but also the brain. From middle-age, the brains of obese individuals display differences in white matter similar to those in lean individuals ten years their senior, according to a new research led by the University of Cambridge. White matter is the tissue that connects areas of the brain and allows for information to be communicated between regions. In a cross-sectional study, researchers looked at the impact of on brain structure across the adult lifespan to investigate whether was associated with brain changes characteristic of ageing. The team studied data from 473 individuals between the ages of 20 and 87, recruited by the Cambridge Centre for Aging and Neuroscience. Despite the clear differences in the volume of white matter between lean and overweight individuals, the researchers found no connection between being overweight or obese and an individual's cognitive abilities, as measured using a standard test similar to an IQ test. "As our brains age, they naturally shrink in size, but it isn't clear why people who are overweight have a greater reduction in the amount of white matter," said first author Dr Lisa Ronan, "We can only speculate on whether obesity might in some way cause these changes or whether obesity is a consequence of brain changes." Senior author Paul Fletcher added: "The fact that we only saw these differences from middle-age onwards raises the possibility that we may be particularly vulnerable at this age. It will also be important to find out whether these changes could be reversible with weight loss, which may well be the case." The results are published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. BROWNVILLE -- Brownville Fine Arts Association is inviting art enthusiasts to visit the newest shop in town. Longtime Nebraska potter Bill Robbins has re-located New Earth Clay Pottery to Brownville from its location in Fairbury. Robbins is no stranger to Brownville, having set up shop at many a Brownville Flea Market. His work has also been on display from time to time at the Schoolhouse Art Gallery. Following the tradition of early regional potters, Bill uses a local Nebraska clay to create objects for everyday use, a dense stoneware suitable for the home. Bill also produces wood-fired pots with natural ash glazes. New Earth Clay Pottery is located at Fourth and Main Street in Brownville. It is open seasonally from mid-May through November every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment by calling 402-825-4915. Myanmar authorities have launched an investigation after reports surfaced that there is a threat by the Islamic State group to kill State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and several other leaders. The Myanmar Times quoted the Star, a Malaysian newspaper, as saying that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, his deputy, the country's attorney and police inspector general's, and a handful of cabinet ministers were listed along with Suu Kyi in a two-page letter headlined "IS threat". Reports suggest that photocopied photographs of the targeted leaders were appended to the letter, which the Malaysian officials were attempting to determine the authenticity of. The threatening letter was reportedly sent to a police station in Negri Sembilan, a state southeast of Kuala Lumpur. U Zaw Htay, deputy director general of Myanmar's President's Office, yesterday said the government was taking the threat seriously and would not be dismissive of the potential for harmful intent. "We won't be careless about their threatening. But we also don't worry about the security of the state counsellor. The IS has always sent early messages in previous incidents, such as [attacks] in France and the US. Some have really played out, so we need to be alert about it," he said. He added that the government collaborates with the international policing body Interpol and fellow ASEAN countries on potential threats posed by the ISIS. Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday called on the SAARC nations to do a reality check of what they have achieved so far, adding it is time to seize the moment and overcome the challenges. \ Delivering the inaugural address here at the seventh meeting of the SAARC Home Ministers, Khan said Pakistan is committed to the SAARC process and desires to see it a successful regional organisation. "We have made substantial contributions towards various SAARC processes and have taken a number of initiatives in furthering the goals of closed regional integration," he added. The Interior Minister hoped that SAARC would continue to move forward with the same momentum in order to achieve the common goal of peace, stability and progress in the region. "A significant headway has been made in the regional collaboration in the areas related to peace and security, drug trafficking, trans-national organised crimes, trafficking in women and children and maritime piracy," he said. Khan also called for collective effort to fight the challenges and threats which the South Asian region faces. "We are aware of the fact that South Asia region faces a number of daunting challenges and threats like militancy, extremism, terrorism, social injustice, corruption and organised crimes like drug trafficking, humans, smuggling and money laundering. There are also host of other problems that have critical ramifications for our law enforcement agencies. Such challenges have affected our collective socio-economic development," he added. The Interior Minister also called on the member nations to exchange experiences and expertise of national institutions in order to deal with these threats at inter and intra SAARC level. "The South Asian region shares similar history and common borders. Its law enforcement agencies need to evolve similar strategies and tactics for combating organised crimes. They need to create a safer and secure environment for a peaceful South Asia that is free from violence, organised crime and social injustice. The hopes and aspirations of over one billion population of the region can be fulfilled if we collectively ensure rule of law, promote good governance and cooperate to fight crimes together," he said. The Interior Ministers from seven SAARC countries, minus Bangladesh, are attending the meeting here to discuss the issues pertaining to terrorism, drugs and human trafficking and regional affairs. The SAARC group includes Pakistan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The platform aims to boost ties and cooperation between the member states. The Congress Party on Thursday lashed out at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his insensitive description of Kashmir issue as the 'main pillar' of Islamabad's foreign policy and alleged that the Asian neighbour was deliberately trying to needle and make an atmosphere that are not good for talks. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said this is plain and silly talk by the Pakistani Prime Minister, who is trying to fish in troubled waters in Kashmir. "And I think must understand that as far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned the question is over for them. What remains is the Pakistan occupied part of Kashmir and the Chinese occupied part of Kashmir, returning back to India which I think sooner or later is going to happen," Dikshit told ANI. "We must also realize that every time there is a discussion when peace could be taken forward, Pakistani agencies have always done this kind of an unnecessary discussion. And this time, it's even more hurting when the Pakistani Prime Minister makes statements which are insensitive and in fact factually wrong and incorrect and encouraging terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir," he added. The Congress leader expressed hope that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is presently in Islamabad to attend the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers meeting, raises this issue. "Any discussion on SAARC would be important for greater peace, trade and cooperation in the whole of South Asia and in fact would affect peace in entire Asia. If Pakistan deliberately tries to needle and make an atmosphere that is not good for talks," Dikshit said. "And I really don't know whether there is a civilian government running Pakistan or a military government run in Pakistan or a clandestine terrorist based organization's government running Pakistan," he added. The Pakistan Prime Minister yesterday described the Kashmir issue as the main pillar of Islamabad's foreign policy. "Kashmir is witnessing a new wave of freedom movement," he said while addressing the concluding session of the three-day conference of Pakistani envoys in Islamabad. Sharif also called upon the Pakistani diplomatic corps to tell the world that Kashmir is not an internal matter of India. With NIA's most wanted terrorist Hizb-ul-Mujahideen head Syed Salahudeen taking to the streets in Islamabad protesting against Home Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to attend the seventh SAARC Home Ministers' conference, defence experts has called on the Pakistan Government to ensure that the conference does not get affected by such protests. Brushing aside the seriousness of the protest, Raj Kadyan said it is a democratic right, however, he asked the Pakistan Government to make sure that the protest does not escalate and cause embarrassment to the dignitaries, especially to the Indian Home Minister. "Protest in a democracy is a normal right, even in our country they keep taking place, but anything beyond that needs to be careful. If, in case, our Home Minister is either, in anyway, inconvenienced or insulted, Pakistan would be held fully responsible," he told ANI. However, another defence expert, Rahul Jallai accused the Pakistan Government of being hand in gloves with the terrorists, while criticising the government for failing to contain the protest. "It was foregone conclusion that the protest will take place, but the responsibility of the Pakistani government was to see that these protests did not happen. The fact that they allowed, it just goes to show the manner in which, the government is hand in glove with these leaders of terrorism, who live and occupy Pakistani's public place and unfortunately dictating Pakistan's policy as far as fighting terrorism is concerned," he said. Earlier today, Salahudeen, who is one of the most wanted terrorists in the Investigation Agency's (NIA) list, held a massive rally in Islamabad to mark protest against Indian Home Minister's visit at the SAARC conference. He warned the Indian government that until the Kashmir Valley was free from the presence of Indian forces, jihad in Kashmir would continue. The Home Minister, in his speech at the two-day meeting, is expected to raise the issue of Pakistan's support to terror groups operating in India and ask Islamabad to check Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other groups based in that country. Singh is also likely to raise the issue of fake Indian currency notes being circulated at the behest of Pakistani agencies. The External Affairs Ministry has made it clear that there will be no bilateral meeting between the Home Minister and Pakistani leaders. The visit comes in the backdrop of growing strain in the Indo-Pak ties after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of a militant's killing on the 8th of last month. The Home Minister will return to New Delhi today after the meeting. A new quadrilateral counter-terrorism alliance mechanism has reportedly been unveiled by Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and Tajikistan in the Chinese city of Urumqi. The Dawn quoted a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), as saying that top defence commanders of the four-nations had made the announcement of the Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) on counter-terrorism after an inaugural leadership meeting. "The inaugural high-level meeting on Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in counterterrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan armed forces/militaries was held in Urumqi, Xingjian Uygur autonomous region, China, on 3rd August 2016," ISPR said in its statement. The meeting was attended by Qadam Shah Shahim, Chief of General Staff Afghan National Army; General Fang Fenghui, Chief of Joint Staff Department of Central Military Commission; General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan Army; and Major General E. A. Cobidrzoda, First Deputy Defence Minister and Chief of General Staff of the Tajikistan armed forces. The Dawn further reported that the QCCM was a Chinese initiative, but General Sharif actively contributed to its establishment. It quoted the ISPR, as saying that General Sharif visited Tajikistan and Afghanistan in March for this purpose. "The participants unanimously agreed that terrorism and extremism are serious threat to regional stability and . reiterated to cooperate for tackling these forces for peace and stability of all member countries," a communique issued at the end of the meeting said. Under this arrangement, the four countries would cooperate in counter-terrorism situation evaluation, clue verification, intelligence sharing, counterterrorism capacity building, counterterrorism joint training exercises and personnel training. The QCCM, it was agreed, would work through consensus. The new mechanism clarified that it was not targeted against any state or international organisation. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's calling for a ban on famous Japanese anime series 'Doremon' has created a full on war on Twitter. Under the hashtag #PTIvsDoraemon, the twitterers targeted the announcement in an attempt to figure out what PTI has against anime, reports the Express Tribune. "#PTIvsDoraemon is doraemon using any gadget against Imran khan ?" wrote one. "PTI wants Doremon banned? I thought Imran Ismail is one of their own." said another. "Seems like Immi Bhai has got angry on Doraemon for not giving him the gadget that could turn him into Prime Minister of the country," wrote the third. "PTI has problem with everything that is popular than #ImranKhan. Now its turn of #Doraemon.#PTIvsDoraemon," tweeted the other. For the unversed, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has submitted a first of its kind resolution in the Punjab Assembly calling for a ban on the famous Japanese anime series. The Japanese manga series, which is dubbed in Hindi for viewers in Pakistan and India and revolves around a robotic cat named Doraemon, has been deemed inappropriate by PTI legislator, Malik Taimoor Masood. Launching a veiled attack on Pakistan for glorifying Hizbul commander Burhan Wani as a martyr, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that there should be no glorification of terrorists, adding there is no good or bad terrorism. Addressing the seventh SAARC Home/Interior Ministers meeting in Islamabad, Singh said that there should be strongest of action not only against terrorists but also against organizations, individuals and nations who support terror. The Home Minister further said mere condemnation of terrorism is not enough. Singh arrived in Islamabad yesterday amid protests by Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's provocative statement on Kashmir. With Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief and NIA's most wanted terrorist Syed Salahudeen openly protesting into the streets of Islamabad against arrival of Rajnath Singh to attend the seventh SAARC Home Ministers' conference there, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Thursday said the Home Minister did a mistake by going there. "What else can you expect from them? What else can the crowd of frustrated people do? Rajnath ji should not have gone there. He did a mistake by going there. They want to strengthen their people's mindset by doing such things," RJD leader Ajay Alok told ANI. Syed Salahudeen yesterday took to the streets in Islamabad, protesting against the visit of Rajnath Singh, raising a serious question on Singh's security. Holding Singh responsible for the killings of his area commander Burhan Wani and Kashmiri protesters, Salahudeen, also head of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, criticised the Pakistan Government for welcoming the Indian Home Minister. "It amounts to rubbing salt on the wounds of the Kashmiri people," he said. He, however, warned that until the Kashmir Valley was free from the presence of Indian forces, jihad in Kashmir would continue. The Home Minister, in his speech at the two-day meeting, is expected to raise the issue of Pakistan's support to terror groups operating in India and ask Islamabad to check Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other groups based in that country. Singh is also likely to raise the issue of fake Indian currency notes being circulated at the behest of Pakistani agencies. Apart from terrorism, other key issues likely to be discussed include liberalisation of visa, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and how to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat such menace. The External Affairs Ministry has made it clear that there will be no bilateral meeting between the Home Minister and Pakistani leaders. The visit comes in the backdrop of growing strain in the Indo-Pak ties after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of a militant's killing on the 8th of last month. The Home Minister will return to New Delhi today after the meeting. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who returned from Islamabad this evening after attending the seventh SAARC Home Ministers conference, said that he would unfold the facts relating to his visit in the Parliament. Evading media pressure, Singh said that he had placed India's point of view across Pakistan, adding all information can be gathered from his speech which is now in the public domain. However, the Home Minister briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his visit to Pakistan. During his terse speech, Singh launched a veiled attack on Pakistan, saying mere condemnation of terrorism and individual acts by terrorists was not enough. He categorically stated that there is no good or bad terrorist. Singh said that strongest action should be initiated not only against terrorists but also against organizations, individuals and nations supporting terror. However, Singh's speech during the meet was blacked out. Members of the Indian media, who had come from New Delhi to report on the conference, were not allowed to cover the speech. They were reportedly kept at a distance by Pakistani officials. Some reports said that there was an aggressive verbal exchange between officials of the two sides over the issue. Only Pakistan state PTV was allowed to cover introductory speeches of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. Even private Pakistani media not allowed to cover the event. Media reports also said that his scheduled news conference at Delhi airport has been cancelled. Singh arrived in Islamabad yesterday amid protests by supporters of the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Harkat ul Mujahideen. The protests were held at a distance of about 10 kilometers from the Assembly. Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin was also present during the protests. The Saudi Arabian Government has agreed to swiftly resolve the plight of thousands of laid-off Indian worker which includes providing them free passage to return to India and clearing their unpaid dues. Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh yesterday held extensive talks with Saudi Labour Minister Mufrej Al Haqbani in Riyadh. Singh said things were not as bad as it was projected, adding that they were in touch with officials of Government of Saudi Arabia. "The problem was only with one company. The Government of Saudi Arabia took measures to ensure that people working in that company are taken care of. Who want to go back can do so at the expense of Government of Saudi Arabia, they can file claims. The people can transfer to other companies," he said. Al Haqbani promised urgent action to resolve the difficulties being faced by around 7,000 Indians, most of whom are living in camps after losing their jobs due to economic slowdown in the oil-rich Gulf country. The Saudi Government also agreed to allow transfer of Indian employees, who have lost their jobs, to any other company within the country. Singh arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday to assess the situation and finalise modalities to bring back the stranded Indian workers who even do not have money to buy food. He said that the Saudi Government has taken immediate actions to ensure that all camps, where Indian workers were staying, are provided facilities like medical, food, hygiene and sanitation. PERU -- Peru State Colleges historic Delzell Hall is slated for a $9.9 million renovation. The Ship has served as a mens dormitory since it opened in 1939 and is most famous for serving as a barracks for the Navys V-12 program during World War II. Dan Hanson, president of Peru State College, said, I am pleased we can renovate Delzell to better meet the needs of our students. As enrollment rises, so does the demand for on-campus housing. The renovation will include new wiring and plumbing. Bathrooms will be completely overhauled and new light fixtures utilizing LED will be installed. A new HVAC system is also planned and, like other buildings on the school's campus, it will use geothermal energy. Delzell Hall will receive central air conditioning for the first time. Other work will retain the dormitorys historic charm, including refinishing the wood paneling in the Great Hall. The halls original light fixtures will also be repaired and rehung to balance the light in the room. Construction is expected to be complete by August 2017. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said King of Saudi Arabia Salman has directed his officers to resolve the issue of stranded Indians within two days. "Saudi Arabia has said that exit visas will be given as asked by India for Indian workers there. Saudi Arabia has informed that the process of sending back workers to India, will be done on Saudi Arabia's expenses," Swaraj informed the Rajya Sabha. She said Saudi Arabia has also given approval to the companies, who want to employ any of the Indian workers. "Saudi Arabia has also said that Indian workers staying in camps will be provided medical and other facilities, food. India need not worry," she added. The Saudi Arabian Government has agreed to swiftly resolve the plight of thousands of laid-off Indian workers including providing free passage to them to return home and clearing their unpaid dues. Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) V.K. Singh yesterday held extensive talks with Saudi Labour Minister Mufrej Al Haqbani in Riyadh. General (Retd.) Singh said things were not as bad as it was projected, adding that they were in touch with officials of Government of Saudi Arabia. "The problem was only with one company. The Government of Saudi Arabia took measures to ensure that people working in that company are taken care of. Who want to go back can do so at the expense of Government of Saudi Arabia, they can file claims. The people can transfer to other companies," he said. Al Haqbani promised urgent action to resolve the difficulties being faced by around 7,000 Indians, most of whom are living in camps after losing their jobs due to economic slowdown in the oil-rich Gulf country. General (Retd.) Singh arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday to assess the situation and finalise modalities to bring back the stranded Indian workers who even do not have money to buy food. He said that the Saudi Government has taken immediate actions to ensure that all camps, where Indian workers were staying, are provided facilities like medical, food, hygiene and sanitation. In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi Government, the Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed its set of petitions on the legal tussle with the Centre over control of administrative issues and distribution of power in the capital. A set of 11 petitions were filed by the Delhi Government challenging various decisions of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led-Delhi Government and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, and the interpretation of Article 239 AA of the Constitution. Pronouncing the verdict, the high court said that the Lieutenant Governor is not bound to act as per the advice of the Delhi cabinet. The court said that Article 239 AA of the Constitution will continue to remain applicable. "As from the date of commencement of the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 the Union Territory of Delhi shall be called the Capital Territory) and the administrator thereof appointed under article 239 shall be designated as the Lieutenant Governor," says Article 239 AA. The Delhi High Court also said that the Lieutenant Governor is not bound by the council of ministers. "Council of minister cannot take decision without referring to Lieutenant Governor first," the court said in its verdict. The Delhi High Court also held that no action can be taken by Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) against Central Government officials. "Commission of enquiry set against DDCA, CNG scam set aside and the decision taken hold illegal," said the Delhi High Court. It has been alleged by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Government that it has been unable to function as most of its decisions are either annulled or changed by the Centre at the behest of the Lieutenant Governor on the ground that Delhi is not a complete state. Meanwhile, the Delhi Government has said that it will approach the Supreme Court. Distinguished Indian e-commerce platform ShalinIndia has recently launched a twelve minute long brand movie. This extremely well-made short film has been created by SSK Films in Bollywood narrative style. This twelve minute long brand movie unveils the gripping story of an emerging brand that specializes in traditional and ethnic Indian products, gifts and accessories. Mumbai and New Delhi-based video production company SSK Films has created this compelling brand movie following the typical Bollywood style of storytelling. Traditional Indian items have always been extremely popular in the Western world. ShalinIndia was founded in 2007 with a vision to deliver the latest and most authentic Indian products to consumers all over the world for a competitive price range. Popular for their exquisite range of traditional and ethnic products, the store offers a stunning collection of apparel, jewelry, home decor products, exclusive Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, arts accessories, and books. ShalinIndia is committed to offering the best level of service and support to their rapidly growing global clientele. Content is now considered to be the most valuable tool for marketing a brand. The identity and values of a brand can be conveyed using different types of media, video being one of the most powerful alternatives. Recent studies have unveiled that almost 60 percent of the consumers prefer watching a video rather than reading written text. Moreover, it has been observed that video based contents show up in 70 percent of Google's top 100 search results. This has inspired many emerging brands to use videos for efficient brand marketing. The short brand film for ShalinIndia has been created in the Bollywood narrative style. The viewers of the video will witness the touching story of a homemaker and her struggles to become an entrepreneur. SSK Films has certainly done well to add a human touch to the story by including the common elements of human feelings and sentiment. Finally, like any Bollywood movie, the short video also has a rhythmic and refreshing song. Viewers will be able to enjoy this short film on their desktop or mobile devices. The video is currently available on the homepage of the company website. Talking about the company's new brand video, the Director of ShalinIndia Sanjay Kumar states, " Every brand has a story to tell. We wanted to tell the story of our brand in a way that entertains the viewers. We are thankful to SSK Films for creating a brand movie that correctly depicts the brand psychology and vision of ShalinIndia. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday thanked the Bahrain Government for rescuing minor Indian girl Sarah, who was missing since August 2. "I am happy Sarah has been rescued. Thank you Bahrain," Swaraj tweeted. Earlier today, she said that she would take up the matter with Foreign Minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. According to DT News, the Manama Police yesterday apparently spotted the car used to kidnap Sarah in Hoora. Five-year-old Sarah was kidnapped, while she was left alone for less than a minute in her mother's car on Tuesday. Sarah's family complained to the Hoora Police Station, after making a post on Facebook that was circulated nationwide. Expelled Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday taunted the Congress for declaring Sheila Dikshit as the party's chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh and said it is strange that the grand old party is bringing in rejected faces in the politically crucial state. "The Congress, which is reaching out to the youth in its campaigns, has brought in a rejected leader from Delhi in Uttar Pradesh. This proves there is dearth of leaders in the Congress Party," Maurya told ANI. The Congress, which is desperate to improve its tally in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh this time and has roped in election strategist Prashant Kishor, has named Dikshit as its chief ministerial candidate for next year's assembly polls. Dikshit served thrice as the Delhi Chief Minister before AAP's Arvind Kejriwal defeated her with a record mandate in December 2013. In light of the on-going traffic situation in cities of Delhi and Bangalore, Treebo Hotels has come to the rescue by kicking off a unique initiative, Treebo Pitstop. Due to relentless rains in Bangalore and Delhi NCR, the traffic situation has deteriorated in the last two days with people having to wait in their vehicles for hours without relief. With an aim to help the commuters, Treebo Pitstop presents an option for people of Delhi and Bangalore to battle this traffic situation to a bearable extent. People stuck in jams can call on their helpline to locate the nearest Treebo hotel, deviate to the hotel and avail a space to stretch and rejuvenate for a few hours. The initiative is valid for commuters till Saturday, August 6, 2016. Treebo Hotels has also released a list of Treebo Pitstop's on their social media page. "The idea is to help relax distressed riders and drivers, in line with our promise of providing travelers with a comfortable shelter anytime and anywhere," said Co-founder Treebo Hotels, Rahul Chaudhary. Tripura's capital Agartala has now reserved a place on India's broad gauge map with the much waited Agartala- Delhi broad gauge passenger rail service recently inaugurated by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu in the presence of his Bangladesh counterpart Mohammad Mujibul Haque. The much awaited 'Tripura Sundari Express' weekly passenger train would run between Agartala and the Anand Vihar station in Delhi, covering a distance of around 2,480 km in 47 hours. With the launch of the passenger train, the mountainous border state of Tripura is now connected to Delhi via Guwahati, which is about 600 km from Agartala. Prabhu said, "We are committed to bring connectivity with Bangladesh. The relation between India and Bangladesh is very cordial and they (Bangladesh) are cooperative in our initiative. On the Agartala-Akhoura railway link, it would be part of the trans-Asian rail connectivity. Chittagong port is the best port in Asia. We want to connect an Indian railways track with Chittagong port through Sabroom. PM Narendra Modi is very keen to make the northeast region a tourist hub." Thousands of people gathered to witness the historic launch of the broad gauge railway link. This railway connectivity is the lifeline for millions in Tripura, western Manipur and Mizoram besides southern Assam. Laxman Parmar, a passenger, said, "I come here for purpose of business and earlier there was difficulty of carrying the goods and in travelling. Proper vehicles and communication system was not available and we often use to miss the bus and ultimately our travelling use to get delay. But the launch of this railway connectivity has bought lots of positivity and no such problem will arise now. I am thankful to the government." Abhishek, another passenger, said, "Earlier, people often use to face difficulties of connectivity especially people like us who travels from places like Bihar, Delhi and only option left was travelling by air but with the launch of this rail connectivity, travelling will become much easier and smoother. It will also curb our travelling expenses." The new train will stop at Ambasa, Dharamnagar, Karimganj, Badarpur, New Halflong, Lemding, Jagi Road, Guwahati, New Bongaigaon, New Jalpaiguri, Katihar, Barauni, Patliputra Junction, Mughalsarai, Allahabad and Kanpur Central. The foundation stone for a 15-km-long railway line between India and Bangladesh was also laid by Prabhu in the presence of state dignitaries. India will fund this international rail project at a cost of Rs. 580 crores. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Dhaka in June last year has laid the foundation stone to construct a bridge over Feni river, adjoining Sabroom, to connect the town with Bangladesh's hill town Khagrachari. Such development will open another railway link between the two neighbours after the existing Kolkata-Dhaka and proposed Agartala-Akhaura rail links. The United States State Department has designated Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter group of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Mohamed Abrini, a member of the Europe-based Islamic State as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The State department, in a statement, said the designation has been given under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons and groups determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. The statement said, "As a result of these designations, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Abrini have any interest is blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Abrini." Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) is based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. "The group, founded by a former TTP leader in August 2014, has staged multiple attacks in the region targeting civilians, religious minorities, military personnel, and law enforcement, and was responsible for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar in early March 2016," the statement added. It also carried out a suicide assault at the Gulshan-I-Iqbal amusement park in Lahore killing more than 70 people and leaving hundreds other injured. On Abrini, the statement said that he is a member of the Europe-based Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) cell responsible for the November 2015 Paris attacks and March 2016 Brussels attacks. He was arrested on April 8 by Belgian authorities and has been identified as being "the man in white" also known as "the man in the hat" seen with two identified suicide bombers at Brussel's Zaventem airport on March 22, just minutes before the attack that killed 16 people. Abrini is also believed to have taken part in the pre-attack surveillance for the November, 2015 Paris attacks and to have assisted in planning attacks in the UK and Germany, the statement added. The State Department said the imposition of sanctions by the United States against terrorists is a powerful tool and the action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Mohamed Abrini are actively engaged in terrorism. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016. The Amendment aims to improve Every year 5 lakh road accidents are reported in the country in which 1.5 lakh people lose their lives. Government is committed to reduce the accidents and fatalities by 50% in five years. To address the issue of road safety, a draft Road Transport & Safety Bill was prepared soon after NDA Government came to power. However, most of the States have expressed reservations. To address the issue of road safety and to improve the facilitation of the citizens while dealing with transport departments, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways constituted a Group of Transport Ministers (GoM) of the States. The GoM headed by Sh. Yoonus Khan, Hon. Transport Minister of Rajasthan held three meetings. A total of 18 Transport Ministers from different political parties participated in these meetings and they have submitted three interim reports. The GoM recommended that to address the pressing issue of road safety and improving transport scenario, Government should immediately bring amendments to the present Motor Vehicle Act. On the basis of recommendations of the GoM and other pressing requirements, MoRTH introduced the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016 for consideration of the Cabinet. Today Cabinet Chaired by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the bill. In the present Motor Vehicle Act, there are 223 Sections out of which the Bill aims to amend 68 sections whereas Chapters 10 has been deleted and a Chapter 11 is being replaced with new provisions to simplify third party insurance claims and settlement process. The important provisions include increase in compensation for Hit & Run cases from Rs. 25000 to Rs. 2 lakhs. It also has provision for payment of compensation upto Rs 10 lakh in road accidents fatalities. The Bill also proposes insertion of 28 new sections. The amendments mainly focus on issues relating to improving road safety, citizens' facilitation while dealing with the Transport Department. Strengthening rural transport, last mile connectivity and public transport, automation and computerization and enabling online services. The Bill propose to improve the transport scenario in the country by permitting the States to grant exemptions in Stage carriage and contract carriage permits for promoting rural transport, public transport, last mile connectivity and for passenger convenience and road safety. The Bill proposes that the State Government can specify a multiplier, not less than one and not greater than ten, to be applied to each fine under this Act and such modified fine. The bill proposes that the State Government can regulate the activities in a public place of pedestrians and such means of transport. Improving delivery of services to the stakeholders using e-Governance is one of the major focuses of this Bill. This include enabling online learning licenses, increasing validity period for driving licenses, doing away with the requirements of educational qualifications for transport licenses are some of the features. The Bill proposes offences committed by Juveniles. The Guardian / owner shall be deemed to be guilty in cases of offences by the Juveniles and Juvenile to be tried under JJ Act. Registration of Motor Vehicle to be cancelled To improve the registration process for new vehicles, registration at the end of the dealer is being enabled and restrictions have been imposed on temporary registration. In the area of road safety, bill proposes to increase penalties to act as deterrent against traffic violations. Stricter provisions are being proposed in respect of offences like juvenile driving, drunken driving, driving without licence, dangerous driving, over-speeding, overloading etc. Stricter provisions for helmets have been introduced along with provisions for electronic detection of violations. To help the road accident victims, Good Samaritan guidelines have been incorporated in the Bill. The Bill also proposes to mandate the automated fitness testing for the transport vehicles with effect from 1st October 2018. This would reduce corruption in the Transport Department while improving the road worthiness of the vehicle. The penalties are also proposed for deliberate violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as body builders and spare part suppliers. To bring harmony of the registration and licensing process, it is proposed to create National Register for Driving Licence and National Register for Vehicle registration through "Vahan" & "Sarathi" platforms. This will facilitate uniformity of the process across the country. The process for testing and certification for automobiles is proposed to be regulated more effectively. The testing agencies issuing automobile approvals have been brought under the ambit of the Act. The driving training process has been strengthened enabling faster issuance of transport licenses. This will help in reducing the shortage of commercial drivers in the country. To facilitate transport solutions for Divyang, the bottlenecks have been removed in respect of grant of driving licenses as well as alterations in the vehicles to make it fit for use of Divyang. Hon'ble Transport Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari has termed the Motor vehicle (Amendment) 2016 passed by cabinet as biggest reforms in the Road Safety & transport sector. He has expressed his gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister for his guidance & Support. He has also expressed his special appreciation for the efforts put in by Group of State Transport Ministers to formulate these amendments. He has also expressed his confidence that parliament shall take up the amendments next week and has appealed to all parties to support the bill which a step in right direction to provide safe & public friendly transport eco system. Proposed Amendments in Various Penalties under Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill - 2016 Old Provision / Penalty New Proposed Provision / Minimum Penalties 177 General Rs 100 Rs 500 New 177A Rules of road regulation violation Rs 100 Rs 500 178 Travel without ticket RS 200 Rs 500179 Disobedience of orders of authorities Rs 500 Rs 2000180 Unautorized use of vehicles without licence Rs 1000 Rs 5000181 Driving without licence Rs 500 Rs 5000182 Driving despite disqualification Rs 500 Rs 10,000182 B Oversize vehicles New Rs 5000 183 Over speeding Rs 400 Rs 1000 for LMV Rs 2000 for Medium passenger vehicle184 Dangerous driving penalty Rs 1000 Upto Rs 5000 185 Drunken driving Rs 2000 Rs 10,000189 Speeding / Racing Rs 500 Rs 5,000192 A Vehicle without permit upto Rs 5000 Upto Rs 10,000193 Aggregators (violations of licencing conditions) New Rs 25,000 toRs 1,00,000194 Overloading Rs 2000 and Rs 1000 per extra tonne Rs 20,000 and Rs 2000 per extra tonne194 A Overloading of passengers Rs 1000 per extra passenger194 B Seat belt Rs 100 Rs 1000194 C Overloading of two wheelers Rs 100 Rs 2000, Disqualification for 3 months for licence194 D Helmets Rs 100 Rs 1000 Disqualification for 3 months for licence194 E Not providing way for emergency vehicles New Rs 10,000196 Driving Without Insurance RS 1000 Rs 2000 199 Offences by Juveniles New Guardian / owner shall be deemed to be guilty. Rs 25,000 with 3 yrs imprisonment. For Juvenile to be tried under JJ Act. Registration of Motor Vehicle to be cancelled206 Power of Officers to impound documents Suspension of driving licenses u/s 183, 184, 185, 189, 190, 194C, 194D,194E210 B Offences committed by enforcing authorities Twice the penalty under the relevant section Powered by Capital Market - Live News The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has accepted the major recommendations of the Sub-Group of Chief Minsters on Rationalization of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs). The Sub-Group had examined 66 CSSs and recommended that the number of CSSs should not normally exceed 30. A consensus was reached on many contentious issues not only between the States represented on the Sub- Group but other States/UTs also through regional consultations and meetings with Union Ministries/Departments. The rationalization of the CSSs would ensure optimum utilization of resources with better outcomes through area specific interventions. This would also ensure wider reach of the benefits to the target groups. The Sub-Group was set up in pursuance of the decision taken in the first meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog held on 8th February 2015. The Guiding Principles of the Sub-Group had been to resolve the issues between Union and the States /UTs and to work as Team India in the spirit of Cooperative Federalism towards realization of the goals of VISION 2022 when we will celebrate the 75th year of Independence. The objectives of the VISION are broadly: (a) providing basic amenities to all citizens in an equitable and just manner for ensuring a life with self-respect and dignity, and (b) providing appropriate opportunities to every citizen to realize his/her potential. 4. The major recommendations of the Sub-Group are as under: a) No. of Schemes: The total number of schemes should not exceed 30. b) Categorisation of Schemes: Existing CSSs should be divided into Core and Optional Schemes. i. Core schemes: Focus of CSSs should be on schemes that comprise the National Development Agenda where the Centre and States will work together in the spirit of Team India. ii. Core of the Core Schemes: Those schemes which are for social protection and social inclusion should form the core of core and be the first charge on available funds for the National Development Agenda. iii. Optional Schemes: The Schemes where States would be free to choose the ones they wish to implement. Funds for these schemes would be allocated to States by the Ministry of Finance as a lump sum. List of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in accordance with the National Development Agenda: SI. No. Name of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) Core of the Core Schemes National Social Assistance Programme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme Umbrella Scheme for Development of Scheduled Castes Umbrella Scheme for Development of Scheduled Tribes Umbrella Programme for Development of Minorities Umbrella Scheme for Development of Backward Classes, Differently Abled and other Vulnerable Groups Core Schemes Green Revolution (Krishi Unnati Schemes and Rashtriya KrishiVikas Yojana) White Revolution (Animal Husbandry and Dairying) Blue Revolution (Integrated Development of Fisheries) 10 Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana Har Khet ko Pani Per Drop More Crop Integrated Watershed Development Programme Accelerated Irrigation Benefit and Flood Management Programme 11 Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) 12 Pradhan Mantri A was Yojana (PMAY) PMAY-Rural PMAY-Urban 13 National Rural Drinking Water Mission 14 Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) SBM-Rural SBM-Urban 15 National Health Mission (NHM) National Rural Health Mission National Urban Health Mission Tertiary Care Programmes Human Resources in Health and Medical Education National Mission on AYUSH 16 Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (erstwhile RSBY) 17 National Education Mission (NEM) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers Training and Adult Education Rashtriya Uchch Shiksha Abhiyan 18 Mid Day Meal Programme 19 Integrated Child Development Services Anganwadi Services National Nutrition Mission Maternity Benefits Programme Scheme for Adolescent Girls Integrated Child Protection Scheme National Creche Scheme 20 Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women (beti bachao-beti padao, one-stop centre, women helpline, hostels, swadhar greh, gender budgeting etc.) 21 National Livelihood Mission (NLM) National Rural Livelihood Mission National Urban Livelihood Mission 22 Jobs and Skill Development Employment Generation Programmes Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna 23 Environment, Forestry and Wildlife (EFWL) National Mission for a Green India Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems National River Conservation Programme 24 Urban Rejuvenation Mission (AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission) 25 Modernization of Police Forces (including Security Related Expenditure) 26 Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary (including Gram Nyayalayas & e-Courts Optional Schemes 27 Border Area Development Programme 28 Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission Funding Pattern would be as follows: Core of the Core Schemes: Existing Funding pattern of the Core of the Core Schemes would continue. Core Schemes: (a) For 8 North Eastern States and 3 Himalayan States: Centre: State: 90:10 (b) For other States: Centre: State: 60:40 (c) For Union Territories (without Legislature): Centre 100% and for UTs with legislature existing funding pattern would continue. Optional Schemes: a) For 8 North Eastern States and 3 Himalayan States: Centre: State: 80:20 b) For other States: Centre: State: 50:50 c) For Union Territories: (i) (without Legislature) - Centre 100% (ii) Union Territories with Legislature: Centre: UT:80:20 Flexibility and Flexi-funds to the States/UTs: a. While designing the CSS, the Central Ministries shall permit flexibility in the choice of components to the States as available under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikaas Yojana (RKVY). b. Moreover, the flexi-funds available in each CSS has been raised from the current level of 10% to 25% for the States and 30% for the UTs of the overall annual allocation under each Scheme so that the implementation can be better attuned to the needs of individual State /UT. Powered by Capital Market - Live News The Beatrice Sertoma Club presented $1,000 to Gage County Sheriff Millard Gus Gustafson on Monday to help the Sheriff's Department raise funds for a department K-9 dog. The type of dogs the Sheriffs Office is currently researching for the K-9 dog are Belgian malinois, Dutch shepherd and German sheperd. The total cost of the program is expected to be somewhere from $25,000 to $38,000, broken down as follows: Cost of dog: $9,500. Training cost: $5,000 to $8,000. K-9 Ray Allen Vehicle Heat Alert System. K-9 Ballistic Vest: $1,100. American Aluminum K-9 Vehicle dog Kennel: $6,000. Truck Topper: $1,500. Truck Vault and Slider System: $7,800. Additional donations are welcome and needed to help fund the program. Donations can be be made at the Sheriffs Office at 612 Lincon St. in Beatrice or by calling Deputy Coltin Bebensee at 402-223-5221 ext. 221. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of new Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The Agreement is expected to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange between the two countries bringing it in tune with the developments in the civil aviation sector. It will provide enabling environment for enhanced and seamless connectivity while providing commercial opportunities to the carriers of both the sides ensuring greater safety and security. Under the agreement, the designated airlines of the two countries shall have fair and equal opportunity to operate the agreed services on specified routes. The routes and frequencies shall be decided subsequently. ASA is the basic legal framework for any air operation between the two countries. Powered by Capital Market - Live News The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for the terms and conditions for transfer of 12 acres of National Textile Corporation (NTCL), Indu-6 Mill land to Government of Maharashtra for construction of a memorial of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Background: The Chaityabhoomi of Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is situated in the vicinity of the land of Indu-6 Mill of National Textile Construction (NTCL), Mumbai; a place of pilgrimage for millions of Indians. The Union Cabinet had already approved the transfer of 12 acres of Indu-6 Mill land, vested in National Textile Corporation, to Government of Maharashtra for construction of a befitting Memorial for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on payment of compensation as required under section 11A of the Sick Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Amendment Act, 1995 and ratified tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed between Government of India, Government of Maharashtra and National Textile Corporation. Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 10 August 2016 Corporation Bank will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 10 August 2016, to consider the Unaudited Financial Results of the Bank for the first quarter ended on 30 June 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 03 August 2016 Hindustan Oil Exploration Company announced that the Company has received resignation letters from the following directors vide their dated 03 August 2016 - Paolo Ceddia, Non-Executive Non-Independent Director - Filippo Ricchetti, Non-Executive Non-Independent Director Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 11 August 2016 Hindusthan Udyog will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 11 August 2016, to consider and take on record the Unaudited Financial Results of the Company, subject to a Limited Review of the Statutory Auditors, for the quarter ended 30 June 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 10 August 2016 Nagpur Power & Industries will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 10 August 2016, to consider and take on record the Unaudited Financial Results (Standalone) of the Company for the quarter ended 30 June 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 16 August 2016 OCL India will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 16 August 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Receives bids for 1.69 crore shares S P Apparels' (SPAL) initial public offer (IPO) received bids for 1.69 crore shares compared to 65.56 lakh shares on offer, as per the data on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) website as at 17:00 IST. The IPO was subscribed 2.58 times on the final day of bidding today, 4 August 2016. The bidding for the IPO opened on 2 August 2016. SPAL's IPO comprises of fresh offer of Rs 215 crore. In addition to this, there is an offer for sale (OFS) of 9 lakh shares by selling shareholder NYLIM, India Fund. Ahead of the opening of IPO, SPAL had raised Rs 71.73 crore from allotment of 26.76 lakh shares to a slew of anchor investors. Shares have been allotted to anchor investors at Rs 268 per share - the top end of the Rs 258-268 per share price band for the company's IPO. Among the anchor investors, DSP Blackrock Micro Cap Fund was allotted 6.34 lakh shares constituting 23.7% of the total allocation to anchor investors. Among other anchor investors, Goldman Sachs India Fund was allocated 5.56 lakh shares, Birla Sun Life Insurance Company was allotted 5.56 lakh shares, Morgan Stanley Mauritius Company was allocated 3.69 lakh shares, UTI was allotted a total of 3.72 lakh shares under its two schemes, Principal Trustee Co. Pvt Ltd - Principal Mutual Fund - Principal Emerging Bluechip Fund was allotted 1.86 lakh shares. Promoted by P Sundarajan, SPAL is a leading manufacturer and exporter of knitted garments for infants and children in India. The company is the second largest exporter among manufacturers of knitted garments for infants and children in India in terms of revenues. The company sells the menswear products through a sales and distribution network that includes 40 exclusive brand outlets, of which 37 are company owned operated stores and three are franchise stores, and third-party e-commerce platforms. SPAL is also considering launching products in the women's essential wear category under the "Natalia? brand, which is owned by the company. The company intends to utilize about Rs 70 crore from the proceeds of fresh issue towards expansion and modernization of manufacturing facility at Tamil Nadu, Rs 63 crore towards repayment of debt, Rs 27.85 crore towards opening of new stores for sale of Crocodile brand, Rs 4.90 crore towards balancing machineries for existing dyeing unit in Perundurai and rest towards for general corporate purpose. SPAL's consolidated profit after tax (PAT) jumped 245% to Rs 34.71 crore on 13% growth in net sales to Rs 532.83 in the year ended 31 March 2016 (FY 2016) over the year ended 31 March 2015 (FY 2015). Powered by Capital Market - Live News The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered into a Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) on 2nd August, 2016 with the Indian subsidiary of a Japanese trading company. This is the first Bilateral Advance Pricing agreement with a Japanese company having a Rollback provision in it. Overall, it is fourth bilateral APA signed by CBDT. Signing of this bilateral APA is an important step towards ascertaining certainty in transfer pricing matters of multinational company cases and dispute resolution. The APA Scheme was introduced in the Income-tax Act in 2012 and the Rollback provisions were introduced in 2014. The scheme endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying the methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance. The progress of the APA Scheme strengthens the Government's mission of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime. The CBDT expects more APAs to be concluded and signed in the near future. Powered by Capital Market - Live News On 12 August 2016 Syncom Healthcare will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 12 August 2016, to approve the Un-audited Financial Results of the Company for the first quarter ended on 30 June 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News At least 10 foreign tourists were killed and five others injured in an attack in Afghanistan's Herat on Thursday. "Two mini buses carrying foreign tourists were attacked by gunmen on the main road in Chishti Sharif district," a senior official told Xinhua news agency. Details about the nationalities of the victims were not available immediately. The official said the buses were travelling from Bamyan to Herat province, 640 km west of Kabul. --IANS sm/ksk/sac A British-Muslim woman was detained at a UK airport and questioned under terror laws after a cabin crew member spotted her reading a book on Syrian culture on board her honeymoon flight. Faizah Shaheen, who helps prevent teenage mental health patients from becoming radicalised, was returning from honeymoon in Marmaris, Turkey, when she was stopped by South Yorkshire Police at Doncaster Airport on July 25, the Independent reported on Thursday. The 27-year-old was pulled over because a Thomson Airways cabin crew member on her outbound flight a fortnight earlier had reported her for suspicious behaviour. Police officers interrogated her for 15 minutes and told her the suspicions related to the book she had been reading, 'Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline'. The award-winning book by Malu Halasa is a collection of essays, short stories, poems, songs, cartoons and photographs from Syrian authors and artists, the Independent noted. Shaheen, from Leeds, said she was left angry and in tears by the experience - and with a feeling she had been discriminated because of her faith. "I was completely innocent - I was made to feel like a culprit," the Independent quoted Shaheen as saying. --IANS ksk/sac US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has gained a 10-point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump, who has attracted outrage over his comments about a Muslim Gold Star family, according to a new national poll. Clinton leads Trump 49 per cent to 39 per cent in a head-to-head Fox News survey released on Wednesday. In a three-way race including Libertarian Gary Johnson, Clinton leads 44 per cent to 35 per cent, with Johnson claiming 12 per cent, CNN reported. A CNN/ORC poll this week showed Clinton with a 9-point edge in a head-to-head matchup with Trump. When Fox polled voters in late June -- before both conventions -- Clinton was up only six points, 44 per cent to 38 per cent. Voters also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Trump after his comments on the Muslim family of a fallen US soldier. Sixty-nine per cent of respondents familiar with the comments declared Trump's criticism in response to the family's speech against Trump at the Democratic convention "out of bounds", compared to 19 per cent who said it was "in bounds". Republicans are about evenly split on the back-and-forth, with 41 per cent saying similarly while 40 per cent of Republicans saying Trump's response is "in bounds". Fox surveyed 1,022 registered voters from Sunday to Tuesday, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. --IANS lok/ Death toll in Nice attack, in which a man drove a heavy truck into crowds on July 14 in the southern French city, rose to 85, Christian Estrosi, president of the Rivera region announced on Thursday. According to the regional daily Nice Matin, Peter Hattermann, 56, succumbed to his injuries. His wife and 13-year-old son were also killed in the attack that occurred in the Promenade des Anglais during the Bastille Day celebrations. His 14-year old daughter was still hospitalized, it added. "All my thoughts for the girl, the family and relatives of Peter Hattermann who just died. (The) 85th (victim) disappeared after the attack of Nice," Estrosi, former mayor of Nice, tweeted. On July 14, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel plowed a heavy truck into crowds that were celebrating National Day in Nice. The truck careered 2 km through mass of revelers before being stopped by police units who also shot dead the driver. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Probing showed the 31-year delivery man had prepared his act for months with the help of accomplices. It also showed his "certain, recent interest to radical jihadist movements." --IANS ahm/ The Delhi government and the AAP on Thursday came out strongly against a Delhi High Court ruling giving primacy to the Lt. Governor in the affairs of the administration and said they will move the Supreme Court for "justice". "We fully respect the Delhi High Court but we have a constitutional right to disagree with their verdict and will approach the Supreme Court," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told the media. "We will appraise the Supreme Court that the High Court ruling has put a question mark on our democracy," said Sisodia, speaking in the absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is away attending a meditation course in Himachal Pradesh. "The verdict says that the LG is not bound the advice of the Council of Ministers," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said. "If that's so, why were elections conducted then?" Delhi government spokesman Nagendar Sharma said the High Court had erroneously given primacy to Article 239 over Article 239AA and that only the Supreme Court can settle a Centre-state constitutional row. Sisodia clarified that the tussle over the Delhi government's powers was not a fight with the central government or Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. "This is about whether a government will be run by LG or elected representatives of the people? "So who should the people go to if they have problems? To the elected representatives or the LG?" the Deputy Chief Minister asked. "The (Delhi) government is working and will keep working for the people." The AAP was harsher in its criticism of the High Court. It called the ruling "anti-people". "The High Court verdict has made a mockery of Indian democracy," party leader Ashish Khetan tweeted. "It is an anti-people judgement. "Would Narendra Modi have agreed to (President) Pranab Mukherjee running the central government after winning 282 seats in the Lok Sabha?" he asked in reference to the AAP's equally sweeping win in Delhi in 2015. Another party leader, Raghav Chadha, said: "A democratically elected government cannot be undermined. This isn't a fight for supremacy but for democracy." AAP spokesperson Ashutosh said the Delhi government will move the Supreme Court seeking "justice". --IANS am-av/mr/sar A paying guest (PG) accommodation warden from Jammu and Kashmir was arrested here for not informing the city police about the foreigners he had accommodated, a senior officer said on Thursday. The arrested man was identified as Nadeem, hailing from Baramulla, who ran on contract basis a PG accommodation unit in Sector 57 of this millennium city, said police officer Babu Lal. Gurgaon police has launched a special search operation in hotels and PG rentals in view of upcoming Independence Day on August 15, and the accommodation run by Nadeem was found to have 16 foreign nationals -- 14 Iraqis and two Afghans, all in India on medical visas and staying in the PG complex from last month. "Nadeem has to inform FRO (Foreigners' Registration Office) branch of Gurgaon police about the stay of foreigners within 24 hours of their arrival but he did not follow the mandatory rule," Babu Lal told IANS. Nadeem, who had taken the PG complex on one-year lease on January 11, has been arrested under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1992, after a case was registered at Sector 55-56 police station. He was on Thursday presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate (1st class) Devender Singh, who remanded him in 14 days' judicial custody. The police on Tuesday also booked two paying gust house managers under the same law after its search exercise. --IANS pradeep/vd/vt Four new major ports are proposed to be set up, including in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, parliament was told on Thursday. "The government has proposed to set up four new major ports -- Enayam in Tamil Nadu, Sagar in West Bengal, Dugarajpatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Vadhawan in Maharashtra," Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. "Cabinet has conveyed in-principle approval for setting up of Enayam Port in Tamil Nadu on July 5, 2016. Assistance will be extended by the government based on their need," he added. --IANS rup/vd Ghaziabad District Magistrate Nidhi Kesarwani has recommended the suspension of certain police officers and punitive action against at least one civil officer for their alleged lapses during an Aam Aadmi Party protest. Kesarwani recommended the charge-sheeting of City Magistrate Brahm Dev Yadav to the authorities and suspension of Kavi Nagar police station Inspector Ashok Sishodia, Kutchary post incharge and a sub-inspector to the Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police. The AAP's Ghaziabad unit on Wednesday held the protest march and also submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate, saying that the Bulandshahr gang-rape case is a "blot" on the state government. The Uttar Pradesh government had proved incompetent to protect the women, it said. The AAP workers also burnt Akhilesh Yadav's effigy to protest what they called the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state. The effigy was burnt in the alleged presence of these erring officials. Earlier, police said a case has been registered here against AAP activists for holding the march and burning the effigy of Akhilesh Yadav to protest the Bulandshahr gang-rape case. "The AAP activists have been booked under Section 147 and 353 of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant legal provisions," Kavi Nagar police station Inspector Ashok Sishodia told IANS. Thw women's wing of the Congress also submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate. Bharatiya Janata Party supporters took out a candle march in the Maliwara market on Wednesday evening and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Bulandshahr case. --IANS sps/tsb The Gujarat High Court on Thursday rejected the Anandiben Patel government's ordinance to provide 10 per cent quota in government jobs and educational institutions to the Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), and termed the quota "unconstitutional". The state government dubbed the high court verdict as "unfortunate". Through its ruling, a division bench of Chief Justice R. Subhash Reddy and Justice V.M. Pancholi quashed the government's Gujarat Unreserved Economically Weaker Sections (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the State) Ordinance, 2016. Issued on the Gujarat Foundation Day on May 1, the ordinance sought to provide reservation to the economically weaker sections among the higher castes, not covered by the present 50 per cent quota policy for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The ordinance was to provide for 10 cent quota to economically backward sections (EWSs) among the higher castes with an annual income of Rs 600,000. The ordinance was introduced reportedly to neutralise the quota agitation launched by socially, economically and politically powerful Patel community in the state since July 2015. The Patels have been seeking quota under the OBC category through a pitched 10-month-old agitation across the state, and this proved to be a key factor for the exit of Anandiben Patel as the Chief Minister. Delivering its order on several public interest litigations (PILs) filed by various individuals and organisations, the court termed the government move as illegal in the context of the Supreme Court guidelines on reservations not exceeding 50 per cent. The bench also observed that the government's decision was not based on any scientific data or any survey analysis. Gujarat government spokesperson Nitin Patel -- a leading contender for the Chief Minister's post -- called the high court's decision as "unfortunate". "We wanted to bring about social equity and now it looks difficult to implement for the current academic year or ongoing government recruitment. The economically weaker sections would be big loser," Patel told reporters. "The decision we took was not on the basis of caste or community but for the poor from across society. Therefore, we felt there was no need for a survey. Unfortunately, the high court has turned down our request." Patel, however, said the court has granted the state government two weeks to approach the Supreme Court against the order. Reacting to the news, Hardik Patel, the face of Patel quota stir, called it "failure" of the government. "We always maintained that this is a lollipop and now the lollipop has melted. This was unconstitutional and done without following proper process. It was bound to be rejected." Hardik maintained Patels would continue their agitation in support of their demands. --IANS desai/tsb/vt An Indian American entrepreneur has begun a countdown for launching a moon lander next year after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has approved his company's venture. Naveen Jain, the founder of Moon Express, called the US government OK on Wednesday for the MX1-E moon lander "another giant leap for humanity". "In the immediate future we envision bringing precious resources, metals and moon rocks back to the Earth," the graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee and XLRI Jamshedpur said on his company's website. The MX-1E will ride to the moon orbit on a space vehicle from Rocket Lab USA. One of that company's backers is Khosla Ventures created by Vinod Khosla, the venture capitalist who is an Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi graduate and who co-founded Sun Microsystems. Moon Express CEO Bob Richards cited the discovery of water on the moon as an incentive for lunar ventures. The discovery was accomplished by the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft with ISRO's Moon Impact Probe (MIP) and NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) that it carried on board. "The recent discovery of water on the moon is an economic game changer for humanity's future," he said. "Water is the oil of the solar system and the moon has become a gas station in the sky." Moon Express is the first private company to get government approval for a moon venture. The FAA described the MX-1E as a spacecraft that can orbit to the moon, make a soft landing on the lunar surface, and move on it by making "hops". Moon Express needed the FAA approval because the Outer Space Treaty requires private ventures to be authorised by a government that has signed th treaty. It will be eligible to compete for the Google Lunar XPRIZE of $20 million for the first private company to land a craft on the moon, make it travel at least 500 metres on the lunar surface and send back videos. Moon Express has already won two preliminary XPRIZE awards for demonstrating its technological capability to land on the moon and send images. The awards are the $1 million Landing Prize and the $250,000 Imaging Prize. Jain founded Moon Express in 2010. Previously he had launched two internet companies, InfoSpace and Intellus. "The sky is not the limit for Moon Express -- it is the launch pad," he said. "Space is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians) --IANS al/mr Indian-American politician Pramila Jayapal has won an open Congressional primary in Washington's 7th Congressional District seat, and could become the first from the community to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Jayapal, 50, took a commanding lead in Tuesday's vote count in the race to replace retiring Representative Jim McDermott, The Seattle Times reported. Jayapal, a Democrat, was born in India and raised in Indonesia and Singapore. She had 38 per cent of the vote and will advance to the November 8 general election. McDermott and State Representative Brady Walkinshaw were neck and neck behind Jayapal, McDermott with 21.5 per cent and Walkinshaw with 20.9 per cent. "We're building a movement that can clearly stake out a positive vision for the future of America at a time when too many people feel cynical about change, and when too many people are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table," Jayapal, a Democrat who has represented the 37th legislative district in the Washington State Senate since 2015, said on Tuesday night. Jayapal is also an activist. She founded "Hate Free Zone" after the September 11 attacks in 2001 as an advocacy group for Arabs, Muslims, and South Asian Americans targeted in the wake of the attacks. It changed its name to "OneAmerica" in 2008. With their battle too close to call, Joe McDermott and Walkinshaw both said they were looking forward to taking on Jayapal in November. Six other candidates - Democrats Arun Jhaveri and Donovan Rivers, Republicans Scott Sutherland and Craig Keller, and independents Leslie Regier and Carl Cooper - each had no more than 9 per cent of the vote. The 7th District includes most of Seattle, Vashon island, some southwest suburbs of King county and a bit of Snohomish county. --IANS ksk/rn Some of the major Indian passenger carriers on Thursday cancelled their scheduled operations to Dubai due to the unavailability of runway at the Dubai International Airport. The announcements by the Indian carriers came a day after an Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai caught fire after it crash-landed at Dubai airport. "Dubai airport has announced limited operations up to August 5, 2016. As a result, for August 4, 2016, Jet Airways has cancelled four flights from India to Dubai along with their corresponding return flights," a Jet Airways spokesperson said in a statement. "In addition, Jet Airways will re-route two Dubai-bound flights to Sharjah and is awaiting slot approval from Sharjah Airport to re-route four additional flights." Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet, too, cancelled all its flights to Dubai which were to be operated on Thursday. "In the wake of the Emirates aircraft crash-landing at Dubai airport yesterday and in accordance with the instructions from the Dubai Airport Authorities, all our flights to and from Dubai scheduled for today have been cancelled," SpiceJet said in a statement. "Post the runway closure at Dubai airport yesterday, our yesterday's flights to the city had been diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport and Sharjah International Airport." The budget carrier further said that it had arranged alternate mode of travel for passengers of the diverted flights to reach Dubai city. Another low cost carrier (LCC) IndiGo also cancelled its flights to Dubai for August 4, due to the unavailability of runway at the Dubai airport. "From August 05 till 0730 IST August 07 - limited flights will be allowed to operate from Dubai airport," IndiGo said in a statement. The airline said that it has already notified passengers about their respective flight status through various channels. On Wednesday, Emirates flight EK521, ferrying 282 passengers and 18 crew, caught fire when it crash-landed at Dubai International Airport. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely. After the incident, Dubai International Airport was closed for about six hours. "Emirates cancelled 27 flights yesterday, and there were delays and rescheduled flights across the network," an Emirates spokesperson said. "(In all) 23 flights were diverted to alternative airports -- Sharjah, Al Maktoum International (DWC), Fujairah, Al Ain, Muscat and Bahrain. In total, over 23,000 Emirates passengers were impacted by the disruption." --IANS rv/dg Film: "Jason Bourne"; Director: Paul Greengrass; Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, Riz Ahmed, Ato Essandoh, Scott Shepherd, Bill Camp, Vinzene Kiefer, Stephen Kunken; Rating: *** For those uninitiated with the Bourne franchise, "Jason Bourne" is the fifth film in the series and the fourth one with Matt Damon as the central figure after "The Bourne Identity" (2002), "The Bourne Supremacy" (2004) and "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007). "The Bourne Legacy" which was released in 2012 featured Jeremy Renner as the lead. So technically "Jason Bourne" picks up nine years later if we follow the timelines of reality. It is a stylistic action thriller mounted on a paper-thin plot with a lot of perfunctory chase sequences made up of shaky cam photography and snappy edits. The plot revolves around the eponymous character, the CIA's most lethal former operative on a revenge trail where he discovers something personal about his life that makes him the man he is today. The narration begins with crisp scenes jumping locations from; Greece- Albanian border to Reykjavik in Iceland to the CIA Headquarters in Langley to McLean in Virginia to the Deep Dream Corporation Conference in the Silicon Valley in California, Rome and later to Athens. It reveals how Bourne survived as a street fighter, Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) Bourne's former colleague hacks into a CIA mainframe and downloads a list of illicit programs onto a memory stick, The New CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) has a keen young analyst, Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) who has located Nicky and suspects that she like Bourne, has deserted the CIA and is now in possession of a top secret file, whose public revelation "could be worse than Snowden." It is only after about twenty five minutes of visceral excitement which includes an action-packed riot scene and Bourne swears to "take down the corrupt institution that destroys the society," that you actually get hooked. Scripted by the Director Paul Greengrass and Editor Christopher Rouse, the plot development isn't memorable. But what they deliver are waves of thrilling action-packed sequences, to the point of insanity. And, it is worth the wait to see the action presented on screen. It is too competent to be discarded as outstandingly bad. The effort fuses high production values with well-choreographed and exciting action which includes some real stunts and real car chases. Some CGI frames do seem tacky though. On the directorial front, Greengrass' style is very realistic and even though he uses a shaky cam, it is executed in a specific manner which is not disorienting. He ensures that Barry Ackroyd's camerawork with mid-shots and close-ups, jerks and dives to thrilling effects during the climactic sequence. The motion gives the feeling of actually being physically hit before descending into a blurry mishmash where the human combatants are no longer visible. The snappy edits, at times, flare your nerves. On the performance front, Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, with the addition of Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander and Vincent Cassel play very professional yet flawed, one-dimensional characters to perfection. And they have their tense character moments too. Overall the film ends on a flat note with quite a bit of promise for the future. --IANS troy/nv/vm Rescuers on Thursday recovered three bodies, including that of the driver of one of the two state transport buses washed away in the Savitri river in Raigad district after a bridge collapse on Wednesday, officials said. Two other bodies were of women who may have been travelling on one of the two buses or in some other private vehicle. The three bodies were found shortly after the search operations for the missing buses and about 22 passengers was resumed at daybreak by the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, NDRF, police and the fire-brigade. Local fishermen also joined the search. Heavy rains continued to hamper the rescue operations and Savitri river remained a raging cauldron 36 hours after it swept away the bridge, built during the colonial rule more than seven decades ago. The body of driver S.S. Kamble was found in the shallow Arabian Sea waters near Anjarle beach, about 75 km from the tragedy site near Mahad. He was driving the Jaigad-Mumbai bus service of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). The two women whose bodies were found have been identified as Sevanti Mirgal from Harihareshwar and Ranjana Vaze from Kemburli, both locations several kilometres downstream. Since Wednesday, various agencies have been searching for the two missing buses and passengers by deploying at least five helicopters, Gemini boats, expert divers and scuba divers. Local legislator Bharat Gogavale had informed reporters on Wednesday about the recovery of two unidentified bodies from a spot near the bridge collapse. Later the district authorities clarified they were from an unrelated incident. Besides the two missing buses, attempts are on to locate five to six private vehicles that were reportedly washed away into the Arabian Sea, around 18 km from the bridge crash site. The defence authorities have procured large magnets weighing around 300 kg for the underwater search in the muddy waters to detect and attract the metal vehicles. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his ministers and Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil airdashed to the tragedy site and met collector Sheetal Ugale and Superintendent of Police Suvez Haque to take stock of the situation. The Jaigad-Mumbai service was driven by Kamble with V.K. Desai as conductor. The other ill-fated MSRTC bus was a Rajapur-Borivali (north Mumbai) service driven by E.S. Munde with P.B. Shirke as conductor. Both bus services were based at Chiplun Bus Depot in Ratnagiri. --IANS qn/kb/sac Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has expressed his desire to sign at least one more player ahead of the upcoming season, and has called for the deal to be done by next Friday. Mourinho also spoke about Paul Pogba and said that he is not yet prepared to discuss if the star France midfielder is the player in question. United played out a goalless draw against Everton in veteran forward Wayne Rooney's testimonial at Old Trafford on Wednesday and they will now take on Leicester City this Sunday in the Community Shield at the Wembley Stadium in the annual curtain-raiser to the English season. Pogba has enjoyed a post-Euro 2016 holiday in the United States while the transfer saga has unfolded, with reports of an agreed deal and rival interest from Real Madrid failing to formalise. "We are going to sign one more player for sure. I don't want to speak about Paul (Pogba) because he is a Juventus player and I don't like other managers to speak about my players. I don't speak about their players,'' Mourinho told the British media after Rooney's testimonial match. "But the reality is we are going to sign one more player. The market closes, as you know, August 31 so we have plenty of time to do that, but I'd like to do it before the Premier League starts," he added. --IANS gau/ajb/dg BSP supremo Mayawati arrived in Gujarat on Thursday to express her solidarity with the Dalit victims of the July 11 atrocities in Una and accused the state and the Centre of oppressing the community. Mayawati, who is the last among the national politicians to have visited the state over the issue, said, "I did not come earlier since the situation then was volatile and could have led to riots across the country. I came now since things have cooled down." The powerful Dalit leader from Uttar Pradesh drove down to the labour-dominated Sarangpur area in Ahmedabad and paid tributes at a statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Mayawati is scheduled to check on the health of the victims later in the day. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader said, "It was more shocking that the Gujarat government was moved in the case only after we disrupted parliament. Even the opposition Congress party in the state remained silent". --IANS desai/kb/vt Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not being present in either house of parliament when the GST bill was taken up, the Congress on Thursday said that it was for the first time in independent India that a constitutional amendment bill was discussed, debated and passed without the Prime Minister being present. "This has happened for the first time in the past 66 years that the Prime Minister was missing when a constitutional amendment was being debated," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told media here. "It seems that parliament has become Mrime Minister-'mukt' (free of)," he said, adding that it was unprecedented and created doubts if Modi was in favour of the legislation. Ramesh said Modi was not in the Lok Sabha when the bill was debated there, and he was again missing from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday when the bill was discussed, debated and passed by the upper house. The former Union Minister said that Wednesday's debate and voting on the GST bill in the Rajya Sabha was historic, and both the government and the principal opposition moved from their stated positions to pass the bill in a "cordial atmosphere". "We hope that this cordial atmosphere will continue and the government, as demanded by all opposition parties will not bring the CGST and the IGST as money bills." "Government must not bring these bills as money bills. We believe that the cordial atmosphere will continue as there's a lot to be done," he said. The Congress leader said that government wanted pro-industry and pro-states GST regime but the Congress wanted it to be for the common people. He also reasoned that when the tax is kept low, more and more people pay it, hence enhancing the overall collections. Ramesh said that he expects lots of confusion on GST, but "it was a positive impact on the Indian economy". "This GST is imperfect but then no bill could be perfect and a lot is to be done to make it good," he added. He also expressed happiness that many of Congress' demands on GST have been met by the government. --IANS sk/vd/vt A 42-year-old woman and her son, 18, were mowed down by a truck on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway killing both of them on spot, police said on Thursday. Santosh Devi was returning to her home in Chakkarpur village on Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) road with her son Anand after visiting a relative's house in Jharsa village close to Sector 32. Police officer Trilok Chand said they were riding a two-wheeler which was mowed down by the truck near Rao Tula Ram Chowk (Signature Tower) late Wednesday night. He said that Santosh was employed at a private school as a helper and Sonu was a class 11 student. The driver of truck managed to flee with the vehicle. --IANS pardeep/ksk/vm President Barack Obama is set to address the nation about American efforts against the Islamic State after meeting with the National Security Council at the Pentagon. The briefing comes as the US has expanded its battle against the terrorist group into Libya. Obama's meeting with the NSC is to help him assess what is working and what isn't working in the campaign against Islamic State. On Monday, the president authorized a bombing campaign in Libya, at the behest of the current Libyan government, known as the Government of National Accord (GNA). On Tuesday, that authorization was extended into a 30-day mission of US airstrikes in Libya against IS. While the GNA is the official ruling body of Libya and has been endorsed by the UN, much of the country is outside its control, including the capital of Tripoli. The president previously described the country as "kind of a mess," with IS holding power in a relatively small coastal segment of the country, Libya Dawn and other Islamists in charge in Tripoli and the surrounding areas, and parts of the south being ruled by local militias. The US is already involved in anti-IS airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, and has been since September 2014. Obama is expected to tout recent gains that the US-led coalition has made on that front, AP reported. Iraq's government, with significant "advise and consent" help from the US, is currently preparing a major offensive in Mosul, a northern city IS has controlled since June 2014. --IANS ahm/ Actor Orlando Bloom bared it all during his Italian getaway with girlfriend and TV personality Katy Perry. Bloom was photographed naked during a beach outing here on Wednesday, reports nydailynews.com. In some photographs, Bloom was seen stripping off his swimming trunks before taking a dip in the water with Perry. The couple went for a racy voyage on a paddleboard. Perry didn't seemingly care when her boyfriend was fully naked behind her. The couple was later photographed hugging and kissing. The star of "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" was also seen spraying sunscreen on his girlfriend before she went swimming. The pair weren't alone during their outing as other beachgoers were spotted sunbathing in the area. Bloom and Perry were first linked in January 2016 after they were spotted flirting at a Golden Globes after-party. --IANS sas/rb/vt 4th Circuit says NCGA had 'discriminatory intent'; GOP calls decision 'partisan,' 'activist' CJ Photo by Kari Travis The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned major chunks of North Carolina's broad election reform law passed in 2013, claiming that U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder committed factual errors when he threw out challenges to the law.wrote Judge Diana Gribbon Motz.The ruling by the three judge appeals court panel, all appointed by Democratic presidents, affects the state's voter ID requirement enacted by the Republican-controlled General Assembly. It also overturns the state's law shortening early voting, eliminating same-day registration during early voting, out-of-precinct voting, and early registration programs that sign teenagers up to vote before they're 18.The appellate judges wrote that "contextual facts ... reveal powerful undercurrents" in the state's politics that must be taken into account when considering the 2013 law.the opinion says.Reaction to the decision was swift.Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, who helped write the law, didn't hold back in his scathing criticism of the opinion and the judges.Rucho said he was amazed at howSchroeder's opinion, handed down in April, was 485 pages.Rucho said two other federal circuits have used North Carolina's voter ID law as a model for other states.Rucho said.Rucho said that he suspects the 4th Circuit judges are using the 4-4 partisan split in the U.S. Supreme Court as an opportunity to push through such decisions without being checked by the higher court.Rucho said. He suggested Congress might impeach some of the judges.Other Republicans also blasted the decision.GOP Gov. Pat McCrory said.Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Mecklenburg, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, issued a joint statement responding to the ruling.the two leaders said Friday.State GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse tweeted,In a subsequent statement, Woodhouse said Cooper and state Democrats were overruling the will of the people.Woodhouse said.Russell Peck, McCrory's re-election campaign manager, put out a statement with a photo showing a sign from the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia showing that a photo ID was required for delegates to pick up their credentials.Peck said.Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Deborah Ross, who sponsored many of the election laws that the GOP statute tried to curtail, praised the ruling.Ross said.The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the plaintiffs in the suits challenging the law, also praised the ruling.said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project.Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said the state board is reviewing the ruling and encouraged voters to stay informed of developments in the coming weeks.Strach said.Strach encouraged voters to vote in their assigned precincts to avoid having to use a provisional ballot. However, voters who do not appear in their assigned precincts will still have their vote count for all eligible contests, she said. The organisers of the Rio Olympic Games will give away over 2,00,000 tickets to children for free, the Rio 2016 Organising Committee Communications Executive Director Mario Andrada has announced. Andrada said around 65,000 tickets were sold on Wednesday. The communications director added around 79 percent of all tickets have been sold till Tuesday, reports Sputnik. "There will be 2,40,000 kids across different projects in different areas. We have reached 100 percent of the projected revenue. We have sold all the most expensive tickets, so we can afford to give some away," Andrada was quoted by The Guardian on Wednesday. The 2016 Olympics will be held in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro from August 5-21. --IANS sam/sac Criticizing Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for attacking Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, the CPI-M said the minister symbolized "much of what is wrong with the Modi government". Despite holding a key cabinet post, Parrikar was "spewing intolerance and bigotry, making bellicose statements against Pakistan and compromising the image of the armed forces", an editorial in the CPI-M journal "People's Democracy" said. The Communist Party of India-Marxist said Parrikar had made one egregious remark after another. "The latest controversial statement being his attack on actor Aamir Khan stating that he was arrogant and needs to be taught a lesson. "This response was to Aamir Khan's remark made some time back that given the climate of intolerance, his wife was asking whether it was worth living in the country. "Parrikar also lauded those who launched a campaign against a private online trading company forcing that company to cancel its sponsorship of the actor. "By this, Parrikar not only endorsed coercive action against those who are so-called 'anti-national' but also encouraged bigots to teach a lesson to those who do not subscribe to his Hindutva brand of patriotism," it said. The editorial pointed out that in June last year, Parrikar claimed that the lack of respect for the Indian Army is because it has not fought a war for 40-50 years. "This jingoistic stance goes against the grain that the army is there to maintain peace and protect the country's borders," it said. --IANS mr/ A court in New Delhi on Thursday sentenced Mahmood Farooqui, the co-director of acclaimed 2010 Hindi film "Peepli Live", to seven years jail after finding him guilty of raping an American woman. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Farooqui, who was convicted on July 30 of raping a 35-year-old woman from Columbia University who was in India for research on her doctoral thesis. The woman, who moved to Delhi in June 2014, was looking for contacts for her work in Gorakhpur and came in contact with Farooqui through a common friend. The incident occurred on March 28, 2015 when Farooqui invited her for dinner at his house. According to the police chargesheet, the woman, who reached his house at 9 pm, found Farooqui was very intoxicated, and he asked her to go to the other room which was his office. After 20 minutes, she left the office room to smoke in the porch when he told her to come in and sit down. After talking with her for a while, he suddenly kissed her and forced himself on her, the prosecution said, adding that the woman was scared after the incident. During the trial, the American researcher stood by her complaint and alleged that Farooqui had raped her, while he denied the allegations, and claimed he was falsely implicated. The Pentagon has refused Pakistan $300 million in military aid, in a sign of unhappiness with Islamabad for not acting against militants active in Afghanistan. According to Pentagon spokesperson Adam Stump, Defence Secretary Ashton B. Carter had decided against making a certification to Congress stating that Pakistan is taking sufficient action against the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate blamed for attacks on the US and allied personnel in Afghanistan, The Washington Post reported. The decision, which means Pakistan will not receive $300 million in military reimbursement funding, was based on the continuing operations of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani militants on Pakistani soil, Stump said. The move ends a year of speculation about an aid programme that has been fundamental to Pakistani military operations, and reveals the strains in Washington's relations with an ally that many officials have accused of double-dealing with militant groups. The decision comes amid a resurgence of Taliban activity in Afghanistan that has derailed plans to definitively end the long US military effort there. Under the Coalition Support Funds (CSF) programme, the US reimburses Pakistan for its support of US and allied operations in Afghanistan and helps Pakistan pay for operations it conducts against militants on its soil. Since 2002, reimbursements under the programme have totaled about $14 billion, representing a significant portion of Pakistan's defence spending. In addition to helping fund operations, Pakistan's military also used the money to buy food and ammunition, the Pentagon has said. Nadeem Hotiana, a spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, said the CSF programme had allowed the US to support Pakistani military actions, particularly in the country's restive tribal areas, that had benefited both countries. "Pakistan will continue to work with its partners in a long-term effort for ensuring security and stability in these areas," he said. --IANS ask/rn/sac Carol Highsmith, an American photographer, filed a lawsuit against stock photo agencies Getty Images and Alamy for falsely claiming copyright of 18,755 photos she took, and demanded more than $1 billion in reputation damages. Highsmith, who is famous for having captured images of the American life as a record of the early 21st century, was charged for posting online a photo of her own and received a letter from a firm associated with Getty Images accusing her of license infringement, Xinhua news agency reported. The License Compliance Services, the copyright enforcement entity believed to be connected to Getty, even demanded a settlement fee of $120 US from Highsmith. The 70-year-old photographer astonishingly learned that the stock photo agencies had been charging people for thousands of her pictures that she had donated to the Library of Congress for free access since 1992. According to the suit, Getty and Alamy are not only "unlawfully charging licensing fees" for the donated photographs, but are "falsely and fraudulently holding themselves out as the exclusive copyright owner." In a recent public statement, Getty responded that it acknowledges the images are in public domain but still maintains that "image libraries are legally permitted to charge fees for use of images in the public domain." Alamy has said even less, only with one employee saying that they are looking into the issue. --IANS sm/rn Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday obliquely asked Pakistan not to glorify terrorists while Islamabad, in a clear reference to Jammu and Kashmir, denounced the use of "excessive force" against civilians. Tension ran high between Rajnath Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nisar Ali Khan at the meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) interior ministers here. But both stopped short of naming each other's country. "It needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronized by any state. One country's terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone," Rajnath Singh said. "Those who provide support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorism or terrorists must be isolated. We must harden our resolve to eradicate this menace and also take serious steps to this end." The Indian minister's criticism was obviously targeted at the Pakistan government. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last month had described slain pro-Pakistan Kashmiri rebel commander Burhan Wani as a "martyr" who died fighting for the "freedom" of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan also observed a black day against the killing of Wani, who was shot dead by Indian security forces in Kashmir. His killing triggered a bloody unrest - blamed on Pakistan by India. Over 50 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and Kashmiri protesters in nearly a month of turmoil. The Kashmir unrest didn't figure in the Saarc discussion but its reference was pervasive. Khan, in his speech earlier, said the "use of excessive force" to suppress civilian unrest was also terrorism. "Using torture against innocent children and violence against civilians qualifies as terrorism," he said. He stressed on the need to end an "extremist" mindset and instead to solve regional issues with dialogue. Rajnath Singh said countries needed to take "strongest possible steps" not only against terrorists and their organisations but also against "individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them". He said that the world needed to believe that "attempts to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' terrorists are misleading". "No type of terrorism or support to it can be justified on any grounds whatsoever. An immediate and effective action is required against all those who support or encourage international terrorism in any way, whether they are state actors or non-state." It was the first visit by an Indian minister to Pakistan after the January attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, also blamed on Pakistani terrorists. Rajnath Singh arrived here on Wednesday evening amid anti-India protests organized by terror groups including the United Jehad Council - a militant amalgam of groups fighting in Kashmir but based in Pakistan. Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the chief the Lashkar-e-Taiba, also led an anti-India rally in Lahore where he lashed out at the Pakistan government for allowing Rajnath Singh to visit Islamabad. The Indian minister was taken to his hotel in a chopper as he was given a "presidential level security" amid threats by the militant groups. No bilateral meeting between the Indian home minister and his Pakistani counterpart took place. Media reports said the two ministers barely shook hands as Khan greeted the Saarc home ministers at the luxurious Serena Hotel in Islamabad. --IANS sar/mr Assuring shareholders that significant progress had been made in erecting the infrastructure for Reliance Jio, along with some 1.5 million test users, Chairman Mukesh Ambani has, without specifying a date, said the commercial launch will happen in the "coming months". "During the year, Reliance Jio moved towards completion of its network infrastructure as well as business services and platforms. We on-boarded over 1.5 million test users, who have been using the services extensively," Ambani said in the company's annual report for 2015-16. "This has enabled testing of the network, user applications and services and business platforms. The feedback from test users is extremely encouraging. The test programme will be progressively upgraded into commercial operations in the coming months." Shareholders were also told that Jio is now present in all the 29 states of India with a direct physical presence in more than 18,000 urban and rural towns and over 150,000 villages. The chairman said Reliance Industries invested over Rs 112,000 crore ($17 billion) in its various businesses operations during 2015-16, which he claimed was the highest-ever by any corporate in India in creating growth engines for the future. "As we near the end of our largest capital expenditure cycle, we are focused on ensuring a smooth start-up and stabilisation of new growth platforms across hydrocarbon and consumer businesses," he said, adding the record profit of $4.2 billion against a gloomy environment was laudable. He particularly mentioned that the company's gross refining margins -- the difference between the crude oil price and the value of petroleum products coming out of a refinery -- stood at $10.8 pr barrel in 2015-16, was the highest in seven years and outperformed the Singapore benchmark. The company said the annual shareholders' meeting will be held here on Sep 1 at 11 a.m. at Birla Matushri Sabhagar auditorium. --IANS ap/dg World Sailing, the sport's governing body, has reversed the ruling on Russia's Pavel Sozykin, making him eligible to compete at the Rio Olympic Games. "Based upon the new guidance provided by the IOC, it was the unanimous decision of the participating World Sailing Board Members to declare Sozykin eligible to compete in Rio 2016," it said in a statement on Wednesday. World Sailing has communicated its decision to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Russian Olympic Committee. The IOC provided the new guidance on Tuesday to all summer International Federations indicating that an athlete should not be considered as "implicated" if the McLaren list does not refer to a prohibited substance which would have given rise to an anti-doping rules violation, reports Xinhua. World Sailing said last month that Sozykin had been denied eligibility for the Rio Games because of the so-called McLaren report by the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA). --IANS pur/vm Cutting across party lines, states across the country have expressed willingness to join hands with the central government in rolling out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime -- but with riders to protect their interests. The GST bill, which was long stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the Narendra Modi government did not possess a majority, was finally passed by parliament's upper house on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha had passed it last year. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought that as states wanted to give relief to micro and small businesses, they must remain under the control of the states. Endorsing Banerjee's views, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said the GST's primary focus was to benefit micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). "In the single-tax regime, MSMEs must be benefitted. Bigger industries can manage a multiple-tax regime but smaller players are fed up with multiple taxes," said Mitra, who is also Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on the GST regime, in Kolkata. "Dual control will be allowed for entities with annual turnover of more than Rs 1.5 crore, while small players, with less than Rs 1.5 crore annual turnover, will be in the state's control," he said. Terming the passage of the GST Bill unanimously a historic moment, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said as the GST was the brainchild of the earlier UPA government, the NDA regime had to amend the Bill to meet the demands of the Congress in order to safeguard the interests of the people and the states. "The GST Bill was originally drafted by the UPA government to usher in the concept of aone nation, one tax. As the NDA government's Bill had some lacunae, our party suggested certain amendments, which were conceded for its smooth passage in a bipartisan spirit," he told reporters in Bengaluru. Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, said Karnataka was ready to implement the GST regime from April 1, 2017. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh also said it was the previous Congress-led UPA government that conceived the GST Bill, while rincipal Secretary Finance Shrikant Baldi said the state would definitely be benefitted with the GST. Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur, who is from Himachal, said the GST would have a positive impact on the Indian economy. Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu announced that the state was prepared to implement the GST regime. "The state excise and taxation department was preparing a roadmap to implement the GST regime. The concerned officials have been imparted training on how to implement it effectively," he told reporters in Chandigarh. Political parties and their leaders in Odisha expressed hope that the GST Bill would bring tax reforms in the country. "The GST Bill will bring uniform tax rate throughout the country and help in seamless movement of goods and services across the states," Odisha Finance Minister Pradeep Amat said in Bhubaneshwar, adding that the GST regime would provide more relief to the economy, industry, trade and agriculture. "The state will also be empowered to tax on services," Amat asserted. In Kerala, Jose Sebastian of the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation said the e-commerce segment would come under the tax net in the GST regime. "Being a consumer state, Kerala will get Rs 4,000 crore every year once GST is in place. When GST become a reality, tax revenue which has been going to states from where the goods were purchased, will come to our state," Sebsatian told IANS in Thiruvananthapuram. CII's Kerala State Council chairman Harikrishanan Nair said traders would benefit from GST on account of zero rate tax on exports. In Maharashtra, Gera Developments Managing Director and CREDAI Vice President Rohit Gera said the GST, should take care of home buyers by ensuring it does not increase the cost by raising the tax incidence on them. SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya said in Mumbai that GST would result in efficiencies by enabling seamless movement of goods and integration of markets across the country. "The structural transformation of GST in the long term will be enormous and our bank is fully geared to meet the implementation challenges and the necessary IT support will be in place in due time," she added. (with inputs from Kolkata, Bengaluru, Shimla, Chandigarh, Bhubaneshwar, Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai). --IANS team-fb/vd/dg The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to explain the criteria for engaging the NGOs in family planning programmes, including birth control camps. "On what basis NGOs are given authority for organising the family planning camps. What is the criteria? Is it based on a principal or a decision of an individual officer," asked the bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice U.U, Lalit as the Centre told the court that it has a plan to do away with such family planning camps. The court was informed about the botched up sterilisation camps organised by the NGOs. The bench then asked whether compensation was paid to the families of the victims. The court was hearing a PIL by activist Devika Biswas who drew attention to the unsafe sterilisations being carried out at these camps. The petitioner referred to unhygienic conditions at the camps organised in Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The bench reserved its verdict after Centre opposed the plea for setting up of a separate Court of Commission, saying it would create a parallel monitoring mechanism which may confuse the field workers. Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Counsel Colin Gonsalves appreciated the guidelines, standards and norms set by the Centre but said they were just on paper and not being enforced. Gonsalves told the court that in case of botched up sterilisation, the NGO is blacklisted, doctors are placed under suspension but nothing happens to the government officials "who allow such things to happen". Additional Solicitor General Pinki Anand said the Centre was executing a plan to do away with the birth control camps for undertaking male/female sterilisation and it would be done at the district, sub-district hospitals and primary health centres. She said the plan was set into motion in 2015 and would take three years to cover the entire country. Anand informed the court that Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Sikkim have already phased out such camps. She told the bench that India had the lowest death rate in Asia on account of sterilisation. "India conducts over 40 lakh sterilisations in a year and the death rate is below three per lakh, which is similar to the neighbouring Asian countries and one of the lowest in the world," she said. Anand said the entire administrative machinery involved in the execution of plan had been firmed-up, additional allocations have been made and there is monitoring at all levels by the officials. S.K. Sikdar, Deputy Commissioner of the Family Planning Division of health ministry, clarified on specific queries from the bench. --IANS pk/bim/dg Press Release: Attila Nemecz (252)-940-6387 WASHINGTON, NC Josh Meier recently stopped in at Beaufort County Community College to check in with former teachers and to pick up his new Associate in Science degree. Meier earned his degree while working on his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at NC State. He will graduate with his BS in the spring of 2017, but in the meantime he adds an associate degree to his resume.Meier earned his newest associate degree through a process called "reverse transfer" in which courses he takes at a four-year university can be tacked on to coursework completed at a community college to fulfill a two-year degree. The reverse transfer program was piloted by the NC Community College System in 2013 in partnership with the UNC System to create a safety net for students transferring between institutions. In case a student is unable to complete the course load for a bachelor's degree, they would still have an associate degree to enforce the work they have completed.Over 1,400 students have taken advantage of the program across the state in the past three years. Supported by a "Credit When It's Due" grant from USA Funds, the program was piloted across eight UNC campus and 15 community colleges. The Lumina Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Helios Education Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have also supported the program. The program has since been expanded to include the 74 public institutions across the state, including Beaufort County Community College.It's a simple process for students to participate. Students with 16 college-level credits from a single community college are eligible when they transfer to a UNC campus. If a student participates, they will have their records transmitted back to the community college and upon completing 60 total credit hours, they are awarded an associate degree. There are 26,000 students enrolled as undergraduates at UNC campuses who began their education at an NC community college. Many of them took some courses, but may not have earned a degree.Receiving an associate degree can be a morale booster for students: a half-way mark on a long journey. It can also ensure that the time and work they have put in is not lost. Students who attend community colleges often have a different set of circumstances to deal with than other students in the UNC System. Many of them have families or economic circumstances that to force them to leave college. An associate degree opens up employment opportunities and can increase students' earnings.For Meier, his new associate degree will confirm his general education program (GEP) credits, reducing any unnecessary redundancy that may have occurred when he transferred to NC State. Meier had also received an Associate in Electrical Engineering Technology and an Associate in Electronics Engineering Technology from BCCC.said Meier, who began at BCCC.As students like Meier continue to take advantage of the program, more residents of North Carolina will have post-secondary degrees, making sure that their hard work does not go unrewarded. A Taliban key commander, Mullah Naeem Koor, nicknamed Emadudin, has been killed in the eastern Parwan province, the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday. "Acting upon intelligence report, the units of Civil Order Police launched special operations in Siagurd district of Parwan province last night. As a result, the Taliban key commander, Mullah Naeem Koor was killed and three others were injured," the statement asserted. Mullah Naeem was a notorious commander who had often organised terrorist attacks against government interests and innocent civilians, the statement said, adding that his death could prove a major setback to the armed militants in Parwan province and adjoining areas. Taliban militants have not commented on the subject yet. --IANS ahm/dg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after the unanimous passage of the Goods and Services Tax bill by the Rajya Sabha, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia on Thursday said April 1, 2017 will the target date for the roll-out of this pan-India indirect tax regime. Making a presentation before the media here, Adhia said the government hoped that all the required bills connected with the GST roll-out will be taken up for passage during the winter session of parliament. "By December 2016, all the back-end and front-end IT systems required for GST are expected to be ready, followed by testing," the revenue secretary said, adding that some 60,000 officers will be trained pan-India, even as wide outreach programme will be launched for trade and industry. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who had called the press conference, said once the GST rolls out, doing business in India will be easier and help a large body of traders and citizens. "There was a public anxiety, almost an exasperation, over the delay," he said. "That's now over," he added. "One of the most significant aspects is that the GST bill was passed with unanimity." --IANS ap/vm The Federation of All India Farmer Association (FAIFA) on Thursday urged the government to have representation of tobacco farmers in the upcoming WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), whose failure will lead to further deterioration of their economic condition. The FAIFA said that to fulfill the target of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to double farmers' incomes by 2020, there was a need to prevent every kind of discrimination with farmers. "Rather than addressing the plight of tobacco farmers, India is hosting the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in November 2016. This conference will add further misery to the poor Indian tobacco farmer. "We appeal to the government of India that Indian farmers must be part of the official delegation of CoP7, else it would put livelihood of millions at risk without any public health benefit," said FAIFA President B.V. Javare Gowda at an interactive session with parliamentarians to discuss the opportunities and challenges for India to realise the target of doubling farmer incomes by 2022 at an ASSOCHAM event here. Stating that tobacco farmers currently were subjected to the worst-ever discrimination by way of harsh policies and attacks on their livelihoods without providing either a scientific justification or alternative to safeguard their interests, the federation appealed to MPs to withdraw the 85 per cent pictorial warning, which had affected the sale of tobacco grown by them. India will host a crucial global summit November 7-12 to eliminate the illicit trade of tobacco products in which delegates from 180 countries will take part. According to FAIFA, subsidies are being provided to tobacco farmers in countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania among others while it is a source of livelihood for 4.6 crore Indians. According to Tobacco Institute of India, tobacco is an extremely important commercial crop for India as it contributes more than Rs 30,000 crore in tax revenue annually besides earning about Rs 6,000 crore in foreign exchange. --IANS rup/vd Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger said on Wednesday that he doesn't see how he can endorse his party's nominee for the White House, Donald Trump, in the wake of the week's events. "I'm an American before I'm a Republican," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room". "I'm saying for me personally, how can I support that? Because he's crossed so many red lines that a commander in chief or a candidate for commander in chief should never cross." Kinzinger, who has openly hesitated to embrace Trump as his party's standard-bearer, said he went to Cleveland hoping to "at least mildly endorse the Republican front-runner." But in the aftermath of Trump's comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the parents of fallen Muslim American soldier Capt. Humayun Khan, the third-term Illinois congressman said that he doesn't "see how I get there anymore". "I'm a Republican because I believe that Republicanism is the best way to defend the United States of America," Kinzinger said, adding that Trump "throws all of these Republican principles on their head." But Kinzinger said he would not support Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and was contemplating writing in a candidate on his ballot come November 8, CNN reported. The second high-profile stand against Trump comes a day after Richard Hanna, a Republican congressman from New York who is retiring after this term, announced on Tuesday he would vote for Clinton in November. --IANS lok/ The has agreed to provide five Central Asian countries with up to $15 million in aid to boost trade, support renewable energy projects and help them counter terrorism, the American embassy in Uzbekistan said in a statement on Thursday. Secretary of State John Kerry met with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Washington on Wednesday. The ministerial level meeting of the so-called C5+1 group was the second meeting of its type, and was aimed at discussing mutually-agreed projects in the fields of trade, transport, business climate, renewable energy sources, the fight against terrorism, as well as the trafficking of weapons, illicit drugs and people, Sputnik news agency reported. "At the second C5+1 ministerial meeting, which was held in Washington in August 2016, six ministers have agreed to launch five projects, which the United States plan to support by up to $15 million dollars," the embassy said in a statement. According to the statement, special attention was given to prevent the radicalisation of people living in Central Asia. In November 2015, Kerry and the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries held a meeting in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, where they agreed to create a new platform for regular political dialogue among the C5+1 countries. Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday said the High Court judgement confirming his primacy over the Delhi government was not about anyone's triumph or defeat. "It's just about the validation of the Constitution by the court, and not about anyone's victory," Jung told media here. Referring to the timing of the press conference, he said that it was a historic verdict and he though it to be appropriate to talk to the media. Noting when people asked him why he was not interacting with media, he said he used to cite a famous Urdu couplet by freedom fighter Ram Prasad 'Bismil': "Waqt aane par bata denge tujhe ae aasman, hum abhi se kya bataye kya hamare dil me hai" but "today, I think is the time to clear many things as today's verdict is so important that it can be referred as historical". Denying the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's allegation that the Lt Governor's Office was working against it, Jung said: "We want to help the elected government without interfering in its functioning. We will continue to extend constitutional support to the government." Citing the oath he took when sworn in, he said: "The Lt. Governor takes the oath to follow the Constitution of India. I followed it too." He also said his office would review all decisions and orders taken by the Delhi government in the last one and half years. As for Delhi government's charge that he (Jung) worked at the behest of the central government, the Lt. Governor said he was "not ashamed" of reporting to the central government. "I was appointed by the President (of India); I report to the central government. Why should I be ashamed of it? But we will have to confine ourselves within the constitutional framework," he said. Asked about the remarks of the Kejriwal government over his decisions in past, Jung said: "I don't get affected by abusive language." The Delhi High Court on Thursday said the Lt. Governor is not bound by the aid and advice of Delhi's Council of Ministers and that Delhi government notifications must be issued after consulting the Lt Governor. Meanwhile, Jung said that an order by a sub-divisional magistrate to ban protests outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence here was invalid. "The SDM has no authority to give such orders," he said. --IANS am/vd It is that time of the year when all of Karnataka starts preparing to celebrate its state festival, Dasara. This year the 10-day celebration will start on October 1 and end with the jamboo savari or the elephant procession going around Mysuru on October 11. A 10 Gbps line between Guwahati and Aizawl is being laid and expected to be completed by this month to enhance Internet service in Mizoram, BSNL Chief General Manager North East-I Circle Kamal Kumar Saxena said here today. During a meeting with Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, Saxena said once the 10 Gbps line is completed, Mizoram could be connected with the submarine cable line. Three lines to enhance Internet connectivity would soon connect Aizawl and Shillong, he said, adding that efforts were being made to erect more towers and improve functions of the existing towers to minimise call drops. Eleven small cities are likely to witness an incremental housing demand of 9.44 lakh units in next five years, property consultant Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) said today. Surat is likely to see highest incremental residential demand among 11 cities selected in a study at 2.3 lakh units, followed by Kochi at 1.18 lakh units and Visakhapatnam at 1 lakh units. "While the top (tier I cities) are bound to continue recording growth in residential markets arising out of their development as economic centers and emerging growth corridor within them, after years of slow growth and even stagnation in some cases, tier II and III cities too are poised to be strong drivers of demand," C&W said in a report. The report 'Embracing Change: Exploring Growth Markets for Indian Housing' has identified 11 cities among tier II and tier III cities which could witness strong real estate demand, especially residential. These cities exhibit a strong potential for development based on the economic activity, current and proposed infrastructure developments and expected government and private investments. Lucknow would witness an incremental housing demand of 89,600 units, Jaipur 81,700 units, Nagpur 80,000 units, Indore 78,100 units, Coimbatore 76,000 units, Vadodra 36,600 units, Chandigarh 33,100 units and Bhubaneswar 21,600 units. These eleven tier II and tier III cities are expected to spur housing demand, driving cumulative incremental residential demand to 9,44,700 units between 2016 and 2020. "There is a need for developing alternate urban economic centre in India as the tier I cities may soon be exhausted in terms of infrastructure to be able to support the expected/ desired growth of India," C&W India Managing Director Anshul Jain said. "These 11 cities are poised well to become the next growth centres owing to their inherent strengths, government initiatives and attraction of foreign and private investments, albeit over a period of 5-7 years," he added. Jain said although these cities have some strengths, a systematic and achievable growth plan, from beefing up the infrastructure, civic infrastructure and creation of housing to stable law and order situation, has to be created by the states and the city council to achieve potential. India's 12 major ports plan to set up 83 MW solar photovoltaic power plant projects from their own resources, Parliament was informed today. "The Government proposes to implement utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plant projects at various major ports across the country. The funds for establishment of solar power projects are arranged by the major ports from their own resources and no funds have been released from the ministry," Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said in a written reply. Of the 82.64 MW capacity, Vizag, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and New Mangalore ports have set up 6.84 MW projects so far, he said. The step is part of the Green Port Initiative launched by the Ministry of Shipping, Radhakrishnan informed the Lok Sabha. Its objectives include contributing to reduction in carbon emissions and consequently improving environment besides reducing cost of power purchased from grid by utilisation of solar power for power generation. India has 12 major ports -- Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) which handle approximately 61 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic. Voters should choose their representatives. ... This is the core principle of republican government. ... As redistricting through political gerrymander rather than reliance on natural boundaries and communities has become the tool of choice for state legislatures ... the fundamental principle of the voters choosing their representative has nearly vanished. Instead, representatives choose their voters. [Quotation marks and citations omitted.] Redistricting to protect the party that controls the state legislature is constitutionally permitted and lawful. ... Beyond taking offense at the affront to democracy caused by gerrymandering, courts will not ... interfere. It is left to the people of the state to decide whether they wish to select their representatives or have their representatives select them. Racial gerrymandering is no longer about race; it's about politics. Why are the parties involved in this dispute interested in how black voters are apportioned among the various legislative districts? It's not because those voters are black. It's because those voters almost always vote for Democrats. The Republicans want to apportion them in a way that minimizes the number of Democratic-majority districts, and the Democrats want the opposite. A deliberate and systematic policy of favoring rural and inner-city interests at the expense of suburban areas north, east, and west of Atlanta [and] an intentional effort to allow incumbent Democrats to maintain or increase their delegation, primarily by systematically underpopulating the districts held by incumbent Democrats, by overpopulating those of Republicans, and by deliberately pairing numerous Republican incumbents against one another. The Supreme Court has not yet clarified when exactly partisan considerations cross the line from legitimate to unlawful. Attacks on deviations under 10 percent will succeed only rarely, in unusual cases. After reviewing this matter closely ... we are convinced that these mid-decade, partisan redistricting plans constitute just such an unusual case. It is left to the people of the state to decide whether they wish to select their representatives or have their representatives select them. I've written before about two N.C. redistricting cases -and- both from the U.S. District Court for North Carolina's Middle District. In the course of that discussion, I drew attention to Judge Max Cogburn's concurrence in Harris, in which he condemned political gerrymandering:He also acknowledged that the courts are not in a position to stop it:Cogburn suggested that:Few would dispute Judge Cogburn's first point, but - as a couple of more recent North Carolina redistricting cases show - when it comes to his second point, things are a bit more complicated.In, the plaintiffs challenged two identical redistricting maps: one enacted by the N.C. General Assembly in 2013 for the Wake County school board, and another enacted in 2015 for the Wake County Board of Commissioners.When the cases were heard in the U.S. District Court for North Carolina's Eastern District last December, the plaintiffs offered copious evidence, including hundreds of reports and other exhibits and the testimony of expert witnesses, all of which seemed to show pretty clearly that the maps were designed to give Republicans an electoral advantage. In spite of that evidence. the District Court ruled against the plaintiffs, which is what one would expect if "courts will not interfere" with political gerrymandering.However, when the cases reached the 4th Circuit on appeal, two members of the three-judge panel voted to reverse the District Court and found that the new maps for Wake County were, in fact, unconstitutional.Does that mean Judge Cogburn was wrong about the courts and partisan gerrymandering? Certainly not.If redistricting to protect the party in power were unconstitutional, hardly any district maps would pass constitutional muster. Moreover, in 2004 when the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a complaint alleging political gerrymandering in, four of the five-member majority agreed that, "Political districting presents a nonjusticiable question."However, while redistricting to advance the interests of the party in power is lawful, redistricting that discriminates on the basis of race or violates the "one person, one vote" principle is not. Parties often claim racial discrimination or "vote dilution" when what they're really concerned about is partisan advantage.For example, in the redistricting cases I discussed in March the ostensible issue was whether the new plans violated the anti-discrimination provisions of the Voting Rights Act. However, as I said at the time, what the cases really showed was that:In the Wake County redistricting cases, the ostensible issue is whether the new maps violate the "one person, one vote" principle that the U.S. Supreme Court held (in) is inherent in the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection clause. The plaintiffs, all of whom are Democrats, claim they do, whereas the Republican-dominated state legislature that drew the maps claims they do not.In reality, however, neither side actually cares about vote dilution; instead, each side is seeking partisan advantage. This partisan advantage-seeking is possible because the Supreme Court's jurisprudence regarding the one person, one vote principle has devolved into an unworkable mess.I've discussed one aspect of that mess before ; the Wake County redistricting cases give me an opportunity to discuss another.In 1974, in Gaffney v. Cummings , the court suggested that maps with population variances of less than 10 percent should be presumed to be constitutional. Since the population between districts never varies by more than 7 percent, the new Wake County maps clearly fall within that "safe harbor."However, in 2004 the court cast doubt on the 10 percent rule. In Cox v. Larios it reviewed a lower court's decision to strike down reapportionment plans enacted by the Georgia state legislature despite the fact that the population variation among the new districts fell within the 10 percent margin. The Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision, citing, by way of explanation, evidence of:Writing for the majority in the Wake County redistricting cases, Judge James Wynn acknowledged that Larios leaves the 10 percent safe-harbor rule in a muddle:And he also acknowledged Justice Stephen Breyer's statement, in the Supreme Court's most recent one person, one vote decision , that:Nevertheless, Wynn said:Whether the new plans actually do "cross the line from legitimate to unlawful" remains to be seen. Judge Diana Gribbon Motz filed a forceful and well-reasoned dissent, and the state of North Carolina has indicated that it will appeal. Given the muddled state of federal election law, it will probably come down to a judgment call in the end, and it seems inevitable that party politics will play a role in the ultimate disposition.Moreover, like the previous North Carolina redistricting cases, the dispute will end up costing a lot of money that could have been put to better use.Such wasteful legal battles are inevitable as long as we go on leaving the redistricting process to politicians. However, we don't have to do that. As Judge Cogburn reminded us:The people of other states have decided to take the latter course by assigning the task of redistricting to independent commissions. The people of North Carolina should follow their example. Five Indian-origin South Africans feature in a list of the top 100 youth figures who are expected to shape the future of Africa. The project to identify the top 100 influencers, innovators, trailblazers, healers and disruptors aims to highlight how the future of the African continent lies with its youth. The leaders were selected by public nomination in a project coordinated by Independent Media, one of South Africa's top media groups. "Africa has always been portrayed as a vulnerable continent, desperate for and dependent on Western financial aid. However, I've always held a strong belief in the progress of Africa, and the youth are a critical component of its development," said executive chairman Iqbal Surve. A childhood fascination with rock pools led to scientist Nasreen Peer winning numerous awards for her research in this area, which included discovering a new species of crab in the World Heritage Site at the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park on the north coast of South Africa. Horticulturist Zayaan Khan is local coordinator of the Slow Food Youth Network, a global organisation advocating quality food production and biodiversity protection. She is also an expert on entomophagy (eating insects as food), which Khan says is partly about reviving South African indigenous food culture that was lost through colonisation of the country by the West. Gabriel Hoosain Khan is a rights activist who was initially kicked out of his home in the Indian township of Actonville, near Johannesburg, when his family discovered that he was gay. He now works with marginalised communities across South Africa and has also written a book showing young people how to actively advocate for their rights. Kalnisha Singh, who started the first woman-owned construction company in her home province of KwaZulu-Natal, now works with community organisations "in order to influence the fabric of South African economics". Faraaz Mahomed, a senior researcher at the South African Human Rights Commission, undertakes projects to hold government accountable and ensure that human rights are adequately considered in legislation and policy. As many as 60,000 revenue officials of central and state governments will be trained on laws and IT infrastructure framework to prepare them for rollout of the new indirect tax regime by April 2017. According to the detailed Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout road map prepared by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, the IT infrastructure framework will be ready by March 2017 and a massive outreach and industry sensitisation programme will also be carried out. After the training on laws gets complete by December 2016, GSTN will train them on the related IT infrastructure by March 2017. Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is a non-government company set up by the Centre and states to provide shared IT framework and services to central and state governments, tax payers and other stakeholders. The revenue department has already started stakeholder consultation with the industry in Hyderabad and Jaipur. The IT network of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), banks, RBI, state accounting authorities and states will be ready by December-end 2016, according to the road map and the testing and integration of the IT backbone of all stakeholders is slated for January-March 2017. To make life easier in the new regime, the Revenue Department has said no fresh registration will be needed for the existing dealers. Existing VAT/service tax/central excise dealer data are to migrate to the architecture. As for new dealers, a single application will be filed online and registration will be granted within three days. On GST returns, only one filing will be required for both the Centre and state governments. Average tax payers will be using only four forms for filing returns supplies, return for purchases, monthly and annual returns. While supplies return will be filed on the 10th of every month incorporating the list of suppliers, the same data will be incorporated in the purchase return which will have to be filed on 15th of every month. These data will be then get populated in the monthly and annual returns and the assessee will just have to sign and send it to the tax department, Adhia said. Small taxpayers who have opted for a composition scheme will have to file return on a quarterly basis. Besides preparing the IT infrastructure, training tax officials and conducting the outreach programme, both the Centre and states will have to establish a legal framework. The long-pending GST Constitution Amendment Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha last night. The Bill will be sent back to the Lok Sabha for approval. Once the Bill is approved by Parliament and 50% of state legislatures, the GST Council would have to work out the model GST Bills which will provide operational details of the new tax regime. Adhia said that after the GST Constitution Amendment Bill gets presidential assent, the Cabinet would approve creation of the GST Council. The Council would then finalise the model GST law. The Union Cabinet would clear the Central GST and Integrated GST Bills and the respective states would clear the State GST Bills. After this, Parliament would approve the CGST and IGST laws while the SGST law would be cleared in state assemblies. This would pave the way for notification of the GST rules. GST, which is expected to be implemented from April 1, 2017, will subsume excise, service tax and other local levies including VAT, octroi. Rescuers scouring Savitri river after it swept away parts of a Maharashtra bridge, engulfing two buses with 22 people, fought against heavy currents to recover nine bodies so far even as Bihar witnessed three fresh flood-related deaths today. The bridge on Mumbai-Goa Highway had collapsed near Mahad, about 170 km from Mumbai, on Tuesday. Nine bodies have so far been fished out as massive multi- agency operations continue to find the missing vehicles and rest of the passengers. Earlier this morning, a 300-kg magnet was lowered in the waters with the help of a crane to trace the missing buses. Something has got stuck to the magnet and efforts are on to pull it out of the river, a local official said. An NDRF jawan, who came out of the river after three hours of intense search, said, "The fast flow of flood water is posing a tough challenge for us but that is not going to be a deterrent in our mission." Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a judicial probe into the incident. In other Maharashtra districts, while rains spared Nashik after incessant downpour over the past few days, moderate to heavy rainfall disrupted normal life in Kolhapur, filling small dams almost to capacity. In the national capital and some northern states including Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, there was no rainfall and maximum temperatures rose by few notches. In New Delhi though there was no rainfall, it was a humid day with the mercury settling at 36.7 degrees Celsius, three notches above the normal. The flood situation continued to be grim in Bihar where the death toll mounted to 64 with over 33 lakh people in 13 districts still affected. Purnia has witnessed 26 fatalities, followed by 15 in Katihar and eight in Supaul. Meanwhile, the flood situation in Assam improved considerably, though nearly three lakh people are still reeling under its impact in 10 districts. Close to eight lakh people were affected across 638 villages till yesterday. In Odisha, incessant rains triggered by a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal disrupted normal life, leaving low-lying areas in cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Sambalpur, Jagatsinghpur and Koraput inundated. Flood-like situation was witnessed in Sambalpur city in the western part of the state which recorded highest rainfall of 240 mm. Rain water gushed into houses. Rajasthan has recorded excess rains with 20 of its 33 districts receiving more than normal rainfalls so far this monsoon. Average rainfall in the state from June 1 to August 3 is 267.05 mm but this year during the corresponding period the state has recorded 360.45 mm rain, nearly 35 per cent higher thanthe average. Districts of West Bengal received little or no rainfall, but day temperatures remained low owing to cloudy conditions. Diamond Harbour and Digha in the coastal area near Bay of Bengal received the highest rainfall in the state at 17.8 mm and 17.2 mm. Villagers in Jamalpur here will face legal action if caught defecating in the open. The district administration has appealed the villagers to use the newly constructed toiletsand not to defecate in open and warned that legal action would be taken against those relieve in open, Additional District Magistrate Sunil Kumar said. The step came after some people of the village complained to the authorities that some locals are not using the toilets and relieve in open, he said. A group that monitors extremists' online activity says al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has said it killed a Malian officer outside his Timbuktu home. SITE Intelligence Group says the jihadists said yesterday on their Twitter account the officer killed July 31 had a relationship with French and Mauritanian intelligence and was behind the deaths of two fighters in Timbuktu. It threatened similar "traitors." SITE Intelligence Group also said extremist group Ansar Dine released a video of five Malian soldiers taken prisoner after a July 19 attack on military barracks in Nampala that killed 17 others. The group's foundation posted the video on its Telegram channel. The Macina Liberation Front, which has ties to Ansar Dine, claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities arrested one its leaders for the attack last week. City Mayor Abilasha Gupta lodged a police complaint today regarding a "threat" she had received on social media platform Facebook wherein a person had claimed that he would "kill" her as well as her husband Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, a former Uttar Pradesh minister. "I have met the Senior Superintendent of Police of Allahabad and submitted a written complaint, along with a screenshot of the Facebook post wherein one person had said that he would kill both me as well as my husband," Gupta told reporters. "I have no idea who this person is and what could be the provocation behind posting such a comment online," she said. Police sources said that the matter was being investigated and it was being verified whether the profile belonged to a "real person". Nandi had survived a bomb attack outside his house in 2010, though a journalist was killed in the explosion. His wife won the Mayoral election in 2012 as an Independent candidate supported by BSP, which had decided not to field any nominee in the local body polls. However, the couple soon fell out with the party which expelled them in March, 2014. Nandi, thereafter, joined the Congress and contested as the party's candidate from Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency, but finished fourth. BJP national president Amit Shah today arrived in the city and initiated talks with party leaders at his residence as a part of an exercise to finalise the name of the successor of Anandiben Patel, who resigned as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. State BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma and party treasurer Surendra Patel met Shah this morning upon his arrival here. The other top state leaders and ministers are expected to meet him in the evening. Anandiben had yesterday submitted her resignation to the Governor, after the party's parliamentary board in Delhi accepted her offer to resign, paving way for selection of a new Chief Minister for the BJP-ruled Gujarat, to lead the party in the 2017 state Assembly polls. Ahead of her resignation, Sharma engaged in hectic consultation with top BJP leaders and ministers in Gandhinagar over selection of the next CM. Sharma told media persons that BJP legislature party meeting in the presence of state observers will decide the name of the next Chief Minister by Friday. Though suspense still prevails about the next CM, the names doing rounds as potential successor to Patel include the 'number two' in the Cabinet and Health Minister Nitin Patel, Union Minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader. State BJP chief Vijay Rupani's name was earlier in the contention but he indicated yesterday that he is not in the race as he is happy with his current task. Nitin Patel has now emerged as a strong contender for the post. Shah lauded the functioning of BJP-led states which he said are trying to excel in various fields. "While few states are trying to excel on water problem, other are trying to excel in power generation or cereal production etc...However Uttar Pradesh government is establishing record in crimes," he alleged. Presenting data on murders and rapes in UP he said while 13 murders on an average are taking place in a single day, 33 rape incidents are taking place on an average daily. He cited example of few girls of UP who had met him in Delhi when he was general secretary of the party and told him that they were studying in Delhi since they were unsafe in UP. "Anti-Romeo squads would be formed to protect the girls if BJP is voted to power," he declared. He also alleged that goons of SP had taken possession of government as well as private land. "Nobody is listening to complaints of unauthorised possession of land by goons of SP," he alleged. Shah criticised UP government for rampant corruption in recruitment of class III and class IV jobs saying jobs are given on the basis of caste and religion. "There would be no interview system for class III and class IV jobs, when BJP government would come to power these jobs would be filled on merit basis without interviews," he declared amid thunderous clapping. He expressed concern about improving the lot of farmers. "The loan of farmers would not only be waived off but farmers would take interest free loans in future if BJP comes to power," he stated adding that the paddy of the farmer would also be purchased on "Samarthan Mulya" (support price). Free education for girls upto graduation, free laptop with 1 GB internet to students, opening of 25 medical and 80 engineering colleges in the state, improving the plight of river Yamuna, curbing lawlessness among others were the other announcements Shah made on the occasion. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in acknowledged today "shortcomings" in two out of eight cases it has investigated of UN-condemned air strikes on civilian targets in the country. A 14-member investigative team made up of coalition states Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as probed claims of attacks on a residential area, hospitals, markets, a wedding and World Food Programme aid trucks. "We found shortcomings in two cases while the rest were in line with humanitarian law," the team's Bahraini spokesman, Mansur al-Mansur, told a briefing in Riyadh. They found that the coalition, which launched an air war on Shiite Huthi rebels in in March 2015, guilty of "mistakenly" hitting a residential compound in the Red Sea port city of Mokha after it had received "imprecise intelligence information". Human Rights Watch condemned as an "apparent war crime" the raid which it said killed at least 65 civilians in July last year. The investigative team is calling on families of victims to apply for compensation by contacting Yemen's Saudi-backed government, Mansur said. The team also held the coalition responsible for air strikes on Haydan hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the northern rebel stronghold of Saada. The rebels were using the hospital as a hideout, which is "a breach of humanitarian law", said Mansur. However, the coalition should have warned MSF officials before targeting the building, he said. No deaths had been reported in these strikes. The team cleared the coalition of wrongdoing in the remaining six cases, including raids last year on a delivery by WFP trucks that had not coordinated with the coalition. The trucks were also not marked to show that they belonged to an aid organisation, according to Mansur. The 16-month-old war in Yemen has killed some 6,400 people and exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, the United Nations says. Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to a decision in June to blacklist the coalition after a UN report found the coalition responsible for 60 percent of the 785 deaths of children in Yemen last year. UN chief Ban Ki-moon accused Saudi Arabia of threatening to cut off funding to UN aid programmes over the blacklist, a charge denied by Riyadh. Advertising watchdog ASCI has pulled up Patanjali Ayurved, HUL, PepsiCo, Britannia, Pizza Hut, Amazon, LG Electronics, Voltas, Axis Bank, AirAsia and Flipkart, among others, for running misleading ad campaigns. The Customer Complaints Council of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) received 155 complaints in May, out of which it upheld 109 cases, it said in a statement. It upheld 10 complaints against yoga guru Baba Ramdev- promoted Patanjali Ayurved for products such as Jeera Biscuit, Kacchi Ghani mustard oil, Kesh Kanti and Dant Kanti, among others. The advertising regulator had earlier upheld six cases against Patanjali in April and March 2016. Patanjali Ayurved failed to substantiate its claim before the regulator regarding ads for products such as Divya Swasari Pravahi, Dant Kanti, Kesh Kanti and CCC upheld them "as misleading by exaggeration". Queries sent to HUL and Pepsi did not elicit any response. However, Patanjali questioned the manner in which the decisions were passed and alleged that some rival MNCs are behind the move. "They cannot pass any judgment against the non-members. There are several judgments against them (ASCI). Its order is not binding on any non-member," a company spokesperson said, adding that it is exploring legal options in this matter. "Moreover, they do not have any expert on ayurveda and life sciences and are deciding the matter. They do not have any fact finding procedure or a laboratory and decide the case in a meeting only," he added. ASCI also pulled up beverage major PepsiCo India for its campaign 'Har Bottle par Paytm Cash pakka' as it was "misleading and luring the consumers to buy Pepsi bottles, with a minimum hope of getting some cash back through Paytm." "The advertisement itself does not clarify the main condition for the offer of it being mobile number specific. Also, the disclaimers in the advertisement were not in the same language as that of the voice over," it said. Britannia Industries' claim of "100 per cent whole wheat bread" was found "misleading by ambiguity as the whole wheat content in the product (Whole Wheat Bread) is in the range of 50 per cent to 65 per cent and other solid content in the product is coming from other sources." Yum! Restaurants, which runs the Pizza Hut chain, was pulled up for its advertisement on 'Any Pizza Any Size @ 199 each when you buy 2 Pizzas' as "misleading by omission". Tata Group firm Voltas' ad campaign claiming to run 'two air-conditioners at the cost of one' was found "misleading by omission of disclaimers giving reference to the comparison being made between a Voltas All Star Inverter AC and a conventional start-stop AC". Similarly, LG Electronics' claims on 'The AC That Saves Every Day, LG - No.1 Air Conditioner' and 'Mosquito Away' were "not substantiated and are misleading", ASCI said. Axis Bank's campaign on 'Complete business banking solutions' was found misleading as there are certain restrictions on the features offered by the bank. It also found private carrier AirAsia's claim of 'Air Fare from Chennai to Australia available for Rs 4,999' as "false and misleading". FMCG major Hindustan Unilever also failed to substantiate its claim made in a Sunsilk Shampoo ad ("3 months mein lambe baal"), which was held to be misleading. Similarly, Kolkata-based FMCG firm Emami failed to substantiate its claims on Navratna Tel -- "Sirf Do Minute Navratna Tel Ki Thandi Maalish, Dinbhar Ke Sardard, Tension, Thakaan Ko Jhat Se Bhagaye" and "2 minute main tension bhagaye, thakaan mithaye, sardard bhagaye, Anindra se chutkara dilaye", which were "misleading by ambiguity", ASCI said. (REOPENS DCM 111) PepsiCo India said it had modified the ad campaign in question. "The terms and conditions of the promo were completely fair and clear; however ASCI had recommended if we could make the offer clearer in the TV commercial. "We acceded to their request and after the suitable modifications, put the revised TV commercial back on air," a PepsiCo India spokesperson said. The Centre has exempted Assam from the purview of compulsory 'Aadhaar' number required for availing UGC scholarships for higher education in the wake of requests made to Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar. A decision to this effect was communicated to Sonowal who requested Javadekar when he called on him in New Delhi, accompanied by Education Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma in this evening, a government release said here. The Chief Minister drew the attention of the Union Minister about the problems faced by the students of Assam in getting UGC scholarship because of the Aadhaar norms. They also informed the HRD Minister that the process of distribution of Aadhaar number in Assam has not been made compulsory and it will start only after the completion of NRC updation exercise underway at the moment. Javadekar conveyed his decision that henceforth the students of Assam seeking UGC scholarship will be exempted from the Aadhaar number and no students will be denied scholarship on the pretext of this, the release said. Sonowal also sought the HRD Minister's intervention in relaxing the compulsory requirement of Degree or Diploma in Education for teachers' appointment in Assam for a period of five years, to which Javadekar assured to look into the matter for an acceptable solution. On setting up of the proposed Tezpur University Campus at Jonai in the state, the Chief Minister requested Javadekar to expedite the process for the benefit of the students' community of the area. The HRD Minister also assured to address the matter with utmost sincerity, it added. North Carolina is urbanizing - that much is certain. You can chart it in the economic data about population, income, and job creation. You can see it in the cranes that rise into the skylines of our largest cities. You can hear it as you travel the state and talk to people. Fewer have the distinctive accents of small-town and rural North Carolina.But to say our state is "urbanizing" is not to say that it is "urban," or anything remotely approaching it. Most of us still live in suburbs, small communities, and rural areas. If North Carolina candidates fail to understand that as they plan their campaigns, they will likely fail by Election Day.Our two most-populous counties, Mecklenburg and Wake, accounted for about one-fifth of all the ballots cast in the 2012 election. If we are generous with the definition of "urban" to include counties with population densities of at least 750 per square mile, that would add four more to the list: New Hanover, Durham, Forsyth, and Guilford. All six counties collectively cast 36 percent of the votes in 2012.You can raise that percentage up slightly above 50 percent by adding in counties with at least 250 people per square mile. But few people outside of North Carolina would consider counties such as Alamance, Davidson, Gaston, and Catawba to be "urban" in any meaningful sense. Their political debates and voting behavior certainly don't comport with what most people think of when they see terms like "urban issues" or "urban values."North Carolina politicians running for statewide office would be wise to plan accordingly. If Roy Cooper wants to defeat incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory, he won't be able to do it simply by turning out reliably Democratic voters in major cities. There aren't enough of them. If U.S. Senator Richard Burr wants to win his reelection bid against former state Rep. Deborah Ross, he'll need to energize the Republican base in rural areas, small towns, and upscale urban enclaves while appealing to swing voters found disproportionately in the state's burgeoning suburbs and exurbs.You've probably heard a lot from McCrory, Cooper, Burr, and Ross so far this election cycle. But there are other races on the statewide ballot that deserve your attention.For example, incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, a Republican, faces a rematch with his Democratic opponent from 2012, former legislator Linda Coleman. Furthermore, two key offices have no incumbents. For attorney general, Republican Buck Newton faces Democrat Josh Stein. They previously served together in the state senate. For state treasurer, former state legislator and Division of Employment Security head Dale Folwell, a CPA, faces former Wake County Democratic Party chairman Dan Blue III, an attorney.To help voters learn more about these important electoral contests, the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership (IOPL) is partnering with local chambers of commerce, newspapers, and broadcasters to host candidate forums during the month of September. The "Hometown Debates" series will be held in three cities. On September 13, the lieutenant governor candidates will debate in Wilson. On September 20, the attorney general candidates will debate in Asheboro. And on September 27, the state treasurer candidates will debate in Statesville.All three debates will be broadcast on television by UNC-TV's North Carolina Channel and on the radio by the North Carolina News Network. They will also feature questions from local newspaper editors. Thanks to the series sponsors - the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the State Employees Association of North Carolina, the John William Pope Foundation, and North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives - these events will give state residents a great opportunity to cast informed votes for lieutenant governor, attorney general, and state treasurer this year.As you can see, IOPL and its partners in the Hometown Debates recognize that North Carolina politics is not simply about what happens in a few large cities. Most of the electorate lives elsewhere. To win their votes, candidates need to understand where they are coming from - both literally and figuratively. Austria's Chancellor Christian Kern has called on the European Union to end membership talks with Turkey in the wake of a massive government crackdown following a failed coup. Turkey's longstanding, and recently revived, bid to join the EU has already been hit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's suggestion that he may reintroduce the death penalty in the wake of the attempted putsch on July 15 a move which would instantly disqualify it from joining the bloc. "We have to face reality: the membership negotiations are currently no more than fiction," Kern told Austrian media yesterday. "We know that Turkey's democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession." Kern told public broadcaster ORF that he wants to initiate a debate at a European Council summit on September 16. The chancellor said Turkey's economy also remained far below the EU average and well short of membership requirements. Making Ankara a part of the EU's single market would spark "massive economic upheaval" in a bloc already struggling to cope with its enlargement toward eastern and central Europe, he warned. Instead, the EU should seek "new alternatives" to help bring Turkey's economy closer to European standards. "(The country) remains an important partner in security and integration matters," Kern said, highlighting Turkey's key role in the ongoing migrant crisis. In March, Turkey and the EU signed a controversial deal in which Ankara agreed to take back Syrian migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for political and financial incentives. In addition to visa-free travel, the pact includes billions of euros in aid and accelerated EU membership talks. Kern said he did not believe that a halt to accession talks would torpedo the refugee pact. "Economically, we have the upper hand. Turkey depends on us," he added. Earlier this week, Kern said he would not bow to "intimidation" from Turkey after receiving online death threats from "radical" elements of Austria's sizeable Turkish community. Recovery of bad loans is on the top of the government's agenda before going ahead with the consolidation of public sector lenders, Banks Board Bureau chairman Vinod Rai said today. "Recovery is absolutely on top of the agenda so that the lending process can start again. Just now banks are engaged in resolution of their stressed assets. So what we are proposing to do is to resolve that (bad loans issues) quickly first because we do not want to saddle banks with greater issues," Rai told reporters on the sidelines of 22nd Lalit Doshi memorial lecture. The gross non performing assets of scheduled commercial banks rose to 7.6 per cent in March 2016 from 5.1 per cent in September 2015. The consolidation of banks is not a small issue and it requires a huge amount of human resources, Rai said. Government has said that it would push for consolidation of public sector banks once they are recapitalised and strengthened. It has given in-principle approval to merger of five SBI associate banks and Bhartiya Mahila Bank with State Bank of India. 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. State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad are unlisted. The Bureau has been set up by the government to advise it on top-level appointments at PSBs and ways to address bad loans problem, among other issues. Talking about reports on a proposal given by BBB to the finance ministry for allowing public sector entities to buy in assets of stressed companies, Rai said lots of discussions have taken place. "The entire idea is how to resolve the stressed asset issue. So lots of discussions are taking place, some of these things will fall into place very soon. Government will take up some of these ideas," he added. About selection of managing director and CEO for two state-run banks -- Indian Overseas Bank and United Bank of India -- which are lying vacant, he said the work is in progress. The topic of Rai's lecture was 'Effects of Audit - Good or Policy Paralysis'. The former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said accountability is not the sole responsibility of the government, but of the corporate sector as well. It also extends to civil society, non-governmental organisations and citizens' groups, he said. "Accountability is important as it ensures that public bodies are performing to their full potential, providing value for money in the provision of public services and instills confidence of the community in its government," he said. He said auditing of government and public entities has a positive impact on trust in society. It focuses the minds of the custodians of the public purse to use the resources effectively, as they know that after audit scrutiny, the public will be aware of their actions. Rai said the India story attracts worldwide attention as it involves one sixth of the global population. "The struggle for dignity and prosperity of this population, through social and economic transformation, is being closely watched by rest of the world," he said. Economic prosperity for Indians is not an option, but a necessity, he said. The monsoon session of Bihar Legislative Assembly came to an end today on a stormy note with Opposition MLAs creating ruckus over the police lathicharge on Dalit students here yesterday. Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary adjourned the House sine die bringing the curtains down on the five-day Monsoon Session. On the last day today, Opposition members trooped in to the Well demanding action against police officers for lathicharge on Dalit students during a protest yesterday. Chaudhary asked Opposition to allow him to take up private resolutions of the members but adjourned the House sine die as his pleas went unheard. During the brief Monsoon session, the Assembly passed 13 legislations. They include the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Bill, 2016, prescribing stringent punishment for all adult family members if liquor was found from a household. The House also passed the first supplementary demand of the state government for grant of Rs 16,859.98 crore to meet pressing expenditure under plan and non-plan heads, besides to meet the state's contribution for implementation of Centrally- Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in Bihar. The Assembly took up 584 questions, out of which 59 were answered and the reply of 94 others were laid in the House. (REOPENS CES10) The Bihar Legislative Council was also adjourned sine die today with the passage of the first supplementary demand for grant, the Bihar Appropriation (No.3) Bill and 12 other Bills. During the brief session, the Council passed 13 legislations including the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Bill, 2016 and the first supplementary demand of the state government for a grant of Rs 16,859.98 crore. This was 183rd session of the Legislative Council. Under attack from the opposition for violence during dalit students' march here yesterday which left 13 persons injured, the Bihar government today blamed anti-social elements for the incident. "The students (dalits) were misled and a crowd was gathered to start violence. Some anti-social elements too infiltrated the student group and created ruckus aimed at bringing disrepute to the state government," SC/ST Welfare Minister Santosh Kumar Nirala said in a statement in the two houses of state legislature. Nirala, however, did not specify as to who had misled the dalit students in staging protest march. He read out the statement first in the Assembly in the post-lunch session before rushing to the upper house to make the same speech there. The opposition members created ruckus during the SC/ST Welfare Minister's reply in both houses and trooped into the well raising slogans against the state government for perpetrating atrocities on the dalits. Opposition MLAs also demanded judicial probe into the violence during the protest march against reduction in scholarship amount for SC and ST students. Seven policemen and six students were injured in brick-batting and police lathicharge during the march. Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who hails from Mahadalit community, lamented police lathicharge on dalit students and stood in the well of the Assembly with other opposition members for nearly 20 minutes and also raised slogans against the state government. Nirala said that the state government was committed to the welfare of all sections of the society, particularly the deprived and weaker sections. Without naming BJP, the SC/ST Welfare Minister charged the BJP leaders with conspiring to remove the quota system, and said they will not succeed in this endeavour. Interesting, only one paragraph of the minister's four-page reply focused on the violence during the protest march and police lathicharge on them, and most of it was used to praise the state government's measures taken for welfare of the dalits. Pandemonium prevailed in the Bihar Assembly today with the Opposition vociferously protesting over police assault on agitating Dalit students and a legislator fainting inside the House after being physically pulled down from a table he stood on during the protest. As the House sat for the day, Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi rose from their seats and demanded the Speaker take up the issue of police beating up Dalit students in the city yesterday while they were agitating over lowering of the post-matriculation scholarship amount for SC/ST students. When Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary refused to do so, BJP and its allies trooped into Well of the House and raised anti-government slogans. Prem Kumar, Manjhi and senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav also sat on the floor of the Well in protest. CPI-ML MLA Mehboob Alam, who had joined the Opposition protest climbed on a table holding a placard when Chaudhary ordered the marshals to take him down. As the marshals bodily lifted him down, the MLA slipped on the floor and fainted. As the marshals were busy attending to Alam, some BJP MLAs including Vijay Sinha and Sanjeev Chaurasia climbed on the same table. They were also brought down by the marshals. The CPI-ML MLA was latter brought out of the House by BJP MLAs and taken to Patna Medical College and Hospital in an ambulance. The Speaker tried to conduct the Question Hour but had to adjourn the House till recess as all efforts to persuade the protesting legislators failed to bring order. The protesting NDA MLAs sat at the entrance of the Assembly and raised slogans against the government. At least seven policemen and six students were injured here in brick-batting and police lathicharge on Dalit students protesting against the lowering of scholarship for SC and ST students here yesterday. BJP had attacked the government over the issue. The controversial third rank holder in science stream of the Intermediate Examination from Bishun Rai College in Bihar, has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Patna police, which is probing the toppers scam in the state. City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushwaha, who is a member of the SIT, said Rahul Kumar was arrested yesterday from his uncle (Phupha) Durgesh Singh's house at Azampur village in connection with the toppers scam and sent to jail custody by a local court. During interrogation it was revealed that a deal of Rs 5 lakh was struck to make him a rank-holder, Kushwaha said. He was one of the four rank-holders of the college, who had been named in the FIR in the toppers scam. The other three rank holders are - Shalini Rai, Saurav Sresth and Ruby Rai. Shalini Rai and Saurav Sresth have still not been arrested. Ruby Rai, the controversial topper in the arts stream of the intermediate exam, was arrested by SIT on June 25 while she was coming out after a retest by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). The retest which was conducted to check her academic abilities after her comments during a TV interview, after she was declared the topper in Humanities stream this year, had led to the lid being taken off from the toppers scam in the state. She had pronounced Political Science which was one of her subjects as "Prodikal science" which according to her taught cooking. She was granted bail by a local court here on Monday. Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, his wife and ex-MLA Usha Sinha, Vishun Roy college secretary-cum principal Bachha Rai and over three dozen other persons have been arrested in the toppers scam. BJP's Puducherry unit today welcomed the Delhi High Court ruling in favour of the Lt Governor of Delhi in a case relating to the tussle between AAP government and Centre over the administration of the national capital. President of Puducherry BJP, V Saminathan told PTI that the verdict is "equally and automatically applicable to Union Territory of Puducherry also," as there has been a "tussle" between the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and Lt Governor Kiran Bedi. He said it was a matter of concern that Narayanasamy had gone on record stating that all files should be routed through the Ministers to Bedi,he said. The verdict given by Delhi High court was most welcome and would pave the way for its automatic application for Puducherry also, he added. There are clear constitutional provisions for the role of Lt Governor in the Union Territory, Saminathan said. He felt that the Chief Minister should join hands with the Lt Governor for smooth and tussle free administration. The name of the next Chief Minister of Gujarat to succeed Anandiben Patel would be announced tomorrow even as BJP president Amit Shah today held intensive deliberations with party leaders to finalise the candidate. BJP's parliamentary board accepted Anandiben Patel's offer to resign yesterday at its meeting in Delhi, paving the way for appointment of a new Chief Minister to lead the party in 2017 Assembly polls. A meeting of party MLAs and office-bearers will be held tomorrow evening at the BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar where the next CM would be announced, said state BJP president Vijay Rupani, who is also the state transport minister. "Apart from Amit Shah, all the party MLAs, office bearers and our observers Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will remain present at the meeting," said Rupani, after holding a long discussion with Shah at latter's residence. Shah, who arrived in the morning, has been busy holding meetings with state BJP leaders and ministers at his house. Among others, he met state BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma, national joint general secretary (organisation) V Satish, party treasurer Surendra Patel, education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and former state BJP chief R C Faldu. Health Minister Nitin Patel, considered to be the front-runner for the job, was also present during Shah's meeting with Rupani. When asked by reporters whether he would accept the post of CM, Patel evaded a direct answer but said, "Whoever is chosen by the party, we all will work together." Dinesh Sharma, who arrived yesterday, engaged in hectic parleys with BJP leaders and ministers. It is believed that he apprised Shah of his observations today. The names that are doing the rounds for the post are 'number two' in the cabinet Nitin Patel, Union Minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader. Rupani's name also came up early on, but he indicated yesterday that he was not in the race as he was happy with his current job. After this, Nitin Patel has emerged as a strong contender. Director Dibakar Banerjee believes the mainstream Hindi film industry tries to suppress independent cinema and it is upto the audiences to recognise talented filmmakers and give them a fair chance. "Bollywood will always try to strangle something which threatens it. But fortunately for the last 10 years Bollywood hasn't been able to strangle the independent voices. I am standing in front of you as a result of that," Dibakar told PTI. Calling himself an "aberration", who managed to survive in the industry, the "Shanghai" helmer says he is hopeful that the work of filmmakers like Gurvinder Singh ('Chauthi Koot') and Kanu Behl ('Titli') will get its due. "I am definitely part of Bollywood but not a part of the formula. I am probably a very interesting aberration in the film industry. There should not be any reason why I should be here but here I am, still working. "If I can survive, then more talented and uncompromising filmmakers like Gurvinder (Singh) can survive. We need to recognise who we should reward and hold up as people who make us proud all over the world. The next wave has to start. People like Gurvinder and Kanu have to be given their due, otherwise the world will laugh at us." The director spoke on the sidelines of a special screening of Gurvinder's Punjabi film "Chauthi Koot", which is based on the short stories "The Fourth Direction and I Am Feeling Fine Now" by author Waryam Singh Sandhu. "Chauthi Koot" had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Impressed with the sensitive depiction of the Punjab of 1980s, the time of Sikh separatist movement, Dibakar said the film needs to reach a larger audience. "I didn't want to come out of the hall. Films like these are becoming a rarity. It's for those films Indian cinema was once known for. "It's an interesting situation that a film which created sensation internationally is now coming to India and I hope media, friends of cinema and people, who call themselves tastemakers of cinema, can rally behind this kind of film and tell the Indian audience that there is something which is of tremendous watchable quality." The movie won the Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film in December 2015. "Chauthi Koot", which also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi, will arrive in theatres this Friday. Bonded labour has to be eliminated from the Indian society in a time-bound manner through the coordinated efforts of all stakeholders, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said today. In his presidential address while inaugurating a two-day national workshop on 'Total Abolition of Bonded Labour System: The way forward' at V V Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) in Noida, Dattatreya said three groups -- judiciary, media and civil society -- play an important role in highlighting the issue. They put pressure on district administration, police and state labour departments for action against culprits and strive for the rehabilitation of bonded labourers with the help of NGOs. He said the liberated children, women and adults have to be provided with good education and skills for their social and economic empowerment. In the larger public interest, a revamp of the existing system on elimination of bonded labour is the utmost need of the hour, he added. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers, 1978, was last revised in May 2000 and a revision of the same was felt essential to address the present day challenges. Accordingly, a revamped scheme was prepared by the ministry and circulated to all state governments, NHRC and different ministries. Based on the suggestions and inputs received from all quarters, including social sector partners, the Centre approved the revamped scheme with effect from May 17, 2016. Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi delivered the keynote address at the inaugural function. The two-day workshop will focus on revision of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Rules, 1976. The revised Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Scheme, 2016 will also be deliberated on for its effective implementation. In light of continued developments, primarily since 2008, there exists in these United States a Legal System which operates on a proved Two Tiered approach to justice rendered, which primarily benefits Democratic Elites and Woke Ideological Virtue Signalers, representing their co-dependent wards, to the expressed exclusion of normal hardworking American citizens: What is your suggestion in remedying this widespread injustice and, if not corrected, its existential outcome for our Constitutional Republic? Complete overhaul of the Department of Justice and their enforcers - the FBI - to reflect a far more honest justice system to keep patriots remaining calm. Disband the FBI, and request that congress investigate all unethical and non patriotic practices to partially right the wrongs of a distrusted and politically weaponized "Department of Justice." Government bonds (G-Secs) staged a smart rebound following renewed demand from corporates and banks. While, the inter-bank call money rates remained steady as demand from borrowing banks match supplies. The 7.59 per cent government security maturing in 2026 rose to Rs 102.8425 from Rs 102.6650 yesterday, while its yield eased to 7.17 per cent from 7.20 per cent. The 7.59 per cent government security maturing in 2029 jumped to Rs 102.72 compared to Rs 102.51 previously, while its yield edged down to 7.26 per cent from 7.28 per cent. The 7.88 per cent government security maturing in 2030 went-up to Rs 105.3150 as against Rs 105.11, while its yield moved down to 7.26 per cent from 7.28 per cent. The 7.68 per cent government security maturing in 2023, the 7.61 per cent government security maturing in 2030 and 7.72 per cent government security maturing in 2025 were also quoted higher at Rs 102.89, Rs 103.3875 and Rs 103.0725 respectively. The overnight call money rates ended stable at its previous level of 6.50 per cent after trading in a range of 6.60 per cent and 6.30 per cent. Meanwhile, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), purchased securities worth Rs 48.65 billion in 12-bids at the overnight repo auction at a fixed rate of 6.50 per cent this evening. While, its sold securities worth Rs 66.60 billion from 27-bids at the overnight reverse repo auction at a fixed rate of 6.00 per cent as on Aug 3. Maharashtra Housing Minister Prakash Mehta today came in for flak for his alleged arrogant behaviour with a TV journalist, while on a visit to review rescue work at Mahad, the site of the bridge collapse tragedy. The incident happened when the reporter, working for a Marathi TV channel, was trying to seek information from the minister about the status of those missing in the tragedy. Not only did Mehta behave arrogantly but his supporters forcibly tried to stop the TV cameraman from filming the verbal exchange, the journalist said. The minister, in his clarification, said the video of the alleged incident being shown on TV channels was "doctored". The Central Board of Direct Taxes has signed bilateral advance pricing agreements with Indian arm of a Japanese trading company, a move that will help bring down transfer pricing disputes relating to intra-group transactions. "The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered into a bilateral advance pricing agreement (APA) on August 2, 2016, with Indian subsidiary of a Japanese trading company. This is the first bilateral advance pricing agreement with a Japanese company having a rollback provision in it," a finance ministry statement said today. Overall, it is fourth bilateral APA signed by CBDT. Signing of the pact is an important step towards ascertaining certainty in transfer pricing matters of MNC cases and dispute resolution, the statement noted. The APA scheme was introduced in the Income-Tax Act in 2012 and the rollback provision in 2014. The scheme intends to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance. Its progress strengthens the government's mission of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime, the statement said. CBDT expects more APAs to be concluded and signed in the near future. An APA, usually for multiple years, is signed between a taxpayer and the tax authority (CBDT in India) on an appropriate transfer pricing methodology for determining the price and ensuing taxes on intra-group overseas transactions. China today congratulated "Chairman" Prachanda for taking over as Nepal's new Prime Minister, saying Beijing is ready to further "generation-to-generation" bilateral ties, amid concerns the Maoist chief might distance from his predecessor's pro-China stance. "We have noted that Chairman Prachanda has been elected as the new prime minister of Nepal and we congratulate him on that," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. "As a close friend and neighbour, China stands ready to work with Nepal to follow through with the consensus reached between the two sides, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and move forward China-Nepal comprehensive partnership for cooperation featuring generation-to-generation friendship," she said in a statement. The election of Chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, replacing the pro-China K P Sharma Oli has raised anxieties in Beijing over the return of India's influence in the Himalayan country and the fate of a number of connectivity projects worked out by his regime to reduce Kathmandu's dependence on New Delhi. "Once Prachanda takes power, he is bound to rectify Oli's pro-China tendency when in government and take India's interests into account, as India is sour about losing its grip on Nepal," an article in the state-run Global Times published on July 29 had said. "The fixed agreements between China and the Oli government are unlikely to be changed, or it will deal a heavy blow to bilateral ties, which is too much for the new government to bear," it said. "Friendly China-Nepal ties benefit the people of both countries, but that relationship may be affected by the possible lifting or resumption of an oil embargo India has imposed on Nepal, following the resignation of Oli," Wang Dehua, director of the state-run Institute for Southern and Central Asian Studies told Global Times on July 26. "It is very likely that India was behind Oli's resignation because Oli had signed several deals during his State visit to China in March, which most likely irritated India," Wang Dehua, director of the Institute for Southern and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies said. Wang said a politically stable Nepal could eliminate the border security concerns for both India and China. And a positive, cooperative Sino-Nepalese relationship is in India's interests. During his visit here Oli signed the Transit Transport Agreement (TTA) to improve the connectivity between Nepal and Tibet in a bid to end decades-old dependency on India for daily supplies. Beijing in a strategic move has also agreed to extend the train link in Tibet to Nepal to improve the connectivity by road and rail. China sent large oil supplies to Kathmandu during the border blockade imposed by the agitating Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, opposing the new constitution. China has invited a record number of developing countries to the G20 summit to be held in eastern Chinese city Hangzhou in early next month, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said today. A record number of developing countries willattend the G20 summit in Hangzhou in early September, said Wang said at a press conference together with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith. China has invited five developing countries to the G20 summit: Chad, chair of the African Union; Laos, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); Senegal, chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD); Egypt; and Kazakhstan, sate-run Xinhua agency reported. Thailand, as the chair of the G77 this year, also expressed willingness to attend the summit, Wang said. "The developing world is best represented in the upcoming summit in Hangzhou, making it the most inclusive," Wang said, adding China is confident in hosting a successful G20 summit. The foreign minister said there will be nearly 30 deliverable outcomes at the Hangzhou summit, making it one of the most fruitful summits in G20 history. A prominent Chinese lawyer was today sentenced to seven years in prison for subverting state powers, the third such ruling this week after the nation-wide crackdown on human rights activists. Zhou, 52, was a former director ofFengrui Law Firm which had defended victims of sexual abuse, dissident scholars, among others. Announcing the sentence, the No 2 Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin said that Zhou would also be deprived of his political rights for five years. Zhou, who was arrested in July last year as part of a nationwide crackdown on legal rights activists, pleaded guilty and told the court he will not appeal. He is the third 709 detainee to go on trial in Tianjin this week. More than 40 people, including lawyers and journalists from home and overseas, observed today's trial. Zhou has long been influenced by anti-China forces and gradually established ideas to overturn the country's political system, state-run Xinhua agency was quoted as saying in the court statement. Since 2011, Zhou has verbally attacked the socialist system and the "one country, two systems" policy that applies to Hong Kong and Macao, and incited confrontation, the statement said. He used the law firm as a front for his subversive agenda, recruited like-minded lawyers and other staff and together they discredited judicial organs, attacked the judicial systems and promoted anti-government sentiment by interfering in and exaggerating sensitive cases. Along with members of an illegal religious organisation, paid protestors, lawyers and others, he plotted and established "strategies, methods and steps" to subvert state power and carried out a series of subversive activities, which endangered national security and social stability, it said. "I plead guilty," Zhou said in his final statement, "My actions have brought instability and risks to society", the Xinhua report said. Zhou's trial followed those of activists Zhai Yanmin and Hu Shigen, who were both found guilty of subverting state power by the same court. Zhai was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence - considered relatively lenient by the standards of Chinese dissident prosecutions - for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans. An 8-year-old girl was allegedly slapped by her teacher for not writing her roll number correctly at a school at Dumdum in the northern fringes of Kolkata, police said today. P Malakar, a teacher at St Stephens school, slapped the girl, a class IV student, yesterday for writing the roll number incorrectly during an exam, following which she started bleeding from one of her ears, a police officer of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate said. As the girl and other students present in the examination hall screamed, other teachers rushed to the classroom and took her to a doctor. The victim's family was also informed and she was taken home. The matter came to light when the girl's parents, joined by some other parents, demonstrated at the school today against the teacher who allegedly assaulted the minor. An FIR was registered by the girl's parents at Dumdum police station today after the demonstration. The school authorities refused to comment on the incident while saying they were inquiring into the alleged incident and would go by the directive of the police in the case and action will be taken if anyone was proved guilty. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton appears to be surging in popularity in key battleground states which is mainly attributable to some of the recent flip-flops from her Republican rival Donald Trump, polls showed today. But close aides of Trump exuded confidence that Clinton's surge would even out in the next few weeks. According to three different polls, Clinton has gained 11 point lead in Pennsylvania, a whopping 17-point lead in New Hampshire and a six-point lead in Michigan. However, Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign's chief manager argued that this was expected after the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week. "In two weeks, we think that's going to even out if we're out there on our message, which we will be. We don't plan on winning in August. We plan on winning in November," Manafort told CBS in an interview. According to RealClearPolitics.Com, which keeps track of all major national polls, Clinton's average lead over Trump has now increased to 5.9 per cent. And in almost all major polls after Democratic National Convention, Clinton has been leading Trump in double digits. Of all the major battleground states, Trump, as per RealClearPolics has a slim lead of 0.3 percentage points in Florida, Georgia (four points), and Missouri (6.3 points). Clinton has been leading in most of them: Pennsylvania (eight), Michigan (six), Ohio (0.8), Iowa (0.5), Wisconsin (5.6), North Carolina (0.5), Virginia (5.3), New Hampshire (seven), Colorado (eight), Nevada (2.5) and Arizona (0.5 percentage points), it said. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker today rejected Austria's call for the EU to end membership talks with Turkey, warning that it would be a grave error. Turkey's longstanding, and recently revived, bid to join the EU has already been hit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's suggestion that he may reintroduce the death penalty after the July 15 attempted putsch. But after Austria raised the prospect of slamming the brakes on membership talks, Juncker called for calm. "If one gives the impression to Turkey now that, no matter what, the EU is not ready to take in Turkey, then I would say that is a serious foreign policy mistake," Juncker told German public broadcaster ARD. "I don't think it would be helpful if we were to unilaterally end negotiations with Turkey," he said, adding that such decisions can only be made with unanimity from all member states. "I don't see this willingness among all member states at this point in time" to break off talks, he said. At the same time, Juncker acknowledged that Turkey has work to do in order to meet membership conditions set by the bloc. "Turkey cannot be a member of the European Union in its current state, and especially not if it decided, as some have warned, to reinstate the death penalty. That would lead to the immediate breaking off of negotiations," he warned. Erdogan's suggestion that he may reinstate capital punishment, as well as other human rights concerns over the broad crackdown following the failed coup, have frayed ties between Turkey and the EU. Ankara had signalled that it could ditch a controversial deal with the EU to halt migrant flows to Europe, if the bloc failed to meet its promises including granting visa-free travel to Turks as well as accelerating membership talks. Juncker himself had warned last week that the pact was at risk of breaking down. Austria ratcheted up tensions today when Chancellor Christian Kern called for the EU to discuss ending accession talks with Turkey. "We have to face reality: the membership negotiations are currently no more than fiction," he told the Die Presse newspaper. "We know that Turkey's democratic standards are far from sufficient to justify its accession." Asked by public broadcaster ORF whether he wanted to halt the talks, Kern said he would initiate a debate on the matter at a summit of leaders on September 16. Scientists have created a low-cost, flexible and light-weight textile material that may be used in light-emitting clothing, signs and architecture. "Our work shows that ultra-flexible light emission on large areas can be realised on very lightweight textile electrodes," said Thomas Lanz from Umea University in Sweden. "Traditionally, this was hard to come by, as these electrodes are typically quite rough. We have demonstrated that the light-emitting electrochemical cell's inherent fault tolerance is ideally suited for this type of transparent substrate," Lanz told 'Phys.Org'. Researchers see huge applications for this technology in the field of wearables, as the device is highly conformal. The advantages of this new transparent fabric are its high flexibility, light weight, and low cost. As of now, the most common transparent and flexible light-emitting device technology is the organic light-emitting diode (OLED), whose fabrication process involves expensive vacuum technology, researchers said. The light-emitting textile developed by researchers is made by spray-coating a light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) onto a transparent fabric-based electrode, which results in a simpler and less expensive fabrication process compared to that used to make OLEDs. The fabric electrode consists of a weave of silver-coated copper wires and polymer fibres that are embedded in a polymer matrix, all of which is coated with a conductive ink. Researchers found that the new textile emits highly uniform, bright yellow light for more than 180 hours, with the efficiency and luminescence increasing over time. The findings were published in the journal Flexible and Printed Electronics. Unhappy with the delay, the Bombay High Court on Thursday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation and Maharashtra-Special Investigation Team to complete their probes soon into the killing rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and communist leader and asked the central agency to arrest a suspect within ten days. The division bench asked the agencies to obtain within eight weeks the reports of forensic science laboratory of Scotland Yard on evidence in the murder cases of Dabholkar, Pansare and scholar M M Kalburgi as it felt that enough time had been lost in obtaining the opinion of a foreign lab. "If the investigations do not conclude fast, it might give an impression to the people at large that you do not want to arrest certain people," said Justice S C Dharmadhikari, who headed the bench. "These are very sensitive cases in which well known social workers and activists have been killed," he said, adding the agency should complete probe in a reasonable timeframe. During investigation, the CBI had noticed a pattern in the killings which indicated that the same group might have been involved as the weapons used in the crime were similar. Hence, the agency had sent bullets and empty cartridges it recovered for forensic analysis. The CBI, probing the Dabholkar killing, and the Maharashtra SIT , investigating the Pansare killing, on Thursday submitted fresh reports on the probe in a sealed cover which were perused by both the judges. The bench noted that the CBI report had talked about a suspect in Dabholkar murder case. In this regard, Justice Dharmadhikari asked the CBI to arrest the suspect within ten days. The court also asked the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Home Ministry to coordinate with other departments to ensure that all permissions are in place for the CBI to obtain expeditiously the forensic reports from Scotland Yard so that they can be presented before it. The bench was hearing a bunch of petitions filed by the families of Dabholkar and Pansare seeking monitoring of probes in both the cases by the high court. Dabholkar was killed in Pune on August 20, 2013, while Pansare was shot on February 16, 2015, in Kolhapur. He succumbed to his injuries four days later. Kalburgi was shot dead on August 30 last year at his residence in Dharwad district of Karnataka by two unidentified men. The CBI and the Criminal Investigation Department have been submitting periodical progress reports of their probe to the HC. Justice Dharmadhikari said that in Pansare killing case, the SIT had been repeatedly saying that the probe would end in near future. "There should be a time frame and investigations should end in a reasonable period," he said, adding the probed should be brought to their logical end. After the Assembly polls drubbing in May, Congress high command today decided to work out a mechanism for reorganisation of the party at various levels in Kerala. The framework of the mechanism would be decided by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The plan was to complete the process of reorganisation in three months time, Congress general secretary in-charge of Kerala Mukul Wasnick told reporters in New Delhi. The decision in this regard was taken during a high-level meeting of Congress leaders from Kerala with Gandhi in New Delhi today. "Gandhi will be finally deciding on the mechanism for the reorganisation and it will be decided very soon," Wasnick said. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V M Sudheeran, former chief minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala were summoned by the party high command for talks. "Reorganisation will be done at all levels in the party and will be completed in three months," he said. Replying to a question, Wasnick said the reorganisation will be done at various levels but KPCC president Sudheeran would be there. "We want the party to be vibrant at every level," he added. Since the UDF was ousted from power in the Assembly polls in May, there were demands from various quarters, including factions led by Chandy and Chennithala, in the party for a change in KPCC leadership and holding of organisational elections. Last month, Gandhi had met more than 80 second-level party leaders from Kerala and sought their opinion on party affairs in the state. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said today that the party would not allow withdrawal of the private member bill moved by KVP Ramachandra Rao on according special status to Andhra Pradesh. "A whip has been issued for tomorrow (asking Congress members to be present in the House). We will under no circumstance let the bill withdrawn. If it is passed in the Rajya Sabha, it will be our victory," he said. The former Union Minister was speaking at a round table conference on the issue of granting of special status to Andhra Pradesh. "The private member bill is being treated as a money bill," Ramesh added. Andhra Pradesh has been demanding a Special Category State (SCS) status from the Centre ever since it was decided to carve out Telangana, along with capital city Hyderabad. During a short duration discussion in Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that instead of allotting it a special constitutional entitlement, the government would "handhold" Andhra Pradesh until it became economically stable. Controversial Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh was today booked for allegedly sexually harassing five women personnel of the force, police said. Police teams have been dispatched to various places to nab Singh, who is on the run, they said. Earlier, the sexual harassment committee of Punjab Police had summoned him to respond to the allegations levelled against him by five policewomen, police said. Singh, a Superintendent of Police rank officer, has been asked to appear tomorrow before Inspector General Gurpreet Deo, who heads the committee, police said. He was summoned after the alleged victims, who deposed before the committee last month and submitted a signed statement listing their allegations, stood by their complaint, police said. The policewomen posted at Gurdaspur police headquarters had accused Singh of harassing them, a charge rejected by him. Police said a written copy of the statement of the alleged victims was given to the SP, asking him to respond to it. Singh was mired in a controversy over the terrorist attack at Pathankot air base. He and two others were claimed to have been abducted by the Pakistani terrorists, who used their mobile phones to contact their families and handlers in that country. They had also snatched the vehicle Singh was travelling in. The crisis related to joblessness of hundreds of Indians in has been resolved "satisfactorily" with its ruler accepting India's requests and instructing officials to address the issue in two days, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament on Thursday. The Saudi government will give exit visas to the stranded Indians, provide free medical facility and food to the workers living in camps and allow those eligible to seek re-employment with other companies, she said in suo motu statements in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. "I am happy to inform the House that the Saudi ruler has taken note of the plight of Indian workers... Saudi King has instructed his officials to resolve the issue in two days," she said. "The matter has been satisfactorily resolved," she said and thanked the Saudi King and his government for it. Swaraj credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts in building strong personal ties with the Saudi King and also between the two countries during his recent visit to the Islamic nation for the outcome. She said her deputy V K Singh, who has been camping there since Tuesday evening, will return after formalising the arrangements for the Indian workers. Earlier this week, Swaraj had informed Parliament about the crisis and given details of the efforts being made by the government to help out stranded workers. Speaking on Thursday of the progress, she said the Saudi government has not only agreed to giving them exit visas, as sought by India, but also offered to transport them to India at its expenses. "Government of India will not have to spend a penny on that," she said. The Islamic nation has also permitted workers to take re-employment if other companies find them suitable, she said, adding that before departing, the Indian workers will register their claims of unpaid salaries and other dues with the Labour Office of . Indian Embassy in Riyadh will follow up with the Labour Office of to get all the dues of workers cleared, she said. The Minister said the Saudi ruler has also issued orders to provide free medical facilities and food to Indian workers lodged in the camps apart from taking care of cleanliness. In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad complimented the Indian and the Saudi governments for reaching a solution on the issue. In the Lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress) took a jibe at the government, saying other ministers should follow her practice of responding to concerns raised in the House. He said the government should also speak about relations with China, Pakistan and Oman. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said there should not be politics on every issue and if something good has happened, it should be praised. "You should at times compliment them (government)," she told Congress leaders. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court today directed the CBI to obtain within eight weeks the reports of forensic science laboratory of Scotland Yard on evidence in the murder cases of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, communist leader Govind Pansare and scholar M M Kalburgi. The court asked the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Home Ministry to coordinate with other departments to ensure that all permissions are in place for CBI to obtain expeditiously the forensic reports from Scotland Yard. While Dabholkar and Pansare were killed at different places in Maharashtra, Kalburgi was shot dead in Karnataka. A division bench headed by Justice S C Dharmadhikari set the time frame of eight weeks as it felt that enough time had been lost in obtaining the opinion of a foreign lab. The court has asked the CBI to procure the reports and present them before it. The bench is hearing a bunch of petitions filed by the families of Dabholkar and Pansare seeking monitoring of probes in both the cases by the high court. During investigation, the CBI had noticed a pattern in the killings which indicated that the same group might have been involved as the weapons used in the crime were similar. Hence, the agency sent bullets and empty cartridges it has recovered for forensic analysis. The CBI, probing the Dabholkar killing, and Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Maharashtra, investigating the Pansare killing, today submitted fresh reports on the probe. The reports were presented to the court in a sealed cover by Additional Solicitor General (for CBI) and government pleader Mankunwar Deshmukh (for SIT), and were perused by both the judges. The bench noted that the CBI report had talked about a suspect in Dabholkar murder case. In this regard, Justice Dharmadhikari asked CBI to arrest the suspect within ten days. "If the investigations do not conclude fast, it might give an impression to the people at large that you do not want to arrest certain people," Justice Dharmadhikari said. Dabholkar was killed in Pune on August 20, 2013, while Pansare was shot on February 16, 2015, in Kolhapur. He succumbed to his injuries four days later. Kalburgi was shot dead on August 30 last year at his residence in Dharwad district of Karnataka by two unidentified men. The CBI and CID have been submitting periodical progress reports of their probe to the HC. The bench also asked both the investigating agencies (CBI and SIT) to bring the probe to its logical end at the earliest as the families of the rationalists had moved the high court and also because the common man had faith in the administration and police machinery. Justice Dharmadhikari said that in Pansare killing case, the investigation agency (SIT) had been repeatedly saying that the probe would end in near future. "There should be a time frame and investigations should end in a reasonable period." Abhay Nevadi, lawyer for Pansare and Dabholkar families, said he had received a letter from Maharashtra Chief Minister about their intention to hand over the probe to CBI. He also said that in Pansare murder case, the investigation officer was changed on three occasions earlier. However, Justice Dharmadhikari made it clear that no changes would be made in the investigation team without the permission of the high court, as it was monitoring the probe. The judge also said that for the time being, the SIT would continue to probe the case and no changes would be made by the authorities. The bench was also of the view that the probe in both the cases should end fast. "These are very sensitive cases in which well known social workers and activists have been killed," Justice Dharmadhikari said. Advocate Nevadi also said that if CBI takes time to get forensic reports from Scotland Yard, they can take opinion from an Army laboratory in Chandigarh, which is equally good. The bench asked him to file an affidavit on these lines and added that it might consider sending evidence to Chandigarh lab, if the reports from Scotland Yard were not forthcoming or were not conclusive. Right wing activist Sameer Gaikwad, an alleged member of Sanatan Sanstha, was arrested by Kolhapur Police on September 16 last year in connection with Pansare's murder. Besides, another Sanatan Sanstha activist Virendra Tawde was arrested by the CBI from Panvel in Navi Mumbai in June this year in connection with Dabholkar's murder. A 26-year-old man Thursday died in police custody under suspicious circumstances in Kanpur following which twelve police personnel have been suspended. Kamal Valmiki, a resident of Shiv Katra village, was found dead at Ahirwan police station this afternoon after he was picked up along with another man, Raju Mistri, yesterday in a case of loot. Police called the family of Mistri to identify the body, which was later claimed by Kamal's family. The family members of the deceased filed an FIR against the station in charge and other police personnel for beating Kamal to death. However, police claimed he had committed suicide and sent the body for postmortem. "Twelve police personnel, including the station in charge Yogendra Singh, have been suspended and strict action will be taken against them if found guilty," SSP, Mathura, Shalabh Mathur said The members of Valmiki community blocked the Kanpur-Lucknow highway and threw stones at the police station following which senior police officials reached there to control the situation. Meanwhile, Raju Mistri has been reported missing. Deepak Fertilisers today announced setting up of a new nitric acid plant at Dahej in Gujarat with an investment of Rs 550 crore to meet the rising demand. At present, Deepak Fertilisers And Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd (DFPCL) has a manufacturing unit for nitric acid in Taloja, Maharashtra with capacity close to 8.4 lakh tonnes per annum. It also has facilities to manufacture TAN and fertilisers at the same place. "This new facility will be the first step of development of a mega-multi products site at Dahej, which would cater to the demand of many intermediates and specialty chemicals manufacturers in India," DFPCL Chairman and Managing Director Sailesh Mehta said in a statement. The company said it plans to deploy a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with an investment of Rs 550 crore. The land for the proposed project has already been acquired. The project is scheduled to be completed by second half of 2018, it said. DFPCL is expanding the production capacity of nitric acid in view of expected rise in demand from various industries including dyes, defence, agrochemicals and pharma. "There have been significant developments in the recent past which have contributed to the growth of Nitric Acid demand in the Gujarat Region. A manufacturing facility in Dahej will bring us closer to our key customers," the company's Chemical business President Paresh Trivedi said. Some the company's key customers have already announced their expansion plans. "We are aligning our expansion plans with those of our customers so as to cater to their demands." DFPCL manufactures three variants of nitric Acid. Its current capacity is close to 8.4 lakh tonnes per annum, but most of it is used for captive consumption with only 1.6 lakh tonnes per annum available for merchant sale. With the increased capacity, the company will be able to provide an incremental 1.48 lakh tonnes per annum, it added. Delhi government is likely to oppose the proposals on higher education in the draft New Education Policy, including that of a central "Indian Education Service" and a centralised induction programme. Different views were presented on the proposals during a meeting of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, with several professors and vice-chancellors of Delhi Technological University, National Law University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and the head of Indian Institute of Information Technology, Delhi. The government may oppose proposals on centralised service for teachers as it may result in frequent transfers, according to sources. The 43-page report of recommendations for the National Education Policy on Higher Education posted by the HRD ministry for review proposes a common "induction" for college teachers. The Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi has wider discretionary power than the Governor of a state and he can act on his own judgement without seeking the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, the Delhi High Court today said. "(In) the LG of National Capital Territory of Delhi, the discretion provided is wider than the discretion that may be exercised by the Governor of a State under Article 163(1) in view of the expression except in so far as he is, by or under any law, required to act in his discretion employed in clause (4) of Article 239AA," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said. Dealing with the executive powers of the LG, it held, "Power of the LG to act in his discretion is not confined to the Constitution merely. The LG while exercising such powers and discharging such functions which any law requires to be done in his discretion acts on his own judgment without seeking the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers." The court gave its ruling while dismissing the AAP government's plea challenging the Centre's notification giving absolute power to the LG in administration of Delhi. Dealing with the discretionary powers of the Governor and LG under the Constitution, the bench said, "Discretion of the Governor of a State under Article 163(1) is confined only to the constitutional provisions, whereas under Article 239AA(4), the LG may act in his discretion with regard to all the matters in respect of which he is required to act in his discretion by or under any law." Referring to the recent five-judge Constitution bench judgement of the Supreme Court in Arunachal Pradesh case in which the duties and responsibilities of the Governor, under the Constitution have been interpreted, the high court said that the Governor can exercise some function which are to be done "only on the basis of the aid and advice rendered to him" under the provisions of the Constitution. Holding that the LG can take any action in his wisdom in case of difference of opinion between the Council of Ministers and him, the bench said under the provision of the Constitution, the LG may refer the matter to the President for decision and act according to the decision given. It said, "Pending such decision of the President, the LG is empowered to take such action or to give such direction if in his opinion the matter is so urgent that it is necessary for him to take immediate action. "In view of this fundamental difference in the powers conferred upon a Governor of State and the LG of NCT of Delhi, it is not possible to hold that the LG is bound to act only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers." It said that the discretion conferred on the LG under the provision of the Constitution to refer the matter to the President in case of a difference of opinion between the Chief Minister and LG is not available to the Governor. The Delhi government had contended that since there is an elected Assembly with the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister in NCT of Delhi, the status of the LG is similar to that of a Governor in the matter of discharge of executive functions. Scientists have discovered evidence of arthiritis in the fossilised elbow of a 70-million-year-old duck-billed dinosaur, suggesting the condition is not a modern malady. The finding is the oldest recorded case of septic arthritis - a condition in which a joint becomes inflamed, often from bacteria or fungus, researchers said. "Our (duck-billed dinosaur) seems to have been afflicted with septic arthritis, which completely destroyed the elbow joint," said study lead researcher Jennifer Anne, a doctoral graduate from the University of Manchester in the UK. "There are signs of both bone destruction and excess bone growth that resulted in possible fusion of the elbow," said Anne. David Paris, a curator at the New Jersey State Museum, found the fossilised specimen in New Jersey in the US a number of years ago. Anne and her colleagues studied the fossil using a micro computed tomography (micro-CT) scanner, 'Live Science' reported. A micro-CT scanner uses X-rays that are more powerful than those used in CT scanners found in hospitals, providing higher-resolution images, Anne said. The detailed micro-CT images helped the researchers diagnose the duck-billed dinosaur (or hadrosaur) with a bad case of septic arthritis. The condition likely gave the dinosaur a limp, and could have "possibly been severe enough for the animal to not use that arm at all," Anne added. The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. The leader of an Islamic State affiliated group in Egypt's restive Sinai province and 45 other militants have been killed in an army operation, officials said today. Abu Doaa el-Ansari, the leader of the Sinai-based militant group - Ansar Beit el-Maqdes - and 45 other militants, including some of his senior aides, were killed in el-Arish city of North Sinai in an operation by Egypt's armed forces, army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said in a statement. Many others were injured in the army raid, Samir said. Ansar Beit el-Maqdes had pledged allegiance to Islamic State militant group in 2014. Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants in the last few years, particularly since the January 2011 revolution that toppled the ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks targeting police and military personnel increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following massive protests against his rule. Over 700 security personnel have been reported killed since then. The military has launched security operations in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. Congress leader E V K S Elangovan today appeared before a court here in connection with two defamation cases filed by Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa against him. Principal Sessions Judge G Jayachandran directed issuance of copies of the case documents to Elangovan as he replied in the negative when asked whether he was aware of the charges made out against him. Elangovan appeared before the judge in response to summons. The judge later posted the cases to September 14 for next hearing. Separate defamation cases were filed on behalf of the Governor and the Chief Minister against Elangovan over certain allegations made by him on April 30 in a TV interview with regard to appointment of vice-chancellors of state-run universities. In their petitions, Rosaiah and Jayalalithaa contended that the allegations were blatantly false, made with ulterior motives and were defamatory. Elangovan was the President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee when he made the alleged defamatory remarks. After the party's debacle in the May 16 Assembly election, he quit from the post, but the party high command is yet to make it clear whether it has accepted his resignation. Bollywood film 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui was today sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Delhi court for raping a US researcher here last year. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain awarded the minimum jail term prescribed for the offence to Farooqui, who was produced in the court in custody. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the 44-year-old filmmaker and said the amount be given to the victim, failing which he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months. It also tasked the Delhi Legal Service Authority to decide appropriate compensation for the woman. The court had on July 30 held him guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state. During the arguments on sentence earlier, Delhi Police had sought life imprisonment for the filmmaker, saying the crime perpetrated on the foreigner has brought "disrepute" to India. Farooqui's counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan had said as the filmmaker suffered from bipolar disorder and has fully cooperated in the case he should be given a chance to reform. Seeking stringent punishment for Farooqui, complainant's counsel Vrinda Grover had said, "The foreigner (victim) was here for research work but was raped by a person she knew, who was her friend and whom she had trusted". Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in the case. Prosecutor Mohammed Ikrar had earlier said that the woman, in her complaint, had alleged that Farooqui was drunk when he raped her at his house where she had gone to seek his help for her research work in March last year. The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the woman's complaint after which he was arrested. The police had on July 29 last year filed a charge sheet against Farooqui, alleging he had raped the research scholar from Columbia University at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28 last year. The court had on September 9, 2015, started the trial in the case after framing rape charge against Farooqui and the victim, based in the US, had appeared in the court on September 14, 2015 to record her statement. The woman had, during the in-camera proceedings, alleged that Farooqui had raped her and later apologised to her in several e-mails exchanged between them. Later, however, Farooqui had denied the allegations against him, saying he was falsely implicated by the woman. The first batch of 340 Haj pilgrims from Delhi today left for Jeddah while a total 1,00,020 pilgrims will be facilitated by the government across India through Haj Committee this year. "Haj pilgrimage is a cherished desire of every Muslim in his life time. All the Haj pilgrims should pray for peace, prosperity, harmony and brotherhood in our great nation as well as the entire world," Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said after flagging off the first group of pilgrims from IGI Airport here in the wee hours. Naqvi extended wishes to the pilgrims on the behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For Haj 2016, a total 1,00,020 pilgrims will be facilitated from 21 points across India through Haj Committee. Apart from this, 36,000 pilgrims will proceed through private tour operators. A total of 12,500 pilgrims will be proceeding from Delhi to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by Air India's 37 charter flights for the pilgrimage this year. Of these, 8,690 pilgrims are residents of Uttar Pradesh, while the rest are from Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Haj Committee of India Chairman Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Qaiser, its member and Delhi Coordinator HB Kazmi, Ministry Secretary Rakesh Garg and others were present on the occasion. Geologists have found the first evidence for China's Great Flood, a 4,000-year-old disaster on the Yellow River that led to birth of the Xia dynasty and modern Chinese civilization, researchers said today. The findings in the journal Science may help rewrite history because they not only show that a massive flood did occur, but that it was in 1920 BC, several centuries later than traditionally thought. This would mean the Xia dynasty, led by Emperor Yu, may also have started later than Chinese historians have thought. Yu gained fame as the man who was able to gain control over the flood by orchestrating the dredging work needed to guide the waters back into their channels. Restoring order after chaos earned "him the divine mandate to establish the Xia dynasty, the first in Chinese history," said the study, led by Wu Qinglong, professor in the department of geography at Nanjing Normal University. Stories about Emperor Yu laid the ideological foundation for the Confucian rulership system, but in recent generations, some scholars have questioned whether it ever happened at all. Perhaps, they say, it was all a myth designed to justify imperial rule. So geologists investigated along the Yellow River in Qinghai Province, examining the remains of a landslide dam and sediments from a dammed lake and outburst flood. What they found suggests a catastrophic flood that is one of the largest known floods on Earth in the last 10,000 years, said co-author Darryl Granger, professor in the department of Earth atmospheric planetary sciences at Purdue University. The floodwaters surged to 38 meters (yards) above the modern river level, making the disaster "roughly equivalent to the largest Amazon flood ever measured," he told reporters on a conference call to discuss the findings. The flood would have been "more than 500 times larger than a flood on the Yellow River from a rainfall event," he added. "This cataclysmic flood would have been a truly devastating event for anyone living on the Yellow River downstream." Since such floods toss debris and sediment all over, mixing old soil with new, the scientific team used human remains to pin down the timing of the disaster. Three children's skeletons were found in the rubble of an earthquake, which is believed to have triggered a landslide, researchers said. Plans are afoot to install 'fish ladders' in river Ganga near the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal to help hilsa fish to breed in freshwaters, Lok Sabha was informed today. Responding to a supplementary during Question Hour, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said following the construction of Farakka Barrage, the number of hilsa available in the Ganga has gone down dramatically, as the sea water which seeps in, created hurdles in its breeding. The fish breeds in fresh water. She said plans are afoot to install fish ladders to ensure that hilsa gets fresh water to breed. If it happens, the fish, considered a delicacy in East India, will be available even in the Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, as was the case in the past, Bharti said. Fish ladder is a series of pools built like steps to enable fish to ascend a dam or waterfall and enables them to migrate upstream over or through a barrier. Bharti said the real benchmark that Ganga is pollution free would be the return of aqua life in the river. She said the return of river dolphins and gold fish in the Ganga aqua life system would be the biggest benchmark to prove that the river has rejuvenated. Bharti said dolphins have lost their eyesight due to prolonged exposure to pollution. He said the creature has developed other senses over the years to overcome blindness. Now, there are plans to release dolphins having eyes, she said, adding if they do not turn blind, then it would prove that the level of pollution in the river has declined. Fixing the GST rate, deciding on exempt items and ensuring no dual control by the Centre and states are among the seven key challenges which have to be overcome before GST can be rolled out by April 1, 2017, a top Finance Ministry official said today. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia listed seven challenges which need to be dealt with for smooth implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). These challenges include: calculation of revenue base of Centre and states and compensation requirements, structure of GST rates, list of exemptions, forming of consensus on Model GST Bill, threshold limits, compounding limits and cross empowerment to mitigate ill-effects of dual control. He further said the GST Council will decide on to what extent the GST rate can be brought down from the present combined excise tax rate. As regards the compensation which needs to be paid by the Centre to the states, Adhia said the amount can only be quantified after the GST rate is decided. He said consultations are on with regard to the threshold limit of imposition of GST. While some states want the threshold to be Rs 10 lakh, the Centre wants it to be pegged at Rs 25 lakh. Elaborating on the aspect of dual control, Adhia said there cannot be a situation where one trader receives notice from both the Centre and a state. So whatever cases would be picked up for scrutiny, the Centre and state would have the power to scrutinise both SGST and CGST filings, respectively. With regard to keeping businesses with turnover of Rs 1.5 crore out of CGST ambit, Adhia said a final call will be taken by the GST council. The Rajya Sabha last night cleared the long pending GST Constitutional Amendment Bill and it has to now go back to the Lok Sabha for ratification. Once the Constitution Amendment Bill is approved by Parliament and 50 per cent of state legislatures, the GST Council will have to work out the model GST bills which will provide operational details of the new tax regime. The Council will have to work out an acceptable threshold limit for levying the GST. GST, which is expected to be implemented from April 1, 2017, will subsume excise, service tax and other local levies including VAT, octroi. Florida Gov Rick Scott ordered free Zika testing statewide to help pregnant women. Scott directed state health officials yesterday to make the tests available at county health departments and also said the state would provide additional lab services to handle the expected increase to ensure test results are processed quickly. Health officials last Friday announced that mosquitoes have apparently started spreading Zika on the US mainland, with a total now of 15 cases they strongly believe were caused by bites. In an unprecedented warning, federal health officials directed pregnant women to avoid a Zika-stricken part of Miami. The Zika virus can cause severe brain-related defects, including disastrously small heads, called microcephaly. Even if the brain appears to be developing normally, studies also have linked Zika to stillbirths, poor fetal growth and other problems. Scott promised in a statement yesterday to "aggressively fight against the Zika virus." Yesterday's announcement comes as some doctors have complained they were being forced to ration test kits and turn away pregnant women who were requesting them. "The biggest challenge I'm having is many, many, many patients who are pregnant want to be tested ... Right now it just feels like we are restricting access to the tests. Certainly patients have felt frustrated," Dr. Christine Curry, an ob-gyn at University of Miami Health System, said in a phone interview Tuesday night. The free tests announced by the governor are only available at county health departments and do not apply to physicians in private practice. The governor said more than 2,400 have been tested statewide and more than 140 people have been tested in the past three days in the impacted area of Wynwood, an area known for art galleries and hip shops and restaurants. He also announced increased spraying in the area and other mosquito abatement. However, federal health officials have said the mosquitoes have been harder to eradicate than they anticipated, leading them to suspect that the pests are resistant to the insecticides or are still finding standing water in which to breed. Athenahealth, which specializes in electronic health records, says it's proactively reaching out to patients and has partnered with a local community health center to call and email patients who may be at risk and encourage them to get tested. The company says its records have identified more than 1,800 patients being treated by 94 providers at 24 different clients within the affected area who are potentially at risk. Militants attacked foreign tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in the western province of Herat today, officials said, with a military spokesman saying at least six people were wounded. "The convoy was ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif district. The tourists were on their way to Herat from Bamiyan and Ghor provinces," Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today heaped praise on Yoga guru Ramdev's aide Acharya Balkrishna for his contribution to the "unification" of Yoga and Ayurveda, thus popularising them all over the world. "By simplifying yoga and unifying it with ayurveda, Acharya Balkrishna had made them more useful for the common man not only in India but all over the world," Gadkari said while speaking at a function here today to mark Balkrishna's birthday. Crediting both Ramdev and Balkrishna for their efforts to enhance the prestige of yoga and ayurveda across the globe, the Union minister said the two disciplines are generating job opportunities for both farmers and youth. Ramdev said the country will soon earn the glory of celebrating Acharya's birthday as "World Herbal Day" (Vishwa Jadi-Booti Diwas). He also said that Patanjali will soon become a company with an annual turnover of Rs 50,000 crore as plans were afoot to set up mega food parks in at least five cities including Nagpur, Indore and Noida. Several programmes were held at Patanjali Yogpeeth to celebrate Acharya's birthday including yog-pranayam sessions and distribution of thousands of tree and herbs saplings free of cost among people. A large number of saints and seers from Haridwar were present. City crime branch (CCB) police seized nearly 52 kg of ganja worth Rs 10.50 lakh and arrested a man from Kerala near here today. City police commissioner Chandra Sekhar said the arrested was Moideen Nawaz (29), a resident of Uppala in Kerala's Kasaragod district. Nawaz was peddling large quantities of ganja in Mangaluru and Kasaragod district. The police also seized a car bearing Kerala registration. Based on a tip-off, the CCB police chased and arrested Nawaz near Natekal cross. They seized 51.7 kg of ganja which was in the car in two gunny bags, which was being transported from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh for distribution in Mangaluruand Kasargod regions. The total value of the seized items, including the car, is estimated at Rs 20.5 lakh, the PoliceCommissioner said. "This is the biggest drugs catch by our policein recent times," he said. The accused was earlier working in Dubai. He had come back last yearafter he lost his job and had no previous record of crime, he said. Asked if Nawaz was part of a network of drug dealers, he said it would be revealed only after a thorough probe. Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council today inked pacts with world's leading diamond firm, De Beers and two prominent gems exchanges from China for promotion of trade after launching the 33rd annual edition of India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) here. Both Guangzhou Diamond Exchange and Guangdong Gems and Jade Exchange (GDGJE) are two of the biggest gems and jade trading gateway in southern China. "GJEPC has signed an MoU with the world's leading diamond company, De Beers, to undertake promotional activities to drive consumer demand for diamond jewellery in the country. The marketing campaign will be run over the key selling season, and the funding will be agreed by both GJEPC and De Beers," a statement issued here said. Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group said: "India is of central importance to De Beers' future and is at the very heart of the diamond pipeline. India is already one of the world's most important markets for consumer sales of diamond jewellery and we believe it has an exciting opportunity for further growth." IIJS is a five-day B2B event and a platform that allows the global gem & jewellery industry an excellent business opportunity to explore the various multi-faceted aspects of the Indian gem and industry. Around 35,000 visitors from various cities and towns in India and 80 other countries, are participating in the show wherein nearly 1,200 exhibitors have set up the stalls through 2,000 booths spread over 50,000 sq ft area. "Government and GJEPC are working jointly and passionately to take the gems and jewellery industry to the next level and the next cycle of progress. "The Government's priority is employment and the country's vast labour force has to be optimally utilised to enhance productivity and skillsets," Union Ministry of Commerce Joint Secretary, Manoj Dwivedi said. He said, "Our goal should be to increase exports and match up to international best-in-class practices while competing globally and stimulating demand. Government reforms will be in tune with promotions." The Skill Council of India has targeted to train 5 million workers and upgrade skills. The other key initiative is to geographically map, tag and brand the unique jewellery of different parts of the country - be it jewellery from South or North East or Jaipur - to highlight the craftsmanship of that particular area," Dwivedi said. Praveenshankar Pandya, Chairman, GJEPC, said, "The gems & jewellery sector contributes significantly to India in terms of exports, employment and key economic indicators. "Every year, we strive to take the IIJS brand a notch higher and this year, too, We have created separate section dedicated to the micro, small and medium enterprises in the gem and jewellery industry to give them impetus as they are the backbone of the Prime Minister's Make in India initiative. People of Bihar will have to wait for another 48 hours to get respite from the humid weather prevailing in the state for past couple of days with the MeT department today predicting moderate to heavy rainfall for three days from August 7. "There is a low pressure on Bay of Bengal, which led to less rainfall in the state... But, it is expected that there will be good rainfall for three days from Sunday," Patna Meteorological Department Director Ashish Sen told PTI. Sen said south Bihar, which includes Patna, would witness more rainfall in comparison to northern parts of the state. The MeT department said many places of south central parts of the state received light rainfall, while few places of south west of Bihar too witnessed light rainfall. Gaya registered 8 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, while 4 mm of rainfall was recorded today, it said. Bhagalpur recorded a maximum temperature of 37.6 degrees Celsius, while Patna recorded 35.2 degrees Celsius. Gaya and Purnea recorded maximum temperatures of 34.1 degrees Celsius and 36 degrees Celsius respectively, the MeT office said. In its forecast for the next 24 hours, the MeT department said Patna was expected to have partly cloudy sky, while Gaya and Purnea were expected to witness partly cloudy skies with possibility of rain or thunder. Bhagalpur would witness a generally cloudy sky with possibility of rain or thunder, it said. The government has established contacts with three Indian men who are stuck in war-torn after they sought help, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. The men hailing from Punjab are in a place which is 899 kms from capital Tripoli. "We have established contact with the three men from Punjab. They are 900 Kms away from Tripoli," Swaraj tweeted. "As road journey is not safe, they have to be flown to Tripoli after obtaining exit Visas from Benghazi. "I may inform that two of them were earlier evacuated at Government expense. However, they returned to on 28.4.2016," Swaraj said in a series of tweets. Her intervention came after Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal requested Swaraj to help them in returning to India. "Requesting @SushmaSwaraj Ji to look into the matter of three men from Punjab stuck in . They are seeking help to return to India," Badal tweeted. Government on Thursday said it is setting up two mega food parks at a cost of Rs 324 crore in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra under its ambitious . "As part of the Sagarmala Programme of the Ministry of Shipping, two mega food parks projects are being implemented in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh and southern Maharashtra by the Ministry of Food Processing," Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. The projects are strategically situated in Coastal Economic Zone (CEZs) with proximity to ports and will give boost to the export-import trade for food processing sector. The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation mega food park at Krishna with its proximity to Visakhapatnam and Kakinada port will draw its synergies from Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor in North Andhra Pradesh, the statement said. "The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 184.88 crore. The other project, Satara Mega Food Park is being set up in the CEZ of South Konkan in Maharashtra with proximity to Dighi, Jaigarh and Marmugao Port. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 139.33 crore and is expected to be completed by February next year," it added. With the growing global demand of the processed food in India, the food processing sector needs to be efficient in terms of logistic costs, transit costs and infrastructural facilities in order to be competitive, it said. Considering this need, an integrated plan for port led industrialisation has been developed under the Sagarmala Programme in line with global best practices, which combines the growth potential of port-linked industries with the competitive location for various industries, the government said. The proximity to various ports for these industrial clusters and CEZs will provide necessary infrastructural facilities and connectivity to the hinterland, thus ensuring reduction in logistic costs, the statement added. Sagarmala is a port-led development plan for coastal areas. The state government today announced a judicial probe in the collapse of a British-era bridge here in which at least 22 people in two buses went missing, even as rescuers have fished out five bodies so far from the swollen Savitri river. Two state buses, with 22 people, including the crew, and some other vehicles got washed away in the river amid heavy rains late Tuesday following the collapse of a bridge on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad, about 170 km from Mumbai. Nearly 40 hours after the launch of massive multi-agency operations, searchers have managed to recover five bodies, police said. "So far, our search teams have recovered five bodies - three males and two females," Raigad Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Patil said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, he added. About 20 boats with nearly 160 personnel of Coast Guard, NDRF, and Navy, apart from local fishermen and rafters, are at the work to find the remains of the two buses and other vehicles, which are also suspected to have been swept away. The local administration has set up a help centre for the kin of the victims. Earlier this morning, a 300-kg magnet was lowered in the waters with the help of a crane to trace the missing buses. Something has got stuck to the magnet and efforts are on to pull it out of the river, a local official said. Deepak Mundhe, the son of Gorakhnath Mundhe, the driver of one of the ill-fated buses of the State Transport Corporation, expressed deep shock over the incident but has not lost hope. "We have not lost our hope. We are hoping that my father would come alive," Mundhe said. An NDRF jawan, who came out of the river after three hours of intense search, said, "The fast flow of flood water is posing a tough challenge for us but that is not going to be a deterrent in our mission." In the state Assembly, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a judicial probe into the bridge collapse. "A judicial inquiry will be conducted," Fadnavis said replying to a discussion on the issue. Government has set up a four-member panel headed by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya to suggest measures to revamp the Central Council of Homoeopathy. "Central government has decided to set a committee headed by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya to restructure the homoeopathy education regulator CCH," a source said. Recently, a similar panel headed by Panagariya submitted a report to restructure the Medical Council of India. The other members of the committee are AYUSH Secretary Ajit M Sharan, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant and Additional Principal Secretary in Prime Minister's Office P K Mishra. In its efforts to streamline the functioning of the council and improve standards of education, government had introduced Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2005, in the Rajya Sabha in March 2005. The bill was aimed at amending Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973, which provides for constitution of the CCH for regulation of educational standards of homoeopathic medical colleges, maintenance of the central register of practitioners of Homoeopathy, among others. Last year in May, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health recommended that the AYUSH Department should bring forward the 2005 bill at the earliest to ensure proper functioning of the council. The Standing Committee on Health, in its report on the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2005 submitted in July 2005, had said that each homoeopathic medical college should be affiliated to a university. The panel was of the view that all homoeopathic medical colleges must take permission from the central government with one year of bill being passed. However, the bill had provided for a three year timeline for seeking permission. It had noted that the council has members from each state with registered homoeopathic practitioners, a representative from each homoeopathic university, and centrally appointed members with specialised knowledge who comprise no more than 40 per cent of the council. The bill had provided for a fixed term of five years and required the central government to reconstitute the council three months before the term's expiration. The panel had supported fixed terms but recommended that the government should start elections six months prior to expiration. Similarly, there were other provisions in the bill to enable the Centre to intervene when required in certain cases. The bill is still pending with the Rajya Sabha. Last year in May, government had introduced the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Rajya Sabha to enable the Centre to stop admissions in colleges. The permission of the central government is mandatory for establishing new colleges or starting new courses of study. The existing provision in the Homoeopathy Central Council Act does not enable the Centre to stop admissions in colleges which are not conforming to standards specified in the regulations. The bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health, which observed that conformation to prescribed standards of homoeopathy education has been compromised due to legal infirmities in the governing statute. The committee had recommended that "the oversight of maintenance of standards should be done with the utmost transparency and there should be a credible and vibrant appeal mechanism in place so that minor technical and procedural defaults are not made a basis for harassment and questionable practices and genuine grievances of homoeopathy medical institutions are addressed swiftly within set timelines. Hailing the passage of GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha, automobile makers today said it offers an "excellent opportunity" for rationalising the existing differential tax structure on vehicles based on physical dimensions and simplify taxation burden. "From the automobile industry perspective, which contributes close to 45 per cent in the manufacturing GDP, it's an excellent opportunity for the government to rationalise the current differential tax structure based on physical dimensions," Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) President and CEO Yoichiro Ueno told PTI. With India benchmarking car safety, emission and fuel efficiency standards with the developed automobile markets, the tax structure should also be aligned to meet these objectives, he added. "This would be a win-win situation for the environment, customer and the economy," Ueno said. Expressing similar sentiments, Renault India Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Sumit Sawhney said the GST Bill will positively impact several sectors "including the automobile industry, by minimising and simplifying the taxation burden". He added: "GST is expected to drive overall consumer demand since the cost for the logistics and supply chain inventory will be curtailed by almost 30-40 per cent, the benefits of which are expected to be passed on to the consumers." The auto industry has four different slabs of excise duty based on dimensions and engine capacity. Small cars that are less than four meters in length attract excise duty of 12.5 per cent, while cars longer than four meters but with engine of less than 1,500 cc capacity attract a duty of 24 per cent. Further, vehicles with engine capacity of more than 1,500 cc are charged an excise duty of 27 per cent and while those with ground clearance of more than 170 mm attract an excise duty of 30 per cent. Ford India Executive Sales and Director Anurag Mehrotra, said: "As details of this historic reform, including the final tax rate get finalised, we surely expect automotive industry, one of the biggest contributors to GDP, to benefit from the one-nation-one-tax regime in the time to come." GST is one of the most significant tax reforms in India since independence and will further enhance the ease of doing business, he added. Hero MotoCorp Chairman, Managing Director and CEO Pawan Munjal said bringing in GST has the potential to make country's economy more open and robust and country more competitive internationally. In the biggest tax reform since Independence, the national sales tax or GST Bill was yesterday approved by the Rajya Sabha to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world's biggest single market. Munjal added: "At a time of divisive politics all around the world - particularly in the advanced democracies of the West - the passage of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) reflects the maturity and willingness of the Indian democratic system to work towards the greater benefit." Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said GST is about unifying the market, widening the tax net and generating efficiencies throughout the value chain. Faster implementation will be critical in determining its success, he added. (REOPENS DCM 43) Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles Director, Corporate Affairs, Sohinder Gill said as the GST bill progresses, the government should keep taxation on green vehicles either at par or at a lower rate than the current tax structure, for a certain period. "If the government manages to do it, it will definitely revive the electric vehicle (EV) industry in India, otherwise it will nullify the FAME incentive being passed on to the customers under NEMMP for inducting more and more EVs on Indian roads," he said. Currently, the tax levied by state governments on green vehicles are varied between 0 to 5 per cent, except three states -- Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar which charges more than 14 per cent, Gill added. "Road tax is almost nil in majority of the states. If we consider the average VAT levied on green vehicles across India it comes up to approximately 4 per cent," he said. BMR & Associates LLP Partner Mahesh Jaising said the proposed GST rate likely to be applicable on goods and services still remains a big question mark with possibility of higher tax rate being levied on de-merit goods, including aerated beverages and luxury cars. "Resolution around these key decision areas will be critical to this sector for framing their pricing and operational strategies before the GST finally sees the light of the day," he said. British actress Archie Panjabi has no regrets about leaving "The Good Wife" amid reports that things were not well between her and the show's lead star Julianna Margulies. Panjabi said she loved playing Kalinda Sharma but she was planning to move to some other show, reported People magazine. "I loved playing the role of Kalinda," Panjabi told reporters at the Television Critics Association panel. "I had such a great time on [Good Wife]. It's something that's very special to me." Panjabi won an Emmy in 2010 for her portrayal of hard-edged investigator Kalinda Sharma. The actress starred on the first six seasons of the legal series, but left under a cloud of drama. Fans spotted that Panjabi and Margulies did not shoot their final scene together sparking speculation that they were not on good terms. But Panjabi, 44, said she would not want to dwelve on what happened on the show. "In terms of anything that happened on The Good Wife, I think it's only respectful for it to stay on The Good Wife. It was time for me for many reasons to unzip the boots and step into another show." The actress has now joined the second season of "Blindspot". The Madras High Court today directed CB-CID to probe a case relating to the alleged abduction of a 29-year-old mentally challenged man by his former wife, who remarried him after her father-in-law bequeathed vast properties in his name. When the petition by Ananthan, custodian of Manoj Rajan, came up, Justice PN Prakash directed the Inspector of Police, Gudalur Police Station, Nilgiris to transfer the case to the CB-CID, North Zone, immediately. The petitioner, who sought a court direction to investigate the abduction case, submitted that Manoj Rajan, son of industrialist EJ Rajan, was married to one Priya Darshini in 2008 and within a year of marriage, she had filed for divorce alleging that her husband was suffering from a mental disorder. When Manoj's father died in 2013, leaving behind a vast property to his only son, he had asked the petitioner to take care of the property and his son, he claimed. Subsequently, Ananthan lodged Manoj Rajan in a Home for the mentally retarded at Gudalur in 2014. The following year, Priya Darshini had filed a Habeas Corpus Petition in the Madras High Court, contending that Manoj was kept under illegal detention by the petitioner and Manoj's relative Rudolf Stany Pinto. However, the court dismissed the petition. In May 2016, Priya along with a group of lawyers had abducted Manoj Rajan from the home, he alleged. A complaint was lodged with Gudalur police, which took no further action, the petitioner alleged. This prompted him to approach the High Court seeking a direction to police to investigate the case. Earlier, when the matter came up, Justice PN Prakash had directed the Nilgiris district SP to trace Manoj Rajan and admit him to the Home and file a report on July 25. On July 25, the court was informed that Manoj Rajan was secured and lodged in the Gudalur Home. "By no stretch of imagination, can one countenance the act of Priya Darshini, the divorced wife, to barge into a charity home with a group of lawyers and take forcible custody of a person and have the marriage performed in such a hurry," the Judge said and directed police to transfer the case to CB-CID. The Judge also gave a direction to transfer the man from the Home at Gudalur to one run by MS Chellamuthu Trust, in Madurai and ordered Madurai police to provide sufficient security to him. The Madras High Court today directed the state government to notify its 'Victim Compensation Scheme' and file a compliance report on September 2. A PIL was filed by an advocate Sonia Glory seeking a direction to the state government to frame a Victim Compensation Scheme under section 357A of Criminal Procedure Code. When it came up for hearing, the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan, said, "We may notice the submission of the counsel for the petitioner that all states have notified the scheme except Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. "We are thus of the view that no further directions are required to be passed in the writ petition except that the date of notification to be informed to the Court and the scheme to be placed before this Court." Counsel for the petitioner submitted that the scheme is to fix, regulate and pay compensation to victims of crime. The counsel said 34 out of 36 States have already framed Victim Compensation scheme and alleged that Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have not framed it. It was submitted that the petitioner made a representation to the state government on April 11 but there was no action following which the PIL was filed. Government Pleader MK Subramanian submitted that a scheme had actually been drawn up and produced a copy of the scheme dated November 30, 2013. Counsel for the petitioner submitted that "though the same is in the form of a government order as far back as almost three years ago, it has not been notified till date." The bench directed the government to notify the scheme and place it before the court on September 2. It also directed the government to file a compliance report on that day. NCP legislator Pankaj Bhujbal was today granted interim protection from arrest till August 8 The Bombay High Court in a money laundering case registered by Enforcement Directorate. Pankaj had filed an anticipatory bail application in the high court after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in the Maharashtra Sadan scam. Justice P N Deshmukh granted Pankaj interim protection from arrest till August 8 when it would hear his bail plea. Pankaj's father and former Maharashtra Deputy Chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal and cousin Sameer are the main accused in the case. Chhagan was arrested by ED in March and is still in jail. According to ED, the Bhujbal family allegedly conspired along with several others to divert or 'launder' kickbacks received by Chhagan Bhujbal when he was State Public Works Department minister. On March 30 this year, ED filed chargesheet naming Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj, Sameer and firms such as DB Realty, Balwa group, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure. The charges relate to the contract for construction of the state guest house 'Maharashtra Sadan' in Delhi and the Kalina land-grabbing case in Mumbai. A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan today, their embassy in Kabul said, with local authorities saying all six people on board were taken hostage by the Taliban. The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident in Azra district in the restive province of Logar. "An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar," Pakistani embassy spokesman Akhtar Munir told AFP. "We don't know anything about the fate of those on-board or why it crash-landed." The local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said six people on board had been taken hostage by Taliban insurgents. "They have been taken to an unknown location," he said. The helicopter caught fire after it crashed, said Logar governor's spokesman Salim Saleh. Russian-made Mi-17s are used by the Pakistani military. There was no official comment from the Pakistani military or Afghan defense ministry officials. Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and continuing to nurture sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. Puducherry Chief Minister V.Narayanasamy today said he was yet to acquaint himself with the contents of the judgment of the Delhi High Court holding the Lt Governor as administrative head of National Capital Territory. "Unless I read the contents of the verdict and acquainted myself with the contents of the judgment,I will not be able to express any opinion or view," he told PTI. Narayanasamy is a non-member of Puducherry assembly and was elected Congress legislature party leader to head a six member cabinet on June 6. On presentation of the budget for Puducherry, he said he was awaiting the approval of the Union Finance ministry for the budget allocations for the current fiscal (2016-2017) although the Union Home Ministry had given its nod. He hinted that the budget session of the Assembly would be held by this month end. IBM today unveiled a new enterprise mobility platform IBM MobileFirst for iOS Garage in India and plans to open satellite centres in many other countries including Brazil, China and Romania. IBM MobileFirst is a platform for building mobile apps for the enterprise. The Garage is dedicated to enable clients to complete digital mobility projects as quickly as possible and will tap into the world's largest concentration of Swift developers, IBM design and iOS device expertise and consulting services, Mahmoud Naghshineh, GM, Apple partnership,IBM, told reporters. "It will serve as a global development hub for iOS apps and work with existing design locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Cupertino and Toronto," he said. IBM also plans to open satellite centres in Brazil, Romania and many other countries, Naghshineh said, adding the company has already started the work in this regard in China. "We already have started in China. For sure, we want to be close to our clients in Latin America. In Europe, we already have many clients and want to build garage capability there. You definitely want to see us covering the world map," he said. IBM also announced Mobile at Scale for iOS, a new offering specifically for clients looking to invest in digital transformation projects that include more than three iOS apps over a multi-year period. Naghshineh said the partnership with Apple is focused on enterprises and professionals, and at the same time the company delivers solutions for its clients across the board. "Of course our partnership here is focused on enterprises and on professionals. At the same time, we deliver solutions for our clients across the board. So, when you get into a specific industry, we have a suite of apps that serves the industry," he said. IBM partnered with Apple in July 2014 to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of 'made for business' apps, bringing IBM's big data and analytics capabilities to Apple devices in the enterprise, Naghshineh said. Till date, IBM has developed over 100 apps across 15 industries and delivered nearly 2,000 client engagements, he added. The Garage will extend the design, development and delivery skills gained from IBM's partnership with Apple to serve a broader set of global clients, Naghshineh said. With financial woes forcing Air Costa and Air Pegasus to suspend their operations, the Civil Aviation Ministry today said it would examine the feasibility of any assistance if there is a request from the airlines. Air Costa today cancelled all its flight due to "aircraft issues", a week after Air Pegasus suspended operations due to financial and operational difficulties, raising concerns over the business model and viability of regional carriers. Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey told PTI that the airlines have not yet approached the ministry for assistance. "If they approach us, we will examine...What is feasible and what is not. But as of now they have not approached us," he said. An Air Costa official said the airline has suspended all its 24 flights for today due to the ongoing negotiations with aircraft lessors. The services are expected to resume tomorrow. The Vijaywada-based regional carrier has been operating 24 to 32 flights per day across nine destinations for the last couple of months. At present, it has three 112-seater Embrarer E-190 planes in its fleet. It flies mainly on southern routes, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Tirupati and Coimbatore. The airline has suspended operations at a time when the carrier's application for a pan-India air operator permit is under the consideration of aviation regulator DGCA. Bangalore-based Air Pegasus is also not operating since July 27 after its lessors took back possession of three aircraft in the wake of its failure to pay lease rentals. The lessors have also approached DGCA asking it to deregister the three planes loaned to Air Pegasus. Before suspending operations for an indefinite period, the carrier flew from Bengaluru to at least seven destinations in southern India. Air Pegasus started operations in April 2015. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had in June said the government was open to "light handholding" should any airline face financial crunch. When Spicejet found itself in trouble in early 2015, the government had lent a helping hand and saved jobs, he had said. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said the state government is in support of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and if needed, a special sitting of the Assembly will be convened to ratify the legislation. Talking to reporters at the Assembly premises, Kumar said there were lots of benefits of the GST, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha yesterday. "If need arises, we will call a special sitting of the Bihar Assembly to approve the GST legislation from the state," Kumar said and expressed hope the GST would come into effect from April 1, 2017. Kumar, who is also national president of JD(U), has expressed support for the GST Bill from the beginning and had conveyed this to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during a meeting with him recently. Getting support from the main opposition Congress, the Rajya Sabha had last night passed a Constitution Amendment Bill on GST. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 on GST has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. The GST Bill needs to be approved by Assemblies of at least half of the total 29 states. India is planning to train 400 million skilled people in the next few years under the ambitious 'Skill India' initiative to meet its requirement of skilled labour, India's High Commissioner to the UK Navtej Singh Sarna said. Sarna, who was the chief guest at a function organised by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here to celebrate India's Independence Day, said "70 years ago, there were many who questioned India's chances of survival, but it had proved them wrong because of values such as inclusivity, simplicity and truth, it followed." Noting that 50 per cent of India's population is under the age of 25, a huge amount of energy waiting to propel us forward, he said "in the next 7 to 8 years, we are expecting to achieve 99 per cent literacy. "We are planning to train 400 million skilled people in the next few years under the'Skill India' initiative to meet our requirement of skilled labour. "We have set in motion an economic direction with very clear programmes of development answering these particular challenges, he said. Similarly, 'Digital India' is the programme for a new age, and several other programmes that are aimed to harness India's huge potential. "India is fortunate to have the Constitution that it has. The men and women who gave us a Constitution displayed unparallelled imagination that kept a huge population of incredible diversity together," Sarna said. The Constitution is not a dead letter but one that kept pace with the changing times. It has been amended nearly a hundred times but has kept its basic structure, to ensure that the vision of India that existed in 1947 remains to this day. He said on Thursday we have to thank all those faceless people who made India the beacon for the world. Despite all that has been achieved and all that remains to be achieved, India is Thursday a leading example. In all of human history, a democratic experiment of this level has never been done or succeeded. The economic success and prospects of India are now well recognised by most international organisations like the IMF, the World Bank. "We have huge challenges of poverty, education and disease, but if we can't face them with our resources, and our survival instincts, not many can," he said. Noting that India's culture and tradition are priceless, the Chairman of the Bhavan Joginder Sangar said that is what it stands for. Keith Vaz, the longest serving Asian origin MP in the House of Commons described Joginder Sangar as an"unofficial Ambassador between India and the UK. Referring to Britain's vote to leave European Union, he said: now we have to look to India as main trading partner. Barry Gardiner the MP said Britain should now forge new relations with Commonwealth Countries, particularly India. The majority of contributions to Montana campaigns this cycle have come from residents, although money from out-of-state individuals and organizations may play a bigger role closer to Election Day. Contributions from outside the state have featured most prominently in campaign attacks swapped in the race between Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, and tech entrepreneur Greg Gianforte, a Republican. The House race between Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke and Democrat Denise Juneau has set campaign fundraising records, in part, by collecting beyond Montana. And although the majority of contributions to the nonpartisan Montana Supreme Court contest have been in-state, one national Republican organization has listed the race as a top priority that could translate into big advertising buys. In the gubernatorial race, Bullock has repeatedly characterized Gianforte as an outsider seeking to undermine Montana values for personal gain, noting that the $2.3 million raised by the Republican to-date includes $200,000 in loans and nearly $1 million in cash he contributed to his own campaign. Montanans deserve better than a wealthy copper king trying to buy the election, Montana Democrats spokesman Jason Pitt said in an email. Gianforte spokesman Aaron Flint did not see his candidates loans and personal contributions, nor spending that outpaced fundraising last month, as a sign of weakness. Greg is a job creator, a business man, not a career politician, Flint said. This is his first time running for office, and hes been working to get his name out there. He described their overall fundraising as clear proof of momentum behind a high-wage job creator like Gianforte, noting the Bozeman businessman has raised more money from individual contributors than Bullock since he started fundraising last August. State records show Gianforte raised $1.4 million from 5,278 itemized contributions compared to Bullocks $1.3 million from 9,400 contributions in that period. Its clear Montanans want a governor to stand up against special interests, Flint said, highlighting contributions to Bullock from individuals affiliated with groups that have lobbied against some natural resource projects on environmental grounds. Youve got Bullock taking money from Washington, D.C., and groups that are harming Montanas economy. The reality is that both sides have, to some degree, overstated the contributions of outsiders, at least those made directly to their campaigns. Of itemized individual contributions, 22 percent of those made to Gianforte were from out-of-state, as were 33 percent of donations to Bullock. That doesnt sound like a very big difference to me, Montana State University Political Scientist David Parker said. Generally speaking, contributors outside Montana are not going to have an interest in donating in a governors race. Flint suggested just 11 percent of Gianfortes contributions come from out-of-state when factoring in the donations less than $35, which are not itemized in the filings and therefore cannot be verified. A similar effect might be found in Bullocks numbers. As Parker noted is typical of state-level races, most of the out-of-state contributors appear to have professional or personal connections with the candidates. For Gianforte, that includes family in Pennsylvania, administrators from charities his family foundation has supported and tech company executives from Florida and California. For Bullock, that includes Democratic political organizers from Washington, D.C., as well as former classmates and professors from his college days in California and New York. Others, Parker said, likely have family or business ties to the state. The attacks on Bullock from the Gianforte campaign have centered on political and party committee contributions rather than money raised from individuals. Shortly after launching his campaign, Gianforte announced a campaign integrity pledge not to accept money from such committees, calling Bullock a career politician bought by special interests. Of the $2.3 million raised by Bullock to-date, just $126,107.12 has come from committees, a little over half of which list out-of-state addresses. Pitt downplayed Republican criticisms of those contributions and noted that Gianfortes pledge is deceiving. "No wonder Montanans have a hard time trusting Greg Gianforte, he wrote. He benefits from out-of-state PAC money despite saying he wouldn't accept PAC money. The Republican Governors Association has so far bought television advertisements critiquing Bullocks use of the state plane and the fundraising he did while leading the Democratic Governors Association. The Democrats group has likewise chipped in funding for an ad attacking Gianforte on public access issues. Flint repeatedly criticized Bullock for supporting campaign finance reform then accepting support from the DGA, but he did not see the jabs as hypocritical given the RGAs backing of Gianforte. Both campaigns critique the other for support from state and national party organizations beyond whats reported directly in their state filings. For instance, some of the staff working Bullocks campaign are listed as employees of the state party, posts funded in part by national group dollars, while the RGA has provided money to the state GOP for video tracking, presumably of Bullock for the benefit of Gianfortes campaign. Out-of-state contributions to Montana campaigns have been larger and more straightforward in the race between Zinke, a first-term U.S. Congressman, and his Democratic challenger, Denise Juneau, who is term-limited from her post as the Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction. Fundraising for both campaigns has outpaced contributions to previous House elections in Montana. For Zinke, that appears to have been largely because of donations solicited by consultants through mailer campaigns to known Republican contributors nationwide. A little over 80 percent of $1.7 million in itemized individual contributions made to Zinke came from donors outside Montana, according to federal election filings submitted in July. By comparison, 38 percent of Juneaus $645,717 in individual donations have been from out-of-state. Looking instead at the number of contributors, 89 percent of those who donated to Zinkes campaign listed out-of-state addresses compared to 19 percent for Juneau. Because contributions less than $200 do not have to be itemized, it is unclear how those percentages would change if Zinkes $1.3 million in small contributions and Juneaus $300,574 were to be included. Campaign spokeswoman Lauren Caldwell said the fact more Montanans have donated to Juneaus campaign than Zinkes re-election effort is proof that residents want change. The momentum and support for our campaign is remarkable, she wrote in an email. Everyday Montanans are contributing to this campaign because theyre ready for a real leader in the House. The Zinke campaign has previously attributed the significant out-of-state support to the congressmans leadership, particularly on issues of national security and as he secured a speaking spot at the recent Republican National Convention, not as evidence of reduced local backing. Rep. Zinke enjoys an incredibly wide base of support from Montanans and that will prove itself on Election Day, the campaign said in a Tuesday statement. Parker said the overall level of fundraising and the large share of out-of-state contributions, particularly those to Zinkes campaign, more closely track with norms for U.S. Senate races. National Democrats have listed the seat as one they need to flip in order to gain a majority in the House, suggesting groups will spend money on advertising in the race, contribute to the campaigns directly and provide on-the-ground political support. To date, not much of that has materialized. Juneau has so far only received $15,024 from party committees and $182,420 from other political action committees, while Zinke has received $2,000 and $473,797 respectively. Another Montana election where big spending was expected by outside groups, but has not yet materialized is the race for Montana Supreme Court. Cascade County District Judge Dirk Sandefur reports having about $75,000 left in the bank after spending more than $210,000 to-date, primarily on television and radio ads. Kristen Juras, an adjunct law professor at the University of Montana, has about $7,000 in the bank after spending nearly $90,000 so far, largely on print mailers and yard signs. Although the race is nonpartisan, conservative-leaning groups have endorsed Juras. The same groups spent more than $1.1 million in a 2014 contest for a Montana Supreme Court seat. But so far this cycle, their related political action committees registered in Montana hold just a few hundred in the bank while the national organizations that fund them have spent most of their money raised to-date on other primaries. Parker said its unclear why there has been limited outside spending so far, but there are two most likely reasons: The groups dont see the Montana races as competitive as initially anticipated and will scale down financial investments accordingly, or it is still too early. The way you work a campaign, you schedule from November back, he said. The spending should start picking up soon, in August right around when kids go back to school. Indian ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae today congratulated its newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. Ambassador Rae called on the newly elected 61-year-old Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) chairperson Prachanda at latter's residence at Lazimpat. On the occasion, Ambassador Rae congratulated Prachanda on his election to the post of Prime Minister and wished for his successful tenure, according to sources close to the Prime Minister. Yesterday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had telephoned Prachanda and congratulated him on his election to the top executive post and also invited him to visit India. This is the second time the Maoist chief has become Prime Minister after his brief stint with premiership came to an end in 2009. Indian-American Pramila Jayapal has swept an open Congressional primary in Washington State and could make history as the first woman from the community to be elected to the US House of Representatives if she wins the November general election. Born in India and raised in Indonesia and Singapore, 50-year-old Jayapal would be facing either of the two candidates she defeated in the open primary by more than 16 per cent. Besides Pramila there are three other serious Indian-American contenders for seat in US House of Representatives. Ami Bera is seeking his third term from California. He is the only Indian American in the current Congress. Two others running for a House seat are Raja Krishnamoorthi from a suburb of Chicago and Ro Khanna from Silicon Valley. All four are considered to have a bright chance of winning the November general elections. Running from the seventh Congressional district in Washington State, Jayapal swept the Tuesday night open primary with 38.2 per cent of the votes. Her two other rivals were Joe McDermott (21.5 per cent) and Brady Walkinshaw (20.9). "Thank you so much to the voters of the 7th Congressional District! You have fueled the flame of our movement with the clear belief that we together can and will reclaim our government to work for all of us!" Jayapal told her supporters at a victory speech. Jayapal was endorsed by former Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders. "Pramila just proved that candidates can run a strong progressive campaign funded by small-dollar donors and win big," Sanders said. "The people-powered movement that propelled our campaign to victory in states around the country is already changing how campaigns are run up and down the ticket," he added. Jayapal trailed early in the race, but saw a steady climb in the polls following Sanders' endorsement on April 13. In addition to campaigning with her, the Vermont senator helped Jayapal raise USD 226,000 from 27,692 individual donations and recruited volunteers to make 140,314 phone calls and knock doors. "When you think of the political revolution, I want you to think about Pramila," Sanders said. Jayapal has spent the last 20 years working both internationally and domestically as a leading national advocate for human rights. She led one of the largest voter registration efforts in Washington State, helping over 23,000 new Americans to register to vote. In May 2013, she was recognised as a White House "Champion of Change". A Chennai-born Malayali, she came to the US in 1982 to attend Georgetown University. She worked on Wall Street as a financial analyst and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University. After working in the medical equipment industry for a year she found her passion in the social justice arena. She now lives in Seattle. A 30-year-old Indian chef was punched repeatedly in the face and called "ISIS" by an unidentified man in an alleged hate crime incident in the US city of Omaha. Suthahar Subburaj, who works as a chef at an Indian restaurant in Omaha, was attacked last month while he was taking out trash for work. A man wearing a black hoodie punched Subburaj multiple times in his forehead, face, mouth and kicked him in the leg, according to a report in 'The Omaha World-Herald' quoting police officials. Using abusive language, the man shouted at Subburaj, saying, "ISIS, get out of my country" and fled from the scene, the report said. An advocacy organisation for Hindu Americans have voiced concern over growing "xenophobia" towards people of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent. Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) have condemned the attack, calling it a hate crime. "Subburaj is a victim of the growing xenophobia towards people across the country of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent, citizens and recent immigrants alike," said Jay Kansara, HAF Director of Government Relations. "Law enforcement and government authorities must work closely with local community members of all racial and religious backgrounds in order to effectively address these types of attacks on innocent people and confront the hate and ignorance that fuel them," Kansara said. Local police are investigating the incident as a hate crime based on religion, HAF said, adding it is monitoring the case. Subburaj has been living alone in Omaha for about two years. He hopes his attacker is punished, but is also taught about different religions and races. "His motivation and why he beat me, I don't have an answer for that," Subburaj said. The Anti-Defamation League condemned the possible hate crime in a press release. "We must all stand together against bigotry, hatred and prejudice," regional director Mary-Beth Muskin said. "We urge law enforcement to investigate this incident as a possible hate crime and hope that the perpetrator will be apprehended swiftly and brought to justice," Muskin said. An Indian construction worker in Singapore was today sentenced to two years in jail for having sex three times with a 13-year-old girl who became pregnant as a result and underwent an abortion. Vellakkanu Raja, 24, admitted to three counts of sexual assault in February, August and October last year, reported the Straits Times. Three other charges of digital penetration were taken into consideration in sentencing. On May 28 last year, the girl ran away from home. Her mother lodged a police report the next day. The girl's mother also told Raja to stop seeing her daughter, who was still schooling. But they continued to meet. The girl told her mother in January this year that she might be pregnant. A polyclinic confirmed that she was. Raja was arrested at Changi Airport on January 23 for trying to leave the country. The girl underwent an abortion when she was 23 weeks pregnant. Defence counsel said it was the victim who sought out his client by giving him a missed call on his mobile phone, and initiated contact with him by calling him to meet up. He said they were in a "genuine and loving relationship". Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana said the accused continued to seek out the victim despite her mother and cousin warning him. She said it was utterly incredible for the defence to characterise the relationship as a case where the accused merely succumbed to the victim's advances. Raja could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each charge of sexual penetration of a minor. An Indian-origin cancer expert who was recently knighted by Queen Elizabeth II today warned against London losing out on scientific talent in the wake of Brexit. Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, was speaking at the launch of a new 650-million-pound Francis Crick Institute biomedical research centre in London. "The Crick will be a place that absolutely attracts the very best people from across the world. We need to make it as easy as possible for that to happen. That is true pre- and post-Brexit. That is absolutely critical for us," Kumar said. "The fundamental point is that we are all about attracting the best and brightest scientists from wherever they are. That is what underpins fresh thinking and fresh ideas. Science is also dependent on bringing these different perspectives together," he told the Evening Standard. Theinstitute is the biggest biomedical research facility in Europe and a partnership between the UK's Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust, University College London, Imperial College London and King's College London. Cancer Research UK contributed 160 million pounds towards the Crick's landmark new building, beside the famous British Library in King's Cross area of London. "Its one of the biggest fundraising campaigns ever successfully concluded in the UK. If you put to one side Oxford and Cambridge [universities], there aren't many that have been at this sort of level. Its a brilliant new project," Kumar said. Following Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU) in the June 23 referendum, there have been some concerns of the impact on joint UK-Europe research projects and ease of bringing in European scientists to conduct research in the UK. The construction work on the new institute has been completed this week, with the first of its 1,250 scientists set to move in over the next month. The new facility will open to the public next year. "Its essentially a research discovery institute, it unleashes the curiosity of individual scientists," said Paul Nurse, director of the Crick, as it will be known. The institute, named after Francis Crick - the British scientist who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in medicine with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins for his work on the structure of DNA - will have a budget of about 130 million pounds to seek breakthrough therapies. An interstate woman gang allegedly involved in a number of burglaries was busted by the local police with the arrest of eight women and two men, police said today. The accused were arrested yesterday by a special police team at Ridhi-Sidhi colony on Bunedi road under Kunhadi police station area, they said. "We got suspicious of their movements. They were brought to Kunhadi police station for interrogation during which they admitted to having committed several incidents of burglaries in Kota and other cities as well," Superintendent of Police Sawai Singh Godara said. The women members of the gang are Neelu alias Bhuri, Sajani (gang leaders), Kali, Kanta, Kanu, Annu, Sheela and Dhanni. The other two arrested are Dolatram Kanjar and Jubbi alias Sumit. All the accused are residents of Vijaynagar of Ajmer district, police said. During the initial interrogation, they admitted to having committed burglaries in Kota, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Delhi, Kanpur, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Goa, Walsaad, Surat, Ratlam and Ujjan, the SP said. "The gang carried out burglaries in the wee hours when police patrolling retires and changed cities in every few days. Also, the women members of the gang sold toys and men sold shoe polish to evade suspicion," said Godara. The gang members were earlier arrested in Delhi but following the admission of crime and a few months in jail they were released. The accussed weretodayproduced before a local court which sent them to one-day police remand, police said. The Islamic State militant group is "weakening" inside in its stronghold of Mosul city in Iraq, the Pentagon has said but acknowledged that it would take a while before the city can fall. "We see them weakening inside Mosul. How much? Clearly, that's what we're trying to figure out," Col Christopher Garver, spokesman of coalition forces in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters during a video conference here. "But we do see some indications that morale is lower, we see indications that morale of the civilians inside Mosul is lower as well," Garver said. Islamic State, he said, has started cutting off internet access and really access to the outside world for the citizens inside Mosul. They are afraid that citizens of Iraqi citizens inside Mosul are going to communicate with the Iraqi Security Forces. "We've seen that fear in ISIS, in Daesh. We saw that in Ramadi, we saw that in Fallujah. We're seeing those reflections kind of we see those indicators inside Mosul as well," Garver said, adding that the coalition has seen continued execution of Daesh leaders by their senior commanders for lack of success of failure on the battlefield. "We hear indications in the press, in the open sources as well, that they're not happy with the state of the operation. They weren't happy with the state of the operation down in Fallujah and they're not happy with where they are in Mosul," he said. Acknowledging that the fight in Mosul is not going to be an easy one, Garver anticipate that somewhere between 5,000 or so fighters are inside this Iraqi city. "We are going to continue to try to shrink that number down before the ground assault comes," he said. "But we're still anticipating a tough fight. We know that they consider this one of the two capitals of the so-called caliphate. It's the capital inside Iraq, it's the largest cities still held in Iraq," he added. "Clearly, all eyes are kind of focused on Mosul right now, so not only would it be a significant physical loss, but the loss of prestige, as we saw after Fallujah, as we saw after Ramadi. Their reputation as they try to manage it is going to take a big hit when Mosul does fall," Garver said. According to Garver, coalition forces have completed a more technical assessment of the Qayyarah West Base and Airfield. The more important part of the base for the next phase of the operation is the base itself and not the runway. "The buildout of the base as a logistics hub and as a life support area for Iraqi forces as they prepare for the eventual assault into Mosul is the first priority," he said. In the past 72 hours, the coalition has conducted six strikes along the Euphrates in support of the ISF, he said. In Northern Mosul the coalition conducted a strike on August 1st against a foreign fighter accommodation and meeting facility that also served as a training site, he added. Israeli forces today razed the southern West Bank homes of two Palestinian gunmen who shot dead four Israelis at a trendy Tel Aviv cafe in June, the army said. "Overnight in accordance with government directives security forces demolished the residences of the two terrorists who carried out the terror attack at the Sarona market on June 8, killing four civilians and wounding several more," a military spokeswoman said. The Yatta home of Mohammad Makhamrah was blown up, with the windows of nearby homes shattered by the explosion. The second story of a building where Khaled Makhamrah's family lived a short distance away was demolished by an excavator, witnesses told AFP. The pair, who are cousins, were charged last month at the Tel Aviv district court for murder, conspiring to murder and attempted murder. A third suspect also from Yatta, south of Hebron, was charged over allegedly providing them with guns. Video footage from the June attack showed the two men walking into a popular Tel Aviv cafe wearing black suits, before opening fire on customers at random. Three people were shot dead, while a fourth died of a heart attack and 15 others were wounded. According to the Shin Bet domestic security agency, the assault was planned after a July 2015 arson attack by Jewish extremists in the West Bank that killed three members of a Palestinian family, including an 18-month-old baby. Khaled Makhamrah had wanted to carry out "a revenge attack against Israel in the name of the Islamic State" group during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Shin Bet said last month. Today, bystanders gathered around the rubble of what used to be his house, as a Yatta municipality bulldozer cleared the road. Ammar Makhamrah, a relative of Khaled who lives next to the demolished home, told AFP the Israeli army had given family members time to leave the building and take furniture before razing it. A short distance away, Mohammad Makhamrah's mother was consoled by women from her family in a building near the rubble that used to be home to her and 10 other relatives. Israel routinely demolishes homes of Palestinian assailants in what it says is a means to deter further attacks. Israeli forces also seized four gun-making devices overnight, a military statement read, bringing the number of such machines seized throughout the occupied West Bank to 27, with 235 firearms taken. Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 219 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. It is not a battle between the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister, but a fight of interpretations, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today said, even as he asked whether the people of Delhi should now go to "elected representatives" or a "selected few". He was reacting to the Delhi High Court ruling as per which the national capital continues to remain a Union Territory under the Constitution with the Lieutenant Governor as its administrative head. "While we respect the verdict given by the honourable High Court, they must have assessed all the considerations. But, we respectfully disagree with the verdict. And, the Constitution gives us the right to do so. "Now this situation raises a bigger question in our democracy. Should the two crore people of Delhi now go to their MLAs or LG for reporting corruption and for developmental works. Why were these people's representatives elected with so much expenditure?" Sisodia asked. At a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, the Deputy Chief Minister contended that Delhi is a UT with a legislature. He also quoted sections from notifications on the Right To Education and Transaction Business Rights giving Constitutional provision to treat Delhi as so. "The Constitution is supreme and people are the super boss of Constitution. It begins with 'We the People...' and therefore, we will approach the Supreme Court. But, our government will run as it has been," he said. Alluding to the judgement, he said, now this would have severe ramifications. "It means, the Delhi government has no right to probe irregularity in CNG fitness (scam). Any scam in DDCA cannot be probed by us even though future of sportspersons be jeopardised. Farmers' compensation cannot be hiked, and we cannot appoint directors in the board in power companies, so people wouldn't be able to get compensation as they could get earlier, for any violation," he said. "Media keep showing it is Jung vs Kejriwal or LG vs CM issue... But, it is not Jung vs Kejriwal or about LG vs CM, it's a fight of interpretations. It is about whether Delhi residents would be run by a government of elected people or a selected few. This is the fundamental question with which we will go to the Supreme Court," he said. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today alleged DMK chief Karunanidhi had years ago said more quality liquor should be produced and blamed his regime for lifting dry law, affirming that her government was firm in implementing phased prohibition. Targeting the opposition DMK over prohibition in the Assembly, Jayalalithaa told Excise and Prohibition Minister P Thangamani that he should make it clear that it was Karunanidhi who had lifted dry law in the state as the younger generation was not aware of the whole truth about it. Replying to the demand for grant to his department, the Minister was tracing the history of prohibition and its relaxation in Tamil Nadu when she intervened. After her remark, DMK Deputy Leader Duraimurugan urged Speaker P Dhanapal to give him permission to air his views. Dhanapal said he would get his chance after the Minister's reply. Intervening, Jayalalithaa said in August 1971, Karunanidhi lifted prohibition and shops vending IMFL, arrack and toddy were opened across the state. "In 2007, when members of several parties said in Tamil Nadu Assembly that illicit liquor should be eradicated the then Chief Minister Karunanidhi had said that illicit liquor cannot be eradicated," she said. Karunanidhi had also said "if we (the State) have to compete with other countries we should produce more quality alcoholic beverages and through that alone we could win (situation) and there was no other way out considering the present day world culture." "This is the true opinion of Karunanidhi on prohibition. However, as far as I am concerned, I am firm in phased implementation of prohibition," she said. She recalled the closure of 500 Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) liquor outlets and reducing working hours of such shops by two hours after she assumed office again this year. Duraimurugan again urged the Speaker to allow him to speak. The Speaker reiterated that he would get his chance later after the Minister's reply. Unsatisfied by the Speaker's reply, Duraimurugan led the DMK members in staging a walkout. (REOPENS MES3) After DMK members walked out, Jayalalithaa said previously Speaker Dhanapal had to deploy marshals to evict Opposition members who indulged in ruckus. "Now all that is not necessary. Utterance of two words are sufficient. Mention of Katchatheevu and prohibition are the two things. Opposition members troop out of the House. I have made your job easy," she told the Speaker who thanked her for it. On her advice to Thangamani to spell out that it was Karunanidhi who had lifted prohibition, she said she had every right to advise her Minister. Referring to Opposition members who render advice to each other by moving around, she said, she cannot do it. "I cannot run, sit beside the Minister and render advice. Hence, I gave him my advice through you which is within the rules of the House," she said. On the twin issues of Katchatheevu and prohibition, sharp exchanges have been witnessed between the ruling AIADMK and Opposition DMK in the past. Later, Thangamani referred to the DMK's criticism against AIADMK members and said, "a criticism was made, yes we are bound by the love of our Amma (Jayalalithaa), we are slaves to our Amma's love, we are not worried about what they (DMK) say," adding all the 1.5 crore members of AIADMK would carry out her diktat. Likening them to sepoys in the Army who carry out the orders of superiors faithfully with discipline, he said they were like jawans who carry out the Chief Minister's instructions. Yesterday, after a ruling party member made the "scarecrow," remark, drawing an angry response from DMK, Leader of Opposition (DMK) M K Stalin made a remark against the ruling party members. Thangamani made the observation referring to Stalin's criticism. Blaming Karunanidhi regime for relaxing prohibition, he said the DMK chief had even taken jibes at a former woman (Congress) MLA, Ananthanayagi who had stood against relaxation of prohibition in Tamil Nadu. She had said that liquor would affect the oppressed and backward people. "He (Karunanidhi) however had told her that she cannot deceive him by referring to the oppressed people," the Minister said. He also referred to the opposition from the then allies of DMK like Lathif of IUML against lifting prohibition. (REOPENS MDS10) Asked when Jayalalithaa, who has now spent more than a month at the hospital, will be discharged, Reddy said it was up to the Chief Minister to decide. "She will ask us very soon when am I going home. I believe it must be on top of her mind...When to go home is a small thing. These decisions will be made by her and we will coordinate," he said. "It will be not too long before she sees all of you," he said. Reddy said the "most important part of the treatment has been very successful" and that Jayalalithaa and her attendants were happy in every respect. He hailed the team of doctors, saying their combined effort had made "this excellent progress in managing the health of our dear Chief Minister." He expressed joy over Jayalalithaa's progress and said a big team, including doctors and others, had contributed towards this, adding he was happy to have given Jayalalithaa the "world's best health care facilities." "You know, the hospital has done some part and millions of people across the nation prayed for her and all those prayers have done (their bit) in bringing the recovery." "We all must say the prayers and the doctors' team at Apollo and the doctors who visited from AIIMS and England (Richard John Beale)-- all of them have given the best for her recovery today," Reddy said. AIADMK spokesperson C R Saraswathy also said that Jayalalithaa would return home soon. The party chief was "taking normal food" three times a day and was doing her chores, she said. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today termed as "illegal" the order of SDM banning public meetings and protest near the Chief Minister's residence and said strict action would be taken against him for violating the law. He said that only officers of DCP rank and above can issue order under Section 144 of CrPC under the Police Act. North DCP Madhur Verma has also asked the SDM to withdraw his order pointing that it was "unnecessary interference" in the working of police. Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) B K Jha yesterday issued an order under Section 144 of the CrPC, restricting demonstrations, making of speech by any political party for 30 days outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Flag Staff Road in North Delhi's Civil Line area. "The order is illegal because under police commissioner system, the SDM cannot issue an order under Section 144 of CrPC. We will pull up the magistrate. "He is liable for action for violating the law," Jung told reporters here. "If LG is sitting in his office, he imposes Section 144. Tell me can I do it? Despite the fact that the police commissioner reports to me, I cannot impose Section 144 in a particular area. Under Police Act, a Deputy Commissioner of Police can do it," the Lt Governor further said. In view of "serious and law and order problems", Jha, a DANICS officer, had imposed ban on public meetings, dharnas, slogans near the CM's residence. "It has been reported that various political parties and pressure groups may hold protests, demonstrations, dharnas, processions etc on political and others issues in front, near or around the residence of the chief minister, GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), which may create serious law & order problems...," the SDM said. "These protests need to be prohibited in order to "prevent public nuisance, obstruction to traffic and persons, danger to inhuman lives or safety and public property," the SDM (Civil Lines) had said in his order. Asking Jha to withdraw his yesterday's order, Madhur Verma said that "a letter has been written to SDM Civil Lines to withdraw his order as it amounts to unnecessary interference in the working of Delhi Police and is beyond the domain of powers of SDM in Delhi. Verma, the officer whose North Delhi police district covers Chief Minister's residence, said that order issued by SDM Civil Lines, on August 2 is in violation of Ministry of Home Affairs' order, dated July 1, 1978, according to which powers and duties of Executive Magistrate and District Magistrate under section 144 CrPC within Delhi are given to Commissioner of Delhi Police. Members of All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee, a body of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, today staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here to express solidarity with the government employees from the community who have returned from Kashmir Valley in the wake of violence. "Separatists are calling the shots after violence erupted in Kashmir on July 8 following Burhan Wani's killing... Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley have been forced to leave their homes," Ravinder Pandita, the chief of APMCC Delhi-NCR, told reporters. "The situation in Kashmir is grave and the government should not remain a silent spectator. Isn't it ashamed that Kashmiri Pandits are in exile for last 27 years?" Manish Zijoo, a protester said. The protesters also submitted a memorandum of demands at the offices of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Kashmiri Pandit workers employed with the government have refused to return to the Valley after the alleged stone- pelting on their transit camp and are protesting at the Relief Commissioners Office in Jammu. More than 1,600 displaced Kashmiri Hindu youths had been recruited under Prime Minister's special employment package and posted to Kashmir Valley "voluntarily". Most of these employees escaped from Haal transit accommodation in Pulwama, Baramulla, Kupwara transit camps, besides Vessu and Mattan KP employees colonies in Anantnag district after the unrest began and managed to reach Jammu. Chhattisgarh police have arrested a youth from Jammu and Kashmir on sedition charge for posting anti-India content on his Facebook account. Tauseef Ahmad Bhat, who works with a mobile company in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, was arrested by the police last night, Durg range Inspector General of Police Dipanshu Kabra said. A group of local youths had lodged a complaint on August 2 that Bhat had shared anti-India content on the social media, the IG said. After a preliminaryinvestigation, a team of Durg police nabbed him from Jammu-Tawi Express at Sagar railway station in Madhya Pradesh when he was on his way to Kashmir. A native of Sopore, Bhat graduated from a private engineering college in Bhilai in Durg district. He has been booked under section 124 (a) of IPC (sedition), the IG said. BJP today asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to seek a fresh mandate in Delhi, saying his government has "no moral right" to continue after the high court declared severals of its orders "illegal" and ruled that the Lt Governor was the city's administrative head. Taunting Kejriwal over his ongoing 'vipassana' course during which he keeps away from public eye, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said he deliberately went for the exercise now as as he knew that the verdict was due today and the court was to rule against his "illegal and unconstitutional" moves. "AAP has received slap on its face from the legal system. It had been misleading people of Delhi and doing this drama that the Centre was not allowing its government (to function). They are very cunning people. Kejriwal knew that such a verdict was coming today and he went into hiding in the name of 'vipassana'. "A man who worships power and comments on all issues under the Sun is keeping away on the pretext of 'vipassana'. Knowing everything, he took unconstitutional and illegal decisions. He should face the people again. This government has no moral right to continue," Patra told reporters here. Another party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said the least the AAP government should do is to tender an apology to the people of Delhi for "misleading" them. "This is the most corrupt and insensitive government people have seen. It should go back to the people of Delhi to seek a fresh mandate," he told reporters, adding that 21 AAP MLAs were facing disqualification over the charge of holding the office of profit. Referring to Kejriwal's bitter attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he called him a "psychopath and coward", Patra said the high court verdict had exposed him. Claiming that he had also accused Modi of treating the Delhi government like Pakistan, Patra said both he and Pakistan were exposed today, a reference to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's attack on Pakistan over terrorism in his address at South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Interiors Ministers Conference in Islamabad. Rejecting AAP leaders' criticism of the judgement as "objectionable", he said the court had only stated what is there in the Constitution. The high court said the LG is the administrative head of National Capital Territory and the AAP government's contention that he was bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". The decision came after months of turf war between LG Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Kejriwal. The only consolation to the AAP government in today's Delhi High Court verdict was the ruling that the LG has to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers while exercising the power to appoint a special public prosecutor (SPP) for any case. This ruling assumes significance, as of late various criminal matters in the high court and trial courts have witnessed heated arguments between prosecutors appointed by the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor, as to who would represent the state or police. "...We are of the view that it is not open to the Lieutenant Governor to appoint the special public prosecutor on his own without seeking aid and advice of the Council of Ministers," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said. The bench said the LG does not act 'eo-nominee' (by or under that name) but exercises the executive functions of the state. "As a corollary, the exercise of the functions relating to the said subject by the LG under Article 239AA(4) of the Constitution shall be on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head," it said. "Hence, we are unable to accept the contention of the Union of India that the Council of Ministers have no role to play in exercise of the powers under Section 24(8) of CrPC. "In our considered opinion, the LG under Section 24(8) of CrPC does not act eo-nominee but exercises the executive functions of the state. Hence, the said power has to be exercised on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers in terms of Clause (4) of Article 239AA of the Constitution," the bench said. Section 24(8) of CrPC empowers the state government to appointing an SPP for any case. The bench decided the issue while disposing of a petition by the AAP government challenging a special judge order rejecting the Delhi government-appointed SPP to prosecute the accused in the Rs 100-crore CNG fitness scam case. American defence major Lockheed Martin today said it has offered to move its lone production line of the latest version of fighter aircraft F 16-Block 70 to India from Texas to meet Indian and global requirement. However, the company made it clear the proposal is "conditional" to IAF choosing the world's largest-sold fighter aircraft for its fleet. "The offer we have given to the Indian government is unmatched and from our side unprecedented," Randall L Howard, F16 Business Development head at Lockheed Martin, said here. Interacting with mediapersons here, Howard said the company wants to make F 16-Block 70 "for India, from India and export to the world". However, he parried questions on whether the company is willing to give a commitment not to sell F16s to Pakistan saying it will be part of discussions between the Indian and American governments. Asked if the offer to move the production line from Fort Worth to India is conditional to IAF picking up the aircraft for its fleet, Abhay Paranjape, National Executive, India said, "Yes". He said it is conditional to assured orders from the Indian Air Force which is looking to acquire new aircraft to beef up its depleting strength. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said India will choose at least one more aircraft, besides the indigenous Tejas, for the IAF through the 'Make in India' route. Lockheed Martin, which has sold 4,588 F16s in the world, faces competition from its American rival Boeing (F/A-18E), Dassault Aviation of France (Rafale), Swedish plane Gripen by Saab and the Eurofighter. All the companies have offered to set up a production facility here. "But we are offering not only moving the lone production line to India but also meeting the global requirement through the same unit here," Howard said, adding it is a "win-win situation". Arguing the F 16-Block 70 will be the best fighter aircraft in the Indian region, he said, "It is critical for you to pick up a partner who will deliver on his promise". Howard said the company is having multiple discussions with the government here besides the industry and "they have not been told to go away", indicating the discussions are on. He added Lockheed believes the production in India will also bring down the cost of the aircraft which in turn will increase its global demand. The Mahad tragedy is turning out to be huge one with 14 bodies having been recovered from Savitri river so far during search operations launched after two buses and some private vehicles got swept away following collapse of a British-era bridge on Tuesday night. Chief Minster Devendra Fadnavis, however, said in the Legislative Assembly that 8 bodies were recovered so far and 42 people are missing. "Fourteen bodies have been found today. Of them, three are of women and 11 of men. Most of the bodies were found within the periphery of 15 kms (from the site of bridge collapse), while the farther limit where some bodies were found is 45 kms. "We have asked all villages located on the banks of the river to alert administration if they happen to spot any body floating in river," Raigad district Residential Deputy Collector, Satish Bagal told PTI tonight. Raigad district Additional SP Sanjay Patil also confirmed that 14 bodies have been found so far. Making a statement in Assembly in evening, the CM said, "Eight bodies have been found while 42 people are still missing in Mahad tragedy." He said the government has decided to give Rs 5 lakh to kin of the deceased in the tragedy. The government has already announced that the kin of the deceased staff members of two state-run buses would either be given job or compensation of Rs 10 lakh each. Fadnavis said that apart from two state-run buses, a Tavera and a Honda City car had also fallen into river after the bridge crumbled on Tuesday night. The British-era bridge is located on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad, about 170 km from Mumbai. Prima facie, the river, which turned into torrent due to heavy downpour in its catchment area in Mahabaleshwar, weakened the foundations of the nearly-century-old bridge, which ultimately gave way on Tuesday night. Among the deceased whose bodies are found are Shrikant Kamble (53), who was at the wheel of Jaigad-Mumbai bus, and Rajapur-Borivali bus conductor, Prabhakar Baburao Shinde. While Kamble's body was found at far away Anjarle in Ratnagiri district, that of Shinde was found at Kemburli near Mahad. "The bodies of two women - Shevanti Mirgal and Sneha Baikar - who were travelling in Tavera car were recovered from Harihareshwar in Raigad district and at Rajewadi near Mahad respectively," Bagal said, adding that the body of the third woman, Ranjana Vaje, was recovered from Kemburli. About 20 boats with nearly 160 personnel of Coast Guard, NDRF, and Navy, apart from local fishermen and rafters, are at the work to find the remains of the two buses and other vehicles, which are also suspected to have been swept away. Earlier today, a 300-kg magnet was lowered in the waters with the help of a crane to trace the missing buses. In the state Assembly, Fadnavis announced a judicial probe into the incident. Opposition Leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil alleged the government machinery showed negligence which led to the tragedy. A court in Hyderabad on Thursday posted to September 2, the two cheque bounce cases filed against beleaguered businessman by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. Third Special Court Magistrate M Krishna Rao had on April 20 convicted Mallya and others in connection with two cheque bounce cases involving Rs 50 lakhs each under relevant sections of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The order on the quantum of punishment was adjourned for the sixth time today as reports on warrants issued against A Raghunathan, a senior official of the company (Kingfisher), was still awaited. The matter relates to cheques issued by Kingfisher Airlines Ltd to GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, towards charges for using the facilities at the airport for Kingfisher Airlines flights. The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants against Kingfisher Airlines, its chairman Mallya and A Raghunathan, on the ground of dishonouring the two cheques. Police in its report filed earlier before the court had said that the warrants were not executed against the company and . As the NBWs are still pending against A Raghunathan, the court today directed GMR to furnish fresh addresses of the company and for execution of the warrants. The court had earlier said that before imposing the quantum of punishment, it would hear the plea of the convicts (Vijay Mallya and others, who have so far not appeared/attended the court) and then pass its order with regard to sentencing them or imposing fine or both. As per the GMR counsel, a total of 17 cases have been filed against Kingfisher Airlines in different courts over outstanding amount of Rs 22.5 crore, which it owes to GMR. The cases are in different stages of trial. A two-member fact finding a team of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) today verified the socio-economic condition of Juang tribals of Nagada village in Odisha's Jajpur district where at least 19 kids died allegedly of . "Development programmes need to be taken up in Nagada village where from reports of alleged deaths have come. There are no facilities on the hilltop and no road connectivity either. People have to walk long distances for every small need," said Rupak Choudhury, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Stating that the fact finding team would submit its report to the government soon, Choudhury said the Ministry had sent the team to Nagada as the victims belonged to Juang tribal community. The MoTA team's visit came two days after the visit of a five-member team of the Union Health Ministry to the hilltop village. Though satisfied over the steps taken in the aftermath of the deaths, the team suggested the state government to take up long-term social welfare programmes in the region. A management graduate allegedly duped a bank in Mumbai of Rs 2 crore on the basis of a fake beneficiary certificate of Maharashtra Security Guard Board following which he was arrested by Crime Branch from Akash Vihar in west Delhi, police said today. Shailesh Harender Sinha alias Pawan Saxena (43) was in hiding at Akash Vihar in Bakkarwala from where he was arrested by a team of Crime Branch on being approached by Mumbai police, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch). Shailesh and his associates Amit Patel and Samir Kapadia had opened an account in the name of 'Proven Traders Pvt Ltd' at Corporation Bank, Gokhle Road, Dadar in Mumbai, where provident fund collections of Security Guard Board, Maharashtra, were deposited. Later, they allegedly forged a beneficiary certificate issued by Security Guard Board, Maharashtra, in favour of 'Proven Traders Pvt Ltd' at the bank and got a loan of Rs 2 crore sanctioned using the fake document, he said. A case was registered in this regard at Dadar police station and the accused were absconding. Shailesh is also wanted in similar case in which Union Bank of India was duped of Rs 3 crore, registered at Panvel City police station in Mumbai, he said. Shailesh completed his MBA in finance from a Patna college in 2003 and later worked as an assistant sales manager. However, in 2006 he left job and tried his hand in a plastic business which failed after which he started working as a broker of bank loans. In 2013, he was arrested in connection with a cheating case involving State Bank of Mysore worth Rs 30 lakh and Bhandari Cooperative Bank to the tune of Rs 6 lakh, he added. President Barack Obama on Wednesday commuted the sentence of a Billings woman sent to federal prison on drug convictions in 2006. Lucille Mae Morse was found guilty in a drug case in 2006 and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, a term that was double what she normally would have received because she had a prior drug conviction. Senior U.S. District Judge Jack Shanstrom sentenced Morse, then 46, to a minimum mandatory 20 years on two counts and to shorter terms on other counts, all to run concurrently. "These sentences are very, very harsh," Shanstrom said, during Morse's Nov. 29, 2006, sentencing, according to Gazette archives. "Congress has made them that way. I do not have discretion." A jury convicted Morse after a two-day trial of seven counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. She was acquitted on two counts of meth distribution. Because she had a felony drug conviction in 1984, Morse faced a doubling of the minimum mandatory 10-year term by law. Morse completed a deferred sentence in the earlier drug case and had an extensive misdemeanor record. Morse said there was "nothing else to say except that I'm an addict," Gazette archives show. The government alleged Morse's drug activity occurred in Billings in 2003 and 2004. The commutation grant states that Morse's prison sentence will expire on Aug. 3, 2018, on the condition she enroll in residential drug treatment. Morse was one of 214 federal prisoners whose sentences were shortened by Obama on Wednesday. Obama also shortened the sentence of Douglas George Jensen of Whitefish, who was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in February 2004. The commutation grant states that Jensen's prison sentence will expire on Aug. 3, 2018, on the condition he enroll in residential drug treatment. Former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya has described Congress UP chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit as discard from Delhi, drawing sharp reaction from her party leaders today. "Sheila Dikshit is a rejected 'maal' of Delhi whom Congress party has put up in Uttar Pradesh," Maurya told reporters here on Sunday. As the video of his remarks went viral on social media, Congress today lashed out at Maurya for his "sexist remark" and protested before Ekona police station here demanding lodging of an FIR against him. "If the FIR is not registered, we will intensify our protest," Congress leader Dilip Sharma told PTI. He said that he had submitted a complaint to the police in which he said using such expressions against a woman was tantamount to criminal offence. Maurya, who quit Mayawati's party and formed Loktantrik Bahujan Manch, was here to meet his supporters to garner support for his rally in Lucknow next month. "That party (Congress) talks about youth, but in such a big state like Uttar Pradesh they could not find a single young face and out of compulsion they had to project a rejected 'maal' of Delhi who has lost mass support as its chief ministerial candidate," Maurya had said. The former BSP leader said Congress has completely lost its support among people and projection of Dikshit as the chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh Assembly 2017 polls proved this. "This shows the thinking of Congress party ...This proves they have dearth of leaders...The face which had failed in Delhi is being put up in UP...The party which is dreaming of forming government is in the dark," Maurya said. UP Congress Secretary Bhagat Ram Mishra said Maurya was in the habit of "speaking against Brahmins". "This is not the first time that he (Maurya) is talking like his. He has been speaking against Brahmins in the past too," Mishra said. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Thursday launched a vitriolic attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), alleging that on one hand they talk of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas', but on the other target Dalits and Muslims in the name of 'gau raksha' (cow protection). "BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), RSS, Shiv Sena and their other organisations, under a well thought out plan first targeted Muslims in the name of cow protection and now they are targeting Dalits," she alleged while addressing a Dalit gathering after meeting family members of the victims in Ahmedabad. "Narendra Modi, who belongs to Gujarat, says 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas', but in reality there is no development for Dalits, only few industrialists and businessmen are getting the fruits of development," she said. She warned the BJP and the RSS to stop committing atrocities against Dalits as they are not going to tolerate it anymore. Mayawati asked Dalits to form an alliance with Muslims and try to form a government in Gujarat. "You have to seek justice from the BJP government for . You need to form an alliance with Muslims and try to form a government here so that you do not have to seek justice but you are in the position give justice," she said. Later, speaking to reporters at the Ahmedabad civil hospital where she went to meet the four Dalit victims, Mayawati claimed that BJP deliberately created a situation to keep her away from visiting Gujarat as it will send out a wrong message about the party and government. She alleged that BJP under a well thought out plan made one of its leaders in Uttar Pradesh, Dayashankar Singh, use indecent words against her, and the party sought Gujarat Chief Minister's Anandiben Patel's resignation timing with her announcement to visit the state, so that she does not come. "Ever since BJP came to power at Centre, people from weaker sections, including Dalits, adivasis and other backward class, are under attack in the entire country and especially in BJP-ruled states," she said. "Muslims and Christians are among religious minorities that are under attack. In upper caste, the poor are also not happy but Dalits are the most unhappy," she said. When Khushwant Singh died at the age of 99 in 2014, he had over a 100 books to his name and was widely regarded as one of country's greatest writers. Singh's writings was a combination of his style, humour, simplicity and great storytelling. Now, a new book 'Me, The Jokerman' assembles over 50 essays, most of them unpublished in book form, in the categories that he had made his own - religion, nature, sex, autobiography, and, above all, humour. "Entertaining, insightful as well as laugh-out-loud funny, this is a book that will delight Khushwant Singh's legions of admirers," publishers Aleph Book Company said. The book has been edited by Singh's daughter Mala Dayal. Singh's published six novels are - 'Train to Pakistan', 'I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale', 'Delhi: A Novel', 'The Company of Women', 'Burial at Sea' and 'The Sunset Club'. His several books of short stories have been published together as 'The Portrait of a Lady'. Among his other books are '99: Unforgettable Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry & Humour', 'The Freethinker's Prayerbook', 'A History of the Sikhs'; an autobiography, 'Truth, Love and a Little Malice'; a biography, 'Ranjit Singh: Maharaja of the Punjab'; and a book of non-fiction, 'The Return of Indira Gandhi'. In addition, he published translations of Hindi and Urdu novels, short stories and poetry, notably 'Umrao Jan Ada' by Mirza Mohammad Hadi Ruswa, Rajinder Singh Bedi's 'I Take This Woman' and Iqbal's 'Shikwa' and 'Jawab-i-Shikwa'. Software giant Microsoft will host the maiden edition of its Machine Learning and Data Sciences Conference in India this year, highlighting importance of the Indian market in terms of future deployment of these new emerging technologies. The 2-day event, to be held in Bengaluru on August 8-9, is expected to see participation from over 600 people, including government officials, start-ups, developers, students and industry executives. "It is time of transformation at Microsoft as we sharpen our focus around mobile and cloud and lay out ambitious plans that will have a big impact on future of computing as it is experienced by billions of users around the world," Microsoft India R&D Managing Director Anil Bhansali told PTI. He added that Machine Learning (ML) is one of the key focus areas, in which Microsoft is making significant inroads, both in terms of R&D breakthroughs as well as real customer impact. "At the event, we will showcase some of the very latest developments in this area. It will help gain new insights into how the power of analytics and ML can transform businesses and society," he said. ML, which is a type of artificial intelligence (AI), provides computers with the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed. It detects patterns in data and adjusts program actions accordingly. An example of ML is Facebook's Feed, which uses the technology to personalise each member's feed. Microsoft's voice assistant Cortana is another such example. Microsoft is hosting a similar event at Atlanta called Data Science Summit in September this year. Using these new technologies, Microsoft has developed several apps, including the one that helps farmers in India predict the right sowing dates for particular crops, a predictive analytics app that effectively identifies students at the risk of dropping out of school and one that identifies individuals who are most likely to default on loans taken from the government's microfinance schemes. "In addition to large enterprises, government and academia, sessions at the Bengaluru event will be beneficial for start-ups, including current and future applicants to the Microsoft's Accelerator programme," Bhansali said. He added that India is an important market in terms of future deployment against the background of the government's initiatives like Digital India and Start Up India. Taliban militants attacked a group of 12 American and European tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in western Herat province today, leaving at least seven people wounded as the insurgents step up nationwide attacks. The tourists -- eight British, three Americans and one German national -- were ambushed by Taliban gunmen in the restive district of Chesht-e-Sharif, while en route from the neighbouring provinces of Bamiyan and Ghor. It is unclear why they were travelling overland at a time when Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of kidnapping and attacks. "The foreign tourists -- three Americans, six Britons, two Scots and one German -- were travelling with an Afghan army convoy when they were ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif," said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor. He said the insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, adding that at least six foreigners and their Afghan driver were left wounded. The attack comes as Taliban militants intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. But that has not stopped some tourists, including foreigners, from travelling to provinces such as Bamiyan, endowed with stunning landscapes but wedged between volatile provinces prone to the Taliban insurgency. Bamiyan, famous for empty hillside niches that once sheltered giant Buddha statues that were blown up by the Taliban, is at the centre of Afghan efforts to boost tourism revenue. The United States has warned its citizens in Afghanistan of a "very high" kidnapping risk after an American citizen narrowly escaped abduction in the heart of Kabul. The latest attack follows a Taliban truck bombing on Monday at a hotel for foreigners in Kabul, which triggered a seven-hour gun and grenade assault that highlighted growing insecurity in the city. The guests and staff of the Northgate hotel escaped unharmed, but one policeman was killed after the suicide truck bomber paved the way for two other armed insurgents to enter the heavily guarded facility near Kabul airport. Foreigners are also increasingly being targeted as the conflict escalates. American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed in June while travelling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province. Judith D'Souza, a 40-year-old Indian charity worker, was rescued in late July, more than a month after she was taken at gunpoint near her residence in the heart of Kabul. The Civil Aviation Ministry today said it received a request from the Home Ministry in September 2014 to allow armed security personnel to accompany Home Minister Rajnath Singh on domestic flights and has given its feedback in this regard. "A request to allow carriage of weapons by the security staff accompanying the Home Minister during journey on domestic flights was received in September 2014," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha informed Lok Sabha. The request was examined after taking into account the advice of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the "views of the Ministry of Civil Aviation were communicated to the Ministry of Home Affairs", he said without elaborating. The minister said sky marshals are deployed on certain identified routes but did not provide details citing security implications. Prime Minister is all set to reach out to citizens through his first-ever 'townhall' style event on August 6. A new PMO app to enable mobile users to connect with the Indian Prime Minister's website will also be launched at the mega event, which is being organised by MyGov the government's citizen engagement platform to mark its second anniversary. The townhall to be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex in New Delhi will be preceded by a series of panel discussions and sessions in keeping with the 'Do, Discuss and Disseminate' theme of MyGov and will culminate in the first ever townhall address by the Prime Minister. "The Prime Minister will talk about the concept of citizen engagement, MyGov, the response to this participative governance initiative and how he sees the platform evolving," MyGov Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gaurav Dwivedi said. He said a process is already on to short-list those who will get to interact with Modi. "They would be selected from among the regular users of MyGov, based on their ideas, level of engagement, questions and suggestions," he added. The townhall address will also see launch of new MyGov initiatives and distribution of awards to winners of MyGov contests - Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat, Duties of a Citizen, Governance Quiz and India Africa Quiz. The event is expected to see participation of various ministers and senior government officials, which will be inaugurated by IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and will have four sessions. The first session 'Do' will cover contests on design innovation, eGreetings as also volunteering, poll and survey functionalities of MyGov while the second one 'Discuss' will see officials and MyGov contributors in an interactive discussion on brainstorming ideas and sharing experiences. The third session will invite fresh ideas for improving user experience, introducing new features for the platform and the panel for this includes social media representatives, MyGov users, Members of Parliament who have contributed to MyGov, and senior officials of the Ministry of Electronics and IT, and NIC. The fourth session will cover the 'Disseminate' theme and focus on #TransformingIndia website, eSampark portal and MyGov live events as the channel of government communication with citizens. "Mr Robot" star Rami Malek is in talks to join actor Charlie Hunnam in the remake of the classic Steve McQueen movie "Papillon". Danish filmmaker Michael Moer is slated to direct the movie, which revolves around Henri "Papillon" Charriere (played by McQueen in 1973 film). Papillon is unjustly convicted of murder in 1930s France and condemned to life in a notorious island prison. Papillon meets a quirky convicted counterfeiter named Louis Dega (played in the original film by Dustin Hoffman), according to The Hollywood Reporter. In exchange for protection, Dega agrees to finance Papillon's prison escape, ultimately resulting in a lasting friendship. Hunnam will portray the character played by McQueen, while Malek will take on the role played by Hoffman. Aaron Guzikowski, best known for writing "Prisoners", penned the new script. The film is being produced by Red Granite's Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland along with Ram Bergman and Roger Corbi. A 32-year-old Muslim woman has accused a US department store of discrimination after she was asked to leave the retail outlet for wearing the traditional Islamic veil or the 'niqab'. Sarah Safi, from Gary, Indiana, was wearing a niqab, a veil that covers the face, leaving only the area around the eyes clear, when she entered a Family Dollar store. The incident, which was captured on cell phone video and took place in front of Safi's children, began when she stopped at the store on Monday to purchase charcoal for a family barbecue. "I might have made it 10 steps into the store and I hear the lady behind the counter say, 'Ma'am, you need to take that off your face or you need to leave my store,'" Safi told WLS-TV At that point, Safi began to record the exchange on her cell phone. She told the clerk that she wears a niqab and hijab for religious purposes but the clerk, who identified herself as the manager, insisted that Safi should leave. "I understand, but you have to understand too this is a high crime area and we get robbed a lot. You need to remove that from your face or remove yourself from the store," the clerk said. "I told her this country is a country of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and I have a right to wear whatever I want," Safi said. While her children waited in the car, the store employee told Safi if she did not leave she would call the police. "Do I wait for the police to come and let my children see this, or do I go head and just go and let Allah handle it how he sees fit?" Safi said recounting what she thought back then. Safi then decided to leave. The worker also had parting words for her as she was on her way out. "Have a blessed day," the employee says, according to the video. "I'm really saddened. I was born here, raised here all my life and I've never been to an establishment and been treated like this," Safi said. She said she had been covering her face in public for years, and the only thing she wants is for the store employee to apologise. "I would like to sit with her and speak to her about what I believe in, because maybe if she heard and really listened to what I believe it I would open her heart," Safi said. "It's not just a blatant violation of the civil rights laws of this country, but it's also a violation of the basic laws of decency and morality that you don't treat customers this way just because they have a different cultural background or a different religion," said Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ahmed Rehab in a statement. Amid the acrimony generated last week between the TDP and the BJP over granting of special status for Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi tomorrow to invite him for the Krishna Pushkarams beginning August 12. He will also submit a detailed memorandum seeking special category state status for Andhra Pradesh besides implementation of the provisions of AP Reorganisation Act-2014 and resolution of pending issues, including those under Schedule 9 and 10 of the Act. Naidu left for the national capital from here this afternoon and will meet Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tonight. He will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee tomorrow and invite him for the Krishna Pushkarams, the river festival that is celebrated once in 12 years. Naidu said he will also invite the Vice-President, Chief Justice of India, judges of Supreme Court and Union Ministers for the event. Last week, following Jaitley's statement in Rajya Sabha on the special status issue, Chandrababu said he would not go to New Delhi nor meet the Prime Minister but his party MPs would do the job. He was highly critical of Jaitley and expressed serious displeasure over the Centre's stand. But after Jaitley himself spoke to him over phone a couple of days and "assured" of all central assistance to AP, Naidu apparently mellowed down. "I will meet the Prime Minister if an appointment is granted," he said two days ago. Today, his office received communication from the PMO that the appointment for Naidu's meeting with Modi has been fixed for 11 am on Friday. A California man was arrested Thursday morning after the Montana Highway Patrol spotted him driving down the wrong lane on the interstate, according to court documents. Authorities charges Peter Alan Guttenberg, 34, with felony criminal endangerment, as well as misdemeanor counts of DUI, criminal possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He appeared Thursday in Yellowstone County Justice Court. Judge Pedro R. Hernandez set bond at $15,000 at the hearing. A witness reported seeing Guttenberg driving the wrong way at about 1:09 a.m. Thursday. A Montana Highway Patrol trooper spoke with the witness and went to the next exit to search for the vehicle. At the King Avenue exit, the trooper spotted a vehicle moving eastbound in the westbound interstate lane, charges state. With the help of Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office deputies, the trooper pulled over Guttenberg. Guttenberg was unaware that he was driving the wrong way, according to court documents. The trooper noted that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot and that he smelled like alcohol. Guttenberg failed field sobriety tests and was arrested, charges state. The trooper noticed a glass pipe in plain view inside the car, as well as a container which, upon a search, contained marijuana, according to the documents. He told law enforcement that he was a registered medical marijuana patient but knew that he couldn't possess it in Montana. Guttenberg registered a 0.208 blood-alcohol content in a breath test. A DUI conviction would be the first for him in Montana. He is scheduled to appear in Yellowstone County District Court on Aug. 10. In a major haul, a Nigerian woman was arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine worth Rs 17.8 crore from Sonauli area in Gorakhpur region of Uttar Pradesh on Indo-Nepal border, police said on Thursday. Veneeta (36) was arrested last night while she was coming from Nepal and 3.5 kilogram cocaine was recovered from her possession, Chandra Sekhar Azad, an NIA Inspector, said. The woman has been booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, he said. With the Opposition attacking the state government in the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister did not find any merit in the protest over lowering of scholarship for SC/ST students. He alleged an "out of work" BJP and other opposition parties were "instigating" youths for political gains. "The protest over lowering of scholarship for SC and ST students has no merit as there is no logic in benefiting many dubious private professional colleges, which earn a fat sum of money out of this scholarship fund from state government," Kumar told reporters. "While the meritorious students will pay in full for their study in such institutions, what is the logic of paying Rs 5-10 lakh as scholarship for students hailing from SC/ST students studying in many of such private colleges whose credentials are doubtful?" the CM asked, terming the argument as "bakwaas" (baseless talk). Moreover, the scholarship amount has been lowered due to shrinking of central funds on this count and the state was paying scholarship at par with what was paid by other states, he said. A vigilance probe has established that scholarship money paid to many of such educational institutions have "dubious" credentials, Kumar said. He came down heavily on BJP for promoting the agitation launched by SC/ST students over the police lathicharge during a protest march yesterday after they resorted to pelting of bricks on the security forces. "The BJP is shedding crocodiles tears for dalits to gain their votes...The party under whose rule dalits are beaten up mercilessly in Gujarat and which is blamed for the suicide of dalit student Rohith Vemula in Andhra Pradesh are trying to become champions of dalits," he said. "If BJP is so pained at lowering of post matriculation scholarship amount for SC/ST students, they should impress their government at the Centre to enhance allocation of money," he said. "The Bihar government has already announced to launch student credit-card scheme for higher studies from October 2 under which they will get Rs 4 lakh interest-free loan," Kumar said. Air India Express (AIE) today said it has not cancelled any of its flights from Dubai to Kerala and Mangaluru but will be operating via Sharjah in the aftermath of the Emirates flight mishap. Early today at 0300 AM Dubai authorities informed that 'narrow-body aircraft' operations will be shifted to Sharjah airport from Dubai, AIE sources told PTI. "We are informing our passengers through our call centres that whoever is coming from Dubai to Kerala should go to Sharjah to board the flight," the sources said. "We will operate all services but on a delayed basis," he said. Meanwhile, Thiruvananthapuram Airport Director George Tharakkan said there will be no cancellations of flights from the airport to Dubai today. Yesterday, while the Indigo-Thiruvananthapuram flight to Dubai and Fly Dubai airlines Thiruvananthapuram-Dubai flight was cancelled, Air India Express operated its flight from here by diverting the aircraft to Sharjah as the Dubai airport was closed. Yesterday Indigo airline's Kochi-Dubai flight from Kochi at 6.40 PM had been cancelled, Fly Dubai's 2.50 AM flight to Dubai this morning has also been cancelled, Kochi airport sources said. Three hundred people, mostly Indians, had a miraculous escape yesterday when a packed Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai crash-landed and exploded on the runway at Dubai, shutting down one of the world's busiest airports and killing one of the firefighters. The flight EK521 with 282 passengers, 226 of them Indians, and 18 crew members on board was involved in an accident at the Dubai international airport. Kerala government has so far no information on the exact number of Keralities living in labour camps in Saudi Arabia who had lost their jobs, State Minister for Local Self Government K T Jaleel said today. Jaleel, who has been deputed by the state cabinet to visit Saudi Arabia to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation of Keralities in labour camps, said he was planning to leave for Saudi Arabia tomorrow. There was no clear information on the exact number of Keralities affected by the recent situation in Saudi Arabia, he said. As per hearsay, there were several Keralities among the 10,000 Indians who had lost jobs, Jaleel told reporters here. "Our effort will be to visit the labour camps. But, as per information, there are restrictions for visiting labour camps in Saudi Arabia," he said, adding it would be difficult to visit those camps "officialy". "But, we will try to visit the camps to know the plight of our people," Jaleel said. Local Self government Special secretary V K Baby is also accompanying Jaleel. As per the present plan, the delegation will visit labour camps in Jeddha, Riyadh and if possible Dammam. On rehabilitation package for those who return to the state, he said the state government was working on a package. Jaleel also said they have applied for diplomatic passport. "We also have to get Visa. We expect that we will be able to go to Saudi Arabia tomorrow," he said. : The Arunachal Pradesh power department today said that the proposed shutdown of the 132 KV Ranganadi-Ziro transmission line was not in the knowledge of the State Load Despatch Centre. Reacting to media reports about the proposed shutdown, the SLDC said that it was the nodal agency of the state to exercise supervision, monitoring and control of all grid-related operations and as such no shutdown of any element of the grid system could take place without its knowledge and consent. "Even if such shutdown is warranted due to urgency of the work, as stated by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, it should be coordinated by the SLDC to ensure minimum disturbance and after consultation with all stake holders to reduce difficulties to the consumers," Chief Engineer A Perme in a statement here said. Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd had informed about the likely shutdown of the transmission line for at least 15 days affecting power supply to Lower Subansiri, Upper Subansisri, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, East Siang, West Siang, Upper Siang and some parts of Papum Pare. Taking a view on the media reports on the matter of shutdown affecting eight districts of central Arunachal, the issue would be discussed in a high level meeting to be chaired by the Commissioner at Pasighat today, Perme said. The matter would also be raised in the 124th OCC forum of North East Power Committee (NERPC) by the Department of Power on August 8 next in Meghalaya. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes after a Congress MLA alleged that BJP minister Pankaja Munde has ties with a tainted road contract firm. Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar cited media reports to make the allegation. However, Speaker Haribhau Bagade said a member of the House should make a statement based on facts and not on basis of what has appeared in the media. "Such remarks will be expunged from House proceedings," he said. While Munde dismissed allegations levelled against her, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis threatened warned Wadettiwar of moving breach of privilege motion against him for making baseless allegations and maligning the MLA's image. "Attempts are being made to malign my image, based on false media reports," Munde said. While CM was speaking, BJP and Shiv Sena legislators stood up and sought Wadettiwar's apology. BJP and Sena members rushed to the minister's defence, while opposition Congress-NCP raised slogans against her. The House was adjourned four times amid uproar. Anthony Shimray, the suspected key NSCN (IM) arms procurer, has been granted bail by a special court here in a case under the anti-terror act after NIA said his bail was "important in the interest of peace negotiations between NSCN (IM) and the Government of India". District Judge Amar Nath gave the relief to National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) leader Shimray after NIA did not oppose his bail application. "The special public prosecutor for NIA states that he has received an email (from the agency) directing him not to oppose the bail application of Shimray. "It is submitted that the bail of the accused is important in the interest of peace negotiations between NSCN (IM) and the Government of India," the court said. In its order, the court said, "Without expressing the opinion on merits of the case and only on the basis of submission made by the special public prosecutor for NIA, the accused is admitted to bail on furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs one lakh." The judge put several conditions on the accused and asked him not to tamper with evidence and not to leave the country without the court's prior permission. NIA had alleged Shimray was the chief arms and ammunition procurer of NSCN (IM) insurgent group in the north-east. In his bail application, the counsel for Shimray claimed that he was innocent and had wrongly been apprehended by NIA. He said the investigation has already been complete and the charge sheet has been filed in the case. Shimray, who was in judicial custody, was arrested by the agency in October 2010. NIA had said that a case was lodged against Shimray, T R Calvin, Hangshi Ramson Tangkhul and others under various sections of IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly conspiring to procure huge quantities of arms and ammunition from foreign countries. It had alleged that these arms were to be used for committing terror activities and waging a war against the Government of India. The accused, the agency had said, had negotiated with arms dealers in Thailand and China for purchase of arms and ammunition. They had also deposited money for the purpose with foreign arms-selling firms, NIA had said. State-owned energy major National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) raised $300 million (Rs 2,000 crores) with a 7.48 per cent annual yield with the launch of its 'Green Masala Bond' on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Thursday. NTPC's bond issue was described as the first-ever Indian quasi-sovereign to issue a Masala Bond. The proceeds from it will be invested in the renewable energy market as it seeks to add more wind and solar power projects to its portfolio. "NTPC's landmark independently certified green Masala bond listing, the first Masala bond by an Indian quasi-sovereign issuer, represents another historic event for Indian finance," said Nikhil Rathi, chief executive officer of LSE plc and director of International Development at the LSE Group. "We are honoured to have been chosen to support access rupee-based financing in London's international capital markets, reinforcing India's ambitions to generate 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022," he said. "LSE has in recent weeks hosted landmark Indian issuances by Axis Bank and HDFC and today we are delighted to host the world's first independently certified green Masala bond by NTPC, he added. "This cements London's position as the listing venue of choice for a variety of Asian issuers, from quasi-sovereign to supranational institutions, municipals and private companies. We are excited about continuing to build this market with Indian partners and authorities over the long-term, underlying the success of the India-UK Financial Partnership," he said. The listing follows the visit of the Indian Power Minister Piyush Goyal to the UK earlier this year to strengthen the UK-India collaboration on power and renewable energy. It also builds on the announcements made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to list $1 billion equivalent of Masala bonds in the UK, made during his visit here in November, 2015. Masala bonds are rupee-denominated bonds issued to overseas buyers. As many as 30 offshore Indian rupee bonds have listed in total on the LSE, raising equivalent to approximately $3.5 billion, according to one of the world's leading stock exchanges. Brains of overweight people may be 10 years 'older' than their lean counterparts at middle-age, a new study has warned. According to the research led by University of Cambridge in the UK, from middle-age the brains of obese individuals display differences in white matter similar to those in lean individuals ten years their senior. White matter is the tissue that connects areas of the brain and allows for information to be communicated between regions. Our brains naturally shrink with age, but scientists are increasingly recognising that obesity - already linked to conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease - may also affect the onset and progression of brain ageing; however, direct studies to support this link are lacking. The team looked at the impact of obesity on brain structure across the adult lifespan to investigate whether obesity was associated with brain changes characteristic of ageing. The researchers studied data from 473 individuals between the ages of 20 and 87 and divided it into two categories based on weight: lean and overweight. They found striking differences in the volume of white matter in the brains of overweight individuals compared with those of their leaner counterparts. Overweight individuals had a widespread reduction in white matter compared to lean people. Researchers then calculated how white matter volume related to age across the two groups. They discovered that an overweight person at, say, 50 years old had a comparable white matter volume to a lean person aged 60 years, implying a difference in brain age of 10 years. Strikingly, however, the researchers only observed these differences from middle-age onwards, suggesting that our brains may be particularly vulnerable during this period of ageing. "As our brains age, they naturally shrink in size, but it isn't clear why people who are overweight have a greater reduction in the amount of white matter," said first author Dr Lisa Ronan from the University of Cambridge. "We can only speculate on whether obesity might in some way cause these changes or whether obesity is a consequence of brain changes," said Ronan. Despite the clear differences in the volume of white matter between lean and overweight individuals, the researchers found no connection between being overweight or obese and an individual's cognitive abilities, as measured using a standard test similar to an IQ test. The research was published in the journal Neurobiology of Ageing. The government on Thursday demanded payment of CST compensation up to 2016-17 year as new GST regime is likely to be implemented from 2017-18 financial year. "Since GST is likely to be implemented from the year 2017-18, we are demanding payment of CST compensation up to FY17," State Finance Minister Pradeep Kumar Amat told reporters while expressing pleasure over the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill for GST in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday (yesterday). Noting that the efforts of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers have been fruitful, Amat said GST was an important milestone in the reforms of indirect taxes in India and government is in favour of GST. "It is a consumption-based taxation system," he said. The GST implementation will bring uniform tax rate throughout the country and will help in seamless movement of goods and services across the states, Amat said. He said that while the Centre would take steps for enactment of CGST and IGST Act, the states would enact SGST Act. " has raised the issue to levy additional non rebatable cess like Green Tax on minerals and other polluting goods sold in course of interstate trade and commerce to compensate the adverse effect of pollution," the finance minister said. Amat said: "We are also demanding levy of tax on tobacco products by the states over and above the GST as the central government will tax separately as per entry 84 of the Union List of the Constitution." Noting that the GST Bill was introduced by the UPA government, Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra of Congress said the bill could not be passed then as BJP was opposing it. When tourists particularly international visitors come to Indian Country, theyre eager to become immersed in an authentic experience, like being paired with a tribal elder to learn how to weave a beautiful basket. Anna Barrera can show visitors true authenticity maybe even help arrange the trip of a lifetime with just a few keystrokes. Barrera and her mentor, Edward Hall, transportation specialist and tourism coordinator for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, were co-presenters during the second day of the annual economic development and procurement conference put on by the Native American Development Corporation. A travel researcher at George Washington University and the co-manager for a new website, at www.nativeamerica.travel, Barrera noted the growth in experiential tourism, which emphasizes experiences over amenities. Five percent of overseas visitors include a stop at an American Indian community when visiting the U.S., Barrera said. People will show up, invited or not, she said. They will pay top dollar for that interactive experience. Nativeamerica.travel helps Native American-owned businesses market those experiences. In its first three months, the site has seen nearly 13,000 unique visitors and about 52,000 page views. Traditionally, tourism has been about people spending money in your community, Hall said, but thats changing. Its also about education and people wanting to be part of your community, he said. Indian Country has a unique opportunity, because you have something unique that nobody else has. Visitors and residents want the same things, he said, including restaurants and access to small businesses. People are open to understanding who you are, he said. When we are open, we are writing ourselves back into history, but were making sure the people writing that history is you, the authentic voice. Thinking big, creatively Clarence OBerry, president and CEO of Mandaree Enterprises, a tribally-owned family of companies based in North Dakota that does business in 26 states and around the world. People have said our growth is a direct result of my awesomeness. I dont know about that, OBerry said with a laugh. Our success is the result of our team. We think big and we think creatively, and were supported by very creative people. He said his employees laugh at him when he tells them his business plan: Were going to buy back America one business at a time. Over the past nearly quarter-century, Mandaree Enterprises has parlayed an initial $35,000 investment made by three tribes into $70 million in annual sales. Were just a small example of what can be done, he said. Spurring growth U.S. Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, also spoke at the conference, which concluded Thursday afternoon. Daines said hes working to pass legislation to give tribes and states a voice in coal leases. We can drive American ingenuity to make coal cleaner. If we walk away, China becomes the leader in coal, and we are better environmental stewards than the Chinese are. He said that Montana is at the top of the list of the states that will feel the burden of anti-energy regulations. Daines, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, said he attended the conference in part to put together a to-do list to help Indian Country move forward. Bullock labeled it unacceptable that Native communities arent experiencing the same levels of economic growth as nonreservation portions of Montana. We cant have statewide prosperity if we leave seven reservations, 7 to 8 percent of our population and 12 percent of our K-12 kids behind, Bullock said. The way we make progress isnt someone from Helena saying, I have the answers to all your problems, he said. We make progress sitting down around the table talking about shared priorities and about how we can collaborate. As many times as you come to us in Helena, I ought to be at your reservation, he said, adding that he and Jason Smith, Montanas Indian Affairs director, will do just that during the coming weeks. The Odisha government demanded payment of CST compensation up to 2016-17 year as new regime is likely to be implemented from 2017-18 fiscal. "Since is likely to be implemented from the year 2017-18, we are demanding payment of CST compensation up to Financial Year 2016-17," Finance Minister Pradeep Kumar Amat told reporters while expressing pleasure over the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill for in the Rajya Sabha. Noting that the efforts of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers have been fruitful, Amat said GST was an important milestone in the reforms of indirect taxes in India and Government of Odisha is in favour of GST. "It is a consumption-based taxation system," he said. The GST implementation will bring uniform tax rate throughout the country and will help in seamless movement of goods and services across the states, Amat said. He said that while the Centre would take steps for enactment of CGST and IGST Act, the states would enact SGST Act. "Odisha has raised the issue to levy additional non rebatable cess like Green Tax on minerals and other polluting goods sold in course of interstate trade and commerce to compensate the adverse effect of pollution," the finance minister said. Amat said: "We are also demanding levy of tax on tobacco products by the states over and above the GST as the central government will tax separately as per entry 84 of the Union List of the Constitution." Noting that the GST Bill was introduced by the UPA government, Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra of Congress said the bill could not be passed then as BJP was opposing it. State-owned ONGC and Oil India Ltd today paid Assam government Rs 1,450 crore in past royalty dues on crude oil produced in the state with Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan saying the previous Congress government had done great injustice to the state. While OIL Chairman and Managing Director Utpal Bora handed over a cheque of Rs 1,149.24 crore to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) CMD Dinesh K Sarraf presented a cheque of Rs 300.64 crore. Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan alleged that Congress President Sonia Gandhi in a bid to "punish people of Gujarat for re-electing Narendra Modi as Chief Minister in 2007" had changed the way royalty is paid to crude oil producing states. In trying to target Gujarat, Assam too became a victim, he said. Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma too said the methodology of charging royalty was changed to "curtail economic prosperity of Gujarat" but in the process "Assam too was weakened." According to the Oil Field Act, ONGC/OIL are required to pay 20 per cent royalty on price of crude oil it extracts from onland oil blocks to the state governments. But the government in 2004 order asking them to share a part of the subsidy on petrol, diesel and cooking fuels LPG and kerosene by way of giving discount of crude oil they sell to refiners. In 2008, the government asked them to pay royalty on the discounted price, thereby impact revenue of oil producing states like Gujarat and Assam. Gujarat government in 2011 filed a petition before the High Court, stating that it should be paid royalty at market rate and the difference in royalty payment since 2008 at pre- discount rate (in comparison to market rate) was computed at Rs 9,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore. The High Court ruled in its favour in November 2013. ONGC challenged the decision in the Supreme Court which asked the company pay Gujarat at gross or pre-discount price during pendency of the petition. While Gujarat was getting royalty at pre-discounted rates, Assam was paid the duty at discounted rate. The government last month ordered ONGC and OIL to pay Assam royalty at pre-discounted rates from back date of February 2014. The royalty for the period since February 2014 was paid to Assam government today. Pradhan said he had in April 2015 asked the then Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to also take the Gujarat route and field petition in court but "they filed a petition but did not fight it." "Gross injustice was done to Assam and today we are here to rectify that," he said. Sarma blamed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for doing injustice to Assam by imposing an unfair royalty calculation formula despite representing the state in the Upper House. Sonowal said the former Prime Minister did not do anything to benefit the state due to his "non-commitment to Assam". Rajya Sabha today witnessed a face-off between Opposition and government over dismissal of Congress dispensations in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, bringing into close scrutiny the role of governors. The main opposition party alleged "trampling" of democracy by the BJP-led government which hit back by reminding that Congress had "butchered" democracy by misusing Article 356 about 100 times. Congress pressed for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, since he talks of "cooperative federalism". The clash took place as the House took up a discussion on 'Developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh leading to change in governments there and the role of Governors in the respective States'. What happened in the two states was a "brazen violation of Constitution" and "insult to democracy", said Deputy Leader of Congress Anand Sharma while initiating the debate. "What happened in Arunachal late last year followed by Uttarakhand in Janauary this year shocked the country and invited censure of the Supreme Court and High Court of Uttarakhand," he said. Questioning the role of Governors, the former minister said he or she is "not supposed to interfere in day-to-day functioning...Take unilateral decisions... Constitution was not respected...It is insult to peoples mandate." Citing the developments in both the states, he said Governors do not meddle in politics or undermine elected governments but "brazen violation of constitution" occured in both the states. He alleged that the Governors in both the states "willingly became tools to pursue nefarious agenda of the ruling party". Citing the Supreme Court orders on the dismissal of governments in these two states, Sharma asked why no action was taken against Uttarakhand Governor. "Sack that Governor. Remove him. If he continues to hold the post you are insulting constitution," Sharma said. "What happened was shameful. The government conduct was outrageous... Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of constitutional federalism...At the same time ruling party president talks of Congress-mukt Bharat...That is the official position of the ruling party and its national executive...This is insult to democracy and misuse of authority to destabilise elected governments," Sharma charged. Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu intervened to say that it is "the Devil quoting the scriptures". This was objected to by the Congress after which Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said he will examine whether it fell under unparliamentary language. Naidu said, "Issue is ...Does the Congress party have any moral right to raise this. It has misused Article 356 at least 90 to 100 times...Such party is giving sermons. Naidu said the "the original Congress was National Congress. This is a notional Congress. He said the Sarkaria Commission report had spoken about misuse of Article 356 by the successive Congress governments. Justifying imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and then in Uttarakhand, Naidu said there was Constitutional crisis there at that time. He was responding to Sharma's allegation that Governors in the two states had "willingly become tools to pursue nefarious agenda of the ruling party" and had acted as "political agents" of the government to topple the elected governments, Sharma also questioned whether BJP respects the Constitution or not. Naidu replied, "You should have been aware of the consequences. The arguments are over now. Your man did not have majority. He has resigned. How can you blame it on us? Had you taken appropriate action at appropriate time this would not have happened." Naidu quoted Sarkaria Commission recommendation that Article 356 be used sparingly as the last resort and in extreme urgency as misuse will have disastrous consequences. He gave details about how it was misused 12 times till 1967 and was later used umpteen times to topple several elected governments with the crescendo in 1977. "It is not the first time Article 356 is used, not the first time any Central government has intervened at any particular stage in a state... Congress party has done this umpteen times all these years. Several non-Congress governments became casualties because of your political considerations," the minister retorted. Referring to instances of imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Naidu said such a situation arose due to internal squabbling within the Congress party. Defending the action to recommend President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh, he said, "It was your problem and we were compelled to step in because of the constitutional breakdown." He asserted, "We believe in cooperative federalism, we want to take states along us. We are following the 'Team India' spirit. So you please cooperate and set your own house in order. Rest we can all address it together." Recalling how he was arrested during Emergency just for inviting socialist leader Jaiprakash Narain to college, Naidu said, "you disqualify MLAs and get Constitution bill passed. You have misused, dismissed and murdered popular elected Governors." He added, "Let us not score political points. We have to be responsible to the Constitution. Rules cannot be one for you and the other for me. We never say we want a Congress-mukt Bharat but we want a party like Congress to benefit. Naidu told Congress not to point accusing finger at government. "Let us reform the system," he said. After Naidu's intervention, Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress) raised a point of order under Rule 261 on use of "Devil preaches scripture" remark. To this, Kurien said, "I will examine this." Immediately after this, there were peals of laughter in the House as Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said he just wanted to know why Naidu was so aggressive and whether he had had chillies today instead of his usual sweets. Kurien said, "you can offer him sweets." Soon after this, Prabhat Jha (BJP) said Congress had no right to charge BJP as this was the party which had sterlised unmarried youth during Emergency. This provoked protests by members from Congress. Amid the din, Jha said, "you have no right on this issue. Your party has forced President's Rule as many as 123 times and barring the two newly-carved states Telangana and Chhattisgarh, no other state has been spared from it." There was ruckus in the House when Jha said that during the Emergency 2 lakh people had been jailed and there was rampant violation of Constitution with government even censoring media. Kurien then urged members to restore peace. Meanwhile, Jha said Congress should have courage to listen to the truth. As the Congress members continued to protest, Kurien warned that he would adjourn the House if the members failed to restore peace and sit down allowing the House to conduct business. (Reopen PAR18) The altercation between members of the two major parties escalated to such an extent that the Chair had to reprimand Congress member Mohammad Ali Khan and even threatened that the House would be adjourned for the day if the debate continues in a disorderly way. "I am sorry, I will adjourn the House for the day. This notice was given by Anand Sharma, Digvijay Singh and Bhubaneswar Kalita. All are from one party. They are blocking the discussion. Why do you think for every point raised you should reply. This is most disorder discussion. This behaviour I cannot accept," Kurien said. He told Sharma, "If you cannot control your members. I will apply (Rule) 255." The Chair also admonished Khan. Order was then restored in the House. Continuing, Jha said the Congress was leveling charges against the Modi government instead of changing its behaviour. "I challenge you. Let's debate on Emergency. How you trampled upon the Constitution....We have got the full mandate, we are not going to submit before you," he added. Neeraj Shekhar (SP) said BJP was committing the same mistakes that Congress had done. "You fight on politics, you fight on principles, but not personal. What is happening in Uttar Pradesh? It pains me. You please recall the Governor and send some civilized person," he said. He wanted apology from both Congress and BJP for misuse of Article 356, while questioning the necessity of having the post of Governor. "Why should we require Governor? They are propagandist and using the Raj Bhawan for this purpose. ...Is it the job of a Governor to dethrone the government?" he asked. He sought to know if the report of the Sarkariya Commission report on role of Governor is being followed in letter and spirit. The report defines a Governor as one who should be away from politics. "He can do politics to some extent but not propaganda. Whether you are following this report? I am unable to understand the role of Governor," he said. Shekar urged the government not to misuse power of governor and ensure image of governor is kept clean. Vijila Sathyananth (AIADMK) condemned the actions of Governors in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh and called upon the President to remove them. "If this (misuse of Governor's post) is not curbed, this is dangerous to the federal state and the autonomy of a state. This issue is not confined to Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. If this is done in any other part of the country, it will have reverberation," she said. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (Trinamool Congress) sought review of the appointment of Governors and demanded putting in place of eligibility and qualification criteria for selection. This is necessary as recent developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh prove that some Governors have "acted as agents," he said. "Article 157 of the Constitution deals with the appointment of a Governor and this must be reviewed. The qualification should be provided," he said. He also sought review of the Article 356 even as he observed that the ruling party was giving "uncanny respect" to the Constitution. Ramnath Thakur (JD-U) said both Congress and BJP have committed mistakes and asked if strict action would be taken against violators of the Constitution. He also hoped that the debate would find a solution to this problem. Attacking the government over imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, Kapil Sibal (Congress) said such a thing never happened in the history of the country. "What happened was unheard in the history of India. Yes, 356 has been used and misused but this kind of mechanism never happened in history of India. And in the history of India this is for the first time that Supreme Court restored status quo ante which has also never happened in the history of India," Sibal said. This is the extent of castigation of mechanisation of BJP, he added. He said the Prime Minister should come to the House and explain the reasons for imposing the President's Rule in the two states. "I am saddened that in such an important debate we would have expected the Prime Minister to be here. He should have been here and expalin why President's rule was impoed in the two states," Sibal said. He added that even though Prime Minister was coming to Parliament, he has been avoiding the House. Accusing the government of engineering the episodes, he said: "They not only want a 'Congress-mukt Bharat' but also 'North East-mukt Bharat'. One of their general secretaries has openely said this." "You are treating your Governors as RSS pracharaks as agents and you are using the post of Governors to destabilise elected governments in this country. And I warn you if you are 282 today you will be 28 tomorrow. That's going to happen to you, don't do this," Sibal said. The Governors appointed by the governemnt are raising issues like 'Love Jihad' or asking people to go to Bangladesh, he added. "Our Governors never did such things," Sibal said. Attacking the PM, he said: "Your PM has chosen not to come and neither answer. PM has chosen to stay aloof. He should tell his agenda, intentions. He keeps on talking on 'Mann ki Baat' but does not say anything on this matter." "We demand the Prime Minister should come to the House and explain and apologise to the country for what has happened," he added. Sibal was interrupted by Bhupender Yadav (BJP) who raised the question whether the Congress leader could disclose details of the matter in the House as he had represented the matter in the court. D P Tripathi (NCP) said the government had to concede in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, which was unprecedented. He charged the government of having "uncontrolled hunger for power". V Vijay Sai Reddy (YSR Congress) said eveybody should follow the law of land in letter and spirit. "Laws which we make here should followed in letter and spirit," he said. (Reopen PAR23) Bhupender Yadav (BJP) said the crisis in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand was because of internal division in the Congress Party. The Centre acted in a "neutral" manner considering the political situation in these two states, he added. D Raja (CPI) termed it as a "serious and constitutional" matter and not an issue between BJP and Congress. "I am extremely concerned that democracy is at crossroads," he said. Referring to Uttarakahand and Arunachal Pradesh, he said the Centre dismantled all established practices of parliamentary democracy. The government should "regret" and admit that it was a violation of the established practices. Raja said the question is being now raised that why do we need a Governor. He urged upon all political parties to ensure that Article 356 of the Indian Constitution should remain as "dead letter". Dilip Tirkey (BJD) said the smaller parties have been most affected by the Article 356. He said what happened in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand has put a question mark on federal structure. He said the Governor, holding a Constitutional post, should not be involved in toppling the elected governments and cross "lakshman rekha". T K Rangarajan of CPI (M) said that Article 356 have been misused by all the governments. He charged that BJP's agenda is 'Congress- mukt Bharat' and it wants only one party and no opposition. Pradeep Tamta (Congress), who hails from Uttarakhand, spoke in detail about President rule being imposed in the state. He alleged that the script for the same was written in the national capital. "Pressure was put on Governor. The Article 356 was misused," he said, adding that the development of the state was halted for two and half months. Kanimozhi (DMK) termed imposition of President's rule in these two states as "shame on our democracy". She said her party has been fighting against the misuse of Article 356, which is against democracy. "DMK will continue to fight for removal of Article 356," she said, adding the time has to come to think whether the Governor post is needed or what the power of Governor should be. Swapan Dasgupta (nominated) said it has become necessary that certain code of conduct should be spelt for Governor. He said the Governor should be completely detached from politics. Dasgupta said it is wrong to blame "one type of belief" as there was no RSS pracharak when a Communist government was dissolved in 1959. Anand Sharma (Cong) interrupted during Daspguta's speech and charged that some of the Governors support cow-vigilantes and favour those who are accused in communal rights. Facing flak in the wake of Bulandshahr gangrape incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday hit back at the opposition, accusing them of tutoring the victims to serve their political motives, even as he promised strict action against the culprits. "The incident is unfortunate. Action will be taken against those responsible. But the question is what are BJP and other (opposition) parties tutoring the victims and showing the way of politics," he said. "What are BJP and other people telling the victims inside the room, you (media persons) should also look into it...What are they telling the victims...If they want CBI probe I am willing for it...I am ready to help them out," he said on the sidelines of a programme. Yadav alleged that hype was also built around the Badaun rape case of two sisters to defame his government in the past. A political slugfest is on in the state over the gangrape of a minor girl and her mother on the highway in Bulandshahr district, with the state government coming in for severe bashing and leaders of various parties making a beeline to meet the victims. While a BJP delegation led by state unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya has already met the victims in Ghaziabad, a Congress delegation led by its chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit met them on Thursday. The Clean Ganga Fund launched by the NDA government as part of its ambitious mission to clean the river has received more than Rs 132 crore in donations. "An amount of Rs 132,43,81,681 has been received in Clean Ganga Fund from residents, NRIs, public sector undertakings and private cooperatives till June 30," Minister of State for Water Resources Vijay Goel said in a reply to a question in Lok Sabha. "Private companies can contribute their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to the Clean Ganga Fund, which is a notified CSR activity...They can also donate to CGF from their general funds to avail tax benefit under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961," Goel said in a reply to another question. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved establishment of CGF, to be used for projects planned under ambitious Namami Gange programme, on September 4, 2014. Despite having toilets in their houses, 4.4 per cent people in rural areas prefer to defecate in the open, Union Minister Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi told the Lok Sabha today. "As per Swachhata Status Report, 2015 published by National Sample Survey Office, in rural India the households having sanitary toilet percentage of persons using toilet was 95.6 per cent," the MoS for Drinking Water and Sanitation said in a written reply. To accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014. The purpose of the mission is to achieve Swachh Bharat by 2019, as a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary. In rural areas this means improving the level of cleanliness. The government has constructed 210.62 lakh toilets since October 2, 2014. As many as 72,096 villages have been declared open defecation free. The focus of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) is on behaviour change of people to adopt safe sanitation. In order to educate the people, the programme lays emphasis on community involvement. With Xinjiang tightening anti-terror law banning instigation of people to cross border to undergo terror training,Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif has assured China of cracking down against militant outfits blamed for attacks in the volatile province. Pakistan will firmly crackdown on terrorist forces like the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement" (ETIM) and protect the security of "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", (CEPC) state-run China Military Online quoted him as saying during his meeting with China's top military official Fang Fenghui in Urumqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang on Tuesday. Fang is the member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military body and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the CMC. Sharif was in Urumqi to attend the Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in Counter Terrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces. His assurance of firm crackdown followed China-Pakistan border police recently launching first joint patrols of the disputed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) border amid reports that 114 Uyghurs Muslims from Xinjiang joined Islamic State in Syria. Xinjiang, the home for Uyghurs who resented the increasing settlements of Hans from other provinces has witnessed violent attacks in recent years. China blamed ETIM, a separatist outfit linked to alQaeda for the attacks. Under pressure from China, Pakistan army has conducted military operations against ETIM training bases in the tribal areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months. Xinjiang recently adopted new anti-terrorism rules stipulating reassessment of risk levels of prisoners before release and solitary confinement and education for ring leaders. The new rules stipulated that recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will as organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training, state-run Global Times reported. The Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism formed by China significantly includes Afghanistan which also shares borders with Xinjiang. Afghanistan blames Pakistan for backing Taliban militants for carrying out violent attacks in Afghanistan. General Sharif also assured the Chinese General of providing security for the USD 46 billion for the CEPC in the backdrop of rent attack on Chinese workers in Karachi. Fang told Sharif that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners. The two sides are stepping up their all-round cooperation according to the series of important consensuses reached by President Xi Jinping and Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain. Fang said that the "quadrilateral mechanism" is the first security cooperation mechanism established by the militaries of regional countries, and the mutual support between Chinese and Pakistani armed forces is critical for safeguarding regional peace and stability. Fang stressed that China is willing to deepen the cooperation with Pakistan in all areas under the "quadrilateral mechanism" framework, enhance capability building, provide security products for the peace and development of the region, and push the mechanism forward. A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in Afghanistan, with seven people on-board including one Russian, feared to have been taken hostages by the Taliban, official said. The Russian-made chopper, owned by the provincial government of Punjab, was on its way to Russia on routine maintenance when it suffered unknown technical glitch and had to force land in Azra district of restive Logar province. "We believe that it was our chopper but we need confirmation from the Afghan government," an official of Punjab government told PTI. The official could not confirm the whereabouts of the seven people who were in the chopper. However, he said that it included one Russian engineer and six Pakistanis, including four former army personnel. There were conflicting reports about the fate of the chopper as some reports suggested that it was set on fire by Taliban while said that it caught fire while landing. Foreign Office said in a statement that helicopter owned by the Punjab government took off at 8.45 a.m. (local time) for Russia. "We are trying to ascertain if it was the same helicopter which went down in Afghanistan," FO said in a statement. Afghan media reported through government sources that it was a Pakistani helicopter and that all those on board were captured by Taliban and transported to unknown location. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that so far he has no information about the incident. Pakistan-origin British woman who died last month in mysterious circumstances was "murdered", Pakistani authorities said today, raising suspicions that she was a victim of "honour killing". Samia Shahid, 28, was found dead on July 20 at her parents' house in Mangla area of Jhelum district in Punjab province. Her husband Syed Mukhtar Kazim registered a FIR on July 23 against Samia's father, mother, sister, cousin Mobeen and her former husband for allegedly murdering her as they were not happy with the marriage. Kazim claimed in the FIR that Samia had been killed by her family who refused to accept their relationship because he belonged to the Shia sect. Her father initially said that she died due to cardiac arrest but later changed his stance and told police that she had committed suicide. A high level probe led by senior police official Abu Bakr Khuda Bakhash concluded that she was suffocated to death. "Yes, it is true that she was strangled to death and it is murder," said Bakhash. A beauty therapist from Bradford, Samia had previously been married to her first cousin Shakil but the couple parted ways after divorce in May 2014. She then married Kazim of Taxila in September 2014 and both started living in Dubai. Samia, a resident of Dhok Pandori village, Jehlum, some 230 km from Lahore, had come to Pakistan from Dubai about last month to see her ailing father. Earlier, British MP Naz Shah had alerted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that Samia might have been killed for honour. Honour killing is common in Pakistan. Hundreds of women are killed every year for so-called honour. Samia's murder came over a week after social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her brother in a so-called 'honour killing' which caused an international uproar forcing the Pakistani government to announce strict action against those involved in her murder. A parliamentary committee has urged the Centre to help states set up training academies for advocates on the lines of state judicial academies to ensure that lawyers keep abreast with emerging trends in legal profession. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Personnel in its latest report tabled in the Rajya Sabha today said, the "Union Government may encourage all the states to set up Advocates Academy on the lines of State Judicial Academy for providing training to advocates in the states for an independent and integrated judiciary as envisaged under the Constitution of India." It said the central government should provide financial assistance to states for establishing and nurturing advocate academies. "In the meantime, the infrastructural facilities of State Judicial Academy may be utilised to provide training for advocates, particularly when these academies are not imparting training to judicial academies officers," the panel said. The committee said the academies could provide research and resource material to young lawyers to keep them abreast of emerging trends in legal profession. "It can also provide continued legal education by giving training by senior members of the Bar on latest rulings of Supreme Court and high courts," said the report. Pentagon has blocked $300 million military aid to after Defence Secretary Ashton Carter declined to give a certification to the Congress that is taking sufficient action against the dreaded Haqqani network. In the absence of Congressional certification, the Pentagon has blocked disbursement of $300 million to under Coalition Support Fund, which is essentially reimbursement money for the expenses made by Pak Army in support of US operations in Afghanistan. "The funds ($300 million) could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the (Defence) Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network per the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) requirement," Pentagon Spokesman Adam Stump said. Pakistan has reimbursed $700 million of the $1 billion they were authorised in financial year 2015 under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). "With the Secretary's decision, there is no additional FY15 CSF available to Pakistan," Stump said. The Washington Post, which first reported about it, described this withholding of US military assistance to Pakistan as a "potential blow" to US-Pak ties. Noting that June 30 was the deadline for the Department of Defence to submit its omnibus reprogramming request to Congress, Stump said in order to meet that deadline Carter requested a reprogramming of $300 million remaining in 2015 Coalition Support Funds originally authorised for Pakistan. "The secretary decided to request reprogramming of the funds to retain the ability to use those funds for other requirements," he said, adding that this decision "does not reduce" the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years. "We continue to be encouraged by Pakistan's operations in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the FATA. Pakistan's efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the FATA as a safe haven for terrorism. However, the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan," Stump said. Pakistan has been authorised $900 million in financial year 2016 CSF. Of that, $350 Million is subject to a Secretary of Defence certification that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network, he said. "Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF reimbursements, having received roughly $14 billion since 2002," Stump said. "This is the first time there's been a Secretary Defence's certification required," he added. In a setback to Pakistan, the US has blocked USD 300 million military aid to it after Defence Secretary Ashton Carter declined to give a certification to the Congress that Pakistan is taking sufficient action against the dreaded Haqqani network. In the absence of Congressional certification, the Pentagon has blocked disbursement of USD 300 million to Pakistan under Coalition Support Fund, which is essentially reimbursement money for the expenses made by Pakistan Army in support of US operations in Afghanistan. "The funds (USD 300 million) could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the (Defence) Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network per the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) requirement," Pentagon Spokesman Adam Stump said. Pakistan has reimbursed USD 700 million of the USD one billion they were authorised in fiscal year 2015 under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). "With the Secretary's decision, there is no additional FY15 CSF available to Pakistan," Stump said. The Washington Post, which first reported about it, described this withholding of US military assistance to Pakistan as a "potential blow" to US-Pak ties. Noting that June 30 was the deadline for the Department of Defence to submit its omnibus reprogramming request to Congress, Stump said in order to meet that deadline Carter requested a reprogramming of USD 300 million remaining in 2015 Coalition Support Funds originally authorised for Pakistan. "The secretary decided to request reprogramming of the funds to retain the ability to use those funds for other requirements," he said, adding that this decision "does not reduce" the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years. "We continue to be encouraged by Pakistan's operations in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the FATA. Pakistan's efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the FATA as a safe haven for terrorism. However, the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan," Stump said. Pakistan has been authorised USD 900 million in fiscal 2016 CSF. Of that, USD 350 Million is subject to a Secretary of Defence certification that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network, he said. "Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF reimbursements, having received roughly USD 14 billion since 2002," Stump said. "This is the first time there's been a Secretary Defence's certification required," he added. The Haqqani Network has carried out a number of kidnappings and attacks against US interests in Afghanistan, as well as Afghan government and civilian targets. The group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people. (REOPENS FGN 15) Nadeem Hotiana, spokesman, Embassy of Pakistan, said Pakistan will continue its fight against terrorism and ensure that areas cleared by the security forces do not slide back into the control of terrorist networks. Coalition Support Fund, he said, is one of the many cooperative arrangements between Pakistan and the United States to pursue common objectives. "These reimbursements enable the United States to support Pakistan's ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in a manner that serves shared interests of both countries. Under this arrangement, both countries continue to work closely to build on the gains achieved over the past years that have improved security in the tribal areas," Hotiana said. He argued that Pakistan has conducted a large number of military operations that have sequentially dismantled and destroyed terrorist infrastructure on its side on the international border with Afghanistan. "Pakistan will continue to work with its partners in a long-term effort for ensuring security and stability in these areas," Hotiana said. Meanwhile, the Pentagon's decision was welcomed by eminent experts who said that this was long due. "This step to hold Pakistan accountable for its failure to crackdown on the Haqqani network was long overdue," Lisa Curtis, an eminent South Asia expert, from the Heritage Foundation told Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" was onj Thursday sworn in as Nepal's new Prime Minister, a day after being elected by lawmakers for the top post for the second time. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered oath of office to the 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre chairman at Rastrapati Bhawan, formally making him the 39th Prime Minister of . Prachanda formed a six-member cabinet that includes two deputy prime ministers. Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara is the Deputy Prime Minister with the portfolio of Finance and Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi is the Deputy Prime Minister with Home portfolio in the new cabinet. President Bhandari also administered oath to both of them. Prime Minister administered oath to the three other ministers - Ramesh Lekhak from Nepali Congress (Physical Planning and Transport), Daljit Shripali (Youth and Sports) and Gauri Shanker Chaudhary (Agriculture) from Maoist. After being elected on Wednesday, Prachanda had promised to lead the nation toward economic development while working as a bridge between communities. This is the second time the Maoist chief has become Prime Minister after his brief stint with premiership came to an end in 2009. He is also the only communist leader to become the Prime Minister of the country twice. Prachanda was the premier from 2008 to 2009 before a disagreement with the military over his attempt to sack the army chief brought his period in office to an early end. The Prime Minister's post had been left vacant since last month after CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli tendered his resignation. Two rights group today demanded a "swift and impartial" probe into the alleged torture of environmental activist Piyush Sethia by the Tamil Nadu police and asked the Centre to recognize torture as a specific crime in Indian law and ratify the UN convention against it. Observing that "shrinking" of the space for dissent in the country is a "worrying trend", Greenpeace India and Amnesty International India said that "persecution" of activists suggests an implicit decision to "prioritize profit over people" and "development over socio-environmental concerns". "Authorities in Tamil Nadu must ensure a swift, impartial and independent criminal investigation into the alleged torture of environmental activist Piyush Manush Sethia in the Salem central prison," both the NGOs said in a joint statement today. They said the activist, who had been in judicial custody from July 8-20, filed a complaint with the Salem police on July 27, alleging that he had been tortured on multiple occasions in prison. A medical examination conducted on July 23 by a private hospital stated that the activist had suffered a fracture of the right foot and tissue damage on the left. "The circumstances under which Sethia and other activists were arrested and the disturbing reports of his torture in custody, must be immediately investigated. "Additionally, the central government needs to ensure that torture is recognized as a specific crime in Indian law, and ratify the UN Convention Against Torture," said Aakar Patel, Executive Director at Amnesty International India. The NGOs claimed that Sethia was arrested, along with activists Eesan Karthik and Muthu Selvan, on July 8 for protesting against the construction of a railway over-bridge at Mulluvadi gate in Salem. The activists were members of an NGO called the Salem Citizens Forum. They claimed that the affected families had not been consulted about the construction and the land had not been lawfully acquired. They were arrested for "wrongful restraint", "assault or criminal force to deter a government servant from discharging official duty" and "criminal intimidation", the NGOs claimed. "Persecution of activists in this manner suggests an implicit decision to prioritize profit over people and 'development' over socio-environmental concerns. "The shrinking of the space for dissent in India is a worrying trend and one that civil society must come together to resist," said Ravi Chellam, Executive Director of Greenpeace India. Chellam said if authorities seek to silence community opposition to ill-conceived development projects, civil societies need to find ways to amplify these voices and ensure that citizens' concerns are adequately addressed. The organisations claimed that on July 23, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the state government to respond within two weeks to the allegations raised by Piyush Sethia, which it said were "serious in nature and amount to human rights violation". "Torture violates Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty binding on India. India also signed the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1997, but is yet to ratify it. "India's Supreme Court has ruled that the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian constitution includes the right to be free from torture and other ill-treatment," the Amnesty and Green Peace said in a joint statement. Rapper Professor Green has signed a new record deal with Sony to release his new album. The 32-year-old rapper will be reunited with Shabs Jobanputra, who signed the "Read All About It" hitmaker to Virgin in 2010, at Relentless and is thrilled to be working with someone "fair" and "forward-thinking" again, reported Female First. Green, whose real name is Stephen Marsden, said, "Shabs was first out of the blocks for a second time round -- it's great to be back in the hands of someone fair, forward-thinking and committed." A source said of the signing, "Sony and Relentless are chuffed to have signed Professor Green. There was a real battle for his signature but he and Shabs have a lot of history, and that really helped. "As far as Professor Green is concerned, he feels -- considering everything that's gone on for him recently -- that this is a hugely exciting, fresh start. He's really pleased with how his music is sounding, and now just wants to get back to focusing on that." The "Remedy" hitmaker split his wife, former "Made in Chelsea" star Millie Mackintosh, in February and the new record will reference their marriage split. The forthcoming album will be Green's first since his 2014 hit LP "Growing Up in Public". The protest in the Lok Sabha by members from Andhra Pradesh demanding special category status for the state seems to be waning. For the past four days, members of the YSR Congress have been entering the Well with placards and raising slogans demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh after Telangana was carved out of it. In the first two days, members of TDP, an ally of the ruling NDA too were participating in the protest by holding placards and raising slogans from the aisles. While the TDP members have refrained from protesting in the last two days, only three out of five YSR members were present in the Well today. They continued raising slogans through the Question Hour, despite Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asking them to return to their seats. The railways today joined hands with the Chhattisgarh government in forming a joint venture company for faster execution of rail projects in the state. Describing the occasion as "significant", Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said, "Today's agreement with the Chhattisgarh government will accelerate the economy of the country as it is a state with abundant natural resources." The expansion of the rail network in Chhattisgarh will help faster goods movement, including coal transportation for power plants. Prabhu said proper exploration and supply of coal and other excavation items can boost the country's economy. To expand railway network across the country, the railways has taken initiative for formation of JV companies with states. While 17 states have consented for formation of such companies and eight states have signed MOUs with the ministry this regard, Chhattisgarh has become the third state to sign JV agreement after Odisha and Haryana. Prabhu said to meet the demands of the people, it is better that all state governments join hands with the Railway Ministry and become partners with it. Signing of such agreements is in line with the Prime Minister's philosophy of cooperative federalism, he added. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, who was present on the occasion, thanked the railways for supporting the state for development of rail infrastructure. Singh said 760 kms of additional railway lines have been spread in the state in a very short span of time which in itself is a record. The improved railway network has helped the state in processing the natural resources in its full potential, he said. Minister of State for Power and Coal Piyush Goyal said the formation of JV company in Chhattisgarh will help in improving the congested rail lines. Due to the effort of the railways, coal is available in all the power plants of the country and that too with surplus stock, Goyal said and added that signing of the agreement is "a very forward looking and visionary step". The JV company will have 51 per cent share from Chhattisgarh government and 49 per cent from the Ministry of Railways and will work in identifying projects which may be taken up in the state. The company will have its headquarter at Raipur or Naya Raipur. The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference here when Home Minister Rajnath Singh came face- to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time today and the two leaders barely shook hands. As Singh arrived at the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel here, Khan was at the gate to receive the dignitaries. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Members of the Indian media, which came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment and was kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which led to a verbal dual between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official. Indian officials said the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was clearly visible in the conference. Meanwhile, Khan said Pakistan was "committed to SAARC processes, and, desires to see it as a successful regional organisation." "We must do a reality check of what we have achieved so far and what still remains. It is time for us to seize the moment, to leverage our potential and overcome our choices," he said. "We have made substantial contribution towards various SAARC processes and have taken a number of initiatives in furthering the goal of close regional integration," he said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh today skipped a lunch hosted by his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan after the host himself left the venue. Khan had organised the lunch for the visiting dignitaries, who were here to attend the 7th SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference, and had scheduled it after the main meeting. However, the Pakistani Interior Minister left the venue immediately after the meeting got over despite being the host of the lunch. Singh then took the decision to skip the lunch. The Home Minister later had his lunch at his hotel room along with the members of the accompanying Indian delegation. After the lunch, Singh left for India. The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was also evident at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference here when Singh came face-to-face with Khan for the first time today and the two leaders barely shook hands. As Singh arrived at the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel here, Khan was at the gate to receive the dignitaries. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. (Reopens FES 84) A Pakistani Interior Ministry official, when asked about Singh not attending the lunch, said that the Indian delegation had informed in the morning that the minister would leave after the first session which concluded at 1:30 PM. "We were told that he has some important engagements back home," he said. The Pakistani official also rejected any discrimination against Indian media, saying that even the Pakistani private media was also not allowed to cover the conference as only the official media was deputed for it. Last winter when Americans were warned about the Zika virus risk in Brazil and other areas of South America, U.S. public health officials said the disease would arrive in the United States this summer. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 15 cases of Zika that appear to have been contracted from mosquito bites in Miami, Fla. Despite months of warning, the United States is not as well-prepared for this bug-borne virus as it should be and could have been. Congress failed to appropriate funds to combat this public health threat before lawmakers left Washington last month for their six-week summer break. Back in February, the Obama administration asked Congress to appropriate $1.9 billion to prevent the spread of Zika. Thats the amount that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said is needed. The NIAID, which has been conducting Zika research at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, told Gazette reporter Tom Lutey in June that research money would run out this summer unless Congress provides more. There is no vaccine against Zika yet, but thats what the lab in Hamilton is working toward. The Senate approved $1.1 billion, and the House approved $622 million. Then in a conference bill, House Republicans tied Zika money to cuts in funding for family planning through Planned Parenthood, defunding part of Obamacare and reversing the ban on flying the confederate flag at U.S. military cemeteries. Senate Democrats refused to accept those add-ons. So theres no money for Zika this summer. Instead, CDC is using limited funds previously appropriated for Ebola response. On Tuesday, the CDC announced it was awarding $16 million to 40 states and U.S. territories to fight the virus. The largest awards for Florida and California were $720,000. That is a small fraction of the cost of lifetime care for just one baby born with microcephaly the birth defect that Zika can cause. Fortunately, Aedes aegypti, the type of mosquito that transmits the Zika virus, doesnt live in Montana or Wyoming. However, folks in our region are at risk for Zika when traveling to states that do have the Zika-carrying mosquitoes. People infected while traveling can also transmit the virus to their sex partners back home. Montana has reported four case of travel-acquired Zika, including one in Yellowstone County. When Congress left on vacation, the U.S. had 1,000 Zika cases reported, including 320 in pregnant women and three cases of infants born with Zika-related microcephaly. As of this week, the CDC had counted 1,658 cases, including 433 pregnant women. So far, those pregnancies have resulted in 13 babies born in the United States with birth defects and six pregnancies lost because of birth defects. Both Republicans and Democrats voted in favor of Zika funding, but they failed to overcome the politics of gridlock. Regarding the latest attempt to defund Planned Parenthood, this is no time to reduce access to contraceptive services. Women who may be exposed to Zika need to have options for preventing pregnancy. Lawmakers who balked at spending more than a billion to fight Zika should consider the billions that Medicaid will spend to care for severely disabled babies unless the United States finds a way to protect them from Zika. Montanas Sen. Jon Tester spoke out early and forcefully in support of Zika funding. Tester recognized that although the disease wont be transmitted by mosquitoes in Montana, it will affect Montanans. As Tester said: Every one of those children born with microcephaly is 10 million bucks, and that doesnt include the heartache that happens. A rape accused was allegedly beaten to death by two inmates at the Central Jail in Chhattisgarh's Durg district today, police said. Ajay Dewangan (34), resident of Supela police station limits in the district, was arrested on the charge of sexually assaulting his mother yesterday, inspector general of police, Durg Range, Dipanshu Kabra told PTI. He was found dead in his barrack today. Preliminary investigation suggested that he was thrashed by two inmates because of the allegation he was facing, the IG said. An enquiry had been ordered and exact cause of death will be known after the autopsy report was received, he said. A 55-year-old Omani woman has successfully undergone a rare cervical surgery on her neck at the private KIMS hospital here. The three-hour-long surgery was successfully completed by a team of surgeons at the hospital. Salma Abdullah, who had approached the hospital with pain in the neck, shoulder and arms, was diagnosed with cervical disc prolapse, a hospital release said. Subsequently, a disc replacement was done in which the damaged disc was replaced with an artificial disc, it said. As conventional surgical methods limit the freedom of movement, forcing the patient to wear a collar, an innovative procedure was done by doctors at KIMS, where no plates and screws were used during the surgery, the release said. Salma is now able to move her neck and is free of pain and has been discharged from the hospital, it added. Trade ministers of 16 countries, including India, China and Japan will meet tomorrow in Laos to review the progress and resolve issues holding back negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also represent India at the fourth East Asia Ministerial Meet and 13th AEM (ASEAN Economic Ministers)-India consultations besides the 4th RCEP Ministerial Meeting in Laos, an official said. There are several issues, including the proposed three-tier system of tariff relaxation and matters pertaining to services sector, which need intervention at a ministerial level. In the recently-concluded 12th round of negotiations for the mega trade deal - RCEP - in Auckland, a few members raised concerns about the three-tier system proposed by countries, including India, to cut or eliminate taxes on goods. India has decided to offer greater access to its market for ASEAN countries - with which it has a free trade agreement in place - and has proposed to eliminate duties or tariffs on 80 per cent of items for the 10-nation bloc under this proposed pact. Similarly, for Japan and South Korea, it has offered to open up 65 per cent of its product space. For Australia, New Zealand and China, Delhi has proposed to eliminate duties on only 42.5 per cent of products, as India does not have any kind of FTA with these three countries. RCEP is a mega trade deal which aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights. The talks for the pact started in Phnom Penh in November 2012. The 16 countries account for over a quarter of the world's economy, estimated to be more than USD 75 trillion. India already has FTAs with the ASEAN grouping, Japan and South Korea. The 16-member bloc RCEP comprises 10 ASEAN members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Further the official said that Sitharaman will also hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Russia and New Zealand to discuss ways to further boost the trade and economic ties. Facing flak following the Bulandshahr gangrape incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said he was ready for a CBI probe and accused the opposition of "tutoring the victims", a remark dubbed by BJP as "insensitive" and insulting to women. "The incident is shameful and unfortunate... We have issued strict directives and also took action against the officials... A team has been put in place and police and administration have been asked to take stern action and ensure that no one guilty is spared," Yadav said. "If the family of the victims want, we are ready for a CBI probe," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function at Raj Bhawan here. Hitting back at the chief minister, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma accused Yadav of rubbing salt into the wounds of Bulandshahr gangrape victims. Instead of sacking his minister Azam Khan, Yadav chose to speak the language of Khan, who had also seen a "political conspiracy" in the crime, Sharma said in a statement in New Delhi and demanded a CBI probe into the incident, alleging that police was working to cover it up. Sharma alleged over 3,000 rapes and 12,000 murders had occurred under the SP rule and wondered if they were also driven by politics. Answering questions from mediapersons, the chief minister said, "We will also request the court to ensure that speedy justice is delivered...Through the fast track courts. Action will be taken against those responsible." "But the question is what are BJP and other (opposition) parties tutoring the victims in close rooms...Is this not politics...Leaders of the stature of ministers are sitting inside rooms and telling them...What conspiracy is being played...Will we not say that it is political conspiracy," he said. In a related development, the Allahabad High Court today directed the petitioner in the Bulandshahr gangrape case to file details by tomorrow on the alleged irregularities in the police probe in the matter. The order was passed by a Lucknow bench comprising justices Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Vijay Laxmi on a PIL seeking directions for a CBI probe and for making proper security arrangements on highways in UP. Amid reports of a tussle between him and the Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today said there were no differences of opinion and relations between his ministry and the Lt Governor were cordial. "The Lt Governor is functioning within the framework of the Constitution," he told PTI when contacted. "We are carrying out our work within the framework of the Constitution and hence there is no room for any differences of opinion." He said the Lt Governor had hosted a dinner for the Council of Ministers at Raj Nivas yesterday. There was absolutely no differences of opinion between the Ministry and Lt Governor, he said. Narayansamy said the situation in New Delhi was different and it would not be correct to draw conclusions in respect of Puducherry. He said he was yet to acquaint himself with the contents of the judgment of the Delhi High Court holding the Lt Governor as administrative head of National Capital Territory. "Unless I read the contents of the verdict and acquainted myself with the contents of the judgment,I will not be able to express any opinion or view," he said. The BJP's Puducherry unit President V Saminathan had earlier said the verdict was "equally and automatically applicable to Union Territory of Puducherry also," as there has been a "tussle" between the Narayanasamy and the Lt Governor. The Republican party and the Trump Campaign have alleged that the USD 400 million the Obama Administration sent to Iran coinciding with the release of four imprisoned Americans was part of a ransom deal and have sought a full investigation into it. "This administration has embarrassed our country as no administration has before, going so far as to fund Islamic terror through cash payments to Iran," Stephen Miller, senior policy advisor to the Trump Campaign, said yesterday. "Nothing less than a full investigation is required, and if email-destroying Hillary Clinton can't break from Obama on this then she is even more corrupt than anyone imagined," Miller said. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the report confirmed his longstanding suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran. Ryan was referring to a Wall Street Journal report which stated that the US secretly organised an "airlift of USD 400 million" in hard cash to Iran that coincided with the release of four Americans detained in Tehran. "It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal. Yet again, the public deserves an explanation of the lengths this administration went to in order to accommodate the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism," Ryan said. Senator John McCain, Chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee said the Obama Administration's airlift of USD 400 million in cash to Iran is disturbing, but hardly surprising given its long record of concessions to America's adversaries. "Whatever the Administration may claim, it is clear that this payment was a ransom for Americans held hostage in Iran," McCain said. "Sounds a lot like a ransom payment to me," said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Administration officials said it was 'coincidental' that Iran released hostages on the same day. Iranian officials described the money as a ransom. Something is terribly wrong when it's easier to trust Iranian officials than the President's Administration, he said. "This reckless arrangement is not only a major breach of longstanding US policy, it also means millions of dollars potentially finding their way into the pockets of terrorist organisations while putting a price on the head of every American," alleged Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus. "This secret deal with Iran only shows how comfortable the Obama Administration is hiding the truth from the American people," he said. Senator Marco Rubio, a former presidential candidate, in a statement announced his intention to introduce legislation stopping the Obama Administration's ransom payment to Iran. "Iran is the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism. It is disgusting that the Obama Administration would even contemplate providing almost USD 2 billion to a terrorist- sponsoring regime as an illicit ransom payment. As the Administration has stated in its own hostage policy, paying hostage-takers endangers American citizens," he said. The White House, however, has strongly refuted the ransom deal allegation, saying it was Iranian money. "First of all, it's Iranian money. I think what is true from all of the money that Iran has received since January, including from sanctions relief - which actually is more than USD 400 million. It's much smaller than the hundreds of billions of dollars that critics of the deal predicted," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. "No, it was not. It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages," Earnest said. "The facts of this are quite clear. I think it's an indication of just how badly opponents of the Iran deal are struggling to justify their opposition to a successful deal that has prevented and continues to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon," Earnest said. He said the USD 400 million was actually the amount that the Iranians had paid into a US account in 1979 as part of a transaction to procure military equipment. "That military equipment, as it relates to this USD 400 million, was not provided to the Iranians in 1979 because the Shah of Iran was overthrown. So that was the right decision," Earnest said. "It's also why it was hard for the United States to make an argument in this case that we could just keep the money. So what the United States did was resolve a longstanding claim at The Hague that saved the American people potentially billions of dollars," he said. The role of Governors today came into question in the Rajya Sabha as it discussed the dismissal of governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, during which the Modi dispensation came under sharp attack for imposing the President's Rule which was quashed by the court. The House saw a face-off between Congress and government, with the main opposition party alleged "trampling" of democracy by the BJP-led government which hit back by reminding that Congress had "butchered" democracy by misusing Article 356 about 100 times. Congress pressed for a statement and "apology" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dismissing the party's governments in Arunachal Pradesh in December last year and then in Uttarakhand in January. During the debate, several members questioned the need for having a Governor and sought a review of the Article under which Governors are appointed. After about 4-and-a-half hours of discussion, a reply by Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju was disrupted by the Congress which said it cannot allow him to speak as he was allegedly involved in the toppling of Arunachal Pradesh government. Rijiju was replying to the discussion on the 'Developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh leading to the change in the ruling dispensations in the states and the role of the Governors there' on behalf of Home Minister Rajnath Singh who was on a visit to Pakistan. Amid the din created by Congress, Rijiju said the protest was "unfortunate" and "exposes the hollowness of the basis on which the Congress party has tried to make this as an issue". Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said Rijiju's hailing from Arunachal does not disqualify him from replying to a debate. He asked Rijiju to give the reply after seeking the opinion from the other political parties including TMC, CPI-M, AIADMK and DMK who had no issues with it. "I can postpone the reply only on consensus. There is no consensus. So he can reply," Kurien told the protesting Congress members who stormed the Well of the House. On the allegation that Centre has toppled the governments in both the state, Rijiju said in the last 2 years, there have been 3 instances of President's Rule -- Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Claiming that some Congress members are "misleading" the House and the country, Rijiju said it is being said that some RSS workers have been appointed as Governors in the three states, but Lt Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung was appointed by the UPA government. Similarly, Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul has also been appointed by the last government at the Centre. Arunachal Pradesh Governor Tathagat Roy was the former Assam Chief Secretary and was "never aligned with any of the political parties or any ideology", he added. "They have excellent track record in serving this nation. How could you mislead this nation and this House? All three were never members of the BJP," Rijiju said countering the protesting Congress members. He contended that Congress was responsible for imposing the most number of President's Rule in the country. "I wish I could make more elaborate points thereby justifying that we are not involved in either Uttarakhand or Arunachal Pradesh. It is the internal matter of the Congress party. If anybody has to apologise to the nation it is the Congress party by creating unnecessary issue," he said. Earlier, the debate saw repeated clashes between the BJP and Congress members over the imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. Attacking the government, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "We demand the Prime Minister should come to the House and explain and apologise to the country for what has happened," he added. "What happened was unheard in the history of India. Yes, 356 has been used and misused but this kind of mechanism never happened in history of India. And in the history of India this is for the first time that Supreme Court restored status quo ante which has also never happened in the history of India," the former Union Minister said. He said even though Prime Minister was coming to Parliament, he has been avoiding the House. "I am saddened that in such an important debate we would have expected the Prime Minister to be here. He should have been here and expalin why President's rule was imposed in the two states," Sibal said. Accusing the government of engineering the episodes, he said, "You are treating your Governors as RSS pracharaks as agents and you are using the post of Governors to destabilise elected governments in this country..." The Governors appointed by the governemnt are raising issues like 'Love Jihad' or asking people to go to Bangladesh, he added. "Our Governors never did such things," Sibal said. Attacking the PM, he said: "Your PM has chosen not to come and neither answer. PM has chosen to stay aloof. He should tell his agenda, intentions. He keeps on talking on 'Mann ki Baat' but does not say anything on this matter." Neeraj Shekhar (SP) said BJP was committing the same mistakes that Congress had done and wanted apology from both the parties for misuse of Article 356. He also questioned the necessity of having the post of Governor. "Why should we require Governor? They are propagandist and using the Raj Bhawan for this purpose. ...Is it the job of a Governor to dethrone the government?" he asked. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (Trinamool Congress) sought review of the appointment of Governors and demanded putting in place of eligibility and qualification criteria for selection. This is necessary as recent developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh prove that some Governors have "acted as agents," he said. "Article 157 of the Constitution deals with the appointment of a Governor and this must be reviewed. The qualification should be provided," he said. He also sought review of the Article 356 even as he observed that the ruling party was giving "uncanny respect" to the Constitution. CPI leader D Raja said the question is being now raised that why do we need a Governor. He urged upon all political parties to ensure that Article 356 of the Indian Constitution should remain as "dead letter". Dilip Tirkey (BJD) said the smaller parties have been most affected by the Article 356. He said what happened in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand has put a question mark on federal structure. Congress leader Anand Sharma, while initiating the debate, said what happened in the two states was a "brazen violation of Constitution" and "insult to democracy". "What happened in Arunachal late last year followed by Uttarakhand in Janauary this year shocked the country and invited censure of the Supreme Court and High Court of Uttarakhand," he said. Questioning the role of Governors, the former minister said he or she is "not supposed to interfere in day-to-day functioning...Take unilateral decisions... Constitution was not respected...It is insult to peoples mandate." Citing the developments in both the states, he said Governors do not meddle in politics or undermine elected governments but "brazen violation of constitution" occured in both the states. He alleged that the Governors in both the states "willingly became tools to pursue nefarious agenda of the ruling party". Citing the Supreme Court orders on the dismissal of governments in these two states, Sharma asked why no action was taken against Uttarakhand Governor. "Sack that Governor. Remove him. If he continues to hold the post you are insulting constitution," Sharma said. "What happened was shameful. The government conduct was outrageous... Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of constitutional federalism...At the same time ruling party president talks of Congress-mukt Bharat...That is the official position of the ruling party and its national executive...This is insult to democracy and misuse of authority to destabilise elected governments," Sharma charged. Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu intervened to say that it is "the Devil quoting the scriptures". This was objected to by the Congress after which Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said he will examine whether it fell under unparliamentary language. Naidu said, "Issue is ...Does the Congress party have any moral right to raise this. It has misused Article 356 at least 90 to 100 times...Such party is giving sermons. Stressing the need for timely payment to beneficiaries under MGNREGA, Joint Secretary in Union Rural Development Ministry Aparajita Sarangi today appealed to all state governments to successfully implement the rural programme. Inaugurating the three-day inter-state exchange programme of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) here, Sarangi asked the states to remove bottlenecks for ensuring timely payment to beneficiaries to fulfil the basic intent of the scheme. Over 12 crore people in 661 districts of the country have been getting employment through MGNREGA and all the officers have to work in co-ordination and with commitment to bring changes in the livelihood of beneficiaries, she said. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand and Rajastan have topped the list of timely payments to beneficiaries of MGNREGA where as in other states there was delay. In Andhra Pradesh, over 93 per cent of the payments have been taking place within 15 days after commencement of the work, Sarangi added. We will examine the reasons behind the delay in payment in other states, she said. Over 40 representatives from 11 states are participating in the inter-state exchange programme. These representatives will be visiting the rural areas of Vizag, Vizianagaram and Srikakuam districts to study the best implementation practises of MGNREGA. Sanjay Kumar Pandey was today appointed as Private Secretary to Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley. He is presently working as Director (Law), Competition Commission of India. The competent authority has approved appointment of Pandey as PS to the Corporate Affairs Minister for a period up to October 30, 2019, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said. Besides, the Centre has approved appointments of PS to two more union ministers. IAS officer N Yuvaraj has been appointed as PS to Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. Yuvaraj is a 2005 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. He has been appointed to the post for five years or on co-terminus basis with the Minister's tenure, it said. Forest service officer Jaipal Singh has been appointed as PS to Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary. Singh is a 1991 batch officer of Indian Forest Service of Gujarat cadre. In a diplomatic victory for India, Saudi Arabia has agreed to give exit visas to hundreds of jobless Indian workers there and will send them back home at its own expense. Making a suo motu statement in Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Saudi Arabia has also agreed to provide free medical facility and food to the Indian workers stranded in camps and also allow those eligible to seek re-employment with other companies. She said her deputy and Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh was camping in Saudi Arabia since Tuesday evening and will return after formalising the arrangements for the Indian workers. "I am happy to inform that the Saudi ruler has taken note of the plight of Indian workers... Saudi King has instructed the officials to resolve the issue in two days," she said. Saudi Arabia, Swaraj said, has agreed to the Indian government's request to grant exit visas to the stranded worker. It has also offered to transport the workers to India. "Government of India will not have to spend a penny on that," she said. The Islamic nation has also permitted workers to take re-employment if other companies find them suitable, she said, adding that before departing, the Indian workers will register their claims of unpaid salaries and other dues with the Labour Office of Saudi Arabia. Indian Embassy in Riyadh will follow up with the Labour Office of Saudi Arabia to get all the dues of workers cleared, she said. The Minister said the Saudi ruler has also issued orders to provide free medical and food to Indian workers lodged in the camps apart from all civic amenities. Thanking the Saudi ruler, she said this was possible because of the personal and diplomatic relationship stuck by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Islamic nation. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad complimented the Indian and the Saudi governments for reaching a solution on the issue. Pope Francis travelled to the Italian town of Assisi today for a private visit to mark the 800th anniversary of the 'Pardon of Assisi', under which the slates of sinners can be wiped clean. The 79-year-old pope arrived by helicopter in the hill-town in central Italy where his namesake Saint Francis of Assisi was born and found God, renouncing his wealth for a life of poverty and becoming an emissary of peace during the Crusades. The Argentine pontiff, who took the name of Francis in homage to the famous Christian friar and his devotion to the downtrodden, prayed in silence in the Porziuncola, a tiny church inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels. It was here the Franciscan movement was founded, and here the venerated patron saint of Italy, animals and the environment died. Yesterday the pope said it would be "a very simple pilgrimage, but a very significant one". Thousands of pilgrims turned out to catch a glimpse of the head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, despite the baking heat in the Umbrian town. Born in 1181 to wealthy silk merchant, Saint Francis fought as a soldier and was imprisoned for a year, a period in which he is believed to have discovered God. He famously discarded his riches, was disowned by his father and tended to the poor in rags. Aged 26 Francis said Jesus came to him in a vision and told him three times, "go and repair my house which is falling into ruins". Legend has it he was praying in an abandoned chapel at the foot of the Assisi hills at the time, and sold his horse to pay for the repairs to what would become the Porziuncola. In a huge setback for the Arvind Kejriwal Government, the Delhi High Court today held that the LG is the administrative head of National Capital Territory and the AAP Government's contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". The decision comes after months-long turf war between LG Najeeb Jung and Kejriwal for the reins of Delhi. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed AAP Government's plea challenging the Centre's May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital. The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of LG. The bench, in its 194-page judgement, said the AAP Government's contention that the LG is bound to act on the aid and advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance and cannot be accepted". After pronouncement of the verdict, the Delhi Government's senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra said they will immediately file a Special Leave Petition against the judgement in the Supreme Court. Women are unsafe in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party government must be suspended for its failure to maintain law and order, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said after meeting the family of Bulandshahr rape victims at Khoda Colony here. "Women are very unsafe in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party government must be suspended as it has failed to maintain law and order in the state," said Dikshit, the chief ministerial candidate of Congress. "I will talk to the chief minster to provide quick justice to the victim's family," she said. Dikshit was accompanied by party leaders Jatin Prasad and Sanjay Singh. Singh said Congress will raise the issue of woman security and deteriorating law and order condition in the UP Assembly. Prasad said he, along with his party members, will meet President Pranab Mukherjee and demand the expulsion of the state government. Dikshit also promised that Congress will bear the expenses for the education of the victim's daughter. Meanwhile, protests were witnessed as Dikshit's cavalcade entered the colony with locals raising slogans like 'Sheila Dixit Vapas Jao'. They also staged a sit-in in front of them on the street. Ukraine said today it had reached an agreement with the US-based electric giant Westinghouse to build a nuclear fuel production unit that would help reduce its reliance on Russia. The former Soviet republic has been trying to sever all forms of dependence on its giant eastern neighbour since a bloody February 2014 pro-EU revolution drove the disdained Kremlin-backed president into self-imposed exile in Russia. The Kremlin's subsequent annexation of Crimea and a pro-Moscow revolt in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 9,500 lives over 27 months has only further spurred Kiev's drive to build up its ties with the West. About half of Ukraine's energy is produced by nuclear power stations that still operate in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster that left thousands dead or dying. But 95 per cent of the fuel for those plants comes from Russia -- a dependence that Energy Minister Igor Nasalyk vowed to break. Nasalyk told reporters that his June visit to the United States had produced an agreement for Westinghouse's Swedish nuclear production factory to build its own plant in Ukraine at an undisclosed future date. "We have agreed to diversify our sources of fuel delivery to nearly half of our nuclear blocks," Nasalyk said. "And we agreed (for Westinghouse Electric Sweden) to construct a nuclear fuel production facility on the territory of Ukraine," he added. Russia has repeatedly argued that the US fuel was unsafe for nuclear stations that were built in Ukraine by the Soviet Union under its own guidelines and standards. But Ukraine began to develop relations with Westinghouse in 2000 and reached its first commercial supply contract with its Swedish unit in 2008. A new six-year delivery deal was signed in 2014 after Kiev's break in ties with Moscow -- a decision that still further angered the Kremlin as it tries to expand its nuclear capacities across the world. Ukraine has four nuclear power stations and 15 production blocks. Westinghouse Electric Sweden chief executive Aziz Dag told the Interfax-Ukraine agency that the new delivery deal will cover six of Ukraine's nuclear power units. Ukraine's announcement came after Westinghouse -- a company formed in 1999 and majority-owned by Japan's Toshiba -- said in April that it was expanding its Swedish nuclear fuel factory in Vasteras in order to broaden its presence in Europe. Ten per cent of Westinghouse is also owned by Kazakstan's state-owned uranium import and export firm. Nasalyk said that he would travel to that Central Asian country later this month to discuss the possibility of Kazakhstan also building a nuclear fuel production plant in Ukraine. Actress Winona Ryder, who was convicted of attempting to steal items amounting to USD 5,500 in 2001, says shoplifting was not a big crime. The 44-year-old "Strange Things" actress said the incident allowed her to take much-needed time out from her movie career, reported Female First. "Psychologically, I must have been at a place where I just wanted to stop. "I won't get into what happened, but it wasn't what people think. And it wasn't like the crime of the century! But it allowed me time that I really needed, where I went back to San Francisco and got back into things that... I just had other interests, frankly," Ryder said. The actress said people have suggested her to undergo cosmetic surgery, she has no interest in going under the knife because she enjoys getting older. I love getting older. I think it has to do with always being the kid on set. It's interesting because, these days, (cosmetic surgery) is treated almost like hygiene. "I've had people say to me, 'Oh, you should, you know...' and they point to my forehead. 'Get that seen to!' But I'm like, 'No! I've been waiting so long for that to happen!'. Terming Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's recent visit to the state an "eyewash", a Sikh organisation in Kashmir today demanded a visit by an all-party delegation to the Valley to assess the ground situation. "All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) demands an immediate visit of senior leaders of national parties to assess the prevailing situation on ground zero for the last 25 days and take up the issue in the current session of Parliament without fail," said chairman of the organisation Jagmohan Singh Raina. APSCC member Pardeep Singh alleged that the Home Minister came to Kashmir "without any agenda and solution". "His visit was more of an eyewash rather than an attempt to resolve the turmoil. That is why all the civil society bodies rejected his call for a meeting," he said. The members of the organisation expressed anguish over the day-to-day killings of "innocent people in Kashmir Valley". "The situation has taken a very serious turn by taking the common man hostage for the last 25 days of curfew," they said. APSCC also held a condolence meeting to mourn the killings. Raina said it was shocking that the government was neither able to ban nor prevent the use of pellet guns which have injured scores of people in the Valley since the unrest began in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan wani's killing by security forces in an encounter on July 8. "Many have lost their eyesight. The number of injured has crossed 3,000 which is outrageous. There is no ray of hope from the Centre that it will be able to bring the Kashmiri leaders to the table to resolve the turmoil," he added. A small aircraft crash landed in a river in Nepal's mountainous Humla district today, leaving the pilot and co-pilot injured. A major accident was averted when the single-engine Makalu aircraft was force-landed by its pilots in Karnali river bed after they witnessed a technical glitch in its engine during its flight to Surkhet from Simikot in western Nepal. The pilot and co-pilot suffered minor injuries when they jumped in the river. They were airlifted to Nepalgunj by a Simrik Air helicopter. The wreckage of the plane has been swept away by the river, according to reports. Nepal has a poor track record in aviation safety standards. In February, an Air Kasthamandap aircraft en route to Jumla from Nepalgunj, with 11 people on board had crashlanded in Kalikot district, leaving the pilot and co-pilot dead in the accident. In a terse message to Pakistan, India onThursday said there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs and called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism. Without mincing any words amid the strain in Indo-Pak relations, Home Minister said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough and that there are "no good terrorists or bad terrorists". Saarc is South Asian Association for Regional Corporation Singh in his address to the 7th SAARC Interiors Ministers Conference said terrorism continued to remain the biggest challenge and threat to the region. The current strain in Indo-Pak relations was apparently evident when Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time today and the two leaders barely shook hands. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Members of the Indian media, which came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment or the conference and was kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, leading to a verbal duel between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official. The Home Minister also skipped the lunch being hosted by Khan after the meeting as the host had left the venue. Speaking in Hindi at the conference, Singh said there should be "strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism." "It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronized by any state," Singh said in a veiled dig at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singh's comments came against the backdrop of Sharif's praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a martyr, much to India's ire. "One country's terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. I also speak for the entire humanity- not just for India or other SAARC members - in urging that in no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs." Calling for isolation of countries or individuals who provide any kind of support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorists, he said "strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. "Only this will ensure that the forces engaged in promoting the heinous crime of terrorism against humanity are effectively countered. Stressing for greater regional prosperity and cooperation between South Asian countries, Singh, however, said that mounting threats and terror incidents endanger region's peace and stability. "Terrorism remains the biggest challenge and threat to our peace. South Asia continues to be deeply affected by this malady, as witnessed most recently in cowardly terrorist attacks in Pathankot, Dhaka, Kabul and other places," Singh said after listening to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. "Merely strong condemnation of such terrorist attacks is not enough. We must harden our resolve to eradicate this menace and also take serious steps to this end," he said without mincing words. The Home Minister also touched upon the issue of countries providing safe haven to terrorists and other criminals. Singh said the will and the mandate of international community against proscribed and wanted terrorists and their outfits must also be respected and implemented. "If we are to rid ourselves of terrorism, we will have to genuinely believe that attempts to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' terrorists are misleading," he said, adding no type of terrorism or support to it can be justified on any grounds whatsoever. Advocating an immediate and effective action against all those who support or encourage international terrorism in any way, whether they are state actors or non-state, he said "only then justice will be ensured for the victims of terrorist attacks such as in Mumbai and Pathankot. We must have the approach of 'zero tolerance' against any type of terrorism." The Home Minister called for implementation of SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and its Additional Protocol, saying that it was "crucial" in common fight against terrorism. The Convention includes ensuring effective measures so that those committing terrorist acts do not escape prosecution and punishment, and are extradited or prosecuted. Singh also touched upon misuse of social and digital media, a modern-day tool used by terror groups. "In our effort to tackle terrorism, we should look into all possible avenues of cyber-crime, its linkages with the terrorist world, and how these could be dealt with. "Attention and efforts need to be devoted to ensure that social media and other modern technology is not misused for misleading especially the youth or promoting terrorism in any way." He drew the attention of the participants to ratification of the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. "We have not been able to benefit from the Convention, as some Member States are yet to ratify it. I would urge remaining Member States to consider ratifying the Convention at the earliest," he said. He also thanked the participants for extending support to India's proposal for being the host of second Meeting of the High Level Group of Eminent Experts to Strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism in Delhi from September 22 to September 23. A sub-committee constituted to draw up a framework for the effective implementation of the 'Agenda of Alliance', worked out by ruling PDP-BJP coalition, today met here and asked the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) by last week of this month. The committee met met here under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Kumar Singh and reviewed the progress with regard to the implementation of the 'Agenda of Alliance', an official spokesman said. "It was decided that the Chief Secretary shall prepare an Action Taken Report (ATR) with regard to implementation of the 'Agenda of Alliance' and accordingly brief the sub-committee in the next meeting likely to be held in the last week of August," he said. The spokesman said the meeting was attended by Minister for Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs Abdul Rehman Veeri, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Choudhary Lal Singh and Minister for Finance, Culture and Labour and Employment Haseeb Drabu. The meeting took place at a time when Kashmir is on the boil with over 50 deaths reported in violent protests triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district of south Kashmir on July 8. Defending its nuclear cooperation with its close ally Pakistan, China on Thursday said its supply of reactors to Islamabad were in accordance with the principles of and under the supervision of UN's nuclear watchdog. Refuting a US think tank report which said that China's nuclear cooperation with Pakistan was in contravention with the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) principles, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said China-Pakistan cooperation is in accordance with the 48-member nuclear club, which supervises global nuclear commerce. "China has stated on many occasions that the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the civil nuclear energy sector is completely for peaceful purpose," Hua said. "Such cooperation is subject to the safeguards and supervision of the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and in accordance with the NSG's principles and the obligations assumed by the two countries," Hua said. The Arms Control Association (ACA) has expressed concern over export of nuclear materials by China to Pakistan saying that it is in violation of norms and established procedures. "China has taken significant steps over the past several years to strengthen its export controls. However, Beijing's decision to continue selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan in contravention of NSGand its sales of missile technologies to countries of concern earns China a failing grade," the ACA report said. In its updated report card 2013-2016 'Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament', ACA gave China a failing "F Grade" on nuclear weapons related export control. China had joined the in 2004 and its national export controls include provisions related to export licensing, control lists, end-user controls, and import controls. At the IAEA General Conference in 2015, China had said it carried out "stringent reviews" on its export controls and adjusts its trigger lists according to technical progress. In March 2016, Beijing said it started to implement the Nuclear Export Control List that was updated in January 2016. "Despite progress on its export controls China continues to supply Pakistan with nuclear power reactors, despite objections that the sale of the reactors did not receive a consensus exemption from the NSG," the report said. "Pakistan, which is neither an NPT member nor under full- scope IAEA safeguards, is therefore ineligible to receive such assistance under rules," it argued. ACA observations about the consensus and NPT were significant as China blocked India's application to join NSG in the recent NSG Plenary meeting in Seoul despite the support of majority of its members, saying that it lacked the mandatory requirement of consensus among the group. China also said India was not a signatory to NPT, yet another obligatory requirement to join the NSG. In defence of its continued supply of nuclear reactors to Pakistan, China argues that they were part of the decision reached before it joined the NSG. "China has argued that the reactor transfer was based on a contract negotiated with Pakistan in 2003, one year before Beijing joined the NSG, and grandfathered in when China joined the regime," the ACA report said. "However, the 2003 exemption was widely understood to apply solely to the two nuclear power reactors whose sale was completed before China's acceptance into the NSG in 2004," the report said. In February 2015, Wang Xiaotao, vice-minister of the China's planning body the National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC) said China had assisted Pakistan to build six nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 3.4 million kws amid Beijing's plans to build two 1100 mw reactors in Karachi with $6.5 billion assistance. It was the first detailed disclosure by a Chinese official about China's supply of reactors to Pakistan which remained under wraps for long. China had built two 300 mw reactors at Chasma in Punjab followed by two 320 mw units at the same place. It is currently building two 1100 mw reactors in Karachi at a cost of $6.5 billion, saying they are aimed at easing power problems in Pakistan. India and the US have expressed concerns over it and said the reactors were being built without the sanction of the NSG. While India has secured the NSG waiver after the India-US civil nuclear deal in 2008 to get more nuclear reactors and fuel, Pakistan has not got any such exemption. China which is rapidly expanding its nuclear reactors domestically to reduce dependence on coal is now aggressively marketing its newly acquired nuclear technology to build 1100 mw reactors abroad. Besides Pakistan, China signed an agreement tobuild a pressurised water reactor nuclear power plant in Argentina. "It did not take long for us from introducing this (nuclear) technology to exporting it," Wang said. According to a report released last year, China had 27 nuclear power generating units in operation as of the end of October 2015, with a total installed capacity of 25.5 gigawatts (GW), while another 25 units with a total installed capacity of 27.51 GW under construction. The world's second largest plans to raise its installed nuclear power capacity to 58 GW with an additional 30 GW under construction by 2020 and build itself into a strong nuclear power country by 2030. A court in ex-Soviet Tajikistan sentenced a 16-year-old boy to 10.5 years in jail for calling Tajiks on social media to join the Islamic State group, a court official said today. The official said a "schoolboy from the northern Sugd region operating under the pseudonym Hidoyatullo" had attracted a 1,000-strong following on the Russian social network, Odnoklassniki. The official did not name the schoolboy, citing his status as a minor, but confirmed the length of the sentence, which was handed down yesterday. In December, a Tajik court sentenced seven people, three of whom were minors, to terms between seven and 27 years in jail for raising the Islamic State group's flag in the south of the country. The government has said up to 1,000 nationals, including the former chief of the interior ministry's special forces unit, have left the country to join the jihadist group fighting in Iraq and Syria. The secular Central Asian country has witnessed a heavy state crackdown on Islam recently, with widespread reports of forced beard shavings and bans on the sale of Islamic clothing in specific cities. Social media users in the Central Asian state moreover complain of regularly losing access to Russian social networks, as well as Facebook and YouTube. The government has denied authorising the blocks but consistently highlights social media's purported role in spreading extremist ideas. Tajikistan's foreign minister Sirodjidin Aslov was in Washington yesterday to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry and the foreign ministers of four other Central Asian republics. The meeting was the second of its kind in the so-called "C5+1" framework that Washington is using to promote cooperation with the economically depressed region bordering Afghanistan. A week after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued a notice for shutting down six tanneries here for spreading pollution and violating rules, the proceedings for their closure are yet to be initiated. The Regional Pollution Control Board claims it is yet to receive CPCB's written order and hence the delay. "We are yet to receive any order to seal the tanneries. We did receive an order earlier but it had some shortcomings and that is why the tanneries haven't been sealed yet," said in-charge of the Kanpur regional centre Mohd Sikander. CPCB had issued notice to the Kanpur centre on July 27 to shut 13 tanneries including six from Jajmau and seven from Unnav and other areas, where a lot of irregularities were found during CPCB's raid in May earlier this year. During the raid it was found that these tanneries did not have common effluent treatment plant (CETP), online monitoring system and cream recovery plant. Citing these shortcomings, the order to shut the 13 tanneries was issued. When questioned, the district administrators said that Kanpur regional centre had failed to intimate them about the CPCB's order. "The Kanpur regional centre has not yet informed the district administration about CPCB's order to shut down the tanneries. We will investigate the matter," said Kanpur DM Raj Sharma. Tantuja, West Bengal's traditional handloom brand, will take the omni-channel marketing route for reaching out to more customers, besides introducing new products. Tantuja, a State government undertaking, has 48 stores as of now and plans to open at least two more stores at Digha and Mumbai soon. "We are expanding our stores and also harnessing the multiple e-commerce marketplace portals to expand our reach," West Bengal's MSME Minister Swapan Debnath told PTI. "We have tied up with Amazon. We were selling Tantuja sarees through Flipkart and have clocked sales of Rs 50 lakh," he said. 'Biswa Bangla' stores at airport and a few major locations, including the national capital, too sell Tantuja products. The minister said it will not be offering any special discount on the online marketsplace as Tantuja will maintain same price strategy for both online and offline stores. About product strategy, Debnath said Tantuja is planning exclusive wedding sarees in line with Banarasi variety by roping in weavers from Varanasi. These exclusive sarees will cater to the niche clientele across the world. These steps will help in raking in higher revenue in the years to come, Debnath said. Meanwhile, MSME Secretary Rajiva Sinha said government would consider capex support for expansion but government will not subsidise operational expenses. Tantuja has been making profits for the last three years. Starting with a modest profit of Rs 25 lakh in 2013-14 after a gap of 40 years, it went on to make an operational profit of Rs 2.5 crore in 2014-15. In 2015-16, it reached a new high with an operational profit of Rs 3.30 crore against a business turnover of Rs 123 crore. State Irrigation Department on Sunday will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Space Research Organisation for setting up Water Resources Information System. The system will keep eye from sky on state's water resources and ISRO will update the system with new satellite imagery of all water bodies every fortnight. According to an official release, the new system will be set up by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre. "The MoU will be signed on August 7 in the presence of Irrigation minister Harish Rao and ISRO chairman Kiran Kumar," it stated. Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave today said conservation of trees and wildlife and their co-existence is inherent in the country's civilisation. Addressing the 2015 batch of probationers of Indian Forest Service, he said, "The quality of training faculty imparting training at various institutes should be the best." "The minister strongly emphasised on the coexistence between forests, tribals and species of flora and fauna," an official release said. "Conservation of trees and species of birds and animals and their co-existence is inherent in our civilisation," it said quoting the minister. Dave asked the trainee officers to strive to become good forest officers and immerse themselves in work. Indian Forest Service provides an opportunity to the officers to live in the midst of nature, Director General, Forest and Special Secretary, S S Negi said, adding, "young officers should strive to work for poor people of forest-dependent communities." The 2015 batch of probationers comprise 61 officers, including four women and two foreign trainees from Bhutan. A court in Turkey issued a formal warrant today for the arrest of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the government accuses of being behind the failed July 15 coup that left more than 270 people dead. The state-run Anadolu agency said an Istanbul-based court issued the warrant for "ordering the July 15 coup attempt." The government says Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, masterminded the failed coup attempt by renegade officers in Turkey's military and wants him extradited to Turkey. Gulen has denied involvement or prior knowledge of the coup attempt. Ankara has not yet made a formal extradition request, but the arrest warrant could be the prelude. Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, and has said the extradition process must be allowed to take its course. Anadolu said the court issued the warrant over a number of accusations, including an "attempt to eliminate the government of the Turkish Republic or to prevent it from carrying out its duties." More specifically, Anadolu said the court based the arrest warrant on accusations the coup plotters tried to assassinate Erdogan, kidnapped Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and other military officers, bombed parliament and killed police and civilians who resisted. "It has been understood without a doubt that the attempted coup was an activity of the terror organization and that it was carried out with the orders of its founder, suspect Fethullah Gulen," Anadolu quoted from the court decision. It is not the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for Gulen, who broke ranks publicly with Erdogan in 2013. In December 2014, a court issued a warrant for him on accusations of running an armed group. Turkey has designated Gulen's movement, which runs charities, schools and businesses across the world, as a terrorist organization and has launched a widespread crackdown on suspected members since the failed coup. Since the coup attempt, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from jobs in the civil service, judiciary, education, health care, the military and the media. And about 18,000 people have been detained or arrested, mostly from the military, on suspicion of being involved in the failed putsch. Earlier today, Erdogan vowed to go after businesses linked to Gulen's movement. Two more persons were arrested by Telangana CID in connection with the leak of EAMCET-II question paper, taking the number of those held in the case to eight. "Two brokers, Gudipalli Chandra Shekhar Reddy of Medak district in Telangana and Shaik Shakeera, native of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh were arrested by the CID today," an official release said. "Chandra Sekhar Reddy secured four students and Shaik Shakeera secured two students. On the night of July 7, all the six aspirants were taken to Kolkata by air by Chandra Sekhar Reddy and three other brokers," it said. In Kolkata, the students were made to practise two leaked TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) entrance examination question papers at a hotel room. Later, they all were returned to Hyderabad on the night of July 8 by air, the release by CID said. Reddy collected signed blank cheques and copies of SSC and Inter Certificates of the six aspirants and gave them to a broker who conducted the practice camp in a hotel room at Kolkata, it said. "Efforts are going on to apprehend the other brokers and the accused in the question paper leak case," the CID said. On July 25, the CID had registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices and Unfair means) Act, 1997, after it found in its preliminary inquiry that there was prima facie a case for registering an FIR. Investigation also revealed that those appearing for EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) examination in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were taken to camps set up in at least five cities about two to three days prior to the exam and given practice with the leaked copies of two question papers consisting of 320 questions with correct answers, the CID had said. At a review meeting held here on Tuesday, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was informed by CID officials that Delhi turned out to be the centre for leak and there were 34 brokers, who conspired to sell the paper and as many as 200 parents were in touch with the brokers to buy the question papers. The Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET-II) was conducted on July 9 and the results were declared on July 14. The examination was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad. According to reports, some candidates who got a rank in thousands in Andhra Pradesh EAMCET had got a rank below 500 in Telangana EAMCET-II. In the wake of question paper leakage, Telangana government on Tuesday announced the cancellation of EAMCET-II examination and the retest will be held on September 11. A newly-wed British Muslim woman was detained by airport police in the UK after cabin crew reported her reading a Syria art book on her honeymoon flight. Faizah Shaheen was quizzed by officers at Doncaster Airport in South Yorkshire region of England last month after being reported by Thomson Holidays cabin crew. The 27-year-old today said it had been a "hurtful and unpleasant" experience. "I was queuing at passport control and saw police staring at me. I just got through passport control and then two police officers approached me and took me aside and asked me to show my passport again," she told The Independent newspaper. "I asked what was going on and they said I had been reported due to a book I was reading and was to be questioned under the Terrorism Act.I became very angry and upset. I couldn't understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this. I told the police that I didn't think it was right or acceptable," she said. Shaheen, who works with the UK National Health Service to prevent teenage mental health patients from becoming radicalised, said she had been reading the book 'Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline' on the flight to her honeymoon destination of Marmaris, Turkey. She was questioned by police when she returned two weeks later on July 25. "I'm aware that security is very important where terrorism is concerned but they need to keep a sense of proportion. To go off and contact the anti-terror police is quite an extreme overreaction," she said. A spokesperson from Thomson Holidays said customer and employee safety was of "primary importance". "We appreciate that in this instance Ms Shaheen may have felt that over caution had been exercised, however like all airlines, our crew are trained to report any concerns they may have as a precaution," the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police confirmed Shaheen had been "stopped and examined" under Schedule 7 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000. "She was not arrested, she was held for 15 minutes and was subsequently released," the spokesperson said. The award-winning book by Malu Halasa that Shaheen was reading is a collection of essays, short stories, poems, songs, cartoons and pictures from Syrian authors and artists. Shesaid she felt discriminated against because of her faith and now intends to make formal complaints against the police and Thomson Airways. Indian-origin Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the House of Commons' Home Affairs Committee, said the airline had overreacted and must apologise. He said:"In the current climate people are worried. But there is always a balance to be struck in circumstances of this kind. We want the public to report suspicious activity. "Reasonable people would not regard reading a book on Syria on its own, without any other concerns, as warranting the questioning of an individual.Thomson Airways should accept that a mistake was made and apologise to the woman concerned. I am sure if they had done so there would have been a better understanding of the entire situation. A case has been registered here against Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh for his remarks which allegedly defended the attacks on Dalits in Gujarat's Una and supported the cow vigilantes involved, police said today. Mala Sankshema Sangam president B Ramprasad lodged a complaint with Mangalhat Police here accusing Singh of delivering hate speech through his statements. Following the complaint, a case was registered on August 2 under IPC section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) against the BJP MLA, Mangalhat Police Station Sub-Inspector Sekhar said. "The matter is under investigation," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Goshamahal Division) K Ram Bhupal Rao told PTI. In a two-and-half minute video posted on Facebook on July 30, Singh had defended the cow vigilantes, saying those who consume cow meat are bringing "disgrace" to the entire community and should be "taught a lesson". "I am asking those Dalits (who kill cows). Is it necessary to murder cow and eat its meat? This is absolutely wrong. It is because of such 'galeez' (dirty or disgusting) Dalits, that the image of whole Dalit community, which is patriotic, follows dharma, and worships cows, is tarnished. "I support the beating (up) of Dalits who slaughter cows to consume its meat. It is apt. I also support those who taught them a lesson," Singh had said in the video. He had said there are so many Dalits in Telangana who take part in 'Gau Raksha' along with him. Telangana AAP workers, led by their leader Somnath Bharati, had on August 2 held a demonstration near Hyderabad Police Commissionerate demanding registration of an FIR against Singh and his arrest. On July 11, four Dalit youth were beaten up by cow vigilantes at Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Gir-Somnath district when they were skinning a dead cow. Though the youth pleaded they are from the skinning community, the vigilantes thrashed them alleging they were involved in cow slaughter, sparking an outrage. A Dillon man killed in a fatal rollover crash Tuesday on Highway 43 near Wisdom has been identified, officials said. Beaverhead County Deputy Coroner Julie Briggs said 61-year-old Billy Dingley died of blunt force trauma. His body will be transported to the Montana State Crime Lab on Thursday. The Montana Highway Patrol reported that speed was a factor when Dingley failed to negotiate a left turn traveling westbound in a semi-truck and trailer about 3 p.m. on Highway 43, 12 miles west of Wisdom. The cab and trailer flipped and traveled down a steep embankment adjacent to the narrow, windy highway, Beaverhead County Sheriff Franklin Kluesner said Wednesday. Several pine trees were knocked over. The semi-truck and commercial flatbed trailer, which was carrying round hay bales, overturned. Dingley was wearing a seat belt. He died at the scene. Kluesner said law enforcement officers and responders were at the crash site for more than seven hours Tuesday. As of Wednesday, the Highway Patrol reported 107 fatalities on Montana roadways. At this time last year, 108 fatalities were reported. German automaker Volkswagen today said it has started an in-house arm in Pune to serve the information technology-related needs of all its global brands. It has invested euro 3 million or Rs 22.5 in crore into Volkswagen IT Services India, the newly created company which has a team of 300 professionals at present which will be scaled up to 450 soon, a company statement said. They will be collaborating with different IT organisations within the Volkswagen Group in Germany and work on future related projects and drive innovations, it said. "We are offering our brands the opportunity to unlock the potential of their IT investments with the support of the IT talent pool we have put together in India. As the team here will eventually extend its services to cover all brands, India's significance will only be further amplified," Martin Hofmann, Volkswagen AG's Chief Information Officer, said. Head of the management board of Volkswagen Group IT Services GmbH, Uwe Matulovic, said the company is focused on building the right team which is at par with German standards of quality and effectiveness at present. The group, which is at present mired in the emissions scandal, boasts of a brand portfolio including marquee names like Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche and Skoda. It can be noted that a slew of companies across sectors use India as a base to support their in-house IT requirements, employing thousands of Indian engineers. At present, the team has an expertise in areas like AVA, Microsoft Technologies, Business Intelligence, SAP, ServiceNow, mobility and testing, it said. A wanted criminal and his wife have been arrested in west Delhi, police said today. Satbir alias Pappu was involved in six cases of murder and dacoity registered in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi. He was arrested, along with his wife Kamlesh, both declared proclaimed offenders in different cases, near Subhash Chowk yesterday, said Pushpendra Kumar, DCP (West). In 2001, Satbir and another under-trial had escaped from police custody while they were taken from Ambala jail to a court in Sonipat. They had robbed the pistol of the in-charge of the police team escorting them, said the police officer. In 2006, he bought a house at Aakash Vihar in Ranhola area of Delhi and settled there. He along with his family members carried out theft and other criminal activities and bought 45 bighas of land in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu, he said. His elder son Uday was an auto-lifter, who died in a road accident in February this year in Mangolpuri area. His younger son - a minor - has also been apprehended in a house burglary case in Ranhola area, the officer added. government on Thursday said it had tested water samples from the Arkavathy river and the Pennaiyar river water bodies which had revealed "alarming" levels of fecal coliform above the tolerance limits. Public Works Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami informed the Assembly that the government had done it when reports had appeared in a section of media in March 2015 that Karnataka is letting down 593 MLD of sewage in Arkavathy (a tributary of Cauvery) and 889 MLD in Pennaiyar. The Central Pollution Control Board had taken three samples from river Pennaiyar, 2 km upstream of the entry point of Tamil Nadu, between September 2014 and February 2015 and these were analysed in Bengaluru, he said. "The test results had revealed that BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) varied from 19.7 to 32 mg per litre and fecal coliform varied from 38,400 to 7.8 lakh MPN /100 ml (Most Probable number per 100 ml) which is highly alarming," he said. He said had also obtained samples in April last year from two locations on the two rivers which were analysed at the State Pollution Control Board's laboratory at Hosur. "The report revealed alarming results and some of the elements namely the BOD, fecal coliform and total coliform were far above the tolerance limits prescribed for inland surface water by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 2296-1982," he said. The total and fecal coliform bacteria test is a primary indicator of potability and suitability of drinking water for consumption,. Diseases that can be contracted in water with high fecal coliform counts include typhoid, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, dysentery and ear infections. Fecal coliform can usually be killed by boiling water or by treating it with chlorine. Washing thoroughly with soap after contact with contaminated water can also help prevent infections. The state had subsequently moved the Supreme Court on June 5 seeking a permanent injunction restraining Karnataka and its instrumentalities from letting the untreated sewage and industrial effluents into rivers Cauvery and Pennaiyar. Tamil Nadu had also sought a mandatory injunction directing Karnataka to cleanse the waters of Cauvery and Pennaiyar before they enter the state, he said. Palaniswami said Tamil Nadu had also filed an interlocutory application (IA) last year for grant of an ad interim ex-parte order asking Centre to set up a committee to monitor that the discharge of effluents into the said rivers before they entered the state border conforms to the standarad prescribed for discharge of effluent water into rivers by the competent statutory authority. A jury convicted a white former police officer of voluntary manslaughter today in the shooting death of an unarmed black man accused of shoplifting. Portsmouth Officer Stephen Rankin, who was fired as he awaited trial, now faces between one and 10 years in prison as the trial shifts into the sentencing phase. Rankin shot William Chapman in the face and chest outside a Wal-Mart store last year after a security guard accused the 18-year-old of shoplifting. No video recorded the actual killing, and testimony conflicted on the details. Prosecutors said the officer could have used non-deadly force, noting that every witness but Rankin testified Chapman had his hands up. But the defense said Rankin had to shoot after trying to stun the young man because Chapman became enraged and knocked the officer's stun gun to the ground. Rankin had already killed another unarmed suspect, four years earlier, and many in Portsmouth saw his trial as a chance for accountability amid continuing reports about police-involved shootings around the nation. But his lawyers said this case had nothing to do with deadly uses of force against other black men. The jurors eight black and four white began deliberating on Tuesday in the mostly black city of 100,000. They did not convict on the first-degree murder charge prosecutors sought, but criminal charges are rare in police-involved shootings, and convictions are even more uncommon. Experts say on-duty officers kill about 1,000 suspects a year in the United States, but only 74 have been charged since 2005. Of those, a third were convicted, a third were not and the other cases are pending. Persuading a jury to convict in these cases is always difficult because people tend to give police the benefit of the doubt, said Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. "Juries are very reluctant to convict an officer because they all recognize that policing is difficult and violent." Rankin said he calmly approached Chapman to discuss the shoplifting accusation and was preparing to handcuff him when the teen refused to comply with his orders and a struggle ensued. He said he used his stun gun on him, but Chapman knocked it away and both men then faced each other from a short distance. That's when he drew his pistol, Rankin said, and repeatedly commanded Chapman to "get on the ground." Instead, he said Chapman screamed "shoot me" several times before charging at him from about six feet away. He said experienced "tunnel vision" at that point, and fearing for his life, fired twice to stop him. "I had no reason to think he was going to stop attacking me," said Rankin, 36. "I was scared. A 75-year-old woman, who was abandoned by her son at a hospital near here last month, was reunited with her family by the joint efforts of police, state legal services authority and other social organisations. Brajeswari Burman, who was suffering from diarrhoea, was taken to Tomo Riba State Hospital (TRSH) at Naharlagun on July 25 by her son and daughter-in-law. They left the hospital allegedly when the doctor asked them to bring some medicines, and did not return, a release by Arunachal Pradesh State Legal Services Authority (APSLSA) said today. After members of APSLSA, Arunachal Vivekananda Yuva Shakti, a social organisation, and Woman Helpline searched for her kin for six days, and used social media for the purpose, they got the whereabouts of a her son and daughter-in-law from a person, it said. On questioning by police it was revealed that the woman was staying with her eldest daughter-in-law at Naharlagun. When her health condition worsened, they had dumped her at the doorsteps of her younger son, who abandoned her at the hospital, the release said. APSLSA and the police took an undertaking from her sons and daughters-in-law that they would take care of the woman. Besides, the APSLSA will give Rs 2,000 per month to her, the release said. However, disheartened by the ill-treatment meted out by her sons and daughters-in-law, the woman has reportedly decided to leave for her hometown of Coochbehar in West Bengal. A woman, who was allegedly subjected to a molestation attempt by a government pleader, today came out openly against him. Government pleader Dhanesh Mathew Manjooran was arrested on the charge of allegedly attempting to molest the woman on a city road when she was returning home here after work on July 14. Manjooran was allegedly apprehended by locals after the woman raised an alarm following the molestation bid. "It was the same person who had made the outrageous act towards me on the canal road area. It happened when I was returning to my home from my workplace.I raised an alarm soon after the incident. He was soon apprehended by the people around the area when he tried to evade the situation pretending ignorance," the woman told reporters here. She also alleged that there was an attempt by the family members of Manjooran to force her to withdraw from the case. "His family members had approached me at my home the very next day. Their demand was that there should not be any case against the lawyer. And he should get bail from the court," she said. She said she came out openly against him today after she came to know that a section of lawyers, reportedly friends of Manjooran, had been trying to tarnish her image publicly and spoil her family life. The woman's public statement on the issue comes amid reports that there were alleged attempts by a section of lawyers to portray the case as a police ploy targeting the government pleader. Media reporting of the molestation attempt had created tiff between media in Kochi and lawyers in the Kerala High court. A group of agitated advocates had allegedly attacked media persons outside the Kerala High Court complex here on July 20. At least five media persons were injured during the lawyers' protests against the media coverage of the case. An elderly American woman was today stabbed to death and five others including foreigners were injured when a suspected mentally ill teen went on a rampage with a knife in central London, in an attack police said could be linked to terror. A 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin was arrested using a Taser gun on suspicion of carrying out the "random" mass knife attack at Russell Square near the popular British Museum in central London at 10.39 pm (local time yesterday), Scotland Yard said. An American woman, in her 60s, was killed in the attack that also injured two other women and as many men, police said but there was "no evidence of radicalisation" in the assault. The victims include Australian, American, Israeli and British citizens. London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for "calm and vigilance" the people, whose safety he said "is my number one priority" as Londoners woke up this morning to notice an increased presence on the streets of officers following the attack that comes days after a public warning against ISIS-inspired assaults. The attack also came on a day Scotland Yard announced that 600 additional armed officers will be deployed around London's major sites, including British Museum, as part of anti-terror plans in the wake of ISIS attacks in Europe, and days after Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said a terror attack in the UK was a case of "when, not if." However, Metropolitan police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley in a statement outside Scotland Yard headquarters here said that "at this point we believe this is a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random". Police were called following reports of a man armed with a knife was attacking people and "armed officers attended the scene within approximately five minutes of receiving the first call". An eye witness who saw the events unfold from her hotel window told BBC she saw a black man running down the street. Other witnesses said that when the "large man" stabbed the people he did not shout or scream anything. "A Taser was discharged during the arrest of the suspect, a 19-year-old man. No shots were fired. After receiving treatment at hospital he currently remains in custody at south London police station," a Scotland Yard statement said. Two victims remain in hospital but are not suffering from life-threatening injuries while the others have been discharged, police said, adding early indications suggested that "mental health was a factor in this horrific attack." While Metropolitan police earlier said "terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage" in the wake of a string of recent attacks in Europe, the latest from the force is that "we continue to focus our lines of inquiry on mental health while retaining an open mind regarding the motive". Khan said his "heart goes out to the victims of the incident and their loved ones" and appealed to the public to report anything suspicious to the police. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India should be able to implement a new Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April 2017, a senior finance ministry official said on Thursday after the Rajya Sabha passed a key enabling amendment to the constitution. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said his target was for the necessary majority of states to ratify the constitutional change within 30 days, allowing a new GST Council to finalise legislation that will set the rate and other terms of the tax. (Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Malini Menon) By Promit Mukherjee MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's Suzlon Energy Ltd hopes to exit a process of corporate debt restructuring by March 2017, its chairman said on Thursday, a turnaround for a company that four years ago reeled under heavy debt after an ill-advised overseas expansion. Suzlon's purchase of German wind energy firm RePower, now renamed Senvion, for 1.4 billion euros ($1.56 billion) in 2007 proved a costly mistake after the 2008 global financial crisis dented demand for wind turbines. The debt taken on to purchase the company badly hurt Suzlon, leading it to post India's biggest default in foreign currency convertible debt in 2012. It also forced Suzlon to enter corporate debt restructuring (CDR) in 2013, a formal process in India under which companies that face difficulties in repaying their loans can work with banks to restructure their debt. But founder and chairman Tulsi Tanti said Suzlon has steadily rebuilt its business by focusing on its domestic business, helped by a strong push by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government towards renewable energy. "We will be the fastest company to come out of CDR," Tanti said in an interview with in Mumbai. Suzlon expects its cash balance to exceed its debt in five years as it increases operating capacity and cuts its interest payments, Tanti said. Suzlon plans to add 15 gigawatts of wind and solar energy capacity over the next five years to its current asset base of 9.5 gigawatts, Tanti said, adding the company had acquired enough land to undertake projects. Land acquisition is among the major challenges faced by renewable energy companies. He also said that Suzlon, which four years ago accounted for almost half of the Indian wind turbine market but has since seen that fall to 27 percent, was targeting a 40 percent share by March 2017. Suzlon will also not look for any overseas acquisition, Tanti said, after last year selling Senvion for 1 billion euros to cut debt, marking an end to its overseas foray. "There is no plan for any type of acquisition," he said. "We will grow in the overseas market but through exports of our wind turbines," he added. ($1 = 66.9450 rupees) ($1 = 0.8977 euros) (Editing by Rafael Nam and Adrian Croft) Alcohol almost made it to the goods and services tax (GST) list as an item to be taxed under it, but for political developments in Bihar. "The empowered committee of state finance ministers had at their meeting in Bhubaneswar in January 2013 reached an understanding on it," said an officer, who had tracked the tortuous course of India's most ambitious tax reforms. The chairman of the committee, Sushil Modi, who was finance minister for Bihar, had to step down soon thereafter in June as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United) coalition split in the state. HAMILTON Firefighters had a good day Wednesday building line and dousing hot spots on the Roaring Lion Fire and expect the same for Thursday. The hope is to have lines shored up on the southern end of the fire before the next weather front blows through sometime over the weekend. Nonetheless, residents are not being allowed to return to the mandatory evacuation because dangers, such as falling trees and downed lines, remain. A community meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Assembly of God Church at 6th and Main in Hamilton. The fire grew by over 500 acres Wednesday and is currently estimated to cover 7,752 acres. The cost of firefighting efforts so far is over $2.1 million. On Thursday, the fire danger was moved to very high on the entire Bitterroot National Forest. That means fires will spread rapidly and a have a quick increase in intensity following ignition. Forest Service Fire Information Officer Mike Cole said the meteorologist and fire behavior specialist assigned to the Roaring Lion Fire arent expecting anything major to occur Thursday. The fire is 7 percent contained, Cole said. Were making a little bit of headway. Well probably make some more today. Humidity levels rose dramatically overnight to 80 percent all the way up to 7,000 feet in elevation. Once the sun starts hitting the fire, that is expected to change rapidly, Cole said. By early afternoon, it should be back down to 15 percent. The good news is that there are no high winds in the immediate forecast. Right now, were expecting up-slope winds in the range of 10 mph, Cole said. Were not expecting winds to drive the fire activity today. It looks like today and tomorrow, we should be OK. Heavy machinery and hand crews are building fire line on the southern edge of the fire. The goal is to connect that line into a line built earlier this year during the Observation Fire. Cole said that crews are also working around homes to ensure that there arent any hot spots or snags that could endanger the structures that survived the fire. Sometimes youll find smoke coming up a day or two later after the fire comes through, Cole said. Were checking those homes pretty thoroughly to ensure that nothing else gets started. The fire has burned close to a mile south of the Ward Creek drainage. Cole said the goal from the onset has been to keep the fire out of Camas Creek. Definitely the fire is most active on the southern end, Cole said. There is a lot of beetle-killed lodgepole, drought-stressed trees and some Doug Fir with root rot in that area. There has been no change to evacuation zones. Cole guessed that officials will explain the kinds of hazards people would face in the evacuation zone at this point in the fire. Usually, when we get to this point in the fire and it looks like smoke isnt close to home, people get antsy to get back in there, he said. There are a lot of hazards that remain. There are downed power lines, crews working in the middle of roads and a lot of snags. Following a fire in Glacier National Park that closed the Going to the Sun Road, Cole said there were a lot of people wondering why they couldnt make that drive after the blaze had moved through the area. It looked like they should be able to go back in there, but the problem was that we had hundreds of snags coming down across the roadway, he said. Until people actually see that, they cant understand the hazards. There are still nine helicopters and two single engine air tankers assigned to the Roaring Lion Fire. Helicopters have dropped over 750,000 gallons of water on the fire so far. As of Thursday morning, Cole said there were 629 people assigned to the fire. That number will vary day to day as crews time out, he said. Were pretty staffed up right now. The plan doesnt call for building a fire line completely around the fire. The main issue is to keep the fire out of the valley, Cole said. Every fire in the Bitterroot is like that. Well build lines where we need to contain the fire and work to make them secure enough for that next wind event. Fires like this one are teachable moments for people who live in the woods, he said. You have a window of opportunity before the fire comes, Cole said. Once the fire starts, its too late to haul flammable material out. The only thing you can do is get the woodpile and other flammable material away from the house and then pray. If GST tax is capped at 18-20%, it will benefit chemicals industry: Ajay Durrani The trickle-down and cascading effects of the GST in other sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, auto and consumer products too will impact the chemicals and polymers industry The trickle-down and cascading effects of the GST in other sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, auto and consumer products too will impact the chemicals and polymers industry The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is one of the most significant reforms introduced in the history of the Indian fiscal evolution. It is definitely a progressive and pragmatic approach to taxation that will improve ease of doing business in the country. That being said, the government could only muster consensus on the nature of levies that shall be subsumed in the GST. There is no consensus on the final GST rate; which is key to determine the impact. Nevertheless, the current tax for the paints and industrial chemicals sector is between 24 per cent and 26 per cent. If the government ... Ajay Durrani Commercial Feature is a Business Standard Digital Marketing Initiative. The Editorial/Content team at Business Standard has not contributed to writing or editing these articles. For further information, please write to assist@bsmail.in The government plans to impart training to 40 crore people in the next few years under the ambitious 'Skill India' initiative to meet its requirement of skilled labour, India's High Commissioner to the UK Navtej Singh Sarna said. Sarna, who was the chief guest at a function organised by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New Delhi to celebrate India's Independence Day, said 70 years ago, there were many who questioned India's chances of survival, but it had proved them wrong because of values such as inclusivity, simplicity and truth, it followed. Noting that 50 per cent of India's population is under the age of 25, a huge amount of energy waiting to propel us forward, he said in the next 7 to 8 years, we are expecting to achieve 99 per cent literacy. "We are planning to train 400 million skilled people in the next few years under the 'Skill India' initiative to meet our requirement of skilled labour. We have set in motion an economic direction with very clear programmes of development answering these particular challenges," he said. Similarly, 'Digital India' is the programme for a new age, and several other programmes that are aimed to harness India's huge potential. India is fortunate to have the Constitution that it has. The men and women who gave us a Constitution displayed unparalleled imagination that kept a huge population of incredible diversity together, Sarna said. The Constitution is not a dead letter but one that kept pace with the changing times. It has been amended nearly a hundred times but has kept its basic structure, to ensure that the vision of India that existed in 1947 remains to this day. He said today we have to thank all those faceless people who made India the beacon for the world. Despite all that has been achieved and all that remains to be achieved, India is today a leading example. In all of human history, a democratic experiment of this level has never been done or succeeded. The economic success and prospects of India are now well recognised by most international organisations like the IMF, the World Bank. "We have huge challenges of poverty, education and disease, but if we can't face them with our resources, and our survival instincts, not many can," he said. Noting that India's culture and tradition are priceless, the Chairman of the Bhavan Joginder Sangar said that is what it stands for. Keith Vaz, the longest serving Asian origin MP in the House of Commons described Joginder Sangar as anunofficial Ambassador between India and the UK. Referring to Britain's vote to leave European Union, he said , "Now we have to look to India as main trading partner. Barry Gardiner the MP said Britain should now forge new relations with Commonwealth Countries, particularly India." The S&P BSE Sensex on Thursday ended flat after jumping over 200 points in the early trade, the broader Nifty50 also pared gains to settle the day just a tad above 8,550-mark. The headline indices welcomed the long-awaited passage of the goods and services tax (GST), though gains were tempered by concerns about the amount of work needed to bring the reforms into reality. The 30-share index ended the day at 27,714, up 16.86 points, while broad-based 50-share index quoted 8,551, up 6.25 points at close. ALSO READ: GST Bill: ITC, Ashok Leyland among nine stocks to pinch your portfolio now The GST Bill, which has been in the making for over a decade, entails introduction of a single indirect tax regime across the country. Its passage marks a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he seeks to boost growth in the country, and is a relief for investors, especially overseas, who'd been growing impatient about the pace of reforms. But the government and companies from sectors such as automakers and logistics will now need to implement new technology structures in preparation for the new taxes. ALSO READ: A bumpy road lies ahead as Rajya Sabha nods on GST Bill Nomura analysts also warned the GST could negatively impact the economy in the short-term as higher taxes hit consumption and push up inflation by 20-70 basis points in the first year of implementation. Shares of automakers rose as the heavily taxed sector is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of a unified and national taxation system. Tata Motors surged 4.3 per cent. ALSO READ: Why services industry are looking at GST as you would look at snake Logistics firms also gained, with Shipping Corp of India up 3.8 per cent and Transport Corp of India up 2 per cent. (With inputs from Reuters) Here at Business World, we provide content services to a broad range of Irish companies with a particular focus on Irish financial companies. With that in mind we thought wed take a look at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) - it is the Irish financial centre after all! Services Based in Dublin Docklands, the IFSC has been in operation for almost 30 years, first opening its doors in 1987. We thought wed been around a long time - Business World can trace its roots back to 2001. There are currently more than 500 financial operations trading within the IFSC, total employment stands at over 38,000 with an average salary of 60,100. The IFSC is a tax powerhouse for the state with provisional corporation tax figures hitting 1.6bn across 2015 and a further 1 billion going to the exchequer in payroll taxes. The centre is host to half of the world's top 50 banks and to half of the top 20 insurance companies. These companies are pushing Ireland back towards the top of global financial hubs. Brexit With the advent of Brexit the amount of companies that have been contemplating moving from London to Dublin has increased exponentially, Reuters reported recently that Ireland moves swiftly to lure financial jobs from the UK after Brexit. Obviously the IFSC and surrounding areas would be the likely destination for any new financial institutions entering the country. However, with the actual exit scheduled to take in excess of two years, if indeed ever, uncertainty remains. After the initial clamour to move, Bloomberg reported this week; Bank CEOs in no rush to move staff from UK after Brexit vote. So it remains to be seen who will come. Inevitably there will be a greater chance of new entrants to the European finance sector choosing Dublin over London in the coming years but who actually bases themselves in the city remains to be seen. Offshoot On the back of the numerous leading financial operations based in Dublin city centre there are a whole bunch of companies that service their needs; from caterers to stationers and from internet hosting companies to written content providers. Here at Business World, we support a broad array of financial companies; helping to keep their content fresh and relevant. We offer numerous services from blog postings, articles and website text to live news feeds. Get in touch today to see how we can help shape your online content needs going forward. Source: www.businessworld.ie Camino de Santiago: The road best travelled Published on August 4, 2016 Story by Tiziana Sforza Translation by: Alexander Pearson en it pl es fr de Looking for an idea for your summer holiday? Walking could be a good option. The Camino de Santiago attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year from all over the world, each of them searching for something different. The Spanish caminos - historical, cultural or religious routes that can be navigated on two wheels (push-bikes, not motorbikes), or two legs - continue to conquer the hearts of tourists, hikers and pilgrims alike. The most famous of all is undoubtedly the Camino de Santiago (known in English as the Way of St. James), trodden over every year by thousands of pilgrims of all ages and nationalities. The phenomenon exploded in the 80s, to such an extent that in 1987, the European Council declared the paths that lead to Santiago de Compostela a "European cultural route". This saw an incredible development of all activities now associated with the camino, ensuring that the "pilgrim experience" was a positive one in every way imaginable. According to the figures provided by the official website of the camino, 265,516 pilgrims arrived in Santiago in 2015, and were awarded the Compostela (the document similar to a scroll that certifies completion of the route). Pilgrims come from all over the world, but you are most likely to find Spaniards (walking on home turf), Italians and Americans. There is no shortage of Brazilians either, many of them fans of Paulo Coelho's camino-inspired bestseller The Pilgrimage. What's more, this phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down: the number of pilgrims increased by 10.3% from 2011 to 2015. Pilgrims 2.0 The motto of any pilgrim will always be "only take what you need". Clearly though, times change, and smartphones, solar battery chargers, headphones, tablets and other gadgets are now considered essentials on your camino - they are very much "what you need". Technology has elbowed its way into the pilgrim's life. Wave goodbye to the good intentions of detaching oneself from daily life and dedicating time to meditation and reflection. Very few pilgrims still use a paper map: there are countless free apps that meticulously map out each kilometre of the Camino Frances, indicating not only the location of albergues (hostels open only to pilgrims) and various utilities, but also the hidden "traps" along the way (like unclear junctions, or areas with few water sources). It's strange to find albergues or bars that don't have Wi-Fi. WhatsApp and Skype are the channels of communication that are most used by pilgrims, while Facebook and Instagram are the most efficient mediums for documenting every step of the journey - not forgetting the hundreds of online forums dedicated to the camino. "Cada quien su gusto" - Each to their own Despite being one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world, the Camino de Santiago is one of the least religious. So why do tens of thousands of people drop everything and head over to Spain to walk the distance? The reason varies depending on who you talk to: some do it to discover something more about themselves, and others to find out if they are on the right path in life. There are those who are trying to cure a deeper wound, and also those who do it for the love of adventure, or just to have a story to tell. "I left to grab life and all its offerings by the scruff of the neck," says Cristiano Poduti, a pilgrim from Rome who decided to walk the Camino de Santiago by taking on different stages over the years. "The camino demands that you travel light, mentally as well as physically. That's why with each step I left behind problems and thoughts that I didn't know what to do with anymore: the camino lightens your step and your soul." "I decided to do the camino because I needed to get away from it all, get out of the system and dedicate time to myself. This experience has given me an alternative to a life that was crushing me..." explains Margherita Paffarini, a pilgrim from Perugia, Italy, who managed to find a job in Spain during her camino. Everyone walks for as long as they want and are able to. Those who can dedicate a month or more to the camino tend to leave from St. Jean Pied de Port, covering the entire 780- kilometre route. If you can only commit to five days, then Sarria - 100km from Santiago - is your most likely point of departure, considered the minimum requirement to be awarded the Compostela. It's no surprise that this final stretch of the camino is also the most crowded. There are also those who, once they have done it, aren't able to do without it. Fernando Carparelli, from Bari in southern Italy, is a case in point. He walked for 11 days from Astorga to Santiago, and has no doubts about whether he'll be back: "This year's 260 kilometres were a taster. Next year I'll take on the entire camino frances on my mountain bike!" Five essentials for any pilgrim 1) The omnipresent scallop shell: This symbol has become synonymous with the pilgrim. It's sold on every corner, and almost everyone has one on their rucksack. 2) Ear plugs: The albergues may be comfortable, but without these you'll hear snoring all through the night. 3) Clothes pegs and safety pins: The pilgrim's wardrobe is often limited to a couple of t-shirts and a few pairs of pants - for a month - so it's necessary to do a small wash almost every day. The safety pins are used in the same way as clothes pegs, they're just lighter. 4) Needle and thread: not to sew, but to pop and attend to blisters. It will seem like a barbaric practice, but you'll come round to the idea after witnessing first-hand the complete futility of plasters/socks/anti-blister cream, which often cost a fortune. 5) "Buen camino!": a mantra that accompanies all pilgrims throughout their journey. It's the phrase you'll hear most, pronounced by each person in their own unmistakeable accent. Story by Tiziana Sforza Translated from In Cammino verso Santiago, senza dimenticare i ferri del mestiere "Gender theory" in Italy: Call me maybe? Published on August 4, 2016 en it de pl fr es [OPINION] Officials in the Lombardy region of Italy announced the implementation of an "anti-gender hotline" from the next school year. The cost? 30,000 euros to fight something which, technically, doesn't exist. It's been a long time since Italian political commentators have been really surprised by anything in the world of current affairs, but this news will probably give them pause. This past May, the Lombardy region led by Roberto Maroni, former secretary of Italys right-wing Northern League party passed an act which introduces a new service intended for Lombard schools. Dubbed the "anti-gender hotline", the service is intended to offer support to parents and students anxious about the teaching of "gender theory" in schools. The contract was awarded a few days ago to the AGE (the Association of Italian Parents, Ed.), an organization that promotes "family values" according to "ethical" and "Christian" principles. The initiative didn't come out of nowhere, however. Its actually the result a sub-paragraph of the Buona Scuola (good school) law, a reform proposed by the Ministry of Education and approved by the Italian Parliament in July 2015. Among the multiple elements of the text, there's a measure with the intention of fighting against "discrimination based on sexual orientation" at school. According to Lombard politicians, however, the Buona Scuola law will allow "gender theory" to be subtly introduced into the school curriculum. It's not so black and white But what exactly do we mean by "gender theory"? Thats precisely the problem: it doesn't exist. Or at least, not in the generally defined sense of a theory, which involves a central principle, a thesis or a body of academic work. In practice, the so called gender theory is more like an ideology created by its own critics, who argue the existence of the alleged theory in order to "subvert" the natural order of things, the concept of family and the biological differences between women and men. In other words, its a conspiracy cooked up by the LGBT agenda. In reality, its a misunderstanding (or a misrepresentation) of over 60 years of gender studies which argue that concepts of masculinity and femininity are defined more by society than biology. These gender studies identified two subjectivity spheres: that of sex (irrefutable physical and biological data) and that of gender (how we perceive the role which is assigned to the individual by society). The distinction between anatomical sexes and gender roles subsequently generated a whole series of reflections on the possibility that the two may not coincide. Progressively, gender studies have led to a reassessment of educational resources intended for the fight against phenomena such as sexism, homophobia and prejudice. It's certainly not a question of a battle against biological differences between man and woman, nor against the traditional concept of family. The first references to the mysterious "gender theory" emerged in the 1990s, but its only in the past three years, particularly in France and Italy, that certain family organisations and conservatives in general have taken a stand. Thats how education projects on diversity, designed sexism and homophobia, were suddenly presented like underhanded attempts to indoctrinate our youth. The impenetrable voice of God It goes without saying that the subject gives rise to much confusion, even within the highest religious offices in the world; a year ago, Pope Francis mentioned "gender theory" during a general audience in St. Peter's Square. This confusion has now turned into a political tool that affects educational reform and gives rise to initiatives like that in Lombardy. Yet, the controversial Buona Scuola law does nothing but integrate the indications suggested by reports of UNESCO and UNICEF into the Italian legislative system. Thus, the same day as the signing of the government's decree recognising civil unions, the Lombardy region announced that 30,000 euros would be allocated for the anti-gender hotline, which will run on a trial basis for the next 12 months, despite the fact that it's been set up to fight against something which doesn't exist. We look forward to the results of such hard work, just like we have been waiting for years for a serious discourse based on a dialogue between parties, without the need to resort to empty slogans, or the implementation of initiatives that aim to combat the xenophobia that national and international media report everyday. Sexism, homophobia and racism are nothing more than the fear of what is different. Behind the calls defending the traditional family hides a tacit feeling of acceptance of the status quo. But it's only a feeling, not a theory. Story by Luca Michele Piscitelli Translated from La paura per il "gender" corre sul filo del telefono SHARE CALLER-TIMES FILE Paul Bystedt leads a tie-ji-twan course. Bystedt is hosting a Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course on Friday night. By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times Paul Bystedt still remembers hearing about James Simpson gunning down five people at the Rossler Company, a refinery inspection business on Rand Morgan Road in 1995. Simpson, a disgruntled employee of the business, took his own life as police were closing in on him. "It's happened in Corpus Christi before," Bystedt said of mass shootings. Bystedt, the owner of the Academy of Asian Martial Arts, is hosting a Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course, or CRASE, at 6:30 p.m. Friday. With several mass shooting incidents occurring across the country in recent months, Bystedt wanted to put on the free course so people know how to respond if it happened again in Corpus Christi. "I thought it could be something that can help people be more proactive and confident," Bystedt said. The course will be led by two Kingsville police officers, Bystedt said. The CRASE course was developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Program at Texas State University. Bystedt said the course will show people how to escape a mass shooting rather than how to disarm the shooter. "This class is about how to get out of the way (and) get clear of (the shooting)," Bystedt said. "This could save lives." Twitter: @Caller_Fares IF YOU GO What: Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course When: 6:30 p.m. Friday Where: Academy of Asian Martial Arts in Sunrise Mall, 5858 South Padre Island Drive Cost: Free Information: 361-533-0062 *Learn more about the course at www.avoiddenydefend.org SHARE Dave Adkins Clintonian Utopia I am so relieved in learning from the Democratic Party Convention in Philadelphia that the terrorist threat no longer exists; therefore, U.S. national security and military readiness are not a concern so we can focus on global warming, the greatest threat to today's America. The party of milk and honey has also resolved that pesky immigration problem, assuring that all those coming from other lands are peace-loving, dying to assimilate and to get into the apple-pie, Chevrolet- and chicken-in-every-pot way of life. Yes, this utopia spells joy and bliss for all. Believe it! Hillary Clinton gave her word and Bill swore to it. SHARE Richard Ramirez When is it enough? When are the people of the 27th Congressional District going to say enough is enough? For months Blake Farenthold has been calling some of his constituents murderers, drug dealers and rapists. I know you're thinking to yourself: When did Blake say these things? Well, let me remind you when this was said. Remember when Blake came out and endorsed Donald Trump? That's when he said these horrible things. When you endorse someone you have agreed with his position and with all the vile things that come out of his mouth. Donald can't help himself. His latest insertion of foot in mouth was an attack on a Gold Star family. Gold Star families deserve respect and a certain amount empathy for their loss. Donald does not possess the people skills to take care of the people he wants to lead as president. So given the fact that Blake has not come out and at least tried to distance himself from Donald, we can only come to the realization that Blake agrees with every word and position that Donald takes. This is the kind of representation we get when we live in a gerrymandered district. Our congressman can stay hidden in the nest made for him by the Republican majority in the state of Texas. Do I think my letter will prod Blake out of hiding? I don't think it will. Blake will continue to back the most dangerous man to ever run for the office of president. God forbid that he wins. Headlines sell and emotions run deep, often controlling our thoughts and actions. Immigration and national security are hot topics today. They are desperately in need of discussion and deep analysis and a realistic overhaul to our immigration system is needed. As this reform begins, we all must keep in mind the contributions that many who come to America make to our nation, specifically North Dakota. Over the last decade, economic growth in North Dakota hasnt been powered solely by energy exploration. It also has been significantly boosted by contributions from immigrants, who come to our state seeking the promise of the American dream. The Grand Forks to Fargo corridor is home to a variety of new businesses having been founded by immigrants. Our agriculture industry also continues to rely on foreign-born workers. Thats why the Partnership for a New American Economy organized a day of action. On Wednesday, agricultural leaders, the business community and concerned citizens called for bipartisan, common-sense immigration reform. Our leaders need to understand that immigration can make both our country and our state stronger by boosting the U.S. economy. Members of Congress need our strong encouragement in order to take the steps needed to make it easier not harder for immigrants seeking the American dream to contribute to our economy here in North Dakota. This week, NAE released individual reports spanning the nation that closely track the overall fiscal impact of immigration in each state. North Dakotas results are noteworthy. In our state, despite a slowdown in energy sector growth, contributions from immigrants have helped buoy the economy. NAEs study found that within North Dakotas agriculture industry, farmers and producers rely on two specific visa programs as lifelines, since the demand for farm labor is greater than supply of workers. That trend is unfolding nationwide, and thats why the H-2A program, which serves agricultural workers, and the H-2B program, which serves seasonal or temporary needs, are vital. The H-2A program certified around 1,150 immigrant farm laborers in North Dakota in 2014. Many farmers say that frequent delays occur, even when the most experienced farms and workers try to navigate the tangled bureaucracy that currently guides visa acquisition and renewal processes. The process is expensive, outdated, and cumbersome. Republicans and Democrats should team up to find a solution, and update these laws in order to better meet current market demands. The NAE report also shows that in North Dakota, immigrants are playing an important role in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. While immigrants represent just 3 percent of the states population, they comprise nearly 4 percent of those working in STEM fields, which include jobs in the oil and gas industry, and some specialized positions within the agricultural sector. In 2014, foreign-born students with temporary visas made up roughly one out of every four students earning a masters degree in STEM fields at North Dakota colleges and universities. Immigrants also comprised 49.1 percent of students earning a Ph.D-level degree in STEM. Immigrants in our state also are almost 40 percent more likely to hold a graduate degree than those who were born here. Our key industries need highly educated and qualified individuals, yet for many immigrants who live and study in North Dakota, there simply isnt a way for them to stay in the United States after they earn a masters or doctorate degree. The impact of this barrier is immense. In 2014, over 35 STEM jobs were advertised online in North Dakota every day, while at the same time, just one qualified STEM worker in the state reported being unemployed. Under the current immigration policy, highly-educated individuals cant stay in the country despite being desperately needed to fill critical positions that bring dollars to our state economy. The current system is broken. Reform is needed. Please consider joining the NAE campaign and visit www.ReasonforReform.org to learn more. Its time! | BY Ricki Green | Effectiveness will be top of the agenda next month, as the Account Planning Group (APG) and The Communications Council welcome Peter Field the UKs Godfather of Effectiveness to Australia for a week of dedicated training and leadership involving an industry masterclass in Sydney on Thursday 8 September. A prolific speaker on marketing effectiveness, Field has over 30 years experience in planning and consultancy at iconic agencies such as AMV-BBDO, DDB, Grey and Bates, and has co-authored many highly respected marketing and advertising texts, including: Marketing in the Era of Accountability, The Long & The Short of it, Brand Immortality, and The Link Between Creativity and Effectiveness. Field is also the author of the worlds leading online qualification for advertising effectiveness, the IPA Eff Test, available exclusively in Australia as part of The Communications Council professional development program. Date: Thursday 8 September Time: 2:00pm 4:00pm Venue: The Museum of Sydney, cnr Phillip St & Bridge St *TCC corporate and APG members The masterclass, Road to Results, will expand on themes raised in his recent Cannes Lions presentation, Selling Creativity Short, using up to date intelligence to unpack: Short-termism and its impact on creativity; Accountability identifying baselines and the means of measuring a campaigns impact; Investment in business growth vs the seduction of sales spikes; and Real-time insights and agile ways of making communications more effective. Says Tony Hale, CEO of The Communications Council: This masterclass is a unique opportunity for both agency and client marketing teams. It will provide an interactive deep-dive into developing and evaluating effective campaigns in a complex media environment. Peter Fields work is the most highly regarded worldwide with many of the learnings built upon long-term analysis of IPA Effectiveness Awards case studies the most rigorous awards program in the world. His presence will help drive a better culture of accountability and effectiveness here in the Australian market. Fields trip coincides with The Communications Councils annual Australian Effies Awards, which will be held on the evening of 8 September. He will also be speaking the same week to industry leaders at the Agency Symposium, with a further announcement to follow in the coming weeks. The effectiveness program, led by Fields masterclass and associated appearances, comes off the back of the recent launch of the Advertising Pays study, commissioned by The Communications Council and prepared by Deloitte Access Economics. The report quantifies the economic value of the industry at a staggering $40bn, with direct and indirect employment figures at 200,000. The first of its kind in Australia, the report highlights the critical role advertising and the industry as a whole, plays in supporting business, community and the economy. The Communications Council is the peak industry body representing advertising, PR agencies and commercial production companies in Australia. The APG is the leading industry group for account planning and strategy professionals working in marketing communications. APG is powered by The Communications Council. Nancy Pelosi's husband 'violently assaulted' after attacker broke into their home House Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband was violently assaulted after an attacker broke into their San Francisco home, her office said in a statement. Ms Badzim was somewhat overwhelmed by the support of the community. She received personal letters from families who shared their cancer stories and she is thankful that many families donated more than the cost of the beanie. She packed each beanie to be sent home herself with a handwritten note of thanks. It was at Inhibodress that Parr's performance practice emerged, and swiftly intensified, originating in an unassuming work called Steps (1971). A sequence of white marks on the gallery stairs led visitors in a deliberate choreography. This gentle act of behaviour modification soon gave way to more physically demanding works including Light a candle. Hold your finger in the flame for as long as possible (1972), in which Parr's initial typewritten instruction was performed and captured at close range on 16mm film. This was not art that luxuriated in the effects of paint or that summoned sunny Australian landscapes. This was new art that took the body as its subject, and that eagerly probed the relationship between word and concept, action and physical response. Hold your finger in a candle flame, with other early works including Hold your breath for as long as possible (1972) signalled the beginning intense of an erratic and often demanding relationship between Parr and his audience. This anxious relationship reached an extreme in the 1977 work Social Gestus No. 5 (the "Armchop") in which the artist re-enacted the trauma of losing his arm by slashing a prosthetic limb from his body filled with minced meat. Unaware that Parr had been born without an arm, many members of the assembled audience were horrified. In a single, strident gesture Parr had collapsed the idea that performance art was theatre. [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept 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. With an aim to meet India's required skilled labour, the government has plans to impart skill training to about 40 crore people in the next few years. This skill training project will be done under the amibitious 'Skill India' initiative, according to India's High Commissioner to the UK Navtej Singh Sarna. Sarna, who was the chief guest at a function organised by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New Delhi to celebrate India's Independence Day, said 70 years ago, there were many who questioned India's chances of survival, but it had proved them wrong because of values such as inclusivity, simplicity and truth, it followed. Over 10 lakh to get skill training from engineering colleges in 3 yrs Noting that 50 per cent of India's population is under the age of 25, a huge amount of energy waiting to propel us forward, he said in the next 7 to 8 years, we are expecting to achieve 99 per cent literacy... "We are planning to train 400 million skilled people in the next few years under the'Skill India' initiative to meet our requirement of skilled labour. We have set in motion an economic direction with very clear programmes of development answering these particular challenges," he said. Similarly, 'Digital India' is the programme for a new age, and several other programmes that are aimed to harness India's huge potential. Digital Education The game-changer for India's tomorrow A white C7 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 has been left with serious damage after crashing while leaving a late-night car meetup in Scottsdale, Arizona. The entire scene was captured on camera by other attendees and initially shows the Z06 performing a burnout at a stop scene adjacent to the parking lot where the meetup was being held. The driver then continues to pin the throttle through the intersection as the rear tires fight for grip. While the road surface appears quite good, the cars 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of supercharged V8 fury is enough to kick the rear end loose. With the car careening to the median strip, it appears that the driver overcorrects the slight wobble, steering the Z06 across a lane and into a row of trees by the side of the road. While the actual moment of impact was only captured by a poor-quality camera, it was evidently quite a brutal crash and enough to severely damage the front-end. As a matter of fact, the front bumper was ripped from the car, leaving with it loads twisted and mangled wreckage across the street. Thankfully the driver escaped without injury as the necessary airbags did deploy, as reported by Corvette Blogger. As for the car, it will be repairable but at a fairly heft price. Looks like Mustang owners arent the only ones who need some pointers VIDEO Back in March, NanoFlowcell brought its upgraded 1,090 PS Quant FE at Geneva, showcasing the vehicles innovative electric powertrain, which requires refueling, not recharging. At the time it didnt make big headlines, as the show was crowded with product launches, so now NanoFlowcell is taking the opportunity to explain once again why the flow-cell battery technology doesnt lead to a dead end like the rest of the electric cars. The companys most recent blog post states that EVs arent selling like hot cakes and how virtually no-one wants an electric vehicle. Elon Musk might disagree, but NanoFlowcell argues that manufacturers who invest in the development of conventional electric cars are acting out of expedient optimism, and that no one has managed to resolve the difficulties associated with battery-powered electric vehicles, such as long charging times, insufficient range and lack of a suitable infrastructure. According to Chief Technology Officer of NanoFlowcell Holdings Ltd and inventor of the NanoFlowcell energy storage technology, Nunzio La Vecchia, electric mobility can be executed in a less complicated and costly way. Vehicles powered by nanoFlowcell operate just like conventional electric vehicles and, at the same time, like the ones with traditional internal combustion engines. Instead of using a bulky and heavy lithium-ion battery pack, the company provides a shoebox-sized nanoFlowcell and two fuel tanks containing around 150 liters of bi-ION electrolyte liquid. This solution cancels the need of recharging the battery, as the electrolyte liquid containing positive and negatively charged electrolyte reacts inside the nanoFlowcell and releases electricity. Moreover, in contrast to conventional fuels, the bi-ION electrolyte liquid isnt explosive, flammable or harmful to the environment, and can be refilled into the system just like any other fuel. Given the appropriate production equipment, the liquid can be manufactured anywhere and the distribution would make use of the existing fuel stations instead of building expensive, specific units like plug-in vehicle recharging stations, for example. This novel approach to EVs seems to solve many problems, though well need to see a NanoFlowcell vehicle in production to judge its merits and (possible) drawbacks. PHOTO GALLERY Driving through a wildlife park can prove to be a really risky task as this video is about to show us. The footage shows us a couple driving through the park when a Siberian tiger decided to give their Jetta a facelift, by biting off the entire front bumper and using it as its chew toy. The incident happened in the Baldaling Wildlife World, a drive-through animal park just north of Beijing, China where last week a woman was killed by a tiger and last March a park employee was killed by an elephant. A security officer was also killed by a tiger in 2014, according to the New York Times. Fortunately the only victim this time was that old Jetta with the driver able somehow to get back its destroyed front bumper, showing us why tigers should be better left alone in the wilderness. VIDEO You may not recognize all (or even many) of the East Indian marine species portrayed in the first known book on fish to be published in color. Dont worry. Its not a lack of ichthyological proficiency on your part. Rather, its because all of the species depicted in Louis Renards Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes received some level of artistic embellishment and approximately 9% are completely fantastical. If thats not strange enough, the work is produced by a man who identified himself as a secret agent on behalf of the British Crown and contains a portrait of a mermaid. These facts might lead you to conclude that Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires, que lon trouve autour des isles Moluques et sur les cotes des terres Australes has little scientific value. But in that assumption, youd be wrong. Besides being the first published book in color about fish, in a 2012 article published in Natural Histories, Mai Reitmeyer, Research Services Librarian at the American Museum of Natural History, writes that this work is an important part of the scientific literature of the eighteenth century, the new Age of Enlightenment (Reitmeyer, 33). According to Theodore W. Pietsch, an ichthyologist who conducted an examination of the title in the late twentieth century and whom Reitmeyer quotes in her article, Renards publication gives us an intriguing glimpse of what science was like in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and thus to cast the work off as being without scientific merit is to greatly underestimate its value (Reitmeyer, 34). Whats more, since the waters surrounding Ambon Island in Indonesia, where many of the depicted species were found, is now a heavily polluted ecosystem, its likely that the biodiversity in the area has changed since Renards publication. Thus, the fauna depicted in Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, around 90% of which, according to Pietsch, can be identified down to the species, genus, or family level, can offer an important historical perspective on marine diversity in the region (Barley, 2010). As Reitmeyer recounts in her article, Renard was born in France sometime around 1678 but, to escape religious persecution, immigrated to the Netherlands with his family around the turn of the century and eventually became a citizen of Amsterdam. Encouraged by his father-in-law, Renard became a book dealer and publisher and, in 1718 or 1719, produced the first volume of the first edition of his most famous work, Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, the full title of which translates to Fishes, crayfishes and crabs, of diverse colors and extraordinary forms, which are found around the islands of the Moluccan and on the coasts of southern lands. While the work may depict over 450 fish and crustacean species from the East Indies, Renard published the work without ever leaving the Netherlands. Instead, he copied drawings by other artists to create the 100 plates, representing 460 hand-colored copper engravings, for his publication. Dutch artist Samuel Fallours, a soldier stationed in Ambon with the Dutch East India Company, painted a great many of the drawings that Renard copied for this work. During his time in Ambon, Fallours created many drawings of East Indian marine life that later appeared in several eighteenth century publications, including Renards. According to Pietsch, Fallours likely included elements of the fantastical in his drawings in order to attract the European collectors who purchased his works (Barley, 2010). These embellishments ranged from artificially bright and randomly applied colors to total fabrications, including a portrait of a mermaid, which also appeared amongst an arrangement of exotic East Indian biodiversity published in Francois Valentijns Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien (17241726). Portrait of a mermaid by Samuel Fallours. Renard, Louis. Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes. 1754. Digitized by the Ernst Mayr Library, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50095192. Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes was published in three different editions. Only sixteen copies of the first, published in 1718 or 1719, are known to exist. Thirty-four copies are known of the second edition, published in 1754. The rarest edition, with only six known copies, is the third, published in 1782 but never completed (Reitmeyer, 33). Thanks to Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, you can view the second edition of Renards work for free in BHL. And if this article hasnt piqued your curiosity quite enough to click on the link, lets not forget the secret agent aspect mentioned earlier! In what was likely a marketing ploy to boost sales, the dedication statement within Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes identifies Renard as a secret agent on behalf of the British Crown. Whats the story behind this claim? According to Reitmeyer, Renard was employed by George I and George II to search ships leaving Amsterdam to prevent arms from reaching James Stuart, the Roman Catholic Old Pretender to the British throne (Reitmeyer, 33). Fantasy, intrigue, and science. Whats not to love about Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes ? You can view the images from this work in Flickr. You can also find products featuring images from this title in our CafePress store. 100% of the proceeds will be used to digitize more books for BHL. Start shopping today! REFERENCES A 43-year-old man from Ohio has been killed while allegedly trying to steal a wheel from a GMC Yukon at a dealership lot. Employees at Ron Marhofer Buick GMC discovered Richard E. Ritchs body on Saturday morning after the Yukon fell off its scissor jack and crushed the mans skull. Rather worringly, it took until noon for a sales associate to notice Ritchs body, hours after the dealership opened. Police were then called to the scene to investigate with the dealer staying open throughout the ordeal. The service department checked over the Yukon for damages shortly after before getting back to business. The motivation behind the theft isnt known but stealing wheels from car dealerships late at night is far from a new phenomena. While this was a one-man act, some local dealers have been targeted by groups of criminals stealing wheels in bulk. Via The Truth About Cars PHOTO GALLERY South African emergency services responded to a rather unusual accident, involving a Ferrari 458 Italia and a cow, the other night. When they arrived at the scene, on the N17 highway in South Africa, they found the massive animals print embedded into the supercars upper end. Since the images posted by PolicePicsAndClips dont offer any info on possible injuries suffered by the occupants, we can only hope that they walked away from this horrific crash, one that could have very well transformed this Ferrari 458 Italia into a 458 Spider, and if you think that speed was the main factor that led to this accident, a Facebook comment suggests another explanation. The N17 is notorious for cattle wandering onto the road. My nephew hit a cow just before the Leandra toll gate in June and was lucky to get out alive. It is a bit low to blame the Ferrari driver of speeding. If it was any other vehicle, like my nephews Mitsubishi Mirage, no snide remarks would be made! The Toll Company should be brought to task for not patrolling and keeping the cattle off the road. It is a national highway with a 120 km/h (75 mph) speed limit after all. H/T to Zero2Turbo PHOTO GALLERY FERRARI 458 ITALIA Photo: Contributed Penticton youth can learn the skills they'll need for tomorrow, today. WorkBC's Find Your Fit tour arrives at Penticton Peach Festival, Wednesday through Sunday. Find Your Fit is an interactive event where people can learn about B.C.'s in-demand careers and test out some of the skills they'll need to land those jobs. Participants will also get familiar with career-planning tools, such as Blueprint Builder and Career Trek, and the job resources and labour market information that WorkBC.ca offers. Parents, teachers and career counsellors can benefit, too, by discovering ways to educate and support youth in their career exploration. The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. Find Your Fit is part of B.C.'s Skills for Jobs Blueprint commitment to re-engineer education and deliver the skilled workforce for B.C.'s future. The tour has had more than 150,000 participants so far, in stops across the province. Photo: Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce Property developers who earlier this year accused city hall of hampering construction projects with red tape, hope to hold a "forum" with city council and city staff in the autumn, according to Phil Dyck, a director with the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce. In February, members of the Big Red committee told councillors Vernon was not open for business. The committee represents developers and other members of the construction industry and is backed by the Chamber. At the time, the city was urged to speed up efforts to ensure that attainable housing was being built. The committee complained of development cost charges and red tape. "This is all very preliminary at this point, and arises from a request from the Chamber earlier this year," said Kim Flick, director of community development. "Staff have met with Phil (Dyck) and staff from the Chamber and we're preparing a proposal for council's consideration." Dyck said the forum is scheduled for October. Photo: Contributed The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man who died following a motorcycle crash near Oliver on July 31. He was Coleby Alan Curnow-Phelps, 26, of Penticton. Curnow-Phelps was heading northbound on a motorcycle along Highway 97 when he crashed into a car at an intersection. He was rushed to the Oliver hospital, but died of his injuries. The BC Coroners Service continues to investigate the death. Photo: Getty Images Canadians should take an active interest in how the Liberal government plans to appoint judges to our Supreme Court. When a government announces a new process, it is scrutinized and criticized by the opposition. Often, the same process will receive praise from those who are friends and supporters of the government, or who may benefit from this change of policy. For this reason, it is always interesting to observe what groups favour a change of process or policy. This new process somewhat parallels how the Liberals changed the process to appoint senators. In both cases, the Liberal government first appoints a panel, which will then recommend people to sit as either a senator or a Supreme Court judge. Those who are appointed do the appointing. Critics often describe this arrangement as by the elites for the elites while the government and supporters claim it is a more non-partisan process free from political influence. Who is correct? While it is unfair to label an appointed panel of citizens as elitist, it must not be overlooked that the government will first politically appoint the panel members and maintains political control of the composition of the panel membership. My concern with this arrangement is that the public may not easily discern who is ultimately responsible if the process of selecting a justice doesnt yield its intended purpose a high quality candidate who helps the highest court function as intended. Should citizens point their finger at un-elected people who recommend senators and Supreme Court judges with no democratic accountability or the prime minister who appointed them? In my experience, joint accountability often leads to little or no accountability. For example, if an MLA or an MP appoints a person to a position of service, ultimately that MLA or MP can be held accountable by the people who elected him or her by either re-electing them or voting them out of public office. Having appointed panels in effect creates a buffer that reduces accountability. There is also a concern that elected officials are subject to public disclosure with respect to conflict and finances that appointed individuals are exempt from. As many citizens will know, the Liberal government has indicated it would like to change how members of Parliament are elected. This change will not be done with a referendum, but through a series of consultations and with input from experts in Ottawa. One of these experts told the committee that: Middle-class people often dont know anything more than poorer, working-class people, but they have a stronger sense of entitlement. Poor people and working-class people tend to shy away from situations where their ignorance will be exposed. This expert believes many Canadians are not intelligent enough to have their say on how our democratic system that helped build Canada should be changed. These comments are unacceptable and are precisely why a referendum is required because our democracy belongs to all Canadians, regardless of income level and expert opinion. In the case of Supreme Court judges, we know that our Supreme Court is increasingly making decisions in place of elected officials. The recent ruling on legalizing medically assisted dying that reversed a previous Supreme Court ruling was rushed with little consideration for the fact that an election was set to occur. Ultimately, members of Parliament have no ability to participate in this selection process while politically appointed but unelected panels will now have a tremendous amount of power and influence in potentially shaping Canadian society. Considering the scope of these changes and the fact that the government seems to want to consult on almost every other aspect of public policy, this unilateral decision without broad discussion is concerning. I think this diminishes democratic participation, but I welcome your views. I can be reached at [email protected] or toll free at 1-800-665-8711. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Contributed London police say a woman has died and five others were injured in a knife attack in a central part of the city. A statement from the London Metropolitan Police early Thursday said the attack happened late Wednesday in Russell Square, which is near to the British Museum. It said six people were treated at the scene, and that the woman later died. The condition of the others was not immediately known. The statement said one man was arrested, and that a police officer had used a Taser stun gun. Police said that terrorism was one possible motive behind the attack. No other information was immediately available. Photo: The Canadian Press LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who is threatening to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday by the Islamic State group. He also says there is a Western plot to Christianize the region and has accused charities of using their aid for that, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation of an interview published Wednesday in the Islamic State newspaper al-Nabaa. The newspaper identified Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new "Wali," or governor, of its so-called West Africa Province. The "Wali" title was previously used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. The report did not say what Shekau's current status was, although there have been rumours for weeks that he had been replaced. The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen. There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of school children. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. "They strongly seek to Christianize the society. ... They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children," SITE Intelligence quotes the new leader as saying. Al-Barnawi says the militants will respond to that threat by "booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross." Wednesday's announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al-Qaida to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said. Ansaru broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. Al-Barnawi is the pseudonym of a Nigerian journalist allied with Ansaru, which is known for kidnapping foreigners, according to Zenn. In March 2015, Shekau switched allegiance from al-Qaida and declared that Boko Haram be known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province. At the time, Boko Haram was the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria, controlling a huge area and was better equipped and motivated than Nigerian forces. Under Shekau, the seven-year insurgency spread to neighbouring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and drove more than 2.2 millon from their homes, and created what aid workers are calling a catastrophic humanitarian emergency with children dying of starvation daily. Boko Haram last week ambushed a humanitarian convoy, killing three civilians including a U.N. employee and causing the suspension of U.N. aid to newly liberated but still dangerous areas of Nigeria's northeast. Since last year, Nigeria has a new leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator who has better armed and motivated security forces. He is also fighting corruption that diverted $2.1 billion that was meant to buy weapons to fight the Islamic uprising, and is co-operating with a multinational force that has the extremists on the run. In the interview, al-Barnawi said that under his leadership the militants will work to seize back territory. He said that increasing numbers of youth are joining the cause, though Nigeria's military reports that hundreds of its fighters have surrendered as aerial bombardments and ground assaults cut supply routes. Media Misses Palestinian Professor's Auschwitz Visit | Main | NPR Suggests Israel Fired 160 Rockets, Hamas Fired 2 July 09, 2014 Where's the Coverage? "Moderate" Fatah a Partner in Terror Even as terrorists in Gaza fire hundreds of rockets and missiles at Israel, the media has not paid much attention to the fact that the genocidal group Hamas is partners in a Palestinian unity? government with Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party, which the press frequently characterizes as moderate.? It comes as no surprise then that the media has ignored the fact that Fatah groups are actively involved in launching rockets at Israeli civilians. Gatestone Institute reports: Fatah has several hundred militiamen in the Gaza Strip who belong to various armed groups. Some, according to sources in the Gaza Strip, are former members of the Palestinian Authority security forces, who continue to receive their salaries from the Western-funded Palestinian government in Ramallah. Shortly after Israel launched air strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday, Fatah spokesman Fayez Abu Aitah issued an urgent call to his men to take part in "defending the Gaza Strip against Israeli aggression." [] Abu Aitah's call for joining the fight against Israel did not fall on deaf ears. Within minutes, at least two Fatah armed groups announced that they had started firing rockets at the "settlements" of Ashkelon and Sderot, cities inside the pre-1967 borders of Israel. These are not rogue operators but sanctioned by Fatah leaders. On July 9, Fatah posted a video on their Facebook page, produced by the partys military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. Palestinian Media Watch reports that it warns Israelis in Hebrew to flee or face death: Narrator: "A message to the Israeli government and the Israeli people: Death will reach you from the south to the north. Flee our country and you won't die. The KN-103 rocket is on its way toward you." [Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page", July 9, 2014 Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades' YouTube channel, (in Hebrew) July 9, 2014] The video shows footage of a man preparing to launch a rocket and close-ups of a rocket being aimed. The watchdog group also reports that Fatah also posted on Facebook that the military wings of Hamas, Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are "brothers-in-arms," united by "one God, one homeland, one enemy, one goal." The post included this image of fighters from the three groups: This is not an isolated posting. Fatah frequently posts similar messages on Facebook and Abbas advisor Sultan Abu Al-Einein posted a call to murder Israelis on his own Facebook page: Let every hour of the settlers' presence on our land be a source of threat and terror for them. Let us deprive their lives of security, so that the Palestinian land becomes a minefield against the occupation. Calls to murder Israelis, declarations of unity of purpose with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, threats and even active participation in terrorist rocket attacks are not moderate.? Fatah actively supports and takes part in terrorism against Israelis. Failure to report on this is journalistic malpractice. Wheres the coverage? Watch the Fatah video threatening Israelis with rocket fire here: Posted by SC at July 9, 2014 08:12 PM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment Photo: NewsKamloops.com Two years after the worst mining disaster in B.C. history, Energy and Mine Minister Bill Bennett has declared the province a global leader on mine tailings storage regulations. This Thursday marks two years since the tailings storage facility dam at the Mount Polley Mine failed that disaster was unprecedented in British Columbia, so we knew our government needed to take strong action, Bennett said in a statement released Wednesday. We cannot allow something like that to ever happen again in our province, Bennett said before detailing measures taken since Aug. 4, 2014. However, critics of the governments lax policies and weak monitoring maintain the collapse caused by a weak layer of material in the dam structure should have never happened in the first place. The collapse sent 24 billion litres of process water, tailings and sludge into Quesnel Lake, a tributary of the Fraser River. In an an opinion piece published Tuesday in various newspapers across the country, two residents of the area wonder if it will ever be the same again. Two years later, it is still unknown what the long-term effects will be, and numerous local families and businesses have suffered great losses and hardship, wrote Richard Holmes of Likely and Jacinda Mack of Xatsull First Nation. Many of us doubt we can be made whole again by the mine or the province. While some First Nations leaders and businesses in the area say they have recovered and are reassured by the provinces changes, Holmes and Mack contend that communities are still at risk. They cite the May report by Auditor General Carol Bellringer, which was highly critical of B.C.s poor enforcement and monitoring. Its the same report Kamloops Coun. Denis Walsh held up last week as the basis for his contention that the Ajax Mine permitting process should be suspended. His other argument is the engineering panel review recommendations that arose from the Mount Polley disaster. Walsh said the Ajax TSF goes against the panels recommendations and that the panel wants to see an end to the practice of putting water and tailings behind dams. The panels recommendation wasnt quite that specific, though. It recommended the best available technology for new tailings facilities. The criteria is based on soil mechanics and involves elimination of surface water, promoting unsaturated conditions with drainage, and compaction. KGHM-Ajax maintains it has designed a buttressed TSF with thickened tailings in order to meet BAT standards. Those changes were made in response to the Mount Polley review recommendations. Whether they meet the provinces new standards will be a determination of the environmental assessment review. Still, Walsh and other mine opponents in Kamloops are not reassured. It doesnt matter how many rules they come up with, if they dont enforce them, were not better off, he said. This is a city. This needs to be the gold standard. In his view, the auditor generals report more or less a repeat of a report written in 2010 by Bellringers predecesssor John Doyle is ample evidence of the need for City council to adopt a firmer approach to the proposed mine, holding the proponent accountable to specific conditions. Imperial Metals, which operates the Mount Polley Mine, was not penalized for the disaster and was allowed to resume operation in June. Bennett said the panel review resulted in seven recommendations, all of which have been implemented. These changes put B.C. at the forefront of global standards for the safety of TSFs at mines operating in this province, and, in keeping with the independent expert engineering panel's recommendations, now include design standards for TSFs, Bennett said. Through these revisions to the mining code, government has addressed 20 of the 26 combined recommendations from the independent expert panel and the chief inspector of mines reports. He indicated as well that progress has been made on the auditor generals findings, which will be addressed by the end of 2017. Work to address the remaining chief inspector of mines recommendations will be complete by summer of 2017 and the remaining 17 recommendations from the Office of the Auditor Generals report, also accepted by government, are expected to be addressed by the end of 2017. An environmental impact assessment on the Mount Polley disaster, released in June, concluded: Remediation and restoration work is resulting in re-vegetation and recolonization of impacted areas, including Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, the mouth of Edney Creek and the West Basin of Quesnel Lake. Geochemistry investigations continue to indicate the tailings are not acid-generating and have low leaching potential. Surface water and toxicity tests show total metals and turbidity are not toxic to various aquatic species and are decreasing in concentrations. However, the report also noted that soil and sediment data show some metals exceed guidelines and/or standards. NewsKamloops.com Photo: The Canadian Press A New Mexico bear hitched a ride on top of a garbage truck, travelling at least five miles on the vehicle before it was able to make its escape up a tree. Santa Fe National Forest spokeswoman Julie Anne Overton says the driver was picking up a dumpster last week when he heard a squeal then realized the bear was on top of the truck. It rode atop the vehicle to a site where the Forest Service keeps a firefighting helicopter. Helicopter mechanic Evan Welsch, who snapped photos of the bear, said about 30 Forest Service and National Park workers had gathered around to see the spectacle when it was suggested that the driver back up near a tree to give the animal an escape route. The bear clambered for the tree and stayed up there about an hour or two before scurrying down and running off. Photo: Contributed Here's a top candidate for Canada's worst driver. The driver of a black truck with Alberta plates was caught on camera backing out of a space in a nearly empty parking lot. Yet he still managed to hit one of the two cars still parked at the Cask & Barrel Liquor Store in West Kelowna. Dana Saretsky posted the video showing her son Braden's car being hit on July 31 by a black Dodge Ram. The driver then calmly drives away. "We are hoping they are still in the area and can be caught!" shares Saretsky. "People like this are the scum of our society! All we ask is that you share this video and if you see this truck please call RCMP and if at all possible get the licence plate number!" The truck has chrome window protectors and blacked out windows. It also has chrome running boards and fenders. The people in the truck are described as a white female, about 30 years old, very overweight with light brown or dark blond longer hair. The man is tall, also in his 30s and heavier set with short dark hair and full beard. He was wearing a leg brace on his right leg and walked with a limp. Photo: CTV A multimillion-dollar luxury yacht ran aground near Pender Harbour, Wednesday. Local boaters sprang into action and helped rescue the passengers and crew when they heard a mayday call as the Bellissima struck bottom and attempted to limp back to harbour while taking on water. The Coast Guard stopped the 30-metre yacht from sinking and was aided by a local search and rescue boat. Large pumps were used to clear water from the vessel. "There's a lot of people with a lot of marine experience in this harbour who have lived here for years and years. So, there was like a flotilla of boats out there," Allyson Nelson told CTV as she watched the action. A statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada Wednesday night said: "The vessel is currently floating at its regular height, and anchored in Pender Harbour ... Canadian Coast Guard will remain on scene until the vessel is boomed off." The Bellissima is registered out of San Francisco. Witnesses say its passengers left Pender Harbour on a chartered float plane. with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Facebook You've read the stories. People on a Pokemon Go hunt shot at, robbed, mugged. Do you fear that something, or someone, lurking around the corner is NOT a cute, yellow Pikachu? West Kelowna native and self-described patriot, John Bennett has the solution. Bennett is offering to provide Pokemon Go security for you, or your group, at a price. "I have two years' experience from the Canadian Armed Forces, worked some small security jobs and have a general intimidation factor," said Bennett in his ad. "You can use your lures for the Pokemon while I act as a repel to those with more devious intentions. I can be friendly and hang out in the midst of the group, can hang back outta sight as a silent observer, or can scout out various locations ahead of time to ensure you're safe." According to his ad on the Facebook group "Okanagan Cash Jobs," Bennett said he will go anywhere in the Okanagan. He charges an upfront cost for fuel expenses, followed by $10 per hour for one person, $8 per hour per person for groups of two or three and $5 per hour per person for groups of four or more. "Enlist me as the big, bearded veteran/taxi to safeguard your sought-after virtual friends." To be fair, there have been no reports in the Okanagan of violence towards Pokemon Go hunters. Photo: Contributed Two teen girls may have been slipped the date rape drug, and Abbotsford police are looking for witnesses. The 14 and 16 year old were hanging around Matsqui Recreation Centre Saturday night when they became separated and later showed signs of severe impairment. Police want to speak with some people who found one of the girls on the side of the road and drove her home. The 14 year old's parents found the younger girl. Both were taken to hospital for treatment. Police are trying to determine if someone drugged the teens to take advantage of them. Anyone with information is asked to call 604-859-5225 or text 222973 (abbypd). with files from CTV Vancouver Donald Trump wants nothing short of a dictatorship, and he will do all and everything within his power and wallet to do so. Period. He has already said that he will re-write certain trade agreements with whomever, whatever, countries/continents/provinces that he doesn't like. Period. If you don't think Trump is not meaning to be a dictator, time will show you, differently. If you don't think his being of the next elected President of the USA will not impact Canadians, time will show you. Line up for your microchips, etc. to enter the USA. Catherine Knox When she was a child, doctors told Samantha Sewell she would never be able to speak. Sewell took that as a challenge, not a limitation and now the Vernon Secondary School 2016 graduate has spoken at numerous public events with bigger ones on the horizon. Sewell began public speaking 18 months ago when she entered her first pageant. By the time she was 17, she had won four pageants and is the reigning Miss Teen Galaxy Canada. I am now heading to Miss Teen Galaxy Internationals to represent Canada, said Sewell who leaves Saturday for the prestigious event in Orlando. The platform for Sewell's pageant is inclusion for all and anti-bullying. After being bullied for most of my life, I decided to take a stand against it. I had begun to volunteer in the VSS Resource room and quickly realized that they were constantly being bullied. I began to stand up for the students in that class and while doing so I felt more inclined to stand up for myself as well," Sewell wrote on her blog. I will always continue to tell my story in the hope of helping anyone who is being bullied and excluded, and I am so grateful for the opportunities that pageantry has given me to do this." Sewell has attended more than 60 events around the country and has spoken at many of them. She has helped raise money for charities and has been called an inspiration by many people as she boldly talks about the challenges she has overcome. I look back now and if someone told me I would be speaking at these events, I wouldn't have believed them, said Sewell, adding she started doing pageants to prove naysayers wrong. She is passionate about helping children overcome their own challenges and plans on working with special needs children as a career. People listen to a girl in a crown more than a girl without a crown, she said. I really just want children to know whatever they put their mind to, they can achieve. The international pageant starts Aug. 10 with the new Miss Teen Galaxy International being crowned Aug. 13. To help Sewell win the Miss Teen Galaxy International People's Choice Award go to missteencanadagalaxy.com and click on the people's choice link. Photo: Contributed She is less than two years old, but already Bridgette Anne Dziuba has gone through more than most people endure in a lifetime. Bridgette was born on Nov. 10, 2014 to the joy of her family, however, the smiles quickly turned to fear when the Vernon infant was rushed to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops as she was showing signs of an intestinal blockage. X-rays confirmed something was wrong and she was then rushed to Vancouver Children's Hospital. Now, after almost two years, five major surgeries, countless tests, infections, blood transfusions, medications, minor surgeries and procedures, the hospital continues to be her home. During a recent surgery, a biopsy was done and the family finally had some answers. The small intestine is able to absorb nutrients, but the circular muscle that breaks down food and moves waste to the anus does not function properly. More than likely this is the way Bridgette was born and the condition is difficult to treat as the muscle cannot be fixed or transplanted. Bridgette has been diagnosed with gastroparesis, short bowel syndrome, weakened immune system and drug resistant E-coli. Due to her problems she hasn't been able to eat or have bowel movements since birth; she is fed by TPN (total parenteral nutrition) and needs to be hooked up to a line 20 hours a day. On a good day she might have four hours in the outside world. If a problem arises, she gets sick or her output for the day is too high she will need to remain in her room with the machines that help her survive. The family has been able to manage this emotional rollercoaster with the support of friends and family and Ronald McDonald House. Bridgette's big sister, Malaya, 7, has been a trooper through all of her sister's battles. She has been in four different schools and bounced between her aunt's and grandma's homesA along with spending all the time she can with her sister. With the realization Bridgette's illness is not going away and with the likelihood she will be spending more time in the hospital than out, her mom, Brittany, has secured a home in Abbotsford for Aug. 15 in hopes this will provide a more stable life for her children and herself. The family has tried to get through this without the public's help, but now is the time they need it the most. The cost of the move and new set up and living essentials is more than their meagre budget will allow so a Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the family. Photo: CTV A WestJet flight from Vancouver to Ottawa was diverted to Thunder Bay, Ont., by a bomb threat, Wednesday. Thunder Bay Police Executive Officer Chris Adams said the threat came in after the flight was airborne. It's not known where the threat originated, but it is under investigation. WestJet said in a press release that authorities determined the threat was "non-credible." "As always, safety is our main priority and we would like to thank our guests for their patience and understanding," the company said. The crew and passengers, 125 in total, were put up in a hotel overnight. The airliner continued its journey this morning. with files from CTV Vancouver Fatah Claims Murders as Accomplishments | Main | LA Times Silent on International Aid Going to Hamas August 04, 2016 Did World Vision Employee Spy for Hamas? In June, Israel arrested Mohammed El-Halabi, director of World Vision's operations in Gaza. World Vision, as most Snapshots readers know, is a Christian charitable organization that seeks to improve child welfare throughout the world. Today, the story broke that Halabi is charged with siphoning funds and materials intended to help children in the Gaza Strip and redirecting these funds and goods to the terror organization Hamas. The news is shocking. But there's one aspect of the charges against Halabi that has not got much play: Halabi allegedly used his status as a World Vision employee to spy for Hamas. A statement issued by the Israeli government detailing Halabi's alleged crimes includes the following passage: In addition to the financial and logistical aid that El-Halabi provided Hamas, he also exploited his visits to Israel, which were permitted due to his legitimate work for World Vision, to engage in serious terrorist activity locating and marking [via GPS] sites near the Erez Crossing that potentially could be used as egress points for Hamas attack tunnels. If this allegation is true, it indicates that Halabi used his status as an employee of an NGO to spy on behalf of a terror organization. Posted by dvz at August 4, 2016 04:18 PM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment Emefiele calls for CBN, Police Committee The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has canvassed the resuscitation of the Inter-Agency Committee to improve on the logistic needs of the Nigeria Police. He made the call in Abuja on Tuesday, August 2, 2016, when the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris and his management team paid the Governor a courtesy call at the CBN Head Office. While recalling that the CBN and the Deposit Money Banks had always collaborated with the Police on the other, Mr. Emefiele emphasized the need to revamp the activities of the committee in order to come up with far-reaching recommendations on possible areas of partnership between the banks and the police. Speaking earlier, the Acting IGP, Mr. Idris said he was at the CBN to request the Bank to collaborate with the Force in providing logistical support to the Police to enable it perform its mandate of securing lives and property. The duo of Alhaji Suleiman Barau and Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, Deputy Governors in charge of Operations and Corporate Services, respectively, were present during the brief courtesy call. Also present were the Director, Security Services Department, Mr. Ibitayo Amu; Director, Procurement and Support Services Department (PSSD), Mr. Lazarus Agbor; Acting Director, Information Technology Department, Mr. Yila Yusuf; and the Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Isaac Okorafor. Moderate Hamas Media Favorite Calls for Small Stabs to All Parts of Israel | Main | Did World Vision Employee Spy for Hamas? August 04, 2016 Fatah Claims Murders as Accomplishments Fatah, the movement which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), claimed murder and terror attacks as achievements on behalf of Palestinian Arabs in a list posted on the social media site Facebook. According to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a non-profit organization that monitors Arab media in eastern Jerusalem, the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and the Gaza Strip, Fatah published the catalog of what it considered to be accomplishments on August 2, 2016. In it, PMW noted, Fatah did not cite even once peace-seeking or peace-promoting achievement, but only listed Fatah acts of violence and terror.? PMW reported that a partial inventory of Fatahs self-selected attainments include: Fatah has killed 11,000 Israelis,? Fatah has sacrificed 170,000 Martyrs (Shahids)? and Fatah led the Palestinian attack on Israel in the U.N.? Specific terrorist attacks were also highlighted by Fatah. For example, the 1988 bus hijacking and murder of three Israeli civilians traveling to work in Dimona. Fatah has celebrated the Dimona attack beforeeven producing a 2015 full-length feature film entitled The Revolutionists of the Land, glorifying the great operation.? As a recent CAMERA Op-Ed in the Washington Examiner (Missing the Palestinian after-terror after party,? July 6, 2016) noted, Palestinian celebrations of anti-Jewish violence are not new. In fact, they are common. Although Fatah often glorifies terrorist attacks, the movementand its leader PA President Mahmoud Abbasfrequently have been mislabeled by many media outlets as moderate? (see, for example Wheres the Coverage? Moderate Fatah a Partner in Terror,? July 9, 2014). The same day that Fatah published its list of achievements,? Israel announced a new scientific breakthrough. The Times of Israel reported that civilian airline pilots flying through fog or other limited visibility conditions will soon be able to benefit from an optical system designed by Israeli defense industry leader Elbit Systems (Israel tech enables pilots to see through fog?). As CAMERA has often noted (see, for example Wheres the Coverage? Israeli Technology Gives Sight to the Blind,? Nov. 6, 2013), Israel is a leader in developing technology which, among other things, fights cancer, helps those with visual impairments and disabilities and provides water in regions where its scarce. If your national liberation movement is about building, this is what you celebrate. If its about destroying, then you honor murder. Posted by SD at August 4, 2016 11:12 AM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment Disparities in smoking prevalence exist among racial/ethnic populations, and several racial/ethnic populations have disproportionately higher prevalences of smoking and wide within-group variations. Proven interventions, including increasing the price of tobacco products coupled with evidence-based cessation services, comprehensive smoke-free policies, media campaigns, and promotion of cessation treatment in clinical settings, are effective strategies in reducing the overall prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco-related disease and death. From the period 20022005 to the period 20102013, declines in cigarette smoking occurred among some racial/ethnic populations. Moreover, the relative change in smoking even among groups that did experience a decline varied across racial/ethnic populations. Substantial disparities in adult cigarette smoking prevalence exist among and within Asian and Hispanic subgroups, with Koreans and Puerto Ricans reporting the highest cigarette smoking prevalences within their respective racial/ethnic population. These findings indicate disproportionately higher smoking prevalence among men compared with women within most racial/ethnic groups. Although cigarette smoking has substantially declined since the release of the 1964 Surgeon Generals report on smoking and health,* disparities in tobacco use exist among racial/ethnic populations (1). Moreover, because estimates of U.S. adult cigarette smoking and tobacco use are usually limited to aggregate racial or ethnic population categories (i.e., non-Hispanic whites [whites]; non-Hispanic blacks or African Americans [blacks]; American Indians and Alaska Natives [American Indians/Alaska Natives]; Asians; Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders [Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders]; and Hispanics/Latinos [Hispanics]), these estimates can mask differences in cigarette smoking prevalence among subgroups of these populations. To assess the prevalence of and changes in cigarette smoking among persons aged 18 years in six racial/ethnic populations and 10 select subgroups in the United States, CDC analyzed self-reported data collected during 20022005 and 20102013 from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (2) and compared differences between the two periods. During 20102013, the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking among the racial/ethnic populations and subgroups ranged from 38.9% for American Indians/Alaska Natives to 7.6% for both Chinese and Asian Indians. During 20102013, although cigarette smoking prevalence was relatively low among Asians overall (10.9%) compared with whites (24.9%), wide within-group differences in smoking prevalence existed among Asian subgroups, from 7.6% among both Chinese and Asian Indians to 20.0% among Koreans. Similarly, among Hispanics, the overall prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 19.9%; however, within Hispanic subgroups, prevalences ranged from 15.6% among Central/South Americans to 28.5% among Puerto Ricans. The overall prevalence of cigarette smoking was higher among men than among women during both 20022005 (30.0% men versus 23.9% women) and 20102013 (26.4% versus 21.1%) (p<0.05). These findings highlight the importance of disaggregating tobacco use estimates within broad racial/ethnic population categories to better understand and address disparities in tobacco use among U.S. adults. NSDUH is an annual household survey that collects data on drug use, drug use disorders, and tobacco use, from a nationally representative sample of the U.S. noninstitutionalized, civilian population aged 12 years. To obtain a sample size large enough to examine current cigarette smoking within disaggregated racial/ethnic subgroups, multiple years of data were combined; estimates for adults aged 18 years were based on combined data from 20022005 (N = 180,833) and 20102013 (N = 183,623). The average, weighted, overall response rate for respondents aged 18 years was 69.0% for the 20022005 NSDUH surveys and 62.4% for the 20102013 surveys. Race/ethnicity was determined based on respondents self-reported classification. For race, respondents were asked, Which of these groups best describes you? Response selections were white; black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian; other Pacific Islander; Asian; and other. Persons who indicated that they were Asian were also asked to select the specific subgroup (Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Asian Indian, Korean, or Vietnamese) that best described them. Because of small sample size, the Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders populations were combined. To identify Hispanic ethnicity, respondents were asked, Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin or descent? Those who answered affirmatively were also asked to select the specific Hispanic origin subgroup (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central or South American, or Cuban) that best described them. In this report, whites and blacks refer to non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks, respectively. Data were weighted to yield national estimates**; 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all point estimates. Sex differences in current cigarette smoking within each racial/ethnic population during each time period and across years were assessed using a t-test, with p-values <0.05 defined as statistically significant. Seven racial/ethnic populations/subgroups (whites, blacks, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, Koreans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans) reported an overall cigarette smoking prevalence of 25% during 20022005; however, only two of these populations/subgroups (American Indians/Alaska Natives [38.9%] and Puerto Ricans [28.5%]) had cigarette smoking prevalences 25% during 20102013 (Table). Among six racial/ethnic populations/subgroups (whites, blacks, Native Hawaiians/ Pacific Islanders, Asian Indians, Mexicans, and Central/South Americans), a significant decline in prevalence of cigarette smoking from 20022005 to 20102013 was reported. No significant differences were observed among the other groups (American Indians/Alaska Natives, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans). Smoking prevalence among Asians overall during 20102013 was 10.9%. Within-group differences in smoking prevalence existed among Asian subgroups, ranging from 7.6% among Chinese and Asian Indians to 20.0% among Koreans ( Figure 1). Significant differences in smoking prevalence between men and women in the following four Asian subgroups were noted: Chinese (13.1% men versus 2.9% women), Filipino (20.6% versus 7.5%), Asian Indian (11.6% versus 3.3%), and Vietnamese (24.4% versus 7.9%). Smoking prevalence was similar among Korean men (19.3%) and women (20.4%). Similarly, among Hispanics, the overall prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 19.9%; however, within Hispanic subgroups, prevalence ranged from 15.6% among Central/South Americans to 28.5% among Puerto Ricans ( Figure 2). Differences between men and women were significant for all Hispanic subgroups: Mexicans (25.1% men versus 12.9% women), Puerto Ricans (32.1% versus 25.1%), Central or South Americans (19.8% versus 11.4%), and Cubans (24.1% versus 15.1%) (p<0.05). Among men, six populations/subgroups (whites, blacks, Asian Indians, Koreans, Mexicans, and Central/South Americans) reported a significantly lower prevalence of cigarette smoking during 20102013 than during 20022005; no significant changes were observed for men in other groups. Among women, a significant decline in cigarette smoking from the period 20022005 to the period 20102013 occurred in three populations/subgroups (whites, blacks, and Mexicans), with no significant changes among women in other ethnic groups. The overall prevalence of cigarette smoking was higher among men than among women during both 20022005 (30.0% men versus 23.9% women) and 20102013 (26.4% versus 21.1%) (p<0.05). During 20102013, among 10 racial/ethnic populations/subgroups (white, black, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Central/South American) men reported statistically higher cigarette smoking prevalence than did women. No significant sex differences in cigarette smoking prevalence was reported among American Indians/Alaska Natives (40.8% men and 37.3% women), Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (27.0% men and 18.5% women), and Koreans (19.3% men and 20.4% women). Detection of cVDPVs During January 2015May 2016, the number of countries with detected cVDPV circulation increased from four to seven (Figure 1) (4). Outbreaks in South Sudan (cVDPV2) and Afghanistan (cVDPV2) appear to have been interrupted. Outbreaks of cVDPV2 in Pakistan and Nigeria have declined to very low incidence levels (4,8). New outbreaks were reported in Ukraine (cVDPV type 1 [cVDPV1], two cases), Burma (cVDPV2, two cases), Guinea (cVDPV2, seven cases), Laos (cVDPV1, 11 cases), and Madagascar (cVDPV1, 10 cases) (Table). Among the 721 cVDPV cases detected worldwide during January 2006May 2016, 681 (94%) were associated with cVDPV2, and 31 (4%) were associated with cVDPV1; however, during January 2015May 2016, among 35 cVDPV cases, 23 (66%) were cVDPV1 (Table) (Figure 2). Guinea. During 2015, seven cVDPV2s were isolated from patients aged <15 years with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in Kankan Province (up to 3% VP1 divergence). The first detected cVDPV2 associated with this outbreak was isolated from a patient in the same province with an August 2014 paralysis onset date. Laos. Eight cVDPV1 cases in 2015 and three cases in 2016 were detected in three adjacent provinces (2.3%3.9% VP1 divergence). The most recent case was reported in Fuang District of Vientiane Province, with paralysis onset in January 2016. Madagascar. A cVDPV1 outbreak was initially detected in September 2014 in Analalava, Mahjanga Province, on the northwest coast; the virus circulated widely throughout the country during 2015. Genetically linked viruses were isolated in 2015; 10 AFP cases and 11 isolates were identified through community-based surveillance, with VP1 nucleotide sequence divergence up to 3.3% from the parental OPV strain. Burma (Myanmar). During April and October 2015, two related cVDPV2s (1.4%1.7% VP1 divergence) were detected from two AFP cases in the same province; the most recent isolate was from an AFP case in Rakhine province with onset date October 5, 2015. Nigeria. Low-level circulation in northern states continued during January 2015May 2016 (4). Virus from the major cVDPV2 lineage group that first emerged in 2005 (8) was isolated from a sewage sample collected on March 4, 2015 (7.3% VP1 divergence). Virus from an independent cVDPV2 emergence (3.5% VP1 divergence from Sabin 2 and 2.2% divergence from its nearest relative), originating in Chad in 2012 (9), was isolated from sewage samples; the most recent positive sample was reported from Borno State on April 29, 2016 (10). In addition, one Kaduna State sewage isolate and an isolate from an AFP case were linked to the outbreak detected in 2014 (the most recent positive sample was reported on May 28, 2015 [1.4% VP1 divergence]) (4). Pakistan. Among the five independent cVDPV2 emergences reported previously (4), only one persisted during January 2015May 2016, detected in 14 environmental samples collected in Sindh and one in Baluchistan. Two AFP cases reported in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with onset in February 2015 were genetically linked to a new cVDPV2 emergence (0.7% divergent from parental Sabin 2). This new cVDPV2 emergence was not detected after February 2015. No cVDPVs have been detected in 2016. Ukraine. In 2015, two genetically linked cVDPV1s (2.2%2.9% VP1 divergence) were detected in southwestern Ukraine, from two AFP cases with onset dates of June 30 and July 7. Discussion As in many countries, extensive use of OPV, a live, attenuated vaccine, contributed to the interruption of endemic WPV transmission in Nigeria. However, in settings with low routine vaccination coverage, OPV use can be associated with the emergence of VDPVs, genetic variants of the vaccine viruses with the potential to cause paralysis (5), and cVDPVs have been implicated in confirmed outbreaks (6). In April 2016, approximately 7 months after the official certification of the interruption of WPV transmission in Nigeria, environmental sampling from a sewage effluent site identified a cVDPV2 isolate in Maiduguri Municipal Council, Borno State. Genetic sequencing suggested that the isolated viral strain had been in circulation for at least 2 years. After activation of the Nigeria Polio Emergency Operations Center, SIAs with mOPV2 began, and a retroactive search for AFP cases identified previously unreported AFP cases. This cVDPV2 isolate is the first to be reported in Nigeria since it was removed from the list of countries with endemic WPV transmission in September 2015, and the first to be reported from any country worldwide after the April 2016 globally coordinated switch from trivalent to bivalent OPV (7). The primary aim of the switch was the removal from routine use of the type 2 component of OPV (OPV2), which is associated with most cVDPV outbreaks (6,8). The use of mOPV2 in the response to the cVDPV2 isolation in Borno marks the first time OPV2-containing vaccine obtained from the global emergency stockpile has been deployed in an outbreak response setting, by authorization of the Director General of the World Health Organization (9). Outbreak response to the viral isolation has been affected by difficulties in geographic access related to security challenges in the region. Evaluations conducted in Borno State during May 2016 indicated that security and accessibility remain major concerns in northeastern Nigeria. Therefore, in spite of the rapid response, immunity gaps likely exist, and the estimated number of children in the inaccessible or poorly accessible areas is currently unknown. Plans to vaccinate children in newly accessible areas and camps of internally displaced persons might mitigate, but will not eliminate, the risk for ongoing or new cVDPV2 transmission. Furthermore, poor accessibility will continue to limit high quality surveillance activities in security-compromised areas. Although significant progress continues to be made toward polio eradication in Nigeria, the detection of persistent cVDPV2 circulation highlights three key challenges facing Nigeria and the broader global polio eradication efforts. First, low population immunity because of inability to reach or fully immunize children in Borno State risks further outbreaks and spread of cVDPVs and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Second, poor access to security-compromised areas might continue to limit timely detection of and appropriate response to potential outbreaks, further compounding the risks of continued disease transmission. Finally, because of large population movements across international boundaries from Borno State, the risk for international spread of cVDPVs and other VPDs remains substantially elevated in this setting. Identification of opportunities for increasing vaccination coverage, including additional targeted SIAs and reestablishment of effective routine immunization activities in newly secured and difficult-to-reach areas in Borno, is an urgent public health need. Similar activities in neighboring state and national jurisdictions should be prioritized to limit risks for future outbreaks and spread of cVDPVs or other VPDs. A comprehensive surveillance review that aims to identify and close potential case-finding and reporting gaps, within the context of the current security situation in the area, is needed. Finally, ongoing conflict-related mass migration within and between countries in the region requires closer coordination of polio eradication activities, including SIAs and surveillance activities among affected countries, to prevent cVDPV transmission across international boundaries. 7th Brazilian Conference on Portland Cement ICR Research By Published 04 August 2016 Over 250 delegates gathered in the Maksoud Plaza Hotel, Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the 7th Brazilian Conference on Portland Cement (CBCi) between 20-22 June 2016. The conference highlighted Brazils commitment to COP21 and the progress the cement industry has made in helping the country work towards achieving its climate goals. Brazils cement industry is the largest in Latin America with a cement capacity of 93Mta, installed in 61 integrated plants, 34 grinding units and three mixed works. This production is owned by 17 integrated groups and six grinding companies. Last year it produced 64.5Mt of cement, down from 71.3Mt the previous year in line with a 10 per cent contraction of the domestic market, where demand fell to 64.9Mt. To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login Sign up for our newsletter Catholic Family News A Monthly Journal Preserving our Catholic Faith and Heritage Home Latest Archives Subscribe CFN Media - videos Contact Us CFN Bookstore Oltyn Library Services 2017 CFN Daily Blog Originally started as a daily Blog update of news reports on the Papal Conclave and ongoing news on Pope Francis, it is now a general Blog updated daily on traditional Catholic topics Updated Regularly Book mark this page click here 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. Breckenridge Luxury Hotels 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. Savannah Luxury Hotels Naples, FL, United States Naples is known for its stunning white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters. 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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. Eugene Luxury Hotels 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!. Branson Luxury Hotels 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. Panama City Beach Luxury Hotels Panama City Beach Luxury Resorts 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. Monterey Luxury Hotels 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. Norfolk Luxury Hotels 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. Palm Springs Luxury Hotels Palm Springs Luxury Resorts Palm Springs Luxury Villas 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. Rochester Luxury Hotels 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. Pigeon Forge Luxury Hotels 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. Jacksonville Luxury Hotels 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. Minsk Luxury Hotels 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. Jaipur Luxury Hotels 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. Chicago Luxury Hotels 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!. Auckland Luxury Hotels Auckland Luxury Villas 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. Amsterdam Luxury Hotels 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. Berlin Luxury Hotels 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. Bangkok Luxury Hotels Bangkok Luxury Resorts Bangkok Luxury Villas 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. Bruges Luxury Hotels 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. Brussels Luxury Hotels 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. Budapest Luxury Hotels 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. Playa del Carmen Luxury Hotels Playa del Carmen Luxury Resorts Playa del Carmen Luxury Villas 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!. Denver Luxury Hotels 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. Dusseldorf Luxury Hotels 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. Edinburgh Luxury Hotels 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!. Rome Luxury Hotels Rome Luxury Villas 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. New York Luxury Hotels New York Luxury Villas 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. London Luxury Hotels London Luxury Cottages 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. Memphis Luxury Hotels 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. Miami Beach Luxury Hotels Miami Beach Luxury Resorts 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!. New Orleans Luxury Hotels 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!. Byron Bay Luxury Hotels 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 OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- An 18-year-old Ocean Springs man has been arrested and charged in eight burglaries in the Stark Bayou subdivision in eastern Ocean Springs. Shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Ocean Springs Police Department was notified of several burglaries, both residential and auto, in Stark Bayou, according to OSPD Capt. Chuck Jackson. Patrol officers were joined by officers from the Criminal Investigations Unit in collecting evidence. Found at the scene were a set of car keys for a vehicle which "didn't belong in the neighborhood," Jackson told The Mississippi Press. The discovery of the keys led to the suspect vehicle and the collection of additional evidence which led police to Allen Charles Bersonnett of Morris Noble Road in Ocean Springs as the primary suspect. Police contacted Bersonnett under the premise that they had some of his belongings and he needed to come to the station. Once he arrived, Bersonnett was taken into custody. Bersonnett was initially charged with two counts of auto burglary and one residential burglary, but after further investigation, additional charges were brought and Bersonnett is now charged with five auto and three residential burglaries. Jackson said most of the items taken during the burglaries were handguns, rifles, personal items and loose change. Most have been recovered and returned to the owners. The case remains open and Jackson said more arrests are possible. Bersonnett is in the Ocean Springs Municipal Jail awaiting an initial court appearance in front of Judge Matthew Mestayer. Anyone with information on this case should contact the OSPD at 228-875-2211 or 877-787-5898. OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Thanks to several anonymous tips, the woman suspected of robbing a Hancock Bank in Ocean Springs is now in custody. Brittnei Michelle Farmer, 28, was taken into custody Wednesday around 5:48 p.m. at a residence in the Estates at Juan D. Quave, where police had located the silver Cadillac CTS matching the description of the vehicle at the scene of the robbery. Officers from the D'Iberville Police Department had conducted surveillance on the vehicle and at one point watched Farmer get into the car and drive onto Gorenflo Road, where a traffic stop was initiated and she was taken into custody without incident. Farmer is accused of robbing the Hancock Bank on U.S. 90 in Ocean Springs about 1:50 p.m. Wednesday. Farmer reportedly entered the bank wearing a dark hoodie, sunglasses and gloves and brandishing two butcher knives. She pushed a customer out of the way, taking the customer's deposit, and then demanded money from a teller. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, Farmer fled the bank on foot, but fell in a drainage ditch, with the impact of the fall causing the red dye pack inside the money bag to explode. She then got in the Cadillac and left the scene. Farmer was transported to the Ocean Springs Municipal Jail, where she awaits her initial appearance before Judge Matthew Mestayer. The investigation remains open. Anyone with information is asked to call the OSPD at 228-875-2211 or Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898. The Harrison County Sheriff's Department, D'Iberville Police Department, FBI and FBI Safe Streets Task Force are assisting Ocean Springs with the investigation. Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure. WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more. There are over 76 million acres of national wildlife refuges in the state of Alaska, and they are home to wolves and other species whose survival has time and again been compromised by reckless killing and management. Photo by Alamy 972 shares Denali National Parks East Fork wolf pack has been decimated by human killing, according to experts who spoke yesterday to Alaska Public Radio. The den site for a key female in the pack is vacant, and it appears that trophy hunters and trappers have snared or shot three of the radio-collared wolves in the social group. It was a continuously studied wolf pack for 70 years, and it may have been the most viewed pack in historyan enormous draw for visitors to Denali. Because of a lack of Denali wolves, wolf watchers are now going to Yellowstone National Park. In Denali, the damage has been done already. But this tragic story underscores the importance of yesterdays policy announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to stop ruthless predator control practices on national wildlife refuges (along with a similar policy enacted by the National Park Service earlier in the year). There are over 76 million acres of national wildlife refuges in the state of Alaska, and they are home to wolves and other species whose survival has time and again been compromised by reckless killing and management. In fact, yesterdays action by USFWS is one of the most significant wildlife management protective actions in years, coming after decades of killing of bears, wolves, and coyotes, with the aid of airplanes, snares, and bait (and even killing mothers, pups, and extended families at den sites). Voters in Alaska twice banned aerial hunting of wolves and wolverines, but state lawmakers overturned the ballot measures each time, in what can only be considered extreme anti-democratic behavior. Former governors Frank Murkowski and Sarah Palin were particularly active boosters of these ruthless predator-control practices. As I wrote in yesterdays blog, every single one of the political appointees on the current Board of Game are active trophy hunting or trapping advocates, a number of whom are involved directly in the wildlife-killing industry. USFWS director Dan Ashe, himself a hunter, said it best: Over the past several years, the Alaska Board of Game has unleashed a withering attack on bears and wolves that is wholly at odds with Americas long tradition of ethical, sportsmanlike, fair-chase hunting, in something they call intensive predator management. The USFWS said the vast majority of public comments, including the comments from Alaskans, favored the federal policy action to restrict predator control. Leading wildlife advocates and scientists in Alaska chimed in yesterday with their own statements of support. These final regulations are a major step toward assuring the American people that our National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska will continue to be administered according to the provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act: to protect natural diversity, ecological processes, biological integrity, said Francis Mauer, a retired wildlife biologist for the USFWS. Alaska-based professor and conservation biologist, Richard Steiner, added, Alaskas national wildlife refuges are global treasures. For years, the State of Alaskas backward wildlife management system has seriously degraded wildlife populations on these national interest lands. This new rule goes a long way toward reversing years of mismanagement by the state, and in finally protecting these precious national interest lands for all Americans. Many Alaskans are delighted with these long-overdue federal protections. Yet, in spite of yesterdays action, the debate is not over. Just like state lawmakers overturned the voters wishes in Alaska, federal lawmakers are now trying to undo the actions of federal professional wildlife managers. Make no mistakethe size, scope and impact of this rule is enormous, U.S. Rep. Don Young wrote in a statement. This unilateral power grab fundamentally alters Alaskas authority to manage wildlife across all areas of our state. Young is the author of amendments to several bills to undo the actions of the USFWS and a similar rulemaking action by the National Park Service. Young overstates that this will harm subsistence hunters in Alaska but it will do no such thing. Alaska residents also indicated in a March 2016 poll their strong support for putting a stop to those killing methods on national wildlife refuges. These lands dont belong to the trophy hunting group or even just to Alaskans. They are there for all of the people of the United States. And its quite clear that the vast majority of people dont want these barbaric predator killing practices used on the most important federal lands set aside for wildlife. Yesterdays action by USFWS Director Dan Ashe and President Obama is one to celebrate. But well have to be active in the months ahead to protect it from an attempt by lawmakers in Congress to override it. Theres a lot at stake. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions HPE is a leading user of outsourced workers and skilled immigrants People generally vote their own self-interest and in most cases they align themselves with the party which best matches these interests. This isnt always the case but seems to hold up as a general rule. Eric Schmidt for example backed President Obama and as a result they arent dealing with the antitrust issues they are faced with in Europe. In addition to other perks they have received unprecedented White House access. Google has visited Obama at least 128 times! Defense contractors in the top 50 in total, visited the White House only 89 times in the same period! Donald Trump has stated he will drastically reduce illegal immigration and even legal immigration from much of the world. In addition, he has threatened to stop companies from moving work overseas. The simple law of supply and demand tells us the less workers there are, the more the salary will be for each. In other words, wages are being suppressed by a glut of labor. The issue came up recently in an ad run by a pro-Trump PAC where Clinton says in a speech to an Indian group that there is no way to stop outsourcing. Silicon Valley needs cheap labor. They are huge outsources and use contract manufacturers who typically make things in places like China. Specifically, last year HPE CEO Meg Whitman said she would offshore 60% of the workforce in her consulting business. One imagines a Trump administration would make life very difficult for a company which intentionally hurts U.S. workers. As a result, Meg Whitman voted with her companys pocketbook. She did the right thing for HPE shareholders by throwing her support behind Clinton. The question now is whether American workers realize what the difference will be in a Trump versus Clinton administration the former will do his best to protect American jobs while the latter will allow jobs to continue to flow out of the country and be taken by lower cost immigrants. The Whitman endorsement is important for Clinton and comes during a week where Trump is under assault from the media. Still, if his campaign is able to explain what happened here, his views could get even more support from the typical American worker worried about losing their job. Check out Americas Oligarchs Support Clinton Almost Unanimously for more. Erlanger physicians and University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga residents competed in the 11th Annual Press Out Domestic Violence bench press competition and raised over $5,500 for Childrens Hospital at Erlanger. This annual event was organized by the Transitional Year Residents. The weight lifting competition was held in the Medical Mall at Erlanger and was officiated by event sponsors, Workout Anytime. Proceeds from the event will go to the new Childrens Hospital Believe Campaign to support programs and services for children who are victims of domestic violence. Categories for the bench press competition included most weight lifted overall, most weight lifted by an individual resident, most weight lifted by an individual medical student, most repetitions lifted, and highest weight lifting department. Thanks to the generous donations of our sponsors and the participants, Erlanger physicians and residents were able to raise over $5,500 to benefit the new Childrens Hospital, said Dr. Mukta Panda, MD, FACP, assistant dean for Medical Education, professor of Medicine and program director of the Transitional Year Residency at the UTCOM. This years competition was the most successful Press Out Domestic Violence event in the programs history, nearly doubling the money raised in previous years. "Planning committee members would like to thank local businesses and organizations for their support and participation," officials said. For more information about the Believe Campaign, or to make a donation benefiting the new Childrens Hospital at Erlanger, visit http://www.erlanger.org/believe. A former Hamilton County resident has been brought back from Florida to face vehicular homicide, theft and animal cruelty charges. Ada Marie Gerena, 26, was indicted by the Hamilton County Grand Jury in the death of her two-year-old son in a traffic accident on Oct. 2, 2015. Police said the child was not properly restrained. In the wreck about 11 a.m. on rain-slick Boy Scout Road, the vehicle driven by Ms. Gerena hit a ditch and then a tree. Another child in the car, one-year-old Damien Gerena, suffered broken bones. She was charged in January on the theft and animal cruelty charges, then she moved to Deland, Fla. Randy Morgan said he allowed Ms. Gerena and Michael Gillick to use a residence he owns on Levi Road because they were homeless. He said the couple moved out, taking with them a number of items in the house, including a king-size bed, a chest of drawers, two night stands, a gun cabinet, a leather couch, a white marble top coffee table, two white marble top end tables and a TV. They also took a baker's hutch, a window air conditioning unit, four rocking chairs, a desk a concrete bird bath and a small heater. Police said the couple left two mixed pit bulls locked in a small bathroom at the residence without food, water and heat. The Humane Society came to take custody of the dogs. Ms. Gerena is also charged with two counts of reckless aggravated assault against Gillick, a violation of the registration law, a violation of the child restraint law, failure to have insurance and speeding. The family was initially living here in a renovated home provided by a mission group. The stability of a very efficient and cheap material for solar cells has now been enhanced by up to two orders of magnitude. The material manipulations that enabled this enhancement were developed in a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. Lead-halide perovskites are the darling of solar cell research: the crystalline material is used for cost-effective manufacturing processes and, surpassing the 20% threshold, has already achieved enormous power conversion efficiencies in a comparatively short time. This material still has a fundamental drawback, however, and that is its instability. A recent discovery by an Erwin Schrodinger Fellow of the FWF, in cooperation with Aaron Fafarman and a team of researchers from Drexel University in Philadelphia, US, has now shown that this instability can be considerably reduced through high levels of doping with chloride ions. High doping levels David Egger, who is supported by a Schrodinger fellowship and based at the Department of Materials and Interfaces of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, together with his colleagues discovered that certain perovskites can hold high levels of chloride ions (doping) and that this enhances the stability of the functional material under certain conditions by up to two orders of magnitude. Egger elaborates: We examined cesium-lead-iodide perovskites. One issue is the stability of the functional phase of this material that interests us for applications: under practically relevant conditions, a phase transition occurs and the excellent photovoltaic properties are lost almost immediately. Presage From previous experiments on perovskites including chloride instead of iodide ions one could speculate that doping the material with chloride may enhance its stability. However, achieving this in practice proved to be extremely difficult. Egger and his colleagues chose an interdisciplinary approach to investigate whether chloride doping could have a positive effect on the stability of cesium-based perovskites: We used atomistic simulations to show that chloride ions are mobile in the perovskite crystal, can easily be incorporated into the host material, and that this would enhance the mechanical stability. Our colleagues designed an experimental approach to introduce chloride into the perovskite material, which they achieved by using a chemical sintering process,, Egger explains the international cooperation between the Weizmann Institute in Israel and scientists from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania in the US. Surprising results When analysing the stability of the cesium-lead-iodide-chloride, the team was surprised. As lead-halide perovskites are typically particularly unstable in contact with water, the team monitored material stability of the new compounds at different levels of humidity. At a relative humidity of 54 per cent, the half-life of the functional phase of the new material was six times longer than that of control samples without chloride. At reduced humidity levels of eleven per cent, the half-life became even longer. Egger: The enhanced half-life of the functional perovskite phase at a relative humidity of eleven per cent was such that we could no longer detect a phase transition of the chloride-doped perovskite within the maximum possible measurement time of our devices, which was 96 hours. For the undoped perovskite, however, this happened much faster, indicating that chloride doping enhanced the half-life by at least 2 orders of magnitude. The scientists again combined their results from experiment and theory to show that chloride doping levels beyond two per cent in the newly created material are not possible. The fundamental insight provided by Egger and his colleagues, supported by the Erwin Schrodinger fellowship of the FWF, may now be used in new approaches to exploit the enormous potential of perovskite solar cells in even greater capacity. Really, How Trump Should Have Responded to the Khans Words? By Limin Wang Aug 3, 2016 On July 28, Khizr Khan gave an emotional speech to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. His son, Humayun Khan, a US Army Captain, was killed by a suicide car bomb in Iraq in 2004. The following section is the part where Khan started to sharply attack the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son "the best of America." If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America. Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities -- women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country. Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with our future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words "liberty" and "equal protection of law." Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of the brave patriots who died defending America -- you will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing, and no one. We can't solve our problems by building walls and sowing division. We are stronger together. And we will keep getting stronger when Hillary Clinton becomes our next president. Think about the speechs words, and its real meaning. Is it just an emotional speech? Or is it an informational speech telling you undeniable facts? Parents love their own children, OK. When a politician called your son the best of America, would all listeners take this as truth? If the Khan family were coming into the USA at the 2000s, and Trump were U.S. president at that time, the invasion into Iraq based on a dumpster of lies from a bunch of Muslim exiles and American high-ranks might have never happened, and the September 11th terrorist attack might have never happened, and the high walls around the so-called Green Zone in Iraqis territory might have never happened, and the barbed fence in Guantanamo Bay lawless prison might have never happened, and the flood of refugees might have never happened, and the slaughter of so many people for so many reasons might have never happened. Back into reality, was Donald Trump the one pushing for an invasion into Iraq? Was Donald Trump the one exciting your son for the war in Iraq? Was Donald Trump the one making tons of private money after the invasion? Was Donald Trump the one looting the ancient civilization? Was Donald Trump the one having built the existent walls along the US-Mexico border or on the Gaza Strip? If the Wikipedia story holds true, WHY would the two Iraqi Muslims hate an American Army Captain Muslim so much and want to just kill him by a SUICIDE car bomb at a casualty ratio of 2 to 1? Donald Trump responded to some women, some judges, and some leaders, in the political campaign way, symmetrically or non-symmetrically. What those people really represent? Minority? Those people all have more power than a commoner has. Counterattacking is a disrespect? Stretched from a disrespect to some to as a black soul to all? The US Constitution does not provide liberty or equality. It is basically a document about power sharing within the power system. Outsiders have something called Amendments. Does the US Constitution provide your land? Any rights to any natural resources? Any tangible materials and methods for you to survive and thrive? The Amendments is a record of American history itself. Do you have the rights to drink tonight? Do you need the US Constitution to allow you to drink? My words may sound so scathing, but do these words tell you the beautiful lies? You prefer beautiful lies to cruel facts? The Arlington National Cemetery started during the American Civil War. Was Robert Lincoln, the oldest son of President Lincoln, studying in Harvard, or serving in the military, during the Civil War? Dare Mr. Khan to say anything similar to President Lincoln? What Mary Todd Lincoln would sacrifice? By shopping more luxuries during the war time? Many USA soldiers died in oversea wars, for example, the Korean War, the Vietnam War. Was Korea invading the USA? Was Vietnam invading the USA? Its only because the USA government system always takes the communism as its nightmare. The Americans killed the Iraqi female scientist Chemical Ali. Are there many female Chemical Alis in Saudi Arabia, a USA ally in the Middle East? The Saudi women can behavior as French women now? Did Donald Trump actually say anything bad about the mother Khan? So, has the USA government ever taken all faiths, genders, and ethnicities equal? Stronger, together. It sounds great. Why Hillary wouldnt pick Bernie Sanders as her running-mate? Why Muslims wouldnt stay together to be stronger? Why humans wouldnt stay together to be stronger? You tell me. But let me say first, human history is a history of struggle, and struggling within humans is part of the eternal struggle. It's an old concept, taking off in a new way at a Chicago startup bringing the layaway model to airline travel. Airfordable, which launched in December, allows users to reserve flights by making deposits and then spreading out payments up to 11 months. Advertisement The company charges a flat 10- to 20-percent premium on the ticket, based on travel dates and demand. It's an option for those low on dough or credit, as well as those wanting to lock in a fare, said cofounder and CEO Ama Marfo. Advertisement Ama Marfo, CEO and co-founder, Airfordable (Airfordable photo ) The Ghana native said she came up with the idea while attending Drexel University in Philadelphia. "I wanted to see my family in Ghana during school breaks, but couldn't afford the $2,000 ticket," she said. Marfo met cofounder and COO Craig Henry when he contacted her while researching a similar idea, and they decided to join forces. Third cofounder Emmanuel Buah, the company's chief technical officer, came aboard within months, she said. The company was part of startup incubator Y Combinator's summer batch, but all three cofounders now live in Chicago and plan to operate from a coworking space soon. About 10,000 customers have used the service to buy tickets so far, the company said, and a customer can use the service for any airline. Users find the desired flight or flights, screenshot the information and upload it to Airfordable's website. Users then make a nonrefundable deposit, followed by bi-weekly payments. The company books the flight on behalf of the customer. The user, who can add a frequent flier number, receives an e-ticket after the final payment. Installment payments made on a cancelled trip can be applied to future travel. Airfordable works with trips that cost at least $200. It helps not only book the flight at a price to ensure it won't go higher, but it also makes it easier handle the cost, Marfo said. Advertisement "You can lock it in early, and budget effectively," she said. The company is bootstrapped, and Marfo wouldn't say how much money they've put into it. She said the company plans to expand to hotel and vacation package payment plans. There are other efforts to help accommodate customers in ticket buying, such as Chicago's four-year-old Options Away and San Francisco-based Flyr's FareKeep, which offer ways to lock in rates for up to three weeks. Airfordable differs in the length of time it allows for ticket payment and allowing for installments. Although a market exists amongst those without the credit to buy flights, the service is too costly and the business model is questionable, said airline industry analyst Robert W. Mann Jr. Advertisement "It's clearly directed at the underbanked segment of the market folks who don't have a credit card with a high enough limit to purchase multiple airline tickets. That's a significant portion of the population," he said. "The 20-percent service fee is not insignificant though. That's quite high." Fares were down 5.2 percent in 2015, and are down for 6 percent in the first five months of 2016, according to airline industry trade group Airlines for America. Cheryl V. Jackson is a freelance writer. Twitter @cherylvjackson Drizly is expanding further into the Chicago suburbs, bringing its alcohol delivery platform to more people through a new batch of investor cash. Boston-based Drizly closed a $15 million Series B round of funding late last week, and plans to use some of that to help expand coverage of markets it's already in, like Chicago, spokeswoman Kerin Horgan said. Advertisement Drizly, which currently operates in the city and a handful of north shore suburbs, plans to start offering delivery services in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Crystal Lake and Norridge by the end of the month, she said. The company is also seeing increased business from companies that offer in-office happy hours. Advertisement "We've seen a shift in where companies are offering their happy hours," Horgan said. "They're not necessarily taking everyone out to the bar across the street." Drizly partners with local alcohol retailers and connects them to the customers. It is solely a platform for the sale; the retailers handle the delivery. Customers are charged a $5 delivery fee. The company launched in Chicago in May 2014. It is in 23 cities across America and Canada, and expects to be in 30 markets by the end of the year, Horgan said. Boston-based Polaris Partners led this round of funding, which brings Drizly's total amount raised to $32.8 million, Horgan said. Diageo, one of the world's largest alcoholic beverage brands, invested in Drizly through a third party during a previous funding round, a Diageo spokeswoman said. The company has 60 employees, three of whom work out of WeWork Fulton Market in Chicago. A couple of those employees work on marketing for Drizly, and might see an increased load in the coming months as it plans to ramp up advertising, Horgan said. "There are still people across the country that think alcohol delivery is illegal," she said. "A lot of what you'll be seeing in the next six to nine months is large advertising campaigns across some of our larger markets." Drizly also plans to hire 15 to 20 people in the next six months, Horgan said. She declined to comment on revenue and customer base, but said Chicago is one of the company's top five markets. The alcohol delivery market is a crowded one in Chicago, although each company seems to have its own plugs. Los Angeles-based Saucey, an alcohol delivery service backed by the Jonas Brothers, expanded to Chicago last September. Advertisement Minibar delivers wine, beer and liquor. Chicago-based Foxtrot delivers food and drinks, and in November announced plans to open a second storefront. Some grocery delivery startups also deliver alcohol. amarotti@tribpub.com Twitter @allymarotti Many experts say the prescription painkiller epidemic started when physicians began over-prescribing powerful opioid medications, a well-meaning attempt to more aggressively treat patients' pain. With addiction to those pills at crisis levels, they argue, a good part of the solution would be for doctors to rein in use of the drugs. The giant health insurer Aetna is now actively encouraging change. Using the vast amount of data it collects from insurance claims by pharmacies, it has begun contacting doctors whose prescribing habits are far outside the norm. "You have been identified as falling within the top 1 percent of opioid prescribers within your specialty," Aetna wrote to 931 physicians across the country last week. The not-so-subtle reminder was aimed at doctors who refill opioid prescriptions at very high rates compared to their peers. Only doctors who prescribed the painkillers for at least 12 patients were included in the data examined, which represented more than 8.6 million claims. Physicians such as oncologists, who are likely to dispense large amounts of opioids as part of their practices, were excluded. Harold Paz, Aetna's chief medical officer, said his experience has convinced him that the best way to change doctors' behavior is to provide them with the numbers. "By nature, doctors are data-driven," he said. "It's one of the skills required to get through medical school and residency and training. It's unemotional. "If you show them how they're doing, they'll want to do better," he said. At the same time, Paz cautioned, Aetna can't -- and shouldn't -- assess a physician's clinical judgments with each patient. There may be legitimate reasons for a high refill rate in some cases but not others. So Aetna is urging physicians to check. "We're asking you to look at your practice ... and identify if the way you're prescribing narcotics is best practice," Paz said. "And if it's not, here's an opportunity to improve." In 2014, U.S. physicians wrote 240 million prescriptions for narcotic painkillers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 2.1 million people are addicted to legal narcotics, and 14,838 died of overdoses from opioid medications that year. Insurers routinely send physicians data on the quality of care, which can include the number of prescriptions written, an Aetna spokesman said. But generally they do not supply the refill-to-prescription ratio, he said. Paz said that if the 931 doctors brought their refill rate in line with the average for all physicians who prescribe opioids, 1.4 million fewer doses would be dispensed annually. The physicians receiving the letter had an average refill rate of 4.5 for each prescription written; the overall average was 0.3 refills per prescription. A survey published in June in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine showed that nearly 60 percent of Americans have leftover narcotics at home and 20 percent have shared them with someone. In March, the CDC issued new guidelines for physicians who dispense opioids that encouraged them to maximize the use of non-opioid therapies, set specific criteria for stopping or continuing the use of opioids and assess a medication's effectiveness in controlling pain versus its potential harm before refilling a prescription at that dose. The Aetna data showed that family medicine doctors (58 percent) and internists (31 percent) were by far the top refill prescribers, trailed by obstetricians (4 percent), surgeons (3 percent), neurologists (2 percent) and rheumatologists (2 percent). Pennsylvania, where the opioid epidemic has hit hard, was home to 136 "superprescribers," followed by Missouri (87), Florida (78), North Carolina (52) and Utah (45). None of those doctors turned up on Aetna's list of doctors suspected of fraud or abuse in opioid prescribing, Paz said. Andrew Kolodny, executive director of the advocacy group Physicans for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, said Aetna's experiment "sounds worthwhile" though probably less effective than a similar message from a government health department or law enforcement agency. The same message should be sent to other "risky prescribers," such as physicians who authorize large doses of opioids, Kolodny said. Insurers could help more by requiring prior authorization before a doctor can order a narcotics refill, as BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts now does for opioid painkiller prescriptions beyond 30 days, he said. Theranos chief executive Elizabeth Holmes tried to kick off the beleaguered company's comeback story on Monday in front of a few thousand scientists and doctors. She called the moment an "inflection point" and deployed all the right words: "data," "peer review," "publication." But instead of revealing the company is on a new path, Holmes' presentation seemed to highlight the ongoing disconnect between a fiercely private Silicon Valley startup and the scientific and medical communities. Fighting against a federal investigation and lawsuits, Theranos' 32-year-old founder showcased a new technology and attempted to set a new tone for the company. Although she never called it a new age of transparency, that was the gist: "Piece by piece, we're working to put that information out there," Holmes said. Then, she spent 45 minutes pitching the experts a new device, miniLab, elaborating on its technical specifications and presenting data comparing it with other systems. The talk resembled a new product launch from the company that promised to revolutionize blood testing, although the device is not approved for any medical use. With sanctions looming that will ban Holmes from owning or operating a laboratory, the focus on introducing a new device would seem to offer a path forward as questions hang over the company's clinical laboratory business. In an interview with Reuters after her presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Holmes christened this the "next chapter of our lifecycle." Who needs whom? The company's new product wasn't the only shift. Holmes promised to provide more data on its technologies for review, after being criticized for the company's secrecy in the past. But even as the outside experts have been largely left out at Theranos until recently, the opinions, concerns and trust of clinical chemists are central to its technology - and, in the end, its commercial success. Although ordinary people would be the ones getting their fingers pricked, these are the people whose trust may matter even more - the people who run major hospitals' clinical laboratories and the experts who want to see testing get better and cheaper but not sacrifice accuracy and reliability. For many people watching Theranos, this worldview has come to represent what's wrong with the company. Theranos promises to be disruptive, transforming medicine and envisioning a future in which people can order their own blood tests for cheap. But even disruption needs to be built on something solid, and that was what Holmes had a chance to establish this week, and - for many - didn't. Several scientists said that the presentation, insulated from the real, deep questions that have arisen about Theranos for months, was reasonable. The data seemed like a good start. One scientist, K.T. Jerry Yeo of the University of Chicago wryly commented that "clearly, someone has been teaching them how to do this." He and others noted that the major innovation seemed to be miniaturizing a number of standard laboratory tools into one box, but also said that it might be useful in certain situations. The innovations are evolutionary, not revolutionary, said Geoff Baird, an associate professor in the department of laboratory medicine at the University of Washington. But what hung over the entire presentation was a feeling that science was being muzzled. These were not the data that 2,560 people came to see. The technology that cannot be named Theranos was expected to explain its existing technology; instead, it decided to pitch a new one. The precise relationship between the new technology and the older iteration was unclear. Questions about the older technology - or anything other than the new box Holmes described in lavish technical detail - weren't allowed. On-stage panelists quizzed Holmes, a format that may have been logistically necessary, but also gave the presentation a smooth flow with few of the awkward moments that would have occurred if scientists had been able to stand up and ask uncomfortable and pointed questions, forcing Holmes to decline to answer. No single presentation can accomplish everything, and Holmes acknowledged lots of work lies ahead. She said she would address problems and the past at a future time. But given a huge platform and an extremely informed audience, Holmes chose not to speak or address any of the questions regarding the company's older technology, introduced to the public in 2013. The company in July was careful to say that the harsh federal sanctions - including the two-year ban for Holmes from owning or operating a lab - "pertained to the operations of the company's Newark lab, not its technologies." But the first major presentation of Theranos' data at a scientific conference, in August 2016, did not include include any of the data from the proprietary technologies that Theranos has used in the real world - and which led to two years of results being voided and corrected earlier this year. Baird said that it was clear the company had been developing the new technology for years, but the data felt as if it was the product of an "all-nighter to prep your term paper." The data that Theranos presented on Monday was all generated in 2016 by the company - almost as if the past months and years had simply not happened. St. Joseph, Mo. It's "frynally" here and opened to the public Thursday in St. Joseph, Mo. The McDonald's of the future that gained international publicity over unlimited fries has a few more options up its sleeve. Advertisement "Unlimited fries are just the beginning of what's different about (this restaurant)," said Chris Habiger, owner. "We're making a shift from fast food to fast-casual," Habiger said. Advertisement The atmosphere of the new space accompanies an upgraded menu with more grilled options and gourmet sauces like pico guacamole. The toppings are part of the new customizable burger and chicken sandwiches. Customers can order their food via large kiosks or from the traditional counter. There is an entirely separate counter for McDonald's Cafe drinks and the new dessert bar. The dessert bar has its own unlimited options, from waffle cones and signature sundaes to diced apple toppings with hot fudge and waffle pieces. The restaurant is bringing back its oatmeal raisin cookies and twist cones, too. That area offers interactive lightboard tables and tabletop video games. The children's play area consumes a good portion of the restaurant and has a dedicated staff to man the section during private parties and events. Habiger and his wife, Karri Habiger, own six McDonald's locations in St. Joseph and the one in Mound City, Missouri. The couple's company, Habiger West, has hired more than 100 new employees for the new restaurant. Eighteen former Midwest Bank officers and directors will pay a total of $26.5 million to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to settle a 2013 lawsuit alleging that their negligence in lending to risky borrowers contributed to losses at the failed institution. Midwest Bank, based in Elmwood Park, was a $3.17 billion-asset lender that was among the first community banks to get federal bailout funds after the financial crisis erupted. It was part of Midwest Banc Holdings, which had been a publicly traded banking company, and was seized by regulators in 2010. It was among the largest local banks to fail after the financial crisis. Advertisement The FDIC occasionally sues executives of banks that collapse. The Midwest Bank lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Acting as receiver for the failed bank, the FDIC alleged, among other things, gross negligence and breach of fiduciary duties. The defendants "exhibited an extreme departure from the standard of care" by agreeing to lend $100 million to six "uncreditworthy" borrowers without adequately analyzing their creditworthiness, determining whether their proposed real estate projects were feasible and identifying a reliable source of repayment, the lawsuit said. "Between late 2005 and early 2008, defendants approved a number of large and grossly imprudent loans, which, combined with director defendants' gamble on declining investment securities, caused damages in excess of $128 million," the lawsuit said. Advertisement Midwest's problems surfaced in fall 2008. That's when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sustained huge losses in the financial crisis, and Midwest eventually suffered losses of tens of millions of dollars on its preferred shares in the government-sponsored enterprises. A few months later, Midwest received bailout funds. Midwest Bank is unrelated to First Midwest, another publicly traded midsize Chicago-area bank. In the settlement between Midwest Bank officials and the FDIC, the defendants denied liability but agreed to the deal to "avoid the uncertainty and expense of further litigation." Midwest Bank was one of about 15 Illinois banks to fail in 2010. Typically, bank failures cause a dent in the FDIC's deposit insurance fund. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars, but instead its operations are funded by insured financial institutions. Midwest Bank was an exception, however. It received $85 million from the U.S. Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program, commonly called the bank bailout, but continued to have problems as a result of a downturn in the real estate market. So its failure, unlike that of many other banks, cost taxpayers money. The settlement didn't specify who was paying how much. Bank officers and directors also often have insurance providing coverage in case of lawsuits. Advertisement Among other midsize Chicago-area banks that have failed since the financial crisis and been sued by the FDIC, the settlement involving Midwest Bank surpasses that of the previous record holder, the $17.3 million paid by former officials of $2.2 billion-asset ShoreBank. Midwest Bank's assets, deposits and branches were taken over by Akron, Ohio-based FirstMerit. byerak@chicagotribune.com Twitter @beckyyerak When Charles Matthews became president and CEO of Peoples Gas after its June 2015 acquisition by Wisconsin Energy, he inherited the oldest utility in Chicago, and a multibillion-dollar pipe replacement program plagued by budget overruns, delays and charges of mismanagement. He has been feeling the heat for the massive 20-year program to replace 2,000 miles of aging pipe below Chicago streets ever since. Advertisement Launched in 2011, the program saw projected costs balloon from $2.6 billion to $4.5 billion before Matthews arrived from Wisconsin Energy, where he had been a top executive for nine years. One month into the new gig, Matthews told the Illinois Commerce Commission the price tag exceeded $8 billion, based on numbers generated by his predecessors but never reported. Matthews subsequently reworked the model and lowered the projected cost to $6.8 billion, but that has done little to assuage regulators. Advertisement Peoples Gas CEO Charles Matthews has brought management of the companys beleaguered pipe replacement program in-house since arriving from Wisconsin Energy. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) In May, Peoples agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle charges that the utility previously misled customers about the cost of its gas pipe program. Last month the ICC launched a formal investigation into the program, with Peoples required to present a detailed plan for moving forward by mid-August. Matthews, 59, said the project will likely last beyond its original 2030 target date, and that the cost will fluctuate, but not wildly, and not without transparency. Peoples Gas serves 831,000 customers in the city. He also is responsible for overseeing North Shore Gas, which serves 160,000 customers in the northern suburbs and was part of Wisconsin Energy's $5.7 billion acquisition of Chicago-based Integrys last year. A soft-spoken Georgia native whose 30-year energy career has taken him from Exxon in New Orleans to a six-year stint as president and CEO of Jamaica Public Service, Matthews sat down with the Tribune recently at Peoples' Division Street warehouse. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q: Peoples Gas did not acknowledge wrongdoing, yet it agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle charges it misled consumers about the cost of the pipe replacement program. Why pay if you're not in the wrong? A: The new management team needs to be completely focused on putting an efficient management program in place for the modernization effort. I can't tell you how distracting it would be to continue to fight old battles while you're trying to move forward. Q: In the settlement, about $10 million gets paid to customers, which breaks down to about $12 each. Did they receive that credit? A: That happened in June and July. They got a credit on their bill of approximately $12. We had language in there that explained it. There was a bill insert as well as a note on the bill. Advertisement Q: Has Peoples' reputation been damaged by the pipe replacement program and will the refund help? A: Regardless of whether it's been damaged or not, obviously it's bad publicity. You have to earn trust and you have to earn reputation, and you have to earn it every day. I'm not as concerned about what happened yesterday versus what we're doing today. Q: What went wrong with the pipe replacement program? A: It was a forecasting issue. There were some significant improvements that we made to the model to do future forecasts. But the most important thing is that this money hasn't been spent, so there's no cost overrun. I think that had been lost with a lot of customers, a lot of stakeholders. Q: Why will new management do a better job of running the program? A: This was one of the things that attracted us to the acquisition, especially the Peoples Gas component of it. We've done over $5 billion worth of construction projects over the last 10 years and we have a management team that brought all of those projects in on time and on budget. Advertisement Q: What kind of progress did you make in year one? A: We've installed 93 miles of main and moved 21,000 meters from inside to outside of homes in the last year alone. We've done that with approximately 2,000 employees 500 of those employees working specifically on that program, another 1,500 contract employees. Q: What did you spend in the past 12 months on the pipe replacement project? A: It was roughly $250 million. That's pretty much a target of what we're looking to spend roughly $250 million to $300 million a year. Q: Beyond modeling, what changes have you made to the program? A: We have brought the management of the modernization program in-house. Prior management had outsourced that to a consulting firm and we brought it in-house for better accountability, better efficiency, better alignment with our existing operations. Advertisement Q: You opened a new training facility last month. Any other major initiatives? A: Our call center activity was outsourced under the prior regime to North Carolina. We now have a call center in-house with approximately 60 consultants. We've already started to see the benefits of that. The average speed of our response to customer calls has improved significantly. Q: How important is community involvement to changing the culture at Peoples Gas? A: Peoples Gas has been around for 165 years and been a corporate citizen for 165 years. Certainly, based on our experience with the model that we've had at Wisconsin Energy, we have and we will continue to step that commitment up. Q: What have you done to step that up in year one? A: We did the Polar Plunge for the first time this past year. We had close to 70 participants. I believe that was second only to ComEd and I told Anne Pramaggiore (CEO of ComEd) that the object in her rearview mirror was closer than it appeared. Advertisement Q: Did you take the plunge? A: Absolutely I was there, and my wife. It's for Special Olympics. It was cold, but it was worth it. Q: Did you dream of being a utilities executive as a kid? A: I fell in love twice. I fell in love first with my wife, and then I fell in love with the utility industry. I didn't intend on being here 30 years later I thought it would be boring. And every day has been exciting. rchannick@chicagotribune.com Twitter @RobertChannick A note to readers: I just received a call from a scammer; he told me he was from the U.S. Treasury Department and that I owed the IRS some $5,000 dollars. I contacted the IRS and was told this is a very serious scam and that everyone should hang up immediately. Then file a report with the IRS at www.treasury.gov/tigta. The IRS sends you letters; it does not call. Q: I am moving out of a condo I have been renting for more than 19 years. This is the only unit my landlord owns, so I have the idea that most landlord-tenant regulations do not apply. Advertisement I raised two children in this unit and we had two cats for a large portion of our time there. When the unit was re-carpeted three or four years ago, I was given a choice of getting rid of the cats, moving out or paying an additional security deposit. I paid the additional security deposit. This unit is showing its age. There has been water leaking from the unit above us and there are brown water spots on the kitchen ceiling and mold on one of the bathroom ceilings. All of the appliances were there when we moved in, except for the water heater and the stove, which have been replaced. The entire unit needs to be repainted, and my daughter pulled some of the paint in her room off when she was removing wall stickers. Most of the unit was repainted 12 years ago, but my kids' rooms have never been repainted. The dishwasher no longer works, the washing machine sounds like it's about to take off when it hits the spin cycle, the high setting on the dryer no longer works and the refrigerator has parts missing on the inside of the door. The vertical blinds in the kitchen are discolored from dirt and grease and some of the slats no longer want to stay up. Other blinds in the house are dirty, as are the original curtains in my bedroom. The tile floor in the master bath is disintegrating around the toilet. All of these things have been brought to the landlord's attention; however, very little work has been done on the unit over the years, and then only when I pushed or when necessary. All work on the unit stopped about six months ago when they knew I'd be moving out. My question ... after living here for so long, what is "normal" wear and tear and what damage would come out of my security deposit? Is there any formula? I looked up the average life of appliances online, and most of my appliances are much older than the listed life span. And does any of this matter if my landlord owns only one rental unit? What do I need to do as far as cleaning this unit to maximize the security deposit returned to me? Advertisement A: First, even if your landlord owns only one property, I suspect you are still protected under your state, county or city landlord-tenant laws. You sound like a landlord's dream tenant: You accepted all of the problems and rarely complained. You put up with a lot of things your landlord should have corrected. Unfortunately, there really is no definition of "reasonable wear and tear." Some columnists have suggested that if the apartment (or the house) is not in a substantially similar condition to when you first moved in, it is not reasonable wear and tear. Let's take the wall for example: If there are holes from picture hangers, that is not reasonable; your daughter peeled off some paint when removing stickers she posted on the walls; that also is not reasonable. The list can go on and on. However, in your case, since you have lived in the condo unit for such a long time, and the landlord was not responsive to your concerns, I strongly believe he should give you back your entire security deposit. Check with a local attorney; some jurisdictions require the landlord to put the security deposit in an interest-bearing account and give the tenant the interest earned in addition to the security deposit. Benny Kass is a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland. He does not provide specific legal or financial advice to any reader. Readers may email him, but he cannot guarantee a personal response. mailbag@kmklawyers.com Kate Moss makes a case for the white shirt as the ultimate beach cover-up Kate Moss wearing a white shirt while holidaying in Greece might not sound like breaking news, but the model does throw up some much-needed beachwear inspiration. If flowing kaftans and whimsical dresses make you feel more hippy than haute then Mosss simple shirt could be the answer to your holiday packing woes. Moss, 42, is currently spending time on Sir David Tangs yacht with his family, the Duchess of York, Kates daughter Lila Grace and her boyfriend, Count Nikolai von Bismarck. The motley crew have all been favouring a cream colour palette during their Aegean jaunt. We can largely assume this is partially to beat the heat in, but mostly to highlight their sun-kissed skin in the all-important Instagram pictures. image: vintage bridesmaid dresses In a bow-side Insta snap of Moss sandwiched between Ed Tang and John Auerbach, the founder of plus-size clothing brand Eloquii, Moss wears a simple tuxedo style shirt and black bikini bottoms. Mussed up hair and a simple neck charm are the only accents to her effortless yacht style. Somehow we knew Moss wouldnt buy into the colourful pom-pom trend... During a summer season that has seemed to celebrate artisanal flourishes more than just the usual deluge of tassels, Mosss pared-back look is utterly refreshing. Case in point: you might not still own those be-pommed sandals in two years time, but chances are you will still have a handful of timeless white shirts in your arsenal. When taking your shirt to the beach, remember that the look should be as relaxed as possible. Fasten only the middle buttons, like Moss, to show a little skin. Though Mosss shirt fits her petite frame perfectly, boyfriend styles are useful for creating a fluid, loose silhouette. Oversized styles will also mean that your derriere is covered, so you can go from beach-to-bar without worrying about what to wear on your bottom half. For a figure-defining flourish, knot your shirt and wear with denim shorts, a la Moss in Spain, 2013 (below). And remember, this is all about looking understated, so avoid those pom-poms at all costs. Also Read: blue bridesmaid dresses My dear friend, Mei-Ling Hopgood, sent me the text knowing I'd have the same reaction she did. My girls just did one of those Chinese, Japanese pull-eyes-back rhymes, the text read. Advertisement I gasped. I remembered painful experiences hearing rhymes like that when I was young. And then I shook my head in disbelief that this kind of ignorant schoolyard talk still exists. Both Mei-Ling and I grew up in the 1970s, the only Asians we knew in our Midwestern communities, not counting the people in our own families. Although she lived in suburban Detroit and I lived here in suburban Chicago, we both grew up feeling ugly because of our straight, black hair; desperate to fit in with our all-American peers, and hurt, but never quite sure how to react when ignorance or in some cases, flat-out racism was directed our way. Advertisement Mei-Ling said as soon as her daughters, Sofia, 8, and Violet, 5, did the clapping game, she told them it was not OK to make fun of someone's ethnicity, race or how they look. She explained that if she was a little girl, seeing their clapping game would have hurt her feelings. "But we are Chinese," Violet responded, demonstrating that she sincerely didn't understand why anyone would ever consider being Chinese insulting. It wasn't the first time Mei-Ling and I got a glimpse of how our kids aren't growing up with the same feelings of shame and alienation that we did. A few weeks earlier, I was making paper dolls with my 5-year-old Gracie. She decided to make dolls that looked like both me and her. So she punched out a doll with creamy white skin for herself, and then a doll with light brown skin for me. Finally, she went into her marker box, took out a deep brown Crayola, and began shading in my face. "What are you doing?" I asked, fascinated, and flashing back to all the summers in high school when I slathered on sunscreen with SPF 50 in the hopes that I could keep my skin light. "Your skin is dark brown, Momma," she said matter-of-factly. As Mei-Ling and I reflected on these situations, we were relieved to realize that our girls will probably never have go through the self-conscious and soul-searching phases we each did before embracing and ultimately celebrating our ethnic identities. Mei-Ling went on to write two books that examine culture. Her first book, "Lucky Girl," examined her own culture in the story of her unlikely reconnection with her birth family in Taiwan. The second examined parenting in other cultures: "How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting (from Argentina to Tanzania and everywhere in between)." Advertisement And I tell stories about my big, fat, Filipino family every chance I get, both in person and in print. My dream is to someday put together a collection of short stories about learning to love the quirky, mettlesome but loving people who made me who I am. But we worry that without the journey to accepting their heritages, our kids will not be forced to learn resilience, empathy and sensitivity through life experience the way we did. "They're privileged," Mei-Ling said. "Their experience in the world is going to be so different. We live in so much more of a multicultural, multiracial world." So ironically, Mei-Ling and I concluded, we're just going to have to work harder to drive home lessons of inclusion and cultural sensitivity. Mei-Ling says she does so with her daughters by teaching them words from the Chinese language and exposing them to diverse communities. She is planning a trip for the entire family to Taiwan next year. We agreed that the teachable moments will also come up naturally as our daughters go through life. Advertisement On a recent Friday night, Mei-Ling and her girls came to Elmhurst to go out to dinner with my daughters and me. As we brainstormed restaurant possibilities, Gracie, speaking without any filters, proudly announced, "The only foods I don't like are Chinese and Japanese. I like Italian, like pizza." The Asian mother in me cringed as I told Gracie it wasn't nice to say that about the food of other countries, and that a lot of the food her grandma makes is similar to Chinese. Then I purposely chose an Asian fusion restaurant, where we ordered edamame and noodles. The girls devoured their food without a second thought. Gracie had no idea that kind of food was Asian. She loved it. vortiz@chicagotribune.com A coalition of groups that includes the Black Lives Matter network has released an education policy platform calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring the country to provide a fully funded education in order to ensure adequate and appropriate educational resources. The platform from the Movement for Black Lives policy group was released earlier this week with the backing of over 30 advocacy organizations. In addition to action in Washington, the platform calls on state-level ballot initiatives to increase funding for schools, and highlights an unsuccessful school funding ballot measure in Mississippi voted on last year as an example of positive action. Two recent federal reports highlight the issues that the coalition urgently wants addressed, said Kesi Foster, a coordinator at the Urban Youth Collaborative , which helped develop the platform. The first is a May study by the Government Accountability Office showing that the share of racially and socioeconomically isolated schools is on the rise in the U.S. The second is a July policy brief from the U.S. Department of Education showing that spending on incarceration grew at triple the rate of K-12 spending growth in states from 1979 to 2013. Those snapshots highlight the need for both more adequate and more equitable funding for black children in all settings, from big cities to rural states, according to Foster. We need to divest funding from policing, jailing, and harmful institutions for black communities, and invest funding into education for those communities, Foster said in an interview. The Movement for Black Lives call for a constitutional amendment regarding education has historical links to a landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case. In San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez , which challenged the Texas system of school finance, the majority of justices found that the constitutions equal-protection clause does not apply to school funding formulas. Deep, Persistent, and Intentional The current environment, the platform states, is one in which black and brown students (along with students from low-income households) dont have access to the same resources as others, and are often treated inappropriately and unfairly in school. In addition to current circumstances, the Movement for Black Lives drew on the historical underfunding of black schools compared to white schools, particularly in the South, Foster noted, when developing its platform. According to the platform, other consequences of the lack of a constitutional amendment requiring a fully funded education are: School closings, turnarounds, phaseouts, colocations and charter school expansion. Inequitable school funding, racebased school inequity and budget cuts. Mayoral control, state takeovers and the lack of meaningful parent and community engagement in districtwide education policy decisions and schoolbased governance. Zero tolerance discipline policies and the pushout crisis . All of those consequences, Foster said, highlight the deep, persistent, intentional racial inequities that still exist in public schools. Its designed to deprive high-quality educational opportunities for young people, he said of how the current K-12 system treats black students. Local and Young Hope So whats needed? Foster said there must be a radical overhaul of the sort thats simply not occuring right now. The coalition calls for a constitutional amendment, although the coalition indicates it would prefer that such an amendment be approved by Congress rather than a constitutional convention called by sates. Other key components of a fully funded education under a constitutional amendment, according to the Movement for Black Lives, would include: free health services (including reproductive body autonomy and dental care). a curriculum that acknowledges and addresses youths material and cultural needs. physical activity and recreation. high quality food, free daycare, freedom from unwarranted search, seizure or arrest and art. At the state level, the platform calls for ballot measures and other means to create this educational right in state constitutions. It notes the legal landscape for this process18 states, for example, allow voters to amend their state constitutions. (Click here for a review of state constitutions language dealing with education, authored by Molly A. Hunter of the Education Law Center.) We asked Foster if he could point to a district, city, or state thats moving in the right direction and hitting the platforms priorities, and whether he was more optimistic about success in states rather than in Washington. In response, he said his biggest source of optimism was student advocacy inside and outside of schools in places like Oakland and Baltimore. The power really sits with people that do community organizing and grassroots organizing in their communites, Foster told us. We have not seen transformational policy proposals or changes from officials. For me, it feels much more like the work young people in their communities. Read the full Movement for Black Lives education platform below: Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . By Alyson Klein and Andrew Ujifusa Cancel that trip to the beach, U.S. Department of Education employees: The education community has turned in more than 20,000 comments on your draft regulations for the Every Student Succeeds Act. As anyone bothering to read a wonky education blog during the dog days of August probably knows, the department released proposed regulations for accountabilityarguably the most controversial and tricky part of ESSAback in May. The agency gave educators, advocates and others until Aug. 1 to comment on their rules. It will take those comments into consideration before releasing final rules sometime this fall. If you have been paying attention to the education communitys response to the departments proposed accountability rules, you wont be surprised by any of the big themes in the thousands upon thousands of comments. State chiefs and governors, for instance, are concerned that the departments proposed timeline for identifying the lowest-performing schools is too ambitious and means holding schools accountable for student outcomes under the No Child Left Behind Act, ESSAs precedessor, and NCLBs waivers. Meanwhile, civil rights groups are concerned that the departments proposed menu of ideas for states on how to pinpoint which schools have groups of students that are consistently underperforming is too loosey-goosey. We took a look at the comments so you dont have to. OK, fine, we admit itwe have not read all 20,000-plus. (That would have taken both halves of Politics K-12 at least a week.) But we did take a close look at what some of the biggest-name education organizations were saying, and examine a good sample of comments from other folks. Here are some highlights: Council of Chief State School Officers As we have previously reported, CCSSO does not like that the proposed rules require schools to be identified for improvement based on data from the 2016-17 school year. And the group reiterates that concern in its comments, asking for the Education Department to allow schools to first be identified for improvement in 2018-19, based on 2017-18 data. CCSSO also says that the requirement in the rules for a single, summative rating for each school is a bad idea, saying that it would squash creative accountability efforts at the state level, such as a dashboard approach that displays performance on multiple indicators without requiring a final rating for each school. The final regulation should be clear that it is at the discretion of the state to use a dashboard to display performance and progress on multiple indicators or use a single summative rating, the group says in its comments, adding that it should be up to states to decide how prominent these ratings are on school report cards. The state chiefs group also expresses several concerns about the reporting requirements for out-of-field and inexperienced teachers working with low-income students. And CCSSO says that while reporting on the number of English-language learners who do not attain English proficiency in five years is a good idea, setting a maximum timeline for those students to attain proficiency is not. National Governors Association Last year, the NGA gave ESSA its first full endorsement of any federal legislation in nearly two decades. But the governors group has several concerns about the proposed accountability rules. Like the state chiefs, the NGA says the timeline for identifying struggling schools is too ambitious, and wants to allow 2018-19 to be the first year schools are flagged for improvement. And it wants the new school quality and student success indicator to play a bigger role in judging school performance, stating, The departments proposal limits the universe of high-quality indicators, doubles down on test scores, and effectively upends state authority regarding indicator weights. The NGA says the U.S. secretary of education should not have the power to approve a state plan to address standardized test participation rates that dip below 95 percent, if states choose not to pick one of the three options laid out in the draft rules. And the proposed rules requirement that schools with subgroup of students deemed underperforming for two straight years be identified as consistently underperforming improperly takes away the power of states to decide on the right timeline, the NGA says. National Association of State Boards of Education Writing on behalf of NASBE, Executive Director Kris Amundson says the Education Department should not displace states decision-making about accountability ratings, and that means there should not be a requirement for a summative rating for each school. Like many organizations, the group wants data from the 2017-18 school year to be the first to identify struggling schools, not 2016-17. And NASBE wants a light federal touch when comes to how states report test-participation numbers and the strategies they use to deal with low participation rates, saying the proposed rule misapplies the statute, diminishes community concerns, and may make it harder for states to develop strategies for ensuring assessment participation rates remain high. Council of the Great City Schools The organizations comments, written by Michael Casserly, the executive director, questioned the departments proposed implementation timeline. The council, which represents urban district leaders, also questioned a provision calling for schools to be divided into three different performance categories. The group also argued that could lead to over-identification of low-performing schools. And CGCS is not a fan of the departments proposed regulation on transportation for foster kids . Another set of comments from CGCS centered on English-language learners . The council doesnt want to see the department require states to come up with a statewide standard set of criteria for when a student can exit ELL status. It also doesnt love the idea of setting a timeline for attaining English-language proficiency. The council is essentially worried that a one-size-fits-all approach on both those issues will result in the lowest common statewide denominator for removing students prematurely from specialized services. The council does, however, like a proposal to keep ELLs who have attained proficiency in the ELL subgroup for four years, for accountability and reporting purposes. AASA, the School Superintendents Association The group is one of a chorus of folks not happy with the requirement for a single, summative rating for schools, which it argues would lack nuance. And AASA doesnt want to see the department raise the minimum n sizeor number of students that have to be in a particular group for it to count for accountability purposesabove 30, which is whats already in the proposed regulations. AASA also thinks the department is being too prescriptive when it comes to how to figure testing participation into accountability systems, and in defining which schools have consistently underperforming groups of students and therefore need interventions. AASA also thinks the department is being too prescriptive when it comes to evidence-based interventions under ESSA. The regulations call for districts to pick interventions with at least a promising track record of improving student outcomes. AASA is worried that this might be too limiting. And AASA isnt a fan of language that would require low-performing schools to approve of a turnaround plan a district lays out for them. More here. National Education Association In a nutshell, the proposed accountability regulations are too close to the previous version of the law, the NCLB Act, for the unions taste. The union thinks the regulations dont give states enough flexibility in setting academic goals and would add an onerous requirement that states make sure their new indicator of school quality or student success is grounded in research. NEA also thinks the department was way too prescriptive when it comes to listing possible punishments for schools with high rates of parents opting their children out of standardized testing. Whats more, dozens of NEA members from around the country seconded those comments by submitting them under their own names. And the union is miffed that the department is calling for schools with low-performing subgroups to face serious sanctions after three years. (ESSA calls for a state determined timeline.) NEA also doesnt take kindly to the fact that the departments proposal appears to imply that states should come up with a list of approved interventions for struggling schools. Dozens of NEA members submitted their own comments echoing these points. More from Steve Sawchuk of Teacher Beat fame here . American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten Weingarten isnt so thrilled that the department is requiring districts crafting plans for low-performing schools to consider how many inexperienced, out-of-field teachers a school has, and how much money they spend per student. There are a lot of factors that could lead to poor performance, she argues, so why single out those two? Also, Weingarten thinks the department is overstepping its bounds in calling for states to define ineffective teachers. Shes worried states will keep relying on test scores to do this, as they have under NCLB waivers. Plus, Weingarten has concerns about the timeline and requirement for a single summative rating. Learning Policy Institute The education policy think tank run by Linda Darling-Hammond, the Stanford University professor emeritus and researcher, says that states should not require that students academic performance be measured solely on grade-level proficiency. The group says that, among other problems, the focus on this proficiency metric encourages schools to focus largely on students hovering around the threshold for profiency, at the expense of low-performing students. Furthermore, research found that the improvement gap was largest in the low-achieving schools, where focusing on students near the proficiency cut score came at the expense of attention to the lowest-achieving students, the Learning Policy Institute states. Like several other groups, the institute weighs in against requiring single summative ratings and the proposed timeline. And the organiation wants parameters for how states define out-of-field and inexperienced teachres. Education Trust CEO Kati Haycock says Education Trust, which advocates for robust accountability and reporting requirements, supports several key aspects of the proposed regulations, such as the requirement for a single summative school rating and the greater weight academic indicators have with respect to identifying schools in need of improvement. But the group also has concerns with the draft that weve previously discussed with Education Trust. For example, it wants the final regulations changed to require that consistently underperforming subgroups of students be defined by their progress toward state goals, not by how they perform compared to the statewide student average. Like the NGA and CCSSO, Education Trust wants schools to be flagged for improvement based on 2017-18 data, not 2016-17 data as the draft rules require: Given that new state accountability systems will not be approved until 2017, this requirement would essentially mean that schools will be identified based on expectations that are not yet in place. Other changes the group wants made are the inclusion of access to advanced coursework in studies of resource disparities of districts and schools, and for more meaningful exit criteria for states in determining which schools can leave needs-improvement lists. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund The NAACPs education advocacy arm focuses a lot of attention on school quality and student success indicators. For example, the group wants the department, in its final regulations, to "[p]rovide more instruction to states on how to define, measure, and advance positive school climates as an indicator of school quality and student success. The regulations should also discourage states from using discipline practices to exclude students from annual testing. And it wants to encourage states to include LGBTQ students, and those in the juvenile-justice system, as subgroups in their accountability systems. LGBTQ students, particularly students of color, are persistently harassed, bullied, and subjected to harsh disciplinary practices, wrote President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill, along with two other staffers. Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Writing on behalf of roughly 30 advocacy groups, the Leadership Conference wants the final ESSA regulations to provide more direction on how states should assist local educational agencies with improving school environments for student learning. The organization also wants more-robust regulations when it comes to making progress in ensuring the promise of resource equity. And the Leadership Conference stresses equity again when it comes to students access to strong teachers. State definitions of underperforming for any subgroup of students must be based on the statewide goals and interim progress targets, wrote Liz King, education policy director. Badass Teachers Association Writing as a member of the union splinter group, which opposes high-stakes testing policies, Chris Willems says the group believes the proposed regulations focus too narrowly on English/language arts and math to the detriment of arts, music, and other subject areas. And the group is highly critical of the draft rules approach to test-participation requirements. The association flatly says states should not be held accountable for failing to meet any particular participation rate. It also says that parents have the right to opt their children out of state exams under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. To punish schools that do not meet this participation rate is to deny the rights of parents as well as falsely hold accountable schools that have no right to dictate these choices, the organization states. There were also plenty of comments on other topics: Dozens of brief comments rebuked the Obama administration for supporting the Common Core State Standards, or asked the department to get rid of them. (Legally, under ESSA, it cant do that.) Heres a sample: No Common Core. No Backdoor Common Core. Stop this regulation now! wrote Rob Mellot, who didnt identify himself as an educator, advocate, or as part of an organization. Some wrote in asking for more focus on the arts in the regulations. Under ESSA and under the proposed regulations, states can choose to make access to arts education part of their accountability systems. Some commentors wanted to see this point be made more explicit in the regulations. And some want the department to make it clear states can incorporate particular areas within the arts, like music or visual art. At least one teacher who commented, Daniel Plonsey, chided Education Secretary John B. King Jr., for his support of testing. I conclude that Mr. Kings new version of test and punish will do great harm to public education, Plonsey wrote. (Keeping annual tests in ESSA was Congress decision, not Kings, although he was in favor of it.) Many teachers, parents, and counselors wrote in to emphasize the importance of engaging the education community in crafting ESSA plans. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Cross-posted from the Charters and Choice blog Full-time virtual charter school students in Ohio perform worse academically than their peers enrolled in traditional district schools, according to a study released this week . Furthermore, virtual charter schools are dragging down the overall performance of Ohios charter sector, the study saysbrick-and-mortar charter school students perform slightly better or slightly worse than their district school peers, depending on the subject. Those are among several findings in a wide-ranging study that analyzed enrollment trends, demographics and academic achievement in Ohios virtual charter schools. It was conducted by June Ahn, an associate professor at New York Universitys Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and commissioned by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a think tank that supports school choice. The study relies on data from the Ohio Department of Education and controls for demographics and prior student achievement. This is the most recent in a string of studies and reports that have targeted virtual charter schools and produced less-than-flattering findings. Arguably the most major among them was a national report released in October from Stanford Universitys Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO, that found that full-time, online-only charter schools have an overwhelmingly negative impact on student academic achievement . With over 35,000 students, Ohio has one of the largest populations of full-time virtual charter school students in the country. Although that enrollment only accounts for about 2 percent of all public school students in Ohio, they are the fastest growing group, increasing by 60 percent over the last four years. Brick-and-mortar charter schools, by comparison, have only grown by 7 percent in that same period and district schools have shrunk by 5 percent. What Kind of Students Enroll in Online Charter Schools? Thats one of the primary questions the study sought to answerat least for Ohio. It found that students in virtual charter schools, also called e-schools in Ohio, are more low-achieving academically than their peers in district schools. They are also more likely to participate in the federal free- and reduced-price lunch program (a common, albeit imperfect, measure of poverty), more likely to have repeated a grade, and less likely to participate in gifted education. Finally, e-schools also have a higher percentage of students in special education17 percent compared to 13 percent in district schools. These differences are not particularly surprising if we consider that students who choose fully online schools may already be failing out of the brick-and-mortar system, or (especially in the case of special education students) students for whom a traditional classroom and school just isnt a good fit, writes Ahn, the studys author. But a completely online schoolwhich requires a lot of student motivation and parental supportmay not be a suitable learning environment for some of these students, the study says. The report floats the idea of changing state law to allow full-time virtual charter schools to use selective admission policies in order to ensure that students admitted into e-schools are capable of succeeding in those settings. In terms of racial and ethnic makeup, virtual charters were fairly similar to district schools, but enrolled smaller percentages of racial minority students compared to brick-and-mortar charters. (Eighty percent of e-school students are white compared to 76 percent in district schools and 24 percent in brick-and-mortar charters.) Traditional charters also enroll more low-performing students, students in poverty, and students who are learning English. Although online charter schools are sometimes touted as a way for studentsespecially those in rural areasto take courses they may not otherwise have access to, the study found most of virtual charter school students live in Ohios urban areas, where they also have ample access to brick-and-mortar charters. Hardly any students take Advanced Placement courses online, and students in online math classes are more likely to take remedial math compared to students who take classes with a teacher face-to-face. The Walton Family Foundation, one of the leading philanthropic backers of the charter sector nationally, helped fund the research. (The Walton Family Foundation provides grant support for Education Weeks coverage of school choice and parent-empowerment issues.) Related stories: New Jersey has become the second state to require students to pass the PARCC exam in order to graduate from high school. The New Jersey Board of Education voted Wednesday to begin the requirement with the class of 2021. Currently, New Jersey students must pass a test to graduate, but they can choose which one: PARCC, ACT Aspire, the ACT, PSAT or SAT; Accuplacer, or the ASVAB-AFQT (military entrance exam). They can also opt to demonstrate mastery of subject matter through a portfolio presentation. The boards vote means that as of 2021, only two graduation options will be available to New Jersey students: First they must try to score proficient on the PARCC exams in 10th grade English/language arts and Algebra I. If they cant, they may submit a portfolio appeal. New Jersey and New Mexico are now the only two states in the country to require students to pass PARCC, known formally as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, to earn their diplomas. Only one state, Washington, requires students to pass Smarter Balanced, the other common-core test designed with federal funding by groups of states. Ten additional states require students to pass a test to graduate, but they use other exams, as we reported in EdWeeks survey of states testing requirements for 2015-16 . Requiring students to pass the PARCC or Smarter Balanced exams runs the risk of lowering graduation rates. As EdWeeks database of 2014-15 test results shows , many states saw proficiency rates of 40 percent to 50 percent on common-core tests such as PARCC or Smarter Balanced. In New Jersey, only about 4 in 10 students would have been eligible for graduation based on their PARCC scores if those scores had been a requirement for graduation this year, according to NewJersey.com. In written comments before the vote, some members of the public expressed concern that the test would increase the chances that students wouldnt finish high school. Responding to such comments, the Department of Education wrote that it is mindful of the risks of the new assessment requirement, and has proposed a lengthy transition plan to ensure students have sufficient time to get accustomed to the new assessment system before it becomes a graduation requirement. The Education Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union have been tangling with the New Jersey Department of Education for many months about the way it imposed graduation requirements for the classes of 2016 through 2019: by memoranda, rather than hearings and public comment. A settlement in May didnt change those rulesstudents in those classes still have to pass PARCC or one of the other exams on the listbut it cemented certain protections, including one that says that any student, not just those who fall short of PARCC proficiency, can use the portfolio process for graduation. For more on the fight over graduation requirements in New Jersey, see: Update: The court agreed to hear this case. Read details here. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay Wednesday, putting on hold a lower courts order that a Virginia school district must allow a transgender student to use the boys restroom at school. The stay will effectively leave in place a previous school board policy that restricted Gavin Grimms restroom access at his Gloucestor County high school based on his biological sex, even though it differs from his gender identity, while the nations highest court decides whether it will hear the groundbreaking case. Grimm, 17, was born a girl but now identifies as male. If the court hears the case, it could settle a controversial dispute over schools legal obligations to accommodate transgender students under Title IX . Nearly half the states have sued the Obama administration over its assertion that the civil rights laws protections against sex discrimination apply to gender identity. Grimms case has set an emerging precedent for transgender student rights; an opinion by the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granting him restroom access based on his gender identity was cited in the Obama administrations May civil rights guidance, which instructed schools to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity , even if it differs from their biological sex. As I wrote previously, that guidance, from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, came with an implicit threat that schools found in violation could lose federal education funding. It stirred support from transgender-student advocates and controversy among conservative state leaders, who argued the federal agencies were overstepping their authority by creating a new law instead of interpreting an existing one. (For a deep dive into questions about the limits of administrative guidance, check out this excellent story on the transgender student issue by my colleague, Mark Walsh.) Grimms lawsuit predates both the guidance and the passage of North Carolinas first-in-the-nation law restricting access to restrooms and locker rooms in public buildings, including schools, based on biological sex. The Supreme Court voted 5-3 in favor of the stay request, which was filed by Grimms school as it fights the lower courts order. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan voted against granting the stay. Photo: Gavin Grimm stands on the front porch of his home in Gloucester, Va., in 2015. The high school student, who was born female but identifies as male, says its discriminatory to make him use the girls room or a single-stall unisex restroom at school. --Steve Helber/AP Related reading on transgender students: Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox. Delaware Supreme Court Strikes Down State's Death Penalty Law Delaware's highest court ruled that the state's death penalty statute is unconstitutional, which could signal the end of capital punishment in the state. The decision, based on the Supreme Court's invalidation of Florida's death penalty law, held that judges were given too great a role in imposing death sentences. While Delaware could appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court or re-write the statute to comply with constitutional requirements, the state legislature's push to abolish capital punishment could be an indicator that the ruling will stand. Here's what the court said. Saving Grace of the Sixth Amendment Delaware's death penalty statute allowed judges to decide if the circumstances of a specific crime warranted the death penalty and permitted judges to overrule a jury decision and impose the penalty themselves. The Supreme Court, however, recently ruled "the Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death." "Throughout our history," the Delaware Supreme Court's ruling stated, "capital sentencing has been a 'responsibility traditionally left to juries,' and the decision of whether a 'fellow citizen should live or die' has been considered a responsibility too great for any one person to make alone." The majority ruled, therefore, that "the Sixth Amendment right to a jury includes a right not to be executed unless a jury concludes unanimously that it has no reasonable doubt that is the appropriate sentence." Death on the Decline Delaware had just 14 prisoners on death row and had not executed a prisoner since 2012. A bill to repeal the state's death penalty statute was pulled from consideration to await the court's decision this week. And while Florida is attempting to rewrite its death penalty law, no similar effort is expected in the First State. Eighteen states have abolished the death penalty and many others have put executions on hold because of a scarcity of lethal injection drugs and disputes over execution procedures. Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer). Related Resources: Oh snap! GoComics needs JavaScript to work, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. By Dezan Shira & Associates Editor: Jake Liddle Last month, the State Council announced plans to adjust regulations regarding foreign investment into the Tianjin, Shanghai, Fujian and Guangdong free trade zones (FTZs), which will significantly affect application and entry procedures. The adjustments are split two ways some that simplify application procedures and the operation of foreign invested or joint venture enterprises, and others that open once restricted sectors to foreign investment. Either way, it is important for investors looking to enter or already in these FTZs to be aware of these latest regulatory adjustments. Below, we detail the industries in which previous restrictive related content or regulations have been temporarily suspended, thus allowing the involvement of foreign invested companies: Additionally, the government lifted the restrictions on foreign investors wishing to partake in the purchase of grain, wholesale of cotton and grain and operation and construction of large scale agricultural product wholesale market in all the three FTZs. The requirements of Mainland holdings for Sino-Taiwanese joint ventures engaged in crop production (except cotton and oil crops), breeding of new crop varieties (except transgenic) and seed production (except GM products) have also been temporarily suspended in the Fujian FTZ. For sectors not included in the FTZs Negative List for Foreign Investment which determines which industries foreign companies can invest in the following conditions will be temporarily suspended and replaced with a filing administration system in all FTZs: Approval of foreign investment projects Approval of establishment of foreign invested enterprises (FIEs), Sino-foreign joint ventures or Taiwanese invested enterprises; Merging or separation of FIEs, or any other such reasons which cause significant change to capital approval; Changes to the amount of registered capital requirements for FIEs or Sino-foreign joint venture; Foreign mortgage or transfer approval of property owned by FIEs; Approval of contribution by foreign or Sino-foreign investors. Approval of the operation period of FIEs. Approval of Sino-foreign joint venture equity transfer. Approval of Sino-Foreign joint funded/joint venture disbandment. Approval of major changes to the contract, agreement or rules of a Sino-foreign joint venture. Reduction of registered capital of a Sino-foreign joint venture. Approval of the transfer of rights as stipulated in the contract of a Sino-foreign joint venture. Approval of Sino-foreign joint venture entrustment of operation management contracts. Approval of examination and ratification of a foreign partners advance recovery investment report. Approval of extension of Sino-foreign joint venture cooperation period. Temporarily cancel special requirements for foreign-invested enterprises to obtain certification of organization qualifications. These adjustments open up and simplify the entry procedures for a significant amount of new sectors. The duration of temporary suspension and the cancellation of restrictive policies have not yet been disclosed, but it is safe to say that these adjustments signal further steps towards opening up investment into the trade zones, and will provide increased opportunities for foreign companies. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. A Guide to Chinas Free Trade Zones In this issue of China Briefing magazine, we examine Chinas four Free Trade Zones and discuss the differences and strongpoints that exist in each of them. We begin by providing an introduction to the FTZs, and then take an in-depth look at the market access conditions, registration procedures and tax environments of each. Finally, we highlight some of the key considerations that foreign companies should be aware of when choosing an FTZ to invest in. China Investment Roadmap: the Automotive Parts Industry This issue of China Briefing presents a roadmap for investing in Chinas automotive industry. We begin by providing an overview of the industry, and then take a comprehensive look at key foreign investment considerations, including investment restrictions, tax incentives and manufacturing requirements. Finally, we discuss foreign investment opportunities in a part of the industry that receives substantial government support: new energy vehicles. Revisiting the Shanghai Free Trade Zone: A Year of Reforms In this issue of China Briefing, we revisit the Shanghai FTZ and its preferential environment for foreign investment. In the first three articles, we highlight the many changes that have been introduced in the Zones first year of operations, including the 2014 Revised Negative List, as well as new measures relating to alternative dispute resolution, cash pooling, and logistics. Lastly, we include a case study of a foreign company successfully utilizing the Shanghai FTZ to access the Outbound Tourism Industry. A visitor examines a drone on display at an industry expo in Vancouver, Canada. [Photo/Xinhua] Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google Inc, is joining tests for drone deliveries, US officials announced on Tuesday, as the White House unveiled accelerated rule-making for commercial unmanned aircraft operations. The announcement at a White House event said the US tech giant will participate in safety research through Project Wing, which is part of the "moonshot" unit called X created last year when Google was reorganized under Alphabet. Project Wing will work at one of the six research centers set up by the Federal Aviation Administration for drone tests and its data "will be shared with government partners to help regulators answer critical safety and human factor questions for (drone) cargo delivery operations", a White House statement said. At the White House Drone Day event, officials announced steps toward expanding rules for drone operations, including for newsgathering and commercial flights over populated areas, after a first set of regulations unveiled in June. "We hope to propose a rule on unmanned aircraft operations over people by the end of this year," FAA administrator Michael Huerta said. The White House statement said the FAA "is working on the next regulatory steps for safely integrating (drones) in the airspace" for "beneficial uses of drones near crowds, such as aerial photography or videography for newsgathering; for certain types of infrastructure inspection; and other applications". China's fast-growing service sector has become a new magnet for overseas investors looking for opportunities in the world's biggest emerging market, a report from Industrial Bank Co Ltd said. Nearly US$50 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) entered the sector in the first half (H1) of 2016, 8 percent more than that of the same period last year and representing 70.4 percent of the country's total FDI. FDI in the manufacturing sector, however, declined 2.8 percent, only accounting for 28.3 percent of the total. Given rising salaries and land prices, the manufacturing industry has lost its appeal to foreign investment, and the emerging service sector is overtaking it, a research note from Industrial Bank said. "There is an evident differentiation," said the report. Confronted with a slowing economy, China is counting on its service sector to prop up growth and create jobs, rolling out more favorable policies, including easier market access and fewer restrictions on foreign capital. The service sector expanded 7.5 percent year on year in H1, outpacing a 3.1-percent increase in primary industry and 6.1 percent in secondary industry. It accounted for 54.1 percent of the overall economy, up 1.8 percentage points from a year earlier. The bank expects more overseas capital to flow into the service sector thanks to an expanding global outsourcing market and further opening of the country's economy. Despite the slowdown, China remained one of the world's most important investment destinations. FDI in the Chinese mainland, which excludes investment in the financial sector, rose 5.1 percent year on year to $69.42 billion in H1, with the growth rate accelerating from the 3.8 percent registered in the first five months. Navin Dissanayake, Minister of Plantation Industries of Sri Lanka giving a speech at a press conference in Beijing, Aug. 3, 2016. [Photo by Guan Weiwei/China.org.cn] A press conference to promote Ceylon tea co-organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in China and Sri Lanka Tea Board was held in Beijing on August 3. A delegation of senior officials and tea distributers from Sri Lanka headed by Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake attended the conference. Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and China and the 65th anniversary of the two country's historic "Rubber-Rice Pact". Dissanayake said Sri Lanka and China have recently strengthened economic ties with each other. He noted that especially during the past decade China has assisted with the construction of airports and harbors, and that Sri Lanka is actively involved in the "One Belt One Road" initiative. Furthermore, Sri Lanka has always recognized the one-China policy. In 2015, China imported 7.2 million kilograms of Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka, and the import volume continues to grow every year. "The most distinctive feature of Ceylon tea is that it is good with sugar or milk, making it more and more popular among young generations in China," said Hasitha De Alwis, the director of international promotions for the Sri Lanka Tea Board. "Non-chemical plantation of Ceylon tea is another characteristic attracting Chinese people, especially females." New products and brands will be developed to cater to Chinese consumers, he added. Sri Lanka's tea industry will welcome its 150th year of commercial tea production in 2017. Events will be held from February to August to commemorate the event, and China has been invited to take part. "Ceylon tea will definitely add value to 5,000 years of Chinese tea culture," De Alwis said. China on Wednesday opened a website on the South China Sea, complete with historical maps, articles and research, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). The State Oceanic Administration holds a press conference on Wednesday. [Photo/Youth.cn] Run by the National Marine Data & Information Service, the Chinese language site has 10 sections that cover basic information, news, historical archives, development and management, expert opinion, law and regulations, a timeline of major events, pictures and videos and Q&A. "The South China Sea has drawn huge attention, but some information online is not accurate," said Zhang Haiwen, SOA official in charge of international cooperation. "We hope that this website will enable domestic and overseas people to better understand it and learn about the truth behind the 'dispute' over it." According to Zhang, the website contains not only maps and archives but also exclusive analysis and expository articles based on experts' research of thousands of maps. Zhang cited that a map often used by Vietnam to prove that it owned the Xisha Islands was actually pieced together by two maps, which have already been obtained by experts and might be used to refute the country's claim. Zhang said new findings will be published on the website once verified. According to the SOA, information on the website must first be reviewed by an expert panel and be "comprehensive, authoritative, detailed and accurate." "The website is founded with the aim of positively publicizing our policies, claims, historical proof, legal basis and international cooperation while serving as a reliable channel for domestic and overseas government departments, research groups and individuals to learn about the South China Sea," said SOA spokesman Shi Qingfeng. The website has now six domain names, including www.thesouthchinasea.org and www.china-nanhai.org, due to "information unification and security concerns," according to the SOA. China Jinjiang Environment (Jinjiang Environment) listed on the Mainboard of Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Wednesday. The listing of Jinjiang Environment will bring the total number of SGX Mainboard companies to 586, with a combined market capitalization of about 902 billion Singapore dollars (671.6 billion U.S. dollars), said SGX. Wang Yuanluo, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of China Jinjiang Environment, said listing on the SGX Mainboard will further enhance Jinjiang's brand image and recognition, and provide the company with a platform to expand business internationally, especially with a focus on Southeast Asia. "We intend to leverage on our reach and extensive network to enhance our future growth, technical expertise and research and development capabilities, allowing us to innovate and adapt to the demands of the waste-to-energy industry," she added. SGX welcomes China Jinjiang Environment to its Mainboard. Chew Sutat, Head of Equities and Fixed Income of SGX, said the bourse looks forward to supporting the company as it looks to tap international investors and expand its business in the Southeast Asia region. Jinjiang Environment is the first private waste-to-energy operator in China, with the largest treatment capacity. Its business primarily focuses on the planning, development, construction, operation and management of waste-to-energy facilities. More than 1.6 million people in Myanmar have been displaced over the past 18 months, since last years military coup, according to the Institute for... Timothy Clancy, an Australian student at Zhejiang University, teaches children English as he works as a volunteer for the upcoming G20 Summit in Hangzhou. [Photo / China Daily] Timothy Clancy, 31, an Australian who has lived in Hangzhou since 2011 with his wife, who is from Zhejiang, said, "Australia has hosted such a summit before, but I never imagined that people in the host city could be so hospitable. "I want to be part of this great event through the English classes and express my own welcome." Zhao Jihong, 67, one of the senior students in Clancy's class, said, "I am learning English here just in case I come across foreigners so that I can at least say 'hi' to welcome them to Hangzhou." Zhao Yide, the Hangzhou Party chief, said, "Thanks to the consistent efforts made by the people of Hangzhou, preparatory work for the G20 Summit has been a success. "All services, including dining, transportation and security are in place. Hangzhou is now ready to host the two-day summit and welcome its distinguished guests." The summit will be held on Sept 4 and 5. Non-G20 member countries such as Laos, Chad, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Egypt have confirmed that they will take part in the summit, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Zhao said the participants will have the chance to taste Hangzhou cuisine. A 7,450-square-meter warehouse is being used to store up to 900 tons of food, and all the food and ingredients will be bought, examined, monitored, maintained and delivered through this huge building. Up to 900 vehicles are ready to transport the G20 leaders and their delegations. In addition, more than 2,000 drivers will be on duty to meet the needs of summit participants. Attention will focus on all the hotels accommodating G20 leaders, guests and the media, with security the top concern in the summit preparations. Zhao said, "All the security rehearsals have been carried out between 11 pm and 4 am with advance notice, as we have tried our best not to disturb people's daily lives." Hangzhou Mayor Zhang Hongming said: "All previous hosts of G20 summits paid a lot of attention to security, with troops and police fully prepared to guarantee this. Hangzhou is very confident of making the summit a safe event, and people are volunteering to be security guards." A 760,000-member patrol group has been made up from local volunteers, according to Xinhua News Agency. The HIV-infected boy is hospitalized eight times during a period of 18 months. [Photo / Xinhua] An 8-year-old boy from Hunan Province is seeking compensation for being infected with HIV while receiving hospital treatment. According to the health authority of Zhangjiajie City, the boy was confirmed HIV positive in July 2015, after receiving a blood transfusion in January, 2014 when he was seriously injured in a traffic accident. The authority said although the boy had definitely been infected, it was difficult to determine the exact source and route of the infection. During a period of 18 months, he was hospitalized eight times in Zhangjiajie People's Hospital, the provincial children's hospital in Changsha and a Shanghai hospital. He passed HIV screening tests before the hospital operations. However, the boy also spent a considerable amount of time outside the hospitals, which makes ascertaining the precise source of the infection difficult. In addition to the three hospitals, the co-defendants also include the Zhangjiajie blood station and a biological company that produced the human serum albumin, which the boy received in a transfusion during his first operation. The 11th G20 Summit is to be held in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province from September 4 to 5, 2016. [Photo / Xinhua] Record number of developing countries will attend the G20 summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou in early September, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday. Wang made the remarks at a press conference together with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith after their talks in Beijing. As the biggest developing country in the world, China has the responsibility of maintaining and expanding the rights and interests of other developing countries, said Wang. China has invited five developing countries to the G20 Hangzhou summit: Chad, chair of the African Union; Laos, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); Senegal, chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD); Egypt; and Kazakhstan. Thailand, as the chair of the G77 this year, also expressed willingness to attend the Hangzhou summit, said Wang. "The developing world is best represented in the upcoming summit in Hangzhou, making it the most inclusive," Wang said, adding that China is confident in hosting a successful G20 summit. The foreign minister said there will be nearly 30 deliverable outcomes at the Hangzhou summit, making it one of the most fruitful summits in G20 history. A man suddenly became an Internet celebrity after media reported his five decades spent as a solitary patroller of the no man's land along the border between China and Kazakhstan. The man's name is Wei Deyou. He and his wife have been living on the Sa'erbulake Prairie in Tacheng of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for 52 years. For the past five decades, he has patrolled the border alone day by day, with sheep as his only companions. Wei Deyou spends five decades as a solitary patroller of the no man's land along the border between China and Kazakhstan. [Photo / Xinhua] Wei came to Sa'erbulake in 1964, when the government called on retired servicemen to join the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) on the prairie where theyd started farming while also guarding the country's frontier. Sa'erbulake Prairie has stunning scenery as well as extreme weather. Each winter, blizzards from Siberia would bring meter-deep snow, affecting travels for three months of the year. In the summer, gadflies and mosquitos would sting through clothes. The visible hardship instantly scared off Wei's wife Liu Jinghao when she came to join him from Shandong Province. She insisted on going home immediately; however, touched by Wei's sincerity, she eventually agreed to stay. While speaking of the anecdote, Liu was still a bit shy. She wanted to chuckle it away, saying: "Now we aren't going anywhere. We will spend our whole life here." The couple have four children three daughters and one son. Two daughters and the son have returned to their Shandong hometown and settled down there. Their youngest daughter now lives in another place of the Corp, though still close to the old couple. Their house doesn't have a number plate, because it is the only adobe house in the 50-square kilometer no man's land. Eight kilometers to the west lies the No. 173 boundary marker between the China-Kazakhstan border. Wei is more like as a shepherd, and an important task for him is to assist frontier soldiers guard the border. Wei Deyou and his wife have been living on the Sa'erbulake Prairie in Tacheng of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for 52 years. [Photo / Xinhua] On July 22, Wei started his work a little before 6 AM when the day began to break on the Sa'erbulake Prairie. The first thing he did after getting up each day was raising the national flag in front of his house. There was no spectator or the national anthem to go with it, but nonetheless he strictly followed all the procedures. Shortly afterwards, he headed out to shepherd his sheep, carrying the "three important pieces" a rusty military kettle, an obsolete radio, and old binoculars. The sandy environment on the prairie has broken 50 radios over the past 52 years. His binoculars are more than 30 years old; they were a gift from a soldier back in the 1980s. Wei has long been familiar to frontier soldiers and police officers, who benefit from the information he constantly provides. Wei used to come over personally riding a horse to send the reports, but his mobile phone now saves him such trips. Just one day before, Wei was watching his sheep grazing on a hill when three white vans come dashing toward the border. He instantly called the border control office, which later confirmed them as photographers chasing firebirds. Such things have happened repeatedly during the past 52 years. Wei said he was familiar with every inch of grass at this feet and every hilltop within sight and that no irregularity could escape his eyes. The past five decades have silvered his hair and wrinkled his face. Each day, Wei walks along the border for more than 10 kilometers, and the mileage he has accumulated could circle the earth five times. He has dissuaded over one thousand people from illegally crossing the border and helped send back tens of thousands livestock animals. Speaking of himself, he insisted that he was "just an ordinary person who didn't really do anything big," but confirmed that he will live here patrolling the border as long as he breathes. Many people have asked Wei this same question: "How could you persist in the no man's land for so long? Didn't you ever think of leaving?" Wei has refused all others' proposals for relocation inland, but would not argue about or explain his reasons. He would just say: "I was sent here to the farm to guard the border, and I will persist until the end. If I leave, who will help frontier guards patrol here?" This is also his answer to why he chose to stay here. "Only by doing this could I find my heart at ease," he said. A woman lies on the floor near the passenger door of a Porsche. [Weibo.com] On Aug. 2, Shandong police arrested a young woman for knocking down a pregnant woman, which subsequently caused the death of her twin fetuses, a local newspaper reported. The young woman surnamed Sun was the mistress of the pregnant woman's husband. But Sun insisted that she had no intention of harming anyone and that the incident was an accident. Mr. Zhao, a security guard at the hotel where the accident took place, said that around 8:40 p.m. on July 18, he rushed to the hotel's parking lot after hearing someone shouting, "Someone was knocked down." When he arrived at the parking lot, he saw a pregnant woman lying on the floor near the passenger door of a Porsche car, while another young woman stood outside of a nearby white car. Ten minutes later, an ambulance and a group of policemen arrived at the scene. The pregnant woman was sent to hospital, but her twin fetuses were confirmed dead. According to the doctor of a nearby hospital, the victim suffered a range of internal organ damage, a bone fracture on the left leg, uterine rupture and a hysterectomy. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. Zhou Shifeng. [photo / Xinhua] Zhou Shifeng, a lawyer and former director of Fengrui Law Firm, was convicted of subverting state power and sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday. He was also deprived of his political rights for five years, according to the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin, a northern port city close to Beijing. Zhou, 52, pled guilty and told the court he would not appeal. Two other men connected to Zhou's activities were sentenced by the same court on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 40 people, including lawyers and journalists from home and overseas, observed Thursday's trial. None of Zhou's relatives were present, at his request. Zhou is originally from Anyang City, Henan Province. He was director of the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm, which was suspended in 2015 after a police investigation into several of its employees. Zhou has long been influenced by anti-China forces and gradually established ideas to overturn the country's political system, said a court statement. Since 2011, Zhou has verbally attacked the socialist system and the "one country, two systems" policy that applies to Hong Kong and Macao, and incited confrontation, the statement said. He used the law firm as a front for his subversive agenda, recruited like-minded lawyers and other staff and together they discredited judicial organs, attacked the judicial systems and promoted anti-government sentiment by interfering in and exaggerating sensitive cases. Along with members of an illegal religious organization, paid protestors, lawyers and others, he plotted and established "strategies, methods and steps" to subvert state power and carried out a series of subversive activities, which endangered national security and social stability, it said. "I plead guilty," Zhou said in his final statement, "My actions have brought instability and risks to society." Nepalese Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda The return of Nepalese Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda as Prime Minister after more than seven years comes at a crucial juncture. Prachanda, meaning The Fierce One, has signed a three-point agreement with the agitating Madhesis - the people in the plains of Nepal bordering India - which ensures wider support for him than his predecessor enjoyed, the notable Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli. Prachanda's Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) walked out of the coalition government led by Oli to join hands with the Nepali Congress to clinch a deal for him to become Prime Minister. Besides the support of his own party, CPN-MC, Prachanda now commands the support of the Nepali Congress and the Madhesi Front, which represents a majority of the Madhesi parties. The Madhesi parties account for 42 members in the 595-member Parliament and chances are that they will join the government. Oli, who leads the Communist Party of Nepal-UML, had to quit last week when the Maoists withdrew their support of the coalition government. Oli had alienated the Madhesis, the plains people of Indian origin, by neglecting their interests in the constitutional scheme. They wanted the constitution to provide for redrawing the provincial boundary and for greater parliamentary representation. The stonewalling of these demands led to a violent agitation that claimed several lives some months ago. He accused India of fomenting the agitation and imposing an economic blockade against Nepal. His accusations not only worsened India-Nepal bilateral relations but aggravated his problems at home and gave rise to discord within the coalition government. Therefore, it is not surprising that Oli's exit and the re-emergence of Prachanda at the helm of Nepal's government have been welcomed in India, by the government, political parties and the media. Oli failed to read correctly the importance of New Delhi's role for his political survival. All Nepalese mainstream parties have a strong anti-Indian streak. These parties give full vent to their anti-Indian sentiment when in the opposition. Once in office, these same parties tone down their rhetoric and go along with New Delhi on issues where cooperation is a must. It is no secret that being anti-Indian beyond a point would be political suicide for a Nepalese prime minister. Oli miscalculated and exceeded these limits. He did not heed the Government of India's request to defer the promulgation of the constitution and make its provisions more inclusive and representative. He clashed with India in the United Nations on the blockade of Nepal, which he termed "more inhuman than war." The coalition government of Oli enjoyed excellent relations with China. However, China-Nepal cooperation tends to get affected when India-Nepal relations are derailed. China is more interested in investing in Nepal and quickening the pace of Nepal's economic development than in encouraging Kathmandu to court conflict with New Delhi. Prachanda, who first assumed office as Nepal's Prime Minister eight years ago during this same month, had to step down in 2009. He is a more seasoned political leader with experience in dealing with New Delhi and Beijing; more importantly, he is adept at avoiding conflict with both these countries while navigating a path that optimizes greater benefits for Nepal from China and India. He has rejected suggestions and innuendos that he would be pro-India or pro-China and affirmed that he would be acting in the "best interests of Nepal." Last week, soon after it became clear that Prachanda would be replacing Oli as Prime Minister, he assured China that key bilateral deals, including those which may affect India, reached by Oli's government, would be honoured and implemented after he takes over. This assurance came in the course of talks with the Chinese Ambassador Wu Chuntai on July 29. The Chinese envoy was emphatic about Beijing's "full support" to the new coalition government under Prachanda. Prachanda said the deals reached during Oli's regime were made by the coalition government that included his party. The Nepal-China agreements were the outcome of deals made by the government that he had led earlier, according to a statement from Prachanda's secretariat. The government would not only implement existing agreements with China but also sign new ones, he said. Ambassador Wu pledged full support of the Chinese government, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people to the new government of Prachanda. Wu's remarks are significant in the context of allegations that India had a hand in toppling Oli and paving the way for Prachanda to again lead a coalition government. The fact that New Delhi and Beijing have welcomed this change of leadership in Kathmandu suggests that Prachanda can count on the support and cooperation of both China and India in the implementation of the new constitution, reconstruction, and development projects which he has identified as his top priorities. Shastri Ramachandaran, an independent Indian political and foreign affairs commentator, is co-editor of the book "State of Nepal." Currently, he is a senior consultant and editor of the China-India Dialogue published by the China International Publishing Group (CIPG). Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash Stanford University researchers have mapped out how the human body creates antibodies of every class in the immune system, revealing that a diverse set of antibody-producing cells springs from the same kind of ancestor. When the immune system fights back against viruses and bacteria, defenders called B-cells swarm into affected areas, unleashing antibody molecules of different specialist classes to seek and destroy the invaders: some antibodies envelop invading pathogens or block them from entering healthy cells, while other antibodies create inflammation that can speed the healing process. "How do we make all the players that protect us?" Felix Horns, a biophysics graduate student and first author of a paper published in the journal eLife, was quoted as asking by a news release from Stanford. "What we' ve done is measure that." The team of eight researchers was led by Horns' adviser, Stanford bioengineering professor Stephen Quake, who believes that creating an overview of the body' s natural defense system will enable researchers to develop novel treatments for a variety of immune disorders. "This map will help us understand what goes awry in immune disease," said Quake. "As a result, we may be able to crack problems like allergies." To assemble their map, the researchers extracted the B-cells from blood samples from 22 young, healthy adults. Using a high-throughput genetic sequencing machine, which reads out the individual nucleotides that make up a cell' s genetic code, they created a large library of antibody-producing genes from all the B-cells in the sample, and traced the lineage of B-cells by counting the number of acquired mutations in the cells' genes, finding that cells in later generations had more genetic mutations. They also looked for evidence that the B-cells had switched the types of antibody they produced, which allows the immune system to customize its response to incoming threats. "Each B-cell starts out as a single cell that makes a certain type of antibody," Horns said. "If it protects you, it expands and creates descendants." About three-quarters of the cells the team analyzed were programmed to create the IgM antibody class. IgM is "the default class in which all antibodies are born," Horns said. "When activated by immune challenge, they undergo class switching." The insights into the class-switching process could lead to a range of new treatment approaches for immune disorders. A few doctors have tried methods like "helminthic therapy," which involves infecting patients with parasitic worms that tweak the body's antibody production. Horns envisions a more precise solution: designing drugs to mimic the signaling molecules that control the antibody class-switching process. "You can think about the worm as a very blunt instrument," he said, "whereas you can imagine using a designer drug as a scalpel." As a next step, Horns plans to sequence the genes of people who suffer from immune disorders. Finding out how their antibody production differs from his baseline map would be a key step toward creating drug therapies that would restore an optimal antibody balance. Flash Engineers at University of California, Berkeley, have built the first dust-sized, wireless sensors that can be implanted in the body, to monitor internal nerves, muscles or organs in real time, or to stimulate the immune system or tamp down inflammation. Already shrunk to a 1 millimeter cube, about the size of a large grain of sand, and implanted in the muscles and peripheral nerves of rats, the so-called neural dust uses ultrasound both to power and read out the measurements. It contains a piezoelectric crystal that converts ultrasound vibrations from outside the body into electricity to power a tiny, on-board transistor that is in contact with a nerve or muscle fiber. A voltage spike in the fiber alters the circuit and the vibration of the crystal, which changes the echo detected by the ultrasound receiver, typically the same device that generates the vibrations, according to a release from UC Berkeley. The slight change, called backscatter, allows them to determine the voltage. "I think the long-term prospects for neural dust are not only within nerves and the brain, but much broader," Michel Maharbiz, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences and one of the two main authors of a study published Wednesday in the journal Neuron, was quoted as saying. "Having access to in-body telemetry has never been possible because there has been no way to put something supertiny superdeep. But now I can take a speck of nothing and park it next to a nerve or organ, your GI tract or a muscle, and read out the data." In their experiment, the researchers powered up the passive sensors every 100 microseconds with six 540-nanosecond ultrasound pulses, to give them a continual, real-time readout. They coated the first-generation motes -- 3 millimeters long, 1 millimeter high and 4/5 millimeter thick -- with surgical-grade epoxy, and they are currently building motes from biocompatible thin films which would potentially last in the body without degradation for a decade or more. "The original goal of the neural dust project was to imagine the next generation of brain-machine interfaces, and to make it a viable clinical technology," said neuroscience graduate student Ryan Neely. "If a paraplegic wants to control a computer or a robotic arm, you would just implant this electrode in the brain and it would last essentially a lifetime." The team is working to miniaturize the device further, find more biocompatible materials and improve the surface transceiver that sends and receives the ultrasounds, ideally using beam-steering technology to focus the sounds waves on individual motes, and also building little backpacks for rats to hold the ultrasound transceiver that will record data from implanted motes. "The beauty is that now, the sensors are small enough to have a good application in the peripheral nervous system, for bladder control or appetite suppression, for example," said Jose Carmena, a member of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and another main author of the study. "The technology is not really there yet to get to the 50-micron target size, which we would need for the brain and central nervous system. Once it's clinically proven, however, neural dust will just replace wire electrodes. This time, once you close up the brain, you're done." A British woman of Muslim descent was detained and questioned by police under terror laws after a flight crew member noticed she was reading a book about Syrian art while flying to Turkey. The Thomson Airways attendant reported her for "suspicious behavior," which amounted to reading a book. Faizah Shaheen, 27, is not a terrorist. The NHS mental health worker just been married. She was flying to Turkey to celebrate her honeymoon. She is a psychotherapist from Leeds who works with at-risk teens to help prevent them becoming 'radicalized.' Shaheen was reading the book Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline on her honeymoon flight. It looks like a really cool art book, put together by some really cool people, and I'm ordering a copy for myself right now. Police detained her at Doncaster airport on July 25, on her flight home from her honeymoon in Turkey. A Thomson Airways flight attendant reported her for her suspiciously radical book-reading behavior on her outbound flight two weeks prior. Shaheen was angry and in tears, and says she believes she was targeted because of her faith and ethnicity. She plans to make a formal complaint against the police, and against Thomson Airways. "Police officers questioned Shaheen for 15 minutes under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, under which the police can detain individuals without grounds for suspicion of involvement in criminal activities, including terrorism," reports the Guardian. "I was completely innocent I was made to feel like a culprit," Shaheen told The Independent. "I was queuing at passport control and saw police staring at me I just got through passport control and then two police officers approached me and took me aside and asked me to show my passport again. "I asked what was going on and they said I had been reported due to a book I was reading and was to be questioned under the Terrorism Act." "I became very angry and upset. I couldn't understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this. I told the police that I didn't think it was right or acceptable." She was given an information leaflet explaining that Schedule 7 legislation is used by police to determine whether a person appears to be or has been involved in terrorism. "I was asked what I do," she said. "I told them I work as a child and adolescent mental health services practitioner for the NHS. "Ironically, a part of my job role is working on anti-radicalisation and assessing vulnerable young people with mental health problems are at risk of being radicalised. "I said that to the police. I'm actually part of trying to fight radicalisation and breaking the stereotypes. Here's the publisher blurb about the book, which includes 108 color illustrations of Syrian art. Does this sound like a terrorist tract to you? In Syria, culture has become a critical line of defence against tyranny. Syria Speaks is a celebration of a people determined to reclaim their dignity, freedom and self-expression. It showcases the work of over fifty artists and writers who are challenging the culture of violence in Syria. Their literature, poems and songs, cartoons, political posters and photographs document and interpret the momentous changes that have shifted the frame of reality so drastically in Syria. Moving and inspiring, Syria Speaks is testament to the courage, creativity and imagination of the Syrian people. A unique anthology providing a window into Syrian art and writing since the uprising. Contributors include internationally renowned artists and writers, such as Ali Ferzat, Samar Yazbek, Khaled Khalifa and Robin Yassin-Kassab. Flash Residents gather at the site of a bomb attack in Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on July 27, 2016. A massive bomb blast claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 44 people and wounded dozens in the Kurdish-majority Syrian city. (Xinhua) Seven people were killed and 20 others suffered suffocation and breathing difficulties from chemical gas attack in Aleppo, state news agency SANA said on Wednesday, citing a Russian observation center. The Nour Addien al-Zinki rebel group on Monday fired rockets filled with poisonous gas on the government-controlled Salahuddien district in Aleppo, said the report. Russia had informed the U.S. about the rebel use of poisonous materials in Aleppo, reported SANA. Meanwhile, the rebels also accused the government on Tuesday of dropping barrel bombs stuffed with chlorine gas on the rebel-held town of Saraqeb. Both sides have repeatedly traded accusations about the use of chemical materials in the battles. SANA said seven people were killed and 41 others wounded on Wednesday by fresh rebel shelling on the government-controlled parts of Aleppo. Aleppo has seen intensified battles and violence recently with the government troops tightening the noose on the rebel-held areas in the eastern part, while the rebels unleashed several offensives to break government siege on rebel-held areas. SANA said the air force carried out 100 airstrikes on rebel positions in the countryside of Aleppo on Wednesday, managing to foil a wide-scale offensive of the rebels, the third to hit within a couple of weeks. You are here: Home Flash South Korean President Park Geun-hye's approval rating posted a double-digit decline in her political home turf following a decision to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in its soil. Park's support rate in North Gyeongsang province, a traditional home ground for herself and the ruling Saenuri Party, tumbled 14.8 percentage points from a month earlier to 27.7 percent, according to a survey of 1,224 adults conducted by local pollster Research View between July 29 and 31. It was the first time Park's approval rating fell below 30 percent, once called a cemented supporting level. Negative assessment on Park's management of state affairs was 57.7 percent, more than double the support rate of 27.7 percent. Another political hometown of the conservative party, South Gyeongsang province, posted 28.7 percent in support rate for President Park. Negative assessment in the region almost doubled at 56.8 percent. The THAAD deployment decision alienated people in the southeast regions from President Park. Early last month, Seoul and Washington abruptly agreed to install one THAAD battery in Seongju county, some 250 km southeast of Seoul, by the end of next year. Seongju residents and people in adjacent regions were enraged at the out-of-the-blue announcement without any prior notice and discussions. Villagers have held a candlelight rally every night to protest against the decision, while collecting anti-THAAD signatures to deliver those to White House. Nationwide approval rating for Park inched up 1.4 percentage points from a month earlier to 28.0 percent, but it was less than half the negative assessment of 59.8 percent. The main opposition Minju Party surpassed the conservative party in its approval rating in the southeast regions for the first time in history. The Minju Party gained a support rate of 34.8 percent in North Gyeongsang province, higher than the Saenuri Party's 32.1 percent. In South Gyeongsang province, the former won 35.9 percent in approval rating, with the latter winning 30.2 percent. Nationwide approval rating for the main opposition party ranked first with 30.6 percent, followed by the ruling party with 29.7 percent, People's Party with 15.7 percent and Justice Party with 5.0 percent. You are here: Home Flash At least one person was killed and five others wounded in a bomb attack targeting a provincial official in Mehtaralm, capital of eastern Afghanistan's Laghman province on Thursday, sources said. Our guest on the Cool Tools show this week is Star Simpson. She is an electronics designer whose greatest joy is designing objects and tools that are useful to others, which inspire and delight. Her previous work includes research on robotics and work in drones, PLIBMTTBHGATY, an event where people convene to try new programming languages, and an electronics reference card PCB designed for Octopart, now carried in the wallets of electrical engineers everywhere. She is also the creator of Circuit Classics printed circuit boards that bring to life Forrest Mims' vintage designs from Getting Started in Electronics. Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes | RSS | Transcript | Download MP3 | See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single page Show notes: Metcal MX-500S Soldering System ($535) "[This is] a tool for electrical engineers who want to solder things. Metcal does this really great engineering for their soldering irons, so you choose a particular soldering tool to go with the temperature that you want to solder at, I really love that. One other thing that's great about it is it also heats up extremely quickly because it uses RF, it uses radio, to heat the tip of the soldering iron instead of normal resistive heating, so it's much faster to heat up. The metcal is the industrial one, because it heats so quickly that if you're doing industrial line soldering, you don't wait around for it to warm up. Whereas I think the Weller is a really good, solid, reliable desk tool for an engineer during more occasional soldering." Specialized Globe 08 Bicycle "I love bicycle engineering and I really love [this] bike. It's got a built in cargo rack, that I find just imminently useful. I think it's the perfect compromise between everything I've seen in bicycle design for a great bike to get around in a city, great gear ratio, great for carrying things from time to time, but still fun and fast and lightweight. This line was made by Specialized for a very short time, but just like a throw to people who really care about bicycle design." "How to Read a Book" ($12) "How to Read a Book, I believe it was written in the 40's. I consider it a tool because it is a book about, as it says, different techniques and strategies, for really extracting the content of books. You'd think it was a lot simpler than that based on the title, but it really teaches you strategies that I think are great. I wish I had read it when I was in my first year of high school, I think it's a great accelerant. It's also an amazingly, amazingly fun book to read in public. I was on the London tube and I found people will actually look you in your eyes from over 10 feet away to find out what's going on over there, when you're reading a book about how to read a book. If you really want to have fun in that moment, you can just suddenly turn the book upside down. I was having too much fun and I love that book." Pleco (Free) "[Pleco] is a great one because it's an English-Chinese dictionary that I ended up using plenty The most common use [is] like, 'What exactly does this menu say?" And the other is if you're in a conversation with someone and something's not clear, you can ask if they would write the word into Pleco, or you can write the English word in Pleco, and get a pretty good translation to convey your meaning through it. So I would recommend everyone, everyone, everyone, who's not fluent in speaking Chinese, if you're traveling to a country that is primarily Chinese speaking, to have that app. Employees look at a 3D printing model in their office an innovation park in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, July 28, 2016. [Photo/VCG] MIIT and Bank of China formulate plan to assist the international growth of Chinese companies The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Bank of China Co Ltd on Wednesday, released a five-year plan to support the international development of small and medium-sized enterprises, including helping them with overseas mergers and acquisitions and to form joint ventures. The plan will encourage local governments to set up special funds or to work with Bank of China to create special funds. These funds will aim to attract venture capital investment from abroad and funds for international mergers and acquisitions. The capital will support SMEs' overseas business activities, including M&As, joint ventures, and buying shares in overseas companies. The aim is to introduce the advanced foreign technologies and the latest high-tech achievements into China, as well as actively support foreign and Chinese SMEs' technology innovation and development in China. An official from the department of SMEs in the ministry said the national development strategies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, provide new opportunities for SMEs in China, and many countries were showing increasing interest in working with Chinese SMEs. "But we also see SMEs facing many challenges in their international growth, such as difficulties in getting information and in capital raising and the high cost of financing, which have restricted SMEs' internationalization," he added. Based on a report from the Center for China and Globalization, Chinese companies' overseas investments ranging from $100 million to $1 billion contributed 63 percent of total outbound investments from 2002 to the first half of 2015. Private enterprises experienced exponential growth in foreign investment in 2014 to 2015 with 256 cases per year, seven times the figure in the period 2008 to 2013, the CCG report said. It added that active investments from Chinese SMEs and startup companies led the increase of China's outbound investments. Signage for the SGX Centre, which houses the Singapore Exchange Ltd headquarters, is displayed outside the building in Singapore, Jan 21, 2014. [Photo/VCG] SINGAPORE - China Jinjiang Environment (Jinjiang Environment) listed on the Mainboard of Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Wednesday. The listing of Jinjiang Environment will bring the total number of SGX Mainboard companies to 586, with a combined market capitalization of about S$902 billion ($671.6 billion), said SGX. Wang Yuanluo, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of China Jinjiang Environment, said listing on the SGX Mainboard will further enhance Jinjiang's brand image and recognition, and provide the company with a platform to expand business internationally, especially with a focus on Southeast Asia. "We intend to leverage on our reach and extensive network to enhance our future growth, technical expertise and research and development capabilities, allowing us to innovate and adapt to the demands of the waste-to-energy industry," she added. SGX welcomes China Jinjiang Environment to its Mainboard. Chew Sutat, Head of Equities and Fixed Income of SGX, said the bourse looks forward to supporting the company as it looks to tap international investors and expand its business in the Southeast Asia region. Jinjiang Environment is the first private waste-to-energy operator in China, with the largest treatment capacity. Its business primarily focuses on the planning, development, construction, operation and management of waste-to-energy facilities. An apartment building is reflected on glass at a sales center of a residential property project in Jinan city, east China's Shandong province, February 10, 2016. [Photo/IC] China Vanke Co Ltd, the country's largest residential developer, on Wednesday announced its sharpest month-on-month decline after the Spring Festival. The company's housing sales area and sales figures in July dropped to 2.08 million square meters and 27.44 billion yuan ($4.14 billion), down 36.4 percent and 35.3 percent respectively. It overall sold 16.17 million square meters amounting to 217.51 billion yuan from January to July, with the sales areas and sales amount peaking in June. Despite the off-season effect happening to the property sector in July and August, Vanke's dramatic sales decline in July still draws big concerns, especially when it is compared with other property companies of the top group. Evergrande Group's sales in July just set a new record of the sector, amounting to 43 billion yuan, up 37.2 percent month-on-month. Last July, having a 79 percent year-on-year growth, Vanke's sales performance did not suffer such a month-on-month decline, with its housing sales area and sales amount reaching 1.82 million square meters and 23.85 billion yuan, dropping by 7.2 percent and 5.3 percent month-on-month respectively. The battle between the company's management team and its major shareholder Baoneng Group that has not been settled is negatively affecting Vanke's sales performance, according to a report by National Business Daily (NBD). JPMorgan Chase & Co on July 12 said that the change in the management team of Vanke is destroying the company's biggest advantage, according to this NBD report. It said that given the role of the management team's contribution to Vanke, any actions that might change the team or their corporate culture will have a negative impact on the company. Female coal miners work at the Huaibei mine, East China's Anhui province, March 24, 2016. [Photo/IC] TAIYUAN - China's top coal-producing province is preparing to launch credit default swaps (CDS), according to Shanxi provincial office on financial work. A CDS, popular in developed economies, is an agreement that the seller of the CDS will compensate the buyer, usually the creditor of a bond, in the event of a default by the debtor. Shanxi is the first provinces to try CDS, the office said. The CDS will increase the credit options of coal producers, and is in response to a changing financial landscape in the province. Companies have been turning to bond issues rather than bank loans for financing, said the office. Shanxi companies have 341 billion yuan ($50 billion) of outstanding bonds in China's interbank debt market. However, coal prices have dived and producers have recorded significant losses and increasing defaults. Many potential investors have begun to question the creditworthiness of coal producers. BEIJING - Transcontinental cargo trains, linking China and countries along the Belt and Road routes have become an increasingly important source of wealth. Such train routes and networks, unified under the China Railway Express brand earlier this year, have expanded quickly after the Silk Road Economic Belt was launched. With trains running more frequently between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes, loaded with goods and containers, trade volume has increased steadily. According to industry experts, the transcontinental freight train services have been providing solutions for the international logistics industry and promoting international trade ties and economic development with countries along the route. Now, railway lines for container trains have been successively opened up by 16 cities in China, heading down to 12 European cities including Duisburg and Hamburg in Germany and Madrid in Spain. In 2015, China-Europe freight trains made 815 trips, with a year-on-year increase of 165 percent, according to official figures. One of the train routes is the Yuxinou (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) railway line, which starts in Chongqing and ends in Duisburg, Germany. The railway was opened in 2011 and has seen a growing number of journeys every year since. For example, since 2011, the number of scheduled freight trains from China to Duisburg has increased from one to eight trains per week. Duisburg has become a gateway for Chinese products to European markets. Another line links China's Chengdu and Suzhou with Poland's Lodz and Warsaw. The freight train service has boosted trade between China and Poland. Officials in Lodz hoped the city, now with direct train connection with the huge market of China, will grow to become an important hub for the European economy. Apart from direct connection between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes, transcontinental trains also bring convenience to China's neighbors, such as Japan and South Korea, to help transport their goods from Asia to Europe. With improved railway infrastructure and new technology, the transcontinental train network provides high efficiency in transcontinental transportation with cheaper cost than airfreight and faster speed than shipping by sea. For enterprises and businessmen, the intercontinental cargo train network means new markets for their goods and services, thus an important source of wealth. The train network attracts more and more clients while new businesses flourish along the route. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, trade between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes, stood at some $995 billion in 2015, about a quarter of the national trade volume. Still, there are huge potential with the expansion of the train network in the future, experts say. A model at the Taobao Maker Festival in Shanghai in July. The event showcased VR devices. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY With urban Chinese shopping online for everything from food to clothes to vehicles, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is raising customer experience to the next level by using virtual reality or VR technology. In late July, Alibaba unveiled the futuristic shopping experience by offering a preview of its "Buy+" virtual store at the Taobao Maker Festival in Shanghai. Airports, train stations will be off-limits to avoid direct competition with taxis Drivers providing ride-hailing services must be licensed by the authority, a draft guideline said. Provided to China Daily Draft guidelines to standardize online car-hailing services in China were published on Monday, following a decision by the State Council to recognize the business, and the merger of the top two car-hailing companies in the country. The draft, issued by the Ministry of Transportation, lays out standards for the car-hailing services. It also bans the services from entering at airports and railway stations. Drivers must wait at certain parking spots. Under the guideline, drivers providing ride-hailing services must be licensed by the authority, and it suggests that cars be equipped with wireless internet for customers, phone chargers and tissues, none of which regular taxis are required to have. The rationale for the airport and train station ban involves fairness, one official said. Taxis are required to line up at airports and railway stations to pick up passengers. If private cars are allowed to receive passengers without lining up, it would not be fair for taxi drivers or their passengers who had to wait, said Cheng Shidong, director of the Integrated Transportation Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission. If both types of services, the ride-hailing cars and taxis, are allowed to take clients at the same time, it will result in chaos, since they follow two different sets of rules, Cheng said. "If passengers are rushing to ride-hailing services, a large space is required," he said. Some private drivers were not concerned about the prohibition. "I don't care about getting passengers at the airport or railway station. Personally, I prefer to avoid those places anyway," said Hong Jun, an Uber driver in Beijing. "It was easy to be caught by authorities at stations before we were legalized. One of my friends was fined 10,000 yuan ($1,500)." But there were other problems as well: "I was trying to get a passenger at the Beijing South Railway Station last week, and I spent about half an hour trying to find him in the parking lot," he said. "In the pickup area under the roof, GPS navigation didn't work. It was really a bad experience. I have tried not to be close to the railway station ever since." The draft is out for public comment until the end of this month. It is expected to take effect on Nov 1. The State Council legitimized the car-hailing services last Thursday through a new regulation. The top two ride-hailing companies in China, Didi Chuxing and its rival Uber China, announced a merger on Monday. BEIJING - China on Wednesday opened a website on the South China Sea, complete with historical maps, articles and research, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). Run by the National Marine Data & Information Service, the Chinese language site has 10 sections that cover basic information, news, historical archives, development and management, expert opinion, law and regulations, a timeline of major events, pictures and videos and Q&A. "The South China Sea has drawn huge attention, but some information online is not accurate," said Zhang Haiwen, SOA official in charge of international cooperation. "We hope that this website will enable domestic and overseas people to better understand it and learn about the truth behind the 'dispute' over it." According to Zhang, the website contains not only maps and archives but also exclusive analysis and expository articles based on experts' research of thousands of maps. Zhang cited that a map often used by Vietnam to prove that it owned the Xisha Islands was actually pieced together by two maps, which have already been obtained by experts and might be used to refute the country's claim. Zhang said new findings will be published on the website once verified. According to the SOA, information on the website must first be reviewed by an expert panel and be "comprehensive, authoritative, detailed and accurate." "The website is founded with the aim of positively publicizing our policies, claims, historical proof, legal basis and international cooperation while serving as a reliable channel for domestic and overseas government departments, research groups and individuals to learn about the South China Sea," said SOA spokesman Shi Qingfeng. The website has now six domain names, including www.thesouthchinasea.org and www.china-nanhai.org, due to "information unification and security concerns," according to the SOA. File photo of Orange Isle in Changsha. [Photo/IC] Two top-rated tourist attractions had their accreditation removed after more than 30 undercover investigations were taken at 20 scenic spots. The China National Tourism Administration said on Wednesday that it has removed the 5-A scenic spot rating of Orange Isle in Changsha, Hunan province, and Shenlong Gorge in Chongqing over security concerns, overpricing, poor environmental management and poor facility maintenance, as well as bad service mainly resulting from a lack of staff members. "For example, it took more than a week for a tourist to book a tour guide in the Orange Isle scenic spots," said Peng Decheng, director of the National Tourism Administration's planning and finance department. "In Shenlong Gorge, tourists didn't receive safety reminders from staff members when sitting on drifting boats." The administration also issued serious warnings to three 5-A scenic spots in Anhui and Fujian provinces and required rectification. Peng added that ratings will keep changing based on inspections. China uses a five-tier tourist rating system based on criteria such as the importance of the site, transportation and sanitation. The highest rating has to be award by the administration, while lower ratings can be given by provincial tourism authorities. Dai Xuefeng, director of the Tourism Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that in the past, 5-A scenic spots that didn't perform well would only receive warnings or be downgraded. "Many scenic spots that felt secure shifted their focus from management to making profits," Dai said. In October, Shanhaiguan Scenic Spot in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, lost its 5-A rating, the first time this had happened. "Sightseeing will be the mainstream of China's tourism for a long time. Urging scenic spots to provide better service is the best way to protect tourists' rights," Dai said. "And we can see that after losing its 5-A rating, the management of Shanhaiguan Scenic Spot has improved greatly." Hu Shigen, leader of an illegal underground organization, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday for subverting State power. Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court announced the judgment about three hours after it publicly heard the case. Hu, 61, a native of Jiangxi province who used to teach at a Beijing university, pleaded guilty during the trial. "It was a fair case hearing. I accept the verdict and will not appeal to a higher court," he said after the announcement. The verdict said that Hu had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1994 for organizing "counterrevolutionary" activities, a charge that was abolished after the Criminal Law was revised in 1997. He was freed in 2008 after his sentence was reduced. After his release, Hu continued to take part in activities that threatened national security, the court heard. He used the unregistered organization and paid petitioners to spread subversive thoughts and ideas, asking another suspect, Gou Hongguo, to receive anti-China training overseas, said the verdict. Hu colluded with Zhou Shifeng and asked Zhai Yanmin and Li Heping to disturb public order by manipulating public opinion, and he established "a systematic ideology, method and steps" to achieve this, according to the verdict. In February last year, Hu joined a group of 15 people, organized by Zhou and Li, in Beijing's Chaoyang district, discussing how to take advantage of hot topics to stir up the public and providing subversive thoughts. After a man was shot dead by a police officer at a railway station in Qing'an county, Heilongjiang province, in May last year, Hu urged Zhai to post anti-government opinions online and let him organize some residents to shout slogans and protest at the gate of the county government's offices, the court said. "Hu told me to call petitioners to go to the county - the more the better," said Zhai, who was sentenced on Tuesday by the same court to three years in prison, with a four-year reprieve, for subversion. The court said that the verdict was made in line with the law for the defendant's serious behavior of harming the country and for similar charges in the past. In his final statement, Hu said, "I had long been influenced by bourgeois liberalism and fell deeper into the criminal mire of anti-government groups, although the country educated me a lot to be a college teacher." "I recognize the severity of my offense and the huge damage I brought to the country, society, my family and myself," he said. He added that he thanked the government for looking after him while he was ill, and said he hoped to be a law-abiding citizen in the future. Zhou, Li and Gou are being prosecuted in separate cases. Yang Weize was accused of abusing his positions, accepting millions in bribes Yang Weize, former Party chief of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, stood trial on Wednesday for allegedly receiving bribes of 16.4 million yuan ($2.48 million). The former senior official was tried at the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court in Zhejiang province. Yang pleaded guilty. The court's verdict will be announced later. According to the Ningbo procuratorate, Yang, together with his wife, accepted large amounts of bribes from 2005 to 2014 by using his positions to seek profits for others. It said that he made use of his positions as a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Jiangsu Provincial Committee and the Party chief of Wuxi and Nanjing. He helped Zhao Jin, son of a former senior official, and other companies and individuals, gain benefits in developing real estate and in official promotions. Zhao Jin, a real estate developer in Tianjin, was detained in 2014, which reportedly led to his father, Zhao Shaolin, being investigated. Zhao Shaolin was a former member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and secretary-general of the provincial Party Committee. Zhao Shaolin was charged in the Ningbo court last month. He was accused of assisting his son in illicit business operations, offering bribes and committing fraud in purchasing foreign currency. Other charges included indulging his son in opening private clubs and attending banquets to give bribes. Yang, born in 1962, began his career as an office worker at the Jiangsu provincial transportation department in 1981. He became the mayor of Suzhou in 2001 and the Party chief of Wuxi in 2004. From 2011 to 2015, he worked as the Party chief of Nanjing. He was also an alternate member of the CPC Central Committee. Yang was stripped of the post and expelled from the Party, and his case was handed over to judicial authorities, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced in July last year. Yang allegedly had a tense relationship with Ji Jianye, the former mayor of Nanjing. Ji was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 2 million yuan in 2015 for receiving 11.3 million yuan in bribes between 1999 and 2012. In 2013, he became the first provincial-level official to face an anti-graft investigation in Jiangsu. A monthlong movie festival dedicated to films about western China opened in Hong Kong on Monday. Seven films offer a glimpse into society and folk culture in the region. A grand opening ceremony was held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Admiralty. High-profile guests were present, including Yang Jian, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Ma Fung-kwok, chairman of the Film Development Council; and Ng See-yuan, president of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers. The films, free to the public, will be showing at three major venues - Hong Kong Film Archive Theatre, Hong Kong Space Museum Lecture Hall and Hong Kong Design Institute Lecture Hall - until Aug 31. The seven movies include Tibetan-themed films Roof of the World; Himalaya: Ladder to Paradise; Slavery Abolition; Thangka; Genuine Love, about Xinjiang; The Grass in Wind, about Sichuan; and Song of the Phoenix, which is about the lives of two generations of suona (traditional Chinese wind instrument) players. Organized by the South China Film Industry Workers Union and co-hosted by SilMetropole Organisation and Southern Film Company, the festival aims at presenting China's diverse cultures, especially those covered by the path marked as part of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, to Hong Kong audiences. Roof of the World, the festival's opening film, illustrates how the Tibetan people live in harmony with nature. Himalaya: Ladder to Paradise is the first Chinese documentary about mountaineering shot in 4K resolution. It tells a story about climbing to the world's highest monastery - the Rongbuk Monastery, located near the northern base of Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) at 4,980 meters. The film Thangka, which takes its name from the Tibetan Buddhist paintings done on cotton or silk, is about the relationship between a thangka artist, whose life is rooted in tradition, and his Westernized son. Slavery Abolition depicts the liberation of a Tibetan serf. Genuine Love, directed by Xirzat Yahup, is adapted from the true story of a Uygur mother who brought up 19 orphans. The Grass in Wind is about the resistance by the people of Sichuan against Japanese aggression in the 1940s. Song of the Phoenix is the swan song of director Wu Tianming, who died before the movie was released in 2016. Willa Wu contributed to this story. A wild female giant panda is restrained by farmers worried that she would be hurt by hunting dogs after she burst into a village in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, in early April. The panda had been released from captivity. Ake Jiushe / For China Daily Wild pandas have been spotted three times at the foot of Jiajin Mountain in Sichuan province since July last year, which conservationists attribute to improvements in the ecological health of the area. Patrolling the mountain at around 8:40 am on Saturday, Chen Min, an employee of the Jiajin Mountain Forestry Bureau in Ya'an, Sichuan, saw two adult wild pandas walking leisurely along National Highway 351. "One disappeared into the forest soon after it saw me. The other kept walking slowly and was not intimidated even when my automobile was nearby," he said. Because there is a river near the highway, Chen speculated that the pandas might have had a drink before they crossed the highway and disappeared into the woods. "Wild pandas have been found by both patrollers and local farmers since July last year," Chen said. "One farmer even reported a wild panda eating honey in his house near the highway." Sichuan began imposing bans on the felling of virgin forests in 1998 to protect the ecology of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. "The efforts have paid off on Jiajin Mountain, where there are more lush trees, less landslides and more wild pandas," said Zhang Hemin, chief of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wenchuan county, Sichuan. His center has a panda base in Ya'an. The latest census tallied 1,864 wild pandas and 375 captive pandas worldwide at the end of 2013. That compares with the earlier count of 1,596 wild pandas and 164 captive pandas. Despite the rise in the number of wild pandas, the animals remain an endangered species. Pandas survive solely along the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in six mountain ranges, five of which are in Sichuan. But their habitat, which totals about 23,050 square kilometers, is vulnerable. With most valleys in their ranges inhabited by humans, many panda populations are isolated in narrow belts of bamboo no more than 1,000 to 2,000 meters in width. "Therefore, their actual geographical range is much smaller than generally depicted on maps," said Zhang Zhihe, chief of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Twenty-four of the 33 groups of wild pandas found in the most recent census are believed to be endangered, with some groups having fewer than 30 pandas, Zhang Hemin said. Eighteen groups have fewer than 10 pandas each and are in severe danger of dying off, he added. A lawyer accused of trying to subvert State power pleaded guilty at a court in Tianjin on Thursday morning. The trial of Zhou Shifeng, former director of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm, is part of a high-profile case that involved a group of activists who allegedly manipulated public opinion to spread subversive comments. The case is being heard at Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court. The firm was shut down last year for allegedly disturbing public order and making profits by hiring protesters to influence court decisions. Prosecutors said Zhou made use of the firm to encourage others to post anti-government comments online and had organized paid protesters to create social conflict since 2011. Zhou also allegedly colluded with Hu Shigen, leader of an illegal organization, and activists Li Heping and Zhai Yanmin to discuss how to subvert State power and the country's legal system, the prosecutors said. Hu and Zhai were sentenced to seven-and-a-half years and three years in jail with a four-year reprieve respectively, for subversion earlier this week. Li is being prosecuted in a separate case. Temperatures in Hulunbuir, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, hit a record high of 44.1 C on Wednesday, resulting in dozens of people seeking medical assistance for heatstroke. The previous record in the city, one of China's coldest, was 42.5 C. Temperatures were forecast to remain high on Thursday, before beginning to ease from Friday onward. "The locals are experienced at dealing with extreme coldness, but not the heat," said Ren Dongwei, an emergency doctor at the city's People's Hospital. "This lack of awareness may easily lead to heatstroke. The city has had a run of hot, dry weather for almost two months, leading to droughts and locust infestations. One local herdsman told Xinhua News Agency that the topsoil was dry to a depth of one foot, an occurrence he described as "extremely rare". Located in the northeast of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region at roughly the same latitude as cities such as Paris and Quebec, Hulunbuir is a favorite among tourists for grassland sightseeing. It is also renowned for its cold air, attracting visitors who want to escape the summer heat. Cloud Tibet, the world's first search engine dedicated specially to Tibetan-speaking people, has been launched for trial operation, the China News Service reported on Tuesday. Developed by a Tibetan language research center in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, Cloud Tibet will help Tibetan-speaking people access a variety of information in text, graphic and video formats, said Tselo, head of the development team. Also, the search engine will provide users with encyclopedia information, archive data and a Q&A service in Tibetan, Tselo said. Search capabilities in Tibetan are not available on China's largest search engines, such as Baidu and Sogou, while foreign search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing only offer simple search results. "The databases of Google, Yahoo and other foreign search engines are based overseas, so their search results are limited both in terms of quantity and quality," Tselo said. "They fail to provide users with effective, up-to-date news on Tibet, and their search results relating to Tibetan culture are not precise and extensive." During the trial operation, Cloud Tibet will further improve its search and matching function and expand its database, Tselo said. It is estimated that Cloud Tibet will attract some 2 million users in Qinghai, Tibet, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, which are home to the largest number of Tibetan-speaking people. The project was launched in April 2013. Of the 150-plus developers, 87 percent are ethnic Tibetans. Dam bursts in Tibet (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-08-04 12:21 LHASA -- Days of heavy rain has caused a dam to burst in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, local authorities said Wednesday. The dam in Lhaze County, Xigaze Prefecture, was breached on Tuesday as water in the Yarlung Tsangpo River rose. Water from the dam flooded three villages, with more than 100 hectares of crops and forest inundated, according to the local government. Soldiers have been working overnight to repair the dam. No casualties have been reported. Since the high water season began in early June, flooding has left hundreds of people dead or missing in China. Dongting Lake cleans up its act with fertilizer ban (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-08-04 12:30 CHANGSHA -- Dongting Lake in central China is a quiet place these days: a sign by the lake reads, "No Fertilizer." This forms a sharp contrast with summer scenes from 2014 when boats would clutter the lake, carrying fishermen as they fed the fish. "Sometimes they poured in as much as 100 tonnes of fertilizer in a single day," said Xu Haijun, general manager of the Shanpo Lake fishery. Dongting Lake is China's second largest freshwater lake. Fertilizer thrown into the lake over many decades has boosted the growth of highly-invasive water hyacinth, as well as polluting the water. "During the worst periods, the water turned dark and smelly," Xu said. Since 2014, fisheries near the lake in counties such as Anxiang, Taoyuan and Linli, in Hunan Province, were ordered to stop feeding the fish with fertilizer. As a result, fishermen began planting water grass and putting algae in the water to feed the fish instead. Their efforts paid off. In the past two years, water quality has improved from level five, the worst on a five-tier assessment scale, to level three, which means the water is acceptable for drinking and swimming. But the ban on fertilizer reduced the amount of fish. "Fertilizer could speed up growth of the fish," said Xu Haijun. "Now we can only allow them grow naturally." Output of fish before the ban was close to 2 million kilograms per year. Last year the number dropped by half a million kilograms, and revenues fell by more than 6 million yuan (about 900,000 U.S. dollars). More than 200 households from the Shanpo Lake fishery saw their annual income decrease to 50,000 yuan last year, 20,000 yuan lower than the previous year, Xu told Xinhua. Measures have been taken to make up for the loss. Fish from the lake are now labelled as "organic," which commands a price two yuan per kilogram higher. Shanpo Lake fishery has also planted lotus flowers in the water to attract tourists. Sponsored by the local fishery, Cao Jingxin, a 40-year-old fisherman, who started fishing as a teenage boy, spent more than 100,000 yuan to renovate his house: it is now a family inn. "I work in a fishery, so surely I can cook fish," he said. "My cooking skill is as good as a chef." A further 12 households have also started to run family inns to make money. At the same time, however, some fishermen note that the water quality is not stable, especially on rainy days when sewage washes into the lake. "Improvement of water quality in a lake is a big project and we need comprehensive remediation," said Gao Dali, vice head of the managing bureau of East Dongting Lake national natural reserve. "We hope that the government can give subsidies and incentives to fishermen, so as to encourage more people to protect the water in Dongting." Zhou Shifeng, a lawyer in Beijing, was jailed for seven years on Thursday by Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court for subverting State power. Zhou said that he accepted the verdict and would not appeal to a higher court. The 52-year-old former director of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm played a major role in a group of activists who attempted to manipulate public opinion and damage national security by spreading subversive thoughts, the verdict said. Thursday's trial received a large amount of public attention from both home and abroad. The verdict said that Zhou colluded with Hu Shigen, the leader of an illegal organization that broadcast subversive ideas, and activists Zhai Yanmin and Li Heping. They used the law firm as a platform to encourage lawyers to highlight sensitive cases and hired protesters to disturb the judicial system, according to the verdict. Zhou also asked administrative officers in the law firm to post anti-government comments online to stir up public sentiment, the court said. Hu and Zhai were sentenced to seven-and-a-half years and three years in jail with a four-year reprieve, respectively, earlier this week. Li is being prosecuted in a separate case. Workers dismantle old tracks at Caogusi circuit station of Zhengzhou Railway Signal Depot in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province, on August 3, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] An important interconnecting section of the country's high-speed railway network has been completed in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, on Wednesday. Constructors worked hard overnight from Tuesday to complete a key joining facility of the section to link the high-speed railways from Beijing to Guangzhou, Xuzhou to Xi'an, and Zhengzhou to Kaifeng. The completion of the section will allow the high-speed railways in the country's eastern part to connect with the lines in the central and western parts. Zhengzhou has an important position in the country's high-speed railways network, according to the country's medium- and long-term railway network plan that was published earlier this year. The plan said that China expects to have 38,000 km of high speed railway by 2025. By 2015, China had 19,000 km high-speed railways. The high-speed railway line connecting Beijing in the north and Guangzhou in the south meets with the line connecting Lanzhou in the west and Xuzhou in the east in Zhengzhou, making the city the most special one in the country's network. Currently, more than 120 high-speed trains pass Zhengzhou, said Feng Dexian, head of the Institute of Geographical Science under Henan Academy of Sciences. More than 30 cities are in a three-hour economic circle around the city, he said. The interconnecting section outside Zhengzhou East Railway Station will allow high-speed trains to pass the station without stopping, which will significantly improve the capacity of the network, experts said. The section is also an important part of the high-speed railway from Zhengzhou to Xuzhou, which will be put into operation in September. The Zhengzhou-Xuzhou railway is part of the line from Lanzhou to Xuzhou. Zhu Zhiqiang proudly shows his admission letter to Wuhan College at his home in Jiaozuo, Central China's Henan province, Aug 1, 2016. [Photo/VCG] A paralyzed student in Jiaozuo city, Central China's Henan province who made headlines previously for moving a bed into the classroom has been admitted to one of China's prestigious universities. Zhu Zhiqiang, with an impressive high score of 635 on the gaokao (the national college entrance exam), proudly showed his admission letter and said he is going to major in math at Wuhan University. Zhu started to have spinal problems when he was a little boy. His mother has had to carry him on her back since Zhu was four, and she has kept doing so over the past 14 years. As Zhu's problem progressed, his doctors suggested he quit school because he could not sit long. Zhu refused. When he went to the high school, he moved a bed into the classroom with the schools permission so he could lie on it while attending classes and doing his homework. Item from Aug 4, 1991, in China Daily: China's fledgling legislation governing the advertising industry got a shot in the arm with the appointment in April of Liu Baogu, who has vowed to weed out chronic fraudulent practices in the industry... In recent years, many advertisers have been accused of profiteering by promoting fake products and services such as height-raising devices and electronic stammer correctors. The website of a hospital is seen on search engine Baidu.com, May 10, 2016. [Photo/IC] The internet has dramatically changed the advertising industry. Online ads can target potential clients and measure responses instantly. But a young man's death recently showed more regulations are needed. The 21-year-old student died of cancer in April after receiving immunotherapy at a hospital in Beijing. He learned of the treatment and the hospital by researching the disease on the search engine Baidu. The hospital was listed second from the top on the first page of results. His death angered the public, who demanded regulatory supervision over such online advertising. Last month, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce released a new regulation, which for the first time makes clear that all pay-for-performance searches are advertising. The law will take effect on Sept 1. Paid listing is an internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites. Under the system, an advertiser pays a search engine for each time an ad is clicked. Applications for permanent residence filed by more than 270 expatriates have been accepted by the Shanghai government since the city began to implement measures to attract foreign talent last July. The number of applications is six times that of the previous year, according to a report by Xinhua News Agency. During the same time period, Shanghai also issued more than 1,700 five-year residence permits to foreigners, nine times more than the year before. The measures were approved by the Ministry of Public Security in July 2015 to assist Shanghai in transforming itself into a scientific and technological innovation hub. Other measures included loosening the requirements for domestic talent to process their entry and exit documents in the city and adopting a 144-hour visa-free entry policy that will provide foreigners who arrive in Shanghai, Jiangsu province (Nanjing Lukou airport) and Zhejiang province (Hangzhou Xiaoshan airport) with more flexibility and convenience. Arzugul, a regular donor of "panda blood", or Rh negative blood, in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/Chinanews.com] Arzugul, a regular donor of "panda blood", or Rh negative blood, in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was acclaimed a "hero" by locals for saving people's lives with her rare blood type over the past 10 years, according to a report by Xinhua. Arzugul, a Uygur ethnic minority and a road maintenance worker in Korla, central Xinjiang, said she does not feel any different than donors of regular blood types because they all did the same simple thing - offered help to those in need. "Panda blood" refers to the Rh-negative blood type in China, which, as the phrase suggests, is "as rare as pandas". Only 3 out of 1,000 people in China carry the blood type. "Everyone lives only once," she said. "I felt very accomplished if my donation can help others. The only reason I got so much attention is because of the rareness of my blood." Born in 1972, Arzugul started donating blood in 2003 when she came across a blood collection vehicle at a street in downtown Korla and made a donation. Since then she regularly donated her blood. However, Arzugul said it was not until April 2011 that she was told at a blood collection vehicle how important and rare her blood is. In September 2011, Arzugul read in a local newspaper about an old man desperately looking for Rh negative blood donors for his operation. Arzugul said she offered to help without hesitation. Later, Arzugul's name became known when the man she saved wrote an open letter of thanks to her and sent it to her workplace. Arzugul has not only reached out to people in need in her region. When she heard of people in need of her rare blood in other areas, she offered to help without a second thought. In September 2014, she saw on TV a woman in Urumqi who had to undergo a cesarean section and was looking for Rh-negative blood donors. Arzugul took a bus overnight to the city and donated her blood to the woman. Arzugul's selfless act saved two lives that time. The woman's family was so grateful that they wanted to thank Arzugul with money. But Arzugul turned it down. She said she donates blood to help people in need, not for money - and never will. BEIJING -- The Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Thursday that this year it has allocated subsidies totaling 26.69 billion yuan (about $4 billion) to help farmers living in unsafe homes to renovate. The subsidies will cover 3.14 million poor rural households, under a national pilot program for renovating unsafe houses in rural areas, the MOF said in a statement. The MOF said that local governments must determine the allocation of subsidies for the rural housing program according to local economic needs. The pilot program started in China's southwestern Guizhou Province in 2008. NANJING -- The eastern city of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, has put an end to a controversial waste incineration project following public uproar. The government of Nanjing's Liuhe District announced on Thursday that it will stop the incineration project after widespread public disapproval. A scheduled public consultation on Thursday was subsequently canceled. The announcement received a lukewarm, or even hostile, reception online with many netizens saying that they are not against the incineration plant, but rather where it is built, and whether it will operate in accordance with rules to avoid pollution. Zhang Guoru, deputy head of the district's urban management bureau, said that there is currently only one incinerator in the district, which can dispose of about 150 tonnes of household garbage each day. "As the district is developing fast, the amount of garbage has exceeded 380 tonnes every day, and is predicted to reach 500 tonnes per day in three years," he said. Incinerators are considered the most feasible and effective means of disposing of garbage, but pollution concerns have led to public protests. In 2014, a planned waste incinerator in east China's Zhejiang Province led to clashes with police. GUIYANG -- Typhoon Nida has forced the evacuation of more than 7,000 people in southwest China's Guizhou Province, local authorities said Thursday. Nida brought severe rainstorms to Guizhou through Wednesday and Thursday. The highest precipitation in an area was 241.8 mm, recorded in Sandu County, said the provincial meteorological station. Overall, the typhoon affected 26,141 people in 12 counties. A total of 7,006 people were relocated as of midday Thursday. The typhoon has damaged 1,190 hectares of crops and 391 homes, resulting in direct economic losses of 17.94 million yuan ($2.7 million), according to the local civil affairs departments. The local government has sent relief goods to the affected areas. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Michael Barbieri (foreground) and Theo Taplitz star in the main roles of "Little Men".[Photo/Agencies] When a generous patriarch dies, the lives of two families are altered in Ira Sachs' beautifully poignant slice of life drama Little Men. In the film, Brian Jardine (Greg Kinnear), a struggling actor, his wife, Kathy (Jennifer Ehle), a psychotherapist and the breadwinner of the family, and their 13-year-old son Jake (Theo Taplitz) uproot their Manhattan lives and move into Brian's late father's home in Brooklyn. On the ground floor of the residence is a tiny store that sells handmade dresses. The owner, a Chilean woman, Leonor Calvelli (Paulina Garcia) also has a young son, Tony (Michael Barbieri), who Jake quickly befriends. Jake is an old soul with an artist's eye and sensitivity. Tony is a charismatic neighborhood kid with a thick Brooklyn accent and acting ambitions. They're both angling to get into the same art school too. Their friendship is pure, immediate and quite charmingthese two kids are some true talents. But there's an unspoken tension lingering below the surface in Leonor's interactions with the Jardines. She knows what's coming even if the audience can't quite see it yet. They live side-by-side in relative peace for a time, and then the conversation happens: Brian tells Leonor that she needs to sign a new lease and pay more rent. Leonor had been shielded from the changing tides of the neighborhood under the charity and protection of Brian's father. They were friends, and he liked the "glamour" of having the shop there, she explains. But Brian is not his father and he and his sister are thinking practically about the space. What do they owe this woman, after all? And hasn't she gotten by for longer than she would have under any other circumstance? But even at a discount, Leonor can't afford the new rent. Leonor lashes out in her reserved, but piercing way, telling Brian that she was more his father's family than he was. She was there the day he died. She was there every day. Brian responds appropriatelythat that's a ridiculous thing to say. Both are right, and both are wrong, but the die has been cast and there is no turning back from this. Alone, it's a good story, but it's the very different-on-paper little men at the center, Jake and Tony, who give it that extra weight of tragedy, as they watch their parents unravel with greed and pride and vow to stop speaking to them until they work it out. It's not about gentrification, Kathy tries to tell Leonor. They aren't the ruthless rich, colonizing a new neighborhood. Brian doesn't make any money and hasn't in a while and they need the rent money from the store, she says. Little Men unfolds like a play in a taut 85 minutes. Its smallness makes it grand and moving. These are the things, these little moments, decisions and consequences that most human lives are made of, after all. Little Men, a Magnolia Pictures release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "thematic elements, smoking and some language". Simple Plan is touring China with hits from its latest album, Taking One for the Team.[Photo provided to China Daily] French-Canadian band Simple Plan will return to China with three shows later this month. Supporting its fifth album, Taking One for the Team, which was released in February, the showsone in Beijing and two in Shanghaiare part of the pop-punk group's ongoing Taking One for the Team Tour 2016, which started in Madrid immediately after the album was unveiled. "It's always exciting to be in China. Our Chinese fans have been great since the beginning. We're looking forward to being there again and seeing familiar faces, enjoying the awesome food and culture that we already know so well," lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier tells China Daily over email. The band performed on the Chinese mainland in 2012 and the following year. Both shows were successful. "Pure madness," Bouvier says of fan expectations from the upcoming shows. "We love to get the party started and the set list that we have is great for that. We want fans to get involved in the show so we also expect craziness from you guys. We basically feed off you. The crazier you get, the better the show will be." Besides the band's single hits, including Welcome to My Life and Jet Lag, they will perform tracks from their latest album, Taking One for the Team, which range from heavy punk guitars and drums to reggae and alternative. With the new album, the band showed lots of personal growth both as a group and individual members. Simple Plan started in mid-1990s in Montreal, where classmates Bouvier and drummer Chuck Comeau met in high school. In 1999, guitarists Jeff Stinco and Sebastien Lefebvre joined in. It's been almost five years since the band released its last album, Get Your Heart On!, and a lot has happened in the lives of members since then. "I'm motivated by having my little girls watch me play music and come to the shows. I have a studio in the back of my house. They pop in and they're like, 'Hey Daddy! Whatcha doing?'" says Bouvier, adding that he is excited to see that his daughters are interested in what he is doing and doesn't want them to later think their dad "used to be in a band that people liked". "Our drummer Chuck (Comeau) always talks about it. We want our kids to be able to come see us while we're still doing well," he adds. After 17 years as a group, the band members have shared much. "The message is really on point these days. The world is not always a beautiful place, but it's important to always keep going," Lefebvre says, adding that Singing in the Rain is his favorite number from the latest album. Simple Plan made a name with its pop-punk sounds and songs about love and breakup after releasing the debut album No Pads, No Helmets ... Just Balls. "Breakup songs are such an instrumental part of pop or punk. We shouldn't limit ourselves to not write these songs that are such a part of our style just because we're happily in love (now). We just dive back into people that we were in love with in the past," Bouvier says. If you go 8 pm, Aug 28. Huiyuan Space, LeSports Center, 69, Fuxing Road, Haidian district, Beijing. 400-610-3721. 8 pm, Aug 30-31. Mixing Room, Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Shibo Avenue, Shanghai. 400-610-3721. Performers from Sri Lanka dance at the Ceylon Tea Day event in Beijing, August 3, 2016. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Sri Lanka is launching a campaign to promote its Ceylon tea in China, mainly eyeing female consumers who are fans of black tea. "We've done a research and it shows that black tea is becoming more and more popular among the females, so Sri Lanka will primarily target on female consumers in China," said Hasitha De Alwis, director of promotion from the Sri Lanka Tea Board during the Ceylon Tea Day, an event organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing and the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Sri Lanka is also eyeing on the younger generation who is always trying new things and prefers to drink tea in a non-traditional way, like with milk and sugar. To better adapt to Chinese consumers' taste, Sri Lanka is also producing light tea in some certain regions, which is very similar to Chinese green tea, but in a fully fermented manner, which is a special feature of Ceylon tea. Hon. Navin Dissanayake, Minister of Plantation Industries in Sri Lanka, said Sri Lanka's tea export volume to China is in steady growth during recent years as the volume reached 7.2 million kilograms in 2015. Sri Lanka is especially known for its Ceylon tea, which is fully fermented black tea, and can be consumed straight or mixed with milk or sugar. As black tea is said to be quite beneficial for women, more females are turning to the black tea as their tea of choice. China ranks 11th in major exporting countries of Ceylon tea and Sri Lanka ranks second in major importing countries of Chinese tea from 2011-2014, according to Alwis. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of commercial tea plantations in Sri Lanka, a series of events are planned to take place in 2017, and China will be invited to participate at these projects as a partner. Alwis revealed that an International Tea Convention and Ceylon Tea expo will be held next year, and the world's largest tea party, intending to be included in the Guinness world record, will be staged, as well as a tea competition among world tea producers. There are many forces driving the hectic growth of China's film market and not all of them are encouraging. Subsidy and phantom tickets are two of the shady practices that have been blamed for inflating a bubble. Subsidy tickets, which are technically legal, comes from businesses desiring to lock in the film patrons by paying for part of the ticket prices. Online ticketing services have been the most prominent players in this field. For the busy National Day season around Oct 1 last year, as much as 20 percent of the box-office total came from subsidies, some experts estimated. When it comes to a particular ticket, the ratio of subsidy could be much higher. For example, all those 9.9-yuan ($1.50) tickets are heavily subsidized, with a third party paying two-thirds or even three-quarters of the regular price. (An average ticket nationwide costs 34 yuan. In Beijing it's as much as 45 yuan, the highest in China.) The money for the subsidy eventually comes from funds raised by venture capitalists or the stock market. It is offset by an enlarged customer base and, hopefully, by a corresponding spike in corporate valuation. On a positive note, subsidy tickets have made online ticketing commonplace. As much as 65 percent of all movie tickets were bought online. One Wanda cinema in Changchun, Jilin province, registered a record 93 percent for online sales. Of the 44 billion yuan in 2015's box-office figure, roughly four to five billion was contributed from this kind of subsidy, which corresponds to the industry consensus of 10 percent, according to Wang Changtian of Enlight. Most industry insiders hold a negative view of the subsidy system. Audience members, many of whom are new to the cinema experience, will be less likely to accept normal, reasonable pricing after they've been conditioned to dirt-cheap rates. "There should not be 9.9-yuan tickets," said See-Yuen Ng, chairman of UME Cineplex and a veteran filmmaker originally from Hong Kong. "Ticketing services worldwide charge a service fee and the ticket prices remain the same across the board." He said that during the 2016 Chinese New Year he had agreements with online ticketing agencies that no tickets would be sold below the minimum prices set by cinemas, but "in reality no one abided by the agreement". The impact of the ticket subsidies can also be seen in the practices of some small and independent cinemas that offer ultralow rates, such as 15 yuan apiece, when no subsidy is available. With a subsidized ticket, the sum received by the cinema is never lower than the legally bound minimum, but a 15-yuan ticket can't even be printed out of the computer, Ng said, so the cinema simply pockets the whole amount without repatriating the legally set portion to the film companies. And patrons would not report it because they would simply think the price was subsidized. When splurging for real patrons doesn't generate enough customers, an even more audacious - and legally suspicious - practice has been adopted by some. They will pay for blocks of seats without bothering to put people into them. The practice, which can be detected easily by amateur sleuths, who can compare online real-time seating diagrams with the actual screening room, is said to be widespread among some film companies, who use it to create an illusion that the movie is more popular than it actually is. While most used the phantom attendance to attract real ticket buyers down the road, the tipping point occurred in March when Shanghai-based Kuailu Investment Group, the mainland distributor for Ip Man 3, employed this gimmick to jack up their stock price rather than to generate attendance. Swift action taken by the government regulator threw cold water on the practice. The flood of outside capital into the film industry is now viewed with more suspicion, as many believe investors are in it for a quick buck and don't care if growth comes at the expense of industry health. "When people use the film business as they do speculation in the stock market, that's bad for our industry," said Ng of UME. "So many people are injecting air into the bubble that there'll be dire consequences when it bursts." "Subsidies have run their course. They're not sustainable," said Enlight's Wang. "Our industry is not yet in a position of strength. The profit margins are thin. Now that subsidies have faded out, we'll have a clearer picture of the purchasing power of our customers, which, as we're now more aware, is not limitless." raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily 08/01/2016 page4) A file photo of Chinas Supreme People's Court (SPC). [Photo/Xinhua] Police officers in Northeast China's Liaoning province recently seized more than 6,000 kilograms of food containing industrial gelatin that had been sold to more than 1,000 businesses or shops. Industrial gelatin is banned for use in food as it may contain high levels of heavy metals that are harmful to health. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Wednesday: Industrial gelatin is quite similar to edible gelatin in terms of taste and effect, but it is about one-quarter the price, thus many unscrupulous food producers use it. Industrial gelatin contains lead, mercury and other heavy metals that can damage the liver, kidneys, blood and skin. It can also cause cancer. Although some point out that these heavy metals can only affect human health after long-term accumulation, the harmful effects of ingesting industrial gelatin are well known. Its use in food has been banned by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China's top health authority. However, it is hard to detect industrial gelatin in food, so strict management in each step of the production chain is essential to eliminate the possibility of it entering the food processing industry. And to deter food producers from using it, the regulators must increase the penalties on those found guilty of using it in their products. Only zero tolerance to the illegal use of industrial gelatin can guarantee food safety. At the same time, efforts should be made to find ways to detect industrial gelatin in food products. Business / Companies by Thobekile Zhou The National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBAZ) has ruled out the possibility of bread shortages in the country.Daily bread demand currently stands at 900 000 loaves with capacity utilisation of the bread industry of 50 percent.Bread price has further dropped by 10 cents as most outlets are now charging 80cents.The raw materials for the production of bread are imported mainly from neighbouring South Africa and China.The suppliers of the raw materials are paid through transfers, which due to the depletion of nostro accounts, have experienced significant delays and consequently supply bottlenecks in many industries.The central bank has listed payment for raw materials as a priority in its list released in May this year in order to manage available foreign currency supplies.According to NBAZ president, Givemore Mesoemvura some producers have indicated that their suppliers had been waiting for payment to be effected for sometime due to transfer delays."We have had delays, but we are seeing an improvement in the situation. The area (of payment) has been managed and we are not likely to have bread shortages in the country. Even if we experience delays in the processing of payments, we have buffer stocks and we are well capable of keeping things running in the time being," Mesoemvura is quoted saying. WANG XIAOYING/CHINA DAILY When new British Prime Minister Theresa May's government surprised everyone by announcing it was reviewing Chinese-backed plans to build a French-designed nuclear power plant in western England, many assumed it was over fears of too much Chinese involvement in the sensitive area of nuclear energy. The champagne had been laid on, the dignitaries invited and following last Thursday's decision by France's EDF conglomerate to go ahead with its share of funding the 18 million ($23.9 million) Hinkley Point C project was all set for a quick signing ceremony. All set, that is, until a few hours after an oft-delayed EDF board decision was taken, when British Energy Secretary Greg Clark announced Britain was reviewing the project and would make a final decision in September. Many in the United Kingdom jumped to the immediate conclusion that fears over security were involved, and pointed to the malign influence of Nick Timothy, one of May's closest advisers who had previously publicly expressed fears that "the government is selling our national security to China" because of the involvement of China General Nuclear Power Group, which is funding a third of the cost. But what appears to be the main reason for the British government's decision is now emerging, and proves that China and CGN were correct in their cautious reaction to the news. EDF, which has been struggling to fund its share of the project, finally got the go-ahead from its main shareholder, the French government. Originally the EDF board had been due to meet in September but eventually moved the meeting forward to July. May was apprised of this by French President Francois Hollande when she visited him in Paris just a week after taking office. But she told Hollande that her government would adhere to the September timetable. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So, when the winner of a beauty pageant fails to win approval from the public, I don't see anything abnormal about it. For one thing, the jury panel may not represent the broad tastes of the populace. What I found disgusting is the mean spirit that goes with the disapproval. I don't know how to phrase it euphemistically, but the news of Chinese-American Arianna Quan crowned Miss Michigan for 2016 was not met with applause in the country of her birth. Judging from online feedback, Chinese netizens did not agree with the pageant judges to say the least. Well, it's not that they believe other contestants were more qualified than Quan, but that she is "so darn ugly". "She would not have a chance even at the first round had it been a Chinese competition," went one of the more polite postings. Another was less benign: "She's so ugly I wept. Is this some kind of scheme to denigrate ethnic Chinese?" Most said they could not believe she is only 23. They put her age at 43, 53 or even 63. "It shows how capitalist America quickens your aging process," said someone who seemed to flaunt his sarcasm. I lived in the United States for more than a dozen years, so I had already got accustomed to the widely diverging standards that East and West apply to Asian femininity. It is very real. I once saw a billboard on a Beijing street for a giant American company. It featured three Asian women. I told my friend that it must have been designed in New York without being vetted by its Chinese subsidiary. It would never achieve its obvious goal of endearing the brand to Chinese women. Simply put, Americans favor the supermodel type while Chinese prefer the porcelain fragile kind. Quan was born in Beijing and emigrated to the US when she was 6. I have friends whose daughters made the same move in their preteen years. The funny thing is, they had the exquisite looks when they first arrived stateside, but a couple years later they turned into - how shall I put it - typical Asian-American women. The California sun is partly the reason, but it's not just the sun-kissed skin. The whole look and feel would change, which seems to defy logic. But I found their new look healthier and brimming with self-assurance. And the way they talk and comport themselves carries the charisma that goes way beyond mere appearance. If you dig deeper, you may find traces of women's independence and equality in the Asian-American look while the typical Chinese beauty, as exemplified by Fan Bingbing, could be interpreted as "objectifying women". The notion of beauty can be shaped by group mentality. The same people who threw mud at Quan could well cheer her had they grown up on the other side of the Pacific. Matters of aesthetics are subjective. What they should learn is how to differ respectfully. Contact the writer at raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily 08/04/2016 page2) [2016-09-23 07:59] I'm a little weary of writing about the ongoing saga of Brexit, the now resolved case of Hinkley Point, the protracted death throes of the opposition Labour Party, and the ghastly UKIP crew who have done so much to push Britain into an unnecessary crisis. The COSCO SHIPPING Panama makes its entrance during the inauguration ceremony for the expanded Panama Canal in Panama City, on June 26. Xinhua The expanded Panama Canal is shaping up as a win-win situation for Chinese companies and the economy of the US East Coast. Some entities that stand to benefit are the conglomerate Evergreen Group of Taiwan and COSCO SHIPPING of Shanghai, and PortMiami in Florida, now that larger cargo ships can traverse a deeper Panama Canal and reach the Eastern Seaboard. "We welcome the expansion of Evergreen Line at PortMiami," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said last week. "PortMiami's more than $1 billion of completed infrastructure projects are paying off!" The Evergreen Line has a new service that will stop at Singapore, Hong Kong, Chiwan port in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Ningbo port in Zhejiang province, and Manzanillo, Mexico, before crossing the Panama Canal and docking in Houston, Mobile, Alabama, Miami, Jacksonville, Florida, and Durban, South Carolina. Evergreen Line recently upgraded the sizes of its Fast East container ships, more than doubling capacity to 8,452 shipping containers each, reported the Jacksonville Business Journal. They can move as much as two traditional Panamax ships but use 40 percent less fuel. PortMiami Director and CEO Juan M. Kuryla said cargo lines transiting the port can reach 70 percent of the US market within four days, and there is a tunnel directly connected to the US Interstate Highway System. On July 12, the Evergreen Ever Lambent container ship became the first vessel to traverse the expanded Panama Canal en route to Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore expects its port to benefit the most from the expanded canal, said James White, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration. "I think the tide has turned for us in a positive way," White told the Baltimore Sun. On June 26, the COSCO Shipping Panama, hauling 9,472 containers, made the first official voyage through the expanded canal, which was upgraded at a cost of $5.25 billion. The ship had set sail from the Greek port of Piraeus two weeks prior. "The expansion of the Panama Canal, a critical shipping lane in the world that links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, will have a major impact on various shipping markets, including those from the East Coast of America to the Far East, from Europe to the West Coast of America, and from the East to the West Coast of America," COSCO Chairman Xu Lirong said that day. The giant Maersk Line is rerouting its Asia-East Coast service through the new canal. "Using the new Panama Canal locks, Maersk Line is able to significantly reduce the transit days from Asian to North American ports. The transit times from Shanghai and Ningbo to Newark, Norfolk and Baltimore are now five to 10 days faster," the Danish company said in a July 21 release. A liquefied natural gas tanker loaded on the US Gulf Coast and bound for Asian markets could cut its travel distance by about 5,000 nautical miles and seven to nine days, according to Martin Houston, co-founder of Tellurian. The Boston Consulting Group and C.H. Robinson, a transportation logistics company, estimated last year that as much as 10 percent of the container traffic from East Asia to the US could shift to US East Coast ports instead of landing on the West Coast and finishing the journey by truck or rail. That would reroute volume "equivalent to building a new port roughly double the size of the ports in Savannah and Charleston", the firms said. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said that a $1.3 billion project to raise the 85-year-old Bayonne Bridge will enable ships to pass under the span by late 2017. "The old Panama Canal was an impediment to deploying ships to the East Coast of the United States from Asia," said CEO James I. Newsome III of the South Carolina Ports Authority, which is planning to dredge Charleston, South Carolina's 45-foot-deep harbor to 52 feet. Newsome said that if Asian cargo bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, landed in Los Angeles, it would cost $2,000 to send it across the US by rail. If it landed in Charleston, it would cost only $600 by truck. The Panama Canal, which the US financed and engineered, was completed in 1914. The US turned over sovereignty to Panama in 1999. The canal's cargo capacity has doubled, and it has a third lane to accommodate larger ships that can carry about 14,000 containers, up from 5,000. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, though. On Monday, the COSCO Panama, hit a wall in a new canal lane, the third incident since the June ceremony. Amy He in New York and The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com News that Arianna Quan, who was crowned Miss Michigan on June 18 and will take part in the upcoming Miss America contest in September, went viral in China for weeks, mostly in a negative way. The only Chinese-American woman who will compete in the annual national pageant in September in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Quan, in two days of rigorous competition, interviews and talent portions, impressed judges and the audience that she was the most outstanding and well-rounded among the 33 contestants for the statewide title, as well as the $12,000 in scholarship money. It's unusual for a Chinese American to receive recognition of this kind in the US, and we should celebrate diversity, right? Chinese netizens, however, focused on Quan's appearance. They were mocking her looks and criticizing her demeanor at the moment she was crowned, and also calling her ugly. Women should not be judged by their looks or curves. In the context of cultural differences between China and the United States, it's important for us to know the true meaning of beautiful, and how to appreciate beauty. "She is ugly and she can't represent us Chinese, let alone endorse the Chinese-style beauty," wrote one person. "She is only 23? Why does she look like she's 43, given her rustic make-up, hairdo and costumes?" another said. Leaving aside the insults like these on social platforms in China, we need to take a close look at differences between Chinese and Americans regarding their attitudes to Quan. Born in Beijing, Quan moved to metro Detroit at age 6 and became a naturalized American citizen at 14. Growing up, she was often the only Asian American in many of her classes and left out by her Caucasian peers. "All throughout my life it's been something that's been a little bit uncomfortable for me to talk about," saying she has been self-conscious about it. "I think it's innate in every teenager's upbringing that whatever makes you different is something that you should be ashamed about," she continued. "We all want to fit in, we all want to be embraced, and for me, because I am very tall, because I was the only Asian-American in most of my classes, I just felt out of place." Quan didn't quit, though. She loves archery, speaks Mandarin, plays classical piano, volunteers and has been the only female in her transportation design class for two years at Detroit's College for Creative Studies. Her goal is to become a lead designer at an automotive company, in a male-dominated industry. Quan will advocate for "Being American: Immigration and Citizenship Education", to raise awareness of the importance of embracing diversity. "During this election year, I realized how important it was for immigrants and naturalized citizens especially to speak out about their experiences in this country," Quan said. "We are so diverse, and it's so important for all of us to embrace that. That's why my platform is what it is, and hopefully going to Miss America in this election year I can raise awareness about what it means to be an American." Also an ambassador for Rock the Vote, Quan wants to encourage young people to register to vote. Throughout June (Immigrant Heritage Month) and July (National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month), the young woman spoke about issues that have affected her directly. Beyond her looks and make-up, do we see Quan's achievements? She is beautiful, talented and, more importantly, she has a big heart. Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com Armed Metropolitan Police counter terrorism officers take part in an exercise on the River Thames in London, Britain August 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] Londoners woke up to a heavier armed police presence on Thursday as officers said they had arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of killing a woman and injuring five others in a knife-wielding attack in central London late Wednesday night, on the same day the authorities unveiled the capital's new, heavily armed anti-terror unit. Police said previously early indications point to mental health as a factor in the attack, though terrorism remains a line of inquiry. But later police said no evidence of radicalization has been found to suggest terrorist motives. The Met have confirmed the woman killed in last night's attack was from the US. Assistant commissioner for specialist operations Mark Rowley said the other five injured are from UK, USA, Israel and Australia. The 19-year-old who has been held on suspicion of murder is "a Norwegian national of Somali origin", Rowley said. Rowley also said the injured victims "are not in a life threatening condition". The stabbing came on the same day the Met unveiled a significant addition to its anti-terror unit, in response to the high number of recent attacks elsewhere in Europe. Six hundred heavily armed marksmen called counter terrorism specialist armed forces (CTSFOs) have been deployed on London streets. The new unit, which includes a fast response contingent operating on BMW F800 GS motorbikes, brings the total number of armed police officers in the capital to 2,800. On Sunday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said a terror attack in the UK is a matter of "when, not if" and said the terrorism threat level in Britain remained at "severe." Europe is on edge after several attacks in France and Germany in recent months, including a truck-ramming that resulted in 84 deaths in Nice on Bastille Day -- so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. In the UK more than 90 percent of police officers are unarmed, and unlike their counterparts in other parts of the world do not routinely carry pistols. Each force has a small number of trained uniformed number of officers who carry pistols and semi-automatic weapons to guard key targets such as government offices and railway stations, but Wednesday marked the first time a dedicated heavily armed unit has been introduced. On Thursday, officers were alerted at 10:33 p.m. to reports of a man attacking people with a knife at London's Russell Square. Six minutes later police used a Taser, or electric stun gun, to subdue the man and arrest him at the scene. He remains in custody. Paramedics attended to five victims, two women and three men. One woman in her 60s died at the scene and Scotland Yard said the other victims have "various injuries." "Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of enquiry," Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement on Thursday morning. "But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive, and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of enquiry for us to explore." The Met's homicide command is investigating the attack with support from the counter-terrorism unit. Rowley said Londoners can expect an increased police presence on the streets including armed officers, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan asked the public to remain "calm and vigilant." "I haven't seen a police presence like that in this area since 7/7," one witness told the BBC. I've been living in this area for 12 years and it brought back that memory because you don't really see that in central London, you don't really see armed officers carrying submachine guns." Russell Square Underground Station was targeted in the July 7, 2005 London bombings in which Islamic extremists killed 52 and injured more than 700 people. To contact the reporter: angus@mail.chinadailyuk.com An expected visit to China by a special envoy from the Philippines will offer direct channels for improving icy ties between the countries, but neither side should harbor hopes of an instant breakthrough, experts said on Thursday. New Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that former president Fidel Ramos will visit China as a special envoy. He did not give a date for the trip. Ramos, 88, served as Philippine president from 1992 to 1998 and has maintained good personal ties with China. The Philippine Star newspaper quoted Duterte on Thursday as saying Ramos' trip is not part of the official negotiations on South China Sea disputes, and Ramos will not be meeting with Chinese officials but with "friends". Ties between the two countries became deadlocked in 2013 after the previous Philippine government led by Benigno Aquino sought third-party compulsory arbitral proceedings against China. Last month, an arbitral tribunal in The Hague issued a ruling in Manila's favor. Beijing has urged the Duterte administration to put aside this ruling before resuming political dialogue and negotiations. Duterte said on Wednesday that when the time comes for negotiations, the Philippines will not stray from the arbitral award. Zhang Jie, a researcher of Asia-Pacific studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it is unlikely that Manila will completely put aside the arbitral ruling as this gives it an effective tool or bargaining chip. "China has political needs, while the Philippines has economic needs. Both countries should show flexibility to enable dialogue and negotiation," Zhang said. "Such a resumption should start with unofficial, lower-level contacts before proceeding to negotiations requiring multiple rounds. So we should not have too great an expectation at first," she added. Teng Jianqun, a researcher of US studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said China's recent responses have left plenty of room for the Philippine Cabinet to rebuild contacts. Business / Companies by Mike Hamilton NMBZ shareholders FMO of the Netherlands and Norfund of Norway have joined forces with Rabobank of the Netherlands to pool their investments in financial institutions across Africa. The new company formed out of the partnership will be called Arise.Arise will have a presence in 20 African countries and capital will be allocated to support current investee companies as well as new minority investments in the market.Banco Montepio, a Portuguese financial group with banking investments in Africa, is expected to join the partnership in the near future.Norfund, FMO and Rabobank, in a joint statement, said their teaming up reaffirmed their long-term commitment to Africa's future development, growth potential and the local financial sector. They currently hold stakes in several financial service providers (FSPs) in Sub-Saharan Africa which they have agreed to pool together.They said that as a pro-active shareholder they would engage in a hands-on manner with NMBZ to help it grow and realise its ambitions. The partnership was committed to strengthening and developing effective inclusive financial systems in Africa with a long-term perspective, they said.FMO is one of the largest bilateral private sector development banks in the world with a committed portfolio of EUR 9,3 billion spanning 85 countries. Norfund, on the other hand has a portfolio of approximately USD1,8 billion, 53% of which is in Sub-Saharan Africa.NMBZ chief executive Benefit Washaya has welcomed the partnership, which, he said, should enable NMBZ to benefit from a wide network of other African banks that are part of the group."NMBZ is excited and welcomes this partnership as an important shareholder for our company and as an important contributor to building a stronger financial sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. NMBZ will also benefit from a wide network of other African banks that are part of this group," he said.The ambition of the partnership is to build strong, locally owned FSPs that serve small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the rural sector and clients who have not previously had access to financial services.For NMBZ, the change will offer several opportunities. The bank will become part of a large pan African Bank network. The presence of the new foreign shareholders will assist NMBZ in its quest for much needed lines of credit.The partnership will be a proactive shareholder, just as FMO and Norfund have been, providing knowledgeable board members and dedicated experts to support NMBZ's growth strategies.Current technical and management services programmes run by Norfund and FMO will continue, while new programmes can leverage on the added expertise of the new partners. The partnership, which will be firmly rooted in Africa, will result in consolidation of the partners' respective portfolios, by the creation of an investment and development vehicle under joint-ownership.The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals being obtained both at shareholder level and at the various underlying investee levels.Commenting on the proposed partnership, Norfund chief executive Kjell Roland said the establishment of Arise would contribute to the financial sector in Africa on a scale far beyond what Norfund could achieve on its own."Partnering with experienced like-minded investors such as FMO and Rabobank will ensure that Arise benefits from excellent banking, technical and managerial expertise," he said.FMO chief executive Nanno Kleiterp said Arise would be able to leverage the extensive banking knowledge and valuable agri-banking expertise of its founding partners."This partnership will increase the availability of financial services to small and medium enterprises. Above all, it will allow the people in Sub-Saharan Africa to empower themselves by getting bank accounts and taking loans and hence building a better life for their families," he said.Rabobank executive board member Berry Marttin said Rabobank's activities in investing and building strong financial service providers in emerging economies, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, fit its Banking for Food strategy, which is focused on creating solutions with its clients to feed the world in 2050."By joining forces and pooling assets, networks and expertise with Norfund and FMO, two highly experienced development institutions of excellent reputation, we are taking a major step forward," he said. Entertainment / Celebrity by Thobekile Zhou AWARD-winning South African group MiCasa has arrived in Bulawayo for its debut gig.The group is set to perform at Amphitheatre tomorrow.Shortly after landing at Joshua Mqabuko International Airport, the group posted a picture on its twitter account."Touch down Bulawayo ... Hype is real for 2moros show! We can't wait to light that stage UP!" MiCasa saidAdvance tickets have been pegged at $20 for VIP and $10 for regular entry.An after-party will be held at one of the city's leading nightspots, Club Eden with entry pegged at half price for ticketholders.DJs Kead Wikead, Kananjo and Keezy will take care of business there. News / National by Staff reporter BLOODY clashes have erupted between ruling Zanu-PF and opposition Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) youths at Shackleton Mine, just outside Chinhoyi, ahead of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru's rally on Saturday.Mujuru is at the weekend scheduled to address rallies at Shackleton Mine and Chinhoyi as she drums up support ahead of the 2018 elections where she is likely to face her former boss, President Robert Mugabe.The skirmishes started on Tuesday when Zanu-PF youths reportedly disrupted a ZimPF door-to-door outreach programme to drum up support for the rally.Three ZimPF youths were left injured when they were caught in running battles while a bus hired by the opposition supporters was allegedly impounded by ruling party youths.ZimPF member Rukudzo Romani said he was attacked and seriously injured by Zanu-PF youths as he attempted to rescue a party colleague who had been cornered by ruling party supporters.ZimPF provincial leader Prosper Gavanga blasted the police for allegedly taking sides with Zanu-PF and failing to apprehend the assailants."The police have not reformed as they continue to side with Zanu-PF as illustrated by their failure to arrest the assailants," Gavanga said.But a top Zanu-PF provincial official, Tommy Mwanza, defended his party youths, saying they had acted in self-defence after they were attacked by ZimPF youths."The ZimPF youths came and tried to disrupt our routine meetings in the ward.These (ZimPF) youths are foreigners here in Shackleton and we will not allow them to bulldoze their way here," Mwanza said.Most of Mujuru's rallies have been preceded by inter-party clashes, blamed mainly on Zanu-PF supporters. (Photo : YouTube Screenshot) TV series 'China's Challenges' has received an Emmy Award. Advertisement A TV series called China's Challenges won an Emmy Award in Los Angeles, marking a milestone for such bilateral collaboration between the United States and China, according to the show's producer on Sunday. Robert Kuhn, a US expert on China and author of the book How China's Leaders Think, was delighted that the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles honored China's Challenges with an Emmy Award. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "It is good for the world to understand what is really happening in China," Kuhn, who also created, wrote and hosted the series, told Xinhua. The series was jointly produced by American public broadcaster and TV program distributor The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and The Kuhn Foundation in cooperation with Shanghai Media Group. "To our knowledge, 'China's Challenges' is the first international television production in association with a major China-based media organization that has won this prestigious award, re-affirming the special benefits of our unique US-China collaboration to tell the true story of China to the world," Kuhn said. According to China Daily, China's Challenges has been aired on more than 200 PBS stations in the United States reaching 24 of the 25 top markets in the United States and more than 120 markets in total. In the US alone, there have been around 4,000 broadcasts of the series. Other countries airing the series are Australia, Canada, and Germany. China's Challenges focuses on how China addresses sensitive issues including protection of the environment, distribution of wealth and education, social problems, prioritization, and the relationship between the traditional culture and the rampantly modernizing Chinese society. Advertisement TagsEmmy Award, China's Challenges, china, United States, TV series, Public Broadcasting Service, The Kuhn Foundation (Photo : Reuters) ZTE is calling for ideas for its next smartphone from the public. Advertisement ZTE has announced that it plans to crowdsource ideas for its next mobile device, giving fans a chance to share ideas on how the company's upcoming smartphone should look like. The Chinese tech company launched the Project CSX, which is a crowd-sourced initiative where fans can submit ideas for the company's next smartphone. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Users can submit their ideas through ZTE's forum, Z-Community, and up-vote other ideas that they like. The best idea chosen by users can win cash prizes, a trip to CES 2017 in Las Vegas or early access to the final product, according to CNet. As a part of Project CSX, ZTE is committing to build a mobile product, by 2017 that is based upon your ideas and/or your votes. Were listening to you, and to our community, because you know best. You dont need some random person, in some unknown organization, to decide whats best for you. This is your opportunity to let your voice be heard and for you to tell us what to build, ZTE said in a statement. There are no guidelines, fixed platform, or structure. The ideas submitted to Project CSX should be for a mobile product; it can be a phone, tablet, or even smartwatch. However, those interested must make their ideas as realistic as possible, Tech Crunch reported. ZTE is the first smartphone manufacturer to call for ideas for a product, but it is not the first firm to turn to the public for suggestions. Mozilla crowdsourced its logo design in June. Advertisement TagsZTE, crowdsourcing, CrowdSource, ZTE Axon 7, Axon 7, Project CSX, ZTE Community, CES (Photo : Reuters) Oppo will pay royalty to Qualcomm to use its 3G WCDMA and CDMA2000 and 4G technologies. Advertisement Qualcomm and China's Oppo have signed a new 3G and 4G patent license agreement. The patent deal between both companies the states that Oppo will pay royalty to Qualcomm to use its 3G WCDMA and CDMA2000 and 4Gincluding three-mode (LTE-TDD, TD-SCDMA, and GSM)technologies on its products, which also include Blu-ray players sold in the United States and Europe. In addition, Qualcomm has agreed to pay a $975 million fine and to parameters for patent licensing deals with Chinese device makers that include Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, and Xiaomi. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Before this deal with Qualcomm, Oppo was the largest unlicensed phone maker, according to San Diego Union Tribune. The royalties are in line with the reorganization plan submitted by Qualcomm to China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). "This license agreement will allow us to have access to the most advanced technologies in the mobile industry and enable us to craft elegant devices with extraordinary experience for the consumers," said Adler Feng, director of IP for Oppo. According to Strategy Analytics figures, in the second quarter 2016, Oppo grew by 137 percent year-over-year to become the fourth largest global smartphone vendor, with 18 million shipments and 5.3 percent of the market share. Qualcomm and other U.S.-based tech vendors, such as Intel and IBM, are making strong moves into the lucrative Chinese market. Alex Rogers, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Technology Licensing, said the company is happy with the agreement made with Oppo. While announcing the company's second-quarter earnings, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said more than 100 smartphone makers in China have signed patent licensing deals with the tech giant, eWeek reported. Advertisement TagsQualcomm, Oppo, Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, Xiaomi, patent deal, patent agreement Qualcomm, patent license, 3G technology, 4G technology, 3G and 4G Licensing Agreement In this handout image supplied by Host Photo Agency / RIA Novosti, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin (R) meets with President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping in Ufa during the BRICS/SCO Summits - Russia 2015 on July 08, 2015 in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia. (Photo by Sergey Guneev/Host Photo Agency/Ria Novosti via Getty Images) Advertisement Russia might be facing difficulty due to economic sanctions imposed by some western countries but China continues to see it as a major and influential world power. Gui Congyou, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of European-Central Asian Affairs, said China has always considered Russia as a major power even as other western countries view it as a second-rate country. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement In an interview with Russian journalists in Beijing, Gui said China has noted the discriminatory approach demonstrated by some western countries to Russia, especially after imposing economic sanctions. However, China, the world's second-largest economy, continues to believe that Russia remains an influential country and a major world power. It also sees Russia as equal to China in terms of aggregate might. "Some western countries are demonstrating a discriminatory approach to Russia. China has always considered Russia to be a major power rather than a second-rate country," Gui was quoted as saying. Russian economy is facing difficulty due to western sanctions following its stance on the Crimea-crisis. Meanwhile, China and Russia are set to stage their first joint naval drill in the South China Sea, although Chinese authorities remain mum on the exact location of the drill. Without giving enough details, the Chinese defense ministry said the drill, codenamed "Join Sea-2016" will take place in September. The planned drill will take place just months after an international court in The Hague rejected China's claims. Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui earlier said that the ruling made by the ad hoc arbitral tribunal in The Hague on the claim of the Philippines in the South China Sea has no legal basis. Russia, however, joins other nations, including the United States, in calling for a diplomatic solution to the South China Sea disputes. Advertisement TagsChina-Russia, China Russia Drill, china russia relationship News / National by Staff reporter A PROSPECTIVE private broadcaster, Carryslot Investment (Private) Ltd, yesterday filed an Administrative Court challenge against the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ)'s decision to issue broadcasting licences to State-linked companies only.Carryslot was among several private companies which were denied radio and television licences in October 2013.The prospective broadcaster accused BAZ of being biased, tribalistic and seeking to entrench State monopoly in the broadcasting sector.Through its lawyer, Advocate Thabani Mpofu, Carryslot said the criteria used by BAZ in awarding broadcasting licences to Fairtalk Communications (Private) Ltd and Kingstons (Private) Ltd were likely to starve Zimbabweans of balanced news because of their alleged links to the State.The company wants the licences nullified to allow for a fresh adjudication process.Presiding judge Justice Herbert Mandeya reserved his decision over the matter."Almost all the broadcasting services in Zimbabwe, except one, are either controlled or linked to the State. How do we expect the government to be called to order if such a scenario is obtaining in the country?" Mpofu queried."The effect of BAZ's decision is anti-competition. For example, if one radio station calls for a one-million-man march, nobody says 'no' simply because there is no competition in the editorial content. Besides, the awarding of the same licences is tribalistic. We have radio stations that are predominantly Shona; Ndebele speakers can't tune to their stations of choice, broadcasting in Zimbabwe is completely insular and undemocratic."He added: "The respondent (BAZ) erred in awarding licences to applicants on partisan lines and such award being made on the basis of political persuasions of the successful entities. The respondent erred at any rate in making an award which is anti-competition in that it strengthens the hands of competitors who already have other stations and gives them undue advantage over appellant who has not yet established a radio station."According to evidence presented in court, Fairtalk Communications is sponsored by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, while Kingstons is predominantly owned by the Information ministry.But, Kingstons, Fairtalk and BAZ, through their lawyers Musoni Masasire, Blessing Bhala and Vasco Mkwachari respectively, urged the court to dismiss Carryslot's appeal, saying the latter should have approached the court on review as opposed to an appeal. (Photo : Getty Images) China's defense minister said the increasing tension in the South China Sea runs the risk of leading to a 'people's war.' Advertisement Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan has called on the armed forces and the citizenry to be ready to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the wake of increasing tension in the South China Sea region. During the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) 89th founding anniversary last weekend, Chang said the volatile situation in the disputed sea poses a threat of an imminent confrontation between Chinese forces and foreign navies patrolling in the disputed sea under the principle of freedom of navigation. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to state-run Xinhua news agency, Chang made the comments while inspecting military facilities in Zhejiang province. "The seriousness of the national security situation should be recognized, particularly when it comes to threats posed at sea," Chang said. 'People's war at sea' Chang said he expects the 2.3 million strong PLA, the police, and the general population to be ready to be deployed in case of a "people's war at sea." The defense minister said it was about time that the citizenry is taught about national defense issues including the South China Sea conflict to be able to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Chang's statement comes on the heels of heightened tensions in the South China Sea region where Beijing has been building artificial islands and facilities on territories which are also being claimed by its Southeast Asian neighbors. Freedom of navigation The US Navy, operating in the South China Sea under the freedom of navigation principle, has deployed fighter jets and warships in the region saying it wants to ensure the rights of foreign nations to use of the strategic waterway. US forces have been conducting multilateral military exercises with foreign navies in the region angering China. Beijing recently warned Australia and the United States to cease their navigation patrols near Chinese-controlled territories or face "disaster." Beijing said the US' naval and aerial patrols near its controlled islands constitutes provocative acts and will be dealt with by the country's army. Rhetoric Analysts claim Beijing has resorted to this rhetoric in a bid to justify its claims to the disputed sea following the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration rejecting China's territorial claims in the region. The Hague-based international arbitration court said there is no legal basis for China's "historic claims" of ownership to islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line. The ruling also said that Beijing violated international law and the Philippines' right to explore its exclusive economic zone. China refused to participate in the court proceedings and has dismissed the ruling as "null and void" and a complete "political farce." Advertisement TagsChinese citizenry, South China Sea, People's Liberation Army, war, china (Photo : Getty Images) Polands government is said to be in negotiation with Air China to sell a 49 percent stake in LOT Airlines. Advertisement Poland's conservative government is in talks with China's Air China to sell a substantial stake in the state-owned Polish airlines LOT Airlines, Reuters reported. The cash-strapped LOT airlines, has been struggling to compete against low-cost competitors and other bigger rivals in the aviation industry. The state-owned airline was given a bailout package of 500 million zlotys ($130 million) in 2012 to avoid bankruptcy. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "LOT is our national carrier, which we are trying to save no matter the cost. It is deeply in debt," Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told news agency PAP. Morawiecki added that the current government cannot offer another bailout package to LOT Airlines, and they are looking for an investor to revive the airline's fortune. Earlier this week, a local Polish newspaper reported that China's state-owned carrier Air China has expressed interest in acquiring a 49 percent stake in LOT Airlines, with a top delegation from Air China expected to visit Warsaw city for negotiation in the coming days. However, so far there has been no official confirmation from either Air China or LOT Airlines about the potential joint venture. Poland's Supreme Audit Office revealed in April that despite bailout packages and improvement in operational efficiency, LOT has little chance to revive its fortunes without finding an outside investor. A comparatively small airline carrier, LOT's number of widebody fleet will increase to just eight aircrafts as two newly acquired 787 Dreamliners joins operation next year. The airline company claims that it makes on average over 200 flights on a daily basis and carries nearly 5 million passengers every year. Advertisement TagsLOT Airlines, Air China, Ploand and China, Polish Airlines (Photo : TASS) The 1K17 Szhatie laser tank developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Advertisement The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has taken delivery of several prototypes of its first combat laser weapons developed since the 1970s. Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov explained these laser weapons are combat lasers and not experimental weapons such as those previously tested by the Russian Ground Forces. He said the laser weapon prototypes are based on new physical principles. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "The technology itself existed before, but now is the time when it is used in practice," said Borisov. Speaking at a meeting dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Russian Federal Nuclear Center in the city of Sarov, Borisov said the laser systems were developed in the USSR. Defense ministry sources said these weapons will largely determine the future capabilities of the Russian Ground Forces under new state arms program extending until 2025. In the mid-1950s the Soviet Union conducted extensive research to develop and test high-power laser weapons for strategic space and missile defense. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union revealed two operational prototypes of a laser tank designated the 1K17 Szhatie ("Compression"). Mounted on its turret was a battery of laser projectors that could disable the optical-electronic equipment of enemy missiles, ground and aerial vehicles. The laser tank, the design of which began in the 1970s, fired an intense laser beam created by focusing light through 30 kg of artificial rubies. This component, however, made the system very expensive to produce. Development of the Szhatie was abandoned with the collapse of the Soviet Union since the development and production of the laser system became too expensive and unnecessary. One of these laser tanks was scrapped while the other is on display at the Army Technology Museum near Moscow. Russia is playing catch-up to the United States, whose different armed forces branches will deploy operational combat laser weapons beginning 2017. Combat lasers of the U.S. Air Force are the most advanced in development. Advertisement TagsArmed Forces of the Russian Federation, Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov, Laser Weapons, 1K17 Szhatie News / National by Staff reporter President Robert Mugabe's stunning fall-out with war veterans and his panicking Zanu-PF government's savage crackdown on the restless former freedom fighters is proving to be a substantial early Christmas gift for the nonagenarian's growing band of critics.Disaffected Zanu-PF supporters, opposition parties and pro-democracy activists who spoke to the Daily News yesterday all made it clear that the fall-out between Mugabe and war veterans was an unexpected political boon for them.This comes as the ex-combatants - whose leadership is reeling from a brutal crackdown by the government after they served divorce papers on Mugabe about two weeks ago - have overnight found favour with Mugabe's critics despite their hitherto long and close association with the increasingly isolated Zanu-PF strongman.In an unprecedented show of solidarity with the under-fire former freedom fighters, both opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC and former FROM P1Vice President Joice Mujuru's Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) joined hundreds of civic society leaders in attending the bail hearing of war veterans' spokesperson Douglas Mahiya on Monday - following his arrest last week after Mugabe had said the government would punish the vets for issuing a damning communique which ended their long relationship with the nonagenarian."The war veterans' fallout with Mugabe represents the collapse of the last pillar of support for Mugabe and a massive disintegration of Zanu-PF which creates a turning point opportunity for various groups to build national consensus on the need to end Mugabe's rule and initiate national dialogue on a roadmap to credible, free and fair elections."There is no time to waste. Zimbabwe is on the precipice and needs Zanu-PF to admit failure and engage key stakeholders to retrieve the country from the brink of civil war and total collapse," said senior researcher with the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Dewa Mavhinga.The MDC said now was the time to unite and bring to an end Mugabe's rule."As a nation, we need to holistically look at this horrific abuse of the citizenry and objectively calculate how far we can go at this rate," said MDC vice president Nelson Chamisa, who was at the court on Monday to support Mahiya."The courts are supposed to be the oasis of effective justice, the last pillar of self-defence by a tormented people, but it would appear that this pillar is being tested and shaken. I have come to the conclusion that as a people, we have lost everything we possibly could in this country."We have lost our dignity, our legacy, identity and livelihood. More fundamentally, we have lost a country as we have also lost a lot of time. We need our nation back."We need our pride back and with it, our Ubuntu. We are a great people, but we have been driven to a point where we have nothing else to lose. And I mean it," he added.Mujuru's spokesman, Gift Nyandoro, said the crackdown on war veterans could not go unchallenged as ZPF believed that attacking one war veteran amounted to an attack on all former freedom fighters."She (Mujuru) has been very clear that Zimbabweans have to believe in inclusivity, she believes that there is strength in unity and she believes that if we can join hands we can enjoy a better Zimbabwe and remove this monster (Mugabe and Zanu-PF) from power," Nyandoro told the Daily News yesterday."The reason why she went to the court on Monday is self explanatory because what is being attacked is the essence of a true war veteran. Those war veterans are genuine war veterans who are failing to get the reason why they went to war in the first place. The war veterans fought a bitter struggle against the colonial regime for one man one vote and to ensure that all Zimbabweans enjoy their rights. The prosecution of war veterans shows that Mugabe has lost the direction of the liberation struggle and why that war was fought."She had to go and stand together with fellow colleagues in their time of persecution. She believes that if you attack one war veteran, you would have attacked all of them," Nyandoro added.Pro-democracy groups also said Mugabe's fight with the war veterans signalled the end of a political marriage which at its peak was formidable in crushing all opposition to the ruling party."The Mugabe regime has been tough to beat for the opposition precisely because it was built not just on patronage and repression, but on solidarities, ties and ideologies forged during the shared experience of both colonisation and the liberation struggle," said civic leader McDonald Lewanika."The collapse of these historic bonds means Zanu-PF is weaker, and while it can still rely on patronage and repression, both have thresholds and are not as strong as the historical post bonds with veterans."It might not really be open season yet on Zanu-PF, but a real opportunity exists and can be leveraged, but only if the opposition doesn't have the same weaknesses as Zanu-PF," the former Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition executive director added."What is needed at the moment for forces opposed to Mugabe is a principled unity of purpose that puts the country first before egos. Is this the right time? Yes, there is no time like the present," Lewanika told the Daily News.Mugabe, in power since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in April 1980, is facing the biggest challenge of his political career, amid swelling public anger and the nasty fall-out with the former freedom fighters, the bulwark of his rule for many years.The ex-combatants last month issued a damning communique ending their relationship with their patron, in a move which rocked the nonagenarian and Zanu-PF to their foundations.The panicking government has responded to this by swooping on the war veterans' leadership, in a brutal crackdown which has drawn outrage and widespread condemnation not just in Zimbabwe, but also around the world."The former freedom fighters, accused of killing and harassing opposition supporters and aiding and abetting violence which kept Mugabe in power in past elections, are now seen as important cogs in ending Mugabe's rule by the nonagenarian's political foes.Zimbabwe is currently in the middle of an economic meltdown which has seen thousands of companies closing down and hundreds of thousands of employees losing their jobs in the process.Banks are also running out of cash, prompting Mugabe's desperate government to plan the introduction of bond notes which will start circulating in October.The mass action against the long-ruling Zimbabwean leader and his under fire government also comes as thousands of unemployed university graduates, some of whom are trying to eke out a difficult living as street vendors, also plan to protest in the capital today - demanding the 2,2 million jobs that Zanu-PF promised in the run up to the hotly disputed 2013 national elections. The Rev. Franklin Graham has announced that a summit on Christian persecution which was set to take place in Russia next year, will instead take place in the U.S. due to Russias new laws restricting religious freedom. ChristianToday.com reports that Graham has announced the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians will now be held in Washington, D.C. instead of in Moscow. "Earlier this year I announced that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association would hold the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians the first event of its kind in Moscow, Graham wrote on Facebook. "We were looking forward to this significant event being held in Russia because no one knows modern Christian persecution better than the church that suffered under communist rule, he continued. The summit has been moved to the U.S. after Russia recently enacted laws that are supposedly aimed at preventing terrorism, but have had a negative impact on religious freedom. The laws prevent Christians and those of other religions from evangelizing except in churches and other religious gatherings. Additionally, house churches have been banned. The Protestant Churches of Russia have called the laws the most draconian anti-religion bill to be proposed in Russia since Nikita Khrushchev promised to eliminate Christianity in the Soviet Union. It appears that the summit on Christian persecution that Graham is organizing is needed now more than ever. Publication date: August 4, 2016 I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up. In 2007, Mohamed Hegazy became the first Egyptian to seek to change the religion on his identification card from Muslim to Christian. But after nine years of harassment, imprisonment, and torture, last week Hegazy publicly declared his return to Islam. In a YouTube video, Hegazy blessed Muhammed as the chief-most among Allahs creation, spelled out the Shahada (the Islamic proclamation of allegiance), and apologized to his family. "I want nothing from this video, Hegazy said in an apparently rehearsed statement. I have no desires. I will not appear again in the media. I will not appear again publicly. I say this out of my complete free will. I am under no pressures from anyone. I am not being held by any agency, nor am I under any pressure of any kind. And thats it. [Editors note: Hegazys attorney has told Morning Star News that he thought Hegazy, who was in prison at the time, was terrified, stating, I personally think that he recorded this video to get out.] Hegazy broke new ground in 2007 when he sued to change his religious identification from Muslim to Christian. The judge rejected his request, and Hegazy appealed. The case was suspended indefinitely in 2010 while the Egyptian government adopted a new constitution. Hegazy took a new Christian name, Bishoy Armeya, but his 2010 government ID card still showed his original birth name. Hegazy became a Christian at the age of 16, in 1998. In 2002, he was briefly jailed and tortured, then laterwith his familywent into hiding. He applied for the ID card change so he could raise his child as a Christian, he said. Eventually, his wife and two children relocated to Germany. In December 2013, Hegazy was arrested again and charged with "protesting without permission" and for "defamation of religion after he filmed clashes between Muslims and Christians. He has been imprisoned ever since, even though he was cleared of the first charge and the statute of limitations has expired on the second, Hegazys attorney Karam Ghobrial said. In late June, the court ordered Hegazy released on bail. But police and prison authorities kept him for weeks longer by by losing the court order, requiring a new birth certificate, and moving him secretly, Ghobrial said. "For a client to be detained somewhere unknown to their lawyer, with no legal reasons left for their detentionthis contravenes the countrys laws and its constitution, Ghobrial said. Yet, in Hegazys case, its precisely whats happened. Egypt assertsboth in its own new constitution, which was approved in January 2014, and by virtue of its international legal obligationsrespect for freedom of belief and human dignity. However, due to long-standing prohibitions against apostasy, a Muslim who abandons Islam is considered to have committed an offense worthy of death. According to a 2013 Pew Research poll, 88 percent of Egyptian Muslims favor the death penalty for anyone leaving Islam. "None of us was there during his three years in jail," said a source close to the proceedings. "We cannot be in his shoes and know what kind of pressure he endured either during his prison time, or from his family, who wanted him to be released." Hegazy was eventually transferred to Port Said, his last police station, before he was finally released, informed sources told World Watch Monitor. Even though Hegazy is 34, "his release was conditioned by the acceptance of his parents to keep him under their control," said a source, on condition of anonymity. Editors note: CT has tracked Hegazys case since 2007, when he went into hiding after he was tortured by police and Muslim clerics called for his execution. His case, arguing for the right to officially change his religious identity, initially brought hope to other Christians in the region. In 2014, CT covered his sentencing to five years in prison for documenting attacks by Muslim extremists against Christians. CT also took a closer look at conversion confusion in Egypt. James Dobson didnt realize his off-the-cuff remarks about Donald Trumps faith would set off so many questions about the Republican candidates alleged recommitment to Christ. The former Focus on the Family leader, who has endorsed Trump, publicly addressed the situation for the first time in a letter sent to followers today, stating he didnt waffle on anything when he had to clarify that he didnt know the exact details of Trumps relationship with Jesus. Dobson explained what happened following the June gathering of 1,000 evangelical leaders at Trump Tower in New York: I talked that day to what seemed like 500 people in a 15-hour period ending at 11:30 p.m. One of those well-wishers was carrying a recording device, and he suddenly appeared before me and held a microphone in my face. He asked for my impressions from the day. I spoke candidly for about 20 seconds, as I recall. Then he disappeared. By the next morning, millions of people were talking about my saying I had heard during the day that a minister had led Donald Trump to a relationship with Christ. I didnt elaborate because I said all I knew. The man with the recorder was Pennsylvania pastor Michael Anthony, and Dobson told him that Trump did accept a relationship with Christ and really made a commitment, but hes a baby Christian. Trump, whose awkward referrals to Jesus as somebody I can revere in terms of bravery and communion as my little wine and my little cracker have made evangelicals cringe, describes himself as a Presbyterian who goes to church when I can. Few Americans consider Trump to be very religious, according to the Pew Research Center. Pastor Jentezen Franklin, who sits with Dobson on Trumps evangelical advisory board, told the Gainsville Times that the candidate said he rededicated his life to Christ a decade ago. Some of the mainstream media jumped on Dobsons comments, leading him to point to controversial televangelist Paula White as the source of the potential born again incident. In an interview with Trump, Mike Huckabee also referred to the close relationship between White and Trump, calling her his spiritual counselor and advisor. My conversations with Paula, who I adore, (are) a great reminder to me that you are willing to listen to spiritual counsel from people who you know and you trust, Huckabee told Trump. With little evidence of repentance, many questioned the claim. Oh give me a break, author and blogger Rachel Held Evans tweeted. Donald Trump hasnt been born again. The Religious Right has simply sold out. James 2, folks. Baptist blogger and seminary professor Denny Burk agreed, tweeting that if true, wed rejoice w/arms open. But if baby Xtian means Xtian with no fruit, how does this change anything? If anything, Trumps candidacy is revealing the inner secularization of the evangelical movement, where evangelical no longer means something many would recognize as properly Christian, Westminster SeminaryCalifornia professor Michael Horton wrote for CT. But that doesnt mean Trump is a hopeless case. If God gets a hold of Trump, it won't be the first time people didn't believe it, wrote Anthony, the pastor whose interview started it all. It won't be the first time that a terrible person who lived completely against Christ came to know him. Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the Great Commandment, said Jerry Falwell Jr., who endorsed Trump early on. Later he added, Jesus said Judge not, lest ye be judged. Lets stop trying to choose the political leaders who we believe are the most godly because, in reality, only God knows peoples hearts. You and I dont, and we are all sinners. Pew recently examined whether Americans see Trump as a religious man (few do, and few care), as well as whether they want their president to be religious. Overall, Trump and Hillary Clinton have weekly churchgoers unusually split. Most evangelical laypeople say they are voting for Trumpthough most not for Trumpwhile most evangelical leaders have not supported his candidacy in past polls. [Photos courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr and Focus on the Family] When a six-month-old baby was shot and killed in gang-related violence in the Chicago neighborhood of Woodlawn three years ago, Corey Brooks and his New Beginnings Church ministered to the grieving family. This June, however, when another childthis time, a toddlerwas paralyzed in a similar shooting on Fathers Day, Brooks decided to go further, inviting more than 100 gang members together so he could broker a truce thats still going strong. Brooks recently spoke with Christianity Today assistant editor Morgan Lee about how he built rapport with gang members, his reputation in the neighborhood, and how he hopes other Chicago churches will support his work: How long have you been trying to broker this truce? Weve been talking about it for over a year now. We had difficulties getting everyone to agree. Finally, we were able to get everyone to come to the table and at least discuss the potential of a truce. What did you address in your meeting? I talked about the pain that everyone has experienced as a result of these shootings. A lot of the individuals there had been shot, and if they hadnt, their relatives or very close friends had been shot. They know the pain really well, and its impact on family and friends. Secondly, I talked about the great need for us to have a community where our children are free to go out and play. That impacts them because a lot of them have children who are very young. The third thing I tried to communicate is that its very difficult to business to come in and hire when individuals are trying to control one area. How did you keep the meeting safe and secure? That was difficult. A lot of prayer. The meeting started out really tense because those individuals had never really been in a room together. They were seeing each other as enemies. Its hard to have a one-to-one sit-down, but to have 50-50 sit down and talk was even more difficult. But I opened in prayers and set the ground rules and kept everyone accountable; thats how I was able to stay in control of the meeting and communicate on a level that was not intimidating or threatening. You knew many of the people in the room already? A lot of the guys in that room, I know them personally. I know their families. I have ministered to many of their families in times of shootings and gun violence. I built relationships and rapport with a lot of people in that room. It isnt something that happened overnight, but it has been in process for some time now. Were you the only church leader there? The only one. I think a lot of the guys respect that I didnt call the police and that I didnt have a bunch of other people in the room. I was willing to be open and vulnerable and give them a very compelling message about why they are needed in the community and why we need them to step up and get rid of the violence. What is your reputation in the neighborhood? If you are talking about the guys who are in the streets who are doing a lot of things that are negative in the community, I am highly respected and loved. One of the reasons they were so willing to participate in this truce was due to their admiration. Another group of people would not be as kind to me because of my political viewpoints. Overall, though, people respect the fact that I stand for what I believe. How have you built rapport with your neighborhoods gang members? By not just being a church thats inside four walls, but by being a church thats involved in the community, thats always reaching out and always trying to make avenues and build bridges to people who would normally be ostracized or not thought of as being part of the church. Were always trying to reach out to those who are on the fringes of society. We have a nonprofit, for example, called Project Hood (Helping Others Obtain Destiny). Our goal is to fight gun violence one neighborhood at a time through economic, social, and spiritual endeavors. We have summer programs. Were big on mentoring and providing young people with positive mentors. What was your strategy for building relationships with the community when you moved to Woodlawn? Saturation. We wanted to saturate this community to let them know that our church was here and that we were here to make a difference. One of the first things we did was pass out well over 25,000 Bibles: car-to-car, hand-to-hand, letting people know that we were in the neighborhood. Were always having events and inviting the neighborhood. Were always having outdoor activities. We have an open door policy for everyone in the neighborhood. We planted in this neighborhood on purpose. Do you see your church as an example to other churches in the city? Thats the whole goal! If we are successful here in Woodlawn, there is no reason that we wont go into other neighborhoods and help them as well. Its not just a personal goal of mine, but also for a lot of other organizations. We want to be a model for what can happen across the city of Chicago. How can other churches in areas less affected by violence partner with your church? One of the things we do lack is partnerships. We need churches on the outside to come along and assist us with resources. We need people with financial resources to help us get these guys in schools and build up their capacity to get them to work. We also need mentors: people to come alongside and mentor young potential entrepreneurs in grim economic environments. We also need prayer to assist us, as well. What happens if the ceasefire is broken? If that happensand we anticipate it wontweve put some measures in place. It was definitely a negotiation, and both sides were definitely giving and taking. We will continue to meet and continue to hold people accountable. home Life Dead Sea showing signs of 'End Times prophecy' The discovery of living organisms thriving on the seafloor of the Dead Sea might be the End Times prophecy finally taking shape, according to a report. According to Breaking Israel News, Samantha Siegel, a Jewish local in Jerusalem and a frequent to the Dead Sea area, discovered green plants around the pool of salt water as well as fishes swimming on the shores. She captured her discovery of the Dead Sea coming to life in a video she posted on YouTube on July 21. The title of her video "Fish living by the Dead Sea a Prophecy of Ezekiel Unfolding" betrays how she interpreted what she's seen. Ezekiel 47:8-9 speaks of a water flowing toward the Dead Sea, turning the salt water into fresh water that's habitable to large numbers of fishes and swarms of living creatures. Similarly, an End Times prophecy from the book of Zechariah 14:8 reads, "On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean Sea. This will happen for the summer as well as the winter." "This is a big deal, and no one is really talking about it," said Siegel in the video. The publication also reported that a team of researchers from Negev's Ben Gurion University discovered in 2011 some proof that the Dead Sea, so salty it's inhospitable to any living organism, might not be entirely dead after all. The divers discovered signs of life as fresh water seeps in from the cratered seafloor where microorganisms thrived. However, not everyone shares the same perspective on End Times theology, as reported by The Christian Post. For some, the future holds the key to the revelations while others are more skeptical on the water's origin as indicated by the prophecies of Ezekiel 47 and Zechariah 14. News / National by Staff reporter A policeman was reportedly undressed and lost his uniform and shoes during yesterday bond notes protests in Harare.The unidentified cop was said to have been attacked while leaving a bank, the Herald reported.A police vehicle was also stoned during the demonstrations.The state controlled publication said a massive 4 000 people flooded the streets to cause "mayhem in the city".It fingered Acie Lumumba of VIVA Zimbabwe, Tajamuka/Sesjikile spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi, Transform Zimbabwe president Jacob Ngaribvume and members of the Zimbabwe Coalition for Unemployed Graduates (ZCFUG) as chief instigators.Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said they are 'disturbed' by the demonstrators."What is disturbing is that according to their application through the court, they had said they would carry out a peaceful demonstration, but they ran amok and damaged property, cars and injured innocent people. Police were operating under difficult circumstances since there were about 4 000 people," she said. Violence broke out after police stopped the marchers from proceeding to Parliament, resulting in running battles with the protesters, who fought back using stones.As police fled, they called for reinforcements, who rushed to the scene with teargas canisters and water cannons and indiscriminately assaulted everyone on sight, including passers-by.Business momentarily came to a standstill as most shops closed, as tempers flared.Police then stormed the opposition MDC-T's Harvest House headquarters, where they repeatedly fired teargas along the road to disperse party members gathered at the building.MDC-T legislators Tabitha Khumalo was rushed to hospital after she succumbed to teargas smoke. home World ISIS rebukes Pope Francis' claims that their Jihad is not a 'war of religions'; Vows to kill all infidels as Allah ordered The Islamic State has slammed Pope Francis for undermining the extremists' war against Christians as "not a war of religions" and then vowed to kill all unbelievers just as Allah ordered. The ISIS terrorist group vehemently opposed the Roman Catholic leader, who spoke of jihad or Islam's war against unbelievers as anything but religious. "It's war, we don't have to be afraid to say this," Pope Francis told journalists on the papal plane on his way to Poland for World Youth Day. He said this following an extremist attack on a Catholic Church in Normandy, France and the brutal murder of an 85-year-old French Catholic priest. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and hailed the two young attackers as their soldiers. However, the pontiff quickly added, "I am not speaking of a war of religions. Religions don't want war. The others want war." The pope's additional statements became the pique of the extremist group, who vowed to kill all unbelievers in the name of Islam. "This is a divinely-warranted war between the Muslim nation and the nations of disbelief," read a statement on the latest issue of Dabiq, ISIS' online magazine used chiefly for propaganda and recruitment, reproduced through the Clarion Project. It added, "Indeed, waging jihad a spreading the rule of Allah by the sword a is an obligation found in the Koran, the word of our Lord, just as it was an obligation sent in the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel." ISIS also made it clear that they strongly disapprove of the current pope, who has tried to build inter-faith relations among Christians and Muslims, just as they disapproved with the previous popes. In its feature article "In the Words of the Enemy," the group reduced Pope Francis' acts of kindness and charitable works as "a deceptive veil of good will." They also accused him of falsely carrying out a depiction of friendship toward Muslims in order to veer the latter "from the obligation of waging jihad against disbelief." home World World Vision's Gaza rep. accused of giving millions of dollars in aid money to Hamas Israel accused U.S.-based Christian relief group World Vision's Gaza representative on Thursday of funneling millions of dollars in aid money to Hamas, charges that the Islamist militant group denied and the charity voiced scepticism over. Mohammad El Halabi, World Vision's manager of operations in Gaza, was arrested by Israel on June 15 while crossing the border into the enclave, which is under the de facto rule of Hamas, a group on the Israeli and U.S. terrorism blacklists. World Vision said it was "shocked" by Israel's allegations and said in a statement that it had regular internal and independent audits and evaluations as well as a broad range of internal controls to ensure aid reached intended beneficiaries. "Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true. We will carefully review any evidence presented to us and will take appropriate actions based on that evidence," the statement said. It was not immediately clear if Halabi had been assigned a lawyer or how he might plead in court once formally charged. Israel had previously maintained a gag order on the case. Briefing reporters on Thursday, a senior Israeli security official said Halabi, who has run the group's Gaza operations since 2010, had been under extended surveillance. The official said Halabi, a Palestinian, had confessed to siphoning off some $7.2 million a year, about 60 percent of the World Vision's Gaza funding, to pay Hamas fighters, buy arms, pay for its activities and build fortifications. "Money was used to fund Hamas and pay armed wing fighters, and food and health packs intended for Gaza residents were also given to Hamas operatives, rather than to their intended recipients, the poor and meek of Gaza," the official said. The Israeli security official said some of the money Halabi was accused of taking had been used to buy arms for insurgents in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, that also borders Israel, and that a Hamas military base was built with $80,000 of the funds. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, speaking in Gaza, said the group had "no connection to (Halabi) and therefore, all Israeli accusations are void and aim to suppress our people". Hamas also denies any links to Sinai insurgents. News / National by Staff reporter Motor-mouth acting national chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), Mandiitawepi Chimene is expected to address Bulawayo war veterans on Saturday.The war veterans would gather for a feedback meeting following their meeting with President Robert Mugabe last week.Manicaland Provincial Affairs Mandiitawepi Chimene is the guest speaker.However, only "well-disciplined members are expected to attend the meeting"."The meeting will focus on a number of issues including the current situation within the association.''Current developments within the interim committee will be discussed and updates on what has transpired will be given."We will also look into the programme for the elections that are ahead of us as per the President's advice.''The national chairperson is coming down here to lead us on those issues" War veterans' Council of Elders member George Mlala is quoted saying.Chimene, a war veteran, escalated the fight by publicly imploring Mugabe to fire vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa. 14 Irish bishops to send trainee priests to national seminary despite 'gay sub-culture' and Grindr rumours Fourteen of the 26 Catholic diocesan bishops in Ireland have said they will continue to send seminarians to the national seminary, despite the decision by the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin to cease sending trainee priests there. The move by Martin came because of what he described as "strange goings-on" at Maynooth, in north County Kildare, amid reports of a "gay sub-culture" and claims that some of the 60 resident seminarians were using the gay dating app Grindr. Martin this week told The Irish Times: "I wasn't happy with Maynooth...There seems to be an atmosphere of strange goings-on there, it seems like a quarrelsome place with anonymous letters being sent around. I don't think this is a good place for students". Following the archbishop's comments, The Irish Times emailed bishops asking if they were planning to continue to send their seminarians to Maynooth. Fourteen said they would. Of the others, the Bishop of Elphin, Kevin Doran said he would be guided "by the particular formation needs and personal aptitudes of the individual concerned". Bishop Leo O'Reilly of Kilmore and Bishop Brendan Kelly of Achonry are away, and the Bishop of Killala John Fleming said he had no seminarians currently. It is known that along with Martin, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore has decided to send his seminarians to the Irish College in Rome. Six diocesan bishops had not responded to the email by today. Meanwhile, Maynooth received support from the Association of Catholic Priests, who said, "the damage this controversy will do to Maynooth is not in the best interest of the Irish church". The association added that "the response to whatever the crisis is real or imaginary demands more than moving a few students to Rome and offering a few unconvincing reasons for the decision". One of the association's spokesmen, Father Brendan Hoban, told Morning Ireland that Maynooth always had a "strange hot-house kind of atmosphere, seminaries are that kind of thing". But a new group Voices Against Maynooth Abuse has been established by a former seminarian who alleges that he was sexually harassed there between 2007 and 2009. Antisemitic incidents rise sharply as 'worrying trend' continues Antisemitic incidents rose by 11 per cent in the first six months of the year in a "worrying trend" developing in the UK. The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors the safety of the Jewish community, compiled data on hate incidents targeted at Jews and said there had been 577 cases from January to June 2016, up from 473 in the same period last year. The charity said there was "no obvious single cause" for the rise. However it said the from April to June there was "sustained public debate about antisemitism, particularly in relation to the Labour Party, and about racism and extremism more generally". An inquiry into antisemitism was launched by the Labour party after the suspension of Naz Shah MP and former mayor of London Ken Livingston. It found the party was not overrun by antisemitism but admitted an "occasionally toxic atmosphere". The CST report found that a quarter of recorded instances involved social media, which had become an "essential tool" for those who wanted to harass, abuse or threaten Jews. A total of 431 incidents related to abuse, which included verbal abuse, antisemitic graffiti, abuse online and hate mail. More than three-quarters of incidents were recorded in Greater London and Greater Manchester, both cities with large Jewish populations. But the 62 incidents that happened in Manchester represented a 54 per cent fall compared to last year. The charity's chief executive, David Delew, said: "This rise in reported antisemitism comes at a time when division, intolerance and prejudice appear to be deepening within our society. "Reversing this worrying trend requires real leadership from all political parties, and for the social media companies to take their share of the responsibility." Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "I condemn the deplorable rise in antsemitic hate incidents in the first half of this year and will continue to work with law enforcement partners and with the Jewish community to ensure their safety and security." Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham said: "There are worrying increases in incidents of antisemitic behaviour as many forms of hate crime rise across the country too." Labour MP John Mann, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group against antisemitism, said: "This is a worrying rise in incidents set against a backdrop of increasing hate crime across the country." Belfast Anglican Cathedral appoints Catholic priest for first time ever A Roman Catholic Preist has been appointed as one of the clergy at Belfast's Anglican Cathedral for the first time ever. The bold move sees Fr Edward O'Donnell, who's been a Catholic priest for 40 years, join the Chapter of St Anne's Church of Ireland Cathedral. He is one of three 'ecumenical canons' to be part of the team along with two women both co-incidentally called Rev Ruth Patterson. One is the first woman to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the other a Methodist minister. Fr O'Donnell said, "I recognise that for St Anne's Cathedral community, and for the Catholic community of Belfast, that this is a significant step, perhaps even historic, but more so, I recognise the generosity of the Dean and Chapter in inviting me, as a representative of the Roman Catholic Church, to be an Ecumenical Canon." The move is significant not only in bringing symbolic unity across the historic Anglican-Roman Catholic divide, which has existed since the English Reformation in the 16th Century. In Northern Ireland, there is an added level of significance, given the divide between the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities, which has been the basis for intense division over hundreds of years. The Dean of the Cathedral, The Very Rev John Mann welcomed the appointment, "I am delighted that Father Eddie O'Donnell has accepted nomination as an Ecumenical Canon of the Cathedral," he said. "He is a priest for whom I have great admiration and his presence in St Anne's will be source of strengthening the already important ecumenical bonds that we have. Our unity in Christ is important to us both." Brighton churches 'supportive' as city prepares for UK's largest gay pride march Churches are preparing for the UK's largest gay pride march this weekend in Brighton. Tens of thousands are expected to turn out on the seafront in Brighton and Hove for the annual "pride parade" through the town to the festival on Saturday morning. A number of churches are dotted along the march's route. While the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage is highly controversial in many of Britain's churches including the Church of England the local Anglican Diocese of Chichester has said its churches have "created a range of inclusive events to celebrate" the festival. Some churches are putting theological questions to one side in an effort to be open and welcoming. A key landmark on the route is the evangelical Anglican church St Peter's, known as the "cathedral of Brighton". Vicar Archie Coates told Christian Today he was "very supportive" of the parade and a lot of people in his congregation would be taking part. "It's great because it celebrates diversity as much as it celebrates LGBT people," he said. "In our congregation we have a lot of diversity and a lot of LGBT people and we are very supportive." The church was planted by the charistmatic London church Holy Trinity Brompton in 2009 and around 1,000 people attend every Sunday. Two other Anglican churches, St John's Church near Preston Park and St Luke's Prestonville, said they had "open doors to celebrate all that the Pride Festival stands for". St John's will host a special service for LGBT people, family and friends on Saturday afternoon and St Luke's will hold a "Pride Teaparty" later on Saturday. The vicar, Rev Martin Poole, said: "Here at St Luke's we want everyone to know that God loves and affirms them and there is a welcome here that reflects that. "We acknowledge that there is a complicated relationship between sexuality and the church which has often been difficult and we want to give people an opportunity to talk about this in an open and non-judgmental environment. "A tea party felt like just the right sort of atmosphere to have these kinds of conversations and will provide a place for those who might not be attracted to the exuberance of the festival in the park." A New Frontiers Church, Church of Christ the King, also has a site near the parade's route. It declined to comment when Christian Today asked whether it was doing anything for the festival. Christian priest dragged on floor as police evict worshippers from condemned church Riot police have forcefully removed worshippers from a church in Paris who were protesting against the demolition of the building to make way for social housing and parking. Dramatic footage emerged on social media under the hashtage #SainteRita after the eviction, which took place one day after the funeral of the murdered priest Father Jacques Hamel. Police used 12 squad cars and officers in full riot gear for the eviction, in the 15th arrondissement or administrative district of Paris. The worshippers were staging a sit-in protest while the priest, who was saying an early morning Mass, was dragged along the floor. RT reported that it was "heavy-handed to say the least". The church was originally scheduled for demolition last year and the building permit for the new development was obtained as long ago as 2012. It is named after Saint Rita of Casica, canonised by Pope Leo XIII in 1900 as "Patroness of Impossible Causes". The parishioners were unable to raise the large sums needed to save the church for their continued use. Among those who comment was Marine le Pen, president of the conservative National Front, who asked in a tweet what would happen if parking provision was created on the site of a Salafist mosque rather than by destroying a church: Et si l'on faisait des parkings sur l'emplacement des mosquees salafistes plutot que de detruire nos eglises ? #SainteRita MLP Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) August 3, 2016 Philosopher and theologian Vivien Hoch tweeted: La Republique applique a la lettre la dechristianisation de la France. Aout 2016 : #SainteRita pic.twitter.com/lJ9P6nCFD0 Vivien Hoch (@vivien_hoch) August 3, 2016 The Paris Police Prefecture said that about 30 people occupied the building. "The evacuation was carried out without any incident." Churches told to 'get with the programmes' by downloading latest apps Having become the Pokemon Go-to hub in the latest online craze, the Church of England has decided it's gotta catch 'em all when it comes to other forms of social media as well. Vicars throughout the country have been encouraged to get with the programmes as CofE head office urges them to sign up for the latest gifs, time lapse and photo apps. Examples of churches already using social media include Lichfield Cathedral's #beforeaction Battle of the Somme commemoration, where people are being invited to record and upload videos of themselves reading a war poem. Please record a war poem for our Somme event, use the hashtag #beforeaction just like #EddieRedmayne pic.twitter.com/4syfsW4e0Y Lichfield Cathedral (@LichfieldCath) July 28, 2016 In a move described as the "The Gif of God: the Church of England issues eight social media commandments" by the Telegraph, the Church wants clergy to sign up for the latest apps such as Prisma for creative photo filters, Gif Me! for animated images, Phonto-Text for an easy way to add text to pictures and Lapse It for a simple way to make time short lapse videos. The Church of England's digital media officer Tallie Proud also recommends the group conversation tool Slack and resources to manage online reading lists such as Feedly. Proud writes: "Underneath the logo on the Church of England website is the tagline 'a Christian presence in every community'. And while this is seen through many churches up and down the country on a daily basis - we often neglect one community. The online community." Before going any further, there are a few myths we need to bust: Social media is not just for young people, she says. "One of the fastest growing groups on social media is the over 50's and those aged 65-74 are almost twice as likely to use a smartphone now compared to 2012." People turn to social media to find jobs, share major life events and follow news, she adds. "In the same way that people are turning to social media for news, your church's social media activity has become the new church noticeboard or magazine. For some, social media is the first place they will look to find out what kind of church you are. It's the perfect place to let your church's personality shine through and make people want to be a part of it." She says it is not a question of if a church should be on social media, but a church is going to make a difference through social media and when. Examples of churches using some of the ideas include St Paul's Letchworth which did a time lapse video of a recent fun day: Moseley Benefice in Birmingham has been experimenting with Prism: Ken Ham defends Ark Encounter from Bill Nye, accuses scientist of brainwashing children "The Science Guy" Bill Nye did not have nice things to say after he visited the Christian attraction Ark Encounter in Kentucky, but Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham thinks the scientist is just being ridiculously silly. Nye told NBC News that the Ark Encounter was "disturbing," and every single exhibit was "absolutely wrong." He also claimed that the attraction encourages visitors to trust faith more than science, thus reducing their ability to think critically. For his part, Ham writes on his Facebook page that Nye's comments were "really disturbing and troubling." "Nye wants to convince all children to believe they are just animals who arose by natural processesand that there's no God! The implications of this belief on the question of the meaning and purpose of life are beyond serious!" he says. With Nye's accusation that the exhibits were wrongly interpreted, Ham argues that their exhibits "show quite conclusively that observational science in the fields of geology, genetics, and anthropology confirm biblical history concerning man, animals, and the Flood of Noah's day." Ham accuses Nye of having blind faith, since the latter believes life came from natural processes. Ham is also shaking his head to Nye's evidence that "DNA, including its information and language system, arising by natural processes, came about to the fact that 'we're here.'" Nye also wants children to be critical thinkers, but Ham says he is undercutting children's ability to determine for themselves what is right and what is not by stating life arose from natural processes. "You see, Bill Nye doesn't want parents to be allowed to teach their children about God. He wants to brainwash kids, to indoctrinate them, in his naturalistic (atheistic) religion of meaninglessness and hopelessness," says Ham. In the video posted on Ham's Facebook page, Ham asks Nye to provide a moral basis for why people wear clothes. Nye responds by saying that people in the scientific community believe that human feelings and emotions are a result of evolution. "So that we have sympathy for each other, that we get angry with each other, that we work very hard to raise our children, provide them with resources [it] is deep within us. It's part of who we are. It's not a result of a top-down issuance of laws. That's the claim in science, and we observe this in other species," Nye explains. Ham counters by saying that God gave people clothes "because of sin." "The fact that we are wearing clothes is a reminder that God killed animals and clothed Adam and Eve," he says, arguing that this eventually paved the way for Jesus, who would one day come to "die for our sins." "Died for your sin, Bill, and died for mine, be raised from the dead, and offer the free gift of salvation," Ham says. London knife attack: One woman dead, five injured One woman was killed and five others injured by a man who went on the rampage with a knife in central London. Armed police were called at 21.33 GMT on Wednesday after a man armed with a knife started to attack people in London's Russell Square, injuring several including one woman - a US citizen - in her sixties who later died. Police said it was a "spontaneous attack" and the victims, who also included British, American, Australian and Israeli people, were selected at random. None of those wounded have life threatening injuries. The Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley told reporters he believed the attack was a result of the suspect's mental health problems. He said the 19-year-old, who is Norwegian national of Somali origin, has been arrested but showed no sign of radicalisation. He emphasised there was no evidence the man was "in anyway motivated by terrorism". Earlier Rowley had said mental health was a "significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry". But he added early on Thursday morning: "But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore." Police, who arrived within five minutes of being called, used a Taser electric shock gun while detaining the 19-year-old suspect. He was taken to hospital but has since been discharged and formerly arrested. The woman was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. The other injured people - one woman and four men - are being treated. The southern part of the square has been cordoned off and a police forensics team is in place. The London mayor Sadiq Khan urged people to remain "calm and vigilant". He said his "heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones", adding police were doing a an "incredibly difficult job" and the safety of Londoners was his "number one priority". The threat level in Britain remains at "severe", its second highest level, meaning a strike was "highly likely". London police had already promised to deploy more armed offices after a spate of deadly attacks in other European countries. "Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice an increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers," Rowley said. "This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert," he said. Spain: Franciscan friar assaulted in 'Christianophobic' attack Police in Spain are hunting a Moroccan man who tried to rip the crucifix from the neck of a Franciscan friar and then tried to kill him. The attack by the man, thought to be aged about 35, took place at a cafe in Cartagena, south-east Spain. The drunk man tried to slash the priest with a broken bottle, yelling: "I am an Arab, I'll kill you." Two other Moroccan men pulled the attacker off. A waiter also attempted to intervene and was hit on the head with the bottle. The friar, Fray or Brother Job de Jesus, who was born in Catagena, had returned home to visit relatives. When the man attacked him, he managed to push him away and duck his assault. He tried to walk away but his assailant followed him and tried to grab his shirt as he shouted threats to kill him. Local newspaper La Opinion de Murcia reported that Fray Job, who served as a missionary for four years in the Dominican Republic, said the motive could not have been theft of the cross because it was wooden and of no monetary value. "His intention was ideological," he told the newspaper. It was of a clear example of "Christianophobia". Friar's lawyer, Antonio Casado Mena, said the most important thing was to find the attacker. Nigeria: Split emerges in Boko Haram - world's deadliest Islamist group A split has reportedly emerged among one of the most deadly Islamist groups in the world. Boko Haram has been responsible for numerous atrocities in several African countries - including the mass kidnap of Nigerian schoolgirls. Reports suggest that ISIS wanted Boko Haram to replace its leader, Abubakar Shekau, but after he refused to step down, two factions have emerged. His rival, Abu Musab al-Barnawi has been declared the leader via publications linked to ISIS. Boko Haram has fought a long war with the Nigerian army and is thought to have killed up to 17,000 people, many of them Christians. AP reports that al-Barnawi has claimed Boko Haram will continue to bomb churches and kill Christians. Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS in March 2015. It was reported last year that Boko Haram's attacks have actually been more deadly than ISIS'. As well as the Nigerian Army, which has fought Boko Haram since 2009, the US has placed a bounty on the heads of Boko Haram leaders. The BBC reports that, "Abubakar Shekau's outburst clearly shows that there are deep disagreements, which could translate into clashes between the foot soldiers loyal to the two leaders... But some security analysts caution that the internal wrangling could make it more deadly and unpredictable." News / National by Staff reporter 'She lied to hubby that she is going to SA'AN expecting Glen Norah married woman is alleged to have faked a trip abroad to engage in prostitution before clashing with a hooker in the Avenues over a client.The woman, only identified as Millicent, is reported to have lied that she is travelling to South Africa only to be found clashing with a lady of the night only identified as Molly over a potential client.Married woman clashes with hooker-Millicent loitering in the AvenuesIn her desperate protest against Millicent for venturing in her 'catching area' Molly approached Civil Courts for a peace order since they were accommodated in the same apartment at Ledo Court in room 18.Molly told H-Metro that she clashed with Millicent after she lured one of her paying clients when she had indicated to her that he was her client."Millicent is married which means she has someone to look after her but we accommodated her in our room after she informed us that she wanted to raise money for her maternity fees since she is expecting," said Molly."Millicent disclosed that she lied to her husband that she was visiting her relative in South Africa after I threatened to make a complaint to the police after she assaulted me."Her husband is not aware that she comes here for prostitution; varume makapusa chaizvo tiri kuswera navo vakadzi vevanhu muno mumaAvenues."Ngaagare kumba kwake kwete kuuya kuzotitorera maclients edu. I took the case before civil courts and come Thursday I will be with her.""Clients are few these days so I could not let my client have quality time with someone who is married anoda kudya kwese sei? Ndine vanawo vanoda kufundiswa."She is ever quarrelling with me so I saw it better to apply for a peace order so that she will be barred from entering our room and see if she can move around the Avenues looking for accommodation."Because of few clients being affected by cash we have found a way of cutting costs by having one room accommodating more than five ladies."We divide the room with a curtain so that anenge awana mhene yake oibatsira pakavanda," said Molly.Millicent could not be reached for comment as her mobile went unanswered.She had also not responded to questions sent to her via WhatsApp by the time of going to print. Pastor dies of malnutrition while trying to emulate Jesus' fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness A 44-year-old pastor in South Africa tried to emulate Jesus Christ who fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights to prepare for His ministry as written in the gospels of Luke, Mark and Matthew. However, Pastor Alfred Ndlovu died of malnutrition after enduring 30 days without food and water in the South African wilderness, Buzz South Africa reports. His body was reportedly found lying on the ground in the wilderness by a man passing by the area. The unidentified man alerted the police who then informed his family and congregation about what had happened. The pastor's death came as a shock to his family, church members and the community at large. "He was a very spiritual man. It's unfortunate he had to die this way. After a month we got the sad news of his death," a close relative said. "Pastor was a healthy and religious old man who did not even look his age," the kin added. Ndlovu was widely known in his church and community as a very spiritual person "with a faith that could move mountains," according to Buzz South Africa. The pastor reportedly left home to make a "spiritual journey" on June 17. Just like Jesus, Ndlovu left the things of the world behind him and focused on God as he took to the bush to conduct prayers, the report says. The pastor had no history of illness and was as "healthy as a horse" when he left for the spiritual journey, according to the news website. In the New Testament, several passages refer to Jesus' stay in the desert wilderness which took place after his baptism by John the Baptist. The passages state that the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the desert wilderness where He was tempted three times by the Devil. Jesus refused the Devil's challenges and remained faithful to God's will for his life. According to Reference.com, the number 40 in the Bible is associated with the testing of the Israelites as they wandered through the desert. As written in the Bible, Moses and Elijah were the other biblical figures that went into the desert for periods of fasting, prayer and testing. Russell Square stabbings: Local churches offer prayer Churches have called for prayer after a woman in her sixties was killed and five others wounded in a knife attack. A 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin has been arrested on suspicion of murder after armed police responded to the stabbings. Police said it was a "spontaneous attack" and there was "no evidence of radicalization" or that the man was "in any way motivated by terrorism". Churches around Russell Square will offer prayer and have said they will remain open for anyone who wishes support. The rector at nearby St George's Holborn was "called back urgently" from a trip and a spokesman said the church was "open and we're manned and ready to respond to anything". He told Christian Today: "We've spoken to other vicars locally and are hoping to unite and remain open for prayer throughout this time." Praying for our wonderful community today #russellsquare #weloveholborn St George's Holborn (@stgholborn) August 4, 2016 If you're passing, pop into our church and cafe @georgeswc1 for a cuppa and a pray. St George's Holborn (@stgholborn) August 4, 2016 More details of how local churches plan to respond is expected later today. Christian Today spoke to St Pancras Parish Church, also close to the scene of the attack. A spokeswoman said it has put a book of condolences at the back of the church for any parishioners affected. Another local church, Bloomsbury Baptist, said: "Our prayers are with all those affected by last night's incident in Russell Square. "Our church remains open and welcoming to all, as we seek to live out the peace of Christ in the heart of London." We pray for all who are afraid to be on the streets today, for all who are angry and for those trying to keep peace #kyrieeleison Bloomsburycentral (@Bloomcentral) August 4, 2016 The local MP, Labour's Keir Starmer, said his thoughts were with the victims. Senior Church of England clergyman found guilty of historic sex abuse A retired clergyman in the Church of England faces a possible prison sentence after being found guilty of historic sex abuse. The Rev Granville Gibson, aged 80, was found guilty at Durham Crown Court on two charges of indecent assault. He was cleared of five other historic sex offences. A former member of the General Synod and former Archdeacon of Durham, he will go on the sex offenders' register. He will be sentenced at a later date. The offences took place during his time as vicar of St Clare's, Newton Aycliffe, the court was told. The court heart that senior churchmen knew of allegations against him but no action was taken. Bishop of Durham Paul Butler said: "Following the conviction today of the Venerable Granville Gibson on two charges of indecent assault, we offer an unreserved apology to all the survivors and those affected by this news. We commend the bravery of those who brought these allegations forward, acknowledging how difficult and distressing this would have been. "We are profoundly sorry for the abuse perpetrated by Mr Gibson and remain committed to doing everything possible to ensure the wellbeing of children, young people and adults, who look to us for respect and care. Abuse is a terrible crime and a grievous breach of trust, which has lifelong effects." Walking the Camino: What an evangelical Christian learned on an ancient pilgrim way It's not exactly common, to go on pilgrimage. Muslims do it, and some Christians too think of Walsingham. And there's Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. But it's not very English, and certainly not evangelical. I've been an evangelical Christian most of my adult life, and publisher of many thousands of Christian books (I founded Monarch Books, now part of Lion Hudson, in 1988). I have charismatic sympathies. I have sung worship songs without number. At Spring Harvest I ran into Douglas, a friend from Tunbridge Wells. Something seemed different. He exuded a new confidence, a willingness to seize the initiative. I quizzed him over a beer. "I walked the Camino," he offered, as if that explained everything. "Best thing I ever did." The Camino de Santiago, or Way of St James, leads to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. Celebrated in Martin Sheen's 2010 film The Way, the primary route runs from the French border: from the traditional starting point of St Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago is 490 miles, or rather more than the distance between Hastings, my home town, and Edinburgh. Pilgrims have flocked to Santiago since the 9th century: during the grand heyday of pilgrimage roughly, the 11th to 14th centuries hundreds of thousands travelled each year. Europe's kings and queens were among those wishing to do penance, to seek healing, to contact the divine, to receive blessing. In recent times the Camino has become popular once more, over 200,000 walking some portion each year. Very few are Brits. A sabbatical was long overdue. Over the years I had taken many risks in business, some of which had paid off: patchily successful, I had surrounded myself with comfort, position, function, a degree of wealth. Like cholesterol, comfort stifles the spirit. It was time to jump overboard, and the Camino seemed ideal. I don't speak Spanish. I'm reasonably fit, but also reasonably antique. You can't book ahead. There is a network of hostels but they don't accept reservations, so you set off each day not knowing where, or whether, there might be a bed. Critically, my Christian formation had not prepared me for solitude. And so, one bright morning in late September, I laced up my boots, settled my pack, unshipped my brand new, shiny blue walking poles, and started to hike over the Pyrenees. The first day's horrific climb nearly ended the enterprise. That night, and for days afterwards, I would arrive at a likely hostel gasping, swaying and drenched in sweat. Gradually I grew stronger: by the time I reached Galicia, several weeks later, I would be leaping blithely from rock to tussock. When I made it to Santiago I was as fit as I have been in decades. I reflected later that I had been on three journeys. The simplest was the outward journey. Spain is a scant few hundred miles from Britain, but it's frequently alien notoriously in its treatment of bulls and, to my surprise, deserted: I came across village after village largely drained of inhabitants, the houses tumbling, thatch rotting. Spain is a sparsely-populated archipelago, islands of different nations and languages: one Catalonian I walked with described it as a badly-made cake. I also walked through history. Eleven hundred years of pilgrimage leave their mark: roads, towns and bridges all owe their origin to the Camino. Thousands have died en route: cemeteries, shrines (some very recent) and numberless unmarked graves dot the Way. Ruined buildings abound. Here for centuries stood a hospital, there a monastery welcomed weary travellers. To the Romans Spain was the breadbasket of Empire, and in places Roman infrastructure still lies beneath the pilgrim's feet. But the most arduous journey by far was inward. Although I made some good friends on the Way some French pilgrims, the Wine Sisters from California, a pair of US Marines I elected as a rule to walk alone, and the solitude and once you reach the Meseta (central tableland of Spain) the acute boredom drove my thoughts deep. I had gone seeking sources of reverence. My spirituality has been formed by Christian books, exuberant worship, and endless activity: a crammed diary, but my soul felt undernourished. I had set out in the hope that if the Almighty wished to speak to me, I would be sufficiently attentive to listen. The many wayside crosses penetrated my defences, but what really struck home was the terrifying turbulence of my own conscience. In the early weeks I was plagued by nightmares, and as I walked the many deficiencies and betrayals of previous decades queued up to accuse me. It was not until a phrase from Adrian Plass popped into my mind "God is nice, and He likes me" that I gained some measure of peace. This was a stage, important but passing. What has remained from my pilgrimage is that my self-awareness has changed. Career, possessions, status all seem of less moment. Silence no longer scares me. The memory of the distant horizon brings peace, consolation, a goal. The road is forever my friend. My boots stand waiting. Tony Collins is an editor with Lion Hudson plc, and author of the recently-released Taking My God for a Walk (Monarch, 8.99). The Great Banquet: What is Jesus telling us in this famous parable? Sports stars, rock stars and Hollywood stars we are used to. Yet there's a new group of megastars on the scene. Chefs are big business. From dominating prime time TV (those of us in the UK watched on in disbelief as Gordon Ramsey conquered America) to getting involved in politics (Jamie Oliver's school dinners campaign, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's battle against waste etc), chefs are headline news. There is a mystique that has gathered around the very top chefs. This week in the Guardian I read a fascinating account of one of them and his restaurant. Magnus Nilsson is the chef at Faviken in the north of Sweden. It's one of the world's most exclusive restaurants and also happens to be inaccessible to most of us. The restaurant is, "Set 375 miles north of Stockholm, deep in the forested province of Jamtland... Faviken's 32-course tasting menu demands a journey: an hour's flight from Stockholm to Ostersund, then a 75-minute drive north-west." At 250 ($300) per meal (in addition to the cost of flights and other travel), with the meal taking several hours to serve and with only 24 seats in the whole place, it has become a sold-out sensation though despite being open for nearly 10 years, only around 5,000 people have ever been there. This is food that the likes of you and me won't try. It's a meal to which only the wealthy are invited. A meal which requires you to have not only an appetite but money, time and the ability to get to it. It's the sort of place and experience that so few of us will have that it's worth writing about in depth. But reading about it is only ever going to be a poor second to tasting the food itself. Reading the article, my mind turned to a story Jesus told in Luke 14. He talked about a man who was throwing a great banquet and invited many people. But when the time came, those who'd been invited came up with a series of excuses. Jesus says the man was angry at all the refusals: '"Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame." And the slave said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room." Then the master said to the slave, "Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner."' It's one of Jesus most fascinating parables. Jesus tells the story in response to a challenge from someone at a dinner He was attending: "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" This was seen as an invitation to Jesus to offer His thoughts on the great banquet at the end of time the coming kingdom. The 'correct' answer would have been to say that those who had kept the rules would have been invited and attended. But in Jesus' story, the invitees all come up with excuses (depending on which commentator you believe, they were either legitimate or flimsy reasons not to attend a banquet), which cause the host to be angry. Then the story turns on its head. The answer to his anger is grace he decides to open up the banquet to those who weren't expecting to be allowed in. The servant goes out and offers the unlikely guests the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame a chance to come in. When that had been done, the servant is again sent out to 'compel' guests to come in. Not by force, but by persuasion, since the offer was so radical. The man was inviting passing strangers to eat a banquet with him. Just what is Jesus suggesting here? Is He proposing an ethnic division? Is He implying that we shouldn't eat with friends and family? More than any of those factors, it seems to be about the unexpected nature of the Kingdom of God. That God isn't primarily interested in attracting the 'winners', the cultural influencers, the celebrities, the brightest and the best, or even the friends and family of the banquet host who would no doubt have been wealthy and successful themselves. Instead, God is primarily concerned with inviting those who appear to be losers. According to priest and writer Robert Farrar Capon (who was also a chef!): "None of the people who had a right to be at a proper party came, and all the people who came had no right whatsoever to be there. Which means, therefore, that the one thing that has nothing to do with anything is rights. This parable says we are going to be dealt with in spite of our deservings, not according to them. Grace as portrayed here works only on the untouchable, the unpardonable and the unacceptable. It works, in short, by raising the dead, not by rewarding the living." What a challenging but refreshing vision. A banquet taking place right where we are, open to all so long as they realise they don't deserve it. How much more appealing than an expensive banquet in a far away place which is only open to the 'right people'... TV viewers offended when Coronation Street vicar kisses another man More than 60 people complained to the UK's broadcast watchdog Ofcom when the vicar in the popular television soap Coronation Street kissed another man. The episode showed the vicar of St Mary's, Billy Mayhew, played by the actor Daniel Brocklebank, kissing Todd Grimshaw, played by Bruno Langley. Mayhew had split up with his previous boyfriend, the Rovers Return barman Sean Tully, played by Antony Cotton, who he met on a night out in Manchester's gay village. Ofcom reports that the first episode containing the kiss last month attracted 26 complaints, with a further 41 complaints from the repeat a few days later. These complaints mainly concerned standards but more people complained also about an offence under the religious belief and discrimination categories. An Ofcom spokesman told Pink News:: "We considered a number of complaints objecting to two male characters kissing in this episode, but won't be investigating. Our rules do not discriminate between scenes involving opposite sex and same sex couples. Also the scenes were not in any way sexually explicit. For these reasons they were not scheduled inappropriately and did not exceed generally accepted standards." World Vision's Gaza manager charged with supporting Hamas militants Israel has charged a senior World Vision employee with providing support to the Hamas movement, the organisation has announced. World Vision is the world's largest evangelical Christian charity and has operated in Israel-Palestine for more than 40 years. Its manager of operations in Gaza Mohammad El Halabi was arrested on June 15 at a checkpoint on his way home from what World Vision says were "routine meetings" and spent 50 days in detention. He has now been charged with supporting Hamas, which governs Gaza and is regarded as a terrorist movement by Israel and some other countries, including the US. He has been head of the Gaza branch of World Vision since 2010 and has worked for the organisation since 2005. However, Israel alleges he has been a Hamas operative since 2004. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the Shin Bet (one of Israel's security services) is accusing El Halabi of being a member of Hamas' armed wing, Izzedin al-Qassam, and of having infiltrated World Vision. Shin Bet also alleged that $80,000 worth of donations from British people have been diverted to pay for Hamas-related activities. El Halabi's lawyer, Mohammed Mahmoud, strongly denied any wrongdoing. "Israel can link anyone living in the Gaza Strip to Hamas. Mohammed does not belong to the organisation nor is he affiliated with Hamas," he said. World Vision said it was "shocked to learn of these charges against Mohammed". In a statement, it said: "World Vision subscribes to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality and therefore rejects any involvement in any political, military or terrorist activities and maintains its independence as a humanitarian aid agency committed to serving the poor, especially children. World Vision has detailed procedures and control mechanisms in place to ensure that the funds entrusted to us are spent in accordance with applicable legal requirements and in ways that do not fuel conflict but rather contribute to peace." It said its Gaza programmes were regularly audited internally and independently. It said of the charges: "Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true. We will carefully review any evidence presented to us and will take appropriate actions based on that evidence." A previous statement said: "World Vision stands by Mohammad who is a widely respected and well regarded humanitarian, field manager and trusted colleague of over a decade. He has displayed compassionate leadership on behalf of the children and communities of Gaza through difficult and challenging times, and has always worked diligently and professionally in fulfilling his duties." World Vision's Jerusalem offices were raided by police after Halabi's arrest. The Shin Bet said, "We weren't investigating the organisation, but rather Hamas activists. We have no suspicions against the organisation." Gaza's Christian population is tiny, at around 1,200 people out of a total of 1.8 million. Dream factory: A tour of the Vitra campus In the German town of Weil am Rhein, a manufacturing plant gutted by fire in 1981 has become a showcase for cutting-edge architecture. Martin Gayford takes a look around For the fan of contemporary architecture, there is no destination more enticing than Weil am Rhein, just over the German border from Basel. The town itself is nondescript, its true, but on the outskirts, almost in the country, is the Vitra factory, specialising in furniture for the office, shop and home, with the excellent Vitra Design Museum next door. That description, however, does not do justice to the eccentric attractions of the place. Among these are an array of industrial buildings amounting to an anthology of cutting-edge styles of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a definitive collection of modernist chairs, an elegant bus stop and the most beautiful disused fire station in the world. Open a larger version of this image VitraHaus, 2010, by Herzog and de Meuron Open a larger version of this image A view of Frank Gehrys Vitra Design Museum, built in 1989 When you arrive, alighting perhaps at that bus stop, designed by Jasper Morrison, Frank Gehrys Vitra Design Museum is in front of you. At once angular and twisting, it suggests wild cinematic intercutting between one of Le Corbusiers villas and a cubist guitar by Braque. When it first opened in 1989, the museum Gehrys first European project would have caused more surprise than it does now, especially to those who have visited the Guggenheim in Bilbao, which came later. Open a larger version of this image Jasper Morrisons 2006 bus stop Nowadays, the other edifice you see as soon as you arrive the VitraHaus by the Basel-based architectural team of Herzog and de Meuron is far more startling. This consists of 12 traditional Swiss houses with sharply tilted roofs crammed together at random angles in a 50ft-high stack. It looks more like an accident than a building. Inside are a shop, a restaurant and a series of showrooms that add up to an unorthodox and highly enjoyable museum of design. In fact, as an experience, it is a distinct advance on the actual Vitra Design Museum, which holds relatively conventional exhibitions. And in the VitraHaus, you can do what is never possible in a more traditional display: you can actually sit in the chairs, and inhabit an interior with books and magazines that are there to be read. This highlights one of the major limitations of museums as we know them, which evolved out of aristocratic picture galleries and collections of classical sculpture. The latter are well suited to a standard museum display. Many objects, however, are not. Coins and medals really need to be held in the hand. Chairs cannot properly be experienced unless you sit on them. In the VitraHaus you can. Clearly such a system needs a well-behaved clientele, which, it seems, Vitra attracts. . On the edge of the site is the Vitra Slide Tower (2014) by the contemporary artist Carsten Holler a combined clock tower, viewing platform and fairground-style helter-skelter slide. When Hollers trademark slides were exhibited in London at Tate Modern and the Hayward, public access was carefully policed by attendants. Here it is left up to the visitors, who wait their turn in an orderly fashion and sit on the mat provided in case friction heats up their clothing to shoot round and round and down. Open a larger version of this image A geodesic dome after Richard Buckminster Fuller, formerly a car showroom in Detroit From the top of the construction given a surreal Mitteleuropean air by a clock set at a crazy tilt you can look out over the whole Vitra Campus, as it is called. This is the actual factory area, designed by a succession of celebrated architects. Dotted around, in addition, are portable structures collected from here and there, including a geodesic dome after a design by Buckminster Fuller that once functioned as a car showroom in Detroit, and a delightfully dinky 1950s filling station from the Loire Valley by Jean Prouve. Like many things at Vitra, these lie on the intriguing borderline between practicality and art. To visit these items and all the factory units, it is necessary to join one of the guided tours, some of which are in English. It would be hard to believe that there is another furniture manufacturers industrial site that is remotely as engaging. The array of modern masterpieces at Vitra came into being partly as the consequence of a disaster. At 4am on 20 July 1981, lightning struck the Vitra site and a fire broke out. Winds were strong, and the nearest fire crews were some way away. By the time the fire was out, more than half the production units had been gutted. Major rebuilding was unavoidable; what was far from inevitable was that in place of the burnt-out structure there would rise a series of new ones by different architects, in contrasting styles. That came about from a combination of inspired patronage and chance. The Vitra company was founded by Willi and Erika Fehlbaum. In 1934, it took over a firm that manufactured shopfronts. In 1957, Vitra began to make furniture designed by celebrated figures such as Charles and Ray Eames and Alvar Aalto. By 1981, Willi and Ericas son Rolf was chairman of the company, and in the aftermath of the fire he decided to reconstruct the campus in an architecturally distinguished fashion. So he commissioned two new factories and also a master plan for the site from the British architect Nicholas Grimshaw. Open a larger version of this image Diogene, 2013, a six-square-metre cabin by Renzo Piano Open a larger version of this image A bench built into the wall of VitraHaus However, this scheme was to be transformed as a result of a meeting that came about through a sculpture. In 1984, to mark Willi Fehlbaums 70th birthday, his children commissioned a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. The work consists of a gigantic set of furniture-makers tools, balanced in space and sited next to the design museum. The most important result of this commission was not the work itself though that is a characteristic piece of Oldenburg and van Bruggen but the fact that it was in the Oldenburg studio that Rolf Fehlbaum met Frank Gehry. The effect of this encounter was that, instead of continuing with the Grimshaw scheme and creating a homogeneous group of buildings in a style that could be called hi-tech classicism, Fehlbaum diverted into what he calls collage. This is a principle in Gehrys aesthetic, and one that can be extended, as here, to a group of diverse designs. In the end, Gehry built not only the museum, but also another factory that stands next to but looks very different from one of Grimshaws industrial units. Gehry was also responsible for a little gatehouse that originally functioned as a shop and cafe. Open a larger version of this image A factory building by SANAA, added in 2010 One suspects that the gatehouse was just a pretext for another commission. The same applies to the fire station by the late Zaha Hadid from 1993. Ostensibly this answered a real need. The place had been partially destroyed in a conflagration, so it was decided to retain a depot on site for volunteer firefighters, recruited from the workforce. The resulting building the first project by Hadid, then aged 43, ever to be constructed is as magnificently over-designed as an Art Nouveau house by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Every detail, including a kitchen/dining area upstairs and some deconstructivist showers, washrooms and lavatories, has been rethought in an utterly original way. No wall or floor seems straight. Outside there is a barbecue pit half usable object, half sculpture. This building is perhaps Hadids chef doeuvre, and all the more precious since her recent and early death. Vitra has continued to add buildings by star architects, often spotted early in their careers. The conference centre, by the Japanese master of Zen and the art of moulding in concrete, Tadao Ando, also dates from 1993. It was his first commission in Europe, dropped self-effacingly into a cherry orchard but leaving almost all the trees undisturbed. A more recent addition is a factory unit from 2010 by the Japanese duo SANAA, which is encircled by an undulating curtain of milky acrylic glass. Open a larger version of this image A pair of loading bays with Alvaro Sizas 1994 factory building in the background In June, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime released its annual World Drug Report. The maps included in the report say a lot about the interconnectivity of the drug trade across the globe. As the drug war rages on and Mexican cartel violence continues to spill over onto United States soil, maps like this give some perspective on the breadth of the drug war, which some would say is a costly fool's errand. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate They don't call him the Deli Man for nothing. Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen owner Ziggy Gruber flexed his considerable deli muscle to convince delis across the country to participate in New York Delicatessen Month, running throughout August. His goal is to bring attention to traditional New York-style delis, a once-glorious culinary stronghold in America that is, sadly, on the decline (as shown in the documentary "Deli Man" that starred Houston's own Ziggy Gruber, a third-generation deli man). It doesn't hurt, either, that summer, a slow time for restaurants in general, is as good a time as any for a noodle kugel. Gruber got his deli brethren from coast to coast to participate, including Hobby's Delicatessen and Restaurant in Newark, NJ; Lenny's Deli in Los Angeles; Ben's Best Kosher Deli in Rego Park, NY; Woodro Kosher Deli & Caterers in Hewlett, NY; Artie's New York Delicatessen in New York; Manny's in Chicago; Pomperdale in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Factor's Famous Deli in Los Angeles; and 3 G's Gourmet Deli & Restaurant in Delray Beach, Fla. These delis will be offering special prix fixe menus of traditional deli dishes; they also will give a portion of each meal sold to a charity in that community. Locally, Gruber will offer a daily three-course meal for $37 (excluding tax, gratuity, beverage) of which $4 will be donated to the Jerome Robinson Family Young Adult Division (YAD) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston. Gruber's dinner offers a first-course choice of chopped liver, matzo ball soup, stuffed kishka with gravy, knish of choice, and potato latke with apple sauce and sour cream. The formidable entrees include Hungarian goulash on a bed of egg noodles; 16-ounce Romanian steak topped with fried onion strings and two sides; slow-roasted spring chicken with two sides; brisket dinner with potato pancake and one side; glazed wild salmon on a bed of risotto with two sides. (Sides include kasha varnishaks, egg barley farfel with wild mushrooms, noodle kugel, mashed potatoes, French fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, cole slaw, fresh steamed vegetables and carrot souffle. Dessert choices include cheesecake, assorted rugelach or 7-layer cake. Gruber plans to make New York Delicatessen Month an annual event. Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen Restaurants at 2327 Post Oak Blvd. and 5172 Buffalo Speedway. For more information see kennyandziggys.com News / National by Staff reporter The Zimbabwe Republic Police is seeking information leading to the arrest of a 32 year old Harare woman, Kudakwashe Unity Mhike, who is wanted in connection with a case of fraud involving over US$800 000.ZRP national spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said Mhike who was employed as a junior book keeper by Ram Petroleum issued Ram credit cards to her accomplice, Taurai Makumbe a 37 year old adult without following the correct procedures.Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba said Makumbe who has since been arrested and is in remand used the credit cards to draw fuel valued at US$796 025 from Ram Petroleum Service Stations.She said the suspect would then misrepresent to her employer that the customer had deposited cash with the company, when there was no such cash deposits.Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba said as a result of the misrepresentation Ram Petroleum suffered an actual prejudice of US$796 025 and a potential prejudice of US$22 494.Mhike's last known address is Number 6 Zermatt Court, Kamfinsa, Harare.The police are appealing for anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Mhike to contact CID Serious Fraud Squad on 04-758654, Detective Sergeant Manyere on 0784 043 213 or National Complaints Desk on 04 703631. A former Baptist pastor in Sulphur Springs has been sent to federal prison after his conviction on child pornography charges. Chad Calhoun, 33, was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years and three months, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tyler. He must also serve 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. Houston firefighters were joined by a veteran firefighter Wednesday as they battled a blaze in the 5300 block of Richmond. Michael "Smitty" Smith brought his more-than-40 years of firefighting experience to help the Houston Fire Department, according to KPRC. The news station reported that Smith grabbed his gear and rushed to the scene after seeing firefighters from Station 28 headed toward the flames. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The 29-year-old single mother of six had never given much thought to her breast size. But when a plastic surgeon at Jefferson Davis, Houston's charity hospital, offered to bring her up to a C-cup free of charge, Timmie Jean Lindsey said yes. It was 1962, before the government regulated the use of medical devices, and Lindsey quietly became the world's first recipient of modern breast implants. "She trusted us without any hesitation," recalled Dr. Thomas Biggs, the only surviving member of the groundbreaking surgical team that devised and delivered the medical innovation. "She knew it was a new product nobody had ever used before." The surgery set Houston on the path to becoming an international destination for surgical breast reconstruction and augmentation, now among the most popular elective surgeries. More Information Who's Who of modern breast implants *Dr. Thomas D. Cronin, a Houston plastic surgeon, wanted to study architecture, but his father, a general practitioner, persuaded him to pursue medicine. Cronin taught residents with Baylor College of Medicine and was known early on for his surgical techniques for hand surgery and repairing cleft lip and cleft palate. *Dr. Frank J. Gerow, a plastic surgeon who trained under Cronin as a resident from Baylor College of Medicine, was carrying a warm bag of blood for a child burn patient and suggested to Cronin it seemed the right texture to simulate the breast. Gerow performed the first breast augmentation surgery on Timmie Jean Lindsey. *Timmie Jean Lindsey, a divorced blue- collar worker from Highlands, agreed to be the recipient of the world's first silicone gel breast implants. The prototypes had Dacron polyester patches on the back where they could be fixed to the chest wall. Early models caused capsular contracture, a hardening of scar tissue around the implant, until subsequent modifications. *Silas A. Braley, a scientist who pioneered the use of medical grade silicone devices as head of the Dow Corning Center for Aid to Medical Research, reportedly toured the country with an assortment of artificial chins, cheeks, calves, ears and finger joints for demonstrations. The original trademarked silicone rubber used in breast implants was called a Silastic gel implant in honor of its inventor. See More Collapse Even after patients began filing lawsuits in the early 1990s claiming their silicone gel implants had ruptured and caused autoimmune disease, Lindsey came out publicly in support of the pioneering progenitors and their prosthetic device. Now 84 and two years into retirement, the Highlands woman said those original first-generation prototypes are still firmly in place. "I never regretted it," she said recently, although she conceded it was an adjustment to re-enter the world with an ample bosom. "I got a lot of whistles, wolf calls, you know? I just never had been noticed before." The idea for the surgery came from an accidental meeting of minds. Dr. Thomas D. Cronin, a native Houstonian, first heard about silicone gel at a medical conference in New Orleans in 1961, Biggs said. A young doctor from Midland, Mich. told him a company in his town, Dow Corning, had developed an inorganic polymer gel that was stable, flexible, viscous and appeared safe to use in the human body. It could be used in an implantable prosthesis, he said. Cronin stashed the information, thinking it might come in handy in his clinical practice with Baylor College of Medicine or with his plastic surgery residents. Dr. Frank J. Gerow, one of Cronin's surgical proteges, had the flash of insight that led to the invention later that year. Gerow, an outgoing Canadian, was handling an intravenous blood bag for a patient when it crossed his mind that it reminded him of a breast. The IV bag, at the time, was a recent invention, taking the place of glass bottles. Gerow told Cronin about the IV bag, and Cronin recalled the Michigan company's new silicone gel. Attempts to surgically alter breasts had been afoot for decades. Failed attempts included paraffin wax injections in the 1890s, ivory insertions around 1910, fat transplants in the 1920s and free-floating silicone oil injections in the 1940s and 1950s. Surgeons also inserted polyvinyl alcohol sponges to limited success. The early efforts resulted in chronic inflammation, hardened lumps that migrated, infections and organ damage. Back in Houston, however, Gerow's concept for a silicone bag filled with a malleable material seemed a promising vehicle. Cronin took the idea to Silas Braley, who ran Dow Corning's medical research division. It wasn't long before the breast-shaped samples began arriving in small, medium and large. The first modern implant was a biscuit-sized prototype implanted in a female dog named Esmeralda. Biggs, another of Cronin's Baylor residents, had the task of looking after the dog after her operation. She had no adverse reaction, although months later the dog chewed out the implant, Biggs said. Then came Lindsey, who was following up at Jefferson Davis after having a rose tattoo removed from her chest. Gerow asked if she'd be interested in having breast enlargement surgery. The surgeons in the group were planning to try them on 12 patients, Lindsey recalled. Lindsey, who assembled circuit boards to put food on the table, said she'd rather have her ears done. You can do that, too, the doctors said. So Lindsey became the first of several clinical trials. The new "natural feel" implants were introduced to great fanfare by Cronin and Gerow in a 1963 paper at the Third International Congress of Plastic Surgery in Washington, D.C. "The room was packed and the walls were bulging," Biggs said. An observer at the Washington presentation described the plastic surgeon's Eureka moment in a passage excerpted in Nora Jacobson's book, "Cleavage: Technology, Controversy, and the Ironies of the Man-made Breast." "Gerow returned as he had gone, in his rumpled suit, with necktie flying, ever present cigarette, paper coffee cup clutched in one hand," the witness recalled, "and in the other hand he held the first man-made pair of Silastic gel breast prostheses! The country was in a breast conscious, affluent, youth-concentrated mood and Gerow laid on Cronin's desk the answer to the demand of the times." Cronin, with backing from Dow Corning, filed for a patent in August 1963. On Dec. 27, 1966, the device entered the record under the heading "surgically implantable human breast prosthesis." In 1964, Dow Corning began marketing the Cronin-Gerow implant to anyone with several thousand dollars to cover the elective surgery. "It took off like a rocket," Biggs said. "They couldn't manufacture them fast enough." Within a decade they were also being used for reconstructive breast surgery following mastectomies. The impact was monumental, since mid-century mastectomies were radical, said Dr. Kenneth Mattox, a distinguished service professor at Baylor, chief of surgery at Ben Taub Hospital and editor of a history of surgery in Houston. In 1992, however, an onslaught of legal actions by patients claiming they'd contracted connective tissue disease from ruptured implants led the FDA to call for a voluntary moratorium on silicone implants pending further study. In 2006, the FDA lifted the ban on silicone gel implants for augmentation for the first time since 1992, after a number of key studies found no link to autoimmune disorders. A number of physicians, however, disagree with the conclusions and still warn of potential complications. Today, cosmetic procedures make up more than 90 percent of the demand for breast implant surgeries, although many patients now opt for fat injections, according to Dr. Alfonso Barrera, who trained with Cronin and Biggs. Biggs, now 83, estimates he has participated in 8,000 breast surgeries for a vast cross section of women. He said the surgery often has an effect that transcends the physical, recalling one young woman who had one large breast and one that was very small. Before surgery she told him, "My mom said I don't pray enough." After surgery, she said, "I don't have to pray anymore." News / Regional by Mashudu Netsianda LUVEVE Member of Parliament Ntandoyenkosi Mlilo (Zanu-PF) is seeking the dissolution of his marriage to his wife of 11 years for allegedly denying him conjugal rights for more than 12 months.The legislator and his wife, Miriam Mlilo (nee Nerwande) wedded on April 29, 2005 under Chapter 5:11 of the Marriages Act.The couple has been on separation since 2013.The MP wants to be granted custody of their three children aged between five and 16 years and said his wife can get all the movable household property.Mlilo, through his lawyers Legal Resources Foundation, yesterday filed an application for a decree of divorce at the Bulawayo High Court citing irreconcilable differences with his wife.In papers before the court, the MP said his marriage had irretrievably broken down such that there were no prospects of restoring it."I legally married the defendant (Miriam) in terms of the Marriages Act (5:11) in Bulawayo on April 29, 2005 and the marriage still subsists."However, the marriage relationship between the parties has irretrievably broken down to such an extent that there are no reasonable prospects of restoration," said Mlilo.He said they have not shared conjugal rights for the past 12 months."The parties have not shared conjugal rights for a period in excess of 12 months and as a result I have lost love and affection for the defendant and do not wish to remain married to her," he stated in his summons."It would be in the best interests of the minor children if the court orders that I be granted their custody with the defendant being granted the right to access for only two weeks during every school holiday."Mlilo said he did not require his wife to contribute in maintenance fees towards the upkeep and welfare of the children.During the subsistence of the marriage, the couple acquired household property."The household property is in possession of the defendant."It would be just and equitable that upon this honourable court granting decree of divorce, all the movable household property should be exclusively be awarded to the defendant," said Mlilo. News / Regional by Thobekile Zhou Former Beitbridge councillor, Morgan Ncube who handed himself over to the police on Wednesday has been granted $100 bail.Ncube had been on the police wanted list since Beitbridge border post protests on July 1.Today, Beitbridge, Magistrate Gloria Takundwa granted him $100 bail.He is facing public violence charge.Prosecutors claimed that Ncube, who was represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyer Patrick Tererai took part in the violent protests.Ncube was remanded out of custody to 22 August 2016 for trial together with other Beitbridge residents.Ncube's arrest brings to 31 the number of people arrested for allegedly taking part in the demonstration staged at the Beitbridge border post.Early this week, Bulawayo24.com revealed that Ncube was going to himself over to the police soon. Kautman-Jones endorses Davis Please support Meredith Davis in her re-election to the Genesee County Board of Commissioners - 8th District. I have had... Writer recommend Delor, Jones for GB school board I have met heard April Delor and Patricia Jones for the Grand Blanc School Board. They both have many years... Chairman Matt Smith reminds you to vote It is important that the voters of Genesee County show up and cast their ballot on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022.... This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 James LaCombe Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Dave Einsel/Dave Einsel/Houston ISD Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Dave Einsel/Dave Einsel / Houston ISD Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Harvin Moore, one of the Houston school board's longest-serving members, said Thursday that he is resigning his seat. Moore, who has served on the board since late 2003, has asked the board to call an election for November, a year before his term is set to expire. Moore said he expects voter turnout to be high with the presidential election. The board could decide to appoint someone to the post, but Moore said he supports the democratic process and intends to serve until a replacement takes office. Drawing a distinction between violent fundamentalists and ordinary believers, Pope Francis has reiterated his position that Islam is not a violent religion. All faiths, including Catholicism, he said, have the capacity for violence. The Catholic news service Crux reported that Francis made his remarks as he recently returned to Rome after the five-day World Youth Day in Poland. The comments came just days after an Islamic terrorist slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest as he celebrated Mass at a church in Rouen, France. A woman has been caught in Mexico more than 25 years after she failed to appear in federal court in Texas to be sentenced on a drug charge. Lorena Salazar-Galvan, 47 and a U.S. citizen, was taken into custody in May as she tried to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. at Pharr, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. Dallas police officer Hans Campbell will be taken off life support Thursday, the day he was scheduled to wed his fiancee, Chriselyn Bedolido. On Tuesday, Campbell was hit by a boat while scuba diving in the Philippines. He was declared clinically dead and kept on life support for organ donation, according to KDFW-TV. A formation of stones unearthed in Alamo Plaza may be part of a 1700s construction associated with the main gate of the Mission San Antonio Valero and 1836 battle compound. We have uncovered something that we are tentatively identifying as an architectural feature. Weve got stone that has been placed in what appears to be a trench that would have been excavated, possibly as a footer for a Spanish colonial structure, lead investigator Nesta Anderson told reporters Thursday morning. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate You know what they saywhen you need "basic expenses like clothing, travel, and lodging" just start a GoFundMe page! That's what Jen Wilke, a model from Fredericksburg, did, at least. Wilke, whose accolades include being the cover girl for the 2014 Playboy Swimsuit and was a Maxim "Hometown Hottie" semi-finalist the same year, created a GoFundMe page to be able to focus on her "modeling career exclusively," asking for donations to "cover basic expenses" as she travels to "many opportunities about which I have thus far been ambivalent." RELATED: Report: Mexican policewoman-turned-stripper inks deal with Playboy Mexico, clubs across country "The money that you contribute will set me on a pathway to a brighter future, and for that I will be forever grateful. I thank you for your time," Wilke writes, adding that she is "at a crossroads" in her life. On the page she writes of building her brand saying she's recently had "some major success," after receiving a VIP invite to the Maxim Hot 100 party hosted July 30 in Hollywood, California. Wilke was able to attend the Hot 100 party from money she received through her GoFundMe page which has raised $830, of her $10,000 goal, so far. RELATED: Playboy Mexico model fights to prevent possible arrest over music video "The Maxim Hot 100 party was so much fun, and I ended up making some business connections which is always much welcomed, along with new friendships," Wilke said adding she was excited for "another opportunity" that she was getting the next day. Wilke set up five different level of donations, each accompanied with a perk from the model. If you donate $65, a level five contribution, she will send you a signed photo, poster and you can be pre-ordered for her 2017 calendar. If you give $5, the lowest level of donations, she will email you a selfie and give you "regular progress updates." What a deal, right?! One donor, of the 28 contributors, gave $65 and said he "would also like a selfie in the dress. :)" On Aug. 2, she posted a bikini-clad photo thanking her fundraisers for helping her "get to shoots." Everything appeared to running smoothly until she reached a glitch Tuesday night. RELATED: TMZ: Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers loses her job after nude gym photo "My brakes almost went out last night going over a mountain back to the hotel that I rented for the night (thx to your funding)," she wrote. "Thankfully my brakes didn't go all the way out causing me to flip my car over the 10 thousand feet in the air railing lol." Wilke said she was still raising the money to continue funding her trip in California and "also for future success." kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate After Kanye West declared that he is running for president in the 2020 election, Jimmy Kimmel put together a video clip cutting his speech up with those of Donald Trump's. The similarities are amusing. Kimmel, though, wasn't the first to compare the two. As Time noted, "the hip-hop artist and current Republican candidate Donald Trump have been compared for their similar braggadocio and outsider status." The New York Post published an article headlined, "What Kanye West has in common with Donald Trump." ABOVE: CHRON.COM plays "Who said it: Trump or Kanye?" TechInsider stated, "Kanye West and Donald Trump have one absurdly powerful trait in common. ... Usually, when a public figure does something outrageously embarrassing or in devastatingly poor taste, they get punished. But in the curious cases of Kanye West and Donald Trump, it's all rewards," words written before Trump's latest battle with Khizr Khan. The Week, Bustle, Newsday and The Hollywood Reporter have all followed suit. Trump even addressed these comparisons in a video interview with Rolling Stone. "Somehow there are comparisons made so often, which is interesting, comparisons with Kanye and myself," he said, "I don't quite get it." Then he added, "He's actually a different kind of a person than people think. He's a nice guy. I hope to run against him some day." One piece, a quiz created by CNN asking users to guess if various ego-centric, offensive or downright strange tweets belonged to Kanye West or Donald Trump, is genuinely difficult. Guess, for example, which one tweeted: "Katy, what the hell were you thinking when you married loser Russell Brand. There is a guy who has got nothing going, a waste!" (Trump.) It doesn't seem like it should be. Pit Kanye's tweets against Obama's, Bush's, Clinton's or Reagan's, and the quiz would be easier than tee-ball. RIGGED ELECTION: Trump's claim adds new uncertainty to campaign Let's be clear, Trump is no Kanye and Kanye is no Trump. Apart from the fact that one is a petulant pop star and the other a man who might be president, no one thinks Kanye West is a danger to our prosperity, national security and democratic form of government. But with so many finding sport in comparing their traits, there's definitely "something going on," as Trump likes to say. But what? Both men display insatiable egos and the need to live perpetually in the news even though both profess distrust and contempt for the news media. Kanye has tweeted, "I'd like to address the false stories and noise that have been engineered by the media," while Trump has repeatedly said things like, "We have a media that is so dishonest ... These are among the most dishonest people you will ever, ever meet," going so far to bar The Washington Post (among others) from covering his campaign. Both men tweet in astonishingly similar fashions -- a mixture of overwhelming hubris, anger, personal attacks and barely intelligible stream-of-consciousness. Both will say almost anything to get attention. They even both see themselves as masters of the tweet. They're particularly adept at taking something that has absolutely nothing to do with them and, somehow, making the overarching public narrative about themselves, often at the expense of others. A prime example is how both have used national tragedies as a way of garnering headlines. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, killing more than 1,800 people and causing an estimated $96 billion in damage. During a live NBC telethon to raise money for hurricane victims, Kanye went off-script while standing next to an uncomfortable Mike Myers. Kanye famously concluded, before the feed cut away, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." Whatever his intentions, Kanye's name filled headlines during one of the country's worst natural disasters. It's important to note that his second record, "Late Registration," came out the day after Katrina struck New Orleans. The telethon came three days later. Similarly, Trump's name filled headlines after the deadliest mass shooting in American history, and not because he was offering condolences. Instead, after a gunman killed 49 people in an Orlando nightclub, Trump used the opportunity to attack President Barack Obama, even seeming to connect him to terrorism. Whether it's Kanye rapping lines in which he claims he'll have sex with Taylor Swift (while calling her "that b---") or releasing a music video featuring wax figurines depicting people like Swift and former President George W. Bush nude together in bed or Trump insisting that Obama is not American-born, the effect is the same: attention. For example, two days before the scheduled release of his newest record, "The Life of Pablo," Kanye inexplicably tweeted this: "BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!" The Web filled with stories about his tweet. They all also mentioned his new record. Trump, meanwhile, fueled the "birther" movement, an act which McKay Coppins in a BuzzFeed feature suggested demonstrated to Trump the potential political rewards of being outrageous in the eyes of the "establishment." He wrote: "While the conspiracy theory was not a hit with the ladies of 'The View,' it delighted conservative voters and cable news bookers alike - and soon Trump found himself climbing in the hypothetical 2012 presidential polls." Another common trait: When criticized or confronted, both of these men often dodge the substance of the criticism, in favor of declaring the critic somehow ineligible to judge them and therefore to be disregarded, either because, in Trump's case, they're "losers" or "Mexican," or in West's case, because they're white. After Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg publicly announced her opposition to a Trump presidency, the candidate tweeted this: "Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot -- resign!" And when some critics didn't like Kanye's newest album, he simply denoted their criticism as invalid: "To Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, New York Times, and any other white publication. Please do not comment on black music anymore." In some ways, the comparison is an insult to Kanye. Whereas Trump only pretends to donate generously to charity, Kanye actually does. Kanye has a reputation as a generous pop star, helping raise the profile of lesser known artists like then up-and-coming rappers Lupe Fiasco and Chief Keef to shedding light on old greats like British folk jazz musician Labi Siffre with each record. Meanwhile, Trump enjoys taking credit for seemingly everything. Still, perhaps we can conclude that maybe Trump's campaign offers a sliver of insight into what a Kanye 2020 campaign might actually look like. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate According to a new study released this week from New York University, marijuana and alcohol use both lead to unique sexual effects and somewhat risky sexual behavior. In the study, published this week in the Archives of Sexual Behavior by researchers affiliated with New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, researchers talked to adults about their sexual experiences while stoned and while drunk. Researchers interviewed 24 adults -- 12 males and 12 females -- who all identified as heterosexual. RELATED: What states will legalize marijuana next? Website Thrillist weighs in "Compared to marijuana, alcohol use was more commonly associated with social outgoingness and (its) use often facilitated connections with potential sexual partners," a release related to the study said. "However, alcohol was more likely than marijuana to lead to atypical partner choice or post-sex regret." So according to NYU, drunk people make bad sexual decisions while stoned people make those some decisions but seem to be more selective in choosing a partner to do it with. The study concluded that people had lower standards when it came to sexual partners while drunk. "Sexual encounters on marijuana tended to be with someone the individual knew," commented Joseph J. Palamar, an assistant professor of Population Health at New York University Langone Medical Center. "Sex on alcohol was often with a stranger so the situation before sex may be much more important than the drug used." RELATED: Willie Nelson rolls out new line of marijuana, Willie's Reserve, in Washington According to the study, participants noted "favorable sexual effects" while using alcohol or marijuana but did say that each came with unique sexual dysfunctions like impotence and vaginal dryness. "Both drugs appear to be potentially associated with increased feelings of self-attractiveness, but possibly more so for alcohol, and participants reported feelings of increased sociability and boldness while consuming alcohol," the study reported. Anxiety or a sense of wariness in uncharted territory apparently is associated with marijuana use. NYU's study also suggested that since marijuana is largely illegal it's more than likely used in private and behind closed doors, which puts people in closer quarters. "Some individuals utilize such private or intimate situations to facilitate sexual encounters," the researchers said. 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. How Women Write the West I have to just come out and admit it: Im a cowboy/girl at heart. I grew up in rural Nebraska, in a large family, and each summer we kids were given the choice of a pair of sandals or sneakers. I chose cowboy boots. Inconvenient, yes. Especially running to keep up with the older kids or chase the golden retriever that escaped her pen or make my own escape from the vicious black rooster who patrolled the orchard and acre of vegetables my father grew to feed his large brood. Every birthday and Christmas I asked for a horse, but received instead a toy gun and holster, a cowboy hat, a red felt vest and skirt trimmed in white fringe. I ignored the jokes of my siblings and classmates. I befriended any person with a horse that would ride by my house and let me climb up behind the saddle, my legs pinched purple with bruises as we trotted along. I could close my eyes and see the landscape open and roll empty before me into the West! Finally, my grandfather returned to the land and bought a farm and after much begging on my part, an old horse. Although he neglected to also buy a bridle and saddle, I managed to learn to ride bareback with a war bridle fashioned from a piece of clothes line. When he finally relented and bought a saddle and bridle, they were the oldest, most cracked, worn out pieces of leather possible. I can almost imagine they were free they were so dried and brittle, but they meant freedom, and a way to climb on the horse without having to find something tall enough. More important, it meant I could hit the road. I dont know why my grandparents never worried when I packed a sandwich and left of a morning, returning late afternoon, making sure the horse wasnt sweaty and blowing hard, because a cowboy/girl always treated their horse better than themselves. You see, I read nonstop too. I consumed every book about the West and horses in the Benson Public Library. I read a book a day. I couldnt stop. ADVERTISEMENT I also rode miles a day, finding worlds on the back of that old horse, a stout bay Missouri Fox Trotter. I visited all the neighboring farms. Without invitation, I would ride up their lanes and meet the women mostly. There was a farm of Swedes close to my grandfathers, and they had two retired white workhorses and the neatest barnyard for miles. I even took a ride on the too broad back of one, and realized how lucky I was to have the sturdy bay who could stand tied for hours without trying to break away. The wife was always kind to me, giving me a chocolate bar each visit. I liked her and appreciated the thoughtfulness, but she wasnt quite what I wanted. As I wandered further away, I found a dilapidated farm, with chickens roosting and squawking and fighting with the ducks and cats and dogs and goats and milk cows. The house was a riot of dirty dishes and clothes flung off and more animals and flies and stacks of newspapers, and reigning over all this was a couple. She became the first genuinely independent woman of the land I would meet. Irma was tall and broad, dressed always in a dingy white mans T-shirt and jeans, her bra-less breasts hanging like sacks of meal almost to her waist, her hair hanks of brownish gray rising over her browned, sweaty face. There was no question that she ever wore make up or cared to. She was as big as her husband and could toss bales of straw, drive a tractor, repair a manure spreader, and butcher a hog. I dont know who if anyone ever tended that house, but it didnt matter. She was a neutral in the division of labor. She didnt offer me one damn thing to eat. I doubt she ever thought of it. She inspected me and the horse that first time and gave me a chance to glance around because they were baling hay that day and she didnt have time. Whenever I write about the West, I think of Irma. Ive seen her kind in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, and further west too. Our Western history is full of women who worked side by side with men without getting their due. Its taken time to recover their stories, and I believe its my job to bring their lives back to their rightful place. Years ago, I was out in the Hills with a young photographer who had just bought an old panorama camera, each doing our own research, when we decided to go to the Sandoz ranch to see Mari Sandozs grave. While Willa Cather made the early Nebraska pioneer farmers famous, Mari Sandoz wrote of Native Americans and cattlemen in the Sand Hills and it was her work I felt closest to. Her grave is at the end of a single blacktop lane winding among the hills which are utterly empty of houses, powerlines, even fences. Her sister, Flora, was still alive then, and for a time kept a wonderful apple orchard nearby as an agricultural experiment. I visited the grave site quite often to pay my respects and gain courage from the empty hills and open, endless sky. On this particular day, my young friend had climbed the windmill for a better shot of the rolling hills when an old red pickup truck came rattling over the hill and stopped next to me. Uh oh, I thought, now were in it. It was Flora, Maris sister, who leaned out the window and asked what the sam hill we were doing. I explained about the grave and she looked up at my young friend and hollered that shed like to hire him. She couldnt get anyone out to climb around on her windmills anymore to grease and fix them. She was worried about fire she said, hadnt been to town in a month with the dry heat, afraid of what would happen if she left. Finally couldnt stand it, had to go to the beauty parlor. I looked at her hair, a wild grey and white nest. Im eighty, she declared, cant cut my own toenails anymore. Got a girl at the beauty parlor does em for me. Thats handy, I said, hoping shed invite us to her ranch house. But she didnt. She just waved and told us to be careful and drove off. When I returned the next year, the apple orchard was a pile of twisted wood. The experiment was done. She was another woman of the West. ADVERTISEMENT In Valentine, Nebraska in the heart of Sand Hills ranch land, the young ranch couples come to town dressed almost identically in jeans and ropers and western shirts. Theyre changing the look of the West too. Economics these days require that both men and women work as hard as the first families did. My great great grandmother smoked a clay pipe and ran a farm in the Missouri Ozarks. I come from that hard scrabble stock, and I write about women who know how to survive on the land. It never occurred to me that I couldnt do that. Thats what it means to write the West. The Bones Of Paradise: The award-winning author of The River Wife returns with a multi-generational family saga, set in the unforgiving Nebraska Sandhills in the years following the massacre at Wounded Kneean ambitious tale of history, vengeance, race, guilt, betrayal, family, and belonging, filled with a vivid cast of characters shaped by violence, love, and a desperate loyalty to the land. Top photo: True Grit More from BUST 3 Feminist Books BUST Is Reading Right Now 8 Graphic Novels That Are Seriously Inspiring Required Reads 13 Of Our Favorite Feminist Bookstores In The US Jonis Agee is the award-winning author of twelve books, including the New York Times Notable Books of the Year, Sweet Eyes and Strange Angels. Her awards include a National Endowment for the Arts grant in fiction; a Loft-McKnight Award; a Loft-McKnight Award of Distinction; and two Nebraska Book Awards. Agee lives in Omaha and teaches at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For more information please visit: www.jonisagee.com. The Bones Of Paradise: The award-winning author ofThe River Wife returns with a multi-generational family saga, set in the unforgiving Nebraska Sandhills in the years following the massacre at Wounded Kneean ambitious tale of history, vengeance, race, guilt, betrayal, family, and belonging, filled with a vivid cast of characters shaped by violence, love, and a desperate loyalty to the land. 5 Braves land All-Lakes; 6 on All-Academic Cherokee finished atop the Lakes Conference volleyball standings this fall at 5-0 and claimed its first volleyball league title in... Raptors on to finals with win over Titans HOLSTEIN - The Class 2A #15-ranked Ridge View volleyball team hosted South Central Calhoun for the Class 2A Region 2... Warriors end season with win over Rebels SIOUX RAPIDS - The Alta-Aurelia football team traveled to face Sioux Central for their final game of the season and... Cherokee takes down Generals to finish season CHEROKEE - The Cherokee football team hosted Sibley-Ocheyedan on Friday and won 35-28 to finish out their season. The... Clint Eastwood Is Sick Of People Complaining About Donald Trumps Casual Racism Trending News: Clint Eastwood Defends Trump, Tells People To 'Get Over' Racism Why Is This Important? Because Eastwood remains an important American figure and, like it or not, people will listen to him. Long Story Short Clint Eastwood vented his frustration with American politics, slamming Hillary Clinton and political correctness, and telling America to just f-cking get over racism. He mercifully stops short of praising Donald Trump. Long Story In a lengthy interview with Esquire, Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood sounded off on many of the things that piss him off about American politics these days. Theres a lot, and thats why he sounds very sympathetic towards Donald Trump. First off, he thinks this is, in his words, a pussy generation, and Trump is tapping into a growing resentment against that. He's onto something, because secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now. We're really in a pussy generation. Everybodys walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things werent called racist, he said. (Eastwood was born in 1930.) He stopped short of endorsing Trump, saying hed never met him, and doesnt sound too impressed with him either. Referring to Trumps race-baiting of Judge Gonzalo Curiel, Eastwood said, Its a dumb thing to say. I mean, to predicate your opinion on the fact that the guy was born to Mexican parents or something. Hes said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides. But everybodythe press and everybody's going, Oh, well, thats racist, and theyre making a big hoodoo out of it. Just f-cking get over it. It's a sad time in history. (There is, of course, no small amount of irony in Eastwood getting so worked up over people getting offended.) Nor is he looking forward to the possibility of a Hillary Clinton presidency. Its a tough voice to listen to for four years, he said. To be fair, Eastwood shows little love for anyone in the political establishment, left or right, and spends much of the rest of the wide-ranging interview discussing the work ethic instilled into him by his father as he grew up during the Depression and his desire to get the personal out of the political. But he also comes across as someone who hasnt ever been the target of casual racism or police violence. If only he could write in his empty chair on the ballot. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question Does the fact that hes 86 years old cut him any slack? Disrupt Your Feed You can separate the art from the artist. Most of his movies still stand up, though its very tough to watch the original Dirty Harry films. Drop This Fact Eastwoods latest film, Sully, is the 35th feature hes directed. It opens Sept. 9. Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..Opinion/JPost..04 August '16..Why did the Obama administration to escalate its attacks against Israel last week? What was the purpose of the State Departments shockingly hostile assault last Wednesday following the Israel Lands Authoritys announcement that it is publishing tenders to build 323 apartment units in Jerusalems Gilo, Har Homa, Pisgat Zeev and Neveh Yaacov neighborhoods? The statement needs to be seen to be believed.We are deeply concerned by reports today that the government of Israel has published tenders for 323 units in East Jerusalem settlements. This follows Mondays announcement of plans for 770 units in the settlement of Gilo, it began.We strongly oppose settlement activity, which is corrosive to the cause of peace. These steps by Israeli authorities are the latest examples of what appears to be a steady acceleration of settlement activity that is systematically undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.The Americans then attacked Israel for advancing plans to build in Judea and Samaria. The projects now on the table involve building apartments in the city of Maaleh Adumim and in Kiryat Arba and authorizing the already constructed Amona neighborhood in Ofra. The statement attacked Israel for enforcing its land laws toward non-Jews.We are also concerned about recent increased demolitions of Palestinian structures in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which reportedly have left dozens of Palestinians homeless, including children....Finally, it concluded, This is part of an ongoing process of land seizures, settlement expansion, legalizations of outposts, and denial of Palestinian development that risk entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict. We remain troubled that Israel continues this pattern of provocative and counter-productive action, which raises serious questions about Israels ultimate commitment to a peaceful, negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.Elliott Abrams, who was president George W. Bushs adviser on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, expressed shock at the statements hostility. In written commentary, Abrams hypothesized that the statement was directed toward the Europeans.He offered that it was likely meant to signal to them that they are free to attack Israel as harshly as they wish.Maybe. But after seven-and-a-half years of the Obama presidency, the Europeans need no such reassurance. They know that the White House has their back when it comes to Israel-bashing. A more likely explanation lies elsewhere. To understand it though, it is important to recognize that the positions expressed in last weeks statement werent altogether new.In January, then-defense minister Moshe Yaalon announced the inclusion of a 10-acre plot of land adjacent to Route 60 south of Jerusalem within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The plot in question was lawfully purchased eight years ago from the Presbyterian Church by the late Irving Moskowitz and his wife, Cherna Moskowitz.The State Department reacted with rage to Yaalons announcement. Condemning the decision, spokesman John Kirby called settlements, illegitimate and counterproductive to the cause of peace. Kirby continued, Actions such as this decision clearly undermine the possibility of a twostate solution.Irving Moskowitz, who passed away in June, and his widow, Cherna Moskowitz, are Americans, not Israelis. The American couple privately purchased the 10-acre plot, along with eight buildings located on the plot from the Presbyterian Church a private entity. The sale took place not in the US, but in foreign territory.US law does not bar US citizens from buying land in Judea and Samaria. In fact, in other cases, the administration actually encourages US citizens to purchase and develop land in the areas. For instance, the father of the Palestinian settlement of Rawabi in the Binyamin district is Bashar al-Masri.Masri is a US citizen.Far from condemning Masri, or the Palestinian Authority which is expanding Rawabi with him, the US government is funding Rawabi. The administration upholds Masri as a hero.Legally, there is no difference whatsoever between the Moskowitzes and Masri. The only difference between them is their religion. The Moskowitzes are Jews. Masri is a Muslim.And while the State Department condemned the lawful purchase of land by the Moskowitzes, and Israels incorporation of that land, in accordance with their wishes, within the boundaries of Gush Etzion, the administration celebrates land purchase, appropriation and development of Rawabi by Masri.There is a name for this type of behavior. It is called discrimination. It is also called anti-Semitism.Last weeks State Department condemnation was no different.To understand why this is the case it is important to bear in mind that a few weeks before last Wednesdays announcements about construction tenders in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods, Israel Lands Authority announced it is issuing tenders for 600 apartments in Jerusalem for Arabs-only in Beit Safafa and additional housing for Arabs-only in Beit Hanina.Whereas the State Department harshly condemned last weeks announcement, it said nothing about the previous ones. In other words, it distinguishes between building for Jews and building for non-Jews. It seeks to trample Jewish civil rights while championing those of Arabs. Indeed, it defends Arab lawlessness.This too is a policy predicated on bigotry, on anti-Semitism. There is one more component to Obamas actions, which, like his anti-Jewish rationale, has spanned the length of his presidency.In 2010, then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton shocked Israeli society by screaming at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the telephone for 45 minutes. Clinton upbraided Netanyahu for a decision by a Jerusalem municipal planning boards to approve a stage in the planning process toward building apartments in Ramat Shlomo, an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem.Israelis and many Americans were shocked by her behavior, because no previous administration had ever treated neighborhoods in Jerusalem as controversial. Everyone, including Obama, acknowledged that like the major population centers in Judea and Samaria, these neighborhoods will remain part of Israel in perpetuity.Yet suddenly in 2010, Clinton and Obama began castigating them as illegitimate settlements. In other words, they expanded the meaning of settlement to include all Jewish communities located in areas that had been under Jordanian occupation between 1949 and 1967.Last weeks State Departments statement made clear, yet again, that it is official US policy to view Gilo, a neighborhood of 40,000 people, and Maaleh Adumim, a city of 40,000 people, as indistinguishable from a few mobile homes in the middle of nowhere with a dozen 20-somethings camped out in them. For the past seven years, the US has viewed these residential areas all as equally evil, equally corrosive and equally illegitimate, despite the fact that their only shared quality is that they all house Jews. To be clear, none of this has any connection to international law. This is why the administration prefers the meaningless term illegitimate to the term illegal.The administration argues that it discriminates against Jews to advance the cause of peace. But as Abrams made clear, this claim is completely absurd. Again, the Obama administration itself acknowledges that these areas will remain part of Israel under any possible peace deal.Then there is the awkward issue of the Palestinians.The Americans reject Jewish civil rights and blame Israels respect for those rights for the absence of peace at the same time that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is spewing blood libels about Jews at the European Parliament and suing Great Britain for the Balfour Declaration.In other words, they are accusing Israel of destroying prospects for peace when it is clear to everyone including Obamas own negotiators that the only side unwilling to make peace is the Palestinians.Some argue that the administrations condemnations are geared toward setting the conditions for a UN Security Council resolution against the settlements.Obama, they warn, intends to enable such a decision to pass after the presidential election in November.But these condemnations can just as easily make it politically difficult for Obama to carry out his plan. By condemning Israel in such an openly bigoted manner, Obama opens himself up to denunciations by Israels many friends in Congress, and indeed, in presidential politics. These allies can easily demand that Democratic nominee Clinton reject his anti-Semitic policies. In doing so, they will ensure that even if an anti-Israel resolution passes in November, it will be forgotten the moment Obama leaves office.Given the fact that the US public does not share Obamas hostility toward the Jewish state, prudence would recommend that he advance his bigoted aims as quietly as possible. So what is he up to? Since the Europeans dont need a US condemnation to act, and anti-Israel resolutions at the UN are best advanced through quiet diplomacy, not public condemnations of a popular ally, the only remaining option is that Obamas actual target audience is the US itself. With three months until the election, Obama is focused on legacy building.Last weeks statement demonstrates that shaping the USs future policy toward Israel is a major component of the legacy he is building. And what is the shape he is giving to that policy through his actions? By openly employing anti-Jewish policy rationales, Obama shows that the legacy he intends to pass on to his successors is a US policy toward Israel based neither on US interests nor on American values. Rather, it is predicated on unabashed anti-Jewish discrimination.In other words, Obamas presidential legacy is the promotion of anti-Semitism as the guiding principle shaping and informing US Israel policy.This is, to be sure, a stunning indeed shocking conclusion. It points to the depth of Obamas hostility to Jewish national and civil rights. But as his administrations statements make clear, the conclusion that anti-Semitism is the guiding principle of his policies is unavoidable.Those running to succeed Obama should be urged to denounce his bigotry and renounce his legacy. By the same token, the Israeli pro-Palestinian Left and the American pro-Obama Left should be urged to distance themselves from him.As long as they refuse to do so, as long as they continue to support Obama, they make clear that for them, anti-Jewish bigotry is no big deal. As far as they are concerned, Jewish rights should only be respected when doing so advances their political goals.This means that Obamas supporters can no longer claim to be liberals. Now that we understand that anti-Jewish bigotry, and the rejection of Jewish civil rights, is the rationale informing Obamas policy toward the Jewish state, it is clear that it is no longer possible to be both a liberal and an Obama supporter.This is his legacy. And this is their choice. Once a fixture throughout the United Kingdom, British Home Stores is being liquidated. The bankruptcy of the nearly century-old home-goods retailer leaves 11,000 employees looking for work and 20,000 retirees worried that their pension fund will soon dry up. Retailers are struggling across the U.K., as middle-class shoppers embrace Internet deliverywhen theyre spending money at all. BHS would have needed competent management and solid investment to thrive even in the best of circumstances. Unfortunately, it had an opportunist at the helm. Sir Philip Green, who also owns Topshop and other British name brands, purchased BHS in 2000. It was at the time a healthy, profitable company, with assets of over half a billion pounds and liabilities of just 300 million. Its pension funds enjoyed a 43 million surplus. As a new report by the House of Commons notes, Green increased the companys profitability, but not by increasing sales. Instead, he slashed costs by squeezing suppliers, often small businesses. Rather than reinvesting the higher profits, he took money out of the company. In the early 2000s, BHS paid shareholders dividends that were nearly double profits. This effectively removed value from the company, precluding its use for purposes such as investment or pension contributions, the Commons report says. Most of those dividendsmore than 300 millionwent to Greens family, which awarded itself dividends far in excess of company profits. Lady Green, his wife, a resident of Monaco, earned these profits offshore rather than in Britain, thus avoiding British taxes. This cash raid, unsurprisingly, left BHS weak. By 2014, BHS was left on life support, having drawn on all its accumulated reserves and more, the report says. That year, Green engineered the companys sale to an investor for just 1thereby unloading responsibility for a 300 million pension deficit. As the Commons report notes, Green didnt plunder the company all by himself. He had sign-offs, advice, and other help from the worlds leading financial firms, including Goldman Sachs, Grant Thornton, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He also could turn to multiple boards of directors, made up of supposedly fair-minded people. British regulators missed several opportunities to compel BHS to put more money into its pension fund. British law has long allowed investors to avoid taxes, even under transparently dubious circumstances. How, for instance, did Greens wifewho, the Daily Mail helpfully notes, lives in a gin palace in a tax havenbecome such a large offshore investor in her husbands company? The BHS tale is a reminder that capitalism, in itself, is not moral or immoral but amoral. It needs moral actors to set ethical, social, and cultural norms. Strikingly, the Commons report notes in its conclusion that Green still has a moral not legalduty to act to use his wealth to shore up BHSs pension fund. Though Daily Mail financial editor Alex Brummer called Greens actions breathtakingly immoral, global financial and management officials have been notably quiet. Free-market capitalism badly needs defenders who can point out that the pursuit of riches is good when it motivates people to invest in risky ideas, or to devote time to an invention that may failbut who will also acknowledge that greed isnt good when it motivates people to harm employees and customers in order to enrich themselves. The British public, like the American public, is angry at the worlds elites, and its not hard to see why. One BHS worker, C. Patel, who described herself as 56 years of age and hav[ing] worked for BHS since I left school, told investigators that she now finds herself in a position where my pension is under threat, which has caused me a lot of upset and sleepless nights. I feel so helpless in what is happening. What Green and his enablers did may have been legal, but it was also wrong. He should feel ashamed by the photos of his wife on her 100 million superyacht and by the photos of his daughter clutching her 2,100 purse. Shame has nothing to do with the law, or with regulation. It is a form of moral discipline. Markets could badly use some of that, lest more people turn away from them in disgust, leaving us all poorer. Photo by MartinCParker/iStock Cunningham Lindsey Group Announces Executive Appointments Cunningham Lindsey, a global loss adjusting and risk management services company, appointed Harry Patel to global chief operating officer (COO), and David Repinski to chief executive officer (CEO) of the Americas. These appointments are effective August 1, 2016. As Global COO, Patel will oversee all global operations, professional services and strategy across the 60+ countries serviced by Cunningham Lindsey. As CEO of Cunningham Lindsey Americas, Repinski will focus on clients, long-term growth initiatives and the expansion of subsidiaries FAS Global, EFI Global, inTrust, Vale Training, Oriel and Sergon specifically across the territories of US, Canada and Latin America. Prior to this appointment, Patel held other executive roles within the organization including CEO of Cunningham Lindsey Americas Region and CEO of Cunningham Lindsey Australia. He has more than 18 years in the industry with expertise in strategic selling, building organization capability and process reengineering. He will continue to be based in Tampa, Florida. Repinski previously served as president and chief client officer of Cunningham Lindsey Americas, and in several prior leadership roles before rejoining the organization in 2015. His career spans more than two decades across multiple aspects of the claims industry, including market diversification, strategic planning and sales leadership. He will continue to be based in Dallas, Texas. In a separate announcement, Cunningham Lindsey named Jim Buckley as U.S. president & chief operating officer. In this role, Buckley is responsible for implementing strategic initiatives to strengthen and grow Cunningham Lindsey U.S. This includes all aspects of Cunningham Lindseys diversified business units including Vale Training, inTrust, FAS Global, Oriel and Sergon. He will also serve on the Americas Leadership Team and work closely with his counterparts in Canada, Latin America and EFI Global business units. Prior to this appointment, Buckley held several roles in Cunningham Lindsey ranging from adjuster to regional vice president, and most recently, senior vice president, director of Commercial Lines for U.S. Before rejoining Cunningham Lindsey in 2015, Jim served as President and CEO of Jim Buckley and Associates where he owned and managed operations, and personally handled numerous large and complex losses throughout North America. Buckley will be based in Dallas, Texas and will report to the CEO of Cunningham Lindsey, Americas. Cincinnati Insurance Company Adds Expertise to the Cincinnati Re Team R. Philip Sandercox, Erin A. Skala and Wendy A. Hayes joined The Cincinnati Insurance Company, adding expertise to Cincinnati Re, its reinsurance assumed operation. Sandercox, managing director, head of specialty casualty reinsurance, will oversee the strategic direction, underwriting and marketing of the companys specialty casualty reinsurance assumed portfolio. A 28-year veteran of the reinsurance industry, Sandercox most recently served as senior vice president and head of specialty casualty reinsurance at Aspen Re America Inc. and was formerly at Gen Re and Willis Re. He holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Reinsurance (ARe) designations. Skala, managing director, head of property reinsurance, will lead all property treaty underwriting for U.S. and global clients and build a highly technical team focused on producing a diversified property portfolio within Cincinnati Re. Prior to joining Cincinnati Re, Skala was president and chief operating officer of ACE Tempest Re in Bermuda. She brings more than 20 years of experience in property reinsurance underwriting, broking and catastrophe modeling. She holds the Associate in Reinsurance (ARe) designation. Hayes, managing director, head of catastrophe risk analytics, will build the companys center of excellence for catastrophe modeling with a focus on technology and scientific capabilities. She brings 20 years of catastrophe modeling experience most recently as operations leader of the U.S. catastrophe management team at Aon Benfield. MEMIC Hires LaCross and Wright as Safety Management Consultants Workers compensation specialist The MEMIC Group announced the appointments of Laurette Wright and Jeremiah LaCross as safety management consultants, Wright will support MEMICs growth in North Carolina and LaCross will assist policyholders in Vermont. With more than 30 years of occupational health and safety experience, Wright has held positions as a regional clinical manager at caregiver equipment manufacturer ArjoHuntleigh, Ssfety and health manager at Austin Quality Foods and occupational health and safety specialist at Wausau Insurance Companies before joining MEMIC. She is holds the Certified Safe Patient Handling Professional (CSPHP) and Certified Occupational Health Nurse Specialist (COHN-S) designations. Currently living in Durham, N.C., Wright is a globally recognized professional speaker in the field of safe patient handling and mobility. She has authored and co-authored publications in numerous professional trade journals and books such as the Journal of the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare, Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America and The Illustrated Guide to Safe Patient Handling and Movement from Springer Publishing Company. With 10 years of experience as a safety specialist, LaCross has held positions as a safety and regulatory compliance manager at Middlebury College and environmental health and safety coordinator at Pike Industries, Inc. before joining MEMIC. LaCross graduated with a bachelors degree in Occupational Health and Safety from Keene State College in New Hampshire. In the 2003 Walt Disney blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Hector Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl are in a cavern trying to reverse their curse when Elizabeth invokes the right of parley and notes that, according to the Pirate Code, she must be taken to their captain. Barbossa reluctantly agrees, but later reneges on this promise stating, The Code is more what youd call guidelines than actual rules. The same can be said of current sovereign immunity law regarding when a state or a local political subdivision of a state can be sued in tort. Knowing when and how a tort action against a governmental entity can be pursued, including the pursuit of subrogation claims, is indispensable for todays claims professionals. Governmental immunity is the doctrine covering local governments immunity from tort-based claims, as well as exceptions to that immunity. Contrasted, a state government is immune from tort suits by individuals under the doctrine of sovereign immunity under common law. Local governments, municipalities (cities), counties, towns, and other political subdivisions of the state are immune from tort suits by virtue of governmental immunity, because the state government grants them this immunity, usually in a states Constitution. The broader doctrine of sovereign immunity traces its common law origins to the notion that the king made the laws, and thus anything the king did was perforce legal. Therefore, there can be no valid suit against a government entity. This doctrine made its way to the U.S. in the early 1800s and was soon adopted by nearly every state. However, the enjoyment of sovereign immunity is limited to government bodies that are truly sovereign, namely the U.S. federal government and each state government. This presumed immunity is based on the belief that governments would be paralyzed if they faced potential liability for all actions of their employees. Sovereign immunity today has been limited or eliminated, at least in part, in most jurisdictions by either legislative or judicial action. The doctrine of sovereign immunity for states varies from state-to-state, but is usually contained either in a statutory framework (such as a Tort Claims Act) or within judicial and case decisions. Excluded from the doctrine are cities and municipalities, which are considered to be mere creatures of the legislature and which have no inherent power and must exercise delegated power strictly within the limitations prescribed by the state legislature. As such, by default, municipalities are liable for their actions unless shielded by state law. The constitution of a particular state may grant that state and its political subdivisions absolute sovereign immunity meaning that those local government entities are shielded from suit unless the legislature explicitly creates a statutory exception waiving immunity or the local government entity waives its immunity by contract and purchases insurance to cover any resulting liability obligations. State Immunity Versus Political Subdivision Immunity Most states have two parallel systems and bodies of law for governmental tort immunity: one for the state and another for political subdivisions created by the state to help fulfil their obligations (county, city, town, school district, water districts, park districts, airport districts, etc.). A political subdivision is a local governmental entity that is in some ways distinct from or a subset of the state, but nevertheless exercises a slice of state power. They include counties, cities, towns, villages, and special districts such as school districts, water districts, park districts, and airport districts. In some states, there are separate acts covering each, such as in Pennsylvania where there is a State Sovereign Immunity Act covering the liability of the state (referred to as the Commonwealth in Pennsylvania) and a State Tort Claims Act covering the liability of political subdivisions. Although state law varies from state-to-state, much of the law involving governmental immunity focuses on whether (1) the employee who caused the injury was acting within the scope of the employees duties and (2) whether the activity in which the employee was engaged was the type of act which public policy deems worthy of granting immunity. It is almost universally agreed that a total waiver of government immunity is undesirable. However, creating standards and tests to separate those acts that should be protected from those that create liability has been a difficult and complex task. There is a lot of blurring and conflating of concepts used to describe and categorize local government actions from state-to-state. However, in general, the concepts and terms used have distinct differences and you should be familiar with them. Governmental/Discretionary Acts For many years, local government was liable only for proprietary acts and not governmental acts. The rule attempted to distinguish between municipal activities, which are inherently public in nature, and those which merely supplant or parallel the workings of the private sector. The rule made a vertical classification of activities, in the sense that broad spheres of official concern such as education, police and fire protection, hospitals, garbage collection, maintenance of streets and sidewalks, sewage, and provision of water, electricity and transportation, are each labeled either governmental or proprietary. Once a service or action was classified as governmental, local governmental immunity applied on all levels in the provision of this governmental service. This simple test failed to take into account the nature of the activity. At its simplest, this distinction looked like this: Governmental Act: Local government is not liable had immunity. Proprietary Act: Local government is liable immunity waived. Governmental functions are those activities that are discretionary, political, legislative, or public in nature and performed for the public good on behalf of the State. They are undertakings that are commercial or chiefly for the private advantage of the compact community. Courts had a hard time applying these inexact standards to particular activities, causing irreconcilable splits of authority and confusion. The operation of a municipal airport has been considered a proprietary function, even though a statute may declare it to be governmental. Rhodes v. City of Asheville, 230 N.C. 134 (1949). Proprietary functions are undertakings that are commercial or performed primarily for the private advantage of the local community. A proprietary function is one that a private entity can perform, and is not uniquely for the benefit of the general public. The discretionary function defense applies to discretionary governmental functions, but not for proprietary (or ministerial) functions. There are many grey areas where states reach different results, such as whether the design of highways is governmental or proprietary. Many states do not consider personal medical services, such as prenatal care clinics and general indigent medical care clinics, to be governmental functions and apply ordinary medical malpractice law to them, although some states do include these under governmental immunity. On the other hand, if the medical service is related to protecting the public, rather than just helping one person, it will be considered governmental. In this regard, the treatment and testing for tuberculosis would be a governmental function. The older governmental (immune) versus proprietary (not immune) rule looks only to the level at which the decision to undertake the activity was made. Over time, this simple distinction lost its vitality as an accurate or adequate rationale for the immunity privilege. Inconsistency developed with regard to which activities were which. Even the U.S. Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction with and condemned this simple distinction. Indian Towing Co. v. United States, 350 U.S. 61 (1955). The concept of municipal immunity is driven by a purpose not to jeopardize the quality and efficiency of government by exposing the exercise of discretion in the formulation of government policy to tort liability led to an evolved concept of municipal immunity under which any function (governmental or proprietary) can now come within a discretionary function exception to either liability or immunity. Discretionary Versus Ministerial Acts For many years, the broader distinction of proprietary versus governmental was the simple, but inadequate, litmus test. However, over time it became infused with the narrower terminology of ministerial versus discretionary. Rather than local government automatically being immune from suit whenever a governmental act was involved, state law began to borrow the discretionary function rule which originated with the Federal Tort Claims Act in 1946, which exempted from liability any act based on the exercise or performance (or the failure to exercise or perform) a discretionary function or duty, whether or not the discretion is abused. A discretionary act is a government action performed according to legal authority, established procedures or instructions from a superior, without exercising any individual judgment. It can be any act a government employee performs in a prescribed manner, without exercising any individual judgment or discretion. The repair of equipment on a school playground, although a governmental function, was not of such a nature as to pose threats to the quality and efficiency of government if tort liability attached. In this fashion, the concept of a discretionary act test found its way into the field of local governmental immunity. In general, only discretion and judgment at the highest levels call for the imposition of governmental immunity for local government. Even this test, however, has a lack of an adequate and clear standard for determining what a discretionary function is. No state legislature has attempted to clearly define what this term means. As with the Pirate Code, the rules we are given are more like guidelines than actual rules. As a result, states have developed three basic approaches or interpretations: Literal or semantic definition. The problem with this approach is that there is some level of discretion involved in almost every governmental act. A standard which distinguishes planning level functions from operational level functions. This generally means that only basic policy decisions are immune. A policy decision (state policy of maintaining highways) may be discretionary, but subsequent ministerial actions undertaken to implement the policy decision (how roads will be salted or where highway signs will be placed) are considered ministerial acts for which liability may attach. Utah, Hawaii and Alaska are examples of states which use this distinction. If an act takes place on a higher, planning level, it is discretionary and immune. A flexible approach which evaluates the particular facts in light of the purpose of the exception. Many states, often those without a statutory discretionary function rule, look past the planning/operational distinction, and instead inquire whether the decision is the kind that is delegated to a coordinate branch of government and, therefore, are immune. Does the act involve a basic governmental policy, program, or objective? Is the act essential to the accomplishment of that policy, program, or objective? Does it require evaluation, judgment, and expertise? Oregon and Washington are examples of this approach. There is very little difference in the effect of this approach and the second approach and the difference is mainly one of semantics. None of these approaches clearly define or set forth those activities for which a government is liable. There is no immunity from liability arising out of the negligent performance of a proprietary or ministerial act by a local governmental employee. A ministerial act is one performed under a given set of facts and in a prescribed manner in obedience to the mandate of legal authority (e.g., statute, established procedure, instructions from a superior, or other legal authority) without regard to, or the exercise of, the individual judgment of the local government employee on the propriety (i.e., the appropriateness) of the act being done. In other words, the local government employee is compelled by law to do the act and to do it in a particular manner. An act is usually ministerial even though the employee must use judgment to determine if a set of facts exist that make it necessary to perform the act. Examples of a ministerial act include entry of an order by a court clerk, notarizing a document, issuing a building permit, approving a real estate subdivision, and determining the existence of facts and applying them as required by law, without any discretion. Acts which would not be considered ministerial include decisions about application of a tax law, auditing an income tax return, and determining facts and applying law to those facts. Discretionary actions which enjoy immunity include governing and supervisory decisions, such as how much priority is placed on the enforcement of ordinances and codes, the allocation of resources, the number of staff assigned to a project, the timing or placement of traffic lights, and how laws are enforced. Proprietary actions, on the other hand, include the method of performing government functions. For example, the negligence of a municipal employee that results in injury can expose the municipality to tort liability. The waiver of sovereign immunity in such a case only opens the door to litigation; it does not change burdens of proof or elements of a tort. In order to prevail in a tort suit, a plaintiff must still demonstrate all the necessary elements of a tort: duty, breach, causation, and damages. Under common law, the sovereign state enjoyed absolute governmental immunity while municipalities did not. Although it varies from state-to-state, today, municipalities are only immune for governmental functions, i.e., those inherent state police powers that embody the governments fundamental legal obligation to preserve the general public health, safety, and welfare. They are generally not immune from liability for proprietary functions, i.e., when acting like a private business on their own behalf and/or for the benefit of their own citizens. When injuries arose from a proprietary function, municipalities can often be held liable like a private individual for negligence. Summary The development of the immunity standard for local government and political subdivisions has evolved from attempts to create a precise, predictable semantic definition into a flexible, if unpredictable, guideline. There is rarely an easy answer to whether a particular act on the part of local government is immune, which is why cases involving these issues are litigated so frequently. For most states, if an act constitutes governing (high-level policy decision for which coordinate branches of government are responsible), immunity will apply. This is most often referred to as the discretionary function exception. Where along the continuum of decision-making an act falls is the stuff of lawsuits and legal advocacy. Most states have abandoned a simple formula and decided that planning-level function (proprietary) acts are immune and operational-level function (ministerial) acts are subject to tort liability. This is unfortunate for the drafters of charts like the chart Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. (MWL) has created, because most states have avoided a mechanical categorizing of government actions into immune or not immune columns. Generally, however, the terms proprietary, ministerial, and planning level usually go together and describe functions for which local government is liable and for which immunity has been waived. The terms governmental, discretionary, and operational level usually go together and describe functions for which local government is not liable and retains its immunity. A chart detailing the law of state tort liability and immunity in all 50 states can be found at https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/STATE-GOVERNMENTAL-LIABILITY-IN-ALL-50-STATES-CHART-GLW-00211981.pdf A chart detailing the liability and immunity of municipal, county, and local government in all 50 states, can be found at https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MUNICIPAL-COUNTY-LOCAL-GOVERNMENTAL-LIABILITY-CHART-00212510.pdf. These charts deal only with the separate body of laws governing claims against state and local governments and political subdivisions of a particular state. They do not cover tort claims against the U.S. federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act which is the subject of another MWL publication that can be found at https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/FEDERAL-STATE-GOVERNMENTAL-LIABILITY-AND-TORT-CLAIMS-CHART-00212512.pdf The cacophony of chainsaws became the soundtrack of the summer when Jean and Michael Blaisdell returned to their home after being evacuated during the Hayman fire in 2002. Thats when the Blaisdells and other residents in Ridgewood, a subdivision in the forest north of Woodland Park, began to take seriously the threat of wildfires and the measures that could help save their properties. Now, more than half of the homeowners in the community have taken steps to make their houses more fire safe, from chopping trees to choosing noncombustible building materials, reported The Gazette. We built this house in 1982 with the intention of cutting down as few trees as possible. Now all we do is cut down trees, said Jean Blaisdell, who moved to Ridgewood with Michael after he retired from the Air Force. Their cabin-style house sits on a slope, tucked among ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and blue spruce all conifer kindling of choice for wildfires. The Tarryall Mountains, visible to the west from their second-story deck, are still singed splotchy black from the Hayman fire. A decade after the blaze, flames from the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire danced between a pair of hills southeast of their property. Hundreds of trees on the Blaisdells 27 acres have gotten the ax over the years, leaving a constellation of scattered stumps. The couple has thinned trees within 10 feet of their driveway, a third of a mile in length, and replaced their old roof with fire-resistant, stone-clad steel shingles. They collected their most important paperwork, from birth certificates to insurance packets, in a single file in case they are evacuated and need to leave quickly. We really got busy, Michael Blaisdell said. But more work must be done, he said. The couple signed a contract to replace their homes wood siding with concrete and the wooden window frames with vinyl upgrades that will cost about as much as was spent building the home. Officials praise the efforts of homeowners such as the Blaisdells and renew their pleas for all residents, especially those in heavily wooded areas, to make their houses more fire safe. Complacency is our worst enemy in this business the idea that it cant happen to me, for some reason or another. Yes, it can, said Dave Root, Colorado State Forest Service assistant forester for El Paso, Teller and Park counties. Wildfires are a natural occurrence. Were going to have wildfires from now until the end of the world. Its the fire behavior that were trying to alter. Mitigation not only increases the chance a structure will survive a wildfire, but helps firefighters do their jobs, Root said. Its a simple matter of two basic steps: one is to reduce the amount of fuel around your house, including trees, grasses, possibly even landscape plants, he said. The other is to make sure that your home itself is as fire-hardened as possible. The Colorado FireWise construction guide recommends residents create a buffer around their house known as defensible space. In the 15 to 30 feet closest to the homes foundation, all trees except one or two should be removed. At least 100 feet from the house, trees should be spaced 10 feet between their widest branches. Beyond that, trees and shrubs should be thinned and pruned as necessary. Ladder fuels, or low hanging branches that enable a fire to spread from the ground to the crown of a tree, should also be removed. The guide encourages the use of noncombustible construction materials such as metal, concrete, cement, brick, stucco and stone. The first five feet from a houses foundation should have nonflammable ground cover, such as a deck or patio, and no planted vegetation. Gutters should be free of leaves, pine needles and other fuels. Metal screens can be installed on vents to cover openings to a homes interior and prevent embers from sparking a fire inside, Root said. While color-coded maps are available online through the Colorado State Forest Service and city fire department to help residents understand the fire danger in their area, Root stressed that wildfires are a risk anywhere fuels exist. Amy Sylvester, wildfire mitigation program coordinator for Colorado Springs Fire Department, said the city is home to 21 neighborhoods recognized as fire-adapted communities. The fire department offers free consultations to help homeowners get started on mitigation efforts, Sylvester said. The biggest misconception people have is that they think we are going to go in and ask them to clear cut around their home, but thats not the intention of our program, she said. Its just making small changes on their property to change the way fire behaves. The consultations are tailored to each propertys topography, size and location. The consultations are particularly useful for homeowners who might not be able to create 100 feet of defensible space, Sylvester said. We look at the construction features of the home and the vegetation around the house, and we give them (homeowners) recommendations for their property, she said. Its purely educational. Its up to them to decide what they want to do with the information. To date, the fire department has assessed more than 36,000 homes. During peak wildfire season, residents are also asked to be cautious about activities that may spark a fire, such as disposing of smoking materials improperly or mowing the lawn, Sylvester said. Residents can stay informed by signing up for the local emergency alert notification system at www.elpasoteller911.org. The system has changed since the Waldo Canyon fire, so some subscribers may need to re-register, she noted. Officials say more residents are aware of wildfire mitigation steps and are making changes to their properties. Local crews often help with mitigation efforts, said Capt. Larry Bell of Black Forest Fire and Rescue Protection District. Its definitely picked up as far as mitigation work goes, Bell said. A lot of the residents are taking it to heart, but theres still work to be done. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Summit County Court 1.JPG A Barberton man was sentenced Thursday to prison in connection with a child pornography case. (File photo) AKRON, Ohio - A Barberton man was sentenced to prison Thursday for sharing child pornography online. Curtis Burden, 20, pleaded guilty May 16 to one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor, according to a news release from the Summit County Prosecutor's Office. He was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison. Burden was arrested in December 2015 after investigators in Pinal County, Arizona contacted the Summit County Sheriff's Office and said they believed child porn images were being sent from a home in Coventry Township. Police obtained a search warrant for the Coventry Township home, and evidence there led them to Burden's apartment in Barberton, police said. Investigators said they found thousands of child porn videos that were in Burden's possession, and he was arrested. Burden's roommate - Matthew Barlow, 34 - was also arrested in connection with the case, police said. He pleaded guilty in June to one charge of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, and he is slated for sentencing on Aug. 17, the release said. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. This story was edited in November 2021 per cleveland.coms Right to be Forgotten policy STOW, Ohio - A suspended Eastlake elementary school substitute teacher was sentenced Wednesday to probation after the charges accusing him of groping a teenage girl. The South Euclid man pleaded no contest Wednesday to one count of disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, in Stow Municipal Court. He was sentenced to six months of community control and fined $250, court documents show. If he violates the conditions of probation, he will serve 30 days in jail. The man was also ordered by the presiding judge to not contact the 13-year-old victim or her family, the document shows. The man was originally charged in April 2016 with one count of sexual imposition. The charge was amended after the evidence presented did not support the charge, his attorney Henry Hilow said in a phone interview. Hilow said his client's sentence was fair and "consistent with the law." Stow assistant prosecutor Brendan Mackin -- the prosecutor in the case -- said that the teachers no-contest plea was made with the full knowledge and agreement of the victims family. Although the accuser was a minor, Mackin said the sexual imposition charge would have been difficult to convict. "It would be difficult to prove the one" element of sexual contact regarding sexual arousal or gratification," Mackin said. "There wasn't really any evidence to go to that." He was initially accused of touching a teenage girls buttocks and smacking it several times at a Twinsburg Township home in November 2015. He was a substitute teacher at Eastlakes Jefferson Elementary School until March 24. He was placed on unpaid leave by the Willoughby-Eastlake school district superintendent Stephen Thompson. Messages left for the superintendent were not immediately answered Wednesday. If youd like to discuss or comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. BEREA -- Police are asking for the public's help to find a 17-year-old Brook Park girl who has been missing for more than three months. Investigators believe the girl left through a back door at Berea-Midpark High School in the 100 block of East Bagley Road sometime before 10:30 a.m. April 20. The girl's family hasn't seen or heard from her since. "We know she was at the school at 7:30 that morning and by 10:30 she was gone," Berea police Det. Chris Holmes said Wednesday. "We believe she ran away." She has left home for a day or two in the past, but never this long, Holmes said. Police do not believe the girl is in any danger, and they suspect she is still in the Brook Park-Berea area. People have reported seeing the girl on three separate occasions but police have been unable to confirm the sightings because witnesses provided few details, Holmes said. The most recent sighting was Sunday on Brook Park's Middlebrook Boulevard. Police do not have an exact location. Someone also reportedly saw the girl two weeks ago near Sheldon and Eagle roads in Brook Park, and near the Baldwin-Wallace University campus in Berea in late June. She is 5-feet 3-inches tall and weighs 134 pounds. She has blond hair and blue eyes. She has a tattoo of a black or gray rose on her thigh, a pink birthmark on the back of her left arm, a tan mole on her chin, and a scar on the corner of her right eye. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact Holmes at the Berea Police Department at 440-826-5848. "We need to know who she is with, what she is wearing, a specific location and what direction she was going," Holmes said. If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A North Carolina man was arrested Thursday and charged in Ohio with trying to recruit people to join the Islamic State, and the FBI said he is connected with a 2015 terrorism-related shooting in Texas. Erick Jamal Hendricks, 35, is charged with providing material support to the terrorist organization. He made his his initial appearance Thursday morning in a federal court morning in Charlotte and is expected to be brought back to Cleveland to face federal prosecution. Hendricks was in contact with Elton Simpson, one of two men who opened fire at "The First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest" in Garland, Texas in May 2015, according to an unsealed criminal complaint. Simpson and the other man, Nadir Hamid Soofi, wounded a security guard before police shot and killed them. The complaint says that Hendricks had sent someone with whom he was communicating online to Garland the day of the shooting to commit their own violent act. Unbeknownst to Hendricks, the person he sent was an undercover FBI agent. Hendricks is charged in federal court here because he is accused of reaching out to a northeast Ohio man on social media in order to get him to recruit others. The Ohio man, who later provided information to the FBI, told agents that Hendricks tested his religious knowledge and commitment to the Islamic State, including asking whether he was willing to die as a martyr. (You can read the criminal complaint here or at the bottom of this story.) The FBI did not identify the Ohio man in the criminal complaint. However, Amir Al-Ghazi, a Sheffield Lake man, was arrested in June 2015 for the same charges referenced in Hendricks' complaint. The complaint also says the man pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, which Al-Ghazi did in March. The release says Hendricks faces a 15-year maximum prison sentence if convicted. A message left for Peter Adolf, the federal public defender who appeared in court with Hendricks on Thursday, did not immediately return a phone call. According to the complaint: The FBI interviewed the Ohio witness immediately after his arrest. Agents asked whether people were talking about the shooting in Garland. The witness said that Hendricks had talked about it. The witness told agents that Hendricks had reached out and told him he "needed people" and wanted to meet in person. He said that there were several "brothers" in Texas in Mexico. He said he wanted to get people together to meet in person and train together. The witness told the FBI agents that he decided to stay off social media for a while after the Texas shooting for fear that authorities may connect him to the attack. The FBI, though its informants and tracking his social-media presence, found that Hendricks tried to be careful, but at the same time told people of his plans for attacks. He told one FBI informant that he had land in Arkansas and planned to "get off the grid" and prepare for a confrontation with law enforcement. He later told the informant that "I keep my chopper by the door," referring to an assault rifle. In April 2015, Hendricks told the undercover agent to download a document called "GPS for the Ghuraba in the U.S." The document said that "brothers and sisters" should not allow themselves to go to jail and that Muslims should die as a martyr, should "Boobie trap your homes" and to never leave home without an assault rifle. When the undercover agent went to Texas, Hendricks and the agent communicated via social media. He asked the agent questions about how nay people were there, how many police officers and the structure of the building. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section. vote here sign Cuyahoga County voters are needed to be part of a panel that will be surveyed - anonymously - for a new political polling partnership between the Community Research Institute at Baldwin Wallace University, cleveland.com and Advance Ohio. (Chuck Crow, Plain Dealer file) CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County voters are needed to be part of a panel that will be surveyed - anonymously - this fall for a new political polling partnership between cleveland.com, Advance Ohio and the Community Research Institute at Baldwin Wallace University. The Battleground Cuyahoga polls will track voter sentiment for this November's election. The partners will develop questions for the polls, in part, based on an analysis by Advance Ohio of audience interests on cleveland.com, the biggest news website in the state. Participants will fill out their surveys in private and electronically. Emails are required to register to be part of the panel, but the surveys will be completely anonymous. People who enter have a chance to win an iPad Air. Baldwin Wallace, cleveland.com and Advance Ohio are focusing on Cuyahoga County because of the potential impact the county could have on this fall's election. Though Cuyahoga County votes heavily Democratic, in the spring primary the county had the second largest number of Republican voters among Ohio counties. Mitt Romney surely understands the value of Cuyahoga County. He lost to Barack Obama by more than 256,000 votes there, but he lost Ohio by 166,000. If he could have persuaded just 83,000 of those Obama voters in Cuyahoga County to go with him - cutting Obama's margin of victory in the county by a third -- he would have won Ohio. Cleveland.com will build a panel by asking interested participants from the online audience to provide email addresses. When the panel is large enough to generate a representative sample of likely, registered voters, cleveland.com will send respondents an email with an invitation to participate via an anonymous link. Battleground Cuyahoga partners will take advantage of Advance Ohio's data analysis skills to study audience engagement trends on cleveland.com and help guide the design of the polls. Advance Ohio is a marketing, sales, information and data analysis company that operates cleveland.com Whitfiedfamily.jpg John Whitfield's daughters Shamara and Shadaria, grandson Jy'heil and daughters Shatara and Shakara Whitfield sit on the porch where John sat everyday when the weather was warm. The family is looking for answers after John was found dead inside his West Side Lorain home Tuesday morning. (Chanda Neely, cleveland.com) LORAIN, Ohio -- John Whitfield's grandchildren keep asking, "When is Papa coming home?" And the youngest of John's 10 grandchildren still don't understand that he's never coming back. "His grandkids are very upset," Shakara Whitfield, John's 28-year-old daughter, said Wednesday. "They want to know why their Papa isn't here." John was found dead inside his West 23rd Street home Tuesday morning. Investigators have not said how he died and have not said if they have a motive in his death, but evidence suggests it was a homicide, Lorain police said. Whitfield's four daughters want answers, too. "I want to know how my my father died," 29-year-old Shadaria Whitfield said. Police on Tuesday arrested 45-year-old Michele Noble, of South Central Drive. Noble is charged with murder, tampering with evidence and obstructing official business, Lorain police said. The Lorain County Coroner has yet to rule on a cause of death. Noble and Whitfield grew up together, Whitfield's family said. "We are just shocked," said Shakara Whitfied, John's 28-year-old daughter. "We thought she was a close friend of the family. I guess you never really know people." Shadaria Whitfield found her father with blood coming from his mouth lying on his bedroom floor around 10 a.m. Tuesday. She ran out of the house and called police. She unlocked the door with a key and there were no signs of forced entry, she said. Nothing looked out of place inside the house where John lived alone. The family does not believe anything was stolen. Shadaria Whitfield was at her father's house everyday. She last saw him when she left his house around 9:30 p.m. Monday. The two said they would see each other the following day. Shadaria Whitfield normally calls her father around 8 a.m. every morning, but she went to a doctor's appointment Tuesday. When she called at 10 a.m. and he didn't answer, she went to his nearby house in the 800 block of West 23rd Street. "He's always sitting on the porch and the door's open,"Shadaria Whitfield said. "When he wasn't on the porch and the door was closed, I knew something was wrong." John Whitfield was well-known and well-liked throughout his neighborhood, family and neighbors told cleveland.com. John mostly stayed home because he battled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and needed oxygen to breath. Calista Elliott, who lives across the street, said she was surprised that his door was closed and he wasn't on the porch when she left for work between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Tuesday. She thought he might have gone to a doctor's appointment. "I'm shocked," Elliott said. "He just sits on the porch and he never bothers anybody. He didn't deserve that." John Whitfield recently got a car and started to get out more, but he spent most of his time with his 10 grandchildren, ages 1 to 12, and his four daughters. Three of his daughters are triplets. Two of John's daughters are pregnant with two more grandchildren that John will never get a chance to meet. "My daughter is so upset because she just lost her grandmother; now this," Shakara said. "He's always in the hospital, so the younger kids think he's in the hospital again. They don't understand he isn't coming back." Noble pleaded no contest, but was found guilty of an aggravated menacing charge after a 2003 arrest. Details of the incident were not immediately available as of Wednesday night. John Whitfield also had a handful of drug convictions and was sentenced to probation. If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- CoreLife Eatery believes Northeast Ohio is ready for clean, healthy food in a fast-casual setting. The company, which started in 2015 and now has three restaurants in New York, opens its first Ohio location Friday at The Commons at SouthPark on Royalton Road. "We call ourselves an active lifestyle brand," CoreLife co-founder J. Todd Mansfield said. "We offer whole, clean, healthy food in a single-line manner, similar to Chipotle." What Chipotle did for the burrito, CoreLife hopes to do with "healthy and powerful" food, as the company describes its concept. Customers can either select one of the bowl creations off the menu -- the southwest grilled chicken and steak, bacon and bleu cheese are the most popular -- or build their own. The process for each is the same: pick a base (greens, broth or grain) then go down the line, adding veggies, proteins, toppings and dressings along the way. There are several different types of greens, broths and grains from which to create your meal. That includes quinoa, meaning one of the hottest food trends in the biz has arrived here. "Quinoa is an ancient grain that is super healthy," Mansfield said. "It's high in fiber, high in nutrients and it's very filling. So, if you're trying to watch what you eat and your calorie count, quinoa is a great option." In addition to serving healthy food, CoreLife says higher-quality ingredients are the foundation of its menu. "Clean, whole, flavorful vegetables, grass-fed steak, free range chicken and organic tofu," Mansfield said. "Our dressings are all made from scratch each day. We have no processed foods, no additives, no preservatives. "So your body is really getting what your body was meant to eat." That means no soda, no desserts and no chips at CoreLife. "We weren't sure people were ready for this concept," Mansfield said. "But when we opened in Syracuse, it really was kind of a trial kitchen to say, 'Hey, is there an interest in whole, clean healthy food in a suburban setting?' What we found is that, from the day we opened, we've only gotten busier." CoreLife's dining room can be described as modern rustic in style, with an open kitchen, high ceilings, lots of light, free wifi and a variety of seating options, including booths, communal tables and benches, counters with stools and a patio. "We tried to blend a little of a Chipotle and maybe Panera feel together," Mansfield said. "A nice vibe." CoreLife joins a crowded fast-casual environment in Strongsville. Pita Pit recently opened nearby. Tom+Chee, Pizza Fire, River Dog Cafe and Hot Head Burrito are on the way as well. "People are not looking for another traditional food option," Mansfield said. "The response on social media and just from being here over the last two weeks [for the opening] has been overwhelming because we're filling a space that no one really in this community fills." CoreLife hopes to open 5 to 10 more stores in the Cleveland area over the next few years. CoreLife Eatery is located at 17917 SouthPark Center in Strongsville and open daily starting Aug. 5 from 11 a.m.9 p.m. India's parliament has approved a long-awaited overhaul of the country's fragmented tax system to create a genuine single market in one of the most significant reforms to the Indian economy since liberalization began 25 years ago. The bill, debated in New Delhi for almost a decade, will amend the constitution to permit replacing the current patchwork of national, state and local levies with a single, unified value added tax system. Economists believe modernizing India's existing antiquated, inefficient tax system will significantly stimulate the economy, potentially adding 1.5 to 2 percentage points to GDP growth a year. "It would certainly give a boost [to] the economy, which is required at this critical stage," Arun Jaitley, the finance minister, told parliament during the debate on the amendment. More from the Financial Times: India to help workers stranded in Saudi India child labour law raises concerns India reform unfinished The new goods and services tax will also help Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to promote Indian manufacturing by reducing the heavy burden of cascading taxes or tax on tax on locally made products. "It's a transformative change for the country," said Naushad Forbes, president of the Confederation of Indian Industry and co-chairman of Forbes Marshall, which makes boilers and industrial equipment. The new regime, in which companies can claim tax credits for tax already paid by their suppliers, is also expected to improve tax compliance, boosting government revenues in the long run. Industry groups say it will be far easier to transport goods between different Indian states, something that at present is a bureaucratic and logistical challenge. "Business is very thrilled about it and it will add tremendous benefits to the Indian economy," said Adi Godrej, chairman of Godrej Group , a large consumer products conglomerate. Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi often dubbed "China's Apple" has unveiled its first virtual reality (VR) headset as it joins the ranks of HTC and Samsung in attempting to gain a foothold in the nascent market. The Mi VR Play will support a wide range of 4.7- to 5.7-inch smartphones that will be secured in the headset by a two-way zipper. It is wrapped in a lightweight lycra with a number of different colors including leopard print and denim. Xiaomi said it received 1 million registrations in just eight hours since issuing a call for beta testers on August 1. Users on the beta testing program will be able to get the Mi VR Play for 1 yuan ($0.15). But the real reason why short sellers will be covering their positions has nothing to do with guidance. Shares of Herbalife spiked at the open on Thursday following a better-than-expected earnings report. However, with 31 percent of the stock affected by short sellers, Cramer expected fireworks anyways. Management raised its full year earnings per share guidance for 2016 to a range of $4.50 to $4.80, which was an increase from the initial expectation of $4.40 to $4.75. "Here is my new rule: try not to buy a stock that is in the middle of a short squeeze, because even if you really like the underlying company, you will almost always be able to get a better price as long as you are patient," the " Mad Money " host said. Jim Cramer took one look at the stock action for Square and Herbalife on Thursday and knew it was short sellers covering their positions. Voila. That's what I think people will pay. Which means that you are dealing with a stock that could be fairly valued. Cramer suspects that it will be because Herbalife didn't fall apart, despite the company's settlement with the Federal Trade Commission last month that required it to change many of its practices. Noted activist and short-seller Bill Ackman, head of Pershing Square Capital, recently insinuated that the action taken by the FTC had a larger impact than even Herbalife realizes, when he stated on an investor call that "Herbalife actually has been shut down by the FTC, they just haven't realized it." Based on this commentary, Cramer believes that Ackman will now double down on his negativity, rather than declaring victory that he helped to clean up some of the practices for Herbalife. "He will do so, I believe, to prove that the FTC-mandated changes are bad for business. That is why if you are going to play the short game you have to come back to the fundamentals," Cramer said. With fundamentals in mind, Cramer struggled to determine what the normalized earnings power should be for Herbalife. Earnings power of $4.80 is impressive, but the company isn't as strong as even Bristol-Myers Squibb, he said. In the end, Herbalife is a supplements business. GNC currently trades at a 7 times multiple. Assuming Herbalife deserves double the price-to-earnings multiple of GNC because of its faster growth rate, Cramer calculated it is $67 a share. Herbalife closed at $67 on Thursday. "You are dealing with a stock that seems fairly valued, which means the only reason to own it here is because you're expecting a short squeeze," Cramer said. Investors that make that bet either believe Ackman will cover, or Herbalife will go private again. Both are unlikely for Cramer. That means Herbalife is nothing but a supplements company that trades off points, and that's not enough to take the stock dramatically higher. "I can't endorse this one until Herbalife can demonstrate sustained earnings power with the changes to the business model, and for that all we can do is wait and see," Cramer said. Square shot up 8 percent on Thursday after it also reported better-than-expected earnings. In addition to payment processing, Square also makes loans to small and medium sized customers. And while Cramer has always said it is hard to value a company plagued with credit risk, some of those fears were alleviated with the latest earnings report. "I heard a lot of people say this stock surged because the company reported better than expected revenues, but I think that's a mistake. I believe Square's going higher because they explained their credit exposure to merchants in a way that made us feel like we no longer need to be concerned that Square is some kind of wayward bank masquerading as a tech company," Cramer said. That translated Square into a high-growth loss-making company in the very competitive payments space. Cramer estimated that the stock was worth more than it was on Wednesday, but not more than the huge gain it had on Thursday because of the tough payment environment. Cramer's ultimate target for Square was its all-time high price of $15. However, risk has grown for small-to-medium sized retailers since it hit that price in March. Economists expect the jobs report on Friday to show that 180,000 jobs were added to nonfarm payrolls in July, according to Thomson Reuters. That's a distinct improvement from the shocking 11,000 jobs added in May but well off from the average rate for the U.S. economy in the previous two years, which is around 240,000. Is this slowdown a symptom of broader macroeconomic weakness? Looking at other labor-market indicators does not provide a clear resolution. Some of them (such as initial and continuing unemployment claims) have been low and stable in the past few months, while others (such as the percentage of workers reporting they are working part time for economic reasons) show evidence of cooling off. A useful summary indicator is the broad-based aggregate Labor Market Conditions Index published by the Federal Reserve. This series has shown a decline every month since January, lending some credence to the weakness story. The headline numbers also mask a much more dramatic slowdown in some parts of economy, most notably in the goods-producing sectors. This is being offset by steady growth in the service sector, so the aggregate numbers still show net job gains. During the first six months of 2016, employment in the goods-producing industries was almost flat (and even contracted by some measures) while private service-producing industries expanded payrolls by an annualized rate of 2 percent, roughly on par with the growth rate in 2014 and 2015. But, even within the service sector, there are large differences across industries. These patterns point to other, somewhat longer-term/structural, forces underlying the persistent weakness in the labor market. Economists often use the Beveridge Curve the empirical relationship between job openings (or vacancies) and unemployment rates as an indicator of the efficiency of the labor market. Since the onset of the Great Recession, this relationship has suggested a deterioration given the number of available job openings, the unemployment rate is still too high relative to historical patterns. One potential explanation is a mismatch between the types of jobs available and those that job seekers are looking for. Another possibility is that firms are not trying very aggressively to fill their job openings. Such cautious behavior is also evident in the behavior of business investment, perhaps reflecting long-lasting effects of the financial crisis. While these forces are unlikely to significantly change month-to-month payroll and unemployment numbers, they do indicate that this recovery faces a greater likelihood of running out of steam, at least in the medium term. The labor-market situation has become more uncertain and will likely push the Fed towards making its monetary policy adjustments even more gradually. Even if Friday's report surprises on the upside, the picture is unlikely to change drastically. Big money understands that investing is more about balancing risk and reward than about being "right." Investing is a game of probability, and since nobody has a crystal ball, the best we can all do is make educated guesses and place bets when the odds are in our favor. The odds may no longer be in equity investor's favor. Warren Buffett is one of the biggest investors in the world and his preferred method for valuing the stock market is now suggesting that U.S. stocks are significantly overvalued. Buffett has stated that using Total Market Capitalization to GDP is "probably the best single measure of where valuations stand at any given moment." For those who want to dig deeper into this valuation metric the website Gurufocus.com is a great resource. Currently, the ratio of Total Market Cap (as measured by the Wilshire Total Market Index) to GDP is 121 percent. There is only one other time since 1971 that this ratio has registered such an overvalued readingthat was in December of 2000. Moreover, GuruFocus has tracked market returns using this indicator and at current levels it suggests the total expected yearly return for U.S. stocks is 0.1 percent, including dividends. The current dividend yield is roughly 2.04 percent, which means this indicator is forecasting that stocks will fall by 2 percent over the next year. Think about that for a minute. The preferred valuation metric of the world's most successful and wealthiest investor is suggesting that there is little to no upside for stocks. When big money tries to calculate the risk of investing against the reward, a negative return will simply not compute. To my mind, this could be the reason that the likes of high-profile investors Jeff Gundlach and Bill Gross have suggested either selling everything or buying gold. In addition to the lack of reward, faith in the ability of central bankers to manufacture an economic recovery is being challenged. Over the last few trading sessions the yield on Japanese government bonds have jumped the most since 2013. In the aftermath of the 2013 Japanese yield spike the Japanese stock market fell more than 7 percent Will history repeat? Japan has been the laboratory for experimental monetary policy for the better part of 20 years. Recently the head of the Bank of Japancalled for a review of current policy to be released in September. The market reaction to this anticipated review has been decidedly negative. The implication is that investors fear the Bank of Japan will admit defeat and no longer engage in market manipulation. I personally have my doubts that it will abandon its policies, but the crisis of faith is catalyst enough for investors to sell. Yet another reason big money is turning bearish. Finally, the search for yield is showing signs of coming to an end. Since the February 2016 market lows, the iShares Select Dividend ETF(DVY) is up 17.5 percent, but interestingly the lower yielding Spyders ETF (SPY) is up 18.23 percent. To be sure the outperformance of the lower yielding SPY is a recent phenomenon, but cracks in the foundation are appearing. Big money is turning bearish because the reward does not justify the risk. The market cap of U.S. stocks has far exceeded the value of GDP, typically a sign of negative stock market returns. The recent spike in Japanese yields has shaken investor faith in omnipotent central bankers, while the horn is blowing "Going Home" on the hunt for yield. For a few weeks in February my bearish view was accurate, but the fullness of time has proved I miscalculated the skepticism of others, the faith in central bankers and when the hunt for yield would end. Perhaps the recent growls from prominent investors is a signal that the herd is turning, but the truth is only time can tell. What is clear to me is that the risk of owning stocks is simply not justified by the reward. I continue to remain defensive on U.S. equities and share the bullish view on gold. President Barack Obama seemed incredulous Thursday at the idea of a "rigged" general election, which was suggested by Donald Trump. "Of course the elections will not be rigged," Obama said. "What does that mean?" Earlier this week, Trump told a crowd in Ohio that he is "afraid the election's going to be rigged." Speaking from the Pentagon after a meeting with his National Security Council, Obama explained that the federal government does not run the election process. "If Mr. Trump is suggesting that there is a conspiracy theory that is being propagated across the country, including in places like Texas where typically it's not Democrats who are in charge of voting booths, that's ridiculous. That doesn't make any sense and I don't think anybody would take that seriously," Obama said. The president said that this upcoming election "will be an election like every other election" and suggested that Trump "go out there and try to win the election." Said Obama: "If Mr. Trump is up 10 or 15 points on election day and ends up losing, then maybe he can raise some questions." The comments come as the U.S. bombs targets in and around the Libyan city of Sirte, in a notable expansion of the U.S.-led coalition's military mission against the Islamic State. Obama is assessing what's working and what's not in the fight against the Islamic State group as the U.S. military ramps up its engagement in Libya. "In stark contrast to ISIL, which uses civilians as human shields, America's armed forces will continue to do everything in our power to avoid civilian casualties," the president said. The president made his comments from the Pentagon after a Thursday meeting with his National Security Council. Obama said that America has been keeping "after ISIL aggressively across every front of this campaign." "Tragically, however, we have also seen that ISIL still has the ability to direct and inspire attacks. ... In fact, the decline of ISIL in Syria and Iraq appears to be causing it to shift to tactics that we've seen before, an even greater emphasis on encouraging high-profile terrorist attacks, including in the United States," Obama said. President Barack Obama said that while the Islamic State is losing ground in Syria and Iraq, it still has the ability to inspire attacks. Obama said that while the U.S. is "conducting the most precise air campaign in history," civilian casualties are not taken lightly. "After all it is the innocent civilians of Syria and Iraq who are suffering the most and who need to be saved from ISIL's terror and so when there are allegations of civilian casualties we take them very seriously," he said. The president said that the campaign against ISIL is making progress, as the terrorist group continues to lose ground. Obama also said ISIL "has not had a major successful offensive operation in either Syria or Iraq in a full year." "We'll keep hitting them and pushing them back and driving them out ... in other words, ISIL turns out not to be invincible. They are, in fact, inevitably going to be defeated," he said. Obama said, however, that the terror group cannot be defeated by military force alone and that efforts to stabilize the region are necessary to prevent the group from returning and exploiting divides. When a reporter asked the president if he was concerned that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is now receiving security briefings, he said that presidential nominees "need to get security briefings so that if they were to win, they are not starting from scratch in terms of being prepared for this office." Obama said, however, that both nominees "have been told that these are classified briefings and if they want to be president, they have got to start acting like a president and that means being able to receive these briefings and not spread them around." In June, Obama warned that terrorist groups like the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) want to push the notion that "the West hates Muslims" as propaganda for recruitment. So, he argued, any U.S. actions that legitimize that notion are playing right into those groups' hands. The Associated Press and CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld contributed to this report. Despite seeing a boost from quirky new products like Chicken Rings and Mac 'N Cheetos, Restaurant Brands International saw same-store sales fall short of analyst expectations on Thursday. The owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons has posted its seventh consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales growth, with Burger King up 0.6 percent and Tim Hortons posting growth of 2.7 percent. However, both chains fell short of analysts' forecasts, according to the StreetAccount. Burger King was expected to post same-store sales growth of 2.2 percent and Tim Hortons was expected to post growth of 3.5 percent. The company cited soft sales in the U.S. and Canada as the reason for Burger King's lower than expected same-store sales growth. "This is in-line with the recent numbers from rivals like McDonald's and Yum Brands , both of which saw growth moderate," Neil Saunders, CEO of Conlumino, said in a statement. "This trend is being driven, primarily, by a slowdown in spending on eating out by American consumers." Before the last leg of their historic trip was completed, both Piccard and Andre Borschberg, chief executive and pilot of Solar Impulse, spoke to Sustainable Energy about their mission and its goals. Speaking to CNBC shortly after landing in Abu Dhabi last Tuesday, pilot and chairman Bertrand Piccard said the round-the-world trip had "some elating moments but also difficult moments, setbacks even, and this is the definition of adventure." History has been made. Solar Impulse 2, the solar powered plane, touched down last week in Abu Dhabi after a 48-hour flight from Cairo in Egypt. The landing marked the end of a record-breaking round-the-world trip that has set new levels for what clean technology can achieve. Piccard is confident that the message his and Borschberg's mission conveys is a positive one. "The protection of the environment is possible with profitable solutions that are called 'clean technologies' that allow Solar Impulse to fly day and night with no fuel (and) that can be implemented in our society every day, creating jobs and making profits," he said. The trip has drawn praise from across the world. "Like Lindbergh's Atlantic crossing or Yeager's breaking of the sound barrier, Solar Impulse has accomplished something truly ground-breaking, proving practical what was once thought impossible," Erik Solheim, the United Nations Environment Programme's executive director, said in a statement. Even Leonardo DiCaprio got in on the act, congratulating the team and describing their trip as "amazing and innovative." DiCaprio Tweet Borschberg told Sustainable Energy that saving energy was a key goal of the mission. "It's all about energy savings: to be able to fly through the night with the energy we get from the sun during the day," he said. "It's the most energy efficient airplane ever designed, ever flown," he added. Another aim of the trip was changing attitudes with the achievements of the project. "I hope that the result of this project will be the people understanding that you can achieve absolutely incredible goals with renewable energies and energy efficiency and new monitoring technologies," Piccard said. "If people understand that, and if people start to use more of these technologies and if the governments understand that they have to put a legal framework with a more ambitious energy policy, then Solar Impulse will be a huge success," he added. Boris Mordkovich, one of the founders and the chief executive of Evelo. Boris Mordkovich, a 30-year-old serial entrepreneur, had never considered developing products for the aging baby boomer market. One day, however, he saw that his parents had started using an electric bike that his brother Yevgeniy had modified for his wife and himself. "Electric bikes are an equalizer," said Mr. Mordkovich, who has also owned a software company and a small-business magazine. "They let the rider decide how much or how little they will pedal." This year, he said, Evelo, the electric bike company that he founded with his brother, will double its revenue to $4 million, and it is profitable. "There's no shortage of potential customers," he added. The company is just one of many that are plugging into a wealthy slice of the over-50 demographic called the longevity market, whose annual economic activity currently amounts to $7.6 trillion, according to AARP. More from The New York Times: Helping the elderly downsize Marketers take second look at over-50 consumers Lifting the second-generation curse With an estimated 74.9 million baby boomers, according to Pew Research Center, the biggest market opportunity for start-ups is older Americans rather than hip millennials. As members of the generation that defined rock 'n' roll grow older, they are adding a wide range of goods and services to their lifestyles. The staggering size of the total longevity economy bigger even than Japan's has been attracting more entrepreneurs, deep-pocketed financiers and places to pitch new ideas in the past few years. "Every dissonance of age is a marketing opportunity," said Mary Furlong, a marketing and strategy consultant for the 50-plus market and author of "Turning Silver Into Gold." New business ideas that cater to boomers are nearly endless, she said, and include chefs, online dating sites and yoga instructors for people with health issues. "There's more talent coming into the market," she said. The Mordkovich brothers initially financed Evelo with $100,000 that came from selling their previous businesses. Now they are planning to raise $1.5 million from investors through Fundable, a crowdfunding site.Their objectives are to add more electric bikes, including one that folds; expand internationally; and offer more bike features, like theft protection. One of their biggest challenges was finding good manufacturing plants in Asia. "We had come from e-commerce and virtual goods," Mr. Mordkovich said. With the help of referrals from the Light Electric Vehicle Association, they found factories in Taiwan and southern China. Much-needed tools for the elderly, like the gunmetal gray walkers that date to the 1950s, badly need a makeover, experts added. But simply applying high-technology solutions to existing products does not always work, they cautioned. For instance, wearable devices have been popular with millennials for monitoring and tracking health, but they are not necessarily going to be a hit with older users. "People lose interest in wearables very quickly," said Jody Holtzman, senior vice president for market innovation at AARP. "They can see the potential, but design is problematic." According to AARP studies, he added, users had difficulty with syncing wearable products with their computers or even finding directions that explain how to use them. "There are no clear market leaders," said Lori Bitter, who heads The Business of Aging, a consulting firm based in Napa, Calif. "And how do we get the technology into people's homes?" Certain services, though, are finding their target audience. They include companies that offer home downsizing, gyms for the 55-and-older set and meal kits for people with diabetes or heart conditions. "There's quite a lot of funding available, too," Mr. Holtzman said. "A few years ago, when we showed up at a V.C. event, people wondered what we were doing there." That doesn't happen anymore, he added. Now, AARP holds yearly pitch events and even has its own incubator, The Hatchery. Entrepreneurs are also showing up at other events like the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, which Ms. Furlong produces, and those held by Aging 2.0, a San Francisco innovation accelerator. At AARP's first health innovations pitch event in 2012, 80 companies applied, Mr. Holtzman said. This year's event in April, which focused on caregiving, had 200 applicants. This segment has already attracted many well-funded start-ups, like Honor, HomeHero and CareLinx. According to a 2014 survey done for AARP, 34.2 million Americans served as unpaid caregivers to a loved one 50 years old or older in the previous 12 months. In a mobile society, though, fewer family members are available as caregivers. "People are looking at how to finance longevity," Ms. Furlong said. "And their first concern is the cost of health care." An online "family concierge" service called Envoy is among those that have found backers to serve this area. The company, now four years old, has pulled in $4.2 million from notable early-stage investors like SoftTech VC, which financed Fitbit and Mint.com, and Lowercase Capital, which has backed start-ups like Uber, Instagram and Kickstarter. Envoy sets itself apart by hiring stay-at-home mothers with flexible schedules. They do light chores, like walking a dog, washing dishes or grocery shopping. The service is now in 22 metropolitan areas with significant aging populations like Phoenix, Miami and Las Vegas. Justin Lin, who founded Envoy, eventually wants to expand to 100 areas. "My own mom passed away from cancer," said Mr. Lin, who has started three other businesses. "My dad would need help soon. But there weren't a lot of caregiving options." That realization, he said, led to his starting Envoy. After testing Envoy with friends and family for a few years, he discovered that caregiving was a much-needed service. "I was building a service that's potentially powerful," said Mr. Lin. The company is not yet profitable. Many start-ups are trying new ways to reach their target audiences. Evelo, the bicycle company, uses a network of about 300 so-called brand ambassadors to market to potential customers. They have bought a bike, registered on the site to be ambassadors and can opt to take prospective buyers on test rides. After a bike purchase, the ambassador gets a $200 check. Even businesses with decidedly mundane products are finding ways to capture the longevity niche. Foot care, for example, is a huge market, and "finding shoes that are attractive and feel good is a huge deal," Ms. Bitter said. The battle over whether to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal has shown how toxic the U.S. political environment had become, said Tommy Koh, Singapore's ambassador-at-large for foreign affairs. Historically, Republicans had always supported free trade, but now the mood has turned nationalistic, said Koh, who called himself an "accidental diplomat" despite 50 years of working within the Singapore government. The collegiality between the two major parties has also disappeared and the atmosphere is now a "civil war", said Koh at the DBS Asian Insights conference in Singapore on Thursday. It's become party first and nation second, he said. That may hold up the TPP for years to come, said Koh, who helped negotiate Singapore's bilateral free trade agreement with the U.S. Some still hold out hope that the deal will proceed, despite both U.S. presidential candidates opposing it. Mari Pangestu, Indonesia's former trade minister, said she expected that the TPP might proceed in the U.S. with some renegotiations of issues, similar to then-President Bill Clinton's renegotiation of some aspects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) before it was ratified. Crude oil futures at $50 per barrel could be the ideal price for Russia's energy companies to thrive, an emerging market-focused bank said on Thursday. "A $50/bl oil price represents a sweet spot for the sector, leading to improved returns on capital via a relatively low effective tax take, continued pressure on suppliers, focus on costs and strength of balance sheets," Ildar Davletshin and Evgeny Stroinov, analysts at Renaissance Capital, said in a report. Crude oil refining in Russia Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images Russia overtook Saudi Arabia to become the biggest exporter of oil in the world last year, according to data from BP. Light crude futures for September currently trade at around $40 per barrel. They rallied between February and June before paring some gains, and remain far below peaks above $110 reached prior to mid-2014. "We see the current oil price drop as a temporary correction in a medium-term recovery trend on the back of rebalancing oil markets," Davletshin and Stroinov said. Crude prices in the fifties may be good for other oil-producing nations as well. In June, the Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil told CNBC that $50-$55 per barrel was the "sweet spot" for his country, which is the largest non-OPEC producer in Africa. A worker checks the valve of an oil pipe at an oil field owned by Bashneft company near Nikolo-Berezovka, Bashkortostan, Russia. Sergei Karpukhin | Reuters Renassaince Capital said short-term risks to Russian energy stocks included a possible move by the government to raise taxes from the sector and the forthcoming privatization of oil producer Bashneft. The bank estimated Russian energy companies could shortly face an extra 300 billion rubles ($4.5 billion) in taxes. "As for (the) Bashneft privatization, we think the process lacks consistency, which we view as negative. We think it is quite possible that a deal may be postponed until after the presidential elections due in 2018 in which case higher taxes are almost inevitable, in our view," Davletshin and Stroinov said. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Energy prices Police have arrested eight Nigerian nationals and a local in Cyberjaya near here on suspicion of being involved in African Scam activities resulting in losses amounting to more than RM7.2 million. The matter was confirmed by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar in a Twitter posting today which mentioned the crimes involved two groups. He congratulated the Federal Police (Bukit Aman) Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) which conducted the arrests. Well done [email protected] Bukit Aman for apprehending nine people (eight Nigerians) and smashing two African Scam groups in Cyberjaya with victims losses exceeding RM7.2 million. #GoPDRMGo, he said. Meanwhile, in another case, police also held 23 individuals including a chemist from India, suspected of being involved in drug processing in Johor Baru, Johor. Khalid said the raid on a ketamine processing laboratory was carried out by the Bukit Aman Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group (STING). He said STING seized 269 kg of ketamine in the raid. Well done STING @PDRMsia for nabbing 23 people including a chemist from India and smashing a ketamine processing laboratory in Johor Bahru. Seized 269 kilogrammes #GoPDRMGo, he said. Bernama The BEP will offer 50-subject sheets of $1 Series 2013 $1 Federal Reserve notes at its booth at the ANA World's Fair of Money in Anaheim. The 1974-D Lincoln aluminum cent returned to the U.S. Mint on March 17 will be on public display at the booth jointly occupied by the Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing at the ANA convention in Anaheim Aug. 9 to 13. United States Mint officials are fulfilling a promise to publicly exhibit the 1974-D Lincoln aluminum cent when the mysterious piece goes on view at the Mint's booth at the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in Anaheim, Calif. The coin will be on view during show hours Aug. 9 to 13 at the booth shared jointly by the Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, according to a press release from the BEP. Both Treasury Department agencies will sell products at the convention as well as display rarities from their heritage archives like the 1974-D aluminum cent and sheets of $100,000 notes. The existence of the 1974-D Lincoln aluminum cent was first discovered when it was found in September 2013 in a small bag of coins that the late Harry Edmond Lawrence had collected. Lawrence was a former employee of the Denver Mint and had retired as assistant superintendent in 1980, not long before his death. According to his son Randall Lawrence, the elder Lawrence had been presented the aluminum cent as a retirement gift by Denver Mint officials. The younger Lawrence had sold his father's collection to Michael McConnell, a coin dealer in La Jolla, Calif. When McConnell discovered the aluminum cent in the collection and realized its significance, he contacted Lawrence and they agreed to hold it jointly with plans to sell the piece. Connect with Coin World: As Coin World reported previously, it was set to be a highlight of Heritages April 24, 2014, Central States Numismatic Society Platinum Night auction where it was estimated to sell in the neighborhood of $250,000. However, the Mint sent separate letters to Lawrence and McConnell on Feb. 26, 2014, demanding the return of the piece, and the Mint sent a letter to Heritage requesting removal of the piece from auction. The coin was subsequently withdrawn from the auction. McConnell and Lawrence then filed a federal lawsuit against the government in March 2014 to retain the cent, while in June of the same year, the government filed its own motion to dismiss the March suit. In March 2015, a federal judge ruled in favor of the two individuals and against the government, permitting the two men to continue to pursue legal action to retain the cent. The legal case was resolved in March 2016 when Randall Lawrence and McConnell agreed to return the cent to the Mint. The Mint acquired the coin in San Diego on March 17. Lawrence had read testimony from a former Mint official attesting to his father's unquestionable integrity and decided that returning the coin was the right thing to do. Although Mint records show production of experimental aluminum cents dated 1974 and 1975 at the Philadelphia Mint, no records have been found indicating sanctioned production of 1974-D aluminum cents at the Denver Mint. However, Coin World senior editor Paul Gilkes contacted a former Denver Mint employee who remembered the cent production, and court documents revealed how planchets from the Philadelphia Mint made it to the Denver Mint. Products to be sold at the convention During the convention, the BEP will offer the following new products for sale, according to its press release: $1 50-Subject Uncut Currency Sheets For the first time ever, the BEP is offering full, uncut sheets of Series 2013 $1 Federal Reserve notes. Independence Collection Pursuit of Happiness This card is the third and final print in the 2016 Intaglio Print Subscription Program, which features three cards: Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness. This series is dedicated to the Declaration of Independence and features an exquisite compilation of unique, engraved vignettes focusing on the age-old art of intaglio printing. The Mint will also offer an assortment of collectible products from the Mint according to the press release, including coins in the 2016 Mark Twain and National Park Service 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Programs and other annual offerings. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form MU swine center to double its space for modified pigs An $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow the swine center to double its space for animals. Noura Jackson By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal After spending more than a decade in prison for killing her mother, a charge she still denies, Noura Jackson will be released from prison Sunday. Jackson, 29, will walk out of the Mark H. Luttrell Correctional Center near Shelby Farms with her belongings at some point Sunday, Tennessee Department of Corrections spokesman Neysa Taylor confirmed, adding that they do not reveal the time a prisoner is released. And Jackson will be completely free, at least as relates to this charge, Taylor confirmed. "She's completed her term. She goes home without supervision. She's not going to be on probation, not on parole," Taylor said. "She's going to go home." Jackson's sentence was originally due to expire next March, but it was reduced thanks to good behavior while behind bars, said her attorney, Michael Working. Jackson's release will be the latest chapter in an 11-year odyssey that includes a conviction for second-degree murder in the death of her mother; charges that prosecutors acted improperly in the case; a ruling that was supposed to lead to a new trial; and ultimately, Jackson's acceptance of an Alford plea. Such a plea meant that she didn't have to admit guilt but accepted the 15-year sentence on a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. She has maintained her innocence. This all began around 5 a.m. on June 5, 2005, when an 18-year-old Jackson banged on a neighbor's door yelling that someone was breaking into her house at 5001 New Haven. Police discovered her mother's body with more than 50 stab wounds to the neck, stomach, back, arms, hands, shoulder, forehead, cheek, chin and chest. The killer then covered Jennifer Jackson's face with a basket. Prosecutors claimed that Jackson stabbed her mother after being given an ultimatum to curtail her partying and finish high school. Prosecutors presented evidence that included security footage showing Jackson buying bandages at Walgreens to treat a cut on her hand, about an hour before she reported finding her mother's body. She gave different explanations for how she got the cut. The defense contended that Jackson's mother had turbulent relationships with past boyfriends. None of the daughter's DNA was found at the crime scene, while none of the mother's blood was found in Noura's Jeep Cherokee. The murder weapons were never recovered. In 2009, the jury convicted Jackson of second-degree murder. She was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, with her earliest possible release coming in 2023. But the defense appealed, and the Tennessee Supreme Court granted a retrial after ruling that prosecutors failed to turn over evidence that could have discredited a key witness. They also called foul on the prosecution's use of witnesses to attack Jackson's character due to her drinking, drug use and sexual promiscuity. The court's Board of Professional Responsibility also charged that prosecutor Amy Weirich, now the district attorney, acted improperly when she directly addressed Jackson during the trial. During a closing argument, Weirich said to Jackson, "Just tell us where you were! That's all we are asking, Noura!" But before the retrial, Jackson took the Alford plea and the 15-year sentence. She was up for parole in 2015, but declined in order to allow her sentence to expire. She could still face legal trouble, though. After the killing, some of Jackson's family filed a $14 million wrongful-death lawsuit against her. Although that case was voluntarily withdrawn in January, it could be refiled. Attempts to reach the family were unsuccessful Thursday. For now, though, Jackson will have to start her life over, beginning Sunday, said another of her attorneys, Valerie Corder. "She wants to go to college. She wants to try and lead a normal life," she said. "I'm so concerned about ... her re-entering society after so many years of being institutionalized. She's going to be very vulnerable and will have to try to pick up the pieces of her life. I hope for her sake people will let her do that and give her some privacy." By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal A Memphis police officer has been indicted on charges of aggravated sexual battery and official misconduct, officials confirmed Wednesday. A grand jury indicted Edrick Braxton, 46, on Tuesday, and he was taken into custody Wednesday, Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich confirmed late Wednesday. What exactly Braxton is accused of doing, however, was not made public. Neither Weirich nor the Memphis Police Department were able to release details Wednesday. The incident happened in June 2016, and typically, an official misconduct charge would mean that the crime was related to his service as a police officer. As of late Wednesday, Braxton remained behind bars at the Shelby County Jail. No bond or court date had been set. Braxton, who has been with MPD since October 2010, has been relieved of duty with pay, MPD spokesman Louis Brownlee said. SHARE Dayton Smith By Stephanie Norton of The Commercial Appeal A Memphis woman is facing multiple charges, including criminal exposure to HIV, after she allegedly bit an officer during a traffic stop on Wednesday. Dayton Smith, 38, was stopped by officers for an expired license plate, according to an affidavit. A check by officers also showed Smith's driver's license was suspended and she did not have insurance. Officers arrested Smith and placed her in the back of a squad car, police said. Inside her car, police found a small bag of marijuana, one gram of crack and .2 grams of powder cocaine inside a rolled up dollar bill. During the search, Smith began banging on the squad car and saying she needed to use the bathroom. One of the officers opened the door and told Smith she could go later. Smith became angry and attempted to run from the officers and was taken to the ground, police said. She "had her keys between her fingers and was swinging at the officer," according to the affidavit. She then bit one of the officers in the left arm, drawing blood. Smith refused treatment, but was taken to the Regional Medical Center for injuries sustained during the struggle. While at the hospital, she informed the medical staff that she has AIDS, police said. The injured officer was also taken to the hospital for treatment. Smith is charged with violation of vehicle registration law, violation of financial law, driving while license suspended/revoked, resisting official detention, criminal exposure to HIV, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of cocaine with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver. She is in jail on a $50,000 bond and is due in court Aug. 11. SHARE By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal Five of the 13 Republican candidates in the District 8 Congressional race have bought TV time, and they continued to spend vigorously on ads to air in the final days of the campaign, records show. They were state Sen. Brian Kelsey, former U.S. attorney David Kustoff, former Shelby County Commissioner George Flinn, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and Jackson businessman Brad Greer, who was the only candidate from outside Shelby County to buy TV time. No other candidate bought airtime at the stations whose disclosures were reviewed by the newspaper: Memphis stations WMC and WREG and Jackson station WBBJ. These same five candidates were the only ones who had bought TV time when the newspaper reviewed financial disclosures in mid-July. At the time, Flinn had spent at least $510,000 on TV ads. Kelsey had spent at least $134,000, Kustoff at least $88,000, Luttrell at least $5,800, and Greer at least $2,600. In the weeks since, candidates put in multiple new orders for ads. The large number of filings and sometimes overlapping air dates makes it difficult to come up with a solid tally of ad spending in the past few weeks. A group called Power of Liberty also bought airtime. The Tennessean newspaper reported Power of Liberty was paying for radio and mail ads and had released negative messages targeting Luttrell, Kelsey and Greer. It's unclear who's paying for the ads because the group isn't required to disclose donors. The group's overall TV spending appears relatively small Power of Liberty spent $7,050 on ads with WREG. Another group called Win For America spent $11,530 with WREG. TV advertising could make a difference in the district, which sprawls across much of west Tennessee and covers the Shelby County suburbs as well as part of East Memphis. The candidates are combining their TV ads with many other campaign methods, such as in-person appearances. The 8th Congressional District tilts heavily toward Republicans. The winner in Thursday's Republican primary is expected to win the general election in November. August 4, 2016- Steve Edwards and Jim Logan wave to voters as they campaign at Collierville Presbyterian Church for Mark Lovell in the District 95 Tennessee House race. (Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal) By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal Republican businessman Mark Lovell, whose best-known enterprise is the Delta Fair, upset incumbent Curry Todd on Thursday, walking away with the state House District 95 seat, based on complete unofficial returns. Lovell pulled in 56 percent of the votes, followed by Todd with 18.9 percent. Diane George, a former Shelby County school board member, had 14.5 percent, while former health care administrator Dana Matheny trailed with 10.5 percent. In the House District 90 Democratic primary, Rep. John DeBerry Jr. won with 56.5 percent of the vote ahead of challenger Tami Sawyer with 43.3 percent. Lovell, who also owns apartment complexes and a golf course, believes the voters saw him as a hardworking, successful guy. "The people that I ran against, a couple of them are very fine folks, but I don't think they put the effort in it that I did," he said. "I knocked on lots of doors. I met with bunches and bunches of people. I went to events and shook hands." Todd, who was first elected in 1998, could not be reached for comment. The District 95 race has no Democratic or independent challengers for the Nov. 8 general election while the District 90 race has no Republican or independent candidates running, assuring both winners the House seat in their respective primary races. It has been an interesting week for Todd, who was jailed Tuesday on theft charges after a video showed him taking Lovell's campaign signs from a property at Winchester and Shea in Collierville. Todd acknowledged being the man in the video, but said the property owner gave him permission to plant his signs there and pull up any of his opponents' signs. When Todd failed to show up at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office for questioning, he was arrested. Todd pleaded not guilty in the case his lawyer calls a calculated stunt to embarrass Todd before the election. Lovell promptly posted Todd's $100 bond, likening it to "lending your nephews money" with no expectation of getting it back. In addition to this week's instances, Todd was arrested in Nashville in 2013 for driving under the influence with a loaded gun in his vehicle. Even before the sign incident, Lovell said voters he met were ready to see Todd go. Sawyer, director of diversity and leadership development at Teach for America in Memphis, ran an aggressive grass-roots campaign appealing to voters critical of DeBerry's more conservative views. "This is indicative of the beginning of a movement in Memphis," she said of the race results. DeBerry, a minister at Coleman Avenue Church of Christ who was first elected in 1994, could not be reached for comment. He took a more sanguine approach to campaigning, receiving few contributions and only spending $12,500 to end July with hefty balance of $141,026. Meanwhile, in the state Senate District 30 race, Sara Kyle returned to Nashville, receiving 75.2 percent of the vote to defeat Beverly Marrero, a former senator for the district, who captured 24.7 percent. SHARE By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal Voters turned in paper ballots at precincts in Raleigh and Cordova this morning as election officials scrambled to set up voting machines. Shelby County Election Commission Chairman Robert Meyers confirmed that a senior polling official hadn't arrived at the Frayser-Raleigh Senior Citizens Center by the time polls opened at 7 a.m., causing delays there. There also were problems at a Cordova precinct, where machines were delivered to the wrong location. Poll workers accepted a handful of paper ballots at both locations, he said. About 10 people were in line in Raleigh when an emergency response team arrived at 7:03 a.m., and most opted to return later instead of filling out a paper ballot, Meyers said. About five people filled out paper ballots before the machines were ready. "Those paper ballots will be counted as if they were counted on a machine," he said. The mixup didn't prevent anyone from voting, they just had to vote on paper ballots, said administrator of elections Linda Phillips. Rep. Antonio Parkinson, who is seeking reelection, said voters were leaving the Frayser-Raleigh Senior Citizens Center without voting because of the issues. He said they just put up the "vote here" signs, which legally should have already happened. "It's unacceptable," he said. "A lot of work is going into Election Day, to get out the vote." Rep. Antonio Parkinson, who is seeking reelection, said voters were leaving the Frayser-Raleigh Senior Citizens Center without voting because of the issues. He also said they just put up the "vote here" signs, which legally should have already happened. Many voters were on their way to work, and without access to another precinct may have missed their opportunity to vote, he said. How do we fix this? "It's unacceptable," he said. "A lot of work is going into Election Day, to get out the vote." Parkinson, seeking re-election to the District 98 state representative seat, faces challenger Johnnie Hatten in todays Democratic Primary. The winner is assured the seat in the November general election because no one is seeking the Republican nod in the GOP primary for the district. Meyers said resorting to the alternative method with paper ballots is part of the training for poll workers. He said such instances occasionally occur in elections. As for reports of "droves" of voters turned away because of the problem, Meyers replied: "I would say that's unlikely because we don't have 'droves' of people voting." Staff reporter Kayleigh Skinner contributed to this story. SHARE The Commercial Appeal files Dr. R. Paul Caudill (holding hat) received an affectionate welcome from his family and congregation members of First Baptist Church upon his return on Aug. 3, 1956, from a visit to Russia, Europe and Africa. He will relate some of his experiences at church Sunday. The woman at left is not identified. Aug. 4 25 years ago: 1991 In 60 days, Memphians will go to the polls to decide between Willie Herenton's desire to move Memphis in a different direction or another four years of Mayor Dick Hackett. The only other mayoral candidate is Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges, 44, a restaurant owner who has never won an election and isn't expected to be a major factor. Some political analysts say the Oct. 3 mayoral election may hinge on the 20 to 30 percent of Memphians who haven't made up their minds and who will consider voting across racial lines. 50 years ago: 1966 WASHINGTON Labor Secretary W. Willard Wirtz resumed informal talks Sunday with airline strike negotiators as Vice President Hubert Humphrey personally appealed for a negotiated settlement of the costly contract dispute. Officials of the International Association of Machinists and the five struck airlines talked separately with Wirtz and his assistant, James J. Reynolds at the Labor Department. 75 years ago: 1941 Plans to provide free lunches for every undernourished school child in Shelby County have been announced by state welfare Commissioner Paul Savage. Principals of each school will select the children who seem undernourished and report the number eligible to the welfare supervisor. 100 years ago: 1916 Yesterday the Crump machine managed to pull Mike Tate, its candidate for sheriff, through by 600 votes out of 14,550 cast. Mr. Crump won by 1,700 votes. The wear and tear on the machine has been fearful. 125 years ago: 1891 While the new Randolph building was thronged with sightseers yesterday afternoon, a couple of embryo hoodlums ensconced themselves upon the roof, and from their lofty perch busied themselves throwing pebbles at passers-by on Mulberry Street. August 4, 2016 Mississippi state Sen. Chris Massey leaves Olive Branch Municipal Court building after appearing for an aggravated assault charge. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal Mississippi state Sen. Chris Massey's aggravated assault case stemming from a July altercation with lawn service workers has been continued until Oct. 6. as attorneys try to find "common ground," Massey attorney Steve Farese said Thursday. Massey and others involved in the July 7 incident made an initial appearance in Olive Branch Municipal Court on Thursday morning, but nothing happened other than agreeing to the continuance date. "We were only set for an appearance today," Farese said as he and Massey left court. "The attorneys and prosecutors all got together and discussed when would be a good day to regroup and meet again to see if there's common ground." Massey did not comment. Asked if he thought there was a realistic chance the case could be resolved before the scheduled Oct. 6 court appearance, Farese said he feels "like there is, but there are two sides to everything." Anthony Smith, a lawn service operator on the other side of the dispute, sounded less optimistic about settling the case out of court. He said the continuance was to allow time to collect affidavits from neighborhood residents who witnessed the altercation. Smith said he was aware of no efforts on the part of his attorney, John Keith Perry, to settle out of court. Massey and his father, Jackie Gayron Massey, were each charged with aggravated assault and released on bond. Smith was charged with simple assault and Marcus Lane, an employee of Smith's, was charged with aggravated assault. They also were released on bond. The dispute in Olive Branch's Windstone subdivision began over claims by Smith that Massey's vehicle was blocking the road, and the argument escalated to include swinging shovels, wrestling on the ground and spitting. According to the police report, Lane said Massey threatened to "kill him with his nine pistol," apparently referring to a 9 mm pistol. Lane declined to comment after Thursday's court appearance. In his only public statement, Massey said the day after the altercation that he committed no crime and was confident that "once the true facts are known, I will be completely exonerated," Massey, 45, a Republican from Nesbit, is chairman of the state Senate Ethics Committee and vice chairman of the Housing Committee. SHARE When he was a Memphis City Council member, Mayor Jim Strickland was not shy about criticizing the administration of former Mayor A C Wharton for not being transparent about some issues. During his campaign for mayor, Strickland promised his administration would do better on the transparency front. A full seven months into his administration, we have to wonder about his commitment to that pledge. Strickland's administration on Monday backed away from a new policy that required media to be escorted to interviews in City Hall after criticism last week from members of the City Council and the media. Council members publicly criticized the administration last week for requiring the media to notify Strickland's communications team of interviews in the council offices in City Hall. The administration still will require appointments for interviews, which Strickland's new communications division must preapprove under threat of employees being disciplined or fired, according to another new policy. Access to common areas of City Hall also has been restricted. "We just thought there was a happy medium that allows reporters to do their jobs and allowed us to run City Hall at the same time," city spokesman Kyle Veazey said. Really? Sounds to us like the administration is trying to filter the news coming out of City Hall. The public, we believe, should feel the same way. True, the administration has done a good job of using social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to communicate with the public. He also sends out a weekly email titled "A Note from Mayor Strickland." Those are marketing efforts and more power to them, but don't mistake those endeavors for the independent journalism that every democracy needs. This is a one-way line of communication to the public that can easily allow government to avoid answering difficult questions. That is not transparency. The administration needs to let the sun shine in at City Hall. Transparency also means that you don't intimidate employees with the threat of dismissal if they give interviews that are off-message. Doesn't Strickland or his chief operations officer, Doug McGowen, trust their top administrators to be able handle an interview or answer a question without having one of the mayor's communications staffers acting as a go-between? For example, it makes no sense for a reporter who has a question about the budget to not be able to send Chief Financial Officer Brian Collins an email or text message, asking Collins if he has a couple of minutes to answer a question. And, it makes no sense for Collins to face possible disciplinary action or termination for answering that question directly because a communications staffer was not contacted first. If the mayor cannot trust his top administrators to be professional and if he cannot trust them to give out accurate information, then why did he hire them? The optics on this policy are not flattering for the administration. This smacks of the administration trying make sure the information coming out of City Hall is filtered. That is not transparency. The mayor accused Wharton's administration of doing that to the City Council and, intentional or not, it looks like he is doing the same thing to the public. ARI Fleet Management manages 1.2 million things with wheels across North America and Europe, from telephone company trucks to corporate vehicles to railroad maintenance trucks. The telematics sensors on its rolling stock of vehicles capture data between every three and 30 seconds. "Every two weeks, we get the equivalent of all the data we've accumulated in the last twenty years," says Bill Powell, director of enterprise architecture for the Mt. Laurel, N.J.-based firm. It's a carousel of information: ARI can tell from its gyroscopic sensors if drivers are jackrabbiting from stops or slamming on their brakes; it can tell from engine sensors that they're letting the engines idle too long. One of the most intriguing and granular pieces in all these terabytes of data is the one that compares where a gas credit card was used, based on the geocode of the vendor, and where the vehicle was at the time. If the differential is more than 20 feet, an ARI audit can show that someone was fueling an unauthorized vehicle. As that example shows, the internet of things (IoT) isn't just about sensors and data, it's about using data in context. That makes it an interdisciplinary challenge for IT executives, one that encompasses information technology, operations and business processes. GE Aviation captures hundreds of megabytes of data anytime a plane lands. The company has created a data lake to analyze that information, alongside scheduling data, weather data, airport curfews and other resources. These advanced analytics lead to increased performance for its customers, which include United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. How can organizations develop and launch IoT initiatives that truly transform the business from the ground up? Computerworld spoke to a number of early IoT adopters, entities that have gotten their hands dirty in everything from manufacturing and logistics to smart cities and agriculture. Almost all report bumps along the way, but also say they have either achieved or anticipate significant payoffs from their investment. With IoT at last becoming a force in the enterprise, here are four lessons to heed. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said that, if elected, she would try to curb terrorists from using the Internet as a recruiting tool. "We will disrupt their efforts online to reach and radicalize young people in our country. It won't be easy or quick, but make no mistake we will prevail," Clinton said in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. But Clinton's statement raises questions over what can be done to prevent terrorists from using Facebook, Twitter and other social media as extremist hunting grounds. "I believe [social networks] have been used by terrorist groups for years," said Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, an analyst with the Rand Corp., a nonprofit research organization. "I think Twitter and Facebook are major platforms being used. ... and YouTube. It can be hard to get rid of stuff, but we can make it harder for the casual observer to find so it's not the first thing popping up." Online recruitment has been an ongoing issue in the fight against terrorism. "Twitter works as a way to sell books, as a way to promote movies, and it works as a way to crowdsource terrorism -- to sell murder," FBI director James B. Comey said in December, according to a report in the New York Times. With the benefit of the Internet, and social media in particular, terrorists can expand their networks beyond their own borders, reaching into homes in the U.S., Europe and around the globe. The Islamic extremist group ISIS had a minimum of 46,000 Twitter accounts in the September-December quarter of 2014, according to a Brookings Institution study. Now a teenager from small-town America can be spotted, recruited and tutored to launch an attack in his own community. Terrorist groups, such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda or home-grown white supremacists, use social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the cloud-based instant messaging service Telegram to release propaganda, call for violent action, share links and video, connect people to their English-language magazines and take credit for attacks made around the world. Terrorist groups, which often have their own IT support system of people who are both tech and social media savvy, use social networks to find others who might be susceptible to being lured into their organizations. Using Twitter, for instance, they identify potential candidates, reach out to them and then encourage them to connect with them through private communications. Peter Weinberger, a senior researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland, said ISIS has a large organization of people who focus on using social media for recruitment. "We know extremists are tweeting messages," he said. "They put out games, websites and magazines. This stuff is pretty slick. For someone who is vulnerable, they could get access to this and be inspired to do violence." In a November article on the Brookings Institution website, analyst J.M. Berger noted that social media gives terrorists the advantage of volume. By sifting through hashtags, posts and comments on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among others, organizations can seek out more potential recruits than ever before. "The world continues to deal with the offline consequences of how ISIS works online, hunting among the fringes of society for those rare individuals who can be convinced to act on its behalf, wrote Berger, who studies U.S. relations with the Islamic World and wrote Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam. Fighting back The U.S. government and social networks have taken steps to not only pull terrorist groups off the social networks but to use social sites to supplant their violent messages. For instance, in February, Twitter announced that it was accelerating its efforts against terrorist groups, increasing its team that reviews reports of Twitter accounts associated with violent extremism and suspending 125,000 accounts for threatening or promoting terrorist acts since the middle of 2015. Twitter also said it was working with law enforcement on the issue. Facebook also has suspended accounts that it finds are associated with radicalized groups. In February, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that he wanted to stop terrorist groups from celebrating attacks on Facebook and to keep them from using the social network to lure in and train new recruits. The fact that both Twitter and Facebook have been working to stop terrorists from using their networks has not been lost on ISIS. In February, ISIS made direct and violent - threats against the CEOs of both companies. In a video posted to Telegram titled "Flames of the Supporters," the Sons Caliphate Army, the hactivist arm of ISIS, showed photos of Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey with digitally added bullet holes. "You announce daily that you suspend many of our accounts, and to you we say: Is that all you can do?" the hackers wrote in text across the video. "You are not in our league.... If you close one account we will take 10 in return and soon your names will be erased after we delete your sites, Allah willing, and [you] will know that we say is true." Facebook, Twitter and Google did not respond to repeated requests for comment on terrorists' using of their sites. YouTube, which also terminates known terrorist accounts, has a team working around the clock that reviews videos flagged as potentially objectionable. Under each video is a "promotes terrorism" flag, which viewers also can use to alert YouTube of such videos so they can be taken down. What else can be done? Rand's Boudine-Baron, who has been researching terrorists and their social media activities since 2014, said that while the account suspension campaigns reduce the ease with which people can stumble on to terrorist content and outreach, there needs to be a bigger presence in "counter messaging." That's where the government and social networks could work together. "Various government organizations are engaged in counter messaging campaigns," said Boudine-Baron. "What content can they provide to offer an alternative message? They might provide stories of people who have left ISIS and their reasons behind it; former jihadis countering violent extremism." Using sites like Facebook, YouTube, Telegram and Twitter gets the counter messages to the same population that the terrorists are preying on. The government, according to Bodine-Baron, could play a role in helping to find the right people to make the counter messages. A troubled teenager might not pay attention to a tweet from someone in law enforcement but might listen to someone who has suffered from terrorism or who used to be involved with a terrorist group but turned his life around. The government, she added, also could offer financial assistance to groups and social networks working on counter messaging. "Our government needs to figure out ways to make counter-messaging strategies more effective," Bodine-Baron said. Weinberger agreed, saying that the focus should be on intervention campaigns. "If there are chat rooms where people are talking, think about discrediting that message and get to these same people who are vulnerable and try to redirect them," he said. "Let's say someone says, 'Look at this hashtag.' Then you need someone else debunking that but they have to have someone who would be respected or has an authoritarian voice in that community." Gina Ligon, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, who also has been conducting research for the consortium on terrorism, said it would be useful to have more information on how terrorist groups share their messages online and what their point of influence s. "We also need to look at what ISIS has done well and what they have struggled with so we could learn for future groups who use these tactics," Ligon told Computerworld in an email. "We have seen an increase in similar techniques from the Al-Nusrah front and other global jihad groups." She added that the government also could fund research on the online influence of violent extremist groups -- both domestic and international. I don't know about you, but I sure do love stuff that seems like it's straight out of science fiction. Lights that automatically adjust themselves to match the mood, reminders that pop up at just the right time or place, hoverboards that actually hover... Okay, so that last one hasn't quite happened yet -- but great Scott, if it ever does, you'd better believe I'll be hopping in the nearest DeLorean and flooring it to 88 mph to see. For as much as I appreciate futuristic tech, though, I've come to realize something: Just because a concept seems cool on the surface doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna be useful in the real world. And at the end of the day, practical value is far more important than eye-catching flash. That distinction is something I can't help but think about when considering one of the marquee features in Samsung's new Galaxy Note 7 phone: the device's sure-to-be-heavily-marketed iris scanning ability. I mean, c'mon: This thing's as science-fictiony as smartphone features get. Just stare into your device's screen and let it examine your eyes to see if you're the authorized owner. If your peepers are positively ID'd, huzzah! Instant access for you. If not, a trapdoor opens up beneath your feet and sends you straight to the fiery depths of hell. (Don't quote me on that last part.) Cool, right? Absotively. But practical? I'm not so sure. The reason is simple: Novel as it may seem, an iris scanner in this context is just too much of a nuisance to use. And in the realm of smartphone security, even the smallest amount of hassle is enough to get most people to say "screw it" and move on. Take a second and think about what actually has to happen every time you want to unlock your phone with the Note 7's iris scanner: First, you have to turn on the device's display. Then, you have to swipe upward on the screen to activate the scanning system. After that, you have to position the phone just right to get it in line with your eyes. If you're in a room that's dimly lit (or if you're wearing glasses or contacts), it might take multiple tries or might not even work at all -- in which case, you'll have to resort to tapping in your backup passcode for access. Now compare that to the experience of using a phone's fingerprint scanner for authorization: You touch your finger to the scanner (simultaneously pressing it, in the case of a Samsung device) and wait a split second. That's it. Convenience is everything when it comes to making mobile security effective Maybe we as consumers have gotten insanely lazy. Maybe our expectations have gotten unrealistic and our impatience has grown too high. However you want to untangle it, though, the reality is that an extra few seconds of futzing to get into your phone feels like an eternity -- and given the choice, most of us will do whatever we can to avoid it. Especially given how frequently we unlock our devices. It's the same conclusion I reached when an Android manufacturer called Alcatel put a similar eye-scanning feature into its (less mainstream) Idol 3 phone last spring. And it's the same impression reviewers who are getting to know the Note 7 seem to be formulating now as well. Plain and simple: Convenience is everything when it comes to making mobile security effective. If something's too much of a pain, we modern-day mammals won't use it. That's why Google's gone to great lengths to implement features like Smart Lock into Android -- because the company found far too many people weren't even securing their phones in the first place without it. (Swipe in a pattern every single time I want to access my device?! Pshaw!) And that's why I suspect most people aren't going to use a smartphone iris scanner in any long-term sense -- at least in the way the technology exists today. Sure, the feature looks great on paper and makes you feel like a spy the first time you try it, but convenience always trumps novelty in the end. And no matter how effective a security measure is, it's only effective if you actually use it -- every single time. The Manifesto Club has produced an update this morning on the use by councils of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). These were first introduced in October 2014 under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act and allow councils to ban any activity they believe to have a detrimental effect on the quality of life. So far as the Manifesto Club is concerned these Orders amount to an attack on freedom of expression: A Manifesto Club FOI survey published in February 2016 showed that 130 PSPOs had been issued by 79 local authorities including 9 bans on swearing, three bans on rough sleeping, and 12 bans on loitering or standing in groups. Since then, the rate of new PSPOs has further increased, leading to increasingly bizarre new criminal offences. Here is our selection of the 20 worst new PSPOs, including those recently passed and those out for consultation. We are arguing that this legislation amounts to a Busybodies Charter: it needs to be scrapped or dramatically scaled back, in order to halt the growing criminalisation of everyday activities in public spaces and the undermining of fundamental public freedoms. They offer the follow recent examples: Tendring District Council brought through a PSPO banning: persistent begging; sitting in shop doorways on more than one occasion or loitering in that area; remaining in a public toilet without reasonable excuse, or sleeping there; refusing to stop drinking alcohol or hand over containers likely to contain alcohol when required to do so. Hammersmith and Fulham Council banned busking and public speaking in the area outside Shepherds Bush tube station. The order prohibits: busking after 6pm; no amplification of music or speech; no busking for more than 1hr; no buskers within 50m of each other. Wrexham Council banned: sleeping during hours of darkness; intoxicating substances; being intoxicated; smoking in childrens playgrounds. Gravesham Council criminalised lying down/sleeping in any public place (except if you are homeless), including in a car or caravan. It also banned alcohol and introduced a restriction on riding bicycles. Walsall Council banned any activity which has a detrimental effect on quality of life. It also banned causing annoyance by playing ball games or through using any vehicle (including bikes and skateboards). See a news report of the order; see the text of the order. Blaby Council has banned 10- to 17-year olds from standing in groups of four or more. The council thoughtfully exempted the playground of the local school from the restriction, as well as bus stops or school trips. Worthing Council has banned begging, sitting or loitering for an unreasonable time; being in possession of a receptacle used to obtain monies for the purpose of begging; remaining overnight in any vehicle or temporary structure. Cambridge Council has banned punt touting in the city centre. Critics of the order have said that it will harm independent punt operators and that the city council stands to gain financially. Kettering Councils PSPO officially came into force on 25 July, banning under-18s going out after 11pm, begging, unsolicited charity collection, skateboarding, swearing and loitering. Brighton and Hove Council criminalised unauthorised tents and caravans, the failure to remove an unauthorised vehicle, and the refusal to hand over your details to a council official. Bassetlaw Council has brought through PSPOs for Retford and Worksop town centres, banning shouting, swearing, and young people aged 16 or under standing in groups of three or more. While some more are being proposed: Rushcliffe Council plans to ban street drinking and sleeping in any public place. The order will state: No person shall sleep within the restricted area. Newcastle Council plans to ban face-to-face fundraising and begging. The order is due to be signed off at the end of the summer. Forest of Dean Council is planning to criminalise those who allow their sheep to enter the village of Bream in Gloucestershire. This order will prohibit sheep grazing practices that have been established for centuries. Cherwell District Council plans to ban drunkenness, sleeping rough and begging. The consultation will launch soon. Colchester Council is proposing a ban on people entering an area in possession of roller skates, skateboards or scooters. The order would also prohibit open containers of alcohol and causing harassment, alarm or distress. Lancaster Council is planning to ban shouting, swearing, and any behaviour causing harassment, alarm or distress in Lancaster city centre. Burnley Council is planning to ban: begging; under-16s out between 11pm and 5am; unsolicited charity collection; misuse of skateboards and scooters. Oxford City Council is planning to ban unauthorised mooring of boats, and noise and smoke from boats that causes annoyance. Boat-owners say that this broadly drafted prohibition will criminalise ordinary boating activities and make it difficult for them to run generators or heat their homes. Wigan Council is planning to ban making verbal or non-verbal requests for money or donations, except on designated pitches and with council permission. This would prohibit not only begging but also unauthorised charity collecting or fundraising. My instinct is against passing new regulations. There is not only the libertarian objection but also the practical point about enforcement. It can be tempting to engage in gesture politics of bringing in a new rule rather than getting on with the boring job of dealing with those who are breaking the large number of existing rules. One rather unsatisfactory justification is that the rules would be applied with discretion. One can easily imagine that one person scooting in Colchester or swearing in Kettering might be doing so rather harmlessly another person might be doing so in a threatening or dangerous way. Would not other existing laws be available to punish the culprits in the latter group? What if a three-year-old is scooting under his mothers careful supervision on the way to nursery school? What if a retired Colonel is overheard muttering: Blast Im late for my appointment at the dentist. When I checked to see what swear words are allowed in Kettering the Council website said the download is not available. It is all very well to to say that the rules would only be used occasionally; that is conceding arbitrary power into the hands of the state. It is unsatisfactory to make everyone a law breaker and for the law to only be enforced capriciously by some municipal functionary. However, libertarianism involves a careful balance which the Manifesto Club should remember. John Stuart Mill made the useful distinction between self regarding and other regarding acts. So we should not allow the freedom to make excessive noise, or threaten people, or obstruct people, as that restricts the freedom of others. It is quite proper for our locally elected representatives to try to establish what is reasonable. The details will always be a matter for contention. Surely the Manifesto Club must accept this. Do they think I should be allowed to walk the streets naked? In the example above from my own local authority I have asked about the restrictions on busking outside Shepherds Bush Central Line station. I will see what the the particular justification is. But what seems unsatisfactory about these Public Spaces Protection Orders is their random nature. Why should buskers be embraced outside Fulham Broadway tube or Hammersmith tube but persecuted in Shepherds Bush? Should not the rules on the amount of noise and the hours of day that they can make it be consistent? There is some easy populism and natural temptation for councils to give themselves more power. They should try harder to resist the temptation. A golden rule of reporting crimes is to try to balance instant news and analysis against legal obligations and wider responsibilites such as not prejudicing a trial and ensuring that coverage is proportionate. And an established fact in relation to terror attacks in the west is that Islamist extremists are planning and executing them, and that ones first instinct in hearing news of such a incident is to assume that they may be responsible. While sticking to the rule this morning, I will try to put that fact into context in writing briefly about yesterdays incident in Russell Square, in which a woman was killed and five people injured in a knife attack. Such an assault is undoubtedly terrifying though not necessarily a terror attack in the sense that the phrase is usually used: namely, one planned and executed by a terrorist group. It may indeed turn out that there is a link between the 19 year-old man who has been arrested consequently, and Islamist extremism even perhaps an Islamist terror organisation. At this stage, the police cannot exclude that possibility. They must duly say so. And the media must draw on their view in its reporting. But it is worth bearing in mind three other factors related to some recent terror attacks. The first is mental health. For example, the perpetrator of the Orlando massacre and of Jo Coxs murder evidently had or have mental health issues. It is therefore worth noting that the police statement about yesterdays crime says that early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case. The second is drugs. Past or present use appears to have been a factor in lives of those who carried out the recent Munich and Nice murders, for example. The third is a dysfunctional family background, and perhaps a criminal record. Consider the case of the el-Bakraoui brothers, who carried out the assaults earlier this year in Belgium, for example. In short, Bernard Hogan-Howe is right to warn in relation to another terror attack in Britain that its a case of when, not if, and it is doubtless necessary for the police to step up their presence. But it is important to bear in mind that not every assault claimed in the name of Islam was planned by a terror group in Raqqa or elsewhere. And it is worth remembering that the combination of mental illness, drugs and family breakdown can itself drive crime, and that Islamist ideology is not necessarily a fourth factor. Theres an Islamist theat, to be sure. But caution is one thing; panic would be quite another. The personal risk to most Britons of being caught up in a terror attack is low, at least at present. Terror is terrifying. Thats its point why terrorists carry out terror. But theres no need to make it more terrifying than it already is, and every need to keep calm and carry on. SUBSCRIBE Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates straight in your inbox. SHARE By Kelly Gifford of the Courier and Press After the final performance of Signature School's "Romeo and Juliet" took its final bows, Amy Scharf was brimming with ideas for the upcoming ballet production. Not only was she excited to continue her students dance education but she also saw the potential for the program to extend beyond the confines of the school year and Signature School alone. Scharf saw the program becoming an inclusive company that would produce original work and provide free ballet classes to those involved, whether they attended Signature School or not. The company would be called Main Street Dance. Scharf took those first steps in creating Main Street Dance this summer with its upcoming ballet production of "An American Cinderella," a twist on the Cinderella story told through Disney. The production will open at 2 p.m. Saturday at The Victory with additional performances at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. To make this dream a reality, Scharf decided the production needed to move to the summertime rather than the school year so in the coming years students from around the area could participate. With very little time to get the word out and students together for the current show, Scharf said many of her students from Signature who participated in "Romeo and Juliet" are in the current production as well. "The students have become a unit and are growing and learning from each other," she said. "They've embraced the program and made it a priority despite their busy summer schedules." The Main Street Dance take on Cinderella is based in Los Angeles in 1937. Cinderella lives on skid row next to a major motion picture house, which is developing an upcoming blockbuster hit with Hollywood's most talked about duo. The son of the studio's CEO is documenting skid row when he finds Cinderella but didn't catch her name when he is pulled away to a meeting. Cinderella hopes to find him and finds the help of two costume designers who bring her into the glittering Hollywood studio world. The choreography for "An American Cinderella" said it is more challenging than it was for "Romeo and Juliet," Scharf said. Much of the choreography in the previous production was to help students who were just being introduced to dance look fluid and controlled. This production incorporates several styles of dance such as jazz and tango in addition to ballet, which has been fun for not only Scharf but the students as well. Zachary Potter, who will be a junior at Signature, will be portraying Ferdinand, one of the Hollywood stars in the production. Potter hadn't done much dance before being part of "Romeo and Juliet" and said he found his footing through the program and his fellow students. "The main reason I wanted to be part of the show was from my experience with 'Romeo and Juliet.' We became a little family, and I wanted to continue that through dancing and working together," he said. "It's been an extremely pleasing and incredible experience. I have been able to increase my skills in ballet and have gotten strong with my techniques. It's made me want to take full time classes in ballet this coming school year." If You Go: What: "An American Cinderella" When: 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Saturday Where: The Victory, 600 Main St. Tickets: $15 and can be purchased at the door or online at eventbrite.com/e/an-american-cinderella-tickets-26137508993 SHARE By Richard Gootee A 16-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder Wednesday night in Evansville, according to city police. The shooting was reported at 10:10 p.m. at the intersection of Lincoln and Bedford avenues. The teen told officers he did not know who shot him. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and is expected to recover. According to a news release from the Evansville Police Department, the Wednesday night shooting was "in the same area where four people were injured by gunfire on Monday night." Police believe the Monday night shooting, which led to the arrest of 16-year-old Jarnell Carter, was gang-related. Carter had been charged with four counts of attempted murder in that case. "It is unclear at this time if the two incidents are connected," police said in the news release. SHARE David R. Burant By Richard Gootee of the Courier and Press An Evansville teacher was arrested after investigators reportedly found "numerous" sexually-explicit text messages sent to a 14-year-old girl. David R. Burant, 27, faces a preliminary charge of child solicitation. He was booked into the Vanderburgh County jail Wednesday afternoon and made his initial court appearance Thursday morning. During that hearing, Burant's bond was set at $2,500 cash or $25,000 surety by Superior Court judge Robert Pigman. According to officials at the jail, Burant bonded out Thursday evening. The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office probable cause affidavit against Burant identifies him as an Evansville Lutheran School teacher. That school's website lists him as an eighth-grade teacher at the private institution. According to the affidavit, the messages, which reportedly included explicit videos and photos, were reported to the sheriff's office by the girl's parent. When asked about the matter, the 14-year-old said she and Burant started exchanging casual messages in May. The affidavit does not specify if the girl is an Evansville Lutheran student, but does say the messaging started after school let out for the summer. The girl also specifically identified Burant as an Evansville Lutheran teacher. School officials did not respond to a calls from the Courier & Press seeking comment on Thursday. During an interview with investigators on Wednesday, Burant allegedly admitted to sending nude photos and videos to the girl and asking her to do the same for him. According to the affidavit, he also acknowledged knowing her age. SHARE By Tori Fater, tori.fater@courierpress.com The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. welcomes about 150 new teachers this school year, and new faculty members are already getting an in-depth introduction to the way the school corporation works. In two days of orientation workshops this week, EVSC administrators are setting teachers up for the first few weeks of school by introducing them to other teachers and administrators, explaining the EVSC's mission and going over practical lessons such as safety procedures. Director of Teacher Effectiveness Shannon Strieter hopes teachers go away from each lesson or activity with information they can use in their classroom like the icebreakers used at the start of the workshops, which would fit perfectly into students' first day. "We want to set them up for success so they can continue to build on that throughout the year," Strieter said. Ashley Grimes and Katelyn Powless are joining the EVSC this year in their first full-time teaching positions. Grimes will teach fourth grade and Powless will teach third grade at Lincoln School, where they were student teachers while attending the University of Southern Indiana. Even though they already know seasoned teachers and administrators at the school, Grimes said the workshops have taught them more about the school corporation's vision for students. "It's really laying that foundation of what we should implement in our classroom from day one," Grimes said. "That's what we're getting today." Teachers such as Grimes and Powless spent Wednesday morning meeting support staff and the administrators who shape curriculum. The idea is to match names with faces so new staff know where to go if they have a question, Strieter said. "All (the) employees that are not in the classroom are in the business of supporting teachers so they can be effective with kids," she said. At the end of the workshops, Strieter hopes teachers leave feeling like they made the right choice in coming to work for the EVSC and feeling better prepared for their first month in a new school system. "It's absolutely our mission to put highly effective teachers in front of every child in every classroom in every school in the county," Strieter said. "We believe that by investing time and resources into developing our people that helps us to achieve that." Steven and Cassidy Cole and their sons Andrew, 10, and Peyton, 7, will participate in the SPARK study in the hope of learning more about the genetic cause of Peyton's autism. (Photo: Photo by Jaime Fogle/Provided by Cassidy Cole) SHARE National study aims to enroll 50,000 people to unravel some of the genetic mysteries behind the causes of autism. By Shari Rudavsky, IndyStar / USA TODAY Network As autism rates have shot up, the cause of the condition has vexed researchers. Over time they have uncovered rare genetic mutations that account for about 30 percent of autism cases. Now, scientists are hoping the largest-ever genetic study of autism will unravel the mysteries of this condition. In coming years, researchers will collect genetic information from more than 50,000 people with autism and their family members. Scientists hope the nationwide study will identify more genes that play a role in autism and help lead to new treatments. So far, researchers have identified about 50 genes associated with autism and think 300 or more will be found. Researchers involved in the SPARK study hope to contribute to that quest by doing whole exome sequencing of individuals, an expensive but thorough analysis of a persons genetic markers. SPARK stands for Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge. This is the best clinical genetic testing, said Dr. Craig Erickson, associate professor of psychiatry at Cincinnati Childrens Medical Center, who is leading recruitment efforts in this region. You would get it if you could get it for every kid with autism. Its what we would always have wanted to do. But insurance rarely if ever covers the test, which can run thousands of dollars and point to new treatments for autism. About one in 68 people is currently estimated to have autism, a complex developmental disability with a wide range of symptoms. Common symptoms include delayed language, narrowed interests, poor motor skills and difficulty navigating social situations. About 15,300 public schoolchildren in Indiana have autism spectrum disorders, according to the Indiana Resource Center for Autism. The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiatives decision to fund the whole exome test for thousands could change the future for those diagnosed with autism. The Simons Foundation is a New York-based foundation started by Jim Simons, a hedge-fund billionaire, and his economist wife, Marilyn. Researchers are hoping to recruit about 3,000 families from Central Indiana, Cincinnati, Louisville and Lexington, Ky., Erickson said, as part of what aims to be the largest autism study ever. Parents must participate along with their children so researchers can compare how their genes differ. Once a family registers for the study, members will receive DNA saliva kits in the mail and a form asking for some medical and family history information. They will also receive a $50 gift card for participating. Beech Grove mother Cassidy Cole hopes the study will help provide some answers about her younger son Peyton, 7. When he was about one and a half, they noticed he walked on his toes, a common trait in children with autism. A year and a half later, Peyton was diagnosed with autism. Cole ensured her son had the services he needed but she did not tell anyone about his diagnosis, even her family. She wondered what lay behind her sons condition, was it something that happened during her pregnancy? Something that came from her husbands genes? I kind of shut down for a year, she said. Theres no finding to know why people have, and its always a mystery where you want to know what caused it. When Cole heard about the SPARK study at an autism walk last month, she signed up without hesitation. As a health professional she is a trained nursing assistant and pharmacy technician she wanted to help the researchers. Besides, providing saliva seemed easy enough and would not distress her older son, who hates needles. After a person goes through the analysis, he or she may be contacted if there are studies conducted on therapies that might help. Researchers are exploring whether some people with autism might benefit if therapies are found to boost the function of a deleted gene, Erickson said. Were putting together this thousand piece puzzle, one bit at a time, said Erickson, who sees patients every other month at St. Vincent Hospital. We think were going to get big returns by participating in SPARK. Researchers will hold on to the samples, and as new genes are discovered they may check for those. For now, the Coles arent expecting much to change in their lives by participating. Instead, theyre focusing on helping Peyton as much as possible. He still receives speech, occupational, and behavioral therapy. Soon hell start second grade at Central Catholic School. We have learned ways, and were still learning ways, Cole said. Its a learning process. Its something every single day, something changes and you have to adapt with it. Middle Valley Church of God announces that Pastor Mitch McClure will speak on the topic "Forward Hope" in the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday. This is part of a sermon series titled 'The Best Is Yet To Come.' "This new sermon series will develop the reality that while life on earth may be difficult now, but God promises the Christian hope for the future. Jesus Christ made sure His followers understood they had future hope and Christians today have that same hope," officials said. Pastor McClure will lead the church in a time of communion, prayer, and worship during the 6:30 p.m. service on Sunday.Each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Sunday school classes are available for all age groups.Pastor McClure is leading a Bible study on the the End Times in the mid-week services. This study is based partially on 'ISIS, Iran, Israel and The End of Times" by Mark Hitchcock. This Bible study will occur each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Administrative Classroom.All are invited and encouraged to participate in any or all of these services.Middle Valley Church of God is located at 1703 Thrasher Pike in Hixson. For more information, contact the church office at 423-843-1539. More than $75,000 has been donated by Tennessee attorneys to organizations that serve low-income individuals in need of legal assistance.The donations come as part of the annual registration process that attorneys participate in to maintain their law licenses. Starting in 2015, attorneys were given the option to donate to the Access to Justice Fund when they were renewing their licenses.The new fund was established after the Access to Justice Commission proposed an amendment to Rule 9 that has allowed attorneys to contribute funds for distribution to organizations that provide civil legal aid to low-income individuals.In its first year, Tennessee attorneys raised $76,577.The Commission worked with the Supreme Court, the Board of Professional Responsibility, Tennessee attorneys, and legal aid groups to launch a tradition of generosity. Each year, attorneys will have the opportunity to donate funds for disbursement to agencies serving low-income Tennesseans needing greater access to justice.One growing organization that will receive funding this year is Justice for Our Neighbors. The group provides affordable legal services to low-income immigrants and their families. As part of their mission, Justice for Our Neighbors provides direct representation to vulnerable young people and coordinates training and representation for interested pro bono attorneys. With the money donated by attorneys, they can bolster their program for immigrated unaccompanied minors.Additional resources will be used to provide for the protection of unaccompanied minors seeking to remain in the United States, safely away from violence in their countries of origin, Executive Director Wade Munday said. We are extremely grateful that this unexpected funding can help more immigrant children experience the warm welcome of the Volunteer State.The Commission approved this years beneficiary organizations that met the requirements laid out in Rule 9. The initial list of eligible organizations was developed in consultation with Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and its statewide network of non-profit legal service providers. The funds have been apportioned according to each organizations size, based on the organizations revenue reported to the Internal Revenue Service. In the future, recipients will be reviewed on an annual basis to determine whether an organization remains qualified to receive funds. The Commission also will determine whether other qualified organizations should be added to the list.Each organization is required to submit a fiscal report of how the donation is used. The Commission plans to evaluate the allocation method following the June 2017 distribution, after two years worth of distributions has made its way to organizations.The Access to Justice Commission addresses topics such as education of the public, identification of priorities, and recommendations to the Supreme Court of projects and programs the Commission determines to be necessary and appropriate for enhancing access to justice in Tennessee.The organizations receiving funding are:Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville(Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts)........................................................... $416.99Community Legal Center................................................................................................ $1,016.17Disability Rights Tennessee............................................................................................. $7,001.08Legal Aid of East Tennessee.......................................................................................... $17,852.63Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands........................................ $22,794.79Memphis Area Legal Services........................................................................................ $10,554.92Southeast Tennessee Legal Services ................................................................................. $653.13Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.............................................. $7,145.56Tennessee Justice Center............................................................................................... $3,193.89Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors................................................................................ $797.17West Tennessee Legal Services...................................................................................... $5,150.67Total.......................................................................................................................... $76,577.00 Continue Reading Below Advertisement "What level are you on?" "Digestive tract, but I can't beat the cancer boss." Luckily for that patient, there was no hacker standing by to carve his Xbox Live name into the patient's liver. But while the dedicated fiber connection used for that surgery would have prevented such shenanigans, it's since become clear that the internet is a much cheaper means of linkage. And when has relying on the internet ever gone horribly wrong? Researchers led by Tamara Bonaci at the University of Washington demonstrated that, with some fairly simple remote hijacking hijinks, they could make a Raven II surgical robot's arms twitch like it hasn't gotten its digital meth fix. Worse still, they could just as easily take total control of the robot using their knowledge of the Interoperable Telesurgery Protocol ... the specs of which are freely available to any random asshat who'd like to brush up on the ins and outs of long-distance slicing and dicing. SRI International Continue Reading Below Advertisement "Med school's for noobz." This means that, rather than your life being in the hands of a doctor with years of training, you could be at the mercy of a misanthropic hacker, a jilted lover seeking revenge on your fun bits, or a bored teenager looking to use your heaving carcass to play Surgeon Simulator minus the "simulator" part. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Fated to get hammered for their entire miserable existence. As you can probably tell, the replicas were less than perfect. Cliff had no mustache, Norm had aged a good 20 years, and both looked quite a bit less like human beings than they did the embalmed corpses of political cartoons. These discrepancies may not have been an accident, perhaps done to avoid paying likeness rights to the actors; the robots' names were also changed to "Hank" and "Bob." If you think that seems like bullshit, you're not alone: John Ratzenberger and George Wendt, the actors who played Cliff and Norm, thought so too and ended up suing Paramount over it, in a case that almost made it to the Supreme Court. Roger L. Wollenberg/Pool via Bloomberg Continue Reading Below Advertisement Where everybody knows your name because it's written down on several important pieces of paper. Yup, the United States Supreme Court had to decide whether shitty robot doppelgangers of sitcom characters swilling beer in airport bars were worth their time. Their eventual decision -- "Nah, not really" -- left it in the hands of a lower court, where the actors eventually settled with Paramount. We don't know what the terms of that settlement were, but seeing as there don't seem to be too many of those robots around anymore, we kind of hope they all ended up in George Wendt's basement, where they've become his best friends. Continue Reading Below Advertisement You can check out Carolyn's depressing Twitter account here. What's The Best Fictional School To Attend? In the muggle world, we're not given the opportunity for a magical hat to tell us which school we should go to. Usually we just have to go to the high school closest to where we live or whatever college accepts our SAT scores and personal essay. This month, our goal is to determine what would be the best fictional school to go to. Join Jack, Daniel, and the rest of the Cracked staff, along with comedians Brandie Posey and Steven Wilber, as they figure out if it's a realistic school like Degrassi or West Beverly High, or an institution from a fantasy world like Hogwarts with its ghosts and dementors, or Bayside High, haunted by a monster known only to humans as Screech. Get your tickets here! Also check out 7 Movies That Were Filmed In Terrifying Locations and 5 Photos That Shatter Your Image Of Horror Movie Locations. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out 8 Places You'll Recognize From The Background Of Every Movie, and other videos you won't see on the site! Also, follow us on Facebook, and we'll follow you everywhere. Legacy Real Estate & Development (Legacy) announced that Chattanooga restaurateur Nathan Lindley will open a second Il Primo at Cambridge Square in Ooltewah. Il Primo is Mr. Lindleys popular Italian concept at 1100 Hixson Pike in Riverview. Cambridge Square is being managed and developed by Legacy. The community is located at the intersection of Ooltewah-Georgetown Road and Lee Highway, less than a quarter-mile from I-75 at exit 11. Il Primo will be the 19th tenant since the development began in 2013. Il Primo will occupy approximately 4,000 square feet in a newly designed building that will be located on Cambridges public square. Construction on the building will begin late this summer and the restaurant is scheduled to open in June 2017. Il Primo will be the only ground-level tenant. Initial design concepts call for an open floor plan with indoor/outdoor dining areas, and a bocce ball court running along the north side of the building. Initially, Il Primo will be open for dinner only. Nathan and his team have proven themselves time and again to be world-class operators, and we look forward to working with them to bring the Il Primo concept to diners in the greater Ooltewah area, said Jim Cheney, Marketing Director for Cambridge Square. We also highly recommend that you visit the Riverview location if you have not already to get a sense of the truly wonderful cuisine to come in 2017. We are thrilled they are here. Mr. Lindley is also the owner of Public House which opened in early 2009 in downtown Chattanoogas Wharehouse Row. He began his restaurant career in early 1990s working for famed Southern chef Frank Stitt, primarily at his Italian influenced restaurant Bottega. In 2000, he founded the St. Johns Restaurant in Chattanooga, which he owned until selling the restaurant to his brother in January 2005. Since leaving the formality of fine dining and opening Public House and Il Primo, my goal has been to create communal and familial gathering places around honest food and relaxed settings, said Mr. Lindley. More than anything else I have done, Il Primo has become an integral part of its neighborhood and a place that is truly part of its regular customers lives. That was the restaurants mission statement, and in that sense it has been a great success. The developers of Cambridge Square have a shared a goal of community and I am excited to add this concept to their growing development. Il Primo specializes in American Italian cuisine. Influenced by the classic recipes of Italian communities in the Northeast, the food at Il Primo celebrates the bounty and excess of America combined with the sensibility and comfort of Italian cuisine. Classic American-Italian dishes such as Meatballs, Lasagna, Bolognese and Risotto are built from scratch each day using carefully sourced, always fresh ingredients. The menu rotates to highlight the best of each season. As has been a hallmark of all Nathan Lindley restaurants, much of the products in the spring, summer and fall come from local farmers who have provided produce to his restaurants for over 15 years. Sussex News Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The three Rotary Clubs of Chattanooga are launching a way to support the homeless population of Chattanooga on Thursday at noon at the Trade Center. Traveling Rotarians will be bringing unused toiletries from their hotel stays to club meetings each week. At the end of each month, the items will be donated to an organization addressing the needs of this population. Officials said that Rotary is taking their tagline of Service Above Self to a new level with #ServiceAboutSoap. "A donation of a razors and shaving cream may make the difference for a man applying for a job. The gift of personal toiletries may be the first items given to a woman and her children in a homeless shelter. All she wants is to bathe her children and know that shes safe for the evening. By providing these items, organizations serving this population can use dollars normally used to meet basic needs for other activities to support their clients," officials said.The Rotary Clubs are encouraging the public to join us in this effort. "Come join us today and see the large donations being made by hoteliers around the city and Rotarians who are committed to making a difference," organizers said. Networking News Partners Ponder The Possibility - And The Implications - Of An Acquisition Of Level 3 Gina Narcisi Share this Telecom provider Level 3 Communications is reportedly exploring "strategic alternatives," potentially including a large stock buyout or an outright sale of the company, according to a report published last month by Benzinga Pro. But with second-quarter earnings reports now behind the major telecom giants, some industry analysts and partners are still wondering whether Level 3 is for sale. Cable giant Comcast was speculated to be Level 3's main suitor in last month's report. Both industry analysts and partners suspected that Comcast could be interested in Level 3's robust fiber infrastructure, a footprint that expands more than 100,000 fiber miles in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, and included 30,000 metro route miles and 35,000 subsea route miles. A merger between the two companies wouldn't come as a surprise because it would "make sense" to bring the two providers together, according to one Comcast partner that requested anonymity. [Related: Comcast Names Leader For New Mobile Business Unit, Fueling Speculation About Wireless Play ] "I've been continuing to hear about a possible merger, and it seems to be heating up," the partner said. "The prospect of a Comcast-Level 3 merger in my opinion, would create the most powerful company out there." Level 3's wide-reaching fiber infrastructure could help Comcast compete with the likes of Google and AT&T. Comcast has been busily rolling out fiber to new geographic areas this year. Comcast Business Fiber network currently includes more than 141,000 route fiber miles across 39 states and the Washington, D.C. area. In June, the cable giant committed more than $9 million to a major fiber expansion in the Virginia area. The addition of Level 3s enterprise networking assets would help Comcast grab more enterprise customers, a segment of business customers that the cable company is actively trying to attract. During Comcast's Q2 earnings call at the end of July, the Philadelphia-based service provider posted business services revenues that increased 17 percent year-over-year. Growth within its small-business segment currently accounts for 75 percent of its business services revenue and 60 percent of its growth. During Comcasts first-quarter earnings call in April, the providers chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said that Comcast Business services are also starting to bring new competition and choice to midsize, as well as enterprise customers." Comcast told CRN that the company does not comment on merger speculation. Level 3 did not respond to CRNs request for comment by publication time. Level 3, based in Broomfield, Colo., posted mixed second-quarter earnings for the period ending June 30. The provider posted total revenue of $2.05 billion, down 0.2 percent year over year from $2.06 billion, with its Core Network Services revenue coming in at $1.96 billion, up 0.7 percent when compared to Q2 2015 revenues. Some level 3 partners feel that while consolidation within the telecom industry isnt surprising, a sale of Level 3 could be premature because the company is making money again. "Level 3 finally has it together," said one solution provider executive and Level 3 partner that asked not to be named. "They are adding people to the channel at a record pace, and it's really a growing organization." When asked during its Q2 2016 earnings call on July 27 about the likelihood for Level 3 to become part of a much larger organization in the next few years, Jeffrey Storey, Level 3s president, CEO and director, said that Level 3 is focused on being an acquisitive company that will continue to look for its own merger and acquisition opportunities, noting its $5.7 billion acquisition of TW Telecom in 2014. With respect to us being part of a bigger organization, I want to be part of a bigger organization, but I want to grow it organically. I want us to continue to grow, satisfy our customers' needs, but we have to remain flexible, we have to remain nimble, because that's how we win. We win by differentiating our experience against these massive companies that are out there, Storey said during the call. While many telecoms are electing to grow via mergers and acquisitions, a possible acquisition of Level 3 from the reigning cable giant seems unlikely, at least in the short term, said Michael Bremmer, CEO of TelecomQuotes.com, a telecom consultancy based in Moreno Valley, Calif. "It would seem to me that Comcast, being blocked from buying Time Warner Cable, might be an issue since Level 3 is such a huge player in fiber, especially in an election year," Bremmer said. Security News Sources: Fortinet Lays Off Multiple VPs, 100 Employees In Sales And Marketing Sarah Kuranda Share this The sales and marketing turmoil at Fortinet is continuing with the company laying off around 100 employees on Wednesday, including at least two vice presidents, sources told CRN. The layoffs took place company-wide, multiple sources told CRN, but particularly centered around the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based security vendors sales and marketing departments. The layoffs account for around 2 percent of the companys overall workforce. The layoffs included at least two vice presidents, including Ryan Witt, vice president of the companys healthcare practice, and Dirk Venzlaff, vice president of distribution for North America, one source told CRN. CRN reached out to both executives for comment, but has not heard back. [Related: Symantec Loses CMO To ServiceNow As Post-Blue Coat Acquisition Lineup Starts To Emerge] Fortinet confirmed the layoffs in an email to CRN, though it declined to confirm any layoffs of specific individuals. "To position Fortinet for success now and in the future, we continue to take necessary steps to ensure that our resources and investments are aligned and that we have the right talent in the right places to drive our strategy and growth. With our Security Fabric performance advantage and competitive differentiation, we are confident in our ability to take advantage of the opportunity ahead, a Fortinet spokesperson said in the email. Multiple sources also told CRN that Vice President of Marketing Claire Trimble also left the security vendor recently, though her departure does not appear to be tied to this week's layoffs. Trimble did not respond to CRNs request for comment. Tracy Roccasalva, Vice President of Demand Generation, Campaigns, Brand, Inside Sales and Web, also left the company in May, according to her LinkedIn profile, taking a position as senior director of marketing at RSA in June. Sources said the layoffs are part of more widespread sales and marketing turmoil at Fortinet. One source said the turmoil has particularly hit the companys business development offices in Sunnyvale, Plano, Tex., and Des Moines, Iowa. The company also notably lost Chief Marketing Officer Holly Rollo in March when she left Fortinet to take a position at RSA as chief marketing officer. Fortinet has not yet named a replacement chief marketing officer, though one source said the company is currently in serious talks with a candidate from a competitor. The layoffs and departures in sales and marketing come at a critical inflection point for Fortinet, which has stated that an "aggressive" push in marketing is one of its top initiatives for the coming year. At the beginning of the year, Fortinet announced a reorganization of its sales force that eliminated the U.S. Enterprises team, redistributing it into two groups focused on either large global strategic accounts or regional territories, and created a single, unified sales force. The changes were designed to position the network security vendor to better handle multinational accounts and capitalize on its platform-based approach to drive profitability. After Rollos departure a few months ago, CEO Ken Xie reiterated the companys commitment to its sales and marketing push in an interview with CRN. We [are committed] to keeping the investment in marketing and sales and at the same time leveraging the strong, differentiated product that we have, and the channel, the partners and support, Xie said at the time. Partners had praised the companys sales and marketing efforts. CRN spoke to at least three partners, who did not want to be named, about the recent layoffs and departures, all of whom expressed concern for the companys future investments in this area. On the companys second quarter earnings call last week, CFO Andrew Del Matto said the productivity wasnt as strong as we would have liked it to be in North America. CEO Xie also referred to the slow sales reorganization results, saying some of the sales changes are still early and will take a bit more time to fully materialize. As a result, the executives said Fortinet planned to slow headcount growth and drive synergies around its recent acquisition of SIEM company AccelOps. I think that were disciplined to control the growth and the cost to position us going forward, Xie said on the call, referring to the company's operating margin goals. Virtualization News VMware NSX At Upcoming VMworld: Public Cloud And Container Demos, Improving Cisco Relationship Joseph F. Kovar Share this VMware plans to make the case for expanding the reach of its NSX software-defined networking technology, including showing how customers can use it to take workloads to the cloud, at this month's VMworld conference in Las Vegas. The plans include demonstrating NSX working on a public cloud and showing support for native container systems, said Rajiv Ramaswami, executive vice president and general manager for VMware's Networking and Security business unit. Ramaswami also told CRN that VMware will use VMworld to increase its commitment to channel partners working with NSX, and will highlight how NSX works with the competing ACI software-defined networking technology from partner and sometime-rival Cisco. [Related: VMware Expands Deal Registration Program, Incentives, To Push Software-Defined Data Center Tech] Ramaswami took over the NSX business in February after the departure of Martin Casado, the founder of Nicira, which developed the NSX technology before VMware's 2012 acquisition of Nicira. VMworld will show VMware's vision of bringing NSX to whatever data center platforms customers use, not just on VMware's own technology, Ramaswami said. "Our vision is NSX is everywhere," he said. "Today, NSX is primarily focused on vSphere. But NSX is really hypervisor-independent. We currently offer similar capabilities across hypervisors. Some of our earliest customers were running KVM." VMworld will see NSX running in a public cloud, most likely on Amazon, Ramaswami said. "Today, NSX runs on-premises or on vCloud," he said. "We want to extend it to customers running workloads natively on Amazon or other public clouds, and across all hypervisors. We'll talk about it at VMworld, and have a tech preview." However, Ramaswami said, VMware is not ready to announce general availability of NSX on Amazon or other public cloud platforms. NSX is also a logical extension for container technology and it currently supports hypervisor-based containers, Ramaswami said. "Over time, it will be expanded to support native containers," he said. "Most containers today run inside the hypervisor and use the hypervisor for security and other capabilities." General availability of NSX for native containers is still to be determined, Ramaswami said. NSX and network virtualization in general has broad applicability, Ramaswami said. For now, the use cases are primarily in micro-segmentation, particularly for security, as well as to automate clouds and provide application continuity and disaster recovery, he said. "Think of NSX as in the second inning of a nine-inning ball game," he said. "It's established. It's scaling. And we're investing in the channel to make it easier to sell and to help partners focus on micro-segmentation because the channel is heavily involved in security." NSX has already proven itself in micro-segmentation and software-defined data centers, said Ron Flax, vice president and chief technology officer at August Schell, a Rockville, Md.-based solution provider, which has been partnering with Nicira's software-defined technology before it was acquired by VMware and renamed NSX. "Security is a big part of our business and NSX has been making big inroads with customers because of micro-segmentation," Flax told CRN. "We've been working on software-defined data centers for customers looking to provide self-service solutions in VMware environments." VMware first quietly showed NSX working in Amazon Web Services environments at last year's VMworld conference, Flax said. "VMware is now adding automation to NSX, and making it possible to run NSX in containers, virtual machines, cloud instances, anywhere," he said. "To do this, VMware will have to de-couple NSX from its vCenter solution. Today it is still coupled to vCenter. But VMware wants it to run independent from vCenter." The moves by VMware to let NSX operate in any customer environment will expand the market for partners like August Shell, Flax said. VMware needs to show NSX is ready to run in non-vSphere environments, especially for government clients where moving away from a VMware-only stack is important to reduce expenses, he said. "We've already been promoting this in a clandestine way with our customers," he said. "But it's hard to get people to listen when you don't have something to show them." GreenPages is already having success with customer implementations featuring VMware NSX in micro-segmentation and cloud automation deployments, said Ron Dupler, CEO of the Kittery, Me.-based solution provider. "We're seeing customers looking forward to seeing how VMware will bring virtual networks to public clouds," Dupler told CRN. The automation and other capabilities of VMware NSX are important to cloud service providers, said one solution provider who preferred to remain anonymous. "However, most customers set up their virtual machines at one time, and add virtual machines periodically," the solution provider said. "So orchestration and automation, while interesting, is not something a lot of customers deal with yet." Ramaswami, when asked about how VMware's NSX technology works versus Cisco's ACI technology in networking deployments, said the two vendors want to do what's right for customers. ACI is a great technology for managing physical networks, while NSX is the best technology for managing virtual networking, he said. "In many deployments, the underlying network infrastructure is Cisco because of that company's market share," he said. "Customers have been using Cisco for the physical networking layer. They can run ACI to manage the physical hardware, and then run NSX to automate the virtualization layer and handle micro-segmentation. Cisco wants to move up the stack and over time will do more on the virtualization layer, Ramaswami said. "There will be some Cisco shops that go full-Cisco," he said. "But it's important to understand that NSX has more visibility in the hypervisor, and is better at the virtual networking functions." Flax said he has seen the relationship between VMware and Cisco improve recently, although part of that could be how important the two are to each other. "Cisco had the most success in the data center when it was co-sold with VMware and EMC technology," he said. "Cisco going in and having a knife fight with VMware would not be good. The two technologies work well together. NSX needs a physical base and is easier to operationalize when the hardware is set. NSX adds control at the top of the network, while ACI lets you manipulate the hardware." Dupler said the best thing that could happen to solution providers in the data center would be a sane approach to software-defined networking between VMware and Cisco. "We're not seeing it at the field level yet, but it is happening at the executive level," Dupler said. "It's long overdue." The anonymous solution provider said that Cisco customers are more likely to work with Cisco ACI than with VMware NSX. "Cisco reps tell us they are happy to work with NSX, but see ACI as growing faster," the solution provider said. Channel partner opportunities for NSX will only grow in the future, Ramaswami said. Partners today are primarily focused on fulfillment, but VMware is developing new certification programs, training programs, deal registration programs, and services opportunities, he said. "Last quarter, VMware also acquired Arkin," he said. "Arkin helps partners do pre-sales assessments. The technology looks at customer requirements, including security, and provides data center visibility after deployment." VMware in May also launched three new NSX SKUs, including Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise additions, with pricing starting as low as $1,995 per CPU socket, Ramaswami said. "This provides more flexibility to sell the solution," he said. Before a utility company establishes a new chief security officer (CSO) position, fills a vacant role, or reorganizes its existing security function, it must understand the industry needs and expectations for the modern CSO. Unlike just 10 years ago, utilities have looked to a senior security professional to manage risk, harden infrastructure, and maintain compliance with regulatory security requirements. The senior security professional, typically at the vice president or director level, now has direct access to the CEO and company boards of trustees, often to supply situational awareness of physical and cybersecurity issues. The CSO should have the ability to mold or shape policy from the boardroom or from the senior staff meeting. The good news for CSOs is that more board-level visibility can lead to more investment in security. Even the best CSO, however, cannot be successful without backing from senior executives. So, what makes a CSO worth their weight in gold? The duties of the CSO have dramatically changed with the introduction of targeting electric infrastructure for attack, the advancement and reliance on cyber systems, and the job of ensuring compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Standards. Likely the biggest responsibility is to create and foster a program that helps manage reputational risk. A security event at a company, whether physical or cyber, can quickly ruin any good standing in the community or industry. Whatever the range of duties, the security department's prime mission must always align with the company's. That means being a trusted partner. Brian Harrell The electricity industry is quickly moving away from security as an addition duty. Not so long ago, security responsibilities were typically handled by substation engineers, contract guards monitoring a few cameras and walking around looking for holes in the fence, and a select few managers unlucky enough to draw the short straw. Many companies also employed meter-readers that kept a watchful eye for electricity theft. At larger companies you might see a retired law enforcement officer looking to augment his pension by becoming the security manager, only to permanently retire a few years later. In contrast, most utilities today have dedicated security departments committed to the protection of company assets and personnel. Today, largely due to the terrorism events of Sept. 11 and the politics of security in Washington, we see the position expertise shifting from investigations and theft to grid reliability and infrastructure protection. Coupled with the burden of regulatory security compliance and the targeted destruction of electric infrastructure, we see a modern CSO arriving on scene. Integrating both cyber and physical security under one leadership post has its immediate advantages. The convergence of Information Technology (IT) security, Operational Technology (OT) security, and physical security under one department is a best practice which promotes situational awareness and enterprise-wide risk reduction, but is unfortunately rarely seen. This is primarily due to the vast differences in the security fields. If you ever see an individual who exhibits both cyber and physical security expertise, this is in fact a rare bird. As a result, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and the CSO often find themselves under different leadership structures. [ ALSO ON CSO: Who should the CISO report to? ] The modern CSO is business savvy and fully understands the impact that security has with respect to keeping the lights on, business resiliency, reputational risk, and regulatory compliance. Todays CSO must be an educator rather than an enforcer as he or she must be able to re-frame the security conversation away from mere loss avoidance and towards competitive advantage, efficiency, and risk reduction. The CSO must be technically adept, with an intuitive understanding of a companys assets, how attackers might penetrate them, and how to defend against attacks. And because no company, no matter how invested it is in security, is fully immune from physical threats, the CSO must also understand how to deter, detect, and mitigate the attacks that do occur. The required skills for this position have matured and evolved over the past decade. Former law enforcement officers continue to be the logical first pick for many utilities. However, very few investigations, domestic violence episodes, drug cases, or traffic violations occur at a utility. As most security professionals will attest, there is significant differences between physical security and routine police work. This is not to say that there is not transferable skills, because there is, however very few career police officers understand the basic principles of physical security. Former military personnel remain an effective alternative, especially those with an antiterrorism and force protection background, but often times lack advanced degrees or corporate experience. Knowledge is key here! CSOs must have an advanced understanding of how the electric grid works, including the essential equipment needed to move power and what generators and substations are absolutely critical to the business. Expertise only comes after spending time in the utility sector and understanding risk assessments and how to harden targets using deter, detect, and delay strategies to mitigate an attack. The modern CSO understands the regulatory environment in which we live. Utilities may be faced with a multitude of regulations including the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA), Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), and the NERC CIP Standards which all require physical security expertise. Whether we like it or not, security regulation is here to stay and the CSO will be on the front lines of keeping a company compliant and without financial penalties. Pixabay While tactical boots on the ground knowledge is necessary, the modern CSO must think macro, not micro. He or she must balance security needs with the organizations strategic business plan, identify risk factors, and determine solutions to both. The CSO acts as the organizations representative with respect to inquiries from customers, partners, and the general public regarding the organizations security strategy. The biggest mistake that CSOs make is when they become complacent and think theyve solved the problem they are facing. In this business, youve never solved the problem. Instead, great CSOs are always scanning the horizon: They consider what mistakes they may be making and learn from the mistakes that others in their position make. So, the modern CSO must be a crisis manager, adept at handling the type of attack that spills onto the front pages while solving the problem, projecting calm, and keeping the public informed. Easy task, right? An estimated nine out of 10 homeowners are wasting money on their energy bills because their homes, particularly older houses, are under-insulated, according to Energy Star. And one of the major sources of escaping energy is often one of the most overlooked: the attic. Identifying the depth of the insulation in your attic is the first step to addressing your energy usage. Homes in the Chattanooga region should have about 14-16 inches of attic insulation in order to efficiently maintain a desired level of air quality. In addition to the depth of your insulation, you or a professional contractor should also inspect some attic features that notoriously allow air to seep in or out. Electrical boxes Temporarily clear away any of the attic insulation surrounding the electrical box and apply the insulation foam per the manufacturers instructions around the boxs perimeter. Let the foam cure and dry for at least 30 minutes before replacing the surrounding attic insulation. Plumbing pipes Temporarily clear away the attic insulation from the base of the pipe. If you notice a sizeable gap between the floor and the pipe, insert a small piece of fiberglass insulation into the gap before applying the insulation foam around the base of the pipe. Let the foam cure and dry for at least 30 minutes before replacing the surrounding attic insulation. Recessed lights An insulator cap should be used to enclose the lights housing. You might need to make small cuts to the rim of the insulator cap so that it lays flat and allows room for the protruding metal supports. Apply sufficient insulator foam around the perimeter of the cap and let it cure and dry for at least 30 minutes before replacing the surrounding attic insulation. Pinpointing and addressing these potentially problematic areas, as well as the overall insulation depth in your attic can make a noticeable impact on your homes energy efficiency and environmental impact. Investing in these solutions will not only begin to make your home feel more comfortable, but you can also begin to see a return on that investment within your utility bills. As you tackle these projects, be sure to take all safety precautions, including the use of protective eyewear, gloves and appropriate clothing. For information on how to find a professional contractor who can address your home maintenance needs, contact Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga at info@HBAGC.net or visit www.HBAGC.net. Not every television show has a huge marketing budget, but that doesn't mean it isn't as good as its competitors. When it comes to what's popular on Netflix, it's not just the shows you know. Some of these programs that you've probably never heard score major points with viewers, including "The Last Kingdom." Akin to "Game of Thrones," this show follows an outcast who is out to claim the throne - and his birthright. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT On the one hand, the battle among four Democrats to represent Bridgeport in the state Senate is what democracy is all about: keeping politicians from getting too comfortable in their jobs. Two incumbents one a veteran, the other a freshman find themselves waging Aug. 9 primary fights against the two candidates party officials nominated at their spring convention. Dennis Bradley, one of the latter nominees, said his opponent, warhorse Sen. Edwin Gomes, has no concrete plans. You want to be there (in the Senate) to be there, Bradley said. Thats not good enough for me, and shouldnt be good enough for Bridgeport. On the other hand, the battles between Bradley and Gomes, and Thomas McCarthy and Sen. Marilyn Moore could be viewed as what is wrong with Bridgeport politics. Gomes and Moore are not as cozy with local Democratic poobahs, so, the theory goes, those kingmakers want them replaced. When youre not one of the old boys and connected, this is what happens, Moore said. Ed and I are both very independent thinkers who work to do what the community and the people elected us to do. Moore, 67, and Gomes, 80, shook up local politics in recent years. In 2014, Moore, in an upset, unseated incumbent Sen. Anthony Musto to represent the 22nd District, which covers parts of Bridgeport, Trumbull and Monroe. Gomes lost his 23rd District seat in a 2012 party primary. He won it back last year in a special election as a Democrat running on the Working Families Party line. It was a historic comeback Gomes was the first Working Families candidate nationwide elected to a state legislature solely on that partys ballot line. Known in the community Bradley and McCarthy have more in common besides having won their respective nominations. The two are already prominent public figures who run, respectively, the local Board of Education and the City Council. McCarthy, 42, is the political veteran. He is in his 15th year on Bridgeports legislative body and has been re-elected five times to be its president. A number of leaders from all parts of the district came to me, sought me out, individually, and asked me to run, McCarthy said. I spent a while considering it and talking to a number of people and came to the conclusion I could make a significant impact up in Hartford. Though he did not say so, there have also been some changes in McCarthys life. He is no longer as close to the person occupying the mayors office, since Joe Ganim ousted incumbent and McCarthy-ally Bill Finch in last years Democratic primary. And early February, McCarthy exited his job in the citys labor relations department. McCarthy declined to criticize Moore for this story. He said he preferred to talk about his record of bringing people together on the council and in the community. If elected to the Legislature, McCarthy said, his top two priorities would be increasing the states investment in education and reducing property taxes. Every year, Bridgeport, Trumbull and Monroe have to put together budgets from a system that doesnt work, McCarthy said. We have to focus on diversifying how we get our revenues in the state. Moore shares the same priorities. She noted that her district includes the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, one of the neighborhoods where taxes are again on the rise. People want us to find other revenue streams that will not burden working class people, she said. Musto has joined McCarthy on the campaign trail. I just know him to be someone whos got a great deal of experience at the municipal level, Musto said. Hes been a leader. Hes been a good ally and a good friend and I think hell do a great job as senator. State Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, of New Haven, who has been campaigning with Moore and Gomes, said, There certainly was no good, objective reason for Ed or Marilyn to face a primary. Theyve done everything you would ask a senator to do. And Trumbull Republican First Selectman Tim Herbst recently questioned Democrats decision to nominate McCarthy, who is white, over the black Moore. Her election symbolized every constituency that the Connecticut Democratic Party claims they support and protect, Herbst said in a statement. Experience vs. new energy Bradley, 32, is an attorney elected last November to the Board of Education for a four-year term. I have an aggressive, ambitious mentality, Bradley said. I cannot stand by as a person thats passionate about Bridgeport and see government thats lackluster. Gomes, puzzled by Bradleys sudden rise, said, Theyre backing a guy who three years ago nobody heard of. Now hes the best thing since sliced bread. Besides being rebuffed at the convention, Gomes had to go to court this summer to get on the primary ballot. Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis, ruling in July to allow Gomes candidacy, claimed some Democratic power brokers had placed roadblocks to prevent him from challenging Bradley in a primary. Gomes said his 10 years total in the state Senate he was first elected in 2005 have earned him seniority that benefits Bridgeport, as when he pushed through legislation this year that Ganim needed to cut the citys pension payments and help reduce the need for taxes to balance the new budget. Gomes said he wants to keep fighting to bring more jobs to Bridgeport, and to lower taxes. Bradleys top two priorities are economic development and education. He did not rule out finishing his two-year term on the school board if elected to the Senate. Bradley said he hoped, if he wins, to have a greater influence on education funding, considering most of our money comes from the state. Mitch Robles, a Democratic community leader in Bridgeport, said it is time for the ambition and youthful energy Bradley would bring to the Legislature. Bradleys political ambition has not impressed the Working Families Party. Besides being allied with Gomes, that group cross-endorsed Bradley for the school board. Ed has great values, represented his district well and doesnt deserve a challenge, said party head Lindsay Farrell. We feel at this point a run for Senate (by Bradley) is premature. The winner of the 22nd District primary will face Republican nominee Elaine Hammers, of Trumbull. The last Democrat standing after the 23rd District primary goes up against Bridgeport GOP Chairman Mike Garrett. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The search is continuing this morning for a suspect in the home invasion Thursday that left a Bridgewater resident recovering from a gunshot wound and stunned the normally placid, rural town. The focus of the investigation has turned to two stolen cars, one of which was recovered in Waterbury and the other in New York state, said Trooper First Class Kelly Grant, the state police spokeswoman. State police say the suspect is described as a light-skinned white or Hispanic male. No further description was given. State Police tactical units arrived in Bridgewater before dawn on Thursday after receiving a 911 call from a woman in the South Main Street home, reporting that her husband had been shot by an intruder. The house sits on Route 133 near the Lake Lillinonah bridge a heavily wooded area dotted with historic homes, rolling meadows and bright red barns from the towns agricultural roots along the Housatonic River. Its very seldom that anything like this happens in Bridgewater, said John Mash, a volunteer with the local fire department. Its such a quiet town. Thank God it didnt happen during the Bridgewater County Fair. The fair, a popular annual event located just a few miles from the site of the home invasion, is scheduled to start Aug. 19 and typically attracts thousands of families and visitors from the region to this rural and affluent town, which has a population of fewer than 1,800. Authorities said witnesses heard shots fired near the home before a car sped off around 3:30 a.m. One man who was in the home at the time was shot in the shoulder and was taken to Danbury Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. While police thought at least one suspect was armed and hiding in the woods surrounding the home, nobody was discovered after an exhaustive search that stretched well into the afternoon. A shotgun was discovered near the residence, police said. The incident began when a car police think may have been stolen from New York state was observed by a New Milford police officer driving at a high rate of speed along Route 7. The driver refused to stop for officers, who followed for a time, but then terminated the pursuit. Local police confirmed the car, a Subaru Forester, was found at the Bridgewater residence where the home invasion occurred. Another vehicle was reported stolen from a driveway in the Bridgewater neighborhood around the time of the shooting was found hours later in the north end of of Waterbury, an area known for its high crime rate. Bridgewater town officials said the car fleeing from police officers in New Milford approached a construction roadblock on South Main Street and pulled into the nearest driveway, the victims, attempting to switch vehicles. Authorities said a state police cruiser likely was stationed at the roadblock for traffic duty and might have spooked the driver. The road has been closed since early last month for utility work. At least we have some peace of mind knowing it was not a target, but bad luck that the escape route came through our town, Selectman Alan Brown said. According to local property records, the home on Main Street South is owned by Victor Compe, a former Stamford paramedic, and Samantha Moore, a retired police officer. Compe and Moore had been active lately when the town the last dry town in Connecticut was considering ending its ban on alcohol sales three years ago. The couple said at the time they they had seen the fatal results of drinking and driving too many times. The town voted to overturn the ban. People dont realize what their tolerances are and when theyve crossed that line, Compe told The News-Times in November, 2013. My wife and I have seen the serious ramifications of drinking. Theres no reason to take any steps to promote them happening here. No suspects had been taken into custody by late Thursday. dperrefort@newstimes.com Here is the weekly road construction report for Hamilton County: U.S. 27 (I-124) widening from I-24/U.S. 27 interchange to north of the Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River, including widening the Olgiati Bridge: Work on this project continues. The speed limit on U.S. 27 in the construction zone has been lowered to 45 MPH. The contractor may have temporary lane closures on U.S. 27 between 7 p.m.-6 a.m. On Thursday from 7 p.m.-6 a.m., temporary left lane closures will be in place on U.S.27 North and South from the beginning of the project to the end of the project for mowing the median and repairing the glare screen. As the project progresses, there may be short term temporary lane closures for the safety of the traveling public on city streets within the project area. Flaggers will assist with these closures and they will be properly signed in accordance with the Federal Highway Administrations Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. During Phase 1 of the U.S. 27 project, the contractor will be working on the northbound side of U.S. 27 on the bridges. Work will consist of demolishing and reconstructing the outside sections of the bridges along U.S. 27 North. Also on U.S. 27 South, they will be constructing a large retaining wall between the Olgiati Bridge and 6th Street. At least one lane will remain open in each direction on U.S. 27. THP will assist with traffic control on the project as necessary. Estimated project completion date is July 2019. For more info, visit the project website http://www.tn.gov/tdot/topic/US27-reconstruction-chattanooga. [Dement Construction Co., LLC/JM/CNP230] SR 317 (Apison Pike) the grading, drainage and paving on from Old Lee Highway (LM 5.58) to SR-321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Road) (LM 7.84): Work on this project continues. During this report period the contractor may have intermittent lane closures from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed. Estimated project completion date is May 2017. [Wright Brothers Const. Co. /Pruett/CNN279] SR-320 (East Brainerd Road) grading, drainage, installation of signals, construction of seven retaining walls and paving from east of Graysville Road to east of Bel-Air Road: Work on this project continues. During this report period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures between 9 a.m.-2 p.m. This work may affect either direction of East Brainerd Road or side streets from Graysville Road to Hamlett Drive as the contractor installs road crossings and borings. The contractor may have short-term lane closures to perform various operations on an as-needed basis. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed. Estimated project completion is June 2017. [Mountain State Contractors, LLC /Pruett/CNN383] Shepherd Road over SR-153 construction of a rolled steel girder bridge from West Shepherd Road to Shaw Avenue in Chattanooga, including grading, drainage and paving: Work on this project continues. The bridge has returned to two lanes of traffic. Traffic has now been shifted onto the south side of the new bridge. During the project, there may be intermittent nighttime lane closures as necessary in both directions on SR-153 between 8 p.m.-6 a.m. THP will assist with traffic control as necessary on the project. On weekdays during this report period, the contractor will be doing asphalt paving on the Airport Connector Road west of the Shepherd Road Bridge and at the ramp intersections. The work will take place during daytime hours and traffic will be maintained through the work zone with flaggers and lane shifts. This paving will allow the contractor to shift traffic onto the concrete ramp pavement in the coming weeks so that they can construct phase 2 of the ramps. Please anticipate short delays and use extra caution though the work zone. Estimated project completion is October. [Jones Brothers Contractors, Inc./Micka/CNP105] BRIDGEPORT The average wait time at a state Department of Motor Vehicles office, including locally in Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk, is an hour. Thats down, according to the DMV, from the two-and-a-half hours infuriated customers had to deal with at the height of last years computer problems. Angola thanks Cuba for its support and cooperation Submitted by: Juana Africa Havana Politics and Government 08 / 03 / 2016 Manuel de Boavida Neto, governor of the Angolan province of Bie, thanked Cuba for the internationalist support and cooperation it maintains with his country in various sectors. Cuba is present in the construction and reconstruction of the new Angola. We count on its support in the economic, political and social areas, said De Boavida Neto on the occasion of celebrations for the 63rd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes garrisons, describing the meeting as "a sincere way to pay tribute to the struggle of our peoples. We're a single people, a single nation, he told Prensa Latina news agency. The Secretary General of the Angola-Cuba Friendship Association, Fernando Jaime, thanked the Cuban people for their support for the independence of Angola and the government of the province of Bie for hosting the meeting to mark the historic date, established in Cuba as the Day of National Rebelliousness. The governor of Huambo, General Kundi Paihama, thanked Cuba for its participation in "our struggle for national liberation; history will never forget that, he stressed. For the better part of the last decade, Georgia Northwestern Technical College has been going through a process to add a sixth campus in Catoosa County. The process will be complete as GNTCs Catoosa County Campus will open its doors for class for the first time on Aug. 15. Three new programs will kick-off on this new campus as GNTC launches Cybersecurity, Logisticsand Mechatronics. These are important new offerings with skilled workers in these fields being in demand in our companies in Northwest Georgia right now, said GNTCs Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ginger Mathis. We have turned this project around in a timely manner to help these students have what they need to become the skilled workforce employers are counting on. It was just 20 months ago when college administrators, along with state and local leaders, broke ground on the site in a December 2014 ceremony. We are anticipating a couple of hundred students for our initial term, said Dr. Mathis. Between the traditional students and the dual-enrolled high school students from the three Catoosa County High Schools, we are looking forward to some great success stories out of this campus. Three of the state-of-the-art programs being offered in the pilot year of the Catoosa County Campus are Cybersecurity, Logistics and Mechatronics. We want to train our students in these programs that are already in demand right here in Northwest Georgia, said Dr. Mathis. These three represent the center of the current line-up of programs that will help our students earn careers locally or across the nation. The Catoosa County School System is so supportive. They are excited, said Dr. Mathis. Weve been having meetings with them for almost a year now. Weve been working together to try to explain how all this will work between the college and the high schools. However, if a student isnt sure where they will attend college yet, GNTCs newest site will also be offering more than two dozen courses that will transfer to four-year universities, as well. Beyond the new three programs at the Catoosa County Campus, Business Management, Computer Support, Early Childhood Care and Education, Healthcare and Industrial Systems will be among the offerings available in Ringgold. Several of them will be available to dual-enrollment students who will attend the new 60,000-square foot facility during their traditional school day. A grant awarded to the Catoosa County School System will be paying to transport students enrolled in collegiate courses with GNTC from their respective high schools and on to the GNTC campus in Catoosa County. Our college instructors are looking forward to teaching the traditional collegiate students, as well as high-school students who feel up to the task, said GNTC Interim Catoosa County Campus Manager Leigh Ann Pettigrew. Theyll also be teaching some of the courses at the high school campuses, as well. In addition to some of GNTCs academic programs, the campus will house a college bookstore, laboratories, library and the offices of GNTCs Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Administrative Services. During the week before classes kick-off, students eligible for the PELL award will also have a time frame in which they can charge the cost of their books and supplies at the GNTC Bookstore against their pending PELL award they may receive during the term. The Catoosa County Campus is at 6450 Alabama Hwy. in Ringgold. For more information on Georgia Northwestern Technical Colleges Catoosa County Campus, contact their main office at 706.965-1120. For information online, visit the college at GNTC.edu, as well as on their Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, WordPress, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube channels. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an equal opportunity institute. Don A. Foley A Chicago Wine Writer's Quest To Understand Sherry By John Lenart in Food on Aug 4, 2016 3:48PM Sherry with tapas. Photo via Shutterstock. All the cool kids are into it at the moment, but sherry is something many wine lovers, particularly in the U.S., have a hard time wrapping their brains around. Many people have misguided, preconceived notions that sherry is that sickeningly sweet, syrupy thing grandma used to drink twice a year. (Or every night, if granny liked to party!) Or maybe you're like me, and you approached sherry with an open mind, and were poured a nice fino sherry. You wanted to like it because everyone said you'd love it. But that oxidized first sip and somewhat thin mid-palate texture just didn't wow. But to just sip a sherry takes it out of context. And that's really the problem that sherry faces. You need to understand the context of sherry perhaps more than any other wine in order to truly appreciate it. And until recently, I never got it. Sherry was just never my jam. I can recall numerous occasions sitting at the bar at Vera in Chicago, tasting different sherries, always looking for what I jokingly called my "gateway sherry." You know, that one that would help me get it. While I was close on a number of occasions, the fortified wine that so many love just eluded me. As I thought about it more, I determined that what really makes wine special is that connection to the people and place that the wine comes from. And when it came to sherry that was just something I was never able to connect with. Sherry is such a complex subject because it's so different than any other wine and there are so many styles. I asked Liz Mendez, owner or Vera Wine Bar and arguably Chicago's leading authority on sherry, to walk me through it. Mendez recommends that, rather than starting with the ideas of the different aging processes or production methods of sherry, you first make a simple comparison to other wines as a starting point. Sherry aging. Photo Credit John Lenart To help understand style, look at it like this: Fino and Manzanilla are like Champagne or an aperitif, light and refreshing," Mendez said. "Amontillado is like white wine, a bit more body. Oloroso, like red wine; Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez are sweet like a dessert-style wine. Well, that doesn't sound so complicated. We won't dig too deeply into sherry production (as there are plenty of excellent books by some brilliant authors on this topic) but here are the basics: Most sherry is made from the same grape variety, palomino, which thrives in the bright white, nitrogen and calcium chloride rich albariza soil of Jerez. By law, 40 percent of the grapes making up a sherry must come from albariza soil. 95 percent of all sherry is made from palomino. One of the least acidic grapes in the world, palomino loves to produce a lot of big grapes in gigantic bunches. Calcium chloride rich albariza soil of Jerez. Photo Credit John Lenart The other grapes used in sherry production are moscatel, which makes a sweet wine for blending and Pedro Ximenez, often referred to as PX, which is typically used to make sweet sherry. After sherry is vinified, it's lightly fortified with brandy. It is then aged in a complex system called "solera," which involves stacks of large black barrels. The barrels are black so it is easy to spot any leaks. As the wine ages, some of it is removed from each barrel and bottled. The remainder is moved to a lower barrel in the stack for further aging. This means you can never really get a "vintage" sherry. In fact, by law sherry cannot be given a vintage date. Each type of sherry has its own solera within the Bodega (The Spanish term for winery). Like most fortified wines, sherry can last for some time once opened: With Fino and Manzanilla, about three days. Amontillado, Oloroso, Moscatel & Pedro Ximenez have a longer shelf life, about two to three weeks, but we rarely are able to test this at Vera, as our Sherry rarely lasts that long, said Mendez. On a recent trip to Spain it all became clearer for me. (Full disclosure: this was a press trip hosted by Gonzales Byass, a producer of sherry, among other wines.) One evening on a tapas crawl I learned that the Spanish culture is neither a drinking culture nor an eating culture. It is an eating and drinking culture; never one without the other. And the beauty of the tapas crawl is that it's a little bite, a little drink, a little walk. A little bite, a little drink, a little walk. Lather, rinse repeat. We entered our first tapas bar and ordered a Tio Pepe fino sherry and Brocheta de gambas, skewered prawns. I pulled a prawn from the skewer with my teeth and sipped the sherry, and oh my lord, I found it. I got it! Context! The brininess of the prawns married effortlessly with the citrus notes and nuttiness of the dry fino. Neither the food nor the drink took the lead but they intermingled in beautiful, delicious harmony. I finally got it! I think all along my problem with sherry had been that I failed to understand the importance of food in the equation. To truly enjoy sherry you must be drinking and eating, not simply drinking. So the next time you're in a place with a wide sherry selection, ask which sherries might pair with the dishes you order. If done right, perhaps you too will be able to put this mystifying drink in context. After years of searching, after dozens and dozens of tries, it's funny how one simple bite of food and one sip of fino, along with the understanding of the eating and drinking combination culture of Spain, made it all happen. Post Script: Theres one more story about touring Gonzalez Byass that's so cute I just had to share it: While touring the bodega, the Spanish term for winery, I spotted a small glass of sherry right in the middle of the floor with a tiny ladder leading from the ground up to the rim of the glass. I asked what that was for. Turns out that one day the guys working in the bodega saw a mouse sipping a small puddle of sherry that had spilled onto the floor. They were so taken by the good taste of the mouse that it became tradition to leave a glass out with a little ladder for the mouse to have his daily sherry. Could Dick Durbin Save Us From A 2nd Term For Governor Rauner? By aaroncynic in News on Aug 4, 2016 6:48PM Sen. Dick Durbin. Credit: John V. Santore, Medill News Service Even though the 2016 election cycle only officially began last week, despite an absurdly 15+ month lead up to it, some Illinoisans are already speculating on the 2018 gubernatorial race. An Illinois Observer poll this week found that in a hypothetical election between current Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, the Senator leads the governor by 9 points, at 43.7 percent. While it seems like a long way off, the speculation isnt surprising, as Rauner hasnt exactly had the best first term in office. Despite his attempts to lay all of the blame for the state budget impasse - the effects of which are still being felt by many despite the stopgap budget - on his archnemesis Michael Madigan and other Democratic legislators, Rauners approval rating has been less than stellar. A May poll found that Rauner is the 6th most disliked governor in the country, and at the end of that month an Illinois Insider poll put Rauners approval rating at 33 percent. Durbin has been cagey about a potential gubernatorial run. While hes previously said he wouldnt rule it out, he told NBC5s Ward Room during the Democratic National Convention that he wasnt really focused on the idea. The election for governor of Illinois is about 30 months away, said Durbin. I say to those who are focusing on that, theyve lost sight of the most important election that is going to be just a few months from now. While many in the state arent exactly thrilled with Rauner, given that just as many are unhappy with Speaker Madigan and other Democratic legislators, any challenger would need to have decent name recognition, along with the ability to raise an unholy amount of money. Durbin at least seems to have the name for it. Last week 48.8 percent of people surveyed in a We Ask America poll said theyd most likely vote for him over other potential Democratic nominees, which included Kwame Roul, Robin Kelly, and former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Whoever ends up challenging Rauner for a stay in the Executive Mansion in Springfield though, will need to be able to rake in millions of dollars. Rauners last quarterly report filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections showed he has more than $15,000,000 in his war chest, a figure that will likely grow over the coming years. Section of GAP closed during bridge work "The last time the bridges were re-decked was in 1995. They have become almost unsafe to be used," said Lindsay Baer. Boo! What are the scariest spots in Lake County? The old courthouse. A tea room in Mount Dora. Lake County has several places that are thought to be haunted. Man Stabbed In The South Loop During Fight On The Red Line By Gwendolyn Purdom in News on Aug 4, 2016 2:38PM N_C_G A 36-year-old man is in critical condition after being stabbed on a Red Line train in the South Loop Wednesday night, Chicago Police told Chicagoist. The stabbing happened at around 10 p.m. at the Roosevelt CTA station while the man was arguing with another man who pulled a knife. Police described both men as homeless and say that the suspect hasn't been caught. The injured man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He suffered wounds to his left arm and his chest. The investigation is ongoing, police said. This is the second stabbing to take place on the Red Line in recent months. In June, a 25-year-old woman was fatally stabbed on a train near the line's 47th Street station. In July, a 21-year-old woman was also stabbed on the Adams and Wabash CTA platform in the Loop. [h/t: Tribune] Police Alert Warns Of Nighttime Armed Robberies In Wicker Park By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 4, 2016 2:45PM Crime scene tape (Photo by LukaTDB via Shutterstock) Police are warning Wicker Park residents of a series of armed robberies that occurred last week, according to a new police alert. Three robberies happened last week just off the neighborhood's main drags. According to police, in each incident couples were approached on the sidewalk by armed men and robbed. The first incident was reported on Sunday, July 24, at 9:45 p.m., in the 2000 block of West Pierce Avenue; and two on Saturday July, 30, the first at 10:45 p.m. in the 1900 block of West Evergreen Avenue and a second at 11:05 p.m., in the 1700 block of North Honore Street. All three stickups occurred less than a half-mile from the main intersection of North Damen Avenue and North Milwaukee Avenue. According to police, the offenders have brandished a handgun, forced their targets to lie down on the ground and then stolen wallets and cell phones. Police describe the suspects as black men, 18 to 20 years old, between 5' 6" and 5' 10" tall, and between 120 and 140 pounds. They were seen wearing black hooded sweatshirts, according to police. Opinion Wordle The next day I woke to find myself in a WhatsApp group titled Quordle is Awesome!! A small group of three. There was no getting out of it now. Without doubt, the issue of uncontrolled immigration was a major factor for many of those who voted for Brexit on June 23. The idea that an independent Britain was unable to determine the numbers of immigrants coming to its shores especially from other EU nations appalled millions of people. But what is the point of getting back control of our own borders if we cant, in fact, control them? Without doubt, the issue of uncontrolled immigration was a major factor for many of those who voted for Brexit on June 23 According to Rob Whiteman, former chief executive of the UK Border Agency, up to one million illegal immigrants may be living in Britain, and many of them will never be deported. It would, I suspect, be fairer to say most rather than many. A million is an awful lot of people, roughly equal to the population of Birmingham, Britains second largest city. They are placing untold pressure on public services, and yet officially they dont exist. Mr Whitemans estimate is unlikely to be an exaggeration. In 2009, the London School of Economics suggested there could be as many as 719,000 migrants working illegally in Britain and the numbers have almost certainly risen significantly since then. The ever-reliable MigrationWatch UK believes the figure is more than 1.1 million. There may well be even more illegal immigrants. The truth is that no one really knows. Occasionally, we get a glimpse of what is going on, though it amounts to no more than a snapshot. Last summer, two illegal immigrants were photographed jumping out of a lorry in the Cotswolds. What minuscule proportion did they represent of those who have hidden undetected in the backs of vehicles? A few days ago, former Great Britain judo champion Robert Stilwell and his friend Mark Stribling were each jailed for more than four years for trying to smuggle 18 Albanians across the Channel. Had these illegal migrants not been rescued by lifeboats a mile and a half off the English shore after their inflatable ran out of fuel and took on water, they would have almost certainly drowned. Only Stilwell and Stribling had lifejackets. According to Rob Whiteman, former chief executive of the UK Border Agency, up to one million illegal immigrants may be living in Britain, and many of them will never be deported Again, it is impossible to know how many thousands of people have been successfully spirited into Britain by sea without being caught. One reason we have no idea is that the Border Force has only three operational boats patrolling 7,000 miles of coastline. From time to time, the Home Office swoops on workplaces to round up illegal immigrants. Last week, 35 of them (they came from Albania, Brazil, Nepal and Egypt) were arrested in early-morning raids on Byron restaurants across London. Ive no doubt these people represent a tiny fraction of those working illegally in thousands of restaurants, or as cleaners in countless offices, or as pickers of fruit and vegetables on hundreds of farms. That such people are often cruelly exploited and, at the very least, paid less than the minimum wage can scarcely be doubted. They have no means of redress because, officially, they dont exist. Sometimes, what we glimpse is extremely disturbing. Last week, council officers in North London discovered 31 migrants (how many of them were illegal is unclear) crammed into a four-bedroom house licensed for only seven people. Two rogue landlords were charging each of them 65 a week, which equates to some 100,000 a year. All these cases are tips of various icebergs. There is a silent army of illegal immigrants enduring Third World conditions and being abused by unscrupulous landlords and employers. The Government knows they exist, but does little to uncover far less deport them. It seems to do even less to prevent new ones coming to work in the UK. This is my question: what confidence can we have that once Britain has left the EU (perhaps rather naively, I am assuming one day we will) there will be proper border controls to prevent the number of illegal immigrants climbing to two or three million? I cant see much reason for having any confidence at all. On Tuesday, the Commons Home Affairs Committee rightly poured scorn on the three boats deployed by the Border Force (we have a fourth which is currently cruising in the Mediterranean) to keep an eye on Britains coast. The committee pointed out that Italy, whose coastline is 3,000 miles shorter than Britains, has 600 vessels to protect it from smugglers and illegal immigrants, though knowing Italy a little, I wouldnt be surprised if a large number of them werent tied up in port. The Border Force has been promised four more boats next year. In the meantime, Royal Navy chiefs are understood to be prepared to loan two of their patrol boats that are working on fishery protection. It all sounds like a sort of naval version of Dads Army. If it is lucky, the Border Force may have seven or eight boats at its disposal with which to guard 7,000 miles of coast. Are we being taken for a ride? But, of course, its not only the coast which needs watching much more thoroughly. An unknown number of immigrants are coming into the country in the backs of lorries, and the Border Force lacks the means or the will to search more than a small proportion of them. An unknown number of immigrants are coming into the country in the backs of lorries, and the Border Force lacks the means or the will to search more than a small proportion of them. Other immigrants enter Britain legally for example, as holidaymakers or students and then illegally stay on. Once they disappear, it is very difficult to keep track of them. Moreover, we cant overlook the fact that while the number of people entering the UK rose by at least ten per cent between 2010 and 2015, the Border Forces budget was cut by a similar proportion. This hardly seems sensible. The Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the Home Affairs Committee, is seldom shy of making a party political point. Nonetheless, it is difficult not to agree with his statement that the Home Office appears to have lost its grip on the situation regarding illegal immigrants. And it is also impossible not to observe that the Home Secretary who has presided over this unsatisfactory state of affairs for the past six years is the same woman who now stands, brimming with resolution, as our new Prime Minister. Lets be generous and imagine that Theresa May was unable to obtain new patrol boats and other effective resources because she was starved of investment by George Osborne, who was wildly in favour of as much immigration as possible because he believed it benefited the economy. Even so, it cant be denied that legal immigration remained high on her watch, and its a fair bet than the illegal variety continued apace. It will be necessary to summon much more willpower, and almost certainly substantially more resources, if any headway in reducing numbers is to be made now. I only hope that Theresa May understands that her failures over immigration as Home Secretary will pale into insignificance if they are repeated now that she is our Prime Minister Here, one may justifiably ask whether the new Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, is equal to the task. Unlike Mrs May, she has never given much indication that she is unduly worried about high levels of immigration, whether legal or not. What a flawed exercise Brexit would turn out to be if immigration from the European Union were curbed, while illegal immigration continued at its present high levels. The Prime Ministers decision to review the 18 billion Hinkley Point nuclear power project has won a cheer from everyone not in line to make money from it. When the holidays are over, there are two good reasons why Theresa May should go further and cancel the scheme. The first is that its electricity will be fantastically expensive. The Prime Ministers decision to review the 18 billion Hinkley Point nuclear power project (pictured, artist impression) has won a cheer from everyone not in line to make money from it The second, which we shall consider here, is that it was a critical error of judgement for the Cameron government to invite the Peoples Republic of China to fund a huge national infrastructure project. Allowing the Chinese access to Hinkley Point, and beyond it to other British nuclear plants, would give a hostage to fortune. The record shows that the Chinese cant be trusted with sensitive industrial data. Fair dealing has no place in their system. A decade ago, Robert Zoellick, then World Bank president, said the Wests future relations with China required the country to become a responsible stakeholder in the international order. This it has not yet done. Until it happens, we cannot do big business with Beijing. The last government, and especially the then-Chancellor George Osborne, cherished naive ambitions to create a historic new trading relationship with the dragon. Prime Minister David Cameron (right) drinks a pint with Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) near Chequers The new Downing Street, and especially Mrs Mays joint chief of staff Nick Timothy, take a much beadier view. He recognises, and publicly warned about last year, the threat to Western interests posed by granting the Chinese access to our secrets and infrastructure. Hostility A nation that engages in global industrial espionage, employing an estimated 1.5 million geeks to penetrate other peoples computers while denying its own people online access is not a comfortable business associate. There seems a reasonable prospect of avoiding a major military conflict in our own or our childrens lifetimes with the worlds two most dangerous states, China and Russia. But new forms of war, notably keyboard-driven ones, seem inescapable. We need to be much more wakeful than we are today about the inherent hostility of these two big, clumsy regimes to our values and interests. We underestimate at our peril the ruthlessness with which they pursue their objectives. That is not to say the two countries dance to the same tune. Russia is fundamentally weak. President Vladimir Putins adventurism abroad is driven by economic failure at home. He can keep the keys to the Kremlin only by sustaining a belief in the minds of his people that they are victims of Western enemies who are bent on depriving Russia of its rightful respect, prosperity and dominions. When the holidays are over, there are two good reasons why Theresa May should go further and cancel the scheme In addition to military action in Ukraine and Syria, Putin has launched an ambitious global programme of disinformation, spearheaded by the TV channel Russia Today. He makes all the mischief he can, by such means as hacking and leaking Hillary Clintons emails. China comes from a different direction. It is a rising power with an economy that will probably soon overtake that of the U.S. Already, Chinas long arm has stretched to Africa and South America, where it is effectively colonising huge areas by buying up the supplies of raw materials such as oil, copper and iron ore which it needs to feed its endless consumption of energy and its vast building programme. David Cameron and George Osborne hoped to cash in on a slice of the potentially huge trade market available in China, which is why last October the British government staged an unprecedentedly chummy state visit for President Xi Jinping, at which the Queen herself was obliged almost to kowtow. (You may recall that she was accidentally recorded by television cameras in May observing that Chinese officials were very rude to the British ambassador during the visit.) The objective was to forge a new bilateral trading relationship, heedless of the unease of the U.S. Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, leaders of countries that engage in global industrial espionage Chinese involvement in the design of the Hinkley Point reactor is part of a wider plan, whereby by 2025 the Chinese could hold a 105 billion stake in British infrastructure. Yet for this to make sense, we need to believe that China can be a benign, honourable, honest industrial partner. None of those adjectives seems appropriate now, or in the near future. President Xi has shown himself to be the most autocratic Chinese leader since the death of the genocidal tyrant Mao Zedong in the Seventies. The price of industrial co-operation with Beijing is British silence about Chinas systemic human rights abuses, of which the highest rate of state executions in the world is only the most conspicuous example. It was a critical error of judgement for the Cameron government to invite the Peoples Republic of China to fund a huge national infrastructure project, writes Max Hastings Autocratic We should be equally worried about the Second Bureau of the Third Department of the Peoples Liberation Army otherwise known as Unit 61398, which is engaged in the theft of intellectual property across the world. President Obamas national security adviser Susan Rice said last autumn that Chinese industrial espionage is not a mild irritation, its an economic and national security concern to the United States. Chinese hacking of personal and corporate information, she said, undermines our long-term economic co-operation, and it needs to stop. But Chinese assertiveness is not restricted to the cybersphere. Only last month, China contemptuously dismissed the verdict of an international tribunal, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which ruled that its operations to create new islands and claim new territorial waters in the South China Sea are unjustified and illegal. The last government, and especially the then-Chancellor George Osborne, cherished naive ambitions to create a historic new trading relationship with China You may say Britain can shrug its shoulders about the South China Sea. But we can scarcely ignore the evidence that Beijing scorns international law, personal freedom and property rights. David Cameron and George Osborne seemed to believe that Britain, by treating the Chinese nicely, might persuade them to behave better, at least to us. This seemed naively mistaken last year, and is mistaken now. So, likewise, was British willingness to allow the Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei to bid for contracts in this country, when the United States wont allow the firm anywhere near its domestic systems. The UKs intelligence and security committee expressed dismay that the government was so eager to promote Chinese trade and investment that it seemed willing to ignore the obvious risks of admitting the Chinese to our telecoms networks. For Huawei like the China Nuclear Power Corporation (CNPC) is no independent entity. Both are arms of the communist state. The CNPCs website acknowledges its commitment to the building of national defence, alongside its economic and industrial objectives. Its not necessary to be an old-fashioned Cold Warrior to consider it folly for Britain to treat China as a friend while it promotes values and pursues objectives utterly at odds with those of this country and its allies. David Cameron (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they drink a pint of peer at a pub in Princess Risborough George Osborne may have been flattered to be received in China as an honoured guest. But then so, too, is the absurd British Marxist Martin Jacques, whose book entitled When China Rules The World is apparently popular in Beijing ruling circles since it predicts a time when this behemoth state will be the most powerful on the planet. The Chinese are irked by the debate in Western capitals about how best they can be persuaded to moderate and modify their policies to fit in with the international order. Repressive President Xi and his comrades expect the international order to fit in with Beijings template. The West is more likely, eventually, to achieve a tolerable co-existence with China than with Russia, because for all its problems China is becoming an economic success story, while Russia seems doomed to ongoing economic failure, with the bitterness this breeds. For now, however, we need to sup with both nations using a long spoon. There may be a time, when Beijing has showed itself worthy of trust, when we should cut deals for Chinese investment in our infrastructure. But that time has not come yet. The involvement in Hinkley Point of one of the most repressive and secretive regimes in the world poses unacceptable risks. Britain will have to pay a stiff forfeit for abandoning the project, but it seems right for the Prime Minister to make that decision. When I first moved to the East Coast 20 years ago, I resolved to swim in the North Sea every single month. It wasnt easy. November may have been on the chilly side, but December was bitter and January was freezing. And then things went from bad to worse: February was icy, March not far short of torture and in April I couldnt even manage to whimper Its lovely once youre in! because my jaws had stopped working. Who was I trying to impress? I suppose I imagined a woman glimpsing the shivering figure emerging from the waves would be saying to herself: What a heroic figure! Now thats what I call a real man! When I first moved to the East Coast 20 years ago, I resolved to swim in the North Sea every single month (File photo) But, of course, she would be thinking nothing of the sort. What a silly twerp! Now thats what I call a real idiot! would be closer to the truth. As the years rolled by, my swimming season grew shorter and shorter. First, I trimmed the first four months off the year, then the last three. And still it continues to contract. This year, Im ashamed to say, I looked out at the grey, angry sea in May and decided to put it off for a week or two. Somehow, June came and went, and I still hadnt taken the plunge. Then came the sunny spell in July and suddenly a dip in the deep blue sea became the most enticing prospect known to Man. So I dug out my swimming trunks and found myself a towel. But what was this? Looking out of my bedroom window, I noticed that though there were lots of holidaymakers sunning themselves on the beach, not one of them was actually swimming. Suddenly, I felt my old bullishness welling up. How spineless, to be so close to the sea and not to take a dip! I thought, scornfully. With that, I strode out, determined to set a good example. I had been in the sea for less than a minute before it happened. After a single stroke, I felt something squidgy knock against my outstretched hand. And then, a few strokes later, something else. And what was that brushing against my elbow? At this point I looked around me and saw I was surrounded by little jellyfish, each one the size of a miniature whoopee cushion. As the years rolled by, my swimming season grew shorter and shorter. First, I trimmed the first four months off the year, then the last three. And still it continues to contract (File photo) Anyone who has seen the film Zulu will know how I felt. I was surrounded by troops of jellyfish, silently advancing. Or were they advancing? One of the many funny things about jellyfish is that they seem content just to float around, with no particular plan in mind. They lack ambition. It always used to be said jellyfish simply drift about aimlessly, pushed hither and thither by the current, the marine equivalent of hippies. But these days, jellyfish experts are coming round to the idea that they actually have some sense of get-up-and-go, and occasionally try to swim against the current. As a swimmer, my research indicates these flubbery interlopers make a beeline for us human beings, particularly when they think we are beginning to enjoy ourselves. This means that the more you try to swim away from them, the more they gather around you, taunting you with the possibility of a sting. Jellyfish! Jellyfish! I yelped at a fellow swimmer, echoing those panicky holidaymakers from Jaws. Dont worry. They only sting very slightly no worse than nettles! he replied. But no one in their right mind goes into a bed of nettles for fun, so I speedily rushed to shore, my entire body tingling with imaginary stings. What is the point of these little jellyfish? A handbook tells me they have roamed the seas for at least 500 million years, possibly 700 million. You would have thought that in all that time they would have found something better to do. My handbook also tells me, incidentally, that a group of jellyfish is called a bloom, which suggests they at least employ a good PR. Where do they come from, and where do they go to? What do they want out of life? Once they have frightened all the humans away, do they shimmy onto the beach and make themselves at home? Do they dry themselves with little jellyfish towels, then lie back and relax on little jellyfish sun loungers? These are questions only the experts can answer, but at the moment they are too busy sending out danger signals. Experts at the Marine Conservation Society are warning that the rise in the number of jellyfish around the British coast can no longer be ignored. Elsewhere, there have been rumours of a summer invasion of giant killer jellyfish, some of them, according to one newspaper, with deadly 160ft stinging tentacles, as long as five London buses. Im only glad Enid Blyton is no longer around to witness this panic. In her day, the worst that could happen at the seaside was that you might cough at an inopportune moment and find yourself kidnapped by a band of smugglers. Mysterious Light Filmed Over St. Louis Arch Has People Shouting 'UFO' By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 4, 2016 7:37PM The Midwestern oddities just keep rolling in. On Wednesday we told you about a mysterious clown lurking around Green Bay, Wisconsin overpasses. And now today comes news of another enigma from a neighbor state: a series of unexplained lights hovering near the St. Louis Gateway Arch at around 2:20 am on Tuesday morning. Security-camera footage from Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park, in East St. Louis, Illinois, shows a light hovering near the top of the frame. It intermittently fades in and out, then appears to travel west. Then it lingers near the Arch for a stretch before fading out. Finally, it appears back on the left side of the frame. Then, end of video. Amazing, right? At least one other video exists. It was shared with St. Louis local new channel Fox 2 by Chase Rhodes, an independent cleaning consultant, who shot footage while on break, outside the Casino Queen riverboat between 2:30 and 3 a.m. According to Fox 2, both the National Park Service and nearby Scott Air Force Base had no reports of strange airborne activity. The most likely explanation is a drone, though Facebook users are arguing for everything from Chinese Sky Lanterns to something called ball lightningand, of course, UFOs. (I want to believe.) Watch the video below and don't trip yourself on the way to the comments section to make fun of St. Louis. It's really a lovely place. Cancer, heart surgery, self-harm and childbirth - all of them leave an imprint on the body which never leaves. But as these women are keen to prove, scars can and should be worn as a badge of honour rather than something to hide. In a new campaign led by Bio Oil, three British reveal their war wounds for the world to see and encourage others to do the same. Scroll down for video Megan Dallat, 23, pictured recently, explains how self harming gave her a sense of relief before she finally beat the habit Megan Dallat (L), 23, from Belfast in Northern Ireland, is an art and photography student and bares marks on her thighs from self-harming when she was a teenager (R) A survey conducted by Bio Oil found that body image is often shattered by scarring with only a third of women describing themselves as happy with their appearance and just under half stating that their scar has affected their body confidence. Psychological impact is further aggravated by societal pressures; with many feeling that they are being judged by others because of their scars. Here, three women who feature in the Scars Uncovered campaign's video - viewed more than 200,000 times on YouTube - talk to FEMAIL about their struggles and gradual recovery. Megan Dallat, 23, from Belfast in Northern Ireland, is an art and photography student who bares marks on her thighs from self-harming when she was a teenager. She adds, 'I didnt wear a bikini for two or three years after I stopped self-harming and I have only really come to terms with my scars in the last year' She said: 'During my teen years I felt very anxious and depressed. It was down to a combination of fears around school and just feeling very pressured by life in general. 'I got relief from repetitive cutting on my thighs and while I did eventually stop, the scars remained. 'At first I felt great shame but as I got a little older and developed my art work and got into style blogging, I realised that these scars were part of my story and my development as a woman coming to terms with life around me. Megan, pictured, insists, 'Now I happily show off my legs and celebrate my body and my more positive outlook' She adds: 'I didnt wear a bikini for two or three years after I stopped self-harming and I have only really come to terms with my scars in the last year. 'For ages I never went swimming and always wore long shorts or dark tights to keep my scars out of view but that has changed now and I happily show off my legs and celebrate my body and my more positive outlook.' Jo Brookes, a 33-year-old psychology graduate from Middlesex, has a 20-inch scar from the top of her neck to her waist from major spinal surgery, after being diagnosed with scoliosis at 11 years old. Jo Brookes (L), a 33-year-old psychology graduate from Middlesex, has a 20-inch scar on her back from major spinal surgery (R), after being diagnosed with scoliosis at 11-years-old SCAR CARE TIPS Dr Justine Hextall, FRCP Consultant Dermatologist, advises: 'The ideal care process would start at the beginning at the time of healing. 'I always tell my patients after I have operated that the wound will take a further 28 days to be at full strength. 'Stretching the skin in this period can leave an unsightly stretched scar that dips in the centre. 'Some areas of the body scar much worse than others, such as the front of the chest, where a raised scar is more likely. Faces often scar the best. Good skin care, hydration, massage and avoiding sun exposure all help to improve outcomes. 'Once a scar is formed, keeping it hydrated is very important and I usually advise massage for at least six months.' Advertisement She has undergone eight surgeries for this in total, as well as a major heart procedure last August. Jo - who was born with two holes in her heart - says: 'All my life I have had to deal with living with pretty graphic, huge scarring. 'I had a tough time at school due to the scoliosis with girls being cruel. I would hide in the showers after PE as I felt so ugly and didnt want anyone to see this awful, huge disfigurement on my back.' She adds: 'It dented my confidence with boys too and it took a lot to build up enough courage to go on any dates as I got older. 'Now, I have a lovely boyfriend, Chris, and he has really helped me feel comfortable with my body and doesnt give a hoot about the now fading mark on my back. 'Im now proud of my scars and embrace my back scar especially by wearing what I want. It is my mark of courage. Jo (pictured) has undergone eight surgeries for this in total, as well as a major heart procedure last August Jo was also born with two holes in her heart, and says, 'All my life I have had to deal with living with pretty graphic, huge scarring' She adds: 'Now, I have a lovely boyfriend, Chris (pictured), and he has really helped me feel comfortable with my body and doesnt give a hoot about the now fading mark on my back Laura Todd, a 32-year-old mother from North Yorkshire, has an eight-inch abdominal scar from cancer surgery after being diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumours at the age of 22. 'The prognosis was so frightening as there is no cure,' she recounts. 'Just a long road of cancer treatments and drugs some of which I have had to fight so hard for as they are so expensive. Laura Todd (L), a 32-year-old mother from North Yorkshire, has an abdominal scar from cancer surgery (R) after being diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours at the age of 22 'I got my scar from having the tumour removed in 2006. 'I had hoped they would be able to cut me along my bikini line but it wasn't possible and I was cut from my belly button to my pubic bone. 'My feelings toward my scar are mixed as much as I intend to embrace my scar I am faced daily with a tummy that can feel so unattractive to me at times.' Laura, pictured with her daughter, says, 'My feelings toward my scar are mixed as much as I intend to embrace my scar I am faced daily with a tummy that can feel so unattractive to me' She adds, 'My husband [left] is always telling me I'm beautiful and my scar is not ugly - and its important to share this so that my daughter [right] doesnt develop fears around her body' Laura, pictured on her wedding day, is is now slowly learning to come to terms with her scar She adds: 'Until now Ive always tried to hide it, never risking wearing a top that might show my stomach or things that cling because it's left my stomach bumpy where my muscles were sewn funny. I would never really go swimming with my daughter always covering up as much as possible 'And I would never really go swimming with my daughter always covering up as much as possible. Laura is now learning to come to terms with her scar. 'My husband is always telling me I'm beautiful and my scar is not ugly,' she says. 'I want to share it because I have a daughter and its important that she doesnt develop fears around her body.' Find out more about the body positive Scars Uncovered campaign from Bio Oil at its Facebook page. He first infuriated the internet with a panda hidden among snowmen The artist behind some of the most tricky puzzles on the web is back with an underwater-themed brainteaser. Hungarian cartoonist Gergely Dudas is challenging the internet to find a fish hiding among the octopuses. The fish is cleverly disguised alongside octopuses of a similar hue to it. Scroll down for reveal The artist being some of the most tricky puzzles on the web is back with an underwater themed graphic, above If you look closely you will see the fish hiding halfway the up the image to the left hand side. Dudas first drove the internet mad trying to find a panda among a group of snowmen, then he challenged people to pick out a cat blended into rows of owls. He created an Easter-themed puzzle that involves an egg cleverly disguised alongside a group of bunnies. If you look closely you will see the fish hiding halfway the up the image to the left hand side Hungarian cartoonist Gergely Dudas is challenging fans to find the Easter egg hidden in this group of bunnies (answer revealed below) As it typical with his drawings the cartoonist, who goes by the name of Dudolf, has thrown in a few red herrings to keep those trying to solve the puzzle distracted. One of the rabbits wears a top hat, two others hold a tin of paint while a fourth munches on a carrot, drawing the eye away from the real prize - the elusive egg. The peach-colored egg is actually located towards the left hand edge of the drawing, two rows up from the bottom, hiding behind a white rabbit's head. Since being posted on hid Facebook page on Friday morning the image has attracted almost 4,000 likes and has been shared more than 2,000 times Dudas, or Dudolf as he is known when drawing, spawned the Where's waldo-style internet puzzle craze back in December last year when he asked fans to find the panda hidden in these snowmen Jan Josleyn wrote: 'I am always very good at these but ... I sure can't say that NOW. this one almost got the best of me!' Meanwhile Peggy Prawdzik praised the artist, saying: 'Dudolf - You're the smile this world needs. Thanks for your posts!' However, others were not so impressed. Calvin Sie wrote: 'Ah I noticed the egg, but I wasn't sure whether it was the egg or just a bunny with a round belly-fur.' The image of the panda was shared hundreds of thousands of times as it captivated internet users who eventually found him here Capitalizing on his new-found fame, Dudolf quickly followed up with this image of wide-eyed owls, this time challenging people to find the cat concealed among them Cherie Chione Miller added: 'If that's the egg above the white bunny's head, that is a poor excuse of an egg!' Dudolf first found fame in December last year with his drawing of a crowd of snowmen with a panda hiding in their midst that was shared hundreds of thousands of times. The Where's Waldo-style cartoon was quickly followed up by another featuring cats and owls, before several imitators added their contributions. Reddit user Oneste stuck with the panda theme, but this time drew the fuzzy creature hiding among a group of Stormtroopers to mark the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The key to tracking the elusive feline down proved to be the difference between the owls' beaks and the cat's Y-shaped mouth (pictured) The popularity of Dudolf's illustrations quickly spawned imitators, including illustrator Michael Rogalski who tasked people with finding the Oscar among these C3POs Reddit user Oneste also got in on the act by hiding another panda in among this group of Stormtroopers There amongst Imperial troops including Stormtroopers, Speeder Biker riders and Snowtroopers, is a single panda with the same black and white colouring as the other figures. The images showed a few Stormtroopers and Rebel Alliance fighters while the one panda hides in the crowd. Then, in February this year to mark Oscar season, illustrator Michael Rogalski hid a golden statuette among a group of C3PO droids from the Star Wars films and drove the internet mad looking for it. The statuette's different facial expression turned out to be the key to finding him in this drawing People have been known to do some hilarious - and often frankly bizarre - things to earn a little money. From being a personal footrest to their sister to getting injected with saltwater by a medical researcher, aspiring entrepreneurs revealed the craziest things they have done for an extra buck. A viral post on Bored Panda revealed the lengths cash-strapped folk will go to - including earning a staggering $1,500 (1,125) in three hours by walking around a gay bar in their underwear. Scroll down for video A woman shared the story of her opportunistic brother who let someone stab their hand with a fork for $20 (15) Potentially topping the list of bizarre things people have done for money, one impoverished individual said they let a researcher inject them with saltwater Showing that siblings can be a source of income, one boy said they acted as a personal footrest for their sister Another showed off a more philanthropic side to their money raising ventures, as they revealed that they cycled hundreds of miles to raise money for AIDS research A woman shared the story of her opportunistic brother, writing: 'In fifth grade my brother took $20 to let a kid stab him in the hand with a fork.' She added admiringly: 'The kid's going places.' Proving that siblings can be a source of income, one man added: 'My sister used to pay me 10 cents a minute to be her personal foot rest as she watched TV.' Another showed off a more philanthropic side to their money raising ventures, as they revealed that they cycled hundreds of miles to raise money for AIDS research. They wrote: 'Biked 500 miles across Wisconsin to raise money for AIDS research and victims. I thought I broke my vajayjay.' One disgruntled cash-strapped user admitted: 'Signed up for a site that pays you to read articles, visit pages and download stuff. 'I ended up earning $5 and giving my computer so much virus I had to buy a new one.' Another user's tale took a slightly raunchier tone, as they revealed they earned $1,500 (1,125) after three hours from walking around a gay bar in their underwear One user revealed they earned just $5 after signing up to a site that paid them to read articles and download things One user even decided to strip for a room full of strangers at a birthday party for $200 (150) - after two women approached them at a karaoke bar in Sydney One 'starving' student admitted: 'I used to steal text books in university and sell them to my classmates to help pay my tuition' Another user's tale took a slightly raunchier tone, as they revealed they earned $1,500 (1,125) after three hours. They boasted that they earned the sum after walking around a gay bar in their underwear to promote a drag show. The man said: 'Walking around a gay bar (I'm straight) in my underwear promoting a drag show later that night. 'I'd let them buy me drinks and put money in my underwear as they cupped/stroked my d***. I was 18... 'Went home with $1,500 after just 3 hours. I was so excited I didn't even care. Touch my d*** all you want, fellas.' Another Internet surfer revealed they told a 'fifty plus guy' a bedtime story, 'tucked him in' and sang him lullabies - all over webcam - for 150. Featuring high on the list of money earned in ratio to weird request, one impoverished individual claimed they earned $430 (320) for sharing pictures of their feet Let's not forget the optimistic guy who paid his friend $100 (75) simply to study in his room - as he believed the studying 'would rub off on him' One user even decided to strip for a room full of strangers at a birthday party for 150 - after two women approached them at a karaoke bar in Sydney. They confessed: 'Two 30-something women told me they needed a stripper for their friend's birthday and they'd give me $200. 'So I walk into this brightly-lit karaoke room with 15-20 women sitting around. I got naked, sang Radio GaGa to a wall of camera flashes, made a speech and got the f*** out of there.' One aspiring entrepreneur revealed they managed to sell store-bought brownies at a music festival for 15 each - because they were so extortionately priced that revellers assumed they had marijuana in them. One person, potentially in the jaws of an existential crisis, questioned that working nine hours a day for their entire life could be seen as the craziest thing they had done for money Another Internet surfer revealed they told a 'fifty plus guy' a bedtime story, 'tucked him in' and sang him lullabies - all over webcam - for $200 (150) 'Sold a lot of store-bought brownies at Ultra Music Festival for $20 a pop,' they wrote. 'I never said they had weed in them, people just assumed they did. 'Who else would sell brownies for $20 each at a place where everyone's on drugs. This a******, that's who.' In a similar vein, one 'starving' student admitted: 'I used to steal text books in university and sell them to my classmates to help pay my tuition. 'I felt it was a victim-less crime, as the price of text books is absurd. 'In hindsight, as a 34-year-old I feel bad. But as a starving 18-year-old, I did not.' One aspiring entrepreneur revealed they managed to sell store-bought brownies at a music festival for $20 (15) each - because they were so extortionately priced that revellers assumed they had marijuana in them Keeping it simple and to the point, one individual commented wryly that going to college was the craziest thing they had done for money Taking the tasks done for money to outlandish lengths, one individual licked a bus pole to get a pizza coupon Featuring high on the list of money earned in ratio to weird request, one impoverished individual claimed they earned $430 for sharing pictures of their feet, painting their toenails different colours and putting different colours on. But if you thought that was bizarre, let's not forget the optimistic guy who paid his friend 75 simply to study in his room - as he believed the studying 'would rub off on him'. There were also some more reflective, even philosophical posts among the money-making tips. One person, potentially in the jaws of an existential crisis, questioned that working nine hours a day for their entire life could be seen as the craziest thing they had done for money. For the last 20 years, on the first Friday in August many people do away with their business suits and don jeans to work to raise money for research into genetic conditions, cancer, and birth defects. In Australia, that money goes to the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI), which researches congential conditions like the one that two-year-old Scarlett Sheldon has. The toddler has Russell Silvers Syndrome (RSS), and untreatable growth disorder that causes the right side of her body to be larger than her left side. Adorable: Scarlett Sheldon (above) has a rare congenital condition called Russell Silvers Syndrome Rare: The condition causes half the little girl's body to grow bigger than the other half, and means she is much smaller than other children Her mother, Naomi, told Daily Mail that they first were made aware that something was wrong when Scarlett was only one month old. 'We had some plaster moulds done as a keepsake when she was one month old,' Ms Sheldon explained. 'The nurse called and said Scarlett's feet were two different sizes.' The family quickly saw a paediatrician, who measured the newborn and found her whole right side was larger. 'The doctor threw out these big words, and said that she could have a number of things,' Ms Sheldon said. 'We had blood tests, and five months later we found out that she had Russell Silver Syndrome.' Let her eat cake: The two-year-old also has trouble eating, as her stomach is very small. Some children with RSS have to be fed with tubes Different sizes: Scarlet's mother, Naomi, told Daily Mail the family found out something was wrong when they got molds made of her feet when she was one month old As well as the body asymmetry, RSS means that Scarlett is much smaller than other children her age, and has trouble eating because her stomach is much smaller. She'll likely only grow to be 142 cm tall (4'8") in adulthood, and some children with RSS end up needing feeding tubes to get the nutrition they require as well. Despite this, Ms Sheldon says that Scarlett has a big personality and 'knows what she wants when she wants it'. 'She's two going on 16,' she explained. 'One doctor told us that people with Russell Silvers are known as "little big people". They're little in stature but big in heart.' Tragic: RSS is untreatable, but the family hopes to try growth hormones to help Scarlett grow bigger 'Little in stature but big in heart': The little girl has a big personality and is 'two going on 16' Ms Sheldon said There's no treatment for RSS, but the family is looking into growth hormones as a possible way to help Scarlett grow a little bigger. The little girl will have to undergo three months of testing before she can be approved for the hormones, with the hope they might help her grow to 160cm (5'3") as an adult. There's also an option for her to have surgery once she has finished growing to lengthen on of her legs so they are the same height. Growth: Scarlett is only likely to grow to be 142cm (4'8") as an adult, and may need surgery to ensure her legs are the same length Good cause: Ms Sheldon has encouraged everyone to donate to Jeans for Genes day, which supports the Children's Medical Research Institute For the past few weeks though, Ms Sheldon has been focusing on fundraising for Jeans for Genes day. Until she started spreading awareness, no one in Geelong knew what RSS was, not even the GPs. Now, thanks to Facebook and the local community, the mum has orders for 700 cupcakes that she has baked to raise money. 'I would really encourage everyone to support the day,' she said. 'The CMRI do such good work.' It has been a matter of hours since Montana Cox graced the David Jones catwalk for the last time. But already the in-demand model has announced her next venture, having been named the face of Forever New's upcoming spring 2016 campaign. Montana, who shot to stardom on season seven of Australia's Next Top Model, will front the Modern Muse campaign for the fashion retailer in a series of print, online and in-store advertisement. Scroll down for video That was quick! Montana Cox has been announced as the new face of Forever New's upcoming spring 2016 campaign, a day after walking the David Jones catwalk for the last time The announcement came the day after Montana joined a newly blonde Jessica Gomes, Jesinta Campbell and Jason Dundas on the runway for the David Jones Spring/Summer 16 collection launch. There the leggy brunette stunned in a series of designs by Zimmermann, Romance Was Born and Bassike. Montana has worked with David Jones as an official ambassador for three years, but recently announced she was moving on to her next challenge. Runway regular: Montana had been a David Jones ambassador for three years Last hoorah: She walked the catwalk for the retail giant for the last time on Wednesday night in a Ginger and Smart jumpsuit (left) and Romance Was Born (right) Moving on: The 22-year-old was an ambassador for the brand alongside a newly blonde Jessica Gomes (centre) and Jesinta Campbell (second right) In an interview with The Daily Telegraph she said she was 'excited' to see what her future held beyond her collaboration with the retail giant. 'I haven't done it (the international modelling circuit) for a couple of seasons because it has been hard to fit in, but I'll be able to give it my all now,' she said. The upcoming Forever New collection is moving in a modern, new direction for the brand. Carolyn Mackenzie, Forever New Montana's departure was part of a company shake-up, but David Jones' marketing general manager, Michiel Tops insisted there is no bad blood and the Melbourne native would remain part of the David Jones 'family.' The New York based model returned home to Australia to shoot the Forever New campaign, who are 'thrilled' to have the 22-year-old on board. The campaign was shot by renowned fashion and celebrity photographer Simon Lekias, who was named one of Australias Top 10 fashion photographers at the 2010 Capture Magazine Awards. Forever New brand director Carolyn Mackenzie said: 'The upcoming Forever New collection is moving in a modern, new direction for the brand'. They are known for bursting into fits of giggles live on air over double entendres or comedy puns. However, it was the pronunciation of a word that left the This Morning presenters and viewers in hysterics at the way Northern Irish host Eamonn Holmes said the word 'Count'. Rylan Clark can be seen struggling to keep a straight face as Eamonn, 56, attempts to identify Kate Moss's boyfriend Count Nikolai von Bismarck in a photograph - but seems to say a rude swear word instead. This Morning host Eamonn Holmes, above, shocked his fellow hosts when he appeared to call supermodel Kate Moss's new beau the C-word The apparent slip-up happened during a discussion about the 42-year-old model who is holidaying in Greece along with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and Hong Kong tycoon Sir David Tang. Ironically neither one of the men in the photograph was the Count. However, that didn't deter the presenter from attempting to name him. The apparently slip-up happened during a discussion about the 42-year-old model who is holidaying in Greece along with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and Hong Kong tycoon Sir David Tang Eamonn Holmes had co-host Rylan Clark, above, in fits of giggles 'The one on the right to me looks like the count,' he said, pointing at the image. 'He just has that look about him, doesn't he?' Ruth Langsford and Rylan were set off into a fit of giggles by the remark, which - thanks to Eamonn's Irish accent - sounded far more rude than intended. 'He does,' Ruth agreed, 'It's the glasses.' Ironically neither one of the men in the photograph was the Count. However, that didn't deter the presenter from attempting to find him 'No I mean the one without the glasses,' Eamonn correct his wife, who still disagreed. 'Oh I think the glasses,' she rebutted. While Eamonn's co-hosts were amused, some viewers were left outraged. Twitter user Callum Gillies said: 'Did @EamonnHolmes just use the C word on live morning TV In the school holidays?!?!?!?!?.' Emma Keightley, from Nottinghamshire, posted: 'Love how they skirted round the fact that @EamonnHolmes knew EXACTLY what he was doing when he said "count". Naughty boy!' Ruth and Rylan were sent into a fit of giggles by the remark, which - thanks to Eamonn's Irish accent - sounded far more rude than intended KellyReynolds, wrote: 'Had to rewind that back then! I thought @EamonnHolmes dropped the c-bomb!! Eamonn is not unfamiliar with causing controversy on the popular morning show. On Tuesday this week the host was called 'horrid' after making a child genius cry by winning a quiz on his show. The presenter and Ruth, 56, won against two brainy children - and Eamonn was none too gracious - mocking the children for answering incorrectly. On 26 July the star was criticised for picking up his mobile phone live on air. He also chuckled after mistaking married couple Almeda Errell, 71, and Gary Hardwick, 18, from the US - who have a 53 year age-gap - for mother and son. For most pregnant women, being just two days away from their due date would be a time to take it easy and put their legs up. However, one mother-to-be has proved that carrying a heavy load doesn't have to mean sitting on the sofa before baby arrives. Instead, super-fit Ana Marro, from Houston, Texas, proved she has just as much energy as anyone else - by leading an energetic Zumba class. Dressed in a fluorescent yellow T-shirt and leggings, Ana leaves her class gobsmacked as she continues to move her hips and feet with speed and rhythm. Filmed on July 25 at Trotter YMCA in Houston, Ana even pulls off an impressive back bend reaching an almost 90-degree angle. Ana, who already has a daughter, Avery, aged one, said: 'I was due to go into labour two days later, but our new daughter is obviously still not ready to say hello. 'I'll keep on teaching Zumba until I get her out. Ana Marro even pulls off an impressive back bend reaching an almost 90-degree angle Ultra-fit Ana managed to put her pupils to shame producing an energy-filled routine despite her bulging baby bump 'I have been dancing since I was six so my body is used to being physically active all the time. 'It really helps me with continuing to teach so late in my pregnancy. 'I am a lover of dance and fitness and I believe the healthier you are the better chances your baby has to enjoy a healthy life.' Dressed in a yellow T-shirt and leggings, Ana leaves her class gobsmacked in the video Ana has continued to teach six to eight classes a week while pregnant with her second child Ana has continued to teach six to eight classes a week while pregnant with her second daughter, having taught four classes through her first pregnancy. She added: 'The dancing has helped both times with weight management during my pregnancy. 'It also obviously helped me bounce back after the baby. 'It has helped me with pain and weight management. 'Overall it keeps me motivated to stay healthy throughout my pregnancy because as all mothers know it's really easy to get carried away by bad cravings. 'No woman ever wants to gain way too much weight as it is hard to get off. 'I want to serve as an inspiration to others that there is no excuse in the world that can keep you from a healthy lifestyle. Despite being just three years old, Bella Ferguson is quite the professional when it comes to competing in beauty pageants. In fact, the toddler has already taken part in more than 20 competitions, donning designer dresses, make-up, wigs and lashings of fake tan. Her mother Ria, from Bridlington, Yorkshire, insists her daughter is hooked on the contests - which she calls 'harmless'. Mini beauty queen: At just three years old Bella Ferguson has already competed in 20 beauty pageants Ria said: 'Bella loves doing the pageants, she loves dressing up and putting on make-up and she gets to play with her friends.' The mother-of-two brands the competitions 'harmless' and doesn't understand why anyone would be against the events. 'I don't get why people are so against pageants because my eldest daughter dances around a hall with even less clothes on,' Ria confessed. The toddler is used to wearing make-up, wigs and fake tan to take part in the pageants Designer threads: Bella wears elaborate and expensive outfits to compete in the competitions 'At pageants you have to be monitored or stamped to attend - there are no perverts watching.' Ria ensures that Bella is competition thanks to a disciplined grooming regime, that includes fake tanning and mascara and foundation before every pageant. Bella also wears elaborate wigs and designer dresses to compete and stay-at-home mum Ria has not ruled out putting false eyelashes and nails on her little girl in future. Happy family: Bella (centre) pictured with mother Ria (right) sister Kacie and father Ashley 'We were hooked': Bella's mother Ria has revealed how the three-year-old competed in her first competition aged just 19 months old Winner: The tot scooped her first prize as Most Confident' at her first pageant Ria first became hooked on pageants after watching the popular American show Toddlers And Tiaras, which documents mothers and daughters as they chart the competitive world of child beauty pageants. After doing research on Facebook, she stumbled across a local charity pageant in Doncaster in May 2015, when Bella was just 19 months old. She cobbled together two outfits one to show off her beauty and the other to highlight her personality and drove the short distance to the pageant. She recalled: 'We went to the first pageant just to see what it was like and whether Bella would enjoy it.' All dressed up: Bella has a vast wardrobe of different outfits to take part in the competitions All made up: Before each competition Ria says that Bella's make-up is done by a professional - but she leaves the mascara until the end because there are often 'tears' 'She took to it like a fish to water. She loved all the glamour and being up on a stage. She won her age group and was awarded 'Most Confident'. From that day, we were hooked. Now, Bella has competed in 20 pageants and has dozens of sashes, crowns and trophies to her name. She was even awarded a seven foot trophy, after beating sixty other children from age 0-16, which towers over her minuscule frame. And she has been even been sponsored by coveted children's designer Tiffany Rose, who provides her with tailor-made costumes. Hair flare: As well as wearing different wigs to compete Bella also has her hair styled before a big competition Fake tan: Ria admits she fake tans her daughter ahead of a pageant Bella's wardrobe boasts a range of themed outfits, including a belly-baring number inspired by My Little Pony. The tiny tutu is embroidered with crystals and rainbow patterns, while the cute crop top is bedecked with diamantes and soft toys. The look is completed with a unicorn headband that is nearly engulfed by a voluminous hair piece. Big winner: Despite her young age Bella has already racked up a large collection of medals from events Pride: Ria says she's proud of her daughter's achievements Quite the collection: Bella competed in her first competition aged just 19 months and she already has a large collection of medals and trophies Larger than life: One of Bella's trophies is so big it towers over her Big gong: Bella appears slightly pensive as she poses next to the whopping trophy Other outfits include a skimpy fireman's outfit, an adorable one-shouldered Flintstone two piece and a bright orange dress worth 600. Luckily, Miss Ferguson doesn't have to spend a penny on most of her designer dresses. But she spares no expense on making sure Bella is crowned pageant princess, by keeping her make-up and hair pristine. She said: 'The night before a pageant I put a fake tan, a washable one, on her. I don't cake her in it. I do it so she's just got a nice shimmery tan.' Sister act: Bella pictured with her elder sister Kacie Ready for her big moment: A lot of effort goes into getting Bella show ready Inspired: Bella's mother Ria says she became hooked on beauty pageants after watching the US reality show Toddles and Tiaras 'She's got two wigs, a full length one which cost 90 and a half wig for her updo, which cost 55. Then when we get to the pageant her make-up is done by a professional.' 'I used to use tinted moisturiser, but now Bella gets L'Oreal foundation, bronzer, her eyebrows filled in, eye shadow, mascara and lipgloss. 'But I don't do the mascara and lipgloss until the moment before she goes on stage, because she's only three and there are often tears. 'She used to have barely any but now she loves a full glitz make-up. She looks about twenty not three. Confident: It appears that Bella isn't fazed being in front of a camera lens Vast wardrobe: Bella is seen with a number of her different pageant looks 'But the next day she washes it all off and she looks like a normal toddler.' Miss Ferguson has vowed not to stop at foundation and bronzer she even wants to use fake eyelashes and nails on her daughter. And Bella has the sassy attitude to match her over-the-top outfits. While many girls her age are accompanied on stage by their parents, Bella forbade her mum from helping her after her second pageant. Family time: Ria, 31, says she doesn't understand why parents wouldn't want their children in a beauty pageant Now, she struts on stage pouting and waving to the judges, while Miss Ferguson cheers from the sidelines. She said: 'Before she gets up there she's very chatty but once she's on stage she turns into her sassy persona. She swings her hips and pouts and is a total diva. 'I'm so proud of her she's got so many trophies and sashes. 'She loves hanging out with the older girls at the pageants and copying the way they strut on stage. 'We'll keep doing pageants until she's fed up with them but she absolutely adores them.' A Kim Kardashian fan, who has spent over 130,000 on 50 cosmetic procedures over six years, has revealed his new 'natural' look. Appearing on ITV's This Morning filler addict Jordan James Parke, 25, from Birmingham, said he is reigning in on his spending and is no longer wants his lips to look fake. 'Im now going au naturel,' he told hosts Eammon Holmes and Ruth Langsford. Scroll down for video Jordan James Parke, who has spent over 130,000 on over 50 cosmetic procedures over the last six years, has said he will stop spending and has described his new look as 'au naturel' Before: It used to hurt so bad but I used to say, "Pain is beauty just deal with it",' he admitted but has since decided to go for a more 'natural' pout' Jordan, pictured having filler on tongiht's episode of Channel Five's Body Freaks: Old Face, New Face, admitted the change of heart came after his lips started leaking Jordan, who rattled off a list of his previous procedures including two nose jobs, a chin implant, eyebrow tattoos, lip filler, jaw-line filler, non-surgical face lifts, laser hair removal, a full face of Botox and vampire treatments, admitted the change of heart came after his lips started leaking from excessive filler. It used to hurt so bad but I used to say, "Pain is beauty just deal with it",' he admitted but has since decided to go for a more 'natural' pout. But despite his decision to cut back on his habit, the Kim Kardashian super-fan, who appears on Channel Five's Body Freaks: Old Face, New Face tonight, said he has other procedures planned. 'I'm going to have another nose job in October,' he admitted. 'I dont know if I ever will be 100 per cent happy with it.' Filler addict Jordan James Parke, 25, from Birmingham, appeared on ITV's This Morning to discuss his penchant for plastic surgery and cosmetic treatments Despite cutting back on his surgery habit, the Kim Kardashian super-fan, who appears on Channel Five's Body Freaks: Old Face, New Face tonight, has other procedures planned Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford with Jordan James Parke 'This Morning' TV show Talking about how his obsession began, he said: 'It started when I was 19'. 'This was before government cuts - so I had lots of student loans,' he said. He added: 'Since a young age I've been obsessed with celebrity plastic surgery.' But despite his obsession with Kim Kardashian he said he has never tried to look like her. When Eamonn complimented Jordan's perfect complexion Jordan put it down to his vampire facials, another of Kim Kardashian's favourite Kim Kardashian having a vampire facial, which has inspired Jordan to do one too 'People will shout at me in the street, Theres the Kim Kardashian". But if Id be paid to look like her, if that was the case, I'd be getting my money back. Describing his motivation he said: I never hated myself. I never looked in the mirror and thought I hated myself. Its a hobby for me.' When Eamonn complimented his perfect complexion Jordan put it down to his vampire facials, another Kim favourite. Jordan with his mother as a baby. Jordan says his mother supports him fully I always had good skin but the vampire facials definitely helps,' he said. And just like Kim, he said he has a close relationship with his family too. 'I love my mum so much. My mum doesnt always agree that I need procedures. But she loves me and supports me anyway,' he said. Eamonn also asked the cosmetic surgery addict whether he regrets the money he has spent. Don't you think: "I could have had an Aston Martin for that?"' questioned the host. But Jordan quickly retorted: What's the point of an ugly face getting out of an Aston Martin. I'd rather have a good looking face and be getting out of a banger. 'It's quite scary. They need fixing!' Kim Kardashian fan and filler addict Jordan James Parke revealed his massive lips were leaking on Tuesday's episode of Botched Jordan previously revealed his massive lips had started leaking on an episode of US series Botched. At the time he admitted he 'couldn't really move' his face following nearly 50 plastic surgery procedures. Jordan explained on the programme: 'Sometimes filler can leak out of the sides. It's quite scary. They need fixing. I'm worried if they keep leaking I'm going to end up with small lips again, and that wouldn't be me. 'My lips have really changed me as a person and I'd be so normal and boring without them.' Declaring any attention good attention, Parke said he especially enjoyed when strange men would compliment his 'b*** job lips' while shopping. Left: Jordan aged 23 at his lips at their fullest; Right: Jordan before he started with fillers 'They just got bigger and bigger': Aside from lip fillers, the Birmingham-raised make-up artist has tattooed cartoonish eyebrows and he's undergone laser hair removal and Botox injections 'I'd be so normal and boring without them': Declaring any attention good attention, Parke said he especially enjoyed when strange men would compliment his 'b*** job lips' while shopping 'I hope the doctors can really help me just stop them from leaking,' he said on the American show. Botched Dr. Terry Dubrow warned Parke: 'It's all fun and games until your lips fall off and then you've got a major, irreversible problem.' At the time Jordan said: 'Some of us love looking fake, and some people love looking natural. Let the natural people be natural and let the fake people be fake.' In the same episode, the reality star took a tour of Los Angeles, including the Kardashian's Dash store on Melrose. 'If I saw Kim, I would literally be jumping off this bus. I'd probably get arrested before I got to her because they'd be like, "Crazy person!"' laughed Parke, who then demanded to be taken to her hometown Calabasas. Botched Dr. Terry Dubrow (R) warned Parke: 'It's all fun and games until your lips fall off and then you've got a major, irreversible problem' The outrageous personality previously admitted on US series Botched: 'Some of us love looking fake, and some people love looking natural. Let the fake people be fake' A woman who unwittingly passed on the HIV virus to her daughter during childbirth has opened up about her desperate guilt. Zimbabwe-born Mavis, who now lives in the UK, said she was unaware she was HIV positive until her daughter Paeda, was diagnosed with the virus aged nine. But despite her mother's guilt, Paeda, now 18, has a normal life expectancy - and says she feels no negativity about her HIV status. Scroll down for video Mavis, who was born in Zimbabwe, was unaware she was HIV positive until her daughter Paeda, was diagnosed with the virus aged nine and says the guilt is difficult to live with Inspiring: Despite her mother's guilt, Paeda, now 18, has a normal life expectancy - and says she feels no negativity towards her mother or about her HIV status Describing the moment Paeda was first diagnosed, Mavis, who appeared on ITV's The Jeremy Kyle Show, said: 'When she was nine years old she started not being well. 'She went into hospital because of a rash. She was coughing and they tested her for TB but she didnt have. I thought it was best to have Paeda tested for HIV and she was positive. Describing how she felt when she was delivered the news, the mother-of-three, who has two sons from her first marriage, said: I was devastated. I couldnt take it.' Mervis admitted she knew little about the virus and assumed it was terminal. The mother and daughter appeared on ITV's The Jeremy Kyle Show earlier today 'When the doctors told me she was HIV positive, the first thing I thought was: "Let me take my daughter and myself and drive off a cliff". 'I was so scared because the way I knew about HIV, I thought that was the end of my daughter.' After Paeda tested positive, Mavis tested herself. 'The news came back that I was positive and I had passed it on to Paeda when I gave birth.' Despite her initial misconceptions about the virus, Mavis learnt she could live a normal life with HIV. Describing how she felt when she was delivered the news about her daughter, the mother-of-three, who has two sons from her first marriage, said: I was devastated. I couldnt take it' 'I know theres a future now because there is medication out there,' she said. 'But the guilty conscience that I infected my daughter is difficult to live with.' Paeda, however, who also appeared on the show, said she feels no resentment towards her mother. 'Theres no need to be feeling guilty because I've accepted who I am,' the 18-year-old told her mother. 'I dont know what sort of a girl I would be right now if I didn't have HIV. Its made me grow-up in a good way.' In a poignant moment she then said: 'Im happy having it because its helped me be who I am - and it's helped other people understand it.' The teenager, who has in the past been bullied due to her HIV status, described her shock after the diagnosis. 'When I found out, all I knew the negative stuff,' she said, explaining how HIV had been used at her school as a playground taunt. Paeda told her mother: Dont ever feel guilty about it. Its no longer a death sentence' 'Thats the first thing that came to my mind - that I was going to die,' she added. But Paeda said she is no longer resentful or embarrassed of her status. Describing her feelings towards bullies she said: If people are meant to be in your life they are in your life. If they are not, dont chase them.' She then told her mother: You shouldnt be feeling guilty. Dont ever feel guilty about it. Its no longer a death sentence. 'When I go to my check-ups the doctors say that as as long as I am taking my tablets everyday I should have normal life expectancy. The teenager also revealed she is also able to have boyfriends - and has always been upfront about the virus. Praising the inspiring teenager Jeremy Kyle said to Mervis: Your daughter is a shining light She said: Ive never lost friends. I've been in relationship and I've always been honest.' Praising the inspiring teenager Jeremy Kyle said: 'There are people who moan and bitch then theres a girl who contracted HIV through no fault of her own and doesnt have a bad bone in her body. Addressing the stigma of HIV, Kyle said: 'There are people who still recoil in horror and think: "Can I tough this person?" For me, this story is about educating people. 'You should be mightily proud of her,' he said to Mervis. Choking back tears Mervis said: Paeda is stronger than me about HIV. 'She has started fighting the stigma. Im so proud of that. Now she is helping other children from all over the world.' French-Canadian band Simple Plan will return to China with three shows later this month. Supporting its fifth album, Taking One for the Team, which was released in February, the showsone in Beijing and two in Shanghaiare part of the pop-punk group's ongoing Taking One for the Team Tour 2016, which started in Madrid immediately after the album was unveiled. Simple Plan is touring China with hits from its latest album, Taking One for the Team.[Photo / China Daily] "It's always exciting to be in China. Our Chinese fans have been great since the beginning. We're looking forward to being there again and seeing familiar faces, enjoying the awesome food and culture that we already know so well," lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier tells China Daily over email. The band performed on the Chinese mainland in 2012 and the following year. Both shows were successful. "Pure madness," Bouvier says of fan expectations from the upcoming shows. "We love to get the party started and the set list that we have is great for that. We want fans to get involved in the show so we also expect craziness from you guys. We basically feed off you. The crazier you get, the better the show will be." Besides the band's single hits, including Welcome to My Life and Jet Lag, they will perform tracks from their latest album, Taking One for the Team, which range from heavy punk guitars and drums to reggae and alternative. With the new album, the band showed lots of personal growth both as a group and individual members. Simple Plan started in mid-1990s in Montreal, where classmates Bouvier and drummer Chuck Comeau met in high school. In 1999, guitarists Jeff Stinco and Sebastien Lefebvre joined in. It's been almost five years since the band released its last album, Get Your Heart On!, and a lot has happened in the lives of members since then. "I'm motivated by having my little girls watch me play music and come to the shows. I have a studio in the back of my house. They pop in and they're like, 'Hey Daddy! Whatcha doing?'" says Bouvier, adding that he is excited to see that his daughters are interested in what he is doing and doesn't want them to later think their dad "used to be in a band that people liked". "Our drummer Chuck (Comeau) always talks about it. We want our kids to be able to come see us while we're still doing well," he adds. After 17 years as a group, the band members have shared much. "The message is really on point these days. The world is not always a beautiful place, but it's important to always keep going," Lefebvre says, adding that Singing in the Rain is his favorite number from the latest album. Simple Plan made a name with its pop-punk sounds and songs about love and breakup after releasing the debut album No Pads, No Helmets ... Just Balls. "Breakup songs are such an instrumental part of pop or punk. We shouldn't limit ourselves to not write these songs that are such a part of our style just because we're happily in love (now). We just dive back into people that we were in love with in the past," Bouvier says. If you go 8 pm, Aug 28. Huiyuan Space, LeSports Center, 69, Fuxing Road, Haidian district, Beijing. 400-610-3721. 8 pm, Aug 30-31. Mixing Room, Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Shibo Avenue, Shanghai. 400-610-3721. A woman jetting off on a romantic getaway with her partner was left stunned after she ended up tying the knot at 35,000 feet. Nathaly Eiche thought she and her long-term boyfriend Jurgen Bogner were flying from their home in Vienna to Athens for a holiday. However, her sales executive partner had other - far more ambitious - plans in mind. Scroll down for video A couple tied the knot on a plane at 35,000 feet in a surprise mid-flight wedding ceremony As they sat in their seats in the emergency exit row of the Austrian Airlines flight, a choir started to sing Bruno Mars' hit 'Marry You'. Then Jurgen got down on one knee produced an engagement ring as other passengers watched, absolutely gripped. Model Nathaly, who was born in Tallinn, Estonia, immediately said 'yes'. But Jurgen didn't stop there. He produced an elegant wedding dress, supplied by designer boutique Brautmoden Vondru, along with two rings, witnesses and even an official to carry out the ceremony. Jurgen got down on one knee to Nathaly during a flight to Greece A choir in the plane started to sing Bruno Mars' hit 'Marry You' to set the scene That was not the end of the surprise for Nathaly, as Jurgen suddenly showed her a wedding dress the rings, and even witnesses It soon became clear that the couple's holiday to Greece was actually going to be their honeymoon. The bride swapped out of her polka dot blouse into the lace fishtail gown and put her hair into a delicate updo complete with a flower tucked into her bun. Then with a beautiful bouquet of white roses she walked down the aeroplane aisle, while a violinist serenaded the happy couple. An official was also on-board to carry out the ceremony immediately Austrian Airlines were in the know and even provided the pair with a special wedding cake. The moment was shared online by blogger Tatjana Catic who happened to be sitting next to Nathaly and couldn't contain her excitement. She posted a video of their 'I do's' on Instagram that has been seen almost 70,000 times, writing: 'YES!! THIS just happened on my flight from Vienna to Athens - I witnessed a surprise proposal AND wedding on board (I'm so excited, I was sitting right next to the bride and got sooo emotional when her boyfriend surprised her) PS: Congrats to the #charming couple!!' When Jurgen walked his bride down the aeroplane aisle, a violinist set up by Jurgen serenaded the happy couple Luckily for Jurgen, his girlfriend Nathaly said 'Yes' and the ceremony could take place in the aisle of the plane Austrian Airlines were in the know and even provided Jurgen and Nathaly with a wedding cake Nathaly later updated her friends and family about her joy at leaving Vienna as a girlfriend and landing in Athens as a wife. She wrote on Facebook: 'When you're taking off in Vienna and you think you are heading on a short holiday vacay with your bff and it turns out, the next time you touch the ground your whole world has turned around.' Upon landing in Athens, Nathaly was not only looking forward to a holiday but to a real honeymoon as well The special moment was shared online by blogger Tatjana Catic who happened to be sitting next to Nathaly and Snapchatted the whole thing She added another picture on Instagram of the two of them leaving the plane, pulling a suitcase saying 'Just Married', writing: ' When at the end of the day everything has changed but the most important part of your life has grown even closer.' Nathaly admitted in another post that the pair were 'overwhelmed by all your good wishes'. She said: 'This is all too good to be true! Feels like a dream!' She's been keeping a low public profile since giving birth to her son Prince Alexander in April. But on Thursday Princess Sofia of Sweden made her first solo public appearance attending a seminar in Bastad, in the south of the country. The 31-year-old royal showed off a slim shape in a pretty pleated top as she participated in Industry Day together with Project Playground. Back to work: Princess Sofia made her first solo public appearance since she welcomed her son Prince Alexander in April Looking suitably stylish for the occasion Sofia picked the blush and grey top with a geometrical pattern and pleated detailing. She teamed it with a pair of loose fitting black trousers and a mid sized heel. During the day the Princess was seen being ushered around the site. She listened to a talk and also got up on stage to speak to the audience herself. Looking chic: The 31-year-old Royal wore a simple ensemble consisting of a pretty pleated top along with a pair of black trousers Out and about: The appearance is the Princess' first solo public outing since welcoming her first child in April Princess Sofia and husband Prince Carl Philip welcomed their son on April 19 at Danderyds Hospital in Stockholm. A month later the new family posed for a family photograph to celebrate Prince Carl Philip's 37th birthday. The world first caught a glimpse of Prince Alexander when left hospital with his parents Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sophia in April, the day after his birth. Effortlessly beautiful: The Princess looked primped and preened to perfection for the outing Willing help: The royal was flanked by several men and she made her way into the seminar Coping well: The new mum appeared in good spirits Less than a week later, the royal family released their son's first official portrait. Following in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cambridge, who has got behind the camera to take official portraits of her own children in the past, the image of the sleeping Prince was taken by the proud father Prince Carl Philip himself. And in June the couple made their first public appearance since becoming parents together at the Sweden National Day celebrations. Former bikini model Sofia Hellqvist married the Prince last June after a five year courtship. They married in the royal palace's chapel, with the bride wearing a lace wedding dress created by local designer Ida Sjostedt. Camera ready: Sofia cut a glamorous figure at the industry event But thanks to Princess Sofia's reality TV and glamour modelling past, Carl Philip's choice of wife initially proved controversial. The now Duchess of Varmland's first shoot aged 20 saw her posing topless in a pair of camouflage print bikini bottoms and clutching a snake to preserve her modesty. Unsurprisingly, when news of Carl Philip's new relationship emerged in 2010, the Swedish Royal Family were initially put 'on the defensive' as sources revealed at the time. Working hard: Princess Sofia made several public appearances later on in her pregnancy Happy day: Princess Sofia and husband Prince Carl Philip wed last year Since then, however, Sofia has gone out of her way to tone down her image. A mother is fighting to raise 50,000 to take her daughter to the US for treatment in a desperate bid to save her baby daughter's life. Lydia Germon, was given just 24 hours to live when she was born in October - and has faced a daily battle to survive ever since. The seven-month-old from Swansea, Wales, has Dandy-Walker variant - a brain abnormality which has caused her head to swell. And despite undergoing numerous operations - doctors have said 'nothing more can be done'. Lydia Germon, from Swansea, Wales, was given just 24 hours to live when she was born in October - but she has battled to survive every day since. She has Dandy-Walker, which has caused a massive build up of fluid called hydrocephalus in her brain (pictured left with her sister Caitlyn, seven) Lydia defied the odds and surprised doctors when she was born after being diagnosed with the condition during pregnancy. Her mother, Bethan, 28, refused to give up on her and declined an abortion at her 20 week scan. The rare condition has caused a massive build up of fluid called hydrocephalus in her brain. Now her family hope a treatment in the US to drain some of the fluid from her skull, which is not available in the UK, can give her a new chance at life. Mrs Germon said: 'I can't just sit back and watch my child die and you can't put a price on human life. 'At the moment Lydia has a life sentence of only a few months. Even if it proves unsuccessful then I'll have done everything I can. 'We've been to hell and back since last year. It feels like doors have been slammed in our face at every turn. 'This fundraising and people's support all means so much to us as we don't know any other Dandy-Walker patients in Wales because the abortion rate is so high. Numerous operations and shunts have been fitted to try and help but so far nothing has worked. Now her family hope a 50,000 pioneering treatment in the US can give her a new chance at life (mother Bethan, 28, left and father David, 28, right) 'We do get some ignorant comments about our choice but on the whole people have been great. 'Her condition is not degenerative. She shouldn't get worse and so if we can treat her now, she should have a chance of a normal life. 'The NHS in Wales want us to think about palliative care and letting Lydia go but I will never give up while we have options.' She also praised her other daughter, Caitlyn, seven, who she claims has been 'amazing' throughout everything. Renowned neurosurgeon Benjamin Warf is well known in the state of Boston for his work with children suffering from severe hydrocephalus. Lydia's family have contacted renowned neurosurgeon Benjamin Warf, from Boston, an expert in children suffering from severe hydrocephalus The operation could reduce the fluid in Lydia's brain giving it a chance to grow and improve Lydia's quality of life. Mrs Germon said: 'I can't just sit back and watch my child die and you can't put a price on human life' Both Mrs Germon and her husband David, 28, have contacted Dr Warf and believe he can help. The operation could reduce the fluid in Lydia's brain giving it a chance to grow and improve Lydia's quality of life. Lydia had been receiving specialist care at the University of Wales hospital in Cardiff but became acutely unwell and transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool last month. WHAT IS DANDY-WALKER? In most patients with Dandy-Walker, spinal fluid fills in the space where a developed cerebellum should be. That often leads to hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, which leads to a buildup of pressure inside the skull. Estimates vary as to how many Americans have Dandy-Walker, ranging from one in 2,500 live births to one in 35,000 births. In some cases, babies with the syndrome live only a year or two. Others have mild forms of the syndrome they dont even know they have it. Advertisement Rachel Burton, Director of Operations for the Children and Women's clinical board at Cardiff and Vale University Health board said she was unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, but described the condition Lydia has as 'complex'. 'Dandy-Walker variant is a very complex condition and there are many layers of uncertainty in its overall impact on the patient and the treatment they may receive. 'This makes it hard to predict with any certainty what the effects will be in a particular individual and their prognosis. 'This uncertainty can be distressing for any family. 'The Health Board is committed to do all we can to support Lydia and her family during this difficult time.' It's happened to so many, that sinking feeling waking up next to an unfamiliar face after a big night out. But what is more likely to get you there: drink or drugs? According to a new study, alcohol leads to far more regrettable one-night-stands than cannabis does. On the other hand, marijuana makes singletons more selective about their sexual partners. But either way, the research conducted by New York University found that both booze and weed lead to riskier sexual behavior. And both make the experience worse - with alcohol affecting men's erections, and cannabis linked to vaginal dryness. Scroll down for video Alcohol leads to far more regrettable one-night-stands than cannabis does, a new study says The study was conducted by public health professors in a bid to understand how cannabis affects sexual behavior as the drug is legalized in states across the US. 'With marijuana becoming more accepted in the US along with more liberal state-level policies it is important to examine users' sexual experiences and sexual risk behavior associated with use to inform prevention and harm reduction,' lead author Dr Joseph Palamar said. As expected, the study found alcohol is more commonly used as a social lubricant than marijuana. Marijuana, on the other hand, is typically consumed in private, since recreational smoking is illegal in most states of America. In the study, the researchers interviewed 24 adults - 12 males and 12 females, all self-identified as heterosexual and HIV-negative - who drink alcohol and had recently used marijuana before sex. Unsurprisingly the researchers found alcohol makes people feel more attractive, and that this is not a side effect of marijuana. It is also the most likely substance to lead to people going home with partners they wouldn't normally be attracted to when sober. Conversely, adults typically smoke or eat marijuana in intimate settings with people they know. This leads to sexual encounters, but as opposed to drunk sex, these instances are more often between people that would be attracted to one another sober, the NYU report concluded. The differences: As expected, the study found alcohol is more commonly used as a social lubricant than marijuana. Marijuana, on the other hand, is typically consumed in private When smoking marijuana, participants tended to reported increased feelings of anxiety or a sense of wariness in unfamiliar situations that they did not generally seem to experience after using alcohol. Therefore, these drugs appear to have different effects with regard to socialization that may precede a sexual encounter. People more commonly leaned towards people they knew or felt a strong emotional connection with after smoking weed. Conversely, alcohol more typically led to people going home with strangers. Dr Palamar, an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center, continued: 'It wasn't surprising that alcohol use reportedly led to less post-sex satisfaction than marijuana. The medical community is baffled by Zika's impact on babies. While the virus gives adults short term bouts of nausea and fever, it has been linked to devastating birth defects in children. These birth defects - among them shrunken skulls and brain damage - have been the root of fears about the virus as it spreads across the world. But according to new research by Brazil's Ministry of Health, the infection may not carry as a high a risk as previously thought. By now, the country - which has been the epicenter of the latest Zika epidemic - should have seen thousands more babies born with shrunken skulls. Zika alone may not cause birth defects; climate or body types may play a part (file image) However, medical records show all of these cases are restricted to a northern region of the country. It suggests Zika alone may not cause birth defects - and climate or particular body types may play a part. 'We can see there is a kind of cluster in [part of] the northeast region with high prevalence and high severity, of miscarriage and congenital malformation that is really severe,' Fatima Marinho, co-ordinator of epidemiological analysis and information at the ministry, told the Globe and Mail. 'But we didn't find this in other states even the [adjacent] states didn't see the same situation as in the epicentre. We were preparing for an explosion and it didn't come. 'So we started to think that in this central area maybe more than Zika is causing this intensity and severity.' A mother can pass the virus to her unborn baby during pregnancy. There are two ways this can happen, according to a recent study. During the first trimester, it can travel through the placenta by infecting numerous placental cells - something very few viruses can do. THREE ZIKA JABS WORK ON MONKEYS, TESTS SHOW The US is racing to test and approve vaccines to protect against the virus. This week, the National Institute of Health began human trials of a jab. And on Thursday, researchers revealed three different experimental Zika vaccines being developed in the United States have worked well in monkey studies. It paves the way for human trials in the coming months. The news, published in a report in the journal Science, comes as researchers rush to find a way to prevent the mosquito-borne virus. It is currently spreading in 50 countries and territories, mainly in Latin America, the Caribbean and the US state of Florida. 'Three vaccines provided complete protection against Zika virus in nonhuman primates, which is the best animal model prior to starting clinical trials,' said senior author Dan Barouch, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Advertisement This route is the most damaging to the fetus, and is most likely to leave the child with birth defects, including microcephaly. In the second and third trimester, the virus can make its way through the amniotic sac. This route is less likely. The baby would have a much smaller risk of birth defects at this stage than if it were infected in the first trimester. Since the virus can live in the woman's womb lining, there is a chance the baby can become infected when it is born. Even if the baby does become infected, however, it is not clear whether Zika alone can cause a birth defect. The World Health Organization has speculated that Zika combined with strains of dengue fever - another mosquito-borne disease - could increase the risk. The news may calm some fears as pregnant women are warned to avoid Zika-infected areas and to be hyper vigilant about mosquitoes. Nonetheless, the number of babies born with microcephaly in the United States continues to grow. On Thursday, authorities in California revealed two babies have been born with Zika-related microcephaly in recent days. It means 13 babies have now been born with the condition in the United States since the Zika epidemic began last year. Both mothers of the two newborns had contracted the infection while visiting countries where mosquitoes carry the infection. Meanwhile, the US is racing to test and approve vaccines to protect against the virus. This week, the National Institute of Health began human trials of a jab. And on Thursday, researchers revealed three different experimental Zika vaccines being developed in the United States have worked well in monkey studies. It paves the way for human trials in the coming months. The news, published in a report in the journal Science, comes as researchers rush to find a way to prevent the mosquito-borne virus. It is currently spreading in 50 countries and territories, mainly in Latin America, the Caribbean and the US state of Florida. 'Three vaccines provided complete protection against Zika virus in nonhuman primates, which is the best animal model prior to starting clinical trials,' said senior author Dan Barouch, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Mosquitoes in Zika-infected Miami are finally succumbing to insect spray, the CDC has announced. The news will bring relief to health officials after fears the insects had grown a resistance to insecticide. Florida began aerial spraying the one-mile radius of Miami on Wednesday in a bid to control the rapidly-spreading virus. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Finally: Mosquitoes were resisting on-the-ground bug spray in Miami (pictured this week) but the first bout of aerial spray has successfully killed off a significant number of adult insects Fifteen people have been diagnosed with the virus despite not traveling to a Zika-infected region or having sex with a Zika-infected person. Though no mosquitoes have yet tested positive for Zika, health officials have found no other reason for the spread, which happened in a matter of weeks. But this week CDC chief Dr Tom Frieden sparked fears as he ominously speculated that the mosquitoes appeared to be resisting all attempts to wipe them out. On Thursday, there was fresh hope at combating the infection as Florida reported strong results from the first bout of aerial spray. Dr Frieden announced that the spraying has quickly killed adult mosquitoes which pesticides on the ground couldn't reach. Puerto Rico's governor wouldn't authorize use of the spray because of environmental concerns, despite widespread Zika infections there. Dr Frieden says minuscule amounts sprayed at dawn and dusk have no effect on people. Frieden says Miami's infections were limited to a 500-square-foot area in the Wynwood neighborhood. He didn't give details about the nature of that small area. Gov. Rick Scott says a 10-block corner of the district has been cleared of active infections. Outbreak: 15 people have been diagnosed with Zika in this one-mile region of Miami, Florida, despite not traveling to a Zika-infected region or having sex with a Zika-infected person Florida's Department of Health says there's no evidence of mosquitoes transmitting Zika elsewhere in Miami. Though attention remains firmly focused on Florida, the CDC also announced a major development in California: two babies have been born with Zika-related microcephaly. Microcephaly is the most severe birth defect associated with the virus. It stunts the growth of a fetus's head in the womb, meaning the baby is born with a shrunken skull and brain damage. The news means 13 babies have now been born with the condition in the United States since the Zika epidemic began last year. Both mothers of the two newborns had contracted the infection while visiting countries where mosquitoes carry the infection. They have not been identified. 33 MILITARY MEMBERS HAVE CONTRACTED ZIKA Thirty three members of the military have been infected with Zika. That figure includes one pregnant woman. The news was announced by the Pentagon on Wednesday. Officials said they are now closely involved in steps to develop a vaccine. They are also working with federal, state and local authorities to monitor the threat of Zika to the military and their families. 'We have been taking proactive steps for months to help mitigate the threat of Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses in the continental United States and overseas,' a Pentagon statement said. Nearly 200 military bases are in parts of America where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - which can carry Zika - would thrive. Advertisement Reacting to the news, officials warn all pregnant women to be hyper vigilant in mosquito-heavy areas - especially since the infection has now reached the United States. 'This is a sobering reminder for Californians that Zika can cause serious harm to a developing fetus,' said Dr Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health. Mosquitoes do not yet carry the infection in California. Officials believe the only Zika-infected mosquitoes in America are contained within a one-mile radius in Miami, Florida. However, all states - particularly in the south and on the coasts - are at risk. If any of the 1,650 people being treated for Zika get bitten by a mosquito, they will almost certainly pass on the infection to that bug, which can then spread it. The US is racing to test and approve vaccines to protect against the virus. This week, the National Institute of Health began human trials of a jab. And on Thursday, researchers revealed three different experimental Zika vaccines being developed in the United States have worked well in monkey studies. It paves the way for human trials in the coming months. The news, published in a report in the journal Science, comes as researchers rush to find a way to prevent the mosquito-borne virus. It is currently spreading in 50 countries and territories, mainly in Latin America, the Caribbean and the US state of Florida. 'Three vaccines provided complete protection against Zika virus in nonhuman primates, which is the best animal model prior to starting clinical trials,' said senior author Dan Barouch, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Nonetheless, fears over the virus may be calmed by the news that Zika's link to birth defects may not be as strong as once thought. According to new research by Brazil's Ministry of Health, the infection may not carry as a high a risk as previously thought. By now, the country - which has been the epicenter of the latest Zika epidemic - should have seen thousands more babies born with shrunken skulls. However, medical records show all of these cases are restricted to a northern region of the country. BOOK OF THE WEEK ON THE BURNING OF BOOKS by Kenneth Baker (Unicorn Publishing 25) Kenneth Bakers account of books burnt down the ages for political, religious or personal reasons is frighteningly pertinent and apposite. The arrest and suspension of teachers and academics in Turkey, the open contempt for intellectuals shown by Donald Trump, the pervasive philistinism in this country: there is a growing worldwide indifference towards thought and culture, things most people are never comfortable with and never seem to need or want. How better to demonstrate this than by burning books? When someone is burning a book, it is declared here, they are showing utter contempt for all of the thinking that produced its ideas, all of the labour that went into its words and sentences, and all of the trouble that befell the author. Kenneth Bakers account of books burnt down the ages for political, religious or personal reasons is frighteningly pertinent and apposite Dictators grasp the point immediately. Having passed a law for the Protection of the German People, in 1933, the Nazis could not wait to organise bonfires. There was a purge of all non-German elements, so the nation could regain its pride and reinforce its culture. H.G. Wells, Freud, Zola and Proust were among 565 authors banned. In the Reichs university towns and in Fascist Italy and Spain, students were eager to help with the looting and sacking, and they cheered hysterically. Anything vaguely Jewish was reduced to ashes. It should have surprised no one that once they had burned books, they would end up burning people. Stalin caught on to this ruthlessness by arresting and exterminating authors and poets, as has his successor, Putin, who, says Baker, by his control of the press, television and radio, has all but eliminated free expression. In 1966, Chairman Mao set about destroying Chinas culture, burning and suppressing books to eliminate the collective memory of petit-bourgeois ideology, liberalism and individualism. Orwell foresaw everything in Nineteen Eighty-Four, where a government department is dedicated to incinerating records of the past, destroying any documentation that could be deemed old-fashioned, irrelevant or subversive. (Curtains for me, therefore, under such a regime.) In Zimbabwe, an Animal Farm book jacket that made the pig dictator resemble Mugabe, led to the publishers offices being blown up. As Baker - Education Secretary in Mrs Thatchers government explains in his directly and devastatingly written survey, the impetus for arson and intimidation goes back to earliest times, and even this venerable newspaper hasnt been immune. During WWI, when the Daily Mail criticised Kitchener for not supplying our soldiers in France with enough ammunition, people thought the attack on a British general unpatriotic and the paper was publicly burnt on the floor of the London Stock Exchange. Kitchener drowned soon afterwards. ON THE BURNING OF BOOKS by Kenneth Baker In the Middle Ages, the Inquisition was always burning books, along with heretics. Whenever a rebellion broke out, people were quick to hurl manorial rolls and records of rents and feudal dues on to bonfires. In the days of Charles I and the English Civil War, authors critical of those in power would have their ears cut off or their noses split. Puritans banned stage plays, and even suppressed a pamphlet about Morris dancing. Between 1560 and 1642, more than 3,000 plays were performed, but only 500 texts survive. The rest were sorted out and burned. When, earlier in the 16th century, Luthers sermons were burnt in St Pauls Churchyard, among the crowd was Cardinal Wolsey - and perhaps the germ of an idea was sewn that if Luther broke from Rome, so could Henry VIII? Religious bonfires were usually political expedients in disguise. In 1519, Spain started laying waste to Mexico and South America, destroying the entire civilisation of the Aztecs - books, documents, ceremonial artefacts - seen by the ardent Catholics as magic symbols promoting pagan superstition. It would have been more honest to say they simply wanted the Inca gold. The Victorians were also itchy with their matchboxes, mostly fearing sexual impropriety. A novel by J.A. Froude, about a clergyman who lost his faith and had a passionate affair with a married woman, was burnt in Oxford in front of the fellows and undergraduates. Froude was stigmatised and couldnt even get a teaching job in Tasmania. He had to struggle as a freelance author until, 50 years later, Oxford invited him back, aged 74, when his libido had ebbed, to be the Regius Professor of History. Queen Victorias letters to John Brown and to her Indian servant, the Munshi, were destroyed on Edward VIIs orders. The Munshi was told to return to India, even though Victoria had wanted him at her funeral. Lord Byrons memoirs were burnt, page by page, in the grate at his publisher, John Murrays house, in Albemarle Street, denying the world Byrons swashbuckling vitality and his romantic aura. Tennyson and his wife destroyed any record that pre-dated their marriage, when Tennyson was 41, as they wanted no possible description or evidence left of the poets sexual frustration. Dickenss descendants did all they could to obliterate his mistress Ellen Ternan from the archives. Thomas Hardy burnt his notebooks and correspondence, for fear of giving clues about his pre- (or extra-) marital dalliances, with milkmaids and the like. Kiplings widow organised a pyre of her husbands unpublished material. The arrest and suspension of teachers and academics in Turkey, the open contempt for intellectuals shown by Donald Trump, the pervasive philistinism in this country: there is a growing worldwide indifference towards thought and culture C.S. Lewiss brother destroyed all he could find. T.S. Eliot got rid of his love letters to Emily Hale, a mistress. Philip Larkins diaries were incinerated in the boiler room at Hull University. Harold Macmillan burnt his wifes love letters to Lord Boothby. I can see why authors may want to control their posthumous reputations but it cant be right for an entire nation to falsify or suppress the record, as when the British tried to conceal official documents pertaining to torture and abuse in Kenya and Malaya. Was anything more wicked in recent times than Milosevics destruction of the National Library of Sarajevo, in 1992, as part of the ethnic cleansing campaign? The library contained 1.5 million volumes, 155,000 rare texts and 400,078 manuscripts. The water main was cut off to thwart firemen. S heer carelessness can be as bad as vandalism. In 1835, a chambermaid lit the fire with the sole manuscript of Thomas Carlyles History Of The French Revolution. T.E. Lawrence left the manuscript of The Seven Pillars Of Wisdom in the refreshment room at Reading Station. Dylan Thomas kept losing Under Milk Wood in pubs, but luckily it kept being salvaged. The Americans, however, in 2003, did nothing to prevent the looting of the National Library and Archives in Baghdad, a priceless treasure of Ottoman historical documents, including letters from T.E. Lawrence. The losses of libraries in Cairo, during the Arab Spring, are similar philistine fiascos. As Baker asks: for what insane purpose is this heritage being destroyed? The lesson of On The Burning Of Books is that the destruction goes on - plenty of bonfires are reaching Fahrenheit 451, the temperature at which, as Ray Bradbury said, books burst into flame. The Harry Potter volumes, for example, have been ignited by American churches, congregations seeing them as extolling magic and witchcraft. Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses was burnt, in Bradford, in 1989. Subsequently its Italian translator was stabbed, the Japanese translator was fatally stabbed and in Turkey a mob burnt down a hotel where Rushdies interpreter was staying, killing 37. HISTORY VAN GOGH'S EAR by Bernadette Murphy (Chatto & Windus 16.99) Everybody knows that Vincent Van Gogh cut off his own ear. It might be the most famous fact about any artist, neatly confirming the belief that theres a dark price to be paid for the gift of seeing the world in such luminous colour. But what do we really know about the bizarre series of events that took place in the French town of Arles on the night of December 23, 1888? Did the Dutchman hack off his entire ear (surely quite difficult?) or only the lobe, as the sensible historians at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam have been telling us for years? Did he really present the flesh hed removed to a prostitute named Rachel as a gory love token? Everybody knows that Vincent Van Gogh cut off his own ear. But what do we really know about the bizarre series of events that took place in the French town of Arles on the night of December 23, 1888? Was he inspired by the bullfighting tradition in which matadors give the ears of slain bulls to girls in the crowd? Scholars have devoted their lives to unpicking Van Goghs life story, yet the questions remained until a British woman in her 50s with little previous interest in the artist whose work she thought overused on tea towels and fridge magnets found herself irritated by a number of inconsistencies in the popular myth. Bernadette Murphy went on holiday to Provence in 1994 and never came back. Like Van Gogh 100 years earlier, she was seduced by the al fresco culture and the intense sunlight which heightened every colour to the almighty beauty in which the artist immersed himself during his final, most artistically successful years. The more familiar Murphy became with the region, the more she noticed that some details in the accepted version of Van Goghs breakdown were illogical to someone who lived locally. And those small discrepancies made her think: If thats wrong, what else is wrong about the story? Murphys niggles propelled her into a research project that saw her build a meticulous database of the 15,000 people who lived in Arles at the time. She was helped in her extraordinary quest by a new publication of Van Goghs letters, including reports of his hygienic visits to local brothels which were glossed over in earlier editions. VAN GOGH'S EAR by Bernadette Murphy This book has the pace of a detective novel, sending fresh blood pulsing through an old tale as Murphy recreates the heartbreaking drama of Van Goghs loosening grip on reality. He had suffered with his mental health all his life. Many retrospective diagnoses have been offered, including epilepsy, schizophrenia and alcoholism. Murphy tends towards a verdict of bipolar disorder and using solid fact-checking discredits the idea of a bohemian addiction to absinthe. There was no absinthe stocked at Van Goghs favourite bar, and on the few occasions he refers to the drink in his letters from Arles, he is using it to describe the bright greens he has painted. As meticulous and methodical as the finest fictional sleuth, Murphy studied the contemporary police reports to recreate the crime scene in which rust-coloured stains mark the walls of the home Van Gogh shared with fellow painter Paul Gauguin. She believes he cut his ear deliberately and consciously (the razor would have sliced through the gristle like butter) facing the same mirror he used to paint his self-portraits, then headed upstairs to bed, where the police found him motionless in a pool of blood the next morning. Presuming him dead, they promptly arrested Gauguin for his murder. Murphy makes short work of the self-exculpating account given by the egotistical Gauguin in his memoir decades later, showing instead that he abandoned Van Gogh to endure a mental collapse alone and was unlikely to have fled in fear of attack, as he claimed. Murphy trumps the experts when she discovers a sketch by the doctor who treated Van Gogh, showing that he did indeed sever his entire ear. But more significantly, she traces the Rachel to whom he gave it. 52 million The amount paid in 1990 for Van Goughs Portrait of Dr Gachet Advertisement The girl was called Gabrielle. She was not a prostitute, but rather a maid working in the brothel. Gabrielle had serious scarring to her arm after being bitten by a rabid dog as a child, her wounds cauterised by a red-hot iron. Murphy makes the moving case that the hyper-empathetic painter sympathised deeply with this damaged, downtrodden young woman and that, in his derangement, imagined the gift of his own healthy flesh might restore hers. It certainly makes sense in the context of Gauguins claim that Van Gogh had come to believe himself a Christ whose shocking act had echoes of the sacrament: take this, this is my body. Murphys book rescues the real Van Gogh from the lazy cliches of tea towel memorabilia by painting an electric, nuanced portrait of a man who achieved artistic brilliance despite his mental health issues and not because of them. Stormy skies that bring life - and death STRANGE STAR by Emma Carroll (Faber 6.99) STRANGE STAR by Emma Carroll It's 1816 and as a comet tears through the skies, poet Percy Shelley, his young wife Mary and her stepsister meet in Lord Byrons villa at Lake Geneva, Switzerland, to tell scary ghost stories to freeze the blood. Late at night their young servant boy answers the door to a desperate, scarred and almost blind young girl who has travelled from England to give a true account of scientific experiments, kidnap and electrical storms that is more frightening than anything the others can dream up... This darkly atmospheric gothic thriller takes Mary Shelleys Frankenstein as its inspiration and uses the backdrop of the freakish climate conditions caused by the infamous Tambora volcanic eruption to evoke a period when suspicion and folklore clashed with an increasing interest in science to create a superb, disturbing novel. Age 10+ THE OTHER ALICE by Michelle Harrison THE OTHER ALICE by Michelle Harrison (Simon & Schuster) Imagine all the unfinished novels and stories lying in drawers and on desks and the characters within them whose destinies remain unknown. Such is the premise of this intriguing novel in which Alice, a brilliant and driven teenage writer, disappears at the same time as a collection of mysterious, menacing people - and a talking cat - appears near her home. Her younger brother, Midge, discovers her secret book, The Museum Of Unfinished Stories, which holds the clue to where Alice is and he attempts to find her with the help of some of his sisters literary creations - before her fictional villains can beat them to it. This is an exciting, original and gripping adventure, embroidered with riddles and curses, laced with dry wit, and which gallops along at a terrific pace. Age 10+ EDEN SUMMER by Liz Flanagan EDEN SUMMER by Liz Flanagan (David Fickling 10.99) It starts out as a normal day but when isolated, Goth-like Jess gets to school she discovers that her best (and only) friend, beautiful, popular Eden has gone missing. No one knows Eden as well as Jess does, she thinks, so she must trace where Eden might have gone. But to do that, she is forced to re-examine the last summer theyve spent together and, in doing so, to confront deeply buried emotional truths about the different, but shocking, traumas they have both been unable to talk about honestly. Set against a rural Yorkshire backdrop, the ruggedness of the landscape reflects the turbulence of Jesss gradual unpeeling of how grief, fear, secrets and silence can do lasting damage and how friendship, love and trust can start to heal the wounds. Its a strong debut from Flanagan, both authentic and moving in its adolescent confusion. The men of the family guarded the door as journalists, neighbours, and NGO workers gathered to meet the 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter who were dragged out of their car and gang-raped on the Delhi-Kanpur highway near Bulandshahr on July 29. The girls father and uncle were reluctant to allow the press to meet the mother, wary of the questions she would be asked. Reporters were finally allowed inside the room where the woman sat with her face covered, though tears showed through her red dupatta. The 35-year-old woman who was gang-raped along with her daughter said she wants to punish the attackers "with her own hands". Her daughter, 14, is being supported by counsellors but has not yet spoken about the horrific crime. (Picture for representation only.) I dont expect anything from politicians or the government. I worry for the future of my daughter who is not keeping well, said the 35-year-old, when asked about her demands. Grief soon turned into anger when she said she wished to punish the perpetrators with her own hands. The girl, who studies in class IX, barely spoke. Her father said she has not been talking much and barely eats. Two female counsellors from an NGO have been speaking to her, but the teenager hasnt said anything about the incident. Local BSP MLA Amar Pal Sharma visited the family and explained the delay by saying he was on the Amaranth pilgrimage. If Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan thinks this a political conspiracy, then he should begin hatching one from his home, he said, calling Akhilesh Yadavs government Gunda Raj. The woman said politicisation of the incident hurts her, and all she wants is justice. It hurts when you hear insensitive remarks. I dont expect any monetary help or legal aid, but all perpetrators should be brought to justice, she said, her voice trembling. Three suspects have been sent to judicial custody, and the rest are still at large. Sources told India Today TV that the weapon used to stop the car and the guns used to hold the family members are missing. Questions have been raised about the investigation, including the antecedents of the perpetrators, why their phones werent traced, why police did not seek custody of the accused in court to extract information, and whether their DNA samples have been collected. Criminals dont necessarily carry mobiles along while executing a crime," Bulandshahr SSP Anees Ansari said, without explaining if police had examined this. We had the victim identify the arrested trio. What more proof do we need? Amid the chaos, the mother looked blankly in front of her and said: I wish the police would have responded on time; This would have never happened. Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Japan's 2016 defense white paper, calling the annual document hostile to the Chinese military and deceptive to the international community. "The white paper issued on August 2, full of hackneyed expressions, distorts China's justified and reasonable defense work, heightening issues in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," said Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian in a statement. "Filled with hostility to the Chinese military, it stirs up trouble between China and its neighbors, and attempts to deceive the international community, " Wu said. He said the Chinese military has lodged solemn representations with Japan over the white paper. In the 480-page document, some 30 pages are devoted to irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and China's normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas. On the South China Sea issue, Wu said Japan was attempting to cause trouble for its own benefit. "What we want to remind Japan is that freedom of navigation has never been a problem in the South China Sea, while interference by Japan and other non-regional countries jeopardizes peace and stability in the region," Wu said. On the East China Sea issue, Wu said the Diaoyu Islands are part of China. He said Japan has hyped up repeatedly the so-called "abnormally close encounter" of Chinese and Japanese military aircraft, but claimed that the video released by the Chinese Defense Ministry in June 2014 clearly showed who was at fault. As for the accusations in the white paper of increased Chinese military activity near the Diaoyu Islands, Wu said what the Chinese military did was entirely in line with the islands belonging to China. He said Japan's ultimate purpose was large-scale changes to its military policy, increased arms and a revision of its pacifist constitution. He urged Japan to create conditions for improved China-Japan ties through concrete action. Japan released its first white paper on defense in 1970 and has compiled a new version each year since 1976. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, ending months of uncertainty. But how does this key reform Bill impact on consumers? Well, you can expect cheaper goods but costlier services. Dining out, watching movies, and electronic goods are going to get pricier. Also, your phone bill could see higher taxes. Happy PM: Narendra Modi tweeted that 'our MPs must be congratulated for their path-breaking decision' in passing the GST Bill History was created when the Constitution Amendment Bill was passed, paving the way for the GST, the biggest tax reform the country has seen. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 eventually got the overwhelming support of the entire political spectrum, except the AIADMK, as the government managed to reach a consensus after a painstaking process that saw exhaustive consultations. Hailing the passage as historic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that our MPs must be congratulated for their path-breaking decision to give India indirect tax system for the 21st century. He said this reform will promote Make in India, help exports, and boost employment while providing enhanced revenue. The Prime Minister said the government will continue to work with all the parties and states to introduce the new system. The Congress, which had held up the passage of the legislation for the last two years, finally relented and supported the Bill. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said a uniform tax rate will lead to smoother transfer of goods and services across the country The Congress party was never against the idea of GST. The country is now ready to embrace the GST, said former Finance Minister P Chidamabaram, clarifying that the Congress had opposed the 2014 Bill but not the idea of reform. With the government winning over the Congress, the principal opposition party sought insurance from the government that it will bring a finance bill on GST rates and not the money bill. A finance bill needs to be passed by both houses, while the money bill can be steered in the Lok Sabha alone - where the BJP enjoys a brute majority. The opposition has the upper hand in the Rajya Sabha. The smooth passage of the Bill, which saw a rare exchanges of compliments between the opposition and the ruling party, was a personal landmark for finance minister Arun Jaitley, who spearheaded the drive for a consensus. The minister thanked leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad for his cooperation. He also thanked Chidambaram for his friendly speech. The development is a major relief to PM Narendra Modi, as he will be hailed for bringing the crucial tax reform the whole industry was eagerly awaiting. The passage of the Bill was not without its share of drama. The first result of voting showed that all the 197 votes polled went in favour of the legislation. But in the subsequent division of votes, the number crossed 200 and even touched 205, with curious members asking the reason for the jump. Six official amendments that included scrapping the one per cent additional tax, were approved by the entire house. The Constitution Amendment Bill will give powers to the Centre and states to levy taxes. The Centre can impose a central GST (CGST), and the states will be able to levy state GST (SGST). There will be another Integrated GST (IGST). While introducing the Bill, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said a uniform tax rate will lead to smoother transfer of goods and services across the country. Their carcasses cram pick-up vans and trolleys. Many of those alive are as good as dead, limping around in a watery mire with weeping wounds. For cow vigilantes and animal lovers alike, its an appalling case study that has unfolded at Hingonia, Jaipur. An indescribable stench fills the air at Rajasthans biggest cow shelter as the holiest animals starve, abandoned by their caretakers for almost two weeks. As many as 90 cows at the state-run Hingonia shed have perished in the past two days alone, and 200 over the last ten days. As many as 90 cows at the state-run Hingonia shed have perished in the past two days alone, and 200 in ten days, a veterinarian told India Today TV. Two weeks ago, some 225 staff of the shelter went on strike to protest against wage delays. Jaipurs municipal officials had refused to release their salaries, alleging that the company they were outsourced from was blacklisted. Cows bore the brunt of the pestering dispute between the shelter employees and the government in Jaipur. As an India Today TV crew visited the sloppy compound, they found only one animal doctor present. On its staff rolls though, as many as 17 veterinarians are registered. An indescribable stench has filled the air at Rajasthans biggest cow shelter as the animals starve, abandoned by their caretakers for almost two weeks The shelters commissioner, Sher Singh, has gone on leave. Cows were seen living - and dying - in extreme agony. They could barely walk in the muddy slush. For almost a fortnight now, no one has drained the rain water out of their sheds. Though supposedly revered above all other animals, they havent been fed in this shelter watched over by the states BJP government. In 2010, chief minister Vasundhra Raje presided over a public oath to protect cows. In the wake of her community pledge, Rajasthan became Indias first state to create a separate department for cows. Its school curriculum now also offer special lessons on the sacred animal. But cows trembling to death at their Hingonia from hunger and thirst belie the verbal commitments of the state. Twenty cows are dying on an average every day, said veterinarian Arvind Yadav. Those you see still alive will also pass in a day or two. They have been starving in this slosh. What can I do? said Yadav, blaming the administration for their terrible condition. Hingonias shelter housed around 8,000 cows. Workers allege they have not received their wages for five months now. They have been on a fortnight-long strike to demand their salaries. Medical students from African countries will soon get training in Indian hospitals, under an initiative designed to strengthen India-Africa relations. The student medics will be offered fellowships and will get hands-on experience. The drive to engage African countries in areas of health research was planned as part of the India-Africa Summit in 2015. Medical students from African countries will be able to get hands-on experience in Indian hospitals under the scheme (file picture). The programme is a joint effort of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Health, and the department of Science and Technology. It will be inaugurated in September. A meeting was held on Thursday to discuss the increased involvement of African countries in health research. Various ambassadors from more than 35 African countries attended the meeting and expressed their interest in the programme. The idea is to have a capacity building for all the medical students, experts and researchers. The programme is a collaboration of the countries in the field of health research. This is for the first time that four ministries have come together to work for a single program, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, director general, ICMR told Mail Today. The meeting was quite productive. All the ambassadors came out with the areas where they want India to participate. Such collaborations are always helpful as they take the health research to another level, she added. Dr Swaminathan added that the entire programme will be planned soon and research fellowships will be offered to PhD students and those pursuing other medical courses. The idea is to have an impact in Africa. The health sector is extremely important and we are hoping to build up a large program on India-Africa health fund, she said. According to the experts, Indias expertise in healthcare and affordable medicine can offer new hope in the fight against many diseases, and give newborns a better chance of survival. In his address at the India-Africa Forum Summit last year, PM Modi had outlined Indias vision and had expressed his desire to assist Africa with infrastructure in Cairo to Cape Town, Marrakesh to Mombassa. The fanfare at its launch with legendary manager Anthony Bolton at the helm meant that investors kept a keen eye Fidelity's China Special Situations fortunes. Yet after an initial burst of good form, the investment trust suffered and Bolton retired, handing over the reins to Dale Nicholls. But while Fidelity China Special Situations may have moved further to the edge of investors' radars in the two years since Nicholls took over, he has delivered strong performance - with the trust's shares up 55 per cent. Eleanor Lawrie caught up with the fund manager to find out why he thinks China is a good prospect, despite the gloom surrounding it. Cheap credit: China is relying on borrowing to stimulate its slowing economy The investment outlook for China has dramatically soured over the past year as the country has increasingly relied on cheap credit to fund projects and get its slowing economy moving again. This credit is mainly courtesy of the unregulated shadow banking sector, which grew by 30 per cent last year to more than 6trillion. This means that in 2015 China's credit growth grew faster in GDP, prompting ratings agency Moody's to downgrade its outlook for the country's government bonds to negative. Moody's said: 'China's institutions are being tested by the challenges stemming from the multiple policy objectives of maintaining economic growth, implementing reform, and mitigating market volatility.' Against this difficult backdrop, by the end of July the MSCI China Index was down 18 per cent since January, and by 26.1 per cent over the past 12 months. But Dale Nicholls, manager of the 989million Fidelity China Special Situations investment trust, says he isn't fazed by these developments. He points out that economically there have been some bright spots - steel prices are up more than 50 per cent this year, and China has been producing the metal at record speed. The price of coal has also risen, providing another boost to the world's biggest commodity exporter. 'It's good but it's no surprise when you consider how much credit has been thrown at the problem,' Nicholls says. 'But we have seen much more discussion and acknowledgement of the problem and a recognition that the old policies are not going to work.' Opportunity: Alibaba founder Jack Ma celebrates its IPO in 2014. Fidelity bought in while it was still unlisted The success of cherry-picking And he maintains that success lies in cherry-picking companies that can grow. 'The story about China is about individual success but in terms of the macro I don't think much has changed and that is a shame because unfortunately we have seen very little slowdown in the growth of credit.' Far from running away from the volatility in China, Nicholls has added exposure to the market through gearing to take advantage of swings in price. Unlike open-ended 'OEIC' funds, investment trusts have the option of gearing to enhance returns. This is a form of borrowing trusts can use to increase their exposure to the market, helping their performance when it rises but exacerbating a decline when it falls. Fidelity China Special Situations' gearing is currently at around 23 per cent, taking its exposure to the market up to 123 per cent. He says: 'Right now it's a quite a big bet but this is what the trust is made for. It's an interesting time - the markets are relatively cheap, sentiment is relatively bad, I'm finding good opportunities and now is the time to capitalise on that. By far the trust's biggest overweight is to the consumer discretionary sector, an area where he has more than four times the exposure of the MSCI China. Growing the gig economy: Nichols likes Didi Chuxung, which has the lion's share of the on demand taxi market It's all about consumers He says: 'The key theme is still consumption - that is the strongest story for the next five or 10 years. We are seeing penetration rates rise, with higher-end products taking market share.' The trust's share price is up 20 per cent year to date, enjoying a sharp upturn in July after Brexit caused investors to flee Europe, and China posted stronger than expected second quarter GDP growth. However, the trust's shares are trading at a 17 per cent discount to their net asset value, the widest they have been since Nicholls took over its running from famous investor Anthony Bolton in 2014. The manager attributes this to the negative sentiment associated with China. 'This is the challenge. Emerging markets themselves are out of favour so everyone is seeing widening discounts. The biggest way to address that is by continuing to grow the NAV and show people that despite the flaws in China there are great opportunities and hopefully when people see that they realise the discount is not correlated. 'We continue to do [share] buybacks but it's hard without a change in sentiment. Part of that will be a realisation from the investment community that China has not collapsed and our companies continue to grow.' Another recent blow the trust has had to contend with is MSCI's surprise decision not to allow the inclusion of domestic 'A' shares on its indices, which hasn't helped to bolster confidence in Chinese equities. The manager says: 'The MSCI decided to go against it, which was probably a bit of a disappointment to the authorities in China. In my personal view, that could potentially come through earlier [than they think]. I think bringing them in would be a positive.' The trust already had the power to invest in A shares, which have taken up as much as 20 per cent of the portfolio, although that has now dropped to 15 per cent. Nicholls is asking the investment trust's board to relax its limits on unlisted assets from 5 to 10 per cent, which would help it buy into early-stage companies. The move comes after the trust bought into e-commerce giant Alibaba - one of the great Chinese success stories of recent years - while it was still unlisted. The company, China's answer to eBay, has seen its valuation increase in the interim, meaning it has rapidly filled the trust's existing 5 per cent quotient. He says the move will make sure the trust has the flexibility to capitalise on other similar opportunities. 'The Alibaba experience is in the back of our minds because if that happens again we could fill up capacity fairly quickly.' One such stock is Didi Chuxing, the Chinese rival of cab-booking app Uber, which recently received a $1billion (760,000) investment from Apple to help it grow its presence in China. This week, Uber sold its Chinese operations to Didi Chuxing as part of a 26billion deal. Whistleblowers have been coming forward in their droves to tell of hard sale tactics used at Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest branches. This is Money has been inundated with fresh claims from branch staff, after we ran a story online and in our print sister-title Money Mail last month revealing the findings of our investigation into pressure sales. Many work at one of the 300 branches earmarked to be rebranded as Williams & Glyn. This is a new bank that RBS is having to split off because of EU rules resulting from the bailout during the financial crisis. Firing line: More NatWest/RBS branch staff say that they have been put under pressure to push products - especially mortgages and loans RBS and NatWest claim that they do not have targets and bonuses, which should ensure that their staff aren't pressured into hard selling. However, despite not having a banking licence yet, a spokesman for the group says those working in future Williams & Glyn branches do have targets and bonuses as it is a separate business developing its own 'banking practices'. It adds, however, that the two are 'not linked.' Others have stepped forward to say strict Telephone Preference Rules are being flouted. In the aftermath of the original article, RBS and NatWest said it investigated claims made by whistleblowers that hard sale tactics had returned to the heart of the city. However, a spokesman told This is Money that it found no evidence of the claims to be true in the Threadneedle Street branch. The original whistleblowers told us of having to work late evenings to cold call customers in order to generate product sales, while there had been a heavy shift into pushing loans and mortgages onto customers ahead of the relaunch of Williams & Glyn. Since then, we've had nearly 20 staff members get in touch agreeing what was said in the article was entirely accurate. Here are some of the responses we received from staff across Britain. Names and locations have all been kept anonymous. A private banking manager said: 'We are facing similar, if not more pressure in regards to selling, in general and specifically towards loans and mortgages. Another said staff are actively encouraged to flout Telephone Preference Service rules. This is where customers have opted out of having sales calls. They said: 'You have no idea how this culture is rabid and I work in NatWest. TPS is ignored - the practice breaches data protection but we are told it's an acceptable risk and they will just pay the fine if they get caught. 'NatWest and RBS use a system called care calling/my prospector. Customer details are presented and we have to call them to try and get them to agree to a meeting for a full financial health check. 'This is a sales meeting designed to sell the customer as many of the bank's products as possible. There are numerous examples of mis-selling simply because bank staff have un-negotiated and non-discussed sales targets.' They sent a script that staff are given to conduct calls, which includes the phrase: 'We understand you are registered with TPS, however I am calling you to find out if you could benefit from having a review with one of our customer advisers...' Another staff member said: 'I read your article with interest it is exactly what is happening in all departments and branches of NatWest and RBS. 'We are targeted for how many customers we book on for this sales meeting albeit disguised under the banner of financial health check. If we don't book in our quota we have to stay behind late to fill diaries by cold calling even more customers. 'If this state of affairs continues it is only a matter of time before a customer complains big style. 'The Financial Conduct Authority issued guidelines about this practice all of which have been ignored and it's only a matter of time for another mis-selling scandal. 'I could go on for ever about the practices in this bank but I would run out of space.' Another staff member adds: 'I am glad you have raised this issue of sales pressure. Your article is absolutely correct and you are speaking the mind of a majority staff in branches across the UK. 'There is consistent bullying by our branch manager. She runs the branch with an iron fist and no staff dares challenge her as she will make sure they either lose their job, moved to another branch or resign in frustration. 'She puts pressure on staff to provide two needs a day, comprising of a loan and a mortgage product. 'There was a day a staff member said he was unable to get a lead as he has been busy with customers and she shouted at him. 'We usually have to stay at least an hour after closing time as unpaid overtime. 'We work under severe pressure every day and staff members are so stressed that they call in sick.' Another, who works in one of the branches mentioned in the original article, said: 'Your article is completely accurate, RBS has turned into sales, sales, sales since the new financial year. 'Threadneedle Street is not the only branch that is experiencing this, all branches covered by the particular area director are experiencing this and more. 'I have worked at RBS since the financial crisis and it feels like things have got ten times worse. 'Customer advisers are under so much pressure from the area director who sends down bullying and intimidating messages to them via the managers. 'The advisers often spend hours cold calling customers, harassing them to come to branch for loans or to remortgage. 'A group of us are thinking of going to the FCA about this because this is not right. The customers interests are not at the forefront because the customer advisers and relationship business managers are under so much pressure to sell sell sell. 'RBS products are not competitive and are not current which is why she bullies the advisers down to the ground because the big guys have no chance of getting their bonuses otherwise.' Another adds: 'Advisers have targets of 69,000 a month for lending and 700,000 a month for mortgages. 'Is it fair that customer service officers and advisers have to cold call customers all day long in order to achieve unrealistic targets? 'Are bonuses really scrapped? Some colleagues appear to get bonuses and some do not. Will the FCA be notified?...' Another adds: 'I have worked for NatWest/RBS for nearly two decades. I am fed up with being told to help more customers AKA sales. 'I have to work to 7pm on a Monday as there are more customers at home. I have to fill out a form and show my manager every morning to say what I will sell to my customers in my diary. Then I have to say what I did sell by end of day and what support I need to sell more. BRANCH STAFF Do you work in a bank branch at RBS/NatWest or another and have a tale to tell? Contact me in confidence: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.uk 'We run around all day trying to sort out the queues to help cashiers, with a lot less staff due to redundancies - we deal with complaints, reporting of death and fraud cases. However, these don't lead to sales or as the banks says "helping customers" and so can look bad against busy staff. 'Managers are not interested in excuses - it is sales that count.' Another says: 'I work in a future Williams & Glyn I can confirm every point in your story. 'It's returning to a culture of fear with high sickness from the pressure. Our area alone has lost numerous staff. 'The targets are almost impossible. To get a bonus you have to get a level four or higher which means exceeding numbers. We are driven to call customers include staying behind after work. 'Customer service is selling mortgages and loans. It's endemic in our culture now. We are reporting daily on sales numbers but can't use targets its goals.' Jamycheal Mitchell, 24, starved to death in his jail cell after guards cut off his food and water for months, his family have claimed Officials at a Virginia jail months ago found security footage they thought had been deleted that was recorded outside of the cell of a mentally ill inmate who died last year. Hampton Roads Regional Jail Assistant Superintendent David L. Simons declined to release the video recorded outside 24-year-old Jamycheal Mitchell's cell, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. Mitchell died in his cell in August 2015 after losing so much weight over 101 days that his heart stopped. He had been arrested for stealing $5 worth of junk food. Despite multiple investigations, the circumstances leading to his death are unclear. An internal investigation cleared correctional employees of wrongdoing, jail officials said. Lt. Col. Eugene Taylor III, the jail's assistant superintendent, told the newspaper in April that footage of Mitchell receiving food through a slot in the door had been automatically recorded over. Officials said they emailed a letter on May 9 to the Times-Dispatch telling reporters the video still existed, but the newspaper never received that message. Mitchell's family filed a lawsuit in May accusing correctional officials of physically abusing Mitchell and withholding food from him before his death. The suit 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. 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 Sonia Adams with sister Roxanne Adams holds the program for the funeral of her son, Jamycheal Mitchell, who died in his cell at Hampton Roads Regional Jail while waiting for a bed in a mental hospital 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. The footage would presumably show how often guards saw Mitchell, said Mark Krudys, an attorney representing Mitchell's family. In withholding the video from the public, Simons cited an exemption in state law that gives him the discretion to withhold records related to inmates' incarceration and investigations into allegations of wrongdoing. He did not explain how the video was recovered. Del. Marcus B. Simon called for the jail to release the video. Mitchell died at Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, Virginia, after losing nearly 40 pounds during four months there, his family claim 'That is outrageous,' said Simon, who is a member of the House of Delegates' public safety committee. 'There's a lot of discretion in FOIA . but because something doesn't have to be released doesn't mean it shouldn't and doesn't mean it can't.' The Mitchell video was viewed by Taylor and the jail's internal investigators but was not seen by outside agencies such as the Office of State Inspector General, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, or the Portsmouth Police Department, all of which conducted inquiries into Mitchell's death. 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. This Sept. 2, 2015 photo shows the the door to the cell at Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, Va., where 24-year-old Jamycheal Mitchell was found dead August 19, 2015 By this point he had lost 33 pounds since arriving in prison. 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. There are now calls for Hampton Roads Regional Jail to release video taken outside of Jamycheal Mitchells cell, seen here Mitchell, who often soiled his cell, pictured, with his own feces, was supposed to be checked at least 49 times a day every 30 minutes by guards and at least once a day by medical staff 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. 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. Remains believed to be those of a 22-year-old Louisiana woman missing since April have been found in the Grand Canyon. Park officials say rangers found the remains believed to be those of Diana Zacarias of Natchitoches, Louisiana, below Pima Point. Diana Zacarias, 22, of Louisiana, went missing in the Grand Canyon in April. A multi-day search effort for her was unsuccessful. Now officials believe they have found her remains A multiday search was conducted after Zacarias' family reported her missing April 3. This was the final picture posted by Zacarias before she went missing on April 2 She had arrived on the South Rim on April 2. That was the last day there was any activity on her cellphone, credit card or debit card. Officials used a photo she posted to Facebook to provide clues as to her whereabouts. Zacarias' final pictured showed a view of the Grand Canyon and the words: 'Adventure is out there.' The National Park Service conducted search operations from the air and on the ground, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. Her distraught dad, Alex Zacarias, went to the Grand Canyon and passed out flyers while conducting his own search. Despite their efforts, the multi-day search was unsuccessful. Her body was found Saturday during ranger training, the Arizona Republic reported. 'The hope was that we would find her alive,' said spokeswoman Kirby-Lyn Shedlowski, of the Grand Canyon National Park, to The Republic. Zacarias' distraught dad Alex (pictured with Zacarias) went to the Grand Canyon and passed out flyers while conducting his own search Zacarias was a Northwestern State University student getting a degree in industrial engineering technology, WGNO reported. Park officials say the tentative identification is based on evidence found at the scene and that the remains have been transferred to the Coconino (koh-koh-NEE'-noh) County medical examiner for positive identification. Park officials say that the medical examiner and the National Park Service are investigating the incident and that no additional information is immediately available. There are usually 12 to 15 deaths at the Grand Canyon each year, most related to heat or other medical issues, The Republic reported. The Supreme Court has ruled that a Virginia school board can block a transgender student from using the boy's bathroom. Gavin Grimm, 17, sued the Gloucester County School Board over its bathroom policy, which requires transgender students to use restroom facilities of the gender they were born with. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in April that the policy was discriminating and that Grimm, who was born female but identifies as male, should be allowed to use the boy's bathroom. But the latest ruling overturns that order temporarily while it decides whether to intervene in his case. The Supreme Court has ruled that a Virginia school board can block transgender student Gavin Grimm from using the boy's bathroom A lawyer for Grimm, Joshua Block, said he and his client were disappointed by the order and 'disappointed that Gavin is going to have to begin another school year being stigmatized and separated from his peers as a result of this policy.' 'It's very stressful and humiliating,' Grimm told ABC last year. 'It makes it impossible for me to live as myself peacefully. The issue has outed me on grand scale, which should never have to happen to anyone.' 'The board continues to believe that its resolution of this complex matter fully considered the interests of all students and parents in the Gloucester County school system,' the board said in a statement. Grimm, 17, had used the communal restrooms at his school for nearly two months without incident until the board - responding to complaints from some parents and local residents - adopted a policy in 2014 requiring transgender students to use a private facility, according to the complaint. Grimm, 17, sued the Gloucester County School Board, Virginia, over its bathroom policy, which requires transgender students to use restroom facilities of the gender they were born with The teen has been diagnosed as having gender dysphoria, a medical condition characterized by distress stemming from conflict between a person's gender identity and the person's assigned sex at birth, the complaint says. Grimm started refusing to wear girls' clothes by age six, and by ninth grade most of his friends were aware of his gender identity, according to the lawsuit. He told his parents he was transgender in April 2014, and they took him to a psychologist who diagnosed his condition and developed a treatment plan that includes 'social transition' to his gender identity. 'For transgender adolescents, it is critical that the social transition involve full transition at school, including with respect to restrooms,' the complaint says. Grimm also has been receiving hormone treatments to deepen his voice and give him a more masculine appearance, according to the court filing. The school's principal gave him permission to use the boys' restroom shortly after he told the school he was a boy in August 2014, according to ABC. However, on December 9, 2014 the transgender restroom policy stopped him from using the bathroom of his choice, according to the complaint. But Gloucester County School Board has now been allowed to temporarily block Grimm from using the boy's bathroom 'The policy declared that access to the boys' and girls' restrooms would be limited to students of the 'corresponding biological genders,' and also declared that students who are unable to use such restrooms because of 'gender identity issues' would be relegated to 'an alternative appropriate private facility',' the complaint says. During that school board meeting, one speaker called him 'freak' and compared him to a person who thinks he is a dog and wants to urinate on fire hydrants, the court filing says. Under the transgender restroom policy, Grimm was told he would not be able to use the boy's restrooms and that there would be disciplinary consequences if the tried to do so. 'It was crushing it was very, very disappointing,' Grimm, who is the only student to use a private bathroom at the school, told Wavy-TV of the decision. To avoid the stigma of having to use separate restrooms, he has tried to avoid using any restrooms during the school day. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board on behalf of Grimm. In April he won the right to use the boy's toilets in an appeals court decision that establishes legal precedent in all five states of the 4th Circuit, including North Carolina. But after the school board challenged the ruling, the case became the first transgender bathroom rights has reached the Supreme Court. Grimm, who goes to Gloucester High School, was designated female at birth but has a male gender identity The eight-member Supreme Court voted 5-3 to stay the lower court's order. The order was not a final ruling on the subject. Instead, it rewound the fight to where it was in April before a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, ruled in Grimm's favor. That ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was the first by an appeals court to find that transgender students are protected under federal laws that bar sex-based discrimination. In court papers last month, the school board's lawyers said the 4th Circuit wrongly deferred to the view of President Barack Obama's administration that prohibitions on sex discrimination under federal law also apply to gender identity. In May, the Obama administration directed public schools nationwide to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity or risk losing federal funding. So far, 23 states have sued to block the directive. Justice Stephen Breyer, of the Supreme Court's liberal wing, joined with its most conservative members in temporarily siding with the school board. Firefighter Kenneth Walker lost his two cats and his apartment to a fire two days after receiving a letter telling him to resign because he is black A black firefighter in western New York says he received a racist letter two years telling him to quit two days before his house was burned down. Firefighters were called Wednesday afternoon to the North Tonawanda home of 28-year-old Kenneth Walker. The place was destroyed. The Walkers Walker's wife Amanda and daughters Chloe, 4, and Harmoni, 6 months were not home at the time. But Walker's two cats died in the blaze. On Tuesday, Walker showed Buffalo media an anonymous letter he said was left in his mailbox on Monday. Scroll down for video A black firefighter in New York, Kenneth Walker, says he received a racist letter two years telling him to quit two days before his house was burned down Officials investigate the house fire that destroyed Walker's belongings and killed his two cats Walker says he received this racist letter two days before his house was burned down Courtesy ABC 7/ WKBW The letter, typewritten on white paper, told him to resign because he's black and added 'n-word are not allowed to be firefighters.' 'Someone said that I wasn't welcome and that I needed to resign by the end of the week or I would regret it,' the volunteer firefighter told ABC 7. He added: 'Still living my life, not changing my habits, and we're going to go from there.' City police, federal prosecutors in Buffalo and the FBI are reviewing the letter. Walker told WGRZ-TV he has never had any issues with co-workers or the public in two years as a firefighter. He said the letter made him fear for the safety of his wife and two young children. Kenneth and wife Amanda (pictured) as well as their young daughters were not at home at the time The Walkers said they have received tremendous support from the local community Community members drop by to check in on the Walkers and offer them assistance But Walker is not leaving his post. 'Resigning from the fire department would obviously please them and I don't want to please them,' he told the Buffalo News. 'At the same time I am going to do what I have to do to protect my family. I am still going to live my life.' He added to WKBW: ' 'm going to take a long hard look at the situation and see what's best for my family and the end result may be to resign or transfer to a different company, but as of now I'm going to stand fast and see what happens.' Mayor Arthur Pappas says he wants the culprit brought to justice. 'We're totally disgusted that anyone would continue to do this,' Pappas told the Buffalo News. 'Whoever is responsible is certainly doing something that's very distasteful and hateful.' Police have tied a ninth shooting attack to the notorious Phoenix serial killer whose victims include a 12-year-old girl. The latest attack linked to the killer occurred in a central Phoenix neighborhood on July 11 when a man fired on a vehicle occupied by a 21-year-old man and a 4-year-old boy. Neither was injured. Detectives have been hunting the serial killer who is linked to seven murders within a four-mile radius of Maryvale. Police have tied a ninth shooting attack to the notorious Phoenix serial killer whose victims include a 12-year-old girl (pictured is a composite sketch provided by the Phoenix Police Department of the suspect) Authorities believe the shooter first struck on March 17 this year, injuring a 16-year-old teen who was walking down the street at 11.30pm. Two days later the shooter struck again at the exact same time, shooting a 21-year-old man who was standing outside of his car. His injuries, like the 16-year-old boy's, were not life threatening. It was April 1 that the shooter made his first kill, gunning down Diego Verdugo-Sanchez in front of a home around 9pm. Verdugo-Sanchez, 21, was enjoying a taco dinner with his fiance Marina Smith, who was pregnant at the time, and her parents when he went outside to lock his car. Not even two seconds later, Smith heard four gunshots, according to The Arizona Republic. Diego Verdugo Sanchez, 21, was the shooter's first victim, gunned down while having dinner with his pregnant fiance's parents. Krystal Annette White, 55, was killed just two weeks later while visiting an elderly friend Stefanie Ellis (pictured) was shot 14 times, including in the stomach, chest, nose chin and through the head. She held on for nearly a month before succumbing to her injuries on July 7 Her mother found Verdugo-Sanchez lying on the ground. Just two weeks later Krystal Annette White, 55, was killed when she stepped outside for a moment while visiting an elderly friend. She was a mother of six. White's death was the seventh homicide investigators linked to the serial street shooter on Tuesday. 'Police are confident that White's case is still forensically linked to the other incidents,' Sgt Jonathan Howard told The Arizona Republic. It would be nearly two months before the serial street shooter struck again, this time killing five people in just 10 days. Horacio De Jesus Pena, 32, was shot and killed just before 10am on June 3 as he returned from a job helping out at a group home for people with special needs. Pena had just gotten out of his car in front of his family's home when he was gunned down. 'He wasn't even two feet away from his car door,' Pena's sister Nancy told NBC News. Horacio De Jesus Pena, 32, (left) was shot and killed just before 10am on June 3 as he returned home from work. Manuel Castro Garcia, 19, (right) was murdered outside his home a week later Margarito Castro, father of Manuel "Manny" Castro Garcia, 19, visited his son's grave at a cemetery Thursday, July 14, 2016, in Phoenix She arrived at the home to find her brother's dead body still on the ground. Manuel Castro Garcia, 19, was murdered outside his home a week later. Witnesses saw Garcia have a brief conversation with someone who approached his car on June 10. That same person then shot him dead. Just two days later the serial street shooter would claim three more victims, including their youngest one. Stefanie Ellis, 33, her daughter Maleah, 12, and her friend Angela Linner, 31, were shot while listening to music inside a car parked in a driveway around 3am on June 12. Maleah died after she was hit by seven bullets, including one to the neck. Ellis was hit by 14 bullets, including in the stomach, chest, nose, chin and through the head. She held on for almost a month before succumbing to her injuries on July 7. Maleah Ellis, 12, is the shooter's youngest victim. She was sitting in a car listening to music with her mother Stefanie Ellis, 33, and her mother's friend Angela Linner, 31, (right) when all three were shot An unoccupied car was then shot up at 2.35am on June 12. Investigators have found common threads in the deaths: All the victims were either shot inside or near their cars, in residential neighborhoods on a weekend night. A sketch, made from a suspect description provided by a wounded victim, has since been released of the serial street shooter. It shows a man with dark hair who police have described to be thin and in his early twenties. Police have said the suspect may be white or Hispanic but said it cannot be stated for sure. A reward for information leading to an arrest has been raised to $50,000. Authorities have pleaded with the community for tips. 'Someone out there knows who did this,' said Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner. Meanwhile a group of volunteers that call themselves the Guardian Angels are now patrolling the Maryvale neighborhood where six of the shooter's victims were gunned down. Police initially connected the deaths of Pena, Verdugo-Sanchez, Garcia, Linner and the Ellis', which all occurred within a four mile radius Chapter leader Mike Upchurch said the group wants to show the killer the community is not afraid of them. 'To the serial killer, hey you're a coward,' he told Fox 10 Phoenix. 'Flat out you're a coward. You're shooting innocent people. You killed a 12-year-old girl in a car in her driveway.' 'If the killer knows the community is no longer afraid of him, you've taken his power away,' Upchurch continued. 'And we're trying to take back the community from the serial killer.' 'Our best hope for the identity for this man will come from the community,' police spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Howard said. The 8th Qiqiao Girls' Festival kicks off in Xihe County of Longnan City in western China's Gansu Province on August 3. From July 1 to 7 of China's lunar calendar, the festival is celebrated by praying to deities for wisdom, ingenuity and happiness among females. The customs of the traditional Qiqiao Festival, including the site selection for the ceremony, greeting and worshiping the deity Girl Weaver, entertaining, divining and seeing off Girl Weaver, were all showcased during the performance at the opening ceremony. [Photo by Mi Xingang/China.org.cn] 1 2 3 4 5 Next Australia's inspector-general of intelligence and security has revealed top spies have bugged the wrong phones in the past after making embarrassing mistakes. Margaret Stone described the top intelligence agents as human beings doing a difficult job, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. She made the revelations at the Australian Policy Institute in Canberra on Tuesday night during a talk and Q&A session titled 'The Inspector-General: Sword or Shield?' Australia's inspector-general of intelligence and security has revealed top spies have bugged the wrong phones in the past after making embarrassing mistakes. Stock image Margaret Stone (pictured) described the top intelligence agents as human beings doing a difficult job Ms Stone said spies, like everyday people, are 'not perfect'. 'I know that accidents happen,' she said. 'I remember asking a senior ASIO officer when there were a series of telephone intercepts in which wrong numbers were used. I said: 'How can this happen? There's a whole series of them here.' And the answer was: 'It's fat fingers'. Ms Stone said she knew mistakes could happen and she was looking for systemic problems, 'evidence of a cultural attitude that is not appropriate for compliance.' The role of the Australian Policy Institute is to provide information to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the intelligence agencies are keeping up with 'standards of legality, propriety and consistency with human rights'. Ms Stone said she had a 'very cooperative relationship' with the nation's top six major intelligence agencies, including ASIO and ASIS, which the institute has unrestricted access to. Ms Stone said she had a 'very cooperative relationship' with the nation's top six major intelligence agencies, including ASIO and ASIS, which the Australian Policy Institute has unrestricted access to The institute provides information to the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the intelligence agencies are keeping up with 'standards of legality, propriety and consistency with human rights'. Stock image She said the intelliegence agencies were proactive in reporting breaches to her and said they also brief her in advance about operations. Ms Stone added that she did not 'second guess' the agencies over their judgement that particular intelligence was needed to protect Australia's security, but said she would grill the agencies over 'process, procedure and proportion' in how they obtained that intelligence. She acknowledged the agencies could hide things if they wanted to, but it was very unlikely they would do so. Ms Stone also said we couldn't expect 100 per cent success, as Australia asked the intelligence officers to do 'extremely difficult things' in situations that don't fall in the ethical compass of normal rules of society. Australian workers can now legally cash in two weeks of their annual leave each year rather than use them to jet off on holidays. After a four-year review the overhaul of workplace laws also means employers have the power to stop their staff from banking large amounts of leave and force them to take a break. Under the new regulations set by the Fair Work Commission anyone employed by an award or agreement is permitted to cash out a fortnight's worth of holidays, as long as they are left with a balance of 20 days (four weeks). The new regulations will be applicable to more than 100 awards and affect up to two million Australian workers, according to a report in Fairfax Media. To take a break or not? Millions of Australians can now cash in annual leave instead of going on holiday - but bosses will have power to stop you racking up a huge balance Beach break or cash? New workplace laws now mean that Australians can now cash out their annual leave instead of going on holiday In its findings handed down earlier this year the FWC stated: 'The Full Bench was satisfied that the variation of 112 modern awards to incorporate the revised cashing out model term was necessary to ensure that each of these modern awards provides a fair and relevant safety net.' It brings them into line with other employees who already have an agreement in place with their bosses allowing them to cash in holidays. But union officials, including ACTU secretary Dave Oliver, remain worried by the changes. ACTU Secretary David Oliver pictured at the Fair Work Commission in Melbourne More than two million Australian workers can now cash in up to two weeks of their annual leave every 12 months, as long as they have another four weeks remaining after doing so Under the new laws introduced by the Fair Work Commission employees on more than 100 different awards can now take the money instead of taking holidays 'The union movement is concerned that the decision by the Fair Work Commission supports the idea that annual leave need not be taken and should be treated as a commodity rather than an entitlement designed to maintain the health and well-being of the workforce,' he told Fairfax. Earlier this year he told the National Press Club that Australia's workplaces were undergoing 'Uberfication'. 'The Americanisation of our industrial relations is bad for our economy,' he said. 'I also think youll find its not what most Australians want.' More than 100 modern awards are affected by the changes to annual leave regulations set out by the Fair Work Commission following a four-yearly review Under the new regulations set by the Fair Work Commission anyone employed by an award or agreement is permitted to cash out a fortnight's worth of holidays, as long as they are left with an annual leave balance of 20 days The determination by the FWC, which came into force this week, stops businesses from forcing workers to cash out holidays. However, employers do have the power to 'direct an employee to take annual leave in some situations'. 'For example, when the business is closed during the Christmas and New Year period (and) an employee has accumulated excess annual leave.' If an employee has an excessive annual leave balance the business must give written notice of at least eight weeks as to when it will start. A woman was awarded around $2million from her dead father's estate because he sexually abused her and her young son. The Melbourne woman, known in court documents as Constance Smith, told the Supreme Court of Victoria she deserved more of the $6million fortune her father left because he sexually abused her from the age of 14. She told the court her father once threatened her with a hunting knife and raped her when she returned home from school. A Melbourne woman told the Supreme Court of Victoria she deserved more of her father's estate because he sexually abused her from the age of 14 (stock image) The man later sexually abused her son, known as David, when he was just four years old (stock) 'He pulled out his large hunting knife, pressed it against her stomach and threatened to ''gut'' her if she did not do what he wanted,' Smith said in an affidavit, according to The Australian. The man later sexually abused her son, known as David, when he was just four years old. The man's $6million estate was left to his wife, known as Abigail, and Smith was promised an equal share with her brothers when she died. But Smith, now 63, was left 21 per cent of the estate when her mother died in 2012, while her two brothers received 27 per cent and 52 per cent respectively. David was left with nothing. 'I have provided less in this will for my daughter as I consider that more than adequate provision has been made for her by me and my husband during my lifetime,' Abigail wrote in her will, The Australian reported. 'I make no provision for my grandson, as I consider that I have no duty or moral obligation to provide for him.' Abigail was aware of the abuse of both Smith and David after it had occurred. The woman told the court her father once threatened her with a hunting knife and raped her when she returned home from school (stock image) David, who experienced serious mental illness as a result of the abuse, went to the police and began civil proceedings against his grandfather, but the millionaire died before anything could come of these actions. The trial judge ordered that a property left to Smith's brothers and $100,000 be transferred to her, as well as $175,000 to David. Smith gained more than $2million as a result of the judgement, according to The Australian. The Court stated that the additional property and money she was to receive from the estate was not compensation for the wrongdoing of her parents, but rather 'the estate responding to a need for financial support.' A 19-year-old woman was rushed to hospital after she was hit by a police car with its lights and sirens on while crossing the road. The female pedestrian was knocked to the ground on Marion Street, Bankstown, south-west of Sydney on Thursday just after 6.30am. Investigation are now being carried out as to whether the teenager was wearing headphones at the time of the accident, reported Nine news. Scroll down for videos A female pedestrian, 19, was struck by a police car in Bankstown, south-west of Sydney 'A-19-year-old woman crossing Marion Street at Bankstown was hit by a police vehicle travelling with lights and sirens,' a police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'The two police officers were not injured and officers from the crash investigation unit are examining the scene.' CCTV footage from the scene shows the girl waiting at the lights before crossing when the lights are believed to have turned green. Craig Ferguson, 35, was driving to work when he was forced to slam his breaks as the police rushed past, reported The Daily Telegraph. 'I heard a bang, the next minute the police car was up on the median strip and the body was on the ground,' he said. 'I ran up to the body to see if she was ok. She was convulsing her eyes were closed.' 'She would have had a green to walk because I had a green to go as well,' he said. The teenager was rushed to Liverpool hospital and the two police officers were not injured in the accident As the police in the vehicle were responding to an emergency they were being closely followed by an ambulance. The teenager was treated by NSW ambulance paramedics at the scene before being rushed to Liverpool hospital with serious injuries but is now in a stable condition. The road has been blocked in both directions as Emergency services arrived at the scene. Traffic has been diverted between between Meredith and Allum Street and buses have been delayed by 20 minutes as they change routes. Police have closed the road in both directions and traffic has been diverted as police investigate the incident Angus MacNeil (pictured), chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee of MPs, said: What the proposals fail to realise is that not every problem can be solved by switching deals' Two thirds of households will be left floundering on expensive energy deals after watchdogs let the power giants off the hook over a 2 billion rip-off. Last night MPs and consumer campaigners rounded on energy regulator Ofgem for a lacklustre attempt to help gas and electricity customers get a fairer deal. After a two-year investigation, Ofgem announced a crackdown that was supposed to tackle power firms poor treatment of loyal customers. But the reforms, all of which were suggested by the powerful Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), will only curb high prices for four million customers with prepayment meters, who will see their costs fall by around 75 a year from next April. Britains remaining 24 million households were instead told they would benefit from a range of measures to boost competition between suppliers. Yet energy experts said the new rules would only make matters worse. They said that one of the proposals - giving firms access to a database of households who dont switch deals - would only lead to customers being bombarded with junk mail. And they warned that households were in danger of being baffled by hundreds of new offers under plans to remove a ban on each supplier offering more than four tariffs. Price comparison websites are also expected to be given the green light to push customers towards some deals, while hiding others that earn the site less in commission. Angus MacNeil, chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee of MPs, said: What the proposals fail to realise is that not every problem can be solved by switching deals. Standard variable tariffs are punishing and this is a missed opportunity to address high prices across the board, rather than just for customers on prepayment meters. Will Hodson, co-founder of switching firm The Big Deal, said the reforms may well do more harm than good and were a bizarre outcome of a two-year inquiry. For the vast majority of people, there will be no protection against unfair prices, he said. Most households wont welcome being spammed and its likely to be ineffective because the public dont trust energy companies anyway. Small energy firms said the reforms were a let-off for the Big Six suppliers. Ed Kamm, managing director of First Utility, said: Too many people are overpaying for their energy and these proposals dont go far enough. According to the report, 66 per cent of households are on their suppliers most expensive deal and overpay by as much as 300 a year. Two thirds of households will be left floundering on expensive energy deals after watchdogs let the power giants off the hook over a 2 billion rip-off (File photo) Figures from Energyhelpline show households on a typical standard deal from one of the Big Six suppliers spend 1,066 a year on average. By contrast, the cheapest one-year fix, which is offered by small supplier Avro, costs just 770 a year for the same usage - an annual saving of 296 for the typical family. Two years ago energy regulator Ofgem asked competition watchdog the CMA to investigate the market amid claims customers were being ripped off. In June the CMA published its report, which found customers were losing as much as 2 billion a year because most households were languishing on costly variable deals. Yesterday the energy regulator backed the CMAs package of reforms to improve the market. Dermot Nolan, chief executive of Ofgem, said: The CMAs final report is a watershed moment for industry and consumers and points the way to a fairer and more competitive future. I call on energy companies and consumer groups to seize this opportunity. Under the proposals being worked on by Ofgem, customers who havent switched in three years will have their details put on a central database so other suppliers can target them with cheaper deals. The regulator said it is still working out the best way to introduce the database and will begin trialling different ways of contacting customers, with the full system in place next year. A consultation has also been launched to look at whether price comparison websites should be able to show just a selection of deals. Comparison websites typically earn different levels of commission from energy suppliers for each customer who switches deal. Under the proposal they could be allowed to promote certain deals. Ofgem said comparison websites would still have to provide an option where customers can compare all the deals in the energy market. It also said the country was an 'ideal target for China to warn and strike' Article mocked Australia as a penal colony and claimed it was a 'paper cat' Australia's position that China should adhere to an international ruling on the disputed South China Sea received a stinging rebuke from a state-backed newspaper at the weekend. The prominent Global Times described Australia as 'delirious' for its decision to support a ruling in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that China had no historic claim to the waters and it had violated the Philippines' economic and sovereign rights. The article mocked Australia as a 'paper cat' and said if the country stepped into the contested waters, it would be an 'ideal target for China to warn and strike.' The South China Sea is a critical international shipping route through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Here's a quick explanation of why the area has become such a flashpoint. A state-run Chinese newspaper has demanded 'revenge' against Australia after it backed an international tribunal's decision to reject its claims over the South China Sea (pictured) The Chinese navy launched into military drills with their Russian allies in the East China Sea on Monday amid heightened maritime tensions in the region What's the argument about? Territory. In particular, who has rights to the sea's enormous wealth of untapped oil, gas and fish reserves. China claims much of the South China Sea within its 'nine dash line', which is based on historic usage and was declared in 1947. The exact coordinates of the line are considered ambiguous by critics, but on maps it stretches deep into the South China Sea from China's most southern province, Hainan. However, the territorial claim - which encompasses hundreds of islands, rocks and reefs - is firmly disputed by five other nations. China was found to have violated the Philippines' maritime right by erecting artificial islands which decimated natural coral reefs and disrupted both fishing and oil exploration Taiwan, Vietnam and China claim complete ownership of the Spratly and Paracel Islands, while the Philippines and China - and to a lesser extent Taiwan - have locked horns over Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs about 220 kilometres east of the Philippines. Brunei and Malaysia say parts of the South China Sea, including a number of 'features' in Spratly Islands, fall within their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). An EEZ, which were established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), stretches 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline and gives exclusive rights to the use of marine resources. Tensions in the South China Sea are not new and the waters have been the scene of several clashes in the past 40 years. In 1974, South Vietnamese and Chinese ships exchanged fire in the Paracels. The Vietnamese, who were trying to force the Chinese out of the area, lost dozens of troops and China took control of the islands. The two countries then fought a small naval battle over the Spratly Islands in 1988. Other flashpoints include Chinese naval vessels shadowing and harassing US naval ships conducting freedom of navigation excursions, and tense standoffs between the Philippines and China. The judgement of tribunal of The Hague found China violated the Philippines' maritime right by erecting artificial islands that disrupted fishing and oil exploration What did the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rule? The international court ruled China had no historic rights to the South China Sea and it had violated the Philippines' economic and sovereign rights. The tribunal announced in July: 'The Tribunal concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the 'nine-dash line.' It also condemned China's rapid build up of artificial islands in the Spratly chain, which the country is doing to boost its claims in the region. The Philippines lodged its suit against Beijing in 2013, saying China was in violation of the UNCLOS, to which both countries are signatories. China boycotted the court hearing and said its claims in the region would be unaffected. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called on China to abide by the ruling and urged a peaceful resolution to the dispute Why is China so angry with Australia? Following the decision, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called on China to abide by the ruling and urged a peaceful resolution to the dispute. Australia is not a claimant in the sea but has consistently supported U.S.-led freedom of navigation activities in and over it. Bishop said Australia would continue to exercise its rights to freedom of navigation and overflight in the region. China reacted furiously to calls from Western countries that the ruling should be respected and reserved some of its harshest criticism for Australia. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Bishop's remarks were 'wrong' and Australia should stop treating the dispute as a game. 'Honestly speaking, I'm a bit shocked at Bishop's comments,' Lu said last month. A scathing editorial appeared in The Global Times last week slamming Australia The campaign to haul Tony Blair into court over the Iraq War has achieved its fundraising target in just two weeks. Generous Daily Mail readers helped tip the total over the 150,000 needed. Relatives of troops killed following the 2003 invasion said they were delighted and amazed at the stunning speed of the publics response. They want the former prime minister brought to justice. The campaign to haul Tony Blair into court over the Iraq War has achieved its fundraising target in just two weeks The money will pay for lawyers to go through the Chilcot Report with a fine-tooth comb to find evidence of Mr Blair committing misfeasance in public office. The reports damning conclusions were highly critical of Mr Blair, and the families legal team is looking to build a civil case against him and other Whitehall officials. Almost 5,000 members of the public dipped into their pockets to help the cause, donating tenners and 20 to push up the total. Yesterday Roger Bacon, whose son Matthew, a 34-year-old major in the Intelligence Corps, was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra in 2005, said: It is absolutely amazing that we have managed to get to the target so quickly. We needed 150,000 to do the job properly. It is extraordinarily generous and we cant thank the great British public enough for doing this. It has been incredible. We launched the appeal just after midnight on Tuesday two weeks ago, and by 6pm that very day we already had 50,000. Now we have the full amount, it will allow the lawyers to get on and investigate the Chilcot report properly to see what kind of offences may have been committed by Tony Blair and others. The money will pay for lawyers to go through the Chilcot Report with a fine-tooth comb to find evidence of Mr Blair committing misfeasance in public office The Iraq War Families Campaign Group is fighting to bring to justice those responsible for the war and the deaths of our loved ones. They believe Mr Blair misled Parliament to justify the war, which cost the lives of 179 UK servicemen and women. Sir John Chilcots 2.6million-word report blasted the former PM for rushing into war on the basis of flawed intelligence and amid questions over its legality, and for failing to plan for the gruesome aftermath of the invasion. Despite his criticisms of Mr Blair, Sir John said only a court could decide if he had acted illegally. The UK authorities will not bring a criminal prosecution, and the International Criminal Court has refused to take action, so the families are pursuing a civil case. Their lawyers, who until now have been working for free, need to undertake a full and forensic analysis of the 12 volume report to determine if legal action can be taken. The money has been raised on the CrowdJustice website, set up by Mr Bacon and Reg Keys, whose son Lance Corporal Tom Keys was murdered by an Iraqi mob a few weeks into the invasion. Relatives of troops killed following the 2003 invasion said they were delighted and amazed at the stunning speed of the publics response. Pictured, protesters wearing Tony Blair and George Bush masks outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London The grieving fathers wrote on the website: Before Matthew, Tom, and so many of their fellow servicemen and women died, we knew the risks all British military personnel assume when serving Queen and country. However, the long-awaited Chilcot Report has confirmed that there were serious failings in the lead-up to, planning and conduct of the war, which led to so many unnecessary deaths. Our armed forces must never again be so callously sacrificed by political ambition and the irresponsibility and failings of Government and Whitehall. Those responsible should be held to account. Despite accruing vast wealth since leaving office, Mr Blair is indemnified for all his court costs, including possible damages, under Cabinet Office rules. This is the jaw-dropping moment that shocked attorneys and inmates realized a murder suspect had just successfully pull off a daring escape from a Florida courtroom. At first, prisoner Dayonte Resiles is seen walking into the courtroom, his hands in front of him as if he's handcuffed, his walk slowed by shackles. A few seconds later, courtroom footage shows a Broward County bailiff dash as he notices that Resiles, who is charged with murder, has made a run for it. Scroll down for video The first sign that something is wrong is when a bailiff (circled) begins running in the courtroom after noticing the inmate dash out Attorneys and courtroom staff look on stupefied as the judge (circled) ducks behind his desk and an amused inmate (left) grins Attorneys, other prisoners and courtroom staff look on is disbelief, their jaws dropping as they try to take in what hast just happened. One inmate waiting for his hearing grinned as he realized Resiles was getting away with the escape. A judge ducks behind his desk. What the camera doesn't show is how Resiles leaps from a jury box somehow free of his shackles and runs from the courtroom. He sheds his striped jail uniform and handcuffs in the hallway and makes it down four flights of stairs, where a getaway car with accomplices is waiting for him. Dayonte Resiles, who is charged with murder, dashed down four flights of stairs and ran through an emergency exit, where accomplices where waiting for him with a car Resiles (pictured) was off-camera when he made his run from the courtroom, but is seen here in his jail mugshot and during another court appearance Here Resiles is seen walking into the courtroom at the head of the inmates. He appears to be handcuffed and shackled, but later it was discovered he had a key to unchain himself Resiles was captured six days later after a manhunt involving more than 200 officers from eight law-enforcement agencies, the Sun-Sentinel reported. An investigation later revealed he had some eight accomplices and was able to unlock his chains with a key. Resiles is charged with the 2014 stabbing death of Jill Halliburton Su at her home in Davie. Resiles is charged with the 2014 stabbing death of Jill Halliburton Su (pictured) at her home Ethnic minority pupils are more likely to be predicted to get over-generous A-level grades because teachers are under pressure to help increase diversity at universities, experts suggest. Statistics from the universities admissions service show sixth-formers are much more likely to get inflated predicted grades if they are Asian, black, mixed race or of another ethnic minority. Those from disadvantaged families also have a higher chance of being predicted grades they cannot actually achieve. Predicted grades are decided by teachers and submitted as part of a pupils university application to help admissions tutors decide whether to offer a place. The figures, released today by Ucas, suggest the level of optimism teachers employ when they are predicting grades varies depending on a pupils socio-economic background. Experts say the trend could reflect political pressure from the Government to get more ethnic minority and disadvantaged students into universities. Alan Smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: Teachers want to do their best for pupils and this inclines them to be over-optimistic about the A-level grades that will be achieved. They are under continual pressure from the Government to boost the chances of the disadvantaged and the ethnic minorities and so are likely to be especially rose-tinted here. Schools know that the Government is keen to hold them to account for the destinations of their pupils and so they will do everything they can to get them into the best universities. Last year 51 per cent of white applicants missed their predicted grades by two or more grades making them the least likely group to do so. Black applicants were the most likely, with 68 per cent missing by two or more grades. This is true even when other factors such as GCSE attainment are taken into account, Ucas said. Compared to white applicants, black applicants were 33 per cent more likely to miss their predicted attainment. Applicants from Asian and mixed race and other ethnic groups were, respectively, 15 per cent, 5 per cent and 24 per cent more likely to miss their predicted attainment than white applicants. Similarly, 59 per cent of the most disadvantaged applicants missed their predicted attainment by two or more grades, compared to 48 per cent of the most advantaged. The Government has said all universities will be forced to release diversity data to shine a light on those failing to recruit enough poor students and those from ethnic minorities. Schools have also been accused of failing poorer pupils and not putting enough effort into helping them get to university. The Ucas figures come weeks before teenagers receive their A-level results. Most pupils find themselves in detention for disruptive or bad behaviour. But those who went to school with Harry Potter actress Emma Watson faced the risk of staying behind after class if they dared to talk to her. The revelation came to light yesterday after a former pupil revealed students were banned from approaching the star if they saw her walking through the corridors. Anyone who dared to break the rule, put in place to make Miss Watson feel like everyone else, was punished. Miss Watson, now 26, played Hermione Grainger in the Harry Potter films but when not in front of a camera she attended the exclusive 30,000-a-year Headington School, in Oxford Miss Watson, now 26, played Hermione Grainger in the Harry Potter films but when not in front of a camera she attended the exclusive 30,000-a-year Headington School, in Oxford. And while students may have noted her success, if they were not friends with Miss Watson they were warned not congratulate her or ask for an autograph. Parents of pupils at the all-girls school were told their daughters could be issued with penalty points, which would result in detention if students racked up three of them. An ex-pupil, who was in year seven when Emma was in year ten, spoke of her special treatment. She said: She was filming a lot when she was at the school so she wasnt there a lot, but when she was back, no one was allowed to speak to her, unless you already knew her as a friend. I think the school did it to make her feel like everyone else. I guess no one ever tried to speak to her, we just saw her around every now and then. Parents of pupils at the all-girls school were told their daughters could be issued with penalty points, which would result in detention if students racked up three of them The threat of punishment was effective, according to one pupil who said: I guess we all just did what we were told. Another pupil, Lydia, said: Nobody ever dared to ask her for an autograph. I remember being told about it quite formally, and was really scared of getting a penalty point. At the time it would have been so embarrassing. Former pupils of the school were interviewed by The Tab, a student newspaper earlier this week and admitted many Headingtonians chanced a meeting with Miss Watson. Fionnuala Gregan said: I once leant back on a cafeteria bench and my back touched hers, whilst Zoe Wilks was asked by the star, Is this the back of the pasta queue? Another graduate, who gave her name only as Lucy, said that there was also a ban on talking about Harry Potter around Emma. When they joined the school, girls were sat down by the Head of Lower School who warned them they would be reprimanded if they approached the star. Speaking to student newspaper The Tab Lucy said: Of course if you were friends with her you could speak to her, but no one was allowed to go up and ask for an autograph or anything. Miss Watson is now worth 35million and following the 2011 end of the Harry Potter film franchise, based on the bestselling books by JK Rowling, she has chosen to focus on studying and her work as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Flash Beijing and Moscow have agreed that they will "proactively consider strengthening bilateral coordinating measures" to tackle the threat posed by the US and the Republic of Korea's plan to deploy a powerful antimissile system on the Korean Peninsula. The consensus was reached during the fourth China-Russia Northeast Asia security consultation in Mosow on Thursday, according to a news release of the Foreign Ministry on Friday. Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov co-chaired the meeting. Prior to the meeting, China had expressed strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to the THAAD deployment in ROK territory as it damaged China's security interests and broke the strategic balance in the region, while Russia indicated a military response by deploying a missile unit in the Far Eastern region. At the meeting, both sides voiced "serious concerns" over the advancing plan of deploying the THAAD antimissile system in the ROK. The two countries agreed that the US unilaterally developing and deploying strategic antimissile systems "is not a constructive action" and will "exert negative influence upon the strategic balance, security and stability in the world and in the region". China and Russia agreed that a necessary condition for denuclearizing the peninsula is to lower the military and political tension there. Efforts that will lower such tension include downsizing the scale of military drills taking place in this region as well as building an atmosphere of mutual trust among the parties concerned. They also urged both the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to resume dialogues to achieve inter-Korean reconciliation and create a sound environment for development on the Korean Peninsula. Earlier this month, Seoul and Washington announced the agreement to install one THAAD battery in Seongju, a county some 250 km southeast of the ROK capital city, by the end of next year, as one way to counter the nuclear and missile threats posed by the DPRK. At the end of a pre-release screening of an award-winning film about the Aids epidemic in San Francisco in the 1980s, there was a stunned silence. It was only broken by a few muffled sobs. The movie, We Were Here, featured the stories of people who watched their friends and lovers suffer agonising deaths. They had contracted Aids after being infected by the HIV virus. In total, about half of the Californian citys gay male population were infected and more than 19,000 died by the end of 2009. The movie, We Were Here, featured the stories of people who watched their friends and lovers suffer agonising deaths Organised by the Terrence Higgins Trust, the first charity set up in Britain in response to HIV, those in the London audience for the screening were mainly 20 and 30-something gay men Organised by the Terrence Higgins Trust, the first charity set up in Britain in response to HIV, those in the London audience for the screening were mainly 20 and 30-something gay men. During a discussion afterwards, they were asked how many practised safe-sex. Fewer than half said they did. This was deeply shocking. Had they not learnt the lessons of that terrible time in the 1980s when a mixture of naivete and irresponsible risk-taking led to so many Aids-related deaths among the gay community? Thankfully, the development of antiretroviral drugs since the 1980s has led to a dramatic fall in the number of Aids deaths. But, most worryingly, it has created a reckless mindset among many gay people that makes them think that they can indulge in any kind of sexual behaviour and without putting their health at risk. One of the effects of this is that, increasingly, they are indulging in unprotected sex and then expecting the NHS to prescribe them a drug that is designed to prevent them from getting HIV. This week, their demands were endorsed by a highly-controversial decision by a High Court judge who ordered health officials to provide daily pills to gays who have unprotected sex at a cost to taxpayers of up to 20million a year. Like many, I am deeply worried that not only will this encourage gay men to have more unprotected sex with multiple partners and risk leading to higher rates of HIV (since the drug, called PrEP, is only 90 per cent effective), but also that it represents a skewing of values in our national health service. During a discussion after the movie (pictured), viewers were asked how many practised safe-sex. Fewer than half said they did, which was deeply shocking, writes Andrew Pierce For, at the same time, vital cataract surgery is being rationed. To put it bluntly: gays are being given scarce taxpayer-funded NHS resources for a lifestyle drug which could encourage sexual risk-taking when those suffering from cataracts, sick children and cancer-sufferers face rationing of their treatments. I believe it was morally wrong for the High Court to favour healthy gay men making a lifestyle choice over others who are already sick and who have no choice at all. Cataract surgery, which costs 800 per operation, can avert debilitating loss of sight and is being denied to a huge number of people. The majority of sufferers, of course, are older people who have paid taxes all their working lives and deserve to be looked after by the NHS. At the other end of the life-scale, cystic fibrosis affects one in every 2,500 new-born babies. As they grow older, these children face the chance that they might be refused a drug which helps them to breathe. Of course, over recent years, we have watched as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the health rationing body, has controversially refused NHS patients access to proven new treatments on cost grounds. Thankfully, the development of antiretroviral drugs since the 1980s (pictured, in movie We Were There) has led to a dramatic fall in the number of Aids deaths Cancer-sufferers have been denied drugs which would have prolonged their lives - much to the fury of oncologists who have despaired at what they have considered to be the Stalinist bureaucracy of the NHS. But such decisions were made simply on the basis of cost. Now, in the case of this gay lifestyle drug, the High Court decision was based on the principle that NHS England had erred in arguing it was not in fact their responsibility to look after preventative health. Naturally, Mr Justice Greens ruling has been welcomed by many gays. But the fact is that the NHS is under huge financial constraints because of a rapidly growing and ageing population. Every pound spent on PrEP will mean that resources have to be diverted from other areas, such as the supply of prosthetic knees for amputees. Significantly, gays wanting the drug in the US have to pay for it themselves. And in any case, it would not be needed if people used condoms for safe sex and these are already distributed for free on the NHS. But, worryingly, it has created a reckless mindset among many gay people that makes them think that they can indulge in any kind of sexual behaviour without putting their health at risk As a young gay man in the 1980s, I knew that if you contracted HIV, it was probably a death sentence. The message was driven home by the Thatcher government, which authorised a doom-laden TV advertising campaign with a voice-over by the actor John Hurt, who said: Aids is a deadly disease with no known cure. But no longer. Advances in medicine mean that HIV-sufferers, still predominately gay men, can live for decades if not a full life-span. One of the consequences of this is that many gays under the age of 40 think the disease will never affect them. How dangerously wrong they are. In 2014, an estimated 45,000 gay men in the UK had HIV. More specifically, roughly, one in 20 of gays aged 15-44 have the virus and the number who were newly-diagnosed with HIV in 2014 was 3,360, compared with 2,860 in 2010. These figures could be higher as many may not have declared themselves to health authorities. Whats more, there is a big worry that HIV might mutate so that antiretroviral drugs are ineffective. Also, other sexually-transmitted diseases might spread, for which PrEP offers no protection. Of course, this, in turn, would put further pressure on NHS budgets. What happened to personal responsibility? A High Court judge this week ordered health officials to provide daily pills to gays who have unprotected sex at a cost to taxpayers of up to 20million a year. File image Im afraid the truth is that those gays clamouring for free PrEP do so because they want to have risky, unprotective sex. Of course, some more militant gays will argue that in a free country, they are entitled to take risks with their own lives. True, but not at the cost of others whose health problems are not self-inflicted. Taking responsibility and wearing a condom is as simple a protective measure as abstaining from alcohol while driving, wearing a seat-belt or having a flu-jab. The truth is that sex without a condom outside monogamous relationships is a high-risk activity for men and women, regardless of their sexual orientation. That is why, like everybody else, gay men must be much more sexually responsible. Gay equality has been a wonderful liberating experience. But lets not continue to shirk our side of the bargain. The breathtaking moment an adult humpback whale reached out with its flipper to wave back at a diver has been captured on GoPro. Leif Tweedie was freediving with his partner, Kirsten Everett, off the northern end of the Central Coast when he came face to face with the whale. In what he described as a 'majestic' encounter, the 40-tonne, 16-metre-long mammal stretched out its pectoral fin, covered in barnacles, and waved through the water. A Central Coast freediver has captured the breathtaking moment a humpback whale waved back at him Leif Tweedie was freediving with his partner when the female whale spotted them from afar It swam directly towards them before 'gently' pulling up to a vertical standstill and waving 'hello' 'It was like she could sense that I wanted her to copy my hand movements, she did exactly that,' Mr Tweedie told Daily Mail Australia. 'She had the presence of an underwater angel and the eye of extreme intelligence.' Mr Tweedie said the second he spotted the whale he felt an instant connection. The female humpback, which he described as a 'peacekeeper of the sea,' swam directly towards him before gently pulling up to a complete vertical standstill. 'We became mates conversing in the deep for some time ... (but) then it was time to go back home to two very different worlds,' Mr Tweedie explained. 'We'll be on a cloud for the rest of life after this one.' 'It was like she could sense that I wanted her to copy my hand movements,' said Mr Tweedie Mr Tweedie said the second he spotted the whale he felt an instant connection The university student described the humpback as a 'giant and peacekeeper of the sea' The university student also stressed the importance of work done by conservation group Sea Shepherd Australia. The non-profit organisation aims to raise awareness for habitat and wildlife loss in the ocean, and conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Whale experts have long warned divers to be cautious interacting with humpbacks, as they can be aggressive and bad-tempered if approached at a poor time. Mr Tweedie was with his partner Kirsten Everett (pictured freediving together), off the northern end of the Central Coast when they spotted the whale The multi-million pound payouts for bosses and blue-chip firms selling UK tech company ARM Holdings to the Japanese were laid bare yesterday. The microchip designer is being taken over by SoftBank, which is run by Japans second richest man, in a 24billion deal. ARM is one of Britains biggest technology success stories, with its designs found in 95 per cent of all smartphones. Microchip designer ARM is being taken over by SoftBank, which is run by Japans second richest man, in a 24billion deal The firm based in Cambridge is also considered to be at the forefront of the internet of things, whereby devices can communicate with each other. ARM directors are set to pick up as much as 59million from the deal, while PR firms will pocket 6million. Some of the blue-chip firms that will benefit were recently shamed for their role in the collapse of BHS. And the deal could be pushed through in just over a month, it emerged yesterday. Concerns have also emerged over the track record of ARMs chairman Stuart Chambers. With him at the helm, landmark British firm Pilkington Glass saw its sites shut and hundreds of jobs lost after it was sold to Japanese buyers. Masayoshi Son (left), CEO of SoftBank, and Stuart Chambers, chairman of ARM Documents outlining the ARM takeover revealed investment bank Goldman Sachs informal advisers to Sir Philip Green when he sold off BHS and financial firms Lazard and UBS will pocket 51.2million between them for providing advice. Meanwhile, SoftBanks financial advice from companies such as Robey Warshaw, The Raine Group, and Mizuho will cost up to 276million. PR firms Brunswick and Finsbury, founded by Remain campaigner Roland Rudd, will get 6million, while lawyers will receive 14.5million. The Government will pocket 120million in stamp duty. ARM bosses will also receive millions for their role. Chief executive Simon Segars, 48, will be handed 24.5million, while Mr Chambers, 60, who negotiated the sell-off while on a sailing holiday in Turkey, will get 680,000. Stefan Stern, from the High Pay Centre think-tank, said: Advisers love mergers and acquisitions, and from their perspective the bigger the better. In an attempt to allay fears that it could strip ARM and move its business abroad, the Japanese firm has made a series of legally binding promises the first under rules drawn up last year. The deal with Japanese company SoftBank could be pushed through in just a month They include to double ARMs number of UK employees within five years and keep headquarters in Cambridge for at least five years. However, these guarantees have not been tested in court. Consultancy firm Grant Thornton has been appointed by SoftBank to monitor the obligations, and it could report any breaches to regulator the Takeover Panel. In turn, regulators could enforce the promises in the High Court. Chief executive Simon Segars, 48, will be handed 24.5million However, judges have never done this before. And there are question marks over Grant Thorntons role after the firm acted as advisers in the sale of BHS. Former Lib Dem business secretary Sir Vince Cable said: At first sight this is a good detailed set of commitments but it doesnt deal with the underlying concern over the long term that tech expertise could gradually leak away from ARM and that SoftBank may come under the control of people who lack the commitment of [its owner] Masayoshi Son. The Takeover Panel as far as I know have never enforced an agreement of this kind before and until they do we dont know how effective they will be. Shareholders will vote on the buy-up of ARM by August 30, and if approved it will be removed from the London Stock Exchange by September 5 33 days from the date offer documents were published. This is the horrifying moment a gang in Paris hurled Molotov cocktails onto a bus, torching the vehicle during a riot against 'police racism'. The masked men, who were protesting against supposed 'police racism', stopped the 170 bus in the troubled northern suburb of Saint-Denis last week. The bus was brought to a halt after the gang members blocked the road with bins before they started chucking bricks through its windows. Frightening footage shows the men throwing Molotov cocktails under and onto the bus, sparking a raging inferno. Scroll down for video This is the horrifying moment a gang in Paris hurled Molotov cocktails onto a bus, setting the vehicle on fire and destroying it The bus was brought to a halt after the gang members blocked the road with bins before they started chucking bricks through its windows The riot was linked to widespread anger in the largely immigrant community following the death of a 24-year-old man in police custody. Police said 15 passengers escaped before the fire took hold, along with the bus driver. All were said to be shaken but otherwise unhurt'. The violence was linked to protests against the police that have been going on for a number of days,' a police spokesman said. The attack, in the early hours of July 28, left the bus a smoking wreck, with firemen dousing the flames with three water cannons. The wreckage was removed at around 4am that morning. The police spokesman said that contrary to some reports there was no terrorist or Islamist link to the attack whatsoever. He said there was no evidence that religious slogans had been shouted out by the bus attackers. The masked men, who were protesting against 'police racism', stopped the 170 bus in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis last week Frightening footage shows the men throwing Molotov cocktails under and onto the bus, sparking a raging inferno Instead, it was carried out by youths protesting following the death of Adama Traore, who died in the commuter town of Beaumont-sur-Oise, 20 miles north of Paris, on July 19. The apparently fit and healthy 24-year-old was initially said to have died from asphyxia while in a police cell. Officers backed up by medical experts have meanwhile insisted that he had a weak heart, and the confusion has led to protests all over France. An Internet campaign has been organised using the #BlackLivesMatter hastag, and there have been nightly disturbances in the suburbs of major cities. Police said 15 passengers escaped before the fire took hold, along with the bus driver. All were said to be shaken but otherwise unhurt' The attack, in the early hours of July 28, left the bus a smoking wreck, with firemen dousing the flames with three water cannons The riots followed the death of Adama Traore, 24, who died in police custody last week France is currently under a state of emergency following terrorist attacks across the country over the past year-and-a-half that have left some 250 dead. The worst atrocity happened in Paris, where soldiers and police have been patrolling the streets constantly. Referring to the bus attack, local mayor Didier Paillard said: This act of premeditated vandalism, the consequences of which could have been tragic, follows an attempted homicide on a worker by a Molotov cocktail on July 22 and buildings being looted. Buses are frequently attacked by political protesters in France, as are bus shelters. Passengers on a Qantas flight to Dubai that was forced to turn back to Sydney due to an on-board emergency will fly out again on Thursday morning. The QF1 flight had been going an hour on Wednesday afternoon when a cabin temperature warning light came on prompting the captain to make the call to return to Sydney. Qantas said engineers inspected the aircraft and fixed the fault overnight, but passengers have lamented the delay to their travel plans. A Qantas flight to Dubai that was forced to turn back to Sydney due to an on-board emergency on Wednesday (stock image) 'Unfortunately I was on this flight and means I'll miss the first game at West Ham,' Cornelius Sullivan wrote on Facebook. The Airbus A380 flew out on Thursday morning with fewer passengers after others had arranged other flights. Passengers wrote on Facebook that there was 16 people in business class and 80 in economy on the flight. The plane was forced to turn back on Wednesday at about 5pm after the cabin's heating systems registered an error. The QF1 flight had been going an hour on Wednesday afternoon when a cabin temperature warning light came on A Qantas spokesman said it was more practical to return to Sydney, as opposed to another Australian airport, because that's where a lot of the airline's A380 maintenance occurred. It comes after two Australians were reported to be among those on board an Emirates flight that crashed and exploded at Dubai airport on Wednesday night. Passengers took to social media to air their disappointment and praise Qantas staff All 300 passengers and crew were evacuated from the gutted Boeing 777-300 after the plane out of India smashed onto the runway, killing one firefighter and bringing the world's busiest international airport to a halt for several hours. DFAT issued a statement on Thursday morning saying authorities were working to determine the whereabouts of the Australians after 14 people were hospitalised. If this affair were not so tawdry, it would almost be comical to witness the scramble to erase names from David Camerons resignation honours list. First, doubts are raised over his proposal to award a peerage to Michael Spencer, the billionaire Tory donor and ex-party treasurer whose City firm was embroiled in the Libor rate-rigging scandal. Next, Ian Taylor, the EU Remain campaign donor whose oil company has also been mired in scandal, says he doesnt want his name to go forward. Doubts are raised over Cameron's proposal to award a peerage to Michael Spencer (pictured together), the billionaire Tory donor and ex-party treasurer, a peerage Now it seems at least some of the four Cabinet ministers tipped for knighthoods will remain plain Misters after their surprise survival in Theresa Mays team. To cap it all, Labour is pressing its activist Will Straw, 36, who led the failed Britain Stronger in Europe group, to refuse the CBE for which Mr Cameron mysteriously saw fit to recommend him. What a telling reflection on a debased system that honours have come to be seen as badges of shame. Meanwhile, the House of Lords has become an embarrassment. Stuffed to the gunwales with cronies and dodgy donors, it is already the worlds largest legislative chamber outside China. As the Mail pointed out on Tuesday, Mrs May has a huge amount on her plate. But after decades on the back burner, how much longer can reform of the Lords and discredited honours be delayed? A toothless watchdog Rip-off energy suppliers will be whooping over regulator Ofgems frankly pathetic response to last months report by the competition watchdog, which found two thirds of households pay too much for their gas and electricity. Yes, the planned price cap on prepayment meters is welcome as far as it goes. But even this will save only 75 to 80 a year for four million consumers who are charged on average 220 more than those on the cheapest deals. As for Ofgems pledge to encourage disengaged customers to shop around for better bargains, urging people to switch is easy enough. But for many particularly the elderly and those unused to computers the process of switching will remain as daunting as ever. Chloe Green and former BHS owner Sir Phillip Green at the Cash & Rocket charity tour gala launch dinner in 2015 Indeed, it will be complicated further when the regulator allows firms to introduce unlimited numbers of tariffs. To make things worse, price comparison websites are expected to get the green light to go on pushing deals from suppliers that pay them the best commissions. Ofgem was established to protect consumers. On present evidence, it is letting them down badly. Who stands to gain? Days after being named and shamed over their role in Sir Shiftys BHS scandal, City giants Goldman Sachs and Grant Thornton are in for a bumper payday from another highly questionable deal. This paper has expressed grave reservations about the proposed sale to a Japanese firm of ARM, the Cambridge-based silicon chip designer. Indeed, it is extraordinary that the disposal of this strategically vital national asset is being rushed through without parliamentary scrutiny (can it be coincidence that the sale is being held during Westminsters summer recess?) Increasing our unease further, it emerges that those two firms attacked by MPs over their role in the BHS sellout are to share in a fees bonanza from the ARM deal, while directors of the technology company could rake in up to 60million. It is clear enough whose interests will be served if this deal goes through. But who is looking after Britains? Advertisement Hundreds of mourners including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have packed a Sydney chapel for the funeral of teenager Stuart Kelly after he took his own life last week. The 18-year-old's funeral was held at The King's School in Sydney on Thursday - the same place where his older brother Thomas was farewelled four years ago after he was killed in a one-punch attack in Kings Cross. Stuart's parents, Ralph and Kathy, and his sister Madeleine were emotional as they spoke of their love for the 'happy and loveable boy' and the harrowing pain of losing another child. 'There are no words possible... And the pain will never go away,' Mrs Kelly told the crowd of mourners. Scroll down for video Stuart Kelly's mother Kathy and his sister Madeleine kissed the 18-year-old's coffin after his funeral in Sydney on Thursday Stuart's coffin was carried from the King's School chapel by six of his close friends on Thursday Hundreds of mourners packed the chapel at The Kings School in Sydney's west to farewell the teenager Before he took his own life on July 25, Stuart had been subjected to relentless bullying from trolls over his family's campaign against alcohol-fuelled violence after Thomas' death His sister Madeleine had tears running down her face as she spoke of her younger brother, and how he had grown in recent years. 'Even though you were my little brother, I began to look at you in awe. 'You were taller than me, bigger than me, funnier than me and sometimes even more mature than me and always took life head on 'Having you around made my life a little easier to breathe... My little brother always picked up the pieces,' she said. Madeleine said she sought some comfort in the fact that Stuart and Thomas were together once again in heaven. 'Both of my brothers, my best friends. I will always love you. Look after each other.' His father Ralph recalled how Stuart could light up a room with his smile., saying 'he had this uncanny ability to change the mood in a room almost immediately.' The distraught father also recalled his son's love of sport, and his passion for the Parrmatta Eels, declaring every year would be 'their year'. He then read a poem his youngest son wrote last year, titled 'Man in the Mirror'. Mr Kelly broke down as he finished speaking, saying: 'My little mate, I love you.' His best friend of 14 years, Gareth Maples, spoke fondly of their childhood and recalled Stuart's many nicknames - Stewbanger, Stewbanger and mash, and his favourite, Beef Stew. Stuart's parents, Ralph and Kathy, and his sister Madeleine were emotional as they spoke of their love for the 'happy and loveable boy' and the harrowing pain of losing another child Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull consoled Stuart Kelly's mother Kathy following the funeral service Stuart was remembered by his mum Kathy (pictured) as a brave, cheeky young man with a passion for sport and a deep love for his family His parents Ralph and Kathy hugged their daughter Madeleine following Stuart's funeral 'The relationship I shared with Stuart was a relationship I shared with no other,' he said. The young man remembered Stuart as incredibly resilient. 'When the odds were stacked against him he would go again,' Mr Maples said. Before he took his own life on July 25, Stuart had been subjected to relentless bullying from trolls over his family's campaign against alcohol-fuelled violence after Thomas' death. Thomas tragically died after he was punched randomly as he walked down the street with his girlfriend in Kings Cross in 2012. Among the mourners at the funeral were Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy, NSW Premier Mike Baird, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burns and burns survivor Turia Pitt. Stuart's coffin was carried from the chapel by six of his close friends. Outside the chapel, Mrs Kelly and her daughter were embraced by the Prime Minister and his wife. Stuart Kelly's parents Ralph and Kathy and his sister Madeleine arrived at the the 18-year-old's funeral at The King's School chapel in western Sydney on Thursday Stuart Kelly's sister Madeleine was comforted outside the chapel in Sydney as she arrived for her brother's funeral. Her older brother Thomas was killed in 2012 Among the mourners at the funeral is Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left) and NSW Premier Mike Baird (right) Burns survivor Turia Pitt and her fiance Michael Hoskin attended Stuart's funeral on Thursday Hundreds of mourners including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have gathered in Sydney for the funeral teenager Stuart Kelly after he took his own life last week Stuart Kelly's funeral was held at The King's School chapel in western Sydney - the same place where his older brother Thomas was farewelled four years ago Stuart's parents Ralph and Kathy Kelly (pictured arriving at the church) delivered the eulogy for their youngest son Students from the King's School in Sydney's west attended Stuart's funeral dressed in their school uniforms His father last week posted a tribute to his youngest son writing: 'The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained'. In a death notice for Stuart his parents wrote: 'You lived a very special life and brought us all so much joy and happiness. 'You showed extraordinary strength, courage and hope. 'We will miss you forever our darling Stuart, together in peace with your beautiful brother Thomas. After Thomas was killed by a single punch, Stuart and his family launched a foundation to campaign for tougher rules on alcohol-fuelled violence. He enrolled at St Paul's College at the University of Sydney to study marine biology but left in February after just one night because he was unable to adjust. The man responsible for Thomas' death, Kieran Loveridge, is currently serving 10 years for manslaughter over the one-punch attack. Stuart took his own life on July 25 after relentless bullying from trolls over his family's campaign against alcohol-fuelled violence and NSW's controversial lock-out laws Thomas tragically died after he was punched randomly as he walked down the street with his girlfriend in Kings Cross in 2012 Scientists have discovered that our spinal discs have a 24-hour body clock that can cause debilitating pain If you want to avoid a bad back, try getting a good nights sleep. Scientists have discovered that our spinal discs have a 24-hour body clock that can cause debilitating pain when it gets out of synch. More than 80 per cent of Britons suffer from back pain during their lives and the finding suggests nightshift workers could be particularly prone. It also suggests painkillers may be more effective at certain times of the day. The body clock or circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle in the physiological processes of humans, animals and plants. Previous research has linked problems with the cycle to cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity but this is the first to show a connection to back pain. Ageing and inflammation are major causes of disc degeneration and lower back pain and the study found both cause body-clock malfunction. The researchers said getting a good nights sleep would protect the body clock and help to avoid disc problems later in life. Avoiding night shifts or working fixed hours rather than a flexible rota will also help. Dr Qing-Jun Meng, of Manchester University, said: Its been known for years that, as a consequence of the daily activity and resting cycle, we are taller in the mornings by up to 2cm more than when we go to bed. More than 80 per cent of Britons suffer from back pain during their lives and the finding suggests nightshift workers could be particularly prone. File image The discovery of body clocks in the disc may go some way to explain for the first time the science behind this rhythmic physiology of the spine. Our research shows this system is regulated by our internal body clock and when the body clock ceases to work properly during ageing or in shift workers, lower back pain is more likely. Looking after your body clock will help manage or delay the onset of your back pain. The research, reported in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, found a 24-hour body clock in the disc tissue of mice and in human disc cells. FOUND: THE SNOOZE SWITCH The end to restless nights could be in sight after the discovery of a switch in the brain that triggers sleep. Oxford University researchers claim it is set off by falling levels of chemical dopamine, which is known to keep people awake. The breakthrough could be used to help treat sleep disorders such as insomnia. The team studied fruit flies thought to have the same sleep-control neurons as humans and found that, when they stopped dopamine delivery and waited, the sleep-control neuron flipped and the fly went to sleep. Advertisement Professor Judith Hoyland said: If you remove the body clock from cells in the disc in mice, within six months degeneration is very noticeable and the disc is thinner by 20 to 30 per cent. Within 12 months we found evidence of fibrosis the thickening and scarring of connective tissue prevalent in human degenerative discs. This accelerated ageing of the disc in a clockless model indicates having a robust body clock will help slow down spinal ageing and associated spinal diseases. Dr Natalie Carter, of Arthritis Research UK, which funded the study, said: This research is a significant breakthrough in our understanding of lower back pain. Many people find that their symptoms get worse at certain times of the day and the results of this study reveal a likely biological basis to this effect. Living in pain, day in and day out, can have a devastating impact on peoples lives, affecting their independence, mobility and ability to stay in work. The shocking moment an Indiana woman was told to leave a store because she was wearing a niqab has been captured on camera. Sarah Safi, 32, started recording the incident on her cell phone, after she entered a Family Dollar store in Gary, Indiana, and was almost immediately asked to leave on Monday. The video, which was posted by Vision Islam, starts with Safi being heard saying, 'you're telling me I have to leave this store?' Scroll down for video Sarah Safi (pictured) was asked to leave a store because she would not take of her niqab The manager, who said her name was Jaime, is then heard replying: 'Yes ma'am, if you can't remove that from your face I need you to leave the store.' Safi, who lived most of her life in Texas before moving to Indiana, is then heard telling the manager she is wearing a 'religious garment', before the clerk says, 'I understand, but you have to understand this is a high crime area where we get robbed a lot.' 'I'm the manager, and I'm telling you to leave my store,' she continued. After Safi asks the clerk's name before leaving, Jaime repeatedly tells the woman - who she is asking to leave the store over an item of clothing she is wearing due to her religious beliefs - to 'have a blessed day'. Sarah Safi started recording the incident on her cell phone, after she entered a Family Dollar store and was almost immediately asked to leave by a woman behind the counter (right) 'This is a country where we have freedom of religion and freedom of speech,' Safi said as she left, while the clerk threatened to 'have the cops remove' her. Safi later told ABC 7 News she was 'really saddened' by the incident. 'I was born here, raised here all my life and I've never been to an establishment and been treated like this,' she said. 'I'm the manager, and I'm telling you to leave my store,' the clerk (left) said, before saying the store was located in a 'high crime area' Family Dollar says the store is owned by Dollar Express. Dollar Express hasn't responded to a request for comment 'I would like to sit with her and speak to her about what I believe in, because maybe if she heard and really listened to what I believe it I would open her heart.' An employee at the store where the incident took place declined to comment Wednesday. Shoppers who steal groceries by not scanning them at supermarket self-service checkouts now have a name - they're called 'swipers'. A staggering 33 per cent of customers regularly steal through the do-it-yourself checkout area, with fruit and vegetables and breads highest on the list for 'swipers'. Self-service at supermarkets first came into vogue in 1992 and despite rising instances of theft, Australian National University criminologist, Dr Emmeline Taylor, says many more will come on line. 'The swiper is a new breed of shoplifter, they're not the typical thieves of the past who were targeting high-value fast-moving items, like batteries and razor blades, these shoppers are about manipulating the machine,' Dr Taylor told Daily Mail Australia. Many people admit selecting from the menu a less expensive item within a similar grocery category, Dr Taylor said. 'Cooking tomatoes are often much cheaper by weight than vine tomatoes and peanuts are cheaper than pine nuts.' Customers who steal items through self-service checkouts at supermarkets by failing to scan groceries have been dubbed 'swipers' by a leading university criminologist. Dr Emmeline Taylor's research found up to 33 per cent of customers admit to have 'regularly stolen' items 'They are more likely to scan the vine tomatoes as loose tomatoes - they are not interested about putting things down their pants, in their pockets and jackets.' It's predicted that the number of terminals installed globally will increase from 191,000 in 2013 to reach nearly 325,000 by 2019. In her citation termed 'Supermarket self-checkouts and retail theft: The curious case of the SWIPERS', Dr Taylor says the retailer has transferred responsibility for the checkout process to the customer. Dr Emmeline Taylor is a criminologist from the Australian National University who has reported on 'swiping' at supermarkets 'Shrinkage', the cost of people stealing including the 'swiping' at do-it-yourself checkouts, costs the retail industry an estimated $US119 billion each year. Dr Taylor added that stores have 'relinquished control at the most crucial point of the shopping experience, point of sale'. She said her research showed that for every $100 spent at the checkout manned by an operator it cost supermarkets about $1. 'Wal-Mart (in the US) estimates it could save $12 million for every second it can cut from the staffed checkout process.' An anonymous online survey in the UK which she examined revealed that one in three people admitted taking items without paying the right price. 'So some swipers are ideological and say they steal because they (the supermarkets) are big corporations who have made everyone redundant, and they rip off farmers,' she added. Her report states: 'Supermarkets may tolerate a higher threshold of theft in order to make savings on staff.' 'Shrinkage' caused by all types of theft including 'swipers' costs the retail industry an estimated $US119 billion annually 'It's what is called discount theft - psychologically to them it's beating the system,' Dr Taylor added. 'People can sometimes do this accidentally, and once they got home they realise they have not paid for the goods and start thinking 'how easy was that?' 'Individuals can steal up to 95 times before they are ever apprehended.' Retailers are hamstrung, she said, because they know that the machines can be faulty and customers 'are not professional check out people'. 'They have the excuses ready to roll off the tongue and the self service checkout assistants are more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt.' For others, swiping is simply 'gamification'. 'That's what we call it, it's gamification of a boring routine, something thing you have to do and so you get a kick out of it. WHAT IS 'SWIPING' AT SUPERMARKETS? Overall, low risk, ease of explaining minor thefts, the gamification of beating the machine and the seductive quality of getting a 'bargain' or flirting with transgression all contribute to the elevated level of theft at the self-service checkout (SCO). 'Swiping' has become so overt a topic, capturing the imagination of individuals from comedians to newspaper editors to film makers, that it now teeters on the edge of moral acceptability. This is a matter of concern. Dr Taylor said an online UK survey found almost a third of people dmitted to stealing when using a self-scanning lane Rebranding stealing as 'cheating' may remove its stigma to the extent that patrons could perceive theft via the SCO as minor, harmless fun, an appropriate alleviation of their frustrations with the machine or even compensation for a problematic transaction. It is in danger of becoming a routinized, almost playful, activity for some illegal yes, but not deviant. The SWIPERS could be perpetuating a shoplifting culture that justifies and normalizes aberrant customer behaviour and theft. While it appears that retailers will tolerate a certain amount of theft so long as their bottom line remains favourable, there is the risk that, once normative and habitual, this behaviour will disperse into other consumer-oriented payment systems. Supermarket self-checkouts and retail theft: The curious case of the SWIPERS (Dr Emmeline Taylor - Australian National University Criminologist) Advertisement 'Whereas others justify being a swiper because they may have had difficulty doing it, were waiting in line for a long time, had a fault with the system and became frustrated.' She said that retailers have to strike the balance with 'shrinkage', including where products are not paid for by customers against those taken by employees. 'It's actually more prevalent among employees than among customers,' she offered. Poll Have you ever helped yourself to something without paying at a self-serve checkout? Yes No Have you ever helped yourself to something without paying at a self-serve checkout? Yes 168 votes No 421 votes Now share your opinion 'One of the ways that this occurs is, say I work on a checkout and my uncle does his weekly shop and, well, then maybe I don't charge him the full amount? 'Retailers have realised they have to be more savvy, and are employing people within customer service so it removes a lot of these excuses, like the switching the past use-by date sticker onto another which is fresh.' Shoplifters are categorised as 'true pro' where theft is routine and the main source of income, while the 'hardcore pro' steals to generate money for drugs and alcohol. The so-called 'casual pro' steals items which are returned for a refund or sold on to generate extra cash), while an 'amateur' steals in order to extend the household budget, and the 'impulse' thief, who suffers a lapse in judgement or steals to satisfy a sudden craving for the item or to avoid an embarrassing transaction. Criminology professor from the University of Leicester, Adrian Beck, recently revealed his research which showed payment fraud cost Australian retailers more than $380 million in just the past year. Payment fraud cost Australian retailers more than $380 million in just the past year - fruit and vegetables, bakery goods, confectionery and toiletries are the most commonly taken items 'People are very good at neutralising their moral concerns when thinking about stealing things... and people can end up feeling they have a right to get their share of the corporate profits,' Professor Beck told Fairfax. Over the past year Professor Beck has worked with Walmart, Sainsbury and Tesco and other large retailers collating data by auditing over 1 million self-service baskets. One British retailer posted a loss of 3.97 per cent through the self-serve checkouts, compared to just 1.47 per cent losses from the shop floor. However, Professor Beck said there were ways for retailers to easily reduce the amount of stock they were losing - whether it be from people purposely stealing it or accidentally scanning items incorrectly. 'If you train your staff to be good retailers, the side effect of that is they also become very good at deterring people from stealing from your stores,' he told the publication. You are here: Home Flash Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday held talks with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith, vowing to further advance bilateral ties. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 3, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) Calling Laos "a close neighbor" of China, Wang said the two countries have always supported each other and enjoyed solid foundation of cooperation and broad prospect of development. China will firmly follow a friendly policy towards Laos and have full confidence in the future of bilateral ties, he said. He said China is willing to work with Laos to prepare for the attendance of Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit at the G20 Hangzhou Summit in September and better synergize the strategies of the two countries. Wang called for the early start of the construction of a railway between China and Laos and enhanced cooperation in areas including industrial parks, border trade, energy, infrastructure construction, law enforcement and people-to-people exchanges. Saleumxay said this year is of great importance in the history of bilateral relations as it marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Laos and China. He appreciated China's long-term assistance to Laos, saying his country is willing to work with China to implement consensus reached by the two presidents. Laos is the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year. Both Wang and Saleumxay agreed that the two countries need to hold a successful commemorative meeting marking the 25th anniversary of dialogue relationship between China and ASEAN this year. Wang said China has always taken the ASEAN as the priority of China's diplomacy with neighboring countries, adding that China supports ASEAN in playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs. A two week hearing is being conducted by the Royal A furniture removal crew was so shocked by pornography they found at an Anglican priest's home in NSW that they refused to go back to finish the job. Colvin Ford, former archdeacon of the Upper Hunter in the diocese of Newcastle, told a royal commission on Thursday a manager of a local furniture removal company rang him in 1998 to say distressing pornography had been found at the home of Peter Rushton, a senior priest in the diocese. Rev Ford said the manager Jim Jackson said 'our men are no angels but they were shocked by the material', which included magazines and videos depicting homosexual and child pornography. Priest Peter Rushton is the alleged head of a paedophile ring that used an anglican boys home in Newcastle to access and abuse boys Rev Ford reported the conversation to Bishop Roger Herft and had a meeting with him, a retired bishop and Rushton. Roger Herft is now Anglican Archbishop of Perth and will give evidence at the commission next week. Rev Ford said Bishop Herft asked him to get statements from the men who had seen the pornography. Mr Jackson got the statements and later told him the pornography was not child pornography but a fair quantity of 'male on male sexual material' and the men did not want to go back to Rushton's house. House of horrors: St Alban's Home for Boys was where Rushton and others allegedly sexually assaulted children Commissioners Robert Fitzgerald, Justice Peter McClellan and Bob Atkinson (left to right) arrive at the opening day of the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse Rev Ford described Rushton as a rude man who was known for his 'sharp tongue and gayness'. There were constant rumours in the Anglican community about him. He also said he felt that Rushton had the support of two men who were very powerful influences in the diocese - Graeme Lawrence, the dean of Newcastle Cathedral, and Archdeacon Bruce Hoare. Rev Ford also said he perceived that a 'gang of three' influential people, Lawrence, Hoare and Peter Mitchell a former register of the diocese voted as a block that had the effect of protecting Rushton. Chief Commissioner Peter McClellan said for some victims the impacts of abuse were so overwhelming it led to people 'taking their own lives' Rev Ford said Dean Lawrence once said to him about Rushton 'Look at him. He could not bonk anyone'. He said about a year after the incident another priest told him he had been asked by Rushton to destroy hundreds of videos. The priest said he had to use a 44-gallon drum to destroy the material which was child pornography. 'He told me that the covers of some of the videos depicted men and boys which I took to mean primary school age children,' Rev Ford said. The hearing into how the Anglican Church responded to allegations of child sex abuse in the Diocese of Newcastle continues before Justice Peter McClellan. Naomi Sharp, counsel assisting the Royal Commission, gives the opening address Ahmad Elomar, pictured with a bruised face, was released from Goulburn jail on Thursday - after the State Parole Authority ruled it was 'not satisfied' he had radical beliefs Ahmad Elomar, the brother of a notorious Islamic State terrorist, was freed by a parole board because it was 'not satisfied' by claims he had been radicalised. In the same judgment, the NSW Parole Authority revealed he had been disciplined over 12 incidents in his four years behind bars - including serious threats to the life of an officer. Elomar, 33, walked free from Goulburn jail on Thursday afternoon after the Supreme Court rejected a last minute bid to keep him in prison. Elomar was jailed in 2012 after brutally bashing a police officer with a wooden sign during the Hyde Park riots. 'Our dead are in paradise, your dead are in hell,' said the sign atop his weapon of choice. Elomar, a former champion boxer, served three years of a four year term for the assault. In granting his release, the parole authority noted his history of incidents in jail, but said his behaviour has improved recently and there has been an 'absence in violence in recent times'. The incidents while in prison included threatening the life of an officer in August 2013, fighting with other inmates in a stoush where 'chemicals were used to impose control', and being involved in an incident which 'seriously compromised security' in February and March last year. Scroll down for video Hyde Park rioter Ahmad Elomar (pictured) was jailed after brutally bashing a police officer. After serving more than 3 years behind bars, he walked free on Thursday Elomar did not say a word to reporters and spent some time wandering outside the prison on his own, without any friends or family The board was chaired by Justice Graham Barr and made up of four other members, Ms E. Mulvany, Ms C. McComish, Mr L. Walker and Mr H Baqaie. Justice Barr said: 'We are not satisfied that (Elomar) has radical beliefs, though we consider that if he remains where he is, he may be influenced by inmates who have.' AHMAD ELOMAR: LIFE BEHIND BARS The State Parole Authority said Elomar was 'dealt with' over 12 incidents during his years in prison. They included: Possessing a mobile phone Participating in inciting a disturbance Serious threats to an officer Fighting with other inmates leading to 'chemicals being used to impose control' Being involved in an incident 'which seriously compromised security' Intimidating prison staff Advertisement 'We also note that the offender is confined in the presence of inmates who may have radical beliefs.' Justice Barr said Elomar was currently confined in prison with inmates who 'may have radical beliefs'. The parole board argued it may be better for Elomar if he was taken away from them. 'We consider that the community will be better served if he is removed from the possibility of their influence.' Before its ruling, the board heard evidence from NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin that Elomar was already radicalised. Mr Severin argued he had been nearby when Middle Eastern inmates spoke about beheading in September last year. He told the authority Elomar was part of a group of Muslim inmates, known as the Shura, who administered sharia law. He also claimed as recently as June 1 2016 Elomar had photographs of his brother, who he 'regards... as martyr'. He is seen being taken away by officers after assaulting a senior constable Ahmad Elomar was involved in 12 incidents while behind bars, the State Parole Authority said Ahmad's brother Mohamed Elomar (pictured) is best know for an infamous photo where he posed with a grin on his face and two severed heads in Syria CORRECTIVE SERVICES' VIEW In his submission, Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin told the parole board Elomar should not be released because of his radical beliefs. His arguments included: '(a) on 27 November 2015 the offender was named as part of a group of Muslim inmates at Goulburn Correctional Centre, known as Shura, who administer Sharia law in the Middle Eastern courtyard (b) on 13 September 2015 the offender was placed in the vicinity of a conversation had by Middle Eastern inmates in relation to beheading a person (c) on 1 September 2015 the offender was linked him (sic) to extremist ideology (d) on 24 August 2015 and 1 June 2016 the offender had photographs of his brother who allegedly died overseas fighting with a terrorist group Islamic State (IS) and the offender regards that brother as a martyr ' Advertisement PAROLE AUTHORITY'S VIEW The State Parole Authority, considering the Corrective Service arguments, said: 'We have considered the statements. Save for para (d), they amount individually and collectively to no more than assertions presumably based on the offender's proximity to the other inmates referred to. 'That proximity is, we assume, not a matter of choice for the offender. None of the statements contains any factual basis for its conclusion. 'There is no description of anything the offender has said to warrant the conclusion. There is no description of anything the offender has done except occupy the portion of the premises occupied by other inmates. 'As to para (d) we would not regard the offender's keeping of photographs of his dead brother as indicating his holding any radical belief. 'The remainder of the statement is tendentious and contains no statement of anything said by the offender to demonstrate any belief. Advertisement Senior NSW Police officers told the court Elomar was a person of 'security concern' and said they 'believe that the community will be at significant risk' if he was freed. 'The NSW Police Force has received no information that indicates that Ahmad Elomar has changed his religious views. 'These views are the same as held by his brother, Mohamed and Khaled (Sharrouf),' both supporters of the Islamic State terror group. The parole board argued Elomar had not been radicalised and said most of Corrective Services' allegations were 'no more than assertions... presumably based on the offender's proximity to the other inmates'. ' There is no description of anything the offender has said to warrant the conclusion.' It said he may be of greater risk of being radicalised if he remained in prison, rather than being freed. And it quoted a corrections official saying 'the offender does not give the impression that he holds extreme views'. The board ruled Elomar's release was 'appropriate in the public interest'. The teenager who stabbed to death a woman on Russell Square was running around with a knife stabbing 'anyone he could see', witnesses said today. Police have arrested the 19-year-old suspect on suspicion of murder after killing one woman in her 60s and injuring five others at around 10.30pm last night. The attacker struck at the heart of London's tourist centre, packed with hotels, at a time when it was full of people who had enjoyed a night in the West End. One witness claimed he may have jumped off a moped before slashing at his victims. A source said the suspect was seen to go 'on the rampage' with the weapon. Another witness said he heard one of the victim's scream before running over to help them. Police and paramedics are pictured at the scene following the mass stabbing in Russell Square at around 10.30pm last night Murder: This is the spot where the woman in her sixties died last night on pavement in Russell Square which was still covered in blood this morning Shocking: The woman's body remained on the pavement at the scene with a forensics tent covering it until the early this morning, when it was covered and taken into a waiting ambulance One woman has died and five people have been injured after a suspected terrorist went on a mass stabbing spree in central London Fernando, 40, from Brazil told MailOnline how he cycled into the horrific scene his way home last night and saw the murder victim slumped against the fence of Russell Square's famous gardens and called the emergency services. He said: 'I was cycling home from work and some people stopped me in the street asking for help to call an ambulance. I saw an old lady lying against the wall - she had collapsed. I had to call 999, but it took a bit of time because I didn't know the postcode, then two or three minutes later a car full of police turned up. That was the moment I realised she had not just collapsed but had been stabbed.' According to Fernando, a Spanish family of four a mother, father and their two daughters thought to be in their 20s were looking after the woman who is believed to have died at the scene. 'She was being cradled in the lap of a Spanish tourist who was trying to keep her alive. I didn't hear the old woman speak she had been stabbed in the back,' he said. According to witnesses, the scale of the attack was initially unclear as Fernando said at first he had no idea that other people had been injured. 'I don't know if she was alive when I left I think she had already died she wasn't talking. The Spanish girl tried to talk to her and keep her alive. She said to me before I left that she was still breathing. 'I realised it was a stabbing when they started giving her first aid. Then I realised more people had been stabbed.' Witnesses said the attacker was chubby, had been wearing black shorts and a white t-shirt and that he left with the knife, which he carried in his right hand. 'I understood he was white and a bit shabby but they couldn't see much of his face,' he said. Fernando was told that the attacker had been hiding his face with his forearm as he ran along stabbing people in the back. 'He did not shout anything,' he said, adding that people didn't shout either terrified that the attack was not over. A night receptionist at the Repton Hotel, overlooking the scene, said: 'I saw a woman lying on the floor with police standing over her, checking to see if she was alive. 'She looked unconscious, they were shaking her but she was lying still. Then the ambulance arrived. A guest came in shortly afterwards saying she saw police chasing a man down the street.' Armed police were heard shouting at someone to 'Put it down' before the arrest. Ellie Cattle, 21, who is staying in a hotel in the road, said: 'I looked out of my window because I heard sirens. 'I could see police - three police vans - coming down the road, and all I heard was them shouting 'Put it down, put it down'. 'They sounded urgent for him to put it down. 'Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot, but it must have been the Taser. After that they just stopped shouting. I didn't hear any screams from anyone.' However, the criminology student from Hull, East Yorkshire, said that as police stormed the quiet hotel-lined street, two screaming women ran down the road. Location: The killer stabbed the woman to death across the road from the famous Imperial Hotel before running around the corner where he was arrested A witness, who gave his name as Michael, said he saw who he believes was the victim bleeding from her back while a friend who had also been stabbed was comforting her. He was yards away from the incident at about 10.30pm on Wednesday and said although his thoughts were with the victim, he felt very lucky not to have been killed. 'I thank God I wasn't there - 30 seconds more and I may be dead,' he said. 'I heard a scream, and then we went to the park and I saw a girl lying on the floor with blood coming from her back. Another girl had blood on her arm.' The two women were with two men who were shouting 'tio lo vi todo' in Spanish, meaning 'I saw everything'. The witness added: 'They all spoke Spanish so I guess they were a group. I only saw the victim and the girl with the arm stabbed from that group 'I just saw blood just next to her. She was lying on the floor with a friend hugging her.' Michael said the victim, who he believes was the woman who later died, was slumped up against the metal fence opposite the Imperial Hotel in Russell Square. He said: 'I was a block behind when I heard the scream, then we speed up to see what happened and they were there, the attacker was missing. 'It happened on the sidewalk. The victim was lying on the metal fence. 'A friend was hugging her so she won't fall. I'm pretty sure that she was the murdered, since everybody was panicking and she was just there.' The woman who was helping the stabbed victim had been injured herself. Describing the wound of the second woman, he said: 'It was a small circle I remember. In the middle of the wrist and the elbow. It was really small.' Paul Hutchinson, a taxi driver, said he passed the incident shortly after it occurred. He said: 'I drove past Russell Square and the road wasn't shut but the pavement was all taped off by police, lots of armed police, lots of cars and the body was just lying on the floor. You could see the boots sticking out from under the cloth. 'Loads of armed police, cars with lights on and the body on the floor.' A 35-year-old man, who did not wish to be named, said he saw three men fleeing nearby Queen Square shortly after the incident. 'One man fled on a motorcycle heading down a pedestrianised area,' he said. 'He obviously looked in a hurry.' A witness, who gave his name as Michael, said he saw who he believes was the victim bleeding from her back while a friend who had also been stabbed was comforting her Michael said the victim, who he believes was the woman who later died, was slumped up against the metal fence opposite the Imperial Hotel in Russell Square Lauren Brittny's brother witnessed the incident, and she said: 'Sadly my brother and his mates witnessed the stabbing in russell square. And the police obviously arrived too late. 'My brother rang me at time as he was in shock, but all he said was the man quickly jogged passed him 'My brother was at UCL summer camp and they were returning from a theatre trip. 'His mentors were guarding them.' Police confirmed a man was arrested after he was seen 'brandishing a knife' and 'injuring people' in front of horrified onlookers in Russell Square at about 10.30pm last night. SO WHERE WERE THEY? 'TERRORIST ATTACK' COMES JUST HOURS AFTER SCOTLAND YARD SHOWBOATED NEW HEAVILY ARMED COUNTER -TERROR UNIT The mass stabbing in Russell Square came just hours after the Met Police unveiled its brand new anti-terror unit. Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe unveiled the plan to put more highly visible patrols, armed to the teeth with pistols and semi-automatic SIG Carbine rifles, at major landmarks as a deterrent to potential attackers. As well as guns, the new generation of armed officers also have BMW F800GS motorbikes to allow them to scramble to an incident anywhere in the capital and speed boats so they can deploy from the Thames. The mass stabbing in Russell Square came just hours after the Met Police unveiled its brand new anti-terror unit. Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe announced the plan for more highly visible patrols and heavily armed officers The new officers are masked in order to protect their identity from attackers, which can help in a variety of different circumstances - from hostage situations, targeted attacks to kidnap attempts. The masks provide an extra layer of safety for counter-terrorism officers as they carry out their various specialist tasks. But yesterday's announcement - dubbed Operation Hercules by the Met - came against a backdrop of warnings from the Police Federation that it will take two years to deliver a promised increase of 1,500 in the trained-strength of armed officers across the country. And, embarrassingly, just hours after a showboating attempt on the Thames to unveil the counter-terrorism unit - police found themselves scrambled to the possible 'terror related' mass stabbing in Russell Square. More British police officers are carrying guns after a spate of attacks on the continent, including the Bastille Day massacre in Nice and the murder of a priest in a Normandy Church last week. The expanded firearms units were promised after the Paris attacks last November. The new police patrols have specialist speed boats so they can deploy from the River Thames in an emergency. However, just hours after the anti-terror unit was unveiled, they were missing from the possible terror related attack in Russell Square Advertisement A 19-year-old with mental health issues is in custody and a 60-year-old woman is dead. Fears that the knifeman operated with an accomplice were raised in the early hours as the Met refused to rule out further suspects. One witness said he saw 'a man flee on a motorbike', while another described hearing one of the victim's 'screaming and covered in blood'. Another witness Robbie Deegan, 22, said: 'I saw people running and screaming when we came over here to see what the hustle and bustle was about saw people running and screaming when we came over here to see what the hustle and bustle was about beacuse we heard a commotion 'We saw people running away from the square.' Officers arrived at the scene to find six people injured including one woman who died from her injuries a short time later. Helen Edwards, 31, said the panic reminded her of the 7/7 attacks. She was woken by the bus bomb at Tavistock Square on 7/7. Talking about tonight, she said: 'it was a bit surreal. It brings back memories of 7/7.' Officers arrived at the scene to find six people injured including one woman who died from her injuries a short time later. The condition of the other five is not yet known and police have not yet named or revealed the ages of the victims. The incident occurred in the same area as where one of the 7/7 bombs detonated in 2005. A total of 26 people were killed when Germaine Lindsay, 19, detonated a suicide bomb on a Piccadilly line Tube as it moved between King's Cross station and Russell Square. And last night's incident comes just hours after the Met unveiled its brand new elite anti-terror unit. One Nation senator for Queensland, Malcolm Roberts, has given a bizarre first press conference after winning one of four One Nation seats on the crossbench. Pauline Hansons One Nation Party secured four seats becoming the fourth largest voting bloc in the upper-house after federal election votes were finalised on Thursday. Mr Roberts told reporters in Brisbane he once spent 12 hours with the party's leader Pauline Hanson during which she 'satisfied all his needs' influencing his decision to join the anti-Islam party. Malcolm Roberts, has said the Racial Discrimination Act is preventing free speech on tax, Islam and the economy He then continued on to ask for the Racial Discrimination Act to be repealed as it prevents free speech on tax, Islam and the economy. The climate change skeptic has also given Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull the tick of approval on Thursday for a national vote on same-sex marriage. 'The last eight or nine years Ive been exposing the corruption of climate science, so called science,' Mr Roberts said during the press conference. 'Pauline Hanson approached me about three years ago, asked for some facts about climate she was impressed with what I told her.' One Nation senator for Queensland and climate change skeptic, Malcolm Roberts, represents one of four seats held by the party The One Nation Party has won an additional seat in the senate earning the anti-Islam part a total of four Mr Roberts described himself as a scientist but said he did not believe the information released by agencies. 'I started finding out things about the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology. That led me then to the UN which has been driving this. Then I started following the money trails. It's important to understand the motives.' The former coal miner said he accepted to be part of the One Nation Group after spending time with Pauline Hanson. 'She then got hold of me about three or four months ago and invited me to be a candidate, I said Id talk it over with my wife. 'I also spent 12 hours one day with Pauline and she satisfied all my needs and theres my history.' Pauline Hanson is pictured with NSW's One Nation senator Brian Burston Pauline Hanson is pictured with WA's One Nation senator Rod Cullerton Pauline Hansons One Nation Party has won four seats in the senate becoming the fourth largest voting bloc in the upper-house. The One Nation party also scored a seat in NSW, adding to the two seats in Queensland and one in WA, reported The Sydney Morning Herald. Former Labor minister Craig Emerson said it remained to be seen what Mr Turnbull would need to give away to get Ms Hanson's party on side. 'My worry in relation to One Nation is Pauline Hanson has a very right-wing agenda - it is anti-Islam, it is very nationalist,' Dr Emerson told Sky News on Thursday. 'In the Senate it is always about quid pro quos - you give me something, I give you something. 'So if Malcolm Turnbull wants four votes from One Nation in the Senate, what will he be called upon by Pauline Hanson to give to her and her supporters?' One Nation senator-elect Malcolm Roberts, who won a Queensland seat, said he would be raising issues 'long neglected by the large parties, yet vital to our country'. Pauline Hanson holds one of two seats in Queensland and another One Nation seat is held in WA Not only is Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull now confronted by a swollen 11-member crossbench, up three on the previous parliament, he now has to woo Queenslands firebrand Pauline Hanson to achieve his aims. The government will have 30 senators in the new parliament, requiring nine extra votes to get laws and motions passed. Labor will have 26 senators, while the Greens will have nine - down one on the previous parliament but still a significant bloc. Family First senator Bob Day, the Liberal Democrats' David Leyonhejlm, and independent Jacqui Lambie retained their seats in South Australia, NSW and Tasmania respectively. But added to their number are SA's Nick Xenophon and two other NXT members, Stirling Griff and Skye Kakoschke-Moore. The deal to change the Senate voting system, as well as the lower quota for a double dissolution election delivered a crossbench three members more than the previous parliament Broadcaster Derryn Hinch, who won a seat in Victoria, rounds off the 11-member crossbench. It is possible Mr Turnbull could get the 114 votes he needs at a joint sitting of both houses of parliament to get his two double dissolution triggers passed - restoring the building industry watchdog and imposing tougher penalties for union corruption. With 30 senators and 76 lower house members, the prime minister would need another eight crossbench votes to succeed. Donald Trump risked yet another embarrassing campaign blunder on Wednesday after claiming to have watched 'top secret' footage of Iran offloading $400million in cash sent by the U.S. Speaking in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Republican nominee claimed the footage had been released by Iran in an attempt to embarrass the United States. But negotiators familiar with the deal say they are not aware of any such footage existing, while campaign officials refused to explain how Trump obtained the film. Donald Trump has risked another campaign blunder by claiming to have watched 'top secret' footage of $400million arriving in Iran, despite negotiators saying the film doesn't exist The Republican nominee suggested that the film was released by the Iranians to embarrass the U.S., but his campaign refused to say how he obtained a copy It is possible that Trump watched the footage as part of a security briefing, which he and Hillary are due to receive after becoming party nominees, though it is not clear if those briefings have started yet. James Clapper, director of national intelligence, said that the pair were due to be given the briefings following the party conventions, though gave no indication on the time-frame. Russell Berman, reporting for The Atlantic, suggested on Wednesday that Trump and Hillary were due to receive briefings starting 'as soon as the coming days'. If Trump did indeed watch the footage during a briefing, it raises the prospect that it was one of the first, if not the first, that he had attended. Speaking about the tape, Trump said: 'Iran provided all of that footage, the tape of them taking that money. 'Over there when that plane landed, top secret ... and they have a perfect tape, done by obviously a government camera and the tape is of the people taking the money off the plane, right. 'In order to embarrass us further, Iran sent us the tapes, right. It's a military tape, it's a tape. It is possible that Trump watched the film as part of a security briefing that he and Hillary are due to start receiving following their nominations, though it is not clear if these have started 'It was a perfect angle, nice and steady, nobody getting nervous because they're gonna be shot.' Footage does exist of four American prisoners being brought off a plane, which Republicans have suggested was in return for the money being sent. But that footage - which was broadcast on major news networks on Wednesday - was shot in Geneva, not Iran. It also does not show money being brought off a plane, was not released by the Iranian authorities, and is not top secret. Trump's claim over the footage was not the only statement threatening to land the presidential hopeful in hot water on Wednesday. Earlier in the day he had suggested in a tweet that Hillary Clinton 'started' talks to hand Iran the $400million, calling it a 'scandal'. While it is true that Clinton initiated talks with Iran over the country's nuclear program, they were largely carried out by her successor John Kerry. The deal to hand Iran the cash, along with $1.3billion in interest, was finalized the day after the nuclear deal was signed, on Kerry's watch. Meanwhile litigation over the $400million, which the White House claims was part of a failed arms deal, began as far back as the Seventies. Trump also claimed that Iran released U.S. sailors captured off their coastline back in January because the money had not yet been paid. In fact the sailors were released after the troops were filmed apologizing for their mission, and after Kerry intervened. There is no evidence that the $400million was connected to their release. Four Americans were released on the same day that the cash was paid, though they were all private citizens and had been held captive for a much longer period of time. Katrina Pierson, Trump's campaign spokeswoman, was also forced to apologize after suggesting that Obama was at fault for Muslim Captain Humayun Khan being killed, when in fact he wasn't President until four years after his death Meanwhile Katrina Pierson, the Trump campaign spokeswoman, was forced into an embarrassing climbdown after claiming that Obama was responsible for the death of a Muslim American soldier whose parents savaged the billionaire at the DNC. Asked about Trump's row with the parents of Captain Humayun Khan, Pierson told CNN: ' It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost his life.' However, Khan was killed by a truck filled with explosives back in 2004, when George W Bush was President and Clinton was a Senator. Obama was only a member of the Illinois Senate at the time, not taking up the role of Senator in Washington until the following year. He was not elected President until a full four years after Captain Khan was killed. Anti-Islam campaigners are warning people not to mark 'no religion' on the Census amid their fears Australia will become a 'Muslim nation'. Australians have taken to social media to urge their fellow countrymen and women to declare their religion on the questionnaire. An email is also doing the rounds that claims if people do not mark their religion 'Australia will officially be declared to be a Muslim country', according to Christian ethics group Salt Shakers. Anti-Islam campaigners are warning people not to mark 'no religion' on the Census amid fears Australia will become a 'Muslim nation' 'Bear in mind that although many Australians have no religion these days, the Muslim population in Australia will all declare that they are Muslim and this fact will be counted to ascertain what type of country we are in regard to religion,' the email read. 'Even though you may now have no religion, please consider entering the religion you were christened or born into, when answering this question. Otherwise in time Australia will officially be declared to be a Muslim country because the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census will reflect this. 'Just imagine the repercussions if that were to happen. For Australias future please pass this message on to your family members and friend.' On social media, anti-Islam group Respect Australia Rally claims the Census was a 'test' to see if Australians were 'losing our faith'. 'Do not leave the "faith box" blank, Moslems won't,' the group, which has almost 3,000 followers, said on its Facebook page. Census Day is on August 9 and aims to survey every Australian household. Pictured is a stock image Australians have taken to social media to urge their fellow countrymen and women to declare their religion on the questionnaire The group was also circulating a poster of the same nature. 'Be sure to at least tick "Christian" (or your faith). 1,000,000+ Moslems will tick their box,' the poster read. '10,000,000 Australians will leave it blank - then wonder why a mosque is being built in their neighbourhood.' Religious groups have labelled the claims made by anti-Islam campaigners as 'ridiculous'. 'I dont think anybody should be motivated by fear,' Australian Christian Lobby managing director Lyle Shelton told news.com.au. An email is also doing the rounds that claims if people do not mark their religion 'Australia will officially be declared to be a Muslim country'. Pictured is another Facebook post Religious groups have labelled the claims made by anti-Islam campaigners as 'ridiculous'. Above is a social media post 'We want an honest picture of what Australians believe.' Atheist Foundation of Australia vice president Michael Boyd said only a small portion of Australians identified themselves as Muslims. 'The notion that we'll see Sharia law introduced because of this two per cent is ridiculous,' he said. Results from the 2011 Census revealed only 2.2 per cent of the Australian population indicated they were of the Islamic faith. This was only a fraction compared to the 61 per cent of people who identified themselves as Christian. Deposed media mogul Roger Ailes has withdrawn his pledge to donate $500,000 to build a senior center in upstate New York just after citizens mounted criticism regarding his role in the construction project. Some locals in Putnam County were up in arms over the proposal to build a new center for the elderly in Phillipstown, just 60 miles north of New York City, and name if after the disgraced ex-CEO, who was forced to resign from Fox News amid a sexual harassment scandal. 'This project has never passed the smell test,' Cold Spring resident Kathleen Foley told The Journal News. 'He's a bully and morally bankrupt sexual predator.' Scroll down for video Roger Ailes and his wife Elizabeth (pictured) have pulled out a $500,000 donation for a new senior center in Philipstown, New York A lengthy procession of Putnam County residents told local officials they didn't want Ailes' name on the $1.5 million facility despite his pledge to fund a third of it, the newspaper reported. 'I don't know too many progressives who would want to hang out at the Roger Ailes Senior Center, or women for that matter, now that we have credible accounts and allegations from multiple women,' entrepreneur Steven Laifer told The Journal News. 'His name on this facility is an affront to decency.' Some also objected to the strings attached to the donation: Ailes' nonprofit would have hired subcontractors without public bidding and tradesmen would not be required to be paid state-mandaded minimum wages, according to the Journal News. The withdrawal announcement was published Wednesday on the Putnam County News & Recorder, the weekly newspaper where the deposed CEO's wife Elizabeth Ailes is the publisher. 'Mr. and Mrs. Ailes said the government approvals to make the senior center in Philipstown a reality took longer than World War II,' the statement read. 'They indicated several charities had reached out to them about the half million dollars. 'The family said they hoped to help the senior citizens of Philipstown but is clear for political reasons their funding is not welcome,' the statement continued. Gretchen Carlson (left) was the first in a series of female Fox News employees to accuse Ailes. Former employee Laurie Dhue (right) is the most recent to do so Megyn Kelly (pictured) told investigators Ailes sexually harassed her early in her career 'Therefore they are withdrawing the money, cancelling the contribution agreement and assigning the money to another one of their charities who can put it to use immediately.' The Ailes, who live in Garrison, did not specify where the money would go instead. County officials now say they will have to rethink the whole project. They are considering renting instead of building, according to The Journal News. Ailes resigned from Fox News after a number of his female employees came forward alleging sexual harassment that had spanned decades. Gretchen Carlson was the first to come forward, saying he made unwanted sexual advanced when she was re-negotiating her latest contract with him. Fox News' Megyn Kelly and former host Laurie Dhue have also accused Ailes of sexual harrassment. Lawyers for Bob Simon, the 60 Minutes reporter killed in a car crash in 2015, say a key piece of evidence has gone missing The Lincoln car seat at the center of Bob Simon's car crash lawsuit has mysteriously gone missing after the accused transport company inspected the vehicle. Howard Hershenhorn, attorney for Simon's family, says the leather bench seat from the back of the vehicle vanished earlier this year after Skyline Credit Ride conducted a 'secret inspection' of the totaled vehicle. The seat is vital to the defense's claim that Simon, 73, was not wearing his belt at the time of the crash, contributing to injuries which claimed his life. Hershenhorn flatly denies this claim, saying the company should bear full responsibility for the fatal accident. In court papers seen by the New York Post, Hershenhorn insinuates that the inspection was carried out as part of a plot to spoil the evidence. He writes: I wonder why [defense attorney Brian Harris] would do [the inspection] without notifying anybody else? 'Is it because he wants to be playing in the spirit of fairness? Or is it because he wanted some tactical advantage?' Howard Hershenhorn, attorney for Simon's family, says the back seat of the Lincoln in which he dies has been lost and blames the defense for carrying out a 'secret' inspection The seat is vital to the defense claim that Simon was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, contributing to the injuries that killed him He later adds: 'The Skyline defendants are responsible for the spoliation of evidence.' However, Harris says the inspection was carried out with a police escort and said he would 'never risk my licence' by carrying out such a plot. The seat must have been removed at some point, because Hershenhorn has a picture of the rear leather bench propped up alongside the vehicle. But Harris denies that anyone from his team removed the seat, and instead lays the blame at the feet of a company charged with moving the vehicle to storage. The seat was pictured outside the vehicle in January this year, and in February it was moved to storage in Queens. Harris suggests that, when the vehicle was moved, the leather bench was left behind by accident and is now lost. Simon, who survived being held in an Iraqi prison and was one of the last reporters to leave Saigon during the Vietnam War, died in February 2015 after a crash on Manhattan's West Side Highway. The prosecution denies that Simon was not wearing his seat belt and say that driver Reshad Abdul Fedahi, who has a history of motoring offenses, was to blame Simon died in February 2015 after the Lincoln he was traveling in rear-ended a Mercedes stopped at a red light before careening into metal barriers Witnesses said the Lincoln being driven by Reshad Abdul Fedahi was veering erratically as it traveled south near West 30th Street, just before the 7pm crash. The car rear-ended a Mercedes-Benz stopped at a red light and then slammed into the metal barriers separating lanes. The reporter was found unconscious with head and torso injuries. He was rushed to Mount Sinai-Roosevelt Hospital in the city where he was later pronounced dead. It was later revealed that Fedahi, 44, had nine license suspensions and two speeding convictions on his record. He was also allegedly driving with one hand because his left arm had been rendered useless due to a suicide attempt. A cartoon depicting an Aboriginal father clutching a can of beer and unaware of his son's name has been condemned as racist by Indigenous groups. The drawing by veteran cartoonist Bill Leak appeared in The Australian on Thursday and shows an outback scene in which a policeman is bringing an Indigenous child back to his barefoot father. The policeman says: 'You'll have to sit down and talk to your son about personal responsibility.' The boy's father responds, 'Yeah righto, what's his name then?' Bill Leak's cartoon in The Australian on Thursday has been labelled 'racist' by some readers The cartoon, published on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day (Children's Day), has been called 'racist' by the The NSW Aboriginal Land Council. Council chairman Roy Ah-See said Bill Leak's cartoon insulted and denigrated Aboriginal people. 'Sadly, racism and discrimination is a fact of life for Aboriginal people who have lived on and cared for this country for more than 60,000 years,' he said. Mr Ah-See said it was embarrassing the cartoon was published in Australia's national newspaper. A complaint would be lodged with the Australian Press Council, he said. A spokesman for the Australian Press Council confirmed at least one complaint had been received. Reconciliation Australia chief executive Justin Mohamed said Australians should show zero tolerance for the racism and hurtful stereotypes depicted by Mr Leak. 'The appalling cartoon we have seen from Mr Leak today speaks to the racism, discrimination and denial of history that still mars the nation.' Bill Leak has drawn controversy with his cartoons in the past, but his work has been described as 'insightful' by the editor of The Australian But Paul Whittaker, editor-in-chief of The Australian, defended the cartoon, which was prompted in part by the Royal Commission into mistreatment of children in the Northern Territory juvenile detention system. He said he was 'proud' of the paper's coverage of Indigenous affairs. 'Too often, too many people skirt around the root causes and tough issues. But not everyone,' he said in a statement. 'Bill Leak's confronting and insightful cartoons force people to examine the core issues in a way that sometimes reporting and analysis can fail to do.' NSW Reconciliation said the was no place for Mr Leak's racist cartoon in Australia Some social media users questioned how the cartoon was approved for publication The caricature has been attacked on social media, with a number of users calling for Mr Leak to be sacked and questioning how the cartoon was approved by editors at The Australian. However, Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm said Mr Leak had a 'knack for pointing out the obvious.' Mr Leak has drawn controversy with his cartoons in the past, but he has won multiple prizes for his work and been honoured with Australia's top journalism award, a Walkley Award, nine times. A proposed uranium mine in Western Australia has been knocked back on environmental grounds, after the discovery it would threaten a minute species of underground prawn. Canadian company Cameco wanted to develop a uranium mine near Yeerillee, in the state's northern Goldfields region, after paying BHP Billiton $US430 million ($A565 million) for the site in 2012. However, it was discovered the mine would threaten a minute prawn-like stygofauna which has no eyes or pigmentation and measures between 0.3 and 10 millimetres in length, reported The Australian. A proposed uranium mine in Western Australia has been knocked back on environmental grounds, after the discovery it would threaten a minute species of underground prawn (pictured) it was discovered the mine would threaten a minute prawn-like stygofauna (pictured) which has no eyes or pigmentation and measures between 0.3 and 10 millimetres in length Cameco had planned to develop the site into a 22-year mine producing up to 3850 tonnes of yellowcake a year and employing hundreds of local workers. The Environmental Protection Authority's review attracted hundreds of submissions including one from Greens senator Scott Ludlum, who said the stygofauna should be placed on the threatened species list. EPA chairman Tom Hatton said the Yeelirrie project could not meet one of nine key environmental factors examined by the independent board, saying the project would threaten the subterranean fauna, particularly abundant at Yeelirrie with 73 species recorded. Although the prawns have origins dating back to a time before the earth formed into separate continents, little is known about their ecology. The species is reportedly difficult to observe in their natural habitat or to keep alive in laboratories. Dr Hatton said despite the well-considered management strategies there was too great a chance of a loss of species restricted to the impact area. Canadian company Cameco wanted to develop a uranium mine near Yeerillee (pictured) in the state's northern Goldfields region EPA chairman Tom Hatton said the Yeelirrie project (pinpointed on the map) could not meet one of nine key environmental factors examined by the independent board Cameco said it respected the EPA's findings and acknowledged the complexity and uncertainty involved with assessing subterranean fauna. Managing director Brian Reilly said: 'Sampling and impact management for subterranean fauna at Yeelirrie is very complex and this is reflected in the EPA's findings.' 'We believe that with further sampling and research, subterranean fauna can be appropriately managed at Yeelirrie and we will work with government agencies and stakeholders to find a way forward.' Cameco managing director Brian Reilly (pictured) said they respected the EPA's findings, but believed with further sampling and research, subterranean fauna could be appropriately managed The Conservation Council of WA and the Australian Conservation Foundation welcomed the EPA's decision. 'The EPA recommendation has been met with great relief among pastoralists, Aboriginal communities and environment groups who continue to campaign against uranium mining in WA,' CCWA nuclear free campaigner Mia Pepper said. 'This is an important decision that highlights the importance of extensive surveying for subterranean fauna and acting to prevent extinctions.' Greens senator Scott Ludlum (pictured) was one of hundreds who made submissions to the EPA review, saying the stygofauna should be placed on the threatened species list The EPA report to WA Environment Minister Albert Jacob is now open for public appeal until August 17. Cameco said it was 'taking prudent steps' to prepare its uranium projects, which include the Kintyre project in the Pilbara region, for better market conditions. The company secured environmental approval for Kintyre, which it acquired from Rio Tinto, in April last year. Toro Energy's Wiluna uranium project, 960 kilometres northeast of Perth, was the first uranium project in WA to receive federal government approval since the state government lifted Labor's ban on uranium mining, imposed in 2008. Flash South Korea has joined China in opposing Japan's 2016 defense white paper, a policy document Tokyo is using to justify its efforts to move away from an isolated and pacifistic defense posture to a more active one. SEOUL'S OBJECTIONS South Korea on Tuesday lodged a strong protest against Japan's repeated territorial claims on its easternmost islets, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries. Seoul's Defense Ministry called in a defense attache from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the white paper, in which the islets are described as Japan's territory. It marked the 12th consecutive year since 2005 that Japan has claimed sovereignty over the islets in the annual paper. The ministry expressed deep regrets over the Japanese government in its protest letter, delivered to the summoned attache, saying Japan must immediately stop making useless claims, squarely face history and make efforts to open a new future for relations between South Korea and Japan. The protest letter said that South Korea's military will take strong actions against any Japanese attempt to damage South Korea's sovereignty over the Dokdo islets. Seoul's Foreign Ministry also summoned an official from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, lodging an official protest against the annual white paper. The foreign ministry said in a statement that South Korea strongly protests against Japan's unjust territorial claims on the Dokdo islets, which it said are its indigenous territory historically, geographically and according to international laws. The statement called on Japan to squarely face historical facts and immediately stop making groundless claims, saying Japan must make efforts to move toward a new future for South Korea-Japan relations based on trust. HYPING UP "CHINA THREAT" In the 480-page white paper, Japan devoted some 30 pages to making irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and its normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas. Analysts believed that by playing up the so-called "China threat," the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attempting to make excuses for amending the postwar pacifist constitution and building up Japan's military. On Wednesday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China is "strongly dissatisfied" with the paper's groundless accusations against China's defense development and military activities. In a statement, spokesperson Hua Chunying said China has made solemn representations to Japan over the irresponsible white paper. Japan has no right to make disparaging comments on China's legitimate activities near the Diaoyu Islands, Hua said, stressing that China's determination to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is "unshakable." She said that China's navy and air force activities are in line with international law, domestic law as well as national defense needs. China will not accept the "award" of the South China Sea arbitration initiated unilaterally by the Philippines, said Hua, adding that China will continue to strive for the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiations between countries directly concerned on the basis of respect for historical facts. The spokesperson blamed Japan for fabricating excuses for its military expansion and stirring up enmity on regional security issues. She urged Japan to learn from history, stick to a peaceful development path, act prudently in military matters and regain the trust of its neighbors instead of undermining regional stability. TOKYO'S CALCULATIONS The paper was the first of its kind issued after Japan's controversial new security laws came into effect earlier this year. Wang Xingyu, a researcher with China's Renmin University, said that this year's white paper highlights the importance and legitimacy of the security bills, and urges Japan to maintain its advantage in defense technologies over its neighbors. He said hyping up the so-called China threat is also part of Tokyo's agenda to justify the security laws that allow Japan to exercise collective self-defense rights. Since Abe became prime minister in 2012, his cabinet has been dedicated to a shift in the country's exclusively defense-oriented policy and to a revision of the constitution. To win popular support, the Japanese government has chosen to instigate a sense of crisis among its people by presenting China as a threat to regional peace and stability, he said. Analysts believed that if Tokyo puts into practice what is in the paper, then both its relations with China and the security in the Asia-Pacific will take a big hit. Wang said Japan, by stirring up China's maritime disputes with other countries in the South China Sea, is trying to team up with those claimant countries against China. This would deepen distrust between the two Asian nations, and render their ties more contentious, he said. Also in the paper, Japan stressed the necessity of enhancing the alliance between Tokyo and Washington, as well as its autonomy in the partnership, and entertained the feasibility of conducting multilateral security cooperation with the United States, Australia and India in the area that covers the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. Wang said that by doing so, Japan wants to strengthen its military clout in the region, yet that would further complicate the security situation in the area. Holidaymakers got the surprise of their lives when instead of seeing a whale breaching they got to see one sleeping instead. As the boat skippered by Bryce Murtagh and carrying two passengers navigated the choppy waters they came across a 30-tonne humpback whale or rather his massive four metre-wide tail. The surprised Mr Murtagh and his passengers were headed to the Great Barrier Reef off Mission Beach in north Queensland, when they came across the sleeping giant. Scroll down for video Bryce Murtagh and his two passengers were headed to the Great Barrier Reef off Mission Beach in north Queensland when they saw the whale's tail sticking out of the water As their boat navigated the choppy conditions the party came over a wave and found themselves confronted by the whale's huge tail sticking straight out of the water. Unlike humans and other non-aquatic mammals, breathing is not involuntary for whales and dolphins. To stop drowning as they sleep they shut off half their brain at a time, allowing them to return to the surface periodically to breathe. During this the whale floats tail-over-head without moving a muscle while it takes a nap. It was thought to be a 30-tonne humpback whale with a four metre-wide tail 'I take tourists out to the reef snorkelling and scuba diving but I've never seen anything like this in my life. So what an experience,' Mr Murtagh said. 'It would have to be nearly 13 metres long, the tail was about four metres across. I was in a seven-metre boat and his tail was a little bit shorter than the boat. 'It was a bit choppy you know and I came over a wave and the lady in the boat was like 'oh my God' and at the same time I saw it and thought ''holy s***, look at that''.' Job would see him work for the Muslim Union president Murat Telibekov Ex-PM offered title of 'sultan' as well as harem 'of the most beautiful girls' David Cameron has been offered a 36million-a-year job in Kazakhstan where he would be a sultan and have his own harem 'of the most beautiful girls', it has emerged. The bizarre offer, from an energy-rich country where Tony Blair found lucrative post-Downing Street employment, comes from the Muslim Union and Central Asian Human Rights Committee for Muslims. They promise that the ex-premier would also carry the title 'Sultan' in his new post but to qualify would have to undergo circumcision. David Cameron (pictured with wife Samantha) has been offered a 36million-a-year job in Kazakhstan where he would be a sultan and have his own harem 'of the most beautiful girls', it has emerged 'We consider your extensive political experience an asset to be used for the benefit of long and lasting peace in Central Asia,' stated the group's press service, which noted the 'success' of Blair as a highly-paid consultant to authoritarian leader Nursultan Nazarbayev. 'Such co-operation will help to strengthen economic and political relations between our countries.' 'The offer to work as an advisor to the union's president Murat Telibekov was sent to David Cameron's office,' explained TengriNews agency. 'A draft contract suggested a monthly salary of 3 million. He will also be given a title of Kazakh sultan. 'And a harem of the most beautiful girls will be at his disposal along with a free public transport card. 'Cameron would have to undergo circumcision and get the basic skills of Kazakh language to take up the offer.' The offer to work as an advisor to the Muslim Union's president Murat Telibekov (pictured) has reportedly been sent to David Cameron's office Telibekov frequently uses humour to mock the ruling elite in Kazakhstan where most forms of protest are banned. He has other outlandish proposals too. One is to make bribes legal 'as they are anyway unbeatable'. And last year he proposed a tax on sex. Another proposal is to execute presidents when they reach the age of 80, a suggestion mocking Nazarbayev's grip on power. Nazarbayev, who routinely crushes dissent in his country, the ninth largest in the world, is still going strong at 76, having ruled with an iron fist since 1989 when he was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union. His latest proposal appears to come because the Kazakh president reached out to Mr Cameron, sending him a telegram to express his 'gratitude' to the outgoing Tory leader when he quit. Islamic State militants have arrested more than 50 men in Syria for the 'crime' of smoking, which is banned under the strict Sharia law the terror group has imposed. Jihadists ban drinking and smoking in occupied territories in Iraq and Syria under the self-declared 'caliphate' because, in their interpretation of Islamic law, all intoxicants are 'haram' (forbidden). The detained locals are expected to be publicly flogged in the district of Yarmouk, south of the Syrian capital Damascus, ARA News reports. In 2014, extraordinary images emerged of militants piling cigarettes and alcohol onto a bonfire in a crackdown on banned goods. Fighters from Islamic State have arrested 50 men in Syria for the 'crime' of smoking. In this photo, jihadis burn confiscated cigarettes in the city of Raqqa in 2014 The pictures show men piling up dozens of bottles of whisky, cans of beer and hundreds of cartons of cigarettes before setting fire to the lot while waving the black flag of ISIS and wielding assault rifles. As part of the terror group's 'repent or die' rules imposed on towns and cities it overruns, smoking and drinking are strictly banned. Militants were seen smashing bottles of expensive spirits before using the flammable liquids as fuel for the large fire, believed to be near Tikrit, Iraq. ISIS fighters hold their weapons as they stand on confiscated cigarettes before setting them on fire in the city of Raqqa in 2014 Extraordinary pictures showed ISIS militants piling hundreds of cartons of cigarettes, as well as a haul of alcohol, onto a bonfire and setting it alight The ban on alcohol and cigarattes in ISIS-controlled areas put up the price of alcohol across Iraq as delivery trucks took long detours to avoid crossing paths with the terror group Citizens of Mosul, in northern Iraq, were told after ISIS took over the stronghold: 'No drugs, no alcohol and no cigarettes allowed.' In the same year, in Raqqa, Syria, gunmen seized a vast haul of tobacco just days after they arrived in the city, taking all the cigarettes they could find in shops and setting them alight on a giant pyre. A statement from the jihadists said: 'Every smoker should be aware that with every cigarette he smokes in a state of trance and vanity he is disobeying God.' A French ISIS member who moved to Syria in 2012 was jailed in November after returning to France because he could not face the terror group's smoking ban. Hundreds of cartons of cigarettes were set on fire. One French jihadists was jailed in Paris in 2014 after returning to France because he could not deal with the militants' ban on smoking The latest arrests occurred in the district of Yarmouk, south of the Syrian capital Damascus (file photo) Flavien Moreau, 27, was the first French citizen to be tried for joining ISIS and was sentenced to seven years jail by a court in Paris. Moreau tried chewing nicotine gum but returned to France after just two weeks in Syria because of he could not deal with the strict ban on cigarettes. According to The Week, Moreau told the court: 'I really struggled with not smoking. It was forbidden by the katiba [group of Islamist militants]. I had brought Nicorette gum with me, but it wasn't enough. I left my gun with my emir and I left.' The arrests of smokers in Syria come after ISIS brutes slaughtered a pregnant woman and took her four children into captivity after they were caught trying to flee their village in Iraq. The woman was spotted guiding her children out of al-Marir, a community held by the terror group close to the city of Mosul in the north of the country. But before she could reach Iraqi forces at a nearby military base, she was stopped by fanatics. Iran has executed a group of 20 'terrorist' Sunni prisoners for committing several murders and undermining national security, state media reported on Thursday. 'These people had committed murder... killed women and children, caused destructions and acted against the security and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions,' IRIB television quoted Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri as saying. He said all the executions - carried out by hanging - happened on Tuesday. Iran has executed a group of 20 'terrorist' Sunni prisoners for 'committing several murders and undermining national security' Iran's intelligence ministry on Wednesday issued a statement detailing 24 armed attacks between 2009 and 2011, including bombings and robberies, apparently by a single group. The 'Tawhid (monotheism) and Jihad' extremist outfit were responsible for the deaths of 21 people in three western provinces in that time span, the ministry said. '102 members and followers of the Tawhid and Jihad terrorist group were identified... some of whom were killed in armed clashes with police forces and some were arrested. Some of those arrested were sentenced to death while some received prison terms,' it added. Iranian state television broadcast what it claimed was the confessions of some members of the sunni Muslim group before the executions. An anti-riot police officer controls the area after a public hanging in Iran (file photo) Montazeri said that the convicts, some of whom had come from abroad, followed 'takfiri' ideologies, a term Shiite-majority Iran uses for describing Sunni jihadists. In 2009, the group allegedly assassinated two Sunni religious leaders Mamusta Borhan Aali and Mamusta Mohammad Sheikh al-Islam - a provincial representative of Iran's powerful Assembly of Experts. The news comes as Amnesty International reveals a 19-year-old boy was executed on July 18, marking the first confirmed execution of a juvenile this year. The gay teen was accused of raping another boy. Colton Harris-Moore, the Barefoot Bandit, pictured during a court hearing in Washington in December 2011 The infamous teenage thief who became known as the 'Barefoot Bandit' is about to be released from prison - straight into a job at a law firm. Colton Harris-Moore, 25, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence in Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Washington state, attracted notoriety for stealing cars, boats and planes and robbing homes in a two-year crime spree, often wearing no shoes and leaving footprints at crime scenes. His lawyer, John Henry Browne, reportedly said an exact release date had not been decided yet but that his client could be out as early as this week. However, Mr Browne told the Seattle Times he would give Harris-Moore a part-time job at his law firm and that the thief would live in a halfway house. His role would include clerical work and answering telephones in his law firm's offices at Pioneer Square, Seattle. The newspaper reported that, according to the Department of Corrections, Harris-Moores formal release date was January 17. The attorney had taken on the case of defending Harris-Moore for $1 and also agreed to provide employment upon his release 'Hell be looking for full-time work and will eventually be going to school,' Browne told the newspaper. Scroll down for videos Harris-Moore (right) with his attorney John Henry Browne during a 2011 court sentencing Harris-Moore earned his nickname for allegedly performing some thefts barefoot - and drawing chalk feet (pictured) at the scene of 39 crimes, along with the word 'C'ya!' While he gained notoriety on Facebook, Harris-Moore's story also looks set to hit the big screen after hatching a deal with 21st Century Fox to pay more than $1 million for his story. However, the fee was to pay restitution that Harris-Moore owed for damages from his crimes and the criminal pocketed no money out of the deal. He was arrested in 2010 after a boat chase in The Bahamas after becoming a cult hero due to his Facebook contributions on a page with thousands of followers. He earned the nickname 'The Barefoot Bandit' by allegedly committing some of his crimes barefoot and leaving chalk drawings of his naked feet at 39 crime scenes, along with the word 'C'ya!' Mom: Colton Harris-Moore (left) hoped to freeze his mom Pam Kohler (right) before she died of lung cancer this year Harris-Moore announced in April this year that he was trying to crowdfund enough money to freeze his mother Pam Kohler before her advanced lung cancer killed her. He hoped that the process would indefinitely preserve her - essentially putting her body on pause - until science had advanced far enough to cure her illness. However, she died in June before the money could be raised. 'I feel profound disappointment because I know that cryopreservation would have saved my moms life,' he said from Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen. 'It would have worked. It would have worked and my moms life could have been saved... My mom died a little over 12 hours ago and it could have been avoided.' Harris-Moore grew up in Camano, Washington. He started spending periods living wild in nearby woods at seven, and began stealing from neighbors when he was 12 years old. As he grew older his crimes escalated, and he began to steal cars and boats - and eventually planes, which police believe he learned to fly using instructional DVDs and video games. Owners of a Japanese cafe have been fined almost $200,000 for underpaying former staff by tens of thousands of dollars. The mother and son team forced their employees to participate in 'tea making tests' by promising them higher wages if they 'passed', a court heard. A-Hsueh Lai and Chang Ming Liu, who own Sakuraya cafe in Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane were slapped with a $196,000 fine after they paid their staff as little as $10 per hour, The Courier Mail reported. A-Hsueh Lai and Chang Ming Liu, who own Sakuraya cafe in Brisbane (pictured) were slapped with a $196,000 fine after they paid their staff as little as $10 per hour The mother and son team forced their employees to participate in 'tea making tests' by promising them higher wages if they 'passed' The five female staff from Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan were underpaid amounts totalling more than $54,000. Federal Circuit Court heard on Monday the former cafe workers were underpaid by amounts ranging from $8,300 to over $18,000 in 2013 and 2014. They were promised higher pay rates if they passed 'tea making tests', but were forced to pay for the drinks they made if they 'failed', the court heard. Lai and Liu were fined $28,000 each. Their company Sakuraya Warrigal Pty Ltd, was fined $140,000, the Courier Mail reported. The cafe owners were ordered by Judge Salvatore Vasta to pay owed outstanding wages of almost $55,000 to the former employees. Owners of a Japanese cafe (pictured) have been fined almost $200,000 for underpaying former staff by tens of thousands of dollars Staff were promised higher pay rates if they passed 'tea making tests', but were forced to pay for the drinks they made if they 'failed' The mother and son claimed as Taiwanese nationals they did not properly understand their obligation to staff. They said their employees didn't complain about being paid $10 per hour, the publication reported. The wreckage of a US fighter plane that crashed just days before the Second World War ended has been found next to the site of a major new 179million bypass. First Lieutenant Robert Young lost control of his P-51D Mustang while attempting to perform a slow roll during an aerobatic display in Norfolk on April 22, 1945. His warplane, called Ellie May, was said to have exploded on impact at Gazebo Farm to the west of New Rackheath, a village five miles north east of Norwich. Part of the wreckage: The wreckage of a US fighter plane that crashed just days before the Second World War ended has been found next to the site of a major new bypass in Norfolk Now archaeologists have discovered the wreckage as they worked at the site ahead of construction on the Northern Distributor Road at Norwich. Anthony Haskins, project officer from Oxford Archaeology East, said Lt Young had only clocked up 37 hours in the Mustang before he took to the skies. Mr Haskins said: He was on the way back from a training exercise. But at the same time at Rackheath Airfield there was air display celebrating the 200th successful mission for the 467th bomb group. Robert Young turned up, buzzed the airfield and control tower and attempted to carry out a barrel role at low altitude, which didnt come off. He basically inverted [the Mustang] and because he did not get enough airspeed, the plane stalled. Lt Young had previously been a B-24 co-pilot of the 93rd bomber group, but was given the chance to fly the Mustang with the 479th fighter group, based at RAF Wattisham, Suffolk. He had been returning from gunnery training at the Wash when he decided to take part in the aerobatic display uninvited, which had been put on by the nearby 56th Fighter Group. Crash scene: First Lieutenant Robert Young lost control of his P-51D Mustang and crashed (above) while attempting to perform a slow roll during an aerobatic display on April 22, 1945 Lt Youngs plane exploded into the ground between the gymnasium and 791st squadron quarters - just days before VE Day was celebrated on May 8. Death: Lt Youngs plane exploded into the ground between the gymnasium and 791st squadron quarters - just days before VE Day Remains found at the site include a gun camera ID tag, powerful .50 calibre ammunition and the planes propeller spinner. Chris Collins, who runs the 467th Bomb Group Facebook page and researched the crash, said: In terms of quantity of wreckage found it is a relatively small amount considering the size of aircraft, but considering the violence of the impact and following recovery efforts in 1945 this is hardly surprising. Lt Young was buried at the American military cemetery in Madingley, Cambridge. Meanwhile, a chemical mine found by the NDR was probably planted by soldiers preparing to fight off a German invasion. The deadly device was discovered in land being developed for the long-awaited new route. A chemical mine spotted in a search for unexploded devices around the former RAF Horsham St Faith airfield was probably planted by soldiers preparing to fight off a German invasion The vintage Great War Mk 1 chemical mine was spotted by workmen on Tuesday during a search for unexploded devices around the former RAF Horsham St Faith airfield. Experts believe the killer ordnance was buried during the Second World War as an area denial device and could have contained lethal mustard gas or phosphorous. Its discovery on land off Bullock Hill resulted in a 200-yard police cordon as bomb disposal experts from the Royal Logistics Corps raced to the site. Some ten people were also checked over by paramedics at the scene to ensure they had not been affected by the contents of the device. A Norfolk County Council spokesman said: The item found was an empty Mk 1 chemical mine, initially produced in 1914, but adapted for defensive purposes which is probably why it was in that location. Lt Young had only clocked up 37 hours in the P-51D Mustang before he took to the skies It may have contained incendiary or illumination fill, but when found it had already been damaged, probably, by ploughing, and any contents had long since dissipated. However, it potentially still contained an explosive expulsion charge, hence the requirement for bomb disposal. The mine was found by specialist contractors 6 Alpha Associates, been employed by the council to check for unexploded ordnance near to the NDR. A council spokesman said the mines discovery would not affect the delivery of the 12.5-mile route, which runs from the Postwick junction of the A47 to the A1067 at Taverham. Robin Rickard, programme manager from 6 Alpha, said the mine was one of many types of anti-invasion devices installed along coastal airfields during the war as Britain faced the very real threat of a Nazi invasion. Mr Rickard said: It would have been initiated by a trip wire, which would have basically thrown mustard (gas) upwards and outwards, so anyone in the vicinity would have got a lung-full. Lt Young was buried at the American military cemetery in Madingley, Cambridge (pictured) Chemical weapons pose a very different hazard to conventional unexploded ordnance, and detonation must be avoided in order to prevent the discharge of harmful contents. Mr Rickard said other anti-invasion devices included burying pipes filled with nitroglycerin underneath airfields, which could then be detonated to render them useless. But he stressed there was no indication that such methods had been used at RAF Horsham St Faith. After the mine was discovered using metal detectors, it was removed by an army bomb disposal team based in Colchester, Essex. Six foreign tourists have been injured after a convoy carrying British and American tourists was ambushed by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. Militants used rockets to attack the tourists, who were being escorted by an Afghan army convoy as they passed through the western province of Herat this morning. The two mini-buses were driving along a main road when the rocket struck. There are reports that eight Britons, three US citizens and one German were travelling in the convoy. Pictures show the burning remains of one of the vans in the aftermath of the attack. Up to six foreign tourists were injured after a convoy was attacked in Afghanistan, it has emerged. Pictures show one of the burnt out vehicles Militants used rockets to attack the tourists, who were being escorted by an Afghan army convoy as they passed through the western province of Herat this morning A foreign tourist, wounded during a Taliban militant attack, is treated at a hospital in the western Herat province A Foreign Office spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We are providing assistance to British nationals involved in the attack in Herat and are coordinating closely with local authorities.' Some local media outlets had earlier claimed tourists had been killed in the attack. But Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor, said: 'The foreign tourists - three Americans, six Britons, two Scots and one German - were travelling with an Afghan army convoy when they were ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif.' He said the insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, adding that at least six foreigners and their Afghan driver were left wounded. The tourists were on their way to Herat from Bamiyan and Ghor provinces when they were ambushed by Taliban gunmen, another spokesman said. The Taliban have officially not claimed responsibility so far for the attack and the nationality of the tourists was not immediately known. Two foreign tourists (centre) wounded during a Taliban militant attack, are treated at a hospital after the rocket attack on their vehicle Target: The two mini-buses were driving along a main road when the rocket struck A governemt spokesman said the insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, adding that at least six foreigners and their Afghan driver were left wounded The attack comes as Taliban militants intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become increasingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. The United States has warned its citizens in Afghanistan of a 'very high' kidnapping risk after an American citizen narrowly escaped abduction in the heart of Kabul. The latest attack follows a Taliban truck bombing on Monday at a hotel for foreigners in Kabul, which triggered a seven-hour gun and grenade assault that highlighted growing insecurity in the city. The guests and staff of the Northgate hotel escaped unharmed, but one policeman was killed after the suicide truck bomber paved the way for two other armed insurgents to enter the heavily guarded facility near Kabul airport. Afghan Police check people as they secure a highway on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan The attack was a grim reminder of growing insecurity in Afghanistan since most foreign troops withdrew in 2014. The rising violence has resulted in large Afghan civilian casualties. Foreigners are also increasingly being targeted as the conflict escalates. American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed in June while travelling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province. Aid workers in particular have increasingly been casualties of a surge in militant violence in recent years. Judith D'Souza, a 40-year-old Indian charity worker, was rescued in late July, more than a month after she was taken at gunpoint near her residence in the heart of Kabul. D'Souza's abduction came after Katherine Jane Wilson, a well-known Australian NGO worker, was kidnapped on April 28 in the city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan. A British engineer has been arrested by police in Bangladesh on suspicion of being involved in last month's deadly siege at a cafe in Dhaka that saw 22 people killed. A police spokesman confirmed that Hasnat Karim, a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was detained on Wednesday night. Also being held in connection with the siege was Canadian student Tahmid Khan, who attends the University of Toronto. Karim was seized by police in Dhaka for questioning after the attack on July 1 on the Holey Atrisan western-style cafe by ISIS British engineer Hasnat Karim has been arrested by police in Bangladesh on suspicion of being involved in last month's deadly siege at a cafe in Dhaka that saw 22 people die A.K.M Shahidur Rahman, a police spokesman in Dhaka said: 'We can confirm that they were arrested under Section 54 of CrPC (criminal procedure),' referring to a law under which police can detain someone for suspicion over any crime.' Karim was seized by police in Dhaka for questioning after the attack by ISIS on July 1 on the Holey Artisan western-style cafe. Relatives said Karim, who holds dual Bangladesh and British nationality, was used as a human shield by jihadis during the attack after going to the cafe with his wife to celebrate his daughter's birthday. He made a phone call at the behest of the gunmen to a relative during the attack, and he his family were released before security forces stormed the building, giving rise to suspicions that he was complicit in the siege. It is also believed that he was asked to recite the first chapter of the Koran. A South Korean man from a nearby apartment had shot a video of the scene in the restaurant in which Karim was seen talking to the attackers. Police also said there were photographs showing Karim smoking on the rooftop of the building with two of the attackers standing behind him. Neither he nor Canadian Khan have been seen in public since the end of the siege when commandos stormed the cafe in Dhaka's upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood the next morning. Militants killed 22 people, mostly foreigners, when they raided the upscale Holey Artisan restaurant on the night of July 1, as Bangladesh reels from a series of gruesome killings by Islamists. After the siege, police stormed the restaurant after being locked in a shoot-out with gunmen ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but police blame homegrown extremist group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Terrorists killed non-Muslims and foreigners - including Italians, Japanese and an American - before security forces ended the 12-hour siege Their families have previously said that both men were being held by the security services, insisting there is no evidence to link them to the attackers and that they were no more than innocent bystanders. Karim's lawyer also slammed authorities in Bangladesh last month claiming they were refusing his client access to legal representation. Rodney Dixon, speaking from London, claimed Karim, 47, was being held at a secret location in Bangladesh and was being interrogated without a lawyer present. He said: 'He cannot be kept incommunicado in detention. He must have access to his lawyers while he is being questioned. 'They should release him immediately since there is no evidence of his involvement in any crime. There is absolutely no evidence that he was the ring leader or involved in any way in the attack.' A British High Commission official also said they that they had also been denied access to Karim despite ongoing requests. Karim was born in Bangladesh but moved to the UK as a teenager, where he completed an engineering degree at Queen Mary University in London. As the seige continued, relatives of some of the hostages gathered outside the security cordon Karim's lawyers have filed a petition to the UN, urging a team from the international body to travel to Bangladesh to visit him in detention He then took a masters degree at Leeds University before living for the US for three years in 1993. Karim then returned to the UK before moving to Bangladesh in 2000, where he became a professor in the business faculty of Dhaka's North South University in 2008. He was also once investigated for his alleged involvement with a banned Islamic group, Hizbut Tahrir. However, he has since left teaching to join his father's civil engineering firm. His father said his son was 'not religious'. 'He goes to gym for exercise and occasionally to clubs for drinking beer. He is a simple man who does not like to socialise with people,' Rezaul Karim said, rejecting local media reports that Hasnat knew one of the attackers through a Bangladesh university. Karim's lawyers have filed a petition to the UN, urging a team from the international body to travel to Bangladesh to visit him in detention. A British Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are in contact with local authorities following the arrest of a Bangladeshi-British citizen in Dhaka on August 3.' In one of the most brazen attacks in Bangladesh's history, gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery, a cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter that was packed on a Friday evening with locals and expatriates. They killed non-Muslims and foreigners - including Italians, Japanese and an American - before security forces ended the 12-hour siege. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but police blame home-grown extremist group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Controversial human rights lawyer Phil Shiner faces a potential criminal investigation over the way his firm brought claims against British soldiers, it was reported today A controversial human rights lawyer is to be investigated over alleged bribes to Iraqi civilians who made abuse claims against British soldiers, it was reported this morning. Phil Shiner and his law firm Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) have come under intense criticism for bringing cases against British servicemen using publicly-funded legal aid. Earlier this week, the Legal Aid Agency, the authority in charge of funding cases, axed the firm's access to public money after finding it had breached its rules. It was reported this morning that the National Crime Agency (NCA) is set to investigate Mr Shiner over claims Iraqis were paid to bring abuse claims by so-called 'tank-chasing' lawyers. Mr Shiner is accused of knowing that payments, disguised as expenses, were submitted to the public funding authority, The Daily Telegraph reported. The newspaper reported that a dossier compiled by the Legal Aid Authority will be passed the NCA in the coming days. PIL, which has received 3million of legal aid in the past decade, has previously denied the allegations against it and vowed to 'robustly defend' its record. The firm has been contacted by MailOnline for comment. The Legal Aid Agency acted following a review of PILs practices and an investigation by the solicitors watchdog that could result in the closure of the firm. Soldiers who served in Iraq have faced a series of claims for compensation from Iraqis The allegations against PIL centre around two main issues, the first being PILs role in the 31million Al-Sweady war crimes inquiry into allegations of murder and torture by British forces. In December 2014, the five-year public inquiry exonerated British troops and said claims made by PILs clients were deliberate and calculated lies. Since the revelations came to light, Mr Shiner has been charged by his professional body, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which referred him to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. Paul Holmes, 50, from Holme in Cumbria, pleaded guilty to 14 firearms offences A gun-obsessed member of Satan's Slaves biker gang has been jailed for 15 years for hoarding sawn-off shotguns, rifles and a handgun in of Britain Paul Holmes, 50, from Holme in Cumbria, pleaded guilty to 14 firearms offences at Carlisle Crown Court earlier this year. The court heard that it was the largest firearms haul the police had ever recovered in the North West. Holmes, who owns 50 properties in the UK which he rents out, spent 14 years living in Australia and had previously been involved in competitive shooting as well as owning a firearms shop. He argued that he was a 'collector' and the guns were a part of his extensive and varied collection. He said: 'I just collected them like I have done all my life. It just got out of hand.' Holmes denied that the firearms were in any way connected to his membership of the group. Police sergeant Christopher Burgess told the court that outlaw motorcycle groups would often have a 'sergeant of arms' who would supply weapons for their clubs. 'The sergeant of arms will either have acquired them or know where they are stored,' Mr Burgess explained. However Holmes denied that he was the club's sergeant of arms and said that it had not had one whilst he had been a member. 'We are a group of five members all over the age of 50. We are old men who like riding our motorcycles. We are not a gang of criminals,' Holmes said. Police found the weapons, which included sawn-off shotguns, rifles, a hand gun and disassembled shotguns along with bullets of varying calibres, at his home, a farm outbuilding in Milnthorpe, and a garage on Devonshire Road, Morecambe. Holmes spent 14 years living in Australia and had previously been involved in competitive shooting as well as owning a firearms shop He argued that he was a 'collector' and the guns were a part of his extensive and varied collection More than 2,400 rounds of ammunition were seized in the raids. The charges faced by Holmes were one manufacturing offence, five offences relating to the possession of prohibited firearms, four related to the possession of firearms and four offences related to the possession of prohibited ammunition. Judge Peter Davies said that Holmes had an interest in guns 'that bordered on obsession' and noted that Holmes had a lawful and long-standing relationship with firearms. 'Your interest is well known, it's an interest that is obvious,' he said. 'To your community you are viewed as a trustworthy, respected citizen who can be trusted with guns. Holmes denied that the firearms were in any way connected to his membership of the group Police found the weapons, which included sawn-off shotguns, rifles, a hand gun and disassembled shotguns along with bullets of varying calibres, at his home, a farm outbuilding in Milnthorpe, and a garage on Devonshire Road, Morecambe 'Your skill, in fact, is powerfully demonstrated with the marked skill you used to manufacture guns.' He concluded that he did not find a criminal standard of proof to suggest that Holmes was a sergeant of arms for Satan's Slaves but that the 'scale of that amount of live ammunition [was] disturbing'. 'The danger posed by such weapons is the risk of them being used and the catastrophic consequences if they were used.' He said that he was satisfied that there was no other 'realistic reason' for Holmes to have the guns if not for criminal purposes. More than 2,400 rounds of ammunition were seized in the raids at three locations DCI Andy Hill of Cumbria Police said after the sentencing that this was an unusual case and that gun crime was not something people should 'worry overly about' DCI Andy Hill of Cumbria Police said after the sentencing that this was an unusual case and that gun crime was not something people should 'worry overly about'. 'It's very concerning that a man has managed to acquire this amount of weapons but it's very unusual,' he said. 'We're always vigilant and any mention of firearms immediately attracts our attention.' Zakia Akhtar, pictured, has been jailed for four years after admitting causing the death of her sister-in-law Mobeen Hussain, 25, through dangerous driving A motorist was almost three times the drink-drive limit when she killed her sister-in-law in a high-speed crash. Zakia Akhtar had been drinking Bacardi as she was driving and had already hit two parked vehicles before she ploughed her Vauxhall Corsa into the back of a parked lorry, fatally injuring Mobeen Hussain, 25. The 30-year-old accelerated at speed on the wrong side of the road before swerving back onto the right side seconds before the impact. The mangled car was embedded two metres into the back of the HGV's trailer but Akhtar survived after being cut from the wreckage. Mother-of-two Ms Hussain, described as her 'best friend', died in hospital hours later from horrific injuries. Now Akhtar has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. The tragedy happened at 7.35pm on January 8 as the two women were out enjoying a shopping trip. Ms Hussain was the front seat passenger in the car. Prosecutor Madhu Rai told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court: 'The lorry driver suddenly felt his lorry move. The cause of the death was a direct result of the collision.' The crash in the Hanley area of the city was seen by two women travelling in a car behind. Miss Rai added: 'The passenger says the Corsa was going faster and faster and pulling away at speed. It remained on the wrong side of the road for quite some time. 'She saw nothing to indicate the defendant tried to avoid the parked lorry. She did not slow down. She simply drove straight into the back of the parked lorry.' The car smashed into the back of a parked lorry in Stoke, leaving Ms Hussain with fatal injuries The defendant was breathalysed six hours after the collision and gave a reading of 66 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - nearly twice the legal limit of 35. An expert found she would have given a reading of 100 micrograms - nearly three times the limit - if breathalysed at the time of the crash. It is estimated the defendant was driving at nearly 51mph at the time of the impact. Akhtar of Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, told police she was supposed to wear glasses for distance vision, but did not because she felt she could see clearly. She added that her passenger gave her alcohol as she drove and asked her to drive faster. The court heard there was no trace of alcohol found in Ms Hussain's body. Her parents and siblings live in Pakistan and the court was told she was 'much-loved' and a 'favourite' in her family. Richard Oldroyd, mitigating, said the defendant has been looking after Ms Hussain's children since her death. He said she had drunk some Bacardi which she kept in her car so her daughter did not find it. Mr Oldroyd said: 'It was an ill-advised experiment. She clearly did not understand the strength of it. Akhtar was also handed a four-year driving ban at Stoke Crown Court, pictured 'She corrected being on the wrong side of the road about 30 metres before the collision and the tragedy ensued.' Jailing Akhtar, Judge David Fletcher said: 'This is a tragic case. You were the sister-in-law of Mobeen, but she was also your best friend. 'You have been like her big sister and helped her settle down in a new environment and you helped look after her two young children. 'On this day you went out late in the afternoon and did some shopping. For some inexplicable reason you chose to consume alcohol. 'You were not paying attention. This large articulated vehicle was parked perfectly properly.' Police say a staggering 565,806 have turned themselves in since the crackdown began have driven drug users and small-time dealers into frantic mass surrenders to officials Over 400 people have been killed since the start of July and the death toll is set to rise even further Ordered drug pushers to be 'put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish' a He ordered police to carry out summary executions and also urged citizens to kill drug users and dealers Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been dubbed 'The Punisher' because of his brutal war on drugs Advertisement Men shot and left to bleed out on busy streets, mutilated corpses dumped in vacant lots. The bodies are piling up as President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war brings terror to Filipino slums. Hundreds of people have died since Duterte won a landslide election in May, promising to rid society of drugs and crime in six months by killing tens of thousands of criminals. Police figures showed this week that 402 drug suspects had been killed since Duterte was sworn in at the end of June. That figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte's May election, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. This man was attacked by anti-drug vigilantes as he drove his tricycle, his body left hanging from the humble vehicle as blood dripped onto the street A Filipino crime scene investigator conducts an investigation where the body of a suspected drug dealer, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman, lies in a street in Pasay City, south of Manila, on 04 August Anti-narcotics and human rights groups from different parts of the world, on Wednesday, appealed to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to condemn Duterte's war on drugs Filipino crime scene investigators conduct an investigation into a dead body as crowds gather around the police tape This photo taken on July 8, shows police officers investigating the body of an alleged drug dealer with his face covered with packing tape, with a cardboard sign on him reading 'I'm a pusher', at a street in Manila Police figures showed this week that the death toll in Duterte's war on drugs has risen to 402 Anti-narcotics and human rights groups from different parts of the world, on Wednesday, appealed to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to condemn Duterte's war on drugs. In statements from groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, they called on Duterte to stop the killings and ensure the protection and rights of people who use drugs. In one viral image summing up the human cost, a young woman howls in pain as she cradles her partner's blood-soaked body under the glare of television lights as horrified bystanders look on from behind yellow police crime tape. Groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition have called on Duterte to stop the killings and ensure the protection and rights of people who use drugs Filipino residents view a the body of a suspected drug dealer, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman at a street in Pasay City This photo, taken on July 28, shows police officers carrying the body of an alleged drug dealer shot dead by police during a drug bust operation in Manila 'My husband was innocent. He never hurt anyone,' Jennilyn Olayres said of her partner Michael Siaron, 30, a tricycle driver - refuting the crude cardboard poster left behind by the motorcycle-riding gunmen killers saying 'drug pusher'. Police raids of suspected drug dealers' hideouts have led to near-nightly deaths. Most of the dead suspects - often found face-down in pools of blood - had pistols lying next to them in the act of resisting arrest, according to authorities. Suspected sympathy killings by anti-drug vigilantes have also left a trail of death. One man was attacked as he drove his tricycle, his body left hanging from the humble vehicle as blood dripped onto the street. Jennilyn Olayres is pictured grieving beside the coffin of her partner Michael Siaron after he was found dead in the streets of Manila with a crude cardboard poster left behind by the motorcycle-riding gunmen killers saying 'drug pusher', a claim she refutes Relatives of a tricycle driver are seen grieving after he was killed by unidentified gunman for being an alleged drug dealer in Manila The distraught relatives of a tricycle driver are pictured after he was gunned down, his body left to hang over his vehicle Other people have simply turned up dead in deserted streets and vacant lots at night, their faces cocooned in packaging tape and with cardboard signs accusing them of being drug dealers hanging on their chests. At his first 'State of the Nation' address to Congress, Duterte defended his anti-crime campaign and described the scene at Siaron's shooting as a parody of Michelangelo's 15th century Pieta marble sculpture. 'And there you are, dead and portrayed in a broadsheet like Mother Mary cradling the dead cadaver of Jesus Christ,' the president said, describing the tableau as 'drama'. Police officers investigate the dead body of an alleged drug dealer with his face covered with packing tape with a cardboard sign on him that reads 'I'm a pusher' People have simply turned up dead in deserted streets and vacant lots at night, their faces cocooned in packaging tape A police man is seen reeling out yellow crime scene tape around another dead body gunned down in the street This photo shows a gun beside a body of an alleged drug dealer shot dead by police officers after a drug buy bust operation A police officer ropes off the crime scene as the body of an alleged drug dealer shot dead lies in the street in Manila For an alleged drug dealer, Siaron did not have a lifestyle like Mexican or Colombian cartel kingpins. The rented hovel that was home to him and his girlfriend, made of scraps of plywood and iron sheeting, was not much bigger than a pig pen. It stood precariously on stilts atop a smelly, garbage-choked open sewer. 'At times we slept until late on purpose so we only had to worry about lunch and dinner,' Olayres, a street vendor, told AFP at her partner's wake. Held in a hall at a local government office, two more of the dead were being mourned at the same time. Olayres said Siaron was among the more than 16 million Filipino voters who had catapulted Duterte to office. The attacks have left wives and relatives crying and fainting at the carnage, but also driven drug users and small-time dealers into frantic mass surrenders to district officials. Police say a staggering 565,806 have turned themselves in. Many of those who presented themselves with pledges to straighten out their lives wore rubber wristbands bearing Duterte's name - materials used during his election campaign. Before the bodies started piling up, Manila police also launched a campaign, codenamed Oplan Rody - the incoming president's nickname - to rid the streets of drunks and shirtless men, who were made to do 40 pushups to avoid jail time. A children's night curfew was also imposed in some districts, with violators and their parents made to undergo counselling. This photo taken on July 15 shows a gun beside a hand of an alleged drug dealer shot dead by police officers This photo shows a man detained after police officers saw him possessing a plastic of solvent in Las Pinas in southern Manila This photo taken on June 1 shows men detained for drinking in a public place in Las Pinas, in southern Manila, and later made to do 40 push-ups, during a police operation called 'Oplan RODY' Police say a staggering 565,806 have turned themselves in. Many of those who presented themselves with pledges to straighten out their lives wore rubber wristbands bearing Duterte's name This photo taken on June 22 shows alleged drug dealers and addicts surrendering to authorities to undergo drug tests at Camp Karingal in Manila Men detained in June for drinking in a public place in Las Pinas in southern Manila are seen doing 40 push-ups as police look on This picture taken on June 8 shows children waiting their turn to sing karaoke along a street in the Divisoria market in Manila.Since winning the presidential election in May, Rodrigo Duterte has said he will impose late-night bans on children walking the streets, alcohol sales and the national passion of karaoke singing Police officers stand in formation before the start of operation Oplan RODY, a campaign to rid the streets of drunks and shirtless men This photo shows the shanty home in Manila of Jennilyn Olayres and alleged drug dealer Michael Siaron, a man who was recently shot dead by unidentified gunman In his first state of the nation address to parliament Mr Duterte, dubbed 'The Punisher', ignored the outrage over the continuing death count, declaring that drugs were 'drowning his country' and had to be stopped at all costs. 'Double your efforts. Triple them if need be,' Mr Duterte told police. 'We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish,' he said. Mr Duterte made it clear he would pardon police if they were charged with human rights violations for carrying out his merciless orders. Two women cry in grief after armed assailants in a motorcycle shot their loved one in a main thoroughfare on July 23, in Manila A young alleged drug dealer pictured with his hands and feet bound and his head wrapped in tape besides a road Police examine the body of an alleged drug dealer in Manila, as shocked locals look on The body of three alleged drug suspects lie inside a room littered with pink toys and a Hello Kitty cushion. A gun can be seen by one of the men's feet A crime scene shows where an alleged drug dealer was killed. There have been hundreds of drug related deaths since the start of July An alleged drug dealer and victim is found with his head wrapped in tape A man is seen shot dead outside of a local shop in Manila and was another alleged drug dealer A man in a blood soaked white t-shirt lays curled up on the ground next to a handgun Another two bodies are seen in alleyways after being shot dead in Manila, The Philippines An alleged drug dealer and victim is seen here with his hands bound and his head wrapped in tape A woman clutches her dead husband in grief after armed assailants on a motorcycle shot him in a main thoroughfare on July 23 The wife of the victim said he was not a drug peddler and that he was nothing more than a pedicab driver plying his trade when he was shot in front of her Mr Duterte won elections in May and immediately promised a law-and-order crackdown on drugs. 'These sons of w****s are destroying our children. I warn you, don't go into that, even if you're a policeman, because I will really kill you,' the president told an audience during a speech in the country's capital, Manila. President Duterte has warned of widespread bloodshed as part of the government's war on drugs. He vowed on one occasion during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them, according to the South China Morning Post. Duterte has also told police he would protect them from legal consequences if they killed drug dealers, the Post reported. A funeral services worker in a yellow t-shirt is seen alongside police as another body of an alleged drug dealer is recovered in Manila Local people line up behind a yellow police crime scene tape as police carry out an investigation in Manila Funeral workers transport bodies of alleged drug dealers and victims of summary executions inside a funeral parlor on July 27 The body of an alleged drug dealer waits to be transported to a funeral home in Manila This picture was taken at midnight after a drug raid in a large shanty community of the port area district on July 21, 2016 in Manila A Filipino woman grieves the loss of her husband, next to a placard which reads 'I'm a pusher'. The man was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Pasay City, south of Manila, Philippines A Filipino funeral parlor worker wraps a body in in Pasay City, south of Manila While women grieve the death of an alleged drug pusher in Pasay city, south of Manila (left), Filipinos carrying a wounded villager in Malabon City, east of Manila (right) The body of a drug user is carried away in the town of Kawit, Cavite province, Philippines Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs has already killed over 400 people since the start of July Filipino villagers grieve the loss of their relative, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Pasay City, south of Manila Nearly 60,000 drug addicts across the Philippines have handed themselves in to authorities after president Duterte promised a law-and-order crackdown on drugs Filipinos allegedly involved in illegal drugs handcuffed together inside a police headquarters in Manila. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said close to 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities Filipino inmates are seen inside a jail in Manila. President Rodrigo Duterte has urged citizens to 'go ahead and kill' drug dealers and users Police officers remove packing tape wrapped over the lifeless head of an alleged drug dealer on a street in Manila The government's top lawyer called for police to kill more suspected drug criminals, as he defended president Duterte's brutal war on crime against mounting criticism. As the official death toll has mounted, and other bodies not confirmed killed by police have been found with placards declaring them drug traffickers, human rights lawyers have expressed deep concerns about the war on crime spiralling out of control. In response to the criticism, Solicitor General Jose Calida held a press conference at national police headquarters to insist on the legality of the police killings and to encourage more deaths of people suspected of being involved in the drug trade. 'To me, that is not enough,' Calida said of the killings so far. 'How many drug addicts or pushers are there in the Philippines? Our villages are almost saturated (with drugs).' A lawyer and a former prosecutor, Duterte has urged law enforcers to kill those they believe are involved in the drug trade, as well as other criminals. Picture shows the body of a killed Filipino allegedly involved in illegal drugs. Police have confirmed killing more than 110 drug suspects since president Duterte came to power Police officers investigate the body of an alleged drug dealer, his face covered with packing tape and a placard reading 'I'm a pusher', on a street in Manila At least 300kg of shabua, a highly addictive methamphetamine, has been confiscated Pictured, arrested Filipinos allegedly involved in illegal drugs resting inside a shanty in Manila. President Duterte has warned of widespread bloodshed as part of the government's war on drugs In one of the deadliest single incidents, police reported killing eight 'drug personalities' during a pre-dawn raid on in a small southern town. One of the nation's top human rights lawyers, Jose Manuel Diokno, warned last week that Duterte had 'spawned a nuclear explosion of violence that is spiralling out of control and creating a nation without judges'. Former senator Rene Saguisag, a prominent human rights lawyer during the regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, also criticised Duterte's statements naming and shaming alleged drug lords and police officers ahead of a formal investigation. 'Do we still probe and have a trial as part of due process? Useless, it seems to me,' Saguisag wrote in an online column last week. Some opposition lawmakers have also called for a congressional investigation into the spate of killings. Calida, a Duterte appointee, said he would protect police from or during congressional probes, while emphasising it was up to critics to prove allegations of abuse rather than base inquiries on speculation. 'I am here to encourage the (police) not to be afraid of any congressional or senate investigations. We will defend them ... I am the defender of the (police),' he said. Filipino suspected drug users and pushers participate in exercises after voluntarily surrendering in Manila Grim scenes of alleged drug dealers found shot dead in Manila last week are growing increasingly common as police wage a bloody war on narcotics. A Filipino allegedly involved with illegal drugs standing on top of an electric post as rescuers try to convince him to get down The Filipino man allegedly involved with drugs is arrested by policemen after clinging on top of an electric post for hours Members of the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives conducting investigation following a police operation against illegal drugs Pictured, the body of a killed Filipino allegedly involved in illegal drugs lying in a pool of blood in Manila A member of the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives examining recovered evidence in Manila. The government's top lawyer called for police to kill more suspected drug criminals, as he defended president Duterte's brutal war on crime against mounting criticism As the official death toll has mounted, and other bodies not confirmed killed by police have been found with placards declaring them drug traffickers, human rights lawyers have expressed deep concerns about the war on crime spiralling out of control President Duterte vowed on one occasion during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them, according to the South China Morning Post Lifeguards have whistled in swimmers off the coast of Martha's Vineyard after beachgoers reported sightings of a shark only about 5 feet from shore. Some suspected the animal spotted Wednesday close to the Massachusetts coast was a hammerhead shark, about 10-feet-long. Lifeguards have whistled in swimmers off the coast of Martha's Vineyard after beachgoers reported sightings of a shark only about 5 feet from shore Swimmers were advised to stay out of the water at nearby beaches A New England Aquarium spokesman told the Vineyard Gazette that it was probably a smooth hammerhead shark. Sharks in that species can reach 13 - 14 feet long, according to the newspaper. State marine fisheries biologist John Chisholm told the Boston Globe: 'I'd be really reluctant to say it's a hammerhead until I see a photo. 'It's not unheard of, over the years, for hammerhead sharks to be seen. 'They're very common offshore... but to have one inshore would be rare.' He told the newspaper it was probably a sandbar shark. John Chisholm, a state marine fisheries biologist, says he doubts that because it would be out of the ordinary for a hammerhead to swim so close to shore Swimmers were advised to stay out of the water at nearby beaches. Jessica McGroarty, parks administrator for Edgartown, says swimming was first suspended for about an hour and a half after a spotter pilot confirmed the presence of the shark. After the water was reopened to swimmers, it was closed again for a half-hour following a second sighting. ISIS supporters have already expressed delight at the stabbing attack in London that left one American woman dead and five people injured. In the hours after the attack ISIS linked accounts on social media were soon reporting the news of the stabbings in a tourist hotspot in the heart of the British capital. US counter terrorism analyst Michael S. Smith posted on Twitter that the volume of communications in ISIS-linked social media accounts was 'low' ISIS supporters have already expressed delight at the stabbing attack in London that left one woman dead and five people injured. According to Michael S. Smith II, a US based expert for the Congressional Taskforce on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, IS-linked social media channels spread the news in the early hours of this morning UK time. The ISIS-linked group account on private social media channels linked to on Twitter published pictures on the aftermath of the attack. The Arabic-language account, called the News Publishing Service, which has a logo incorporating a rifle said: 'Here you have a picture of the site where the stabbing took place, Russell Square in the centre of 'Christendom' London.' It was also reported that an Arabic-language account wrote that 'Its nice to wake up to such news'. Mr Smith wrote on Twitter that the volume of communications in ISIS-linked social media accounts was 'low'. Police have confirmed that they have no reason to believe the knife man - a 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin - had been radicalized. The account wrote: 'And here you have a picture of the site where the stabbing took place, Russell Square in the centre of 'Christendom' London' Britain's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said they have now interviewed the suspect, spoken to his family, searched his London home and liaised with MI5 and MI6 and believe it was a 'spontaneous' and 'random' attack, not 'motivated by terrorism'. Defending his decision to suggest terrorism as a motive earlier today he said: 'You would expect us in the current climate to consider all possibilities'. It was also reported that an Arabic-language account wrote that: 'Its nice to wake up to such news' Mr Smith monitors more than 50 ISIS-linked social media channels that spread breaking news to invite-only followers on private networks in a bid to incite violence. While the accounts don't celebrate the news of violence directly, he says the reactions to ISIS-led attacks are like a 'jihadgasm', where as reports of random acts of violence are met with passing interest. 'After [the lorry terrorist attack on Bastille Day in] Nice there was an explosion immediately after on Telegram and on Twitter,' he told MailOnline. 'Its common where you have the reporting in Europe of violent events like Munich and London last night - there's interest but you dont see the same confidence that it was an ISIS attack as you would see with Nice.' Advertisement Pictures have emerged of a co-pilot who helped passengers off a stricken Emirates plane after it crash-landed at Dubai airport with 300 on board. Australian Jeremy Webb was the First Officer on board the Boeing 777 flight which smashed into the runway at Dubai International Airport before exploding into a giant fireball. Today his friends and relatives told of their relief and how they felt 'very blessed' after Mr Webb helped all 300 on board survive the terrifying crash yesterday. It comes as the father of a firefighter killed trying to tackle the fierce blaze paid tribute to his 'hero' son. Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan's father Issa said of the 27-year-old: 'My eldest son died as a hero while saving the lives of the plane passengers; he is a martyr, and he will be missed greatly.' Scroll down for video Australian Jeremy Webb was the First Officer on board the Boeing 777 flight which smashed into the runway at Dubai International Airport before exploding into a giant fireball Hero firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan died while trying to put out the flames and another 10 people were taken to hospital with moderate injuries Terrified passengers can be seen scrambling to escape an Emirates jet that crash-landed at Dubai International Airport, as the cabin of the plane filled with smoke As cabin crew forced open the emergency exit doors, panicked passengers can be seen trying to grab their luggage before leaping from the plane Miraculously all 300 people on board were able to escape and flee to safety across the runway as the plane exploded Camera footage captured by a passenger as she fled the crashed plane shows the engine on fire, before it exploded as passengers fled across the runway Passengers can be seen scrambling to collect their luggage from overhead lockers despite the smoke filling the cabin after the dramatic crash-landing The mother continued filming and she and her family escaped using the inflatable emergency slides, and she caught a glimpse of the flaming engine before it exploded Last night, shocking footage emerged from inside the cabin of an Emirates jet seconds before it exploded. Screams of terrified passengers can be heard as the cabin crew forced open the emergency exit doors, desperately trying to get all 300 people on board out safely. But travellers can be seen scrambling to collect their luggage as the cabin fills with smoke, with oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling. As the woman holding the camera guides her children to the emergency exit, where passengers were throwing themselves down inflatable slides, a voice can be heard shouting for her to 'jump, jump, jump'. She continues filming throughout her dramatic escape, and as she flees the wreckage the camera captures a glimpse of the flaming engine. Minutes later, as passengers fled the destroyed plane, it exploded into a fireball that claimed the life of hero firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan. It emerged that pilots tried to abort the landing moments before the jet crashed, telling air traffic controllers they wanted to 'go around'. Controllers at Dubai International had had to remind pilots on the Boeing 777 to lower the landing gear as it came into land, according to the respected Aviation Herald, which monitors air accidents. Footage from the latest video shows the plane's wing bent at an alarming angle above the flaming engine as the belly of the plane appears to be in contact with the runway itself - strongly suggesting that the crash was due to a fault in the landing gear. Another witness, Ibrahim Thomas from Thiruvananthapuram, was sitting in the front row window seat of the flight and said he was lucky to make it out alive. 'I was sitting in the front row window seat. I saw the right side engine caught fire and then it was in the cabin. In another five minutes the emergency doors were opened by the crew,' he told MailOnline in a phone interview. When asked if he thought he would die, he replied: 'Yes, yes, yes.' Hundreds of passengers miraculously escaped with their lives this morning when their Emirates jet crash-landed at Dubai airport and exploded All 300 on board, including 24 Britons and 18 crew, were led to safety at Dubai International Airport, minutes before the Boeing 777 was completely destroyed in a massive fireball Emergency: An Emirates passenger jet carrying 282 passengers has crash landed at Dubai Airport before bursting into flames Dramatic footage shows the aircraft exploding in a fireball on the runway, with the force of the blast throwing a huge metal panel from the plane into the air Emirates said the flight departed at 10.19am from Trivandrum International Airport and was scheduled to land at 12.50pm at Dubai International Airport Photographs of the incident showed a plane lying crumpled on its belly on the tarmac with black smoke pouring from its upper section Emirates airlines Boeing 777-300 A6-EMW plane flight number EK521 from Trivandrum to Dubai lays on the ground in Dubai airport after being gutted by fire Other witnesses said they saw smoke coming from the plane before it touched down at the world's busiest airport while one expert has suggested the extreme 50C weather today may have been a factor in the crash and there were reports of powerful gusts of wind at the time. All of those on board, including 24 Britons and six Americans, were led to safety at Dubai International Airport, minutes before the Boeing 777 was completely destroyed in a massive fireball. As well as the death of firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan, another 10 people were taken to hospital with moderate injuries. People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. As we were leaving on the runway we could see the whole plane catch fire - it was horrifying Passenger, Sharon Maryam Sharji Dramatic footage emerged of the passengers and crew fleeing for their lives down a runway just minutes before the Emirates jet exploded after crash-landing at Dubai Airport. Video shows them sprinting to the safety of a hangar as thick black smoke billows up from the stricken aircraft, which had flown from Trivandrum International Airport in India. Incredibly, all on board, including the 18 crew, escaped through emergency exits as the cabin filled with smoke and were able to sprint to safety moments before the plane exploded into flames. Passengers have revealed how the flight came down suddenly before bouncing upwards on landing. One told Asianet: 'In no time the cabin was filled with smoke. There was no announcement. The emergency door was forced open. Many of us now feel we have breathing problems because of the smoke.' Photographs of the incident showed a plane lying crumpled on its belly on the tarmac with black smoke pouring from its upper section while more video shows passengers running to safety at the terminal having been evacuated. The captain is believed to have sent out and emergency signal in the moments before the plane was preparing to land. A pilot who witnessed flight EK521 landing told NDTV the plane came in 'really hard' and hit the 'runway tail'. A passenger on another plane said she could see emergency chutes deployed. Footage taken from a building near the runway showed the moment the plane exploded into flames at Dubai International Airport The Dubai government's official media office said on Twitter that all passengers were 'evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported so far' Safety experts said it was too early to pinpoint any cause for the crash. Investigators will scour the wreckage and interview pilots, controllers and witnesses for clues to any technical malfunctions, human error or weather-related problems. All flights to the Dubai terminal were diverted while emergency crews worked at the scene. All take-offs and landings were suspended until 3.30pm UK time. Passengers evacuated from the plane said that minutes before the flight crash-landed at Dubai airport, the pilot made an announcement that he needed to make an emergency landing amid problems with the landing gear. Cabin crew then opened all the emergency exits of the plane and all 300 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were evacuated 'within minutes of the landing'. Pictures show smoke coming from the plane on a runway at the airport. All flights to the Dubai terminal have been diverted while emergency crews work at the scene Controllers at Dubai had reminded the crew of the Boeing 777 to lower the landing gear as it came into approach The Boeing 777 aircraft, departed at 10.19am from Trivandrum International Airport and was scheduled to land at 12.50pm at Dubai International Airport 'It was actually really terrifying. As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin,' passenger Sharon Maryam Sharji said. 'People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. We left by going down the emergency slides and as we were leaving on the runway we could see the whole plane catch fire; it was horrifying.' Shaji Kochikutty, who was flying with his wife and three daughters, told Xpress: 'It was a near disaster. God is great. He saved my family and we are grateful to be alive. What more can we ask for?' 'They [the crew] opened all emergency exits and guided us out. I first sent my three daughters. My wife went next but hurt her knee while jumping out. I bruised my feet as I ran without my shoes. 'We were promptly given first aid and we are all fine now. 'I think we have lost all other belongings [except our passports]. They would have been completely burnt. But that's not important. We can always replenish these things. But a life lost can never be replaced.' Dubai resident Girisankal Gangadhakan said his wife called him after the plane landed to tell him that she and their three children onboard had been involved in an accident but were safe. 'I was shocked when I heard about that,' he said. EMIRATES FLIGHT WAS CARRYING PASSENGERS AND CREW FROM 20 COUNTRIES The Emirates plane that crashed down at Dubai International Airport before exploding into flames was carrying 24 Britons, it has emerged. Emirates has revealed that six Americans, four Irish passengers and two Australians were also on board the stricken flight. The Emirates plane that crashed down at Dubai International Airport before exploding into flames was carrying 24 Britons, it has emerged There were also 226 Indian passengers, 11 from the UAE, six from Saudi Arabia and five from Turkey. A passenger list reveals there were also nationals from Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, Croatia, Egypt and Bosnia & Herzegovina. There was one passenger each from Lebanon, the Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland and Tunisia. Advertisement Jerin George, from New York, told the Mirror the jet's engine 'blew' when the plane hit the ground - and how the aircraft went 'boom' seconds after passengers had jumped down safety chutes. He said: 'We noticed something wasn't right when the landing started taking place. 'The engine blew away right after landing. As soon as everyone got out, the plane blew up. We are all safe and sound inside the airport now. Thank God for saving our life from a tragic incident.' T.P. Seetharam, the Indian ambassador to the UAE, says Indian diplomats have been dispatched to the airport and had met directly with many passengers. He says many are in shock, and that only one person - a crew member - had been taken to the hospital for treatment. Chris Galusha landed at Dubai Airport just 25 minutes before the plane crash landed, which has caused four to five hours of delays. 'The board is slowly updating major delays. Cannot see anything from terminal at this time,' he tweeted MailOnline, alongside a picture of the departure screen showing all flights as delayed. 'Airport is quiet right now. Calm before storm before people deplane,' he tweeted. In one video posted online a woman with a British accent can be heard gasping as she watched from the terminal. 'Are there people in that plane? Oh my god, the smoke's getting darker,' she says. Thick black smoke could be seen rising over Dubai International Airport after an Emirates plane reportedly crashed at around 12.45pm local time Dubai International is by far the Middle East's busiest airport, and is the world's busiest air hub in terms of international passenger traffic A pilot who witnessed flight EK521 landing said the plane came in 'really hard' and hit the 'runway tail' before coming to a halt According to air traffic control recordings cited by Aviation Herald, a respected independent website specialising in information on air accidents, controllers at Dubai had reminded the crew of the Boeing 777 to lower the landing gear as it came into approach. Shortly afterwards, the crew announced they were aborting the landing to 'go around,' a routine procedure for which pilots are well trained, but the aircraft came to rest near the end of the runway instead, Aviation Herald reported. There was no immediate confirmation on whether the landing gear was extended when the aircraft touched the ground. Eye-witnesses described seeing plumes of smoke coming from the jet moments before it crashed down. Emirates said in a statement: 'Emirates can confirm that today, August 3 2016, flight EK521 travelling from Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, India to Dubai has been involved in an accident at Dubai International Airport. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew on board. 'The Boeing 777 aircraft, departed at 10.19am from Trivandrum International Airport and was scheduled to land at 12.50pm at Dubai International Airport. 'We can confirm that there are no fatalities among our passengers and crew. All passengers and crew are accounted for and safe. 'We are expecting a four-hour network wide delay, more information will be available on the Emirates website and social media channels.' DID EXTREME 50C WEATHER CONDITIONS CAUSE EMIRATES JET TO CRASH? Hot weather could have played a part in the crash of an Emirates airliner, an aviation expert has suggested. Early indications suggested the plane, a Boeing 777, was not at fault and other factors would have been involved, according to expert David Learmount. 'The images tell us nothing except the aircraft eventually caught fire, but it certainly doesn't tell us why it did,' he said. 'It was an incredibly hot day, it was very nearly 50 degrees. 'If you get a damaged wing and fuel comes out of it, it vaporises in temperatures like that and vapour is highly inflammable.' He said temperature was 'very likely' to have been a factor and the crash should not prompt concerns about the safety of the plane. Hot weather could have played a part in the crash of an Emirates airliner, an aviation expert has suggested 'There have been accidents where 777s have been very badly damaged during a landing and yet we haven't had a fire like that,' he said. Mr Learmount said the crew acted in line with protocol by evacuating all passengers. 'If there is a fire or a risk of a fire, then the drill for every crew for every aeroplane flight in the world is to get the passengers off very fast, because if you don't it's a disaster,' he said. 'Did they do well? No, they did what they were paid for.' The Boeing 777 departed Thiruvananthapuram at 10.19am and was scheduled to land at 12.50pm local time, according to Emirates. Video posted online showed black smoke billowing from what appeared to be an Emirates jetliner, lying on its belly on the runway. Meanwhile online weather reports before the crash reported Dubai was relatively windy, with dust blowing and 'wind shear' reported on all runways. Wind shear is a potentially hazardous condition involving sudden and unpredictable changes in wind direction or speed. Advertisement The Dubai government's official media office said: 'All passengers were evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported so far. 'Concerned Authorities at Dubai International Airport are dealing with the incident at the moment to ensure safety of all.' Planemaker Boeing said in a statement it was monitoring the situation in Dubai and it would be working with Emirates to gather more information. Meanwhile, the pilot and crew have been roundly praised for landing the plane, with initial reports suggesting the pilot asked the airport for permission for a crash landing. 'Emirates pilot looks like he expertly landed the 777, and although there was a fire, still was time for pax [sic] to exit, get away,' Tweeted US-based journalist and aviation blogger Gerry Doyle. And an Indian journalist for ABP news wrote: 'Passengers on board Emirates flight almost kiss & survive death..Pilot deserves all praises to have managed to save so many lives.' Also praising the pilot from India, where the flight originated, was Bollywood star Pushkar Jog, who said: 'Emirates EK521 flight crashes after landing at d Dubai airport . Pilot saved 282 lives ..All passengers safe.' Dubai International is by far the Middle East's busiest airport, and is the world's busiest air hub in terms of international passenger traffic. Government-backed Emirates is the region's biggest carrier, and operates the world's largest airline fleet of the wide-body 777 long-haul aircraft. The Boeing aircraft involved in today's incident was delivered to Emirates in March 2003. The airline said both the captain and the first officer had over seven thousand hours of flying experience each. The crash is a blow to the Dubai carrier weeks after it was voted the world's top airline by Skytrax at the Farnborough Airshow, taking the crown from Gulf rival Qatar Airways. Severe delays: All take-offs and landings were been suspended but departures and arrivals have now resumed at the airport. Passengers are pictured queuing at the terminal A passenger tweeted this picture as delays started to build up at Dubai International today The incident also comes almost four months after a plane belonging to Dubai's other carrier, flydubai, crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, killing all 61 people onboard. On July 26, an Emirates Boeing 777-300 aircraft heading to the Maldives made an emergency landing in Mumbai because of a 'technical fault'. Dubai International is the world's largest hub in terms of international passengers, and is the base for Emirates, from where it serves more than 153 destinations. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Abu Dhabi's Etihad have seized a significant portion of transcontinental travel, capitalising on the geographic locations of their Gulf hubs. Emirates is the largest single operator of the Boeing 777, as well as the Airbus A380 superjumbo, and has expanded its fleet to 250 aircraft last year. Nigel Drever (pictured) got his RAF wings at the age of 19 on the day war broke out in 1939 One of the last remaining Battle of Britain pilots who helped dig the tunnel out of the Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp made famous in The Great Escape film has died aged 96. Nigel Drever was one of the Spitfire pilots from World War II and ended up in the infamous camp near Sagan, Germany, after being shot down by enemy fire. Mr Drever, from Reading, Berkshire, got his RAF wings at the age of 19 on the day war broke out in 1939. Flight Lieutenant Drever joined 98 Squadron and then 610 Squadron and flew several sorties until he was hit in March, 1941. He landed via parachute in France but was captured by the Germans and ended up in the prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III in Sagan, now known as the Polish town of Zagan. The camp was made famous by the film The Great Escape. Mr Drever was not one of the escapees, but did help to dig the tunnel. His daughter Clair Drever, also from Reading, described his life after the war. She said: 'He lived in Africa, then he went to Malta and then on to Andorra where he owned the Whisky Club. 'He retired in England, living in Brighton, East Begholt, Burnham-on-Crouch and finally ended his days in a care home in Reading'. He was one of the last remaining Spitfire pilots from World War II and ended up in the infamous camp near Sagan, Germany, after being shot down He helped dig the tunnel out of the Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp made famous in The Great Escape film (pictured) Mr Drever, at the age of 90, was honoured at a special celebration at the Churchill War Rooms in London at an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2010. At the event actor Robert Hardy read Winston Churchill's speech dedicated to 'The Few' in which he said: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' Mr Drever died on Saturday, July 16 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and was buried last week at Sonning, Berkshire. Flight Lieutenant Nigel Drever (third from the left) attended the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in London on Aug 20, 2010 Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan, who was accused cleric Fethullah Gulen of infecting Turkey with 'nests of terrorism' Turkisk president Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to cut off the business revenues of a US-based cleric he blames for masterminding a failed military coup - calling his companies and charities 'nests of terrorism'. The Turkish leader has blamed Fethullah Gulen of plotting the uprising, which rogue soldiers commandeer fighter jets, helicopters and tanks and capture bridges in a bid to seize power. However, Gulen who lives in exile in Pennsylvania has denied any involvement in the coup and has suggest Erdogan may have staged it himself to increase his power. But in a new speech that was broadcast live from the presidential palace in Ankara, Erdogan pledged to show no mercy in a crackdown on the cleric's interests. He accused Gulen of harnessing his extensive network of schools, charities and businesses, built up in Turkey and abroad over decades, to infiltrate state institutions and build a 'parallel structure' that aimed to take over the country. More than 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service and education have been detained, suspended or placed under investigation for alleged links to Gulen's 'Hizmet' (Service) movement since the July 15 coup attempt. Erdogan told business leaders: 'They have nothing to do with a religious community, they are a fully-fledged terrorist organisation ... This cancer is different, this virus has spread everywhere. 'The business world is where they are the strongest. We will cut off all business links, all revenues of Gulen-linked business. We are not going to show anyone any mercy.' The Turkish authorities had already seized a bank, taken over or closed several media companies, and detained businessmen on allegations of funding the cleric's movement ahead of the failed coup attempt. The Turkish leader has blamed Fethullah Gulen, pictured, of plotting the uprising, which rogue soldiers commandeer fighter jets, helicopters and tanks and capture bridges in a bid to seize power The news comes as the Austrian chancellor said there were signs that Turkey is heading toward a dictatorship and questioned the sense of continuing negotiations with it over EU membership. Christian Kern added it may be time to push the 'reset button' on the talks, adding he wants 'critical discussions' of the topic at next month's EU summit. He said 'there is no realistic perspective for membership' for Turkey. Instead, the Austrian leader calls for a 'new approach' based on the need for close economic ties between the EU and Ankara. A teenager cheated death on her gap year when she slipped and fell 30ft at a Thailand beauty spot and broke half the bones in her body. Natalie Cook, 19, suffered a catalogue of injuries including a double femur fracture, broken hip, pelvis, pubic bone and wrist. Her friends feared she was dead but Miss Cook said she 'willed herself to live' and miraculously survived the horrific plunge. Natalie Cook, 19, is recovering after returning to her home in Leeds, pictured, after falling 30ft down a waterfall in Thailand The teenager, pictured left at the waterfall, was feared dead by friends after the accident, right She sustained a double leg fracture, a broken hip, pelvis and pubic bone, pictured Miss Cook was on a jungle trek when she slipped on a wet rock at a waterfall in the Mae Wang district, just five days into her five-week trip. She was carried to the roadside on a plank of wood by 15 of fellow trekkers in 100-degree heat and then driven to hospital in agony along the rough jungle roads. She said: 'Half of the bones in my body were broken and as soon as they lifted me, my body rolled in the sheet and everything crunched and cracked. 'As soon as I landed everything was in slow motion - everything was so quiet and I could feel my mind begin to drift away from me. 'I vividly remember telling myself, 'you have got to stay awake, if you go unconscious then you're going to die'. 'I truly believe this was the moment I decided to stay alive and with that thought, I started gasping for air. X-rays, pictured, revealed the extent of the damage to Miss Cook's pelvic region She sustained a double femur fracture as well as the damage to her pelvis and pubic bone Despite the 'searing agony' the teenager battled to remain positive throughout the ordeal 'The people I was with later told me they thought I was dead.' Miss Cook also suffered internal bleeding to her abdomen and serious damage to her lower back. She was put in a taxi van for the hour-long journey to a clinic near the city of Chiang Mai. She added: 'I was screaming in pain every time we hit a bump or a rock. Miss Cook, pictured in hospital, said she 'willed herself to live' in the moments after the fall Her mother Alison Poxton, right with Miss Cook, flew out with father David Cook after they learned of the accident in May Miss Cook spent seven weeks in hospital, pictured left and right, before flying home Miss Cook was enjoying her holiday before the accident and is pictured with an elephant here The 19-year-old, pictured left and right, had been five days into a five week 'trip of a lifetime' 'We eventually made it to the clinic, where they put a sheet underneath me and four of them grabbed each corner. 'They lifted me up and I howled in absolutely, searingly painful agony.' Her parents David Cook and Alison Poxton flew to Thailand after hearing of the accident in May. They were at her hospital bedside with her boyfriend Christopher Cuevas where she spent seven weeks before returning to Britain. Miss Cook, pictured, also suffered internal bleeding to her abdomen and serious damage to her lower back Miss Cook said she was 'howling in agony' following the fall and is still struggling to confront what happened to her But the teenager has vowed to return to Thailand, pictured, when she is well enough Miss Cook added she was keen to return to the hospital to thank everyone who cared for her Miss Cook, from Garforth, West Yorkshire, flew home with a medical escort at the end of June and hopes to start walking again in about 10 weeks. She said: 'I'm slowly healing - but it's still very hard to properly confront what happened. 'It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a holiday - but you need to always remember what you have learned about safety. There could be danger anywhere.' Miss Cook has vowed to return to Thailand when she is well enough to again follow her dream of travelling the world. An aggressive pit bull had to be shot dead by a Dutch policeman after it locked its jaws onto a man's crotch during a village festival. Disturbing mobile phone footage has captured the moment an officer fired six bullets at the canine to bring it down. The dog had reportedly been biting numerous people in the town of Santpoort-Noord on the western coast of The Netherlands. An aggressive pit bull latched onto a man's crotch in the Dutch town of Santpoort-Noord During the evening partygoers called in officers to tackle the dog, which had bitten three others, reports Dutch news site NH. Initially they believed the beast had been tamed as it was in the arms of its owner. Yet for reasons unclear it became violent again, broke free and embarked on a second rampage, reports NOS. Shockingly it then latched itself onto a man's crotch and refused to let go. Officers had to shoot it to save the man from a painful injury, as he cried out in agony. In the video footage a by-stander is heard shouting: 'What are the police doing now?' before six bullets are fired. The violent canine is shot dead as an officer shoots it six times to save the man's crotch The officer later stated the owner gave him permission to shoot the dog. Police said: 'He (The owner) was clearly shocked that his dog had attacked other people. When the dog ran away again and bit a man in his crotch, the owner shouted that his dog has gone crazy and he must be put down before more people would fall victim.' Chairman of the village festival Bas Kuntz said: 'It is the responsibility of the dog owner to decide whether the dog can be brought to the fair or not.' He stressed that people who get this wrong are no longer welcome. Advertisement Thousands of Christians make the pilgrimage each year to wade in the River Jordan near Jericho. But despite making the trip several churches are not accessible because they are surrounded by thousands of land mines left by the Six Day War. Barbed wire fences surround the churches, which have been blocked and left abandoned for almost 50 years since the war in 1967. Barbed wire blocks the access to a Coptic Orthodox Church near the River Jordan which is surrounded by land mines A Syrian Orthodox Church lies abandoned near a field of land mines close to the Qasr al Yahud baptism site near Jericho A locked gate keeps Christian pilgrims away from the access to a church near Jericho with a sign warning of land mines But now a rare agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians will allow a UK-based anti-mine group to clear the 4,000 explosives. The HALO Trust will soon get to work clearing the mines and making it safe for tourists. This means Christian pilgrims will eventually be allowed to visit the scared churches around the river for the first time in half a century. Thousand of pilgrims flock to the River Jordan, close to the West Bank to visit the Qasr al Yahud baptism site. It is thought to be the traditional site where John the Baptist is said to have baptized Jesus more than 2,000 years ago. Israeli soldiers guard the River Jordan, where thousands of Christian pilgrims flock to each year to visit Christ's traditional baptism place A Christian from the Ukraine holds a selfie stick as she prays in the Jordan River at the Qasr al Yahud baptism site, near Jericho A Christian from Ukraine wades in the Jordan River at the Qasr al Yahud baptism site, where John the Baptist baptised Jesus more than 2,000 years ago Israel control the area of the West Bank close to the baptism site, which has been in their territory since the 1967 war with Jordan. They then placed mines on the banks of river to ward off any further attacks. However, the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1994 and their border has been largely quiet for more than 20 years. Israel control the area of the West Bank close to the baptism site, pictured, which has been in their territory since the 1967 war with Jordan charity World Vision say the are shocked by the Israeli claims The Shin Bet has accused Mohammed el-Habibi, the Gaza zonal manager with World Vision, of a sophisticated scam to help Hamas build tunnels and purchase arms A senior manager with a Christian aid charity siphoned off up to $50million intended to help starving people in Gaza and transferred it to militant group Hamas, Israel's internal security agency has claimed. The Shin Bet has accused Mohammed el-Habibi, the Gaza zonal manager with World Vision, of a sophisticated scam to help the Islamic group build tunnels and purchase arms. They added that he diverted millions to the group, which rules Gaza, creating fictitious humanitarian projects and doctoring inflated receipts. El-Halabi, who is in his late 30s and from Jebaliya in the Gaza Strip, was arrested in June as he was crossing from Israel into Gaza. The Shin Bet said he underwent Hamas military and organisational training in the early 2000s and was 'planted' by the group at World Vision in 2005, where he climbed the ranks to become director of the Gaza branch. His LinkedIn profile says he previously worked at UNDP, a UN agency. The Israel Security Agency said in a statement: 'He began to conduct security operations for Hamas' military wing which was essentially exploiting the organization's funds for Hamas' fortification.' They also claimed that el-Halabi initiated fictitious projects meant to help farmers, the disabled and fishermen and would falsely list Hamas operatives as workers on those projects and write up inflated receipts. Companies hired to carry out certain projects under fictitious tenders were 'made aware' that 60 per cent of the project's funds were destined for Hamas, the Shin Bet statement said, adding that some of World Vision's budget was used to pay the salaries of Hamas operatives. El-Halabi, who is in his late 30s and from Jebaliya in the Gaza Strip, was arrested in June as he was crossing from Israel into Gaza The agency also said el-Halabi would transfer to Hamas materials such as steel, digging equipment and pipes that were meant for World Vision agricultural assistance. Thousands of packages with food and medical aid received monthly would allegedly be diverted to Hamas operatives and their families rather than reach Gazan civilians. Beyond arms purchases and tunnel digging, the funds also helped build military bases, including one constructed in 2015 built entirely from British aid money, according to the statement. The security agency said el-Halabi also divulged intelligence about employees working for United Nations agencies and other aid groups who were also assisting Hamas, without elaborating. World Vision, a US-based aid group that works in nearly 100 countries, said in a statement on its website that it was 'shocked' by the allegations and said it has 'no reason to believe' they are true. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said that Kent Hill, a senior official with the organization, was holding meetings in Israel over the accusations. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings were private. A grandmother's brutal comments on her granddaughter's Facebook photo have raised hilarity online. In an age of 'body confidence' and sensitivity over image issues, youngsters are often sheltered from the quick judgements of the past. But when Scottish teenager Chloe Gallacher posted a selfie on her social media page, her grandmother Mary Kennedy pulled no punches in her response. Mary Kennedy (right) has sparked hilarity online with a comment about her granddaughter Chloe Gallacher (left) The teenager posted a selfie on Facebook before her grandmother wrote the comment below The 70-year-old, from Glasgow, posted underneath the photo: 'How stunning would you be if you lost weight.' The tactless comments sparked amusement among Miss Gallacher's friends and then wider online as Mrs Kennedy was called 'Scotland's most savage nana'. Miss Gallacher, 19, from Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, replied to her grandmother: 'Aw, aye thanks very much nana! 'Dunno whether to laugh or cry right now. Nothing like a wee self confidence boost eh? Cheers doll.' Friends then posted reassuring messages to the teenager that she was beautiful they way she was, which her grandmother hastily agreed with. A photo of Mrs Kennedy's comments has since gathered more than 9,000 likes and almost 6,000 retweets on Twitter. Sophie Carr commented: 'Basically what my nanny said to me' and Kate Hayden said: 'Literally my nan.' Speaking about the response to the post, Chloe said: 'She got quite upset because she thought people were taking it as if she was being nasty when that wasn't the case. 'I didn't think anything of it, my nana's always like that and doesn't hold back, she's some women but we wouldn't have her any other way.' Miss Gallacher has brushed off her grandmother's comments, saying: 'We wouldn't have her any other way Mr Kennedy said: 'I'm not very good on Facebook, I just go on there to see what's going on. 'I probably should have private messaged it because it was just meant to be seen by her but I'm glad she took it well, I was only saying it in a nice way. 'She's beautiful. It wasn't meant as a dig. I was actually quite upset by some of the reaction because she got some digs, or I did. 'I've got ten grandchildren and one great grandchild and I'm very protective of them all. We are all very close so they all know me too well. I'm brutally honest if nothing else.' A 64-year-old Sydney man and a 20-year-old Melbourne man were arrested on Wednesday over their Drugs found in 14 timber logs after the to have a street value of $115million 154kg of methamphetamine found in sea container from Africa Two men have been arrested after $115 million worth of methamphetamine was found hidden inside timber logs in a sea cargo container that arrived in Australia from Africa. Australian Boarder Force officers detected 154 kilograms of methamphetamine when the consignment containing 121 logs arrived in Sydney in June. Drugs were found in 14 of the logs. ABF said packages were stashed inside the timber, which had been cut in half and nailed and glued back together, ABC News reported. Scroll down for video Two men have been arrested after $115 million worth of methamphetamine was found hidden inside timber logs in a sea cargo container (pictured) that arrived in Australia from Africa Australian Boarder Force officers detected 154 kilograms of methamphetamine when the consignment containing 121 logs arrived in Sydney in June. Drugs were found in 14 of the logs In July Australian Federal Police monitored the delivery of the consignment from Sydney to Sunshine and Keilor Park in Melbourne. On Wednesday simultaneous search warrants were conducted in Sydney and Melbourne and resulted in the arrest of two men. A 64-year-old Werrington man was arrested in Sydney and charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. A 20-year-old Moonee Ponds man was arrested in Melbourne and charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment. John Beveridge, AFP commander said the operation successfully blocked more than a million hits of methamphetamine before they could reach the streets. ABF said packages were stashed inside the timber, which had been cut in half and nailed and glued back together (pictured) The capabilities of Australian law enforcement, intelligence, and border protection agencies has never been stronger, and our efforts to disrupt the supply of these illicit drugs will continue without apology, he said. Methamphetamine poses a real threat to the health and safety of the Australian community and the ABF is committed to stamping out this kind of criminal activity at our border. Donald Trump has claimed his policy platform could have prevented the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States because his immigration plan would have stopped Muslim hijackers from entering the country. The Republican candidate also reportedly claimed Hillary Clinton was the 'founder of ISIS' during his speech to a party event in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. In of his most controversial comments to date, Mr Trump had pledged to ban all Muslims - 1.6 billion people worldwide - from entering the US. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during his campaign event at the Ocean Center Convention Center on August 3, 2016 in Daytona, Florida Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles during a campaign town hall at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Wednesday However, this policy has since been clarified to include only immigrants from so-called 'terror states'. His immigration plan also involves building a massive wall to stop illegal immigrants along the country's southern border with Mexico - and make Mexico pay for it. ABC News reports that Mr Trump - declaring his campaign more united than ever amid reports it was in chaos - used the rally on Wednesday to set out how the immigration policy would have influenced America had he been president back in 2001. 'Those people that knocked down the World Trade Center most likely, under the Trump policy, wouldn't have been here to knock down the World Trade Center,' Mr Trump said. Supporters listen intently to Mr Trump at the rally in Daytona Beach on Wednesday The Muslim ban was met with a storm of global controversy in December last year when Mr Trump called for a 'total and complete shutdown' of US borders to Muslims following the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Fourteen people were killed by a Muslim couple in an attack which drew praise from ISIS. However, Mr Trump and his campaign has appeared to soften the stance in recent months with clarifications. In May and early June, Mr Trump described the ban as temporary. He later tweeted, in late June, a further clarification. 'We must suspend immigration from regions linked with terrorism until a proven vetting method is in place,' he said. Mr Trump declared his campaign was more united than ever amid reports it was in chaos The Huffington Post reported that it tried to clarify Mr Trump's immigration policy with his campaign following the Daytona speech as he had also promised a stricter screening process for citizens from 'dangerous countries' such as Syria in another version of the policy. The website reported the latter proposal stopped short of the original blanket ban and appeared to exempt the countries where the 9/11 hijackers hailed from - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon. The ABC network reported Mr Trump also used his speech to claim that Mrs Clinton deserved an award because she was 'the founder of ISIS.' 'Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton?' Mr Trump said. Two passengers were ordered off a flight to Ibiza by police after they started fighting before the plane took of this morning. Officers were called and stormed onto the RyanAir plane after the two men were seen 'squaring up to each other'. The plane, which was due to leave Manchester Airport at 6.50am today, was delayed after the flight crew had to phone the police. One of the passengers held up was music producer DJ Kryder, who was due to perform alongside the world famous French DJ David Guetta at Pascha nightclub in Ibiza this evening. Two passengers were ordered off a flight to Ibiza by police after they started fighting before the plane took of He tweeted a photograph of the officers on the plane and wrote: 'Why is @Ryanair flights always full of scum - police boarded already to remove two guys for fighting.' The passengers were escorted from the flight by Greater Manchester Police officers. No arrests were made. A Manchester Airport spokesman said: 'Manchester Airport can confirm two people were taken off board a flight to Ibiza this morning due to disruptive behaviour. 'Anyone with specific queries should contact the airline or Greater Manchester Police directly.' A RyanAir spokesman said: 'The crew of this flight from Manchester to Ibiza requested police assistance after two passengers becoming disruptive prior to take-off. 'Police removed and detained the individuals before the flight departed to Ibiza. 'We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time, and we apologise to other customers for any inconvenience caused. Dance music producer DJ Kryder, who was travelling to perform alongside French DJ David Guetta at Ibiza's Pascha nightclub, tweeted a picture of police coming on board He was due to play with world famous DJ David Guetta at Pascha nightclub in Ibiza tonight 'The safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police.' The incident comes after Jet2 announced it will be banning the sale of alcohol on board all flights before 8am. A wealthy businessman and avid car collector has launched a lawsuit against Ferrari for allegedly refusing to sell him its latest limited edition supercar. Preston Henn, who founded the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop in Florida, in 1963, has owned Ferraris for nearly 60 years and is well-known in classic car circles. The 85-year-old, who was born in Murphy, North Carolina, claims Ferrari North America ordered his local dealership not to sell him the convertible version of the LaFerrari. Preston Henn has owned Ferraris for nearly 60 years and is renowned in classic car circles Mr Henn alleges that Ferrari officials told his friends he 'was not qualified to purchase the LaFerrari Spider' (pictured) Ferrari limited supply of the sought-after Aperta (also known as the Spider) to just 150 examples worldwide. Its official price has not yet been released, according to a factory spokesman, but orders for the car are rumoured to be somewhere between $1million and $3million. Mr Henn alleges that Ferrari officials told his friends he 'was not qualified to purchase the LaFerrari Spider' before he made an enquiry about the supercar. He then sent a $1million cheque to Sergio Marchionne, the Chairman of Ferrari Chrysler Automobiles, as a deposit - but had his money returned. Ferrari limited supply of the Aperta (also known as the Spider) to just 150 examples worldwide This has infuriated the high octane-loving businessman, who has decided to sue Ferrari North America for defamation. In papers submitted to the District Court of Florida in Fort Lauderdale, Henn is described as 'the most qualified, or among the ten most qualified persons in the United States with regard to the standards that Ferrari has historically used to determine who would have "the privilege" of purchasing unique Ferrari automobiles'. Papers show Mr Henn owns or currently owns 17 Ferraris including a 1955 Ferrari 275 GTB, Competizione Speciale. This is regarded by many as one of the world's most valuable cars, with estimates it is worth more than $100million. The official price of the Aperta has not yet been released but orders are believed to be somewhere between $1million and $3million The lawsuit says Mr Henn is suing Ferrari North America Inc. for damages following alleged statements which injure 'reputation in his profession, trade, occupation, and in the world of high end automobile organisations, associations, and exhibitions and their individual participants'. It adds: 'He (Mr Henn) seeks damages for reputational injury and the mortification caused by declaring him to be not qualified to purchase a LaFerrari Spider.' Mr Henn, who made a fortune through his flea market business, is seeking damages 'in excess of $75,000' and is demanding a trial by jury. The LaFerrari Aperta was officially announced by Ferrari at the beginning of July. Papers show Mr Henn owns or currently owns 17 Ferraris including a 1955 Ferrari 275 GTB, Competizione Speciale, thought to be worth more than $100million (pictured) It is yet to be seen in public, with Ferrari giving the car its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in September. Gordon Ramsay has a LaFerrari Aperta on order. The celebrity chef flashed the keys Ferrari had sent him prior to the supercar being dispatched on the first episode of the new Top Gear series. A teenage model has been found dead in a Turkish forest after having rags stuffed down her throat. Police launched a murder hunt after Kader Kaya, 17, was found in woodland near the ancient city of Eskisehir in north-western Turkey. The teenager, who worked as a photo model, had left home for a job interview but never returned. Police launched a murder hunt after teenage model Kader Kaya, 17, was found in woodland near the ancient city of Eskisehir in north-western Turkey Officers say she had two pieces of fabric stuck in her throat which they believe were used by her killer to prevent her from screaming. They also revealed that no other signs of violence were found on the body of the model who was found two days before what would have been her 18th birthday. Police also say that Ms Kaya was seen in a car with another unidentified person near the crime scene the day before her body was found. Officers are trying to identify the car from witness descriptions. Hikers spotted Miss Kaya's body during an early morning walk in the Kanlipinar area and called the police Investigators have thoroughly searched the area where her body was discovered and have found her bag and sunglasses but said her mobile phone was still missing. Hikers spotted her body during an early morning walk in the Kanlipinar area and called the police. Friends of the popular teenager have been paying tribute to her on social media where she had more than 1,000 followers. A mother is suing Argos for 20million claiming an 'unsafe' baby car seat 'put her son's life at risk.' Rochelle Natty says Argos sold her a child car seat which was 'not fit for purpose' then took a year and a half to inform her and other customers that the product was faulty. Argos issued an 'urgent recall' of its exclusive range of Mamas & Papas branded Mercury Group car seats in April this year, after identifying a 'potential safety issue.' Customers were urged to immediately return any of five models they had purchased from the range, which sold at around 50, because of concerns that they might be prone to cracking under strain. A mother is suing Argos after her child used one of a range of car seats which were recalled Miss Natty, a mother of one, from Oldham, says she was sold one of the unsafe seats and was horrified when she realised she had been using it unwittingly for 18 months. She is now demanding Argos pay her 20million in damages for the shock caused when she realised she had been unwittingly 'driving around with my child in an unsafe car seat'. The Mercury Group range of baby car seats were exclusively manufactured for Argos by well known baby brand, Mamas & Papas, and were withdrawn on April 29 2016. Argos posted a statement on its website on that date, saying: 'We have identified a potential safety concern. 'In the event of an accident the car seat shell may crack and therefore not provide the intended level of protection to the user. 'If you have purchased any of the above seats, you should immediately stop using the product and return the car seat to your local Argos store for a full refund. 'We wish to thank you for your co-operation and apologise for any inconvenience caused by this recall.' Argos have said the woman cannot claim damages without having suffered injury or trauma In a High Court writ, Miss Natty said: 'I was sold a car seat that was unsafe and Argos (took) one year and a half to inform me about it, whilst my son was being driven around in a car seat that was not fit for purpose. 'They put my child's life at risk. 'On 11 May 2016 I received an email from Argos stating urgent safety concerns. 'I read through it, then called Argos up and asked, why did it take them a year and a half to tell me this whilst driving around with my child in an unsafe car seat. Argos then went on to blame Mamas & Papas.' Miss Natty also claims the high street giants 'failed to recognise the seriousness of the risk they placed my child in.' Lewis Bretts, Argos' barrister, writes in the company's defence to the action that Argos 'admits' it sold the car seats and issued the recall notice. But he adds that Mamas & Papas, not Argos, are 'the producer and importer of all such items for the purposes of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.' Mamas & Papas are named as second defendants on the writ. Mr Bretts goes on to ask for her claim to be struck out, adding that she 'seeks 20m despite not claiming to have suffered any actual loss, damage or personal injury.' He says she has failed to provide adequate details of 'the nature of the loss or damage suffered and how the alleged breach or defect caused her to suffer.' 'It is averred that Argos has acted reasonably at all times in respect of the timing and distribution of the recall notice,' he adds. 'Argos has offered a full refund to any of its customers in possession of an item referred to in the recall notice.' The case has been lodged at the High Court in London and will go before a senior judge Mamas & Papas said in a statement at the time the recall notice was issued: 'Mamas & Papas has been in discussion with Argos about their decision to suspend sales and recall certain Mercury car seats, which are manufactured by Mamas & Papas exclusively for Argos. We continue to work closely with Argos to determine the exact nature of the issue. 'We wish to reassure our customers that we take product quality and assurance very seriously and that the safety of our customers is always our primary concern. 'All Mamas and Papas car seats are tested, certified and approved under European regulations by independent accredited bodies. 'All our products are audited and checked - by routine batch sample testing of production - at accredited test laboratories. 'We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience the recall has caused. A state university in Massachusetts made the decision to cancel their Cinco de Mayo celebration after one student complained about the annual festivities. Heat Street reports that a student at Framingham State University filed a report with the Bias Incident Response Team at the school on May 5 when members of the administration decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by putting up decorations and offering students a burrito bar at lunch. 'I feel as though whenever an event like this is taking place we go straight to stereotypes and it is EXTREMELY offensive!' wrote the student. 'If that were not enough on Cinco de Mayo the dining services team decides than in honor of a glorious victory against french colonizers in Mexico we should decorate the dinning [sic]commons. ' An hour later, the decorations were removed from the dining hall. Done: Framingham State University (above) in Massachusetts cancelled their Cinco de Mayo celebration this year Over it: A student complained about the decorations being used and the food being served (burrito bar above), writing it was 'EXTREMELY offensive!' Among the decorations that the student took issue with were 'blow up chili peppers, pancho decorations, and donkey pinatas.' The complaint also noted that there were other 'overtly racist and clearly ignorant decorations.' The individual said he was equally angered by a similar celebration that had taken place weeks earlier when the Student Union Activities Board held a themed birthday party for the school's mascot Sam the Ram. To promote that event a 'massive flyer had Sam in a sumbrero [sic] with Feliz Cumpleanos on it,' said the student. There was also a burrito bar and even salsa lessons for the birthday festivities according to the complaint. That burrito bar was brought in again for Cinco de Mayo, and even got a plug on social media. The dining hall promoted the lunch special on their Instagram page earlier in the day, writing: ' Happy #CincoDeMayo! We have a Burrito Bar at the grill station in the Dining Commons! Get a beef burrito made just for you! Get beans or no beans; add cheese, onions, salsa, sour cream, peppers, and tomatoes!' The post went on to let students know they could get more information about how to make their burrito healthy at the dining hall. Demand: The student asked that the school 'consult with students, faculty and staff who identify as members of a culture prior to the [cultural] celebrations' (Sean Huddleston, who serves as chief diversity officer at the school, above) Sean Huddleston, who serves as chief diversity officer, passed along the student's complaint after his office received it on May 5 but did not tell the dining hall to take down any decorations. That decision was made by Sodexo, the contractor who handles the food at the school, and they went a step further by offering to speak with students and start a dialogue about how to 'commemorate events such as this while being respectful to the particular ethnicity.' Sam the Ram's birthday visual has also been changed from a sombrero to a yellow balloon. Hudelston and his group later talked with the male student, who said he was speaking on behalf of Latinos at the college. An NHS worker was questioned under the Terrorism Act at an airport after being seen reading a book on Syrian culture while on a flight to her honeymoon. Muslim Faizah Shaheen was detained by South Yorkshire Police at Doncaster Airport after returning from the two-week break in Turkey. The 27-year-old had been seen reading the award-winning Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline a fortnight earlier while on the outbound flight by a member of the Thomson Airways cabin crew, and was reported for suspicious behaviour. But after being held by officers for 15 minutes, she was released without further action. Faizah Shaheen, 27, pictured, was held at Doncaster Airport and questioned under the Terrorism Act after being seen reading a book on Syrian culture Ms Shaheen, of Leeds, who works with teenage mental health patients to prevent them being radicalised, said she was left in tears over the incident and felt discriminated against because of her faith. She told the Independent: I was completely innocent I was made to feel like a culprit. She added: I became very angry and upset. I couldnt understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this. I told the police that I didnt think it was right or acceptable. Ms Shaheen said she was queuing at passport control and notice officers watching her. She was then approached after passing through and was asked to show her passport again to the police. The officers presented with a leaflet explaining how officers had the power to question her under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act. The book, pictured, features artwork, photographs, short stories and essays on Syria Ms Shaheen described the incident as ironic because she is trying to fight radicalisation and break the stereotypes as part of her job. She added it was a hurtful experience and questioned whether a non-Muslim would have received the same treatment. Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, said there was a balance to be struck over reporting suspicious behaviour but that it was an overreaction, calling on the airline to apologise. A spokesman for Thomson said: 'The safety of our customers and employees is of primary importance and our crew undergo general safety and security awareness training on a regular basis. Ms Shaheen was reported on her outbound honeymoon flight by a member of Thomson's cabin crew, who are encouraged to flag up any 'suspicious behaviour' (file picture) 'As part of this they are encouraged to be vigilant and share any information or questions with the relevant authorities, who would then act as appropriate. 'We appreciate that in this instance Ms Shaheen may have felt that over caution had been exercised, however like all airlines, our crew are trained to report any concerns they may have as a precaution.' A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police added: On 25 July, 2016, officers from South Yorkshire Police stopped and examined a woman under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at Doncaster Airport. Advertisement A migrant mother has given birth to a baby girl aboard an Italian patrol boat after being rescued from a crammed dinghy in the Mediterranean sea. Little Joy Aurora was born at 5.18 am on July 30 on the Italian Navy ship Bettica. She is the daughter of a Congolese couple rescued together with 870 other asylum seeking migrants. A mother cradles her newborn baby girl aboard the Italian Navy ship Bettica after they were rescued from a crammed dinghy Joy Aurora was born at 5.18 am on July 30 while her Congolese parents attempted the long journey from the Congo to Italy During childbirth, the mother and baby received health care provide by the medical staff on board the ship. An Italian Red Cross doctor and nurse and the medical staff of the Italian Navy were all on hand to help out. It is the third birth aboard Bettica, after Francois Manuel was born June 27, and Manuela, born on July 5. Members of the ship crew took turns holding and hugging Joy Aurora. After the mother rested in a bed with her newborn child, the couple and their baby were transported in a small boat to Augusta, in Sicily, where they will be taken care of in a transit shelter residence. The Italian Navy ship Bettica, on patrol in the Mediterranean, rescued 870 asylum seeking migrants arriving from Africa in the Sicilian Channel The young looking mother is pictured holding her newborn girl, who is wrapped up in a golden thermal blanket Medical staff on board the ship hand the tiny baby over to her mother as they rest on a small ship before being transported to Sicily The couple and their baby were transported in a small boat to Augusta in Sicily where they will be taken care of in a transit shelter residence Italy's coast guard and navy rescued upwards of 4,000 migrants on one day last week. Some 3,400 travellers aboard 28 rafts and six boats were rescued in operations coordinated by the coast guard. On Monday, hundreds of refugees from Somalia, Libya, Bangladesh, Egypt, Congo and West Africa arrived at the southern Italian port of Salerno on board a rescue ship. Meanwhile the bodies of 120 migrants have washed up on the shores of Libya in the past 10 days, not from previously known shipwrecks. Manuela Santangelo, a midwife who gives birth to migrant children, helped the mother as she rested in a bed with her newborn child Tarpaulin was hung up around the mother's bed to give her some privacy from the sick migrants aboard Bettica Members of the ship crew took turns holding and hugging Joy Aurora as her mother rested from the ordeal WHAT DO EUROPEANS FEAR ABOUT THE WAVE OF REFUGEES? A majority of Europeans fear the recent refugee influx will heighten the risk of terrorist attacks and cost their countries jobs and social benefits, said a survey released by the Pew Research Center in July. The US institute's survey across European countries shows growing concern about the historic influx of more than one million asylum seekers last year and about the integration of minority groups, Muslims in particular. In eight of the 10 countries surveyed, representing 80 percent of the European population, at least half of the public believe that 'incoming refugees increase the likelihood of terrorism in their country', the survey said. The view was held most strongly, by 76 percent of respondents, in Hungary and by 71 percent in Poland - both countries which have received proportionately few migrants as their governments have adopted a tough stance toward refugees. A refugee boat packed with African migrants was rescued by Italy's Navy on May 23 this year In Germany - the largest EU economy, which last year took in the biggest number of migrants and refugees - 61 percent shared this concern, while 60 percent of Italians and 52 percent of British voiced the same fears. Paradoxically, in France, a country hard hit by jihadist attacks in 2015, only 46 percent thought the danger of an attack had increased. In general, the Pew Center found that 'the refugee crisis and the threat of terrorism are very much related to one another in the minds of many Europeans'. 'The recent surge of refugees into Europe has featured prominently in the anti-immigrant rhetoric of right-wing parties across the continent and in the heated debate over the UK's decision to exit the European Union,' it pointed out. The study found that perceptions of refugees are influenced in part by negative attitudes toward Muslims already living in Europe. 'In Hungary, Italy, Poland and Greece, more than six-in-ten say they have an unfavourable opinion of the Muslims in their country - an opinion shared by at least one-in-four in each nation polled,' it said. The study also found that majorities in seven of 10 countries saw the arrival of refugees as 'a burden on our country because they take our jobs and social benefits'. The proportion who held this view reached 82 percent in Hungary, 75 percent in Poland, 72 percent in Greece, 65 percent in Italy and 53 percent in France. In top refugee destinations Germany and Sweden, however, majorities did not share this fear and believed refugees make their nations stronger because of their work and talents. Pew said the survey was conducted with 11,494 respondents between April 4 and May 12. Advertisement The latest rescues lifts the number of migrants brought to Italian ports this year to 94,000, roughly in line with 2015, according to Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The number of migrants trying to reach Europe via the Greek islands has dropped sharply since an EU-Turkey deal designed to stem the flow was agreed in March. Numbers on that route are running at dozens per day rather than the thousands per day seen this time last year. According to the IOM, global migrant deaths topped 4,000 in the first seven months of this year, a 26 per cent increase in the fatality rate compared with the same period of 2015. The total of 4,027 migrant deaths this year includes those who perished crossing the Mediterranean as well as others who died on the North African route and at the Turkey-Syria border, according to the Geneva-based IOM. Some 3,120 people have died since January 1 while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The most deadly route has been the crossing towards Italy, which has cost 2,692 lives, followed by the routes to Greece (383) and Spain (45). This photo shows some of the sick and dehydrated men that were rescued from a crammed migrant ship on July 30 Mr Elliott refused to hand over house and farm and A former helicopter pilot who spent four years barricaded inside a farmhouse which he lost in a divorce battle has constructed an effigy of a man committing suicide on top of his roof. Peter Elliott has turned his 500,000 former marital home in Appleby, Cumbria, into a fortress - surrounding it with barbed wire, tree branches and CCTV cameras. His ex-wife Leonie Butler, 45, obtained a court order in 2012 forcing him to leave the farm following their acrimonious 6 million split. Peter Elliott has created an effigy of a man dressed in a suit - representing himself - being executed on the roof alongside a 'justice' banner 'Injustice': Mr Elliott has been embroiled in an acrimonious four-year divorce battle However the 49-year-old has refused to vacate the property and insisted he would only be removed 'in a body bag'. In his attempt to highlight his plight he has created an effigy of a man dressed in a suit, representing himself, being executed on the roof alongside a 'justice' banner. Appeal Court judges warned him last week that he will be forced to serve a six-month prison sentence unless he leaves. But instead of moving out of the 70-acre property, Mr Elliott has remained steadfast and insists he is not budging without a fight. Today is his final opportunity to leave the property or he will face being sent to jail. Mr Elliott said he emailed Cumbria Police last night to tell them he was planning to construct the effigy. The 49-year-old former helicopter pilot has remained steadfast and refused to vacate the property in Cumbria Mr Elliott said police: 'I am determined to take my life before [police] arrest me, and that it is up to them what they do next' He said: 'I am still here, I'm not going anywhere. 'I told the police I would keep a careful eye out for them, that I am determined to take my life before they arrest me, and that it is up to them what they do next. 'There is a 90 per cent chance I'll kill myself before they get to me. 'The last execution in the UK was in the 1960s but I feel like I am being executed. 'The effigy is there so no one can say they weren't aware of what would happen. 'It is an extreme thing to do but I am trying to get everyone to say 'wow maybe there is something going on here'. 'I don't want to die but I am content if that's what it's got to be.' Mr Elliott previously worked as a pilot for Andrew Tinkler, the boss of infrastructure business, Stobart. He said he met Leonie in 1991 and married her in 1998 before they ended their relationship in 2010. She filed for divorce in 2012 and the sale of the house was supposed to be used to pay off their debts. But a row blew up when he was ordered to leave the property. On one occasion he was evicted but broke back in within days, and has been living in the farmhouse ever since. Fortress: Mr Elliott now faces jail as he is defying the judge's order to give up the 70-acre farm, which he has surrounded in barbed wire in a bid to 'increase security' Mr Elliott added: 'The farm is my life, it's my safe place. 'Their asking me to go on the streets. I have no home, no money, no family, no wife, no girlfriend and no horses. Nothing. 'I am not going to live in my car and I'm not going to Durham nick either. 'I am ready for them to try and get me.' This is the bizarre moment a Chevrolet is hit by a tank on the busy streets of a Chinese city. Video footage shows the armoured vehicle bumping into a civilian car which allegedly tried to squeeze past the vehicle instead of waiting for it to pass. The footage has caused criticism of the driver and her need to think of herself before waiting for the military vehicle to move. Bizzare incident: The tank went into the side of the vehicle, lifting part of it off the ground Ooops! : The tank slowly moves away from the car to release it after the smash The footage is thought to be taken in Suzhou, south-east China's Jiangxi province. In the video, the tank can be seen crashed into the side of the vehicle, leaving it almost on one side. The passengers are still in the vehicle and can be seen looking slightly confused. A soldier can be seen directing the tank as it moves backwards and away from the Jeep. According to the China Defense Newspaper, the incident occurred when several armoured vehicles were heading to an emergency drill. Damaged! Footage shows the passengers still in the car slightly confused by the incident Impatient: Many people have criticised the driver online for not waiting for the tank to pass The female car driver didn't wait for the fleet to pass and tried to squeeze thorough a gap before colliding from the vehicle, reports CCTV News. Police told reporters that the driver should take full responsibility. On China's social media, many people have criticised the driver for her actions. One user wrote: 'You should count yourself lucky you're not crushed.' While another commented: 'Imagine calling the insurance and saying your car was hit by a tank!' And another user said: 'The gun is too fierce. This woman was lucky not to be made into bread.' Hillary Clinton has opened up a 10 point lead over her opponent Donald Trump in the latest Fox News poll and has a lead in three key states. With the conventions over and the vice presidential picks on the tickets, Clinton now receives 49 percent support among registered voters to Trump's 39 percent, according to Fox News' polling, which has a margin of error of 3 points. Still, 61 percent of those polled believe Clinton is a liar, but they also view the former secretary of state as being qualified and having the temperament and knowledge to serve as president, qualities that are giving her an edge over the Republican foe. And when it comes to lying, Trump's numbers are slightly worse with 62 percent of voters pegging him that way. Scroll down for video Hillary Clinton (left) is now 10 points ahead of rival Donald Trump (right) in a new poll out today from Fox News that shows her receiving 49 percent support to Trump's 39 percent When Libertarians Gary Johnson. the ex-New Mexico governor, and his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, are added in they receive 12 percent support, siphoning off voters about equally from Trump and Clinton. Clinton, however, still end up on top, with 44 percent support to Trump's 35 percent. This is a reversal from mid-May, when Trump had scooted ahead of the Democrat. Then, the Fox News poll showed Trump receiving 45 percent support to Clinton's 42 percent. However by early June she had retaken a very slim lead with 42 percent support to Trump's 39 percent. By late June, Clinton was up by six points, receiving 44 percent to Trump's 38 percent. This latest poll, however, shows her most commanding lead. Hillary Clinton seems to be holding together the Obama coalition, attracting large numbers of women, blacks, Latinos and voters under the age of 30 Donald Trump is leading Hillary Clinton by 10 points among white voters, however Mitt Romney won this group by 20 points in 2012 and yet still lost the White House It's the first survey to account for Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine being on the Democratic ticket and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's addition to the Republican. Both candidates have just had their conventions, with Clinton's taking place last week in Philadelphia, which means she could still be experiencing a post-convention bump. Now, 65 percent of voters say Clinton is qualified to be president, versus 43 percent who say the same of Trump. Fifty-eight percent say Trump is not qualified, with another 45 percent who say 'not at all' qualified about the political outsider who was in the real estate and reality TV business before making the jump to politics. On 'temperament,' a quality that Clinton constantly calls into question when talking about her rival, 64 percent say Clinton has it, while 37 percent say Trump does. Another 72 percent believe Clinton has the knowledge to be president, while 40 percent say Trump does. She's seen improvement since last month among groups she'll need to win the White House including men, women, whites, Democrats, young voters and seniors, Fox News reported. Clinton seems to be having no problem keeping the 'Obama coalition' intact. She's winning women by 23 points, 57 percent to 34 percent, African-Americans by 83 points, garnering the support of 87 percent of black voters to Trump's just 4 percent. Latino voters are favoring Clinton by 48 points, 68 percent to 20 percent. While Clinton has an 18 point lead over Trump when voters under age 30 had their preference tested, 49 percent to 31 percent. Obama won women by 11 points, blacks by 87 points, Latinos by 44 points and young people by 23 points when he won the 2012 election over Republican Mitt Romney. Trump is leading Clinton among whites by 10 points, 49 percent to 39 percent. He's got a five point edge among men, 45 percent to 40 percent. Donald Trump pulled ahead of Hillary Clinton in May, but now she finds herself 10 points ahead of The Donald He crushes Clinton among evangelical Christians by 50 points, 69 percent to 19 percent. And he has a double digit lead among whites who don't have a college degree, 52 percent to 36 percent. According to Fox, Trump is lagging behind Romney with some of these groups, especially white people, which the former Massachusetts governor won by 20 points in the 2012 election. Polling indicates that Trump has a firm grip on support from veterans too earning 53 percent of the vote to Clinton's 39 percent. Polling shows that there are a greater number of Republicans planning to support Clinton than Democrats who plan to cross party lines and vote for Trump. The former secretary of state is attracting 12 percent support from Republican voters. This week Republican fundraiser and Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman said she counted as part of this group. Donald Trump is doing well with white voters and especially well with evangelical Christians, where he's beating Clinton by 50 points Meanwhile, 5 percent of Democrats are voting for Trump, who throughout the primaries touted his appeal to disaffected Democrats, suggesting he could pull enough away from Clinton to win the White House. The Fox News poll also looked at some recent issues in the news and found that 77 percent of voters were familiar with Trump exchanges with the Khans, a Muslim-American Gold Star family who appeared on the Democratic National Convention stage. When surveying voters from both parties, 69 percent said that Trump's criticism of the family was 'out of bounds.' However when just Republicans were sampled, 40 percent said Trump's words were 'in bounds' and another 41 percent said they were 'out of bounds.' After the Democratic National Committee's emails were leaked, 37 percent of of Democrats thought their party's process was 'rigged' in favor of Clinton. Another 37 percent believed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would have won the nomination had the primaries been made fair. Republicans remain split on whether they approve of their party's nominee, with 50 percent saying they're content with Trump and another 49 percent saying they would have liked someone else heading the ticket. Moving out to the states, new polling out today from Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan all shows Clinton in the lead. The Franklin & Marshall poll shows Clinton with an 11 point lead in Pennsylvania, which Trump is trying to tilt in his favor. She's earning 49 percent of the vote to his 38 percent. A Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll has Clinton widening her lead in Michigan, where she now has 41 percent of the vote to Trump's 32 percent. Finally, in New Hampshire, Clinton is 'enjoying a dramatic post-convention bump' and is now leading Trump by 15 points, according to a new WBUR poll, 47 percent to 32 percent, with Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein factored in. Without the two third-party candidates, Clinton leads Trump' by 17 points. and suspect dragged the officer to the ground Dramatic footage shows the moment a heroic bystander tackled a suspected credit card fraudster who was attacking a police office. The video of the incident was captured on a dashcam and showed the man dragging the police officer to the ground in a car park in Edmond, Oklahoma. The suspect is then seen hitting the officer while trying to escape before another policeman steps in to control the situation. Dashcam video showed the suspect dragging the policeman along the ground of the car park A second officer intervened and attempted to restrain the suspect as he tried to escape them Seconds later a bystander, who had been watching the drama unfold, runs over and grabs the suspect around his waist before tackling him to the ground. Police put the man, Yohanker Paradela-More, in custody and he is currently being held for a $200,000 bond at the county jail. Charges have yet to be filed. According to Jennifer Wagnon of the Edmond Police Department, who spoke to ABC News, the ruckus started when the man and another suspect 'used cloned credit cards.' The officer said the pair were attempting to buy gift cards in a grocery store when the clerk recognized them as suspects who had been 'going to multiple stores in the metro area and doing the same thing'. The two officers struggled with the man (left) before a bystander ran over and grabbed him around the waist (right) The bystander, who did not wish to be identified, helped the police officers by tackling the suspect to the ground The clerk went to get the store supervisor when the men ran out. The police were quickly informed and a nearby patrolling officer was called into action. The two suspects attempted to evade the pursing officer but he managed to grab hold of one of them, as the dashcam footage shows. The second man was able to get away in his car and police are currently searching for him. The heroic bystander did not wished to be named but the Edmond Police Department said he will be thanked privately for his actions. Donald Trump's campaign chief suggested Thursday that his candidate was sorry about the dust-up with the Khan family, even though he's refusing to apologize and says he doesn't 'regret' his actions. 'I think Mr. Trump has paid the respect, it's just nobody's acknowledged it,' his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, said on Good Morning America. Host George Stephanopoulos told Manafort that's not the same as apologizing, and the Republican aide replied, 'He said he respects and is totally sympathetic to the sacrifices that family has made. And he's talking about the son, and he's talking about the family.' Manafort said politics is driving the push for Trump to say 'what the right words are' as he tried to pivot to what the campaign sees as the 'bigger' issue - the Obama administration's alleged 'mismanagement of foreign policy.' 'We quibble over words, but the sentiments are there, and I think the sentiments about what he feels towards that family and what they went through, he has expressed. Just because he doesn't say the words everybody wants, he's said he is sorry for what they've gone through.' Scroll down for videos Donald Trump's campaign chief suggested Thursday that his candidate was sorry about the dust-up with the Khan family, even though he's refusing to apologize and says he doesn't 'regret' his actions Trump said Tuesday that he has no second thoughts about the way he pushed back against attacks from the Khirz and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a slain Muslim soldier during the past five days. 'I don't regret anything,' he told WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. 'I said nice things about the son, and I feel that very strongly,' he said, referring to a statement he issued calling the late U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan a 'hero.' 'But of course I was hit very hard from the stage, and you know, its just one of those things. But, no, I dont regret anything.' Trump said Tuesday that he has no regrets about the way he punched back after the Muslim parents of a soldier killed in action clobbered him during the Democratic convention Trump has felt widespread condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans who say he should have been more sensitive to the Khans' plight Khizr Khan, whose son U.S. Capt. Humayun Khan died in Iraq in 2004, did a weekend media tour castigating Trump, who said he was entitled to respond Khizr Khan, Capt. Kahn's father, clobbered Trump from the stage of last week's Democratic National Convention, and the did a media tour condemning him for his policy proposals touching on Muslims. The Khans emigrated to America from Pakistan. Capt. Khan was killed in action in 2004. In an interview on the Fox News Channel's 'O'Reilly Factor,' Trump laid it on even thicker. 'I was viciously attacked on the stage of the DNC by Mr. Kahn and I responded to that vicious attack,' Trump said in an interview that aired Tuesday night. 'Am I supposed to not have the right to at least say something back? And I did.' Trump used similar words over the weekend on Twitter. Trump has said for days that he was 'viciously attacked' and had a right to counterpunch U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan died in Iraq in 2004 while serving the United States TV networks and newspapers, he said Sunday, 'just kept it going and it never stopped and honestly its too bad. ... All I did was respond to it and it ends up being a four-day story.' Mr. Khan said in a series of Sunday morning shows two days ago that the billionaire Republican was unfit for office because he lacks empathy for the families of fallen heroes. And he repeatedly framed his disdain for Trump in terms of the Constitution of his adopted country. 'His policies, his practices do not reflect that he has any understanding of the basic fundamental constitutional principles of this country, what makes this country exceptional, what makes this country exceptional in the history of the mankind,' he said on CNN's 'State of the Union' program. 'There are principles of equal dignity, principle of liberty. He talks about excluding people, disrespecting judges, the entire judicial system, immigrants, Muslim immigrants. These are divisive rhetoric that is totally against the basic constitutional principle.' Mr. Khan got a standing ovation at the Democratic National Convention after he took out a copy of the U.S. Constitution and questioned whether Trump had ever read it 'This person is total incapable of empathy,' Khan added. 'I want his family to counsel him, teach him some empathy.' 'He will be a better person if he could become but he is a black soul. And this is totally unfit for the leadership of this beautiful country. The love and affection that we have received affirms that our beliefs, our experience in this country had been correct and positive.' Trump fired back on ABC's 'This Week,' criticizing Ghazala Khan Khizr's wife for standing mute onthe stage in Philadelphia while her husband did all the talking: 'If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me. Mrs. Khan later said she didn't speak because she was still overwhelmed by the grief of losing her son in battle 12 years ago. Trump also disputed Mr. Khan's criticism that the billionaire businessman has 'sacrificed nothing and no one' for his country. 'I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures,' he said. Trump's comments sparked immediate outrage on social media, including from Republican strategists, who criticized Trump both for attacking a mourning mother and because many considered them racist and anti-Muslim. Senior Republican leaders remained silent until late Sunday, as did vice presidential nominee Mike Pence. House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned him. 'America's greatness is built on the principles of liberty and preserved by the men and women who wear the uniform to defend it,' Ryan began. 'As I have said on numerous occasions, a religious test for entering our country is not reflective of these fundamental values. I reject it.' 'Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example,' he added. 'His sacrifice and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan should always be honored. Period.' Trump said Tuesday that he wasn't yet ready to endorse Ryan in his contentious primary election with an upstart Wisconsin businessman. Late Saturday night Trump released his statement calling Humayun Khan 'a hero,' but still pushed back against his father's insults. The glamorous girlfriend of AFL player and convicted woman basher Nick Stevens has launched a scathing social media attack against his victim. Last Monday, Amelia Miller penned a series of heated Facebook posts believed to be aimed at Stevens' ex-girlfriend Laima McKenna, calling her 'pathetic' and 'sad'. A week earlier, Stevens pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury after he kicked, punched and threatened to kill Ms McKenna during their relationship. He was jailed for three months and fined $3000. Ms Miller was by Stevens' side as he fronted the Victorian County Court on July 21 and later took to social media to thank the desginer Ralph Lauren for 'dressing her for the most trying week of [her] life'. Scroll down for video Amelia Miller - the glamorous girlfriend of AFL player and convicted woman basher Nick Stevens (left) - has launched a scathing social media attack against his victim Last Monday, Amelia Miller penned a series of heated Facebook posts believed to be aimed at Stevens' ex-girlfriend Laima McKenna, calling her 'pathetic' and 'sad' She then told her 67 Facebook followers she was wearing a 'Ronson Ruffle Shirt,' and said she 'made sure' her outfit was coordinated to be Carlton FC colours - Stevens' team until 2009. Before the court date, Ms Miller uploaded a picture with the words: 'Jealousy is a disease. Get Well Soon.' She directed the post to 'LM,' dubbing her a 'compulsive liar,' and 'fame chaser'. It is believed 'LM' is Ms McKenna. 'Lying about these types of things is just pathetic and sad,' the post read. After the post gained attention from her close friends, Ms Miller posted a comment, saying she was 'slowly putting some truths out there'. She directed the post to 'LM,' dubbing her a 'compulsive liar,' and 'fame chaser'. It is believed 'LM' is Ms McKenna A week earlier, Stevens pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury after he kicked, punched and threatened to kill Ms McKenna (pictured) during their relationship Ms Miller was by Stevens' side as he fronted the Victorian County Court on July 21 and later took to social media to thank the desginer Ralph Lauren for 'dressing her for the most trying week of [her] life' Ms Miller has continuously stood by boyfriend Nick Stevens (both pictured) as he was convicted of kicking, punching and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend After the post gained attention from her close friends, Ms Miller posted a comment, saying she was 'slowly putting some truths out there' Stevens and Ms Mckenna are pictured here at the Victorian Country Court on July 19 Last week, Ms McKenna took to her own Facebook page to thank her family and friends for their support and she was 'happy [the trial] was finally over'. The court heard Stevens kicked his former girlfriend as she lay on the ground and told her: 'I'm going to beat you to within an inch of your life c***'. In a statement read by prosecutor Daryl Brown, Ms McKenna described how the abuse had ruined her life. Last week, Ms McKenna (pictured) took to her own Facebook page to thank her family and friends for their support and she was 'happy [the trial] was finally over' Ms Miller was by Stevens' (both pictured) side as he fronted the Victorian County Court on July 21 Before the court date, Ms Miller uploaded a picture with the words: 'Jealousy is a disease. Get Well Soon' 'I feel damaged and broken,' she said, adding a scar on her cheek was a constant reminder. 'I'm reminded of having my head pushed into the wall and all the other assaults I endured.' The defence argued against a jail term, saying Stevens had suffered public humiliation due to media attention around his case. Ms Miller was by his side at multiple court dates, wearing glamourous designer outfits and clutching his hand. A Turkish gay rights organisation says a gay Syrian refugee has been found decapitated in Istanbul. In a statement on Thursday, Kaos GL said the severely mutilated body of Muhammed Wisam Sankari was discovered on July 25, two days after he left his house, and that he was only identified by his house-mates by his clothing. Kaos GL said Sankari had been kidnapped and raped by a group of men in Istanbul in a previous attack and was trying to leave Turkey for another country believing his life was in danger. Gay Syrian refugee Muhammed Wisam Sankari was found decapitated in Istanbul. He had told friends he feared for his life and wanted to leave Turkey He had arrived in Istanbul a year ago, the rights group said, without providing any further information. Sankari's friends told Kaos GL that he had been threatened by gangs of men who said they wanted to rape him. 'They cut Wisam violently. It was so violent, two knives had broken inside of him. They beheaded him. His upper body was beyond recognition, his internal organs were out. We recognised our friend from his trousers,' the friend said. Hundreds of riot police cordoned off the city's main Taksim Square in June to prevent a gay pride rally taking place and attacked demonstrators (file photo) Turkish anti riot police officers fired rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators gathered for a rally staged by the LGBT community in Istanbul on June 26 (file photo) He claimed Sankari had previously been kidnapped and raped five months ago but when they complained to police 'they did nothing'. 'I am so afraid. I feel like everyone is looking at me in the street,' the friend said. While homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey unlike many other Muslim countries, homophobia remains widespread. Critics say President Tayyip Erdogan and the Islamist-rooted AK Party he founded have shown little interest in expanding rights for minorities, gays and women, and are intolerant of dissent. Historically the gay pride parade in Istanbul - a city seen as a relative safe haven by members of the gay community from elsewhere in the Middle East, including refugees from Syria and Iraq - has been a peaceful event. Authorities in Turkey's biggest city banned the annual gay pride parade citing security reasons, sparking anger from gay rights activists (file photo) But in June, Turkish police detained 19 people and fired tear gas in central Istanbul on Sunday to disperse dozens of activists attempting to gather to mark the annual Gay Pride week after authorities banned their march. A German lawmaker and a member of the European Parliament were also briefly detained while police chased activists into side streets and blocked them from gathering and reading out a statement, saying it was banned. Organisers called off the annual Gay Pride march, carried out largely peacefully since 2003, after authorities did not allow the event to go ahead but deployed hundreds of riot police near the main Taksim square. Riot police officers detain a LGBT demonstrator during a rally in Istanbul on June 26, 2016 (file photo) A woman holds a rainbow umbrella during a rally staged by the LGBT community on Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on June 26 (file photo) While homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey unlike many other Muslim countries, homophobia remains widespread (file photo) Volker Beck, a member of the German Bundestag and a veteran gay rights activist, was among those briefly detained. Two other German citizens were also detained. 'They did nothing wrong. They were put into a police car,' he told Reuters as police officers once again tried to force him into a taxi telling him he should hold his news conference in his own country. Beck said Turks in Germany freely demonstrated in the streets of Berlin, Hamburg and other German cities for or against the German and Turkish governments. 'It is a fair and democratic right in Turkey as well as Germany and I cannot understand that such threatening of an MP can happen in front of the police,' he said. The Istanbul governor's office said the march had been banned out of concern for public order. Security in the city is already tight after a series of bombings in recent months blamed on Islamic State and Kurdish militants. Raising taxes is not an attractive option for the four Republican candidates in the Tuesday, Aug. 9 primary for the 67th Assembly seat. I dont like raising taxes on pretty much anything, said Rob Summerfield, a Bloomer business operator, on why he opposes raising the states beer tax. It would be foolish to raise a tax on that, agreed Tony Zammit, who is the executive director of the Chippewa Valley Symphony. Travis Hakes, a chief of the Elk Mound Police Department and a Lake Hallie police officer, says plainly: I am against (raising) the gas tax. I am against the wheel tax. I am looking for alternative means (of funding). Mike Hanke, a retired soldier and former Chippewa Falls City Council member, said he opposes increasing the states beer tax because it would damage taverns in the state and is no fan of Chippewa Countys $10 per vehicle wheel tax. Hakes, Hanke, Summerfield and Zammit are seeking the seat currently held by state Rep. Tom Larson, a Republican who was elected the 67th District seat in 2010. Larson is not running for re-election because of health concerns. The winner of the Republican primary will face either Democrat Denny Doughty or Dennis Hunt in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 fall election. Travis Hakes Hakes family has lived in the 67th District for several generations, with his family helping to build the Stacker in Cornell and a farm in New Auburn. Hakes has lived in Chippewa County in the past and currently lives in Dunn County and works in both. I think it will help me better serve all of the district, not just a portion of it, he said. Hakes said he wants to be a voice for district residents and fairly represent them in Madison. To have a secure way of funding road improvements in the state, Hakes proposes moving ATV and UTV registration from the Department of Natural Resources over to the state Department of Transportation. That shift of registration money would help ensure towns would get their fair share of funding because there would be more ATV registrations in the town of Eagle Point than in the city of Milwaukee. Hakes opposes making OWI first offense a crime. Wisconsin is the only state in the United States that treats first time OWI with a ticket. I think the current penalties for first offense are severe enough, he said, adding flooding the state court system with first time drunken drivers would be fiscally irresponsible. He said it is imperative to hold criminals accountable for their actions. He added: I know people who went through prison and have told me that they received better treatment for addiction needs inside than on the outside. Prison is beneficial for some because some will never accept the help unless they have (no option). Michael Hanke Politics shouldnt become a career, Hanke, a retired member of the military, said. Larsons decision not to seek re-election led Hanke to run for the 67th District seat. I dont need the paycheck, I dont need the insurance, he said. I want to go to Madison and represent the 67th. Priorities for the state are education, jobs and roads, he said. If elected to the Assembly, Hanke wants to use his education in criminal justice and the leadership traits ingrained in him by his military experience. Hanke said he expects local municipalities will see more state aid for roads during the next biennium. Thats because tax rolls are getting larger, and the biennial budget is usually two years behind what the tax rolls are doing. He said the states unemployment rate has dropped overall, meaning there are more people paying taxes. He said the states gasoline tax is the 13th highest in the nation, and he wonders how farmers would be affected if the gas tax was increased. Alternative court programs, such as drug and veterans courts, are less expensive and treat people, Hanke said. He favors additional alternate programs for nonviolent offenders. Housing a prisoner costs $45 a day while using special courts cost under $10 a day, he said. Bottom line is, who pays for it? He asked. Its the citizens. Hanke opposes decriminalizing marijuana use by individuals, because todays marijuana is altered to be more potent than in years past. He has mixed feelings about making OWI first offense a criminal matter. He said he would be more open to the idea if the current OWI standard of .008 was higher. Rob Summerfield With business experience and his civic involvement, Rob Summerfield said he would be an asset to the 67th District. He said he has the energy to make sure the district is not forgotten in Madison. I feel Im the strongest one to represent us well, down in Madison, Summerfield, a Bloomer business operator, said. Being only one representative, I will not be able to write the budget. But I will vote (on) it. Summerfield has talked with local towns about paying for road maintenance because he thinks its important towns have that funding. He said he will not vote for a budget that doesnt have a way of paying for road improvements. We cannot keep on borrowing like we have, he said. Would he raise the states gasoline tax to pay for more road maintenance? Hard to say, he said. Its on the table. He said broadband needs to be expanded to rural areas, so they will not lose potential new businesses to areas with the service. Summerfield said the jury is still out on whether Wisconsin should decriminalize the personal use of marijuana. He favors waiting another year to see how Colorado and Washington (states that have decriminalized personal use of marijuana) are doing. I dont see that Wisconsin has to be the guinea pig. But Summerfield opposed making first time drunken driving a criminal offense. Tony Zammit While he hasnt run for elective office before, Zammit has experience with political campaigns, including working for the Republican National Committee and being a deputy political director for former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota. To have a stable system of state funding of road maintenance, Zammit said he would look at finding waste in other state departments. I think we need to move money from other state agencies and put it in the road fund, he said. But he said without being part of the budget process, he cant point specifically to a department that has wasteful spending. Asked if Wisconsin should raise its gasoline tax, Zammit pointed out Minnesotas gas tax is two cents cheaper than Wisconsin. Zammit would put more state money in alternative court programs. He pointed to a program in Gloucester, Mass., where if you go to a police department and turn in drugs and drug paraphernalia, you are placed in a rehabilitation program instead of winding up in jail. Its the conservatives choice at the end of the day, he said. It actually has significantly cut crime in Gloucester. Zammit opposes raising the states beer tax, saying brewing beer is one of Wisconsins key industries. One of the leaders in local development has been new breweries and distilleries, he said. However, Zammit would make first time OWI a misdemeanor, instead of treating it with a ticket. Too often, especially in Wisconsin, we have turned a blind eye to drunken driving, he said. Zammit said he wants more diversity of industry in the 67th District, and being able to work closer with technical schools as well as the University of Wisconsin-Stout and UW-Eau Claire. Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled candidate Tony Zammit's last name. Dallas police officer Hans Campbell (pictured with his fiancee in their first photo together) died in a scuba diving accident in the Philippines A Dallas police officer will be taken off life support after a scuba-diving accident in the Philippines on the day he was set to be married. Hans Campbell was on vacation for his birthday and for his wedding to fiancee Chriselyn Bedolido on Thursday. But on Tuesday, a day before he turned 28, he was hit by a boat in the water and declared clinically dead, his family told KDFW. He was kept on life support so his organs remained viable for donation, but he will be taken off today. Its the same day that he and Bedolido were due to wed at the Bluewater Panglao beach resort on Bohol Island in the Philippines. Campbell served with the Texas Army National Guard before joining the Dallas police department. He met Bedolido in October 2011 at a Pho restaurant in Westminster, California. Campbell and Chriselyn Bedolido were due to be married at an island resort on Thursday Their wedding website describes the beginning of their love story after Campbell entered the restaurant with his friend Victor and decided to sit at a table next to Bedolido and her friend. It was in the wee hours of the night. Hans, with his friends, was driving around town looking for his favorite Vietnamese noodle soup and Chriselyn just got off from an exhausting shift, Campbell wrote on the page. He asked her: Whats good to order here? She replied: Uhhhh, Pho?! Their conversation began there and by the end of the night, he had asked for her phone number. She refused, giving only an email address. The next morning, Hans searched Chriselyn on Facebook using her email address. And the rest, as they say, is history. Campbell (left) served with the Texas Army National Guard before joining the Dallas police department The couple (pictured) were in the Philippines to celebrate Campbell's 28th birthday and get married, but he died after a boat hit him in water on Tuesday Victor Wang, who said he is one of Campbells best friends and his roommate in Dallas, set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs. He described the death of his friend as heartbreaking. In an update on Wednesday night, he posted that the family are hoping to fly Campbells body back to the United States as soon as possible so he can be laid to rest. The reason why Im doing this is just to help Chriselyn as everyone can imagine how much is on her plate already, he added. Friends and colleagues took to social media to pay tribute to Campbell. Corina Reyna, a police dispatcher with the Dallas PD, called him one of the nicest and most respectful guys Ive ever met. Im so heartbroken, she said. He always joked around with me on the radio, on messages, but most importantly always checked up on me, especially after he found out I was pregnant. He was just asking me for my opinion on the wedding band his fiancee bought him. On Thursday he was sentenced to 18-month community corrections order Raulli's stealing spree came to an end when police caught him on CCTV He stole underwear from one clothesline on five A Melbourne construction worker who stole women's underwear from inner-city clothes lines for four years has been ordered to undertake a community corrections order. Marco Adam Raulli, 35, snatched underwear across Melbourne's inner suburbs, returning to one address five times. Raulli's stealing spree came to an end when police caught him on CCTV sniffing a pair of women's panties before putting them in his pocket and fleeing. Scroll down for video Marco Adam Raulli, 35, snatched underwear across Melbourne's inner suburbs, returning to one address five times (CCTV pictured) Raulli's stealing spree came to an end when police caught him on CCTV sniffing a pair of women's panties before putting them in his pocket and fleeing Raulli, of Reservoir, was on Thursday convicted and ordered to pay $790 in restitution to his female victims, whose stolen underwear valued at $900, has never been found. The serial thief admitted he was sorry for the sordid spree, in which he snatched undies from clotheslines in Northcote, Richmond and South Yarra between 2012 and 2016. Magistrate Duncan Reynolds said Raulli, who pleaded guilty to five charges of theft and three of stalking, had behaved in a manner that was 'serious and concerning'. Although Raulli did not know his victims, the magistrate said this was not a victimless crime. He returned to one of the address five times, leaving his victims in fear and one was so distraught, she moved house. 'I had no idea what the person would do next,' one victim said, in her statement previously read to court. A Melbourne man who stole women's underwear from inner-city clothes lines for four years has been ordered to undertake a community corrections order He returned to one of the address five times, leaving his victims in fear and one was so distraught, she moved house Another suffered nightmares and continually checked her doors were locked, fearing the crimes would escalate: 'We felt like sitting ducks.' Mr Reynolds sentenced Raulli to an 18-month community corrections order, which includes an offender behaviour program and counselling. 'Mr Raulli should clearly understand the adverse impact of this offending,' he said. Mr Reynolds noted Raulli had no prior convictions, a good work record and a desire to change. 'You believe you have the capacity to maintain the changes you've commenced through counselling undertaken by you,' he said. The businessman denies charges of trafficking the drugs from Brazil A haul of 220lbs of cocaine was found on a ship in Mombasa on Friday A British aristocrat's son has appeared in a Kenyan court charged with trafficking 220lbs of cocaine from Brazil to the port of Mombasa. Jack Marrian, whose mother is Emma Clare Campbell of Cawdor, denied the charges stemming from the $3million seizure of drugs found hidden in containers of sugar on a Venezuela-flagged ship on Friday. The businessman, managing director of Kenya and Uganda-based Mshale Commodities, was remanded in custody pending a bail hearing on Monday along with a Kenyan suspect, Roy Francis Mwanthi, who also denies the charges. British sugar trader Jack Marrian (pictured) has appeared in a Kenyan court charged with trafficking 220lbs of cocaine from Brazil to the port of Mombasa Jack Marrian denied the charges stemming from the $3million seizure of drugs found hidden in containers of sugar on a Venezuela-flagged ship on Friday Marrian was born into the Clan Campbell of Cawdor, a line of Scottish nobility. His mother is the 58-year-old daughter of the late artist Hugh John Vaughan Campbell, the sixth Earl Cawdor and once the custodian of Medieval Cawdor castle near Nairn in Scotland. Marrian's father David is said to have confirmed his son was arrested but did not add further comment when approached by the newspaper. Three men including Jack Marrian, 30, were questioned in recent days by a special team of US anti-narcotics agents and their Kenyan counterparts following an Interpol tip-off about the shipment. 'We are aware of speculation regarding an allegedly compromised shipment consigned to Mshale Commodities,' a spokeswoman for Mshale told AFP. 'We can confirm that Mshale's managing director, Jack Marrian, is assisting the Kenyan authorities to provide them with whatever information they require,' she added. Three men including Jack Marrian (pictured) were questioned in recent days by a special team of US anti-narcotics agents and their Kenyan counterparts following an Interpol tip-off about the shipment The businessman, who is managing director of Kenya and Uganda-based Mshale Commodities, was remanded in custody pending a bail hearing on Monday Marrian's grandfather was the late artist Hugh John Vaughan Campbell (pictured), the sixth Earl Cawdor Vaughan Campbell was once the custodian of medieval Cawdor Castle (pictured) near Nairn in Scotland Mshale operated 'stringent procedures' to protect its goods, she said. The port of Mombasa on Africa's east coast has long been used as a transit point for drugs bound for Asia and Europe. In west Africa, Latin American cocaine traffickers have strengthened their grip since the mid-2000s where drugs money fuels corruption and in the case of tiny Guinea-Bissau - dubbed Africa's first narco-state - may even outstrip national GDP. Anti-drug officials that the issues dogging countries like Guinea-Bissau could be replicated in East Africa. Democrats have slammed a parade float depicting Hillary Clinton wearing an orange jumpsuit behind bars after children pelted it with water balloons. Politicians in Arcadia, Iowa, said the design was inappropriate and were concerned some of the youngsters may have thought it was 'mean'. Adam Corky dressed up as the presidential nominee and was wheeled through the streets in a cage. Children then grabbed the balloons and hurled them at the former Secretary of State. Democrats have slammed a parade float depicting Hillary Clinton wearing an orange jumpsuit behind bars after children pelted it with water balloons Politicians in Arcadia, Iowa, said the design was inappropriate and were concerned some of the youngsters may have thought it was 'mean Adam Corky dressed up as the presidential nominee and was wheeled through the streets in a cage as the crowd launched the water balloons at 'Hillary' At one point, a little blonde girl was seen cocking back her arm, ready to launch a pink balloon filled with water. Around 400 were handed out along the parade route by volunteers. Kyle Julin, the driver, told Carroll's Daily Times Herald only one group of people booed the float. 'Even the police and everybody was positive about it, especially on social media,' he said. ' 'We couldn't get pictures with some people because of where they work and their political agendas. 'But, only one group booed us. My consensus from that was 99 percent to 1 percent liked it.' At one point, a little blonde girl (bottom left) was seen cocking back her arm, ready to launch a pink balloon filled with water The Carroll County, Iowa Republicans - the local branch of the GOP - celebrated the design. They posted pictures of 'Hillary' wearing the jumpsuit and standing outside the float Democratic officials in the area thought it was inappropriate. Tim Tracy of rural Carroll, chairman of the Carroll County Democratic Central Committee, told The Ohama World-Herald: 'It is not appropriate to be handing water balloons to little children and inviting them to throw them at such a display. 'I'm sure there are some that wondered: "Why is that lady in a cage? Why are they being mean? Why are they throwing water balloons at her?" The Carroll County, Iowa Republicans - the local branch of the GOP - celebrated the design. They posted pictures of 'Hillary' wearing the jumpsuit and standing outside the float before the parade began. The driver of the float said everyone enjoyed it, and only one group of people booed Around 400 water balloons were handed out along the parade route by volunteers After the procession, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the fire department, they then uploaded action shots of people throwing the balloons from the side of the street. Craig Williams, chairman of the Carroll County Republicans, told the newspaper his organization had nothing to do with the float. 'I probably wouldn't have done that myself, but I can certainly understand some frustrations from people over all the illegal things (Clinton) has done,' Williams said. 'I don't feel it was offensive to women. It could have been anybody in there anyone who got away with what she did.' A newlywed husband is dead and his five-months-pregnant wife is hospitalized in serious condition after a college student veered into oncoming traffic and struck their car after a day of drinking. Shana Elliot, a 21-year-old Texas State University student, admitted to police on Tuesday that she had been drinking while floating down a river with friends just before the car crash that killed Fabian Guerrero-Moreno and seriously injured his wife Kristian. Kristian remains hospitalized for her injuries and police said it's likely that her unborn child will die from injuries sustained in the collision, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by MySanAntonio.com. Scroll down for video Shana Elliott (left), a 21-year-old Texas State University student, was arrested on Tuesday after killing Fabian Guerrero-Moreno (center) and seriously injuring his five-months-pregnant wife Kristian (right) in a car accident, after a day of drinking Elliott, still wearing her bikini, was arrested Tuesday and charges with two counts of intoxication manslaughter (both second-degree felonies) and intoxication assault (a third-degree felony). She told police that she consumed 'beer and liquor while floating the river at Texas State Tubes prior to the collision' around 6pm on Tuesday. Police reports state that the Guerreros were driving in the opposite direction down Highway 21 in San Marcos when the public relations senior, driving a Chevy Impala, wandered into oncoming traffic and collided with their car head on. Mrs Guerrero was driving the vehicle at the time, while her husband was sitting in the passenger seat. Mr Guerrero was killed and his wife injured when Elliott (pictured) drove her vehicle into oncoming traffic on Highway 21 in San Marcos Just a day before the deadly crash, Mrs Guerrero proudly shared this photo of their unborn child. Police say that child is likely to die from injuries sustained in the crash Mr Guerrero was pronounced dead at the scene while his pregnant wife was rushed to St David's South Austin Medical Center for treatment. As of Wednesday afternoon, the 24-year-old widow was still in serious condition. Following the crash, witnesses told police that they saw a 'female in a bikini...roll a bottle of alcohol under a vehicle' at the scene. In addition to her most recent arrest, Elliott was arrested twice this past spring for drug possession (pictured let and right in her previous mugshots). She is a senior at Texas State University, majoring in public relations and mass communications Police who interviewed Elliott also noted that her breath had 'the strong odor' of alcohol, that her eyes were red and glassy, and that she was unsteady on her feet. Elliott was taken to Central Texas Medical Center for minor injuries before she was booked on the charges. Just hours before the crash, the Guerreros checked into a Joe's Crab Shack in San Antonio. And the day before, Mrs Guerrero proudly posted a sonogram image of their unborn baby to Facebook, writing: 'Is this the face of a little prince or a little princess?! We can't wait to find out Sunday! Are you team boy or team girl?! Taking bets now!' Meanwhile, Elliott sits in jail in lieu of a $185,000 bond. In addition to this most recent arrest, Elliott has a history of drug possession charges. On March 22, she was arrested for three felony charges of possession of a controlled substance and marijuana. The dead woman dumped in front of a Perth hospital in the early hours of Wednesday morning has been identified as mother-of-three Peta Fairhead. The 27-year-old was left for dead in front of Joondalup Health Campus around 3am on Wednesday with gashes and grazes covering her head, face and body. Police identified Ms Fairhead after releasing pictures of her distinctive Lion King tattoos, which were recognised straight away by her family, Seven News reported. Scroll down for video Mother-of-three Peta Fairhead (pictured) died after a car dumped her body in front of Perth's Joondalup Health Campus Police identified Ms Fairhead after releasing pictures of her distinctive Lion King tattoos Ms Fairhead was pronounced dead around 3.15am on Wednesday after a car pulled in front of the hospital and dumped her body outside before speeding away. Her head, face and body were covered in cuts and gashes. Police said they were now investigating whether Ms Fairhead was attacked by the driver or accidently run over and then dumped. In a bid to identify Ms Fairhead police also released images of tattoos on her left foot and right calf Danielle Hayden (left) said Ms Fairhead (right) left behind 'so many people that will miss her beautiful face' Friends of Ms Fairhead said she was a 'loving, caring mother' who was always smiling. Danielle Hayden told WA Today: 'I don't know why or who would do this to you. 'You have left behind so many people that will miss you and your beautiful face. 'I will always love you.' Ms Fairhead leaves behind a daughter and two young sons. Donald Trump's campaign chief made an extraordinary slip of the tongue on Thursday morning as he sought to reframe the turmoil within the Republican's election team, when he accidentally said he would support someone besides his boss for president. First Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort admitted on ABC News' Good Morning America that 'there is a conflict within the Trump campaign' over whether the party's standard bearer should endorse Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in his congressional primary. Trump's failure to do so infuriated the head of the Republican National Committee, and helped trigger reports that officials were checking in on party rules for replacing a nominee should he drop out. Appearing on CBS This Morning less than half an hour later Thursday, Manafort said, 'I support him as speaker and after next week Im going to be supporting him for a candidate for President.' The Trump aide's error saying he'd back Ryan for president rather than as a member of Congress sent a shockwave through the studio, coming just a day after reports that party officials were researching how to replace Trump in the event that he got out of the race. Scroll down for video Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort acknowledged 'conflict' in the campaign 'Really?' asked cohost Charlie Rose. Another cohost, Norah O'Donnell, remarked: 'There is talk about that.' Cohost Gayle King told Manafort he should, 'Please talk into the microphone.' Rose needled the longtime operative and lobbyist and said, 'So, Donald Trump is getting out of the election and Paul Ryan is jumping in?'' as King added, 'There is that rumor, Paul.' Manafort replied dryly, 'Starting another rumor ...' The conversation then moved on, and he failed to further address how he intended to support Ryan who was Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate in 2012 and had been considering a run for president in 2016 only to get drafted into the speakership. Ryan would be a natural candidate to try to fill a vacancy for a presidential nominee in such a situation, however unlikely. The stunning slip-up kicked off another day of drama for the Republican Party's embattled White House candidate. Slack-jawed senior Republican officials are reportedly so incensed at Trump's recent performance that they have begun actively exploring how to replace him on the ballot were the real estate mogul to drop out of the race. 'Senior party officials' are so upset with his behavior that they are exploring how to replace him on the ballot, ABC News reported. GOOD RESUME: House Speaker Paul Ryan emerged as party leader after Speaker John Boehner's departure. He chaired the House Budget Committee and ran as Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012 but stayed out of the divided GOP presidential primary WINNING TICKET? The RNC would have to choose a replacement should Donald Trump get out of the race. There's already speculation that party members would try to draft Ryan though they already have Indiana Gov. Mike Pence waiting in the wings. Neither got a single primary vote for president CNN reported that Priebus was 'extremely upset' with Trump's refusal to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and his handling of a dispute with the Khan family an issue where Ryan distanced himself from Trump. NBC reported that Priebus was 'apoplectic,' while ABC called him 'furious.' Priebus called Trump Tuesday to express his frustration with how his spat with the family of slain Army Captain Humayun Khan has distracted the campaign since the end of the Democratic convention, where Khan's father spoke, according to ABC. There were multiple indications of unraveling this week. 'A new level of panic hit the street, Scott Reed, chief strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the Washington Post. Its time for a serious reset. There were reports that former Speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani were among those planning an 'intervention' with Trump, though no senior Trump officials have confirmed such a meeting. 'The current race is which of these two is the more unacceptable, because right now, neither of them is acceptable, Gingrich told the Post. Trump is helping her to win by proving he is more unacceptable than she is. Gingrich who was on Trump's short list to be a running mate continued: 'Anybody who is horrified by Hillary should hope that Trump will take a deep breath and learn some new skills. He cannot win the presidency operating the way he is now. She cant be bad enough to elect him if hes determined to make this many mistakes. Giuliani told Fox News: 'Its an evolving campaign, hes a new candidate that adds a little bit more learning curve than would normally be the case. Former Trump advisor Michael Caputo denied a New York Times report that Trump staffers were 'suicidal' over the inability to keep things in control. 'Nobodys on the bridge talking about jumping off,' he told MSNBC. Added former Trump advisor Barry Bennett: 'Hes been lured down some rabbit holes that frankly are a distraction from his message.' Senior Republicans, who are discouraged by Donald Trump's prolonged fight with the Khan family and his refusal to endorse Speaker Paul Ryan, are exploring how to replace him on the ballot in the event he were to withdrawl FRUSTRATED: Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus called Trump Tuesday. He is reportedly 'incredibly' upset over Trump's handling of the Khan controversy and over his failure to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan Trump stood by his prolonged spat with the gold star Khan parents in an interview with DC's WJLA television Tuesday Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is reportedly 'mailing it in' as aides are frustrated with the candidate's refusal to end the battle with the Khan family An official told CNN he was examining what the rules were in the event of a vacancy. There have been no indications from Trump that he plans to get out of the race. 'I would push back on any formal report that the candidate is going to leave the race, Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway told CNN. Priebus is also a Wisconsin native close to Paul Ryan, who is facing a primary challenge on Tuesday. Trump is declining to support Ryan in the race, even though the House Speaker went on a limb and endorsed him at the conclusion of the GOP presidential primary. Manafort said Thursday on Good Morning America that Trump will not take sides in any Republican primary as the leader of the party and the decision is not personal or exclusive to to Ryan. 'Reince Priebus is a strong supporter of Donald Trump and a good friend and supporter of Paul Ryan. And he's been a bridge...between the party and the campaign,' Manafort said. 'They've spoken several times in the last two days. They're very good friends, who are doing a lot of things together.' The senior aide candidly revealed, 'There is a conflict within the Trump campaign and we've sort of had a rule of not getting involved in primaries because it's usually not a good situation for the presidential candidate. 'Of course he's gonna work with Paul Ryan of course he's trying to bridge the party together with Paul Ryan,' he said. 'But Ryan is also running against somebody, who's not going to win, but nonetheless, hes a strong supporter of Mr. Trumps.' He added, 'So its not just in Paul Ryan's district, that gets all the notoriety because he's the speaker.' After he recovered from his embarrassing verbal flub on CBS, Manafort said of his boss, 'Hes going to support Paul Ryan, he does support Paul Ryan, he said hes going to work with Paul Ryan. Theres no issue about that. 'He didnt take a position in the primary, he didnt take a position in many primaries. Thats not the news. The news is the two of them working together to elect a Republican Congress and a Republican President, and I think youre going to see that.' Trump's non-endorsement of Ryan is another line on a list of perceived missteps that have Republican heavy weights reportedly shopping for a replacement candidate - with Ryan emerging as a top option. Even former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a passionate Trump supporter, has said he is starting to look 'unacceptable' next to Clinton and he risks losing the election unless he becomes 'more disciplined'. No matter the fury some Republicans might be feeling toward Trump whose election is closely linked to their own ability to keep majorities in the House and Senate the methods for replacing him are complicated. To do so, he would have to drop out, and for mechanical reasons this might have to happen by September, as ABC described the scenario. Republican National Committee rules state that the committee 'is hereby authorized and empowered to fill any and all vacancies which may occur by reason of death, declination, or otherwise of the Republican candidate for President of the United States or the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States.' In the event that a party nominee withdraws, it's up to the 168-member Republican National Committee to choose a replacement In such an instance, the 168-member RNC would reconvene the party's national convention to fill the vacancy. The replacement would be chosen by the panel, which consists of state chairs and party leaders. The members members representing a state 'shall be entitled to cast the same number of votes as said state was entitled to cast at the national convention.' A candidate would only win after getting a majority of the votes entitled to be cast. John Harwood of the New York Times tweeted Tuesday night that Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was 'mailing it in' and not challenging Trump anymore, and that staff were 'suicidal.' Trump tweeted Wednesday: 'There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!' Trump told the Washington Post he wasn't ready to back Ryan, the party's 2012 vice presidential nominee and a popular figure within the party. 'I'm just not quite there yet. I'm just not ready to do that at this point,' he said. Campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Fox News the Khan issue was over. 'We've put it behind us frankly. One is he does sympathize with the family for the loss, but two he was concerned more about what caused that loss which is the failed policies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that led to the rise of ISIS, that led to the destabilizing of the situation there and caused the deaths of many other American family's sons and daughters,' Manafort said. He dined reports of turmoil within the campaign. 'First of all, the candidate is in control of his campaign. That's number one. I'm in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign. The turmoil this is another Clinton narrative that's been put out there and that the media is picking up on, Manafort said. 'The Clinton machine may not like it, but we are prepared for the fight,' he added. Former GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson said the Khans are 'grieving,' and said if they apologized to him and he apologized to them but I don't see that happening and said it wouldn't be harmful 'if they apologized to him and he apologized to them but I don't see that happening' Former presidential candidate Ben Carson, who now advises the Trump campaign, told CNN: 'There is no emergency here whatsoever.' Carson said the Khan family was 'grieving' and and that, 'I think we should give them a pass.' But then he said the Khans should apologize to Trump for things Khizr Khan said about Trump at the Democratic convention. 'I don't think it would be harmful if they apologized to him and he apologized to them but I don't see that happening,' Carson said. 'If you accuse someone of something that's not true it usually is a reasonable thing to acknowledge that,' he added. Appearing on Fox Business network, Gingrich urged Trump to 'slow down, take a deep breath, and reorganize how he's operating.' Gingrich said Trump is 'in kind of a slump, he's thrown a series of interceptions in the last week that really do not bode well for his campaign'. Newt Gingrich (pictured), a passionate Trump supporter, has said he is starting to look 'unacceptable' next to Clinton He told CBS that Trump has the resilience to ride out the backlash, adding: 'He is resilient. I believe America resets itself every 60 days. In a world of Pokemon Go, none of these things last.' He went on to brand the idea of an 'intervention' for Trump as 'fairly ridiculous'. Gingrich, who has emerged as one of Trump's most trusted advisers recently, did not disclose any advice he has given the presidential nominee. are angry about cheap foreign wine in France Balaclava-clad 'wine terrorists' have unleashed 50,000 litres of red plonk on a French town in a dramatic protest against cheap imports. Radical wine producers deliberately spilled five huge vats of red wine into the streets of Sete, near Montpellier. Wine flooded into basements, car parks and even some homes later on Tuesday evening, according to reports in local media. Five huge vats of red wine were released onto the streets of Sete, near Montpellier, on Tuesday The CRAV (Comite Regional d'Action Viticole) group, which has infamously carried out numerous wine-related attacks in France, later claimed responsibility for the stunt. Emergency services were called to the scene and cleared up the spilled wine within 30 minutes. CRAV is angry about cheap foreign wine making its way onto the shelves of French stores and supermarkets. Balaclava-clad men unleashed the 50,000 litres of red plonk from the huge vats Video footage captured the moment the wine rushed out of the vats and into the streets The CRAV (Comite Regional d'Action Viticole) group claimed responsibility for the stunt The radical group has infamously carried out numerous wine-related attacks in France Spilled wine made headlines earlier this year when French farmers emptied Spanish wine trucks in protest against falling food prices in France. France is one the biggest producers of wine in the world and some makers have benefited in recent years from rising prices and increased demand for some of the prestige wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux. However, the French wine industry as a whole has been influenced by a decline in domestic consumption, while internationally, it has had to compete with the increased success of many new world wines. The unnamed man has reportedly been in France for the last two months Investigators fear he may be plotting a terror attack on the capital, Paris French security chiefs are hunting an Afghan asylum seeker over fears he is plotting a terror attack on Paris - but are refusing to make his picture public. The unnamed man has reportedly been in France for the last two months and police are understood to have circulated a picture of the suspect. But incredibly, French intelligence are not making the image of the suspect available to the public. There are fears that he may now strike at targets in the capital including the public beach which is set up alongside the banks of the River Seine every summer. French security chiefs are hunting an Afghan asylum seeker over fears he is plotting a terror attack on Paris (file picture) There is no known name for the Afghan, but he is said to have been in France for at least the last two months. The authorities belief he is one of thousands who have arrived in Europe by claiming they are refugee asylum seekers. While many say they are fleeing the Taliban, the ultra orthodox group, there are fears that some are actually terrorists themselves. French media has decided to stop publishing pictures of anyone connected to terrorist acts, because they believe the images help glorify the extremists. It comes after it emerged that a picture of one of the ISIS fanatics who butchered a priest in Normandy was sent to police stations four days before the atrocity was carried out. As well as the image of Abdelmalik Petitjean, security services were warned an attack was imminent. The 19-year-old later killed Father Jacques Hamel, 85, in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. If a potential terrorist from Afghanistan is on the loose in Paris then his photo should be released immediately. Leading security analyst in Paris His photo had been widely distributed to police stations after the anonymous tip-off 'from abroad' on July 22. It was received with a colour photograph of Petitjean, and said he 'was preparing to take part in an attack on national territory'. It was one of two deadly attacks inspired by ISIS in under a month. It looks as though exactly the same mistake is being made in France all over again, said a leading security analyst in Paris, who asked not to identified. If a potential terrorist from Afghanistan is on the loose in Paris then his photo should be released immediately. This would happen as a matter of course in countries like Britain and the USA, yet here they are extremely cautious about it. The country has been under emergency rule since militant gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris in November. It comes as France reels from two deadly attacks inspired by ISIS in under a month A succession on blunders by the French security services have contributed to the success of ISIS and al-Qaeda operations in France over the past two years, which have left around 250 dead. Paris has suffered worse, with 130 killed on November 13 alone last year, when suicide bombers and attackers carrying AK-47s struck at the Bataclan concert venue, the Stade de France, and cafes and restaurants. Last month, a Tunisian national linked to ISIS drove a hired 19-tonne lorry along the seaside promenade in Nice, killing 84 people on Bastille Day. It later emerged that all HGVs had been banned from the city on what was a public holiday, and that police had failed to ask why he was parked up so close to the crowds. Paris is on high alert, wary in particular of the potential for an attack on the 'Paris Plage' beach festival. Every summer Paris closes off a major road along one bank of the river Seine and dumps sand to create an artificial beach. Following the Nice attack, vehicles and concrete blocks are being used to block entrances to the site. More than 50 summer festivals and events are receiving special security attention this year following last month's attacks. Children were not harmed and Kirk was charged with child neglect worker heard the fire alarm and went into smoke-filled home Kristan Kirk, 32, told police she set her apartment on fire because she wanted to kill her children, who she thought were cannibals An Oklahoma woman is behind bars after she allegedly tried to set her apartment on fire to kill her two young children - because she believed they were cannibals. Kristan Kirk, 32, allegedly turned the stove burners on and put metal in the microwave as her children, a five-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son, slept in their Tulsa home. Kirk then left them alone and walked across the street to a QuikTrip gas station so that she could watch on Wednesday, police said. But the mother-of-two's plan was foiled by a heroic maintenance worker, who heard the smoke alarm go off at the Willowbend Apartments unit around 9am. The man turned his phone camera on and filmed the damage in the smoke-filled kitchen, according to KOKI. He can be heard waking up the two children, asking them: 'You hear the smoke detector? Where's your mom?' Kirk had returned to the home and was there with the maintenance worker when police arrived on the scene, Tulsa Officer Leland Ashley told Daily Mail Online. Scroll down for video Kirk allegedly turned the stove burners on (left) and put metal in the microwave (right) before she left her sleeping children alone in the home on Wednesday morning But the mother-of-two's plan was foiled by a heroic maintenance worker, who heard the smoke alarm go off at the Willowbend Apartments unit (pictured) around 9am She later admitted to police that she had actually tried to set the apartment on fire twice. Earlier that morning she left for an hour and returned to find out that her scheme was unsuccessful - so she tried again before leaving a second time. Her second attempt still failed to start a fire, but created enough smoke to set off the alarm, according to KOTV 6. Authorities said flames were probably only minutes away, as the metal was close to sparking in the microwave. The maintenance worker had fixed the smoke detectors in Kirk's apartment only days before. Kirk's son and daughter later told police that their mom was trying to kill them, according to KJRH. Kirk's children, an eight-year-old boy and five-year-old girl, later told police that their mother wanted to kill them Police said Kirk left her apartment and went to the QuikTrip gas station across the street so that she could watch her apartment burn The mother told police that voices had told her that her children were evil and that she needed to 'take care of it'. Authorities said Kirk revealed she was depressed and had not been taking her medication. Neither of the children were harmed. They have since been placed into the custody of the state Department of Human Services. Kirk has been charged with two counts of child neglect and first-degree arson. Her bail has been set to $120,000. Accused of telling 'lie after lie' after evidence revealed to be untrue The ski instructor accused of murdering her love rival Sadie Hartley was today accused of telling 'lie after lie' as she claimed her co-accused friend was the killer. Family members of the victim left the gallery as Sarah Williams was shown shocking post mortem photos of more than 50 injuries suffered by Miss Hartley when she was killed in January. But she denied the murder and instead blamed her friend, Kit Walsh, who is accused of helping Miss Williams commit the brutal murder at the Miss Hartley's home in Helmshore, Lancashire. Sarah Williams told a jury today that she has no idea how murdered Sadie Hartley's DNA came to be in her bath after the businesswoman was stabbed to death Williams said her friend and co-accused Katrina Walsh bought a stun-gun for self-defence Tony Cross QC, defending Walsh, accused Williams of telling 'lie after lie after lie' as he described the brutal injuries after Mr Johnston, the boyfriend of the victim and former lover of Williams, left the gallery in tears. Referring to one photo, Mr Cross said: 'Stabbed right the way through the lady's neck. You did that didn't you? It was you, wasn't it, who shoved the knife through this lady's neck?' But Williams denied the allegation. After Williams was arrested she told police that a week before the murder she had been in the Helmshore area near the crime scene to sit 'like a saddo' outside Mr Johnston's former house. But in court she admitted lying to detectives and changed her account, telling the jury that she had actually been with Walsh to deliver flowers to Miss Hartley at the house she shared with Mr Johnston. Partner Ian Johnston with daughter Hannah outside court on what was a distressing day of evidence that saw the accused, Sarah Williams, shown post mortem photos Mr Cross said: 'Does lying come easy to you? You lied because you wanted to get away with the killing of this lady.' She denied the allegation but Mr Cross continued, adding: 'When you were telling these lies, did you think about any of these people sitting to your left, the family of this lady?' Williams replied: 'It never occurred to me that I would end up in this position instead of the person who killed her.' 'Are you sorry about lying to the police?' Mr Cross asked, and she replied 'yes'. Mr Cross then asked who she thought murdered Ms Hartley. Williams replied: 'I have not seen it happen and I have not been told by whoever has done it, they have done it.' Graham Cook, the brother of Sadie Hartley, Garry Hartley, ex-husband of Sadie Hartley with Julie Taylor, her best friend, all left the court as the shocking photos were shown Mr Cross continued: 'Do you have somebody in mind?' Williams said: 'I can assume, only on the evidence I have been shown since this has started, some of it points towards Kit.' Sarah Williams is said to have fired a stun-gun at Ms Hartley as she opened her front door in Helmshore, before stabbing her to death. The 35-year-old is said to have been obsessed with Ms Hartley's partner Ian Johnston and so hatched a plan with her friend Katrina Walsh to kill the businesswoman. Sadie Hartley's daughter, Charlotte, leaving Preston Crown Court At the murder trial today, Williams was questioned over the evidence against her, including a diary of the plot apparently kept by Walsh. Her barrister Gordon Cole QC said Ms Hartley's DNA was found in Williams's bath and asked her if she knew how it came to be there. Williams replied: 'No, no idea.' Williams confirmed it had been many months since Mr Johnston had been at her home during their affair. Mr Cole then took Williams through a series of diary entries Walsh had made in the weeks before Ms Hartley's killing. In September 2014, Walsh wrote: 'Sarah came round so got caught up in endless murder plots for Ian's other half.' Mr Cole asked Williams: 'Were there any murder plots discussed between you and Katrina Walsh?' The defendant replied: 'No, not at any time in any way.' Another diary entry from Walsh was: 'We're also seriously talking of getting rid of her opponent. I agree is probably a good play ... she does seem to be a totally evil bitch.' Mr Cole said to Williams: 'Have you any idea why she wrote things like that?' She said: 'I couldn't account for what she wrote and why.' The court has heard that Williams and Walsh bought the stun-gun in Germany ahead of Ms Hartley's death as well as a tracking device which was placed on Mr Johnston's car. Williams said Walsh bought the stun-gun during a Christmas shopping trip for 'self-defence' and purchased the tracker because of her 'obsessive' interest in the Channel 4 progamme Hunted, in which contestants are chased by investigators. Williams had an affair with Ms Hartley's partner Ian Johnston and allegedly became obssesive Williams said she visited the Helmshore area 'a handful of times' in December 2015 and January 2016 to see if Mr Johnston was home and because she had an interest in buying property in the area. Ten days before the murder, Williams sent Walsh a text which read: 'Don't forget to crack on with your shopping ... suddenly it's time.' The next day Walsh allegedly bought the knife used in the murder on her Tesco Clubcard. Williams explained that the text referred to a planned holiday together to the French Alps and the need to buy appropriate luggage and clothing. Ms Hartley was knocked out with a stun-gun at her home in Lancashire before being stabbed She denied driving to Ms Hartley's workplace in Knutsford on Jaunuary 6 and said she visited the town on her day off to visit 'a nice shoe shop'. Williams later admitted going with Walsh, known as Kit, to deliver flowers to Ms Hartley's house on January 7, a week before she was killed. The prosecution claim this was a dry run to scout out the address in preparation for the murder. Mr Cole asked: 'What was that all about?' Williams replied: 'It was Kit's idea. She wanted to see what Sadie looked like, having not seen her.' An Alabama probate judge accused of sending sexually charged messages and nude photos to a woman he met when she went to his office to wed another man has agreed to a six-month unpaid suspension, his lawyer said Thursday. Tallapoosa County Probate Judge Leon Archer regrets his actions and cooperated fully with a probe that resulted in charges filed Wednesday by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission, said Randy Haynes, an attorney for Archer. The complaint said Archer met a woman in 2013 when she was 34 and went to the probate office to wed a 68-year-old man. Tallapoose County Judge Leon Archer (pictured right next to his wife Marjorie), who was accused of sending sexually charged messages and nude photos to a woman has agreed to a six-month unpaid suspension, his lawyer said Thursday Archer performed the ceremony and noted the large age difference between the two, the complaint said. The wedding was soon annulled, according to the complaint. In January, Archer began sending the woman sexually explicit messages and nude photos on Facebook, investigators alleged. The complaint includes more than 60 pages of printed messages between Archer and the woman, including ones in which he allegedly wrote: 'I want to hear you moan' and 'what happened to us hooking up'. The messages ended after an east Alabama newspaper, The Alexander City Outlook, reported on them. The newspaper reported that Archer had admitted his actions at the time and apologized. In a story published by the newspaper in January 2016, Archer said: 'I'm not going to lie about it or deny it. 'I'm not a perfect man and I have done a lot of things that I am not proud of and this may be one of the worst. 'I got caught up while on social media with my language and pictures going back and forth. 'It got out of hand and I should have known better. This shows a lapse in judgement - very poor judgement. 'Being a judge, I should be above that and adhere to a higher standard. I feel like I have voided that trust.' In January, Archer began sending the woman sexually explicit messages and nude photos on Facebook, investigators alleged The woman also spoke to the Alexander City Outlook, and said: 'We had been friends on Facebook for about seven months, but until earlier this month there was nothing like this. 'I'm not innocent in this, I mean at first I figured he was just a lonely, nice man who wanted to talk. 'As the messages got suggestive, I couldn't believe it, but I didn't end it. 'I honestly thought it was funny in a weird way. 'But when he started talking about money, like I was a prostitute, that's when it hit me.' Archer asked her in a message 'What you got going on today... I got some money I need to spend', the newspaper reported. Archer, who has been married more than four decades, never had any physical contact with the woman, said Randy Haynes, an attorney for Archer In one reported exchange, the woman said 'Is it illegal for someone who holds elected county office to ask for sexual favors in exchange for money and ask the person to call their private line while they are at work?' 'Not if you call their personal cell #', Archer reportedly responded. 'Judge Archer made some bad mistakes with a person who admitted having an agenda to discredit him' Haynes said. Archer, who has been married more than four decades, never had any physical contact with the woman, Haynes said. 'It was all on Facebook,' said Haynes. The judge, who is not a lawyer, reached a settlement with judicial investigators in which he agreed to a six-month suspension without pay, Haynes said. The suspension will begin Monday provided the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, which hears administrative cases against judges, approves the settlement during a hearing, Haynes said. 'He will go back on full status in February,' said Haynes. Archer, a Republican who took office in January 2013, is among the Alabama probate judges who quit performing marriages last year rather than allow same-sex couples to wed in his office. A British woman has died in a popular Turkish holiday resort after falling off a roof while hanging out washing. Carol Duncalf, 61, and who had been living in Marmaris for some time, had been drinking, according to police. Officers said she had visited a neighbour for a drink and a chat before returning home to hang her clothes out to dry on her roof. But she lost her balance and fell off, landing head first on her concrete court yard eight metres (26 feet) below. Carol Duncalf died in the popular Turkish holiday resort of Marmaris after falling off a roof while hanging out washing Police said she lost her balance and fell off the roof of her apartment A passer-by who saw her fall called the emergency services but Ms Duncalf died at the scene. Police closed off the street while investigators determined that the cause of death was a brain haemorrhage caused by the fall. Ms Duncalf's body was taken to the Marmaris State Hospital morgue and from there was transferred to the Mugla Forensic Medicine Institute for a final examination. Her social media profile revealed that she was a single woman who was originally from Northwich in Cheshire where she had gone to school and college. The 61-year-old had lived alone in Turkey for some time but was originally from Cheshire Ms Duncalf had been living on her own for some time in Marmaris where she was known as an animal lover. She supported the work of animal rescue associations in the region and also fed stray cats in the neighbourhood. Eye-witnesses said that a number of cats congregated on the area after her fall from the roof and refused to leave. Marmaris, which lies on the Mediterranean coast, is one of Turkey's most popular tourist resorts. The town's winter population of about 30,000 swells to about 400,000 in the summer. Turkish police are seen inspecting the scene where Ms Duncalf's body was found this week A 19-year-old organised crime figure who mentored two teenage Apex members on how to commit jewellery raids has been arrested by police. On July 7, the 17-year-olds armed themselves with sledgehammers and raided two jewellery stores on Russell St and Sydney Rd in Coburg, Melbourne's north, making away with $200,000 worth of goods. Police claim Mahmoud Taha supplied the boys with 'tools' for the heist and met up with them afterwards to ask if they got 'the stuff,' the Herald Sun reports. Scroll down for video Police claim Mahmoud Taha (pictured) supplied two boys with 'tools' for a jewellery heist in Melbourne and met up with them afterwards to ask if they got 'the stuff,' The court heard Taha had taken the stolen jewellery to be valued and met up with the teenagers beforehand to provide them with Target clothes for the heist Taha was charged with both robberies. The court heard Taha had taken the stolen jewellery to be valued and met up with the teenagers beforehand to provide them with Target clothes for the heist. The 17-year-olds were arrested after being held down by a member of the public who stepped in following the robbery. The pair were charged with armed robbery and criminal damage and fronted the Children's Court in Melbourne. They were denied bail. Taha was also charged with a third armed robbery outside a Broadmeadows bank in May Police claim Mahmoud Taha supplied the boys with 'tools' for the heist and met up with them afterwards at Caroline Springs shopping centre (pictured) Taha was also charged with a third armed robbery outside a Broadmeadows bank in May. Last month Daily Mail Australia spoke to one of the founders of the Apex gang who said the group started in Dandenong. John said the gang met up frequently as a way to escape their boring lives. 'We go out together for thrills - it's our chance not to give a f***,' he said. 'We don't go out with the intention of hurting people but it can happen.' Last month Daily Mail Australia spoke to one of the founders of the Apex gang who said the group started in Dandenong A New York City television producer caught her housekeeper stealing her clothes and then brazenly posing in them on Facebook. Maid Jasmin Figueroa, 34, was found guilty of petit larceny in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday over her scam - which started to unravel when she was fired for failing to separate colors and whites. Her boss Amy Pack, 36, of Greenwich Village, then is said to have begun investigating her former employee online after discovering $1,000 worth of clothes missing. Amy Pack (left) wearing the dress once owned by her housekeeper Jasmin Figueroa (right) The New York Post reports that Pack, a former producer for CNBC's Squawk on the Street, then discovered Figueroa posing in photographs on Facebook flaunting her missing clothes - a navy silk J.Crew dress, Tory Burch sweater, lace romper and a tan belt. Bizarrely, she was also wearing a foam crown to dress up as the Statue of Liberty. Ms Figueroa's lawyer claimed a simple coincidence had occurred - that his client may have bought the stolen items she was caught wearing in the photos because she admired Pack's style. But Jessica Peck, the prosecutor, ridiculed the claim, saying if she not guilty then she would be 'the unluckiest woman in the world.' Pack lived at 1 Fifth Avenue, the same block where Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards owns a $10million penthouse. Pack said her investigative efforts initially included checked surveillance footage to prove the maid had not separated the different colored clothes after initially claiming a blue marker was to blame, the Post reported. 'I was so upset because in the wash there were gifts people had given me, baby blankets, towels, and they were all dyed blue,' she told the court. Advertisement A terrifying ordeal unfolded at a Church's Chicken in Texas when a floor collapsed in the kitchen and left three workers with severe grease burns. The floor in the restaurant's cooking area suddenly gave way just after 6pm on Monday, pulling three female employees into a hole as deep fryers landed on top of them, causing hot oil to reportedly spill on the women. In the horrifying moments that followed, a small fire ignited, two of the workers were pulled to safety while a third was left trapped between appliances with witnesses saying her body was 'literally cooking' in the grease, according to KTRK. Scroll down for video A terrifying ordeal unfolded at a Church's Chicken in Livingston, Texas on Monday when a floor collapsed in the kitchen and left three workers with severe grease burns. Scenes from the horror pictured above The floor in the restaurant's cooking area suddenly gave way just after 6pm on Monday, pulling three female employees into a sinkhole as deep fryers landed on top of them, causing hot oil to reportedly spill on the women Photos from the scene showed black smoke pluming from the restaurant and rubble strewn about the kitchen Medics at the scene are shown as they tend to the victims while concerned onlookers stand nearby She suffered third-degree burns to 75 per cent of her body and as of Thursday, all three women were listed in critical condition. A YouCaring page set up to help the families of the victims identified the three women as Erica Acevedo, Hugolina Guerrero and Montserrat Damian. The three women fell an estimated three-and-a-half to four feet down, Livingston Fire Chief Corky Cochran said, according to KTRK. Footage and photos from the horror scenes showed the caved-in floor and smoke plumed from the restaurant as firefighters arrived to the scene. Fried chicken, plastic containers and other food items were left strewn across the floor among the rubble. Outside, medics were seen tending to the victims as concerned customers looked on. A YouCaring page set up to help the families of the victims identified the three women as Erica Acevedo (right), Hugolina Guerrero (left) and Montserrat Damian Firefighters walk through the scene of the floor collapse. The three women fell an estimated three-and-a-half to four feet down into the hole after the floor gave way, according to fire officials Appliances topple on top of one another following the incident. A small fire ignited during the floor collapse however it was quickly doused by firefighters A Church's Chicken menu is shown above as scenes from the collapse show slanted appliances toppling over on top of the caved-in floor After the floor collapsed at the Church's in Livingston, quick-thinking customer Gary Bryant, who was at the counter with his friend ordering food at the time, launched across the counter and went to grab one of the employees from the hole. Bryant, 65, and his friend Margaret Henderson managed to pull two of the workers to safety but another was lodged between appliances. 'At first I reached and grabbed her arms and I tried to pull her,' Bryant told KTRK as he recalled his attempt to rescue one of the workers from the rubble. 'She wouldn't give. It just rolled all the hide off her. I had two handfuls of hide.' 'That girl in there was literally cooking,' Henderson told the station. 'Her body was cooking in the grease.' Two of the employees were airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston with critical burns while the third was transported to CHI Livingston Memorial Hospital, according to PolkCountyToday.com. A small fire ignited from the collapse, however firemen were able to quickly douse it. Firefighters are pictured in the background while appliances are seen toppled on top of one another above the caved-in floor The floor collapse was caused by an apparent chasm underneath the floor, according to local media Firefighters walk into the restaurant following the floor collapse on Monday. One worker suffered third-degree burns to 75 per cent of her body and as of Thursday, all three women were listed in critical condition at hospital Monday's incident was caused by an apparent chasm below the floor, according to PolkCountyToday.com. And in the aftermath of the ordeal, fire officials said without Bryant and Henderson, the three workers would not be alive. 'I'm not no hero, not at all, period,' Bryant told KTRK. 'I couldn't stand that girl begging. I would hope somebody would either shoot me or try to get me out of there, because she was going through that much.' Henderson added: 'Neither one of us will ever be the same again from seeing it. But just imagine those girls' lives. Their lives are ruined.' Church's Chicken Management released a statement to Daily Mail Online regarding the incident in which it said its thoughts and prayers are with the employees and their families impacted by the 'unfortunate incident' at the Livingston franchise. 'The Churchs Partners Foundation will provide some immediate support to the families,' the statement said. 'We are working closely with the franchisee who is working with the authorities to determine the cause of the accident. 'At this time, we do not know when the restaurant will reopen.' The YouCaring page as of Thursday early afternoon had raised $55. Scenes from the floor collapse pictured. In the aftermath of the ordeal, fire officials said without two quick-thinking customers at the restaurant who helped pull the women from the hole, the three workers would not be alive A British teenager has been raped after being kidnapped by a stranger she mistook for a taxi driver. The 17-year-old was taken to wasteland and sexually attacked after being picked up from the popular Playa de las Americas resort in the south of Tenerife. A Good Samaritan alerted by her screams phoned police who rushed to the scene of the crime. A man said to be under the effects of alcohol was arrested nearby after being intercepted by officers. The incident happened around 2.30am on Wednesday. The 17-year-old girl had been out at Las Veronicas shopping and entertainment complex, in Playa de las Americas, when she mistakenly got into the man's car (file photo) The teenager, who is from Blackburn, is said to have been out drinking in a shopping centre called Las Veronicas where a lot of the nightlife in the area is concentrated. She is understood to have got into a black Opel Astra she mistook for a taxi. Local reports said the driver stripped her naked and raped her after taking her to waste ground instead of an address near the shopping centre where she was staying and asked to return to. The nationality of the detainee has not been revealed. It is not yet clear if he has appeared in front of an investigating magistrate who is expected to remand him in custody following a private court hearing. Police arrested a man, who is believed to have been drunk, after the girl's screams were heard by a passer by (file photo) It is not the first time a brutal assault has taken place on the popular tourist strip in Tenerife (file photo) At the end of May a 13-year-old Irish girl was raped on a beach near the same shopping centre. She was targeted after heading to the area with her brother but becoming separated. She was treated in hospital and police informed immediately afterwards. The suspected sex attacker was described at the time as a Caucasian man as it emerged the sexual deviant could be a tourist who had already left the island. It is not known if an arrest ever took place. In March a 22-year-old Brit came close to bleeding to death after having his throat cut on a pub terrace at Las Veronicas Shopping Centre. American victim was Darlene Horton, 64, the wife of Florida professor, who was due to return to US today Advertisement Zakaria Bulhan, 19 (pictured as a schoolboy), moved to the UK from Norway in 2002, and was said to be suffering possible 'mental health issues' when he allegedly stabbed his unsuspecting victims in Russell Square The Somali-born man accused of stabbing an American citizen to death and injuring five others in the Russell Square attack was a 'quiet, shy pupil who was bullied at his London secondary school', MailOnline can reveal. Zakaria Bulhan, 19, moved to the UK from Norway in 2002, and was said to be suffering possible 'mental health issues' when he allegedly began silently stabbing his unsuspecting victims in a busy London street. His former friends from Graveney School in Tooting, south London, have now revealed how Chelsea football fan Bulhan was a quiet boy who was bullied in the early stages of secondary school. One friend said: He was quite quiet, but had friends. He was a little bullied but nothing too extreme. Online postings show a man named Zak Bulhan is interested in Islamic study, and in another he pledges support to former Guantanamo Bay inmate Moazzam Begg. It came as his victim was revealed to be 64-year-old Darlene Horton - the wife of a Florida professor who was due to return to her native America later today. Retired teacher Ms Horton has spent the last few weeks in the UK with her husband, psychology professor Richard Wagner, as part of a summer study programme and was enjoying her final night in the capital before they planned to fly back to their home in Tallahassee. However, she was brutally stabbed to death with a kitchen knife at about 10.30pm in Russell Square on Wednesday night. The keen tennis player's last words were 'he's still here, he's still here' as she tried to warn others of the attacker before she was found in a pool of blood after being stabbed in the back. She could not be saved, despite the best efforts of paramedics, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses said her shocked husband sobbed nearby as her body lay sprawled on the pavement overnight. The Somali-born Norwegian national accused of stabbing Ms Horton to death and injuring five others was said to be suffering possible 'mental health issues' when he allegedly launched the shocking mass stabbing. As well as killing Ms Horton, the knifeman also injured five others including Israeli holidaymaker Yovel Levkowki, 18, who was slashed across the hand as she approached him to offer help after believing he was a victim. She said she was lucky to be alive after watching the attacker go on to slaughter Ms Horton in front of her eyes. 'I don't know if it's luck or fate but it's a miracle,' she said. 'The woman standing next to me died before my eyes.' Police said the other victims include a British man who remains in a 'serious but stable' condition after being stabbed in the stomach. An American man, who suffered chest wounds, an Australian woman who was stabbed in the back and an Australian man who was stabbed in the chest, were all discharged from hospital yesterday. Retired teacher and keen tennis player Darlene Horton, 64 (pictured), was due to return to America today with her Florida professor husband but was stabbed to death by a Somali-born knifeman in the Russell Square attack Pictured here in 2011, the suspect's former friends from Graveney School in Tooting, south London, have now revealed how Chelsea football fan Bulhan was a quiet boy who was bullied in the early stages of secondary school Survivor: Yovel Lewkowki, 18, pictured posing by the Thames before the attack, thought the killer needed help - but was stabbed herself and saw his victim die Victim: Israeli Yovel Lewkowki, 18, was stabbed in the hand by the killer who murdered one and injured five more on Russell Square Tonight, Bulhan's former friends said they did not believe him to be religious but said he was bullied at school. One former classmate said: 'He was quite quiet, but had friends. He was a little bullied but nothing too extreme.' Former friends of Zak Bulhan (above) from Graveney School in Tooting, south London, revealed the Chelsea football fan was a quiet boy who was bullied during secondary school She said old schoolfriends of Bulhan had seen the news and were shocked to see his name linked to the incident. Another former friend said he was maths partners with Bulhan in Year 9 and 10 before he later became his mentor at South Thames College in Morden. He told MailOnline: Hes just a normal guy, its unbelievable. Its not really a shock because I cannot believe it to be true. I dont think he actually could have done it. I saw him and spoke to him two or three months ago. At Graveney, the pair would spend up to five hours a week on the same desk, and enjoyed friendly competitions to see who could manage the best grades. He added: I wasnt part of his friendship group, but in Year 9 and 10 we sat next to each other in maths and I would talk to him every day. Then I bumped into him because hes started doing the same course as me Im a year above and he came to me for help. Im not sure of his family background, but Im pretty sure he is Somali. We got along really well and we were really competitive together we were always joking about who was better at maths and trying to beat each others grades. A couple of months ago, he ran into Bulhan at the college in Morden where they were both studying a BTEC in IT. He was just a regular guy doing the same course as me at college, he said. Id consider him an acquaintance Id stop him in the street to say hello and Id be happy to go out with him socially. Wed talk about the coursework. He came to me and said that he wanted help because he wanted to do well in his course and at the college. He was actively looking to improve, so its not like he was doing nothing with his life. He came to ask me for help he wasnt a waster. Take down: The moment the knifeman is tackled by police on the street outside Russell Square Captured: Chanel Britton, 19, of Barnsley, captured the moment the 19-year-old Somali teenager who came to the UK from Norway was pinned down by police Remembered: Bunches of flowers and single roses have been left against the fence where the American victim died Earlier yesterday, police raided the south London council flat where Bulhan lived with his family. Neighbours of the alleged knifeman said his mother was 'really nice' but knew little about her two sons. The family live on the middle floor of a three-storey block of flats next to St George's Hospital in Tooting. As two uniformed police officers stood guard outside the flat, the neighbour described how police have been coming in and out all day. The unnamed woman said: 'There was lots of policemen there this morning.The mother is always here. She's really kind and friendly and always opened the door and got parcels for us. 'They're a Muslim family, the mother always wore a full black burka. 'I asked the police what is happening but they can't say at the moment. I heard lots of banging and noises and saw the police carrying out a black bag'. The neighbour who lives above Bulhan's flat heard a raid and saw 'around 30 officers on the stairs.' A downstairs neighbour confirmed that a mother and two young men live in the flat. He said: 'I've only really spoken to them to say 'hi'. The mother is very pleasant. She always asks after me and my mother. 'I've never had a conversation with either of the two boys. Apparently they are Somalian but they all speak with an English accent. The mother is really quiet. She always has her hijab on but she's a very pleasant woman and speaks proper English'. Brave: The teenager had rushed to try to help someone when she was slashed - having been for dinner with her grandad Message: In an emotional Facebook post, Yovel pleaded with her friends to make the most of life. 'The last few hours have taught me to appreciate every second The alleged killer, a Somali who came to Britain from Norway in 2002, brutally stabbed to death the US citizen and knifed five others including Miss Levkowki, who had been out for dinner with her grandfather. The suspect was Tasered to the ground by police and pinned down by up to eight officers who were called to Russell Square. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and spent the night in hospital before being moved to a south London police station. This evening, Florida State University paid tribute to Ms Horton the wife of one of its professors. FSU president John Thrasher said: 'There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy. 'We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family, and we will do all we can to assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the psychology department, as they mourn.' Earlier, one witness told how she tried to use towels she had bought on an earlier shopping trip to stem the flow of blood from the American victim. The woman, who did not wish to be named, told MailOnline: 'I was just trying to console her. The victim said something about: 'He's still here, he's still here' - after that she was not lucid. That's when I saw someone. He was meandering about. He was very disturbed'. Searched: Officers pinned the suspect to the floor and checked him for other weapons before also checking him with a torch Tributes: Several bunches of flowers were left against railings at the scene of the mass stabbing in Russell Square yesterday Describing what happened, victim Yovel Levkowki said: 'I was afraid it was a terrorist incident, and I was sure that the two men fleeing from the event were victims. 'I went to help the first one of the men and felt pain in my hand. I thought I just got hit, but it turned out he was stabbing me. The other man chasing him was trying to stop him, and in the end managed to catch him,' she told Y Net. Yovel was on holiday as a final celebration before starting her army service in five days' time. She and her grandfather were staying at a well-known hotel in Russell Square, and had just had dinner in a Thai restaurant nearby. 'I saw a woman lying on the floor, covered in blood,' she told Israeli media. 'Her husband was supporting her. 'Suddenly I discovered that I was bleeding. I looked and saw that the attacker stabbed me in the hand as I was running. 'A man at the scene tried to calm me down, but he was also covered in blood and wounded by stabbing. 'Within a few minutes, six police cars and an ambulance sealed off the area and began to help the wounded. 'They tried to revive the woman covered in blood, but she had lost a lot of blood and within minutes she was dead.' Yovel added that the dead woman's husband was sitting in the street, stunned. 'They even started to resuscitate the man who tried to calm me down,' she said. 'Luckily, he survived.' Drama: Police were at the scene in five minutes and managed to disarm the man with a Taser and arresting him Aftermath: Witnesses heard screams and rushed to windows to photograph the victim's body, which had been covered by a white sheet Swamped: Dozens of police officers were in the square within six minutes of the first 999 call - but tragically the American victim stabbed in the back could not be saved Fight for life: Emergency services tend to the American woman who would later die from her injuries In an emotional Facebook post, Yovel pleaded with her friends to make the most of life. 'The last few hours have taught me to appreciate every second,' she said. 'It was a matter of seconds, of feet and breath. You need to spend every minute strengthening your family.' She added that her injury was not life-threatening. 'My hand was fine,' she said. 'I was evacuated for medical treatment, had my hand bandaged and was given a lot of pills to prevent infection. 'The attacker stabbed five people in front of me and the doctors were concerned that I would catch something from the blood of other people that was still on the knife.' After the recent atrocities in Europe, she said her first instinct was that this was another terror attack. 'The attacker was dark-skinned and bald and the knife he was holding was a small kitchen knife,' she said. 'He was very calm and cool.' The killer's victim died in a pool of blood as she was cradled by a family of Spanish tourists, as the 19-year-old silently stabbed pedestrians in the back, side and arms who were left 'screaming and covered in blood'. As well as Miss Levkowki, another woman and three men - who were British, American, Israeli and Australian - were taken to hospital. The British survivor is said to remain in a 'serious but stable condition' in hospital while the three others have since been discharged. Tragedy: The female victim's body, a US citizen, lay under this tent surrounded by medical equipment used as paramedics fought to save her Evidence: A forensic expert analyses the knife used by the attacker during the mass stabbing, which is unlikely to be terror related, police say Terror: The body of a woman in her 60s is taken from the scene at Russell Square this morning where a knifeman killed her as she walked along the street Ring of steel: Scotland Yard has sent dozens of armed officers on to the streets yesterday, including on Russell Square, pictured, to reassure the public - and protect if there is any other incident Location: The killer stabbed the woman to death across the road from the famous Imperial Hotel before running around the corner where he was arrested Chanel Britton, 19, of Barnsley, who was staying in one of Russell Square's many hotels, captured the moment up to eight officers searched the attacker after he was Tasered to the ground. The footage of his arrest emerged as Britain's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said they have now interviewed the suspect, spoken to his family, searched his London home and liaised with MI5 and MI6 and believe it was a 'spontaneous' and 'random' attack, not 'motivated by terrorism'. Defending his decision to suggest terrorism as a motive earlier, he said: 'You would expect us in the current climate to consider all possibilities'. As police investigate the murder, it emerged: 19-year-old of Somali origin Zak Bulhan, who came to the UK from Norway in 2002, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after he stabbed six people in Russell Square at around 10.30pm on Wednesday night. American Darlene Horton, 64, a retired teacher was fatally injured. The others hurt were British, American, Israeli and Australian and all were treated in hospital. Three were discharged. None are critically ill. Witnesses say killer was slashing 'anyone he could see' with his knife before he was Tasered by police. Britain's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said detectives had considered terrorist motive but now stabbings appear to be 'triggered by mental health issues'. MI5 and MI6 have no record of killer being an extremist Scotland Yard has sent out armed units to patrol the streets as London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged the public to remain 'calm and vigilant'. Brazilian Fernando, 40, who was cycling through the square at the same time said the killer was slashing at people with his knife in complete silence. The killer's blade was abandoned on the pavement next to the body of the unnamed victim, which remained under a forensics tent overnight and was taken away by ambulance this morning. The Met has sent scores of armed officers on to the streets of London - including members of its new elite counter-terror unit - to reassure the public and in case there is a new attack. The attacker struck at the heart of London's tourist centre, packed with hotels. At 10.30pm, when he stabbed his victims, the area was full of people who had enjoyed a night in the West End. One witness claimed he may have jumped off a moped before slashing at his victims. A source said the suspect was seen to go 'on the rampage' with the weapon. Another witness said he heard one of the victim's scream before running over to help them. Battling: Police and paramedics raced to deal with the incident that saw five people injured as well as the one woman killed Police and paramedics are pictured at the scene following the mass stabbing in Russell Square at around 10.30pm Clear-up: An officer collects the blood-stained clothes of the victims as the man who stabbed them remains under police guard Held: This is the area of Russell Square where the killer was Tasered and arrested, where he dropped the murder weapon Fernando, 40, from Brazil told MailOnline how he cycled into the horrific scene his way home and saw the murder victim slumped against the fence of Russell Square's famous gardens and called the emergency services. He said: 'I was cycling home from work and some people stopped me in the street asking for help to call an ambulance. I saw an old lady lying against the wall - she had collapsed. I had to call 999, but it took a bit of time because I didn't know the postcode, then two or three minutes later a car full of police turned up. That was the moment I realised she had not just collapsed but had been stabbed.' ISIS LINK TO MENTALLY ILL AND HOW THEY ARE GROOMED ONLINE The Russell Square knife attack followed warnings that ISIS grooms people with mental health problems to inspire them to carry out murder. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, head of specialist operations at the Metropolitan Police, said ISIS is trying to 'pick up' potential fighters among 'the vulnerable, people with violent backgrounds, very young people and those with mental health issues'. In 2008, 22-year-old Nicky Reilly - who had a mental age of 10 - attempted to carry out a suicide bombing in Exeter after he was contacted by extremists online. ISIS will often use internet forums or social media to brainwash the vulnerable. Yesterday's murder came just days after a schizophrenic knifeman who tried to behead a Tube passenger during an Islamic State-inspired rampage was sent to Broadmoor high-security hospital to begin a life sentence. Somali-born Muhiddin Mire, 30, targeted strangers at random in the ticket hall at Leytonstone Underground station in east London on December 5 last year. He will serve a minimum of eight and a half years before being considered for parole. But Mire could serve the entirety of his sentence at the psychiatric unit, which has housed some of the country's most notorious criminals. Advertisement According to Fernando, a Spanish family of four a mother, father and their two daughters thought to be in their 20s were looking after the American woman who died at the scene. 'She was being cradled in the lap of a Spanish tourist who was trying to keep her alive. I didn't hear the old woman speak she had been stabbed in the back,' he said. According to witnesses, the scale of the attack was initially unclear as Fernando said at first he had no idea that other people had been injured. 'I don't know if she was alive when I left I think she had already died she wasn't talking. The Spanish girl tried to talk to her and keep her alive. She said to me before I left that she was still breathing. 'I realised it was a stabbing when they started giving her first aid. Then I realised more people had been stabbed.' Witnesses said the attacker was chubby, had been wearing black shorts and a white t-shirt and that he left with the knife, which he carried in his right hand. Fernando was told that the attacker had been hiding his face with his forearm as he ran along stabbing people in the back. 'He did not shout anything,' he said, adding that people didn't shout either terrified that the attack was not over. Jodie Parry, said the attacker ignored police as they screamed at him to stop running. She said: 'I could hear the policeman screaming 'stop, don't move, don't go any further, just stay where you are' and he turned around and continued running. He just wasn't prepared to stop.' She added: 'He was actually carrying a knife in his hand and he had blood on his hands.' Oscar Kaysan described how the knife man was tackled to the ground by eight police officers. Mr Kaysan, who lives nearby, said: 'First he was standing then they shout him. He was really shouting. 'He was heavy built - two police officers could not contain him. There was six to eight police officers who held him down. He was big. Mr Kaysan said he believes he was speaking English, but added: 'What he was saying does not make sense. It was just screaming. It was so loud, he was making so much noise.' A guest at the nearby Penn Club hotel said the man was making a 'continuous scream'. Hotel staff on Russell Square, an area always packed with tourists, said the attacker was completely silent and was 'just going for anyone he could see' before he was shot with a Taser and pinned face-down by police. One worker told the Standard: 'The police came to the hotel and a guest was telling them what he saw. He said there was a madman running around with a knife just lunging at people randomly and stabbing them'. A night receptionist at the Repton Hotel, overlooking the scene, said: 'I saw a woman lying on the floor with police standing over her, checking to see if she was alive. 'She looked unconscious, they were shaking her but she was lying still. Then the ambulance arrived. A guest came in shortly afterwards saying she saw police chasing a man down the street.' Shocking: The woman's body remained on the pavement at the scene with a forensics tent covering it until the early this morning, when it was covered and taken into a waiting ambulance Murder: This is the spot where the woman in her sixties died on pavement in Russell Square which was still covered in blood this morning Crime scene: Police have sealed off this section of Russell Square, one of London's busiest areas, and was packed with tourists heading to their hotels after a night in the West End Contrast: Detectives, believed to be from the Met's homicide squad, collect evidence as officers were handed flowers they laid at the scene yesterday Clean up: Council workers wash blood from the pavement on Russell Square yesterday as police took down the forensics tent Probe: Police have cordoned off the area and a heavy presence of officers and paramedics remain at the scene this morning as homicide and anti-terror officers investigate what happened Fresh security: Officers with sniffer dogs have been put on duty at train stations including Kings Cross, pictured yesterday Show of strength: Uniformed armed officers were across the capital including on patrol at Horse Guard's Parade, left, and around the area of the knife attacks Police cordoned off the area and additional police patrols were put in place in London. Police helicopters hovered over the city well into the early hours. The incident occurred in the same area as where one of the 7/7 bombs detonated in 2005. A total of 26 people were killed when Germaine Lindsay, 19, detonated a suicide bomb on a Piccadilly line Tube as it moved between King's Cross station and Russell Square. LONDON MAYOR: TOO EARLY TO FIND MOTIVE London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the public to remain calm after initial fears the Russell Square murder was a terror attack. Mr Khan, who came back to London from a family holiday after the stabbing, also asked the public to call police if they see any suspicious behaviour. Police appear to be ruling out terrorism after saying it may have been. Writing for the Evening Standard he said: 'I would also urge restraint at this crucial time. It is important that we don't jump to conclusions at this stage until we know the full facts about what happened in Russell Square. 'The Met has said publicly that it believes the suspect's mental health played a significant role in this attack but, of course, it is too early for any motive to be ruled out. As we have seen from previous incidents across the world, there can be a complicated mix of factors behind attacks on innocent people. 'In any event, my message to Londoners is clear the police are doing all they can to keep you safe from harm and you should continue to go about your daily lives as usual. I urge people to remain calm and vigilant, and to report anything suspicious to the police'. Advertisement On the same day a bus was destroyed on Tavistock Square, which is just up the street. The stabbings came hours after the Met unveiled its brand new elite anti-terror unit. Scotland Yard initially confirmed that 'terrorism was one possibility being explored' but also said that early indications suggest 'mental health is a significant factor in this case'. The Met's Assistant Commissioner for special operations, Mark Rowley, said it had been a 'tragic incident'. He said: 'Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry. 'But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and, consequently, terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore,' he said. 'Armed officers arrived at the scene within five minutes, they discharged the Taser whilst confronting and arresting the suspect. 'Six people have been injured, including the one woman who sadly died at the scene, and the others have received various injuries.' He confirmed murder detectives and the counter-terrorism unit had been brought in to investigate the killing. Following the incident, Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe vowed to protect the capital, adding: 'A normal night out in our busy capital has ended in horrific circumstances.' He said: 'My thoughts are with the family of the woman who was murdered and those who were injured.' The investigation is 'moving very quickly', Sir Bernard said. He went on: 'As we have already made clear, mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation' 'I am proud that our specialist firearms officers were on the scene in six minutes and, using only a Taser, detained the subject. That demonstrates our commitment to use force in a professional and proportionate way. 'Their swift response undoubtedly helped to prevent more people from getting injured.' This morning, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called for the public to remain 'calm and vigilant' as police investigate whether the knife attack was terror-related. Mr Khan said his 'heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones' after the death of the woman. Police forensic officers are pictured searching the scene with torches in the early hours as they continue to gather evidence Forensic officers have remained at the scene into the early hours to gather evidence after a woman died and five others were injured when a man 'went on the rampage' and began 'injuring people with a knife' near a park in Russell Square, London Additional police officers have been deployed to the central London area to reassurance residents as it emerged the Met is treating the incident as a possible terror-related offence. The 'stabbing' occurred in the same area as one of the 7/7 bombings Forensic officers could be seen collecting evidence as a forensic tent covered a section of the pavement in Russell Square Police officers negotiate a forensic tent at the scene which is opposite the Imperial Hotel and near a park in Russell Square Police officers guard the scene where one women died and several were injured in a suspected knife attack in Russell Square A fully-suited forensic officer inspects the scene with a torch as police remain at the scene to gather evidence over the killing Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a press conference that terrorism was one line of inquiry Matthew Barzun, US ambassador to the UK, tweeted his condolences following the attack. 'Heartbreaking news that a U.S. citizen was killed in #RussellSquare attack. My prayers are with all the victims and their loved ones,' he wrote. The Russell Square knife murder suspect emigrated to Britain from Norway in 2002 when he was around five-years-old. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has appointed a liaison officer to assist in the case, confirmed the 19-year-old emigrated 14 years ago. Philippa Baglee, who was in London to celebrate her 60th birthday, said the knifeman paraded down the street A spokesman said: 'We will assist the British police in the normal manner, with information and any requests they might have in their investigation.' Eyewitness Zuhair Awartani told the BBC he saw the suspect being arrested. He said: 'I arrived here at my hotel and I saw the guy getting arrested just on the block. There were two police cars and he was like African - a dark-skinned man'. Helen Edwards passed by as police arrested the man and said she believed that someone else may also have been attacked in a side road. There are also fears that the knifeman operated with an accomplice as the Met refused to rule out arresting more suspects. One witness said he saw 'a man flee on a motorbike'. Others suggested a gang may have been involved. Philippa Baglee, who was in London to celebrate her 60th birthday, was walking past Russell Square when she saw a group of people looking down at the ground. She said: 'There was someone lying on the ground and lots of people around and a guy with a black motorcycle helmet balanced on top of his head walking around. 'He was on the outside of everyone looking on the ground. 'The moment I saw an ambulance and police car arrive, I thought someone had just been knocked off their bike.' Asked to describe the man, she said he was short and dressed in what she thought was all black leathers. She continued: 'It was all very calm. No-one was panicking. I just went back in.' Ms Baglee added that she did not find out what had happened until Thursday morning. 'It's a bit scary, I have just come for a couple of nights for my 60th.' Police confirmed a man was arrested after he was seen 'brandishing a knife' and 'injuring people' in front of horrified onlookers in Russell Square. Pictured: A heavy police presence remained at the scene overnight due to the incident An eyewitness, who called himself Michael, told MailOnline that he saw a woman - aged around 25 - with blood pouring from her back. He said another woman of the same age was suffering a wounded arm. He said: 'I heard a scream, and then we went to the park and I saw a girl lying on the floor with blood coming from her back. Another girl had blood on her arm.' Paul Hutchinson, a taxi driver, said he passed the incident shortly after it occurred. He said: 'I drove past Russell Square and the road wasn't shut but the pavement was all taped off by police, lots of armed police, lots of cars and the body was just lying on the floor. You could see the boots sticking out from under the cloth. 'Loads of armed police, cars with lights on and the body on the floor.' Pol O'Geibheannigh, 45, was walking back from the cinema when he saw a massive police presence and a woman lying in a pool of blood. He said: 'I just knew right away that this is not right. You just don't see armed police around this area. 'This was just wall to wall with armed police. You could see a woman on the floor. There was dark matter around her, which was obviously blood. 'She was lying in a pool of blood with a red blanket on top of her. I went into the bar and it wasn't until an hour later that they put the tent up. 'And then at about 12.30, when we were coming out, there were about five or six people running off towards Bedford Square. 'That level of police presence I haven't seen since 7/7 and I was here - I live around the corner. 'But it was just a matter of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time.' The forensic tent remained covering a section of the pavement as evidence appeared to lay scattered on the floor overnight Police officers investigate the mass stabbing at Russell Square which left one woman dead and five other people injured Much of the area has been cordoned off by police as patrols are stepped up in the area to 'reassure residents' after the attack A forensic tent is seen covering the pavement in Russell Square with a heavy police cordon in place in the early hours SO WHERE WERE THEY? 'TERRORIST ATTACK' COMES JUST HOURS AFTER SCOTLAND YARD SHOWBOATED NEW HEAVILY ARMED COUNTER -TERROR UNIT The mass stabbing in Russell Square came just hours after the Met Police unveiled its brand new anti-terror unit. Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe unveiled the plan to put more highly visible patrols, armed to the teeth with pistols and semi-automatic SIG Carbine rifles, at major landmarks as a deterrent to potential attackers. As well as guns, the new generation of armed officers also have BMW F800GS motorbikes to allow them to scramble to an incident anywhere in the capital and speed boats so they can deploy from the Thames. The mass stabbing in Russell Square came just hours after the Met Police unveiled its brand new anti-terror unit. Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe announced the plan for more highly visible patrols and heavily armed officers The new officers are masked in order to protect their identity from attackers, which can help in a variety of different circumstances - from hostage situations, targeted attacks to kidnap attempts. The masks provide an extra layer of safety for counter-terrorism officers as they carry out their various specialist tasks. But yesterday's announcement - dubbed Operation Hercules by the Met - came against a backdrop of warnings from the Police Federation that it will take two years to deliver a promised increase of 1,500 in the trained-strength of armed officers across the country. And, embarrassingly, just hours after a showboating attempt on the Thames to unveil the counter-terrorism unit - police found themselves scrambled to the possible 'terror related' mass stabbing in Russell Square. More British police officers are carrying guns after a spate of attacks on the continent, including the Bastille Day massacre in Nice and the murder of a priest in a Normandy Church last week. The expanded firearms units were promised after the Paris attacks last November. The new police patrols have specialist speed boats so they can deploy from the River Thames in an emergency. However, just hours after the anti-terror unit was unveiled, they were missing from the possible terror related attack in Russell Square Advertisement A 35-year-old man, who did not wish to be named, said he saw three men fleeing nearby Queen Square shortly after the incident. 'One man fled on a motorcycle heading down a pedestrianised area,' he said. 'He obviously looked in a hurry.' Meanwhile, a guest at the Imperial Hotel said he saw a man lying on the ground. He told MailOnline: 'There was all sorts of commotion going on'. He added that guests at the hotel have been asked to enter through the rear entrance as the front is cordoned off by police. Local resident Helen Edwards, 31, said the panic reminded her of the 7/7 attacks. She was woken by the bus bomb at Tavistock Square on July 7, 2005. Talking about the incident, she said: 'It was a bit surreal. It brings back memories of 7/7. I was woken by the bus bomb that day. 'I was walking near Russell Square tonight when I saw several armed police officers and armed response units. I walked around the cordon and saw an ambulance and loads of people.' Other witnesses took to Twitter to share news of the attack. Abdulrahman Muammar wrote: '#London Russell Square locked down & surrounded with police officers. Many police cars & ambulances.' Helen Edwards tweeted: '#Police guarding cordon around #russellsquare #bedfordplace #southamptonrow. Saw armed police & paramedics earlier. I saw armed police guarding the cordon around Russell Square plus ambulance at other end of Bedford place.' A woman has died and up to five people have been injured in a possible terrorist knife attack in Russell Square in central London, police said. Pictured: Police and paramedics at the scene A police van remains parked in the road outside the Imperial Hotel in Russell Square in the early hours of this morning following the incident which could be 'terror-related', police say Meanwhile, Lauren Brittny said: 'Sadly my brother and his mates witnessed the stabbing in Russell Square. And the police obviously arrived too late. My brother rang me at time as he was in shock. But all he said was the man quickly jogged passed him. 'My brother was at UCL summer camp and they were returning from a theatre trip . His mentors were guarding them so he was unable to do much I wish he filmed the guy. But everyone was stunned by the situation. 'My brother said the woman was surrounded with her friend he suspected they were on a Hen night.' The Met said one suspect was detained after being Tasered at the scene of the incident - opposite the three-star Imperial Hotel and near a quiet park. A spokesman said: 'Police were called at 10.33pm to reports of a man seen in possession of a knife injuring people at Russell Square, WC1. 'Officers attended the scene along with the London Ambulance Service. 'Up to six people were found injured at the location. 'A female was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. 'We await an update on the condition of the other persons injured and details of any other injuries.' A forensic tent is seen covering part of the pavement in Russell Square following the 'stabbing' A police cordon remained at the scene in Russell Square in the early hours of this morning Police added that the man was arrested at the scene six minutes after the incident. The spokesman added: 'A man was arrested at 10.39pm and a Taser was discharged by one of the arresting officers. 'Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage.' Additional police units have been deployed to the area to provide reassurance. Extra patrols will also be carried out in the area near the British Museum in Bloomsbury. Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Additional reporting by: Keiligh Baker, Gareth Davies, James Dunn, Ollie Gillman, Emma Glanfield and Isabel Hunter for MailOnline 'Nice to wake up to the news': Vile ISIS supporters celebrate Russell Square bloodbath in 'centre of Christendom' ISIS supporters have already expressed delight at the stabbing attack in London that left one American woman dead and five people injured. In the hours after the attack ISIS linked accounts on social media were soon reporting the news of the stabbings in a tourist hotspot in the heart of the British capital. US counter terrorism analyst Michael S. Smith posted on Twitter that the volume of communications in ISIS-linked social media accounts was 'low' ISIS supporters have already expressed delight at the stabbing attack in London that left one woman dead and five people injured. According to Michael S. Smith II, a US based expert for the Congressional Taskforce on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, IS-linked social media channels spread the news in the early hours of this morning UK time. The ISIS-linked group account on private social media channels linked to on Twitter published pictures on the aftermath of the attack. The Arabic-language account, called the 'News Publishing Service', which has a logo incorporating a rifle said: 'Here you have a picture of the site where the stabbing took place, Russell Square in the centre of 'Christendom' London.' It was also reported that an Arabic-language account wrote that 'It's nice to wake up to such news'. Mr Smith wrote on Twitter that the volume of communications in ISIS-linked social media accounts was 'low'. Police have confirmed that they have no reason to believe the suspect - a 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin - had been radicalised. Britain's top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said they have now interviewed the suspect, spoken to his family, searched his London home and liaised with MI5 and MI6 and believe it was a 'spontaneous' and 'random' attack, not 'motivated by terrorism'. Defending his decision to suggest terrorism as a motive earlier he said: 'You would expect us in the current climate to consider all possibilities'. The account wrote: 'And here you have a picture of the site where the stabbing took place, Russell Square in the centre of 'Christendom' London' It was also reported that an Arabic-language account wrote that: 'It's nice to wake up to such news' Mr Smith monitors more than 50 ISIS-linked social media channels that spread breaking news to invite-only followers on private networks in a bid to incite violence. While the accounts don't celebrate the news of violence directly, he says the reactions to ISIS-led attacks are like a 'jihadgasm', where as reports of random acts of violence are met with passing interest. 'After [the lorry terrorist attack on Bastille Day in] Nice there was an explosion immediately after on Telegram and on Twitter,' he told MailOnline. 'It's common where you have the reporting in Europe of violent events like Munich and London - there's interest but you don't see the same confidence that it was an ISIS attack as you would see with Nice.' According to Mr Smith, the news is spread to help remind supporters that it's easy to go out and commit terrorist attacks on soft targets - or to provide real time information of where to find police responding to an emergency. Armed officers and sniffer dogs take to London's streets after bloodbath Londoners have woken up to find their streets, Tube stations and landmarks under guard from armed police officers and sniffer dogs following a mass stabbing in the capital. Just hours after the Metropolitan Police revealed their new elite unit, which is armed with pistols and semi-automatic rifles, a man went on the rampage with a knife in Russell Square, killing a woman in her 60s and leaving five others injured. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley immediately promised London will see more armed officers on patrol in public in the wake of the attack. Londoners have woken up to find their streets, Tube stations and landmarks under guard from armed police officers and sniffer dogs following a mass stabbing in the capital This morning commuters were confronted with heavily armed police and sniffer dogs patrolling Tube stations and other landmarks in the capital. Mr Rowley said: 'As a precautionary measure tomorrow Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice an increased police presence on the streets including armed officers. 'This is there to provide reassurance and safety and we ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert.' Officers arrived at Russell Square to find six people injured including a woman who died a short time later. Armed police officers (top) patrol King's Cross station this afternoon following the incident Scotland Yard confirmed that 'terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage' and also said that early indications suggest that 'mental health is a significant factor in this case' This morning commuters were confronted with heavily armed police and sniffer dogs patrolling Tube stations and other landmarks in the capital A police officer and sniffer dog outside King's Cross station in London this morning Armed police arrested a 19-year-old man at Russell Square after he allegedly attacked the woman, who was in her 60s. 'Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry,' London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said. 'But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore.' One witness said he saw 'a man flee on a motorbike', while another described hearing one of the victim's 'screaming and covered in blood'. One witness said he saw 'a man flee on a motorbike', while another described hearing one of the victim's 'screaming and covered in blood Armed police arrested a 19-year-old man at Russell Square after he attacked a woman, who was in her 60s and who died from her injuries at the scene Fears that the knifeman operated with an accomplice were raised in the early hours as the Met refused to rule out further suspects. One witness said he saw 'a man flee on a motorbike', while another described hearing a victim 'screaming and covered in blood'. Scotland Yard confirmed that 'terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage' and also said that early indications suggest that 'mental health is a significant factor in this case'. The attack comes just one day after Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe unveiled the plan to put more highly visible patrols, armed to the teeth, at major landmarks as a deterrent to potential attackers. As well as guns, the new generation of armed officers also have BMW F800GS motorbikes to allow them to scramble to an incident anywhere in the capital and speed boats so they can deploy from the Thames. The new officers are masked in order to protect their identity from attackers, which can help in a variety of different circumstances - from hostage situations, targeted attacks to kidnap attempts. London woke up to an increased police presence - particularly on and near public transport Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe unveiled the plan to put more highly visible patrols, armed to the teeth with pistols and semi-automatic SIG Carbine rifles, at major landmarks as a deterrent to potential attackers The masks provide an extra layer of safety for counter-terrorism officers as they carry out their various specialist tasks. But the announcement - dubbed Operation Hercules by the Met - came against a backdrop of warnings from the Police Federation that it will take two years to deliver a promised increase of 1,500 in the trained-strength of armed officers across the country. Parents of students at a private school are 'disgusted' after a Year 12 girl was filmed snorting a white powder off a mobile phone in full uniform. Police swooped on Adelaide Cedar College on Tuesday and raided lockers before escorting at least two students to the front office. The college confirmed the girl is a Year 12 student and said they believe the incident happened on school grounds, reports Yahoo. Scroll down for video Footage has emerged of a Year 12 girl snorting a white powder off a mobile phone in full uniform The girl in the video can be heard saying: 'that was clean as f**k' after snorting the white powder with a rolled up note. The school addressed the scandal in a letter to parents, branding the incident 'senseless and dangerous. 'It is extremely saddening that the senseless and dangerous actions of a few students will bring the entire school into disrepute.' Parents have branded the video 'absolutely disgusting' and pledged they will be 'asking questions.' The school said they will not be taking action against students until police conclude their investigations. It is the second drug scandal at Cedar College this term, after a bag of ecstasy tablets was found on school grounds. Police swooped on Adelaide Cedar College on Tuesday and raided lockers before escorting at least two students to the front office. The school said they will not be taking action against students until police conclude their investigations Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an Iraq veteran, said this week that he doesn't foresee ever being able to board the Trump train. Speaking yesterday to CNN's Wolf Blitzer Kinzinger acknowledged that he had intended to eventually get behind his party's nominee, adding, 'I don't see how I get there anymore.' 'For me personally, and I'm not trying to say to other people that you can't support Donald Trump, I'm saying for me personally, how can I support that?' Kinzinger said. 'Because he has crossed so many red lines that a commander in chief, or a candidate for commander in chief should never cross.' 'It's a tough position for me to be in,' the 38-year-old congressman admitted. Scroll down for video Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Iraq War veteran, says he won't be able to support his party's nominee, Donald Trump Rep. Adam Kinzinger (right) told CNN's Wolf Blitzer (left) that he was disturbed by Donald Trump's comments on NATO, the Khan family and blaming George W. Bush for 9/11 Kinzinger pointed to a number of things that Trump had done to force him into this decision. He said he went to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last month hoping that by Thursday night, when Trump gave his major address, that he'd be solidly on team Trump. 'You know, party unity, and all that,' Kinzinger added. But that didn't happen. 'Woke up Wednesday morning, saw his comments about Article V, NATO, decided to hold off,' Kinzinger explained. Trump had told the New York Times' David Sanger that he wasn't sure if he would hold up Article V of the 67-year-old treaty that created NATO, which obligates the United States to defends its NATO allies. 'If we are not going to be reasonably reimbursed for the tremendous cost of protecting these massive nations with tremendous wealth then yes, I would be absolutely prepared to tell those countries, "Congratulations, you will be defending yourself,"' Trump told Sanger. The next week, in the aftermath of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Kinzinger said he took issue with the way Trump treated the Khans, the Muslim-American Gold Star family who stood on stage and denounced his plans to ban non-American Muslims from entering the United States. 'Then this spat, this unbelievable spat with the family of a fallen soldier, a fallen soldier who swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,' Kinzinger pointed out. '[Trump] wouldn't even initially say we honor the family for their service,' Kinzinger added. 'Immediately took it as what it was to him, an affront to him.' The Illinois Republican also tsk-tsked Trump for blaming a Republican, President George W. Bush, for 9/11. And he didn't approve of Trump's coziness with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting how he was already against the Obama Administration's 'Russian reset.' 'Now you have Vladimir Putin basically pulling out the old KGB playbook on how to manipulate Donald Trump, and it appears he's fallen right into it,' the congressman said. 'Donald Trump, for me, is beginning to cross a lot of red lines in the unforgivable on politics,' Kinzinger added. A number of Republicans have come out this week and said they won't support Trump. One of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's longtime aides, Maria Comella, said she plans to vote for Clinton. Republican fundraiser and Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman said the same. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., also said he's be supporting the Democratic nominee and vote for her in the fall. Kinzinger, however, wouldn't go that far, saying he's looking at writing in a name or voting third party, as he's not ideologically in line with Clinton at all. 'I'm not going to support Hillary, but in America we have the right to write somebody in, or skip the vote, and vote for Mark Kirk in Illinois, for instance,' Kinzinger said. 'That's what it's looking like for me today. I just don't see how I get to Donald Trump anymore,' he added. Kinzinger realized the choice might put him in political hot waters as his home district's Republicans voted for Trump in the GOP primary. ' No matter what the political cost is to me, I'm an American before a Republican. I won't be silent. He can tweet all he wants, but I have to do this for my country and for my party,' Kinzinger said. A woman whose son was born with his intestines protruding from his stomach has slammed the doctor who told her have an abortion once finding out about the birth defect. Holly Hodgson found out her son Teddy, who is now almost eight months old, had the birth defect, gastroschisis, when a radiologist carrying out her 12-week ultrasound saw the loops of his intestines poking through a hole in his abdomen, Kidspot reported. The first-time mother, from Brisbane, should have been caught up in the whimsy of laying eyes on her child for the very first time, but instead her doctor told her she should terminate the pregnancy as that was his experience in three other cases. Scroll down for video Holly Hodgson whose son Teddy (pictured) was born with his intestines protruding from his stomach slammed the doctor who told her to have an abortion once finding out about the defect Ms Hodgson and her husband Stephen refused to accept the doctor's advice and were surprised to find up to 95 per cent of babies diagnosed with the condition survive the pregnancy after doing some research online. Little baby Teddy was born on December 14 last year. 'It makes me sick and angry when I look back on what he said,' Ms Hodgson told Kidspot. 'He's such a happy boy. He just loves making faces and talking to people. He always smiles, giggles and squeaks at people he doesn't even know it's very cute.' The mother said it was a 'silly thing' to say to two expecting parents, especially when she could not find any information that supported his medical advice. According to Brisbane's Mater Mother's Hospital, the birth defect - which affects one in every 5,000 babies - can cause growth delay however this can be monitored through a fortnightly ultrasound. 'He's such a happy boy. He just loves making faces and talking to people. He always smiles, giggles and squeaks at people he doesn't even know it's very cute.' Ms Hodgson and her husband Stephen first got to hold Teddy two days after Christmas Teddy's 12 week scan indicated that parts of his intestine had protruded through his stomach The website said delivery decisions should not be made 'on the appearance of the fetal bowel' as the condition can often improve when the baby is carried to full term but did warn of the risks associated with the defect. WHAT IS GASTROSCHISIS? Gastroschisis is a birth defect that causes a gap in the abdominal wall, usually to the right of the umbilical cord, which allows the bowel and other organs to pass through into Gastroschisis is a gap in the abdominal wall usually to the right of the umbilical cord which allows the bowel and other organs - including the stomach or liver - to pass through (herniate) into the amniotic cavity where they can be exposed to amniotic fluid. Source: Mater Mother's Hospital Advertisement 'Ninety to ninety-five per cent of babies identified with gastroschisis survive the pregnancy which means that five to 10 per cent of babies with gastroschisis will not be born alive. 'If a baby with gastroschisis is born alive, up to 10 per cent (1 in 10) will have problems after birth including dead gut or short gut syndrome, infection or surgical complications which may result in the baby's death or ongoing problems.' Ms Hodgson said she was glad her and her husband sought a second opinion and was elated when their son Teddy, now seven months, was delivered. According to Kidspot, Teddy was premature and his small and large intestine had protruded from his stomach but doctors quickly jumped into action to save him. Teddy was placed cling wrap (pictured) as soon as he was delivered on December 14, 2015 He was then put in a silo bag for almost a fortnight to give his stomach time to grow and his organs could be put back inside 'It was almost scary because he was still so little it was like holding a little doll,' Ms Hodgson said He was placed cling wrap, then in a silo bag for almost a fortnight to give his stomach time to grow and his organs could be put back inside, Kidspot reported. 'It was almost scary because he was still so little it was like holding a little doll,' she said, adding that he was able to come home with her eight weeks later. What is Melania Trump's immigration status? Donald Trump's wife became a United States citizen in 2006. It was a year after the couple married. The timescale means that she held a green card before their marriage. She says that she got one in 2001. It is unknown when she applied. When did she first come to the United States - and how? That is unknown. Melania Knauss was a model from the age of 16 in her native Slovenia, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. She signed a contract with a model agency in Milan when she was 18, and modeled in Milan, Paris and elsewhere in Europe. She has said that she relocated to New York in 1996 but it is unclear if she had traveled to the U.S. for work before that. It is also not clear on what visa she came to the U.S. The date of her arrival is also in question with fresh accounts surfacing that she started to relocate to New York in 1995. Among those making the claim are a former roommate and the authors of a biography in Slovenia. Could she have come without a visa? Unlikely. She is believed only to have been a Slovenian citizen, so she would have needed a visa as at the time it was not a country in the 'visa waiver' program. That scheme allows travel the U.S. without applying to the local embassy for permission from certain countries, among them most members of the European Union. Although she lived in Italy for some time, it appears to have been too little time to gain an Italian passport - which takes ten years of residence in most cases. Why has this emerged now? A set of nude photographs of Melania Trump were published by the New York Post at the weekend. The photographer says that they were taken in New York in 1995 and the paper says they were published early in 1996. That is before she says she relocated to the U.S. Neither the paper or the photographer showed actual evidence of when the pictures were taken or when they were published. Is that significant? Possibly. It may indicate that Melania was living and working in New York before she has said she was. Alternatively, she may not have been living in the city and had simply flown in for the shoot - in which case she would have to have obtained a visa to visit the United States. So what visa would she have used? Most models use H1-B3 visas. Models seeking H1-B3s must be 'of distinguished merit or ability' - they do not have to be graduates, unlike most other H1-B applicants. An employer needs to sponsor the application. They are issued initially for three years. But that time period clashes with her account of traveling to Slovenia every few months to stamp the papers. Some models come on H2-Bs which can be issued for a short period of time and are less onerous - but which only allow temporary or seasonal stays. They also need renewed abroad regularly, which could fit with her account of returning to Slovenia. Both H1-B3 and H2-B visas allow the holder to apply for a green card. She may also have gained an O-1B visa, for extraordinary achievement in the arts, but those are hard to get and an obscure model seems unlikely to have done so. Politico speculated that she could have used a B1 business visa, which prohibits employment, meaning that if she had paid work, she would have been committing fraud. If she arrived on a tourist visa for the same-sex photoshoot, she should not have worked. But it is also open to question whether a one-off photoshoot for a European publication, for which she would have been paid in Europe, qualifies as work which would breach visa conditions under U.S. law. Is there any concrete evidence of which visa she had? Not really. She is reported to have nodded when an interviewer mentioned the term in reference to her residence in the U.S. in the late 1990s. That nod is the most solid information in the public domain so far. Immigration records of living people are confidential so not subject to open government laws. There have been previous presidential candidates with foreign-born wives - most recently John Kerry, whose wife was born in what was then the Portuguese colony of East Africa, now known as Mozambique. She moved to the U.S. in 1963 to work as a United Nations interpreter, married her first husband in 1966 and naturalized in 1971. Is there any actual evidence of illegality? No, there are only questions over exactly how she came to the U.S. and established herself as a model. There is also an account in Politico from a former roommate which suggests she had no worries over her immigration status when they were friends, as he speaks of her returning to Slovenia for vacations - hardly something likely to be done by someone with a questionable legal claim to living in New York. What does she say? The Trump campaign has not dealt in detail with her immigration history. Instead she tweeted a statement saying she had always been in 'full compliance' with the law. Nabbed: Juneequa Smith, 23, has been charged with felony drug possession for allegedly flying into Nashville with 44.5lbs of marijuana A woman flew into Nashville with nearly 45lbs of marijuana hidden inside her suitcases, police say. According to a police warrant, a K-9 dog at the Nashville International Airport noticed the presence of drugs in two bags that arrived from an incoming flight on Wednesday. Juneequa Smith, 23, was detained after she picked up the suspicious luggage off of an airport belt. Inside the bags, authorities say they discovered 37 packages of marijuana weighing 44.5lbs. The warrant doesn't say what city Smith traveled to Nashville from. Depending on the grade of the marijuana, The Tennessean reports the drugs have a street value between about $122,000 and $200,000. Smith has been charged with felony drug possession. She was being held at the Metro Jail on $50,000 bond Thursday. Undercover officers purchased $46,080 worth of pills from Gotti during 11 undercover buys in the span of three months, the most recent on July 28 The long-term investigation was referred to as Operation Beach Party, and revealed that John's business generated $1.6million more than 850 Oxycodone and Xanax pills, drug ledgers and $240,000 in cash from his home, tattoo parlor and cars John Gotti, one of the namesake grandsons of the infamous mob boss, was arrested on state narcotics charges Thursday morning in Queens. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said that John was one of seven people taken in after a year-long drug string that ended with police seizing $240,000 in cash after executing search warrants on John's business, his two cars and his home, along with the homes of two of the other men who were arrested. More than 850 Oxycodone and Xanax pills, drug ledgers and records were also discovered and seized by authorities during their searches on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce referred to the infiltration and take-down of the alleged drug ring as Operation Beach Party. John meanwhile was seen smiling as he was led away from the police precinct Thursday afternoon in handcuffs. Scroll down for video No worries: John Gotti, 23, was arrested along with eight others on Thursday and charged with illegal distribution of prescription pills (smiling above as he leaves the police preinct in handcuffs) Legacy: John is one of the namesake grandsons of the infamous head of the Gambino crime family (above in 1987), and the son of Peter Gotti Haul: Police seized more than 850 Oxycodone and Xanax pills, drug ledgers and $240,000 in cash from his home, tattoo parlor and cars Bad day: The long-term investigation was referred to as Operation Beach Party, and revealed that John's business generated $1.6million (others arrested with John above) Undercover officers allegedly purchased $46,080 worth of Oxycodone from John in just the past three months, with their last buy happening on July 28 according to Brown. A listening device was also installed in one of John's cars, and authorities claim that during one conversation they listened to him say he sold 4,200 pills a month generating $100,000 in revenue, before later noting that the entire business generated $1.6million. Justin Testa, Shaine Hack, Steve Kruger, Edward Holohan, Michael Farduchi and Melissa Erul were also arrested this morning and are facing a number of different charges. John, Kruger and Testa are also facing an additional charge for operating as a major drug trafficker, meaning they could ultimately be looking at 25 years behind bars. Brown said that John would sell the pills for $23 or $24, which were supplied to him by Kruger and Testa. The first search on Thursday occurred in John's home, which has been in the Gotti family for over 50 years and is where John and Victoria raised their six children. Thursday marked the first time that members of law enforcement had successfully executed a search warrant on the residence. The search of John's home also led to the arrest of his girlfriend Eleonor Gabrielle while the search of Testa's home led to the arrest of his wife Dawn Biers both on charges of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. The third residence searched on Thursday was Hack's apartment. Hack had been heard claiming to have $200,000 of John's money during a conversation that was intercepted during the investigation, while John said that his records and ledger were also kept at the apartment in another exchange picked up by investigators. He is not facing any charges directly related to dealing drugs, but rather second-degree money laundering and second-degree conspiracy for his alleged role in the operation. In the system: A look at the seven others who were involved in the alleged drug ring, including Gotti's girlfriend Cuffed: Marc Tello (left) and Shane Hack (right) being led away from the precinct in handcuffs Surrounded: Police officers surround Johnas they lead him from the precinct (above) Head down: One of the men (left) and women (right) captured in the arrest being led off by police Erul, 23, of Lynbrook, Long Island, is charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance; Farduchi, 24, of Ozone Park, Queens, is charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance; Holohan, 50, of Glendale, Queens, is charged with second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and second-degree conspiracy. 'The drug in which the defendants are alleged to have primarily trafficked Oxycodone is especially popular with club patrons despite the fact that it poses serious health risks,' said Brown in a statement. 'In recent months, we have seen a significant rise in the use and abuse of prescription painkillers. Drugs such as Oxycodone are extremely potent and have a high potential for abuse and death. 'Todays arrests not only cut off the suppliers of these drugs, but the distributors as well.' Outgoing NYPD Commissioner William Bratton also released a brief statement congratulating those involved in the investigation. 'As alleged, John Gotti and the other defendants peddled prescription painkillers from Howard Beach to Ozone Park, contributing to the rampant supply of these potent drugs,' said Bratton. 'I commend the Queens South Narcotics detectives for their work on this case and my thanks, as always, to the Queens District Attorney, Richard A. Brown.' Involved: Undercover officers purchased $46,080 worth of pills from Gotti during 11 undercover buys in the span of three months, the most recent in July 28 Long road: Steven Kruger (above) in handcuffs outside the precinct on Thursday Caught up: John's girlfriend Eleonor Gabrielle (above in September) was also arrested on charges of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance The arrest comes just over a month after John was discovered with 205 Oxycodone pills, 18 methadone pills, marijuana, a testosterone bottle and close to $8,000 in cash in his car after police searched the vehicle on June 30 following a traffic stop. John, who was driving on a suspended license, was pulled over close to his home in Howard Beach because of his vehicle's tinted windows. He is facing multiple charges following that arrest, for which he made an appearance on Wednesday in front of Judge Suzanne Melendez according to court records. John, who will next appear in court on September 28 for that case, has been charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, four felony counts of criminal possession of a narcotic drug, four misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, two infractions for driving with tinted windows and on a expired license and an additional misdemeanor count of aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree. He was released after posting $25,00 bond. John's passenger at the time, Hack, was arrested on the same charges and released as well after posting the same bond. The officers who arrested John had no idea of the investigation that had been underway at the time, but their action did aid in the operation after it was determined that $7,000 of the cash found in the car had been given to Gotti by one of the undercover officers. John's run-ins with police began when he was just a teenager, with officials first taking him in after a 2010 incident in which he tried to flee the scene of a crime after his friend fired a pellet gun into a crowd. Two years later,a then 18-year-old John was busted near his home and collared by law enforcement officials when he was found with a small amount of steroids. In the end, he was given just a desk appearance ticket because authorities found so little of the substance. These days, John owns a tattoo shop in Queens called Rebel Ink Tattoo and, according to his Facebook page, is a personal trainer and fitness model. His arrest Thursday comes on the same day that a massive FBI sweep targeting members of the mafia led to the arrest of 40 people on the East Coast from Florida up through Massachusetts. The federal agency celebrated the landmark bust by announcing their accomplishment on social media Thursday morning. '#Breaking more than 40 mobsters from Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, and Bonanno LCN crime families. arrested this AM,' read the statement on the FBI's official Twitter account. Those arrested face a variety of charges ranging from racketeering, fraud and arson to extortion, making threats of violence and illegally running a casino. John's arrest was not related to this FBI bust. Impound: One of John's cars that was taken in by police and had been bugged Bust: Police discovered and seized over 500 oxycodone pills and $50,000 in cash after they executed a search warrant at the Howard beach home where John lives with his father Peter (above) Business: John is a personal trainer, fitness model and owns a tattoo parlor in Queens, Rebel Ink Tattoo (above) Problems with police and time behind bars was a big part of John's grandfather's life. The notorious head of the Gambino crime family turned to a life of crime at a young age, a profession that allowed him to escape the poverty of the Bronx, where he was one of 13 children born to John and Philomena. Gotti joined a street gang before he was a teenager and eventually dropped out of school before becoming a part of the Gambino family, where he quickly rose up the ranks until he ultimately became head of the massive organized crime syndicate. He first made inroads by running errands for members of the family as a teenager, and by his twenties was a key player in many of the biggest burglaries and heists. Gotti landed in jail for the first time in 1965 after being convicted of attempted burglary, spending a year behind bars. Three years after his release he once again found himself locked up after being charged with hijacking a Northwest Airlines warehouse and a United Airlines warehouse at what is now John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City along with a truck of cigarettes on the New Jersey Turnpike. The $50,000 cigarette heist came two months after his arrest for the United hijacking, while Gotti was out on bail awaiting trial. He pleaded guilty to the warehouse hijackings, and the charges relating to the New Jersey incident were dropped by prosecutors. Reality stars: John's aunt Victoria Gotti with her sons Frank Gotti Agnello, John Gotti Agnello and Carmine Agnello Jr Family affair: John with his father Peter (left) and his uncle John Gotti Jr (right) in September Possible problem: John was out on bond at the time of his arrest on Thursday (above in 2014) Gotti was out again in 1972 after three years spent in the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. And just a year later he was again locked up, sentenced to two years following a manslaughter conviction for his role in the death of James McBratney, a man believed to have killed the nephew of Carlo Gambino. That move endeared him to the family though and Carlo, who was boss at the time. It was not until 1986 that Gotti was named boss however, being passed over following Carlo's death in 1976 in favor of Paul Castellano. He was then passed over for underboss in 1985 when Castellano gave that role to his chauffeur Thomas Bilotti following the death of the acting underboss. Castellano and Bilotti were found shot dead soon after, and in January of 1986 Gotti was named boss of the family. He served in that role for four years before his arrest in 1989 for murder, and in 1992 he was sentenced to life in prison. Gotti died behind bars in 2002, one year after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He was survived by his wife and all of his children with the exception of Frank, who died in 1980 at the age of 12 when a neighbor accidentally hit the boy with his car while he was riding a motorbike. The neighbor, John Favara, disappeared soon after and has never been found. A well-known Beverly Hills surgeon was almost beaten to death in a horrific attack while his attackers remain on the loose. Dr Bruce Lee, who invented a pioneering procedure for women with uterine fibroids, was assaulted as he walked to his car on Windward Avenue in Venice, California, over a week ago. As he approached his vehicle, two men and a woman started shouting at him before getting into his car with a gun, CBS LA reports. Dr Lee was pistol-whipped and beaten, he told the local station. I realized that I could very easily die, he said. Scroll down for video Dr Bryce Lee (pictured) was almost beaten to death in a horrific attack in Venice, California Dr Lees fiancee Kimberly described the terrifying scene as the physician tried to defend himself and escape, but was unable to. The guy just went ballistic and started brutally sorry started brutally beating him, she told CBS. He tried blocking himself and everything and he couldnt get out of the car. The car was reversing and he had blood everywhere. It all happened so fast. To catch the suspects, police need the surveillance footage that may have captured the violent attack. Dr Lees fiancee Kimberly (pictured) described the terrifying scene as the physician tried to defend himself But they are waiting for businesses with CCTV cameras to co-operate. No witnesses have yet come forward but Kimberly says there were some, who helped Dr Lee get out of the car. They fled the scene before police arrived. Hes been so helpful to so many people and when he needs help, these people ran away, she said. We just want to make sure this doesnt happen to anybody else. Dr Lee, who has appeared on The Doctors, came up with a pioneering procedure that is FDA-approved and helps women get treatment for uterine fibroids so they can still reproduce. A person with a genetic abnormality who identifies as neither woman nor man cannot be entered in Germany's birth register as an 'intersexual', a federal court has ruled. The plaintiff, Vanja, was born in 1989 and registered as a girl. Women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y chromosome. But Vanja provided the Federal Court of Justice with an analysis showing one X chromosome but no second sexual chromosome. German family law only recognises the male and female genders. But whereas females have two X chromosomes and males have one X and one Y, intersexuals, such as Vanja, have only one chromosome Jennifer Pagonis (pictured) is an intersex activist in the United States. She identified as a girl growing up (left) but now feels neither male or female and calls herself Pidgeon (right) Advocacy group Dritte Option (Third Option), who represented Vanja, said the plaintiff planned to go to Germany's highest court, the Federal Constitutional Court. In a ruling published today the court said German family law recognises only male or female and, although a legal revision in 2013 does allow people not to be registered as being of either gender 'it did not create a further sex'. That meant the only option available to Vanja was to have the birth registration as a girl removed from the records and not replaced, an option the plaintiff said was not good enough. The court said: 'The question of whether the previous necessity of being entered in the birth register as either male or female violated intersexuals' fundamental rights no longer arises.' Vanja said: 'For intersex people, a third sex would record after decades of denial and making invisible finally the recognition and appreciation of their existence. 'The current solution to have no entry for me is just not the same as having a matching entry. In everyday life, as a protection against discrimination it makes a difference whether I can say "I'm officially inter" or if I have to invoke a void.' Erick Jamal Hendricks, 35, was arrested Thursday morning in Charlotte, North Carolina on charges that he attempted to recruit people to join ISIS A North Carolina man has been arrested on accusations that he tried to recruit people to join ISIS. Erick Jamal Hendricks, 35, was arrested Thursday morning in Charlotte, North Carolina, on a charge filed in Cleveland of providing material support to a terrorist group. He is also accused of communicating with one of two men shot dead by a police officer in Garland, Texas. A federal magistrate in Charlotte ordered that Hendricks be detained and assigned a federal public defender, who did not return telephone messages. An FBI affidavit details online communications between Hendricks and an undercover FBI agent posing as an Islamic State recruit who witnessed the attack at the suburban Dallas civic center in May 2015. Two Phoenix men wearing body armor and carrying rifles drove to the center, exited a vehicle and began shooting at the entrance. An off-duty police officer providing securing for the event fatally shot both men before they could get inside. An unarmed security guard was shot in the ankle. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and referred to the two Phoenix men, Elton Simpson and Nadir Hamid Soofi, as 'brothers.' Shortly before the attack, the 31-year-old Simpson posted on his Twitter account: 'May Allah accept us as mujahideen,' or holy warriors. Simpson and Hendricks had communicated before the attack, the FBI said Thursday. Hendricks also communicated with the undercover FBI agent in Garland, asking questions about security and how many people were there, the affidavit said. Hendricks told the agent that if he saw the organizer of the event that he should 'make his voice heard against her,' investigators wrote. Elton Simpson (left) and Nadir Hamid Soofi (right) killed a police officer during a terror shooting at a Garland, Texas conference center last year. Simpson and Hendricks had reportedly been in contact before the attack Both Simpson and Soofi were killed in the attack.But before that, they killed an off-duty cop who was working security at the event It appears that charges were filed in Cleveland because of Hendricks' communication with Amir Said Abdul Rahman Al-Ghazi, who was arrested in June 2015 in suburban Cleveland trying to buy an AK-47 rifle from an undercover FBI agent. Authorities said Al-Ghazi had pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State and expressed an interest in conducting attacks in the U.S. Earlier this year, Al-Ghazi pleaded guilty to providing material support to a terrorist organization and, according to the affidavit, has been cooperating with authorities. Al-Ghazi told authorities that Hendricks said he needed people to join the cause and wanted 'brothers' to meet and train together, the affidavit said. The undercover FBI agent confirmed in the affidavit that his communications with Hendricks were similar to Al-Ghazi's. Hendricks told the undercover agent that he slept with his AK-47 and kept it by the front door, investigators said. He directed the agent to download a manual titled 'GBS for the Ghuraba in the U.S.' that discussed law enforcement surveillance and communication protocols for those planning to stage attacks, the affidavit said. Hendricks met with a paid informant and a second unidentified person in Baltimore in March 2015, the affidavit said. Hendricks directed them to remove cellphone batteries and to prepare for a violent confrontation with police, the affidavit said. In April 2015, Hendricks told the undercover agent that he was in communication with Islamic State leaders who wanted followers to form groups in the U.S., the affidavit said. Hendricks and an ex-wife, whom he divorced in 2009, attended another meeting in Baltimore with a paid informant the day before the May 3, 2015, attack in Texas, the affidavit said. Hendricks told the informant that future targets would include the organizer of the Mohammad cartoon event and members of the military whose information had been obtained in a computer hack. Hendricks lived in the Columbia, South Carolina, area for about a year starting last summer and recently moved to the Charlotte area. It wasn't immediately clear if Hendricks had a job in either place. The woman who answered the door at an apartment in an east Columbia neighborhood said she didn't know Hendricks, and a manager for the complex said she had no records for him. A woman named Tyrinda Hendricks leased the apartment, but no other records were available because the complex had changed management companies. A teenager wanted by police for his alleged involvement in a string of armed robberies has been arrested after he showed up at court to support a mate. The 15-year-old was recognised by police when he showed up at court to support his friend who was facing charges in relation to the same robberies. He ran from the court when police tried to speak to him but was arrested and charged soon after, The Age reported. The 15-year-old was arrested and charged with assault, burglary and theft. He will soon appear in the Children's Court of Victoria He was wanted by police for his role in a string of armed robberies targeting Melbourne taxi drivers (stock photo) The teenager has been charged with assault with a weapon, unlawful assault, assaulting police and resisting authorities, burglary and theft. He was allegedly part of a gang that assaulted and robbed at least 10 taxi drivers in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick between June 5 to June 15. Two other teenagers and a 24-year-old man have also been arrested in connection with the robberies. House Speaker Paul Ryan reaffirmed his support for Donald Trump Thursday in his first comments since the GOP presidential nominee declined to endorse the speaker in an upcoming Republican primary. 'He won the delegates. He won the thing fair and square. It's just that simple,' Ryan said in an interview on the 'Jerry Bader Show' on WTAQ radio in Green Bay, Wisconsin Thursday. Ryan brushed off Trump's non-endorsement, adding: 'The only endorsements I want are those of my own employers here in the First Congressional District, and that's really what my focus is.' Ryan again condemned Trump's remarks about the Khans as 'beyond the pale' and acknowledged that at some point, Trump could go too far for Ryan to be able to continue to support him. Ryan said he didn't want to get drawn into 'hypotheticals' but said, 'None of these things are ever blank checks. That goes with any situation in any kind of race.' House Speaker Paul Ryan reaffirmed his support for Donald Trump, but admitted Trump has had 'a pretty strange run since the convention' He also criticized Trump's wildly undisciplined campaign in the days since the Republican convention. 'We just came out of our convention, and yeah, he's had a pretty strange run since the convention. You would think we'd ought to be focusing on Hillary Clinton and all of her deficiencies,' Ryan said. 'She is such a weak candidate that one would think we'd be on offense against Hillary Clinton, and it is distressing that that's not what we're talking about these days.' Ryan faces a longshot conservative challenger, Paul Nehlen, next Tuesday. Trump shocked Republican leaders yet again this week when he refused to declare support for Ryan, instead stating that 'I'm just not there yet.' The phrase echoed Ryan's own words in May, when he demurred on Trump, saying 'I'm not there right now,' before eventually going on to support him. Speaker Ryan swings a gavel during the GOP convention in Cleveland in July Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said he'd give his support for Ryan next week but mistakenly said he'd back him for president Ryan shakes hands with Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, at the GOP convention Ryan has been highly critical of Trump's attacks on a bereaved couple whose son died in Iraq and who took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to criticize Trump. The speaker said it is his duty to speak up against Trump on issues like the Khan family or his criticism of an American-born judge of Mexican descent whom Trump had also attacked. Police believe new DNA technology will be able to identify the killer Ms Evans case was thrown out of court in 2010 due to a lack of evidence DNA evidence linked Violet Flora Evans to the child and she was charged He was drowned, cut in half and dumped on a river bed in Police say they are 'on the cusp' of solving the harrowing murder of an infant boy who was drowned in a toilet, cut in half and dumped in a creek before his body was ravaged by dogs. The dismembered body of a baby boy was found being devoured by dogs in the driveway of a home in Cairns on May 4, 1996, by resident Patrick Callaghan. The young boy, who was no more than 48 hours old, had been sliced with a knife, drowned, cut in half and dumped on a river where the hounds found him and dragged him back towards the street, the Courier Mail reported. Violet Flora Evans, whose home backed up on to the dumping site, was charged with the boy's murder in 2008 after DNA evidence linked her to the child. Violet Flora Evans (pictured) was charged with the gruesome murder in 2008 after DNA evidence linked her to the child but the charges against her were dropped due to a lack of evidence in 2010 But after arguing she was coerced by police to confess that she had delivered, killed and dumped the boy by the river bed behind her house, the Department of Public Prosecutions was forced to drop the case against her in 2010 due to a lack of evidence. Following the decision, Ms Evans said police should 'let sleeping dogs lie', but twenty years after the young boy's life was taken, police said they are hot on the trail of his murderer. Northern Region Crime Co-ordinator Detective Inspector Geoff Marsh said police are determined to close the harrowing cold case. 'It is two decades since the tragic death of that young child. But police have not given up hope of finding a resolution and bringing the culprits to justice,' Inspector Marsh told the Courier Mail. Queensland Police are hoping to used new DNA technology that was not available during Ms Evans' trial that will help definitively identify the child's mother 'There has been a remarkable leap of technology in DNA analysis...We are delving deeper,' he added. Queensland Police are hoping to used new DNA technology that was not available during Ms Evans' trial that will help definitively identify the child's mother. He said the first break through in the case came after a woman who was hired to clean Ms Evans house told police about a mound of blood that appeared to be afterbirth in the house, a bible and an assortment of handwritten notes. This led to Ms Evans arrest and her subsequent confession, which was thrown out of the Cairns Magistrate Court during a committal hearing as her lawyer argued she was 'badgered' into making the revelation, the Courier Mail reported. Priestess sentenced: Santeria priestess Mercy Carrion, 43, has been convicted of animal cruelty and given suspended sentences for slaughtering chickens A Virginia woman has been convicted of animal cruelty after she decapitated roosters in her home as part of a Santeria ritual sacrifice. Mercy Carrion, 43, a Santeria priestess from Loudoun County, declared in court on Wednesday that the charges against her violated her First Amendment right to freedom of religion. Prosecutor Alexandra Hazel set the matter of Carrion's religion aside, arguing that she had the right to sacrifice the roosters, but said she broke the law by failing to care for the birds beforehand and then slaughtered them in an inhumane way, reported the Loudoun Times Mirror. A judge ultimately sided with the prosecution and convicted Carrion of three misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. Police officers arrived at Carrion's home in the 100 block of Sherwood Count in Sterling on April 25 after receiving a report that the woman was sacrificing more than a dozen chickens a week. Grisly: Santeria is an Afro- Caribbean religion where animal sacrifice, which often involves chickens, is a key element (stock photo above) According to a search warrant, the 43-year-old Santeria priestess answered the door in a white T-shirt spattered with blood. An informant tipped off police about Carrion's religious practices, telling them that she was seen 'slamming chickens against the wall, bludgeoning them to death with a club, bury the chickens alive, burn the chickens alive and cut them from the top of the neck, down the center of the body, while still alive,' the search document stated. Inside her townhouse officers found more blood on the walls, a club covered in blood and feathers, a bloody knife, religious idols, animal heads and organs on sticks in a vase, and two slaughtered roosters and one live bird sitting in a filthy cardboard beer box. The responding officers seized the surviving rooster and took it to the Loudoun County Animal Shelter. Last week, Carrion asked a judge to return the remaining rooster to her, but her appeal was denied. The animal shelter has found a family willing to adopt the bird. Loudoun County Animal Services Officer Patrick Breslin testified during a hearing on July 27 that the live chickens in Carrions home could not move or stand up in the beer boxes, which were covered in feces and soaked in urine. Breslin told the court that there was no evidence of food or water for the birds at the time of the search Carrion was arrested in May after officers found two beheaded roosters and one live animal in her blood-spattered home in Sterling, Virginia The court also heard from a veterinarian who performed necropsies on the dead chickens and determined that they were beheaded, anemic and emaciated. Carrion allegedly had told animal control officers the roosters died over three to five minutes, which prosecutors argued was inhumane and violated the law, which mandates that animals be dispatched quickly when euthanized. Carrion testified through a Spanish translator that she had been instructed by Santeria elders to perform ritualistic animal sacrifices and 'feed the saints' with the chickens' blood. The 43-year-old woman received a suspended sentence to five days in jail for each of the three counts and was ordered to pay $1,000 for each offense, with $800 suspended for each fine. She also would be required to complete a week-long course in how to humanely sacrifice animals from the National African Religion Congress, after which she would be allowed to own animals once again. According to the BBC, Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion that grew out of the slave trade in Cuba, and it includes some Roman Catholic elements. Animal sacrifice is central to the religion, with chickens being the most common sacrificial animals. Syrian women celebrating being liberated from the ISIS regime have burned their burkas in the street. Crowds of delighted women and children took to the streets in the northern city of Manbij after a months-long military push saw the terror group finally defeated. As the crowds cheer and clap, one woman borrows a lighter from a bystander to set her burka ablaze. Scroll down for video A Syrian woman burns her burka to celebrate the liberation of the city of Manbij, after it was re-taken from under ISIS control In cities under the ISIS regime, women are forced to wear a burka or niqab and are brutally punished if they refuse Other women and children gather around to help her set the material on fire and cheer as it goes up in flames. The US-backed Syria Democratic Forces took control of the city, a key ISIS stronghold due to its proximity to the Turkish border, which had been under regime control for the past two years. The footage, released by Syrian Kurdish news agency ANHA, shows the city's population pouring into the streets to celebrate their new-found freedom. Brutal ISIS makes the wearing of a niqab or burka mandatory for women, and they face severe punishment if they refuse. The group has previously claimed the oppressive laws are not a restriction on womens freedoms, but are to prevent them from falling into humiliation and vulgarity or to be a theatre for the eyes of those who are looking. Crowds of women and children celebrated their new-found freedom by taking to the streets One woman borrowed a lighter from a bystander to set her burka ablaze as the crowd claps and cheers around her Other women and children gather around to help her set the material on fire and cheer as it goes up in flames The northern city of Manbij has been a key stronghold of ISIS since the terror group took control in 2014, due to its proximity to the Turkish border After a months-long military push, the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces has finally re-taken control of the oppressed city Under the ISIS regime, women are also not allowed to wear branded or masculine clothes, or clothes with designs that would attract attention. Fighting to regain control of the city saw the death of 22-year-old Briton Dean Carl Evans, from Reading, while he fought to support Kurdish forces. His father John Evans announced his death on Facebook on July 21. Dean Carl Evans, the British man killed 'fighting ISIS' in Syria, pictured in uniform in a video posted on YouTube by Kurd supporters On July 24, John Evans posted a picture of Dean in his youth in a military-style uniform. 'My son Dean Carl Evans born on 7/10/93 sadly was killed in Syria on Friday. He was loved and will be missed by all his family and friends rip son xx xx,' he said in the post. Hannah Debenham (pictured right), 42, of Uckfield, Sussex, was under investigation for two months following the accusation, before the case was dropped this week when no supporting evidence was found. The mother-of-two was asked to 'voluntarily' attend a police station where she was questioned by a modern day slavery inspector, which she branded 'the worst day of my life'. She and her husband were grilled for a total of four hours, first at their home and later during separate interviews at Eastbourne Police Station. She told MailOnline: 'It was just devastating. We just wanted to help. If I was charged I would have had to declare that and it would have been a permanent impediment to my career. They also spoke to my husband and told him that if I could face life in prison if I was found guilty. I've been an NHS mental health specialist for 15 years and have often worked with people being questioned and charged by police. It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me.' Ms Debenham said her solicitor described the action by Sussex Police as an 'outrageous overreach.' The Ukrainian family had been living with Ms Debenham for just three weeks when the accusation was levelled. New York's top detective has warned of a 'severe' public risk after they believe murdered jogger Karina Vetrano was raped and beaten 'black and blue' in a random attack. NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said the department believes there is a 'severe community threat' in the wake of the 30-year-old's killing in Howard beach, Queens, during her daily afternoon jog on Tuesday. Boyce, according to NBC New York, added Vetrano 'put up a good fight' despite the horrific beating she suffered. Scroll down for video Karina Vetrano was murdered near her home in Howard Beach, Queens, after she went out for a run on her own. Police say she was strangled and sexually assaulted It comes after a used condom was found near where the jogger was attacked, police sources have said. Detectives also say the 30-year-old's teeth were smashed before she was strangled to death in marshes. Her devastated father, a retired FDNY firefighter who she described as her 'best friend', found her body covered in cuts, scratches and bruises and with her panties pulled down. Police are now searching for her killer, but have no suspects, no leads and have not made any arrests. They believe a stranger committed the horrific crime and have upped the reward to $10,000, after receiving only three tips. Her headphones and one of her sneakers had been taken. But her cellphone was still at the scene and was left lying close to her battered body NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce (pictured) said the department believes there is a 'severe community threat' in the wake of the 30-year-old's killing in Howard beach, Queens New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said: 'We really need the publics help on this one.' Vetrano, an aspiring writer, is believed to have broken up with her boyfriend just two days before her death. But police have already ruled him out as a suspect after providing an alibi. The grisly new details emerged as her father Phil (left), a retired FDNY firefighter who was working during 9/11, returned to the scene on Thursday morning According to the New York Post, the condom and a discarded wrapper were left near the scene - which was less than a mile away from where Vetrano lived. NYPD sources told the New York Daily News there is evidence she was 'vaginally and anally raped'. Officers also told the newspaper they believe a stranger was responsible for her death - but would not elaborate on the details. Police were still scouring the scene for clues on Thursday as they continued the manhunt for her killer. A helicopter hovering above the area captured the spot where her body was found Police sources added that there was bruising to her buttocks and the backs of her upper thighs. The aspiring writer's panties were believed to have been pulled down below her buttocks. Her headphones and one of her sneakers had been taken. But her cellphone was still at the scene. An autopsy late Wednesday confirmed Karina Vetranos cause of death was strangulation. The manner of death was a homicide. He was already spotted going back to the scene where his daughter was left on Wednesday (pictured above) Vetrano's (pictured) devastated father found her body covered in cuts, scratches and bruises and with her pants pulled down, reports suggest Mr Vetrano, who was also spotted taking cops back to the scene on Wednesday, arrived in his Mercedes and spoke to detectives at around 8am on Thursday morning. He then spoke with detectives before leaving again. He has not yet made any formal comment. Cops have not made any arrests and have not made any advances in the murder probe. Sources told the Daily News she broke up with her boyfriend just two days before her death. NYPD detectives have said Vetrano was texting a friend when she was attacked Cops are seen putting up posters, offering a $2,500 reward for anyone with information that will lead to the suspects arrest. It has now been upped to $10,000 Police do not have any suspects, have made no arrests and do not have any leads in the case Mr Vetrano had told his daughter not to run down the path near where her body was found - fearing she could be attacked by hobos and vagrants. They would often run together, but a back injury meant he had to stay home. A candlelight memorial vigil held Wednesday night drew more than 200 people to the nearby Vetro Lounge, where she worked as a caterer. Mr Vetrano reported his daughter missing at 5pm on Tuesday night after she failed to return from her afternoon workout at Spring Creek Park, near the Belt Parkway. Police are now searching the thick marsh land, where grass can go up to 10ft tall, surrounding the area where her body was found. The area where the remains were left is circled This map shows her body was found only a mile away from her home A candlelight memorial vigil held Wednesday night drew more than 200 people to the nearby Vetro Lounge, where she worked as a caterer TROLLS BLAME MURDER VICTIM FOR INVITING DEATH BECAUSE OF HER CLOTHES Social media trolls have been slammed for suggesting Karina Vetrano brought it on herself by going running in tight clothing. The 30-year-old keen runner, who was a speech therapist and aspiring writer, had been strangled and her pants had been pulled down to her knees, the NYPD said. She had been beaten and her teeth smashed in. Her horrific death led to a fierce debate on social media, including people to began blaming the victim for her choice of attire. Michael Pulaski wrote on Facebook: 'We are reminded everyday we live with savages, however you go jogging alone, with ear phones on, looking like that. I ask you where is common sense these days.' 'Sexual assault will always be here,' wrote Carlos Avarado on Facebook, The Sun reports. 'It is your responsibility to be aware... stop jogging or going to the dam [sic] gym half naked.' His comment was slammed by others, including one user who said: 'So what you're saying is men are SO dumb they're unable to control themselves? Stop victim blaming!' Another user, Sharjil Za commented: 'I always see attractive women running with their headphones on in secluded areas! How stupid can they be?' Mary Carter added: 'This is horrible. Why would a woman go running alone in the evening?' Advertisement He was worried when she didn't return, so called a police chief who lives nearby before phoning 911. Mr Vetrano was later seen walking alongside a NYPD bloodhound smoking a cigar as they scoured the area for his daughter. Police officers found her cellphone near a bicycle path and then found her body closer to the shoreline. After Mr Vetrano called the police, he led officers down the track where she could have been heading towards the beach. He then spotted her phone and started running. Moments later he found her lifeless remains face down in the tall grass. She was believed to be texting a friend when she was attacked. Cops are believed to have questioned two homeless people who live in the area. They are also looking at surveillance video from nearby homes in a bid to catch the killer. Vetrano described herself as a 'thrill seeker' and a 'day dreamer' on her Instagram page. She went to the Catholic Archbishop Molloy High School. She earned a master's degree from St. John's University in 2015, and worked as a caterer at the Vetro Lounge in Howard Beach, her neighbors told the Daily News. Away from her work, she had a passion for writing. One of her pieces, The Paradox, was made into a short film in 2013. She had a blog made up of pieces of her work, Karina Vee. Mr Vetrano has told his daughter not to run down the path near where her body was found - fearing she could be attacked by hobos and vagrants NYPD patrol cars are seen on Wednesday surrounding the marsh where the 30-year-old's body was found on Tuesday night. Her father reported her missing after she didn't return home In one post, she wrote: 'I think the most painful truth of existence is that nothing lasts forever.' She also wrote: The majority of my life is on paper. I write to savor the moments that Im terrified will get lost and forgotten in time if I dont document them.' She hadn't uploaded any new stories or posts since 2014. A huge number of pictures on social media showed her partying with friends or in workout gear. They include snaps of her enjoying lavish events in St Tropez and New York. A picture on her father's Facebook page shows him in FDNY uniform, standing in at Ground Zero during the clean-up operation. However she had recently been very close to another huge tragedy. She shared a snap of her sitting next to a fountain in Nice on July 13 - a day before a truck ran down almost 400 people - killing 85. Alongside the image, she wrote: 'I'm at a loss for words... This picture was taken less than 24 hours ago in Nice. 'We walked around the city for hours admiring how beautiful it was, & only a few hours ago I was still there. 'I can't believe this world, but I'm so grateful to be home. Thank you to everyone who has messaged to check in on me .' After news of her death surfaced, tributes poured in for the fitness fanatic. Nightclub promoter Jewels Ferrante tweeted: 'RIP KARINA. I am heart broken, mortified. You were amazing and full of life.' In a recent photo, taken on her father's 60th birthday, Miss Vetrano called him her 'hero' and wrote: 'I'm so blessed to have a father I can call my best friend.' Dear Donald, Youre in trouble. Big trouble. This has been the worst week of your presidential campaign so far and everyone knows it. Including, I suspect, you even if youd rather garrotte yourself than admit it. The polls do lie, but rarely do all of them lie at exactly the same time to this scale. Youre suddenly down 10pts and thats a big gap (though not insurmountable, Obama was 10pts down to John McCain in September 2008). Its clear that Hillary got a massive bounce from her Democratic convention and shes not only holding it but growing it as your Trump Train has hurtled off the rails. This has been the worst week of Donald Trump's presidential campaign so far - and he knows it Of course, every candidate in every presidential campaign careers off course at some point. Its the nature of the beast, particularly as election day closes in and the U.S. media fully extends its vicious, unsparing talons. Your big mistake was to go after the Khan family. Nobody, not even your closest friends and supporters, could find any convincing way to defend you from attacking the grieving parents of an American military hero. Your critics swiftly moved in for the kill like starved vultures on a freshly wounded buffalo carcass, ensuring that everything youve said or done since Khan-gate has been instantly guzzled up and spat back out in a slew of faux outrage. Youve abused babies, youve besmirched the Purple Heart, youve been deserted by every decent Republican in the countryetc. But its far too early to claim, as some are so keen to do, that your chances of winning the White House are finished. You didnt get to be one of Americas most successful businessmen by rolling over at the first sign of real pressure, however intense that pressure may be. Those who think you may even quit the race because you cant stand the heat have been spending too long puffing the wacky baccy. You hate quitters, as I discovered when I competed in Celebrity Apprentice and watched you reserve particularly virulent ridicule for those who walked away rather than stay and fight. To you, quitting is even worse than losing and we all know how much you hate losing. But if you are to win in November then you have to re-calibrate your campaign and change tactics, and do so fast. Here are 10 ways for you to do that: Trump's biggest mistake was to go after the Khan family. Step one to win? Stop attacking people who don't deserve it 1) Stop attacking those who dont deserve it. Your outburst against the Khans was typical of your bombastic, you hit me, I hit you harder style. But that doesnt play with mums of war heroes. All it does is make you look small, petty and heartless. Pick your targets more carefully. 2) Stop squabbling with your own top party grandees. I get why youre p***ed off with the likes of Paul Ryan and John McCain, whove both barely been able to hide their disdain for you, but refusing to endorse them in their primary races is not a smart move. It sends a message that the Republicans remain torn asunder when what you desperately need now is a sense of unity and harmony. To borrow Hillarys mantra, you are stronger together. 3) Target Hillary and Obama. Hard. Where you win in the court of public opinion is by focusing relentlessly on the weaknesses of both the incumbent president and his potential Democrat successor. Theres so much to hit them with, from the stalling economy to dismal foreign policy fiascoes and the raging sense of injustice many Americans feel about the state of their lives. At the Democratic convention, Clinton and Obama both told Americans theyd basically never had it so good. Many Americans feel the complete opposite. Fight for those people and they will vote for you. Target Hillary and Obama. Theres so much to hit them with, from the stalling economy to dismal foreign policy fiascoes and the raging sense of injustice many Americans feel 4) Stop moaning about the timing of the forthcoming TV debates and instead, embrace them like an over-excited lion cub about to receive its first juicy bone. Those debates are going to be the most watched in US TV history and they are your perfect platform to rip Hillary to shreds in front of tens of millions of voters. Television is your lair; you love the camera and it loves you. Hillary doesnt love it, and it doesnt love her. Get out there and tell the world you cant wait for the Superbowl of Politics and being declared MVP at the end of it. It will make her fear them even more than shes probably already fearing them. 5) Kill stone dead this whole line about the election being 'rigged. Briefing now that if you lose, youll contest the result smacks of someone who thinks hes going to lose and is going to be a very bad loser if he does. Nobody likes a sore loser. 6) Show us youre not a monster. There are people out there openly comparing you to Hitler who murdered six million Jews. Those of us who like you and have seen a very different side to you away from the media glare, find this kind of comparison utterly abhorrent. Its time to show us more of your other side too; the compassionate, caring Donald Trump who raised great kids, loves his country, has never had a drink, cigarette or illegal drug in his life out of his respect for his addicted older brother, prays to God, takes good care of thousands of his employees and regularly helps the needy. At the moment, all we see is the killer tycoon ruthlessly closing the biggest deal of his life and to many its an intimidating, scary sight. Khizr Khan says youre incapable of empathy. I know from personal experience that youre not. Prove it. Remind everyone youre not a monster. Show us more of your other side; the compassionate, caring Donald Trump who raised great kids, loves his country, has never had a drink, cigarette or illegal drug in his life, prays to God, and regularly helps the needy 7) Having said that, dont go all PC on us. I realize this is unlikely but there may be people close to you urging a generally more restrained, mature and kindly Donald. Forget it. Its precisely your tough no-nonsense non-politician style that has got you this far, as Clint Eastwood has today rightly identified. To ditch that now would be a disaster but its vital you channel your aggression onto the right targets and avoid silly own goals. Be strong without being a bully. Its a fine line but when you get it right its very effective. Many Americans are crying out for old-fashioned, chest-beating leadership of the kind that made their country great in the first place. But they want it with a heart too. Be that guy, not the one who kicks sand in the puny geeks face and then laughs at his distress. 8) Soften your uncompromisingly hard-line stance on Muslims. Be firm but fair. You have been absolutely right to prioritize genuine concerns about Islamic terror, but calling for the banning of all Muslims was needlessly bigoted and since Khan-gate, it will now damage your election hopes not enhance them. Calling for much tougher restrictions on people, especially Muslims, trying to come in from terror-strewn countries like Syria and Iraq is a far more sensible vote-winning idea. You should also echo Mr Khans call for decent, law-abiding Muslim-Americans to rat out extremists living among them. Find common ground with a man who has grabbed the heart of the nation. Trump needs to be more prepared on key political issues. You cant keep making basic mistakes like you did when recently discussing Russia in the Ukraine or nuclear weapons 9) Be better briefed on key political issues. You cant keep making basic mistakes like you did when recently discussing Ukraine or nuclear weapons. It unnerves people. Youre not a politician, we get that. So youve not had to spend every waking moment of your adult life pouring over the fine details of domestic and foreign policy to avoid making error when asked about them. But now youre the Republican nominee and one step from the presidency, you cant afford to keep dropping silly ill-informed clangers on really important matters. 10) Keep up your energy and sense of humour. You have far greater levels of both than your opponent who often looks both exhausted and humourless. Just make sure, again, that your jokes are about people who deserve them and can handle them. Not those who voters on both sides will instinctively feel sorry for. Kind regards David Cameron's official resignation honours list was finally released tonight five days after a leak provoked a huge political row. On the final version, Mr Cameron awarded 46 gongs - including a knighthood for his former director of communications Craig Oliver and a CBE for Labour's Will Straw, the leader of the defeated Britain Stronger in Europe campaign. As leaked, former Chancellor George Osborne is made a Companion of Honour, while knighthoods are also handed out to Remain backing Cabinet ministers Michael Fallon, Oliver Letwin and Patrick McLoughlin. Mr Cameron is also recommending the creation of 13 Tory peers - while three others have also been named, including Shami Chakrabarti on the urging of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. David Cameron has handed his former director of communications Craig Oliver, right, a knighthood in the official version of his resignation honours tonight Following this week's bitter row major Tory donors Ian Taylor and Michael Spencer are missing from the list. Mr Taylor made clear on Tuesday he would reject a knighthood while Mr Spencer was reportedly blocked from a place in House of Lords by officials. Two other donors - Jitesh Gadhia and Andrew Fraser - have made the cut and are both made peers. Several cabinet ministers who had been earmarked for knighthoods have been omitted or downgraded. Chancellor Philip Hammond had been named as in line for a knighthood but is missing from the list, while Commons Leader David Lidington is named CBE instead of as a Knight. Mr Cameron has recommended a string of his senior aides - including former chief of staff Ed Llewellyn, former director of external relations Gabrielle Burton, and former head of operations Liz Sugg - all become Conservative peers. Other senior aides - such as former press secretary Graeme Wilson, former aide to the chancellor Thea Rogers, and former aide to Mrs Cameron Isabel Spearman - are given gongs. Tonight's announcements came hours after Mr Cameron's former policy guru Steve Hilton branded the honours system a 'serious type of very British corruption'. He said the ex-prime minister's recommendations are a symptom of a 'corrupt and decaying democracy' and called for a major overhaul of the honours system. Steve Hilton (pictured with David Cameron in No 10 during his time as Downing Street chief of strategy) said the ex-prime minister's recommendations are a symptom of a 'corrupt and decaying democracy' Mr Cameron's honours list was thrown into chaos this week after Tory donor and oil businessman Ian Taylor, who is said to have been nominated for a knighthood, asked for his name not to go forward and Labour's deputy leader, Tom Watson, called for the system to be boycotted. Mr Watson had called on Remain campaigner Mr Straw and civil rights activist Ms Chakrabarti to turn down their gongs in protest at the entire affair - but both were named tonight in the official announcement. And he urged his party to boycott the honours system until Mr Cameron's list of personal aides, cronies and donors had been thrown out. Isabel Spearman (pictured right and left with SamCam) was a problem solver for Mrs Cameron Nominations that caused the most anger were gongs for Ms Spearman, a stylist who worked for Samantha Cameron in No 10 and was a close family friend and Thea Rogers, George Osborne's most senior aide who was behind his makeover. CAMERON FACING DEMANDS TO BE HAULED BEFORE MPS TO EXPLAIN HONOURS LIST David Cameron (pictured) should be forced to explain why each of the 48 allies and aides on his resignation honours list should be awarded with gongs David Cameron is facing demands to be hauled in front of MPs to explain his controversial resignation honours list. Shadow Leader of the Commons Paul Flynn, a former member of the Public Accounts Committee, and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron believe the former Prime Minister should be summoned before the influential committee. He should be forced to give evidence on why each of the 48 allies, aides and Tory donors on the list should be given gongs, the left-wing Labour MP said. Mr Flynn told the Mirror: 'The committee should be worried by this latest list and should consider calling to Cameron to give evidence.' Mr Farron agreed, saying: 'It is time that Cameron faced questions about his list of cronies and I believe that he should be hauled before the Public Administration Committee to explain himself.' Advertisement Mr Hilton, who was Mr Cameron's director of strategy and is one of the former PM's closest political friends, said the row should be used to reform the 'whole rotten system'. In an article for The Times, he wrote: 'David Cameron's resignation honours list is a symptom of a wider problem: our corrupt and decaying democracy. So let's not just be outraged about it - let's use this moment to bring about radical reform of the whole rotten system.' He added: 'The corruption comes when the honours system starts to clash with democratic principles. 'The most obvious way this happens is when people who are not elected make the laws which we live under. 'We've just fought and won a referendum campaign on the principle that unelected bureaucrats in the EU should not have the power to impose laws on us. 'I'm not clear why this principle applies to unelected foreigners but not to home-grown appointees. 'The decision to leave the EU was a victory for people power. 'But that's just the start; until we have a fully elected legislature, we cannot call ourselves a true democracy. 'The other, even more serious type of very British corruption revealed by the resignation honours list is the fact that these honours - and even places in our legislature - can be purchased with political donations.' Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: 'The honours system is fast becoming a joke. Either people don't want them or they are being handed out to those with little merit. 'The whole process has been devalued and leaves the public in dismay That individuals are opting not to be a part of it only perpetuates this feeling.' Tamasin Cave, of anti-corruption campaigners Spinwatch, said: 'The honours system is becoming so discredited that no one wants to accept them. If an oil baron like Ian Taylor thinks it's too toxic, I can't imagine a normal person would want to accept one.' Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson called on civil rights activist Shami Chakrabarti (left) and Remain campaigner Will Straw (right) to turn down their honours - but both accepted the gongs tonight A list of 48 names was leaked on Sunday, including the ex-PM's former diary planner and stylist Isabel Spearman and George Osborne's aide Thea Rogers. Critics said it showed Mr Cameron was hijacking the system to reward aides, political donors and senior Remain figures. The unravelling began with Mr Taylor's move late on Tuesday. The chief executive of Vitol Oil has donated more than 1.6million to the Conservative Party in recent years and a further 350,000 to the Remain campaign. Attempts by Mr Cameron to reward party donors Ian Taylor (left) and Michael Spencer (right) in his resignation honours provoked anger this week He said: 'Speculation in the media has suggested that I may be recognised in the forthcoming resignation honours list. This has been accompanied by seriously inaccurate comments about the company I lead. 'In these circumstances, I think it is right I request that my name does not go forward, if indeed I was being considered for an honour.' Michelle Obama paid tribute to her husband's famous grin on Thursday, as the president celebrated his 55th birthday. In a Twitter post, the first lady shared a picture of herself laughing with her husband at the Nordic State Dinner this past spring. 'Fifty-five years young and that smile still gets me every single day. Happy birthday, Barack,' the first lady tweeted. The first lady paid tribute to her husband's famous grin in a birthday message on Thursday The first lady was just one of many wishing the president a happy birthday in his last months in office. Vice President Joe Biden also gave shout out to the birthday boy on Twitter, tweeting a photo of a friendship bracelet with both of their names on it. 'Happy 55th birthday Barack! A brother to me, a best friend forever,' Biden wrote. Vice President Joe Biden marked the special occasion by sharing a picture of a 'Joe and Barack' friendship bracelet While it may be his special day, work continues as usual for the president, who is scheduled to give a press conference from the Pentagon this afternoon. Also on Thursday, Glamour published an essay from Obama, detailing why he identifies a 'feminist'. While he acknowledges that our society is far less sexist than it used to be, there is more work to be done to ensure that men and women are treated equally. The inspiration for the essay was clearly Mrs Obama and their two daughters, who he spoke of fondly. As for his wife, he admitted that his work schedule has meant that the burden of childcare has 'disproportionately and unfairly fell on Michelle'. If we want to get to a point where men are just as likely to be stay-at-home parents as mothers, Obama said men need to acknowledge the reality of sexism and work to fight it. Turkish immigrant Erhan Havaleoglu, 36, stabbed Leighanne Cameron, 29, 10 times in the neck and twice in the back A killer who murdered his estranged wife as their children slept upstairs was today jailed for life for the 'savage' attack. Turkish immigrant Erhan Havaleoglu, 36, stabbed Leighanne Cameron, 29, 10 times in the neck and twice in the back after spending the day looking after their children on October 28 2015. He then fled the scene and left her dying on the floor of her home while their four-year-old daughter, Erin, and 18-month-old son, Jamie, were sleeping upstairs. Havaleoglu then drove to Edinburgh via a back road where police believe he ditched the weapon and clothes he was wearing, which were never found. But a speck of her blood was found on his shoes and on the front door of his flat - which she had never been to. Her body was found by her lover Philip Kilkenny, who she had been having an affair with for six months before she split with Havaleoglu , the court heard. Mr Kilkenny, 42, found Leighanne's body lying in a pool of blood and called the police, telling them Havaleoglu had 'told her she'd never get to love another man'. Scroll down for video Havaleoglu was then arrested but denied murdering his wife five months after they split up, instead blaming the killing on Kilkenny. But a jury saw through his lies and took just under seven hours to find him guilty, by majority, of the 'brutal' murder at the High Court in Paisley today. Miss Cameron's (pictured) body was found by her lover Philip Kilkenny (right), who she had been having an affair with for six months before she split with Havaleoglu , the court heard. And the former Turkish soldier was slammed by a judge for inflicting blunt force trauma to Leighanne's head and body, throttling her, hitting her on the head with an unknown object and stabbing her to death. More than a dozen friends and family of Leighanne were in court to hear the verdict, punching the air and shouting 'yes!' as he was convicted. Lynette Cameron, the victim's mother, celebrated as the judge's verdict was read out and the killer was jailed for life Others broke down in tears at the news that Havaleoglu would be jailed for life for the killing, which took place at the home he had shared with Cameron in Mid Calder, near Livingston. Leighanne's father David looked to the heavens and cried as he came to terms with the fact that his daughter's killer had been brought to justice. Temporary Judge Johanna Johnston QC told Leighanne's jubilant family to 'be quiet in court' - then lambasted Havaleoglu for murdering her and leaving her children to find her body. She said: 'You have been convicted by a jury of murder - the most serious crime under our law. 'This was a brutal and sustained attack, during which you inflicted the most savage injuries to the deceased. 'You left her dying in her own home with her children asleep upstairs. 'Had it not been for Mr Kilkenny attending at the house, which was unknown to you, the children could have discovered the ghastly scene of their mothers' murder. 'You have left a family devastated by the loss of a much loved mother, daughter and sister and you have robbed a young woman of her future with her family. Leighanne's father David (left) looked to the heavens and cried as the killer had been brought to justice while in court with her mother Lynette (right) 'There is only one punishment for murder and that is life in prison.' Havaleoglu, who went white when the verdict was delivered, protested his innocence from the dock. Havaleoglu, who went white when the verdict was delivered, protested his innocence from the dock He shouted: 'I didn't do it, I really didn't do it! They're my kids, I didn't do it.' He was told to be quiet by the judge and pay the court the same respect he had been shown throughout the proceedings, which he did. He had lodged special defences of self-defence and incrimination to the murder charge, claiming he hit Leighanne in self-defence and that she was murdered by Kilkenny. He said she attacked him during a chat about their daughter telling lies, which he blamed himself for as he had left Leighanne, and said she was left with a bloodied mouth after their fight. He also claimed that Kilkenny came in to the house and split up their fight, telling the jury that Leighanne was alive when he left her with Kilkenny. Havaleoglu was cleared of five charges of assaulting three other women in an alleged eight-year campaign of violence throughout Scotland. Egypt's military has claimed it has killed the leader of the ISIS terror cell responsible for the shooting down of a Russian passenger jet which killed 224 people. Terror group leader Abu Duaa al-Ansari was killed in Sinai along with 45 of his top aides and other militants in a series of airstrikes, according to a military spokesman. The airstrikes, launched near the town of Arish, also destroyed arms and ammunition stores used by the group. Known as Wilayat Sayna, the group has been branded the 'most dangerous terror group in Egypt' following a five-year campaign of bloody attacks. Scroll down for video Terror group leader Abu Duaa al-Ansari was killed in strikes alongside 45 other ISIS fighters, according to a military spokesman. The military released these images of the strikes in Arish on its Facebook page The series of airstrikes were launched near the town of Arish, and also destroyed arms and ammunition stores used by the group, the military wrote on its Facebook page As well as the deaths, the military announced that 'dozens' of fighters had been wounded. 'These successful operations avenge our martyrs, and keep the punishment of all militants and their leaders on track,' an army spokesman said in a Facebook post. He said counter-terrorism forces backed by war planes guided by 'accurate intelligence' carried out the operation. The Sinai Branch, formerly known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the shooting down of a Metrojet passenger plane in October 2015. EGYPT'S 'MOST DANGEROUS' TERROR GROUP'S BLOODY CAMPAIGN January 2014: Downed a Egyptian military helicopter in the Sinai with a missile launcher, killed 5 January 2014: Series of bomb attacks across Cairo, killed 6, wounded 70+ February 2014: Attacked tourist bus in Sinai, killed 4 August 2014: Released execution video of four Egyptian citizens July 2015: Claimed missile on Egyptian naval patrol boat off the coast of the Sinai October 2015: Claimed shooting down of Russian passenger jet that killed 224 Advertisement The Metrojet Airbus A321 was en route from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia when it was brought down, killing all 224 people on board. President Putin said at the time: 'Killing our people at Sinai is among the most bloody crimes judging by the number of victims. 'And we won't wipe our tears away from our hearts and souls. It will remain with us forever. 'But it won't stop us from finding and punishing the criminals.' The militants also downed an Egyptian military helicopter in January 2014 with a surface-to-air missile, killing all five people on board. Although it swore allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in November 2014, the group has killed scores of Egyptian army personnel, politicians and civilians since 2011 in a campaign of terror that has included suicide bombers, car bombs and roadside IEDs. There was no immediate confirmation from Sinai Province, the terror group's offshoot in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The Sinai-based branch of ISIS claimed responsibility for shooting down a Russian passenger jet over Sinai in October last year The Metrojet Airbus A321 was en route from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg in Russia when it was brought down, killing all 224 people on board The militants also downed an Egyptian military helicopter in January 2014 with a surface-to-air missile (pictured), killing all five people on board It comes as the ISIS faction released a video naming Egypt and its military forces as its primary targets. Since Egypt's military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, jihadists have stepped up attacks on the army and police with near daily attacks in North Sinai. The terror cell's exact size is unknown, but estimates say they have between hundred and a few thousand fighters. According to TRAC, the Terrorism research and Analysis Consortium, they are mostly composed of local Bedouins, but also recruits members from Egypt and beyond. More to follow Republican operative Liz Mair, responsible for the anti-Trump super PAC Make America Awesome, didn't hold back when describing Donald Trump last night on CNN. 'This is his message,' she said. 'His message is being a loudmouthed dick, basically, and going out there and offending people and then engaging in an airing of grievances,' she said. Mair owned it, tweeting the nickname several times, and a group associated with the strategist snapped up the URL LoudMouthDick.com. It now redirects to Trump's campaign website. Scroll down for video Republican strategist Liz Mair, who is currently helping boost the Libertarian presidential candidate, called Donald Trump a 'dick' on live television last night Anderson Cooper (left) wanted to know if Liz Mair (right) thought the GOP could steer Donald Trump back on track message-wise. The answer was no With Trump in trouble with many of his Republican peers for veering offscript this week taking on a Muslim-American Gold Star family instead of hitting Hillary Clinton for a politically-troubling Fox News Sunday interview CNN's Anderson Cooper asked Mair if she thought the GOP could steer Trump back on track. Mair's answer was no. 'I lost all hope of that probably seven, eight months ago now, quite candidly,' she replied. 'It's amazing to me that anybody's still having a discussion about having some sort of intervention or bringing him back on message,' she continued, then making her assessment of the crux of his message using a four-letter word. Mair then took to Twitter and wrote, 'Yes, I just said "dick" live on CNN,' she marveled. Today on Twitter she repeated the charge. Republican strategist Liz Mair doubled down on calling Donald Trump a 'dick' posting this tweet Thursday morning Liz Mair's Make America Awesome political action committee paid for this ad to be displayed on Facebook in March, which started a feud between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz 'And, oh yeah, I just said it again: Trump is a dick. Deal with it. It's his MO, and frankly, he's embraced it as part of his public image,' she said. Mair was a key figure in the 'Stop Trump' movement with her PAC, Make America Awesome, which famously put out a Facebook ad featuring a nude Melania Trump. Meet Melania Trump, your next first lady,' it said. 'Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday.' The ad sparked a feud between Trump and Cruz, with the businessman blaming his rival for pushing the meme. Cruz said his hands were clean, and then never forgave Trump for re-tweeting an unflattering picture of his own wife Heidi. When the Texas senator spoke at last month's Republican National Convention he still refused to throw his support behind Trump. Meanwhile, Mair became the spokesperson for another group, 'Republicans for Johnson-Weld,' representing GOP supporters of the ex-New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, who are running as the Libertarian Party ticket. Republicans for Johnson-Weld then bought the URL LoudMouthDick.com following her CNN appearance. Not surprisingly Mair's gotten some push back from Trump supporters, but she defended her position to Dailymail.com 'Donald Trump's whole shtick is, by design, being exactly what I accused him of being: A loud-mouthed dick,' Mair said in an email. 'And yet somehow, his supporters, who apparently love them some loud-mouthed dick, are offended by my comments. Oh well I guess love of political incorrectness only goes so far, right?' She then touted her attempt to give the Libertarians a lift. Video of the two shows them cuddling up and roaming around the house Young deer has now formed a friendship with its rescuer's crested pigeon It was taken into care following its rescue from Sydney's Berkshire Park The little fawn became orphaned after its mother was killed by hunters An orphaned deer whose young life mirrors that of Disney favourite Bambi has found solace in an unlikely friendship - with a pigeon. The little fawn, called Faline after Bambi's friend in the children's classic, was taken into the care of an Australian woman after its mother was killed by hunters. Shortly after its rescue from Sydney's Berkshire Park, the real-life Bambi formed a close partnership with a crested pigeon that also lives with Jess. An orphaned deer whose young life mirrors that of Disney favourite Bambi has found solace in an unlikely friendship - with a pigeon The little fawn, called Faline after Bambi's friend in the children's classic, was taken into the care of an Australian woman after its mother was killed by hunters A video of the two shows them cuddling and roaming around the house, while one shot captures the pigeon seemingly grooming the deer's back. The pair's bond is likely to grow even stronger given that the fawn cannot be released back into the wild given that deer are non-native species in Australia. A video posted along with the video read: 'A fter hunters killed her mother, an orphaned fawn was taken into the care of a wildlife rescuer and became good friends with a bird. Shortly after its rescue from Sydney's Berkshire Park, the real-life Bambi formed a close partnership with a crested pigeon that also lives with Jess A video of the two shows them cuddling and roaming around the house, while one shot captures the pigeon seemingly grooming the deer's back 'Faline, named after Bambis best friend, was rescued from Berkshire Park in Sydneys west in December 2016. 'She was taken into the care of Jess and she quickly became friends with a crested pidgeon who groomed her and rode on her back as Faline went exploring around the house. 'Jess said Faline couldnt be released into the wild because deer are an introduced species in Australia. She is now living in a permanent carers home.' A man who has been setting cars on fire in the middle of the night in Kansas City has finally been caught on camera after an arson spree that has torched six vehicles. The 'serial arsonist', as he has become known, has been using the same technique each time - setting fire to a bag of trash of the hood on the cars and letting them burn out. It was the same technique that was used in the latest attack this week in the Northland area, only this time it was captured on CCTV, Fox 4 KC reported. Do you know this man? Police believe this is the 'serial arsonist' who has allegedly set fire to six cars in Kansas City in the middle of the night, starting July 4 The arsonist follows the same technique, seen here, of setting trash bags on fire on the windshield of the cars 'I'm devastated,' Nancy Bean, the latest victim, told Fox. 'It's an old car, obviously, but it`s the only transportation I have and I can't replace it.' 'Why does somebody do this? I mean, it causes so much grief and so much pain.' The previous attack was just two weeks ago. A man - police believe the same one - used pieces of paper to set fire to a trash bag on the windshield of a Toyota Highlander, completely destroying it. 'I'm scared,' the owner of the Toyota, who asked not to be named, told Fox. 'I think family is lucky, because if it had been two to three minutes more, the car would've exploded. 'The whole house would be done and everybody would've been killed.' Latest victim: Nancy Bean woke in the middle of the night to find her car in the driveway had been set on fire. It was completely destroyed 'Why does somebody do this? It causes so much grief and so much pain,' Mrs Bean said The arson spree began, it is believed, on July 4. Two other cases were reported last week at an apartment complex in North Kansas City. If you know anything or recognize the man in that surveillance video, call Crime Stoppers at (816) 474-TIPS. Also, a Go Fund Me account has been set up to buy Mrs Bean a new car. He's one of the biggest stars in the world - in more ways than one. Pictures of Orlando Bloom frolicking naked on a beach in Sardinia with his girlfriend Katy Perry have astonished fans - with many impressed by the size of a particular part of the actor's body. But just how does the Pirates of the Caribbean star's package compare to other celebrities who have bared all? With the help of some carefully-placed veg, MailOnline investigates. Pictures of Orlando Bloom frolicking naked on a beach with his girlfriend Katy Perry have astonished fans - with many impressed by the size of a particular part of the actor's body Is it too late now to say to sorry? Justin Bieber was snapped naked as he went swimming Former Top Gear host Chris Evans did not appear to be blessed in the downstairs department when he appeared naked on TFI Friday. Bloom, 39, looked at ease during his nude jaunt with Perry in Sardinia, whipping off his shorts to go paddle boarding completely starkers. The pictures are rather impressive - and the actor's confident pose says it all. Another celebrity unafraid to display his goods in public is Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The guitarist has been pictured naked on countless occasions and has even been known to strip off on stage. Flea - who almost always plays while topless - put on quite the performance in Werchter, Belgium, in 1996 when he whipped off all of his clothes in true rock star fashion. Red hot: Batman actor Tom Hardy was caught with his clothes off while filming TV drama Taboo Russell Brand did not have much to show off about as he was arrested for stripping naked on Piccadilly Circus in 2002 In the nude: Sylvester Stallone (left) and Jason Segel (right) have both stripped off in movies It takes a lot of confidence to strip off on stage, but Daniel Radcliffe had nothing to be ashamed of when he starred in Equus. The chiseled Harry Potter star looked cool and calm in a promotional shoot for the play, with thousands then paying to see what he had been hiding under his robes. Sylvester Stallone's first film appearance was in 1970 softcore adult film The Party at Kitty and Stud's, which was otherwise known as The Italian Stallion. Its alternative title did not disappoint, with Stallone's slightly bushy display clearly good enough to kick start his acting career - which took off with the first Rocky film six years later. Shia LaBeouf has never shyed away from controversy, and he courted plenty when he starred in sexually-charged movie Nymphomaniac. LaBeouf appeared to be averagely-sized in the film, in which he starred in numerous sex scenes. How I Met Your Mother star Jason Segel unashamedly exposed himself in the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But while Segel was content with his performance, it was later revealed that his mother cried after watching his naked scene. Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen also shocked viewers with his full-frontal nudity in Sean Penn film Indian Runner Flea (left) from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Shia LaBeouf (right) have both never been afraid to strip off Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen also shocked viewers with his full-frontal nudity in Sean Penn film Indian Runner. In one particularly sweaty scene, Mortensen - best known for playing Aragorn in the epic trilogy - is seen smoking a cigarette as he faces the camera in the buff. Former Top Gear host Chris Evans did not appear to be blessed in the downstairs department when he appeared naked on TFI Friday. Clutching Bagpuss in one hand, the TV and radio presenter may have been a little chilly in the studio. The same can also be said for Russell Brand. He may have a reputation as a lothario, but he did not have much to show off about as he was arrested for stripping naked on Piccadilly Circus in 2002. Brand - who was married to Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012 - was hauled away by police officers, who looked decidedly unimpressed by his very indecent exposure. Clint Eastwood has accused the Democrats of exploiting 'poor slob' Khizr Khan, the father of the Muslim soldier killed in Iraq. The actor said Hillary Clinton's party had used Capt. Humayun Khan's dad and his Gold Star family by making them speak at last week's convention. The 86-year-old also accused Donald Trump of making a 'mistake' by 'making fun of the guy's dead son', adding to the list of people who have slammed the Republican nominee for his comments. The Hollywood veteran said: 'I think it is bad to be too PC, but I think there is a limit. You don't have to be rude to somebody. Clint Eastwood has accused the Democrats of exploiting 'poor slob' Khizr Khan, the father of the Muslim soldier killed in Iraq The actor said Hillary Clinton's party had used Capt. Humayun Khan's (pictured) dad and his Gold Star family by making them speak at last week's convention Speaking from his car, The Hollywood veteran said: 'I think it is bad to be too PC, but I think there is a limit. You don't have to be rude to somebody' 'The other guy was being exploited by a political party. That's no good either. 'Whether either party does it, they shouldn't take advantage of some poor slob. He also told TMZ there was no chances he would be getting into politics. While serving his country in Iraq in 2004, at the age of 27, Capt. Khan was killed as he ran towards a suicide bomber who had burst into his base in a taxi - and probably saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers. Khan was just three months into his first tour of duty as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has posthumously been awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. But his story, and his legacy, hit the headlines again last week when his parents Pakistani-American parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, gave a powerful speech to the Democratic convention - that was then slammed by Donald Trump Eastwood has since backed Trump over Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election and bemoaned the current 'p***y generation' of political correctness. The actor-director (pictured in June) hailed Trump as a foe of political correctness and 'the kiss-ass generation While serving his country in Iraq in 2004, at the age of 27, Capt. Khan was killed as he ran towards a suicide bomber who had burst into his base in a taxi - and probably saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers Eastwood, pictured with his son Scott during an Esquire photo shoot, made the comments after he backed Trump over Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election and bemoaned the current 'p***y generation' of political correctness He stopped short of outright endorsing The Donald, but in an interview in Esquire magazine he praised the Republican presidential candidate for being 'on to something'. In the interview published Wednesday, the actor-director hailed Trump as a foe of political correctness and 'the kiss-ass generation. 'We're really in a p***y generation. Everybody's walking on eggshells,' the 86-year-old said. 'We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren't called racist. Secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up.' Eastwood, who spoke at the 2012 Republican convention and was widely criticized for speaking to an empty chair, went on to say Trump says what he is thinking. 'What Trump is onto is he's just saying what's on his mind,' he said. Eastwood, who spoke at the 2012 Republican convention and was widely criticized for speaking to an empty chair, said he feels like Trump says what he is thinking 'And sometimes it's not so good. And sometimes it is. 'I mean, I can understand where he's coming from, but I don't always agree with it.' When asked if he had to choose between Trump or Clinton, Eastwood said it was 'a tough one'. Eastwood did not go as far as to endorse Trump in his interview, saying: 'What Trump is onto is he's just saying what's on his mind... sometimes it's not so good. And sometimes it is' 'I'd have to go for Trump you know, 'cause she's declared that she's gonna follow in Obama's footsteps,' he told Esquire. 'There's been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle. She's made a lot of dough out of being a politician.' South Africa's ruling ANC party has been knocked off its perch in three cities, its biggest political blow since the end of apartheid. Voters vented anger at corruption, high unemployment and poor public services, leading to a significant loss of support for the African National Congress. The party - which ended white-minority rule when it won power in the first democratic national election in 1994 - still held a big lead in the overall count in nationwide municipal elections on Thursday. South Africa's ruling ANC party has been knocked off its perch in three cities, its biggest political blow since the end of apartheid. Pictured, President Jacob Zuma (right) and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2016 However, it was trailing the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in Port Elizabeth, which it has previously held virtually unopposed for the last two decades. The ANC was also unlikely to make it to a 50 per cent outright majority in the capital Pretoria and economic-hub Johannesburg. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could mark a watershed in South African society and politics as the country shifts from what has effectively been a one-party system in the era immediately post-apartheid. It could reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. The municipal vote comes as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession after a string of corruption scandals surrounding Mr Zuma. The ANC lost Mr Zuma's hometown of Nkandla in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, a personal blow to Mr Zuma, where the Inkatha Freedom Party retained its hold on the region. Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could mark a watershed in South African society and politics. Pictured, women wave as President Zuma arrives to cast his vote in Ntolwane, rural KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa in May 2014 With about two-thirds of the vote counted, the ANC led in the national count with 54 per cent at 4.30pm, against 27 per cent for the DA and 7 per cent for the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader Mmusi Maimane, was ahead in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power and which includes the city of Port Elizabeth. Daryl Glaser, lecturer in political studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said he expected the DA to be the biggest single party in Nelson Mandela Bay but to fall short of a majority. We are looking at a major setback. We are into an era of coalition politics. Daryl Glaser, lecturer in political studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg 'In the case of Tshwane and Johannesburg the ANC will be the biggest party - but very significantly, it will fall below 50 percent, so we are looking at a major setback,' he said. 'We are into an era of coalition politics.' The DA is expected to maintain its control of Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC, where it had a large lead over the ruling party. By late afternoon, the ANC had a slim lead in Tshwane municipality, home to the capital Pretoria. The ANC had 42.9 per cent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the DA's 42.7 per cent after half of the votes had been counted. In Johannesburg, the opposition party's lead had been trimmed to 42.09 per cent to 42.02 per cent for the ANC, with 40 per cent of the votes tallied, while in Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 56 per cent versus 38 per cent, with 85 per cent of votes in. Voters vented anger at corruption, high unemployment and poor public services, leading to a significant loss of support for the African National Congress. Pictured, President Zuma with Prince Harry in December 2015 The DA had 69 per cent of the vote in Cape Town against the ANC's 22 per cent, with 77 per cent of the votes in. Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC's liberation hero would be an embarrassment for the ruling party. 'While the middle classes are upset about government incompetence and corruption, the working classes are economically frustrated by the lack of jobs - good paying or not,' said Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, DaMina Advisors chief Africa frontier markets analyst and global managing director. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is led by firebrand Julius Malema, Mr Zuma's one-time protege and former ANC youth leader is participating in only its second election and was running a distant third in the votes counted. Bowling's alleged affairs with students came to light after the mother of one of the teens found Sex crimes: Laura Bowling, 32, secretary at a South Carolina high school, is accused of having sexual relations with two male students A female secretary at a South Carolina high school has been charged with having sexual relations with two male students. Laura Bowling, 32, turned herself in to police Thursday and admitted to carrying on affairs with the teenage boys attending Crest High School in Shelby. Cleveland County Sheriff's Office lunched an investigation into Bowling last Friday after a woman reached out to deputies saying she had found on her son's phone text messages and photos from a secretary at the boys school that she deemed inappropriate. The woman also told the authorities that she had been getting anonymous phone calls from someone congratulating her on becoming a grandmother, reported the station WSOC-TV. After speaking to several friends who knew Bowling, the mother learned that the 32-year-old Ms Bowling was expecting a baby. Scroll down for video Sexts: The mother of one of the alleged victims, who attended Crest High School (pictured), told officials she had uncovered sexually suggestive text messages from Bowling Investigators interviewed Bowling and the teen, who reportedly admitted to having a sexual relationship for the past two months. Deputies later uncovered evidence that the 32-year-old school secretary also allegedly had an illicit affair with another male student at Crest High. Video courtesy of WSOC-TV If is unclear at this time whether one of the alleged victims is the father of the unborn baby. Bowling has been charged with five counts of sexual activity with a student and jailed on $50,000 bond. Officials with the Cleveland School District said the secretary quit her job on Tuesday. An online search on Thursday revealed that the suspect is also a certified Zumba instructor offering classes in the Shelby area. Sara Domres (pictured) has pleaded guilty to sexual assault for sleeping with one of the 16-year-old students in her English class A former English teacher has pleaded guilty to sexual assault after she was accused of repeatedly sleeping with one of her teenage students, including once at a motel on the night of her husbands bachelor party. Sara Domres, 28, pleaded guilty to two felony charges of sexual assault of a student by school staff on Thursday, Fox6 reports. She faces up to 12 years in jail when she is sentenced on September 30. Domres was criminally charged in April, but pleaded not guilty then, claiming she had only hugged the student when they met outside school. But court documents say she began a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student at New Berlin West High School in the 2014/2015 school year, court documents say. The student, who has not been identified, told police that he had sex with her between 10 and 15 times. Scroll down for video Domres slept with the boy at a motel on the night of her husband's (above) bachelor party According to a criminal complaint, they had sex at the Park and Ride parking lot on Moorland Road in New Berlin, Wisconsin, in July last year and also at the Motel 6 off Bluemound Road in Brookfield on the night of Domres husbands bachelor party. Police were able to confirm that the boys phone had connected to the WiFi at the motel and that Domres paid for the room in cash. Afterwards, the boy told police that she had sent him selfies while on her honeymoon. The criminal complaint said that the boy was in Domres English class and began to send texts to each other frequently after they became friends. On one occasion, Domres husband caught the two of them together in the parking lot of the New Berlin Ale House which led to a verbal confrontation. But it was one of the victims concerned friends who reported the relationship to authorities and police began to investigate in January this year. School officials learned of the allegations on January 15, according to Fox, and placed Domres on administrative leave. According to the criminal complaint, Domres had sex with the boy at the Motel 6 off Bluemound Road in Brookfield (file photo) She was later fired after an internal investigation by the school district. It is believed that the relationship had been going on since May last year and that the teenager was a virgin before he started having sex with his teacher. Over the course of their investigation, police uncovered more than 1,000 text messages sent between Domres and the student, who she called 'baby boo'. 'Baby Boo, I love you now & forever! Please be mine forever & ever. Always, your baby girl. P.S. Good luck on your quiz [smiley face],' one of the messages read. 'Hopefully you've been thinking of me Baby Boo. I should go because he will be home soon. I love you. Be good, think of me and no one else! Ha ha,' another text from Domres said. In another conversation, Domres asked the boy if she should marry her now-husband. 'Youre extremely attractive to me!!! I cant wait for our night we are doing it no matter what!!!' she said. The two also exchanged physical letters, which the boy kept. Domres was fired from her role at New Berlin West High School (above) after school officials conducted an internal investigation One note, exchanged in class, included the following messages: 'We will have to plan something soon. I want a night again. Xoxo.' 'Yes! Definitely soon. I really want another night with you too baby boo!' 'I want to do you (smiley face symbol) NOW!!' The messages show that Domres was afraid of the consequences if their illicit relationship would be revealed. After police confiscated her phone, they found that she had made a Google search for 'what's the prison sentence for a teacher sleeping with a student. And in a one message to the student, she asked him to stay quiet even if they did break up. 'I love you, too, baby and will forever. I'm just saying that if you ever don't, please still love me enough as a person to know how much that'd hurt me, she said. You are amazing and mean the world to me. I want to be yours forever. It's unclear whether the two continued their relationship even after Domres got married, but investigators say she did send the boy selfies on her honeymoon. Her husband stayed by her side after her arrest and appeared in court when she maintained her innocence in April. A dog which snuck out onto a narrow ledge while his owner was not home was saved from danger by two men this week. The Husky mix, named Jack, was on a second-story ledge 15 feet high in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, WNEP reported. Two male customers at Mel's Cafe, which is located across the street from the building where Jack was, drove a van onto the sidewalk, according to the station. Scroll down for video A dog which snuck out onto a narrow ledge was saved from danger by two men this week Fellow cafe patron Sharon Goss told WNEP: 'The one climbed on to the top and picked the dog up. The little tail was wagging like mad then.' Goss recalled: 'We were really afraid the dog was going to jump.' Jack snuck out of an opening near the air conditioner, owner Rebecca Jodun told the TV station in an interview. She explained: 'He must have just pushed this and it just came undone from these little things right here.' The Husky mix, named Jack, was on a second-story ledge 15 feet high in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning Fellow cafe patron Sharon Goss told WNEP: 'The one climbed on to the top and picked the dog up' Jack, the Husky mix which got himself onto the ledge, is seen here She said that Jack can no be longer in that room when he's by himself. She said: 'That was serious, I want to meet [the men who saved Jack]. I want to thank them. I don't think I can thank them enough.' Jodun measured the ledge for the TV station, and said it was '8 inches, about 7 and a half. That is crazy.' Owner Rebecca Jodun says Jack can no be longer in that room when he's by himself Five Iranian migrants have been arrested on a south coast beach after crossing the Channel in an inflatable dinghy. The men, aged between 18 and 44, have been arrested and handed over to Home Office border officials. Their boat landed at Pett Level, near Winchelsea in East Sussex believed to be a new spot for migrants trying to make their way on to UK soil. The men, aged between 18 and 44, have been arrested and handed over to Home Office border officials. Stock image It comes days after MPs warned that Britains border security was clearly under-resourced and called for warships to be drafted in to protect small harbours. The men were found on Sunday morning three of them close to the dinghy and two others nearby. Stephanie Stone, 29, landlady of The Smuggler Inn in Pett Level, said last night: I saw the police down here on Sunday morning and wondered what was happening. There was a lifeboat crew as well and they told me that five migrants had been picked up on a dinghy on the beach. One local, who did not want to be named, said of the arrests: You hear rumours of migrants coming ashore along this stretch of coastline because it is so remote. But this is the first time I have heard of any boats coming ashore here. Its quite shocking to know it has happened here. The village is 20 miles from Dymchurch in Kent, where a group of 18 Albanians attempting to enter the UK illegally were rescued when their boat began to sink in May. Smugglers Robert Stilwell, 33, and Mark Stribling, 35, who helped the 16 adults and two children, were jailed last month for more than four years each. A court heard the group of migrants, accompanied by Stilwell and Stribling wearing pink life jackets, had been minutes from death. Their boat landed at Pett Level, near Winchelsea in East Sussex believed to be a new spot for migrants trying to make their way on to UK soil A report by the Commons Home Affairs committee titled Migration Crisis, released this week, described a worryingly low total of just three Border Force patrol boats to protect more than 7,000 miles of British coastline. It added that small ports needed to be shielded as a matter of urgency, pointing out that Italy has 600 vessels to guard a coastline that is 3,000 miles shorter than that of the UK. Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the committee, said: Criminal gangs continue to exploit weaknesses in security at small ports in Britain to illegally transport migrants from the continent. Of the incident on Sunday, a Sussex Police spokesman said: About 8.36am on Sunday, police were called to a report of five people in a dinghy arriving on land at Pett Level Road, Winchelsea. Officers attended alongside coastguards and paramedics, and three men were arrested on suspicion of gaining illegal entry to the UK. Two further men were arrested nearby, also on suspicion of gaining illegal entry to the UK. The suspects, all adults from Iran, are now being dealt with by the Home Office. A man who died in prison while serving a double life sentence for the murder of two women was 'begged' by police to reveal where he buried their bodies. Bruce Burrell, who murdered Sydney mother Kerry Whelan and elderly widow Dorothy Davis, died from cancer in prison on Thursday. In the years leading up to his death the 63-year-old, who was diagnosed with cancer in June, repeatedly refused to reveal to detectives where the remains of the two women were. Double murderer and convicted kidnapper Bruce Burrell has died in prison custody 'Over the past decade detectives have gone to Burrell a number of times and asked him for the sake of the families to tell where the remains of Mrs Whelan and Mrs Davis are,' retired NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter Dein told The Daily Telegraph. Mr Dein said the double-murderer was asked a number of times over the years, however 'Bruce Burrell was a man who had no remorse or guilt for what he had done'. Burrell was jailed for life in 2006 after being convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Ms Whelan, 39, who was last seen in a western Sydney hotel car park. Two years later he was handed a 28-year sentence for the murder of 74-year-old widow Dorothy Davis. Kerry Whelan (right) pictured with her husband Bernie three months before she went missing Neither of the woman's bodies has been found. Mrs Whelan was last seen at a Parramatta car park on May 6, 1997. She left behind a husband and three children. On Thursday her daughter Sarah had 'always held on to the hope that he may one day tell us where mum is so we could lay her to rest respectfully and in peace as she deserves'. Mrs Davis, an wealthy elderly widow, vanished from her Sydney home in May 1995. Burrell owed Mrs Davis, a family friend, $100,000 he had borrowed, which prosecutors said he could not repay. Burrell was also sentenced for the murder of 74-year-old widow Dorothy Davis (right) It was alleged he had a financial motive for killing Mrs Davis. Burrell is believed to have disposed of both bodies at his rural property near Belanglo State Forest in the NSW southern highlands. Extensive searches have not found Mrs Whelan or Mrs Davis's body. NSW Corrective Services confirmed Burrell died at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital on Thursday morning. He is reported to have died from liver and lung cancer. SBC president Gaines picks & grins with country music artist Ricky Skaggs Editorial Staff | 03 August, 2016 by Joni B. Hannigan MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Christian Examiner) Grinning, as much as he was "picking" with country music great Ricky Skaggs, Steve Gaines, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, showcased his talent on the guitar in a YouTube video he tweeted out Monday night. "Enjoyed picking & grinning tonight with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & @bellevuememphis staff," said the newly elected president from his @bellevuepastor twitter account. In other tweets, Gaines referenced a staff retreat at Bellevue Baptist Church where he serves as senior pastor, as the location of the musical fun. Gaines, 59, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 15 at the annual meeting in St. Louis. This isn't the first time Skaggs has appeared with an SBC president. In 2005 he was invited by SBC president Bobby Welch to blow a shofar, or ram's horn, at the SBC annual meeting in Nashville to usher in a one-year emphasis on evangelism. At the end of Crossover that year Skaggs and his band also performed in concert. Texas pastor Bart Barber @bartbarber, commenting on Twitter, told Gaines today his "morning has been ruined by jealously." Gaines, not missing a beat, replied: "We had a great time, Bart. Didn't know you were a bluegrass man." Barber quipped: "I own a mandolin, a guitar, and a banjo. I will not commit publicly to what I can or cannot do with them." Some others expressed their appreciation via social media. Author Eric Geiger @EricGeiger told Gaines: "[W]ow you're the man!" Robby Gallaty @Rgallaty, a senior pastor, commented: "Awesome. You're ready for the tour!" Barry McCarty, a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, told Christian Examiner he is not surprised by Gaines' talent, nor the response he has received thus far. "Well, he is after all, president of the "Southern" Baptist Convention," McCarty said. "I think it has made folks from all over the country smile." President Obama delivered a stern warning to Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton about protecting classified information, warning that they had better 'start acting like president' if they want to receive the most sensitive information. Obama got asked about Trump receiving classified briefings as the party nominee at a Pentagon press conference Thursday after the president met with his security team. Obama began by defending the current practice, saying that, 'If somebodys the Republican nominee for president, they need to get a security briefing so that if they were to win they are not starting from scratch in terms of being prepared for this office. 'Then he lowered the boom: 'What I will say is that they have been told these are classified briefings and if they want to be president, they gotta start acting like president,' he intoned. 'And that means being able to receive these briefings and not spread em around.' Obama refused to go further when pressed, saying, 'Well, I think Ive said enough on that.' Scroll down for video President Obama spoke to reporters at the Pentagon, and warned his potential successors who now get classified briefings: 'If they want be president they gotta start acting like president' On Wednesday, Trump described in detail footage that he said showed a $400 million cash payment from the U.S. being provided to Iran. It was made to resolve a long-ago scuttled arms deal, although Trump called it a 'ransom' to free four Americans held in Iran. 'Iran provided all of that footage, the tape of them taking that money,' Trump said. 'Over there when that plane landed, top secret ... and they have a perfect tape, done by obviously a government camera and the tape is of the people taking the money off the plane, right ... 'In order to embarrass us further, Iran sent us the tapes, right. It's a military tape, it's a tape.' Trump added that: 'It was a perfect angle, nice and steady, nobody getting nervous because they're gonna be shot.' Obama met Thursday with his national security team at the Pentagon Donald Trump spoke about having seen detailed footage of the $400 million payment, a claim he repeated at a rally on Thursday in Maine The president took questions from reporters but had to run to attend his birthday dinner Trump's camp said his description came from b-roll that aired on Fox News. The the footage that aired, stamped January 17, merely showed formerly detained American citizens getting off a plane in Geneva as they were released from custody. Obama didn't say directly whether he was referring to Trump's recent statement. He notably used the plural when delivering his lecture a possible reference to Hillary Clinton's own issues dealing with classified material. FBI director James Comey said Clinton was 'extremely careless' by setting up a home email system that he said contained classified material in numerous email chains. He spoke after a lengthy FBI investigation of Clinton's email practices. The president did confirm a Wall Street Journal this week that the U.S. paid Iran $400 million in cash as part of negotiations to settle a scuttled arms deal from the last days of the Shah. But he denied the payment was any kind of a 'ransom,' as Trump has alleged. 'This wasn't some nefarious deal,' Obama said. He noted that the settlement, which included $1.3 billion in decades-old interest, was publicly announced publicly along with the Iran deal. 'It wasn't a secret. We were completely open about it,' he said. Obama said there was no great intrigue, but that the U.S. had to use cash because writing a check or wiring the money would violate U.S. and international sanctions placed on Iran. The payment came in the context of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, and got made on the same day four detained Americans were released. 'The only bit of news is that we paid cash, Obama complained. 'The reason is because we couldn't send them a check and we couldn't wire the money. We don't have a banking relationship with Iran which is part of the pressure we applied on them.' The Journal reported this week that the payment was made in Swiss francs and other currencies delivered on pallets aboard an unmarked plane. 'We do not pay ransom for hostages,' Obama aid. 'We didn't here and we won't in the future.' The president raced through his opening remarks, which were an update on the campaign against ISIS, although he allowed a follow-up question from retiring NBC correspondent Jim Miklaszewski. 'I hope it's not going to be too long, because I'm gonna be late for my birthday dinner,' Obama said, on the day he turned 55. Obama also hailed progress in the campaign against ISIS. 'We're going to keep going after ISIL aggressively across every front of this campaign,' the president said. 'I am pleased with the progress that we've made on the ground in Iraq and Syria. We're far from freeing Mosul and Raqqa.' But he warned about the difficulty of countering 'lone actors who are determined to kill the innocent and are willing to die.' Obama warned: 'What ISIL has figured out is if they can convince a handful of people or even one person to carry out an attack on a subway or a parade or some other public venue, and kill scores of people, instead of thousands of people, it still creates the kind of fear and concern that elevates their profile. Obama hailed the U.S.-directed effort as 'the most precise air campaign in history.' Obama said ISIS was 'inevitably going to be defeated,' although he predicted the group would continue to carry out attacks as they rack up losses on the battlefield Syrian women burn their burkas after getting liberated from ISIS control Obama also blasted the GOP Congress for not enacting funding to fight the Zika virus 'None of ISIL's leaders are safe and we are going to keep going after them,' he said, using another name for ISIS. Obama said that ISIS was 'inevitably going to be defeated,' although he stated that as the terror group loses territory on the ground, it might strike out more overseas to gain notoriety. Obama swatted at Russia as he discussed the need for a political solution in Syria. 'Were going to test and see if we can get something that sticks,' he said.'If not, Russia will have shown itself very clearly to be an irresponsible actor on the world stage that is supporting a murderous regime and will have to answer to that on the world stage.' With reports of the first transmission of the Zika virus in Miami, Obama scolded the GOP Congress for not enacting emergency funding to countering the spread of the disease. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was rushed by animal rights protesters at a campaign rally in Nevada this afternoon and deflected by suggesting they were there to protest Donald Trump. Clinton, speaking at Mojave Electric in Las Vegas, had gotten about four minutes into her stump speech when an orange-haired protester climbed over the barricade as other protesters held up signs 'Hurting Animals is not Progressive' and 'Until Every Animal is Free.' 'Well keep talking, apparently these people are here to protest Trump, because Trump and his kids have killed a lot of animals,' she said, as a Secret Service agent was caught on hot mic telling her to 'keep talking.' Scroll down for video Animal activists tried rushing Hillary Clinton's podium today in Las Vegas as Secret Service crouched in to protect the Democratic nominee An orange-haired animal rights activist with the group Direct Action Everywhere tried jumping the barricade at today's Hillary Clinton rally in Las Vegas Activists said they don't believe Hillary Clinton is strong enough on animal issues. They believe animals should't even be killed for food Secret Service tugged at an animal rights activists as Hillary Clinton deflected and said that they were there because Donald Trump and his sons 'killed a lot of animals' 'You're OK. Keep talking. You handled it, we're not going anywhere,' one of her agents said. After mentioning the Trump clan Clinton added sarcastically, 'So, thank you, for making that point.' The group behind it, Direct Action Everywhere, is against any killing of animals, including for food. They tweeted, 'Sorry Hillary, you can't blame it all on Trump for this one,' shortly after the incident, releasing a press release explaining that Clinton's call for humane farming is 'vague and weak.' 'Clintons words on animals are contradictory. She says she supports animal rights while at the same time she and her running mate support an industry - animal agriculture - whose purpose is to kill them and deprive them of freedom, said Direct Action Everywhere's Kitty Jones in the release. The group, Direct Action Everywhere, doesn't believe in any killing of animals, including for food Protesters waves signs that said 'Until Every Animal is Free.' The group has protested Bernie Sanders, Bill Clinton and Chris Christie in the past Hillary Clinton's Las Vegas rally was interrupted by a group that protests both Democrats and Republicans Secret Service grabbed an animals rights activist trying to jump the barricade as Hillary Clinton was told by agents to just keep talking Another activist, Zach Groff, a fellow with the organization, explained that trophy hunting, which Trump's two sons engage in, isn't the only way to do animals harm. 'We are opposed to all violence against animals, including trophy hunting, but the particular target of this protest was that Secretary Clinton claims to be a proponent of animal rights even while animal agriculture and other industries kill far more animals 50 billion land and see animals each year with lives and deaths of misery that exceeds even that meted out by trophy hunters,' said Groff via email. 'And this happens with the support through money and marketing of the U.S. government,' he continued. 'We want Secretary Clinton to support legally enforceable rights for animals to be free from harm and show that she truly opposes killing all animals, not just the majestic ones,' he added. In 2012, a number of photos of the Trump sons were released including this one that shows Donald Trump Jr. holding a bloodied elephant tail Both Donald Trump Jr. (left) and Eric Trump (right) are enthusiastic big game hunters and unabashed about promoting the sport Hillary Clinton suggested that the animal rights activists were at her Nevada rally to protest the Trump sons' hunting habits 'I AM A HUNTER I don't hide from that,' wrote Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter defending blowback from taking an African hunting trip This group has interrupted a number of political gatherings through the course of the presidential campaign. Sen. Bernie Sanders dealt with them twice while campaigning in California in advance of the state's June 7 primary. They touted interrupting New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the press release they put out today. They also interrupted former President Bill Clinton back in October 2015, when he was campaigning for his wife in Des Moines before the Iowa Democratic Partys annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner, essentially a kick-off to the election cycle. As for the Trumps, the GOP nominee isn't actually a hunter, but sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump are both enthusiastic about the sport. A number of grisly photos were released in 2012 by the company that planned a Zimbabwe-based hunting trip that the sons took. In them, Donald Jr. is shown holding up an elephant tail and a knife. Other photos show the two eldest sons posing next to dead animal carcasses. Donald Jr. took to Twitter to defend himself from critics. Said he blamed Mr Turnbull exclusively for decision and its consequences Kevin Rudd has launched another extraordinary attack on Malcolm Turnbull, saying the decision not to back his nomination for UN secretary-general role will damage the Prime Minister's international standing. Mr Rudd told The Australian the decision not to back him for the position of United Nations Secretary-General will be seen as a 'monstrous intrusion' of domestic politics into an international issue. He also claimed he had four meetings with Mr Turnbull where he was 'encouraged' to run for the position. Following more revelations about the Coalition government's response to Mr Rudd's bid for the role, federal frontbencher Christopher Pyne said: 'Everyone needs to move on, including Kevin.' Scroll down for video Kevin Rudd (pictured) has launched another scathing attack on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for not backing his nomination for the United Nations secretary-general role Mr Rudd said he believed had a 'real shot' of winning the UN post. 'It's no small thing when the Prime Minister of Australia stands up and says that one of his prime ministerial predecessors is unsuitable to be considered as a candidate for UN secretary-general,' Mr Rudd said. Mr Rudd told The Australian his campaign for the UN job was supported by Mr Turnbull and Ms Bishop at 'every stage'. 'What I dont respect is, having pursued this campaign for United Nations secretary-general for such a long period of time in absolute good faith, to then see that good faith dishonoured and trust broken,' he said. 'It was always assumed in these conversations that the government would support me.' He praised Ms Bishop for her support and professionalism and blamed Mr Turnbull exclusively for the decision and its consequences. Mr Rudd said Mr Turnbull (pictured) deciding not to back him for the UN role will be seen as a 'monstrous intrusion' of domestic politics into an international issue Mr Rudd praised Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (pictured) for her support and professionalism in his bid for the job Mr Pyne brushed off Mr Rudd's comments, saying the decision was the right one. 'Look, it's all about Kevin, as usual,' Mr Pyne said on Friday. 'The announcement that we wouldn't nominate him for Secretary-General of the UN has underlined why he was not a suitable candidate because his behaviour has been quite extraordinary.' Mr Rudd said he recognised Mr Turnbull had the right to make such decisions. An agency nurse who left a disabled six year-old boy to die in his hospital bed walked out of the hearing after being struck off. Portuguese-born Isabel Amaro, 48, failed to give proper care to Jack Adcock over a seven-hour period while working as an agency nurse at Leicester Royal Infirmary. Jack, who had Downs Syndrome, went into cardiac arrest after being admitted to the hospital and died of sepsis the same day. Portuguese-born Isabel Amaro (pictured), 48, failed to give proper care to Jack Adcock over a seven-hour period while working as an agency nurse at Leicester Royal Infirmary Her colleague, doctor Hadiza Bawa-Garba, also made a series of blunders including mistaking Jack for another child with a do not resuscitate order. Both Amaro, from Manchester, and Bawa-Garba, from Leicester, were convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and given a two-year suspended prison sentence at Nottingham Crown Court last year. Amaro was struck off at the Nursing and Midwifery Council in central London today. The NMC heard Jack was born with a hole in his heart, which required daily medication, but was described as 'an energetic and lively boy'. Matthew Kewley, for the NMC, said: 'On 18 February 2015, his parents took him to his GP because he had been troubled by diarrhoea and vomiting and, furthermore, his breathing was also noted to be difficult. 'His GP referred him to the Children's Admissions Unit [CAU] at Leicester Royal Infirmary.' Jack, who had Downs Syndrome, went into cardiac arrest after being admitted to the hospital and died of sepsis the same day Amaro, who trained in Portugal and has nearly 20 years experience, was assigned to be his nurse at the CAU over the next seven and a half hours. Dr Bawa-Garba, a specialist paediatrician registrant, initially arranged a blood test and an x-ray but later failed to pursue treatment with the 'urgency, priority and attention it demanded.' Mr Kewley said: 'The child had, in fact, sepsis, which needed to be treated with antibiotics. 'The doctor didn't prescribe antibiotics because her initial diagnosis was of gastroenteritis with moderate dehydration and, in fact, Child A didn't receive any antibiotics until around 4pm.' Jack's condition deteriorated and at 8pm a crash call was put out but the doctor announced that the child was not for resuscitation. Both Amaro, from Manchester, and doctor Hadiza Bawa-Garba, from Leicester, were convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and given a two-year suspended prison sentence at Nottingham Crown Court last year Mr Kewley said: 'As such, efforts to save the child came to an abrupt stop. Unfortunately, Doctor A had mistaken Child A for another child who wasn't for resuscitation. 'They called out without having checked the child's name or otherwise positively identifying him. 'This particular event did not contribute to the death, as the interruption was brief and the child's condition was, by that stage, far too advanced.' Amaro failed to take regular readings of Jack's vital signs including temperature, respiratory rate, his blood pressure, his pulse and his oxygen saturation levels, the hearing was told. Mr Kewley said: 'Miss Amaro should have taken these observations and recorded them with very few exceptions. 'Miss Amaro did none of these things. The child's blood pressure was never taken during the entire time he was on the CAU.' Amaro did not give evidence at the trial but claimed at the inquest she had raised concerns that Jack should have been on the Intensive Care Unit. Mr Kewley said: 'The child died on the evening of 18 February 2011. The doctor who performed a post-mortem examination found that the cause of death was systemic sepsis. 'The judge concluded that life was cut short prematurely and that was a tragedy. 'The expert evidence in the trial was that with proper care there was about a 20 per cent chance that the child would have died anyway and that was before making an allowance for the child's Down's Syndrome and the hole in his heart. 'Mr Justice Nicol had found that Amaro's recording of Jack's fluid balance was 'woefully inadequate' and said 'it is inevitable that her nursing career will come to an end'. Amaro today told the panel: 'The only thing that I want to say is it was a mistake, I'm not going to deny it. 'It wasn't only my fault, but it was my mistake and I know that it was that that led to a position that led to a death of a child. 'I don't even know how to explain how it felt, how I'm feeling, how I will feel. I never denied my mistake, but, like I say, it wasn't only my mistake.' Amaro admitted the manslaughter conviction but denied her current fitness to practice is impaired. But the NMC found her current fitness to practice to be impaired and imposed a striking off order. Panel chair Karen Heenan said: We considered your mitigation and concluded that it is outweighed by the serious nature of the criminal conviction, which led to a custodial sentence, albeit suspended, and the impact of your conviction for manslaughter on the public confidence in, and the reputation of, the profession.' Panel chair Karen Heenan said: We considered your mitigation and concluded that it is outweighed by the serious nature of the criminal conviction, which led to a custodial sentence, albeit suspended, and the impact of your conviction for manslaughter on the public confidence in, and the reputation of, the profession. The conviction related to incidents which occurred in a clinical setting. In this context, we bore in mind the judges sentencing remarks. He had heard all the evidence called at the criminal trial and was able to assess the seriousness of the case and the extent of your individual failings. You have been convicted of gross negligence manslaughter. 'This conviction has led us to conclude that a suspension order would be inappropriate and insufficient as a sanction to mark its serious nature. The conviction, and the context of the conduct to which it relates, has led us to conclude that a striking off order is the only appropriate and proportionate sanction sufficient to satisfy the public interest. We concluded that, in these particular circumstances, the serious nature of the conviction is fundamentally incompatible with your remaining on the register. Amaro, who walked out of the hearing as the decision was being handed down, saying I need to get out, was struck from the register and an 18-month interim suspension order imposed to allow for the possibility of an appeal. There is no evidence to prove that either of these claims are true They also suggest he could have been behind the DNC email hack Reddit users have claimed he was on the way to the FBI when he was shot But his family say his cell phone, watch and wallet were found on his body The mother of a Democratic National Committee staffer shot dead in Washington D.C. last month is appealing for help to catch his killer. Seth Conrad Rich, 27, was gunned down in the affluent Bloomingdale neighborhood three weeks ago while he was on the phone to his girlfriend. So far, police have uncovered no clues towards solving his murder despite offering a $25,000 reward. Today Rich's mother Mary made a desperate appeal to the public for anyone with any information to come forward, NBC Washington reports. Scroll down for video Mary Rich (pictured) the mother of a Democratic National Committee staffer shot dead in Washington D.C. last month is appealing for help to catch his killer Police are also appealing for information in the murder of popular Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich (pictured) During an emotional press conference, where Mary Rich fought to keep back tears, she said: 'We want to find out who killed our son.' She appealed 'if you saw anyone in the area... if you know of people that came home after 4.30am in the early morning' on July 11 to report it to the police. 'Next time something like this happens, it might be someone you love, ' she warned. 'The only thing I can say as a mother is it warms my heart that he lived such a great life, even though it was cut short,' she added. 'I can always hold on to that.' D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier said that Rich may have been killed in an attempted robbery but his family insist nothing was taken from him. Today the chief also asked appealed for anyone with information to come forward. The trail seems to have gone cold after the DNC staffer was killed on July 11. Rich's body was found covered in bruises on the 2100 block of Flagler Place NW, but he still had his watch, cell phone and wallet on him. A mother's hearbreak. Mary Rich asks for help finding killers of her son Seth #sethrich @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/g2sZg5ugfr Jackie Bensen (@jackiebensen) August 4, 2016 Internet sleuths are now coming up their own stories about how Rich died while police are offering $25,000 for anyone with information about the death Police looked on outside the synagogue as Rich's casket was put into the hearse following his funeral on Wednesday Mourners walk beside Rich's casket as it's wheeled out of the synagogue following a funeral on Wednesday Flowers are left on the street near where Rich's bruised body was found A police report seen by DailyMail.com also states the circumstances surrounding Rich's homicide are 'unknown'. The mystery surrounding his death has sparked a flurry of theories posted online, including claims that he was on his way to speak to the FBI when he was shot. There have also been suggestions he fed Wikileaks the 3,000 DNC emails that were released at the start of the party's convention last week. Reddit user The_Donald also constructed a timeline that links Rich to the Clintons, as pointed out by Heat Street. He then says Rich developed a relationship with environmentalists supporting Bernie Sanders. They then suggest this relationship was somehow connected to his death. There is no evidence to suggest any of these claims are true. Cops said he may have been the victim of an attempted robbery, but his family insist the killers didn't take anything from him One of his roommates said Seth was likely walking home from his girlfriend's house when he was shot. Rich had rented an apartment with three roommates DailyMail.com has contacted the FBI for comment. Julian Assange suggested the DNC leak may have been the work of an insider. But he told DemocracyNow he didn't know their identity, and wouldn't reveal if he did. In an interview with Britain's ITV, he also suggested that anyone within the Democratic organization could have had access to the trove of emails. Rich was killed on July 11, two days after he appealed on Facebook to end gun violence. He wrote: 'I reiterate back to people stop hating each other. Too much pain to process. We have to be better and defend each other more true. Rich's father, Joel Rich, 68, here with Seth's mother Mary, told Daily Mail Online that his son wanted to make a difference in the world with his work in politics 'A life is exponentially valuable. I have family and friends on both sides of the law. Please, stop killing each other.' His death came after a spate of robberies in the neighborhood and DC police are now investigating if the murder is connected to those. According to Fox 5, just an hour before the shooting there was a violent robbery in the 900 block on N Street, where police said three suspects pistol whipped, beat, kicked and robbed three people. There were no witnesses to Rich's shooting, police said. The attack took place across the street from a convenience store on the 2100 block of Flagler Place NW, three blocks away from Howard University Hospital. It was not far from where Rich lived in a brownstone with three or four roommates, according to the Washington Post. Those who knew him said Rich (pictured center) liked to stay up late either due to a busy work schedule or to socialize Colleagues have paid tribute to Seth's infectious smile and strong work ethic. Rich, an avid Packers fan, is pictured above at an NFL game in his teams colors One of his roommates told the Post that Rich was likely walking home from his girlfriend's house at the time. His father, Joel Rich, 68, told Daily Mail Online: 'He was a 27-year-old who wanted to make a difference. That's part of the reason he went into his line of work, helping with the political process. 'He had worked for candidates whose vision he felt was going to help the country get better. 'He was working on that now, and whether he ever wanted to run, I would not say no. He wanted to stay involved and he wanted to make a difference. 'What we're feeling is that his vision is going to be unfulfilled. He was so capable, he would have been able to make a difference, I think.' Describing himself on LinkedIn, Rich wrote: 'I have an enormous interest in public service and working towards making the world a better place.' Rich was killed on July 11, two days after he appealed on Facebook to end gun violence Rich graduated with a BA in political science from Nebraska's Creighton University in 2011. While studying, he worked for the US Census Bureau and the Nebraska Democratic Party, and interned for Senator Ben Nelson. His first job out of college was as a research associate for the opinion research firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. In 2014, he took up his position at the DNC, which starts its all-important convention on July 25. Former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz paid tribute to Rich the day after his death. 'Our hearts are broken with the loss of one of our DNC family members over the weekend,' she said in a statement. 'Seth Rich was a dedicated, selfless public servant who worked tirelessly to protect the most sacred right we share as Americans the right to vote. He saw the great potential of our nation and believed that, together, we can make the world a better place. 'He was a joy to have as a member of our team, and his talents, intelligence and enthusiasm will be deeply missed by the many friends, colleagues and coworkers who worked by his side in service to the highest ideals of our democracy.' Rich lived in a brownstone with three or four roommates. It was close to where he was shot Rich grew up in Omaha, where his family played a strong role in the Beth El Synagogue. His grandfather was a founding member of the synagogue and his father was head of the congregation until recently. Rich studied Hebrew at the synagogue, and traveled to Israel two years ago. His teacher paid tribute to Rich on Facebook, calling him 'a dynamic young man who loved his work at the DNC.' The 27-year-old was described by friends as quiet, soft-spoken and focused on his work but with a comic streak. 'On the Fourth of July he wore a full American flag outfit,' one friend, who did not wish to be identified, said. 'If he went to a Redskins game he would wear entirely red and gold. 'He was a big Packers fan and when they played he would wear a 'Cheesehead'. Although he was quiet with his words, in that way, he was outgoing.' Those who knew him said Rich liked to stay up late either due to a busy work schedule or to socialize. The Metropolitan Police Department offers up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. A face peers over the edge several hundred feet above me. It is a grown man gripped by a morbid elation as he looks down on a sheer drop to the rocks, the beach where I am standing and the sea. What he cant see from his perch is that he is resting on an overhang, a lump of chalk protruding over thin air and a very long drop. At any minute, the ground might simply give way, as this famous English beauty spot has had a habit of doing since time immemorial. What happens next, though, is a more recent phenomenon. Slowly a hand comes in to view and it is holding what else? a selfie-stick. Click. Moments later, the man has retreated back from the brink and moved on. Scroll down for video Nail-biting: Teenagers peer over the edge of a 300ft-high cliff at Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex. The white cliffs have become a popular site for selfie-snapping tourists Last year, it was reported that the number of people killed by sharks around the world had, for the first time, been overtaken by the number of those killed while snapping themselves on a phone (and in a record year for shark attacks, too) How much longer can it be before a new category is added to the list of verdicts available to a coroner? In addition to accident, misadventure and open, there will soon be a new pronouncement: death by selfie. Last year, it was reported that the number of people killed by sharks around the world had, for the first time, been overtaken by the number of those killed while snapping themselves on a phone (and in a record year for shark attacks, too). Pretty soon, no doubt, someone will kill two birds and themselves by taking a selfie with a shark moments before they are chomped to death. But the number of narcissistic fatalities just keeps on rising. Last month alone, there were at least 15 selfie-related deaths. Leading the world in this idiocy is India, where selfie-cide is almost a daily occurrence. In Britain, we have got off fairly lightly thus far. But if it is going to happen anywhere, it could easily be here, on the Sussex coast. Its only a matter of time before someone is standing on the top when it goes down. Local lifeboat volunteer Alan Novis For this six-mile cliff-top between Newhaven and Beachy Head a stretch of corrugated peaks and troughs known as the Seven Sisters has become so popular with selfie-seekers that the locals are about to take pre-emptive action. Lately, we have seen images of jaw-dropping stupidity as daredevil walkers mainly young men, it seems creep to the edge of these chalk faces in considerable numbers for that must-have selfie. Last summer, a local photographer captured a row of irresponsible people sitting at the site, with their feet dangling over an edge which is not even there any more. In another shot, a man is sitting on a chalk overhang which already has a very obvious fault line running down the side. It is purely down to luck rather than judgment that no one has been sitting on these chunks of rock when the ground has given way. For erosion is a fact of life here. Lately, we have seen images of jaw-dropping stupidity as daredevil walkers mainly young men, it seems creep to the edge of these chalk faces in considerable numbers for that must-have selfie Very often, you come here in the morning and see a great pile of chalk and rocks on the beach, says Molly, a volunteer in the National Trust visitor centre. But with two tides a day, it gets washed away, so people dont see it for long. And in recent years, for reasons which are not entirely clear, there has been a run of particularly hefty falls. Indeed, as Molly points out: The Seven Sisters have now become eight. Thats because one stretch of cliff has had such severe falls either side of a grassy promontory that it has now created an extra peak. The worst cliff-fall in living memory occurred during a storm in the winter of 2013-2014 when several yards fell into the sea at once. But these episodes are by no means restricted to extreme weather. As soon as you put fences up, you are going to get teenagers climbing over them. I think we should let common sense prevail. Schoolteacher Alan Taylor Last month, the Sussex Police helicopter captured images of a substantial collapse. Local lifeboat volunteer Alan Novis, from the Newhaven RNLI, was out in his kayak three months ago when he filmed a mountain of chalk piled high on the beach. Several feet of the Seven Sisters had just detached itself from the cliff face. Its only a matter of time before someone is standing on the top when it goes down, he tells me. It is a reminder that it can be just as dangerous to be at the foot of these cliffs as on top of them. There is only one way down to the beach along here and that is by the stairs next to the visitor centre at a dip in the cliffs called Birling Gap. From here you can walk for miles in either direction, as long as you remember the tide. Alan Novis says the Newhaven lifeboat will rescue half a dozen marooned walking parties in an average year. But there is nothing to alert walkers, let alone foolish selfie-seekers, except a single sign which says Cliff Edge But its only when you are down at ground level that you see just how precarious it can be up top, because, in many places, the cliff edge extends further than the cliff itself. A council sign warns beach walkers to stay away from the base. Last year, one sunbather suffered a broken pelvis from a piece of tumbling chalk. I take the path running up from Birling Gap behind the old coastguard cottages which continue to drop in to the sea at the rate of one per decade or so. The ground opens out to a huge stretch of open grass leading right to the brink. But there is nothing to alert walkers, let alone foolish selfie-seekers, except a single sign which says Cliff Edge. And that is all there is between here and the distant Belle Tout lighthouse, overlooking Beachy Head. Everyone knows that these cliffs can be dangerous. The large black 4x4 down in the car park, with Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team written on the side, is a reminder that this coastline has a long history as a suicide spot. There is quite enough tragedy along this pathway already without anyone upping the numbers by accident. The problem is not new. When I was researching my books, I found postcards going back to 1904 showing people posing for pictures on the edge. Its just one of those things you want to get as close as you can. John Wilton, Wealden District Council Apparently, it is official National Trust policy that walkers should not stray any closer than five metres 16 feet to the cliff edge. But I see nothing that says this in English, let alone any other language. And a great many of the people I encounter up here are from overseas such as Daniel Montero, 30, and Lucia Gonzalez, 29, both on holiday from Spain. They are certainly not being reckless, just photographing each other a few feet from the edge. Yet they are much closer than they should be. So, too, are Dutch tourists, Edith and Esther, on holiday from Utrecht. Do they know about the crumbling cliffs? The guide book says it is a very beautiful suicide-spot but that is all, says Edith. Now, it is perfectly natural to want to get close to the edge. You are drawn to it. After all, its where you get the best view. And when you have made all the effort to get here, you want to take a photo. And the closer you get to the edge, the more you want to look over it. Some walk to within a couple of feet and then peer over nervously. Others, such as Surrey student Alex Dearlove, 21, crawl carefully on their stomachs and poke their heads over the drop. But from time to time, all year round, there will be show-offs who decide to go that little bit further and sling a leg over the edge. So, surely its time to put up a fence, as some locals have suggested? As soon as you put fences up, you are going to get teenagers climbing over them, says schoolteacher, Alan Taylor. I think we should let common sense prevail. A German woman with two young children welcomes the idea of a fence but then wonders whether it would be wise to bash poles into ground that is already unstable. Besides, given that these cliffs recede by a few feet each year, any fence is likely to be short-lived. John Wilton knows these cliffs very well. Not only has he written books about this coastline but he also represents this patch on Wealden District Council. The problem is not new, he says. When I was researching my books, I found postcards going back to 1904 showing people posing for pictures on the edge. Its just one of those things you want to get as close as you can. But the difference is that we have seen large quantities of chalk falling in recent years and a huge increase in the number of visitors. A lot are from abroad, and they dont understand how dangerous it is. With large numbers of language schools and summer camps in the Brighton and Eastbourne area, this is certainly high season for bus-loads of foreign students. Some are from landlocked countries. Theyve never seen cliffs like this before and they just get carried away, says one volunteer at the visitor centre. The National Trust owns the bulk of this coastline but has no one available for interview. Instead, I am sent a statement from head office. We recommend that visitors stay at least five metres from the cliff edge, it says. We do not intend to fence the cliff edge because it is an obvious hazard and we have put in place clear signs. Fences are easy to climb over, so they wouldnt prevent visitors who wanted to get to the edge. Wherever all these clear signs are, they seem to have eluded me. While a fence would indeed be an ineffective, unsightly blemish on the face of a glorious beauty spot, it should not be too hard to stick up a few notices in a variety of languages with a simple message: dont perch on the edge of a chalkstone cliff, least of all while trying to photograph yourself. Councillor Wilton certainly thinks so. Following a fresh inspection of the path this week, he is adamant that the time has come for action: Ive explained to the leader of the council that better signage is needed and he agrees that would be a good idea. In the meantime, the selfie-sticks will be out again in force this weekend as more idiots cling to the side of an eroding precipice. Tom Daley had to help Stella McCartney his diving trunks as they were too small He's well known for posing in his tiny briefs. But even Tom Daley has admitted his diving trunks were too small and that he had to help Stella McCartney redesign them for this years Games to help protect his modesty. The 22-year-old, who will compete in the synchronised 10-metre diving on Monday, said yesterday: In 2008 and 2012, the cut wasnt quite right. So now they have the cut right for what a diver needs. You need everything to be kept in place. You dont want things falling out in particular places because there are cameras everywhere. Youll be happy to know that everything now stays in place. Daley also revealed athletes engage in Olympic sex after their events. Youve got hundreds of athletes crammed into student accommodation, he told GQ magazine. They are in peak physical condition and have been locked away training for a months talk about a need for release. Lets just say the sex is Olympic. And who wouldnt want a gold for that particular sport. Advertisement If you thought Rapunzel was resigned to fairy tales then meet the women of Huangluo village in south-west China. Female members of the Yao ethnic group in China's Guangxi province only ever cut their hair once in their lives usually before they marry, reports the People's Daily Online. There are around 60 women in the village with hair three feet long with one villager's locks measuring seven feet long. Amazing! Huangluo village in China's Guangxi Autonomous Region is home to the Yao tribe where women have long hair How do they get their hair so shiny? Women wash their hair using glutinous rice and water from the nearby river An ancient tradition passed down: The women here are characterized by their red embroidered dress and their long hair Putting on a show: Some of the women work as performers in a troupe, putting on shows for tourists coming to the area Huangluo village in Guangxi province is home to the Yao ethnicity which is characterised by their red embroidered dresses and their long hair. According to China.org.cn, the Yao tribe dates back some 2,000 years. There are 600 members of the tribe in the total made up of 78 families. Most of the women's hair hangs down to their ankles with 60 members of the tribe with hair longer than three feet. The longest hair in the village is seven feet long. Using local resources: According to the women, their secret is washing their hair in the river and using glutinous rice balls A big community in China: There are 400 people in the village made up of 78 families who keep to traditions Fascinating tradition: The hair is cut off during a coming of age ceremony but is preserved and not thrown away The ladies of Hualong village: The women are characterised by their red embroidered dresses and their long hair 51-year-old Pan Jifeng is one of the tribe who has kept to tradition only cutting her hair once in her life. According to Pan, a secret has been passed down by generation to generation for local women keep their long locks healthy and shiny. She said villagers would keep the water they use to wash glutinous rice, then wash their hair with it. She told reporters about the tribe's traditions: 'We do not cut our hair from birth. 'When we reach the age of 18, we get out first haircut as part of a coming of age ceremony which signifies that the girl is now an adult and can marry. Simply beautiful: A woman in Huangluo village combs through her long hair after washing it in the river Pan says her granddaughter is already growing her hair but will leave it up to her to decide if she wants to cut it The hair cut off at the ceremony is not to be thrown away, but preserved. After marriage and childbirth, this section of the hair is weaved and worn in the form of a hairpin as a distinction between married and unmarried women.' Many of the women work as performers in a local troupe that put on shows for tourists coming to the region. Pan along with her two daughters-in-law are part of the troupe. Pan's young granddaughter has already started growing her hair but she says it's up to her granddaughter if she wants to keep growing it. A woman in China holds the Guinness World Record for the longest hair. The world's longest documented hair belongs to Xie Qiuping which measured 18 feet and 5.54 inches in May 2004. There are 60 people in the village with hair around one metre long while one local has hair longer than two metres Three million more babies are expected to be born annually until 2021 Chinese women are rushing to have a second baby after the country's government allowed all families to have two children this year. One expectant mother said her maternity hospital was so busy she was forced to bring two family members along to help her queue in order to finish all necessary checks in one day. Authorities estimated that three million more babies will be born each year in the next five years during the 'second-child baby boom', according to a report on state-run People's Daily Online. More babies on the way: Two-child policy has brought a baby boom to China (file photo) Yang Xin, an expectant mother from southern China's Shenzhen city, said she had to make appointments three to four months in advance, according to the report. She added: 'The hospital has been crowded with expectant mothers every day since February. 'People began to queue up in early morning and I have to wait at least 30 minutes for each check. 'Thus I have to bring two family members along to wait in line for me, otherwise I won't finish all the necessary checks in a day.' Obstetricians across China have been overwhelmed by the number of patients. Liu Lihua, the deputy head of obstetrics at the Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, told Chinese media: 'We have 45 beds in the fifth section of obstetrics and we added 30 extra beds today. 'Such situation started in April, while the peak season usually came in August or September in the past.' Other cities, including Xiamen and Guilin, have also witnessed a shortage of hospital beds, obstetricians and postpartum nannies. A doctor from the Xiamen Maternal and Child Health-care Hospital told Xinhua News Agency: 'Last year, our obstetrical department received 800-900 patients every year. 'But now, it receives more than 1,000 daily. The number could reach 1,200 at busiest.' The more the merrier? An extra three million babies are expected to be born yearly (file photo) Hospital under pressure: Obstetricians across China have been overwhelmed by the number of patients since the launch of the new policy (file photos) Chinese family-planning authorities predict that an extra three million babies will be born annually in the next five years, pushing the annual number of births to 21 million. On January 1, 2016, the Chinese central government launched the so-called universal two-child policy as a way to tackle the country's aging population. This means, all Chinese families who wish to have a second child no longer have to worry about hefty fines, mandatory sterilisations and barbaric forced abortions. After the ruthless and mandatory one-child policy was enforced for more than three decades, many couples in China yearn to have a second child. Happy family: Sun Lin, from Shanghai, is a proud mother of two. The 36-year-old (right) is seen in a family portrait taken when she was pregnant with her second child Family fun: Sun and her husband have a four-year-old son and a nine-month-old daughter. Left, the family were celebrating their son's third birthday Xia Shanshan, who grew up as a single child in Shouguang city, Shandong Province, is also a proud mother-of-two. The 33-year-old digital marketing specialist and her husband have a five-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son. Xia told Mailonline: We decided to have a second child because we wanted our daughter to have a companion rather than hundreds of toys. She said: My husband and I both love an active life. We feel our child will be lonely, so we hope to have a second baby to accompany her throughout her life. When we are old and sick, they can share the responsibility in taking care of us. And after we pass away, they can look after each other. Sun Lin, from Shanghai, also has two children. The 36-year-old, who also grew up as a single child, told MailOnline: Whenever I came across families with two children, whether in books or on the streets, I always felt jealous. Young couples, who grew up alone, desire two babies so their children won't feel lonely She said: The previous policy didnt bring obvious changes because it takes time for people to digest a new rule. 'But from now on, I think two children will be the normal family structure in China.' Sun was referring to the special rule in the one-child policy. The special rule meant that for couples that were both only children, they were allowed to have another baby. Not only is the two-child policy creating a baby boom, it's also set to be a booster in China's economy. With endless new toys and clothes, Chinese parents are never shy of splurging on their children and don't have the concept of hand-me-downs. As such, the ongoing baby-boom is expected to generate a yearly increase of up to 50 billion yuan (5.7 billion) in the consumption related to infants, reported Chinese media. Nasa has revealed the first map showing exactly what parts of the bottom of the massive Greenland Ice Sheet are thawed. Experts say the information is key to better predicting how the ice sheet will react to a warming climate. Greenland's thick ice sheet insulates the bedrock below from the cold temperatures at the surface, so the bottom of the ice is often tens of degrees warmer than at the top, because the ice bottom is slowly warmed by heat coming from the Earth's depths. Scroll down for video Experts say the new Nasa map is crucial to better predicting how the ice sheet will react to a warming climate. The bottom of the ice is often tens of degrees warmer than at the top. Knowing whether Greenland's ice lies on wet, slippery ground or is anchored to dry, frozen bedrock is essential for predicting how this ice will flow in the future. However, scientists have very few direct observations of the thermal conditions beneath the ice sheet, obtained through fewer than two dozen boreholes that have reached the bottom. The new study uses several different methods to infer the Greenland Ice Sheet's basal thermal state whether the bottom of the ice is melted or not leading to the first map that identifies frozen and thawed areas across the whole ice sheet. 'We're ultimately interested in understanding how the ice sheet flows and how it will behave in the future,' said Joe MacGregor, lead author of the study and a glaciologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. 'If the ice at its bottom is at the melting point temperature, or thawed, then there could be enough liquid water there for the ice to flow faster and affect how quickly it responds to climate change.' HOW THEY DID IT For this study, published last month in the Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface, MacGregor's team combined four different approaches to investigate the basal thermal state. First, they examined results from eight recent computer models of the ice sheet, which predict bottom temperatures. For a third of the Greenland ice sheet, there's not enough data available to determine its basal thermal state. Scientists have very few direct observations of the thermal conditions beneath the ice sheet, obtained through fewer than two dozen boreholes that have reached the bottom. Second, they studied the layers that compose the ice sheet itself, which are detected by radars onboard NASA's Operation IceBridge aircraft and suggest where the bottom of the ice is melting rapidly. Third, they looked at where the ice surface speed measured by satellites exceeds its 'speed limit', the maximum velocity at which the ice could flow and still be frozen to the rock beneath it. Fourth, they studied imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers on the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites looking for rugged surface terrain that is usually indicative of ice sliding over a thawed bed. Advertisement 'Each of these methods has strengths and weaknesses. Considering just one isn't enough. By combining them, we produced the first large-scale assessment of Greenland's basal thermal state,' MacGregor said. For each method, MacGregor's team looked for areas where the technique confidently inferred that the bed of Greenland's ice sheet was thawed or frozen. They then looked at the places where these methods agreed and classified these areas as likely thawed or likely frozen. Previous maps have shown the extent of surface melt on Greenland's ice sheet on July 8 (L) and July 12 (R) in 2012. The zones where there was insufficient data or the methods disagreed, they classified as uncertain. From this synthesis, MacGregor and his colleagues determined that the bed is likely thawed under Greenland's southwestern and northeastern ice drainages, while it's frozen in the interior and west of the ice sheet's central ice divide. For a third of the Greenland ice sheet, there's not enough data available to determine its basal thermal state. MacGregor said the team's map is just one step in fully assessing the thermal state of the bottom of Greenland's ice sheet. 'I call this the pinata, because it's a first assessment that is bound to get beat up by other groups as techniques improve or new data are introduced. 'But that still makes our effort essential, because prior to our study, we had little to pick on,' MacGregor said. Geophysicists have discovered evidence of an ancient drainage network buried beneath Greenland's ice sheet. The vast network once extended across nearly a fifth of its total surface, they say, and experts found some of the channels within this system were about a mile deep and over seven miles wide. The find covers an area comparable in size to the Ohio River Basin and predates the formation of the ice sheet about 3.5 million years ago. An ancient drainage basin covering one fifth of Greenland predates the ice sheet and strongly influences the modern Jakobshavn Glacier, according to a new analysis of ice-penetrating radar data. The find covers an area comparable in size to the Ohio River Basin and predates the formation of the ice sheet about 3.5 million years ago. In this map, the main stream of the catchment is marked by the solid red line, with its longitudinal profile inset. A downstream knickpoint of this channel is marked by the solid white and black lines on the main and inset figures, respectively. HOW THEY DID IT Using a digital elevation model generated from ice-penetrating radar data and corrected for the weight of the modern ice sheet, the team charted the ancient river network using two different software packages. The results of both tools reveal a dendritic network of valleys radiating inland from the Jakobshavn Glacier. Advertisement 'Here we present evidence from ice-penetrating radar data for a large dendritic drainage network, radiating inland from Jakobshavn Isbr, Greenland's largest outlet glacier,' scientists from the University of Bristol and Imperial College London wrote in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters. 'The size of the drainage basin is 450,000 km and accounts for about 20% of the total land area of Greenland,' they say. Using a digital elevation model generated from ice-penetrating radar data and corrected for the weight of the modern ice sheet, the team charted the ancient river network using two different software packages. The results of both tools reveal a dendritic network of valleys radiating inland from the Jakobshavn Glacier - a landscape that, according to the researchers, covers an area comparable in size to the Ohio River Basin and predates the formation of the ice sheet about 3.5 million years ago. 'Topographic and basin morphometric analyses of an isostatically uplifted (ice-free) bedrock topography suggests that this catchment predates ice sheet initiation and has likely been instrumental in controlling the location and form of the Jakobshavn ice stream, and ice flow from the deep interior to the margin, now and over several glacial cycles,' they conclude. The research also provides an insight into what past river drainage looked like in Greenland, and what it could look like in the future as the ice sheet retreats. Ice-penetrating radargram profiles across the flow network at three locations The dashed red line, shows bedrock depth relative to the ice surface, the solid purple line. Cross sections of the main channel, as seen in Figure 2 (solid red line), are also marked. Michael Cooper and colleagues from Bristol's School of Geographical Sciences and Cabot Institute, and Imperial College London, studied the bedrock in Greenland using data collected mainly by Nasa (through Operation Ice Bridge), as well as various researchers from the UK and Germany, over several decades. This data is collected by aircraft using ice penetrating radar, which bounces back off the bedrock underneath the ice (as ice is mostly transparent to radio waves at certain frequencies). 'The drainage basin we discovered shows signs of being carved by ancient rivers, prior to the extensive glaciation of Greenland (i.e. before the Greenland Ice Sheet existed), rather than being carved by the movement of ice itself. HOW BIG IS IT? The size of the drainage basin the team discovered is very large, at around 450,000 km2, and accounts for about 20 per cent of the total land area of Greenland (including islands). This is comparable to the size of the Ohio River drainage basin, which is the largest tributary of the Mississippi. The channels the team mapped could more appropriately be called 'canyons', with relative depths of around 1,400 metres in places, and nearly 12km wide, all hidden underneath the ice. Advertisement 'It has been remarkably well preserved and has not been eroded away by successive glaciations. The channel network has never been seen before by humans it was last uncovered around 3.8 million years ago.' As well as being an interesting discovery of great size, the channel network and basin was instrumental in influencing the flow of ice from the deep interior to the margin, both now and over several glacial cycles, as well as influencing the location and speed of the Jakobshavn ice stream. But the reasons why the centre of the massive body of ice has grown thicker over time has left climate scientists baffled. Now scientists have created the first map that shows how the ice sheet has shifted to discovered a gradual 'stiffening' may be to blame. Jakobshavn Isbr - a large glacier in western Greenland that discharges into Ilulissat Fjord. This glacier has experienced rapid acceleration over 20 years, but most the ice sheet interior has decelerated over 9,000 years In particular, this goes some way in explaining why the interior is moving significantly more slowly toward the edges than it has, on average, during the past 9,000 years. Experts hope a better understanding of the inner nature of the Greenland ice sheet will help them accurately estimate its mass loss in the future, and therefore, sea level rise. Lead author Joe MacGregor, of the University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Geophysics said: 'Scientists are very interested in understanding how ice sheets flow and how that flow may have been different in the past. 'Our palaeo-velocity map for Greenland allows us to assess the flow of the ice sheet right now in the context of the last several thousand years. The scientists created a map showing Greenland's average ice speed over the last 9,000 years (left), as well as its current speed (centre) and the difference between them (right). Blues - negative values - signify lower speeds today as compared to the nine-thousand-year average Experts still believe the ice sheet is losing mass overall. This image shows the The terminus of Jakobshavn Isbr - a large glacier in western Greenland that discharges into Ilulissat Fjord. This glacier has experienced rapid acceleration over 20 years, but most the ice sheet interior has decelerated over 9,000 years GREENLAND ICE SHEET: KEY FACTS After Antarctica, Greenland's ice cap contains the second largest mass of frozen freshwater in the world. The ice sheet ice sheet covers 660,000 sq miles (1,710,000 square km), or roughly 80 per cent of the surface of Greenland. Currently, melting from Greenland accounts is thought to account for around 10 per cent of sea level rise. Researchers estimate half of Greenland's outlet glaciers could undergo significant melting. A UCI and Nasa study shows southern Greenland's ragged, crumbling coastline is scored by more than 100 canyons beneath glaciers that empty into the ocean. Advertisement The team used a database detailing the many layers within Greenland's ice sheet to determine the flow pattern over the past 9,000 years to create the map. They compared it with modern flow rates to discover the ice sheet's interior is moving much more slowly now than during most of the Holocene - a geological period that began about 11,700 years ago and runs to the present. 'Like many others, I had in mind the ongoing dramatic retreat and speedup along the edges of the ice sheet, so I'd assumed that the interior was faster now too. But it wasn't,' Dr MacGregor said. Infact, the team's analysis suggests the interior of Greenland's ice sheet is flowing 95 per cent slower now than it was on average during the Holocene. The authors identified three reasons for the slow-down - previously higher snowfall rates, a slow stiffening of the ice sheet over time, and the collapse of an 'ice bridge' that used to connect Greenland's ice to that on nearby Ellesmere Island. William Colgan of York University's Lassonde School of Engineering said: 'The ice that formed from snow that fell in Greenland during the last ice age is about three times softer than the ice being formed today. Because of this difference, the ice sheet is slowly becoming stiffer. As a consequence, the ice sheet is flowing more slowly and getting thicker over time, the study published in the journal Science explained. The authors identified three reasons for the slow-down - previously higher snowfall rates, a slow stiffening of the ice sheet over time, and the collapse of an 'ice bridge' that used to connect Greenland's ice to that on nearby Ellesmere Island. The ice sheet is pictured This effect is most important in southern Greenland, where higher snowfall rates have led to rapid replacement of ice from the last glacial period with more modern Holocene ice. GREENLAND'S ICE SHEET MELTS A THIRD FASTER IN POOR WEATHER Many people would assume that Greenland's ice sheet would melt faster in bright sunshine. But analysis of the loss of snow from the sheet shows that cloudy skies are in fact accelerating the melting of the island's glaciers. Even though clouds bring moisture to recharge the ice sheet through fresh snow fall, this effect is obliterated by the higher temperatures that also accompany cloudy weather. Overall, the researchers found that glacier melting increased by a third in cloudy conditions. The result is an additional 56 billion tonnes of meltwater reaching the oceans each year. Lead author and PhD student at the University of Leuven, Belgium (KU Leuven), Kristof Van Tricht, said this is the first time the role of clouds in ice sheet melting has been calculated, and the findings cannot be deduced from theoretical climate models. Advertisement Dr MacGregor continued: 'That didn't explain what was happening elsewhere in Greenland, particularly the northwest, where there isn't as much snowfall, so the stiffening effect isn't as important.' The explanation of deceleration in the northwest lies in the collapse of an 'ice bridge' across Nares Strait, which used to connect Greenland's ice to that on Ellesmere Island, 10,000 years ago - the end of the last Ice Age. This event led to acceleration of the ice sheet in the northwest, but it has since returned to a slower pace. These changes, which started thousands of years ago, affect scientists' understanding of the changing Greenland Ice Sheet today. Researchers often use GPS and altimeters aboard satellites to measure the elevation of the ice surface and study how much mass is being lost or gained across the ice sheet. When correcting for other known effects on the surface elevation, any leftover thickening is assumed to be due to increasing snowfall, but this study shows that may not be the case. Dr Colgan said: 'We're saying that recent increases in snowfall do not necessarily explain present-day interior thickening. home Tech Asus Zenpad 3 8.0 release date, specs news 2016: Powerful tablet recently launched by company Taiwanese multinational computer hardware and electronics company, Asus, has just launched its new Android tablet called Zenpad 3 8.0. According to reports, the new handheld device will get into the high-end market with its high-quality display technology and an amazing sleek design. Asus claims that the goal of the company is to challenge the best tablets in the market today. Asus said that the new tablet will run on a powerful hexa-core processor paired with 4 GB of RAM. It will also be sporting an Adreno 510 graphics processing unit. According to Asus, the Zenpad 3 8.0 carries a whopping 7.9-inch screen that supports 2K IPS display. The revolutionary display technology also has wide 178-degree viewing angles, which is rarely seen on many gadgets these days. The tablet also has Asus original technology called Asus Tru2LIFE+ technologies and the Asus VisualMaster. According to reports, these technologies will allow users to experience cinematic display on their own handheld device. It appears that Asus has developed the Zenpad 3 8.0 to showcase the companies amazing display system. To make sure the device will consistently provide better viewing experience; Asus has assigned a dedicated display processor on the tablet. The system is said to provide users great sharpness and contrast, which will make images more lifelike when it comes out on the screen. Not only will the device get the best display technology put on a tablet, it will also carry the ASUS SonicMaster system, which gives high-level audio delivery. It will also give users the opportunity to access different audio effects. Other features of the device include a 4650 mAh battery, which provides power to the tablet of up to 11 hours, and an 8 MP primary camera set up. The amazing camera technology is said to have zero shutter lag that can capture brighter photos even in low-light situation. Nasa's Kepler telescope has been busy in the hunt for alien life, finding over 4,000 new planets outside our solar system over the past three years. Now a team of astronomers has narrowed down this list to those with the most potential to have liquid water, or even life. They pinpointed 20 out of the 4,000 that are most likely to be like our own, and are starting to look more closely at these candidates. A team of astronomers have narrowed down this list to those with the most potential to have liquid water, or even life. They pinpointed 20 out of the 4,000 that are most likely to be like our own, and are starting to look more closely at these candidates THE HABITABLE ZONE The 'habitable zone' is an area around a star in which an orbiting planet's surface could hold liquid water. The boundaries of the habitable zone are critical. If a planet is too close to its star, it will experience a runaway greenhouse gas effect, like Venus. But if it's too far, any water will freeze, as is seen on Mars. Professor Kane and his colleagues sorted the planets by whether they were in a conservative or a more optimistic interpretation of the habitable zone. Advertisement A group led by San Francisco State University physicists searched through the list Kepler had returned to find those most likely to support life like our own. They found 216 Kepler planets are located within the 'habitable zone' - an area around a star in which an orbiting planet's surface could hold liquid water. Of those, they list 20 that are the best candidates to be habitable rocky planets like Earth. These include Kepler-186 f, Kepler-62 f, Kepler-283 c and Kepler-296 f. 'This is the complete catalogue of all of the Kepler discoveries that are in the habitable zone of their host stars,' said Professor Stephen Kane, lead author of the study. Kepler-186f, seen here in an artist's rendering and discovered in 2014 by a team of astronomers including Professor Stephen Kane, is one of more than 200 'exoplanets' that researchers say lie within the 'habitable zone' of their stars and could potentially have life THE TOP 20 EARTH-LIKE PLANETS KOI Name K00571.05 (Kepler-186 f) K00701.04 (Kepler-62 f) K01298.02 (Kepler-283 c) K01422.04 (Kepler-296 f) K02418.01 K02626.01 K03010.01 K03138.01 K03497.01 K04036.01 K04356.01 K04742.01 (Kepler-442 b) K06343.01 K06425.01 K06676.01 K07223.01 K07235.01 K07470.01 K07554.01 K07591.01 'That means we can focus in on the planets in this paper and perform follow-up studies to learn more about them, including if they are indeed habitable.' 'This study is a really big milestone toward answering the key questions of how common is life in the universe and how common are planets like the Earth.' The research also confirms the distribution of Kepler planets within the habitable zone is the same as the distribution of those outside of it. This means the universe is teeming with planets and moons where life could potentially exist. The researchers further sorted them by planet size: smaller, rocky planets versus larger gas giants. The 20 planets in the most restrictive category, rocky surface and a conservative habitable zone, are the most likely to be similar to Earth. Professor Kane has already started to gather more data on these planets, as well as those in the other categories. Kepler discovers new planets by measuring the subtle dip in a star's brightness caused by a planet passing in front of its star. Artist's impression pictured Researchers found 216 Kepler planets are located within the 'habitable zone'. Of those, they list 20 that are the best candidates to be habitable rocky planets like Earth. These include Kepler-186 f, Kepler-62 f, Kepler-283 c and Kepler-296 f 'It's exciting to see the sheer amount of planets that are out there, which makes you think that there is zero chance of there not being another place where life could be found,' said Michelle Hill, undergraduate student. The four categories are aimed at helping astronomers focus their research. Those looking for moons that could potentially hold life can study exoplanets in the gas giant categories, for example. 'There are a lot of planetary candidates out there, and there is a limited amount of telescope time in which we can study them,' Professor Kane said. 'This study is a really big milestone toward answering the key questions of how common is life in the universe and how common are planets like the Earth.' When military personnel are out in the field, the heavy protective uniforms they wear can weigh them down. But a new material may be able to counteract this problem. Scientists have invented a fabric that is highly breathable and can protect military personnel from biological and chemical threats. Scroll down for video The researchers created a flexible polymeric membrane which integrated tiny carbon tubes (CNT) as moisture conducting pores 'SECOND SKIN' MATERIAL The researchers created a flexible polymeric membrane which integrated tiny carbon tubes (CNT) as moisture conducting pores. The CNT pores were shown to increase breathability of the material by more than ten times. Additionally, because the CNT pores were so small, they could also provide protection from biological agents, such as bacteria or viruses. While biological agents are usually too big to fit through, the biggest challenge was creating a material that could repel chemical agents, which are usually a lot smaller. The researchers modified the CNT pores with 'chemical-threat-responsive function groups' - groups that sense and block the chemicals at the pore entrance. They are also in the process of developing a second response scheme which will cause the fabric to 'exfoliate' - peeling off a layer - when it reacts with the chemical. Advertisement The material has been created by researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, and is published in Advanced Materials. The researchers say the material is the first key component of futuristic smart uniforms that will respond to and protect from environmental chemical hazards. During missions in contaminated environments, military personnel can become over-heated and exhausted, so high breathability was a critical requirement. Current protective military uniforms struggle to find a balance between comfort and protection, and provide a passive rather than active response to an environmental threat. The researchers created a flexible polymeric membrane which integrated tiny carbon nanotubes (CNT) as moisture conducting pores. Dr Ngoc Bui, who led the study, said: 'We demonstrated that these membranes provide rates of water vapor transport that surpass those of commercial breathable fabrics like GoreTex, even though the CNT pores are only a few nanometres wide.' The CNT pores were shown to increase breathability of the material by more than ten times. Additionally, because the CNT pores were so small, they could also provide protection from biological agents, such as bacteria or viruses. During testing, CNT pores were able to repel the Dengue virus by preventing it from entering through the material. While biological agents are usually too big to fit through, the biggest challenge was creating a material that could repel chemical agents, which are usually a lot smaller. The researchers modified the CNT pores with 'chemical-threat-responsive function groups' - groups that sense and block the chemicals at the pore entrance Because the CNT pores were so small, they could also provide protection from biological agents, such as bacteria or viruses The researchers modified the CNT pores with 'chemical-threat-responsive function groups' - groups that sense and block chemicals at the pore entrance. They are also in the process of developing a second response scheme which will cause the fabric to 'exfoliate' - peeling off a layer - when it reacts with a chemical. Dr Kuang Jen Wu, leader of the LLNL Biosecurity & Bionanosciences Group, said: 'The material will be like a smart second skin that responds to the environment.' During testing, CNT pores were able to repel the Dengue virus by preventing them from entering through the material The next step for the researchers is to design a material that can undergo a rapid transformation from the breathable to protective state. Dr Francesco Fornasiero, the principal investigator said: 'These responsive membranes are expected to be particularly effective in mitigating a physiological burden because a less breathable but protective state can be actuated locally and only when needed.' The researchers hope that the material could be used to make new uniforms in less than 10 years. But married male twins are more likely to binge drink, as are divorcees Health benefit was also seen for men who were cohabiting with partners Found those who were married tended to drink alcohol less frequently looked at drinking habits of 2,425 pairs of twins in Washington From a dreamy honeymoon and greater life satisfaction, to more practical tax benefits, there are lots of advantages of tying the knot. Now researchers have discovered another surprising benefit of marriage happy couples drink less alcohol than their single peers. As well as drinking less frequently, marriage causes couples to cut down on binge drinking - with the exception of some married men, who are bigger binge drinkers than males cohabiting with a partner. Researchers have discovered a health benefit of marriage happy couples drink less alcohol than their single peers WHY MARRIAGE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH A recent study by the Institute of Education at University College London supports a series of analyses from around the world which have established that married people have better health and longer lives than those who do not tie the knot. Studying more than 9,000 people who were born in March 1958 they found the healthiest women were those who married in their late 20s or early 30s and stayed married. But the positive effects were even greater for men. The scientists also found that mens health declines after divorce, but recovers if they remarry although men who divorce in their late 30s are less likely to suffer poor health as a result. he study, produced by a team headed by Dr George Ploubidis, supports research from 2011 that found the health of single men is likely to be worse because they do not have a partner to impress. Advertisement Researchers from the University of Virginia quizzed 2,425 pairs of male and female twins from the state of Washington about how often and how much they drink. When they looked at twins where one was married and the other single, they found married men and women tend to drink less than those who were single or divorced. They wrote: 'Our evidence suggests that individuals drink the most, in frequency and quantity, when they are single. 'Drinking goes down significantly, both in frequency and quantity, after marriage.' They also discovered that getting married seems to cause both men and women to drink less in one sitting perhaps as they dont rely on Dutch courage to strike up conversations with strangers. The study does not, however, reveal precisely how much marriage causes people to cut down on boozing, but the difference between married and single twins is not thought to be dramatic, The Washington Post reported. It also stops short of explaining why married couples drink less, but previous studies have suggested married partners may monitor each others behaviour, and encourage good habits. The researchers wrote: Alcohol use patterns did not differ among married and cohabiting twins those who were perhaps in earlier stages of a relationship or otherwise chose not to get married. These findings provide strong evidence that intimate relationships cause a decline in alcohol consumption. As well as drinking less frequently, marriage causes couples to cut down on binge drinking too, the study reveals (stock image pictured) KEY FINDINGS FOR DRINK FREQUENCY 'Marriage appears to have a protective effect in married compared to single twins,' the researchers wrote. 'In other words, single and married twins differ in the frequency of their drinking. 'This suggests that individuals who drink less frequently tend to marry, whereas individuals who drink more frequently are more likely to remain single.' But they found that within pairs fo twins, there was no difference between married and cohabiting pairs, or married and divorced pairs when it came to the frequency of their drinking. Advertisement Interestingly, the study says married male twins are more likely to binge drink than those who are cohabiting with a partner perhaps because those in a newer relationship are more likely to be on their best behaviour. They found specifically that married identical male twins drank 'significantly' more per occasion than their cohabiting twins. The researchers wrote: 'When compared with marriage, cohabitation presents an interesting picture. 'Cohabiting men and women drink more frequently than married men and women, but quantity-wise cohabiting men drink less whereas women do not differ significantly.' They continued: 'After controlling for genetic and environmental selection effects, the differences between marriage and cohabitation were non significant for women and, interestingly, produced a contrast effect in men in which married men drank more than unmarried ones.' Surprisingly, the effects of divorce on the twins alcohol consumption were not as extreme as one might fear. The study revealed that while parting ways didnt cause participants to drink more often, they were more likely to sink more alcoholic drinks in one sitting. 'Following marital dissolution, both men and women experience and increase in drinking quantity, but their drinking frequency does not change, possibly because their drinking frequency habits stabilize after having been married,' the researchers explained. Surprisingly, the effects of divorce on the twins alcohol consumption were not as extreme as one might fear (stock image shown) STUDY FINDINGS FOR DRINKING QUANTITY The experts found marriage has a 'protective effect' when it comes to binge drinking. 'In comparison to both single and divorced adults, married adults drank significantly fewer alcoholic beverages per occasion...' 'These results suggest that people do change their drinking quantity habits when they enter, and when they exit, marriage. 'They drink more when they are single, less when they are married, and again more following marital dissolution.' However, interesting, married men were found to drink more than cohabiting males. Advertisement The researchers wrote: 'The present study is the first genetically informed study of marriage to examine drinking frequency and drinking quantity separately.' 'However, it is impossible to ascertain whether married participants were exposed to unmeasured influences, such as an upbringing,' they admitted. For example, many other experiences and lifestyle choices could influence twins drinking habits aside from being married, and twins may not be representative of the general public. The sample of people was also taken from only one state which may differ to other states and other countries. Another study recently claimed couples with the same drinking habits tend to be happier than those where only one partner drinks. Whether they are heavy drinkers or tee-total, women in particular become dissatisfied if they drink and their husband doesn't, researchers from the University of Michigan said. The story of Chinas Great Flood, a disastrous event on the the Yellow River, has played a dramatic role in Chinese mythology. But new findings suggest that the flood was more than just a myth. Researchers have found geological evidence which they say confirms that the Great Flood happened in roughly 1920 BC. In 2000, the researchers found 14 skeletons in the area said to experienced the great flood. Using radiocarbon dating techniques, the researchers predict the flood happened in 1920 BC THE XIA DYNASTY Placing the flood in roughly 1920 BC would mean the Xia dynasty had a later start than Chinese historians had previously thought. The Xia dynasty was said to have been ruled by Emperor Yu, who gained notoriety through his handling of the country's Great Flood. It is thought that Emperor Yu managed to tame the flood by dredging - clearing the river - earning him the divine right to establish the Xia dynasty. In the paper, the researchers add that this was a 'first in Chinese history, marking the beginning of Chinese civilization.' Advertisement An international team of researchers, led by Peking University in Beijing, believe that the flood occurred later than Chinese historians previously thought. The team reconstructed a sequence of events along the Yellow River, including a landslide that created a dam from which water built up and burst. They also used radiocarbon dating techniques on samples found, including human bone, to predict when the flood might have occurred. In their paper, the researchers, led by Mr Wu Qinglong from Peking University in Beijing, write: 'We reconstruct an earthquake induced landslide dam outburst flood on the Yellow River about 1920 BCE that ranks as one of the largest freshwater floods of the Holocene and could account for the Great Flood.' Placing the flood in roughly 1920 BC would mean the Xia dynasty had a later start than Chinese historians had previously thought. The Xia dynasty was said to have been ruled by Emperor Yu, who gained notoriety through his handling of the country's Great Flood. It is thought that Emperor Yu managed to tame the flood by dredging - clearing the river - earning him the divine right to establish the Xia dynasty. In the paper, the researchers add that this was a 'first in Chinese history, marking the beginning of Chinese civilization.' Traditionally, the Xia Dynasty was believed to have been established from 2200 BC to 1750 BC. However, the new evidence places it between 1900 BC and 1550 BC While the myth behind Emperor Yu has long been told, this is the first geological evidence for the flood he was said to have mastered. If this flood is indeed the event that came to be known as the Great Flood, the researchers could propose a new start date for the Xia dynasty, at 1900 BC. This date coincides with the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in the Yellow River valley, which could possibly resolve a contradiction among Chinese historians about when Xia started. The team reconstructed a sequence of events along the Yellow River, including a landslide that created a dam from which water built up and burst It also coincides with the beginning of the Erlitou culture that dominated China in the early Bronze Age. This supports arguments that the Erlitou culture is the archaeological remains of the Xia dynasty. Overall, the researchers say that these findings may be an 'illustration of a profound and complicated cultural response to an extreme natural disaster that connected many groups living along the Yellow River.' The researchers used radiocarbon dating techniques on samples found, including human bone, to predict when the flood might have occurred Remotely operated war machines are no longer props in science fiction films. The US military has unveiled its latest unmanned ground vehicle designed to keep human fighters at a safe distance from enemy fire while successfully executing their security missions. Called Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS), this robot wields machine guns, pulls wounded soldiers to safety and sets explosives. Scroll down for videos The US military has unveiled its latest unmanned ground vehicle designed to keep human fighters at a safe distance from enemy fire while successfully executing their security missions - Called Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS) WHAT ARE MAARS' FEATURES? MAARS, short for Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System, is an unmanned ground vehicle designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions. This futuristic war machine is armed with an M24OB machine gun, four M2O3 grenade launchers and can carry up to 400 rounds of ammunition. It also has 360-degree visual capability, two-way communication, night and thermal visions and to top it off, the vehicle is also fitted with lasers. And although MAARS' main agenda is to kill, this machine is also designed to aid wounded soldiers by pulling them back to base. The entire system is operated by a human, who can active functions and carry out tasks as if they were actually on site. Advertisement This powerful, modular and combat-ready robotic machine gun is a creation of QuinetiQ North America. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, this firm provides the defense, security, commercial and consumer markets with revolutionary products such as unmanned systems, met sensors and protective armor. 'Using U.S. SOCOM and U.S. Army lessons learned from the preceding development, testing and combat fielding of the weaponized SWORDS system, MAARS was freshly created from the ground up to meet U.S. SOCOM requirements,' sais QuinetiQ North America. 'MAARS' purpose-built system possesses advanced computing power, self-protection features, mobility, modularity, communications, sensor payloads, safety features, power management, maintainability, and force application capabilities.' MAARS is armed with an M24OB machine gun, four M2O3 grenade launchers and can carry up to 400 rounds of ammunition it can operate up to 350 pounds. It also has 360-degree visual capability, two-way communication, night and thermal visions and to top it off, the vehicle is also fitted with lasers. This realistic 'Terminator' was specially built for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions, as it can be used in remote areas where humans are unable to travel due to safety concerns. This powerful, modular and combat-ready robotic machine gun is a creation of QuinetiQ North America . MAARS is armed with an M24OB machine gun, four M2O3 grenade launchers and can carry up to 400 rounds of ammunition it can operate up to 350 pounds And although MAARS' main agenda is to kill, this machine is also designed to aid wounded soldiers by pulling them back to base. Autonomous weapons have been the talk of the town, as many experts voice concerns that these machines pose a threat to our safety and security but luckily, MAARS is only semi-autonomous and probably won't go rouge. This robot machine gun needs a controller in order to move and fire its weapons. Sensors and cameras transmit information to the human controller and allows them to see through the robot's 'eyes'. This robot machine gun needs a controller in order to move and fire its weapons. Sensors and cameras transmit information to the human controller and allows them to see through the robot's 'eyes' using a light weight wearableand control system, soldiers can activate MAARS' day and night cameras, motion detectors, an acoustic microphone, a hostile fire detection system and a siren - allowing him or her to feel as if they were actually on site And using a light weight wearable and control system, soldiers can activate MAARS' day and night cameras, motion detectors, an acoustic microphone, a hostile fire detection system and a siren - allowing him or her to feel as if they were actually on site. 'Advanced processing capabilities and an easy-to-use wearable control system make MAARS simple to operate and powerful,' said QuinetiQ. THIS GUN WIELDING RUSSIAN ROBOT CAN TACKLE ANY OBSTACLE IN ITS PATH RoBattle, is an semi-autonomous combat and support robot designed to assist ground soldiers in the field. The machine is equip with a 'robotic kit' consisting of vehicle control, navigation, RT mapping and autonomy, sensors and mission payloads. In addition to ambushing and attacking on command, the machine's body can also raise up to four feet in the air to tackle obstacles in its path or crouch down 23 inches to hide from enemies. Operators can add different payloads to the tank such as manipulator arms, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, sensors and radars, and remotely controlled weapons. And since the machine is a combat-ready platform, its creators designed it to endure damages, provided with protection and redundancy for sensitive areas. Advertisement 'MAARS can even provide multiple options for the escalation of force when required by the Rules of Engagement (ROE), from nonlethal lasers dazzlers and audio deterrents, to less-than-lethal grenades, to lethal fires from the grenade launcher or the medium machine gun.' The futuristic war machine is battery powered, which can last three to 12 hours depending on mission activities. But there is also a sleep mode that saves battery power allowing it to track down the enemy for about a week. 'MAARS can even provide multiple options for the escalation of force when required by the Rules of Engagement (ROE), from nonlethal lasers dazzlers and audio deterrents, to less-than-lethal grenades, to lethal fires from the grenade launcher or the medium machine gun The futuristic war machine is battery powered, which can last three to 12 hours depending on mission activities. But there is also a sleep mode that saves battery power allowing it to track down the enemy for about a week PENTAGON WONT RULE OUT ROBOSOLDIERS THAT CAN KILL Allowing them to determine when to use force would undermine human dignity. Keeping a human in the loop on decisions to use force further ensures that accountability for unlawful acts is possible In March, a top Pentagon official gave a tantalizing peek into several projects that not long ago were the stuff of science fiction, including missile-dodging satellites, self-flying F-16 fighters and robot naval fleets. Though the Pentagon is not planning to build devices that can kill without human input, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work hinted that could change if enemies with fewer qualms create such machines. Keeping a human in the loop on decisions to use force further ensures that accountability for unlawful acts is possible, the Pentagon says We might be going up against a competitor that is more willing to delegate authority to machines than we are, and as that competition unfolds we will have to make decisions on how we best can compete,' he said. Work, who helps lead Pentagon efforts to ensure the US military keeps its technological edge, described several initiatives, including one dubbed 'Loyal Wingman' that would see the Air Force convert an F-16 warplane into a semi-autonomous and unmanned fighter that flies alongside a manned F-35 jet. 'It is going to happen,' Work said of this and other unmanned systems. Pentagon researchers also are developing small bombs that use cameras and sensors to improve their targeting capabilities. Other projects include robot boats and a hyper-velocity gun - known as the electromagnetic rail-gun -- that can blast a projectile out at an astonishing 4,500 miles (7,250 kilometers) per hour. Advertisement And although it can only top speeds of 7 mph, this vehicle was built to be tamper proof. It is an amazing animation of the death of a comet. ESA and Nasas Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or Soho, captured the amazing moment just hours ago when the sun claimed its latest victim. The comet was torn apart and vaporized by the intense forces near the sun, as it passed too close. Scroll down for video ESA and Nasas Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or Soho, captured the amazing moment just hours ago when the sun tore apart and vaporized the comet. ESA and NASAs Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, saw a bright comet plunge toward the sun on Aug. 3-4, 2016, at nearly 1.3 million miles per hour. This comet didnt fall into the sun, but rather whipped around it or at least, it would have if it had survived its journey. Like most sungrazing comets, this comet was torn apart and vaporized by the intense forces near the sun. 'Sungrazers' which pass within 850,000 miles (1.38million km) of the sun's surface, often shattering or evaporating in its heat. The disk of the sun is represented by the white circle in this image. WHAT ARE SUNGRAZING COMETS? Sungrazing comets are those that pass very close to the sun, within 850,000 miles (1.38 million km) of the sun's surface. Small sungrazers can be shattered or evaporated by the sun's heat and its tidal forces, while others can survive a close pass, Space.com reported. Sungrazers can be as small as 30 to 150 feet ( 9 to 46 metres) in diameter and most don't survive the trip around the sun. Around 80 per cent of comets captured by Soho travel along the Kreutz path, which is a single orbit taking 800 years to complete. Known as Kreutz comets, they are fragments of one large comet that broke up thousands of years ago. This comet, first spotted by SOHO on Aug. 1, is part of the Kreutz family of comets, a group of comets with related orbits that broke off of a huge comet several centuries ago. Sungrazers are of particular interest to scientists because they can help them learn more about the sun. Their tails of ionized gas illuminate magnetic fields around the sun, so they can act as a tracer that helps scientists observe these invisible fields. Such fields have even ripped off comet tails allowing astronomers to watch the lost tails blowing in the steady outpouring of solar particles streaming off our closest star. The tails act as giant windsocks in this solar wind, showing researchers the details of the wind's movement. Advertisement This comet, first spotted by SOHO on Aug. 1, is part of the Kreutz family of comets, a group of comets with related orbits that broke off of a huge comet several centuries ago. Comets are chunks of ice and dust that orbit the sun, usually on highly elliptical orbits that carry them far beyond the orbit of Pluto at their farthest points. Before it was launched by Nasa and the European Space Agency (Esa) in 1995, only a dozen or so comets had been discovered from space, compared to around 900 from Earth. The observatory has since given astronomers a glimpse of many of these so-called 'dirty snowball' comets in their final moments, with some captured seemingly making a death dive into the sun. Three new families of comets have been found thanks to the Soho mission. The observatory's mission is to observe the sun and interplanetary space above Earth's atmosphere that blocks so much of the sun's radiation. From there, Soho watches the solar disk and its surrounding environment, tracking the constant outward flow of particles known as the solar wind, as well as giant explosions of escaping gas called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. Comets can tell scientists a great deal about the place and time where they originated. And sungrazers (one shown in the box) can also help experts learn more about the sun's forces In its two decades in orbit, Soho has opened up a new era of solar observations, dramatically extending our understanding of the star we live with. The telescope's comet prowess, however, was unplanned and has turned out to be an unexpected benefit. It can easily spot sungrazers approaching the sun, because of its clear view of our star's surroundings. Comets are composed of frozen gases mixed with dust, which has given them the nickname 'dirty snowball'. They hold clues about the formation of our solar system. Here, Dr Fred Whipple uses a 500lb snowball covered with dirt in his Harvard classroom to demonstrate the anatomy of a comet's nucleus Joe Gurman, mission scientist for Soho at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland explained: 'Soho has a view of about 12-and-a-half million miles beyond the sun. 'So we expected it might from time to time see a bright comet near the sun. But nobody dreamed we'd approach 200 a year.' The telescope's success as a comet finder is due to amateur astronomers sifting through the vast sea of data which is publically available online in near real-time. While scientists often search Soho imagery for very specific events, various members of the astronomy community choose to comb through all the imagery in fine detail. The result is that 95 per cent of Soho comets have been found by these citizen scientists. Karl Battams, a solar scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, who has run the Soho comet-sighting website since 2003, said: 'The people who have found comets represent a very broad cross section as the program is open to anyone who has interest. 'There are scientists, teachers, writers. We have even had two 13-year-olds.' Comets are of interest to astronomers because they reveal a lot about the place and time where they originated. They are composed of frozen gases mixed with dust, giving them the nickname 'dirty snowball', and hold clues about the formation of our solar system. If they have made previous trips around the sun, they can hold information about the distant reaches of the solar system through which they've travelled. Sungrazing comets also help experts learn more about our sun. Their tails of ionized gas illuminate magnetic fields around the sun, so they can act as a tracer that helps scientists observe these invisible fields. Such fields have even ripped off comet tails allowing astronomers to watch the lost tails blowing in the steady outpouring of solar particles streaming off our closest star. The federal government is planning to lift a moratorium on funding of controversial experiments that use human stem cells to create animal embryos that are partly human. The National Institutes of Health has unveiled a new policy to permit scientists to get federal money to make the embryos, known as chimeras, under certain carefully monitored conditions. The NIH imposed a moratorium on funding these experiments in September because they could raise ethical concerns. Scientists have started to grow human organs inside pigs, in an attempt to solve the worldwide shortage for transplants. The chimeric embryos will look normal but the pancreas will be made entirely from human cells WHY WE NEED CHIMERAS Researchers are interested in growing human tissues and organs in animals by introducing pluripotent human cells into early animal embryos. Using this method, researchers hope to produce sheep, pigs and cows with human hearts, kidneys, livers, pancreases and possibly other organs that could be used for transplants. Advertisement 'With recent advances in stem cell and gene editing technologies, an increasing number of researchers are interested in growing human tissues and organs in animals by introducing pluripotent human cells into early animal embryos, wrote Carrie Wolinetz, the NIH's associate director for science policy, in a blog post announcing the decision. There are major fears scientists might inadvertently create animals that have partly human brains, even with some form of human consciousness or human thinking abilities. Another is that they could develop into animals with human sperm and eggs and breed, producing human embryos or fetuses inside animals or hybrid creatures. But scientists argue they could take steps to prevent those outcomes and that the embryos provide invaluable tools for medical research. Researchers hope to produce sheep, pigs and cows with human hearts, kidneys, livers, pancreases and possibly other organs that could be used for transplants. The new policy proposes prohibiting the introduction of certain types of human cells into embryos of nonhuman primates, such as monkeys and chimps because these animals are so closely related to humans. However, the policy would lift the moratorium on funding experiments involving other species. To address the ethical concerns, the NIH's says its new policy imposes several restrictions. 'At the end of the day, we want to make sure this research progresses because its very important to our understanding of disease,' Wolinetz told NPR. It's important to our mission to improve human health,' she said in an interview with NPR. HOW THEY DO IT The researchers use new gene-editing techniques. With a small laser, researchers can cut a small hole in the outer layer of the embryo's membrane. Then, they inject a synthesized molecule that can 'delete' the pancreas gene. Once the DNA has been edited, they then make another hole in the membrane to inject human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). These are made from the skin of an adult human, and would reduce the risk of transplant rejection. Scientists hope to use technology that inserts human stem cells (pictured) into animal embryos. This could lead to human organs being grown in animals to provide a supply for those waiting for organ transplants The cells can turn into any kind of cell or tissue in the human body, and in a pig embryo, they have the same capabilities. But, it means they could go anywhere else in the body, including the brain. The researchers hope that the cells will work to take the place of the removed gene in the embryo to create a human pancreas. Once the iPS cells have been injected, the now-chimera embryo is surgically placed into the womb of an adult pig. The embryos are allowed to develop until their 28th day, when primitive structures begin to form, and then they are retrieved and dissected. Advertisement 'But we also want to make sure there's an extra set of eyes on these projects because they do have this ethical set of concerns associated with them.' In addition, the NIH would even consider experiments that could create animals with human sperm and human eggs since they may be useful for studying human development and infertility. But in that case steps would have to be taken to prevent the animals from breeding. 'I am confident that these proposed changes will enable the NIH research community to move this promising area of science forward in a responsible manner,' Carrie Wolinetz, the NIH's associate director for science policy, wrote in a blog post. The public has 30 days to comment on the proposed new policy. NIH could start funding projects as early as the start of 2017. Despite the moratorium, scientists have started to grow human organs inside pigs, in an attempt to solve the worldwide shortage for transplants. In the latest development in the controversial project, researchers have injected human stem cells into pig embryos, to produce human-pig embryos known as 'chimeras'. The human-pig chimeric embryos will look like a normal pig's embryo, but one of their organs - the pancreas - will be made completely from human cells. To grow a human organ in an animal embryo the researchers, from the University of California, use new gene-editing technique. There were 429 people who died in 2014 in the UK while waiting for vital organ transplants (a heart transplant is pictured) due to a shortage of appropriate donors. Scientists in the US were revealed to have conducted experiments using human animal hybrids with the aim of growing organs in pigs and sheep HUMAN ORGANS IN FARM ANIMALS While the idea of using organs from animals such as pigs for human transplants has been around for some time, developments in stem cell cloning techniques has opened up the possibility of a new approach. Animal organs, like many human organs, will be rejected by the immune system of recipients without powerful supression drugs. But by using the stem cells taken from patients, scientists believe it may be possible to grow organs that are a perfect match for them, reducing the risk of rejection. It relies upon a cutting-edge fusion of technologies, including recent breakthroughs in stem-cell biology and gene-editing techniques. By modifying genes, scientists can now change the DNA in pig or sheep embryos so they are genetically incapable of forming a specific tissue. Then, by adding stem cells from a person, they hope the human cells will take over the job of forming the missing organ, which could then be harvested from the animal for use in a transplant operation. Advertisement The chimeras will be allowed to develop in the sows for 28 days before the pregnancies are terminated and the tissue removed for analysis. Professor Pablo Ross, a reproductive biologist who is leading the research, told the BBC: 'Our hope is that this pig embryo will develop normally but the pancreas will be made almost exclusively out of human cells and could be compatible with a patient for transplantation.' In the UK, Officials on the Home Office's Animals in Science Committee recently published a set of guidelines on how this type of research should be performed. But in the United States, officials are still working to explore the ethical challenges, and the National Institute of Health has placed a moratorium on the funding of such projects. In the lab, researchers have turned to alternative funding to continue their work, according to NPR. They hope that their findings can work toward lifting the moratorium. Each year, hundreds of people die while waiting for a transplant. In one example of the potential applications for this technique, Professor Ross is working to grow a pancreas, which could one day be used to help patients with diabetes. But critics say the research could lead to the development of organ farms. Peter Stevenson from Compassion in World Farming told the BBC: 'I'm nervous about opening up a new source of animal suffering. 'Let's first get many more people to donate organs. If there is still a shortage after that we can consider using pigs, but on the basis that we eat less meat so that there is no overall increase in the number of pigs being used for human purposes.' Other concerns relate to the possibility that the implanted human cells might migrate to the developing pig's brain and make it more human. Professor Ross said this was unlikely but was a key reason why the research was proceeding with such caution. 'We think there is very low potential for a human brain to grow, but this is something we will be investigating,' he said. To create the chimeras, named after the creatures from Greek mythology made up of more than one animal, scientists use CRISPR gene editing to remove DNA from a newly-fertilised pig embryo that would enable the resulting foetus to grow a pancreas. This creates a genetic 'niche' or void. Then, human induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells are injected into the embryo. The iPS cells were derived from adult cells and 'dialled back' to become stem cells capable of developing into any tissue in the body. The team behind the research hopes the human stem cells will take advantage of the genetic niche in the pig embryo and the resulting foetus will grow a human pancreas. Around 20 animals have been impregnated with human-animal hybrids, which were created by injecting human stem cells into an animal embryo. US internet speed for broadband and mobile experienced an impressive climb the first sixth months of 2016. Fixed improved more than 40 percent and mobile increased 30 percent in speed, while downloads topped 50 megabits for the first time ever. Although the US still lags behind the rest of the world, these notable improvements are attributed to competition among the four major US carries: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint. Scroll down for video US internet speed for broadband and mobile experienced an impressive climb the first sixth months of 2016. Fixed improved more than 40 percent and mobile increased 30 percent in speed, while downloads topped 50 megabits for the first time ever These findings come from Speedtest.nets mid-year broadband speeds report that analyzed some 8 million speed tests through the website and mobile app. Speedtest, by Ookla, is a broadband testing an analysis tool that lets the public test their internet speed at will. WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPEEDTEST REPORT? These findings come from Speedtest.nets mid-year broadband speeds report that analyzed some 8 million speed tests performed on the website and mobile app. Fixed broadband in the US improved more than 40 percent and mobile internet rose 30 percent. And downloads topped 50 megabits for the first time ever. Comcast Xfinitiy was found as the MVP, as the service provider took first place with the fastest download speed on average. However, its 125 megabits (Mbps) wasnt much higher than the runner ups: Cox came next with 118 and Spectrum took third with 114. Verizon is the leading service in uploads, topping out at 93 Mbps and the rest of the providers fall between 7 to 22 Mbps the average consumer has an upload speed of 18 Mbps. Sprint led the pack with download speeds of 57 percent, followed by AT&T with a 45 percent boost, and T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless had the lowest improvements of 26 percent and 18 percent. But the underdogs, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, are the overall fastest when it comes to mobile internet speeds in the US with an average of 21 Mbps. According to the report, Kansas City (Google Fiber's first launch market) leads at 135.39 Mbps, followed by Austin, Texas (103 Mbps), Phoenix (84 Mbps), Seattle (83 Mbps) and San Francisco (72 Mbps). Advertisement Every six months, the firm publishes a report to show Americans how well providers are working for them. Comcast Xfinitiy was found to be the mid-year MVP, as the service provider took first place with the fastest download speed on average. However, its 125 megabits (Mbps) wasnt much higher than the runner ups: Cox came next with 118 and Spectrum took third with 114. Mobile internet speeds have seen an improvement over the past year, with download speeds up by 33 percent and upload 28 percent. However, download speed grown only increased 5 percent to reach 19.61 Mbps in the first six months of 2016 NETFLIX HELPS YOU SEE YOUR INTERNET SPEED Netflix just launched a tool that measures a consumers personal connection, allowing them to check download speeds for optimal use. Called fast.com, the site checks the connection for both mobile and broadband to gain insight and control of their internet service -- and it is free for everyone. Although this is a new service from Netflix, this concept is already in the works. Speedtest.net, which Netflix links to in the press release, performs the same service. But what the global provider of streaming content explains, fast.com is ad free with a streamlined design that is quick and easy to understand. To calculate this estimate, Fast.com performs a series of downloads from Netflix servers. Advertisement Although Xfinity surpassed the others in downloads, it placed fourth in uploads. Verizon was found to be the leading service in uploads, topping out at 93 Mbps and the rest of the providers fell between 7 to 22 Mbps the average consumer has an upload speed of 18 Mbps. While the average consumer is doing well enough, not every American is receiving sufficient speeds, according to the report published on August 3. In a recent Broadband Progress Report released by the FCC, 10% of Americans lack access to the FCC target speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. This number increases to 39% when looking at rural populations. Its important to note, however, that the largest concentration of the U.S. population resides in urban areas and only 4% of urban Americans lack access to those speeds. Mobile internet speeds have seen an improvement over the past year, with download speeds up by 33 percent and upload 28 percent. However, download speed grown only increased 5 percent to reach 19.61 Mbps in the first six months of 2016. Comcast Xfinitiy was found to be the mid-year MVP, as the service provider took first place with the fastest download speed on average. However, its 125 megabits (Mbps) wasnt much higher than the runner ups: Cox came next with 118 and Spectrum took third with 114 The notable overall improvement is thanks to the four major US carriers - Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint competing for customers. T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, are the overall fastest when it comes to mobile internet speeds in the US with an average of 21 Mbps And average upload took a slight dive of -1 percent to 7.94 Mbps. Speedtest.net's report suggests this could be attributed to the capacity needs of consumers and providers not being able to keep up. Consumers increased mobile internet usage will continue to put strain on the cellular network infrastructure, which will likely drive carriers to invest in network capacity rather than just investing in coverage alone, explains the report. The notable overall improvement is thanks to the four major US carriers - Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint competing for customers. Now that about 85 percent of Americans are connected to the web, these tech giants have been making strategic investments into their networks. FACEBOOK IS BRINGING THE INTERNET TO THE WORLD In its latest efforts, the group has launched a 'wireless access platform' designed to drive down the cost of setting up internet networks in places that lack the resources. The system provides the tools to set up a network, including the hardware and software, and it should be available later this summer. The design is currently being tested at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California. So far in the lab at Facebook, the team has been able to send and receive text messages, make voice calls and use basic data connectivity using 2G with the system The system is capable of delivering a range of options from second generation wireless technology (2G) to the high speed LTE wireless. The designs for the device, which has been named OpenCellular, will be made open source so that anyone can use them to build their own and start their own network. OpenCellular is a shoebox-sized device that can deliver a range of options from second generation wireless technology (2G) to the high speed LTE wireless. The hardware inside the device was designed with simplicity in mind, to encourage people to create their own cellular networks. 'Many people might not realize that running their own cellular networks is not only possible but also doesn't require substantial technical expertise,' Kashif Ali, a Facebook engineer, said. Advertisement Sprint led the pack with download speeds of 57 percent, followed by AT&T with a 45 percent boost, and T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless had the lowest improvements of 26 percent and 18 percent. But the underdogs, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, are the overall fastest when it comes to mobile internet speeds in the US with an average of 21 Mbps. The report shows that high speed broadband is still much faster and readily available in cities and the surrounding area. According to the report, Kansas City (Google Fiber's first launch market) leads at 135.39 Mbps, followed by Austin, Texas (103 Mbps), Phoenix (84 Mbps), Seattle (83 Mbps) and San Francisco (72 Mbps). It is not unusual for technology giants to take a page from each others play books. Most recently a Samsung patent has surfaced that suggests the Korean firm is taking cues from its mortal enemy Apple. Shown in the application titled, Wearable Device, are illustrations that look identical to Apples smartwatch and nothing like Samsung's Galaxy Gear collection. Scroll down for video A Samsung patent has surfaced that suggests the Korean firm is taking cues from its mortal enemy Apple. Shown in the application titled, Wearable Device, are illustrations that look very similar to Apples smartwatch and nothing like Samsung's Galaxy Gear collection WHAT DOES THE PATENT SUGGEST? A Samsung patent has surfaced that suggests the Korean firm is taking cues from its mortal enemy, Apple. Shown in the application titled, Wearable Device, are illustrations that look very similar to Apples smartwatch and nothing like Samsung Galaxy Gear collection. This questionable patent was just in January 29, 2016 and published today, August 4. The patent describes these drawings as views illustrating diverse shapes, structures, and materials of a first strap portion or a second strap portion in a wearable device. The six views of this smartwatch shows the iconic square display of the Apple smartwatch, with its digital crown in view, placed on a thick wrist band. This design really strays away from Samsungs design, although some are squared they do not protrude off the band as much as the Cupertino companys does. Advertisement This questionable patent was filed in January 29, 2016 and published today, August 4. Samsung did beat Apple in the smartwatch game, as the firm debuted the first model in the Galaxy Gear family in 2013 Apple released theirs in 2015. First reported by Patently Apple and Business Insider, the patent describes these drawings as views illustrating diverse shapes, structures, and materials of a first strap portion or a second strap portion in a wearable device. 'Once again, Samsung is caught trying to copy an Apple idea and even using Apple patent design figures and not clarifying that they're from Apple,' sais Patently Apple. 'Although it's shameful and sleazy, it's certainly not surprising.' The six views of the smartwatch sin Samsung's patent show the iconic square display of the Apple smartwatch, with its digital crown in view, placed on a thick wrist band. This design really strays from Samsungs design, although some are squared they do not protrude off the band as much as the Cupertino companys. The black and white sketch would make one believe that Samsung inventors took most, if not all, their inspiration from Apples product. Todays patent is not the first time Samsung has mimiced Apple or vice versa. On June 29, Apple asked the the U.S. Supreme Court to clear the way for the iPhone maker to secure hundreds of millions in damages from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in a case over smartphone design patents. The world's top smartphone rivals have been feuding over patents since 2011, when Apple sued Samsung in a northern California court alleging infringement of the iPhone's patents, designs and trademarked appearance. This questionable patent was filed in January 29, 2016 and published today, August 4. The six views of this smartwatch shows the iconic square display of the Apple smartwatch, with its digital crown in view, placed on a thick wrist band. In this image, Apple's Milanese band magnetic loop strap can be seen. In its legal brief, Apple said Samsung had not provided evidence to support its argument that design patent damages should be decided on one component of a smartphone, rather than the entire product. Apple said there was no need for the Supreme Court to send the case back to a lower court for further proceedings. A Samsung representative declined to immediately provide comment. The South Korean company has said that a ruling for Apple would diminish innovation and negatively impact the economy. The digital crown, button and rear sensors of apple's Watch can be seen here. The images clearly show the rear of apple's Watch, with its four sensors visible. Following a 2012 jury trial, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $930 million. Samsung has been trying to reduce that figure ever since. Its efforts were partially rewarded in May 2015, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the damages on trademark liability. The appeals court, however, upheld Samsung's infringement of the iPhone's patents, including those related to the designs of the iPhone's rounded-corner front face, bezel and colorful grid of icons. This design really strays from Samsungs design (pictured), although some are squared they do not protrude off the band as much as the Cupertino companys. The black and white sketch would make one believe that Samsung inventors took most, if not all, their inspiration from Apples product That brought Samsung's exposure down to $548 million, of which $399 million involves design patents. Additional damages, based on five other phone models, could also be awarded depending on the outcome of appeals. Samsung asked the Supreme Court to review the case, calling the damages awarded excessive. In March, the justices agreed to look into whether courts should award in damages the total profits from a product that infringes a design patent, if the patent applies only to a component of the product. In a filing last month, the U.S. Department of Justice said the case should be sent back to a lower court. Her boarding card was not checked properly by staff on two The mother of a 16-year-old girl has hit out at Ryanair after her daughter was let on the wrong plane without her boarding pass being checked. And after complaining, the airline blamed the girl for not reading the display screens. Alexandra Burt was booked onto a flight with the low-cost airline from Copenhagen to Luton on Saturday. However, the teenager arrived early at her boarding gate, and seeing a Ryanair sign on the screen she assumed this was her flight home. A 16-year-old girl failed to have her boarding pass checked and accidentally boarded the wrong Ryanair plane, ending up in Dublin instead of Luton Unfortunately this was an earlier flight to Dublin. She was not checked before entering the aircraft, and her boarding pass was only given a 'cursory glance probably to check the seat number' by the cabin staff. She then settled into her seat, that just by luck was also free on the flight, and fell asleep. It was only on landing that she realised something was amiss. She peered out of the window at a body of water and 'realised that she was not coming into Luton'. This led to frantic phone calls to the family home in Hertfordshire, as her parents tried desperately to help get her a flight home. 'No one checked her pass at the gate in Copenhagen, they gave it a cursory glance probably to check the seat number on the plane, and clearly didnt do a passenger count,' mother Ellie Renshaw told MailOnline Travel. 'I am gobsmacked and absolutely fuming as cant believe given the "heightened sense of security" that they let this happen. 'I thought this was only for Hollywood movies. 'Alexandra is only 16, and will have been nervous and anxious travelling on her own. Her mistake would have been realised if the boarding pass was checked properly. 'She told me that she only realised something was wrong when she woke up, looked out the window to see water, and realised she was not coming in to Luton.' This was the reply Mrs Burt received when she complained to Ryanair at how her daughter had managed to board the wrong plane without being checked After first being offered a flight back to Heathrow or Gatwick, Ryanair eventually found space for Alexandra on a flight back to Luton, where she was met some time after midnight by her relieved family. Her original flight was scheduled to land around 5.30pm on the Saturday. 'She was absolutely exhausted, but like myself, gobsmacked at how she had been able to travel on the wrong plane unchecked,' continued Mrs Renshaw. 'It makes you think that if this can happen as it did so easily, who else could be getting planes that we don't know about?' After emailing a letter of complaint to Ryanair, Mrs Renshaw was sent a reply she says has left her 'angry and totally fuming'. In the letter, the airline points out that 'each customer's boarding card clearly states their flight number and destination', and states that it is 'the responsibility of every passenger to ensure they follow the correct procedure'. 'Nowhere in their reply do Ryanair address this security lapse that is quite serious,' added Mrs Renshaw. 'The whole thing has left me angry and fuming.' An aviation security official said that if Ryanair's gate staff had checked the boarding pass Alexandra would not have ended up in the wrong country A top aviation security official, who wishes to remain anonymous, has told MailOnline that checking the boarding pass was 'basic security'. 'The gate staff should have checked the boarding pass, normally by scanning it, as this is a basic security process and also ensures you have a correct passenger manifest,' the source said. 'The manifest is important when it comes to immigration and on those mercifully rare occasions when there is an accident. 'If the gate staff had scanned the boarding pass, this mis-boarding would not have happened because the computer system would have shown the error.' And discussing Ryanair's response to Mrs Renshaw's complaint, the security expert added: 'The response from Ryanair is "computer says" and does not deal with the seriousness of the incident. 'This has all the hallmarks of a low-level assistant failing to recognise that this was not another simple case of a passenger missing a flight and just selecting a standard reply from a drop-down menu.' home Entertainment Samsung Gear 360 VR release date news 2016: Samsung's latest VR camera to arrive in August Samsung's virtual reality (VR) camera, Gear 360, was first introduced to the public last February at the Mobile World Congress. Afterwards, the South Korean tech giant's latest device was made available in different locations in the world except the United States. The good news is that the tech enthusiasts in the United States do not need to wait any longer as Samsung announced the arrival of Gear 360 in the markets starting on August 19. As Tech Crunch reported, people residing in the United States who are lucky enough to obtain the VR camera were only able to purchase the Samsung Gear 360 by checking in to Anaheim and Lollapalooza back in June. Still, the stock of the VR cameras was very limited and only a few people were able to have one. The special announcement of Samsung regarding Gear 360 was made during the special Samsung Galaxy Note 7 event in New York earlier this week. It was revealed that the device will be available in the American markets. Many had anticipated that the Gear 360 will be released in the United States along with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones. This time, the VR camera was unveiled alongside the Galaxy Note 7, which was the main focus on the event last August 2. The official announcement of the Samsung Gear 360 in New York did not disclose the unit price of the gadget. However, it was revealed in a press release from Verizon Wireless that the Gear 360 will be sold for $349.99 in selected Verizon Destination stores, Tech Times reported. This press release came in after Samsung's announcement. Meanwhile, a separate info from a German website listed the Gear 360 with $396 unit price. It was already rumored back in April that the Gear 360 camera would arrive in selected areas in Asia. Afterwards, the device was formally launched in Singapore and South Korea towards the end of that month. The distinct physical feature of the Gear 360 is its ball-shaped appearance with two lenses that allows the users to capture images and videos in 360-degree view. Each of these lenses is a fisheye that has 195-degree viewing angle capacity. Samsung's latest VR camera is also water and dust-resistant. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, perfect for transferring images and videos A travel warning has been issued to UK holidaymakers heading to Mexico after dozens of tourists were reportedly struck down with food poisoning. The outbreak involves a number of luxury hotel complexes in the Riviera Maya resort, popular with British holidaymakers. Health bosses say the illness is likely linked to food supplied to hotels throughout the resort area. The same resort suffered a similar outbreak last year where UK tourists were taken ill by the same bug. Guests who have stayed at the Royalton Riviera Cancun have reportedly fallen ill with food poisoning Guests are believed to have eaten contaminated food in their hotels and later fell ill with severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea. A number of hotels are believed to be affected by the outbreak including the Thomson-run four star Catalonia Riviera Maya Resort and Spa and the hotel Royalton Riviera Cancun. Now Health Protection Scotland has decided to warn UK travellers to Mexico to be wary about the outbreak, which they say started in June this year. The agency said in statement posted on their website: 'Cases of infection with the diarrhoea causing parasite cyclospora have continued to be reported by UK holidaymakers returning from Mexico. 'The majority of cases have stayed in all-inclusive resorts in the Riviera Maya area. 'Clusters of cases started to be reported during June and July from this popular destination. 'The source of infection is thought likely to be a foodstuff supplied to hotels. Investigation into this outbreak is ongoing. 'Awareness of the outbreak should be maintained and travellers to Mexico are strongly advised to maintain a high standard of food, water and personal hygiene. 'Infection can cause frequent, watery diarrhoea, abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea, flatulence, low-grade fever, loss of appetite and weight. Individuals with underlying immune deficiency can be at risk of more severe infection. 'On return from Mexico, if you have any symptoms such as those described above you should seek medical attention and tell your GP about your travel history. Stool samples can be sent to diagnose, and antibiotics given to treat, the infection.' The Thomson-run four-star Catalonia Riviera Maya Resort and Spa is another hotel in the complex where guests claim to have fallen ill Nick Harris, head of holiday claims at Simpson Millar solicitors who are handling claims for holidaymakers caught in the outbreak says the bug has affected many guests at all-inclusive hotels in the resort. He said: 'The phone has been ringing off the hook with people from across the UK contacting us who are quite rightly concerned about this outbreak. We have been speaking to people who have been in touch after falling ill in the resort and we are giving them appropriate advice. 'They have been suffering with constant sickness and diarrhoea and many of them have been confined to their rooms. 'So far we have been contacted by people from several hotels but I understand there to be others that are also affected. It seems this bug is linked to contaminated food. 'Health authorities are issuing warnings but with peak season and large crowds this bug has the potential to spread like wildfire. ' Holidaymakers visiting the Riviera Maya, just south of the Riviera Cancun, saw their holidays ruined by illness Victims who have returned to the UK from the resort have since been diagnosed with cyclospora a bug commonly associated with food poisoning and poor hygiene. It is spread by infected human faeces contaminating water or food and previous outbreaks have been connected to fresh fruit such as raspberries and salad products such as basil and lettuce. The resort suffered a similar outbreak of cyclospora last year where 79 people were confirmed with the bug when they returned to the UK. A spokesperson for tour operator Thomson, speaking about the hotels involved in the outbreak, said: 'We are aware of some reported sickness cases from Riviera Maya in Mexico. 'We are closely monitoring the situation and we are in direct contact with customers who have been in touch with us since their return.' The universities of Oxford and Cambridge are renowned for posing tricky and often bizarre interview questions to potential students - but they certainly don't have the monopoly on the practice. Airlines also ask difficult and sometimes strange questions in interviews, as cabin crew have been revealing. Writing on an airline industry Facebook page, flight attendants have been commenting on their interview experiences and said that questions have ranged from how they would handle travel sickness to what they would do if they were president of their country. Cabin crew around the world have revealed the bizarre and difficult questions they've asked during interviews (file photo) The air crew have been sharing their experiences on Dubai-based Fly Guy's Facebook page and according to the comments, like many jobs, the most frequently asked questions were why the applicant should be hired and why they applied for the position. How well you deal with situations in the air is also high on the list of questions asked. Anja Suv claimed that she was asked by an unnamed airline how she would 'handle a crew job with your travel sickness'. According to her, having bags with her to collect the vomit was not the correct answer. Philip Velez had a hypothetical question that might put some people off the job. Some hypothetical questions might put you off the job while others seem completely unrelated to the role (file photo) He wrote: 'You're on the cart serving drinks, and a mother wants to hand you a dirty diaper. What do you do?' However, there were also some unusual ones. Christopher Mayers said he was asked: 'What would you do if the Prime Minister grabbed you on the bum?' Shaun Moore O'Kelly claims he was asked whether he was 'afraid of heights and the dark' and Nor Faizah says she was asked 'what's your favorite color and why?' Anthony Blanco Mabute claimed that he was asked by Cebu Pacific Air 'is impossible possible?' Chibiams Iwus, meanwhile, was asked to dance and another was asked to strut around as if on a catwalk. Astrology is clearly important to one carrier as Rafael Mendez Retana was asked 'which is your zodiac sign?' The completely unrelated questions are certainly not in short supply. Denisa Tomkova kept the momentum on the forum going and claimed she was asked 'what rule would you introduce in your country if you were president - and your setback in life'. Lalpekhlua Renthlei wrote that he was asked 'what is your father's name?' While some questions might be deemed illegal under UK employment legislation, some airlines seem to have no qualms with asking them (file photo) Controversially, Pola Zouganeli wrote that an unnamed airline had asked her who she planned to vote for. The comments suggest that unusual questions are perfectly normal in the airline industry. Others have been found by Business Insider, which reported that interviewees for Spirit Airlines were asked to 'describe the color yellow to somebody who's blind'. Alaska Airlines was said to have asked their crew 'what would you do if a passenger told you it was their loved one's remains inside the urn they were holding and they didn't want to place it underneath the seat?' And on United Airlines, interviewees were asked two consecutive questions, according to the site. First, they were asked 'I'm a customer who refuses to close their laptop before takeoff what do you do?' and then 'you come back and I still haven't turned it off what do you do now?' Oxford University regularly publishes difficult questions it asks its students. Tyga has revealed his son King Cairo has picked up cursing from listening to his music and hanging out in the studio. The 26-year-old rapper admitted he's conflicted about letting his son hear his music, telling Hollywood Today Live that the three-year-old got in trouble for swearing at school. When asked about Ashton Kutcher's selfie showing himself trying not to laugh when his 22-month-old daughter Wyatt used the 'f-bomb,' Tyga said he could relate. Scroll down for video Parenting dilemma: Rapper Tyga, 26, appearing on Hollywood Today Live Wednesday, said that his son King has learned dirty words from listening to his music The 26-year-old rapper tried not to laugh as he recounted: 'He actually, he had an incident at school, they called me and they were like, 'Your son's walking around saying the B-word.'' 'And I was like, 'Where did he hear that?' He told them, 'My dad says it in the studio.'' The rapper said he tries not to play his music around the impressionable youngster. 'I try to keep him out of the studio and try not to play songs when he's around because he does stuff like that. It happens' said Tyga. Loving it: The rapper appeared to be in a great mood as he chatted about fatherhood while visiting the set of Hollywood Today Live in Los Angeles on Wednesday Peace: The 26-year-old posed for a selfie with actor Craig Bierko The Los Angeles native welcomed King Cairo with his ex Blac Chyna in October of 2012. Blac is now engaged to Rob Kardashian, the half-brother of Tyga's on-again, off-again girlfriend Kylie Jenner, 18. And the rapper also addressed how he tries to give his son a stable environment despite the drama of having his ex Blac expecting a baby with Kylie's brother Rob. Proud dad: The rapper admitted he was torn about letting son King Cairo listen to his music after the three-year-old started picking up swear words Bling: Tyga flashed his diamond watch and jewelry and wore an army green Supreme hoodie as he stopped by the set, and said he tries 'not to judge people' and stay focused on his son Too cute: Tyga said son King Cairo, seen here in July, told his teachers he picked up swearing from spending time with the rapper in his studio 'I try not to judge people... my main focus and goal is just to make sure that my son has the best upbringing,' Tyga said. 'I feel like once you're an adult, people make their own decisions and sometimes you can't put your faith in people 'cause you'll always be let down, so I just stay focused and really stay concerned about him.' The Still Got It rapper also opened up about his path to fame and fortune, and the difficult decision he made in dropping out of high school to pursue his rap career. 'At the time I left in the 10th grade, I had a decision: Go on tour with [Lil'] Wayne or school, so I kinda left cause it wasn't helping me do what I wanted to do, the school I went to,' said Tyga, who has since received his GED. The sixth season of Offspring has seen Nina Proudman do her best to move forward since the tragic death of her lover and baby daddy, Dr Patrick Reid, in season four. But Asher Keddie's character was reminded of her late partner famously played by Matt Le Nevez during Wednesday night's episode, when his ex-wife Jodie arrived on the scene. The promotional clip for the next episode of the Channel Ten drama shows Matt make an onscreen return as essentially Patrick's ghost, while Nina contemplates accepting Jodie's offer of Patrick's frozen sperm to have another baby. Scroll down for video Time to face the music: Offspring's Nina Proudman, played by Asher Keddie, will be faced with a dilemma involving her deceased lover Patrick in the next episode of Offspring 'Patrick had some of his sperm frozen,' Jodie, played by Freya Stafford, told Nina during Wednesday night's episode. 'I thought it was only fair I offered it to you so you can have another child.' In the promotional clip, Nina watches Patrick play with their daughter Zoe, and nieces and nephews. 'I have to decide,' she tells him, to which he responds, 'Life could be so much more fun'. He's back: Matt Le Nevez is seen in a promotional clip for the next Offspring episode, indicating Patrick returns to the show What could have been: In the promotional clip, Nina watches Patrick play with their daughter Zoe, and nieces and nephews Dilemma: During Wednesday night's episode of the Channel Ten drama, Patrick's ex-wife Jodie returned and offered Patrick's frozen sperm if she wished to have another baby Fans of the show last saw Jodie back in season four, when she made a brief appearance to meet her ex Patrick at St Francis Hospital. Patrick and Jodie split after the birth of their stillborn child, and when Patrick later moved to Melbourne, the anaesthetist found love with obstetrician Nina. In season four Patrick was hit by a car, and tragically passed away later in hospital. No doubt the preview has sparked quite a reaction from viewers on social media. Memorable face: No doubt one of the most popular characters on the show over the years has been Dr Patrick Reid, played by Matt Le Nevez Disbelief: Many fans have struggled to accept Patrick's absence from the show, while Nina has raised daughter Zoe primarily on her own Many fans have struggled to accept Patrick's absence from the show, while Nina has raised daughter Zoe primarily on her own. 'WHAT THE SWEET S***? YOU CANT BRING PATRICK BACK AGAIN! MY BROKEN HEART HAS ONLY JUST HEALED! WHY DO YOU WANT TO HURT ME? @OffspringTV (sic),' former Big Brother star Tully Smyth tweeted after seeing the promo. Another fan wrote on Twitter: 'Tissue sales are going to sky rocket in the next two weeks when "Ghost Patrick" returns to our screens #Offspring (sic)'. Memories: The sixth season of Offspring has seen Nina Proudman (Asher Keddie) do her best to move forward since the tragic death of her lover and baby daddy, Dr Patrick Reid (Matt Le Nevez), in season four Since Patrick's tragic death, she has found love with Leo Taylor played by Patrick Brammall. More recently, she has been linked to Dan Wyllie's character Dr Angus Freeman, though it looks like she will be getting closer to newcomer Alexander England's character Harry Crewe, the new Crisis and Culture Manager at St Francis Hospital. Alarm bells: Nina sensed something wasn't quite right at the end of season four when she found Patrick on the side of the road after being hit by a car - he passed away in hospital shortly after Family: The on-screen couple were expecting a gorgeous baby girl at the time of Patrick's death, with Nina seen imaging her late love's presence in this hospital scene after giving birth to Zoe She's a regular jet setter making sure to soak up the sun in as many European destinations as she can. And Wednesday was no different for Victoria Silvstedt as she was spotted catching some Sardinian rays with her businessman boyfriend Maurice Dabbah. The 41-year-old Swedish model wasn't shy flaunting her assets in a bold red halterneck swimsuit with an eye-catching diamante broach placed between her impressive cleavage. Scroll down for video Red hot! Victoria Silvstedt, 41, was spotted topping up her tan in Sardinia with her boyfriend on Wednesday Sunning herself from all angles, Victoria's racy high-cut one-piece included daring cut-out panels on either side, displaying her enviable curves for all to see. Strutting her stuff on the sand, the runway star displayed her never-ending toned pins in the skimpy swimsuit which highlighted her bronzed glow. Shielding her eyes from the Mediterranean sun, the TV star donned a pair of chic oversized sunglasses while wearing her platinum blonde locks loose. Walk this way: Victoria flaunted her Amazonian physique in a daring red swimsuit Looking good! Victoria exhibited her honed pins in the high-cut swimsuit Backs up: The 41-year-old's swimsuit displayed her slim physique and toned back Covered up! The TV star donned a pair of chic oversized sunglasses as she wore her platinum blonde locks loose Legs eleven! The runway star displayed her never-ending toned pins in the skimpy swimsuit which highlighted her bronzed glow Incredible! Victoria's swimsuit boasted daring cut-out sides displaying her enviable curves The glamorous socialite appeared totally at ease as she seductively strolled into the Sardinian sea. While soaking up the sun from the crystal clear waters, Victoria playfully swept her long golden locks into a messy up-do, highlighting her exquisite features. Holding her hips in the daring bathing suit, the fashionista struck a number of poses while catching the Italian rays before joining her boyfriend on a sunbed. Relaxed: The glamorous socialite appeared totally at ease as she seductively strolled into the Sardinian sea Splash! Victoria cooled down in the crystal clear Sardinian sea Strike a pose! Victoria rested her hands on her slender hips as she relaxed in the sea Living it up! Victoria flaunted her perfect pout while taking a dip in the Mediterranean sea A bit tired? Victoria let out a yawn as she splashed in the water Sea and surf: Victoria swept her long blonde locks into a messy updo as she went for a quick dip Victoria's latest sexy swimsuit display comes after she enjoyed her annual trip to Eden Roc Hotel in Cannes in June while flaunting her ample assets in a white bikini. A regular visitor to the South of France, the model had also topped up her tanned in Saint Tropez last month. The jet setting former Playmate of the Year has recently appeared on a Swedish reality series alongside a host of famous personalities, which was broadcast on TV3. Sunning herself: Victoria's latest sexy swimsuit display comes after she enjoyed her annual trip to Eden Roc Hotel in Cannes in June Chilling out! A regular visitor to the South of France, the model had also topped up her tanned in Saint Tropez last month Quality time: Victoria spent time with her businessman boyfriend Maurice Dabbah Getting comfy! Victoria stretched out as she got ready to top up her tan Victoria has previously talked about her introduction to modelling and her discomfort with the catwalk. Speaking to Female First, she said: I started very young to model in Paris when I was 18, I remember like starving myself to fit into the clothes and it was an amazing experience but you know I did shows for Valentino, Chanel, so it was really prestigious. But it never felt like it was my thing, I'm not like a runway skinny model, I'm more curvy. It was torture, I put myself through starvation, you know torturing myself. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley oozed star power on Wednesday when she arrived at work in Los Angeles. Impeccably turned out for the office, the British model wore a thigh-skimming galaxy print dress that showcased her legs. Naturally, she added a little LA vibe to her look as she arrived in sunglasses, on-the-go with just a clutch bag in hand. Scroll down for video Starry-eyed: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley showed off her style credentials on Wednesday as she arrived at an office in Beverly Hills It was hard to believe that Rosie was wearing flat sandals, considering her never-ending legs, but her hemline elongated the look, all the same. On the beauty front, Rosie's famous full pout was left bare and naturally tinged with pink as she maintained a pout on arrival. Her glossy 'lob' hairstyle, meanwhile, had been given a little ruffle to give it the bedhead edge. Chic: She oozed star power in a galaxy print dress that skimmed off at her thighs Looking leggy: The beautiful blonde seemed to take a shortcut from her car Rosie famously chopped off her enviable locks in February last year, leading to one of the most requested hairstyles in recent years. Longer than a bob but shorter that her usual style, the blonde mane seemed to have grown out somewhat since the cut. Rosie was back in business mode, having recently opened up about her need to have an 'independent' working life. Quite an entrance: She certainly looked impeccably turned out for work Glossy: Her tresses seemed to have grown from their lob hairstyle 'I've always wanted to work,' she told Harper's Bazaar. 'I've always wanted to be independent.' Rosie is engaged to Hollywood hardman Jason Statham, who had already carved out a successful career in acting when she transitioned from modelling into her first movie role in Mad Max: Fury Road, last year. 'Modelling has been so good to me and I've been incredibly lucky, but now being on set is the least fulfilling part. 'What I really love is rolling my sleeves up, being in those design meetings, going to the business meetings, creating a brand from grass roots, being able to have input and a say, and offering my advice and my opinion on things.' Jenson Button's girlfriend Brittny Ward shared a stunning bikini snap on Wednesday, appearing to dispel claims she's pregnant. The Daily Star reported the Playboy model, 29, and Formula One driver, 36, could be expecting a child together after a picture of the pair appeared to show Brittny with a slight tummy bump. However, the brunette beauty took to Instagram on Wednesday night with a new racy bikini snap, which would appear to indicate that the illusion was just down to the cut of the dress. Scroll down for video Hitting back? Jenson Button's girlfriend Brittny Ward shared a stunning bikini snap on Wednesday, appearing to dispel claims she's pregnant A representative for Jenson told MailOnline the report was 'utter rubbish'. Meanwhile, a source told the Star: 'Jenson and Brittny have been inseparable since they hooked up earlier this year. 'Jenson feels like they could definitely have a future together. He is smitten. He has always wanted to start a family, and Brittny could actually be the girl he wants to settle down with.' Happy couple: A newspaper reported that Brittny Ward, 29, and Jenson Button, 36, could be expecting a child after a picture of the pair showed the model with a slight tummy bump Beach babe: A series of racy Instagram snaps which show her bare stomach would indicate it was just due to the cut of the dress Jenson split from his wife Jessica Michibata, 31, seven months ago after a year of marriage. The pair, who tied the knot in a lavish Hawaiian ceremony at the end of 2014, remained on good terms despite calling time on their six year relationship. And his new romance looked to be going strong as he strolled through Beverly Hills with Brittny on Tuesday. Loved-up: Jenson's casual look allowed Brittny to take the limelight as she dazzled in a deep blue laced playsuit with a revealing neckline that accentuated her generous bust The racing driver and the model looked at ease with one another as they held hands in the summer sun. Jenson, with his dusty locks swept to the left and the beginnings of a beard emerging on his chin, opted for a tight white Tee with shorts rolled above the knee. He donned a pair of low-heeled maroon Converse shoes and shielded his eyes from the sun with some suave brown shades. Jenson on the drivers parade before the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany on Sunday His casual look allowed Brittny to take the limelight as she dazzled in a deep blue laced playsuit with a revealing neckline that accentuated her bust. Brittny, who was crowned Miss January 2015 by Playboy last year, was born and raised in Northern California and began modelling at the age of 12. She started her career in San Francisco, starring in beauty pageants before she moved to the southern part of the state. His on again-off again relationship with Charlotte Crosby has been the subject of endless headlines since finding fame on reality show Geordie Shore. And speaking to Kyle & Jackie 'O' Henderson on their KIIS 1065 radio show on Thursday morning, Gary opened up about the difficult time surrounding Charlotte's ectopic pregnancy. The 28-year-old revealed that he and Charlotte were not officially together when he found out she was pregnant, and that he was in fact away on location filming Ex On The Beach. Scroll down for video Setting the record straight: Gary Beadle said he and on again-off again girlfriend Charlotte Crosby were not officially together when she suffered her ectopic pregnancy 'We were never actually boyfriend and girlfriend,' the reality television star said. He continued by saying their relationship status was very unclear at the time, because neither of them had the guts to make it official. As he began filming Ex On The Beach, he was asking himself: 'Am I single, am I not? Am I with Charlotte? Or do I get with these girls?' Opening up: 'We were never actually boyfriend and girlfriend,' the 28-year-old told Kyle and Jackie 'O' Henderson And Gary admitted this was the 'mistake' they made. He also reflected on receiving a phone call from Charlotte, telling him she had suffered an ectopic pregnancy. 'It was literally the worst time in the world,' he told Kyle and Jackie O. However, Gary didn't return home to care for her, instead 'speaking everyday' and making sure she was OK from afar. 'The worst time in the world': Gary said hearing Charlotte's traumatic news while he was filming Ex On The Beach was very difficult The traumatic incident unfolded in April, with Charlotte being rushed to hospital. She recounted the experience in an interview with Heat magazine, saying she wasn't even aware she was pregnant at first, and that she thought the pain was down to a heavy period. She also explained that things were going really well between herself and Gary, despite the on-off nature of their tempestuous relationship. Tumultuous: The traumatic incident unfolded in April, with Charlotte being rushed to hospital Up and down: Charlotte said: 'We'd had a couple of fall-outs, but we were the closest we'd ever been' 'We'd had a couple of fall-outs, but we were the closest we'd ever been,' she claimed. Gary also spoke to the radio shock jocks about returning to Australia, saying he would love to. However he doubted the cast of Geordie Shore would film again Down Under as it was 'too expensive' last time, saying it's 'easier' to go to Spain. Busy man: Gary decided to remain on Ex On The Beach after Charlotte suffered her ectopic pregnancy, saying he cared for her from afar Jesinta Campbell has laughed off speculation that she and fellow David Jones ambassador, Jason Dundas, engaged in a heated discussion on Wednesday. The 24-year-old bikini model and the X Factor host, 34, were pictured having an animated conversation during rehearsals, ahead of the Spring/Summer runway show in Sydney and Jesinta insisted that while things looked to be intense, they were actually just talking about food. 'The funniest thing was we had a media call at the end of our show rehearsals and there was probably 35 people there when that was happening and we were just having a laugh together,' she told Nova's Fitzy & Wippa. Scroll down for audio Animated: Jesinta Campbell laughed off speculation that she and fellow David Jones ambassador, Jason Dundas, engaged in a heated discussion on Wednesday, telling Nova's Fitzy and Wippa on Thursday that they were simply chatting about food She continued: '... Backstage we were on the ground almost wetting our pants laughing because we were like 'what were we actually talking about?' And I think it was about how big the burger was we were going to eat after the show.' The photos in question show a wide-eyed Jesinta flailing her arms and gritting her teeth as an upright Jason firmly raises his right hand. The pair were joined at the show by fellow David Jones ambassadors Jessica Gomes and Montana Cox, with the latter marking her final runway show after three years as an ambassador for the retail giant. Laughing it off: The David Jones ambassador said: '... Backstage we were on the ground almost wetting our pants laughing because we were like 'what were we actually talking about?' And I think it was about how big the burger was we were going to eat after the show' During the show, Gold Coast native Jesinta made a head-turning return to the runway, while flashing the large diamond sparkler given to her by her fiance AFL star Lance Buddy Franklin. It marks a change from last year's event, as she did not appear to be wearing her ring, which is estimated at $100,000. Jesinta recently confirmed that she would be bring her 29-year-old footy star partner to the Sydney event and he was indeed sitting front row to support her. Spot the difference: Jesinta Campbell (left) wore her engagement ring at the David Jones fashion show on Wednesday, which appeared to be missing at last years show (right) Jesinta modelled several racy outfits which highlighted her slim physique, including a leopard print bikini. Meanwhile her shoulder-length brunette hair was styled loosely as she confidently hit the runway. In the past, Sydney Swans star Lance has opened up about his struggle with mental illness. Looking good! Jesinta modelled several racy outfits which highlighted her slim physique, including a leopard print bikini Price tag: Jesinta's ring was on display on the David Jones catwalk and has been estimated to be worth between $75,000 and $100,000 At the time Jesinta told The Sydney Morning Herald she was 'quite exhausted' by seeing her partner's ordeal played out in public. 'I've continued working throughout the entire process, which has taken its toll on me. I'm quite exhausted from it all,' she said. Speaking of their future wedding plans, she suggested: 'Just something really small and intimate. Were both really close with our families...' Jesinta became a David Jones ambassador earlier this year, telling the Today show, 'It's been a massive career goal of mine.' Proud partner: The 29-year-old Sydney Swans star couldn't wipe the smile off his face as his fiancee dazzled in an array of outfits She added: 'I grew up watching Megan Gale walk and then Miranda Kerr and obviously Jessica Gomes. 'Now I'm going to be joining them as an ambassador so it's a very big highlight for me and I'm very excited.' The announcement came after she made he runway debut for David Jones in 2015, making headlines for her impressive physique. She went on maternity leave on Monday just weeks ahead of the arrival of her twin boys. And Rebecca Judd is now making final preparations before her fast approaching due date, in October. The 33-year-old weather presenter showed off her rather large baby bump as she visited a hair salon in Melbourne on Wednesday, where she had her locks dyed a honey blonde. Scroll down for video Not long to go now! Rebecca Judd showed off her rather large baby bump as she went to a hair salon in Melbourne on Wednesday Underneath her chic designer coat, Bec was more casually dressed in a pair of black skinny leg jeans and a black turtleneck sweater. A pair of camouflage trainers rounded out the ensemble, and she shielded her eyes with her favourite Dior sunglasses. Bec first revealed her significantly lighter tresses via an Instagram snap. Keeping comfortable: Underneath her chic designer coat, Bec was more casually dressed in a pair of black skinny leg jeans and a black turtleneck sweater Stylish: A pair of camo trainers rounded out the ensemble and she shielded her eyes with her favourite Dior sunglasses Simply referencing the Melbourne hair salon in the caption. alongside a tick emoji, the stunner debuted the blonde highlights from the mid-lengths. Complementing her glamorous look, Rebecca sported a flawless complexion, hint of blush on her cheeks and a soft pink lip. The post comes just hours after Rebecca took part in an intense Pilates workout, sharing a short video of the session to her Instagram account. Resting: Bec went on maternity leave on Monday as she awaits the arrival of her twins, who are due in October Lightening up: The stunner debuted a lighter hue in her hair after getting blonde highlights from the mid-lengths 'Crazy eyes. Clinical Pilates at @beactivephysio today. #pregnantwithtwins,' she captioned the post. During her last day of work on Monday the high-profile star faced a toe-curling encounter when fellow television presenter, Tony Jones, bid her farewell after her final Channel Nine News weather bulletin. She was forced to pull away when Tony eagerly leant in to plant a kiss on her cheek. Job well done: Bec showed off her new do' to fans on Instagram Seeing him coming, Rebecca recoiled and yelped, before breaking into fits of embarrassed giggles. Realising he had been rejected, Tony crossed his arms and said: 'OK, good, this is going well' as his face turned bright red. Tony later admitted that the bizarre moment was 'awkward.' Working it: Her visit to the salon came just hours after Rebecca took part in an intense Pilates workout, sharing a short video of the session to her Instagram account 'Well that was.... #awkward @becjuddloves,' he tweeted. Before it unfolded, Tony had walked on set and put his hand around Rebecca's shoulder - much to her surprise. Rebecca later took to social media to make light of the awkward moment, saying her final bulletin 'didn't quite go to plan.' She wrote: 'Okaaaaaaaaay then. Final weather bulletin before maternity leave didn't quite go to plan but as always, thanks to my wonderful @9newsmelbourne family for the laughs. How embarrassing: During her last day of work on Monday, Bec faced a toe-curling encounter when fellow television presenter, Tony Jones, bid her farewell after her final Channel Nine News weather bulletin Awkward: Bec, Tony and Peter Hitchener all shared an awkward laugh '@phitchener9 @tonyjones9,' she captioned a snap alongside her Channel Nine colleagues, Peter Hitchener and Tony Jones.' In April, Rebecca and her husband, retired Carlton captain Chris Judd, made the announcement they were expecting identical boys. Rebecca, who is already mother to Oscar, five, and two-year old Billie, has posted social media snaps of her workouts throughout her pregnancy. She received a number of positive comments under her recent Instagram video, with Megan Gale commenting: 'Super Mama.' She's was linked to The Bachelor's Richie Strahan amid rumours they were seen kissing at the Melbourne Cup races in November. And Tully Smyth, 28, has taken a swipe at Richie after he spoiled Megan Marx with an extravagant date on The Bachelor on Wednesday night. 'Feeling a little ripped off with our Dominos date. Couldn't have whipped up a floating perspex platform?' she Tweeted on Thursday. Scroll down for video Revealing: Former Big Brother star Tully Smyth, 28, showed her rumoured ex Richie Strahan of The Bachelor what he was missing with a steamy Snapchat Taking a dig: The blonde media personality took a swipe at the Perth-based hunk on Wednesday night Hours later, the Big Brother star showed the Perth-based hunk what he was missing with a steamy Snapchat that saw her posing topless with the popular butterfly filter. On Wednesday night, the hunky rope access technician pulled out all the stops to impress Megan. Keen to impress, Richie, 31, orchestrated a floating picnic area high above a picturesque setting that featured ornate ivy and flowers around the makeshift platform. Since Richie and Tully were first spotted together late last year, they were pictured getting cosy in a number of social media snaps. The high life: The Tweet clearly referenced last night's single date with blonde bombshell Megan Marx that saw the rope access technician pull out all the stops Picture perfect: Keen to impress, Richie orchestrated a floating picnic area high above a picturesque setting that featured ornate ivy and flowers around the makeshift platform Rumours emerged that the pair even shared their first kiss during the Melbourne Cup festival, prompting Tully to respond on Twitter with: 'I can date whoever I want to date. Richie Strahan can choose to be with whoever he wants to be with.' In January this year, the duo appeared to have enjoyed a Bali getaway together thanks to a series of intimate-looking Instagram and Snapchat pictures. The nature of their relationship remained a mystery until now, however Tully's support for Richie's newest reality TV venture was made crystal clear earlier in the month when she shared a gushing message on Instagram. Up close: Since the reality stars were spotted together late last year, they were pictured getting cosy in a number of social media snaps The one that got away? The nature of their relationship remained a mystery until now, but Tully's support for Richie's newest reality TV venture was made crystal clear earlier in the month Uploading a snap of herself cuddling up to Richie, Tully wrote in the caption: 'You couldn't find a more genuine, down to earth, absolute sweetheart....with the 6-pack to match. Go get em' @richie_strahan!' The Western Australia native has a bevvy of beauties all vying for his attention in the hit dating series. The line-up includes an eclectic mix of women all with different occupations, ages and backgrounds. Meanwhile, Tully has returned home to Melbourne after a 27-day Contiki tour in the US with stops in California, Nevada, Texas, Florida and many more places. Where it all began: Rumours circulated back in November after the pair were spotted getting cosy at the Melbourne Cup races Daisy Ridley is done with Instagram. The 24-year-old deleted her account after receiving backlash on the social media app following her post about gun violence. After she erased her Instagram, she reactivated it momentarily to post a statement before deleting it once more; she wrote: 'I just want to be on my phone less!' Done: Daisy Ridley deleted her Instagram after receiving backlash on the app following her post about gun violence; pictured on July 31 at the Teen Choice Awards in Inglewood, CA Adding: 'Trying to be more present and all that and got a busy few months ahead so wanted less distractions...It's all good! :)' The Star Wars: The Force Awakens star continued in the statement via EW.com: 'I always appreciate the support and love the Instagram community! X.' It all started after Daisy witnessed the tribute to victims of gun violence at the Teen Choice Awards, which took place on Sunday. Being honest: The 24-year-old reactivated it to post a statement before deleting it once more; she wrote: 'I just want to be on my phone less;' pictured on July 31 at the Teen Choice Awards Daisy wrote on her Instagram and Facebook: ' [As] I sat in the audience yesterday tears were streaming down my face at the tribute to those that have been lost to gun violence.' The movie star, who opened her Instagram last year, added: 'I didn't get a great picture of the incredible group that came on stage but they were so brave. It was a true moment of togetherness. We must #stoptheviolence.' Although she still has a Facebook, she deleted the explanation post on why she deleted her Instagram account. Stepping back: It all started after Daisy witnessed the tribute to victims of gun violence at the Teen Choice Awards; pictured on March 20 in London at the Jameson Empire Awards The British-born actress had 2.3 million Instagram followers. According to thenerdybird.com, one fan wrote: 'You have just lost a fan. With the utter lack of research, and an obvious zero knowledge on the subject, this is probably something you should not be talking about.' Another wrote: 'Says the woman who kills people with guns in movies. Such hypocrisy in Hollywood. Just shut up, Ridley and make another Star Wars movie.' Daisy became a household name after landing a starring role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released in 2015. The brunette beauty will be back as her character Rey in Star Wars: Episode VIII, due out on December 15, 2017. He plays a successful international arms dealers in his new comedy crime drama War Dogs. But Miles Teller showed his softer side when he attended a special screening of his flick in New York City with his stunning girlfriend of three years, Keleigh Sperry, 23. The 29-year-old hunky star donned a colourful tropical AllSaints Bouquet SS shirt when he took to the red carpet at Metrograph on Wednesday. Scroll down for video Racy romper: Upcoming: Miles Teller, 29, attended a special screening of his new comedy crime drama War Dogs on Wednesday with girlfriend Keleigh Sperry who wore a black off-the-shoulder jumpsuit which flashed a hint of cleavage The Insurgent star - who recently dyed his hair locks for a new role - teamed the floral number with black denim jeans and brown suede boots. She wore a black off-the-shoulder jumpsuit which flashed a hint of cleavage and was adorned with wildflowers throughout. Coordinated couple: The Insurgent star's stunning girlfriend of three years, Keleigh Sperry, 23, matched floral looks with the actor who wore a shirt by AllSaints Lighter locks: The Fantastic Four actor recently dyed his hair blonde for a new role The Fantastic Four's leading costar, Jonah Hill, 32, was polished to perfection in a black suit at the star-studded affair. The two-time Oscar nominee wore a light blue buttoned-up dress shirt with necktie embroidered with small red lips. Teller and Hill portray two 20-something friends who receive a U.S. government contract to supply weapons for American troops in Afghanistan. Sealed with a kiss! Jonah Hill, 32, was polished to perfection in a black suit and a necktie embroidered with small red lips Good-looking lineup: Director Todd Phillips, Hill and Teller posed for a snapshot at the screening for the film, which is due out August 19 Todd Phillips - who directed The Hangover trilogy - is directing the film which is scheduled for an August 19th release. Also in attendance was Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who sported her signature dark shades and short bob hairstyle. The fashion icon cut a ladylike figure as she donned a feminine frock with colourful floral fabric. Victoria's Secret model Hilary Rhoda, 29, showcased her slender stems in a black and white striped dress with ruffled hemline. Pretty as a petal! Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, 66, donned a feminine frock with colourful floral fabric Gary Beadle has revealed he would have 'loved' to have a baby with Charlotte Crosby and said he has still not come to terms with her traumatic ectopic pregnancy. The Geordie Shore star, 28, was filming Ex On The Beach in March this year when he found out the 'devastating' news that Charlotte had lost their unborn baby. He told Daily Mail Australia that he spoke to her every day on the phone, but did not come back to the UK because she told him that her surgery had gone well. Scroll down for video 'Devastated': Gary Beadle (pictured) said he has still not come to terms with Charlotte Crosby's traumatic ectopic pregnancy 'If shed said Im in the worst pain ever, I cant move Im dying, obviously Id be on the next plane home. But she was like Im okay, dont worry Im fine,' he said. 'Maybe I should have gone back. It still hasnt kicked in. I was like s***, if it hadn't happened I would have a kid. Obviously I was devastated.' When asked whether he would have wanted to have a child with Charlotte, he said: 'I would have loved it, I cant really say now what would have been or what would have happened.' Sad news: The Geordie Shore star revealed he would have 'loved' to have a baby with Charlotte, pictured in 2015 Tough call: Gary decided to remain on Ex On The Beach after Charlotte suffered her ectopic pregnancy, saying he cared for her from afar He revealed he was not officially dating Charlotte when he found out the tragic news and was not aware she was even pregnant. Gary said he was upset when Charlotte went public with the news, as he had wanted to keep it between the two of them. And their relationship worsened further still when Charlotte described Gary as 'worse than a murderer' in a recent interview. He said this was the 'final straw' and that they will never again rekindle their tumultuous five-year relationship. Looking for love: Gary said he was enjoying being single again Speaking out: Gary said he was upset when Charlotte went public with the news 'She said I was worse than a murderer, that to me was the final straw, I dont want to talk to her or about her,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Its done, Id never get back with Charlotte. It's done and dusted after five years.' 'Shes left Geordie Shore and I think shes dating other people. She needs to move on to the next chapter of her life and I want to do the same.' He said he was enjoying being single again and found filming for the new series of Geordie Shore easier than expected after Charlotte announced her departure. 'The worst time in the world': Gary said hearing Charlotte's traumatic news while he was filming Ex On The Beach was very difficult 'It was strange at the start, I was devastated she was not there, but in story terms it does not matter. 'It was weird having no one shouting at us. It was nice. It doesnt matter who leaves, the show will always go on.' Gary said he was pushing the producers to have another series based in Australia after the success of series six in Sydney. Opening up: 'We were never actually boyfriend and girlfriend,' he revealed He revealed he would want to move out to Australia once Geordie Shore ends and was hoping to get a house in the Gold Coast as well as a Sydney flat. 'Someone asked what I wanted to do when Geordie Shore ended and I said probably move to Australia. 'Im not quitting Geordie Shore, Im just moving here after,' he said. He also spoke about the 'explosive' upcoming series of Ex on the Beach which premieres on August 17 on MTV. BRIAN VINER: Philippa lives in Edinburgh, where she works in a dreary sales job and is passed over for promotion. 'You are at the right level for you,' says her condescending boss. She launched her international television career in 2010 after landing a role in Pretty Little Liars. And on Wednesday, Tammin Sursok revealed she 'almost got fired' from the job in the mystery-thriller series because of her thick Australian accent as she attended a fashion event in New York City. While stunning in a little red dress, the 32-year-old admitted to Sirius XM: 'My Australian accent kept coming up [during filming], so I decided to just speak in an American accent from then on. Scroll down for video Mix up: Tammin Sursok has revealed she 'almost got fired' from the role in Pretty Little Liars because of her Australian accent as she attended an event in New York City on Wednesday 'People get really upset that I have an American accent'. During the event at H&M department store, Tammin showed off her long toned legs as she slipped her slender frame into a sleeveless red dress. The fitted garment dropped to the knee and featured silver zip pockets on both sides. Details: The 32-year-old admitted: 'My Australian accent kept coming in [during filming], so I decided to just speak in an American accent from then on' True beauty: During the event at H&M department store, Tammin showed off her long toned legs as she slipped her slender frame into a sleeveless red dress The Australian beauty accessorised with a pair of black slip-on boot heels and a white watch which she wore on her right wrist. Tammin allowed her chocolate brown locks to fall freely over her shoulders as she wore them out with a loose curl. While keeping her make-up natural, she highlighted her cheekbones with a pink shimmer blush before finishing her look with a plum lipstick. Keeping it natural: Tammin allowed her chocolate brown locks to fall freely over her shoulders as she wore them out and styled with a loose curl Keeping it simple: While keeping her makeup natural, she highlighted her cheekbones with a pink shimmer blush before finishing her look with a plum lipstick Last week, the former Home And Away star spoke about death in relation to her returning character, Jenna Marshall, on the hit TV drama Pretty Little Liars, telling The Lowdown with Diana Madison, she hoped to go out with a bang. However, the actress admitted to the Obsev.com show, she doesn't actually get to find out what happens in each episode till one day before they begin filming. Tammin did reveal her character does return again after the summer finale, with the story line carrying through. She defended her shrinking frame earlier this year after stepping out looking worryingly thin back in January. But Jodi Anasta appeared both happy and healthy as she walked with her two-year-old daughter Aleeia in Byron Bay, last month. The 31-year-old, who has recently joined the cast of long-running soap Neighbours, cut a casual figure in a pair of black leather shorts and a loose-fitting white blouse. Scroll down for video Looking good: Jodi Anasta appeared both happy and healthy as she walked with her two-year-old daughter Aleeia in Byron Bay last month Fit and fabulous: The 31-year-old cut a much healthier figure as she was seen out and about in July (left) compared to her slender frame, seen in January (right) Her muscular pins were on full display as she chased after her cheeky daughter - who is clearly taking after her stunning mother. The actress completed her laid back look with trendy lace-up sandals, her favourite Mon Purse backpack and a pair of round-framed metallic shades. Her brunette locks had been pulled away from her face into a sleek ponytail. Like mother like daughter: Her muscular pins were on full display as she chased after her cheeky daughter - who is clearly taking after her stunning mother And her mini-me daughter looked angelic in a billowing white dress with tassels along the hemline and a pair of tiny white Converse sneakers. Jodi and her estranged husband Braith Anasta split in December, after three years of marriage. The retired NRL star and Jodi welcomed baby Aleeia in 2013, and after the stress of her break up in early 2016, she spoke out about her seemingly sudden weight loss. 'I have gone through a separation and I am being attacked for losing weight,' she told The Daily Telegraph. Kicking back: The 31-year-old appeared happy and relaxed as she walked with Aleeia, cutting a stylish figure in her casual outfit Cute: Her mini-me daughter looked angelic in a billowing white dress with tassels along the hemline and a pair of tiny white Converse sneakers Her comments came after her very slim figure was highlighted by the cut of her pink swimsuit while at a Sydney beach in January. Back in November, Jodi told Daily Mail Australia that her slender frame was a result of having an 'active' 22-month-old daughter. 'I'm just being a mum... and doing weights training. I'm trying to build muscle,' she said while attending the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female awards. Defending herself: The mother-of-one spoke out about her weight loss earlier this year, saying: 'I have gone through a separation and I am being attacked for losing weight' A different time: She looked worryingly thin during an outing to the beach in Sydney back in January 'Im training with a new trainer so its going well. I'm lifting all different types of weights, but only once a week.' However, it appeared the split with her husband and the ensuing stress brought on more weight loss. It was in December that Jodi and Braith announced they had agreed to a 'temporary separation'. Splitsville: Jodi and her estranged husband Braith Anasta split in December, after three years of marriage The news came a week after the pair were pictured in a heated argument at a Coogee park. Jodi and Braith said in a joint statement that they had decided to part ways after facing challenges 'like all married couples.' 'We are going to continue to support each other and remain best of friends, we only want the best for each other and more importantly our amazing daughter Aleeia,' they said. Apple of her eye: The retired NRL star and Jodi welcomed baby Aleeia in 2013 In less than two weeks Sylvia Jeffreys will put her body through a gruelling 14 kilometre fun run through Sydneys Central Business District to Bondi Beach. The Today show co-host, who will be one of 80,000 competitors on the day, is ten weeks into her training for the annual Sun-Herald City2Surf event on August 14. And while the 30-year-old journalist has admitted injuries had impacted her training in past weeks, shes now listening to hits by Kanye West to get her through the tougher regions of the course. Scroll down for video Preparing: Sylvia Jeffreys is preparing to compete in The Sun-Herald City2Surf event in Sydney on August 14 and revealed on Thursday she's training while listening to Kanye West Today's #heartbreakhillclimb powered by #yeezy and @the_upside #city2surf @cityrunseries, the event ambassador captioned a picture of herself wearing an Upside tank top and grey cap on her Instagram. She also added the hash-tags Life Of Pablo, team Kanye and ten sleeps to go to emphasise to her 113,000 followers that she was indeed a Kanye fan and that she was listening to hits from his most recent album. The post comes after the pretty blonde told her fans in a post on social media that she would be taking part in the popular fun run. Holding up a red and white entry card with her surname emblazoned across the front, the Channel Nine presenter said: 'Training starts now. In training: The Channel Nine journalist held up a red and white entry card with her surname emblazoned across the front 'After a few months off the running track due to injury, I've now got 12 weeks (To. The. Day.) to get race ready. 'I'm pumped to be involved in the #city2surf again this year. A wonderful community event. And great motivation to get moving. See you on #heartbreakhill!!'she concluded. But injury hasn't been the only training deterrent for the bubbly blonde. She recently went on a romantic holiday to Europe where she indulged in food and drink over a number of weeks. Smitten: Peter and Sylvia announced they were engaged with a gushing post to Instagram weeks earlier 'It was completely by surprise!' Sylvia revealed that she and Peter (right) got engaged in France Her now fiance and fellow Channel Nine journalist Peter Stefanovic also proposed to the Brisbane native during their idyllic vacation. Peter, 33, was the first to take to social media to announce the happy new with a snap of the pair standing in a vineyard in France, with Sylvia showing off her ring. Asked my missus to be my wife and she said yes, he gushed in the caption. Sparkly stunner: Sylvia made sure to show off her enormous diamond engagement which was purchased by Peter from Sydney's Nader Jewellers Time apart: They spent the beginning of their union in a long distance relationship with Peter heading overseas as a foreign correspondent for the Nine Network Meanwhile, Sylvia wrote: 'How's this for a framer?! A couple of weeks ago Pete popped the question, and I said yes, OF COURSE!!! We've had the most wonderful time celebrating with great mates. We couldn't be happier (check the grins) and so excited to share the news with everyone. Peter and Sylvia began dating at the end of 2013 after co-hosting the weekend edition of the Today show, when they stepped in for the regular hosts over the summer. They spent the beginning of their union in a long distance relationship with Peter heading overseas as a foreign correspondent for the Nine Network. Fit and fabulous! The blonde beauty's training has been interrupted by injury and a European holiday but Sylvia's determined to be race ready in time Shes never been one to court the spotlight, but Anna Kendrick tells Marie Claire that her personal life may well fall prey to the media scrutiny she generally avoids following the publication of her warts-and-all autobiography later this year. The American actress reflects on the potential fallout from the November release of a surprisingly candid memoir the ironically titled Scrappy Little Nobody in which she details her past romances. I do feel like there are probably some exes who will maybe not be thrilled, she admits. But all I can say is, it was my perception of how it happened. Scroll down for video Coming soon: Shes never been one to court the spotlight, but Anna Kendrick tells Marie Claire that her personal life may well fall prey to the public scrutiny she avoids following the publication of her warts-and-all autobiography later this year The Pitch Perfect star has been dating cinematographer Ben Richardson following her split with British director Edgar Wright following a four year romance in 2013. But while she expresses concern about the reaction to her forthcoming book, she admits there was no point in considering it unless she adopted an honest approach. I definitely wake up in cold sweats thinking, S**t, I need to cut that. What was I thinking? she says. There are times when I really want to censor a lot of it but then I just think, Well then, why the hell am I doing it? Sultry: Adding to her extensive repertoire Anna reveals some impressive modelling skills in a series of glossy shots, among them a tasteful black and white image which finds the star striking a coquettish pose Latest edition: To read the feature in full, see the September issue of Marie Claire, out today Adding to her extensive repertoire Anna reveals some impressive modelling skills in a series of glossy shots, including a tasteful black and white image which finds the star with one hand raised to her mouth as she strikes a coquettish pose. A second shot sees the Marie Claire cover girl sporting a black and white minidress and red tights as she rests on the bonnet of a vintage Rover. But it is acting that remains her passion, and she admits to developing a strong bond with her Pitch Perfect cast-mates, among them Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks. [Theyre like family] not in the cheesy sense. In the truest sense. We didnt choose each other, but if anyone tried to say anything against one of us, none of us would stand for it, she says. Previously: Anna dated British director Edgar Wright for four years before he couple separated in 2013 We have a group text, everyone texts, Love you guys, miss you so much, etc, while Im trying to think of a joke to text, because Im not so great with sincerity. Im like, Get away from me. Its not that I dont love them, its just thats not in my personality. To read the feature in full, see the September issue of Marie Claire, out today. Also available as a digital edition through Apple Newsstand. He's always managed to set pulses racing with his stunning good looks and charm. But Orlando Bloom's incredible physique sent Twitter into meltdown on Thursday as pictures of the star paddleboarding in the nude hit the internet. Responding to the snaps - which see the 39-year-old Troy star ferrying his bikini-clad girlfriend Katy Perry across the ocean in Sardinia - awestruck fans began to flood social media with a stream of hilarious memes. Scroll down for video Phw-oar: Orlando Bloom's incredible physique sent Twitter into meltdown on Thursday as pictures of the star paddleboarding in the nude hit the internet One fan had an emotional start to her morning as she revealed she'd initially thought everyone was discussing the Lord Of The Rings star because he had died. 'Thought #OrlandoBloom was trending because he died and then I click the hashtag...,' she posted alongside a gif of someone clapping. One fan quipped that the scenes had turned them to drink, tweeting: 'Orlando Bloom naked pics got me like,' alongside a gif of Megan Mullally's infamous boozy Will & Grace character Karen Walker downing vodka. Inevitable: Responding to the snaps of the 39-year-old Troy star with his girlfriend Katy Perry across the ocean in Sardinia - awestruck fans began to flood social media RIP me: One fan had an emotional start to her morning as she revealed she'd initially thought everyone was discussing the Lord Of The Rings star because he had died Liquor required: One fan quipped that the scenes had turned them to drink, using a gif of Megan Mullally's infamous boozy Will & Grace character Karen Walker downing vodka OMK: Another added that they had been transfixed by a certain part of the cheeky snap, as illustrated by a shocked looking Kim Kardashian Ready and raring: Other famous celebrities were used by fans to show their shock and pleasure at the snaps, with one using a funny gif of Rebel Wilson ripping her shirt open Throwback: Meanwhile, a bemused fan referred back to the infamous set of Justin Bieber nudes that circulated the web Meanwhile, a bemused fan referred back to the infamous set of Justin Bieber nudes that circulated the web, joking: 'Take that #Beliebers #OrlandoBloom wore it better.' Another added that they had been transfixed by a certain part of the cheeky snap, which has been censored, tweeting: 'When you see why "Orlando Bloom" is trending and then you see the shadow,' alongside a snap of a shocked looking Kim Kardashian. Other famous celebrities were used by fans to show their shock and pleasure at the snaps, with one using a funny gif of Rebel Wilson ripping her shirt open and yelling: 'My body is ready!' Even Hillary Clinton and Judge Judy got into the action, with snaps of the pair out searching cropping up all over social media. On trial: Even Judge Judy got in on the action, with snaps of her tapping her watch cropping up all over social media Political: Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was also used as a meme Shocked: Jim Carrey's expressive character in Liar Liar made the perfect meme Mania: WWE star John Cena summed up many fans thoughts with this one look Rude boy: Rihanna's coy smile worked perfectly to express their feelings Katy and Orlando began dating in February after meeting at the Golden Globes ceremony. Last month, Orlando's ex-wife Miranda Kerr - who he shares a five-year-old son named Flynn with - announced her engagement to Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Meanwhile, Katy was previously married to Russell Brand between 2010 and 2012. Biding their time: Some fans quipped that the snaps would be released soon Second glance: It all proved to be a tad too much for some people Millions mourned with her when her husband Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray in September 2006. And ten years on, Terri Irwin says no-one has taken his place in her heart with the mother-of-two revealing in this month's The Australian Womans Weekly she hasn't dated since his death. 'I haven't been on a single date since Steve died,' she told the publication, as they discussed life for the Irwin matriarch, a decade after her husband's tragic death. Scroll down for video Undying love: Terri Irwin has revealed in an interview with The Australian Women's Weekly, she has not been on a single date in the 10 years since her husband Steve Irwin's passing The 52-year-old revealed it wasn't because she thought it was wrong to marry again but that she's simply loving her life with her two children, Bindi and Robert, and hasn't been looking. The American-born wildlife warrior met Steve on an educational trip to Australia in the early 90s and after a whirlwind romance they were married just months later. If I hadn't met Steve, I probably would never have married because I wasn't looking for love when I met him. What we had was incredible, she said. The mother-of-two recalls that after their wedding in the U.S. state of Oregon, the two caught their first crocodile together on their honeymoon. Not looking: The 52-year-old revealed it wasn't because she thought it was wrong to marry again but because she's loving life with her children, Bindi and Robert, that she hasn't been looking The mother-of-two recalls that after their wedding in the U.S. state of Oregon, the two caught their first crocodile together on their honeymoon Steve had heard about a couple of crocs that were in danger of being killed by poachers, so they got on a plane back to Australia to catch them before it was too late. In what was a defining moment of their relationship, the newlyweds doubled-teamed a massive three-metre female after it had been caught in a net trap. Terri was tasked with wrestling the croc herself while her husband got the net off it, and at first thought she had heard Steves plan properly. Catch together, stay together: The newlyweds doubled-teamed a massive three-metre female after it had been caught in a net trap Legacy: The lanky blonde has committed to keeping The Crocodile Hunters legacy alive through his conservation work, Australia Zoo, and raising their children Bindi, 18, and Robert, 12 I flung myself on her head first and I was amazed at the strength. They are like flexed muscle theyre just powerful It stopped being scary and became a privilege really quickly, she said. Since his passing, the lanky blonde has committed to keeping The Crocodile Hunters legacy alive through his conservation work, Australia Zoo, and raising their children Bindi, 18, and Robert, 12. But it took a long time for Terri to move on from his death, admitting she kept all his things, even his toothbrush, as they were when he was still alive. Grief: It took a long time for Terri to move on from his death, admitting she kept all his things, even his toothbrush, as they were when he was still alive Moving on: It was not until two years ago when she remodelled their three-bedroom house near Australia Zoo to give teenage Bindi her own bathroom that she cleared it all into boxes She could not even bear to cut her hair for years after, because he had always liked her with long hair. It was not until two years ago when she remodelled their three-bedroom house near Australia Zoo to give teenage Bindi her own bathroom that she cleared it all into boxes. His office is still as he left it though, with a sign above the desk proclaiming him the original wildlife warrior and a filing cabinet crammed with photos of animals he took from all over the world. The Crocodile Hunter's two children Bindi and Robert are also both keen to continue their father's work and have taken an active interest in his conservation work, while also promoting Australia Zoo with Bindi's recent 18th Birthday Bash held there. He makes typically suave appearances on the red carpet. Yet Ben Affleck proved wardrobe malfunctions can even happen to Hollywood superstars as he arrived at the Suicide Squad premiere after-party in London on Wednesday night - baring more than intended. The 43-year-old Batman Vs. Superman star looked typically handsome as he hit the red carpet in his grey suit yet as the merriment of the evening progressed he appeared to forget to zip his flies and fasten his waistband. Scroll down for video Oops! Ben Affleck proved wardrobe malfunctions can even happen to Hollywood superstars as he arrived at the Suicide Squad premiere after-party in London on Wednesday night - baring more than intended Ben makes a brief cameo in the movie in his role as Batman, so was on hand to lend the central stars support as they hit the capital to debut the villainous flick. Despite looking suave on the red carpet, in a grey suit, white shirt and dotted tie, it seems his trousers were gripe from the very start of the evening. With his well-fitted jacket, it was a shock to see his trousers were loosely-fitted and being cinched in by his black leather belt - risking an overexposure with any false move. With his shirt hanging out at the back, Ben seemed slightly disheveled ahead of the rest of the night, while he remained stony-faced while heading into the after-party. Ben looked worlds away from Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, following his first turn as the Caper Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was released earlier this year to rave reviews. Flying low: The 43-year-old Batman Vs. Superman star looked typically handsome as he hit the red carpet in his grey suit yet as the merriment of the evening progressed he appeared to forget to zip his flies and fasten his waistband Heading in: Ben makes a brief cameo in the movie in his role as Batman, so was on hand to lend the central stars support as they hit the capital to debut the villainous flick Dashing: With his well-fitted jacket, it was a shock to see his trousers were loosely-fitted and being cinched in by his black leather belt - risking an overexposure with any false move Atop his cameo in Suicide Squad, which has been met with an array of car crash reviews, Ben is also set to play Batman in the Justice League films in both 2017 and 2019. Ben was joined by fellow Justice League stars Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa as they joined their fellow DC stars at the London premiere. The trio jetted over to London after joining up in San Diego, California, last month alonside Justice League stars Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, and Ray Fisher. The get together was were Affleck confirmed he would be directing the solo Batman film. Making a cameo: Atop his cameo in Suicide Squad, which has been met with an array of car crash reviews, Ben is also set to play Batman in the Justice League films in both 2017 and 2019 Premiere time: Ben was joined by fellow Justice League stars Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa as they joined their fellow DC stars at the London premiere She was seen hitting the town with billionaire Elon Musk and the Suicide Squad cast including Cara Delevingne on Monday night. But Amber Heard will be back in Los Angeles in time for her 10am deposition on Saturday, according to TMZ. The 30-year-old actress is set to be grilled by estranged husband Johnny Depp's lawyers following her allegations the Hollywood actor was 'verbally and physically abusive' towards her throughout their relationship. Scroll down for video The party's over: Amber Heard will reportedly be back in Los Angeles in time for her 10am deposition on Saturday, after she was spotted partying at London celebrity hotspot The Box on Wednesday night The website claims the deposition could last up to seven hours and feature statements from both police and witnesses. It's thought Johnny could also be in attendance at the deposition in spite of his current retraining order which prevents him from seeing Amber, should she consent to his presence. TMZ reports that Johnny is due to attend his own deposition next week, and settlement talks are ongoing. Putting in an appearance: It's thought Johnny could also be in attendance at the deposition in spite of his current retraining order which prevents him from seeing Amber, should she consent to his presence It was recently reported that Amber believes Johnny is purposely stalling their divorce. The blonde beauty has filed legal documents accusing him of refusing to hand over financial details to settle the case. It emerged last week the 53-year-old movie star was demanding his wife of 15-months sign a non-disclosure agreement before he hands over any paperwork. Hold up: Johnny is purposely stalling his divorce, according to estranged wife Amber It calls for a $100k fine every time his financial info is leaked by Amber or even her accountant. TMZ reported on Tuesday that Amber branded the stipulation 'ridiculous' and just a ploy to thwart the case. The pair initially failed to settle on a date for Amber's deposition; Depp's team had proposed August 3 and 8, but Heard claimed she cannot since she was in London filming Justice League. The site claimed she offered to fly back on a Saturday, but was told the actor's team is not willing to work weekends. Move along: The 30-year-old has filed legal documents accusing him of refusing to hand over financial details to settle the case In the court documents obtained last week, Johnny's lawyer Laura Wasser claimed Amber has been telling the media information about the former couple, who are not thought to have had a pre-nuptial agreement. In addition to asking the court to order his financial dealings to be kept, he wants other information that will be part of the proceedings such as witness statements to remain private too. According to People, he is also asking that any experts or witnesses called to give evidence in the case be required to sign nondisclosure agreements. 'Amber's need for financial information to resolve this case is distinct from the public's appetite for celebrity divorce,' Johnny's legal documents state. Johnny pointed out that media scrutiny of his break-up with Amber is intense, calling it 'one of the most heavily publicized celebrity divorces in recent memory.' Clash: The couple - who had been married for 15 months when Amber filed for divorce in May - are locked in a bitter legal fight and Johnny, 53, is now asking a judge to require the actress to sign a confidentiality agreement He said he had asked his estranged wife 'has inexplicably refused to sign any agreement' consenting to keeping details of their relationship and divorce private. The Pirates of The Caribbean star also wants a judge to rule that requests by Amber's legal team for information about his finances prior to their relationship are unwarranted, and that attempts to obtain financial information from his Hollywood Vampires bandmates be quashed because they're 'irrelevant.' The now former couple - who met on the set of 2011 film The Rum Diary and were married for just 15 months - have been embroiled in the bitter legal battle since announcing their split in May. Amber has been granted a temporary restraining order against Johnny after claiming in court that her decision to file for divorce from him was prompted by the actor physically attacking her with an iPhone, leaving her with a bruised eye. 'Irrelevant': Johnny has alleged in court documents that Amber, 30, is seeking informaiton about the finances of his Hollywood Vampires bandmates including Alice Cooper, pictured with Johnny, and Joe Perry She alleged that 'during the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me'. In recent weeks, Johnny has been selling off some of his assets including paintings by Basquiat. He has doubled the asking price on his French estate, which is set on 37 acres of land and comes complete with more than a dozen buildings, to 42 million. And he has also listed his seven-bedroom Venetian mansion for 9 million. Last week, Amber met up with her ex-girlfriend Tasya Van Ree, who she split from five years ago, at Republique in Los Angeles. Sources close to the actress also denied last week she was seeing billionaire Elon Musk after 'spending a lot of time' together, insisting they have been close friends for years. She never has a day off when it comes to style. And Dakota Fanning made a strong sartorial statement as she attended a series of business meetings in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. The 22-year-old actress looked effortless in an oversized navy shirt dress, which she sexed up with a pair of ruby red slip-on heels. Scroll down for video Getting shirty: Dakota Fanning made a strong sartorial statement as she attended a series of business meetings in Beverly Hills on Wednesday The baggy number fell just above the star's knees, while her 5ft4 in frame was accentuated with the unique footwear. Dakota teamed her ensemble with a red leather chain-detail shoulder bag and kept her eyes sheltered from the Californian sun with a pair of chic mirrored aviators. The former child star wore her blonde locks loose around her shoulders and accentuated her striking features with natural make-up. Dakota - who's currently dating British model Jamie Strachan - is next set to star in the film The Bell Jar with fellow former child star Kirsten Dunst. Fashion parade: The 22-year-old actress looked effortless in an oversized navy shirt dress, which she sexed up with a pair of ruby red slip-on heels Summer style: Dakota teamed her ensemble with a red leather chain-detail shoulder bag and kept her eyes sheltered from the Californian sun with a pair of chic mirrored aviators The actress - who is the elder sister of Elle Fanning, 18 - will play mentally-unstable Esther Greenwood in the adaptation of Sylvia Plath's sole 1963 novel. Incredibly busy on the career front, Dakota will also likely head to the Toronto International Film Festival next month for the premiere of her revenge western Brimstone alongside Kit Harington and Guy Pierce. The Georgia-born blonde will next play teenage political terrorist Merry Levov in Ewan McGregor's directorial debut American Pastoral with Jennifer Connelly, David Strathairn, and Uzo Aduba. Natural beauty: The former child star wore her blonde locks loose around her shoulders and accentuated her striking features with natural make-up Star cast: Dakota will next play 16-year-old political terrorist Merry Levov in Ewan McGregor's directorial debut American Pastoral with Jennifer Connelly, David Strathairn, and Uzo Aduba The postwar dramedy - based on the 1997 Philip Roth novel - will hit US theaters October 28 and UK theaters November 11. 'I've never planned anything,' Dakota explained to Metro in January of selecting acting projects. 'I'm not a snob. I don't really know how to do anything else.' And as of January, Fanning was still studying gender in cinema part-time at New York Universitys Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Ozzy Osbourne's mistress Michelle Pugh finally broke her silence about their four-year affair in an explosive interview this week. And as the new issue of People magazine hit newsstands, a removal van was seen outside the Black Sabbath's family home in Los Angeles, which he shares with wife of 33 years Sharon. A large vehicle was seen pulling out of the driveway on Wednesday, sparking speculation that a relocation could be on the cards. Scroll down for video Making a move? A removal van was seen outside the Osbourne's family home in Los Angeles on Wednesday Staying together: Ozzy, 67, has patched things up with his wife of 33 years Sharon after his former mistress Michelle Pugh finally broke her silence about their four-year affair Following a brief split when the news broke in May, Sharon and Ozzy are giving their marriage another chance and could be on the market for a new abode in a bid to start afresh. The sighting comes after it was confirmed in an official statement from Ozzy's representatives that he was being treated for sex addiction following numerous flings with 'other women'. MailOnline has contacted both stars' representatives for comment. Meanwhile, Michelle has filed a lawsuit against Ozzy's daughter Kelly, saying she was 'slut-shamed, bullied and harassed' by the television host. When the news of her 67-year-old father's affair emerged in May, Kelly posted a string of furious tweets, publicising Pugh's direct phone number and accusing her of 'elder abuse'. Pugh's lawyer, F. Edie Mermelstein, told People: 'There are laws on our books addressing harm and damage to the reputation of an individual, as well as publication of a person's private facts. Changes ahead? A large vehicle was seen pulling out of the driveway on Wednesday, sparking speculation that a relocation could be on the cards Speaking out: Michelle Pugh has broken her silence on her illicit romance with Ozzy Osbourne in an explosive new interview with People magazine 'In violation of California laws and Twitter rules and policies, Kelly Osbourne publicly exposed my client to hatred, contempt ridicule and disgrace.' Hairstylist Michelle spilled the beans about her passionate liaison with the musician earlier this week, telling People, 'I say he gave me the greatest love of my life, I mean it'. 'He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world.' Michelle - who first met Ozzy when she styled his hair - claims the star was 'unhappy' in his marriage and 'consistently and willingly and generously' gave her his love. The heartbroken blonde revealed she finds it difficult no longer being in touch with Ozzy, who says she connected with about their shared interests like history and painting, and is finding the loss of their friendship hard. Meanwhile, Ozzy's representatives have revealed the Prince of Darkness is currently undergoing 'intense' therapy for sex addiction. Smitten: Michelle told the publication, 'He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world' The star's spokesperson has apologised for Michelle taking their 'sexual relationship out of context', insisting there was no emotional connection. A statement from his spokesperson reads: 'He is sorry if Ms. Pugh took their sexual relationship out of context'. 'He would like to apologize to the other women he has been having sexual relationships with. 'Since his relationship with Ms. Pugh was exposed, Ozzy has gone into intense therapy.' Ozzy and Sharon reunited this summer following a short break, but it hasn't been easy for the X Factor judge to trust him again. Working on his issues: Ozzy is now in 'intense therapy' for sex addiction and he issued a statement apologising to Michelle and the ' other women he has been having sexual relationships with' Michelle's comments come after Ozzy addressed his recent affair and brief split with Sharon on Good Morning America last week. 'It's just a bump in the road, that's all it is,' he told GMA's Jesse Palmer. 'I'm back on track again.' He said his marriage had had its ups and downs, but that didn't mean it was over. 'Some days good, some days terrible, some days you just drift apart for a while,' he said. 'But you get back on the horse, you know.' But it seems the Sharon didn't like the terms her rocker husband used to describe their marriage. 'Get back on the horse?' How dare he!' she ranted on The Talk just a few hours later, using the 67-year-old's own words against him. And Sharon warned: 'Hes a dirty dog...he's going to pay big.' 'Some days good, some days terrible': Ozzy talked about his recent brief split with Sharon while romoting his new History show Ozzy And Jack's World Tour on Good Morning America Forgiven but not forgotten? 'Hes a dirty dog...he's going to pay big', Sharon said while discussing the cheating allegations on chat show The Talk But the feisty TV favourite did soften when she said she had forgiven him, adding: ''Its going to take a long time to trust, but weve been together 36 years, 34 of marriage, and its more than half of my life.' Ozzy is said to have begged for Sharon's forgiveness after the affair was exposed in May. A source told the New York Post's Page Six column: 'His family is very important to him and he's come to his senses. Sharon is Ozzy's whole life; he can't manage without her.' The 63-year-old TV star - who has children Kelly, 31, Aimee, 32 and Jack, 30, with Ozzy - was left heartbroken when she reportedly searched through her husband's emails and discovered his secret. An insider said at the time: 'Sharon found out about the affair by searching through Ozzy's emails. She was upset that he was supporting this woman!' Sharon confirmed she'd split from Ozzy, who she married in 1982, on her chat show The Talk on May 10 when she thanked her fans for their support. Stand by your man: She's said to be supporting him through a rehab stint for sex addiction Brave face: The couple's daughter Kelly Osbourne has watched her parents go through turmoil in their marriage in the past She said: 'I'm 63 years of age, and I can't keep living like this... I've been avoiding looking at any pictures or reading anything. I know what's going on. 'I don't need to read about or see about it. It's like putting salt in a wound. I don't need to... He's back, and now I'm out of the house.' Meanwhile, the infidelity claims sparked rumours that Ozzy, who has battled with drugs and alcohol addictions in the past, had fallen off the wagon again. However, although he refused to deny rumours he'd cheated on his wife, he quickly poured cold water on relapse reports. He said: 'I have been sober for three and a quarter years. I have not touched drugs or alcohol in that time. Any reports that I am not sober are completely inaccurate.' After being spotted without her 10-carat diamond ring, worth a reported $280,000, on numerous occasions, the sparkler is now firmly back on Sharon's ring finger. Happy families: The 63-year-old TV star has children Kelly, 31, (top right) Aimee, 32 (not pictured) and Jack, 30 (left) with Ozzy She's sporting a glowing tan after two months filming Made In Chelsea in the South Of France. So no wonder Alexandra 'Binky' Felstead wanted to show it off - and some major side boob - at the launch of her latest fashion collection on Thursday. The reality TV beauty, 26, looked stunning in her plunging coral maxi dress as she arrived at the press day for her In The Style range in London. Scroll down for video Showing some skin: Made In Chelsea star Alexandra 'Binky' Felstead shows off some major side boob in a daring orange dress at the In The Style press day in London Bronzed: The reality TV beauty, 26, looked stunning in her plunging maxi dress The Sloane Ranger teamed her summery look with a pair of brown wedge sandals with her brunette locks styled in loose waves. Also joining Binky at the central London location was fellow InTheStyle celebrity Charlotte Crosby. Binky was showing off new designs from her latest collection for InTheStyle, who she has been working with since last year. Dangerously plunging: The coral material barely covered Binky's assets Strike a pose: The 26-year-old was showing off the dress to full effect as she posed for photographers Boho babe: The Sloane Ranger teamed her summery look with a pair of brown wedge sandals with her brunette locks styled in loose waves Keeping things in check: The Made In Chelsea star looked like she was in danger of exposing her chest at one point Meanwhile, Binky was back on the small screen on Monday with the return of Made In Chelsea to E4. Earlier this week, she spoke about her new friendship with ex-boyfriend Alex Mytton following their split two years ago after he repeatedly cheated on her. She went on to date MIC co-star Josh 'JP' Patterson - but they have since parted ways, while Alex had a stormy on/off romance with Irish blonde Nicola Hughes, which is currently in an 'off' period. OMG: Binky realised she had suffered a nip slip in the revealing polyester number Binky was showing off new designs from her latest collection for InTheStyle, who she has been working with since last year Reality babe: Binky was back on the small screen on Monday with the return of Made In Chelsea to E4 Oops: Binky readjusts her dress as she nearly falls out of the barely-there top Moving on: Earlier this week, she spoke about her new friendship with ex-boyfriend Alex Mytton following their split two years ago after he repeatedly cheated on her Binky told the Lorraine show: 'It's been a while since we [Alex and I] were together. 'We share the same birthday so we had to get on. He's had a bit of trouble with his ex-girlfriend. We're friends. I don't have any feelings for him any more. Luckily.' Binky also hinted that she has followed ex JP's advice and 'moved on' from their split earlier this year during her two-month stint in France. She explained: 'JP told me to move on before I went out. There's only so long a girl can wait. 'He's been away as well. I don't know what's going to happen. It's obviously real-life. We're going to have to see each other soon.' All change: Binky later changed into a patterned strapless maxi - another new design from her latest collection Showing some leg: The side splits in the maxi dress revealed Binky's tanned legs She's made it through to the last 12 contestants on The Bachelor this week. And on Thursday, Noni Janur revealed a hidden talent that will leave Richie Strahan feeling hot under the collar. After being picked for a dancing class group date, she confessed: 'I twerk, I don't do ballroom dancing!' Scroll down for video 'I twerk, I don't do ballroom dancing!' On Thursday, The Bachelor's Noni Janur revealed a hidden talent that will leave Richie Strahan feeling hot under the collar Noni joined Bachelorettes Eliza, Sophie, Keira, Georgia, Olena, and Rachael for a session with professional dancer Stefano Olivieri. But the 25-year-old admitted she wasn't experienced in the 'romance of the waltz', but had other skills instead. Noni claimed she is an expert at 'twerking', a sexy dance move which involves 'popping' the derriere in a squatting position. Different talent: Noni was picked for a ballroom dancing-themed group date, but she prefers a different style of dance. Pictured with contestant Rachael Love on the dancefloor? Noni joined Bachelorettes (L-R) Eliza, Sophie, Keira, Georgia, Olena, and Rachael for a session with professional dancer Stefano Olivieri Noni has already earned a fan following on The Bachelor due to her exotic looks and fun personality. In last week's season premiere, she introduced herself to Richie with a bouquet of bacon 'roses'. She quipped: 'Just don't go bacon my heart.' Fan favourite: Noni's exotic looks and fun personality have made her a popular contestant. Pictured right, her bizarre 'bacon' tattoo on her ankle Sweet revenge! Noni was praised on Twitter this week for knocking down 'villain' Keira Maguire during a roller derby group date Noni also revealed she has a 'bacon' tattoo on her ankle, a bizarre tribute to her favourite food. Meanwhile, she was praised on Twitter this week for knocking down 'villain' Keira Maguire during a roller derby group date. The Bachelor continues on Wednesday at 7.30pm on Network Ten David Bowie and The 1975 are among the favourites for a 2016 Hyundai Mercury Music Prize after the shortlist was announced in London on Thursday afternoon. The 1975 received their nomination after winning international acclaim for their second album, I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, following its release in February. Meanwhile the late David Bowie's Blackstar has been given a posthumous nomination. Scroll down for video and full list of nominees In with a chance: The 1975 have earned a 2016 Mercury Music Prize nomination following the release of their second album, I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It The reclusive star - who tragically died in January at the age of 69 from cancer - has been nominated for a third time having previously been up for the prestigious accolade in 2002 for Heathen and in 2013 for The Next Day. The full shortlist of 12 nominated albums were announced at a ceremony hosted by 6 Music's Shaun Keaveny in London on Thursday and features a diverse range of artists from grime stars Kano and Skepta to indie band Radiohead. The band's ninth studio LP A Moon Shaped Pool has been shortlisted along with Kano's Made in the Manor and Skepta's Konnichiwa. Legendary: David Bowie's Blackstar has been shortlisted for the 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize posthumously Hopeful: Michael Kiwanuka 's Love & Hate and Laura Mvula's The Dreaming Room have also been named among this year's nominations In the mix: Jamie Woon has been given a Mercury Music Prize nod for album Making Time Other albums up for the award include Jamie Woon's Making Time and Laura Mvula's The Dreaming Room. And completing the list is Bat For Lashes with The Bride, Michael Kiwanuka with Love & Hate, Adore Life by Savages, Hopelessness by Anohni and Chanel the Spirits by The Comet Is Coming. A Mercury Music Prize insider said: 'This is music to make sense of our unsettling times - heartfelt, angry, thoughtful and thrilling. Delighted: Kano will no doubt hope to cap a successful year with a win after being nominated for latest album Made In The Manor Here they come: Natasha Khan, AKA Bat For Lashes (L) and Ellie Rowsell, AKA Wolf Alice (R) were in attendance on Wednesday afternoon. Bat For Lashes has been nominated for album The Bride Popular pair: The 1975 were represented by singer Matt Healy and band-mate Adam Hann 'The 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize 'Albums of the Year' are marked by their musical ambitions, unexpected instrumentation and breathtaking arrangements.' Speaking at the launch of the 25th annual awards ceremony at London's Langham Hotel on Friday, The 1975 star Matt revealed the band will donate their 25,000 prize to a worthy cause if they win. 'We'd give it to charity,' he said. 'We'd give it to charity, and have a lovely meal.' However, he was less philanthropic in his plans for the award itself as he plans to take it home and not share it with his bandmates Adam Hann, George Daniel and Ross MacDonald. When asked what he'll keep it, he replied: 'The award? I'm having it.' It could be me: Skepta also features on the shortlist following the release of his album Konnichiwa Success: David Bowie's Blackstar has been nominated for a Mercury Music Prize almost eight months after his death The prize aims to celebrate the best British albums from the past year. The shortlist, five remaining finalists and overall winner are judged solely on artistic merit. The six finalists and the overall winner will be announced as part of the 2016 Awards Show, which will take place on September 15 at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. The ceremony will feature live performances from the shortlisted artists and will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize for Album of the Year. She found fame at the tender age of 10 with her stint on Byker Grove. But whilst This Morning viewers were no doubt expecting Donna Air to look very different when she appeared on the ITV programme on Thursday, they were surprised to hear that the 37-year-old presenter sounded unrecognisable also. Taking to Twitter as she appeared, the social media site was awash with fans accusing the Geordie star of 'faking' an accent now that she's been dating James Middleton for three years. Unexpected: Donna Air shocked This Morning viewers on Thursday when the Newcastle-born star, 37, appeared to have lost her iconic Geordie accent and replaced it with Estuary English Whilst she may have been trying to show off a range of summer clothing options for couples, viewers were only concerned by her articulation, with one tweeting: 'honestly what is wrong with your real accent ! Stop being so fake, you sound so stupid !!!' Another claimed she sounded just like Joanna Lumley's iconic character in Absolutely Fabulous, quipping: 'isn't @donnaair meant to be geordie? She sounds like Patsy Stone.' One viewer questioned if it was all due to her relationship with the Duchess of Cambridge's brother, posting: 'What's happened to Donna Air's voice? Is she having elocution lessons... Wedding to James Middleton coming up perhaps??! #thismorning #odd.' High society: Twitter was awash with fans accusing the Geordie star of 'faking' an accent now that she's dating the Duchess Of Cambridge's brother, James Middleton Distracted: Whilst she may have been trying to show off a range of summer clothing options for couples, viewers were only concerned by her articulation Sound familiar? Another claimed she sounded just like Joanna Lumley's iconic character in Absolutely Fabulous Can you hear wedding bells? One viewer questioned if it was all due to her three-year long relationship with the Duchess of Cambridge's brother Other viewers claimed she was struggling to keep up her new accent, tweeting: 'OMG #DonnaAir on #ThisMorning Her accent is ranging from plummy London, aussie, American and then she slips its pure northern.' One seemed thoroughly entertained as he mused: 'Geordie Shore/Made In Chelsea's strange love child.' But not everyone was quick to accuse the star, as a fan pointed out: 'accents change with time and based on the people you spend time with. They're learned.' Under attack: Donna's accent was ridiculed by viewers who were shocked to hear her speak and even likened her to Absolutely Fabulous character Patsy Stone Switching it up: Other viewers claimed she was struggling to keep up her new accent Reality (series) check: One viewer seemed thoroughly entertained with Donna's accent The logic echoes Donna's own sentiments, who has previously spoken out about the criticism she's received for her accent. Writing for the Mail On Sunday last month, the pretty blonde explained she hadn't been taking elocution lessons, but was merely trying to speak in a manner that everyone can understand. 'Im an actress and a TV presenter: its my job to speak clearly, to communicate effectively on and off camera,' she wrote. 'My home has been in London for 20 years now, longer than I lived in my native North East. 'I think it would be far weirder if I sounded the same as the ten year-old Donna who starred in TV series Byker Grove asking PJ (Anthony McPartlin, now half of Ant and Dec) if hed like to share a banana milk. ' Back on track: Some fans defended Donna, explaining that accents change over time, which has echoed her own sentiments, having previously spoken out about the criticism she's got All inclusive: The pretty blonde previously explained she hasn't been taking elocution lessons, but was merely trying to speak in a manner that everyone can understand My Fair Donna: Some viewers compared her to Eliza Doolittle In defence: Not everyone was quick to accuse the star of faking an accent She added that she found the best way to brush off any criticisms was to laugh it off as she explained: 'Ive always thought wit was the best way to deflect this kind of judgment and, anyway, I am guilty of it myself, telling southern friends who tease me for my accent that they sound like thumping great Sloanes.' However, she admitted that the bombardment of comments still affected her, and took particular offence to being labelled Eliza Doolittle - the fictional Cockney character in George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion who takes elocution lessons to fit in with high society. Donna explained: 'Shaws Eliza Doolittle is a smart girl keen to make the best of her life. 'The only sadness for me in being likened to her is that the part was written a century ago and I would have hoped we, as a country, would be having a different conversation by now.' No big deal: Donna previously said the best way to brush off any criticisms was to laugh it off He celebrated his 18th birthday in England four weeks ago so he would legally be able to drink . And Jaden Smith was spotted enjoying the British nightlife once again as he left Mayfair's Sketch bar with a female companion and his security in the early hours of Saturday morning. The teen actor looked super cool in a basic black ensemble which he topped off with a white denim jacket as he made a few pit-stops on his way back to the hotel. Scroll down for video Party time! Jaden Smith, 18, was spotted enjoying the British nightlife once again as he left Mayfair's Sketch nightclub Hanging with a pal: He was spotted with a female companion and his security on Wednesday night Accompanied by a mystery woman in a pair of towering strappy heels, he decided to get comfortable on the floor in an alley. The son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith then got back up, with a bottle of liqueur still in tact, to continue back to his residence for the night. Clearly a fan of an energetic party, the Karate Kid star looked in great spirits as he made the journey. His father Will Smith revealed on TV last week that his son tricked him into planning his big birthday milestone in the British capital. Trendy: The teen actor looked super cool in a basic black ensemble which he topped off with a white denim jacket Making a pit-stop: He decided to get comfortable on the floor in an alley Details: He topped of his cool ensemble with a baseball cap Making his way: The son of Jada Pinkett Smith then got back up, with a bottle of liqueur still in tact, to continue back to his residence for the night Will just assumed that 'he wanted his family with him,' for his 18th birthday on July 8. The Men in Black star then went on to describe how Jaden revealed the true purpose of having his birthday in the UK. While at the restaurant for a celebratory dinner, Will recounted, 'Jadens particularly excited. He looks at the waiter and says "Ill have a tequila!"' His now adult son then smiled and said, 'The drinking age is 18 in England dad.' Not sleepy: Clearly a fan of an energetic party, the Karate Kid star looked in great spirits as he made the journey Sneaky son: His dad Will Smith spoke shortly after his 18th birthday that his son tricked him in to planning his big milestone in the British capital Meanwhile, Jaden came out in New York City on Monday to show his support for his dad's latest flick Suicide Squad. Will features in the movie as the hitman Deadshot. His son was nothing if not effusive about the film on Good Morning America, telling Roberts, 'It's amazing. I love that movie so much. Like, seeing him up there, like, playing that character is just, like, very, very next level.' And not to be outshone by his famous father, Jaden has been busy promoting his forthcoming Netflix series, The Get Down. The hour-long show, directed and co-created by Baz Luhrmann, will follow the burgeoning hip hop scene in the South Bronx during the 1970s. Like father, like son: Meanwhile Jaden came out on Monday to show his support for his dad's latest flick Suicide Squad. Will features in the movie as the hitman Deadshot Speaking of the show's historical context, the Razzie-winner stated: 'You know, the death of disco, you know, hip-hop rising, the landlords, buildings burning down. 'So I feel like it's really interesting for us to look back into history and see, you know, what the state of the world was in that time or the Bronx, which is the world to our characters.' The Get Down's first six episodes will arrive on Netflix August 12th. Jaden is also currently loved up with model Sarah Snyder, who he started dating last September. He stole the show when he graced the red carpet at the Suicide Squad premiere in London on Wednesday night, wearing a bright green coat. And the exact moment Jared Leto first laid eyes on the fashion-forward attire has now been revealed, with a funny picture re-surfacing on Twitter. The flashback photo sees the excited actor sitting on the front row at Gucci's Spring/Summer 2017 menswear show in Milan. Scroll down for video Fashion forward: Jared Leto displayed his quirky style at the London premiere of Suicide Squad on Wednesday night, wearing a vibrant green coat While his fellow fashionistas look calm and collected, Jared is open-mouthed with amazement as he watched the eye-catching jacket go down the runway. The Thirty Seconds To Mars rocker can't contain his glee, seemingly taking mental notes on the look. And it seems it certainly made an impact on him since he even styled the look in a similar fashion for the film premiere. Picture of glee: The exact moment the actor first laid eyes on the fashion-forward attire has now been revealed, with a funny picture re-surfacing on Twitter I want! While his fellow fashionistas look calm and collected, Jared is open-mouthed with amazement as he watched the eye-catching jacket go down the runway Never one to shy away from pushing the envelope with his questionable fashion, the 44-year-old Oscar-winner continued his wacky ensemble with a pair of ankle bashing pink trousers. Resembling a look from Will Ferrell's Elf - sans shearling collar and sleeves - Jared opted to close his eccentric green knee-length coat displaying it's intricate pearl buttons for fans to see. Exhibiting his slender ankles in his vibrant baby pink pants, the acclaimed actor flashed a pair of thick wool socks - more attuned to winter than summer - as he donned his favourite Gucci loafers. Making a statement: Jared wasn't afraid to be different as he attended the film premiere Groomed: The Academy Award winner sported a scruffy beard as he posed for pics on the event's pink carpet Pink to make the women wink! Jared flashed his slender frame in a pair of baby pink ankle-length trousers Eccentric! Jared chose to wear clashing bold colours on the colourful carpet Keeping to a sleek look, Jared gelled his mid-length tresses back as he sported a scruffy beard while giving fans a thumbs up. Starring as the Joker in the highly-anticipated flick, Jared had recently opened up the possibility of reprising his role. He told Good Morning America: 'I feel like this film is an introduction to the Joker, and I'm hopeful that we will see more to come. 'I think you don't really say goodbye. I think the Joker's in there somewhere.' Suicide Squad is centered around a gang of DC Comics characters and also stars Margot Robbie, Cara Delevigne, Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Scott Eastwood and Joel Kinnaman. What a joker! The Thirty Seconds To Mars singer opted for the green coat that he closed to the top - displaying it's delicate pearl buttons The Dallas Buyers Club star, who is renowned for his method acting, told GQ he did have to stop himself from researching too much violence for the part as it started to 'impact' him. He said: 'There was a point where I was researching violence and was watching a lot of things thatthings that its arguable if anybody should even see.' 'And I noticed that started to have an impact on me that I didnt like, so I stopped. 'It starts to just get inside of you, violence and some of those things. But you know, Ive made some pretty dark films.' Suicide Squad is set for limited release in the US this Thursday with the UK release following on Friday. They are two of Hollyoaks' hottest actresses. So Daisy Wood-Davis and Anna Passey ensured they maintained their title as they pulled out all the stops for an appearance on Radio 1 on Thursday. The 25-year-old blonde beauty flashed her washboard abs as she joined her brunette counterpart, 31, for a hilarious appearance on Scott Mills' show. Scroll down for video Glamorous duo: Daisy Wood-Davis and Anna Passey ensured they maintained their title as they pulled out all the stops for an appearance on Radio 1 on Thursday Daisy, who formerly starred in EastEnders as Tansy Meadow, bagged her role as Kim Butterfield in Hollyoaks in 2014. Although her ensemble was low-key, she still managed to showcase her exceptional physique in her abs-flashing grey T-shirt layered beneath a kimono. Her skin-tight jeans sat high on her hips and made the most of her slender legs while Adidas trainers were the perfect addition to keep things casual yet cool. Injecting a superstar touch into the ensemble, Daisy toted a no-doubt designer handbag with a dove grey front and brown mid-sections. Stunners: The 25-year-old blonde beauty flashed her washboard abs as she joined her brunette counterpart, 31, for a hilarious appearance on Scott Mills' show Tres chic: Daisy, who formerly starred in EastEnders as Tansy Meadow, bagged her role as Kim Butterfield in Hollyoaks in 2014 Her ombre tresses were worn in bouncy waves with curls worked into the end while the top was sleek and fell from a centre parting. Daisy's make-up was dewy and well-applied - her eyes were heavily outlined with a smudgy kohl framed with a bronze shadow. Anna meanwhile went for a more glam, high-fashion look as she paired head-to-toe black with a bold mustard yellow biker jacket over the top. On the tum: Although her ensemble was low-key, she still managed to showcase her exceptional physique in her abs-flashing grey T-shirt layered beneath a kimono Mellow yellow: Anna meanwhile went for a more glam, high-fashion look as she paired head-to-toe black with a bold mustard yellow biker jacket over the top She showed off her sensational figure in the ensemble as the skin-tight black look underneath clung to her flawless frame. Pairing the outfit with over the knee boots and a rucksack she added a funky touch to the muted yet statement look. Adding a retro feel to her ensemble, Anna wore her hair slicked into Hollywood waves while slicking on a dash of crimson lipstick. The girls threw themselves into a game of Innuendo Bingo in which a celebrity fills their mouth with water and Scott attempts to make the star spit out the water with hilarious comments. She's been making headway in Hollywood since her breakout role in Orange Is The New Black. And now Ruby Rose is set to appear opposite action star Jason Statham in an upcoming film, adding yet another star-studded ensemble to her credits. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Australian actor is in negotiations to star in sci-fi flick Meg, due for release in March 2018, about a deep-sea suicide mission. Scroll down for video New role: Ruby Rose is set to appear opposite action star Jason Statham in upcoming Hollywood blockbuster Meg, due to hit cinemas in March 2018 Statham plays a former Naval captain and expert diver recruited to rescue Chinese scientists stranded at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and under attack by a prehistoric ancestor of the Great White shark. Rose is slated to play Jaxx, described as a kick-ass engineering genius and member of the stranded marine research team. The movie is based on 1997 novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten, and will be directed by Jon Turteltaub, best known for National Treasure. Action star: Statham plays a former Naval captain and expert diver recruited to rescue Chinese scientists stranded at the bottom of the Mariana Trench Chinese actor Fan Bingbing and former Packed To The Rafters star Jessica McNamee are also confirmed as part of the cast. It comes after Rose has filmed roles in upcoming films xXx: The Return of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel; Resident Evil: The Final Chapter with Milla Jovovich; and John Wick 2 with Keanu Reeves. She last month appeared in a trailer for xXx holding a sniper gun to her face, while she stretches out her long and lean limbs into an attack-ready position. Movie promotion: Rose uploaded the trailer for her new movie, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, to Instagram on Monday evening 'Are you ready for this?' the former MTV VJ says in the sneak peek clip. The scene then flicks to the Australian native holding two handguns in either hand as she backs up against fellow actress Deepika Padukone, who is also armed with weapons. Her other line is 'guns, girls, global domination. Xander Cage is back.' Action ready: Rose is seen with her dyed green hair while pointing her fake pistol Next Vin Diesel appears on screen wearing a faux fur jacket and showing off his muscular frame in all its glory. 'Damn it feels good to be back,' the 49-year-old actor, who plays the lead role of Xander Cage, says in the short 20-second flick. Ruby simply captioned her latest post: 'xXx trailer out tomorrow !!!!!! Omg I'm so excited for this!!!!' She shot to fame after her controversial stint in Love Island earlier in the year. But Zara Holland looked happy and relaxed as she soaked up the rays on a yacht in Barbados on Thursday. The 20-year-old former Miss Great Britain showed off her deep tan and toned curves as she frolicked aboard the Caribbean boat. Scroll down for video Tanned and toned: Zara Holland looked happy and relaxed as she soaked up the rays on a yacht in Barbados on Thursday Sporting a peach pink bikini which showcased her ample cleavage, and low-waist bottoms which featured tie-strings, she showed off her toned midriff and long legs. Looking beautifully sunkissed, the blonde beauty wore her locks loose, accessorising with a simple necklace and bracelet. The reality star went for minimal make-up, adding a hint of mascara and brow pencil and a dash of pink lipgloss. Beach babe: The 20-year-old former Miss Great Britain showed off her deep tan and toned curves as she frolicked aboard the Caribbean boat Sizzling! Sporting a peach pink bikini which showcased her ample cleavage Fit: The low-waist bottoms featured tie-strings, showing off her toned midriff and long legs Relaxed: Looking beautifully sunkissed, the blonde beauty wore her locks loose Shielding her face from the sun with metallic aviators, Zara enjoyed the good weather aboard the ship, sipping on a cool drink of water. And she was joined by a group of blonde beauties who she chatted happily with as they sunbathed. Fans will know Zara from her brief stint on ITV2 dating show Love Island this summer. Bling: She accessorised with a simple necklace and bracelet Preened: The reality star went for minimal make-up, adding a hint of mascara and brow pencil and a dash of pink lipgloss Sensible: She shielded her face from the sun with metallic aviators Staying hydrated: Zara enjoyed the good weather aboard the ship, sipping on a cool drink of water Peachy: The beauty queen showed off her pert posterior as she chatted to her pals Dancing queen: Zara busted out some moves before checking her bikini was in place Sadly, Zara was stripped of her Miss GB title when she was filmed having sex on TV with Alex Bowen. A testament to her close bond with her mother though, Zara was more concerned that she had disappointed Cheryl after the unfortunate turn of events. On her return from the villa, Zara told OK! magazine: 'Before I even went into the villa, my mum said, 'Don't sleep with anybody.' So I let my mum down, and that really still upsets me. Tv star: Fans will know Zara from her brief stint on ITV2 dating show Love Island this summer Squad: She was joined by a group of blonde beauties who she chatted happily with as they sunbathed Love Island drama: Sadly, Zara was stripped of her Miss GB title when she was filmed having sex on TV with Alex Bowen Party boat: A large group of pals joined Zara on board Jump! The model shrieked as she grabbed hands with a pal for a leap into the ocean Water baby: Zara kept her made up face out of the water as she swam back to the boat All aboard: The star nimble climbed back onto the luxe boat Cooling off: She took a turn under the shower after her jump into the ocean Still in place! Zara made sure to check her ample assets were still covered by her skimpy bikini 'I haven't committed a crime, I haven't done anything to hurt anyone, but yes, I made this mistake. I've accepted that and we have to move forward now.' Zara ultimately left the show after her mother fell ill. Like Zara, Cheryl won the Miss Hull crown, with her daughter going on to bring the regional title glory back to the family 30 years later. This is the life: Zars looked on cloud nine as she partied with her girlfriends All eyes on her: The blonde beauty stood out in her peachy swimwear Holiday fun: Zara is enjoyed her summer break after an eventful few weeks A little rest and relaxation: Zara has been holidaying in Barbados all week Kicking back: The model enjoyed some fruity drinks as she soaked up the sunshine Girl talk: Zara leaned over for a gossip with her sunbathing friends Time for a boogie: She threw her hands into the air as music played on board the boat Leap of faith: Zara grabbed an inflatable as she dived into the water for a second time She was given her Angel wings by Victoria's Secret last year. And it wasn't hard to see why Martha Hunt was picked by the lingerie giant as she launched their new Body By Victoria The Easy Collection in Toronto on Thursday. The 27-year-old looked stunning in a slinky black outfit that highlighted her finely maintained abs. The body beautiful: On Thursday, Martha Hunt launched Victoria's Secret's Body By Victoria The Easy Collection in Toronto Martha wore a transparent, gem-encrusted top over a black bralette, providing a full view of her cleavage. Basic black pants and matching ankle-strap stilettos provided an elegant contrast to her ensemble's busy upper half. Martha styled her long blonde locks in waves and finished off her glamorous look with rosy lipstick and winged black eyeliner. Mindful of the point of her trip, the North Carolina native posed with the salmon-coloured version of her bralette, slinging it over her shoulder and stretching it in front of her as she puckered up for the cameras. Me and my girls: Last week, the Victoria's Secret Angel appeared in the collection's web campaign alongside fellow Angels Lily Aldridge, Elsa Hosk, Taylor Hill and Stella Maxwell Were thine the form so lithe and slender: The 27-year-old's fitness routine features Body By Simone workouts The Free People spokesmodel's breathtaking figure was not exactly an accident of birth. This April, the notorious gym bunny divulged her fitness regime to StyleCaster. Her go-to workout is Body By Simone by the erstwhile West End and Broadway dancer Simone De La Rue, who now trains celebrities and streams classes online. To start her day off, Martha has revealed that she loves smoothies, for which her ingredients of choice are: 'Banana, coconut milk, almond butter, berries, flaxseeds.' Moving in many circles: The cover girl is also known for being a part of Taylor Swift's infamous 'Girl Squad' Martha was discovered in Charlotte, North Carolina by a photographer, and she promptly moved to New York to pursue a modelling career. The blonde beauty walked in her first runway show in 2007 and joined Victoria's Secret in 2013, becoming an Angel two years later. Martha is also best friends with pop star Taylor Swift, and starred alongside a host of celebrities in her music video for Bad Blood. She spent last week partying with pals in Mallorca - a reward for completing her A-levels. And on Wednesday evening the celebrations continued for model Lottie Moss as she enjoyed a night out at the Cuban-themed nightclub Embargo Republica in London's ritzy Chelsea. Kate Moss' half sister Lottie appeared to share the notoriously hard-partying supermodel's love of late nights when she left looking a little worse for wear. Scroll down for video Golden girl: On Wednesday evening model Lottie Moss - the half sister of supermodel Kate - enjoyed a night out at the Cuban-themed nightclub Embargo Republica in London Lottie showed off her perfect figure in a thigh-skimming gold bandage dress, which complemented her complexion beautifully. The 5ft 5in stunner was literally on-point in a pair of black high heels, which elongated her slender pins and gave her a statuesque quality. Kate's doppelganger carried her essentials in a black fold-over clutch, which she tucked under her right arm. Rightfully confident in her natural beauty, she played a simple make-up game that consisted of the lightest dusting of blush, a touch of mascara and a bit of light pink lippie. The resemblance to her famous sibling also manifested in her party-going behavior, as she giggled her way into her car after a night of merriment and laughter. Flattering: She showed off her perfect figure in a thigh-skimming gold bandage dress, which put her pert posterior on fine display In the bag! Kate's doppelganger carried her essentials in a black fold-over clutch, which she tucked under her right arm It's me: Rightfully confident in her natural beauty, she played a simple make-up game that consisted of the lightest dusting of blush, a touch of mascara and a bit of light pink lippie Lottie soared to fame at the tender age of 16 when she signed with Storm Model Management after previously being scouted at Kate's wedding to Jamie Hince in 2011. Despite coming from a famous family, Lottie told Vogue that she felt under no pressure to live up to her sister's reputation. Gracing the cover of the prestigious style bible earlier this year, she explained: 'I am who I am and I do what I want, whether that is modelling or anything else. The success of my sister does not affect me in my choices. I feel no pressure in that respect.' She has arrived: Lottie soared to fame at the tender age of 16 when she signed with Storm Model Management after previously being scouted at Kate's wedding to Jamie Hince in 2011 Studious: 'Its important to me that I manage school and my modelling,' she told Vogue recently. 'I'm now able to fund my own schooling through any jobs I book.' The talented teenager also spoke out about juggling her blossoming career with her education, as she admitted she felt like she was living in 'two worlds'. She explained: 'One minute I'm in a Dior suite in Cannes and then the next I'm in a classroom in Sussex. I feel like I'm Hannah Montana. 'Its important to me that I manage school and my modelling. I'm now able to fund my own schooling through any jobs I book.' So far this year he's endured a divorce from ex-wife Millie Mackintosh and undergone surgery to treat a hernia. But it seems that things are finally looking up for rapper Professor Green, as he has signed a record deal with Sony Music, following a two-year hiatus from the music industry. As news broke about his first post-break-up album on Wednesday, the 32-year-old star was busy having drinks with a stunning mystery woman, who his Instagram followers quickly described as 'way hotter' than his ex. Scroll down for video Diving back in: On Wednesday evening it emerged that Professor Green had signed a deal with Sony, following a two-year hiatus from the music industry Pro - real name Stephen Manderson - took the image through a wine glass, but his date's gorgeous blonde locks and radiant complexion shined through anyway. The woman - identified through her Instagram handle @arabellad as Arabella Drummond - is the creative director of London tattoo studio One by One Tattoo. It's unclear if she is romantically linked to the Hackney-born hunk, or whether she simply knows him from his many inkings. New romance? As news broke of his record deal, the Pro shared an image of this woman, identified through her Instagram account as Arabella Drummond - the creative director of London tattoo studio One by One Tattoo Either way, as news emerged about his return to music he chose to celebrate by uploading a picture of her, prompting some of his 717,000 Instagram followers to rejoice. One user wrote: 'Omg remember we were saying we feel sorry for him last night!? Well he is literally dating the dream girl now, no pity necessary!!...#milliewho?' Another took a direct swipe at his ex, writing: 'That's more like it Stephen!! Arabella is a stunner and seems like a down to earth person.' Cheeky! Former Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh goes topless as she poses in a pair of red bikini bottoms in Greece Loved up: Millie and her boyfriend Hugo Taylor have been dating since March, but only went public in May following her divorce from husband Professor Green Millie is likely unaware of the happenings in London as she and Made In Chelsea beau Hugo Taylor are currently enjoying an extended stay at the lavish Ekies All Senses Resort in Sithonia on the Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece. The 27-year-old has been taking advantage of the soaring Mediterranean temperatures by relaxing in skimpy swimwear on the deck of her yacht. In a series of images shared on her Instagram, Millie can be seen reading while perched on a large cushion, flaunting her flat stomach in an emerald green two-piece. Keen to show the world she is more than just a pretty face, she added the caption: 'If you need me you'll have to wait until I've finished reading the new #jillycooper'. Millie and Hugo have been dating since March, but only went public in May following her divorce from the Professor. Last week she enjoyed a sunny break in St Tropez with toyboy Matt Baker. And on Thursday Kym Marsh looked fresh as a daisy as she headed straight to host the Key 103 Breakfast show in Manchester on just three hours sleep. Having returned from the French Riviera with her 27-year-old personal trainer boyfriend Matt just hours earlier, the 40-year-old former Hear'Say star looked bright-eyed and happy despite her lack of rest. Scroll down for video Freshfaced: On Thursday Kym Marsh looked fresh as a daisy as she headed straight to host the Key 103 Breakfast show in Manchester on just three hours sleep Wearing a casual striped vest and fitted ripped jeans, the Coronation Street star flaunted her toned figure. Dressing the ensemble down, the brunette beauty wore trainers and carried a cap, leaving her her loose around her her face. And going for minimal make-up, the mother-of-four covered her face with black rimmed glasses. Hardcore: Having returned from the French Riviera with her 27-year-old personal trainer boyfriend Matt just hours earlier, the 40-year-old former Hear'Say star looked bright-eyed and happy despite her lack of rest Last week she was seen holidaying in St Tropez with Matt, after they rekindled their romance at the end of last summer, having initially enjoyed a two-month romance in 2014. The duo put on a loved-up display as they enjoyed the sights and sounds of the glamorous town. The couple have spoken in the past about how much they love to workout together, with size eight Kym previously stating how she believes Matt to be the best trainer she has worked with. Cheese! Wearing a casual striped vest and fitted ripped jeans, the Coronation Street star flaunted her toned figure Earlier this year, she told the Daily Star: 'Ive been getting into fitness for the last two years but I found it increasingly difficult to get to the gym because of my work schedule changing. 'I wasnt getting the kind of results that I wanted.' Talking about a workout DVD her man designed, she added: 'I was never really a big girl and didnt have loads of fat to lose but, what I did have, I have lost and toned up.' Natural: Going for minimal make-up, the mother-of-four covered her face with black rimmed glasses But the Mirror reports she is in no rush to walk down the aisle again. The stunner was married to Jack Ryder from 2002-2009 and later tied the knot with Jamie Lomas, but they divorced in 2014. Her engagement to Dan Hooper came to an end last May. Next week's instalment of The Bachelor Australia seems to be shaping up to be the mother of all episodes. Not only will single parent Alex Nation spend a single date with Richie Strahan, but the rest of the girls in the mansion will be given baby dolls to test their nurturing skills. Mother-of-one Alex, 24, is seen cosying up to 31-year-old Richie in the latest promotional clip, hinting the pair will lock lips during their intimate time together. Scroll down for video Intimate: Mother-of-one Alex, 24, is seen cosying up to 31-year-old Richie in the latest Bachelor promotional clip, hinting the pair will lock lips during their intimate time together Dressed to impress in a printed, strapless dress, the blonde beauty was seen enjoying a romantic dance with rope access technician Richie. 'Next time on The Bachelor... Alex comes out swinging,' host Osher Gunsberg's voiceover projected. If the smile on Alex's face wasn't enough to hint at her satisfaction, she also informed viewers: 'He's just made me the happiest girl on the planet'. Good times: Dressed to impress in a printed, strapless dress, the blonde beauty was seen enjoying a romantic dance with rope access technician Richie 'I was so overcome with happiness,' she added, before revealing she was hoping for the hunk to plant a smooch on her lips. 'Just kiss me, just do it,' she relayed her inner thoughts, and it looks like behind-the-scenes images from shooting reveal the pair indeed enjoy a passionate kiss. In fact, the production team seems to have taken all factors into account, as the pair are seen taking breath mints from crew members before ultimately locking lips. Romantic: If the smile on Alex's face wasn't enough to hint at her satisfaction, she also informed viewers: 'He's just made me the happiest girl on the planet' Meanwhile the other girls at the mansion are about to be put in Alex's shoes - but more in terms of motherhood as opposed to one-on-one time with Richie. 'The mansion is invaded by some surprise visitors,' Osher's voiceover projects, and viewers are treated to a glimpse of baby dolls lined up in bassinets. 'It's a boy,' Nikki gasps as she closely inspects her doll, but contestant Noni is far from ready to embrace the challenge positively. She's keen: 'I was so overcome with happiness,' she added, before revealing she was hoping for the hunk to plant a smooch on her lips 'I would rather swim with crocodiles than go on that date,' the swimwear designer says in a piece-to-camera. And it looks like the 25-year-old has potentially been presented with twins. Seemingly struggling to juggle two babies in a subsequent scene, the busty beauty says with despair: 'Why, you're leaving a friend behind'. It may very well be Richie's intentions to test the girls on their mothering skills, as he has previously expressed his intent to become a father himself. New challenge: Meanwhile the other girls at the mansion are about to be put in Alex's shoes - but more in terms of motherhood as opposed to one-on-one time with Richie Quick learner: 'It's a boy,' Nikki gasps as she closely inspects her doll After his father left the family when he was a toddler, Richie revealed he's grown up determined to be different to his own dad and build a solid family unit. 'I want to be a hands-on dad,' the Perth-contestant was quoted in TV Week magazine last year. According to the magazine, the rope access technician is determined to be there to help raise his children, even working less to make sure he is home enough to be a big part of their lives. Dedicated: Sasha seems keen to ensure her baby is cared for Double trouble: It looks like Nonia has potentially been presented with twins 'I'd hate to be a dad who doesn't know their kids,' he admitted. Proving to have a new-aged theory on parenting, Richie seemed disappointed that some guys pass on most of the child-rearing responsibilities over to their partner, saying: 'I don't think that's fair.' 'Both parents should commit 100 per cent to looking after their kids and wanting to be there,' he added. Putting them to the test: It may very well be Richie's intentions to test the girls on their mothering skills, as he has previously expressed his intent to become a father himself They've been settling into California life since landing last week for a family visit. And Tamara Ecclestone and her daughter Sophia, two, certainly dressed for the sunshine during a fun day out with the socialite's sister Petra Stunt and her daughter Lavinia, three, on Thursday. Sophia rocked some adorable pink shades, matching her stylish mum, who flashed a look at her personalised phone case - featuring a photo of herself - as they headed out and about. Scroll down for video Just like mum! Tamara Ecclestone adjusted her daughter Sophia's snazzy pink shades as they enjoyed a trip to Brentwood Country Mart in California on Thursday Tamara, 32, opted for a simple grey t-shirt dress for the outing to Brentwood Country Mart. The loose-fitting number featured a shredded hem, which showed off the F1 heiress' tanned and toned legs. Tamara kept her casual look going, ditching the heels for flat slip-ons, while she styled her long locks into a half-up do. California style: Tamara and her daughter Sophia, two, certainly dressed for the sunshine during a fun day out with the socialite's sister Petra Stunt and her daughter Lavinia, three All about me! Tamara flashed a look at her personalised phone case The doting mum of one carried little Sophia in her arms as they headed to the fair. She also flashed a look at her personalised phone case as they walked. The back of her phone is covered in a glam shot of the socialite, dressed up in a pretty embellished number. The finishing touch to Tamara's summery outfit was a pair of mirrored shades, with little Sophia matching mum in her own pair of punk sunnies. Effortlessly cool: Tamara, 32, opted for a simple grey t-shirt dress for the outing The tot coordinated her look perfectly, dressed for the sun in a cute pink dress. Petra meanwhile opted for a a grey t-shirt and shorts combo, with her little girl rocking a glam look, dressed in a tulle fairytale gown for the fun day out. Tamara and Sophia, who live in London, arrived in California last week for one of their regular visits to Petra, who is also mum to twin sons Andrew and James, one. Doting mums: Tamara carried Sophia while her sister Petra pushed her little girl in her buggy Like a pro: Sophia coordinated her look perfectly, dressed for the sun in a cute pink dress Matching: Tamara also rocked some cool shades in the California sun Fun at the fair: Tamara shared an Instagram snap of Sophia having fun on a ride Sharing quite the close bond, Tamara and Petra haven't wasted a single moment in catching up after being separated by 5000 miles for the past couple of years. It's also been a typically jet-set summer for Tamara, who only days before had been taking in the sights of Croatia after soaking up the sun in Mykonos. She was joined by her incredibly youthful-looking mother Slavica and daughter, bringing three generations of the family together. Princess style: Petra opted for a a grey t-shirt and shorts combo, with her little girl rocking a glam look, dressed in a tulle fairytale gown for the fun day out Family time: Tamara and Sophia, who live in London, arrived in California last week for one of their regular visits to Petra, who is also mum to twin sons Andrew and James He became a household name after finding love with Anna Heinrich on The Bachelor. But Tim Robards, who works as a chiropractor, revealed exclusively to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, that the hit reality series actually hurt his business. The 33-year-old said that after he returned to work following his stint on the show: 'some of my female clients had recommended me to their friends but they said "oh no I couldn't go see him, I'd feel too uncomfortable.' Scroll down for video Negative impact: The Bachelor's Tim Robards, 33, revealed exclusively to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, that his role on the hit dating series actually hurt his business 'Some people don't see you as a chiropractor because they know you from TV,' the former reality star explained. Having just returned from a luxurious trip to New Zealand with his lawyer partner Anna, 29, the chiselled chiro revealed that despite appearances he always has his business at the forefront. 'If you just follow social media, it looks like we're on a big holiday all the time. But what you don't see is that I'm always writing or answering emails or on the computer - and no one wants to see photos of that. Household name: The fitness enthusiast shared the downside of instant fame, 'some people don't see you as a chiropractor because they know you from TV' 'People would rather see a beautiful shot of the snow than me working at a desk or a cafe. 'People who know me know that I work my butt off. I get up at seven am and finish at midnight,' Tim added. The Channel Ten star had been enjoying an adventure-filled getaway in Queenstown, New Zealand, before returning to Sydney for a slew of media appearances. Time out: The Channel Ten star had been enjoying an adventure-filled getaway in Queenstown, New Zealand with partner Anna Heinrich, 29, before returning to Sydney for a slew of media appearances Adventurous: Social media snaps saw the genetically blessed couple enjoy horse riding in front of an idyllic backdrop Social media snaps saw the genetically blessed couple enjoy a helicopter ride over the snowy mountains, horse riding in front of an idyllic backdrop as well as enjoying a glass of wine at their hotel's bar. While the location appeared to be perfect for an impending engagement, having dated for more than three years, a ring doesn't seem to be on the cards any time soon. Anna recently confirmed that they are in no rush to wed, revealing to Be: 'every relationship is different and for us we have just been getting to know each other every day.' Content: Anna recently confirmed that they are in no rush to wed telling Yahoo Be, 'every relationship is different and for us we have just been getting to know each other every day' Last October, Tim shared on The Daily Edition, that he did not want to propose when it's expected on a romantic getaway. However, appearing nervous as he talked to hosts Sally Obermeder and Tom Williams about marriage, he shared: 'we're definitely getting closer.' 'I've gotta make something that's very left of centre, where she's not expecting it,' he said. No ring yet: Last October, Tim shared on The Daily Edition, that he did not want to propose when it's expected on a romantic getaway White House denies Iran ransom payment The White House denied renewed accusations that it paid Iran ransom for the release of four American prisoners, parrying a tidal wave of condemnations from Republicans. Amid revelations that the US helped airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran after a prisoner release, the White House insisted the two were not linked. In January, five American prisoners were released as Washington granted clemency to seven Iranians and withdrew arrest warrants for 14 others. White House spokesman Josh Earnest, pictured on July 11, 2016, said the money paid to Iran was a reimbursement for a failed 1979 military transaction Nicholas Kamm (AFP/File) Within hours President Barack Obama announced he had also agreed to repay $1.7 billion owed to Tehran -- one of a string of agreements that followed a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. The White House said it was returning cash from a 1970s Iranian military order that was not fulfilled because of the Islamic Revolution. On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported a chunk of that cash was loaded on wooden pallets and secretly airlifted to Iran in an unmarked cargo plane. "This $400 million is actually money that the Iranians had paid into a US account in 1979 as part of a transaction to procure military equipment," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Explaining the airlift, Earnest said "the fact of the matter is the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran." Earnest heatedly denied accusations that a ransom was paid. "It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages." - On the attack - Republicans, who have spent weeks reeling from scandals over the party's presidential nominee Donald Trump, leapt at the opportunity to go on the attack. "If true, this report confirms our longstanding suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran," said House Speaker Paul Ryan. "It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal." "Yet again, the public deserves an explanation of the lengths this administration went to in order to accommodate the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism." Republicans had alleged that Iran would use a sanctions windfall worth hundreds of billions of dollars to fund terrorism. Trump issued a statement on what he called the "terror money airlift," saying the money would "undoubtedly find its way into the hands of terrorists." Earnest pushed back on Republicans' assertions. "People who made that prediction were either badly misinformed or lying to the American public, and I'll leave it to them to explain why their predictions didn't come true," he said. The White House and independent experts have insisted the funds would be much less than Republicans predicted and most of the cash would have to be spent on fixing Iran's economy. "We know that Iran supports Hezbollah and the Assad regime, and it certainly is possible that some of the money that Iran has is being used for those purposes, too," said Earnest. "But the bulk of the money we know has been going to shoring up their economic weakness, and that's exactly what we predicted." "They used that money to prop up their currency that had been significantly devalued by the sanctions regime." The House Oversight Committee Wednesday requested in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry that he testify before the panel about the "contemporaneous hostage release and cash delivery." The State Department said it had received the note and would respond. House Speaker Paul Ryan addresses the audience on the second day of the Republican National Convention, in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 19, 2016 Robyn Beck (AFP/File) ANC suffers major setback in S.Africa local polls South Africa's local elections delivered a sharp setback to the African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday, as partial results showed falling support for the party that ended apartheid. With about 80 percent of the vote counted, the ANC was ahead nationwide but it recorded its worst electoral performance since white-minority rule fell 22 years ago. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was on course to hold Cape Town and was just ahead in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. African National Congress (ANC) and South African Communist Party (SACP) supporters dance and sing at Wembezi township near Estcourt, on August 3, 2016 Rajesh Jantilal (AFP) The capital Pretoria and the economic hub Johannesburg were a close fight between the DA and the ANC. The results, which were expected to be concluded on Friday, open up a new era of local coalition politics in South Africa. The ANC has won more than 60 percent of the vote at every election since the country's first multi-racial vote in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president. On Thursday evening it was on 54 percent -- down from 62 percent in the last municipal elections in 2011. The DA was on 27 percent with the radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on seven percent, according to official results. "The ANC is really losing ground, but it can join other political parties to form coalitions," Shadrack Gutto, director the Centre for African Renaissance Studies at the University of South Africa, told AFP. "The politics of the country are changing at the local level and that will escalate come the general election in 2019." Wednesday's vote was also a judgement on President Jacob Zuma, who has been plagued by a series of scandals since taking office in 2009. - A flat-lining economy - An unemployment rate of 27 percent and GDP growth at zero percent this year have also eaten into his popularity. "We have grown incredibly in several places, I'm quite happy," Mmusi Maimane, the DA's first black leader, told reporters. He ruled out any local coalition deals with ANC, saying: "We can't campaign for change, and then team up with them." Millions of voters had queued outside polling stations after an occasionally bitter campaign marked by disputes over alleged racial slurs. A final Ipsos survey had placed the ANC and DA neck and neck in key cities after some undecided voters drifted back to the ruling party. "Democracy is maturing so you will find... a dilution where you might not have very strong support for one party," ANC treasurer Zweli Mkhize said as results were still being announced. "We still remain quite positive." Both the ANC and DA will be likely to court smaller parties and independent candidates to cobble together majorities in some municipal areas. "There has been a sharp, record swing away from the ANC towards DA and EFF," Peter Montalto of Nomura Bank said in a note. "The metros remain too close to call, but it looks likely that the DA will take Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth) and the ANC will keep Johannesburg." Contesting its first local poll after bursting onto the scene in the 2014 general election, the far-left EFF may emerge in the influential role of kingmaker. The party, which won six percent of the national vote in 2014, advocates land redistribution without compensation and the nationalisation of mines. Turnout was about 58 percent as voters chose mayors and other local representatives responsible for hot-button issues including water, sanitation and power supplies. Problems providing such basics trigger regular and sometimes violent "service delivery" protests in South Africa, where harsh socio-economic divisions remain a grim legacy of the apartheid era. Zuma, 74, has faced increasing calls to step down before his second term ends in 2019 but he retains deep loyalty within the ANC party and in rural parts of the country. South African voters queue outside a polling station in KwaMashu, north of Durban, on August 3, 2016 Marco Longari (AFP) South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane speaks at the party's final rally ahead of municipal elections, on July 30, 2016 in Soweto Gianluigi Guercia (AFP/File) China rights lawyer jailed for seven years, 'thanks Xi' A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer was convicted of subversion and sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday, the court said -- adding that he thanked President Xi Jinping for his leadership. The proceedings against Zhou Shifeng, director of the now defunct Beijing Fengrui law firm, was the third such trial this week as Communist authorities crack down on dissent. Fengrui defended victims of sexual abuse, members of banned religious groups and dissident scholars, among others. Prominent human rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng was "suspected of subverting state power", a court in the northern city of Tianjin said Mark Ralston (AFP/File) It was at the centre of the "709 crackdown" -- named for its central date in July 2015 -- which saw more than 200 activists and lawyers detained for involvement in cases considered by the the ruling party. Zhou was convicted of "subverting state power" and jailed for seven years, the Second Intermediate People's Court in the northern city of Tianjin said in a statement posted on its official social media account. Since 2011, Zhou had "attacked the socialist system" online and verbally, and used Fengrui as a platform to challenge the government, endangering national security, the judge said. Zhou pleaded guilty and said he would "never appeal", adding that the ruling would would "stand the test of history" for its fairness, footage of the trial from state broadcaster CCTV showed. The court said he thanked late paramount Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping for reforms that made his "development" possible. "The second person I would like to extend my gratitude to is Chairman Xi Jinping," it cited him as saying. "His national strategy to implement the rule of law has made China stronger." The declarations attributed to him were in marked contrast to his previous career, which included numerous politically sensitive cases. In 2008, he sued one of the countrys largest dairy producers on behalf of a victim of the notorious contaminated milk powder scandal, in which six children died and some 300,000 were sickened. Under Zhous leadership, Fengrui defended artist Ai Weiwei, Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti -- sentenced to life in prison for separatism -- and rights activist Cao Shunli. Zhou was the third 709 detainee to be tried in Tianjin this week. The spate of hearings was a "political charade" with no chance of fair trial, Roseann Rife of campaign group Amnesty International said in a statement, adding the defendants' "fates were sealed before they stepped into the courtroom". - 'No benefit' - Zhou's trial was held under air-tight security, with scores of police and plainclothes personnel -- identifiable by small gold star pins -- stationed for blocks around the court, clustered every few yards. Traffic was cut off and journalists diverted from the site before being closely trailed -- even into toilets at a nearby shopping mall. Men and women in the street pretended to wait for buses or eat lunch, before filming outsiders on camcorders and phones. Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court saying that more than 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and "civilian representatives from all walks of life", as well as mainland and overseas media outlets, were present at Zhou's proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly watched and forcibly being kept away from the court or seeking further information. In a video posted privately online, Wang Qiaoling, the wife of Li Heping, another detained 709 lawyer, said she and others had been confined to their homes. In a social media post, the Tianjin court said Zhou had twice stated in writing that he did not want his relatives to attend his trial. It included a photo of what it said was a letter he had handwritten, signed and fingerprinted, reading: "Given that my family members are all farmers who are not very well-educated, having them come to the court to attend my hearing would be of no benefit to either me or them." AFP was not given access to the court Thursday, and only court-appointed defence lawyers were present. Zhou's trial followed those of activists Zhai Yanmin and Hu Shigen, who were both found guilty of subverting state power by the same court. Zhai was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence -- considered relatively lenient by the standards of Chinese dissident prosecutions -- for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans. Hu, a prominent dissident and writer who previously spent 16 years in prison for trying to organise memorials for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings, was on Wednesday given seven and a half years, with the court stating he had sought to foment "colour revolution". Only one in five Pacific homes have electricity: World Bank Only 20 percent of Pacific Island households have access to electricity -- and the cost is among the highest in the world, according to a senior World Bank official. Kamleshwar Khelawan, an energy specialist at the World Bank, said the energy-poor region required joint government-private sector investment to develop new sources of power. "The Pacific countries lack, or have limited, indigenous energy resources while the high cost of imported fossil fuels means that Pacific Islands require an increased focus on alternative sources of energy," Khelawan said Wednesday at the Pacific Power Association Conference in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Only 20% of Pacific Island households have access to electricity, according to a senior World Bank official Torsten Blackwood (AFP/File) However, while significant investment was needed, the Pacific Islands' regulatory environment did not favour private sector participation in energy development, he said. He added "weak or dated" laws in Pacific Islands countries and arrangements that were "often ambiguous in terms of roles and responsibilities" also deterred private sector investment. "About seven million of the nine million people in Pacific Island countries do not have access to electricity," Khelawan said. "Only about 20 percent of households (in the region) have access to electricity." The average figure was skewed by very low rates in Papua New Guinea (15 percent), Solomon Islands (20 percent), and Vanuatu (30 percent), which account for the bulk of the region's population. Khelawan noted there was hydropower potential in the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea and geothermal possibilities in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji. Solar and wind were the main renewable energy options. "Governments alone cannot fund the significant investment needed. A combination of government, private sector and development partners efforts are required," he said. Benin's Afro-Brazilian heritage risks crumbling away With a fine ceramic minaret, multicoloured walls and a great, carved wooden door, the Grand Mosque in Benin's capital is a marvel of Afro-Brazilian architecture, yet like much in Porto-Novo it faces collapse. "It looks just like a church in all ways because the former slaves were used to building churches in Brazil," said Moubarak Mourchid, head of the city's heritage agency. "They converted to Islam as a show of rebellion against their masters and when they came back to west Africa, they became craftsmen who used the building techniques they had learned over there," the historian told AFP. Children sit at the steps the Grand Mosque, a marvel of Afro-Brazilian ancient architecture in Benin's Porto-Novo Yanick Folly (AFP) "These skills were then transmitted from generation to generation." Yet unless urgent steps are taken, residents and local specialists say hundreds of these old buildings are at risk. From the end of the 18th century, Porto-Novo on the Gulf of Guinea was one of the African ports that took in freed slaves who wanted to sail home to the continent of their ancestors. The streets in what is now Benin's second city and administrative capital call to mind the old Portuguese colonial settlement of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. And much of the architecture bears witness to key Afro-Brazilian links in African history, but not a single building, not even the mosque, has been classified as a UN World Heritage Site, Mourchid said. - 'No political will' - "It must first be recognised as part of the national heritage by the state. But there's no political will concerning parts of our patrimony," he said. Without government intervention, the buildings would be left to rot but for work carried out by the House of Patrimony and Tourism of Porto-Novo, an office seen as a big step towards safeguarding Africa's heritage when it was founded in 2009. Today, a handful of committed enthusiasts are trying to fight against years of neglect, damage from rainy seasons and people ready to let their property disintegrate to cash in on its real estate value. In 2009, Porto-Novo's director of culture and patrimony Richard Hounsou counted 450 buildings of the Afro-Brazilian type but said today "there are fewer than 400 left, that's obvious." Ali Moubarak lives in one of the many imposing homes. Dressed in a long white tunic, he receives visitors and shows them the creeping damage to his three-storey house. The building is divided in two. From the inner courtyard, you can see right into the rooms, like a doll's house. "It was built by my grandfather, around 1910. He was a nurse, he was an important man," Moubarak said. Like other prominent citizens of his time, Moubarak's grandfather had his home constructed in traditional Afro-Brazilian style as a show of wealth. He had "four or five wives and I don't know many grandchildren," added Moubarak. "Under Beninese law, we are all heirs and it's the oldest who make decisions." The walls began to flake as the family grew poorer. With all the comings and goings, Moubarak does not know exactly how many people live under his roof. Cousins and children are among the residents, with teenagers working in a laundry set up in one bedroom. Another has been turned into a sewing shop. In a magnificent room on a third floor, the old glory of the house is preserved in the wooden and bamboo beams, walls painted in floral patterns and a finely carved chest with a period mirror whose frame may soon be used for firewood. The city of Porto-Novo has offered to restore the property and Moubarak has accepted, but he needs the consent of other heirs living in the commercial capital of Cotonou or in distant France, who have shown little interest in the architectural heritage. The alternative is to let the house collapse once and for all, the better to sell a sizeable plot of land or use the site to build several new houses and rake in a profit. Renovation has started on another home not far away but concrete is used to replace walls, rather than the traditional mix of sand and limestone, while trying to respect "the shape and motifs of the time", said historian Mourchid, who is supervising the work. "It would cost twice as much to use the original materials." In all, the city has inventoried 41 homes eligible for renovation if the owners agree. One belongs to Josephine Rey, an elderly woman who sells coal and wood. She loves the old home her father left her but says she has waited two years already for help repairing her roof. "I spend my nights praying that it doesn't fall down on my head," she said. Both money and expertise are problems, conceded another heritage agency official Georges Bankole, who said there are plans to open a school with Brazilian partnership to train artisans. "The budget for patrimony is the smallest in the entire culture ministry," he said. And "beyond the problems of money, we've lost building practices," said historian Mourchid, regretting that great houses gradually turning to dust are taking the memories of freed slaves with them. Much of Porto-Novo's architecture bears witness to key Afro-Brazilian links in African history Yanick Folly (AFP) The streets in Porto-Novo call to mind the old Portuguese colonial settlement of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil Yanick Folly (AFP) US teen Opelka surprises South Africa's Anderson at ATP Atlanta Reilly Opelka saved two match points en route to upsetting third seed Kevin Anderson 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-5 and advancing to the quarter-finals of the ATP Tour's Atlanta Open. The 2.11 meter tall (6-foot-11) Opelka, who is ranked 556th in the world, registered his first win over a top 30 ATP opponent. The 18-year-old American twice faced match point with the hard-serving South African serving at 5-4 in the third set. He got out of trouble both times and went on to win the final three games of the match. Reilly Opelka of of the US returns a shot to Kevin Anderson of South Africa during the BB&T Atlanta Open, in the US state of Georgia, on August 3, 2016 Grant Halverson (Getty/AFP) Opelka blasted 20 aces and had six double faults against the 28th-ranked Anderson, who finished with 14 aces and 14 double faults. Opelka received a wild-card entry into the Atlanta tournament. The 2015 Wimbledon junior champion next faces seventh-seeded Donald Young, who rallied to beat Tim Smyczek 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3. Human toll as bodies pile up in Philippine drug war Men shot and left to bleed out on busy streets, mutilated corpses dumped in vacant lots. The bodies are piling up as President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war brings terror to Filipino slums. Hundreds of people have died since Duterte won a landslide election in May, promising to rid society of drugs and crime in six months by killing tens of thousands of criminals. In one viral image summing up the human cost, a young woman howls in pain as she cradles her partner's blood-soaked body under the glare of television lights as horrified bystanders look on from behind yellow police crime tape. A gun lies beside the body of an alleged drug dealer shot dead by police in Manila Noel Celis (AFP/File) "My husband was innocent. He never hurt anyone," Jennilyn Olayres said of her partner Michael Siaron, 30, a tricycle driver -- refuting the crude cardboard poster left behind by the motorcycle-riding gunmen killers saying "drug pusher". Police figures showed this week that 402 drug suspects had been killed since Duterte was sworn in at the end of June. That figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte's May election, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. Police raids of suspected drug dealers' hideouts have led to near-nightly deaths. Most of the dead suspects -- often found face-down in pools of blood -- had pistols lying next to them in the act of resisting arrest, according to authorities. Suspected sympathy killings by anti-drug vigilantes have also left a trail of death. One man was attacked as he drove his tricycle, his body left hanging from the humble vehicle as blood dripped onto the street. Other people have simply turned up dead in deserted streets and vacant lots at night, their faces cocooned in packaging tape and with cardboard signs accusing them of being drug dealers hanging on their chests. - Victims not rich - At his first "State of the Nation" address to Congress, Duterte defended his anti-crime campaign and described the scene at Siaron's shooting as a parody of Michelangelo's 15th century Pieta marble sculpture. "And there you are, dead and portrayed in a broadsheet like Mother Mary cradling the dead cadaver of Jesus Christ," the president said, describing the tableau as "drama". For an alleged drug dealer, Siaron did not have a lifestyle like Mexican or Colombian cartel kingpins. The rented hovel that was home to him and his girlfriend, made of scraps of plywood and iron sheeting, was not much bigger than a pig pen. It stood precariously on stilts atop a smelly, garbage-choked open sewer. "At times we slept until late on purpose so we only had to worry about lunch and dinner," Olayres, a street vendor, told AFP at her partner's wake. Held in a hall at a local government office, two more of the dead were being mourned at the same time. Olayres said Siaron was among the more than 16 million Filipino voters who had catapulted Duterte to office. The attacks have left wives and relatives crying and fainting at the carnage, but also driven drug users and small-time dealers into frantic mass surrenders to district officials. Police say a staggering 565,806 have turned themselves in. Many of those who presented themselves with pledges to straighten out their lives wore rubber wristbands bearing Duterte's name -- materials used during his election campaign. Before the bodies started piling up, Manila police also launched a campaign, codenamed Oplan Rody -- the incoming president's nickname -- to rid the streets of drunks and shirtless men, who were made to do 40 pushups to avoid jail time. A children's night curfew was also imposed in some districts, with violators and their parents made to undergo counselling. Jennilyn Olayres grieves beside the coffin of her partner Michael Siaron, who was shot dead by gunmen Noel Celis (AFP/File) A police officer ropes off a crime scene as the body of an alleged drug dealer, shot dead, lies in a Manila street Noel Celis (AFP/File) Hundreds of people have died since President Rodrigo Duterte won a landslide election in May, promising to rid Philippines society of drugs and crime in six months Noel Celis (AFP/File) Bangladesh, India mount rescue for flood-hit elephant Bangladesh and India are mounting a major rescue effort for a wild elephant struggling to survive after it was separated from its herd by floods and then washed across the border. On Thursday three Indian forest officials will travel to a flood-hit area in northern Bangladesh to investigate how they can help the stranded animal, which was separated from its herd in northeast India more than a month ago. A vet dispatched to the scene by Bangladesh authorities said the elephant, a female that weighs an estimated four tonnes, was "weak and tired" after its solo odyssey across the Brahmaputra river that separates the two countries. Wildlife officials observe a stranded wild elephant in a watercourse at Sarishabari in Bangladesh's Jamalpur District "For the last month it has been separated from its herd and stranded mostly in flood water," Sayed Hossain told AFP. "It crossed the mighty Brahmaputra and has been living mostly on paddy (rice) crop, sugar canes and a limited amount of banana plants." Forestry official Shahab Uddin said thousands of villagers in boats have been following the elephant, which has so far crossed around 100 kilometres (60 miles) of flooded terrain in northern Bangladesh. Bangladeshi authorities have dispatched a team of forest rangers, police inspectors and vets to track the wild animal, but the floods were hampering rescue efforts. "Our effort to rescue the animal has been hampered by ongoing floods as there is no way we can tranquillise it in water as it might be floated downstream. The elephant must be driven to a higher ground in a bid to rescue it," Uddin said. "After seeing her latest conditions, both teams will decide how we can rescue her," he added. Uddin said the hundreds of villagers who were flocking to see the elephant were also likely hampering her ability to seek higher ground unaffected by the floods. The wild elephants of India and Bangladesh have dwindled in number in recent decades as their habitat is destroyed. The rescue bid comes days after Indian wildlife officers appealed for help in caring for eight rhino calves pulled from the floodwaters in the northeastern state of Assam. Scores of people die every year from flooding and landslides during the monsoon rains in India and neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh. So far this year 96 people have died in the worst-hit Indian states of Assam and Bihar. Indonesian cleric loses appeal over militant camp A jailed cleric regarded as the spiritual leader of militant Islam in Indonesia has lost an appeal against his conviction for funding an extremist training camp, an official said Thursday. Abu Bakar Bashir was thought to be a key figure in regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists. The elderly, bespectacled preacher was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2011 for helping fund a paramilitary group training in the staunchly Islamic province of Aceh, which allegedly planned to kill the then president as well as Westerners. Muslim militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir (C) was thought to be a key figure in a regional terror network blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people Adek Berry (AFP/File) The 77-year-old was jailed after authorities in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country broke up the camp. He launched a challenge against his conviction in January, with hundreds of chanting supporters staging a rally as he made a rare appearance in court at the start of the appeal. The cleric's legal team had argued that funds he collected were intended to help people in the Palestinian territories, but ended up getting sent to the Aceh group without his knowledge. However the Supreme Court said Thursday it had rejected the appeal "because of a lack of new evidence". "That means he will stay in prison," said court spokesman Suhadi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Bashir's lawyer Mahendradatta pledged to find new evidence and continue fighting the conviction. The Supreme Court handed down the ruling last week. The court holds hearings behind closed doors and typically takes some time to announce decisions. Bashir was also previously handed a jail sentence over the Bali bombings but that conviction was quashed on appeal. Indonesia was hit by several Islamic militant attacks between 2000 and 2009 but a crackdown weakened the most dangerous networks. At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust showcased several new lines, but the one that was front and center was Mi Querida. This is a cigar that according to Saka is the type of cigar most people have expected from him. Saka says Mi Querida as a very different cigar than Sobremesa, his debut release with Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. He described the cigar as more gritty and a bit dirtier but at the same time full of flavor. This profile also plays into the cigars name. When translated literally Mi Querida means my dearest, but it is also a term commonly referred to a husbands mistress. In particular, in Nicaragua it refers to ones secret mistress (since it is often common for a wife to know about the mistress). This secret mistress is the dirty little secret and thus plays into the connection of the cigars profile. As for the cigar itself, Mi Querida utilizes a wrapper that many will often associate with Saka Connecticut Broadleaf. The remainder of the blend is all-Nicaraguan. For Mi Querida, Saka chose to use NACSA (Nicaraguan American Cigar S.A.) to handle production of his blend. Back when Saka launched Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, he had selected Joya de Nicaragua to make Sobremesa, but also stated he would not be single factory focused. This is what he said at the time he launched his company: Unlike most cigar companies, we will not be single factory focused. I have learned over the years there is no one single factory that is the best, but rather there are many great factories and each has its own unique attributes from its personnel, methodologies of fermentation, inventories of leaf and/or construction techniques that make each of them capable of creating something exceptional. My approach will be to select an individual factory based on its inherent strengths, incorporate my own skills and selected leaf and to create something that elevates together the art of handmade cigars. From a packaging standpoint, Saka went simpler compared to Sobremesa. This decision was made to keep the Mi Querida under ten dollars. There are four sizes of Mi Querida that were available for pre-order. In addition, there are an additional four limited quantity sizes planned as well. Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust says Mi Querida begins shipping this week in order to comply with the pending FDA regulations. At a glance, here is a look at Mi Querida by Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust: Blend Profile Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua (NACSA) Vitolas Available The following are the four regular offering by Mi Querida. Each of these are offered in 20 count boxes: Fino Largo: 6 x 48 Ancho Corta: 5 x 52 Ancho Largo: 6 x 52 Muy Gordo Grande: 6 x 56 The following are the four limited offerings that are planned. All are planned to be in 20 count boxes except for SakaKhan and Mas Sucia which are planned to be in 10 count boxes. Pequeno Pequeno: 4 x 44 Gordita: 4 x 48 SakaKhan: 7 x 50 Mas Sucia: 7 x 64 Photo Credits: Cigar Coop EU hits China, Russia with steel anti-dumping duties The European Union on Thursday hit China and Russia with anti-dumping duties on cold rolled steel imports after EU producers complained they were being forced out of the market. The European Commission said the levies, announced provisionally in February, will run for five years as Europe tries to cope with a global steel glut largely driven by massive Chinese output. "In the wake of the global steel overcapacity crisis, the Commission is applying the trade defence instruments to re-establish a level playing field between EU and foreign producers," it said in a statement. Industry uses cold rolled steel extensively to make all sorts of goods and appliances, from automobiles to refrigerators Industry uses cold rolled steel extensively to make all sorts of goods and appliances, from automobiles to refrigerators. The Commission said the duties on Chinese cold rolled steel will range from 19.7 percent to 22.1 percent, and from 18.7 percent to 36.1 percent for Russian companies. It said the EU has more than 100 trade defence measures in place, 37 of them targeting unfair imports of steel products of which 15 are Chinese. The EU has had a series of trade disputes with China, its second-largest trading partner and which makes more than half the world's steel. Beijing has not been slow to respond to what it sees as unfair measures and late last month imposed anti-dumping tariffs on some steel imports from the EU, Japan and South Korea. EU relations with Russia, another important trade partner, have been soured by the Ukraine crisis and subsequent sanctions imposed against Moscow. France voices impatience over EgyptAir crash probe France's top diplomat has told his Egyptian counterpart that the French families who lost loved ones in the May 19 EgyptAir crash are impatient for answers, the foreign ministry said Thursday. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, "reminded" his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Choukri "of the difficult situation of the families waiting for answers," the ministry said in a statement. The families are anxious for the repatriation of their loved ones' bodies, as well as an explanation of the causes of the crash more than 10 weeks ago, the statement said. EgyptAir's 804, an Airbus A320, went down on May 19 while flying from Paris to Cairo with 66 people on board Khaled Desouki (AFP/File) Fifteen French nationals were among the 66 people aboard the doomed Airbus A320 along with 40 Egyptians including the 10-member crew. Ayrault "thanked his counterpart for the cooperation between the Egyptian and French authorities in the investigation," the statement said. But the minister also underscored "the expectations of the victims' families regarding the Egyptian commission of enquiry in charge of the case and regarding the EgyptAir company." He said "France is providing full assistance" through its air safety agency BEA and the forensic unit of the paramilitary police IRCGN. EgyptAir Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean. Investigators have determined that a fire erupted in or near the cockpit of the Airbus A320 before it crashed between Crete and the northern Egyptian coast. The New York Times reported last month that the plane probably broke up in midair after the fire. Anonymous Egyptian officials told the Times it remained unclear whether the blaze was triggered by a mechanical malfunction or a criminal act. Egypt's aviation minister initially said an attack was the more likely explanation, but the probe is increasingly pointing to a technical fault. The black box data recorder confirmed that smoke alarms had sounded on board, and the word "fire" can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder, the Egyptian-led probe panel said in mid-July. Israel alleges Gaza World Vision head sent millions to Hamas An Israeli court on Thursday charged the Gaza director of the World Vision non-governmental organisation with passing millions of dollars to the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas and its armed wing. Mohammed al-Halabi was alleged to have diverted $7.2 million (6.5 million euros) each year since 2010, with some of it funding the Gaza Strip rulers' military campaign against Israel, said the Shin Bet internal security agency. Halabi, who was born in 1978, was arrested in June and indicted Thursday on a number of charges, including funding "terror". A Palestinian militant and Hamas supporter takes part in an anti-Israeli protest in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis in September 2015 Said Khatib (AFP/File) The charge sheet said Hamas recruited him to infiltrate World Vision more than a decade ago, and that he rose to become the head of the US-based Christian aid organisation's Gaza operation. Shin Bet said there was no evidence World Vision's main office was aware of Halabi's actions. World Vision said it had "no reason to believe" the allegations against Halabi, while Hamas said it had no relationship with him. Since Halabi took over operations in 2010, roughly 60 percent of World Vision's annual budget in Gaza was diverted to Hamas, including its military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said Shin Bet. This equated to $7.2 million per year, including about $1.5 million given in cash to Hamas combat units. World Vision, which employs tens of thousands of people globally, said its programmes were subject to "regular internal and independent audits, independent evaluations" to avoid aid misuse. "Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true," it said in a statement. Major General Yoav Mordechai, head of the military body that coordinates Israeli activities in the West Bank and Gaza, met Thursday night in Tel Aviv with what his office called "senior World Vision officials from America," without identifying them. "This is a grave incident," an English-language statement from Mordechai's office quoted him as telling the visitors. "Assume responsibility and set your house in order." It said he gave the World Vision executives Israel's findings on the case and a copy of Halabi's confession and that they renounced "any support, direct or indirect for Hamas." - Aid groups squeezed - World Vision works in conjunction with the United Nations, often implementing its projects. It has worked in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since 1975. The UN said it was "aware of the very serious allegations" and would be following the case. A 2015 statement on World Vision's website said it provided support to roughly 90,000 people in Gaza. Since 2008, Israel has fought three wars in Gaza with Hamas, which is branded a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Israel said the charges were proof Hamas did not respect the neutrality of aid agencies. "This money was intended for construction projects, financial aid and even food donations for Gazans in need," said Mordechai in an Arabic-language video message to the people of Gaza. "Hamas stole this money and passed it to its military wing to build bases, provide salary bonuses and dig tunnels." Khalil al-Halabi, Mohammed's father, told AFP his son had "no relationship with Hamas or any Palestinian organisation." Over two-thirds of Gaza's 1.9 million people are dependent on some form of aid, according to the United Nations. The revelations could put increased pressure on foreign aid organisations working in Gaza, which already feel squeezed between Israel and Hamas. "We are investigating other international organisations but hope not to come across a case of this magnitude," an Israeli security official said. Late Thursday night Australia's ambassador to Tel Aviv said that the Israeli allegations were "deeply troubling" and his government was taking immediate action. "Australia suspending funding to World Vision operations in Palestinian Territories until investigation is complete," ambassador Dave Sharma posted on his official twitter account. - 'Cynical exploitation' - Israel maintains a blockade on Gaza and limits the entry of basic goods such as wood and cement, saying they can be put to military use by Hamas. Rights groups accuse Israel of collective punishment. In a detailed briefing on the allegations, Shin Bet said Halabi confessed to being recruited in 2004 by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. The official said he was given a "mission to infiltrate World Vision, get ahead and reach a position of influence". A year later he joined the organisation, rising to be its Gaza head by 2010, Shin Bet said. He was then able to divert money and resources to Hamas. Shin Bet said Halabi confessed to having handed over various envelopes of cash, with the largest over $50,000. It said materials imported to Gaza under the guise of aid projects -- including concrete blocks, scrap metal and pipes -- were diverted to Hamas, which used them to build tunnels. A military base code-named Palestine was built with money sequestered from World Vision, while food parcels and other aid intended for the needy were delivered to Hamas, according to Shin Bet. The office of the US-based Christian NGO, World Vision, in Gaza City Mohammed Abed (AFP) Since 2008, Israel has fought three wars in Gaza with Hamas, which is branded a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union Mahmud Hams (AFP/File) A picture taken on August 4, 2016, shows the office of the US-based Christian NGO, World Vision, in east Jerusalem Ahmad Gharabli (AFP) Israel ex-president Katsav again denied parole on rape term A parole board Thursday rejected a request for early release for former Israeli president Moshe Katsav, imprisoned since 2011 for rape and other sexual offences, officials said. The decision came just four months after a previous bid by the disgraced former leader to reduce a third of his seven-year sentence, rejected in part because he had expressed no remorse over his crimes and undergone no rehabilitative process. Katsav, 70, had appealed the April decision and said he was undergoing a process of introversion and could be rehabilitated. Former Israeli president Moshe Katsav arrives at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem in November 2011 Menahem Kahana (AFP/File) But the parole board said Thursday that "it is not time to order the release of the prisoner or cancel the committee's previous decision", a statement issued by the court administration read. The board, however, noted that Katsav could be freed before the end of his term "if he continues dealing with his problems in prison", in which case he would could approach them again after six months. Iran executes 20 Sunni 'terrorists' in single day Iran said Thursday it had hanged 20 "terrorist" Sunni prisoners, in one of the Islamic republic's biggest mass executions in recent years. The men, who were hanged on Tuesday, were accused of carrying out a string of attacks against civilians and religious leaders in Iran's western Kurdish region, state media reported. Iran's intelligence ministry earlier issued a statement detailing 24 armed attacks between 2009 and 2011, including bombings and robberies, allegedly committed by the group. Murder, rape, armed robbery, adultery and large-scale drug trafficking are capital offences in Iran Atta Kenare (AFP/File) It said the extremists were responsible for the deaths of 21 people in three western provinces during that time. "102 members and followers of the... terrorist group were identified... some of whom were killed in armed clashes with police forces and some were arrested. Some of those arrested were sentenced to death while some received prison terms," it added. One of the first plots linked to the group involved giving chocolates laced with poison to police officers and judiciary personnel, although no one was killed. Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri said the convicts, some of whom had come from abroad, followed "takfiri" ideologies, a term Shiite-majority Iran uses to describe Sunni jihadists. In 2009, the group allegedly assassinated two Sunni religious leaders, Mamusta Borhan Aali and Mamusta Mohammad Sheikh al-Islam -- a provincial representative of Iran's powerful Assembly of Experts. Those hanged on Tuesday did not deserve mercy, IRIB state television quoted Montazeri as saying. "These people had committed murder... killed women and children, caused destruction and acted against security, and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions," Montazeri said. - 977 executions in 2015 - Iran regularly hangs large-scale drug traffickers. Murder, rape, armed robbery and adultery are also capital offences in Iran. In addition, those charged with "spreading corruption on Earth" and "waging war against God" can be put to death under the Islamic Sharia, in force in Iran since the 1979 revolution. According to human rights group Amnesty International, Iran was one of the world's top executioners in 2015 when it put 977 people to death, mostly on drug trafficking charges. Amnesty does not include secretive China in its figures, but the number of executions in Iran exceeded both neighbouring Pakistan and regional rival Saudi Arabia. Over two days in 2009, Iran hanged 44 convicted drug traffickers in one of the country's biggest mass executions. In 2013, the Islamic republic hanged 16 Sunnis in the eastern province of Zahedan, eight of whom were members of a Sunni militant group named Jundallah, which waged a deadly insurgency on civilians and officials in southeastern Iran for almost a decade. The group's leader Abdulmalek Rigi was hanged in June 2010. - Talks with EU - The European Union and the French government both criticised this week's executions. "The EU reiterates its strong opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances. It also recalls its concern with the high number of executions in Iran," an EU spokesman said in a statement. "The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity," the spokesman added. The incident comes as the EU has reportedly proposed talks with Iran on human rights. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini have already held preliminary discussions on the issue, said Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, on Wednesday. "We are ready to talk... but the Westerners should not put themselves forward as role models," Larijani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. "We are not happy to be executing many people, but we have a relentless war against narcotics. Poppy cultivation has increased by 40 times thanks to NATO generals in Afghanistan," he added. Iran says claims by Western countries that they are supporting human rights -- for instance by opposing the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad -- have spawned greater insecurity in the region. "Westerners defend the kind of human rights that give birth to Al-Qaeda, Daesh and terrorists," said Larijani, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group. Iran hanging 20 'terrorists' comes as the European Union reportedly proposed talks with Tehran on human rights Atta Kenare (AFP/File) Will US strikes on IS deepen Libya divisions? The United States has opened a new front in its campaign against the Islamic State group, launching air strikes to support Libyan forces battling to oust the jihadists from Sirte. But the strikes risk exacerbating Libya's deep political divides. Who's fighting IS in Sirte? American air strikes in Sirte may accelerate the taking of the city, but could complicate the struggle between Libya's rival governments Senior Airman Julianne Showalter (USAF/AFP/File) The forces battling IS in Sirte, halfway along Libya's coastline, are allied with the country's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Their command centre is in Misrata, 190 kilometres (120 miles) to the northwest. They include former Libyan army units and factions from across western Libya, notably the powerful Misrata militias. Formed during the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the Misrata militias are a key force in Libya, armed with tanks, MiG fighter jets and attack helicopters. Forces allied with a rival government in Libya's far east, which does not recognise the GNA's legitimacy, are not taking part in the Sirte operation. How are US strikes helping GNA forces? After a month of advances against IS in the surrounding desert, GNA forces entered Sirte on June 9. Their progress slowed as IS hit back with car bombs, snipers and booby traps. GNA forces have lost 300 fighters since the start of the operation. "There are targets that are hard to hit because they are among the houses," said Rida Issa, the GNA forces' spokesman. "American air strikes, which are very accurate, will help to destroy those targets," he added. But whether that will shift the balance in the GNA's favour is an open question. "It's not a game changer yet -- it'll be interesting if they keep it up," said Patrick Skinner, a Libya expert with the US-based Soufan Group consultancy. Why work together? Supporting pro-GNA militias, the only forces directly fighting IS in its Libyan "emirate", was a natural move for Washington, said Mattia Toaldo, a Libya expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations. From the militias' perspective, working with the US allows them to benefit from the Pentagon's wealth of experience fighting the group in Iraq and Syria. But there are also political reasons for Misrata forces to seek American support. Skinner said the operation could benefit the GNA in the long term by creating channels for liaison with the Pentagon. That could strengthen the GNA's position vis-a-vis its eastern rival. The strikes came days after it emerged that French special forces were working with eastern forces, in what the GNA criticised as a "violation" of the nation's sovereignty. For Misrata militias, working with the US may be a way of "showing other Libyans, particularly those in the east, that they have good relations with outside powers, too," said Toaldo. What political fallout? American strikes in Sirte may accelerate the taking of the city, but could complicate the struggle between Libya's rival governments. The eastern government on Wednesday condemned the American strikes. Ahmad al-Mismari, spokesman for the eastern forces led by General Khalifa Haftar, said they were a "political attempt by (GNA head Fayez al-) Sarraj to achieve political gains". "Sirte has become a political playing card with a major role in the American elections," he said. Toaldo said statements from the authorities in the east showed that officials there were "very nervous". The anti-ISIS fight has always been their main point of attraction in Western capitals," he said, using an alternative acronym for IS. Is Libya a new front in the global fight against IS? It is not clear whether other members of the American-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria will join the battle for Sirte. But US President Barack Obama has said he believes making sure the GNA can "finish the job" serves America's national security. "We're working in partnership with them to assure that IS does not get a stronghold in Libya, even as Libya begins what is going to be a long process to establish a functioning government and security system," he said on Tuesday. A Pentagon spokesman said the strikes would last weeks rather than months. But it is too early to say how long the campaign will go on, said Toaldo. "How many targets for air strikes can there be in 20 square kilometres controlled by ISIS in Sirte?" US launches air raids against Islamic State group in Libya A military vehicle used by fighters from the pro-government forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Unity (GNA) pictured near ammunition casing in Sirte during an operation against IS jihadists on August 3, 2016 Mahmud Turkia (AFP) Smoke billows from buildings after the pro-government air force loyal to Libya's Government of National Unity (GNA) fired rockets targeting Islamic State group positions in Sirte, on July 18, 2016 2016 Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File) UN rights chief blames South Sudan army for killings, rape The UN's top human rights official on Thursday blamed South Sudanese government troops for ethnically targeted killings and rapes committed in renewed fighting in the capital in early July and beyond. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said people of Nuer origin were specifically targeted by troops loyal to President Salva Kiir, who is from the Dinka ethnic group. Days of clashes that broke out on July 7 have led 60,000 South Sudanese to flee the country, mainly into neighbouring Uganda. The UN's top human rights official criticised South Sudanese government troops for ethnically targeted killings and rapes Samir Bol (AFP/File) More than 1.6 million people are displaced within the borders of the world's newest country, mostly as a result of previous fighting. Nearly 300 people have died in the latest bout of violence. A statement released by Hussein's office said that while crossfire during the worst of the fighting had killed people in the streets of the capital, Juba, some were targeted. "Others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," the statement said. On July 11, SPLA soldiers went house-to-house, taking away and shooting eight Nuer civilians, the rights chief's office said, adding that they had also killed a Nuer journalist. The epidemic of sexual violence that has plagued three years of on-off fighting in South Sudan also had an ethnic dimension when soldiers carried out rapes in and outside Juba. Of 217 cases of sexual violence in Juba recorded by the UN between July 8 and 25, "those most affected were displaced Nuer women and girls and those responsible seem to have been mostly SPLA," Zeid said. - UN peacekeepers criticised - A 13,500-strong UN peacekeeping force -- known as UNMISS -- has faced criticism for failing to stem the latest bloodshed or fully protect civilians during the fighting. The force command is investigating allegations that peacekeepers at a base in Juba stood by and did nothing as a woman screamed for help during an assault by two soldiers near the base's gate. The commissioner addressed this, urging "strong action in those instances where UN military personnel defaulted over their duty to protect civilians." Although the government has established a court aimed at trying SPLA soldiers who commit right abuses, "the violations continue unabated", the commissioner said, along with the forcible recruitment of boys and men. The main fallout from the crisis is now humanitarian. An AFP journalist who interviewed people internally displaced by the fighting this week found that many were arriving at an overwhelmed UN camp in the northwestern town of Wau with children who were malnourished after a poor harvest year. "We are unable to admit children with moderate malnutrition and so we are only taking the very sick children that also have medical complications," a Medicins sans Frontieres doctor told AFP. Tunisia PM-designate starts talks on forming government Tunisia's prime minister-designate Youssef Chahed began talks on Thursday aimed at creating a unity government to tackle major economic and security challenges. The 40-year-old former local affairs minister was nominated on Wednesday and given 30 days to form a cabinet. On Thursday he met officials from three minor parties, said a source close to him. Tunisia's newly appointed prime minister-delegate Youssef Chahed poses for photographers after being appointed by the Tunisian president at Carthage Palace in Carthage, on August 3, 2016 Fethi Belaid (AFP/File) Chahed was then set to meet officials from the Islamist Ennahda party that dominates parliament and from the Nobel Peace Prize-winning UGTT union, said the source, who did not wish to be named. "Consultations will continue in the coming days," he said. On Friday Chahed is set to meet representatives of his own party, Nidaa Tounes, which was founded by President Beji Caid Essebsi. If his cabinet wins the backing of parliament, Chahed will become the North African country's youngest premier since it won independence from France in 1956. He will also be Tunisia's seventh prime minister in less than six years since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Chahed said on Wednesday that his government's priorities would to fight terrorism, corruption and unemployment. He pledged to include more women in his cabinet than in previous governments. His nomination came days after the government of Habib Essid lost a vote of confidence after just 18 months in office. Essid's cabinet included Nidaa Tounes, Ennahda and two other groups. It came under heavy criticism for failing to tackle a jihadist insurgency and an economic crisis. In June, Essebsi said he would support the formation of a new unity government. Essid said he would be willing to quit, but later refused to step down without a vote of confidence. Chahed's nomination also follows a split in his own party, Nidaa Tounes, that led to it losing its parliamentary majority. Many Tunisians welcomed the nomination of a comparatively young prime minister -- especially compared with other leaders since Tunisia's youth-led revolution. Essebsi is 89 years old, while Essid is 67. But others criticised the appointment of a former minister in a government they see as having failed to address the country's challenges. They also slammed his links with the president -- whose son's presence in Nidaa Tounes is already controversial. Discontent over nepotism under Ben Ali helped fuel the revolt that ousted him. Pakistani government chopper crash-lands in Afghanistan: official A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, without confirming reports six people on board were taken hostage by the Taliban. "Six people were boarding it, but we are unaware of their fate," a senior government official based in Lahore told AFP on condition of anonymity. The helicopter was being sent to Uzbekistan for overhauling when it crashed in Azra district, in the restive Afghan province of Logar, the official added. A Pakistani government helicopter has crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan Aamir Qureshi (AFP/File) Earlier, local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said six people on board had been taken hostage by the Taliban and transported to an unknown location. The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident. Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and nurturing sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. A spokesman for Pakistani embassy in Kabul confirmed the crash, but would not say if the passengers had been kidnapped. "An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar," Akhtar Munir told AFP. "We don't know anything about the fate of those on board or why it crash-landed." The Mi-17 caught fire after the crash, according to the provincial governor's spokesman Salim Saleh. There was no official comment from the Pakistani military or Afghan defence ministry officials. Pakistan's army uses Russian-made MI-17 helicopters, several of which have crashed in recent years. In February, an army officer was killed when a military helicopter crashed in northern Pakistan on a routine night training mission. Last August, 12 people were killed when a helicopter belonging to the army crashed in northwest Pakistan. East Africa leaders to press for regional force in S. Sudan East African leaders will gather in Ethiopia on Friday to discuss a regional intervention force to back up UN troops in South Sudan, an initiative vehemently opposed by President Salva Kiir. Regional bloc IGAD has raised the possibility of deploying an "intervention brigade" with a more aggressive mandate within the UN mission currently present. The 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, has faced criticism for failing to stem the latest bloodshed or fully protect civilians during the fighting. This handout photo provided by the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan and released on July 16, 2016 shows women doing laundry as people collect water at the UN compound in the Tomping area in Juba Beatrice Maregwa (AFP/File) Juba was rocked by several days of heavy fighting in early July between the government forces of Kiir and those loyal to ex-rebel chief Riek Machar, the latest upsurge in two and half years of war. Goi Jooyul Yol, a spokesman for Machar, told AFP in Addis Ababa "the only hope is a protection force. There is no security for the moment in Juba." The mooted force for South Sudan would be modelled on the Force Intervention Brigade of 3,000 troops deployed within the UN's mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which proved decisive in neutralising the M23 rebellion in 2013. Former vice-president Machar has refused to come back to Juba until the deployment of a neutral force of African troops -- a plan approved by the the US and African Union but rejected by Kiir. "The peace agreement has collapsed. They have to find a way forward to restore calm in South Sudan," Jooyul added. Neither Kiir nor Machar is expected to attend the event. Nearly 300 people have died in the violence so far, while 60,000 have fled the country. On Wednesday, Kiir gave an interview to Kenya's KTN TV in which he once again dismissed the idea of the force. US air raids lift morale of Libya anti-IS force on the ground Crouched behind a cement wall to avoid sniper fire, Libyan pro-government fighters say US air strikes on the Islamic State jihadist group in its Sirte bastion have boosted morale. Fighters allied to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) have waged a fierce weeks-long battle to retake the coastal city of Sirte from the jihadists. "The US intervention is very good. The air strikes are very good and have targeted sensitive Daesh (IS) positions," Mohamad al-Ahjal told AFP on Thursday as he took cover in the courtyard of an abandoned house. A military vehicle used by fighters from the pro-government forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Unity (GNA) is seen near ammunition casing on August 3, 2016 in Sirte during an operation against jihadists of the Islamic State group STR, Mahmud Turkia (AFP) "We hope they will intensify the air strikes in the coming days for us to make progress on the battlefield," said Ahjal, wearing a cowboy hat and a military jacket over a black sleeveless shirt. Ahjal and nine other fighters from the pro-government "Hawks of Misrata" unit lay low in the courtyard of the house, less than 250 metres (yards) from the nearest IS position. They were waiting for the return of comrades from the frontlines to take over and jump back into the fray. "Our morale has been lifted, especially after the last raids carried out by our American friends," said Khaled al-Ghosh, another fighter. "They were excellent hits. Victory will be close if there are more such hits," he added. The United States opened a new front in its campaign against IS on Monday by launching air strikes on jihadists holed up in the centre of Sirte, at the request of the UN-backed government. The loss of Sirte would be a major blow to the jihadist group, which has faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq, where a US-led coalition and local forces are battling IS. - 'Very, very heavy casualties' - US warplanes carried out seven strikes against IS positions in Sirte on Monday and Tuesday. Libya pro-GNA forces launched the campaign to retake Sirte in May. Since then, more than 300 pro-government forces have been killed and 1,500 wounded, according to medical sources. In June, pro-government forces entered the city but their progress has been slow as IS hit back with sniper fire, suicide attacks and car bombings. "We asked for US support to limit our losses," after suffering "very, very heavy" casualties, a spokesman for the GNA forces, General Mohamad Ghassri, told AFP. "We have had more than 100 amputations, numerous clinical deaths and gravely wounded," Ghassri said. On a beach west of Sirte, three pro-GNA forces manned an observation point not far from an IS position. One was standing near a makeshift tent built with a carpet strung over a wooden stick, while inside two other fighters sheltered from the scorching heat. One of them peered through binoculars and the other, gripping a machine gun, stared ahead, his gaze locked on an IS position. - Blood can save a life - On the western outskirts of Sirte, pro-GNA forces have set up a field hospital for the wounded, who are then transferred to the city of Misrata, where they have their command centre. The field hospital has set up a special Facebook page to post pictures of pro-GNA casualties, as well as advice for fighters to wear flak jackets and helmets. It also appeals for blood donations, telling fellow Libyans: "Your blood can save a life." Further west in the capital Tripoli, road signs have been erected urging donations of money to help the campaign against "terrorism". "The US raids are intensifying the (anti-IS) campaign, but on the ground the fighters are the ones who will achieve victory," said a member of Sirte city council, now based in Misrata. "The bodies of IS jihadists are littering the streets of Sirte," he said. "We are impatient to go back to Sirte and clean up our city." Anti-IS offensive on Sirte AFP (AFP) Smoke billows from buildings after the air force from the pro-government forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Unity (GNA) fired rockets targeting Islamic State (IS) group positions in Sirte on July 18, 2016 Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File) First UN aid since June for Syrians trapped on Jordan border UN agencies announced Thursday the first delivery since June of desperately-needed food and hygiene supplies to tens of thousands of Syrians trapped on the border with Jordan. The announcement came in a joint statement by the heads of the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the children's agency UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration. Jordan closed its border with Syria in June after a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed seven soldiers. A general view of the Zaatari refugee camp, located close to the northern Jordanian city of Mafraq near the border with Syria, on July 14, 2016 Khali Mazraawi (AFP/File) The attack took place near a makeshift desert camp and aid groups have since been unable to deliver supplies to tens of thousands of Syrian refugees stranded at the border. The heads of the four UN agencies announced the "successful completion (on Thursday) of a relief operation to provide more than 75,000 people with food and humanitarian items". "Unable either to cross the border or turn back, the situation facing these women, men and children has grown more dire by the day," they said. "Sheltering in makeshift tents in harsh desert conditions with temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) and sudden sand storms, they are without sufficient food and have barely enough water to survive," the statement added. World Food Programme spokeswoman in Jordan, Shaza Moghrabi, told AFP the aid included 650 tonnes of food including rice, lentils and dates. They were delivered by drones, while cranes were also used to carry supplies across the border where the refugees are trapped, she said. Jordan agreed in July to a one-off aid delivery for those trapped on its border after an appeal by the United Nations. On Thursday, Jordan's government spokesman Mohamed Momani repeated that the aid delivery would be a one-off. The aid was delivered on Tuesday and Wednesday and completed on Thursday, Momani said, adding "it will be the only time" because the supplies are expected to last for a month. "The border region remains a closed military zone and the problem of those trapped there is an international problem, not a Jordanian problem," he said. Jordan declared the border area a "military zone" after the June attack, blocking access to Syrian refugees and sparking fears over their fate. "The United Nations and the international community must find other means of providing them with aid," he told AFP, adding that Amman was "ready to assume its responsibilities if other countries assume theirs". The UN aid agency heads warned that health care was "urgently" needed, particularly for pregnant women, children and other vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the sick trapped along the border. "We look forward to further efforts to reach people at the berm with humanitarian assistance in time to save their lives," they said, thanking the Jordanian government for its cooperation. Several international aid and rights groups have urged Jordan to keep its borders open to refugees fleeing Syria's five-year war. Jordan already hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. US arrests man linked to Islamic State group US authorities arrested a North Carolina man Thursday on charges of attempting to recruit people for terrorist attacks in the United States in support of the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said. Among Erick Jamal Hendricks' alleged contacts was a gunman in the thwarted 2015 attack on a Texas exhibition of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, the first attack on US soil that the Islamic State group claimed. The Justice Department said Hendricks, 35, used social media in his attempts to recruit prospects, but instead was snagged by an undercover FBI employee. Among Erick Jamal Hendricks' alleged contacts was a gunman in the thwarted 2015 attack on a Texas exhibition of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, the first attack on US soil claimed by IS Jared L. Christopher (AFP/File) He allegedly told one prospective recruit that he wanted to create a sleeper cell for attacks in the United States, according to the complaint. Potential targets included military members whose information had been released by IS and the woman who organized the "Draw Prophet Mohammad contest," it alleged. In April 2015, Hendricks allegedly used social media to contact Elton Simpson before Simpson, along with Nadir Hamid Soofi, launched the attack on the Mohammed art exhibit in Garland, Texas, the department said. Simpson and Soofi opened fire, wounding a security guard. Garland police returned fire and killed both attackers. Clint Eastwood: 'I'd have to go for Trump' Actor and director Clint Eastwood has defended Donald Trump over accusations of racism, and revealed he's leaning towards voting for the Republican presidential nominee. The 86-year-old acknowledged that the tycoon's incendiary rhetoric has been "dumb" at times but added that people were "making a big hoodoo out of it" and should "get over it." In an interview with Esquire magazine published Wednesday, Eastwood said people were getting "tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now." In an interview with Esquire magazine Clint Eastwood (pictured) revealed he's leaning towards voting for Donald Trump Theo Wargo (Getty/AFP/File) "We're really in a pussy generation. Everybody's walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren't called racist," he added. Trump, who trails Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in national polls ahead of the November general election, has repeatedly claimed that federal judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is handling a lawsuit against the now-defunct Trump University, is biased against him because his parents were born in Mexico. He has inflamed the political establishment with a campaign promising to build a wall along the border with Mexico, branding Mexicans criminals and insulting women and Muslims. Plain-spoken Eastwood stopped short of endorsing Trump but said when asked who he'd vote for between the reality TV star and Clinton: "I'd have to go for Trump." No stranger to controversy, the "Dirty Harry" star made a bizarre cameo at the 2012 Republican convention, veering into a surreal conversation with an imaginary President Barack Obama in an empty chair. A raucous roar went up from the thousands of delegates as the actor and director grilled the imaginary Obama for failing to revive a flagging economy. But his rambling performance sparked derision on social media among Democrats and neutrals alike, who said the multiple Oscar winning director of "Million-Dollar Baby" and star of Westerns like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" had lost his marbles. When the Politico news website asked Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt to comment on Eastwood's speech, he replied: "Referring all questions on this to Salvador Dali." Eastwood acknowledged that the "silly" stunt was one of his decisions that troubles him most. He explained that he was waiting backstage, listening to Neil Diamond's "I Am, I Said," and became worried that his speech was just a bland, unremarkable endorsement of GOP nominee Mitt Romney. Suddenly he heard Diamond sing "And no one heard at all/Not even the chair." "And I'm thinking, that's Obama. He doesn't go to work. He doesn't go down to Congress and make a deal. What the hell's he doing sitting in the White House?" Eastwood told Esquire. "If I were in that job, I'd get down there and make a deal." So he decided to turn his speech into a diatribe, berating the head-of-state. Iraq judiciary bans speaker from travel over graft claims Iraq's judiciary has imposed a travel ban on the speaker of parliament, two lawmakers and several other people in connection with corruption allegations, a spokesman said on Thursday. Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi on Monday told parliament that speaker Salim al-Juburi and several lawmakers were corrupt and had sought to blackmail him. The next day, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he had ordered a "temporary travel ban" against those under investigation, but Juburi rejected it, saying only the judiciary had the authority to impose such measures. Salim al-Juburi, the Iraqi Parliament's speaker, speaks to an AFP reporter during an interview in Baghdad on May 27, 2015 Sabah Arar (AFP/File) After hearing testimony from Obeidi, a judiciary commission decided to impose a travel ban on Juburi, lawmakers Mohammed al-Karbouli and Taleb al-Maamari, said spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar. Four other people were also barred from travel, including a former member of parliament, he said. The commission, which is investigating the corruption allegations, will also hear testimony from current and former officials, Bayraqdar said. Juburi has denied the accusations against him, which Obeidi first made on Monday while appearing in parliament to answer graft allegations he said were brought in retribution for his rejection of corruption. Obeidi also outlined his accusations on social media, including that Juburi was involved in attempting to pass corrupt arms contracts. A post in on the minister's official Twitter account said Thursday that he would "give his testimony and provide his evidence in corruption cases of a number of politicians and MPs." Corruption is widespread in Iraq's government, from senior officials to low-level functionaries, and while Iraqis have repeatedly demonstrated for change in the past year, little in the way of real reform has taken place. The accusations against Juburi and the lawmakers are just the latest problems in a tumultuous year for the Iraqi legislature. A Zika vaccine is one step closer after trials of three different designs of jab were successful. The different types of vaccine were tested for their ability to induce immunity to Zika in rhesus monkeys. All three proved 'strikingly effective' and produced no adverse side effects, said researchers. A Zika vaccine is one step closer after trials of three different designs of jab were successful. Pictured, an Aedes Aegypti mosquito which carries the disease The news comes after officials in Florida said 14 people had been infected with the virus in Miami. It was the first time transmission of the mosquito-borne disease, linked to serious birth defects, had been confirmed in the continental US. And this week two babies were born with Zika-related microcephaly - a condition causing underdeveloped heads and brains - in California. It has also been confirmed there have been more than 50 cases of the virus in the UK - with 'several' in Scotland - this year, all from people who travelled overseas. ZIKA IS IN THE UK: MORE THAN FIFTY CASES DIAGNOSED IN BRITISH HOSPITALS THIS YEAR INVOLVING More than 50 people in the UK have been diagnosed with Zika virus this year, health officials have confirmed. Public Health England released a statement following reports of three people in West Yorkshire being treated for the virus after returning from overseas. Professor Paul Cosford, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: 'As of 27 July 2016, over 50 cases have been diagnosed in UK travellers since January 2016. The risk to the general public is low - and all the patients had caught the virus abroad, he said. He said: 'We expect to see small numbers of Zika virus infections in travellers returning to the UK, but the risk to the wider population is very low as the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus is not found in the UK. Advertisement Professor Dan Barouch, from Harvard Medical School, who led the study into the three vaccines' effectiveness, said: 'Three vaccines provided complete protection against Zika virus in non-human primates, which is the best animal model prior to starting clinical trials. 'The consistent and robust protection against Zika virus in both rodents and primates fuels our optimism about the development of a safe and effective Zika vaccine for humans.' One of the vaccines is based on a purified inactivated virus. The other two are based on viral DNA, and a fragment of the infectious agent carried by another virus that has been rendered harmless. British virus expert Professor Ian Jones, from the University of Reading, said: 'The demonstration of protection against Zika infection in rhesus monkeys is not unexpected but is nonetheless welcome as a further step on the road to a human vaccine. 'Of the three vaccines tested here, the simplest, inactivated virus is the most likely contender for a full human trial. 'Only when that is done will we know if one shot is sufficient, if previous or co-circulating infections have any adverse effect on the outcome, and how long protection might last.' Zika infection of pregnant women has been associated with the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and brain damage. Three different types of vaccine were tested for their ability to induce immunity to Zika in monkeys and they all proved 'strikingly effective', researchers said (file photo) The current epidemic began in Brazil in 2015 before spreading to other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. In February the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of 'international concern'. Arab coalition admits to 'shortcomings' in Yemen strikes The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen acknowledged Thursday "shortcomings" in two out of eight cases it has investigated of UN-condemned air strikes on civilian targets in the country. A 14-member investigative team -- made up of coalition states Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Yemen -- probed claims of attacks on a residential area, hospitals, markets, a wedding and World Food Programme aid trucks. "We found shortcomings in two cases while the rest were in line with international humanitarian law," the team's Bahraini spokesman, Mansur al-Mansur, told a briefing in Riyadh. Armed Yemeni men stand next to destroyed vehicles after Yemeni government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition recaptured an army headquarters near Aden airport from suspected jihadists after an hours-long firefight on July 6, 2016 Saleh al-Obeidi (AFP/File) They found that the coalition, which launched an air war on Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen in March 2015, guilty of "mistakenly" hitting a residential compound in the Red Sea port city of Mokha after it had received "imprecise intelligence information". Human Rights Watch condemned as an "apparent war crime" the raid which it said killed at least 65 civilians in July last year. The investigative team is calling on families of victims to apply for compensation by contacting Yemen's Saudi-backed government, Mansur said. The team also held the coalition responsible for air strikes on Haydan hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the northern rebel stronghold of Saada. The rebels were using the hospital as a hideout, which is "a breach of international humanitarian law", said Mansur. However, the coalition should have warned MSF officials before targeting the building, he said. No deaths had been reported in these strikes. The team cleared the coalition of wrongdoing in the remaining six cases, including raids last year on a delivery by WFP trucks that had not coordinated with the coalition. The trucks were also not marked to show that they belonged to an international aid organisation, according to Mansur. The 16-month-old war in Yemen has killed some 6,400 people and exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, the United Nations says. Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to a decision in June to blacklist the coalition after a UN report found the coalition responsible for 60 percent of the 785 deaths of children in Yemen last year. UN chief Ban Ki-moon accused Saudi Arabia of threatening to cut off funding to UN aid programmes over the blacklist, a charge denied by Riyadh. - Ban: 'Strong concerns' remain - Late last month, the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah al-Mouallimi, outlined a series of measures the coalition is taking to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen, in a letter to Ban. The coalition is in "direct dialogue" with humanitarian organisations, including MSF, to guarantee protection of medical facilities, the letter said. Mouallimi also provided Ban with details of steps taken to designate targets and ensure they have "identifiable military" aims. On Tuesday, Ban reported to the UN Security Council on his controversial decision to temporarily remove the coalition from the UN list of shame, a move that sparked an outcry from human rights groups. "I still have very strong concerns about the protection of Yemeni children," Ban said. Ban said he had received information on the steps taken by the coalition but that these fell short and "the content of the (UN) report (on childrens deaths) stands". With Trump talk of 'rigged' election, a line crossed? Donald Trump's assertion that the US presidential election will be rigged has triggered alarm among observers, who warn he could be laying the groundwork for rejecting a Hillary Clinton win and even sparking civil unrest. The Republican Trump has routinely claimed that Bernie Sanders lost his Democratic primary race against Clinton because of a "rigged system" packed with superdelegates who could vote for the candidate of their choice. But he took his complaints to a new level Monday, warning to a crowd in Columbus, Ohio that the general election itself -- already filled with bitter partisan rancor -- will be marred by corruption. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio on August 1, 2016 Jay LaPrete (AFP/File) That same night he sounded the alarm again: "I'm telling you, November 8th, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged," the provocative billionaire told Fox News. "And I hope the Republicans are watching closely, or it's going to be taken away from us." Trump's calling card is raw authenticity, and his campaign has drawn millions of voters precisely because he has attacked the current political system and the Washington establishment as corrupt. But some experts say his remarks threaten the bedrock principle that America's presidential election is peacefully contested regardless of the political turmoil roiling the country. "Statements like those that Trump made, without any explanation, it does undermine the legitimacy of the system," Michael Heaney, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan, told AFP. - 'Stoking fear' - But while Heaney said Trump's rigged election remarks are "part of his pattern of stoking fear," the nominee is tapping into legitimate public concerns about America's complex and even arcane election process. Trust in that system has waned, according to a Pew Research Center study tracking public confidence in the accuracy of the national vote. In 2004, 48 percent of Americans said they were very confident that the votes across the country were accurately counted, Pew reported. That number slipped to 43 percent in 2008 and just 31 percent in 2012. Voter fraud has played a role throughout the history of the republic, including the very close 1960 race between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon, when votes were apparently cast by the dead in Illinois. Voter controversies, including accusations of access restrictions, swelled in Ohio in 2004. Fuelling voter skepticism among the average voter are sets of rules that differ from state to state. "We actually have something like 50 election systems rather than a unified election system," said Lorraine Minnite, professor at Rutgers University and author of "The Myth of Voter Fraud." Nevertheless, general election fraud remains exceedingly rare, experts say and studies show, and Minnite stressed it was "not common" for a presidential candidate to suggest an upcoming election will be rigged. Republican politicians and officials have regularly pressed for a toughening of voter identification laws. The threat of fraud "has been used to justify the rules that we've seen a revival of in the last several years that are actually making access more difficult for certain groups of people," Minnite said. Democrats including Clinton have warned that Republicans seek to impose such rules to suppress the Democratic vote. Pamela Smith, president of the non-partisan election monitor Verified Voting, said that "the trend has been towards more paper, physical ballots" and away from unverifiable types of systems in order to ensure accountability and accuracy. Accusations that a person illegitimately won the election are not new, but the possibility of a loser in the race making hay may be close to unprecedented. In 2000, after a legal battle halted the manual recount of ballots in Florida and effectively handed the presidency to George W. Bush, Democrat Al Gore conceded defeat while never rejecting the outcome. Part of Trump's not-so-subtle messaging this week was to suggest he will not go quietly should he fall to Clinton in November. While Trump's free speech is protected by the US Constitution, "I also think there are real worries about an invitation to violence or other kinds of mob action," said Ohio State University Professor Dan Tokaji, who teaches election law. Egypt says IS Sinai chief killed in strike An Egyptian air strike killed the head of the Islamic State group branch behind scores of deadly attacks on security forces and suspected of downing a Russian airliner, the army said Thursday. The army's announcement did not say when the operation took place but named the head of the Egyptian affiliate of the jihadist group based in the Sinai Peninsula as Abu Doaa al-Ansari. He was killed along with top aides and dozens of others jihadists in an operation carried out jointly by the air force and the anti-terrorism squad, the army's spokesman said on Facebook. The Tiran island in the Strait of Tiran between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Saudi Arabia STRINGER (AFP/File) Since Egypt's military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, jihadists have spearheaded an insurgency against the army and police with daily attacks in North Sinai. Most of the attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been claimed by the "Sinai Province", the Egyptian branch of IS. Military forces "were able to kill the leader Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the terrorist called Abu Doaa al-Ansari, and a number of his top aides in addition to more than 45 terrorist elements," said the spokesman. A military source told AFP that Ansari was the group's "number one" leader. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis was the previous name of the jihadists before the group swore allegiance to the Islamic State group in November 2014. The statement said dozens of others were "targeted with precise hits" in the operation against strongholds of the group south and southwest of the Sinai city of El-Arish. The operation destroyed depots where weapons, ammunition and explosives were stashed, it added. - Trail of deadly attacks - The military has poured troops and armour into the peninsula where security forces have been battling a jihadist insurgency since then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Morsi more than three years ago. But the jihadists have remained defiant and kept up attacks mostly against the security forces using roadside bombs and ambushes. They have also targeted Egyptian Christians and claimed attacks on foreigners and diplomatic missions, including last year's attack on the Italian consulate in Cairo In 2015 they the group also claimed to have beheaded a Croatian man who worked for French geoscience company CGG, after abducting him on a road running from the west of Cairo. Later that year the interior ministry announced the killing of top IS operative Ashraf Ali Hassanein al-Gharabli suspected of involvement in the abduction and murder of the Croatian and the bombing of the Italian consulate. In another of its worst attacks, the group claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from an Egyptian resort last year, killing all 224 people on board. The group said it had smuggled a bomb on board at an airport in the south of the peninsula. The army has regularly announced the death or capture of jihadists, who have often claimed their attacks were in retaliation for a police crackdown that has killed hundreds and left thousands in jail since Morsi's ouster. The arid and rugged Sinai Peninsula borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Jaguar Land Rover recalls US cars with airbag defect Jaguar Land Rover announced Thursday it is recalling more than 50,000 vehicles in the United States to fix defective Takata airbags. The British luxury carmaker, part of Indian giant Tata Motors, said it has begun sending recall notifications to owners of certain 2009-2011 Jaguar XF vehicles and 2007-2011 Land Rover Range Rover vehicles. Recalls have been ordered for about 54,000 vehicles in the first wave of recalls for a total vehicle population of 108,000 with the airbag problem. Jaguar Land Rover has begun sending recall notifications to owners of certain 2009-2011 Jaguar XF vehicles and 2007-2011 Land Rover Range Rover vehicles Fabrice Coffrini (AFP/File) The exploding-airbag defect has been linked to at least 13 deaths worldwide -- 10 in the US -- and scores of injuries. The first phase of the recall has been targeted in mainly warm-weather states and US territories, including Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Regulators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have said the risk of an explosion in the airbags made by the Japanese firm is greatest in hot and humid regions of the US. Two Ivorian soldiers in court over beach attack Two Ivorian soldiers appeared in a military court on Thursday accused of having associated with the perpetrators of a March attack on a beach resort that left 19 people dead, an AFP journalist said. Sergeants Zanga Zoumana Coulibaly and Brice Toure are being prosecuted for disobeying orders and associating with criminals. The charges relate to the pair's alleged meeting with Assane Barry, also known as Sam, one of the main suspects in the Islamist attack on the resort town of Grande Bassam. Two Ivorian soldiers who worked alongside jihadists who helped to organize the attack on the resort of Grand Bassam in March 2016 and who are accused of "violation of military rules" are questioned at the beginning of their trial on August 4, 2016 Issouf Sandogo (AFP) Barry, a driver by profession, is awaiting trial in a civilian court on charges of terrorism and association with criminals. "I did nothing wrong. I did not collaborate with any terrorists," Coulibaly said in court. "I am innocent. I have nothing to do with this business, which is beyond me," said Toure. When he announced the pair's arrest on July 13, military prosecutor Ange Kessi said they had lived with some of the attackers and had had conversations with Barry. "It was a serious mistake, an error, a military offence not have to denounced the presence of the driver and this group to their superiors so that we could have prevented the attack," he said, stressing the two soldiers were not suspected of complicity. On March 13, three assailants armed with grenades and assault rifles stormed three hotels in Grand Bassam, a resort popular with expats that lies 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Abidjan. The attack, the first of its kind in the Ivory Coast, was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb which has also carried out similar assaults on tourist hotspots in Mali and Burkina Faso. The jihadists claimed the attack on the former French colonial capital was in retaliation for military operations in the Sahel region led by France and its allies. In late June, Burkina Faso's interior ministry said around 10 people had been arrested in connection with the Grand Bassam attack and another attack in Ouagadougou that killed 30 people in January. UN envoy says to suspend Yemen peace talks The UN special envoy to Yemen said Thursday he plans to suspend peace talks between the country's warring parties at the weekend but that negotiations will resume later. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been mediating the talks between President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies in Kuwait since April 21, without a major breakthrough. "We plan to hold the final session (of the talks) on Saturday," the Mauritanian diplomat said in an interview on state-run Kuwait TV. UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (C), speaking during a meeting of the Yemeni Peace Talks with delegations in Kuwait City on July 17, 2016 HO (KUWAITI MINISTRY OF INFORMATION/AFP/File) "We are working on issuing a communique that will emphasise on the main points we have achieved." The talks would resume later, he said, without providing a specific date or the location but he added that they could return to Kuwait. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he offered delegates a peace plan a few days ago, and thanked the government for its positive response while adding that the rebels had some reservations. The envoy said all difficult issues were discussed and some achievements were made during the negotiations. "We wanted to have a sustainable and lasting peace agreement," said Ould Cheikh Ahmed who on Wednesday briefed the UN Security Council about the talks. The peace plan calls for the rebels to withdraw from territories they occupied in September 2014 including the capital Sanaa and hand over heavy weapons, said Ould Cheikh Ahmed. The government delegation which left Kuwait this week returned to the emirate late Thursday to attend the final session, its spokesman Mohammed al-Emrani told AFP. The rebels had insisted that first a national unity government must be formed and a new consensus president appointed to oversee the transition. Yemen, home to what the United States sees as Al-Qaeda's deadliest franchise, descended into chaos after the 2012 ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces are fighting alongside the Huthi rebels. Security deteriorated further after the Huthis swept into Sanaa and pushed south, forcing President Hadi's government to flee into exile in March last year. Mali says six soldiers missing since jihadist attack The Malian defence ministry on Thursday admitted six soldiers have been missing since a deadly jihadist attack in July on a military base in the heart of the country. In a raid on a military base in Nampala in central Mali on July 19, 17 Malian soldiers were killed and 35 injured. The attack was claimed both by the Islamist Ansar Dine and a newly formed group. Malian army officers carry a coffin on July 21, 2016 in Segou during a funeral ceremony STR (AFP/File) Ansar Dine is a mainly Tuareg group that controlled areas of Mali's northern desert together with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a third local group in early 2012. Although the Islamists were largely ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, sporadic assaults from desert hideouts are common. "Following the tragic events in Nampala, a team of investigators was dispatched to the area. The mission concluded that 17 Malian soldiers were killed and 37 injured, and that six others are missing," defence ministry spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Sidibe told reporters. An Ansar Dine video had been posted online hours earlier, showing five men in army fatigues, and identified as soldiers taken hostage on July 19 during the Nampala raid. Distributed by private Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar, the video shows the five men seated in front of a black jihadist flag held up by two masked men. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a defence ministry source confirmed the men seen in the video were indeed five of the missing Malian soldiers. The fate of the sixth missing soldier remains unknown. Sidibe said some 500 additional troops and 100 military vehicles have been dispatched to the camp since the attack, which has been assaulted several times since 2015. Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Thursday chaired a meeting of the country's defence committee. After the gathering, Defence Mnister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly confirmed six troops were missing, and said he had seen the footage distributed online. Melania Trump denies violating US immigration laws Melania Trump, the ex-model and third wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, denied reports Thursday that questioned whether she had worked illegally as an immigrant. It is the third controversy about her in less than three weeks that the potential first lady or the Trump campaign has been forced to address as her husband inflames the political establishment with his divisive campaign for the White House. "There has been a lot of inaccurate reporting and misinformation concerning my immigration status back in 1996," Melania Trump said in a statement Thursday. Melania Trump addresses delegates on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio Robyn Beck (AFP/File) "Let me set the record straight: I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period," she said. "Any allegation to the contrary is simply untrue," said Melania Trump, who became a US citizen in 2006 -- a year after she married the New York billionaire. Politico on Thursday raised questions about Melania Trump's immigration status when she first came to the United States to work as a model in the mid-1990s. Racy photographs of her, which were published in the New York Post tabloid this week, "inadvertently highlight inconsistencies" in the various accounts she has provided over the years, Politico said. "Immigration experts say, there's even a slim chance that any years-old misrepresentations to immigration authorities could pose legal problems for her today," the news site reported. Trump has campaigned aggressively on a platform promising to wipe out illegal immigration to the United States. It is the third controversy to dog the mother of one in less than three weeks. On July 18 she delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention that plagiarized a speech by First Lady Michelle Obama -- a scandal initially dismissed as "absurd" by the Trump campaign, but which they later admitted. A Trump staffer subsequently apologized, saying she had inadvertently included phrases from Obama in the speech after Melania Trump read them out as examples of the message she wanted to convey. Last week, Melania Trump also confirmed that her professional website had been deleted after US media questioned its claim that she had a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. The website had been removed "because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests," she tweeted. In recent interviews, Melania Trump herself did not claim that she had a degree, only that she had "studied" design and architecture before dropping out to pursue a modeling career in Milan and later Paris. Chad bans opposition rallies as Deby's fifth term begins Chad has banned opposition rallies planned for this weekend, ahead of Monday's swearing-in ceremony for President Idriss Deby's fifth term, the interior ministry announced in a decree. "The meeting and march planned for August 6 and 7 are banned throughout national territory," the decree issued Thursday said. The opposition has called for Deby's re-election in April to be annulled, citing voting irregularities. The planned weekend protests were to denounce a "political hold-up". Chadian President Idriss Deby speaks during the regional security summit on Boko Haram threat to African security on May 14, 2016 in Abuja Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP/File) Various opposition groupings met last week under an umbrella front and had also planned a day of national "mourning" on Monday, the day of Deby's formal inauguration. Numerous overseas dignitaries will attend the ceremony. Public Security Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir said the new opposition front could "upset public order, the peace of the population and poison national and international opinion," according to the TchadInfo website. 64-year-old Deby came to power in 1990 and was re-elected in a first round vote in April with 61.5 percent of ballots cast against 12.8 percent for his nearest rival Saleh Kebzabo, according to official results. Obama vows to crush IS, concerned about Russia in Syria President Barack Obama on Thursday vowed to continue hammering Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, but acknowledged that pressure on the jihadists was prompting them to lash out beyond their self-proclaimed caliphate. Speaking after meeting security and military officials in the Pentagon, Obama also blasted President Vladimir Putin's policy in Syria, saying he doubted the Russian leader could be trusted to cooperate on helping end the country's bloody civil war. Obama pledged the IS group would "inevitably" be crushed and said the US-led coalition would continue to aggressively target the jihadists "across every front." (L-R) Vice President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama and US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at the Pentagon on August 4, 2016 Brendan Smialowski (AFP) But "the decline of ISIL in Syria and Iraq appears to be causing it to shift to tactics that we've seen before -- an even greater emphasis on encouraging high-profile terrorist attacks, including in the United States," Obama warned, using an acronym for the IS group. Even as coalition planes target the IS group in Iraq and Syria, the Russians have simultaneously been bombing in Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad. While Moscow has sometimes struck IS targets, many of its strikes have been against anti-Assad rebels. Multiple rounds of international negotiations to end the war, which erupted in 2011 after the Assad regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt, have so far failed. Obama said the United States was prepared to work with Russia to try to reduce the violence in Syria and boost the fight against the IS group and Al-Qaeda. "But Russia has failed to take the necessary steps. Given the deteriorating situation, it is time for Russia to show it is serious about pursuing these objectives," Obama said, warning he was not confident he could trust Putin. "We go into this without any blinders on," Obama said. "We're going to test and see if we can get something that sticks. And if not, then Russia will have shown itself very clearly to be an irresponsible actor around the world stage that is supporting a murderous regime." Obama's visit to the Pentagon, possibly the last of his eight-year presidency, came as the US-led effort to defeat the IS group enters its third year. The jihadists swept across vast parts of northern Syria and Iraq in 2014, leaving a trail of human butchery and horrific destruction in their wake. Since then, the coalition has conducted daily plane and drone strikes -- more than 14,000 so far -- and worked with local forces on the ground to gradually reclaim the seized territory. Obama says $400 mn for Iran was not hostage ransom US President Barack Obama reiterated Thursday that $400 million that the United States helped airlift to Iran earlier this year was not a ransom for the release of American prisoners. "Some of you may recall we announced these payments in January. Many months ago. They were not a secret," he told a press conference at the Pentagon, emphasizing that the United States does not pay ransoms. In January, five American prisoners were released as Washington granted clemency to seven Iranians and withdrew arrest warrants for 14 others. President Barack Obama speaks to the media at the Pentagon on August 4, 2016 Mark Wilson (Getty/AFP) Soon thereafter, the United States helped airlift $400 million worth of Swiss francs and euros to Iran. The White House has said it was returning cash from a 1970s Iranian military order that was not fulfilled because of the Islamic Revolution. "We do not pay ransom for hostages. We have a number of Americans being held all around the world. I meet with their families. And it is heartbreaking," Obama said. On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported that the chunk of cash had been loaded on wooden pallets and secretly airlifted to Iran in an unmarked cargo plane. Obama said that the timing of the delivery was "dictated by the fact that as a consequence of us negotiating around the nuclear deal, we had diplomatic negotiations with Iran for the first time in several decades." Following the deal, Secretary of State John Kerry was able to "meet with the foreign minister, which meant our ability to clear accounts on a number of different issues at the same time converged." Obama said nonpayment of the owed money posed a "significant litigation risk" that could have cost the United States billions of dollars. Cash was used for the payment because the US does not have a banking relationship with Iran -- "precisely because we're so strict in maintaining sanctions," Obama said. Trump, in fierce new broadside, says immigrants pose hidden threat Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump launched new attacks on immigrants Thursday, telling supporters that Somalis and other refugees from "terrorist nations" should be barred entry to the United States. "We are letting people come in from terrorist nations that shouldn't be allowed because you can't vet them," Trump, who has built his campaign around an anti-immigration platform, said at a rally in Portland, Maine. "You have no idea who they are. This could be the great Trojan horse of all time," he said, reprising a warning that terrorists including members of the Islamic State extremist group will sneak into the United States as refugees. Trump, pictured on August 2, 2016, caused an uproar last December when he called for a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States Molly Riley (AFP/File) "This is a practice that has to stop." He pointed to the Somali immigrant population as an example of the "thousands" of refugees who have flooded into Maine and other US states and caused problems. Trump said efforts to resettle Somali refugees -- many of them in Minnesota -- were "having the unintended consequence of creating an enclave of immigrants with high unemployment that is both stressing the state's... safety net and creating a rich pool of potential recruiting targets for Islamist terror groups." He then listed several immigrants, mostly from Muslim majority countries -- Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Uzbekistan and Yemen -- who were arrested for conducting or threatening to carry out violent attacks, teaching bomb-making to recruits, and otherwise supporting terror groups. "We're dealing with animals," he seethed. Trump caused an uproar last December when he called for a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States, and he has harangued his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for seeking to allow many times more refugees into the country than President Barack Obama has. "Hillary Clinton wants to have them come in by the hundreds of thousands," Trump warned Thursday, to a chorus of boos. Prosecutors criticized over lower potential fine after blast SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The surprising decision by federal prosecutors in San Francisco to drop pursuit of a potential $562 million fine against one of the nation's largest utilities after a deadly pipeline blast marked the second time in recent months that the office has backed down in a high-profile criminal case against a major corporation. The move Tuesday involving Pacific Gas & Electric Co. came weeks after the U.S. attorney's office abruptly abandoned drug trafficking allegations against shipping giant FedEx. The decisions were made after trials had started and raised questions about why the office would spend years building cases only to change course at the eleventh hour. FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2010, file photo, a natural gas line lies broken on a San Bruno, Calif., road after a massive explosion. The blast of a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. natural gas pipeline sent a giant plume of fire into the air in a neighborhood in San Bruno, killing eight people and destroying 38 homes. The surprising decision by federal prosecutors in San Francisco to slash nearly all of a potential $562 million fine in a criminal case against one of the nation's largest utilities has raised concerns about the office's handling of corporate prosecutions in the wake of a criminal case against shipping giant FedEx that prosecutors abruptly abandoned recently during trial. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) "It is so unbelievable that the U.S. attorney doesn't have either the confidence or the faith in their work to be able to defend the charges that they originally made," state Sen. Jerry Hill said about the decision to now pursue only $6 million in potential damages against PG&E. Hill's district includes San Bruno, the scene of the pipeline blast. Brandon Garrett, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who studies corporate crime, said the moves indicate "the office is not adequately planning and investigating its corporate cases before trial." U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch has not provided explanations for the handling of either case, though he has said his office will investigate the FedEx prosecution for any lessons that can be applied to future cases. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Wednesday it could not comment on the PG&E decision during ongoing jury deliberations to decide whether to convict the company of pipeline safety violations and obstruction. It declined comment on its handling of corporate prosecutions. Criminal prosecutions of corporations rarely go to trial and are more often settled through plea deals or agreements. Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said such prosecutions are difficult to win in part because of the legal resources corporations have. She thinks the late changes by prosecutors should be reviewed internally, but believes the office deserves credit for bringing the prosecutions in the first place. "They were aggressive," she said. "They sincerely believed they needed to do these cases to have a bigger impact on the corporate world." Prosecutors spent two years building a case against FedEx, accusing it of shipping prescription drugs that it knew were illegal and caused deaths. FedEx said the decision to drop charges proved there was no basis for them. A judge said the company was innocent. In the PG&E case, the utility faces 12 criminal charges stemming from a 2010 blast that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. Deliberations were in their fifth day Wednesday following a trial that lasted more than a month. The decision to seek lower penalties will only come into play if jurors return a guilty verdict. Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, whose district also includes San Bruno, said he was shocked by the decision to dramatically reduce the possible penalty. "Until we know the rationale, the victims' families, residents of San Bruno and current PG&E customers everywhere are likely to feel that their concerns are being ignored," Mullin said. The original potential $562 million fine was double the amount prosecutors said PG&E saved by skirting pipeline safety requirements. The utility argued in a court filing that the complicated process of determining any savings the company saw would greatly prolong the penalty phase. Hill speculated that the U.S. Department of Justice may have seen PG&E's filing and decided it didn't want to spend more money for a lengthy penalty phase. California regulators previously fined the utility $1.6 billion. Robert Weisberg, a criminal law professor at Stanford University, said it's possible prosecutors felt jurors might see the federal penalty as piling on and be upset at having to spend substantially more time hearing testimony. That could lead them to side with the utility. "It seems like the government either hadn't thought it through very well or its motivation shifted during the trial," he said. ___ This story has been updated to correct that PG&E is facing 12 charges. London police say knife attack leaves 1 dead, 5 hurt LONDON (AP) A woman has died and five others were injured in a knife attack in a central part of London, the police said Thursday. A statement from the London Metropolitan Police said the attack happened late Wednesday in Russell Square, which is near the British Museum. It said six people were treated at the scene, and that the woman later died. The condition of the others was not immediately known. The area where a knife attack happened is cordon off in London Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. London police say a woman has died and others were injured in a knife attack in a central part of the city. (Sky News via AP) The statement said one man was arrested, and that a police officer had used a Taser stun gun. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters the woman was in her 60s, but gave no other details. He said the arrested man was 19 years old and in police custody in a hospital. "Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry," Rowley said. He said the investigation was at an early stage, and that "terrorism as a motivation" was also a line of inquiry for police to explore. A look back at other 'Got Talent' accidents LOS ANGELES (AP) The sword swallower who was hit with a flaming arrow on "America's Got Talent" wasn't the first performer to suffer an injury on the variety competition series. While the show's judges and viewers were stunned when Ryan Stock's fiancee AmberLynn Walke accidently hit him with a crossbow during Tuesday's episode, the performer is merely latest person to suffer a "Got Talent" injury. A look back at other mishaps on the series: FILE - In this March 3, 2016 file photo, Simon Cowell arrives at the "America's Got Talent" Season 11 Red Carpet Kickoff in Pasadena, Calif. Cowell will be back in front of the cameras for "America's Got Talent" next season. Cowell, who created the show's format in Britain, is returning for his second turn as a judge, NBC said Tuesday, Aug. 2. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File) ___ IVAN THE URBAN ACTION FIGURE After advancing in the second season in 2007 with an acrobatic dancing routine, Ivan's next stunt got off to a bad start. He dove head-first into a pile of metal folding chairs and spent a few motionless minutes on the floor. "America's Got Talent" host Jerry Springer said the acrobatic break-dancer received medical attention and would be fine, although he wasn't able to continue on in the competition. ___ LITTLE FIREWATER AND WHITE DOVE Simon Cowell and the judges from "Britain's Got Talent" cut short the 2007 knife-throwing act of Brian "Little Firewater" Webber when a few of his blades didn't land and one grazed the noggin of his daughter, Melanie "White Dove" Webber. Melanie dismissed the criticism and told the panel she never felt in danger. Cowell didn't agree. He told her, "Why are you arguing with me when I just saved your life?" ___ PRIMITIVO MONTOYA During the sixth season of "America's Got Talent" in 2011, utility worker Primitivo Montoya fell off the stage during a goofy dance routine while attempting a somersault. Montoya quickly sprang back up. However, judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel axed him from the show. He returned later that season and fell off the stage again this time intentionally onto a mattress. ___ TRAN TAN PHAT A magician on the third season semi-finals of "Vietnam's Got Talent" in 2015 mistakenly gulped acid and was sent to the hospital instead of the finale. Phat was supposed to single out the odorless substance among four identical shots of water. Instead, he drank it and left the stage after his performance. He suffered burns to his lips and tongue. Howie Mandel, left, and Mel B, cast members in the television series "America's Got Talent," arrive at the NBCUniversal Television Critics Association summer press tour on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP) In this image released by NBC, Sofie Dossi performs on an episode of the talent competition series, "America's Got Talent." NBC led in the ratings with an average of 4.7 million viewers. The weeks top two shows, were NBCs two editions of Americas Got Talent. (Trae Patton/NBC via AP) torm is expected to weaken when it moves ashore and reaches Mexico fficials warned that heavy rain could cause flash floods and mudslides Advertisement This incredible timelapse video shows storm clouds rolling into the eastern coast of Mexico as Hurricane Earl made landfall. The 30-second clip shows dark clouds approaching Cancun on Wednesday, where winds topped 70mph, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami. It also hit Belize, where winds of 80mph and heavy rain were seen, as the storm continued its path of destruction towards Mexico. This incredible timelapse video shows storm clouds rolling into the eastern coast of Mexico as Hurricane Earl made landfall The 30-second video clip shows dark clouds approaching Cancun on Wednesday, where winds topped 70mph Tropical storm Earl whipped Belize with wind and heavy rain as it weakened, moving into Guatemala toward southeastern Mexico on Thursday after hundreds of people took shelter overnight. The NHC said on Thursday that Earl had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour) as it churned about 90 miles (145 km) west of Belize City. Earl had been a hurricane overnight. Late Wednesday, over 1,000 people were in shelters in Belize City, according to Philip Willoughby, who is in charge of the city's emergency management. Belize's National Emergency Management Organization warned the heavy rains 'could cause flash floods and mudslides especially over higher terrain.' Officials added: 'For coastal areas, there is also a risk for flooding, especially in low-lying areas.' The storm clouds are seen rolling into Mexico after battering Belize, where winds of 80mph and heavy rain were seen As it moves west, Earl is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later Thursday or by Friday morning The category-1 storm dumped rain on northern Honduras as it brushed past its coastline - capsizing a fishing boat with 83 people on board in the process. Dozens of people were also evacuated in Honduras on Wednesday, the government said. As it moves west, Earl is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later Thursday or by Friday morning, the NHC said. Alerts have been issued in the two South American countries, along with Honduras, and airports in the areas have been closed. In Belize, the government opened storm shelters and used radio and television broadcasts to urge residents of low-lying areas to move to higher ground. On Thursday morning the hurricane was recorded around five miles southwest of Belize City (pictured) Passengers leave Guatemala before the arrival of the storm, which is set to bring heavy rain The US National Hurricane Center said the storm was moving roughly westward and threatens neighboring Mexico (pictured) with torrential rain Alerts have been issued in Honduras (pictured), and airports in the areas have been closed Some people have evacuated low-lying coastal areas in nearby Guatemala (pictured) Some people also evacuated low-lying coastal areas in nearby Guatemala. Hotels along Belize's coast and the low-lying islands offshore pulled in awnings and beach chairs as heavy rain began whipping the coast late Wednesday evening. The manager of the Caribbean Villas Hotel, in San Pedro on Belize's Ambergris Caye, said: 'Anything that's not anchored in, we've pulled back and out of the way.' Authorities in the Mexican coastal state of Quintana Roo, to the north of the hurricane's predicted path, reported some evacuations and prepared shelters in case of flooding. The hurricane center said heavy rains would be a danger in southern Mexico through Saturday as Earl crosses the Yucatan Peninsula and the states of Tabasco and Veracruz. On late Wednesday night, Earl raked the northern coast of Honduras and capsized a lobster fishing boat in the Caribbean. The category-1 storm gathered strength and dumped rain on Honduras (pictured) as it brushed past it on its way to Belize A marine gas station is shut down as it prepares for the storm, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala Villagers stand on the coast of the bay of Amatique, before the arrival of Hurricane Earl, in Puerto Barrios A man cycles in a flooded street as Hurricane Earl passes the coast of La Ceiba in Honduras All but two of the 83 people on board were rescued but the navy confirmed it was looking for the people missing. Lisandro Rosales, head of Honduras' emergency commission, said there were reports of large numbers of trees and utility poles being knocked down. Schools and universities closed across Honduras' coastal provinces, and archaeological reserves and national parks were shut in Belize. The Belize Tourism Board announced that cruise ship calls had also been cancelled for this week. The storm is expected to begin weakening when it moves ashore, and according to data published on the US National Hurricane Center website, it will arrive in the south of Mexico on Saturday. By this point however, the hurricane will have downgraded to a 'Tropical Depression' and will have wind speeds of less than 39mph. A passenger boat leaves the municipal pier heading to neighboring communities in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala Belize closed archaeological reserves and national parks (pictured) on account of the storm 2 men charged over drugs smuggled into Australia in logs MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Two men had been charged with drug smuggling after methamphetamine valued at 115 million Australian dollars ($90 million) was shipped to Sydney from Africa hidden in wooden logs, officials said on Thursday. The 154 kilograms (340 pounds) of the drug had been smuggled inside 14 logs within a consignment of 121 that arrived in Australia in June, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force said in a joint statement. Police detected the drug in Sydney and monitored the logs as they were delivered to Melbourne in July. Police launched simultaneous raids on Wednesday, arresting a 64-year-old man in Sydney and a 20-year-old man in Melbourne. They were both charged with importing a commercial quantity of the drug and face potential life sentences in prison if convicted. Justice Minister Michael Keenan said international drug rings targeted Australia because Australians were prepared to pay among the world's highest prices for methamphetamine, their most popular illicit drug after cannabis. China lawyer gets 7 years in 3rd subversion trial this week BEIJING (AP) A Chinese lawyer was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday in the third in a series of subversion trials demonstrating the ruling Communist Party's determination to silence independent human rights activists and government critics. The sentence given to Zhou Shifeng results from his role as director of Beijing's Fengrui Law Firm, which took on sensitive cases and represented people who dared challenge the party. Zhou, 52, accepted the ruling and will not appeal, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. In this image taken from video and made available via AP Video, Zhou Shifeng arrives for his trial at the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in northern China's Tianjin Municipality on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Zhou, a Chinese lawyer, was in court Thursday in the third of a series of subversion trials demonstrating the ruling Communist Party's determination to shut down independent human rights activists and government critics. (CCTV via AP Video) His half-day trial in the northern city of Tianjin followed those of two related legal activists earlier this week, both on charges of subversion. As with the others, Zhou was detained in July of last year during a sweeping roundup of activists and lawyers. About 300 people were initially seized and questioned before most were released. Zhou was accused of coming under the influence of "anti-China forces" and opposing China's government and political system. He was also accused of opposing the "one country, two systems" policy applied in former foreign colonies Hong Kong and Macau. Zhou "played a major role in a group of activists who attempted to manipulate public opinion and damage national security by spreading subversive thoughts," state media quoted the verdict as saying. It said Zhou worked with activists Hu Shigen, Zhai Yanmin and Li Heping "to encourage lawyers to highlight sensitive cases and hired protesters to disturb the judicial system." Hu was given a 7 year sentence on Wednesday and Zhai a suspended three-year sentence on Tuesday, while Li is being tried separately. Zhou also "asked administrative officers in the law firm to post anti-government comments online to stir up public sentiment," the verdict said. Zhou established Fengrui in 2007, and the following year took on one of the country's biggest dairies in a massive tainted infant formula scandal that the government had tried to squelch. The firm also represented clients targeted by the government, including members of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect and activist artist Ai Weiwei. Zhou's final case involved Zhang Miao, a news assistant for the German weekly Die Zeit who was detained for nine months after helping with the magazine's coverage of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Zhou was meeting Zhang at a hotel in suburban Beijing following her release when he was seized, hooded and driven away by agents. This week's trials are part of a pattern established under the administration of President Xi Jinping to use more sophisticated legal means to attack perceived opponents as it maintains pressure on activists and non-governmental organizations. In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark toner expressed concern over that several lawyers and activists have been sentenced to up to seven years on "vague and apparently politically motivated charges." He said it was "troubling" that the defendants had been denied access to their chosen counsel and family members. "We urge China to release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities," Toner told reporters. The trials show China is intent on silencing anyone who "raises legitimate questions about human rights and uses the legal system to seek redress," Amnesty International said in a statement on Zhou's conviction. "The authorities are using vague legal provisions as a weapon to give their politically motivated assault the veneer of legitimacy. When state security laws are open to such rampant abuse, the law needs to change," Roseann Rife, the group's East Asia research director, said in the statement. Several of those detained, including Zhou and fellow Fengrui lawyer Wang Yu, have made televised apologies for the crimes they are accused of, saying their legal activism was directed by unidentified "hostile foreign forces" to smear and attack the Chinese government. Fengrui often worked with activists to gather evidence of government abuses and lead clients and the disgruntled in street protests while spreading word online. Their actions were harshly denounced by the authorities as thuggery and interference in the legal process. Many family members of those being held say they and their retained lawyers have been denied access to the detainees for more than a year, receiving only occasional updates by word of mouth. Some have been briefly detained themselves while seeking information. Zhou and others were assigned government-appointed lawyers who worked closely with the court. More than a dozen of those detained last year remain in custody, their legal fates still unknown. ____ Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report. In this image from video, Zhou Shifeng, center, is escorted by police officers upon his arrival for his trial at the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in northern China's Tianjin Municipality Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Zhou, a Chinese lawyer was in court Thursday in the third of a series of subversion trials demonstrating the ruling Communist Party's determination to shut down independent human rights activists and government critics. (CCTV via AP Video) Ex-church official gets trial date days after leaving prison PHILADELPHIA (AP) A former Philadelphia church official will be retried next year over his handling of priest-abuse complaints even though his child-endangerment conviction has twice been overturned. Monsignor William Lynn will face a pared-down trial May 1, after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court faulted the trial judge for allowing weeks of testimony from 21 victims to show the alleged cover-up by the Roman Catholic church. The court found that testimony prejudiced the jury against Lynn, who was charged with endangering a single boy abused by a problem priest transferred to his parish in the late 1990s. FILE In this Jan. 6, 2014, file photo, Monsignor William Lynn leaves a bail hearing at the Center for Criminal Justice in Philadelphia. Lynn has served all but three months of his three-year sentence since his high-profile 2012 trial. But Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams insists he will retry the case. A judge could set a trial date at the Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, morning hearing. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Lynn, 65, returned to court Thursday, two days after leaving prison, but did not speak at the brief hearing. The defense hoped prosecutors would drop the case, given that he's served all but three months of his three-year sentence. But Lynn has emerged as a pivotal test case in the move to hold church and institutional leaders responsible for protecting pedophiles. Two city grand juries spent years investigating child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The first panel, in 2005, concluded there was no law on the books to charge the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua or his underlings, including Lynn. But a second panel, in 2011, voted to charge Lynn alone with child endangerment. Lynn had been secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004. Defense lawyer Thomas Bergstrom called Lynn "a pawn" in the church hierarchy, an unassuming man who as the problem exploded in Boston and elsewhere reviewed decades of abuse complaints kept in locked, secret files. "He went to the secret archive and found the names of 35 priests who had abused children. He brought that list to the cardinal for action. The cardinal shredded that list," Bergstrom said Thursday. "When a cardinal said to move a priest to a designated parish, Lynn would handle the paperwork." The former altar boy at the heart of Lynn's case said he was raped by two priests and a teacher in the late 1990s. The young man, a policeman's son, said the assaults led to years of drug abuse and more than two dozen stints in drug treatment. He settled his lawsuit against the archdiocese last year, on the eve of the pope's visit to Philadelphia, for an undisclosed sum, and now lives in Florida. IS group announces new Boko Haram leader in Nigeria LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who is threatening to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday by the Islamic State group. He also says there is a Western plot to Christianize the region and has accused charities of using their aid for that purpose, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation of an interview published Wednesday in the Islamic State newspaper al-Nabaa. The newspaper identified Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new "wali," or governor, of its so-called West Africa Province. The "wali" title was previously used to describe long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. FILE- In this Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 file photo, people inspect a damaged mosque following an explosion in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Nigerias Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who promises to end attacks on mosques and markets used by Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016 by the Islamic State. The groups newspaper al-Nadaa identifies Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new Wali of its West Africa Province _ a title previously used to describe long-time leader Abubakar Shekau. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola, File) The report did not say what Shekau's current status was, although there have been rumors for weeks that he had been replaced. The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen. There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of schoolchildren. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. "They strongly seek to Christianize the society. ... They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children," SITE Intelligence quotes the new leader as saying. Al-Barnawi says the militants will respond to that threat by "booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross." Wednesday's announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al-Qaida to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said. Ansaru broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. Al-Barnawi is the pseudonym of a Nigerian journalist allied with Ansaru, which is known for kidnapping foreigners, according to Zenn. In March 2015, Shekau switched allegiance from al-Qaida and declared that Boko Haram be known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province. At the time, Boko Haram was the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria, controlling a huge area and was better equipped and motivated than Nigerian forces. Under Shekau, the seven-year insurgency spread to neighboring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and drove more than 2.2 millon from their homes, and created what aid workers are calling a catastrophic humanitarian emergency with children dying of starvation daily. Boko Haram last week ambushed a humanitarian convoy, killing three civilians including a U.N. employee and causing the suspension of U.N. aid to newly liberated but still dangerous areas of Nigeria's northeast. Since last year, Nigeria has a new leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator who has better armed and motivated security forces. He is also fighting corruption that diverted $2.1 billion that was meant to buy weapons to fight the Islamic uprising, and is cooperating with a multinational force that has the extremists on the run. In the interview, al-Barnawi said that under his leadership the militants will work to seize back territory. He said that increasing numbers of youth are joining the cause, though Nigeria's military reports that hundreds of its fighters have surrendered as aerial bombardments and ground assaults cut supply routes. ___ Associated Press writer Maggie Michael in Cairo contributed to this report. FILE- In this Friday, July. 31, 2015 file photo People walk past a damaged car at the site of a bomb explosion in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Nigerias Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who promises to end attacks on mosques and markets used by Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016 by the Islamic State. The groups newspaper al-Nadaa identifies Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new Wali of its West Africa Province _ a title previously used to describe long-time leader Abubakar Shekau. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola, File) Internet disruption at Bahrain rally site deliberate DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) The nightly disruption of internet access in a Bahraini neighborhood home to a prominent Shiite cleric targeted in a government crackdown appears to be deliberate, an advocacy group said Thursday. The report by Bahrain Watch comes as human rights activists, journalists, Shiite leaders and others have been imprisoned or forced into exile in a severe clampdown on dissent in the tiny, Sunni-ruled island kingdom. With independent news gathering growing more difficult in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, the report suggests the internet slowdown is intended to disrupt protesters in the Diraz neighborhood. That's where protesters have held a sit-in and demonstrated in support of Sheikh Isa Qassim, who lost his citizenship in June over government allegations he fanned extremism. FILE- In this Feb. 2, 2014 file photo, Sheik Isa Qassim, Bahrain's top Shiite Muslim cleric, center, smiles during a gathering of Shiite clerics at a mosque in Manama, Bahrain. An advocacy group says a nightly disruption of internet access in the Bahraini neighborhood of the prominent Shiite cleric targeted in a government crackdown appears to be deliberate. A report released Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 by Bahrain Watch comes as human rights activists, journalists, Shiite leaders and others have been imprisoned or forced into exile in an intense clampdown on dissent in the tiny, Sunni-ruled island kingdom.(AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File) Locals in Diraz have complained about poor internet connectivity in recent weeks, as well as a heavy police presence. Each night around 7 p.m. and lasting until about 1 a.m., online traffic there slows to less than a crawl on mobile phones and some fixed-line internet connections, Bahrain Watch said. "Our experiments show ... certain 3G and 4G cell towers belonging to Batelco and Zain appear to be turned off and 2G cells broadcast notifications to phones indicating that mobile data services are not supported," the report said. "Our experiments also reveal the presence of a device on Batelco's internet backbone that disrupts certain internet traffic to and from Diraz." Batelco and Zain, two of the island's main telecommunication companies, did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Bahrain Watch suggests in the report that it may be a government order forcing the companies to throttle internet access. During Bahrain's 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests, internet traffic in and out of the country dropped by 20 percent, "which could have been a result of intentional governmental throttling or a side effect of surveillance-related tinkering with the network," according to the U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House. Bahraini government officials did not respond to requests for comment. The government in Bahrain crushed the Arab Spring protests with the help of troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Since then, the island has seen low-level unrest, protests and attacks on police. Since April, however, the government's crackdown has intensified to levels unseen in five years. Its decisions include suspending the country's largest Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq, in a surprise court hearing and the doubling to nine years of a prison sentence handed down to Al-Wefaq's secretary-general, Sheikh Ali Salman. The crackdown comes as tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran remain at a fever-pitch after the Sunni-ruled kingdom executed a prominent Shiite cleric in January. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after Iranian protesters, angered by the cleric's execution, attacked two of the kingdom's diplomatic posts. Bahrain also faces increasing economic pressure as its oil-dependent economy has suffered from depressed global crude prices. That's likely made it more dependent on support from Saudi Arabia, which has long viewed Bahrain as being under its sphere of influence. ___ Online: Bahrain Watch report: https://bahrainwatch.org/blog/2016/08/03/bahrain-internet-curfew ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jon-gambrell . Syrian journalists cover civil war at home from Jordan exile AMMAN, Jordan (AP) From a small office in Jordan's capital, two dozen Syrians and Americans talk daily by Skype with activists and civilians on both sides of the conflict in neighboring Syria to get a unique perspective on the civil war and the scope of the suffering. The setup of Syria Direct, a U.S.-funded nonprofit group, is similar to that of news organizations that cover the conflict largely from a distance because on-the-ground reporting in Syria is either restricted or deemed too dangerous. Yet Syria Direct also has a goal beyond reporting it wants to influence decision-makers. In this July 18, 2016 photo, Syrian Mohammed al-Haj Ali messages eyewitnesses in Syria for the news organization Syria Direct. From a small office in Jordan's capital, two dozen Syrians and Americans monitor the civil war in Syria by talking with activists and civilians on both sides of the conflict. The setup of Syria Direct, a U.S.-funded nonprofit group, is similar to other news organizations that cover the conflict largely from a distance because on-the-ground reporting from Syria is either restricted or deemed too dangerous. Yet Syria Direct also has a goal beyond reporting -- it wants to influence decision-makers. (AP Photo/Layla Quran) "What we're trying to do is talk about ordinary Syrians and what their daily life is like after the decisions are made," said managing director Orion Wilcox. Syria Direct is funded by the U.S. State Department and a U.S. charity, but Wilcox said money from Washington does not influence what is published. The group writes about abuses by both the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and rebel groups fighting him, he said. Remote coverage of the five-year-old war, which devastated large parts of Syria, killed more than a quarter of a million people and uprooted millions more, has been a major challenge. Information is often difficult to obtain or vet. At the same time, global interest in the daily bloody grind in Syria has dropped off as other crises command attention. Syria Direct said it is targeting readers who are already well informed about Syria and want a more granular view than what most news outlets typically provide. The website has about 50,000 page views per month, while its Facebook page has 77,000 followers. Both are published in English and Arabic. In the group's Amman office, two dozen Syrian and American journalists, translators and trainees met in small groups on a recent morning to discuss story ideas. Two or three pitches are usually pursued per day, with Syrian journalists tapping into their network of sources to gather information. Stories reported and written by the Syrian journalists in Arabic are translated to English, then fact-checked and edited before being translated back to Arabic. A recent story reported on the rise of miscarriages in rebel-held Madaya, one of four Syrian towns where the U.N. says over 62,000 people are besieged in rapidly deteriorating conditions. As part of the story, Syria Direct interviewed a Madaya woman who said she suffered a miscarriage after U.N. food aid stopped coming. "We have sources that we've worked with for a long time and know are reliable," said Syrian journalist Mohammed al-Haj Ali, who fled to Amman in 2012. "When we hear news ... we check the news with several eyewitnesses." When hundreds in a rebel-controlled suburb of Damascus suffered from food poisoning in June, Syria Direct spoke to residents who said the cause was spoiled food distributed by a rebel-administered charity. Eliot Higgins, a British blogger and Syria watcher, said he considers Syria Direct a reliable news source within the limitations of remote coverage. "You're getting stuff that people choose to share, so it's not always representative of the entire conflict or what's going on in a certain area," he said. Higgins said some pro-government groups have claimed Syria Direct focuses more on abuses committed by the government than by rebel groups, but that this may in part be due to greater media savviness and social media presence of the Syrian opposition groups. Syria Direct co-founder Amjad Tadros, a veteran news producer for the U.S. network CBS, said the group covers all sides of the conflict. "From the opposition, to the government, to the Kurds, they all insult us because we tell the truth," he said. For example, supporters of one Kurdish group criticized Syria Direct on Twitter after it reported that a Kurdish militia had forcibly displaced Syrian Arabs from their homes. And a recent story about rebels trying to break a government blockade in the city of Aleppo quoted an opposition commander and a pro-government source. Syria Direct was set up in 2013 by Tadros and the private U.S.-based group Global Peace and Development Charitable Trust, which says on its website that it seeks to promote democracy worldwide. The trust and the State Department cover the running costs and the training of journalists. The U.S. Embassy in Jordan said the U.S. government does not interfere in editorial decisions. Syria expert Joshua Landis said reporters at Syria Direct fill a need by tapping into their networks and providing relatively nuanced reports about multiple players in a fragmented country. As Zika fears escalate, lawmakers point fingers from afar WASHINGTON (AP) As Zika escalates into a public health crisis and the number of mosquito-transmitted cases grows, Republicans and Democrats are pointing fingers over the failure by Congress to commit federal dollars to fight the virus. President Barack Obama on Thursday sought to pressure congressional Republicans over the issue, encouraging voters to "call your members of Congress and tell them to do their job." "The money that we need to fight Zika is rapidly running out. The situation is getting critical," Obama said at a news conference. FILE - In this July 12, 2016, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. As the Zika virus escalates into a public health crisis, members of Congress remain entrenched politically, with Republicans and Democrats pointing fingers over the failure to act as the number of mosquito-transmitted cases in the U.S. grows. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Yet lawmakers left Washington in mid-July for a seven-week recess without approving any of the $1.9 billion that Obama requested in February to develop a vaccine and control the mosquitoes that carry the virus. Abortion politics played a central role in the impasse. Republicans angered Democrats by adding a provision to a $1.1 billion take-it-or-leave-it measure that would have blocked Planned Parenthood clinics in Puerto Rico from receiving money. House Speaker Paul Ryan, writing in USA Today on Thursday, did not mention that provision in blaming Democrats for blocking the legislation. Their obstruction, according to Ryan, R-Wis., is "a blatant ploy in an election year." Also Thursday, 47 Senate Democrats called on Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to reconvene Congress and immediately address the Zika threat. They faulted GOP leaders for allowing "poison pill special-interest priorities" into the bill. But McConnell has signaled he is in no rush to return. Writing in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader on Monday, he criticized Democrats for balking at passing the bill. He said they'll get another chance after Labor Day when Congress is back in session. Some important points to know about the issue: ___ ZIKA MONEY BEING SPENT "AGGRESSIVELY, PRUDENTLY" Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell warned lawmakers on Wednesday that her Zika budget is running out quickly. Without more money soon, she said, the "nation's ability to effectively respond to Zika will be impaired." Burwell's letter sought to counter Republicans who've criticized the Obama administration for not using several hundred million dollars already in the budget for Zika prevention. The money was initially allotted for fighting Ebola but was redirected to address Zika. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Tuesday that's there's no excuse for not spending money that Congress has provided. "Why are they holding that money back?" he asked. Burwell said her agency is committed to using "scarce federal dollars aggressively and prudently." The Centers for Disease Control received the bulk of the $374 million "repurposed" for Zika domestic response efforts, she said, and it will exhaust the remainder of the money by Sept. 30. Money for vaccine development will run out even sooner, she said. The second phase of clinical trials would be delayed as a result, and Americans would have to wait longer for a vaccine, according to Burwell. "Now that the United States is in the height of mosquito season and with the progress in developing a Zika vaccine, the need for additional resources is critical," Burwell wrote. ___ DON'T EXPECT CONGRESS TO INTERUPT ITS RECESS Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Congress does not have to interrupt its break to pass the bill. Republicans quickly dismissed his proposal. Nelson's state has become the epicenter for Zika in the U.S. At least 15 people are reported to be infected with the virus in Miami's Wynwood arts district. These are believed to be the first mosquito-transmitted cases in the mainland United States. Nelson said in a letter Tuesday to McConnell that the Senate could pass a bill through a procedure known as a pro forma session that requires the presence of only a few senators. But even Nelson is not optimistic that will happen, and he took a jab at McConnell, predicting the Senate would move swiftly if a transmitted Zika case was reported in Kentucky. Don Stewart, McConnell's spokesman, said Nelson's proposal was not plausible unless Democrats were willing to end their filibuster of a Zika bill the House has passed. Otherwise, the Senate would be only approving an earlier version of the legislation that Obama could not sign into law, Stewart said. ___ ZIKA IS RISKY FOR BUSINESS TOO Zika is a looming economic development problem too, according to Rubio. Many Florida businesses depend heavily on tourism and the state's economy could be hurt if potential visitors decide to stay away, he said. "I can foresee now when people that are planning to come to Florida, to go fishing perhaps, will decide to cancel their trip because they're worried about mosquitoes and they're worried about Zika," Rubio said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday that it's up to Congress to pass the legislation so that more can be done. "They left on a seven-week recess a day early, at the height of mosquito season and basically told the American people, 'good luck,'" Earnest said. ___ Associated Press writers Erica Werner and Kevin Freking contributed to this report. ___ Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rplardner FILE - In this July 13, 2016, file photo, Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues Chairman Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the subcommittee's hearing about Zika. As the Zika virus escalates into a public health crisis, members of Congress remain entrenched politically, with Republicans and Democrats pointing fingers over the failure to act as the number of mosquito-transmitted cases in the U.S. grows. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) The Latest: Earl weakens to a tropical storm BELMOPAN, Belize (AP) The Latest on Hurricane Earl. (all times local): 6:10 a.m. Earl has weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall in Belize early Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane. Guatemalan army soldiers sing as they stand for review at their base, before the arrival of Hurricane Earl in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Earl's maximum sustained winds decreased to near 65 mph (105 kph) with additional weakening expected as the storm moves farther inland. Earl is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression by Thursday night or Friday morning. Meanwhile, Mexico has discontinued all warnings associated with the storm and Belize has replaced its hurricane warning with a tropical storm warning. Earl is centered about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of Belize City, Belize, and is moving west near 15 mph (24 kph). ___ 12:25 a.m. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Earl has made landfall near Belize City, Belize, with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph (130 kph). The hurricane is centered early Thursday about 5 miles (10 kilometers) southwest of Belize City and is moving west near 14 mph (23 kph). A hurricane warning is in place for Belize and parts of Mexico, though the storm was expected to begin weakening when it moved ashore. The hurricane center says heavy rains will be a danger in southern Mexico through Saturday as Earl crosses the Yucatan Peninsula and the states of Tabasco and Veracruz. In Belize, the government opened storm shelters and used radio and television broadcasts to urge residents of low-lying areas to move to higher ground. Villagers stand on the coast of the bay of Amatique, before the arrival of Hurricane Earl, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) A marine gas station is shut down as it prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Earl, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) Passengers depart aboard a motor boat transport for the coastal town of Livingston before the arrival of Tropical Storm Earl, from a pier in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) A passenger boat leaves the municipal pier heading to neighboring communities before the arrival of Hurricane Earl, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) Passengersget ready to depart aboard a motor boat transport for the coastal town of Livingston before the arrival of Tropical Storm Earl, from a pier in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) PICTURED: Weddings cut through gloomy mood in Gaza Strip GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Like dozens of other couples who got married this summer in the isolated Gaza Strip, for Saed and Falasteen Abu Aser, their wedding was an elaborately planned celebration, complete with a procession through the streets of their neighborhood. In a time with little to be joyous about in Gaza, weddings have emerged as welcome festivities that offer a break from the often morose mood in the strip. The coastal territory has faced three wars with Israel over the last decade and a stifling blockade imposed by both Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant Hamas group violently overran the territory in 2007. But for the happy couple and their families, a wedding is both a respite from daily hardships and a focal point in the lives of both the well-off and the poor. In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, two girls pose for a picture as they sit in front of the family house during the wedding party of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) "My joy is great among my family and my friends and my neighbors and I thank them because they helped and supported me," said the 22-year-old groom Saed Abu Aser. His bride, Falasteen, is 17. The Abu Asers are first cousins who come from a poor family. It is not uncommon for cousins to marry in Palestinian society. Their festivities began days before the wedding ceremony, with a boisterous stag party in which the groom's friends set the dance floor on fire to the tune of a local band while glitter twinkled from their sweaty faces. On the day of the wedding, the families gathered for a cheerful lunch before the bride and groom got all spruced up for the big night he in a black suit and she in a white gown and matching cape, her face daubed in white powder. They held a lavish wedding party at a hall, where they were driven to in a convoy of decorated, honking cars. All those expenses can add up, but Abu Aser's family took out a loan to pay for what has become an increasingly important milestone for people in Gaza. Other impoverished Gazans ask for donations to pay for their rites of marriage. Associated Press photographer Khalil Hamra joined the celebrations, and here is a series of his photographs. ___ Follow AP photographer Khalil Hamra: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KhalilHamra/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khalil_hamra/ ___ Associated Press photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, 22, walks with his bride, Falasteen, out of her family house to the wedding hall to celebrate their wedding, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Thursday, July 28, 2016 photo, relatives of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, dance in a party celebrating his wedding, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Thursday, July 28, 2016 photo, relatives of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, dance in a party celebrating his wedding, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, has a haircut in preparation for his wedding, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, friends of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, help him in the traditional "prenuptial" bath, in the family house in preparation for his wedding in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, friends of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, help him into his tuxedo in the family house in preparation for his wedding, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, friends of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, spray him with cologne as they help him get dressed for his wedding, at the family house in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, friends and relatives of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, dance in the streets around the neighborhood, while being carried on a friend's shoulders, before his wedding party, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, a woman throws candy at friends of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, as they pass through the neighborhood dancing, before his wedding party in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, band members play celebratory music in the family house of Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, as part of the preparations for his wedding, in Gaza. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, second left, dances with his relatives in the family house during his wedding party, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, center right, dances with relatives while holding guns in the family house during his wedding party, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, center left, and relatives dance in front of his bride, Falasteen, in her family house during their wedding party, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, dances in the street on his way to the wedding hall, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 31, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, and his pride, Falasteen, walk into the wedding hall amid smoke from fireworks, in Gaza City. Weddings in Gaza have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose existence in the Gaza Strip. The coastal territory has been beaten down by three wars with Israel over the last decade and a stifling blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, and his bride, Falasteen, walk into the wedding hall, in Gaza City. Weddings have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose mood in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian coastal territory run by the militant group Hamas. For both poor and well-off Gazans, weddings are a days-long, lavish affair of parties and dancing. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) Huge Navy fuel tanks worry Hawaii farmers, utility officials AIEA, Hawaii (AP) Anthony DeLuze keeps his ancestors' traditions alive in 21st century Hawaii by growing the staple crop taro on a suburban plot sandwiched between wings of a sprawling shopping mall. But the aquifer that hydrates the starchy vegetables sits under 20 enormous underground tanks the Navy uses to store fuel for military ships and aircraft. One tank leaked tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel into the ground in 2014, worrying DeLuze the tanks are a threat to his farm's natural springs and well. The aquifer also supplies a quarter of the water consumed in urban Honolulu, which includes the tourist mecca Waikiki. In this photo taken July 9, 2016, volunteers at a Sierra Club-organized event help prepare a taro patch for planting at Anthony DeLuze's farm in Aiea, Hawaii. Some residents including DeLuze and local water utility officials want the Navy to move 20 World War II-era tanks that sit on top of one Honolulu's most important aquifers, but the Navy views the tanks as a vital strategic asset that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) DeLuze and Honolulu water utility officials want the Navy to move the World War II-era tanks away from the aquifer. But the Navy views them as a vital strategic asset that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. Plus, the Navy says the water is safe. "It makes no sense to me that one of the biggest aquifers on this island has fuel sitting on top of it," DeLuze said. "Anything can happen could have an earthquake, could be a disaster, and we're screwed." Each of the underground fuel tanks is about 25 stories tall. The tanks sit in two rows of 10 inside a hill about 3 miles from Pearl Harbor. They hold a total of about 187 million gallons of fuel, providing the military with a vital fuel reserve in the Pacific. Two are currently out of service. Navy Region Hawaii commander Rear Adm. John Fuller said the tanks are the last fully U.S.-owned fuel stop for forces en route from the West Coast and Hawaii to Asia and the Middle East. "If we don't have the fuel to operate the forces, then we can't be present. We can't help our friends," Fuller said. The Navy is working on a 20-year plan, codified in a signed agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Health Department, to upgrade the 70-year-old tanks and better prevent and detect leaks. As part of the deal, the Navy is building four new wells to monitor groundwater for contaminants by the end of the year. This will add to the 10 monitoring wells it already has. The Navy conducts quarterly and monthly testing at these wells, said Capt. Dean Tufts, commanding officer of Naval Facilities and Engineering Command, Hawaii. "Fuel is not moving toward drinking water sources. And fuel is not in the aquifer at all," Tufts told The Associated Press in an interview. Officials with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, the city's water utility, say its water is safe to drink. But they point to Navy studies from the '80s through the late '90s showing petroleum hydrocarbon in the rocks underneath the tanks as a sign of the tanks' risks. They're worried about the possibility of an extremely large release of fuel due to a catastrophic event, in part because the tanks are so old. As an island state, Hawaii can't import water from a neighbor if the fuel enters the water supply, said Ernest Lau, the utility's manager and chief engineer. "We live on an island. Every drop of pure fresh water is precious to us," Lau said. He argues a better place for the tanks is about 20 miles west at Campbell Industrial Park, where a hard rock covering insulates the aquifer below. Honolulu could install a treatment system to remove fuel contaminants, but that would be expensive, and ratepayers would have to foot the bill unless the utility could force the federal government to pay for it, Lau said. The utility hasn't said how much it would cost to build a treatment system. But a 2010 Navy study estimated the price for installing one for the Navy's Red Hill shaft near the tanks would be between $46 million and $51 million. The study estimated the facility would cost $6 million to $7 million a year to operate. Part of the difficulty is the uncertainty over where the leaked petroleum is heading and where future leaks might go. Steve Linder, manager of the underground storage tanks program at the EPA region that includes Hawaii, said data doesn't indicate alarming signs of fuel in the groundwater or show an imminent threat to drinking water supply wells. But he said more research would provide certainty and comfort. "That's what we're looking for getting a higher degree of understanding, a higher degree of certainty so we can make more informed decisions about what needs to happen in terms of release prevention in the future and what needs to happen in terms of mitigation of a problem that may already exist," Linder said. In this photo taken July 9, 2016, Anthony DeLuze talks about the Navy's fuel tanks while working at his taro farm in Aiea, Hawaii. Some residents including DeLuze and local water utility officials want the Navy to move 20 World War II-era tanks that sit on top of one Honolulu's most important aquifers, but the Navy views the tanks as a vital strategic asset that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) In this photo taken July 9, 2016, Anthony DeLuze cleans a small taro stalk at his farm in Aiea, Hawaii. Some residents including DeLuze and local water utility officials want the Navy to move 20 World War II-era tanks that sit on top of one Honolulu's most important aquifers, but the Navy views the tanks as a vital strategic asset that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) In this photo taken April 1, 2016, Rear Adm. John Fuller, Navy Region Hawaii commander, speaks during an interview in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Some residents and local water utility officials want the Navy to move 20 World War II-era tanks somewhere else. Fuller said the tanks are the last fully U.S.-owned fuel stop for forces en route from the West Coast and Hawaii to Asia and the Middle East. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) In this April 1, 2016 photo, Capt. Dean Tufts, commanding officer of Naval Facilities and Engineering Command, Hawaii, speaks during an interview in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Some residents and local water utility officials want the Navy to move 20 World War II-era tanks that sit on top of one Honolulu's most important aquifers. "Fuel is not moving toward drinking water sources. And fuel is not in the aquifer at all," Tufts said. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) Poll: Police harassment familiar to young blacks, Hispanics DETROIT (AP) Crystal Webb cringes whenever a patrol car appears in her rearview mirror. She also never wants to see the inside of a police station again. Her personal experience with police, plus recent fatal shootings of unarmed black men by white officers, has led the Apple Valley, California, mother of two to ask: Who are the good guys and who are bad? "You are the people I'm supposed to go to when I'm in trouble," Webb says of police. FILE - In this July 15, 2016, file photo, the casket of Alton Sterling is placed into a glass covered hearse following his funeral service at the F.G. Clark Activity Center in Baton Rouge, La., Two-thirds of young African-Americans and 4 in 10 Hispanics say that they or someone they know has experienced violence or harassment at the hands of the police, according to a new GenForward poll. The first-of-its-kind poll pays special attention to the voices of young adults of color, highlighting how race and ethnicity shape the opinions of a new generation. Two of the more recent killings were the July 5 shooting death of Alton Sterling during a struggle with officers in Baton Rouge. (AP Photo/Max Becherer, File) Two-thirds of young African-Americans and 4 in 10 Hispanics say that they or someone they know has experienced violence or harassment at the hands of the police, according to a new GenForward poll. That includes about 2 in 10 in each group who say that was a personal experience, including about 3 in 10 black men who say the same. But the poll also shows that young people still want a police presence in their communities. GenForward is a survey of adults age 18 to 30 by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The first-of-its-kind poll pays special attention to the voices of young adults of color, highlighting how race and ethnicity shape the opinions of a new generation. Those poll results come after the killing of several young black men by police around the country. Two of the more recent killings were the July 5 shooting death of Alton Sterling during a struggle with officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the fatal shooting of Philando Castile the following day by an officer in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. Those shootings were followed by the July 7 killing of five officers in Dallas by a black gunman during a protest against police shootings of black suspects. Two police officers and one sheriff's deputy were shot and killed by a black gunman during a July 17 ambush in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. About 6 in 10 young adults consider the killings of black people by the police and violence against the police as extremely or very serious problems, according to the poll. But young African-Americans and Hispanics see killings by police as more serious problems and young whites see violence against the police as more serious. Most, especially blacks and Hispanics, say not-guilty verdicts for three Baltimore police officers charged in the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray give them less confidence in the police. Gray, 25, was fatally injured while handcuffed and shackled in the back of the van. Among young whites and Asians in the new poll, just 3 in 10 say they or someone they know has experienced police harassment, and just 1 in 10 white and 1 in 20 Asians say that was a personal experience. Webb, who is black, says she was arrested last November by two officers one white, the other black. "They threw me in the police car and when I gave them my story, the other officer who was white gave me a look," she said. "While the officer of color was asking questions and being nice, the other officer got in the car and started yelling at me. He told me to just shut up." The charges eventually were dropped by a judge, she said. The new poll shows young people, including young blacks and Hispanics, do want a police presence in their communities. In fact, most support adding more police or armed security guards in public places like schools, movie theaters and malls. Billy Busby, 24, of Atlanta, says he was working a security job and helping police in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with crowd and traffic control during the popular Black Bike Beach in May when he was approached by a white officer. "The officer came up to me and said, 'What are you doing here?' I said, 'I'm sorry, I'm doing my job.' She said, 'You need to move or I'm going to arrest you,'" Busby said. Busby said his supervisor showed up, vouched for him and defused the situation. "I think she felt intimidated because I was a black male and doing traffic," Busby said. Some officers in southern Mississippi target Hispanics, thinking they're in the U.S. illegally, said Patience Buxton, 28, who owns a company in Forest, Mississippi, that shuttles people back and forth to various appointments. Buxton is biracial and identifies as white, and says many of her customers are Hispanic. "I know they are looking at me," Buxton said of officers. "I get nervous myself. I know I've done nothing wrong. They've called me a coyote, asked me if I'm transporting illegals. They abuse their authority completely." ___ The poll of 1,940 adults age 18-30 was conducted July 9-20 using a sample drawn from the probability-based GenForward panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. young adult population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. The survey was paid for by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago, using grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods, and later interviewed online or by phone. ___ Online: GenForward polls: http://www.genforwardsurvey.com/ Black Youth Project: http://blackyouthproject.com/ AP-NORC: http://www.apnorc.org/ San Francisco Chinatown gang leader gets life in prison SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A dapper San Francisco Chinatown gangster known as "Shrimp Boy" whose conviction on murder and racketeering charges was part of a major federal organized crime investigation that also brought down a state senator was sentenced Thursday to two life terms one for killing a rival. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer said Raymond Chow's claim during his trial that he had had an epiphany and abandoned his criminal ways was "highly manipulative" and contrary to the evidence. "The defendant is not going to change," the judge said. FILE - In this April 10, 2014 file photo, Tony Serra, right, former attorney for Raymond Chow, known as "Shrimp Boy," pictured at left, listens to speakers at a news conference in San Francisco. A federal judge on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, sentenced the San Francisco Chinatown gang leader known as "Shrimp Boy" to two life sentences, one for killing a rival, in a wide-ranging organized crime investigation that also brought down a state senator. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) The case against Chow, 56, exposed the underworld in one of the nation's oldest Chinatowns. Prosecutors say Chow killed a rival in 2006 and took over a Chinese fraternal group with members who engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering and the sale of stolen cigarettes and top-shelf liquor such as Johnny Walker Blue Label and Hennessey XO. Chow, wearing a dark suit and flashing a smile, maintained his innocence during the sentencing hearing while accusing the judge of bias, lead prosecutor William Frentzen of lying, and a former defense attorney of falling asleep during a previous court proceeding. "I not apologize to the victims," Chow, who used a translator during the trial, said in English. "I feel sorry for them because they did not get the right guy. I'm not the man they're looking for. That is a total fail in the justice system." Frentzen stood just a few feet away from Chow, shaking his head as Chow addressed him directly at times. Frentzen called Chow a "highly manipulative, constant, perpetual liar." "This is a man who is a parasite. He lived off of this organization and other people's criminal activities," the prosecutor said during the sentencing hearing, pointing at Chow. Chow's conviction was largely the work of an undercover FBI agent who posed for years as a foul-mouthed East Coast businessman with mafia ties after infiltrating Chow's fraternal group among dozens of active tongs, or family associations, in Chinatown. The agent testified under a false name that he wined and dined Chow and his associates for years. Chow willingly accepted envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash for setting up various crimes, the agent said. Chow said he was given the money because the agent was showing his respect, not in exchange for criminal activity. Chow presented himself as a reformed gangster who went from dealing drugs and running an escort service to mentoring troubled youth. In addition to murder and racketeering, jurors convicted Chow of dozens of money laundering counts as well as conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a second slaying. The murder charge carried a mandatory life sentence. The investigation of Chow's tong led to the indictment of more than two dozen people, including former State Sen. Leland Yee a gun control advocate who acknowledged in a plea deal that he accepted thousands of dollars in bribes and discussed helping an undercover FBI agent buy automatic weapons from the Philippines. A federal judge sentenced Yee in February to five years in prison. Pence tries to win over conservatives despite Trump gaffes NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Mike Pence tried Thursday to smooth over turmoil stirred by Donald Trump's refusal to endorse some prominent Republicans, issuing a blanket endorsement of all GOP congressional incumbents seeking re-election. Since his selection as Trump's running mate, Pence has tried to stay focused on winning over conservatives skeptical of the New York billionaire, but his new boss keeps getting in the way. Last week, Trump ignited a feud with the family of a U.S. Army captain who was killed in Iraq, arguing that the family's recent criticisms of him were not fair. This week he angered Republican leaders by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain. Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence gestures as he answers a question during a town hall meeting in Virginia Beach, Va., Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) The Indiana governor's mass endorsement was an unusual break between a vice president and the top of the GOP ticket, but it was just the latest development after several days of damage control he's undertaken on Trump's behalf. Pence started Thursday with a rally in North Carolina, where an 11-year old boy who identified himself as Matthew said Pence had been "softening up on Mr. Trump's policies and words" and questioned whether that would be his role in the administration. Pence replied that "sometimes things don't always come out like you mean" and added that he and Trump "have different styles," which shouldn't be "confused with differences in conviction." Later, at a rally in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Pence suggested Trump speaks "straight from his heart, straight from his mind" and doesn't have time for "thousands of rules of political correctness." On several occasions in the past week he has found himself in direct conflict with Trump, choosing a different campaign tack or taking the sting out of the Republican presidential nominee's incendiary remarks. Curt Smith, a longtime Pence friend who runs the socially conservative Indiana Family Institute, said, "There's been some cleanup," later adding, "I think you'll see more." The early days of the general election campaign have been a contortionist act for Pence, who has remained loyal to Trump while trying to maintain his reputation as a principled, down-to-earth Midwesterner with the primary mission of acting as an emissary to the conservative and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. The first noticeable split between the two came during the Democratic convention, when Trump encouraged Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by Hillary Clinton from the private servers she used while secretary of state. At roughly the same time, Pence blasted Russia in a statement issued by the campaign that said "the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences" if Russia is "interfering in our elections." Last weekend, Pence, whose only son is a U.S. Marine, sought to quell the uproar Trump created by lashing out at Capt. Humayun Khan's parents, who appeared at the Democratic convention and criticized Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric. Their son was killed in Iraq. Pence said he and Trump believe Khan is "an American hero" and said "his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American." He backed up those remarks at a Monday evening town hall meeting in Nevada, when the audience jeered a woman who asked how he can tolerate what she called Trump's disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the crowd to quiet down and then said of the questioner: "That's what freedom looks like. That's what freedom sounds like." Trump, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter that day: "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over TV doing the same... Nice!" On Tuesday, Pence held a meeting with Arizona Sen. John McCain a day after the former prisoner of war said Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us," and hours after Trump responded by telling The Washington Post he would not endorse McCain's re-election. In that same interview, Trump also refused to endorse Ryan, who faces a primary election next week, and suggested Ayotte was weak. While Trump has been openly hostile toward members of the media, Pence has struck a conciliatory tone. He recently gave a reporter in his traveling press entourage cupcakes for her birthday. And after law enforcement and local volunteers barred a Washington Post reporter from entering a rally in Wisconsin, Pence said on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt's radio show the campaign would evaluate its policy and added that events would be "available to the media, whether they're fair or unfair." Still, there are no outward signs that Trump has any issues with Pence, or that his statements come as a surprise to the candidate at the top of the ticket. Two people familiar with the campaign's inner workings said the official statements and tweets from Pence are approved at campaign headquarters. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Indiana Republican public affairs consultant Mike Murphy compared Pence's relationship with Trump to an arranged marriage. "He's staying consistent with his character and he's not changing who he is, but he's also careful not to criticize his spouse," said Murphy, who has known Pence for nearly 30 years. ___ What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP's Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz ___ Follow Brian Slodysko on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BrianSlodysko Obama denies $400M payment to Iran was ransom WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama vigorously denied on Thursday that a $400 million cash payment to Iran was ransom to secure the release of four Americans jailed in Tehran. He defended the transaction as evidence that the nuclear accord with Iran has allowed for progress on other matters. "This wasn't some nefarious deal," Obama said during a news conference at the Pentagon. The money was delivered to the Iranian government in January, at the same time the nuclear deal was settled and the Americans were released. The payment was part of a decades-old dispute over a failed military equipment deal dating to the 1970s, before the Islamic revolution in 1979. President Barack Obama talks about the war on terrorism and efforts to degrade and destroy the Islamic State group, during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Obama also answered political questions at the news conference, pushing back at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's suggestions that the November election might be rigged, calling the assertion "ridiculous." He said his advice to Trump, a candidate he has declared "unfit" for the presidency, was to "go out there and try to win the election." Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will soon be receiving classified briefings, giving them access to sensitive information about national security and America's military posture. Asked whether he was worried about Trump having access to such material, Obama said simply that those who want to be president need to start acting like it. "That means being able to receive these briefings and not spread them around," he said. The president's appearance before reporters followed an hours-long meeting with military leaders at the Pentagon on the fight against the Islamic State group. Obama said there have been gains in weakening IS in Iraq and Syria, but he conceded the extremist group still poses a threat to the United States as it shifts its tactics to carrying out attacks elsewhere around the world. While those attacks may result in less carnage, Obama said IS knows they still create "the kinds of fear and concern that elevates their profile." The rise of the Islamic State has kept Obama tied to the Middle East in a way he had hoped to avoid in his eighth and final year in office. While the U.S. has far fewer troops in the region than when he took office in 2009, Republicans argue that the drawdown of troops from Iraq created a vacuum that allowed the Islamic State to thrive. Asked whether he feels any personal disappointment about not being able to do more to stop the Islamic State, Obama said "I haven't gotten numb to it. It bugs me." On Syria, the president criticized Russia's support of government attacks against opposition forces and its sieges of cities such as Aleppo. He accused Russia of failing to take steps to reduce violence in Syria where a civil war has raged for much of Obama's presidency but said the U.S. would continue trying to push Moscow to focus on the fight against IS and other extremists. On Iran, Obama expressed surprise at criticism of his administration's cash payment to settle a longstanding legal claim, adamantly rejecting claims that it was a ransom paid for the release of the four Americans. He pointed out that the payment, along with an additional $1.3 billion in interest to be paid later, was announced by the administration when it was concluded in January, a day after the implementation of a landmark nuclear agreement with Iran. "It wasn't a secret. We were completely open about it," he said. Obama allowed that the one piece of new information, first reported this week by The Wall Street Journal, was that the $400 million was paid in cash. It was delivered to Iran on palettes aboard an unmarked plane. "The only bit of news is that we paid cash," he said. "The reason is because we couldn't send them a check and we couldn't wire the money. We don't have a banking relationship with Iran which is part of the pressure we applied on them." The payment has revived allegations from Trump and other critics of the Iran nuclear deal. Trump's campaign released a statement Thursday night accusing the administration of a "cover-up" and slamming "Obama's refusal to acknowledge that these funds will end up being used to subsidize terror." The president's session at the Pentagon occurred as the U.S. was bombing targets in and around the Libyan city of Sirte, a notable expansion of the U.S.-led coalition's military mission against IS. At the urging of the Pentagon, Obama authorized the strikes that started this week and include precision attacks against IS tanks, rocket launchers and fighting positions. Mired in chaos following the ouster of strongman Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya became a target for IS extremists hoping to build a safe haven outside its initial territory in Iraq and Syria. Though the number of IS fighters in Libya has dwindled, the U.S. is hoping to help Libya's fledgling U.N.-backed unity government finish the job. ___ AP writers Julie Pace and Alicia A. Caldwell contributed. Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference after attending a National Security Council Meeting on efforts to counter the Islamic State, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) President Barack Obama speaks with Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the start of a National Security Council Meeting on the counter-Islamic State group campaign, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Members of the National Security Council Meeting, back row, from left, Vice President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, attend a National Security Council Meeting on the counter to the Islamic State group campaign, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) North Korea hopes to plant flag on the moon PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020, and don't intend to stop there: They're also aiming for the moon, and beyond. In an interview with The Associated Press, a senior official at North Korea's version of NASA said international sanctions won't stop the country from launching more satellites by 2020, and that he hopes to see the North Korean flag on the moon within the next 10 years. "Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon," said Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department of North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration. FILE - In this July 26, 2013, file photo, North Koreans dance under a flashcard display of an image of a satellite during the Arirang Mass Games celebrations in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020, and don't intend to stop there: They're also aiming for the moon, and beyond. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. An unmanned, no-frills North Korean moon mission in the not-too-distant future isn't as far-fetched as it might seem. Outside experts say it's ambitious, but conceivable. While the U.S. is the only country to have conducted manned lunar missions, other nations have sent unmanned spacecraft there and have in that sense planted their flags. "It would be a significant increase in technology, not one that is beyond them, but you have to debug each bit," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who maintains an exhaustive blog on international satellites and satellite launches, said in an email to the AP. Hyon said the current five-year plan, at the order of leader Kim Jong Un, focuses on launching more Earth observation satellites and what would be its first geostationary communications satellite which, technologically, would be a major step forward. He said universities are also expanding programs to train rocket scientists. "We are planning to develop the Earth observation satellites and to solve communications problems by developing geostationary satellites. All of this work will be the basis for the flight to the moon," Hyon said on July 28, adding that he personally would like to see that happen "within 10 years' time." North Korea has marked a number of successes in its space program and, of course, in its development of ever-more-sophisticated long-range missiles for military use. On Wednesday, it test-fired what was believed to be a medium-range ballistic missile into the seas off Japan, the fourth reported weapons launch it has carried out in about two weeks. It launched its latest satellite the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star 4 into orbit on Feb. 7, just one month after conducting what it claims was its first H-bomb test. That brought new sanctions because nuclear tests and rocket launches, which can have military applications, are banned under United Nations resolutions. Hyon said the sanctions are "ridiculous." "Our country has started to accomplish our plan and we have started to gain a lot of successes," he said. "No matter what anyone thinks, our country will launch more satellites." He said North Korea's long-term target is to use its satellites to provide data for crop and forestry assessments and improved communications. It also intends "to do manned spaceflight and scientific experiments in space, make a flight to the moon and moon exploration and also exploration to other planets." The U.S. made its first lunar flyby in 1959, only six months after its first satellite, Explorer 1, though it took eight more years and several failed attempts to succeed with a lunar orbiter. The USSR made its first moon shot after only three successful Sputnik satellites. Its probe just a year and a half after Sputnik 1 reached the moon, but missed its orbit. "So it's not ridiculous to attempt a moon mission early in your space program," McDowell said. "Given their low flight rate of one mission every few years, I think it is hard to see them succeeding in this in the next five years, but possible to see them attempting it," he said. North Korea currently has two satellites in orbit, KMS-3-2 and KMS-4. It put its first satellite in orbit in 2012, a feat few other countries have achieved. Rival South Korea, for example, has yet to do so. Hyon said that as of July 27, KMS-4 had completed 2,513 orbits, and that within one day after its launch it transmitted 700 photographic images back to Earth. He said it is still working properly and sending data whenever it passes over North Korea, which is four times a day. Foreign experts have yet to confirm any communications from the satellite. "There's been no independent evidence that KMS-4 sent data back, but no evidence that it didn't, either," McDowell said. German analyst Markus Schiller, one of the world's foremost experts on North Korea's missiles and rockets, said a geostationary satellite might be a more ambitious goal for the country than a lunar flyby or crash-landing. "Hitting the moon hard would require less performance power, rocket size than getting into GEO (geostationary equatorial orbit), but it will still be quite a challenge," he said in an email from Munich, where he is based. "Judging from what I have seen so far with their space program, it will take North Korea about a decade or more to get to lunar orbit at best if they really pursue this mission," he said. "My personal guess, however, is that they might try but they will fail, and we will not see a successful North Korea lunar orbiter for at least two decades, if ever." Hyon said claims that North Korea's space plan is a military program in disguise are hypocritical, considering the history of space exploration. The U.S., Russia and China all built their space programs out of military technology. Many of the rockets they use today were initially developed as ICBMs. "It is the U.S. that militarized space," he said. He said the North Korean military has already succeeded in developing long-range missiles that can reach anywhere on Earth, "especially to American territory," and so "there is no need for our state to use the space program for ballistic missile development." That argument isn't likely to sway sanctions advocates in Washington or Seoul. But Schiller said the claim is plausible, given the advances in weaponry North Korea has displayed through its overtly military missile tests and the specific designs of the Unha rockets that are used to launch its satellites. "I agree they (the military) will not learn any essential new things from launching another Unha rocket," he said. "Of course, there are lessons learned that you can also apply for the missile program. But the whole missile program shows so many different characteristics that they seem to be separated to a certain degree." In this July 28, 2016 photo, Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department of North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration, speaks to The Associated Press during an interview in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean space program officials say they are hard at work on a 5-year plan to launch more satellites by 2020 and lay the groundwork for missions to the moon and beyond. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon) FILE - In this May 10, 2016, file photo, parade participants march with a model of the Unha space launch vehicle at the Kim Il Sung Square on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020, and don't intend to stop there: They're also aiming for the moon, and beyond. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2016 file photo, a visitor at a flower festival walks past a model of North Korea's newest satellite Kwangmyongsong 4 on display as part of celebrations, a day before the 74th birthday anniversary, also known as the "Day of the Shining Star," of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan that they say will put more satellites into orbit and lay the groundwork for a shot to the moon. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) FILE - This Feb. 7, 2016 file image released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed by the Korea News Service (KNS) shows a rocket lifting off, said to be carrying North Korea's Earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4, at the Sohae launch pad in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan that they say will put more satellites into orbit and lay the groundwork for a shot to the moon. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File) FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2016, file photo, North Koreans cycle past a planetarium at the Three Revolutions Exhibition Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020, and don't intend to stop there: They're also aiming for the moon, and beyond. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) Death penalty in fatal attack on Jordan intelligence office AMMAN, Jordan (AP) An assailant who killed five people in a June shooting attack on a branch of Jordan's intelligence agency was sentenced to death Thursday, a defense lawyer said. Jordan's government portrayed the shooting at the time as a "terrorist attack," one of several violent incidents in the pro-Western kingdom over the past year linked to Islamic militants. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military coalition against Islamic State extremists who control large areas in neighboring Iraq and Syria. At home, Jordan has clamped down on suspected extremists, including jailing those who support IS on social media. Thursday's sentence was handed down by Jordan's state security court. Defendant Mahmoud Masharfeh, 22, displayed no emotion when he heard the decision, said Abdel Hakim al-Asseri, a defense lawyer. Al-Asseri represented another defendant, who was sentenced to a year in prison for selling a weapon to Masharfeh. The lawyer said his client "sold the weapon, but his intention was not terrorism or the harm the country, just to sell the weapon as any normal guy who is selling his weapon." The attack took place in the morning of June 6, the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It targeted a local intelligence agency branch near the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, close to the capital of Amman. The assailant walked into the building, opened fire and killed five staff members, including guards. He fled, but was arrested several hours later at a mosque in a different town. Jordan's government clamped a news blackout on the case. The shooting exposed Jordan's vulnerability to attacks, including those by "lone wolf" assailants. In November, a police captain opened fire in an international police training center in Amman, killing five, including two Americans. On June 21, an Islamic State cross-border suicide attack from Syria targeted a Jordanian border post, killing seven troops. ___ 10 Things to Know for Friday - 5 August 2016 Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday: 1. OBAMA DENIES $400M PAYMENT TO IRAN WAS RANSOM The money was delivered to the Iranian government in January, at the same time four Americans jailed in Tehran were released. Fans of Colombia and Sweden pose for a photo during a group B match of the men's Olympic football tournament between Sweden and Colombia at the Amazonia Arena, in Manaus, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Dantas) 2. UN BUNGLES RESPONSE TO AFRICA'S YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK An AP investigation finds that 1 million doses of yellow fever vaccines vanished in Angola, evidence of mismanagement that recalls the World Health Organization's slip-ups during the Ebola epidemic. 3. HOW HILLARY CLINTON'S MESSAGE IS SHIFTING She has begun portraying support for her candidacy as a patriotic duty of voters appealing directly to Republicans to keep Trump out of the White House. 4. AFTER SLOW START, RESETTLEMENT EFFORTS ON TRACK The Obama administration is on pace to hit its goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees into the U.S. by the end of September. 5. WHY MANY CRAVE DIVERSION OF RIO GAMES No Olympics in recent memory has opened under so many dark clouds, both within recession-battered Brazil and beyond. 6. JEEP HACKERS UNVEIL NEW, SCARIER METHOD A pair of well-known hackers has found another way to take control of a Jeep Cherokee this time while it's moving at high speed. 7. JAIL INMATE SLUGS MAN CHARGED IN CHURCH MASSACRE Dylann Roof, the white man charged in the shooting deaths of nine parishioners at a Charleston church, was assaulted by a black inmate at the South Carolina jail where he's being held, authorities say. 8. REPUTED PHILLY MOB BOSS CAUGHT IN FEDS' NET Prosecutors charge nearly four dozen suspects including Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, the alleged head of the Philadelphia mob with being part of a massive East Coast organized-crime syndicate. 9. SMALL-TOWN POST OFFICE CELEBRATES 200 YEARS The post office in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, is the oldest in the U.S. to continuously operate from the same building. 10. WHICH TV SHOW LOOKS LIKE A WINNER If there's a clear-cut hit on broadcast TV's fall lineup, it's likely to be ABC's political thriller "Designated Survivor," the AP's Frazier Moore reports. Menez loses part of right ear in 1st game for Bordeaux BORDEAUX, France (AP) Bordeaux striker Jeremy Menez has undergone surgery after losing part of the top of his right ear in his first match for the club. The former French international, who joined Bordeaux this summer from AC Milan, was helped off the pitch in the 77th minute of the pre-season friendly match against Lorient on Wednesday. After a clash in the air, Lorient midfielder Didier Ndong's left foot accidentally made contact with Menez's ear while he was on the ground. Ndong apologized for the injury, saying it was "absolutely unintentional." "I'm giving (Menez) my full support over the next few days and hopefully I will see him back soon (playing)," Ndong said in a statement posted on Lorient's website. Bordeaux, which won the match 3-1, said no date had been set for the 29-year-old Menez's return. The club's first league game is on Aug. 13 against Saint-Etienne. New charges against Indiana officer in detective's shooting INDIANAPOLIS (AP) An Indianapolis police officer facing attempted murder and other charges for allegedly shooting a fellow officer was suicidal afterward and told a witness, "I shot my friend," an affidavit released Thursday shows. But that affidavit also suggests that Officer Adrian Aurs didn't initially recognize the Indianapolis police detective he allegedly shot. The detective was interviewing Aurs' wife on July 29 about an alleged domestic violence incident involving the couple when Aurs forced his way through the apartment's patio doors, gun in hand, according to the amended probable cause affidavit filed by prosecutors. This photo provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016 shows Indianapolis police officer Adrian Aurs. Accused of shooting a fellow officer, Aurs allegedly forced his way into his estranged wifes apartment and fired at least three rounds as she was being interviewed about a domestic violence incident, according to court documents released Monday. (Hamilton County Sheriff's Office via AP) "What are you laughing at with another man in your apartment!" Aurs yelled before aiming his gun at Sgt. Robert Pearsey and opening fire, according to the affidavit. Pearsey, who fired once at Aurs and missed him, suffered non-life-threatening wounds when he was struck in the right side and arm. Aurs fired at least three rounds at the detective, the affidavit states. Aurs, 42, was arrested in Cincinnati hours after the shooting and was returned to Indiana on Tuesday. He has been suspended without pay, and Indianapolis police are seeking his termination from the department. Aurs, a 17-year department veteran, was led by deputies into a Marion County courtroom Thursday, wearing handcuffs and leg restraints, for a brief initial hearing on four felony charges. His defense attorney, James Voyles, entered a not guilty plea on his client's behalf before a magistrate rejected Voyles' request to lower Aurs' $200,000 surety bond. Voyles declined to comment following the hearing, as did prosecutors. Aurs was charged Saturday with attempted murder in Pearsey's shooting. Prosecutors charged him Wednesday with one count of residential entry, alleging he forced his way into his wife's apartment. He also was charged with two counts of pointing a firearm for allegedly threatening his wife and a neighbor with his gun after Pearsey's shooting. According to the affidavit, Aurs told a Cincinnati police officer following his arrest that he had "shot someone," and that "I lost it, I just snapped." Immediately after he allegedly shot Pearsey, who was seated on a couch in the apartment with the couple's two young children in adjacent rooms, Aurs' wife followed him outside, fearing he would kill himself, the affidavit states. Aurs argued with a neighbor, telling him, "I shot my friend," according to the affidavit. He pointed a gun at the man before aiming it at his own head and telling the neighbor he wanted to kill himself, the affidavit. The man urged Aurs not to shoot himself and moments later the officer left the scene in his truck. In the domestic violence incident reported about two hours before Pearsey was shot, Aurs allegedly knocked on the door of the apartment where his wife had moved about seven months earlier after they had separated. He demanded to see their children and when she refused, he forced his way inside, knocked her cellphone from her hand, and refused to leave, the affidavit states. Aurs' wife was not injured but told officers her estranged husband of nine years had previously threatened to kill himself in front of her and their children, ages 8 and 2. Greek minister: EU unprepared if migration deal collapses ATHENS, Greece (AP) European Union countries wouldn't be ready to deal with another surge in migration if a deal with Turkey to limit migrant and refugee arrivals collapses, a minister for migration in Greece said Thursday. Yiannis Mouzalas said Greece and other European countries would be "severely tested" if the March agreement failed in the wake of an attempted coup in Turkey and a government crackdown on its alleged sympathizers that has strained relations with the EU. Mouzalas told private Skai television that "no country in Europe is ready" for a repeat of the mass arrival of migrants and refugees that occurred last year. Children play next to a logo of Olympic Air at the old international airport, which is used as a shelter for over 2,800 refugees and migrants, in southern Athens, on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Daily arrivals by migrants and refugees at Greek islands near the Turkish coast have remained low since the July 15 coup attempt, but about 57,000 people remain stranded in Greece, most in army-built camps on the mainland. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) He made the remarks a day after a government official told The Associated Press that the EU-Turkey deal was holding so far, with daily arrival numbers remaining low. About 1 million people seeking a better life in Europe's prosperous heartland arrived on Greece's eastern Aegean Sea islands from the beginning of 2015 to March this year. But a series of border closures in Austria and the Balkans through which the refugees and other migrants headed north combined with the EU-Turkey deal, greatly limited the flow. Just over 57,000 people are still trapped in Greece, distributed in about 50 state-run camps, and in apartments and hotel rooms provided by the United Nations. The slow asylum process and often crowded conditions in the camps have sparked tension in several instances. On Thursday, a group of Greek and international charities working with migrants expressed concern at what they said was a deteriorating security situation in the camps. In a letter to Mouzalas, the charities warned of a "serious security vacuum" in which deadly stabbings, sexual violence, fights and verbal threats had occurred. "Clearly coordinated security protocols for the protection of people living and working in the camps, are imperative," the letter said, requesting a meeting with Mouzalas. "In some sites it is not clear to us who is in the lead for security, police or military, and what we as humanitarian (organizations) can expect." Children play as another one lies on a blanket at the old international airport, which is used as a shelter for over 2,800 refugees and migrants, in southern Athens, on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Daily arrivals by migrants and refugees at Greek islands near the Turkish coast have remained low since the July 15 coup attempt, but about 57,000 people remain stranded in Greece, most in army-built camps on the mainland. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Children play on a mattress at the old international airport, which is used as a shelter for over 2,800 refugees and migrants, in southern Athens, on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Daily arrivals by migrants and refugees at Greek islands near the Turkish coast have remained low since the July 15 coup attempt, but about 57,000 people remain stranded in Greece, most in army-built camps on the mainland. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A girl washes a pot at the old international airport, which is used as a shelter for over 2,800 refugees and migrants, in southern Athens, on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Daily arrivals by migrants and refugees at Greek islands near the Turkish coast have remained low since the July 15 coup attempt, but about 57,000 people remain stranded in Greece, most in army-built camps on the mainland. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Indian filmmaker jailed for raping US graduate student NEW DELHI (AP) A New Delhi court on Thursday sentenced an Indian filmmaker to seven years in prison in the rape of an American graduate student last year. Mahmood Farooqui, a Bollywood director, writer and theater performer, can appeal the verdict within 30 days. Farooqui was convicted last week after the woman complained that he was drunk and raped her at his house in the Indian capital where she had gone for help with her thesis research. Farooqui denied the allegation. The American woman moved to Delhi in June 2014 and was looking for contacts for her work. She came in contact with Farooqui through a common friend, the New Delhi Television news channel said. He is married to screenwriter Anusha Rizvi, who in 2010 directed "Peepli Live," a popular satire which dealt with farmer suicides. Farooqui was a co-director. Farooqui, in his 40s, had been on bail but was sent to prison after his conviction by Judge Sanjiv Jain last Thursday. Friends, relatives mourn 2 teens slain in Atlanta suburb ATLANTA (AP) Loved ones on Thursday mourned two slain teenagers whose bodies were found behind a suburban Atlanta grocery store, as police prepared to move a 20-year-old suspect to an Atlanta jail. Jeffrey A. Hazelwood was being held in Roswell's city jail early Thursday and expected to be transferred to the larger Fulton County Jail by Friday evening. Police weren't saying when he was to be moved due to "safety reasons," Roswell police Detective Zachary Frommer said. Hazelwood was arrested Wednesday on two counts of murder in the slayings of Carter Davis and Natalie Henderson, both 17. Each teen was shot once in the head, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said. In this Aug. 2016 photo released by the Roswell Police Department, Jeffrey A. Hazelwood of Roswell, Ga., poses for a booking photo, Hazelwood has been arrested on two counts of murder in the deaths of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17. While investigators are unsure of the motive, they believe Hazelwood acted alone, the chief said. (Roswell Police Department via AP) On Friday, Frommer said Hazelwood is also charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of theft by taking and financial transaction card fraud. The card fraud charge stems from the use of Henderson's credit-debit card at an area gas station after the killings, Frommer said. Police aren't discussing any motive, nor will they comment on the relationship, if any, between Hazelwood and the teens, Frommer said Thursday. Detectives encountered apps used to send messages as they investigated the killings, Roswell Police Chief Rusty Grant said. He would not provide details on which apps are involved in the case, but he said gaining access to the apps and cellphones proved somewhat challenging for investigators. Henderson appeared to be extremely active on social media. She had since September 2015 been a representative for the "Smack High" social media app, designed to connect teens with similar interests, its CEO said Thursday. "We are extremely saddened at Smack High to hear about the deaths of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis," Smack High co-founder and CEO Giuseppe Stuto said in a statement to The Associated Press. The app's mission "is to give teens the power to make new friends, stay connected, and communicate through the full extent of their individuality," the app's website states. "Our central thesis is that real-time teenage interaction actually leads to the purest form of expression and engagement, and that is our mission for all teens across the nation." A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. Friday at Roswell Presbyterian Church for Henderson, H.M. Patterson & Son Funeral Directors said. She would have been a senior this year at Roswell High School. "Our beautiful shining girl: Natalie, a rising senior at Roswell High School, was smart, funny, sassy, and strong, a free spirit with a gorgeous smile that could make your day or your week," her obituary from the funeral home said. "Natalie had a loving heart and an infectious zest for life. Unusual for one so young, she had the courage to always be, unapologetically, herself." On Thursday, a celebration of life service was held for Davis. The Rev. James Hamner read a statement to reporters from Carter's parents, Michele and Jeremy Davis. "Whether he was dribbling a soccer ball, throwing a football, or making a fast break in lacrosse, Carter's athleticism and passion for team sports was evident," Hamner said. "Although his life was cut short, everyone in his life will remember how he loved the Lord, loved everyone, and told them often. He lived life to the fullest." Davis lived in Rapid City, South Dakota, during part of his high school years. He was about to start his senior year at River Ridge High School in Woodstock, Georgia. In recent months, Hazelwood had been staying with various friends and relatives in Roswell and in nearby Cobb and Cherokee counties, Frommer told the AP. Hazelwood was mostly raised by his grandparents in the Roswell area, his aunt, Kathy Dinwiddee, told WAGA-TV. "He has some hurt and anger in him, but I don't know what it was about, only Jeff could tell you," Dinwiddee told the Atlanta station. This August 2016 photo released by the Roswell Police Department shows Jeffrey A. Hazelwood, 20, of Roswell, Ga. Police say Hazelwood has been arrested on a murder charge as detectives investigate the gunshot deaths of two teenagers whose bodies were found behind a grocery store near Atlanta. (Roswell Police Department via AP) People hug near a crime scene, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in Roswell, Ga. Detectives on Tuesday were combing through video from multiple cameras and hoping to hear from any possible witnesses near a suburban Atlanta grocery store in the pre-dawn hours before a teenage boy and girl were both found slain, authorities said. The bodies of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17, were discovered by a delivery driver behind the Publix supermarket shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, Roswell police said. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Police investigate a crime scene, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in Roswell, Ga. Detectives on Tuesday were combing through video from multiple cameras and hoping to hear from any possible witnesses near a suburban Atlanta grocery store in the pre-dawn hours before a teenage boy and girl were both found slain, authorities said. The bodies of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17, were discovered by a delivery driver behind the Publix supermarket shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, Roswell police said. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Austrian anti-terror units probing threat against police VIENNA (AP) Austria's interior ministry says its anti-terror units are investigating a threat from an unknown source to attack several police stations across the country. Interior Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck says the emailed threat was sent early Thursday from an anonymous address that has been used for previous similar threats. He says the time the attacks were threatened to take place had passed without incident and that Austrian authorities "see no need at this time for panic-mongering." However, he says in an email that "caution" was necessary at a time of heightened Europe security concerns. Serbia, Croatia mark Balkan war anniversary amid tensions BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbs mourned Thursday while Croats celebrated as the Balkan neighbors marked the anniversary of a 1995 Croatian offensive that retook territory from rebel Serb forces. The offensive, which triggered an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, has been commemorated annually. This year's two-day events come amid heightened tensions between the two countries that have brought relations between the pair to their lowest point since the 1991-95 war. Croatia is marking its military operation with victory celebrations, while Serbia considers the "Storm" offensive a war crime that resulted in the exodus of most Serbs living in Croatia, in convoys on tractors and horse-drawn carts. Hundreds were killed in the process. People hold candles during a memorial service for the victims of the Croatian "Storm" offensive, to mark the 21th anniversary in the village of Busije, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Croatia is marking its military operation with victory celebrations, while Serbia considers the "Storm" offensive a war crime that resulted in the exodus of most Serbs living in Croatia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) "We are remembering the majestic action during which we showed that, inspired by the Croatian citizens' desire for a free, independent state, we know how to defend ourselves," Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic said in a statement. President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic described the offensive as "the crown of our historic struggle for freedom." The responses in Serbia are very different and reflect simmering postwar Balkan tensions, which soared recently after nationalists returned to power in both states. Serbia has accused Croatia of reviving World War II-era fascism and anti-Serb policies, while Croatian officials said Serbia invoked 1990s' rhetoric. In Serbia, thousands gathered Thursday evening for a state ceremony in a village outside Belgrade, the capital, attended by top leaders and the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej, who held a liturgy for the victims. Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in a fiery speech reminiscent to the ones that served to whip nationalism on the eve of the Balkan wars in the 90s said that the Croatian offensive was aimed at driving the Serbs out of Croatia. Vucic, a former ultranationalist who claims to have switched to pro-EU values, also evoked Croatia's pro-Nazi past during World War II, saying "their crosses always have been (like swastikas) but ours will never be such." "Our demand is that someone finally be ashamed for the blood on their hands and the ethnic cleansing," Vucic said. "They call it a victory and enjoy our grief." In Croatia, police protected a peace march by anti-war groups in the capital Zagreb from hardliners who shouted insults and hurled eggs. The official ceremonies were launched in the former rebel-held town of Knin, honoring military commanders who led the offensive. The war in 1991 started after Croatia declared independence from the Serb-led former Yugoslavia, triggering a rebellion by minority Serbs who took control of about one-third of the country's territory. Croatia retook the lands in the 1995 offensive and a peace deal was signed later that year. About 10,000 people died in the Serb-Croat war and hundreds of thousands became refugees. Hundreds are still missing. Nada Bodiroga, who represents a Serb association of the relatives of the missing, said in Belgrade that "twenty-one years after the Storm operation I still haven't found the remains of my parents." "I want the truth," Bodiroga was quoted by the Tanjug news agency. ___ Dusan Stojanovic contributed. People attend a memorial service for the victims of the Croatian "Storm" offensive, to mark the 21th anniversary in the village of Busije, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Croatia is marking its military operation with victory celebrations, while Serbia considers the "Storm" offensive a war crime that resulted in the exodus of most Serbs living in Croatia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) People hold candles during a memorial service for the victims of the Croatian "Storm" offensive, to mark the 21th anniversary in the village of Busije, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Croatia is marking its military operation with victory celebrations, while Serbia considers the "Storm" offensive a war crime that resulted in the exodus of most Serbs living in Croatia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej performs the memorial liturgy for victims of the Croatian "Storm" offensive, to mark the 21th anniversary in the village of Busije, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Croatia is marking its military operation with victory celebrations, while Serbia considers the "Storm" offensive a war crime that resulted in the exodus of most Serbs living in Croatia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic speaks during a memorial service for the victims of the Croatian "Storm" offensive, to mark the 21th anniversary in the village of Busije, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Croatia is marking its military operation with victory celebrations, while Serbia considers the "Storm" offensive a war crime that resulted in the exodus of most Serbs living in Croatia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Serbian Foreign minister Ivica Dacic, center, reacts during a memorial service for the victims of the Croatian "Storm" offensive, to mark the 21th anniversary in the village of Busije, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Croatia is marking its military operation with victory celebrations, while Serbia considers the "Storm" offensive a war crime that resulted in the exodus of most Serbs living in Croatia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Montenegrin arrested over Kosovo war crimes PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) Montenegro's police have arrested a Montenegrin suspected of killing at least six ethnic Albanians, including two women, in a Kosovo village in 1999. The man arrested Thursday was identified as 47-year-old Vlado Zmajevic who had joined Serbian forces fighting Kosovo Albanian separatists seeking independence from Serbia. Prosecutors say Zmajevic was arrested on suspicion of having committed "crimes against civilian population." According to the Kosovo Humanitarian Law Center, Zmajevic was a key suspect in the crime committed in the Kosovo village of Zegra after Serbian paramilitaries arrived there in March 1999. At the time, NATO started bombarding Serbian troops to stop their brutal crackdown against the separatists. Cyprus arrests Austrian man suspected of terrorism links NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Cyprus' justice minister says authorities have arrested a 28-year-old Austrian man on suspicion of having links to terrorist organizations. Ionas Nicolaou told the Associated Press Thursday that Cypriot authorities received a tip-off from Poland's Interpol that the man was seeking to come to Cyprus after Polish authorities deported him. The Muslim convert was arrested Wednesday evening as he tried to cross from the divided island's breakaway Turkish Cypriot north into the internationally recognized, Greek Cypriot south. He had flown into the country from Istanbul. The man was on a watch list of individuals known to have been radicalized. He told police he wanted to come to Cyprus to pray at a mosque where it's said the Prophet Mohammed's aunt is buried. Nicolaou said the man will be deported to Austria. ___ Earl downgraded to tropical storm after drenching Belize BELMOPAN, Belize (AP) Hurricane Earl deteriorated into a weak tropical storm Thursday as it passed over northern Guatemala en route to southern Mexico. Overnight, Earl slammed into the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with winds of 80 mph (130 kph), leaving the country battered, with some flooding reported. Earl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Belize City and was moving roughly westward, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. As it crossed northern Guatemala and entered southern Mexico, Earl had sustained winds near 40 mph (65 kph). It was expected to continue weakening to a tropical depression Thursday night. Two men stand on a portion of a bridge damaged by Hurricane Earl in the Arroyito neighborhood, in Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, on the Peten border with Belize, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Earl deteriorated to a weak tropical storm Thursday as it passed over northern Guatemala en route to southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) The National Hurricane Center forecast that the storm would leave 8 to 12 inches (up to 30 centimeters) of rain over parts of Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico. Isolated areas could receive as much as 18 inches (45 centimeters), causing flooding and mudslides. Much of Belize was without electricity Thursday morning as residents began assessing the damage. Around the capital, some roofs were torn off, power lines were down and trees were uprooted. The rain continued and there was localized flooding. There was still some phone service, but television and radio stations were largely off the air. The country's emergency management agency issued a statement declaring the "all clear" on the storm, but warned people near rivers to head to higher ground. It said all of the country's dams were at flood stage. The statement said there was major infrastructure damage in the offshore cayes, as well as in Belize City and Belmopan. It expected the international airport in Belize City to reopen Thursday. Mexico discontinued all warnings associated with the storm and Belize replaced its hurricane warning with a tropical storm warning. The storm was centered about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of the Gulf coast city of Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico and was moving west near 10 mph (17 kph). Authorities in the Mexican coastal state of Quintana Roo, to the north of the hurricane's strike, reported some evacuations. Some people evacuated low-lying coastal areas in nearby Guatemala. The hurricane center said heavy rains would be a danger in southern Mexico through Saturday as Earl crosses the Yucatan Peninsula into the states of Tabasco and Veracruz. On Wednesday, Earl raked the northern coast of Honduras with heavy rain. Officials said a big wave capsized a lobster fishing boat in the Caribbean, but all but two of the 83 people on board were rescued. The navy was looking for the two missing. Authorities also rescued four families in the coastal city of Trujillo after a river flooded. Lisandro Rosales, head of Honduras' emergency commission, said there were reports of large numbers of trees and utility poles being knocked down. Schools and universities closed across Honduras' coastal provinces, as did two commercial airports. In Belize, the government opened storm shelters and used radio and television broadcasts to urge residents of low-lying areas to move to higher ground. Officials also ordered the international airport in Belize City to close. Power lines collapsed by Hurricane Earl hinder traffic on the road from Flores, in Peten, the northern Guatemalan border state with Belize, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Earl deteriorated to a weak tropical storm Thursday as it passed over northern Guatemala en route to southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) A family sits in a hallway of school turned into temporary shelter for residents seeking refuge from Hurricane Earl in Melchor de Mencos, in the Arroyito neighborhood, in Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, on the Peten border with Belize, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Earl deteriorated to a weak tropical storm Thursday as it passed over northern Guatemala en route to southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) A man and his son rest inside an empty classroom of a school made into a temporary shelter for those seeking refuge from Hurricane Earl in Melchor de Mencos, in the Arroyito neighborhood, in Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, on the Peten border with Belize, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Earl deteriorated to a weak tropical storm Thursday as it passed over northern Guatemala en route to southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) Residents taking refuge from Hurricane Earl, pass the time at a local school turned into a temporary shelter in Melchor de Mencos, in the Arroyito neighborhood, in Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, on the Peten border with Belize, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Earl deteriorated to a weak tropical storm Thursday as it passed over northern Guatemala en route to southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) People look at a bridge damaged by Hurricane Earl in the Arroyito neighborhood, in Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, on the Peten border with Belize, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Earl deteriorated to a weak tropical storm Thursday as it passed over northern Guatemala en route to southern Mexico. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) Guatemalan army soldiers stand for review at their base before the arrival of Hurricane Earl, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) A marine gas station is shut down as it prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Earl, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) Guatemalan army soldiers sing as they stand for review at their base, before the arrival of Hurricane Earl in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) Passengersget ready to depart aboard a motor boat transport for the coastal town of Livingston before the arrival of Tropical Storm Earl, from a pier in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) Villagers stand on the coast of the bay of Amatique, before the arrival of Hurricane Earl, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2016. Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains. (AP Photo/Luis Soto) No letup in Syria's Aleppo as UN urges humanitarian pause BEIRUT (AP) A senior U.N. humanitarian official urged Thursday for an immediate pause to the fighting around Syria's contested city of Aleppo as government forces pounded opposition areas with airstrikes and rebels kept up their attempts to break a government siege. In Geneva, Jan Egeland, adviser to U.N.'s special envoy to Syria, said the world body was ready to send relief to the city divided between government-controlled and opposition-controlled areas once the fighting pauses. The last delivery to reach those trapped in rebel-held parts of Aleppo where the U.N. estimates some 300,000 residents remain was in June, he said. Russia had declared it is offering humanitarian corridors for residents in the area, but rights groups said such passages are not neutral and don't offer guarantees to civilians wishing to use them. This photo provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows Syrian citizens inspecting damaged shops after airstrikes hit a market in Atareb, west of the divided city of Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Aug 2, 2016. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory said at least 11 people, including five children were killed when bombs were dropped in a market in Atareb. (Aleppo Media Center via AP) In Damascus, a visiting top Iranian lawmaker said the Syrian government and its allies seek to "liberate" tens of thousands of Aleppo's residents from the grip of what he called terrorist groups. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran's parliament, urged the U.N. to help in letting those people get out of Aleppo's rebel-held areas through already identified crossing points. He said the "liberation" of Aleppo "will have a prominent impact" in the Syrian crisis. Along with Russia, Iran is a main ally of President Bashar Assad's government. Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 40 airstrikes on opposition areas of Aleppo and nearby towns, including an attack on a camp for internally displaced Syrians in Atareb, a town to the southwest. The Aleppo Media Center, another activist group, said at least two people were killed in the Atareb attack. The Syrian Civil Defense group said a follow-up attack on the camp wounded two of its volunteers, including one seriously. Also, anti-government activists and a doctor said a missile fell 15 meters (yards) from a hospital, seriously wounding a boy. The doctor refused to identify himself or the hospital, fearing it could be targeted again. Egeland said that in July alone, 44 attacks on hospitals, clinics and health posts around Syria were reported. He added that the U.N. is hoping at least to "get to a point where we can give coordinates to the parties and not have the hospitals bombed." Across Syria, Egeland said, the U.N. was only able to meet 40 percent of its aid delivery targets for June and July. The U.N. had hoped to reach 1.2 million people over the last two months. Rebel fighters made advanced slightly in their attempts to break the siege on Aleppo, seizing new territory in the city's south, the Observatory said. Clashes have been ongoing south of Aleppo since Sunday, when rebels started their counter offensive. In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, meets with Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security at the Iranian Shura Council, in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Aug 4, 2016. Boroujerdi said operation by the Syrian government and allied forces in Aleppo aims to "liberate" tens of thousands of residents from the grip of what he called terrorist groups. (SANA via AP) Nigeria using power, persuasion to curb oil militant attacks WARRI, Nigeria (AP) Nigeria's government has resumed paying stipends to former militants even as security forces' air and ground assaults have reportedly killed scores of fighters disrupting petroleum production in the oil-rich Niger Delta. President Muhammadu Buhari's government is using power and persuasion in a bid to halt attacks on oil installations that have cut production from 2.2 million to 1.2 million barrels a day. The attacks have slashed the budget of a government dependent on oil for 70 percent of its revenue. The Nigerian Air Force says it has been bombing "legitimate targets, such as observation post, anti-aircraft gun position, boats laden with suspected stolen petroleum products and armed combatants." FILE- In this Friday June. 25, 2004 file photo, Ijaw millitants hold AK-47 rifles as they stand guard at Okorota, near Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Nigeria's government has resumed paying stipends to former militants, on the week of Thursday Aug. 4 2016, even as security forces mount air bombardments and ground assaults reported to have killed scores of fighters disrupting petroleum production in the oil-rich Niger Delta. (AP Photo/George Osodi file) Residents say scores of militants have been killed. There was no way to get a death toll independently. The commander of a joint task force, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, said the massive military deployment since Sunday is in response to "threats by militants to declare the Niger Delta Republic on August 1, 2016." Such demands are new in the Niger Delta, where oil militants are threatening to join forces with separatists from the southeast who have renewed their intentions to create a state called Biafra. Nigeria suffered a civil war that killed a million people in the late 1960s after the Igbo people declared an independent Biafra. The oil militants also are angry that Buhari in February curtailed payouts under a 2009 amnesty program that ended years of rebellion that killed 1,000 people a year and cut oil production by 40 percent. Militants and the government say there was massive corruption in the program that paid fighters to end their militancy. This week, the government resumed paying former militants a monthly stipend of 65,000 naira (about $200). Many among the 30,000 in the program report being paid, but not all. Buhari said last month that his government is negotiating indirectly with the militants through oil companies and community leaders. Earlier this week, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the group that negotiated the 2009 amnesty, said the government has agreed to free convicted and detained militants, on the condition they renounce violence. But the Niger Delta Avengers, a new group responsible for this year's crippling attacks, has said any negotiations must include mediators from foreign governments whose multinationals operate in Nigeria, such as British-Dutch Shell, Italy's Agip and the U.S.-based Chevron. All those companies have suffered attacks and hundreds of oil workers have been evacuated. Companies that would carry out repairs fear venturing into the region because of death threats. On Thursday, the Niger Delta Avengers posted a response on their website to this week's military deployment: "We are not intimidated." Eurasia Group risk analysts say a peace deal that excludes the Avengers cannot pacify the region, as they are the group "wreaking havoc." ___ Faul reported from Lagos, Nigeria. US investment orders edge up 0.4 percent in June WASHINGTON (AP) A key category of orders to U.S. businesses that tracks investment posted a small gain in June after two months of declines. But overall factory orders fell, reflecting a drop in the volatile category of commercial aircraft, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Orders that cover business investment plans rose 0.4 percent in June following declines of 0.6 percent in May and 0.9 percent in April. Overall orders dropped 1.5 percent following a 1.2 percent fall in May. It was the biggest setback for total factory orders since a 1.9 percent decline in February. FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, file photo, the second Boeing 737 MAX airplane being built is shown on the assembly line in Renton, Wash. On Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, the Commerce Department reports on factory orders for June. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) Manufacturing has struggled over the past year as weakness in the global economy and a strong dollar have hurt export sales and business investment has been crimped by the big drop in energy prices. The small 0.4 percent rise in the investment category, which covers nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, was the first positive gain in this closely watched category since a 0.3 percent rise in March and it was the strongest showing since an increase of 2.4 percent in January. Business investment has been hurt over the past year by sharp cutbacks by energy companies in the wake of steep declines in oil prices. Orders for mining, oil field and gas equipment surged 208 percent in June but even this big gain left demand in this category down 62 percent for the first six months of this year, compared to the same period a year ago. Orders for durable goods, everything from airplanes to appliances, fell 3.9 percent, only slightly changed from an advance report a week ago which estimated durable goods fell 4 percent in June. Orders for nondurable goods such as chemicals, paper and food rose 1 percent in June following gains of 0.6 percent in May and 0.4 percent in April. Orders for commercial aircraft fell 58.8 percent in June while demand for autos and auto parts was up 3.2 percent. Orders for primary metals were down, reflecting a big drop in orders for iron and steel. Demand for computers fell 9.1 percent while orders for household appliances rose 8.4 percent. German party presses lawmaker to quit over resume lies BERLIN (AP) One of Germany's governing parties is pressing a lawmaker to quit Parliament after it emerged that she lied about her academic qualifications. Lawyers for Petra Hinz, a lawmaker for the center-left Social Democrats since 2005, said last month she had made up significant parts of her resume and had neither taken legal examinations nor even graduated from high school as she claimed. They said she would give up her parliamentary seat. Hinz's local party branch in the western city of Essen called on her to quit Parliament by Wednesday, though it can't force her. Aid dropped by crane reaches 75,000 Syrians on Jordan border AMMAN, Jordan (AP) Cranes hoisted huge white bags with rice, lentils and dates from Jordan into tent camps on the Syrian side of a border berm an unprecedented way of delivering U.N. aid to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians cut off from outside help for almost two months. The three-day delivery to two makeshift encampments in a remote desert area ended Thursday, U.N. aid agencies said. Relief over getting badly needed aid to the Ruqban and Hadalat camps was muted by concern over deteriorating conditions there. ADDS DATE - A boy holds a sack of food aid after aid agencies dropped via crane food across the Jordan-Syria border to community leaders charged with distributing equitably the supplies to the 64,000-person refugee camp called Ruqban on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 . Refugees there have been without food and medicine, and with little water, after the border was sealed following a car bomb killed seven soldiers six weeks ago. (AP Photo) Some camp residents have dug holes for sleeping after selling flimsy shelters for scarce food and water, said a displaced Syrian, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions if he were to return home. Aid agencies have said disease, malnutrition and dehydration are on the rise. This week's shipment of 650 metric tons of food and hygiene kits was a one-off Jordan has said it would bar future deliveries from its soil on security grounds. The international community is scrambling for alternatives, but no viable option has emerged. Sending supplies from war-ravaged Syria appears risky, while U.N. officials say aid dropped by planes could end up in the wrong hands. "This should be a wake-up call for everyone," Shaza Moghraby, a spokeswoman for the World Food Program in Jordan, said of the growing suffering at the berm. "The world has a moral obligation to do something about this." In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner that "we need everyone to do more" to help stranded Syrians. The situation at the berm is also linked to the broader problem that U.N. aid agencies haven't been given access to all areas within Syria, he said. Close to 5 million Syrians have fled their homeland during five years of civil war, most settling in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Over the past year, it has become increasingly difficult for Syrians to flee the fighting as the country's neighbors tightened entry restrictions. The number of Syrians stranded on the Jordanian border, awaiting entry, has grown from a few thousand to more than 75,000 over the past eight months, according to U.N. figures. The rapid increase was caused in part by the bottle neck at the border. For months, Jordan was only letting in a limited number of refugees each day, citing the need for stringent security vetting and arguing the two camps had been infiltrated by militants from the extremist group Islamic State. On June 21, Jordan sealed the border for good after a cross-border suicide attack by the Islamic State group killed seven Jordanian border guards near the Ruqban camp. The closure also halted what until then had been regular aid deliveries from Jordan to the camps. Jordan said it would not reopen the border, but U.N. agencies were able to negotiate this week's shipment of one month's worth of aid. Moghraby said deliveries began Tuesday at the smaller Hadalat camp, home to about 7,000 Syrians. She said two cranes deployed on Jordanian soil, several dozen meters (yards) from the berm, lifted large white sacks of food and other goods, each weighing about 750 kilograms, and dropped them into pickup trucks on the other side. Parcels of lentils, rice, dates, bread and other goods were then handed to Hadalat residents by tribal leaders who had previously given aid officials a list of beneficiaries and also received training on how to manage a distribution, Moghraby said. In a further precaution against aid falling into the hands of war profiteers or militiamen, the distribution was monitored by Jordanian army drones, she said. "We know that the vast majority are innocent women, children, elderly and sick," she said of those at the berm. "We just have this one opportunity to distribute aid." On Wednesday and Thursday, deliveries reached the larger Ruqban camp, Moghraby said. Since the Jordanian border closure, already dire camp conditions deteriorated further. Clean water has become scarce. Camp residents have reported a rise in hepatitis and dysentery, said an aid official, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to talk to reporters. Some camp residents were forced to sell their tents for food and water. The group Doctors Without Borders has estimated that children make up half the population in the berm encampments, and that about 25 percent of them suffer from acute diarrhea. This week's shipment was also meant to buy time for the international community to come up with alternatives to aid delivery from Jordan, but all options appear to have serious drawbacks. Enticing the displaced to move to a more accessible part of Syria would likely mean they'd have to cross one or more front lines. Jordan appears determined not to reopen its border. And resettling those from the berm encampments to third countries would likely draw even larger numbers to the border area. ___ Associated Press writers Sam McNeil in Amman, Jordan, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. ADDS DATE - People gather to take basic food stuffs and other aid from community leaders charged with distributing equitably the supplies to the 64,000-person refugee camp called Ruqban on the Jordan-Syria border on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Refugees there have been without food and medicine, and with little water, after the border was sealed following a car bomb killed seven soldiers six weeks ago. (AP Photo) ADDS DATE - Cranes drop food across the Jordan-Syria border to community leaders charged with distributing equitably the supplies to the 64,000-person refugee camp called Ruqban on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 . Refugees there have been without food and medicine, and with little water, after the border was sealed following a car bomb killed seven soldiers six weeks ago. (AP Photo) Woman charged with stealing from flood-affected restaurant ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) A Maryland woman faces criminal charges for allegedly stealing from a restaurant that had been damaged in a recent flood. Media outlets quote Howard County police as saying Madeline Eve Scott of Ellicott City was arrested Wednesday on assault, burglary, and theft charges. Portalli's Restaurant owner Evan Brown told police he found a woman walking out of his business when he arrived to assess the damage Sunday afternoon. Brown said she was carrying four bottles of liquor. When he confronted the woman, Brown says she hurled one of the bottles at him. An attorney for Scott was not listed in online court records and could not be reached to comment on the charges. Pakistan chastises arch-rival India at Islamabad gathering ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan's interior minister has chastised arch-rival India over violence in the contested region of Kashmir. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan says no country should attack "unarmed" people in the name of fighting terrorism. He says Pakistan is "open to dialogue" but with "dignity and respect." He spoke on Thursday as a regional gathering of South Asian nations concluded in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Kashmiris burn a representation of an Indian flag as they chant slogans outside the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. People have rallied in the capital against the imminent visit of India's Interior Minister Rajnath Singh to attend the SAARC organization meeting. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) The gathering has been marred by daily anti-India rallies by hundreds of Pakistanis who protested against India's rule in the disputed region. The protesters also denounced India's interior minister, Rajnath Singh, who attended the Islamabad meeting. The predominantly Muslim region of Kashmir, now divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in its entirety. Recent clashes there have killed at least 49 people. Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan addresses a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Khan says his country was open to dialogue with arch-rival India but with dignity and respect. Without naming India, he said no country could suppress a freedom movement and attack ???unarmed??? people in the name of terrorism. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan addresses a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Khan says his country was open to dialogue with arch-rival India but with dignity and respect. Without naming India, he said no country could suppress a freedom movement and attack ???unarmed??? people in the name of terrorism. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) Kashmiris burn a representation of an Indian flag outside the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. People have rallied in the capital against the imminent visit of India's Interior Minister Rajnath Singh to attend the SAARC organization meeting. They chanted slogans against India. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) The Latest: California's Big Sur-area fire spreads overnight BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) The Latest on wildfires burning in the West (all times local): 7:50 a.m. A wildfire north of Big Sur near California's Central Coast has grown again overnight after burning for nearly two weeks. Santa Barbara County Firefighters hold a wildfire from crossing a fire break on the India Division near Cachagua in east Carmel Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. As officials ask for the public's help in finding the people who started an illegal campfire that grew into a massive wildfire north of Big Sur, authorities are considering what penalties the campers could face once they are found. Monterey County Sheriff's spokesman Cmdr. John Thornburg said those responsible could face criminal charges in the death of Robert Reagan of Fresno County. (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP) The fire has scorched more than 79 square miles and is less than 30 percent contained. It has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening another 2,000 structures. A bulldozer operator also was killed on the fire lines during a rollover accident. Fire investigators determined an unattended campfire started the blaze July 22 in Garapata Park. No arrests have been made. More than 5,500 personnel are working the fire in steep, forested ridges. A Santa Barbara County firefighter lights a bush on fire with a flare while holding a wildfire from crossing a fire break on the India Division near Cachagua in east Carmel Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP) A wildfire climbs down on the India Division west of Cachagua in east Carmel Valley, Calif., on Wednesday August 3, 2016. As officials ask for the public's help in finding the people who started an illegal campfire that grew into a massive wildfire north of Big Sur, authorities are considering what penalties the campers could face once they are found. (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP) Firefighters forced to wait for 100K ammo rounds to explode TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) Firefighters have put out a fire at an office building in New Jersey after waiting for 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored inside to explode. The fire at the building in Toms River burned for two hours Thursday morning and ignited the ammunition. Toms River police spokesman Officer Ralph Stocco says that the building's owner is a competitive shooter. Toms River Fire Department District 1 Chief John Gonzalez told the Asbury Park Press ( http://on.app.com/2ao7wOY ) that the ammunition was popping for about 10 minutes. It took another few hours for the fire to stop smoldering. Firefighters respond to an early morning fire Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, at an office building in Toms River, N.J. Firefighters waited for the blaze to ignite 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored inside the building, which a Toms River Police Department spokesman says is owned by a competitive shooter, and the fire was extinguished after two hours. No one was in the building at the time of the fire, no one was injured and it wasn't clear how the fire began. (Walter Herman/Toms River Police Department via AP) No one was in the building at the time of the fire and no one was hurt. It wasn't clear how the fire began. An office building is damaged after a fire over night on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 in Toms River, N.J. Firefighters waited for the blaze to ignite 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored inside the building, which a Toms River Police Department spokesman says is owned by a competitive shooter, and the fire was extinguished after two hours. No one was in the building at the time of the fire, no one was injured and it wasn't clear how the fire began. (Doug Hood/The Asbury Park Press via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT An office building is damaged after a fire over night on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, in Toms River, N.J. Firefighters waited for the blaze to ignite 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored inside the building, which a Toms River Police Department spokesman says is owned by a competitive shooter, and the fire was extinguished after two hours. No one was in the building at the time of the fire, no one was injured and it wasn't clear how the fire began. (Doug Hood/The Asbury Park Press via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT Gage County is seeking to overturn or get a judge to reduce a jury's $28.1 million verdict awarded to six people who went to prison in 1989 for a Beatrice woman's killing because of the reckless, cold-case investigation behind their arrests. Nearly 20 years later, three of the six were still in prison when DNA testing tied another man to the crime. Attorneys for the county late Wednesday afternoon filed a flurry of documents in U.S. District Court arguing that the judge should disregard the verdict and find in the county's favor or grant a new trial in the case, citing alleged misconduct by an attorney for the six and by the judge, as well as a verdict that didn't add up. Melanie Whittamore-Mantzios called it contrary for the jury to find in favor of Jerry DeWitt, the former Gage County sheriff, and all the defendants on the conspiracy claim, but against Gage County. "No reasonable jury could possibly find in favor of the plaintiffs on the claim against Gage County when there was no evidence to support that Sheriff DeWitt had issued policies, by word or by deed, that affirmatively commanded that the deprivation of rights occur," she wrote. The judge had instructed the jury that to find the county liable the six had to prove that DeWitt either directed the violation of their rights, authorized it or agreed with a subordinate's decision which led to it. Yet, in its verdict, the jury found against Deputy Burdette Searcey, who led the 1989 investigation that led to their arrests, and Dr. Wayne Price, a psychologist and reserve deputy who met with three of the six during the investigation, and found Gage County liable for it. "While hindsight might suggest that the case developed by Deputy Searcey had holes, as most cases do, a reasonable law enforcement officer in 1989 could have been convinced that the plaintiffs were guilty and that the evidence obtained from them as well as other witnesses supported the cases against them, including plaintiff (Joseph) White," Whittamore-Mantzios wrote. She argued that Searcey and Price's actions simply could not shock the court's conscience. But, on July 6, at the end of a four-week trial, the jury found otherwise and awarded Joseph White, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Thomas Winslow, Kathy Gonzalez, James Dean and Deborah Shelden $28.1 million in damages, split among them based on how much time they spent in prison on charges related to the Feb. 5, 1985, brutal murder of Helen Wilson in her Beatrice apartment. Together, they spent more than 75 years locked up before White got DNA testing that tied Bruce Allen Smith to the crime. By then, Smith already had died in an Oklahoma prison. A task force in 2008 found no connection between him and the six. After White's conviction was overturned and dismissed, and the other five were granted pardons, they sued, alleging the investigation was so reckless it shocked the conscience. A first trial, in January 2014, ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked. The second trial started June 6 and resulted in the multimillion-dollar verdict that left Gage County elected officials talking behind closed doors about their options. Asked about the decision to ask for a new trial, Myron Dorn, chairman of the Gage County Board of Supervisors, said board members worked with the outside legal team and County Attorney Roger Harris over the last month to determine which option to pursue. But he declined to comment further, citing pending litigation, and Harris could not immediately be reached. In the brief, Whittamore-Mantzios pointed to misconduct by attorneys for the six for saying they were innocent despite the judge determining before trial that wasn't for this jury to decide. Rather, this case was about whether the deputies' actions in the 1989 investigation had been reasonable. Whittamore-Mantzios also pointed to off-the-record comments Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf made during the trial advising Gage County to go after the state for errors its employees made if the county was "dinged" in the case. She argued that the judge's remarks, which appeared in news articles about the trial, could've been seen by jurors, despite a warning given by Kopf for them not to read or listen to news about the trial. Lastly, Whittamore-Mantzios argued the damages were excessive and was evidence that the jury was driven by emotion and sympathy and that jurors were trying "to punish the defendants for not admitting that the plaintiffs were wrongfully convicted." She said the county was at minimum entitled to a $1,095,000 reduction of the verdict because it included time Winslow served in prison on an unrelated assault. Attorneys for the Beatrice 6 will get a chance to respond to the motion. But, reached Wednesday evening, attorney Maren Chaloupka said she hadn't yet read it and declined to comment. In addition to the verdict award, Gage County also faces a bill for attorney fees and costs for the six to be represented during the seven-year-long lawsuit. They have filed a motion seeking $1.8 million. Lawyers: Demoting police chief for profiling email unfair WYCKOFF, N.J. (AP) The lawyer for a New Jersey police chief facing demotion for sending an email advocating racial profiling called the punishment exceptionally inappropriate and said the town is pandering to the ultra-liberal. Wyckoff officials initiated the action against Police Chief Benjamin Fox after acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal on Tuesday found that the chief's 2014 email "explicitly" violated a 2005 state directive prohibiting racial profiling. Fox's email said profiling has its place in law enforcement if done correctly. It also said that "black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff. That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods." Grewal said an investigation didn't uncover "any substantiated instances" of racial profiling by Wyckoff officers. Mayor Kevin Rooney said in a statement Wednesday that Fox's actions were an "isolated incident" and that there are no "systemic problems" in the police department. "The decision to demote Fox was based on the findings of the Prosecutor's Office and Attorney General's Office that Fox's email "promoted racially charged policing," Rooney wrote. Britt Simon, an attorney for a firm representing Fox, said Rooney was taking steps to "undermine the safety of residents in order to appear politically correct." Arthur Margeotes, an attorney with the same practice, said the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which made Fox's email public in March, inflamed a "benign situation." Fox was suspended with pay in May. His attorneys said they plan to pursue all legal avenues available to challenge the punishment, which some observers said isn't severe enough. Alexander Shalom of the ACLU told The Record (http://bit.ly/2aCfRyQ ) newspaper Fox should have been fired. "For the public to have confidence in the Wyckoff Police Department, (Fox) can't be a part of that department," he said. Anthony Cureton, head of the Bergen County chapter of the NAACP and a retired Englewood police sergeant, called the punishment a "suitable penalty" that satisfied the organization. ___ Small food companies ponder response to new GMO labeling law NEW YORK (AP) A new law that requires food makers to label the packaging of any products that contain genetically modified ingredients has small and medium-sized manufacturers facing some big decisions. Should they try to provide the information on the label itself, or invest in the technology to add scannable codes? Should they change their ingredients to steer clear of such products, and is it worth getting certified as being GMO-free? These are tough questions for companies that may not have financial cushions like bigger businesses to absorb the cost of such changes, which can run into the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars a considerable amount for a small enterprise. The law, which President Barack Obama signed last week, requires food manufacturers and producers to disclose whether products contain GMO components, also known as genetically engineered ingredients. Companies can embed the information in a QR code, the square found on some packaging that is read with a smartphone camera. In this Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Leaf Brands, a Newport Beach candy and cookie company, poses with some of his products at the offices of his distributor in Pico Rivera, Calif. Kassoff is concerned about how the public will react to labels that say its food has GMOs _ although the bulk of the nations corn and soybean crops are now genetically modified. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) GMOs have been the subject of much debate. The government and many scientists say they're safe, but opponents believe they can be toxic and cause allergies. Although GMOs have become a staple in many processed food products over the past two decades, many Americans may not realize how widespread they are. Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Leaf Brands, which makes Hydrox cookies and various candies, is concerned about how the public will react to labels that say its food has GMOs although the bulk of the nation's corn and soybean crops are now genetically modified. "It does create this negative feeling with the customer, and I don't know if the majority of customers in the U.S. fully understand the benefits or non-benefits of GMOs," says Kassoff, whose company is based in Newport Beach, California. But many consumers don't read labels that already display nutritional information like calories, fat and carbohydrates, and they might not read or understand labels that mention GMOs, says Alexander Chernev, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "People don't know if it's good or bad," he says. "In the short term, it's not very likely to change behavior by itself." A look at the issues surrounding GMOs that small and medium-sized companies face: A QUICK PRIMER A GMO is a plant or animal whose genes have been altered to change how they act or react to the environment. Corn, for example, has been genetically modified to make it resistant to insects and to herbicides used to kill weeds. The Agriculture Department estimates that about 90 percent of the U.S. corn crop is modified against herbicides, and about 80 percent is modified against insects. According to the government, the majority of plants with GMOs are used to make ingredients like corn starch and syrup and corn, canola and soybean oils and beet sugar. They're also used as livestock feed. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates food made from GMOs, has declared them safe, and the nonprofit National Academy of Sciences, in a review of almost 900 scientific studies and reports released this year, "found no substantiated evidence of a difference in risks to human health between current commercially available genetically engineered (GE) crops and conventionally bred crops." But many groups that oppose GMOs point to studies in the U.S. and other countries that have said food with GMOs can cause some types of cancer or other illnesses. The European Union, relying on such studies, requires GMO foods to be labeled. The Non-GMO Project, an organization that advocates for the production of more non-GMO food, has said that determining the safety of GMO foods requires studies spanning generations. HOW MUCH TO DISCLOSE, AND WHERE? Before the law can take effect, the Agriculture Department must write regulations spelling out what food companies will be required to do to comply. The USDA has two years to do that. Kassoff isn't sure how Leaf will label its packages, simply because the government hasn't specified what's needed. Depending on the requirements and the size of the package Leaf's products include small packets of candies it might not be possible to fit everything in without using the QR code. Soylent, a protein and carbohydrate drink maker whose website says it's "proudly made with GMOs," favors labels that give details on how GMOs are used so consumers can be well-informed about what they're eating. "Simply saying on the label 'Made with genetically engineered' ingredients is probably not enough," says Samy Hamdouche, the Los Angeles-based company's vice president of research. GO NON-GMO? Some companies have decided to stop using GMO ingredients rather than risk doubts in consumers' minds. Others are going further, seeking a certification from the Non-GMO Project that their food is made completely without GMOs, and getting to use a logo on their packages. "Our consumers are the types that value certification of non-GMOs to reassure them they're getting the highest-quality ingredients," says Jonathan Davis, a senior vice president of Los Angeles-based bread maker La Brea Bakery. The company has always sought non-GMO ingredients, he says, and it plans to be completely non-GMO by the end of this year. But some companies may not be able to afford to phase out GMO ingredients because the supply of non-GMO versions is limited. "In some cases it's hard to acquire non-GMO ingredients and sell a product at a price where consumers will buy it," Kassoff says. If Hydrox cookies were reformulated to be GMO-free, he says, a package would cost 50 cents more than Oreos, the cookie's biggest competitor. Kar's Nuts has Non-GMO Project certification for its Second Nature line of snack mixes, but some of the ingredients in its Kar's line do contain GMOs, says Nick Nicolay, the company's president. Finding replacements would drive up his costs. "It's a little unrealistic for us at this time," says Nicolay, whose company is located in Madison Heights, Michigan. However, the company says going completely non-GMO is something it will consider in the future. Deep River Snacks doesn't use GMO ingredients and almost all its products have been certified by the Non-GMO Project. Founder Jim Goldberg says the Deep River, Connecticut, company is still trying to get certification for two potato chip flavors and one tortilla chip flavor that are dairy; that takes verification from its suppliers that the cows whose milk is used weren't given feed with GMOs. Goldberg thinks labeling is a good idea. "This is about consumers wanting to know what they're eating," he says. ____ Follow Joyce Rosenberg at www.twitter.com/JoyceMRosenberg . Her work can be found here: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joyce-m-rosenberg In this Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Leaf Brands, a Newport Beach candy and cookie company, poses with Hydrox cookies at the offices of his distributor in Pico Rivera, Calif. Kassoff is concerned about how the public will react to labels that say its food has GMOs _ although the bulk of the nations corn and soybean crops are now genetically modified. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) The Latest: Man accused of slaying teens faces more charges ROSWELL, Ga. (AP) The Latest on the killings of two teenagers whose bodies were found behind a grocery store in suburban Atlanta (all times local): 8 p.m. Police say a man accused of killing two teenagers whose bodies were found behind a grocery store in Atlanta's suburbs faces more charges. People hug near a crime scene, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in Roswell, Ga. Detectives on Tuesday were combing through video from multiple cameras and hoping to hear from any possible witnesses near a suburban Atlanta grocery store in the pre-dawn hours before a teenage boy and girl were both found slain, authorities said. The bodies of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17, were discovered by a delivery driver behind the Publix supermarket shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, Roswell police said. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Roswell police Detective Zachary Frommer said Friday in an email that 20-year-old Jeffrey A. Hazelwood is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of theft by taking and financial transaction card fraud. Hazelwood was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of murder in the Monday slayings of Carter Davis and Natalie Henderson. The 17-year-olds were shot once in the head. Frommer says the card fraud charge stems from the use of Henderson's credit-debit card at an area gas station after the killing. Frommer says detectives have completed their questioning of Hazelwood and he will be transferred to the Fulton County Jail on Friday evening. ___ 1 p.m. The CEO of a technology firm says a teenage girl found slain in an Atlanta suburb was a representative for its "Smack High" social media app, designed to connect teens with similar interests. Smack High co-founder Giuseppe Stuto said in a statement that 17-year-old Natalie Henderson had been a Smack High Georgia representative since September 2015. Henderson and 17-year-old Carter Davis were found shot to death early Monday behind a grocery store in Roswell. Police said 20-year-old Jeffrey A. Hazelwood is jailed on two counts of murder. Roswell police Chief Rusty Grant said Wednesday that his detectives encountered apps used to send messages as they investigated the killings, but he declined to say which ones are among the evidence or discuss any possible motive for the slayings. ___ 11:50 a.m. Police say a man accused of killing two teenagers whose bodies were found behind a grocery store in Atlanta's suburbs is still being held in a city jail, but will be transferred to a larger jail at some point. Roswell police said Thursday that 20-year-old Jeffrey A. Hazelwood would be moved to the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, but they won't say when due to "safety reasons." Hazelwood was arrested Wednesday on two counts of murder in the Monday slayings of Carter Davis and Natalie Henderson. The 17-year-olds were shot once in the head. Roswell police Det. Zachary Frommer said Thursday police won't discuss any motive, nor will they comment on the relationship, if any, between Hazelwood and the teens. ___ 11 a.m. Authorities say a celebration of life service has been scheduled for the 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed in what police say was a double homicide behind a grocery store in the Atlanta suburbs. Crowell Brothers Funeral Home says the service for Carter Davis of Woodstock, Georgia, was planned for 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Martin In The Fields Episcopal Church near the northeast edge of Atlanta. Roswell police arrested 20-year-old Jeffrey A. Hazelwood on Wednesday on two counts of murder in the Monday deaths of Davis and 17-year-old Natalie Henderson. Both were found Monday with single gunshot wounds to their heads. Police have not released a motive in the killings. H.M. Patterson & Son Funeral Directors says a memorial service for Henderson is planned at 10 a.m. Friday at Roswell Presbyterian Church. _____ 7:30 a.m. A service has been scheduled for one of two teenagers found shot to death behind a grocery store in an Atlanta suburb. H.M. Patterson & Son Funeral Directors says a memorial service is planned at 10 a.m. Friday at Roswell Presbyterian Church for 17-year-old Natalie Henderson. Roswell police arrested 20-year-old Jeffrey A. Hazelwood on Wednesday on two counts of murder in the deaths of Henderson and 17-year-old Carter Davis. Both were found Monday with single gunshot wounds to their heads. Police have not released a motive in the deaths. Henderson would have been a senior this year at Roswell High School. Davis, who lived in Rapid City, South Dakota, during part of his high school years, was about to start his senior year at River Ridge High School in Woodstock. Police investigate a crime scene, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in Roswell, Ga. Detectives on Tuesday were combing through video from multiple cameras and hoping to hear from any possible witnesses near a suburban Atlanta grocery store in the pre-dawn hours before a teenage boy and girl were both found slain, authorities said. The bodies of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17, were discovered by a delivery driver behind the Publix supermarket shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, Roswell police said. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Police investigate a crime scene, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 in Roswell, Ga. Detectives on Tuesday were combing through video from multiple cameras and hoping to hear from any possible witnesses near a suburban Atlanta grocery store in the pre-dawn hours before a teenage boy and girl were both found slain, authorities said. The bodies of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17, were discovered by a delivery driver behind the Publix supermarket shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, Roswell police said. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) In this Aug. 2016 photo released by the Roswell Police Department, Jeffrey A. Hazelwood of Roswell, Ga., poses for a booking photo, Hazelwood has been arrested on two counts of murder in the deaths of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17. While investigators are unsure of the motive, they believe Hazelwood acted alone, the chief said. (Roswell Police Department via AP) Norwegian man held pending bail hearing after police threat PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A Norwegian man charged with making threats against Maine police officers via email and Twitter will be detained until at least next week, a judge ruled on Thursday. Espen Brungodt, 28, appeared in federal court in Portland on Thursday after being arrested and charged the previous day with making threatening interstate communications. Magistrate Judge John H. Rich III told Brungodt he will face a probable cause hearing and a bail hearing on Aug. 9. He will remain jailed until then. The Portland Press Herald reported on Wednesday that it received a threatening email from someone who said it was "time for more police to die." The email sender threatened to "shoot and kill" officers. Defense attorney David Beneman was appointed to serve as the lawyer for Brungodt, who did not enter a plea. Later, Beneman declined to discuss a possible motive or how Brungodt would plead. Law enforcement officials said they confronted Brungodt in the lobby of a Portland hotel and asked if there was any immediate danger stemming from his threat. He responded that the threats "had the desired effect," investigators said in court records. Authorities also say that Brungodt admitted to making the threats via email and social media. Brungodt, whose Facebook page lists his hometown as Bergen, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Police have said Brungodt entered the U.S. through Boston last month with family members who were not aware of his threats. Puerto Rico police seize $17M worth of cocaine, arrest 5 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Authorities in Puerto Rico say they have seized $17 million worth of cocaine off the island's southeast coast. Police said Thursday that they found 1, 500 pounds (680 kilograms) aboard a boat that was arriving in the town of Patillas. Officials said five Puerto Ricans have been arrested and that they are searching for two other suspects. 1st memorial service is held for slain San Diego officer BONITA, Calif. (AP) More than 1,000 people Thursday mourned the death of a decorated San Diego police officer who was shot five times at close range in the driver's seat of his patrol car after his partner approached a man on the street. Uniformed police officers from as far as Chicago, New York, Aurora, Colorado, and Fort Worth, Texas, packed Corpus Christi Catholic Church, where Jonathan De Guzman, 43, worshipped with his family. His coffin was draped in an American flag at the 90-minute Mass. A larger service was scheduled Friday at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon. FILE - This undated file photo provided by the San Diego Police Department shows San Diego Police officer Jonathan De Guzman who was killed in a shooting Thursday, July 28, 2016. De Guzman, a 16-year veteran, is survived by a wife and two young children. The first of two memorial services will be held Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, for De Guzman who was fatally shot during a traffic stop. De Guzman was shot five times at close range while in the driver's seat of his patrol car. His partner, 32-year-old Wade Irwin, was shot in the throat but is expected to recover. (San Diego Police Department via AP, File) San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, who worked directly with De Guzman earlier in her career, delivered the eulogy at Thursday's standing-room only service, which was closed to news media. De Guzman's family, which includes a wife and two children, appeared "very touched and moved," said the Rev. Efrain Bautista, the church pastor. "They are a very spiritual Catholic family, so they were able to be engaged in the entire rituals that we as Catholics have," Bautista told reporters. "It's a tough situation but I think that our hope and our trust must be in God," he said. De Guzman died in the shooting July 28. Officer Wade Irwin, 32, was shot in the throat but was expected to recover. Jesse Gomez, a construction worker with a criminal record stretching back to 1983, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of murder and attempted murder from his hospital room. He is recovering from wounds he received in a gunbattle with police. Prosecutors say the two officers pulled up to Gomez, who was on foot, and Irwin got out of the patrol car to ask if he lived in the area. Gomez, 52, is accused of shooting Irwin and then went to an open passenger door to fire several times into the car, killing De Guzman. After being shot, Irwin fired back as Gomez fled, prosecutors say. Police have yet to determine a motive. De Guzman died 13 years after surviving a stabbing on duty, for which he received the department's purple heart. The 16-year veteran of the force had been stabbed in the right arm in 2003 after pulling over a driver for speeding. He shot the attacker in the hip after the man tried to stab him again. In 2013, De Guzman was one of five officers who shot and killed a man who was wanted for a violent attack on his father and raised a shotgun at officers in suburban Escondido. Prosecutors found the shooting was justified. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Jonathan De Guzman's name was misspelled DeGuzman per earlier information from authorities. Obama says US does not pay ransom, defends payment to Iran WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama expressed surprise Thursday at criticism of his administration's $400 million cash payment to Iran to settle a longstanding legal claim, adamantly rejecting claims that it was a ransom paid for the release of four Americans held in Iran. "This wasn't some nefarious deal," Obama told reporters at the Pentagon. He pointed out that the payment, along with an additional $1.3 billion in interest to be paid later, was announced by the administration publicly when it was concluded in January, a day after the implementation of a landmark nuclear agreement with Iran. "It wasn't a secret. We were completely open about it." Obama allowed that the one piece of new information, first reported this week by The Wall Street Journal, was that the $400 million was paid in cash. It was delivered to Iran on palettes aboard an unmarked plane. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference after attending a National Security Council Meeting on efforts to counter the Islamic State, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) "The only bit of news is that we paid cash," he said. "The reason is because we couldn't send them a check and we couldn't wire the money. We don't have a banking relationship with Iran which is part of the pressure we applied on them." The payment has revived allegations from critics of the Iran nuclear deal. The timing of the arrival of the cash coincided with the release of the four detained Americans as well as implementation of the nuclear deal, leading to charges that the settlement of the 35-year-old claim was a "ransom" payment. Obama echoed denials of a ransom that have been repeatedly been offered by other administration officials including Secretary of State John Kerry. "We do not pay ransom for hostages," Obama said, citing longstanding U.S. policy not to pay them for fear of encouraging abductions. "We didn't here and we won't in the future." Earlier in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Kerry told reporters that the "story is not a new story" and "was announced by the president of the United States himself at the same time." The settlement stemmed from a claim filed by Iran with an international tribunal in 1981 that related to a $400 million payment made by the government of the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran to purchase military equipment in 1970s. The equipment was never delivered because, in 1979, his government was overthrown and revolutionaries took American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Diplomatic relations were subsequently severed although the two countries did agree to set up the tribunal to rule on claims from both nations. U.S. officials have said they were concerned that the tribunal might order the U.S. to pay billions more in interest as part of an enforced judgment and that settling the claim in January made good sense. "It was the assessment of our lawyers that there was significant litigation risk and we could end up costing ourselves billions," Obama said. "Their advice was that we settle." ___ Caldwell reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, August 4, 2016. During his visit Kerry met with the country's president and foreign minister before heading to Brazil to lead the U.S. Presidential Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz) Trump conflict overshadows attacks on Clinton foreign policy PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Donald Trump's warning that the November election might be rigged is "ridiculous," President Barack Obama declared on Thursday, wading deeper into the 2016 campaign. Anxious Republicans, meanwhile, struggled to move attention from their own infighting to Democratic foe Hillary Clinton. The feud between the GOP's presidential nominee and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan again overshadowed Trump's Clinton criticism, underscoring the rising concerns from party leaders over the New York billionaire's unorthodox candidacy and its impact on the future of the party. Facing sinking poll numbers and campaign morale, Trump has questioned the integrity of the nation's election system in recent days. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Merrill Auditorium, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, in Portland, Main (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) "I never heard of somebody complaining about being cheated before the game is over," Obama said during a Thursday press conference. "My suggestion would be: Go out there and try to win the election." Trump, meanwhile, refused for another day to endorse Ryan, his party's top elected official. The Republican speaker has declared his support for Trump, but he said such endorsements aren't "blank checks" and pledged to speak out against the businessman's divisive positions if necessary. Most recently, that means Trump's sustained criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq. "I don't like doing this," Ryan told a Wisconsin radio station. "I don't want to do this, but I will do this because I feel I have to in order to defend Republicans, and our principles, so that people don't make the mistake of thinking we think like that." Campaign chairman Paul Manafort insisted Trump would work with Ryan if elected, but he conceded the endorsement question had sparked tension inside Trump's New York campaign headquarters. The day before, vice presidential nominee Mike Pence broke with Trump and endorsed Ryan. A Pence spokesman on Thursday issued a blanket endorsement for all Republican congressional incumbents seeking re-election, even as Trump withheld endorsements for Arizona Sen. John McCain and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte as well as Ryan. Addressing Maine voters later in the day, Trump was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, including some who were ejected after waving copies of the U.S. Constitution in the air a reminder of Trump's criticism of Khan's father, who waved his own copy of the Constitution as he criticized Trump at last week's Democratic National Convention. The businessman directed his own criticism at Clinton on Thursday, while briefly addressing the tension with Ryan. He said he had given Pence permission endorse the speaker the day before. "I say, 'Mike, you like him? Yes. Go ahead and do it, 100 percent,'" Trump recalled of his conversation, interrupting his audience when they began to boo Ryan. "Paul Ryan's a good guy, actually," he said. As the infighting continued, Trump and his allies lashed out at the Democratic presidential nominee's foreign policy record. Specifically, they contended that Clinton was responsible for negotiations that led to a $400 million U.S. payment to Iran earlier in the year. Trump and some other Republicans have described the money as ransom payment for four Americans detained in Iran days before the money was delivered. "It's so sad, so disgusting," Trump said of the payment. At his news conference, Obama strongly rejected the idea of a ransom. "This wasn't some nefarious deal," he said of a payment that was part of a decades-old dispute over a failed military equipment deal. As Trump used the issue to assail Clinton, he faced new questions about his description of a video he suggested was taken by Iranian forces removing bags of money from a plane. Several senior U.S. officials involved in the Iran negotiations said they weren't aware of any such video. A campaign spokeswoman acknowledged that the video in question was unrelated footage Trump watched on television. Yet the Republican candidate cited it again during his Maine appearance, insisting that the Iranian government released the footage to "embarrass our country." At the same time, Clinton criticized Trump for outsourcing at his companies the very jobs he's promising to create back home. "Everything he's made he's made somewhere else," she said as she toured a Las Vegas electric manufacturer Thursday afternoon. "I've met people who were destroyed by Donald Trump, so take a look at what he's done, not what he says." Trump's missteps have caused widening ripples of anxiety among Republican officials with the election just three months away. Concerned congressional Republicans are asking about Trump "hourly and daily," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a leading Trump emissary on Capitol Hill. ___ Peoples reported from Washington. AP writers Lisa Lerer in Las Vegas and Brian Slodysko in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed. ___ What political news is the world searching for on Google and talking about on Twitter? Find out via AP's Election Buzz interactive. http://elections.ap.org/buzz ___ Follow Steve Peoples and Jill Colvin on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/sppeoples and http://twitter.com/colvinj Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves as he leaves a campaign rally at Merrill Auditorium, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, in Portland, Maine (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Industrial museum opens in former Pennsylvania steel plant A long-delayed industrial museum in a shuttered Pennsylvania steel plant has finally blown the factory whistle and opened the punch clock for visitors, after nearly 20 years of planning. The National Museum of Industrial History opened in Bethlehem this week as a showcase of American industrial might. It is housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant, which made the skeleton of Rockefeller Plaza, beams for the Golden Gate Bridge and armor plate for countless warships. After about 140 years of metal production, Bethlehem Steel's massive blast furnaces on the banks of the Lehigh River went cold in 1995. This Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows visitors browsing exhibits on the opening day of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) The closed plant was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites, but now hosts the Sands Casino Resort and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks in addition to the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum. A look at what to see, why to go and what took so long to create the museum: ___ AMERICA'S MOVE FROM FARMS TO FORGES The museum tells the story of America's transformation from an agrarian society to a pivotal player in the Industrial Revolution. Despite its home in the steel plant's 1913 electric repair shop, the museum also focuses on the propane industry, silk-making and massive machines that made the transformation possible. Among the more than 200 items on view are the first piece of steel rolled in Bethlehem in 1873 and the last piece of Class A armor rolled in the United States, dating from 1953. Visitors can get a sense of what child laborers dealt with by holding a 20-pound tray of bobbins, which they would carry for hours at silk factories. They can also take a gander at World War I-era anti-tank field cannons and a Corliss steam engine. The former steel mill sits on the largest private brownfield in America. FIRST SMITHSONIAN AFFILIATE The National Museum of Industrial History was the first museum to be named a Smithsonian affiliate. However, as the creation dragged on and on, other museums around the country became affiliates and opened up. Among the benefits of the affiliation are sharing agreements with all 19 Smithsonian museums, which enables exhibition of objects from the national museum collection as well as providing outlets for the industry museum's objects to be shown outside of Pennsylvania. A Smithsonian exhibit about the 1876 World's Fair in Philadelphia is currently on display. Artifacts from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History include lathes, hammers and engines. LONG DELAYS PROMPTED STATE PROBE The museum was first proposed in the 1990s, but failed to get off the ground despite having raised nearly $17 million. That drawn-out delay led to an investigation by state prosecutors. A grand jury report released in 2014 concluded the museum suffered from serious mismanagement and wasted public and private funds. The panel referred the matter to the attorney general's office. Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced last year that the state probe found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or misappropriation of funds and concluded the museum was financially viable. Her office gave the museum two years to open or dissolve. ADDING TO PENNSYLVANIA'S INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE The industry museum is among many around the state focusing on Pennsylvania's role in the Industrial Revolution. In Scranton, the Steamtown National Historic Site focuses on the history of steam railroads in the United States. Also in Scranton is the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, featuring massive iron furnaces. In Ulysses, the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum recreates a 20th century lumber mill and camp. The National Canal Museum in Easton tells the story of the Pennsylvania Canal and America's historic towpath canals. Rusty Baker, director of PA Museums, said Wednesday the Bethlehem museum can help tie the industrial history of the region together, in a poignant locale. "Where better to showcase this history than where it happened?" he said of the plant. "It really puts it into context." IF YOU GO: Location: 602 E 2nd St., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, about a 1 hour drive from Philadelphia and New York City. Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets: Children (6 and younger): Free; Youth (7 to 17): $9; Veterans/Students: $11; Seniors (65 and older): $11; Adults (18 to 64): $12 ___ Online: http://www.nmih.org/ This Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows museum office manager Elizabeth Hannon, front right, helping a line of visitors punch timecards to "clock in" on the opening day of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) This July 25, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows the exterior of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) This July 14, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows some of the exhibits inside the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) This Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows museum guide Ed Henning, second from left, holding steel-making raw materials in his hands as he displays them for visitors on the opening day of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) This Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows a boy rotating toy gears in an exhibit on the opening day of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) This Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows two boys pressing exhibit buttons to listen to recollections about working in silk mills during the opening day of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) This Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows visitors browsing exhibits on the opening day of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) This Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, handout photo provided by the National Museum of Industrial History shows visitors discussing an archival photo of a factory on the opening day of the museum, housed in a century-old building at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa. The National Museum of Industrial History opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, after nearly 20 years of planning, and the Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum is located on what was once one of America's largest abandoned industrial sites where it joins the nearby Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and a thriving arts complex called SteelStacks. (Glenn Koehler/National Museum of Industrial History via AP) Israel accuses Gaza manager of World Vision of funding Hamas JERUSALEM (AP) Israel's internal security agency said Thursday it has arrested a senior employee of the international aid group World Vision in the Gaza Strip, accusing him of siphoning millions of dollars of the charity's funds and transferring them to the Islamic militant group Hamas. Mohammed el-Halabi established a "systematic and sophisticated mechanism" to divert up to $50 million over the years to the militant group, which rules Gaza, creating fictitious humanitarian projects and doctoring inflated receipts in order to get the funds to Hamas, said the Shin Bet. El-Halabi, whose actions helped Hamas build illegal underground tunnels and purchase weapons for terror attacks, was charged on Thursday, the Shin Bet said. World Vision, an international Christian aid group with headquarters in Washington State and the United Kingdom, works in nearly 100 countries. The organization said in a statement on its website that it was "shocked" by the allegations and said it has "no reason to believe" they are true but will "carefully review any evidence presented to us" and "take appropriate action based on that evidence". Australia announced late Thursday it was suspending funding to the group until the investigation was complete. "Any diversion of the generous support of the Australian and international community for military or terrorist purposes by Hamas is to be deplored," the Australian government said in a statement. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said that Kent Hill, a senior official with World Vision,, was holding meetings in Israel over the accusations. The Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings were private. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem called the allegations "lies that may be part of the justification of the blockade imposed by the occupation on Gaza." El-Halabi, who is in his late 30s and from Jebaliya in the Gaza Strip, was arrested in June as he was crossing from Israel into Gaza. The Shin Bet said he underwent Hamas military and organizational training in the early 2000s and was "planted" by the group at World Vision in 2005, where he climbed the ranks to become director of the Gaza branch. "He began to conduct security operations for Hamas' military wing which was essentially exploiting the organization's funds for Hamas' fortification," the Shin Bet said. To divert the funds, the Shin Bet said el-Halabi initiated fictitious projects meant to help farmers, the disabled and fishermen. He would falsely list Hamas operatives as workers on those projects and write up inflated receipts, according to the Shin Bet. Companies hired to carry out certain projects under fictitious tenders were "made aware" that 60 percent of the project's funds were destined for Hamas, the Shin Bet statement said, adding that some of World Vision's budget was used to pay the salaries of Hamas operatives. The Shin Bet also said el-Halabi would transfer to Hamas materials such as steel, digging equipment and pipes that were meant for World Vision agricultural assistance. Thousands of packages with food and medical aid received monthly would allegedly be diverted to Hamas operatives and their families rather than reach Gazan civilians. Beyond arms purchases and tunnel digging, the funds also helped build military bases, including one constructed in 2015 built entirely from British aid money, according to the Shin Bet. The security agency also said that since his arrest, el-Halabi divulged intelligence about employees working for United Nations agencies and other aid groups who were also assisting Hamas, without elaborating. A LinkedIn profile that appears to be el-Halabi's says he has worked at World Vision since January 2006 and has served as the Gaza zonal manager since July 2014. The profile says he previously worked at UNDP, the U.N.'s development agency. World Vision noted in its statement that it subscribed to neutrality and that its Gaza programs "have been subject to regular internal and independent audits." The organization has been working among Israelis and Palestinians for more than 40 years, it said. Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, commander of Israel's defense body COGAT, said in an Arabic video address that el-Halabi confessed to funneling World Vision funding to Hamas. "Hamas stole this money and passed it to its military wing to build bases, provide salary bonuses and dig the tunnels of death that have brought destruction upon you and the Gaza Strip," Mordechai said. "Hamas is burying you and your hope of living a normal life." ___ A light that appeared high over St. Louis' Gateway Arch is perplexing officials. The mystery started when an Illinois man shot video of the light early on Tuesday morning and shared it with KTVI-TV. 'I've been out there for a little over a month now and I've never seen anything above that arch,' Chase Rhoads told the local station. The independent cleaning consultant had been outside the Casino Queen during his break between 2.30am and 3am when he filmed the clip. A mysterious light that appeared high over St. Louis' Gateway Arch is perplexing officials It started when an Illinois man shot video of the light above the Gateway Arch on Tuesday 'I was sitting on my break just smoking a cigarette as normal and looked at the arch and the strobe light appeared,' he added. 'It just appeared.' After seeing the report, an employee at an Illinois park across the river from the arch took a look at footage from a security camera and also saw the same light. The video has been posted on the Facebook page for the Malcolm W Martin Memorial Park. 'We guarantee you will be perplexed if you watch all 5 minutes of this surveillance footage!' the caption added. After seeing the report, an employee at an Illinois park across the river from the arch took a look at footage (above) from a security camera and also saw the same light 'We guarantee you will be perplexed if you watch all 5 minutes of this surveillance footage!' a post on the Facebook page for the Malcolm W Martin Memorial Park said Mike Buehlhorn, director of the Metro East Parks and Recreation District, says he doesn't know if he believes in UFOs, but 'there's something weird with that one.' Spokesmen for the nearby Scott Air Force Base and the Federal Aviation Administration say they know nothing about the source of the light. Bremen signs Senegal defender Lamine Sane from Bordeaux BERLIN (AP) Werder Bremen has signed Senegal defender Lamine Sane from French side Bordeaux. The Bundesliga side announced the transfer of Sane, younger brother of Hannover defender Salif Sane, on Thursday. It did not disclose the length of his contract nor the transfer fee. The 29-year-old Sane will be expected to fill in following the departure of Alejandro Galvez to Spanish side Eibar. Bremen sporting director Frank Baumann says "he has the potential to stabilize our defense further." Sane played 188 Ligue 1 games for Bordeaux since joining the side in 2009. PlayStations stolen from pawn shop owner pawned; 2 arrested CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Authorities say two people who tried to pawn some stolen PlayStations didn't realize that they had burgled the home of the pawn shop owner. Citing a Clarksville, Tennessee police report, The Leaf-Chronicle (http://leafne.ws/2axFG8I ) says 30-year-old Jeremy A. Watts and 24-year-old Jessica F. Heady tried to sell two PlayStation systems along with controllers, video games and DVDs. The pawn shop owner, Edward Dial, said he recognized the items and went home to check. Sure enough, his house had been broken into. Watts and Heady were arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated burglary. Both were held on $50,000 bond. It is unclear whether either has an attorney. Police say the stolen property was valued at more than $1,000. ___ Italian law promotes doggy bags to cut down on food waste MILAN (AP) Italian lawmakers have passed legislation to cut down on food waste, making it easier to donate food directly to the needy and promoting containers for restaurants to help Italians overcome their aversion to doggy bags. Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina said the law passed this week was a legacy of the Expo 2015 world's fair focusing on food security, during which dignitaries including Pope Francis decried the paradox of hunger amid abundance. The Latest: Sheriff: Roof not pressing charges for assault CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) The Latest on a jailhouse assault on the suspect charged with killing nine people at a South Carolina church (all times local): 2:20 p.m. Officials are investigating how an inmate managed to assault Dylann Roof, the white man charged with killing nine black parishioners at a Charleston church. FILE - This June 18, 2015, file photo, provided by the Charleston County Sheriff's Office shows Dylann Roof. Attorneys for the man charged with killing nine people at a Charleston church are challenging federal prosecutors intention to seek the death penalty against him. Lawyers for Roof argue in a motion filed Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, that the death penalty and federal death penalty law are unconstitutional. (Charleston County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon told reporters Thursday it happened when a black inmate in a high-security unit managed to get through a cell door to reach Roof. Officials said earlier that 26-year-old Dwayne Stafford would face assault charges. But Cannon says Roof and his attorneys don't want to press charges. The two detention officers assigned to the unit are being interviewed. Officials also are looking into the possibility of an electronic malfunction. Cannon says this was the first incident with Roof since he was jailed last June. ___ 1:10 p.m. A police report says a black inmate ran from his cell and down stairs to attack the white man charged with killing nine people in what police said was a racially motivated shooting at a Charleston church. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office report said 21-year-old Dylann Roof was in the shower when he was beaten around 7:45 a.m. Thursday at the Charleston County jail. Deputies say 26-year-old Dwayne Stafford hit Roof in the head and body with his hands, leaving Roof with bruises. Authorities say Roof was examined by medical personnel and sent back to his cell. Stafford is in jail awaiting trial on charges of first-degree assault and strong arm robbery. ___ 12:15 p.m. Deputies say Dylann Roof, charged in the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a Charleston church, has been assaulted by another inmate at the South Carolina jail where he is being held. Charleston County Sheriff's Maj. Eric Watson tells The Associated Press that the assault occurred outside Roof's cell Thursday morning. Watson says the other inmate used his hands, no other weapons, and that the 22-year-old Roof was examined by jail medical personnel and then returned to his cell. The other inmate faces assault charges. Sheriff Al Cannon is holding an early afternoon news conference to discuss the assault. Police have arrested a suspect in a 16-year-old murder after a woman browsing the 'most wanted' section of the LAPD website recognized him. Samuel Calvario, 45, was detained last week in connection with the slaying of 31-year-old Daniel Felix in 2000. He allegedly shot the victim dead after he intervened in an argument between Calvario and his then-girlfriend, investigators said Wednesday. The charges faced by Calvario include murder, assault with a firearm and kidnapping, according to the Los Angeles Times. Samuel Calvario, 45, (pictured) was detained in Los Angeles last week in connection with the slaying of 31-year-old Daniel Felix in 2000 It wasn't immediately known if he has an attorney who could comment on the arrest and charges. Officer Deen Alcaraz told the Times that Calvario eluded arrest for so long by assuming a new identity. The detective did not give details on where Calvario was living, other than to say he was in Los Angeles County. Police are still trying to get into touch with the family of Felix. Investigators said Felix saw Calvario and his girlfriend arguing inside a truck. When Felix intervened, Calvario became angry, pulled a gun and shot him, officials said. The woman who recently spotted Calvario on the LAPD website left an anonymous message on a tip line about his whereabouts. Alcaraz said he's never had a suspect identified by someone browsing the website. Still, he said the case underscores the role the public can play in solving crimes. Brazil lawmakers vote to try Rousseff before full Senate RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Brazilian senators have taken the latest step in the impeachment process against suspended President Dilma Rousseff. A Senate commission Thursday voted 14-5 to send the matter back to the full body for a vote by all 81 senators next week. Rousseff will be tried on fiscal charges if the Senate agrees by a simple majority. The Supreme Court's chief justice will decide what day the trial will begin. A demonstrator shouts slogans against suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff during a protest demanding her impeachment, on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) The senate will determine after the trial if Rousseff broke fiscal laws. Fifty-four senators two-thirds of the body must agree to permanently unseat the unpopular politician. That would allow interim President Michel Temer to remain in office until the end of 2018. Men whose 'satanic' killing convictions overturned want bail BRANDENBURG, Ky. (AP) Vickie Howser bought her brother a comfortable bed, decorated a bedroom in her house and planned a menu for a family dinner Thursday night. She hoped he'd finally walk out of jail Thursday morning, two weeks after a judge vacated his murder conviction in what prosecutors described in 1995 as a satanic ritual killing. But after more than two decades in prison, her brother, Garr Keith Hardin, and co-defendant Jeffrey Dewayne Clark will remain behind bars at least a little longer. Ginny Peak, right, sister of Garr Keith Hardin embraces a family member following court proceedings, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 at the Meade County Courthouse in Brandenburg Ky. A Kentucky judge is considering whether Garr Keith Hardin and Jeffrey Dewayne Clark should be let out of jail after spending more than 20 years in prison before their murder convictions in what prosecutors called a "satanic" killing were vacated. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) Though DNA evidence debunked much of what prosecutors presented to the jury 21 years ago, a judge said at a Thursday hearing that he needs time to weigh their request to be released on bail until a new trial date is set. The judge said he will issue a written ruling. "I was hoping he'd walk out of there today and come home," Howser said. "I want to cook him a good meal. I want to fatten him up. So much has changed since he's been in there, everything has changed." Hardin and Clark, both now 46, were convicted in 1995 of killing 19-year-old Rhonda Sue Warford based in part on the prosecution's contention that a hair found on her body was a "microscopic match" to Hardin. They were sentenced to life in prison. The Innocence Project fought for years to have the evidence tested for DNA, and the Kentucky Supreme Court granted the request in 2013. The testing revealed the hair didn't come from Hardin. Meade Circuit Judge Bruce T. Butler overturned their conviction last month, finding it "based on suppositions that we now know to be fundamentally false." Warford disappeared on April 1, 1992, after leaving her home in the south end of Louisville. He body was found three days later across the county line in Meade County's Dead Horse Hollow. She had been stabbed 11 times. Prosecutors told the jury in 1995 that blood on a cloth in Hardin's home was animal blood and a cup was a "chalice" used in a satanic ritual to drink the animal blood and gain standing with Lucifer. The DNA evidence showed the blood was not from an animal. It was Hardin's blood, matching his testimony that he cut himself and used the cloth to wipe his hands. Butler found there was no evidence Warford's murder was inspired by satanism. Meade County Commonwealth's Attorney David Michael Williams told the court he intends to retry both men and asked that they be denied bail. The prosecutors' office for years fought DNA testing and Williams has cited Hardin's confession before a parole board as evidence of his guilt. Hardin's attorneys and family dismiss the admission as a desperate man hoping to appease the board and get out of prison for a crime he didn't commit. Hardin and Clark's lawyers with the Innocence Project said they invite a new trial to clear their names. "If the commonwealth wants to proceed with a trial against both of these men on what we perceive to be a very weak case, then tee it up. We're ready to go," said Larry Simon, a local attorney working with the Innocence Project. In addition to the evidence disproved by DNA testing, the case largely hinged on testimony from Mark Handy, then a detective with the Louisville Police Department. He testified that Hardin confessed during an interrogation that he'd grown tired of animal sacrifices and wanted to graduate to humans. But the judge wrote in his ruling that Handy was found to have lied under oath in a different trial in 1995, just a few weeks before he testified against Hardin and Clark. In that case, defendant Edwin Chandler was convicted of murder and spent eight years in prison before being exonerated. An internal police investigation found Handy should be criminally prosecuted for misconduct and the city paid Chandler a settlement of $8.5 million. The Louisville Metro Police Department said the Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney office is still reviewing the investigation. Handy is now a sergeant with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said Lt. Col. Carl Yates, a spokesman for the department. Butler wrote that Handy's history "discredits the integrity of the police investigation." Barry Scheck, co-director of the Innocence Project, said Hardin and Clark were out on bail before their 1995 trial and never missed a hearing. Both have relatives to live with and should be able to begin rebuilding their lives after losing so many years. Howser said she never questioned her brother's innocence. She and her mother fought to see him exonerated for decades. Her mother died last year. "I never gave up hope, but I've had a lot of sad days," Howser said. "I'm both angry and sad. My emotions right now are all over the place. I could cry, I could scream." Ginny Peak, left, sister of Garr Keith Hardin speaks with a family member following court proceedings, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 at the Meade County Courthouse in Brandenburg Ky. A Kentucky judge is considering whether Garr Keith Hardin and Jeffrey Dewayne Clark should be let out of jail after spending more than 20 years in prison before their murder convictions in what prosecutors called a "satanic" killing were vacated. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) Egypt: Leader of Islamic State affiliate killed in Sinai CAIRO (AP) Egypt's military said on Thursday that the leader of the Islamic State's affiliate has been killed in the Sinai Peninsula, along with several key aides and 45 other members of the extremist group. Few details were immediately available and there was no word from the extremist group's branch in Egypt on what, if confirmed, would be a major setback for the Sinai-based militants. A posting on the Facebook page of the Egyptian military's chief spokesman, Brig-Gen Mohammed Samir, said Abu Doaa al-Ansari was killed in an operation south of the coastal city of el-Arish. It said the operation was carried out by counterterrorism forces backed by warplanes and guided by "accurate intelligence." The statement did not provide a total number of those killed or say when the operation took place, but two military officials with first-hand knowledge of the conflict in the turbulent northern part of Sinai said al-Ansari and his aides were killed in an airstrike that targeted a house located amid olive groves south of el-Arish. Aerial images of the strike released by the military appeared to confirm the account given by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation with the media. The name of Abu Doaa al-Ansari is not widely known and had not been previously mentioned as that of the leader of the Sunni militant group, which was known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Soldiers of Jerusalem, before it swore allegiance to the Islamic State group fighting in Syria and Iraq. Al-Ansari's name is likely a nom de guerre something militants typically take when joining groups such as IS. These names often allude to the country or city a militant hails from or the place he adopted as his home. Mohannad Sabry, an Egyptian expert on the Sinai insurgency, said it was a "seriously embarrassing situation" that the military did not provide al-Ansari's real name, something he said casts doubts on the purported leader's identity and the report of his death. "Even if someone with this nom de guerre exists, this will be one more time Egypt's military announces that it has killed the leader, or a leader of a group that never publicly named its leader," Sabry told The Associated Press. The military's report could not be independently confirmed. Egypt has virtually banned independent media from northern Sinai while the pro-government press relies almost entirely on often brief army and police statements on the fighting there. Also, an anti-terrorism law adopted last year places severe restrictions on media coverage of anti-government activity, with heavy fines and up to five years' imprisonment for publishing news that contradicts official statements or is perceived as promoting militant causes. According to the Egyptian military officials, the airstrike that killed al-Ansari was part of an ongoing, intense air campaign that began more than a week ago and in which jet-fighters, helicopter gunships and drones are being used. The campaign of airstrikes, at least in part, were in response to the growing threat to ground troops posed by roadside bombs planted by the militants, they said. The officials also suggested that the 45 who were mentioned in the military spokesman's statement as slain alongside al-Ansari, may have perished in a series of airstrikes earlier this week that targeted IS positions and ammunition depots near the border town of Rafah. Egyptian forces have been battling Islamic militants in Sinai for years but the insurgency there has grown deadlier since the 2013 ouster by the military of Mohammed Morsi, the Islamist president whose one year in office proved divisive for the country. Earlier this week, a 35-minute video released by the Islamic State's branch in Sinai purported to show IS attacks against Egyptian security forces, including roadside bomb blasts, gun battles and sniper fire. He is the life of all, the salvation of all faithful and unfaithful, just and unjust, pious and impious, healthy and sick, young and old just as the diffusion of light, the sight of the sun, and the changes of weather are for all alike; for there is no respect of persons with God. John Klimakos Tunisian President denies any family tie with new premier TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi denied any family tie with the prime minister he has just nominated following criticism that the two were related by marriage. The 90-year-old leader said Thursday that Youssef Chahed "is not a member of my family" and denounced a "well-orchestrated campaign" against him. Sections of the media and opposition members have said a distant family connection between the two men influenced the nomination. Critics have also cited the lack of experience of Chahed, 41, who came to politics after the revolution that toppled long-time autocratic leader President Zine El Abiding Ben Ali in 2011. His ouster inspired the Arab Spring. Essebsi told international media representatives that he decided to change the government because of the country's deteriorating situation. "If we were to keep following the same path, we were heading into a tunnel," he said. Chahed, 41, an agricultural engineer by training, was minister for local affairs in the government that fell over the weekend in a no-confidence vote. Essebsi said Chahed was "the most qualified among all potential candidates" and that he is "a capable young (man) in good health, with important projects to fight terrorism, corruption, black market and tax evasion". Chahed's nomination is likely to be approved by parliament. Lawmakers have a month to do so. Five parties support him, including the two largest his own Nida Tones, founded by the president, and the Islamist Ananda which together hold a comfortable majority in parliament. Chahed has already started consultations to form a new government. Tunisia suffered two major jihadi attacks last year at a beach resort and at the well-known Bardot Museum that killed around 60 people. UN bungles response to Africa's yellow fever outbreak KINSHASA, Congo (AP) The World Health Organization and its partners shipped more than 6 million yellow fever vaccines to Angola in February to quash an emerging epidemic, yet when they asked country officials the following month what happened to the vaccines, they discovered that about 1 million doses had mysteriously disappeared. Of the shipments that did make it to Angola, some vaccines were sent to regions with no yellow fever cases, while others arrived at infected areas without syringes. In neighboring Congo, some vaccines weren't always kept cold enough to guarantee they would be effective. This lack of oversight and mismanagement has undermined control of the outbreak in Central Africa, the worst yellow fever epidemic in decades, an Associated Press investigation has found. Three-year-old Jonathan Kangu sits on his hospital bed in Kinshasa, Congo, on Tuesday, July 19, 2016, suffering from symptoms of yellow fever, including yellowed eyes. Because of a shortage of diagnostic materials, doctors were not able to confirm whether or not he has yellow fever, as the symptoms are similar to those for many other diseases in the region. Jonathan ultimately recovered and was discharged, but without knowing for sure whether he had yellow fever, it was unclear if his family should be prioritized to receive the vaccine. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) There is now a shortage of vaccines so severe that WHO has recommended doses be diluted by 80 percent to stretch the supply, even though there is limited evidence they will be effective in African populations. "WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM ON OUR HANDS," UNICEF's Robert Kezaala wrote in capital letters in a June email to his colleagues at WHO, Doctors Without Borders and other partners. WHO vowed after its fumbled response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa that it would adopt a "no regrets" policy to better manage future disease outbreaks with its partners in other health organizations and national governments. But according to hundreds of pages of internal emails and documents obtained by AP, the U.N. health agency is facing many of the same problems that compromised its handling of Ebola, an outbreak that killed 11,000 people in three West African countries. Health officials now estimate they will be short millions of doses to fight an epidemic that has also spread to Congo. To date, yellow fever is estimated to have caused upward of 5,000 cases and at least 450 deaths. More than 18 million vaccines have been sent to the continent, far short of the 40 million doses some experts think are needed to contain the outbreak. Some of the most vulnerable areas of Congo's sprawling capital have been vaccinated, but millions of people still are waiting for doses as fumigation teams spray crowded neighborhoods in an attempt to kill the mosquitoes that spread the disease. "People are very afraid," says Dr. Ernest Mumakubwidi, who treats patients out of a tiny cement-block neighborhood clinic in Kinshasa. "They won't be able to vaccinate everyone that is clear." Amanda McClelland, a senior emergency official at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or the IFRC, said the crisis is a repeat of WHO's mismanagement of the Ebola epidemic in 2014. "It was the same people at WHO that made the initial calls during Ebola and it was the exact same response: We've got enough, we don't need any help and it's all under control." Dr. Bruce Aylward, who directed WHO's Ebola response, acknowledged that more changes are still needed to enable WHO to respond more quickly to complex emergencies, even though he said the agency has made substantial reforms in the past two years. "It would be a mistake to think that WHO is now ready," he said. "I think a lot of things are better but I don't think we're there yet." ____ "A DISASTER FOR THIS COUNTRY AND THE REGION" Unlike Ebola, yellow fever is not highly contagious and is easily prevented with vaccines. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same species that spreads Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. Once infected, people often fall ill with fever and muscle pain, but many recover after several days. Others, however, suffer a more toxic phase and can develop jaundice, as the virus attacks the liver and kidneys. In the worst cases, patients bleed internally in their digestive systems, becoming delirious before dying. According to WHO, the death rate for reported cases is between 15 to 50 percent. Yellow fever has largely been eliminated in developed nations after vaccines were developed in the 1930s, but outbreaks continue in Africa and Latin America. For countries that cannot afford broad vaccination programs, a consortium was formed in 2001 by WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF. Their role is to dole out the global emergency stockpile of about 6 million vaccines, which cost less than $2 each. Until this outbreak, the consortium had never before used more than 4 million doses in any one country. Four companies produce yellow fever vaccine for WHO and its partners, and as the outbreak worsened, officials pressed manufacturers to rush the production of more. In early February, a senior U.N. official alerted other colleagues that cases were nearly tripling every week. "WE MIGHT (FACE) A DISASTER FOR THIS COUNTRY AND THE REGION," Paolo Balladelli, the U.N. coordinator in Angola, warned in an email. On February 12, WHO announced Angola had a yellow fever outbreak in its capital, and along with its partners, sent more than 6 million doses for a vaccination campaign targeting Luanda, more doses than are usually contained in the emergency stockpile. To verify that the vaccines had reached those who needed them, health officials asked Angola for a detailed accounting of their use. The answer: 1 million doses had disappeared "evaporated" probably taken by "friend(s) and families of the local authorities," the "army" or resold in the "private sector," according to a WHO email to its partners. "How can this happen in a situation of (vaccine) shortage?" asked WHO's Sergio Yactayo, a Geneva-based yellow fever expert, in a March 4 missive to his colleagues at UNICEF, the IFRC, Doctors Without Borders and WHO. He lamented that there was no transparency in what happened to the vaccines. In a series of internal calls over the summer, health officials complained that shots approved for specific regions with documented yellow fever cases were sometimes used in areas that had no cases without any explanation according to sources familiar with the problem who were not authorized to discuss it. Experts complained that it was "pointless" to approve vaccine plans for Angola since the country was completely disregarding them. When asked about the million missing doses this week, WHO and partners described the loss as "not unexpected." An emailed statement on behalf of WHO, IFRC, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders said that "typically there is an expected 10 percent reserve factored in for losses and wastage in mass vaccination campaigns for yellow fever." But Angolan officials disputed that any vaccines were missing at all. "There has been no diversion (of the vaccines) whatsoever," said Luis Gomes Sambo, the country's health minister. He said the government has careful accounting of where and when the shots were administered and nothing has disappeared. Back in March, Yactayo and his colleagues noted that the "wastage rate" in Angola was nearly double what officials would normally anticipate. He wrote that in the early phases of the outbreak, Angolan authorities had not paid enough attention to registering who was vaccinated. "(I) agree it is not good, but (it's) the reality," he said, adding they had attempted to improve the situation, "but unhappily with little success." Though WHO and partners did not investigate what happened to the doses that disappeared, Yactayo reasoned that with an exploding outbreak in a crowded city, they had no choice but to send even more of the precious vaccines. "We cannot wait weeks (to) respond." By late March, neighboring Congo had also reported cases to WHO, making it critical that the limited stockpile be judiciously used. "Vaccine is the only way to control a yellow fever epidemic," said Dr. Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "This is where WHO should insist on accountability...they have to know how the vaccine is being used to know they are making the right decisions." WHO's Aylward said tracing the vaccines' usage is an "incredibly important issue" and that problems may have arisen because Angola was not accustomed to such epidemics. "When you see something new, such as an outbreak in an urban area of Luanda where you've not seen this for a long time, then you're concerned, can they move fast enough, is the health system strong enough to actually use this?" Aylward asked. He agreed it was problematic that not all of the vaccines sent to the country could be tracked. In Congo, the vaccines did not come soon enough for 41-year-old boat operator Guillit Mbwanga. In April, Mbwanga thought he had malaria and went to his local pharmacy over the weekend for medication to treat his fever and chills. Soon though, his eyes turned yellow from jaundice and by Monday, his whole body had a yellowish tone all the way down to his feet. By Wednesday, he was dead, leaving behind his wife Nadine and their 10 children. Mbwanga's medical file states that he likely died of yellow fever. "Now there is no one to take care of the children financially," says his brother-in-law Mitterand Manzambi. "His oldest daughter planned to go to university but who will pay for the tuition now? And what about school fees for the others?" ____ "LIKE HAVING A CAR BUT NOT PETROL" As yellow fever tore through Angola and Congo, U.N. officials made a series of other mistakes that stalled control efforts. Ahead of a key vaccination campaign, WHO's country representative in Angola learned that vaccines had been shipped but without any of the material needed to use them, including syringes. "Sending the vaccines without the vaccination material is 'USELESS'," wrote Hernando Agudelo in a May 11 email to his colleagues, who said the situation was like "having a car but not petrol!!" In Congo, aid workers faced another problem: how to prevent the vaccines from spoiling in the heat. "The situation encounter(ed) by the logistics team is quite alarming," wrote WHO logistician Guillaume Queyras. He described breaks in the "cold chain," that keeps vaccines between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. Queyras said the set-up he found "will hardly guarantee the quality of the vaccine at the end of the chain." Health officials in Kinshasa have been keeping the vaccine vials at a central facility with a back-up generator. At other health centers, many keep the vaccines in solar-powered refrigerators of varying quality. From there, the vaccines are distributed to neighborhoods in plastic coolers provided by the health ministry with ice packets, though not all the packets appeared to be starting the day cold at least one touched by an AP reporter at a vaccination site was warm. On July 8, an internal memo to WHO's Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan relayed more disturbing news: the sole laboratory in Kinshasa responsible for testing all yellow fever cases in Congo had halted operations two weeks earlier. The lab was awaiting more diagnostic materials. Without a lab to test samples from suspected patients, officials had no way to accurately track where the virus was spreading and determine which regions most urgently needed the vaccine. Facing pressure from aid groups including Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym, MSF, Chan wrote directly to its international president, Dr. Joanne Liu, to assure her WHO was responding faster than its often cumbersome efforts during Ebola. Liu told AP she was "outraged" about the situation and had specifically pestered Chan about the unresolved lab problems. "I'm self-controlling myself right now because I don't understand why we haven't learned the very basic lessons of Ebola." In a July 16 message tapped out on her iPhone, Chan listed five measures WHO had taken to restart the lab in Kinshasa, including sending supplies and experts to deal with the backlog of untested specimens. Keen to preserve WHO's credibility and keep the lab problems out of the public spotlight, Chan asked Liu, "please do not circulate this email." By late last week, Congo's lab was still closed. Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, the lab's director, said Monday there were more than 300 samples waiting to be tested because it ran out of diagnostic materials, blaming delivery complications. "The shortage (of testing materials) was due simply to the fact that when Dakar sent the reagents by DHL, the plane stopped in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and they sent the package back to Dakar," he said. "They did not understand the urgency of the situation." For patients, the result was an uncertain wait as doctors attempted to diagnose the disease based on yellow fever symptoms alone, which are similar to those for many other diseases in the region. At the Chinese-Congolese Friendship Hospital in Kinshasa, little Jonathan Kangu recently sat listless and ornery, on a soiled bedsheet while doctors struggled to say for sure whether he had the disease, despite his eyes turning a glowing shade of yellow beneath his long, thick lashes. "We brought him to the hospital three times and they said it was malaria," said his mother, Joelle, who slept beside him in the ward for the last five nights as her 2-year-old battled high fevers. The toddler ultimately recovered and was discharged, but without knowing whether he had yellow fever, it was unclear if his family or neighborhood needed the vaccine. ____ "SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE FOOT" Confronted with an urgent demand for a limited supply of vaccines, WHO and partners are now turning to a largely untested theory to stretch the number of shots: fractional dosing, or using one fifth of the standard dose so that five people can be treated instead of just one. A WHO draft document in May pointed out some noteworthy concerns: a lack of data on children and people with weakened immune systems, no research on African populations and uncertainty about how long immunity might last. The document warned that diluting the vaccine should be "forgotten because of the programmatic and safety concerns." At the conclusion of a WHO-organized meeting in June, experts bickered over the wording of the fractional dosing recommendation. In a draft press release, WHO immunization expert Philippe Duclos questioned whether there was enough proof to "demonstrate" that using one fifth of a standard dose would be protective, arguing that description was "a bit strong." The draft release pointed out that fractional dosing would not work for mass preventive campaigns, but WHO staffer Roland Sutter argued that the operation was already planned. Not to proceed with the recommendation would be like "shooting ourselves in the foot!!" In a final press statement, WHO concluded that partial doses could indeed be "a safe and effective option." But persuading people to get a partial dose could prove difficult since a full dose typically provides protection for at least a decade. Even though the Angolan government has received 15 million doses so far, and exhausted the supply to the point where fractional dosing is being considered it rejected the idea of using the weakened vaccines, leaving only the Congolese to use the diluted shots. "The Congolese will not accept that they know others are being protected for 10 years why should they accept any less?" asked Gustav Ngwanza, 44, a nurse who helped vaccinate hundreds of people with the full dose during one of the first phases of the campaign in Kinshasa. "That's not going to work here." ____ Cheng reported from London and Geneva. Raphael Satter in Paris and Michael Astor at the United Nations contributed to this report. Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, stand by a smoking fire on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. There is much uncertainty about the control of yellow fever in Congo, where a surge of cases could spark further waves of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, line up to receive yellow fever vaccines on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Some experts say about 40 million vaccines are needed to extinguish the outbreak _ enough to immunize everyone in Angola and Kinshasa. To date, the World Health Organization and partners say they have shipped more than 18 million doses of yellow fever vaccine for emergency campaigns. They are 22 million doses short. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, line up to receive a yellow fever vaccine on Thursday, July 21, 2016. As yellow fever tore through Angola and Congo, U.N. officials struggling to keep up with the demand for yellow fever supplies have made a series of mistakes that stalled control efforts. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, receive yellow fever vaccine injections on Thursday, July 21, 2016. To date, yellow fever is estimated to have sickened about 5,000 people and caused at least 450 deaths. More than 18 million vaccines have been sent to countries, including three million to Congo, but the disease continues to spread there and experts suspect there may be many more cases since a lab responsible for testing was closed for weeks after it ran out of diagnostic supplies. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) A boy reacts as he receives a yellow fever vaccine injection in the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Yellow fever is not highly contagious and is easily prevented with vaccines. The disease is thought to have evolved in Africa about 3,000 years ago and was likely brought to the Americas by slave ships from West Africa. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, receive yellow fever vaccine injections on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Yellow fever is not highly contagious and is easily prevented with vaccines. The disease is thought to have evolved in Africa about 3,000 years ago and was likely brought to the Americas by slave ships from West Africa. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, line up to receive yellow fever vaccines on Sunday, July 24, 2016. To date, yellow fever is estimated to have sickened about 5,000 people and caused at least 450 deaths. More than 18 million vaccines have been sent to countries, including three million to Congo, but the disease continues to spread there and experts suspect there may be many more cases since a lab responsible for testing was closed for weeks after it ran out of diagnostic supplies. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) A member of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team fumigates the Yolo Sud neighborhood of Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday, July 22, 2016, in an effort to kill mosquitos that can transmit yellow fever. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Once infected, people often fall ill with fever and muscle pain and sometimes develop jaundice, as the virus attacks the liver and kidneys. Yellow fever kills about 15 to 50 percent of those sickened by it. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Members of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team fumigate the Yolo Sud neighborhood of Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday, July 22, 2016, in an effort to kill mosquitos that can transmit yellow fever. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) A woman covers her face as a member of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team fumigates the Yolo Sud neighborhood of Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday, July 22, 2016, in an effort to kill mosquitos that can transmit yellow fever. There is much uncertainty about the control of yellow fever in Congo, where a surge of cases could spark further waves of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, gather at a water distribution point on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Nearly 500,000 residents of the Kisenso neighborhood are targeted to be vaccinated as part of a campaign that was officially launched that day. Some 66,000 were vaccinated the next day, according to Dr. Valentin Ndaye. The area has seen more than 80 suspected cases including four deaths since the beginning of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Children pull a container of water in the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. There is much uncertainty about the control of yellow fever in Congo, where a surge of cases could spark further waves of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) A resident of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, carries an umbrella next to a mural on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Nearly 500,000 residents of the Kisenso neighborhood are targeted to be vaccinated as part of a campaign that was officially launched that day. Some 66,000 were vaccinated the next day, according to Dr. Valentin Ndaye. The area has seen more than 80 suspected cases including four deaths since the beginning of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents of the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, listen to officials launching a yellow fever vaccination campaign on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Nearly 500,000 residents of the Kisenso neighborhood are targeted to be vaccinated as part of a campaign that was officially launched that day. Some 66,000 were vaccinated the next day, according to Dr. Valentin Ndaye. The area has seen more than 80 suspected cases including four deaths since the beginning of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) A woman carries a child next to a kindergarten in the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. There is much uncertainty about the control of yellow fever in Congo, where a surge of cases could spark further waves of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Children sit outside their home in the Kisenso district of Kinshasa, Congo, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. There is much uncertainty about the control of yellow fever in Congo, where a surge of cases could spark further waves of the epidemic. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Residents cover their mouths as members of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team fumigate the Yolo Sud neighborhood of Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday, July 22, 2016, in an effort to kill mosquitos that can transmit yellow fever. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) A member of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team fumigates the Yolo Sud neighborhood of Kinshasa, Congo, on Friday, July 22, 2016, in an effort to kill mosquitos that can transmit yellow fever. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson sued the city of Baton Rouge and police officials Thursday, saying officers responded in a 'militarized and aggressive manner' in arresting him and other people protesting a police shooting death. Mckesson was among nearly 200 protesters arrested in Baton Rouge after the July 5 death of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man who was shot during a struggle with two white police officers. The federal class-action lawsuit, which names two other arrested protesters as plaintiffs, accuses police of using excessive force and violating the protesters' constitutional rights. The suit said police advanced against protesters while wearing military gear and gas masks and brandishing assault weapons alongside armored vehicles. Officers threatened peaceful protesters by pointing their weapons directly at them, the suit said. Police officers arrested activist DeRay McKesson during a protest along Airline Highway, a major road that passes in front of the Baton Rouge PD in on July 9 Mckesson is suing the city of Baton Rouge over his arrest last month at a protest of a black man fatally shot during a struggle with two white police officers Alton Sterling was shot and killed while he was pinned to the ground outside a convenience store last month 'Defendants used excessive force in attacking, battering, beating, and assaulting plaintiffs and class members without provocation or the need for defense,' the suit said. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has defended the police response to the protests, saying their use of riot gear and weaponry was appropriate. The governor, a Democrat who comes from a family of sheriffs, also noted that a police officer had teeth knocked out by a rock during protests. Sterling's shooting was captured on cellphone video and circulated widely on the internet. His death, along with another fatal police shooting in Minnesota, sparked widespread protests in Baton rouge and beyond. The Justice Department is investigating Sterling's death. McKesson, one of the most regognizable faces to emerge from the Black Lives Matter movement, was walking alongside Airline Highway when he was arrested In an interview following his release, McKesson called his arrest 'unlawful' and said police want people to be afraid of protesting Mckesson, a Baltimore resident, was arrested July 9 near Baton Rouge police headquarters on a charge of obstructing a highway. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore has said Mckesson is one of roughly 100 arrested protesters who will not be prosecuted by his office for the same charge. But the lawsuit said Mckesson and other arrested protesters had to pay administrative and court fees to be released from jail and will have to pay more to have their arrest records expunged. 'All class members now have criminal arrest records, which in this digital age could adversely affect their future employment, education, reputations, and professional licensing,' according to the suit, which seeks unspecified compensation for lost wages, court costs and other expenses related to the arrests. Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson walked out of the Baton Rouge jail the following day after spending 16 hours in police custody DeRay McKesson got a visit from Beyonce's sister Solange Knowles (left) and her husband Alan and shared this picture on Twitter 'The courts have always been an important lever by which we can hold cities accountable for engaging in unconstitutional practices,' Mckesson wrote in a text message Thursday night. The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and other groups also filed a lawsuit last month over the treatment of protesters by police. East Baton Rouge Parish, the mayor, the head of the state police, the city's police chief and the local sheriff are also named as defendants. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson, who hadn't seen the lawsuit, said he believes police 'exercised great restraint' in response to the protests. 'I didn't witness any aggressive form of behavior by any police officer,' he said. On July 13, after the protests began to abate, police announced that they had arrested three suspects accused of stealing several handguns from a pawn shop as part of an alleged plot to harm police officers in the Baton Rouge area. Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. cited those 'credible threats' as the reason for police officers' tactics and their 'show of force' during the protests. Election could determine transgender case at Supreme Court WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court's order blocking a transgender male from using the boys' restroom at his Virginia school underscores how the presidential election results will shape the high court. One of the court's nine seats has been vacant since Justice Antonin Scalia died in February, and as many as three older justices could retire in the coming years. The sometimes-polarized court won't decide what to do about the transgender bathroom case until around the election, and possibly months later. The justices probably will know by then whether the person picked to succeed Scalia will push the court to the left or to the right. FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2016 file photo, the Supreme Court building at seen sunset in Washington. The Supreme Courts order blocking a transgender male from using the boys restroom at his Virginia school underscores how the presidential election results will shape the high court. One of the courts nine seats has been vacant since Justice Antonin Scalia died in February, and as many as three older justices could retire in the coming years. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File) The transgender issue is just one of many high-profile social and political issues on which the new ninth justice could hold the decisive vote. President Barack Obama has nominated Judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy, but Senate Republicans have blocked action, preserving the open seat in case Republican Donald Trump wins the presidency. Both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have spoken about the court's importance in their campaign appearances. "Imagine if Hillary Clinton picks five super libs," Trump said in Virginia this week, suggesting that the next president could fill as many as five seats, which seems unlikely. Clinton told delegates at the Democratic National Convention last week that that she would "appoint Supreme Court justices who will get money out of politics and expand voting rights, not restrict them." Clinton raised two issues on which conservatives, with Scalia, held a majority in recent years. But if Garland or a justice of her choosing were in place, any new cases on those issues could come out differently. So, too, on Obama's efforts to help millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, one of the four cases in which the court split 4 to 4 since Scalia's death. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in a recent interview that the next administration could bring that case back to the Supreme Court. "By the time it comes here, we will be nine," she said in the same interview in which she said she didn't want to think about the possibility of a Trump victory. Trump has said that if elected president, he would act to deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. That probably would end the legal fight over Obama's executive actions. Clinton has pledged to expand on Obama's efforts. Some conservative and libertarian legal scholars have weighed in online in recent days at the invitation of Reason magazine senior editor Damon Root about whether Supreme Court vacancies justify a vote for Trump, in spite of concerns over his candidacy. Georgetown University law professor Randy Barnett, a key player in the 2012 challenge to Obama's health overhaul, said the court vacancies "may well be the only good reason to support Trump. Whether that reason outweighs all the other negatives is a much tougher judgment." In the transgender bathroom case, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer surprised some legal commentators by joining his four more conservative colleagues Wednesday in siding with the Gloucester County School Board. The board is appealing a lower-court decision in support of student Gavin Grimm. But Breyer stressed the temporary nature of the order, pending the short-handed court's fuller consideration of the case. He also said he was providing the majority-making vote as "a courtesy" that he said would allow the school board's bathroom policy to remain in effect for the time being, not as an expression of his views on the topic. The other three liberal justices voted to deny the school board's plea. Jeep hackers back at Black Hat with new and scarier method LAS VEGAS (AP) A pair of well-known hackers has found another way to take control of a Jeep Cherokee this time while it's moving at high speed. Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek grabbed headlines last year by showing how they could kill a Jeep Cherokee's engine while it was traveling down a highway. The news prompted an embarrassing recall of 1.4 million Jeeps and other vehicles by parent company Fiat Chrysler. In front of a packed lecture hall at the Black Hat hacker conference on Thursday in Las Vegas, the pair demonstrated how they could again take control of the same 2014 Jeep Cherokee they hacked the year before. This time they sent false messages to its internal network, overriding the correct ones. That allowed them to do new and scarier things, such as making the vehicle turn sharply while it was speeding down a country road. They also were able to make the vehicle unintentionally speed up, or remotely slam on its brakes. "If you can steer a car at any speed, that's pretty dangerous," Miller said, as video showed the Jeep turning so hard and fast it left skid marks. Another turn sent it into a ditch alongside a Midwestern cornfield. The pair's previous hack only allowed them to do similar things if the Jeep was moving slower than 5 mph, making for a much less dangerous scenario. This time, it was more about reverse engineering than actual hacking. They dissected why the vehicle's safety systems prevented remote attempts to yank the car's steering wheel or slam on its brakes if it was moving at more than 5 mph, but not at lower speeds, then looked for a way around that. Fiat Chrysler said that while the company admired the pair's creativity, Thursday's presentation didn't show any new ways to breach the Jeep remotely. It also argued that the attack couldn't have been carried out remotely because of fixes made after the previous hack, which is something Miller and Valasek dispute. The automaker added that the methods Miller and Valasek used were costly, time consuming and required extensive technical expertise. The pair acknowledged that they did put quite a bit of time and effort into their hack and that it's not something the average person needs to worry about falling victim to. For their part, Miller and Valasek, who now work for the ride-hailing service Uber, said that after four years of hacking cars together, they've decided to move on. They encouraged other hackers to pick up where they left off. "There's no reason to think that this car company, or just American cars, is the only one that could be hacked," Miller said. ___ President Obama is set to hit his target of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees into the US by the end of September, despite criticism from Republicans citing national security concerns. The State Department calculated 2,340 refugees entered the country in July - more than the total number for the seven months after the President's target was announced. Obama instructed his administration to prepare for 10,000 refugees from the war torn Middle Eastern country back in September last year. The vast majority of the 7,900 refugees taken in by the US in the current fiscal year are Sunni Muslims, the dominant religious group in Syria. Scroll down for video President Obama is set to hit his target of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees into the US by the end of September It is expected that Obama should hit his symbolic 10,000 target with weeks to spare, if the rate of people moving in June and July continues this month. The President will head to the UN in September to urge fellow world leaders to admit more refugees and increase funding for relief organizations. The UN General Assembly is holding a summit to address the large movements of refugees and migrants that stems primarily from conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. Obama would have been hard-pressed to make the case for other countries to do more with the U.S. failing to reach a goal that amounts to only about 2 per cent of the 480,000 Syrian refugees in need of resettlement. Organizations that help relocate Syrian refugees said the White House and other administration officials have grown increasingly confident of hitting the target. The State Department calculated 2,340 refugees entered the country in July - more than the total number for the seven months after the President's target was announced 'They put more resources on it, which is allowing more individual's to be processed and therefore able to travel,' said Stacie Blake, a spokeswoman for the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, one of nine groups that help resettle Syrian refugees. Obama's call for 10,000 entries this year was criticized by most Republican governors and the GOP presidential candidates, who argued that the government lacked an adequate screening system to prevent suspected terrorists from slipping into the US. Extremist attacks in Europe and the US have increased concerns about immigration. An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in early July showed that 69 percent of Republicans say they favor the temporary ban on Muslim immigration. Obama instructed his administration to prepare for 10,000 refugees from the war torn Middle Eastern country back in September last year Overall, Americans opposed such a ban by a margin of 52 percent to 45 percent. Congressman Vern Buchanan, a Republican from Florida, sent a letter to Obama on Thursday calling on him to stop accepting Syrian refugees as a matter of national security. 'We are seeing a clear pattern in which a number of recent attacks have been carried out by ISIS terrorists with ties to Syria,' Buchanan said, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State group. He cited the killing of a French priest, the murder of a German woman with a machete and a bombing at a German music festival as examples. The White House has emphasized that the screening process for refugees takes 12 months to 18 months and includes in-person interviews and a review of biographical and biometric information. The administration also has said it is focused on bringing in refugees who are in the most desperate situations, such as families with children and those in need of medical care. The vast majority of the 7,900 refugees taken in by the US in the current fiscal year are Sunni Muslims In the year prior to Obama's new target, the U.S. accepted about 1,680 Syrian refugees. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking with reporters during a visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, said the United States has developed 'sufficient methods' of screening would-be refugees. 'We are very comfortable that we are bringing people in who will be a great plus to our country.' Kerry said. Kerry said that 'not one event in the United States, of terror' has been committed by a refugee allowed to resettle in the U.S. But two Iraqi refugees were arrested in 2011 for plotting to send weapons and money to al-Qaida operatives fighting against U.S. troops back in Iraq. The scheme was foiled, but the case did leave jitters about whether extremists could slip in among the Syrian refugees. 'We believe ... the people who are fleeing Syria are the most harmed by terrorism. They are parents. They are children. They are orphans,' Kerry said. 'It is very important that we do not close our hearts to the victims of such violence.' Kerry also applauded Argentina's pledge to resettled 3,000 Syrian refugees in the South American country and said the United States is committed to working with the government there on security issues. Former modeling agent says he got Melania Trump's visa WASHINGTON (AP) Melania Trump's former modeling agent says she obtained a work visa before she modeled professionally in the United States in the mid-1990s. Those comments came Thursday in response to questions about Mrs. Trump's own remarks that appeared inconsistent with U.S. immigration rules. In an interview with The Associated Press, Paolo Zampolli offered the most detailed description yet of how the wife of the Republican presidential nominee came into the country. Donald Trump's presidential campaign repeatedly declined to clarify her comments. The campaign also declined to discuss Mrs. Trump's immigration history in detail or provide copies of any paperwork that would put the issue to rest. FILE - In this July 18, 2016 file photo, Melania Trump, wife of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump speaks during first day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Melania Trump's former modeling agent says the wife of the GOP presidential nominee obtained a work visa before she modelled professionally in the U.S. in the mid-1990s. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) Donald Trump has made illegal immigration a signature plank in his campaign platform, and his wife has often cited her path to U.S. citizenship in defense of his hard line, saying she came to the U.S. legally and other aspiring Americans should follow her example. Zampolli said that while he was a partner at modeling agency Metropolitan Models, he secured a work visa for Mrs. Trump, who in the mid-1990s was named Melania Knauss. "I know she was not working a paid job before she got the H-1B," Zampolli said, referring to the type of work visa that U.S. companies can obtain for "fashion models of distinguished merit and ability." H-1B visas generally allow a person to work and live in the U.S. for three years with the opportunity to renew the visas for another three years. Zampolli said he based the H-1B application on Mrs. Trump's previous modeling work in Paris and Milan. "We used whatever she did before to get her a visa," he said. "She had enough tear sheets to qualify." In interviews earlier this year with MSNBC and for a profile in Harper's Bazaar, Mrs. Trump's comments appeared to be inconsistent with holding a work visa. "I never thought to stay here without papers. I had a visa. I traveled every few months back to the country to Slovenia to stamp the visa," she said during the MSNBC interview. U.S. immigration law did not require such trips that Mrs. Trump describes for work-visa holders at the time. People who hold visitor visas would be required to leave the country on or before the end date of their authorized stay. U.S. law does not allow someone to use a visitor visa to regularly live and work in the country. Mrs. Trump published a statement on Twitter on Thursday, disputing that she violated immigration laws. "I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period. Any allegation to the contrary is simply untrue," she wrote. Mrs. Trump has said she came to the U.S. in 1996 on a visa, got her green card in 2001 and became a U.S. citizen in 2006, the year after she married Donald Trump. In her statement, Mrs. Trump did not specify which visa she held during the early part of her modeling career in New York. Zampolli said Thursday he believes Mrs. Trump was confused about her visa requirements, noting that she traveled to Slovenia to visit her family multiple times. Zampolli said he was not aware whether Mrs. Trump ever held a different visa. He said it was possible she came to the U.S. on a visitor visa to check out the modeling agency, a practice he said was common when foreign models were considering making the jump to New York. "They come to meet the client to see if they really should come to New York," he said, noting that the process often includes taking photos to build a portfolio to attract bigger-name modeling contracts. In her statement, Mrs. Trump did not address reports in Bloomberg News, Politico and The Washington Post speculating whether nude photos taken of her in New York in 1995 were evidence that she had worked illegally in the U.S. before securing the appropriate visa. U.S. law allows a person to use a visitor visa to conduct temporary business for a foreign company or explore a future career opportunities such as visiting modeling agencies or meeting with potential clients. Zampolli, who didn't book the shoot, said the photos, which appeared in the French magazine Max, were likely a "free shoot to build the book of the model. She needed to get her tear sheets." The AP left a phone message Thursday with the photographer who took the photos, but it was not immediately returned. The photographer, Jarl Ale de Basseville, told The Washington Post that Trump was not paid for the photo shoot. ___ Follow Associated Press writer Chad Day on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ChadSDay, Jeff Horwitz at https://twitter.com/JeffHorwitz, and Alicia A. Caldwell at https://twitter.com/acaldwellap The Latest: San Francisco gang leader gets life in prison SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The Latest on the sentencing of a San Francisco Chinatown gang leader (all times local): 12:40 p.m. A judge has sentenced a San Francisco Chinatown gang leader known as "Shrimp Boy" to life in prison for killing a rival. Raymond Chow was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer. His prosecution was part of a major organized crime investigation in San Francisco's Chinatown that also brought down a state senator. Prosecutors say Chow killed a rival in 2006 and took over a Chinese fraternal group that had members that engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering and the sale of stolen cigarettes and some top-shelf liquor. ___ 12:20 a.m. A one-time gang tough nicknamed "Shrimp Boy" who insisted he had changed his ways but was hounded by federal investigators is set to be sentenced to life in prison, following his conviction on racketeering, murder and scores of other charges. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer is scheduled to sentence Raymond Chow on Thursday. Chow's prosecution was part of a major organized crime investigation in San Francisco's Chinatown that also brought down a state senator. Small town New Hampshire post office celebrates 200 years HINSDALE, N.H. (AP) When the small town of Hinsdale's post office opened in 1816, it didn't need all the space in the two-story wooden building on Main Street. Through the years, it has shared space with telephone operators, a general store and even a barbershop. As the town grew bigger, the post office grew larger, eventually taking up the building's entire ground floor. And as the other businesses came and went, the post office stayed. Now, it's the nation's oldest post office to continuously operate in the same building. Hinsdale marked the 200th anniversary Tuesday with a celebration at the town hall. the oldest continuously operating post office in the U.S., the Hinsdale Post Office is seen Thursday Aug. 4, 2016 in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. The post office is celebrating it's 200th birthday. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) These days, the post office is a bright spot in a town where the paper mills, local movie theater and even the downtown gas station have closed. The building and its history give this town of 4,000 in this southwestern New Hampshire something to brag about. "People take pride in it. It's a great reminder of how things used to be," said Donna Suskawicz, who grew up in Hinsdale and moved back to town just last week. Much of the building's original character remains. The hundreds of brass mailboxes that line the front walls are originals from the 1800s, with letter combination locks. When it's humid, the wooden boxes get stuck and won't open, employee Brenda Martin said. Martin, a lifelong Hinsdale resident who has worked at this post office for 20 years, said she firmly told people not to polish the boxes' tarnished brass doors in preparation for the celebration. "They wanted to clean it all up so it looks shiny, and I said, 'No, you leave it the way it is, it's 200 years old,'" Martin explained with a laugh. In the early 1900s, Hinsdale's town hall burned down. The fire didn't spread next door, leaving the post office standing and cementing its place as one of the few original town monuments. It has managed to avoid destruction since, even withstanding two attempts by burglars to blow up the safe in the early 1900s, Postmaster Cindy Mason said. Like post offices nationwide, Hinsdale's is learning to adapt to a world where fewer letters are mailed. First class letter service is down, but package delivery is up, keeping the post office as busy as ever, Mason said. The office also still serves as a central gathering spot for townspeople, whether they're picking up mail or simply want to know what's going on. "We call this the information highway," Martin said. "People come in to ask what happens." Sean Leary, a former Hinsdale post office employee, said he often reflected on all the letters that have traveled through the building and all the workers who took them where they needed to go. "You have 200 years of this building being here doing what it's doing," he said. "It's very cool." Postmaster Cindy Mason poses behind the window at the oldest continuously operating post office in the U.S., the Hinsdale Post Office in Hinsdale, New Hampshire,Thursday Aug. 4, 2016. The post office is celebrating its 200th birthday. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Feds: Joint US-Mexico border inspections shorten wait times NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) Federal authorities say a program that allows U.S. and Mexico officers to jointly inspect commercial trucks heading north has drastically reduced border crossing wait times in Arizona. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske and his Mexican counterpart, Ricardo Trevino, said at a news conference on Thursday in Nogales, Arizona, that wait times for certain cargo shipments from Mexico into the U.S. dropped from three to four hours to just 25 minutes. The pilot program that began last week includes only trucks enrolled in a special anti-terrorism program that allows them to go through expedited inspections. The dual inspection program, which is currently in a 90-day pilot phase, allows Mexican customs officers who have been screened by U.S. authorities to work in the cargo inspection facility at the Nogales Port of Entry in Arizona. Mexican authorities already inspect outbound trucks before they get to the U.S., meaning the co-inspections were cut from two different searches to just one. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Rachel McCormick, left, and Mexican customs officer Alejandra Galindo demonstrate how they would jointly inspect a cargo truck carrying goods from Mexico into the U.S. while at the Mariposa Inspection Facility at the Nogales Port of Entry in Arizona. Officials say the new program allowing Mexican officials to work with their U.S. counterparts has already reduced wait times by more than 75 percent. (AP Photo/Astrid Galv'n) "The things we are talking about today are just very important to improve the speed of commerce," Kerlikowske said. "The unified cargo processing saves time, it saves trade stakeholders money, and that means that cargo, especially produce that is so subject to environmental concerns, moves more quickly." Trade with Mexico accounts for billions in profit in the United States. Arizona ports of entry alone facilitated $18.1 billion in imports from Mexico to the U.S. last year, according a report by the Economic and Business Research Center at the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management. "The key thing to keep in mind is that both import and exports through our ports of entry can improve the state's economy," the program's director, George Hammond, said. "Mexico is a key trade partner with us." A similar operation in Southern California and Laredo, Texas, allows U.S. agents to inspect cargo vehicles from the Mexican side of the border. Kerlikowske said that although it's been in effect in Arizona for only a week, it's clear the program is already working. CBP has dedicated a special lane for the companies whose trucks qualify for faster inspections. Officers from the U.S. and Mexico side work side by side to inspect shipments, making sure they are what they're supposed to be and free of any illegal or dangerous items. Guillermo Valencia, the chairman of The Greater Nogales and Santa Cruz County Port Authority, said his organization lobbied CBP to implement the program in Arizona and that it has already reduced wait times. "I think that the program is gonna work so well that we're gonna be pressed to expand it. I really think it's a novel idea," Valencia said. "It shows how most governments can work together and collaborate on improving the efficiency of the importing." The port authority in the past has criticized CBP over low staffing at Nogales ports, especially in the inspection facility. The agency has struggled to attract new officers for its Office of Field Operations since announcing nearly two years ago that it had been allocated 170 new positions in Arizona. Kerlikowski said Thursday that several officers from the north and southeast regions of the country have been temporary assigned to Arizona. "We're not about to lower our standards. Our hiring standards are very high," he said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Rachel McCormick, left, and Mexican customs officer Alejandra Galindo demonstrate how they would jointly inspect a cargo truck carrying goods from Mexico into the U.S. while at the Mariposa Inspection Facility at the Nogales Port of Entry in Arizona. Officials say the new program allowing Mexican officials to work with their U.S. counterparts has already reduced wait times by more than 75 percent. (AP Photo/Astrid Galv'n) Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier The board earmarked $1.54 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the dredge, designed to keep channels open and supply sand to nourish eroding beaches up and down the York County coast and beyond. Mothers of Plaza de Mayo head ordered arrested in Argentina BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) Hundreds of supporters prevented Argentine police on Thursday from executing an arrest warrant against the 87-year-old president of the human rights groups Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in a highly politicized corruption case. Hebe de Bonafini had refused to submit to questioning about the alleged embezzlement of public funds meant for a low-income housing project registered in her group's name. The crowd that kept police at bay outside the offices of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo included backers of former leftist President Cristina Fernandez, with whom De Bonafini is closely associated. Hebe de Bonafini, president of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo human rights group, flashes a vee as she leaves the historic square after taking part in the traditional weekly march in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Federal Judge Marcelo Martinez di Giorgia has ordered the detention of Bonafini who is accused of diverting funds in the government funded project, "Shared Dreams, that builds homes for those in need. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz) A judge issued the warrant for her arrest Thursday after the activist missed two citations for questioning. A magistrate has been investigating since 2011 the diversion of $14 million in funds from the housing project. Investigators say some of the funds were diverted to companies unrelated to the housing project. But De Bonafini says the investigation is politically motivated and the group's two legal representatives are to blame. De Bonafini is the mother of two children who were disappeared during Argentina's 1976-83 dictatorship. Her group gained fame standing up to military dictators in the late 1970s, demanding to know their children's fate. In recent years, the group became close to Fernandez's leftist government. She and various members of Fernandez's 2007-2015 government accuse current President Mauricio Macri of being behind the decision by investigating magistrate Marcelo Martinez de Giorgi to order her arrest. The magistrate has also cited for questioning the Mothers' two legal representatives, Sergio and Pablo Schoklender, three former governors, a provincial boss and Julio de Vido, a former planning minister. De Vido was one of the most powerful members of the Cabinet of Fernandez. ___ This story has been corrected to say that Bonafini has been ordered arrested, but is not yet in custody. Supporters of Hebe de Bonafini, President of Mothers of Plaza de Mayo human rights group, march around the Plaza de Mayo chanting slogans against Argentine President Mauricio Marci and in support of Bonafini in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. The demonstrators surrounded Bonafini to stop the police from detaining her after a judge ordered her arrest for refusing to show up for questioning into the alleged embezzlement of public funds meant for a low-income housing project. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz) Clinton wooing a new group of voters: Republicans LAS VEGAS (AP) Hoping to capitalize on the criticism battering Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has begun portraying support for her candidacy as a patriotic duty of voters. She's broadening her message and appealing directly to Republicans to keep him out of the White House. It's a twist for a Democratic presidential candidate who has some of the highest unpopularity ratings in history. But aides believe Trump's controversial campaign and the chaos it's caused within the Republican Party offers a unique opportunity. In Ohio recently, Clinton urged Republicans "to pick country over party." She told several thousand at a union hall in Las Vegas on Thursday, "I want to be the president for all Americans. Democrats, Republicans independents. We're going to pull America together again." Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets members of the audience after speaking at a rally at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 357 Hall, in Las Vegas, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Clinton had always planned to speak to a broader audience during the general election campaign, a standard move for presidential candidates after their party conventions. But the state of Trump's campaign and his decision to stick with his inflammatory primary message has prompted her to intensify her focus across party lines. Democrats, including President Barack Obama, have begun arguing that Trump poses a unique danger to democracy. That's an argument they did not make against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or Arizona Sen. John McCain, the past two GOP presidential nominees. As she's campaigned across the country this week, Clinton has framed the election as a choice between economic growth and "demagoguery" and "insults." And she's making a point of acknowledging the deep economic anxiety that helped fuel Trump's rise in the primary polls. "I know people are angry and frustrated," she said in a speech on a factory floor in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. "I'm not going into this with some kind of rose colored glasses." A small team is working on Republican outreach at Clinton's campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, largely focused on fielding calls from Republicans interested in giving money and helping with fundraising. A more formal effort will launch soon, focusing on wooing uneasy GOP voters at the national and state level. This week, Clinton picked up the backing of Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO and Republican fundraiser Meg Whitman and New York Rep. Richard Hanna, the first Republican House member to back her. Clinton herself reached out to Whitman, her campaign said, and campaign chairman John Podesta is also involved in GOP outreach. Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, a Republican, said she was not ready to back Clinton, but said she would not be supporting Trump. She said: "I knew him when I was governor. What's going on is who he is. He is not going to change behavior." Republicans doubt the effort will gain traction. Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, noted Clinton's high negatives, saying said he didn't think she had "a prayer with Republicans." But some longtime GOP voters appear persuadable, such as Don Campbell, executive director of the National Electrical Contractors Association, and a Republican who's backing Clinton. "I've never seen anything like this in my life," said Campbell, who met Clinton when she toured a Las Vegas electric company Thursday. "It's because of what comes out of his mouth and there are a lot of people who are making the same decision." Clinton's campaign doesn't anticipate a mass movement of what they call "common sense Republican" voters or elected officials to her candidacy, according to a pair of aides. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to publicly discuss campaign strategy. Rather, the target is moderates, particularly women, in the crucial swing counties surrounding cities such as Richmond, Virginia, Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia. Jennifer Pierotti Lim, who heads a group called Republican Women for Hillary, said they have heard from nearly 100 women since the party conventions concluded. "I think Trump doubling down on these things gives people an extra push to come forward," she said. The campaign feels bullish about its standing in the more diverse battleground states including Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada and Virginia, the aides said. They believe the outreach also could help in whiter, Rust Belt states where the race appears close. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid predicted that Clinton would have opportunities to pick up support in some traditionally Republican states, including Arizona, Georgia and possibly Utah. Clinton's campaign and her allies have paused some of their advertising in Virginia and Colorado, a sign of confidence in those key battleground states. The outreach effort is not limited to her campaign: Allies at Priorities USA, a super PAC supporting her bid, have begun airing an ad in swing states featuring footage of Romney and other Republicans expressing their concerns about Trump's experience and temperament. Trump is making no such effort to woo Democrats. The centerpieces of his performance at his rallies have largely remained identical to that of early this year, with little outreach to undecided voters or independents. Republican strategists say Trump's devotion to his message and penchant for controversy have affected his campaign's ability to effectively attack Clinton. ___ Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report from Ashburn, Virginia. ___ Follow Lisa Lerer and Catherine Lucey on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/llerer and http://twitter.com/catherine_lucey Big wildfires threaten communities across the Western US Officials say more than two dozen large wildfires are burning in the West on Thursday. Hot, windy weather and hard-to-access terrain have made conditions difficult for firefighters as the blazes destroy homes and force evacuations. Here's a look at some of the fires: ___ CALIFORNIA A wildfire climbs down a ridge on the India Division west of Cachagua in east Carmel Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. As officials ask for the public's help in finding the people who started an illegal campfire that grew into a massive wildfire north of Big Sur, authorities are considering what penalties the campers could face once they are found. (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP) A stubborn wildfire north of Big Sur near California's Central Coast has grown after burning for nearly two weeks in steep, forested ridges. It has scorched more than 79 square miles and is just partially contained. A total of 57 homes have been destroyed and another 2,000 structures are at risk. No arrests have been made since investigators determined that an unattended campfire started the blaze July 22. To the north, officials said Thursday that a grass fire in a popular recreational area north of San Francisco has charred more than 7 square miles in Napa, Yolo and Solano counties since igniting Tuesday. It prompted the evacuation of an RV and tent campground off a highway. ___ IDAHO Firefighters have set up sprinkler systems on homes in a central Idaho town to stop a 78-square-mile wildfire from coming down a creek drainage that funnels into the small community. After the wind switched direction, officials set smaller fires to eradicate fuel for the bigger flames and protect the town of Lowman about 2 miles away. Nearly 1,500 firefighters are battling the blaze burning timber in rugged terrain. No evacuations have been ordered, but the sheriff has told residents to be alert. The fire has destroyed a $60,000 state-operated backcountry yurt, a round, tent-like structure with a dome roof and plastic skin. Officials estimate the fire won't be contained until mid-September. ___ MONTANA Cooler weather helped firefighters in western Montana gain some ground on a blaze that has destroyed 14 homes and dozens of smaller buildings. Officials say the 12-square-mile fire in the Bitterroot National Forest is partially contained, but they don't expect to have it fully under control until the end of the month. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity helped firefighters make progress. However, hotter and drier weather with the possibility of thunderstorms is expected beginning Friday and through the weekend. Residents of more than 600 homes remain evacuated, with an additional 200 on alert. ___ NEVADA Fire officials say they have contained most of two northern Nevada wildfires burning in canyons and rangeland near a lakeside town once under threat. The fires have charred more than 93 square miles of scrub brush in the Virginia Mountains, about 40 miles north of Reno. It's nearly 70 percent contained. Farther north, firefighters have almost controlled a 10-square-mile fire in a wilderness study area near where the Burning Man counterculture festival is held. A break in windy weather helped crews. Neither fire threatened buildings. ___ WYOMING A new wildfire blew up in northwest Wyoming, destroying some buildings and forcing evacuations in a mostly rural area. The blaze has burned 15 square miles of federal, state and private land about 15 miles west of Cody since igniting Tuesday. Fire officials say some structures have been lost, but they are still working to determine how many and what type. Seasonal and permanent residences, several guest ranches and working ranches have been evacuated. Firefighters who deal with the most serious and complex fires have been mobilized to attack the fire. In western Wyoming, firefighters are trying to gain better control of several other large wildfires. Santa Barbara County Firefighters hold a wildfire from crossing a fire break on the India Division near Cachagua in east Carmel Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. As officials ask for the public's help in finding the people who started an illegal campfire that grew into a massive wildfire north of Big Sur, authorities are considering what penalties the campers could face once they are found. Monterey County Sheriff's spokesman Cmdr. John Thornburg said those responsible could face criminal charges in the death of Robert Reagan of Fresno County. (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP) A Santa Barbara County firefighter lights a bush on fire with a flare while holding a wildfire from crossing a fire break on the India Division near Cachagua in east Carmel Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP) In this photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, Cal Fire captain Gino DeGraffenreid monitors a firing operation with his crew of firefighters west of Cachagua, Calif. A wildfire north of Big Sur near California's Central Coast has grown again overnight after burning for nearly two weeks. The fire has scorched more than 79 square miles and is less than 30 percent contained. It has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening another 2,000 structures. (Vern Fisher/Monterey Herald via AP) In this photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, helicopters work the Soberanes Fire west of Cachagua, Calif. A wildfire north of Big Sur near California's Central Coast has grown again overnight after burning for nearly two weeks. The fire has scorched more than 79 square miles and is less than 30 percent contained. It has destroyed 57 homes and is threatening another 2,000 structures. (Vern Fisher/Monterey Herald via AP) Attorneys argue for listing bearded seals as threatened ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Bearded seals, the largest of the Arctic seals, deserve to be listed as a threatened species because of continuing loss of their sea ice habitat, a federal government attorney told a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday. Robert Stockman of the National Marine Fisheries Service urged judges to reverse a lower court ruling that said the agency improperly listed bearded seals in December 2012. The agency's best projection is that ice critical to bearded seals will disappear or be greatly reduced by the end of the century in the Bering Sea, where 70 percent of bearded seals thrive. Ice loss already is outpacing models, he said. This Sept. 5, 2006, photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a bearded seal in Kotzebue, Alaska. An attorney for the National Marine Fisheries Service on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, in Anchorage, Alaska, urged the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court ruling that said bearded seals do not merit a listing as a threatened species. (Michael Cameron/NOAA Fisheries Service via AP) "The minimum ice years will start being harmful soon," he said. Attorneys for the North Slope Borough, the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and others who sued to reverse the listing said the federal agency has not demonstrated that Bering Sea ice losses will harm bearded seals, which have thrived for centuries and survived other warming periods. "Here all we have is information on sea ice loss," said attorney Tyson Kade. Bearded seals get their name from short snouts covered with thick, long, white whiskers, according to the agency. They grow as large as 8 feet, weigh between 575 and 800 pounds and can live to 25 years or more. They eat Arctic cod and shrimp but also dive for crab and clams, usually in depths less than 325 feet, according to the agency. They give birth and rear pups on drifting pack ice. When females give birth, they need ice to last long enough in spring and early summer to successfully reproduce and molt. U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline in 2014 ruled the threatened species listing was improper. It did not appear, he wrote, that any serious threat of a population reduction, let alone extinction, existed before 2100. The listing itself conceded that through the middle of the century, there would be enough sea ice to sustain Bering Sea bearded seals at or near current levels, Beistline said. Judges on Thursday closely questioned how far out an agency could project harm before it declared a species threatened or endangered. Kristen Monsell of the Center for Biological Diversity, which sought the listing, said agencies must act to protect future generations of a species, not just the current population, and take measures with enough time to do so. But Jeffrey Leppo, representing the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, said NMFS has not documented harm to bearded seals despite well-documented sea ice loss that already has occurred. He dismissed the idea that bearded seals will face harmful competition if they migrate north of the Bering Strait into other areas with ice. "If this was a small area, that would be a fair point," he said. "The area is a very, very large area." This Sept. 5, 2006, photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a tagged bearded seal in Kotzebue, Alaska. An attorney for the National Marine Fisheries Service on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, in Anchorage, Alaska, urged the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court ruling that said bearded seals do not merit a listing as a threatened species. (Michael Cameron/NOAA Fisheries Service via AP) Obama questions Russian commitment to peace in Syria WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama said Thursday he does not trust Russia to cooperate militarily with the United States on ending or slowing the civil war in Syria but that the proposition must be tested to try to bring an end to the conflict. At a Pentagon news conference, Obama also criticized Russia for its continuing support of Syrian government attacks against opposition forces and its sieges of populated areas like Aleppo. He said Russian actions raise "very serious questions" about Moscow's commitment to pulling the situation "back from the brink." His administration is exploring expanded military cooperation with Russia in Syria that could include intelligence sharing, a proposal that some American defense officials have publicly expressed deep concern about. Skeptics fear the Russians will take advantage of U.S. intelligence sharing to further support the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who Obama has said has lost legitimacy to lead. President Barack Obama walks from the podium after a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Asked why he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate, Obama replied: "I am not confident that we can trust the Russians and Vladimir Putin, which is why we have to test" them. He said Russia must show it is willing to work to reduce the violence and focus the fight on the Islamic State group and other extremists. He accused Russia of failing to take the necessary steps to do that, adding that deteriorating conditions make it imperative for Russia to show it is serious now. The Latest: Obama says commutations help cut poverty cycle WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on President Barack Obama's news conference at the Pentagon Thursday (all times EDT): 6 p.m. President Barack Obama says he shortened the sentences of more than 200 federal inmates this week to help cut the cycle of poverty and put families back together. President Barack Obama speaks at a news conference after attending a National Security Council Meeting on efforts to counter the Islamic State, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Almost all the 214 prisoners were serving time for nonviolent crimes related to drugs. Obama says "the extraordinary rate of incarcerations of nonviolent offenders has created its own set of problems." He says communities have been ravaged, leaving kids without parents and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. His push to lessen the burden on nonviolent drug offenders reflects his long-stated view that the U.S. needs to remedy the consequences of decades of onerous sentencing requirements that put tens of thousands behind bars for too long. Some of the inmates had firearms violations, but Obama says the administration tried to screen out violent inmates. __ 5:20 p.m. President Barack Obama says Islamic State militants will probably continue to be a threat to the U.S. even after the group is ousted from key strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Obama says the group may continue to inspire people to carry out lone wolf-type attacks on subways or parades to sow fear and elevate its profile. He says the U.S. and its NATO allies must not succumb to fear and should "keep on grinding away" against the group. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, last month that killed more than 80 people. It was also tied to the Orlando nightclub shootings that killed 49. Obama was speaking to reporters after meeting with his national security team at the Pentagon. __ 5:15 p.m. President Barack Obama says the U.S. does not pay ransom for hostages. Obama says a $1.7 billion claim settlement he approved with Iran wasn't a secret when it was finalized in January. He says, "This wasn't some nefarious deal." Obama was responding to the revelation, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, that $400 million of the settlement was delivered by plane to Iran in cash. The payment occurred around the time Iran released four American prisoners. Obama says the timing of the deal was dictated by the assessment of American lawyers, who said waiting could end up costing American taxpayers billions of dollars. He says the payment was cash because the U.S. has no banking relationship with Iran. __ 5:10 p.m. President Barack Obama is criticizing Russia for its continuing support of Syrian government attacks against opposition forces and its sieges of populated areas like Aleppo. Obama says the Russian actions raise "very serious questions" about Moscow's commitment to pulling the situation "back from the brink." Obama told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that the U.S. will continue to try to cooperate with Russia to reduce the violence and focus the fight on the Islamic State group and other extremists. The Latest: Service held for slain San Diego officer BONITA, Calif. (AP) The Latest on funeral services for a slain San Diego police Officer Jonathan De Guzman (all times local): 1 p.m. More than 1,000 mourners packed a Catholic church near San Diego to pay respects to a police officer who was fatally shot during a traffic stop. FILE - This undated file photo provided by the San Diego Police Department shows San Diego Police officer Jonathan De Guzman who was killed in a shooting Thursday, July 28, 2016. De Guzman, a 16-year veteran, is survived by a wife and two young children. The first of two memorial services will be held Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, for De Guzman who was fatally shot during a traffic stop. De Guzman was shot five times at close range while in the driver's seat of his patrol car. His partner, 32-year-old Wade Irwin, was shot in the throat but is expected to recover. (San Diego Police Department via AP, File) Police officers from as far away as New York City, Chicago, Fort Worth, Texas, and Aurora, Colorado, attended the 90-minute Mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bonita, where the slain officer, 43-year-old Jonathan De Guzman, worshipped with his family. San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman delivered the eulogy to the standing-room only crowd. The Rev. Efrain Bautista told reporters that the De Guzman family is very spiritual and participated in all the Catholic rituals during the service, which was closed to news media. A larger memorial service is planned Friday in suburban El Cajon. -- 1 a.m. The first of two memorial services will be held Thursday for a San Diego police officer who was fatally shot during a traffic stop. Jonathan De Guzman was shot five times at close range while in the driver's seat of his patrol car July 28. His partner, 32-year-old Wade Irwin, was shot in the throat but is expected to recover. The first memorial service for the 43-year-old De Guzman will be held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in the southeast San Diego suburb of Bonita, also the site of viewings on Tuesday and Wednesday. The second service for the husband and father of two will be Friday at Shadow Mountain Community Church in the eastern suburb of El Cajon, and will be followed by a burial. Both services are open to the public. Appeals court rejects request to postpone voter ID decision RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) An appeals court has quickly decided it won't delay enforcement of its ruling striking down North Carolina's photo identification requirement and other election restrictions, including reducing early in-person voting by seven days. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the stay Thursday, one day after state leaders' attorneys requested that last week's ruling be set aside as they prepare to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case. A 4th Circuit panel had determined a 2013 law Republicans approved amounted to intentional discrimination of black voters. Thursday's order says the harm to disenfranchised voters outweighs granting a delay. Last week's injunction means no voter ID mandate and 17 days of early voting with same-day registration. Judge: NY Times reporter who did jail interview must testify NEW YORK (AP) A state judge has ruled that a New York Times reporter who conducted a jailhouse interview with an accused murderer must testify at trial. Judge Bonnie Wittner says in a Thursday decision that reporter Frances Robles' testimony could be critical in the prosecution of Conrado Juarez. The 55-year-old Juarez was arrested in 2013 and charged in the death of a girl called Baby Hope by detectives who discovered her body in 1991. Prosecutors have said Juarez confessed to smothering the girl, identified later as Anjelica Castillo. His lawyer has argued the confession was coerced. Four days after his arrest, Robles interviewed him. Robles reported that Juarez said he helped disposed of the girl's body but denied killing her. Robles' lawyer tells the newspaper (http://nyti.ms/2aMacZ7 ) she will appeal the ruling. ___ Documents: Officer told woman to drop scissors before firing Documents stemming from an investigation into the shooting death of a Native American woman by an Arizona police officer describe a chaotic scene in which witnesses say the officer repeatedly told the woman to drop the scissors in her hand before he opened fire. Officer Austin Shipley was nearly three hours into his shift on March 27, and operating on about four hours of sleep after working the night before when he responded to a report of shoplifting at a Circle K in Winslow, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety's full investigative report. In the report released Wednesday, Officer Ernest Cano told investigators he arrived on the scene and saw Shipley "fighting and struggling" with the 27-year-old suspect, Loreal Tsingine, before taking her to the ground. Police video of the encounter shows Tsingine getting up, and then approaching Shipley with scissors in her hand, pointed downward, before she is shot. "I went to grab her and try to put her hands behind her back; she started pulling away from me," Shipley told the other officer in a conversation an investigation indicates was captured on police video. "I tried to pull her to the ground, she fell to the ground. That's when she came up with those scissors right there, so I tried just to push her, shove her away, when you rolled up." The shooting has prompted protests by Native American activists who question Shipley's use of force in the encounter. The case has also led the U.S. Justice Department to open a review of the state's investigation amid complaints from tribal officials over the treatment of Native Americans in towns such as Winslow that border their reservation. The outcry over the small-town shooting comes as activists in major U.S. cities protest fatal police shootings of black men. Earlier this month, a county attorney cleared Shipley in the shooting, saying a review of the documents determined he felt his life and that of Cano's were threatened. A Mesa Police Department internal affairs investigation is pending as he remains on paid administrative leave. Documents previously released by Winslow officials show that two officers who trained Shipley had serious concerns about his work and that one of them recommended he should not serve the city as an officer. Tsingine's relatives have filed a $10.5 million notice of claim against the city, saying Shipley violated Tsingine's civil rights and that Winslow was negligent in "hiring, training, retaining, controlling and supervising" Shipley. Records show Tsingine had a lengthy arrest history, including an incident last year when she was accused of trying to grab an officer's gun as he tried to arrest her. On the day she was killed, Tsingine had been to the Circle K store five times, said a store manager who complained to authorities that Tsingine had taken beer on one visit, and thrown cash at the register as she took a lighter. During her last visit, she attempted to take several packs of cigarettes, and walked out of the store with a hot dog, prompting the manager to call police, the manager said. Ryanle Benally, who was at the cash register when Tsingine walked out with the hot dog, followed her from the store as a police vehicle approached, saying he wanted another person who was with him and whose name is redacted in investigative documents to see what happens "when you steal." After Shipley got out of his vehicle, Benally said he saw him grab Tsingine by the wrist, maneuver her to the ground and yell "stop resisting." The officer backed away as Tsingine approached him, and then he fired five times, Benally said. In another witness account, a woman who lived nearby said Tsingine charged Shipley like "a linebacker," despite her petite frame. Autopsy results released with the Arizona Department of Public Safety's report showed Tsingine stood just 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds. Shipley didn't use a stun gun because he felt Tsingine was too close to him to use it and it was not the right level of force for the situation, he said. An unarmed black therapist is suing the Florida police officer who shot him in the leg while he tried to protect his autistic client. Charles Kinsey filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday against North Miami Police Officer Jonathan Aledda, accusing him and other officers of using excessive force and false arrest, The Miami Herald reported. The 47-year-old married father of five claims Aledda did not help stop the bleeding following the shooting, even after recognizing no weapon was at the scene. Kinsey is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial. Scroll down for video Black unarmed therapist Charles Kinsey (left) is suing the North Miami Officer Jonathan Aledda (right) who shot him while he tried to protect his severely autistic client on July 18 Cellphone video of the incident shows Kinsey lying on his back next to his client Arnaldo Rios with his hands up, screaming at officers that Rios is autistic and the metal object in his hands is a toy truck Aledda shot Kinsey in the leg on July 18 as he lay in the street next to his 27-year-old client, Arnaldo Rios. Rios had walked away from the group home where he lives, and Kinsey was trying to coax him back when a woman called 911 saying a suicidal man was walking down the street with a gun. Rios was actually carrying his toy truck and a cellphone video captured events leading up to the shooting. The lawsuit alleges that officers arrived at the scene and immediately grabbed assault weapons from their patrol cars before approaching in a 'military-style formation.' Kinsey said he was told to get down on the ground and obeyed the officers' instructions, according to the complaint filed by his attorney, Hilton Napoleon. After police fired three shots, they moved in and cuffed Kinsey, despite saying they were not trying to shoot him. Police said Aledda was firing at Rios, thinking the truck was a gun and he was about to shoot Kinsey He said he also tried to explain the circumstances surrounding the situation, saying Rios had a toy truck and not a weapon. The complaint says that all officers, including Aledda, were in close enough proximity to hear Kinsey's statements. It alleges one officer even announced over police radio, 'It's a toy truck, he's saying it's a toy truck.' The 911 call from the woman who reported that a suicidal man was walking down the street was released last Thursday, and at one point in the call she indicates the object might not be gun. 'There is a guy in the middle of the road and he appears to have a gun,' she told the operator. 'He has it to his head and there is a guy trying to talk him out of it.' After giving the operator the location and a description of the pair, she slightly backs off her description of the gun. The shooting is under investigation by state officials and 30-year-old Aledda (center), remains on paid leave Kinsey pictured walking with a cane last week. The healthcare professional had a joyful reunion with Rios during a private meeting at the hospital where Rios is in the psychiatric ward 'The Spanish guy looks like a mentally ill person. I don't know if it is a gun but something that seemed like the shape of a gun. So just be careful. He is sitting in the middle in the road,' she said. Police said her description is why officers pointed rifles at the pair. Cellphone video of the ordeal shows Kinsey lying on his back next to Rios with his hands up, screaming at officers that Rios is autistic and that the metal object in his hands was a toy truck. After the video ended, Aledda fired three shots. Two missed but one struck Kinsey just above his left knee, went through his thigh and exited near his waist. Kinsey's attorney said after the shooting officers handcuffed Kinsey and left him lying in the street on his stomach for 20 minutes without rendering first aid. The attorney also said Kinsey spoke to the officer who shot him and asked why he was shot. He said the officer said 'I don't know.' Aledda, who is Hispanic, has been placed on paid leave while the shooting is investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local prosecutors. His union said at the time he was firing at Rios, thinking the truck was a gun and he was about to shoot Kinsey. Rios remains at Aventura Hospital (pictured) because of emotional trauma following the shooting Police Cmdr. Emile Hollant is suspended without pay for allegedly fabricating information about the shooting. Rios remains in the psychiatric ward at Aventura Hospital because of emotional trauma following the incident. Last week, Kinsey and Rios had a joyful reunion at the hospital. It was their first time seeing each other since the shooting. Rise in anti-Semitic hate incidents as 557 cases reported from January to June Anti-Semitic hate incidents jumped in the first half of this year as the Jewish community was targeted three times every day, figures have revealed. The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which monitors anti-Semitism, recorded 557 hate incidents in the UK between the start of January and the end of June. This was an 11% increase compared to the same period last year, and the second-highest total for the first six months of a year since the organisation began compiling the data in 1984. Home Secretary Amber Rudd launched a hate crime action plan last month The tally included 41 violent assaults - a 13% fall compared to the first half of last year - with none classified as involving extreme violence. There were 32 incidents of damage and desecration of Jewish property, while 431 were in the abusive behaviour category. This included verbal abuse, anti-Semitic graffiti, abuse via social media and one-off cases of hate mail. The CST also recorded 43 direct threats, and 10 cases of mass-mailed leaflets or emails. Social media has become an "essential tool" for those who wish to harass, abuse and threaten Jewish public figures, the charity's report warned. It recorded 133 anti-Semitic incidents that took place on social media in the first six months of 2016 - making up just under a quarter of the total. Most of the overall increase during the first half of this year came in April, May and June, when the CST logged 99, 125 and 112 incidents respectively. The numbers recorded in May and June were the fourth and sixth highest monthly tallies the charity has recorded. There was no "obvious single cause" for the high monthly totals, the report said. The CST did not record a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents immediately after the EU referendum. Rises were reported for other forms of hate crime in the wake of the poll. April, May and June "did see sustained public debate about anti-Semitism, particularly in relation to the Labour Party, and about racism and extremism more generally", the report added. CST chief executive David Delew said: "This rise in reported anti-Semitism comes at a time when division, intolerance and prejudice appear to be deepening within our society. "Reversing this worrying trend requires real leadership from all political parties, and for the social media companies to take their share of the responsibility." Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who last month launched a hate crime action plan, said: " I condemn the deplorable rise in anti-Semitic hate incidents in the first half of this year and will continue to work with law enforcement partners and with the Jewish community to ensure their safety and security." More than three-quarters of the incidents were recorded in Greater London and Greater Manchester. However, the 62 that took place in Greater Manchester was a 54% drop compared to the first half of last year. Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham said: "There are worrying increases in incidents of anti-Semitic behaviour as many forms of hate crime rise across the country too. However, while we can't be complacent, I welcome the fall in reports in the Greater Manchester area." London stab victim 'was hours away from returning home to US' The American woman stabbed to death in London was the wife of a university professor from Florida who was just hours away from flying home. Darlene Horton was visiting the capital with husband Richard Wagner, who was teaching summer classes, when she was attacked in Russell Square at around 10.30pm on Wednesday. Florida State University said the couple had planned to return to their home in Tallahassee on Thursday. A body is driven away in a private ambulance from the scene in Russell Square The 64-year-old died at the scene and five other people were injured during the attack, suffering stab wounds. A 19-year-old man, a Norwegian national of Somali origin who moved to the UK in 2002, remains in police custody. Sky News named him as Zakaria Bulhan from south London. Florida State University (FSU) president John Thrasher said: "There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy. "We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family and we will do all we can to assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the psychology department, as they mourn." Florida Governor Rick Scott tweeted: "Extremely saddened to hear about the loss of Darlene Horton in London. Ann and I are praying for her family and loved ones." Scotland Yard said no evidence has been found of radicalisation or anything to suggest the attack was "in any way motivated by terrorism". Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "Whilst the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental-health issues. "At this time, we believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random." Mr Rowley, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, said armed officers arrived within six minutes of the call, adding: "The man was Tasered and he was detained." No shots were fired. A British man who suffered a stab wound to his stomach in the attack remains in hospital in a "serious but stable" condition while an American man, an Australian man and woman, and an Israeli woman were all discharged from hospital on Thursday after receiving treatment for their injuries. Witnesses described chaotic scenes in the wake of the attack. A cyclist who was passing the scene moments after the stabbing told how he was flagged down for help by a Spanish family. Fernando, 40, from Brazil, had not seen the attacker but said the family told police the man was wearing black shorts and a white shirt, and was covering his face as he made sweeping, stabbing motions. He went on: "The moment the police arrived, they asked them if the man had been shouting. They said that he didn't say anything. They said that when he stabbed the people he didn't shout or scream anything." Jodie Parry, who was in her hotel room when she heard a "commotion" in the street, told the BBC that the attacker ignored police as they screamed at him to stop running. She added: "He was actually carrying a knife in his hand and he had blood on his hands." Pol O'Geibheannigh, 45, was walking back from the cinema when he saw a massive police presence and a woman lying in a pool of blood. He said: "That level of police presence I haven't seen since 7/7 and I was here - I live around the corner." Matthew Barzun, US ambassador to the UK, tweeted his condolences following the attack. "Heartbreaking news that a U.S. citizen was killed in #RussellSquare attack. My prayers are with all the victims and their loved ones," he wrote. The attack took place in a popular tourist spot near the British Museum in Bloomsbury, and around a mile to the north of the bustling area around the Strand, where several theatres and scores of restaurants are located. It came hours after Scotland Yard announced more armed officers would be deployed on public patrol around the capital after a spate of attacks in mainland Europe. Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe vowed to protect London, adding: "A normal night-out in our busy capital has ended in horrific circumstances." London mayor Sadiq Khan called for the public to remain "calm and vigilant". Police activity in Russell Square Police activity in Russell Square after the knife attack (@hyperlinkhelen/PA) Russell Square was cordoned off (@hyperlinkhelen/PA) Police activity in Russell Square after the knife attack (@hyperlinkhelen/PA) Police forensic officers at work Police forensic officers in Russell Square Police forensic officers erect a screen A body is removed from the scene The police cordon at Russell Square The investigation continued throughout the night A police officer places flowers in Russell Square Evidence is carried away from the scene A police officer stands guard near a forensics tent Oscar scores twice as Chelsea end US tour with a win Chelsea closed their tour of the United States with a 3-1 win over AC Milan in Minneapolis. Bertrand Traore opened the scoring for Antonio Conte's men, while Oscar's double sealed the victory after Giacomo Bonaventura had drawn Milan level. Traore stooped a low header in to give the Premier League side the lead early on but Bonaventura curled in a superb free-kick to equalise shortly before the break. Oscar bagged a double for Chelsea After N'Gole Kante came on for his first Blues appearance in the second half, Chelsea began to take control and Oscar's penalty restored their lead. His second three minutes from time sealed the victory when he found the bottom corner. Call for man held in Bangladesh in terror attack probe to be freed without delay A man arrested for alleged involvement in a siege carried out by radical Islamists in Bangladesh should be released immediately, his lawyer said. Hasnat Karim, 47 - a dual British-Bangladeshi citizen - was celebrating his daughter's 13th birthday with his family when the restaurant they were in became the target of a terrorist attack. Twenty people, mostly foreigners, were killed when gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka on July 1. British national Hasnat Karim, centre left, and University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan, centre right, are taken to court in Dhaka, Bangladesh (AP) Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages. Mr Karim had not been heard from since the attack, and his family say he is innocent and is being held without charge. Rodney Dixon QC, the family lawyer, said: "The authorities have finally admitted that Mr Karim is in their custody. They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries. "There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be let go without any further delay. "He has been arrested under article 54 of the CPC that allows remand without charge. He is not a suspect and has not been charged. We therefore fully expect that he will be promptly released." Mr Karim was previously a part-time lecturer at North South University in Dhaka and is now a businessman, according to Amnesty International. University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan was arrested in a different area of Dhaka over similar allegations. An Amnesty International spokesman said: "While it is a positive step that Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Khan have been produced in court and formally arrested, the Bangladeshi authorities must now ensure that their rights in detention are being met, including access to a lawyer of their choosing, their families and any medical attention they may require. "We call on the Bangladeshi authorities to charge them promptly with a recognisable crime, in line with international law and standards, or else release them. "There must be justice for the victims of the horrific attack in Dhaka, but Bangladesh must ensure that human rights are now not sacrificed in the name of national security." A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with local authorities following the arrest of a Bangladeshi-British citizen in Dhaka on August 3." Irish male boxer provisionally suspended after failing drugs test An Irish male boxer has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance on the eve of the Rio Olympic Games, the Irish Athletic Boxing Association has confirmed. The boxer, who has been widely named in media reports, failed a test that was not carried out at the Games, and has the option of having a 'B' sample tested. In a statement, the IABA said: " The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has been notified by Sport Ireland today of an alleged violation of the Irish Anti-doping Rules committed by one of the boxers in our High Performance Unit. An Irish boxer has reportedly failed a drugs test. "In following the strict procedures applying to an adverse analytical finding, the athlete in question has been informed and is provisionally suspended. "The boxer can request to have a 'B' sample tested but cannot participate in any competition or activity prior to the completion of an investigation under Article 8 of the Irish Anti-doping Rules. "The Irish Athletic Boxing Association has always maintained a zero tolerance approach to doping and Irish Boxing has been one of the most widely tested sports by the National Anti-Doping Programme over the last number of years. "IABA's policy is that doping is contrary to the spirit of sport and every member of the association has a duty to ensure that the sport is free of doping. We ensure our boxers are available for testing in and out of competition." Ireland has a team of eight boxers in Rio, all of whom were included in the official competition draw on Thursday. The Olympic Council of Ireland released a statement which read: "The Olympic Council of Ireland can confirm that the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Agency has returned an adverse analytical finding in an A-sample provided to anti-doping officers. "The finding relates to a test not conducted at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The athlete has been provisionally suspended from competition and can take part in no sports activity, including training, in accordance with the WADA Code. "The athlete will now decide whether to accept a sanction for a doping violation, to request that a B-sample be tested, or to appeal the provisional suspension. "No further communication will be made on the matter and the athlete's identity will remain confidential unless the sanction is accepted or the B-sample is tested and also returns an adverse analytical finding." AIBA director of communications William Louis-Marie told Press Association Sport that the governing body was currently unaware of any developments regarding the failed test. Louis-Marie said: "The process is that a federation must inform their respective Olympic committee and this would ultimately be passed on to us. "Only when AIBA is made aware of any reported issue would we be in a position to take the appropriate action." Four charged over foiled watch shop raid Four men have been charged following a thwarted watch shop raid in London which left a police officer seriously injured, Scotland Yard said. A 43-year-old detective constable was hit by a moped being ridden by one of the suspects as they tried to flee the scene in the West End on Wednesday. An axe, knives and the stolen jewellery were all recovered at the scene, at the Chronext shop in Piccadilly. The scene outside the Chronext shop in Piccadilly after a four-strong gang armed with a machete and an axe tried to rob the store (Muthusamy Velu/PA) The suspects - 25-year-olds Charlie Kavanagh and Johnny Kyriacou, Stephen Hopkins, 29, and James Symes, 30 - are due to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Friday. Kavanagh, of Hedingham Close, Islington, was charged with conspiracy to rob and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Hopkins, whose address is unknown, was charged with conspiracy to rob and malicious wounding. Symes, of no fixed address, and Kyriacou - whose address is also unknown - were both charged with conspiracy to rob. Three other officers were hurt in the Wednesday morning raid - two suffered minor injuries and one needed hospital treatment for a cut, the Metropolitan Police said. Chronext chief executive Philipp Man, 25, flew in from Zurich after the attack and said it had resulted in around 500,000 of damage. He said: "We have two Israelis and a Colombian on staff so they are accustomed to extraordinary situations. We have ramped up all security in the past month, particularly in Germany and Switzerland. "You could see that these were not professionals. A machete is pretty medieval." The gang smashed the windows of the store and tried to make off on mopeds with valuable watches, but were stopped in their tracks as Scotland Yard's team were lying in wait after getting a tip-off, the Met said. Aberdeen crash out of Europa League after defeat in Maribor A bizarre Graeme Shinnie own goal killed off 10-man Aberdeen's Europa League dream as they crashed to a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Maribor. After a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie, Derek McInnes' team knew they had to score against the Slovenians if they had any hopes of making the play-off round. But Adam Rooney blew the chance to give them a perfect start when he failed to convert the penalty he had won himself midway through the first half. Graeme Shinnie's own goal saw Aberdeen crash out of Europa To make matters worse, the Reds were forced to play out the final half an hour a man light after substitute Jayden Stockley was sent off for two bookings. The Dons desperately pushed for a winner but it was the hosts who claimed victory when Shinnie's attempted back pass bounced over the foot of keeper Joe Lewis and into his own net, sending M aribor into Friday's draw for the final set of qualifiers with a 1-0 win. Jonny Hayes had fired the Dons' last-gasp leveller in the Granite City last week but missed the flight to Slovenia after picking up a hamstring injury on the eve of the trip. But the winger's absence was barely noticed as Aberdeen made a confident start at the Stadion Ljudski. A minute's silence was held in memory of two youngsters from the home outfit's youth team who tragically died in a car crash earlier this week but the Scots did well not to let the emotion swirling round the ground derail their focus in the opening stages. They pressed high and passed with confidence and should have been rewarded for their calm determination after 23 minutes when Rooney was scythed down by Jasmin Handanovic as he tried to race towards goal. It was a blatant spot-kick but the Dons pleaded for Bulgarian referee Nikola Popov to allow play to continue as Niall McGinn appeared on the scene to tap into the empty net. However, the official had made his mind up early, pointing to the spot while only booking the culprit. Although that decision appeared by the book under FIFA's recently revised rules on last-man fouls, it was little consolation to the visitors when Rooney's tame effort straight down the middle was easily blocked by Handanovic's feet. Aberdeen tried to get themselves going again but Wes Brown's 25-yard strike was easily stopped by the home stopper. Shinnie was lucky not to see red himself after launching two-footed into opponent Blaz Vrhovec. The half-time break did wonders for Maribor's energy levels as they put the pressure on, with Dons number one Lewis reacting well to Milivoja Novakovic's shot on the turn. Time was running out for the Reds but they responded well with a number of decent attacks. However, Popov's decision to dismiss Stockley for two harsh yellow cards was a huge blow. Aggreko says recovery in N.America power market some way off By Esha Vaish Aug 3 (Reuters) - Temporary power provider Aggreko said oil prices needed to be higher for longer to drive a recovery in its business with North American oil and gas customers, as it posted first-half profits that missed some analysts' forecasts. While crude prices have recovered from January lows, Aggreko CEO Chris Weston said North American shale companies were so far largely restarting projects by using power grids rather than the sort of temporary supplies provided by his company. "The oil price needs to be a little bit higher and higher for a reasonable period of time, 3-6 months, before you begin to see more drilling and production activity in areas where there is no power and therefore they need our services," he told reporters on Wednesday. The world's largest listed temporary power provider posted a trading profit of 77 million pounds ($103 million) for the six months ended June 30, which two analysts said was below the consensus estimate of around 85 million pounds. Aggreko shares fell as much as 15 percent, the biggest percentage fall on London's FTSE midcap index. Citing North America weakness and geopolitical tensions in other markets, Aggreko reiterated full-year pretax profit before exceptional items would be slightly lower than in 2015. The forecast banks on Aggreko winning extensions on contracts in Argentina, Venezuela and Yemen. Jefferies analysts said the guidance looked a stretch given it factored in an uptick in North America as well as success on all three contracts. Aggreko was not expecting to deploy any power for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this year, Weston said, after it withdrew from the tender process to supply generators in December. The company also said it had not yet engaged with the UK government over Britain's potential power needs after Prime Minister Theresa May decided to review plans to build a nuclear plant in southwest England. Fury at top of Republican Party over Trump snub of House speaker By Steve Holland and Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON/JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug 3 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil on Wednesday after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in the Iraq war. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said. "He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus. The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus. Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message. More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election. Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burned by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support. But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said on Wednesday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing. The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing. Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States. Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans. Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN on Wednesday: "I just don't see how I get to Donald Trump anymore." Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash. "There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early on Wednesday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," Manafort said. In Daytona, Florida, Trump said the news media's coverage of him was dishonest. "We're doing quite well despite the fact that we get a totally false narrative," he told supporters at a rally. At another campaign event in Florida, in Jacksonville, Trump pointed out a group of families, known as Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in war, calling them "incredible people." He didn't mention the spat with the Khans. RECENT TURMOIL Trump's always unruly campaign has been mired in disorder in recent days. On Monday, Trump fired Ed Brookover, a senior adviser hired as a liaison between the campaign and the RNC. Ryan, who is favored to win next week in his race against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, appeared to be trying to ignore the snub from Trump. An aide to the speaker said he would not have time to meet Trump later this week, when Trump is expected to be campaigning in Wisconsin, Ryan's home state. The aide did not indicate whether anyone had requested a get-together of Trump and Ryan, but when asked whether they might meet to patch things up, the aide told Reuters, "The speaker has a full schedule - can't back out of previous commitments in the (congressional) district." A Republican congressional aide said there was deep frustration on Capitol Hill that Trump keeps engaging in "petty spats." The aide said congressional offices that support Trump got two sets of talking points on Monday from the campaign about the Khan situation but have not heard anything from the campaign about Trump's Ryan comments. The dissent over the Trump campaign also took other turns. Late on Tuesday, Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise , endorsed Clinton's White House bid, calling Trump an "authoritarian character" and a threat to democracy. In better news for Trump, his campaign and the RNC jointly raised $80 million for his White House bid in July, the campaign said on Wednesday. That was less than the $90 million Clinton raised along with the national Democratic Party the same month, but it was a substantial bump from past months. A former reality TV star, Trump has won support particularly from white blue-collar workers who feel neglected by the political establishment. Along with his proposed ban on Muslims, his plans have included building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and renegotiating trade agreements. Opinion polls have shown Clinton benefiting from a boost after her party's convention last week. The RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls put her 4.5 percentage points ahead of Trump, at 46.5 percent to 42 percent. The Detroit Economic Club, where candidates usually appear to give major economic addresses, said Trump would speak at the club on Monday. Liberty Global, Vodafone win EU conditional approval for Dutch tie-up BRUSSELS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The European Commission authorised a joint venture in the Netherlands between British telecoms firm Vodafone Group Plc and U.S. cable operator Liberty Global Plc in exchange for concessions. The EU executive gave its approval, conditional on Vodafone selling its consumer fixed line business in the Netherlands, the Commission said in a statement on Wednesday. "The divestment offered by Vodafone fully addresses these concerns, allowing the Commission to clear this telecoms merger in Phase I," the Commission said. The companies said in a joint statement they welcomed the clearance and had received a number of expressions of interest for the fixed line unit. Brussels also rejected a request to refer the transaction to the Dutch competition authority. Reuters exclusively reported the Commission's decision last week. Austrian Chancellor suggests ending EU accession talks with Turkey VIENNA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said on Wednesday that he would start a discussion among European heads of government to quit talks with Turkey about joining the European Union because of the country's democratic and economic deficits. European leaders have voiced concern over Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's crackdown on suspected dissidents after a failed coup attempt month, identifying his idea of reintroducing the death penalty in Turkey as a red line barring accession to the EU. Kern sharpened the critical rhetoric in an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF. "We are all well advised to now say we're pressing the reset button," he said, calling accession talks a "diplomatic fiction". "We know that the democratic standards are clearly not sufficient to justify (Turkey's) accession ... The economic question is at least just as significant because the Turkish economy is too far from the European average." Norwegian arrested in Maine after threatening to kill police Aug 3 (Reuters) - A Norwegian man was arrested on Wednesday after sending emails threatening to kill police in Maine with explosives and high-powered rifles, officials said. Police departments across the United States are on high alert following attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge last month that killed eight police officers. Portland police said in a statement that Espen Brungodt, 28, sent the threats to the Portland Police Department and local media outlets around 8:45 a.m. (1245 GMT) on Wednesday and was arrested unarmed and without incident roughly four hours later. Police said Brungodt entered the United States on July 26 through Boston and was traveling with family members. The Portland Press Herald newspaper published online a copy of the email it had received from Brungodt, which stated in part: "Time for more police to die." "Very soon, my partners will head down to Portland Police Department ... There they will shoot and kill as many police officers as they can," the message read, according to the newspaper. The message also said a nearby parking garage had been booby-trapped with explosives. Police said the threats prompted the closure of the Cumberland County Courthouse after investigators determined the suspect was likely in the area. Brungodt faces federal charges related to transmitting threatening communications, Portland police said. The police statement said local authorities were assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Harry Potter casts spell again with 'Cursed Child' sales LOS ANGELES/LONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," the script for a new London play telling the eighth story in the boy wizard series, has sold more than 2 million copies in its first two days on the market in the United States, publisher Scholastic said on Wednesday. The book - a script instead of a narrative novel like author J.K. Rowling's previous Potter books - was published at midnight on Sunday, shortly after the play's gala opening. The play is sold out through May 2017. "Cursed Child," written by Rowling, screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, is set 19 years after "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final book in the original series, released in 2007. Scholastic, the U.S. and Canadian publisher of "Cursed Child," said the sales figures were unprecedented for a script book. Prior to its release, Barnes & Noble said "Cursed Child" was the most pre-ordered book since 2007's "Deathly Hallows." Scholastic said it had ordered 4.5 million first printing copies of "Cursed Child" and retailers had reported "fast-paced, record-breaking pre-sales" ahead of the release date. Full first-week U.S. sales figures of "Cursed Child" from Nielsen BookScan are not expected until next week. U.K. publisher Little, Brown Book Group said "Cursed Child" sold 680,000 print copies in the U.K. in three days. U.K. book industry magazine and website The Bookseller said if the sales rate continued, the script book would "be the second biggest-selling single week for one title since records began, with 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' as the first." "Deathly Hallows" sold 1.8 million copies and 780,000 units of the adult edition in the U.K. in its launch week, it added. Bringing back Rowling's enchanted world of witches and wizards, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" features Potter as a father of three and an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic. Kate Skipper, buying director at U.K. bookstore chain Waterstones, said "Cursed Child" is already the store's biggest-selling hardback since Dan Brown's 2009 thriller "The Lost Symbol" and that it is expected sales would exceed those of "The Lost Symbol" by the end of its first week. "Cursed Child" is also expected to match the overall sales of Waterstones' bestselling script book ever, J.B. Priestley's "An Inspector Calls." "There's no doubt about it, this will be our biggest book of the year," Skipper said in a statement. Australia orders climate change U-turn at peak science body SYDNEY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Australia's re-elected conservative government has announced a U-turn on climate change policy, reinstating climate science as the bedrock of its peak science body just months after slashing its funding and axing hundreds of jobs. "It's a new government and we're laying out a direction that climate science matters," new Science Minister Greg Hunt told Australian radio on Thursday. Severe cuts to the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) climate change division were announced in February as a result of budget cuts imposed by the previous climate change sceptic prime minister, Tony Abbott. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who toppled Abbott in a party-room coup in late 2015 and who has championed action against climate change, was elected in July. Hunt said the new policy would see 15 new climate science jobs and research investment worth A$37 ($28.08) over 10 years. "It's something that both the prime minister and I have clear and strong views on and we have clearly but respectfully made that known to CSIRO and they've embraced and endorsed the direction and so climate science will be a bedrock function for research of the CSIRO," he said. Will Steffen, a climate scientist at the Australian National University and member of the non-profit expert body Climate Council, welcomed the changes but warned that they needed to be viewed critically in light of the damage already done. "I do think it's a very positive announcement because it does show that there's been a mistake made in the initial sacking of all the CSIRO climate scientists and the downgrading of climate science," he told Reuters. "But I'm not clear whether the 15 new positions that Minister Hunt announced are in addition to reinstating all of the earlier ones, or whether they only partially reinstate what has already been damaged." U.S. woman killed in London knife attack, no evidence of terrorism link By Costas Pitas and Michael Holden LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. woman was killed and five other people injured by a man with suspected mental health issues who went on a rampage with a knife in central London. Armed police were called late on Wednesday evening after a 19-year-old Norwegian man of Somali origin began attacking people in London's Russell Square, a park near the site of a 2005 suicide bombing. Police said there was no evidence the attack was terrorism related. The victim was identified as Darlene Horton, a woman in her 60s who was the wife of a U.S. psychology professor. She was treated at the scene but pronounced dead a short time later. A British man who was stabbed in the stomach remains in hospital in serious but stable condition, police said. Four others - an American man, a man and a woman from Australia, and an Israeli woman - suffered stab wounds but have been released from hospital. "All of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," said London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley. "We believe this was a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random," said Rowley, who is Britain's senior anti-terrorism officer. "So far, we have found no evidence of radicalisation that would suggest that the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism," said Rowley. Initially, he had said that terrorism was a line of inquiry. Police, who arrived within six minutes of being called, used a Taser electric shock gun to subdue the suspect. He was later formally arrested on suspicion of murder. Police cordoned off the southern part of the square, which is near the British Museum, for several hours as forensics officers examined the attack scene. Later, workmen hosed blood off the pavement. 'SEVERE THREAT' London's Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, called for vigilance and urged Londoners to report anything suspicious to the police, who increased their presence in the capital. "The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones," he said. The woman who was killed was identified as Horton by Florida Governor Rick Scott. Florida State University said in a statement she was married to an eminent professor of psychology who had been teaching in its London Study Program. "There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy," FSU President John Thrasher said. Just hours before the attack, London's police chief said that he would deploy an additional 600 armed officers across the capital to protect against attacks. London counter-terrorism police chiefs have previously warned that Islamic State was seeking to radicalise vulnerable people with mental health issues to carry out attacks. In some operations, police commanders have taken advice from specialist psychologists. Islamist militants hit London with coordinated suicide bombings on July 7, 2005, killing 52 people. One of the bombs detonated on a bus close to Russell Square. Since then, dozens of plots have been foiled and there have been smaller-scale attacks, such as the beheading of an off-duty soldier by militant Islamists in a London street in May 2013. A man who attacked passengers at a London underground train station in December was jailed for life earlier this month. The judge said the attacker was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offence but may have been motivated by events in Syria. U.S. envoy hits back at suggestion U.S. provoked North Korea By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, hit back on Wednesday at suggestions that a United States decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile defense system in South Korea had provoked recent ballistic missile tests by North Korea. Pyongyang's ally China has said Washington's decision last month to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system would only worsen tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea threatened a physical response to the deployment decision. Speaking after the U.N. Security Council met on North Korea's missile launch on Wednesday, which landed in Japanese controlled waters for the first time, Power said the anti-missile system was to defend against the threat by North Korea. "Any notion that there's some predicate by anybody other than Kim Jong Un and the DPRK (North Korea) regime is not grounded in reality and it's not grounded in history," Power told reporters after the closed-door meeting, in reference to the North Korean leader. China's U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi said that nothing should be done to exacerbate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. When asked what could be done to de-escalate the situation, he said: "If you look at the factors contributing to the tension in the Korean peninsula I think the answer is self-evident." The 15-member Security Council met at the request of Japan and the United States following the latest in a series of launches by isolated North Korea in defiance of Security Council resolutions. "The missile landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone. There was no warning whatsoever," Japan's U.N. Ambassador Koro Bessho told reporters. "It is certainly a major, major problem for the security and safety of our region." South Korea's U.N. Ambassador Oh Joon said that this year North Korea had conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests, firing 29 various rockets. "They are doing all of this with a systematic, comprehensive purpose of upgrading and refining their missile technologies," he told reporters. "It poses a clear and present danger to the security of all countries in the region." Power said she believed the Security Council could swiftly issue a condemnation. Council statements have to be agreed by consensus and previous condemnations of North Korea missile launches have taken days or weeks. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is "deeply troubled" by North Korea's recent missile launches, his spokesman said, calling on Pyongyang to "reverse its course." Colombia opposition, headed by Uribe, to vote 'no' in peace plebiscite BOGOTA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Colombia's principal opposition party, led by former President Alvaro Uribe, announced on Wednesday it would back a 'no' vote in a plebiscite on a peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels that would put an end to five decades of war. The right-wing Centro Democratico party has sharply criticized the ongoing peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) launched by the government in late 2012. They argue that too many concessions have been granted to the rebels and demand they go to jail for crimes committed during the conflict. "We can only say yes to peace by voting no to the plebiscite", Uribe, president from 2002 to 2010, said at an event to announce the decision. "Approving an illegitimate plebiscite is equivalent to accepting total impunity, which instead of dissuading crime consecrates it as champion and makes an example for more, newer violence." The constitutional court ruled this month that a plebiscite could be held to legitimize any deal and that at least 13 percent of the electorate would need to agree for it to be approved. The Centro Democratico had also considered encouraging Colombians to abstain from the vote in the hope it would not reach the quorum set by the court. Santos' decision to ask Colombians to respond to one question with a yes or no answer drew criticism from Uribe, now a senator, who argued that it does not allow voters to reject specific aspects of the peace agreement. Bitfinex disables trading on exchange after hack By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Hong Kong-based digital currency exchange Bitfinex said late on Wednesday that after a security breach on its website it will temporarily disable trading, deposits and withdrawals. The announcement was made on its website. Bitfinex also said it was working to restore limited service to its trading platform. The firm runs one of the largest exchanges for trading bitcoin and other digital currencies such as ether, and litecoin. On Tuesday, Bitfinex announced it discovered a security breach, with about 120,000 bitcoins, or roughly $70 million, stolen from customer accounts. The company said only the bitcoins were stolen. The theft at Bitfinex is the second largest bitcoin heist from an exchange since Tokyo's MtGox lost about $350 million bitcoins in early 2014. MtGox's loss eventually forced it to file for bankruptcy protection. "To accommodate the relaunch, all withdrawals, open orders, and open funding offers will be canceled," said Bitfinex. "Furthermore, in order to compute losses for relevant parties, settlement of all financed positions will occur in all accounts." Zane Tackett, Bitfinex's director of community and product development, said on social media website Reddit that the company is "settling all positions, not liquidating." He added that the investigation on the bitcoin theft is still ongoing. Peru's PM optimistic economic reforms will pass Congress By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino LIMA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A day after meeting with the head of the opposition-controlled Congress, Peru's prime minister said he was optimistic lawmakers would back President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's economic reforms, including plans to cut the value-added tax rate. The prime minister, Fernando Zavala, who recently stepped down as chief executive of beer maker SABMiller, said that if Congress does block the gradual VAT rate reduction to 15 percent from 18 percent, Kuczynski would seek "alternatives." "The possibility always exists that it will be denied," Zavala told Reuters in an interview. "But we do think that when they see the comprehensive proposals, we'll get a vote of approval." Kuczynski, a centrist 77-year-old former investment banker who took office on Thursday, pitched the tax reduction as central to his plans to modernize Peru by encouraging small businesses to pay taxes. But lawmakers with the rightwing party of his defeated rival Keiko Fujimori have slammed the reform as a drain on government revenues. Zavala said his cabinet was also considering new and complementary tax proposals to make it easier for small businesses to operate on the books. "Seventy percent of the economy is informal," Zavala said. "To jumpstart economic growth we have to tackle this." Kuczynski has also proposed rolling out infrastructure projects and slashing red tape to bring annual economic expansion back to at least 5 percent a year, after slumping mineral prices sapped investments in Peru, a global copper and gold exporter. Zavala said Kuczynski's team had expected the fiscal deficit, government spending capacity and economic growth to be in better shape than they are by now. "We expected the situation to be better," Zavala said. "That means bigger challenges for us but we still think we'll be able to meet" our goals. Kuczynski has had a frosty relationship with Fujimori's party since the two traded attacks in a tight race for the presidency in June. But the president of Congress, Luz Salgado, a longtime member of Fujimori's party, has praised Zavala, who spent his second day on the job offering her public apologies after Kuczynski said he would peel off new members of her party to pass legislation. "There are good spirits" now with the Fujimoristas, Zavala said, adding that Congress will likely vote on approving his cabinet on Aug. 18. If Congress blocks Kuczynski's cabinet twice in his government, he can call for new parliamentary elections. Zavala said it would never come to that. "No way," he said. Pentagon not to pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The Pentagon will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a U.S. official said. Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with U.S. officials frustrated by what they term Islamabad's unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. "The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said on Wednesday. The $300 million comes under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), a U.S. Defense Department program to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations. Pakistan is the largest recipient. "This decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years," Stump added. According to Pentagon data, about $14 billion has already been paid to Pakistan under the CSF since 2002. The decision by the Pentagon is a sign that while it sees some progress by Pakistan in its military operations in North Waziristan, much work remains. Pakistan rejects harboring militants but says there are limits to how much it can do as it is already fighting multiple Islamist groups and is wary of a "blowback" in the form of more terror attacks on its soil. "(The) Coalition Support Fund is one of the many cooperative arrangements between Pakistan and the United States to pursue common objectives," said Nadeem Hotiana, a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy in Washington. Relations between the United States and Pakistan were tested in May by a U.S. drone strike that killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour on Pakistani soil. There has been growing resistance in the U.S. Congress to sending money to Pakistan. Many lawmakers have expressed concern about its nuclear program, commitment to fighting terrorist organizations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process. South African opposition reject ANC in three major cities By Mfuneko Toyana PRETORIA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Urban South Africans dealt the ANC its biggest political blow since the end of apartheid on Thursday, knocking the ruling party off its perch in three cities as voters vented anger at corruption, high unemployment and poor public services. The African National Congress (ANC) - which ended white-minority rule when it won power in the first democratic national election in 1994 - still held a big lead in the overall count in nationwide municipal elections. But it was trailing the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in Port Elizabeth, which it has previously held virtually unopposed for the last two decades. The ANC was also unlikely to make it to a 50 percent outright majority in the capital Pretoria and economic-hub Johannesburg. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could mark a watershed in South African society and politics as the country shifts from what has effectively been a one-party system in the era immediately post-apartheid. It could reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. The municipal vote comes as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession after a string of corruption scandals surrounding Zuma. SWITCHING ALLEGIANCE The ANC failed to win Zuma's hometown of Nkandla in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, a personal blow to Zuma, where the Inkatha Freedom Party retained its hold on the region. Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. With 85 percent of the vote counted, the ANC led in the national count with 53.5 percent at 1830 GMT, against 27.5 percent for the DA and 7.5 percent for the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader, Mmusi Maimane, was ahead in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power. It includes the city of Port Elizabeth. The DA had an unassailable lead, almost 69 percent of the vote, in Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC. RURAL/URBAN DIVIDE The ANC was dominating most of the countryside, long a key area of its support, underscoring a widening political divide between urban and rural South Africa. "The ANC vote has held up well in rural areas but fallen away sharpest in urban areas, as expected. The ANC is therefore becoming a party of the rural vote," Nomura analyst Peter Attard Montalto. The ANC had 42.9 percent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the DA's 42.7 percent after half the votes were tallied. In Johannesburg, the opposition party's lead had been trimmed to 42.09 percent to 42.02 percent for the ANC, with 47 percent of the votes counted. In Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 49.5 percent versus 39.2 percent, with 94 percent of votes in. ANC officials in Nelson Mandela Bay cried foul and said it was lodging a complaint about 500 dumped ballot papers found there with votes marked for the party. Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC's liberation hero would be an embarrassment for the ruling party. FRUSTRATION The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is led by Julius Malema, Zuma's one-time protege and a former ANC youth leader, is participating in only its second election and was running a distant third in the votes counted. It is, however, winning some support from voters frustrated about inequality in country where blacks make up about 80 percent of the population of 54 million, but ownership of land and companies remains mostly in the hands of whites, who account for about 8 percent of the population. The rand currency and government bonds firmed on Thursday, boosted by the smooth running of the elections. Many South Africans who queued up to vote across the country said they were worried about Zuma's performance and the state of the economy. Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home in Nkandla. Australia orders climate change U-turn at peak science body SYDNEY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Australia's re-elected conservative government has announced a U-turn in its climate change policy, reinstating climate science as the bedrock of its peak science body just months after slashing its funding and axing hundreds of jobs. "It's a new government and we're laying out a direction that climate science matters," new Science Minister Greg Hunt told Australian radio on Thursday. Scientists and climate change advocates cautiously welcomed the news, but remained concerned about the commitment to fight climate change, which could threaten Australia's food security and its ability to feed Asia's growing, affluent middle class. Severe cuts to the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) climate change division were announced in February as a result of budget cuts imposed by the previous climate change sceptic prime minister, Tony Abbott. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who toppled Abbott in a party-room coup in late 2015 and who has championed action against climate change, was elected in July. Hunt said the new policy would see 15 new climate science jobs and research investment worth A$37 million ($28.08 million) over 10 years, but scientists and advocates remained concerned about the CSIRO. "We hope this is the start of more positive leadership from the Turnbull government on the critical threat of climate change," Greenpeace Australia Pacific's senior climate and energy campaigner Nikola Casule said in a statement. "However, around 35 climate science jobs remain at risk, so restoring just 15 means the department is still under-resourced compared to earlier this year." Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of coal and iron ore and one of its biggest carbon emitters on a per capita basis thanks to its reliance on coal-fired power plants. U.S., Israel close many gaps in defense aid talks, hope for deal soon By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The United States and Israel have closed many of the remaining gaps in negotiations over a new multibillion-dollar military aid package for Washington's top Middle East ally, and the two sides hope to reach a deal soon, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. Jacob Nagel, acting head of Israel's national security council, wrapped up three days of closed-door discussions in Washington over a new 10-year defense pact, including a meeting with U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice. Drawn-out aid negotiations have underscored continuing friction between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over last year's U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran, Israel's arch-foe. The United States and Israel have also been at odds over the Palestinians. However, with Obama due to leave office in January, both sides have appeared increasingly determined to come to an agreement to enshrine U.S. assistance to Israel over the next decade. "We've made progress and closed many of the remaining gaps. We hope soon to be able to reach final agreement," the senior official told Reuters after the talks concluded. However, the official declined to elaborate or provide a precise timetable for completing negotiations. Raising hopes for removal of a key sticking point, Israel had signaled at the start of the talks that it might accept the Obama administration's demand that U.S. military funds, until now spent partly on Israeli arms, will eventually be spent entirely on U.S.-made weapons, according to U.S. sources. It would mark a major concession by Netanyahu. The right-wing Israeli leader, who has had a fraught relationship with Obama, has decided it would be best to forge a new memorandum of understand (MOU) with him rather than hoping for better terms from the next U.S. president, according to officials on both sides. The White House has pledged to sign a new MOU that would "constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in U.S. history." The current pact, signed in 2007 and due to expire in 2018, gave Israel around $30 billion in foreign military financing. U.S. negotiators are believed to have stuck to a previous offer of $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion annually for Israel under the new MOU, substantially less than the $4 billion a year Netanyahu has sought but still a sizeable increase. DIFFERENCES TO BE RESOLVED A key disagreement has been over Washington's insistence on ending a special arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend 26.3 percent of its U.S. defense aid on its own military industries rather than on American products. Israeli officials argue that the provision, which is given to no other country receiving U.S. military assistance, was needed to maintain Israel's "qualitative military edge" against hostile neighbors such as Iran, and that its removal would mean the loss of thousands of Israeli defense jobs. But a congressional source briefed by the Obama administration said Israel had signaled its willingness to phase out the provision. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said the White House was prepared to let Israel keep the arrangement for the first five years of the new MOU but it would be gradually phased out in the second five years, except for joint U.S.-Israeli military projects. Another sticking point has been Washington's desire to end a provision allowing Israel to spend around $400 million annually from the package on military fuels. The two sides have also haggled over U.S. funding for Israeli missile defense. Obama's aides want to secure a new deal before his presidency ends, seeing it as an important part of his legacy. Republican critics accuse him of not being attentive enough to Israel's security, which the White House strongly denies. Netanyahu angered the White House in February when he suggested the agreement could wait for the next president. Argentine court rejects electricity tariff hikes BUENOS AIRES, Aug 3 (Reuters) - An Argentine court upheld a ruling by a lower circuit to block government-proposed hikes in electricity tariffs, local media reported late Wednesday, a ruling that could complicate the state's bid to reduce Argentina's fiscal deficit. The decision by a federal judge in Buenos Aires province reaffirmed a previous decision in July handed down by a court in the city of La Plata. The Argentine government had ordered a significant increase in electricity prices at the beginning of the year with the purpose of reducing the generous subsidies the state pays to keep energy prices low. The issue is now likely to go to Argentina's Supreme Court, although the federal court ruling will affect efforts to reduce the deficit in the short term. Since coming to power in December 2015, center-right President Mauricio Macri has undone many of the protectionist policies of the leftist governments that preceded him in a bid to jump start the nation's moribund economy. Philippines holds informal TTP membership talks with U.S. By Marius Zaharia VIENTIANE, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Philippines is eager to join the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal and it has already held informal talks with the United States to do so, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said on Thursday. In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of ASEAN economy ministers meetings in Vientiane, Lopez said the key industries which would benefit would be electronics, automotives and garments. "If you don't take part in it you might lose some opportunities while other countries are enjoying them. We'd like to be part of that," Lopez said. "The new government is one that will keep the policy of maximising FTA (foreign trade agreements) participation. We're close to the U.S. and we've had talks at an informal level." The TPP has been dubbed a "mega-regional accord", and once in play would be the biggest trade pact in a generation. It will be a boon in particular for lower cost manufacturing-led economies, with the prospect of sharp tariff cuts to markets like the United States already luring factory investment to TPP members. Lopez said his country was in a good position to join, having separate FTAs in place with seven of the 12 countries already. The TPP includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam, accounting for about 800 million people and 40 percent of the global trade. For the Philippines, the TPP, which covers a trade area worth $28 trillion of GDP, would open up the North American and the South American markets. John Goyer, senior director for Southeast Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said on the sidelines of the Laos event the signals from the new administration of President Rodrigo Duterte have been positive since he won the May election. He said reforms would be needed though, one of the key ones being amendments to foreign equity rules, which require constitutional change and were a sticking point for the previous government. However, suggestions to remove caps on foreign ownership in certain economic sectors were "well received" by the new government, Goyer said. Lopez gave no timeframe for possible TPP membership, citing ratification uncertainties for the deal. TPP negotiations concluded last year and the pact has been signed, but to take effect it requires ratification by members' respective legislatures by February 2018. Oil jumps 3 pct as short-covering pushes U.S. crude firmly over $40 By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 3 percent on Thursday, with U.S. crude advancing firmly above the $40-per-barrel mark on short-covering and after a modest stockpile drop at the delivery hub for U.S. crude futures. It was a second straight day of gains for crude futures from April lows below $40, after Wednesday's 3 percent run-up powered by data showing a hefty U.S. gasoline inventory drawdown. Market intelligence firm Genscape reported that stockpiles at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub for U.S. crude futures fell 89,071 barrels during the week to Aug. 2, traders who saw the data said. The Genscape report came after U.S. government data on Wednesday showed a 1.1 million-barrel decline at Cushing in the week to July 29. Sources said BP PLC was restarting units at its 413,500-barrel per day refinery in Whiting, Indiana, and that added momentum to the crude rally, according to traders. The weekend outage of the reformer and blending oil unit had prompted BP to cut production by between 20 and 25 percent. Brent crude settled up $1.19, or 2.8 percent, at $44.29 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.10, or 2.7 percent, to settle at $41.93 per barrel. In the previous session, it rose 3 percent, after settling below $40 on Tuesday, the first time since April. "We're sitting pretty, with our customers extremely happy at having profited from WTI option hedges at under $40, and are now long again for $45-$55 levels," said Salvatore Recco, who advises on some $2 billion of client money at Gravity Investments in Denver, Colorado. Before the slump below $40, speculators, including hedge funds, added the equivalent of 56 million barrels of extra short positions in the three main Brent and WTI futures and options contracts in the week ending July 26. U.S. gasoline futures, however, ended up only 1.3 percent higher on Thursday, with the gasoline crack <_1RBc1-CLc1>, an indicator of refining profits, falling for the first time in six sessions. WTI's drop below $40 earlier this week had hardened the resolve of oil market bears to drive prices lower as oversupply, refining cutbacks and a breakdown in the oil/dollar trade appeared to spell an end to this year's rally. [http://tmsnrt.rs/2aiPXnK ] Data from Iraq's state oil marketer showed the OPEC member's July crude production at its highest since January at 4.6 million barrels per day. Stockpiles of middle distillates in Singapore were at a five-year high year, adding to worries of a worldwide petroleum glut. The Cushing draw aside, total U.S. crude stocks rose for a second straight week, gaining 1.4 million barrels last week, contrary to analysts' forecasts for an identical draw. China money, market spur Canadian blueberry deluge By Julie Gordon RICHMOND, British Columbia, August 4 (Reuters) - An aging mansion sits vacant on an estate outside Vancouver, the garage overtaken by a blueberry sorter and a walk-in cooler packed with the fruit. The owner, an investor from mainland China, leases the estate to Fred Liu at such a bargain the farmer grows blueberries in its fields even though the bottom has fallen out of the market. As it turns out, the same wave of Chinese wealth that has fueled real estate booms in cities like New York, Sydney and San Francisco and stoked the art market worldwide also has contributed to an unexpected glut of blueberries. Chinese investors riding a hot property market along the Pacific Coast have socked millions into a belt of protected farmland around Vancouver, long a destination for Asian immigrants, and many have taken advantage of Canadian agricultural tax breaks, agents and farmers said. Because much of the land is restricted to farming, rents have remained stubbornly low. Veteran farmers and entrepreneurial newcomers have snapped up the cheap leases, eager to cash in on the blueberry's ascent as a super food and the promise that a trade deal with China would open the world's second-largest economy to fresh Canadian exports. But demand has yet to meet bullish projections. Delayed trade negotiations and a surge in global blueberry production have prevented China's rising middle class from eating enough of the British Columbia bumper crop that Chinese investors helped sow. The result: a bubble for Vancouver area farmland and a bust for berries. Prices for rural property near Vancouver have surged - hitting, in one recent deal, 230 times the per-acre average for Canadian farmland. And blueberry prices have collapsed, dropping to less than C$1 per pound at peak season, half what some growers said they were getting a few years ago. Norm Letnick, British Columbia's agriculture minister, said he doesn't see it as a glut, and he downplayed the sharp price drop at packing houses. Growers may be doing better at roadside stands, he said. "Because they don't have a middle man, they might be making very good net profit." For many farmers, that view misses the bigger picture. "Rich people, they can buy the farms, but they don't want to do the farming," said Liu, who grows organic berries for export to Asia. "It's very, very, very cheap to lease their farmland." But, he said, "farmers are not getting rich." A LAND RUSH About half the listings in recent years for smaller farms and nearly all the larger ones near Vancouver have been purchased by buyers with ties to mainland China, agents said. Canada doesn't track the nationality of property owners, and British Columbia only began doing so in June. It reported 18 percent of sales in recent weeks in Richmond, home to one of the most well-established Chinese communities in Canada, were to unspecified foreign nationals living abroad. Chinese nationals with resident status in Canada were excluded. The buying spree has set records. A 4.5 acre blueberry farm with no house sold late last year to a Chinese investor for C$2.58 million ($1.97 million), or C$573,000 per acre. Nationwide, farmland averages C$2,460 per acre, according to Farm Credit Canada. The British Columbia Blueberry Council, a trade group representing hundreds of growers, said much of the interest was from Chinese business people who see berry farms as an export opportunity, much like those who have bought vineyards in recent years to export British Columbia wine to China. Real estate agents said some Chinese nationals were looking at the redevelopment potential, viewing farms as lottery tickets that would pay out if urban sprawl one day forces officials to scrap strict prohibitions. "They're playing the long game," said agent Michael Lu. Others have built luxurious estate homes with an eye toward retirement and surrounded them with berries. TAX BREAKS Owners cut their taxes by using the land for farming, often leasing it out to local growers. Owners like blueberries because they are pretty and easy to maintain, especially compared to the province's No. 2 produce export - mushrooms. Discounts vary by municipality, but, across the province, farmland is taxed at lower rates, so long as it earns at least C$2,500 a year from crops. In Richmond, for example, a 4-acre farm with a basic house paid taxes of C$1,025 per year, according to a 2014 Metro Vancouver study. The same plot, without farm classification, would pay C$10,511 annually. "If it's not farmed, the taxes are going to be high," said Dale Badh, a real estate agent and berry farmer. British Columbia growers also are playing a long game - but not by design. The province produces 80 percent by value of fresh blueberries exported by Canada, the world's No. 2 producer. Like farmers elsewhere, they went big into blueberries, encouraged that the touted health benefits would stoke the market. They also were banking on trade talks with China. A China cherry deal, finalized in 2014, boosted export values 70 percent in one year. Newcomers have leased plots from absentee landlords because they can't afford to buy their own, and long-established farm families have rented additional plots because they are cheap. Together, they pushed British Columbia's blueberry yields up 71 percent from 2010 to 2015. But the trade talks dragged on for nearly a decade. A deal, finally reached late last year, is expected to boost the province's fresh exports to China up from C$24,466 in 2015 to C$65 million - eventually. In the meantime, British Columbia's blueberry growers are doing what they can to hang on. Farmer and packer Humraj Kallu has stopped buying from other growers because it's all he can do to sell what he produces. "I'm dealing in only my berries," he said, adding: "Farming is not the most viable thing in B.C." ($1 = 1.3071 Canadian dollars) Poland - Factors to Watch Aug 4 Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Thursday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours): LOT AIRLINE Poland is in talks with potential investors from China over selling a stake in the state airline LOT, Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. UNEMPLOYMENT The labour ministry is expected to announce on Thursday its estimate of the July registered unemployment rate. EDF Australian fund IFM and Veolia is conducting due diligence at EDF's Polish heating assets valued at around 1 billion euros, Puls Biznesu said quoting unnamed sources. The daily also said that IFM is closer to buying the assets. SWISS FRANC LOANS The Financial Stability Committee is meeting on Wednesday next week to discuss the size of capital requirements for banks, designed to force the lenders to convert their clients' Swiss-franc loans into zlotys, Rzeczpospolita daily said. The cost of refunding currency exchange fees by banks to Swiss franc borrowers, a proposal by Poland's president, could be higher than the originally estimated 4 billion zlotys and reach 8 billion, daily Gazeta Wyborcza said, quoting analysts. ELECTRICITY Poland's energy market regulator (URE) has launched a probe into whether power distributors had correctly conveyed data on companies' power consumption in August 2015, when a heat wave caused electricity shortages, Rzeczpospolita daily said. ****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.**** Fraport now sees drop in passengers at Frankfurt after attacks BERLIN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - German airport operator Fraport lowered its forecast for passenger numbers at Frankfurt airport after attacks deterred travellers, it said on Thursday. Major European airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and British Airways owner IAG have reported weaker demand for long-haul routes to Europe as a result of attacks in France, Belgium and the attempted coup in Turkey. Fraport said it now expected passenger numbers at Frankfurt, Europe's fourth largest airport, to decline slightly this year, against a previous forecast for passenger numbers at Frankfurt to rise by between 1 and 3 percent. In July, passenger numbers dropped 2 percent, Fraport said as it reported second-quarter results, meaning numbers are down 1.1 percent for the first seven months of the year. Rival Groupe ADP kept its traffic outlook for Paris airports last week, thanks to a rise in low-cost traffic. Frankfurt airport, home to Lufthansa's main brand, is served by few low-cost carriers. The drop in passengers at Frankfurt, especially those on intercontinental routes, is affecting group earnings because passengers from China, Japan and Vietnam tend to spend more in the shops at the airport. Fraport also owns half of Antalya airport in Turkey and said passenger numbers there dropped almost 41 percent in July and are down 33 percent in the first seven months of the year. Fraport said it would hit its target of 2016 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 850-880 million euros ($947-$981 million), but thanks to the proceeds of between 30 and 40 million euros from the sale of a stake in St Petersburg airport. Fraport reported second-quarter EBITDA down 0.4 pct to 232 million euros, against the average forecast for 219 million in a Reuters poll. EDF boss knew Britain planned to delay $24 bln nuclear deal By Geert De Clercq, Michel Rose and Benjamin Mallet PARIS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - EDF Chief Executive Jean-Bernard Levy knew the British government wanted to take more time to review the Hinkley Point nuclear contract before the French utility's board voted to approve the investment, he said in a letter to top executives. Board members at their meeting on July 28 were not informed that Britain planned to delay its decision on the $24 billion project to build the power plant in England, according to several sources with direct knowledge of the proceedings. The board narrowly approved the project but hours later the government of new British Prime Minister Theresa May - which had been expected to sign contracts on July 29 - instead said it wanted to give the plans further consideration. It postponed its final decision until early autumn. In comments to reporters at French state-controlled EDF's first-half earnings release on July 29, Levy - who is also chairman of the board - had said he had not been aware at the time of the board meeting that the British government wanted more time to review the contract. In a letter emailed to EDF's executive committee late on Tuesday this week, and reviewed by Reuters, Levy said that when he called the board meeting on July 21, he had done so with the go-ahead of the French state, which "had warned us that in light of her very recent arrival, the new British prime minister had asked for 'a few days' before deciding on the project". Levy said that late on July 27, the night before the board meeting, he had been informed that May wanted "a bit more time, without calling into question the project, and without specifying the date when the contract could be signed". He added that EDF cancelled a contract signing ceremony planned for July 29 in Somerset, south-west England, and that the Chinese energy minister - who had been invited to attend the ceremony - had cancelled his plane ticket at the last minute. "When the board voted, on the afternoon of July 28, we (management) therefore knew that the ceremony would not take place the next day," Levy wrote. EDF, speaking on behalf of the company and Levy, declined to comment on the letter or the board proceedings. CRITICISM EDF along with its Chinese partner China General Nuclear, which holds a one third stake in the project, are responsible for the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) project's construction costs, while Britain would pay a minimum price for the power generated by the plant for 35 years. On the day of the board's vote, one board member resigned, saying the project was too financially risky and would crimp EDF's ability to invest in renewables. EDF's unions say the project is too big and jeopardises the firm's survival. EDF's finance chief resigned over the project earlier this year. The board approved EDF's investment by 10 votes to seven on July 28, but sources with direct knowledge of proceedings told Reuters that some of the board members who had opposed the plan now felt that Levy and the government had withheld essential information that could have changed the outcome of the vote. The sources declined to be named as board proceedings and discussions are confidential. The French state owns 85 percent of EDF and sets its industrial strategy. A senior French government source told Reuters that Levy had been informed by both the French presidency and the industry ministry that the British government was not going to sign in the 24 hours after the EDF board meeting. But he added that Levy was not aware of the fact that London would delay the Hinkley Point decision till the autumn. It is unclear whether the state's main representatives on the board - Martin Vial, head of the state holding company APE, and Christian Masset, foreign ministry secretary-general - knew that Britain planned to delay its decision. APE and Vial declined to comment. Masset did not respond to requests for comment. The British decision to review the Hinkley Point project came little more than a month after Britons voted to leave the EU in a referendum that forced the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron - whose administration gave the initial go-ahead to the project in 2013 - and the accession of May. The Brexit vote, the resulting economic uncertainty and the change of leadership threw doubt on the future of major British infrastructure projects, including Hinkley Point. ($1 = 0.7491 pounds) PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Aug 4 SOFIA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova has warned of increased migrant smuggling activity through the Balkan country's territory. She said that a special unit will be set up to address the situation (Trud, Standart, 24 Chasa, Monitor) -- Bulgaria's government added three Syrians that prosecutors have accused of terrorism to the country's list of people subject to restrictions under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The decision was taken a day after a special criminal court postponed the trial after the accused asked to be given a copy of the indictment and all the evidence in the case translated into Arabic (Trud, Standart, Monitor) -- Sofia police have detained 65 migrants carrying no identity documents during a joint operation with gendarmerie patrols, the interior ministry said (Trud, Standart, Monitor) AB InBev to dominate top jobs after SABMiller deal By Martinne Geller LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Anheuser Busch InBev managers will take all but one of 19 key positions following the brewer's $100 billion-plus takeover of rival SABMiller, according to details of the transaction announced on Thursday. The deal, sweetened last week to help make up for a drop in the British currency, has been approved by both companies' boards but still needs to be voted on by shareholders, some of whom oppose the deal. AB InBev is known for its cost-cutting and centralized control, which some analysts have said may be tough to impose on all corners of SAB's business, with its joint ventures and equity stakes in markets such as Turkey and Africa. AB InBev, the maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois, said the new company - which has yet to be named - would continue to be based in its home town of Leuven, Belgium, while its operations would be managed from New York. SAB's offices in Woking, outside of London, will be kept open for a transitional period, but its central London headquarters will be wound down. The bulk of SAB's European businesses are being sold as part of the deal. "It looks as if all the SAB group and regional HQs will be eventually phased out," said Bernstein Research analysts. The new company will be run by teams of "functional chiefs" and "zone presidents", both reporting to AB InBev Chief Executive Carlos Brito. All but one of those 19 positions will be held by current AB InBev executives. There was no mention of roles for SABMiller's CEO Alan Clark or finance chief Domenic De Lorenzo in the new company. Of SAB's 576 corporate roles in the UK, 523 are in Woking and 51 in London. AB InBev said SAB's general counsel John Davidson, human resources director Johann Nel and managing director for Africa Mark Bowman, had agreed to stay for a transition period of at least six months to help with "integration, talent retention and stakeholder management". The new company will be organised into nine geographical zones, with existing SABMiller hubs in Miami, Hong Kong and Beijing phased out within a few months after deal closes, which is expected in October. AB InBev has agreed to sell SAB's western European brands Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime, to Japan's Asahi. It has also pledged to sell SAB's Eastern European business, which includes the Pilsner Urquell brand, though a buyer has not been agreed. Turkey detains 20 suspected Islamic State members - media ISTANBUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Turkish police detained 20 suspected members of the Islamic State militant group in the southern city of Adana early on Thursday, the private Dogan news agency reported. It said anti-terror police, supported by a helicopter, staged simultaneous raids on 22 addresses in the city after a tip-off that Islamic State cells were planning attacks. The suspects, who included senior local figures in the group, were taken to Adana police headquarters for questioning, it said. President Tayyip Erdogan has said Islamic State militants from the former Soviet Union were behind an attack on Istanbul's main airport in June which killed 45 people. Dozens have been detained over the attack. Islamic State controls an area of Syria along the Turkish border, east of Adana. U.S. designates Pakistan's Jamaat-ur-Ahrar as "terrorist group" ISLAMABAD, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The United States has added the Pakistani militant outfit Jamaat-ur-Ahrar to its list of global terrorists, triggering sanctions against a group that has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities and soldiers. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for at least five major attacks in Pakistan since December, including the Easter Sunday bombing in a public park that killed 70 people in the eastern city of Lahore. It is a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban movement that has also declared loyalty to Islamic State's leadership in the Middle East. The group also claimed responsibility for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the U.S. Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar in early March. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has not yet commented on the designation. The designation, announced by the State Department in a statement on Wednesday, means anyone who supports Jamaat-ur-Ahrar could have their assets frozen by the U.S. government. In recent years, Pakistan has also cracked down on movements that target its own citizens and institutions, including the Pakistani Taliban who are fighting to topple the government and install a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Australia lose openers after Mendis lifts Sri Lanka Aug 4 (Reuters) - Kusal Mendis excelled under pressure again, hitting a sparkling 86 and featuring in two important partnerships to help Sri Lanka overcome a shaky start and post 281 all out on the opening day of the second test against Australia on Thursday. The hosts returned to reduce Australia to 54 for two, with Dilruwan Perera dismissing David Warner (42) with the final delivery of the day. Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 11 with Australia trailing by 227 runs. Paceman Vishwa Fernando made a memorable test debut for Sri Lanka, opening the attack and dismissing Joe Burns for nought with his second delivery. It was, however, Mendis who hauled the hosts back into the contest after Mitchell Starc's two-wicket burst left them reeling at nine for two inside five overs. The 21-year-old right-hander added 108 runs with Kusal Perera (49) and 67 with captain Angelo Mathews (54) to steady the innings. Mendis pulled off a similar rescue act in the first test at Pallekele where Sri Lanka were six for two in their second innings before his career-best 176 helped secure the hosts' 106-run victory against the world's top-ranked test team. Left-arm paceman Starc (5-44) gave Australia a dream start by dismissing Dimuth Karunaratne for a golden duck after Mathews had won the toss and opted to bat on Galle's spin-friendly track. Kaushal Silva (five) also fell to an innocuous Starc delivery but Mendis and Perera staged a brilliant recovery, finding boundaries regularly during their century stand. Spinner Nathan Lyon denied Perera his half-century but runs kept flowing with Mathews dictating terms with clean hitting and decisive footwork against the spinners. The Sri Lanka captain also unfurled the reverse sweep against Lyon to collect a couple of boundaries. Starc dismissed Mendis to claim his 100th test wicket, ending the right-hander's 137-ball knock which included 10 fours and two sixes. PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - AUG 4 MOSCOW, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The following are some of the stories in Russia's newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. VEDOMOSTI www.vedomosti.ru - Russia's Accounts Chamber has again rapped the government's anti-crisis plan as "badly thought out and useless". - A court on Wednesday meted out an unprecedentedly severe sentence of 12.5 years in jail and a 60 million rouble ($903,320) fine to the former governor of Yaroslavl Region, Yevgeny Urlashov, known for his opposition views. He was accused for extorting a 18 million rouble ($270,996) bribe from a local businessman. KOMMERSANT www.kommersant.ru - Prosecutors may insist on the extension of Urlashov's jail term to 15 years from 12.5 years in case he fails to pay a 60 million rouble fine, the daily writes, adding that the former Yaroslavl governor was not given the right to plead for an early release from prison. - The Ministry of Communications, Rostelecom and the Institute of the Development of Internet will work on launching a protected internet messenger service for state officials and state-controlled companies. RBC www.rbc.ru - Russia's authorities have for the first time said how much they expect to get from selling a stake in the oil company Bashneft - $3 billion, which is 26 percent below its market price, the daily writes. - The former Yaroslavl governor, Yevgeny Urlashov, was handed a severe sentence as punishment for his refusal to collaborate with investigators and non-acceptance of guilt, the daily reports, quoting its source close to the Kremlin. - More than 30 percent of companies which supported United Russia last year with donations of more than one million roubles have received production orders from the state which generously exceeded their spending on the ruling party, the daily writes, citing Golos independent researchers. - Russia wants to see a predictable partner in the U.S. White House to withstand global challenges, as well as those at home, the daily writes. IZVESTIA www.izvestia.ru - Ukraine's breakaway republic of Donetsk is threatening Kiev with new large-scale military actions in the south of the country if the Ukrainian military continue shelling Donetsk's territory. - Rosnef chief Igor Sechin could file a suit against the opposition Novaya Gazeta paper, as well as the Dozhd television channel and some other mass media editions, for spreading slander about his private life. - Russia is ready to supply Iran with a second batch of its C-300 anti-aircraft systems upon receiving payment for the order, the daily says, referring to a meeting on the leaders of the two states in Baku scheduled for Aug 8. ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA www.rg.ru - The Justice Ministry has registered the pro-Kremlin military youth movement "Yunarmia" (The Young Army), which will become "the most mobile, the largest and most efficient military patriotic organization for children and young people in the country", according to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. - Russia's airlines are worried by the regular clashes of their planes with birds at takeoff and landing which lead to serious damages of the aircraftes, the daily writes, citing a Rosaviation report on at least 30 such accidents this year. - Russia's military have already received first samples of combat laser, the daily reports, citing Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov. Russia plans to create laser complexes to destroy spying appliances of the enemy in the air, the daily adds. Serco says on road to recovery, shares leap By Elisabeth O'Leary and Esha Vaish Aug 4 (Reuters) - British outsourcing firm Serco Group Plc raised its 2016 profit forecast for the second time this year and also said Britain's vote to leave the European Union could bring opportunities as well as costs. "The company is now well on its way to recovery. This is the first reporting period for years in which profit has gone up," Rupert Soames, Serco's Chief Executive Officer, told Reuters. Serco shares rose as much as 16 percent to 138 pence, making it the biggest gainer on London's FTSE 250 midcap index. The group which provides security, traffic, defence and education services for governments across the world, reported a 9 percent rise in underlying profit to 51 million pounds ($67.8 million) despite a 16 percent decline in revenues to 1.52 billion pounds in the first six months of the year. "There are a lot of one-offs (...) so we're not getting too carried away with it, but we are stabilising our relationship with customers and are rebuilding what is a supertanker," Soames said. Soames, a grandson of British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, took charge two years ago after a disastrous period of contract problems and scandals that strained the company's relations with the British government. Serco, which depends on the British government for roughly half of its revenues, cited slightly higher-than-expected cost savings for the improvement and the fall in the value of sterling. Its expectations for 2017 were, however, unchanged. "In our view, three upgrades in four months provides evidence that the group is being turned around," said analysts from broker Jefferies in a note to clients.. Serco said in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the EU the picture regarding government contracts and the economy was uncertain, potentially meaning more work being undertaken by the British government, citing areas such as immigration control. But the task of exiting the EU might also mean "the diversion of government's attention, and that of many of the country's most talented civil servants, away from domestic policy towards Brexit negotiations, (and) may slow the pace of domestic reform." Hong Kong shares join global market rebound on higher oil prices Aug 4 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares joined a global market rally as a rebound in oil prices improved risk appetites. The Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent, to 21,832.23, while the China Enterprises Index gained 0.3 percent, to 9,004.62 points. Most sectors rose, with energy shares leading the gain after oil prices bounced. Foreign "tourists" wounded in attack in western Afghanistan KABUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - At least four foreign "tourists" in Afghanistan were wounded on Thursday in an attack by gunmen on their convoy as it passed through western Herat province, an interior ministry spokesman said. Spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said he had no further details about their nationalities or further casualties. The convoy, escorted by security forces, was on its way from scenic Bamiyan province to the city of Herat in the west, he said. Afghanistan remains locked in a violent insurgency and sees few foreign tourists outside of relatively peaceful areas like Bamiyan, which is home to the country's first national park. Portugal's competition authority investigates EDP, Sonae LISBON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Portugal's competition authority has launched an investigation into an agreement between Energias de Portugal (EDP) and the Sonae group relating to sales of electricity, gas and food products. The authority has sent letters to EDP and Sonae, Portugal's largest food retailer, requesting an explanation of the agreement but said the launch of the investigation did not prejudge the result. The authority said in a statement it had contacted the companies "on suspicions of an agreement that restricted competition" for a period of two years that started in 2012. The investigation relates to discounts offered to consumers on food purchases who were clients of EDP. EDP said in a statement it had received the warning from the competition authority but that the authority had been aware of the scheme since it was launched, prompting "surprise at now being confronted with this accusation." EDP said it had received no queries from authorities when the scheme was launched and that other operators had adopted similar schemes. Sudan floods kill 76, destroy thousands of houses CAIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Floods and heavy rain in Sudan have killed 76 people and destroyed thousands of homes in recent days, the interior minister said on Thursday. Ismat Abdelrahman said 13 of Sudan's 18 provinces had been affected by flooding. The Nile is at its highest levels in more than a century, swollen by heavy rain in many parts of the East African country, according to the water and irrigation ministry. Interior ministry statistics showed downpours and flooding had completely destroyed 3,206 houses, and damaged 3,048 others in the eastern province of Kassala, one of the worst hit areas. U.S. designates Pakistan's Jamaat-ur-Ahrar a "terrorist group" ISLAMABAD, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The United States has added the Pakistani militant group Jamaat-ur-Ahrar to its list of global terrorists, triggering sanctions against a faction that has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities and soldiers. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for at least five major attacks in Pakistan since December, including the Easter Sunday bombing in a public park that killed 70 people in the city of Lahore. The group is a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban movement that has also declared loyalty to Islamic State's leadership in the Middle East. It also claimed responsibility for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the U.S. Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar in March. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has not commented on the designation that was announced by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. It means anyone who supports Jamaat-ur-Ahrar could have their assets frozen by the U.S. government. Pakistan welcomed the decision. "Pakistan has long pleaded to take concrete action against the TTP and their like who operate in Afghanistan, and they have planned and launched a number of attacks in Pakistan while operating from there," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria told a briefing, referring to the Pakistani Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban, allied with but separate from the Afghan Taliban, are fighting to topple the Islamabad government and install a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Pakistan has over the years backed militants opposed to its old rival India and governments in Afghanistan seen as pro-Indian. Pakistan says militants fighting it operate out of Afghanistan while Afghanistan says militants fighting it operate out of Pakistan. Turkey's Erdogan vows to cut off revenues of Gulen-linked businesses ISTANBUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday to cut off the revenues of businesses linked to the U.S.-based Turkish cleric he blames for masterminding a failed coup, describing his schools, businesses and charities as "nests of terrorism". Business was the arena in which the network of Fethullah Gulen was still the strongest, Erdogan said in a speech at the presidential palace broadcast live on television, vowing to show no mercy in a crackdown on the cleric's interests. Cobham seen facing battle to hit full-year targets By Sarah Young LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A 36-percent drop in first-half profit at Cobham has left the British aerospace and defence company needing a big improvement in the coming months to meet full-year targets, sending its shares down as much as 9 percent on Thursday. The company, which issued a profit warning in April, said it was confident of a second-half rebound. But analysts said there was no room for error. "There's a 70 percent second-half profit weighting, execution risks are high and there's new management coming," Liberum analyst Ben Bourne said. At 0930 GMT, Cobham shares were down 7.4 percent, after touching 152.9 pence, their lowest in more than a month. Cobham faces execution risks on some of its big programmes in U.S. defence like the KC-46 air-to-air refuelling system. New chief financial officer David Mellors, meanwhile, is due to succeed Simon Nicholls no later than Jan. 1 2017. The company launched a 500 million pound emergency rights issue in April after it was hit by delayed shipments in its Wireless communications business and due to lower demand from oil and mining customers for flying services in Australia. It posted trading profit of 102 million pounds ($136 million) for the six months ended June 30, in line with downgraded forecasts following the April profit warning. Analysts currently expect Cobham to post a full-year trading profit of 295 million pounds. CEO Bob Murphy said the company was on the mend. "We're pleased with the second quarter results. Given where we started the year it's a good recovery and positions us well for the full-year," he told reporters, adding: "We still have a lot of work to do in the second half." The company's difficult recent performance - the stock has lost over a third of its value since the beginning of the year against a 2 percent fall in Britain's midcap index - has prompted recent media reports that Murphy could be sacked. Philippine tycoon quits corporate post as Duterte vows to destroy "oligarchs" MANILA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Roberto Ongpin, one of the Philippines' richest men, resigned as chairman of a listed gaming company one day after President Rodrigo Duterte swore he would take down the country's "oligarchs" and singled out Ongpin as one of them. Shares in gaming cafe operator Philweb Corp, majority-owned by Ongpin, slumped as much as 50 pct in Manila trading on Thursday. The stock closed 37 percent lower. Ongpin has stepped down to focus on real estate projects developed by Alphaland Corp, also majority-owned by Ongpin, Philweb said on Thursday. (http://bit.ly/2azKWpJ) The tycoon was once a trade minister under disgraced former president Ferdinand Marcos, whose regime was characterised by widespread corruption, decadence and military brutality. Tycoons adds to a growing list of targets that Duterte is pursuing. The firebrand former prosecutor has said he will crack down on drug dealers, crime bosses, corrupt generals, business monopolies, online gambling and even Catholic priests. Japan's defence minister ducks questions on war aggression, Nanjing massacre By Tim Kelly TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Japan's new defence minister, known for her revisionist views of Japan's wartime actions, declined on Thursday to say whether Japan liberated or invaded Asian countries before World War Two or if Japanese troops massacred civilians in China. Tomomi Inada, a 57-year old ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker and close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, took up her post on Thursday, a day after being appointed. "Whether you would describe Japan's actions as an invasion depends on one's point of view. I don't think it is appropriate for me to comment" Inada said at a briefing at her ministry when asked repeatedly to clarify her views on wartime history. Her failure to condemn Japan's actions up to and during World War Two could anger neighbours, including China and South Korea, which have repeatedly called on Japan to apologise. China says Japanese troops killed 300,000 people in the city of Nanjing in 1937 while a post-war Allied tribunal put the death toll at about half that number. Some conservative Japanese politicians and academics deny that a massacre took place, or they put the toll much lower. "It's important for the facts to be looked at objectively," Inada said. She has called for a revamp of Japan's war-renouncing constitution to ease the constraints on the military operating overseas and has also been a regular visitor to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead that neighbours, including China and South Korea, see as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Visits to the shrine by political leaders infuriate China South Korea. When asked on Wednesday if she would visit it again ahead of the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in 1945, Inada declined to comment. Her predecessor at the ministry, Gen Nakatani, stayed away during his term. Inada, who was a lawyer before becoming a lawmaker in 2005, is known for a revisionist view of World War Two that plays down or denies atrocities by Japanese troops and paints its aggression as an act of liberation against colonial powers. She has also questioned whether Japan forced women from Korea and other countries into military brothels, In 2007, she supported a full page announcement in the Washington Post that the women had worked as licensed prostitutes. When asked at the briefing if her view on the issue had changed, Inada declined to comment. South Sudan security forces killed, raped civilians - UN GENEVA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Government security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gang raped women and girls during and after heavy fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers to take "urgent action" to halt violence in the world's newest state. "While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," Zeid said in a statement. "The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes." ZF submits rival bid for Sweden's Haldex, topping SAF-Holland offer By Johannes Hellstrom and Mia Shanley STOCKHOLM, Aug 4 (Reuters) - German automotive supplier ZF offered 4.4 billion crowns ($515 million) in cash for Swedish brake systems group Haldex on Thursday, topping an earlier bid by SAF-Holland. Haldex's board of directors said in a statement it had recommended its shareholders approve the ZF offer and reject SAF-Holland's July bid. Haldex shares, which had been trading far above SAF-Holland's 4.2 billion crown bid made on July 14, rose as much as 1.7 percent to 106 crowns on Thursday. That put the shares firmly above ZF's 100 crown per share offer - a sign that market players expected a still higher bid. At 1007 GMT, Haldex shares were down 0.2 percent at 104 crowns. "We have taken note of the offer," SAF-Holland said on Thursday, offering no further comment. SAF-Holland's shares were up nearly 3 percent in Frankfurt. ZF said Haldex chairman Goran Carlson, one of the Swedish firm's largest owners with 5.7 percent of shares, had agreed to accept the offer unless a higher bid comes. AFA Forsakring and Didner & Gerge Fonder, both among Haldex's three largest owners, could not immediately be reached for a comment. Haldex said in July it had been approached by two suitors including SAF-Holland, but did not name ZF at the time. ZF, which acquired TRW Automotive last year, said Haldex's brakes and air suspensions business would fit well into its portfolio. "We believe that our businesses are truly complementary and that a combination will offer unique value for all stakeholders. We are confident that we will be able to continue to develop Haldex's market position under ZF ownership," ZF CEO Stefan Sommer said in a statement. ZF also said it planned to invest in Haldex, not cut costs. Haldex, giving the rationale for recommending the ZF offer, said it had considered risks associated with operating in a highly competitive automotive market with tight margins. "Because of its relatively small size, Haldex is more exposed to these risks than other larger players in the market," it said in a statement. ZF has a global workforce of around 138,300 in some 40 countries and reported sales of 29.2 billion euros in 2015. Haldex, a leading supplier of brake adjusters, has 2,200 employees in 18 countries. ZF's cash offer represented a premium of 17.3 percent compared to Haldex's closing price of SEK 85.25 on July 13, the last trading day before SAF-Holland's offer. That compares with recent deals such as Finland's Scanfil , which paid a 27 percent premium for Sweden's Partnertech last year. Premiums in initial offers for metal-powder maker Hoganas and humidity control firm Munters were 17 percent and 30 percent respectively. Both ended up being bought out at a higher price. The acceptance period will start on August 22 and expire on or around September 30. DONG Energy disappoints with first results since IPO By Teis Jensen Aug 4 (Reuters) - Danish group DONG Energy's maiden results as a listed company failed to live up to market expectations due to low wind levels and weak oil and power prices, sending its shares down by as much as 4.2 percent. The leading European offshore wind farm developer, power utility and oil and gas producer reported a 19 percent rise in first-half earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to 12.4 billion Danish crowns ($1.86 billion), undershooting the 13 billion expected by analysts in a Reuters poll. The wind power unit, seen as its future growth driver, boosted core earnings by almost 70 percent to 5.2 billion crowns, but the result fell short of the 5.7 billion crowns expected by analysts. Light winds and technical challenges in Germany and Britain dented the wind power division's performance, analyst Morten Imsgard from Sydbank said. On the positive side DONG won a tender last month to build two large wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands by promising to produce electricity at a record-low price for offshore wind farms. DONG said it could produce electricity at 72.7 euros per megawatt hour at the two farms, vastly exceeding its own target of 100 euros per megawatt hour by 2020, set four years ago. "We have made more progress, faster, in terms of reducing the cost of offshore wind than we had dared to expect when we set the target four years ago," Chief Executive Henrik Poulsen said on a conference call with reporters. Making offshore wind power cheaper is crucial to the technology's long-term viability. "In the last two to three years in particular we have seen tremendous progress in terms of bringing down the cost of electricity," Poulsen said. "We expect this downwards trend to continue". Poulsen said he did not expect Britain's decision to leave the European Union would cause fundamental changes to the country's commitment to offshore wind projects but it had increased currency exchange risks given DONG's large investments in the country. DONG's exposure to sterling currently amounts to 16 billion Danish crowns (1.8 billion pounds) after hedging up to the end of 2021. The Danish crown is pegged to the euro which has strengthened significantly since Britain's June 23 election. DONG's shares were down 3 percent at 273 crowns by 1026 GMT, still 16 percent above their flotation price. Bangladesh seeks to detain two over July cafe attack that killed 20 DHAKA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Police in Bangladesh will bring to court on Thursday two men held over their suspected involvement in an attack claimed by militant group Islamic State on a cafe in the capital, Dhaka, that killed 20 hostages, mostly foreigners. Gunmen stormed the cafe last month in one of the most brazen attacks in the South Asian nation's history, killing non-Muslims and foreigners - including Italians, Japanese and an American - before security forces ended the 12-hour siege. Police said they had arrested Hasnat Karim, who has dual British and Bangladeshi citizenship, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student of Toronto University, over the July 1 attack. "Both of them were arrested on Wednesday night from two separate places," Masudur Rahman, a Dhaka police official, told reporters. "Today they will be produced in the court and police will seek a 10-day remand to interrogate them," he added. The police assertion of arrests at different sites appeared to run counter to relatives' statements that the men were held at unknown locations after the attack and denied access to a lawyer. "Hasnat Karim is innocent and should be released immediately," his London-based lawyer, Rodney Dixon, told Reuters, adding that Karim had not been charged with any crime. "He has no links to any terrorist group or organisation." Both were guests at the Holey Artisan Bakery at the time of the attack and their subsequent detention has been criticised by rights group Amnesty International as denying them their fundamental right to legal representation. The formal arrests take to seven the tally for the cafe attack, which the government blames on local militants, along with another, on July 26, in which police killed nine militants believed to be plotting a similar assault. The government has dismissed suggestions that Islamic State has a presence in Bangladesh. Karim and Khan were among 32 survivors rescued by police and taken into custody for questioning. Even after police released the rest, however, the two men's families said they had not returned. Karim was at the cafe with his family to celebrate his daughter's 13th birthday while Khan's family said he was there with two friends. "The authorities have finally admitted that Mr Karim is in their custody," Dixon said in a statement. "They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries. There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be let go without any further delay." No comment was immediately available from Khan's family or representative. Canada's BCE profit beats on wireless, shares gain By Alastair Sharp TORONTO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - BCE Inc, Canada's largest telecommunications company, reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday as it added more wireless subscribers who also paid more for service, while its internet and television growth slowed. Shares rose 0.7 percent to C$62.25 in early trading. "Wireless was strong, wireline was somewhat weak," said Maher Yaghi, an analyst at Desjardins, pointing to pressure from business accounts that cut into fixed-line revenue. "The ship is definitely moving in the right direction." Bell, as the company is known to customers, competes for wireless market share with national rivals Rogers Communications Inc and Telus Corp and smaller regional players. The company added a net 69,848 postpaid wireless customers in the second quarter, up from 61,033 a year earlier. Rogers said two weeks ago that it added 65,000 such customers in the same period. Telus reports results on Friday. Bell's fixed-line business weighed as it signed up fewer new television customers than expected, partly due to competitive pressure and economic headwinds. The Montreal-based company, which is rolling out a major upgrade to its fixed-line network, said it decided not to match aggressive fixed-line promotions in Toronto, Canada's largest city. Bell in May agreed to buy Manitoba Telecom Services Inc for about C$3.1 billion to expand its services in the western Canadian province. The deal has won approval from both sets of shareholders and a provincial court, but still needs a nod from the country's competition watchdog, its telecom regulator, and the federal government. Bell expects to close the deal in late 2016 or early 2017. BCE's blended average revenue per user increased 2.9 percent to C$64.32, helped by a larger proportion of two-year contracts, a higher postpaid smartphone subscriber mix, and increased wireless data usage. The company said it was on track to meet its 2016 forecast. BCE's net income attributable to shareholders rose 2.5 percent to C$778 million ($597 million) in the second quarter, from C$759 million a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 94 Canadian cents per share. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 91 Canadian cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Operating revenue rose marginally to C$5.34 billion. Tajikistan hands jail terms to 170 people after attempted coup DUSHANBE, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Tajikistan has meted out jail terms to 170 people convicted of complicity in an armed attempt by a deputy defence minister to topple President Imomali Rakhmon last September, the chief Tajik prosecutor said on Thursday. "We gathered incontrovertible evidence proving their guilt," Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rakhmon told a news conference. The group's members were jailed for between one and 30 years for crimes including murder and membership of a criminal group, he said. General Abdukhalim Nazarzoda, the rebellious deputy defence minister, was killed with 15 other plotters after a 12-day special operation by security forces following the attempted coup, which risked stoking fresh tension in the unstable ex-Soviet state that lived through a fierce civil war in 1992-97. President Rakhmon, a 63-year-old former head of a Soviet cotton farm, who has been head of state since 1992 and Tajikistan's president since 1994, keeps a tight lid on dissent. He will be able to run for an unlimited number of terms after a series of constitutional amendments were backed in a referendum in May. The authorities closed the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) after they suppressed the rebellion, accusing it of backing the renegade general and leading IRPT leader Muhiddin Kabiri to flee abroad. "Kabiri has been declared internationally wanted," said prosecutor Rakhmon. "If he is detained, we will seek his extradition. He is accused of financing and organising the attempted military coup." China joins Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan in security alliance BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) - China is to set up an anti-terrorism alliance with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, state media said on Thursday, as it seeks to boost coordination with neighbours to tackle what it says is a growing domestic militant threat. Fang Fenghui, a member of the powerful Central Military Commission which controls China's armed forces, hosted a meeting with his counterparts on Wednesday in Urumqi, capital of the western Xinjiang region, where officials say they are battling Islamist militants. The four countries recognised the serious threat of terrorism and extremism to regional stability, the official Xinhua news agency said, and they agreed to set up a "four-country mechanism" for intelligence sharing and training. "All parties reaffirmed they will cooperate to respond to these forces, and safeguard all member countries' peace and stability," Xinhua said. Afghan army chief of general staff, General Qadam Shah Shaheem, Pakistani army chief General Raheel Sharif, and the Chief of General Staff of the Tajikistan armed forces, Major General E. A. Cobidrzoda, took part in the talks, the news agency said. The meeting comes after China's defence minister this week thanked Afghanistan's Shaheem for support in fighting the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) an Islamist group that China says wants to set up a separate state in Xinjiang. China did not elaborate on the help it got. China has long been concerned that instability in Afghanistan will spill over into violence-prone Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people, where hundreds of people have died in recent years in unrest Beijing blames on extremists. The United States and the United Nations have listed ETIM as a terrorist group, though some experts have questioned its cohesiveness and say China's policies in Xinjiang have contributed to unrest. China denies that its policies stoke tension in Xinjiang or motivate Uighurs to join Islamic State militants, though it acknowledges some have gone to Syria and Iraq to join the group. China is also working with Pakistan and the United States to broker peace talks to end a Taliban insurgency that has raged for 15 years in Afghanistan. That effort never got beyond exploratory talks and appeared to break down completely when Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in May. Sources in the Taliban told Reuters that a Taliban delegation visited China in July, though Chinese officials have not confirmed it. Mali's banks woo clients with hire-purchase solar power kits By Soumaila T. Diarra BAMAKO, Aug 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Residents of Mali's capital, Bamako, and surrounding areas will find it easier to switch on power in their homes thanks to local banks that have begun offering credit to buy solar energy equipment. The government's Agency of Renewable Energies (Agence des energies renouvelables - AER), which is leading the project, says requests for the hire-purchase solar kits are coming in thick and fast. "This project matches international climate debate priorities," said the agency's director-general, Souleymane Berthe, noting that a boost in clean energy use would help Mali curb its planet-warming emissions. Berthe thinks solar power can offer a solution to Malians' electricity problems, providing them with power in their homes - and there is no need to wait until the billions of dollars in international assistance promised at U.N. climate change negotiations are flowing more freely. "We have to find internal resources to fund local, clean development before the resources donors announced... arrive," he said. Berthe said the Mali loan programme, intended to jump-start household use of solar power, may qualify to sell carbon credits under the United Nations' Clean Development Mechanism, but has yet to apply. "One of the advantages of renewable energy loans is offering cheaper electricity to households," said Aminata Fofana, an advisor to Mali's energy minister. The Malian government signed agreements with 10 local banks in June to offer solar systems approved by AER experts to customers on credit. "If a bank can allow me to pay for a solar energy kit over time, I won't hesitate to request a loan," said high-school teacher Aguibou Samake, 39. AFFORDABLE ENERGY Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, with around half its population living on less than $1.25 a day, according to U.N. data. That means most families cannot afford a solar energy kit - including solar panels, batteries and lights - which can cost as much as $1,000 upfront. "The cost of initial investment discourages many wanting to shift to solar energy," Berthe said. More than 100 kits have been sold under the new programme so far, he added. Each customer will pay back 500,000 CFA francs (around $848), according to a schedule set by the bank. Gaoussou Mariko, administrative secretary of the Mali bankers' association, believes the scheme is set for success after attracting the participation of 10 banks in just one day. "I don't remember a product having been accepted like that before," he said. In late June, bank staff received training in how to promote the new solar systems. "If you want to sell a product, you need to know it first," said Mariko. Interested clients register at their bank, which purchases the solar kits from a local business approved by government experts. LARGE-SCALE SOLAR Many Malians, like teacher Samake, complain about regular power cuts, as the national energy company, Energie du Mali (EDM), is unable to meet the country's electricity needs. In the past five or six years, power cuts have become frequent in periods when the sun shines most, especially from March to May, as demand rises, Samake noted. "There is a paradox," he said. "Why didn't the authorities invest earlier in solar energy development?" In the past few years, EDM has begun to add solar power capacity to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, which provide around half the West African nation's power and can be costly due to volatile prices on international markets. The other half comes from renewable energies, including hydroelectric dams. Since 2011, EDM has established five hybrid solar power plants in rural areas to supply local mini-grids. Government advisor Fofana said the country is also building two large-scale solar power plants to feed into the national grid. They include one in the central region of Segou which is slated to be among West Africa's first utility-scale solar plants. The $58-million Segou plant is being financed mainly by the World Bank and other donors, and has planned capacity of 33 megawatts. It is expected to cover 5 percent of Mali's electricity needs, while reducing EDM's carbon emissions by 46,000 tonnes per year. Goldman Sachs says Brexit could adversely affect operations Aug 4 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc said on Thursday that Britain's vote to leave the European Union may adversely affect some of its operations in the EU and could require the bank to restructure some of its businesses. Brexit will also likely change arrangements by which firms in the United Kingdom are able to provide services in the EU, which may adversely affect the way the bank conducts certain operations, the bank said in regulatory filing. Goldman, which did not break down its exposure to the EU or the UK, said the timing and outcome of Brexit negotiations were highly uncertain. (http://bit.ly/2aCkUzz) The bank also raised the upper end of its estimate of legal losses it may face beyond what it has set aside to $2 billion from the $1.9 billion it estimated in the preceding quarter. In other filings this week, Bank of America Corp also said its businesses and results could be adversely affected by Brexit and that it may incur additional costs if its UK entities found that their ability to conduct business in the bloc was limited. However, JPMorgan Chase & Co said it did not believe that any likely scenario from Brexit would threaten the viability of its business units or its ability to serve clients in the EU and the UK. Tropical Storm Earl batters buildings in Belize, heads for Mexico By Henry Romero and Manuel Carrillo BELIZE CITY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Earl whipped Belize and Mexico's Caribbean coast with wind and heavy rain, battering cars, disrupting transportation and forcing hundreds into shelters as it moved through Guatemala toward southeastern Mexico on Thursday. Some flights to the Mexican seaside resort Chetumal and from the city of Campeche were canceled due to Earl, which smashed car windows and punched holes in the roofs of Belize City's wooden houses, downed trees and flooded parts of the coastline. "It was a whole lot scarier than I thought," said Philip Gray, a church member from Birmingham, Alabama, who was staying in Belize City. "The wind was very, very strong, we saw the air conditioners on the roof coming apart ... so very dangerous." Earl had been designated a hurricane overnight, but rapidly weakened over high ground as dawn broke on Thursday, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a statement. The storm was dumping heavy rains on parts of Central America and southeast Mexico, the NHC said. Mexico's government ended storm warnings, and floods or landslides were considered the main risk going forward. At 1800 GMT, Earl was producing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (72 km per hour), and was some 140 miles (225 km) southeast of the Mexican port of Ciudad del Carmen. Hundreds of people were sheltered in Belize City and parts of Honduras overnight, local authorities said. The damage to Belize City was concentrated in impoverished areas, and residents were seen early in the day attempting repairs amid the flood waters. Some 35 families were evacuated from the southern part of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, chiefly in Banco Chinchorro, an atoll off the coast from Chetumal, Pedro Santos, a local emergency services official, said by telephone. Mexican airline Interjet canceled six flights to and from Chetumal on Wednesday and Thursday. The airline TAR said it had called off some flights from Campeche. Earl is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression later Thursday, the NHC said. Mexican national oil company Pemex said on Wednesday night it was monitoring Earl but had not evacuated workers at oil platforms concentrated in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Poor French wheat yields to dent EU crop as rain hampers harvest By Gus Trompiz PARIS, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The smallest French wheat harvest in at least a decade is set to push European Union production down sharply from last year's record, while persistent rain is also raising the risk of lower quality in some major wheat belts, analysts and traders said. Rain delays mean it is still too early to call the overall size and quality of the EU crop. But the plunge in French output should leave EU soft wheat output well shy of last year's record 151 million tonnes, despite bumper yields in eastern states such as Romania and Bulgaria. "When you look at the EU harvest, volumes are going to be most affected in the west," Pierre Begoc of consultancy Agritel said. "In France, the situation has continued to deteriorate." Plummeting yields in France, by far the EU's biggest wheat producer and exporter, have led to a growing consensus that soft wheat output will only reach 28-30 million tonnes, the lowest since at least 2003 and down more than a quarter from last year's record. Repeated rainfall has held up harvesting northern France but poor initial yields there have contributed to further downward revisions. Consultancy ODA Groupe this week cut its estimate by 2.2 million tonnes to 28.2 million, a 28-year low. In late spring, torrential rain, unusually low sunshine levels and widespread plant disease hampered growth of wheat grains and led to low readings for specific weights, a measure of the milling quality of wheat, analysts say. In Germany, winter wheat yields could fall 10 to 20 percent from last year, although rain delays meant only one third of the crop had been gathered so far, the Association of German Farmers said on Wednesday. "The repeated harvest interruptions means that such a small area has been gathered that no serious estimates can be made of the national yield," an association spokeswoman said. As in Germany, rain was raising concerns about quality downgrades to wheat crops in Poland. "Based on early reports, it is likely that the share of milling wheat in total wheat output will be smaller than last year. Expected unstable weather in the next two weeks may further deteriorate grain quality parameters," said Wojtek Sabaranski of analysts Sparks Polska. Sparks Polska forecasts Poland's wheat crop at 10.7 million tonnes, down 10 percent from 2015. Britain is expected to see a sharp fall in wheat production due to adverse weather and a smaller area, although harvesting was only just getting underway. "After a wet spring leading to high disease pressure and a lack of sunshine in June followed by a flash heatwave mid-July, UK crops suffered greatly in the most critical grain filling stages," analysts CRM AgriCommodities said this week. CRM AgriCommodities is forecasting a UK wheat crop of between 14.5 and 14.7 million tonnes, down from last season's 16.4 million. Greece rescues 70 migrants at sea off Lesbos ATHENS, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Greece on Thursday rescued 70 migrants at sea, the largest single influx from neighbouring Turkey since a failed coup there last month, authorities said. Refugee and migrant arrivals to Greek islands from Turkey, running into the thousands daily this time a year ago, have largely ebbed after a deal between Ankara and the European Union in March to stem the flow of people, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. The Greek coastguard picked up 67 people on board a dinghy off the island of Lesbos, while another three were plucked to safety after falling into the water. "There was a boat with 70 people on board in distress," a coastguard official told Reuters. On Wednesday, the Greek coastguard picked up 38 people from a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel in the southern Peloponnese, off the town of Githeon. Hundreds of thousands of refugees entered Greece by crossing the narrow sea corridor between Lesbos and the Turkish shores last year. Since March, arrivals have fallen sharply. Greece's Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said on Wednesday the deal with Turkey was largely holding, though Athens was watching developments in the neighbouring country with some concern. Asked what would happen if the deal with Turkey collapses, he told Greece's Skai TV on Thursday: "If we assume the flow resumes, we will be sorely tested. No country is in a position to handle such flows." Myanmar military relaxes stance on rebels barred from peace talks By Wa Lone Aug 4 (Reuters) - Three ethnic armed groups excluded from Myanmar's peace process will no longer be required to surrender, prior to joining the talks, a Myanmar military negotiator said on Thursday, a softening of the armed forces' tone towards the insurgents. Fighting on the eastern border with China last year pitted the military against the predominantly ethnic Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and its allies, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA). Until now, the military has demanded that the three groups disarm before being allowed to join peace negotiations that include other Myanmar ethnic armed organizations. But the army has relaxed that demand after the groups have shown "they really wanted peace", Khin Zaw Oo, a member of the Myanmar Peace Commission, told Reuters in an interview. "Previously, we made the exact demand that they lay down their arms if they wanted to get involved in the peace process - they have found that difficult to accept," said the retired lieutenant general, who is due to meet the armed groups soon. Instead, he added, the army now wants the rebels to issue a statement "showing their political willingness to abandon their weapons". Khin Zaw Oo declined to say exactly what this would entail, however. "It does not mean surrender, they just have to show their desire and willingness," he said. "Because we want all of them to be included. That's why we relaxed that previous condition. We agreed to solve their difficulty to comply with our demand." Khin Zaw Oo and two members of the peace panel will meet the groups "very soon" to discuss conditions for their participation in a nation-wide peace conference planned for the end of August. The decision to meet the groups and potentially invite them to join nationwide ceasefire negotiations is a departure in the stance of the armed forces, which have so far flatly refused to recognize them as legitimate parties in talks. The army and government leader Aung San Suu Kyi share the same goal of ending the armed conflict before the next elections in 2020, Khin Zaw Oo said. U.N. hopeful of humanitarian pause in Aleppo fighting By Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Thursday that intensive diplomacy was going on to try to agree a humanitarian pause in the fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo, and it hoped to see an agreement for a comprehensive humanitarian plan in the next few days. The battle for eastern Aleppo, pitting besieged rebels against Syrian, Russian and Iranian-backed forces, has erupted amid a diplomatic vacuum and no sign of a breakthrough in a U.S.-Russian efforts for a deal to unlock a new round of peace talks. "There is still time, we cannot give up hope. Bear with us and I think in next few days there might be some movement," U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy told reporters in Geneva. Ramzy said U.S.-Russian negotiations were ongoing and the United Nations was still committed to its goal of holding a new round of talks between the Syrian government and opposition towards the end of August. The United States and Russia were in intensive discussions to "shore up" Syria's collapsed nationwide truce and their military experts were still trying to agree a cooperation plan "that would unlock the entire solution", Ramzy said. "We continue to believe that no one has an interest in further escalating the military situation in Aleppo in a way that would impede humanitarian aid and also impede chances of political settlement," he said. "We need to do something about Aleppo and very quickly. There is still a chance for that in the next days." He was speaking after a weekly meeting of the Syria humanitarian taskforce, and a week after Russia wrongfooted the U.N. by unveiling a plan for humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of Aleppo's civilians. "We are in intensive discussions with the Russian Federation and the government of Syria to ensure that the civilian population in Aleppo is protected and that standards of international humanitarian law are respected in any operation of humanitarian assistance," Ramzy said. U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said Russia's proposal was limited and said the U.N. was ready with a much more comprehensive operation to take aid to the 250,000 civilians blockaded inside eastern Aleppo and to evacuate those who wanted to leave, including the wounded. "There two sides, and at times many sides that need to subscribe to a pause in the fighting, we are hopeful, we think it can happen and are ready to use it," Egeland said. Ukraine rejects Russia's proposed ambassador to Kiev KIEV, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Ukraine has rejected Russia's proposed candidate for its next ambassador to Kiev, a senior Ukrainian foreign ministry official said. Mikhail Zurabov, who was Moscow's envoy in Kiev during anti-Russian street protests, Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its involvement in the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, stepped down in July. The Kremlin has proposed Mikhail Babich, who has held a number of senior official posts in Russia including with the FSB security service, but Ukrainian foreign ministry official Olena Zerkal said Kiev had decided not to consider the proposal. "The way it was proposed, it has been removed from the agenda," she said in a televised interview on channel 5 on Wednesday, without giving further detail on why the candidate was rejected. "I think this will not have any sort of impact. What's more, the role of the former ambassador in building normal relations was completely minimal," she said. In remarks to news agency Interfax Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said the rejection was "not a question of the candidates or anything concrete, but about creating a positive dynamic in what's happening within the context of Russian aggression." Ukraine replaced its own ambassador to Moscow with a temporary representative in 2014 following the collapse in relations between the former allies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it would continue to offer Babich as a potential ambassador to Ukraine. "However, if the Ukrainian side takes a decision to lower the level of our diplomatic relations and considers this reduced mode of diplomatic relations to be appropriate - that's the decision of the Ukrainian side," he told journalists. Kiev and NATO accuse Russia of supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine with troops and weapons, fuelling a conflict that has killed over 9,400. The Kremlin denies involvement. Senegalese maid in Saudi Arabia could face death penalty after murder charge By Nellie Peyton DAKAR, Aug 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Human rights activists on Thursday demanded clemency for a Senegalese maid who was trafficked to Saudi Arabia and may face the death penalty after being charged with killing her employer. Mbayang Diop, 22, was arrested in June, weeks after arriving in the world's largest oil exporter, and accused of stabbing her employer to death in the capital of Riyadh, rights groups said. Senegalese civil society groups say Diop may have killed the woman she worked for in self-defence after a dispute, and that the Saudi authorities had not properly investigated the case. On Wednesday, the Senegalese ambassador to Saudi Arabia visited Diop in prison in the eastern city of Dammam to provide assistance, Senegal's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Saudi embassy in Dakar was not immediately available to comment on the case. Diop left Dakar without telling her family, having been approached and offered work as a maid, said her brother, Fallou. "If she had consulted us, we would have told her not to go," he said, explaining how other women from their neighbourhood in Dakar had also moved to Saudi Arabia with the promise of work. "She said she couldn't rest - that the work was very hard." Diop, who is in jail awaiting trial, is one of a growing number of Senegalese women heading to the Middle East for domestic work, lured by the prospect of a salary and a chance to escape joblessness at home, according to Amnesty International. But many have their passports confiscated by their employers and face abuse, said Amnesty's regional director Alioune Tine. "These women are of victims of violence and rape ... they are at the mercy of their employer, they are the property of their employer," Tine told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "They are the victims of a system of modern slavery." CRACKDOWN Diop has not yet seen a lawyer, appeared in court or entered a plea to the charge of murder, which is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, said Bara Gaye, the mayor of Yeumbeul, a suburb on the outskirts of Dakar that is home to Diop's family. Senegal's foreign minister Mankeur Ndiaye described Diop last week as "a victim like many others", and said the West African nation's government would crack down on traffickers. Traditionally, domestic workers in the Gulf have come from Asia but the number of African migrants is increasing, driven by the lack of opportunities at home, human rights activists say. Women are often trafficked to Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest employers of domestic workers, and forced into domestic servitude, said the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which grades countries on their anti-slavery efforts. Civil society groups and protesters this week gathered in central Dakar to demand clemency for Diop. Boubacar Seye, head of migrant rights group Horizon Sans Frontieres, called for an investigation into the case, saying none had taken place so far. Cyprus to deport Austrian with 'terror' links - official ATHENS, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Cyprus will deport a "radicalised" Austrian man suspected of being a security risk by Interpol, authorities said on Thursday. The 28-year-old man was detained on Wednesday at a checkpoint in the capital Nicosia in an area straddling a ceasefire line dividing the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The man, whom police sources said was travelling alone, was crossing from the Turkish to the Greek side when he was stopped by Greek Cypriot police for a routine passport check. "His name was on a list of suspects for terrorism," said Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, who said the man had been "radicalised". The man would be deported to Austria, Nicolaou said. Poland's Interpol branch had the man on a suspect list. The man, who has not been charged or identified, told authorities he was planning to visit an Islamic shrine on the south coast of Cyprus. Thousands of people, including tourists, use Cyprus's checkpoints to cross daily from one side to the other. The crossing where the man was stopped is one of the busiest. Authorities on both sides have beefed up passport checks in the past year. Kazakh court orders release on parole of opposition activist Kozlov ALMATY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A court in Kazakhstan on Thursday ordered the release on parole of opposition activist Vladimir Kozlov, his lawyer said, after spending nearly five years in jail accused of participating in a failed attempt to overthrow the government. Kozlov, a vocal critic of autocratic Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in October 2012 after being found guilty of trying to rally striking oil workers into toppling the government. This was followed by rioting in December 2011 in which 15 people were killed, violence that dented the Central Asian state's reputation for political stability. Foreign oil majors are heavily invested in Kazakhstan's oil industry and the country has an annual output of around 80 million tonnes of crude. Kozlov denied the charges and denounced his trial as politically motivated, an accusation echoed by the United States and human rights bodies abroad. "The plea to release him on parole was approved by the town court of Kapchagai today," Kozlov's lawyer Aiman Umarova told Reuters. "If this decision is not appealed against, it will come into force in 15 days," she said. The 2011 riots in Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan's west were the biggest challenge to Nazarbayev since he took power in 1989. Azhar and Aslam put Pakistan in control BIRMINGHAM, England, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Azhar Ali's patient century lifted Pakistan to 257 for three and a dominant position on the second day of the third test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday. Replying to the home team's 297 all out, Azhar shared a second-wicket partnership of 181 with Sami Aslam on the way to an excellent knock of 139 as England endured a frustrating day in the field. Aslam was run out for 82 after being called for a quick single by Azhar who was dropped twice before completing his 10th test century. "It was a hard-working day," said Azhar. "You come to England wanting to perform in English conditions so there's always something to prove here. "I'm really pleased with the hundred I got. England bowlers don't give you easy runs." The hosts made an early breakthrough with the fourth ball of the day when Mohammad Hafeez cut James Anderson straight to Gary Ballance at point and was out for a duck. Anderson induced a rash stroke from Azhar shortly after lunch but Joe Root spilled a difficult catch at second slip and England's anxiety increased. MAIDEN FIFTY Azhar, also dropped by Moeen Ali off his own bowling, drove Steven Finn off the back foot for three to bring up his 21st test half century and Aslam, 20, swept spinner Moeen for four to reach his maiden test fifty in his third match. Azhar got to three figures by gloving a Stuart Broad bouncer to the fine leg boundary, celebrating the milestone with 10 press-ups. He continued to punish the England attack, hitting a total of 15 fours and one six, before edging the last ball of the day from Chris Woakes to Alastair Cook at first slip. Younus Khan was unbeaten on 21 at the close. Paceman Anderson said he had apologised to the umpires after showing dissent when he was warned for running down the wicket. "I've always had a bit of an issue running down the wicket ... and I probably got a bit out of order with the umpires there," he said. "I would rather have that competitiveness but I also want to play in the spirit of the game." South Africa's ANC loses in Zuma's scandal-tinged hometown JOHANNESBURG, Aug 4 (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) failed to take control of President Jacob Zuma's hometown of Nkandla, local election results showed on Thursday, a symbolic blow to the scandal-tinged Zuma. Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home in Nkandla, located in a poverty-stricken rural area of Kwa-Zulu Natal province. "Nkandla" has become a household word in South Africa that is almost synonymous with graft. The loss, in local polls that are the sternest test the ANC has faced since the end of apartheid in 1994, will also smart because it was at the hands of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a Zulu nationalist party, which widened its tally in the area to 54 percent from 46 percent in 2011. The ruling party garnered 44 percent. Zuma, a traditional Zulu with four wives and an earthy style, has helped deliver the Zulu vote in the province for the ANC in elections, and cast his own vote in the area on Wednesday. U.S. troubled by Venezuela's failure to embrace dialogue BUENOS AIRES, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The United States is deeply concerned about Venezuela's failure to embrace a robust dialogue to address its political crisis, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday. Refugee crowned "wine queen", as German tradition evolves TRIER, Germany Aug 4 (Reuters) - A Syrian refugee has been crowned "wine queen" in Germany, winning a traditional annual honour that used to go to local young women from wine-growing families. Winemakers in the Mosel region selected the 26-year-old Ninorta Bahno to counter growing resentment in Germany against refugees after some 1 million arrived last year. Many wine-producing regions in Germany pick a wine queen each year, a practice that dates back to the early 20th century when they would wear folksy dirndl dresses and embody the traditional image of German womanhood. Taking to the podium at a wine festival in Trier in a sleevless peach-colour dress and her long black hair topped by a tiara, Bahno, who fled the Syrian war three years ago with her sister, cut a very different figure. Adressing wine fans in the western Germany city, she thanked them "for taking me in" and said she hoped her coronation would enhearten other refugees who are finding it hard to adjust to life in Germany. "I know that as a refugee it is very difficult at first to integrate in a new country. First you have to understand the laws and traditions here, and then you have to practise them," she said. "Therefore I want to be an 'ambassador' so that I can put this into practise and integrate here in Germany, and for the other refugees." As wine queen, Bahno, who is training for a job at an employment office, will help publicise wine from four Mosel vinyards. As a Christian, rather than a Muslim like the majority of Syrians, she has not had to overcome a taboo on drinking alcohol, an activity most Germans see as important to their culture. "You have to have a bit of courage to ask one of the refugees. I wanted to send a message by doing that," Peter Terg, chairman of the Trier-Olewig wine-growers association, said. EU's Juncker rejects Austria's push to freeze Turkey accession talks BERLIN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published on Thursday that it would be counterproductive to freeze accession talks with Turkey, rejecting a push by Austria to halt membership talks. Juncker told German public broadcaster ARD that Turkey is currently unfit to become a member of the European Union, in comments that could further strain relations between Ankara and the bloc it is seeking to join after a failed military coup. "Turkey, in the state it is currently in, cannot become a member of the European Union," Juncker told ARD in Brussels. "And certainly not if it reintroduces the death penalty as some are demanding." Friday night in downtown Carlisle is going to be eventful, to say the least. For the third year in a row, a Welcome Jam for incoming U.S. Army War College families will be held in unison with First Fridays Restaurant Walk. The Welcome Jam takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday. We have the War College families coming to town and we always want to do something where were able to showcase the town, said Glenn White, executive director of the Downtown Carlisle Association. This is a town with a lot of family-run businesses, so being able to incorporate a welcoming hospitality event for the War College families along with First Friday is one way were able to combine resources. White said that the Downtown Carlisle Association has a great working relationship with the War College and both sides look forward to the opportunity afforded incoming residents in getting to know the borough more intimately with all of the exposure through the events. Tom Zimmerman, public affairs officer at the Carlisle Barracks, aid War College students have told him in the past how helpful the Welcome Jam is and that they always appreciate the community doing it in such a nice, low pressure way. Its a great opportunity for students and families to walk around downtown and see whats going on and meet their new neighbors and a way for the downtown folks to welcome our students and families, Zimmerman added. Festivities Friday include live music from Grumpy Old Men from 7-9 p.m. at the Veterans Courtyard on the Square; horse and carriage rides from Benchfield Farms. St. Paul Lutheran Church at 201 West Louther Street will hold a Rock the Block event from 6:308:30 p.m. to wrap up their Vacation Bible School program, with a food truck on site as well as music, activities, and games for children. Participating businesses in Fridays events (listed on the DCA website) include: Lilis Place; Castlerigg Wine Shop; 2nd Time Around; Molly Pitcher Brewing Company; American Artisan Gallery; Resonate Church at Nancy Stamms; Bosler Library; the greatest gift; Marjories Gems; the clothesVine; American Legion Post 101; Coles Bicycle Shop; Tutto Bambino; Market Cross Pub & Brewery; Artist Market on Pomfret; Southside Deli; Harmony Society; Whistlestop Book Shop; Carlisle Theatre; Georgie Lous Retro Candy; Helenas Chocolate Cafe and Creperie; History on High The Shop; Carlisle Arts Learning Center; Pat Craig Studios; First Presbyterian Church; 1794 Whiskey Rebellion inside of Comfort Suites; Carlisle Bakery; and Yoga at Simply Well Chevron to sell Asia assets worth up to $5 bln-WSJ Aug 4 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp, the second-largest U.S. oil company, is planning to sell certain assets in Asia worth up to $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The company is set to start selling its offshore China assets in August, the Journal reported on Thursday. Chevron's stake in an offshore oil field venture with China's state-owned oil company CNOOC Ltd could fetch as much as $1 billion, according to the report. (http://on.wsj.com/2aAtYHU) Chevron had disclosed in October last year plans to sell about $10 billion of assets by 2017. The oil giant is also looking for buyers for its geothermal assets in Indonesia, and is considering offers worth more than $2 billion, the Journal reported citing sources. Natural gas field assets in Thailand are also part of the company's divestiture plans, according to the report. Egypt's solar power upset clouds outlook for foreign investors By Lin Noueihed and Ola Noureldin CAIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - When Egypt announced plans to develop renewable power in 2014, investors piled in, drawn by year-round sunshine and chronic electricity shortages. Two years on, many projects have stalled, hitting confidence among foreign investors Egypt sorely needs. Developers who prequalified for solar and wind projects under attractive feed-in-tariff (FiT) schemes say they face delays and currency risks while wrangling with the government over contract terms has complicated efforts to secure financing. Some foreign firms now say they will shelve projects at a time when Egypt is seeking to boost foreign investment to ease a hard currency shortage that is choking the economy and to diversify after gas shortages caused blackouts in 2013 and 2014. One such company is Italy's Enel Green Power, which prequalified in 2015 for one solar and two wind projects under Egypt's FiT schemes and entered a build-own-operate tender for a 250 megawatt wind project. "Continuous uncertainty from the local authority in managing the process as well as delays in assigning contracts, have lead EGP to freeze its business development operations in the country," an Enel spokeswoman said. A source from another consortium of foreign investors that prequalified for a solar FiT project said Egypt's insistence on domestic arbitration in any dispute had prompted a multilateral lender that was co-financing the project to withdraw. "I can't believe they would do this to foreign investors and big lenders when Egypt needs them," said the source. "The feed-in-tarrifs were high, but the whole thing has turned into an Egyptian soap opera. No one knows what's going on and they don't seem to care." Egypt's New and Renewable Energy Authority did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Its chairman Salah El-Sobky was quoted in Al Shorouk newspaper this week as saying the Electricity Ministry was taking the developers' concerns into consideration but was not responsible for their funding. Egypt announced in 2014 ambitious plans to develop renewable energy, originally targeting 4.3 gigawatts of wind and solar projects to be installed over three years. The International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank, said last year Egypt's renewable energy projects could require $8 billion in capital investment over the next four years, a significant opportunity for investors and lenders. Egypt had aimed to meet 20 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, but has pushed that back to 2022. FEED-IN FLAP Government plans included a 1.8 gigawatt solar park in Benban, Upper Egypt, to be developed for $3 billion and operated under a FiT arrangement. In 2014, Egypt said it would pay $0.13 per kilowatthour (kWh) to plants with 500 kilowatts to 20 megawatts capacity and $0.14/kWh to those with 20 to 50 MW capacity during phase one. The competitive rates piqued investor interest. The scheme was hailed as an investment bright-spot for Egypt, which has suffered a shortfall in foreign currency since the 2011 uprising which ousted Hosni Mubarak but scared off foreign investors and tourists, sources of hard currency it needs to finance imports. But the euphoria faded as capital controls imposed in early 2015 made it harder for foreign firms -- which would invest in dollars but be paid in Egyptian pounds -- to repatriate profit. Developers said they were willing to accept currency risks as Egypt's FiT was higher than others in the region. A dispute over the seat of arbitration has proven harder to overcome. International arbitration is a standard requirement for many international lenders and has caused some to freeze funding for phase one, sources at four such institutions said. At least two developers who were set to receive IFC funding told Reuters it had pulled out. An IFC source confirmed it could not proceed for now due to the arbitration issue. The IFC told Reuters it was "supportive of the government's agenda of promoting private-led renewable energy projects in Egypt" and would invest "next fiscal year". Atter Hannoura, head of public-private partnerships at the Finance Ministry, said Egypt wants arbitration to be held at the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration. "This is still international arbitration as this is an independent body," he told Reuters. "When people prequalified this was the government position already. When the international financial institutions got involved it became an issue." Developers and lenders said they suspected the government was dragging out the process because it now judged the FiT as too high and was hoping to offer lower rates in round two. The cost of solar components has plummeted since Egypt set its current tariff, which applies only if companies close a deal by Oct. 28. Many look likely to miss the deadline. Since announcing its renewable plans, Egypt has also commissioned megaprojects from firms like Siemens, which dwarf FiT schemes and, analysts say, have sapped the urgency to push through. Sobky has told local media phase one would go ahead. Indonesian ride-hailing app Go-Jek raises over $550 mln from investors By Eveline Danubrata JAKARTA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Indonesian ride-hailing service Go-Jek has raised fresh funding of more than $550 million from KKR, Warburg Pincus and other investors, giving it more ammunition in the battle for market share in the country of 250 million people. Go-Jek competes with Uber and Grab, and investors in its latest round of financing also included Farallon Capital, Capital Group Private Markets and existing shareholders, it said in a statement on Thursday. Co-founder Nadiem Makarim, a Harvard Business School graduate, said in April that Go-Jek was in talks with potential investors to raise funds. Go-Jek, a play on the Indonesian word for motorbike taxis, has become popular among commuters on the traffic-clogged streets of Jakarta. It launched its app in 2015 and has expanded into food deliveries, mobile payments and even cleaning services. The announcement of the latest fund-raising came days after Uber sold its China operations to bigger domestic rival Didi Chuxing and analysts have said Uber may focus its efforts and money elsewhere, such as in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is a key battleground in the region for ride-hailing firms, which have been driving rates lower to attract more customers in the country with the world's fourth-largest population and a youthful, Internet-savvy demographic. Grab, which was co-founded by Makarim's fellow Harvard graduate Anthony Tan, announced last month that it is teaming up with Indonesian conglomerate Lippo Group to roll out a mobile payment platform in what has become its biggest market. Grab has raised around $700 million so far from backers including Japan's SoftBank Corp, sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp and an arm of Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings. Grab still has a "significant" amount of capital left, Tan said in Jakarta last month. While Indonesia is ripe with potential, the sprawling archipelago also comes with regulatory and logistical obstacles. Security heightened as pope visits namesake's church in central Italy By Philip Pullella ASSISI, Italy, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis visited the birthplace of the Franciscan order in central Italy on Thursday amid some of the tightest security ever seen on a papal trip, in the wake of a string of militant attacks across Europe. The pope's brief afternoon trip to Assisi, in central Italy, took place a day after Italian police announced they had increased security around the Vatican and religious sites in Rome. [Idn:L8N1AK1X5] It was not immediately clear if the heightened security in Rome and Assisi was prompted by last week's murder of a Catholic priest in a French church. A Vatican spokesman said he was not aware of any specific threats against the pope. [IDn:L8N1AJ31S] Police put a three-ringed security perimeter around the basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in the lower quarter of Assisi, requiring most people to walk the last few blocks in scorching heat. They placed large concrete barricades at the entrances of the perimeter, apparently to thwart any attacks similar to the one in Nice, France, last month when a 31-year-old Tunisian drove his truck into a crowd, killing 84 people. Thousands of people, including journalists, were checked two or three times as they approached the basilica the pope visited and those allowed to enter had to show photo identification matching names on tickets. Pope Francis, 79, who said at the start of his trip to Poland last week that it was wrong to equate Islam with violence, met the Imam of the nearby city of Perugia, inside the basilica. The pope who took his name in homage to the saint most associated with peace and protection of the environment, prayed in a small church that St. Francis repaired with his own hands in the early 13th century. The pope's trip took place on the 800th anniversary of the so-called "Pardon of Assisi", a ritual St. Francis founded urging people to seek pardon for their offences to others. St. Francis founded his order of monks in the small stone church which is now inside a huge basilica built around it in the 17th century. Russia accuses US of backing Syrian rebels who use poison gas on civilians By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry sharply criticised U.S. behaviour in Syria on Thursday, accusing Washington of backing rebels who use poison gas against civilians and of killing hundreds in air strikes. The ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, referred to rebels supported by Washington as "animals" and said Washington and its allies were recklessly carrying out air attacks leading to numerous civilian deaths. Zakharova's strong comments, in a statement posted to social media, underscored the serious divisions between Moscow and Washington over Syria where they are united in their opposition to Islamic State but so far little else. Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad and his forces, while Washington supports rebel groups fighting both his government and Islamic State militants. While the two countries argue over a possible peace plan, a battle for eastern Aleppo has erupted. Zakharova spoke out as the United Nations said the United States and Russia were in intensive discussions to shore up Syria's collapsed nationwide truce with their military experts trying to agree a cooperation plan "that would unlock the entire solution." Zakharova criticised the United States over an incident the Russian military said occurred on Aug. 2 in eastern Aleppo when rebels used poison gas, killing at least seven people. She blamed the Free Syrian Army's Nour al Din al-Zinki group for what she said was a crime. The same group, which has received U.S. military backing, said last month it was investigating the beheading of a young child in Aleppo after video footage circulated showing the boy being killed by a man whom activists identified as a member of the group. "The United States is supporting these animals who used poison gas against the civilian population," Zakharova wrote. "Unfortunately it's not the only tragedy which the 'moderates' backed by Washington stand behind." She accused the U.S. air force of carelessly bombing inhabited parts of Manbij in northern Syria where U.S.-backed forces - the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) - are taking on Islamic State militants. "The United States and the SDF are not taking any steps to warn people to avoid deaths," she said, saying that U.S and coalition aircraft had killed hundreds and wounded thousands of civilians according to "conservative estimates." She also referenced an incident on July 28 in which she said U.S.-led coalition air strikes had killed 28, including seven children, in attacks on the village of al Ghandour in the countryside north of Manbij city. The U.S. military said last month it was investigating that episode. "If our Western colleagues and above all Washington do everything again not to notice these facts then any of their talk about an end to bloodshed in Syria will simply become preposterous," wrote Zakharova. Moscow is itself regularly accused by human rights groups and the United States of carrying out deadly air strikes on non-military targets and of siding with an army accused of abuses. It says it takes great care to avoid civilian deaths. A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday that a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter had been shot down hours earlier. Saudi investigation largely defends deadly air strikes in Yemen DUBAI, Aug 4 (Reuters) - An investigation by a Saudi-led coalition presented on Thursday largely defended a series of deadly coalition air strikes on markets, clinics and a wedding in Yemen, citing the presence of armed militiamen at the sites. Results of the probe, presented at a news conference in Riyadh, found that one of eight alleged mass-casualty air attacks in the second half of 2015 that it reviewed involved incomplete intelligence that led to civilian casualties. Rights groups and witnesses told Reuters at the time of the incidents from Yemen's mountain north to coastal south said air attacks had together killed hundreds of civilians. A Saudi-led military coalition at war with Yemen's dominant Houthi movement has said it is keen to avoid civilian casualties and uphold the laws of war. Mansour bin Ahmed Mansour, spokesman of the Joint Group to Assess Incidents on the Saudi-Yemeni Border, said four military targets had been identified in one incident in Al Mukha in the southern Taiz province last year. Three of the four targets were successfully attacked, he added, but the last one - a missile battery allegedly capable of attacking ships - accidentally hit a residential compound and killed several civilians. The families of the victims were paid reparations, he added. In another case, Mansour said that an air strike in December in Taiz, which aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said wounded several people at one of its mobile clinics, had targeted a group of militiamen in the area. "The result the team found was that the measures taken by the coalition forces were sound and conformed to the rules and laws of the Geneva Accords," he said. "Reviewing this evidence, the leadership of the coalition expresses its regret for unintended incidents like this." Mansour denied outright that a coalition air strike had been conducted on the day last September that an explosion ripped through a wedding procession in central Yemen, killing 131 people. Witnesses blamed the attack on Saudi-led jets. The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen in March of last year to prevent Iranian-allied Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power. At least 6,400 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations, around half of them civilians. Egypt military says killed leader of Islamic State in Sinai CAIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Egypt's military said on Thursday it had killed Abu Duaa al-Ansari, which it identified as the leader of the Sinai branch of Islamic State, in a series of air strikes near the town of Arish. It said on its Facebook page that the strikes had also killed 45 other Islamic State fighters and destroyed arms and ammunition stores used by the group. U.S. urges patience in Argentina, wants Venezuela recall vote this year By Hugh Bronstein and Gram Slattery BUENOS AIRES, Aug 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday urged Argentina to be patient with the slow pace of economic progress under its new government, and urged Venezuela to allow a vote this year on whether to recall President Nicolas Maduro. In his first trip to Argentina as America's chief diplomat, Kerry praised President Mauricio Macri, a free-markets proponent who took office in December promising to attract a wave of private investment that has yet to materialize. Kerry also said he was concerned that the government of Venezuela has failed to enter into meaningful dialogue with the opposition, which is trying to organize a referendum to kick Maduro out of power. "We encourage Venezuela to embrace the recall not in a delayed way that pushes it into next year, but to do this as a sign of respect for the constitution of the country and the needs of the people of the country," Kerry told reporters. The timing is crucial because if Maduro were to lose a referendum this year, as polls indicate he would due to the country's moribund economy, it would trigger a new presidential vote, giving the opposition a chance to end 17 years of socialism. But should he lose a referendum next year, Maduro would be replaced by his vice president, maintaining the Socialist Party in power until the OPEC nation's next presidential election scheduled for the end of 2018. "BAD HABITS" Kerry also addressed growing discontent voiced by Argentines over an economy beset by stagflation. "It's not all going to change overnight," Kerry told a group of business leaders at a breakfast meeting in Buenos Aires. "Getting rid of bad habits takes a little bit of time and investment takes a little bit of time to take hold and begin to create momentum," he added. "But I am 100 percent confident, as is President Obama, that Argentina is on the right course. People need to be patient." Macri's policies follow heavy state control of the economy and allegations of corruption under previous leader Cristina Fernandez. Her former secretary of public works was caught in July trying to hide almost $9 million in a Buenos Aires convent. Argentina's economy is expected to shrink 1.3 percent this year, according to a central bank poll of analysts. The government has not made a forecast. Kerry met with his Argentine counterpart Susana Malcorra to discuss issues including Venezuela. Fernandez supported Hugo Chavez's self-styled revolution in the oil rich country, and the administration of his protege Maduro. Macri is one of the region's leading critics of Maduro, accusing him of unjustly jailing opposition leaders. From Buenos Aires Kerry was set to go on to Brazil where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday. Spanish retailer Mango to open megastore in Cuba Aug 4 (Reuters) - Spanish fashion group Mango is set to open its first megastore in Cuba before the end of the year after a recent thaw in the country's diplomatic relations with the United States, a source close to the company said. Mango's sales grew by 15.3 percent in 2015, the Barcelona-based unlisted company reported in May, driven by a focus on opening megastores internationally. Its megastores range in size from 800 to 3,000 square metres. The brand, a rival of Spanish Inditex-owned label Zara, opened 63 megastores in 2015 and plans to have opened 45 more before the end of 2016. The new Cuban store will be in Manzana de Gomez, a shopping centre situated in Havana's historical centre. Mango already operated a smaller franchise in the city, which opened 20 years ago. UN report on Yemen says Houthis used human shields, Islamic State got cash By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi rebels used civilians as human shields, Islamic State militants in the country received an influx of cash and al Qaeda has improved its roadside bombs, according to a confidential report by United Nations experts monitoring sanctions on Yemen. The 105-page report to the U.N. Security Council, seen by Reuters on Thursday, also said a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia had violated international humanitarian law by bombing a civilian home in Al-Mahala village in May, and the monitors were investigating three other cases in which civilians were bombed. The midterm report covered the past six months. The experts noted that they have been unable to travel to the Arabian Peninsula country so they gathered information remotely. "The panel has documented violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed by the Houthi-Saleh forces, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and forces affiliated to the legitimate Government of Yemen," the panel said in the report. Saudi Arabia has said it is committed to international humanitarian law. The mostly Sunni Arab alliance intervened in Yemen's civil war in March last year to support the government and fight forces loyal to ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthi movement, which it has accused of being a proxy for Shiite arch-rival Iran. The report on the implementation of an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on Saleh and four Houthi leaders has been submitted to the 15-member U.N. Security Council sanctions committee. The Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Houthi rebels and soldiers loyal to Saleh in April 2015. Being put on the U.N. blacklist triggers a travel ban and asset freeze. The U.N. sanctions committee will use information from the expert panel to decide if additional people or groups should be blacklisted for "engaging in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, security or stability of Yemen." A Saudi-led coalition investigation into air strikes on markets, clinics and a wedding in Yemen on Thursday largely defended the attacks on the grounds that armed militias were at the sites. The U.N. report said the Houthis had concealed fighters and equipment in or close to civilians in Al Mukha in the Taiz Governorate "with the deliberate aim of avoiding attack" and in violation of international humanitarian law. The report said the Houthis had diverted about $100 million a month from Yemen's central bank to support the group's war effort and that the foreign reserves of the central bank had dropped to $1.3 billion in June 2016 from $4.6 billion in November 2014. Political and central bank sources have said the Houthis were likely to have received more central bank cash for their troops than the government because when they seized Sanaa thousands of their militiamen were added to army rosters and became entitled to state pay. The Houthis were not immediately available to comment on the report. TUG O' WAR FOR LAND, RECRUITS Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of Yemen's civil war to take over parts of southern and eastern Yemen, and the militant group Islamic State has also gained a foothold in the country. The two groups' are now "undermining one another as they compete for recruits," the report said, adding that in March and April 2016 "ISIL received a significant influx of cash in Yemen, which it is using to attract recruits, finance operations, and purchase equipment." The report, using an acronym for Islamic State, did not specify the source of the money. The report said that from a technical perspective, AQAP's operational capability had improved, evidenced by advanced improvised explosive device (IED) designs it was now using in Yemen. The group also boasts one of the world's most feared bomb makers, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. The monitors said AQAP also likely had access to more reliable commercial electronic detonators, making it capable of implementing a sustained IED campaign. The U.N. experts said that so far in 2016 there had been three seizures of weapons in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which they were investigating to see if the arms embargo had been violated. The report said that during a seizure of weapons from a stateless dhow on Sept. 25, 2015, communications equipment, including mobile and satellite telephones, was found and inspected. Carlisle Police (243-5252) James Robert Stine, 30, of Carlisle, was charged with DUI general impairment, DUI highest rate, accidents involving damage to property and careless driving after a hit-and-run crash at 7:08 p.m. July 26 on Ritner Highway at Shirley Avenue. Police said witnesses saw a vehicle rear end another vehicle before fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed. The striking vehicle was located about one mile away, and the driver, Stine, was located about 30 minutes later walking on West Pomfret Street with an ice cream cone. Police said Stine was found to be intoxicated and was taken into custody. No one was injured in the crash. Dean Collin Clapsadl, 18, of Boiling Springs, was charged with fleeing police and summary traffic offenses after an attempted traffic stop at 9:29 p.m. July 30 in the 200 block of Allen Road. Police said the driver attempted to flee from an officer attempting to stop his vehicle, and he was pursued into a secured industrial warehouse parking lot where the vehicle went out of view. Other police units arrived, and the vehicle and driver were located in the parking lot. Clapsadl, the driver, was taken into custody. Marney R. Little, 32, of Carlisle, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after police saw two people at LeTort Park after hours at 2:15 a.m. July 30. Police said Little was identified and was wanted for a domestic relations warrant issued by Cumberland County. Little was taken into custody, where police found drug paraphernalia in her possession. Robert L. Martin, 64, of Carlisle, was charged with accidents involving damage to property and careless driving after a hit-and-run crash at 1:30 p.m. July 25 in the area of East Pomfret and South East streets. Police said a witness saw an orange Saturn coupe sideswipe a parked car at the corner of the intersection. The witness followed the vehicle and called police. Police said the vehicle then rear-ended an occupied vehicle on Ashland Avenue at York Road, and the driver did not stop to render aid or call police. The witness stopped following the vehicle, but police located it and the owner at 3:30 p.m., identifying Martin as the driver. Eric M. Klotz, 36, of Philadelphia, was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest, defiant trespass and harassment after an incident on July 22. Police were dispatched to D Street for a report of a violent man and found that Klotz had taken a substantial amount of non-prescription medication, becoming unstable and violent within the residence. Police said Klotz refused to leave, rejected medical assistance and fought with officers who attempted to assist him. He was eventually taken to Carlisle Regional Medical Center for a medical and psychiatric evaluation. Sarah Elisabeth Cerrelli, 28, of Carlisle, was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, public drunkenness and open container restrictions after police said she was found passed out, face down on the pavement at 1 a.m. July 24. Police said she was very intoxicated and in possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana. She was taken to CRMC due to her level of intoxication, and charges were filed, police said. Shippensburg Police (532-7361) A maroon and gray Next 26-inch mountain bicycle was stolen out of a back yard in the 400 block of East King Street sometime between 11 p.m. July 30 and 6 a.m. July 31. A 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster with a Pennsylvania registration YML-98 was stolen from the rear of a residence in the back yard in the first block of South Washington Street. The motorcycle was last seen at 6 p.m. July 27 and reported stolen July 29. The owner of a building reported that tenants who were evicted trashed the apartment in the first block of West King Street before leaving on July 29. The owner said they caused more than $300 in damages. Police said the incident is still under investigation. A green and white mountain bicycle was stolen from a residence in the 200 block of East Orange Street sometime between July 27 and July 28. Police seek information. West Shore Regional Police (238-9676) Police received multiple reports of unsecured vehicles being entered overnight along the 200 to 400 block of River Street sometime between Aug. 3 and Aug. 4. Police seek information and urge residents to lock their doors. East Pennsboro Township Police (732-3633) Thomas Edward Strausbaugh, 35, of Etters, was charged with terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment after a domestic call at about 9:15 p.m. July 26 in the 200 block of West Dauphin Street. Police said Strausbaugh doused the residence in gasoline and threatened to kill a woman and her dog. The fire department assisted on the call due to the gasoline. State Police at Carlisle (249-2121) Jake William Shoemaker, 35, of Shippensburg was charged with misdemeanor simple assault and summary harassment after he physically injured a 15-year-old boy in the 100 block of Mohn Drive in Shippensburg Township at 6:20 p.m. July 31. A lawn mower was stolen from a home in the 1800 block of Walnut Bottom Road in Penn Township sometime between 1:20 a.m. and 12 p.m. Aug. 3. Sometime between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. July 11, a blue Mongoose bicycle was stolen in the first block of Morningstar Lane in Shippensburg Township. Landscaping equipment was stolen from a shed on Meadowood Place in South Middleton Township sometime between 7 p.m. July 26 and 6 p.m. Aug. 1. Sometime between 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Aug. 1, a knife was stolen from a package in a mailbox in the first block of Heritage Court in Dickinson Township. The empty brown package was left in its place. Around 1:30 a.m. July 31, a possibly intoxicated person trespassed on a property in the first block of Airport Road in Southampton Township. A motor vehicle was stolen from the first block of Independence Drive in Southampton Township around 3:21 a.m. July 29. State Police at Newport (567-3110) Someone damaged a rock wall on North Front Street in Oliver Township around 7:15 p.m. July 31. Egypt military says killed leader of Islamic State in Sinai CAIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Egypt's military said on Thursday it had killed Abu Duaa al-Ansari, whom it identified as the leader of the Sinai branch of Islamic State. It said on its Facebook page that a series of air strikes near Arish, the largest town on the Sinai peninsula, had also killed 45 other Islamic State fighters. There was no immediate confirmation from Sinai Province, Islamic State's offshoot in the peninsula that borders Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal. "This successful operation confirms the pledges of the armed forces to avenge their martyrs and ... pursue all the terrorist elements and leaders wherever they are found until Egypt and its great people enjoy security and stability," the military said. Hundreds of soldiers and policemen have been killed by an insurgency since mid-2013, when then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi following mass protests. Most of the violence has taken place in northern Sinai, where Islamic State loyalists are based. The military has conducted several campaigns to crush insurgents and cut off their arms supplies, demolishing border villages and tunnels it said were used to smuggle arms and fighters from the Gaza Strip. Locals say the tunnels were used to smuggle consumer goods to Gaza to ease the consequences of the Israeli blockade. In 2014, an Egyptian militant group called Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to Islamic State and changed its name to Sinai Province. Napoli splash out on Poland midfielder Zielinski ROME, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Napoli have signed Poland attacking midfielder Piotr Zielinski from Serie A rivals Udinese. Napoli, runners-up to Juventus in the league last season, announced the transfer in a statement on Thursday. No fee was disclosed but media reports put it at 14 million euros ($15.58 million). Zielinski, 22, started his senior career at Udinese four years ago but spent the last two seasons on loan with Empoli. He played for Poland at Euro 2016 in France and has won 16 caps, scoring three goals. Napoli launch their Serie A campaign at Pescara on Aug. 21. German high court rejects "intersex" as third gender category BERLIN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Germany's high court on Thursday said it rejected the creation of a third gender category of "inter" to describe people born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit the typical definitions of female or male. In a challenge to strict binary definitions of gender that evokes other court cases on both sides of the Atlantic, a panel of the Federal Court of Justice ruled against a lawsuit filed by a German citizen who was born as a female in 1989. The person now identifies as "intersex" and submitted a genetic analysis showing they were neither man nor woman. The panel ruled that German law would not allow entry of a third option of "inter" or "diverse" in the birth registry, and saw no reason to refer the matter to the German constitutional court. The high court said it found no violation of the plaintiff's basic rights since intersexual people had been able since 2013 to leave the gender entry in German birth registries blank. Germany was the only European country to offer a third alternative until last year, when a French court recognised the option of "neutral gender". A U.S. Navy veteran who identifies as neither male or female sued the U.S. State Department last October after being denied a passport for refusing to select a gender on the application. The suit claimed it was a constitutional violation to force an "intersex" person to pick a gender. The decision by the German high court was made in June, but only made public on Thursday. A group called "Third Option" said the plaintiff would file a constitutional court challenge in September. L.A. policemen who shot unarmed black man sue city for discrimination By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Two Los Angeles police officers who shot dead an unarmed black man in 2014 have sued the city for alleged racial discrimination after not being allowed to return to the field. In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, the two officers, Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas, shed light on the repercussions on their careers from the shooting, opening a window on normally secret disciplinary proceedings. Wampler and Villegas killed Ezell Ford, 25, after Ford struggled for Wampler's gun, according to authorities, in an incident that touched off several protests. Villegas is Latino and Wampler is Caucasian, according to the suit; police previously described him as Asian-American. The two officers were not criminally charged in the incident. The Los Angeles Police Commission in June 2015 faulted Wampler for approaching Ford without sufficient cause, but found that Villegas was justified in shooting Ford during the struggle. Wampler and Villegas accused supervisors of denying their requests to return to the field based on their race and Ford's race, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit said another Los Angeles police officer, who is African-American, was involved in a separate shooting that was found to be out-of-policy but that officer retains a "highly sought after position." "Clearly, there is a different standard of discipline meted out to officers solely on account of their race and color of their skin," the lawsuit stated. The lawsuit says the officers have been denied transfers, overtime and promotions because of their race and faced retaliation after they filed complaints of racial discrimination with state regulators. Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney, said in an email that his office was reviewing the lawsuit but could not comment further. Ford's death came two days after police fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, triggering protests across the country over use of excessive force by police. Since then the debate over policing and racism has intensified in the United States where a string of deaths of black men and women involving officers has fueled anger and given rise to the Black Lives Matter protest movement. Venezuela oil minister talks to OPEC head, seeks higher oil price CARACAS, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Venezuela's Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino has spoken to OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo ahead of a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC producers in hope of boosting the global oil price, President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday. "He spoke with the secretary of OPEC, we are making efforts for a new meeting soon between OPEC and non-OPEC members, with Russia at the head ... to stabilize the price towards $40 (per barrel) and over $50 and $60," Maduro said on state TV. He did not give any further details on the meeting. In June, Del Pino told Reuters on the sidelines of Russia's main economic forum in St. Petersburg, a production freeze could be discussed at an informal meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC producers in Algeria in September. It started with the killing of a 22-year-old terrorist Burhan Wani. He might have been a school teacher's son. He might have been a social media warrior but the bottom line is Burhan Wani was a terrorist with a Rs 10lakh bounty on his head. He was a wanted man. He had escaped through the security forces net several times in the past. Each time he slipped through the net, his popularity grew. In this mobile phone era, his video messages were shared across the Kashmir valley and it did inspire youngsters to wear the camouflage fatigues, pose with AK series assault rifles, pose for cameras and become a hero. But it wasn't just fun and games. There was a sinister message - take on the State. And increasingly security forces came under attack. When they were carrying out anti-terrorist operations - youngsters would pelt stones, rant from the microphones of mosques and create obstacles in the path of security forces. This, unfortunately, was very poorly handled by the PDP-BJP government in the J&K state. There are many instances, but I want to focus on the February 2016 Pampore terror attack in which the army lost two brave young officers of the Special Forces while killing Pakistani terrorists. The terrorists had attacked a CRPF convoy. There were casualties and the terrorists ran into a nearby EDI building. The son of one of India's most wanted terrorists - Syed Salahuddin - was inside that building. Along with several other employees, he too was rescued. But as the brave commandos battled the terrorists - the locals were encouraged to shout anti-India slogans from loudspeakers and pelt stones at reinforcements. The local army formation requested the state police to enforce a two kilometre cordon around the operation site. This is supposed to be standard operating procedure. However, the stone pelters were further emboldened because neither the army nor the police even tried to enforce the cordon. What began with sporadic attacks during operations graduated to regular stone pelting on convoys. Locals were encouraged by miscreants to shout anti-India slogans and pelt stones at army/CRPF jawans. When the army was in charge of road opening party (ROP) ensuring domination of the national highway from Jammu to Srinagar - the army physically dominated all strategic points. Those who violated convoy rules were punished. To ease the problems locals faced, army even changed its convoy timings. Under pressure and at times after protests to reduce the military footprint in civilian areas - army bunkers and posts were reduced from several places, including strategic points along the highway. All of this weakened the security grid. After Burhan Wani was killed, trouble did not start in the traditional problem spots. It began in areas where the presence of the security forces was at its lowest. There is evidence to suggest mobs were mobilised and protests organised. Police stations were attacked, weapons looted and vehicles set on fire. One cop was killed when the vehicle he was in was pushed into the Jhelum river. What kind of people protest when a terrorist is killed? A conscious effort has been initiated both online and offline to create the "cult of Burhan Wani". He was a Kashmiri terrorist who had more than 12 cases of murder and attempt to murder - including that of police and army personnel - registered against him over a period of past four years. Pakistan may want to hail Burhan Wani as a hero and a martyr as he was a pawn in their wider game of destabilising India in Kashmir. But why would sections of Indian mainstream media fall into the Pakistan trap remains a mystery. Suddenly, there were a series of write-ups predicting doomsday scenario. The naysayers had even predicted Kashmir would burn after Afzal Guru was hanged. The State and the Centre handled the situation effectively that time. The political leadership is in the dock for being indecisive this time. Kashmir has been through a cycle of stone pelting tension and violence repeatedly. Each time it has been traced back to Pakistan. I had covered the 2010 stone pelting. Omar Abdullah was then the chief minister. Massarat Alam was seen as the force behind the stone pelters. Burhan Wani terrorist who had more than 12 cases of murder and attempt to murder registered against him in the past four years. Later investigations revealed how funds came from Pakistan and stones were brought in trucks in the name of road construction activity. It was all a part of very elaborate conspiracy. Though more than 100 lives were lost in the agitation that lasted three months, the situation came back to normal. This cycle of violence will also last its course and peter out, though Pakistan is desperately trying to force and confrontation between the mob and the security forces to push up the body count. There is evidence that Pakistan-based terror groups want the separatists to incite the mob to take on the security forces. The aim is to force a showdown and compel the security forces to open fire. The army has so far been detached from the events in urban and built up areas. The army has put up posters and banners close to their locations saying any protests beyond the marked areas will result in effective firing. The army fires for effect and shoots to kill. The army also does not have pellet guns or non-lethal weapons. So the people are well advised to stay away from the army camps. The police and the CRPF have shown tremendous restraint given the provocation. More than 2,000 security force personnel have also been injured and there have been instances of security forces coming under grenade and assault rifle attacks while dealing with stone pelters. There are some very basic lessons for all to understand. Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India. The history of Kashmir did not begin in 1947. The government may or may not say it in as many words - the only negotiation with Pakistan is on Pakistan occupied Kashmir. As then prime minister Manmohan Singh said, borders cannot be redrawn but they can be made irrelevant, but that too only in a terror-free environment. Pakistan has lost every war to India since 1947. It lost in 1957, 1965, 1971 - when Pakistan was sliced into two and Bangladesh was born - in Siachen and in Kargil, 1999. Pakistan has also lost the terror war. There are now less than 200 armed terrorists in Kashmir and most of them are north of Pir Panjal. The fence erected in 2003 has stopped entry of terrorists to a large extent. The army needs to be alert at all times but the security forces are in full control of the situation. In reality, Terrorists are short of weapons, ammunition and even the will to take on the security forces. The stone pelting is a desperate attempt to rekindle the fire. All talk about large number of terrorists queuing up to join terror ranks is not borne out by facts on ground. Terrorists are short of weapons, ammunition and even the will to take on the security forces. The army, CRPF and JKP have neutralised the entire top leadership of LeT, JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir. The life of a gun-wielding terrorist has been reduced to less than eight months in Jammu and Kashmir. This is not to say that the situation is under control. Tension is simmering. Frustration is growing. Pakistan is trying to fuel the unrest. Kashmir did not burn after Afzal Guru was hanged. Kashmir will not go out of control now. The political leadership needs to reach out to the youth - build new and young leaders and engage with them. The initiative should not be with the stone pelters and the separatists. There are now major restrictions on the use of pellet guns - and a series of other non-lethal measures have been put in place before pellet guns are brought out. But people of Kashmir also have to realise - it takes two to tango. Protests in defence of a terrorist are unjustified not just in India but across the world - except of course in Pakistan - a state sponsor of terrorists. And if they want to ensure there are no injuries by pellet guns - protests have to be dignified and out of the range of pellet guns. In its search for the so-called azadi (freedom), Kashmir is looking at a prolonged period of barbaadi (destruction). The turmoil that started in July this year is leading the state down an abyss. Till three decades ago, Kashmir's grievances against the Indian government were political. It chose the gun to resolve these grievances. It re-wrote its own destiny. Today, the gun has become the defining tragedy of Kashmir. In the last few years, the Valley was finally hoping for lasting peace, as conflict fatigue set in among people. Tragically, Kashmir is again allowing itself to become a playfield for Pakistan's proxy war on India. The new phase of violent protests in the state is marked by the presence of militants mixing with protesters. The Valley is again on the brink of abandoning a political solution for its disputes. This should worry Kashmiri Muslims more than it worries the average Indian. On July 31, Abu Dujana, a top Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) commander, appeared at a huge rally at Kareemabad in Kashmir's southern district of Pulwama. The rally was held to pay homage to protesters killed in violence in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's encounter. Dujana, a Pakistani, showed up with other LeT militants. Many political activists, religious and social leaders gave inflammatory speeches at the rally. The crowd responded hysterically and yelled pro-azadi slogans, waving Pakistan's national flag, the flag of the LeT, and the green Islamic and (Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led) Tehreek-e-Hurriyat flags. Top police officers said not allowing the rally could have caused serious law and order issues. Unmindful of the consequences, the Kashmir mob is finding role models in militant commanders. Thousands of Kashmiris are marching to a delusional narrative of azadi. The toxic narrative is dictated to them by militants and separatists whose strings are pulled by Pakistan. For almost three decades, the political grievances of the Valley have been given a militant charge by Pakistan. The grip is becoming deathly. If the situation does not improve in the next few months, thousands of scared Kashmiri Muslims will be seen running out of the Valley, preferring to settle elsewhere in India to seek a secure future for their families. Kashmiri Muslims bear long scars and wounds from the conflict-ridden region. Their emotions are being deliberately and systematically roused, and they are being led to disaster. Kashmir is not stopping to think of the fate of the large, wasted regions in Pakistan and Afghanistan where terrorist organizations like LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen have held sway. Voices within Kashmir who can call for reason or caution have fallen silent out of fear. The new phase of violent protests is marked by the presence of militants with protesters. Kashmiris who don't approve of this mayhem are frantically trying to keep their children and family protected from the searing flames burning their homeland. The developments are distressing. It is Kashmiris themselves who must view these developments with alarm, and protect their motherland from going down a ruinous path. In the late hours of August 1, the house of J&K education minister Naeem Akhtar in a plush neighbourhood of Srinagar was attacked with a petrol bomb. On July 31, a mob of protesters in Anantnag forced National Conference (NC) leader Iftikhar Misgar to quit the party and join the freedom movement. In a video that went viral in the Valley, Misgar was seen with the protesters, shouting slogans such as "hum le ke rahengay azadi (we will have freedom), Bharat ka jo yaar hai, gaddar hai, gaddar hai (whoever befriends India is a traitor)" and "Bharat ke aiwanon mein aag laga do, aag laga do (set fire to the constitutional institutions of India)". Newspapers in Kashmir and leading media houses from mainland India reported that Misgar has quit the NC and joined the separatist movement. Many of them did not mention that Misgar was bullied into shouting azadi slogans and forced to announce that he was quitting mainstream politics. The NC leader admitted in private that the mob charge made him fear for himself and his family. Misgar lives in Anantnag, the epicentre of the ongoing protests. The newspapers of Kashmir are owned by men with powerful relatives and influential linkages in the political establishment of the state. The reasonable voices in these media houses have fallen silent because the consequences of speaking out or disagreeing with the mob can be ugly. Kashmiri newspapers are reporting only the azadi frenzy. They are not commenting on the consequences of this treacherous tango with terrorist organizations. The ordinary Kashmiri is caught in a grinding situation. A few days ago, the state's United Hurriyat leadership called for opening of markets after 6pm. Traders desperate for business opened shops, kiosks and filling stations. But the police forced shopkeepers and traders in many areas to keep shops shut after 6pm. This was done to prevent the writ of separatist leaders from running in the Valley. Shopkeepers loudly protested the "high-handedness" of the police. Nobody dared to condemn the Hurriyat, which has dictated the shutdown in Kashmir for nearly a month now. In separate incidents, groups of stone-pelters also targeted business and commercial establishments in different parts of Kashmir that opened after 6 pm. The concerted effort in many quarters is that the Valley should not return to normalcy. At various rallies, parents of youth killed or injured during violent protests are called to address the crowd and keep the shahadat (martyrdom) sentiment alive. Post Wani's killing, loudspeakers in the mosques of Kashmir start blaring songs of shahadat after evening prayers, urging the youth on the path of martyrdom. The call is straightforward. The mosques urge the faithful and the pious to fight for the azadi of Kashmir. Among the songs that play in mosques across the Valley, one can hear the strains of Pakistan's Qaumi Taranah: "Pak sarzamin shad bad(blessed be the sacred land)." Mosques are fanning passions among the youth, not letting the fires that are burning Kashmir be doused. In the last few days, when there was a slight relaxation in curfew, rumours were fuelled from some mosques in Srinagar that five or six people had been killed in the distant villages of Budgam or Anantnag. Again, the call was explicit. People must come out and protest. The aim is clear. It does not do any good to the pride of the chief minister's office if it finds two of its orders struck down within a week by the judiciary. That is precisely the ignominy that Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has had to suffer at the hands of the Hyderabad High Court. If last week, the appointment of eight vice-chancellors by the Telangana government was given the thumbs down by the court, this week, the Government Order (GO) 123 of July 2015 issued for quick land acquisition was quashed. Though in both cases, the government will appeal in the Supreme Court, the legal setbacks have shown up the arrogance of the executive and exposed its lack of application of mind to do the right thing. Add to that the ignominy over the leak of the medical entrance exam paper. A CID probe has established that nearly 200 students were taken out of Telangana to other cities to prepare them with the leaked question paper three days before the exam. The brazenness with which the leakage took place portrays the examination system in an extremely poor light, besides raising serious questions about the complicity of those involved in conducting the exam. And yet, apart from deciding to conduct the exam again in September, causing annoyance to the honest students, KCR has done precious little to clean up his stables. In fact, to cock a snook at the high court, KCR called a meeting of the eight VCs he had appointed, a day after the adverse court verdict, and went about discussing the problems plaguing higher education, as if nothing had happened. The Telangana government will be loath to admit this but the Mallanna Sagar agitation over the land that was sought to be acquired for an irrigation project, with a fair bit of arm-twisting, is the first serious people's opposition to the KCR dispensation. Police arrest leaders of opposition parties heading to Telanganas Medak district to express solidarity against the Mallanna Sagar irrigation project. There is no election on the horizon, so it will be difficult to quantify it in measurable terms. But much before the opposition parties trooped in to hijack the protest and attack the government, the farmers, especially the women, had been sustaining the agitation. Instead of being honest with the farmers, many of whom had taken part in the Telangana agitation with TRS leaders, the government tried to break them. Farmers from specific villages were taken in batches to Hyderabad, 60km away, to nudge them into signing away their land. The court ruling, however, has clearly conveyed that state-sponsored willingness is seen as a bullying tactic, and therefore, the court stands on behalf of the people, who were the petitioners in the case. The Mallanna Sagar agitation, and now the court verdict making it clear that KCR cannot bypass the right to fair compensation and transparency in the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, has dented the government's credibility. The KCR government was all along trying to market the GO 123 as a better offer, without getting into the terms and conditions. Apart from no provision for rehabilitation, including jobs for displaced farmers, KCR's GO 123 also states that if the project does not take off, farmers won't get back their land and it can be used by the government for any other purpose. The Union government's 2013 Act is more farmer-friendly as it states that the land acquired for a project should be used for the project alone, and if not started within five years, farmers can ask for their land back. The lathicharge and police firing on protesting farmers in July only made matters worse. Senior police officers who examined the video footage of the incident admitted that the cops on ground were an overzealous lot who did not know how to control a provocative situation. The arrogance of the government questioning the right of the farmers, reluctant to give up their fertile land for a song and the use of muscle power, has been a bad advertisement for "farmer" KCR. The question is: What will happen as a result of what has been a bad fortnight for the powers that be in Telangana? Most likely, nothing. Because the buck stops at KCR's table and it will be difficult for him to find any scapegoats for the legal mishaps his government has suffered. There has been talk of a Cabinet and bureaucratic reshuffle to weed out the inefficient ministers and get the better-performing babus in critical posts. At this point, the government is seen as having only two performing ministers - KCR's son KT Rama Rao and nephew Harish Rao. While industry minister KTR has been lauded for attracting investors to Hyderabad, irrigation minister Harish Rao has been at the forefront of getting two of the government's flagship schemes - Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagareetha - up and running. The rest of the mantris keep themselves busy planting saplings as part of Green Telangana drive. But can KCR wash his hands off? The medical entrance exam paper leak has exposed the inefficient public administration and intelligence gathering. The perception is that the KCR government is more obsessed with planning to bring down the present Secretariat which KCR sees as bringing bad luck to Telangana and build a new structure in its place. Outside Telangana, he is remembered more for his five-day long yagna at his farmhouse. Much was expected of KCR when he took over as the first chief minister of Telangana. "What's in a name?" the bard had famously said, for a rose will smell the same if called by any other name. We Bongs too can bet that rosogollas will taste the same, whether they came from Bongo or Bengal. So what's this obsession our politicians have with changing names of cities and states alike? Chief minister Mamata Banerjee may have been miffed at getting her turn at the end every time she represents West Bengal at inter-state council meetings, but how much can a cosmetic change of name serve a state desperate for an image makeover? "It's a need of the time to respect the culture, heritage and aspiration of the people of Bengal," said state minister Partha Chatterjee while announcing the Cabinet decision. For starters, when one cuts the "West" out, it automatically propels the state to the second spot in the English alphabetical list. So it does address Didi's practical grievance that the state may get a call higher up in the list of states during Central conferences. Officials and legislators from West Bengal have often complained how they get very less time to speak or are made to wait till the fag end of most meetings as turns are decided according to the alphabetical order. But there is more to it than just a simple rechristening exercise. One that is considered very close to Mamata's heart. People close to Didi know very well that she has quite a way with words. Her knack at giving new names to the old and new alike has often caught the imagination of the masses. From streets to Metro railway stations, water tanks, flyovers and even the new state secretariat building "Nabanna", all have had her distinct personal touch. Mamata's naming spree began way before she took over as the chief minister. In 2009, she named seven new metro stations as the then Union railway minister. Each one named after some Bengal luminary or the other. So the popular Tollygunge metro station became "Mahanayak Uttam Kumar" overnight, while others were named after freedom fighters like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Surya Sen, Shahid Khudiram, poets like Subhash Mukhopadhyay, Nazrul Islam and even books like Tagore's Gitanjali. The popular Tollygunge metro station became "Mahanayak Uttam Kumar" overnight. Final outcome? Commuters remain baffled about the new names till date and continue using the old ones that identify a station with its existing local area name. In 2012, residents in adjacent Salt Lake township woke up to a surprise when Mamata declared that she would rename the water tanks in the area. For decades residents had referred to their water tank numbers as landmarks to help visitors trace their addresses. However, the Trinamool-run Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation thought that the tanks could well be used as tools to pay some more tributes. Thus, prodded by the chief minister, 16 water tanks in Salt Lake were renamed after famous personalities, including one after "Mahanayak Uttam Kumar" again. Yes, you heard it right. Kolkata now has two landmarks named after the great Bengali actor. Can it get better than this? We hope not! In 2014, when Bengali screen icon Suchitra Sen passed away, Didi was quick to dedicate an important south Kolkata road in her memory. Thus the iconic Ballygunge Circular Road was renamed "Suchitra Sen Sarani". Except, it soon turned out that the road had already been dedicated to the legendary Pramathesh Barua. But in order to accommodate Didi's wish, the Trinamool-led Kolkata Municipal Corporation made use of an innovative idea - it divided the 2.5 km stretch between the two screen legends. While Suchitra got a lion's share of the road, Barua had to make peace with a 350m portion. Another Bengali icon recently got a taste of Didi's legendary tribute whims. For ages, Bishop Lefroy Road remains an iconic address in Kolkata. Home to Satyajit Ray, cinebuffs from across the globe visit the area to pay their homage. Adjacent to it is Lee Road, which has recently been decorated with designer street lamps with posters of some of Ray's most celebrated works. When Mamata inaugurated the newly renovated stretch earlier this year, she was once again struck with a brilliant idea. Thus, Lee Road was renamed as Satyajit Ray "Dharani" - another first for the city. While the Bengali term "Sarani", which literally translates to road, is generally used as a suffix for many roads in Kolkata, use of the term "Dharani", meaning earth, has surprised even her ardent admirers. Then there was the new Parama Island flyover connecting central Kolkata with the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Sanctioned during the Left regime, the project was way behind schedule. To Mamata's credit, she finally got the flyover operational but renamed it "Maa" from Parama, opening the floodgates for a flurry of jokes on social media. Notwithstanding the ground realities, Mamata has indeed made an honest effort to rebrand Bengal as a business-friendly state during her first term in office. She conceived the "Biswa Bangla" campaign to aggressively market home-grown products, both in India and abroad. One that has actually yielded good results. However, her annual business summit titled "Bengal Leads" on the lines of "Vibrant Gujarat" has so far been a dud. She even got superstar Shah Rukh Khan onboard to promote Bengal as a tourism destination. Unfortunately, even Shah Rukh's midas touch couldn't breathe life into the "Beautiful Bengal" campaign. With a thumping majority and another term in office, Didi sure has a lot of scope to name and rename bridges, roads, towns and cities. But the question on everyone's mind - be it Bangla or Bongo - is whether Mamata's Bengal will be able to reclaim its position of glory 60 years after it was born? Upper Allen Township Police have arrested two more people in connection to the theft of nearly $200,000 worth of electrical components. Sergio Barr, 41, of Camp Hill, was arrested Tuesday and Jeremy C. Weldon, 38, of Harrisburg, was arrested Wednesday by Upper Allen Township Police. The two are charged felony theft, conspiracy to commit theft and receiving stolen property after they helped Robbie Lee Zoller and Christopher D. Turner steal $170,000 worth of electrical components from a business in the 200 block of Cumberland Parkway in Upper Allen Township, according to Upper Allen Township Police. The components were found in a storage unit leased by Turner and were being sold across the United States, police said. Weldon and Barr are both currently in Cumberland County Prison in lieu of $25,000 and $80,000 respectively. Zoller is also currently incarcerated and police are currently seeking Turner. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 850-8273. This article has been updated to accurately reflect traffic accommodations planned during construction of the new bridge. Asked/Answered is a weekly feature for reader-submitted questions. Follow the blog online at www.cumberlink.com: What is the status of the Craighead Bridge replacement project? Craighead Bridge, which carries Zion Road over the Yellow Breeches Creek in South Middleton Township, was closed in 2013 because of structural deficiencies. It is currently slated for replacement as part of Cumberland Countys bridge capital improvement program that aims to invest $15 million over six years on 17 of the countys bridges that are considered to be structurally deficient. In January, county officials presented a plan to the South Middleton Board of Supervisors for a two-month detour to allow for the project to take place between June and August. Cumberland County Director of Planning Kirk Stoner said the county no longer plans to have a detour with the project and intends to keep one lane open on Route 174 during construction. That timeline has been pushed back to later this year. In May, Stoner told The Sentinel that work would likely begin in the fall. We have a lot going on, Stoner said in May. We will be done with Leidigh (Bridge) in September and then we will be working on Orrs Bridge sometime next year. We moved construction on Craighead to this fall. With Wolf Bridge, we are probably looking at early 2018. Stoner said Thursday that the project would go out for bid in September. Total cost of replacement is expected at about $2.5 million, with 80 percent of the funding coming from federal sources, 15 percent from the state and 5 percent paid by local sources, Stoner said. The Craighead Bridge project came under some scrutiny at the end of 2015, when the county moved to use eminent domain to obtain some of the land needed to complete the project. In February, the county placed $5,530 with the county prothonotarys office as just compensation for the 0.8 acres needed to complete the project, according to court records. In July, Judge Jessica Brewbaker ordered that money be provided to the property owners. Send us your questions Need an answer? We can help. The Sentinel wants to know what you have always wanted to know. Whether its politics, crime, history or just something youve always been curious about, if you have questions, The Sentinel will look for the answer and provide it in our online blog and as a weekly feature in the Sentinel print edition. Shoot us an email at frontdoor@cumberlink.com, call 240-7125 or stop by the office to submit your questions. The best questions will be featured in weekly Asked/Answered columns online and in print. Pushpa Kamal Dahal elected as 39th Prime Minister of Nepal Published: August 3, 2016 Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Chairperson (CPN-MC) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda (61) was elected as the 39th Prime Minister of Nepal He was the sole claimant to the post of prime minister after then Prime Minister K P Oli had resigned in July 2016 following political turmoil. He secured 363 in favour and 210 against. He will be second Prime Minister of Nepal under the newly adopted secular, republic and federal Constitution. This will be his second stint as the Prime Minister of Nepal after he had served earlier from 2008 to 2009. Background Then Prime Minister K P Oli had tendered his resignation after two key ruling alliance partners -Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRFD) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) had withdrawn support to the no-confidence motion tabled against him by the Nepali Congress and the CPN-Maoist Centre. About Pushpa Kamal Dahal Born on 11 December 1954 in Dhikur Pokhari, Nepal. He is also known as Prachanda. He is chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre) [CPN (M-C)]. He led a guerrilla war against the government and had launched a communist insurgency in 1996. He is also widely known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, a name he went by during his guerrilla days. Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016 Topics: Elections International Nepal Persons in News Prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Latest E-Books Union Cabinet approves amendments in Central List of OBCs applicable to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Published: August 4, 2016 The Union Cabinet has given its approval for making suitable amendments in the Central List of OBCs (Other Backward Classes) applicable to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This decision has been taken as per the recommendations of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Key Facts The suitable amendments in the Central List of OBCs will be done by inclusion/deletion of castes/communities applicable to Andhra Pradesh and newly formed State of Telangana. NCBC has recommended total of 35 changes in respect of Andhra Pradesh and also suggested 86 New Entries in respect of Telangana. The changes will enable the persons belonging to these communities in both states to avail the benefits of reservation in Government services as well as in Central Educational Institutions. Besides, these communities will also become eligible for benefit under the various welfare schemes, scholarships etc. of the Union Government. Background The Section 9 (Functions of the Commission) of the NCBC Act, 1993 empowers NCBC to examine requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class in the lists. In this regard, NCBC hears complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in such lists and tenders such advice to the Union Government. The NCBC Act, 1993 also stipulates that the advice of the Commission shall ordinarily be binding upon the Union Government. So far based on recommendation of the NCBC a total of 2401 Entries for inclusion, including its synonyms, sub-castes, etc. in the Central List of OBCs have been notified in 24 States and 6 Union Territories. Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016 Topics: Andhra Pradesh National Cabinet Decisions OBCs Reservation States Telangana Latest E-Books Union Cabinet approves signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Lao Published: August 3, 2016 The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of new Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Decision in this regard was taken in the union cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Key Facts ASA is the basic legal framework for any air operation between the two countries Under the agreement, the designated airlines of the two countries will have equal and fair opportunity to operate the agreed air services on specified routes. The Agreement is expected to spur greater investment, trade, tourism and cultural exchange between two countries and also bring developments in the civil aviation sector. It will provide enabling environment for seamless and enhanced air connectivity by providing commercial opportunities to carriers of both sides ensuring greater safety and security. Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016 Topics: Air Services Agreement Aviation Sector Cabinet Decisions India-Lao National Latest E-Books Union Cabinet approves Spectrum Usage Charge for the spectrum in various bands Published: August 4, 2016 The Union Cabinet has approved the rates for Spectrum Usage Charge (SUC) for various bands of spectrum for which auction are going to be conducted shortly. With this approval the path is clear for issuance of the Notice Inviting Application (NIV) for spectrum auction by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). SUC is the charge that telecom firms have to pay the government every year. The Union Government earns about Rs.7,000 crore annually from it. SUC prescribed by Cabinet SUC in 700, 800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2300 & 2500 MHz band in the forthcoming auction will be charged at 3% rate of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR). It excludes the revenue from wire-line services. The weighted average will be derived by sum of product of spectrum holdings and applicable SUC rate divided by total spectrum holding. The Weighted Average Rate will be determined operator wise for each service area. It will be assigned to an operator in all access spectrum bands obtained in 2010 auction. The amount of SUC has been derived after taking into consideration the spectrum acquired in the coming auction. It has excluded the spectrum in 2300/2500 MHz band acquired prior to 2015-16. It will be treated as the floor amount of the SUC to be paid by the operators. Comment This will facilitate to move to a transparent, simple and flat ad-valorem SUC regime in the telecom sector. It will be done in accordance with the law and avoid creative accounting to bypass the revenues. It is considered as step towards a uniform rate for all players. Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016 Topics: Business Cabinet Decisions Economy National Spectrum Usage Charge Telecom sector Latest E-Books The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors provided input to county staff regarding what type of role and direction local government should take when it comes to expanding broadband access to areas in the county where it is lacking. During a work session Wednesday, supervisors made suggestions to the Albemarle County Broadband Management Team, which has been working on a plan to expand broadband accessibility in the county. The boards input focused mostly on looking at ways to improve work with the private sector to expand broadband access. Mike Culp, the countys information technology director, led the presentation, along with other county staff members who are on the broadband management board. In March, the county was awarded a $75,000 grant from the Virginia Telecommunication Planning Initiative to develop a plan. The countys broadband management team has worked with Design Nine, a broadband planning firm in Blacksburg, to help create the countys telecommunications proposal. Members of the broadband management team consist of county staff, as well as two board members: Supervisor Rick Randolph and Chairwoman Liz Palmer. As we went through the first draft weve realized as a broadband management team that we needed to focus in on some, what were calling philosophical questions, but we have a series of questions for the board around their understanding of what type of role government should play in the deployment of broadband to unserved and underserved areas, Culp said prior to the meeting. The presentation from the broadband management team touched on different stakeholders in the county that are affected by and rely on broadband access to properly function, such as businesses, public safety and education. One of the most discussed aspects by the supervisors on the role of local government was that there should be some sort of assistance with the private sector in expanding broadband access, rather than doing nothing or competing against the private sector on this matter. Supervisor Diantha McKeel, who represents the Jack Jouett District, said during the work session that its not just a rural problem when it comes to broadband access in the county. She said there are pockets in the urban and development area where access needs to be expanded and improved, as well. Randolph, who represents the Scottsville District, suggested that, as Albemarle County moves forward in addressing broadband access needs, it needs to look at working with neighboring counties to achieve the shared goal of increased access. Culp said during the work session that Century Link has already secured federal funding to address unserved and underserved areas in the county and that it is already working on it. No action was taken by the Board of Supervisors at the conclusion of the work session. The first draft of the plan has been completed and is under review by staff, Culp said. The plan report is set to be finalized by Sept. 15 and will be shared with the Board of Supervisors in October. More information on the broadband management team can be found at albemarle.org/broadband. Running through grass, splashing around in the ocean and exploring hidden paths through the woods are summertime traditions for most children who grow up outside of big cities. But for children who grow up in the Big Apple, they are more likely to play on hot pavement than soft sand. Thats where the Fresh Air Fund comes into play. The not-for-profit organization helps send children living in low-income areas of New York City to smaller locales like Charlottesville to experience a different kind of summer vacation. This week, a young girl from the Bronx came back to Charlottesville to spend a second year with her host family. As the charter bus rolled to a stop in the parking lot of a Charlottesville church last Friday, 9-year-old Madden Hoover stood next to her mom, Melissa, with a hand-painted welcome sign. The two waited eagerly for their friend, Brittany Alvarez, to hop off the bus before grabbing her for hugs. Hi, Brittany, Melissa said excitedly. Its so good to see you. We made you a sign, Madden added, grinning. The soon-to-be 12-year-old was all smiles as she saw her host family for the first time in a year. Thinking about what she wanted to do this week, Alvarez said she hoped they could spend time outdoors and maybe go to an amusement park This week, the family took her up on the idea. From berry picking near Afton and swimming at the Boars Head Inn, Hoover said she wanted to give Alvarez experiences she might not be able to get in the big city. Last year, Hoover said it was exciting to watch Alvarez experience seemingly ordinary parts of nature. The coolest part of having Brittany is the first time we took her to Sugar Hollow, seeing a deer blew her mind, said Hoover. Seeing tadpoles and toads blew her mind. It was nice to see her experience that. While home in New York, Alvarez said she typically spends a lot of time with her family and tries to go to the park or swim as much as possible in the summer. The Fresh Air Fund first started in 1877, when New York City was overcrowded with children living in tenement housing. The cramped space made them much more susceptible to dangerous illnesses, like tuberculosis. To keep children away from the epidemic, the program sent them to small towns in nearby states to give them fresh air. These days, tuberculosis is at the bottom of most parents list of worries, but other concerns can include high rates of crime and a lack of safe outdoor play spaces. Alvarezs mother, Maria Elena Isidoro, said she wanted to give her daughter a summer vacation and new experiences. The program opens doors to new experiences and opportunities that I am not really able to give her, Isidoro said in Spanish. I feel safe sending my daughter through The Fresh Air Fund because the family she goes to treats her like their own and keeps in contact with her throughout the year. The first time she went she loved it, she added. Its a new experience for her to get out of the city and explore new places. I know this will benefit her in the long run. Monica Robinson, who oversees the Blue Ridge chapter of Fresh Air, said it is very typical for children to go back to the same family multiple years in a row, and that is one of the programs goals. None of the families pay to send their children on the excursions and the organization generally chooses children from at-risk and low-income groups, Robinson said. Were hoping they get to experience a lifestyle thats completely different from their own, Robinson said. Coming here may allow them to see different people and perspectives and see that things like high crime dont exist everywhere. This year, for the first time, the Hoover family took Alvarez to Mint Springs Valley Park to jump in the swimming hole, play on the beach and explore the trails. Hoover said shes also happy her daughter has a friend to spend time with and learn from her different perspectives. She is a lovely, sweet girl and was a pleasure to have around, Hoover said. She was very easy, so were happy to have her again. I like how nice she is and having her company, added Madden. I have no brothers or sisters, so shes really the only friend who stays for at least a week. For more information about the Fresh Air Fund and how to host a child, visit freshair.org. LYNCHBURG The candidates for the 5th District can expect to face off at least four times ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Campaigns for former Albemarle County Supervisor Jane Dittmar and state Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, have confirmed four debates, the first of which is scheduled for Wednesday in Charlottesville. Every debate is open to the public. The campaigns, though, said two others are in the works, with at least one expected in Southside Virginia. The 5th District stretches from Fauquier County in the north to Danville and the North Carolina border in the south. The more the voters see us side-by-side, the more clear its going to be that one of us has unique, positive solutions to the problems of America, Garrett said. Garrett specifically hoped for adding debates in Southside Virginia, as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump performed particularly well in that area. The campaign for Dittmar, a Democrat, is open to additional meetings in the district, which is larger than New Jersey. Janes eager to have a vigorous debate with our opponent, so voters of the 5th District can hear her plans for bringing jobs back to the 5th District, Dittmar deputy campaign manager Maggie Thornton said. Also seeking the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Robert Hurt are Libertarian candidate Stephen Harmon and independent candidate Yale Landsberg. The first meeting, hosted by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia, is set for 1:30 to 3 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Senior Center at 1180 Pepsi Place. The program will be moderated by Bob Gibson, senior researcher at the Academy for Civic Renewal. The Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance and Appomattox Chamber of Commerce are teaming up to host a debate focused on economic development issues at the Appomattox Inn & Suites on Sept. 26, according to alliance official Caroline Biggs. The details still are being planned. The pair is expected to debate again two days later at 6 p.m. Sept. 28 at the University of Virginias Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Batten School Dean Allan Stam and Professor Gerald Warburg are expected to moderate the debate at Garrett Hall, according to Batten School spokesman Bruce A. Vlk. The last meeting to be scheduled so far will be held Oct. 10 at Piedmont Virginia Community College and will be sponsored by Newsplex, a media partner of The Daily Progress. Some of the questions will come from a new polling technology that allows PVCC students to weigh in on a given topic and ask for a response from candidates, assistant professor of political science Connie Jorgensen said. A four-person panel is expected to include PVCC President Frank Friedman, a student, and two members from Newsplex, Jorgensen said. Newsplex anchor Dan Schutte will be the moderator, Jorgensen said. The plan is to televise the first hour 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. live. The next hour will be streamed online, Jorgensen said. This is an incredible learning experience for students, she said. UPDATED AT 8:30 A.M. A few of the 14 traveling with First Assembly of God Church in Farmington posted updates on Facebook around 7:30 a.m. local time saying they made it through the night after Hurricane Earl made landfall in Belize City, Belize late Wednesday. According to Doug Smith, some of the team members were heading out with the host missionaries to the outskirts of the city to survey the damage to their homes. The team from Farmington were in a hotel located three blocks from the ocean when the storm hit. More information about the group will be updated as it becomes available. Smith updated the following information on his Facebook page: Maintenance guy at the hotel says there are power poles down across the city. The hotel has enough diesel for its generator for one day (but could maybe get more depending on flooding). The Caribbean Sea storm surge reached to within 10 feet of the front door of the hotel (about three blocks from the sea wall at water's edge). No water (no water pressure) for now so toilet flushing is an issue. We filled our bathtub full before the storm anticipating as much, and can use a trash can to dip it out and flush. Windows are open and there's still a good post-storm breeze (10-15 mph) so we're staying cool. Now if they get the airport open be Saturday? They should, because it's several miles inland. ORIGINAL STORY - A church mission group from the First Assembly of God Church in Farmington that traveled more than 1,400 miles to share the gospel in the Central American country of Belize this week, were also having to prepare for the landfall of Tropical Storm Earl. On Tuesday, members of the mission group posted on social media they were preparing to hunker down for the day as Tropical Storm Earl was prepared to make landfall in Belize City, Belize around 6 p.m. (5 p.m. local time) at which time it will become Hurricane Earl. Among those traveling with the mission group is Daily Journal Editor Doug Smith. Early Wednesday afternoon, Smith said the group is staying in Belize City, about three blocks from the ocean. The hotel is already boarded up and a lot of buildings in town are boarded up, he said during a phone call. The grocery stores, gas stations and hardware stores are packed. Smith said on Tuesday the group helped to board up the home of the missionaries they are working with while in Belize. As of 10 a.m. this morning, they were going to fly an airplane through the storm to determine how fast it was moving, he said. They anticipate it will be at hurricane status by the time it arrives here at 6 p.m. this evening and should last until 7 a.m. on Thursday. They are, at this point, calling for 70- to 80-miles-per-hour sustained winds. He said the group has plans that, in the event of a storm surge, those located on the lower floors will move to the upper floors with the group. They are saying the storm surge could be two to three feet, he said. The group, added Smith, "is all in good spirits and ready to weather the storm." In a FaceTime call, Pastor Kevin Davis said he has been in contact with the church secretary to let her know everybody is okay. Everyone has talked to family and made contact with them to let them know we are okay, he said. We are following the instructions the hotel gave us here, paperwork of what they do in situations like this to help us get prepared as well. He added contact may be limited should the storm hit due to the different infrastructure of Belize. We will get back in touch with people as soon as possible, Davis said, adding the missionaries shared they did not believe the storm would delay the groups flight back to the United States on Saturday. In an email, Smith said the group had enough food, flashlights and bottled water to last for a couple of days. He added the hotel is also equipped with a generator and has provided instructions to guests on preparations. The letter said to have a backpack for evacuation if need be and to have your luggage packed and they would have garbage bags to put your luggage in, he said. Weather officials have said the storm could become a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 74-95 miles per hour prior to making landfall. Property damage, downed trees and beach erosion is expected to occur, according to meteorologists. The storm is an upper level Tropical Storm at this point and not sure if it will actually reach hurricane level or not, Davis said on Wednesday afternoon. Its still going to be the strongest storm weve been in for that length of time. We had 60 mile per hour winds for four minutes a few weeks ago now were going to have to deal with that much or stronger for about 6 or 8 hours. Its going to be a little different, Davis said. He compared the preparation to the storm to the typical preparation in the Midwest before a snowstorm lots of empty shelves in the bread aisle. Around 11 a.m. the hurricane was moving west at 14 miles per hour with top sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. Hurricane warnings were issued for an area covering Belize City and Puerto Costa Maya in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula south to the Guatemala border. RICHMOND Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe took aim at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Thursday, blasting him over remarks directed at the parents of decorated U.S. Army Capt. Humayan Khan, who died protecting his men in Iraq. "As an advocate for military service members and their families, I am deeply disturbed by Donald Trumps disgraceful attacks on the Khan family, and I believe that he owes them an apology," McAuliffe said in a statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Khan's father, Khizr Khan, drew international attention last week when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention and criticized Trump's proposals to restrict Muslims. At one point in the brief speech, the Charlottesville-based lawyer, with his wife, Ghazala at his side, produced a copy of the U.S. Constitution and questioned whether Trump had read it. "You have sacrificed nothing," Khan said to Trump. Trump's response further fanned the flames that have engulfed the candidate for the past week and drawn widespread criticism from military veterans and elected officials in his own party. Trump at first questioned why Khan's wife did not speak, suggesting that she wasn't allowed to speak. On Tuesday, a veteran in Loudoun County offered Trump his Purple Heart the medal given for soldiers wounded in combat and he responded flippantly. "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier," said Trump, who was exempt from military service after receiving multiple deferments for a bone spur in his foot. "As the mother of a U.S. Marine, I cannot imagine any greater sacrifice than what the Khans have made," said McAuliffe. "No Gold Star family deserves to be treated with this level of disrespect and degradation from anyone, let alone someone campaigning to be the commander-in-chief of our armed forces. Criticism from Dorothy McAuliffe, whose son, Jack, is a Marine, comes as Trump's vice presidential running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, campaigns in Hampton Roads Thursday, with stops in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, home to the largest naval base in the world. With more than 800,000 current and former members of the military residing in the state, Virginia is home to one of the largest active duty and reserve populations in the nation. The swing-state commonwealth and its 13 Electoral College votes is considered critical to Republican hopes for reclaiming the White House this November. Police in Virginia Beach are on the lookout for a monkey and its owner after the animal bit a 9-year-old girl. The girl was bitten about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday on a sidewalk near the Virginia Beach oceanfront, police said. She and her family were visiting from Pennsylvania, according to media reports. The monkey's owner fled with the animal before a Virginia Beach Animal Control officer arrived on the scene, police said. Animal Control spokeswoman Meghan Conti said the primate is a white-headed capuchin monkey. She said it is blackish brown with white on its fur and is a little larger than a house cat, or about the size of a medium poodle. Conti said the girl was taken to a hospital, but no other details about about the child's injuries were available. Anyone with information related to the case are encouraged to call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at (888) LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887) or by submitting a tip by texting VBTIP and the information to CRIMES (274637). YORKSHIRE - England - You could have eaten halal eggs this morning. As you innocently cracked the shell of your boiled egg and dipped into it with your toasted soldier, you would be horrified to realise that the egg was halal and blessed by Allah. Halal eggs are used in pretty much everything from your mayo to the chocolate cake you stuffed into your salivating mouth yesterday. I had an omelette this morning and then whilst on the train proceeded to read my copy of the Daily Mail. To say I was horrified at what I read would be an understatement. I realised that my omelette was made from halal eggs. I immediately stuck two fingers down my throat and vomited over the person next to me on the morning commute from Oxford, Reggie Sanders, 56, a company director, told the Evening Standard. Halal eggs are created by chickens who lay eggs in the Islamic fashion. They are first blessed by an Imam, then they are told to submit to God whilst laying their eggs. Factory farms across the UK all have resident Islamic priests who recite the Koran to chickens before they lay their eggs. The chickens also have to face Mecca and if they refuse are sent to be slaughtered, in the halal way of course. This begs the question, what about Easter Eggs? Well, you think theyre Christian eggs, but theyre actually halal eggs squirted ritually from the bottoms of hens and painted like Easter eggs. Nigel Farage of Ukip has vowed to ensure all eggs in the UK are Ukip eggs when he wins the next election, seeing as he was unceremoniously yoked by a deadly halal egg on a recent walkabout. Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. Auto industry has four different slabs of excise duty based on dimensions and engine capacity New Delhi: The passage of GST Bill in theRajya Sabha offers an "excellent opportunity" to rationalise existing differential tax structure on vehicles based on physical dimensions and simplify taxation burden, according to automobile manufacturers. "From the automobile industry perspective, which contributes close to 45 per cent in the manufacturing GDP, it's an excellent opportunity for the government to rationalise the current differential tax structure based on physical dimensions," Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) President and CEO Yoichiro Ueno told PTI. With India benchmarking car safety, emission and fuel efficiency standards with the developed automobile markets, the tax structure should also be aligned to meet these objectives, he added. Expressing similar sentiments, Hyundai Motor India Ltd Senior Vice-President Sales and Marketing Rakesh Srivastava said: "Auto industry is heavily taxed with multiplicity of taxes, introduction of GST will reduce the cascading effect of taxes, bring in simplicity and transparency, increase efficiency and productivity, create single large market with level playing field." Overall it will create a positive investment confidence towards manufacturing capacity creation and related investments and will be the key driver to government's 'Make in India' vision, he added. Renault India Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Sumit Sawhney said the GST Bill will positively impact several sectors "including the automobile industry, by minimising and simplifying the taxation burden". He added: "GST is expected to drive overall consumer demand since the cost for the logistics and supply chain inventory will be curtailed by almost 30-40 per cent, the benefits of which are expected to be passed on to the consumers." The auto industry has four different slabs of excise duty based on dimensions and engine capacity. Small cars that are less than four meters in length attract excise duty of 12.5 per cent, while cars longer than four meters but with engine of less than 1,500 cc capacity attract a duty of 24 per cent. Further, vehicles with engine capacity of more than 1,500 cc are charged an excise duty of 27 per cent and while those with ground clearance of more than 170 mm attract an excise duty of 30 per cent. Ford India Executive Director (Sales and Marketing) Anurag Mehrotra, said: "As details of this historic reform, including the final tax rate get finalised, we surely expect automotive industry, one of the biggest contributors to GDP, to benefit from the one-nation-one-tax regime in the time to come." Hero MotoCorp Chairman, Managing Director and CEO Pawan Munjal said bringing in GST has the potential to make country's economy more open and robust and country more competitive internationally. In the biggest tax reform since Independence, the national sales tax or GST Bill was yesterday approved by the Rajya Sabha to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world's biggest single market. The Creta turned out to be a blockbuster for Hyundai. It's just been a year since its launch and the car has proved its worth on city streets as well as on off roads. To mark a successful year of its completion, Hyundai is introducing an Anniversary Edition of the SUV. The special Creta will be priced at Rs 14.27 lakh for the petrol and Rs. 16.42 lakh for the diesel variant (on-road price, Delhi). The new SUV comes with a dual tone colour scheme, a black roof and some other cosmetic upgrades. The special variant is only available in manual transmission. This 'Anniversary Edition' is built over the standard SX+ variant, with an additional cost of about Rs 45,000. With this extra money, you get a white Creta with a gloss black contrast roof. The car also gets a 1 Anniversary Edition badge on the C-pillars in the form of dual-colour decal strips. The bold chrome bar which was earlier placed on the tailgate, on top of the licence plate, has made way for a more subtle body-coloured bar. Inside too, the car features cosmetic upgrades. The beige-black interiors now make way for a refreshed red-and-black theme. The dashboard features red outlines over the AC vents, while everything else remains black. The seats too now feature dual-tone red-black upholstery, lending a sense of sportiness to the cabin. Overall, this edition of the car stands out as a more sporty avatar of the everyday SUV. And for an extra Rs 45,000, you get to be one of the few who would ever drive this model. If you are in the market looking for a Creta, book your 'Anniversary Edition' now. Source: CarDekho.com Apple also said in its annual diversity and inclusion report that it had closed pay gaps over the last year by analysing salaries, bonuses and annual stock grants. San Francisco: Apple Inc on Wednesday reported improvements in gender and ethnic diversity in June as the U.S. technology company stayed ahead of fellow Silicon Valley powerhouses Google and Facebook Inc in hiring minorities. Apple also said in its annual diversity and inclusion report that it had closed pay gaps over the last year by analysing salaries, bonuses and annual stock grants. It had also opened up its annual stock grants programme to retail employees for the first time. As of June, Apple's overall U.S workforce was 56 per cent white (up 2 per cent from a year ago), 19 per cent Asian (down 1 per cent) 12 per cent Hispanic (up 1 per cent), and 9 per cent black (up 1 per cent). Apple's workforce includes a pool of retail employees that Google and Facebook do not have. In Apple stores, blacks and Hispanics respectively comprised 12 per cent and 17 per cent of general employees, and 5 per cent and 10 per cent of the leadership. At Alphabet Inc's Google unit, blacks and Hispanics respectively made up 2 and 3 per cent of the overall workforce and 1 and 3 per cent of its tech employees, little changed from last year. At Facebook, blacks and Hispanics were respectively 2 and 4 per cent of the workforce and 1 and 3 per cent of tech employees. Apple's global workforce was 32 per cent women, up 1 per cent from the end of June 2015. Women held 23 per cent of technical positions, up 1 per cent from a year ago, and 28 per cent of leadership positions, unchanged from June last year. Reverend Jesse Jackson, who confronted Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook in 2014 about the company's lack of diversity and unfair compensation, applauded its efforts to connect with engineers of colour through partnerships with historically black colleges and universities and scholarship organizations. "They are clearly setting the pace, making measurable progress for three consecutive years. They've acted with intention, not just aspiration," Jackson said in a statement. Amazon Inc which employs a large number of workers at distribution centres, reported late last year that its ethnic diversity exceeded the U.S. average, with a global workforce that was 21 per cent black, 13 per cent Hispanic, 11 per cent Asian and 5 per cent other ethnicities. In management positions at Amazon, however, representation dropped to 4 per cent for blacks and Hispanics, 3 per cent for other races, and climbed to 20 per cent for Asians. New Delhi: Deepak Fertilisers today announcedsetting up of a new nitric acid plant at Dahej in Gujarat with an investment of Rs 550 crore to meet the rising demand. At present, Deepak Fertilisers And Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd (DFPCL) has a manufacturing unit for nitric acid in Taloja, Maharashtra with capacity close to 8.4 lakh tonnes per annum. It also has facilities to manufacture TAN and fertilisers at the same place. "This new facility will be the first step of development of a mega-multi products site at Dahej, which would cater to the demand of many intermediates and specialty chemicals manufacturers in India," DFPCL Chairman and Managing Director Sailesh Mehta said in a statement. The company said it plans to deploy a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with an investment of Rs 550 crore. The land for the proposed project has already been acquired. The project is scheduled to be completed by second half of 2018, it said. DFPCL is expanding the production capacity of nitric acid in view of expected rise in demand from various industries including dyes, defence, agrochemicals and pharma. "There have been significant developments in the recent past which have contributed to the growth of Nitric Acid demand in the Gujarat Region. A manufacturing facility in Dahej will bring us closer to our key customers," the company's Chemical business President Paresh Trivedi said. Some the company's key customers have already announced their expansion plans. "We are aligning our expansion plans with those of our customers so as to cater to their demands." DFPCL manufactures three variants of nitric Acid. Its current capacity is close to 8.4 lakh tonnes per annum, but most of it is used for captive consumption with only 1.6 lakh tonnes per annum available for merchant sale. With the increased capacity, the company will be able to provide an incremental 1.48 lakh tonnes per annum, it added. Industry believes it is a further step towards increasing ease of doing business in sector. New Delhi: Passage of GST bill will help theindustry consolidate supply chain and ease logistical burdens brought about by the old tax regime, consumer electronic and home appliance makers have said. Decrease in effective rate of tax from around 25 per cent to 18 per cent will be a big help and the benefit brought about by this change will trickle down to the consumer, said Panasonic India & South Asia President & CEO and Panasonic Corporation Executive Officer Manish Sharma. "This also gives a chance for a brand like ours to consolidate our supply chain and ease logistical burdens brought about by the old tax regime," said Sharma. Haier India president Eric Braganza also welcomed the step saying: "This is a good move for the industry. It would give price benefit to the consumers." The Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) said that it was a further step towards increasing the ease of doing business in the sector. "GST will further contribute to the economic growth by uplifting the overall stature of local manufacturing by cutting down the logistical and transactional costs," said CEAMA in a statement. However, it also added corporate institutions must be wary of the initial accompanying challenges in the form of increased compliance costs and alignment of IT systems as government sets up the GST IT infrastructure and the GST council to ensure a seamless implementation. "GST will aid in aggregating tax revenues which in turn will allow government to spend more on infrastructure, IT and future investments thus, benefitting the consumer electronics industry and thereby, the overall economy," said CEAMA. As per the decision, spectrum to be sold in the bands of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz will attract SUC at the rate of 3 per cent of the Adjusted Gross Revenue. New Delhi: Setting the stage for the country's biggest ever spectrum sale, the Cabinet on August 4 approved 3 per cent annual usage charge for the spectrum to be procured in the upcoming auction. "The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the rates for Spectrum Usage Charge or SUC for various bands of spectrum for which auction is going to be conducted shortly. With this, the path is clear for issuance of the Notice Inviting Application for the auctions by the Telecom Department," an official statement said. The government expects to raise at least Rs 64,000 crore from the auction of about 2,300 Mhz of spectrum and Rs 98,995 crore from various levies and services in the telecom sector in this financial year. As per the decision, spectrum to be sold in the bands of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz will attract SUC at the rate of 3 per cent of the Adjusted Gross Revenue. The SUC for telecom operators holding BWA airwaves (2300 Mhz band) in 2010 auction alongwith other set of spectrum will be calculated on the basis of weighted average. "The weighted average of SUC rates across all spectrum assigned to an operator (whether assigned administratively or through auction or through trading) in all access spectrum bands, including BWA spectrum obtained in 2010 auction, shall be applied for charging SUC, subject to a minimum of 3 per cent of AGR excluding revenue from wireline services," an official release said. Sources said that bidding for Rs 5.66 lakh crore mega- spectrum auction will start in 45-50 days. The uniform SUC rate has been a highly contentious issue of late with the industry due to difference in the fee for 2300 MHz band (1 per cent) and other bands. Reliance Jio, which bagged airwaves in 2300 Mhz band in 2010 auction, has opposed levying of uniform SUC rate, as suggested by TRAI, as it pays only 1 per cent fee on the BWA spectrum as per the norms fixed for sale at that time. However, it acquired some spectrum later on which higher SUC was being charged and the company is required to pay as per the weighted average formula. Mumbai: There is a "huge element of money laundering" in illegal public deposit schemes across the country, a top Sebi official said today, even as he wondered why not many claimants are coming forward to get back the money in the high-profile Sahara case. "So far as Sahara is concerned, we have a decent amount of money but not many claimants. That is a question mark, as to why there are no claimants despite the fact that we have made multiple advertisements seeking applications to pay the money," Sebi Whole Time Member S Raman told reporters here. Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of a website under the State Level Coordination Committees (SLCC) scheme to tackle the menace of illegal money pooling activities, Raman said there is "huge element of money laundering" in such schemes. Because of this, the Ministry of Finance's Directorate of Enforcement has also been made a part of the state-level coordination panels, which began working in 2014, he added. In Sahara case, Sebi was given truckloads of documents not connected to one another and undertook the gargantuan task of sifting through those which has not been done by any regulator in the world, Raman said. "The entire desire of ours is to distribute as much money as possible," he said. Sahara is engaged in a long-running dispute with Sebi over schemes involving raising of funds from public through certain bonds and the group was asked to return thousands of crores along with interest to the investors through the regulator. The group claims to have already refunded 95 per cent of the money directly to the investors. As per the latest Sebi data, it has got Rs 11,272 crore with interest in its Sahara Refund Account while the money returned to investors is just around Rs 55 crore. Talking about another high-profile case involving Pearl Group entity PACL, which was asked by Sebi to refund over Rs 50,000 crore collected from investors, Raman said the recently constituted committee under the chairmanship of former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha is trying to collect details of properties owned by the group. He, however, sought to clarify that in PACL, the watchdog had been proactive in barring the company from collecting funds as far back in 1996, but the company got a relief in its favour from a High Court. Sebi successfully challenged the order in the apex court, but an order from the Supreme Court came only in 2012 by which time it had raised the money. Referring to some media reports about the group trying to raise money from sale of some assets in Australia, Raman said the market watchdog is in touch with Australian authorities to ensure that proceeds are not diverted for any other purpose. "We are in touch with Australian authorities not to allow the sale transaction proceeds to go away. All that is in the process," he said. India's oil imports from Iran for the fiscal year that began in April are set to surge to a seven-year high. India's July oil imports from Iran rose by over a fifth from June, surging to its highest level in five months as two state- run refiners resumed shipments from Tehran after a gap of years, preliminary tanker arrival data obtained by Reuters show. Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Bharat Petroleum, India's second- and third-biggest state-owned refiners respectively, halted Iranian oil imports after western sanctions against Tehran's nuclear programme barred insurance cover for plants processing Iranian oil. India shipped in 461,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian oil in July, a nearly 21 per cent increase from June and more than double than the about 215,000 bpd imported a year ago, tanker arrival data and ship-tracking services on the Thomson Reuters terminal show. India's oil imports from Iran for the fiscal year that began in April are set to surge to a seven-year high, with the nation's state-owned and private refiners together buying at least 400,000 bpd. While BPCL previously took an oil cargo from Iran in November 2011, HPCL last imported oil from the country in May 2013, according to data available to Reuters. For the first seven months of 2016, India imported about 359,000 bpd of Iranian oil, up 67 percent from the same period a year ago, the data showed. In April to July, the first four months of the current fiscal year, India's Iran oil purchases rose about 43 per cent to 404,000 bpd from about 283,000 bpd in the same period a year ago, the data showed. Indian Oil Corp, the country's biggest refiner, was the top buyer of Iranian oil in July, shipping in about 158,000 bpd oil, while Essar Oil slipped to the No. 2 position with 126,300 bpd, the data showed. Since a landmark nuclear deal was reached with major powers in 2015 leading to the lifting of sanctions, Iran has been planning to boost crude production and exports to the pre-sanction levels. Imports of Iranian oil by four major buyers in Asia in June jumped 47.1 per cent from a year ago to the highest level in more than four years. Mumbai: Dibakar Banerjee did not hold himself back when he commented about status quo Indian cinema. "Bollywood will always try to strangle something which threatens it. But fortunately for the last 10 years Bollywood hasn't been able to strangle the independent voices. I am standing in front of you as a result of that," he opined. Referring to himself as an aberration, who managed to survive in the industry, the 'Shanghai' maker says he is hopeful that the works of filmmakers like Gurvinder Singh of 'Chauthi Koot' and Kanu Behl who made last years 'Titli' will get their due. "I am definitely part of Bollywood but not a part of the formula. I am probably a very interesting aberration in the film industry. There should not be any reason why I should be here but here I am, still working. "If I can survive, then more talented and uncompromising filmmakers like Gurvinder (Singh) can survive. We need to recognise who we should reward and hold up as people who make us proud all over the world. The next wave has to start. People like Gurvinder and Kanu have to be given their due, otherwise the world will laugh at us", he posited. The director spoke during the special screening of Gurvinder's Punjabi film 'Chauthi Koot', which is based on the short stories 'The Fourth Direction' and 'I Am Feeling Fine Now' from author Waryam Singh Sandhu's 2005 collection, 'Chauthi Koot'. Chauthi Koot had its world premiere in the 'Un Certain Regard' section at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Impressed with the sensitive depiction of the Punjab of 1980s, the time of Sikh separatist movement, Dibakar said the film needs to reach a larger audience. "I didn't want to come out of the hall. Films like these are becoming a rarity. It's for those films Indian cinema was once known for. "It's an interesting situation that a film which created sensation internationally is now coming to India and I hope media, friends of cinema and people, who call themselves tastemakers of cinema, can rally behind this kind of film and tell the Indian audience that there is something which is of tremendous watchable quality." The movie won the Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film in December 2015. 'Chauthi Koot', which also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi, will release this Friday. Mumbai: Rohit Dhawans 'Dishoom' is in trouble again. An NGO working against tobacco consumption will be writing to actor John Abraham asking him to withdraw his poster for Bollywood movie Dishoom where he is seen smoking a cigarette. If not withdrawn, a senior office bearer of the National Organisation for Tobacco Consumption (NOTE) will be lodging a formal complaint with the police, against the No Smoking actor, producer as well as director Rohit Dhawan. "We will be writing a letter to John Abraham along with the producer and the director of the movie asking them to withdraw the poster which violated the anti-tobacco law," said NOTE general secretary Shekhar Salkar. Directed by Rohit Dhawan, 'Dishoom' starring Varun Dhawan, John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez released on July 29. "The movie poster showing Abraham smoking a cigarette promotes the use of tobacco. This is against the law. The poster should be immediately withdrawn," Salkar opined. The poster in question. John Abraham, whos a known fitness enthusiast, is a non-smoker in real life and has often been quoted speaking up against tobacco consumption. He reportedly was apprehensive about being shown smoking on-screen, but gave in ultimately, since it was significant to the script. Waltair Philips, who earlier played the younger version of actor Prabhu in Something Something, is making his debut as the lead hero in a film titled MeendumOru Kadhal Kathai which is a remake of Mollywood award-winning movie Thattathin Marayathu. Isha Talwar who did the original, is reprising her role in the Tamil version and returns after a gap! Produced by Jayachandran and released by Thanus V Creations, director Jawahar Mithran has made a few changes to suit the Tamil nativity. A romantic drama, MOKK is about a Hindu boy falling in love with a Muslim girl and the conflicts that arise out their inter-religion relationship. Speaking at the trailer and audio launch of the movie, Philips said, I was waiting for a good script for a very long time. Thanu sir was sending several scripts to me. In fact, he remarked that he had sent more scripts to me than to Vijay sir. Finally, I told him I was interested in this romantic emotional story and he gave a go ahead immediately. The young actor also thanked Mithran for giving him maximum freedom, despite being a newcomer. Talking about his co-star Isha, he said, Though we decided that Isha only could do justice to the role, we had apprehensions if she would act with a debut hero. The director auditioned several upcoming actresses, but none of them could match Ishas performance. We had no choice but to approach Isha, who was nice enough to accept to be part of the remake. Isha also added that she has acted with the same verve, This is my comeback movie in Tamil after Thillu Mullu in 2013! Between 2006 and 2015 there have been 37 serious brain infections in the United States.(Representative Image) Columbia: A pharmaceutical company has rushed a special drug that once saved the life of a girl who contracted a usually deadly brain-eating amoeba to a South Carolina hospital with its own patient fighting the disease. A courier drove the drug, called miltefosine, six hours from the company's Orlando, Florida, headquarters to Charleston as soon as the hospital called around 10 PM yesterday, Profounda CEO Todd MacLaughlan told The Associated Press. "Time is of the essence," MacLaughlan said. The patient in South Carolina was confirmed yesterday to have been exposed to Naegleria fowleri (nuh-GLEER'-ee-uh FOW'-lur-ee), a one-celled organism that can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Between 2006 and 2015 there have been 37 infections in the United States. Only three people have been recorded to have survived exposure. Miltefosine was used to treat one of the survivors a 12-year-old girl in Arkansas, the CDC said. Miltefosine was originally developed to fight cancer in the 1980s. It also helps fight leishmaniasis , a disease cause by a parasite transmitted through sand flea bites in tropical climates, MacLaughlan said. This is just the second time his company has sent the specialized drug that costs about $48,000 for a round of treatment to a hospital. It was delivered as capsules, MacLaughlan said. Officials aren't releasing the name, age, sex or condition of the patient, currently being treated at the Medical University of South Carolina hospital in Charleston. The patient appears to have been exposed to the amoeba while swimming July 24 near Martin's Landing on the Edisto River in Charleston County, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control epidemiologist Linda Bell said in a news release. The amoeba lives in many lakes, rivers and streams in warm water locations. There has to be a lot of force to send the water and amoeba into the brain, either by jumping into the water, or in a recent fatal case where an 18-year-old Ohio woman fell out of her raft in the churning waters at the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Health officials recommend swimmers hold their noses or wear nose clips when jumping feet first into freshwater lakes and rivers, warning the lower the water level and the warmer the water, the greater the risk of contracting the amoeba. Bengaluru is home to many a cuddly paw. But while its a common sight to spot the furry friends strolling around on the streets, the hassle of conveying them remains to be a major concern for most pet parents in the city. Gauging the need for a feasible outlet for the same, PetCabs, a city-based pet only cab service, is the brainchild of entrepreneur Santosh Shekhar, who believes in doing more with less. We get chatty with the pet lover who tells us more... It is a basic need for pets to pay timely visits to vet clinics, salons or kennel boarding centers. However, I remember how the idea struck me when I visited a friend, who runs a pet boarding service. I noticed that the service provider and the clients who visited him had a problem in picking or dropping their pets. The regular cabs or autos were not allowing pets, so the owners had to really think and make alternative arrangements, which was time consuming. Interestingly, I observed a few pet owners had dropped off the pet in their own car, but were clearly agitated as the car was dirty, with poop all over and seats ripped off! shares the 34-year-old entrepreneur, who then launched his idea at a pet show in the city. Armed with an MBA in marketing and international business, Santosh reveals how there was always an entrepreneurial streak to his persona, even when he first took up a 9-5 right after his post graduation. I believe its the experiences that make you. Working as an employee really helped, and I think its important to sharpen your skills before you plunge into something on your own. Unperturbed by naysayers, Santosh reveals how it is his innate ability to face adversity that inspires him. Yes, a lot of people had their first laugh at us, when I told them about my interest to start a taxi service for pets. They were quite skeptical and said we will not last a quarter, but Im glad were now having the last laugh. I believe in risk taking. Im all for adventures! he enthuses. That said, the entrepreneur who ventured out with institution training for corporates, asserts the need for a sound support system. My wife has been extremely supportive and is one of the first people I discuss and share my ideas and thoughts with. Its important to be around people who nuture and believe in you as much as you do, he says. On days when he likes to take a break, its travelling or indulging the gourmand in him. Im quite a meat lover and relish trying out different cuisines. Additionally, I like exploring lesser known destinations with family and friends. Most importantly, I ensure I lug my pets and use the pet services to my advantage! he smilingly states. Giving us a peek into whats next, he says, Well, theres a lot at the work front. But most importantly, I want to scrape the notions about off-beat services being catered keeping the privileged in mind. Ive started this concept keeping in mind the regular Bengalurean and his/her genuine concern for pets. Intimacy and sexual health are subjects that have mostly been reduced to a hush-hush affair in our society, and this is the reason why people dont discuss their sexuality openly, including their genitalia. The air of mystery which surrounds conversations about private parts, particularly penises, has resulted in an environment where there is a lack of awareness among men regarding their members, which also gives rise to a number of misconceptions. While size seems to matter to men a lot, here are a few facts that men should know about penises, which might help them become more confident about their sexuality. Your penis isn't unbreakable Although that boner of yours doesnt really have a bone, it can actually break as from a sudden thrust in the wrong direction when it is erect. Penile fracture involves rupture of tubes that fill with blood during an erection and is rarely reported, but its better to be safe the next time you want to experiment. Even corpses can get erections Now this might sound a bit creepy, but its a fact that males can get a hard on before they are born, and after they are lifeless corpses. Yes you heard that right, babies do get an erection inside the womb, and it stays with you straight to the grave. Small penises have bigger boners A very pressing question during discussions on penises is that does size really matter? This piece of information suggests that it doesnt matter that much, since a penis which seems smaller in size can have a bigger erection, than a penis that may seem bigger. Shoe size has nothing to do with the penis If you are wondering if the size of a persons penis can actually be ascertained from the length of their foot, a study published in the British Journal of Urology International dispels this widespread misconception, since it found no relation between shoe sizes and penises. Associating foot size with the size of the penis is a common misconception (Photo: AFP) The largest penis in the world Talking of sizes, the largest penis in the world is known to be 13.5 inches, and belongs to Jonah Falcon from New York, while a study suggests that men from Congo have the biggest average penis size in the world. Men have three to dive erections while sleeping Its common for healthy men to wake up with an erection, which is fondly referred to as the morning glory, but thats not it, on an average, men have three to five erections during a good nights sleep, and each may last up to 30 minutes. The museum in Iceland is devoted to penises (Photo: AFP) The penis museum Now knowing all about genitalia is one thing, but a museum dedicated exclusively to penises is taking things to a whole new level. The Icelandic Phallological Museum has a collection of 283 penises of 93 species, including humans. A restaurant serving penises Remember the last time you asked someone to eat a dick? Well this piece of information might make you reconsider. With 30 different varieties, the Guolizhuang restaurant in Beijing specialises in serving male genitals. Foreskin can be useful too While penises are being discovered as a bizarre culinary experience in one part of the world, it seems that they also have alternate medical usage, since foreskins can be used for making skin grafts to help burn victims. Two functional penises There is also a condition where a person can have two functioning penises. Its called diphallia and has been reported very rarely. Many Iranian men are posting pictures of themselves wearing a headscarf with either the wife or a female relative whose head is uncovered as a mark of protest. (Photo: Instagram/ @Masih Alinejad) The Iranian Revolution of 1978 saw the rise of a theocracy in the country that now imposes stringent restrictions on the way people conduct themselves in society. In Iran, it is actually required by law for women to cover their hair in public by wearing a hijab or headscarf. Those who fail to do so face strict penal action and can even be sent to jail. Although Iranian women in 1979 had taken to the streets to protest against the stringent dress codes, they were unable to compel the government to repeal the law. Now after almost four decades, Iranian men are taking a stand against these rules by being part of a unique movement on social media called #meninhijab. Many Iranian men are posting pictures of themselves wearing a headscarf with either the wife or a female relative whose head is uncovered as a mark of protest. The #meninhijab movement was first started by a New York-based Iranian social activist and journalist called Masih Alinejad. She is also the brain behind the Facebook page My Stealthy Freedom which shares photos submitted by Iranian women defying authorities by going without the headscarf. Check out some of the #meninhijab photos below: Polygamy is a practice that is banned in most countries across the world, and is also one that is clearly seen as threat to womens rights With 27 wives and 145 children at the age of 59, Winston Blackmore has to be the poster-boy for polygamy, but instead he says that he wont support legalisation of the practice, since he fears that women could be exploited. The leader of a polygamist Mormon fundamentalist group in Canada said this while addressing an audience in Utah. He has also been arrested for polygamy in 2007, and has been tried twice for practising polygamy. Referring to charges being dropped against him in 2007 due to concerns over selection of the special prosecutor, Blackmore was reported by The Salt Lake Tribune as saying, "And those suckers are after me day and night, I'm going to have to go another round with them." He also mentioned that Canada changed common law marriages to prosecute him and said that he was being charged even though his wives were officially his friends. He also said that he never courted any of his wives, and said that many women including one of his wives Edith Barlow, approaching him about becoming his wife, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Blackmore was convicted in 2001 and 2002 for bigamy and child rape for fathering a child with his 13-year-old step daughter. A polygamy charge was filed against Blackmore in 2014, but a trial date has not been decided yet. BENGALURU: The Shivamogga police have arrested a 44-year-old self-styled tantric from an apartment in the city for sexually assaulting a minor. The accused, identified as Anees Baba, was arrested for cheating and sexual abusing a 15-year-old girl, who had gone missing from her home in Tippu Nagar in Shivamogga in April this year. The police arrested Anees on Monday from an apartment in Devarachikkanahalli near Bommanahalli, off Hosur Road and the girl was rescued. Anees, a resident of Saraipalya, Tannery Road, used to pose as a tantric and cheat gullible people by claiming he could perform black magic. Under the pretext of warding off evil, he used to sexually abuse women, police said. According to the police, the family members of the girl had approached Anees after they learnt about his powers to cure ailing people. Her father Rizvi (name changed), a labourer, was suffering from paralysis. Anees assured the family that he would cure Rizvi and allegedly told them that he needs to travel to Shivamogga to see him. Rizvis family members brought Anees to Shivamogga, where he decided to stay with the family under the pretext of performing rituals. Family members claimed that Anees started luring Rizvis daughter. By the time they came to know about Anees intentions, he had eloped with the girl. Initially the family launched a search for the girl, but later approached the Shivamogga womens police station and lodged a missing complaint. During the investigation, police came to know that Anees was an auto rickshaw driver in Bengaluru and later became a self styled tantric to dupe gullible people to earn easy money. The police said while verifying the call records of Anees, they came across a call made to an architect in Bengaluru. When they contacted him, who told them about Anees. After collecting vital information, a team of police from Shivamogga, headed by WPSI Anitha, arrested Anees. They also seized articles used for performing black magic during the raid at his apartment. During questioning Anees confessed to the crime and was booked under Sections 353, 376 of IPC and POCSO Act 2012. The police have registered a case and investigating about his involvement in other cases. Hyderabad: The conspiracy behind the Eamcet II question paper leak took place at the Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi. As per the remand report submitted by the TS CID, S. Rajagopal Reddy collected the leaked question papers from the main accused Iqbal, who was staying at Karnataka Bhavan. The report said that Rajagopal who was arrested took Rs 1 crore from accused Vishnuvrdhan as advance for giving the leaked question paper and keys to the students. He kept Rs 80 lakh in a bank locker which is in the name of room boy Shankar and hid the balance Rs 20 lakh at his home in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, TS CID arrested two more agents on Thursday for Eamcet II leakage. Gudipalli Chandrashekar Reddy of Medak helped four students, while Shaik Shakeera of Hyderabad helped two students and flew them to Kolkata for practicing the test. The remand report said Rajagopal had admitted that Guddoo of Mumbai and Shaik Nishad of Karnataka hatched the conspiracy with Iqbal at the Karnataka Bhavan, when Rajagopal met him to collect the leaked question papers. The report said four students, Gowtam Reddy, Manideep, Shwetha and Ananya met agent Shaikh Ramesh and accused A. Venkataramaiah, who paid Rs 35 lakh to Ramesh as advance for these four students. On July 7, the four students were sent to Pune for a practice camp held by Ramakrishna and his friends at a secret location. They returned to Hyderabad the next day. Meanwhile, police said that G. ChandraShekar who was arrested on Thursday arranged four students and Shakeera arranged two students. All the six students were flown to Kolkata on July 7 by Chandrashekar and three other agents. "At a hotel in Kolkata they were given practice tests with two leaked TS Eamcet II 2016 question papers and they returned to Hyderabad on July 8 night," an official from TS CID said. Chandrashekar also collected signed blank cheques and photocopies of SSC and Intermediate certificates of the six students and gave them to an agent who organised the practice camp at Kolkata. New Delhi: A Delhi Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday questioned Shashi Tharoor for over 5 hours in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case. According to reports, Tharoor dismissed any foul play in the death case of his wife. Throughout the probe Tharoor said he did not suspect foul play in the death and claimed that Sunanda died due to medication. Also read: Sunanda Pushkar death: Police questions Tharoor's domestic help, driver He was also asked about the medicines taken by his wife and who purchased them. Sunanda, who married Tharoor in 2010, was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside a hotel room in Delhi on January 17, 2014. Tharoor may have to undergo a lie-detector test in the coming weeks and investigators are expected to get the court's permission to conduct a polygraph test. Earlier, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi had said that Sunanda Pushkar's death was not a natural one. Also read: Sunanda Pushkar died of poisoning: AIIMS medical board "One thing is clear that the death was not natural. It was unnatural as per our investigation till now and evidences collected so far. I can say that with certainty," Delhi Police Commissioner Bassi had said. In January 2015, Delhi Police had registered a case of murder in connection with the death of Sunanda. An AIIMS medical board had found poisoning as reason for her death following which the police had sent her viscera samples to an FBI lab in Washington in 2015. The AIADMK was waiting for Mr Jaitelys reply, hoping that he would address some of the concerns raised by them. NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadus ruling AIADMK on Wednesday night staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha, opposing the passage of the Bill arguing that it violates fiscal autonomy of states. The AIADMK, which has 13 members in Rajya Sabha, including Sasikala Pushpa expelled from the party recently, walked out of the Upper House during the reply by finance minister Arun Jaitely before the Constitutional Amendment Bill was put to vote. The party has been opposing the Bill tooth and nail for the last few years contending that it would bring revenue of loss of more than Rs 9,000 crore to Tamil Nadu, which is primarily a manufacturing state. During the debate, AIADMK floor leader in Rajya Sabha A Navaneethakrishnan reiterated the partys stand that the Bill violated federalism and Article 21 of the Constitution. Democracy and federalism are basic features of the Constitution and this Bill violates federalism; it violates the right of the Tamil Nadu Assembly to pass laws on taxes. It also violates Article 21 of the Constitution. This Constitutional Amendment Bill is not a validly enacted law as it violates the states fiscal autonomy. Tamil Nadu stands to lose a lot of revenue if the Bill comes into force. We are primarily a manufacturing state and we will not be benefitted from this. We oppose it, he said, making his partys stand clear. Explaining the amendments that his party wanted, Mr Navaneethakrishnan opposed the composition of the GST Council demanding that the weightage of states vote should be in proportion to their representation in the country. The AIADMK also demanded that petroleum and petroleum products must be kept outside GST permanently. Mr Navaneethakrishnan also demanded that the Centre should compensate states for any loss even after 5 years. The AIADMK was waiting for Mr Jaitelys reply, hoping that he would address some of the concerns raised by them. But when the finance minister said the Bill does not reduce the powers of the state governments in any way and skipped many of the issues raised, the members staged a walked out. Tamil Nadu has been opposing the GST Council saying it compromises the autonomy of the States in fiscal matters and has been batting for continuation of Empowered Committee of State Finance/Taxation ministers. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had on several occasions opposed the GST Bill in its current form and had even petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the amendments proposed by her should be included in the Bill. DMK member T. K .S .Elangovan said revenue loss to the states like Tamil Nadu should not add to the financial burden and added that tobacco and tobacco-related products should also be excluded from GST ambit. Srinagar: As loudspeakers installed at mosques and other places of worship across restive Kashmir continued to blare pro-freedom slogans, rebellious songs and music, it has emerged that security forces at places have chosen to pay back in own coin. According to a reports, amplifiers installed inside an Army garrison along barricaded Shikargah road on the outskirts of southern Tral town on Tuesday afternoon, reverberated with desh premi or patriotic songs such as Aye mere watan ke logon the highly acclaimed song written by Kavi Pradeep and sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Soon the mosque loudspeakers in retaliation began broadcasting Pakistans national anthem and pro-aazadi slogans and music in the high-pitch volume, the report said. Tral, 42-km from Srinagar, is the home town of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, the 22-year-old Internet savvy poster boy of Kashmiri militancy, whose killing by security forces on July 8 sparked off a new wave of unrest in the Valley leaving 51 protesters and two policemen dead and over 7,000 people including security personnel injured, so far. A local resident who wished not to be named told this newspaper over the phone that patriotic songs and music are being broadcast through amplifiers by security forces from some of their camps including the one of the CRPF situated in the main town. They do it occasionally only and ostensibly to counter mosque loudspeakers continuing to relay pro-freedom slogans and rebellious songs, he said. A local reporter Fayyaz Ahmed added that he heard these being relayed also before the muezzins called for Fajr or dawn prayers on Thursday. He said that slogans coined and songs composed recently to glorify Wani and his comrades in the Hizb-ul-Mujahedin and other militant outfits are also being broadcast through these loudspeakers routinely. Army sources here said that they have no knowledge about desh premi songs being broadcast through amplifiers at its camps in the Valley including Tral. In a throwback to the heyday of militancy in 1990s, the mosque loud-speakers have reverberated with pro-aazadi slogans across the Kashmir Valley during the ongoing turbulence. At places, police raided the places of worship to confiscate the public address system installed at these but it failed to deter the residents, mainly youth, to use the equipment at other mosques and shrines for the pastime. Rahul Kumar was arrested on Wednesday from his uncle (Phupha) Durgesh Singh's house at Azampur village in connection with the toppers scam and sent to jail custody by a local court. (Photo: Representational Image/PTI) Patna: The controversial third rank holder in science stream of the Intermediate Examination from Bishun Rai College in Bihar, has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Patna police, which is probing the toppers scam in the state. City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushwaha, who is a member of the SIT, said Rahul Kumar was arrested on Wednesday from his uncle (Phupha) Durgesh Singh's house at Azampur village in connection with the toppers scam and sent to jail custody by a local court. During interrogation it was revealed that a deal of Rs 5 lakh was struck to make him a rank-holder, Kushwaha said. He was one of the four rank-holders of the college, who had been named in the FIR in the toppers scam. The other three rank holders are - Shalini Rai, Saurav Sresth and Ruby Rai. Shalini Rai and Saurav Sresth have still not been arrested. Ruby Rai, the controversial topper in the arts stream of the intermediate exam, was arrested by SIT on June 25 while she was coming out after a retest by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). The retest which was conducted to check her academic abilities after her comments during a TV interview, after she was declared the topper in Humanities stream this year, had led to the lid being taken off from the toppers scam in the state. She had pronounced Political Science which was one of her subjects as "Prodikal science" which according to her taught cooking. She was granted bail by a local court here on Monday. Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, his wife and ex-MLA Usha Sinha, Vishun Roy college secretary-cum Principal Bachha Rai and over three dozen other persons have been arrested in the toppers scam. Ahmedabad: The name of the next Chief Minister of Gujarat to succeed Anandiben Patel would be announced on Friday even as BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday held intensive deliberations with party leaders to finalise the candidate. BJP's parliamentary board accepted Anandiben Patel's offer to resign on Wednesday at its meeting in Delhi, paving the way for appointment of a new Chief Minister to lead the party in 2017 Assembly polls. A meeting of party MLAs and office-bearers will be held on Friday evening at the BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar where the next CM would be announced, said state BJP president Vijay Rupani, who is also the state transport minister. "Apart from Amit Shah, all the party MLAs, office bearers and our observers Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will remain present at the meeting," said Rupani, after holding a long discussion with Shah at latter's residence. Shah, who arrived in the morning, has been busy holding meetings with state BJP leaders and ministers at his house. Among others, he met state BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma, national joint general secretary (organisation) V Satish, party treasurer Surendra Patel, education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and former state BJP chief R C Faldu. Health Minister Nitin Patel, considered to be the front-runner for the job, was also present during Shah's meeting with Rupani. When asked by reporters whether he would accept the post of CM, Patel evaded a direct answer but said, "Whoever is chosen by the party, we all will work together." Dinesh Sharma, who arrived on Wednesday, engaged in hectic parleys with BJP leaders and ministers. It is believed that he apprised Shah of his observations today. The names that are doing the rounds for the post are number two in the cabinet Nitin Patel, Union Minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader. Rupani's name also came up early on, but he indicated on Wednesday that he was not in the race as he was happy with his current job. After this, Nitin Patel has emerged as a strong contender. Sheila Dikshit has lost mass support as its chief ministerial candidate during Delhi polls, says former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya. (Photo: Representational Image/PTI) Shrawasti, Uttar Pradesh: Former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya has described Congress UP chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit as discard from Delhi, drawing sharp reaction from her party leaders on Thursday. "Sheila Dikshit is a rejected 'maal' of Delhi whom Congress party has put up in Uttar Pradesh," Maurya told reporters here on Sunday. As the video of his remarks went viral on social media, Congress on Thursday lashed out at Maurya for his "sexist remark" and protested before Ekona police station here demanding lodging of an FIR against him. "If the FIR is not registered, we will intensify our protest," Congress leader Dilip Sharma told PTI. He said that he had submitted a complaint to the police in which he said using such expressions against a woman was tantamount to criminal offence. Maurya, who quit Mayawati's party and formed Loktantrik Bahujan Manch, was here to meet his supporters to garner support for his rally in Lucknow next month. "That party (Congress) talks about youth, but in such a big state like Uttar Pradesh they could not find a single young face and out of compulsion they had to project a rejected 'maal' of Delhi who has lost mass support as its chief ministerial candidate," Maurya had said. The former BSP leader said Congress has completely lost its support among people and projection of Dikshit as the chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh Assembly 2017 polls proved this. "This shows the thinking of Congress party, this proves they have dearth of leaders. The face which had failed in Delhi is being put up in UP, the party which is dreaming of forming government is in the dark," Maurya said. UP Congress Secretary Bhagat Ram Mishra said Maurya was in the habit of "speaking against Brahmins". "This is not the first time that he (Maurya) is talking like his. He has been speaking against Brahmins in the past too," Mishra said. When asked whether BSP's Naseemudin Siddiqui should be arrested for raising slogans against the family members of expelled BJP leader Dayashankar Singh, Maurya said, "If Dayashankar can be arrested for abusing why not Naseemuddin?" According to airport sources, the officials of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation are expected to reach the airport here anytime to collect the information, which are relevant for the probe. Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of the Emirates aircraft mishap at the Dubai airport, the authorities at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, from where the ill-fated aircraft originated, have preserved all the details required for the probe into the accident. These include the communication details of the air traffic control with the aircraft, fuel sample, cargo X-rays and other relevant information. According to airport sources, the officials of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation are expected to reach the airport here anytime to collect the information, which are relevant for the probe. Though the probe will be carried out by the aviation regulatory agency of Dubai, airport director George Tharakan said that all steps as per the standard operating procedures in the wake of a flight originating from an airport were swiftly initiated. Though the airline opened an assistance centre at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, no one had turned up. According to airport sources, various mandatory certificates issued by the Emirates ground engineers before the flight took off, communication between the pilot and the air traffic control unit of the city airport, sample of the fuel taken, X-ray images of the baggage, details of the engineers and others involved in the checks on the flight before its takeoff and the details of the passengers who boarded the aircraft were preserved for probe. Passenger recounts experience Kochi: It was one hell of an experience for Gigi George, who was going back to Dubai after the vacation with his wife and two children. We felt as if the flight tried to land, then take off and land back, he told DC from Dubai. I was on the same side of the flight where the engine and wings got damaged while landing. We felt the plane crashlanded. The front portion of the plane was immediately filled with smoke. The crew immediately arranged for the evacuation of the passengers, Mr George, a manager with a private company, said. They helped passengers escape though the slide, he said. People came to the rear side as the front portion was filled with smoke. The evacuation process was over in under five minutes. Some, especially the aged, suffered minor injuries in the process. New Delhi: Union Minister Rajnath Singh, who was in Pakistan to attend the SAARC summit, talked tough on the issue of terrorism, attacking the Nawaz Sharif-led government on their own home turf for calling Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani a martyr. One countrys terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone, Rajnath said in his speech which was allegedly blacked out by Pakistan. But sources indicated that it is the standard procedure at SAARC. Following is the full text of his speech: At the outset, I congratulate H.E. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Saheb for his election as the Chairperson of this Meeting. I also take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Government of Pakistan for excellent arrangements made for hosting this Meeting, and for the outstanding hospitality extended to me and my delegation. Right from the formation of our government more than two years ago, India has reaffirmed that good relations with our neighbours are our highest priority. Under our neighbourhood first policy, we have spared no effort in further building our engagement, and working together with our partners in the region, to secure peace and prosperity for our people. I have come to this meeting with the same purpose. I recall that under this Forum, we last met before the Eighteenth SAARC Summit that was held in Kathmandu in November 2014. At that Summit, our leaders committed to deepen regional integration for peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia. With 30 years of SAARCs existence, today the need is more than ever that we take regional cooperation to a level that realizes the aspirations and expectations of our people Our vision for the region, as outlined by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji at the Eighteenth Summit, rests on the pillars of trade, investments, wide-ranging development cooperation, contacts between our people and, all through seamless connectivity. We have accordingly carried forward the initiatives announced by Prime Minister. I am also happy to note that we have implemented the India business card scheme, which would facilitate eligible business leaders in their visits to India. It is vital that the South Asian environment has necessary conditions for achieving greater regional prosperity, connectivity and cooperation, if our efforts to these objectives are to succeed. However, we are witness to mounting threats and incidents that endanger our regions peace and stability. Terrorism remains the biggest challenge and threat to our peace. South Asia continues to be deeply affected by this malady, as witnessed most recently in cowardly terrorist attacks in Pathankot, Dhaka, Kabul and other places. Merely strong condemnation of such terrorist attacks is not enough. We must harden our resolve to eradicate this menace and also take serious steps to this end. It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronized by any state. One countrys terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. I also speak for the entire humanity- not just for India or other SAARC members in urging that in no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs. Those who provide support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorism or terrorists must be isolated. Strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. Only this will ensure that the forces engaged in promoting the heinous crime of terrorism against humanity are effectively countered. The will and the mandate of international community against proscribed and wanted terrorists and their organisations must also be respected and implemented. If we are to rid ourselves of terrorism, we will have to genuinely believe that attempts to distinguish between good and bad terrorists are misleading. No type of terrorism or support to it can be justified on any grounds whatsoever. Immediate and effective action is required against all those who support or encourage international terrorism in any way, whether they are state actors or non-state. Only then justice will be ensured for the victims of terrorist attacks such as in Mumbai and Pathankot. We must have the approach of zero tolerance against any type of terrorism. In our common fight against terrorism, implementation of the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and its Additional Protocol becomes crucial. This also includes ensuring effective measures so that those committing terrorist acts do not escape prosecution and punishment, and are extradited or prosecuted. The menace of terrorism is greatly amplified by the misuse of digital technology. In our effort to tackle terrorism, we should look into all possible avenues of cyber-crime, its linkages with the terrorist world, and how these could be dealt with. Attention and efforts need to be devoted to ensure that social media and other modern technology is not misused for misleading especially the youth or promoting terrorism in any way. I am happy that all SAARC members have supported our proposal to hold the second Meeting of the High Level Group of Eminent Experts to Strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism from 22-23 September 2016 in New Delhi. I thank all of you for this and hope that the meeting will achieve its objectives. I would also draw the attention of my esteemed colleagues to the need for immediate ratification of the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. We have not been able to benefit from the Convention, as some Member States are yet to ratify it. I would urge remaining Member States to consider ratifying the Convention at the earliest. Trafficking of drugs and its abuse is a grave challenge which has an immeasurable adverse impact. It is a problem which is connected with all types of organized crime. Today, drug business generates the highest illegal fund flows. Trafficking of drugs, coupled with the problem of increasing circulation of fake currency, feeds into supporting terrorism and can create economic de-stabilization in our region. Towards implementation of the Regional Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, we have offered our full support and cooperation by way of capacity building and training programmes. There is also a felt need to achieve the full potential of the SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk and the SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk. Safety and security of women and children will determine the well-being and strength of our nations. It is timely and relevant that SAARC has accorded due priority to this area of cooperation, since new threats are emerging with increasing access to information technology and the changing nature of global economy. In India, we have taken a number of new initiatives such as the Track Child national portal and Operation Smile to rescue children. We shared our experience at the Ministerial Meeting of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children, which we were privileged to host recently. Our Prime Minister had launched the flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme. It has rapidly expanded and has started contributing to ensuring the survival, protection, education and empowerment of the girl child. Since this august forum also discusses our cooperation against corruption, I would like to mention that achieving greater transparency and good governance is a cornerstone of our policy. To give just one example, through our financial inclusion scheme Jan Dhan Yoyana that leverages worlds largest biometric Unique ID system Aadhar, and Direct Benefit Transfers, we have been able to transform our services delivery to ensure that benefits of public schemes reach the grass-root levels. In a few months, leaders of the region would come together in this city of Islamabad for the 19th SAARC Summit. It is my hope that we would be able to demonstrate to our leaders concrete progress in areas of our mutual concern and interest that I mentioned in brief. Mr. Chairman, the time for us to act is now. With these few words, I express my gratitude to you and all my esteemed colleagues. The woman said she wanted to hang the culprits with her own hands. (Representational Image) Lucknow: They were brutally gangraped by dacoits just 100 metres away from a police post near the highway in Bulandshahr and now they have lost their faith in the administration. The 35-year-old rape survivor who was raped along with her 14-year-old daughter last Friday, told the media that she wants to punish the culprits with her own hands. All I want is justice. I want to punish the attackers with my own hands. I dont trust politicians. They are promising many things, but they dont have any accountability. I want them to safeguard the future of my child, the mother said. The police are at fault too, as is the government. The culprits should be hanged and the government should allow me to hang them with my own hands, she added. Read: My daughter was bleeding, but doctor didn't believe us: UP rape survivor Her daughter, who has shied away from speaking to the media had aspired to become an IAS officer but now the family is not even sure if they will be able to live a normal life again. Even as politicians from various parties made a beeline to visit them at their home and give them assurances of justice, the survivors family has little trust in what they perceive as mere lip service. The dacoits had brutally raped the woman and her daughter at gunpoint after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur. Uttar Pradesh Police had on Sunday arrested Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for the dacoits suspected to be behind the crime. Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said the state government is in support of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and if needed, a special sitting of the Assembly will be convened to ratify the legislation. According to reports, Nitish called up Finance Minister Arun Jaitley after the Bihar Assembly session ended on Thursday, offering to hold a special session. Talking to reporters at the Assembly premises, Kumar said there were lots of benefits of the GST, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. "If need arises, we will call a special sitting of the Bihar Assembly to approve the GST legislation from the state," Kumar said and expressed hope the GST would come into effect from April 1, 2017. Read: Nitish calls Jaitley, offers to call special Assembly sitting to pass GST Kumar, who is also national president of JD(U), has expressed support for the GST Bill from the beginning and had conveyed this to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during a meeting with him recently. Getting support from the main opposition Congress, the Rajya Sabha had last night passed a Constitution Amendment Bill on GST. Read: GST Bill decoded: Many will reap benefits from biggest tax reform The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 on GST has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. The GST Bill needs to be approved by Assemblies of at least half of the total 29 states. The apex court faces a shortage of 3 judges. Four new judges were recently appointed to the apex court. (Photo: Representational Image) New Delhi: There are 18 judges per 10 lakh people as compared to 50 judges recommended by the Law Commission in its 1987 report which the Chief Justice of India had recently cited seeking an increase in the judges strength. According to the data put out by the Law Ministry in public domain, the judge to population ratio in India stands at 17.86 judges per 10 lakh people. Mizoram has the highest judge to population ratio which stands at 57.74. In Delhi, it stands at 47.33, while in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of the country, the ratio is 10.54 judges per 10 lakh people. West Bengal has the lowest judge to population ratio at 10.45 judges per 10 lakh people. The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court today stands at 31 judges, including the CJI as compared to 25 in 2009. The apex court faces a shortage of 3 judges. Four new judges were recently appointed to the apex court. The sanctioned strength of the high courts till 2014 was 906 judges and it was increased to 1,079 in June this year. There are 24 high courts in the country. But despite the increase in the sanctioned strength, the high court, as in July this year, faced a shortage of 477 judges. The subordinate courts in the country, the backbone of justice delivery system, have a sanctioned strength of 20,502. But there are only 16,070 judicial officers serving in the courts and the shortage stood at 4,432 as on December 31, 2015. Addressing the inaugural session of Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts here in April, CJI T S Thakur had said since 1987, when the Law Commission had recommended an increase in the number of judges from then 10 judges per 10 lakh people to 50, "nothing has moved". Justice Thakur had said following the Law Commission's recommendation, the Supreme Court in 2002 had also supported increasing the strength of the judiciary. A Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committee on Law, then headed by Pranab Mukherjee, had also recommended taking the ratio to 50 from 10. On July 28, the government had informed the Lok Sabha that the Law Commission has reviewed the criteria of judge- population ratio for determining the number of judges needed which the Chief Justice of India had cited to say that India needed 50 judges per million people. Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary had said in a written response that the criteria of the judge-population ratio for determining the adequacy of the judge strength in the country has been reviewed by the Law Commission in its 245th report (submitted in 2014) prepared on the directions of the Supreme Court. The apex court had asked the law panel to evolve a method for scientific assessment of the number of additional courts to clear the backlog of cases. "In the 245th report, the Law Commission has observed that filing of cases per capita varies substantially across geographic units as filings are associated with economic and social conditions of population. As such, the Commission did not consider the judge-population ratio to be a scientific criterion for determining the adequacy of the judge strength in the country," the minister said. The Commission had found that in the absence of complete and scientific approach to data collection across various high courts, the 'rate of disposal' method to calculate the number of additional judges required to clear the backlog as well as to ensure that the new backlog is not created, is more pragmatic and useful, Chaudhary had said. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Two state buses, with 22 people, including the crew, and some other vehicles got washed away in the river amid heavy rains late Tuesday following the collapse of a bridge on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad, about 170 km from Mumbai. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav/DC) Mahad: The state government on Thursday announced a judicial probe in the collapse of a British-era bridge here in which at least 22 people in two buses went missing, even as rescuers have fished out five bodies so far from the swollen Savitri river. Two state buses, with 22 people, including the crew, and some other vehicles got washed away in the river amid heavy rains late Tuesday following the collapse of a bridge on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad, about 170 km from Mumbai. Nearly 40 hours after the launch of massive multi-agency operations, searchers have managed to recover five bodies, police said. "So far, our search teams have recovered five bodies - three males and two females," Raigad Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Patil said. The bodies have been sent for postmortem, he added. About 20 boats with nearly 160 personnel of Coast Guard, NDRF, and Navy, apart from local fishermen and rafters, are at the work to find the remains of the two buses and other vehicles, which are also suspected to have been swept away. The local administration has set up a help centre for the kin of the victims. Earlier this morning, a 300-kg magnet was lowered in the waters with the help of a crane to trace the missing buses. Something has got stuck to the magnet and efforts are on to pull it out of the river, a local official said. Deepak Mundhe, the son of Gorakhnath Mundhe, the driver of one of the ill-fated buses of the State Transport Corporation, expressed deep shock over the incident but has not lost hope. "We have not lost our hope. We are hoping that my father would come alive," Mundhe said. An NDRF jawan, who came out of the river after three hours of intense search, said, "The fast flow of flood water is posing a tough challenge for us but that is not going to be a deterrent in our mission." In the state Assembly, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a judicial probe into the bridge collapse. "A judicial inquiry will be conducted," Fadnavis said replying to a discussion on the issue. Our effort will be to visit the labour camps to know the plight of our people, Kerala Minister for Local Self Government K T Jaleel said. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP) Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government has so far no information on the exact number of Keralities living in labour camps in Saudi Arabia who had lost their jobs, State Minister for Local Self Government K T Jaleel said on Thursday. Jaleel, who has been deputed by the state cabinet to visit Saudi Arabia to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation of Keralities in labour camps, said he was planning to leave for Saudi Arabia on Friday. There was no clear information on the exact number of Keralities affected by the recent situation in Saudi Arabia, he said. As per hearsay, there were several Keralities among the 10,000 Indians who had lost jobs, Jaleel told reporters here. "Our effort will be to visit the labour camps. But, as per information, there are restrictions for visiting labour camps in Saudi Arabia," he said, adding it would be difficult to visit those camps "officially". "But, we will try to visit the camps to know the plight of our people," Jaleel said. Local Self government Special secretary V K Baby is also accompanying Jaleel. As per the present plan, the delegation will visit labour camps in Jeddha, Riyadh and if possible Dammam. On rehabilitation package for those who return to the state, he said the state government was working on a package. Jaleel also said they have applied for diplomatic passport. "We also have to get Visa. We expect that we will be able to go to Saudi Arabia tomorrow," he said. Lucknow: Facing flak in the wake of Bulandshahr gangrape incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday hit back at the opposition, accusing them of tutoring the victims to serve their political motives, even as he promised strict action against the culprits. "The incident is unfortunate. Action will be taken against those responsible. But the question is what are BJP and other (opposition) parties tutoring the victims and showing the way of politics," he said. "What are BJP and other people telling the victims inside the room, you (media persons) should also look into it, what are they telling the victims. If they want CBI probe I am willing for it, I am ready to help them out," he said on the sidelines of a programme here. Yadav alleged that hype was also built around the Badaun rape case of two sisters to defame his government in the past. A political slugfest is on in the state over the gangrape of a minor girl and her mother on the national highway in Bulandshahr district, with the state government coming in for severe bashing and leaders of various parties making a beeline to meet the victims. While a BJP delegation led by state unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya has already met the victims in Ghaziabad, a Congress delegation led by its chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit met them on Thursday. The programme envisages connecting all eligible unconnected habitations with a population of 500 persons and above as per 2001 census in plain areas and 250 persons and above as per 2001 census. (Photo: Representational Image) New Delhi: More than 4.81 lakh km of roads connecting 1.192 lakh habitations across the country were constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) till June 30, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. Since the inception (of the scheme), the ministry has released Rs 1.39 lakh crore and states have reported expenditure to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh crore till June 30, Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav said in a written reply. Out of 1.83 lakh eligible habitations, the Ministry of Rural Development has given clearance for connecting 1.51 lakh habitations and states have reported that 1.19 lakh habitations have been connected by constructing or upgrading 4.813 lakh km road as on June 30, he said. Rural roads is a state subject and PMGSY is a one-time special intervention of the government to provide rural connectivity, by way of single all-weather road to the eligible unconnected habitations in the core network. The programme envisages connecting all eligible unconnected habitations with a population of 500 persons and above as per 2001 census in plain areas and 250 persons and above as per 2001 census in special category states Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Besides this, the habitations having population of 100 and above, identified by Home Ministry as crucial are also covered under this scheme. The government has also launched the second phase of PMGSY-II which envisages consolidation of the existing rural road network to improve its overall efficiency. New Delhi: Amidst rising outrage over reports that Pakistan had blacked out Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs speech at the SAARC summit held in Islamabad on Thursday, government sources have now revealed that there was no black out. With reference to Home Minister's meeting in Islamabad earlier today, media reports of a 'blackout' of our Home Minister's statement are misleading. It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media, said government sources. Read: One nations terrorist cant be martyr for another, Rajnath tells Pakistan According to sources, the entire proceedings of the SAARC conference were on camera and there was a full and frank discussion of issues. The only broadcaster allowed inside the venue was state-owned Pakistan Television, reports said. In a terse message to Pakistan, Rajnath Singh had said there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs and also called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism at the summit. Without mincing any words, Singh had said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough. Read: Full text of Rajnath Singhs speech at SAARC summit Pakistan Singh's comments in his speech came against the backdrop of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a martyr, much to Indias ire. "There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs. There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists," Singh said. The Home Minister also said there should be "strongest action" not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism. Gujarat HC observed that 10 per cent reservation for poor among the unreserved category takes the total quota beyond 50 per cent, which is not permitted as per the Supreme Court's earlier decision. (Photo: PTI) Ahmedabad: Gujarat Government on Thursday said it will move the Supreme Court against the High Court order quashing an ordinance on 10 per cent quota for economically backward classes, while Patidar agitation leader Hardik Patel welcomed the verdict and vowed to continue the stir for quota under OBC category. Health minister and spokesperson of Gujarat government Nitin Patel said they will stick to the provision of EBC quota and challenge the HC order in apex court as soon as possible. "When we have announced the 10 per cent EBC reservation, our government had clearly stated that we will stick to this provision of EBC quota in any situation. Thus, we will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against today's order by High Court, which rejected this quota today," said Patel. The quota had been announced to pacify the numerically and socially strong Patel community following violent protests led by Hardik Patel and Lalji Patel demanding reservation in education and government jobs under the OBC category. Reacting to the HC order, Hardik said, "The court had clearly said that EBC quota was unconstitutional. We welcome the order, as we always wanted reservation as per the Constitution." "Thus, our agitation for reservation under OBC quota will continue till we get justice," said Patel through a video message from Udaipur, Rajasthan. He was directed to stay out of Gujarat for six months by the high court while being granted bail in a sedition case last month. The Gujarat High Court today quashed state government's ordinance notifying 10 per cent quota for economically backward class among the unreserved category. It is a setback to the Gujarat Government which had announced the reservation to placate the agitating Patel community. Terming the May 1 quota ordinance as inappropriate and unconstitutional a division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi, observed that 10 per cent reservation for poor among the unreserved category takes the total quota beyond 50 per cent, which is not permitted as per the Supreme Court's earlier decision. The High court also said that state government gave the reservation to EBCs without any study or scientific data. The state government pleader had requested the court to stay its order so that they can approach Supreme Court, following which the HC issued a two-week stay on its order. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who returned from Islamabad on Thursday evening after attending the seventh SAARC Home Ministers conference, said that he would place facts relating to his visit in the Parliament. Evading media pressure, Singh said that he had placed India's point of view across Pakistan, adding all information can be gathered from his speech which is now in the public domain. However, the Home Minister briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his visit to Pakistan. Read: Full text of Rajnath Singhs speech at SAARC summit in Pakistan During his terse speech, Singh launched a veiled attack on Pakistan, saying mere condemnation of terrorism and individual acts by terrorists was not enough. He categorically stated that there is no good or bad terrorist. Singh said that strongest action should be initiated not only against terrorists but also against organizations, individuals and nations supporting terror. Read: Pakistan didnt black out Rajnaths speech at SAARC: Govt sources However, Singh's speech during the meet was blacked out. Members of the Indian media, who had come from New Delhi to report on the conference, were not allowed to cover the speech. They were reportedly kept at a distance by Pakistani officials. Some reports said that there was an aggressive verbal exchange between officials of the two sides over the issue. Only Pakistan state PTV was allowed to cover introductory speeches of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. Even private Pakistani media not allowed to cover the event. Media reports also said that his scheduled news conference at Delhi airport has been cancelled. Read: One nations terrorist cant be martyr for another, Rajnath tells Pakistan Singh arrived in Islamabad yesterday amid protests by supporters of the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Harkat ul Mujahideen. The protests were held at a distance of about 10 kilometers from the National Assembly. Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin was also present during the protests. Islamabad/New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh sent a strong message to Pakistan at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit which was held at Islamabad on Thursday and said there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. The statement was a direct attack on the Nawaz Sharif government that had branded Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani a martyr and had even observed a Black Day in Pakistan to mourn his death. There should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism, Rajnath said at the SAARC conference. Read: Pakistan didnt black out Rajnaths speech at SAARC: Govt sources Those who provide support, encouragement, give sanctuary and safe haven and assistance to terrorists and terrorism must be isolated, he added. Not only had Sharif praises Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity. Read: Rajnath Singh briefs Narendra Modi on his Pakistan visit The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident at the conference when Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time on Thursday and the two leaders barely shook hands. Read: In Pak for SAARC meet, Rajnath calls on Sharif as a formal courtesy call Members of the Indian media, which came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment and were kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which led to a verbal dual between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official. Indian officials said the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was clearly visible in the conference. The Gangaram Hospital where she has been admitted on Wednesday said that all her health parameters are showing improvement and she is soon going to be shifted out of the ICU. New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been successfully treated for a shoulder injury that she sustained during her roadshow in Varanasi on Tuesday and is making "steady progress" towards recovery. The Gangaram Hospital where she has been admitted on Wednesday said that all her health parameters are showing improvement and she is soon going to be shifted out of the ICU. Gandhi was shifted to the Sir Gangaram Hospital on Wednesday afternoon from the Army Research and Referral Hospital, where she was rushed soon after her arrival from Varanasi around midnight on Tuesday. "Mrs Sonia Gandhi is making steady progress towards recovery from her illness. All her health parameters are showing improvement and she is soon going to be shifted out of the ICU," according to a health bulletin issued by Dr DS Rana, Chairman (Board of Management) of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. "She has also successfully undergone treatment for a shoulder injury by an internationally acclaimed team of shoulder experts comprising Dr Sanjay Desai from Mumbai and Dr Prateek Gupta from Sir Gangaram Hospital. She is recovering well," the bulletin said. According to sources, she is likely to remain at the hospital for a week. Gandhi is admitted under the care of Dr Arup Basu and his team from Department of Pulmonology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. BJP's Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy and Congress MP Viplove Thakur (right) at Parliament during monsoon session in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: A day after Rajya Sabha approved the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said he would refrain from commenting on the merits of the legislation because of a conflict between his scholarly commitment to economics and loyalty to the party. "Has any PT studied in the proposed GST Const Amendment what is the scope and role of GSTN?," he tweeted today. Has any PT studied in the proposed GST Const Amendment what is the scope and role of GSTN? Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 4, 2016 Swamy uses PT as shortform of 'Patriotic Tweeple'. GSTN is Goods and Services Tax Network. When one of his twitter followers asked why he has not aired his views on GST and its impact on the economy, Swamy replied, "I am silent because there is conflict between my scholarly commitment to economics and my loyalty to the party's decided issues." "The only ways known so far to economists for increasing GDP growth rate is by higher investment and increased capital & labour productivity," he said in another tweet. The only ways known so far to economists for increasing GDP growth rate is by higher investment and increased capital& labour productivity. Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 4, 2016 Finance Minister Arun Jaitley believes the roll-out of national sales tax or GST Bill, to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world's biggest single market, will help add up to 2 per cent to the GDP growth. Hyderabad: In a major setback to the TS government, the High Court on Wednesday quashed Go Ms No 123 that was issued to buy lands from farmers. The petition was filed by Ms Tukkamma and 22 agricultural workers of Bardipur, Jarasangham mandal in Medak district, observed that the government was not a private property dealer. The petitioners informed the court that the state government was acquiring land in their village for setting up a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone through the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. They also said that as they were agricultural labourers from SC communities, their livelihood would be lost if the lands are taken away. They contended that the landless poor could not be left in a lurch and the government could not resort to acquire lands by passing over the poor people without any rehabilitation. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait found that the GO bypassed the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. After hearing the case for 40 minutes, the judge, while dictating the order in the open court hall, made it clear that as the state government had accepted the Act of 2013 and framed rules of Telangana Sate Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2014, it had no power to make any rule that ran contrary to the 2013 Act. The judge pointed out: The Act of 2013 specifically recognises the landless labourers like the petitioners, artisans, tenants, share croppers and gives them the status of affected family. These affected families are given various benefits in the Second Schedule of the Act. Justice Kait found that the process of asking for objections from affected persons etc. which were provided under GO Ms No 123, was done away with the issuance of GO Ms No 214 in November 2015. While ruling that the GO 123 was quashed keeping in view the rights of labourers, the judge observed that agricultural labourers would not get a single penny if lands were acquired in the villages under GO 123 and it would bypass the 2013 Act. He reminded that the 2013 Act gave power to the legislature of the state to frame laws to give better rehabilitation and enhanced compensation. He said, Instead of giving any enhancement of compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement has been taken away. Meanwhile the Telangana government announced that it would challenge the order of the single judge before the division Bench. Harish Rao says Telangana will move SC The Telangana government has decided to appeal against the High Court scrapping GO 123 to acquire lands for public projects. We will appeal against the HC verdict after going through the entire judgement. I will react after reading the HC order, T. Harish Rao, irrigation minister, said. Mr Harish Rao said that the government accelerated land acquisition as per the Land Acquisition Act 2013 for construction of irrigation projects. With this intention, we have brought in GO 123. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and the Telangana government, through this GO want to help farmers, provide them better compensation and rehabilitate them appropriately wherever they are displaced. We are confident of getting justice thro-ugh appeal, he said. In Kolkata, the students were made to practise two leaked TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) entrance exam question papers at a hotel room, police said. (Photo: Representational Image) Hyderabad: Two more persons were arrested by Telangana CID in connection with the leak of EAMCET-II question paper, taking the number of those held in the case to eight. "Two brokers, Gudipalli Chandra Shekhar Reddy of Medak district in Telangana and Shaik Shakeera, native of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh were arrested by the CID today," an official release said. "Chandra Sekhar Reddy secured four students and Shaik Shakeera secured two students. On the night of July 7, all the six aspirants were taken to Kolkata by air by Chandra Sekhar Reddy and three other brokers," it said. In Kolkata, the students were made to practise two leaked TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) entrance examination question papers at a hotel room. Later, they all were returned to Hyderabad on the night of July 8 by air, the release by CID said. Reddy collected signed blank cheques and copies of SSC and Inter Certificates of the six aspirants and gave them to a broker who conducted the practice camp in a hotel room at Kolkata, it said. "Efforts are going on to apprehend the other brokers and the accused in the question paper leak case," the CID said. On July 25, the CID had registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices and Unfair means) Act, 1997, after it found in its preliminary inquiry that there was prima facie a case for registering an FIR. Investigation also revealed that those appearing for EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) examination in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were taken to camps set up in at least five cities about two to three days prior to the exam and given practice with the leaked copies of two question papers consisting of 320 questions with correct answers, the CID had said. At a review meeting held here on Tuesday, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was informed by CID officials that Delhi turned out to be the centre for leak and there were 34 brokers, who conspired to sell the paper and as many as 200 parents were in touch with the brokers to buy the question papers. New Delhi: In a scathing attack on Pakistan but without naming it, home minister Rajnath Singh demanded strong action against nations that support terrorists and terrorist organisations while addressing the Saarc home/interior ministers conference in Islamabad on Thursday. Mr Singh said: The strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. Only this will ensure the forces engaged in promoting the heinous crime of terrorism against humanity are effectively countered. He hinted at the possible extradition of Dawood Ibrahim and action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. Do not glorify terrorism: Rajnath Singh The home minister stressed on the need for an effective mechanism among member states to put in place effective measures so that those carrying out terrorist acts do not escape punishment and are extradited or prosecuted. In an obvious reference to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif describing Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed in an encounter by security forces in J&K as a martyr, the home minister, in a terse signal, said in no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs. Continuing his attack on Pakistan and calling for zero tolerance against terror, Mr Singh said any attempt to distinguish between good and bad terrorists was misleading. The Indian media, which had come from New Delhi to report on the conference, was not allowed to enter the venue, which led to an argument between senior Indian and Pakistani officials. The government, meanwhile, downplayed reports that the home ministers speech had been blacked out by the Pakistani media, saying it was standard Saarc practice that only the host countrys opening statement was made in public and open to the media, while the remaining proceedings were in camera, to allow for a full and frank discussion of all issues. An interior ministry official in Islamabad clarified there was no blackout of Mr Singhs speech as none of the speeches of visiting ministers was shown. Hyderabad: With Mahabaleshwar, the origin of the Krishna River, receiving nearly 80 cm of rain in the last four days, Almatti officials in Karnataka on Thursday released nearly two lakh cusecs of water from the crest gates as well as through Power House release downstream. Similarly, Narayanpur Dam officials were alerted and released almost the same quantum into the river. Jurala Dam authorities of Telangana meanwhile, lifted 24 crest gates in advance and released one lakh cusecs by Thursday evening. It is expected that the same flood pattern will continue for a week and the waters will reach the Srisailam inter-state dam in a couple of days. This is considered as a major flood for the current season and the Srisailam Dam has the capacity to impound the entire flood reaching into it. Srisailam Dam, which has 50 TMC ft as of now, still has a flood cushion of about 170 TMC ft left. It is expected that around two lakh cusecs of water per day for a week will reach the dam, around 100 TMC ft (at the rate of 11,550 cubic feet of water per second {cusec} for a day would yield 1 TMC ft capacity). Even if there are major floods in the coming days, Srisailam, the downstream Nagarjuna Sagar Dam (flood cushion is about 190 TMC ft) and Pulichintala (flood cushion of 43 TMC ft) can easily impound it without the water being wasted into the sea through the Prakasam barrage. Not only these dams, once more water reaches Srisailam, it can be diverted to the Pothireddypadu head regulator to serve Rayalaseema projects. According to AP irrigation minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, whenever the Srisailam level touches 840 ft against the full reservoir level 885 ft, the AP government will release waters to the Handri-Neeva project through the Malyala lift situated in the foreshore of the Srisailam dam. Andhra Pradesh engineer-in-chief M. Venkateswara Rao said, We will utilise the flood for the Handri-Neeva lift as well as for Pothireddypadu head regulator to utilise for irrigation purpose. This is also good news for devotees attending the Krishna Pushkaralu, that will commence on August 12, as they will be able to take sacred dips at all the ghats en route comfortably due to rise of the water level. Meanwhile, the entire 800 km length of the Godavari, from the Sriram Sagar project up to the Dhawleswaram barrage near Rajahmundry is brimming with water. For the first time after construction of the Yellampally Dam (20 TMC ft capacity) near Mancheriyal town, Irrigation authorities have opened the crest gates and are releasing nearly 45,000 cusecs of floodwater. There are no other significant reservoirs that can impound waters along the course of the river and all the water is being wasted into the sea. During the current water year that commenced on June 1, till date a little more than 1,000 TMC ft of water has been let into the sea from Dhawleswaram barrage. But in-flows into Sriram Sagar project has reduced to 13,000 cusecs and the same is being diverted to canals under the dam. Singur Dam across Manjeera is also getting good in-flows in the range of 13,000 cusecs per day, increasing its capacity to 6 TMC ft against a full capacity of 30 TMC ft. Water levels in Godavari rising With heavy rains across the catchment areas of Godavari for the past few days, the water levels along the river and its tributaries continued to rise steeply in the Agency areas of Bhadrachalam and Palvancha divisions in the district. For example, the water level in Godavari touched 34 feet at the temple town of Bhadrachalam on Thursday. A total of twelve gates of Taliperu project have been opened and 21,500 cusecs of water releasing into Godavari. All rivulets and streams in Charla mandal are full thanks to incessant rains in Chhattisgarh. Even the road connecting a total of 10 villages was cut off due to water overflowing from the streams. The Kinnerasani river is in spate as well and 25000 cusecs of water was released by opening five gates. Road connectivity was cut between Yanambailu and Rajanagaram due to the water release. Hyderabad: The goal of making urban areas in the state free of open-defecation still remains a distant dream for Telangana. Only 15 municipalities have been able to achieve the precious open-defecation-free (ODF) tag until now among them are Achampet, Suryapet, Ibrahimpatnam, Shadnagar, Sathupally, Siricilla and Siddipet. Several major corporations and municipalities, including the GHMC, have not achieved the ODF tag and have missed several deadlines. The corporations and municipalities had planned toilets in every household, besides having community toilets. The governments plan was to build 83,039 toilets in 42 municipal corporations and municipalities so as to make urban areas ODF in Telangana. But it built only 23,561 toilets so far, and there is still a deficit of 59,477. Earlier, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had launched the ambitious Swachh Hyderabad-Swachh Telangana scheme in May of 2015 by latching it onto the Centres own Swachh Bharat Mission. The aim was to make urban areas in Telangana free of open-defecation by June of 2016. The works commenced accordingly, but slow pace was why the target could be achieved only in 15 urban areas. Works gathered speed for a while after IT minister K.T. Rama Rao was given charge of municipal administration last March. He devised an action plan to speed up matters, but it helped only to an extent so far. We have fixed timelines for all urban local bodies to achieve ODF by March 31, 2017. ODF protocol and third-party validation on ODF claim will be processed during April-May 2017. The delay in meeting targets was due to lack of periodic monitoring and this deficiency has been rectified, KTR said. He added: A road map to achieve ODF has been sent to all urban local bodies. Municipal commissioners have been directed to report progress regularly. Deputed officers have to visit towns once a week and brief the progress to government. Hyderabad: The Telangana government is trying to convince Saudi Arabian authorities to set up a consulate in Hyderabad. Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali on Thursday said that the Saudi government too had expressed interest in setting up a consulate in Hyderabad to extend its services to the southern states. He added that in response to a letter by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao through external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the Saudi government had responded positively for setting up a consulate in the city. The deputy CM said that since every year hundreds pilgrims from Telangana applied for Umrah and Haj, and also in view of the frequent problems with migrant labourers from Telangana, the government had decided to convince the Saudi government to set up a consulate in Hyderabad. While reviewing the arrangements for Haj 2016, which is commencing from August 21, with 26 departments here in Haj House, the deputy Chief Minister said that he would visit Riyadh in the last week of October to discuss with Saudi officials the issue of setting up a consulate. Mr Ali said as many as 4,100 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana would leave for Haj between August 21 and 28, and Air India would arrange for 15 special flights. While stating that the Haj camp would begin from August 19, Mr Ali said that all departments including Air India, Immigration, Customs, GHMC, Transco and the police would render services for the departure and arrival of Haj pilgrims. Mr Syed Omer Jaleel, special secretary to the Minority Welfare department, Mr Momin Ahmad Hussain, chairman of Andhra Pradesh Haj Committee, Prof. S.A. Shukoor, special officer to the Telangana Haj Committee and others were present. Hyderabad: The Telangana State Wakf Board has moved the Supreme Court against an order passed by the Hyderabad High Court with regard to its land in Guttala Begumpet near Hitec City. The Wakf Board has been claiming rights over 90 acre of land near Hitec City which is worth about Rs 400 crore, stating that it was Wakf property and a legal litigation is on between some private parties and the Board with regard to title over the land since 2002. The High Court had dismissed earlier round of claims by private parties directing them to approach the Wakf tribunal. As the tribunal and the High Court ruled against the private parties, they had moved the Supreme Court in 2015. However, recently the High Court allowed a review petition by the private parties upholding their claim over the land. In this backdrop, the Wakf Board has moved the Supreme Court and the matter will come up for hearing on Friday. Officials said that the Board had engaged additional solicitor general of India to appear in the case. Nellore: As many as 100 villages in SPSR Nellore district were declared as open defecation free (ODF) areas as part of Swachh Bharat programme. Credit goes to district collector M Janaki and the workforce of AP Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for converting 100 villages as open defecation-free habitations through scores of sensitisation programmes. Speaking to media persons here on Monday, Ms Janaki said they had chalked out plans for converting 940 villages as open defecation-free before the end of this year. She sought the cooperation of peoples' representatives, officials and others to achieve the target for constructing individual toilets in all the villages. According to the collector construction of 2,398 toilets under NREGS, and 36,209 individual toilets under Swachh Bharat mission has been taken up. As of now the district has been ranked second in the state and special attention is being paid to implement the programme in Vizianagaram, Krishna, and West Godavari districts. The collector said a resource person will be appointed for every two mandals for taking care of the activities and personal monitoring. Special officers of mandals will stay in these targeted villages on every Wednesday night for taking stock of the progress. For construction of individual toilets, the Union government will provide support of Rs 9,000 and the state government will provide Rs 3,000 and 52,000 toilets have been constructed last year. CEO of Zilla Parishat B. Ramireddy and district coordinator of the programme Susmitha Reddy were present with the collector. Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh is set to become the first state to make all of its urban areas 'Open Defecation Free' by October 2 this year, marking the anniversary of 'Swachh Bharat' mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state officials gave this assurance in a review report on the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission in all the 110 municipalities of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. State officials in charge of urban development held extensive discussions with the collectors of all the 13 districts and Municipal Commissioners of all the 110 urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh on their action plans for ensuring sanitation. During the review, it emerged that Andhra Pradesh which has been in the forefront of construction of toilets in urban areas can make all 100 municipalities Open Defecation Free by October 2 this year as per the action plan. As opposed to the target of construction of 1,94,336 individual household toilets in urban areas of Andhra Pradesh, work has started in respect of 1,53,779 and construction of 1,04,732 toilets has already been completed. In addition to the central assistance of Rs.4,000 per toilet, the Andhra Pradesh Government is extending assistance of an additional Rs.11,000 per toilet. Regarding Community and Public Toilet seats, as against a target of 4,614 seats, work has started on 3,887 seats and 1,952 seats have already been constructed. In respect of Solid Waste Management, out of the total wards of 3,458 in 110 municipalities, 100 percent door-to-door collection and transportation of such waste is being done in 3,072 wards i.e 89 percent of total urban wards in the state. The state government has also awarded works for construction of 10 Waste to Energy Plants for generating 63 MW of power from the 6,440 tonnes of municipal waste being generated per day in the state. The officials have been informed that these plants would be commissioned during 2017-18. Chennai: For the first time in the last couple of decades, Speaker P. Dhanapal on Wednesday adjourned the Assembly for the day after DMK members stalled the House proceedings following a scarecrow remark by an AIADMK MLA. Even after the Speaker deferred the reply of state electricity minister on grants for his department for Thursday, DMK members staged a sit-in protest raising slogans against Dhanapal for five minutes in the House and then disbursed. The pandemonium started when AIADMK Paramakudi MLA Muthaiah while speaking on the energy and prohibition demand said there are 89 scarecrows, drawing an angry response from DMK members, who have that number of members in the Assembly. The DMK MLAs were immediately on their feet protesting the remarks and sought its immediate expunging. But Chief Minister Jayalalithaa defended her party MLAs, saying the remark was neither unparliamentary nor abusive. She wondered why the DMK members were protesting the remark about scarecrow in paddy fields. However, the DMK MLAs did not budge and demanded that the remarks be expunged. Noisy scenes followed as they stood up demanding action. Dhanapal refused to expunge the remarks saying it was not unparliamentary or abusive and did not point at anybody. He made it clear there would be no review of his verdict. This further infuriated DMK MLAs, who kept raising slogans against AIADMK MLAs and the Speaker in particular for not allowing Opposition leader M.K. Stalin to speak. Later, the Speaker allowed Stalin to address with a condition not to speak against his ruling. But the Speaker expunged some of Stalins remarks. Even as the Speaker repeatedly pleaded with agitating DMK MLAs to cooperate with him in running the House, a near clash broke out between DMK and AIADMK MLAs following heated exchanges. With DMK members raising slogans against AIADMK members and the Speaker was seen holding discussion with leader of the House O. Panneerselvam and DMK deputy leader Duraimurugan. Finally, the Speaker said DMK MLAs were not cooperating with him in the smooth conduct of the House and that the people were aware of this. Though he had earlier summoned the electricity minister to reply on the debate on the grants for his department, it did not take place due to the ruckus. The Speaker then said the business hours had ended and asked the minister to reply tomorrow, even as he said proceedings have come to a close for the day. New Delhi: The government has sanctioned induction of additional BrahMos supersonic missiles, with steep dive capability and 290 km range, to be deployed in the Eastern sector to ramp up its capabilities along the border with China. Defence sources said the government has cleared the fourth BrahMos regiment at a cost of over Rs. 4,300 crore. The regiment consists of around 100 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 heavy-duty trucks and a mobile command post, among other hardware and software, sources said. The missile was under test by the Army and last known test of the missile in the Eastern sector was done in May, 2015. The steep-dive attack cruise missile can hit enemy targets hidden in the shadows of mountains. The Indian Army has already inducted three regiments of BrahMos in its arsenal. All are equipped with Block-III version of the missile. The land-attack version of BrahMos has been operational in the Indian Army since 2007. The fire-and-forget BrahMos has the capability to take on surface-based targets by flying a combined hi-lo trajectory, thus evading enemy air defence systems. Fire-and-forget missiles do not need further guidance after launch. BrahMos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land and has been inducted in all the three services. Chennai: Pointing out it is the duty of the state to maintain law and order and it is also under obligation to protect the life and property of citizens, the Madras high court has awarded Rs 10 lakh as compensation to a person, who lost his vision in one eye due to a stone thrown piercing though the windshield of the state transport corporation bus in which he was travelling and hitting his left eye. The incident occurred during a bandh called DMK on July 2, 2001, protesting against the arrest of its leader M. Karunanidhi on June 30. Disposing of a petition filed by victim S. Krishnaswamy, Justice M. Sathyanarayanan said, "When the life and property is taken away under the guise of hartal/bandh by any individual/organisation, the state is under mandate to compensate the victim by granting adequate and reasonable compensation. A presumption arises on the leader of the state to protect the life and property of citizens as and when it is taken away". In the case on hand, material placed before this court would clearly reveal that the state has given assurance that on the eve of bandh, normal life will not be paralysed and essential services will be properly maintained, based on which alone the petitioner undertook the journey. Due to stone throwing by two persons, he suffered grievous injuries which led to loss of vision on his left eye, broken jaws and blood clots for which he has undergone surgeries and incurred medical expenses and was also put to grave hardship, mental agony, pain and suffering. The judge had said, A presumption arises on the leader of the state to protect the life and property of citizens as and when it is taken away. The prosecution launched against two persons by the state has ended in acquittal and the state did not evince any interest to challenge the said order of acquittal passed by the trial court and it has become final. Therefore, this court is of the considered opinion that the state was bound to compensate the petitioner for the agony undergone by him, the judge added. The judge said the petitioner, at the time of accident was aged 44 and was working as ALPM operator in a private firm in Madurai. Though, the petitioner claimed a compensation of Rs 25 lakh, in the considered opinion of the court, he was entitled to a lump sum of Rs 10 lakh with 7.5 per cent interest from the date of filing of petition, viz October 28, 2002, till the date of full and final settlement and the said order was also without prejudice to his rights to approach the civil forum for getting more compensation, the judge said. Nagaraj, part of the teaching faculty, gave a sound thrashing to the teen for absenteeism soon after the classes began at 9.30 am. Chennai: In what appears to be concerted campus violence unleashed on a Dalit polytechnic student by two teaching staff, the left eardrum of a 17-year-old victim was damaged. While the injured boy is looking forward to a surgery which is the only hope to restore his hearing, the staffers who indulged in the thrashing got away with it without any reprimand from either the department head or the correspondent of the institution. This happened in a private polytechnic college in Vasudevanallur in Tirunelveli district and an FIR has been registered by Vasudevanallur Police. The victim alleged that the staff are party to the crime and that the correspondent went to the extent of threatening to expel him from the institution for disclosing the flogging to his family members, who came knocking on the doors of the management seeking an explanation. The education expenses of the boy - Hariharan (17), a single-parent child were being borne by his mother who works as a casual labourer. The sordid tale began on July 27 when the boy went to the institution after having skipped the previous evenings special class due to rains. Nagaraj, part of the teaching faculty, gave a sound thrashing to the teen for absenteeism soon after the classes began at 9.30 am. As the boy pleaded for mercy, another member of the faculty, Mariraj, joined the party and repeatedly slapped the former for indiscipline. Hariharan bled profusely from the beatings. When the boy attempted to meet his principal, the department head Thiraviyam reportedly prevented him and kept the bleeding boy in isolation throughout the day. During this time, the teaching faculty is reported to have paid a visit to the victim and abused him by his caste name. Mariraj reportedly remarked that the boy was fit to rear cattle and not cut out for education. The boy ran a fever and his hearing was affected. A doctor at a State-run hospital in the neibhourhood referred him to Palayamkottai GH, where he is being treated now as an inpatient. We dont blame them for flogging though they did it. However, we cannot ignore the inhuman treatment meted out to my nephew thereafter. He was held in captivity without any first aid and food for hours together from morning since he requested an audience with the principal, revealed Hariharans uncle Murugan. The family also appealed to Tirunelveli SP citing that the Puliyankudi DSP Jeyakumar, who is the investigation officer in this case, is related to the management of the institute. When contacted, S Thangapazham, principal of the polytechnic, maintained that a case had been registered and the cops are looking into it. Madurai: Setting aside the conviction and life sentence imposed on a farmer by a trial court on the charge of raping a minor girl, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court observed that the prosecution should be vigilant enough to conduct the investigation in a right manner and bring home the guilt of the accused in a flawless way. This is imperative, as any failure on the part of the prosecution would definitely go to the benefit of the accused, said Justice B. Gokuldas. Allowing a criminal appeal filed by farmer Chellappan from Gandarvakottai village in Pudukottai district, a division bench comprising Justices K.K. Sasidharan and Gokuldas said that the medical officer who issued the certificate of the minor girl had very clearly mentioned that there was neither external injury on the private part nor any internal injury in the form of tearing of hymen. The judges observed that Mahila Court in Pudukottai district imposed life sentence to the appellant under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 on the charge of raping a 11-year-old girl in a cashew grove in Pudukottai on June 2, 2013, without cross-examining the evidences submitted by the police properly. The court said though the incident had occurred at 8.30 am, the victims father had filed a complaint with the police at 11 pm. This apart, the victims mother washed her immediately after she reached home from cashew grove and thereby there was no occasion to subject the cloths of the victim to chemical examination. Moreover it was the father of the victim who stated that the accused caused penetration in the private part of her daughter, but her wife claims hat she was raped under a mango tree. On the contrary, the victim said that the appellant undressed her and laid over her, but he allowed her to go after she raised an alarm, said the judges. A combined reading of the above said three witnesses would show that each of them has come up with a different version about the occurrence and the manner in which the victim was allegedly subjected to sexual violence. The versions not being clear and obsessed with contradictions, this Court feels that it is not safe to absolutely act upon the testimonies, said Justice Gokuldas. Pointing out in the Radhu V. State of M.P judgement, the bench said ...The Courts should, at the same time, bear in mind that false charges of rape are not uncommon. There have also been rare instances where a parent has persuaded a gullible or obedient daughter to make a false charge of a rape either to take revenge or extort money or to get ride of financial liability. Whether there was rape or not would depend ultimately on the fact and circumstances of each case. Hyderabad: Vijayawada-based airline Air Costa suspended all its flights for Thursday. The airline has three Embraer E-190 aircraft of 110-seat capacity each, which make 24 trips to nine cities including seven in South India cities and two others in Northwest including Ahmedabad and Jaipur daily. Over 2,000 passengers who had booked their tickets were affected due to the cancellations. Airline management maintained that passengers were informed in advance and were given three options. The three options included passengers being accommodated on another airlines flight on the same day without any additional fare due to IROP i.e. irregular operations; the second option was a full refund and the third was re-booking on Air Costa flights from Friday, said staff of the airline. Some passengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, however, got into arguments with airline staff for Air Costa failing to accommodate them on other airlines flights by afternoon. They were accommodated on evening flights. Non-payment of lease rent was said to be the reason for the airline suspending operations. Industry sources added that many staff were asked to take leave on Thursday. But official spokesperson Mr Pramod Mitta told DC that the LEPL Group, headquartered at Vijayawada, which runs Air Costa, was stable. Dubai crash impact Flights on the Hyderabad-Dubai sector were cancelled on Thursday due to non-availability of runway at Dubai airport. This follows the crash-landing of the Emirates flight on Wednesday. Meanwhile, other flights from RGIA were hit by bad weather. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police has decided to register a case against Kerala Congress (B) leader R. Balakrishna Pillai in connection with hate speech at an NSS meeting in Pathanapuram. Police collects recordings of Pillai speech The police have submitted a preliminary investigation report against Kerala Congress leader R. Balakrishna Pillai over the hate speech delivered by him at an NSS meeting at Pathanapuram on Sunday. The superintendent of police at Kottarakkara will take further action based on the report. Punalur DySP A. Shanavas submitted the preliminary inquiry report to Kollam rural SP Ajeetha Beegum which has been forwarded to the police headquarters. A subsequent report from the headquarters may be received on Friday after which further action will be taken. The police have already secured legal opinion on this, Ms Ajeetha Beegum told Deccan Chronicle. The police have already collected evidence, including the recordings of the controversial speech. Mr. Pillai had allegedly made derogatory comments against Muslim and Christian communities. He justified the speech saying that in community meetings, there would be matters that are not discussed outside. I spoke inside the four walls of the NSS karayogam and not in public. There is a conspiracy behind raising a controversy over my speech there, Mr. Pillai had said. Thiruvananthapuram: The state Cabinet on Wednesday decided to appoint former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan as the chairman of Administrative Reforms Commission ending the two-month long speculations about the veterans future. Mr Achuthanandan will have Cabinet rank, personal staff and all other facilities attached to the post. The Cabinet also appointed former chief secretaries C.P. Nair and Neela Gangadharan as members of the commission. They will have the status of chief secretary. While there were reports that political representatives from CPM and CPI would be inducted in the commission, the government chose to pick only former bureaucrats. An official release here said the commission had been constituted to improve efficiency in administration and governance. Thiruvananthapuram: Disqualifications, Amendment Bill to pave the way for Mr Achuthanandans appointment as chairman of the commission. The Opposition UDF had criticised the new post pointing out that it would result in additional burden on the state exchequer. The UDF leadership also alleged that the post had been given to the veteran leader to silence him. This is the fourth Administrative Reforms Commission being set up in the state. Earlier E.M.S. Namboodiripad and E.K. Nayanar had headed the ARC. The history of disasters brings with it a new narrative of heroes and heroines, men and women whose life, whatever the flaws, becomes an epic of the times. The battle against Sardar Sarovar Dam created Medha Patkar, the Chipko movement gave us Sunderlal Bahuguna and Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Manipur produced Irom Sharmila and the struggles of Rajasthan created Aruna Roy and others dreaming of a Right to Information Act as a way of reinventing democracy. Each of these activists have also been theorists and storytellers, capturing the pain and poignancy of their times. Police atrocities in Chhattisgarh added another eloquent Cassandra-like figure: Soni Sori. Soni Sori is an adivasi, a woman raped and tortured by the police, who survived rape and torture to create a new poetics of resistance. There is something candid, open and courageous about her; a phenomenal reflectiveness created by thinking about pain confronting the violence of the State. Ms Sori has an easy conversational style, candid about violence, uncanny about evil, matter of fact in her metaphors. She is a woman who can quietly call a spade a shovel, and lucidly spell out the violence in Chhattisgarh. My activist friends from the Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chhattisgarh (CPJC) allowed me to listen to a set of conversations with her. Listening to her sense of care, concern, courage and detail, one sensed one was in the presence of an extraordinary figure. Ms Sori introduces herself as an adivasi and a woman, a teacher in an aganwadi, who once dreamt the traditional middle-class dreams of a secure job and a house, content with her lot. She explains she was an ordinary adivasi who was tortured and then became the face of adivasis confronting atrocities in Bastar. She explains how violence and governance survive amid lies. She says the very use of the word Naxalism hides a lie. The State uses Naxal as a blanket word for the seditious, those threatening security, who dont believe in democracy or the prevalent system. The word Naxal, in this sense, becomes a death sentence an invitation to torture and rape. It is only a pretext to eliminate adivasis. The genocide of adivasis begins with a lie, she claims, as what the government wants is land and the adivasi stands in the way. What is real estate or rent to the State is jal, jungle, jamin to the adivasis. Ms Sori always uses these three words together, because as a triptych they show connectivity. It is an ecology of soil, water and forest, a way of looking at life and a livelihood. The adivasi cant think of a universe without land and the forest. It is a cosmos, a sacrament, a commons, a label for all the rituals of everydayness. Ms Sori is matter of fact: Jal, jangal, jamin is leading to the elimination of adivasis. She adds that an adivasi lives within nature, which is his asset and competence. If you take away our land, and take away our future, why wont we fight you? asks Ms Sori. Then she laughs. You people want land to build an airport. You want to create an airport so people can fly to Mumbai. An adivasi in Chhattisgarh doesnt go as far as Raipur, what does he need an airport for? The planes are for the rich to roam around. She talks of Salwa Judum, a state-supported militia which unleashed violence before the Supreme Court reined it in. During Salwa Judum, over 800 villages were cleared. They are with the sarkar. We cant return to the villages and today the government has imposed Salwa Judum-2, unleashing a regime of terror and extermination against the adivasi. Ms Sori explains pain, suffering and atrocities become a rite of passage from innocence and vulnerability to resistance. She thinks about her own story, her sense of shame after she was raped. Sitting in prison, she met two other women who had also suffered police atrocities. They told her candidly and in a spirit of comradeship that she was not the only object of torture. They took her near the bathroom and opened their bodies, which had been subject to electric currents. The government calls us a law and order problem when it is violating the rule of law. My humiliation made me brave. I knew I was hardly literate, but I sense the humanity in me that wanted to fight. In that sense, I am Gandhiwadi. I wont pick up the gun, my ideas are my revolution. Then, almost in a reverie, as if she was talking to herself, she told her interviewer: Dada, I have thought about it many times over, (on) why I am not scared of them any more. I try to recollect the way they tortured me, to push myself to feel the fear. When I was in hospital after the recent attack, I even thought about my daughter having to go through a similar experience of being violated. Even that thought is unable to spark any fear in my mind. What to do? Is it that I am mad that I have stopped fearing the State and the likes of (IGP) Kalluri and (SP) Ankit Garg? She adds: The law in Chhattisgarh only exists in books. Think when an adivasi objects to a police camp on his land, the police is stunned at his temerity. He only claims his land, yet the police calls him a Naxal sympathiser. Ms Sori claims laws and policemen turn every adivasi into a poacher. For her, a tribal takes the wood he needs. The companies destroy through greed. It is the government that is the chief violator of laws, she says. Ms Sori admits suffering recreated her. Torture, she says, is like a blacksmiths forge. You beat iron again and again till it is right. Torture is a forge that created the adivasi struggle. Maarke paka diya. Ms Sori sits quietly: a woman, a housewife, a teacher, an anganwadi worker and activist. She captures the everydayness of struggle: being, prudent, courageous and optimistic. Its a heroism that governments are afraid of. She captures the suffering of millions and their silence in an act of poetic resistance. No authority can erase that. There have been no private space missions so far beyond Earth's orbit and only state agencies have performed outer space missions. (Representational image) Washington: In a first, the Federal AviationAdministration has given license to a private US company, co-founded by an Indian American, to launch a spacecraft and land on moon in 2017. This breakthrough US policy decision provides authorisation to Moon Express for a maiden flight of its robotic spacecraft onto the Moon's surface, the company said in a media release. There have been no private space missions so far beyond Earth's orbit and only state agencies have performed outer space missions. "The sky is not the limit for Moon Express, it is the launchpad. Space travel is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children," Naveen Jain, co-founder and chairman of Moon Express said. "In the immediate future, we envision bringing precious resources, metals, and moon rocks back to earth," he said. The company was co-founded in 2010 by space visionary, Dr Bob Richards, Naveen Jain and serial entrepreneur and artificial intelligence and space technology guru, Dr Barney Pell, with the common vision to be at the forefront of commercial space exploration and innovation. "The Moon Express 2017 mission approval is a landmark decision by the US government and a pathfinder for private sector commercial missions beyond the Earth's orbit," said Richards. "We are now free to set sail as explorers to Earth's eighth continent, the Moon, seeking new knowledge and resources to expand Earth's economic sphere for the benefit of all humanity," he added. The federal interagency's approval of the Moon Express 2017 lunar mission establishes an important precedent for the private sector to engage in peaceful space exploration, bringing with it monumental implications for the advancement of technology, science, research, and development, as well as commercial ventures that expand Earth's economic sphere, the company said. The company submitted its historic application for a 2017 commercial lunar mission to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 8th, 2016. While the licensing of 'SpaceShip Two' was an anticipated event, the authorization of the Moon Express flight to the lunar surface was hailed by the Space Foundation as a significant commercial space breakthrough. "A major milestone has been achieved here for commercial space activities," Space Foundation CEO Elliot Pulham said. "We applaud Moon Express and the Federal Government for this historic ruling to allow private enterprise to travel beyond Earth's orbit and more fully open a new era of commercial exploration and discovery. We are also delighted to see the doors opened for Virgin Galactic's return to flight," Pulham added. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. In a recent incident US-based HP accidentally sold a $2600 priced laptop at just Rs 140 but said that it cannot honour the deal as it was a listing problem on its online UK portal. According to a media report, the computer maker had to take down their UK website over the last weekend to fix an error pertaining to website listing. All the prices were jumbled up; most prices were listed much lesser than the actual product cost leading to a large number of orders. One of the many devices sold in confusion was a HP ZBook workstation device which originally costs approximately $3,000 (approximately 2 lakhs) but was sold for only $2.10 (Rs 140 approx). The company in an official statement accepted that there was a processing error as products were wrongly priced but has refused to honour the orders. However, a consumers rights group has said the HP had every right to cancel the orders. It explained that retailers have the powers to call off a deal in case of an honest mistake by the company. However, the angry customers expressed their frustration on Twitter after HP said it wont honour the deals. However, unconfirmed reports suggested that one lucky customer may actually have managed to pull off an amazing deal. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Investigators have determined that a fire erupted in or near the cockpit of the Airbus A320 before it crashed between Crete and the northern Egyptian coast. (Photo: AP) Paris: France's top diplomat has told his Egyptian counterpart that the French families who lost loved ones in the May 19 EgyptAir crash are impatient for answers, the foreign ministry said Thursday. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, "reminded" his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Choukri "of the difficult situation of the families waiting for answers," the ministry said in a statement. The families are anxious for the repatriation of their loved ones' bodies, as well as an explanation of the causes of the crash more than 10 weeks ago, the statement said. Fifteen French nationals were among the 66 people aboard the doomed Airbus A320 along with 40 Egyptians including the 10-member crew. Ayrault "thanked his counterpart for the cooperation between the Egyptian and French authorities in the investigation," the statement said. But the minister also underscored "the expectations of the victims' families regarding the Egyptian commission of enquiry in charge of the case and regarding the EgyptAir company." He said "France is providing full assistance" through its air safety agency BEA and the forensic unit of the paramilitary police IRCGN. EgyptAir Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean. Investigators have determined that a fire erupted in or near the cockpit of the Airbus A320 before it crashed between Crete and the northern Egyptian coast. The New York Times reported last month that the plane probably broke up in midair after the fire. Anonymous Egyptian officials told the Times it remained unclear whether the blaze was triggered by a mechanical malfunction or a criminal act. Egypt's aviation minister initially said an attack was the more likely explanation, but the probe is increasingly pointing to a technical fault. The black box data recorder confirmed that smoke alarms had sounded on board, and the word "fire" can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder, the Egyptian-led probe panel said in mid-July. In addition, soot was found on some of the wreckage. Katrina's father spotted her body in the tall grass along an unpaved emergency access road about 15 feet off the running trail. (Photo: Instagram) A woman was killed on an early evening run in a secluded section of a marshland park after her father warned her it might not be safe to go there without him, police said Wednesday. Katrina Vetrano's body was discovered at about 9 pm on Tuesday in Queens with signs that she was strangled and her clothes in disarray, indicating a possible sexual assault, police said. Police were still searching Wednesday for her assailant. Vetrano, 30, left for her daily run at about 5 pm on a trail in Spring Creek Park, part of a recreation area that's adjacent to her home in the Howard Beach neighborhood, police said. Normally, the victim ran with her father, but he stayed home because of a bad back, they said. The father, retired firefighter Philip Vetrano, "asked her not to run this path, not without him," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Tuesday at a briefing near the scene of the crime. "If you're a runner you understand that you run every night as part of your routine, so she went, and said she'd be all right." Vetrano didn't return on time and didn't answer her father's phone calls, so he contacted a police commander neighbour, who called 911. After police used cellphone signals to narrow the search area, her father spotted her body in the tall grass along an unpaved emergency access road about 15 feet off the running trail, police said. Vetrano was last heard from by a friend with whom she texted, police said. There was also security video of her running along the edge of the park at about 5:45 pm. Police were examining other video to try to identify a suspect, Boyce said. "There's a lot of forensic evidence as well as digital evidence in the area," he said. The running trail Vetrano used is connected to a much longer network of paths ringing Jamaica Bay that's popular with cyclists and runners. However, people often bypass the section where her body was found because it's more overgrown and desolate. The city's medical examiner's office was working to determine the cause of death. Sarah Safi, from Gary, Indiana, was wearing a niqab, a veil that covers the face, leaving only the area around the eyes clear, when she entered a Family Dollar store. (Representational Image) Chicago: A 32-year-old Muslim woman has accused a US department store of discrimination after she was asked to leave the retail outlet for wearing the traditional Islamic veil or the 'niqab'. Sarah Safi, from Gary, Indiana, was wearing a niqab, a veil that covers the face, leaving only the area around the eyes clear, when she entered a Family Dollar store. The incident, which was captured on cell phone video and took place in front of Safi's children, began when she stopped at the store on Monday to purchase charcoal for a family barbecue. "I might have made it 10 steps into the store and I hear the lady behind the counter say, 'Ma'am, you need to take that off your face or you need to leave my store,'" Safi told WLS-TV At that point, Safi began to record the exchange on her cell phone. She told the clerk that she wears a niqab and hijab for religious purposes but the clerk, who identified herself as the manager, insisted that Safi should leave. "I understand, but you have to understand too this is a high crime area and we get robbed a lot. You need to remove that from your face or remove yourself from the store," the clerk said. "I told her this country is a country of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and I have a right to wear whatever I want," Safi said. While her children waited in the car, the store employee told Safi if she did not leave she would call the police. "Do I wait for the police to come and let my children see this, or do I go head and just go and let Allah handle it how he sees fit?" Safi said recounting what she thought back then. Safi then decided to leave. The worker also had parting words for her as she was on her way out. "Have a blessed day," the employee says, according to the video. "I'm really saddened. I was born here, raised here all my life and I've never been to an establishment and been treated like this," Safi said. She said she had been covering her face in public for years, and the only thing she wants is for the store employee to apologise. "I would like to sit with her and speak to her about what I believe in, because maybe if she heard and really listened to what I believe it I would open her heart," Safi said. "It's not just a blatant violation of the civil rights laws of this country, but it's also a violation of the basic laws of decency and morality that you don't treat customers this way just because they have a different cultural background or a different religion," said Council on American Islamic Relations' Ahmed Rehab in a statement. United Nations: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the annual high-level UN General Assembly session here next month and the Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, according to the provisional agenda released by the UN here. Senior Indian diplomats also confirmed that Swaraj is "as of now" scheduled to head the Indian delegation for the General Debate of the 71st session of the General Assembly. The General Debate will open on September 20 and will run through September 26, when Swaraj will address the annual high-level debate. According to the first provisional list, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to attend the General Debate and address the global leaders on September 21. Sources however added that the programme for Sharif to attend the General Assembly session could change as they cited his health. Modi had given his maiden address to the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister in 2014, when addressing the world leaders in Hindi he had also made a clarion call to commemorate an annual International Yoga Day. Last year, he had attended the high-level UN Sustainable Development Summit ahead of the General Debate, when world leaders had adopted the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an intergovernmental set of aspiration Goals with 169 targets. He had also attended the UN Peacekeeping Summit hosted by President Barack Obama when he had announced that India will contribute an additional battalion of 850 troops for UN peacekeeping operation. The summit was the only forum when Modi and Sharif had come face to face during their visit for the UN General Assembly. The two leaders had only waved at each other as they sat across from each other on a horse shoe-table for the peacekeeping summit. According to the provisional list, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Maithrapala Sirisena of Sri Lanka are also expected to address the world leaders. As per tradition, Brazil's president opens the General Debate every year and is followed by the US President. The 71st session of the General Assembly will open on September 13. The General Debate will open on the theme of 'The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world,' as announced by President-elect Peter Thomson last month. The UN General Assembly will also host a high-level summit on September 19 to address large movements of refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach. The UN said this is the first time the General Assembly has called for a summit at the Heads of State and Government level on large movements of refugees and migrants and it is a historic opportunity to come up with a blueprint for a better international response. "It is a watershed moment to strengthen governance of international migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants," the world organisation said. Also on the margins of the General Assembly, on September 20, Obama will host the Leaders' Summit on Refugees which will appeal to governments to pledge significant new commitments on refugees. While the Presidential Summit will focus on refugees, not migrants, the General Assembly event will address large movements of both. The two events will complement one another. Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's attacks on the parents of a slain Muslim soldier. (Photo: AP) Washington: Donald Trump's White House campaign was in turmoil on Wednesday after he angered senior Republican Party leaders by criticizing a dead soldier's family and refusing to back the re-election campaign of House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. On Tuesday, Trump denied support to both Ryan and Senator John McCain in their coming primary contests, hitting back at critics in the Republican leadership who have taken him to task for his insistent public dispute with the parents of the soldier, a Muslim US Army captain killed in the Iraq war. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was furious over the failure to endorse Ryan, who is the most senior elected Republican, and over Trump's feud with the Khan family, two Republican sources said. Read: Obama says Trump unfit to be US president, wants GOP to reject him "He feels like a fool," a Republican source familiar with the situation said of Priebus. The RNC did not respond to a request for comment about Priebus. Another Republican source said Trump's family members, who have played an influential role in his campaign, were aware that an intervention was needed to get Trump back on track. One idea being floated was to have a senior adviser travel with Trump to help him stay on message. More than any other major figure in the Republican establishment, Priebus worked to bring Trump into the party's fold despite the New York businessman's status as an outsider. Trump, who had never previously run for public office, beat 16 rivals to become the Republican presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election. Ahead of last month's Republican Party Convention, the RNC chairman sought to rally the fractured party behind Trump. Priebus feels burned by Trump's string of self-inflicted wounds and his refusal to observe basic decorum by giving Ryan his support. Read: Families of fallen US soldiers demand apology from Trump But in what appeared to be an effort to soothe ruffled feelings, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said on Wednesday he endorsed Ryan as "a strong conservative leader" and was doing so with Trump's blessing. The Indiana governor told Fox News that it takes time to build relationships in politics and that was exactly what Trump and Ryan were doing. Trump has had a running dispute with the parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan since they took the stage at last week's Democratic National Convention. Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, standing by his side, cited the sacrifice of their son, who was killed by a car bomb in 2004, and criticized Trump's proposal to combat terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States . Many Republican leaders, including Ryan and McCain, have criticized Trump's subsequent attacks on the parents. Even longtime ally Chris Christie, the Republican New Jersey governor, said it was inappropriate to attack the Khans. Trump's feud with the Khans was the final straw for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot and Iraq war veteran. Kinzinger, who had held off supporting Trump, told CNN on Wednesday: "I just dont see how I get to Donald Trump anymore." Trump, who made his comments about Ryan and McCain in an interview with The Washington Post, shrugged off the backlash. "There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!" he wrote on Twitter early on Wednesday, referring to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Campaign manager Paul Manafort told Fox News the campaign was moving in a positive direction, with Trump himself in control. "The campaign is in very good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," Manafort said. Vellakkanu Raja, 24, admitted to three counts of sexual assault in February, August and October last year, reported the Straits Times. (Photo: Pixabay) Singapore: An Indian construction worker in Singapore was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail for having sex three times with a 13-year-old girl who became pregnant as a result and underwent an abortion. Vellakkanu Raja, 24, admitted to three counts of sexual assault in February, August and October last year, reported the Straits Times. Three other charges of digital penetration were taken into consideration in sentencing. On May 28 last year, the girl ran away from home. Her mother lodged a police report the next day. The girl's mother also told Raja to stop seeing her daughter, who was still schooling. But they continued to meet. The girl told her mother in January this year that she might be pregnant. A polyclinic confirmed that she was. Raja was arrested at Changi Airport on January 23 for trying to leave the country. The girl underwent an abortion when she was 23 weeks pregnant. Defence counsel said it was the victim who sought out his client by giving him a missed call on his mobile phone, and initiated contact with him by calling him to meet up. He said they were in a "genuine and loving relationship". Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana said the accused continued to seek out the victim despite her mother and cousin warning him. She said it was utterly incredible for the defence to characterise the relationship as a case where the accused merely succumbed to the victim's advances. Raja could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each charge of sexual penetration of a minor. The court also heard that the accused raped his daughter twice at his home in South Australia and then smashed her head against the wall while she bled profusely. (Representational Image) Adelaide: An Australian father has been arrested on the charges of sexually assaulting his five-year-old daughter twice and torturing his four-year-old son for about two years at their home in Adelaide, a city in South Australia. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the accused has been found guilty of locking up his minor children in dirty cages as punishment. While the case was undergoing trial in Adelaide District Court, prosecutors told the judge that the minor children were tied to trees outside their home for hours. Their fingers were even slammed in car doors, leaving them in excruciating pain. While the children were tied to the trees, they were beaten up with a whip and bed slats, the court heard. It took three days for the jury to go through all the allegations against the accused including the years of physical torment caused to the kids by their father and stepmother. The court also heard that the accused raped his daughter twice at his home and then smashed her head against the wall while she bled profusely. He then gagged her with her younger brother and photographed the children in that position. The accused has been found guilty of six counts of false imprisonment , four counts of physical assault and two counts of rape. However, he has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him and is due to appear in court in September for next hearing. The kids' stepmother too is due in court after being found guilty of one count of false imprisonment. ideo image released by the Egyptian Defense Ministry, an Egyptian plane flies over an Egyptian ship during the search in the Mediterranean Sea for the missing EgyptAir flight 804 plane. (Photo: AP) Paris: France's top diplomat has told his Egyptian counterpart that the French families who lost loved ones in the May 19 EgyptAir crash are impatient for answers, the Foreign Ministry said today. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, "reminded" his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Choukri "of the difficult situation of the families waiting for answers," the ministry said in a statement. The families are anxious for the repatriation of their loved ones' bodies, as well as an explanation of the cause of the crash more than 10 weeks ago, the statement said. Fifteen French nationals were among the 66 people aboard the doomed Airbus A320 along with 40 Egyptians including the 10-member crew. Ayrault "thanked his counterpart for the cooperation between the Egyptian and French authorities in the investigation," the statement said. But the minister also underscored "the expectations of the victims' families regarding the Egyptian commission of enquiry in charge of the case and regarding the EgyptAir company." He said "France is providing full assistance" through its air safety agency BEA and the forensic unit of the paramilitary police IRCGN. EgyptAir Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean. Investigators have determined that a fire erupted in or near the cockpit of the Airbus A320 before it crashed between Crete and the northern Egyptian coast. The New York Times reported last month that the plane probably broke up in midair after the fire. Anonymous Egyptian officials told the Times it remained unclear whether the blaze was triggered by a mechanical malfunction or a criminal act. Egypt's aviation minister initially said an attack was the more likely explanation, but the probe is increasingly pointing to a technical fault. The black box data recorder confirmed that smoke alarms had sounded on board, and the word "fire" can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder, the Egyptian-led probe panel said in mid-July. In addition, soot was found on some of the wreckage. PARIS: France's top diplomat has told his Egyptian counterpart that the French families who lost loved ones in the May 19 Egypt Air crash are impatient for answers, the Foreign Ministry said today. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, "reminded" his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Choukri "of the difficult situation of the families waiting for answers," the ministry said in a statement. The families are anxious for the repatriation of their loved ones' bodies, as well as an explanation of the causes of the crash more than 10 weeks ago, the statement said. Fifteen French nationals were among the 66 people aboard the doomed Airbus A320 along with 40 Egyptians including the 10-member crew. Ayrault "thanked his counterpart for the cooperation between the Egyptian and French authorities in the investigation," the statement said. But the minister also underscored "the expectations of the victims' families regarding the Egyptian commission of enquiry in charge of the case and regarding the EgyptAir company." He said "France is providing full assistance" through its air safety agency BEA and the forensic unit of the paramilitary police IRCGN. EgyptAir Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean. Investigators have determined that a fire erupted in or near the cockpit of the Airbus A320 before it crashed between Crete and the northern Egyptian coast. The New York Times reported last month that the plane probably broke up in midair after the fire. Anonymous Egyptian officials told the Times it remained unclear whether the blaze was triggered by a mechanical malfunction or a criminal act. Egypt's aviation minister initially said an attack was the more likely explanation, but the probe is increasingly pointing to a technical fault. The black box data recorder confirmed that smoke alarms had sounded on board, and the word "fire" can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder, the Egyptian-led probe panel said in mid-July. In addition, soot was found on some of the wreckage. Police guard the scene of a knife attack near Russell Square in London. (Photo: AP) London: British detectives questioning a 19-year-old Norwegian of Somali origin over a stabbing spree in London said Thursday they had found no evidence of terror motives or radicalisation. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters the one woman killed in the attack in central London's Russell Square late Wednesday was a US national. Police said earlier that she was thought to be in her 60s. Among the two women and three men also injured were US, British, Australian and Israeli nationals. Three of the five have been discharged from hospital and the other two are not in a life-threatening condition. The investigation "increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," Rowley said outside London's New Scotland Yard police headquarters. "We believe this was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. "We have found no evidence of radicalisation or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism." He said their work so far does not suggest that the suspect's Norwegian nationality and Somali ancestry "are relevant to the motivation for his actions". He said an address had been searched in north London, while another in south London will be searched. Detectives have interviewed the suspect and spoken to his family. Witnesses have also been interviewed, while a full intelligence review was carried out by the police and the security services. Rowley called it a "horrific murder and attack". Scotland Yard is in contact with the relevant embassies, he added. He said the suspect was shot with an electric shock gun and detained by armed officers within six minutes of the first call to the emergency services. Two Belgian soldiers walk by a couple in a cafe as they patrol at Brussels Central train station in Brussels. (Photo: AP) Paris: Security agencies in Paris have circulated a photo of an Afghan asylum seeker on suspicion that he might be plotting an attack on the capital, a police source said on Thursday. Police did not have a name for the Afghan, the source said, and no active manhunt was underway. Metronews reported that the man had been in France for the past two months. France is reeling after two attacks last month by ISIS loyalists, one of whom killed 84 people by driving a truck into Bastille Day revellers in Nice while two others cut the throat of an elderly priest. The country has been under emergency rule since militant gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris in November. The event is the brainchild of Smile 13, a women's association in the port city, whose population of nearly two million includes around 220,000 Muslims, mainly of Algerian origin. (Photo: AP/ Representational Image) Marseille: Plans for a waterpark in Marseille to set aside a day just for Muslim women wearing burqinis -- full-body swimsuits -- sparked outrage in secular France on Thursday. The "Pool Day" set for September 10 at the southern city's Speed Water Parc smacks of "dyed-in-the-wool communalism," said Florian Philippot, a top advisor to far-right leader Marine Le Pen. The event is the brainchild of Smile 13, a women's association in the port city, whose population of nearly two million includes around 220,000 Muslims, mainly of Algerian origin. "This sort of event should be banned," Philippot said, warning of a "risk of public disorder". Criticism also came from the left, with Senator Michel Amiel -- who is mayor of the northern suburb, Les Pennes Mirabeau, where the waterpark is located -- saying he would seek a ban. "I am shocked and angry. I see this event as a provocation that we don't need in the current climate," he told the daily Aujourd'hui in the wake of two jihadist attacks that rocked France last month. Valerie Boyer of the right-wing Republicans party said, for her part: "There is nothing anodine about this. The battle of the veil is the visible expression of fundamentalists' wish to mark their territory." She said it was a way for "Islamism to wear a uniform and exert real social control." Muslim dress is a hot-button issue in France, where the full-face veil is banned in public places. The appearance of high-fashion burqinis and hajib headscarves by designers targeting the Muslim market prompted France's women's rights minister, Laurence Rossignol, to accuse them of encouraging the "imprisonment of women's bodies". National Front Senator Stephane Ravier said the planned burqini day showed that despite assurances from the Muslim community following the terror attacks, "a certain number of Muslims voluntarily set themselves apart from... our society." Socialist politician Stephane Mari worried that the event would draw intensive media coverage. If it goes ahead, it would "once again favour the party (that promotes) the values of hatred and exclusion," he said in a reference to the xenophobic National Front. Neither the waterpark nor Smile 13 could be reached for comment. "The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gangrape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes. (Photo: AFP) Geneva: Government security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gangraped women and girls during and after heavy fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers to take "urgent action" to halt violence in the world's newest state. "While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," Zeid said in a statement. "The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gangrape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes." The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. (Photo: AFP) Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif todaysaid Pakistan is committed to jointly working with SAARC member countries for fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes. Addressing the inaugural session of the SAARC Interior/ Home Ministers' Conference in Islamabad, Sharif cited Pakistan's anti-terror operations in restive tribal areas and National Action Plan to emphasise "the government's determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good." He said the SAARC region is blessed with tremendous human and natural resources. "So, SAARC can and should provide a platform to optimally harness the regional potential for peace and prosperity of our people." Sharif said such an approach is in sync with his government's vision of "peace for development and peaceful neighbourhood". "Pakistan has always been supportive of initiatives taken by SAARC to advance its ideals and objectives as enshrined in its charter," he said. Read: In Pak for SAARC meet, Rajnath calls on Sharif as a formal courtesy call He said Pakistan has also been strong advocate of stepping up regional efforts to ensure energy security through sharing of indigenous sources. The Prime Minister said Pakistan shares the perception that connectivity is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and supports, in principle, road, air, rail and water connectivity within the region. "Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility," he said. Addressing the inaugural session, SAARC Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa said there is a need to take effective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism, narcotics, cybercrimes and other transnational crimes. The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Passengers run away as an Emirates airline flight from India to Dubai crash-lands at the airport in Dubai. (Photo: PTI) Dubai: Hundreds of passengers fled an Emirates airliner that crash-landed and caught fire in Dubai on Wednesday, resulting in the death of a firefighter and a four-hour shutdown of the busy airport. The exact circumstances of the accident, which involved a Boeing 777 flying from India with 300 people on board, were not immediately clear. Video clips circulated on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the centre of the plane, which was on ground. Its fuselage appeared to be lying on the runway with escape slides opened. Shaji Kochikutty, who was on board the plane with his wife and three daughters, recounted surviving the "near disaster". "We are grateful to be alive. What more can we ask for?" the Dubai-based businessman said, speaking to weekly newspaper XPRESS. After the plane caught fire on landing, airline staff opened emergency exits and guided the passengers out, Mr Kochikutty said. "First, I sent my three daughters. My wife went next but hurt her knee while jumping out. I bruised my feet as I ran without my shoes. We were promptly given first aid and we are all fine now." he added. Emirates said all passengers and crew on board flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai were safe. Emirates chief executive officer Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said 13 people had to be hospitalised, most of them for minor injuries. An Emirates airline flight from India to Dubai crash-lands at the airport in Dubai. (Photo: PTI) The director general of the General Civil Aviation Authority, Saif al-Suwaidi, said in a statement that "one of the firefighters lost his life while saving the lives of the others". Ruling out any security issue, Sheikh Ahmed spoke of an "operational incident" that happened on landing. The fire erupted on board the aircraft after the incident, he said, adding that the cause was not yet clear. Investigators had been sent to work with Emirates and the Dubai airport authorities. Sheikh Ahmed said the pilot was an Emirati with more than 7,000 hours of flight time and the aircraft had "all necessary inspection checks" before take-off. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew members on board -- 226 of whom were Indians, 24 Britons and 11 Emirati nationals. Airport authorities halted all operations at Dubai International Airport for around four hours Wednesday, causing delays and diversions. Arriving planes were diverted to other airports in the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain, Emirates said. While resuming operations later, Dubai International said its capacity was still restricted and it was operating with one runway. Passengers being helped to a taxi in Dubai. (Photo: AP) Dubai is the world's largest air hub in terms of international passengers, and is the base for Emirates, from where it serves more than 153 destinations. In 2013, Dubai opened a smaller second airport, Al-Maktoum International. Emirates is the largest single operator of the Boeing 777, as well as the Airbus A380 superjumbo, and expanded its fleet to 250 aircraft last year. The accident comes almost four months after a plane belonging to Dubai's other carrier, flydubai, crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, killing all 61 people onboard. On July 26, an Emirates Boeing 777-300 aircraft heading for Maldives made an emergency landing in Mumbai because of a "technical fault". The animal, weighing around 4 tonnes, crossed the Brahmaputra river on June 27 and soon grabbed media attention as it was followed by hundreds of people in boats every day requiring police deployment to keep it undisturbed. (Photo: Representational Image) Dhaka: Bangladesh and India on Thursday launched a major operation to rescue a wild elephant stranded in marshy land for the past month after gushing floodwaters washed it across the border from upstream Assam, officials said. "A three-member Indian expert team led by a retired chief conservator of forest of theirs reached the scene at Sharishabari (of northern Jamalpur) to launch the rescue drive jointly with our forest officials and experts," chief conservator of forest Mohammad Yunus Ali told PTI. He added that the joint team with veterinary surgeons as members was equipped with tranquilizers and other equipment including medicines to rescue the elephant which was languishing in marshy land along the rivers. "India will take it back if possible, otherwise we will keep the elephant," Bangladesh's forest chief said, pointing out that in past two cases in 2004 and 2013, one attempt to return an elephant succeeded while another died on its way back. Ali said India kept in touch with Bangladesh's forest department since the animal, weighing around 4 tonnes, crossed the Brahmaputra river on June 27 and soon grabbed media attention as it was followed by hundreds of people in boats every day requiring police deployment to keep it undisturbed. It was roaming along the river shoals and swamps in three northern districts. A forest official who was stationed at the scene to monitor the elephant's behaviour and activities said it remained calm though it showed some signs of abnormal behaviour as it was forced to live in swamps for weeks despite being habituated in hilly forest environment. "The elephant looks tired and weak as it is finding limited items of food like rice plants and sugarcane plants or some banana trees supplied by us. Yet it remained non-violent," said Ashok Mollik over phone. Mollik said the elephant could not rest on a dry piece of land as higher land in the neighbourhood was occupied by people who were forced to take refuge there leaving their inundated homes. Bangladeshi policemen stand guard outside a morgue at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital during the autopsy on the bodies of suspected Islamic militants who were killed Tuesday in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Photo: AP) Dhaka: A British national and a student of a Canadian University have been arrested for their alleged involvement in Bangladesh's worst terror attack at a cafe in Dhaka last month that killed 22 people, including an Indian girl. Hasanat Karim, a Bangladeshi-British citizen, and Tahmid Hasib Khan were arrested last night and booked under the Code of Criminal Procedure's Section 54, which allows arrest without warrants on grounds of suspicion, police said on Thursday. A Dhaka court on Thursday remanded them to police custody for eight days. The two were dining at the Holey Artisan Bakery at the time of attack and rescued by security personnel. Islamist militants killed 22 people during the attack on July 1. Tahmid, 22, was detained from the Bashundhara Residential Area and Hasanat, 47, from Gulshan, bdnews reported. Their families, however, had been maintaining that the two did not return since July 2, after being rescued from the cafe, the report said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and released photos of the five attackers who were killed during the assault on the restaurant. Law enforcers, however, said home-grown militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) was responsible for it. After the end of siege, 32 people, including 13 rescued hostages were taken to the Detective Branch office for de-briefing. All of them were released, except for Hasanat and Tahmid, their families claimed. Both Hasanat's father AR Karim and Tahmids father Shahriar Khan told the media on several occasions that their sons are yet to return and that they suspect they were in police custody. Until now, police had been evading questions about their whereabouts, but said that they were probable suspects. In a media briefing on Tuesday, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said that Hasanats role was still not clear. "His background and his behaviour on that day inside the cafe evoked suspicion. We are trying to gather concrete evidence against him. We can take him in custody whenever its necessary," said Hoque. Hasanat's family claimed that he along with his wife and kids had gone to the restaurant to celebrate his daughters birthday. Hasanat was relieved from his teaching job at NSU in 2012 on allegations of involvement with banned group Hizb-ut Tahrir. Tahmid, whose father is a businessman, studies at a university in Canada. His family said that he had come to Dhaka a day before the attack and had gone to the cafe to hang out with his friends. The new Sri Lankan govt withdraws permission for free hold on 20 acres of land for Chinese firms and convert it to 99 years lease. (Photo: AFP) Beijing: China needs to dispel India's concerns over its presence in the Indian Ocean relating to the USD 1.5 billion Chinese-backed Colombo Port City project in Sri Lanka, a media report here said on Thursday. "Dispelling concerns from India over China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean, China will need to let the Colombo Port City Project in Sri Lanka really play a role in promoting the development of the local economy," an article in the state-run Global Times said. "What is important now is that the Colombo Port City Project can be allowed to move forward and become an engine of economic growth in Sri Lanka that will benefit the local economy. If that goal can be reached, the project itself will be the best response to India's concerns about ties between Sri Lanka and China," it said. "India has long worried that the project would serve as a platform for the expansion of China's military power in the Indian Ocean, posing a threat to its national security" which is the reason for Sri Lanka withdrawing permission for free hold on 20 acres of land for Chinese firms and convert it to 99 years lease. "However, regardless of India's protest, it is gratifying to see that the big picture of China-Sri Lanka cooperation has not changed. After Sri Lanka announced the resumption of the project earlier this year, both China and Sri Lanka reached an agreement over compensation due to delay of the project," it said. "Given Colombo's strategic location on the Indian Ocean, it is almost certain that a closer relationship between the two nations will unavoidably arouse suspicion from New Delhi," it said. "India has great influence on Sri Lanka's political system and has long expressed concerns over China's enhanced cooperation with Sri Lanka," it said. Tensions between China and India have been increasing, noticeably at a time when China is promoting its Belt and Road initiative and has been forming cooperative relations with countries along the route in fields such as infrastructure. "An inevitable result of such efforts has been China's increased presence in some South Asian countries which have been, until now, mainly influenced by India," it said. "The successful implementation of the project will make these words all the more convincing. With the Port of Colombo's key location in a network of international trade routes, this will contribute to economic development in Sri Lanka and the wider region, including India. In this regard, New Delhi may need to take the long view of its national interests," it said. The convoy was ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif district. (Photo: Representational Image) Herat, Afghanistan: Taliban militants attacked foreign tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in the western province of Herat on Thursday, officials said, with a military spokesman saying at least six people were wounded. The Taliban have officially not claimed responsibility so far for the attack and the nationality of the tourists was not immediately known. "The convoy was ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif district. The tourists were on their way to Herat from Bamiyan and Ghor provinces," said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor. Military spokesman Najibullah Najibi said the ambush left at least five foreign tourists and their Afghan driver wounded, adding that they were being escorted to Herat city. The attack comes as Taliban militants intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. Islamabad: The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference here when Home Minister Rajnath Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time on Thursday and the two leaders barely shook hands. As Singh arrived at the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel here, Khan was at the gate to receive the dignitaries. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Members of the Indian media, which came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment and were kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which led to a verbal dual between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official. Indian officials said the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was clearly visible in the conference. Meanwhile, Khan said Pakistan was "committed to SAARC processes, and, desires to see it as a successful regional organisation." "We must do a reality check of what we have achieved so far and what still remains. It is time for us to seize the moment, to leverage our potential and overcome our choices," he said. "We have made substantial contribution towards various SAARC processes and have taken a number of initiatives in furthering the goal of close regional integration," he said. Islamabad: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is here to participate in the SAARC ministerial conference, along with his counterparts from the member countries called on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday. Singh was part of the joint delegation of the Interior/Home Ministers of SAARC nations when they called on the Pakistani Prime Minister at his office. "It was a formal courtesy call, nothing else," an official said. The Interior/Home Ministers' of SAARC nations were with Sharif for about 20 minutes during which only pleasantries were exchanged, the official said, adding nothing formal was discussed. Sharif's meeting with a senior Indian functionary came amidst the ongoing strain in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan following the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Prime Minister's Office last night. The eight-member SAARC grouping comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A Palestinian man reads from the Quran during 'fajr', or early morning prayers, in the first Friday of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramzan. (Photo: AP) Islamabad: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has rejected the Pakistan governments proposal to include teachings of Quran in the schools syllabus up to tenth standard. The ministry of federal education and professional training had sent a set of books containing Quran verses with translation to the CII for vetting and proposed to teach these books in schools up to tenth standard. However, the CII members rejected the proposal and said that too many lacunas were present in the books. The council also held discussions on the Hague convention on Parental Responsibility and Protection of Children, sent by the law ministry and ruled that Pakistan should not sign it. The meeting was chaired by CII chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani, who said that certain clauses of the Hague Convention were contradictory to the Constitution of Pakistan. Beijing: With Xinjiang tightening anti-terror law banning instigation of people to cross border to undergo terror training, Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif has assured China of cracking down against militant outfits blamed for attacks in the volatile province. Pakistan will firmly crackdown on terrorist forces like the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement" (ETIM) and protect the security of "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", (CEPC) state-run China Military Online quoted him as saying during his meeting with China's top military official Fang Fenghui in Urumqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang on Tuesday. Fang is the member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military body and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the CMC. Sharif was in Urumqi to attend the Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in Counter Terrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces. His assurance of firm crackdown followed China-Pakistan border police recently launching first joint patrols of the disputed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) border amid reports that 114 Uyghurs Muslims from Xinjiang joined Islamic State in Syria. Xinjiang, the home for Uyghurs who resented the increasing settlements of Hans from other provinces has witnessed violent attacks in recent years. China blamed ETIM, a separatist outfit linked to al Qaeda for the attacks. Under pressure from China, Pakistan army has conducted military operations against ETIM training bases in the tribal areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months. Xinjiang recently adopted new anti-terrorism rules stipulating reassessment of risk levels of prisoners before release and solitary confinement and education for ring leaders. The new rules stipulated that recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will as organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training, state-run Global Times reported. The Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism formed by China significantly includes Afghanistan which also shares borders with Xinjiang. Afghanistan blames Pakistan for backing Taliban militants for carrying out violent attacks in Afghanistan. General Sharif also assured the Chinese General of providing security for the USD 46 billion for the CEPC in the backdrop of rent attack on Chinese workers in Karachi. Fang told Sharif that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners. The two sides are stepping up their all-round cooperation according to the series of important consensuses reached by President Xi Jinping and Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain. Fang said that the "quadrilateral mechanism" is the first security cooperation mechanism established by the militaries of regional countries, and the mutual support between Chinese and Pakistani armed forces is critical for safeguarding regional peace and stability. Fang stressed that China is willing to deepen the cooperation with Pakistan in all areas under the "quadrilateral mechanism" framework, enhance capability building, provide security products for the peace and development of the region, and push the mechanism forward. Islamabad: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will not have any bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said on Thursday. Singh arrived in Islamabad last evening to attend the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers' conference during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. Read: Rajnath Singh in Pakistan capital for SAARC meeting "There will be no bilateral meeting. We have already said that," Mehrishi told reporters when asked if any bilateral meeting between Singh and Khan would take place. According to official sources, the Home Minister along with his counterparts from the SAARC countries will call on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later in the day, as per tradition. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Prime Minister's Office last night. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long conference, Singh had said he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime." Read: Kashmir groups protests in Pakistan against Rajnath visit "This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security," Singh had said, who is also expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. A very bleak possibility of Singh having a bilateral meeting with Khan was expected in the wake of strains in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". The Ministry of External Affairs has done well to provide food aid to some 10,000 Indian nationals stranded without jobs or money in Saudi Arabia. With their situation snowballing into a major humanitarian crisis, the MEAs food aid and decision to evacuate them will come as a relief. However, the government seems to have woken up to the crisis rather late in the day. It was evident several months ago that the fall in global oil prices and the consequent economic crisis in Saudi Arabia and other West Asian countries would hit foreign workers hard, particularly those employed in Saudi Arabias construction sector. These are by and large South Asians. As feared, construction companies stopped paying workers their salaries, prompting protests in the desert kingdom months ago. Yet, Delhi did not respond. It was only on July 29 when an Indian worker tweeted about the situation of Indians in Saudi Arabia and tagged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, that Delhi woke up to the plight of its nationals there. It raises serious questions about the functioning of the Indian mission in Saudi Arabia. Arent our diplomats in touch with the Indian community there? Or is the plight of the poorer sections of the diaspora of no concern to them? Why did Indian diplomats posted in Saudi Arabia fail to keep the MEA in the loop? Airlifting Indian workers back to the country, while being a logistical nightmare, will not be difficult for Delhi as it has experience in this, having evacuated thousands of people from conflict zones. However, their evacuation from Saudi Arabia will be challenging. Saudi rules require foreign workers to hand over their passports to employers and exit visas require no-objection certificates from the employers. But many employers have left the country now. Indian officials will have to negotiate with Saudi authorities to secure their exit visas and also unpaid salaries. Trouble is brewing for Indian workers in other West Asian countries too as in Kuwait, for instance. India must act pro-actively there. While falling oil prices is the main reason behind the present forcing out of foreign workers from Saudi Arabia and other West Asian countries, rules for localisation of labour, such as the Saudis nitaqat law, for instance, have rendered uncertain their position for some time now. Rules for localising labour, which are aimed at tackling local unemployment, are forcing out Indian nurses from Oman, who have been told to leave in a month. Such rules will not only impact flow of remittances to India but also the livelihood security of Indians working there. As more Indians return home, they would need jobs. Is India preparing for the fallout? Minister for Urban Development and Haj R Roshan Baig on Wednesday said the proposed Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru should be a multi-cultural centre. Addressing the gathering during a programme organised by Mangalore Haj Committee to inaugurate haj pilgrimage of first batch from Dakshina Kannada and surrounding districts, Baig was responding to the demands made by ministers and local MLAs alike to give a push towards realisation of Haj Ghar. Baig said that a similar facility at Calicut in Kerala and other places remains defunct for most of the time, but Haj season. It should not happen in the case in Mangaluru. Except for marriage ceremony, it can be used for cultural activities, debates and other purposes. Recalling the days in mid 90s when haj pilgrims from the state were forced to embark from Mumbai (Bombay), Baig credited the then Union Minister for Civil Aviation Gulam Nabi Azad for introducing flight services from Bengaluru Old Airport only for the benefit of haj pilgrims later. It was followed by the embarkation points at Hyderabad, Srinagar, Mangaluru and Cochin. He also appealed to the pilgrims to pray for peace and welfare of the country, as not many are destined to take the holy tour. Most importantly, one should pray for peace in coastal region, given the recent disturbances in the society, he added. He also extended an invitation to dignitaries on the dais for the inauguration of Haj Bhavan in Bengaluru scheduled to be held on August 27. Common demand Mangaluru North MLA Moiddin Bava demanded for additional allocation of Rs five crore in the next budget, against Rs one crore allotted for Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru. Food and Civil Supplies Minister U T Khader wanted the minister to build the Bhavan at Belagavi toofor the benefit of the devout from the community from the same region. Minster for Forest, Ecology and Environment and District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai and MLA K Abhayachandra Jain also impressed upon Minister Baig towards dedicating the Ghar to devotees at least by next Haj tour. Memo to minister Earlier, President of District Haj Advisory Committee S M Rasheed Haji submitted a memorandum to Minister Baig apprising the latter about one acre and 92 cents of land identified for haj ghar near the airport. It would be beneficial for haj pilgrim from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu districts, he said. Siddus son Mentioning the recent demise of Rakesh, elder son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Baig appealed to the pilgrims to pray for the departed soul at Mecca. DH News Service A mock disaster management drill was performed at the training camp of the Mysuru divisional level Rovers and Rangers here recently. A bomb went off near a group of players who were playing kabaddi. The players and the spectators were rattled by the blast. The mock drill has simulated causalities as well. The emergency rescue team swung into action immediately. An initial assessment team comprising the participants arrived on spot and the call for fire tender and ambulances were sent. The medical responders arrived immediately who evacuated the injured. The injured were labelled with red, yellow and green tags. Those with red tags were deemed to be serious, while the yellow tag represented not serious condition and green tag indicated minor injuries. The seriously injured were shifted to hospitals in ambulances. District Fire Officer H M Vasanth Kumar said the participants were provided live disaster experience. The team leader Pratheem Kumar briefed the participants about their roles. Fire tenders and the ambulances were used during the mock drill. The five-day Mysuru Divisional Level Rovers and Rangers Training on Disaster Management and Swacha Bharath Seva camp by Bharat Scouts and Guides, Karnataka proved to be a memorable experience for the participants. Asia Pacific Disaster Management, International Federation for Red Cross, member Prabhath Kalkura added that the students were offered rehabilitation and psychological skills. They are also told how to cope with the psychological and sociological loss in the aftermath of the tragedy. Besides they are also trained with resilient treatment. He added that Mysore Divisional Level Rovers and Rangers training camp was being held in the Udupi for the first time. The next state-level camp would be held at Doddaballapur and Dharwad, he said. He said the data base of these students would be given to the district co-ordinators. This would help them to make themselves available in the relief operation, he said. Around 200 Rangers and Rovers from 13 districts are participating in the event. Bhumika A M from Women Government College Hassan, who is studying in third-year BBM, told Deccan Herald that the five-day camp is indeed a special experience and helped her in developing the disaster management skills. DH News Service Learn to handle emergencies District In-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj said that disaster management is crucial to avert maximum damages during calamities. Speaking after inaugurating the five-day Mysore Divisional Level Rovers and Rangers Training on Disaster Management and Swaccha Bharath Seva camp by Bharat Scouts and Guides, Karnataka, the minister said that people, including children, should be trained to handle emergencies. Citing the example of Japan, where every child is aware and trained to tackle and manage the disaster, especially earthquakes, which have resulted in minimising catastrophes, he said disaster comes uninformed and those surviving would be those best informed. He said that outside the class room experiences would teach better lessons to encounter the various challenges in life, he said. The Nelamanagala town police arrested a 40-year-old private tutor for lashing an eight-year-old girl on Wednesday. According to the police, the accused, Latha, a resident of Subhash Nagar, has been arrested for beating up a second standard student in a tuition class. On Tuesday evening, Latha noticed that the minor girl had come for tuition without completing her home work. She got furious and thrashed the girl with a leather belt. The victim went home and complained to her father, Shivakumar, a businessman. Shivakumar noticed bruises on his daughters body and approached the police and registered a complaint. During investigation, it was found that Latha used to hit students for not completing home work and used to constantly abuse them. The students were scared to inform their parents about Lathas behaviour. Based on the complaint, the Nelamangala town police has registered a case under Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and Juvenile Justice Act. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will not have any bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said today. Singh arrived here last evening to attend the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers' conference during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. "There will be no bilateral meeting. We have already said that," Mehrishi told reporters when asked if any bilateral meeting between Singh and Khan would take place. According to official sources, the Home Minister along with his counterparts from the SAARC countries will call on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later in the day, as per tradition. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Prime Minister's Office last night. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long conference, Singh had said he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime." "This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security," Singh had said, who is also expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. A very bleak possibility of Singh having a bilateral meeting with Khan was expected in the wake of strains in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". The Delhi High Court on Wednesday termed as disgraceful the existence of manual scavengers in the national capital despite a law prohibiting such a practice and said, We are a country of poor people but not for poor people. A statement was made by the authorities concerned that there were no manual scavengers in Delhi. But the report of Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) shows that there were 233 manual scavenger in the city, a bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar said. This completely belies the statement made by the Delhi Jal Board, MCDs and other authorities concerned, it said, adding that despite the rights that they (manual scavengers) have under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, their presence is indeed disgraceful for the city. The courts observation came during hearing of a PIL filed in 2007 for rehabilitation of manual scavengers. The bench also termed as ridiculous and shocking, when it was informed by DSLSAs Member Secretary, Dharmesh Sharma, that one of the manual scavengers was a graduate. DSLSA submitted its report on the courts direction issued to it to verify the veracity of the statements of all agencies that there are no manual scavengers in the city. The bench had given that direction so that legal assistance or aid can be given to persons, who may be identified as manual scavengers, to ensure their rights under the Act. Accordingly, DSLSA conducted series of surveys along with 10 law students to cover various aspects of the issue of manual scavengers. Manual scavenging is just like a business in Delhi and daily wagers are hired from outside Delhi, DSLSA said in its report. After perusing the report, the court pulled up the civic bodies and the jal board, asking the two bodies to file status report with regard to existence on such employees in the city. It also said they be rehabilitated as per the law so that there are no manual scavengers and people live their life with dignity. India on Thursday asked Pakistan to stop encouraging terror groups and the glorification of terrorists, and also called for strongest action against those nations supporting terrorism. Amid strains in the Indo-Pak relations, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough and that there are no good terrorists or bad terrorists. Singh, in his address at the seventh Saarc Interior Ministers Conference, said terrorism continued to be the biggest challenge and threat to the region. The current strain in the relations was evident when Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time on Thursday. The two leaders barely shook hands, not even for a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Members of the Indian media, who came from New Delhi, were not allowed to cover the conference and were kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, leading to a verbal duel between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani officer. The home minister also skipped the lunch hosted by Khan after the meeting as the host had left the venue. Speaking in Hindi at the conference, Singh said there should be strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations, but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism. It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronised by any state, Singh said, in a veiled dig at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singhs comments came against the backdrop of Sharifs praise of Hizb commander Burhan Wani, who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Sharif had also termed the militant a martyr, much to Indias ire. One countrys terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. I also speak for the entire humanity not just for India or other Saarc members in urging that in no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs, Singh said. He also called for the isolation of countries or individuals who provide any kind of support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or assistance to terrorists. Terrorism remains the biggest challenge and threat to our peace. South Asia continues to be deeply affected by this malady, as witnessed most recently in cowardly terrorist attacks in Pathankot, Dhaka, Kabul and other places, Singh said, after Sharif and Khans talks at the meeting. Singh said the will and mandate of the international community against proscribed and wanted terrorists and their outfits must also be respected and implemented. He called for the implementation of the Saarc Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and its Additional Protocol, saying that it was crucial in the common fight against terrorism. He drew the attention of the participants to ratification of the Saarc Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. He also thanked the participants for extending support to Indias proposal for being the host of the second meeting of the high-level group of experts to strengthen the Saarc anti-terrorism mechanism in Delhi from September 22 to 23. No blackout of speech, says govt India on Thursday described the reports of a blackout of Home Minister Rajnath Singhs statement during the Saarc ministerial meeting as misleading, PTI reports from New Delhi. It is the standard Saarc practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media, while the rest of the proceedings are in camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues, a government source said. American defence major Lockheed Martin today said it has offered to move its lone production line of the latest version of fighter aircraft F 16-Block 70 to India from Texas to meet Indian and global requirement. However, the company made it clear the proposal is "conditional" to IAF choosing the world's largest-sold fighter aircraft for its fleet. "The offer we have given to the Indian government is unmatched and from our side unprecedented," Randall L Howard, F16 Business Development head at Lockheed Martin, said here. Interacting with mediapersons here, Howard said the company wants to make F 16-Block 70 "for India, from India and export to the world". However, he parried questions on whether the company is willing to give a commitment not to sell F16s to Pakistan saying it will be part of discussions between the Indian and American governments. Asked if the offer to move the production line from Fort Worth to India is conditional to IAF picking up the aircraft for its fleet, Abhay Paranjape, National Executive, India said, "Yes". He said it is conditional to assured orders from the Indian Air Force which is looking to acquire new aircraft to beef up its depleting strength. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said India will choose at least one more aircraft, besides the indigenous Tejas, for the IAF through the 'Make in India' route. Lockheed Martin, which has sold 4,588 F16s in the world, faces competition from its American rival Boeing (F/A-18E), Dassault Aviation of France (Rafale), Swedish plane Gripen by Saab and the Eurofighter. All the companies have offered to set up a production facility here. "But we are offering not only moving the lone production line to India but also meeting the global requirement through the same unit here," Howard said, adding it is a "win-win situation". Arguing the F 16-Block 70 will be the best fighter aircraft in the Indian region, he said, "It is critical for you to pick up a partner who will deliver on his promise". Howard said the company is having multiple discussions with the government here besides the industry and "they have not been told to go away", indicating the discussions are on. He added Lockheed believes the production in India will also bring down the cost of the aircraft which in turn will increase its global demand. Howard did not reply to questions on the kind of investment the company plans to make in the country and whether it would be looking at a 100 per cent FDI, saying it was too early to discuss this. He said the aim of the company right now was to give maximum data to the government and the IAF so they can be helped in making an informed decision. The company termed India as the "new epicenter of the world's most extensive, industrial defence network". Company sources said besides catering to India's demand, they are also looking at a potential export order of another 100 aircraft. Lockheed officials said the US Air Force will continue to fly F16s for decades to come. They added the new avionics configuration is the largest leap in F16 combat capability and represents the most significant F16 upgrade till date. The company said current order allows the production line in the US to stay open till late 2017. If a foreign order comes through, for which talks are on with the US government, the production line will be open till 2021. A newly-wed British Muslim woman was detained by airport police in the UK after cabin crew reported her reading a Syria art book on her honeymoon flight. Faizah Shaheen was quizzed by officers at Doncaster Airport in South Yorkshire region of England last month after being reported by Thomson Holidays cabin crew. The 27-year-old today said it had been a "hurtful and unpleasant" experience. "I was queuing at passport control and saw police staring at me. I just got through passport control and then two police officers approached me and took me aside and asked me to show my passport again," she told The Independent newspaper. "I asked what was going on and they said I had been reported due to a book I was reading and was to be questioned under the Terrorism Act. I became very angry and upset. I couldnt understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this. I told the police that I didnt think it was right or acceptable," she said. Shaheen, who works with the UK National Health Service to prevent teenage mental health patients from becoming radicalised, said she had been reading the book 'Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline' on the flight to her honeymoon destination of Marmaris, Turkey. She was questioned by police when she returned two weeks later on July 25. "I'm aware that security is very important where terrorism is concerned but they need to keep a sense of proportion. To go off and contact the anti-terror police is quite an extreme overreaction," she said. A spokesperson from Thomson Holidays said customer and employee safety was of "primary importance". "We appreciate that in this instance Ms Shaheen may have felt that over caution had been exercised, however like all airlines, our crew are trained to report any concerns they may have as a precaution," the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police confirmed Shaheen had been "stopped and examined" under Schedule 7 of the UKs Terrorism Act 2000. "She was not arrested, she was held for 15 minutes and was subsequently released," the spokesperson said. The award-winning book by Malu Halasa that Shaheen was reading is a collection of essays, short stories, poems, songs, cartoons and pictures from Syrian authors and artists. She said she felt discriminated against because of her faith and now intends to make formal complaints against the police and Thomson Airways. Indian-origin Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the House of Commons' Home Affairs Committee, said the airline had overreacted and must apologise. He said: "In the current climate people are worried. But there is always a balance to be struck in circumstances of this kind. We want the public to report suspicious activity. "Reasonable people would not regard reading a book on Syria on its own, without any other concerns, as warranting the questioning of an individual. Thomson Airways should accept that a mistake was made and apologise to the woman concerned. I am sure if they had done so there would have been a better understanding of the entire situation." Tamil Nadu government today said following reports that Karnataka was "letting down" over 500 MLD of sewage water into river Arkavathy and over 800 MLD in Pennaiyar river, it had tested water samples from the two water bodies which had revealed "alarming" levels of fecal coliform above the tolerance limits. Public Works Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami informed the Tamil Nadu Assembly that reports had appeared in a section of media in March 2015 that "Karnataka is letting down 593 MLD of sewage in Arkavathy (a tributary of Cauvery) and 889 MLD in Pennaiyar." The Central Pollution Control Board had taken three samples from river Pennaiyar, 2 km upstream of the entry point of Tamil Nadu, between September 2014 and February 2015 and these were analysed in Bengaluru, he said. The test results had "revealed" that BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) varied from 19.7 to 32 mg per litre and fecal coliform varied from 38,400 to 7.8 lakh MPN /100 ml (Most Probable number per 100 ml) "which is highly alarming," he said. He said Tamil Nadu had also obtained samples in April last year from two locations on the two rivers which were analysed at the State Pollution Control Board's laboratory at Hosur. "The report revealed alarming results and some of the elements namely the BOD, fecal coliform and total coliform were far above the tolerance limits prescribed for inland surface water by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 2296-1982," he said. The total and fecal coliform bacteria test is a primary indicator of "potability", suitability for consumption, of drinking water. Diseases that can be contracted in water with high fecal coliform counts include typhoid, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, dysentery and ear infections. Fecal coliform can usually be killed by boiling water or by treating it with chlorine. Washing thoroughly with soap after contact with contaminated water can also help prevent infections. The state had subsequently moved the Supreme Court on June 5 seeking a permanent injunction "restraining Karnataka and its instrumentalities from letting the untreated sewage and industrial effluents into rivers Cauvery and Pennaiyar." Tamil Nadu had also sought a mandatory injunction directing Karnataka to "cleanse" the waters of Cauvery and Pennaiyar before they enter the state, he said. Palaniswami said Tamil Nadu had also filed an interlocutory application (IA) last year for grant of an ad interim ex-parte order asking Centre to set up a committee to monitor that the discharge of effluents into the said rivers before they entered the state border "conforms" to the standarad prescribed for discharge of effluent water into rivers by the competent statutory authority. Karnataka had filed a written statement in the Supreme Court on March 28 and when the matter came up for hearing on April 29, "the court has permitted Tamil Nadu to file its Replication, which will be filed soon," the minister said. On the river interlinking issue, he said Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the implementation of the Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar- Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link and "pressed" that the special committee formed for this purpose in May 2013 as per Supreme Court guidelines should be "activated." However, Centre has informed that Odisha was not "agreeable" to Mahanadhi-Godavari link due to "considerable submergence involved." "Alternate proposals with reduced submergence have been discussed with the Chief Minister of Odisha (Naveen Patnaik) and the response of the Government of Odisha is awaited," he added. Even during her meeting with Modi in June this year, Jayalalithaa had urged the Prime Minister to nationalise all inter-state rivers "so that water resources of the country can be optimally utilised." Later, Palaniswamy made a slew of announcements for his department for the year 2016-17, proposing measures to rejuvenate underground water as well as lakes and constructing check dams, in different parts of the state. The minister, who also holds the Highways and Minor Ports portfolios, proposed a series of road over-bridges in Chennai and Coimbatore among others. Earlier, during the debate on Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports, the minister said the state has asked the Centre to streamline toll collection in NHAI-controlled booths, suggesting that a uniform toll collection be followed in the state. Further, the state government has also suggested that frequent revision of toll rates in the state be avoided in the interest of the road-users. Presidency School bagged the first place at the regional edition of IT Wiz, an annual inter-school IT quiz organised by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Samarth D Raju and Suketh K S, both Class 10 students, competed with more than 1,000 students from various schools in Bengaluru to come first in the quiz on the theme Default is Digital. After a preliminary written round, six teams of two students each qualified for the final which was held on the stage. Conducted by Quizmaster Giri Pickbrain Balasubramaniam, participants were quizzed on trending videos and viral content on the internet apart from questions on startups and their founders from around the globe. Emerging areas, such as cloud computing, telecom, biometrics and robotics, were the topics for this years quiz. Presidency School scored 40 points while Vallabh Ramakanth and Mohit Doshi from Sri Kumarans Children's Home came second with a score of 21 points. The quiz is being held in 15 cities in the coutnry after which the winning teams at the regional levels will be going to Mumbai in December to take part in the national-level final round. Actor-politician Khushboo on Thursday met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and offered condolences on the death of his son, Rakesh. She told reporters after meeting the chief minister that she came from Chennai to offer her condolences as she could not make it to Rakeshs funeral in Mysuru on August 1. She said she was pained by the untimely death of Rakesh and tried to console the chief minister. Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa and BJP leader Sriramulu also met Siddaramaiah and offered their condolences. CM in Mysuru Siddaramaiah will participate in the fifth day rituals of his Rakesh in Mysuru on Friday and later return to Bengaluru on the same day. The fifth day ritual, among others, involves offering ghee and milk to the departed soul, sources in the CMs Secretariat said. Aviation major Lockheed Martin has offered to shift its production line for F-16 fighter jets to India in partnership with a local company. The US firm said it wants to close down its original production in Fort Worth in Texas, which has produced more than 3,600 F-16s so far, and create a major industrial facility in India to continue with the production. Lockheed Martin, however, seeks a significant order from the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a part of the package deal on the switch, company officials said here. Besides supplying the military jets to the IAF, the Indian production line will also be used as a hub to export the jets, Randall L Howard, who heads the Lockheed Martins F-16 Business Development programme said here on Thursday. The proposal comes months after US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said they will encourage their respective defence industries to develop new partnerships in the cutting edge technology projects. Both the sides have agreed to encourage their respective defence industries to develop new partnerships in the pursuit of a range of cutting edge projects. In support of the Make in India initiative, the US shared two proposals to bolster Indias suite of fighter aircraft for consideration, a joint statement issued after the Carter-Parrikar meeting in April stated. Lockheeds competitor Boeing and European firm Saab too proposed to set up aircraft production facilities in India. None of them, however, suggested closing down an existing production line. One of the conditions from Lockheed is to have an order from the IAF, which needs more fighter jets because of its dwindling squadron strength. While the IAF needed 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft, the government cancelled that tender and decided to order 36 Rafale fighter jets from the French firm Dassault Aviation. As its MiG squadrons are being phased out, the IAF had time and again stated its requirement to have more fighter jets to prepare for a two front war scenario. Lockheed seeks to complete its F-16 order book by the end of 2017 and waits for the US governments decision to know where the next aircraft have to be delivered. The target schedule for that order may be around 2021. As officials from both the sides discuss the proposal, the company looks at a potential order of around 200 aircraft 100 each for the IAF and for export to create the planned industrial base in India. DH News Service Dozens of people were injured as fresh clashes erupted across Kashmir on Thursday with strike, curfew and restrictions crippling life for the 27th day in a row throughout the Valley. Reports said more than two dozen people were injured when security forces fired teargas shells and pellets to quell the protesters at Sirigufwara village in south Kashmirs Anantnag district. Similarly, security forces used force to control the demonstration at Seer and Aishmuqam areas in the same district in which several people were injured. Clashes were also reported form Bongam and Bonbazar areas of Shopian district in south Kashmir in which several protesters were injured. Reports said more than a dozen people, including five women, were injured during clashes with security forces in north Kashmirs Chotipora village of Handwara. The forces fired pellets to disperse protesters who had blocked Handwara-Baramulla road. One of the injured youths has been shifted to Srinagar while others are being treated at local hospitals, officials said. The police have launched a massive crackdown against stone pelters and arrested nearly 500 suspects from across the Valley to control the street protests. In its drive against hooligans and miscreants, 349 accused have been arrested in the Valley, a police spokesman said and added 122 people have been detained under prohibitory provisions of law. Meanwhile, hundreds of people offered afternoon prayers on roads at various places in the Valley in deference to a call by separatists to protest against the civilian killings. Normal life remained paralysed in Kashmir for the 27th consecutive day on Thursday. Reminiscent of the 2008 and 2010 unrest, separatists have been issuing weekly protest calendars ever since Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed on July 8. People are told when to open or shut their shops and come out on the streets for demonstrations. Over 50 civilians have died in the violent protests since then, while thousands of people, including security personnel, have been injured. The separatists have extended the shutdown call to August 5. Nearly 48 hours after the Mahad tragedy in which vehicles were washed away, 13 bodies have been recovered so far and efforts were on to trace 29 other missing people on Thursday. As many as 42 people went missing after the incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Maharashtra legislature on Thursday night. Considering that 48 hours had passed since the incident, the chances of the survival of the remaining 29 people were bleak. However, so far, there has been no trace of the two buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation and the private vehicles, including a Tavera SUV and a Honda City, that have been washed into the Savitri river in Raigad district, nearly 170 to 180 km from Mumbai. The bridge on the Mumbai-Goa Highway connects the Mahad town to Poladpur. The river originates at Mahabaleshwar in Sahyadri ranges in Western Ghats that has received over 100 cm rainfall in the last three to four days. We have recovered 13 bodies, Raigad Deputy Collector Satish Badal said, adding that no stone was being left unturned to trace the missing. The Coast Guard, Indian Navy, NDRF and the Raigad district administration continued the rescue operations throughout the day and would resume at dawn on Friday. The NDRF teams used huge cranes to drop a 300-kg magnet into the water to look for the vehicles besides lowering grapnels. A raft used by the NDRF team also flipped in water currents in which one rescuer was injured. The body of Shrikant Kamble, the driver of the ill-fated Raigad-Mumbai ST bus, was found in Anjarle village, nearly 100 km from the site of tragedy. We could identify the body from the khakhi uniform and badge number 8234, officials said. His son Mahendra, who too was in the bus, has not yet been traced. Another body of an elderly woman was recovered from Harihareshwar, more than 60 km from the spot, which was identified as that of Jaywanti Mirgal (70). The third body, identified to be that of Sampada Vaze (37), was discovered at Kemburli, around five km from where the bridge stood. Both were said to be part of the family travelling in the Tavera SUV. A total of eight people were in the Tavera. The fourth body was discovered late afternoon in the waters near Dadli village, about 8 km from the site. The other bodies are yet to be identified. Late night reports said there were 26 people in the two buses, eight in Tavera, four in a Honda City besides four others from Ratnagiri who had lost contact with their families. DH News Service Minister in trouble for selfie on bridge Maharashtra Housing Minister Prakash Mehta on Thursday ran into trouble for taking a selfie on the Mahad bridge. Mehta is the second minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government to have been caught in trouble involving selfies the other being Pankaja Munde, who took selfies with drought-affected villagers in Latur district, a few months ago, reports DHNS from Mumbai. Mehta, who is also the incharge minister of Raigad district, was criticised for reaching the accident site late. He later took a selfie on the bridge when Fadnavis was inspecting the site. He also lost his cool when a TV reporter bombarded him with questions. The Congress has sought the resignation of Mehta. We demand his resignation, senior Congress leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and Abdul Sattar said, indicating that the issue would be raised on Friday, the last day of the monsoon session of Maharashtra legislature. This shows the seriousness of the government and the minister, senior NCP leader Jayant Patil said. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Close The Indian government must accept responsibility for ensuring that Tata Sons pays NTT Docomo the $1.17 billion that it is owed in compensation, the Japanese operator has claimed. Following the failure of the Tata Docomo joint venture, the London Court of Arbitration (LCIA) ruled at the end of June this year that the Indian firm Tata Sons should pay Docomo the fee for its 26.5% stake in the company. However, to deliver this payment, Tata Sons will require the authorisation of Indias central Bank and Finance Ministry. Docomos latest statement on the ongoing dispute involves the Indian government directly, with the operator arguing that the Indian authorities are legally bound to enforce the ruling, saying: Awards made in England by LCIA tribunals are recognised under the New York Convention, to which India was one of the original signatories on the 10th June 1958. As a signatory to the New York Convention, India is bound to enforce the award decision of the LCIA tribunal for Tata to pay $1.17 billion to Docomo. In 2009, the Japanese operator acquired its stake in Tata Teleservices for around $2.2 billion. With the venture failing to gain traction, by 2014 Docomo opted to pull out, exercising an option that obliged Tata to shift the stake for either fair market value or 50% of the original amount paid. Docomo filed for arbitration in 2015 on the grounds that Tata had not found a buyer, and won. Following its court victory, Docomo has kept up the pressure on Tata, noting that the Indian firm could have paid it back via one of its overseas units to circumvent the requirement for the Indian governments approval. Docomo has even claimed it could seize some of Tatas European assets such as Jaguar Land Rover or its steel plants. A key issue facing the compensation payment is that the Indian government has made it illegal to sell holdings in companies for more than their fair market value. Having increased levels of LDL cholesterol may actually be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. The research states that levels of LDL, HDL and possibly even triglycerides have been found to be associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The multi-nation team of researchers acknowledge that increased LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels could increase the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). While LDL cholesterol is causally related to CAD, the researchers highlighted prior to this study that the relevance of HDL cholesterol and triglycerides is unclear. Dr. Michael Holmes, of the University of Oxford, and colleagues utilised new approaches using genetics to examine the associations of LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels with CAD and type 2 diabetes. They found that all three lipids were associated with reduced type 2 diabetes risk, and these findings could lead to further research into cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Patients with naturally lower LDL cholesterol levels, similar to those on statin treatment, were found to have a slightly increased risk of type 2 diabetes. [This indicates] that the risk is related to LDL levels and not to any separate effect of the statin itself, said Professor Jeremy Pearso, from the British Heart Foundatio, which funded the study. Holmes added the findings provide cautionary evidence that therapeutics that lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels could abnormally affect blood sugar levels. All three lipids were associated with reduced risk of diabetes, [but] it does not necessarily follow that lowering of LDL-C or TG levels through use of drugs that target specific proteins will alter the risk of diabetes, said Holmes. Large-scale genetic and clinical investigations are needed to clarify the effects of pharmacologic lowering of LDL-C and TG levels to gauge dysglycemic associations. Holmes concluded that the benefits of statin treatment outweigh the potential risk of developing type 2 diabetes because they can prevent people from suffering a heart attack or stroke. Incidences of heart disease were more likely among people with genetic mutations that increased their levels of LDL of triglycerides, but these genetic variants were also deemed to be responsible for the reduced type 2 risk. The findings appear online in JAMA Cardiology. Airport security teams across the UK have been reminded of insulin pump policies after a family campaigned for better understanding about the medical devices. In June, George Magee, 14, was refused access to a flight from Dubai to Heathrow because he was wearing one. The teenager with type 1 diabetes from Waterlooville in Hampshire was told he had to remove his pump so it could be put through the X-ray machine. Despite staff being told of the medical consequences which removal might cause, such as raised blood sugar levels, it took several hours for the matter to be dealt with. Since then, Georges mother Rachel Humphrey launched a campaign (pictured is the campaign image) to make sure all airports in the UK were fully briefed on the rules surrounding medical devices, such as insulin pumps. Information Note Policy manager Peter OBroin from the Airport Operators Association has written to Mrs Humphrey and explained that an Information Note has been issued to all UK airports. He wrote: Airports are aware that a passenger should not be asked to remove a medical device, such as an insulin pump, for screening, and that all passengers having a hand search in private may have a travelling companion with them if they wish. Mr OBroin also advised that passengers affected should speak to security personnel at the screening point to advise of any medical screening requirements and ensure that they carry medical confirmation from their practitioner so that screening may be undertaken accordingly. Mrs Humphrey told Diabetes.co.uk: I am so glad that the issue is being taken so seriously. The response from other insulin pump users revealed indisputable evidence that confusion regarding insulin pumps at airport security is prevalent and a global issue. I hope that the recent results from officials are going to help airport staff understand that medical devices cannot be scanned. Alternative security screening Mrs Humphrey also met with Andrew Murray, Security Regulation Manager, and Peter Foote, Security Compliance Manager, both of whom are based at Gatwick Airport. Mr Foote explained Gatwicks protocol for passengers with insulin pumps, which is for them to opt for alternative security screening by way of a hand search in a private room, she said. Peter suggested that passengers allow an extra 30 minutes to their arrival time at the airport and that they carry a letter from their medical team on official letterhead, recently dated (within 12 months), explaining that the person wears an insulin pump and must avoid going through electrical equipment including X-ray machines and full-body airport scanners. The letter must also be signed by the medical professional. The advice protocol is in line with the letter Mrs Humphrey received from Mr Andrew Haines, Chief Executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority which outlined the procedure for insulin pumps (and other medical devices) at airport security. However, Mrs Humphreys online campaign, which has attracted nearly 5,000 signatures, has shown that not all staff are following the correct protocol. She said: I explained that although Gatwicks security officers have received training on medical equipment, including insulin pumps, our own experiences and comments received on our own petition page show that on some occasions these alternative processes have not been offered to passengers. OnePlus hopes that this move will give it time to replenish its inventory of OnePlus 3 smartphones OnePlus has announced that it will be halting sales of its flagship device, the OnePlus 3, in a select number of European countries and Hong Kong for over a month. In a post on OnePlus official forum, Co-Founder Carl Pei said that the reason behind this move was to give the company time to replenish its inventory as sales of the smartphone in select countries were higher than expected. The countries affected by this move include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Sales of the OnePlus 3 in these countries will be paused from August 9, till September 12. Pei stated, We are working hard to secure more stock and fire up more production lines so that we can fulfill our goal of putting premium products into the hands of as many people as possible. With this note I wanted to give customers in affected regions enough advance notice to be able to purchase a OnePlus 3. This will only affect orders that are placed after August 9, so anyone who purchased the device before that date will get their device as per the estimated delivery date. For those planning to purchase the device, but cannot do so before August 9, the company is offering a service that will notify them when the phone is back in stock. To recall, before the launch of OnePlus 3, Pei had said that the company was ditching the invite system as it was confident that it would be able to keep up with the demand. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that global passenger traffic rose by 5.2% in June, but cautioned that the demand environment was softer due to various factors including the economy and political shocks - such as those resulting from Brexit or in Turkey - as reflected in its seasonally-adjusted figures. Despite the rate of growth being higher than the revised 4.8% figure for May, the upward trend in seasonally-adjusted traffic had moderated since January. As airline capacity had increased by 5.6% the number of seats filled or load-factor slipped by 0.3 percentage points to 80.7% in June. IATAs Director General and chief executive Tony Tyler said: "The fragile and uncertain economic backdrop, political shocks and a wave of terrorist attacks are all contributing to a softer demand environment." International passenger demand for the month rose 5.0% compared to last year. In parallel, capacity climbed 6.4%, causing load factor to slide 1.1% points to 79.4%. All regions recorded growth, with airlines in Latin America in the lead. In comparison demand for domestic travel rose by more at 5.7% compared to last year, while capacity increased 4.3%, causing load factor to rise 1.1% points to 83.2%. All markets experienced an increase in demand except for Brazil. IATA represents around 260 airlines comprising of 83% of global air traffic. According to Tyler, aviation and related tourism delivers $2.7trn in economic impact and supports around 62.7m jobs worldwide. It is too soon to know whether recent terrorist attacks will have a long-term negative influence on demand, nor what will be the impact of Brexit and the events in Turkey. But it is vital that governments recognize and support aviations ability to contribute to global economic well-being and better understanding across cultural and political borders, added Tyler." AA , the roadside assistance and insurance provider, said on Thursday trading has been in line with market expectations as it benefits from its ongoing transformation. In a pre-close trading statement, AA said it has increased sales of new memberships in recent months. This reflects the success of the brand advertising, improvements to the Membership proposition and our more sophisticated digital channels to market, the group said. We are building our digital profile and the usage of the Roadside Assistance app has increased, providing for higher efficiency and better customer experience. AA added that it expects to complete the disposal of its Irish business shortly. The company has agreed to sell AA Ireland to Carlyle Cardinal for 156.6m. The parent company also said the Insurance Underwriter is progressing well and it recently launched home insurance underwriting. AA believes Brexit will have a minimal effect on its business. Shares rose 3.55% to 250p at 0850 BST. Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev will take the top jobs following the 79bn takeover of rival SABMiller , while up to 576 UK jobs could go. AB InBev managers will take over 19 out 20 positions, in a agreement thought to make up for the weak sterling in light of Brexit. The decision is yet to be voted by shareholders. On Thursday, the brewer of Budweiser and Stella Artois said the headquarters of the new company, which is yet to be named, will remain in Leuven, Belgium and operations will be managed from New York. Peroni brewer SABMiller employs 51 people in its London headquarters and 523 in Woking, Surrey, which would be kept open for a transitional period. Around 576 UK jobs could go following the takeover. AB InBev said: We can confirm SABMillers existing UK locations will be significantly impacted after the combination completes. Any changes affecting employees in the UK would be implemented with due respect for applicable legal considerations and consultation requirements. The new company, which will brew about one in three beers sold worldwide, will be run by functional chiefs and zone presidents in nine global locations to "maximize growth opportunities and build on the strengths of both SABMiller and AB InBev in their respective markets". They will report to AB InBev chief executive Carlos Brito. It is uncertain what roles SABMiller chief executive Alan Clarke and chief finance officer Domenic DeLorenzo will have in the new company or if they will stay. Recently SABMiller managing director Mauricio Leyva was named president of the Middle Americas region. SABMiller offices in Miami, Hong Kong and Beijing will close, and its European brands Perono Grolsch and Meantime will be sold to Japans Asahi. Shares in SABMiller were up 0.34% to 4,349p at 1514 BST and shares in AB InBev were up 0.05% to 123.71 cents at 1017 EDT. Helped by an acceleration in the second quarter, engineer Hill & Smith cranked out a gleaming set of half-year numbers and galvanised investor spirits with a 20% dividend hike based on a positive outlook for the niche infrastructure markets in which it operates. The FTSE 250 company, which also announced an 'infill' acquisition of UK road lighting and signage specialist Signature for 12.5m, generated underlying revenue of 254m in the six months to 30 June, a 9% rise on the previous year, or 6% at constant currencies. Underlying operating profit was up 25% to 33m, as operating margins increased 170 basis points to 13%, with profit before tax swelling 28% to 31.7m, ahead of analyst expectations that were nearer 30m. Earnings per share expanded 27% to 30.7p and the dividend was hiked to 8.5p from the 7.1p at the same time last year. The US galvanizing arm was the star performer with 15% volume increase, with UK volumes up 7% and France only marginally weaker, to lift the division's revenue 17% and operating profits 33%. Roads revenues were up 20% and profits by 23%, utilities sales were down 4% but profits were up 10. Chief executive Derek Muir highlighted the record revenue and profitability, with improved underlying operating margins across all three divisions. "We continue to benefit from our strong position in niche infrastructure markets, predominantly in the UK and US, where high levels of investment are fuelling demand for our products. He pointed to the UK government's road investment strategy that provides certainty of funding through to 2020/21 and "exciting progress" is now being made in the US and Australia roads businesses. "In Utilities also, our UK and US activities are well placed to continue to benefit from the significant investment in the ageing infrastructure of those countries. In Galvanizing, notwithstanding strong comparatives in the second half, our US and UK operations are expected to more than offset any weakness in France." Broker Peel Hunt said the "excellent" results as profit beat its estimate of 29.1m, while the dividend was also higher than expected. "With the share price past our price target, we are putting our recommendation and price target under review. However, in a sector where we see an increasing polarisation between those who can grow and those, the majority, that cannot and the continuation of the infill acquisitions, Hill & Smith continues to be a top performer." Analysts at Numis acknowledged the good progress, although expects the US galvanizing business to slow with the lack of the LNG contract and said "the impact of Brexit is, as yet, unclear" and so, while forecasts were upgraded, it eyed a possible 2m EBIT hit from Brexit for 2017. London Stock Exchange Group said on Thursday that profit slipped in the first half of the year, although revenue and operating profit were higher and the company lifted its interim dividend. For the six months to the end of June, profit after tax fell to 114.5m from 130.8m the year before, which included non-recurring merger-related expenses. Revenue was up 9% to 721.9m, adjusted operating profit pushed 9% higher to 333.3m and the company declared an interim dividend of 12p per share, up 11.1% from the first half of last year. LSE said the merger with Deutsche Boerse announced in March was making good progress, with shareholder approvals achieved in July and work underway on regulatory consents. Chief executive Xavier Rolet said: The group has delivered another good financial performance, with growth across all of our core business areas. In particular, FTSE Russell has performed well and LCH has made further good progress in its OTC clearing services. Our Capital Markets businesses have also performed well in a period marked by volatile market conditions. The group is well diversified both by business activity and by geography, with operations in the UK, continental Europe, United States and Asia. By successfully operating a full range of open access market infrastructure services, we are well positioned to navigate political and macroeconomic changes. LSE warned that any changes to the strategy or business models of its clients as a result of the UKs vote to leave the European Union could affect the companys strategy and may lead to client attrition. The uncertainty or the outcome may erode investors confidence and impact primary and secondary market volumes, assets based fees and clearing volumes in the UK. The results of the vote could also lead to market speculation regarding possible similar referendums in other EU countries and uncertainty regarding the future composition and direction of the EU. At 0945 BST, LSE shares were up 0.3% at 2,731p. Shaftesbury announced on Thursday morning that it has held discussions with certain holders of its 61,048,148 8.5% first mortgage debenture stock due 2024, about a proposal to amend the terms and conditions of the stock. The FTSE 250 company said the proposal, if approved and implemented, would permit Shaftesbury to redeem the stock in exchange for an issue of newly created longer-dated first mortgage bonds. A cash alternative would be made available to all stockholders who cannot or do not confirm their eligibility to receive the first mortgage bonds. Shaftesburys board said it expects to convene a meeting of stockholders to approve the amendment of the terms and conditions of the stock to include a new condition providing Shaftesbury with the ability to redeem the stock in full at the redemption price, prior to its final maturity date by either exchanging the stock for first mortgage bonds, or for cash. The amendments would be effected by an extraordinary resolution, consisting of at least 75% of stockholders. Shaftesbury said the Proposal has been considered by a special committee of the Investment Association at the request of Shaftesbury. The members of the committee, who hold in aggregate approximately 82.6% of the stock have examined the proposal, and have informed Shaftesbury that they find the proposal acceptable. Shaftesbury said the committee indicated they intend to vote in favour of the proposal. Long-term debt financing provides an efficient and effective method of funding for Shaftesbury, compatible with our long-established business model and portfolio of good quality assets, with strong income streams, in London's West End, said finance director Chris Ward. The proposal, if implemented, would offer eligible stockholders the opportunity to benefit from an improved security and covenant package, modern contractual provisions and a current market coupon. The Republican nominee for US president Donald Trump has denied reports of deep divisions within the GOP, claiming that it is united behind his campaign. At a campaign rally at Daytona Beach, Florida, Trump affirmed that reports of a lack of unity were unfounded. "I just want to tell you the campaign is doing really well," the nominee said. "It's never been so well united... I would say right now it's the best in terms of being united that it's been since we began." The comments come after a host of Republican members and fundraisers have raised doubts about the possibility of a Trump presidency. Former presidential candidate and current senator John McCain criticised the New York tycoon's comments when embroiled in a dispute with the parents of a Muslim US soldier who was killed in Baghdad. On Wednesday, Hewlett Packard CEO and prominent Republican donor Meg Whitman pledged her support and funding for Hillary Clinton, referring to her rival as a "demagogue". Reports are rife that many of the staffers on the campaign trail with Trump are losing patience with the campaign, with CNN reporting that some say they are "wasting their time". Paul Manafort, the nominee's campaign chairman, pointed the finger at the Democratic campaign for the reports that there was a lack of unity. "This is another Clinton narrative that she put out there and the media is picking up on," he said. "Mr Trump has appeared this week at crowds that are overflowing into the street." Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Ohio lost the most jobs of any state in the country during September Subscriber content preview The decision to build it in a lakeside park rather than an impoverished neighborhood has left some residents worried about a missed opportunity. By JASON KEYSER Associated Press CHICAGO The two parks Barack Obama considered for his presidential library are only a mile apart in Chicago. But the decision to build the museum in a lakeside park rather than in a nearby impoverished neighborhood has left some residents worried that the choice was a missed opportunity in the city's South Side. . . . Subscriber content preview And enterprising marketers are trying to make a few dollars by rebranding products like condoms as Zika fighters. By LINDA A. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer TRENTON, N.J. Worried you might catch the Zika virus? Scammers and bug spray companies are counting on it. Marketers know this is the time to pounce: The summer Olympics are about to start in Brazil, where the recent Zika epidemic started, and 14 mosquito-borne cases of Zika were identified recently in the Miami area, the first in the U.S. So companies and entrepreneurs are capitalizing on Zika fears wherever mosquitoes buzz, hawking questionable products like anti-Zika wristbands and promoting all manner of mosquito repellents for people and pets. . . . Waitsburg's mayor resigns over water plant project Nestle has been eyeing the town of 1,200 people, north of Walla Walla, as a possible site for a $50 million bottling plant in the Pacific Northwest. WAITSBURG, Walla Walla County (AP) The mayor of the tiny southeast Washington town of Waitsburg has resigned amid questions about a potential water-bottling plant eyed by the Swiss multinational company Nestle. Walt Gobel said he had the city's interest and economic development in mind when he and the city administrator met confidentially with Nestle Waters North America earlier this year. The company has been eyeing the town of 1,200 people, north of Walla Walla, for its clear spring water and as a possible site for a new $50 million bottling facility in the Pacific Northwest. But some City Council members bristled when they learned that the two city officials had met with Nestle several times since February without their knowledge, the Union Bulletin reported. They were also shocked that Nestle contractors had also been scoping out the city's springs to determine whether a project was feasible. At its July 20 meeting the City Council ordered Nestle Waters to stop all exploratory work in the watershed until it evaluated the corporation's interest. The Council did not outright dismiss a partnership with Nestle and negotiations are likely to continue, the newspaper reported. Following that meeting some demonstrators called for the mayor to resign. Nestle Waters said in an emailed statement Wednesday that it was surprised by these latest events but that we respect the City of Waitsburg's wishes to consider this opportunity as a community and do not want to be a distraction. In May, voters in Hood River County, Oregon, imposed a ban on commercial water bottling, blocking a plan in which Nestle would have built a water-bottling plant in Cascade Locks. Those who supported the ballot measure worried about water scarcity and losing the community's character. Town officials wanted the project for the economic boost it could bring to financially struggling Cascade Locks. In his resignation letter Tuesday, Gobel said Nestle Waters initially asked him and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe for confidentiality as they explored whether Waitsburg would be a good fit for a bottling plant. He said they brought the issue to the City Council after refusing a second request by Nestle Waters for continued confidentiality because of our concern of the appearance of secrecy. Nestle Waters said a potential facility would provide about 50 jobs and water for its Arrowhead Spring Water and Nestle Pure Life brands. We asked initially for legal confidentiality, which is standard practice in business, and we asked for that to the extent the municipality could allow, Nestle Waters said in its statement. However, we advocated early on for notification to the City Council as soon as the Mayor and City Manager felt was appropriate. Gobel told the Union-Bulletin that he and the city administrator were doing their job and pursuing economic development for the city. It's our obligation to follow leads, and until we get those facts how can you make an informed decision? Will transit ruin culture of Route 66? ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) The fight over Albuquerque's plans for building a rapid transit route along a stretch of historic Route 66 is drawing fierce protest from some residents and business owners along the famed highway. And it's not the only dispute seen on the Mother Road in recent years. In each case, the tension came as planners in cities where Route 66 passes through struggled over how to revitalize areas along the 2,500-mile path. A coalition of groups in St. Louis is trying to save the famed Route 66 Warren Truss Bridge from demolition by the Missouri Department of Transportation. Activists are trying to raise $1 million by the end of the year to save it from demolition and will need another $5 million to restore it. The bridge has been closed for six years because of its dangerous condition. Two years ago, residents of a mobile home park Glendora, California fought against the construction of new townhomes and a commercial real estate project on Route 66 because the development would force them to move. Meanwhile, in nearby Pasadena, California, residents and historic preservation activists have signaled alarm against the bulldozing of highway landmarks like once famous diners to give way to new developments. In 2000, demonstrators in Bridgeport, Oklahoma, stood along old stretches of Route 66 to protest the destruction of the original roadbed for new highway construction. Protesters said the project would destroy a piece of Oklahoma history. Decommissioned as a U.S. highway in 1985, Route 66 went through eight states and was once an economic driver for small towns from Illinois to California. As other highways were built and traffic left Route 66 towns, businesses closed and once-popular motels went in disrepair. The latest fight involves a proposed $119-million project backed by Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry. The project would build a system of express buses and canopy-covered stations on a stretch of Route 66 that run through downtown Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico. But the plan is meeting resistance for business owners who say construction would spark traffic congestion and ruin the car culture along the longest Route 66 stretch in an urban area. I think it would paralyze the businesses here, said Wallace Anderson, 70, an Albuquerque resident who has organized petitions to help stop the project. This area is struggling, to begin with. To start that construction...I think that would be a tipping point for many businesses to stay in business. A federal appeals court on Monday temporarily halted work on the Albuquerque project so both sides could present their cases involving a lawsuit aimed at stopping the plan for good. Keith West, owner of Urban Fresh New Mexico, an organic soap shop off of Route 66, said he understands why construction and change can create anxiety. But he said the project like the Albuquerque one are part of efforts to transform the areas and bring more people to businesses. We got to remember we are working on building a community, West said. The stronger the community is, the stronger your business is going to be. HSBC's pre-tax profit down 29% at $9.7 bn; warns on Panama Papers impact British banking giant HSBC has registered a 29 per cent fall in its first half 2016 profit and warned of a potentially ''significant'' impact from the Panama Papers investigations. The bank reported a fall in pre-tax profit to $9.7 billion, with that figure including a 1.2 billion notional loss on its outstanding debt. Reported profit before tax (PBT) in H1-16 stood at $9.71 billion, down $3.91 billion while adjusted PBT stood at $10.80 billion, down $1.76 billion a reasonable performance in the face of considerable uncertainty. The bank's adjusted profit figure, which allows for this accounting measure, shows a 14 per cent drop in profits, to $10.79 billion from $12.55 billion. Adjusted revenue at $27.87 billion was down 4 per cent compared with a strong H1-15, but the bank reported continued momentum in profit margin. Adjusted loan impairment charges stood at $2.37 billion, which reflected charges in the oil and gas, and metals and mining sectors, and from Brazil; in line with Q1-16. HSBC said it capital base continued to be strong with end point capital ratio of 12.1 per cent, up from 11.9 per cent as of 31 December 2015. The bank also announced a $2.5-billion share buyback, after the sale of its Brazilian business. Stuart Gulliver, group chief executive, said, ''Following the successful sale of our Brazil business and having received the appropriate regulatory clearances, I am pleased to announce that we will execute a share buy-back of up to $2.5 billion, which should benefit all shareholders and demonstrates the strength and flexibility of our balance sheet.'' The bank said it has received Probabilistic risk assessment approval for the buyback and plans to complete it before the end of the year. ''While economic conditions remain difficult, we are making progress in all of the areas within our control. In the meantime, our balanced business model, strong liquidity and strict cost management make us highly resilient,'' says Gulliver. However, the bank has warned of possible effects on the bank of the ongoing investigations into the Panama Papers. ''HSBC has received requests for information from various regulatory and law enforcement authorities around the world concerning persons and entities believed to be linked to Mossack Fonseca & Co, a service provider of personal investment companies. HSBC is cooperating with the relevant authorities,'' the results state. ''Based on the facts currently known, it is not practicable at this time for HSBC to predict the resolution of this matter, including the timing or any possible impact on HSBC, which could be significant.'' HSBC is the latest to report a drop in profits, with its revenues falling faster than it could cut costs, which combined with an increase in bad loans. The first half of 2016 was characterised by spikes of uncertainty which greatly impacted business and market confidence. This was reflected in lower volumes of customer activity and higher levels of market volatility. Concern over the sustainable level of economic growth in China was the most significant feature of the first quarter and, as this moderated, uncertainty over the UK referendum on membership of the European Union intensified. Demand for credit for investment slowed as a consequence. Equity market activity was also markedly lower, particularly in Hong Kong, reflecting both economic uncertainty and weaker market pricing, which was exacerbated by net selling from sovereign funds impacted by lower oil prices. The period ended with exceptional volatility as financial markets reacted to the UK referendum decision to leave the EU, a result that had not been anticipated, HSBC stated. Maoist chief Prachanda elected Nepal prime minister Nepal's parliament on Wednesday elected a former Maoist rebel chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) as the prime minister after K P Oili on Wednesday decided to resign rather than face defeat in a vote of no confidence. Prachanda won 363 votes of the 573 votes cast in the 595-member parliament, Speaker Onsari Gharti said. He becomes the 24th prime minister of Nepal in 26 years since the Himalayan nation adopted multi-party democracy in 1990 and the eighth since the 239-year-old monarchy was abolished eight years ago. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, 61, who led a decade-long insurgency that toppled a Hindu monarchy, Prachanda who said he would maintain balanced relations with the two neighbours - India and China - was greeted by both. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended an invitation for an official visit soon while Chinese ambassador Wu Chuntai presented the new PM with a bouquet, assuring continued support and good will. Prachanda said he was chosen by history to work for country. Just before the parliament took up the election, leaders of the three parties - Maoists, Nepali Congress and Madhesi groups - signed a three-point agreement promising that the issues of Madhesis would be addressed with utmost sincerity, taking all sides together, and through constitutional amendment wherever necessary. But the votes that Prachanda secured on Wednesday does not guarantee a two third majority, something required for the amendment. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will administer oath of office and secrecy to Pachanda on Thursday. Philippa Nicole Barr: Is it a challenge to communicate the value of an ephemeral project? Kunle Adeyemi: The project was a temporary catalyst. It didnt have to be temporary; it could have been more permanent, subject to how it is dealt with and maintained. With maintenance it could have been extended. The ephemerality about it was the purpose it was established for and to what extent it had achieved that purpose. Philippa Nicole Barr: were you a little bit disappointed that it wasnt maintained for longer? Kunle Adeyemi: We were disappointed. But you have to understand at the time when this structure was being built it was a time when this community was just being demolished and it was an intervention to disrupt a very invasive process in their lives. It was something that was there to stop and to show the government that these people could also live differently, and that people who live on water can actually live well. It is not perfect but it is something we can develop from their way of living and it is something that can be improved. The Meeting House, by multimedia artist Sam Durant, will be open to the public at The Old Manse in Concord, a National Historic Landmark in Massachusetts. The site-specific, participatory installation is part of a two-year outdoor art initiative Art and The Landscape presented by The Trustees and curated by guest curator Pedro Alonzo. Constructed on the North Field of The Trustees Old Manse property, Durants project refers directly to the historical site through a structure based on the houses of the first emancipated African men and women in Concord. The pavilion features an open, transparent framework that is designed to function as a platform for the public to share and explore history, artwork, and issues of race, while reactivating The Old Manse as a setting for critical discussions. Sam Durant, The Meeting House, Concord, Massachussetts, USA, 2016 The Meeting House focuses on the African presence in colonial and post-revolutionary Concord and seeks to make the connection between USAs difficult past, slavery and segregation, and the fact that still today it is hard to create the just society that revolution promised. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. As many area communities will be observing Trick-or-Treating this weekend and Monday, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections advises you and your family to keep your children safer this Halloween by discussing ahead of time what to do if you are ever separated. A list of safety tips from state agencies is below to help ensure a safer Halloween weekend for everyone. You can also find the hours for trick-or-treating in Door and Kewaunee counties by clicking here. -A parent or trusted adult should always accompany children -Stay on well-lit streets and stick to neighborhoods you know -Only stop at homes where the porch light is on -Never enter a home or car for a treat -Trick-or-treaters should carry a cell phone to allow for quick communication -If the child carries a cell phone, activate location services prior to trick-or-treating -Call 911 if you see any suspicious or illegal activity Children should yell No! and run from any stranger who tries to take them somewhere -Have a responsible adult check treats at the end of the night Similarly, the Wisconsin Department of Health also suggests some tips for families with trick-or-treaters and families who are giving out candy. Costume Tips -Choose costumes that are light-colored and more visible to motorists. -Use reflective tape to decorate costumes and candy bags to increase the visibility of children to drivers. Reflective tape may be purchased at hardware, bicycle, or sporting goods stores. -Use make-up rather than a mask; if your childs costume does include a mask, make sure it fits snugly and that the eyeholes are large enough to allow full vision. -Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. -Costumes should be short enough that a child will not trip and fall. -Choose costume accessories such as swords or knives that are made of soft and flexible material. -Do not use novelty contacts such as cat eyes or snake eyes. Pedestrian Safety -Engage in Halloween activities during the daylight hours, if possible. -Do not enter homes or apartments without adult supervision. -Remind children to walk, not run, and to only cross streets at crosswalks. -Be sure your children are accompanied by a responsible adult who has a flashlight. ----- -Flashlights or chemical light sticks should be used so that children can see and be seen by motorists. Halloween Home Safety -Remove obstacles from your lawn, porch, or steps if you are expecting trick-or-treaters. -Make sure your front porch is well-lit. -Avoid using candle-lit jack-o-lanterns if possible. If you do use candles, dont place them near curtains, furnishings, or decorations. Move them off porches where childrens costumes may ignite. -Keep your pets in another room when you are expecting trick-or-treaters. -Small children should not carve pumpkins; instead, allow them to draw the designs on the pumpkin and adults may carve. -Turn on an outside light if welcoming trick-or-treaters. Fort Rucker welcomed a new garrison command sergeant major while it bid farewell to the outgoing senior NCO during a ceremony at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum Tuesday. Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher D. Spivey assumed responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. William D. Lohmeyer. Col. Shannon T. Miller, Fort Rucker garrison commander, presided over the ceremony to welcome the new command sergeant major while she bid farewell to her friend and confidant. Command Sergeant Major Lohmeyer, you have been a phenomenal battle buddy to me, a phenomenal adviser, confidant and friend, and I sincerely appreciate everything youve done for me and the garrison, said the garrison commander. I feel blessed that God and the Army saw it fit to pair me up with Sergeant Major Lohmeyer because I know that we would not have been successful without your leadership. At the same time, we are welcoming another great team Command Sergeant Major Spivey and his wife (CW3 Gina Spivey), who serves at the Warrant Officer Career College, she continued. Command Sergeant Major Spivey, I have the utmost confidence in you. I know that you have exactly what it takes to lead our organization to higher levels of excellence and I look forward to serving with you. Spivey comes to Fort Rucker with a wealth of experience. He enlisted in the Army in 1988 as a tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile crewman and has held multiple positions throughout the Army. Hes served across multiple continents and held many leadership positions, including team and squad leader, platoon sergeant and operations sergeant major. Spivey has also served in multiple deployments, including Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as deployments to Bosnia and Djibouti. With his wealth of experience, Spivey said he hopes to be able to follow in the footsteps of the path set forth by his predecessor. Ive heard it once and Ive heard it many times I have big shoes to fill, said Spivey. After the past couple of weeks, I see what they mean. I really dont think anyone could come in here and have as large of an impact as you have had. You have done an amazing job, and it shows how much by the amount of respect you get from the people around you and how much they genuinely care for you. I may not be able to fill your shoes, but I can certainly walk in the path that youve created, he said. I will continue where you left off. Fort Rucker has a very distinct history, and as each day passes, I look forward to adding to that history. Lohmeyer thanked his family, friends and leaders for their support throughout his assignment on Fort Rucker and expressed his vote of confidence in Spivey, as well as a bit of advice. Command Sergeant Major Spivey, I envy you, said the outgoing command sergeant major. You and Gina are about to embark on a job where you dont have to wake the workforce up in the morning and you dont have to tell them (how to do their job) they just do it all on their own, and all you have to do is walk around and tell them thanks every now and then. One of the last traditional bookbinding companies in the country goes about it's daily business almost unnoticed down the side gable of a row of houses just off Wolfe Tone Terrace here in town. Dundalk Bookbinders is a family run business with 11 employees, with five working between full and part time, and has been providing its services to many universities and organisations nationwide for years. They have also worked on various documents for government departments. Speaking to family member Colm McEvoy, he explained the different types of work the business carries out. "We can cater for one to five thousand book print runs depending on the type of work it involves. For example one digitally printed run could take about forty to fifty minutes, whereas the more traditional type could take a week". Mr McEvoy explained that the traditional printing type known as lithography, or litho printing is a method that his father, Frank McEvoy began when he first came to Dundalk from Dublin after learning the trade as an apprentice. He set to work in McGowans printing on the Ramparts, where the Marshes currently lies. His father began as a floor worker in that business which employed around 450 people at the time. Later he started his own printing in the shed at the back of his family home in York Street where they operated for 21 years. In 2001 they moved to their current premises at Wolfe Tone Terrace. They produce books, do old traditional hand work preservation and newspapers. They also bind books for publishers, and when the Democrat was speaking to Colm he added that 2016 has been a busy year, due in part to the centenary celebrations for the 1916 Rising. Colm explained that one of their main lines of work would be in the religion sector and the educational sector. We also make specialist cases for books and have bound work for the Irish Defence Forces who produced work for the centenary of the 1916 rising. When visting their premises in Wolfe Tone terrace an employee, Diarmuid Warran explained what work he had to do on a stunning-looking map he was working on. First weve to iron it, then repair it with a special amount of care. It will then be mounted to a board and laminated." Diarmuid also displayed a weather-beaten old bible that he had to be repaired and restored. When asked about the time it would take to repair it he replied: I honestly dont know. Like so many things with their trade, Dundalk Bookbinders value quality above speed. When business inventory reaches the end of its product lifecycle or theres no longer a demand for it, you need to find a way to get rid of it. Seems easy enough but companies that havent planned stocked replenishment properly are often stuck with large quantities of excess or outdated business stock. Also known as obsolete stock, excess inventory can cost businesses a fortune. Tied up with little promise of a return on investment and no doubt taking up much-needed space within the company, outdated stock needs to be handled efficiently to avoid unnecessary expenses. Heres a few smart tips for getting rid of (and avoiding) obsolete stock: 1. Run a sale event This idea can go one or two ways. Depending on the industry of your business, selling outdated stock for a discounted sale price can also have a negative effect of not impressing your customers. You need to weigh up the life of the products (obviously selling outdated food and drink products can raise health issues), the risks attached and any negative cost implications. For many businesses and products though, running a sale event on outdated stock can be a brilliant idea. Usually ideal for retailers, running a high impact store-wide event to draw crowds to the store draws attention to the actual event rather than the discounts. This can make it a little more enticing for people and help your customers get a great deal. Make sure you promote it on your website, in your newsletter and on social media to generate more sales. 2. Practice smart waste management solutions For excess stock that cant be sold or given away, youll need to put a waste management solution into place. Disposing of outdated items in your regular business bins has a lot of risks attached. Not only is it impractical for space considerations, but if it gets into the wrong hands or on the black market, it can leave your company liable and in a nasty situation. Industrial waste management is a vital consideration for both sustainability and safety purposes. Excess and outdated stock that cannot be repurposed in any way needs to be destroyed and you want to make sure its destroyed properly to eliminate any potential risks. Strategic investment in developing a product waste system, through a waste management company, will ensure any sensitive and outdated stock gets disposed of safely. 3. Donate or offer stock as freebies and incentives If running a sale event is out of the question and the stock doesnt need to be destroyed, why not consider them as donations, freebies or incentives? Staff or business partner incentives can be a great idea if the excess stock isnt able to be repurposed to the general public. Usually a better idea for low-cost items, consider running a simple competition to hand them out as prizes. Freebies can be great for valued customers and clients or as a bribe to get people to sign up to your mailing list. If you have a trade event coming up, you can even use the outdated stock as part of giveaway showbags. 4. Do a product review or giveaway with influential bloggers We all know how important it is to build relationships with influential bloggers and celebrities relevant to your industry. Especially if they have a massive following, utilising these key people can put your brand and product in the eyes of many new and potential clienteles. Doing a product review or giveaway with these people can be one of the best ways to get rid of extra stock and gain great publicity for your business in the process! 5. Reduce Your Obsolete Stock Levels for the Future Managing the inventory is a key part of every business. In order to function effectively and reduce unnecessary business expenses, companies need to be smart about manufacturing products by putting a viable plan in action to eliminate an increase in outdated stock. The cost of the waste of inventory is huge every piece of outdated or excess stock has a physical cost attached to it. If you want to avoid losing the investment, you need to weigh up your options for future stock. There are some cost-effective inventory management software products on the market that can be really useful to keep track. This will help in revising order cycles and quantities, improving stock forecast and reducing the variables of demand and supply. By managing stock effectively, youll be able to cut down waste and business costs as well as boosting the overall business performance. About the author Jayde Ferguson writes for Instant Waste Management, which provides waste management solutions. You can catch Jayde on Google+ to discuss this piece. Khizr Khan Challenges Donald Trump To Take A Naturalization Test I challenge Trump to take the naturalization test with me any day. His is demagoguery and pandering for vote. A divider like Trump can never be the steward of this country, he said. Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim American war hero who gave Donald Trump a lesson on citizenship at the Democratic convention last month, wants the GOP nominee to take the U.S. naturalization test.Khan, who became a United States citizen after emigrating from Pakistan in 1980, issued the challenge on Monday in reaction to a Trump foreign policy address in Youngstown, Ohio, in which the businessman proposed instituting an ideological test to visa applicants before allowing them to enter the country. Under the test, Trump said, applicants would be subjected to extreme, extreme vetting in order to screen out any who have hostile attitudes toward our country or its principles.But Khan, who lives in Virginia with his wife Ghazala, rejected such rhetoric.This is my country too, Khan told The Huffington Post in an email. We must make it safe as Muslim Americans it is our obligation to keep our country safe. We reject all violence. We support better immigration policies. We stand as a testament to assimilation and being part of patriotic America as anyone else.He then challenged Trump to take the U.S. naturalization test along with him. Loan of US$ 18.8 million to purchase a total of 92 buses for the city Fifty clean, modern and accessible buses arrived today in the city of Kyzylorda, raising the quality of local transport for thousands of citizens in this major regional centre in southern Kazakhstan. This is the first delivery of buses under an EBRD project that will ultimately finance a total of 92 new buses and reform the citys public transport system. The buses were unveiled in a ceremony in Kyzylorda attended by the Akim of Kyzylorda Oblast, Krymbek Kusherbayev, and Janet Heckman, EBRD Director for Kazakhstan. Janet Heckman said: We at the EBRD are very proud of our cooperation with Kyzylorda. These 50 new buses and there will be 92 in total will tangibly improve citizens lives, making the air cleaner, journeys more pleasant and buses more accessible to people in wheelchairs and to parents with prams. This EBRD-supported project also ensures a reform of the citys transport system to improve cooperation between the municipal transport company and private sector operators, which will make services more reliable. The EBRD has already financed projects with similar type of buses in Almaty, Kazakhstans largest city. In Kyzylorda, the EBRD has financed, or expressed interest in financing, a wide range of public utilities, from water and wastewater to district heating, solid waste, street lighting and transport. Close cooperation with the authorities on vital upgrades combined with reform is a model we use for regional development here in Kyzylorda and in other cities in Kazakhstan, said Ekaterina Miroshnik, EBRD Director for Infrastructure in Russia and Central Asia. The loan of up to US$ 18.8 million to Avtobusnyi Park Kyzylorda, a municipal public transport company, owned by JSC NK SPK Baikonur, was provided not only for purchasing the 92 green buses that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) but for depot workshop equipment and public transport service planning, including an electronic monitoring system. In addition, the EBRD and the government of Spain provided grant support for technical cooperation. To date, the EBRD has invested over 6.5 billion in various sectors of Kazakhstans economy. Another win for the good guys The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan today granted a motion to reopen the lawsuit filed by the Sugar Law Center and others against Michigan officials challenging the constitutionality of Public Act 436, Michigans undemocratic Emergency Manager Law. From their press release: The Courts order follows three orders from the United States Bankruptcy Court that also said the lawsuit against the Emergency Manager Law could go forward. Gov. Rick Snyder had sought to extend the bankruptcy stay of lawsuits against the City of Detroit to include all suits challenging Michigans Emergency Manager Laws. The courts ruling puts an end to the Snyder Administrations latest stalling tactics. The Sugar Law Center, together with their co-counsel Goodman & Hurwitz, P.C. for the Michigan National Lawyers Guild, the Sanders Law Firm, Constitutional Litigation Associates, and the Center for Constitutional Rights, say that clearing this major legal hurdle is a big step forward in the fight to declare Michigans Emergency Manager Law unconstitutional. It was blatantly wrong, a clear stalling tactic for the governor to claim that our constitutional challenge to the Emergency Manager Law put us in the same boat as those who are owed money by Detroit, said John Philo, legal director for the Sugar Law Center. This ruling means we can continue to seek justice for Michigan voters. We intended to show that democracy and the rule of law trump the will of unelected officials. The right of Michigan voters to choose their leaders is so fundamental that we have to remain vigilant and steadfast, said Virginia Romano, executive director of Sugar Law Center. The constitution is on our side and we have to believe that, in the end, the rule of law will prevail. The most unqualified person to run for president or vice president in recent memory prior to Donald Trump was obviously Sarah Palin. However, unlike Sarah Palin, Trump has never held an elected position in government of any kind. So, being the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska puts Palin ahead of Trump which is saying a LOT. Because of this, we have little to go on when judging his suitability to run the entire country. And we cant really judge him on his business acumen given his multiple bankruptcies and the fact that Atlantic City, New Jersey now has an Emergency Manager, largely thanks to Trumps failures there. So, were left to judge him by the people he has hired to run his campaign and speak on his behalf. You could start with his campaign manager Paul Manafort. You may recall that Trump recently appeared unaware that Russia had invaded Ukraine and taken over Crimea. Back when the invasion was happening, Trump was actually against it. However, hes now indicated that hes just fine with Vladimir Putins aggression in Ukraine. And its widely believed that Paul Manafort is the reason for this: Lets review: Donald Trump has frequently expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin, viewing him as a strong leader who Trump admires. Trump has also given wildly differing statements on his personal relationship with Putin. Trump has on multiple occasions suggested a weakening of the NATO alliance. Despite this, Trump previously expressed support for the Ukraine. After Trump hired Paul Manafort, a man who had worked forand may still be working forpro-Russian forces seeking to destroy the democratic government of the Ukraine, Trumps position on the Ukraine changed to one that is far more friendly to Russia. Trump campaign staff, including former Rumsfeld assistant J. D. Gordon, halted the implementation of pro-Ukraine language in the GOP platform, and insisted on language that was much more supportive of Russia after saying they had to speak directly to Trump about the policy. One week after the change was written into the GOP platform, emails hacked from the DNC were released through Wikileaks. Both government and independent investigators have identified the hackers as being associated with the Russian government. Donald Trump suggested that Russia might also hack Hillary Clintons email server and recover 30,000 emails (which are not missing, but were personal emails deleted by a team of lawyers who reviewed the server). Trump later claimed he was being sarcastic, but within a week of his request, further hacks took place at the DCCC and the Hillary Clinton campaign. These hacks have also been identified as coming from Russian sources. Both Manafort and Trump issued denials that they had anything to do with the changes to the Republican platform, despite the many witnesses and despite having made no objection to the news as it was reported at the time. Trump, in interview, seemed not only confused about the two year old invasion of the Ukraine, but gave apparently contradictory indications that, were he elected, he would cede the occupied Crimea to Russia, and that the Russians would withdraw from the Ukraine. None of that is speculation. Not one word of it is theory. This is the sort of person that Trump hired to run his presidential campaign. Now lets look at his spokesperson, Katrina Pierson. During a CNN interview, Pierson blamed President Obama for the death of Captain Humayun Khan whose father gave a powerful speech condemning Trump at the Democratic National Convention. It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost his life, she told Wolf Blitzer. It was a ludicrous statement because Cpt. Khan was killed in 2004 and Barack Obama wasnt sworn into office until 2009. President Obama is truly a powerful and effective man but, so far as I know, hes not a time traveler. Pierson was then forced to walk the provably false statement back and did it in classic Trumpian style: Asked on CNNs New Day whether she wished to apologize to Khizr Khan, the father of the fallen soldier who had on Tuesday night blasted her lack of understanding and lack of factual correctness, Pierson responded, Apologize for the timeline. What I was talking about is the fact that Donald Trump has no connection to anything having to do with Capt. Khan, who was a brave war hero. The timeline is very simple and true, Alisyn, she told co-host Alisyn Camerota. Hillary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq. She did not support the surge. Barack Obama made things worse by invading more countries than President Bush did. Camerota noted that Khan was killed in 2004 when Bush was president. But Donald Trump wasnt there, Pierson said. That is the only point. Thats the only point. Donald Trump is being blamed for something he had nothing to do with, and he did not attack this family. Co-anchor John Berman reminded Pierson that on Tuesday she had told Wolf Blitzer that Clinton and Obama changed the combat rules of engagement that probably cost his life. You do acknowledge now that there you were just wrong? Berman asked. Well, absolutely, Pierson said. Thats why I used probably, because I was just going through the timeline, because since then we have had tens of thousands of soldiers that have been lost, 1 million wounded, $6 trillion later. How can we possibly put any the onerous [sic] on Donald Trump? It is absolutely absurd. And thats why you see all this confusion surrounding this issue, because Donald Trump had absolutely nothing to do with this. To date, nobody is putting the onerous on Donald Trump for Cpt. Khans death. They are, however, loudly condemning him for his attacks on Cpt. Khans Gold Star family who have sacrificed so much for our country. So, like her boss, Pierson is not only stupid and uninformed, she is, very simply put, a liar. On national television. About things that are provably wrong. This sort of chutzpah is right out of Trumps playbook. Given that these are the sorts of people Donald Trump hires and relies upon, consider for a moment what his cabinet appointments will look like. Then recoil in horror as you contemplate the sorts of people hell appoint to the Supreme Court. One other thing: Two of the most visible and vocal surrogates for Trumps campaign are his sons Don, Jr. and Eric. In the midst of all of this and as the general election campaign gets underway in earnest, both of them are out of the country. On a hunting trip. [CC image credit: Gage Skidmore | Flickr] The most openly racist GOP nominee ever is spewing the rights most racist lies to attack voting rights The last few weeks has seen a series of victories for voting rights like we havent seen since 2012 the last time the GOP tried to sway a presidential election by placing unnecessary burdens on voting. The Nations Ari Berman explains: In the past 10 days, courts have issued six major decisions against GOP-backed voting restrictions in five different states. On Friday, an array of new voting restrictions were struck down in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Kansas. This followed rulings the previous week softening voter ID laws in Texas and Wisconsin and striking down Michigans ban on straight-ticket voting. When you include a court decision in Ohio from May reinstating a week of early voting and same-day registration, anti-voting laws in six states have been blocked so far in 2016. These victories happened to coincide with Donald Trumps sudden and pendulous drop in the polls following his poorly received Gathering of the Trumpalos and Democrats well received convention. Facing less than 100 days in the campaign and three debates in which he would be expected to know things that werent on Hannity last night, Trump decided his best bet was to pull the rip cord on the race and American democracy itself. The whole thing with voter identification I think is reallyI mean people are going to walk in, they are going to vote 10 times maybe, he told Bill OReilly. As with birtherism, the issue that made him a racist conservative hero, Trump didnt invent the fake crisis of voter fraud. In his fantastic history of the struggle to win, expand and maintain voting rights Give Us the Ballot, Berman notes that this has been the false thesis behind the GOPs most recent assault on voting rights, which ironically began in 2000 after voter role purges helped Republicans win Florida. The Bush Administration studied the problem for most of a decade and couldnt find any evidence it exists. However, theres lots of evidence that laws requiring ID purposely disenfranchise voters who are members of groups that have been historically disenfranchised. And theres decent evidence that long lines caused by purposely limiting voting in Democratic areas may have cost John Kerry Ohio the 2004 election. Even if voter suppression doesnt swing elections, what justification is there for any American having to wait 10 hours to vote or that minority voters wait significantly longer than white people to cast a ballot. This nation has no history of significant voter fraud but we have centuries of history of denying the vote to those who deserve it. The image of some voter probably one of the two New Black Panthers showing up to vote over and over is modern version of Reagans welfare queen. That concept was invoked to help engineer the greatest transfer of wealth to the rich in American history. And the completely imagined fairy tale of an election being swung by fraud is being used to justify the largest wave of anti-voting laws since Jim Crow. And this is especially tragic given that our greatest electoral crisis is far too few Americans vote. In 2014, only 14.6 percent of eligible voters participated in congressional primaries a record low, according to the Center for the Study of the American Electorate, FiveThirtyEights David Wasserman wrote. Trumps supporters are already trying to gin up civil unrest in the case of his likely defeat. And Trump is helping them by utilizing the gift that has helped him glide to the nomination hes tying his ego-driven tantrum to an undercurrent of racial resentment that already exists in the party. The New Republics Brian Beutler explains: As in so many of the controversies hes stirred (his call for a ban on Muslim travel into the U.S., his repeated insistence that illegal immigrants are driving a spike in violent crime), he has taken the subtext of Republican rhetoric and made it explicit. But in this case, perhaps more than in others, what hes doing threatens to undermine public faith in democratic processes on a mass scale, with unpredictable and potentially destabilizing consequences. Trumps outward invoking of racist stereotypes has been the core of his appeal to the right since he announced his campaign and the sole reason why any attempt from his conservative competitors to out him as a fake conservative has failed. How can he be a fake conservative if hes actually saying aloud what youve only dared to imply? Republican voters have said with their votes and support for Trump. And now the dangerous delegitimization of the democracy the right has long relied on like so much of the fire the right has played with is threatening to burn us all. [CC photo credit: Tom Arthur | Wikimedia Commons] Uber just celebrated its two-billionth trip in a 147-way tie, according to CEO Travis Kalanick, who shared the information in a Monday post on Facebook. Each of the drivers and riders who began their trip at 4:16 a.m. GMT on Saturday, June 18, got a US$450 gift from Uber the number is significant because Uber now operates in 450 cities across the globe, Kalanick said. The companys growth trajectory is impressive. It took five years for Uber to notch its first billion, the CEO noted, but just another six months to hit the 2-billion ride mark. Ubers billions can be counted in other ways than by rides, though. The company has raised close to $15 billion in cold cash and has a market valuation of $68 billion. The French Disconnection Despite its successes, Ubers road to success has not been entirely smooth. The company has faced severe opposition from local labor unions in Europe and many U.S. markets, as well as severe scrutiny from local governments that are concerned about the long-term impact of the new ride-sharing business model. A criminal court in France last month fined uberPop about US$900,000 (800,000 euros) for operating an illegal ride-sharing service. The court also fined two executives of the service, which was shut down last summer after violent protests erupted in France over what local taxi drivers considered unfair competition. We stopped uberPOP last summer and we are disappointed by this judgment, an Uber spokesperson said in a statement provided to the E-Commerce Times by company rep Manon Guignard. The European Commission has just published guidelines that support such services. Heetch, a rival ride-sharing service that targets late night partygoers, faced almost identical charges, the company noted. The judgment in France followed a court decision that banned uberPop in Frankfurt, Germany, earlier this year. Uber had appealed a 2015 ruling against its German low-cost operations, which reportedly were shut down after a complaint was filed by rival service Taxi Deutschland. Uber last fall shut down its ride-sharing service in Frankfurt after 18 months of operation. It also shuttered its services in two other German cities, Dusseldorf and Hamburg, after two years of operating in those markets. Both the French and German cases targeted certain unlicensed Uber services, noted Bruegel scholar Georgios Petropoulous. The company itself has developed licensed services that operate without problem, and in fact they became more popular after such court decisions, he told the E-Commerce Times. Uber itself has the capacity to accommodate such decisions and adjust its business model so that it will minimize the potential damage. Although the judgment against uberPop had no bearing on Ubers current French service, which connects more than 12,000 professional drivers with 1.5 million passengers, the company said, it nevertheless planned to appeal. Growing Pains Ubers global ambitions mean that the company faces the same fundamental challenges that any business deals with as it expands into foreign markets, noted Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. The company must navigate complex legal, cultural and social issues at it enters new territories with their own local politics and historical relationships between business and government, he told the E-Commerce Times. The problem is that the company hasnt shown much talent so far for effectively dealing with these situations. The fact that Uber is operating with a new business model that throws out traditional forms of job security, service delivery and community relationships has led local governments to cast a wary eye toward the company. A lot of judges are concerned about jumping in and supporting a disruptive industry like Uber, Kelley Blue Book Senior Analyst Rebecca Lindland told the E-Commerce Times. The Home Front Uber has faced a series of labor and legal challenges in the U.S. in recent months. Local officials in Austin, Texas, essentially blocked the major ride-sharing services from operating there. In New York, local drivers won the right to organize into a guild affiliated with the International Association of Machinists. The legal setbacks apparently have not seriously inhibited the companys rapid expansion and new development. Uber reportedly is in negotiations with Fiat Chrysler and possibly other auto makers to establish a partnership involving self-driving cars. A deal could be completed by the end of the year. A number of technology companies and major auto makers, as well as ride-sharing fleets, have been in hot pursuit of self-driving vehicles. Self-driving cars are a potentially lucrative market for ride-sharing services to transport seniors, disabled persons, or other people who can not drive. The potential market could be huge if self-driving cars should become convenient alternatives for customers who dont want to own a vehicle, for whatever reason. The FBI on Monday confirmed it has opened an investigation into allegations that the Wikileaks email dump of nearly 20,000 Democratic National Committee emails over the weekend might be linked to the Russian government. Hackers connected to Russian intelligence agencies allegedly have been working to help tilt the United States presidential election. Hillary Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook, made a bombshell allegation on Sunday, claiming that the hack of thousands of DNC emails that revealed efforts to undermine the Bernie Sanders campaign was the work of Russian intelligence. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she would resign her post after the convention ended, succumbing to pressure following the leaks. The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC and is working to determine the nature and scope of the matter, the agency said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Jillian Stickels. A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously and the FBI will continue to investigate and hold those accountable who pose a threat in cyberspace. The Wiki Dump The Clinton campaign was informed that the release of the emails to Wikileaks, which published the files on Friday, was part of an effort to aid the campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump, who is seen as being more favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mook told CNNs Jake Tapper. Cybersecurity experts linked the email hack to a number of Russian groups connected to past attempts to infiltrate several U.S. government agencies and private think tanks, Mook said. The most damaging of the leaks involved Brad Marshall, the CFO of the DNC, suggesting in a May email that the party plant a story in Kentucky or West Virginia that questioned whether Sanders was an atheist or embraced his Jewish heritage. Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort on Sunday denied the allegations that it was working with Russia, calling the charges absurd on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Donald Trump on Monday joked about the alleged Russian connection in a tweet. The new joke in town is that Russia leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should never have been written (stupid), because Putin likes me Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2016 Russian government officials told TechNewsWorld that the allegations were groundless. As per your request, we see the flood of inadequate and inappropriate allegations that has inundated the U.S. media, said Yuri Melnik, press secretary of the Embassy of Russia in the USA. One can only be surprised by such childish, groundless accusations that are far beyond reality. Other indications that Russia might be orchestrating hack attacks against the DNC surfaced last month, when CrowdStrike reported that two groups linked to Russian intelligence were behind breaches of the DNC system. Guccifer 2.0, a hacker believed to be connected with Russia, had claimed credit for the breach and posted documents claiming to be from the DNC. Lions, Tigers and Bears Although the Guccifer 2.0 postings might have been part of a disinformation campaign, CrowdStrike stood by its original analysis. After the DNC called on the firm to investigate the suspected breach, it immediately identified two adversaries Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear that had gone after other CrowdStrike customers in the past, according to the firms CTO Dmitri Alperovitch. In fact our team considers them some of the best adversaries out of all the numerous nation-state, criminal and hacktivist/terrorist groups we encounter on a daily basis, he wrote. Their tradecraft is superb, operational security second to none and the extensive use of living off the land techniques enables them to easily bypass many security solutions they encounter. Cozy Bear, which is also known as CozyDuke or Apt 29, in the past has accessed unclassified sections of the White House, State Dept., U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and targeted companies in the defense, financial, energy and other industries. The groups usual approach is through a broadly targeted spearphishing campaign with Web links to a malicious dropper, according to CrowdStrike. Fancy Bear, also known as Sofacy or Apt. 28, has been active since the mid-2000s and gone after entities in the aerospace, defense, energy, government and media sectors, with victims in numerous countries around the world, including the U.S., Western Europe, Brazil, Canada, Japan, South Korea and others. Fancy Bear often targets defense ministries and may be affiliated with GRU, the leading Russian military intelligence service. It is known to register domains that look very similar to the legitimate organizations being targeted. Among known victims are the German Bundestag and Frances TV5 Monde. The Cozy Bear intrusion at the DNC dates back to the summer 2015, while the Fancy Bear breach occurred in April of this year, according to CrowdStrike. However, no evidence exists of collaboration between the two groups. The DNC attack is most likely part of an ongoing set of attacks from the same group, suggested Kevin OBrien, CEO of GreatHorn. So-called advanced persistent threats attacks that are highly targeted, occur over long periods of time, and which bypass traditional security are on the rise, he told TechNewsWorld. There has been a drastic increase in these kind of cyberattacks over the past 90 days, particularly in the financial services sector, OBrien said, noting that GreatHorn has analyzed more than 75,000 mailboxes. Emails are an attractive target for hackers, he noted, because they have a combination of high-value data and near-universal user adoption, including by people who may not be aware of how these threats manifest themselves and who may be using systems with weak native security. The number of government requests to Google for citizens personal data rose in the second half of 2015, according to the companys latest Transparency Report, released Monday. The number has been trending upward for the past few years as the number of people connected to the Internet has increased. The growth also coincides with government efforts worldwide to increase surveillance over their citizens and almost-daily reports of terrorist attacks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been fighting to expand its powers of surveillance in the United States, and some U.S. senators have been looking for ways to expand provisions of the Patriot Act to allow the warrantless surveillance of Americans, citing the recent mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, as an example of the threat level. Members of Congress also have been seeking to curb the powers of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board through the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2017, which has been introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The United Kingdom is in the thick of a controversy over its Investigatory Powers Bill, nicknamed the Snoopers Charter, which not only faces domestic opposition, but also is the focus of a case in the European Union Court of Justice. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month signed controversial legislation compelling telcos and Internet service providers to save and store their customers private communications. Who Wants User Data The U.S. government filed the most data requests with Google 12,500 specifying more than 27,100 users or accounts. Google produced data for 79 percent of those requests. France came in second, with nearly 4,200 user data requests for about 5,100 users or accounts specified. It received some data for 59 percent of those requests. The UK was third with nearly 4,000 user data requests affecting 5,400 users or accounts, and it received some data for 72 percent of the requests. Australia was fourth, with more than 1,200 user data requests for 1,500 or so users or accounts. Google provided some data for 70 percent of those requests. Boy, look how efficient the U.S. is, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Two users for every request. Australia, on the other hand, has more requests than users. The Struggle to Preserve Privacy Governments are justifying their increasing demands for citizens data as helpful in their efforts against terrorism. This likely has to do with increasing attacks leading to bigger nets spread looking for folks thinking of attacking the country, Enderle suggested. Western governments file the most requests for user data because currently, its Western countries that are experiencing most of the high-profile attacks, and they have the least restrictions on Internet use. In other parts of the world where violence is common, Internet connectivity isnt, Enderle told the E-Commerce Times. Are Transparency Reports Useful? Transparency reports like those pioneered by Google are incredibly valuable, observed Christopher Calabrese, vice president of policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology. They create a baseline to help all of understand how government gathers data about citizens, he told the E-Commerce Times. Googles report highlights the need to ensure that human rights protections are built into surveillance laws worldwide, Calabrese said. However, the reports dont tell you what the requests were for, or whether they were for information on you, Enderle pointed out. If they really were transparent, these two elements would be critical in telling whether the requests were legitimate and if you personally, or your family, are at risk. Didi Chuxing on Monday announced a historic deal to acquire the Chinese ride-sharing operations of rival Uber, which threw in the towel after years of unsuccessful efforts to grow its business in what may prove to be the worlds most challenging technology market. Under the agreement, Didi Chuxing acquired all of Uber Chinas assets, including its brand, data and business operations. The deal calls for Uber to receive 5.89 percent of the combined entity with preferred equity interest, which is the equivalent of a 17.7 percent stake in Didi Chuxing. The deal calls for Baidu and other Chinese investors to get 2.3 percent stake in Didi Chuxing. Didi Chuxing also will get a minor stake in Uber. Didi Chuxing Chairman Cheng Wei will join the board of Uber, and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick likewise will join the Didi Chuxing board. The agreement calls for Uber China to maintain independent branding and business operations, while Didi Chuxing will integrate the managerial and technological expertise of the two firms. Didi Chuxing will continue to expand overseas, said Jean Liu, president of the company. Stop the Bleeding The sale was necessary for both companies, said Egil Juliussen, principal analyst for automotive technology at IHS Markit. Fierce competition was taking a toll on Ubers international growth strategy while eroding Didi Chuxings price integrity. Both companies were losing a lot of money due to discounting to gain market share and building economies of scale, Juliussen told the E-Commerce Times. This super-competitive trend will stop, and Didi Chuxing is expected to be profitable soon. Uber reportedly lost about US$1 billion in China last year. The sale of its Chinese business will allow it to focus on expansion into other Asian markets, including India and other Southeast Asian countries, Juliussen said. Breaking into China is tough for tech companies, said Akshay Anand, an analyst for Kelley Blue Book. In fact, Uber progressed further in China than most other tech companies dream of, he told the E-Commerce Times. Didi Chuxing benefited from Chinese government actions that provided a more favorable competitive environment, Anand added. China is an extremely competitive market due to tremendous amount of entrepreneurial activities that are not present in other markets except the U.S., Juliussen said. Hence, it is nearly impossible to compete with an established Chinese player. Chinese Regulations The timing of Didi Chuxings Uber deal is not coincidental. The agreement was announced just days after the Chinese government officially legalized ride-sharing with a new framework. It sets up regulations that will help establish safety, along with competition guidelines that have caused havoc in emerging ride-sharing markets around the world. The regulations center around a set of standards regarding who can participate in ride-sharing services and how they can operate in major markets, according to a Bloomberg report. Among the guidelines: Drivers must have at least three years experience behind the wheel; user data must be stored within China for at least two years; and cars must be retired from operations after driving 600,000 kilometers. Ride-sharing so far has penetrated just 1 percent of the Chinese market, Didis Liu recently said in an appearance at Code 2016. Didi has 87 percent of the private car and 99 percent of the taxi-hailing market in China, the company has claimed. The service completed 1.43 billion rides in China in 2015, and it offers transportation to more than 300 million people in China across 400 cities. ********. You know I have and are choosing to act this way. You're awfully talkative for a guy that just last night said "you were not wasting anymore time with me." You kid's are as impressionable and as easily influenced as children. Again with the 'eat a Snickers?" maybe you should not spend so much time watching TV. 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The former Justice Department officials from the US Antitrust Division also claim the new corporation would likely lead to higher input prices, with less choice and higher food prices for consumers, and fewer non-biotechnology options available to farmers and consumers. There are now more reasons to consider skipping your next shrimp cocktail. In a startling new Consumer Reports study, bacteria was detected in more than half the raw shrimp that was tested, with some also tainted with illegal antibiotic residues. For the study, How Safe is Your Shrimp?, scientists analyzed 342 packages of frozen shrimp284 raw and 58 cooked samplespurchased at Albertsons, Costco, Frys Marketplace, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market and Walmart in 27 cities across the U.S. The study found that 60 percent of raw shrimp tested positive for bacteria, including salmonella, E. coli and listeria. In seven raw shrimp samples, scientists detected the antibiotic-resistant superbug MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, that could potentially lead to a dangerous infection. Americas demand for our favorite crustacean is causing a sea of trouble here and abroad. Photo credit: Shutterstock The country currently consumes about three times more shrimp than it did 35 years ago, with the average American chomping down nearly 4 pounds of shrimp per year. While the crustacean is clearly Americas favorite seafood, most of the countrys supply comes from faraway countries such as India, Indonesia and Thailand, where shrimp is squeezed into industrial tanks or shallow, man-made ponds where theyre fed commercial pellets, sometimes containing antibiotics to ward off disease, the study pointed out. Bacteria and algae can begin to grow and disease can set in, prompting farmers to use drugs and other chemicals that can remain on the shrimp and seep into the surrounding environment, said Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., executive director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center, in the report. Not only is there the possibility of bacteria and viral infections swarming in these Asian shrimp farms, a recent investigation from the Associated Press revealed participation of forced labor from Burmese migrants in Thailands shrimp processing chain. The graph shows 284 samples of raw shrimp purchased at stores around the country. The last column shows the percentage of samples that contained at least one of the following bacteria: vibrio, staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, listeria or salmonella. Photo Credit: Consumer Reports Consumer Reports is calling on the federal government to make shrimp safer to consume. The organization pointed out that its the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) job to inspect shrimp coming into the U.S. to make sure it doesnt contain any drugs or chemicals that arent permitted in imported shrimp. It is the FDA, not local retailers, that is charged with enforcing the law that prohibits importing shrimp containing antibiotics, Consumer Reports said. According to the FDA, if those drugs had been detected in even one shrimp sample, the entire shipment would have been refused entry into the U.S. We found bacteria + illegal antibiotics residues in tests of frozen shrimp; @US_FDA needs to step up http://t.co/o1Roslvf1q Consumer Reports (@ConsumerReports) April 24, 2015 So for your next trip to the grocery store, Consumer Reports recommends buying farmed shrimp raised without chemicals, including antibiotics. Seek out varieties that come from large outdoor ponds that mimic their natural habitat or in tanks that constantly filter and recycle water and waste, the report said. Consumer Reports also suggests looking for shrimp carrying the Marine Stewardship Council logo or checking seafoodwatch.org and look for shrimp listed as a Best Choice or Good Alternative. The organization also suggests following their safe-prep rules. You also want to be wary about anything labeled organic, as organic seafood sold in the country is not approved by the U.S. government. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to propose standards for organic seafood raised in the country this year). Even though most bacteria on shrimp would be killed during the cooking process, our test results raise real questions about how shrimp is raised, processed, and regulated, Rangan said. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE USDA Approves Apple Imports From China Despite Potential Impact on American Consumers and Growers Organic Food Industry Explodes as Consumer Demand Spikes Watch: Not Even the FDA Knows Whats in Your Food El Paso Electric celebrated the milestone of becoming Texas and New Mexicos first coal-free utility at an event held in downtown El Paso Wednesday. The Sierra Club joined speakers from across the city to mark this achievement. @TexasSierraClub Over the last several years, El Paso Electric has been working on ways to provide power in its Texas and New Mexico territories without the coal-fired electricity it has obtained for decades from the Four Corners coal-fired power plant located within the Navajo Nation. The Four Corners coal plant has been one of the largest sources of carbon pollution in the country for many years, as well as a large source of nitrogen oxides and sulfur pollution that impact public health in indigenous communities. El Paso Electric owned a seven percent share of the plant until its coal-free announcement last week. While other utilities in the region decide how much longer they intend to operate the 50-year-old Four Corners coal plant, El Paso Electric made the wise decision to get out of the coal business and instead focus its resources on cleaner energy like solar power. I congratulate El Paso Electric on ending its ownership and affiliation with the Four Corners coal power plant in New Mexico, Dr. Al Armendariz, deputy regional director of the Sierra Clubs Beyond Coal Campaign, said. While there is still more work to be done to fully realize Texas and New Mexicos renewable energy potential, we know that shifting away from carbon-polluting coal plants is one of the most important things we can do to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, which is already making droughts more serious and drying up the Rio Grande. As a native of El Paso, I am proud the local utility is providing my family with cleaner power including a growing amount of zero pollution solar energy. I am also pleased that El Paso Electric has embraced fair treatment of people who aim to produce power through rooftop solar, Armendariz added. Statewide, Texas draws nearly 19 percent of its power from coal and New Mexico draws 37 percent of its power from coal. With some utilities like MidAmerican Energy in Iowa on the path to getting nearly 85 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2020, El Paso Electric is one of the first utilities in the south central U.S. to start catching up to its peers in the utility industry. Since 2010, 238 coal-fired power plants nationwide have been announced to retire, comprising a whopping 45 percent of all the coal plants operating just six years ago. We commend El Paso Electric on a decision that embodies a tectonic shift across the country away from carbon-polluting coal to clean energy, said Antha N. Williams, head of environmental programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, which has provided $80 million to the Sierra Clubs Beyond Coal Campaign. Businesses recognize that renewable energy not only protects the health of American citizens and mitigates the impacts of climate change, but it also makes sense economicallysaving consumers on their bills in the long run and creating jobs in emerging industries. This transition is happening as a result of smart advocacy and leaders who understand the future of our energy economy will be driven by clean power, not coal. According to El Paso Electric, the utility will be eliminating one billion pounds of carbon dioxide from its annual emissions by no longer being dependent on the Four Corners plant, while also preventing another billion pounds of carbon dioxide via the operations of its large-scale solar facilities. Join our newsletter The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter! By Fiona Nicholls Good news! Plastics bans across the world have been hitting the headlines lately. From the U.S. to India to Morocco, governing bodies are taking control of the plastic pollution problem, bringing in either complete bans on plastic or bans on specific forms like polystyrene. 1. Karnataka, India In March this year, the Indian state of Karnataka completely banned the use of plastic across the state. No wholesale dealer, retailer or trader can now use or sell plastic carrier bags, plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic spoons, cling film or anything of the sort. Since the ban came into effect four months ago 39,000kg of illegal plastic has been seized from Bengalaru, the state capital. They even made sure to ban microbeads while they were at it! Go Karnataka! 2. The U.S. (Okay, So Theres a Few Places in the U.S.) Back in 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban plastic shopping bags and in 2014, the city banned plastic water bottles on city properties. Last month, San Francisco joined Los Angeles and Portland and enforced a ban on styrofoam. Styrofoam is the material used for packaging peanuts, the contents of beans bags (do people still have bean bags?). Its expanded polystyrene, also known as thermocol. Polystyrene is a problem plastic because its very difficult to recycle. In the U.S., its largely used for packaging eggs, meats and fruit and so a ban on this particular form of plastic will have a larger impact that you may first think. In July 2015, Honolulu, Hawaii introduced a ban on single use plastic bags (with small exceptions, e.g. for medical use). The bill was passed by County Councils, rather than by the state legislature, which was a real victory for the local grassroots organizations. People power! 3. Coles Bay, Tasmania Leading the way back in 2003, Coles Bay, Tasmania was the first town in Australia to ban disposable plastic bags. During the first year of the ban 350,000 fewer plastic bags were used in the area. 4. Ethiopia In 2011, Ethiopia passed a ban preventing the manufacture and import of disposable (aka single use) plastic shopping bags. This ban was in conjunction with a decision to develop wind power and geothermal energy projects, as part of Ethiopias Green Growth Strategy. 5. France Last month, France brought in a ban on single-use plastic bags (less than 10L capacity and with a thickness of less than 50 microns, you know microns!), like the ones handed out by major supermarkets globally. This is part of a wider EU crackdown on plastic use, acknowledging that plastic has a major impact on the environment and must be addressed. 6. Morocco Morocco is (or was) the worlds second largest consumer of plastic bags after the U.S.. Their ban is pretty comprehensive, it includes a stop on the production, import, sale and distribution of plastic bags, prompting a major rush on plastic bag stockpiling just before coming into effect. The resistance to the ban shows just how ingrained plastic and plastic bags are in our day-to-day habits and highlights the importance of a ban. Go Morocco! These are just a few of the main plastics bans in place across the world, which is great, so why is it important? Plastic in the oceans is a real problem, already, huge gyres swirl with polluting plastic. And weve seen the dire consequences of marine life mistaking plastics for food. Greenpeace is campaigning hard to end plastic pollution in our oceans. Add your name to the Plastics Pledge to help cut plastic pollution! Fiona Nicholls is an oceans campaigner with Greenpeace UK. With global shrimp populations quickly declining from overfishing and warmer ocean temperatures, a shrimp cocktail could come with a side of guilt. But Americas most popular seafood could be getting an environmentally friendly makeover. New Wave Foods, a San Francisco-based sustainable seafood startup, is developing a lab-grown shrimp made from algae that could be as nutritious as the real deal. The average U.S. consumer eats 4 pounds of shrimp per year. Photo credit: Flickr The New Wave team consists of three women with a combined professional background in environmentalism to take on this ambitious task: Dominique Barnes is an oceanography graduate and former shark caretaker at Las Vegass Golden Nugget Hotel, Michelle Wolf is a materials scientist and engineer, and Jennifer Kaehms has a bioengineering degree from the University of California San Diego. The trio set out to create a smarter and better way to feed the planet with creating culinary experiences that pay tribute to the rich history and tradition of seafood. The companys original goal was to find a replacement for the controversial shark fin, a delicacy in China. But the team switched to synthetic shrimp due to its massive popularity in the U.S. The average American peels through roughly 4 pounds of shrimp a year, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). About 6 million tons of shrimp are consumed worldwide per year. The worlds fondness for this crustacean comes at a cost. For instance, Maines Northern shrimp haul plummeted from 12 million pounds in 2010 to just 563,313 pounds in 2013. Additionally, the shrimp sold at the market is likely tainted with illegal antibiotic residues, and it might not even be shrimp at all. A report from Oceana, which did DNA testing on 143 shrimp products, found that as much as 30 percent of shrimp sold in grocery stores and markets is being misrepresented with rampant species substitution. If you look at seafood, you have to look at the food miles, how its being caught, and theres a lot of mislabeling, Kaehms told Vice Motherboard. Were really focusing on sustainable seafood, thats our core motivation. New Wave is experimenting with different ways of extracting and mixing protein from algae to get their product to have the same taste, texture and nutritional value as real shrimp, Kaehms told Motherboard. The type of algae being used is also the same strain that shrimp eat, meaning it will likely have a similar nutritional value to the real thing, Motherboard reported. The team said that they have managed to replicate the flavor of shrimp, but would not reveal any specifics on how they did it. Thats our secret sauce, Kaehms said. As Fast Company notes, while there are vegetarian shrimp options on the market today, they dont have the same low fat and high protein as the real thing. Barnes told the publication that the company is currently working on nailing down the texture. Our goal is to make something that tastes greatthat you could put in any of your favorite shrimp dishes, Barnes said. Florian Radke, a marketing specialist with New Wave Foods, told IFLScience that the company is trying to make the product as close as possible to what people are used to eating, including the change of color of the food when its cooked. According to IFLScience, that means the finished synthetic shrimp will taste and feel like the real thing, while also undergoing a grey-pink transition during cooking. The company has received a $250,000 investment from IndieBio, a science-focused startup incubator. New Wave will debut their product at an IndieBio demo in early February 2016. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE How World Leaders Can Solve Global Warming With Regenerative Farming 10 Foods That Make You Feel Bloated (And 10 That Dont) Russia Wants to Be Worlds Top Exporter of Non-GMO Food 11 Foods and Beverages to Avoid During Pregnancy It is as clear as a bell that this was 'Cash for Hostages', and even bama's DoJ opposed this foolishness. Message to world: America will ransom citizens. bama's presser was very telling too. Even he couldn't lie with a straight face. For the first time in history, the U.S. government has approved a private companys plans to visit the moon. The lunar mission will be undertaken by Cape Canaveral, Florida-based Moon Express, Inc., an aerospace startup founded in 2010 by space entrepreneurs Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards, Naveen Jain and Dr. Barney Pell. The landmark approval was given to Moon Express after meetings with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the White House, the State Department NASA and other federal agencies. The company plans to send a 20-pound, unmanned spacecraft beyond Earths orbit to the surface of the moon in 2017. If everything goes to plan, Moon Express will become only the fourth entity in history to soft-land on the moon following the U.S., USSR and China, as TechCrunch noted. Jain enthusiastically described the ambitious moon-landing project to the Wall Street Journal: If the maiden trip proves successful, the company plans to mine and retrieve rare elements and metals from the moon in future missions. This breakthrough U.S. policy decision provides authorization to Moon Express for a maiden flight of its robotic spacecraft onto the Moons surface, beginning a new era of ongoing commercial lunar exploration and discovery, unlocking the immense potential of the Moons valuable resources, the ventures press release states. Unsurprisingly, this unprecedented commercial space mission opened up a can of interstellar wormsspace regulation is under jurisdiction of the United Nations. As TechCrunch described, Moon Express bought its lunar craft from Rocket Lab on October 2015 before it even had government permission to launch it. The company also did not have the approval to keep what they find on the moon. But then in November, President Obama signed the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act into law that allows private companies to keep any resources taken from outer space. Still, the company did not have clearance to make the trip. To get around this regulatory hurdle, according to TechCrunch, Jain explained that representatives from multiple federal agencies, including the State Department and the NSA worked together to determine that the FAA, which is already responsible for granting launch licenses to rocket companies, should be the official point of contact for this type of activity. To get final government approval for the mission, Moon Express had to ensure it was not breaking space law, as The Verge explained: Moon Express tried to address three critical provisions of the Outer Space Treaty. First, nations must continually supervise all of the space missions that happen within their borders. Moon Express told the FAA it would frequently update the agency with information on the 2017 trip, so that the government could oversee it. The second rule is not messing with other nations spacecraft or space operations. On the Moon, that mostly means respecting the Apollo sites, and Moon Express assured the government that it wouldnt disturb these areas. Dont do wheelies over Neils footprint, joked Richards. Finally, Moon Express had to show the State Department it would abide by the Outer Space Treatys provision that is meant to prevent people from contaminating other worlds, called planetary protection. If companies like Moon Express want to land on a body in outer space, they have to be careful not to spread too many bacteria on the surface. Fortunately the Moon doesnt host life, so Moon Express doesnt have to worry too much about contamination. In its voluntary disclosures to the federal government, Moon Express gave the FAA all its data about how it would adhere to the rules of planetary protection. The Moon Express 2017 mission approval is a landmark decision by the U.S government and a pathfinder for private sector commercial missions beyond the Earths orbit, Richards said. We are now free to set sail as explorers to Earths eighth continent, the Moon, seeking new knowledge and resources to expand Earths economic sphere for the benefit of all humanity. Thrilled to announce formal USG approval for our Moon Express 2017 mission https://t.co/4YxItqdbfm pic.twitter.com/bHNp38fv7g MOON XPRSS (@MoonEx) August 3, 2016 The sky is not the limit for Moon Expressit is the launchpad. This breakthrough ruling is another giant leap for humanity. Space travel is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children, Jain said in the release. In the immediate future, we envision bringing precious resources, metals, and Moon rocks back to Earth. In 15 years, the Moon will be an important part of Earths economy, and potentially our second home. Imagine that. The company has a long-term mission of exploring and developing lunar resources for the benefit of humanity and a short-term mission of providing lunar transportation and services for government and commercial customers. Moon Express hopes to win $30 million from the Google Lunar X-Prize to fuel their lunar mission. (Photo: REUTERS / Keith Bedford)Members of the United Nations Security Council raise their hands as they vote unanimously to approve a resolution eradicating Syria's chemical arsenal during a Security Council meeting during the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 27, 2013. A top official from the Holy See has urged the U.N. Security Council to "affirm and support families of children who are victimized in armed conflict" in a special debate on Children and Armed Conflict. The charge d'affaires of the Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York, Monsignor Simon Kassas spoke on behalf of the Catholic Church, Vatican Radio reports. "The year 2014 was described as the worst year for children affected by armed conflict. But as the Secretary-General's Report on Children and Armed Conflict covering the year 2015 illustrates, the 2014 horror-list has been surpassed by the number of children caught in armed conflicts and the scale and severity of violations in 2015," the Holy See official said. The Catholic Church has constantly advocated the role of families in the prevention of child victimization in armed conflict zones and in the reintegration of children into society, he said. Families "must be assisted in overcoming prejudices against child survivors of armed conflicts, in particular against women and girls who are victims of rape, and in welcoming back children into the family fold," he asserted. Kassas noted that while the reintegration of child survivors "into society requires that we recognize the atrocities they may have committed, we must also build pathways for counseling and reconciliation with a view to accomplishing fully that reintegration." During the U.N. Security Council's Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict Kassas also affirmed the Catholic Church's role in the cessation of violence against children caught in armed conflict. "The Holy See has been a constant partner of the United Nations in opposing not only the use of children as combatants, but the many other forms of violence against children caught in armed conflict. "Through its various structures operating in most of the conflict zones, the Catholic Church is actively engaged in taking care of the victims of such violence. "Over the years, Holy See structures and numerous Catholic institutions have collaborated with U.N. Peacekeeping Missions and Agencies to help alleviate the sufferings of children in armed conflict and to share best practices to address this ongoing scourge." TORRANCE, California The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, an off-road version of the midsize truck designed by Toyota Racing Development, will arrive at Toyota dealerships in late August, starting at $41,700, including a $940 destination charge. It is spun off the Tacoma TRD Pro Off-Road 4x4 double-cab model and has been praised for its Stormtrooper-like appearance. The base price is for a 2017 Tacoma TRD Pro 4x4 double-cab model with a 3.5-liter V6 engine and a six-speed manual transmission. The top-of-the-line 2017 Tacoma TRD Pro 4x4 double-cab model with the same engine and a six-speed automatic transmission is priced at $43,700, including destination charge. Aimed at off-road enthusiasts, the Tacoma TRD Pro is available in three exterior colors: Cement, Barcelona Red Metallic and Super White. Standard equipment includes a V6 Tow package and an electronically controlled rear differential. Crawl control is standard on trucks with the automatic transmission. Key details include special headlights and taillights to distinguish it from the base Tacoma, along with 16-inch TRD wheels and a high-performance off-road suspension. The cabin features Black TRD Pro leather-trimmed heated front seats, an Entune premium audio system and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. Automatic-transmission models are equipped with a Toyota multi-terrain select system with five modes. The system regulates wheel spin by adjusting engine throttle and traction control. A GoPro mount is located on the windshield for those who want to star in their own behind-the-wheel documentary. Key Tacoma competitors include the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier. Edmunds says: This highly anticipated version of the 2017 Toyota Tacoma is ready to race out of Toyota showrooms and hit the trail starting in just a few weeks. Recent studies indicate that interview ers often decide on your suitability within minutes of you walking into the interview room, even if the questions and answers continue for up to an hour. Its not simply the impression you create due to your poise and body language when you enter the room, but also how you tackle the first few questions that help set the tone for what follows. Consider two examples. - Sonia sensed that the economics professors on the interview panel for her college admission were the serious, no-nonsense type. She answered their questions as best as she could. After several questions, one professor asked her, Sell me the bottle of water on this table. Without blinking an eye, she replied, Sir, I have come to study economics, and this is more of a marketing question. So, I dont think it is appropriate for me to sell this to you. Sonia was admitted to the course she had applied for - Vijay too was applying for a university course. He found the professors on the interview panel to be young and jovial. After answering some questions fairly to the point, when asked if he would have a problem removing his ear stud as the college was strict about the dress code, and that the security guards were vigilant, Vijay smiled and said, Well, it looks as if I will have to make friends with the guards. He too was accepted to the course What both these cases have in common is that the candidates were perceptive enough to sense the interviewers emotions and mood, and react appropriately. In the first case, Sonia understood that the panel would value out-of-the box thinking. In the second, Vijay knew that the panel would appreciate straight answers, interspersed with humour. It is possible that these two candidates were high on emotional intelligence (EI). This concept was popularised in a book with the same name by David Goleman. It involves regulating your emotions; understanding other peoples emotions; and subsequently managing all these emotions. Scholars are increasingly suggesting that IQ or intelligence quotient (from the German word intelligenzquotient) is possibly not the only factor contributing to an individuals success. While IQ is largely hereditary and is difficult to increase by any substantial amount, EI can be improved by up to 40%. Here are some ways to enhance your EI: - Recognise yourself better by undergoing personality tests (many are freely available), and know, for example, whether you are an extrovert or introvert. - Take feedback about yourself from those whom you are not necessarily good friends with. As per the similarity-attraction paradigm, we tend to make friends with those who are similar to us, and there are chances they may also see the world as we do. Hence, a different perspective is always welcome - Try to reduce negative emotions by not always jumping to negative conclusions. For example, if a friend doesnt return your call, dont assume she is ignoring you, but rather that something urgent might have come up - Reduce the fear of rejection. Instead of feeling anxious about one course or job you have applied for, also consider that you have applied for two more, and that something may work out there - Remain composed in stressful situations. Come up with a mechanism to stay calm, such as by drinking cold water or taking a brisk walk (motion is said to reduce anger) - Be proactive, not reactive. Try and empathise and put yourself in the other persons shoes Raising your EI to help you ace interviews is only the beginning. Studies show that people with high EI tend to have better mental health, job performance and superior leadership skills as well. [Payal Kumar is the editor of Unveiling Women's Leadership (2015) and Indian Women as Entrepreneurs (2016), both published by Palgrave Macmillan] To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020. Twisted Sister said: Trump bankrupted most every business he owned and continued the Trump tradition by bankrupting his credibility. Hillary's credibility is also bankrupt by her own doing. Pitiful choices for President of the United States. Click to expand... I was thinking the Democrats should have nominated Biden. We might have differences with Joe Biden, and many of us might disagree with his politics, being a lifetime politician and being an insider, but Biden is mostly a good guy and mostly honest. John Kerry isn't a bad guy either. He did what he did and if he ran for Prez this year, we can call him out on the Iran nuclear deal and other stupid Obama ****, but mostly what Kerry would say would be honest, he would stand behind it and let the chips fall where they may.The Republicans are the same way. There was no other Republican out there? I mean ****, get Mike Pence. Again, the man might not be what you want, but he is mostly honest and he stands behind his ********. Most of the GOP except for Cruz would stand behind the failed and stupid GOP line, but have their own vision of what they want. Trump just stands there and tells us how bad, awful and crooked Hillary Clinton is. I watched that GOP convention and believe 95 percent of everything they had to say about Hillary. Even Tugboat Christie "guilty or not guilty speech". Right on. But they have no answers or retort of what they want, because their **** doesn't work. Trump's **** doesn't work, but that man is dangerous. He really is.My choice for 2016 is this slightly weird, pot smoking guy with a strange haircut, a western USA proto-liberalism guy who if elected would be laughed at by Putin and the Chinese (unless he got them baked:wub. Gary Johnson is the best, most honest choice, even if again, you do not believe in his politics.Sort of gets back to why politicians cannot be honest, and are seemingly unable to do the right thing. I think a lot of these guys, even people like Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and even Dick Cheney got into this game to make things better and make a change but were totally corrupted. Too much money. Kelly, Pastore debate inflation, energy policy in congressional race Kelly and Pastore went head-to-head in a debate Tuesday that was organized by WQLN and Erie News Now, which first aired the taped debate Thursday. 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. 14:55, 28 OCT 2022 Environmental groups in Oregon are shocked and outraged that woods products companies are bankrolling some of the costs of Linn County's lawsuit over the state's management of forest trust lands. We're not particularly shocked, or outraged, for that matter. Not only do we understand why timber companies would be interested in investing in the lawsuit, we think it says something about how those companies feel they've been shut out of the conversations about how to manage these lands. Linn County has filed a lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Forestry over management of these forest lands. The lands, scattered among 15 western Oregon counties, were conveyed to the state from the counties decades ago, with a promise that they would be managed for the "greatest permanent value." Linn County argues that the phrase "greatest permanent value" means that the lands were to be managed for the economic benefit of the counties, meaning that the lands should be managed to maximize a sustainable timber yield. But in the years since the lands were conveyed, the state has moved toward a broader definition of greatest permanent value, emphasizing other uses of the land (clean water, recreation and wildlife habitat projects. for example) in addition to logging. Linn County argues that the state's broader definition has cost the counties that contain at least some of these lands hundreds of millions of dollars from logging revenue. In addition, the county argues that the state's initial promise regarding greatest permanent value amounts to a contract, and so the lawsuit alleges a breach of contract. The case is pending before Linn County Circuit Judge Daniel Murphy, with a hearing on various motions scheduled for later this month. The attorney for Linn County, John A. DiLorenzo Jr., has accepted the case on a contingency basis, meaning he would collect the bulk of his fees from any damages awarded in the lawsuit. But parties interested in the lawsuit also have created a "sustainable forest fund" with about $125,000 to help pay for the costs of the case up to the point at which a judge certifies the case as a class-action lawsuit, with all 15 counties as plaintiffs. (Counties involved would still have the opportunity to opt out of the case.) Linn County has contributed $5,000 to that fund. Much of the remaining funding has come from the timber industry. The reasons the timber industry might be interested in contributing to the suit are reasonably clear: First, obviously, these companies would have a financial interest in increased logging in state forests, if that's what happens as a result of the suit. But it goes deeper than that. In many cases, these companies have properties that border state lands; managers of these private forests have concerns over how the state land has been managed, especially when it comes to forest maintenance. Something else is at work as well: Many of these companies have offices in timber towns around the state, and have seen how reduced logging on public lands has economically devastated those towns. Some of these timber towns have been able to reinvent themselves. Many others have been stumbling for a quarter-century. No one is suggesting that the donations from the timber industry will affect the lawsuit's eventual outcome in the least. (It's still uncertain whether a judge will certify the class.) But to argue that it's improper for the timber industry to contribute to this cause is wrongheaded and it underestimates the frustrations that many rural Oregon residents have lived through for decades now. (mm) The 19-year-old man responsible for the deadly stabbing spree in London Wednesday night does not seem to be related to any terror groups, according to preliminary police investigations. Instead, authorities have alleged that the mental health of the suspect, a naturalized Norwegian who was originally from Somalia, seemed to have played a key role in the deadly incident. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley described the police's current findings. "So far we have found no evidence of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism," he said. "While the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work that we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues." The suspect initiated his attack in central London's Russell Square at around 10:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The police were immediately called, but by the time they arrived on the scene, six people had been injured. One of the 19-year-old's victims, an American woman in her 60s, ultimately died from her injuries. The other five, who were from the United States, Australia, Israel and Britain, were treated in a medical facility. Among the five who were injured, three were discharged from the hospital while two were confined for additional treatment. The suspect was apprehended by police officers after he was shot with a Taser. During the incident, the authorities did not fire a single bullet. The suspect was briefly treated in a medical facility, before being moved to a police station in South London. As of writing, the identity of the 19-year-old attacker has not been revealed by the police. While there seems to be evidence that the man had no connections with radical Islamic groups, his choice for the site of his attack is very interesting. Back in 2005, Russell Square also became the site of a bus bombing, as part of a coordinated terror attack that took 52 lives and shook London to its core. Europe has been a target of terror attacks lately, with airport bombings in Brussels and Istanbul and a deadly truck attack in France. The whole region remains on high alert. Researchers have provided geological evidence for China's "Great Flood," a disastrous event on the Yellow River from which the Xia dynasty is thought to have been born. The flood occurred in roughly 1920 BC, they say, which is several centuries later than traditionally thought - meaning the Xia dynasty, and its renowned Emperor Yu, likely had a later start than Chinese historians have thought, too. According to Chinese legend, Emperor Yu gained notoriety through his handling of the country's Great Flood. By dredging the destructive floodwaters, he tamed them, "earning him the divine mandate to establish the Xia dynasty ... and marking the beginning of Chinese civilization," Wu Qinglong and colleagues write. Yu's story was handed down for a millennium before entering the historical record, yet, geological evidence for the flood he mastered has always been lacking. Thus, "some scholars have argued that the story is either a historicized version of an older myth," David Montgomery explains in a related Perspective, "or propaganda to justify the centralized power of imperial rule." Here, by reconstructing a sequence of events along the Yellow River - including a landslide that created a dam from which water built up and burst forth -- Wu Qinglong and colleagues provide geological evidence for a catastrophic flood event that may be the basis of the Great Flood. The researchers mapped and dated distinctive sediments that were deposited downstream of a Qinghai Province dam when the dam broke. In further work, they determined that the flood that broke the dam was of enormous proportions. Using radiocarbon dating techniques on samples that included human bone, they dated the flood to 1920 BC. "The ... flood shares the main characteristics of the Great Flood described in ancient texts," the authors say. If their flood is indeed the event that came to be known as the Great Flood, researchers could propose a new start date for the Xia dynasty, at 1900 BC. This date not only coincides with the major transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in the Yellow River valley, possibly resolving a longstanding contradiction among Chinese historians about when Xia started in relation to this critical period in history, but it also coincide with the beginning of the Erlitou culture that dominated China in the early Bronze Age - supporting arguments that this culture is the archaeological remains of the Xia dynasty. Taken together, these results reveal how the concurrence of these major natural and sociopolitical events may be an "illustration of a profound and complicated cultural response to an extreme natural disaster that connected many groups living along the Yellow River. ### Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) afflicts over 14 million women in the United States. The disorder increases the risk of endometrial cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, asthma, obesity, depression and anxiety, as well as infertility and a variety of reproductive disorders. Despite its prevalence, no one has fully understood the origins of the syndrome nor has come up with any effective early treatment strategies for it -- until now. Thanks to some long-time collaborating researchers in Wisconsin, Illinois and California -- as well as their students, who have gone on to become better enlightened physicians and researchers themselves -- the veil over understanding and treating PCOS is finally lifting. A review published today in Current Pharmaceutical Design bundles those decades of research and education into overall progress toward improving the lives of women with PCOS: better counseling and managed care, new directions in genetic testing, new diagnostic tests, and earlier tests, such as measuring finger length ratios, and taking hormone samples from hair strands plucked off the heads of newborn girls. The diagnostic hormone hunting doesn't stop there: The review chronicles 114 scientific and clinical articles that have turned up suspected PCOS biomarkers in everything from head to tailbone. "With so many different symptoms, it took a long time for physicians to identify the disease as more than infertility," explains David Abbott, professor of OB/GYN at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Abbott's office and lab are at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, where he has been tackling the PCOS problem for more nearly 30 years. He has hardly worked alone. His long-time clinical colleagues have included Daniel Dumesic, professor, physician and chief of the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division at UCLA; Andrea Dunaif, professor of endocrinology and metabolism and physician at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Jon Levine, who previously studied the neuroendocrinology of PCOS in rodents at Northwestern and is now director of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, where he continues his active research program as well. Toni Ziegler and Amita Kapoor, scientists with the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center's Assay Services Unit also recently completed the world's first study showing that testosterone can be measured in the hair of newborn monkeys, to show if and when the monkeys were exposed to abnormal levels of testosterone while they were developing in the womb. "The hair sample test has the potential to become one of several pre-diagnostic tools for human infants suspected to be at risk for PCOS due to genetic or other factors," Abbott points out. "Earlier diagnosis will help physicians focus on pre-pubertal interventions to ameliorate PCOS onset." From rodents to nonhuman primates to humans, these hormone hunters performed the breakthrough experiments that implicate fetal origins of PCOS. They discovered that, even though PCOS symptoms do not appear until puberty, the disease may be programmed in the fetus during the second trimester of pregnancy. The collaborators next revealed an even clearer picture of PCOS by identifying specific genetic and epigenetic pathogenic components shared among monkeys and women. "Too many women are being treated for diabetes, excess body hair, obesity and other clinical presentations, but not the underlying problem," Abbott says. "From other investigators, we also know now that PCOS is highly heritable, and prospective gene candidates are emerging." The monkey studies, in particular, implicate altered gene expression related to a constellation of genes suspected to play a role in PCOS, as well as in dysfunctional fat storage, regulation of blood sugar by the pancreas, and brain regulation of the menstrual cycle. "This forward-thinking approach that the disease may be programmed in the fetus during intrauterine life promises to expand our understanding of how the maternal-fetal environment affects the health of women and their offspring over the next generations," says Dumesic. "Today, thanks to researchers and doctors working together on all aspects of this problem, many more clinicians cross-refer to one another, and catch more of the specific pathologies that can lead to a PCOS diagnosis and better care," adds Abbott. ### REFERENCES: Abbott, D.H.; et al. (2016). Translational Insight Into Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)From Female Monkeys With PCOS-like Traits, Curr. Pharm. Des., DOI: 10.2174/1381612822666160715133437 For more information about the article, please visit http://www.current-pharmaceutical-design.com Clusters of hunter-gatherers spent much of the late Stone Age working out the basics of farming on the fertile lands of what is now Turkey before taking this knowledge to Europe. In an analysis of ancient genomes published August 4 in Current Biology, researchers at Stockholm University and Uppsala University in Sweden and Middle East Technical University in Turkey report that at least two waves of early European settlers belonged to the same gene pool as farmers in Central Turkey--genealogy that can be traced back to some of the first people to cultivate crops outside of Mesopotamia. To help clear up the evolution of farming in the West, the investigators compared genetic information from Europeans living during the Neolithic period (a.k.a. the late Stone Age, 10,000-4,000 years ago; the chronology varies between Europe and the Near East) with that from nine individuals excavated from two ancient settlements in Anatolia (the area between the Black and the Mediterranean Seas). The earliest of the gene sequences were taken from four people of the Boncuklu community, who lived between 10,300 and 9,500 years ago. The Boncuklu were a group of foragers who had recently adopted small-scale agriculture. The other five samples (dating back 9,500 to 7,800 years ago) came from Tepecik-Ciftlik villagers, who had more sophisticated farming practices. "In Boncuklu, we find diversity levels more similar to contemporaneous hunter-gatherers, which could be expected because they themselves were foragers a couple of centuries back in time" says co-author Mehmet Somel, an evolutionary biologist at Middle East Technical University. "In fact, they were proto-farmers. Boncuklu people did not have domestic animals, and gathering was also important for the village." "Even 1,000 years later in villages like Tepecik-Ciftlik and Catlhoyuk, we still find that gathering and especially hunting are important for the culture; thus, the Neolithic way of life took a long time to be fully established, not only culturally so, but also demographically so," says Anders Gotherstrom, an archeologist at Stockholm University. "What happened here was most likely an increase in population size, with increasing fecundity, and higher levels of mobility and gene flow so that, over time, Neolithic Near Eastern villages became more cosmopolitan, and this eventually triggered expansion into Europe." While a lot of archeological work had been done on these settlements, this is the first study to examine the genetic properties of the human remains. This type of analysis would have been impossible until just recently due to the degradation of the DNA, which was drawn from inside the bones of the deceased. Somel helped lead the acquisition of the genetic material, and Gotherstrom and his colleague Mattias Jakobsson at Uppsala University did the genome sequencing. The analytical work was then performed by all three parties. The paper only helps confirm speculations about how farming spread in the West, but "what is going on in the East is still a largely unwritten chapter," Gotherstrom says. Agricultural revolutions took place in other parts of the world, and this type of analysis could help in the understanding of how they spread, as well. Somel is interested in exploring how people moved and how genetic connections and cultural connections overlap through human history. ### The authors were supported by the Konya and Nigde Museums, EMBO, the Hacettepe University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit, the Istanbul University Scientific Research Projects Coordination, the Australian Research Council, a British Academy Research Development Award, British Institute at Ankara grants, National Geographic, the Wainwright Fund University of Oxford, TUBITAK, TUA, Sci. Acad. Turkey, METU, and ERC. >Current Biology, Kilinc, Omrak, and Ozer et al.: "The Demographic Development of the First Farmers in Anatolia" http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)30850-8 Current Biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that features papers across all areas of biology. Current Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. There's a new tool in the push to engineer rechargeable batteries that last longer and charge more quickly. An X-ray microscopy technique recently developed at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has given scientists the ability to image nanoscale changes inside lithium-ion battery particles as they charge and discharge. The real-time images provide a new way to learn how batteries work, and how to improve them. The method was developed at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, by a team of researchers from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, Stanford University, and other institutions. As reported today in the journal Science, the scientists used the approach to image micron-sized battery particles as lithium ions migrate in and out of the particles. The images chronicle the evolution of the particles' chemical composition and reaction rates at a nanoscale spatial resolution and a minute-by-minute time resolution. Among the findings, the scientists discovered the charging process doesn't play out uniformly on the surface of a particle, a phenomenon that likely curbs battery performance over time. This and other insights obtained from the imaging technique could help researchers improve batteries for electric vehicles as well as smart phones, laptops, and other devices. "The platform we developed allows us to image battery dynamics at the mesoscale, which is between a few nanometers and a few hundreds of nanometers," says Will Chueh, a faculty scientist at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and an assistant professor of materials science & engineering at Stanford University, who led the research. "This is a very difficult length scale to image in a functioning battery, but it's critically important, because this is the scale that controls the fundamental processes involved in battery degradation and recharge time," says Chueh. The power of X-rays The scientists developed the platform at the Advanced Light Source, which produces light in the X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The technique was implemented at two beamlines that offer high-performance scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), in which an extremely bright X-ray beam is focused onto a small spot. Their specially designed "liquid electrochemical STXM nanoimaging platform" uses the facility's soft X-rays to image lithium iron phosphate particles as they charge (delithiate) and discharge (lithiate) in a liquid electrolyte. Their experimental setup can image about thirty particles at a time. In a real battery, thousands of these particles form an electrode, and positively charged lithium ions embed in the electrode as the battery charges. Ideally, the ions are inserted uniformly across the electrode's surface. But this rarely happens, especially as a battery ages, which negatively affects performance. "We now have a way to study this process in real time at the scale it's occurring, which will help scientists better understand the process and possibly optimize it," says David Shapiro, a physicist with the Advanced Light Source who helped Chueh develop the technique at the facility. "Our STXM-based platform provides the ability to image these electrochemical changes within a single battery particle," Shapiro adds. "And it offers the real-time resolution required to map the changes in the particles' chemical composition and current densities, at a sub-particle scale, as the particles lithiate and delithiate." Previously, Chueh and other scientists have used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study working batteries at the nanoscale. The approach offers very good spatial resolution. But X-ray microscopy can image a larger field of view and thicker materials than TEM, meaning it can study materials that more closely resemble real-world batteries. In addition, X-ray microscopy provides very high chemical specificity. Shapiro and colleagues are now building even more powerful X-ray microscopes at the Advanced Light Source to improve the platform's spatial resolution by a factor of ten. This will enable researchers to study battery particles that are much smaller than one micron. Smaller particles are known to perform better than larger particles, but scientists do not fully understand why. "We are now working to achieve a spatial resolution approaching the soft x-ray wavelength, between one and five nanometers, with our X-ray microscopes," says Shapiro. "This will enable us to image chemical phases within the smallest available particles, often less than 100 nanometers in size, and still give us the penetrating power to look at large volumes of material, such as thousands of battery particles. The goal is to image functional batteries with nanometer resolution via X-ray microscopy." ### This research was supported in part by the DOE Office of Science. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov. DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov. Scientists from Singapore have streamlined the process of using human stem cells to mass produce GABAergic neurons (GNs) in the laboratory. This new protocol provides scientists with a robust source of GNs to study many psychiatric and neurological disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy, which are thought to develop at least in part due to GN dysfunction. GNs are inhibitory neurons that reduce neuronal activation, and make up roughly 20 per cent of the human brain. They work alongside excitatory neurons (ENs) to ensure balanced neural activity for normal brain function. The coordinated interplay between GNs and ENs orchestrate specific activation patterns in the brain, which are responsible for our behaviour, emotions, and higher reasoning. Functional impairment of GNs results in imbalanced neural activity, thereby contributing to the symptoms observed in many psychiatric disorders. The availability of high quality, functional human GN populations would facilitate the development of good models for studying psychiatric disorders, as well as for screening drug effects on specific populations of neurons. Scientists worldwide have been hard at work trying to generate a consistent supply of GNs in the laboratory, but have been faced with many challenges. Protocols involving multiple complex stages, poor yield, and requiring a long time to generate mature and functional GNs are just some of the limitations encountered. Many of these limitations have now been overcome by the development of a rapid and robust protocol to generate GNs from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in a single step. With the addition of a specific combination of factors, hPSCs turn into mature and functional GNs in a mere six -- eight weeks. This is about two -- three times faster than the 10 - 30 weeks required for previous protocols. In addition, this new protocol is highly efficient, with GNs making up more than 80 per cent of the final neuron population. To develop this protocol, the team from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS), A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) first identified genetic factors involved in GN development in the brain. The team then tried many different combinations of these factors, and succeeded in confirming that mature and functional human GNs were indeed generated. "Just like how a balance of Yin and Yang is needed in order to stay healthy, a balance of ENs and GNs is required for normal brain function. We now know a fair bit about ENs because we have good protocols to make them. However, we still know very little of the other player, the GNs, because current protocols do not work well. Yet, when these GNs malfunction our brain goes haywire," commented Dr Alfred Sun, a Research Fellow at NNI and co-first author of the publication alongside Mr Qiang Yuan, an NUS Graduate School PhD student. "Our quick, efficient and easy way to mass produce GNs for lab use is a game changer for neuroscience and drug discovery. With increased recognition of the essential role of GNs in almost all neurological and psychiatric diseases, we envisage our new method to be widely used to advance research and drug screening," said Dr Shawn Je, Assistant Professor in the Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS, and senior author of the study. The speed and efficiency of generating GNs with this new protocol provides researchers unprecedented access to the quantities of neurons necessary for studying the role of GNs in disease mechanisms. Drugs and small molecules may now be screened at an unparalleled rate to discover the next blockbuster treatment for autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. ### Published on 4 August 2016 in Cell Reports, this research is supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation under its Cooperative Basic Research Grant, administered by the Singapore Ministry of Health's National Medical Research Council (NMRC/CBRG/0075/2014), the Ministry of Education, Singapore (MOE2012-T2-1-021, MOE2014-T2-071), A*STAR Biomedical Research Council (13/1/96/19/688), and a Duke-NUS Signature Research Programme Block Grant. Summary of key findings: A new protocol has streamlined the process of using human pluripotent stem cells to mass produce GABAergic neurons (GNs) in the laboratory in a single step. The GNs produced from this protocol not only bear the identifying markers, but also behave and function similarly to GNs found in the brain. Generating GNs would allow scientists to develop better models of psychiatric disorders to be studied in the laboratory, while also rapidly screening drugs. DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke Health-led researchers have discovered new information about the signaling mechanism of cells that could one day help guide development of more specific drug therapies. For years, well-established science detailed the intricacies of how cells change function after receiving chemical signals from hormones, neurotransmitters or even drugs. Receptors on the outside of cells were known to launch the signaling process, which alerts proteins that trigger a cascade of events leading to the desired response, followed by a desensitization mechanism that allows cells to return to baseline. In recent years, however, the process has shown additional complexity that seemed to defy foundational assumptions, notably in how and where these signals can arise within the cell. Now researchers at Duke Health, led by Robert Lefkowitz, M.D., report that they appear to have solved this enigma. Lefkowitz, a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for describing cell signaling molecules and defining the underlying science for how therapies such as beta blockers and antihistamines can use them to advantage. In a study published online Aug. 4 in the journal Cell, Lefkowitz -- along with co-lead authors Alex R. B. Thomsen and Thomas J. Cahill III and colleagues -- describe a new paradigm for how a class of cell surface receptors known as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) activate the signaling mechanism of cells. Classically, it was known that GPCRs located along the plasma membrane inside the cell activate G proteins, which are the molecular switches that transmit signals from external sources into the cell's interior, telling the cell how to function. The activation process is followed by desensitization, led by a protein called beta-arrestin that binds to the receptor, blocking further activation of G proteins and pulling the receptor to the inside of the cell in a process termed internalization or endocytosis. The end result of these two processes is to silence receptor signaling, allowing cellular function to return to status quo. In recent years, however, scientists learned that some GPCRs continue to signal to G proteins even after beta-arrestin has been deployed and the receptors were internalized in the cellular compartments, called endosomes. These observations challenged the known scheme. The Lefkowitz team -- using a variety of biochemical, biophysical and cell-based methods -- describe the existence, functionality and architecture of previously unknown super structures of receptors, which they've called "mega-plexes." These mega-plexes differ from the typical couplings of the receptors and beta-arrestin, binding simultaneously through their core region with G protein and through a tail region with beta-arrestin. Since beta-arrestin only interacts with the receptor tail, the entire inner surface of the receptor is exposed, enabling the receptor to keep activating the G protein. "The formation of such mega-plexes explains how G proteins can continue to send signals after being internalized by GPCRs," Lefkowitz said. "This opens a whole world of possibilities yet to be explored to manipulate this duality of signaling from outside and inside the cell for therapeutic benefit." Co-lead author Thomsen said some previous studies showed that the cells respond differently when G protein signaling occurs from different cellular compartments. "As a result, pharmaceutical drugs developed in the future, if they are capable of regulating signaling at specific compartments, might be able to better treat certain diseases while having fewer side effects," Thomsen said. He added that such research is in its infancy and clinical applications are years away. ### In addition to Lefkowitz, Thomsen and Cahill, study authors from Duke include Arun K. Shukla, Alem W. Kahsai, Ryan T. Strachan, Biswaranjan Pani and Liyin Huang. They were joined by co-lead author Bianca Plouffe, Billy Breton, Franziska M. Heydenreich and Michel Bouvier at the University of Montreal; and Jeffrey T. Tarrasch, Annie M. Dosey, Georgios Skiniotis, Jacob P. Mahoney and Roger K. Sunahara at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The study received support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; the Danish Council for Independent Research; the Lundbeck Foundation; the National Institutes of Health (F30HL129803, RO1GM083118, T32GM007767, DK090165, HL16037); the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and the Swiss National Science Foundation (P1EZP3_165219, MOP10501). Lefkowitz is a co-founder and shareholder of Trevena, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing GPCR-targeted medicines. Authors reported no other conflicts. A case study, "Biomimicry: Streamlining the Front End of Innovation for Environmentally Sustainable Products," shows that biomimicry, a relatively new field that seeks to emulate nature to find solutions to human problems, can potentially expand intellectual property, increase energy savings and accelerate product innovation. This case study, conducted by GOJO researchers, was recently published in Research-Technology Management (RTM). "At GOJO, sustainability is a key driver of innovation and biomimicry is energizing how we create sustainable value for all stakeholders through new product development," said Tom Marting, co-author of the study and facilities and resources management director for GOJO Industries. "Nature is one massive field testing laboratory that has been operating for nearly four billion years. If it doesn't work in nature, it's not going to be around very long." A cross-functional team of 15 GOJO employees dedicated 165 hours in workshop sessions on biomimicry, attempting to increase the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of liquid soap and sanitizer dispenser pumps. Ultimately, four patent applications for novel dispensing systems resulted from the team's efforts with the inspiration for each system stemming from nature. To determine the extent of the advantages offered by biomimicry, the biomimicry project's performance was compared to a similar pump development project GOJO executed in 2010. The preliminary data strongly suggests that biomimicry may offer real advantages in the front end of innovation for both improved innovation performance and improved sustainability. Double the intellectual property -- with a greater proportion of the concepts from the biomimicry project converting from notices of invention to patent applications Double to quadruple the energy efficiency compared to technology in the market today Impressive results with approximately one-sixth of the personnel and financial resources GOJO was one of the first Northeast Ohio companies to support a biomimicry Ph.D. fellow from the University of Akron. Co-author of the study and GOJO Biomimicry Fellow Emily Kennedy spends two days a week within the GOJO research and development department. "This case study takes a closer look at how the GOJO team found inspiration from plants, skunks, blood circulation and other wonders of nature," said Emily Kennedy. "While, further studies are warranted to determine how and to what extent the results of the study are generally applicable, this study found that biomimicry is a highly promising approach and key tool to advance sustainable product innovation while providing a high return on investment. ### About GOJO GOJO Industries is the inventor of PURELL Hand Sanitizer and the leading global producer and marketer of skin health and hygiene solutions for away-from-home settings. The broad GOJO product portfolio includes hand cleaning, handwashing, hand sanitizing and skin care formulas under the GOJO, PURELL and PROVON brand names. GOJO formulations use the latest advances in the science of skin care and sustainability. GOJO is known for state-of-the-art dispensing technology, engineered with attention to design, sustainability and functionality. GOJO programs promote healthy behaviors for hand hygiene, skin care and compliance in critical environments. GOJO is a privately held corporation headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with operations in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Canada and Brazil. Because the oceans absorb man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, its pH declines. Effects of this chemical change on tropical coral reefs can be examined in laboratory or short-term field experiments. However, a team led by Dr. Marlene Wall, marine biologist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, chose a different approach: In the framework of the German research network BIOACID (Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification), they examined corals of the genus Porites, which grow at volcanic carbon dioxide vents in Papua New Guinea and have become a dominant species there. "It is very difficult to foresee if tropical corals are able to survive global climate change. These organisms are very sensitive to a rise in water temperatures, ocean acidification and pollution", explains Dr. Wall. "The natural carbon dioxide vents give us the opportunity to study the scenario of the future already today. Previous studies have shown that Porites is among the winners. But up to now, no one knew how they manage." Porites corals keep their internal pH at a level at which they are able to produce calcium carbonate and grow despite higher carbon dioxide concentrations and lower pH in the surrounding water - a significant advantage over many other species. In this way, they have established themselves under extreme conditions. "According to our observations, the pH regulation is a key feature when it comes to surviving under a lowered pH", emphasizes Dr. Wall. The findings about pH regulation in corals are published in the journal Scientific Reports. To better understand the ability of pH regulation, the scientific team led by Dr. Wall examined corals using the boron isotope method. For these measurements, a laser is directed at the skeletons. Material that comes off during this procedure is analysed in a mass spectrometer. The isotopic composition of boron that is included in the skeleton reveals information on the coral's internal pH. "This method gives us new insights and allows for conclusions about the physiology of the coral skeleton at the time of calcification", says Dr. Jan Fietzke, a physicist at GEOMAR and co-author of the study. "You could say we look back into the future." For the study described in the current publication, Fietzke examined the skeleton which had been formed a few days to weeks before sampling. Comparisons with pH measurements in the surrounding water proved that the boron isotopes reflected the internal pH of the coral and that it was different from the pH of the environment - pH regulation has taken place. Based on this knowledge, cores from several decades old corals are currently being evaluated. "So we can find out when and how quickly they have acclimatized." By looking back to the future, the researchers found out that Porites corals have a remarkable ability to level their pH for decades and thereby counteract global climate change. "But we had to learn that regulation is only possible up to a certain degree. When carbon dioxide concentrations exceed values that are expected after the year 2100, calcification and growth are lower - and even the winner reaches its limit", according to Dr. Wall. "Our results prove how important it is to combine laboratory experiments with long-term field studies and observations. Controlled laboratory experiments provide an understanding of the pH control, but only in combination with field observations, they paint a more detailed picture about possible long-term consequences." ### Original publication: Wall, Marlene, Fietzke, J., Schmidt, G. M., Fink, A. Hofmann, L. C., de Beer, D., Fabricius, K. E. 2016: Internal pH regulation Facilitates in situ long-term acclimation of massive corals to end-of-century carbon dioxide conditions. Scientific Reports 6: 30688, doi: 10.1038 / srep30688 BIOACID in brief: Under the umbrella of BIOACID (Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification), 10 institutions examine how marine ecosystems react to ocean acidification, how this affects the food web and the exchange of material and energy in the ocean and how the changes influence the socio-economic sector. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and coordinated by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. A list of member institutions and further information can be found on the website http://www.bioacid.de Links: http://www.geomar.de GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel http://www.bioacid.de BIOACID - Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification http://www.fwf.ac.at Fund for Scientific Research (FWF) Cambridge, Mass. -- A new company will commercialize sensing technology invented at Harvard University that can perform instant, in-field characterization of the chemical make-up and material properties of unknown liquids. Validere, cofounded by Harvard scientists and engineers, has raised an initial round of seed capital and has entered into a worldwide exclusive licensing agreement with the university to pursue applications in quality assurance and liquid identification. Validere aims to develop the licensed technology, called Watermark Ink (W-INK), into a pocket-sized device that could be used by first responders to quickly identify chemical spills, or by officials to verify the fuel grade of gasoline right at the pump. Unlike other techniques for identifying and authenticating liquids, Harvard's solution is inexpensive, instantaneous, and portable. Developed in the laboratory of Joanna Aizenberg, the Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty member of Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, the W-INK concept exploits the chemical and optical properties of precisely nanostructured materials to distinguish liquids by their surface tension. Marko Loncar, Tiantsai Lin Professor of Electrical Engineering at SEAS, also contributed to its development. Akin to the litmus paper used in chemistry labs to detect the pH of a liquid, the detector changes color when it comes in contact with a liquid with a particular surface tension. The color-changing strip can be programmed to respond precisely to the unique surface tension exhibited by any liquid of interest. "This idea advanced swiftly through Harvard thanks to an organic system that facilitates progress from discovery to application," said Aizenberg, who is also Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Director of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology. "We first developed the technology from basic research in my lab at SEAS and then brought it for incubation at the Wyss Institute. The Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD) guided and supported our commercialization strategy through its Physical Sciences and Engineering Accelerator. Out of this virtuous cycle of innovation Validere was spun off with a viable commercial product." The W-INK technology, which received early support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and a proof-of-concept contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation, could have important applications in industry and government. "Validere translates this technology to create inexpensive, one-time-use test kits that can be used anywhere in the field to visually identify unknown liquids, all without the need for a dedicated power source," said Ian Burgess, co-founder, CEO and CTO at Validere, who co-invented W-INK as a doctoral student at SEAS and technology development fellow at the Wyss Institute. "Many people focus on making hardware smaller, but miniaturization often turns out to be the easy part," Burgess said. "What's difficult, and what our solution does, is to simplify the readouts to a level that you don't need a technician to interpret the results. Anyone in the field can immediately know, on the spot, how to respond to a sampled liquid." Harvard's Physical Sciences and Engineering Accelerator provided seed funding that enabled Aizenberg's group to advance the technology from the lab to the pilot scale and attract further investment. The research group continues to refine W-INK to expand its range of applications. Following a set of original publications describing W-INK technology in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, ACS Nano and Lab on a Chip, in January 2016, Aizenberg, Loncar and Burgess reported improvements that make possible a colorimetric test for determining the volatility of liquids. This capability, described in a paper published in Scientific Reports, is of particular interest to the Department of Transportation. The ability to rapidly profile the volatility of crude oil, which is commonly transported by railroad, means decisions about proper transport containers can be made at the point of extraction in the field, helping to prevent accidental explosions. DOT is also supporting development of test kits for analyzing hazardous spills. Aizenberg's lab specializes in reverse-engineering nature. W-INK mimics two biological systems to achieve a tunable device with properties that allow it to change colors when it comes in contact with certain liquids. The wings of some species of butterfly owe their brilliant colors to structure rather than pigment; the surface of each wing contains networks of tiny pores, the size of which determines the perceived color. Meanwhile, brittle stars, relatives of starfish, can change color from black to white by modulating the position of pigmented cells inside lens-like, light-focusing structures arranged in an array across the star's back. By combining both of these mechanisms so that they respond optically to liquid infiltration into chemically modified porous structures, Aizenberg's team developed a liquid decoder that is small enough to fit in the palm of the hand and can function without a power source. Engineered surface properties interact with liquids to change the interfacial chemistry of the test strip, which instantly causes corresponding color changes or markers to appear. With support from the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration, Aizenberg is now leading research efforts to optimize the sensing capabilities, while Burgess is spearheading Validere's development of software and an interface device that will translate visual test results into recommended action for handling identified liquids. The device will pair with disposable strips to comprise customizable field test kits that can be tailored to identify virtually any liquid or liquid mixture. "The goal is to remove the element of human error from the identification and categorization of unknown liquids," Burgess said. In 2013, W-INK was selected to receive the R&D 100 Award--known as "the Oscar of Innovation"--from R&D Magazine. The research underlying Harvard's W-INK technology was supported by grants from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research; the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and DHS. ### Most cells can divide only a limited number of times and eventually undergo permanent cell cycle arrest, a state known as cellular senescence. Cellular senescence is mediated by activation of specific cellular signaling pathways involving the proteins p19ARF and p16INK4A. Precise control of cell cycle arrest and senescence are important for a number of biological processes, including embryonic development, wound healing, and tissue regeneration. Accumulating evidence also indicates that cellular senescence contributes to tissue aging. In this issue of JCI Insight, Masataka Sugimoto and colleagues at the Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo examined the role of cellular senescence in aging lungs, as there is a well-documented decrease in lung function with age. Using transgenic mice in which they could selectively eliminate cells that express p19ARF, Sugimoto and colleagues demonstrate that the loss of senescent cells improved lung function in mice. Further studies will be required to determine exactly how senescent cells impair lung function. ### TITLE: Elimination of p19ARF-expressing cells enhances pulmonary function in mice AUTHOR CONTACT: Masataka Sugimoto National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Email: msugimot@ncgg.go.jp View this article at: http://insight.jci.org/articles/view/87732?key=a306472a4316d65a4eac JCI Insight is the newest publication from the American Society of Clinical Investigation, a nonprofit honor organization of physician-scientists. JCI Insight is dedicated to publishing a range of translational biomedical research with an emphasis on rigorous experimental methods and data reporting. All articles published in JCI Insight are freely available at the time of publication. For more information about JCI Insight and all of the latest articles go to http://www.insight.jci.org. Tissue injury, such as occurs in response to a lack of oxygen, promotes an influx of immune cells to the site of damage. After an ischemic injury to the heart, such as occurs after a heart attack or heart transplant, these responses are often maladaptive, resulting in decreased contractility and possible failure. Innate immune cells called neutrophils infiltrate the heart and are linked to pathogenic responses following an ischemic event; however, it is not clear how these cells are recruited to the site of damage. In this issue of JCI Insight, a team led by Daniel Kreisel of Washington University of Medicine determined that a macrophage population that resides in the heart promotes neutrophil recruitment in response to ischemic injury. Using a mouse heart transplant model of ischemic damage and live animal imaging, the authors determined that a subset of heart-resident macrophages that express a molecule known as CCR2 mediate neutrophil infiltration. Specifically, these macrophages produced molecules that attached neutrophils from the blood to the site of injury. Loss of CCR2 macrophages or blocking the production of neutrophil-attracting molecules reduced the numbers of neutrophils the migrated to the transplanted heart. Together, the results of this study reveal that resident macrophages provide signals that call neutrophils to the site of injury. ### TITLE: Heart-resident CCR2+ macrophages promote neutrophil extravasation through TLR9/MyD88/CXCL5 signaling AUTHOR CONTACT: Daniel Kreisel Washington University in St. Louis Email: kreiseld@wudosis.wustl.edu View this article at: http://insight.jci.org/articles/view/87315?key=087e48230e1b57eefb01 JCI Insight is the newest publication from the American Society of Clinical Investigation, a nonprofit honor organization of physician-scientists. JCI Insight is dedicated to publishing a range of translational biomedical research with an emphasis on rigorous experimental methods and data reporting. All articles published in JCI Insight are freely available at the time of publication. For more information about JCI Insight and all of the latest articles go to http://www.insight.jci.org. Oral and genital herpes are caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which both cause lifelong infection. HSV-2 infection is associated with increased risk for HIV infection. HSV2-infected women pose a risk of transmitting this dangerous infection to newborn babies; therefore, avoiding herpes infection during pregnancy is very important. In this issue of JCI Insight, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine report a promising vaccine strategy for immunizing against both HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections. Led by Betsy Herold and William Jacobs Jr., the researchers expanded upon previous work from their group indicating that a vaccine made from an engineered HSV-2 virus that lacks expression of glycoprotein D could protect against infection with a single strain of HSV-2 in mice. The current report shows that vaccination protects mice from multiple clinical isolates of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection. Mice rapidly cleared virus after infection and did not develop long-term latent infections. These studies provide exciting preclinical support for a new vaccine strategy to prevent infection by herpes viruses. ### TITLE: HSV-2 gD elicits FcR-effector antibodies that protect against clinical isolates AUTHOR CONTACT: Betsy Herold Albert Einstein College of Medicine Email: betsy.herold@einstein.yu.edu Or William R. Jacobs Jr., Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Email:jacobsw@hhmi.org. View this article at: http://insight.jci.org/articles/view/88529?key=68821b84d248fb915f19 JCI Insight is the newest publication from the American Society of Clinical Investigation, a nonprofit honor organization of physician-scientists. JCI Insight is dedicated to publishing a range of translational biomedical research with an emphasis on rigorous experimental methods and data reporting. All articles published in JCI Insight are freely available at the time of publication. For more information about JCI Insight and all of the latest articles go to http://www.insight.jci.org. Mucous membrane pemphigoid is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and scarring in mucosal tissues. Affected individuals frequently exhibit scarring in the eye, which can lead to blindness in as many as 20% of patients. In this issue of JCI Insight, two related studies report on the underlying cause of fibrosis in the eye and implicate an important role for vitamin A metabolism. A group of researchers led by John Dart at UCLA show that the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which produces the vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid, is elevated in mucous membrane tissue in the eye from mucous membrane pemphigoid patients. In mice, they demonstrate that an inhibitor of ALDH known as disulfiram can prevent inflammation in ocular mucosal tissue and decrease markers of fibrosis. A companion paper headed by Daniel Saban at Duke University explores the mechanism that contributes to eye fibrosis and uncovers a direct role for dendritic cells of the innate immune system. This study shows in a mouse model of eye fibrosis that dendritic cells produce high levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase. The resulting increase in retinoic acid triggers signaling in nearby fibroblasts that promotes fibrosis. Cumulatively, these two studies highlight a key role for retinoic acid in ocular fibrosis and suggest that inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase might potentially be used to prevent scarring in the eye. ### TITLE: Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition blocks mucosal fibrosis in human and mouse ocular scarring AUTHOR CONTACT: John Dart University College London Email: j.dart@ucl.ac.uk View this article at: http://insight.jci.org/articles/view/87001?key=8a651b204e228f66cb72 ACCOMPANYING ARTICLE TITLE: Classical dendritic cells mediate fibrosis directly via the retinoic acid pathway in severe eye allergy AUTHOR CONTACT: Daniel Saban Duke University School of Medicine Email: Daniel.saban@duke.edu View this article at: http://insight.jci.org/articles/view/87012?key=5af8c5a9762ed12a91e2 JCI Insight is the newest publication from the American Society of Clinical Investigation, a nonprofit honor organization of physician-scientists. JCI Insight is dedicated to publishing a range of translational biomedical research with an emphasis on rigorous experimental methods and data reporting. All articles published in JCI Insight are freely available at the time of publication. For more information about JCI Insight and all of the latest articles go to http://www.insight.jci.org. A group of Russian physicists, with the contribution from their Swiss colleagues, developed a way to use the therapeutic effect of heating or cooling the tissues due to the magnetocaloric effect. The article with the results of the work was published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Refrigeration. A team of the Lomonosov Moscow State University scientists proposed a new way to use the magnetocaloric effect for the targeted delivery of drugs to the implants. Vladimir Zverev, one of the authors (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics) claims that this is a unique method that uses a negative magnetocaloric effect. The gist of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is reduced to the fact that when exposed to an external magnetic field, the magnetic material changes its temperature, sometimes rising and sometimes, on the contrary, falling (depending on the material). This significant physical phenomenon was discovered in the nineteenth century, although the effect has been described only in 1917. Over the past century, the MCE has been minutely studied, but the interest of researchers increased dramatically in recent decades. This is due to, first, a significant contribution to the physics of magnetic materials, and, second, a fairly extensive area of its possible applications. It can be very successfully used in low-temperature physics, for the production of heat engines, refrigeration and so on. However, the majority of these applications is not ready for commercial use yet, mainly due to the unavailability of the technology. Speaking, for example, about domestic magnetic refrigerators, although they are being developed today by many scientific and industrial laboratories around the world, according to Vladimir Zverev, a member of the Physics Department of MSU, such refrigerators, if they were made today, would be very expensive. 'For such a refrigerator magnetic field of around one Tesla is required, which at today's possibilities makes the prices very high and therefore commercially unacceptable - the very device to generate such a field will cost at least fifteen hundred dollars. It remains to wait for them to fall in price', Vladimir Zverev says. However, this did not prevent the authors from suggesting a new application of the magnetocaloric effect, almost ready for massive use - this time in medicine. One of the developed methods is called "magnetic fluid hypothermia" and consists in heating cancer tumors with special magnetic nanoparticles, delivered directly to the tumor site. To do this, the researchers developed and created a unique tool to create an alternating high-frequency magnetic field with no analogues in the world, as Vladimir Zverev says. Today, with the help of this facility in the Blokhin Scientific Cancer Centre, the primary research of various cancerous cell cultures was conducted. The studies on mice were also carried out, which proved biocompatibility and non-toxicity of the microparticles. The experiments on the microparticles' pharmacokinetics are conducted as well, which demonstrate its ability of retention in the tumor, spreading in the body with the blood flow etc. If the possibility of using such magnetocaloric effect in the scientific literature is at least mentioned - in fact that the heating of the tumor may lead to its degradation has long been known, - the second method, proposed by the scientists, is quite unique. It is known that one of the problems when implanted of foreign parts in human- artificial joints, abdominal nets, stents esophagus, urinary and biliary ducts, etc. - is the likelihood of rejection. The authors offer to apply a special coating to implants (yet at the stage of the preparation for installing), consisting of several layers. The first layer is a magnetic material, which is cooled in an external magnetic field (a material with a negative magnetocaloric effect). This layer may be a thin film or a suspension of magnetic microparticles. The second layer is the polymer matrix, in which, as a sponge, absorbs the drug. The polymer matrix is in direct thermal contact with the magnetocaloric material. This entire structure is placed in the body during the operation. The fact that the polymer used in the technology at the normal body temperature, i.e. at a temperature above 37 degrees, behaves like a jelly, which holds the drug inside. When the magnetic field lowers the temperature, the polymer transits in a liquid state and releases drug at the site of theimplantation. For example, when, after insertion of the implant an inflammation occurs, the non-invasive application of an external magnetic field (for example, in MRI) allows to release the desired dose of drug over the desired time and place. This method of the 'targeted' drug delivery is good, in particular, by the fact that it only affects the source of inflammation and remains the rest of the body uninfluenced, that is, by definition, completely harmless. There is a problem though - it is unclear what to do if the coated drug is over. Zverev says that this problem is solvable: 'First, in some cases just a single drug input is need, for example, to paste the abdominal mesh. A release dosage portions of the drug can be controlled by regulating the magnitude of the external magnetic field. It is also possible to replenish a the coat, using the fact that a drug may be chemically linked to the magnetic particles which can be 'dragded' to the desired location in the body by an external magnetic field. This method we haven't developed however, and it is only ideas yet'. ### You may have heard of plans to use drones for delivering packages, monitoring wildlife, or tracking storms. But painting murals? That's the idea behind a project in Paul Kry's laboratory at McGill University's School of Computer Science. Prof. Kry and a few of his students have teamed up to program tiny drones to create dot drawings - an artistic technique known as stippling. It's no simple feat. Programming the aerial robots to apply each payload of ink accurately and efficiently requires complex algorithms to plan flight paths and adjust for positioning errors. Even very slight air currents can toss the featherweight drones off course. The drones, which are small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, are outfitted with a miniature arm that holds a bit of ink-soaked sponge. As they hover near the surface to be painted, internal sensors and a motion capture system help position them to dab the ink in just the right places. Video : https://youtu.be/CP-fBvcUAls So far, the flying robots have rendered - on paper - portraits of Alan Turing, Grace Kelly, and Che Guevara, among others. Each drawing is composed of a few hundred to a few thousand black dots of varying sizes. Night flights Kry came up with the idea a few years ago, as a way to do something about the blank hallways and stairwells in the building that houses his lab. "I thought it would be great to have drones paint portraits of famous computer scientists on them," he recalls. He bought a few of the tiny quadcopters online and had a student start on the task as a summer project in 2014, under a Canadian government award for undergraduate research. Later, master's students Brendan Galea and Ehsan Kia took the project's helm, often working at night and into the wee hours of the morning so the drones' artistic efforts wouldn't be disturbed by air turbulence from other students coming in and out of the lab. An article on the project by Kry and the three students won a "best paper" prize in May at an international symposium in Lisbon on computational aesthetics in graphics and imaging. Aiming high And the work goes on. Eventually, larger drones could be deployed to paint murals on hard-to-reach outdoor surfaces, including curved or irregular facades, Kry says. "There's this wonderful mural festival in Montreal, and we have giant surfaces in the city that end up getting amazing artwork on them," he notes. "If we had a particularly calm day, it would be wonderful to try to do something on a larger scale like that." ### The work was supported by funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Nature et technologies, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. "Stippling with Aerial Robots" Galea, Brendan; Kia, Ehsan; Aird, Nicholas; Kry, Paul G.; Eurographics Association May 2016 Expressive symposium. DOI: 10.2312/exp.20161071 Higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with lower ovarian cancer risk in African American women, according to the results of a study by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and elsewhere reported online August 3 by the American Journal of Epidemiology. It showed that the risk of ovarian cancer was 29 percent lower among women with a college degree or more compared with those who had a high school degree or less. Similarly, the risk of ovarian cancer was 26 percent lower among women with a household income of $75,000 or greater compared with household incomes of $10,000 or less. The study was led by Anthony J. Alberg, Ph.D., MPH, interim director of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences. The population-based case-control study took place in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The study participants, all of whom self-identified as African American, included 513 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and a comparison group of 721 women without cancer. The inverse association with SES held true even after controlling for factors known to be associated with ovarian cancer risk, such as body mass index and a family history of ovarian or breast cancer. "For most types of cancer, people with lower SES are at greater risk," said Alberg. "However, the opposite is true for breast cancer, another hormone-related type of cancer that shares many common risk factors with ovarian cancer. The evidence to date for ovarian cancer is limited and has not yielded clear-cut results. This study represents a major step forward in helping to shed light on the relationship between SES and ovarian cancer, with results clearly pointing in the direction of higher disease risk in women of lower SES -- the opposite of what we see for breast cancer." None of the previous studies addressing this question focused on women of African ancestry. By establishing an association between lower SES and higher disease risk in African American women, the study led by Alberg raises questions about SES and ovarian cancer risk in other populations that will need to be answered in future studies. "Important next steps will be to establish whether this same association holds true in women of other races and ethnicities," said Alberg. "Then we will need to determine the root causes of this relationship between socioeconomic status and ovarian cancer so that we can learn if this may lead to new clues about prevention." ### About MUSC Hollings Cancer Center The Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer research program in South Carolina. The cancer center is comprised of more than 120 faculty cancer scientists with an annual research funding portfolio of $44 million and a dedication to reducing the cancer burden in South Carolina. Hollings offers state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within multidisciplinary clinics that include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other specialists equipped for the full range of cancer care, including more than 200 clinical trials. For more information, visit http://www.hollingscancercenter.org. Tropical storm Earl has been intensifying as it moves through the Caribbean Sea. The GPM satellite spotted hot towers, towering thunderstorms within Earl that indicate the storm may intensify. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) now predicts that Earl will be a hurricane before it hits Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula tomorrow afternoon. Earl is predicted by NHC to remain in a light to moderate vertical wind shear environment over very warm sea surface temperatures until landfall. The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite passed over intensifying tropical storm Earl in the Caribbean Sea northeast of Honduras on Aug. 2, 2016 at 11:56 p.m. EDT (Aug. 3, 2016 at 0356 UTC). GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) showed that powerful storms around Earl's forming eye were dropping extremely heavy rainfall. DPR found that rain was falling at a rate of over 251 mm (9.8 inches) per hour in a band of powerful convective storms. GPM's Radar (DPR Ku band) were used to show in 3-D the towering thunderstorms near Earl's center reaching heights of over 16 km (9.9 miles). These strong thunderstorms called "hot towers" often lead to rapid intensification in a tropical cyclone. NASA research has shown that whenever there is the presence of hot towers, the storm usually intensifies within six hours. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. On Aug. 3, 2016 a hurricane warning is in effect for Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, southward to the Belize/Guatemala border and for the Bay Islands, Honduras. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the north coast of Honduras from Cabo Gracias a Dios westward to the Honduras/Guatemala border and north of Puerto Costa Maya to Punta Allen, Mexico. The heavy rainfall rates seen by GPM are evident in the forecast from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The NHC forecast noted that Earl is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 8 to 12 inches over portions of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico through Thursday night. Very heavy rain will reach the Mexican states of Tabasco and Veracruz between Thursday night and Saturday morning. Isolated maximum amounts of 16 inches are possible in Belize and Mexico. At 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Earl was located near latitude 16.8 North, longitude 85.6 West. Earl is moving toward the west near 14 mph (22 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed during the next 48 hours. On the forecast track, the core of Earl is expected to pass near the Honduras Bay Islands this afternoon, and then make landfall in Belize tonight or early Thursday. Maximum sustained winds remain near 70 mph (110 kph) with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 12 hours or so, and Earl is expected to be a hurricane by the time it makes landfall along the coast of Belize. ### For updated forecasts, visit NHC: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov. A NASA satellite animation of imagery from NOAA's GOES-East satellite shows the movement and landfall of Hurricane Earl near Belize City, Belize. NOAA's GOES-East satellite has been providing visible and infrared data on Hurricane Earl since its development as a tropical depression on Aug. 2. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the NASA/NOAA GOES project combined the data into an animation that showed the movement and strengthening of Earl from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4 through the Caribbean Sea. At 1 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016 reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated Earl's maximum sustained winds increased to near 80 mph (130 kph) making it a hurricane. At 2 a.m. EDT Hurricane Earl made landfall 5 miles southwest of Belize City, Belize. By 11 a.m. EDT on Aug. 4, Earl was inland and already 115 miles (185 km) west of Belize City and had weakened to a tropical storm. The Government of Belize has discontinued all coastal warnings. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. Interests along the southern Bay of Campeche should monitor the progress of Earl. The center of Tropical Storm Earl was located well inland near 17.2 degrees north latitude and 89.9 degrees west longitude. Earl was moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 kph), and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said this general motion is expected to continue during the next couple of days. On the forecast track, NHC said Earl will continue to move across northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico tonight and Friday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 990 millibars. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts. Additional weakening is expected as the center moves over high terrain, and Earl is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression by tonight. In the NHC discussion, Forecaster Lixion Avila wrote: "Earl is already well inland over northern Guatemala, and although visible satellite images still show a vigorous circulation, the convection is rapidly decreasing. There are no wind observations near the center, but the best estimate of the initial intensity is 45 knots. Since most of the circulation of Earl is forecast to move over the high terrain of Guatemala and southeastern Mexico, rapid weakening is anticipated. Earl is expected to degenerate into a tropical depression tonight and into a remnant low in a day or so." For additional updates, visit the NHC website at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov. ### A newly-named fossil whale species had superior high-frequency hearing ability, helped in part by the unique shape of inner ear features that have given scientists new clues about the evolution of this specialized sense. In a study published August 4 in Current Biology, researchers from New York Institute of Technology and colleagues from the National Museum of Natural History in France describe a new species of whale, Echovenator sandersi ("Echo Hunter"), an ancient relative of the modern dolphin, and its ability to hear frequencies well above the range of hearing in humans. The research pushes the origin of high frequency hearing in whales farther back in time -- about 10-million years than previous studies have indicated. "Previous studies have looked at hearing in whales but our study incorporates data from an animal with a very complete skull," says Morgan Churchill, a postdoctoral fellow at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and the paper's lead author. "The data we gathered enabled us to conclude that it could hear at very high frequencies, and we can also say with a great degree of certainty where it fits in the tree of life for whales." "This was a small, toothed whale that probably used its remarkable sense of hearing to find and pursue fish with echoes only," says Associate Professor Jonathan Geisler, a study co-author. "This would allow it to hunt at night, but more importantly, it could hunt at great depths in darkness, or in very sediment-choked environments." High frequency hearing plays a key role in echolocation, the use of sound waves and their echoes to establish the position of objects. Bats, some whales and all dolphins use echolocation to hunt. "Echolocation requires two things to be highly effective," says Geisler. "First, the animal must have the ability to produce a high frequency sound and second, it must have the ability to hear and interpret that sound." High-frequency sound production and hearing are key, he says, because the combination yields a rich "audio picture" of the surrounding environment. Churchill says the study confirms that most of the specializations associated with high frequency hearing evolved about 27 million years ago -- about the same time as echolocation, although a few features evolved even earlier. The study is part of a series funded by a $220,000 National Science Foundation grant to Geisler and Associate Professor Brian Beatty, Ph.D., to conduct the first wide-ranging study of cetacean skull development in nearly a century. To learn more about Echovenator, Churchill and colleagues studied a 27-million-year-old skull discovered in South Carolina 2001. By analyzing the bony support structures of the inner ear membranes, along with other measurements of the inner ear, the researchers concluded that the whale had ultrasonic hearing capabilities, and could hear frequencies above the range of human hearing. About 60 million years ago, the semiaquatic ancestor of whales had a limited ability to hear high frequencies. However, Geisler says statistical analyses of fossils in the study allowed researchers to conclude that some degree of high frequency hearing evolved before echolocation and then became even more specialized in modern toothed whales. Baleen whales, which do not echolocate and are specialized to hear low frequency sound, lost some of these initial specializations for hearing high frequency sound. "Knowing when and how echolocation evolved is a critical step in our project, and we are studying how the evolution of echolocation influenced the evolution of skull shapes in cetaceans," says Geisler. As more biological research uses computer models, Geisler says the current study may help scientists distinguish what inner ear features are needed to hear sounds of a given frequency. ### NYU researchers asked participants about their behaviors before, during, and after sex while under the influence of marijuana and alcohol A new study, published in Archives of Sexual Behavior by researchers affiliated with New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR), compared self-reported sexual experiences related to use of alcohol and marijuana. Since marijuana has increased in popularity in the U.S., the researchers examined if and how marijuana use may influence risk for unsafe sexual behavior. "With marijuana becoming more accepted in the U.S. along with more liberal state-level policies," notes Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, an affiliate of CDUHR and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center (NYULMC), "it is important to examine users' sexual experiences and sexual risk behavior associated with use to inform prevention and harm reduction." In this study, the researchers interviewed 24 adults (12 males and 12 females, all self-identified as heterosexual and HIV-negative) who recently used marijuana before sex. Compared to marijuana, alcohol use was more commonly associated with social outgoingness and use often facilitated connections with potential sexual partners; however, alcohol was more likely than marijuana to lead to atypical partner choice or post-sex regret. Alcohol was commonly used as a social lubricant to meet sexual partners, and this was related, in part, to alcohol being readily available in social gatherings. "Interestingly, some users reported that the illegality of marijuana actually facilitated sexual interactions," notes Dr. Palamar. "Since smoking marijuana recreationally is illegal in most states and smoking it tends to produce a strong odor, it usually has to be used in a private setting. Some individuals utilize such private or intimate situations to facilitate sexual encounters". While users often described favorable sexual effects of each drug, both alcohol and marijuana were reportedly associated with a variety of negative sexual effects including sexual dysfunction. For example, marijuana use was linked to vaginal dryness and alcohol was commonly described as increasing the likelihood of impotence among males. The researchers noted that the sexual effects tended to be similar across males and females, and both alcohol and marijuana were generally associated with loss of inhibitions. Both drugs appear to be potentially associated with increased feelings of self-attractiveness, but possibly more so for alcohol, and participants reported feelings of increased sociability and boldness while consuming alcohol. While some participants reported that marijuana use made them more selective in choosing a partner, many participants-- both male and female--felt that their "standards" for choosing a partner were lowered while under the influence of alcohol. "It wasn't surprising that alcohol use reportedly led to less post-sex satisfaction than marijuana," said Dr. Palamar. "Participants reported feelings of regret more frequently after sex on alcohol, but compared to alcohol they generally didn't report poor judgment after using marijuana." When smoking marijuana, participants tended to reported increased feelings of anxiety or a sense of wariness in unfamiliar situations that they did not generally seem to experience after using alcohol. Therefore, these drugs appear to have different effects with regard to socialization that may precede a sexual encounter. "Sexual encounters on marijuana tended to be with someone the individual knew," comments Dr. Palamar. "Sex on alcohol was often with a stranger so the situation before sex may be much more important than the drug used." Marijuana and alcohol are associated with unique sexual effects, with alcohol use reportedly leading to riskier sexual behavior. Both drugs appear to potentially increase risk for unsafe sex. "Research is needed continue to study sexual effects of recreational drugs to inform prevention to ensure that users and potential users of these drugs are aware of sexual effects associated with use," emphasizes Dr. Palamar. "Our results can inform prevention and harm reduction education especially with regard to marijuana, since people who smoke marijuana generally don't receive any harm reduction information at all. They're pretty much just told not to use it." ### Researcher Affiliations: Joseph J. Palamar1,2,3 * Patricia Acosta1 * Danielle C. Ompad2,3,4 * Samuel R. Friedman2,5 1 Department of Population Health, New York University Langone Medical Center, 2 Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing 3 Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, 4 College of Global Public Health, New York University, 5 National Development and Research Institutes, New York, NY, Acknowledgements: This study was funded by the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) via the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (P30DA011041). The first author was also supported by NIDA (K01 DA038800). About CDUHR The mission of the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) is to end the HIV and HCV epidemics in drug using populations and their communities by conducting transdisciplinary research and disseminating its findings to inform programmatic, policy, and grass roots initiatives at the local, state, national and global levels. CDUHR is a Core Center of Excellence funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant #P30 DA011041). It is the first center for the socio-behavioral study of substance use and HIV in the United States and is located at the New York University College of Nursing. For more information, visit http://www.cduhr.org. About NYU Langone Medical Center NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated academic medical center, is one of the nation's premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research, and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of four hospitals--Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; Rusk Rehabilitation; the Hospital for Joint Diseases, the Medical Center's dedicated inpatient orthopaedic hospital; and Hassenfeld Children's Hospital, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children's health services across the Medical Center--plus the NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. The Medical Center's tri-fold mission to serve, teach, and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education, and research. For more information, go to http://www.NYULMC.org, and interact with us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. About the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science with a major in Nursing, a Master of Science and Post-Master's Certificate Programs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in nursing research and theory development. Scientists have tracked the flight paths of a group of bumblebees throughout their entire lives to find out how they explore their environment and search for food Scientists have tracked the flight paths of a group of bumblebees throughout their entire lives to find out how they explore their environment and search for food. This is believed to be the first time any insect has been tracked throughout its whole life. In this unconventional study, the researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) discovered the individual bumblebees differed greatly from one another in the way they flew around the landscape when foraging for nectar. It was also revealed the bees combined exploration of their environment with making the most of food sources they had already discovered. Bees provide an invaluable service to both natural and agricultural ecosystems by pollinating flowers. Understanding how they use the space available to them, and how and when they find food, will provide valuable insights into how to manage landscapes to benefit plants, insects and agricultural crops. Dr Joseph Woodgate, of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at QMUL, said: "This study provided an unprecedented look at where the bees flew, how their behaviour changed as they gained experience and how they balanced the need to explore their surroundings - looking for good patches of flowers - with the desire to collect as much food as possible from the places they had already discovered." The bees were tracked using harmonic radar technology and a small, light-weight piece of electronic equipment which was attached to each one. In total, 244 flights made by four bees were recorded, encompassing more than 15,000 minutes and covering a total distance of more than 180km. Professor Lars Chittka, coordinator of the study, said: "For the first time, we have been able to record the complete 'life story' of a bee. From the first time she saw the light of day, entirely naive to the world around her, to being a seasoned veteran forager in an environment full of sweet nectar rewards and dangerous threats, to her likely death at the hands of predators, or getting lost because she has ventured too far from her native nest." Dr James Makinson, who is joint-first-author with Dr Woodgate, added: "One bee was something of a lifelong vagabond, never settling down on a single patch of flowers. In contrast another of our bees was exceptionally diligent, quickly switching after only three flights from exploration of the surrounding environment to focusing exclusively on a single forage location for six consecutive days. "After six days this bee switched her attention to a closer forage source. She was able to do this without re-exploring her environment, suggesting she had remembered the location from her initial explorations. Our other two bees interspersed foraging for a single location with exploratory flights throughout their entire life." The researchers identified two categories of flight - exploration and exploitation flights. Exploitation of memorised food sources takes place during efficient trips usually to a single foraging location. This is rarely combined with the exploration of unfamiliar areas. Meanwhile, exploration of the landscape typically occurs in the first few flights made by each bee and this is when bees discover most of the places they will return to for feeding during their lives, although further exploration flights are sometimes made. The results could help us understand how to manage crops so as to maximise the free pollination services provided by wild bees as well as how to manage conservation efforts to allow wild bee populations to flourish. The study could also help to explain the way the genes of bee-pollinated plants spread throughout the landscape and shed light on the way parasites and diseases can be spread between patches of plants. The paper, titled 'Life-long radar tracking of bumblebees', was produced in collaboration with Rothamsted Research and was published in the PLOS ONE journal. ### Lake Nona, Fla., August 4, 2016 -- Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have made a major advance in understanding how the cells of an organism, which all contain the same genetic information, come to be so diverse. A study published today in Molecular Cell shows that a protein called OCT4 narrows down the range of cell types that stem cells can become. The findings could impact efforts to produce specific types of cells for future therapies to treat a broad range of diseases, as well as aid the understanding of which cells are affected by drugs that influence cell specialization. "We found that the stem cell-specific protein OCT4 primes certain genes that, when activated, cause the cell to differentiate, or become more specialized," said Laszlo Nagy, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Genomic Control of Metabolism Program and senior author of the study. "This priming customizes stem cells' responses to signals that induce differentiation and makes the underlying genetic process more efficient." Differentiation matters As an organism -- such as a human -- develops from its simplest, earliest form into maturity, its cells transition from a highly flexible state -- stem cells -- to more specialized types that make up its tissues. Many labs are trying to recapitulate this process to generate specific types of cells that could be transplanted into patients to treat disease. For example, pancreatic beta cells could treat diabetes, and neurons that produce dopamine could treat Parkinson's. What OCT4 does OCT4 is a transcription factor--a protein that regulates gene activity -- that maintains stem cells' ability to give rise to any tissue in the body. OCT4 works by sitting on DNA and recruiting factors that either help initiate or repress the reading of specific genes. The new study shows that, at certain genes, OCT4 also collaborates with transcription factors that are activated by external signals, such as the retinoic acid (vitamin A) receptor (RAR) and beta-catenin, to turn on their respective genes. Vitamin A converts stem cells to neuronal precursors, and activation of beta-catenin by Wnt can either support pluripotency or promote non-neural differentiation, depending on what other signals are present. Recruitment of these factors 'primes' a subset of the genes that the signal-responsive factors can activate. The big picture "Our findings suggest a general principle for how the same differentiation signal induces distinct transitions in various types of cells," added Nagy. "Whereas in stem cells, OCT4 recruits the RAR to neuronal genes, in bone marrow cells, another transcription factor would recruit RAR to genes for the granulocyte program. Which factors determine the effects of differentiation signals in bone marrow cells -- and other cell types -- remains to be determined." Next steps "In a sense, we've found the code for stem cells that links the input -- signals like vitamin A and Wnt -- to the output -- cell type," said Nagy. "Now we plan to explore whether other transcription factors behave similarly to OCT4 -- that is, to find the code in more mature cell types. "If other factors also have this dual function -- both maintaining the current state and priming certain genes to respond to external signals -- that would answer a key question in developmental biology and advance the field of stem cell research." ### This research was performed in collaboration with scientists at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, the University of Wurzburg and the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Germany, the Institut de Genomique in France, and Weill Cornell Medical College, and supported by grants from the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, the Hungarian Brain Research Program, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. About SBP Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is an independent nonprofit medical research organization that conducts world-class, collaborative, biological research and translates its discoveries for the benefit of patients. SBP focuses its research on cancer, immunity, neurodegeneration, metabolic disorders and rare children's diseases. The Institute invests in talent, technology and partnerships to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries that will have the greatest impact on patients. Recognized for its world-class NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, SBP employs about 1,100 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at SBPdiscovery.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/SBPdiscovery and on Twitter @SBPdiscovery. The idyllic sight of a sea otter mum with a pup clasped to her chest, basking in the peaceful waters of Monterey Bay suckling her youngster can conceal the true extent of her devotion. Lactation is one of the most demanding physiological processes that animals can experience, but for sea otter mums, the challenge can be life threatening. 'We had been seeing a disproportionately high amount of adult female southern sea otter mortality at the end of lactation', says Nicole Thometz from the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, adding, 'This suggested that lactation was a particularly difficult life stage for females, but we had no idea exactly how costly it was'. Having previously measured the metabolic rates of sea otter pups in a bid to evaluate the cost of parenting, Thometz, Terrie Williams and colleagues had already estimated that sea otter mums might have to double their consumption of food to see the pup through to independence; however, the team needed to measure the resting metabolic rate of a lactating sea otter mother directly to find out exactly how much energy it took to raise a sea otter pup. Yet, with a moratorium on sea otter breeding in captivity, there seemed little chance that they would have the opportunity. That was until a pair of young sea otter females - Mollie and Clara - arrived at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Thometz recalls that vet Mike Murray gave the animals a physical when they arrived and discovered that Clara was pregnant. 'Mike called me to let me know what an amazing opportunity we had on our hands', recalls Thometz excitedly. Having relocated the sea otters to Santa Cruz, Williams, Thometz, Traci Kendall and Beau Richter trained Mollie to enter the acrylic dome where they could record her oxygen consumption while resting. However, as the team intended to return Clara's pup to the wild, it was essential that humans altered her behaviour as little as possible, so they gently transferred her into the dome using a net, successfully repeating the manoeuvre when Clara was suckling her pup after the birth. Clara had also caught the team off guard when she gave birth a month early. 'Beau asked one of our other trainers to take a look at Clara and by the time the trainer got over to her, she was pulling the pup out from between her flippers', Thometz remembers. Comparing Mollie and Clara's metabolism over 12 months, the team saw that Clara's resting metabolic rate at the end of the pregnancy was 16.6% lower than her resting metabolic rate after weaning the pup - similar to the metabolic rate drop that has been found in other pregnant marine mammals. They speculate that this reduction could allow sea otters to accumulate fat reserves in preparation for milk production. However, after the birth of her pup and as it grew, Clara's daily energy demands soared - more than doubling to over 21 MJ day?1 by the time that the pup was 4 months old - while her resting metabolic rate increased by 51%. 'We found the cost of pup rearing to be significantly higher than previously estimated', says Thometz, adding, 'This represents a substantial energetic burden for a species with already high baseline energy demands and minimal energy reserves and is likely one of the underlying reasons why we are seeing high mortality rates for prime age females at the end of lactation'. The team publishes their discovery in Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org. ### REFERENCE: Thometz, N. M., Kendall, T. L., Richter, B. P. and Williams, T. M. (2016). The high cost of reproduction in sea otters necessitates unique physiological adaptations. J. Exp. Biol. 219, 2260-2264. URL: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/219/15/2260 DOI:10.1242/jeb.138891 This article is posted on this site to give advance access to other authorised media who may wish to report on this story. Full attribution is required, and if reporting online a link to jeb.biologists.com is also required. The story posted here is COPYRIGHTED. Therefore advance permission is required before any and every reproduction of each article in full. PLEASE CONTACT permissions@biologists.com THIS ARTICLE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY, 3 August 2016, 18:00 HRS EDT (23:00 HRS BST) A research team headed by investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) has developed a tool that allows scientists to quickly manipulate levels of two proteins in the same cell. They say the method, dubbed a "dual molecular tuner," offers an easy way to perform in-depth analyses in mammalian cells in general, and stem cells in particular. Their study, published May 27 in Nature Communications, uses two plant hormones to target specific proteins for degradation, thus allowing researchers to reduce these proteins to levels they choose. This process happens within minutes, enabling the scientists to monitor what happens in the cells as these proteins are depleted. "We can, for example, monitor differences in cell cycle depending on how one or another protein is depleted, because this tool acts so quickly and so effectively," says the study's senior investigator, Ran Brosh, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of the study's corresponding author, Ihor R. Lemischka, PhD, Professor of Pharmacological Science, Developmental and Regenerative Biology at ISMMS. Not only can researchers choose how much of one or both chosen proteins can be degraded, the entire process is reversible, Dr. Brosh says. "Loss-of-function studies are key to understanding how genes work, but methods to rapidly and effectively disturb the function of mammalian genes -- particularly stem cells -- are scarce. This dual molecular tuner, in which you can manipulate two proteins independently of each other, is very useful for a wide variety of studies that have been hard to do to date, such as decoding signaling networks or protein interactions," he says. The tuner can be used for two proteins because researchers have identified two plant hormones that help signal the cell's targeted destruction of the proteins being studied. The hormones are auxin and coronatine, the bacterial analogue to the plant hormone jasmonate, both of which regulate plant physiology, but are completely non-toxic to humans -- "We eat these hormones in our vegetables and salads every day," Dr. Brosh says. The way the system works is that researchers silence the gene or genes of interest using traditional gene silencing techniques while simultaneously delivering the same gene(s) in a form they can control. These genes now contain sequences that produce a short peptide called a degron -- its function is to regulate protein degradation -- that is fused to the encoded protein. A third component that is introduced (all three contained within a single lentiviral vector) is a receptor for the plant hormone. When the cells are treated with the hormone it binds its receptor, which then targets the protein-degron fusion for destruction. "Our tuner allows a researcher to harness the cell's degradation system, and we can turn it up or down as we wish - like dimming lights a little or all the way," Dr. Brosh says. Unlike other gene editing techniques, which can take months to apply to a single gene, establishment of the dual tuner takes one or two weeks of lab work, he adds. While the tool is meant for research, it can have clinical application such as screening for drug targets, Dr. Brosh adds. Collaborators include researchers from the University of Washington which also shares a patent with ISMMS for the development of coronatine as a research tool. ### This work was supported by grants from New York State Stem Cell Science, the National Institute of General Medical Science and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Competing financial interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest. About the Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services--from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is in the "Honor Roll" of best hospitals in America, ranked No. 15 nationally in the 2016-2017 "Best Hospitals" issue of U.S. News & World Report. The Mount Sinai Hospital is also ranked as one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Geriatrics, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Ear, Nose & Throat, and is in the top 50 in four other specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 10 nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report in "Best Children's Hospitals." For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Processing factories are floundering to find something to process. Vietnam's seafood exports are expected to slow this year in the wake of a severe drought and mass fish deaths along central coastal provinces, the Vietnam News Agency has reported. The country exported more than $3.15 billion worth of seafood products during the first six months of this year, up 4 percent from the same period last year, said Ngo Van Ich, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEAP). However the agricultural sector, including aquatic farming, took a hard hit by the worst drought and saltwater intrusion in nearly a century. Statistics show the sector posted negative growth of 0.18 percent in the first half of the year. Adverse weather conditions have badly affected Vietnams aquatic farming leading to a lack of input materials and forcing many seafood processing factories nationwide to downsize operations, running at just 50-60 percent of their full capacity. Vietnamese seafood factories have so far this year spent $485 million to import input materials. The southernmost province of Ca Mau, which accounts for 25 percent of the countrys shrimp production, has been hit hard by the impacts of drought and saline intrusion, which have affected more than 53,000 hectares of shrimp farms and cost the province a total of VND260 billion ($11.6 million). Official statistics released by the local government show the total output of farmed shrimp for the first six months is estimated to edge down three percent from the same period last year to 159,000 tons. Ca Mau has revised down its 2016 export revenue target to $1 billion from $1.2 billion, said Ngo Thanh Linh, chairman of the provincial association of seafood exporters and producers. Vietnams seafood exports have suffered another hit from the mass fish deaths along the countrys central coast. Our factory has been running non-stop for the past 23 years. Our main export market is Japan. But this year for the first time input shortages have brought us to a halt. We have been running at just 40 percent of our full capacity for the past six months, said Tran Dinh Nam, chief executive of a seafood processing unit in the central province of Ha Tinh. Ha Tinh Province, about 400 kilometers south of Hanoi, is one of four central coastal provinces hit by an environmental disaster caused by the now infamous Formosa steel factory. Toxic chemicals discharged through a drainage pipe at Formosa have been blamed for poisoning the seawater, killing a huge number of fish both on farms and offshore. The fallout has led to concerns from the United States, Europe and Japan about product quality and safety, which has created more hurdles for Vietnamese exporters. Industry experts also blamed unfair rivalries among Vietnamese exporters for the declining seafood exports. The competition is getting increasingly ugly, said Nguyen Hong Minh, co-founder of VASEP and former deputy fisheries minister, referring to Vietnamese businesses racing for export deals at lower prices. VASEP Chairman Ngo Van Ich said seafood exporters will be faced with more challenges ahead. European demand is dwindling following Brexit while the global economy has yet to show signs of a strong recovery. As Vietnam has concluded a variety of new-generation free trade agreements, seafood export will find it more difficult to secure a firm foothold in traditional markets due mainly to technical tariff barriers. Last year, Vietnam earned $6.6 billion from seafood exports. Related News: > Drought and salinity rock Vietnam's economy in first half of 2016 > Shrimp farmers going broke due to severe drought >King of fruits dethroned as drought sends prices spiraling A joint University of Adelaide-Shanghai Jiao Tong University study has provided the first broad picture of the evolution and possible functions in the plant of pollen allergens. Published in the journal Plant Physiology, the researchers believe their work may help with medical research into the reduction or prevention of allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (hay fever). "During the past four decades, allergic diseases have become a global health problem," says project leader Professor Dabing Zhang, who leads the University of Adelaide and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Laboratory for Plant Science and Breeding. "Studies have shown that more than 50% of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis are sensitised to pollen allergens, and the number of people affected by pollen allergy is on the increase worldwide. "Unfortunately, pollen allergens are difficult to avoid because of the extremely small size and high prevalence of pollen. "This is a serious health issue but very little is known about their evolutionary history and why plants have evolved these allergens." The researchers, including postgraduate students Miaolin Chen at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Deborah Devis at the University of Adelaide's Waite campus, performed a genome-wide analysis of potential pollen allergens in two model plants, Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) and rice by comparing those results among 25 species of plants ranging from simple alga to complex flowering plants. They used these findings to develop a model explaining how plants produced and maintained pollen allergens. "This genetic and evolutionary insight our work has provided will be useful in terms of both future medical and plant-breeding research focused on preventing pollen allergies. For instance it may help in the development of a vaccine or in modifying crop plants by screening out allergens during plant breeding," says Professor Zhang. ### The University of Adelaide and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Laboratory for Plant Science and Breeding was established late last year as part of an overall joint Centre for Agriculture and Health. The two universities are working together to contribute to the national food, water and health targets of their respective countries under four themes: agriculture and wine; land and water; food safety and quality; and health and nutrition. Professor Zhang is a distinguished Chinese plant scientist, who divides his time between Adelaide and Shanghai Jiao Tong. The joint laboratory is researching key problems in food security, including the generation of more environmentally resilient and productive crops. Media Contact: Professor Dabing Zhang Professor of Plant Science and Breeding Phone: 61-8-8313 7168 Mobile: 61-0-478-827-194 dabing.zhang@adelaide.edu.au Robyn Mills Media Officer Phone: 61-8-8313-6341 Mobile: 61-0-410-689-084 robyn.mills@adelaide.edu.au CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A new study challenges earlier interpretations of an important burial mound at Cahokia, a pre-Columbian city in Illinois near present-day St. Louis. The study reveals that a central feature of the mound, a plot known as the "beaded burial," is not a monument to male power, as was previously thought, but includes both males and females of high status. The new study, published in the journal American Antiquity, is one of several recent analyses of the site from researchers at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at the University of Illinois and their colleagues at other institutions. All of the studies confirm the presence of males and females in the beaded burial. In 1967, archaeologist Melvin Fowler discovered a massive burial site at Cahokia while excavating an unusual, ridgetop mound. This mound, now called Mound 72, held five mass graves, each containing 20 to more than 50 bodies, with dozens of other bodies buried individually or in groups, sometimes directly over the mass graves. Fowler identified 270 bodies in the mound. Scientists later determined that all of the burials occurred between about 1000 and 1200, during the rise and peak of Cahokia's power and influence. Some of the burials appeared to be high-status individuals whose bodies were placed on cedar litters. "Mound 72 burials are some of the most significant burials ever excavated in North America from this time period," said ISAS director Thomas Emerson, who conducted the most recent study with physical anthropologist Kristin Hedman and skeletal analysts Eve Hargrave of ISAS, Dawn Cobb of the Illinois State Museum Society, and Andrew Thompson of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The ISAS is a division of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois. "Fowler's and others' interpretation of these mounds became the model that everybody across the east was looking at in terms of understanding status and gender roles and symbolism among Native American groups in this time," Emerson said. Emerson and his colleagues discovered that some of those early interpretations were based on inaccurate and incomplete information. Most of the errors involved the beaded burial. Here, two central bodies were placed, one on top of the other, on a partial bed of beads that also ran between and around the bodies. Several other bodies, buried at the same time, were arranged around this pair. Fowler and later archaeologists came to believe that this was a burial of two high-status males surrounded by their servants. They interpreted the arrangement of beads associated with these central figures as the remains of a beaded cape or blanket in the shape of a bird. The pattern of beads near the heads of the two central bodies resembled a bird head, some thought. Because the bird is a common motif related to warriors and supernatural beings in some Native American traditions, Fowler proposed that the central males of the beaded burial represented mythical warrior chiefs. "One of the things that promoted the concept of the male warrior mythology was the bird image," Emerson said. Once this interpretation took hold, many researchers came to see this as evidence that Cahokia was "a male-dominated hierarchy," he said. A fresh look at the early archaeologists' maps, notes and reports and the skeletal remains told a new and surprising story. First, the researchers found that there were 12 bodies associated with the beaded burial - not six, as had been previously reported. And independent skeletal analyses conducted by each of the co-authors - Thompson, Hedman, Hargrave and Cobb - revealed that the two central bodies in the beaded burial were actually male and female. Further analyses revealed other male-female pairs on top of, and near, the beaded area. Some were laid out as fully articulated bodies. Others were disarticulated bodies, the bones of which had been gathered and bundled for burial near these important couples. The researchers also discovered the remains of a child. "We had been checking to make sure that the individuals we were looking at matched how they had been described," Hedman said. "And in re-examining the beaded burial, we discovered that the central burial included females. This was unexpected." "The fact that these high-status burials included women changes the meaning of the beaded burial feature," Emerson said. "Now, we realize, we don't have a system in which males are these dominant figures and females are playing bit parts. And so, what we have at Cahokia is very much a nobility. It's not a male nobility. It's males and females, and their relationships are very important." The new findings are more in line with other evidence from Cahokia, Emerson said. "For me, having dug temples at Cahokia and analyzed a lot of that material, the symbolism is all about life renewal, fertility, agriculture," he said. "Most of the stone figurines found there are female. The symbols showing up on the pots have to do with water and the underworld. And so now Mound 72 fits into a more consistent story with what we know about the rest of the symbolism and religion at Cahokia." Emerson said that those who saw warrior symbolism at Cahokia missed the special culture of the time period. "When the Spanish and the French came into the southeast as early as the 1500s, they identified these kinds of societies in which both males and females have rank," he said. "Really, the division here is not gender; it's class." "People who saw the warrior symbolism in the beaded burial were actually looking at societies hundreds of years later in the southeast, where warrior symbolism dominated, and projecting it back to Cahokia and saying: 'Well, that's what this must be,'" Emerson said. "And we're saying: 'No, it's not.'" ### Other recent findings related to the people buried in Mound 72 are described in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and a chapter in the book "Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization and Transformation in Complex Societies." See also: "Ancient bones, teeth, tell story of strife at Cahokia." Funding for this research was provided by ISAS, a division of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois. Editor's notes: To reach Thomas Emerson, call 217-244-4244; email teee@illinois.edu. To reach Eve Hargrave, call 217-607-5283; email ehargrav@illinois.edu. To reach Kris Hedman, call 217-607-5283; email khedman@illinois.edu. The paper "Paradigms Lost: Reconfiguring Cahokia's Mound 72 Beaded Burial" is available online and from the U. of I. News Bureau. The enterprise will see active cross-national exchange of knowledge, resources and personnel between the two agencies and associates within the GO Group, Asias largest independent public relations, marketing and strategic communications network GO Communications, Malaysia has formally entered into a strategic communications partnership with Regional Public Relations (RPR) in India. The enterprise will see active cross-national exchange of knowledge, resources and personnel between the two agencies and associates within the GO Group, Asias largest independent public relations, marketing and strategic communications network. To date, the network, led by GO Communications, comprises over 15 affiliated agencies including those in Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, China and Hong Kong. This new venture with the New Delhi-based agency will see the GO Group enlarge its Asian footprint. These are truly exciting times for the GO Group. As Asia experiences a mushrooming economy especially India, we find more clients seeking cost-efficient solutions to effectively engage in marketing and PR across national borders. The development of the GO Group is an effective solution in this regard. What it has done is establish a synergic force between the regions top agencies, said Peter de Kretser, CEO of GO Communications and Director of the GO Group. We warmly welcome our counterparts from the well-established RPR into the group. Not only is India the seventh largest economy in the world, but its young population has rendered a long term growth prospective with one of the fastest growing service industries globally, he added. With expertise in strategic and traditional public relations and equal competency in new media and digital PR, RPR has accelerated its growth over the past seven years, being contracted by clients ranging from startups to multinational corporations who are leaders in their respective industries. This is indeed a historic moment for us at RPR. It will definitely support the growth that weve been experiencing and will boost our foray into the international market, especially in the Asian region. Our team certainly looks forward to the mutual benefit of all agencies under the GO Network and forging strong ties with its members over the years to come, said Vivek Sood, Co-founder and Director of Regional PR. An industry veteran himself, Sood carries with him more than 14 years of experience in managing a diverse portfolio of clients across the aviation, pharmaceutical, automobile, real estate, hospitality, political and education industries, among others. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) The EURUSD exchange rate slipped from its best levels since the end of June on Wednesday, as a surge of returned US Dollar strength pushed the shared currency down. The Euro plummeted against the US Dollar on Friday, as Julys Non-Farm Payroll report gave investors a solid reason to buy up the US Dollar once again. The highly influential report revealed that 255k new jobs had been added in July, beating expectations of 180k and serving as a solid followup to Junes impressive figure of 287k. The figure caused EUR/USDs sharpest move of the week yet, causing the pair to instantly shed most of last weeks gains. Sharply disappointing German data failed to put the EUR to USD exchange rate on a downtrend due to the weakness of the Greenback ahead of the latest Non-Farm Payrolls report. While the Eurozones powerhouse economy showed fresh evidence of slowdown markets remained preoccupied with speculation over the July employment data for the US, which could disappoint following higher Jobless Claims figures. The Euro vs US dollar exchange rate struggled to hold its ground on Thursday afternoon, as the Bank of Englands (BoE) historic decision to cut Britains interest rate from 0.50% to 0.25% dragged down the Euro in the Pounds cross flows. However, the US Dollars gains against the Euro were muted when fresh US data disappointed investors. The latest jobless claims report disappointed, with 269k new jobless claims coming in and the number of continuing claims only dropping from 2144k to 2138k despite being expected to fall to 2130k. As the Eurozone Retail PMI failed to recover as far as forecast in July this offered limited support to the Euro exchange rates on Thursday morning. Confidence in the US Dollar, meanwhile, remained heightened ahead of the latest US jobless claims data, which investors hope will point towards a stronger Non-Farm Payrolls report tomorrow. EUR/USD hit a post-Brexit-high of 1.1232 on Tuesday night as Eurozone data continued to indicate optimism for the currency bloc. However, as the US Dollar recovered from its recent plummets it dragged the pair below the weeks opening levels of 1.1175 and by Thursday morning the pair traded below 1.1150. Latest Euro/Dollar Exchange Rates On Friday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1 The GBP to GBP exchange rate converts at 1 today. The live inter-bank GBP-AUD spot rate is quoted as 1.808 today. The pound conversion rate (against us dollar) is quoted at 1.156 USD/GBP. NB: the forex rates mentioned above, revised as of 28th Oct 2022, are inter-bank prices that will require a margin from your bank. Foreign exchange brokers can save up to 5% on international payments in comparison to the banks. Euro (EUR) Exchange Rates Slip Despite Growing Eurozone Activity The Euro failed to hold its ground on Wednesday, slumping against many major currencies as market attention was drawn away from the shared currency after last weeks rally. News that the Eurozones economy had remained resilient since the Brexit vote boosted the Euro last week and earlier this week, but the currency has slumped since Wednesday despite highly optimistic Eurozone ecostats continuing to print. Following Mondays solid (if not mixed) Manufacturing PMI and Tuesdays healthy increase in Eurozone producer prices, Wednesday data revealed that the Eurozone had perhaps weathered the Brexit gloom even more than most analysts expected. While German services failed to meet preliminary figures and composite scores printed just as expected, the overall Eurozone PMI report from Markit was very promising. Services came in at 52.9, beating the preliminary figure of 52.7, while Eurozone Composite PMI improved on preliminary scores of 52.9 by hitting 53.2. Not only did this beat bearish expectations by far, the Eurozones private sectors overall fared even better than in June. Eurozone Retail PMIs revealed that retail was also up in July from June. US Dollar (USD) Sturdies as Yen Rush Cools The Federal Reserves decision to leave US rates frozen last week, despite being widely expected, undermined the US Dollars appeal for over half a week, leaving the Greenback to easily give up value against its biggest rivals such as the Euro and the Japanese Yen (JPY). However, even with US data this week generally promising enough to keep Fed rate hike bets relatively high, the US Dollar continued to weaken in the first half of the week as investors reacted to reports of an underwhelming stimulus package from the Bank of Japan (BoJ). As the Japanese central bank was expected to introduce a far more aggressive package, the actual measures planned were surprisingly light and caused investors to flood into the Japanese Yen, weakening its rival the US Dollar. The Yens appeal cooled on Wednesday and investors began to return to the US Dollar, overpowering good Euro sentiment. This was despite mixed US data. While ADPs latest employment change report was optimistic, ISMs July Services/Non-Manufacturing PMI was highly disappointing, surpassing an expected slow from 56.5 to 55.9 by falling to 55.5. EUR/USD Forecast: US Non-Farm Payroll Report Ahead With global markets focusing on the Bank of Englands (BoE) UK decision policy meeting on Thursday, the Euro to US Dollar exchange rate may not experience considerable influence from domestic news until Friday. Its possible that the BoEs decision will affect the Euro due to the Euros close relation to the Pound. Failing that however, Fridays session sees the release of June German factory orders which may boost the Euro slightly if they beat expectations. The most influential publication of the day however is set to be the highly anticipated US July Non-Farm Payroll report. Junes report impressed markets last month, but will Julys unemployment rate fall from 4.9% to 4.8% as expected? If unemployment fails to fall the US Dollars strength could be undermined once again. Markets also expect a modest 175k change in Non-Farm Payrolls following Junes high 287k change. As a key indication of US economic health, this figure will have a big influence in Fed rate hike bets going forward. Terra Wood is proposing a $400 mln wind and solar energy project. German green energy firm Terra Wood has revealed plans to invest $400 million in a wind and solar electricity project in Vietnam, contributing to an active week of renewable energy deals made by foreign investors. The energy company has submitted an investment plan to build the project in Vietnams south central province of Quang Ngai, and on-site inspections started on August 3, according to the local People's Committee website. Terra Wood's is the third renewable energy deal proposed to Vietnam in a week following a hydropower project run by the World Banks International Finance Corporation and Armstrong S.E. Clean Energy Fund and The Blue Circles wind energy project in Ninh Thuan Province. Chairman of Quang Ngai People's Committee Tran Ngoc Cang welcomed the project and said the province will help facilitate the German investor's project. Cang also gave permission for Terra Wood to conduct research and surveys for the wind and solar electricity plants in Quang Ngai.The German-owned energy company will develop two electricity power plants, one wind and one solar, which will cover a total of 600 hectares with an output of 300 megawatts and total investment of $400 million. Quang Ngai has immense potential for the development of wind and solar electricity, especially in the districts of Mo Duc and Duc Pho and the famous Ly Son Island. A number of foreign investors are also looking at electricity and renewable energy exploitation in Quang Ngai. Beside Quang Ngai, foreign-invested solar and wind energy projects have been registered across the country, but only a few have been put into operation due to low electricity prices. Terra Wood is an international group of consultancy, engineering and project development companies dedicated to green energy projects. Within the network, Terra Wood Vietnam is the country representative of Germany's ProfEC GmbH, which specializes in turnkey wind, biomass, biogas, wind, solar and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. Related news > Foreign investors lay eyes on Vietnams renewable energy sector > Vietnam approves $60 mln wind power project > Vietnam opens first energy-saving glass plant in Southeast Asia Hi Everyone! I tried to search the thread for information on this topic, but I couldn't find anything - perhaps I did it wrong? As all our minds do while we're waiting, mine is definitely worrying and wandering! My wife (sponsor to the UK) has a local government job for the past 6 years, in the past 7 months prior to applying for our Spousal Settlement Visa, she has been making well over the necessary requirement. I, however, as the applicant, am self-employed. I provided proof of employment, as much as I knew how, as well as a page from last years tax return. Because I am the applicant and not the sponsor, should this pose a problem at all or do you think we will be fine? Our application as a whole was extremely straight forward and well laid-out with more than enough proof, evidence, etc that they require. Is or was anyone else in a similar self-employed applicant position? Thanks! Investors aim to turn a deserted part of the city into a green space filled with world-class architecture. Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have recently approved a new ecological park project worth $6 billion to be built in a barren part of the city at the confluence of the Nha Be and Saigon rivers. Van Thinh Phat Group Corporation - a private property developer - will be the project's major investor. It has signed a cooperation agreement to develop the green urban park with foreign partners, including Malaysia's Pavilion Group and Genting Group. The project, named Saigon Peninsula, will cover a total area of nearly 118 hectares (292 acres) in Phu Thuan Ward in District 7, and will include a multi-functional park, an international cruise terminal, office towers, villas, apartment blocks and hotels. It is expected to contribute to Vietnams tourism industry, create over 30,000 jobs for local people and attract more potential foreign partners to invest in the city and country in general. Pavilion Group will lead the planning of a luxurious shopping mall combined with a 5-star hotel, high standard apartment blocks, deluxe resort villas and class A office towers. Genting Group will build the international cruise terminal, which is expected to be the largest passenger port in Vietnam. Beside the Saigon Peninsula Project, the investors are also looking at several other multi-billion urban infrastructure projects in HCMC. Related news: > Saigon to go green with $58 mln public lighting plan > HCMC initiates flood control project worth $446 mln > Hanoi invests $13 million on innovative anti-flood pond to brighten up urban landscape From: Chuck Gallagher -- The Business Ethics Expert - Keynote Speaker For Immediate Release: Dateline: Greenville , SC Thursday, August 4, 2016 well. But apparently not so with their friend. They were hacked and cleaned out over night. Not something youd like to wake up to. It was apparent that fraud had taken place. Which raises the question about credit union ethics ethical practices and how safe our accounts really are. Its all those hackers Not so fast. Yes there are hackers and phishers and those who would gladly take your identity and money. But what about the inside jobs? Are there those who would bypass credit union ethics and work for their own gain at the expense of customers and/or insurance providers? Beyond Credit Union Ethics Its Fraud! Stefon D. Clark, 27, an Atlanta man was sentenced to more than 3 years in prison and also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones to pay restitution of more than $613,000. Clark pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He ran a social media scheme that deposited more than $1 million in fraudulent checks at the Navy Federal Credit Union, USAA and BB&T. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution: During a scheme lasting at least 17 months, the FBI said, Clark and 2 others posted advertisements on Instagram and other social media sites offering fast cash to people who had accounts at the financial institutions. From some people who answered the ads, the fraudsters were able to obtain bank account numbers, PIN numbers, online banking info and debit cards. The FBI said the trio then deposited checks that were stolen or from closed accounts into the compromised accounts and withdrew cash from the accounts before the financial institutions realized the checks were bogus. Question! Who would give information about their banking information to people with ads on Instagram? DUMB! Time You Best Friend or Worst Enemy? In another example of a breach of credit union ethics, Catherine M. Linton, 58, pleaded guilty to stealing $478,285 from Trailblazer Federal Credit Union located in Pennsylvania. She was the manager at the time of the fraud. Her crime lasted for over 17 years. Guess time was (for a time) on her side. So how did she avoid the auditors reach? Simple she knew when they were coming. According to a report: She did not use false or misleading journal entries to conceal the theft from examiners/auditors, Cessar wrote in court documents. It was simply a timing issue and she said she was lucky the examiners/auditors never asked her to access the Mid-Atlantic Corporate account. The National Credit Union Administration steps in Six people convicted of various crimes were banned by the NCUA from participating in the affairs of any federally insured institution. One individuals actions, a former employee of a Kentucky credit union, led to the institutions insolvency. A lack of credit union ethics by employees can have far reaching consequences that impact credit union members and the institution. Debra C. Pyfrom, (former employee of I.B.E.W. Local 816 Federal Credit Union in Paducah, Ky.) pleaded guilty to bank fraud and was sentenced to 78 months in prison, two years supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $600,250. Another former credit union employee of the merged $47 million Boise U.S. Employees Federal Credit Union in Boise, Idaho Jacqueline Kay Manning, was banned by the NCUA after she pleaded guilty the charge of theft. She was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $213,302. Teller or Presidents Credit Union Ethics violations come from anyone A former Alabama credit union president/CEO was found guilty of 98 felony counts of bank fraud, money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy. Jonathan Wade Dunning received a 112-count indictment that detailed how he allegedly controlled Birmingham Financial Federal Credit Union and stole $14 million in property, assets and federal grants that were supposed to fund healthcare services for poor children, adults and the homeless. Shameless actions and not only a breach of credit union ethics but fraud pure and simple. His crime occurred over a six year period of time. What were they thinking? Great question and now, looking back, it is clear that they werent. Every choice has a consequence! In the cases above the consequences are significant and life changing. Making one unethical choice, like putting a foot on a slippery slope, can create an experience that one cannot recover from. Taking ethics seriously is critical. If your organization needs help in becoming more conscious and vigilant in making ethical choices give me a call. YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME! Save The post Having breakfast with my boss this morning, he shared that his wife woke him with a call that seemed rather urgent. Seems one of their friends, who banked at the same institution they banked at, called to say that their account had a ZERO balance this morning. She asked my boss (her husband) to check their balance to see if things were alright. He did so immediately and all waswell. But apparently not so with their friend. They were hacked and cleaned out over night. Not something youd like to wake up to. It was apparent that fraud had taken place. Which raises the question about credit union ethics ethical practices and how safe our accounts really are.Not so fast. Yes there are hackers and phishers and those who would gladly take your identity and money. But what about the inside jobs? Are there those who would bypass credit union ethics and work for their own gain at the expense of customers and/or insurance providers?Stefon D. Clark, 27, an Atlanta man was sentenced to more than 3 years in prison and also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones to pay restitution of more than $613,000. Clark pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He ran a social media scheme that deposited more than $1 million in fraudulent checks at the Navy Federal Credit Union, USAA and BB&T.According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:Who would give information about their banking information to people with ads on Instagram?In another example of a breach of credit union ethics, Catherine M. Linton, 58, pleaded guilty to stealing $478,285 from Trailblazer Federal Credit Union located in Pennsylvania. She was the manager at the time of the fraud. Her crime lasted for over 17 years. Guess time was (for a time) on her side.So how did she avoid the auditors reach? Simple she knew when they were coming. According to a report:Six people convicted of various crimes were banned by the NCUA from participating in the affairs of any federally insured institution. One individuals actions, a former employee of a Kentucky credit union, led to the institutions insolvency. A lack of credit union ethics by employees can have far reaching consequences that impact credit union members and the institution.Debra C. Pyfrom, (former employee of I.B.E.W. Local 816 Federal Credit Union in Paducah, Ky.) pleaded guilty to bank fraud and was sentenced to 78 months in prison, two years supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $600,250.Another former credit union employee of the merged $47 million Boise U.S. Employees Federal Credit Union in Boise, Idaho Jacqueline Kay Manning, was banned by the NCUA after she pleaded guilty the charge of theft. She was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $213,302.A former Alabama credit union president/CEO was found guilty of 98 felony counts of bank fraud, money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy.Jonathan Wade Dunning received a 112-count indictment that detailed how he allegedly controlled Birmingham Financial Federal Credit Union and stole $14 million in property, assets and federal grants that were supposed to fund healthcare services for poor children, adults and the homeless.Shameless actions and not only a breach of credit union ethics but fraud pure and simple. His crime occurred over a six year period of time.Great question and now, looking back, it is clear that they werent. Every choice has a consequence! In the cases above the consequences are significant and life changing. Making one unethical choice, like putting a foot on a slippery slope, can create an experience that one cannot recover from.Taking ethics seriously is critical. If your organization needs help in becoming more conscious and vigilant in making ethical choices give me a call.YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!The post Credit Union Ethics: Its Fraud! What Were They Thinking appeared first on Chuck Gallagher (NewsUSA) - Sponsored News - For a lot of women, eye makeup is an essential part of being properly dressed -- just as important as a stylish outfit or nice shoes. But while mascara and eyeliner can create different looks, from subtle to striking, they can also make you sick. The problem: Eye makeup can be a breeding ground for bacteria. We all have a few microbes, like Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, living around our eyes. When eyeliner or mascara is applied, some of those bugs stick to the applicator and are carried back to the makeup container. Eye products are supposed to contain preservatives to keep bacteria from growing. But some products don't have enough. And over time, the preservative's effectiveness declines. As a result, the bacteria on an eyeliner pencil or mascara applicator grow and multiply. Each time you apply makeup, you get bigger and bigger doses of bacteria -- enough to cause serious infections. "Every year, many women end up with eye infections from cosmetics," warns the University of Rochester Medical Center. "In rare cases, women have been temporarily or permanently blinded by an eye cosmetic, according to the FDA." You can, however, prevent these problems and others with these simple tips: * Don't share makeup to avoid spreading bacteria. * Replace your eye makeup regularly, at least every three to four months. * Remove eye makeup at the end of every day. * Practice good eyelid hygiene. * Keep updated on the latest eyelid-eyelash hygiene clinical safety reports. Christine Sindt, OD, Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, recommends wiping the eyes daily with a new antibacterial eyelid cleanser, such as Avenova from NovaBay Pharmaceuticals. "One recent study showed that Avenova dramatically reduces the amount of Staphylococcus and other bacteria around the eye -- by more than 99 percent," says Sindt. "Avenova contains a solution of pure hypochlorous acid, a substance used by the body as a natural defense against pathogens, but is completely harmless to skin." "I encourage women to talk to their doctors about daily eye hygiene using safe and effective products, such as Avenova, which can be the best defense against infections and other common eye problems, like dry eye and Blepharitis," adds Columbus, Ohio, ophthalmologist Alice T. Epitropoulos, MD. "Take these steps, and women can have both beauty and healthy eyes." For information click on www.Avenova.com. Watch this video for more details on treatment for your eyes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJoIOTvFGCI. Or call 1-800-890-0329. Wednesday, August 3, 2016 Attract the Right Job or Clientele: The Secret Advantage to Not Fitting In Over time, I managed to hone and then own the advantage of not fitting in. It was reassuring to read biographies of female leaders such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy as they shared their struggles to find their proper place. Look to admired leaders to help forge your way forward and establish the unique you My Story Sales taught me a tremendous amount about people, behaviors, and myself. Its a tough occupation that needs persistence every single day and every minute at work. According to managers, I conducted the sales cycle backwards I had audacity to believe I could sell to the giant corporations I would never make it None of the above proved to be true. I took the right action at the right time for me. The very important lesson learned is that all of the above serves to distinguish you from the competition, and it serves to build a very strong personal brand. Lessons Learned Whether your are pursuing new clients or a new job, those making the decision will admire how you differ from your competitors. But this is true only when you develop a true and vivid short story based upon personal experience. Elements to include are: Why you chose your field How and why your approach differs The benefits you see in your delivery This form of story-telling serves to not only differentiate you from everyone else but also provide compelling reasons as to why you should be handed the business or selected as the new hire. The very next step is to ask the person listening if they agree with you, or if they have questions. Once agreed to the sale or the job becomes yours. Your Story In the past, have you purposefully tried to change your thought in order to fit in with the crowd or were you okay with standing by yourself? Acknowledge the lessons learned from either scenario. What would you like to do in the future? Begin listing those ideas. In addition, attach goals and timelines to those ideas in order to complete the necessary change. The other way to advance is to bypass those who do not understand new and different ideas are needed. Seek out individuals and groups that do. Most likely these new connections will be far more advanced. Usually the root of the problem is that you belong with more pro-active thinking people than where you are typically hanging out. Once the recognition hits, it is your opportunity to find the way out and quickly advance forward. Sales Tips: Examine where you are today and what specifically troubles you Commit to where you truly wish to be Create a plan to give you to your vision Contemplate who you need to meet and with whom to associate Pick up the pace on self education to improve weaker areas for all around strength Set goals with timelines to complete projects Share what you learn along the way to find your true audience Examine postings on social media to find those who share similar thought Research organizations to find the one that will appreciate your help Remain motivated to continue your progress Following these guidelines will lead you to the Smooth Sale! For Business Consultation and Conference Speaking Schedule an Appointment to Learn More: elinor@smoothsale.net Visit Elinors Author Page Sponsored By googleplus A view of the site where a colonial house on Hanoi's Cua Bac Street collapsed at around 3:30 a.m. Thursday. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh The accident took place while construction on the next-door building was underway. Two people have died after an old house in Hanoi collapsed on early Thursday morning. The house on Cua Bac Street in Ba Dinh District (to the northwest of Hanoi's Old Quarter), currently used as a private business premise, crashed down at around 3:30 a.m. Construction work was being carried out in the next-door building. The fire brigade and ambulances arrived at the scene at 6 a.m., and rescue operations are still underway. District police have managed to rescue four people who were rushed to Saint Paul Hospital. Two others who escaped the chaos before the rescue team arrived were taken to the local police station for further investigation. A victim is carried out of the rubble. Photo by VnExpress/Ba Do The authorities are evacuating people from neighboring houses after cracks have been discovered on the wall of an adjacent house. According to neighbors, there were as many as eight employees, including six men and two women, in the house, which was built during the French colonial period. My family were all asleep when we were woken up by a loud rumble," a witness said. "It was like a bomb. I ran out of my house to see the collapse. The investigation continues. Last September, a 110-year-old villa also collapsed in downtown Hanoi, leaving two dead and six injured. In the wake of the collapse, Hanoi officials launched large-scale inspections of the city's colonial buildings. According to official figures, Hanoi is home to nearly 1,600 villas and properties from the French colonial era, aged from 60 to 100 years old. Vietnam lists these colonial villas in Hanoi as heritage buildings that are subject to protection, meaning the architecture cannot be repaired or altered in any form. The flip side of this regulation, according to experts, is that it has hampered the overhaul process and discouraged homeowners from making any renovations. Related news: > 2 dead after floating restaurant collapse in southern Vietnam This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON - Green Party delegates gathering in Houston on Thursday are hoping to put a salve on the wounds of disillusioned Bernie Sanders supporters who left the Democratic National Convention last week feeling burned. The party convention is expected to nominate Massachusetts physician-activist Jill Stein for her second White House bid, presenting Hillary Clinton with a third-party challenge from the left as she confronts Republican Donald Trump. For Democrats, it could be an unwelcome flashback to Ralph Naders Green Party insurgency in 2000, which many thought played a decisive role in helping Texas Republican George W. Bush narrowly win Florida and, hence, the presidency. In an interview with the Chronicle on Wednesday, Stein dismissed her partys role as a potential spoiler, the part traditionally accorded to third-party candidates in American presidential politics, from Nader to Texas Reform Party billionaire Ross Perot. Its kind of funny that these big politicians think theres an entitlement, a new kind of entitlement, that big politicians are entitled to our vote, Stein said. I dont think the American voters think that way. While the Greens argue that they bring fresh faces to the polls, this year they clearly are targeting disaffected Sanders supporters who think the Democratic Party put its thumbs on the scale for Clinton. Some of them are still in the grieving stage, said Green Party activist Donald Cook, a retired parole officer in Houston. We hope well do better than usual because of the disappointed Bernie people. If there is a silver lining for the Clinton campaign, it is that the Green Party is hardly the most potent third party in the race. That distinction goes to the Libertarian Party, whose presidential candidate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, far out-polled Stein four years ago. Stein garnered nearly 470,000 votes in 2012, or about 0.36 percent of the total. That was less than half of Johnsons 1.2 million votes, but more than any other woman running in a general election for the White House. Many of Johnsons voters can be expected to peel away from Trump and the Republicans, who have provided a home for libertarians in recent years. If it is a wash, the two outside parties still expect to make their presence felt in an election year of restive voters and unpopular major party candidates. Unfortunately for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, they are two of the most disliked and untrusted candidates for president in our history, said Stein. I think its a unique opportunity for the American people to break away from this system thats been throwing them under a bus. Stein reserves some of her harshest criticism for Trumps inflammatory rhetoric on racial and religious minorities, particularly his recent attack on a Muslim Gold Star family at the Democratic National Convention. She clashed even more harshly, however, with the Democrats in Philadelphia, where she showed up and courted Sanders dissident delegates, some of them chanting Jill not Hill! Heightening the friction were widespread reports on Wednesday among Green Party delegates of a possible live video hook-up with Julian Assange, whose WikiLeaks site published thousands of emails on the eve of the Democratic convention. The hacked emails, suggesting that some DNC party officials quietly had backed Clinton, angered Sanders supporters, rocked the Democratic gathering and prompted the ouster of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Green Party spokesman Scott McLarty said he could neither confirm nor deny the reports about Assanges participation in the three-day convention at the University of Houston. As Democrats look on nervously, Republicans see an opportunity. Among those applauding Steins run is Trump, who told a rally in Ohio last week that a vote for Stein would be good because I figure anyone voting for Stein is gonna be for Hillary. Stein, for her part, brushed off the danger of weakening Clinton and helping put Trump in the White House. Her brief against Clinton includes the former Secretary of States support for U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Libya, her controversial Wall Street speaking fees and her past record of advocating for international trade deals. I dont find Hillary Clintons actions any more reassuring than Donald Trumps speech, Stein said. Theyre both reprehensible candidates I will feel terrible if Donald Trump gets elected. I will feel terrible if Hillary Clinton gets elected. As delegates arrive in Houston, the Green political movement a coalition of peace, environmental and social justice activists that dates back to the 1980s faces its own internal divisions. Retired college professor Bill Kreml, who was considered Steins leading rival, said he has decided to release his delegates and skip the convention altogether because he only would have been allowed to address the group for five minutes at 9 a.m. Saturday. I said, in my usual delicate way, screw that, Kreml said. Im not going to fly all the way to Houston and sleep in a dorm for three nights to have five minutes. Kreml likened the slight to the Democrats treatment of former Ohio state senator Nina Turner, who was abruptly denied a chance to make a nominating speech for Sanders. Stein rejected the comparison, noting that while Turner was silenced, Kreml was among at least four rivals who divided about 20 percent of the vote and were promised speaking time. Stein confirmed that Turner, who became a cause celebre for Sanders fans in Philadelphia, was among about five people she talked to about being her running mate. After Turner turned it down on Monday, Stein turned to human rights activist Ajamu Baraka, a black intellectual who called the Paris vigil for the 2015 Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack a white power march because it ignored the publications denigration of Arabs, Muslims and other non-European peoples. While Baraka could position the Green Party further on the fringe, some analysts say that a rising dissatisfaction with two-party system could generate new voters in 2016 who normally do not participate in elections. Added to that, some polls show that as many as one-in-five Sanders supporters are open to voting for a third-party. Theyre people who would naturally give the Green Party a second look, and in key swing states that could be critical, said University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus. The Green Party is now on the ballot in at least 23 states, including Texas and the swing states of Ohio and Florida. Ballot petitions were handed in this week in six other states, including Pennsylvania, a Democratic-leaning state with a trove of white, blue-collar workers that Trump hopes to win. Stein said the convention in Houston is a testament to the partys grass-roots support in Texas, where more than 40 Green Party candidates are running in state and local elections, including Texas Railroad Commission candidate Martina Salinas of Laredo. Were coming to Texas to support the development of the party, she said. Ironically, the GOPs strong hold on the Lone Star State could be a boon for the Green Party, at least in the presidential election. With a Clinton victory in Texas a long shot at best, some Sanders supporters say they can cast a protest vote against Clinton without helping Trump nationally. Im privileged here in Texas, because I can choose to vote third party and not have to worry about helping Trump win, said former Sanders delegate Gabriel Silva, a student at the University of Houston. Id rather vote my conscience. But if I were in a swing state, Id have to put a lot more thought into it. On Wednesday, Silva, the target demographic for the Green Party campaign, remained undecided. Farming and food merited little more than a passing mention at either recent political convention. The Texas rancher was rehashing his Capitol Hill meeting over a not-real-warm steak at a swanky restaurant a block or two from the White House. It was pretty discouraging, he said as he sliced into the slab of red rib-eye. That guy his congressman had no more idea of what he was talking about than a bluebird in a tree, but that didnt keep him from talking. I liked the picture the rancher had painted, an always-warbling bluebird rather than an ever-listening owl, so I complimented him. Fact is, the rancher said after a long pause, I failed. You dont hear a thing when your mouths open. He didnt hear a word I said. Not enough listening That 30-year-old picture came to mind after two weeks of non-stop talk from political candidates and pundits in Cleveland and Philadelphia. For anyone other than the most addicted political junkie, it was too many days of too many shouters not listening to too many speeches with too few facts and ideas. What both party conventions did showcase, however, is a big reason why almost half of all Americans choose not to vote: Todays political arena looks more like a scream-filled asylum to avoid than an marketplace of ideas to enter. Political discussion, debate and decision, hallmarks of a functioning republic, have given way to partisan boasting, bullying and baloney. And that goes for members of both political parties who are more ready to dig for divisive differences than search for common solutions. For example, the House Ag Committee, either meeting as a full committee or in separate subcommittees, has held 17 hearings on every aspect of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or the old food stamp program, since January 2015. Seventeen. Why? Because majority Republicans have long held that SNAP is too expensive, too bloated and too infested with fraud to justify its cost. SNAP costs, however, have dropped from $80 billion in 2013 to $74 billion in 2015 and, according to government forecasts, will continue to decline well into the 2020s. Still, the majoritys too-expensive view persists, a holdover from the last farm bill debate when dozens of tea party House members fought a hard and, eventually, failing battle to reform the program. Action needed That fight was not forgotten; it delivered the current Committees obsession over SNAP where one in five agriculture hearings in the last two years has been used to X-ray federal food assistance programs. Meanwhile, back on American farms and ranches, U.S. net farm income over that same period has dropped like a proverbial rock; its cratered from a record high $123.3 billion in 2013 to a forecasted $54.8 billion in 2016. In almost any other sector of the American economy, a three-year, 65 percent crash in overall net income would be seen as a disaster, a cataclysmic event so devastating that Congress could be counted on to quickly swing into action to examine its underlying causes and develop soon-to-be-needed solutions. Not so in agriculture today. Neither farming or ranching or even food, for that matter merited more than a passing mention at either recent political convention. At some level, that was to be expected because todays political conventions, like todays politics, are broken. They dont exist anymore to nominate a candidate, debate a party platform or explain new ideas. They exist to slander an opponent, ridicule an ideology and preempt debate. Worse, this breakdown of politics is now seen by some as a root cause behind the breakdown of civic behavior. Not so simple If leaders dont lead, why should anyone follow? In other words, if politics wont fix growing public problems crumbling roads, worsening schools, widening income gaps people will find other ways, oftentimes violent, they believe will fix them. Real fixes, however, arent that simple. Most involve less hard talk and more hard listening, and thats something we didnt hear at all from the bluebirds in either Cleveland or Philadelphia. WASHINGTON U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Aug. 4 that approximately $11.2 million will be provided to American milk producers enrolled in the 2016 Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). The payment rate for May/June 2016 will be the largest since the program began in 2014. Dairy producers who enrolled at the $6 through $8 margin trigger coverage level will receive payments. The national average margin for the May/June 2016 two-month consecutive period is $5.76277 per hundred weight (cwt.), resulting in the following MPP payment rates: Margin Trigger Coverage Levels Payment Rate/cwt. $6.00 $0.23723 $6.50 $0.73723 $7.00 $1.23723 $7.50 $1.73723 $8.00 $2.23723 Regional Payments (# of operations) Indiana: $190,870 (98) Michigan: $209,381 (128) New York: $403,859 (180) Ohio: $263,013 (139) Pennsylvania: $586,075 (369) West Virginia: $3,852 (5) The narrowing margin between milk prices and the cost of feed triggered the payments, as provided for by the 2014 farm bill. Deadline The enrollment period is currently scheduled to end Sept. 30, 2016, although a bipartisan group of legislators, including House Ag Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson, and Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, sent a letter to Vilsack July 21, asking him to extend the MPP sign-up to Dec. 31 to encourage additional participation. We understand the nations dairy producers are experiencing challenges due to market conditions, said Vilsack. Dairy operations enrolled in the 2016 MPP-Dairy program will receive approximately $11.2 million this month. About the program MPP-Dairy payments are triggered when the national average margin (the difference between the price of milk and the cost of feed) falls below a level of coverage selected by the dairy producer, ranging from $4 to $8, for a specified consecutive two-month period. All final USDA prices for milk and feed components required to determine the national average margin for May/June 2016 were released on July 29. To learn more about the Margin Protection Program for dairy, visit the Farm Service Agency at www.fsa.usda.gov/dairy or stop by a local FSA office. Producers may visit www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool to calculate the best levels of coverage for their dairy operation. The Prairie Doc: We need to be more intentional with antibiotics Five new interdisciplinary research projects have been awarded a portion of 9 million to help increase the resilience of UK food systems. The projects integrate biological, environmental and social sciences to help ensure food security in the face of evolving worldwide markets, environmental and demographic changes, and threats posed by pests and diseases. The research looks to optimise resilience, productivity and sustainability across the food system, ensure resilient supply chains and influence food choices to relieve pressure on global food systems. The successful projects will focus specifically on increasing crop and livestock tolerance to weather, emerging diseases, price volatility and other environmental and social shocks and include the development of models that can be used by the food security community globally. 'Serious threat' of food shortages Science Minister Jo Johnson said the research projects will help tackle the "serious threat" of food shortages. Science Minister Jo Johnson said the research projects will help tackle the "serious threat" of food shortages Mr Johnson said: "From disease protection to improving management of global food shocks, supporting these exciting and innovative solutions will help the UK food industry be better prepared for external factors and help provide food security to millions around the world." Professor Tim Benton, Global Food Security Champion, said stability of supply and access is an "essential element" of food security. "Ensuring our food systems are resilient is therefore crucial, especially as the world is changing rapidly whether from the weather or from social and political change," Prof Benton said. Professor Melanie Welham, BBSRC Chief Executive, said the investment will help ensure that the UK food system is "primed" to face challenges in a changing climate by building resilience at all levels. The research programme was driven forward by the UKs Global Food Security Programme, with funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Scottish Government. The funded projects Increasing resilience to water-related risks in the UK fresh fruit and vegetable system: Lead PI: Dr Tim Hess, Cranfield University in collaboration with researchers from University of East Anglia, East Malling Research and University of Oxford 1,291,662.31 (fEC) Resilience of the UK food system to Global Shocks (RUGS): Lead PI: Professor Mark Rounsevell, The University of Edinburgh 1,004,734.09 (fEC) in collaboration with researchers from SRUC PIGSustain: Predicting the impacts of intensification and future changes on UK Pig Industry Resilience: Lead PI: Dr Lisa Collins, University of Lincoln, in collaboration with researchers from University of Reading, University of Leeds and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 2,102,293.73 (fEC) IKnowFood: Integrating Knowledge for Food Systems Resilience: Lead PI: Professor Bob Doherty, University of York 3,425,141.70 (fEC) in collaboration with researchers from Universities of Manchester and Liverpool Securing the future of the UKs favourite fruit: Lead PI: Dr Daniel Bebber, University of Exeter, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford 1,228,612.93 (fEC) Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds are currently looking for farmers who may be interested in becoming a monitor farmer in the new Scottish Monitor Farm programme. Applications from farmers in the following areas are therefore being sought: Nithsdale Scottish Borders North Ayrshire Lothians Mearns & Angus Lochaber Morayshire Sutherland The Northern Isles The criteria for selection specify that farming has to be the full-time profession of at least one of the family members. The farmers need to be willing to disclose information about their businesses with a group of neighbouring farmers and embrace the opportunity for innovation on their farms. The appointed facilitators will work with their monitor farmer to show how the use of accurate baseline and benchmarking information can help to improve the profitability of the monitor farm and other farm businesses in the area. The project, which will be funded by 1.25 million secured from the Scottish Government and European Unions Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund, will be run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The University of Leicester's experts in satellite imagery and high performance computing will work with the industry to develop a system to help farmers make better use of satellite images. The partnership, with Precision Crop Nutrition Ltd, wants to develop variable rate nitrogen fertiliser application plans for farmers crops. It follows an award of 118,500 from Innovate UK and NERC, including 45,000 to the University, to fund a year-long technical feasibility study. The data will allow farmers to be closely involved in crop management recommendations This will be the first funding success for the Universitys new Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation. Precision Crop Nutrition currently offer the Precise N-Map service using centrally processed data which is delivered electronically to each farm. The development of the new system will offer a quicker and more flexible way to convert data and will allow agronomists and farmers to be more closely involved in crop management recommendations. 'Improving fertiliser management' Robin Thompson, Managing Director of Precise Crop Nutrition Ltd, said it is an exciting development. "Expertise from the University of Leicester will be invaluable in helping us develop the system for use in the field leading to significant benefits for our clients and, we hope, even greater uptake of our service." Tanya Vladimirova, Engineering Professor at the Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, is leading the project. She said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Precision Crop Nutrition Ltd towards improving fertiliser management. "Their expertise in precision agriculture technology is crucially important for our understanding of the application." "The University is committed to working with industrial partners and applying our expertise to real applications. "This project will give a new impetus to our space-related research on accelerated high-performing computing in embedded systems and will serve as a basis for future applications." The Vale of Glamorgan MP and Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, has congratulated a local farmer in his constituency on a prestigious award win. Aun Cairns MP visited Goldsland Farm, Wenvoe on Wednesday 3rd August to pay tribute to Abi Reader, who received the NFU Cymru Wales Woman Farmer Award during the Royal Welsh Show last month. The award, now in its 20th year, champions the contribution women make to the agricultural industry and seeks to raise the profile of women in farming. Abi Reader, a dairy farmer from Wenvoe, Cardiff Abi is a partner in the family farm, along with her father and uncle. The farm comprises of approximately 800 acres with the main enterprise being the dairy herd, which Abi manages. Abi was successfully elected as the Glamorgan NFU Cymru County Chairman in 2014 and has seized this opportunity to meet with influential industry members and lobby for change. Off the farm, Abi is also extremely busy, hosting farm open days, charity events and more recently Cows On Tour, which is a roadshow that visits primary schools to tell the farming story. Abi is particularly keen to educate the next generation of consumers and strives to show children that Welsh farming is an industry worth backing. Alun Cairns MP said: "Abi Reader has been a passionate advocate for Welsh farming for many years and a fantastic farmer in her own right. I could not think of anyone more deserving of this prestigious award. "It was a pleasure to visit her farm in Wenvoe and learn more about what is required to successfully manage such a large dairy herd. "Farming is crucial to the local area and to the wider Welsh economy. I was impressed by Abis contribution in terms high-quality produce and her determination to see the industry succeed further." Abi Reader added: "It was a privilege to welcome Alun Cairns to the farm today, show him around the site and talk to him about the key role agriculture plays as an economic driver in the local community and across Wales. "Im particularly pleased that Alun has lent his support to NFU Cymrus Back Welsh Farming campaign and that he will look to champion Welsh produce." The National Trust has today released a statement on a reform of farm support, proposing a system which is more environmentally friendly. The conservation organisation said that reforms are needed to "reverse decades of damage to the countryside we love." It is calling on government to put the "recovery" and "future resilience" of the natural environment at the heart of any funding system that replaces CAP. "Taxpayers should only pay public subsidy to farmers in return for things that the market wont pay for but are valued and needed by the public," said National Trust Director-General Dame Helen Ghosh. "We may need some kind of transition period to get there but that means payments for goods that go beyond food production for the wildflowers, bees and butterflies that we love, for the farmland birds, now threatened, for the water meadows and meandering rivers that will help prevent the flooding of our towns, and for the rebuilding of the fertility and health of the soils on which both nature and production depend." 'Nature should be abundant everywhere' The National Trust in particular struck a chord with the role nature plays in farming and people's lifes. The Trust said it should be "unacceptable to harm" nature but "easy to help it", in a list of principles the organisation would like to see implemented. Currently, only 1/3 of the basic payment is conditional on meeting green farming standards. In the future, 100% of any public payment "should be conditional on meeting higher standards of wildlife, soil and water stewardship," Dame Helen proposed. "Nature should be abundant everywhere, the system needs to support nature in the lowlands as well as the uplands - people in towns and cities also need access to wildlife, recreation and the services the environment provides." Dame Helen then proposed a system in which farmers who deliver the most public benefit should receive the most. "Currently, the more land you own, the more money you get", Dame Helen said, "In the future, those farmers and land managers who get the most public money should be those who deliver the best outcomes." A 'damaged countryside' The National Farmers Union has hit back at the National Trust, saying the 'damaged countryside' isn't a picture many farmers, or visitors to the countryside, recognise. NFU President Meurig Raymond said: "Farmers have planted or restored 30,000km of hedgerows for example and have increased the number of nectar and pollen rich areas by 134% in the past two years. "Farmers take their responsibilities as custodians of the countryside seriously. "Most visitors to the countryside will be enjoying the natural environment and appreciating the views of rural Britain which have been created by farmers including many of the landscapes showcased by the National Trust. "We should not be contemplating doing anything which will undermine British farmings competitiveness or its ability to produce food. "To do so would risk exporting food production out of Britain and for Britain to be a nation which relies even further on imports to feed itself. "In our view, food security should be considered to be a legitimate political goal and public good. The President of the NFU then went on to say that British farmers "are proud" of the "high standards of production, traceability of the food they produce and high animal welfare." He continued: "All our survey work shows that the British public wants to buy more British food and, interestingly, survey work also shows the British public believes farmers play a beneficial role in improving the environment at the same time." Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen has met with the Agri-Food Strategy Board (AFSB) for an update on implementation of the 'Going for Growth' initiative. Michelle McIlveen said agri-food is one of the most important economic drivers in Northern Ireland, and "will continue to be so." She said: "Since the launch of Going for Growth in 2013, good progress has been made across a range of areas and most of the agreed actions are either complete or on target for completion. "Key achievements include opening up a further 49 new markets for the sector, launch of the knowledge transfer element of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme, development of a Sustainable Land Management Strategy, and the work of the TB Strategic Partnership Group to develop a long term strategy for eradicating TB. "We also took the opportunity to discuss with the AFSB future priorities for the remainder of its term and the challenges and opportunities for the sector in a post-Brexit era." Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen and Economy Minister Simon Hamilton pictured with members of the Agri-Food Strategy Board (AFSB) 'Substantial progress in competitveness' Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said since the launch of Going for Growth in May 2013, Invest NI has made "substantial progress" in improving the competitiveness and capability of the sector. He said: "Over 1,300 financial and advisory projects have been delivered during the period, offering 38 million assistance and levering 442 million of total planned investment. "The total investment of 442 million is good progress towards the target of 1billion by 2020, set out in the Going for Growth Strategic Action plan. "Key achievements which fall within my remit include the establishment of a 6.7 million Agri-Food Quest Competence Centre, with 5 million funded by Invest NI, the extension of Gas to the West, and solutions for the Sustainable Use of Poultry Litter with the creation of a loan scheme which has funded two projects to date. 'Sustainable and profitable' Tony ONeill, chair of the AFSB, said the Board has seen "encouraging progress" made by both government and industry in delivering our vision of a "sustainable and profitable" agri-food industry. He said: "In particular, we provided an update to the Ministers on the work we have been undertaking on the development of the new strategic marketing body. "It is important that we make sure that the core objectives and focus of the body are appropriate from the start to ensure it can hit the ground running and help our industry make the most of any opportunities arising from the recent Brexit decision. "We are proud to have helped shape the Farm Business Improvement Scheme, and promoted the Business Development Groups which offer key support in terms of knowledge transfer and capability development. "Over the coming months we will continue to progress our livestock genetics initiative and sustainable land management strategy to underpin longer term sustainable growth within the sector. "Agri-food historically has been central to the economic development of Northern Ireland, and that will remain the case in the future." Third series of Clarkson's Farm in production, Amazon confirms He said he believed it would be "inevitable" that lupins would be listed as an allergen, but marketers needed to "move quickly" to promote the benefits of the product before the labelling came into effect. As WA had the lowest production rate in the last five years compared to other States, Dr Trompf said industry needed to focus on the first 48 hours from birth to drive a bigger State flock, focus on scanning for multiples and focus on lambing strategies. Citizens are forced onto the roads with sidewalks taken up by cafes, motorbikes and whatever else will fit on them. Deputy head of Ho Chi Minh Citys Office of Traffic Safety Nguyen Ngoc Tuong said that 100 people are killed each year in the city because blocked sidewalks force them into the streets. Speaking at a meeting on August 3, Tuong blamed the problem on stores, parking lots, cafes and street vendors who set up shops wherever they can. Tuong said that the sidewalks are only cleared when local authorities show up, but business soon returns to usual when they leave. Each locality has to take responsibility for controlling order on its roads. If we do this, the number of accidents will fall. The deputy head added that Ho Chi Minh City saw increases in the accident numbers as well deaths and casualties in the first six months of this year. There were some 1,700 accidents, up 31 cases, and 376 deaths, up 25, against the same period last year. The city also recorded a rise in the number of newly-registered cars and trucks. In the past, around 100 were registered each day, but in the first half of this year the figure has hit 180 and even 250 on some days. I know a firm that empoys 30-40 drivers, and all of them have to work for more than eight hours per day. If they fall asleep even for a few seconds, accidents can happen, said Tuong. However, he admitted that the majority of accidents were caused by lack of traffic safety awareness. He said the city should enhance public awareness about traffic safety by installing electronic screens at accident hot-spots. Related news: > Unidentified foreign woman in serious accident near Hanoi railway station > Foreign woman in stable condition after motorbike accident in Hanoi Spring Lake moves forward with town manager contract State Local Government Commission to review Spring Lakes contract to hire a former Kenly town manager, but the state treasurer remains opposed. The latest in a series of environmental fallouts has hit the Central Highlands. Workers at the Nhan Co alumina plant in Vietnams Central Highland province of Dak Nong last week discovered a broken pipeline containing the corrosive chemical sodium hydroxide. Some 9.6 cubic meters of sodium hydroxide has leaked from the plant, posing serious environmental threats to nearby residents. Sodium hydroxide is used at high temperatures to wash aluminum ore, also known as bauxite. Alumina is a white powder made from bauxite ore for producing aluminium. It sits between bauxite and aluminum in the light metal's production process chain. The leaked chemical has reportedly penetrated an area of 600 square meters, and some of it has been flowing into a stream, state media reported. The incident occurred on July 23 when a pipeline burst as the sodium hydroxide was being pumped to the production area. What has happened is unprecedented and uncontrollable, said the project's management board in a report. Chinese contractor Chalieco had been trialing the system for about a month before the chemical leak was detected. After seeing a large number of dead fish in Dak Cao Stream, local people waded in to remove them, but experienced itchiness and a burning sensation on their skin. The plant, along with the Chinese contractor, has pledged to clean up the damage caused by the leak and review the plant's operations to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future. In 2008, Vietnams largest coal producer, Vinacomin, signed a contract with Chinese company Chalieco to build a $460 million alumina plant in the Central Highlands. The alumina plant, with an estimated capacity of 600,000 tons of alumina a year, is part of a bauxite and aluminum complex 300 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Vinacomin has so far invested about VND13.4 trillion ($1.14 billion) in the project. Vietnam's bauxite ore reserves are estimated at between 5.6 billion and 8.3 billion tons, the world's third-largest after Guinea and Australia, and mostly unmined, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey. Vietnam has said it needs about $15.6 billion to invest in major bauxite and alumina refining projects by 2025 to extract its vast bauxite ore reserves, most of them in the Central Highlands. Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC said Tuesday it has doubled its reserve for an FCPA settlement to more than $400 million. The publicly-traded hedge fund in May reserved $200 million to resolve offenses arising from alleged bribes in Libya. In Tuesdays earnings release, Och-Ziff said it recorded an additional charge of $214.3 million during the quarter for FCPA investigations, bringing the full reserve to $414.3 million. The firm said based on discussions with the SEC and DOJ it believes that the government will pursue civil and criminal sanctions. Och-Ziff said any resolution could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, or results of operations. It reported a quarterly loss of $184.3 million. In May, Och-Ziff said it received subpoenas from the DOJ and SEC beginning in 2011 requesting information about an investment by a foreign sovereign wealth fund in some of our funds in 2007 and investments by some of our funds, both directly and indirectly, in a number of companies in Africa. The sovereign wealth fund referred to in the disclosure was the $65 billion Libyan Investment Authority, based in Tripoli. On Tuesday, Och-Ziff said in a press release that it appointed William Barr to its eight-member board of directors. Barr served as U.S. attorney general from November 1991 to January 1993 under President George H.W. Bush. New York-based Och-Ziff was founded in 1994 by Daniel Och. Its one of the biggest institutional alternative asset managers in the world. It has about $39 billion under management. In 2011, the SEC launched a broad investigation into whether banks, private-equity firms, and other money managers violated the FCPA in their dealings with sovereign wealth funds. An enforcement action of more than $400 million would rank fourth on the FCPA Blogs top ten list. Currently BAE Systems ranks fourth with a $400 million FCPA resolution in 2010. KBR / Halliburton is third with a $529 million settlement in 2009. The FCPA investigation is focused on Och-Ziffs former head of European investing, Michael Cohen, the Wall Street Journal said. Cohen, based in London, was responsible for investments in Libya and other African countries. He resigned from Och-Ziff in March 2013 after 15 years. The firm said Tuesday it may issue new preferred units to raise $500 million to fund the FCPA matter and general business expenses. Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC trades on the NYSE under the symbol OZM. * * * Heres the main FCPA disclosure from Och-Ziffs Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 2, 2016: As previously disclosed, since 2011, the Company has been investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (the DOJ) concerning possible violations of the FCPA and other laws. While the Company is unable to predict the full scope, duration or outcome of the SEC and DOJ investigations, based on discussions with the SEC and DOJ it believes that the government will pursue civil and criminal sanctions. The Company is in discussions with the SEC and DOJ concerning resolution of these matters. The Company accrued $200.0 million in the first quarter of 2016 in connection with the disclosed investigations and recorded an additional charge of $214.3 million in connection with the disclosed investigations for the second quarter of 2016. The probable estimated loss, which totals $414.3 million, may be subject to change based on the terms of any final settlement with the SEC and DOJ relating to those matters. Any resolution could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, financial condition or results of operations. And heres an item that appeared separately in the 10-Q about possible funding for the FCPA matter: Certain of our executive managing directors are in discussions with a Special Committee of our Board of Directors regarding a potential financing transaction of up to $500.0 million of perpetual preferred units, the proceeds of which would be used to fund payments in connection with our ongoing FCPA investigation and for general corporate purposes. The dividend rate on the units is expected to be 0% initially for three years, after which it is expected to increase over time and upon the occurrence of certain events to be agreed. The units would not be convertible into Class A Shares. ____ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. Hell be the keynote speaker at the FCPA Blog NYC Conference 2016. This is the second time in a month a tourism company has received a slap on the wrist for misleading maps. Police in Vietnam's popular tourist city of Hue have seized hundreds of maps from the Villa Louise resort that incorrectly named Vietnam's East Sea as the "China Sea". A map published by the resort. Receptionists at the resort have been handing out the misleading maps to numerous visitors, but one of the guests was so angry when he saw it he posted the map on Facebook and called on Vietnamese netizens to boycott the resort. After receiving the information, police stepped in and worked with a representative from the resort. The resort had printed about 500 maps, but recalled 250 and handed them over to the police pledging not to repeat the violation. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, a top official at the citys Department of Tourism, said they have instructed the resort to fix any incorrect information on its maps. He added that the incident was not serious enough to take the matter further, so the resort was only given a warning. At the end of July, police in the central city of Da Nang also seized leaflets from a tourist company that named a stretch of coast the "China Beach". Related news: > Da Nang seizes tourist leaflets advertising 'China Beach' Reese Witherspoon believes in the afterlife. Reese Witherspoon The Oscar-winning actress has opened up about her spiritual beliefs and how she thinks when you die, you die alone, but when you go to heaven you are given an angel. Speaking about her thoughts about life after death on Chelsea Handler's Netflix talk show, 'Chelsea', she explained: "I truly believe you're on a spiritual path that is yourself. We're born alone and we die alone. "I think we go to heaven. I think you get an angel and the wings and a halo and the thing and all that." And Reese is certain about her beliefs because she says she has seen the ghost of her late grandfather while she was performing on stage in New York and she even admitted she could feel her grandparents presence while she was talking to Chelsea. She said: "This is just me, I really believe it. "I've had car accidents, I've given birth to babies, I swear my grandparents are in the room. I've seen my grandfather in a theater in New York when I was on the stage. I know it." Meanwhile, the 40-year-old beauty - who has Ava, 16, and Deacon, 12, with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe and three-year-old son Tennessee with her spouse Jim Toth - expressed an anguish towards those who use religion to promote "intolerance" and "hate". Talking about her roots, she said: "I grew up, obviously, in the South and there is amazing, wonderful connectivity and people are loving and communitive. "But there is a tiny aspect of it, people [that] use parts of the Bible in order to express their intolerance and their hate and they manipulate it." Please tell us about your brand of comedy- what can audiences expect? A blend of storytelling and observational comedy with a bloke-ish tinge to it. Most importantly though, it's hilarious, which really helps. Nick Cody Which comedians have been your biggest influence since you decide this was your path? Bill Burr, Louis CK, Lawrence Mooney & Jim Jefferies. While all have their own unique styles, I love that they can make important topics funny whilst using simple language. What random things make you laugh in everyday life? My fiancee is constantly making up ridiculous songs and dances in our house. Gets me every time. Please tell us about your best and worst moment on stage so far. I've been fortunate enough to have a lot of brilliant moments career-wise. Can't choose a best. Performing at JFL Montreal, filming my special at The Metro Theatre in Sydney, closing out the Melbourne Comedy Festival AllStars Gala are some of them. Worst moments are anytime I had to do gigs I didn't want to do but needed the cash. Corporates and cruise ships come to mind. Do you still get nervous when you do a gig? Only in new environments like a town I've never performed in or at a particular club or theatre. It's only brief and then manifests into excitement. Why is Edinburgh Fringe Festival such a great platform for comedians? Punters will take a risk on acts that they haven't heard of because it's a festival. Festivals have helped me tremendously when it comes to building a fan base. When people like you, they want to come back year after year. It's a great feeling. Who are you looking forward to seeing as an audience member? Daniel Sloss, Funz & Gamez and Kai Humphries. Always brilliant. Always leave their shows sore from laughing. What is your advice to aspiring comedians? Do every gig that you can. 2 hours away for a five minute free spot? Do it. Do them all. Only way to get better. What is the oddest heckle you've ever received? Daniel Sloss brought me beers on stage for my birthday at the NZ Comedy Festival then had the crowd sing me happy birthday. Technically a heckle but a delicious one. The drinks were also nice. What is next for you? My first ever tour of China, then some more touring in Australia and capping it off by filming my second special "What Of It?" in November. Nick Cody's new stand up show 'Come Get Some' will be at the Assembly George Sq Three each night for tickets go to www.edfringe.com by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Prince William and Duchess Catherine will be accompanied by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on their visit to Yukon. Prince William and Duchess Catherine The royal couple are set to visit the northern territory with the leader's wife Sophie Gregoire and the Governor General of Canada, David Johnston. It is not known what activities the parents to three-year-old Prince George and 15-month-old Princess Charlotte will get up to but an internal Yukon government email revealed everything would be in "driving distance" from Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. And the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are said to be "delighted" about returning to Canada. A statement released recently from Kensington Palace reads: "Their Royal Highnesses have been invited to visit by the Government of Canada. They will visit British Columbia and the territory of Yukon as part of their tour. The Duke and Duchess are delighted to be returning to Canada. "They hold very happy memories from their visit in 2011 - their first overseas tour as a married couple. They are really looking forward to seeing other parts of this beautiful country and having the opportunity to meet many more Canadians along the way." Whilst Johnston added: "Sharon and I will be delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada. "Their Royal Tour will take them to the beautiful province of British Columbia and the scenic territory of Yukon. Once again, our true Canadian pride and spirit will shine and be at the very heart of this visit so they can feel at home." Post all the reports on Nargis Fakhri moving back to the US and having no plans of returning to Mumbai or Bollywood, she is back in the news and this time, for the right reasons! The Bollywood beauty is in the limelight for her enviable Greek holiday pictures which she recently uploaded on her Instagram account and needless to say, the actress looks super hot in bikini. Recently, there were strong rumours that post her alleged break-up with her rumoured boyfriend Uday Chopra, she had bid adieu to Bollywood and settled in the US forever. However, Nargis, later on, cleared the air stating that she will be back to India for 'Banjo' promotions and has no plans to quit Bollywood. On the work front, apart from 'Banjo', and an action-comedy 'Spy' (2015), Nargis Fakhri will be soon seen in another Hollywood project. A daily reported that she has been cast in actor-turned-producer Namrata Singh Gujral's next film. Next Story : Not Your Average Gift: Our Handpicked Thoughtful Diwali Gifts According to Messe Frankfurt, the organiser of Texprocess, a fair for processing textile and flexible materials, almost 100 per cent of exhibition of space has been booked when compared with 2015.Among companies, who come from 14 countries, new exhibitors include Mitsubishi Electric Europe, Inventech Europe, Gemini CAD Systems and Hatapress & Garments. According to Messe Frankfurt, the organiser of Texprocess, a fair for processing textile and flexible materials, almost 100 per cent of exhibition of space has been booked when compared with 2015. Among companies, who come from 14 countries, new exhibitors include Mitsubishi Electric Europe, Inventech Europe, Gemini CAD Systems and Hatapress & Garments.# There will be national pavilions from China, Taiwan and Japan, while exhibitors from USA too are planning a national pavilion.The large number of registrations shows that Texprocess has carved out a place in the market as a leading platform, Olaf Schmidt, vice president textiles and textile technologies, Messe Frankfurt said.Texprocess offers the full spectrum of new software solutions, as well as processes and technologies. Moreover, the 2017 edition will cover more themes than ever before, he added.The World Textile Information Network (WTiN) will hold its European Printing Conference for the first time at Texprocess.The Innovative Apparel Show will be held again with one German and three European universities presenting fashion designs made of functional textiles and the associated production and processing stages. (AR) Fibre2fashion News Desk - India Robotics will be a topic in every sector where human beings are employed, according to a senior official of a textile finishing machinery company. Currently, most textile manufacturers do not recognise the potential of robotics and automation, but in the future, this mindset will change. I am aware of a few projects that use robotics, like in palletising system for yarns, said Bahadir Kupeli, chief marketing officer, HAS Group, which producing textile finishing machineries specially developed for knitted, woven, denim, home textile, technical textile and carpets. On the subject of innovations in the industry, he was of the opinion that the main focus of finishing machinery segment was on ecological and sustainable production. The finishing machines especially for drying, fixation, dyeing, etc, use valuable resources like gas, wood, coal or water, and consume high power in order to maximise the production output, Kuplei told Fibre2Fashion. Finishing machine makers are answerable to their consumers and they need to follow a strategy to fullfill customer demands for quality and high output with lowest energy use and minimal wastage of resources, he added. Giving an example, he said that HAS Group has invested in green technologies, like in a heat recovery system, which the company continuously improves to maximise energy saving, and is now able to save up to 25 per cent energy for a 8 chamber stenter. Additionally, HAS Group launched last year a new air filtration system, which ensures emission-free production, which it combined with its heat recovery system. The result is green production and saving costs. (AR) Click here to read the whole interview Fibre2fashion News Desk - India Suva, 4 August 2016 Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Enele Sopoaga, held talks today to broaden areas of cooperation between the two countries, particularly in supporting climate adaptation. The two men discussed the Joint Statement signed by both nations at the Pacific Civil Aviation Ministers Meeting and reiterated their support for equitable and effective regulation of the aviation industry in small island countries. The meeting also covered the recent Pacific Finance Ministers Meeting, and the two countries agreed to work collaboratively to meet the goals outlined in the Joint Outcome Statement, including knowledge-sharing on best financial practices. The AG thanked Prime Minister Sopoaga for Tuvalus continued friendship and assured Fijis support in working on a regional level to strengthen ties between Pacific Island countries and coordinate global advocacy related to climate change. Vietnam's third case of the Zika virus was confirmed August 4 in the southern province of Phu Yen Below is what you need to know about the disease. How do people become infected? Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same type that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Aedes mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile, and the virus will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where Aedes mosquitoes are found. A banner seen in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Photo by Reuters/Jorge Cabrera How do you treat Zika? There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika. Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Zika, but the World Health Organization (WHO) had said it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots. How dangerous is it? The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that women who contract the Zika virus while pregnant can cause the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. The CDC said now that the causal relationship has been established, several important questions must still be answered with studies that could take years. An infant with microcephaly. Photo by Reuters According to the World Health Organization, there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly in babies, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems. In addition, the agency said it could cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis. Conclusive proof of the damage caused by Zika may take months or years to establish. Brazil reports its number of confirmed cases of microcephaly at more than 1,600, while Colombia has confirmed two cases of microcephaly linked to Zika. Brazil registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus from February to April this year. Current research in Brazil indicates the greatest microcephaly risk is associated with infections during the first trimester of pregnancy, but health officials have warned an impact could be seen in later weeks. Recent studies have found evidence of Zika in amniotic fluid, placenta and fetal brain tissue. What are the symptoms? People infected with Zika may have a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue that can last for two to seven days. But as many as 80 percent of people infected never develop symptoms. The symptoms are similar to those of dengue or chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same type of mosquito. How can Zika be contained? Efforts to control the spread of the virus focus on eliminating mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using insect repellent and mosquito nets. U.S. and international health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid traveling to Latin American and Caribbean countries where they may be exposed to Zika. Cases of sexual transmission have also been reported, prompting health officials to advise use of condoms or abstaining from sex to prevent infection between partners. How widespread is the outbreak? Active Zika outbreaks have been reported in at least 50 countries or territories, most of them in the Americas, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Brazil has been the country most affected. Africa (4): Cape Verde, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania. Americas (44): Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelmy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Eustatius, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela. Europe (2): France, Spain Oceania/Pacific Islands (10): American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. Asia (7): Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Vietnam. What is the history of the Zika virus? The Zika virus is found in tropical locales with large mosquito populations. Outbreaks of Zika have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and the Western Pacific. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the WHO. Can Zika be transmitted through sexual contact? The World Health Organization (WHO) said sexual transmission is "relatively common" and has advised pregnant women not to travel to areas with ongoing outbreaks of Zika virus. It also advised women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant. The CDC is investigating about a dozen cases of possible sexual transmission. All cases involve possible transmission of the virus from men to their partners. The WHO has also identified Zika cases in Argentina, Chile, France, Italy and New Zealand likely caused by sexual transmission. British health officials reported Zika was found in a man's semen two months after he was infected, suggesting the virus may linger in semen long after infection symptoms fade. The PAHO said Zika can be transmitted through blood, but this is an infrequent transmission mechanism. There is no evidence Zika can be transmitted to babies through breast milk. What other complications are associated with Zika? Zika has also been associated with other neurological disorders, including serious brain and spinal cord infections. The long-term health consequences of Zika are unclear. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue. Related news: > Vietnam confirms third case of Zika infection > First Vietnam's Zika virus victims infected through mosquito bites > Vietnam put on higher alert after first Zika virus cases Kichcha Sudeep's Kotigobba 2 has been censored with a 'U' Certificate. The movie was censored yesterday(Aug 3), and certified without any cuts. The Tamil version was also certified along with Kannada version, and it was certified with U as well. The film will now release worldwide on August 12th in record number of screens. Producers are confident of movie releasing in 1000 screens (Kannada and Tamil together). Kannada distributor Jack Manju of Mysore Talkies, has already started booking theaters. He plans to release the movie in more than 300 theaters, as there is no big Kannada release in the second week of August, and this movie is having huge expectations. Tamil distributor Ashok Samraj is planning to release the movie in more than 400 theaters. We hear that already many theaters have been blocked for Mudinja Ivana Pudi. Tamil version is expected to release in Kerala as well, and theater count may touch 100. Makers are planning to release the Kannada version nationwide in multiplexes and select single screens. Tamil version is said to be releasing in the overseas simultaneously. There is no news about Kannada version's release in the overseas. On the music front, Kotigobba 2 jukebox, has crossed 1 Lakh views on Anand Audio's YouTube channel and this is said to be a record as well. Music director D Imman tweeted about this ecstatically - "#Kotigobba2 Audio Jukebox hits 100,000+ views." As stated earlier, Kotigobba 2, does not have any big Kannada movie releasing along with it, but has to face competition from other language biggies in Bangalore and other major cities of Karnataka. However, Mudinja Ivana Pudi has to face stir from a couple of notable films releasing on the same day. Mammootty and Prithviraj, both the actors do share something in common. We are talking about one such skill of these two actors, which probably no other lead actor in Malayalam has. Both the actors have proved over and again that they are the best in performing real life characters. Well, the roles they have done so far, prove that fact. Take a look at some of the real life characters portrayed by Mammootty and Prithviraj in films.. Mammootty As Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer In Mathilukal Mathilukal, directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, was based on a short phase of Basheer's life, which he later made in to a book. Mammootty enacted the role of Basheer and he won laurels for his performance. Moreover, the film fetched him his first the National Award for the Best Actor. Mammootty As B R Ambedkar This film didn't have a theatrical release in Kerala, but all those who have seen this film would understand why Jabbar Patel chose Mammootty to portray the role of B R Ambedkar. The dedication, commitment and perfectionism of the actor could be seen throughout the film. Mammootty As Pazhassi Raja When M T Vasudevan Nair and Hariharan decided to make a film based on the life of king Pazhassi Raja, Mammootty was the obvious choice in front of them. Their choice was spot on, as the actor gave a splendid performance in the film. Prithviraj As J C Daniel In Celluloid Celluloid, the biopic on J C Daniel, the father of Malayalam cinema had Prithviraj in it doing the lead role. He was spot on with his performance. The way he handled the dialect and the body language of the character in various stages, were impeccable. Prithviraj As Moideen In Ennu Ninte Moideen Prithviraj did give a scintillating performance as Moideen in the film Ennu Ninte Moideen, based on the real life story of Moideen and Kanchanamala. The huge amount of effort and research that the actor had put in to know more about the character, did pay off. Biopics are pretty rare in Malayalam cinema. We have had only a very few films, which were based on real life characters or historical characters. Most of the times, when films based on real life characters come to the fore, we have seen directors opting for actors like Mammootty and Prithviraj. Both, Mammootty and Prithviraj have proved their ability to transform in to characters with ease. For an instnace, Mammootty went on to win the National Award for the Best Actor, for his portrayal of Dr B R Ambedkar in the biopic. Similarly, Prithviraj won the Kerala State Film award for the Best Actor for portraying J C Daniel in the film Celluloid, directed by Kamal. Interestingly, there are two films in the pipeline based on the mythological character Karnan. Unsurprisingly, the makers of the respective films have opted for Mammootty and Prithviraj to play the role of Karnan. South Indians At The Border The Sigaram Thodu actor has said the team of Wagah could spot many South Indians In Kashmir. "They were very friendly and interacted with us in a happy mood," he has said. Breathing Issues "As it is, we were working at high altitudes. We would sometimes go to even higher planes, and some of the technicians felt breathlessness, since oxygen supply would be less in such places," Vikram told the leading daily. Release Date Wagah is all set to hit the screens on August 12. Produced by Balavishwaanathan, the film has its music scored by D Imman. Sathish Kumar has cranked the camera. Ranya Rao Actress Ranya Rao is making her Tamil debut with Wagah. The 23-year-old beauty, who hails from Karnataka, is relatively new to the acting industry as she has done just a couple of Kannada movies. Songs The album of Wagah has 5 songs including the theme music 'Love For Our Nation'. While Vairamuthu and Mohan Raj have penned two songs each, Arunraja Kamaraj of 'Neruppu Da' fame has written a song titled 'Aaniyae Pudunga Venandaa'. 'Kumki 2' On The Cards? Meanwhile, Vikram has revealed that talks are on to fabricate Kumki 2, a sequel to the highly successful 2012 drama Kumki. The sequel too, will most probably be directed by Prabhu Solomon. Vikram's Upcoming Films After Wagah, the Ivan Veramathiri star will be seen in films such as Veera Sivaji, Mudi Sooda Mannan and Neruppu Da. While Veera Sivaji and Mudi Sooda Mannan have Shamili and Manjima Mohan playing the female lead respectively, Neruppu Da has Nikki Galrani paired opposite Vikram. LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/03/16 -- Spark Networks, Inc. (NYSE MKT: LOV) announced today that it has postponed the release of its second quarter 2016 financial results until after the closing of financial markets on Wednesday, August 10, 2016. The Company will host a conference call at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time to discuss the quarterly financial results with the investment community. Call Title: Spark Networks Second Quarter 2016 Earnings Conference Call Toll-Free (United States): 1-877-705-6003 International: 1-201-493-6725 In addition, the Company will host a webcast of the call which will be accessible in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.spark.net or by clicking http://investor.spark.net. A replay will begin approximately three hours after completion of the call and run until August 24, 2016. Replay Toll-Free (United States): 1-877-870-5176 International: 1-858-384-5517 Passcode: 13639962 About Spark Networks, Inc.: Spark Networks is a leader in creating iconic, niche-focused brands and communities that help individuals form life-long relationships with others that share their interests and values. Our core properties, JDate.com (www.jdate.com) and ChristianMingle.com (www.christianmingle.com), are communities geared towards singles of the Christian and Jewish faiths. Hitachi Ltd Corporate Communications Tel: +81-3-3258-1111 TOKYO, Aug 4, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd. (Hitachi-GE), a joint venture established by Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) and GE has renewed an agreement with the National University of Malaysia (UKM), one of five national research universities in Malaysia located in Selangor, and Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), a private university located in Selangor and operated by Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's largest power company. Under the agreement, Hitachi-GE will conduct a new international human resource development program to train high-quality personnel for the nuclear power industry, which leverages Hitachi-GE funded course in Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) jointly conducted by Hitachi-GE and Tokyo Tech for the past five years. It will target students specializing in nuclear energy as well as researchers and other specialists from institutions involved in the nuclear power industry in Malaysia, covering a range of topics such as safety measures and the meaning and importance of the three principles for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. For this program, Hitachi-GE will work with Tokyo Tech, which has cooperative arrangements with UKM and UNITEN.Malaysia is planning to introduce nuclear energy to diversify its sources of electric power as part of the Economic Transformation Programme aimed at becoming a developed nation by 2020. Much progress has been made on putting in place the foundations of a plan for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including the establishment of the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC) in 2011 under the Prime Minister's Department. Given the need for the effective transfer of technology and other know-how built up by countries with experience in power plant construction and operation, human resource development involving highly specialized education and training in nuclear energy has become an urgent requirement.Hitachi-GE conventionally funded a course for international human resource development for the nuclear power industry at the Department of Nuclear Engineering (currently known as Graduate Major in Nuclear Engineering) of Tokyo Tech Graduate School of Engineering. It comprises a course in nuclear energy since April 2011, in collaboration with Tokyo Tech in venues such as Southeast Asia and other regions to date, a total of more than 2,000 students have attended the courses.To further its commitment in human resource development, Hitachi-GE has entered into an agreement with UKM and UNITEN to launch a new program. The first of a series of nuclear power seminars will be held at UNITEN on September 20. The seminar will be conducted by a Hitachi-GE engineer and an associate professor from the Tokyo Tech to approximately 80 students specializing in nuclear energy, researchers and other specialists from institutions involved in the nuclear power industry.Hitachi-GE has been actively involved in supporting students studying nuclear energy to become more international, organizing extramural courses, nuclear energy training for interns, and research exchanges. Moving forward, Hitachi-GE will continue working with Tokyo Tech to provide assistance for international human resource development for the nuclear power industry in countries that are introducing nuclear energy for the first time.Hitachi-GE will also give a presentation on its involvement in human resource development for the nuclear power industry in Malaysia at the International Nuclear Science, Technology and Engineering Conference (NuSTEC) 2016, which will be held from August 8 to 10 at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Selangor.About Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Hitachi-GE, a joint venture established by Hitachi, Ltd. and General Electric Company in July 2007, as one of the world's leading comprehensive plant manufacturers, engages in the development, planning, design, manufacture, inspection, installation, pre-operation, and maintenance of nuclear reactor-related equipment and is able to execute integrated project management. Hitachi-GE has been involved with 23 reactors in Japan to date, including those currently under construction.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. JZCP ACQUIRES LANDMARK PROPERTY IN WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA 04 August 2016 JZ Capital Partners Limited (LSE:JZCP.L or "JZCP"), the London listed fund that invests in US and European micro-cap companies and US real estate, alongside its long-term real estate partner, RedSky Capital, LLC ("RedSky") and The Clark Estates, has acquired Esperante Corporate Centre ("Esperante"), a landmark office building in West Palm Beach, Florida. Located at 222 Lakeview Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach, Esperante sits at the gateway to the island of Palm Beach, providing tenants with easy access to beachfront residential neighbourhoods and local amenities alike. The acquisition represents JZCP's first investment in West Palm Beach, further diversifying the geographic concentration of JZCP's South Florida real estate portfolio. The purchase price of the property was $125.8 million, of which JZCP provided $18.6 million. David Zalaznick, JZCP's Founder and Investment Adviser, commented: "We are delighted to add this property to our growing and diversified real estate portfolio in South Florida. Esperante is a unique asset in a very desirable location in West Palm Beach, which has seen an influx of high-quality corporate employers and a concurrent increase in demand for prime office space." Ends For further information: Ed Berry / Kit Dunford FTI Consulting +44 (0) 20 3727 1143 David Zalaznick Jordan/Zalaznick Advisers, Inc. +1 212 485 9410 Paul Le Ray JZ Capital Partners +44 (0) 1481 745815 About JZCP JZCP is a London listed fund which invests in US and European micro-cap companies and US real estate. Its objective is to achieve an overall return comprised of a current yield and capital appreciation. JZCP receives investment advice from Jordan/Zalaznick Advisers, Inc. ("JZAI") which is led by David Zalaznick and Jay Jordan. They have worked together for 30 years and are supported by teams of investment professionals in New York, Chicago, London and Madrid. JZAI's experts work with the existing management of micro-cap companies to help build better businesses, create value and deliver strong returns for investors. JZCP also invests in mezzanine loans, first and second lien investments and other publicly traded securities. For more information please visit www.jzcp.com New process for US approval of The NGAL Test initiated after rejectionIn May 2016, BioPorto received notification that the FDA had rejected the company's application for approval of The NGAL Test as the submitted clinical data in FDA's view did not adequately support the requested claims, especially for mild cases of acute kidney injury.Immediately after the rejection, BioPorto initiated a dialogue with the FDA regarding the circumstances that led to the rejection of the original application, as FDA approval is of great importance to the commercialization of BioPorto's The NGAL Test for clinical routine use in the US. In July 2016, the dialogue led to the decision to prepare for a new submission of The NGAL Test - expectedly with new clinical data that is expected to lead to final approval within 18-24 months. The new application process is expected to result in costs of DKK 3 million in 2016, while the final cost for the entire process can not yet be determined.In the second quarter, The European Patent Office (EPO) ruled that BioPorto's NGAL forms patent was upheld as valid in opposition pro-ceedings. After the second quarter, the EPO ruled that BioPorto's NGAL exclusion patent was invalid in opposition proceedings and this decision will be appealed by BioPorto. The company estimates that its entire portfolio of patents provides a sufficient coverage of the NGAL area regardless of the outcome of this case.Revenue and profit/lossIn the second quarter, BioPorto's revenue totaled DKK 4.7 million against DKK 5.8 million in the second quarter of 2015.Despite an increase in sales of The NGAL Test in the second quar-ter from DKK 0.6 million to DKK 1.0 million, the total turnover decreased due to lower sales of antibodies after a very strong first quarter in 2016. This was partly due to a change in income recognition from a research collaboration on antibodies that in 2015 was recognized as a one-time payment and in 2016 is recognized on an ongoing basis. The change means that revenue in the first half of 2016 is DKK 0.5 million lower compared to the same period of 2015.BioPortos operating profit (EBIT) was DKK -13.2 million in the first half of 2016 against DKK -8.5 million in the same period last year. Capacity costs increased due to the establishment and operation of the new US subsidiary and hiring a COO and CFO beginning this year. In the first half of 2016, EBIT was also impacted by non-cash expenses of DKK 1.2 million in connection with the expensing of warrants to executive and senior management.Guidance for 2016BioPorto adjusts its expectations for a turnover in 2016 from around DKK 23-26 million to DKK 23-25, representing a growth of 13-23%.As a result of costs estimated at DKK 3 million associated with the reapplication with the FDA, expectations for EBIT for the full year 2016 is adjusted from a loss of around DKK 16-18 million, to a loss of around DKK 19-21 million. Profit after tax is adjusted from a loss of DKK 14.5-16.5 million to a loss of DKK 17-19 million.Peter M. Eriksen, CEO comments:"In the second quarter, we have had to revise our strategy for NGAL in the US and I am very pleased with the support we have received from US clinical leaders and the continued demand for NGAL tests from hospitals and clinics. NGAL is still a very important biomarker which can improve the detection of acute kidney injuries. We are disappointed that the The NGAL TestTM was not approved but have a better understanding of what is needed to be succesful this time around. We have initiated work for the new submission and our US organization will be instrumental in ensuring important input for the new process. "Investor meetingIn connection with the release of the interim report, BioPorto hosts an investor meeting on August 4, 2016 at 3 pm at the company address Tuborg Havnevej 15, 2900 Hellerup. Please sign up at investor@bioporto.com.For further information, please contact:Peter Mrch Eriksen, CEOChristina Thomsen, Investor Relations ManagerTel: +45 4529 0000E-mail: investor@bioporto.comSee the full report in the attached pdfAttachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=580777 ESPOO (dpa-AFX) - French telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) reported that its net income, Group share, for the first half of 2016 was 1.321 billion euros or 0.37 euros per share, compared to a reported net loss of 145 million euros or 0.05 euros per share in the year-ago period. The positive results in the first half of 2016 were primarily attributable to the activation of some deferred tax assets, for 2.4 billion euros, which was partially offset by impairment charges of 489 million euros related to the early termination of one of licensing agreements with Qualcomm and the reassessment of the valuation of our legacy brands. Free cash flow of Euro (2,073) million in the first half of 2016 mainly reflects the implementation of the combined new Nokia's capital structure optimization program, in particular the reductions in the sale of receivables and the fees related to the accelerated repayment of our high yield bonds as Nokia now provides credit facilities to Alcatel-Lucent. Group revenues were 6.096 billion euros in the first half of 2016, a 9% decrease compared to the year-ago period. On a constant currency basis, revenues would have decreased 8% year-over-year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de August 4, 2016 | 01:30 am PT There's no point dipping your foot in the water; you have to dive right in on a trip to Vietnam. Sponsored Vietnam boasts an abundance of beautiful sights to behold and delicious food to taste. But if time is not your friend, here are five must-visit destinations that will guarantee you a trip to remember. Taking a train to Sapa Sapa is a small town in the northern province of Lao Cai. Dubbed the "the Tonkinese Alps", the region is home to hill tribe minority groups who farm on terraced rice fields. Mount Fansipan, the roof of Indochina, stands tall at 3,143 meters right in the center of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range not far from Sapa. Taking a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. The town, 376km north of Hanoi, is easily accessible by an overnight train from the capital. One can take a bus too, but such a long journey is usually reserved for those with a thirst for adventure. The train, on the other hand, is safe, cheap and convenient while still affording you a breathtaking view out of the window from a cabin that still breathes the air from the French colonial period. If you opt for the train, tickets should be booked at least a few days or even months in advance, especially if you plan to travel during public holidays such as Labor Day on May 1 or National Day on September 2. Drinking bia hoi with locals Bia hoi, roughly translated as fresh beer, is a locally-brewed, preservative-free beer served at small bars and at street corners. A visit to Hanoi is incomplete without a stop at the bia hoi corner at the crossroads of Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ta Hien and Dinh Liet streets for a glass of 20 cent beer. Most bia hoi joints also serve inexpensive street food that goes well with the beer. There are prawns barbecued with chili and salt, clams steamed with lemongrass, green mango with a prawn-chili-salt dip or coconut snails sauteed with butter and fish sauce. Instead of a proper table, youll find yourself seated on tiny plastic stools, most likely blue, which also serve as mini tables. As the alcohol kicks in, youll soon forget the discomfort in your legs to cheer the night away. Overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay Ha Long Bay, the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, is not to be missed in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Spanning an area of 1,553 km2, the bay features thousands of limestone karsts formed over 500 million years and 2,000 islets that come in all shapes and sizes. You can venture out onto the waters in a kayak, descend into mysterious caves or discover your own secret hideout among the thousands of islets. The sunrise or sunset on a cruisewould take your breath away. Travelers can book an overnight cruise that comes with a double room, breakfast, lunch and dinner. As the sun comes up, you will be treated to piercing limestone karsts rising majestically out of the bay. By evening, a candlelight dinner awaits you onboard under the stars and the moon, lighting the way for small fishing boats heading out for the night. Hoi An food heaven Inside the ancient town of Hoi An lies a whole new world for you to discover. And its not just 16th century houses for which this former port city has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage. On its small sidewalks and inside unassuming houses there are 1,001 street food specialties awaiting you. Here are just a few to add to your bucket list, because you wont find a cheaper or tastier equivalent anywhere else: - Mi Quang, or Quang noodles, the central sister of pho, just bigger and with a pulpy rather than silky texture - Hen xuc banh trang: Vietnamese burritos - sauteed clams eaten with crispy rice paper - Cao lau: Brown noodles with pork and greens, only in Hoi An Floating market in Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta down south is criss-crossed with thousands of canals interlocking through fields and mangrove forests that have created a world of their own: life on water. Put your bike aside and jump in a boat to discover tropical fruits on offer at floating markets. The most famous ones include Cai Rang (Can Tho Province), Cai Be (Tien Giang Province), Phung Hiep (also called Nga Bay in Hau Giang Province), Long Xuyen (An Giang Province) and Tra On (Vinh Long Province). Floating markets have long been the iconic feature of the Mekong Delta. In the midst of hundreds of boats anchored next to each other, youll find huge crowds of buyers and seller bargaining over fruit, fish, poultry, fabric, home appliances and farming tools. The goods are hung on long bamboo polls for customers to choose from. For the more adventurous, you can go snake and snake wine shopping in Phung Hiep Market. Related news: > Hoi An, an ancient outpost turned Instagram heaven > Vietnamese crepe, lovely to see and crunchy to eat > Walk on water: find your place among the gods deep in the forest CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen weakened against the other major currencies in the early European session on Thursday. The yen fell to a 2-day low of 101.66 against the U.S. dollar, from an early high of 100.86. Against the euro and the Swiss franc, the yen dropped to 113.27 and 104.50 from an early more than 3-week highs of 112.48 and 103.72, respectively. The yen slid to 135.25 against the pound and 72.78 against the NZ dollar, from early highs of 134.49 and 72.36, respectively. Against the Australian and the Canadian dollars, the yen slipped to 2-day lows of 77.31 and 77.77 from early highs of 76.75 and 77.31, respectively. If the yen extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 106.00 against the greenback, 119.00 against the euro, 108.00 against the franc, 144.00 against the pound, 76.00 against the kiwi, 80.00 against the aussie and 80.00 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. LONDON, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The international creative think-tank BE OPEN Foundation continues to support cutting-edge educational initiatives in London. Partnering with the Mayor's Fund for London and the Greater London Authority, the Foundation will be lending its expertise and support to "London Curriculum" - a unique and ambitious project, set to revitalise teaching and learning across the city. "London Curriculum" is as much of an education initiative as it is a celebration of London's cultural landscape. At the core of the project is a belief in the essential uniqueness of the UK capital as an unrivalled hub of cultural, artistic and historical dynamism. Tailor-made specifically for primary school children, and spanning a range of arts and science disciplines, this programme aims to reinvigorate core academic subjects with a local dimension; London itself will serve as a vehicle of discovery. From Victorian bridge building, to sustainable urban planning and even portrait painting, children will learn about engineering, geography and art - each subject reverting back to London as its source of inspiration. Not only will this afford children the perspective to approach unfamiliar subjects through a familiar point of reference, it will also enrich their knowledge and appreciation for the global significance of their home city. The school initiative itself will be complemented by the "London Curriculum Festival", aimed at thanking the 30 schools who have already signed up to take part in the pilot phase of the scheme, as well as publically showcasing the excellent work that will have been achieved. This will be an all-day celebratory event within the Thames Festival, set in the environs of City Hall and offering an array of entertaining educational activities - a testament to the eternal living and breathing classroom that is London itself. The innovative spirit of the 'London Curriculum' project is characteristic of the BE OPEN's ethos. In the words of BE OPEN's founder, the philanthropist and businesswoman Yelena Baturina, the Foundation's goals can be summed up in two words: "explore" and "stimulate". She says, "In today's increasingly globalised and interconnected world, it is all the more important for children to understand the provenance of the varied cultural values that define human society, as well as the influence that such truly global cities as London have had in shaping them." Matthew Patten, Chief Executive of the Mayor's Fund for London said: "We are delighted to be part of this brilliant collaboration which will help so many young Londoners interact not just with London and the world, but also within their communities and neighbourhoods." Assembly Member Jennette Arnold said: "I can't think of a better way to stimulate a young person's curiosity than through the city itself. The London Curriculum tells the story of London; it introduces our children to their great city and gets them excited and engaged through what it has to offer them." BE OPEN's ultimate aim is to encourage younger generations to think globally, by learning to approach the world with an informed, open and universal outlook. Over the years, the Foundation has implemented a variety of projects aimed at bringing people together, promoting freedom of thought, and promoting people and ideas able to make a positive change. With the success of "London Curriculum", its developers hope to extend this initiative to other cities in Britain and further on to some of the great metropolises of the world, so that more and more children can benefit from the invaluable access to the intellectual and cultural treasures that their cities can offer. LONDON, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vision for a Nation (VFAN) has been shortlisted by the UK's Third Sector Excellence Awards for three prestigious awards: "Big Impact", "Small Charity, Big Achiever", and "Rising Chief Executive". VFAN, one of over 180,000 charities registered in the UK, has been nominated for its unprecedented programme to provide all of Rwanda's 10.5 million people with access to local and affordable eye care. The nominations follow VFAN's recent win at the Civil Society Media Charity Awards, and an additional finalist nomination for a Charity Times Award, both in the category of "International Aid and Development". Third Sector is a leading UK publication in the not-for-profit sector with a readership of 55,000. The Third Sector Excellence Awards recognise the achievements of charities, social enterprises and the companies that support them. The awards will be presented at a black-tie ceremony at the Lancaster London Hotel on 14 September. Tom Rosewall, CEO of Vision for a Nation, comments: "We are extremely honoured to be recognised by such a prestigious organisation in three high-profile categories. This is testament to the scale and impact of our work. With our support, Rwanda - a nation that has emerged in less than a generation to become a model of development - has accomplished something in only three years that no other emerging nation has managed to achieve within the public health sector." About Vision for a Nation VFAN is an award-winning British charity that is supporting Rwanda's Ministry of Health to build nationwide access to primaryeye care services that are financially self-sustaining and permanently integrated into the country's universal health care system. It has trained nearly 2,000 general nurses, developed a national supply chain for glasses and medication, and launched an outreach programme that now extends the services to 100% of Rwanda's 15,000 communities. Nearly 600,000 Rwandans have already been screened. VFAN plans to scale all or portions ofits successful Rwanda model to other emerging nations in partnershipwith their health ministries and others in the eye care domain. Venture philanthropist James Chen is the founder and visionary behind Vision for a Nation and Clearly, a global campaign with a mission to help the world see by 2034. The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and UBS Optimus Foundation have both provided VFAN with major funding. Two-Year Collaboration Supplies Organization with Innovative Infrastructure to Employ Communications Services Including Skype and E-mail Milano Teleport, the largest independent Italian teleport company that provides internet satellite services, has partnered with COOPI, a non-governmental organization that combats poverty and inspires growth for communities in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, to provide internet capabilities in Chad, West Africa for two years. The collaboration began in May 2016 and will continue until May 2018 with Milano Teleport supplying internet connections via satellite to about 200 remote stations in West Africa, including some NGOs. For 50 years, COOPI has been dedicated to combatting poverty and implementing growth for communities all over the world, intervening in emergency situations, executing reconstruction and fostering development. The organization operates in 24 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, carrying out 150 humanitarian projects that have affected almost 2,400,000 people. Milano Teleport's infrastructure will provide COOPI in Chad (West Africa) with free internet connectivity with up to 1.2 Mbps that will allow the organization to use email, the internet and other communication services including Skype and VoLP. Milano Teleport's capabilities will support COOPI's overall operational activities in the African country. Milano Teleport's collaborative initiative with COOPI signifies the company's commitment to providing high-quality technology and infrastructure to communities across the globe. Every day thousands of volunteers and non-governmental organizations help places all over the world that lack essential services to support development projects which can offer a horizon of hope, even to people who are excluded from the processes of globalization. Milano Teleport, the largest independent teleport in Italy providing Internet satellite services, has recently been ranked tenth in the world among Internet maritime VSAT service providers by Euroconsult, a consultancy company specialising in space markets. "Our advanced satellite technologies help make connections to even the most remote areas in the world possible," commented Umberto Gallo, CEO of Milano Teleport. "We are proud to collaborate with organizations that are committed to building futures that foster growth and recovery where poverty and the lack of necessary infrastructures prevail. For us, technological progress is closely linked to global development and freedom, and this is why we feel a particularly strong connection to COOPI." "The lack of efficient communication infrastructure negatively affects our work in the field," asreported by Marco Tamburro, COOPI head of mission in Chad. "The satellite internet connection will significantly help our mission and improve daily communications among the operators in the field throughout the country, across global COOPI offices and with the Italian headquarters." "We are grateful to Milano Teleport for its support in Chad," declared Ennio Miccoli, COOPI's general secretary. "The services provided by Milano Teleport will improve the efficiency of our operators in the field and will support the activities we implement in the country Milano Teleport SpA (MT), founded in 1997 by private investors, focuses its business on providing internet services to maritime customers and is the largest independent teleport in Italy. Services are tailored to meet the communication requirements for both maritime and terrestrial customers, exploiting a fleet of satellites. Main applications are typically dedicated to Cruise liners, Yachts, Merchant vessels, Barges, Rigs, Mining, Construction, NGO, TV. Milano Teleport is a member of the WTA (World Teleport Association). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005522/en/ Contacts: Press contact: CDR Communication Srl Angelo Brunello press@cdr-communication.it ALBANY, New York, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The presence of a large number of domestic and international manufacturers has rendered the landscape in the Asia Pacificcommercial refrigerators market highly competitive. As per Transparency Market Research (TMR), Midea Group and Haier Electronics Group Co. Ltd. led the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market in 2015. These companies have been increasingly focusing on product innovation and improving customer experience in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market. For instance, Liebherr entered into a partnership agreement with Redmond based Microsoft Corporation in April 2016 for the development of smart refrigerators based on the premise of the Internet of Things (IoT). More such developments are expected to be reported from the market. A substantial number of enterprises in the market are looking to expand their product portfolio in order to achieve sustainable growth. Apart from investing in product innovations, the key players are also focusing on competitive pricing to keep pace with the prevailing competition. However, according to TMR, improvements in retail channels hold the key for long-term growth for players operating in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market. Booming Food and Retail Industry in Asia Pacific Holds Promise for Commercial Refrigerators Sales The booming food and retail industry in Asia Pacific is fuelling demand for refrigerators with innovative design. Unlike the refrigerators used in domestic applications, the ones used for commercial purposes have a high storage capacity and an expansive operating temperature suitable for a plethora of product types. The growth witnessed in the Asia Pacific retail industry is also attributed to the increasing consumption of packaged food and beverages. "Due to the hectic lifestyle of consumers and their increasing willingness to pay for convenience food, the demand for packaged food and beverages is expected to surge exponentially in the near future," said a TMR analyst. This is a primary factor driving the market for commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific. "Furthermore, the increasing number of supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants will substantially bolster sales of commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific," he added. Besides this, the importance of energy efficiency in commercial and consumer appliances has considerably increased in the last few years. The rising awareness about green appliances has paved the way for the advent of eco-friendly commercial refrigerators. Get Sample Report Copy or for further inquiries, click here: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=13139 High Prices Discourage Deployment of Commercial Refrigerators across Small Retail Outlets Contrary to this, the high cost procurement and maintenance costs of commercial refrigerators are hindering the growth of the market to an extent. Due to their high price, small retailers tend to look for more affordable alternatives. This limits the sales of commercial refrigerators to smaller establishments such as cafes and local retailers. In addition, the availability of alternate packaging solutions such as temperature-control packaging is hindering the sales of commercial refrigerators in Asia Pacific. Advent of Smart and Solar Commercial Refrigerators Presents a Fresh Opportunity Dramatic changes have been witnessed in commercial appliances over the last few years. The high energy consumption of these appliances has led to the introduction of smart and solar powered commercial refrigerators. With leading name brands venturing into the development and manufacturing of solar-based commercial refrigerators, the market witnesses lucrative prospects to gain from in the near future. As per TMR, the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market stood at over US$16.99 bn in 2015. Exhibiting a CAGR of 9.8%, the market is expected to reach US$38.83 bn by the end of 2024. Volume-wise TMR forecasts the market to reach 60,253 thousand units by 2024 from 28,896 thousand units in 2015. China emerged as the leading contributor in the Asia Pacific commercial refrigerators market accounting for a share of 33.5% in 2015 Browse the Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/asia-pacific-commercial-refrigerators-market.htm This review is based on information published by TMR in a report, titled"Commercial Refrigerators Market - Asia Pacific Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast2016 - 2024," The commercial refrigerators market is segmented as follows. Glass Door Refrigerators, by Capacity 0.5 Cu. Ft. to 3.0 Cu. Ft. 3.1 Cu. Ft. to 6.0 Cu. Ft. 6.1 Cu. Ft. to 9.0 Cu. Ft. Others Beverage Refrigerators, by Type Beverage Refrigerators Wine Refrigerators Refrigerated Display Cases, by Type Plug-in Remote Freezers, by Type Chest Freezers Vertical Freezers Ice-cream Freezers Fridge Freezers, by Type Single-door Multi-door Commercial Refrigerators, by Retail Channel Hypermarkets Supermarkets Convenience Stores Restaurants Others (Pharmaceutical Shops and Retail Stores) Commercial Refrigerators Market, by Country China Japan India Australia and New Zealand and South Korea Related Research Reports by Transparency Market Research: Commercial Refrigeration Equipment market : http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/commercial-refrigeration-equipment-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/commercial-refrigeration-equipment-market.html Cryocooler Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cryocooler-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cryocooler-market.html VRF Refrigeration Systems Market:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/vrf-refrigeration-systems-market.html About Us: Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement. US Office Contact: Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com NEW YORK and BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GlobalNet (globalplay.tv), a national carrier in Bogota, Colombia, launched "GlobalPlay," an IPTV service utilizing the VectorMAX TV Anywhere' end to end, completely software based, IPTV delivery Platform. VectorMAX Corporation (www.vectormax.com), based in Farmingdale, New York, is a leading provider of turn-key IPTV transport technologies. VectorMAX engineers set up and deployed the GlobalPlay offering during a 60 day installation process. GlobalPlay delivers SD & HD live channels to the Colombian market. The VectorMAX Platform is fully 4K capable, which GlobalNet will implement when 4K content is available. GlobalPlay's IPTV service also incorporates VectorMAX collateral service capabilities, including delivery of weather and news information, provisioning for video and music content and a carrier controlled "closed wall" environment for a wide range of set top box applications. VectorMAX also supplied GlobalNet with branded IP set top boxes, providing a complete end to end turnkey solution for the GlobalPlay service. About VectorMAX: IPTV represents the next advancement of television and rich media content delivery. Carriers worldwide are deploying IPTV as a means of retaining and attracting subscribers, generating high margin revenues and further diversifying their revenue centers. To deliver IPTV, carriers must install and maintain hardware based high bandwidth capable network infrastructure. TV Anywhere' enables carriers to deliver live linear IP broadcast channels and other rich media content over their existing or otherwise limited networks. VectorMAX's TV Anywhere' IPTV Delivery Platform is a complete end to end, software based, IPTV delivery platform. TV Anywhere' utilizes the VSP-2' transport protocol incorporating VectorMAX's ground breaking transport stream architecture. When delivering to subscribers on the carrier's network (ON), TV Anywhere' is implemented at the carrier's network operating center (NOC), providing all the required transport functionality. When delivering to subscribers over the internet (OTT), TV Anywhere' is implemented in the Cloud, providing all the functionality of a Content Delivery Network (CDN). TV Anywhere' enables service providers to quickly and cost effectively deploy IPTV to set top boxes, PCs/Macs, Apple iOS and Google Android mobile devices. About GlobalNet: GlobalNet is a national MVPD carrier headquartered in Bogota, Colombia providing live linear broadcasting, VoIP, and connectivity services to the consumer and enterprise markets. GlobalNet's IPTV service is implemented through multiple network modalities, including DocSis cable, fiber optic, and terrestrial fixed wireless infrastructure. Press Contact: Marc Calvano, Vice President Communications mcalvano@vectormax.com 1 (215) 783-5939 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globalnet-launches-vectormax-iptv-platform-300309099.html LANGFANG, China, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei today launched its Cloud Open Labs in the presence of 19 leading global operators, industry organizationsand partners, including the Linux Foundation, Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV), China Association of Communication Enterprises, Accenture, Red Hat, VMwareand Wind River. As part of Huawei's commitment to open, evolutionand innovation, the Cloud Open Labs - with interconnected facilities across four labs - aim to enable operators' business success. These centers will provide the foundation for integrating and verifying solutions which enable the All Cloud transformation. Jim Lu, President of Global Technical Service, Huawei, said, "Digital transformation has been widely recognized in the industry as a necessity. Huawei advocates the All Cloud Strategy, aiming to build efficient networks and develop agile advantages to help operators provide their end users with a Real-time, On-demand, All-online, DIY, and Social (ROADS) experience. Our Cloud Open Labs will establish an industry ecosystem and support open collaboration, allowing operators, industry organizations and partners to jointly address the challenges of digital transformation. Our Cloud Open Labs will also support Huawei's All Cloud Strategy. Huawei Global Technical Service will continuously increase investment in consulting and system integration in an effort to enable operators to tap into unlimited opportunities in the trillion-dollar digital market." Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of The Linux Foundation, said, "It is important to have a cross-vendor, cross solution, open platform where individual developers, vendors, and service providers can get together to test interoperability, to do proof of concepts, and to really enable this open source software to meet their customer's expectations and to meet the expectations that will really drive demand in the future of the network." Deng Lingli, OPNFV China Ambassador, said, "NFV technology is developing rapidly, but the industry is facing the challenges of inconsistent interface protocols and industry standards. OPNFV will continuously promote open industry collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of NFV services." Huawei has connected its four open labs and built a unified digital operations platform to support operators' network evolution and operations transformation. These open labs include the Global Network Evolution and Experience Center (GNEEC), the NFV Open Lab, the SDN Open Laband the DC Open Lab. These Cloud Open Labs enable Huawei to innovate solutions jointly with operators, industry organizations, and partners, and achieve mutual certification and authorization together with partners. So far, the labs have worked with over 40 partners for solution integration and verification. They have also completed pre-verification for over 550 projects, and pursued joint innovation in conjunction with Wind River, VMware, Red Hatand Accenture. Webinar register: http://view6.workcast.net/register?cpak=9105354077908344&utm_campaign=MWL%20-%20Webinar%20Huawei&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua Contact: Huawei corporate.comms@huawei.com Media inquiries: +86 755-89242309 Non-media inquiries: +86 755-28780808 ALBANY, New York, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global soap noodles market is immensely fragmented and characterized by the presence of a number of players. Transparency Market Research finds that in 2015, the top 10 companies competing in the soap noodles market accounted for a share of just over 46%, indicating the lack of a clear leader. These companies are Permata Hijau Group, KLK OLEO, 3F INDUSTRIES LTD., Deeno Group, Adimulia Sarimas Indonesia, IOI Oleochemicals, Wilmar International Ltd., John Drury, Musim Mas Holdings, and VVF Limited. "Larger companies in developing regions such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East enjoy the majority in the soap noodles market and smaller players pose a minimal threat," the author of the TMR study observes. One of the prominent strategies adopted by several players in the soap noodles market is geographical expansion. Acquisitions and collaborations in recent years have also strengthened the positioning of a number of players. Singapore-based Musim Mas Holdings, a leading competitor in the soap noodles market, entered into a collaboration with Genting Plantations Group in March 2015 to set up a palm oil refinery in Malaysia. This move helped the company expand its capacity in the region. Browse Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/soap-noodles-market.html Sales Promotions an Excellent Strategy to Spur Demand for Soaps and Soap Noodles The demand for soap noodles is indirectly impacted by the aggressive sales promotions and marketing activities by companies. "Sales promotions result in purchase acceleration since consumers tend to buy larger quantities of a product when offered promotional sales and discounts," states a TMR analyst. The growing sales of soap have therefore led to the rising demand for soap noodles. Unilever and P&G are excellent examples of companies that have successfully managed to boost sales with marketing strategies and promotional activities. TMR identifies a major opportunity in the growing developing of soap bars with functional features and offerings, such as herbal soaps, moisturizing soaps, aromatherapy soaps, and anti-bacterial soaps. "The demand for such functional soap bars is relatively high in developed countries where the awareness regarding natural products in the personal care market is greater," the author finds. Get Latest Industry Research PDF for more Professional and Technical Industry Insights:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=13367 Soap Bar Substitutes Threaten Growth of Soap Noodles Market The threat from substitutes of soap bars has been growing over the years, acting as a major deterrent to the growth of the soap noodles market. "Companies manufacturing body washes, liquid hand washes, and shower gels have sprung in almost every part of the world and changing lifestyles and rising disposable income of the consumers have resulted in the increasing demand for these substitutes," the analyst states. This is likely to result in a decline in demand for soap noodles. The only saving grace, TMR observes, is that the substitutes of soap bars are highly priced and this could curb the demand for the same. TMR Predicts Tepid Rise in Demand for Soap Noodles By revenue, the global soap noodles market is anticipated to rise from a value of US$2.5 bn in 2015 to reach US$3.2 bn by 2024. The market is projected to expand at a modest CAGR of 2.7% during the forecast period. The demand for soap noodles is poised to rise at a 2.1% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. By type of source, the soap noodles market is led by vegetable oil and this segment is likely to account for a volume share of 60% by 2024. Also emerging as the fastest growing segment during the forecast period, the market for vegetable-oil based soap noodles will rise at a 2.9% CAGR by revenue. Asia Pacific is the chief contributor in the global soap noodles market by region and is projected to account for nearly half the market by 2024 in terms of volume. Asia Pacific is also projected to emerge as the most rapidly expanding regional market for soap noodles by the end of the forecast period. Browse Research PR: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/soap-noodles-market.htm This review is based on the findings of a TMR report titled "Soap Noodles Market -Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024." Easy Availability of Raw Materials in Asia Pacific Attracting Soap Noodle Manufacturers The global soap noodles market comprises five main regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific emerged as the leading contributor in the global soap noodles market in 2015, followed by Europe and North America. Increasing awareness about hygiene among the population and an improvement in the standard of living in the developing economies of Asia Pacific such as China, India, and Japan are projected to boost the demand for soap bars. This, in turn, is estimated to propel the demand for soap noodles in APAC in the near future. Asia Pacific is also projected to be the fastest growing market over the course of the forecast period with end-user industries such as healthcare and personal care on the path of rapid expansion. China is one of the major consumers and suppliers of soap noodles. The majority of soap noodle manufacturers are based in Malaysia and Indonesia due to the easy availability of raw materials in these countries. Browse Regional Market Research Blog: http://www.europlat.org/global-soap-noodles-market.htm Europe is also a key market for soap noodles owing to the increasing production of soap bars with special functional additives. Soap Noodles Market, by Source Vegetable Oil Tallow Soap Noodles Market, by Region North America U.S. Rest of North America Europe U.K. Spain France Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa (MEA) GCC South Africa Rest of MEA Browse Other Research Report: Bi-axially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) Market:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/biaxially-oriented-polypropylene-market.html Chelating Agents Market:http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/chelating-agents-market.html About TMR Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Contact Transparency Market Research State Tower 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Funding follows new client wins, Demandware partnership and release of new DynamicAction omni-channel capabilities SILICON VALLEY, California, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --DynamicAction, provider of the mostadvanced analytics solution specifically designed for retailers, today announced it has secured $15 million in new funding and entered into an alliance relationship with Accenture (NYSE: ACN). Lead investors in the round include Accenture and West Coast Capital. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395498LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395499LOGO Through the alliance agreement, Accenture will become a reseller and service provider for DynamicAction's solution. This complements Accenture's analytics capabilities, which include the Accenture Insights Platform, a cloud-based, end-to-end analytics solution designed to simplify analytics and deliver real-time, actionable insights to businesses across industries. DynamicAction becomes the newest addition to the portfolio of early stage technology companies in which Accenture has taken a minority ownership stake through Accenture Ventures. "At the heart of Accenture's strategy is the drive to continue to help clients be more agile in this competitive environment," said Jill Standish, global managing director of Retail at Accenture. "Our investment in and alliance with DynamicAction is unique, as it brings together Accenture's deep retail delivery capabilities with a cloud-based analytics firm that is solely based on profit optimization. The more challenging this market becomes, the more critical it will be for retailers to operate with the agility and speed of an industry leader like Amazon. DynamicAction's solution focuses on the retailer's most pressing needs, which are to increase full-price sales, improve margins, curb the discounting addiction and capitalize on demand." DynamicAction's top five retail clients experienced 91 percent full price sell through in 2015, and DynamicAction customers on average increased profits during the 2015 holiday season at a 27 percent higher rate than their revenue (which increased 11 percent YoY). The funding comes on the heels of rapid growth for DynamicAction, with revenue growing 172 percent YoY and retail client renewal revenue approaching 100 percent. West Coast Capital, led by Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sir Tom Hunter, was an original investor in DynamicAction and continues to support the company's mission of relentless innovation with this most recent investment. Existing investors also include London-based Frog Capital, global communications services group WPP and global growth investor ePlanet Capital. Built by a former retail CEO, former IBM Smarter Commerce Chief Strategy Officer, and former Chief Scientist at Amazon, the technology far exceeds retail big data solutions in the market, with more than 600 algorithms built specifically for retail. "We are delighted to welcome Accenture as an investor in DynamicAction," said Sir Tom Hunter. "Global retail is going through incredible change, and where there is change, there is opportunity. Data analytics will be at the forefront of that change, and DynamicAction's world class software will help retailers navigate a more profitable path in the face of heightened competition." "We've had the unique opportunity to witness the world's most innovative retailers, from Cole Haan to Tesco, improve their operational efficiency, their decision making paradigm and their profitability with DynamicAction technology," said Paul Davidson, Managing Partner at West Coast Capital, and member of the DynamicAction Board of Directors. "This company has bucked the trend of hype-before-substance and managed to build a world-class product, with the top retailers in the world as clients, and truly revolutionize the way that retailers look at their metrics and run their businesses." Industry analyst Benjamin Gresham, Frost & Sullivan, agrees: "DynamicAction quickly established itself as a David amongst Goliaths. Competing with major players such as SAS, Oracle and IBM, DynamicAction has positioned itself as the solution that retailers desperately need."1 DynamicAction drives retail profitability and provides artificial intelligence-enabled analytics to retailers across the globe, including Tesco, Brooks Brothers, Sur la Table, Nine West and El Corte Ingles. With clients in 120 countries, Accenture helps nine of the top 10 retailers in the world solve the toughest challenges in retail. "As we look to the future of big data in retail, Accenture and West Coast Capital have proven themselves as the frontrunners and trusted navigators of retail innovation," said John Squire, Chief Executive Officer of DynamicAction. "This investment and alliance partnership with Accenture allows us to help the world's largest retailers navigate the troubled waters of modern day retail. As they seek to create meaningful, long term relationships with their customers, and do so profitably, retailers will benefit from the strength of Accenture's deep analytics insight and industry expertise, with DynamicAction's unparalleled data science team, corpus of algorithms and data-driven infrastructure." New release of DynamicAction, integration and partnership with Demandware DynamicAction also announced its latest product release, including new omni-channel features and usability enhancements - all designed to help retailers identify profit opportunities faster. DynamicAction's software helps retailers more easily visualize and analyze opportunities and understand the relative size of the opportunity or problem. Opportunities are grouped by seven main categories for retailer merchandisers: conversion, inventory, profit, views, price, returns and order cancellations, and range. DynamicAction also announced it is a certified Demandware partner, with a Demandware Certified Cartridge that automatically passes information about orders, products, inventory positions and customers to DynamicAction. The cartridge makes it easier than ever for retailers to implement advanced analytics capabilities, as eCommerce platform data now takes under an hour to deploy with DynamicAction. ComCap LLC served as the exclusive financial advisor to DynamicAction. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions - underpinned by the world's largest delivery network - Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 375,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. About DynamicAction Better decisions. Faster action.DynamicAction is the mostadvanced analytics solution specifically built for retail merchandising teams. Connecting and analyzing millions of data points from every part of a retail organization, DynamicAction uses more than 600 proprietary algorithms that encapsulate hundreds of collective years of retail knowledge to pinpoint margin-eating disconnects inthe business, prescribe the precise actions to take and accurately rank those actions byfinancialimpact. Merchandising and eCommerce teams run more efficient organizations, sell more at full price, curb the discounting addiction, capitalize on demand and increase profit. Retailers across the globe, including Brooks Brothers, Sur la Table, El Corte Ingles, Tesco, Nine West and Cole Haan, rely on DynamicAction to make better and more profitable decisions in order to get to action, faster. Leading analyst firm Frost & Sullivan recently declared, "DynamicAction has Moneyballed retail. There's a new way to run retail organizations-with a clear understanding of data and immediate actions to improve performance." Headquartered in Silicon Valley, DynamicAction has offices in London and Dallas. Connect with us at www.DynamicAction.comand@Retail_DnAon Twitter. About West Coast Capital West Coast Capital is the private investment vehicle founded and funded by Sir Tom Hunter and his family in 2001. For more information, please go to westcoastcapital.co.uk. 1 Gresham, Benjamin. A $22 Trillion Economy Depends on It: How Big Data Powers the Retail Enterprise. Frost & Sullivan. June 30, 2015. Contacts: Kathleen See DynamicAction (512) 794-8876 dynamicactionpr@ketnergroup.com Aleks Vujanic Accenture + 44 7500 974814 aleks.vujanic@accenture.com NICOSIA (dpa-AFX) - Cyprus' consumer prices continued to decline in July, though only marginally, figures from the Statistical Service showed Thursday. The consumer price index edged down 0.2 percent year-over-year in July, much slower than the 2.16 percent drop in the previous month. In May, prices had fallen 2.13 percent. Utility costs dipped 6.3 percent in July from a year ago and transport charges went down by 6.57 percent. At the same time, prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages grew sharply by 10.09 percent. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.19 percent at the start of the third quarter. 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. Despite a fierce battle by many fiscal conservatives and some anti-corporate liberals to dismantle the Export-Import Bank, Congress reauthorized it in December 2015after allowing its charter to expire six months earlier. As the presidential race heats up, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is in favor of the Bank, and Republican nominee Donald Trump is against it. Although the Ex-Im Bank dominated political news last summer, the debate quickly dissipated as other political priorities emerged. With the upcoming election and uncertainty surrounding the slow growth of the economy, talk of abolishing the long-standing institution should come to the forefront of the economic debate once again. Explained by politicians as a job-creator and a means of assisting American companies exports to foreign markets, the Ex-Im Bank does not help small business. Rather, it subsidizes the sale of American products to foreign countries at the taxpayers expense. This is accomplished by substantial loans to overseas companies, many of which are owned by their respective governments. Created in 1934 by executive order to facilitate trade between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Export-Import Bank has since become a mecca for major corporations seeking out government subsidies. A 2014 report from Open The Books, a project of American Transparency, showed that the top 50 importers subsidized by the Ex-Im Bank received $80 billion in taxpayer financing. Worse yet, this money is concentrated greatly in only two industries: 45 of the top 50 importers are either foreign airlines or energy companies. Since 2007, one-third of all transactions done by the Bank have gone to benefit aircraft giant Boeing, a clear example of the Banks special interest nature. In an analysis of Ex-Im data, Mercatus Center senior research fellow Veronique de Rugy shows that the largest foreign beneficiary of these subsidies is Pemex, the Mexican oil and gas giant. From 2007 to 2013, the Ex-Im Bank gave Pemex $7.2 billion. In context, Boeing alone received at least $5.4 billion in loan guarantees from the Bank in fiscal year 2015. To use a financial analogy, the Bank has invested heavily without diversifying, and this could cost taxpayers a lot of money if something goes wrong in the energy or airline industries. One famous example of Ex-Ims failure is Solyndra, the green energy company whose sale of solar panels to Belgian companies was subsidized with $10.3 million in taxpayer dollars. Despite many warnings that the company would likely go under, the Ex-Im Bank and the Department of Energy approved the subsidy. Six months later, Solyndra was out-of-business. Abengoa, another green energy company, received around $150 million from the Ex-Im Bank while former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was sitting on the advisory boards of both Abengoa and the Ex-Im Bank, a clear conflict of interest. Many politicians continue to back the Bank, despite its obvious cronyism and failed investments. Interestingly, some who support Ex-Im, such as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), list Boeing and/or General Electric among their top five donors. It is no wonder that the Bank was reauthorized after only five months of closed doors. Hillary Clinton favors the reauthorization. During a Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan, with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Clinton said I think were in a race for exports. Here in Michigan, theres been $11 billion in recent years used to support exports, primarily for small business. I favor it, he opposes it. Senator Sanders vehemently opposed the Bank, stating Democrats are not always right. Democrats have supported corporate welfare. In contrast to Clinton, Donald Trump opposes the Ex-Im Bank. In an interview last summer, he said, I dont like it because I dont think its necessary. Its a one-way street also. Its sort of a feather bedding for politicians and others, and a few companies. And these are companies that can do very well without it. So I dont like it. I think its a lot of excess baggage. I think its unnecessary. Clintons position on the Ex-Im bank is a mistake. While her appeal to Americans fear of unemployment may earn her some favor, it fails in comparison to the hard-hitting Sanders narrative of corporate greed or Trumps feather bedding for politicians. And it is not just Trump supporters who despise the principle and results of the Ex-Im Bank. Whether this issue is approached from a fiscal conservative (the United States should save as much money as possible), libertarian (it is wrong for government to take money from special interests to pick winners and losers), or even a socialist (government should not work to benefit major corporations) perspective, there is a strong argument to be made in opposition to the Ex-Im Bank. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump both understand the cronyism inherent in the Ex-Im bank. Trump is correct that the Bank is unnecessary and Clintons support of corporate welfare plays poorly into her perception as a corrupt insider. Perhaps this is why some Sanders supporters are backing Trump, according to Pew Research and West Virginia exit polling data. Clinton should focus less on providing welfare to college students and more on taking it away from big corporations. She may just do some good in the process. Conner Dwinell is an E21 contributor. Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, E21 delivers a short email that includes E21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the E21 Morning Ebrief. LONDON, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A brand new online Matchmaking Service, which generated over 2,500 meetings at Licensing Expo, has been launched today by sister show Brand Licensing Europe (BLE). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130723/629764-a ) The BLE Matchmaking Service, which will be provided for free this year, will enable exhibitors and visitors to request meetings with one another through an online portal ahead of the show, taking place from 11 - 13th October 2016 at London's Olympia. The tool allows users to create online profiles, identify key contacts based on area of interest and job type, build relationships and create business opportunities - resulting in a pre-planned roster of private meetings at the event. A team of matchmaking professionals support the service, assisting with meeting arrangements and managing the show's new Matchmaking Lounge. Used for the first time at Licensing Expo in June, the service resulted in: Over 2,500 business meetings. meetings. Over 345,000 online user profile views. Connected 1,000 licensors with licensees. Generated $200,000 worth of business from one user alone. Anna Knight, BLE Brand Director, said "The licensing industry has embraced this revolutionary service; the take-up rate at Licensing Expo was 50% higher than in any other industry currently using the tool. In fact, 90% of exhibiting companies engaged with it, and we are delighted to now offer this opportunity to the European market. Users told us that the portal made their time at the show more efficient, opened up a network of new contacts, and generated substantial amounts of new business. We would encourage anyone attending BLE to sign up today." Following his experience at Licensing Expo, John Larson, Director at IMG Worldwide Inc., added "The Matchmaking Service was a fantastic tool that helped me meet many new contacts. Taking meetings in this format was very valuable and I took about 12 meetings via the service. Many solid leads were generated and many new contacts made." Now in its 18th year, BLE is the largest and most prestigious licensing event in Europe and runs from 11 - 13th October 2016 at Olympia, London. Organised by UBM and sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA), the show features over 2,500 brands, characters, and images available to license from more than 300 exhibitors. About Brand Licensing Europe, part of UBM's Licensing group Brand Licensing Europe 2016 (http://www.brandlicensing.eu) takes place from 11 - 13th October 2016 at Olympia, London. It is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Now in its 18th successful year, Brand Licensing Europe 2015 was the biggest event to date; hosting 300 exhibitors and 7,203 visitors from 63 countries. Brand Licensing Europe is owned by UBM which also organises Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, USA. Both shows are produced in partnership with the international Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA). License! Global is the official publication for both shows. About UBM EMEA UBM EMEA (http://ubmemea.com/) connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote brands and expand markets. Operating in more than 23 countries, UBM EMEA organises many of the world's largest, most important live events, awards and community sites in a wide variety of industries. Its events include Brand Licensing Europe, Technology for Marketing, eCommerce Expo, Customer Contact Expo and Decorex. To access the Brand Licensing Europe Matchmaking Service, please visit http://blematchmaking.comor contact the team at ble@meetingsprogramme.com or call +44(0)1275-335-912. DUBLIN, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Indonesia Diesel Genset Market (2016 -2022)" report to their offering. The report thoroughly covers the market by KVA rating, verticals, applications and regions. The report provides the unbiased and detailed analysis of the on-going trends, opportunities/high growth areas, market drivers which would help the stakeholders to device and align their market strategies according to the current and future market dynamics. Indonesia is the key revenue generating country in South-East Asia's diesel genset market. Led by factors such as expanding infrastructures, power demand-supply gap, increasing telecom infrastructure, rising residential societies and intensifying industrial base, the market for diesel gensets in Indonesia is expected to surge in the coming years. In Indonesia, diesel gensets with rating 5KVA-75KVA have captured key share of the market owing to wide adoption across various verticals. Telecommunication, residential and SMEs are the prime consumers of these gensets. Amongst all verticals, commercial vertical accounts for major share of pie in overall Indonesia diesel genset market, where, telecommunication, IT/ITeS, data centers, small businesses and commercial centers are the key revenue contributing sub-segments. The report provides the detailed analysis of the following market segments: By KVA Ratings - 5KVA - 75KVA - 75.1 KVA - 375 KVA - 375.1 KVA - 750 KVA - 750.1 KVA - 1000 KVA - 1000.1 KVA - 2000 KVA - 2000.1KVA & Above By Verticals - Commercial -- Telecommunication -- IT -- Data Centers -- Small Businesses -- Commercial Centers -- Warehouses -- Others - Industrial -- Utility & Power Generation -- Chemicals and Plastic -- Palm Oil, Food and Beverages -- Paper and Printing -- Micro Electronic and Electrical -- Glass Industry -- Car Manufacturing -- Others - Residential -- Single-Family Homes and Cottages -- Apartments -- Infrastructure -- Airports -- Hospitals -- Railways -- Public Buildings -- Military & Aerospace -- Others By Applications (Including Market by Verticals) - Standby Power - Prime Power By Regions (Including Market by KVA Ratings) - Java - Sumatra - Kalimantan - Sulawesi - Papua - Nusa Tenggara - Maluku Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Global Diesel Genset Market Overview 3 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Overview 4 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Dynamics 5 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Trends 6 Indonesia 5KVA-75KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 7 Indonesia 75.1KVA-375KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 8 Indonesia 375.1KVA-750KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 9 Indonesia 750.1KVA-1000KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 10 Indonesia 1000.1KVA-2000KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 11 Indonesia 2000.1KVA & Above Diesel Genset Market Overview 12 Indonesia Diesel Genset Vertical Market Overview 13 Indonesia Diesel Genset Regional Market Overview 14 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Industry Regulations 15 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Price Trends 16 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Competitive Landscape 17 Company Profiles (Manufacturers & Distributors) 18 Key Strategic Pointers Companies Mentioned - Caterpillar Inc. - Cummins Inc. - Deutz AG - Doosan Corporation - FG Wilson - Himoinsa Power System Inc - MTU Aero Engines AG - Mitsubishi Corporation - PT. Altrak - PT. Bach Multi Global - PT. Berkat Manunggal Jaya - PT. Dein Prima Generator - PT. Maxi Utama Energy - PT. Pioneer - PT. Trakindo Utama - PT. Traktor Nusantara - PT. Yanmar Indonesia - Perkins Engines Company Limited - Tan Energy Indonesia (Taneko) - Yanmar Co. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dkxb88/indonesia_diesel 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 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Ametek Inc. (AME) announced earnings for second quarter that declined from last year. The company said its bottom line totaled $138.19 million, or $0.59 per share. This was lower than $155.51 million, or $0.64 per share, in last year's second quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.59 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company said revenue for the quarter fell 2.0% to $0.98 billion. This was down from $1.00 billion last year. Ametek Inc. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q2): $138.19 Mln. vs. $155.51 Mln. last year. -Earnings Decline (Y-o-Y): -11.1% -EPS (Q2): $0.59 vs. $0.64 last year. -EPS Decline (Y-o-Y): -7.8% -Analysts Estimate: $0.59 -Revenue (Q2): $0.98 Bln vs. $1.00 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): -2.0% -Guidance : Next quarter EPS guidance: $0.54 - $0.55 Full year EPS guidance: $2.28 - $2.32 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) -- 08/04/16 -- Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. ("Peregrine" or "the Company") (TSX: PGD) is pleased to announce that core drilling has been completed on three kimberlites and two exploration targets on its 100% owned Sikwane Project, located in the Kgatleng district, south-eastern Botswana. The drill program successfully intersected the Sikwane kimberlites and has resolved their morphology. Kimberlite material is being collected for future microdiamond analysis. In addition, two new kimberlite targets in the Sikwane area were drill tested. Both targets are explained by magnetic dolerite intrusions. SIKWANE KIMBERLITE DRILL PROGRAM Peregrine's Sikwane prospecting licence PL272/2015 covers 453 km2 and contains nine kimberlites discovered through percussion and limited core drilling by De Beers in 1997. This previous work recovered diamonds from surface samples and from down-hole samples at the Sikwane kimberlites, although diamond abundance and size distribution data are not available. Peregrine's recently completed core drill program aimed to constrain geological relationships between kimberlite and country rock granite, and to obtain representative material for microdiamond or kimberlitic indicator mineral (KIM) analysis. Two separate drill sites were occupied at the Sikwane-01 kimberlite. At drill site #1, three vertical HQ-diameter core holes totalling 49.68 metres were collared within a 3.3 metre horizontal distance from each other, and encountered 5.94 (DD1), 0.85 (DD6) and 0.55 (DD7) metre kimberlite intersects that are interpreted to represent a highly irregular sheet-like kimberlite body intruded at somewhat variable depth within granite. Although clay-altered, the kimberlite retains a fractured, hypabyssal texture. At drill site #2 on the Sikwane-01 kimberlite, five vertical HQ-diameter core holes totalling 116.07 metres were collared within a 13.6 metre horizontal distance from each other, and encountered 0.20 (DD8), 3.95 (DD9), 8.77 (DD10), 3.10 (DD11) and 3.97 (DD12) metre kimberlite intersects that are interpreted to represent an irregular sill-like kimberlite body intruded within granite. The kimberlite is clay-altered and retains a moderately macrocrystic, hypabyssal texture. Two narrow kimberlite stringers were intersected in a 38.72 m HQ-diameter vertical hole (DD5) drilled at the known Sikwane-SE occurrence, and another two narrow kimberlite stringers were intersected in a 42.92 m HQ-diameter vertical hole (DD3) drilled at the Sikwane-3 occurrence. Dr. Herman Grutter, Vice President, Technical Services said "Peregrine's Sikwane drill program has efficiently resolved an irregular hypabyssal intrusive morphology for the drilled Sikwane kimberlites and outlined substantive pinch-and-swell characteristics for kimberlites in the Sikwane cluster as a whole. We are integrating these new data into our exploration models for three contiguous prospecting licenses that we control in the Sikwane region in Botswana and will incorporate the outcomes into future targeting in the region". SIKWANE GEOPHYSICAL TARGETS Peregrine has selected twelve kimberlite-like geophysical targets in the western sector of prospecting license PL272/2015 from aeromagnetic data acquired in 1998. Five high-volume soil samples have been collected from each of these targets during June 2016 and are being processed to recover kimberlitic indicator minerals. Two compelling, isolated magnetic targets were also drilled for a total of 90.0 metres. Kimberlite was not intersected in either drill hole with both targets being explained by magnetic dolerite that was intersected at depths of 21 to 36 and 20 to 54 metres respectively. QUALIFIED PERSON Dr. Herman Grutter, Peregrine's Vice President, Technical Services, is a Qualified Person and is responsible for the design of Peregrine's exploration programme in Botswana. Dr. Grutter has reviewed this release and approves of its' content. 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. A Preliminary Economic Assesment ("PEA") of a Phase 1 Diamond Development ("CP1D") has been completed. The PEA highlights that the CP1D represents a robust, high margin, ten-year, open-pit mining project with very attractive economics, including after tax NPV of C$471M, IRR of 29.8% and a two year payback. 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 Chidliak 2016 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. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. 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. Peregrine will be filing a National Instrument (NI) 43-101 Technical Report on the Chidliak 2016 PEA within 45 days of the July 17, 2016 release. For information on data verification, exploration information and resource estimation procedures see the NI 43-101 technical reports entitled "Mineral Resource Estimate for the Chidliak Project, Baffin Island, Nunavut" and dated effective June 3, 2016 which is available on SEDAR and the company's website. For further information, please visit www.pdiam.com. 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 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Coro Mining Corp. ("Coro" or the "Company") (TSX: COP) is pleased to announce that it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") to acquire Minera Rayrock Ltda ("Rayrock"), a Chilean subsidiary of Compania Minera Milpo S.A.A (" Milpo") a Peruvian mining company. Rayrock is the owner of the Ivan SXEW plant located some 18km south of the Company's Marimaca project, as well as 23,748 hectares of mining claims ("Ivan Claims") extending between Marimaca and Ivan (Figure 1). The Ivan plant has an installed capacity of 12ktpy copper cathode and operated from 1995 until 2012, when it was placed on care and maintenance. It has associated water rights and environmental and operating permits, some of which require updating. Coro has completed an initial examination of the plant and believes that it is in good condition and can be expeditiously placed back into production for a reasonable cost. The essential terms of the LOI are as follows; -- Payment of US$250k on signature (paid) of the LOI in return for exclusivity to conduct due diligence for a period of 60 days, extendable to 90 days under certain circumstances -- Closing period of 30 days to negotiate and execute a definitive purchase agreement ("DPA") -- Payment of US$6.25m on execution of the DPA -- Milpo to retain a 2% net smelter return ("NSR") on all production from the Rayrock mineral properties. Coro may acquire half the NSR for US$2m at any time and will have a right of first refusal over the NSR. Alan Stephens, President and CEO commented, "We are delighted to have the opportunity to acquire a processing plant that will enable us to accelerate production from Marimaca, and look forward to completing the purchase before year end." Rayrock Mineral Resources The Ivan claims host the following mineral resources, as quoted in the Milpo 2015 annual report; Ivan Resources at end 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- At 0.7%CuT cutoff ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category mill t %CuT %CuS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured 7.62 1.35 0.55 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indicated 10.64 1.3 0.36 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Measured + Indicated 18.26 1.32 0.44 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inferred 6.58 1.05 0.35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rayrock also owns 14,505 hectares of mining claims ("Sierra Medina claims") located some 42km north east from Ivan and 30km east from Marimaca (Figure 1). The Sierra Medina claims are quoted in the Milpo 2015 annual report to host 12 .2mt at 1.18%CuT & 0.86%CuS at a 0.7%CuT cutoff and in an undefined resource category, as at December 2013. Coro has not conducted any due diligence on the Rayrock resources and makes no assurance regarding their economic viability, if any. Both the Ivan and Sierra Medina resources are believed to have been estimated to industry standards by Milpo, but are not compliant with NI43-101 and therefore should not be relied on. Marimaca Update Drilling at Marimaca is underway with a diamond rig completing up to 2,000m of twin holes and providing samples for metallurgical test work, specific gravity measurements and geotechnical information. An RC rig is also on site completing up to 7,500m of drilling. Results will be released in batches over the coming weeks and the Company intends to complete a resource estimate, preliminary mine plan and metallurgical column test work by year end. CORO MINING CORP. Alan Stephens President and CEO About Coro Mining Corp. Coro's strategy is to grow a mining business through the discovery, development and operation of "Coro type" deposits. These are defined as projects at whatever stage of development, that are well located with respect to infrastructure and water, which have low permitting risk, and which have the potential to achieve a short and cost effective timeline to production. Our preference is for open pit heap leach copper projects, where we will seek to minimise capital investment rather than maximise NPV, where we will prioritise profitability over production rate, and finally, where the likely capital cost is financeable relative to our market capitalization. The Company's assets include its 65% interest in SCM Berta including the Berta and Salvadora deposits; the Marimaca drill stage project; the Planta Prat project; the Llancahue prospect, optioned to Industrias Penoles; and a royalty on the San Jorge copper-gold project located in Argentina. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These forward looking statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities including, without limitation, statements relating to the completion of the Private Placement and the issuance of the remaining common shares to Greenstone. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Forward looking information involves risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking information. Such risk and uncertainties relate to, among other things: receipt of Toronto Stock Exchange approval of the Private Placement, the Company's ability to satisfy the conditions precedent to the Greenstone Participation as well as other risks disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the securities regulators in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Coro undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. To view the map attached with this press release: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Fig1Coro.pdf Contacts: Coro Mining Corp. Michael Philpot, Executive Vice-President (778) 240 2555 or (604) 682 5546 investor.info@coromining.com www.coromining.com Renmark Financial Communications Inc. Francois Perron (416) 644-2020 or (514) 939-3989 fperron@renmarkfinancial.com www.renmarkfinancial.com Nemaura Medical Inc. (OTC BB: NMRD),("Nemaura"), a medical device company developing a minimally invasive, needle-free, wireless CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) patch known as sugarBEAT, today announced that it recently held a second pre-submission meeting with the FDA to discuss the clinical program for its sugarBEATsystem, for the purpose of a PMA submission in the USA. As a result of its meeting, Nemaura's management has determined a clear direction for the clinical program and has appointed Navigant (NYSE: NCI) to develop the Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application to submit to the FDA for approval, prior to commencement of the clinical program. Nemaura Medical anticipates completing the clinical program and submitting the PMA application around mid 2017. SugarBEAT differs from existing CGM's because it's comprised of an adhesive daily disposable skin-patch which does not require insertion of a needle-like sensor inside the skin. SugarBEAT also provides users with tremendous flexibility as to when and how often they choose to wear the patch. Both of these factors are expected to empower users in a way current CGM's cannot. About Nemaura Medical, Inc. Nemaura Medical is developing the sugarBEAT System as a minimally-invasive, needle-free, wireless, continuous glucose monitoring system for use as an adjunct device for blood glucose monitoring. Further opportunity may exist for use of the device in intensive care hospital settings, where continuous glucose monitoring is critical. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements The statements in this press release that are not historical facts, and may constitute forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to regulatory approvals and the success of Nemaura's ongoing studies, including the safety and efficacy of Nemaura's sugarBEAT CGM System, the failure of future development and preliminary marketing efforts, Nemaura's ability to secure additional commercial partnering arrangements, risks and uncertainties relating to Nemaura and its partners' ability to develop, market and sell the sugarBEAT System, the availability of substantial additional equity or debt capital to support its research, development and product commercialization activities, and the success of its research, development, regulatory approval, marketing and distribution plans and strategies, including those plans and strategies related to its sugarBEAT System. These and other risks and uncertainties are identified and described in more detail in Nemaura's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the current year, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. Nemaura undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005718/en/ Contacts: Investors Media: Bashir Timol Nemaura Medical Inc. BD@nemauramedical.com IR@Nemauramedical.com PHILADELPHIA, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 --Medgenics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MDGN) Initiated Phase 2/3 study of lead program in mGluR+ ADHD Entered into collaboration for second pediatric product in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Strengthened balance sheet with successful financing Medgenics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MDGN) (the Company) today announced second quarter 2016 financial results and provided a business update. "We are very pleased with the Company's accomplishments during the first half of 2016," stated Mike Cola, CEO of Medgenics. "We have advanced NFC-1 (MDGN-001) into the clinic in mGluR+ ADHD with data expected in 2016, and we will soon initiate a trial in patients with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. The announcement of our collaboration with Kyowa Hakko Kirin demonstrated the Company's ability to advance our growing pipeline of opportunities, and the successful fundraising we recently completed will further enable us to accelerate the development of these programs. We remain steadfast in our focus on developing innovative, genomically-based, best-in-class therapies focused on improving the lives of children and adults with rare and difficult-to-treat diseases." Recent Milestones and Upcoming Events Initiated Phase 2/3 study of NFC-1 (MDGN-001) in mGluR+ ADHD: In June, the Company initiated enrollment in the SAGA (Study of Adolescent Glutamate Receptor Network Copy Number Variant ADHD) trial, a Phase 2/3 clinical trial to evaluate adolescent patients with mGluR mutation positive (mGluR+) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to confirm the results from the previously completed Phase 1b GREAT study. Initial top-line data from the study are expected in the second half of this year. Announced the Second Clinical Development Program from our Collaboration with CHOP: In June, the Company entered into a collaboration with Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Hakko Kirin) for the development and commercialization of Kyowa Hakko Kirin's first-in-class anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody (MDGN-002). The Company plans to initiate a signal finding study this year, testing the drug in Severe Pediatric Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in collaboration with Dr. Robert Baldassano, Director of the Center for Pediatric IBD at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Strengthened Balance Sheet: In June, Medgenics successfully completed a registered public offering, raising approximately $20 million in net proceeds. The proceeds will be used to fund development activities, including development of companion diagnostics for existing programs, license and research collaborations and for general corporate purposes which could include maintenance of intellectual property, and other business development activities including acquisitions or licensing of complementary products or businesses. The financing extends the Company's cash runway through at least Q1 2018. Anticipate initiation of Phase 1/2 study of NFC-1 (MDGN-001) in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome during Q3 2016: The Company will conduct a Phase 1/2 study of psychiatric symptoms in children with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome to explore symptoms from three major neuropsychiatric disorders: ADHD, Anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Enrollment is expected to begin shortly, pending final CHOP approval. Conference Call and Webcast Medgenics will host a conference call and live audio webcast on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. EDT to report financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016 and discuss recent business updates. In order to participate in the conference call, please dial (877) 718-5098 (domestic) or (719) 325-4917 (international). The conference passcode is 4998119. The live webcast can be accessed under "Events" in the Investors section of the Company's website at www.medgenics.com or you may use the link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1395/16484 A replay of the call will be available after the end of the conference on August 4, 2016 through November 11, 2016. To access the replay, please dial (888) 203-1112 (domestic) or (719) 457-0820 (international) and reference the reply passcode 4998119. The archived webcast will be available for 30 days in the Investor section of Medgenics' website at www.medgenics.com. Second Quarter Financial Results The Company reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Form 10-Q includes unaudited interim consolidated financial statements containing the information presented below, as well as additional information regarding the Company. The Form 10-Q is available at www.sec.gov and at www.medgenics.com. Research and development expenses, both gross and net, for the three months ended June 30, 2016 were $8.74 million, increasing from $4.46 million gross and $3.03 million net for the same period in 2015 mainly due to increased sub-contractor costs to advance our clinical activities related to the NFC-1 (MDGN-001) program and the CHOP collaboration. General and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2016 were $2.95 million, decreasing from $3.89 million for the same period in 2015 primarily due to a decrease in stock-based compensation expenses related to options granted to directors. Financial expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 were de minimis. Financial income for the three months ended June 30, 2016 was nil, decreasing from $0.84 million in 2015. The $0.84 million financial income in 2015 was mainly due to a change in valuation of a warrant liability. All such warrants were exercised in 2015, thus eliminating the need for such valuation in 2016. The Company reported cash and cash equivalents of $53.69 million as of June 30, 2016. For the quarter ended June 30, 2016 the Company reported a loss of $11.7 million or $0.35 per share, compared with a loss of $6.09 million or $0.24 per share for the comparative quarter in 2015. Six Months Financial Results Research and development expenses, both gross and net, for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $15.69 million, increasing from $8.36 million gross and $6.93 million net for the same period in 2015 mainly due to increased sub-contractor costs to advance our clinical activities related to the NFC-1 (MDGN-001) program and the CHOP collaboration. General and administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $7.14 million, decreasing from $7.84 million for the same period in 2015 primarily due to a decrease in stock-based compensation expenses related to options granted to directors offset in part by severance benefits recorded upon the termination of an officer of the Company. Financial expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $0.02 million, decreasing from $0.26 million for the same period in 2015. The $0.26 million financial expense in 2015 was mainly due to the change in valuation of the warrant liability. All such warrants were exercised in 2015, thus eliminating the need for such valuation in 2016. Financial income for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 was de minimis. For the six months ended June 30, 2016 the Company reported a net loss of $22.85 million or $0.69 per share, compared with a net loss of $15.01 million or $0.60 per share for the six months ended June 30, 2015. MEDGENICS, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARY CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S dollars in thousands (except share and per share data) June 30, December 31, 2016 2015 ----------- ------------ Unaudited ----------- ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents $ 53,686 $ 53,064 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,095 747 ----------- ------------ Total current assets 54,781 53,811 ----------- ------------ LONG-TERM ASSETS: Restricted lease deposits 34 23 Property and equipment, net 489 424 ----------- ------------ Total long-term assets 523 447 ----------- ------------ Total assets $ 55,304 $ 54,258 =========== ============ LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES: Trade payables $ 503 $ 1,322 Other accounts payable and accrued expenses 3,424 2,586 ----------- ------------ Total current liabilities 3,927 3,908 ----------- ------------ Total liabilities 3,927 3,908 ----------- ------------ STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY: Common stock-$0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 37,086,843 shares issued and 37,078,343 shares outstanding at June 30, 2016; 32,869,217 shares issued and 32,860,717 shares outstanding at December 31, 2015 4 4 Additional paid-in capital 212,354 188,476 Accumulated deficit (160,981) (138,130) ----------- ------------ Total stockholders' equity 51,377 50,350 ----------- ------------ Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 55,304 $ 54,258 =========== ============ MEDGENICS, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARY CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- US dollars in thousands (except share and per share data) Six months ended Three months ended June 30, June 30, ------------------------ ------------------------ 2016 2015 2016 2015 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Unaudited -------------------------------------------------- Research and development expenses $ 15,692 $ 8,359 $ 8,741 $ 4,458 Less: Participation by the Office of the Chief Scientist - (1,430) - (1,430) ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Research and development expenses, net 15,692 6,929 8,741 3,028 General and administrative expenses 7,136 7,836 2,945 3,889 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Operating loss (22,828) (14,765) (11,686) (6,917) Financial expenses (21) (262) (18) (8) Financial income 1 24 - 843 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Loss before taxes on income (22,848) (15,003) (11,704) (6,082) Taxes on income 3 5 3 4 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Loss $ (22,851) $ (15,008) $ (11,707) $ (6,086) =========== =========== =========== =========== Basic loss per share $ (0.69) $ (0.60) $ (0.35) $ (0.24) =========== =========== =========== =========== Diluted loss per share $ (0.69) $ (0.63) $ (0.35) $ (0.28) =========== =========== =========== =========== Weighted average number of Common stock used in computingbasic loss per share 33,211,665 24,875,344 33,469,789 24,906,823 =========== =========== =========== =========== Weighted average number of Common stock used in computingdiluted loss per share 33,211,665 24,969,314 33,469,789 25,094,763 =========== =========== =========== =========== About Medgenics Medgenics is dedicated to unlocking the potential of genomic medicine to identify and treat patients with life-altering conditions. Its efforts, including its internal research and development and ongoing sponsored research and licensing agreements with a well-respected pediatric academic medical center, give Medgenics the ability to focus on the underlying genetic pathway of pediatric diseases with the goal of finding therapeutic solutions for subpopulations of both children and adults living with rare and other difficult-to-treat diseases. Medgenics is also the developer of TARGT (Transduced Autologous Restorative Gene Therapy), a proprietary gene therapy platform. Forward-looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which include all statements other than statements of historical fact, including (without limitation) those regarding the Company's financial position, its development and business strategy, its product candidates and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created by such laws. Forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by their use of the terms and phrases such as "estimate," "project," "intend," "forecast," "anticipate," "plan," "planning," "expect," "believe," "will," "will likely," "should," "could," "would," "may" or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. All such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those included within these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no undue reliance should be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. As a result of these factors, the events described in the forward-looking statements contained in this release may not occur. Contacts: Medgenics Brian Piper 240-899-5554 Email Contact Westwicke Partners Chris Brinzey 339-970-2843 Email Contact TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- BMO Financial Group (TSX: BMO)(NYSE: BMO) today announced the winners of the 14th annual BMO 1st Art! Invitational Student Art Competition. Presented annually, the competition recognizes visual arts excellence in post-secondary institutions from across Canada. Winners were selected from 248 submissions. The national winner receives $10,000 and each of the 12 regional winners receives $5,000 in recognition of their accomplishments. All of the BMO 1st Art! winning works will be displayed at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, 7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto, from November 17 to December 17, 2016. "Congratulations to the winners on their outstanding achievements in visual art," said Gilles Ouellette, Group Head, BMO Wealth Management. "As longstanding supporters of the arts, BMO is proud to celebrate the wealth of present and emerging talent in this country." "We are thrilled to exhibit the exceptional selection of works by the 2016 BMO 1st Art! winners," said Dawn Cain, Curator, Corporate Art Collection, BMO Financial Group. "Each year, the competition presents a unique platform through which promising Canadian artists have an opportunity to showcase their artistic vision. We look forward to sharing these works with the greater community." Deans and instructors of undergraduate certificate, diploma, and degree arts programs from colleges and universities across the country were invited to select three outstanding graduating students from each of their studio specialties to make submissions to the competition. The 2016 BMO 1st Art! winners are: National Winner Nathan Levasseur, University of Alberta Regional Winners Alberta: Joel Warkentin, Alberta College of Art & Design British Columbia: Elizabeth Villalva Granda, University of British Columbia Manitoba: Zahra Baseri, University of Manitoba New Brunswick: Jennifer McInnis-Wharton, New Brunswick College of Craft & Design Newfoundland & Labrador: Lucas Morneau, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland Nova Scotia: Jordan Blackburn, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design University Nunavut: Alookie Alikatuktuk, Nunavut Arctic College Ontario: Rouzbeh Akhbari, OCAD University Prince Edward Island: Dylan McQuaid, Holland College Quebec: Alexandre Menard, Universite du Quebec a Montreal Saskatchewan: Kristen Auger, First Nations University of Canada Yukon: Tyler Anderson, Yukon School of Visual Arts The diverse works produced by the 2016 winners cover a range of themes in a variety of media. They include: -- A conceptual project, digitally drawn and printed on satin gloss photo paper, that blends contemporary product design aesthetic and language as a way to re-frame the societal relationship between vulnerability, production and capitalism (Levasseur, National Winner) -- A sculpture that consists of thirty-six individual blocks of hickory, cherry, black walnut and wenge wood, cut and assembled to convey the natural circular growth of trees (Warkentin, Alberta) -- An intricate piece made of stroud cloth, seed beads, satin and velveteen, that is inspired by the Cree Hoods of the 1970s and strives to embody Indigenous womanhood and connection to Mother Nature (Auger, Saskatchewan) -- A replica of maize, one of the most important foods in Mesoamerica, with kernels crafted out of US bills to illustrate ongoing issues surrounding consumerism and colonialism between Latin America and the United States (Villalva Granda, British Columbia) -- A large-scale sculpture that explores relationships and insecurities around intimacy, created through the use of acrylic on plywood (Anderson, Yukon) The following panel of esteemed judges chose the winners: -- Michelle LaVallee, Associate Curator, MacKenzie Art Gallery -- Jeanie Riddle, Artist and Co-director, Parisian Laundry -- Kim Simon, Curator, Gallery TPW -- Pan Wendt, Curator, Confederation Centre Art Gallery To view the winning pieces on BMO Financial Group's website, please visit: http://1stArt.bmo.com. About BMO Financial Group Established in 1817, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services provider based in North America. With total assets of $681 billion as of April 30, 2016, and over 45,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets. Contacts: Media Contacts: Jessica Bonin BMO Financial Group jessica.bonin@bmo.com (416) 867-3996 Valerie Doucet BMO Financial Group valerie.doucet@bmo.com (514) 877-8224 To arrange to speak with any of the winners, please contact: Daniel French, Touchwood PR daniel@touchwoodpr.com (416) 593-0777 ext. 205 TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release. Toronto-based Jiffy, whose mobile app connects homeowners with home service professionals for same-day appointments, has raised $1 million in funding. This is in addition to a $550k seed round the company raised last fall. In addition to returning investors, participants in the new round include Hedgewood and notable Toronto angel investors Bert Amato, Bryan Kerdman and the Kimel family. The funds will be allocated to expand Jiffy's presence in Toronto and launch in their second market, Chicago. The choice to expand to Chicago was an easy one, Jiffy co-founder Ryan Shupak says. "Our target market is millennial homeowners - those desiring to use an app whenever possible, let alone not yet having a rolodex built up of trades when in need. Home ownership in Chicago is affordable, homeowners are tech savvy and it's not too far from Toronto, both geographically and culturally." Jiffy's popularity with service professionals and homeowners in Toronto has grown consistently since their launch last fall, already with a run rate GMV of $3 million. The company is anxious to expand its offering in a US market, explains Shupak. "Our platform is unique in the home maintenance space; it's designed for those quick, small items around the house rather than large renovation projects." Jiffy's model is based on the fact that homeowners want a qualified, pre-vetted professional quickly, exactly when they desire, all without reading through dozens of reviews. Ryan cites this focus on smaller, more commoditized maintenance and repair jobs around the house allows Jiffy to deliver consistent, quality same-day service. About Jiffy Jiffy is an on-demand platform that aims to take the hassle out of home maintenance. Available for download on iOS and Android, or accessible at www.jiffyondemand.com, Jiffy connects homeowners with vetted and insured home professionals in 24 separate categories in real-time across the Greater Toronto Area. For a full list of services and more information, visit www.jiffyondemand.com. To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160803-lawnsignLG.jpg Contacts: Media Contact: Ryan Shupak rshupak@jiffyondemand.com 416.898.7466 DUBLIN, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Growth Opportunities in the Global Connector Industry 2016-2021: Trends, Forecast, and Opportunity Analysis" report to their offering. The global connector industry is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% by value from 2016 to 2021. The major drivers of growth for this market are the increasing demand of connectors from 3C application (Computers, communications, and consumer electronics) and increasing demand for advanced features, convenience, and connectivity products. The future of the connector industry looks good with opportunities in the transportation, telecom/datacom, computer and peripherals, and industrial segments. Connectors are used in the variety of end-use industry, such as transportation, consumer electronics, computer and peripherals, industrial and telecommunication industry. On the basis of its comprehensive research, Lucintel predicts that the demand for transportation connector is likely to experience the highest growth in the forecast period supported by increasing electronic content in vehicles and growing automotive production. Within the connector industry, the PCB connectors segment will remain as the largest segment. Growing automation in various sectors, such as transportation, industrials, and military is expected to spur growth for this segment over the forecast period. Asia Pacific is expected to remain the largest market due to the increasing production of electronic component and devices in this region. Asia Pacific and the Rest of the World are expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period because of growth in communication, computer/peripheral and consumer electronic product propelled by economic expansion, increasing per capita income, and urbanization. TE Connectivity Ltd., Amphenol Corporation, Molex Incorporated, Hon Hai Precision, and Delphi connection are among the major suppliers of connectors. There are some companies that are opting for merger and acquisition as a strategic initiative for driving growth. The study includes a forecast for the growth opportunities in the global connector industry by end use segment, connector type, and region as follows: By end use segment [$ Billion shipment analysis from 2010 to 2021]: - Transportation - Consumer Electronics - Computer and Peripherals - Industrial - Telecom/Datacom - Others By connector type [$ Billion shipment analysis from 2010 to 2021]: - PCB - Rectangular I/O - Application Specific - Circular - IC Sockets - RF Coax - Fiber Optic - Others Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Connector Industry Background and Classifications 3. Industry Trend and Forecast Analysis 4. Competitor Analysis 5. Growth Opportunity and Strategic Analysis 6. Company Profiles of Leading Players - Amphenol Corporation - Delphi connection - Hon Hai Precision - Molex Incorporated - TE Connectivity Ltd. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/pvpwj7/growth 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 Mondi Limited Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa Registered office: 4th Floor, No.3 Melrose Boulevard, Melrose Arch 2196, Gauteng, RSA Registration number: 1967/013038/06 Tax registration number: 920/0017/71/4P JSE share code: MND ISIN: ZAE000156550 Mondi plc Incorporated in England and Wales Registered office: 1st Floor, Building 1, Aviator Park, Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2PG, UK Registered number: 6209386 Tax registration number: 454 12394 14454 JSE share code: MNP ISIN: GB00B1CRLC47 LSE share code: MNDI As part of the dual listed company structure, Mondi Limited and Mondi plc (together "Mondi Group") notify both the JSE Limited and the London Stock Exchange of matters required to be disclosed under the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited and/or the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and the Listing Rules of the United Kingdom Listing Authority. 4 August 2016 Mondi Group - 2016 Interim Dividend ZAR/euro Exchange Rate On 4 August 2016 Mondi Group announced, in its Half-Yearly Report announcement, that an interim dividend for the year ending 31 December 2016 of 18.81 euro cents per ordinary share will be paid on 13 September 2016 to all Mondi Limited and Mondi plc ordinary shareholders on the relevant registers on 19 August 2016. Mondi Limited and Mondi plc will pay their respective dividends as follows: Mondi Limited Mondi Limited will pay its dividend in South African rand cents. The applicable exchange rate is EUR 1 to ZAR 15.35580. Therefore, the equivalent gross interim dividend in rand cents per ordinary share will be 288.84260. Dividend tax will be withheld from Mondi Limited shareholders at a rate of 15%, unless a shareholder qualifies for an exemption, resulting in a net dividend of 245.51621 rand cents per ordinary share. Mondi plc Mondi plc will pay its dividend in euro. However, ordinary shareholders resident in the United Kingdom will receive the dividend in sterling (unless shareholders have elected to receive their dividend in euro). The last date for euro currency elections will be 19 August 2016. The exchange rate for this payment will be set on 26 August 2016. In addition, Mondi plc South African branch register shareholders will receive the dividend in South African rand cents, converted at a rate of EUR 1 to ZAR 15.35580. Therefore, the equivalent gross interim dividend in rand cents per ordinary share will be 288.84260. Dividend tax will be withheld from Mondi plc South African branch register shareholders at a rate of 15%, unless a shareholder qualifies for an exemption, resulting in a net dividend of 245.51621 rand cents per ordinary share. Additional Information The interim dividend will be paid from income reserves. Mondi Limited had a total of 118,312,975 ordinary shares in issue and Mondi plc 367,240,805 ordinary shares in issue of which 115,571,988 were held on the branch register, excluding treasury shares, at the dividend declaration date of 4 August 2016. Sponsor in South Africa: UBS South Africa (Pty) Ltd OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Everton Resources Inc. ("Everton" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: EVR) is pleased to announce the commencement of field programs in Canada and the Dominican Republic. BLUE SKY JACKPOT Lithium Ontario Located in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay, the lithium property hosts numerous spodumene bearing pegmatite occurrences and has lain dormant since 1955 when it was worked by the Ontario Lithium Corporation. The patented claim group was forfeit due to unpaid taxes and has subsequently been optioned by Everton Resources. This initial exploration program will focus on areas previously reported to host spodumene bearing pegmatite occurrences to locate, validate and sample these pegmatite occurrences for lithium and rare earth elements. (See news release May 17, 2016.) The Blue Sky Jackpot Lithium property surrounds the Jackpot Occurrence, a small four claim unit group in the centre of the Everton property that is also described by E. G. Pye in his 1965 report as reportedly hosting a historic non-compliant resource of 2 million tons of 1.09% lithium oxide. ARROYO CARPINTERO (formerly Ponton) Dominican Republic Located 27 km east of the Pueblo Viejo mine, this concession will be the initial focus of our renewed exploration efforts in the Dominican Republic. Soil geochemistry, trenching, and soil samples have previously defined significant anomalies, along with artisanal mining having been observed onsite. This very promising prospect is located in the Monte Plata Province and on one of the few regional volcanic centers on the "Los Ranchos Formation". The concession is not located near any ecologically restricted areas, has good access and a low population density. Surface geology, soil, and rock geochemistry sampling have returned values of 4.08 g/t Au, 30 g/t Ag, 0.63% Cu and 0.67% Zn. Grid line cutting and surveying is being initiated as a precursor to a 22 km line Induced Polarization (IP) ground geophysical survey. The IP survey will cover resistivity and magnetics and should start in late August. Andre Audet, Chairman and CEO of Everton, commented: "This will be a very active season for Everton. I am looking forward to report on the results of our exploration programs and to further advance our gold, copper and lithium projects in Ontario and the Dominican Republic." The technical content of this release was reviewed by Wade Kornik, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by the National Instrument 43-101. In Other News: Everton also announces the closing of a non-brokered private placement by issuing 300,000 units of the Corporation for gross proceeds of $15,000. Each Unit consisted of one common share (the "Common Share") of the Corporation at a price of $0.05 per Common Share and one-half common share purchase warrant (the "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share in the capital of the Corporation at a price of $0.07 per common share for a period of twenty-four (24) months. The proceeds will be used to advance exploration work and also for working capital. In connection with the private placement, the Company will pay a cash finder's fee of $1,200 and issue 24,000 finder's warrants exercisable at $0.07 for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the closing date. All securities issued in the private placement are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on December 5, 2016. The private placement is subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals including acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V). 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 recently announced the acquisition of two properties: the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property in Ontario and the Detour Lake gold property in Quebec. 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. Contacts: Everton Resources Inc. Andre Audet Chairman and CEO 613-241-2332 613-421-8406 (FAX) andre@evertonresources.com www.evertonresources.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Silver Range Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: SNG) ("Silver Range") announces that it has staked and completed an initial examination of the Itchen Property near the Lupin Gold Mine in Nunavut. The Itchen Property is 348 kilometres north northeast of Yellowknife, NWT and 78 kilometres west southwest of the Lupin Gold Mine. The property is underlain by Archean metasedimentary rocks which host numerous iron-formation-hosted gold occurrences in an arcuate belt including the Lupin Mine to the east. Exploration in the Itchen Lake area dates to the early 1960's when gold was discovered at Contwoyto Lake. The development of the Lupin Mine in the early 1980's spurred a second round of exploration but the Itchen Lake area has been quiet since 1990. The Itchen Property claims cover nine gold targets documented in the NWT Mineral Inventory (NORMIN). These are found in several tightly folded iron formation horizons up to 4 km long and up to 20 m thick. The iron formation consists of sulphide facies iron formation enclosed within silicate facies iron formation strata. Gold mineralization is hosted in the sulphide facies iron formation preferentially with discordant quartz veins in fold hinges. Results from historical work include grab samples to 20.06 g/t Au, trench samples up to 2.4 m @ 5.8 g/t Au and a best drill intersection of 1.1 m @ 1.1 g/t Au. Silver Range Resources staked and explored the Itchen Property in early July 2016. Confirmatory sampling returned fire assay analyses to 6.64 g/t Au. Recent mapping and sample results are being compiled with historical data to design future work programs and define drill targets. All work on the project is being managed by Aurora Geosciences Ltd. of Yellowknife, NWT under the supervision of Gary Vivian M.Sc., P.Geol. Samples were secured and shipped under chain of custody to ALS Minerals facilities in Yellowknife NWT for sample preparation and to North Vancouver for assays and geochemical analyses. Samples were analyzed by Ultra-Trace Aqua Regia ICP-MS (ALS code ME-MS41) and fire assayed for gold (30 g sample) (ALS code Au-AA25). Technical information in this news release has been approved by Mike Power, M.Sc., P.Geo., President and CEO of Silver Range Resources Ltd. and a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101. Silver Range is building and exploring a portfolio of high grade gold targets in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Nevada to fulfil an increasing demand for gold projects in politically stable jurisdictions. ON BEHALF OF SILVER RANGE RESOURCES LTD. Mike Power, President, C.E.O. & Director Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results. Contacts: Investor Inquiries Richard Drechsler Vice-President, Communications Tel: (604) 687-2522 or NA Toll-Free: (888) 688-2522 rdrechsler@silverrangeresources.com http://www.silverrangeresources.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Interactive multichannel retailer HSN, Inc. (HSNIV, HSNI) said that Judy Schmeling, currently chief financial officer and chief operating officer of the company, will assume the role of President of Cornerstone, effective immediately. Schmeling will continue to serve in her capacity as COO of HSNi and will remain CFO during this transition until a successor is appointed. She will continue to report to Mindy Grossman, Chief Executive Officer of HSN. The company has commenced an external search for Schmeling's replacement as CFO. In addition to her responsibilities as HSNi's COO, Schmeling, as President of Cornerstone, will have oversight of HSNi's portfolio of aspirational home and apparel lifestyle brands including Frontgate, Ballard Designs, Garnet Hill, Grandin Road and Improvements. In a separate statement, HSN said it has entered into a letter of intent to sell Cornerstone's TravelSmith and Chasing Fireflies brands. In the second quarter of 2016, Cornerstone initiated a formal plan to sell TravelSmith and Chasing Fireflies, two of the apparel brands within its portfolio. In July 2016, the company entered into a non-binding letter of intent with an exclusivity period of 30 days to sell these businesses. Assuming the parties can reach a final agreement, the company expects the transaction to close in the third quarter of 2016. In the second quarter of 2016, the company recorded a non-cash asset impairment charge of $20.4 million, or $0.24 per diluted share. HSNi's board of directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 per share, payable September 22, 2016 to shareholders of record as of September 7, 2016. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Goldrea Resources Corp. ("Goldrea" or the "Company") (CSE: GOR)(FRANKFURT: GOJ)(OTC PINK: GORAF) has expanded its land position by 3.5 times at its prospective Gaspe Lithium project, located in the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. The Company has negotiated five additional cells in the project area, comprising 282 hectares, bringing the total property area to 395 hectares. The Gaspe Lithium Project lies 75 kilometres northwest of the City of Gaspe, Quebec, and approximately 20 kilometres north of Murdochville, Quebec, in NTS map sheet 22H03. The newly added claims are host to historic heavy mineral stream sediment samples yielding up to 60.0ppm Li(7). The highest recorded stream sediment sample from the entire Gaspe Lithium property returned a value of 159 ppm Li(1). Historic samples from the new claims are tabulated in Table 1, while samples from the core land position, previously announced on June 28, 2016, are shown in Table 2. Table 1. Historic samples from newly added land position ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIGEOM Li Sample # (ppm) Easting Northing Date Sample Type ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012536 60.0 319562 5440612 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012535 43.0 319346 5440739 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012529 39.0 320502 5441736 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012532 29.0 320491 5441479 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012534 22.0 320062 5440658 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1987092139 43.0 318832 5440930 1987-01-01 rock sample ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2. Previously announced historic samples from core land position ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIGEOM Li Sample # (ppm) Easting Northing Date Sample Type ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992011379 159.0 321779 5441591 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012530 105.0 321616 5441697 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012528 26.0 321655 5442281 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992012531 24.0 321392 5441688 1992-01-01 heavy mineral stream sediment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A prospecting and sampling campaign will be required to confirm the source of the elevated lithium values. As such, the Company intends to launch an initial reconnaissance program on the property in mid-August. The property is readily accessible, situated approximately 3 kilometres from Quebec Route 198. "The original core claims at the Gaspe Lithium Project show some of the highest elevated lithium values in historical heavy mineral stream sediment samples in the area. The addition of this adjacent claim block, is also host to some particularly significant anomalous stream sediment values which provides Goldrea with an even greater opportunity for discovery," states Jim Elbert, CEO. The technical contents of this release were approved by Mr. Case Lewis, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The property has not yet been the subject of a National Instrument 43-101 report. About the Gaspe Lithium Project The Gaspe Lithium Project is located approximately 75 kilometres northwest of the City of Gaspe, Quebec, in NTS map sheet 22H03 and covers historically reported elevated lithium values obtained from stream sediment samples. The property is readily accessible, lying approximately 3 kilometres from Quebec Route 198. The area is underlain by Cambrian to Lower Ordovician metasedimentary rocks of the Riviere-Ouelle and Trois-Pistoles Formations. Lithological units are mudrock, sandstone, conglomerates, and limestones. The highest recorded stream sediment sample from the Gaspe Lithium property returned a value of 159 ppm Li(1). For reference, the SIGEOM sediment sample database contains only five samples that exceed 150 ppm for the entire province of Quebec. Additionally, the highest assaying lake sediment sample near Nemaska Lithium's (NMX.V) proposed Whabouchi lithium open-pit resource returned a maximum of 10.9 ppm Li(2). In addition to the 159 ppm sample taken from the property, another three stream sediment samples within the property boundaries include, using the first sample as a reference point for location: 105 ppm Li located 200 metres to the west(3), 24 ppm Li located 400 metres to the west(4), and 26 ppm Li located 700 metres to the north(5). References (1) SIGEOM sample 1992011379 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. (2) SIGEOM sample 1957012628 - lake sediment sample. (3) SIGEOM sample 1992012530 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. (4) SIGEOM sample 1992012528 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. (5) SIGEOM sample 1992012531 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. (6) "A preliminary deposit model for lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites", USGS Open File Report 2013-1008. (7) SIGEOM sample 1992012536 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. Forward-Looking Statements The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain "forward-looking statements", which are statements about the future based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate or true. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law. Contacts: Goldrea Resources Corp. James Elbert President and CEO (604) 559-7230 info@goldrea.com www.goldrea.com NORTH OLMSTED, OH -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Moen is pleased to welcome Troy Shay as its new President, U.S. Businesses, effective immediately. Shay brings with him rich leadership experience, having most recently served as President of Jarden Home Brands. The announcement was made by David Lingafelter, President, Moen. In his new role, Shay will have leadership responsibility for the strategy of Moen's U.S. Business, providing the vision to stimulate and encourage innovation in sales, marketing, technical product development and business unit operations to ensure continued growth, profitability and market leadership. "As we continue to focus our company on growth, it's essential that we bring top management talent into the organization that possess drive, energy and strong business acumen," said Lingafelter. "Troy has strong leadership abilities in each of these areas. He will be a member of our Executive Team and a critical participant in our organic and inorganic growth-related activities. He will lead the market-facing component of our U.S. Business, and will partner with Operations to deliver service, inventory, quality, cost and supply chain objectives. We look forward to learning from Troy and all he has to offer our global organization." Shay joins Moen from Newell Brands, where he has spent the last 14 years and was most recently President of Jarden Home Brands, a division with four business units comprised of well-known brands such as Ball, Diamond, Pine Mountain and Lifoam. He had full profit and liability responsibility with a network of 14 manufacturing facilities, 16 distribution centers and over 1,200 employees. Prior to his position with Newell, Shay held various general management, marketing and sales leadership positions within Jarden's Branded Consumables and Newell Rubbermaid's Writing Business segments. Shay began his career at General Mills, Inc. in sales management, business planning and category management before joining Nestle USA, where he was responsible for customer and trade management within the Confections and Snacks division. Shay holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. For more information, visit moen.com or call 1-800-BUY-MOEN (1-800-289-6636). Follow Moen: Facebook: facebook.com/moen Twitter: @moen Pinterest: pinterest.com/moen Instagram: @moeninc YouTube: youtube.com/moenfaucets Houzz: houzz.com/pro/moen Google+: plus.google.com/+moenfaucets Tweetable Highlights: .@moen names Troy Shay as New President, U.S. Businesses About Moen 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 500 Index. For more information, please visit www.FBHS.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3039741 Contact: Jennifer Allanson or Courtney McGeever Falls Communications (216) 696-0229 jallanson@fallscommunications.com cmcgeever@fallscommunications.com PHOENIX, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Enghouse Interactive is proud to announce the successful integration and interoperability testing between Enghouse Interactive Contact Center: Enterprise (CCE) version 9 and the GENBAND Application Server (AS) version 11.2. CCE is available immediately through authorized partners to provide award-winning omni-channel interaction management to sophisticated enterprise customers worldwide. Enghouse Interactive's Contact Center: Enterprise is a highly adaptable, omni-channel platform that enables enterprises to engage with customers -- on their customers' terms. That means delivering a superior experience regardless of device or medium. CCE gives organizations the real-time and historical tools to manage and measure every engagement; maximizing impact and continuously refining their experience. "We are excited to be able to offer GENBAND customers a compelling new choice for Contact Center, one that has been fully vetted in our labs," said Carl Baptiste, senior vice president of unified communications solutions at GENBAND. "We believe Enghouse Interactive shares our vision for fully leveraging industry standards to deliver best-of-breed solutions. Providing customers choices is a critical part of enabling greater value." Enghouse Interactive Contact Center: Enterprise version 9 is integrated with the GENBAND Application Server (AS), a fully-featured, IP-based multimedia communications application server. The combined solution can be deployed on premises, in the cloud or as a hybrid deployment. GENBAND's carrier heritage assures that the AS delivers a degree of scale, reliability and SIP-based interoperability not typically found in enterprise PBXs. The AS can easily provide voice, video, instant messaging, presence, mobility, conferencing and collaboration to tens of thousands of users across multiple sites. Users can access services from mobile and tablet devices, WebRTC-based web clients, PCs, Macs, IP phones, ATAs and more. "Today's consumers expect prompt, attentive customer care by phone, email, chat, video, and SMS, driving organizations to adopt omni-channel contact center functionality," said Ernie Wallerstein, president, Americas, Enghouse Interactive. "In addition, engagement tools must be as easy to manage as they are powerful, providing business leaders with visibility and insight into each stop along the customer journey." A data-driven, omni-channel routing engine delivers customer interactions to a unified queue, while the Customer Timeline provides agents comprehensive access to the entire customer interaction lifecycle -- past, present, and future -- across all communications channels, increasing agent productivity and effectiveness as well as improving overall contact center performance. "We are pleased to deepen our relationship with GENBAND, an esteemed industry leader, and looking forward to working with its vast partner network," added Wallerstein. Baptiste added, "We are excited that our partners will now be able to bring Enghouse Interactive's world-class omni-channel contact center solutions to customers." About Enghouse Interactive Enghouse Interactive (www.enghouseinteractive.com) delivers technology and expertise to maximize the value of every customer interaction. The company develops a comprehensive portfolio of customer interaction management solutions. Core technologies include contact center, attendant console, predictive outbound dialer, knowledge management, IVR and call recording solutions that support any telephony environment, on premise or in the cloud. Enghouse Interactive has thousands of customers worldwide, supported by a global network of partners and more than 700 dedicated staff across the company's international operations. Enghouse Interactive is a subsidiary of Enghouse Systems Limited, a software and services company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "ESL." Founded in 1984, Enghouse Systems is a consistently profitable company, which has grown both organically and through the acquisition of well-regarded specialists including AndTek, Arc, CosmoCom, Datapulse, IAT, IT Sonix, Reitek, Safeharbor, Syntellect, Telrex, Trio and Zeacom. Learn more at www.enghouseinteractive.com. CONTACT Mostafa Razzak JMRConnect 202.904.2048 m.razzak@jmrconnect.net WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Readers are referred to the disclaimer regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Additional IFRS Measures at the end of this Release. IGM Financial Inc. (IGM or the Company) (TSX: IGM) today announced earnings results for the second quarter of 2016. Net earnings available to common shareholders for the three months ended June 30, 2016 were $172.9 million or 72 cents per share compared to net earnings available to common shareholders of $198.5 million or 80 cents per share for the comparative period in 2015. Net earnings available to common shareholders for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $339.9 million or $1.40 per share compared to net earnings available to common shareholders of $398.8 million or $1.59 per share for the comparative period in 2015. Revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2016 were $744.3 million compared to $763.2 million a year ago. Revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $1.47 billion compared to $1.52 billion a year ago. Expenses were $521.8 million for the second quarter of 2016 compared to $506.5 million a year ago and $1.03 billion for the six month period compared to $1.01 billion a year ago. Total assets under management at June 30, 2016 were $134.7 billion compared to $136.0 billion at June 30, 2015. Mutual fund assets under management at June 30, 2016 were $128.7 billion compared to $129.7 billion at June 30, 2015. Shareholders' equity at June 30, 2016 was $4.7 billion, compared to $4.8 billion at June 30, 2015. Return on average common equity for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was 14.7% compared to 17.0% for the comparative period in 2015. Investors Group Operations "Mutual fund assets under management at June 30, 2016 reached $76.2 billion, largely on the strength of strong investment returns in the quarter," said Jeffrey R. Carney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Investors Group Inc. and IGM Financial Inc. "The Maestro Portfolio funds, which combine a long-term investment management outlook with dynamic asset allocation strategies, continued to grow in the quarter, reaching $2.2 billion at June 30, 2016 since their launch one year ago." Mutual fund sales for the second quarter of 2016 were $1.8 billion, a decrease of 6.1% compared to $1.9 billion in the prior year and mutual fund net redemptions for the second quarter of 2016 were $168 million compared to net sales of $27 million a year ago. Mutual fund sales for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $4.0 billion, a decrease of 5.0% compared to $4.3 billion in the prior year and mutual fund net sales were $299 million compared to net sales of $615 million a year ago. The twelve month trailing redemption rate (excluding money market funds) was 8.8% at June 30, 2016, compared to 8.7% at March 31, 2016. Mutual fund assets under management at June 30, 2016 were $76.2 billion compared to $75.8 billion at June 30, 2015. Mackenzie Operations Mutual fund sales for the second quarter of 2016 were $1.5 billion compared to $1.9 billion in the prior year. Mutual fund net redemptions for the second quarter were $375 million compared to net redemptions of $545 million a year ago.(1) Mutual fund sales for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $3.3 billion compared to $3.8 billion in the prior year. Mutual fund net redemptions were $573 million compared to net redemptions of $651 million a year ago. (1) Total net redemptions for the second quarter of 2016 were $291 million compared to total net redemptions of $10.7 billion a year ago. Total net redemptions for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $678 million compared to total net redemptions of $10.1 billion a year ago. Excluding rebalance activities,(1)(2) total net sales in 2015 were $84 million for the second quarter and $653 million for the six months ending June 30, 2015. "Mackenzie continued to focus on meeting investor needs through high quality and innovative product solutions with the inaugural launch of six exchange traded funds as well as four new mutual funds during the quarter," said Jeffrey R. Carney, President and Chief Executive Officer of IGM Financial Inc. "As previously announced, Barry McInerney has now assumed the role of CEO of Mackenzie and I look forward to working with him closely as he leads the company into the future." Mackenzie's total assets under management at June 30, 2016 were $61.7 billion compared to $63.0 billion at June 30, 2015. Mutual fund assets under management at June 30, 2016 were $48.2 billion compared to $49.9 billion a year ago. (1) During the second quarter of 2015, certain third party programs which include Mackenzie mutual funds made fund allocation changes which resulted in net redemptions of $456 million. (2) During the second quarter of 2015, MD Financial Management ("MD") reassigned sub-advisory responsibilities on four fixed income mandates (totalling $10.3 billion) advised by Mackenzie. The impact on Mackenzie's pre-tax earnings from these mandate changes is not meaningful. Following the changes, Mackenzie continues to advise MD on a number of fixed income, balanced and equity mandates. Dividends The Board of Directors has declared a dividend of 56.25 cents per share on the Company's common shares and has declared a dividend of $0.36875 per share on the Company's 5.90% Non-Cumulative First Preferred Shares, Series "B". The common share dividend and the preferred share dividend are payable on October 31, 2016 to shareholders of record on September 30, 2016. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this Release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements based on certain assumptions and reflect IGM Financial's current expectations. Forward-looking statements are provided to assist the reader in understanding the Company's financial position and results of operations as at and for the periods ended on certain dates and to present information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. These statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of the Company, as well as the outlook for North American and international economies, for the current fiscal year and subsequent periods. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or include words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "seeks", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "may", "will", "should", "would" and "could". This information is based upon certain material factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection as reflected in the forward-looking statements, including the perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to management, they may prove to be incorrect. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A variety of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's and its subsidiaries' control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Company, and its subsidiaries, and their businesses, and could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations of estimated or anticipated events or results. These factors include, but are not limited to: the impact or unanticipated impact of general economic, political and market factors in North America and internationally, interest and foreign exchange rates, global equity and capital markets, management of market liquidity and funding risks, changes in accounting policies and methods used to report financial condition (including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates), the effect of applying future accounting changes, operational and reputational risks, business competition, technological change, changes in government regulations and legislation, changes in tax laws, unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings, catastrophic events, the Company's ability to complete strategic transactions, integrate acquisitions and implement other growth strategies, and the Company's and its subsidiaries' success in anticipating and managing the foregoing factors. The reader is cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. The reader is also cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as specifically required by applicable Canadian law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statements are made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Additional information about the risks and uncertainties of the Company's business and material factors or assumptions on which information contained in forward-looking statements is based is provided in its disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, available at www.sedar.com. Additional IFRS Measures This release contains additional IFRS measures. Terms by which additional IFRS measures are identified include "earnings before income taxes" and "net earnings available to common shareholders". Additional IFRS measures are used to provide management and investors with additional measures to assess earnings performance. These measures are considered additional IFRS measures as they are in addition to the minimum line items required by IFRS and are relevant to an understanding of the entity's financial performance. The Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) of operating results are available on IGM Financial Inc.'s website at www.igmfinancial.com. IGM Financial Inc. is one of Canada's premier personal financial services companies, and one of the country's largest managers and distributors of mutual funds and other managed asset products, with over $138 billion in total assets under management as of July 31, 2016. Its activities are carried out principally through Investors Group, Mackenzie Financial Corporation and Investment Planning Counsel. IGM Financial Inc. is a member of the Power Financial Corporation group of companies. Media Note: A live webcast of IGM's Analyst conference call for the Second Quarter 2016 will be held on Thursday August 4, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. (ET) at www.igmfinancial.com. Media and interested parties may alternatively choose to listen to the live analyst teleconference call by dialing 1-866-223-7781 or 416-340-2216. IGM FINANCIAL INC. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consolidated Statements of Earnings (unaudited) (in thousands of Canadian Three months Six months dollars, except shares ended June 30 ended June 30 and per share amounts) 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues Management fees $ 497,386 $ 517,279 $ 981,222 $ 1,026,390 Administration fees 104,328 105,995 204,678 208,231 Distribution fees 96,342 95,286 191,310 189,819 Net investment income and other 22,409 15,161 38,286 44,242 Proportionate share of affiliate's earnings 23,876 29,508 51,684 55,410 ------------------------------------------------ 744,341 763,229 1,467,180 1,524,092 ------------------------------------------------ Expenses Commission 267,128 267,687 528,643 534,554 Non-commission 231,740 215,853 459,607 429,475 Interest 22,913 22,964 45,826 45,714 ------------------------------------------------ 521,781 506,504 1,034,076 1,009,743 ------------------------------------------------ Earnings before income taxes 222,560 256,725 433,104 514,349 Income taxes 47,457 56,051 88,825 111,116 ------------------------------------------------ Net earnings 175,103 200,674 344,279 403,233 Perpetual preferred share dividends 2,212 2,212 4,425 4,425 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net earnings available to common shareholders $ 172,891 $ 198,462 $ 339,854 $ 398,808 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average number of common shares (in thousands) - Basic 241,071 248,957 242,100 250,076 - Diluted 241,221 249,128 242,197 250,266 Earnings per share (in dollars) - Basic $ 0.72 $ 0.80 $ 1.40 $ 1.59 - Diluted $ 0.72 $ 0.80 $ 1.40 $ 1.59 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- IGM FINANCIAL INC. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Financial Highlights For the three months As at and for the six ended June 30 months ended June 30 ------------------------ --------------------------- (unaudited) 2016 2015 Change 2016 2015 Change ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net earnings available to common shareholders ($ millions) $ 172.9 $ 198.5 (12.9)% $ 339.9 $ 398.8 (14.8)% Diluted earnings per share 0.72 0.80 (10.0) 1.40 1.59 (11.9) Return on equity 14.7% 17.0% Dividends per share 0.5625 0.5625 - 1.125 1.125 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets under management (1) ($ millions) $ 134,681 $ 135,971 (0.9)% Investors Group Mutual funds 76,203 75,844 0.5 Mackenzie Mutual funds 48,210 49,853 Sub-advisory, institutional and other accounts 13,457 13,172 Total 61,667 63,025 (2.2) Counsel Mutual funds 4,316 4,053 6.5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mutual Funds and Institutional Sales Investors Total ($ millions) Group Mackenzie Counsel (2) ---------------------------------------------- For the three months ended Mutual June 30, 2016 Funds Total Gross sales $ 1,778 $ 1,494 $ 3,013 $ 213 $ 4,519 Net sales (redemptions) (168) (375) (291) 31 (501) For the six months ended June 30, 2016 Gross sales $ 4,045 $ 3,335 $ 5,696 $ 475 $ 9,191 Net sales (redemptions) 299 (573) (678) 110 (435) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Total assets under management excluded $7.5 billion of assets sub- advised by Mackenzie on behalf of Investors Group and Investment Planning Counsel ($6.9 billion at June 30, 2015). (2) Total Gross Sales and Net Sales for the three months ended June 30, 2016 excluded $485 million and $73 million, respectively, in accounts sub- advised by Mackenzie on behalf of Investors Group and Investment Planning Counsel. Total Gross Sales and Net Sales for the six months ended June 30, 2016 excluded $1.0 billion and $166 million, respectively, in accounts sub- advised by Mackenzie on behalf of Investors Group and Investment Planning Counsel. Contacts: Media Relations: Ron Arnst 204-956-3364 ron.arnst@igmfinancial.com Investor Relations: Paul Hancock 204-956-8103 paul.hancock@igmfinancial.com TECHNAVIO ANNOUNCES TOP 11 VENDORS IN THE PRESCHOOL OR CHILD CARE MARKET IN INDIA FROM 2016 TO 2020 Technavio has announced the top 11 leading vendors in their recentpreschool or child care market in Indiareport until 2020. The vendors are identified based on their revenue and market dominance in terms of experience, geographical presence, product portfolio, financials, and R&D. Competitive vendor landscape The preschool or childcare market in India is characterized by the presence of diversified international and regional players. However, international players have increased their footprint in the market, whereas regional vendors are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with them, especially on quality, ambience, and pricing. The competitive environment in this market is likely to intensify further with an increase in service extensions, technological innovations, and M&A. International players should grow inorganically by acquiring regional or local players. "The preschool or child care market in India is expected to reach USD 4.27 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of almost 22% during the forecast period. Many international players are expanding their presence worldwide, especially in fast-developed countries in Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. In addition, the improving scenario in India is fueling the growth of the market, making it an attractive time to extended their services," says Jhansi Mary, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on K12 andhigher education Request for sample report: http://goo.gl/H0s9OR Top 11 preschool or child care market vendors in India EuroKids EuroKids was established in 2001 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company offers several preschool and kindergarten programs, which help in laying down the foundation for children's futures and prepares them for regular school. It runs a chain of preschools and training institutions in India. Kidzee Kidzee was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company is a pioneer in Early Childhood Care and Education and operates a chain of preschools in India. It has 400,000 students with more than 1,500 centers in 550 cities and operates as a division of Zee Learn. Modern Montessori International Modern Montessori International was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Croydon, UK. The company offers preschool learning and education services based on the Montessori Method of Education. It operates its preschools and training offices in Vietnam, the UK, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and Myanmar. Tree House Tree House was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It provides education services and operates a chain of preschools and franchise schools in India. It offers a range of programs, including play group, nursery, junior kindergarten, senior kindergarten, and day care services for children. In 2015, the company operated 612 preschools, with 107 franchised preschools and 505 self-operated centers. Shemrock Shemrock is the oldest preschool chain in the country. It was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in New Delhi, India. The company's main agenda is to provide preschool education in a child-friendly atmosphere for the holistic development of children. The school's curriculum is designed to fit the requirements, interests, abilities, and learning styles of children. The school's program is designed to enhance the social, emotional, spiritual, physical, motor, and cognitive development of each child. Mother's Pride Mother's Pride started its preschool operations in 1996. The company is headquartered in New Delhi, India. The school's main mission is to revolutionize the education system so that it not only encompasses the academic knowledge required by children but also enhances their talents and skills. Apple Kids Apple Kids is a privately operated company that provides schooling and other educational needs to children. The company is headquartered in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. The company has developed a curriculum syllabus as per international standards. It provides education in an ecofriendly environment and helps in the all-around development of children. They take into account children's cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and sensorial abilities. Kangaroo Kids Kangaroo Kids preschool was first incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company has over 100 schools and preschools located in over 30 cities across India, as well as in the UAE and the Maldives. The school's main mission was to deliver premier international education mixed with strong values and sense of community to children from a very young age. These schools also aim at bridging the gap between the kindergarten knowledge and children's family by providing valuable education from kindergarten itself. Globe Tot'ers Globe Tot'ers is under Yash Birla Group. It started its operations in 2009 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company provides its services in four segments: Mother toddler: This segment is for children aged 8 months to 2 years. This program is to enrich the parent-child relationship. Preschool: This segment provides nursery and kindergarten services. Children are enrolled in this program according to their age. Extended day school: This program is developed for children aged 2-8. This program delivers opportunities for children to be involved in a variety of educational and recreational activities. Elevate: This program is designed for kids aged 2-12. This program aims at maximizing children's creative potential and building their life skills. Smartkidz Smartkidz is a privately operated preschool that is headquartered in Secunderabad, Telangana, India. The company focuses on providing value-based education. This helps children morally face challenges of modern day living. The program is a combination of academic excellence and extracurricular activities and character building through a play way method. Little Elly Little Elly is a conceptual preschool that lays a healthy foundation for a learned society. The company started its operations in 2007 and is headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The company is located in six different states with over 120 centers. So far, the company has enrolled over 5,000 students for preschool education. Browse Related Reports: Professional Online Courses Market in India 2016-2020 Education Hardware Market in India 2016-2020 Pre-school or Child Care Market in China 2016-2020 Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster or country but can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry, Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160728005022/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630 333 9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com 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. CARSON CITY The Nevada Department of Transportation is inviting Nevada residents to enter a raffle to receive a Welcome to Nevada sign as the old, obsolete highway signs are redesigned and replaced later this year. The iconic signs depicting a lone miner have stood at many interstate and freeway entrances into Nevada, welcoming drivers to the state for approximately 25 years. The signs will be replaced beginning this year by new welcome signs designed by Nevada high school graphic artists through a contest. Organized by the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in partnership with the Nevada Department of Education and NDOT, the contest invited the public to vote on new welcome sign designs which incorporate new Nevada imagery and branding. These new signs will be an important representation of the new Nevada that better reflects our state brand, A World Within, A State Apart, NDOT Communications Director Sean Sever explained. The existing signs that have stood on Nevada roadways for many years are a source of pride and state identity for Nevadans, which is why we wanted to share them and offer a chance for people to bring a bit of state history home. Free entry is available at nevadadot.com or by calling 775-888-7000. Residents can also enter by direct messaging through the Departments Facebook and Twitter social media accounts. One winner will be randomly selected from each region (northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast) shortly before the Nevada Day holiday weekend and personally notified as the existing signs are replaced beginning this year. Only one entry per person is allowed, and winners must be Nevada residents and willing to sign a waiver regarding lawful usage of the signage. NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- The Association of Junior Leagues International today announced that Amber Levy has joined AJLI as Director of Membership, a new position. In that role, she will be responsible for leading the implementation of the Association's Membership Model Rollout as part of a multi-year, multi-disciplinary strategy for The Junior League of the future. Ms. Levy is a seasoned association executive with deep experience in membership engagement. She comes to AJLI from RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc., where she was the Director of Membership and Constituent Programs. Earlier, she held marketing and sales positions with two major membership organizations, the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board and the San Diego Tourism Authority, as well as the Hyland Group, a firm specializing in premier meeting and convention properties. Susan Danish, AJLI's Executive Director, said, "Amber's experience working for membership organizations over the last 15 years will be an important resource as we implement our new Membership Model. Junior League members are busy women with active lives that include careers, families and volunteer commitments, so membership engagement is a critical element of our recruitment and retention as well as the ongoing strength and vitality of The Junior League brand." Ms. Levy said, "As the Association representing 291 independent Junior Leagues, AJLI has a unique position among women's volunteer organizations. I look forward to working with the AJLI leadership team to develop and launch member-centric programs that re-engage members, pique the interests of next-generation members, and position the organization for robust growth in the future." A graduate of Florida State University, Ms. Levy has served as President of the Professional Convention Management Association, New York Chapter, and is a member of ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives. About The Association of Junior Leagues International Founded in 1901 by New Yorker and social activism pioneer, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact. Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) is comprised of more than 150,000 women in 291 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world. Media Contact: Tracy Van Buskirk Marketcom PR Main: (212) 537-5177 Ext. 8 Mobile: (203) 246-6165 tvanbuskirk@marketcomPR.com www.marketcomPR.com CORONADO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Recently, Coronado Classic Dentistry launched its elegant new website. For San Diego dentist Jason Keckley, DMD, creating a state-of-the-art site that catered to the unique lifestyles and dental concerns of his patients was an integral step in establishing and promoting his practice. Together with the website development and marketing team at Rosemont Media, he chose to incorporate many innovative features, such as responsive design, intuitive navigation, search engine optimization (SEO), and an educational blog to ensure his website would deliver a high-quality user experience for his visitors. With input from from Dr. Keckley, the design team at Rosemont Media artfully composed a relaxing coastal backdrop reminiscent of Coronado's scenery, which is complemented by a soft navy and sand color-scheme throughout. Functionally, the new website for Coronado Classic Dentistry performs optimally, especially for those who enjoy a simplified and intuitive browsing experience. The responsive design of the site allows it to display correctly whether visitors are accessing it from a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. In any of these formats, custom content about the wide range of comprehensive dental services offered at the practice can be easily located. Furthermore, logistical elements such as patient forms, call buttons, and email contact fields are featured prominently to provide visitors with a virtual portal to the practice. For viewers who want to learn more about Dr. Keckley, his office, his team, and his practice philosophy, the website also contains content that explains all aspects of the practice, including an office tour. Dr. Keckley is proud to provide a full spectrum of preventative, cosmetic, and restorative dental treatments to help his patients achieve the healthy, confident, beautiful smiles they desire. His website reflects his dedication to quality classic dentistry and adoption of advanced techniques and effective technology to deliver superior results. Ultimately, Dr. Keckley hopes his website attracts patients from throughout Coronado and San Diego who are looking for an experienced dentist that can comprehensively address their needs with superior results. About Jason Keckley, DMD Before he became a dentist, Jason Keckley, DMD proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps. After being honorably discharged in 2002, he decided to enroll at San Diego State University and earned his BS degree in 2008. He went on to pursue his dental degree from Midwestern University, receiving his Doctorate of Dental Medicine in 2012. Dr. Keckley is committed to furthering his knowledge of a variety of advanced procedures and treatments, and he has attended many private continuing education courses on the topics of implant dentistry, clear aligner orthodontics, and sedation dentistry techniques. In addition to being the lead dentist at Coronado Classic Dentistry, Dr. Keckley is active in several prominent dental organizations, including the San Diego County Dental Society, the California Dental Association, and the American Dental Association. For more information, please visit dentistcoronado.com and facebook.com/dentistcoronado/. To view the original source of this press release, click here: https://www.rosemontmedia.com/dentists-blog/coronado-classic-dentistry-reveals-new-responsive-website-with-coastal-inspired-design/ Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3041205 Coronado Classic Dentistry 1315 Ynez Pl Coronado, California 92118 (619) 435-9191 Rosemont Media (858) 200-0044 www.rosemontmedia.com DUBLIN, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Advanced Driver Assistance Systems" report to their offering. Globally North America is estimated to be the largest market for ADAS during the forecast period. Higher share of North American ADAS market is largely due to the U.S., which is the second-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world. Furthermore, the technology adoption rate in the region is relatively high, apart from this North America has some of the most stringent vehicle safety regulations in the world; these are expected to further boost the market for ADAS technologies. North America is expected to be followed by Asia-Pacific as the second largest market for ADAS. Asia-Pacific is also expected to be the fastest growing market for ADAS. Demand for ADAS is expected to be driven by growing exports of vehicles from the region coupled with tightening regulations in the region. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are systems developed to automate/adapt/enhance vehicle systems for safety and better driving. Safety features are designed to avoid collisions and accidents by offering technologies that alert the driver to potential problems, or to avoid collisions by implementing safeguards and taking over control of the vehicle. Adaptive features may automate lighting, provide adaptive cruise control, automate braking, incorporate GPS/ traffic warnings, connect to smartphones, alert driver to other cars or dangers, keep the driver in the correct lane, or show what is in blind spots. Demand for advanced driver-assistance systems, especially those that help with monitoring, warning, braking, and steering task is expected to increase over the next decade, fueled largely by regulatory and consumer interest in safety applications that protect drivers and reduce accidents. The report segments the ADAS market by technology, sensor technology, vehicle type, and region. It determines the market size of the ADAS market, and provides a forecast for the same in key countries for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The report also segments ADAS technologies based on the sensors used. Additionally, the study analyzes market dynamics, recent industry developments, and profiles of key ADAS manufacturers. The growing awareness regarding driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety has fueled the growth of the global ADAS market. Government authorities have mandated the use of certain ADAS technologies, such as tire pressure-monitoring systems, in North America and Europe. Asian countries, such as Japan, China, and India, are also planning to introduce regulations mandating the use of specific ADAS technologies. These factors are expected to accelerate the growth of the ADAS market during the forecast period. Scope of the Report By Technology - Adaptive cruise control - Lane de - PARTure warning - Blind spot detection - Adaptive front lights - Night vision system - Head-up display - Road sign recognition - Drowsiness-monitoring system - Park assist - Brake assist - Pedestrian detection system - Tire pressure-monitoring system By Sensor Technology - Radar - Lidar - Camera - Infrared - Ultrasonic - By Vehicle Type - Passenger cars - Commercial vehicles Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Market Overview 5 Technology Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Technological Evolution of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems 5.3 Legislative Trends in Advanced Driver Assistance System Implementation 5.4 Cyber Security Issues Associated With Advanced Driver Assistance Systems 5.5 Advanced Driver Assistance Technologies: an Overview 6 Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Region & Technology 7 Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Sensor Technology 7.1 Introduction 7.2 ADAS Sensor Technologies 8 Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Vehicle Type 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Global Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Vehicle Type 8.3 Passenger Car ADAS Market, By Region 8.4 Commercial Vehicle ADAS Market, By Region 9 Competitive Landscape 9.1 Competitive Situations & Trends 9.2 OEM Market Share Analysis, By ADAS Suppliers 9.3 New Product Launch 9.4 Agreements/Joint Ventures/Partnerships 9.5 Expansion 9.6 Mergers & Acquisitions 10 Company Profile 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Continental AG 10.3 Delphi Automotive PLC 10.4 Denso Corporation 10.5 Robert Bosch GmbH 10.6 Autoliv Inc. 10.7 Wabco Holdings Inc. 10.8 Valeo S.A. 10.9 Mobileye N.V. 10.10 Magna International Inc. 10.11 Infineon Technologies AG For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hwjj8r/advanced_driver 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 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Hillary Clinton has pulled out to a big lead in New Hampshire on the heels of the Democratic National Convention, according to the results of a new WBUR/MassINC poll. The poll showed Clinton with a 47 percent to 32 percent lead over Donald Trump among likely New Hampshire voters. Libertarian Gary Johnson comes in a distant third at 8 percent, while 3 percent support Green Party candidate Jill Stein. WBUR noted Clinton's fifteen-point lead over Trump lead swells to seventeen points when Johnson and Stein are omitted from the poll. The significant lead for Clinton in the latest poll compares to a WMUR/University of New Hampshire poll showing the race in the Granite State virtually tied before the Democratic convention. The WBUR/MassINC poll showed Clinton with strong support among Democratic voters, while Republican voters are more divided. 'After all the hand-wringing about whether Bernie Sanders supporters would end up supporting Hillary Clinton, she's now getting 86 percent of the Democratic vote,' said Steve Koczela, president of the MassINC Polling Group. He added, 'Donald Trump, on the other hand, has slipped a bit among Republicans. He's now getting a bit less than two-thirds of the Republican vote.' Clinton also benefits from a 49 percent to 23 percent advantage over Trump among undeclared voters, which make up a significant portion of New Hampshire's electorate. The WBUR/MassINC survey of 609 likely New Hampshire voters was conducted July 29th through August 1st and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. (Photo: Lorie Shaull) 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. BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 10 am ET Thursday, the Commerce Department is due to release its factory orders data for June. The consensus estimate calls for a 1.8 percent month-over-month drop in orders. Ahead of the data, the greenback showed mixed trading against its key counterparts. While the greenback retreated from early highs against the yen, franc and the euro, it held steady against the pound. The greenback was worth 1.1142 against the euro, 101.15 against the yen, 0.9726 against the franc and 1.3130 against the pound at 9:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. NEW YORK, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Favorable government policies, rising automobile sales and growing vehicle production to drive Indonesia tire market through 2021 According to TechSci Research report, "Indonesia Tire Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021'', tire market in Indonesia is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.6% during 2016 - 2021. With a population of over 255 million in 2015, Indonesia has emerged as one of the rapidly developing markets for automotive tires in Asia-Pacific. Powered by rising vehicle sales, the country's vehicle fleet has been expanding continuously year on year. Considering growing demand for vehicles, many domestic and global players are strengthening their footprint in the country by establishing manufacturing plants or assembly units in Indonesia. Further, the increase in motorization rate (passenger car & commercial vehicle) from 77 vehicles in 2013 to 83 vehicles in 2014, is also identified as a key factor for the growth of Indonesia tire market. As per Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA), the country recorded an automobile fleet (passenger car & commercial vehicle) of over 20 million units in 2014, which continues to boost the country's replacement tire market. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 ) Browse 32 market data Tables and 37 Figures spread through139 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "Indonesia Tire Market" https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/indonesia-tire-market-forecast-opportunities-2021/743.html Indonesia tire market has been supported by various favorable government policies. In 2013, the Government of Indonesia approved an automobile sector development strategy termed as Low-Cost Green Car Policy, as per which, the government would provide tax exemptions on production of eco-friendly and low cost cars that are produced in the country. As a result, the passenger car production in Indonesia is anticipated to grow at a robust pace in the coming years, which is further expected to garner support to the country's tire market. Moreover, in 2015, the Government of Indonesia, inked AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Agreements) with neighboring countries to encourage foreign investments, and this is expected to bring down tariff levied on vehicle imports, which would eventually have a positive impact on the country's tire market in the coming years. Download Sample Report @ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=743 Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report. Indonesia construction industry, with a contribution of over 10% to the country's GDP in 2014, is projected to expand in the coming years. Key reasons for this growth can be attributed to rising investments in the construction sector. Expected growth in the country's construction sector is anticipated to increase demand for medium & heavy trucks in the coming years. Apart from construction sector, the country is anticipated to witness growth in logistics industry backed by anticipated growth in the MSME sector. As a result, demand for trucks and OTR vehicles is anticipated to rise in Indonesia, which is forecast to drive demand for trucks and OTR tires over the next five years. "Increasingly favorable trade policies, growing automobile sales and expanding vehicle fleet are few of the key factors that are anticipated to drive Indonesia tire market over the course of next five years.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm. "Indonesia Tire Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of tire market and provides statistics and information on market size, consumer behavior and trends. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in tire market in Indonesia. Browse Related Reports Philippines Tire Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/philippines-tire-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2021/696.html Vietnam Tire Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/vietnam-tire-market-forecast-opportunities-2021/729.html Thailand Tyre Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/thailand-tyre-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2020/160.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. Contact Mr. Ken Mathews 708 Third Avenue, Manhattan, NY, New York - 10017 Tel: +1-646-360-1656 Email: sales@techsciresearch.com Connect with us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TechSciResearch Connect with us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/techsci-research WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Donald Trump Campaign has demanded an investigation into a report that in January, the Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the release of four Americans detained in Tehran. 'This administration has embarrassed our country as no administration has before, going so far as to fund Islamic terror through cash payments to Iran. Nothing less than a full investigation is required, and if email-destroying Hillary Clinton can't break from Obama on this then she is even more corrupt than anyone imagined.' said Stephen Miller, Senior Policy Advisor of Trump. The White House has denied it was a quid pro quo, but critics charge the payment amounted to ransom for the release of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Americans. 'It's against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages,' White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday. Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday quoting U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation. People familiar with the discussions were quoted as saying that senior Justice Department officials objected to this at the same time that Iran released four imprisoned Americans, but their objections were overruled by the State Department. 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, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Automotive Brake System Market" report to their offering. The report segments the automotive braking system market by component, end-use, technology, vehicle type, and region. It determines the market size of the ADAS market, and provides a forecast for the same in key countries for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Additionally, the study analyzes market dynamics, recent industry developments, and profiles of key automotive braking system manufacturers. An automotive braking system is a group of mechanical, electronic and hydraulically activated components which use friction / heat to stop a moving vehicle. The global automotive brake systems market is primarily driven by an increasing global vehicle production and growing safety concerns. Globally the Asia-Pacific is estimated to be the largest market for automotive braking systems during the forecast period. The Asia-Pacific is expected to be followed by Europe and North America as the second and third largest market for automotive braking systems. The Asia-Pacific is also expected to be the fastest growing market for automotive braking systems due to an increasing demand and production of vehicles in the region. The key countries in the mentioned region are projected to be India, South Korea, and China as an outcome of the increasing demand for commercial vehicles and passenger cars. Japan also contributes to the global automotive brake system market remarkably. China is expected to be the largest opportunity in terms of revenue of the industry. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Market Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Overview 5. Global Automotive Brake System Market, By Components & By End Use (2012-2021) 5.1 OEM 5.1.1 Disc 5.1.2 Drum 5.1.3 Brake Pad 5.1.4 Brake Shoe 5.2 Aftermarket 5.2.1 Disc 5.2.2 Drum 5.2.3 Brake Pad 5.2.4 Brake Shoe 6. Global Automotive Brake System Market, By Region, by Application, & By Technology (2012- 2021) 7. Company Profiles (Overview, Financials & Analysis, Products & Services, Strategy, and SWOT) 7.1 ZF TRW Automotive Holdings Corporation 7.2 Continental AG 7.3 Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd. 7.4 Akebono Brake Industry Co. Ltd. 7.5 Mando Corporation 7.6 Brembo S.P.A. 7.7 Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation 7.8 Haldex AB 7.9 Knorr-Bremse AG 7.10 Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd. 8. News and Developments 8.1 Expansion 8.2 Technological Developments 8.3 Merger & Acquistion, and Joint Ventures 8.4 Supply- Contract For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/klnc3v/global_automotive 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 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Donald Trump blamed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for flaws in the US policy in Libya and the Middle East, and for the emergence of Islamic State. 'Take a look at Orlando. Take a look at San Bernardino. Take a look at the World Trade Center. Take a look at what's going on, and then worldwide, and we let ISIS take this position,' the New York business magnate told a campaign event at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, Wednesday, referring to the Islamic terrorist group. According to Trump, Clinton should get an award from them for founding Islamic State. It evoked calls from his supporters 'lock her up.' The septuagenarian told the election rally that it would be embarrassing to lose against Clinton, his opponent one year younger to him. 'Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible.' He denied reports that the Republican party was divided over his recent controversial comments. 'There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!,' Trump said on Twitter. 'Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!,' he continued to tweet, referring to a report that the Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the release of four detained Americans in Tehran in January. The Donald Trump Campaign has demanded an investigation into the report. 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. IRVINE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- UCI Division of Continuing Education (DCE) has announced that the curriculum for its Meeting & Event Management Specialized Studies Program has been approved by the International Live Events Association (ILEA), the premier society for creative event professionals. Designed to respond to increased demand for highly skilled professionals to manage the essential aspects and best business practices in this rapidly growing field, the UCI DCE Meeting & Event Management Specialized Studies Program curriculum reflects the education required for today's events professional. "With occupational outlook for event managers anticipated to hit more than 30 percent through 2022, this program milestone confirms that our curriculum will prepare students to meet and exceed the needs of the industry," said Stephane Muller, director of business programs for UCI DCE. "Led by industry experts, courses give students an edge in the areas of financial, administrative management and marketing, as well as providing the tools necessary for organizing meetings, tradeshows, conventions, and more." ILEA ensures a thriving global creative events profession, and brings together professionals from a variety of special event disciplines. Being ILEA-Approved indicates that UCI DCE is providing coursework that meets the international education standard for professionals looking to learn, connect and be inspired. Content has been developed to reflect industry requirements, beyond those presented directly by ILEA, with significance to the global creative events industry. Visit the Meeting & Event Management Specialized Studies Program page to learn more about the program or call (949) 824-5414. About UCI Division of Continuing Education: The University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education provides open enrollment learning opportunities, serving adult students online, at the UCI campus, and at employer sites nationally and worldwide. Since 1962, the UCI Division of Continuing Education has offered open enrollment learning opportunities to the Orange County community, providing open access to the resources of the university, through certificate and specialized studies programs (found here) and free, open educational resources (http://open.uci.edu/). Connect with UCI Division of Continuing Education on the institution's social media channels. About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. Located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities, it's Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy. Media Contact: Vivian Slater (714) 573-0899 x 235 Email Contact WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a harshly worded statement released Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., lashed out at Republican lawmakers that continue to support GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump despite his controversial rhetoric. Reid took specific aim at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., who he described as Trump's most important enabler. 'Even before Trump, Republican leaders had already hollowed out the core of their party by abandoning ideas and looking the other way when hateful rhetoric suited their political purposes,' Reid said. He added, 'Trump learned the worst of politics from watching them, and instead of standing for what is right, Republicans like Senator McConnell are marching behind him.' Reid labeled Republicans who continue to support Trump as 'cowards' who have put political party over the good of their nation. The Nevada Senator argued that McConnell should demonstrate common decency by withdrawing his support for Trump. While McConnell has been critical of some of Trump's controversial remarks, he has continued to support the Republican nominee. 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. SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - August 04, 2016) - Zephyr Real Estate has announced the 2016 Second Quarter Sales Awards for its San Francisco offices. Top honors once again were awarded to Tanya Dzhibrailova from Zephyr's West Portal office. She received the Highest Dollar Volume Award with an impressive $33,503,000. She is a consistent Top Producer and is a Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS, a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation, a GREEN designation, a member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing and a member of TAN (Top Agent Network). Tanya is also bilingual, a fluent speaker in both Russian and English. She may be reached at 415.531.6779 or tanya@zephyrsf.com. Largest Sale Representing Buyers Award went to Isabelle Grotte from the Noe Valley office. That sale came in at $4,940,000. Originally from France where she received her degree in marketing and international business from ECE, she relocated to San Francisco in 2004. She developed a passion for the City by the Bay as well as her success in the industry. She is available at 415.695.7707 or isabellegrotte@zephyrsf.com. Ken Eggers, also from the Noe Valley office, received the award for Largest Sale Representing Sellers, coming in at $4,000,000. He has been one of the highest producing agents in San Francisco for over a decade and has created a strong and vast network of peers and professionals. Contact him at 415.426.3317 or ken@mysfproperty.com. "What a stellar team of achievers we have here," commented Randall Kostick, President of Zephyr Real Estate. "The standards are high in the Bay Area market, yet our team continues to raise the bar for success." About Zephyr Real Estate Founded in 1978, Zephyr Real Estate is San Francisco's largest independent real estate firm with nearly $2.3 billion in gross sales and a current roster of more than 300 full-time agents. Zephyr's highly-visited website has earned two web design awards, including the prestigious Interactive Media Award. Zephyr Real Estate is a member of the international relocation network, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World; the luxury real estate network, Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate; global luxury affiliate, Mayfair International; and local luxury marketing association, the Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco. Zephyr has six offices in San Francisco, a brand new office in Greenbrae, and two brokerage affiliates in Sonoma County, all strategically positioned to serve a large customer base throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit www.ZephyrRE.com. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/3/11G109259/Images/Dzhibrailova-Grotte-Eggers-72780b1af53ba8999fde372a8589dce5.jpg Melody Foster Zephyr Real Estate San Francisco, CA 415.426.3203 Email contact OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) today released unaudited results for the third quarter ended June 30, 2016. The Company reported revenues for the quarter of $73.2 million, a 14% increase from the $64.3 million reported in the same quarter of the previous year. For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 the Company reported revenues of $205.8 million, a 14% increase compared to revenues of $181.3 million in the prior year. EBITDA(1) for the third quarter was $6.1 million, a 53% increase compared to $4.0 million in the same quarter of the previous year and for the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, EBITDA(1) was $16.7 million, a 36% increase compared to $12.3 million in the prior year. Net profit for the third quarter was $3.9 million or $0.52 per share basic and diluted, a 77% increase compared to $2.2 million or $0.30 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the previous year. On a year-to-date basis, net profit was $10.2 million or $1.38 per share basic and diluted, an increase of 48% compared to net profit of $6.9 million or $0.94 per share basic and diluted in the previous nine-month period. Adjusted Net Profit(1) for the third quarter was $4.0 million or $0.54 per share basic and diluted, compared to $2.5 million or $0.34 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the previous year. On a year-to-date basis, adjusted net profit(1) was $10.9 million or $1.47 per share basic and diluted compared to $7.7 million or $1.05 per share basic and diluted in the previous nine-month period. See caution regarding non-GAAP measures at the end of this press release "This has been an excellent quarter for the company" stated Jacqueline Gauthier, CFO. "Surpassing $70 million in quarterly revenues is a new milestone for Calian and our third consecutive quarter of attaining highest revenues in company history. Combined with a significant increase in cash flows and earnings, this is a testament to our team's efforts to achieve these results." "We continue to execute well across all of our growth strategy pillars of customer retention, customer diversification, service line evolution and continuous improvement with wins in each element of our strategy" stated Kevin Ford, CEO. For example, the $4 million in new health services contracts announced this quarter is an excellent example of our customer diversification strategy working. The announcement of our SED division's contract this quarter with the Canadian Space Agency maintaining our over 23 year relationship is an excellent example of our customer retention pillar. Also, with continued success in the re-wins of our long term contract base and the recent announcement of the extension to our DND Health services contract, our contract backlog remains strong providing a stable base of business for the foreseeable future" continued Ford. "I continue to receive positive feedback on the renaming of the company to Calian Group Ltd. that aligns the corporate entity to our diverse offerings. While we are pleased with the current results, we also continue to invest in our service lines to ensure they are positioned for long term growth" stated Ford. "The diverse nature of the company's services and our demonstrated ability to deliver these services both domestically and globally with now over 50 profitable quarters I believe is our key differentiator." During fiscal 2016, management will continue to focus on its key strategic initiatives. Traditional markets in which Calian operates have stabilized recently and management expects organic revenue and earnings growth in most or all of its service lines through the successful execution of our growth strategy. However, we must caution that revenues realized are ultimately dependent on the extent and timing of future contract awards as well as customer utilization of existing contracting vehicles. Based on currently available information and our assessment of the marketplace, we expect revenues for fiscal 2016 to be in the range of $260 million to $280 million, net profit per share in the range of $1.65 to $1.90 per share and adjusted net profit(1) in the range of $1.74 to $1.99 per share. Caution regarding non-GAAP measures: This press release is based on reported earnings in accordance with IFRS. Reference to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) means IFRS, unless indicated otherwise. This press release is also based on non-GAAP financial measures including EBITDA, adjusted net profit and adjusted net profit per share. These non-GAAP measures are mainly derived from the interim consolidated financial statements, but do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS; therefore, others using these terms may calculate them differently. Management believes that providing certain non-GAAP performance measures, in addition to IFRS measures, provides users of our financial reports with enhanced understanding of our results and related trends and increases transparency and clarity into the core results of our business. Refer to the MD&A for definitions of these metrics and reconciliations to the most comparable IFRS measures. About Calian Calian employs over 2,500 people with offices and projects that span Canada, U.S. and international markets. The company's capabilities are diverse with services delivered through two divisions. The Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division is headquartered in Ottawa and includes the provision of business and technology services to industry, public and government in the health, training, engineering and IT services domains. Calian's Systems Engineering Division (SED) located in Saskatoon plans, designs and implements complex communication systems for many of the world's space agencies and leading satellite manufacturers and operators. SED also provides contract manufacturing services for both private sector and military customers in North America. DISCLAIMER Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Company's most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them. CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION As at June 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015 (Canadian dollars in thousands) June 30, September 30, NOTES 2016 2015 ------------------------------ ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash $ 13,336 $ 10,624 Accounts receivable 61,821 50,494 Work in process 15,951 17,431 Prepaid expenses 1,338 1,449 Derivative assets 8 928 424 ------------------------------ Total current assets 93,374 80,422 ------------------------------ NON-CURRENT ASSETS Equipment 5,166 5,245 Application software 407 377 Acquired intangible assets 3,309 4,246 Goodwill 12,037 12,037 ------------------------------ Total non-current assets 20,919 21,905 ------------------------------ TOTAL ASSETS $ 114,293 $ 102,327 ------------------------------ ------------------------------ LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 29,974 $ 25,582 Unearned contract revenue 7,316 6,980 Derivative liabilities 8 871 751 ------------------------------ Total current liabilities 38,161 33,313 ------------------------------ NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Deferred tax liabilities 816 299 ------------------------------ Total non-current liabilities 816 299 ------------------------------ TOTAL LIABILITIES 38,977 33,612 ------------------------------ SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Issued capital 5 21,459 20,673 Contributed surplus 510 458 Retained earnings 54,624 50,633 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,277) (3,049) ------------------------------ TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 75,316 68,715 ------------------------------ TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 114,293 $ 102,327 ------------------------------ ------------------------------ The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF NET PROFIT For the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (Canadian dollars in thousands, except per share data) Three months Three months Nine months Nine months ended ended ended ended June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, NOTES 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 73,196 $ 64,267 205,829 $ 181,309 Cost of revenues 60,162 54,268 169,048 150,579 ---------------------------------------------------- Gross profit 13,034 9,999 36,781 30,730 Selling and marketing 1,107 1,009 3,160 3,006 General and administration 4,905 4,194 14,207 12,894 Facilities 908 826 2,719 2,514 Depreciation 334 324 955 976 Amortization 312 357 936 1,073 Deemed compensation related to acquisitions 108 268 642 802 ---------------------------------------------------- Profit before interest income and income tax expense 5,360 3,021 14,162 9,465 Interest income 11 18 22 77 ---------------------------------------------------- Profit before income tax expense 5,371 3,039 14,184 9,542 ---------------------------------------------------- Income tax expense - current 1,531 901 4,078 2,896 Income tax expense - deferred (48) (76) (107) (244) ---------------------------------------------------- Total income tax expense 1,483 825 3,971 2,652 ---------------------------------------------------- NET PROFIT FOR THE PERIOD $ 3,888 $ 2,214 $ 10,213 $ 6,890 ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- NET PROFIT PER SHARE: Basic 6 $ 0.52 $ 0.30 $ 1.38 $ 0.94 ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Diluted 6 $ 0.52 $ 0.30 $ 1.38 $ 0.94 ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME For the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (Canadian dollars in thousands) Three months Three months Nine months Nine months ended ended ended ended June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, NOTES 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------- NET PROFIT FOR THE PERIOD $ 3,888 $ 2,214 $ 10,213 $ 6,890 Other comprehensive income, net of tax Change in deferred gain or loss on derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, net of tax of $652 and $244 (2015 - $438 and $77) 647 772 1,772 (1,067) ---------------------------------------------------- Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 647 772 1,772 (1,067) ---------------------------------------------------- TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE PERIOD $ 4,535 $ 2,986 $ 11,985 $ 5,823 ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY For the nine month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (Canadian dollars in thousands, except per share data) Cash flow Issued Contributed Retained hedging Notes capital surplus earnings reserve Total Balance October 1, 2015 $ 20,673 $ 458 $ 50,633 $ (3,049) $ 68,715 Total comprehensive income - - 10,213 1,772 11,985 Dividends ($0.84 per share) - - (6,222) - (6,222) Issue of shares under the employee share purchase plan 5 388 - - - 388 Issue of shares under the employee share option plan 5 398 (25) - - 373 Share based compensation expense 5 - 77 - - 77 ------------------------------------------------------ Balance June 30, 2016 $ 21,459 $ 510 $ 54,624 $ (1,277) $ 75,316 ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Cash flow Issued Contributed Retained hedging Notes capital surplus earnings reserve Total Balance October 1, 2014 $ 20,161 $ 336 $ 49,128 $ (74) $ 69,551 Total comprehensive income - - 6,890 (1,067) 5,823 Dividends ($0.84 per share) - - (6,188) - (6,188) Issue of shares under the employee share purchase plan 5 413 - - - 413 Share based compensation expense 5 - 76 - - 76 ------------------------------------------------------ Balance June 30, 2015 $ 20,574 $ 412 $ 49,830 $ (1,141) $ 69,675 ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. CALIAN GROUP LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS For the nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (Canadian dollars in thousands) Nine months Nine months ended ended NOTES June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 -------------------------------- CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net profit for the period $ 10,213 $ 6,890 Items not affecting cash: Interest income (22) (77) Income tax expense 3,971 2,652 Employee stock purchase plan and option plan compensation expense 134 127 Depreciation and amortization 1,891 2,049 Deemed compensation related to acquisitions 642 802 -------------------------------- 16,829 12,443 Change in non-cash working capital Accounts receivable (11,609) (9,333) Work in process 1,480 (5,846) Prepaid expenses 111 286 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 5,873 63 Unearned contract revenue 336 2,723 -------------------------------- 13,020 336 Interest received 22 77 Income tax paid (3,071) (3,132) -------------------------------- 9,971 (2,719) -------------------------------- CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES Issuance of shares 698 349 Dividends (6,222) (6,188) -------------------------------- (5,524) (5,839) -------------------------------- CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES Equipment and application software (905) (2,640) Acquisitions 10 (830) (900) -------------------------------- (1,735) (3,540) -------------------------------- NET CASH INFLOW (OUTFLOW) $ 2,712 $ (12,098) CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD 10,624 25,200 -------------------------------- CASH, END OF PERIOD $ 13,336 $ 13,102 -------------------------------- -------------------------------- The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. CALIAN GROUP LTD. NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (Canadian dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) (Unaudited) 1. BASIS OF PREPARATION Calian Group Ltd. ("the Company") is incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act. The address of its registered office and principal place of business is 340 Legget Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2K 1Y6. The Company's capabilities include the provision of business and technology services to industry and government in the health, IT services and training domains as well as the design, manufacturing and maintenance of complex systems to the communications and defence sectors. On April 1, 2016, the Company changed its name from Calian Technologies Ltd. to Calian Group Ltd. The Company name change was done to better reflect the diversity of its services in light of the expansion into areas such as healthcare and training. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements are expressed in Canadian dollars and have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard ("IAS") 34 - Interim Financial Reporting, as issued by the International Accounting Standard Board ("IASB"). These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared using accounting policies consistent with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and in accordance with the accounting policies the Company adopted in its annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2015 and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report for the year ended September 30, 2015. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information required in annual financial statements. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements were authorized for issuance by the Board of Directors on August 4, 2016. 2. FUTURE CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers In April 2014, the IASB released IFRS 15 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Standard replaces IAS11 Construction Contracts and IAS18 Revenue, providing a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. IFRS 15 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The Company has not yet assessed the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements. IFRS 9 Financial instruments IFRS 9 was issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") in November 2009 and October 2010, was amended in 2013 and finalized in July 2014 and will replace IAS 39, Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement ("IAS 39"). IFRS 9 uses a single approach to determine whether a financial instrument is measured at fair value through profit or loss, fair value through other comprehensive income or amortized cost, replacing the multiple rules in IAS 39. The approach in IFRS 9 is based on how an entity manages its financial instruments in the context of its business model and the contractual cash flow characteristics of those financial instruments. The new standard also requires a single impairment method to be used, replacing the multiple impairment methods in IAS 39. IFRS 9 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The Company has not yet assessed the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements. IFRS 16 Leases In January 2016, the IASB released IFRS 16 Leases which replaces IAS 17 Leases. For lessees applying IFRS 16, a single recognition and measurement model for leases would apply, with required recognition of assets and liabilities for most leases. IFRS 16 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019. The Company has not yet assessed the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements. 3. CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS Estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires the Company's management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods presented. Actual results could differ from those estimates. There were no significant changes in estimates or approaches to determining estimates in the periods presented when compared to the estimates or approaches used the annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2015. 4. SEASONALITY The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year. The Company's revenues and earnings have historically been subject to some quarterly seasonality due to the timing of vacation periods and statutory holidays. 5. ISSUED CAPITAL Employee Share Purchase Plan During the nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company issued 21,801 (19,390) shares under the Company's Employee Share Purchase Plan at an average price of $14.92 ($17.99) for a total cash of $325 ($349) and total non-cash of $63 ($64). Stock options The Company had an established stock option plan which expired on February 5, 2016 when the shareholders elected not to renew the plan. Under the plan, eligible directors and employees were granted the right to purchase shares of common stock at a price established by the Board of Directors on the date the options were granted but in no circumstances below fair market value of the shares at the date of grant. Effective February 5, 2016, no further grants can be made under the plan. As at June 30, 2016 (2015), 415,000 (415,000) options are outstanding of which 329,100 (326,600) are exercisable. During the first nine-months ended June 30, 2016 (2015), no options were granted and 20,000 options were exercised. 6. NET PROFIT PER SHARE The diluted weighted average number of shares has been calculated as follows: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three months ended Nine months ended June 30 June 30 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weighted average number of shares - basic 7,420,099 7,373,298 7,399,199 7,363,603 Addition to reflect the dilutive effect of employee stock options 6,931 - 166 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weighted average number of shares - diluted 7,427,030 7,373,298 7,399,364 7,363,603 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Options that are anti-dilutive because the exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common shares are not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share. For the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), 320,000 (415,000) options were excluded from the above computation. Profit for the period is the measure of profit or loss used to calculate Net profit per share. 7. SEGMENTED INFORMATION Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, regarding how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company's chief operating decision maker is the Chief Executive Officer. The Company operates in two reportable segments described below, defined by their primary type of service offering, namely Systems Engineering and Business and Technology Services. -- Systems Engineering involves planning, designing and implementing solutions that meet a customer's specific business and technical needs, primarily in the satellite communications sector. -- Business and Technology Services provides business and technology services to industry and government in the health, IT services, training, and engineering domains. The Company evaluates performance and allocates resources based on earnings before interest income and income taxes. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in Note 2 - Summary of significant accounting policies to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2015. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business and Three months ended June 30, Systems Technology 2016 Engineering Services Corporate Total ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 23,083 $ 50,113 $ - $ 73,196 Profit before interest income and income tax expense 3,052 3,085 (777) 5,360 Interest income 11 Income tax expense (1,483) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net profit for the period $ 3,888 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business and Three months ended June 30, Systems Technology 2015 Engineering Services Corporate Total ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 20,433 $ 43,834 $ - $ 64,267 Profit before interest income and income tax expense 2,142 1,383 (504) 3,021 Interest income 18 Income tax expense (825) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net profit for the period $ 2,214 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business and Nine months ended June 30, Systems Technology 2016 Engineering Services Corporate Total ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 60,247 $ 145,582 $ - $ 205,829 Profit before interest income and income tax expense 9,273 6,943 (2,054) 14,162 Interest income 22 Income tax expense (3,971) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net profit for the period $ 10,213 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets other than cash and goodwill $ 38,635 $ 50,061 $ 224 $ 88,920 Goodwill - 12,037 - 12,037 Cash - - 13,336 13,336 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets $ 38,635 $ 62,098 $ 13,560 $ 114,293 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equipment and intangible expenditures $ 583 $ 322 $ - $ 905 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business and Nine months ended June 30, Systems Technology 2015 Engineering Services Corporate Total ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 52,365 $ 128,944 $ - $ 181,309 Profit before interest income and income tax expense 7,204 3,844 (1,583) 9,465 Interest income 77 Income tax expense (2,652) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net profit for the period $ 6,890 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equipment and intangible expenditures $ 2,193 $ 447 $ - $ 2,640 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business and Systems Technology As at September 30, 2015 Engineering Services Corporate Total ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets other than cash and goodwill $ 37,488 $ 42,073 $ 105 $ 79,666 Goodwill - 12,037 - 12,037 Cash - - 10,624 10,624 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets $ 37,488 $ 54,110 $ 10,729 $ 102,327 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. HEDGING Foreign currency risk related to contracts The Company is exposed to foreign currency exchange fluctuations on its cash balance, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and future cash flows related to contracts denominated in a foreign currency. Future cash flows will be realized over the life of the contracts. The Company utilizes derivative financial instruments, principally in the form of forward exchange contracts, in the management of its foreign currency exposures. The Company's objective is to manage and control exposures and secure the Company's profitability on existing contracts and therefore, the Company's policy is to hedge 100% of its foreign currency exposure. The Company does not utilize derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. The Company applies hedge accounting when appropriate documentation and effectiveness criteria are met. The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions. This process includes linking all derivatives to specific firm contractually related commitments on projects. The Company also formally assesses, both at the hedge's inception and on an on-going basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. Hedge ineffectiveness has historically been insignificant. The forward foreign exchange contracts primarily require the Company to purchase or sell certain foreign currencies with or for Canadian dollars at contractual rates. At June 30, 2016, the Company had the following forward foreign exchange contracts: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equivalent Fair Value Type Notional Currency Maturity Cdn. Dollars June 30, 2016 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SELL 53,501 USD August 2016 $ 69,107 $ 824 SELL 7,077 EURO August 2016 10,142 103 SELL 50 GDP August 2016 86 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derivative assets $ 928 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BUY 25,829 USD August 2016 $ 33,363 $ 469 SELL 1,000 USDSeptember 2016 1,384 225 SELL 1,000 USDSeptember 2017 1,384 173 BUY 251 EURO August 2016 360 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derivative liabilities $ 871 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A 10% strengthening of the Canadian dollar against the following currencies at June 30, 2016 would have decreased other comprehensive income as related to the forward foreign exchange contracts by the amounts shown below. June 30, 2016 ------------- USD $ 3,484 EURO 889 GBP 2 ------------- $ 4,375 ------------- ------------- 9. CONTINGENCIES In the normal course of business, the Company is party to business and employee related claims. The potential outcomes related to existing matters faced by the Company are not determinable at this time. The Company intends to defend these actions, and management believes that the resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition. 10. ACQUISITIONS Amtek Engineering Services Ltd. ("Amtek") Under the contingent payment arrangement, the Company is required to pay the former shareholders of Amtek an additional $900 and $900 if Amtek attains specified levels of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the years ended April 30, 2015 and 2016 respectively. During the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company paid $830 ($900) related to the first and second year earn-outs. DWP Solutions Inc. (DWP) Under the contingent consideration arrangement, the Company is required to pay the former shareholders of DWP an additional $300 and $375 if DWP attains specified levels of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the years ended June 30, 2015 and 2016 respectively. The Company paid the full $300 related to the first year earn-out in July 2015. Effective June 30, 2016, DWP has substantially met the earn-out targets related to the second year and $365 was paid in July 2016. Management Discussion and Analysis - June 30, 2016: (Canadian dollars in thousands, except per share data) This MD&A is the responsibility of management and has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors of the Company. This MD&A has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Canadian Securities Administrators. The Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring that we fulfill our responsibilities for financial reporting and is ultimately responsible for reviewing and approving the MD&A. The Board of Directors carries out this responsibility principally through its Audit Committee. IFRS and non-GAAP measures: This MD&A contains both IFRS and non-GAAP measures. Non-GAAP measures are defined and reconciled to the most comparable IFRS measure. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS Revenues: For the third quarter of 2016, revenues were $73,196 compared to $64,267 reported for the same period in 2015 representing a 14% increase from the prior year. For the nine-month period ending June 30, 2016 revenues were $205,829 compared to $181,309 for 2015, an increase of 14%. Systems Engineering's (SED) revenues were $23,083 in the quarter and $60,247 on a year-to-date basis representing a 13% and 15% increase respectively when compared to the $20,433 and $52,365 recorded for the same periods in the previous year. SED's increase in revenue for the quarter was largely attributed to satellite ground systems deliveries with the completion of a significant number of non-labor milestones while the labour activities continued at a steady pace. However the greater revenue year-to-date in comparison to the previous year is reflective of an increase in number of projects particularly in our satellite RF ground systems but also in our communications product developments and our satellite gateway solutions. Business and Technology Services (BTS) revenues were $50,113 in the quarter and $145,582 on a year-to-date basis representing a 14% and 13% increase respectively when compared to the $43,834 and $128,944 recorded for the same periods in the previous year. In addition to modest inroads with our diversification efforts, the continued recovery with government spending during the first nine-months of 2016 resulted in additional demand for our services in many of the division's mainstay contracts. Management expects that the marketplace for the near term will continue to be very competitive and the timing of new contract awards is always subject to delay. Our solid backlog provides a reasonable level of revenue assurance on existing contracts and new opportunities continue to arise. Although we continue to focus our efforts on the diversification of our customer base outside of government, the nature and extent of future government spending remain uncertain and therefore, future revenues in this sector will ultimately be determined by customer demand on existing contracts as well as the timing of future contract awards. Gross margin Gross margin was 17.8% for the third quarter of 2016 and 17.9% on a year-to-date basis compared to the 15.6% and 16.9% recorded for the same periods in the previous year. Gross margin in Systems Engineering was 21.2% in the third quarter of 2016 and 24.3% on a year-to-date basis compared to the 18.0% and 22.6% recorded for the same periods in the previous year. The higher margins in comparison to the previous year are due to product sales, excellent project execution and a higher labor component in the current mix of projects which yields higher margins than material and subcontract procurements which dominated the same period last year. Solid performance in all of SED's business areas has resulted in these strong results. Although the mix of revenues will always play a role in the margin ultimately realized, the diversity of the division between defence related and commercial work as well as product development and project execution will allow the division to continue to prevail in the current competitive landscape. Gross margin in Business and Technology Services was 16.2% in the third quarter of 2016 and 15.2% on a year-to-date basis compared to the 14.4% and 14.7% recorded for the same periods in the previous year. Gross margin for the third quarter of 2016 received the benefit of fewer costs from the Easter statutory holiday which fell in March this current year rather than April and from the improved mix created from the increased revenues in higher margin contracts. The traditional BTS business which is concentrated within the federal government remains stable. While stiff competition on new work is expected to temper any significant near-term improvement, the division continues to evolve its service offering with a goal to increase gross margins realized in the longer term. Because of the significant difference in gross margin between each of the two divisions, the overall gross margin of the Company is dependent on the relative level of revenue generated from each division. Management will continue to focus on operational execution and diligent negotiation of supplier costs in order to maximize margins. However, increased competition is expected to maintain the pressure on margins in both divisions. The volatility of the Canadian dollar is always an influencing factor for margins on new work in the SED division when denominated in foreign currencies. Operating expenses: For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, selling and marketing, general and administration and facilities totalled $20,086 or 9.8% of revenues compared to $18,414 or 10.2% of revenues reported in 2015. Operating costs increased in absolute dollars as a result of additional incentive accruals from improved profits and from continued investment in both business development and service line evolution capabilities. However, with growing revenues, operating costs as a percentage of revenues decreased. EBITDA(1): EBITDA(1) for the third quarter was $6,114 compared to $3,970 in the same quarter of the previous year. For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, EBITDA(1) was $16,695 compared to $12,316 in the same period of the previous year. Depreciation: For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, depreciation was $955 which is in line with the $976 recorded in fiscal 2015. Amortization of intangibles: Amortization of intangibles decreased to $936 compared to $1,073 in fiscal 2015. Deemed compensation related to acquisitions and Bargain purchase gain: For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016, deemed compensation related to acquisition amounted to $642 compared to $802 recorded in fiscal 2015. The deemed amortization has now been fully expensed. Income taxes: The provision for income taxes was $3,971 or 28.0% of earnings before tax compared to $2,652 in 2015 or 27.8% of earnings before tax. The difference in effective tax rates is primarily due to the non-deductibility of the deemed compensation amounts referred to in the above paragraph. The effective tax rate for 2016, prior to considering the impact of non-taxable transactions and adjustments to reflect actual tax provision as filed, is expected to be approximately 26.9%. Net profit: As a result of the foregoing, in the third quarter of 2016 the Company recorded net profit of $3,888 or $0.52 per share basic and diluted, compared to $2,214 or $0.30 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the prior year. Adjusted net profit(1) for the third quarter was $3,996 or $0.54 per share basic and diluted, compared to $2,482 or $0.34 per share basic and diluted in the same quarter of the previous year. For the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 the Company recorded net profit of $10,213 or $1.38 per share basic and diluted, compared to $6,890 or $0.94 per share basic and diluted in the same period of the prior year. Adjusted net profit(1) for the nine-month period ended June 30, 2016 was $10,855 or $1.47 per share basic and diluted, compared to $7,692 or $1.05 per share basic and diluted in the same period of the previous year. (1) See reconciliation regarding non-GAAP measures below Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to most comparable IFRS measures: Management believes that providing certain non-GAAP performance measures, in addition to IFRS measures, provides users of the Company's financial reports with enhanced understanding of the Company's results and related trends and increases transparency and clarity into the core results of the business. EBITDA, adjusted net profit and adjusted net profit per share exclude items that do not reflect, in our opinion, the Company's core performance and helps users of our MD&A to better analyze our results, enabling comparability of our results from one period to another. These non-GAAP measures are mainly derived from the interim consolidated financial statements, but do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS; therefore, others using these terms may calculate them differently. The exclusion of certain items from non-GAAP performance measures does not imply that these are necessarily non-recurring. From time to time, we may exclude additional items if we believe doing so would result in a more transparent and comparable disclosure. Other entities may define the above measures differently than we do. In those cases, it may be difficult to use similarly named non-GAAP measures of other entities to compare performance of those entities to the Company's performance. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reconciliation of Third Third YTD YTD Quarter adjusted net profit Quarter 2016 Quarter 2015 Quarter 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NET PROFIT $ 3,888 $ 2,214 $ 10,213 $ 6,890 Deemed compensation 108 268 642 802 related to acquisitions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjusted net profit $ 3,996 $ 2,482 $ 10,855 $ 7,692 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Third Third YTD YTD Reconciliation of EBITDA Quarter 2016 Quarter 2015 Quarter 2016 Quarter 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Profit before interest income and income tax expense $ 5,360 $ 3,021 $ 14,162 $ 9,465 Depreciation 334 324 955 976 Amortization 312 357 936 1,073 Deemed compensation related to acquisitions 108 268 642 802 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EBITDA $ 6,114 $ 3,970 $ 16,695 $12,316 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BACKLOG The Company's backlog at June 30, 2016 was $386 million with terms extended to fiscal 2021. This compares to $442 million reported at September 30, 2015. Contracted Backlog represents maximum potential revenues remaining to be earned on signed contracts, whereas Option Renewals represent customers' options to further extend existing contracts under similar terms and conditions. Most fee for service contracts provide the customer with the ability to adjust the timing and level of effort throughout the contract life and as such the amount actually realized could be materially different from the original contract value. The following table represents management's best estimate of the backlog realization for 2016, 2017 and beyond based on management's current visibility into customers' existing requirements. Management's estimate of the realizable portion (current utilization rates and known customer requirements) is less than the total value of signed contracts and related options by approximately $70 million. The Company's policy is to reduce the reported contractual backlog once it receives confirmation from the customer that indicates the utilization of the full contract value may not materialize. Estimated Excess over realizable estimated (dollars in Fiscal Fiscal Beyond portion realizable millions) 2016 2017 2017 of Backlog portion TOTAL ----------------------------------------------------------- Contracted Backlog $ 60 $ 125 $ 59 $ 244 $ 62 $ 306 Option Renewals - 16 56 72 8 80 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL $ 60 $ 141 $ 115 $ 316 $ 70 $ 386 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business and Technology Services $ 43 $ 108 $ 94 $ 245 $ 70 $ 315 Systems Engineering 17 33 21 71 - 71 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL $ 60 $ 141 $ 115 $ 316 $ 70 $ 386 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINANCIAL CONDITION AND CASHFLOWS Operating activities: Cash inflows from operating activities for the period ended June 30, 2016 were $9,971 compared to cash outflows of $2,719 in 2015. Cash flows have been positively impacted by the decrease in work in process offset by an increase in accounts receivables commensurate with increased activity in both divisions. In addition, amounts owed to suppliers increased as a result of significant levels of activity near quarter end. The aging of the accounts receivables remain in excellent health. These variations in cash flows are not considered unusual and reflect normal working capital fluctuations associated with the ebbs and flows of the business. The market for the Systems Engineering Division is characterized by contracts with billings tied to milestones achieved, which often results in significant working capital requirements. Conversely, given the nature of this business, it is sometimes possible to negotiate advance payments on contracts. Such advance payments give rise to unearned revenue that will be realized as revenue over the course of the contract. As at June 30, 2016, the Company's total unearned revenue amounted to $7,316. This compares to $6,980 at September 30, 2015, with the increase primarily attributable to advance billings for work to be performed in a future period. Financing activities: During the periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company paid quarterly dividends of $0.84 ($0.84) per share. The Company intends to continue with its quarterly dividend policy for the foreseeable future. Investing activities: During the nine-month periods ended June 30, 2016 (2015), the Company paid $830 ($900) for various acquisitions as described in these financial statements. During the nine-month period, the Company invested $905 in capital assets compared to $2,640 in the prior period which included significant upgrades to the manufacturing assets in the SED division. Capital acquisitions have reverted to normal levels for fiscal 2016. Capital resources: At June 30, 2016 the Company had a short-term credit facility of $10,000 with a Canadian chartered bank that bears interest at prime and is secured by assets of the Company. An amount of $75 was used to issue a letter of credit to meet customer contractual requirements. Management believes that Calian has sufficient cash resources to continue to finance its working capital requirements and pay a quarterly dividend. ADOPTION OF NEW ACCOUNTING RULES AND IMPACT ON FINANCIAL RESULTS The Company did not adopt any new accounting policies this quarter. SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA Q3/16 Q2/16 Q1/16 Q4/15 REVENUES $ 73,196 $ 68,100 $ 64,533 $ 60,944 EBITDA(1) $ 6,114 $ 5,408 $ 5,173 $ 4,906 Net profit $ 3,888 $ 3,262 $ 3,063 $ 2,877 Adjusted net profit(1) $ 3,996 $ 3,529 $ 3,330 $ 3,144 Net profit per share Basic $ 0.52 $ 0.44 $ 0.42 $ 0.39 Diluted $ 0.52 $ 0.44 $ 0.42 $ 0.39 Adjusted net profit per share(1) Basic $ 0.54 $ 0.48 $ 0.45 $ 0.43 Diluted $ 0.54 $ 0.48 $ 0.45 $ 0.43 Q3/15 Q2/15 Q1/15 Q4/14 REVENUES $ 64,267 $ 61,042 $ 56,000 $ 54,430 EBITDA(1) $ 3,970 $ 3,989 $ 4,357 $ 4,525 Net profit $ 2,214 $ 2,208 $ 2,468 $ 2,575 Adjusted net profit(1) $ 2,482 $ 2,475 $ 2,735 $ 2,842 Net profit per share Basic $ 0.30 $ 0.30 $ 0.34 $ 0.35 Diluted $ 0.30 $ 0.30 $ 0.34 $ 0.35 Adjusted net profit per share(1) Basic $ 0.34 $ 0.34 $ 0.37 $ 0.39 Diluted $ 0.34 $ 0.34 $ 0.37 $ 0.39 SEASONALITY The Company's operations are subject to some quarterly seasonality due to the timing of vacation periods and statutory holidays. Typically the Company's first and last quarter will be negatively impacted as a result of the Christmas season and summer vacation period. During these periods, the Company can only invoice for work performed and is also required to pay for statutory holidays. This results in reduced levels of revenues and in a drop in gross margins. This seasonality may not be apparent in the overall results of the Company depending on the impact of the realized sales mix of its various projects. OUTLOOK Management is confident that the Company is well positioned for sustained growth in the long term. The Company's strong contract backlog provides a solid base for the realization of future revenues. Leveraging the Company's diverse services offerings, the Company operates in global and domestic markets that will continue to require the services that the Company offers. To ensure the Company is positioned to respond to market requirements, the Company will focus on the execution of its growth strategy using a common framework across all of its services: 1. Customer retention: through continued delivery excellence, maintain a valued relationship with current customer base; 2. Customer diversification: through increasing the percentage of its revenues derived from new business in adjacent and non-government markets, balance customer revenue into numerous global and domestic sectors; 3. Service Line Evolution: continue investment in service offerings to increase differentiation and improve gross margin attainment; 4. Continuous Improvement: leverage innovation to improve how the Company operates with a goal to streamline processes and provide for a scalable back office support capability. The Company has completed four acquisitions in the past 4 years, and will proactively look for companies that can accelerate its growth strategy with a focus on customer diversification and service line evolution. The SED Division has been working within a sustainable satellite sector and is expecting opportunities to continue to arise as systems adopting the latest technologies will be required by customers wishing to maintain and improve their service offerings and react to an increasing demand for bandwidth. SED continues to invest in communications products, software development and manufacturing equipment to strengthen its competitive position. However in the short-term, activity levels in Custom manufacturing will continue to be directly dependent upon SED's customers' requirements and continuing volatility in orders is anticipated as both government and commercial customers continue to re-examine their traditional spending patterns. The recent delays, deferrals and cancellations of DND capital procurements have created intense competition for available manufacturing work. Finally, changes in the relative value of the Canadian dollar may negatively or positively impact the Systems Engineering Division's competitiveness on projects denominated in foreign currencies. The BTS Division's services are adaptable to many different markets. Currently, its strength lies in providing program management and delivery services across Canada with a significant portion of this work currently with the Department of National Defence. The division has been successful in diversifying its customer base and evolving its service offerings. As an example the division now provides direct to customer health services through the operation of managed medical clinics as well as onsite health practitioners in the oil and gas sector. Management believes that for the long term, the public and private sector will continue to require health, IT, and training services from private enterprises to achieve their business outcomes. Looking at the current outlook, the current economic climate, the results of the recent election and new federal government agenda may create uncertainty as to the extent of demand from this customer, at least in the short term. With recent investments in sales, marketing, acquisitions and success in new markets outside of the federal government, the division is better positioned to manage through these downturns. Recent acquisitions have also bolstered the division's performance and it is expected that overall, the acquired companies will continue to meet and exceed the targets established as part of the acquisitions. GUIDANCE During fiscal 2016, management will continue to focus on its key strategic initiatives. Traditional markets in which Calian operates have stabilized recently and management expects organic revenue and earnings growth in most or all of its service lines through the successful execution of our growth strategy. However, we must caution that revenues realized are ultimately dependent on the extent and timing of future contract awards as well as customer utilization of existing contracting vehicles. Based on currently available information and our assessment of the marketplace, we expect revenues for fiscal 2016 to be in the range of $260 million to $280 million, net profit per share in the range of $1.65 to $1.90 per share and adjusted net profit(1) in the range of $1.74 to $1.99 per share. INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING During the most recent interim quarter ended June 30, 2016, there have been no changes in the design of the Company's internal controls over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal controls over financial reporting. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT Certain information included in this management discussion and analysis is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Company's most recent annual report and other reports filed by the Company with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them. The foregoing discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the financial statements for the third quarter of 2016, and with the Management Discussion and Analysis in the 2015 annual report, including the section on risks and opportunities. Contacts: Kevin Ford President and Chief Executive Officer 613-599-8600 Jacqueline Gauthier Chief Financial Officer 613-599-8600 ir@calian.com www.calian.com BURLINGTON, VT--(Marketwired - August 04, 2016) - Capitol Health Associates, LLC (CHA) and Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL) turned what could have been bad news for the Vermont Blueprint for Health Clinical Data Registry, into an innovative solution that will result in improved care outcomes for patients statewide. The Blueprint Registry is a system used to evaluate the quality of care that is provided to nearly 300,000 Vermonters who receive their primary care in a practice that is a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). Clinical and social data that are collected in the registry are de-identified and aggregated with medical claims data, in order to look for patterns in patient health over time and whether patients are receiving the preventive care that is recommended in national guidelines. Reports generated from these data are used to guide continuous quality improvement activities at individual health care practices and across a health service area. Until recently, the registry was hosted and maintained by a third-party software company. Clinical data were being collected into the registry from Blueprint practices across the state using the Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE), operated by VITL. Capitol Health Associates was providing consulting support to improve the quality of data being collected from Blueprint practices and to manage extraction of data from the registry for analysis. Data in the registry are the source of information for Practice Profiles, semi-annual reports provided to the practices to help them identify areas for improvement. Jennifer Fels, RN, MS and director of the Bennington Health Service Area said that the profiles "enable us to unite the community around common goals and common measures, especially as we move toward managing population health." The Vermont Blueprint for Health provides a coordinated, statewide approach to health, wellness and disease prevention. With a network of Community Health Teams, the Blueprint works with Patient-Centered Medical Home practices and local health and human services leaders to improve primary care and improve health care outcomes at a community and state level. In the Morrisville Health Service Area, they have focused on emergency department (ED) avoidable visits to Copley Hospital. According to Elise McKenna, RN, MPH, MSED, project manager for the Morrisville Health Service Area, "we used the practice profiles to drive the conversation around avoidable ED visits. For our health service area, we have determined that we need to place an ED social worker in the hospital to ensure timely follow-ups after a patient visits the ED." Given the importance of the registry to the overall mission of the Blueprint, the news that support would end for the application underlying the registry in 2015 was especially troubling. A new solution had to be developed quickly. The Blueprint, CHA, and VITL developed and executed a plan that minimized the impact of any system downtime while maximizing the investments already made in the current system. The key elements of the proposal were: The State of Vermont secured a perpetual source code license to the software underlying the registry. CHA expanded their role to include the installation, maintenance and technical support of the registry in its new environment. VITL expanded their role and now manages the hosting environment for the registry. Hans Kastensmith, principal at CHA, when talking about the project said, "it's challenging enough to bring up software that you wrote yourself, now imagine receiving 163 thousand lines of code from another vendor and having a week to verify its completeness and to make it operational." By December, 2015 CHA had reconstituted the registry on servers managed by VITL. All of the previous data from the prior system was transferred and validated as part of this effort. Getting the registry up and running in its new environment was the first major milestone to be accomplished on schedule. Now that the system itself was up, registry services had to be restored to users and data sources had to be reconnected to bring continual updates to the system. These tasks were handled in order: First, CHA made sure that service was restored to those users who interact directly with the registry. This included social services agencies that provide important information about chronically ill patients, such as Support and Services at Home (SASH), the Community Health Teams, the Tobacco Cessation Counselor (TCC) program, and Self-Management Support Programs (SMSP). "By June 30, 2016 we had these members of the health care community back up and running using the same, familiar user interface," said Kastensmith. Next came the reconnection of data sources. Since the VHIE -- which is operated by VITL -- was already the conduit for most of the data collected into the registry, VITL was able to shut off the outbound side and store incoming messages until the new system was available. Working with CHA throughout the winter and spring, VITL ensured that the servers that hosted the registry were operational. Reconnecting the VHIE to the registry required a secure connection, called a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Tunnel be created between the VHIE and the registry. "Once again, we were able to demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of the VHIE and prevent the loss of any data during this transition. Without the VHIE network the task of reconnecting hundreds of data sources would have been monumental," said John K. Evans, president and CEO of VITL. A detailed project plan ensured proper testing and validation at each step along the way until production data services were restored. With full functionality restored to the registry -- and a solid sustainability plan -- the Blueprint is once again focusing on utilizing the registry to improve health care for Vermonters. "With the registry back in place, we hope to improve the flow of information with SASH and other social services agencies that participate in our Unified Community Collaborative," said Donna Ransmeier, MS, CHTS-CP, project manager for the Upper Valley Health Service Area. About Capitol Health Associates: Capitol Health Associates is a boutique healthcare consulting firm located in Washington DC. Our leadership has a deep background in enterprise healthcare consulting, especially with large and complex, politically motivated healthcare systems, large scale government projects and population health management. CHA also possesses significant insight concerning the Affordable Care Act and Accountable Care. CHA has been consulting to the Vermont State Legislature and the Department of Vermont Health Access for the past 11 years on its healthcare delivery reform efforts and the Blueprint for Health. www.capitolhealthdc.com About VITL: Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL) is a nonprofit organization that advances health care reform in Vermont. VITL assists Vermont health care providers with adopting and using health information technology, to improve the quality of care delivery, to enhance patient safety and to reduce the cost of care. VITL is legislatively designated to operate the health information exchange (HIE) for Vermont, and is governed by a collaborative group of stakeholders including health plans, hospitals, physicians, other health care providers, state government, employers, and consumers. For more information, please visit www.vitl.net Contact: Joanna Cummings Marketing Manager, VITL 802-861-1942 TORONTO, ONTARIO and THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- UpSnap Inc. (CSE: UP) ("UpSnap" or the "Company"), a leading provider of mobile advertising solutions, today announced the election of its Board of Directors from its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of Sharaeholders, held on August 4, 2016. Shareholders elected Bruce Howard (CEO and Director), Walter Andri (Director), Heather Burrer, Michael Inskip and Trisha McLean. "We are very pleased to welcome aboard Heather, Michael and Trisha as new Board members and are confident that their unique experiences will provide tremendous value to our organization from top to bottom," said Bruce Howard, CEO of UpSnap. "We would like to thank Micky, Graeme and Dave for their continued support and as a result of their contributions we are well positioned as a company going forward." The Shareholders of the Company also overwhelmingly passed the following resolutions: a. The appointment of the auditors for the ensuing year and authorization of the Corporations board of directors to fix the remuneration of the auditors b. The option to consolidate the share capital of the Corporation on the basis of fifty (50) existing Common Shares for one (1) new Common Share at a later date, if necessary c. Approval of the Corporation's stock option plan About UpSnap UpSnap provides highly-targeted, data-driven mobile advertising to attract the ideal audience for brands big and small. Combining first-party proprietary data and real-time analytics, UpSnap goes beyond location to deliver app agnostic and results-driven campaigns that produce qualified and engaged customers. Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information Certain information set out in this News Release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "hope", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "scheduled", "believe" and similar expressions. The forward-looking information set out in this News Release relates to future events or our future performance and includes: (i) information concerning the positive effect of new leadership on revenue growth. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which cause actual results to vary from those express or implied by such forward looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and based on what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or publicly revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws. Furthermore, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward looking statements set out in this news release. The Company's forward looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this press release. Contacts: UpSnap Inc. Alex Pekurar, CPA, CA Chief Financial Officer 416-619-3903 apekurar@upsnap.com Virtus Advisory Group Inc. Babak Pedram Investor Relations 416-644-5081 bpedram@virtusadvisory.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Gowest Gold Ltd. ("Gowest" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: GWA) is pleased to announce that it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent with Pandion Mine Finance, LP ("Pandion") to fund the Company's previously announced Advanced Exploration work (see Gowest release dated June 16, 2016) at its 100% owned Bradshaw Gold Deposit ("Bradshaw"), part of its North Timmins Gold Project ("NTGP"). The US$17.6 million financing is subject to the completion of the remaining due diligence and the negotiation and execution of a Prepaid Forward Gold Purchase Agreement and related security documentation. On completion of the agreement, funds are expected to be received in a number of tranches with a total term of seventy-two (72) months, subject to certain funding conditions and milestones. Greg Romain, Gowest's President and CEO, said, "We are very pleased that Pandion has recognized the serious potential that Bradshaw affords their investors. Further, their funding package is particularly beneficial to our shareholders in that it represents a major step towards Gowest building the next new gold mine in the Timmins camp. We look forward to closing this financing transaction as soon as possible." "Pandion is excited about the prospects for the Bradshaw project and is looking forward to working with the Gowest management team," said Joe Archibald, Founding Partner of Pandion. About Pandion Mine Finance, LP Pandion is a mining-focused investment firm backed by MKS PAMP Group and Ospraie Management, LLC that provides flexible financing solutions to developing mining companies. Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Jeremy Niemi, P.Geo., Geological Advisor to Gowest Gold Ltd., who is the Qualified Person for the technical information in this news release under National Instrument 43-101 standards. About Gowest Gowest is a Canadian gold exploration and development company focused on the delineation and development of its 100% owned Bradshaw Gold Deposit (Bradshaw), on the Frankfield Property, part of the Corporation's North Timmins Gold Project (NTGP). Gowest is exploring additional gold targets on its +100-square-kilometre NTGP land package and continues to evaluate the area, which is part of the prolific Timmins, Ontario gold camp. Currently, Bradshaw contains a National Instrument 43-101 Indicated Resource estimated at 2.1 million tonnes ("t") grading 6.19 g/t Au containing 422 thousand oz Au and an Inferred Resource of 3.6 million t grading 6.47 g/t Au containing 755 thousand oz Au. Further, based on the Pre-Feasibility Study produced by Stantec Mining and announced on June 9, 2015, Bradshaw contains Probable Mineral Reserves, using a 3 g/t Au cut-off and utilizing a gold price of US$1,200 / oz, totalling 1.8 million t grading 4.82 g/t Au for 277 thousand oz Au. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release 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. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE. Contacts: Gowest Gold Ltd. Greg Romain President & CEO (416) 363-1210 info@gowestgold.com Gowest Gold Ltd. Greg Taylor Investor Relations 416 605-5120 gregt@gowestgold.com Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Chairman of WIEF Foundation Chairman Tun Musa Hitam JAKARTA, Aug 4, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - The 12th World Islamic Economic Forum is officially closed today by the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Chairman of WIEF Foundation Chairman Tun Musa Hitam. The three days Forum with the theme "Decentralizing Growth, Empowering the Future Business" was successfully attracted thousands of delegates and participants, including heads of state, prominent figures from various countries and multinational corporations, youth and women entrepreneurs, policy makers, academics and representatives of the business community, civil society, and the creative industries.The forum has brought together more than 4,200 participants from 73 countries, with 63 percent participation from Indonesia, 24 percent from Malaysia and 13 percent from the other parts of the globe. Five heads of state: President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo, Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Guinea Alpha Conde, and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Shriyan Wickremenshinghe; and 10 ministers of the invited countries representing the respective heads of state also joined the three days event: Minister of Economy and Commerce - Qatar, Minister of Industry and Mines - People's Republic of Algeria, Minister of Planning - Bangladesh, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation - South Africa, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment - Federal Republic of Nigeria, Minister of Commerce - Pakistan, Minister of Culture and Tourism - Malaysia, Minister of International Cooperation - Republic of Guinea, Minister of Budget - Republic of Guinea, and the Chairman of The General Authority for Suaez Canal Economic Zone - The Arab Republic of Egypt.The forum also successfully engaged 52 speakers covering 23 panels and masterclass sessions and 22 complementary programme speakers and 20 presenters at the Business Exchange. The Forum's exhibition also garnered success with 42 exhibitors from 13 countries, 9 country desks, and 2 country pavilions. Alongside, some 250 members of the international and local media have also helped highlight the Forum's achievements and what it will implement in the coming years. The Forum is also proud to announce that investments totaling some US$900 million have been made at this Forum and a total of 10 MOUs have been signed.In her closing speech, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia delivered some concrete takeaways. Those are: 1) Addressing the lack of knowledge about Islamic financing products, as well as the lack of ability for financial companies to see the long-term prospects offered by halal-related businesses; 2) Strengthening long-term infrastructure financing mechanism, including asset-backed securities, and; 3) Building better collaborations between grass-root businesses and mainstream industries.The 12th WIEF forum provided opportunities for the heads of state to convey important messages in the efforts to develop the architecture of sharia economy, especially for small and medium enterprises that have been proven in supporting the Muslim economies. In addition, financial experts, captain of industries as well as international business players have also shared their valuable experiences and ideas for the development of sharia economic and financial architecture, creative industries and the digital economy through a variety of events such as panel discussions, master classes until IdeaPad.This forum also successfully held MOCAfest, the 2016 Marketplace of Creative Arts Festival that hosted a broad array of types of creative expression, through a showcase of film, visual arts, music, audio-visual mapping, performing arts, and fashion, all enclosed in a performance, master-class and panel discussion. It has bridged connection between role players and potential business partner and investors. This forum has provided international business communities a networking platform for delegates, as well as for countries that want to showcase their trade opportunities and expand the reach of their business.Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairman of WIEF Foundation mentioned that WIEF has always been a platform for both deeply important, and extremely exciting discussions. The excellent insights from panelists together with the views from those world leaders have helped deliver a greater understanding of the Islamic economy. Those views helped us to design our role and strategy in applying the Islamic economy to the wider world. In his speech, Tun Musa also delivered his appreciation to His Excellency Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of National Development Planning Agency Bambang Brodjonegoro along with the great people of Indonesia, for all the resources and effort put into making this 12th Forum such a momentous success.About the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF)The WIEF Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Kuala Lumpur, organises the annual World Islamic Economic Forum, a world-class business platform showcasing business opportunities in the Muslim world, and runs programmes of the various initiatives of the Foundation that strengthen people partnership and knowledge exchange between Muslim and non-Muslim communities across the globe.The WIEF has previously held forums in Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kuwait and Pakistan, the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates and aims to bring together Muslim and non-Muslim communities through the common language of business.The 12th WIEF was held at the Jakarta Convention Centre from August 2-4, 2016.More information about WIEF: http://wief.org/For media queries, kindly contact:Fiscal Policy Agency, Ministry of Finance, ikp@fiskal.depkeu.go.idWai Fai Lo, +6012 209 0068, waifai@wief.orgSource: World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF)Copyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. TECHNAVIO ANNOUNCES TOP FIVE VENDORS IN THE GLOBAL TRANSFORMER OIL MARKET FROM 2016 TO 2020 Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recentglobal transformer oil marketreport until 2020. This research report also lists five other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period. Competitive vendor landscape The global transformer oil market is moderately fragmented, comprising of a diverse group of international as well as regional vendors. Most vendors lack product differentiation, which has forced them to competitively price their products and services to consolidate their shares. As well, intense competition from regional vendors that offer low-priced, customized solutions is affecting the market share of international vendors. "However, these vendors may not have to compete with many new entrants during the forecast period. This is due to the high capital expenditure required to enter the market. New entrants would also find it difficult to compete with international vendors in terms of quality, design, product features, turnaround time, services, and maintenance of customer relationships," says Gaurav Mohindru, a lead unit operations analyst from Technavio. Request sample report: http://goo.gl/Z54czR Top five transformer oil market vendors Apar Industries Apar Industries was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The company engages in the provision of transformer and specialty oils, aluminum conductors, aluminum alloy conductors, aluminum conductor steel reinforced conductors, and power and telecom cable. It operates its business mainly through conductors, transformer and specialty oils, and power and telecom cable segments. It offers a range of specialty oils, like transformer oils, liquid paraffin and white oils, industrial oils and lubricants, rubber processing oils, and ink oils. It provides cables, including high-tension and low-tension power cables, fiber optic cables, elastomeric (rubber) cables, special cables, and e-beam irradiated products. Apar Industries manufactures internationally benchmarked grades of high-performance transformer oils in India that are environment-friendly and of high performance with lower gassing tendency, high oxidation stability, and non-corrosive with ultra-low levels of sulfur. The company produces a range of high-quality transformer oils from selected hydrotreated naphthenic and hydrocracked/Isodewaxed Isoparaffinic oils that are free from polar compounds and have high oxidation stability and aging properties, ensuring long service life. Ergon, Inc. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, Ergon, Inc., and its consolidated subsidiaries are built on a foundation of petroleum-related enterprises. Ergon operates as a sophisticated crude oil processor, transporter and marketer of refined products. In 1978, the company formed Ergon Refining and began production of fuels at its first refinery in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The refinery has grown to be the largest manufacturer of naphthenic process oils in the world and currently has a processing capacity of up to 25,000 barrels of crude oil per day. It produces some of the highest quality transformer oils, HyVolt, along with process and base oil stocks. After recent investments in the facility, Ergon will be the world's second largest Group I bright stock supplier by year's end. Ergon offers various market solutions on a global scale, in North and South America as well as the EMEA Asia regions. The company's primary brands are represented by HyVolt insulating oils, HyPrene process oils, HyGold base oils, and HyPrint ink oils. Nynas Nynas was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The company is involved in the production and marketing of specialty oil products. It offers oils for manufacturing different types of synthetic rubber and compounds, chemical and technical applications, naphthenic specialty oils, and base oils as a component in cutting fluids for metal working, hydraulic oils, greases, and other industrial lubricants. Nynas provides bitumen binders for use in asphalt applications in the construction and maintenance of motorways, bridges, and runways. Nynas super grades meets various tough performance demands. These oils are developed to provide high stability for longer service life with less maintenance. Under this, the company offers Nytro 10XN (IEC 60296, ED. 4), Nytro 10XN (ASTM D3487), Nytro 4000X (IEC 60296, ED. 4), and Nytro 4000A (IEC 60296, ED. 4). These are developed and formulated mainly to deliver maximum resistance to oil degradation. These provides high oxidation stability for long transformer life, with less maintenance. PetroChina PetroChina was established in 1988 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. It is one of the largest oil and gas producer and marketer in China. The company is involved in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. It also manufactures an array of derivative chemical and petrochemical products. Its business activities cover all the major sectors of the petroleum and petrochemical industry. PetroChina operates its business through four reportable segments, including exploration and production, refining and chemicals, marketing, and natural gas and pipeline. PetroChina produces naphthenic-based transformer oils. This is manufactured by adopting moderately refined low viscosity and low pour point base oils. It is also characterized by good heat transfer, high oxidation stability, and good electrical properties. The company's transformer oils have stable and reliable performance and are produced from controlled quality procedures, meeting the requirements of IEC60296 2003 classification U and ASTM D3487-93 type 1 standard. Sinopec China Petroleum Chemical Corp (Sinopec) was established in 1998 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. It is one of the largest integrated energy and chemical companies in China. It is involved in the exploration, production, refining, marketing, and distribution of oil and natural gas. The company also transports and distributes fertilizers, synthetic fiber, ethylene, synthetic rubber, and synthetic resin. Sinopec operates its business through five reportable segments, including exploration and production, marketing and distribution, refining, chemicals, and others. Sinopec transformer oil is blended with high-refined mineral base oil and a well-chosen anti-oxidizer. Without Polychlorinated Biphenyl, it is suitable for insulation and cooling of transformers, oil immersed switches, and other insulation devices of electrical appliances. This product comprises several grades, including 45, 40, 25, and 10 according to low-temperature performance. Browse Related Reports: Global Transformer Monitoring Solutions Market 2016-2020 Global Instrument Transformer Market 2016-2020 Global Wind Turbine Gear Oil Market 2016-2020 Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster or country but can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry, Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005070/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630 333 9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - August 4, 2016) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a cardiologist with insider trading on confidential developments as he worked on a clinical drug trial. The SEC alleges that Dr. Edward Kosinski of Weston, Connecticut, traded in advance of two negative news announcements by Regado Biosciences, which was pursuing a drug called REG-1 to regulate clotting in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. Kosinski, who served as principal investigator of the drug trial, got advance notice that patient enrollment in the trial was being suspended because patients had experienced severe allergic reactions. He allegedly sold all 40,000 shares of his Regado stock the following day to avoid approximately $160,000 in losses when the news became public and the stock price dropped. A month later, Kosinski received advance notice that enrollment would be permanently halted because a patient had died, and he profited through options trades by betting the stock price would drop again. Kosinski allegedly made more than $3,000 when he exercised the options after the company's stock fell by 60 percent upon the negative news. "We allege that Dr. Kosinski illegally sold all of his stock in the company to avoid thousands of dollars in losses when the bad news came out," said Joseph Sansone, Co-Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division's Market Abuse Unit. "Not content with avoiding heavy losses, Kosinski allegedly further enriched himself by placing options trades to profit when the company's stock price dropped again on more bad news." In a parallel case, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut today announced criminal charges against Kosinski. The SEC's complaint filed in federal court in Connecticut charges Kosinski with violating antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and related rules. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Andrew J. Palid and Michele T. Perillo of the Market Abuse Unit in the Boston Regional Office, and the litigation will be led by Deena R. Bernstein. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND Gov. Brian Sandoval is advancing relations between Nevada and Queensland to strengthen collaboration in mining and other industries. Sandoval and the Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk signed a statement of intent Aug. 4 in Australia. Queenslands focus on innovation presents a unique opportunity to help propel many of our key industries into the future, said Sandoval. The Nevada delegation and Sandoval toured the Sustainable Mineral Institute at the University of Queensland, St. Lucia where they also participated in an education roundtable with faculty and school leadership. Mining was also the focus of the delegation when the Sandoval had a meeting with David Camerlengo, Queenslands trade and investment commissioner for North America as well as an opportunity to talk about Nevadas role in mining innovation with Dr. Anthony Lynham, Minister for Natural Resources. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- PIMCO Canada Corp. (PIMCO), the manager of the PIMCO Canada Funds, today announced management fee reductions to PIMCO Canadian Short Term Bond Fund and PIMCO Canadian Total Return Bond Fund. Effective September 1, 2016, PIMCO will reduce management fees by up to 20 basis points on PIMCO Canadian Short Term Bond Fund and PIMCO Canadian Total Return Bond Fund. Effective on or about October 3, 2016, PIMCO will change the distribution policy of PIMCO Balanced Income Fund (Canada). PIMCO Balanced Income Fund (Canada) will declare and distribute income to unitholders quarterly, rather than crediting net income daily to unitholders' accounts and distributing net income quarterly. PIMCO Balanced Income Fund (Canada) will continue to distribute net realized capital gains annually. Fee Reductions Effective September 1, 2016, PIMCO will reduce management fees on PIMCO Canadian Short Term Bond Fund to: Series A (1.00%), Series F (0.50%), Series M (0.45%) and Series O (0.95%) and on PIMCO Canadian Total Return Bond Fund to: Series A (1.00%), Series F (0.50%), Series M (0.46%) and Series O (0.96%). For further information on PIMCO Canada Corp. and the PIMCO Canada Funds, please visit www.pimco.ca or call 1-877-506-8126 (416-506-8187 in Toronto). About PIMCO PIMCO is a leading global investment management firm, with 13 offices in 12 countries throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1971, PIMCO offers a wide range of innovative solutions to help millions of investors worldwide meet their needs. PIMCO's goal is to provide attractive returns while maintaining a strong culture of risk management and long-term discipline. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider. Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO's sponsored investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. The PIMCO Canada Mutual Funds are available for sale in each of the provinces and territories of Canada and only through dealers authorized for that purpose. PIMCO Canada Corp., 199 Bay Street, Suite 2050, Commerce Court Station, P.O. Box 363, Toronto, ON, M5L 1G2, 416-368-3350. Contacts: Michael Reid PIMCO - Media Relations 212-739-3253 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In the latest sign some Republican lawmakers are distancing themselves from Donald Trump, Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Col., released a new campaign ad admitting that he doesn't like the GOP presidential nominee very much. 'People ask me, 'What do you think about Trump?' Coffman says in the ad. 'Honestly, I don't care for him much.' Noting his experience as Marine, Coffman declares that 'country comes first' and promises to 'stand up' to Trump if the real estate tycoon becomes president. The Colorado Congressman also says he doesn't trust Hillary Clinton and pledges to hold the Democratic presidential nominee accountable if she wins the election. According to Politico, this represents the first time a House Republican has used explicitly anti-Trump messaging in paid advertising. Coffman, who is expected to face a tough re-election fight this year, will also reportedly release a Spanish-language version of the ad. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., also recently revealed that he will not support Trump, while retiring Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., explicitly said he will vote for Clinton. 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. MOUNT LAUREL, NJ -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- inTEST Corporation (NYSE MKT: INTT), an independent designer, manufacturer and marketer of thermal management products and semiconductor automatic test equipment (ATE) interface solutions, today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. 2016 Second Quarter Summary Second quarter 2016 bookings were $12.6 million, compared with first quarter 2016 bookings of $9.8 million, and second quarter 2015 bookings of $10.3 million; $4.4 million, or 35%, of second quarter 2016 bookings were derived from non-semiconductor test compared with second quarter 2015 non-semiconductor test bookings of $2.6 million or 26%. Second quarter 2016 net revenues were $10.5 million, compared with first quarter 2016 net revenues of $8.6 million, and second quarter 2015 net revenues of $11.6 million; $2.5 million, or 24%, of second quarter 2016 net revenues were derived from non-semiconductor test compared with second quarter 2015 non-semiconductor test revenues of $3.0 million or 26%. Second quarter 2016 gross margin was $5.3 million, or 51%. This compares with first quarter 2016 gross margin of $4.1 million, or 47%, and second quarter 2015 gross margin of $5.8 million, or 51%. Second quarter 2016 net earnings were $486,000, or $0.05 per diluted share. This compares with first quarter 2016 net earnings of $81,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, and second quarter 2015 net earnings of $1.1 million, or $0.10 per diluted share. Included in second quarter financial results were $456,000, or $0.04 per diluted share, in non-recurring expenses related to a potential acquisition. Cash and cash equivalents were $25.0 million at both June 30, 2016 and March 31, 2016. 2016 Second Quarter Share Repurchase During the second quarter of 2016, the Company purchased 76,037 shares of inTEST stock under its repurchase program, authorized in December 2015, bringing the total shares repurchased under the plan to 232,057. The cost of second quarter repurchased shares totaled approximately $299,000, including $2,000 in fees paid to the Company's broker. The Company suspended the share repurchase program in mid-May 2016 because of work on a potential acquisition. "We reported strong financial results for the second quarter," commented Robert E. Matthiessen, president and chief executive officer, "with revenue growth fueled across all product lines; most notably in the automotive sector of the semiconductor market, as well as demand created by next generation smart phones. The trend of order expansion continued throughout the quarter as well, increasing 28% sequentially, based in large part upon strength from our Thermal Products segment. Business was very strong in both the North American and Asian markets. The upsurge in optical transceiver business in Asia continued throughout the quarter, as did orders from major semiconductor companies. Both semiconductor and military/aero markets provided increased business in North America over the previous quarter. In addition, gross margin and net income also increased substantially on a sequential basis, with gross margin exceeding our guidance range." Mr. Matthiessen added, "We remain focused on growth through acquisition. During the second quarter, we began due diligence on an acquisition opportunity with whom we had executed a letter of intent late in the first quarter of 2016. We had essentially completed our due diligence and deal documents on the transaction, which had been scheduled to close on August 1, 2016. On July 18, we were informed by the target that they had reconsidered and no longer wished to sell their company." 2016 Third Quarter Financial Outlook inTEST expects that net revenues for the third quarter of 2016 will be in the range of $9.5 million to $10.5 million and that earnings per diluted share will range from $0.03 to $0.07. This outlook is based on the Company's current views with respect to operating and market conditions and customers' forecasts, which are subject to change. 2016 Second Quarter Investor Conference Call / Webcast Details (Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. EDT) inTEST management will host a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The conference call will address the Company's 2016 second quarter financial results and management's current expectations and views of the industry. The call may also include discussion of strategic, operating, product initiatives or developments, or other matters relating to the Company's current or future performance. The dial-in number for the live audio call beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT on August 4, 2016 is (815) 680-6269 or (866) 900-9241. The Passcode for the conference call is 46774705. Please reference the inTEST 2016 Q2 Financial Results Conference Call. inTEST Corporation will provide a live webcast in conjunction with the conference call. To access the live webcast, please visit inTEST's website www.intest.com under the "Investors" section. 2016 Second Quarter Replay Details (Webcast) A replay of the webcast will be available on inTEST's website for one year following the live broadcast. To access the webcast replay, please visit inTEST's website www.intest.com under the "Investors" section. Submit Questions In advance of the conference call, and for those investors accessing the webcast, inTEST Corporation welcomes individual investors to submit their questions via email to lguerrant@guerrantir.com. The company will address as many questions as possible on the conference call. About inTEST Corporation inTEST Corporation is an independent designer, manufacturer and marketer of thermal management products and ATE interface solutions, which are used by semiconductor manufacturers to perform final testing of integrated circuits (ICs) and wafers. The Company's high-performance products are designed to enable semiconductor manufacturers to improve the speed, reliability, efficiency and profitability of IC test processes. The Company's products are also sold into the automotive, consumer electronics, defense/aerospace, energy, industrial and telecommunications markets. Specific products include temperature management systems, manipulator and docking hardware products and customized interface solutions. The Company has established strong relationships with its customers globally, which it supports through a network of local offices. For more information visit www.intest.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements do not convey historical information, but relate to predicted or potential future events and financial results that are based upon management's current expectations. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. In addition to the factors mentioned in this press release, such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, changes in business conditions and the economy, generally; changes in the demand for semiconductors, generally; changes in the rates of, and timing of, capital expenditures by our customers; progress of product development programs; increases in raw material and fabrication costs associated with our products and other risk factors set forth from time to time in our SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. inTEST undertakes no obligation to update the information in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA (Unaudited) (In thousands, except per share data) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Data: Three Months Ended Six Months Ended ----------------------------- ------------------- 6/30/2016 6/30/2015 3/31/2016 6/30/2016 6/30/2015 --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- Net revenues $ 10,485 $ 11,559 $ 8,647 $ 19,132 $ 21,747 Gross margin 5,329 5,846 4,067 9,396 10,764 Operating expenses: Selling expense 1,471 1,592 1,335 2,806 3,079 Engineering and product development expense 982 1,047 991 1,973 1,989 General and administrative expense 2,145 1,569 1,645 3,790 3,376 Other income 18 21 28 46 10 Earnings before income tax expense 749 1,659 124 873 2,330 Income tax expense 263 579 43 306 812 Net earnings 486 1,080 81 567 1,518 Net earnings per share - basic $ 0.05 $ 0.10 $ 0.01 $ 0.05 $ 0.15 Weighted average shares outstanding - basic 10,296 10,472 10,390 10,343 10,469 Net earnings per share - diluted $ 0.05 $ 0.10 $ 0.01 $ 0.05 $ 0.14 Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted 10,311 10,494 10,404 10,357 10,489 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets Data: As of: -------------------------------- 6/30/2016 3/31/2016 12/31/2015 ---------- ---------- ---------- Cash and cash equivalents $ 25,003 $ 24,951 $ 25,710 Trade accounts receivable, net 6,741 5,336 4,395 Inventories 3,314 3,454 3,520 Total current assets 35,354 34,352 34,264 Net property and equipment 977 1,015 1,112 Total assets 40,607 39,906 39,984 Accounts payable 1,474 1,365 909 Accrued expenses 3,144 2,810 3,124 Total current liabilities 4,666 4,224 4,059 Noncurrent liabilities - - - Total stockholders' equity 35,941 35,682 35,925 Contacts inTEST Corporation Hugh T. Regan, Jr. Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Tel: 856-505-8999 Investors: Laura Guerrant-Oiye Principal Guerrant Associates lguerrant@guerrantir.com Tel: (808) 960-2642 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Hanwei Energy Services Corp. (TSX: HE) ("Hanwei" or the "Company"), today reported its financial results for the three months ending June 30, 2016. All amounts are in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise noted. The Company has two reportable segments for its continuing operations: its FRP pipe manufacturing and its oil and gas production. The pipe segment produces and sells fiberglass reinforced plastic ("FRP") pipe for the oil and gas industry and other infrastructure applications. The oil and gas segment is engaged in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in Western Canada. For the three months ended June 30, 2016: -- Total Company revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2016 totalled some $1.4 million as compared to $1.7 million for same period of the prior year. Both business segments of the Company continued to be impacted by the downturn in the oil and gas industry. -- FRP pipe sales totalled $1.0 million and equal to that of the same period of the prior year. The reduction in oil and gas commodity prices continued to negatively impact the overall oil and gas industry with numerous projects placed on hold or delayed. -- For the Company's Chinese market FRP pipe sales was $421,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2016 as compared to $938,000 for the prior year. The Chinese market remains weak given low oil prices effecting capital works projects in this market. -- For the Kazakhstan market no FRP pipe sales were recorded for the three months ended June 30, 2016, as compared to $57,000 for the same period of the prior year. This market remains weak due to the downturn in capital works projects further impacted by US dollar foreign exchange erosion in this market. -- For the Canada market FRP pipe sales was $543,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2016, as compared to $47,000 for the same period of the prior year. The Company confirmed a new 4" and 6" FRP pipe order for some $870,000 to a Canadian client on June 20, 2016. The order was manufactured and shipped subsequent to June 30, 2016 and as such was not recorded in the aforementioned Canada market sales for the three months ended June 30, 2016. The Canadian market remains a growth market for the Company with some 110,000 meters of the Company's FRP pipe currently installed and operational in Canada. -- Oil and gas production revenues net of royalties amounted to $0.4 million as compared to $0.7 million for the same period of the prior year. The decrease in revenues from the oil and gas business was driven by lower commodity prices. -- EBITDA from continuing operations for the three months ended June 30, 2016 totalled some negative $0.4 million as compared to negative EBITDA of $0.5 million for the same period of the prior year. Negative EBITDA for the three months ended June 30, 2016 was primarily driven by the downturn in the commodity market which impacted the Company's oil and gas production business and FRP pipe business. -- The Company had a loss from continuing operations of $1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 as compared to loss from continuing operations of $1.5 million for the same period of the prior year. -- As of June 30, 2016 the Company had: -- A cash balance (inclusive of short term investments) of $3 million -- A Net Asset Value per share for its continuing operations of $0.14 (on total shares outstanding of approximately 194.2 million) -- Subsequent to the three months ended June 30, 2016 -- The Company received payments totalling $1.2 million (RMB6.0 million) as part of the outstanding accounts receivable due from its wind farm customers. The full amount of these receivables was previously allowed for and the Company's wind power business has been discontinued. As of the date of this news release approximately $39.7 million (RMB198.7 million) has been collected with a balance of $4.9 million (RMB24.4 million) outstanding. The Company is continuing its efforts to collect the balance of this outstanding amount. -- The Company was refunded $1.7 million (RMB 8.5 million) in certain prepayments from certain large projects that have been delayed. -- The Company negotiated improved commercial terms with its materials suppliers resulting in prepayments of some $1.4 million (RMB 6.8 million) being refunded. -- The above noted amounts total some $4.3 million of which $2.9 million were previously provided for. As of the date of this news release the Company had a cash balance (inclusive of short term investments) of approximately $5.5 million. -- After a principal repayment of RMB 4 million the total principal amount of all bank loans is $5.8 million as of the date of this news release. A short-term loan of $3.9 million (RMB20 million) owed by Harvest (the Company's wholly owned subsidiary in China) to a Chinese bank is currently due and paying interest of 7.9% per annum. The Company is discussing the renewal or extension of the loan with the lender. The Company continues to increase its activities and revenues in Canada. Canadian revenues as a percentage of total revenues increased to 70% for the three months ended June 30, 2016 as compared to 40% for the same period of the prior year. Update on Oil and Gas Activities in Canada -- For the three months ended June 30, 2016, -- The Company produced approximately 158 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) for a total of 14,354 boe, including 82 bbl/d of oil for a total of 7,494 barrels, 323 mcf/d of gas per day for a total of 29,366 mcf, and 22 boe/d of liquids for a total of 1,965 boe. The majority of the Company's oil production was from its 13-33-49-26W4 and 13-4-49-26W4 Nisku horizontal wells on its Leduc Lands and flow test production from its new 14-01-023-28W4 vertical well on its Entice Lands. -- The Company generated revenues net of royalties of $0.4 million and net back of $44,000. This was equivalent to gross revenue of $30.56 per boe with a netback of $3.10 per boe. The reduction in gross revenue and netback as compared to the prior year period (as described below) was primarily due to lower commodity prices together with expensed and non-capitalized work over costs on the Company's 13-33-49-26W4M, 13-4-50-26W4M, and 11-33-49-26W4M wells and by certain costs to initiate test production of the Company's new well 14-01-023-28W4 at its Entice Lands. -- As a comparison, for the three months ended June 30, 2015, -- The Company produced approximately 167 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) for a total of 15,189 boe, including 70 bbl/d of oil for a total of 6,464 barrels, 437 mcf/d of gas per day for a total of 39,824 mcf, and 24 boe/d of liquids for a total of 2,145 boe. The majority of the Company's oil production was from its existing 13- 33-49-26W4 Nisku horizontal well. -- The Company generated revenues net of royalties of $0.7 million and net back of $0.4 million. This was equivalent to gross revenue of $40.73 per boe with a netback of $23.47 per boe. -- Drill Program: -- At its Entice Lands the Company spud its new 14-01-023-28W4 vertical well in November 2015 with subsequent flow tests, and spud its new 15-12-023-28W4 horizontal well in June 2016. These wells are expected to be on production during 2016 and operate from a shared well pad that can accommodate a further 5 to 6 horizontal wells. -- Upon these two initial wells being placed on production and initial results being forthcoming, the Company will determine a drill program for expansion with additional horizontal wells at its Entice Lands. -- The 14-01-023-28W4 vertical well was drilled and completed for an amount of $2.6 million with all capital costs on this well fully paid. The 15-12-023-28W4 horizontal well has been budgeted for drilling and completion at a cost of $2.6 million which will be paid from the Company's current approximately $5.5 million cash balance. The Company achieved certain economies on this well from the utilization of the same surface pad as the 14-01-023-28W4 vertical well. Hanwei will host a conference call to discuss its operational and financial results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2016. Graham Kwan, Executive Vice President and Rick Huang, Chief Financial Officer of Hanwei will host the call. Management invites analysts and investors to participate on the conference call: Date: Friday, August 5, 2016 Time: 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time (10:00 am Pacific Time) Dial in number: 1-888-778-8861 or 1-913-312-1453 A replay of the conference call will be available on the Company's website www.hanweienergy.com. About Hanwei Energy Services Corp. Hanwei Energy Services Corp.'s principal business operations are in two complementary key segments of the oil and gas industry as both an equipment supplier to the industry (as a leading manufacturer of high pressure, fiberglass reinforced plastic ("FRP") pipe products and associated technologies serving major energy customers in the global energy market) and as an operator of its producing oil and gas mineral rights at its Leduc and Entice Lands in Alberta. www.hanweienergy.com Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND NON-GAAP MEASURES Certain information in this press release is forward-looking within the meaning of certain securities laws, and is subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions a description of which is set out in the risk factors section of the Company's Annual Information Form dated June 22, 2016 and Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ended March 31, 2016 both of which are filed with Canadian securities regulators and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information in this press release describes the Company's expectations as of the date of this press release. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE PRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME, EXCEPT AS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LEGISLATION. Contacts: Graham Kwan Executive Vice President, Strategic Development and Corporate Affairs 604-685-2239 gkwan@hanweienergy.com Yucai (Rick) Huang Chief Financial Officer 604-685-2239 yhuang@hanweienergy.com BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Burns & Levinson today won an important Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) unanimous reversal of the Appeals Court ruling in Pfannenstiehl v. Pfannenstiehl. The closely-watched divorce case focused on the issue of trust assets as marital property in divorce proceedings, and the decision overturns the Appeals Court and trial judge which required Curt Pfannenstiehl to pay his ex-wife approximately $1.4 million that was attributed to 60% of his interest in a discretionary spendthrift trust established by his father. Widely considered the biggest family law case of the year, the decision is now the definitive law on trust interests for division of marital assets in Massachusetts, and also serves as guidance for every one of the 35 plus states that use a similar equitable division statute. Burns & Levinson partner Robert J. O'Regan delivered a compelling argument to the SJC on behalf of the husband and trust beneficiary. O'Regan's argument focused mainly on the consequences, perhaps unintended, that the Appeals Court decision could have on trust & estate law. While a full reversal of the Appeals Court on further appellate review is rare, the SJC adopted every one of O'Regan's arguments in the case. "The key issue in this case was whether a divorce judge could order the husband to pay to his former wife nearly $1.4 million that the judge attributed to the husband's interest in a trust that his father set up, but that the husband had no legal right to force the trust to even distribute to himself," said O'Regan. "In reaching their decisions, the trial judge and the Appeals Court misapplied well-established trust terms in order to justify their decisions that set Massachusetts trust and estate law on its head," he continued, "and today's SJC's decision corrects that very far-reaching error." In Pfannenstiehl, both the Trial Court and the Appeals Court went to great lengths to explain how the wife could benefit, at least indirectly, from an irrevocable trust established by her soon-to-be-ex-husband's father, even though the husband had no control over the trust and could receive distributions only at the discretion of the trustees. The husband had no present, legally enforceable interest to receive or use assets or income from the trust. The trustees' discretion was limited to making distributions under an "ascertainable standard" for a beneficiary's health, education, maintenance, and support. O'Regan was engaged by Curt Pfannenstiehl after the trial judge had ruled against him. There was tremendous pressure put on Mr. Pfannenstiehl to fold and not to pursue the appeal. For example, although it was clear that the client did not have and could not get the $1.4 million to pay his ex-wife, she prosecuted a contempt against him and the judge found him guilty of contempt, sentenced him to jail, and had him put in chains despite his inability to pay. The SJC decision also stated that this contempt conviction should not have been made. "The Trial Court and Appeals Court decisions failed to account for the fact that the trustees did not make distributions to the husband for most of the marriage, and that the husband received distributions only during the final two years of the marriage," said O'Regan. "Another issue was how the value of the trust was determined. The lower courts' decisions gave the wife 60 percent of the funds in the trust, even though the husband cannot touch the trust money." The definition of "marital property" in Massachusetts is extraordinarily broad. Consequently, in divorce proceedings, the court may assign any part or all of a spouse's "estate" to the other spouse. This generally may include premarital property as well as property acquired during the marriage, and may also include vested interests in an estate or trust. "Even with the broad definition of marital property in Massachusetts and the broad discretion of judges to divide up property, the SJC has now said, in no uncertain terms, that the court in Pfannenstiehl went too far because the husband's interest in the trust was so indefinite that it could not be considered property," added O'Regan. About Burns & Levinson LLP Burns & Levinson is a Boston-based, full service law firm with more than 125 attorneys in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. The firm has grown steadily and strategically throughout the years, and has become a premier law firm with regional, national and international clientele. Core areas of practice are Private Client Legal Services, Business Law, Business Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate. For more information, visit burnslev.com. Contact: Amy Blumenthal Blumenthal & Associates 617.879.1511 amyb@blumenthalpr.com Kristen Weller Director of Marketing & Communications 617.345.3555 kweller@burnslev.com - Diebold receives unconditional clearance in Poland, satisfying all closing conditions for planned acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf AG - Takeover offer expected to be settled on Aug. 15 NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD), a global leader in financial self-service technology, services and software, announced today that it received antitrust clearance in Poland for its planned acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf AG (FWB: WIN). As a result, the company has attained all antitrust clearances required as a closing condition under the offer document for the acquisition. All closing conditions required for the consummation of the takeover offer are now satisfied and the takeover offer is expected to be settled on Aug. 15. Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080725/DIEBOLDLOGO The offer consideration, in total consisting of 9,928,514 newly issued common shares of Diebold and approximately 891.7 million in cash, will be distributed to the shareholders of Wincor Nixdorf that tendered their shares in the offer at the time of settlement. Diebold has applied for listing of the newly issued Diebold common shares on the New York Stock Exchange and will apply for listing of all 89,907,516 of its common shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Trading of the tendered Wincor Nixdorf shares on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange will cease after the end of the regular stock exchange trading hours on Aug. 5, 2016. For more information about the business combination between Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf, please visit www.diebold.com/dieboldwincor. IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS In connection with the proposed business combination with Wincor Nixdorf, Diebold has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which was declared effective by the SEC on February 5, 2016, that includes a prospectus of Diebold to be used in connection with the takeover offer. In addition, on February 4, 2016, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt fur Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, "BaFin") approved the publication of the offer document in German in connection with the takeover offer. Diebold has published the German offer document on February 5, 2016. The acceptance period for the takeover offer expired at the end of March 22, 2016 (Central European Time), and the statutory additional acceptance period expired at the end of April 12, 2016 (Central European Summer Time). INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROSPECTUS AND THE OFFER DOCUMENT, AS WELL AS OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC OR BaFin OR PUBLISHED AT DIEBOLD'S WEBSITE at www.diebold.com UNDER THE INVESTOR RELATIONS SECTION, REGARDING THE PROPOSED BUSINESS COMBINATION AND THE OFFER BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. You may obtain a free copy of the prospectus, an English translation of the offer document, and other related documents filed by Diebold with the SEC on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The prospectus and other documents relating thereto may also be obtained for free by accessing Diebold's website at www.diebold.comunder the Investor Relations section. You may obtain a free copy of the offer document on BaFin's website atwww.bafin.de, and, along with an English translation thereof, at Diebold's website at www.diebold.comunder the Investor Relations section. Further, upon request, you may obtain a copy of the offer document free of charge from Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Taunusanlage12, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, or e-mail to dct.tender"'offers@db.com or by telefax to +496991038794. This document is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of Wincor Nixdorf or Diebold. Terms and further provisions regarding the public offer are disclosed in the offer document, which was published on February 5, 2016, and in documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC. Investors and holders of Wincor Nixdorf-Shares, or of such instruments conferring a right to directly or indirectly acquire Wincor Nixdorf shares, are strongly encouraged to read the prospectus, the offer document and all documents in connection with the public offer because these documents contain important information. No offering of securities will be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and a German offer document in accordance with applicable European regulations, including the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act and the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz). Subject to certain exceptions to be approved by the relevant regulators or certain facts to be ascertained, the public offer would not be made directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction, or by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including without limitation, facsimile transmission, telephone and the internet) of interstate or foreign commerce, or any facility of a national securities exchange, of any such jurisdiction. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ABOUT FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future including, without limitation, the proposed business combination with Wincor Nixdorf and the takeover offer. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of Diebold and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. Such forward-looking statements may include statements about the business combination and the offer, the likelihood that such transaction is consummated and the effects of any transaction on the businesses and financial conditions of Diebold or Wincor Nixdorf, including synergies, pro forma revenue, targeted operating margin, net debt to EBITDA ratios, accretion to earnings and other financial or operating measures. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industries in which Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. In addition, risks and uncertainties related to the contemplated business combination between Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf include, but are not limited to, the expected timing and likelihood of the completion of the contemplated business combination, the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any governmental and regulatory approvals that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the contemplated business combination, the risk that any announcements relating to the contemplated business combination could have adverse effects on the market price of Diebold's common shares, and the risk that the contemplated transactions or the potential announcement of other transactions could have an adverse effect on the ability of Diebold to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its suppliers, and on its operating results and businesses generally. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the contemplated business combination, are more fully discussed in the prospectus that is attached as Annex 4 to the German offer document and has been filed with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Diebold's reports filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Any forward"'looking statements speak only as at the date of this document. Except as required by applicable law, neither Diebold nor Wincor Nixdorf undertakes any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Diebold Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) provides the technology, software and services that connect people around the world with their money - bridging the physical and digital worlds of cash conveniently, securely and efficiently. Since its founding in 1859, Diebold has evolved to become a leading provider of exceptional self-service innovation, security and services to financial, commercial, retail and other markets. Diebold has approximately 15,000 employees worldwide and is headquartered near Canton, Ohio, USA. Visit Diebold at www.diebold.comor on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DieboldInc. TORONTO, 2016-08-04 22:30 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or "the Company") (TSX:MND) today announced that its second quarter 2016 financial results will be released after market close on August 11, 2016, followed by a conference call with Mark Sander, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mandalay, for investors and analysts on August 12, 2016 at 8:00 am (Toronto time).Analysts and interested investors are invited to participate using the following dial-in numbers:Participant Number: (201) 689-8341 Participant Number (Toll free): (877) 407-8289 Conference ID: 13642984A replay of the conference call will be available until 23:59 (Toronto time), August 26, 2016 and can be accessed using the following dial-in number:Encore Toll Free Dial-in Number: (877) 660-6853 Encore ID: 13642984About Mandalay Resources Corporation:Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia, Chile, and Sweden, and a development project in Chile. The Company is focused on executing a roll-up strategy, creating critical mass by aggregating advanced or in-production gold, copper, silver and antimony projects in Australia, the Americas, and Europe to generate near-term cash flow and shareholder value.For Further Information:Mark Sander President and Chief Executive OfficerGreg DiTomaso Director of Investor RelationsContact: +1.647.260.1566 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. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) has joined celebrations to mark the launch of British Airways i360, a unique visitor attraction that opens on Brighton seafront in the United Kingdom on August 4. Jacobs was the engineer and project manager for construction of the attraction, which was conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804006507/en/ British Airways i360 At 162 meters tall and 3.9 meters wide, British Airways i360 is the world's tallest moving observation tower and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the most slender tower. The tower incorporates a futuristic glass viewing pod that glides up to a height of 138 meters, providing 360-degree views of up to 26 miles of the south coast of England. Throughout the project, Jacobs provided engineering design, project management, construction design management coordination and inspection services. The company also provided technical planning support during the early stages of the project's development for aspects such as traffic, noise and environmental impact. Commenting on the official opening, Jacobs Buildings and Infrastructure Senior Vice President Bob Duff stated, "We are absolutely delighted to be closely associated with this unique engineering structure and visitor attraction. Jacobs was part of the team that designed and built the London Eye, still the UK's most popular paid-for visitor attraction 16 years after its opening. That same team of architects, engineers and contractors have blended creativity with advanced technology and capability to create British Airways i360. We're tremendously proud of the team and our role in the project." Mark Barfield Architects Director David Marks added, "British Airways i360 is the result of a fantastic example of European cooperation. The team includes many key individuals and firms we worked with on the London Eye, and it has been our privilege over the past twelve years to see the commitment, determination and enterprise with which they have turned the designs and plans into reality. "Located at the landward end of the West Pier on Brighton beach, British Airways i360 is a modern-day 'vertical pier' whose purpose is simply to delight, entertain and inspire. Its design, engineering and method of construction are innovative, just as the West Pier was in its time. Just as the original pier welcomed Victorian society to 'walk on water' and gain a new perspective on the city and its setting between the land and the sea, we invite visitors to 'walk on air.'" The tower features uniquely designed 'sloshing liquid dampers' and a perforated cladding system, which together help prevent wind-induced vibrations. Advanced technology was also adopted for the passenger pod to meet high safety and reliability standards and help maximize passenger comfort and enjoyment. The architects and engineers also worked with the West Pier Trust to rebuild two of the original West Pier toll booths using Victorian building techniques. The re-built buildings now grace the entrance to British Airways i360. Each 'flight' on the tower carries up to 200 visitors at a time, and the attraction's visitor center incorporates a restaurant, a gift shop and conference and event facilities. Jacobs' chief engineer on the project, Dr. John Roberts, said, "The engineering design for British Airways i360 is underpinned by innovation, experience and expertise, and results from the effective collaboration of engineers from Britain, France and the Netherlands, with further important contributions from Australia, Italy and Spain. "With the planned program of school and student visits and activities based around the project, I am confident the achievements incorporated in British Airways i360 will interest and excite young people and encourage many of them to pursue a career in engineering." Jacobs is one of the world's largest and most diverse providers of full-spectrum technical, professional and construction services for industrial, commercial and government organizations globally. The company employs 60,000 people and operates in more than 30 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.jacobs.com. Information for editors About British Airways i360 British Airways i360 is conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye. With an overall height of 162m, and an observation pod that rises from ground level to 138m above Brighton beach, British Airways i360 is the world's tallest moving observation tower. Each 'flight' will carry up to 200 visitors at a time to enjoy unprecedented views across Brighton and Hove, the South Downs and beautiful south coast. While onboard, guests can enjoy a drink at the Nyetimber Sky Bar, serving a range of drinks from Sussex producers including Nyetimber, an award-winning sparkling wine producer. At beach level is the stylish Belle Vue restaurant with sea views and a large terrace, serving delicious food from the region. The West Pier Tea Room is housed in a reconstructed tollbooth based on the original tollbooths built in 1866. The British Airways i360 shop includes gifts and souvenirs, many created by local Brighton artists. British Airways i360 holds the Guinness World Record for the World's Most Slender Tower, with a diameter of just 3.9 meters at its widest point. British Airways i360 has worked with the West Pier Trust to reconstruct two of the original West Pier tollbooths using Victorian building techniques. The reconstructed buildings now grace the entrance to British Airways i360, and will house the West Pier Tea Room and ticket office. www.BritishAirwaysi360.com Twitter: @BA_i360 Instagram: @BA_i360 Facebook: BritishAirwaysi360 Pinterest: @BA_i360 Hashtag: bai360 About Marks Barfield Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield are the architect-entrepreneurs behind the creation of Brighton i360. They founded the company in 2005 and are its majority shareholders. Previously they performed a similar role creating the London Eye where they remained shareholders and directors until 2006. Together with a tight-knit group of extraordinary individuals, trusted consultants and companies, many of whom worked with David and Julia at the London Eye, they secured the planning permission, partners, land and funding for British Airways i360. Marks Barfield Architects is one of the UK's most versatile and innovative architecture practices, established in 1989. David and Julia chair the British Airways i360 board. www.marksbarfield.com @marksbarfield About British Airways British Airways is one of the world's leading global premium airlines and the UK's largest international scheduled airline, carrying approximately 35 million passengers worldwide annually, on around 800 daily flights. The airline employs around 40,000 people, the vast majority of these at its sites throughout the UK, and has an annual turnover of 8.5 billion. It employs 2,500 people in Sussex, several hundred of them in Brighton. www.ba.com @british_airways Available spokespersons David Marks and Julia Barfield, architect-entrepreneurs behind British Airways i360 Dr. John Roberts, chief engineer of British Airways i360 Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. For a description of some of the factors which may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements please refer to our 2015 Form 10-K, and in particular the discussions contained under Items 1 Business, 1A Risk Factors, 3 Legal Proceedings, and 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements made herein. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804006507/en/ Contacts: Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. Robin Shermer 817.735.6284 MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Golden Tag Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: GOG) announces the signing of an agreement with Sirios Resources Inc. concerning sale of Golden Tag's 50% interest in the Aquilon Property in James Bay, Quebec, which it previously agreed to sell in a transaction which did not complete. The consideration payable by Sirios will be $820,000, comprised of $250,000 in cash and $570,000 by issuance of 1,000,000 shares of Sirios at the deemed price of $0.57 per share. The completion of the acquisition is subject to Sirios receiving the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Proceeds will be used for future operations of the Company. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Contacts: Marc A. Carrier President & CFO (514) 426-8542 (514) 426-8543 (FAX) pres@goldentag.ca www.goldentag.ca VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- DXI Energy Inc. (NYSE MKT: DXI)(TSX: DXI) ("DXI" or the "Company"), an upstream oil and gas exploration and production company operating in Colorado's Piceance Basin and the Peace River Arch region in British Columbia, today announced the results of its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on August 3, 2016 at the Company's Vancouver office. The following sets forth a brief description of each matter which was voted upon at the Meeting and the outcome of the vote: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Outcome Votes Votes Votes Description of Matter of Vote For Against Withheld ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Fix the number of directors to be elected at the Meeting at five (5). Passed 96.06% 3.94% 0.00% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. To elect the following five (5) nominees to serve as directors of DXI for the ensuing year, or until their successors are duly elected or appointed, subject to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (B.C.) and by-laws of DXI: Robert Hodgkinson Passed 83.32% 0.00% 16.68% Craig Sturrock Passed 85.94% 0.00% 14.06% Ronnie Bozzer Passed 87.10% 0.00% 12.90% A. Ross Gorrell Passed 87.55% 0.00% 12.45% James Dai Passed 89.52% 0.00% 10.48% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. To approve the re- appointment of BDO Canada LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as auditors of DXI to hold office until the next annual meeting or until their successors are appointed and to authorize the Board of Directors to fix their remuneration as such. Passed 96.53% 0.00% 3.47% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- About DXI Energy Inc. DXI Energy Inc. is an upstream oil and natural gas exploration and production company operating projects in Colorado's Piceance Basin (30,362 net acres) and the Peace River Arch region in British Columbia (14,444 net acres). DXI Energy Inc. maintains offices in Calgary and Vancouver, Canada. The Company is currently publicly traded on the NYSE MKT (NYSE MKT: DXI) and Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: DXI). The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Follow DXI Energy's latest developments on: Facebook http://facebook.com/dxienergy and Twitter @dxienergy. Contacts: DXI Energy Inc. Robert L. Hodgkinson Chairman & CEO 604-638-5055 investor@dxienergy.com DXI Energy Inc. Craig Allison Investor Relations- New York 914-882-0960 callison@dxienergy.com Toronto, Ontario and New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 4, 2016) - Intertainment Media Inc. (TSXV: INT) (OTC Pink: ITMTF) (FSE: I4T) ("Intertainment" or the "Company") announces that it plans to consolidate the Company's common shares ("Common Shares") on the basis of one (1) new Common Share for up to every ten (10) Common Shares issued and outstanding immediately prior to the consolidation (the "Proposed Consolidation"). The Proposed Consolidation is subject to TSX Venture Exchange Inc. approval. The Company will also seek approval of its shareholders for the Proposed Consolidation at its upcoming annual general and special meeting of shareholders scheduled for August 29, 2016. The purpose of the Proposed Consolidation is to provide a more attractive capital structure in order to seek additional financing for the Company. The Company currently has 37,988,877 Common Shares issued and outstanding. Upon completion of the Proposed Consolidation, the Company anticipates approximately 3,798,887 Common Shares will remain outstanding. The exercise price and the number of common shares issuable under any outstanding options, warrants or convertible securities of the Company will be proportionately adjusted to reflect the Proposed Consolidation in accordance with the respective terms thereof. The Company will not be changing its name in connection with the Proposed Consolidation. Contact For further information on the Company please contact: Wayne Parsons info@intertainmentmedia.com Forward Looking Information This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of such statements under applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Actual timelines associated may vary from those anticipated in this news release and such variations may be material. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. (TSXV") and applicable Canadian securities regulators. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Consolidation and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act")), absent registration or an exemption from registration. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and, therefore, may not be offered for sale in the United States, except in transactions exempt from registration under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. (RPTP) announced the company is raising 2016 global net revenue guidance to $125 to 135 million from $115 to $125 million and affirming its guidance for non-GAAP operating expenses, excluding non-cash expenditures such as stock compensation, amortization and impairment of IPR&D, and change in the fair value of the contingent consideration liability related to acquisitions, of between $125 and $135 million. Global net revenue for the second quarter of 2016 was $32.0 million, compared to $23.3 million for the second quarter of 2015. The company said the 37.3% revenue growth was driven by further market penetration in the U.S. and in Europe and an increase in named patient sales in other international territories for PROCYSBI, and by the introduction of QUINSAIR during the quarter. GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2016 was $14.0 million, or $0.16 per share, compared to a net loss of $13.9 million, or $0.17 per share for the second quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP net loss for the second quarter of 2016 was $11.3 million, or $0.13 per share, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $9.6 million, or $0.12 per share, in the second quarter of 2015. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- BACANORA MINERALS LTD. ("Bacanora" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: BCN)(AIM: BCN) the AIM and TSX Venture Exchange listed lithium and borates company focussed on Mexico, announces the sad passing of the Hon. Colin Orr-Ewing, a Non-Executive Director and, until recently, Chairman of the Company, on 3 August 2016 following a short illness. The Directors and employees of Bacanora would like to take this opportunity to extend their sincerest condolences to Colin's family. For over 40 years Colin has been a larger than life personality within London's mining and energy scene. Colin's long and successful career included executive management positions with KCA and Kimberly Oil in the USA, investment manager for the Shell Pension Fund and subsequently a long association with Blakeney Capital Management. Colin, in his capacity as an investor, adviser and seed financier made a significant contribution to the development of many resource projects all over the globe. More recently, Colin's focus turned to the borates industry and his persistence and intuition were the driving force behind the discovery of the Sonora lithium deposit and the creation of Bacanora Minerals. Colin's passion for Bacanora will be long remembered, particularly as his Company continues to develop the Sonora Lithium Project over the forthcoming years. James Leahy, Non-executive Chairman of Bacanora, said "We are all deeply saddened by the news of Colin's sudden death and all the sympathies and thoughts of the Board and employees are with his family at this time. At both the Company and personal level we will forever be in his debt. Colin was the founder of Bacanora and under his leadership as Chairman it has flourished, becoming the Company it is today thanks to his vision, energy, enthusiasm and hard work. On behalf of my colleagues, we have all lost a great friend who was always generous with his time, wise counsel and support. It is a huge understatement to say he will be deeply missed by us all." ABOUT BACANORA: Bacanora is a Canadian and London listed minerals explorer (TSX VENTURE: BCN)(AIM: BCN). The Company explores and develops industrial mineral projects, with a primary focus on lithium and borates. The Company's operations are based in Hermosillo in northern Mexico and it currently has two significant projects under development in the state of Sonora. The two main assets of Bacanora are: -- The Sonora Lithium Project, which consists of ten mining concession areas covering approximately 100 thousand hectares in the northeast of Sonora State. The Company, through drilling and exploration work to date, has established an Indicated Mineral Resource (in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101")) of 4.46 Mt LCE contained in 259 Mt of clay at a Li grade of 3,200 ppm and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 2.74 Mt LCE contained in 160 Mt of clay at a Li grade of 3,200 ppm. -- The Magdalena Borate Project, in Sonora state, Mexico, where the Company's main borate zone, El Cajon, has an Indicated Resource (in accordance with NI 43-101) of 1.17 Mt of B2O3, at an eight percent cut- off grade. The Company has completed a number of measures to determine the geological and commercial potential of the project and is undertaking a prefeasibility exercise to determine the economic benefit of developing the mine and constructing a processing plant on site in order to become a supplier of boric acid. Reader Advisory Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: commodity price volatility; general economic conditions in Canada, the United States, Mexico and globally; industry conditions, governmental regulation, including environmental regulation; unanticipated operating events or performance; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, capital, skilled personnel and supplies; changes in tax laws; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. 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: Bacanora Minerals Ltd. Peter Secker Chief Executive Officer info@bacanoraminerals.com Bacanora Minerals Ltd. Martin Vidal President (+52 662) 210-0767 TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (TSX: KGI) - H1 and Q2 2016 Highlights -- Pre-released gold production of 130,613 ounces (68,338 in Q2/16); -- Sold 141,453 ounces of gold (72,144 ounces in Q2/16); -- Realized an average price per ounce of gold sold of US$1,211 (US$1,271 in Q2/16); -- Operating costs per ounce of gold sold(1) of US$641 (based on total production expenses(1) of C$159,482) (US$667 based on total production expenses(1) of C$81,740 during Q2/16); -- All-in sustaining costs per ounce of gold sold(1) ("AISC") of US$925 (US$990 in Q2/16); -- Generated $227.9 million in revenue ($118.1 million in Q2/16); -- Realized net and comprehensive income of $26.3 million ($13.8 million in Q2/16) and $26.6million ($14.0 million in Q2/16) respectively, or $0.24 per share ($0.12 per share in Q2/16); -- Generated free cash flow(1) of $57.3 million ($31.9 million in Q2/16); -- Ended the quarter with a cash balance of $157.5 million; -- Subsequent to quarter end, closed a flow-through financing for proceeds of $15 million; -- The Company remains on track to meet its production guidance of between 270,000 to 290,000 ounces for 2016. Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. ("Kirkland Lake Gold" or the "Company"), an intermediate gold producer with operations in Ontario, Canada, today announces second quarter financial results for the three ("Q2/16") and six months ("H1/16") ended June 30, 2016. All figures in this release are in Canadian dollars unless stated otherwise. "Kirkland Lake delivered another quarter with positive earnings, free cash flow and a strengthened balance sheet," said Anthony Makuch, President & CEO. "With the recently closed flow-through financing of $15 million, we will become more aggressive in exploring our highly prospective land position in both the Kirkland Lake camp and along the Porcupine-Destor Fault Zone. We look forward to providing an update on our exploration programs as they become available." Financial Summary The Company changed its fiscal year from an April 30th year-end to a December 31st calendar year end effective January 1, 2016. As such, for comparative purposes, the current quarter results will be compared to a similar period in the previous year (see table below). The Company also reminds readers that since Q1/16, all measurements are in metric as opposed to its previous form of imperial measurements. The conversions are 1 short ton = 0.9072 tonnes; and 1 troy ounce per ton = 34.2857 grams per metric tonne ("g/t"). The following abbreviations are used to describe the periods under review throughout this press release. Abbreviation Period Abbreviation Period ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- H1/16 January 1, 2016 - June Q1/SY15 May 1, 2015 - July 31, 30, 2016 2015 Q2/16 April 30, 2016 - June Q4/15 February 1, 2015 - April 30, 2016 30, 2015 Q1/16 January 1, 2016 - March Q3/15 November 1, 2014 - 31, 2016 January 31, 2015 Q3/SY15 November 1, 2015 - Q2/15 August 1, 2014 - October December 31, 2015 31, 2014 Q2/SY15 August 1, 2015 - October 31, 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Company reported net and comprehensive income for the quarter of approximately $13.8 million and $14.0 million respectively, or $0.12 per share compared to $4.2 million or $0.05 per share for the quarter ended July 31, 2015 (Q1/SY15). Free cash flow for the quarter was $31.9 million compared to $3.1 million during Q1/SY15, reflecting higher realized gold prices, lower AISC, and increased production and sales subject to the additional production from the Holt-Holloway and Taylor mines. With the free cash flow generation during the quarter, the Company had $157.5 million in cash and cash equivalents at quarter end compared to $81.14 million at July 31, 2015 (Q1/SY15). (i)Comparative figures and consolidated results do not include results from the Holloway-Holt and Taylor mines prior to close of the transaction with St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. ("St Andrew"), on January 26, 2016. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 months 6 months (i)All figures in CAD$ unless ended ended otherwise stated Q2/16 Q1/SY15 Jun 30/16 Jul 31/15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average CAD/USD for the period 1.2886 1.2481 1.3302 1.2483 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold Sales (ounces) 72,144 39,109 141,453 80,313 Average Realized Price (US$ per Oz Sold)(1) 1,271 1,187 1,211 1,194 Revenue (000's) 118,143 61,723 227,931 119,657 Production Expense 81,740 45,463 159,482 89,013 General and Administrative 6,433 1,541 10,675 3,717 Exploration 4,129 2,196 6,710 3,995 Finance Expense 5,172 6,094 10,720 10,033 Finance Income (1,309) (1,016) (1,549) (2,808) Income before Income Taxes 21,978 7,445 41,893 15,707 Provision for Income Taxes 8,214 3,216 15,610 3,604 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating Cost per tonne(1) 208 407 234 400 Operating Cost (US$ per Oz Sold)(1) 667 678 641 676 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Capital Development Investment 18,755 9,498 35,482 20,395 Purchase of Property, Plant and Equipment 2,266 1,366 5,633 3,368 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AISC (US$ per Oz Sold)(1) 990 956 925 991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operations Overview Kirkland Lake Gold pre-released production results with a total of 68,338 ounces of gold production In Q2/16 and a total of 130,613 ounces for H1/16. The operations performed well during the quarter with grades, recoveries, and throughput all in line with expectations. The cost per tonne of $208 achieved during the quarter was positively impacted by higher throughput which was mainly driven by the contribution of the Holt-Holloway and Taylor mines and higher tonnes from Macassa, as well as additional tonnes from the low grade stockpiles. As such, the cost per tonne was substantially lower when compared to a cost per tonne of $407 for the similar period in the previous year (Q1/SY15). The operating cost per ounce sold of US$667 was lower in Q2/16 when compared to an operating cost per ounce sold of US$691 in Q1/SY15 as a result of the Holt-Holloway and Taylor mines contribution. For H1/16, the operating costs were slightly higher than the top end of guidance, but are expected to decrease in the second half of the year as production at Macassa moves into higher grade stopes, and throughput continues to increase at both Holt and Taylor. A breakdown of operational performance at each operation is summarized in the table below. (i)H1/16 results do not include results from the Holloway-Holt and Taylor mines prior to close of the transaction with St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. ("St Andrew"), on January 26, 2016. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Financial KPIs Q2/16 Macassa Holt Holloway Taylor Consolidated ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold Sold (ounces) 41,344 13,407 5,080 12,313 72,144 Operating cost per tonne milled 302 125 174 125 208 Operating cost per gold ounce sold (US$) 645 877 1,204 476 667 Capital Spending (000s) 13,091 5,171 631 2,114 21,007 AISC per ounce Sold (US$) 1,003 1,147 1,343 638 990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Financial KPIs 6 months ended Jun 30/16 ("H1/16") Macassa Holt Holloway Taylor Consolidated ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold Sold (ounces) 82,159 26,815 10,139 22,340 141,453 Operating cost per tonne milled 327 124 174 127 234 Operating cost per gold ounce sold (US$) 589 817 1,128 472 641 Capital Spending (000s) 27,206 8,707 1,010 4,192 41,115 AISC per ounce Sold (US$) 923 1,047 1,240 640 925 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exploration During Q2/16 exploration programs continued to focus on underground drilling at the Macassa Mine Complex, regional surface drilling testing the easterly strike extension of the South Mine Complex ("SMC"), as well as underground drilling from the 4250' Level testing the up-dip extension of the '04 Break mineralization. The Company released results from underground drilling from the 5300' Level exploration drift testing the SMC further to the south, which expanded the known zone of mineralization. Infill drilling was able to join two previous zones (the Hanging Wall Zone and the New South Zone) with three new intersections which returned similar grades and widths (see press release dated May 24, 2016, available on the Company website www.klgold.com). Exploration drilling commenced at the Taylor and Holloway mines during the quarter. At Taylor drilling targeted both the easterly and westerly strike extension of the West Porphyry Zone (which includes the 1004 lens; the area currently being mined). At Holloway drilling commenced west of the mine property, which will test for mineral potential associated with the mafic volcanic / ultramafic contact. A second drill is active on the Holloway property to test the easterly strike extension of the Deep Thunder Zone, which lies approximately 1 kilometre east of the Smoke Deep Zone. Subsequent to quarter end, the Company closed a non-brokered flow-through financing for proceeds of approximately $15 million, to be spent before December 31, 2017. As such, the Company plans to increase its previous budget of $18 million to $24 million, which will include $6 million flow-through dollars. The focus will be to increase the Company's efforts on the regional exploration program in the Kirkland Lake Camp, and to drill test targets along the Porcupine-Destor Fault Zone. H1/16 Key Performance Indicators The 2016 guidance metrics issued on April 14, 2016, are summarized against the results for the six months ended June 30, 2016. The AISC(1) have been positively affected in Q2/16 due to the lower spend on Property, Plant & Equipment ("PP&E") which is attributable to the timing in the delivery of equipment. As such, the AISC(1) is expected to be higher over the next two quarters. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 Guidance Guidance Metrics H1/16 Results ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 270,000 - 290,000 Gold Production (ounces) 130,613 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.7 Head Grade (g/t Au) 8.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- US$600 - $650 Operating Costs(1) (US$/Oz Sold) US$641 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- All-In Sustaining Costs(1) (US$/Oz US$1,000 - $1,050 Sold) US$925 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- For a description of risk factors affecting the Company and 'Forward Looking Information', see the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015, and the Company's MD&A for the period ended June 30, 2016, filed with certain securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For a description and reconciliation of Non-GAAP measures please see below and refer to Appendix B of the Company's MD&A for period ended June 30, 2016, as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, or at the end of this release. Q2/16 Earnings Call and Webcast (August 5, 2016) The Company will hold a conference call to discuss these results tomorrow, Friday August 5, 2016, at 11:00am EDT. The Company invites you to participate via teleconference, the details of which are outlined below and are available on the Company's website at www.klgold.com. Participant Dial-In Numbers Toll-Free North America: +1 (877) 201-0168; Local and International: +1 (647) 788-4901 Conference ID: 56310259 Replay Dial-In Numbers Local and International: +1 (404) 537-3406 Toll Free North America: +1 (855) 859-2056 / +1 (800) 585-8367 Conference ID: 93207658 Replay Available Until: November 5, 2016 at 11:59PM ET Qualified Persons Production at the various operations and processing at the Company's milling facilities are under the supervision of Mr. Chris Stewart, P.Eng, the Vice President of Operations. The Company's exploration programs are under the supervision of Mr. Doug Cater, P.Geo, the Vice President of Exploration. Messrs. Stewart and Cater are 'qualified persons' for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, of the Canadian Securities Administrators, and have reviewed and approved this news release. As the Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Exploration, Messrs. Stewart and Cater are not considered independent. Selected Financial Information & Review of Overall Performance (i)Comparative figures and consolidated results do not include results from the Holloway-Holt and Taylor mines prior to close of the transaction with St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. ("St Andrew"), on January 26, 2016. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Financial Highlights (All amounts in 000's of Canadian Dollars, except gold price per 3 months 3 months 3 months 6 months 6 months ounce, shares ended ended ended ended ended and per share Jun 30, Mar 31, Jul 31, Jun 30, Jul 31, figures) 2016 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold Sales (ounces) 72,144 69,309 41,204 141,453 80,313 (i)Average Realized Gold Price (per ounce) 1,638 1,584 1,498 1,611 1,490 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenue 118,143 109,788 61,723 227,931 119,658 Production Expenses 81,740 77,742 45,463 159,482 89,014 Exploration Expenditure 4,129 2,581 2,196 6,710 3,995 Other Expenses 10,296 9,550 6,619 19,846 10,943 Income before Income Taxes 21,978 19,915 7,445 41,893 15,707 Comprehensive Income 14,016 12,601 4,229 26,617 12,103 Comprehensive Income per share (basic & diluted) 0.12 0.12 0.05 0.24 0.15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash flow from operations 52,958 43,712 14,920 96,660 35,646 Cash flow (used in) from financing activities (4,676) (7,581) (3,391) (3,609) 25,365 Cash flow from (used in) investing activities (21,023) 1,057 (10,865) (28,604) (23,764) Net increase in cash 27,018 36,784 797 63,802 37,100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total cash resources 157,529 130,511 81,119 157,529 81,119 Other Current Assets 38,146 46,568 28,454 38,146 28,454 Current Liabilities 111,435 56,172 31,974 111,435 31,974 (i)Working Capital 82,240 120,907 77,601 82,240 77,601 Total Assets 735,251 713,063 471,593 735,251 471,593 Total Liabilities 227,731 221,962 164,563 227,731 164,563 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basic weighted average number of shares outstanding 115,571,565 105,281,126 80,366,408 110,481,088 79,499,011 Dividends per share NIL NIL NIL NIL NIL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non-GAAP Financial Measures The Company has included non-GAAP performance measures throughout this document. These include: cash inflows from operations per share, free cash flow, free cash flow per share, operating cost per tonne of ore produced, operating cost and AISC per ounce of gold sold, average realized sales price and working capital. Operating cost per tonne of ore produced and operating cost and AISC per ounce of gold sold are common performance measures in the mining industry but do not have any standardized meaning. The guidance provided by the World Gold Council for calculating AISC was reviewed and followed. Total operating costs include mine site operating costs (mining, processing and refining, in-mine drilling expenditures, administration, and production taxes), but are exclusive of other costs (royalties, depreciation and depletion, off-site corporate costs, reclamation, capital, long-term development and exploration). The Company considers all capital spending to be sustaining in nature with the exception of development towards the Ghost zone at the Holt mine. During Q2/16, $1.0 million in development costs ($1.1 million in H1/16) were related to development towards Ghost and as such have been removed from AISC. These measures, along with sales, are considered by the Company to be indicators of the Company's ability to generate operating earnings and free cash flows from its mining operations. The Company believes that certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flows. These should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS and are not necessarily indicative of production costs presented under IFRS. The following tables provide reconciliation of such costs to the Company's financial statements for the periods as noted: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free Cash Flow (All amounts in 000's of Canadian Dollars, except Three Three shares and per share months months Six months Six months figures) ended ended ended ended 30-Jun-16 31-Jul-15 30-Jun-16 31-Jul-15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash Inflows from Operations $ 52,958 $ 13,982 $ 96,660 $ 35,761 Mineral Property Additions (18,755) (9,499) (35,482) (20,395) Property, Plant & Equipment (2,254) (1,366) (3,882) (3,369) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free Cash Flow $ 31,949 $ 3,117 $ 57,296 $ 11,997 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating Costs All amounts in 000s of Canadian Dollars except tons ore produced, ounces of gold sold and unit costs or unless Three months Three months Six months Six months otherwise stated ended ended ended ended 30-Jun-16 31-Jul-15 30-Jun-16 31-Jul-15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Production Expense $ 81,740 $ 45,463 $ 159,482 $ 89,013 Amortization and Depletion (14,937) (8,962) (29,645) (17,830) Stock-based compensation (60) (113) (129) (293) Royalties (4,730) (1,512) (9,062) (3,083) Operating Costs $ 62,013 $ 34,876 $ 120,646 $ 67,807 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonnes of Ore Produced 297,645 85,671 520,959 169,616 Ounces of Gold Sold 72,144 39,109 141,453 80,313 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating Cost per Tonne $ 208 $ 407 $ 232 $ 400 Operating Cost per Ounce $ 860 $ 846 $ 853 $ 844 Average CAD/USD exchange rate 1.2886 1.2481 1.3302 1.2483 Operating Cost per Ounce (US) US$ 667 US$ 678 US$ 641 US$ 676 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AISC per Ounce Sold All amounts in 000s of Canadian Dollars except Three Three ounces sold and unit costs months months Six months Six months or unless otherwise stated ended ended ended ended 30-Jun-16 31-Jul-15 30-Jun-16 31-Jul-15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating Costs $ 62,013 $ 34,876 $120,646 $ 67,807 PPA Inventory Fair Value Adjustment - - (4,426) - Royalties Expense 4,730 1,512 9,062 3,083 Stock Based Compensation 971 393 1,314 1,353 Exploration Expense (no Surface) 1,377 581 2,279 1,320 Corporate Expense (no financing costs) 3,017 918 5,048 2,000 Capital Development (Sustaining) 17,717 9,499 34,444 20,395 Property, Plant & Equipment Purchases 2,254 1,366 5,633 3,368 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AISC $ 92,079 $ 49,145 $174,000 $ 99,326 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold Sales (Ounces) 72,144 $ 39,109 141,453 80,313 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AISC per Ounce Sold $ 1,276 $ 1,257 $ 1,230 $ 1,237 Average CAD/USD exchange rate 1.2886 1.2481 1.3302 1.2483 AISC per Ounce Sold (US) US$ 990 US$ 1,007 US$ 925 US$ 991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the Company Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. is a Canadian focused, intermediate gold producer with assets in the historic Kirkland Lake gold camp, and east of the Timmins gold camp along the Porcupine-Destor Fault Zone, both in northeastern Ontario. The Company is currently targeting annual gold production of between 270,000 to 290,000 ounces from its cornerstone asset, the Macassa Mine Complex and the recently acquired East Timmins Operations. The Company is committed to building a sustainable mining company that is recognized as a safe and responsible gold producer with quality assets in safe mining jurisdictions. The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made such as, without limitation, opinion, assumptions and estimates of management regarding the Company's business, including but not limited to; the continued development of the operations (Macassa, Holt-Holloway and Taylor) and the anticipated timing thereof, estimated production results including ounces and head grade, the ability to lower costs and gradually increase production across all the operations; and the anticipated timing and commencement of exploration programs along the Porcupine-Destor Fault Zone. Such opinions, assumptions and estimates, are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the Company's expectations in connection with the projects and exploration programs being met, the impact of general business and economic conditions, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, fluctuating gold prices, currency exchange rates (such as the Canadian dollar versus the United States Dollar), possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in the Company's corporate mineral reserves and resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in project development, construction, production and commissioning time frames, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, higher prices for fuel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, unexpected changes in mine life, seasonality and unanticipated weather changes, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, permitting time lines, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, and limitations on insurance, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015, and the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the interim period ended June 30, 2016, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law. (1) The Company has included the following non-GAAP performance measures in this press release; average realized price per ounce of gold sold, operating cost per tonne and operating cost per ounce sold, AISC per ounce sold, and free cash flow. These are common performance measures in the mining industry but do not have any standardized meaning. Refer to the end of this press release or Appendix B of the MD&A for a reconciliation of these measures to the accompanying financial statements. Contacts: Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. Anthony (Tony) Makuch Chief Executive Officer +1 416-840-7884 or Toll Free: 1-866-384-2924 tmakuch@klgold.com Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. Suzette N Ramcharan, CPIR Director of Investor Relations Direct: +1 647-361-0200; Mobile: +1 647-284-5315 sramcharan@klgold.com www.klgold.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/04/16 -- Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison" or the "Company") (TSX: DML)(NYSE MKT: DNN) today filed its Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A") for the period ended June 30, 2016. Both documents can be found on the Company's website at www.denisonmines.com or on SEDAR (at www.sedar.com) and EDGAR (at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). The highlights provided below are derived from these documents and should be read in conjunction with them. All amounts in this release are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated. David Cates, President and CEO of Denison commented "Our team in Saskatchewan is busy in the field as part of our summer exploration and project evaluation programs. Already, results from the summer exploration program have reinforced the potential for both resource expansion and development at the Wheeler River project. We've extended the recently discovered D series lenses, discovered new basement-hosted mineralization 500 metres west of the Gryphon deposit, and confirmed high grade results previously reported for the Gryphon deposit with initial infill drilling. The Company has also been very active outside of the exploration portfolio, launching an initial pre-feasibility study work program at Wheeler River, completing a flow-through equity financing, closing a transaction with GoviEx Uranium to combine uranium assets in Africa, and entering into an option agreement with Skyharbour Resources Ltd. to fund additional exploration on the Moore Lake property. While the uranium market may appear muted today, we continue to believe in the strong long term fundamentals of the nuclear energy industry, and we're focused on advancing our assets and positioning our brand to be ready to take advantage of a rising market in future years." 2016 SECOND QUARTER PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS -- Continued exploration success at the Wheeler River property Initial results from the ongoing summer 2016 drilling program have included multiple new mineralized intercepts of the recently discovered D-series lenses, located immediately north of the main Gryphon deposit, and have extended the collective length of the lenses to over 200 metres along plunge. These lenses remain open to the northeast and southwest along plunge. The D-series lenses were first discovered on Section 5200 during the winter 2016 drilling program, and are a top priority for the summer 2016 drill program. The program kicked off in May 2016, and is expected to include approximately 28,000 metres of drilling. In addition to the continued success on the D-series lenses, exploration drilling on the K-West conductor, approximately 500 metres west of the Gryphon deposit, has discovered new basement-hosted mineralization, intersecting weak fracture-hosted uranium associated with significant structure and alteration. This intersection occurs on a different geological trend than the Gryphon deposit, but in a similar geological setting, and demonstrates the fertility of this relatively unexplored trend. -- Initiation of Wheeler River pre-feasibility study Denison initiated a work program to support the completion of a pre- feasibility study ("PFS") for the Wheeler River project and to ultimately advance the project another step towards production. Activities to date have included the launch of an infill drilling program at the Gryphon deposit, initiation of extensive geotechnical and hydrogeological data collection programs, commencement of engineering evaluations, retention of an Environment Manager, the initiation of environmental baseline data collection programs, as well as stakeholder consultations with local communities. -- Successfully completed combination of African-based uranium interests with GoviEx Uranium Inc. On June 10, 2016, GoviEx Uranium Inc. ("GoviEx") and Denison completed the combination of their respective African uranium mineral interests (the "Africa Transaction"). Concurrently, GoviEx completed a non- brokered equity financing on a private placement basis, in which Denison provided the lead order of approximately $500,000. Following the Africa Transaction and the concurrent financing, Denison held a total of 65,144,021 common shares of GoviEx or approximately 24.6% of GoviEx's issued and outstanding common shares. -- Closed CAD$12.4 million private placement of flow-through shares to fund 2017 Canadian exploration In May 2016, the Company completed a private placement offering of 15,127,805 common shares issued on a flow-through basis, at a price of CAD$0.82 per share, for aggregate proceeds to Denison of CAD$12,404,800. -- Earned $2.4 million in toll milling revenue during first half of 2016 from McClean Lake The McClean Lake mill, in which Denison holds a 22.5% interest, packaged approximately 8.6 million pounds U3O8 during the first half of 2016, for the Cigar Lake Joint Venture ("CLJV"), generating toll milling revenues for Denison of $2.4 million. The Cigar Lake mine's expected annual production for 2016 is 16 million pounds. -- Received approval for annual production of up to 24 million pounds U3O8 per year at the McClean Lake mill The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ("CNSC") has authorized an increase to the annual rate of production at the McClean Lake mill, from 13 million pounds U3O8 to up to 24 million pounds U3O8 per year. The regulatory approval supports a progressive ramp-up of the mill in line with the Cigar Lake mine's expected annual production of up to 18 million pounds U3O8 per year starting 2017. -- Entered into an agreement to option Moore Lake property to Skyharbour for cash and stock In July 2016, Denison executed an agreement with Skyharbour Resources Ltd. ("Skyharbour") that grants Skyharbour an option to acquire 100% interest in Denison's 100% owned Moore Lake property, in exchange for 4,500,000 common shares of Skyharbour and cash payments totaling CAD$500,000 over the next five years. Skyharbour also agreed to spend CAD$3,500,000 on exploration at the Moore Lake property over the next five years and to grant Denison various back-in rights to re-acquire a 51% interest in the property. ABOUT DENISON Denison is a uranium development and exploration company focused in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Highlighted by its 60% owned Wheeler River development project, which hosts the high grade Gryphon and Phoenix uranium deposits, Denison's project portfolio covers over 350,000 hectares and includes a 22.5% interest in the McClean Lake uranium mill, which is permitted for annual production of up to 24 million pounds U3O8 and is currently processing ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement. Denison's interests in the eastern Athabasca Basin also include a 61.55% interest in the J Zone deposit on the Waterbury Lake property, a 25.17% interest in the Midwest deposit, and a 22.5% interest in the McClean lake uranium deposits - all of which are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill. Denison is also engaged in mine decommissioning and environmental services through its Denison Environmental Services division and is the manager of Uranium Participation Corp., a publicly traded company which invests in uranium oxide and uranium hexafluoride. EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION The Company's continued focus remains on the eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region in Saskatchewan, Canada, with a significant portfolio of projects covering over 350,000 hectares in total. Denison's share of exploration and evaluation expenditures were $2,126,000 during the three months ended June 30, 2016. Wheeler River Project The Wheeler River property is host to the high-grade Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits, discovered by Denison in 2008 and 2014 respectively. The Phoenix deposit is estimated to include an indicated resource of 70.2 million pounds U3O8 (above a cut-off grade of 0.8% U3O8) based on 166,000 tonnes of mineralization at an average grade of 19.1% U3O8, and is the highest grade undeveloped uranium deposit in the world. The Gryphon deposit is hosted in basement rock, approximately 3 kilometres to the northwest of Phoenix, and is estimated to contain inferred resources of 43.0 million pounds U3O8 (above a cut-off grade of 0.2% U3O8) based on 834,000 tonnes of mineralization at an average grade of 2.3% U3O8. Further details regarding the Wheeler River Project are provided in the current Technical Report, dated March 31, 2016, a copy of which is available on SEDAR and EDGAR. Exploration Programs Denison's share of exploration costs at Wheeler River amounted to $897,000 during the three months ended June 30, 2016. The summer exploration program began on May 30, 2016, and is expected to continue into September 2016. -- Gryphon Deposit Expansion Potential During the winter 2016 drill program a new mineralized zone was discovered within 200 metres north and northwest of the Gryphon deposit. The new zone of mineralization is interpreted to occur as another set of stacked, parallel lenses which are broadly conformable with the Gryphon deposit A, B and C lenses. The lenses, designated the D series lenses, have not been included in the Mineral Resource Estimate Report dated November 25, 2015, or the PEA dated March 31, 2016, and form a compelling mineralized zone for resource expansion, with assay highlights announced on May 26, 2016 including 5.3% U3O8 over 11.0 metres, 11.9% U3O8 over 1.5 metres, 2.9% U3O8 over 6.0 metres, 2.3% U3O8 over 4.0 metres and 6.2% U3O8 over 2.5 metres. To date, the D Series mineralization is interpreted to occur as 16 individual lenses which occur deeper into the stratigraphic sequence, or footwall, to the Gryphon deposit. The collective D series lenses currently measure (including initial summer 2016 results) approximately 215 metres long in the plunge direction, 130 metres wide across the plunge and range in thickness from 2 to 11 metres. By comparison the Gryphon deposit A, B and C lenses collectively measure 450 metres long in the plunge direction, 80 metres wide across the plunge and range in thickness from 2 to 9 metres. Three priority 'D Series' target areas were identified for drill testing this summer as follows: 1. Between the newly defined D series lenses (Section 5200GP and 5150GP) and the previously identified D series lenses (Section 5100GP and 5050GP), which occur approximately 100 metres up plunge to the southwest, and were intersected in 2014 but were not included in the Mineral Resource Estimate Report dated November 25, 2015 for the Gryphon deposit, due to insufficient drilling at the time; 2. Up plunge and along strike to the southwest of the D series lenses identified in 2014 (Section 5100GP and 5050GP), roughly parallel to the Gryphon deposit - which extends approximately 250 metres in this direction. 3. Down plunge and along strike to the northeast of the newly delineated D series lenses (Section 5200GP and 5150GP). The highlights for the summer 2016 drill program, to the end of June 2016, are provided in the table below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Highlights of mineralized intersections from summer 2016 on Section 5100 GP, 5250 GP and 5300 GP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Length eU3O8 (%) Section Drill Hole From (m) To (m) (m)(3) (1)(2) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5100GP WR-665 683.1 685.6 2.5 0.11 ------------------------------------------------------------ and 692.3 693.7 1.4 0.15 ------------------------------------------------------------ and 717.3 722.7 5.4 0.10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5250GP WR-657 550.9 551.9 1.0 0.10 ------------------------------------------------------------ and 629.3 630.3 1.0 0.18 ------------------------------------------------------------ and 698.0 700.1 2.1 0.39 ------------------------------------------------------------ and 711.7 712.9 1.2 0.68 ------------------------------------------------------------ WR-661 554.0 555.0 1.0 0.27 ------------------------------------------------------------ and 694.4 695.5 1.1 1.5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5300 GP WR-667A 572.2 573.3 1.1 0.28 ------------------------------------------------------------ and 688.8 689.8 1.0 0.42 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. eU3O8 is radiometric equivalent uranium from a calibrated total gamma down-hole probe. All intersections will be sampled for chemical U3O8 assay 2. Intersection interval is composited above a cut-off grade of 0.05% eU3O8. Composites compiled using 1.0 metre minimum ore thickness and 2.0 metres maximum waste 3. As the drill holes are oriented steeply toward the northwest and the basement mineralization is interpreted to dip moderately to the southeast, the true thickness of the mineralization is expected to be approximately 75% of the intersection lengths -- New Intersection of Mineralization at K-West Drill hole WR-663, which is located 500 metres to the west of the Gryphon deposit, was designed to test basement potential on the largely unexplored K-West conductive trend. The drill hole intersected basement-hosted mineralization including 0.039% eU3O8 over 1.1 metres, 0.04% eU3O8 over 2.0 metres and 0.021% eU3O8 over 5.2 metres (using a 0.01% eU3O8 cut-off and 0.5 metre minimum thickness). Although no high-grade mineralization was intersected, the intensity and extent of the alteration zone, with an estimated true thickness of approximately 50 metres, indicate significant fluid flow with potential for higher grades along strike, and up- and down-dip. The zone is mostly open within the basement and, given the close proximity to Gryphon and similar favorable geological setting, follow up is warranted. As the drill hole was oriented steeply toward the northwest and the basement mineralization is interpreted to dip moderately to the southeast, the true thickness of the mineralization is expected to be approximately 75% of the intersection lengths. The results are reported as radiometric equivalent U3O8 ("eU3O8") derived from a calibrated total gamma down-hole probe using a cut-off of 0.1% eU3O8, a minimum mineralization thickness of 1.0 metre and maximum waste of 2.0 metres. All mineralized intersections will be sampled for chemical U3O8 assay. -- Illustrative Figure A plan map of the northeast plunging Gryphon deposit mineralized lenses is provided in Figure 1. The map indicates the location of the D series lenses interpreted from winter 2016 drilling results, the summer 2016 mineralized intercepts shown as red stars and the K-West mineralized intercepts shown as green stars. The simplified basement geology at the sub-Athabasca unconformity is provided as the backdrop. -- Gryphon Infill Drilling Program An infill drilling program commenced on the Gryphon deposit in early July 2016. The objective of the infill drilling program is to increase the level of confidence of the previously released inferred resources estimated for the Gryphon deposit to an indicated level - an important step in completing the PFS. The resource estimate for the Gryphon deposit includes the A, B and C series lenses - a set of parallel, stacked, elongated mineralized lenses that are broadly conformable with the basement geology and dip moderately to the southeast and plunge moderately to the northeast. Results from the first infill drill hole WR-668, as announced on July 19, 2016, intersected 0.93% eU3O8 over 14.1 metres (including 2.1% eU3O8 over 3.7 metres and 1.4% eU3O8 over 1.3 metres) from 754.7 to 768.8 metres, and 2.4% eU3O8 over 7.3 metres (including 3.7% eU3O8 over 4.5 metres) from 772.6 to 779.9 metres, which reinforces the high grade results previously reported for the Gryphon deposit. The results can be correlated with previous intersections of the A, B and C lenses in neighbouring holes and the high grades were consistent with previous results, demonstrating good lens and grade continuity. As the drill hole was oriented steeply toward the northwest, consistent with previous Gryphon drill holes, and the basement mineralization is interpreted to dip moderately to the southeast, the true thickness of the mineralization is expected to be approximately 75% of the intersection lengths. The results are reported as radiometric equivalent U3O8 ("eU3O8") derived from a calibrated total gamma down-hole probe using a cut-off of 0.1% eU3O8, a minimum mineralization thickness of 1.0 metre and maximum waste of 2.0 metres. All mineralized intersections will be sampled for chemical U3O8 assay. Evaluation Program During the three months ended June 30, 2016, Denison's share of evaluation costs at Wheeler River amounted to $39,000, and were mainly related to the internal evaluation, field investigations and engineering studies completed for the Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") released early in the second quarter, and the initiation of PFS activities. -- PEA Results The results of the PEA were announced by the Company on April 4, 2016 and included a base case pre-tax Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 20.4%, an indicative post-tax IRR to Denison of 17.8%, and a pre-tax Net Present Value ("NPV") of CAD$513 million (Denison's share - CAD$308 million), based on a long term contract price for uranium of $44 per pound U3O8. The PEA also included a production scenario based on a uranium price of $62.60 per pound U3O8, resulting in a pre-tax IRR of 34.1% and a pre-tax NPV of CAD$1,420 million (Denison's share - CAD$852 million). 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 to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Additional definition drilling is required to improve the confidence in the existing mineral resources estimated for the Gryphon deposit, and is expected to be completed as the Company advances the project towards the completion of a PFS. The PEA is posted on the Company's website and is available on SEDAR and EDGAR. -- PFS Activities In the second quarter of 2016, Denison initiated a work program to support the completion of a PFS for the Wheeler River project and to ultimately advance the project a further step towards production. Initial PFS activities to date included: -- Launch of an infill drilling program for the Gryphon deposit; -- Initiation of extensive geotechnical and hydrogeological data collection programs to support mine designs, water treatment designs and environmental assessments; -- Commencement of engineering evaluations for shaft sinking and mine designs; -- Retention of Pam Bennett as Environment Manager, responsible for the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") for the project. Pam comes to Denison with an M.Sc in Environmental Toxicology and is a registered Professional Biologist (P. Biol). Pam has over 15 years of international experience in the environmental sciences field, including experience with both Cameco Corp. ("Cameco") and AREVA Resources Canada Inc. ("ARC") on EIAs for uranium projects in Saskatchewan; -- Initiation of environmental baseline data collection programs (archeological, terrestrial, aquatic) required to support project designs and environmental assessments; and -- Initiation of stakeholder consultations with local communities. Exploration Pipeline Properties During the second quarter of 2016, the Company managed or participated in three other exploration drilling programs (two of which were operated by Denison). Highlights include the following: At Waterbury Lake (Denison 61.55% interest and operator), six holes drilled in the second quarter successfully intersected graphitic pelites, faulting and associated alteration in the Oban target area. Potential exists along strike and follow-up drilling in this area is expected to be planned once the geochemical assay results have been received. At Turkey Lake (Denison 100% interest), three holes were drilled to test a soil uranium anomaly and coincident electromagnetic conductors. As expected, no Athabasca sandstone was encountered and basement lithologies comprised predominantly granites or pelitic gneisses. The highly anomalous soil uranium results were attributed to pegmatites with highly elevated radioactivity. An additional hole intersected favourable graphitic faults in the basement, but lacked alteration and radioactivity. Follow-up along strike may be warranted. At Mann Lake (Denison 30% interest), a three hole program was completed. One hole intersected weak uranium mineralization. The other two holes intersected significant structure and alteration in the lower sandstone associated with an unconformity offset related to the GC fault. SELECTED ANNUAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- As at As at June 30, December 31, (in thousands) 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Financial Position of Continuing Operations: Cash and cash equivalents $ 17,835 $ 5,367 Debt Instruments (GICs) - 7,282 ----------------------------- Cash, cash equivalents debt instruments $ 17,835 $ 12,649 Working capital $ 14,201 $ 12,772 Property, plant and equipment $ 194,554 $ 188,250 Total assets $ 229,044 $ 212,758 Total long-term liabilities $ 39,581 $ 38,125 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three Months Ended Six Months Ended (in thousands, except for per share June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, amounts) 2016 2015 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Results of Continuing Operations: Total revenues $ 3,663 $ 2,929 $ 6,993 $ 5,257 Net loss $ (3,832) $ (3,982) $ (8,277) $ (7,835) Basic and diluted loss per share $ (0.01) $ (0.01) $ (0.02) $ (0.02) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESULTS OF CONTINUING OPERATIONS Revenues During the first half of 2016, the McClean Lake mill packaged approximately 8.6 million pounds U3O8 for the CLJV and the Company's share of toll milling revenue during the three months ended June 30, 2016 totaled $1,147,000. Revenue from Denison Environmental Services ("DES") and the Company's management services agreement with UPC during the three months ended June 30, 2016, were $2,144,000 and $372,000, respectively. Operating expenses Operating expenses in the Canadian mining segment include depreciation, mining and other development costs, as well as standby costs. Operating expenses during the three months ended June 30, 2016 were $800,000 including $583,000 of depreciation from the McClean Lake mill, associated with the processing of U3O8 for the CLJV. Operating expenses in DES during the three months ended June 30, 2016 totaled $1,830,000. The expenses relate primarily to care and maintenance and consulting services provided to clients and include labour costs. General and administrative expenses Total general and administrative expenses were $1,227,000 during the three months ended June 30, 2016. These costs are mainly comprised of head office salaries and benefits, office costs, audit and regulatory costs, legal fees, investor relations expenses, project costs and other costs related to operating a public company with listings in Canada and the United States. Impairment of mineral properties During the second quarter of 2016, the Company recognized an impairment of $2,174,000 against the value of its Moore Lake property. RESULTS OF DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS Loss on sale of African-Based Uranium Interests During the second quarter of 2016, the Company recognized a loss on disposal of the Africa mining division of $70,000, which includes $637,000 of cumulative foreign currency losses recognized as translational foreign exchange losses in the period of disposal. The total consideration received on the disposal amounted to $4,978,000 at fair value and includes the fair value of the GoviEx shares received of $3,954,000, the fair value of GoviEx warrants received of $1,162,000 and offset by transaction costs of $138,000. Sale of Mongolian Mining division On July 22, 2016, the Mineral Resources Authority of Mongolia ("MRAM") issued mining licenses to the Gurvan Saihan Joint Venture ("GSJV") for the Hairhan, Haraat, Gurvan Saihan and Ulzit projects. The GSJV was acquired by Uranium Industry as part of the November 30, 2015 sale of the Mongolia Mining Division. Under the licensing process, the GSJV has ten working days from the license issuance date to remit the required first year mining license fees to the Mongolian Government in order to receive the mining certificates required as proof of holding mining licenses in Mongolia. In accordance with the sale agreement with Uranium Industry, certain contingent payments are due to Denison within 60 days of the issuance of a mining license. No expenditures were incurred in the Mongolian Mining division in the quarter. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES Cash and cash equivalents were $17,835,000 at June 30, 2016. The Company holds the large majority of its cash, cash equivalents and investments in Canadian Dollars. As at June 30, 2016, the Company's cash, cash equivalents and current investments amount to CAD$23.0 million. The Company's CAD$24 million credit facility is fully utilized for non-financial letters of credit in relation to future decommissioning and reclamation plans. The facility contains a covenant that requires the Company to maintain a minimum cash balance of CAD$5 million on deposit with the Bank of Nova Scotia. OUTLOOK FOR 2016 The Company's Outlook for 2016 remains largely unchanged, except for the expected revenues from the sale of uranium inventory, exploration and evaluation expenditures planned in Canada, and the plans for Africa, each of which has been modified for the remainder of the year and incorporated into the Company's current Outlook. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Actual to 2016 2016 June 30, (in thousands) BUDGET OUTLOOK 2016 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canada (1) Toll Milling Revenue & Mineral Sales $ 5,440 $ 4,540 $ 2,330 Development & Operations (2,400) (2,400) (720) Mineral Property Exploration & Evaluation (13,000) (12,000) (7,150) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (9,960) (9,860) (5,540) Africa Zambia, Mali and Namibia (1,290) (520) (520) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1,290) (520) (520) Other (1) UPC Management Services 1,530 1,530 670 DES Environmental Services 920 920 570 Corporate Administration & Other (4,250) (4,250) (2,340) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1,800) (1,800) (1,100) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total $ (13,050) $ (12,180) $ (7,160) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Budget figures have been converted using a US$ to CAD$ exchange rate of 1.30. 2. The Company budgets on a cash basis. As a result, actual amounts represent a non-GAAP measure and exclude non-cash depreciation and amortization amounts of $1,560,000. The sale of approximately 25,000 pounds U3O8, currently held by Denison in inventory, has been deferred until market conditions improve. The 2016 outlook for Canadian exploration program, inclusive of the evaluation work planned for Wheeler River, has been updated to reflect a reduction in winter exploration activities actually completed during the first half of the year. In June 2016, Denison announced the completion of the Africa Transaction to sell its African assets to GoviEx. The current outlook reflects the activities completed during the first half of the year. No additional expense are expected in relation to the African assets during the remainder of the year. Qualified Person The disclosure regarding the PEA was reviewed and approved by Peter Longo, P. Eng, MBA, PMP, Denison's Vice-President, Project Development, who is a Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. The balance of the disclosure of scientific and technical information regarding Denison's properties in this press release and the MD&A was prepared by or reviewed and approved by Dale Verran, MSc, Pr.Sci.Nat., the Company's Vice President, Exploration, a Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. For a description of the data verification, assay procedures and the quality assurance program and quality control measures applied by Denison, please see Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 24, 2016 available under Denison's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and its Form 40-F available on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the following: the likelihood of completing and benefits to be derived from corporate transactions; the results of the PEA and expectations regarding further studies, including the PFS; expectations regarding the toll milling of Cigar Lake ores; expectations regarding revenues and expenditure from operations at DES; capital expenditure programs, estimated exploration and development expenditures and reclamation costs and Denison's share of same; expectations of market prices and costs; supply and demand for uranium; and exploration, development and expansion plans and objectives and statements regarding anticipated budgets. Statements relating to "mineral reserves" or "mineral resources" are deemed to be forward-looking information, as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions that the mineral reserves and mineral resources described can be profitably produced in the future. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate and may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the factors discussed in Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 24, 2016 under the heading "Risk Factors". These factors are not, and should not be construed as being exhaustive. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this press release. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this press release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in Denison's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation. Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources: This press release may use the terms "measured", "indicated" and "inferred" mineral resources. United States investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated mineral resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. FIGURE 1- Wheeler River Property Map and Basement Geology: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1064948.pdf Contacts: David Cates President and Chief Executive Officer (416) 979-1991 ext 362 Sophia Shane Investor Relations (604) 689-7842 Follow Denison on Twitter @DenisonMinesCo Clinc, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based artificial intelligence startup that built Lucida, an open source intelligent personal assistant, closed a $1.2m round of funding. The round was led by Ann Arbor-based eLab with participation from Chicago-based Hyde Park Venture Partners and Ann Arbor-based Cahoots Holdings. It was complemented by a $225k National Science Foundation grant which brought the total amount raised by the company to $1.45m. The investment will enable Clinc to continue development of its deep learning platform and ecosystem of A.I. engines. Founded in 2015 by University of Michigan professors Jason Mars and Lingjia Tang, Clinc provides Lucida, an open-source intelligent assistant and machine learning research platform already used all over the world for both research and production systems. It allows developers and the open-source community to create and deploy personalized voice and vision-based intelligent assistants in applications beneficial to society such as non-profit education and improving technological access for the disabled. As part of the grant, the company will also focus on building scalable infrastructure to power the massive amounts of computation required to power deep learning intelligent assistant technologies. FinSMEs 04/08/2016 PaulCamper, a Berlin, Germany-based sharing platform for caravans, raised 1.2m in funding. Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB) made the investment. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations. Launched in 2013 by CEO Dirk Fehse, PaulCamper is a private carsharing platform for motor homes and campervans. The marketplace matches people in need and owners, featuring tools and services including advice, insurance, and community relations. FinSMEs 04/08/2016 Kentik Technologies, a San Francisco, California-based network traffic intelligence company, raised $23m in Series B funding. The round was led by Third Point Ventures, with participation from existing investors August Capital, Data Collective (DCVC), First Round Capital, and Engineering Capital, and new investors Glynn Capital and David Ulevitch. The company intends to use the funds to increase headcount in the next year in sales, systems engineering, marketing, software development and operations, to accelerate product capabilities and expand market reach. Led by Avi Freedman, CEO, Kentik provides SaaS, big data-based network traffic and performance visibility solutions that ingest network data at Internet scale hundreds of billions of records per day in real-time, and allow users to run multi-dimensional queries and receive visualizations quickly. The company has over 60 customers, including some of the worlds largest web enterprises such as Box, Yelp, Pandora, Shopify, Dailymotion, Neustar, OpenDNS and Instart Logic. FinSMEs 04/08/2016 Yieldbot, a New York-based digital media technology and marketplace that connects brands with active consumer intent, raised a $35m Series C round of funding. The round was led by new investor Staley Capital with participation from all existing venture investors RRE, New Atlantic Ventures, SJF Ventures, Converge Venture Partners as well as capital participation by City National Bank. The company intends to use the funds to expand sales and marketing presence across the U.S. as well as accelerate product growth across mobile, video and explore strategic acquisition opportunities. Led by Jonathan Mendez, CEO, Yieldbot is a marketplace for real-time consumer intent in premium content which leverages real-time data and header bidding media connecting brands to the active intent of consumers on over 1000 websites. The companys technology does not use cookies for targeting and has a first-party relationship with all data. Yieldbot also has offices in Bentonville, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Portland. FinSMEs 04/08/2016 New Delhi: As many as 60,000 revenue officials of central and state governments will be trained on GST laws and IT infrastructure framework to prepare them for rollout of the new indirect tax regime by April 2017. As per the detailed Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout roadmap prepared by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, the IT infrastructure framework will be ready by March 2017 and a massive outreach and industry sensitisation programme will also be carried out. After the training on GST laws gets complete by December 2016, GSTN will train them on the related IT infrastructure by March 2017. Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is a non-government company set up by the Centre and states to provide shared IT framework and services to central and state governments, tax payers and other stakeholders. The revenue department has already started stakeholder consultation with the industry in Hyderabad and Jaipur. The IT network of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), banks, RBI, state accounting authorities and states will be ready by December-end 2016, according to the road map and the testing and integration of the IT backbone of all stakeholders is slated for JanuaryMarch 2017. To make life easier in the new regime, the Revenue Department has said no fresh registration will be needed for the existing dealers. Existing VAT/service tax/central excise dealer data are to migrate to the GST architecture. As for new dealers, a single application will be filed online and registration will be granted within three days. On GST returns, only one filing will be required for both the Centre and state governments. Average taxpayers will be using only four forms for filing returns -- supplies, return for purchases, monthly and annual returns. While supplies return will be filed on the 10th of every month incorporating the list of suppliers, the same data will be incorporated in the purchase return which will have to be filed on 15th of every month. These data will be then get populated in the monthly and annual returns and the assessee will just have to sign and send it to the tax department, Adhia said. Small taxpayers who have opted for a composition scheme will have to file return on a quarterly basis. New Delhi: State-owned power major NTPC Thursday said it has raised Rs 2,000 crore through issuance of green masala bonds in an overseas market that will be used for financing renewable energy projects. "Issue of rupee-denominated Rs 20,000 million 7.375 percent notes due 2021 payable in US dollars was launched pursuant to $4 billion medium term note programme," NTPC informed BSE in a statement Thursday. Power Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted, "Congrats to NTPC for issuing first green masala bonds at 20 bps lower than domestic AAA benchmark." The 5-year bond has a coupon rate of 7.375 percent and yield of the 7.48 percent, which is 20 basis points lower than domestic AAA 5-year benchmark yield today. The proceeds will be used for financing renewable projects and bonds will be listed in London and Singapore, he added. According to statement, the bonds were priced yesterday and all payments for securing bonds will be settled by 10 August. The masala bonds are rupee denominated bonds where the investor takes the currency fluctuation risk while the borrowers don't bear the risk. In dollar bonds, the borrower bears the currency fluctuation risk. NTPC has drafted its business plan of capacity addition of about 1,000 mw through renewable resources by 2017. It has already commissioned 310 mw solar projects. The ones under implementation include Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, Bhadla in Rajasthan, Mandsar in Madhya Pradesh and 8 mw small hydro projects. NTPC has envisioned 128 gw of total power generation capacity by 2032, with 28 per cent from renewable energy sources. Ahmedabad: The name of the next Chief Minister of Gujarat to succeed Anandiben Patel would be announced on Friday even as BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday held intensive deliberations with party leaders to finalise the candidate. BJP's parliamentary board accepted Anandiben Patel's offer to resign yesterday at its meeting in Delhi, paving the way for appointment of a new Chief Minister to lead the party in 2017 Assembly polls. A meeting of party MLAs and office-bearers will be held on Friday evening at the BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar where the next CM would be announced, said state BJP president Vijay Rupani, who is also the state transport minister. "Apart from Amit Shah, all the party MLAs, office bearers and our observers Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will remain present at the meeting," said Rupani, after holding a long discussion with Shah at latter's residence. Shah, who arrived in the morning, has been busy holding meetings with state BJP leaders and ministers at his house. Among others, he met state BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma, national joint general secretary (organisation) V Satish, party treasurer Surendra Patel, education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and former state BJP chief R C Faldu. Health Minister Nitin Patel, considered to be the front-runner for the job, was also present during Shah's meeting with Rupani. When asked by reporters whether he would accept the post of CM, Patel evaded a direct answer but said, "Whoever is chosen by the party, we all will work together." Dinesh Sharma, who arrived yesterday, engaged in hectic parleys with BJP leaders and ministers. It is believed that he apprised Shah of his observations on Thursday. The names that are doing the rounds for the post are 'number two' in the cabinet Nitin Patel, Union Minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader. Rupani's name also came up early on, but he indicated on Wednesday that he was not in the race as he was happy with his current job. After this, Nitin Patel has emerged as a strong contender. Bengaluru: In the first such action against a former Lokayukta in the country, Karnataka's previous anti- graft ombudsman Y Bhaskar Rao has been chargesheeted in a corruption case in connection with an alleged extortion racket involving his son. Rao, named as the seventh accused, has been charged with abetting illegal gratification to influence a public servant, concealing evidence and being part of a criminal conspiracy to cover up and protect the offenders. He is a former High Court Chief Justice. His son Y Ashwin is the prime accused in the alleged extortion racket that was being run in the Lokayukta office, with subsequent public and opposition outcry causing the exit of Rao as the head of the anti-graft institution. Various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, have been invoked, including Section 8 (taking gratification, in order, by corrupt or other means, to influence public servant.) Under the IPC, he has been charged invoking sections 120 (b) relating to punishment for criminal conspiracy and Section 119 about public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent. Also, IPC section 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and Section 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) have been slapped against Rao in the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Special Investigation Team in the Special Lokayukta court here yesterday. "We have filed a chargesheet against Bhaskar Rao as the seventh accused in the case. His son is Ashwin and is the first accused," SIT Chief Kamalpant told PTI here on Thursday. He said "Rao has been charged with abetting illegal gratification to influence a public servant, concealing evidence and being part of a criminal conspiracy to cover up and protect the offenders." Governor Vajubhai Vala had recently given the nod to the SIT to prosecute Rao in the case, which is one of the five pertaining to the alleged extortion scandal. SIT is expected to seek Governor's permission for his prosecution in the remaining cases too. The alleged scam came to light after the then Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Sonia Narang wrote a letter to Lokayukta Registrar about the complaint she received from an Executive Engineer, who alleged that someone from the Lokayukta office demanded Rs one crore in bribe to avoid a raid. Resisting all attempts for his exit, Rao had resigned in December 2015 only after a motion to remove him was moved in the State legislature. Ashwin was arrested by SIT in Hyderabad in July last year based on an FIR filed against him by Lokayukta police. After the resignation of Rao, the post of Lokayukta has remained vacant as the Governor had rejected the name of SR Nayak proposed by the state government. The government is yet to finalise another candidate. A 23-year-old ATM security guard was riding his Scooty back home, after finishing his duty on Tuesday night, when a pellet was fired at him, spilling blood all over the Scooty. Riyaz Ahmad Shah, who wore a black helmet, was found dead on a pavement next to his ride, under mysterious circumstances near Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar. The body of Shah was so neatly arranged near his bike that at a first glance you could well have mistaken it for an accident, but his family blamed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for his death. Shah was returning home after finishing his duty at an ATM booth of Jammu and Kashmir Bank at Kani Kadal in Srinagar, Zahoor Ahmad, Shahs brother told Firstpost. He was killed by CRPF men stationed near Government Medical College (GMC), when he reached near the bunker. There were no protests or stone pelting in the area; why did anyone kill him no one knows, Zahoor said. Police had earlier said the slain youth died of an injury inflicted by a sharp-edged weapon. But after the family insisted on a post-mortem, doctors revealed that they have found more than 300 pellets inside Shahs body, and that he had been fired upon from close range. Protests soon broke out in the capital and people chanted anti-ndia slogans throughout the night, demanding action against government forces. Later, Kashmir police said a complaint had been filed in connection with the case and they are investigating the circumstances that led to the killing. But Rajesh Yadav, a spokesperson for the CRPF in Srinagar, told Firstpost over phone that he was not aware of any complaint lodged against CRPF nor has heard anyone blaming CRPF for the killing. We dont know anything about this particular incident. You should confirm with the police station where they have launched an FIR, he said. But the family asked if the government is claiming that its forces dont open fire on the innocents, then why was their son killed. I appeal to the government to investigate the killing of my brother and how and why it happened, Shahs sister, Zubaida, told reporters. The marriage ceremony of our sister is scheduled to be held after four days, but unfortunately the forces killed our brother, which has shuttered our dreams and hopes as well, she added. Kashmir continues to be on the edge with two fresh killings of civilians; the death toll in the ongoing cycle of violence that began on 9 July has risen to 53. The protests and the marches continued throughout south Kashmir on Wednesday, as police and paramilitary forces clashed with protesters at many places. Late on Wednesday evening, doctors said over 50 people were injured after CRPF and police tried to break up a car-and-bike rally in Adijan village of Kulgam in south Kashmir. People in Kulgam and Shopian districts in south Kashmir had called for Damhal Hanji Pora chalo to express solidarity with the civilians, who were killed on 8 and 9 July, following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in Kokernag area in Anantnag district. Eyewitnesses said people were marching towards Damhal Hanji Pora, when forces intercepted them in Adijan village, triggering clashes. They alleged that forces set ablaze dozens of motorcycles and cars. Reports said that scores of protesters were injured in the shelling and with pellets. About 28 injured youths have been treated at District Hospital at Kulgam, while more than seven injured civilians were referred to Srinagar for advanced treatment. Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir range, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, said that 26 policemen were also injured during the clashes. He said that over 10,000 people were trying to march to Kulgam district. Later, in a statement, Kashmir police said that 349 people have been arrested in its drive against hooligans and miscreants", while 122 others have been detained under prohibitory provisions of law. The region has been caught in a vortex of violence since Wani's death, and if killings like this continue to happen, it is highly unlikely Kashmir will return to normalcy anytime soon. Curfews have become a daily norm. Even if they are called off by the state government, people choose to remain inside their houses or start protesting against the killings. Islamabad: In a terse message to Pakistan, India on Thursday said there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs and also called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism. Without mincing any words, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Islamabad to attend the seventh meeting of the Interior/Home Ministers Conference of SAARC countries, said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough. Singh's comments in his speech came against the backdrop of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on 8 July and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a martyr, much to Indias ire. "There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs. There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists," Singh said. The Home Minister also said there should be "strongest action" not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism. Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity. Islamabad: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Islamabad to participate in the SAARC ministerial conference, on Thursday along with his counterparts from the member countries called on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singh was part of the joint delegation of the Interior/Home Ministers of SAARC nations when they called on the Pakistani Prime Minister at his office. "It was a formal courtesy call, nothing else," an official said. The Interior/Home Ministers' of SAARC nations were with Sharif for about 20 minutes during which only pleasantries were exchanged, the official said, adding nothing formal was discussed. Sharif's meeting with a senior Indian functionary came amidst the ongoing strain in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan following the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on 8 July. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs an Prime Minister's Office last night. The eight-member SAARC grouping comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Rajnath Singh's hard talk in Pakistan at the Saarc meet of Home Ministers has made it amply clear that India's voice will not be stifled even if the neighbouring country resorts to cheap tactics like banning Indian media from the venue and blacking out the visiting Indian minister's speech. Despite the warm hospitality accorded to him by Islamabad, Singh ensured that the neighbouring country be sent out a strong message that Pakistan must stop churning out jihadis and export them to India to spread a terror propaganda and unleash a trail of bloodshed. Singh's plain talking in Islamabad is not surprising given that Pakistan including its prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has invariably try to spread unrest in the region. Pakistan's ugly face supporting the terror machinery was unmasked when the country openly declared the slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani as a martyr last month. The Kashmir Valley is still under curfew although Wani's death is nearing a month now. Exploiting the volatile situation, Pakistan is leaving no stone unturned to keep the fire of unrest burning as long as possible. In an interview to Firstpost, published earlier, the Home Minister had described Wani as a "terrorist". "Of course that is the most apt description. He killed our soldiers. How else would one describe such a person?" Singh had said. The Home Minister had squarely blamed Pakistan for the explosive situation in the region. "Let me clarify that it would be wrong to assume that the entire Valley has erupted in protests. I would say that the protests were confined to certain pockets with some people motivated by Pakistani propaganda. To say that the events are unprecedented would be factually erroneous. Is it not a fact that the Valley has been through much worse in the past? We are fully in control with the help of the state government. And there is a huge section of sagacious and mature people whose support we are getting in Kashmir," Singh had said. The way Singh's speech was completely censored, clearly indicate that the Pakistani authorities anticipated that he would talk tough and thus it was important for them that their domestic audience and the world didn't hear it or get to know on fuller details. His action, not stopping for a longish handshake with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, would have troubled Pakistanis. However, despite their best attempt Pakistan failed from keeping Singh's words completely out from the outside world. "There should be strongest action not only against terrorists but also against nations (likes of Pakistan) who support terrorism.... "Those who provide support, encouragement, give sanctuary and safe haven and assistance to terrorists and terrorism must be isolated....In no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs," the Home Minister said in his speech at the Saarc meet. Singh's visit to Pakistan was a first by any Indian leader after the Pathankot airbase attack in January this year and Wani's killing last month. Soon after assuming office, the Home Minister had made it clear that response to Pakistan's ceasefire violation in the Line of Control has to be strong and befitting. When informed about a ceasefire violation on the border from Pakistani side, Singh's response to the then BSF chief was that "henceforth you will never fly white peace flag, don't count your bullets once a bullet is fired from other side. In future inform me of such incidents after you have responded most effectively." That directive, home ministry officials believe, worked. Unfazed by the threats of terror masterminds Hafiz Sayeed and Syed Syed Salahuddin, the Home Minister's visit to Pakistan puts India on the right side as far as the internal community is concerned and gives it freedom to deal with the terror machinery accordingly. Ironically, by allowing the terror masterminds to protest openly against Singh's visit, the neighbouring country gave India enough ground to harden its stand against Pakistan's terror milling policy. The Narendra Modi government has been often accused maintaining an inconsistent policy towards Pakistan but the straight talk by Singh in Islamabad is an indication that the it has chosen to stay on a tough course. Reacting to the Delhi High Court's verdict that upheld Lieutenant Governor's administrative powers in governing Delhi, Najeeb Jung has called the judgement "historic." In a press conference in Delhi on Thursday, Jung read out the court's judgement reiterating that the LG remains the administrative head of National Capital Territory. He also said that by the virtue of his post, he reports to the central government but it will be wrong to say that he is working against the state government. The Delhi High Court on Thursday upheld Article 230 of the Constitution stating that the Lieutenant Governor remains the administrative head of the National Capital Territory, concluding the legal tussle between Delhi's AAP government and Lt governor Najeeb Jung. A division bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath ruled that Delhi government notifications must be issued after consulting the LG. "Policy direction can't be issued without communicating the to Lt Governor," the bench said. The court said that it is constitutionally correct that Anti-Corruption Branch cannot initiate investigation against central government officials. The court's judgement came on nine different petitions arising out of the spat between the LG and Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party government over the power to appoint bureaucrats in the national capital and other issues. Delhi High Court said that AAP govt's contention that LG is bound to act on advice of Council of Ministers like in other states in India is without any substance and cannot be accepted, stating the LG of the National Capital Territory is not bound by the aid and advice of Council of Ministers. Ruling on the AAP's plea alleging undue interference from the Centre and the Lt Governer, the court said that all service matters fall outside the jurisdiction of Delhi Legislative Assembly and if the Lt Governor chooses to exercise his powers then it cannot be deemed unconstitutional. The ruling is being seen as a major setback for the AAP government who have time and again been in loggerheads with the Centre over who wields more power in the National Capital Territory. After the court ruling, the 21 May, 2015, notification of Centre barring ACB from proceeding against central government employees is neither illegal nor unsustainable. Similarly, the high court ruling automatically made defunct the Commission of Inquiry in the CNG fitness scam and DDCA scam since the same was issued without concurrence of LG. Meanwhile, reacting to the huge setback in what was more a political battle, AAP has decided to move the Supreme Court. AAP government's counsel has said that hey will immediately file an appeal against the verdict in the apex court, while AAP leader Ashutosh has refused to call the judgement a setback. Ashutosh said that AAP is "fighting for democracy not supremacy" therefore they expect justice will be delivered in the apex court. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday welcomed the Delhi High Court decision that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government cannot supersede constitutional provisions and rule like "anarchists". The Congress too attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for wasting taxpayers' money on unnecessary litigation to fulfill his "political ambition". "The high court's decision is correct because they were not following the constitutional provisions in Delhi. They were superseding the constitutional provisions, which is unconstitutional," Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Upadhyay told IANS. Hon'ble High Court has shown d mirror to Kejriwal. A tight slap on anarchist CM's face. Kejri shud come out of his hideout & apologise now. Satish Upadhyay (@upadhyaysbjp) August 4, 2016 It is time that Arvind Kejriwal stop blaming central Govt.& LG and do some work for people of Delhi. https://t.co/RpqGelSGSD BJP Delhi (@BJPDelhiState) August 4, 2016 The Delhi High Court on Thursday said that the Lt Governor (LG) is not bound by the aid and advice of the Delhi government's council of ministers. It added that the Delhi government's notifications must be issued after consulting the Lt Governor. "The court has made it clear to them that they (the government) have to govern Delhi under the constitutional provisions," the BJP leader said, adding, "The role of the LG and Chief Minister is defined in the Constitution for an union territory." Coming back at Kejriwal for the frequent spats between Centre and state government, Sambit Patra also took to twitter. He said that with the verdict out and no one to blame, the Delhi CM may now allege that the high court is not letting his government work. After the verdict by the HC, hopefully Mr Kejriwal doesn't resort to his usual self & say "Modi ji ki High Court kam karne nahi de rahi hai" Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) August 4, 2016 BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav also said that he hoped that now "the theatrics" may end. Now when Delhi HC has put to rest ignorance of Kejriwal Govt on d Constitution, Hope good sense will prevail over them & theatrics will end. Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) August 4, 2016 Senior Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee told IANS, "Kejriwal has wasted 18 months of his governance in a standstill mode and in this duration he has only manufactured conflict with the LG. It is just Kejriwal's desire to have more power than what has been given to him by the Constitution." "Kejriwal has been wasting Delhi taxpayers' money in litigations without keeping in mind the welfare of those who gave him a huge mandate to bring changes and better their lives," Mukherjee alleged. "He is wasting taxpayers' money to publicise himself by giving full page advertisements in states like Gujarat, Punjab and Goa, which have nothing to do with Delhi's administration," she said. "This is only furthering his political ambition." Speaking to the same tune, senior Congress leader, Ajay Maken also took to twitter. He said that the 18 months that Kejriwal has spent in power have been entirely wasted in the power tussle between the LG and CM, alleging that this has brought the state to a standstill. High Court rules against Kejriwal Govt! Upheld Lt Governor notifications- LG-Kejriwal spat wasted 18 months-brought Delhi to a standstill. Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) August 4, 2016 Aam Aadmi Party defended itself saying they will move the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement. AAP leader Ashutosh told CNN News 18 that the party is fighting for democracy and not supremacy. He also said that they don't consider it a setback. While, on the other hand, Ashish Khetan took to twitter, taking a dig at the central government. Would Narendra Modi have agreed to Pranab Mukherjee running the Central Govt after winning 282 seats in Lok Sabha? Ashish Khetan (@AashishKhetan) August 4, 2016 In a major set-back for the AAP government, the court also added that the that Anti-Corruption Branch cannot initiate investigation against central government officials. The court's judgement came on nine different petitions arising out of the spat between the Lt Governor and Delhi's AAP government over the power to appoint bureaucrats in the national capital and other issues. One after another, news reports about violence at Catholic churches in France kept stacking up. There was a mysterious fire on a church altar in Provence. Elsewhere, someone attacked the tabernacle containing the unleavened bread used in the Mass, scattering hosts on the floor. Attackers destroyed crosses and crucifixes in graveyards. None of this surprised the Pro Europa Christiana Federation, which collects French media reports on anti-Christian acts of this kind. In 2015, they found 810 similar attacks in France. But the murder of Father Jacques Hamel was different. The attackers interrupted a Mass, shouting Allahu Akbar and references to the Islamic State. The duo forced the elderly priest to kneel at the altar, where they slit his throat in what may have been an attempted beheading. A nun who escaped Sister Danielle told reporters: They told me, you Christians, you kill us. They forced him to his knees. ... Thats when the tragedy happened. They recorded themselves. They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. Its a horror. This drama unfolded in the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, named for St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, noted Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Australia, during a Mass In Time Of Persecution in Sydney. Though we welcome the solidarity of those of other faiths, and while we recognize that this was very much an attack on France, on civilization, on all religions more generally, we cannot ignore the fact that this was also a targeted attack on our Christian faith, he said. The two terrorists meant to go into a Catholic church. They meant to kill a priest of Jesus Christ. They meant to take nuns and faithful laity as hostages. They were not just looking for any old building, with any old people inside. And the terrorists underlined the meaning of their actions by engaging in a ritual sacrifice of the priest before the altar and a mock homily. So their act was not just murder, but also sacrilege, desecration, blasphemy. Yes, Father Hamel had a history of kindness to the Muslim community. But in the end, his death was best described with a term rooted in Christian history, said Fisher, a member of the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Hamel died in odium fidei due to an act committed in hatred of the faith. This is a term Catholics use, he explained, to describe the characteristic death of a martyr, as one who dies for his or her faith, and because of that faith. There were, however, Catholics who questioned claims that Hamels murder was driven by religion, even the radicalized, twisted version of Islam proclaimed by ISIS. Crucial to this debate was a statement after the murder by Father Federico Lombardi, the recent Vatican spokesman. Pope Francis, he said, has been informed and participates in the pain and horror of this absurd violence. ... We are particularly affected because this horrific violence took place in a church, a sacred place where the love of God is proclaimed, with the barbaric killing of a priest. If the pope called the murder absurd, then it would be a rush to judgment to call this act in odium fidei, argued Austen Ivereigh, author of The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope. In describing Rouen murder as absurd, Pope refers to its pointless banality. Dont glorify it/them by ascribing religious etc. motives, wrote Ivereigh on Twitter. So many of my coreligionists are falling into the trap set by ISIS. Trying to turn Fr Hamels pointless murder into a sacralized act. Catholic conservative Phil Lawler sharply disagreed, stressing that the terrorists knew why they killed a priest at a church altar. If you believe that he is a martyr, you cant say that his murderers acted irrationally. If you believe that they acted irrationally, you cant call him a martyr, argued Lawler, in a CatholicCulture.org commentary. A delusional schizophrenic might kill someone selected at random. That would be a tragedy, but not a martyrdom. The victim might be a wonderful person; he might even be a canonizable saint. But he would not be a martyr, because he did not die as a witness to the faith. Father Hamel did. ... He is not the first such victim; he will not be the last. Ahmedabad: BSP supremo Mayawati on Thursday launched a vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS, alleging that on one hand they talk of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas', but on the other target Dalits and Muslims in the name of 'gau raksha' (cow protection). "BJP, RSS, Shiv Sena and their other organisations, under a well thought out plan first targeted Muslims in the name of cow protection and now they are targeting Dalits," she alleged while addressing a Dalit gathering after meeting family members of the victims in Ahmedabad. "Narendra Modi, who belongs to Gujarat, says 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas', but in reality there is no development for Dalits, only few industrialists and businessmen are getting the fruits of development," she said. She warned BJP and RSS to "stop committing atrocities against Dalits as they are not going to tolerate it anymore". Mayawati asked Dalits to form an alliance with Muslims and try to form a government in Gujarat. "You have to seek justice from the BJP government for Una incident. You need to form an alliance with Muslims and try to form a government here so that you do not have to seek justice but you are in the position give justice," she said. Later, speaking to reporters at the Ahmedabad civil hospital where she went to meet the four Dalit victims, Mayawati claimed that BJP deliberately created a situation to keep her away from visiting Gujarat as it will "send out a wrong message about the party and government". She alleged that BJP under a well thought out plan made one of its leaders in Uttar Pradesh, Dayashankar Singh, use indecent words against her, and the party sought Gujarat Chief Minister's Anandiben Patel's resignation timing with her announcement to visit the state, so that she does not come. "Ever since BJP came to power at Centre, people from weaker sections, including Dalits, adivasis and other backward class, are under attack in the entire country and especially in BJP-ruled states," she said. "Muslims and Christians are among religious minorities that are under attack. In upper caste, the poor are also not happy but Dalits are the most unhappy," she said. New Delhi: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday said the High Court's ruling that he is the "administrative head" of Delhi was neither a victory for him nor a defeat for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, noting its crux is to govern the city as per the provisions in the Constitution. Jung, addressing a rare press conference, said a number of decisions including Delhi Government's directions to power regulator DERC, an appointment of government representatives to BSES board and certain orders relating to tax will have to be "corrected" as they did not have his concurrence. The Lt Governor, who had a long-running battle with the AAP government on a host of jurisdictional issues, said he always wanted to protect the provisions of the Constitution and did not agree to AAP government's decisions when he found they were at variance with the laid down norms. "It is not a victory for anyone. It is not a win for Najeeb Jung and loss for Arvind Kejriwal. The court order is a kind of clarification that incorrect things will have to be corrected," he said. The LG, who has been targeted by the Kejriwal government over his decisions, said, "My DNA is such that I don't get affected by abusive language." Jung said the verdict clarified that matters related to services will have to be handled by the LG and that the Centre's concurrence was not necessary on certain issues and he can take calls on them. In a huge setback for the Kejriwal Government, the High Court held that the LG is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory and the AAP Government's contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed AAP Government's plea challenging the Centre's 21 May, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital. The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without the concurrence of LG. The bench, in its 194-page judgement, said the AAP Government's contention that the LG is bound to act on the aid and advice of Council of Ministers cannot be accepted. Kolkata: Welcoming the passage of the GST bill in Rajya Sabha tonight, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed hope that it will give relief to micro and small businesses and remain under single control of the states. "We have consistently supported the idea and implementation of GST. Good constitutional amendment was passed today," Banerjee said in a tweet. "Now in GST Bill in Nov, all states want to give relief to micro and small businesses which must remain under single control of the states," Banerjee posted in Twitter late on Wednesday night. With main opposition Congress and most other parties on board, Rajya Sabha tonight passed a bill to amend the Constitution to facilitate rollout of the GST amid government's assurance that the tax rates would be kept "as low as possible". The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was approved by the Upper House with 203 votes in favour and none against, after a seven-hour debate. London: A Norwegian-Somali teenager went on a knife rampage through London's Russell Square, a hub for students and tourists, fatally stabbing an American woman and injuring five other people. Police said Thursday that it wasn't terrorism but in a city on edge after a summer of attacks elsewhere in Europe, both authorities and London residents initially responded as if it were. Police flooded the streets with extra officers and mobilized counterterror detectives before saying the shocking burst of violence appeared to have been "triggered by mental-health issues." Police officers used a stun gun to subdue the 19-year-old suspect at the scene of the stabbings late Wednesday, among busy streets lined with hotels close to the British Museum. "Terror in London" ran the headline in the Mail Online, one of several media outlets to speculate that the attack was an act of terrorism. Police initially said terrorism was "one line of inquiry being explored." But hours later Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said "we have found no evidence of radicalisation or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was in any way motivated by terrorism." He said detectives from the force's murder and terrorism squads had interviewed the suspect, his family and witnesses and searched properties. "We believe this was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random," Rowley said. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said "there is no evidence at all that this man was motivated by Daesh" another name for the Islamic State group or similar organisations. Rowley said the suspect, whose name hasn't been released, is a Norwegian of Somali ancestry though police don't consider that "relevant to the motivation for his actions." Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service said he had left the Scandinavian country in 2002, when he was a small child. The name of the dead woman, thought to be in her 60s, hasn't been released. US Ambassador Matthew Barzun confirmed she was American, tweeting: "Heartbreaking news that a US citizen was killed in #RussellSquare attack. My prayers are with all the victims and their loved ones." Two Australians, an Israeli, an American and a British citizen were wounded, none with life-threatening injuries. While knife crime is a regular occurrence in London there have been two other blade killings this week the scale and randomness of the rampage rattled nerves. It came just days after authorities warned the British public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe. Student Megan Sharrock, 18, looked out her window and saw someone lying on the sidewalk under a blanket. "There was like two rivers of blood running away from the person so we thought, yeah, someone has been killed," she said. "It's really shocking, (a) scary world we live in to think that could happen," she said. "That could happen to anyone, just walking down the street." Helen Edwards, 33, who lives in the area, came out for a walk and found it thronging with armed police near. In a city with vivid memories of the deadly 7 July, 2005, bomb attacks on public transport two of which struck near Russell Square she immediately suspected that an attack had occurred. "There is always that thing in the back of your mind," she said. "You live with that threat of terrorism or other crimes in the back of your mind. It wasn't a huge shock I guess." The response to the attack is complicated by the frequent overlap between terrorism and mental illness. Many "lone wolf" attackers have a history of mental-health problems, including a Syrian who blew himself up in the German town of Ansbach last month and a Somali man who was sentenced to life this week for trying to behead a London Underground passenger. Emily Corner, a researcher at University College London who studies the links between mental illness and terrorism, said every incident of major violence now sparks the same debate: "Are they a terrorist or are they mentally ill?" In some cases, the answer is both, though Corner stresses that most terrorist attackers are not mentally ill, and most people with mental illness are not violent. The Russell Square attack came within hours of an announcement by London police that they were putting more armed officers on the streets to bolster public confidence in the wake of recent attacks in Europe. Most British police don't carry guns, a principle that remains unchanged. Even with the additional armed officers, the vast majority of London's 31,000 police officers won't be armed. Armed officers responded to Wednesday's stabbings, but didn't fire any shots. Rowley said "we should be proud of them and the British tradition of using the minimum necessary force." Police have urged Britons to be vigilant after attacks this year in France, Belgium and Germany, several committed by people who professed allegiance to the Islamic State group. In the last three years London has seen two knife attacks by people inspired by radical Islam. In May 2013, two al-Qaida-inspired London men killed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby in the street near his barracks. In January, mentally ill Muhiddin Mire tried to behead a London Underground passenger, shouting that he was doing it "for Syria." Knives are the most common murder weapon in Britain, which has strict gun-control laws. There were 186 knife killings in the year to March 2015, according to government statistics a third of all murders. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: All seemed normal to the 300 people aboard the Emirates airliner as it flew past the world's tallest building in hazy skies and made a slow left turn over the waters of the Persian Gulf. But as soon as the plane touched down at Dubai International Airport, everyone knew something had gone wrong. "It was a big noise," said Shadi Kochuktty, a passenger from India. "We hadn't heard any announcement but it was a big noise." From that terrifying moment on, all those on board the Boeing 777 faced the nightmare all white-knuckle fliers fear: Smoke filling the cabin. People screaming. And the rush to escape. The three-and-a-half-hour, nearly 3,000-kilometer (1,860-mile) flight itself began normally. It left from the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state, where many of the United Arab Emirates' construction workers, taxi drivers and laborers come from in search of a better life. Flight EK521 took off at 10.19 am and was scheduled to land at 12.50 pm local time, according to Emirates. The aircraft flew over the Arabian Sea and later Oman on a northwesterly course heading toward Dubai. By the time it reached the skies over its destination, the scorching mid-day sun had raised temperatures to a humid 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). That's about average for this time of year. Winds of 39 kilometers an hour (24 mph) blew toward the northwest at the airfield, according to the UAE's National Center for Meteorology and Seismology. As the aircraft made its descent, there were reports of wind shear at the airport, though it was unclear if it had any effect on what happened, Emirates CEO and chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said. Wind shear is a sudden downdraft encountered by aircraft that can be dangerous, especially for planes near the ground. The control tower at the airport remained in contact with the flight as it slowed and descended toward Runway One-Two-Right, according to air traffic recordings made by aviation website LiveATC.net. The scratchy recording includes someone calling out the flight's number and saying "returning to 4,000," suggesting the pilot attempted to abort the landing and regain altitude. But at that point, passengers inside the flight had no idea something was about to go wrong until the loud noise rang through the cabin as the plane hit the ground. The plane skidded across the airport runway, turning slightly as part of the wing tore away. Smoke started coming through the cabin. "All the people were shouting, all the children, all the women," said Arun Krishna, a passenger from India. Flight attendants jumped out of their seats as the plane screeched to a stop, opening emergency doors on the craft and inflating the emergency slides. Asked what the flight attendants said then, Kochuktty offered one word: "Escape!" As horrified passengers on other planes watched, people slid down the slide and began walking to safety. Some clutched bags and suitcases, though many left behind passports and money. Some passengers, barefoot, burned their soles on the hot runway. In the control tower, a female controller ordered firefighters to respond immediately: "Do not wait to proceed! ... All fire vehicles, all fire vehicles proceed to the aircraft." Trucks quickly surrounded the burning aircraft, spraying foam on it to try to contain the flames. An explosion struck one side and in the chaos, one firefighter was killed, Sheikh Ahmed, the Emirates CEO, said. The fire burned away the top of the airplane's fuselage, singeing the Emirates name in gold. The tower controller asked: "Do we want to shut down?" Minutes later, the crash-landing had closed the world's third-busiest airport, diverting flights for long-haul carrier Emirates and others across the UAE and into other countries. Passengers and crew from EK521 made it inside a nearby terminal, with at least 10 requiring hospital care. By 4 p.m., some passengers onboard the flight began leaving, vouchers in their hands for hotels as they entered waiting taxis. Several said they needed assistance from the Indian Consulate as they had lost all their travel documents, but they remained grateful to be alive. "See, our belongings are gone that's no problem. Our family is safe," Kochuktty said. "We have saved our life. Lord had mercy on us." GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Former U.S. Senator John Edwards was acquitted on Thursday on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions, and the judge declared a mistrial on five other counts because the jury was deadlocked. The jury's decision came on the ninth day of deliberations and marked yet another dramatic turn of events for the one-time politician who rose to become the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2004, only to see his career ruined by scandal four years later. As the jury's verdict was read, Edwards, who did not testify in the nearly six-week-long trial, slumped back in his seat in relief. Later, standing in front of the federal courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina, the state he represented in the U.S. Senate from 1999 to 2005, Edwards said he never broke the law. "While I do not believe I did anything illegal, or ever thought I was doing anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong, and there is no one else responsible for my sins," he said, flanked by his parents and oldest daughter, Cate. "I am responsible, and if I want to find the person who should be held accountable for my sins, honestly I don't have to go any further than the mirror. It's me. It is me and me alone." Federal prosecutors did not make clear whether they would seek another trial for Edwards, who they accuse of taking funds from two wealthy donors during his 2008 presidential campaign to keep voters from learning he was cheating on his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, who died in 2010. Jurors found Edwards not guilty of accepting illegal campaign contributions from one of those supporters, Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, in 2008. But they were deadlocked on a similar count of receiving illegal campaign money from Mellon in 2007; two counts of accepting illegal campaign money from friend and supporter Fred Baron; one count of conspiring to solicit illegal campaign funds; and one count of failing to report the donor payments as campaign contributions. The defense said all along that the supporters' money was meant as a personal gift to shield Elizabeth Edwards from her husband's indiscretions, not to influence the election. Asked on Thursday how he felt following the acquittal and mistrial, Wallace Edwards, the former senator's father, pointed at the smile on his face. "This says it all," he said. The Justice Department will likely weigh the political risk and expense as they decide whether to retry the case, said Elon University assistant law professor Michael Rich. "I'm sure that they will spin it that a hung jury simply indicates that they had a strong case but couldn't convince a couple of reticent jurors," Rich said. "I do think we saw their strongest case, and it just wasn't enough." Earlier in the day, the jury announced it had reached a verdict on a single charge and could not reach a unanimous decision on the other counts. U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles sent the jurors back for more deliberations, but they soon came back and said they were deadlocked, prompting Eagles to declare the mistrial on five counts. The panel was considering whether Edwards, 58, violated election laws as he sought to cover up his affair with videographer Rielle Hunter and her pregnancy with his child during the 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The child, Quinn, is now 4 and lives with Hunter in Charlotte. The two-time presidential hopeful who served as the Democrats' 2004 vice presidential nominee faced possible prison time and fines if found guilty of any of the six felony counts. The charges included conspiring to solicit the money, receiving more than the $2,300 allowed from any one donor, and failing to report the payments as contributions. Hampton Dellinger, a North Carolina lawyer who attended the trial, said Edwards' gutsy decisions to turn down a reported plea offer and skip taking the stand had paid off. "There's no question he drove the defense strategy," Dellinger said. "He made tough call after tough call, and it worked out for him." (Additional reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst and Dan Trotta; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Anthony Boadle) Daytona Beach: Their party in crisis, Republicans' frustration with Donald Trump reached new heights on Wednesday as party leaders on Capitol Hill and inside New York's Trump Tower scrambled to persuade their presidential nominee to abandon divisive tactics that have triggered sinking poll numbers and low morale. Party chairman Reince Priebus appealed to the New York billionaire's adult children to help amid new signs of a campaign in trouble. Trump's operation has been beset by internal discord, including growing concern about general election preparedness and a lack of support from Republican leaders, according to two people familiar with the organization's inner workings. One of the people said Trump privately blames his own staff for failing to quiet the backlash from his own party after he criticized an American Muslim family whose son, a US Army captain, was killed in Iraq. The inner tension comes as Priebus and handful of high-profile Trump allies consider whether to confront the candidate directly to encourage a new approach following a series of startling stances and statements. In the midst of the uproar over his continued criticism of the Khan family, Trump infuriated Priebus and other party leaders by refusing to endorse GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election. The officials, including one with direct knowledge of Priebus' thinking, were granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy after one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trump's presidential campaign. Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the GOP frustration was hurting his campaign, even as he openly contemplated an Election Day loss. "Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible," he said during a campaign stop in battleground Florida. He also insisted, "We've never been this united." In an interview later Wednesday with Florida's WPEC-TV, Trump was asked if he was being "baited into battles." "I think that's probably right," he acknowledged. "We're going to focus more on Hillary Clinton." The most powerful Republicans in Washington and New York's Trump Tower concede things will not change unless Trump wants them to. "The candidate is in control of his campaign," campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Fox News Channel, highlighting his inability to control the nominee. "And I'm in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign." Clinton, meanwhile, kept up her assault on Trump's business practices, holding up a Trump-branded tie as she spoke at the Knotty Tie Company in battleground Colorado. "I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties," she told employees in Denver, "instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado." Trump blamed the media "so dishonest" for growing criticism of his recent statements and his unwillingness to accept guidance from senior advisers. Privately, however, Trump has concerns about his own team. He was deeply upset when GOP leaders "took the other side" during his ongoing quarrel with the Khan family, one person said, and blames his campaign staff for not keeping top Republicans in line. Another person said Trump is irritated that general election planning in battleground states isn't further along with less than 100 days until Election Day. The internal tension is complicated by Trump's frequent travels without his senior advisers and his adult children, who wield significant influence in the campaign, the people close to the campaign said. There's been no follow-through on a plan presented earlier this summer to have one of the children or son-in-law Jared Kushner travel with Trump most of the time. While the children have made some appearances with their father for instance, Eric Trump attended Tuesday's rally in Virginia work obligations and other commitments, including a hunting trip the sons have lined up, have posed scheduling conflicts. "I would say in the last couple of weeks, he has been remarkably underperforming and we'll see whether or not he can take a deep breath and learn these lessons," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Fox Business News. Trump's vice presidential nominee, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, tried to put a better face on a recent difference during a phone interview with Fox. Pence said he spoke with Trump on Wednesday morning "about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship. He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesday's primary. And I'm pleased to do it." Trump stunned Republicans by telling The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday that he wasn't ready to endorse Ryan, who faces a primary contest in Wisconsin next week. Ryan has backed Trump despite deep differences on policy and temperament, and has encouraged other Republicans to unite behind the party's nominee. Former Trump adviser Barry Bennett acknowledged signs of poor morale among the campaign staff he maintains contact with, but he also said it would be silly dismiss Trump's chances with three months before Election Day. "This would be the end of any other Republican candidate in the history of the country. And he's only 5 or 6 points behind," Bennett said. Indeed, Trump on Wednesday reported raising $80 million in July for his campaign and the Republican Party, a significant improvement from past months. Clinton raised about $90 million over the same period. Privately, Trump points to his recent fundraising success, large rallies and decent polling against a seasoned candidate as evidence that his campaign is working well. And his loyalists continue to stand behind him. "The media is blowing this out of proportion significantly," said New Hampshire Rep. Stephen Stepanek. Pyongyang: North Korean top leader Kim Jong-un presided over a meeting for exemplary commanding officers and servicemen aimed at strengthening the ruling party's leadership over the military, state media reported on Thursday. According to North Korea's official news agency KCNA, the meeting from Tuesday to Wednesday marked the third meeting of members of the Korean People's Army (KPA) for such a mass movement and also the first since the seventh congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in May. In his speech, Kim emphasised efforts to strengthen the army in political, ideological and moral aspects and to round off combat preparations of the army, Xinhua news agency reported citing KCNA as saying. "Only when this movement is conducted vigorously to hit the general target of building the Party's army, it is possible for the KPA to glorify down through generations the tradition of defending the Party and the revolution," Kim said. Taking part in the meeting were senior army officials including Director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA Hwang Pyong So and Minister of People's Armed Forces Pak Yong Sik. Indianapolis: Since his selection as Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence has tried to stay focused on winning over conservatives skeptical of the New York billionaire. His new boss keeps getting in the way. On several occasions in the past week, the Indiana governor has found himself in direct conflict with Trump, taking a different campaign tact or running damage control after one of the Republican presidential nominee's incendiary remarks. The latest came Wednesday, when Pence offered an unqualified endorsement of House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election bid a day after Trump refused to endorse Ryan. "There's been some cleanup," said Curt Smith, a longtime Pence friend who runs the socially conservative Indiana Family Institute. "I think you'll see more." The early days of the general election campaign have been a contortionist act for Pence, who has remained loyal to Trump while trying to maintain his reputation as a principled, down-to-earth Midwesterner with the primary mission of acting as an emissary to the conservative and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. The first noticeable split between nominee and running mate came during the Democratic convention, when Trump encouraged Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by Hillary Clinton from the private servers she used while secretary of state. At roughly the same time, Pence blasted Russia in a statement issued by the campaign that said "the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences" if Russia is "interfering in our elections." Last weekend, Pence, whose only son is a US Marine, sought to quell the uproar Trump created by lashing out at Capt. Humayun Khan's parents, who appeared at the Democratic convention and have criticized Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric. Their son was killed in Iraq. In a statement, Pence said he and Trump believe Khan is "an American hero" and said "his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American." He then shifted gears to praise Trump, who he said will "support our military and their families" and "defeat the enemies of our freedom." He backed up those remarks at a Monday evening town hall meeting in Nevada, when the audience jeered a woman who asked how he can tolerate what she called Trump's disrespect of American servicemen. Pence asked the crowd to quiet down and then said of the questioner: "That's what freedom looks like. That's what freedom sounds like." Trump, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter that day: "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over TV doing the same... Nice!" On Tuesday, Pence held a meeting with Arizona Sen. John McCain a day after the former prisoner of war said Trump did not have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us," and hours after Trump responded by telling The Washington Post he would not endorse McCain's re-election. In that same interview, Trump also refused to endorse Ryan, who faces a primary election next week. On Wednesday, Pence had a very different message. "I'm very confident after Donald Trump is elected president and Paul Ryan is re-elected to Congress ... these two men are going to do great things," Pence said in an interview with Fox News Channel. "I talked to Donald Trump this morning about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship. He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan." While Trump has been openly hostile toward members of the media, Pence has struck a conciliatory tone. He recently gave a reporter in his travelling press entourage cupcakes for her birthday. And after law enforcement and local volunteers barred a Washington Post reporter from entering a rally in Wisconsin, Pence said on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt's radio show the campaign would evaluate its policy and added that events would be "available to the media, whether they're fair or unfair." Campaign spokesman Marc Lotter didn't respond to a request to interview Pence about his relationship with Trump. He also would not answer questions about the Indiana governor's approach to dealing with the fallout from Trump's remarks. But there are no outward signs that Trump has any issues with Pence, or that his statements come as a surprise to the candidate at the top of the ticket. Two people familiar with the campaign's inner workings said the official statements and tweets from Pence are approved at campaign headquarters. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Indiana Republican public affairs consultant Mike Murphy compared Pence's relationship with Trump to an arranged marriage. "He's staying consistent with his character and he's not changing who he is, but he's also careful not to criticise his spouse," said Murphy, who has known Pence for nearly 30 years. And Trump's voters don't seem to mind the differences. Jeanne Eskew, who attended a recent Pence rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said she hopes Pence can "balance" Trump out. "I really like Mike Pence. I feel like he's real," said Eskew, a 54-year-old former Ben Carson supporter from Holland, Michigan. "For people who are on the fence, he's very credible." PARIS Security agencies in Paris have circulated a photo of an Afghan asylum seeker on suspicion that he might be plotting an attack on the capital, a police source said on Thursday, as France reels from two strikes in a month by Islamic State loyalists. Police did not have a name for the Afghan, the source said, and no active manhunt was underway. Metronews reported that the man had been in France for the past two months. France has been under emergency rule since militant gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris in November. Last month, a Tunisian drove his truck into Bastille Day revellers in Nice, killing 84 people, and two Islamist militants cut the throat of an elderly priest. Days before the Normandy church attack on July 26, France's security services had received a tip-off from a foreign intelligence agency that a suspected militant was planning an attack, and sent out a nameless photo to different agencies. The photo turned out to be of one of the church killers, 19-year-old Abdel-Malik Nabir Petitjean. Paris is on high alert, wary in particular of the potential for an attack on the "Paris Plage" beach festival. Every summer Paris closes off a major road along one bank of the river Seine and dumps sand to create an artificial beach. Following the Nice attack, vehicles and concrete blocks are being used to block entrances to the site. More than 50 summer festivals and events are receiving special security attention this year following last month's attacks. Several have been cancelled on the basis that they cannot meet security standards. (Reporting by Gerard Bon; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Catherine Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. With 96 days to go for the US general election, Donald Trumps own party roiled by internal turmoil is desperately searching for ways to ditch the loudmouth GOP nominee. Although Clintons poll numbers are rising, the contest looks close; yet Trumps campaign is a mess. Clintons poll numbers are up on a post-convention bounce and generously helped by Trump shooting himself in the foot over remarks against a slain Muslim soldier. Clinton is sitting on piles of cash and audacious ad spends in swing states, Trumps social media led campaign was good for the primary season, its the real thing now and theres only so much free speech on free platforms can do for you in the mother of all elections. As Trump piles on self inflicted blunders, his latest one twisting a knife into the emotions of a slain soldiers family, many conservatives are preparing to take an extreme political step - vote for Hillary Clinton. Last week has been a string of stunning political errors by Trump. All along his bruising campaign, bad publicity has only made Trump more unstoppable. Has it finally caught up? Has Khizr Khan already cost Trump the White House? Right from the half-way mark during the primaries when it became clearer that it is going to be Clinton versus Trump, several patterns became obvious - this election will not be about the swing voter, its more likely that it could be a landslide. All this precisely because of the pile of bile that Trump represents. You love him or hate him, theres no middle ground that he allows the swing voter to occupy. Although its August, the idea that a non-Trump may be the GOP candidate on 8 November refuses to stub out. After an unusually bad week for Trump, people are asking yet again: Will Trump pull out and what happens if he does? Influential Republicans close to Trump are questioning whether Trump can stay at the top of the Republican ticket without disaster striking the party which has stakes beyond a single election. Paul Ryans potential 2020 run is one example. Partymen by the dozen in both red states and blue are scooting from being seen on-stage with the most disliked nominee ever in GOP history. While "dump Trump" calls have continued since the 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney trashed the billionaire's candidacy early this year, it is unclear whether the trickle of defections to Clinton's camp will become a flood after a series of bad stumbles by Trump. A nightmare 48 hours for the embattled Republican flagbearer he deepened his public feud with the parents of a fallen Muslim American soldier, refused to back House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election bid and used crass language while accepting a supporter's Purple Heart as a gift has highlighted Republicans' concerns. Trump allies openly upbraided their candidate Wednesday for his inability to stay on message, demanding more self-discipline by the political neophyte. "He has not made the transition to being the potential president of the United States," former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a loyal Trump defender, told Fox Business Network on Wednesday. In another interview, he warned that Trump will hand Clinton the election unless he changes tack. "Trump is helping her to win by proving he is more unacceptable than she is," Gingrich told The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a Fox News poll showed Clinton with a 10 point lead over Trump, at 49 to 39 percent. Just a month ago that figure stood at six points, Fox News said. Trump sought to dispel panic earlier Wednesday, reassuring voters at a Daytona Beach, Florida rally that his campaign has "never been so well united." A growing list of Clinton converts suggests otherwise. Yet, Trumps lead over Clinton with high-school-educated whites continues to rise. He could win this group better than anyone since Ronald Reagan in 1984. But 30 years ago, this population was 62 percent of the electorate; now they are around 34 percent. In other words, he needs the non whites whom he has been insulting and getting thrown out of his wild rallies. Trump 'demagoguery' undermines America Prominent tech executive Meg Whitman became the latest high-profile conservative to throw her support behind the former secretary of state, saying in a statement Wednesday that "Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character." Whitman is chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and used to be CEO of eBay. She spent some 140 million US dollars of her own money in an unsuccessful run for California governor in 2010. Her defection comes amid deep concerns at the top of the Grand Old Party about Trump, after a seemingly never-ending stream of controversies that include the nominee urging Russia to hack into Clinton's emails. Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus backs Trump, but on Wednesday Priebus was being described as "incredibly upset" that the New York real estate mogul refused to endorse Ryan's congressional re-election campaign. Trump's running mate Mike Pence sought to assuage concerns, but his Wednesday endorsement of Ryan for re-election suggested he and Trump were not on the same page. "I talked to Donald Trump this morning about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship," Pence told Fox News. "He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesday's primary and I'm pleased to do it." Meanwhile, Whitman joins other key Republicans who have announced their backing for Clinton. Richard Armitage, who served as deputy secretary of state for George W. Bush and deputy secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan, defected in June. Brent Scowcroft, respected national security advisor to two Republican presidents, endorsed Clinton, as did former Republican senator Larry Pressler of South Dakota, who cited Clinton's support for stricter gun laws. Bush Treasury secretary Hank Paulson, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, announced in a Washington Post column that he will vote for Clinton in the hope she can "do the things necessary to strengthen our economy." "To my Republican friends: I know I'm not alone." Richard Hanna on Tuesday became the first Republican member of Congress to cross the aisle and publicly back Clinton. Trump "is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna wrote in a column for Syracuse.com. While Hanna said he disagrees on many issues with Clinton, "she stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime. That matters." One Republican, Reagan administration official Doug Elmets, went so far as to announce his support for Hillary Clinton at last week's Democratic National Convention, where he told delegates: "I knew Ronald Reagan, I worked for Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump, you are no Ronald Reagan." Other Republican stalwarts, while stopping short of endorsing Clinton, are shunning Trump or the party itself. Top Jeb Bush advisor Sally Bradshaw said she is leaving the Republican Party to become an independent. And House Republican Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a US Air Force veteran, told CNN he woke up Wednesday realizing that Trump has "crossed so many red lines" that he can no longer support the nominee, "no matter what the political cost to me. Given all that we know, November 8 will answer two questions: Did Khizr Khan cost Trump the election? Is there something called bad publicity? Unlikely that both the answers may be negative. All this only if Trump doesn't get dumped right now. With inputs from agencies Click HERE for a list of our other web sites Click HERE to get filtered opportunity reports by email, starting at only $21.95/month. User login is required to use this feature. Register here Contact us if you like to have a single PDF file with each report send in your email each day. These are the responsibility of the editor and convey the newspaper's view on current affairs-both domestic and international An unemployment office in Madrid. Carlos Rosillo The review of macroeconomic forecasts that will probably provide the basis for the 2017 budget is overly complacent. The caretaker government is predicting 2.9% growth this year and 2.3% the next, as a concession to an economic slowdown that is already noticeable in quarterly statistics. Since the government has a fixed idea that economic growth will be enough in and of itself to correct the deficit within the parameters established by Brussels, it seems logical that it should maintain high growth forecasts which are not improbable, in any event. Creating unskilled, badly paid, highly temporary positions will not solve the problem But this kind of optimism, which can be viewed as a minor offense with regard to economic growth, comes closer to being a capital sin in the case of employment. The notion that the economy will create 900,000 jobs between now and next year, and that joblessless will decrease by a million people, is a baseless claim in view of the social reality around us. The relevant thing about the job market in the current situation is the quality of the jobs being offered. Creating unskilled, badly paid, highly temporary positions will not solve the problem. Everyone knows that low productivity generates precarious employment. Instead of increasing this type of agreement Spain has 200,000 contracts lasting under a month economic legislators should focus their efforts on improving hiring through more permanent positions and stable incomes. Sign up for our newsletter EL PAIS English Edition has launched 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. Thats what the government (this one or the next) should be discussing. The data about macroeconomic improvement does not accurately describe reality. Anyone who examines the labor survey EPA will soon find the real scope of this inflated job figure. There is no doubt that 900,000 jobs are better than none, but citizens deserve to know whether this recovery will continue to be characterized solely by bad jobs and low salaries. English version by Susana Urra. 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . Samsung introduced its flagship Galaxy Note7 smartphone earlier this week. It is also the first Samsung smartphone to come with Iris scanner that lets you unlock the Note7 by just looking at the phone and authenticate secure purchases that are made on Samsung Pay. Samsungs mobile communications president during the Unpacked event in New York to ZDNet said that the company is looking forward to bring Iris scanning technology to mid-end models when the cost of using one comes down. Iris scanning is an automated method of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern recognition of images of an individuals iris, either from one or both eyes. Samsung recently said that it is working on partnerships with major financial institutions such as Bank of America, Citibank and U.S. Bank to explore the integration of the iris scanner into mobile banking apps. Regarding the Iris scanner, DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, said: We did not put iris scanning in the flagship model just to do unlock. In the long run, through third parties and API, we want to connect it with apps. For mobile banking, we are thinking of applying iris scanning for large transactions, and are already talking with banks in some countries. Through continued cost cutting, iris scanning can trickle down to mid-end models. There is a view that Android is weak in security compared to its competitor and we want to expand software security that can overcome this image. Source | Via Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL 2.72%) had a strong second quarter but warned investors that currency concerns -- specifically those related to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union -- would impact the rest of the year. The company reported Q2 GAAP and adjusted earnings of $1.06 and $1.09, respectively, up over 25% from last year, beating its own expectations. Royal Caribbean also noted in its earnings release that it expected full-year adjusted earnings to come in up approximately 25%, between $6 and $6.10, down $0.20 from the midpoint of its earlier guidance. It blamed the shortfall on a negative impact of approximately $0.27 per share related to currency and fuel prices. "While there are always puts and takes in our key markets, our portfolio is performing as expected, our booked position remains strong, and our new builds are entering their markets to great fanfare," said CFO Jason T. Liberty in the release. "These factors are driving another year of record earnings." A look at the numbers In Q3, and for the rest of the year, the cruise line reported its number of bookings remains strong, close to last year's record levels. "Looking further ahead, the company's booked position for the next twelve months is also strong, up on both rate and volume, versus same time last year," the company wrote. That's driven by continued strength for North American products, which have helped offset weakness in the Eastern Mediterranean and Shanghai. The company did attribute $0.14 of its $0.27 in downward-revised expectations to weakness in the British pound due to the British vote to leave the EU. Royal Caribbean has been helped by lower-than-expected fuel prices, which offset some of the full-year impact of weaker foreign currencies and an expected rise in fuel prices. Overall net cruise costs (NCC), excluding fuel, were up 1.9% on a constant-currency basis (in-line with guidance), and the company expects that number to drop to 1% for the rest of the year. Still on course While the company does face some potential negative headwinds when it comes to the U.K. market and overall fuel prices, CEO Richard Fain said he believes the company is set for a strong year during the post-earnings conference call, which S&P Capital IQ reported: [O]verall, we would rate this year as another one for the plus column, with business consistent with expectations, including the usual swings and roundabouts in individual markets. Commercially, the Eastern Med and China have experienced some softness, while the Baltic, Western Mediterranean, Caribbean and Alaska have been strong. This is particularly important, because these latter products represent over 60% of our business. And having strength in your biggest market is what every commercial person prays for. Fain also told people on the call that the company remains on track to meet its Double-Double goals, an ambitious plan to double its 2014 earnings per share and to achieve double-digit return on invested capital (ROIC) by 2017. "Our program to accomplish that continues to focus on the same three pillars: yield improvement, effective cost control and modest capacity growth," he said. "The Double-Double program is working for us. And as we approach the final year of the program, our confidence in these targets remains firm." To deliver Double-Double as promised, Fain noted the company needs to deliver low, single-digit yield improvement while controlling spending. It has been able to do that, so it's clear the company remains on track for its stated goal, which should cheer investors despite the numbers this year not being quite as high as originally forecast. Auto giant Toyota Motor Corporation (TM 1.91%) reported its earnings for the quarter ended June 30 on August 4. Here's what investors need to know. The key numbers Like many Japanese companies, Toyota starts its fiscal year on April 1. The quarter that ended on June 30 was the first quarter of Toyota's fiscal 2017. All financial numbers shown are in millions of yen. Q1 FY2017 (ended June 30, 2016) Q1 FY2016 (ended June 30, 2015) Change Revenue 6,589,113 ($65.2B) 6,987,648 -5.7% Vehicles sold 2,172,000 2,114,000 +2.7% Operating profit 642,230 ($6.33B) 756,001 -15% Operating profit margin 9.7% 10.8% -1.1 points Net income 552,465 ($5.46B) 646,394 -14.5% JPY/USD 108 121 -11% JPY/EUR 122 134 -9% Exchange-rate shifts had a big impact on Toyota's bottom line Toyota said the biggest factor in its 15% decline in operating profit was unfavorable exchange-rate shifts, which hurt earnings by 235 billion yen ($2.32 billion) versus the year-ago quarter. A year ago, every dollar Toyota earned in the U.S. was worth 121 yen at home in Japan, but that fell to an average 108 yen per dollar in the quarter, an 11% unfavorable swing. As the above slide from Toyota's earnings presentation shows, Toyota was able to offset the exchange-rate hit to some extent. CEO Akio Toyoda's ongoing cost-reduction efforts helped, as did a modest 2.7% year-over-year increase in vehicles sold along with improvements to "mix," the ratio of more-profitable vehicles to less-profitable ones. Toyota's results by region Toyota's operating income in its home market of Japan fell 39% to 290.1 billion yen ($2.87 billion), despite an 8.7% year-over-year increase in sales. Toyota attributed the drop to rising expenses and those exchange-rate shifts. Its operating income margin in the region fell to 8.6% from 13.6% a year ago. It may sound strange that Toyota's home-market results were impacted by exchange rates. But unlike rivals such as Honda (HMC 0.95%), which have shifted much of their production overseas, Toyota still makes a substantial number of vehicles in Japan for export to world markets, including the United States. The story was reversed in North America, where Toyota's operating income rose 9.4% to 165.4 billion yen ($1.64 billion) despite a 2% year-over-year decline in vehicles sold. Its operating margin improved to 6.5% from 5.3% a year ago. Toyota attributed the profit gain to its cost-reduction efforts. Toyota's 6.5% operating margin in North America might sound low -- and it is, when compared to General Motors' (GM 0.62%) 12.1% margin and Ford's (F 1.11%) 11.3% margin in North America over the same period. The Detroit automakers sell a much more profitable mix of products in their home market, where high-profit-margin trucks and SUVs are in high demand. Toyota's product portfolio is still weighted far more heavily toward sedans and smaller vehicles that emphasize fuel efficiency, which are less popular with U.S. buyers at the moment. The decline in gasoline prices hasn't helped all automakers to the same extent. In Europe, Toyota's operating income fell 17% to 8.5 billion yen ($84.1 million) despite a 7.8% gain in sales, with an operating profit margin of just 1.4%. Exchange rates were the culprit again -- this time the depreciation of the British pound and Russian ruble against the yen. In Asia (outside of Japan, but including China), operating income rose 22% to 124.6 billion yen ($1.23 billion) on a 17% jump in sales. Expenses in the region rose, Toyota said, but its cost reduction and that big jump in sales more than made up for it. In Toyota's rest-of-the-world unit, including Central and South America, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East, operating income fell 18.6% to 28.1 billion yen ($277.8 million) as sales fell 10.8%. Toyota said the profitability of its imports was "undermined" by "weaker lower currencies and an increase in expenses." Toyota's Financial Services unit earned 81.6 billion yen ($807 million), down 15.7% from a year ago. It attributed the drop to exchange-rate shifts and "residual value losses." Because the value of used sedans has fallen as crossover SUVs have become more popular, the sedans Toyota gets back when leases end are worth less when they're sold at auction. Lower full-year guidance as exchange-rate assumptions change Toyota revised its forecasts for the full fiscal year that will end on April 1, 2017. Based on exchange-rate assumptions of 102 yen to the U.S. dollar and 113 yen to the euro, it now expects revenue of 26 trillion yen (revised downward from its 26.5 trillion forecast at the beginning of the fiscal year), operating income of 1.6 trillion yen (down from 1.7 trillion yen) with an operating margin of 6.2% (down from 6.4%), and net income of 1.45 trillion yen (down from 1.5 trillion yen). It expects to sell 10.15 million vehicles, unchanged from its earlier forecast. Buying a regional craft beer brewer for a billion dollars when the industry is slowing down takes a bit of bravado -- and a willingness to withstand second-guessing of your decision. So, it's a bit understandable if Constellation Brands (STZ 2.00%) CEO Rob Sands used the first-quarter earnings conference call with analysts to crow a little bit about Ballast Point Brewing's performance. Crafting heady growth According to Sands, Ballast Point is the fastest-growing craft beer in the U.S., with depletion rates of more than 60% in the quarter. Depletions are sales from distributors to retailers and are considered a reliable proxy for consumer demand. So, considering craft beer is really the only segment of the beer industry that's posting any real growth -- even if it is suffering from a bit of consumer fatigue -- Constellation Brands' achievement with Ballast Point is something to boast about. No doubt a good part of the growth has been thanks to placing the craft beer into Constellation's distribution network. Primarily a west coast brewer, Ballast Point expanded into Colorado last year and announced in May it would be opening its first east coast brewery in Virginia. Ballast Point was already one of the fastest-growing craft beers when Constellation picked it up last year (and no doubt what attracted the beer and liquor distributor to it in the first place), and it looks as though its trajectory will remain on a sharply inclined plane. Going flat According to The Brewers Association, craft beer sales continue to grow in 2016, but at a slower pace than the double-digit rates we've become accustomed to. The craft brew industry trade group says that over the first six months of the year, production volume rose 8% year over year, a big drop from the 13% rate it notched in the first half of 2015, and just half the 16% expansion it enjoyed in 2014. Much of the slowdown can be attributed to declining volumes at the largest craft brewers. Although Boston Beer (SAM 1.73%) has arguably been the face of the craft beer industry for years, its flagship Samuel Adams brand is suffering from falling depletions, which were down 5% in the second quarter and are off by a like amount over the first six months of the year. Similarly, growth is down at other big craft brewers like New Belgium Brewing and Sierra Nevada, too. But the industry remains otherwise healthy in that the smallest breweries, especially those producing less than 15,000 barrels annually, continue to grow at 30% rates. With Ballast Point growing at twice that rate, it might soon be big enough to take on Boston Beer and D. G. Yuengling and Son, the craft industry's biggest producer. A rose by any other name Of course, this all depends on what your definition of craft beer is. The industry trade group has its own idea: Small: annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or fewer. Independent: less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by mass brewers. Traditional: derives its flavor from the use of traditional or innovative ingredients and their fermentation. Constellation's acquisition of Ballast Point would put it out of the Brewers Association's league, but as more big brewers buy up their craft brethren, or even begin brewing their own craft knockoffs, the once bright line that separated the two has been muddied. While the craft industry likes to refer to such beers as "craft-y," drinkers themselves aren't necessarily so hardcore and look more toward how a beer tastes and the ingredients used. That attitude allowed Anheuser-Busch InBev's (BUD 1.27%) craft-like Shock Top brand to rocket to the top of the most popular brews, though in more recent periods, its sales have sagged. There may be some sentimental reasons for looking to Boston Beer or Yuengling as the true heart of the craft industry, but A-B has picked up more than a few small brewers over the years, and with Constellation Brands picking up what could be the hottest name in craft beer today, it just might find itself the undisputed king of the craft brew industry. Have you heard of the Faroe Islands? Probably notbut don't worry! In fact, if you look at a world map and see a few fuzzy dots just north of Scotland, there's nothing wrong with your eyes those are actually the islands. Its one of the last countries to be discovered and spans about 540 square miles (that's about half the size of Rhode Island). However, thats not what makes these islands so special. Also known as Sheep Islands, its the inhabitants that really make it unique as its home to more sheep than people. Nearly 70,000 woolly animals and only about 50,000 people call this remote location home. "They're walking on the streets, almost everywhere, said Guri Hjgaard, CEO of Visit Faroe Islands. They think they own this country, I think." The Faroe Islands don't show up on Google Street View (NASDAQ:GOOGL) a tool that allows people to check out an area from their computer before deciding whether or not to discover it in person. "We have a big job to do to put the Faroe Islands on the map and to tell everyone what there is to see and do in this lovely place," said Hjgaard. This also impacts the tourism industry, an important source of revenue for the Islands. "It gives two sorts of income you can say -- both economic income but also other income in terms of widening the labor market here in the Faroe Islands that is very much focused on fishing and these kinds of things," said Hjgaard. After reaching out to Google and not having much luck, Hjgaard and her team decided to take matters into their own hands. Taking a 360 camera and mounting it on a sheep marked the creation of Sheepview360 -- the Faroe Islands version of Google Street View. "We sent them mail in the beginning of this process and we didn't really get an answer," said Durita Andreassen, Sheepview360 Project Manager. "So, instead of [continuously] mailing and contacting them that way, we thought, okay Let's do something creative." What better way to show what the Faroe Islands have to offer than through the eyes of its most popular resident? "The idea was a bit crazy, with cameras on sheep," said Andreassen. "So, we worked very slowly, making this harness, trying it on the sheep. And it worked out very well." Sheep Island is counting on these videos to help spark international attention. "The whole idea is also to get the attention from Google, and now, we're kind of out there and the media around the world knows about the story," said Andreassen. "But we will keep on until Google says, We will come to the Faroe Islands and make Street View." To see their world through the eyes of a sheep, watch the video above, and to learn more about Sheep Islands mission check out their website. Pastor Saeed Abedini, one of four American hostages released from Iran on Tuesday, joined the FOX Business Networks Trish Regan to describe the night he was set free. First of all, Im so thankful for my freedom, he said. There is nothing like a life of being free. Abedini said he and the others waited a full night in the airport. According to police, they were waiting for another plane to arrive. They told us youre going to be there for 20 minutes, but it took like hours and hours, Abedini said. We slept at the airport. Abedini said the plane and pilot were there, and everyone was ready to go, but they didnt leave until 10 a.m. the next day. They eventually flew to the U.S. in the plane that had been sitting at the airport overnight. When asked whether he believes the U.S. paid the Iranian government a ransom for his release, Abedini said he has his suspicions, but they didnt talk about money. We call them terrorists and I dont believe they are going to use this money for building orphanages, which I was arrested for, but I prefer that the politicians answer this question. Abedini said he is more concerned about worsening human rights conditions in Iran. Im very grateful about my release and freedom, but there are some people still left behind and Christians who are still in prison, he said. Two days ago some of my friends have been executed because of their faith. Every Wednesday they execute 100 people. During an interview with the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke weighed in on the stabbing spree in London. Im not going to tell the U.K. what to do, but here in the United States, we have a Constitution I trust law-abiding citizens. We are going to have to enlist the help of armed law-abiding citizens when they visit these public spaces. We have to get rid of this crazy idea of a gun-free zone and allow citizens to play a role, he said. Clarke used the Israeli approach as an example. We are never going to end all the attacks, but in Israel, what they are able to do with the Israeli approach, to limit the carnageif [a] stabbing starts to occur, there is a soldier or an Israeli police officer nearby because they actually occupy the area. This thing ends real quickly, the perp is dead, few casualties if any, and thats what we want to see, he said. Clarke also discussed whether the U.S. needs to investigate law enforcement officials that have converted to Islam in the wake of allegations that D.C. Metro Transit Police Officer Nicholas Young attempted to help ISIS. We need Congress to do a reset on how we are doing domestic intelligence here in the United States. This is a very stupid way to deal with radicalized AmericansYou cant spend six years on an investigationThey spend years and years and years and nothing happens and they deem that the individual is not a threat, when they are a threat. The red flags on this guy happened well before six years. He added: If youre talking stupid we are going to make you pay. You are an enemy combatant. You need to be brought in for a thorough debriefing and then your intelligence analysts keep up with themWe need a true domestic intelligence. We need a wartime model. You have finally reached your retirement age and are feeling comfortable that your nest egg will take care of your financial needs for as long as you need. But do you have an emergency slush fund set up for those unforeseen home repair or medical expenses? According to a recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, two-thirds of Americans would have trouble coming up with the money to cover a $1,000 emergency. (What may be surprising to some is that it was a big problem for all income groups.) Even if you have already retired, it is never too late to save. "In their retirement years, seniors are relying primarily on their retirement fund, Social Security, and pensions," says Elliot Hollander, founder of http://www.silverfox.care/. "Instead of maintaining a contingency fund of three months of savings, retired seniors should aim to save up more, in the event that they need personal or medical care down the road. While it's more difficult to save when you don't have money coming in, it's definitely possible and important to do so." Hollander discussed with FOXBusiness.com the importance of maintaining an emergency fund so you are not withdrawing from your retirement accounts. Here is what you need to know. Boomer: While an emergency fund is necessary at every stage of an adult's life, why is it even more important in retirement? Hollander: An emergency fund is more important in retirement because once retired, you are usually living off a combination of savings, and any fixed income produced by investments and government programs such as Social Security, rather than a salary. Additionally, as individuals age, their typical annual expenses for health care usually increase, and risk of disease or injury can also be higher. Boomer: Should Baby Boomers set up an emergency fund separate from their retirement savings? How large should a retirement emergency fund be? Hollander: It's not necessary to have an emergency fund in a separate bank account than your savings, per se, however depending on your personal ability to budget, this could be advantageous. The recommended amount of money in an emergency fund varies based on an individual's current and projected cost of living. A good general guideline is approximately 6 to 12 months of your average living expenses, and obviously the more the better. Boomer: What needs to be taken into consideration when setting up and maintaining an emergency fund? Hollander: When setting up an emergency fund, individuals should take into consideration their current insurance coverage including life insurance and health insurance, as well as their average monthly 'burn rate' (total monthly cost of living) and any dependents they are currently assisting, or may in the future be required to assist (children, grandchildren, or other friends/relatives). They also need to consider their current state of health and any existing conditions, anticipated increase in health insurance costs, and future costs of estate planning, and any senior services that may be required such as assisted living, skilled nursing, home healthcare, and hospice. Boomer: Should you use an IRA for those unforeseen emergency expenses in retirement? Hollander: It's a good idea to have a clear understanding of not only your liquid assets, but also any equity you have in real estate, traded securities (stocks, bonds, IRAs, 401(k)s, etc), and any outstanding debt. IRAs and 401(k)s can be great backups to emergency fund accounts, however those accounts typically take longer to liquidate, and the proceeds may not be readily available in the event of a true emergency. Therefore, while you should take those accounts into consideration for retirement planning, you should not rely on them for exclusively for emergency funds. Consulting with a professional financial planner is highly recommended for retirement and emergency fund planning. The value you'll receive from their consultation will be significantly higher than the cost, and bring additional peace of mind. IMAGE SOURCE: SUNCOR ENERGY. Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU) announced heavy losses in its second-quarter earnings, as the impacts of large Canadian wildfires crushed the company's oil-sands production. Suncor posted $558 million (C$735 million) in net losses, caused in large part by the $806 million in net losses from its oil-sands operations. The second-quarter losses couldn't have come at a worse time for Suncor, as it tries to boost confidence in its $6 billion in investments in oil sandsover the past year. But while the quarter highlighted the perils of investing too heavily in a single region, it also offered several positive developments. As investors, you might consider chalking these earnings up to extremely bad luck and focus instead on the fact that Suncor remains a solid long-term addition to your portfolio. Fire damage No amount of fire retardant could tamp down the adverse impacts of the wildfires that shut down Suncor's oil sands production for close to two months this quarter. While no facilities were damaged, the company's production from the region dropped from 565,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOE/D) in the first quarter to just 213,000 BOE/D in the second quarter. For a company that expects to produce between 585,000 and 620,000 BOE/D in 2016, those losses are difficult to stomach. The losses are reflected in Suncor's cash flows from its oil sands operations, which dropped to negative-$153 million, as opposed to positive cash flows of over $800 million from the same quarter in 2015. The company's overall cash flows haven't covered its capital expenditures for three straight quarters now. That has led to free cash flow for the past year of negative-$1.75 billion. That's largely driven by the historically low oil prices during that time, and the wildfires just added to the pain. All of this comes after Suncor spent $6 billion to take majority interests in the Syncrude and Fort Hills oil sands ventures over the past year. Long-term, these investments will help to significantly boost production. Short-term, though, Suncor will probably incur further losses as it invests further capital to bring these projects to their desired outputs while oil prices keep cash flows low. Glimmers of hope Now remember, when a company can't pay for expenditures and investments with its cash flow, it must dig into its cash on hand or take on further debt. So it stands to reason that Suncor's balance sheet took a hit in the second quarter. Believe it or not, though, the company actually lowered its total debt-to-capitalization from over 29% last quarter to just over 28%. Suncor managed these improvements by issuing a share issuance worth roughly $2.2 billion and paying off long-term notes worth about $1.2 billion. It used part of the proceeds to pay for Murphy Oil's 5% interest in Syncrude. By taking care of its balance sheet amid the wildfires and low oil prices, Suncor showed its commitment to financial discipline while retaining approximately $2.3 billion in cash on hand. Additionally, while Suncor's strong bet on the oil sands exposes the company to damaging events such as a wildfire, the second quarter showed the strength of its diversified portfolio. As oil sands were losing $800 million, Suncor's refining and marketing business earned $522 million. Had Suncor been limited to strictly upstream income, the second quarter would have been significantly more damaging. Foolish bottom line Suncor's second quarter highlighted both the risks and strengths of its strategy. Its all-in approach to oil sands means investors might have to weather difficult quarters if oil prices remain low or the region experiences a downturn. Its fiscal discipline and impressive portfolio diversification, though, will help the company maintain solvency until its investments can boost its cash flows. Wildfires ultimately wrecked Suncor's second quarter, but you should still feel comfortable about its long-term prospects. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. David Lettis 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. Expanded produce retail and distribution is one area SUPERVALU is trying to grow. Image source: Getty Images. SUPERVALU INC.(NYSE: SVU) reported financial results for its first quarter on July 27, and just as it did when the company last announced earnings in April, reported declining revenue and profits in a highly competitive industry. The 4% sales dip, though, wasn't a surprise, particularly with many of the products it sells and distributes, such as eggs, milk, and ground beef costing less this year.However, the 26% drop in earnings per share was a bit unexpected, as reflected in the nearly 13% decrease in the company's share price following the earnings release. Let's take a closer look at SUPERVALU's first-quarter earnings. The keys toSUPERVALU'sfinancial results Metric Q1 2017 Q1 2016 Change Revenue $5,196.0 $5,407.0 (3.9%) Net income $46.0 $61.0 (24.6%) Earnings per share $0.17 $0.23 (26.1%) Revenue and net income in millions. Data source: SUPERVALU. Net income fell 25%, but it's worth noting that SUPERVALU's gross profit margin remained the same, at 15% in the quarter. However, SG&A expense was only down about 1%. In other words, the company wasn't able to gain any additional operating leverage just because revenue fell in the quarter, leaving the company with a $25 million decline in operating income. Here's a breakdown of sales results by segment: Wholesale: Revenue fell 7.6% to $2.46 billion, due to lost customers and lower sales to existing customers. Save-A-Lot: Revenue at the 1,300-plus retail operation was up 1.7% to $1.43 billion, driven by new store openings. Identical store sales (commonly called comps) -- both company-owned and licensee -- fell 1.4%. Retail: Sales at the company's non-Save-A-Lot retail stores of $1.43 billion, a 2.9% decline from last year. Identical store sales fell 4.5% in the quarter. The impact of lower prices played a pretty significant role in the company's sales decline. According to Save-A-Lot CEO Eric Claus, the Save-A-Lot corporate stores would have had positive comps in the quarter, if the negative price impact of ground beef, eggs, and milk were taken out of the mix. However, it was the impact of lost customers at the wholesale level that had the biggest impact on SUPERVALU's revenue decline. The biggest culprit in lower profits, however, appeared to be the retail segment, which reported a $25 million decline in operating income. That was equal to the operating income decline in the Wholesale and Save-A-Lot segments combined. More on the Save-A-Lot spinoff In the quarter, SUPERVALU took several steps that moved it closer to being able to make a move with Save-A-Lot. SUPERVALU CEO Mark Gross said that the company had filed an amended SEC filing related to the potential spinoff in June, and that he expected to have updated separate financials for the Save-A-Lot business soon. COO and CFO Bruce Besanko said that the company also amended its term loan to allow for certain transactions necessary to spin off Save-A-Lot. In other words, the operating business may have taken a step or two back, but they moved the ball down the field when it comes to moving forward with Save-A-Lot as a separate business. Bonus update: On Aug. 3, SUPERVALU issued a press release related to the Save-A-Lot separation, announcing that it continues to pursue its plan to partly spin off the business as a separate company while retaining partial interest, but that it was "prepared to consider other alternatives to improve stockholder value, and in this regard is also evaluating a possible sale of Save-A-Lot." It's probably too soon to read anything into this announcement, but after nearly one year since the company first announced its plans to separate Save-A-Lot from the rest of the company, something's gotta give. Eventually. Moving forward SUPERVALU's plans for Save-A-Lot are still up in the air, but at some point the company will move forward with a plan that management thinks will generate the most long-term value. For nearly a year the thought has been that a spinoff with the company retaining some ownership would be the direction, but a potential sale would give the company a lot of cash that it could use to reduce debt, pay a special dividend, other strategic purposes such as acquisitions in better growth opportunities, or (this seems likely) some combination of those. The "when" remains unknown, though the latest announcement would indicate it could be sooner rather than later. At the same time, the company continues to operate in an exceedingly competitive business that doesn't have huge growth prospects. The company acquired 22 grocery stores in the quarter, while also reaching a long-term supply agreement with Marsh Supermarkets to supply 70 of its stores in two states. Moving forward, much of its growth will be drive by taking market share from competitors and acquisitions, though opening new retail stores will continue to play a role as well. For now, the company has work to do to make up for lost ground in recent quarters, especially in its wholesale business, where the impact of lost customers is weighing heavily on the bottom line. No matter the end-result of the Save-A-Lot separation, retaining and growing its customer base in its wholesale business is going to be critically important to the company's long-term success and profits. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Jason Hall has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends SuperValu. 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. Lieberman, who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000, added: I may get involved as time goes on. Im one of those people, and therere a lot of us I think, who cant feel quite comfortable either way yet. He also described why he believes politics, namely this election in particular, have started to divide Americans. It used to be that members of both parties or different parties would disagree and then theyd go out and have dinner or have a drink together, Lieberman said. They separated. They still respected each other, were all Americans, et cetera. Its getting to be like Family Feud, but more than a family feud; its getting to be like civil war. And that eats away at our society. We need to wake up before its too late. Before a catastrophe, including a terrorist attack, forces us to come together. Commenting on the U.S. paying $400 million to Iran, he said: I disagree with what the Administration did. Of course I feel the whole Iran nuclear agreement was a bad deal for America. We went in to the negotiations with an upper hand and we let the Iranians feel that we wanted a deal more than they did. This is like salt in the wound in a way. That in the end, for all we gave them as part of that nuclear agreement that they insisted that we pay them cash for hostages of ours that they were holding that was just really outrageous, immoral. At least 41 American service members, including one pregnant woman, have been diagnosed with the Zika virus while on active duty overseas, a Pentagon spokesperson told Fox News Wednesday. The Pentagon said that seven family members of those servicemen and women also have contracted the virus, which usually leads to mild symptoms, but can cause severe birth defects in children and has been linked to paralysis. The Pentagon told Fox News that all of the troops contracted Zika overseas, and are being treated at undisclosed locations, citing privacy concerns. The two types of mosquitoes known to carry the virus including its primary vector, the Aedes aegypti are found at nearly 200 stateside installations ranging from Texas and Florida to New York, Military.com reported. "DoD is actively testing mosquitoes for Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S. as part of our ongoing integrated vector control and surveillance programs at bases and installations," said Army Maj. Roger Cabiness, the spokesman from the Department of Defense (DoD), according to Military.com. News of the overseas infections in the military comes amid preparations for the Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, where thousands of babies have been born with Zika-linked defects including microcephaly, a condition wherein childrens heads do not fully develop. In the continental United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that 15 Zika infections in South Florida were likely caused by local transmission via mosquito bites. On Wednesday, Florida began aerial insecticide spraying of a 10-mile area in Miami-Dade County, including the one-square-mile area north of downtown Miami that health officials have identified as the hub of Zika transmission in the state. All previous Zika infections in the U.S. have been travel-related. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and Reuters contributed to this report. If nutrition labels require a smartphone app to unlock, will consumers read them? That is the debate dividing healthy-food advocates and some food manufacturers that intend to use so-called QR codes in part to comply with new federal label requirements. The law, signed last week by President Barack Obama, obliges food companies to flag genetically modified ingredients with plain writing, an icon developed by regulators, or digitally readable symbols known as a QR code. The law lets companies make GMO disclosures using only QR codes and not wordssomething the food industry supported. Short for quick-response code, the digital symbols provide product information to smartphone users who scan them with a dedicated app. That cumbersome process has drawn criticism from healthy food advocates who want ingredients derived from biotech crops flagged as explicitly as possible. It is my hope that food corporations reject high-tech gimmicks like QR codes, said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of the Just Label It advocacy group and Stonyfield Farm, an organic yogurt maker. Click for more from The Wall Street Journal. When Dustin and Penny Howard brought their newborn daughter Harper home from the hospital in spring 2010, all seemed normal for the Carrollton, Texas, family. But less than three weeks later, Harper began suffering from violent seizures that would ultimately lead to countless doctors visits, medications and therapies until her untimely death at age 5. For two weeks we were the perfect family of four, Penny Howard, told FoxNews.com. Then [Harper] had seizures starting at 2 weeks old, and from there, we were thrown into this life of special needs that we had no idea how to navigate. Over the next 10 months, the Howards traveled the country searching for a diagnosis for their daughters condition as well as any medications that would reduce the number of seemingly constant seizures that wracked her small body. It wasnt until they visited the Childrens Hospital of Boston, and met with an epilepsy specialist there, that her condition was given a name. A chromosome analysis revealed that Harper was living with a disorder known as CDKL5. Whats in a name? CDKL5 is a rare, non-hereditary genetic condition resulting in early onset seizures that are incredibly difficult to control, according to the International Foundation for CDKL5 Research. It is often associated with severe neurodevelopmental impairment as well. [CDKL5] does not allow the nerve cells to develop properly, Dr. Richard Rivera, a pediatrician at Texas Physicians Health Group in Carrollton, Texas, who treated Harper told FoxNews.com. This results in developmental delay, mental retardation, growth retardation, and intractable seizures. The CDKL5 gene is located on the X-chromosome, according to Rivera, and typically codes for an enzyme that has been known to play a role in regulating and maintaining normal brain development. It is understood, Rivera said, that children with CDKL5 are missing that specific enzyme. However, the cause for CDKL5 and the role that the CDKL5 enzyme plays in the body is not entirely known. CDKL5 is extremely rare; Rivera cites less than 200 documented cases of the disorder since the 1940s, when it was first described. After Harpers diagnosis, the Howards were unwavering in their search for a treatment for their daughter, who had been suffering from a multitude of symptoms including gastrointestinal and metabolic problems, cardiovascular issues and severe developmental delay. Additionally Harpers seizures were occurring up to 20 times per day. Seizures stole everything from her, Penny said. Basically, we spent three years chasing a better quality of life. We traveled the U.S., went to several different doctors trying to figure out a way to make her life just a little bit better here and a little bit better there. Penny also detailed the numerous surgeries that Harper underwent throughout her life, including one that fitted her with a gastronomy tube a tube that is inserted through the abdomen and allows for the delivery of medication and food directly to the stomach and a vesicostomy, which is a surgical opening made in the bladder that allows urine to drain to the outside of the body, thus preventing urinary tract infections. Its a medical nightmare for a lot of these kids, Penny said. There is not a single pharmaceutical drug currently on the market that can treat seizures for children with CDKL5, according to Penny. Instead patients are often given a number of anti-epileptic medications in addition to various types of therapies that attempt to improve motor function. Looking for alternatives In July 2013, however, Penny discovered Real Scientific Hemp Oil (RSHO), a legal substance derived from cannabis that contains a substance called cannabidiol (CBD) which, according to ProjectCBD.org, has been shown to provide relief from seizures that fail to be controlled by other treatments. RSHO contains no trace of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound found in marijuana that is responsible for the drugs hallucinogenic effects. Harpers treatment with RSHO began two months after her mother learned about the oil from HempMeds.com, and after just a few months of it being administered to her, Harpers family and doctors said they saw a noticeable change in the daily number of seizures she was experiencing. [Harper] ran the gamut of all the medications, some not effective at all, some improved [the seizures] slightly, Rivera said. Then I remember Penny coming to me [with RSHO] and I said I cant find a reason not to, lets try it, and a couple weeks later she seemed more alert, more awake, and the seizures started decreasing, after a couple of months they were down to one to two a day. Harpers change, her mother recalled, was incredible. After we were able to find a way to help stop her seizures, she really came to life and had a wonderful life and was an amazing little girl who liked to do typical 5-year-old things, Penny said. She went from existing as part of our family, to being an interactive part of our family and thats a big deal, because for three years, we had no interaction from her whatsoever. For the next three years, the Howard family enjoyed their new life with Harper, who was still living with CDKL5 and its symptoms, but her attitude, interaction, and communication, they noticed, had improved substantially. A turn for the worse However, in January of 2016 Harper was diagnosed with a cold that then developed into pneumonia. Pneumonia was not uncommon for Harper, as children with CDKL5 and similar disorders are often at an increased risk for a compromised or sensitive immune system, Rivera asserts. In most of children with [CDKL5], the disorder itself is not what is fatal; usually [death] is caused by secondary complications, Rivera said. [Kids with CDKL5] dont have a strong cough and cant take deep breaths unless you go to extreme lengths like intubation or putting them on a ventilator and [Harpers family] didnt want to do that. Harper entered the hospital on January 6 because her pneumonia had caused a life-threating metabolic imbalance and her organs were slowly shutting down. This imbalance, Penny said, was not detected until Harper was brought to the hospital, and by then, it was already too late. She died two days later; just three months shy of her sixth birthday. Harpers legacy The Howards made the decision to donate Harpers brain and skin tissue to CDKL5 research in hopes of advancing a better understanding of the disorder and bring about a treatment that would help other children with CDKL5. To us, we kind of had come to terms that the inevitable was that she would pass away, we just didn't know when, Penny said. And it was an honor to be able to leave that as her final gift to continue to move science forward. Today, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine are utilizing Harpers donation to aid their research which focuses on the causes of CDKL5 and any potential treatments. Harpers tissue is also being studied at the University of Pennsylvania. We want to understand the gene that leads to the disorder and how that gene expression affects the cell, and how it creates problems in the patient, Dr. Alysson Muotri, researcher and an associate professor at UC San Diego, told FoxNews.com. The other part focuses on finding treatments and drugs that can interfere with the pathway of CDKL5. Since Harpers donation, researchers said they have managed to create a mini-brain that maps neurodevelopment in children with CDKL5 during the first trimester of human growth. This allows them to view the initial stages of the disease. Harpers brain was the first with CDKL5 to be donated towards research and is crucial to the work they are doing, researchers said. Part of the reason [for the difficulties of CDKL5 research] is the lack of materials to study. Without brain tissue, we cant learn how CDKL5 works in the brain, Muotri said. Most donations we receive are from patients that are still alive, not the brain tissue, because its hard for families to donate the brains of loved ones, but its very important for research. Further complications of CDKL5 research stem from its lack of funding. We just dont have support, with such unique disorders we dont receive the funding, Muotri said. Pharma is not interested in helping; instead we use philanthropy for funding. If we had more support the pace of the research would be much faster. The Howards said the existence of Harpers living cells allow them to feel closer to their daughter, and for Harpers sixth birthday Penny and her husband decided to visit those cells located at the research center in San Diego. The visit, the researchers said, led to an emotional experience. Weve had lots of families that have donated cells, but Harper was the first to pass away, Muotri said. [The visit] was very emotional for everyone involved; my students growing the cells and the family, but it was a very positive experience, the family was amazing and very open minded, and very happy to see that [Harper] was still alive and contributing science. The future of CDKL5 research, Muotri said, will focus on identifying drugs to help patients with CDKL5 and begin clinical trials on potential treatments. In light of their heartbreak, the Howards remain optimistic and are still vital figures within the network of CDKL5 families. They continue to share Harpers story through their blog, Hope4Harper.com, confident that their story will help the many other families living with a child with special needs. We shared [Harpers story] just not even realizing the impact that this would have for thousands of people, Penny said. We opened our lives so that we could help others and provide them with the little bit of hope that we were searching for. For more information, visit Hope4Harper.com. The common practice of temporarily replacing sick workers with healthy ones previously believed to slow the onset of disease may actually increase the spread of illness, suggests new research aimed at modeling and improving disease outbreak plans. When a teacher or nurse catches a cold, they are typically sent home and a separate employee takes over. This practice, researchers assert in a study published Wednesday in Nature Physics, may put replacements particularly those working in environments conducive to the spread of disease, such as schools or hospitals at risk for contracting the illness. By staying at home after getting sick, employees are removing themselves from the environment that caused them to become ill but a healthy individual has been put in their place. This new individual, who had not made contact with the disease prior, is now in an environment where they are much more likely to catch and subsequently spread the illness, researchers said. Particularly, if the replacement becomes sick, they are then likely to transmit the disease to individuals who would not have been infected by the original worker, thus increasing the overall number of people sickened daily, study authors argued. Inspired by the Ebola outbreak that wracked regions of West Africa, researchers analyzed data from past disease outbreaks, studying 17 flu epidemics that occurred in the United States as well as the data from 17 years of dengue fever occurrences in Puerto Rico. The study used a combination of mathematics and computer simulations to model a system the researchers refer to as relational exchange. This exchange, they said, would replace the sick individuals with healthy ones, and the healthy individuals would thus inherit the acquaintances and contacts of the sick individual. When relational exchange was modeled, researchers calculated an exponential increase in the number of individuals infected each day during the period directly before the epidemic rate peaked. The results of the simulation came in sharp contrast to standard disease spread models, called mass-action models, which are used by health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to combat epidemic outbreaks, and generally call for substitute workers to be used, researchers said. "One take-home of our study is that it may be very difficult to predict the size of a disease outbreak," lead researcher Sam Scarpino, an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Vermont, said in a news release. "And mass-action models can't really account for the kind of sudden speedup and slowdown in transmission that many real-world epidemics show. Current mass-action models assume that infected individuals will interact randomly with other people and that estimates provide forecasters with a worst-case scenario that helps them map the spread of disease. However, researchers argued that their relational exchange-based model is more accurate, and said it provides a more realistic look at the workplace by qualifying the interactions individuals have rather than having them as random. These new findings do not mean that employees should remain at work when sick, Scarpino said. Instead, researchers want their results to be used to improve disease outbreak action plans and develop better disease protection systems. "If you're making strategic decisions about how many health care workers you need, how many people you might expect to show up in the hospital, or how many courses of antivirals or antibiotics you might need, then the pace and tempo of cases matters deeply," Scarpino said. "With a huge number of new cases coming in, that could easily overwhelm the health care system and hospitals." Researchers acknowledged removing sick individuals from a workplace is often one of the only options employers have during a disease outbreak, but they further stressed the importance of providing vaccinations for employees. "Our study suggests that replacing sick workers quickly throughout an epidemic is important," Scarpino said in the release, "and vaccines, if they're available, should be provided to substitute teachers and nurses and other critical replacement workers as far in advance as possible." next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 U.S. government researchers said on Wednesday they have begun their first clinical trial of a Zika vaccine as concerns over the mosquito-borne virus mount following the first cases of local transmission in the continental United States. There is no approved vaccine or drug for Zika, a virus spreading rapidly in the Americas that can cause the birth defect microcephaly, marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. A number of companies and academic groups are racing to develop a Zika vaccine, which is not expected to be ready for widespread use for at least two to three years. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health federal research agency, said its early-stage clinical trial will involve at least 80 healthy volunteers ages 18 to 35 at three study sites. It said the trial will evaluate the experimental vaccine's safety and ability to elicit an immune system response. "A safe and effective vaccine to prevent Zika virus infection and the devastating birth defects it causes is a public health imperative," NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a statement. U.S. vaccine maker Inovio Pharmaceuticals in June won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to begin testing its Zika vaccine in humans. It began its clinical trial last month, aiming to enroll 40 healthy adult volunteers in Miami, Philadelphia and Quebec City. U.S. concerns over Zika, which is spreading rapidly in the Americas and has hit Brazil the hardest, have increased since Florida authorities last week reported the first signs of local transmission of the virus in a Miami neighborhood. Public health officials have said small, localized outbreaks are likely in southern U.S. states already vulnerable to mosquito-borne disease. The White House said President Barack Obama spoke by telephone to Florida Governor Rick Scott about the Zika outbreak. Texas health officials said on Wednesday that they were on high alert for local Zika transmission and urged residents to follow precautions against mosquito bites. "It's the perfect mix - local transmission in Florida, travel to Brazil, and we're at the height of mosquito season in Texas," said John Hellerstedt, Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner, referring to the Olympic Games beginning this week in Rio. Fauci said that while it will "take some time" before a vaccine against Zika is commercially available, the launch of the study marked an important step forward. The study sites for the NIH vaccine trial were: NIH facilities in Bethesda, Maryland; the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore; and Emory University in Atlanta. The NIAID said the vaccine approach is similar to one used for another vaccine it developed for West Nile virus. The Zika vaccine includes a piece of DNA that has been engineered to contain genes for proteins of the Zika virus. Such DNA vaccines do not contain infectious material so they cannot cause a person to become infected with Zika, the NIAID said. STRATEGIES IN THE ZIKA FIGHT U.S. officials are willing to consider a range of options to control the spread of the Zika virus, the White House said in response to questions about whether it would be willing to relax restrictions on some pesticides. "We'll certainly rely on the advice of experts in making decisions about the most effective strategies to deploy to fight the mosquito population," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing. As with past, high-profile disease outbreaks, a new crop of businesses have begun to tout unproven products that protect against Zika. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said his office has sent cease-and-desist letters to seven companies accused of deceptively marketing ineffective Zika-protection products. Schneiderman also issued an alert warning consumers against the companies' advertisements, which mainly promote ultrasonic and botanical oil-based mosquito repellants. Those products, mostly sold online with some at discount and local stores, "simply don't work," Schneiderman told a news conference. Schneiderman said his office will pursue further legal action if the companies do not respond to the cease-and-desist letters, which warn businesses to halt unlawful activity. He said they were mainly "fly-by-night" operations likely to shut down and pop up elsewhere to evade law enforcement. "Our first goal is to shut them down," Schneiderman said. On the eve of the Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks -- the courageous international organization dedicated to governmental transparency -- exposed hundreds of internal emails circulated among senior staff of the Democratic National Committee during the past 18 months. At a time when Democratic Party officials were publicly professing neutrality during the partys presidential primaries, the DNCs internal emails showed a pattern of distinct bias toward the candidacy of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a marked prejudice toward the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Some of the emails were raw in their tone, and some could fairly be characterized as failing to respect Sanders Jewish heritage. The revelation caused a public uproar during the weekend preceding the opening of the Democratic convention in Philadelphia last week, and it caused the DNC to ask its own chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to resign. When she declined to do so, President Barack Obama personally intervened and implored her to leave. She submitted to the presidents wishes, gave up her public role as chair of the convention and eventually resigned as chair of the DNC late last week. In order to take everyones eyes off this intrusive and uncomfortable bouncing ball, the leadership of the DNC, in conjunction with officials of the Clinton campaign, blamed the release of the DNC emails on hackers employed by Russian intelligence agents. Many in the media picked up this juicy story and repeated it all last week. Clinton promptly named Wasserman Schultz as a campaign consultant and complained that the Russians are trying to influence the presidential election. She did not complain about the unfairness manifested in the emails, complete with their religious prejudice; she only complained about Russian President Vladimir Putin's helping Donald Trump. But the Russians had nothing to do with it. Last week, William Binney, a 30-year career official at the National Security Agency turned whistleblower, revealed the unthinkable. Binney, who devised the software that the NSA has used to capture the contents of emails and cellphone conversations of all in America but resigned from the NSA because of the unlawful and unconstitutional manner in which the software was used, told a Philadelphia radio audience that the DNC hacking was most likely done by NSA agents. Why would the NSA hack into DNC computers, and why would the NSA leak what its agents saw? Here is where the deep state meets the political world. The deep state consists of intelligence, military, law enforcement and administrative agency personnel who aggressively protect their own interests, which transcend elections. Stated differently, many of these folks remain in opaque positions of power, and the governmental departments and agencies for which they work continue to expand, no matter which party wins the White House or controls Congress. The deep state stays in power by a variety of means, some of which are lawful and not the least of which was visited upon the DNC last week. Binney knows the inside workings of NSA computers because he designed them. He knows how easy it would have been for any of the NSAs 60,000 agents, many of whom have great antipathy toward Clinton, to employ their skills to frustrate her drive toward the presidency. The intelligence communitys antipathy toward Clinton has two general sources. One is her misuse of emails containing state secrets. Among the top-secret emails that the FBI discovered on Clintons non-secure private servers were some that revealed the names of U.S. intelligence agents operating undercover in the Middle East. Because Clinton emailed secrets to others who the FBI found were hacked by hostile foreign intelligence services and because she used a non-secure mobile email device while inside the territories of hostile governments, her extremely careless use of her emails resulted in the termination of the undercover work of those whose cover she caused to be revealed. Many in the intelligence community also suspect that in some cases, U.S. undercover agents lost their lives because Clinton failed to keep their identities secret. The other source of intelligence community antipathy to Clinton stems from her secret war waged against the late Libyan strongman, Col. Moammar Gadhafi. When she waged that war -- using intelligence, not military, personnel -- with the approval of the president and a dozen members of Congress, she exercised her authority as secretary of state to grant exemptions to a U.N. arms embargo of Libya. She wanted Libyan militias to have heavy-duty, military-grade arms with which to topple the Libyan government. But the CIA and others warned her that she was arming terrorist groups, which was potentially lethal for some American intelligence personnel and which is a felony under federal law. One of those groups may have used Clinton-authorized, embargo-free weapons to assassinate Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, at Benghazi. Clinton disregarded the CIAs advice and didnt worry about anyone's finding out about it because she thought her emails would remain secret. Binneys conclusion that the NSA and not the Russians hacked the DNC is further supported by official White House silence. Last year, when Chinese intelligence agents hacked U.S. government computers and accessed personnel records of millions of federal government employees, the White House lodged long and loud protests with Beijing. This time, there have been no such protests to the Kremlin. What does all this tell us? It tells us that Hillary Clinton continues to be the queen of deception. It tells us that some of those in whose hands we repose our freedom for safekeeping do not wish to see her in the White House because of her demonstrated lawlessness and indifference to their work. And it recalls to our attention the danger and power of the deep state and its willingness to break the laws it has sworn to uphold. Former Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio, died Wednesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 62. LaTourette was a moderate Republican who prosecuted mass murderer Jeffrey Lundgren in the late 1980s in northeast Ohio. LaTourette came to Congress in 1994 as part of the big GOP wave which flipped the House to Republican control for the first time in four decades. LaTourette retired in 2012. Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, succeeded him. When LaTourette quit Congress, he said the job sucks. Just days before his final term expired, LaTourette famously bestowed a moniker on the group of recalcitrant Republicans who were constantly a thorn in the side of the GOP brass. LaTourette deemed them the chuckleheads. Congress struggled with the fiscal cliff over Christmas and New Years in late 2012 and early 2013. That prompted LaTourette to rail against the dissenters which forced lawmakers to linger in Washington over the holidays. It's the same 40 to 50 chuckleheads that have screwed this place up all year, complained the ever-frank LaTourette as a parting shot. LaTourette was a close friend of former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Thanks to his extensive knowledge of House rules and procedure, the GOP frequently tapped LaTourette to preside over contentious debates on the floor. In 2005, LaTourette found himself in a pickle when he switched his vote on a controversial budget measure. Republicans lacked the votes to pass the plan during a middle-of-the-night roll call. LaTourette had already voted no. He argued the bill wasnt right for his district. But Republican leaders successfully twisted LaTourettes arm to switch his vote just before they closed the tally. LaTourettes yes vote propelled the measure to victory. After the vote, LaTourette ignominiously explained how he could justify the last-second vote switch. When asked what he would say to constituents in the town of Chardon, LaTourette replied Chardon is under a foot of snow so theyre not really concerned with what happened here tonight. The let them eat cake reply prompted a rebuke of LaTourette from the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. In an opinion piece, the paper jeered LaTourette, claiming voters were capable of shoveling driveways and simultaneously thinking about politics. LaTourette was married twice. He divorced his first wife Susan and married Jennifer Laptook in 2005. Laptook had previously served as an aide in LaTourettes office. The Congressmans first wife took to the press to deride the incestuous culture of Washington. I think Washington corrupts people, said Susan LaTourette. He was a wonderful husband and father. The best I ever saw, until he went there. I told him I was trying to get him out of the dark side all that power and greed and people kissing up to them all the time. Now hes one of them. All they care about is getting reelected. I hate them all. LaTourette contracted pancreatic cancer in 2014. Last year, LaTourette filed a medical malpractice claim against the Capitols Attending Physician office, which treats lawmakers. LaTourette accused the office of negligence. Court documents associated with the case indicated that the Congressmans prognosis was grave. LaTourette accused doctors in the office of the Attending Physician of not following up after he was told they discovered a lesion on his pancreas. Syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer told viewers Wednesday on "Special Report with Bret Baier" that the $400 million cash airlifted to Iran that coincided with the release of four American hostages was "illegal." The State Department insisted that the payment was an installment for a failed arms deal from 1979. "It isn't only that they are just looking ridiculous in denying that it was a quid pro quo. Obviously it wasn't a coincidence," Krauthammer said. Iranian press reported that the delivery was ransom payment for the release of the U.S. prisoners, and the timing was one of the reasons officials with Department of Justice raised objections to the deal, according to a Wall Street Journal report. "There is a statute that prohibits us from engaging in Iran dealing with dollars so they had to print the money here, ship it over to Switzerland, turn it into Swiss francs and euros and ship it over to Iran," Krauthammer said. "If a private company had done this, this is called money laundering," he added. "The CEO would be in jail right now." August is the weirdest month in politics. In Shakespeare, a soothsayer warns Julius Caesar Beware the Ides of March. Of course, the Ides refers to March 15, the day of Caesars assassination. This signified great change, transforming Rome from a republic into the Roman Empire. Transformative events unfold in and around Washington in August. Hence, a reason to beware. Not just on the Ides, but for all of August. This August is already fantastical. Donald Trump drew the wrath of the Khans. Trump told the Washington Post hes just not quite there yet in supporting House Speaker Paul Ryan in his primary next Tuesday against challenger Paul Nehlen. Trump then dissed Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. McCain faces a competitive primary later this month. Both could encounter general election hurdles this fall. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., announced hes voting for Hillary Clinton. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., informed CNN he wont cast a ballot for Trump. No one should be surprised. Most Augusts are punctuated by political and historic pivots. The U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. The U.S. has virtually been in Iraq ever since. President Nixon resigned after Watergate in August 1974. Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., conducted his record 24 hour and 27 minute filibuster in August 1957. Hundreds of thousands of people massed on the National Mall to hear Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech in August 1963. Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast in August 2005, forcing Congress back to session. A Democratic-led Congress hustled back into session amid the 1994 August recess to approve a crime bill. The move ultimately cost Democrats the support of the NRA and helped the party lose the House for the first time in decades. Multiple sitting and former lawmakers perished in August plane crashes over the years. If those events arent seismic enough, try the real thing. A magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook Washington in August 2011. It is truly astonishing that a Republican presidential nominee would refuse to endorse the sitting, GOP speaker of the House in his primary. Not many people were aware of Ryans primary next Tuesday against Paul Nehlen. But you can bet they know now. A Ryan defeat qualifies as quintessential Ides of August fodder. No one takes primaries lightly after Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., stunned then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., in a 2014 primary (which was not in August). But the district represented by Cantor and Brat is fundamentally different than Ryans. Brat snuck up on Cantor. No one is sneaking up on Ryan nor anyone else after Cantor flamed out. Cantor didnt take care of business back home and didnt fit the districts conservative tilt. Ryans district isnt nearly as conservative. The district favors Republicans by just 2 percentage points. In 2012, Ryan won the district with 55 percent of the vote as he served as Mitt Romneys running mate. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, won Wisconsin. Plus, Trumps anti-trade messages dont resonate in the Badger State the way they might in Michigan or northern Ohio. Trade is vital to Wisconsins dairy and agriculture backbone. A Ryan loss would mark a turning point. The GOP would have burned through former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Cantor and even House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for the top job. A defeat resets the entire party. GOPers expected an internecine imbroglio last fall if Ryan didnt accept the speakers job. Tensions would spike since after McCarthy Boehner lacked an obvious successor. If Ryan loses now, his speakership only delayed such a rhubarb. But multiple GOP sources are extremely skeptical. In fact, the bipartisan nature of Ryans district could ultimately inoculate him from a primary defeat. Its more likely the speaker could face trouble in a general election rather than a primary. August also forces a focus on the Trump/Ryan relationship. Ryan again erected a rhetorical buffer between his own views on Muslims and what Trump was said about the Khans. One wonders if the speaker is willing to continue supporting Trump while still dropping caveats when Trump crosses a line. Its kind of like the scene in A Few Good Men. Demi Moores character objects to a decision by the judge. Then she renews her objection. Exasperated, Moore says she strenuously objects. Moores colleague scoffs: I strenuously object? Is that how it works? Objection. Overruled. No. No. No. No. I strenuously object. Oh well, if you strenuously object, let me take a moment to reconsider. Can Ryan continue to strenuously object to Trump? A source close to Ryan notes that morals are important with the speaker. The source questioned how much more Ryan could tolerate from Trump. So far, Ryans camp says the speaker is sticking with Trump. Theres rumbling that Trump could potentially suppress GOP turnout. That could bolster Democratic chances to win seats in both bodies. A senior Republican source argued that Trumps outbursts could actually help GOPers down the ballot. The source said Trumps flare-ups give House and Senate Republicans a chance to contrast themselves as sane Republicans. The fortune teller warned Caesar to beware the Ides of March. Caesar ignored the advice and look what happened. Lawmakers would be wise not to make the same mistake in August. Capitol Attitude is a weekly column written by members of the Fox News Capitol Hill team. Their articles take you inside the halls of Congress, and cover the spectrum of policy issues being introduced, debated and voted on there. A Republican from Aurora has become the first House Republican to expressly distance himself from Donald Trump in a campaign ad. Rep. Mike Coffman, a four-term Republican, faces a competitive challenge in Colorado's most ethnically diverse congressional seat. His Democratic opponent repeatedly compares him to Trump. Coffman starts a new television ad talking about his party's presidential nominee. Coffman looks at the camera and says he's always asked about Trump and then says, "Honestly, I don't care for him much." Coffman promises that if Trump is elected, "I'll stand up to him." Coffman adds that he would also stand up to Hillary Clinton. "I certainly don't trust Hillary," Coffman says. "If Hillary wins, I'll hold her accountable every step of the way." The 30-second ad begins airing in Denver Friday. A spokeswoman for Coffman says the campaign spent about $50,000 for cable and digital ads. Coffman also plans to release the ad in Spanish. The district is about 20 percent Latino. Two years ago, Coffman debated his Democratic opponent in Spanish, the first Spanish congressional debate between two non-native speakers. Colorado's 6th congressional district in Denver's eastern suburbs has been in GOP hands since its creation after the 1980 Census. But population change and changes to district boundaries have made the seat more competitive for Democrats, who consider the race their best chance this year to pick up a Congress seat in Colorado. Coffman's opponent, former state Senate President Morgan Carroll, says Coffman is in many ways like Trump. Her spokesman pointed out that Trump has not said he won't vote for Trump, making the ad "political double-speak." "If he wasn't going to vote for this bully, he would have already said so," Drew Godinich said in a statement. But Coffman met recently with Libertarian vice presidential candidate William Weld, and his spokeswoman said Thursday that Coffman has not decided which presidential candidate to support. "Like a lot of Coloradans, he's not happy with his options at the top of the ticket," said Coffman spokeswoman Cinamon Watson. She added, "But Hillary Clinton is not an option." Coffman recently said he was "deeply offended" by Trump's criticism of the parents of a fallen soldier. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a first-in-the-nation state law barring employers from asking job applicants about their salaries. Passed unanimously in the Massachusetts state legislature and signed by a Republican governor, the measure is meant to promote equal pay for men and women. It also prohibits companies from disciplining employees for discussing their salaries with co-workers. While a few other states, including California and New York, have instituted similar measures, none have gone so far as prohibit those discussions in the job interview process. According to The Boston Herald, supporters of the new law said questions about salary history can foster pay discrimination, especially against women. If an applicant is making much less than what employers were expecting, they might try to lower their offers, leading to a perpetual cycle of lower wages, they say. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted in support of the measure Tuesday evening: An important step forward on pay equity in Massachusetts. Women deserve equal pay across our nation. https://t.co/s560mVbiGQ Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 2, 2016 Even with the new restrictions, job applicants can still volunteer salary information if they are trying to negotiate. Massachusetts was also the first state to pass a law requiring equal pay for equal work in 1945, before the nationwide Equal Pay Act of 1963. The new law takes effect July 1, 2018. This is what a full-fledged feeding frenzy looks like. With Donald Trump facing the roughest stretch of his candidacy, the media have moved from questioning his sanity to depicting a campaign in disarray and top Republicans still wondering whether they can dump the nominee. That wont happen, of course, but its an indication of the toxic nature of the coverage and the flood of anti-Trump leaks now washing across the media landscape. Theres a natural piling-on effect when campaigns go off the rails: The polls dip, the critics step up their rhetoric, staffers start pointing fingers, and the press keeps the vicious cycle going. But Ive never seen anything like this. Things reached the point yesterday morning that CNBCs John Harwood tweeted: Longtime ally of Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign manager: 'Manafort not challenging Trump anymore. Mailing it in. Staff suicidal.'" And there was this from CNN: A source tells @DanaBashCNN that some Trump campaign staff are frustrated w/ candidate lately, feel like they are wasting their time." I am told by knowledgeable campaign sources that Manafort is not going anywhere and believes that Trump will be getting back on message. I am further told that reports of a planned intervention with the candidate, led by Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani, are false. And the sources also say that, contrary to media reports, party chairman Reince Priebus is not furious with Trump, though he is disappointed with the nominees refusal to endorse Paul Ryan. Trump and the House speaker appear to have an increasingly tenuous relationship. Trump is also refusing to back John McCain, one of several Republicans who ripped him for his handling of the Khizr Khan controversy. Manafort told Foxs Jon Scott that the campaign is in good shape. Asked about reports that outside allies were plotting an intervention with the candidate, Manafort said: "This is the first I'm hearing about it," adding that some in the media are saying untrue things. Much of this grows out the Khan debacle, which the media seized upon after his Democratic convention speech about his sons death in Iraq but which Trump then fueled by criticizing a Gold Star family. That, in turn, revived fears among Republicans that Trump is too busy picking fights with everyone who insults him to run a disciplined campaign. Im told there is frustration within his campaign that he keeps diverting to side issues, often in response to cable news chatter, rather than staying focused on attacking Hillary Clinton. Even Gingrich, a close adviser and VP finalist, is criticizing his friend (while also lambasting media bias). He has not made the transition to being the potential president of the United States, which is a much tougher league, Gingrich told Maria Bartiromo. He added that some of what Trump has done is just very self-destructive. Along comes ABCs Jonathan Karl, reporting that senior party officials are so frustrated and confused by Donald Trumps erratic behavior that they are exploring how to replace him on the ballot if he drops out. Good luck with that. MSNBC ran headlines all day about the Trump "intervention," but there were no signs it would materialize. All of this has mushroomed into a tsunami of negative media coverage, with very little scrutiny of Clinton, at least right now. Trump has been at war with the press from the day he got in the race, even as he drew enormous amounts of ink and airtime. But he can't expand his base simply by bashing the media, as satisfying as that may be. The pundits, especially the ones on the left and right who detest him, are enjoying this latest chance to write him off. But that has proven dangerous in the past. And campaign narratives, even the most relentlessly negative, have a way of changing at a moment's notice. The Obama administration took steps to withhold from lawmakers the details of a $400 million cash payout to Iran and continues to rebuke inquiries from Congress for information about how another $1.3 billion in taxpayer funds was awarded to the Islamic Republic, according to multiple conversations with congressional sources apprised of the matter. U.S. officials familiar with the recent transfer of $400 million in hard currency to Iran withheld details of the exchange from Congress during briefings in classified and unclassified settings, the Washington Free Beacon has learned. The disclosure threatens to complicate efforts by the administration to downplay new reportsdetailing how U.S. officials used an unmarked aircraft to transfer $400 million in pallets of cash to Iran on the same day it freed several U.S. hostages. Lawmakers and others have claimed for months that the payment was part of a ransom aimed at securing the release of the hostages. The White House denies this claim and has said the payment was part of a settlement to resolve decades-old legal disputes with the Islamic Republic. Nearly eight months after congressional officials demanded a formal accounting of this paymentwhich amounted to $1.7 billion in totalthe administration is still declining to provide lawmakers with the full story, sparking outrage on Capitol Hill. It has been seven months since President Obama announced that he was giving the Islamic Republic of Iran almost $2 billion, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told the Free Beacon on Wednesday. And we are just now finding out damning details about how $400 million, which is less than half of the total, was sent to Iran using foreign aircraft and foreign currencies. Click for more at The Washington Free Beacon. Paul Ryans primary election challenger Paul Nehlen -- enjoying a raised profile thanks to a Donald Trump bump -- fired a fusillade of accusations at the House speaker Thursday, blasting him on everything from veterans issues to the Puerto Rico "bailout." In an interview with Fox & Friends, Nehlen even claimed the top-ranking Republican has taken money away from the veterans and given it to illegal aliens. He declined to offer specifics when pressed by the hosts to explain his comments and provide proof. He went on, however, to slam the speaker for his support of the Puerto Rico debt restructuring deal earlier this year. He then engineered a bailout for Puerto Rico for very wealthy mall owners in Puerto Rico and what ended up happening there is those are the same people funding amnesty, he added. Nehlen, a businessman who has never held political office before, had been seen as a long-shot in Wisconsins 1st district congressional race. However, his public profile has been raised in recent days following praise from Republican presidential nominee Trump. On Monday, Trump thanked Nehlen on Twitter for his kind words of support following an onslaught of criticism from top Republicans on Capitol Hill over Trumps comments regarding a Muslim family and their slain son, a U.S. soldier. Thanks to @pnehlen for your kind words, very much appreciated. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016 On Tuesday, Trump declined to endorse Ryan, the most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives, saying he was just not quite there yet. The words were the same Ryan used only weeks earlier to describe his hesitation toward Trump. Ryan eventually endorsed the New York real estate mogul ahead of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Nehlen says hes talked to everybody in Wisconsin and all of them are looking for Wisconsins independence day. In a radio interview Thursday on WTAQs Jerry Bader Show, Ryan called Nehlen desperate and dismissed attacks on his record. Ryan also addressed Trumps refusal to endorsement, telling the Green Bay, Wis., radio station that the only endorsement he cares about is from voters in his congressional district. Ryan also said Trump has had a pretty strange run since the convention. You would think we should be focusing on Hillary Clinton and all of her deficiencies." Wisconsin holds its open primary election on Tuesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The head of the association representing career federal prosecutors unloaded Thursday on President Obama's decision to cut short the sentences of 214 prisoners, accusing the administration of violating its own clemency guidelines. Obama's was the most commutations ever issued on a single day, according to political scientist P.S. Ruckman Jr., who tracks presidential commutations. His total now stands at 562, more than the previous nine presidents combined. "These aren't little, nonviolent offenders." Steve Cook, president of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, told LifeZette that 55 of the prisoners have firearms convictions -- in many cases not just possessing a weapon but using it help carry out drug distribution operations. Others have criminal backgrounds that should have raised red flags, he said. "The reason some of this should shock people is when this clemency program was announced, the public was told in order to qualify, applicants had to meet six very specific criteria," he said, adding that even a cursory review suggests many should have failed that test. Cook noted that two men who received a break were serving time for "engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise," which he said indicates they were drug kingpins. A federal judge in New York State sentenced Dewayne L. Comer in 1997 to life in prison for leading a million-dollar drug ring from 1994 to 1996. According to syracuse.com, he was one of about two dozen people convicted of participating in a drug ring that sold crack cocaine in central New York. The judge ordered him to forfeit a Mercedes-Benz, a Ford minivan, a Volkswagen, and $17,600 in cash seized at the time of his arrest. Since the conspiracy involved more than 1.5 kilograms of crack, his life prison term was mandatory at the time -- but would not be under more lenient sentencing guidelines that have since taken effect. He will get out of prison on Dec. 1, thanks to the president's commutation. The other prisoner cited by Cook is Dawan "Swannie" Croskery, a Buffalo man sentenced in 2004 to 20 years in prison for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering. He will also be released from prison Dec. 1. According to a Buffalo News article from the time he was sentenced, authorities arrested Croskery in October 2002, after a lengthy investigation by the FBI and the Public Safety Department of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority. He admitted to selling powder and crack cocaine and washing drug proceeds by purchasing cars in the names of other people. Then there is Ralph Casas, whose life sentence Obama reduced to a little more than 24 years. Casas was convicted in connection with a drug conspiracy to smuggle -- as described by a federal appeals court -- "massive amounts cocaine and heroin from Puerto Rico and several foreign countries into Miami and New York." Casas used his job as an American Airlines baggage handler at Miami International Airport to sneak the drugs past customs officials from September 1992 to March 1995. Cook noted that the cocaine quantity -- 9,445 kilograms -- is more than 10 tons. "These aren't little, nonviolent offenders," Cook said. Cook said those three cases may represent the tip of the iceberg, as a thorough analysis of the 214 names on the list has yet to be performed. "That's without doing any digging at all," he said. Another criterion set forth by the Obama administration in 2014 was that prisoners eligible for commuted sentences should not have extensive criminal records. But he said one prisoner who got a break in a previous round of clemency had eight felony drug convictions on his record. "I don't know where in the country this would not be considered a significant criminal history," he said. Cook said he is bracing himself for further commutations, as Obama has promised. He said he believes the White House will review some 30,000 cases. "My theory is when they went in and looked [at the applications], there were not significant numbers of low-level, nonviolent offenders who didn't have significant criminal histories," he said. "I don't know how much worse it can get." House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., took a shot at Republican nominee Donald Trump Thursday, saying the billionaire had a pretty strange run since the convention and that he finds it distressing that he is not focusing on Hillary Clinton. Hes had a pretty strange run since the convention, Ryan said on WTAQ radio in Green Bay. You would think that we want to be focusing on Hillary Clinton, on all of her deficiencies. She is such a weak candidate that one would think that we would be on offense against Hillary Clinton, and it is distressing that thats not what were talking about these days. Ryan faces businessman Paul Nehlen in next Tuesday's primary election, and his remarks came after Trump declined to endorse the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee in an interview with The Washington Post Tuesday. I like Paul. I like Paul. But these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And Im just not quite there. Im not quite there yet, Trump said in the interview. Trumps repetition of the phrase not quite there yet, which he used four times in the interview, echoed Ryans own hesitancy to back Trump. When asked if he would endorse the billionaire, Ryan told CNN in May: "I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now. In his interview Thursday, Ryan added that while he supports Trump, it doesnt mean he would refrain from criticizing any missteps the candidate makes, citing his commitment to defending the party and its principles. "We are a party where the grassroots Republican primary voter selects our nominee and that's as it should be. I think there's something to be said about respecting those voters," Ryan said. "But if I see and hear things that I think are wrong, I'm not going to sit by and say nothing because I think I have a duty as a Republican leader to defend Republican principles and our party's brand." Trump appeared to reach out to Ryan Thursday in a town hall meeting in Portland, Maine where he called Ryan a good guy and said he had encouraged vice presidential nominee Mike Pence to endorse his congressional bid. Pence endorsed Ryan Wednesday. Paul Ryans a good guy actually, I said Mike okay go endorse him. Fox News Christopher Snyder and John Roberts contributed to this report. Hours after reports surfaced that the U.S. government discreetly airlifted $400 million to Iran in January just as long-held American hostages in the Islamic Republic were being released a payment some have called a ransom the son of a man still thought to be held in Iran is asking why his dad wasnt part of the deal. Tuesdays Wall Street Journal report of the previously undisclosed money transfer was termed paying ransom to kidnappers by Sen. Mark Kirk, R.-Ill., one of several lawmakers who expressed shock and dismay at the news. State Department spokesman John Kirby, however, said the cash was not related to the release of four Americans Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian; ex-Marine Amir Hekmati; Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari. Instead, Kirby said the nearly half a billion dollar airlift was the first installment in a $1.7 billion settlement to resolve a dispute that dated back to 1979. But Dan Levinson isnt questioning the purpose of the money; he just wants to know why his father hasnt come home. As part of this [Iran nuclear deal], Iran promised to do everything they could to bring my dad home and so far they havent followed up, Levinson told Greta Van Susteren during "On the Record" Wednesday night. I went over there, they didnt have any answers. Levinsons father, Bob Levinson, an ex-FBI agent and CIA contractor, disappeared on an Iranian island in March 2007. Iran has never admitted to holding Bob Levinson captive, which his son thinks could be the major hurdle in bringing his father back. Theyre not saying that and that has been a roadblock for everything, the younger Levinson said. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in January that Bob Levinson may no longer be held in Iran. But Dan is confident the Iranians have custody and maintains that his father is alive. We believe hes alive, the FBI believes hes alive, theyre tracking every lead and they said theres no reason to believe hes not alive, said Dan Levinson, who last received a proof of life photo of his father in April 2011. And I think the [Obama] administration believes hes alive. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told On The Record that the failure to bring Bob back lies squarely at the feet of the Obama administration. My heart breaks for the Levinson family and, as Ive long said, we should have negotiated for the release of all the hostages, including Mr. Levinson, who is the longest-held hostage in Iran, Cotton said. Dan said his family has never lost hope, but expressed frustration with the nearly decade-long saga. Every day its a struggle, Dan said. And every day were trying to figure out how to get him home. Republicans have a problem with more than just the timing of the Obama administration's controversial $400 million payment to Iran earlier this year -- one top GOP lawmaker says the fact the payment was made in hard currency is another big red flag. According to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., this could enable Iran to more easily fund groups like Hezbollah since hard cash is the regime's preferred way of financing terrorism. If youre going to have a transaction, the last thing you want to do with Iran is to give that to them in unmarked bills, in hard currency, in Swiss francs, Royce told Fox News on Thursday. The concern adds to the growing complaints on Capitol Hill about the payment, which critics have decried as "ransom" as it coincided with the release of four Americans from Iranian custody. The Obama administration denies this and insists the payment and the prisoner release were entirely separate. But no matter the relation between the two, Royce voiced serious doubts Thursday about assurances from the White House that the money would be spent on roads and bridges. I can guarantee, the moneys not going for infrastructure Where do you think the money goes when you give them unmarked bills and theyre the number one sponsor of terrorism in the region? Royce asked. The primary state sponsor of terrorism -- the number one international concern is to not have these kinds of transactions in cash. Thats how they pay Hezbollah. Thats how they pay their fighters, he added. The concerns stem from a report in The Wall Street Journal earlier this week that in January the Obama administration secretly airlifted $400 million worth of cash to Iran on the same day the four Americans were released. The $400 million was the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement reached with Tehran. The administration has refused to disclose exactly how the payment was made, but officials told the paper the equivalent of $400 million was transferred to Swiss and Dutch banks and then converted into other currencies, stacked onto the wooden pallets and sent to Iran on board a cargo plane. On Wednesday, the White House conceded it had no means of ensuring the cash was not going into the pockets of terrorists. Earnest said an analysis done by the administration showed that largely the money went to address Irans dire economic condition, but acknowledged theyve known all along it could be used for other purposes. The U.S. continues to have concerns with some of Iran's nefarious activities," Earnest told reporters. The president was quite forward-leaning in advance of the deal being acknowledged that we know that Iran supports terrorism, we know that Iran supports Hezbollah and the Assad regime, and it certainly is possible that some of the money that Iran has is being used for those purposes too, he said. State Department Deputy spokesman Mark Toner confirmed on Wednesday the administration looked at options besides paying the Iranians in cash. He would not offer details, but said all of the various options were looked at and vetted, and we went with an option that succeeded in getting the Iranians the money that they were owed through the settlement. The administration and State Department have denied the payment constituted a quid pro quo or that it was paying a ransom. Royce had sent Secretary of State John Kerry a letter in February requesting details on the $1.7 billion payment to Iran and answers as to why the administration failed to disclose it to members of Congress when they were briefed on the Iran nuclear deal. Royce, who has sponsored legislation to prevent the administration from giving Iran access to the U.S. dollar and the U.S. banking system, plans to hold hearings on the payment soon. In Namibia, elephants that live in the desert have different behaviors than elephants that live in the savannas, but scientists have discovered through DNA analysis that the different elephant types are actually genetically similar. Elephants that call the desert home have bigger ranges, and skills suited for the hot environment. For example, they can remember where food and water is, and also keep themselves cool by putting urine-wetted sand on themselves, according to the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois. The desert elephants are also said to be bigger. The scientists examined both nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA from the elephants, and determined that there werent significant genetic differences between the elephants that lived in the deserts and the savannas (although there was one regional exception). In other words, the desert elephants arent their own subspecies. The ability of species such as elephants to learn and change their behavior means that genetic changes are not critical for them to adapt to a new environment, Alfred Roca, a professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois said in a statement. The behavioral changes can allow species to expand their range to novel marginal habitats that differ sharply from the core habitat. Even if theyre not different genetically, the scientists still call for the desert animals to be protected, especially because their rumored larger size makes them a target for hunters. Regardless, these elephants should be conserved, Roca said in the statement. Their knowledge of how to live in the desert is crucial to the survival of future generations of elephants in the arid habitat, and pressure from hunting and climate change may only increase in the coming decades. The study announcing the results was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger Rembrandt may have traced his celebrated self-portraits from optical projections created by assemblies of mirrors or lenses, a new analysis suggests. Two U.K.-based researchers Francis O'Neill, an artist and art teacher; and Sofia Palazzo Corner, an independent physicist have identified several arrangements of a flat and curved mirror, or a flat mirror and a lens, which they say can recreate the perspectives, proportions and lighting seen in the self-portraits of the famed 17th-century Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. "The evidence suggests he used lenses and projections," O'Neill and Palazzo Corner wrote in a paper published online July 13 in the Journal of Optics. "The similarity of his images to projections, in their lighting and soft focus, along with the use of lens technology by his peers and fellow artists, and the contemporary literature on the subject, all support this." [See Photos of How Rembrandt May Have Created His Self-Portraits] O'Neill told Live Science that the new findings follow the work of British artist David Hockney and American physicist Charles Falco, who proposed in 2001 that Rembrandt and other artists had used optical instruments to capture details and proportions with almost photographic accuracy such as the camera obscura, which projects an upside-down image into a darkened room. "But I knew there was this hole in the theory, about self-portraits," O'Neill said, "because if they're using a camera obscura, where the subject is in the light and the artist is in the dark, how would they do self-portraits?" In 2012, when O'Neill began painting his own self-portraits from his reflection in a flat mirror, he discovered how difficult it was to accurately paint his face while giving attention to both his reflection and his work on the canvas. "By this stage, I'd been drawing for 20 years, and I'm teaching drawing ... but my skills did not transfer as well to the self-portrait as they did if I was drawing someone else," he said. "And I was thinking, 'How has Rembrandt done his best work in his self-portraits, if it is such a demanding physical discipline?' And so I thought, 'It has to be done this way [with optics].'" Through the looking glass After discussing his ideas with other artists, O'Neill began experimenting with a pair of cosmetic mirrors bought at a pharmacy one flat and one concave. He arranged them to project his reflection onto a metal surface so that the projected image would be as bright as possible. At first, O'Neill used aluminum foil as the projection surface. "It wasn't the best surface, but you could achieve projections," he said. "And then I got myself some copper etching plate, and from there, I was able to make bigger and better projections and that convinced me that this was how it was done." The research paper by O'Neill and Palazzo Corner details several combinations of subjects, mirrors and a projection surface that result in projected images that almost exactly match the physical measurements taken from a sample of Rembrandt's self-portraits. The researchers also analyzed other features of Rembrandt's self-portraits that they think indicate he was using projections to guide his initial drawings and final paintings, including the off-center eye line an effect that O'Neill said was impossible to achieve accurately without using a flat mirror with a concave mirror or a refracting lens. [Gallery: Hidden Gems in Renaissance Art] Even Rembrandt's famed use of contrasting light and dark regions, which art historians call "chiaroscuro," appears to be an artifact of the "soft focus" at the edges of a projected image. This results in very little detail where there is very little light, and a lot of detail in areas that are strongly lit, O'Neill said. Secrets of the Old Masters O'Neill said some art historians criticized his research; no historical record exists of Rembrandt ever using mirrors or other types of optics to help him create his paintings, they argued. But O'Neill pointed out that leading artists of the time were often secretive about their techniques, and said the historical evidence for his theory can be found by examining the paintings. Meanwhile, work by Hockney, Falco and other researchers has demonstrated that knowledge of optical techniques, such as the use of curved mirrors and camera obscuras, was known to artists in Europe from as early as the 1350s, O'Neill said. The new research supports the ideas proposed by Hockney and Falco that the development of optical instruments and techniques in Europe after the 14th century had a profound impact on Western art, as they did on scientific thought, O'Neill said. "This becomes really obvious having studied it, that the invention of the lens gives mankind the possibility of seeing their position in the world," he said. "So they see the stars, and astronomy begins in earnest; they start to look through microscopes, so they're seeing the minutiae of the world. They're seeing the enormity of space, and they're seeing their own position in the world, because they are using lenses to look at themselves." Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Someday, moviegoers may be able to watch 3D films from any seat in a theater without having to wear 3D glasses, thanks to a new kind of movie screen. The new technology, named Cinema 3D, overcomes some of the barriers to implementing glasses-free 3D viewing on a larger scale, but it's not commercially viable yet, the researchers said when describing their findings. Although 3D movies can offer unique perspectives and experiences, one major drawback is the cumbersome eyewear that moviegoers typically have to wear. Although glasses-free 3D strategies already exist, these technologies currently cannot be scaled up to movie theaters. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life] For example, glasses-free 3D methods for TV sets often use a series of slits known as a parallax barrier that is placed in front of the screen. These slits allow each eye to see a different set of pixels, creating the illusion of depth. However, for parallax barriers to work, they must be placed at a set distance from viewers. This makes parallax barriers difficult to implement in larger spaces such as theaters, where people can sit at a variety of distances and angles from the screen. In addition, glasses-free 3D displays have to account for the different positions from which people are watching. This means that they have to divide up the limited number of pixels they project so that each viewer sees an image from wherever he or she is located, the researchers said. "Existing approaches to glasses-free 3D require screens whose resolution requirements are so enormous that they are completely impractical," study co-author Wojciech Matusik, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, said in a statement. But in the new method, the researchers used a series of mirrors and lenses to essentially give viewers a parallax barrier tailored to each of their positions. "By careful design of optical elements, we can achieve very-good-quality 3D content without using glasses," study co-author Piotr Didyk, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Saarland University, both in Germany, told Live Science. "This is the first technical approach that allows for glasses-free 3D on a large scale," Matusik said in a statement. In addition, the scientists reasoned that instead of displaying images to every position in a theater, they would need to display images only to a relatively tiny set of viewing positions at each theater seat. "In our solution, we exploit the layout of the audience in a cinema," Didyk said. The scientists developed a simple Cinema 3D prototype that could support a 200-pixel image. In experiments, volunteers could see 3D versions of pixelated figures from a number of different seats in a small theater. The scientists cautioned that Cinema 3D is currently impractical to implement commercially. For instance, their prototype requires 50 sets of mirrors and lenses, but the screen is just barely larger than a pad of paper. The researchers hope to build a larger version of their display and further boost the image resolution. "It remains to be seen whether the approach is financially feasible enough to scale up to a full-blown theater," Matusik said in a statement. "But we are optimistic that this is an important next step in developing glasses-free 3D for large spaces like movie theaters and auditoriums." The scientists detailed their findings July 26 at the SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference in Anaheim, California. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In the next decade, U.S. soldiers could get new smart uniforms that are breathable but also designed to shield them from hazards like viruses and chemical weapons, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced on Wednesday. The uniforms could be made of fabric that contains tiny carbon nanotubes that function as channels to let water vapor out, but at the same time block biological agents like viruses from entering. Each tube is tiny in diameter: a human hair is roughly 5,000 times wider. The lab said that thats small enough to keep out biological hazards like the dengue virus. According to the lab, the fabric a technology they call second skin-- is more breathable than Gore-Tex. Theyre also exploring new ways to use the fabric to protect soldiers from chemical agents, which actually could fit through the carbon nanotubes. One strategy involves having the tubes seal when they contact a threat so the agent cant get in and another is based on the idea of a layer on the top of the fabric that can neutralize the agent, and then peel away. This is thought to be a really new paradigm of protection, because you can imagine that the soldier will wear a suit that is very breathable and comfortable to start with, but once in a place with a chemical or biological threat, it will protect him or her, Francesco Fornasiero, a staff scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, said in a video released by the lab that explains the new technology. The researchers have published their findings in the journal Advanced Materials. "The material will be like a smart second skin that responds to the environment," Kuang Jen Wu, the leader of the biosecurity and biosciences group at the lab, said in a statement. "In this way, the fabric will be able to block chemical agents such as sulfur mustard (blister agent), GD and VX nerve agents, toxins such as staphylococcal enterotoxin and biological spores such as anthrax." The lab said that the breathable, protective fabric is just one part of the new smart uniforms, which they estimate could be ready for use in less than 10 years time. Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger Federal prosecutors have charged an Indian national with inappropriately touching a sleeping woman aboard a flight from Los Angeles to New Jersey. Veerabhadrarao Kunam, a 58-year-old resident of Visakhapatnam, India, was on a redeye Virgin America flight from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J. on Saturday. Prosecutors say Kunam was seated next to a woman he didnt know on the cross-country trip. A few hours into the the flight, she nodded off, but prosecutors say the woman awoke to find Kunam touching her genitals and rubbing his bare feet against hers. "The victim awoke to find defendant Kunam's hands massaging her vagina and buttocks over her pants," said an affidavit included with a complaint filed against Kunam in federal court in New Jersey. The unidentified victim quickly alerted her male traveling companion, who also witnessed the improper touching, according to prosecutors. The womans friend reportedly confronted Kunam, whom investigators say tried to smoothe things over by offering to buy the man a drink. The womans friend declined the offer and immediately reported the incident to a Virgin American crew member. The suspect allegedly told crew members he would leave the woman alone. Upon landing at Newark, Kunam was arrested immediately. On Monday, Kunam appeared in court and was freed on a $50,000 secured bond. His lawyer, Alexander Spiro, declined to comment on the accusations. If convicted of felony abusive sexual contact, prosectors say Kunam faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The incident comes just weeks after an Oregon man was charged with assaulting an unaccompanied minor aboard an American Airlines flights in June. The Associated Press contibuted to this report. A Washington, D.C., Metro Transit police officer who was a convert to Islam and once dressed up as Jihadi John for Halloween was charged on Wednesday with attempting to provide material support to ISIS -- the first time a law enforcement officer has been charged with an ISIS-related crime. Virginia resident Nicholas Young, 36, who had served with the department since 2003, was arrested Wednesday morning by FBI agents at Metro Transit Police headquarters in Washington, DC. The lanky, slim-built 36 year old was dressed in a prison issue white t-shirt and dark pants and sported long hair as he made his initial appearance in court Wednesday afternoon. No attorney was present. Young spoke only to request a public defender be appointed to represent him. He will be held in Alexandria until his detention hearing, which is set for Friday at 2 p.m. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Authorities allege in a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday that Young attempted to send money to ISIS through mobile-based gift cards using an unnamed messaging service the terror group utilizes for recruiting purposes. The $245 digital transaction, which was actually sent to an undercover FBI agent in July, was redeemed by the agency. Despite Wednesdays arrest, the U.S. Attorneys Office said there was never any threat to the public or a plot by Young to target the public transit system he was hired to protect. Young had been under FBI investigation since 2010, when the Metro Transit Police Department alerted the feds to suspicions over the former police officer. During the investigation, the FBI kept extremely close tabs on Young through the use of undercover agents and confidential informants, a source told Fox News. Investigators also interviewed Young several times during the course of the investigation. Court documents paint the story of an individual with ties to suspicious individuals and with terrorist aspirations abroad. The criminal complaint connects Young to two convicted Washington, DC-area terrorists, Zachary Chesser and Amine El Khalifi. Chesser was sentenced in federal court in 2011 to 25 years in prison for aiding Al Qaeda affiliate Al Shabaab. He is also known for threatening the creators of South Park for the show's depiction of the prophet Mohamed. Khalifi was arrested in 2012 for attempting to detonate an explosive vest in the U.S. Capitol Building and was eventually sentenced to 30 years in prison for his crimes. Court documents show federal investigators also questioned Young about trips he had taken to Libya in 2011. Young told FBI agents he traveled twice to the North African nation to assist rebels attempting to overthrow the regime of then-dictator Muammar Qaddafi. A baggage search by Customs and Border Protection on one of Youngs outbound trips revealed he had traveled with body armor, a Kevlar helmet, and several other military-style items, according to the criminal complaint. Young is also alleged to have maintained a large cache of firearms, including numerous rifles and handguns at his home. His alleged terrorist leanings were thrown further into the spotlight in 2015 when he admitted to interviewers at the Metro Transit Police Department that he dressed up as Jihadi John for Halloween in 2014. According to the criminal complaint, as part of his costume Young stuffed an orange jumpsuit with paper to portray a headless hostage, and he carried that around with him throughout the party. During that same interview, Young admitted to having previously dressed up as a Nazi and to collecting Nazi memorabilia as well as possessing a tattoo of a German eagle on his neck. "Since I received my first briefing on this matter, [Metro Transit Police] Chief [Ronald] Pavlik and I have worked hand-in-glove with the FBI in the interest of public safety and to ensure that this individual would be brought to justice," Metro General Manager/CEO Paul Wiedefeld said in a statement. Young's employment with the metro police was "terminated" Wednesday, according to a memo sent to metro staffers. Phoenix police said Wednesday that they have linked a non-fatal shooting last month to a serial killer believed to have murdered seven people and wounded two others. In all, nine incidents have been tied to the case dating back to March 17. According to authorities, the latest confirmed attack occurred in a central Phoenix neighborhood on July 11 when someone fired on a vehicle occupied by a 21-year-old man and a 4-year-old boy. Neither was injured. No other details on the shooting were immediately available. Most of the attacks occurred in the blue-collar Maryvale neighborhood, though two shootings including the latest occurred in another part of the city. Police believe the suspect has used at least two vehicles to carry out the attacks. "The two best described are a white Cadillac or Lincoln type vehicle and a black late 1990s or early 2000s 5 Series BMW," Phoenix police Sgt. Jonathan Howard said. The FBI is offering a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the suspect's arrest. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from Fox10Phoenix.com. Remember the days of dial-up internet? Or when you were greeted with Welcome! Youve got mail! whenever you logged into your AOL account? Or how about your quirky AIM screen name you used to chat with buddies? If youre older than 17, you know exactly what Im talking about. The nostalgia runs deep. Nowadays, we take for granted our speedy Wi-Fi- and 4G-enabled smartphones. But the world wasnt always fairies and unicorns. Before the magical lands of Facebook, Gmail and social media, well, the internet was a completely different place. Take a trip down memory lane with these 15 internet relics. More From Entrepreneur.com 15 Throwback Web Pages That Show Us How the Internet Has Changed Dial-up Artur Debat | Getty Images Well, maybe we dont really miss it, but its safe to say that for most of us, that dialing and ringing sounds of the dial-up modem is stamped in our memories forever. The 15 minutes spent disconnecting the landline, connecting the computer and waiting for the ringing to finally commence were the efforts we took to once get on the web. I can hear it in my head now: The distinctive and terrifying sound, which became totally obsolete after cable modems and Wi-Fi. For most people, browsing the web didnt last long -- you had to disconnect when someone needed to make a phone call. Check it out here to jog your memory. "You've got mail" America Online, Inc. Nowadays, you log into your email and expect to have a jam-packed inbox. But remember the days before email became a societal norm? For most of us, after logging into our AOL accounts, we had the joy of a voice greeting us with Welcome, youve got mail! On our way out, AOLs voice would give us a pleasant Goodbye too. Not only was the Youve got mail notification something people associate with their first email accounts, it was also inspiration for the hit '90s rom-com Youve Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. A love story sparked from an "over-30s" chatroom under anonymous screen names, Youve Got Mail was an early presentation of the internets influence on popular culture. AIM Courtesy of AOL Ahead of its time, AOL Instant Messenger (aka AIM) was the Facebook Messenger of the '90s. Being able to socialize with friends in a virtual setting was a whole new ball park at the time. And it didnt stop there: Personalized screen names, icons and buddy lists all made the program that much more exciting. We all remember our first AIM screen names (especially you '80s and '90s kids out there). And embarrassing as they may be, we cant help but feel a pang of nostalgia for them. Instant messaging programs gave way to the future of instant communication with smartphone apps WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Viber. You may even go as far to include Twitter, which broadcasts your conversations and statuses to a larger audience. AIM was the gateway to social virtual interaction. Ask Jeeves Adam Berry | Bloomberg via Getty Images Before Google, there was our favorite man with all the answers: Jeeves. Set up to answer questions in a gentleman-like manner, the butler was a go-to when you needed information on any subject. Loved for his humor and charm, Jeeves was dropped in 2006 -- along with the sites overall popularity as well. Although the site is still around as Ask.com, without Jeeves it will never be the same. GeoCities Warner Bros | Space Jam Forget Wordpress or GoDaddy. In the late '90s, when you needed to create a website you turned to GeoCities. Where else could you publicize your life through an animated web page garnished with dancing cats and twinkling little stars? Back when virtually no other tech company was offering free web hosting, GeoCities filled the demand for personalized websites. Celebrities, brands, businesses, movies (check out Warner Bro.'s Space Jam) -- everyone used Geocities. That is, until Yahoo came around and purchased GeoCities in 1999 -- marking the beginning of the end for the web-hosting service. Friendster Friendster Back when Facebook was open to only college students, there was Friendster, the mother of social media. Credited as giving birth to the modern social media movement, as reported by CBS News, Friendster was the social site to link up with old friends and stalk ex-lovers (until later when you found out that users were notified who viewed their profiles -- embarrassing, yes, but hey, weve all been there!). Friendster was fresh, exciting and addicting. It made meeting strangers through the web less intimidating and socially acceptable -- before we realized how dangerous that actually was. But with a number of technical hiccups, Friendster eventually lost steam and fell into the throes of its rival, MySpace. Yahoo Answers Yahoo Answers " HOW DO I TURN OFF CAPSLOCK? I ACCIDENTALLY TURNED IT ON YESTERDAY AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO TURN IT BACK OFF." Someone can help you with that! In 2009, when you sought real answers, Yahoo Answers was a great place to go, as youd typically receive a response within minutes. And if you had a rather embarrassing question, you could post anonymously. Nowadays, flooded with trolls and ghosts, getting a question answered on the site is highly unlikely -- or it will take a long time. We recommended sticking to Google. LiveJournal LiveJournal Before Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and even Friendster, LiveJournal was the go-to blogging platform that people took to to share what was going on in their lives. Forget about actually writing a letter or jotting down thoughts in a diary, LiveJournal made life easier. It offered internet users a way to communicate with friends through open letters, write about your personal life or connect with users of the same interests. LiveJournal was the mother of blogging. Before you tear up at the demise of LiveJournal, we have news for you: You can still blog on the platform -- it surprisingly still receives a number of monthly active users. MySpace MySpace Before Facebook ruled the world, there was MySpace -- the social networking site that attracted kids and (young) adults alike. The social channel not only let you connect with friends, but bedazzle your personal page, add obnoxious background music, take and share quizzes and pick and choose your Top 8 friends (seven if you exclude Tom). Perhaps also launching the selfie craze (that is, when people took mirror selfies with bulky digital cameras), MySpace propelled social media into universal popularity. Influencing popular culture with everyones favorite friend Tom, MySpace made the idea of friend requests and other quirks of social media recognizable. Songs, music videos and movies continue to emerge with social media influence. It foreshadowed a promising future for social sites and the way were able to communicate today. Napster Napster Remember a time before $9.99 a month Spotify and Apple Music subscriptions? A time when "trading" and downloading music from friends was OK? A time when downloading music was virtually "free" -- or so we thought. Napster, the peer-to-peer file sharing service allowed users to trade and download others MP3 files. Launching the digital music revolution, Napster was one of the most popular online music services -- as well as one of the most controversial. With angered artists and record labels, Napsters demise was long foreshadowed. The company lost a copyright lawsuit in 2000, dealing it a fatal blow. Why continue to use Napster if you actually had to buy the music? Bought out by Rhapsody in 2011, Napster eventually fizzled. However, earlier this year, Rhapsody changed its name to Napster, marking a return of sorts. Netscape Netscape Browsing the web used to come at a cost. In the early days of internet browsing, Netscape was not only the leader, but the first company to monetize the World Wide Web -- that is until Internet Explorer came around and dared to challenge it. In its short-lived era of dominance, Netscape soon lost the browser war to Microsofts IE, which offered free services and an easy-to-navigate system. Regardless of its defeat, Netscape marked the beginning of internet browsing. Its slow and painful decline launched a revolution that shaped the future of internet navigation forever. MSN Messenger MSN Messenger Were you an AIM or MSN baby? Usually, that depended on where most of your friends signed up. In a battle against AIM, Microsofts messaging service fought for chat dominance in the late '90s and early 2000s. Like AIM, creating a personalized username and choosing an emoticon were the first steps to launching your virtual social career. MSN even let its users nudge a friend who wasnt responding quickly enough. AngelFire AngelFire While the internet was still in infancy, website host AngelFire was born. Like GeoCities, AngelFire offered people a chance to create their own webpages, with their own URLs (with Angelfire.com at the beginning). These horrendous-looking sites spread like wildfire in the '90s -- even Mark Zuckerberg had one. Ultimately, they set a great example of how a website shouldnt look. The Hamster Dance HamsterDance.com Dont remember the hamster dance? Maybe thats because you spent your precious time on the internet looking up useful information. For those of us who had time to waste, the hamster dance was a global '90s hit. As one of the first GIFs, the animation featured 392 hamsters dancing to Roger Millers Whistle Stop. And if thats not strange enough, the GIF went viral -- taking over millions of computer screens around the world from emails to blogs to even newsgroups. The early GIF influenced commercials, music and merchandise such as clothes and toys. Lycos Lycos One of the earliest of its time, Lycos, the search engine that doubled as a website host, catapulted into popularity in the early '90s with its massive and growing catalogue of web documents. With the most accurate web searches, Lycos was one of the early databases that organized search results in ranking of relevance and word matching. Also like GeoCities and AngelFire, it contributed to the ugly homepage fad. Allowing users and companies to create their own websites, Lycos flew to success -- enough so, that it's still in business today. So if you wish to take a peek into the forgotten history of the web, head over to Lycos -- although the experience wont quite be the same. Ch-ch-ch-changes. The federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it's assisting in the investigation of an apparent pipe-bomb explosion that damaged a police vehicle in the western Maryland town of Thurmont. The Frederick News-Post reported that the incident occurred early Wednesday in the town of 6,100 about 70 miles northwest of Baltimore. Thurmont Police Chief Greg Eyler said an explosive device damaged the hood and windshield of an SUV parked on the street outside an officer's home. Eyler said no one was hurt. ATF spokesman David Cheplak said ATF agents responded to the scene. Eyler said investigators collected evidence that will be analyzed at an ATF laboratory in Beltsville. Colton Harris-Moore, the Washington state man dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" after investigators linked him to a string of stolen boats and planes, is set to get out of prison as early as this week before he starts working at his lawyer's firm, the attorney announced on Wednesday. Harris-Moore began breaking into homes and cabins on Puget Sounds Camano Island as a teenager, court records showed. Burglaries continued after he escaped from juvenile detention in 2007, and the cross-country crime spree ended with his arrest in 2010 in the Bahamas. In the meantime, the "Barefoot Bandit" developed a huge following online, with supporters tracking his movements on social media. A court ultimately sentenced him to more than six years behind bars as part of a plea deal. He's now 25. His formal release date from Stafford Creek Correctional Center is in January but officials could move him to a halfway house this week, attorney John Henry Browne told the Seattle Times. Browne said he and his client agreed years ago that Harris-Moore would work part-time at his law firm while looking for a full-time job, and eventually, going to school. He'll answer phones and perform clerical work, according to the lawyer. "Indeed, Colton, one of my favorite clients today, truly is a triumph," Browne wrote in his recent autobiography. He claimed Harris-Moore's abusive mother, Pamela Kohler, paid the attorney $1 to defend her son. Browne's clients also included serial killer Ted Bundy and Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, who confessed to killing more than a dozen civilians in Afghanistan in 2012. Kohler died of cancer earlier this year despite her son's plea to have her cryogenically frozen. Speaking about her death, Browne told the Times, "in some ways I think it was a relief and has freed him." Harris-Moore's story was told in a feature-length documentary, "Fly Colt Fly: Legend of the Barefoot Bandit," which premiered in 2014. It blended interviews with animation. The Associated Press contributed to this report. I was speaking recently to someone who works at one of those famous Bay Area unicorn companies. She mentioned that the organization had recently opened a Seattle office, and I asked why. She mumbled for a while and finally came out with, Because its just easier to hire better talent in Seattle. Related: Why Tech Leaders Are Following Google to Portland This confirmed something that I myself had thought since my 2013-2015 tenure in the Bay Area: Hiring and retaining people in the Bay Area is hard because theres stiff competition for mediocre talent. Thats not to say that all talent in the Bay Area is mediocre, but I found that in comparison with Boston and Seattle (the other two areas in which Ive hired people), the talent pool seems shockingly mediocre. To make Bay Area hiring and retention even more difficult, its difficult to filter out mediocre candidates from the superstars. Big company golden handcuffs Your first problem with hiring in the Bay Area comes from the behemoth tech companies there. Companies like Google and Facebook have interesting problems to solve and will pay top talent exorbitant amounts of money to help solve them. But, assuming that youre solving interesting problems too, trying to stretch your funding or finances to cover engineering salaries that even come close to those of these cash-rich giants might tragically shorten your runway or shrink your profit margins. So what do you do? You dont try to recruit from the big companies. Or, if you do, you hope that you can find talent that falls in love with your company enough to take a giant pay cut. Dont laugh -- it happens. I did just that when I went from Amazon to a seed-stage startup in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it doesnt happen often, which shrinks your available talent pool by a couple of hundred thousand candidates who already work for or are interviewing with the big companies. Related: Which Is a Better City for Startups, San Francisco or New York City? One way non-giants can attract good talent is to be the Next Big Thing. Earn a headline on TechCrunch, get featured on ProductHunt or get a VC to blog about how cool you are, and youll discover that employees become easier to find. And that works for a bit . . . until your shiny new employees discover that your company has its ups and downs, just like any other. Then along comes the next next big thing or big-company salary, and off theyll go. The Bay Area hype machine When I first moved to the Bay Area, I had high expectations. After working in Boston and Seattle, I had finally made my way to the tech mecca. Walking into my coworking space in the Twitter building felt like entering the epicenter of cutting-edge energy. Everyone around me seemed to feel the same thing: There was magic here, and we were all a big part of it! But, then, after a few months, I realized something a bit odd. Everyone I met was (in his or her own opinion) uniquely special in some way. Every salesperson I tried to recruit was the best on his or her team. Every speaker I heard was in the most demand for his or her specialty. Every startup founder had discovered the Next Big Thing. And as I talked even more with these people, I realized that I had worked with better salespeople at AWS, had heard better speakers at conferences in Texas and had known founders in Boston who had actually founded something that became (for a little bit) the Next Big Thing. After my disillusionment wore off, I realized that in the Bay Area everyone had to be a rock star, because claiming to be anything less made them look relatively pathetic. All of this hyperbole about people and companies had built what I started calling the Bay Area Hype Machine. Once everything becomes epic, nothing less will do, so hype ends up everywhere. Unfortunately, the hype skills of talent in the Bay Area have become so well-honed that they can overpower even those of us with a well-tuned BS meter. Which means that you dont know whether youre interviewing a real sales superstar or a hype superstar. This signal-to-noise problem really threw me off at first. My carefully honed hiring instincts werent initially sharp enough to discern genuinely good talent from folks who talked a really good game but were only mediocre operators. And the result was that, percentage-wise, I made far fewer superstar hires in the Bay Area than I ever had in Boston or Seattle, all because of this hype machine. Eventually, I realized that I had to get candidates to prove themselves more and sell themselves less, or I too would fall victim to the hype. Advantages of Tier 2 metro areas Annoyed by Bay Area hype, I moved back to Seattle. And since Ive been here, Ive made a few phenomenal hires, who, interestingly enough, didnt sell themselves with as much hype as anyone did in the Bay Area. Tier 2 cities, in fact, have many advantages over the over-hyped, overly-competitive Bay Area when it comes to hiring and retaining talented staff: 1. You can siphon talent from the big guys. Amazon has an amazing hiring engine; I worked with truly remarkable talent when I was there -- brilliant people who know how to get stuff done. Yet this Seattle-based company, in my opinion, doesnt treat its employees as well as many of the Bay Area giants, which makes it relatively easy to pull great talent away. The company also doesn't quite pay those sky-high Bay Area big company salaries, so you can hire away from it without destroying your runway or profits. 2. Talent knows how to ship product. There are a lot of great ideas in the Bay Area, but few of them come to fruition, even with a full customer base and actual revenue. As a result, many Bay Area people have no experience shipping real, production-ready products. This isnt the case in relatively venture capital-poor Boston, where most companies dont have the luxury of spending a lot of time pre-revenue. As a result, when you do hire the talent, they know how to develop and market beyond minimum viable products. 3. You can pay a reasonable salary for a decent standard of living. I thought I understood the expensive costs of living in Boston and Seattle, but I had no idea. In San Francisco, I worked with people who put up with vermin or insane roommate situations just so they could afford to live on startup salaries without a two-hour commute each way. In Seattle, you can live in a beautiful home in a good neighborhood and pay far, far less in mortgage or rent. Given my experience, would I start a company in the Bay Area? Would I take advantage of that magic and easier access to VC money? Not if I wanted to hire good people who would stay long enough to help my company grow. Related: 8 Reasons to Launch Your Startup Outside of Silicon Valley Instead, here in Seattle, I work with amazing people -- who came from Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft and other area startups. These people know how to ship product and live in vermin-free homes. So, yes, I can find really amazing people without the hype. No wonder so many Bay Area companies are opening offices in Seattle -- this beautiful city, where they can easily hire and retain amazing people. Dylann Roof, the white man charged in the massacre of nine black parishioners at a Charleston church, was slugged Thursday by a black inmate at the South Carolina jail where he is being held, law officials said. Dwayne Stafford ran down the stairs from his cell after Roof went into the shower around 7:45 a.m. Thursday and hit him, bruising Roof's face and back, according to a police report. The 22-year-old Roof was examined by jail medical personnel and then returned to his cell, Charleston County Sheriff's Maj. Eric Watson told The Associated Press. While authorities earlier said Stafford would be charged with assault, Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon told reporters that Roof and his attorneys don't want to press charges. The 26-year-old Stafford is awaiting trial on first-degree assault and strong armed robbery charges. Officials are investigating how Stafford managed to get through a cell door to reach Roof. The two detention officers assigned to the unit are being interviewed. Officials also are looking into the possibility of an electronic malfunction, Cannon said. This was the jail's first incident with Roof, he said. Roof has been housed at the Charleston County Detention Center since being brought back from North Carolina a day after the June 17, 2015, slayings of nine parishioners during a Bible study at Emanuel AME Church. Prosecutors have said Roof was trying to make his way to Nashville, Tennessee, after the shootings. Roof faces the death penalty in upcoming trials in both federal and state courts. The federal government has charged Roof with hate crimes and other offenses in the shootings. Prosecutors allege Roof talked of starting a race war and posed with the Confederate battle flag before the killings. His federal trial is set for November. He also faces the death penalty in state court where he is charged with nine counts of murder in a trial set to begin next year. Defense attorneys have said in both state and federal courts that Roof is willing to plead guilty and serve a life term in prison if prosecutors don't seek the death penalty. Roof's attorneys in the federal case have asked a judge to declare the federal death penalty unconstitutional which they said would clear the way for Roof to plead guilty. A man on the run for 40 years after a deadly shooting evaded authorities, got married and settled under an alias in a small North Carolina town and ran a wallpaper store. But the FBI says the life of James Manion was part of a long deception after a violent 1977 crime in Florida. Authorities say the fugitive whose real name is William Claybourne Taylor was the triggerman in an attempt to assassinate the then-mayor of Williston, which left the mayor wounded and another government official dead. Taylor is scheduled to have a court hearing in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday, a week after he was captured. Authorities say he disappeared in 1980 after he was indicted on charges of murder and aggravated battery. Authorities in south Louisiana recovered the body of a 29-year-old pilot in the wreckage of a helicopter Thursday that disappeared while doing a pipeline survey. Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal did not release the pilot's name. Ackal said the wreckage was found in the swamps of the Atchafalaya Basin, south of Baton Rouge, about 100 yards from the pipeline the pilot was flying over. "The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified the crash involved a fatality and investigators are on their way to the scene," Ackal said. Chief Criminal Deputy Sheriff Richard Hazelwood said the pilot of a state police helicopter spotted the wreck and directed authorities on the ground to the crash site. "Rescuers used boats to get close to the site and then had to walk in 2 to 3 feet of water to reach the wreckage," Hazelwood said. The helicopter disappeared Wednesday afternoon after leaving Gonzales, Louisiana. "The aircraft was scheduled to refuel in Patterson, Louisiana, about 12:30 p.m., but never arrived," Hazelwood said. The civil air patrol began a search for the overdue helicopter about 2 p.m. and "the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office was notified about the missing aircraft about 7 p.m.," he said. Deputies from neighboring St. Mary Parish, state wildlife personnel and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the search. The helicopter is owned by Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc., he said. A call to the Pearland, Texas company by The Associated Press was not immediately returned. The search for everlasting life has long been a fascination of humans -- and many have invested enormous time, thought and money into the notion. But is such a thing even possible? And for those who seek escape from physical death, does that mean they would also escape a spiritual afterlife? Peter Thiel, the billionaire technology investor, is among those who believe it might be possible to evade death by using technological advances. Thiel, of course, co-founded PayPal and in 2002 sold the company to eBay for $1.5 billion. In 2004, he was the first outside investor of Facebook, which now has 1.71 billion users -- and that group is rising by 15 percent every year, according to Zephoria Digital Marketing. Most recently, Thiel launched Founders Fund, a venture capital fund focused on science, engineering and technology solutions, along with his Paypal partners Ken Howery and Luke Nosek. Founders Fund is forecasted to help the next generation of tech companies, including LinkedIn and Spotify. Thiel now wants to use previous research and new technology to help him live beyond his years. Parabiosis, the process by which youthful blood is transfused into a person's veins, was researched in the 1950s with experiments involving the circulatory systems of rats, as Inc.com reported. Most recently, Theil has closely followed a study called "Young Donor Plasma Transfusion and Age-Related Biomarkers," as developed by Ambrosia, a company based in Monterey, California. The company was founded by Stanford-trained physician Jesse Karmazin. The study involves healthy participants who are 35 years old (or older) and receive transfused blood plasma from donors who are under the age of 25, reported Inc. Ambrosia then monitors and researches the effects of the blood transfusion on health and aging. The recipient pays $8,000 and must reside in or travel to Monterey for treatments and follow-up evaluations. "The effects seem to be almost permanent," Karmazin, Ambrosia's founder, told Inc.com. "It's almost like there's a resetting of gene expression." Thiel does not intend to promote parabiosis just yet, but is examining it merely for his personal use. And all of this leads naturally to the subject of faith -- and to a discussion of the existence of life after earthly death. (Not coincidentally, Thiel earned a B.A. in philosophy from Stanford University before his J.D. from Stanford Law School.) "Peter Thiel's quest for eternal life -- in this world -- clearly shows human nature's desire for immortality," said Fr. Michael Sliney, a Catholic priest who works with business and youth groups in New York City and other areas. "The advances of technology have already prolonged life and certainly this trend will continue." He added, "This life on Earth is more of a pilgrimage or testing ground to reach our true home and true happiness in heaven with God. Death was not a part of God's original plan, but original sin created this new condition of 'mortality.'" Christians, of course, believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to make eternal life accessible to all who believe in Him. "[Death] also gave us the added advantage of Christ's incarnation," said Fr. Sliney. "In the words of Pope Francis, 'He is there for us, waiting with patience and hope, even when we turn in on ourselves and brood over our troubles and past injuries.' Christ accompanies us. He is cheering us on and waiting for us." Fr. Sliney administers the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as a priest and often finds himself present with people as they near the end of their lives. The Anointing of the Sick is one of the seven sacraments that is believed to bring spiritual -- and sometimes physical -- strength during serious illness or other situations. "Our Christian Faith, based on divine revelation, tells us; 'Just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment,'" said Fr. Sliney, quoting Hebrews 9:27. "As a priest, I have accompanied many holy souls in their final moments, and seen them depart this world with deep peace and great hope in eternal happiness with Christ in heaven." "With faith, death can be a beautiful beginning," Fr. Sliney asserted. "Without faith, death is always a fatal ending." The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered all of its aircraft to stand down for one day after two F/A-18C Hornets from the same squadron crashed in the past week. One crash killed a pilot. "There will be an operational pause for all [Marine Air Wings], not including deployed units for one day within the next seven business days," said Capt. Sarah Burns, a Marine spokesperson told Fox News in an email Thursday. Burns called the safety stand-down "routine." Earlier this week, Fox News was first to report the second crash of a Marine F/A-18C Hornet in less than a week. In all, three planes from the same squadron, VMFA-232, have crashed in less than one year. Marine commanders can decide exactly when within the next week to pause flights, Burns told the Marine Corps Times, which was first to report news of the 24-hour stand-down. The first F/A-18C crash, in Southern California on July 28, killed 36-year-old Marine Maj. Richard Norton, known to family and friends as Sterling, who was based at Marine Air Station Miramar. On Tuesday, another F/A-18C crash left a Navy pilot hospitalized. The incident unfolded east of Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, a defense official said. This past October, Marine Maj. Taj Sareen was killed when his F-18 Hornet crashed near RAF Lakenheath in eastern England. Fox News was first to report the dire state of Marine Corps aviation. During a visit to two Marine Corps bases in April, Fox News learned that nearly 70% of Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets and a similar number of Ch-53 Super Stallion helicopters couldn't fly. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report. More than 40 suspected mob members most allegedly belonging to four major New York City crime families were arrested in a massive bust across five states on Thursday morning carried out by the FBI and NYPD. Purported Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Merlino was also nabbed in the dragnet while vacationing at his Florida summer home, The New York Post reported. But most of those rounded up are alleged to be soldiers or associates in the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese and Bonanno families. #Breaking more than 40 mobsters from Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, and Bonanno LCN crime families. arrested this AM @NYPDnews @SDNYnews #mob FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) August 4, 2016 Also on Thursday, the grandson of infamous mob boss John Gotti, who is also named John Gotti, was arrested in New York with six others on state narcotics charges, WNBC reported, citing law enforcement sources. Gotti, 23, was alleged to have sold oxycodone and other prescription pills. Gottis arrest doesnt appear connected to the larger mob bust. An indictment alleges the defendants put aside family animosity and joined forces, becoming members of an organized criminal enterprise known as East Coast LCN Enterprise. Some of the crimes alleged to have occurred included extortion, arson, operating illegal gambling businesses, health care and credit card fraud, selling untaxed cigarettes, assault and firearms trafficking. The charging document lists the given names and several colorful nicknames for numerous defendants, including: Anthony Tony the Wig Vazzano, Anthony Tony the Cripple Cassetta, Pasquale Mustache Pat Capolongo and John Tugboat Tognino. Another suspect, Pasquale Patsy Parrello, was accused of ordering an associate to attack a panhandler outside his Bronx restaurant and break his knees. Investigators said the man was attacked with objects including glass jars and steel-tipped boots. Other suspects were reimbursed for paying doctors kickbacks to prescribe expensive compound cream, court documents showed. Click for more from The New York Post. The feds on Thursday arrested a man in North Carolina who allegedly aspired to create an Islamic State sleeper cell in the U.S. and who authorities said was in close contact with a pair of Texas extremists who plotted an attack on the Draw the Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in 2015. Erick Jamal Hendricks, 35, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. He is the 100th person charged in an ISIS-related case under federal law since 2014. The allegations against Hendricks stem from a confidential informant who was arrested in the spring of 2015 when he tried to buy an assault rifle and ammunition from an undercover officer, investigators said. That informant, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS, claimed Hendricks tried to recruit him for an ISIS cell in 2015. Hendricks allegedly also claimed to have brothers in Texas and Mexico. Officials said they believed those brothers were Elton Simpson and Nadir Hamid Soofi, two ISIS-inspired extremists who tried launching an attack on the Garland, Texas cartoon contest in April 2015. A police officer shot and killed the men before they could enter the venue. Hendricks allegedly connected an undercover FBI agent with Simpson prior to the attack and told the agent to go to the contest and survey security. If you see that pig [contest organizer Pamela Geller], make your voice heard against her, Hendricks allegedly told the undercover agent. Shortly after Hendricks requested information on the size of the gathering, the police presence and whether snipers were stationed, Simpson and Soofi drove up to start their terror attempt before the officer shot them. Fox News Matt Dean and Courtney Stein Vargas contributed to this report. The Wayback Machine, a service offered through Internet Archive, provides access to online history by preserving and offering access to websites from the past 20 years. The Wayback Machine is used by hundreds of thousands of people every day, presenting snapshots, back in time, from more than 1.5 billion websites, says Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine. The site was founded by Brewster Kahle, who also sold Alexa Internet to Amazon and is in the Internet Hall of Fame. To celebrate the birth of the world wide web, we caught up with Graham to talk about the Wayback Machine, how it benefits the public and some surprising facts about the service: Related: 4 Reasons to Be Excited by the 'Internet of Things' 1. How does Wayback Machine work? The Wayback Machine offers access to the billions of web pages collected through many partners and technologies. Even though it is a huge collection, it only takes hundreds of computers to serve thousands of requests per second. It is a testament to how far our computer technology has grown. 2. What do we risk if something like this doesn't exist? Without things like the Wayback Machine, we would deny future generations an ability to explore and learn from history that is increasingly digital. Oh, and for historians to try to piece together what that whole Pokemon (see: Go Pokebarbarians at the Gate) phenomenon was about. 3. Why is this an important service to have? How does it benefit people? The average life expectancy of a web page is only 100 days before it is changed or deleted. The web is a record of our time, and without a record will lose history. 4. How many staff members did you have when you started? How many do you have now? There are 150 employees of the Internet Archive, but there are now more than 1,000 librarians in 400 institutions shaping the holdings of the Wayback Machine by curating thousands of individual web collections through the archive-it.org service. 5. What does this service tell us about how the internet has changed? People love to share and people love to learn, and people love cats. What is changing is how people are doing this. The webs evolution, which now includes Youtube and Facebook, is making this easier and easier. 6. What are the most striking changes in how we use the internet that you've noticed? That it is no longer a nice to have but so influential that governments block access to certain websites, or the whole internet, when they think they are threatened. The other obvious difference is that most people now access the internet via mobile devices, which are location aware by default, supporting a wide range of services that require that information. 7. What are some surprising uses you've seen for your tool? On July 17, 2014, Igor (Strelkov) Girkin, a Ukrainian separatist leader, claimed responsibility online for the downing of what he thought was a Ukrainian military transport plane near the rebel held Ukrainian city of Donetsk. When reports that Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, with 295 passengers, had been shot down in the same area, his post was removed. But not before it had been preserved several times by the Wayback Machine, where it is available today. And on May 1, 2003, the White House issued a statement that said " President Bush Announces Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended." Later the word 'Major' was added to the title and on Oct. 1, 2003, it read " President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended." Later still it was removed from the live web altogether, but you can see preserved copies of it. Related: Your Internet Signal Is Going To Be Transmitted Through Light 8. What are some facts about the Wayback Machine that most people don't know? That the inventory of more than half a trillion web captures is not the result of a single continuous crawling process but rather millions of separate crawls, defined by thousands of people, over the years. That the home for the Wayback Machine is a former Church of Christian Scientists, which is now a digital library where the hymnal page numbers of the wall have been replaced with mathematically significant numbers. We have a new beta that allows people to search for a site with keywords: https://web-beta.archive.org. 9. What's ahead? We are trying to help build the internet into the Library of Alexandria version two by making all the published works permanently available to everyone that is curious enough to want access (all books, music, video, software and web pages). That is the opportunity of our generation, and one we are trying to help make real. An American woman was killed and five other people injured in a stabbing attack in Londons Russell Square by a Norwegian man of Somali origin who was arrested after the incident, authorities said. The investigation increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental-health issues, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said. "So far we have found no evidence of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism," Rowley added. He said the woman who died was a 64-year-old American. Metropolitan Police named her in a press release as Darlene Horton. The victim of the fatal stabbing in Russell Square has been named as Darlene Horton https://t.co/X6ekWwILvB pic.twitter.com/PoCimi6Pca Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 4, 2016 Florida State University announced she was the wife of eminent scholar Richard Wagner, who was in London teaching a summer session class. "There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy," FSU President John Thrasher said in a statement. "We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family, and we will do all we can to assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the Psychology department, as they mourn." The five injured people are British, American, Israeli and Australian. None had life-threatening injuries. Two remain in a hospital, while three others have been discharged. The suspect emigrated from Norway to the United Kingdom in 2002 at about five years old. Rowley said it appeared to be a "spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random." Detectives from the force's murder and terrorism squads interviewed the suspect, his family and witnesses and searched several properties, and found no evidence of radicalization, he said. "Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those killed or injured in last night's attack in London," State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner responded. Police put more officers on London streets after the incident, which came just days after authorities had warned the public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe. Police said they received "numerous" calls from members of the public at around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday about a man attacking people with a knife in the streets around Russell Square, a busy central area full of students and tourists. Officers used a stun gun to subdue a 19-year-old suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of murder. Helen Edwards, 33, who lives in the area, came out for a walk late Wednesday and found armed police near a subway station. In a city with vivid memories of the July 7, 2005, attacks on public transport two of which struck near Russell Square she immediately suspected that an attack had occurred. The scene was described as chaotic. The suspect lunged for anyone he could reach, a witness said. A Spanish family offered comfort to the woman who died from her injuries. One woman in the family was tryied to keep her alive and talked to her. Ellie Cattle, 21, a student staying in a hotel near the square, said she heard police shouting: "'Put it down, put it down!' "Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot, but it must have been the Taser," she said. "After that they just stopped shouting. I didn't hear any screams from anyone." Knives are the most common murder weapon in Britain, which has strict gun-control laws. There were 186 knife killings in the year to March 2015, according to government statistics a third of all murders. In the last three years London has seen two knife attacks by people inspired by radical Islam. In May 2013, two al-Qaida-inspired London men killed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby in the street near his barracks. In January, mentally ill Muhiddin Mire tried to behead a London Underground passenger, shouting that he was doing it "for Syria." The Russell Square incident came within hours of an announcement by London police that they were putting more armed officers on the streets. The idea was to sustain public confidence following attacks by Islamic State-inspired groups in Europe. Police in Britain do not carry guns for the most part a principle that remains unchanged. Even with the additional armed officers, most of London's 31,000 police officers will not be armed. The Associated Press contributed to this report Click for more from Sky News. Uganda and Congo have agreed on a joint intelligence security plan to combat rebel groups active along the countries' border. Congo President Joseph Kabila and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni met Thursday in Uganda to discuss security and the Uganda-based rebel group Allied Democratic Forces. In recent years, the rebels have been active in Congo's Beni territory and North Kivu province. Uganda has offered troops to help fight the rebels in the past, but now the leaders have agreed on a plan to share security intelligence. The leaders also said they will form a joint committee on oil exploration. Eastern Congo is home to multiple armed groups that compete for control of the region's vast mineral resources. Carved out of Sudan following years of civil war and the Darfur genocide, South Sudan was originally touted as a U.S. foreign policy success story after a vote for independence in 2011, but in the five years since, the country has been overrun by an internal war that has resulted in mass murders, gang rapes and torture. After speaking to Fox News last year, former government official Joseph Bakosoro was arrested and jailed. He recently escaped to the United States and says America must help -- and soon, or another genocide is imminent. There are insecurities all over the country, there are gunmen all over. There is no rule of law in the country now, he said. Everybody's above the law. Every individual has a gun and there is total breakdown of law and order. There are more than 60 tribes within South Sudan, but the majority Dinka has held rule since the countrys inception. Other tribes claim to have endured mass killings, rapes and worse at the hands of the Dinka. In response, the second largest tribe, the Nuer, formed rebel forces and have gained ground in recent months. This is a tribal or ethnic conflict that's been fought in South Sudan for many years, even before independence. The level of brutality has increased. The level of animosity among the tribes has continued high, said former UN ambassador John Bolton. We've got more than one million refugees, casualties that can't even be counted and no prospect of it ending, so it's a tragic failure for everyone involved. The United Nations has described then-tribal fighting as catastrophic. A peace deal brokered by the Obama administration last year has failed to stop the carnage. Jens Laerke at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, "We estimate that 4.8 million people are food insecure in South Sudan, we don't have access to all of them. It's a very fluid situation with a lot of violence." Since 2011, the United States has given billions of dollars and even waived the Child Soldier Prevention Act in order to continue the funding. Bakosoro insisted that while the U.S. has been a friend, it did a poor job of following the money it gave, thus resulting in massive corruption and even weapons purchasing that armed a military now charged with brutal crimes. "The U.S. gave a lot of money to South Sudan without any accountability and that has made the leaders in South Sudan be unruly and unaccounted for, he said. Bolton agreed. "I think there were excellent reasons for the United States to support a partition of the Sudan. I think that where we made a mistake was in believing massive economic assistance and nation building could overcome the long standing tribal divisions." The United States has evacuated all non-essential staff and added 47 U.S. Marines for internal security. According to Deputy State Department Spokesman Mark Toner, "We're obviously very concerned by the violence. We're calling on all sides to abide by the ceasefire and refrain from anymore of the destabilizing rhetoric." There are currently 12,000 UN troops on the ground, but very little reportedly has been done by those troops to stop the atrocities. Their mission expires August 12 and there is disagreement between the UN and U.S. about how to proceed. As a result, a planned UN Security Council trip to South Sudan Aug 15-19 was just cancelled. Bakosoro warned, If they don't intervene now, I think the situation may grow worse, reaching to the point just like 1994 Rwanda genocide. The leader of the Islamic States operations in the volatile Sinai Peninsula and mastermind of the October 2015 attack on a Russian airliner in the region that left 224 dead has been killed by Egypts air force, intelligence sources told Fox News Thursday. ISIS Sinai leader Abu Dua al-Ansari was killed in Al Arish, the sources said. A post on the Facebook page of the military's chief spokesman, Brig-Gen Mohammed Samir, said al-Ansari was killed in an operation guided by "accurate intelligence." He helped organize ISIS activities in the region including attacks against U.N. personnel in their Sinai base, investigators said. In the Metrojet plane attack on October 31, an air mechanic whose cousin joined ISIS in Syria is suspected to have planted a bomb on the Russian passenger plane at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The plane then exploded in Egypts skies after takeoff, killing all 224 aboard. Egypts military wrote on its Facebook page that its airstrikes also killed 45 ISIS fighters and ammunition depots used by the group, Reuters reported. Egyptian forces have been battling Islamic militants in Sinai for years but the insurgency there has grown deadlier since the 2013 ouster by the military of the country's Islamist president. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Taliban militants in western Afghanistan Thursday attacked a convoy carrying foreign tourists, including Americans, leaving at least six people injured, officials in the region told several news agencies. The tourists were in a minibus on a rural highway in Herat Province when they were hit with rockets and gunfire, The Washington Post reported. None of the injuries was said to be life-threatening, and it was unclear whether the three Americans in the vehicle were hurt. Officials were working to airlift the passengers, which also included six British citizens, two Scots and one German, the Post added. The highway where the attack unfolded connects Herat, Afghanistan's third-largest city, to the mountainous Bamiyan Province, the site of an ancient Buddhist monastery. Earlier this week, a group of militants, including a suicide truck bomber, targeted a Kabul guesthouse for foreign contractors, killing one policeman and wounding four, Afghan authorities said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack. The Interior Ministry said "terrorists" used a truck full of explosives to breach the perimeter wall of the Northgate Hotel around 1:30 a.m. Three gunmen then entered the premises and started shooting. The ministry's deputy spokesman Najib Danish said the truck driver was killed when he detonated the explosives. The blast in the eastern part of the Afghan capital shook the city and was followed by widespread power outages. A Taliban statement said they had sent heavily armed operatives as part of the attack. That attack followed a massive suicide bombing that struck a peaceful rally by Afghanistan's minority ethnic Hazara community on July 23 that killed more than 80 people and wounded hundreds. The Hazaras were rallying to call for a power project to be rerouted through their impoverished region in the central highlands when the suicide bomber hit. The Associated Press contributed to this report A French organizations upcoming burqini-only day for Muslim women at a water park is coming under fire from far-right politicians with the towns mayor vowing to ban it outright. Shocked French mayor wants to ban 'burqini' pool party: https://t.co/NTtMIptBR4 pic.twitter.com/r4a1McFARd The Local France (@TheLocalFrance) August 4, 2016 A community group has scheduled the private event at the Speed Water Park outside Marseille for September, the BBC reports, but it is only allowing women who wear the swimming garment which covers most of the body, like a burqa. We count on you to not come in a two piece, reads a message on the events poster. It is legal to wear Islamic dress in France, but the country became the first in Europe to ban the full-face Islamic veil in public places, in addition to having a ban on Islamic headscarves in schools. Michel Amiel, the mayor of the Pennes-Mirabeau town where the waterpark is located, now wants another ban: the event itself. "I'm taking up a city bylaw that can prohibit this event on the grounds that it is likely to cause public disorder," he told the Le Parisien newspaper Thursday, according to The Local. Amiel fears that the event would prioritize a certain ethnic grouping as opposed to a mixed society, the newspaper reported. Valerie Boyer, a member of the Republicains party in parliament, also ripped the planned event, saying it would be provocative. The battle of 'the veil' is a visible sign of fundamentalists wanting to mark their territory and subjugate women, like men, and to establish a territory where Islam appears uniform and in social control," she told the L'Express newspaper. The group organizing the event, Smile 13, wrote on its Facebook page that park officials had signed off on it. First to first-in-human trials Zinc-finger nucleases were among the first true gene-editing nucleases made and are arguably the closest to clinical use, said Fred Hutch staff scientist and zinc-finger nuclease aficionado Dr. Chris Peterson. Like the other non-CRISPR gene-editing platforms, zinc-finger nucleases are a sort of Franken-protein, stitched together from pieces of naturally existing proteins to make a new kind of gene-targeting machine. Peterson is working on the laboratory team of stem cell transplant researcher Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem on research to cure HIV infection by disabling a protein known as CCR5, the cell-surface door HIV most commonly uses to enter and infect immune cells. Using an animal model of HIV infection, Peterson uses a pair of zinc-finger nucleases to disrupt the gene coding for CCR5 in blood stem cells, which are then transplanted back into the animals to repopulate their immune systems with the modified version of CCR5. His project is part of the Fred Hutch-headquartered defeatHIV consortium. Gene editings potential to cure HIV is ahead of other clinical applications for these technologies, Peterson said, because the CCR5-based approach is focused on mimicking a naturally occurring and safe mutation. Some people of Northern European and Middle Eastern descent have the CCR5 mutation that researchers are hoping to copy through gene editing. Those born with this mutation have minimally discernable health effects other than a natural resistance to HIV. Since we know how important [CCR5] is to HIV, it was sort of a slam dunk to start there for the gene-editing field, Peterson said. Kiem and others on the defeatHIV team are partnering with Sangamo BioSciences, a biotech company that develops and tests many of the zinc-finger nucleases in research use today. And these proteins have one big leg up on CRISPR so far. Researchers from Sangamo, the University of Pennsylvania and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York have published results from a clinical trial using one such set of nucleases to disrupt CCR5 in the immune cells of HIV-positive patients. The technique appears safe and might even be slowing HIVs progression, although none of the patients in that trial are truly cured of their infections; the gene edit didnt happen in enough of their cells to protect the rest. While this early-stage clinical trial is just the first step toward curing a disease with gene-editing tools, this early success in humans is both a boost for the gene-editing field overall and can act as a building block for future trials using other nucleases. Theres a lot of excitement that theyre doing these first-in-human trials [with CRISPR], but zinc fingers are already there, Peterson said. So theres a lot we can learn about gene editing in human trials based on whats already out there. Other nuclease technologies have been tested in humans as well. Last year, the French biotech company Cellectis made worldwide headlines when it was announced that a baby girl in the U.K., Layla Richards, had received the worlds first T cells engineered with a TALEN gene-editing protein to treat her leukemia. But new insight into the mutations in the genes in the PI3K pathway provides new hope. Prostate tumors can have a wide array of mutations in these genes but how these various mutations may affect tumor responses to different PI3K-targeted drugs is unknown. Now, the two-year, $1 million PCF Challenge Award will allow Hsieh and MSK co-primary investigators Dr. Yu Chen and Dr. Brett Carver to combine their expertise to determine which drugs are effective against tumors with specific mutations and identify biomarkers that will enable oncologists to pair prostate cancer patients with the most effective treatment regimens. The partnership between Hsieh, Chen and Carver sprang from scientific friendships forged during the early years of each scientists career, supported by PCF Young Investigator Awards. Hsieh brings expert knowledge of prostate cancer and the PI3K pathway and its effects on a critical cellular process: translating genetic material into proteins, our cells workhorses. Carver provides expertise in feedback regulation, the interplay between different molecular elements in the PI3K pathway. Chen, also an expert in the processes by which genes are turned on and off, has pioneered cutting-edge organoid systems that recreate prostate tumors and will allow the team to much more easily test the activity of various drugs against tumors with specific mutations. Together the team will not only be able to provide clarity on which drugs are most effective against tumors with specific PI3K-pathway mutations, but how these specific mutations differentially affect how the pathway functions. While they will begin in Chen and Carvers organoid systems, the scientists will also examine tissue from prostate tumors. Fred Hutch prostate cancer researchers and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance oncologists Drs. Pete Nelson and Heather Cheng will also contribute to the project. By developing 'new targets of opportunity' to eradicate prostate cancers with PI3K gene pathway mutations, Dr. Hsieh's team is bringing us closer to more potent and precise solutions for currently treatment-resistant prostate cancer, said Jonathan W. Simons, MD, president and CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The Prostate Cancer Foundation, which works to accelerate the worlds most promising prostate cancer research, received funds from the Movember Foundations 2015 US Campaign to support the 2016 Challenge Awards. The Movember Foundation is a global mens health charity committed to helping men to live happier, healthier and longer lives. The work will help answer the question of why different drugs are more effective against tumors with different genotypes and phenotypes, said Hsieh. By identifying which mutations reveal a vulnerability to a specific drug, the findings may have big impacts on patient care and clinical trial results. Oncologists will potentially be able to use the results to pair patients with the most effective drugs for their tumors, and researchers may improve clinical trial results by selecting those patients most likely to respond to a specific drug based on the mutations in their prostate tumors. Sabrina Richards California Intercontinental University Commencement Ceremony California Intercontinental University announces their 2016 Commencement Ceremony along with Doctorate degrees in Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Business Management and Business Administration in Healthcare Management and Leadership. Cal University is an online distance education institution dedicated to the study of Business Administration. -- California Intercontinental University announces their 2016 Commencement Ceremony. The Executive Chairman/President, and Chief Executive Officer formally confer degrees to all graduating students. This university-wide ceremony celebrates and honors the accomplishments of all their graduates. Cal University offers a wide variety of degrees from Associate to Masters to Bachelor and Doctorate. The University positions itself as a student-centered institution that adheres to the highest principles of integrity, ethical standards, fairness, and academic excellence in online education. The CALUNIVERSITY purpose is to promote and support innovative online educational opportunities through distance study, critical research, and quality service to students. Two out of three degrees are in their Doctorate Programs with a focus on their highly acclaimed Doctor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Business Management Program. This program has mentored some of the most aggressive entrepreneurs entering society today with 84% being from the United States. The curriculum is a rigorous set of instructions in financing new ventures, case studies in global entrepreneurship, and small business management. Their typical student will gain a firm grasp of the kinds of challenges that are faced daily by entrepreneurs and business leaders. These courses also train students to demonstrate critical thinking and communication skills for local and global business planning and decision-making. By learning how to navigate through a complex economy, graduates learn to become well-versed in identifying business opportunities that create value and optimize return on investments. Cal University has also recently amended the curriculum for the Doctor of Business Administration in Healthcare Management and Leadership. A DBA in Healthcare Management and Leadership combines the high-level managerial expertise necessary to lead a business with the specific knowledge and skills for advancing in the most stable and consistently growing industry today. While the current outlook for jobs in the healthcare field has always been encouraging, it is continuously growing more favorable with the expansion of technology's influence on medical care. Now more than ever, highly qualified leaders are in demand to organize a successful business plan for a variety of medical facilities, from major hospitals to medical research laboratories to smaller doctor's offices. For more information, please visit http://www.caluniversity.edu Contact Info: Name: Michael Costigan Organization: Key Bridge, Inc Address: 6906 Connecticut tr Crystal Lake, IL Phone: 8152453136 Release ID: 126402 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) 4 Sons Solar Electric Announces Wholesale Prices On Solar Panels For Homeowners The solar installation company is offering discounted rates to encourage more homeowners to take advantage of solar energy, reports greenenergyinstallers.com -- With concerns about global warming and fossil fuel depletion on the rise, alternative energy sources are getting more attention these days, and many homeowners are considering installing solar panels to save energy and cut their monthly bills. While solar panels can represent considerable savings - more than $100 a month in some parts of the country - they are not inexpensive to install. To offset the potentially prohibitive expense of new solar panels, the San Diego solar energy company 4 Sons Solar Electric is offering wholesale prices for homeowners. "A lot of customers are put off by the price of solar panels, but we are doing everything we can to make it easier for home owners to use solar energy," said company spokesperson Thorin Lee. "We are offering wholesale rates at the deepest discount possible, and we also offer HERO financing with no money down, which makes us competitive with any other southern california solar installers." HERO stands for the Home Energy Renovation Opportunity program, which offers low-interest 100% financing for energy-efficient or renewable energy products in California to qualifying homeowners, with repayments made through property tax collection. "Once they buy the panels," Lee continued, "homeowners can start saving money on their energy bills, and they also become eligible for tax breaks and rebates from the power company." Another benefit of HERO financing is that the debt can transfer to the next owner if the house is sold before the debt is paid off. "We tell our customers that they only have to pay for the solar panels while they're using them. Not only do solar panels considerably increase the value of a home, the next owner will very likely take on the cost of paying for them. If you're planning to sell your home in the foreseeable future, it's a good thing to keep in mind," said Lee. 4 Sons Solar Electric sells exclusively American and German-made products because of their high quality and reliability. "There are fewer issues with the modules we sell because they have gone through a lot of third-party testing before they reach the market," explained Lee. "Our solar panels last a minimum of 25 years. Other solar panel companies san diego may be selling cheaper products, but we stand behind the quality of what we offer our customers." With the incentive of wholesale pricing for homeowners, Lee hopes to see more people taking advantage of the cost-saving and environmental benefits of solar energy. "Depending on the size of your home, your energy use, and the area where you live, solar energy can pay for itself in a relatively short time. We encourage homeowners to contact us to find out whether solar panels are truly an affordable solution for their homes." About 4 Sons Solar Electric 4 Sons Solar Electric, the best solar company san diego, offers wholesale solar panels and dealer discounted rates to homeowners. The company uses American and German-made quality components. They require no money down, and they offer HERO financing with the lowest qualifying rates. 4 Sons' goal is to help customers lower their energy bills while increasing the value of their homes with solar panels. 4 Sons invites customers to call or fill out a form on their website for a free analysis. For more information, please visit http://greenenergyinstallers.com Contact Info: Name: Thorin Lee Organization: 4 Sons Solar Electric Address: 864 Grand Ave. #508 San Diego, CA 92109 Phone: 619-919-5469 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/4-sons-solar-electric-announces-wholesale-prices-on-solar-panels-for-homeowners/126512 Release ID: 126512 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Capitol Tech Solutions Celebrates Top 10 Best Web Design Firms Award The company has been honored by Top Design Firms, a nationally-recognized authority in internet site design, reports https://www.capitoltechsolutions.com/. -- Capitol Tech Solutions a Sacramento Web Design Firm, was named a winner of the 2016 "Top 10 Best Web Design Firms" award by Top Design Firms, a nationally-recognized authority in internet site design. Capitol Tech Solutions beat out thousands of other competitors throughout the country to take home these prestigious honors. Potential award recipients were nominated through an online recommendation form in order to be in contention for the Top 10 Best Web Design Firms Award. Top Design Firms specializes in finding, ranking, and listing the best design companies in the country. Businesses nationwide and across all industry verticals visit their site not only to discover the latest trends in the website design world, but also to find the right team to complete their next web design or mobile project. To win this award, the company must have been in business for a minimum of 5 years, have a diverse portfolio of services including web design, mobile app development, and logo design projects. The Top Design Firms team evaluated nominated companies on the basis of usability, style, coding, complexity, and customization. Transparency of firm operations within customer reviews was also considered. This important metric shows the firm's clients were passionate enough to write a positive review on their service. Finally, evaluators from Top Design Firms randomly contacted past clients of each agency to attain honest and unbiased opinions of the nominated firm. "We founded Capitol Tech Solutions in 2004 and are proud to have been recognized as one of Sacramento's fastest growing companies," said Bobby Reed, President of Capitol Tech Solutions, who was honored to receive the award on behalf of the firm team. "We provide a full range of Web Design/SEO, Software Development and IT Infrastructure Services. Our team works hard to provide exceptional customer service, following through with every client to provide comprehensive solutions to enhance their business and presence online. It is truly an honor to receive national recognition as one of the 'Top 10 Best Web Design Firms' in the country." Persons interested in learning more about Capitol Tech Solutions and the award can visit their website at https://www.capitoltechsolutions.com/. About Capitol Tech Solutions: Capitol Tech Solutions is a leading digital development firm. Founded in 2004, Capitol Tech Solutions is one of Sacramento's fastest growing companies. They provide a full range of software design, web development services, IT services, digital advocacy and marketing, and fully customized software database development solutions. Their experts have decades of experience in graphics and UI/UX design, IT services, mobile app design and PowerSchool SIS. For more information, please visit https://www.capitoltechsolutions.com/ Contact Info: Name: Bobby Reed Organization: Capitol Tech Solutions Phone: (916) 443-5395 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/capitol-tech-solutions-celebrates-top-10-best-web-design-firms-award/126516 Release ID: 126516 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Saigon Paranormal & Science Fiction Novel Ghosts Spirits Horror Book Released Maqui of Saigon: A Legendary Spirit from Vietnam, a new paranormal fiction novel chronicling the story of a rookie journalist forced to track down a mythical tale about an evil and buried spirit in the post-Vietnam War, has been released by Alexander Shin. -- The prominent author Alexander Shin announced the release of a new ghost, spirit and mythical legend tale fiction novel, entitled 'Maqui of Saigon: A Legendary Spirit from Vietnam', set in the post-Vietnam war Saigon. More information is available at https://amazon.com/Spirit-Saigon-Legendary-Vietnam-vietnam-ebook/dp/B01AYQ6HNS#navbar. The 'Maqui of Saigon: A Legendary Spirit from Vietnam' is the latest release by the popular fiction writer Alexander Shin and draws on the author's extensive knowledge on Vietnam, the Vietnam War, metaphysics or the spirit world and past lives, to provide an engaging fictional story for the paranormal genre aficionados. The book focuses on a recent college graduate and rookie journalist with the Alcott Journal, forced to accept the assignment of tracking down the Legend of Chuyen ma, a local and hidden mythical tale of a spirit that appeared in the crowded streets of Saigon and caused mass chaos in Vietnam's capital city during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. The 'Maqui of Saigon: A Legendary Spirit from Vietnam' fiction novel chronicles the dangerous and perilous journey of the journalist, Tom, while he encounters and explores Vietnam's post-war culture, his own past life, mythical, hidden and occult local tales along with a demonic spirit while struggling for his own survival. More information on the 'Maqui of Saigon: A Legendary Spirit from Vietnam', available as a Kindle e-book or paperback format on Amazon, along with details on the half Asian, half Caucasian author who has lived most of his life in Asia behind the engaging spirit fiction novel as well as multiple reader ratings and 'critiques' can be consulted on the website link provided above. The author, Alexander Shin, explains that "Maqui of Saigon: A Legendary Spirit from Vietnam is a fiction novel with a gripping ghost story from Saigon that focuses on past life regression, the spirit realm and Vietnam after the war, with the potential to be a Hollywood movie or HBO series someday". He adds that "the book starts from the premise that most only know of the war that took place in Vietnam but in truth the most occult story from that era is yet to be revealed and a rookie journalist is forced to accept the assignment nobody dares to tackle. His mission is to track the legend of a spirit buried years ago, if he can survive". For more information, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Saigon-Legendary-Vietnam-vietnam-ebook/dp/B01AYQ6HNS Contact Info: Name: Alexander Shin Organization: Nekoterran LLC Address: 1603 Capitol Ave. Suite 310 Cheyenne, WY 82001 Phone: (82)-10-2678-8843 Release ID: 126307 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Aroga Worldwide, Maker of Acu-Point Holograms, Makes Agreement With Aroga Media, A Reseller Of The Google Apps For Work Platform Aroga Worldwide, a Global Direct Sales Company, based in Ontario, Canada announced today that Aroga's Direct Sales Force will now have access to the Google Apps for Work platform, through an agreement with Sister Company, Aroga Media. -- Aroga Worldwide is demonstrating that it's not your typical Direct Selling company. Aroga brings a new and unique level of credibility to the Direct Selling industry. Aroga is not some "backyard startup". Aroga Worlwide is one of a group of six "Aroga" companies, the first of which was Aroga Technologies. Aroga Technologies, a 29 year old distribution company focusses on providing devices to individuals with special needs primarily in the blind and low vision product lines. Aroga's Holograms allow energy to be delivered to Acupressure points on the body. Aroga's Quantum Infused Hologram, being sold under the name Acu-Point Holograms, are placed on the strategic Acupressure Points (also called meridians) on the body, and are believed by many, to help in supporting the body's functions, and help to maintain a harmonic and balanced body. Aroga has a Independent Distributors selling its Holograms in over 100 countries, selling through websites, and in person to retail and wholesale customers. Through an arrangement with Aroga Media, Aroga Worldwide will be rolling out access to the Google Apps for Work Platform, to its Global Didtributor Base. This robust Google Platform will provide a suite of powerful business tools and capabilities for Aroga's Distributors that can't be had by using the standard Google Apps, that are available for free, online. We know that our Distributors are getting more sophisticated, by the day. Distributors are looking for more efficient ways to build their businesses online, as well as more efficient ways to communicate with and offer support to their sales teams. This arrangement with Aroga Media will give our Distributors access to these powerful business tools, and give our Global Distributor base a clear advantage to be more successful. ~Grove Bennett, Aroga Worldwide, CEO Aroga Media, holds a Google Reseller Agreement. The Aroga Media division continues to support, promote and build on the Google Apps for Work platform focusing on the products, and services available in this incredibly versatile and powerful suite of applications. As a Google Apps reseller, Aroga Media's business plan calls for a focus in both the commercial and educational markets. Aroga Worldwide, is one in a group of six companies under the umbrella of Aroga Holdings Corp, a publicly listed company. Aroga CEO, Grove Bennett, has an extensive business resume. Having the experience of running private and public companies, from operations, manufacturing, business development, finance and customer relations. Bennett has worked within the major credit card and banking industries, and even headed up a team that developed training programs for Integrated Maintenance Training System (IMTS), a maintenance training system for the F/A:18 Fighter Jet and a $44MM Canadian contract to the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. On the distribution side of the Aroga business, Direct Marketing Professionals are taking note of Aroga Worldwide, including Veteran Internet Marketers like Eric Grant and Chris Cartmill, who co-founded the Technology and Home Business Blog, www.Qastme.com (pronounced: Cast Me). Eric Grant, an entrepreneur with a 20 year background in network marketing and home business, and Chris Cartmill who has an extensive background in SEO and SEM, teamed up several years ago to create a better way to reach out to other Networkers, and individuals interested in making money from home. They have built several sales networks into the multiple thousands of individuals, by utilizing their online skills and methods. "This addition of the the Google Apps for Work platform to Aroga's tools and resources, offers such powerful business tools, like nothing available in the Direct Sales industry. I already can see how it's going to help our sales teams with organization, team building support, and increased sales. My hat's off to Mr. Bennett for putting this agreement together", says Eric Grant Become A Distributor With Aroga More about the Acu-Point Holograms: Aroga's Acu-Point Holograms are are small, portable and disposable. Each Quantum Infused Hologram is smaller than a US Quarter, and thinner than a postage stamp. The energy is infused into a design, that can best be described as a circuit, or chip technology. The Holograms stick to the skin with a non-allergenic adhesive, and can be worn as long as needed. Each Hologram is color coded to remind the user of which application the Hologram is recommended for. As a do-it-yourself product, the user not only benefits from the convenience of the Holograms, but can save considerable amounts of money using Aroga's Acu-Point Holograms. For more information, please visit https://www.arogaworldwide.com/egrant/home Contact Info: Name: Eric Grant Email: egrantonline@Gmail.com Organization: QastMe Address: Seattle, WA Phone: +1 206-227-7821 Video URL: https://youtu.be/Ho6FZmd8Btc Source: http://marketersmedia.com/aroga-worldwide-maker-of-acu-point-holograms-makes-agreement-with-aroga-media-a-reseller-of-the-google-apps-for-work-platform/126485 Release ID: 126485 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Free Fitting to the First 10 Customers To Celebrate Mobile Carpet Service Launch Nottingham Carpet Services is celebrating the launch of its new mobile carpet shop covering the Nottinghamshire and surrounding areas. By giving free fitting to the first 10 customers. Further information can be found at http://www.floorcoveringservices.co.uk/carpets-nottingham/. -- Nottinghams mobile carpet store In a one stop carpet shop change of pace, domestic carpet supplier "Nottingham Carpet Services", will be celebrating the launch of its new mobile carpet shop service by giving free fitting to the first 10 customers. It's reported the event will take place on August. In a space where most competitors simply open up and keep quiet about the whole thing and fail to cause much of a stir, Nottingham Carpet Services has opted to be a little more one stop carpet shop with the inception of its new mobile carpet shop service. Michael Bryan, Owner at Nottingham Carpet Services, says: "They wanted to be the one stop carpet shop with the mobile carpet shop service launch because they wanted people to realise the importance of seeing the carpet samples in there own light rather than the showroom lighting.. It should be really worthwhile and there hoping it that it will encourage people to use the home sample service.. It should go great unless they have no windows or lighting! Nottingham Carpet Services has always thrived on the idea of standing out and making a commotion. It's all part of the fun and it's going to not give them any nasty surprises once they see there new carpet matches there decor., which they think is better than businesses who choose to do things the 'regular' way. This launch celebration is just one of the many ways Nottingham Carpet Services achieves that goal. When asked about the mobile carpet shop service, Michael Bryan said: "It's going to be a real hit because seeing a carpet sample in the actual room that's going to be in there own lighting will give them a massive advantage in choosing the right colour and texture.". Nottingham Carpet Service's mobile carpet shop service is set to 'go live' August. To find out more about the service and Nottingham Carpet Services itself, it's possible to visit http://www.floorcoveringservices.co.uk/carpets-not... For more information, please visit http://www.floorcoveringservices.co.uk/carpets-nottingham/ Contact Info: Name: Michael Bryan Organization: Nottingham Floorcovering Services Address: Nottinghamshire Phone: 07977404641 Release ID: 126430 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Free Freightnet Membership List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours. An entrepreneur once described as one of the 1,000 most influential Londoners was spared jail on Tuesday (2 August) for running a fine wine investment company while banned. Frederick Uche Achom, 42, acted as the manager of APW Asset Management Limited after he was disqualified from holding UK directorships back in July 2002. He appeared at Southwark Crown Court to admit being in breach of his disqualification order and was handed a six month suspended sentence. Achom must now pay almost 1m of his profits to the court within three months, or face up to five years in jail. The investment company, formerly known as Australian Portfolio Wines, recently went into liquidation. It is one of many business interests Achom has been involved in throughout his business career. Achom was jailed for 12 months for conspiracy to defraud back in 2000. He was disqualified from holding UK directorships for 11 years from July 2002. No significant decision about the business was taken without his approval between December 2004 and July 2013, Southwark Crown Court heard. The Nigerian-born entrepreneur has featured as one of the 1,000 most influential Londoners in the Evening Standard, in 2010 and again in 2011. Achom was also listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Business People in the UK in 2011. He is also said to be a major shareholder in Communication Power Engineering Company, a manufacturing company in Mumbai, India. Achom, said to own homes in Paris, Miami, Val dIsere and Lagos, was co-owner of Bennett Oyster Bar & Brasserie in Battersea Square, before it was taken over and relaunched by Gordon Ramsay in 2013. He describes himself on his Twitter page as: Investment Entrepreneur, Investing in Startups, early and growth stage. According to Wikipedia, he was invited to 10 Downing Street along with fellow honourees, selected for his success and efforts in business. Achom, of Fitzjohns Avenue, Hampstead, admitted acting in contravention of a disqualification order. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years for and must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. Oilseed rape growers are being advised to minimise the chances of drilling contaminated seed this summer amid ongoing reports of high levels of erucic acid. Crushers have been finding high levels of erucic acid in deliveries of oilseed rape seed into factories since April. In extreme cases, growers have been hit with price penalties of 100/t after samples well above the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Association 2% contractual maximum were recorded. See also: Growers face penalties for high erucic acid levels A small number of cases has seen erucic acid levels as high as 30% enough to cause the finished oil product to be diverted into non-food uses. The reason for the high levels is under investigation, but no concrete source has been confirmed. A number of possible causes have been suggested, including contaminated seed, or contamination from brassica weeds, such as wild mustard or charlock. As a result, a new rapid test measuring erucic acid levels at intake has been introduced at ADMs rapeseed-processing facility in Erith, Kent. A second crusher, Cargill, is also introducing rapid tests at intake at its Brocklebank processing plant in Liverpool. Cashflow crisis The NFU said reports of high levels of erucic acid in OSR deliveries were a big concern, especially amid depressed crop prices and the ongoing cashflow crisis engulfing the industry. A lot of farmers are thinking about growing oilseed rape this autumn, so they need to be doubly careful about the purity [of seed], said NFU vice-president Guy Smith. Farmers drilling home-saved seed must make sure it does not have any contamination. If unsure, the seed should be tested. If you use certified seed, you should ask the seed merchant to confirm and prove the erucic acid level of the seed supplied was under 2%. Essex grower Scott Morris, supplied oilseed rape to the ADM factory at Erith in April. Mr Morris, who farms in Brentwood, said: Some of our oilseed rape samples came back between 5-7%. The final penalty is being decided at the moment. The NFU is negotiating a sliding scale of deductions to deliveries above the 2% maximum. Penalties Owen Cligg, trading manager at farming co-operative United Oilseeds, said: I understand that the penalty for erucic acid levels between 3-5% is set at 9.50/t. The contract says up to 2%, but up to 3% any penalty is discretionary. However, deliveries above 5% are being rejected outright. The 100/t only reflected deliveries up until harvest that were retrospective. Mr Cligg urged merchants and farmers to work together to try to identify the cause of the problem and work out how to alleviate it in the future. Farmers are being warned to be cautious of rogue traders offering to resurface roads at rock-bottom prices. The NFU is warning that travellers are doing the rounds with plausible stories to repair roads. It comes after at least two farmers were targeted in East Sussex. The itinerant workers approach farmers saying they have been resurfacing roads in the area and have leftover tar. See also: Farmers warned to beware of rogue traders All very friendly to start with, but this moves to more menacing behaviour when it comes to payment time, said an NFU spokesman. One farmer told Farmers Weekly a well-spoken worker wearing a yellow cap with the words Hot Tar Services written on it, approached him in a car offering to tarmac holes on paths around his farm. The worker was driving a vehicle with the registration plate KZ05 EHW and told him his business was based in the Heathrow area. He said they were offering tarmac services and they normally charged 17.35/sq ft. But just to get rid of the tar, they would do the job for 3/sq ft, said the farmer. They turned up a bit later with a tank and grit behind it. I said: How much will it cost? They replied: It depends how far the tar goes. The rogue workers completed about 30ft of work before the farmer asked them to stop. The farmer said he wanted to pay by cheque, but was told they did not have a bank account. Intimidated and threatened The men then demanded 2,000 in cash and said they would not leave until they received the money. The farmer felt intimidated and threatened and paid the 2,000 just to get them away. He was handed a handwritten invoice with a mobile phone number written on it. He described the work as a complete mess and has to drive down the road every day, which reminds him of his mistake. I felt gutted and a complete idiot for falling for it, he added. Its a warning that needs to go out to every farmer. Im sure they go around all the country and target farmers all over the place. Trading standards The farmer said he did not call the police because the workers had not committed a crime. However he contacted trading standards to warn others. A spokesman for East Sussex County Councils trading standards team said: We would strongly urge farmers, other rural business owners and residents not to allow themselves to be pressured into agreeing to work on the doorstep. Instead they should take the time to find a reputable trader, which will allow them the protection offered by consumer law, including a cooling-off period following any contract being agreed. Anyone who believes they have been scammed should call the national Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0345 4040 506. Story Highlights Index is at +68; up from +64 in the second quarter Small-business owners are somewhat more positive about cash flow Most owners say presidential candidates not talking about their issues PRINCETON, N.J. -- U.S. small-business owners' optimism increased modestly this quarter. The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index is at +68, up from +64 in the second quarter of 2016 and nearly matching the eight-year high of +71, recorded in the first quarter of 2015. These most recent data, collected July 6-12, are from the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey. The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index jumped in the first quarter of this year after posting declines for three consecutive quarters in 2015. The last three quarters' index scores have been within a few points of each other. The current score is close to the post-recession high of +71, recorded in the first quarter of 2015. The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index consists of owners' ratings of their business' current situation and their expectations for the next 12 months, measured in terms of their overall financial situation, revenue, cash flow, capital spending, number of jobs and ease of obtaining credit. Small-business owners' assessments of these individual aspects of their current situation and future expectations are largely similar to the previous quarter. One exception is owners' reports about the status of their cash flow over the past year have increased modestly, helping lift the overall index. Now, 60% of owners say their cash flow over the past 12 months has been "somewhat good" or "very good," compared with 55% in quarter two. Small-Business Owners' Top Challenge: Attracting Customers When small-business owners were asked to identify the most important challenge facing their business, 14% cite attracting customers and finding new business, making this the top category of mentions. Other top concerns include government regulations (12%), the economy (10%) and hiring and retaining quality staff (11%). These challenges have been consistently reported as the top concerns of small-business owners since early 2013, although the order of these concerns shifts from quarter to quarter. Few Owners Say Presidential Candidates Are Addressing Their Issues Small-business owners continue to say they are following news about the presidential election. The 87% of owners who are following the election either "very closely" (57%) or "somewhat closely" (30%) is identical to the 87% found last quarter. Small-business owners are more tuned into the presidential campaigns than the general public. In a national survey of adults in mid-June, Gallup found that 77% of national adults were following the election very closely (40%) or somewhat closely (37%). While nearly half of small-business owners (48%) say the outcome of the November presidential election will have a major effect on their small businesses, few say that the presidential candidates are addressing their concerns. One-third of small-business owners surveyed (33%) said the presidential candidates are discussing the issues most important to them as small-business owners. This is up slightly from the 28% recorded in April. In comparison, 62% of national adults in a June Gallup poll said, in response to a more general question, that the candidates are addressing the issues about which they really care. As far as you are concerned, are the presidential candidates discussing the issues most important to you as a small-business owner, or not? Yes No Don't know/Refused % % % July 2016 33 62 5 April 2016 28 69 3 Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index More than half (54%) of small-business owners surveyed said they understand the candidates' positions on the issues that would affect their business "extremely well" or "very well," similar to the 47% who said so in April. Bottom Line Small-business owners are a bit more optimistic now than they were last quarter, but from a big picture perspective, optimism has yet to show signs of returning to the higher levels recorded before 2008. Small-business owners are not, apparently, holding out much hope that the next president will make specific changes that directly affect them; a clear majority say the candidates are not addressing the issues of importance to them. Survey Methods Results are based on telephone interviews with 603 U.S. small-business owners in all 50 states, conducted July 6-12, 2016. The margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For more information about Wells Fargo Works for Small Business, visit WellsFargoWorks.com. Learn more about how the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index works. We're less than two weeks away from GDC Europe, and conference officials want to quickly let you know about some of the great VR-focused expert sessions that will be taking place at the event in Cologne, Germany. For example, game designer and Exozet Berlin VR consultant Thomas Bedenk will deliver a talk on "Psychology of Virtual Reality: Presence, Agency, Social" that aims to explain, from Bedenk's perspective, the key outstanding elements of VR: its social possibilities and its capacity to foster feelings presence and agency among players. During his talk, he'll share ideas for how to improve your VR productions by catering to players' perceptions and psychology, and offer concrete examples of how such improvements can be made. For hard data on where the VR game market is at right now -- and where it's headed -- check out EEDAR exec Patrick Walker's GDC Europe talk on "Data and Insights in the VR Market." Walker aims to present a prediction on the future of VR by examining consumer gaming motivations and engagement in early VR adopters in the context of other platforms and business models. What factors currently influence where VR fits into the ecosystem, and what factors are more innate to the experience? These questions will be explored with EEDAR VR data from a variety of sources, including their monthly global consumer tracker PlayerPulse and the EEDAR game database. Plus, Roadhouse Interactive game director Kayla Kinnunen will be leading a smart session on how to best design humane, intuitive virtual- and augmented-reality experiences. Her talk, "No Text, No Tutorial: Fully Embracing Human-Centered Design in VR," will showcase how VR -- especially tracked-controller VR -- demands a dramatic shift in UX (User Experience) development practices. Many common UX constructs were built for a 2D screen and don't work in three dimensional space. At first glance this can present a huge challenge to VR developers. However, with careful thought, this change opens up whole new interaction models that are more intuitive and natural for players. Kinnunen's talk will review trailblazers in the field; discuss human-centered design principles and explain how to take these principles further in your own projects. More details on these and all other announced talks are now available in the online GDC Europe 2016 Session Scheduler, where you can begin to build your conference week and later export it to the up-to-the-minute GDC Mobile App! GDC Europe 2016 will also continue to offer business and matchmaking opportunities to all attendees with a developer-focused Expo Floor area and networking events throughout the show. For more information, please visit the GDC Europe website. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Americas 'Maze Runner 3' Latest News & Update: Dylan O'Brien Still NOT Filming For Sequel, Waiting For Legal Actions Against Fox? Dylan O'Brien has finally resurfaced several months after his widely-publicized accident on the set of "Maze Runner 3: The Death Cure". But does this mean that the "Teen Wolf" star has already resumed filming for the sequel? Or is the actor staying clear of the film for legal reasons? Dylan O'Brien Spotted In Jamba Juice After Mysterious "Maze Runner 3" Injury People have been speculating about Dylan O'Brien's current condition after he was injured while filming "Maze Runner 3". So it was no surprise when everyone went nuts over a photo shared by a fan on Twitter. The image shows the "Teen Wolf" actor on his feet and smiling in a Jamba Juice in Sherman Oaks, California. MY LIFE HAS BEEN MADE, meeting you was the best thing ever @dylanobrien pic.twitter.com/iRLGy30RxM nessaaa (@VanessaDenegri) August 1, 2016 The picture confirms that, to the relief of his fans, Dylan O'Brien is recovering well after the "Maze Runner 3" accident. It also proves that the actor looks pretty good with a beard. Unfortunately, it might also verify that O'Brien has not filmed for "The Death Cure" or "Teen Wolf" since March. New Dylan O'Brien Photo Confirms Actor Hasn't Started Filming For "Maze Runner 3"? Dylan O'Brien's current appearance is far from what his character Thomas looks like in "Maze Runner 3". In addition to that, his location in California is miles away from "The Death Cure" set in Canada. But why hasn't the "Teen Wolf" actor resumed shooting for the film? There are speculations that Dylan O'Brien and his representatives are taking legal action against "Maze Runner 3" and its producers. Some fans believe that Fox is being blamed for the accident, and O'Brien might not return for the project unless a settlement is made. It is still unclear when Dylan O'Brien will resume filming for "Maze Runner 3". However, fans can rest assured that the actor is feeling well enough to go out and visit a Jamba Juice. The 100 Season 4 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Will Bellamy Survive The Nuclear Apocalypse? Heres What Executive Producer Has To Say "The100" season 4 may see its first casualty as hinted by the series creator. Series writers teased that "The 100" season 4 will be a nuclear crisis and that Bellamy Blake may not be able to make it after the disaster. Bellamy Dies In 'The 100' Season 4? Series creator Jason Rothenberg teased during San Diego Comic-Con 2016 that Bellamy may be one of the characters that won't make it after the nuclear disaster apocalypse in "The 100" season 4. Fans of "The 100" season 4 are faced with the question on who deserves to live after the nuclear disaster that has the possibility of wiping out the whole human kind. "The ultimate question of 'The 100' is 'how far will you go to save your people'", Rothenberg said. "And season four is another chapter in the growing story". In an interview with Hitfix, Rothenberg admitted that fans shouldn't expect Bellamy's redemption in "The 100" season 4. Rothenberg further explained that Bellamy has made one bad decision after the other. Personally, the executive producer himself thinks that Bellamy won't make it after the nuclear apocalypse. In the end, Bellamy may have to admit his mistakes. The downside, people won't be too forgiving about it. DAY EIGHT. Some stranger left us some science. #The100 A photo posted by The 100 Writers (@the100writers) on May 31, 2016 at 7:52pm PDT The Nuclear Apocalypse in "The 100' Season 4 Meanwhile, the plot for "The 100" season 4 was confirmed to be about nuclear apocalypse as hinted by an Instagram post by the writers of the series. The writers posted a scientific equation a few weeks ago, suggesting that there will be a nuclear disaster. Executive producer Jason Rothenberg confirmed as much. He said the earth will strike back. The nuclear disaster won't be stopped or slowed down, OuterPlaces said. As for Bellamy and Clarke's romance, "The 100" spoilers reveal that she won't get over Lexa right away. It will take some time to heal and Clarke won't go to Bellamy for comfort. Jason Rothenberg refused to give further details as to who might Clark hit up with next. After promise of protection, land needs to be restored to be used. Residents will hear about recommendations for changes in the Highway 20 corridor between Albany and Corvallis at a Monday meeting at the Childrens Farm Home. Oregon Department of Transportation officials and consultants with DKS Associates have been developing possible safety upgrades based on studying the corridor and public input received at a March meeting that drew a standing-room-only crowd. Terry Cole, planning and policy manager for ODOTs Region 2, which covers northwestern Oregon except for the Portland metro area, said that the recommendations are all high value/lower cost because the funding just isnt there for major projects such as adding lanes. The focus of the open house is to present the various improvement recommendations, Cole said. There will be information about which recommendations have the highest cost-benefit ratios, but this does not necessarily imply or establish priorities. The format will be similar to the March meeting at which there were brief introductory remarks, poster boards with information on the recommendations and a power-point presentation that will continually loop through its slides. Tables will be set up for participants to make written comments and ODOT and DKS representatives will be on hand to answer questions. Participants also will have the opportunity to play budget czar for a day. Each person will receive 20 dots worth $500,000 apiece and can allocate their funds by affixing their dots to the recommendations that they prefer. While this will not set any binding priorities, Cole said, particularly given that there are no specific implementation funds currently available, it will provide the project team with some perspective that we can share with elected officials and policymakers. A final report on the project recommendations is due in the fall. In response to the article about Save Outdoor School qualifying for the ballot, its important to clarify a few facts. Yes, there are unintended consequences of ensuring all Oregon kids have the opportunity to attend Outdoor School ... and they are nothing but positive. In addition to strong education benefits, Outdoor School for All supports our statewide natural resources industries while creating jobs in rural areas. As a bonus, it encourages kids to be more active, develop an appreciation for the outdoors while also teaches leadership skills and tolerance. The idea that urban kids would be left out of going to Outdoor School is far from factual. Guidelines were written to ensure the exact opposite and provide much greater opportunity for kids from both urban and rural areas to attend. The goal is to make funding available and easily accessible for all school districts. And the undue burden placed on OSU Extension Service to manage a statewide Outdoor School program? Consider the burden placed on individual schools now, such as in Scio, where schools must begin fundraising while students are in kindergarten so that they can afford to benefit from an Outdoor School by the time they reach fifth grade. From an economic impact, education, community and common sense point of view, the Outdoor School for All measure looks good because it is good for Oregon. For these reasons and more, voters should say yes to the Outdoor School for All measure this fall. Nancy Kyle Corvallis (Aug. 4) A lack of available firefighters hampered the Corvallis Fire Departments ability to quickly extinguish the July 5 fire that gutted the main building at B&R Auto Wrecking in south Corvallis. We would have gotten water on the fire much sooner and would have had a major chance of confining the fire to the shop where it started, Fire Chief Roy Emery said after the department conducted a postmortem on the blaze, which did an estimated $1 million in damage to the wrecking yard. Here is a look at the challenges the department faced in responding to the fire. City Manager Mark Shepard outlined the problems in a report at Monday's City Council meeting, while Emery provided context in a Gazette-Times interview. Station 4 on Southwest Tunison Avenue should have been the first to respond, but its crew was out on an ambulance call. The crew at Station 2 at Southwest 35th Street and Washington Avenue also was out on an ambulance call. Station 3 on Northwest Circle Boulevard sent an engine, but it experienced mechanical problems and the crew had to switch to a different vehicle at Station 1 (Northwest Fourth and Harrison). Station 1 sent a ladder truck and a battalion chief. An engine from Station 6 in Lewisburg was the first to reach the scene, 15 minutes after the call was received. The staffing challenge for Emery is that there are usually only three firefighters available at each station. If a second call comes in, that station cannot provide aid. As I have been saying for my time as fire chief, the either/or response system has passed its useful life, and we need to change to having staffed ambulances and staffed fire engines, said Emery, who has been with the department since 1983 and chief since 2007. Our system runs out of resources frequently, and it is not an if but a question of when we will have a negative outcome. The Fire Department faced similar challenges Labor Day weekend in 2014 when substantial mutual aid helped keep the fire in the Timberhill area under control. All Fire Department crews were out on ambulance operations when the fire call came in. Corvallis also received mutual aid in the B&R fire. Monroe, Philomath and Adair Village had engines at the fire scene, while Tangent, Albany and Lebanon provided backup at the Corvallis stations. All of the crews did a fantastic job, Emery said. A task force in Corvallis has been charged with looking at unmet needs, including public safety, and finding new revenue sources to help pay for them. The task force is scheduled to conclude its work at the end of this year, with possible revenue requests going to the voters in November 2017. Stand up paddleboarding : Alone on the Rhine Its a rather unusual sight on the Rhine, but the young man in blue Hawaii shorts seems to know just what hes doing. Foto: Cem Akalin Bonn It may look easy and peaceful but lots of experience is needed to manage a stand up paddleboard on the Rhine. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Its a rather unusual sight on the Rhine, but the young man in blue Hawaii shorts seems to know just what hes doing. No boat or barge is on the river at first; hes got it all to himself. Just him and his stand up paddleboard (SUP); king of the Rhine. He elegantly steers it down the middle of the river and then pulls into shore, just before a large boat reaches him. Paddleboarding on the Rhine? Is it even allowed? As long as one obeys the traffic rules, every person is allowed to use a self-propelled method of travel on the Rhine - it does make sense to stay on the edge (of the river), said Thomas Isselbacher of the Bonn Coast Guard. He was amazed that paddleboarding on the Rhine even worked, Thats really not easy. Beginners are warned against taking a stand up paddleboard out on the Rhine. Thorsten Kegler offers workshops on paddleboarding in Cologne. I have had the experience again and again that people overestimate themselves and after a few tries on a small man-made lake, they want to go right out on the Rhine. I advise them strongly against doing so, he says. His courses are meant to give people more security on their boards. Signs are posted on both sides of the river warning people not to swim in the Rhine. The fast current, waves from barges or large boats, and swirls of water make it difficult and dangerous. Kegler emphasizes, One should definitely not doing anything which endangers oneself or the ship traffic. He warns against taking an SUP on the Rhine if one doesnt have enough experience. It would be bad enough if someone got hurt, but it would also be unfortunate if authorities decided to ban the sport because water traffic was negatively affected. Bonn Early evening shoppers would have been surprised on Wednesday evening as 40 firefighters and police officers arrived on the scene at Galeria Kaufhof in Bonn city center. According to director of operations, Marcus Hinz, they had received information that a man called out he was a security worker at the store and there was a fire on the top floor. The incident occurred at 6:01 p.m. in the department store on Munsterplatz. Article Protecting the worlds oceans an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs. Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has disclosed that he was in touch with the Niger Delta militants to ensure that there is peace in the oil rich region. He made this disclosure on Wednesday when he visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential villa, Abuja.Recall that the militant group had few days ago stated that it backed out of its plan to declare Niger Delta Republic following the intervention of Jonathan and other leaders from the community.Addressing State House Correspondents shortly after the meeting which lasted for 20 minutes, Jonathan said it was appropriate for him and traditional rulers in the area to mediate in the matter.According to him, Quote Its not just about me but about all the traditional rulers, elders and opinion leaders that are of the Ijaw ethnic nationality. We have been in touch to see that peace reigns in the country. Those of you that have followed my talks when I was here, my emphasis is that we need a United Nigeria and I always emphasize that Nigeria is great not just about the oil. So many countries produce more oil than Nigeria nobody notices them. We are great because of our size, the human resources we have, the diversity we have, if we fragmentize the country into small components, we will be forgotten by the World. That has been my focal position and without peace there cannot be development anywhere in the world. We are all working collectively to see that issues are resolved. Speaking on his mission to the Villa, he said he was there to brief President Buhari on his emergence as the leader of African Union, AU elections monitoring team to Zambia. Quote You asked why I came to see the President today, one key thing is that having been a head of a government, a former president you become a state property. Thats the privilege you have but every privilege has its corresponding responsibility, and once you become a state property, most of your international engagement, that has to do with public addresses and some international assignment becomes a national assignment, you brief the President. Even when I was here the former presidents used to do that and see me. I have been coming. Most times, I come in the night thats why you dont see me. I came to brief the President about some of my engagements. As you are aware, I will be leading the AU elections monitoring team to Zambia. I came to brief the President about some of these external engagements. It is the tradition, he said. I dont want to talk about that one because there are too many cases that are in court. It will not be fair to make comments. I will talk at the appropriate time when most of these things are resolved, he said. bohlah at 4-08-2016 07:53 PM (6 years ago) (m) Ghana will make appearance at the soon to start Rio Olympicsand one of the Ghanas champions to watch out for is Szandra Szogedi, who will be representing Ghana in Judo. Ghana will make appearance at the soon to start Rio Olympicsand one of the Ghanas champions to watch out for is Szandra Szogedi, who will be representing Ghana in Judo. Though Szandra Szogedi is a Hungarian by birth, she is now a Ghanaian by marriage and for some years now has been representing Ghana at major tournaments. She has an interesting storyas someone who loved Judo at an early age but was forced to abandoned it when her parents divorced in 2007, as a result of financial hardship. In her bid to make something out her life, she relocated to UK where she worked as a waitress at a hotel. Szandra Szogedi in blue She told Associated Press in a recent interview that, at this stage, I had the feeling that I had some unfinished business. Soon she started training again at a London Judo club, where she met her future husband, a Ghana-born engineerafter marriage, she acquired a Ghanaian citizenship and started flying high the flag of Ghana. She narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics but has made it to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Szogedi does not live in Ghana but she has been to Ghana once to meet her husbands familyand says they were incredibly warm and hospitable. Szogedi is ranked 40th in the world. For more scintillating and juicy stories, follow the official Naijapals accounts On Twitter - @Naijapals and Facebook - www.facebook.com/naijapals Though Szandra Szogedi is a Hungarian by birth, she is now a Ghanaian by marriage and for some years now has been representing Ghana at major tournaments.She has an interesting storyas someone who loved Judo at an early age but was forced to abandoned it when her parents divorced in 2007, as a result of financial hardship.In her bid to make something out her life, she relocated to UK where she worked as a waitress at a hotel.She told Associated Press in a recent interview that, at this stage, I had the feeling that I had some unfinished business.Soon she started training again at a London Judo club, where she met her future husband, a Ghana-born engineerafter marriage, she acquired a Ghanaian citizenship and started flying high the flag of Ghana.She narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics but has made it to the 2016 Rio Olympics.Szogedi does not live in Ghana but she has been to Ghana once to meet her husbands familyand says they were incredibly warm and hospitable.Szogedi is ranked 40th in the world. Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 4-08-2016 07:53 PM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero LeEco EcoTV Super3 Max65, Super3 X65 and Super3 X55 Super TVs launched in India Features oi -Harshita A few months after entering into the smartphone market in India, LeEco has now entered smart TV market with the launch of its content integrated Ecosystem TVs. The Chinese tech conglomerate announced EcoTV Super3 Max65, Super3 X65 and Super3 X55 TVs in India to pits against the likes of Samsung, LG and Sony smart TVs. The company recently acquired the US budget TV-maker Vizio for $2 billion, and is looking to 'disrupt' the smart TV segment. The USP of LeEco TVs is that these come with the company's content services in India. The smart TVs come for a price tag starting at Rs 59,790. SEE ALSO: HOW TO: 4 Steps to Know Which Apps Are Killing Your Smartphone's Battery! Specs and features: Speaking of the features, the LeEco Super3 Max65 is the most premium model that supports 3D features. The flagship TV is priced at Rs 1,49,790 in India. The company claims that "its polarized 3D feature will eliminate the major discomforts such as blurring and dizziness, which users usually face while watching 3D content." It has a 65-inch 4K UHD 3D display, is powered by a Cortex A17 quad-core 1.5GHz processor with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop based EUI5.5TV OS, and features has 40W 2.1 stereo speakers. Buyers get 3D glasses with the TV. The LeTV Super3 X65 smartphone has similar specs as the Max65. The key difference between the two TVs is 3D display, which is missing from the X65. It is priced at Rs 99,790. SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime First Impressions: New Wine In Old Bottle But A Recommendable Upgrade The LeTV Super3 X55, on the other hand, is the most affordable TV among the three launched today. It comes with a 55-inch 4K UHD display, is powered by a Cortex A17 quad-core 1.5GHz processor with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It runs EUI5.5TV OS and is priced at Rs 59,790 in India. All three smart TVs come with Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, three HDMI ports and two USB 3.0 ports. Other features include Dolby stereo speakers. LeEco is offering a special remote control with the TVs which is named as 'Super Remote Control 3.0'. It understands voice commands as it has built-in microphone. It also has built-in dual mic for voice recognition capability. The LeEco TVs can also be controlled using LeEco smartphones. It has motion sensor that allow users to control the TV through gestures. SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Mi Note 2 LEAKED: The 'Apple of China' Prepping Its' Best Bet Against Samsung Galaxy Note 7! Content subscription: LeEco is offering content services with the new TVs. It will provide all the content services, including content from Eros Now, YuppTV and Hungama, that were launched for its smartphones. Users can subscribe to the company's Le membership, to enjoy content worth Rs 4,900 for the first year. SEE ALSO: CONFIRMED! LG V20 launch to happen on September 6 Availability details: LeEco TVs will go on sale on Flipkart and LeMall.com from August 10 to August 12. LeEco is offering 2 years of product warranty and 4 years of display warranty. And there is a special Rs 5,000 cashback for HDFC customers. Best Mobiles in India U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Transcript Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook August 01, 2016 Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room PETER COOK: Afternoon, everybody. I want to begin today with an update on the campaign to defeat ISIL wherever it tries to spread. Today, at the request of Libya's Government of National Accord, the United States conducted precision airstrikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL and its primary stronghold in Libya. These strikes were authorized by the president, following a recommendation from Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford. They are consistent with our approach of combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local partners. GNA aligned forces have had success in recapturing territory from ISIL, and additional U.S. strike will continue to target ISIL in Sirte and enable the GNA to make a decisive, strategic advance. As you may have seen earlier today, Prime Minister al-Sarraj, the head of the GNA, announced that he had specifically requested these strikes as part of the GNA's campaign to defeat ISIL in Libya. As we've said for some time, the United States supports the GNA; we would be prepared to carefully consider any request for military assistance. We have now responded to that request, and will continue to work closely with the GNA to help the government restore stability and security in Libya. As you have heard the secretary say many times, combating ISIL's spread, along with defeating it in Iraq and Syria, and defending the homeland against external ISIL attacks are the three primary goals of our military campaign plan. That campaign is showing results. On Thursday, President Obama will receive an update on the campaign when he holds a meeting of the National Security Council. That will take place here in the Pentagon. We look forward, of course, to his visit. One other schedule note for you -- the secretary is meeting at this hour with Prime Minister Lee of Singapore here in the Pentagon. Singapore is a close partner on a range of security issues, and the secretary was looking forward to today's discussion. Earlier today, they participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. And again, the secretary was pleased to welcome the prime minister here to the Pentagon today. With that, I'd be happy to take your questions. Courtney. Q: When did the GNA make the request for the U.S. help? When did the U.S. approve it? How long will this air campaign begin? And when -- can you talk a little bit -- the targeting? Who -- who requests the targets that the U.S. strikes are going to hit, and how does the U.S. vet those targets before striking them? MR. COOK: I can tell you that the request was submitted by the GNA recently. I'm not going to get into the specific timetable for it. And again, this was something that was considered, after consultation with the national security team -- of course, the secretary and the chairman making their recommendation to President Obama with regard to this assistance for the GNA at this particular moment in time. The requests will be carefully coordinated. They are specific requests from the GNA, and they will be closely coordinated with the GNA going forward. And again, this -- this all stems from their request for this assistance, and this specific area here will be the area around Sirte, where Sirte -- where ISIL has maintained its most significant presence. Q: I'm just going to ask all of my questions again, since you didn't actually answer any of them. But -- so when -- if you don't want to say when the GNA put in a request, when did the U.S. approve the GNA request? How long will this campaign continue? And how exactly will the U.S. vet the targets that presumably the Libyans will request that the U.S. strike? MR. COOK: I'm not going to get into the specific details about the timing of the requests or the approval. But it's -- other than to say that it has been in recent days. And this follows, again, a conversation -- an ongoing conversation with the Government of National Accord. The specific targets will be precision targets. These are targets that the GNA, as we've indicated, has already made progress on the ground -- significant progress on the ground against ISIL in the Sirte area. But they're precision targets which they've asked for our assistance with in which they have had more trouble. These are targets -- for example, I can detail today one of the targets struck today was a tank. It is that kind of precision location, precision target, that we'll be targeting that the GNA at this point felt like that would be a helpful support for their efforts. Q: But then how does the U.S. vet those targets? It's not what the targets, what are they, but how does the U.S. vet them? Let me ask this way -- MR. COOK: Sure. Q: Will the U.S., when the Libyans make request that the U.S. strike a target, will the U.S. vet that target before striking it? MR. COOK: Yes it absolutely will. Q: And so how does that process occur? Who does it? Are there Americans on the ground who are vetting the targets on the ground? Or how does that happen? MR. COOK: There is a collaborative process. Very closely coordinated process that we've engaged with the GNA in terms of assessing and determining the precise locations to hit. And yes, the United States military will be rigorously involved in every step of this process. We will be reviewing and deciding those list of targets after, again, close consultation with the GNA. Q: How long the campaign will last? MR. COOK: Again this will depend on request of support from the GNA. And we're proceeding along that line. We don't have an end point at this particular moment in time. But we'll be working closely with the GNA and we certainly hope that this is something that does not require a lengthy amount of time. We've seen again great progress by the GNA on their own in the fight against ISIL. We've seen ISIL's numbers reduced in Libya. And we think that this precision airstrike capability, this unique capability that we can provide to their ongoing efforts can make a difference in this campaign. Yes? Q: Thanks Peter. So will, going forward your statement indicated that there would be more strikes going forward to basically dislodge ISIL from Sirte. MR. COOK: At the request of the GNA and in close coordination of the GNA, if they feel it's necessary. Q: So each strike needs to be requested by the GNA and then approved by President Obama? Or how does that work? MR. COOK: This will be done in close coordination with the GNA. The president has authorized these strikes -- (CROSSTALK) MR. COOK: -- to move forward. Correct. And at the recommendation of Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford and it will again, you determine the pace and the frequency will be determined by our close coordination with the GNA. Q: And is the ultimate goal to completely dislodge, is that like the endpoint at which point the strikes would stop is when ISIS has been completely driven out of Sirte? MR. COOK: Well, again, the goal for the GNA is to eliminate ISIL from Sirte and from the country. And we'll be working closely with them. And they'll be determining the pace and the success of this campaign. Arguably they have their forces on the ground conducting their efforts and this will be in support of their efforts. ISIL's numbers have been reduced. They have made significant progress in Sirte already on their own. And we believe this can make a difference. Hopefully in a short amount of time and we'll see. And again, we'll be working closely with the government of Prime Minister Sarraj. Q: And then just, kind of, a broader question, the U.S. military strikes in Libya so far have been sort of one-off measures. There was a strike in February which as far as I can tell is the last one that we've been told about. Does this, kind of, herald greater U.S. involvement and a more wide-ranging air campaign in Libya than we've seen recently? MR. COOK: I think what this heralds is, as we've said for some time, the most important thing to -- to addressing the threat of ISIL in Libya was the formation of a -- of the government. And we've seen that now. The GNA has made significant progress. And we've seen their forces on the ground make significant progress against ISIL. And we applaud that, and we support that. They have asked for this specific assistance. And our assistance at this point will be limited to these strikes in this area. Q: And then just one other -- so then, from what you just said, does that -- does -- do these airstrikes announced today indicate greater U.S. confidence in the GNA than you had previously? MR. COOK: I think it indicates, yes, our support for the GNA, our support for them from a military standpoint to the extent that we can be helpful. We want to carefully consider these requests. And -- and the president, and again, acting on the recommendation of Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford, felt that we could make a difference on the battlefield, specifically with our capabilities as they move very aggressively to eject ISIL from their territory. Yes, Tara? Q: Peter, could you give us a sense of why now? Was it that the GNA has become more formed, that the president was more comfortable with now moving to military phase? Or is there something critical about Sirte right now that the airstrikes could be a game changer? MR. COOK: I think what has changed right now is the specific request we got from the GNA. We've been in contact with them. They've been making progress on their own. But I think even -- and I'll refer you to the prime minister's comments this morning -- they felt that there were specific capabilities we could bring to bear that they were limited, in terms of their military capabilities, being able to conduct. And one of the things that we're able to do is to conduct precision airstrikes in an urban area like this, reducing the risk of civilian casualties. And under -- clearly that was a concern on the part of the GNA. And our ability to -- to strike with precision was a capability that they sought out and -- and requested, specifically. Q: A couple on the airstrikes themselves. As you said, it's a precision environment, you need to have kind of accurate pointing. Are U.S. forces on the ground helping spot targets to help avoid civilian casualties? MR. COOK: We have close coordination with the GNA, but there are no U.S. boots on the ground. Q: I mean, is the -- special forces have been rotating in and out. The Pentagon has openly talked about it throughout the spring. MR. COOK: Yeah. Right. Q: But there's none right now. MR. COOK: You know, the -- the role of those forces were to establish communications and contacts in Libya. And that has not changed. So there's not a specific role for U.S. forces in Sirte as part of this operation. Yes, Andrew? Q: Peter, following on Tara's question as far as troops on the ground. It was our understanding that there had been some small teams moving in and out of Libya over the past few months. You say that there's no troops there now, but do you expect that to continue, there to be occasionally temporary missions on the ground? MR. COOK: Again, with regard to this particular operation in Sirte, we do not expect U.S. forces to be part of this specific operation. I'm not going to speak to other U.S. forces with regard to -- to Libya overall. We don't talk about their -- their disposition. We have indicated in the past, we have had forces on the ground getting a picture there. And -- and that's been helpful and successful. But that's separate and apart from this operation. Yes, Andrew? I -- I keep calling you Andrew. I don't know why. Bill, I'm really sorry. I -- I just -- I'm jumping. And apologies, it's Monday. Q: Did -- should we expect daily airstrikes like what we see in Iraq and Syria? MR. COOK: I -- I don't want to predict the pace, because this will be determined in large measure by the GNA and the progress that they make. But we aim to support them as best we can, carefully assessing the circumstances and the targets. But we've conducted strikes today and we'll be prepared to conduct more if needed. Q: So is it just -- is it just U.S. aircraft or is the coalition aircraft also part of this new campaign? MR. COOK: Today we're referring specifically to U.S. aircraft. Q: But it might change going forward? MR. COOK: I'm gonna speak for the United States military, here. Q: Okay when -- when these airstrikes are provided, are they supporting ground maneuvers of Libyan forces? Or are they deliberate -- hitting deliberate targets, you know, C2 and these sorts of things? MR. COOK: I think again, they'll be in close coordination with the GNA and I could -- there are Libyan forces so -- supporting the GNA on the ground Sirte and I think it's fair to say that our strikes will be in -- will be supportive of their efforts to try and retake territory in Sirte. They're had a very successful efforts thus far in doing so and this is -- again -- gonna give them an opportunity to have -- take strategic advantage to push their offensive even further. Q: And then you said the numbers have been reduced; it was a previous intelligence estimates had ISIS at a fighting force of around six -- up to 6,000, I believe. Is that the current assessment that you guys have? MR. COOK: The assessment numbers that I've seen and again, I would -- it's hard to gauge ISIL numbers anywhere. But I've seen that number -- at least our assessment is that it's been reduced and the number may be closer to about 1,000 now. Q: Thousand in Libya altogether, or? MR. COOK: In -- in Libya all together. Q: Okay and lastly -- MR. COOK: I'm sorry, that's specific to Sirte but that's the predominant area where -- where ISIL has -- has -- in terms of geography has occupied, so. Q: Got it. Lastly, we -- the U.N. had agreed to arm Libyan forces. Those special ops guys, they were seemingly trying to identify some potential partners on the ground. I was wondering if that's -- you know, if we've seen any progress on that front? MR. COOK: Our military support the GNA is limited at this point to these airstrikes and -- and so you know, that's not part of what we're doing. Yes, Carla. Q: Thank you. Were there any -- (CROSSTALK) MR. COOK: And Bill I'm really sorry about the -- (inaudible) -- although Andrew's a nice guy. (Laughter.) Q: Two quick questions, were there any high-valued targets in any of these strikes as there were in the previous two U.S. strikes in Libya? MR. COOK: That was not the purpose of today's strikes. Q: And then also, since you have said in a statement this will continue by evaluating the GNA's request for strikes. Is the press going to get a readout of these strikes as we do in Syria and Iraq? MR. COOK: We will try and provide you as much information as we can. We felt it was important obviously to highlight these first strikes and we'll continue to provide as much information as we can. (CROSSTALK) Q: Peter, was it drones or fixed wing? MR. COOK: Not gonna discuss platforms but we have -- as you know -- a range of capabilities in the region that we'll be able to draw upon if -- as this particular operation continues. Q: And there was a strike today, one in February that you confirmed previously. Is this the third strike now? Was there one before the one in February? MR. COOK: Yes, there was an -- an earlier strike, I believe it was November, was the first strike against ISIL by U.S. military. Q: Three strikes, that's it? MR. COOK: Yes, there was the February strike, as you pointed out, there was the strike against a high-value target in November, and now these strikes in support of the GNA. Lita? Q: Just to clarify a couple a things, Peter, I just want to make sure I understand correctly. General Dunford, about two weeks ago, said he thought there were only a few hundred ISIS still remaining inside Sirte. Are these new numbers, what you are saying there is a thousand inside Sirte -- or you're saying there is a thousand in the country as a whole? MR. COOK: I think -- I think it's consistent with -- with what General Dunford said. The numbers I have is that they're under a thousand, possibly several hundred still in the city itself. Q: Under a thousand, possibly several hundred? MR. COOK: Yes. Q: And then, just -- in answer to a previous question, you said initially there no U.S. forces on the ground, and then you seem to clarify later, you meant specifically to this operation. Are you saying that right now there are -- are you making it clear there are no U.S. teams of any kind on the ground? Or are you just specifically saying there are no U.S. on the ground related to this particular operation? MR. COOK: I'm -- this is specific to this operation. I'm not going to get into what we've talked about previously, the small number of U.S. forces that have been on the ground in Libya. They've been in and out, and I'm not going to get into that any further. Q: Okay, but -- so you're not saying definitively there are -- that those -- none of those teams are on the ground there? We shouldn't -- MR. COOK: Correct. Q: We shouldn't interpret this to say there are none anywhere? MR. COOK: Correct. Q: Thank you. MR. COOK: Yes, Lucas? Q: Peter why are lending your operations just to Sirte against ISIS in Libya? MR. COOK: Because that's been the specific request of the GNA. Q: So, the United States has outsourced its counter-terrorism efforts to the Libya government, is that what you're saying? MR. COOK: No, we're acting in support of the internationally recognized government of Libya helping their effort to target an enemy that poses a threat as well to the United States. And we are doing that with capable, motivated local partners, just as we are in Iraq and Syria, and -- and so, we are honoring that request and carrying out something that we think is not only in Libya's interest, but also in U.S. interest as well. Q: Is this another example of leading from behind? MR. COOK: This is an example of us providing support -- military support for a partner on the ground that is trying to reclaim their country and provide security, stability for their people, and targeting a group that has a hateful ideology that aims to do ill to the people of Libya and to the people of the United States. Q: And can the -- the American public, can they expect a broader range of airstrikes instead of just three in the last eight months, going back to November, but more airstrikes? And given what we saw in Afghanistan last week, hundreds of U.S. forces battling ISIS in eastern Afghanistan, is this an overall effort by the Pentagon to ramp up operations against ISIS and its affiliates? MR. COOK: As you know, Lucas, the -- the -- as I mentioned at the top, one of our military efforts, specific efforts, is not just -- although it's absolutely necessary to defeat ISIL in Iraq and Syria, it is not sufficient to deal with the threat posed by ISIL, the metastasis of ISIL, as the secretary has referred to it many times. So, I think it is fair to say that we continuing our efforts on that front as well in places like Afghanistan, in places like Libya. And we'll continue to do that, because we want to, again, strike at ISIL anywhere it rears its head and that -- Libya is one of those locations. And we are supporting those local forces on the ground that -- that see this threat directly in their own -- in their own country, and that's what we are doing in Libya. Q: And lastly, given the bombing in Kabul today that the Taliban claimed credit for, is there going to be more of an effort from the Pentagon to increase its operations against that group as well? Inside Afghanistan? MR. COOK: Well, I think you know what we're -- we're doing in terms of the support for the Afghan National Security Forces, the changes with regard to authorities recently and the decision with regard to troop levels. And so, I think we're doing a significant amount right now to try and help the Afghan National Security Forces secure their own country. And that recognition of the importance of that mission, and -- and what we believe is important right now to support the Afghan government in their own efforts to secure their country. Yes, Paul? Q: Is this strike -- can you just characterize for us why this strike is different from the strike in February and the strike in November? Is this the beginning of a more Iraq-like operation to support local forces as opposed to the one-off strikes that we've been seeing before? MR. COOK: Well, obviously, the biggest difference is the GNA, and this was a specific request from the internationally recognized government of Libya. In terms of the goal of trying to take on ISIL in Libya, that is consistent with that counter-terrorism effort, but the specific difference here is being the request of the GNA and the precision kind of airstrikes that we're being asked to conduct now. Q: One of the -- one of the things that the chairman had said in the past was that, he was waiting for, I think, the situation with the government on the ground to change before the U.S. deepened its involvement against ISIS in Libya. What has changed? What -- what has changed that has made the U.S. confident -- confident enough now to get involved in this fight? MR. COOK: Well, I think you can look at our confidence and the international community's confidence in the Government of National Accord. And the other thing that's changed as we've talked about here in briefing room is -- is the successful efforts to take on ISIL by those local forces in Libya. They've been very successful on their own. And they have not, up until now, requested this kind of assistance. Now they have given that they're in Sirte, that they are taking on ISIL. And -- and while they are having success, they do see areas of opposition, areas where ISIL has dug in, and opportunities for us and our precision capabilities to be able to assist them in ejecting ISIL from particular locations. Goyal? Q: Thank you, sir. Two questions. One, you think -- is secretary satisfied that those nations in the Middle East, Arabs and Muslims are doing enough fighting against ISIL? MR. COOK: Well, I think the secretary is very appreciative for those countries that are obviously a part of the coalition and contributing to the effort. And -- but as with every member of the coalition, he would welcome further support. And I think we are looking forward to future meetings of the collation, future contributions from a range of nations, not just nations in the Middle East, towards that effort. Q: And second question, prime minister from Singapore today meeting secretary. Is that discussion included ISIL, and also the South China Sea -- the Chinese behavior in the region? MR. COOK: We'll wait to see. The meeting is going on right now. But I think it is fair to say that those are likely topics to come up. But we will have a readout for you later today. Q: Thank you, sir. MR. COOK: Yes, June. Q: Thanks. So, just to kind of follow up on Paul's question, to put it explicitly -- is it accurate to say in -- the November and February strikes were against individuals or targets that the U.S. saw as a direct threat, either to itself or to allies, but were these more specifically to help local forces on the ground to take out ISIS? MR. COOK: I think that is fair to say, yes. Q: And then secondly, can you just give a broad characterization of what kind of targets are you hitting? Like infrastructure, you mentioned a tank, like just kind of broad categories? And then also, is the first time the GNA has requested this sort of strike? MR. COOK: Yes, it is the first time that they've requested this kind of assistance. And again, the specific targets that we are looking at are -- are things that need to be hit with precision, given the risk of civilian casualties, things that GNA itself and its forces -- the forces supporting the GNA have been unable to target effectively on their own. Today, for example, the -- the strikes that were conducted did target a specific tank location, and there was also two ISIL vehicles that were targeted in a second strike. Yes. Q: I just want to be sure, because -- because everyone keeps -- we keep comparing this to the strikes, the strikes in November and February, which were take -- going after high value individuals. They were after specific individuals, versus -- my understanding is, correct me if I'm wrong, is this is the beginning of a campaign, an air campaign in Libya, in which the U.S. military is supporting GNA militias who have pledged their loyalty to the GNA. Is that fair? Is this -- is this -- this is the beginning of, the president has approved these strikes and they will continue until Sirte is liberated? MR. COOK: They will continue as long as the GNA is requesting this -- Q: But they don't have to put in the request every single time. There is a -- there is now this blanket authority that exists for the U.S. military to -- to strike when the GNA puts in a request -- MR. COOK: These requests -- these requests will be carefully coordinated with the GNA. This will -- this all originates from GNA requests for assistance. And the president has given the authority for us to have -- to carefully consider those requests. Q: Okay. But just to be clear, because I think comparing this to these two previous strikes that were going after individuals, each one, it sounds as if this is -- these were strikes that were carried out today, and that's the end of it. But this is the beginning of an air campaign over Libya, correct? MR. COOK: We are -- we are prepared to carry out more strikes in coordination with the GNA, if those requests are forthcoming. And so -- Q: Again the request -- the request has been granted, right? There was a -- the GNA -- MR. COOK: The authorization has been granted. Q: So it's not more requests -- MR. COOK: The GNA has requested U.S. airstrikes -- again, precision airstrikes to help in their campaign as needed. And we -- today, we delivered on that request. After careful consideration, we're prepared to -- to carry out more strikes in careful coordination with the GNA each and every step of the way. Q: And how exactly does that authority happen? So the GNA puts in the request to who? And who is -- how high up does -- does each strike have to be approved? MR. COOK: I'm not going to get into every single aspect of our coordination with the GNA. But again, the president has approved this operation be carried out to -- under the command of AFRICOM. And there will be, again, a process in place for the coordination on any future strikes with the GNA. It will be determined by the commanders that are overseeing this operation. Q: So the head of AFRICOM has to approve every strike then? Is that General Waldhauser, right, is it? MR. COOK: I'm not going to get into every single aspect of this. Q: Is that -- is it because you do. MR. COOK: The president has authorized -- Q: In Afghanistan, you do. In Afghanistan, we know that -- (CROSSTALK) MR. COOK: It's under AFRICOM -- it's under AFRICOM. Q: Okay. So, the head of the AFRICOM has to approve every strike request that comes in? Is that correct? MR. COOK: That's correct. Q: Okay, thank you. Q: Just following that, does the GNA have to request every single U.S. airstrike, or can the U.S. now, if there's a target of opportunity, act without having a new chain -- a new request up the chain? MR. COOK: This will be coordinated with the GNA every step of the way. Q: But does it have to be originated from GNA? Or if the U.S. sees a target of opportunity, can the U.S. then reach out to GNA and say, well this might be advantageous for your goals? MR. COOK: It will be, as I said a careful, collaboration, coordination with the GNA in terms of specific targets. I can't get into hypotheticals right now. But right now these first strikes were conducted -- selected by the GNA working closely with us. Q: (off-mic.) do you have any sort of ballpark figure on how many fighters were hit in today's airstrike? MR. COOK: I don't. Nancy? Q: Under what legal authority are these strikes being conducted? MR. COOK: The 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force similar to our previous airstrikes in Libya. Q: And I'd like to go back to previous questions because I'm not very clear. Does the GNA have to ask for each strike or is it -- I don't understand how -- how the strike authorization happens. Has the GNA -- has it asked for a blanket request or does it have to make one for each strike conducted by the U.S. military? MR. COOK: All of the strikes will be coordinated with the GNA. Q: Right but I -- what I don't understand is do they have to put in specific requests every time or is it one request, I still don't -- I know other people have asked it but I don't understand. MR. COOK: There will be specific requests each time, we'll be (inaudible) each and every strike -- we'll be rigorously looking at each and every strike with the GNA. Q: Right, I understand looking at but in terms do they have to request that strike every time for that authorization to happen? MR. COOK: It's -- these are -- again, this is a request from the GNA for these airstrikes, they'll be carried out with each and every strike will be worked at with the GNA in coordination with our forces. Q: It sounds like to me that there was a request for strikes, to help with this campaign in Sirte. MR. COOK: Specific -- Q: Specific -- MR. COOK: Specific locations, specific -- (CROSSTALK) Q: So they gave you the specific targets and will continue to give you specific targets? MR. COOK: And we will continue to work with them on the appropriate targets and circumstances which we're able to assist them with those targets and circumstances when we're not able to because of the risk of civilian casualties or other factors. Q: Now, will the United States propose targets to the GNA? MR. COOK: We will coordinate with them, of course we have ISR that will be critical to assessing the situation in Sirte so we'll be working with the GNA in close and coordinating each and every strike as I've said. Q: Can I finish asking the questions? MR. COOK: Sure. Q: Thank you. Can you also clarify -- you hesitated to say that this would continue until Sirte was liberated. What is the end state for the United States? What does Sirte have to look like for these strikes to cease? MR. COOK: Well, we'll be working with the GNA, they obviously want to see ISIL eliminated from -- from Sirte, that's the stronghold that ISIL's been occupying and so the GNA will -- has already had success -- significant success -- in removing ISIL form this area. We hope these airstrikes can be conducted over a short amount of time and that their forces will be able to move even faster in terms of removing ISIL from that area. So that will be -- that will be the -- the limiting factor will be what's happening on the ground in Syria. Q: Well, I understand that the GNA has a perspective in terms of how long these strikes -- (inaudible) -- what I'm asking for is what the U.S. military considers it's objective there. Is it simply to outsource its air power to the GNA? I'm having a hard time understanding what the specific U.S. military objective is, not the GNA's objective. (CROSSTALK) MR. COOK: The U.S. military objective is to eliminate ISIL in its key stronghold in Libya and doing that in conjunction with the internationally recognized government of Libya which has asked for our assistance in this case. And so that's what we're doing. Q: And forgive me for asking a dumb question but why would a -- the need -- why would taking out a tank and two ISIS vehicles be so critical to the liberation of Sirte that required airstrikes? What is -- what are those specific sites that you mentioned that were struck today? Why are they so critical for the elimination or Sirte inside -- or excuse me, elimination of ISIS inside Sirte? MR. COOK: Well, this one tank in particular had been in a location that both the GNA and we had seen for some time and as opposed to threat and directly challenging -- not only GNA forces but also indiscriminately targeting civilians in the area. And we thought the GNA and our forces agreed that this was an appropriate target to strike at this time. It was also in a strategic position within Sirte that the GNA forces felt it would make a difference in terms of their strategic advance to eliminate that target. So that is one example. What's that? Q: And the vehicles? MR. COOK: The vehicles as I understand it, this is a - the vehicles themselves posed a threat to GNA forces again on the ground. And this was a specific request from the GNA because these vehicles and the ISIL fighters there posed a threat to local forces on the ground that are trying to recapture a particular neighborhood in Sirte. And the ability to strike this target precisely without exposing civilians to risk was the reason that strike was conducted at this time. Q: Last thing, you made many references to civilians in Sirte, what is the U.S. estimate of how many civilians remain in Sirte? MR. COOK: I'll try and get the number for you. I don't know it off-hand. Q: Can you give us a sense of how close the forces loyal to the GNA are to the retaking Sirte from the Islamic State? Is there any sense of where the battlefield stands at the moment? MR. COOK: Let me see if I've got a specific number for you. They have had - they have made significant progress obviously in the last few weeks and months. I have seen a percentage number, but I want to make sure I get this right. Obviously, in terms of the sheer numbers of ISIL forces, we think those numbers are down as I mentioned earlier and that there could be several hundred within the city itself. The number previously was higher than that. And let me get back to you following this on the sense of how much they have. I don't know if we've got a precise number. I'll try and get that for you. Q: There is a part of the city that is still left to be taken -- MR. COOK: Yes. Q: -- like a stronghold or something like that? The other thing is, do you envision a greater role for your troops as the requests come in for greater air power? Because in Iraq and Afghanistan there is a similar model going on where local forces are calling for airstrikes, but they seem to be doing so in conjunction with U.S. forces that are on the ground that are aiding and assistance. We apparently don't have those forces there in Libya. So do you see a greater world for them to make sure that these are -- MR. COOK: At this time, I don't see any expectation that U.S. forces would again, be part of this operation. Q: Peter, were leaflets dropped on that tank and those vehicles before the airstrike? MR. COOK: I'm not aware that they were. Q: And have any U.S. military assets been moved into the region to help conduct these strikes? In the past, the February and November strikes were conducted out of the United Kingdom. That would be an awfully long way to continue a regular pace of operations. MR. COOK: We have a variety of assets and capabilities in the region that we feel are adequate to the task at hand. Q: Can we go back to Afghanistan? Concerning the battle last week against ISIL in eastern Afghanistan involving hundreds of America troops, has there been now a commitment to actually raise the - are there now combat operations happening in Afghanistan? MR. COOK: We've had a CT mission in Afghanistan for some time and we continue to carry out that CT mission. And ISIL poses a particular threat as you know in Afghanistan to the stability of that country. And we will continue to partner with the Afghan forces in carrying out counter-terrorism mission, and at the same time conduct the train, advise, and assist missions so that Afghan Security Forces can ultimately take control of the country for themselves -- secure the country for themselves. They're making excellent progress. But we think they need more support at this particular moment in time. Last one, Andrew? Q: Just quickly, is there anything else part of this operation other than airstrikes? Is there any intelligence sharing, ISR support or lethal or non-lethal aid that's being provided to these forces on the ground? MR. COOK: As I mentioned before, there is ISR support. So we have a good picture of what's happening in Sirte. And that's something of course that will be important in terms of our coordination with the GNA. Q: Any lethal or non-lethal supplies being provided to those forces? MR. COOK: No. Our extent of our support right now is these airstrikes. Austin? Q: Do you have any update on whether there will be any kind of funding requests for the additional troops for Iraq and Afghanistan? MR. COOK: I don't. There will be. As you know I just don't have the specific process -- Q: There will be a request for supplemental OCO funding? MR. COOK: There will be a need to provide funding for these forces as we've said previously. But in terms of specific process, how that's going to be carried out, I don't have that answer for you yet. Q: Thank you. MR. COOK: Thanks, everyone. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/882676/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OIR Spokesman Details Progress Degrading ISIL in Syria, Iraq By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2016 Coalition forces, along with partners on the ground in Iraq and Syria, are furthering gains in countering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman said today. The coalition is continuing to carry out strikes against the "breadth and depth of [ISIL's] formations in both Iraq and Syria," according to Army Col. Christopher Garver, who spoke to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from a military installation in the Middle East. "The coalition continues to maintain momentum achieved due to the progress made over the last year by the Iraqi security forces and our partner forces in Syria," he said. Since June 13, the coalition has conducted 10 strikes against foreign fighter facilities, including meeting, training and weapons storage facilities in both Iraq and Syria, Garver said. "These strikes against foreign fighter facilitation networks degrade [ISIL's] ability to reconstitute its combat power with fresh foreign fighters," he said. Garver said partnered forces on the ground in Iraq and Syria continue to demonstrate momentum against ISIL. Progress in Manbij The Syrian Arab Coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces have made progress in the Syrian city of Manbij in recent days, Garver said. There are gains toward the center of the city and on the eastern and southern flanks of Manbij, he said. "We've also seen several hundred civilians fleeing Manbij make it safely out of the city and through the SAC lines," he said. "This remains a very tough and deliberate fight, as the SAC clears the city house by house and room by room, while working to avoid civilian casualties." The coalition has conducted a total of 602 strikes in support of the Manbij operation, Garver said. The coalition believes more than half the city has been recovered at this time, he added. Investigation of Civilian Casualties The coalition has looked into three separate allegations of civilian casualties in reported strikes around Manbij, Garver said. A strike that occurred July 19 is under formal investigation, as well as a strike that occurred July 28 northwest of Manbij, he said. The coalition has determined reports of civilian casualties from an alleged strike on July 23 in a village east of Manbij has been deemed not credible enough to warrant further information, Garver said. The coalition did not conduct any strikes in that geographic area, he added. Push to Isolate Mosul, Other Gains in Iraq The push for the key city of Mosul continues, Garver said, with a tough fight expected for the city. The first step in the Iraqi plan, he pointed out, is to isolate the city and prevent movements in and out of the area. ISIL is weakening inside Mosul, the largest ISIL-held city in Iraq, Garver said. The coalition is no longer seeing convoys of foreign fighters coming through Syria and then dividing up between Iraq and Syria, he said. In northern Mosul, the coalition conducted an Aug. 1 strike against a former Saddam Hussein-era palace, he said. The strike was conducted by coalition aircraft from several contributing nations, according to Garver. "The destruction of this facility will degrade [ISIL's] ability to support, house and train foreign fighters as they flow into northern Iraq," he said. Elsewhere in Iraq, Iraqi security forces continue operations north of the Euphrates River to clear ISIL pockets in towns and neighborhoods north of the river, Garver said. Units from the 8th and 10th Iraqi army divisions are conducting those clearance operations, with support from the coalition, he said. In the past 72 hours, the coalition has conducted six strikes along the Euphrates in support of Iraqi Security Forces, Garver said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Transcript Presenter: Colonel Christopher Garver, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman August 03, 2016 Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Garver via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq CAPTAIN JEFF DAVIS: Good morning, everybody. And we're bringing Colonel Garver up right now. And just before we get started, Chris, ensure we can hear you and you can hear us. COLONEL CHRISTOPHER GARVER: All right. Jeff, can everybody hear me? CAPT. DAVIS: Everybody, we're pleased to have Colonel Christopher Garver join us today from a military installation in the Middle East. He is the public affairs officer and spokesman for -- commander of Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. Chris, over to you. COL. GARVER: All right. Thanks, Jeff. Good morning Pentagon Press Corps. Good to see everybody. As always, I'll have some brief remarks and then I'll be glad to take your questions. The coalition continues to maintain momentum achieved due to the progress made over the last year by the Iraqi security forces and our partner forces in Syria. As we repeatedly state, we continue to provide strikes against the breadth and depth of Daesh's formations in both Iraq and Syria. We continue to make our partner forces better by training and equipping the ISF and those partner forces in Syria and we continue to provide advice and assistance to those forces in the fight, while bringing to bear the power of a coalition of 67 nations and organizations. I want to provide an update on the allegations of civilian casualties in Manbij, Syria. To clarify, we have looked into three separate allegations. As I mentioned last week and Captain Davis mentioned yesterday, the allegation for the strike that occurred on the 19th is currently under formal investigation, and that investigation is proceeding. The second allegation from July 23rd of an alleged strike in the village of al-Nawaja, which is east of Manbij, was determined to be not credible enough to warrant further investigation primarily because the JCTF did not conduct any strikes in that geographic location. Finally, on July 28th, Central Command announced it had initiated the assessment of a strike that had potentially caused civilian casualties earlier that day in (inaudible), northwest of Manbij. This incident has been found to be credible enough to warrant a formal investigation, which is underway. We will update you on those investigations as appropriate. So please pull up the map. In the vicinity of Qayyarah, Iraq at star one, Iraqi counterterrorism service units and units from the 9th Iraqi Army Division have conducted clearance operations south of Qayyarah West Air Field near Hadaad Junction. Nineveh police battalions, which will be the primary hold force in this area, are conducting security operations west of the Tigris River in Kabruk, Mahana and Karbadon-- (inaudible). Daesh's forces continue to operate in the region in small numbers, and have not massed significant combat power in that area since the ISF installed the bridge over the Tigris more than two weeks ago. Coalition forces have completed a more technical assessment of the Qayyarah West Base and Airfield. As we mentioned before, the more important part of the base for the next phase of the operation is the base itself and not the runway. The buildout of the base as a logistics hub and as a life support area for Iraqi forces as they prepare for the eventual assault into Mosul is the first priority. And to answer your question before you ask it, currently, there are no coalition troops at Qayyarah West. In the last 24 hours, the coalition conducted one strike in support of the Tigris operations. Since the start of the operation, we have conducted 452 strikes in support. Moving down the Euphrates River, that's star two, the Iraqi Security Forces continue operations north of the Euphrates to clear Daesh pockets from the small towns and neighborhoods north of the river. Units from the 8th and 10th Iraqi Army divisions are conducting these clearance operations, and the coalition continues to support them. In the past 72 hours, the coalition has conducted six strikes along the Euphrates in support of the ISF. In Northern Mosul -- that's star three -- the coalition conducted a strike on August 1st against a foreign fighter accommodation and meeting facility that also served as a training site. This target was a former Saddam Hussein era palace located near Mosul. The strike was conducted by coalition aircraft from several different contributing nations. The destruction of this facility will degrade Daesh's ability to support, house and train foreign fighters as they flow into Northern Iraq. Since June 13th, we have conducted ten strikes against foreign fighter facilities, including meeting, training and weapons storage facilities in both Iraq and Syria. Like our strikes against their natural gas and oil activities, which is Operation Tidal Wave II, our strikes against their leaders and our strikes against their communication networks, these strikes against foreign fighter facilitation networks degrade Daesh's ability to reconstitute its combat power with fresh foreign fighters, and continues to maintain pressure against the breadth and depth of their formations and activities across both Iraq and Syria. Moving now to Syria, in Manbij, star four -- the Syrian Arab coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces made progress in Manbij over the last several days, seeing gains toward the center of the city on the eastern and southern flanks. We've also seen several hundred civilians fleeing Manbij make it safely out of the city and through the SAC lines. This remains a very tough and deliberate fight, as the SAC clears the city house by house and room by room, while working to avoid civilian casualties. Daesh has mounted several localized counter attacks both in the city fighting outward, and outside the SAC forces isolating Manbij fighting inward. Those attacks have been repeatedly blunted by the SAC and SDF forces. We also continue to see Daesh's tactics of snipers in the Minarets of mosques, machine guns and IEDs used as counter-mobility mines. The coalition has conducted 66 strikes against Daesh in the last seven days, and 602 strikes overall in support of the Manbij operation. Our partnered forces on the ground in Iraq and Syria continue to demonstrate momentum against Daesh. We will continue to do what we can to maintain that momentum. With that, I'll be glad to take your questions. CAPT. DAVIS: We'll start with Thomas Watkins from Agence France-Presse. Q: (Inaudible) -- I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the kind of evidence that you saw that the -- enabled you to make the determination that these incidents -- these two incidents in July should go to formal investigation? COL. GARVER: Well, that evidence is part of the investigation. It would be inappropriate for me to discuss it at this time. You've seen the results of the investigations that CENTCOM has put out up to this point, where at the end if we feel we have killed civilians accidentally in an operation, we would identify where it was, when it took place, and the result behind that. More specific information we have not released yet. And we'd have to discuss that with CENTCOM about the releaseability of any specific piece of evidence that you may be asking about. Q: (off-mic.) there's any -- the number -- forgive me, I was away last month. I think the first instance was 56 killed as recorded by the Syrian observatory. Do you give any credence to that? COL. GARVER: Like I said a couple of weeks ago, we saw a varying -- a kind of a range of potential civilian casualties, anywhere from 10 to 15, up to around 73 I think was the largest number I saw in the open source. That's part of the investigation. We thought it was on the lower end of the scale and not on the higher end, but as the investigation continues forward and we -- we figure out what we can from that, that's when -- if in the end we think we did kill civilians, we would come out and say how many we did think we killed. CAPT. DAVIS: Next to June Torbati from Reuters. Q: Thanks, Colonel Garver. An opposition Syrian group, as well as a neutral Syrian rescue group, have reported yesterday that they believe there was toxic gas dropped on a town called (inaudible) in Idlib province. And the opposition group blamed it on Assad. And I'm just wondering if you all have any evidence that this gas was dropped and who might be behind it. The civil defense group said they thought it might be chlorine gas. COL. GARVER: We've seen the reports in the open source about that. I don't have any additional information to provide to you at this time. We certainly have seen a wide variety of weapons being used against those rebel forces in those areas. We are not partnered with anyone in those areas. We, the CJTF, we're of course focused on Daesh, and we -- we don't see Daesh in the areas in which most of time those -- those strikes happen. So I don't have any additional information to provide to you at this time. CAPT. DAVIS: Next to Tara Copp from Stars and Stripes. Q: Hi, colonel. Last week you talked about the 10,000 pieces of intelligence data that had been collected. Can you give us an update on that? Has any additional data been collected? Have you learned anything else from what was gathered from Manbij? COL. GARVER: As we talked about over the last couple of weeks, we -- we think that was a significant intelligence find, find of materials that's going to provide us intelligence. But we also talked about the size of the information and how long it's going to take, you know, how much work it's going to take to, kind of, sift through that. That information's being looked at in conjunction with our partners and then also by an organization back in the States that -- that does that work, that takes a look at that information. And I don't have the name of it off the top of my head; we can get that for you. So I don't have any additional information on that. As that information provides us intelligence, we'll look for opportunities to be able to share that. Certainly we'll share that with our coalition partners. But we look for opportunities that we can kind of explain that and provide context to all that information that we found. Q: Just a follow up: Was this, kind of, a one-off haul or are you still pulling data from Manbij in different houses and computers and what not? COL. GARVER: Well, any time you take an objective, your forces on the ground, you want them to look for information. So if they find a computer, you want to -- you want to train your partners. We do the same thing with our forces when our soldiers are learning, to take a house, clear an objective. You look for base of intelligence and you grab those and move them back out. So there's still the opportunity as we're fighting in the city to find those -- those pieces of information -- additional pieces of information. If we see a laptop, if we see a thumb drive, if we see a cell phone, we're going to grab it, we're going to try to exploit it. Q: Just to update stats, last week, you estimated about half of Manbij had been recovered. Has -- has that number changed at all? COL. GARVER: Yeah, I'll say that we think more than half has been recovered. I don't have a specific percentage. As you know, this is -- it's not really a mathematical formula, but we think more than half the city has been recovered at this time. CAPT. DAVIS: Gordon Lubold from the Wall Street Journal. Q: Colonel, two questions. One is -- sorry, I missed the top, but can you give us any kind of update on the situation -- operations around Q-West in the airfield and what's going on there? But also, different question is, what's just the update -- I've been away a little bit myself, on the U.S.-Russia deal in Syria? And kind of what -- how is that shaping up now? COL. GARVER: I'll take the second question first because it's going to be very -- it's going to be much shorter than your previous one, which is the CJTF is not involved in the negotiation piece. I can't tell you what the status is and you need to ask the folks in the room that are with you, that you're sitting near because it's being handled out of that headquarters. Being it's a DOD-led and State Department-led negotiation. So we don't really have a role in that at the CJTF level. So what's going on outside of Qayyarah, right now the forces that have seized to the far west, which is Qayyarah West Airfield itself, and then kind of forces all the way over to the eastern side of the river and where the 15th Iraqi Division had conducted those attacks from Makhmur towards the river. Those forces are what we call consolidating and reorganizing. They are putting the hold force, which is the police battalions, in place, and you -- we do that as a relief in place. So if a Iraqi security force, an Iraqi army battalion were to seize a town or a road junction, you would bring police in and then you have to do a formal turnover to the police of that site so that you don't -- you know, you don't have coverage at one point while you're transferring from an Iraqi army unit to an Iraqi police unit. That's going to provide the security, the hold force in that area. That's going on throughout the area as well. And so the units are now preparing for the next big fight, which as we know, is -- is going to be on the way to Mosul. So that is -- that's the operation that's going on. So you're not seeing a lot of forward motion right now. There are still bad guys in Qayyarah and there are still bad guys in Sharqat and we've seen pockets of fighters operating around that area as well. So there's still fighting to be done in that area and we expect the Iraqi security forces will have some type of operation in the near future to push the fight against those forces in those areas. Does that answer your question? Q: Yes, thank you for that. So a couple quick follow-ups. One is on the Russia deal. I know you can't speak to it, but can you tell us the current operational tempo of the -- of the Assad regime fighters flying, like how often are they flying? COL. GARVER: Yeah. I don't have an accurate, up-to-date number on that. We know they're conducting operations, but I don't -- I don't have kind of a scale and scope for you. Q: Is there any -- and just is there a current assessment or any kind of new assessment on the state of ISIS inside Mosul in terms of folks there and any potential that some of these guys may be softer militants that may fold quickly inside Mosul whenever that operation does start to unfold? COL. GARVER: That's -- that's a great question and that's something certainly that we're looking for very carefully. You know, when we talk about how many -- how many Daesh forces, how many Daesh fighters are inside Mosul, you have kind of the force that we think is there now and the force that we want to be there when we conduct the assault, and that's part of the shaping operations to pound the enemy down to the number that you want to fight as opposed to the number that's there. We see them weakening inside Mosul. How much? Clearly, that's what we're -- we're trying to figure out. But we do see some indications that morale is lower, we see indications that morale of the civilians inside -- inside Mosul is lower as well. We know that they have started cutting off internet access and really access to the outside world for the citizens inside Mosul and we know that they're afraid that citizens of -- of -- Iraqi citizens inside Mosul are going to communicate with the ISF. We've seen that fear in ISIS, in Daesh. We've seen that -- we saw that in Ramadi, we saw that in Fallujah. We're -- we're seeing those reflections, as we call it, kind of we see those indicators inside Mosul as well. We've seen continued execution of Daesh leaders by -- you know, by their senior commanders for lack of success of failure on the battlefield. And we -- and we hear indications in the press, in the open sources as well, that they're not happy with the state of the operation. They weren't happy with the state of the operation down in Fallujah and they're not -- not happy with where they are in Mosul. None of that is to say that's going to be an easy fight in Mosul. We still anticipate that somewhere between 5,000 or so fighters are inside Mosul. Like I said, we're going to continue to try to -- to -- to shrink that number down before the ground assault comes. But -- but you know, we -- we're still anticipating a tough fight. We know that they consider this one of the two capitals of the so-called caliphate. It's the capital inside Iraq, it's the -- the largest cities still held in Iraq. And clearly, all eyes are kind of focused on Mosul right now, so not only would it be a significant -- a significant physical loss, but the loss of prestige, as we saw after Fallujah, as we saw after Ramadi. Their reputation as they try to manage it is going to -- it's going to take a big hit when Mosul does fall. CAPT. DAVIS: Next, we'll go to Courtney Kube from NBC News. Q: Hey, Chris. Two follow-ups. On Qayyarah, just to be clear. So have any -- how many or have any of the 560 Americans arrived there yet? And -- and if so, what are they -- the first group doing right now? COL. GARVER: They have not occupied into Q-West -- into the air field itself yet. We're still bringing forces in as the secretary said and as General MacFarland said. Those forces were notified it was going to be a short turn to flow them into theater. You know, clearly, we're going to bring them in in stages and not take them directly to Q-West from somewhere in the United States or -- or wherever it is they're coming from. But those -- and we're not going to talk about the flow of those sources until they kind of get set and we have an ability to do that. But those forces -- what they're going to do is when they get in there, they're going to start -- first, you've got to fix up the base so that the Iraqis can live there. You're going to end up doing, you know at -- at -- if you look at Makhmur, things that we did at Makhmur, we might end up doing some of those things again. We built basically life support -- life support area for the Iraqi forces that were going to live there. You gravel, you put in tents, you put in places for them to eat, use the facilities, those sorts of things. You got to build that out. You're going to build in where you're going to store your ammunition. You've got to build in your force protection piece of that. That's the number one thing you want get in, is kind of the force protection of the base. And the Iraqis right now are kind of going through that security of the area around the base as well. So all of those things are going to start to flow in. When that's going to be, you know, we're not going to talk about that until it's already happening. Q: One follow-up on June's question about the chlorine gas -- allegations of another -- yet another chlorine gas attack in Syria, is the U.S. military involved in investigating these newest allegations at all? COL. GARVER: The CJTF is not. I can't talk about the rest of the military. Again, the guys in the room there near you would be better postured to talk about that. But the CJTF is not -- is not participating in any investigation like that. Q: Why is that, Chris? Because, you know, there have been -- there have been numerous allegations of chlorine gas, and there was one in May of last year that even President Obama said that the U.S. would help investigate. And there have been times where the Syrians -- the Syrians have brought samples to the U.S. military and then they've taken them out for testing. Is it just because there aren't any U.S.-backed rebels in the area where this latest attack occurred or why is that? COL. GARVER: Well, I -- I could tell you why we're not is because our command -- higher command hasn't told us to do that. If they were to tell us to do that, we would do it. Like I said, there's, you know, kind of a distinction between the U.S. military and the CJTF, which I'm here today to talk about. There may be U.S. forces participating in that that I'm not aware of because they don't belong to us. And our focus is pretty -- pretty focused on supporting the SDF and our other partners. Our footprint is pretty small inside Syria. And then I really can't speculate beyond that as to why we haven't been told to do something. Like I said, I -- you know, we can bring that up with the -- the folks in the room there and figure out an answer to that from a U.S. perspective, but from the CJTF perspective, we haven't been ordered to do that. CAPT. DAVIS: Next to Corey Dickstein with Stars and Stripes. Q: Hey, Colonel Garver. I wanted to see -- do you have any additional details on this August 1st strike? Can you say how many ISIL fighters were present in the area in this -- I guess this foreign fighter camp? And is ISIL still able to move foreign fighters in and out of Mosul? Can you talk at all about how isolated it -- the city is? COL. GARVER: Sure. First and foremost, we haven't attributed any potential enemy causalities to the strike itself. We were hitting a facility and we haven't, you know, said one way or another whether there was any foreign fighters actually present in -- inside the facility when we hit. This was an old palace, old Saddam era palace, that we put several large bombs on top of to be able to level it and prevent it from being used to facilitate foreign fighters in. They were using it store weapons, they were using it to -- you know, you'd have kind of bed-down locations. And then as we've talked about in Manbij, when foreign fighters come in, they go to these hubs on these networks and then you house them, you feed them. If you need to do any training with them, if you need to integrate them into your local forces, your facility can do that there. So these hubs of networks -- if there's no foreign fighters at the place where you hit it, it's really just a building that's been kind of outfitted as a -- as a foreign fighter facilitation hub. Many hotels, if you will, along the way that you can also do training and they have communications and they act as -- as headquarters along the way. But they also, as we found in Manbij, often have information about how those networks work. And if we can damage or destroy that information and make their job a little tougher putting that network back together, then that's a good thing on our part. We're -- we're happy to do that. As for what's going on inside Manbij -- or inside Mosul, excuse me, can they bring foreign fighters in? The answer's yes. The ability has been degraded because we've been cutting down their routes where they can bring people in. But as you know, one guy with the backpack on walking across the desert, it's very hard to stop all those individuals or one truck bringing in a foreign fighter. But what we don't see anymore are the convoys of foreign fighters being brought in, where we anticipated at the heyday there was 2,000 foreign fighters a month coming through Syria and then dividing up between Iraq and Syria. And we've seen estimates now that it's between 200, 500. It's much less than it used to be. So the enemy -- the enemy can still bring foreign fighters into Mosul. The city itself is not isolated, and that will be the first step of the Iraqi plan is -- as we've seen in Fallujah and as we saw in Ramadi, they want to isolate that city, surround it with forces and prevent folks from coming and going. They haven't got to that part of the plan, yet. But once that has happened, then that significantly cuts down the number of people who can slip in and out. But they just aren't to that phase of the operation yet. So that's why we're trying to strike at the networks, and if we find pockets of those foreign fighters, we strike at those as well along the way, to reduce those numbers that are going to -- you know, eventually end up in Mosul, and it gives you more fighters that you have to fight when you go in on the ground. And we don't want that, we want the reverse. We want less fighters on the ground, so we continue to attack them as we find them. CAPT. DAVIS: All right. Next, back to Tara Copp. Q: Was the palace identified as a target through the intelligence that was gathered in Manbij, since a lot of that intelligence, you'd said, kind of centered on the movement of foreign fighters and how they were training them and pushing them forward? COL. GARVER: A lot of these targets we've been looking at for a long time, and we've had information about the flow of foreign fighters for a long time. So not all of it came from the very recent intelligence that we pulled out of Syria around Manbij. So we've been looking at a lot of targets, and we look at targets for a very long time. We want to determine what we call "pattern of life" at the target sight. You want to know if it's being used by civilians or if it's being used by Daesh fighters. You want to know what -- you know, why it's being used, what its being used. And there are times where you'll watch an intelligence target and not hit it right away, because it's giving you info. And you want to keep giving it info -- or you want to keep staring at it until you've kind of gotten all the info from it, and then you hit it with a strike. You don't want to shut off flow of information early. So, we -- we look at a lot of these targets for a very long time. And the networks of foreign fighters, we've known about this for a long time and we've been trying to work on it. We've specifically -- and I, when I talk about kind of these last few weeks and these strikes that we've gone after, we're going after big parts of the network, just as we do with the oil and just as we do with communications and senior leaders and all the other things that we attack -- the functions of ISIL, as well as functions of Daesh as well as the fighters on the ground. So information that's coming out of Manbij will provide us more information, but there's a lot of information we have about these networks already. And we're going after them to shut down that flow of fighters as we are shaping the operations toward the eventual ground fight for Mosul. Q: And just one follow-up on Courtney's question. Can you give us the current number of boots on the ground that qualified for the force management level? And then if you can give us any sort of ball park estimate on the number of TDYers and other folks that are there that don't count as part of the force management level? COL. GARVER: Normally, as you know, we kind of just talk about what the authorization is. We are under that authorization, but I'm not going to talk specifics of that number. And those -- the numbers that will bump that up when the forces come in to build out the Qayyarah West Base, like I said, they're not here yet. We're going through the process of getting them in here and then that will increase the numbers that are here on the ground, but we don't talk to specifics of those numbers. I mean, the authorization is what we've been authorized to build, and that's the number that we have been talking about. Q: Can I just ask -- maybe take this one. We have actually been getting specific numbers of -- of number of forces as part of the force manager level. We haven't been able to get the TDYersand the folks that aren't counting as part of that. COL. GARVER: All right. Well, I'll take that. We'll take a look at it and see what we can come up with. Q: Right. I mean, if I could just -- this is Gordon again. I mean, at least to get the FML number, the public number of not only the authorization but what's actually there. I mean, fairly, I think there's frustration that there's not -- the administration can't be clear about the total number of people on the ground recognizing it ebbs and flows. I'm just -- for the record, I think that's a reasonable question from us. COL. GARVER: And I -- like I said, I will take it. We'll have this discussion yet again and see what we can come up with, Gordon. CAPT. DAVIS: All right. Sir, I'm sorry, you -- Q: Ryan Brown with CNN, colonel. Thank you. I just wanted to ask if U.S. advisers had reached the battalion level with their Iraqi counterparts? And roughly how many battalions are planning to have advisers at that level? COL. GARVER: All right. So what we have done up to this point is we have at -- one at a time put for the Iraqi army -- we've put advisers at a point on the ground at the battalion level where their technical expertise -- when it came to working on finalizing the bridge, the Iraqi security forces put in the bridge, we went in and provided some technical advise on how to secure the bridge and then put in the protective systems around the bridge to keep it from being hit from attacks. Those advisers went down to the battalion level and then they came back. And so we have not -- the CJTF commander, General MacFarland, has not directed forces down to live at the battalion level and I'm not sure he's going to do that. He has the authorization to do that, but I think he sees it right now as we do it on a limited basis when it will make the most impact on the battlefield and we don't anticipate seeing advisers with every battalion. You know, every battalion gets a stack of advisers on a battlefield. We will employ those authorities where they make the most sense, on the battlefield where you're going to have the most impact because there's -- there's a force protection issue that comes into that as well and every time you're putting advisers at a lower-than division level, the farther down you go, the closer you are to risk and the more force protection you have to take into account. So, think we're going to look at those authorities to be used at the right place, at the right time and then commanders from General MacFarland and his subordinate commanders, they'll make those decisions based on what's going on on the battlefield and what are the Iraqi forces that we're partnered with and -- and what the impact of those advisers going down to provide that advice would be. Q: And just one quick follow-up. Are you using ISR to track al-Nusra's movements, or whatever they're calling themselves now, or are you using your ISR to kind of track their location in case there were a deal ever to kind of go through on targeting that group? COL. GARVER: What I'll tell you is CJTF ISR, the ISR that -- we own some ISR and we get information from ISR that belongs to higher headquarters than us -- is focused on ISIS, is focused on Daesh. Our ISR is out looking at where can we find targets that we're either going to do on a deliberate basis or on a on-call basis, like close air support? Our ISR is focused on finding Daesh. There may be other people's ISR that looks at -- (inaudible) -- al-Nusra Front. But we are fighting Daesh, that's who -- that's who the CJTF is focused against and that's where our ISR goes, is to build out that intelligence picture of Daesh. CAPT. DAVIS: Back to Courtney Kube. Q: One follow-up on Ryan's first question about the battalion level. So if that -- you said that that might not be necessary -- General MacFarland may not think it's necessary. So that was one of the four accelerants that Secretary Carter announced a couple of months ago on a trip to Baghdad. The other ones were the HIMARS, the Apaches and then the additional U.S. troops. The Apaches aren't being used regularly, I don't think. Correct me if I'm wrong. Now, you're saying that they may not need the troops at the battalion level, so 50 percent of the accelerants aren't -- essentially aren't necessary, it seems. So how is it that -- that this plan to accelerate the fight against ISIS in Iraq, 50 percent of it, it seems was laid out and then unnecessary to use? Are there additional accelerants that you guys are considering right now in their place? How did that happen, that Secretary Carter made an announcement for essentially useless moves? COL. GARVER: (inaudible) -- with you because the Apaches are flying. And -- and when and if they strike targets, we put them on our strike report. And we've had twice where the Apaches have engaged targets and destroyed targets in support of the ground fight. And they are integrated into what we call the ATO, the Air Tasking Order, and they go out and fly missions in support of the ground forces. They haven't engaged a lot of targets. They've engaged twice -- they've shot targets. The -- just because we're not using them today doesn't mean we're not going to use them in the future. Clearly, as the fight gets closer to Mosul, it is a tool that the commanders have in their belt just like the B-52s and the F-16s and the AC-130 gunships and the other tools. So it provides a certain aspect, it provides capabilities to the commander's tool kit. But they are up flying and they are striking targets. And just because we're not using them today doesn't mean we're not going to use them tomorrow. As for (ISIS ?) on the ground, what the -- you know, what we have done is we have done exactly what the -- what the authorization allowed us to do, what it was intended for; where we needed to put advisers at a lower-than division level. We put those advisers on the ground and they got the bridge -- the bridge that they went in to support. The Iraqis were, you know, putting in the bridge, but we provided technical support for getting the protective system in and for getting the bridge tightened down the right way. That's -- they did that, that's exactly what they were intended to do. So they went out and they made the difference and then they came back. And that was how the commander employed them at that time. Could he employ them in another way? Yes, he has the authority to do that. But what we've looked at is kind of the short-term heavy impact, you know, at the right place at the right time in the battlefield where you have a real impact as opposed to just hanging around at every battalion headquarters. The commander has the authority to employ them as he sees fit, but that's how he's chosen to use them at this time. That's what he's felt has been necessary, and the point where the U.S. advisers at a lower-than division level could have an impact. So could we see something else in the future? Absolutely. You could absolutely see something else in the future. But what we've done up to this point is -- this is how the commander has used that authorization. So I would say I disagree with your characterization. Now, in terms of other accelerants, you know, we've said before, General MacFarland looks at the battlefield, he sees what he thinks he needs, then he goes and asks for it. If it's a U.S. asset, he'll ask his chain of command. If it's a non-U.S. asset that he wants from a coalition partner, he'll go ask for that and generally CENTCOM facilitates those discussions of our coalition partners. So, if he needs something, he'll ask for it. He hasn't asked for anything. You know, we are where we are now with the 560 uplift of that FML, and he hasn't asked for anything else. And so, that's where we are in the middle of the fight. Q: The two Apaches -- there have been two times since April that Apaches have fired. Is that -- that's what you -- you're saying? COL. GARVER: Yes, yeah. Twice Apaches have engaged targets. If you remember -- I came here and announced it -- the first time they did it, and talked about when they defeated an IED, VBIED. The second one was against a boat that had explosives on it that was in the Tigris River and they destroyed that target, as well. So the Apaches have -- they fired twice and they're up flying, they are up flying. Q: Just one more. The -- the HIMARS, as Secretary Carter announced in April, are they in and operating? Do you know where they are? COL. GARVER: We have -- yeah, there are HIMARS in a couple of different locations in -- in Iraq. There's HIMARS at -- you're going to make me do this off the top of my head. There's HIMARS down around the Euphrates River Valley, and there's HIMARS up around the Tigris River Valley. There are no HIMARS at Q-West, because there's no, you know, U.S. forces, there are no coalition forces there at this time. But there are HIMARS in both river valleys that are able to fire in support of both operations. CAPT. DAVIS: And Tara, I think back to you. Q: He's still going. COL. GARVER: Let me just go back and check, so I don't -- I don't give you something wrong. Q: Okay, well, Courtney got one of mine. Just for the Apaches, how often are they actually going up and even if they're not striking, are in some sort of aggressive posture that is assisting a mission? COL. GARVER: Like I said, they're part of the air tasking order that drives how often they fly. I don't have the specific kind of rhythm that they're on to talk about. But they are up flying, integrated into the air tasking order. When it came time to engage targets they have, and -- and -- and would anticipate seeing those involved in any future operation heading forward. Q: When the boat strike was, and where the boat was heading? COL. GARVER: The boat was in the Tigris River. It was after the bridge went in, so it was after the 15th of -- of July and it was heading south. It was north of the river -- or north of the bridge, and it was heading toward it. And the Apache struck the boat. It was -- trying to remember if it was moving or if it was -- I think it was parked, actually, on the side of the river. But it was north of where the bridge is and it struck the boat, which was loaded with explosives, and it destroyed the boat so it didn't go attack the bridge. Q: Do you have any video of that? COL. GARVER: I can go back and check. Q: (off-mic.) CAPT. DAVIS: All right, the queue is empty. Anybody else? Going once, going twice? Thanks everybody. Thank you, Chris. We appreciate your time, and did you have any closing words for us? COL. GARVER: I did. I hope that next week, instead of seeing me, you're going to see my boss. And -- and so, we think next Wednesday, General MacFarland will be able to come in here and talk to you guys kind of about where we are overall in the campaign and where we've come in the last 11 months from the CJTF perspective. So, we think that's going to work, we think it's on the schedule. But hopefully, you'll see him next week instead of seeing me. CAPT. DAVIS: All right. Thank you, Chris. And with that, thank you, everybody. I would remind you at 11 o'clock, secretary speaking at the National Guard Bureau change of responsibility ceremony, which will also be live streamed. Thanks. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/902348/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputy Head of Taliban Intelligence Arrested in Northern Afghanistan Sputnik News 15:39 03.08.2016(updated 15:51 03.08.2016) The deputy intelligence chief of the Taliban militant group has been arrested by Afghan security forces in the north of the country, the Afghan foreign and domestic intelligence agency said Wednesday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The arrested individual, identified as Mirwais, was reportedly involved in gathering intelligence information on the locations and movement of Afghan government forces, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) announced, as cited by the Khaama Press. The NDS noted that the detention of Mirwais was part of a major military operation conducted all across the country, aimed primarily at detaining top Taliban officials. Security in Afghanistan has become particularly fragile following the withdrawal of NATO forces in December 2014 and an ensuing spring offensive by militants, including the Taliban. The insurgent group, formed in the 1990s, seeks to enforce Sharia law in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its members, who have declared war on the government of Afghanistan, are known for committing terrorist attacks against state and civilian targets. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Obama to Discuss Anti-IS Fight With US Military, Security Leaders by VOA News August 04, 2016 As the U.S. military ramps up its military role in Libya, President Barack Obama is preparing to meet with Thursday with top military and national security advisors to discuss the fight against Islamic State. Obama will meet with members of the National Security Council at the Pentagon as the U.S. launches more air strikes in and around the terror group's stronghold of Sirte, in support of forces affiliated with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). "The finish line is in sight," Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis told reporters Tuesday, "and we are helping [the GNA] get there." The president usually meets with council members at the White House, but has occasionally met them at other locations such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department. By convening Thursday's meeting at the Pentagon, Obama plans to highlight his administration's comprehensive approach to defeating IS. Operation Odyssey Lighting The air operation in Libya, dubbed Operation Odyssey Lightning, began this week, and is designed to help the U.N.-backed government's fight to retake Sirte from IS. The Pentagon said the operation would probably last weeks rather than months. The GNA-aligned forces have spent several months whittling down IS territory along the coastline of the Gulf of Sidra from Tripoli to near Benghazi. Davis said thanks to GNA-aligned fighters, IS control in Libya has essentially collapsed to the city center of Sirte. Forces associated with the GNA have faced improvised explosive devices, small arms and sniper fire in their fight to retake the city. The Pentagon estimates IS fighter numbers have been reduced from thousands in the city to fewer than 1,000. After Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi was ousted in 2011, IS extremists targeted Libya as a safe haven outside its initial strongholds in Iraq and Syria. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban Attack Foreigners in Afghanistan's Western Herat Province by Ayaz Gul August 04, 2016 The Taliban Thursday claimed responsibility for ambushing a group of U.S. and European tourists in Afghanistan's western Herat province, wounding six of the tourists and their Afghan driver. A spokesman for the insurgency said Taliban fighters targeted what he called a "joint enemy convoy" and gave a much higher casualty toll, although the group is known for releasing inflated totals. A provincial police spokesman, Jilani Farhad, told VOA that the attack took place in the Chishti Sharif area shortly after the tourists arrived from the central Bamiyan province. "The wounded are in stable condition and a woman is also among them," he added, without discussing the nationalities of the victims or motives for the attack. Reports, however, say the tourists included eight Britons, three Americans and a German. Herat borders Iran and Taliban insurgents there are active in several districts. Meanwhile, a Pakistani transport helicopter has crash landed in the mountainous Afghan province of Logar. Local officials and witnesses said the Russian-made MI-17 helicopter caught fire shortly after it touched the ground. They added that a group of armed men then approached the site and took six people to an unknown location. Pakistani officials have confirmed that the helicopter made an emergency landing on the Afghan side of the border after taking off from the northwestern city of Peshawar. A security official requesting anonymity told VOA that five Pakistani crew members and a "Russian navigator" were on board the aircraft that belonged to the provincial government of Punjab. The helicopter was traveling to the central Asian republic of Uzbekistan for routine repair work, he said. The accident happened in the Mati area of Azra district that Afghan officials said was under Taliban control. The insurgent group has not yet commented on reports it took those on board hostage. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address State Department Terrorist Designations of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Mohamed Abrini Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 3, 2016 The Department of State has designated Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Mohamed Abrini as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons and groups determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. As a result of these designations, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Abrini have any interest is blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Abrini. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) is a splinter group of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. The group, founded by a former TTP leader in August 2014, has staged multiple attacks in the region targeting civilians, religious minorities, military personnel, and law enforcement, and was responsible for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar in early March 2016. In late March 2016, JuA carried out the suicide assault at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal amusement park in Lahore, Pakistan that killed more than 70 peoplenearly half of them women and childrenand injured hundreds more. The Easter Sunday attack was the deadliest terror attack in Pakistan since December 2014. Mohamed Abrini is a member of the Europe-based Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) cell responsible for the November 2015 Paris attacks and March 2016 Brussels attacks. Since his arrest on April 8, 2016 by Belgian authorities, Abrini has been identified as being "the man in white"also known as "the man in the hat"seen with two identified suicide bombers at Brussel's Zaventem airport on March 22, just minutes before the attack that killed 16 people. Abrini is also believed to have taken part in the pre-attack surveillance for the November 2015 Paris attacks and to have assisted in planning attacks in the UK and Germany. The imposition of sanctions by the United States against terrorists is a powerful tool. Today's action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Mohamed Abrini are actively engaged in terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and other governments. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pyongyang Ballistic Test Proves South Korea Needs THAAD System - S Korea FM Sputnik News 07:29 03.08.2016(updated 11:07 03.08.2016) The test launch of the North Korean missile carried out on Wednesday proves the need for the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said. TOKYO (Sputnik) Earlier in the day, the South Korean military said that Pyongyang launched a missile presumed to be a Rodong from the country's province of Hwanghae-Namdo. "The situation [ballistic test] proves the necessity to deploy THAAD," Yun said, as quoted by Yonhap agency. On July 8, Washington and Seoul announced that the two countries had reached an agreement to deploy the THAAD in South Korea. The THAAD system is designed to intercept short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles at the terminal incoming stage. The system's potential deployment on the Korean Peninsula has caused concern in North Korea, as well as China and Russia. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN 'deeply troubled' by latest DPRK missile launch 3 August 2016 The United Nations is "deeply troubled" by the recent missile launches of the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), a UN spokesperson said today after one of the rockets, reportedly landed in or near Japanese waters for the first time. "Such actions seriously undermine regional peace and stability. We reiterate the call on the DPRK to heed the united call of the international community to reverse its course and return to the process of sincere dialogue," said Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the regular daily briefing at UN Headquarters today. Mr. Dujarric added that later today, the UN Security Council will hold closed-door consultations on the situation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indian Government Approves Sending BrahMos Cruise Missiles to Chinese Border Sputnik News 11:26 03.08.2016 The Indian government has approved placing of BrahMos missiles at the northeastern border with China, local media reported Wednesday. NEW DELHI (Sputnik) The Cabinet's Security Committee gave a go-ahead to send a missile regiment to the line of contact along India's Arunachal Pradesh state, sources told the Economic Times newspaper. The regiment will reportedly have 100 missiles with "trajectory maneuver and steep-dive capabilities" to conduct mountain warfare, according to the outlet. BrahMos is a short-range supersonic missile developed jointly by India and Russia. It has been in use by the Indian Navy since 2005. The missile has a range of 180 miles and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 660 pounds. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Paid Iran $400M as Tehran Freed 4 American Hostages by Ken Bredemeier August 03, 2016 The United States airlifted $400 million in foreign currencies to Iran in January to partially settle a decades-old dispute over an aborted arms deal. On the same day, Tehran released four American hostages, but Washington is denying the exchange amounted to a ransom payment. The U.S. stacked the cash in euros, Swiss francs and other currencies on wooden pallets and flew it into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane. It was the first installment on a $1.7 billion settlement stemming from the failed U.S. weapons pact with Iran in 1979 just before its last monarch, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was toppled. The U.S. dispatched the cash in foreign currencies because any transaction with Iran in dollars is illegal under U.S. law. On the same day, Jan. 17, 2016, Iran released four Americans, including The Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Jason Rezaian; Marine veteran Amir Hekmati; Christian pastor Saeed Abedin; and a fourth man, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose disappearance had not been publicly known before he was freed. The cash transfer and the release of the hostages came at the same time as Iran's deal with the United States and five other world powers restraining Tehran's development of nuclear weapons, along with the lifting of sanctions that had hobbled Iran's economy. President Barack Obama said at the time, "With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well," referring to the 37-year-old arms deal that was never carried out. But Obama did not disclose the $400 million payment, a fact revealed by The Wall Street Journal in a Wednesday story. Critics denounce payment U.S. critics of the Iran nuclear deal denounced the payment, with Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas describing it as "a $1.7 billion ransom to the ayatollahs for U.S. hostages." Cotton added, "This break with longstanding U.S. policy put a price on the head of Americans, and has led Iran to continue its illegal seizures" of other Americans. Since the January payment, Iran is believed to have seized two more Iranian-Americans, as well as dual nationals from France, Canada and Britain. Iranian media reports have quoted senior defense officials as saying they considered the cash as a ransom payment. But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, "The United States has not paid and will not pay ransom for Americans unjustly detained in Iran." "The only ones making that argument," Earnest said, "are right wingers in Iran and [U.S.] Republicans who don't like the [nuclear] deal." Earnest said because Iran had originally paid the money to the U.S. for a deal that ultimately failed, "it was hard for the U.S. to make an argument in this case that we could just keep the money." U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton, of complicity in the payment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address White House Rejects Charges It Paid Iran Ransom To Free Prisoners August 04, 2016 by RFE/RL The White House has rejected a charge from Republican leaders that it secretly paid Iran $400 million in cash in January as ransom for the release of imprisoned Americans. The payment, which settled a decades-old reimbursement claim by Tehran for a cancelled U.S. arms deal, was delivered a day after five American prisoners in Tehran were released on January 16 as part of a prisoner exchange. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 3 that the administration secretly airlifted the money in cash in multiple currencies to Iran -- a revelation that prompted Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and other GOP leaders to charge that the payment amounted to a ransom for the prisoners. "The United States, under President [Barack] Obama, has not paid a ransom to secure the release of Americans unjustly detained in Iran," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on August 3. "It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages." Earnest did acknowledge, however, that the administration secretly airlifted the cash to Tehran. He said the payment was made in cash because the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran. The administration said in January that the five American prisoners who were freed on January 16, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, were released in exchange for seven Iranians held in the United States for sanctions violations. The prisoner exchange and the $400 million claims payment also came at the same time as the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran on January 17. At the time, the United States said the payment settled a long-standing Iranian claim at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague for reimbursement of $400 million in military weapons ordered by the shah of Iran that were never delivered after the shah was deposed by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. As part of a negotiated settlement of The Hague case, the United States also agreed to provide Iran with another $1.3 billion in interest at a future date. Republicans, including Trump, seized on the the paper's revelation about the secret airlift of cash as evidence that the payment was a ransom for freeing prisoners, however. Senator John McCain said the timing of the payment suggested it was a ransom that has now incentivized more bad behavior from Iran. "If true, this report confirms our long-standing suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran," House Speaker Paul Ryan said. "It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal." Representative Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, demanded that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry appear before his panel to explain the payment. Trump sought to tie the payment to his Democratic opponent in the White House race, saying in a tweet, "Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!" Moreover, Trump sought to tie the payment to Iran's release of 10 American sailors who had veered off course in the Persian Gulf and been taken prisoner for one day by Iran's Revoluationary Guards on January 12 -- five days before the payment was delivered. "It looks like we paid $400 million for the hostages," Trump said."When they took our sailors, they forced them to their knees and the only reason we got them back is that we hadn't paid the money yet. And that's the only reason we got 'em back. Otherwise, they would've had to wait until I became president." Trump added that he believes the "terror money airlift [will] undoubtedly find its way into the hands of terrorists." While there have long been questions about the timing of the $400 million payment, one Iranian concern was that the Obama administration could face too much domestic political criticism if it delayed acting on The Hague settlement. Moreover, U.S. officials argue that they had to make the payment in euros, Swiss francs, and other currencies due to restrictions on providing Iran with U.S. dollars under U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's support for terrorist groups. With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/white- house-rejects-charges-paid-iran- ransom-free-prisoners-/27899267.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yazidis Mark Second Anniversary of Islamic State Massacre by Kawa Omer, Sirwan Kajjo August 03, 2016 With vigils and demands to free the enslaved, Yazidis in Iraq and throughout the world on Wednesday commemorated the second anniversary of a massacre committed by Islamic State militants in Sinjar. At least 5,000 Yazidis, mostly men and boys, were killed during the 2014 attack on the Iraqi city. The United Nations reported Wednesday that the religious minority continues to suffer at the hands of IS. "Two years on, over 3,200 women and children are still held by IS and are subjected to almost unimaginable violence," the U.N. Commission for Inquiry on Syria said. The commission was referring to the Yazidi women and girls who were taken as sexual slaves by IS militants. Most of them are being held in Raqqa, the IS de facto capital in Syria. Prior to the assault in August 2014, Sinjar was home to the largest Yazidi community in the world. Yazidis, a distinct Kurdish religious minority, are viewed as infidels by IS extremists. In November 2015, Iraqi Kurdish forces known as Peshmerga, with the help of the U.S.-led coalition, liberated Sinjar from IS militants. "I would like to express my gratitude to the coalition, which is led by the United States," Hazim Tahsin, a Yazidi spiritual leader, told a gathering Wednesday at Lalish Temple in northern Iraq, the most sacred Yazidi site, to remember the genocide's victims. The city is now under Kurdish control, but many Yazidis still feel it is not safe to return to their homes. Thousands of Yazidis remain in refugee camps inside Iraq and across the Middle East. One woman's plea "I have been living in a camp for nearly two years," said Tawra, a female Yazidi refugee who preferred to go by her first name only. She lives at a refugee camp near Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey. "All I want now is for my Yazidi sisters [enslaved by IS] to return home safely," she told VOA. Yazidi activists say the international community needs to do more to help Yazidis. "The world has recognized what happened in Sinjar as genocide," Peri Ibrahim of the Free Yazidi Foundation, a group that advocates for Yazidi rights, said in an interview with VOA's Kurdish service. "This recognition should be translated into actions that protect Yazidis and help them return to their homes." Ibrahim said her organization has been working with the Hague-based International Criminal Court to document crimes committed by IS fighters many recruited from the West against Yazidis. The U.S. earlier this year blamed IS for perpetrating genocide against Yazidis and other minority groups in the Middle East. "Today, as a somber occasion, we remember Yazidi victims of Daesh [IS] and its hateful ideology," Ken Gross, the consul general in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, said during a speech at Lalish Temple. In Washington, Yazidi activists planned to hold a candlelight vigil Wednesday in front of the White House to honor the victims of Sinjar and to call for "global attention to help displaced and traumatized survivors of the genocide," a statement from the Free Yazidi Foundation said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Northrop Grumman Begins Work on Second Japanese E-2D Advanced Hawkeye FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug. 3, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a U.S. Navy contract to begin production of a second Japanese E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning (AEW) and surveillance aircraft. The first Japanese E-2D is in production and will be delivered in 2018. The aircraft will be produced at the company's Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence in St. Augustine, Florida. Northrop Grumman will manufacture the Japanese E-2D on the same multiyear production line used for U.S. aircraft, which allows for a more efficient and affordable delivery schedule. The E-2D is the world's only AEW aircraft in production. "For more than 50 years, Northrop Grumman has partnered with Japan by providing a range of capabilities and technologies in defense, security and communications," said Jane Bishop, vice president, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye programs, Northrop Grumman. "We are honored to continue this strong partnership through the E-2D program, which brings Japan a powerful new tool that meets their immediate airborne surveillance needs and facilitates information sharing across many platforms, making it a force multiplier for the future as well." In 2014, the Japanese Ministry of Defense competitively selected the E-2D to fulfill the nation's AEW requirements. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force has operated the E-2C Hawkeye since the 1983. The E-2C is also currently used by Taiwan, France and Egypt. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information. CONTACT: Lindsay McLaurin 703-280-4705 (office) 804-239-3851 (mobile) lindsay.mclaurin@ngc.com NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan Orders Second Early Warning Aircraft From US Northrop Grumman Sputnik News 20:30 03.08.2016 Japan has ordered another US-built E-2D airborne early warning aircraft, Northrop Grumman announced in a news release on Wednesday. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The deal was announced the same day Japan held an emergency meeting of its National Security Council to discuss North Korea test-fired a missile believed to have fallen in the Japanese exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported. "Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a US Navy contract to begin production of a second Japanese E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning (AEW) and surveillance aircraft," the release said. "The first Japanese E-2D is in production and will be delivered in 2018." The E-2D is the world's only AEW aircraft in production, Northrop Grumman said. On December 31, 2015 the US Department of Defense announced the sale for $286 million of an earlier E-2D aircraft to Japan under the Foreign Military Sales program.. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force has operated the E-2C Hawkeye since 1983. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rome Ready to Allow US to Use Italian Bases for Anti-Daesh Airstrikes in Libya Sputnik News 17:42 03.08.2016 Italy is ready to let the United States use its military bases to support the US airstrikes against Daesh jihadist groups in Libya, Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti said Wednesday. ROME (Sputnik) Rome is open to dialogue with both the Libyan side, and with its US partners, the minister added. "The government is ready to positively evaluate the issue of the use of Italian bases and airspace," Pinotti stated, speaking in the Chamber of Deputies, the Italian parliament's lower house. Such a decision could help the United States to complete the anti-Daesh military operation that has begun in Libya more quickly and efficiently, she explained. On Monday, the Department of Defense announced that the US military had conducted airstrikes against Daesh jihadists in Libya at the invitation of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday did not rule out the possibility of providing access to the country's military bases, in particular Naval Air Station Sigonella, to Washington to support the US campaign in Libya. Back in February, the Italian authorities agreed to allow US drones take off from Sigonella to launch drone attacks on Daesh targets in Libya. Libya has been in a state of turmoil since the Arab Spring protests in early 2011 led to a civil war and the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. The instability has facilitated the emergence of numerous militant groups in the state, particularly Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including the United States and Russia. The militant group has seized a sizable territory around Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OPCW Concerned by Possible Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria, Examines Reports Sputnik News 20:50 03.08.2016 The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Wednesday it is concerned by recent media reports alleging that chemical weapons could have been used in Syria and keeps on studying such information. MOSCOW (Sputnik) OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu reiterated that States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention considered the use of chemical weapons wholly contrary to the international legal norms, as quoted in the statement. "These reports are of great concern. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) continues to examine any credible reports it receives including pertinent information that might be shared by States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention," the organization said in a press release. Media reports claimed late Monday that dozens in the city of Saraqib in Syria's Idlib province suffered from toxic gas allegedly dropped after a Russian helicopter was shot down. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports that chemical weapons were used in the area as an unfounded information attack. A source in the local people's militia told RIA Novosti on Tuesday that terrorists shelled Aleppo's Old City district with munitions filled with poisonous gas, killing five civilians. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Aleppo Offensive Reveals 'Tectonic Shift' in Capabilities of Syrian Army Sputnik News 16:14 03.08.2016 The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), assisted by Russian aircraft and its local allies, has managed to cut off all militant supply routes to the city of Aleppo in a weeks-long offensive that has demonstrated how efficient and potent Damascus-led forces have become, the Lebanese newspaper As Safir asserted. The media outlet viewed the battle for the Bani Zeid neighborhood as the key in the offensive that was launched in June to prevent radical groups, including al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, from smuggling fighters, weapons and supplies in and out of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city. "The victory in Beni Zeid gives a real chance to resolve the crisis through political means," As Safir quoted an unnamed high-ranking Syrian official as saying. The battle that took place on the 49th day of the Aleppo offensive lasted eight hours. The SAA is reported to have encountered almost no opposition from al-Nusra Front and other radical groups in the process. As Safir maintained that the victory would not have been possible without Russian airstrikes. Syrian Major General Suheil al-Hassan, known as al-Nimr (the Tiger), and the Tiger Forces under his command have also played a major part. By June 10, they managed to cut off militant supply lines from Turkey and capture arms depots. Thousands of militants "were trapped and lost, according to Syrian estimates, nearly five thousand fighters," the newspaper detailed, adding that Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, one of the key Islamist groups in Aleppo, lost two-thirds of its 8,000 members in the offensive. "The victories at the Mallah Farms and Beni Zeid have demonstrated a tectonic shift in the offensive capabilities of the Syrian Arab Army," the media outlet noted. On Sunday, al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham recaptured areas to the southwest of Aleppo, but late on Tuesday Damascus-led forces assisted by Russian warplanes pushed the militants out of two hilltops and two small villages in the suburbs. In addition, rebels shelled government-held areas of the city, leaving more than 40 civilians dead in the last four days. Meanwhile, last week, Russia and Damascus launched a major humanitarian operation, opening safe passages for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in eastern Aleppo as well as militants willing to lay down arms. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan Apologizes to Turkish Nation for Failure to Prevent Coup Attempt Sputnik News 16:41 03.08.2016 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized on Wednesday "to God and the people" for his inability to prevent a recent coup attempt in the country. ANKARA (Sputnik) On July 15, the Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup was taking place in the country, which was suppressed the next day. Over 13,000 people have been detained in connection with the coup. Ankara said that US-based Turkish opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara believes is seeking to overthrow the current government, was linked to the coup attempt. Gulen is also said to be the main suspect in the December 17-21, 2013, mass wiretapping investigation that targeted over 7,000 people. "If it weren't for the measures that we took after December 17 [2013]the attempted military coup would have been more ambitious. It would have involved not only the terrorists who entered the army, but their supporters in the police, courts and officials. Despite this, I am still disappointed that the true traitors were not identified beforehand. We are responsible for this. May God and my people forgive us," Erdogan said at a meeting of the Religious Council in Ankara. Any doubts about Gulen's involvement in the coup attempt "have been left behind," but some people still believe the Islamic preacher has nothing to do with the coup, he noted. The 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey erupted when telephone conversations records of Turkish senior officials were published. In response, law enforcement detained dozens of people on corruption charges, many of whom were prominent Turkish businesspeople and the children of government members. Following the scandal, several Turkish ministers resigned and some 70 high-ranking law enforcement officials were dismissed or transferred to other positions. The Turkish authorities suspected at the time that Gulen and his movement, commonly known as Hizmet, were behind the wiretapping and subsequent corruption scandal. A number of Hizmet members had senior positions during this period in law enforcement and legal institutions. Then Prime Minister Erdogan blamed the investigation on an international conspiracy and vowed revenge on Gulen and his supporters, whom Ankara deemed terrorists. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US B61-12 Program to Lower Threshold for Nuclear Weapons Use - Russia Sputnik News 10:40 03.08.2016(updated 11:05 03.08.2016) The United States' B61-12 nuclear warhead life extension program will lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control said Wednesday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Mikhail Ulyanov underlined that while Russia will not be dragged into a new arms race amid such actions by the United States, it will "definitely" work to ensure its national security. "It is no coincidence that some American experts were quick to call the new warheads more 'ethical,' stating that their use would have less severe humanitarian consequences. But this is precisely why this is a bad thing. The characteristics of such weapons will objectively increase the temptation to use them. This will mean a substantial lowering of the threshold for using nuclear weapons," Ulyanov told RIA Novosti. According to the official, the US National Nuclear Security Administration's recent decision on the B61-12 will not have any noticeable consequences in the forthcoming years as the deployment of the new nuclear warheads will only begin in 2020. "That is when the negative impacts of the modernization will truly be felt," he said, adding that the renewal of US nuclear arsenal in Europe means a long-term extension of NATO's joint nuclear missions, which "flagrantly violate the spirit and contents of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons." Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address B61 The Pentagon completed tests of its newest B61-12 atomic bomb in October 2015. Washington planned to deploy bombs of this model to an airbase in Germany. The US completed the final test of the upgraded B61-12, but with no highly enriched uranium or plutonium warhead. The test was conducted from an F-15E bomber at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada on 20 October 2015, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The agency underscored that the bomb "demonstrated successful performance in a realistic guided flight environment." "Completing this guided B61-12 flight test provides additional evidence of the nation's continued commitment to our nations security and that of our allies and partners," the NNSA said in a press release. Earlier it was reported that the Pentagon plannws to deploy 20 B61-12 bombs to the Buchel Air Base in Germany. The B61-12 is another modernized version of the B61 bomb developed in the middle of the 1960s. According to Russian military analyst Viktor Murakhovsky, the bomb has some significant differences from the previous version. "The bomb has two key differences. It has the so-called scalable nuclear yield which allows for controlling the yield to a certain extent. In addition, its aerodynamic configuration and control surface makes the bomb extremely high-precision. The previous versions were developed several decades ago. Since nuclear warheads have limited operational time they need to be replaced from time to time. With the new bomb, the US has incorporated high-precision developments with the scalable nuclear yield technology," Murakhovsky told Radio Sputnik. Deployment of nuclear weapons outside national territories along with the concept of nuclear weapons sharing violates the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted. According to Murakhovksy, the US ignores Russias stance on the issue. "The US nuclear strategy and the US National Military Strategy presume the so-called struggle at front lines. The US has more military bases than any other country. A significant number of US forces are deployed overseas. Russia has repeatedly told the US to bring home its nuclear weapons before further talks on the reduction of nuclear weapons. Russia has brought back all its tactical nuclear arms on its territory and does not deploy them abroad. Unfortunately, the US does not follow our example and would continue to deploy nuclear weapons to Western Europe, South Korea and, according to certain data, to Japan. This is the strategy," the analyst said. The US possessed approximately 520 B61 bombs as of 2014; about 200 were assigned to NATO's burden-sharing mission in Europe, hosted by NATO member countries at bases in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Turkey. Country Base Custodian Belgium Kleine Brogel 701 MUNS 10-20 Germany Buchel 702 MUNS 10-20 Italy Aviano 31 FW 50 Gehdi Torre 704 MUNS 20-40 Netherlands Volkel 703 MUNS 10-20 Turkey Incirlik 39 ABW 50-90 TOTAL 150-240 SOURCE The B61 thermonuclear bomb, first produced in 1966, has developed into an extremely flexible weapon. Its many different modifications has made it able to fill the multipurpose needs of the military. Major modifications were made to the B-61 in 1966, 1975, 1977, 1979, and 1991. Designed by the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico, the lightweight bomb could be delivered by the Air Force, Navy and NATO planes at very high altitudes and at speeds above Mach 2. The 141.6-inch long, 13.3-inch diameter bomb averaged approximately 750 pounds, but actual weight varied with each modification. In 1962 work began on the B61 design program to create a flexible lightweight tactical thermonuclear weapon. The B61 series was developed to replace older, tactical Air Force nuclear bombs such as the B28, B43, and B67. Its most recent modification, the B61-11, was introduced in 1997. The physics package of the B61 has been adapted to yield several other warheads - the W-80, W-81 (now retired and dismantled), W-84 (now retired and in the inactive stockpile), and the W-85 Pershing II warhead (which was retired, and then readapted to yield the B61 mod 10 variant). The B61 can be dropped at high speeds from altitudes as low as 50 feet. As many as 22 different varieties of aircraft can carry the B61 externally or internally. This weapon can be dropped either by free-fall or as parachute-retarded; it can be detonated either by air burst or ground burst. The B-61 has a 24' kevlar ribbon-type parachute, capable of slowing the ~700 lb weapon from 1000mph to 65mph in about 2 seconds. The retarded ground burst is also called "laydown" because the weapon lies on the ground for a period before detonation. This allows the delivery aircraft to escape. The B-61 thermonuclear bomb, first produced in 1966, has developed into an extremely flexible weapon. Its many different modifications has made it able to fill the multipurpose needs of the military. Major modifications were made to the B-61 in 1966, 1975, 1977, 1979, and 1991. Designed by the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico, the lightweight bomb could be delivered by the Air Force, Navy and NATO planes at very high altitudes and at speeds above Mach 2. In 1974 Sandia designed a strong link/weak link system to insure against unintentional nuclear detonation of nuclear weapons in normal use and in accidents. This design was first fielded in 1977 in the fifth modification of the B61. The 141.6-inch long, 13.3-inch diameter bomb averaged approximately 750 pounds, but actual weight varied with each modification. Mods 3, 4, 7, and 10 have Cat F PAL3 and use insensitive HE (IHE) in primary. Mod 7 is a converted Mod 1 upgraded with Cat F PAL and IHE. The B61 Radar Nose is in full-scale engineering development concurrently with AlliedSignal to support the 9/2000 DOE directed schedule. The design uses the MC4033 common radar to replace the existing 30-year-old tube type radar. The radar nose provides multiple height of burst radar fuzing, contact fuzing, and laydown shock mitigation. The project, supported by the Revolution in Engineering and Manufacturing program, is investing in modeling and simulation to augment the test and evaluation program to reduce qualification cost and cycle time. The B61-4 Type 3E Trainer is a system that the US Air Force will use to practice loading and handling operations. The Warhead Simulator Package is a key component of the Trainer, which simulates the electrical functionality of a real War Reserve weapon. The new trainer provides a significant improvement by allowing DoD personnel to realistically practice performing lock/unlock and prelaunch arming/safing operations without exposing a real nuclear weapon to vulnerabilities. During 1999 the SA3960 Permissive Action Link (PAL) Subsystem Simulator application-specific-integrated-circuit (ASIC) was developed as a key element of the Advance Code Control (ACC) architecture in support of the B61-4 Type 3E Trainer. The ACC architecture was developed to provide efficient balance between hardware and software in embedded real-time systems. The ASIC was designed and produced in little more than a year, with a cooperative effort between the systems, design, and production groups. It is the largest to date (~120K gates) produced by the Microelectronics Development Laboratory. The First Production Unit of the Trainer was delivered in 2001. The world can rest more assured of its safety because of several alterations (ALTs) completed on all B61-3/4/10 weapons located outside the continental United States during 2002. ALTs 335, 339, and 354 enhance the safety, use control, and reliability of these retrofitted weapons. Other significant accomplishments include retrofits to allow recoding capability using no-knowledge, end-to-end encryption with the Code Management System; characterizing the glass-to metal seal in the Lightning Arrestor Connectors; and qualifying a powder coat process to replace liquid paint. These projects are supported by hundreds of people across the complex. A full-scale B61 experiment in an Air Force transonic wind tunnel during 2002 provided Laser Vapor Screen images of the vortices formed by the spin motor plume-freestream interaction and counter-moment data caused by the interaction of the vortices with the B61 fins. The counter-moment data was used with flight test data, Sandia vortex-fin interaction experimental research results, and ASCI fluid dynamic code predictions to construct a credible simulation-based capability for predicting spin rates and rolamite closure probabilities across the delivery envelopes for each B61 mod. The FY 2002 DOE budget request supported laboratory activities to complete the ongoing studies to refurbish the B61 (some components of which are more than thirty years old), to initiate development engineering to support a first production unit in FY 2004, and to begin the development of a plan for certification of the B61, with a refurbished canned subassembly. NNSA and DoD are working to identify refurbishment options for the aging B61-7/11 Canned Subassembly (CSA) and associated cables, connectors, some limited life components, and foam components. The study effort was completed in late FY 2002. Development Engineering began following Nuclear Weapons Council approval in late FY 2002. This program will use systems engineering approaches, and the planned FPU of the refurbished B61-7/11 will be in the third quarter of FY 2006. Production of these refurbished CSAs is scheduled to continue to the end of FY 2008. The plan also calls for some selective non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and screening of CSAs as a risk mitigation effort for other warheads during FY 2003 and FY 2004. Some secondary components in the B61-7/11 show signs of aging that could affect warhead reliability, if left unchecked. B61-7/11 refurbishment, scheduled to begin in FY'06 , will include secondary refurbishment and replacement of some foam support, cables, and connectors. In FY 2005, Stockpile Management included producing the 1M and 2M reservoirs; conducting pre-production engineering activities for the Alt 356/358/359 spin rocket motor; continuing surveillance tests for the B61-3/4/10 and the B61-7/11 (approximately 11 per family per year at present sampling quantities); disassembling and inspecting the stockpile laboratory tests units; and conducting component laboratory tests and stockpile flight tests for stockpile evaluation. Enduring stockpile workload efforts on all modifications of the B61 will include ongoing assessment and certification activities; cyclical limited life component exchange activities; surveillance activities; and any required alterations, modifications, repairs, safety studies, and military liaison work. In FY 2005, activities include supporting the annual assessment process; conducting laboratory and production plant safety studies and implementation of Seamless Safety for the 21st Century; provid ing laboratory and management support to the Project Officer's Group and DoD Safety Studies; and support of resolution of Significant Finding Investigations. R&D efforts include the following: submit data for surveillance cycle reports; conduct integrated experiments per current approved baseline plan; conduct development, design, and peer reviews on the spin rocket motor; and, support stockpile flight tests of the spin rocket motor. In June 2006 the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) completed a six-year effort to deliver the first refurbished B61 nuclear bomb. This program will extend the life of the B61 Mod-7 and Mod-11 strategic bombs in the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. It is part of an ambitious effort, which helps to ensure that the nation's aging nuclear weapons stockpile is capable of meeting national defense requirements without conducting underground nuclear tests. The purpose of the B61 refurbishment is to extend the bomb's life by 20 years. Every part of NNSA's nuclear weapons complex contributed to this effort through design, production or review work. "Completing the B61 first production unit is an important step in keeping our nuclear weapons stockpile safe and reliable. Our nuclear weapons were never intended to last this long and they were not designed to be taken apart, so it is a credit to our scientists and engineers across the complex who have come together to deliver this unit on time," said NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Tom D'Agostino. The B61 bombs are an integral part of the nation's strategic defense and are the oldest weapons in the nuclear stockpile, many of which were originally produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The B61-7/11s were slated to be refurbished by fiscal year 2009. This key bomb is being upgraded with precision guidance equipment and safety mechanism. It is the right course of action to cost-effectively extend the life of our weapons, modernize our infrastructure and preserve our deterrent capability, C. Robert Kehler, commander of the US Strategic Command, told lawmakers at a Capitol Hill hearing 29 October 2013. Kehler and other officials told the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces that the B-61, the oldest nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, is being modernized with a precision-guidance kit that will replace a parachute used to slow the weapons descent. The upgrade entails combining four 1960s-era variants of the B-61 into a single bomb. The United States maintains around 400 B-61 bombs, some 200 of which are deployed in Europe. Officials also told lawmakers they are concerned about budgetary belt-tightening that could negatively impact the state of the US nuclear arsenal, including a so-called life extension program to repair and replace components of nuclear weapons. Today, the most significant risk the program faces is not technical risk, but uncertainty of consistent funding, Donald Cook, deputy administrator for defense programs with the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), said in a prepared statement for the hearing. Some members of the US Congress consider the life-extension program too costly and potentially unnecessary. Im concerned about the cost and complexity of the current plan and whether [the B61 bombs] are needed long term, US Rep. John Garamendi, a Democrat from California, said during the hearing. The NNSA estimates the cost of refurbishing the B-61 at $8.1 billion over 12 years, and US President Barack Obama earlier this year asked Congress to increase the budget for the bomb to $537 million in 2014, up from $369 million in 2013. Federal budget battles, however, resulted in a $30 million cut to the life-extension budget this year, prompting NNSA officials to mobilize nearly $250 million in reserve funds in preparation for possible additional costs later on, according to the report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Cambodian Ambassador Hul Phany (Source: VNA) The host thanked the Cambodian government and people for their support for Vietnams national liberation in the past and its construction and defence at present. Congratulating Cambodia on its achievements in national development, the Party chief reiterated Vietnams consistent policy of reinforcing ties with Cambodia for the sake of both people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. Ambassador Phany, for his part, thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, army and people for saving the Cambodian people from the genocidal regime in the past, as well as providing effective support for their current national development. He also expressed thanks to the leaders of the Vietnamese Party, State, ministries, agencies and localities for helping him with fulfilling his assigned tasks during his six-year tenure. The guest pledged that in any future position, he will do his best to foster traditional solidarity and friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries./. REIDSVILLE James Emmet Manion lived in a quiet, upscale community. Neighbors often exchanged waves with the man they knew as Jay, whom they sometimes saw working in his yard or walking a dog. Contractors installed wallpaper for Manions Greensboro business before it closed about four years ago. Workers in neighboring businesses saw him come and go. But nobody really knew much about Manion, who mostly kept to himself at the house at 1603 Pennrose Drive in Reidsville, which he shares with his wife, Sheryl. Then federal agents arrived, looking for William Claybourne Taylor, who fled from authorities some 36 years earlier after being charged in the shooting death of one man and a failed attempt to kill another. FBI agents arrested Jay Manion, 67, on Thursday and said he admitted to them that he is William Claybourne Taylor, who has been on their list of wanted fugitives since 1980. On Jan. 8, 1977, a man shot and killed former Immigration and Naturalization official Walter Scott and wounded former Williston, Fla., Mayor Eugene Bailey as they drove along a rural Florida road with two other men. Scott died instantly. Bailey, shot three times, survived. The other two men were unhurt. It would be a few years before investigators got a break in the shootings. The girlfriend of the accused getaway driver led them to where the guns used in the shootings had been buried. Authorities accused Taylor, his older brother Ray Taylor and a man who they said drove the getaway car of scheming to assassinate Bailey so that Ray Taylor, then a struggling Florida attorney, could become executor of Baileys multimillion-dollar estate. They arrested Ray Taylor in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he had moved two years after the shootings and had become a states attorney. William Taylor was arrested at a dance studio in Chattanooga. He posted $20,000 bail and was released. And then he disappeared. In August 1980, federal officials took out a warrant against him on a charge of flight to avoid prosecution. The FBI issued wanted posters describing Taylor as armed and dangerous. He went by various names, authorities said: William Clay Taylor, Clay Taylor, Michael A. Cauley, Michael Ferris Cawley, Robert J. Cudone and other aliases. The wanted posters provided more details. He was reportedly a heavy drinker, bisexual and a frequenter of adult bookstores. He would sometimes dye his hair red. He was somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades. He could take work in advertising or as a dance instructor, trumpet player, convenience store clerk, painter or welder. The possibilities were wide. A Vietnam War veteran, he may have traveled to Brazil, news stations reported. But how could a 6-foot-4-inch, 200-pound, blond-haired, blue-eyed man avoid detection for 36 years? As James Emmett Manion, William Taylor got married. And at one point, he started a business in Greensboro. Jack Greene said he installed wallpaper Taylor sold at SmartN Up Wallcovering, which was in a rented structure at 2835 Battleground Ave., until about four years ago. The N.C. Secretary of States Office has no record of any business with that name ever being registered. A dance studio stands there now. Greene said he regularly saw the man he knew as Jay Manion. I saw him on a weekly basis until they went out of business about four years ago, Greene said. I have no idea how hes made a living since then. Greene said he got friendly enough with Manion and his wife to know that they went to the Atlantic Coast often. They loved going to the coast, he said. He had a sailboat on the coast. I dont know which place. Manion apparently kept records under Sheryl Manions name, Greene said. She always signed the checks, he said. It always struck me as a little odd. The couples home in Reidsville belongs to her, according to online property records. It appears to have been occupied recently, with the grass cut short and a trash bin set beside the street. Agents have not said how they learned where Taylor had been hiding out. He appeared Friday in Guilford County District Court in Greensboro, where he asked for a court-appointed attorney during a video arraignment on a charge of flight to avoid justice, according to The Associated Press. He remains in the Guilford County jail without bail. He kept secrets pretty good if he did it for 39 years, Greene said. Maybe, the best place to hide is in plain sight. Its possible Taylor kept his secrets from his family, too. Efforts to contact Sheryl Manion were unsuccessful. Her family has chosen not to speak to media. When reached by phone, her sister said, Were just a little confused. Taylor has lived for several years in the house on a hill overlooking a corner of the Reidsville neighborhood. He has lived in Reidsville for about 12 years, WXII-Channel 12 reported, citing court documents. He lived at the Pennrose Drive home with his wife. Its not clear how long they have been married. On Friday, no lights shone inside the house. No cars sat in the driveway. Only the buzz of an air conditioner in a second-story window flanked by Carolina-blue shutters with rusty streaks running down the siding and a trash bin beside the curb gave any indication that somebody might live there. Leaves and twigs clog the gutters, where small plants are trying to take hold. The sidewalk to the front door is cluttered with nuts and branches. No one answered a knock on the door. The house was quiet a day after FBI agents based in Greensboro arrested Taylor. As news of his arrest rippled through the community, neighbors said they sometimes exchanged waves with Taylor. Alberta Morris, 86, smiled as she discussed her neighbor. She said she never spoke to him and wouldnt have been able to identify him if she had. She told media outlets she sometimes saw him working in his shaded front yard. The home had changed hands periodically, she said. Theres no point in being scared, she said. He should have told me he was a murderer. He should have come over and made himself known. Neighbors said they sometimes saw Taylor walking a black dog and waved at him. They rarely talked, though. Neighbor Diane McNeill said her family has lived nearby for about four years and never saw the couple, although she admits she and her husband have full-time jobs and work all day. Everybody over here kind of keeps to themselves, she said. Its scary, I guess. New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone. Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (Canada Zinc or the Company, TSX Venture Exchange: CZX) is pleased to announce that Teck Resources Ltd. (Teck TSX: TCK.B) has mobilized to the project site and exploration activities have commenced on the optioned Pie-Yuen-Cirque East properties (collectively the Pie Option Properties). The Company owns 100% of eleven, large, contiguous property blocks that comprise the Akie and Kechika Regional projects. The Companys flagship Akie Project is host to the Cardiac Creek deposit and remains the primary corporate focus. The Kechika Regional Project includes the Pie, Yuen, Cirque East and Mt. Alcock properties extending northwest from the Akie property for approximately 140 kilometres along the strike of the highly prospective Gunsteel Formation shale; the main host rock for known SEDEX zinc-lead-silver deposits in the Kechika Trough of northeastern British Columbia. These projects are located approximately 260 kilometres north northwest of the town of Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada. The Companys generative portfolio of Kechika Regional properties offer shareholders and interested exploration companies high potential opportunities for new discoveries in the Kechika Trough. 2016 Pie Option Exploration Program The 2016 field program is being conducted by Teck from their Cirque exploration camp located approximately 22 kilometres northwest of the Companys flagship Akie property. Exploration activities have commenced and the program is expected to be completed by early fall. The planned program will include: A total 18.5 line-km of geological mapping, prospecting and rock sampling (~400 samples) over the highest ranked targets. Soil sampling over targets developed in 2016 as well as in-fill sampling in areas of previously un-sampled Earn Group stratigraphy (approximately 800 samples) A 7.3 line-km ground gravity survey over the Pie Main, West Yuen and Cirque East targets to be completed prior to drill testing. A geophysical crew and Tecks in-house geophysicist have arrived on site and will begin surveying in the next several days An initial diamond drill test of one or two of the defined targets at Pie Main and/or West Yuen. Approximately 1,000 metres is planned but total meterage will be results-dependant including analysis of the ground geophysics. The drilling is scheduled to commence during the second week of August Geological mapping, prospecting and geochemical sampling will be conducted with an overall aim to improve definition of key targets. An airborne gravity gradiometry (AGG) survey totaling 874 line kilometres was completed by Teck in 2015 over the entire prospective area of the Pie Option properties. Teck subsequently generated a series of inversion models of key targets and anomalies which were evaluated in conjunction with a hierarchical target rank based on a number of different characteristics including VTEM geophysics, rock and soil geochemistry, historical drilling and geological mapping. The ground gravity lines will be completed over these target areas to confirm the airborne gravity response and inversion models. The primary focus of this work will be to finalize a number of preliminary drill targets across the three option properties. One such target area, on the Yuen property, generated significant results during the 2015 exploration program including coincident soil geochemistry and airborne gradient gravity (AGG) anomalies. The target area is within an untested strike extension of interpreted host stratigraphy and located approximately 8 kilometres northwest of the North Cirque deposit. Soil sampling defined a 2.2 x 0.5 km Zn (627 ppm average; peak 6,268 ppm), Pb (76 ppm average; peak 270 ppm) and Ag anomaly containing two AGG anomalies in areas of no outcrop exposure. Peeyush Varshney, President and CEO, of the Company commented, "We are pleased with the progress Teck and their JV partner, Korea Zinc, has made thus far on the Pie Option properties. We look forward to diamond drilling of key targets this summer after two seasons of methodical exploration. In a strengthening zinc market we expect positive results from Pie Option drilling will showcase the tremendous prospectivity of the Kechika Trough and the potential for new discoveries within the Kechika Regional Project. The Company will provide further details of the exploration program and the commencement of drilling once confirmation is received by Teck. Drilling will be conducted under the authority of the Companys drill permits which were previously issued. Teck has also completed baseline environmental work including a Wildlife Mitigation Plan and an archaeological assessment. Pie Option Agreement The Pie, Yuen and Cirque East properties are the subject of an option agreement concluded on September 9, 2013 with Teck and its JV partner, Korea Zinc Co., Ltd. ("Korea Zinc" KRX:KorZinc 010130). The option agreement would see Teck and Korea Zinc spend up to $8.5 million to acquire up to 70% interest in the Pie, Yuen and Cirque East properties. Teck has spent in excess of $1.3 million in exploration expenditures over two field seasons on the Pie Option properties using an integrated approach to exploration to decrease risk and maximize the potential for discovery. In accordance with the Option Agreement Teck must spend an additional $2.2 million by the end of 2017 to exercise the First Option and earn Teck/Korea Zinc an undivided 51% interest in the Pie Option properties. Upon exercising the First Option Teck would have an additional option (the "Second Option") to acquire a further 19% interest in the properties for a total of 70%, by incurring an additional $5.0 million in exploration expenditures on or before December 31, 2019. Expenditures for the 2016 exploration program on the Pie option properties are anticipated to be on the order of $1.5 to $1.7 million. The Akie Zn-Pb-Ag Project The Akie property is situated within the Kechika Trough, the southernmost area of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits. Drilling on the Akie property by Canada Zinc Metals since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead-silver SEDEX mineralisation known as the Cardiac Creek deposit. The deposit is hosted by siliceous, carbonaceous, fine grained clastic rocks of the Middle to Late Devonian Gunsteel Formation. The Company has outlined a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource at Cardiac Creek, including an indicated resource of 19.6 million tonnes grading 8.2% zinc, 1.6% lead and 13.6 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut-off grade) and an inferred resource of 8.1 million tonnes grading 6.8% zinc, 1.1% lead and 11.2 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut-off grade). Ken MacDonald P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS CANADA ZINC METALS CORP. PEEYUSH VARSHNEY PEEYUSH VARSHNEY, LL.B CEO & CHAIRMAN To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/CanadaZinc08042016.pdfSource: Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX Venture:CZX) To follow Canada Zinc Metals Corp. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below. Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc. Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) today announced second quarter 2016 financial and operating results. SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS AND SIGNIFICANT ITEMS (compared to Q2 2015) Net income applicable to common shareholders of $24.0 million, or $0.06 per share. Sales of $171.3 million, up 64% on higher production, a record. Adjusted EBITDA of $77.8 million, up 164%. 1 Silver production of 4.2 million ounces, up 71%. Gold production of 62,965 ounces, up 41%. Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $159 million, up $25 million over first quarter. Increased estimated 2016 (i) silver production to 15.75 million ounces (from 15.0 million) at a cash cost, after by-product credits, of $4.75 per ounce (from $5.00 per ounce) and (ii) exploration and pre-development expenditures by 27% to $19.0 million. 2 #4 Shaft at Lucky Friday reached its final depth, expected to be operational by year end. Hecla's industry-leading production growth of 71% for silver and 41% for gold is due to our organic growth acceleration strategy, said Phillips S. Baker, Jr. The result is the highest sales in our history and our second highest adjusted EBITDA. With current prices even higher than the second quarter and continued strong performance from Casa Berardi and San Sebastian, we expect even better results in the future. FINANCIAL OVERVIEW Second Quarter Ended Six Months Ended HIGHLIGHTS June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 FINANCIAL DATA Sales (000) $ 171,302 $ 104,197 $ 302,319 $ 223,289 Gross profit (000) $ 58,452 $ 9,464 $ 89,274 $ 29,337 Income (loss) applicable to common shareholders (000) $ 23,978 $ (26,805 ) $ 23,222 $ (14,391 ) Basic and diluted income (loss) per common share $ 0.06 $ (0.07 ) $ 0.06 $ (0.04 ) Net income (loss) (000) $ 24,116 $ (26,667 ) $ 23,498 $ (14,115 ) Cash provided by operating activities (000) $ 67,390 $ 30,754 $ 86,138 $ 52,173 Net income applicable to common shareholders for the second quarter 2016 was $24.0 million, or $0.06 per share, compared to a net loss applicable to common shareholders of $26.8 million, or $0.07 per share, for the same period in 2015, the result mainly due to the following items: Sales were 64% higher than the second quarter 2015, mainly due to 71% increased silver production and 41% increased gold production as well as higher silver and gold prices. Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization of $112.9 million was higher by 19% mainly due to San Sebastian being in commercial production. Cash cost, after by-product credits, decreased 32% per silver ounce and 28% per gold ounce from the second quarter 2015. 4,5 A $7.8 million lower provision for closed operations and environmental matters recorded in 2016, as compared to the same period in 2015. Income tax provision of $11.5 million for the second quarter of 2016 compared to an income tax benefit of $0.1 million for the same period in 2015 primarily due to higher net income before taxes, partially offset by a decrease in the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets in Mexico in the second quarter of 2016. Higher production resulted in operating cash flow of $67.4 million, $36.6 million higher than the second quarter 2015. Capital expenditures (excluding capitalized interest) at the operations totaled $42.3 million for the second quarter. Expenditures consisted of $17.2 million at Casa Berardi, $14.7 million at Greens Creek, $10.2 million at Lucky Friday, and $0.2 million at San Sebastian. The company continues to estimate 2016 capital spending will total $150 million, unchanged from previous estimates. Metals Prices The average realized silver price in the second quarter was $17.26 per ounce, 6% higher than the $16.32 average realized silver price in the second quarter of 2015. The average realized gold price was $1,254 per ounce, an increase of 5%, from $1,194 in the second quarter 2015. Realized lead prices of $0.79/lb were down 16%, and realized zinc prices of $0.89/lb were down 7% from the second quarter of 2015. Base Metals Forward Sales Contracts There is no quantity of base metals committed under financially settled forward sales contracts for forecasted future sales at June 30, 2016. OPERATIONS OVERVIEW Overview The following table provides the production, cost of sales, and cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver and gold ounce summary for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015: Second Quarter and Six Months Ended Greens Creek Lucky Friday Casa Berardi San Sebastian June 30, 2016 Silver Gold Silver Gold Silver Gold Silver Silver Gold Production (ounces) Q2 4,241,398 62,965 2,117,084 11,528 857,543 41,955 8,668 1,258,103 9,482 6 Mos 8,884,102 118,653 4,575,360 27,509 1,834,627 72,333 15,673 2,458,442 18,811 Increase/(decrease) over Q2 2015 Q2 71 % 41 % 14 % (16 )% 40 % 36 % 15 % N/A N/A 6 Mos 66 % 39 % 18 % (5 )% 27 % 28 % 16 % N/A N/A Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization Q2 $ 71,667 $ 41,183 $ 43,734 N/A $ 18,708 $ 41,183 N/A $ 9,225 N/A 6 Mos $ 142,702 $ 70,343 $ 88,587 N/A $ 37,212 $ 70,343 N/A $ 16,903 N/A Cash costs, after by-product credits, per silver or gold ounce4,5 Q2 $ 3.80 $ 601 $ 5.38 N/A $ 9.94 $ 601 N/A $ (3.05 ) N/A 6 Mos $ 3.46 $ 676 $ 4.61 N/A $ 9.47 $ 676 N/A $ (3.15 ) N/A Second Quarter and Six Months Ended Greens Creek Lucky Friday Casa Berardi San Sebastian June 30, 2015 Silver Gold Silver Gold Silver Gold Silver Silver Gold Production (ounces) Q2 2,477,150 44,692 1,856,125 13,753 613,474 30,939 7,551 6 Mos 5,355,747 85,342 3,892,091 28,992 1,450,193 56,350 13,463 Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization Q2 $ 57,965 $ 36,769 $ 42,815 N/A $ 15,150 $ 36,769 N/A N/A N/A 6 Mos $ 126,012 $ 67,940 $ 94,522 N/A $ 31,490 $ 67,940 N/A N/A N/A Cash costs, after by-product credits, per silver or gold ounce4,5 Q2 $ 5.61 $ 832 $ 3.30 N/A $ 12.58 $ 832 N/A N/A N/A 6 Mos $ 5.24 $ 896 $ 3.27 N/A $ 10.55 $ 896 N/A N/A N/A The following table provides the production summary on a consolidated basis for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015: Second Quarter Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 PRODUCTION SUMMARY Silver - Ounces produced 4,241,398 2,477,150 8,884,102 5,355,747 Payable ounces sold 4,141,427 1,986,407 7,937,242 4,912,942 Gold - Ounces produced 62,965 44,692 118,653 85,342 Payable ounces sold 64,609 40,237 110,869 80,032 Lead - Tons produced 10,391 9,525 21,429 19,403 Payable tons sold 9,663 7,128 18,413 15,753 Zinc - Tons produced 18,132 17,515 35,496 33,602 Payable tons sold 10,010 12,191 24,352 23,334 Greens Creek Mine - Alaska Silver production of 2.1 million ounces increased 14% and gold production of 11,528 ounces decreased 16% over the prior year period. Increased silver production resulted from higher grades as well as slightly higher throughput. Gold production was impacted due to a one-time adjustment in the gravity circuit. The mill operated at an average of 2,235 tons per day (tpd) in the second quarter. The cost of sales was $43.7 million, and the cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver ounce of $5.38 increased from $3.30 in the second quarter 2015.2 The increase was due to lower by-product credits as a result of lower reported gold production, partially offset by higher silver production. The estimated 2016 silver production is increased to 8.3 million ounces and gold production is slightly higher at 53,000 ounces. Lucky Friday Mine - Idaho Silver production of 857,543 ounces was 40% higher than the second quarter of 2015 due to higher grades in the current period and ventilation repairs made in the prior year period. The mill operated at an average of 745 tpd in the second quarter. The cost of sales was $18.7 million, and the cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver ounce of $9.94, decreased from $12.58 per ounce in the second quarter of 2015.2 This decrease was principally due to higher silver production as a result of mining higher-grade material. The excavation of the #4 Shaft from the 4,400 level to the 8,600 level is complete and should be operational by year end. Once operational, work will begin on the lateral development necessary to provide access to higher-grade material. The estimated 2016 silver production remains at 3.1 million ounces. Casa Berardi - Quebec Gold production of 41,955 ounces was 36% higher than the second quarter of 2015 due to higher gold grades. The mill operated at an average of 2,398 tpd in the second quarter. The cost of sales was $41.2 million, and the cash cost, after by-product credits, per gold ounce of $601, decreased from $832 in the second quarter of 2015 due to higher gold production.2 The estimated 2016 gold production is increased to 145,000 ounces (surface and underground). Development of the East Mine Crown Pillar (EMCP) pit continues, and the vein has been exposed closer to surface than expected. Processing of EMCP ore began on July 22, 2016, and the pit is expected to add 5,000 ounces of gold production in 2016. San Sebastian - Mexico Silver production was 1,258,103 ounces at a cost of sales of $9.2 million, or cash cost, after by-product credits, of negative $3.05 per ounce in the second full quarter of production since reopening.2 The strong cash cost, after by-product credit, performance was due to the production of 9,482 ounces of gold, which is used as a by-product credit. At quarter-end there were approximately 161,000 silver ounces in inventory, down from 320,000 ounces in the first quarter. The mill operated at an average of 411 tpd in the second quarter. Should resource conversion be successful, the Company has an option to process ore at the Velardena mill until the end of 2018. The estimated 2016 silver production is increased to 4.35 million ounces and gold production to be 35,000 ounces. EXPLORATION AND PRE-DEVELOPMENT Expenditures Exploration and pre-development expenses were $3.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively, decreases of about $1.2 million and $1.1 million compared to the second quarter 2015 as a result of reduced discretionary spending in exploration and pre-development expenses. Estimated full year exploration and pre-development expenses have increased by $4 million to $19 million. The Companys exploration efforts are focused on discovering high-grade deposits near its existing operations, particularly at San Sebastian, where the results are encouraging. As a result of consistent exploration success over the last ten years across all projects, the level of reserves have shown a remarkable resilience despite changes in commodity prices; production has been replaced and reserves have grown steadily. A summary of this activity in the quarter is provided below. San Sebastian - Mexico Exploration activities at San Sebastian are focused on defining extensions to the current open pits and identifying new resources that could prolong high-margin precious metals production. Shallow drilling up to 200 feet west of the Middle Vein pit cut vein extensions that graded 26.7 oz/ton silver and 0.26 oz/ton gold over 4.3 feet and 9.3 oz/ton silver and 0.12 oz/ton gold over 9.8 feet. Drill intersections of similar veins up to 125 feet east of the pit graded 2.7 oz/ton silver and 0.48 oz/ton gold over 1.8 feet. These intersections in combination with past drilling show intervals of good, near-surface mineralization in the Middle Vein beyond the current open pit and may represent an opportunity to expand the pit. In addition, shallow drilling of the Middle Vein approximately 1,200 to 2,000 feet west from the current Middle Vein pit included an intersection of 9.7 oz/ton silver and 0.05 oz/ton gold over 7.2 feet of oxide mineralization. Deeper drilling in this area has returned some spectacular results including 65.1 oz/ton silver and 0.68 oz/ton gold over 7.8 feet and 57.7 oz/ton silver and 0.28 oz/ton gold over 6.1 feet. This mostly horizontal zone is dominantly oxide with some supergene mineralization that varies in depth from 200 to 500 feet from surface. This new area now defines over 850 feet of continuous vein mineralization that is located at potentially open pit mining or shallow underground depths. Drilling also continues on a new target area referred to as the West Francine Vein that is about 3,000 feet west of previous mining at the Francine Vein. Drilling has defined a continuous vein with over 1,600 feet of strike length that varies in thickness from 2 to 16-feet wide and the vein is open in all directions. Recent drill holes intersected mineralized zones at a depth of 50 to 250 feet from surface and include 13.4 oz/ton silver and 0.05 oz/ton gold over 3.5 feet. Step-out drilling continues to the east and at depth where mineralization appears stronger. Most of the additional 2016 exploration spending at San Sebastian is expected to follow up on these results on the Middle and West Francine veins. Drilling commenced in June in areas directly to the east and southeast of the East Francine pit on possible extensions of the East Francine Vein. These targets are based on results from the RAB (rotary air blast) drilling program and surface trenching from last year. Preliminary drilling has intersected quartz veins and breccias and assays are pending for these holes. Further drilling of a 6 to 12-foot wide vein/breccia zone that can be traced for 800 feet by trenching is currently planned for the third quarter. Casa Berardi - Quebec During the second quarter, drilling at Casa Berardi focused on targets both underground, - the 118, 121, 123 and Lower Inter zones, and on or near surface (i.e. open pitable) - the 124 and 134 zones. Up to six drills have been operating underground and two on surface. Drilling of the upper 118 Zone from the 490 level down to the 570 level defines multiple shear zones that extend for over 1,000 feet down-plunge and include a series of continuous mineralized intervals of over 0.4 oz/ton gold with good mining widths. This zone continues to plunge to the west at depth and recent intercepts include 0.44 oz/ton gold over 26.6 feet. Drilling of the 121 Zone, which is about 400 feet west and a continuation of the high-grade 123 Zone, has returned 0.56 oz/ton gold over 8.9 feet and has been identified for over 800 feet along strike and about 700 feet up dip. Drilling of the 123 Zone from the 490 and 870 levels continue to intercept high-grade mineralization, including 0.53 oz/ton gold over 16.1 feet along eastern vein extensions. Deeper drilling shows that the stacked lenses of the 123 Zone define an almost constant down-plunge mineralization for over 3,500 vertical feet from surface and many of the lenses have strike lengths up to 600 feet. Recent drilling shows these lenses are open along strike to the east and at depth. The close proximity of these new lenses to mine infrastructure should enable near-term production. At the west end of the mine drilling has started on the Lower Inter off the 300 and 360 levels. Drilling from the 300 level has successfully defined the up dip extension of the Lower Inter Zone, including an intersection of 0.95 oz/ton gold over 17.4 feet. Deeper drilling off the 360 level has intersected a new, broad mineralized zone just south of the Casa Berardi Fault referred to as the 104 Zone and two new mineralized lenses north of the fault. Initial drill results define a broad, 102 foot-wide zone of 0.05 oz/ton gold including 0.29 oz/ton gold over 3.3 feet and 0.16 oz/ton gold over 3.2 feet. Surface and underground drilling of the 124 Zone below and to both the west and east of the Principal area has defined a near-surface, 15 to 60-foot thick, quartz-bearing zone with over 2,000 feet of strike length. Within this wide mineralized zone are high-grade lenses that have continuity up to 300 feet of strike length. Recent drilling of the 124 Zone included intersections of 0.70 oz/ton gold over 20.3 feet and 0.41 oz/ton gold over 24.9 feet. Further refinement of this near-surface target with drilling may outline a resource suitable for open pit mining. Surface drilling further east of the Principal area is testing the shallow 124 and 134 zones along the Casa Berardi Fault. Drilling in this area within 500 feet of surface has defined a 150 to 300-foot thick mineralized shear zone with vein-bearing zones from 5 to 20-foot thick. Recent intersections of the 134 Zone include 0.09 oz/ton gold over 49.2 feet. Successful drilling on surface continues to define new resources and additional 2016 spending will be focused on expanding the near-surface resources that should sustain open pit mine production at Casa Berardi in the coming years. Greens Creek - Alaska At Greens Creek, definition drilling is refining the resources of the 9A and NWW zones for conversion to reserves. Recent definition drilling of the 9A Zone confirmed continuity of the mineralization and refined the geometry of a mostly vertical eastern limb of mineralization. Drill intersections include 20.4 oz/ton silver, 0.09 oz/ton gold, 16.2% zinc, and 5.2% lead over 17.5 feet and 15.1 oz/ton silver, 0.08 oz/ton gold, 11.2% zinc, and 4.1% lead over 15.6 feet. Drilling of the northern most targets of the NWW Zone defined mineralization of similar overall geometry of the resource model but thinner and slightly lesser extents in places. Recent drill intersections include 76.4 oz/ton silver, 0.17 oz/ton gold, 19.9% zinc, and 4.4% lead over 10.2 feet and 56.1 oz/ton silver, 0.13 oz/ton gold, 3.3% zinc, and 0.8% lead over 10.2 feet. Revised resource models for the 5250, 9A, West Wall, NWW and Deep 200 South zones are expected by the end of the year. Exploration drilling has tested the down plunge projection of the 5250 trend of mineralization and attempted to locate the upper shear which defines the upper limit to mineralization at Greens Creek. This drilling is showing semi-continuous mineralization along the 5250 and Deep 200 South trends in the southern part of the mine that require additional drilling to refine new resources. More complete drill assay highlights from San Sebastian, Casa Berardi, and Greens Creek can be found in Table A at the end of the release. Other Properties Summer fieldwork on the Opinaca-Wildcat project near Goldcorps Eleonore Mine in northern Quebec is underway and will include prospecting of numerous electromagnetic (EM) anomalies lying on the Opinaca property. So far, the fieldwork revealed three new mineralized zones directly east of the Eleonore Mine and two further south along the Claude structure that is directly east of the Cheechoo discovery by Sirios Resources. At the Rock Creek project in Montana, validation and check assay work includes the integration of data for revised resource models and future exploration programs. 2016 ESTIMATES For the full year 2016, the Company increased its production estimates at Greens Creek, San Sebastian and Casa Berardi and lowered its estimate for total cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver ounce and increased its estimate for exploration expenditures. The Company currently estimates: Mine 2016E Silver Production (Moz)6 Prior 2016E Silver Production (Moz)6 2016E Gold Production (oz) Prior 2016E Gold Production (oz) Cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver/gold ounce3 Prior cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver/gold ounce3 Greens Creek 8.30 8.1 53,000 52,000 $5.00/silver oz $5.00/silver oz Lucky Friday 3.10 3.1 $9.00/silver oz $9.00/silver oz San Sebastian 4.35 3.8 35,000 20,000 $1.00/silver oz $1.00/silver oz Casa Berardi 145,000 135,000 $700/gold oz $700/gold oz Total 15.75 15.0 233,000 207,000 $4.75/silver oz $5.00/silver oz AgEq Production7: 44.0 41.0 AuEq Production7: 576,000 540,500 2016E capital expenditures (excluding capitalized interest) $150 million 2016E pre-development and exploration expenditures $19 million [prior $15 million] DIVIDENDS The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.0025 per share of common stock, payable on or about August 31, 2016, to stockholders of record on August 23, 2016. The realized silver price was $17.26 in the second quarter and therefore did not satisfy the criteria for a larger dividend under the Company's dividend policy. The Board of Directors also declared the regular quarterly dividend of $0.875 per share on the 157,816 outstanding shares of Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. This represents a total amount to be paid of approximately $138,000. The cash dividend is payable October 3, 2016, to shareholders of record on September 15, 2016. CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST A conference call and webcast will be held Thursday, August 4, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. You may join the conference call by dialing toll-free 1-855-760-8158 or for international dialing 1-720-634-2922. The participant passcode is HECLA. Hecla's live and archived webcast can be accessed at www.hecla-mining.com under Investors or via Thomson StreetEvents Network. ABOUT HECLA Founded in 1891, Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) is a leading low-cost U.S. silver producer with operating mines in Alaska and Idaho, and is a growing gold producer with an operating mine in Quebec, Canada. The Company also has exploration and pre-development properties in six world-class silver and gold mining districts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and an exploration office and investments in early-stage silver exploration projects in Canada. NOTES (1) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measurement, a reconciliation of which to net income (loss), the most comparable GAAP measure, can be found at the end of the release. (2) Cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver and gold ounce represents a non-GAAP measurement. The most comparable GAAP measure is cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization, and is sometimes referred to as "cost of sales" in this release. (3) The estimates of future cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver ounce or gold ounce (non-GAAP) are made applying managements judgment and experience to forecasted metals and prices, inventory changes, performance year to date and expectations for the remainder of the year. It is not calculated from the GAAP measure of costs of sales, which is not available, and therefore providing a reconciliation to it requires an unreasonable effort. (4) Cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver and gold ounce represents a non-GAAP measurement, a reconciliation of which to cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization, the most comparable GAAP measures, can be found at the end of the release. (5) Cash cost, after by-product credits, per gold ounce is only applicable to Casa Berardi production. Gold produced from Greens Creek is treated as a by-product credit against the silver cash cost. (6) 2016E refers to the Company's estimates for 2016. (7) All metal equivalent production of 44 million silver oz or 576,000 gold oz includes silver, gold, lead and zinc production from Lucky Friday, Greens Creek, San Sebastian and Casa Berardi converted using the following metal price assumptions: Au $1,150/oz, Ag $15/oz, Zn $0.75/lb, Pb $0.80/lb; USD/CAD assumed at 0.75, USD/MXN at $0.06. Cautionary Statements to Investors on Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections and other applicable laws. Such forward-looking statements may include, without limitation: (i) estimates of future production and sales; (ii) estimates of future costs and cash cost, after by-product credits per ounce of silver/gold; (iii) guidance for 2016 for silver and gold production, cash cost, after by-product credits, capital expenditures and pre-development and exploration expenditures (which assumes metal prices of gold at $1,150/oz, silver at $15/oz, zinc at $0.75/lb, lead at $0.80/lb and USD/CAD assumed at $0.75), USD/MXN at $0.06; (iv) expectations regarding the development, growth and exploration potential of the Companys projects; (v) expectations of growth; (vi) the ability to convert resources to reserves at Greens Creek; (vii) expectations of #4 Shaft being operational by year end and total estimated cost of the project, and (viii) possible strike extensions of veins at the San Sebastian project, the ability to extend the mine life. Estimates or expectations of future events or results are based upon certain assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Such assumptions, include, but are not limited to: (i) there being no significant change to current geotechnical, metallurgical, hydrological and other physical conditions; (ii) permitting, development, operations and expansion of the Companys projects being consistent with current expectations and mine plans; (iii) political/regulatory developments in any jurisdiction in which the Company operates being consistent with its current expectations; (iv) the exchange rate for the Canadian dollar to the U.S. dollar, being approximately consistent with current levels; (v) certain price assumptions for gold, silver, lead and zinc; (vi) prices for key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; (vii) the accuracy of our current mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; and (viii) the Companys plans for development and production will proceed as expected and will not require revision as a result of risks or uncertainties, whether known, unknown or unanticipated. Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to gold, silver and other metals price volatility, operating risks, currency fluctuations, increased production costs and variances in ore grade or recovery rates from those assumed in mining plans, community relations, conflict resolution and outcome of projects or oppositions, litigation, political, regulatory, labor and environmental risks, and exploration risks and results, including that mineral resources are not mineral reserves, they do not have demonstrated economic viability and there is no certainty that they can be upgraded to mineral reserves through continued exploration. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors, see the Companys 2015 Form 10-K, filed on February 23, 2016 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as the Companys other SEC filings. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly revisions to any forward-looking statement, including, without limitation, outlook, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued forward-looking statement constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Continued reliance on forward-looking statements is at investors own risk. Qualified Person (QP) Pursuant to Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Dean McDonald, PhD. P.Geo., Senior Vice President - Exploration of Hecla Mining Company, who serves as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101("NI 43-101"), supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information concerning Heclas mineral projects in this news release. Information regarding data verification, surveys and investigations, quality assurance program and quality control measures and a summary of sample, analytical or testing procedures for the Greens Creek Mine are contained in a technical report prepared for Hecla and Aurizon Mines Ltd. titled Technical Report for the Greens Creek Mine, Juneau, Alaska, USA effective date March 28, 2013, and for the Lucky Friday Mine are contained in a technical report prepared for Hecla titled Technical Report on the Lucky Friday Mine Shoshone County, Idaho, USA effective date April 2, 2014, and for the Casa Berardi Mine are contained in a technical report prepared for Hecla titled "Technical Report on the Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Estimate for the Casa Berardi Mine, Northwestern Quebec, Canada" effective date March 31, 2014 (the "Casa Berardi Technical Report")and for the San Sebastian Mine are contained in a technical report prepared for Hecla titled Technical Report for the San Sebastian Ag-Au Property, Durango, Mexico" effective date September 8, 2015. Also included in these four technical reports is a description of the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral reserves and resources and a general discussion of the extent to which the estimates may be affected by any known environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other relevant factors. Copies of these technical reports are available under Hecla's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statements to Investors on Reserves and Resources Reporting requirements in the United States for disclosure of mineral properties are governed by the SEC and included in the SEC's Securities Act Industry Guide 7, entitled Description of Property by Issuers Engaged or to be Engaged in Significant Mining Operations (Guide 7). However, the Company is also a "reporting issuer" under Canadian securities laws, which require estimates of mineral resources and reserves to be prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). NI 43-101 requires all disclosure of estimates of potential mineral resources and reserves to be disclosed in accordance with its requirements. Such Canadian information is being included here to satisfy the Company's public disclosure obligations under Regulation FD of the SEC and to provide U.S. holders with ready access to information publicly available in Canada. Reporting requirements in the United States for disclosure of mineral properties under Guide 7 and the requirements in Canada under NI 43-101 standards are substantially different. This document contains a summary of certain estimates of the Company, not only of proven and probable reserves within the meaning of Guide 7, which requires the preparation of a final or bankable feasibility study demonstrating the economic feasibility of mining and processing the mineralization using the three-year historical average price for any reserve or cash flow analysis to designate reserves and that the primary environmental analysis or report be filed with the appropriate governmental authority, but also of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates estimated in accordance with the definitional standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum referred to in NI 43-101. The terms measured resources, "indicated resources," and "inferred resources" are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101. These terms are not defined under Guide 7 and are not normally permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC in the United States, except where required to be disclosed by foreign law. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in such categories will ever be converted into proven or probable reserves. Resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of such a "resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category or will ever be economically extracted. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a "resource exists or is economically or legally mineable. Investors are also especially cautioned that the mere fact that such resources may be referred to in ounces of silver and/or gold, rather than in tons of mineralization and grades of silver and/or gold estimated per ton, is not an indication that such material will ever result in mined ore which is processed into commercial silver or gold. HECLA MINING COMPANY Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) (dollars and shares in thousands, except per share amounts - unaudited) Second Quarter Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 Sales of products $ 171,302 $ 104,197 $ 302,319 $ 223,289 Cost of sales and other direct production costs 82,953 67,567 157,273 141,532 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 29,897 27,166 55,772 52,420 112,850 94,733 213,045 193,952 Gross profit 58,452 9,464 89,274 29,337 Other operating expenses: General and administrative 10,359 8,296 20,573 17,016 Exploration 3,362 4,592 6,312 9,208 Pre-development 521 1,618 925 2,138 Other operating expense 622 766 1,262 1,394 Provision for closed operations and environmental matters 1,576 9,335 2,617 9,802 Acquisition costs 402 2,147 402 2,147 16,842 26,754 32,091 41,705 Income (loss) from operations 41,610 (17,290 ) 57,183 (12,368 ) Other income (expense): Loss on disposition of investments (166 ) (166 ) Unrealized gain (loss) on investments 1,150 (117 ) 439 (2,960 ) Gain (loss) on derivative contracts (6 ) (887 ) (6 ) 4,905 Interest and other income 113 35 201 73 Net foreign exchange gain (loss) (1,885 ) (1,833 ) (10,088 ) 10,441 Interest expense, net of amount capitalized (5,370 ) (6,541 ) (11,081 ) (12,733 ) (5,998 ) (9,509 ) (20,535 ) (440 ) Income (loss) before income taxes 35,612 (26,799 ) 36,648 (12,808 ) Income tax benefit (provision) (11,496 ) 132 (13,150 ) (1,307 ) Net income (loss) 24,116 (26,667 ) 23,498 (14,115 ) Preferred stock dividends (138 ) (138 ) (276 ) (276 ) Income (loss) applicable to common shareholders $ 23,978 $ (26,805 ) $ 23,222 $ (14,391 ) Basic and diluted income (loss) per common share after preferred dividends $ 0.06 $ (0.07 ) $ 0.06 $ (0.04 ) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted 383,790 371,295 381,389 370,042 HECLA MINING COMPANY Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (dollars and shares in thousands - unaudited) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 143,613 $ 155,209 Short-term investments and securities 15,070 Accounts receivable: Trade 25,667 13,490 Other, net 45,094 27,859 Inventories 51,406 45,542 Current deferred income taxes 18,386 17,980 Current restricted cash 3,900 Other current assets 7,999 9,453 Total current assets 311,135 269,533 Non-current investments 4,453 1,515 Non-current restricted cash and investments 999 999 Properties, plants, equipment and mineral interests, net 1,926,158 1,896,811 Non-current deferred income taxes 24,427 36,589 Reclamation insurance asset 13,695 Other non-current assets and deferred charges 3,638 2,783 Total assets $ 2,270,810 $ 2,221,925 LIABILITIES Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 57,702 $ 51,277 Accrued payroll and related benefits 23,712 27,563 Accrued taxes 4,344 8,915 Current portion of capital leases 7,761 8,735 Current portion of debt 1,852 2,721 Other current liabilities 10,290 6,884 Current portion of accrued reclamation and closure costs 24,127 20,989 Total current liabilities 129,788 127,084 Capital leases 7,316 8,841 Accrued reclamation and closure costs 73,019 74,549 Long-term debt 500,354 500,199 Non-current deferred tax liability 127,413 119,623 Non-current pension liability 47,880 46,513 Other non-current liabilities 5,362 6,190 Total liabilities 891,132 882,999 SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY Preferred stock 39 39 Common stock 97,207 95,219 Capital surplus 1,538,148 1,519,598 Accumulated deficit (211,258 ) (232,565 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (30,327 ) (32,631 ) Treasury stock (14,131 ) (10,734 ) Total shareholders equity 1,379,678 1,338,926 Total liabilities and shareholders equity $ 2,270,810 $ 2,221,925 Common shares outstanding 385,067 378,113 HECLA MINING COMPANY Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (dollars in thousands - unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net income (loss) $ 23,498 $ (14,115 ) Non-cash elements included in net income (loss): Depreciation, depletion and amortization 56,968 52,966 Unrealized (gain)/loss on investments (439 ) 3,043 Loss (gain) on disposition of properties, plants, equipment and mineral interests (311 ) 190 Provision for reclamation and closure costs 2,005 10,256 Stock compensation 3,467 2,261 Deferred income taxes 10,652 (705 ) Amortization of loan origination fees 926 910 Loss (gain) on derivative contracts 5,419 7,812 Foreign exchange gain 9,721 (9,672 ) Other non-cash charges, net 17 25 Change in assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (15,910 ) 2,469 Inventories (5,802 ) (3,417 ) Other current and non-current assets 268 (3,904 ) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (3,820 ) (4,210 ) Accrued payroll and related benefits 3,135 803 Accrued taxes (4,591 ) (1,938 ) Accrued reclamation and closure costs and other non-current liabilities 935 9,399 Cash provided by operating activities 86,138 52,173 INVESTING ACTIVITIES Additions to properties, plants, equipment and mineral interests (76,960 ) (58,272 ) Acquisition of Revett, net of cash acquired (809 ) Proceeds from sale of investments Proceeds from disposition of properties, plants and equipment 317 153 Purchases of investments (16,088 ) (947 ) Changes in restricted cash and investment balances (3,900 ) Maturities of investments 840 Net cash used in investing activities (95,791 ) (59,875 ) FINANCING ACTIVITIES Proceeds from issue of stock, net of related costs 8,121 Acquisition of treasury shares (3,384 ) (941 ) Dividends paid to common shareholders (1,914 ) (1,850 ) Dividends paid to preferred shareholders (276 ) (276 ) Credit availability and debt issuance fees paid (83 ) (123 ) Repayments of debt (1,339 ) Repayments of capital leases (4,356 ) (4,940 ) Net cash used in financing activities (3,231 ) (8,130 ) Effect of exchange rates on cash 1,288 (2,259 ) Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (11,596 ) (18,091 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 155,209 209,665 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 143,613 $ 191,574 HECLA MINING COMPANY Metal Prices Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 AVERAGE METAL PRICES Silver - London PM Fix ($/oz) $ 16.78 $ 16.41 $ 15.81 $ 16.56 Realized price per ounce $ 17.26 $ 16.32 $ 16.15 $ 16.83 Gold - London PM Fix ($/oz) $ 1,259 $ 1,193 $ 1,220 $ 1,206 Realized price per ounce $ 1,254 $ 1,194 $ 1,226 $ 1,208 Lead - LME Cash ($/pound) $ 0.78 $ 0.88 $ 0.79 $ 0.85 Realized price per pound $ 0.79 $ 0.94 $ 0.79 $ 0.89 Zinc - LME Cash ($/pound) $ 0.87 $ 1.00 $ 0.82 $ 0.97 Realized price per pound $ 0.89 $ 0.96 $ 0.83 $ 0.95 Production Data Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 GREENS CREEK UNIT Tons of ore milled 203,388 199,694 408,356 395,163 Mining cost per ton $ 71.01 $ 73.60 $ 68.98 $ 73.64 Milling cost per ton $ 30.67 $ 30.31 $ 30.83 $ 29.53 Ore grade milled - Silver (oz./ton) 13.25 12.33 14.22 13.05 Ore grade milled - Gold (oz./ton) 0.088 0.106 0.098 0.112 Ore grade milled - Lead (%) 3.20 3.36 3.12 3.31 Ore grade milled - Zinc (%) 8.70 8.93 8.42 8.64 Silver produced (oz.) 2,117,084 1,856,125 4,575,360 3,892,091 Gold produced (oz.) 11,528 13,753 27,509 28,992 Lead produced (tons) 5,346 5,393 10,433 10,323 Zinc produced (tons) 15,575 15,462 30,186 29,382 Total cash cost, net of by-product credits, per silver ounce (1) $ 5.38 $ 3.30 $ 4.61 $ 3.27 Capital additions (in thousands) $ 14,661 $ 12,056 $ 21,037 $ 18,400 LUCKY FRIDAY UNIT Tons of ore processed 67,829 72,059 141,850 146,304 Mining cost per ton $ 100.77 $ 99.14 $ 99.34 $ 91.80 Milling cost per ton $ 24.97 $ 20.53 $ 24.13 $ 20.40 Ore grade milled - Silver (oz./ton) 13.09 8.98 13.39 10.38 Ore grade milled - Lead (%) 7.76 6.10 8.07 6.56 Ore grade milled - Zinc (%) 4.02 3.10 4.00 3.14 Silver produced (oz.) 857,543 613,474 1,834,627 1,450,193 Lead produced (tons) 5,045 4,132 10,996 9,080 Zinc produced (tons) 2,557 2,053 5,310 4,220 Total cash cost, net of by-product credits, per silver ounce (1) $ 9.94 $ 12.58 $ 9.47 10.55 Capital additions (in thousands) $ 10,227 $ 11,352 $ 22,493 $ 25,060 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 CASA BERARDI UNIT Tons of ore processed 218.226 219,002 435,188 407,097 Mining cost per ton $ 91.56 $ 95.88 $ 89.55 $ 100.33 Milling cost per ton $ 19.82 $ 18.95 $ 19.36 $ 20.33 Ore grade milled - Gold (oz./ton) 0.217 0.165 0.19 0.16 Ore grade milled - Silver (oz./ton) 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 Gold produced (oz.) 41,955 30,939 72,333 56,350 Total cash cost, net of by-product credits, per gold ounce (1) $ 601 $ 832 $ 676 $ 896 Capital additions (in thousands) $ 17,171 $ 8,601 $ 32,782 $ 16,198 SAN SEBASTIAN Tons of ore processed 37,400 68,558 Mining cost per ton $ 91.89 $ $ 97.27 $ Milling cost per ton $ 69.35 $ $ 69.48 $ Ore grade milled - Silver (oz./ton) 35.83 38.3 Ore grade milled - Gold (oz./ton) 0.269 0.294 Silver produced (oz.) 1,258,103 2,458,442 Gold produced (oz.) 9,482 18,811 Total cash cost, net of by-product credits, per silver ounce (1) $ (3.05 ) $ $ (3.15 ) $ Capital additions (in thousands) $ 203 $ $ 693 $ (1) Cash cost, after by-product credits, per ounce represents a non-U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurement. A reconciliation of cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) to cash cost, after by-product credits can be found in the cash cost per ounce reconciliation section of this news release. Gold, lead and zinc produced have been treated as by-product credits in calculating silver costs per ounce. The primary metal produced at Casa Berardi is gold, with a by-product credit for the value of silver production. Non-GAAP Measures (Unaudited) Reconciliation of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measure to Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits, per Ounce and Cash Cost, After By-product Credits, per Ounce This release contains references to a non-GAAP measure of cash cost, before by-product credits, per ounce and cash cost, after by-product credits, per ounce. Cash cost, before by-product credits, per ounce and cash cost, after by-product credits, per ounce represent non-U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurements that the Company believes provide management and investors an indication of net cash flow. Management also uses this measurement for the comparative monitoring of performance of mining operations period-to-period from a cash flow perspective. Cash cost, before by-product credits, per ounce and Cash cost, after by-product credits, per ounce are measures developed by gold companies and used by silver companies in an effort to provide a comparable standard; however, there can be no assurance that our reporting of these non-GAAP measures is similar to those reported by other mining companies. Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization are the most comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP to cash cost, before by-product credits cash cost, after by-product credits. As depicted in the Greens Creek, Lucky Friday, and San Sebastian Unit tables below, by-product credits comprise an essential element of our silver unit cost structure. By-product credits constitute an important competitive distinction for our silver operations due to the polymetallic nature of their orebodies. By-product credits included in our presentation of cash cost, after by-product credits, per silver ounce include: In thousands (except per ounce amounts) Total, Greens Creek, Lucky Friday and San Sebastian Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 By-product value, all silver properties: Zinc $ 22,618 $ 25,224 $ 41,435 $ 46,914 Gold 23,794 13,487 51,250 28,995 Lead 14,165 14,472 29,222 28,365 Total by-product credits $ 60,577 $ 53,183 $ 121,907 $ 104,274 By-product credits per silver ounce, all silver properties Zinc $ 5.34 $ 10.22 $ 4.67 $ 8.78 Gold 5.62 5.46 5.78 5.43 Lead 3.35 5.86 3.30 5.31 Total by-product credits $ 14.31 $ 21.54 $ 13.75 $ 19.52 By-product credits included in our presentation of Cash Cost, After By-product Credits, per Gold Ounce for our Casa Berardi Unit include: In thousands (except per ounce amounts) Casa Berardi Unit Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Silver by-product value $ 144 $ 123 $ 247 $ 220 Silver by-product credits per gold ounce $ 3.41 $ 3.96 $ 3.41 $ 3.90 The following tables calculates cash cost, before by-product credits, per Silver ounce and cash cost, after by-product credits, per Silver ounce (in thousands, except ounce and per ounce amounts): In thousands (except per ounce amounts) Total, Greens Creek, Lucky Friday and San Sebastian Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) $ 71,667 $ 57,965 $ 142,702 $ 126,012 Depreciation, depletion and amortization (16,300 ) (16,451 ) (33,674 ) (33,063 ) Treatment costs 20,527 19,305 41,912 39,226 Change in product inventory 2,122 6,119 4,081 401 Reclamation and other costs (1,369 ) 96 (2,395 ) (296 ) Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits (1) 76,647 67,034 152,626 132,280 By-product credits (60,577 ) (53,183 ) (121,907 ) (104,273 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits $ 16,070 $ 13,851 $ 30,719 $ 28,007 Divided by silver ounces produced 4,233 2,469 8,868 5,342 Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ 18.11 $ 27.15 $ 17.21 $ 24.76 By-product credits per Silver Ounce $ (14.31 ) $ (21.54 ) $ (13.75 ) $ (19.52 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ 3.80 $ 5.61 $ 3.46 $ 5.24 In thousands (except per ounce amounts) Greens Creek Unit Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) $ 43,734 $ 42,815 $ 88,587 $ 94,522 Depreciation, depletion and amortization (12,413 ) (13,775 ) (26,014 ) (27,521 ) Treatment costs 15,317 15,639 30,955 30,872 Change in product inventory 2,684 4,775 4,324 (919 ) Reclamation and other costs (169 ) 86 (566 ) (301 ) Cash Cost, Before by-Product Credits (1) 49,153 49,540 97,286 96,653 By-product credits (37,773 ) (43,409 ) (76,181 ) (83,940 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits $ 11,380 $ 6,131 $ 21,105 $ 12,713 Divided by silver ounces produced 2,117 1,856 4,575 3,892 Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ 23.22 $ 26.69 $ 21.26 $ 24.84 By-product credits per Silver Ounce $ (17.84 ) $ (23.39 ) $ (16.65 ) $ (21.57 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ 5.38 $ 3.30 $ 4.61 $ 3.27 In thousands (except per ounce amounts) Lucky Friday Unit Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) $ 18,708 $ 15,150 $ 37,212 $ 31,490 Depreciation, depletion and amortization (2,825 ) (2,676 ) (5,829 ) (5,542 ) Treatment costs 4,778 3,666 10,112 8,354 Change in product inventory (1,035 ) 1,344 (1,056 ) 1,320 Reclamation and other costs (221 ) 10 (386 ) 5 Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits (1) 19,405 17,494 40,053 35,627 By-product credits (10,880 ) (9,774 ) (22,686 ) (20,333 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits $ 8,525 $ 7,720 $ 17,367 $ 15,294 Divided by silver ounces produced 858 613 1,835 1,450 Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ 22.63 $ 28.51 $ 21.84 $ 24.57 By-product credits per silver ounce $ (12.69 ) $ (15.93 ) $ (12.37 ) $ (14.02 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ 9.94 $ 12.58 $ 9.47 $ 10.55 In thousands (except per ounce amounts) San Sebastian Unit Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) $ 9,225 $ $ 16,903 $ Depreciation, depletion and amortization (1,062 ) (1,831 ) Treatment costs 432 845 Change in product inventory 473 813 Reclamation and other costs (979 ) (1,443 ) Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits (1) 8,089 $ 15,287 $ By-product credits (11,924 ) (23,040 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits $ (3,835 ) $ (7,753 ) Divided by silver ounces produced 1,258 2,458 Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ 6.43 $ $ 6.22 $ By-product credits per silver ounce $ (9.48 ) $ $ (9.37 ) $ Cash Cost, After By-product Credits, per Silver Ounce $ (3.05 ) $ $ (3.15 ) $ The following table calculates cash cost, before by-product credits, per gold ounce and cash cost, after by-product credits, per Gold ounce (in thousands, except ounce and per ounce amounts): In thousands (except per ounce amounts) Casa Berardi Unit Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) $ 41,183 $ 36,769 $ 70,343 $ 67,940 Depreciation, depletion and amortization (13,597 ) (10,714 ) (22,098 ) (19,357 ) Treatment costs 238 144 409 297 Change in product inventory (2,366 ) (206 ) 752 2,066 Reclamation and other costs (116 ) (117 ) (228 ) (235 ) Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits (1) 25,342 25,876 49,178 50,711 By-product credits (144 ) (123 ) (247 ) (220 ) Cash Cost, After by-product credits $ 25,198 $ 25,753 $ 48,931 $ 50,491 Divided by gold ounces produced 41,955 30,939 72,333 56,350 Cash Cost, Before By-product Credits, per Gold Ounce $ 604.01 $ 836.36 $ 679.38 $ 899.93 By-product credits per gold ounce $ (3.41 ) $ (3.96 ) $ (3.41 ) $ (3.90 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits, per Gold Ounce $ 600.60 $ 832.40 $ 675.97 $ 896.03 In thousands Total, All Locations Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) $ 112,851 $ 94,733 $ 213,045 $ 193,952 Depreciation, depletion and amortization (29,897 ) (27,166 ) (55,772 ) (52,420 ) Treatment costs 20,765 19,449 42,321 39,523 By-product credits (60,721 ) (53,306 ) (122,154 ) (104,493 ) Change in product inventory (244 ) 5,913 4,833 2,467 Reclamation and other costs (1,486 ) (19 ) (2,623 ) (531 ) Cash Cost, After By-product Credits $ 41,268 $ 39,604 $ 79,650 $ 78,498 (1) Includes all direct and indirect operating cash costs related directly to the physical activities of producing metals, including mining, processing and other plant costs, third-party refining and marketing expense, on-site general and administrative costs, royalties and mining production taxes, before by-product revenues earned from all metals other than the primary metal produced at each unit. Reconciliation of Net Loss Applicable to Common Shareholders (GAAP) to Adjusted Net Income (Loss) Applicable to Common Stockholders This release refers to a non-GAAP measure of adjusted net income (loss) applicable to common stockholders and adjusted net income (loss) per share, which are indicators of our performance. They exclude certain impacts which are of a nature which we believe are not reflective of our underlying performance. Management believes that adjusted net income (loss) per common share provides investors with the ability to better evaluate our underlying operating performance. Dollars are in thousands (except per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net income (loss) applicable to common shareholders (GAAP) $ 23,978 $ (26,805 ) $ 23,222 $ (14,391 ) Adjusting items: Losses (gains) on derivatives contracts 6 887 6 (4,905 ) Provisional price (gains) losses (1,011 ) 601 (1,517 ) (1,524 ) Environmental accruals 662 8,700 662 8,700 Foreign exchange loss (gain) 1,885 1,833 10,088 (10,441 ) Acquisition costs 402 2,147 402 2,147 Income tax effect of above adjustments (24 ) (4,934 ) 179 (1,767 ) Adjusted net income (loss) applicable to common shareholders $ 25,898 $ (17,571 ) $ 33,042 $ (22,181 ) Weighted average shares - basic 383,790 371,295 381,389 370,042 Weighted average shares - diluted 387,512 371,295 384,685 370,042 Basic adjusted net income (loss) per common share $ 0.07 $ (0.05 ) $ 0.09 $ (0.06 ) Diluted adjusted net income (loss) per common share $ 0.07 $ (0.05 ) $ 0.09 $ (0.06 ) Reconciliation of Net Loss (GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDA This release refers to a non-GAAP measure of adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA"), which is a measure of our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as net income before the following items: interest expense, income tax provision, depreciation, depletion, and amortization expense, exploration expense, pre-development expense, Aurizon acquisition costs, Lucky Friday suspension-related costs, interest and other income (expense), foreign exchange gains and losses, gains and losses on derivative contracts, unrealized gains on investments, provisions for environmental matters, stock-based compensation, and provisional price gains and losses . Management believes that, when presented in conjunction with comparable GAAP measures, Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance. The following table reconciles net loss to Adjusted EBITDA: Dollars are in thousands Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2015 Net income (loss) $ 24,116 $ (26,667 ) $ 23,498 $ (14,115 ) Plus: Interest expense, net of amount capitalized 5,370 6,541 11,081 12,733 Plus/(Less): Income taxes 11,496 (132 ) 13,150 1,307 Plus: Depreciation, depletion and amortization 29,897 27,166 55,772 52,420 Plus: Exploration expense 3,362 4,592 6,312 9,208 Plus: Pre-development expense 521 1,618 925 2,138 Foreign exchange loss (gain) 1,885 1,833 10,088 (10,441 ) Plus: Acquisition costs 402 2,147 402 2,147 Plus: Stock-based compensation 2,042 1,201 3,214 2,261 Plus/(Less): Losses (gains) on derivative contracts 6 887 6 (4,905 ) Plus: Provisional price (gain) loss (1,011 ) 601 (1,517 ) (1,524 ) Plus: Provision for closed operations and environmental matters 1,006 9,478 2,005 10,256 Other (1,263 ) 248 (640 ) 3,053 Adjusted EBITDA $ 77,829 $ 29,513 $ 124,296 $ 64,538 Table A - Assay Results - Q2 2016 San Sebastian (Mexico) Zone Drill Hole Number Sample From (ft) Sample To (ft) Width (feet) True Width (feet) Gold (oz/ton) Silver (oz/ton) West Francine Vein SS-1040 337.80 342.30 4.5 3.5 0.05 13.37 West Francine Vein SS-1049 411.6 418.0 6.4 4.9 0.11 0.31 Middle Vein SS-1054 58.5 60.8 2.3 2.2 0.02 7.54 Middle Vein SS-1062 159.0 167.1 8.1 7.2 0.05 9.74 Middle Vein SS-1064 128.0 133.5 5.6 5.5 0.19 2.96 Middle Vein SS-1071 114.6 115.4 0.8 1.8 0.48 2.65 Middle Vein SS-1077 58.1 62.2 4.1 4.1 0.22 2.70 Middle Vein SS-1085 46.1 55.9 9.8 9.8 0.12 9.33 Middle Vein SS-1088 35.5 39.8 4.3 4.3 0.26 26.69 Middle Vein SS-1091 60.7 62.8 2.1 2.1 0.02 3.62 Middle Vein SS-1103 459.70 468.2 8.5 7.8 0.68 65.05 Middle Vein SS-1114 441.79 448.4 6.6 6.1 0.28 57.70 Casa Berardi (Quebec) Zone Drill Hole Number Drill Hole Section Drill Hole Azm/Dip Sample From Sample To True Width (feet) Gold (oz/ton) Depth From Mine Surface (feet) 118-06 CBP-0530-314 12281 E 16/-37 262.5 288.7 20.3 0.29 -1934.5 118-06 CBP-0530-313 12221 E 324/-24 221.5 252.0 26.6 0.44 -1863.0 118-63 CBP-0530-320 12350 E 154/28 421.9 426.5 3.9 0.20 -1590.7 Lower-Inter Upper (118-64) CBP-0530-319 12339 E 154/15 226.4 249.3 21.3 0.16 -1652.2 121 CBP-0790-114 12145 E 141/3 54.1 101.7 20.0 0.23 -2522.9 121 CBP-0790-115 12139 E 141/36 36.7 80.1 39.0 0.22 -2489.6 121 CBP-0790-117 12154 E 141/-19 126.0 147.6 21.7 0.24 -2572.1 121 CBP-0790-116 12132 E 143/75 37.1 45.9 8.9 0.56 -2478.6 121 CBP-0790-118 12129 E 141/90 43.0 65.6 22.6 0.23 -2460.5 123-02 CBP-0870-053 12330 E 172/-1 226.0 232.6 6.6 0.27 -2850.8 123-03 CBP-0870-054 12324 E 172/9 110.2 123.7 12.8 0.21 -2829.4 123-03 CBP-0870-055 12269 E 198/-25 54.1 74.5 18.0 0.19 -2878.4 123-04 CBP-0870-054 12327 E 172/9 228.0 244.4 16.1 0.53 -2808.3 123-04 CBP-0870-052 12329 E 172/-12 249.3 258.5 8.9 0.92 -2894.2 123-05 CBP-0490-014 12494 E 180/-6 183.1 217.5 30.5 0.22 -1619.6 123-05 CBP-0490-015 12495 E 180/8 167.3 199.1 29.2 0.17 -1574.3 123-05 CBP-0490-012 12480 E 180/2 149.3 200.1 50.2 0.31 -1591.9 123-05 CBP-0490-011 12481 E 180/-11 169.6 191.9 22.3 0.22 -1632.5 123-05 CBP-0490-013 12481 E 180/18 146.0 184.4 37.1 0.25 -1549.5 123-05 CBP-0490-041 12480 E 181/33 144.4 190.3 42.3 0.24 -1507.2 124-13 CBP-0210-019 12649 E 204/12 383.9 404.2 15.1 0.97 -572.2 124-13 CBP-0210-020 12678 E 189/6 364.2 384.5 20.3 0.70 -608.7 124-22 CBP-0530-318 12352 E 154/40 527.6 553.1 24.9 0.41 -1391.1 124-22 CBP-0250-085 12466 E 23/5 120.7 125.3 4.3 1.02 -800.4 124-22 CBP-0250-086 12468 E 24/51 190.0 194.2 3.0 1.03 -663.1 124-30 CBP-0290-281 12779 E 168/-7 225.4 231.0 5.2 0.49 -947.7 124-30 CBP-0290-295 12734 E 180/-21 380.6 394.7 13.5 0.20 -1061.0 124-30 CBP-0290-283 12717 E 180/-17 311.7 329.7 17.4 0.21 -1005.6 124-85 CBP-0330-028 12515 E 134/-38 262.8 274.3 7.9 0.31 -1198.6 104 CBW-1086 10380 E 325/-75 1031.8 1133.9 102.0 0.05 -2831.4 104 CBW-1085 10381 E 325/-64 766.7 805.0 33.5 0.04 -1870.1 LOWER INTER CBW-0300-042 10737 E 0/-37 564.3 574.1 9.8 0.94 -1313.1 LOWER INTER CBW-0300-039 10775 E 358/-45 564.6 587.9 21.7 1.27 -1383.0 LOWER INTER CBW-0300-044 10751 E 360/-38 565.0 587.3 17.4 0.95 -1349.2 LOWER INTER CBW-1085 10381 E 325/-64 629.9 639.8 9.5 0.10 -1731.6 134 (Surface) CBS-16-676 10069 E 360/-50 311.7 354.3 31.5 0.06 26996.2 134 (Surface) CBS-16-674 10112 E 360/-46 137.8 189.0 45.3 0.03 27146.0 134 (Surface) CBS-16-671 10136 E 360/-54 626.3 651.6 22.1 0.18 27518.1 134 (Surface) CBS-16-676 10053 E 360/-50 221.1 284.4 49.2 0.09 26996.6 134 (Surface) CBS-16-675 10097 E 360/-48 433.1 471.1 36.1 0.02 27146.0 134 (Surface) CBS-16-675 10109 E 360/-48 473.8 541.3 49.2 0.04 27145.9 134 (Surface) CBS-16-671 10120 E 360/-54 538.1 595.5 47.6 0.05 27516.1 Greens Creek (Alaska) Zone Drill Hole Number Drillhole Azm/Dip Sample From Sample To True Width (feet) Silver (oz/ton) Gold (oz/ton) Zinc (%) Lead (%) Depth From Mine Portal (feet) 9A Exploration GC4267 063/32 432.20 479.00 17.5 20.43 0.09 16.24 5.21 185 482.50 488.00 2.1 14.09 0.06 13.57 5.90 198 GC4273 081/29 501.00 508.00 2.5 17.79 0.01 13.24 4.38 183 513.00 516.00 1.7 12.39 0.02 22.64 9.20 189 519.00 525.50 2.4 24.08 0.02 37.77 10.00 192 535.70 540.00 1.1 11.01 0.01 8.96 3.68 201 559.00 563.70 3.4 16.10 0.01 6.24 2.28 213 9A Definition GC4297 071/27 462.00 465.50 2.0 15.68 0.04 7.76 2.71 154 GC4302 071/32 455.20 459.00 3.3 10.54 0.05 18.01 3.76 183 GC4305 071/37 511.50 531.70 15.6 15.14 0.08 11.04 4.11 253 GC4317 063/26 374.50 383.50 7.9 10.60 0.03 13.22 7.21 109 409.20 418.00 8.2 16.12 0.03 10.61 3.06 124 GC4320 063/18 420.00 425.00 4.3 12.96 0.00 3.01 1.55 71 GC4323 063/24 338.80 346.50 2.5 16.80 0.02 12.99 6.91 78 371.10 376.80 2.5 15.46 0.03 4.86 2.19 90 East Definition GC4323 063/24 788.20 818.20 7.5 35.20 0.41 7.77 2.82 243 828.20 830.30 1.0 136.91 0.14 13.29 4.30 255 GC4328 063/18 806.60 813.00 2.6 12.13 0.05 8.42 2.42 195 818.00 823.00 1.6 13.86 0.01 5.57 0.76 200 D200S Definition GC4269 063/-86 610.50 612.50 1.7 12.89 0.22 0.56 0.23 -1893 618.00 628.00 8.3 21.06 0.18 1.84 0.89 -1900 733.90 748.30 5.9 29.99 0.90 12.03 6.04 -2012 GC4271 063/-77 339.50 344.00 4.0 10.70 0.08 0.55 0.30 -1607 GC4272 063/-69 430.80 433.70 2.9 12.81 0.09 1.23 0.64 -1680 575.50 587.00 8.9 20.17 0.04 3.03 1.54 -1821 GC4279 243/-84 253.90 256.10 2.2 18.41 0.05 1.54 0.89 -1527 GC4286 243/-51 200.90 203.90 3.0 38.40 0.05 3.31 1.73 -1431 324.00 337.60 10.1 23.66 0.03 2.76 1.29 -1528 GC4303 063/-71 378.30 393.30 7.9 20.61 0.02 1.22 0.53 -1636 402.30 405.80 3.2 21.98 0.01 2.55 1.28 -1654 GC4306 063/-63 470.00 472.30 2.3 15.47 0.03 9.78 6.30 -1693 GC4311 243/-46 205.60 208.20 2.5 27.05 0.04 0.49 0.30 -1422 GC4316 243/-69 264.80 269.00 4.0 35.59 0.06 0.60 0.28 -1523 LNWW Definition GC4280 063/-62 518.80 521.80 3.0 20.72 0.20 3.61 0.73 -635 GC4281 063/-32 502.00 508.60 6.5 8.23 0.14 9.59 3.21 -448 GC4285 063/-34 586.00 592.50 6.3 4.92 0.05 17.63 2.45 -527 GC4287 063/-50 574.20 577.10 2.8 6.23 0.02 18.82 3.37 -622 GC4304 063/-32 622.80 639.70 16.8 5.69 0.10 24.01 5.20 -554 GC4321 063/-50 343.00 347.20 4.1 5.75 0.04 12.61 4.58 -429 352.30 361.00 8.5 8.68 0.04 4.85 2.23 -438 GC4322 063/-72 465.70 469.80 3.9 5.76 0.04 14.95 2.51 -608 GC4324 063/-40 381.80 384.10 2.3 21.41 0.06 4.52 2.43 -416 388.60 390.60 2.0 10.09 0.26 4.01 2.01 -421 GC4326 040/-64 346.00 356.70 10.2 76.40 0.17 19.90 4.38 -465 GC4327 021/-74 332.00 346.60 14.5 56.07 0.13 3.29 0.81 -469 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804005371/en/ Contact Hecla Mining Company Vice President Investor Relations Mike Westerlund, 800-HECLA91 (800-432-5291) hmc-info@hecla-mining.com http://www.hecla-mining.com (Please note that all dollar amounts in this news release are expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated). TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - August 04, 2016) - Primero Mining Corp. ("Primero" or the "Company") (TSX: P) (NYSE: PPP) today reported operating and financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. Highlights: Improved Q2 2016 Operating Results: Total production of 49,499 gold equivalent ounces 1 , comprised of 28,978 ounces of gold and 1.60 million ounces of silver from San Dimas, and 15,172 ounces of gold from Black Fox, a 37% improvement over the 36,158 gold equivalent ounces produced in the first quarter of 2016. Primero produced 62,490 gold equivalent ounces in Q2 2015. , comprised of 28,978 ounces of gold and 1.60 million ounces of silver from San Dimas, and 15,172 ounces of gold from Black Fox, a 37% improvement over the 36,158 gold equivalent ounces produced in the first quarter of 2016. Primero produced 62,490 gold equivalent ounces in Q2 2015. Operating Cash Flows Increased: The Company realized a net loss of $19.4 million ($0.12 per share) and adjusted net loss 2 of $2.4 million ($0.01 per share) in Q2 2016. The Company generated second quarter operating cash flow before working capital changes of $11.2 million ($0.07 per share), notably increased over Q1 2016 of negative $8.5 million. of $2.4 million ($0.01 per share) in Q2 2016. The Company generated second quarter operating cash flow before working capital changes of $11.2 million ($0.07 per share), notably increased over Q1 2016 of negative $8.5 million. Black Fox Achieved Higher Underground Production Rates: Underground production from the Black Fox mine averaged 636 tonnes per day in Q2 2016, a 50% improvement over the production levels in Q1 2016. The mine continues to make progress towards initial production from the Deep Central Zone, with stope production expected from this new area before the end of Q3 2016, slightly later than originally planned. Equity Financing Improved Balance Sheet Flexibility: Primero ended Q2 2016 with $79.5 million of total liquidity, which includes $54.5 million in cash and $25.0 million available on its line of credit. The $40.0 million bought deal financing, which closed on June 24, 2016, positively contributed to Primero's June 30, 2016 cash position. 2016 Production Guidance Updated: Primero has reduced its 2016 production guidance to between 195,000 and 215,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs 3 of between $775 and $825 per gold equivalent ounce with all-in sustaining costs 4 of between $1,200 and $1,250 per gold ounce. Production at San Dimas has been impacted by lower than planned grades, unexpected labour disruptions in July and a lower gold/silver ratio as a result of minimal expected silver spot sales. Production at Black Fox has been affected by delays in accessing high-grade mineralization from the Deep Central Zone. of between $775 and $825 per gold equivalent ounce with all-in sustaining costs of between $1,200 and $1,250 per gold ounce. Production at San Dimas has been impacted by lower than planned grades, unexpected labour disruptions in July and a lower gold/silver ratio as a result of minimal expected silver spot sales. Production at Black Fox has been affected by delays in accessing high-grade mineralization from the Deep Central Zone. Drilling to Commence on New Concession in San Dimas District: Initial orientation sampling has begun on the recently acquired Lechuguilla concession located close to San Dimas' southern boundary, with drilling to commence later this year. NAFTA Notice of Intent: In order to protect its rights as a Canadian investor in Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement ("NAFTA"), on June 2, 2016, the Company issued a Notice of Intent to submit a claim to international arbitration against the Government of Mexico, pursuant to Article 1119 of the NAFTA. Primero maintains it has the right to rely on its 2012 advance pricing agreement with the Mexican tax authority ("SAT") which confirmed the appropriate price for sales of silver. "We increased production levels in the second quarter and we are committed on continuing to bring both of our mines up to their optimal operating rates," stated Ernest Mast, President and Chief Executive Officer. "San Dimas showed solid production improvements over Q1 2016, achieving average mining rates of 2,500 tonnes per day. But there is still much work to be done to optimize and refine the mining cycle, increase development rates and maximize productivity and grades. We had labour disruptions during July that impacted July's production and delayed some development work. As a result we initiated a mine optimization plan focusing on technical and human resources issues. We are continuing to make progress at Black Fox in developing the Deep Central Zone ahead of production expected in the third-quarter, unfortunately we have experienced delays in early July due to poor ground conditions on the 660 metre level. In light of these challenges the Company has reduced its 2016 production guidance." San Dimas Operations Improve; Black Fox Achieves Increased Underground Production Rates Primero produced a total of 49,499 gold equivalent ounces in Q2 2016, which compares to 62,490 gold equivalent ounces produced in Q2 2015, but represents a 37% increase compared to Q1 2016. Gold and silver production was 44,150 ounces and 1.60 million ounces, respectively, in Q2 2016 compared to 54,862 ounces and 2.15 million ounces in Q2 2015. The Company incurred consolidated total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce of $851 for Q2 2016, compared to $653 for Q2 2015. All-in sustaining costs ("AISC") per ounce were $1,345 for Q2 2016, compared to $1,036 in Q2 2015. San Dimas produced 34,327 gold equivalent ounces (28,978 ounces of gold and 1.60 million ounces of silver) during the second quarter of 2016, a 50% increase over Q1 2016 and compared to 44,128 gold equivalent ounces produced in Q2 2015. The decreased production year-over-year was mainly due to lower throughput rates and lower head grades due to the lack of availability of high-grade stopes mainly as a result of lower development in Q1 2016 and ventilation and mine services issues. The labour issues during July further impacted development and therefore deferred mining some high grade areas to 2017. San Dimas total cash costs on a gold equivalent basis in the second quarter of 2016 were $843 per ounce, compared to $608 per ounce in Q2 2015. AISC at San Dimas were $1,063 per ounce in the second quarter 2016, compared with $822 per ounce in the same period of 2015. The higher cash costs per ounce were mainly due to lower metals production and reduced silver credits realized in the second quarter of 2016. Higher unit costs were also related to an increase in the annual bonus paid to unionized employees. The impact of the increased union bonus was approximately $90 per ounce in the second quarter. Black Fox produced 15,172 ounces of gold in the second quarter of 2016, a 14% increase over the 13,257 ounces produced in Q1 2016 and compared to 18,362 ounces in Q2 2015. In Q2 2016 the majority of production ounces came from the underground mine, whereas in Q2 2015 gold production was largely sourced from the open-pit mine. In the second quarter of 2016 the underground mine achieved increased production rates averaging 636 tonnes per day, representing a 50% improvement over Q1 2016 production levels. During July 2016, a planned initial long-hole stope of the Deep Central Zone was delayed due to poor ground conditions in a footwall development drift that required the development of an alternative route. An alternate route was implemented that has already mined 3,220 tonnes of development ore grading 9.8 g/t (cut at 30 g/t) confirming the existence of high grade ore at the 660 level. As a result, initial stope production from the Deep Central Zone is now expected to commence before the end of Q3 2016. Black Fox total cash costs per gold ounce were higher in Q2 2016 at $870 per ounce compared to $762 per ounce in Q2 2015 due to lower gold production. The Black Fox mine incurred AISC per gold ounce of $1,362 in Q2 2016, compared to $1,071 in Q2 2015 as a result of increased capital spending on underground development in 2016 compared to 2015. Primero generated $59.4 million of revenue in Q2 2016, 12% lower than in Q2 2015 as a result selling 17% less gold equivalent ounces despite a 6% higher average realized gold price. In Q2 2016, the Company sold 43,008 ounces of gold at an average realized price of $1,241 per ounce and 1.43 million ounces of silver at an average realized price of $4.24 per ounce. Revenue in Q2 2015 totalled $67.4 million from selling 52,975 ounces of gold at an average realized price of $1,171 per ounce, and 1.26 million ounces of silver at an average realized price of $4.20 per ounce. Silver produced at San Dimas is subject to a silver purchase agreement5 and as a result 1.43 million ounces of silver were sold to Silver Wheaton (Caymans) Ltd. ("Silver Wheaton") at a fixed price of $4.24 per ounce during the quarter. As of June 30, 2016 the Company has delivered 5.6 million ounces of silver under the San Dimas silver purchase agreement's 6.0 million ounce annual contract year threshold (which runs from August 6th to the following August 5th), following which the Company can begin selling 50% of the silver produced at San Dimas at spot market prices until August 5, 2016 when the annual threshold is reset. Primero expects minimal spot silver sales in 2016. Gold produced at Black Fox is subject to a gold purchase agreement6 and as a result 1,131 ounces were sold to Sandstorm Gold Ltd. ("Sandstorm") at a fixed price of $524 per ounce in Q2 2016. The Company incurred a net loss of $19.4 million ($0.12 per share) in Q2 2016, compared with net loss of $6.7 million ($0.04 per share) for the second quarter of 2015. Adjusted loss for Q2 2016 was $2.4 million ($0.01 per share) compared with adjusted net income of $1.1 million ($0.01 per share) in Q2 2015. Adjusted loss primarily excludes the impact of foreign exchange rate changes on deferred tax balances, costs specifically related to the NAFTA and APA claims, and the mark-to-market gain/loss on the convertible debenture and warrants. Primero generated operating cash flow before working capital changes during Q2 2016 of $11.2 million ($0.07 per share), compared to operating cash flow of $22.6 million ($0.14 per share) in Q2 2015. Q2 2016 operating cash flow included $4.5 million in cash payments for income taxes in Mexico for 2016 tax instalments. Q2 2016 cash flows were also affected by lower production levels relative to Q2 2015. Liquidity Update The Company's total liquidity position at June 30, 2016 totalled $79.5 million, comprised of $54.5 million in cash and $25.0 million available under its line of credit. During Q2 2016, Primero completed a $40.0 million (C$51.8 million) bought deal financing, which positively contributed to Primero's June 30, 2016 cash position. Primero has $50 million drawn on its revolving credit facility that matures on May 23, 2017. The Company expects to renew this facility, but in the event full repayment is required cash generated by operations may not be sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility in full at maturity. The Company has a plan to improve production at San Dimas and will focus on cost and capital reductions at both of its operations to increase cash flows and is also evaluating the potential divestiture of assets and joint venture opportunities. 2016 Production Guidance Update Primero has reduced its 2016 production guidance to between 195,000 and 215,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs of between $775 and $825 per gold equivalent ounce with AISC of between $1,200 and $1,250 per gold ounce. The Company has also re-evaluated its capital budget and as a result, 2016 capital expenditures have been reduced to $73.7 million including $42.4 million at San Dimas and $29.0 million at Black Fox. Production at San Dimas has been impacted by lower than planned grades, unexpected labour disruptions in July and a lower gold/silver ratio as a result of minimal expected silver spot sales. Labour disruptions in July were related to the local union seeking to increase short term production bonuses and interrupted the mine's operation during discussions. The short term production bonuses were agreed upon in late July. The labour disruption affected July production and development and as a result, select high grade areas will not be mined in 2016 resulting in a production shortfall. In view of these recent operational challenges at San Dimas the Company initiated a mine optimization program, in conjunction with a third party. A seven point action plan was developed to focus on technical improvements such as improving development rates and services, reducing dilution, decreasing operating costs, and improving labour productivity. The Company expects to provide an update at the end of the quarter. Production at Black Fox has been affected by timing delays in accessing high-grade mineralization from the Deep Central Zone. . Stope production from the Deep Central Zone has been delayed by approximately one month, due to poor localized ground conditions experienced on the 660 metre level. The Black Fox team has successfully worked through this area, but the timing delay has pushed first stope production until September. Black Fox updated guidance includes additional capital costs to develop the Deep Central zone. Additional drilling and development will be undertaken to increase available stopes in the Deep Central zone. Table 1: 2016 Production Guidance Previous Guidance Revised Guidance San Dimas Black Fox Consolidated San Dimas Black Fox Consolidated Attributable production (gold equivalent ounces) 160,000-170,000 70,000-80,000 230,000-250,000 135,000-145,000 60,000-70,000 195,000-215,000 Gold Production (ounces) 120,000-130,000 70,000-80,000 190,000-210,000 110,000-120,000 60,000-70,000 170,000-190,000 Silver Production (million ounces) 7.5-8.5 N/A 7.5-8.5 6.5-7.5 N/A 6.5-7.5 Total cash costs (per gold equivalent ounce) $600-$650 $750-$800 $650-$700 $725-$775 $850-$900 $775-$825 AISC (per gold ounce) $775-$825 $1,000-$1,050 $975-$1,025 $950-$1,000 $1,250-$1,300 $1,200-$1,250 Capital Expenditures ($ millions) $51.4 $23.6 $77.3 $42.4 $29.0 $73.7 Material assumptions used to forecast total cash costs for 2016 were based on the Company's actual results to June 30, 2016 and include an estimated average gold price of $1,250 per ounce (based on actual gold prices received through Q2 2016 and $1,300 per ounce for the remainder of the year), silver market price of $20 per ounce, and foreign exchange rates of $1.30 Canadian dollars and $18 Mexican pesos to the U.S. dollar for the remainder of 2016. Silver sold under the silver purchase agreement is expected to average $4.26 for the 2016 year. Froome Zone Update Primero continues to evaluate the potential of the Froome Zone located approximately 800 metres west of the Black Fox mine. Following the announcement of positive drilling results in Q1 2016, Primero continued to delineate and expand the deposit and commenced an internal economic evaluation of the Froome Zone. An initial mining plan has been developed and preliminary engineering and geotechnical studies have begun with the focus on accessing the ore body via an underground drift from the Black Fox pit, expediting the permitting process and timeline to initial production. Optimizing studies will continue in Q3 2016 with the focus on reducing capital cost and de-risking the project. The Company's regional exploration program will now focus on the discovery of Froome-like targets along the mineralized trend. Mineralization Potential Identified on New Lechuguilla Concession in San Dimas District With the June 2016 acquisition of a large new concession in the San Dimas district (Lechuguilla), Primero conducted a geological reconnaissance of identified geological windows. The large-scale Lechuguilla concession is not covered by the San Dimas silver purchase agreement and is a key focus of Primero's H2 2016 exploration program. Initial geological reconnaissance conducted by Primero's geologists has obtained preliminary grab samples from the Causitas vein, located close to the main road between Durango and Tayoltita. Preliminary samples returned 1.0 g/t gold and 7 g/t silver, and 0.7 g/t gold and 98 g/t silver at surface providing an indication of potential mineralization. The Causitas vein has been identified between one and five meters and has been traced over 200 metres of strike length. Based on these early results, Primero's geologists will begin a program of detailed vein mapping and channel sampling in order to identify drill targets. Primero's geologists have also noted anomalous precious metals values in preliminary grab samples taken from the identified Sara Costanza and Cinibas veins. Grab sample locations are shown in Figure 1. Exploration sampling at Lechuguilla was conducted by Primero's exploration team. Mr. David Laudrum, P.Geo., Senior Resource Manager for Primero has reviewed the technical exploration information in this news release as the Qualified Person ("QP") for the purposes of NI 43-101 for the Company. All samples and analyses reported herein were performed in the ISO certified independent laboratory SGS Servicios Minerales in Durango Mexico, using fire assay with atomic absorption finish or gravimetric finish for values over 10 g/t gold. Mexican Tax Update and NAFTA Notice of Intent The Company continues to vigorously defend its Advance Pricing Agreement ("APA") from the legal claim initiated by the Mexican tax authorities ("SAT"). The APA was obtained to confirm that the Company should calculate taxes on silver sold from the San Dimas mine based on the price realized by the Company. The legal claim initiated does not identify any different basis for paying taxes, nor have any tax reassessments been received from the SAT. The Company continues to record its revenue from the sale of silver for purposes of Mexican tax accounting in a manner consistent with the APA on the basis that the applicable facts and laws have not changed. The Company's legal and financial advisors continue to believe that the Company has filed its tax returns compliant with applicable Mexican law. In defending the APA, the Company has filed procedural and substantive responses to the SAT-initiated legal claim. The procedural response is a challenge against the admission of the SAT's claim. The substantive response contains the Company's response to the SAT's claim. While the resolution of the procedural challenge remains pending and the substantive matters are ongoing, the Mexican District Court recently issued a final order mandating that no resolution may be issued in connection with the substantive matters until the procedural challenge against the admission of the SAT's claim is finally decided. As consideration of these matters continues in parallel, the Company does not expect the order to delay the resolution of the substantive case. The Company believes that it is entitled to rely on the APA which is legally binding in respect of the Company's 2010 through 2014 taxation years. The Company obtained the ruling transparently and in good faith. Primero believes the APA should not be the subject of challenge by a government administration installed upon the change of government after the APA was duly issued. On June 2, 2016, the Company notified the Government of Mexico that the measures taken by its tax authority (the SAT) with the judicial proceeding seeking to nullify the APA, breached several provisions of Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because these measures are arbitrary, discriminatory, unfair and inequitable. As such, the Company informed the Government of Mexico that, absent amicable resolution within 90 days, it intends to commence international arbitration proceedings pursuant to Article 1119 of the NAFTA. The Company will continue to vigorously defend the validity of the APA and the correctness of its tax filing position. Conference Call and Webcast Details The Company's senior management will host a conference call today, Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 10:00 am ET to discuss second quarter 2016 operating and financial results. Participants may join the call by dialing North America toll free 1-888-789-9572 or 416-695-7806 for calls outside Canada and the U.S., and entering the participant passcode 4770671. A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at www.primeromining.com under the News and Events section or by clicking here: http://www.gowebcasting.com/7695. A recorded playback of the second quarter 2016 results call will be available until November 1, 2016 by dialing 1-800-408-3053 or 905-694-9451 and entering the call back passcode 2048848. This release should be read in conjunction with Primero's second quarter 2016 financial statements and MD&A report on the Company's website, www.primeromining.com, in the "Financial Reports" section under "Investors", or on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, or on the Edgar website www.sec.gov. (1) "Gold equivalent ounces" include silver ounces produced, and converted to a gold equivalent based on a ratio of the average commodity prices realized for each period. The ratio for the second quarter 2016 was 293:1 based on the average realized prices of $1,241 per ounce of gold and $4.24 per ounce of silver. (2) Adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are non-GAAP measures. Neither of these non-GAAP performance measures has any standardized meaning and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to other measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, the Company and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance. Accordingly, it 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 GAAP. Refer to the second quarter 2016 MD&A for a reconciliation of adjusted net income (loss) to reported net income (loss). (3) Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce and total cash costs per gold ounce on a by-product basis are non-GAAP measures. Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce are defined as costs of production (including refining costs) divided by the total number of gold equivalent ounces produced. Total cash costs per gold ounce on a by-product basis are calculated by deducting the by-product silver credits from operating costs and dividing by the total number of gold ounces produced. The Company reports total cash costs on a production basis. In the gold mining industry, these are common performance measures but do not have any standardized meaning, and are non-GAAP measures. As such, they are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. In reporting total cash costs per gold equivalent and total cash costs per gold ounce on a by-product basis, the Company follows the recommendations of the Gold Institute standard. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures, prepared in accordance with GAAP, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it 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 GAAP. Refer to the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A for a reconciliation of cash costs per gold ounce on both a by-product and gold equivalent basis to reported operating expenses (the most directly comparable GAAP measure). (4) The Company, in conjunction with an initiative undertaken within the gold mining industry, has adopted an all-in sustaining cost non-GAAP performance measure that the Company believes more fully defines the total cost associated with producing gold; however, this performance measure has no standardized meaning. Accordingly, it 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 GAAP. The Company reports this measure on a gold ounces produced basis. For the purposes of calculating all-in sustaining costs at individual mine sites, the Company does not include corporate general and administrative expenses. Corporate general and administrative expenses are included in the computation of all-in sustaining costs per consolidated gold ounce. Refer to the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A for a reconciliation of all-in sustaining costs per gold ounce. (5) According to the silver purchase agreement between the Company and Silver Wheaton Corp., until August 6, 2014 Primero delivered to Silver Wheaton a per annum amount equal to the first 3.5 million ounces of silver produced at San Dimas and 50% of any excess at $4.12 per ounce (increasing by 1% per year). Thereafter Primero will deliver to Silver Wheaton a per annum amount equal to the first 6.0 million ounces of silver produced at San Dimas and 50% of any excess at $4.20 per ounce (increasing by 1% per year). The Company will receive silver spot prices only after the annual threshold amount has been delivered. (6) Black Fox was subject to a gold purchase agreement which continues and was assumed by the Company upon its acquisition of the mine. According to the gold purchase agreement, Sandstorm is entitled to 8% of production at the Black Fox mine and 6.3% at the Pike River property. About Primero Primero Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based precious metals producer that owns 100% of the San Dimas gold-silver mine and the Cerro del Gallo gold-silver-copper development project in Mexico and 100% of the Black Fox mine and adjoining properties in the Township of Black River Matheson near Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Primero offers immediate exposure to un-hedged, below average cash cost gold production with a substantial resource base in politically stable jurisdictions. The Company is focused on becoming a leading intermediate gold producer by building a portfolio of high quality, low cost precious metals assets in the Americas. Primero's website is www.primeromining.com. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business and operations of Primero Mining Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, "Primero" or the "Company"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "if approved", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "in order to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "are anticipated", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will require", "will allow", "will enhance" or "will include" or similar statements or the negative connotation thereof. Forward-looking information is also identifiable in statements of currently occurring matters which will continue in future, such as "is updating", "is working" or "is also assessing" or other statements that may be stated in the present tense and are not historical facts or words with future implication such as "opportunity", "promising". Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the implementation of enhanced ground support standards at the San Dimas mine; the level and timing of gold equivalent production at San Dimas and Black Fox; the Company's annual production guidance; the realization of silver sales at spot prices; the amount of gold equivalent ounces produced in 2016, the cash costs and all-in sustaining costs for 2016; the capital expenditures in 2016; the Company's intentions and expectations respecting the expansion of San Dimas' production to 3,000 TPD; the Black Fox underground development and ability to open new mining areas in 2016; the ability to develop the Froome zone; the amount of ore from the Company's operations in 2016; the probability of encountering high grade mineralization in, and the exploration potential of, the Company's exploration targets and plans; the ability to generate significant free cash flow while repaying debt and also internally funding future growth; optimization and expansion initiatives; statements regarding the APA and the Company's ability to defend its validity, the Company's ability to pay taxes in Mexico on realized silver prices; the appeal by the SAT of judicial orders or rulings and the Company's ability to successfully reverse any such SAT appeals which are successful; statements regarding the Company's issuance of a Notice of Intent to submit a claim to international arbitration pursuant to NAFTA; and the Company's intentions to become an intermediate gold producer. The assumptions made by the Company in preparing the forward-looking information contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to: the expectations and beliefs of management; the specific assumptions set forth above in this news release; that there are no significant disruptions affecting operations; that development and expansion at San Dimas proceeds on a basis consistent with current expectations and the Company does not change its development and exploration plans; that the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar, Mexican peso and the United States dollar remain consistent with current levels or as set out in this news release; that prices for gold and silver remain consistent with the Company's expectations; that production meets expectations; the amount of silver that the Company will sell at spot prices in 2016; the success in the exploration and development of areas in the Deep Central Zone and the adjacent Froome zone at Black Fox; that the Company identifies higher grade veins in sufficient quantities of minable ore in the Central Block and in Sinaloa Graben; that there are no material variations in the current tax and regulatory environment or the basis for the calculation of the Company's income tax (including as a result of the current challenge to the advance pricing agreement); assumption regarding the discriminatory nature if the actions of the SAT against the Company; assumptions regarding the failure of the Mexican Government to uphold the core values of NAFTA and to protect the Company's Canadian investment in Mexico; that the Company will receive required permits and access to surface rights; that the Company can access financing, appropriate equipment and sufficient labour; that the political environment within Mexico and Canada will continue to support the development of environmentally safe mining projects. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Primero to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including: the Company may not be able to achieve planned production levels; the Company may not be able to expand production at San Dimas as anticipated or generate significant free cash flow; the Company may not be successful in returning the Black Fox mine to higher production levels; the Company may be required to change its development and exploration plans with a negative impact on production; the Company may not discover mineralization in minable quantities; the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar, the Mexican peso and the United States dollar may change with an adverse impact on the Company's financial results; the optimization and expansion initiatives may not provide the benefits anticipated; the Company's ability to obtain full compensation from the Mexican Government; the Company may not be able to become an intermediate gold producer by building a portfolio of high quality, low cost precious metals assets in the Americas. Certain of these factors are discussed in greater detail in Primero's registration statement on Form 40-F on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and its most recent Annual Information Form on file with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. In addition, although Primero has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and accordingly are subject to change after such date. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. Primero does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are included in this document, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING RESULTS (in thousands of United States dollars, except per share and per ounce amounts) SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL DATA Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 2016 2015 2016 2015 Key Performance Data Tonnes of ore milled 454,089 478,410 827,724 926,999 Produced Gold equivalent (ounces) 49,499 62,490 85,657 123,563 Gold (ounces) 44,150 54,862 76,986 109,227 Silver (million ounces) 1.60 2.15 2.52 4.08 Sold Gold equivalent (ounces) 47,787 57,449 91,378 119,100 Gold (ounces) 43,008 52,975 81,789 108,012 Silver (million ounces) 1.43 1.26 2.77 3.16 Average realized prices Gold ($/ounce)1 $ 1,241 $ 1,171 $ 1,201 $ 1,179 Silver($/ounce)1 $ 4.24 $ 4.20 $ 4.24 $ 4.20 Total cash costs (per gold ounce)2 Gold equivalent basis $ 851 $ 654 $ 891 $ 676 By-product basis $ 801 $ 579 $ 852 $ 609 All-in sustaining costs (per gold ounce)2 $ 1,310 $ 1,036 $ 1,415 $ 1,040 Financial Data (in thousands of US dollars except per share amounts) Revenues $ 59,439 $ 67,371 $ 109,983 $ 140,681 Earnings (loss) from mine operations 4,622 11,078 (1,173 ) 22,548 Net income (loss) (19,432 ) (6,744 ) (32,600 ) (3,156 ) Adjusted net income (loss)2 (2,401 ) 1,146 (10,174 ) 2,285 Basic net income (loss) per share (0.12 ) (0.04 ) (0.20 ) (0.02 ) Diluted net income (loss per share) (0.12 ) (0.04 ) (0.20 ) (0.02 ) Adjusted net income (loss) per share2 (0.01 ) 0.01 (0.06 ) 0.01 Operating cash flows before working capital changes 11,205 22,556 2,744 41,336 Operating cash flows before working capital changes per share 0.07 0.14 0.02 0.26 Weighted average shares outstanding (basic)(000's) 166,410 162,343 165,367 162,065 Weighted average shares outstanding(diluted) (000's) 166,410 162,343 165,367 162,065 June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 Assets Mining interests $ 804,851 $ 790,118 Total assets $ 938,482 $ 924,968 Liabilities Long-term liabilities $ 172,796 $ 162,427 Total liabilities $ 281,055 $ 276,092 Equity $ 657,427 $ 648,876 1. Average realized gold and silver prices reflect the impact of the gold purchase agreement with Sandstorm at the Black Fox mine and the silver purchase agreement with Silver Wheaton Caymans at the San Dimas mine (see "Other liquidity considerations" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A). 2. See "NON-GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A SUMMARIZED OPERATING DATA San Dimas Three months ended 30-Jun-16 31-Mar-16 31-Dec-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-15 Key Performance Data Tonnes of ore mined 231,224 151,193 228,539 232,014 263,868 Tonnes of ore milled 224,427 149,182 250,796 228,392 256,235 Tonnes of ore milled per day 2,466 1,639 2,726 2,483 2,816 Average mill head grade (grams/tonne) Gold 4.10 4.13 5.23 4.75 4.60 Silver 231 198 300 272 275 Average gold recovery rate (%) Gold 98 % 99 % 98 % 96 % 96 % Silver 96 % 97 % 96 % 95 % 95 % Produced Gold equivalent (ounces) 34,327 22,901 50,370 49,566 44,128 Gold (ounces) 28,978 19,578 41,371 33,623 36,500 Silver (million ounces) 1.60 0.92 2.32 1.90 2.15 Sold Gold equivalent (ounces) 33,653 29,140 48,466 53,475 38,747 Gold (ounces) 28,873 24,300 40,320 34,471 34,273 Silver at fixed price (million ounces) 1.43 1.35 2.10 2.01 1.26 Silver at spot (million ounces) - - 0.85 - Average realized price (per ounce) Gold $ 1,265 $ 1,178 $ 1,092 $ 1,115 $ 1,187 Silver1 $ 4.24 $ 4.24 $ 4.24 $ 7.42 $ 4.20 Total cash costs (per gold ounce)3 Gold equivalent basis $ 843 $ 998 $ 535 $ 507 $ 608 By product basis $ 765 $ 968 $ 414 $ 219 $ 487 All in sustaining costs (per ounce)2 $ 1,063 $ 1,362 $ 753 $ 454 $ 822 Revenue ($000's) $ 42,578 $ 34,333 $ 52,960 $ 59,660 $ 45,979 Earnings (loss) from mine operations ($000's) $ 4,348 ($6,390 ) $ 11,408 $ 18,179 $ 9,537 1. Average realized silver prices reflect the impact of the silver purchase agreement with Silver Wheaton Caymans (see "Other liquidity considerations" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A). 2. For the purposes of calculating all-in sustaining costs at individual mine sites, the Company does not include corporate general and administrative expenses. See "NON- GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A. 3. See "NON- GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A Black Fox Three months ended 30-Jun-16 31-Mar-16 31-Dec-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-15 Key Performance Data Open pit mining Tonnes of ore mined - - - 201,484 372,319 Strip ratio - - - 4.40 4.02 Average gold grade (grams/tonne) - - - 2.01 2.02 Underground mining Tonnes of ore mined 57,898 38,501 57,041 36,005 36,265 Average gold grade (grams/tonne) 4.46 4.99 5.80 3.99 4.00 Tonnes increase (decrease) in stockpile (171,764 ) (185,952 ) (172,188 ) 3,979 186,409 Tonnes processed Tonnes of ore milled 229,662 224,453 229,229 233,510 222,175 Tonnes of ore milled per day 2,524 2,467 2,492 2,538 2,441 Average mill head grade (grams/tonne) 2.14 1.94 2.51 2.66 2.65 Average gold recovery rate (%) 96 % 95 % 96 % 96 % 97 % Produced Gold (ounces) 15,172 13,257 17,785 19,054 18,362 Sold Gold at spot price (ounces) 12,996 13,146 16,434 16,302 17,324 Gold at fixed price (ounces) 1,138 1,336 1,015 1,640 1,378 Average realized gold price (per ounce)1 $ 1,192 $ 1,118 $ 1,059 $ 1,089 $ 1,143 Total cash costs (per gold ounce)2 $ 870 $ 851 $ 834 $ 780 $ 762 All-in sustaining costs (per ounce)3 $ 1,362 $ 1,404 $ 1,104 $ 1,000 $ 1,071 Revenue ($000's) $ 16,861 $ 16,211 $ 18,444 $ 19,559 $ 21,392 Earnings (loss) from mine operations (000's) $ 328 $ 658 ($1,075 ) ($354 ) $ 1,205 1. Average realized gold prices reflect the impact of the gold purchase agreement with Sandstorm (see "Other liquidity considerations" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A). 2. See "NON-GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A 3. For the purposes of calculating all-in sustaining costs at individual mine sites, the Company does not include corporate general and administrative expenses. See "NON- GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A Primero Mining Corp. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015 (In thousands of United States dollars, except for share and per share amounts) (Unaudited) Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenue $ 59,439 $ 67,371 $ 109,983 $ 140,681 Operating expenses (39,042 ) (36,412 ) (79,324 ) (79,179 ) Depreciation and depletion (15,775 ) (19,881 ) (31,832 ) (38,954 ) Total cost of sales (54,817 ) (56,293 ) (111,156 ) (118,133 ) Earnings (loss) from mine operations 4,622 11,078 (1,173 ) 22,548 Exploration expenses (612 ) (739 ) (946 ) (860 ) General and administrative expenses (7,647 ) (7,151 ) (13,179 ) (15,164 ) Earnings (loss) from operations (3,637 ) 3,188 (15,298 ) 6,524 Transaction costs and other expenses (828 ) - (1,214 ) (3,906 ) Finance expense (1,881 ) (1,933 ) (5,140 ) (4,803 ) Mark-to-market gain (loss) on debentures & warrants (2,278 ) (3,705 ) (2,653 ) 4,500 Other income (expenses) 294 (213 ) (352 ) 3,092 Earnings (loss) before income taxes (8,330 ) (2,663 ) (24,657 ) 5,407 Income tax expense (11,102 ) (4,081 ) (7,943 ) (8,563 ) Net loss for the period ($19,432 ) ($6,744 ) ($32,600 ) ($3,156 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax Items that may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss: Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations, net of tax of $nil 10 (219 ) 10 (733 ) Unrealized gain on investment in Fortune Bay, net of tax of $nil 138 60 223 60 Reclassification of unrealized loss on investment in Fortune Bay to impairment, net of tax of $nil - - - 456 Total comprehensive loss for the period ($19,284 ) ($6,903 ) ($32,367 ) ($3,373 ) Basic loss per share ($0.12 ) ($0.04 ) ($0.20 ) ($0.02 ) Diluted loss per share ($0.12 ) ($0.04 ) ($0.20 ) ($0.02 ) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding Basic 166,410,400 162,343,034 165,366,684 162,064,569 Diluted 166,410,400 162,343,034 165,366,684 162,064,569 Primero Mining Corp. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (In thousands of United States dollars) (Unaudited) June 30 December 31 2016 2015 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 54,476 $ 45,601 Trade and other receivables 98 1,793 Taxes receivable 34,287 30,689 Prepaid expenses 4,656 8,524 Inventories 30,096 31,964 Total current assets 123,613 118,571 Non-current assets Restricted cash 4,758 5,920 Mining interests 804,851 790,118 Deferred tax asset 4,512 3,781 Long-term stockpile - 5,694 Other non-current assets 748 884 Total assets $ 938,482 $ 924,968 Liabilities Current liabilities Trade and other payables $ 44,752 $ 44,972 Income tax payable 371 12,870 Other taxes payable 5,420 3,406 Warrant liability 5,079 - Current portion of long-term debt 52,637 52,417 Total current liabilities 108,259 113,665 Non-current liabilities Other taxes payable 13,767 13,354 Deferred tax liability 59,353 53,107 Decommissioning liability 31,033 28,294 Long-term debt 64,338 62,727 Other long-term liabilities 4,305 4,945 Total liabilities $ 281,055 $ 276,092 Shareholders' equity Share capital $ 904,939 $ 867,375 Shares reserved for future issuance 2,158 - Contributed surplus 56,180 54,984 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (4,417 ) (4,650 ) Deficit (301,433 ) (268,833 ) Total shareholders' equity $ 657,427 $ 648,876 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 938,482 $ 924,968 Primero Mining Corp. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015 (In thousands of United States dollars) (Unaudited) Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 2016 2015 2016 2015 Operating activities Earnings (loss) before income taxes ($8,330 ) ($2,663 ) ($24,657 ) $ 5,407 Adjustments for: Depreciation and depletion 15,775 19,881 31,832 38,954 Share-based compensation expense 2,226 2,448 4,083 5,075 Payments made under the Phantom Share Unit Plan (7 ) (2,104 ) (286 ) (3,617 ) Mark-to-market loss (gain) on convertible Mark-to-market loss (gain) on convertible debentures 1,875 3,705 2,250 (4,500 ) Mark-to-market loss on warrant liability 403 - 403 - Write-down of inventory - - 505 - Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain) 1,511 (348 ) 2,862 (1,518 ) Taxes paid (4,530 ) - (20,305 ) (5,847 ) Other 190 (278 ) 729 (994 ) Other adjustments Transaction costs (disclosed in financing activities) 232 12 232 3,651 Finance income (disclosed in investing activities) (21 ) (30 ) (44 ) (78 ) Finance expense 1,881 1,933 5,140 4,803 Operating cash flow before working capital changes 11,205 22,556 2,744 41,336 Changes in non-cash working capital 5,041 (20,421 ) 10,519 (25,922 ) Cash provided by operating activities $ 16,246 $ 2,135 $ 13,263 $ 15,414 Investing activities Expenditures on mining interests ($21,082 ) ($19,854 ) ($38,837 ) ($39,761 ) Interest received 21 30 44 78 Cash used in investing activities ($21,061 ) ($19,824 ) ($38,793 ) ($39,683 ) Financing activities Proceeds from bought deal offering $ 39,958 $ - $ 39,958 $ - Transaction costs on bought deal offering (2,464 ) - (2,464 ) - Drawdown on revolving credit facility - - 50,000 - Repayment of convertible debenture - - (48,116 ) - Repayment of revolving credit facility - - - (40,000 ) Payments on capital leases (782 ) (1,432 ) (2,002 ) (3,299 ) Funds released from reclamation bond 1,564 1,302 1,564 9,846 Interest paid (474 ) (105 ) (4,474 ) (3,076 ) Proceeds from exercise of options - - - 826 Issuance of convertible debt - - - 75,000 Transaction costs on issuance of convertible debt - (12 ) - (3,651 ) Cash provided by financing activites $ 37,802 ($247 ) $ 34,466 $ 35,646 Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash ($578 ) $ 147 ($61 ) $ 1,064 Increase (decrease) in cash $ 32,409 ($17,789 ) $ 8,875 $ 12,441 Cash, beginning of period 22,067 57,619 45,601 27,389 Cash, end of period $ 54,476 $ 39,830 $ 54,476 $ 39,830 Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/4/11G109304/Images/Figure_1-2b61620c0e55af47bb04903f2c6e6421.jpg Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/4/11G109304/Q2_Financial_Results-925e9ce055b9bd26bd5ac111b5f9fb3a.pdf Increases Chilean Lithium Projects Area to Over 50,000 Hectares VANCOUVER, Aug. 4, 2016 /CNW/ - Wealth Minerals Ltd. (the "Company" or "Wealth") - (TSXV: WML; OTCQB: WMLLF; SSE: WMLCL; Frankfurt: EJZ), announces that it has executed a Letter of Intent (the "LOI") dated August 2, 2016 to enter into an option agreement giving it the right to acquire a 100% royalty-free interest in 144 exploration concessions (the "Concessions") referred to as the "Proyecto Atacama Lithium" and located in the Atacama Salar in Region II of Antofagasta, northern Chile. Henk Van Alphen, Wealth's CEO, commented "The Atacama Salar is a premier lithium asset, which accounts for about a third of annual global lithium production. Chile is a great mining jurisdiction and we are delighted to be a part of that country's burgeoning lithium industry. Wealth's position in Atacama will firmly place the Company in an exclusive peer group and the team looks forward to exciting times as we advance the Atacama and Trinity Projects." Atacama Salar Details The Atacama Salar is the World's highest grade and largest producing lithium brine deposit, and currently produces approximately one third of global lithium output from two production facilities operated by Sociedad Quimica y Minera ("SQM") and Rockwood Lithium. Atacama possesses a very high grade of both lithium (1,840mg/l) and potassium (22,630mg/l), has a high rate of evaporation (3,200 mm per year) and extremely low annual rainfall (15mm average per year). These characteristics make Atacama's finished lithium carbonate easier and cheaper to produce than its peer group globally (Table 1). A key factor in lithium production costs is evaporation time and Atacama Salar's evaporation rate is the highest in the lithium industry. It is adjacent to International Highway 23, which connects northern Chile and Argentina. The Concessions (Figure 1) cover an area of approximately 46,200 hectares located in the northern portion of the Salar de Atacama and are contiguous with concessions owned by BHP Billiton, SQM, and CORFO (the Chilean Economic Development Agency). Both SQM and Rockwood have large-scale production facilities in the salar, located on the ground held by CORFO, which collectively produce over 62,000 tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent annually and account for 100% of Chile's current lithium output. Table 1: Comparison of Certain Characteristics of Selected Major Salars Salar de Atacama1 Salar de Maricunga2 Salar de Olaroz2 Salar de Hombre Muerto2 Salar de Cauchari3 Country Chile Chile Argentina Argentina Argentina Lithium (mg/l) 1,840 1,250 690 740 590 Potassium (mg/l) 22,630 8,970 5,730 7,400 4,850 Magnesium (mg/l) 11,740 8,280 1,660 1,020 1,420 Mg/Li 6.40 6.63 2.40 1.40 2.43 K/Li 12.33 7.18 8.30 9.95 8.30 K/Mg 1.93 1.08 3.46 7.26 3.58 (1) NI 43-101 report prepared for Orocobre Ltd., May 31, 2011 (2) NI 43-101 amended report prepared for Li3 Energy Inc., May 23, 2012 (3) NI 43-101 report prepared for Lithium Americas Corp., July 11, 2012 The Concessions are in the process of being constituted and have preferential rights over the area that they cover. Once constituted, they will be valid for 2 years, and may be extended for an additional two years upon relinquishment of 50% of the area. Together with Wealth's Trinity Project, the Company now holds exclusive rights to acquire more than 50,000 hectares of lithium brine properties in northern Chile (Figure 2). Acquisition Terms - Atacama Under the LOI, subject to the completion of certain conditions precedent, including TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, Wealth would be granted the exclusive option to acquire a 100% royalty-free interest in the Concessions from the arm's length vendor (a private Chilean company) ("Vendor") by making the following payments, and issuing the following fully paid and non-assessable common shares, to the Vendor: Date Cash Payment Share Issuance Upon Signing Formal Option Agreement USD 3,000,000 2,000,000 WML shares Eight (8) months after signing USD 3,000,000 4,000,000 WML shares Sixteen (16) months after signing USD 3,000,000 4,000,000 WML shares Twenty-eight (28) months after signing USD 5,000,000 5,000,000 WML shares Subject to satisfactory due diligence by Wealth, which is to be completed within 90 days, Wealth's Chilean subsidiary and the Vendor will execute a formal Option Agreement. There will be no work commitments under the Option Agreement, but Wealth Chile is responsible for completing the process of constituting the Concessions and thereafter maintaining them in good standing during the term of the option. While there is lithium production from the Atacama Salar, the Concessions have had only very limited exploration work completed. Exploration will be required so that any potential resources can be identified and fully evaluated and quantified. Accordingly, the initial program to be carried out by the Company at the Concessions will consist of a program of prospecting and sampling to determine the existence, nature, extent and distribution of lithium on the Concessions. Qualified Person Keith J. Henderson, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Henderson is a consultant to Wealth, but does hold common shares and incentive stock options in the Company. About Wealth Minerals Ltd. Wealth is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile. The Company's main focus is the acquisition of lithium projects in South America. To date the company has positioned itself to develop the Aguas Caliente Norte, Pujsa and Quisquiro Salars in Chile, as well as to work with existing producers in the prolific Atacama Salar. The Company continues to aggressively pursue new acquisitions in the region. Lithium market dynamics and a rapidly increasing metal price are the result of profound structural issues with the industry meeting anticipated future demand. Wealth is positioning itself to be a major beneficiary of this future mismatch of supply and demand. The Company also maintains and continues to evaluate a portfolio of precious and base metal exploration-stage projects. For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site (www.wealthminerals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of WEALTH MINERALS LTD. "Tim McCutcheon" Tim McCutcheon President 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 press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, including lithium properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the proposed execution of a formal agreement for the option to acquire an interest in the Concessions and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. Caution Regarding Adjacent or Similar Mineral Properties This news release contains information with respect to adjacent or similar mineral properties in the Salar de Atacama in respect of which the Company has no interest or rights to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in any such properties, and that mineral deposits, and the results of any mining thereof, on adjacent or similar properties, including within the same salar, are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties or any potential exploitation thereof. SOURCE Wealth Minerals Ltd. Vancouver, BC, Canada / TheNewswire / August 4, 2016 - Pacific North West Capital Corp. ("PFN", the "Company") (TSXV: PFN; OTCQB: PAWEF; FSE: P7J; announces that it has signed an agreement with Mustang Minerals Corp. (TSXV: MUM) to acquire 100% interest in 6, Strategic, Mineralized Claims, of Mustang's River Valley Platinum Group Metal (PGM) property, near Sudbury, Ontario (Figure 1). The River Valley PGM Extension Claims are adjacent to, and south of, PFN's current River Valley PGM Project mining leases. The acquisition increases the size of PFN's project footprint to more than 64 km2 (16,000 acres), mainly on the highly PGM mineralized River Valley Intrusion. The six acquired claims overlay a 4 km long PGM mineralized trend, which is the southward continuation of the River Valley PGM Deposit, on PFN's mining leases to the north. With the acquisition, the total strike length of the River Valley PGM Deposit increases to 16 km, on PFN's property. Mustang's work on the property included Mapping, Prospecting, Geophysical Surveys and Diamond Drilling. Surface grab samples returned assays of up to 10 g/t PGM. A total of 57 diamond holes were drilled, for more than 16,000m. Highlights of the drilling include: 1.42 g/t PGM over 9.0m in hole MR02-59, 4.0 g/t PGM over 2.1m in hole MR02-62, and 2.2 g/t PGM over 4.5m in hole MR02-64. The Main Mineralized Zone remains open at depth. Ground Geophysical Survey Results and Structural Geology Interpretation of the property, reveal Priority Exploration Targets, in under-explored areas, which resemble the high-grade T2 Discovery and other similar targets on the adjacent PFN mining leases (Figures 2 & 3) (see PFN press release dated March 11, 2015). -PFN's property acquisition increases strike length of mineralization from 12 km to 16 km -Mineralized drill core, surface grab samples and historic showings -Surface grab samples grading up to 10 g/t Platinum Group Metals (PGM) -Drill core samples grading up to 2.2 g/t PGM over 4.5m from 60.5m downhole -PFN's property position at River Valley increased to a total of 64 km2 or 16,000 acres -Summer Surface Exploration Program underway to guide planned Fall Drill Program -PFN's River Valley Project is Canada's Largest Undeveloped Primary Platinum Group Metal Project, with 2.5 Moz PGM, in near-surface Measured and Indicated Resources, within 100 km of Sudbury -Excellent Infrastructure Support, with Year-Round Road Access and nearby Rail, Power and Communities and 100 km from Sudbury Metallurgical Complex -New 100% owned Lithium Division, with Pegmatite Projects in Manitoba and Brine Projects in Nevada and Summer/Fall Exploration Programs In Progress The recently announced Surface Exploration Program for PFN's River Valley PGM Project (see PFN press release dated June 15th, 2016), will be expanded to cover the newly acquired claims from Mustang Minerals Corp. The six claims were acquired from Mustang Minerals Corp., for $50,000 cash and shares of PFN. The shares are subject to a regulatory hold of 4 months and 1 day, and TSX Venture Exchange approval of the Transaction. Mustang Minerals Corp. retains a 1% Net Smelter Return (NSR) on any production from the six claims. The NSR can be purchased by PFN at any time for $500,000. The six claims were acquired from Mustang Minerals Corp. for $50,000 cash and shares of PFN. Figure 1: Geological map showing the location of the PGM exploration property acquired from Mustang Minerals Corp. The acquired property is south and adjacent to PFN's Mining Leases, covering the River Valley PGM Project. The acquisition increases the strike length of the PGM deposit, to 16 km, 64 km2, or 16,000 acres, on PFN property. Figure 2: River Valley location (inset) and Property Geology Maps, showing the position of the Target T2 Discovery, at the north end of the PGM Deposit, between the Dana North Zone to the east and the Pardo Zone to the north. Note location of the Spade Zone, discovered in 2012 but never followed up. Click Image To View Full Size Figure 3: Map showing location of three T2-like Drill Targets, at the north end of the River Valley PGM Deposit, on PFN's Mining Leases. About PFN's Platinum Group Metals Division River Valley is Canada's Largest Undeveloped Primary PGM Deposit. Achievements to date and Future Plans for River Valley are outlined below as follows: 1.PFN currently has 100% ownership in the River Valley Project, subject to a 3% NSR, with Options to Buy Down 2.Completed Exploration and Development Programs, on the River Valley Property: Include more than 600 holes drilled, since year 2000, and several Mineral Resource Estimates and Metallurgical Studies; 3.Results for the current (2012) Mineral Resource Estimate are below; 4.2015 Drill Program confirms New High Grade T2 Discovery 5.Exploration and Development Plans outlined for 2016 6.Ongoing Strategic Partner Search for River Valley Project 7.Results for the most recent Mineral Resource Estimate are summarized below: - Prepared by Tetra Tech (Wardrop) - High Confidence: Measured plus Indicated = 72% of total - Reported on PdEq basis: Pd=40% & Pt=20% of the payable metals - Pd to Pt ratio = 2.5:1; Cu to Ni ratio = 3:1 - High Grade Potential: particularly in the north part of River Valley Deposit Click Image To View Full Size - Resources under Evaluation for Development Potential, as Open Pit Mining Operation Click Image To View Full Size 8.Results for the 2015 Discovery Drill Program on the T2 Target are as follows: -Drill hole intercepts much higher than the average grade, of current Mineral Resource Estimate -Possible New Mineralized Zone at the north end of the River Valley Deposit -Show potential to take the River Valley PGM Project in a New Direction -More drilling required Click Image To View Full Size 9. Exploration and Development Plans for 2016 -Mineral Prospecting and Geological Mapping on surface: In Progress -Drill Programs targeted to add more higher grade: Drilling Slated for Fall 2016 -Geological Interpretation and 2D/3D Modelling of all Drill and Surface Results -Ongoing Strategic Partner Search for River Valley About PFN's Lithium Division The company's Lithium Division will focus on the Discovery, Acquisition, Exploration and Development of Lithium Projects in Canada. In the United States, the company will use its wholly owned U.S.A subsidiary to Acquire and Develop Projects, in Active Mining Camps, in Nevada, Arizona and California. Management believes that these New Age Metals, Lithium, PGMs and Rare Earths, have robust macro trends with surging demands and limited supply. Going forward, this New Division will Explore for the Minerals needed to fuel the demand for Energy Storage and other core 21st Century Technologies. The company has a growing portfolio of Lithium Projects: The Clayton Valley Forks Li Project, in Nevada, is a recent Lithium Brine Project acquired by the company (see PFN News Releases: April 25th, 2016 and May 9th, 2016). The company also has several Hard Rock Lithium Projects in Canada: To date the company has Acquired 4 Hard Rock Lithium Projects, in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field, in southeast Manitoba (see PFN News Releases: April 21st 2016, May24th, 2016, June 15th, 2016 and July 5th, 2016). This Pegmatite Field hosts the giant Tanco Pegmatite that has been mined for Tantalum, Cesium and Spodumene (one of the primary Lithium ore minerals) in varying capacities, since 1969. Today, the Tanco Mine is focused on the Mining and Production of Cesium Formate, a completion fluid for the petroleum industry. PFN's Li Projects are strategically situated to further Explore this Pegmatite Field. Presently, the company is the Largest Claim Holder in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field. Lithium and Platinum Group Metal prices have improved drastically in recent months. Lithium supplies remain in deficit relative to their demand. Both Metals Groups are used for the expanding worldwide automobile industry (conventional and electric). In the case of PGMs, demand is increasing for Autocatalysts, a key component for reducing toxic emissions, for automotive, gasoline and diesel engines. Regarding to Lithium, there is an ever increasing demand for batteries in cellphones, laptops, electric cars, solar storage, wireless charging and renewable energy products. QUALIFIED PERSON The contents contained herein that relates to Exploration Results or Mineral Resources, is based on information compiled, reviewed or prepared by Dr. Bill Stone, Principal Consulting Geoscientist for Pacific North West Capital. Dr. Stone is the Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content. On behalf of the Board of Directors " Harry Barr " Harry Barr Chairman and CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements. This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results and are based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company uses words such as "continue", "efforts", "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "confident", "intend", "strategy", "plan", "will", "estimate", "project", "goal", "target", "prospects", "optimistic" or similar expressions. These statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors, including, among others, the Company's ability and continuation of efforts to timely and completely make available adequate current public information, additional or different regulatory and legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed, and other factors as may be discussed in the documents filed by the Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), including the most recent reports that identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts' expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Toronto, Canada / TheNewswire / August 4, 2016 - Savary Gold Corp. (TSX-V: SCA) ("Savary" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional historical drill results and provide an exploration update for its Karankasso JV Project in south western Burkina Faso. At year end 2015, the Karankasso JV Project was approximately 66.3% owned by Savary and 33.7% owned by Sarama Resources Ltd. ("Sarama"). Prior to Savary acquiring control and management responsibilities for the Karankasso Project, Shield Resources SARL/Delta Gold Ltd. of Australia and Sarama carried out exploration programs including RAB (Rotary Air Blast) and RC (reverse circulation) drilling over the Serakoro 1 concession. This work has returned a series of significant drill intersections and recent mapping, geophysical surveys and compilation, have provided additional context. A summary of select results are presented below (see Figure 1 for locations). -1.70 g/t gold over 3 metres - Serakoro 1 Main E1 Lens- RAB -1.48 g/t gold over 5 metres - Serakoro 1 Main E1 Lens - RC -10.10 g/t gold over 1 metre - Serakoro 1 Main E3 Lens - RAB -1.40 g/t gold over 7 metres - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - RAB -2.66 g/t gold over 10 meters - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - RC -0.70 g/t gold over 15 metres - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - RAB -4.37 g/t gold over 4 metres - Serakoro 1 Main E2 Lens - RC -0.75 g/t gold over 14 metres - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - RC -0.60 g/t gold over 55 metres - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - RAB -0.70 g/t gold over 18 metres - Serakoro 1 Main E1 Lens - RAB -2.40 g/t gold over 4 metres - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - RAB -5.40 g/t Au over 5 metres - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - RAB -2.80 g/t gold over 12 metres - Serakoro 1 West Trend - AC -9.53 g/t gold over 2 metres - Serakoro 1 West Trend - AC -2.49 g/t gold over 6 metres - Serakoro 1 Main Trend - AC * Both RC and AC drilling were subjected to QAQC programs for data quality. However, it is not known if the RAB drilling carried out by Shield Resources SARL have been subjected to a QAQC program Don Dudek, President and CEO of Savary states "The goal of this news release is to further emphasize the prospectivity of the Karankasso Project while highlighting the opportunities for new discoveries along the southern continuation of the mineralized trends. Work on the southern extension of the prospective rocks has returned significant gold-bearing intercepts that have seen little to no follow-up. Management believes these new opportunities, coupled with zones with existing resources and new discoveries from Q2, 2016, represent one of the better gold exploration plays in West Africa to work with. Our desire is to hit this project hard with an aggressive combined drill, geophysical, geochemical and geological program. " The drill results presented in this release are derived from work that Shield Resources SARL ("Shield") /Delta Gold Ltd. "Delta Gold" carried out over the area in 1999 and 2000 and more recent work completed by Sarama in 2012 and 2013. Both Shield/Delta Gold and Sarama completed exploration programs over the Serakoro 1 Main area with Sarama not aware of the Shield/Delta Gold exploration results when they carried out their subsequent program. This historic work, combined with recent geological mapping in early 2016 and data compilation, indicates that there are at least five mineralized trends that can be traced with the longest traceable for approximately 7 kilometres in the Serakoro 1 Main area. Drill, RAB and RC fences, vary from 200 metres to 2,000 metres apart. Most of the presented drill holes are less than 100 metres long with most intercepts within 50 metres of surface. True widths of the mineralized intercepts are unknown due to a lack of information however a reasonable rule of thumb is that the true width is 70% of the length of the drill intercept. The Serakoro 1 Main area lies along a 45 kilometre long gold in soil trend that is bracketed by the thick red dashed lines in Figure 1. Figure 1 also presents the location of known gold zones in the northern part of the image along with the strong geophysical IP gradient chargeability trend that links the gold-bearing zones along with the extension of the trend to the south onto the Serakoro 1 concession. From this image, it appears that the Serakoro 1 Main area lies along the likely southern continuation of the structures that host the Diosso South and Kueredougou West Trend Zones at the northern part of the image. Within this area, there is an 11.5 kilometre gap in the drilling between the furthest south hole on the Diosso South Zone and the northern-most holes in the Serakoro 1 Main area. This drill and exploration gap exists due to the combination of extensive laterite cover and local alluvium cover that masks the surface expressions of the gold-bearing structures. A second major, at least 29 kilometre long gold-in-soil anomalous bearing trend, lies along the western portion of the property and hosts the Karangosso, NWQV and Serakoro 1 West Zones. This Au-in-soil trend is up to 1.2 km wide, lies along the western margin of the Hounde Belt and is dominantly hosted by felsic intrusions that intruded into the volcanic and sedimentary rocks along the belt margin. Exploration carried out by Sarama has intersected significant gold mineralization in several AC holes with the best, newly presented Au intercept along the southern extension of this trend, being 2.80 g/t gold over 12 metres. These significant drill intercepts require follow-up, however, much of this western trend is covered by laterite which makes follow up along this trend more challenging. A potential next step work program could include the following: --follow-up RC drill testing of the existing and new zones; --extending the IP geophysical grids between the Karangosso and NWQV Zones and south along the two mineralized corridors to cover the mineralized intercepts presented in this release; --an augur drill program over the inferred mineralized structures in areas of laterite and alluvial cover to better define drill targets; and --testing the better anomalous gold-bearing areas associated with the geophysical anomalies with RC drill holes. An exploration plan is being developed and is expected to be presented to the Board of the Karankasso JV in September. Assuming that the recommended work program is approved, an exploration program, including RC drilling, could commence in the latter half of Q4, 2016. QA/QC information Shield Resources SARL QA/QC Shield Resources SARL, completed the RAB drilling over the Serakoro 1 Main trend. At the time of writing no QA/QC data or sampling procedures were available. Delta Gold QAQC work (from rapport d'activities de recherche geologique et miniere sur le Permis RP95-056 'Serakoro', July 1999 - 2000 by Dr Peter Turner) The RC samples were split (75:25) and each sample composited into a 2metre samples for submission to SGS' Tarkwa laboratory in Ghana. Each composite was assigned a sequential number and a 4kg reference sample of each one metre sample was stored for future use. A total of 742 drill samples, including 31 blanks and 31 standards were submitted for gold and arsenic analysis. One in every twenty samples submitted was a blank sample (Tertiary sandstone samples from Bobo Dioulasso) to test the laboratories accuracy at a low detections. At the same time, one in twenty samples submitted was a standard sample (Gannet) that contained a low, medium and high concentration of gold (0.1, 1.07 and 5 ppm Au) to test the laboratory's calibration of the atomic absorption spectrometer at low, medium and high gold concentrations. All samples were submitted for pulverising and a 50g sample selected for fire assay with an AAS finish. The analytical results from 37 standards gives the recommended values. It can be seen that the fire assay method is relatively accurate for gold values of between 1 and 5 ppm Au but that there is extreme variation at low detection limits. Overall, analysis of the quality control data indicates the analytical accuracy, precision, and repeatability were within acceptable limits for this stage of exploration. Sarama QAQC Statement (Sarama August 13, 2012 news release for Serakoro 1 Concession) Sarama undertakes geological sampling and assaying in accordance with its QA/QC program which includes the use of certified reference materials and duplicates. Gold assay work was undertaken by SGS S.A. ("SGS") laboratories in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Morilia, Mali. Assays are determined by the fire assay method using a 50 gram charge, lead collection and an AAS finish with a 0.01 g/t Au lower detection limit. Click Image To View Full Size Figure 1 Karankasso JV Project - Highlights from the northern portion of the Serakoro 1 Concession About Savary Gold Savary Gold is a Canadian exploration company which, along with partner Sarama Resources Ltd., is focused on exploring and developing the Karankasso Gold Project in Burkina Faso. The Project properties lie within the Birimian age, Hounde Greenstone Belt, which hosts Semafo's Mana mine, Roxgold's Yaramoko MIne and additional gold deposits that are presently subject to production decisions and extensive exploration efforts (including Endeavour Mining's Hounde Project, Orezone's (acquired by Sarama) Bondi Project and Sarama's/Acacia's South Hounde Project, which is adjacent to Savary Gold's property). The Project contains an Inferred open pit constrained mineral resource estimate of 9.16 million tonnes grading 2.28 g/t gold (Savary news release November 24, 2015). For additional information please visit our website at www.savarygold.com. Don Dudek, P.Geo., President and CEO of the Company and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. SAVARY GOLD CORP. On behalf of the Board "Don Dudek" President & Chief Executive Officer For more information, please contact: Don Dudek, President and CEO T: 647-259-2097 E: info@savarygold.com; www.savarygold.com Cautionary Notes 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. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the details of the potential value growth of the JV, the upside of the property, the drill program, the company's exploration plans and the timing of results, the focus on existing drill targets and new targets. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Turnkey Gold Processing Plant Arrives In New Brunswick TSXV: SXL OTCBB: SLMF MIRAMICHI, NB, Aug 4, 2016 /CNW/ - SLAM Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: SXL) (the "Company") is pleased to report site excavation is underway in preparation for extraction and processing of gold from the high grade Maisie deposit on its wholly-owned Menneval claims in New Brunswick. The Company has taken delivery of a plant comprised of a hammermill, classifier and two shaker tables. A similar plant was used to test a 42 kg sample from the Maisie deposit as described in a news release published by SLAM on March 7, 2016. A video of the test plant in operation is posted on SLAM's website www.slamexploration.com The Company has been granted a License of Occupation that authorizes SLAM to extract and process samples from this high grade gold deposit over a two year period. The removal and processing of a 2,000 tonne bulk sample has been approved by the New Brunswick Department of Environment and the Department of Energy and Mines. No drilling or blasting is required and no chemicals will be used in the process. The purpose is to develop environmentally and commercially sustainable techniques to extract gold, provide an estimate of the grade of the Maisie deposit and demonstrate the potential for longer term mining operations. The Company proposes to extract the bulk sample from known shoots of high grade mineralization at surface using an excavator. SLAM previously announced channel samples ranging from 5.17 g/t gold over 1.0m up to 49.5 g/t gold over 0.45m that were cut during a 2013 trenching program. The initial discovery trench produced a bonanza grade chip sample grading 1100 g/t gold over 1.1 m in 2012. Previous diamond drilling results from 64 holes by SLAM indicate that the high grade Maisie gold shoots extend to a depth of at least 30 m. About The Menneval Project: SLAM holds 100% interest in 12 contiguous claims that cover 5,000 hectares acquired by map-staking near Menneval in northwest New Brunswick. The property hosts a number of recent gold discoveries including the Maisie deposit and Zone 9. Click on the SLAM website at http://www.slamexploration.com for more detailed information. About SLAM Exploration Ltd: SLAM is a project generating resource company with a portfolio of gold, lithium and base metal projects in eastern Canada. The Meneval gold project resulted from the discovery of the Maisie gold deposit by SLAM's advance scouting team in 2012. Other gold project isnclude the Reserve Creek and Miminiska gold projects in Ontario. SLAM recently staked the Cumberland lithium project in southeastern New Brunswick and holds an NSR royalty on the Superjack and Nash zinc-lead-copper-silver deposits. Additional information about SLAM and its projects is available at www.slamexploration.com or from SEDAR filings at www.sedar.com. Follow us on twitter @SLAMGold. Qualifying Statements: Mike Taylor, P.Geo. President and CEO of SLAM Exploration Ltd., as the Qualified Person, approves the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release. Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements that address the Private Placement, the closing of the Private Placement, future production, reserve potential, exploration and development activities and events or developments that the Company expects. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Company. There are a number of risk factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those described herein. Information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE SLAM Exploration Ltd. TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 4, 2016) - Arena Minerals Inc., (TSX VENTURE:AN) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced transaction with Rouge Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:ROU) ("Rouge") for the disposition of the Pampas el Penon gold project in Chile (see press release dated June 15, 2016). Arena's interest consisted of two option agreements (the "Option Agreements") with Sociedad Quimica Y Minera de Chile S.A. ("SQM"). In exchange for transferring its interest in the Option Agreements to Rouge, Arena has received consideration of 9,550,000 common shares of Rouge. "We are very pleased to have closed the transaction with Rouge. The disposition of Arena's interest in Pampas el Penon is consistent with Arena's prospector generator model of leveraging partners' capital to advance projects while still generating economic benefit for Arena shareholders. We are pleased with the support Rouge has received in the market for the transaction. Rouge will have the funding necessary to fully complete the Pampas El Penon option. Arena shareholders will retain exposure to this project with enhanced liquidity prospects through Arena's shareholdings in Rouge. We look forward to Tim Warman and his team moving the project forward," said William Randall, President and CEO of Arena. The Pampas El Penon property consists of 13 mining claims totaling 3,400 hectares located approximately 130 kilometres southeast of Antofagasta, Chile. The property consists of two separate blocks, lying immediately to the west and north of Yamana Gold's Pampa Augusta Victoria mine complex that forms part of El Penon mine complex. Over $1,000,000 has been spent on the Pampas el Penon property by Arena and SQM, with most of the work completed consisting of mapping, sampling, trenching and limited near-surface drilling designed to define the location of epithermal gold-silver veins with characteristics similar to those in the neighbouring Pampa Augusta Victoria complex. 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. 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, 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 $40 million in exploration expenditures, amongst certain other commitments. The Company also holds common shares in each of Rouge Resources Ltd. and B2Gold Corp. To view the website, please visit 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 disposition and sale of the Pampas el Penon project; the closing of the transaction with Rouge; future development of any of the Company's properties; the prospectivity of, and planned work programs on, such properties; the ability to enter into any additional joint venture partnership agreements as proposed, or at all, the ability of any potential partner 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, the development of and the anticipated timing with respect to the Atacama project and the El Penon project. 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. TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 4, 2016) - THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. NEWS AGENCIES Century Global Commodities Corp. ("Century" or the "Company") (TSX:CNT) is pleased to announce that it has filed its condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2016 and the related management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A"). Copies of these documents may be obtained under Century's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and will be posted on Century's website at www.centuryglobal.ca. The Company reported substantial working capital of $34.1 million, comprised of cash, bank deposits and marketable securities of $24.0 million and a net receivable of $9.1 million as at June 30, 2016, not tied to any funding commitment for the iron ore project development. In addition, Labec Century Iron Ore Inc., a joint venture between the Company and WISCO International Resources Development & Investment Limited ("WISCO"), has a cash balance of $13.7 million at the quarter end which will provide the financial resources for the Company to deliver on its iron ore strategy when the market recovers. As mining and resource development still form a fundamental part of the Company's overall strategy, our ventures into technical and financial services and quality food services are progressing as planned and are expected to create long-term value for our shareholders. Century also announced that Mr. Jinfa Xiao has resigned from its Board of Directors. Mr. Xiao has been a valuable member of Century's Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Caifa Xu as a Director of the Company to replace Mr. Xiao on the Board. Mr. Xu currently serves as the Resources Development Department Head of WISCO Resources Corporation in charge of domestic and overseas iron ore projects development. He is a senior mechanics engineer, holding a Master's degree in engineering. He has been working for WISCO for 25 years and has extensive experiences in engineering, marketing, logistics and general management. He also has experience working in multi-cultural environments as he had worked in Germany CDG for more than 3 years. Sandy Chim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Century commented: "We thank Mr. Xiao for his service on the Board and wish him well in his future endeavours. We welcome Mr. Xu to the Board of Directors. Through our joint venture projects with WISCO, we have already established a good relationship with Mr. Xu, and we have learned to value his guidance and expertise. We look forward to working even more closely with him as a Director of the Company." Century also announced that a total of 3,750,000 stock options had been granted to directors, senior management and consultants of the Company. The bulk of the options (2,400,000) were granted to optionees who have been working with Century since 2011 or earlier, all of whom previously held options of the Company. Those options expired unexercised in May of 2016, the exercise price of the options having remained higher than the market price for the Company's ordinary shares. The balance of the options (1,350,000) were granted to directors, senior management and consultants of Century who are expected to provide important contributions to the Company as its business continues to evolve in new areas. All options have a ten year term and are exercisable at $0.22 per ordinary share. About Century Century Global Commodities Corp. (TSX:CNT) is building shareholder value through existing and entrepreneurial business units that meet continuing and growing demand from China, the largest market in human history. Iron Ore With WISCO and Minmetals, both Global Fortune 500 Chinese strategic partners, Century owns one of the largest iron ore mineral resource bases in the world, across five projects in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. Joyce Lake, a direct shipping ore project in Newfoundland and Labrador, is our most advanced project. It has completed feasibility and permitting studies and can be brought to production within approximately 30 months. We are maintaining our properties in preparation for a return to higher iron ore prices. Base and Precious Metals Century is monitoring investment and acquisition opportunities. When the right opportunity presents itself, our strong balance sheet will allow us to invest or acquire undervalued assets during the current down-cycle, positioning ourselves for gains when the market improves. Technology and Financial Services Century's award-winning team has harnessed multidisciplinary expertise to build a proprietary bilingual Chinese/English mining investment evaluation and tracking system. The database tracks daily over 1,500 globally listed mining and mineral resource companies with a primary focus on gold and copper and their 3,000 projects. We are now commercializing the technology for use by retail and institutional investors as well as mining professionals worldwide. Century Mining Database can be accessed via www.centurymining.cn. Quality Food Services Quality food products sourced from advanced countries are in great demand from the quickly-growing middle class in China. The emphasis is on the need for safe, high-quality food products. Century has established a professional marketing team and built a distribution system to serve Hong Kong and eventually mainland China. Initial successes include contracts with one of the largest egg producers in Australia and supply contracts with hotels, restaurants, grocery chains as well as an international airline. Century's website is www.centuryglobal.ca. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS "FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION" WITHIN THE MEANING OF CANADIAN SECURITIES LEGISLATION. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF CENTURY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION INCLUDES INFORMATION THAT RELATES TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, CENTURY'S INTENTION TO EVALUATE PROSPECTIVE TRANSACTIONS ARISING FROM THE REVIEW BY CENTURY OF ITS STRATEGIC OPTIONS AND ITS AVAILABLE WORKING CAPITAL. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION IS BASED ON, AMONG OTHER THINGS, OPINIONS, ASSUMPTIONS, ESTIMATES AND ANALYSES THAT, WHILE CONSIDERED REASONABLE BY CENTURY AT THE DATE THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION IS PROVIDED, ARE INHERENTLY SUBJECT TO SIGNIFICANT RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES, CONTINGENCIES AND OTHER FACTORS THAT MAY CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS AND EVENTS TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION. THE RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES, CONTINGENCIES AND OTHER FACTORS THAT MAY CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION MAY INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, RISKS GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH CENTURY'S BUSINESS, AS DESCRIBED IN CENTURY'S ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 2016. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE CENTURY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. SHARE Apple got one in 2009, Android in 11 By Janet I. Tu, The Seattle Times (TNS) SEATTLE Starbucks has released its app for Windows phones and mobile devices. The Starbucks app for Windows 10 is now in the Windows store, where a few early users had comments ranging from, "Now my windows phone is complete," to, "Can't log in." It was released Wednesday for customers in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. The app works on devices supported by Windows 10 Mobile. The first version allows customers to pay with their mobile device, manage their Starbucks Card and Rewards accounts, locate nearby stores, and send electronic gifts, or e-gifts, according to Starbucks. This version does not have mobile order-and-pay, which allows customers to bypass lines by ordering their drinks and paying for it all using their smartphones. That feature will be added in a future version of the app. Starbucks executives had said in March in its annual meeting that the company would be releasing a Windows Phone app within the next 45 days or so. Seattle-based Starbucks released apps for the iPhone in 2009 and for Android phone users in 2011. The mobile order-and-pay feature was added to the iPhone and Android apps last year. Wyclef Jean, after seven years away from the music spotlight, will release a new album this fall. Contributed photo By Federico Martinez, Federico.Martinez@gosanangelo.com / @texasjukebox After seven years out of the spotlight, worldwide superstar Wyclef Jean returns with "Carnival III: Road to Clefication," an album filled with dance anthems, funky rhymes, pointed political commentary and the occasional odd surprise like an unlikely collaboration with Daryl Hall that results in a remake of the Hall & Oates classic "Rich Girl." "It wouldn't be a proper Wyclef album if there wasn't something odd included," Jean said before bursting into laughter during a recent phone interview. This is the music genius whose past hip-hop collaborations have included successful recordings with Kenny Rogers, Paul Simon, Whitney Houston, Tom Jones, Carlos Santana, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind & Fire. His 2006 collaboration with Shakira, "Hips Don't Lie," climbed to No. 1 in 20 countries, including the U.S., an unprecedented accomplishment that still stands. Jean's new album is slated for a still to be determined fall release. The album's first single, the dance anthem "Divine Sorrow," was released in 2015 and followed by the Caribbean beats of "My Girl" featuring Sasha Mari. The recently released single "Hendrix" is a slow-grooving hip-hop chestnut that confronts the temptations and danger of the streets. "I'm going to do this for my homies gone The judge just hit the hammer they ain't coming home We all are from the danger zone The devil pulled the cards and said choose one I chose music, my homies chose hate." The stretched-out release of the album and order of the singles was intentional, Jean said. And there are plenty of superstar collaborations on the new album, he promised. "It's been seven years since I released my last album," he said. "I wanted to reintroduce myself." Jean first burst onto the music scene with the Fugees, whose 1996 debut "The Score" shot up to No. 1 on the Billboard chart. It featured a trio of smash singles, including the reinvention of Roberta Flack's 1973 ballad "Killing Me Softly," and is certified six times platinum. Since then he has earned tremendous success as a solo artist and producer. He draws from a variety of musical influences, including classic rock, reggae, jazz, country, folk, Latin, disco, electronic music and hip-hop. The Haitian native spent the past seven years becoming more involved in Haitian politics, including an unsuccessful bid to become his country's president. He has spearheaded humanitarian efforts to help people whose lives were decimated by earthquakes in 2011 and has spent time raising his now 11-year-old daughter. Even though he wasn't publicly releasing new music, music has and will always play a prominent role in his life. "Every day when I wake up, I go into the studio and record," he said. "There's always a guitar and a piano nearby. I'm always writing. That's my survival. I don't go to a therapist. My therapy is when I pick up my guitar and sing." The result is a wealth of new material waiting to be released. Beginning this year Jean will release the first in a series of three EPs, including an album of Mexican music that he promises will include the Wyclef touch while remaining true to the songs' roots. "I have a great love for my Mexican brothers and sisters," he said. "We've created songs that's going to make them feel like they're 4 years old again. I can't tell you more about it yet. "But if the party doesn't get started within the first 15 seconds of listening to the album, then Wyclef has failed to do his job." FILE - In this Thursday, July 7, 2016 file photo, Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing in his criminal sex-assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. Cosby has dropped a lawsuit that demanded the accuser in his criminal case repay the money from their confidential 2006 court settlement. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) SHARE NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) Bill Cosby's lawyers want a Pennsylvania judge to suppress taped phones calls he had with his accuser's mother as the defense starts trying to chip away at the trial evidence. The actor and comedian is accused of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. She told her mother a year later, prompting Gianna Constand to call Cosby from their Ontario, Canada, home and give the recordings to police. Cosby on tape describes a sexual encounter with her daughter and fears sounding like a "dirty old man with a young girl." Cosby's lawyers in motions Wednesday say the phone calls violate Pennsylvania wiretap laws that require two-party consent. However, lawyers for the Constands have said they followed the law in Canada where the recordings were made. No trial date has been set. SHARE Nepalese villagers cope with recent flooding from monsoon rains. Nepalese villagers cope with flooding from monsoon rains. By Staff Report Nepal has been back in the news recently, as yearly monsoon rains caused flooding and landslides, killing 102 people in recent weeks, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. The disaster area is spread across 43 districts of the nation. San Angeloan Terry Mikeska said his September mission to the area is proceeding according to schedule and talked about the situation in Nepal. "Floods and landslides are common in Nepal during the June to September monsoon season," Mikeska said. "The death toll runs into the hundreds every year, but this past month has been devastating." Mikeska said Nepalese armed forces have been deployed to repair dams, and helicopters are distributing food and medicine to displaced people. "Local Nepalese officials have opened around 500 temporary shelters and more than 150 distribution camps for the displaced people," Mikeska said. "Most of the affected people were 2015 earthquake victims who were living in quake-damaged houses. ... Tens of thousands of Nepalese are still living in tents following last year's devastating earthquakes that killed nearly 9,000 people." Last fall Mikeska traveled to Nepal after the quake, lending his assistance to 15 villages. His efforts were aided by Nepalese students he has sponsored over the past several years. "This year my mission will include medical and dental care, veterinary assistance for farm animals and village pets, school supplies, books for libraries, water filtration systems, solar-panel systems, repairing schools and libraries and clothes for the many orphanages overflowing with children," he said. "The local students have contacted the village Red Cross and Jaycees organization to help with volunteering during this mission." Mikeska said that more than 200 friends, churches, businesses and organizations have offered donations to help the mission so far. He also was encouraged to make things more official going forward, so he has established the Terry Mikeska Foundation. "A couple from the Permian Basin area encouraged me to form a nonprofit and offered to cover 100 percent of all expenses related to the start-up cost of the foundation: legal, accounting, travel expenses, printing and postage this was a big boost to this year's mission," he said. "We now have the 501(c) nonprofit status ... and 100 percent of these donations go directly to the poor people in the villages." Mikeska said he feels honored to be able to make a difference in this remote region of the world. "Volunteering my time to do the most good for the most people, living with the local village families and off the land throughout the mission is an experience, and spiritual feeling, like no other," he said. To learn more about this mission, visit terrymikeskafoundation.org or call 325-277-5466. SHARE Survey: Non-Hispanic whites are more at risk than Hispanics By Kenneth L. Stewart and Casey Jones Last month's Pathways to Progress focused on important national health trends originally reported by Princeton University professors Anne Case and Angus Deaton, who found a nationwide surge in death rates since 1999 among whites in prime midlife age. We found a strong parallel in the local community. As described in last month's column, a look at Texas' vital statistics revealed the rate of death among non-Hispanic white men and women between the ages of 45 and 54 in San Angelo and Tom Green County climbed by 73 percent between 1994 and 2013. We also examined the trend among Tom Green County Hispanics because the Case and Deaton national study had found no increases of death among minorities that matched the pattern of whites. Again, our results generally agreed. The significance of Case's and Deaton's work is that it reveals a disturbing trend targeting non-Hispanic white Americans in prime ages of life for early death from causes such as suicide, drug poisoning and liver disease accompanied by failing mental health and disability. Indeed, we were so stunned by the findings that we decided to see if any related patterns are evident in data on the health status of the poor in our region of West Texas. Community Development Initiatives at ASU worked with community-based organizations across the region during 2015 to collect the data by completing detailed face-to-face interviews with a sample of the more than 39,000 residents of 20 counties living in poverty. The 20 counties in the Survey of Health and Behavioral Health Needs of the Poor and Extremely Poor in West Texas included Coke, Concho, Crockett, Edwards, Irion, Kimble, Kinney, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Mills, Reagan, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, Tom Green, Upton and Val Verde. Trained interviewers, many of them members of the local communities in the study, completed 597 interviews with people whose incomes were below the poverty line. The interviews covered more than 170 health-related factors. Returning to the Case and Deaton study, there is clearly a set of risky behaviors related that form essential components of the root causes they found behind the tragic rise in midlife deaths. Substance abuse, for instance, is connected to liver diseases and drug poisonings. Poor mental health, especially depression, is a key force in suicide. Certain results of the interviews from the survey of the poor in the West Texas fall in line with Case and Deaton. The survey of the poor included 147 interviews with people in the same midlife age range (ages 45-54) Case and Deaton studied. These respondents include 66 non-Hispanic whites (45 percent) and 79 Hispanics (54 percent). Six particular items from the interviews connect with the their findings. The first relates to mental health. Overall, 41 percent of the 597 total respondents to the survey of the poor in West Texas reported that they had been diagnosed by a professional as having depression. That number indicates a very high rate compared to an estimated 15 percent for the adult population in general. Nevertheless, the level of depression for the survey respondents in the 45-54 midlife age range was even higher at 49 percent. This result in itself is consistent with Case's and Deaton's contention that the surge in mortality is connected with failing mental health in the midlife ages. However, the real eye-opener from the survey of the poor was revealed when we looked at the difference in diagnosed depression between midlife Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Of the 79 Hispanics in the 45-54 age range interviewed in the survey of the poor, 35.9 percent said they were diagnosed with depression. Again, high as that level is, it pales in comparison to the astronomical 64.6 percent of white non-Hispanics who told interviewers they had been diagnosed. The same high level of failing mental health that Case and Deaton found among prime-aged whites at risk of early death across the nation appears to hold true for midlife white non-Hispanics living in poverty in West Texas communities. Other elements of risky behavior that Case and Deaton associated with the surge of death for middle-age white Americans also show up in the interviews completed with West Texans in poverty. In each instance, the basic story is that risks resulting from behaviors posing immense issues for health occur at very high frequency among the poor. Alarming as the high levels are, however, whites in the midlife age range display even higher rates. Thus, nearly 37 percent of all subjects interviewed in the survey said they smoke or use tobacco products. That high number jumped to 43 percent among 45-54-year-olds. It leaped to 57.6 percent for midlife-age white non-Hispanics, while a lower 25.3 percent of Hispanics ages 45-54 reported smoking or using tobacco. Again, the same links unfolded when interviewers asked subjects about being disabled or limited by their physical, mental or emotional health. An alarmingly high 48 percent of all respondents reported feeling limited, but an astonishing 69.7 percent of whites compared to 44.3 percent of Hispanics said they feel disabled. The pattern repeated again when we looked at other answers from West Texans living on the lowest of incomes. The reported frequency of substance abuse among household members was high, but it was even higher among subjects in the 45-54 age range, and higher still among whites in that age group. Moreover, these behavior elements connect to serious, chronic and deadly medical conditions. Non-Hispanic whites ages 45-54 in the survey reported a degree of diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, or COPD, that was more than double the rate of the same age Hispanics in the survey. The pattern for kidney diseases was similar. Case and Deaton made a curious comment ending the report on their project in last December's Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences. Noticing concerns about the possibility of midlife Americans aging into the Medicare system with worse health than current seniors, they closed by saying, "those currently in midlife may be a 'lost generation' whose future is less bright than those who preceded them." Some readers may see this as a grandiose overstated effort to give importance to their work. After all, the 45-54-year-old age group is part of Generation X, the generation stereotyped as apathetic and disengaged young adults in the 1991 film "Slackers." People in those days worried that Xers may be the first American generation to not do as well as their parents. Ironically, by 1997, the Harvard Business Review was praising tech-savvy Xers as the most important entrepreneurial generation in American history. Still, Case and Deaton actually understate the significance of their findings, and ours, when it comes to the immense challenge of preventive health care in the nation. Too many Americans and West Texans believe preventing major diseases from swamping the health system is beyond reach because of the lack of personal responsibility and care in the ranks of poor and minority populations. Our findings, and those of Case and Deaton, show that whites and minorities, rich and poor, and people of all ages are actually in the same lifeboat. This is more evidence sounding a loud siren alerting every segment of every West Texas community to come together to fashion new, innovative and more effective pathways to prevention. Kenneth L. Stewart is director of Community Development Initiatives at the ASU Center for Community Wellness, Engagement and Development. Casey Jones is recently retired professor of political science at ASU. Contact them at casey.jones@angelo.edu or kenneth.stewart@angelo.edu. Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas and the San Angelo Health Foundation supported the Survey of Health and Behavioral Health Needs of the Poor & Extremely Poor in West Texas. However, the viewpoints and observations expressed in this article are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Methodist Healthcare Ministries or the San Angelo Health Foundation. Many parents of children with special needs ... find it difficult to get the services they need for their youngsters and so they come to us, says state Sen. Diane Allen, who represents a district in Burlington County, N.J.While it's good for lawmakers to know about issues concerning citizens, they often don't have time to investigate every complaint. They also may be biased toward one agency or another.That's why New Jersey is one of the steady flow of states that have established ombudsmen offices for various departments. Ombudsmen are, by the nature of their job descriptions, neutral when it comes to a citizen vs. agency squabble. Increasingly, the people who hold these posts are being referred to as ombuds, in order to eliminate the gender-focused nature of the word ombudsThe special needs office in New Jersey will be hiring its first ombud any day. That person will help parents navigate the confounding world of government and seek to prevent the lawsuits that sometimes result from such confusion.The earliest ombuds served during the Nixon administration, which pushed states to set up these offices to help protect the rights of men and women who live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. Federal funding was provided through the Older Americans Act, and nowadays, most long-term care ombuds are volunteers, according to Beverly Laubert, the long-term care ombud for Ohio.Since then, a handful of states -- including Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii and Iowa -- started ombud offices with a broad focus. But in the past decade, ombuds have become much more specialized.Weve seen a growing number of governments starting specialty ombud offices, says Amy Calderwood, the outreach chair of the United States Ombudsman Association and ombud for King County, Wash.Precise data about the new offices havent been gathered, but some of the biggest growth areas include health care, education, corrections and children's services.Rhode Island, for example, is considering a bill that would create an ombud for people with developmental disabilities. The genesis of the legislation was "an incident where a developmentally disabled woman died at a state-run group home in Providence after a broken leg went several days without being treated," according to a press release.Ombuds don't have power to create regulation or to adjudicate differences of opinion between citizens and agencies. Their role is to help the citizen clearly understand what the agency is supposed to do for them, and often to help the agency understand why an individual believes he or she has been shortchanged. Think of them as states departments of conciliation.But as much as ombud offices can help people (and government), there's still some resistance to their establishment. Some legislators, for example, don't want to give up their role as constituents' go-to support system, says Calderwood. In other instances, she adds, funding can be hard to come by.Despite the challenges, the generally recognized success of ombuds is leading some governments to create them in new areas. A year and a half ago, Maryland appointed Roger Campos as one of the nation's first statewide business ombuds.In his first year of operation, he handled about 75 cases. Since Jan. 1 of this year, he's already handled about 130.As people increasingly get to know that I exist, Im getting more and more calls, says Campos.One of the biggest functions Campos' still-small office serves is to answer companies' questions about lawsuits. They often decide they want to settle and struggle to understand how because theyre dealing with lawyers on both sides who arent interested in that route," he says."So, I come in as an objective independent party to bring the groups together to try to find a common-sense solution. Texas struck a deal Wednesday that will soften its voter ID law for the November general election a development that lawyers suing the state say will make it easier for minorities to cast their ballots.The state reached the agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and minority rights groups just a few weeks after a federal appeals court ruled that Texas 2011 voter identification law was discriminatory.Under the new terms, registered voters will be able to vote without a photo ID, according to a copy of the rules provided by the state attorney general's office. Those without an ID can sign an affidavit that certifies they are a U.S. citizen and present proof of residence, such as a utility bill, bank statement or paycheck. Texas must provide such affidavits in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.The terms, which still must be approved by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos before they are finalized, also say election officials cannot question Texans lacking identification.This is a huge improvement from what the law was before, said Luis Vera, one of the attorneys in the lawsuit against Texas.Though the deal should answer questions over how Texas will administer its next elections, it will not end legal wrangling over the 2011 rules, known as the nations strictest, which have cost state taxpayers more than $3.5 million.Gonzales Ramos must still weigh a major issue that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals left unresolved in its ruling last month: whether Texas lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minorities in passing the ID law.Proving intentional discrimination is difficult, experts say, but the impact of such a ruling could be severe potentially landing Texas back on the list of states needing federal approval to change their election laws.Meanwhile, Texas officials have said they will continue to fight to uphold the 2011 law, possibly by appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.That law had a strict list of acceptable photo IDs that opponents argued disenfranchised poor and minority voters. Proponents of the law said it was needed to bolster security at the ballot box by preventing voter fraud, even though in-person voter fraud is incredibly rare. There had only been two convictions for fraud out of 20 million votes cast in the decades before state lawmakers crafted the law.The new agreement is only a temporary remedy, the Texas attorney general's office said in a statement.The U.S. Supreme Court said that voter ID is a legitimate means of preventing voter fraud, and Texans widely support it to defend the integrity of our elections," the statement said. "This case is not over. In light of the Fifth Circuit's recent decision, we are working hard on saving all the important aspects of our voter ID."Chad Dunn, a Houston-based attorney who represented groups suing the state, said the new rules will allow more black, Latino, poor and elderly Texans to cast a ballot. These were the groups most affected by the 2011 voter ID law, Dunn said. Now their votes will be counted immediately."I'm confident this law opens the voting booth to everyone," Dunn said.Under the old law, voters without a photo ID could cast provisional ballots that would only be counted if the voter presented a valid ID within six days. The burden has now shifted to the state, Dunn said. Election officials can only challenge a vote if they have conclusive evidence that the person is not who they say they are.Texas will also be required to spend $2.5 million on voter outreach before November, roughly the amount it spent ahead of elections in 2013 and 2014 when the voter ID law first took effect.Voter ID opponents suggest more resources are needed to educate would-be voters across Texas, and they will closely scrutinize the states plans. Under Wednesdays agreement, Texas must spell out those plans, which are subject to court approval, by Aug. 15.Alicia Pierce, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Carlos Cascos, said the office would tap funds already earmarked for broader voter education programs. That means the required $2.5 million in spending should not be considered "new money."The deal also specifies that the state shall continue to educate voters in subsequent elections concerning both voter identification requirements and the opportunity for voters who do not possess SB 14 ID and cannot reasonably obtain it to cast a regular ballot. Alabamas lawsuit against the U.S. government concerning the possible relocation of Syrian refugees to Alabama was dismissed July 29 in federal court.In his opinion, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge John Ott granted the federal governments March 8 motion to dismiss the lawsuit, because Alabamas claim was too vague and fails to state a claim for which relief may be granted.The lawsuit alleged that the federal government did not comply with the Refugee Act of 1980, which states that the federal government must consult with state governments no less than quarterly about potential refugee relocation.After the lawsuit was announced, Gov. Robert Bentley said the lack of consultation failed to prepare Alabama for a possible influx of refugees.Although the lawsuit does not mention Syrian refugees specifically, the lawsuit was filed Jan. 7, just two months after Bentley issued an executive order that Alabama would not accept Syrian refugees. For seven years, while Nicholas Young patrolled the Washington areas Metro system as a transit police officer, other law enforcement agents were watching him.In those years, authorities say, he threatened FBI agents, gave advice to suspected terrorists and mused about joining the Islamic State. But it was not until last week that federal agents concluded that Young, 36, of Fairfax, Va., had committed the crime of attempting to support a terrorist organization. He was arrested at Metro Transit Police headquarters Wednesday and terminated; he appeared in court still wearing part of his patrol uniform. The arrest marks the first time a U.S. law enforcement officer has been accused of trying to aid a terrorist group.Young, a convert to Islam, sent codes for mobile messaging cards to an undercover federal agent in the belief that they would be used by Islamic State fighters overseas to communicate, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Alexandria.According to authorities, Young has been with the transit police since 2003.Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. Theyre disturbing to me, and theyre disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform, Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement.Since coming under scrutiny, Young was in touch with FBI agents, an undercover agent and a person working secretly for the agency. His first public conversation with the FBI was in September 2010. From January 2011 to February 2012, he was in touch with an undercover agent.The investigation appeared to stall for more than a year. Then, in 2014, Young began communicating with a person working for the FBI who pretended to be a disillusioned U.S. military reservist of Middle Eastern descent. That person spoke with Young regularly until October 2014, when he pretended to join the Islamic State abroad. The account he had set up to speak with Young was then taken over by undercover agents. You may not realize it, but in most parts of the country law enforcement officers have the legal right to stop you and demand any cash you might have on hand, threatening arrest if you fail to turn it over, even if theres no evidence you have done anything illegal.Thats whats known as civil forfeiture. Its unpopular just about everywhere, and roughly a dozen states have passed new laws over the past couple of years to curb it. Once you understand civil forfeiture and how it actually works, its horrifying, says Maryland state Sen. Michael Hough. It completely robs people of their due process rights.Under civil forfeiture, police or prosecutors can claim that money or property contributed to a crime, even if no underlying criminal charge has been filed. The idea that the money would be separated from the person and prosecuted on its own as a civil issue seems absurd, says New Hampshire state Rep. Michael Sylvia. Whats worse, that money would be taken before the person is convicted.If its an old car or a couple of thousand dollars, the aggrieved party may feel its not worth the greater cost of challenging the forfeiture in court. But the proceeds from such actions add up, totaling $4.5 billion in 2014, according to the Institute for Justice, a conservative nonprofit legal group. And there have been clear instances of mischief. One prosecutor used forfeiture funds to pay off his student loans. In February, a Christian rock band called Klo & Kweh Music Team was stopped for a broken tail light in Oklahoma. Sheriffs deputies seized $53,234 because of a band members inconsistent stories, even though the money was made up of concert proceeds and donations meant for charities in Southeast Asia. Amid an outcry, including complaints from members of Congress, Muskogee County returned the money in May.Civil forfeiture also creates perverse incentives for law enforcement. Cops might find it in their interest to patrol the westbound side of the highway because more cash travels that way, rather than patrol the eastbound side that attracts the illegal drugs theyre supposed to be stopping.For all these reasons, bills to address civil forfeiture have won bipartisan support from legislators and are backed by a strange-bedfellows alliance of liberal groups such as the ACLU and Common Cause, and the conservative Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation. There is no public policy organization in the United States that defends the status quo, says Lee McGrath, legislative counsel for the Institute for Justice. The only people on the other side are those receiving forfeiture proceeds that benefit their budgets.But police, sheriffs and district attorneys make up a powerful lobbying force. They argue that civil forfeiture is a necessary tool in fighting crime, and they often claim that they need the proceeds to fund their agencies. They can sometimes even get legislative leaders or committee chairmen to water down legislation if they fail to stop it altogether. Thats why the bills addressing civil forfeiture vary widely, from measures simply requiring greater disclosure to legislation banning the practice altogether in absence of a conviction.No one is arguing that law enforcement shouldnt seize cash or property used in the commission of a crime. They should just have to prove it. You cant get away from the fact that theres a corrupting influence, says Rep. Sylvia, if you can just grab money and throw it in the budget. In a 148-page decision, Delaware's Supreme Court has invalidated the state's death penalty law.The decision, brought forward in the case of Benjamin Rauf v. Delaware, was addressed by the court as a "certification of question of law."In the case, state attorneys had indicated they would pursue the death penalty if Rauf were to be convicted on a charge of first-degree murder.The court based its unanimous decision on a January 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found the death penalty statute in Florida was unconstitutional because the Sixth Amendment "requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death."The justices noted Delaware's law is very similar, which would allow the court to make a ruling as "the question of whether our death penalty statute sufficiently respects a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to a trial by jury."Gov. Jack Markell said he agreed with the decision."I applaud the Supreme Court's finding that the state's death penalty law is unconstitutional," the governor said in a statement."As I have come to see after careful consideration, the use of capital punishment is an instrument of imperfect justice that doesn't make us any safer. The important concerns of death penalty proponents must be balanced by the examples of flawed testimony, innocent people on death row being exonerated, and other facts that weigh strongly against the use capital punishment."While I would have supported abolishing the death penalty legislatively, it is my hope that today's decision will mean that we never see another death sentence in our state."ACLU of Delaware Executive Director Kathleen MacRae concurred."The Delaware Supreme Court has decided that the Delaware death penalty statute is unconstitutional based on their understanding of the Sixth Amendment--trial by jury--and the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Hurst v. Florida."The ACLU of Delaware applauds this decision."As of today, Delaware no longer has a death penalty," MacRae said. "We join the ranks of 19 other states in the United States without capital punishment. We are proud to join with the seven other states such as Maryland, New Jersey, and Nebraska that have eliminated their death penalties since 2007."We call on all Delawareans to honor this ruling by our highest court and oppose any effort by the General Assembly to 'fix' our death penalty statute. The death penalty is an antiquated system broken beyond repair. It has no place in our criminal justice system."State Rep. Sean M. Lynn, who unsuccessfully mounted a legislative repeal of the capital punishment statute, hopes the Supreme Court's decision will be the final word on the subject."Today's decision by the Delaware Supreme Court reinforces a belief that I, Sen. Peterson and many other Delawareans share: Delaware's death penalty is unconstitutional and does not comport with modern theories of punishment or prevailing thoughts on criminal justice," Lynn said."As a sponsor of legislation to abolish the death penalty, I'm obviously pleased with the court's decision, and I am hopeful that this victory for civil rights closes a chapter in our state's history and moves our state forward. I am also mindful of those who have been executed and who have languished on death row under the four separate iterations of Delaware's death penalty statute, all of which have been found to be unconstitutional," he said."Going forward, I and many supporters of the Repeal Project will be reviewing the 148-page decision to determine what, if any, action should be taken. Our end goal is to ensure that no death sentences are handed down in the future, and if the Supreme Court's decision accomplishes that, then that is an important consideration."Rep. John Carney, Delaware's lone member of the House of Representatives and a Democratic candidate for governor, also supported the Supreme Court's action."As a former member of the Board of Pardons, I have had more occasion to contemplate the death penalty than most," he said in a statement. "Over the last several years, after a lot of study and reflection, I've come to the conclusion that it's a punishment that is too flawed for it to be considered fair or just. I support the Supreme Court's decision in its ruling today." On Wednesday, in the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted an afternoon tea in support of the 2016 Queensland Country Life Miss Showgirl Awards where His Excellency addressed guests. Description GIS 04 August, 2016: The Ministry Agro-Industry and Food Security is presently working on a Bill on Beekeeping with a view to set up of bee re0serve zones, establish a registration system of beekeepers and elaborate guidelines for the transportation of bee colonies and apiary sites. The Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Mahen Seeruttun, was speaking yesterday at the opening of the Second Steering Committee Meeting on the Alternative Livelihoods for Food and Income Security Project, which was held at Voila Hotel, Bagatelle. The project, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is being implemented by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kenya. The Alternative Livelihoods for Food and Income Security Project for Mauritius which was launched in May 2016 at Bras dEau National Park caters for the capacity building of 250 beekeepers and the supply of equipment and materials so as to boost up apiculture. Today we are gathered to take stock of the achievements and to plan ahead, said the Minister, adding that 27 beekeepers have already received training on novel techniques of beekeeping and improved bee hives. The beekeepers have also been supplied with hat and veil, smoker and hive tool. Under the project, one officer from the Entomology Division has received training at ICIPE on the survey, identification and rearing of stingless bees and carpenter bees which are very good pollinators. Another one has been trained on the chemical analysis of honey using techniques that are accepted by the European Union whereas a veterinary officer has received training on the isolation and identification of honey bee viruses. Mr Seeruttun announced that training on organic certification of locally produced honey will be held from the 8 to 12 August this year in Rodrigues during which ten beekeepers and five officers will be trained in organic certification of honey by ICIPE. The same training will be carried out in Mauritius from 16 to 20 August 2016. Referring to the 2016/2017 budget, the Minister rejoiced that several schemes which are in line with the targeted programmes of IFAD have been enunciated for the agricultural sector. A sum of Rs 7 million has been earmarked for the creation of bee-keeping zones in different regions of the country. The forest cover will be increased by planting of some 20 000 melliferous trees by the year 2017. In order to protect honey bees from toxic pesticides, the Ministry has, under the Dangerous Chemicals Control Act 2004, prepared a Regulation on the use of pesticides. Description GIS - 04 August, 2016: The Budget 2016-2017 makes provision for several initiatives in favour of the blue economy and which comprise aquaculture development and incentives for the setting up of common facilities on land for aquaculture and fish processing. The Budget 2016-2017 makes provision for several initiatives in favour of the blue economy and which comprise aquaculture development and incentives for the setting up of common facilities on land for aquaculture and fish processing. Two studies are being concluded with regard to generating electricity through ocean waves and offshore wind. A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa for the setting up of a world class Research Institute of Oceanography in Mauritius. As regards the fisheries sector, a total of Rs 20 million has been earmarked for the acquisition of a multi-purpose vessel which will be used for research, surveys and training of fishermen and skippers. This measure is in line with Governments objective to promote outer-reef and bank fishing. A grant of 50 percent, up to a maximum of Rs 4 million, will be made available to cooperative societies to acquire semi-industrial vessels. Provision is also being made for Rs 12.5 million to finance the purchase of 10 floating cage structures to Fishermen Cooperatives to promote small-scale aquaculture. In a bid to provide shelter for approximately 120 fishing vessels the Mauritius Ports Authority will undertake the construction of breakwaters at Fort William. A new incentive scheme comprising an 8-year tax holiday will be offered to attract industrial fishing companies to operate from Mauritius and contribute to the development of our seafood hub. To address the human resources constraint, the Mauritius Maritime Training Academy will increase its intake by 50 percent to bring it to 1,200 trainees annually. Description GIS - 04 August, 2016: The Budget lays much emphasis on the importance of enhancing the quality of life of each and everyone. To this end the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, has enumerated a series of measures. The Budget lays much emphasis on the importance of enhancing the quality of life of each and everyone. To this end the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, has enumerated a series of measures. Water Supply To ensure a round the clock supply of water, an amount of Rs 3.4 billion has been earmarked for the following projects: Replacement of some 180 kilometres of old and defective pipes across the island, in Beau-Bassin, Rose Belle, Riviere du Rempart, Lallmatie, Roche Bois, Plaine Verte and Surinam. Upgrading and increase in capacity of Treatment plants. Constructing of Strategic service reservoirs and new dams. With a view to cutting costs and lessen the inconveniences to the citizens, the Central Water Authority will opt for investments in investing in trenchless technology. Government will subsidise the purchase of water tanks to the tune of Rs 35 million. Some 7,000 families will benefit. Law and Order Law and order is another vital determinant of the quality of life. To that end, the court infrastructure will be upgraded. Provision is made for the construction of a new Supreme Court Tower in Port-Louis to the tune of Rs 1.1 billion. Pamplemousses and Souillac District Courts will be relocated at the SIFB buildings in the same regions. Renovation works are going on at Port Louis New Court House in Port Louis while the District Courts of Moka, Mahebourg, Rose-Hill and Flacq will undergo upgrading and repair works. A sum of Rs 8.7 billion has been earmarked for the Mauritius Police Force. 900 additional Police constables and 30 additional Cadet Officers will be recruited. A new training strategy will also be established and provision is made for a modern Police Academy at the Reduit- Ebene area. A total of Rs 292 million will be used for modernising the fleet of Police vehicles. Over the next two years, Rs 115 million will be allocated to equip all police officers and vehicles with modern equipment. A new integrated Emergency Response Management System, linked with SAMU, Fire Services and other agencies will be implemented in a project valued of Rs 50 million. With regard to law and order infrastructure six new Police stations; a New Divisional Headquarters; two more Detention Centres will be built. A modern state-of-the-art laboratory for the Forensic Science Department to the tune of Rs 235 million will be constructed. Safe City Project The Safe City project will be implemented on a pilot basis with the installation of smart cameras in major public areas, along main roads and motorways, pedestrian walkways and principal traffic centres. These cameras will act as powerful and effective tools to combat crimes and drugs proliferation, assist in more effective traffic and road safety management. Intensifying combat against drugs To combat against drugs efficiently and effectively, the Police department will acquire two drone cameras with night vision capabilities. The MRA Customs will also be equipped with interceptor boats, mobile low bed scanners and other x-ray scanners. The collaboration between the National Coast Guard, ADSU, MRA Customs and the Fisheries Protection Service for joint interventions will be further strengthened. Description GIS 04 August 2016: Pamphlets on the initiation, duration and benefits of breastfeeding will be distributed in all hospitals and clinics across the island with a view to provide guidance to mothers and enable them to have access to correct and relevant information. This initiative is part of activities scheduled by the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life in the context of World Breastfeeding Week 2016. The launching of activities, and the opening ceremony of a workshop on Breastfeeding: a key to sustainable development were held this morning at Gold Crest Hotel in Quatre Bornes in the presence of the Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Mr Anil Gayan. In his address, the Minister stressed the importance of breastfeeding recalling that breast milk is the best source of nutrition and protection for the baby as it has the right amount of fat, protein, sugar, water and micronutrients needed for a babys growth and development. Mr Gayan pointed out that the World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is six months old, while continued breastfeeding should be promoted for two years with a gradual introduction of complementary feeding. According to the Minister, breastfeeding has health benefits not only for the babies but also for mothers as it helps protect them from breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases, among others. Breastfeeding can, in addition, serve as a form of contraception, he added. In light of the negative impact of modern lifestyles on breastfeeding with women having to reconcile work with motherhood, the Minister urged fathers, relatives, neighbours and health care professionals to support the breastfeeding mothers. The Ministry is committed to support breastfeeding by providing regular maternal and child health care services including ante-natal and post-natal care. Mr Gayan moreover recalled that it is prohibited to market breast-milk substitutes and distribute free infant formula samples within hospitals premises. The one day workshop on Breastfeeding: a key to sustainable development provides opportunities to health care professionals and representatives of womens association to acquire the relevant information and knowledge on breastfeeding. Topics discussed comprise 10 steps to successful breastfeeding and code of marketing of breastmilk substitutes; composition of breastmilk; anatomy and physiology of the breast/ mechanism of breastmilk production; advantages of breastfeeding and maternal concerns; promoting breastfeeding among pregnant women, positioning and attachment; myths and misconception; special infant situations; and recommendations for action at all levels on breastfeeding in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. World Breastfeeding Week was initiated in 1992 by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, and is observed every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 120 countries to commemorate the 1990 Innocenti Declaration of the World Health Assembly. The objective is to promote a breastfeeding culture as opposed to a bottle-feeding culture. In Mauritius, World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated each year since 1993. revenues-e1415650102515.jpg To decipher government finance for citizens, localities are turning to a new budget app thats proving digital transparency doesnt have to mean high costs.The solution, popping up in Massachusetts, Virginia and North Carolina cities and counties, comes from civic tech consultancy VisGov , which has seen an increase in adoption rates of its open source budget visualization app Visual Budget for the past year and a half.Similar to popular paid solutions from companies like OpenGov and Socrata, VisGovs free budget visualization tool helps users understand budget figures with interactive and color-coded diagrams. Citizens can see an overview of expenditures and revenues, then dive deeper for insights into specific funding categories.VisGov Co-founders Alan Jones and Annie LaCourt said the app is in 15 localities now, and a handful of jurisdictions are preparing to deploy it soon. The state of Massachusetts has also awarded the two a $40,000 grant to develop the tool into interactive visuals that with a snippet of code can be placed in any website. Arlington-based design firm Involution Studios also supports the app by serving as its technical partner.Prior to creating the Visual Budget app, LaCourt a longtime private-sector IT consultant had served eight years on Arlingtons Board of Selectmen (essentially the city council) and Jones a former IT business and product manager served as the vice-chair on Arlingtons Finance Committee, a position he still holds.With their experience, the two said the concept for the app was inspired by a desire to educate Arlingtons citizens with hard data, assist city staff with budget communication, and aid other cities hunting for low-cost transparency tools.For smaller communities I think its a big deal because they cant always afford the big vendors, LaCourt said, and it allows them to prove value, both to themselves and to taxpayers.Jones said with the code on GitHub, the app, minus minor deployment and maintenance costs, is essentially free. With a little bit of internal or external IT support, cities can launch the app on their sites. Updating financials is fairly straightforward and can be done via a spreadsheet, without coding. And since users often represent a minority of interested citizens, there is typically a low volume of visitors. This means no paid subscription plans to enterprise-level cloud hosting companies like Amazon Web Services.The host we use is something like a $100 per year, registering a domain is about $10 to $12 per year, so were really talking peanuts of cash outlay, Jones said. Its really just about the time [to deploy the Web app].Among VisGovs first adopters are Virginia's Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The civic tech nonprofit Smart Cville (Smart Charlottesville) spearheaded an effort for the localities to create customized versions tailored to their specific budget terminology and funding.Charlottesville's Budget Office released the app in 2015, and this July, Albemarle County followed suit with the support of County Supervisor Brad Sheffield and direction from Lori Allshouse, Albemarles director of budget and performance management.Our leadership is really excited about these projects, so theres no hesitation, only encouragement, Allshouse said, adding that although the tool arrived after the county's fiscal 2017 budget process, the hope is that it will be a starting point for collaborative decision-making in the future and especially for budgeting conversations next year.Any way you can get the data out for folks is great. Some people want to read more of the narrative [in traditional documents], some people want to use this type of a tool, said Allshouse. To me, its just another way to reach out to different parts of your community and hope that theyll have enough information to ask a question that becomes part of the dialog.Smart Cville Chairman Lucas Ames said that while fine-tuning the contextual language, descriptions and terminology took some time, the technology portion of the job was rather simple, and is something other cities and counties could easily replicate.In terms of coding time, it really is a pretty out-of-the-box solution that the guys at VizGov have created," Ames said, "and thats why anyone whos interested in doing it, were looking forward to helping them. Challenges for crossovers Building on past success Data limitations Charles Rotramel kept seeing the same problem again and again in his role leading Houston reVision, a non-profit agency that works with at-risk youth.Many of the kids he works with have been part of both the juvenile justice system and the child welfare system, making them what are known as crossover or dual-status youth. But it was difficult to actually determine how many of his kids fit that description.Because the data from the two systems were long kept separate, held separately between local and state agencies, it was a struggle for Rotramel and other non-profit workers in the field to know for sure what, exactly, a child was up against when they first encountered him. Thats part of the reason why Rotramel is now spearheading an effort to share data between agencies and non-profits working with juveniles that he hopes would build upon the recent success of an inter-agency data sharing system.The kid has a lot of reasons not to say that theyre (in) one or the other,Rotramel said, referring to the child welfare system or juvenile justice system. So the accuracy of the information is exceedingly limited. The incomplete picture makes it harder for workers to get a complete understanding of a childs life, and it can make things harder on the child himself.Often, Rotramel said, crossover kids facing a court date dont identify themselves as part of Child Protective Services. No one flagged that for the juvenile justice system, and the caseworker from the child welfare system doesnt show up because [the child] is embarrassed to say he is in child welfare, said Rotramel. So he ends up in court with no parent representative, and he goes through the system without anybody visiting him, including the child welfare caseworker.Or, he said, a child with a mental health issue could have been receiving treatment through the child welfare system; once incarcerated, if no one knows about that history, he may go untreated.Thats why the data is so important in order to get to that coordinated case planning, Rotramel said.He saw those sorts of gaps frequently, but he was never sure exactly how many kids or which ones overlapped between the juvenile justice system and the child welfare agency.So he started a task force earlier this year with representatives from the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department and the Harris County Protective Services. Theres a tremendous amount of enthusiasm about this whole project and the agencies are really committed to it, said Rotramel. One of the first priorities: data-sharing.Various confidentiality regulations make that a complicated process, particularly when sharing information with non-profits, as opposed to other public agencies. But that sort of system one that shares information only among public agencies is already in place after years of effort. Rotramel says hed like to see something for nonprofits that mirrors it.Like workers at Houston reVision, county workers in the child welfare and juvenile justice agencies were running into headaches. Kids would have to go through the same intake process over and over at different departments, and caseworkers couldnt easily see where else in the system a child had previously been. Harris Countys effort, which brings together data from juvenile justice, protective services and mental healthcare providers, began more than a decade ago after a report found that there were gaps between the systems. In 2003, then-County Judge Robert Eckels began organizing the agencies.But it took years to produce a tangible result, explained Joel Levine, executive director of Harris County Child Protective Services, because the county realized it needed new state legislation to enable the kind of data sharing it had in mind. In 2011, the county was finally able to get a bill passed that would allow for the implementation of the Harris County Juvenile Information System several years later in 2015.The hope was that agencies could avoid duplications, like repeating assessments or intake interviews to get a sense of an individuals situation each time a child came to a new agency.Still, limitations restrict the type of data that can be shared. Its a pretty small slice of information thats put out there, said Matthew Shelton, deputy director of the countys Juvenile Probation Department. But, he said, its already making a difference.The information service joined the efforts of three agencies: Harris Countys Child Protective Services; the Childrens Assessment Center, an organization that works with sexual abused children, and the Juvenile Probation Department as well as the countys Department of Education and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. By this fall, information from the Harris Center for Mental Health should be integrated into the system. And Levine and Shelton are hopeful they will be able to work with school districts in the future. They also hope to have a way to track referrals for each kid as he or she moves through the system. And theres still the issue of figuring out just how many kids are in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system.Because the system is set up like a search engine, theres no way to conduct a data analysis with the information that would allow agencies to see trends and patterns or even how many crossover youth exist.Still, data-sharing between juvenile probation, juvenile justice and child welfare offices is a relatively new effort, according to Shelton. When Shelton attended a national training session a year and a half ago, he said, nobody was doing that.Nationally, a push to better coordinate information began in the early 2000s, but, according to the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ), only a handful of states integrate and share the data at the state level.In the end, those efforts including Harris Countys and Rotramels work are intended to help create better outcomes for kids. Levine and Shelton envision a database capable of analysis that can help fuel grants. And Rotramel is hopeful for a system that will do a better job of connecting youth, particularly dual-status youth, to support and resources. Unless we know the scope of what were dealing with, said Rotramel, theres no way to develop solutions to it. What it Says About Houston Putting It in Context Is Half of Houston Uninteresting? Quick: list Houstons places of interest. Its activity centers. Its hot spots. When visitors ask you where they should grab a bite, shop, or see the town, where do you send them?Galleria. Check. Downtown. Check. Chinatown. Check. Westheimer. Check.What about East Little York Road? Or Highway 290 and Tidwell? Do those spots jump out to you?Probably not, but according to the newly redesigned Google Maps , each of those is an area of interest, or a spot worth highlighting due to its retail and dining options. What the new designations shows about patterns of commercial development in Houston and elsewhere is fascinating. But equally intriguing is Googles definition of what makes a place interesting.The newly designated places are not bounded by hard lines; rather they are algorithmically determined concentrations of businesses, restaurants, shops, and bars. The boundaries are edited with a human touch, then highlighted in an orange hue on Google Maps.Google clearly expects the move to help raise advertising revenue by creating a more helpful consumer experience and attracting more users. That the redesign is tied to improving Googles bottom line demonstrates the biases inherent in every map But beyond making money for Google, the redesign acts as an activity guide to the city for users both visitor and resident alike. The orange bubbles pull us toward these hubs.For visitors to the city, such a feature is hugely useful. Where should we go for food? Just zoom in on an area of interest and check out the options. No more wandering around aimlessly hoping to happen upon a clutch of options. No more hunting out a specific restaurant highlighted on Google. Just head to the orange blobs. And as a local, the areas of interest offer me a chance to view Houston with new eyes as well and draw me to places Ive never been.The surprising diversity of the areas in character, location, price point, and tenants opens up even more of the city to exploration. Google didnt just highlight luxury shopping centers or award-winning restaurants. It highlights more modest options too. Sure, some strip centers designated by Google as areas of interest arent particularly interesting theyre populated by fast food and chain stores that you can find in dozens of places but I didnt know much about East Aldines string of delicious-sounding restaurants until Google told me I should look closer.Googles areas of interest include two types of development in almost every city: walkable, dense areas of activity along city streets (for Houston think Rice Village or Midtown) and isolated strip centers, malls and highway exits. Notably, there isnt a visual cue on the map to distinguish the difference. The same orange blobs represent both types of places. The balance between these two types of areas depends a great deal on the city one is viewing.For urbanists, there is much to celebrate about the redesign. This view of the world may help promote walkable, dense development. Drawing attention to interconnected activities asks users to see corridors as cohesive districts and to see the benefits of such agglomeration. A remaining hurdle for cities like Houston, though, is that many of these walkable districts remain accessible primarily by car.While Googles goal may not be to encourage the growth of more concentrated activity, the redesign interacts in interesting ways with other maps of the city that explicitly do.The Houston Galveston Areas Blue Map , for example, outlines parts of town with high concentrations of jobs, residents, and intersections. The organization uses the system to highlight activity areas that may benefit most from capital interventions that improve the public realm for all street users drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.Likewise, the Houston Bike Plan , shows both existing and proposed networks and is an attempt to create a citywide network. The overall plan ties nicely into the information displayed on the Blue Map by showing how the proposed and existing system serves the many neighborhoods of Houston.How do these maps connect to or diverge from Googles areas of interest?The image below, pulled from the Blue Map, outlines in red parts of town with a high concentration of jobs and residents. The blue bubbles represent areas that have a tight street grid and many intersections elements of the built environment that provide an opportunity for a variety of street improvements. Here again Houstons car-dependent structures stick out. Only older parts of town and specific subdivisions have high intersection density. The Blue Map shows that only a few areas of population activity and intersection density overlap. Downtown stands out.Many of Houstons strip center areas of interest fall within the red outlines but are not situated in areas primed for street-level improvements. Other areas highlighted by Google such as Rice Village and the 19th Street corridor in the Heights are primed for a more walkable fabric, but they require outside users to support the businesses, many of whom will continue to arrive by car.Likewise, this snapshot from the citys bike plan showing existing and programmed bike infrastructure in a small corner of the Inner Loop highlights the lack of interconnection between areas of activity. Today, even moving between Rice Village and Midtown requires biking on undesignated streets.Comparing these locally produced maps with Googles areas of interest shows the challenge the region faces in attempting to create more interconnected, walkable districts of activity. Google highlights nodes of activity, but its view cannot display their context. These local maps help place Googles nodes alongside existing realities and challenges.Another aspect of the new maps that jumps out is the absence of Google-designated areas of interest in huge swaths of the city. Only a small bit of orange can be found east of Interstate 69. This part of the region has a high percentage of lower-income residents, a larger share of industrial and manufacturing infrastructure and fewer concentrations of commercial and retail economic activity. This doesnt, of course, mean that no activity occurs. It means the algorithm Google used did not register the form of activity that predominates there: more isolated shops and businesses spread among homes, along roadways or next to larger industrial tracts.What are the consequences of Google Maps, a visible, popular product showing that no areas of interest exist in these areas? How might that designation affect the bottom lines of businesses not within a hub?The hugely-successfully Harrisburg Esplanade , for example, is bordered by a row of local restaurants and houses a variety of public events. It is not highlighted. Might areas that are not recognized by Googles redesign suffer? Will consumers and their wallets be drawn to other places?Google could consider adding other elements to its algorithm. Perhaps it should balance the commercial with the cultural and recreational? Adding in points of interest, whether a park, museum, or art gallery, could change the display and bring parts of the city like the Esplanade to the viewers attention.The Google Maps redesign offers a new way to look at our cities. The visual display of a city not only reflects its realities, but our interpretations of that display can begin to impact a citys form and our daily patterns. There is a lot of city in between Googles orange circles. Asking questions of the representations we encounter on our phones and in our plans presents us an opportunity to explore the ways our perspective of a space can change, based on how its drawn and what is highlighted. Bernie Ecclestone is reportedly planning to monetise access to radio communications in F1. At the recent strategy group meeting, the controversial restrictions on radio communications were dropped completely, with the FIA confirming that this was done "at the request of the teams and commercial rights holder". Part of the deal is that messages that were kept private by the teams even before the radio clampdown was ever implemented will now be out in the open. The FIA said this is to provide "improved content for fans and spectators". Germany's Auto Motor und Sport now reports that F1 supremo Ecclestone plans to "sell" this full access to all the communications between cars and the pitwall to the public. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was quoted as welcoming the moves to make all radio traffic available to the public. "We believe that it is a necessary part of entertaining the fans," he said. (GMM) Naftogaz waiting for decision of Stockholm arbitration court in litigation with Gazprom by end of H1 2017 National joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy expects that the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce would issue a verdict in litigations with Russia's Gazprom by the end of the first half of 2017, Naftogaz Commercial Director Yuriy Vitrenko wrote on his Facebook page. "We are on the homestretch, hearings will start next month The arbitration decision is expected by the end of the first half of next year. The decision on the gas purchase contract could be issued earlier by the end of the first quarter," he wrote. Vitrenko added that the Russian monopolist anyway would have to execute the verdict. "Gazprom would have to execute this decision immediately and the comparison with Yukos' claim is inappropriate. Gazprom's assets are not protected by national sovereignty and it has enough assets in Europe that could be used for penalty," he said. As reported, today Naftogaz's claims against Gazprom in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce total over $26.6 billion and Gazprom's claims - $38.7 billion. Faces 20 years in prison A Green River man accused of having intercourse with a 14-year-old girl pleaded not guilty to a felony charge. Marshall L. Mechling Jr., 20, of Jamestown, appeared in the Third District Court of Judge Richard Lavery at an arraignment to second degree sexual abuse of a minor. If found guilty of the charge, Mechling Jr. could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000. A jury trial has been scheduled to take place Oct. 11 at 9 a.m. According to court documents, on Feb. 29, 2016, a Sweetwater County Sheriffs Deputy was called to the Sweetwater County Health... Elizabeth J. "Libby" Pedri, 59, of Rock Springs passed away Aug. 1, 2016, at her home, surrounded by family. She was born Jan. 15, 1957, in Rock Springs, the daughter of Carl and Ruth Klein. Libby attended schools in Rock Springs and graduated with the Rock Springs High School class of 1975. She married Gary Gene Pedri in Rock Springs April 7, 1979. Libby was the office administrator for Rock Springs I.V. Center, which she and her husband founded in 1998. She was a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Community. Her interests were spending time with her family which often included traveli... Ukraine's Higher Economic Court on August 3, 2016 suspended a decision to execute the verdict of Kyiv's economic court of appeals dated June 29 arresting accounts of government-managed Ukrgasbank (Kyiv), the bank has said. "As part of hearing a counterclaim of Ukrgasbank, the execution of the decision of Kyiv's business court of appeals dated June 29, 2016 has been suspended," the bank said. The bank added that this concerns almost UAH 159 million on the accounts. "Law enforcement agencies joined. They are establishing persons who ordered the embezzlement of funds belonged to the state," the bank said. The bank said that the situation has not affected current operations of the bank and implementing its liabilities to clients. The State Enforcement Service of the Justice Ministry arrested funds on the correspondent account of Ukrgasbank under a decision of Kyiv's business court to collect the funds in favor of Ukrconcept company. The bank believes that the actions were initiated by unfair borrowers. They aim at disrupting the bank's work to return non-performing credits. Ukrgasbank was created in 1993. By January 2016 the state owned 94.9409% of its shares. Ukrgasbank ranked seventh among 109 operating banks in the country on April 1, 2016 in terms of assets (UAH 48.903 billion), according to the National Bank of Ukraine. Franklin Willoughby, 91, of Rock Springs, passed away July 28, 2016, at Sageview Care Center. A longtime resident of Rock Springs, Willoughby died following a lengthy illness. He was born July 12, 1925, in Halfway, the son of Charles Lee and Florence M. Woods Willoughby. Willoughby attended schools in Big Piney. He married the former Mildred Bollinger and after five years of marriage, they divorced. In 1953, he married Pauline Simon and she preceded him in death in 1979. In 1984, he married Ruby McEly and they were married for 26 years. She passed away on July 16, 2010. Willoughby was a truck driver for many years and later owned and operated SEEME Sewer Service for 35, years retiring in 1987. He was a member of Young at Heart Senior Citizen's Center. His interests were fishing, hunting, pitching horseshoes and playing cards. Survivors include his companion Geneva Rushing of Rock Springs; one son, David Lee Willoughby and wife Lynda of Daniel; one daughter, Bonnie Willoughby Matlock of Rock Springs; one half-brother, Robert Tracy and wife Charlene of Big Piney; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; several cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his second wife Pauline Willoughby; third wife Ruby Willoughby and two brothers, William and Thomas and great-granddaughter Kayla Matlock. Funeral services took place Wednesday morning. The family of Frank Willoughby respectfully suggests donations in his memory be made to Young at Heart Senior Citizen's Center. Barb Killpack, Sweetwater County Library homebound and outreach coordinator retired after 16 years with the library. Saying goodbye to the patrons she served will be the hardest thing for Barb Killpack, who recently retired from the Sweetwater County Library. Killpack started out as an assistant to the homebound and outreach coordinator. She then worked her way up to that coordinator position. For the past 16 years, Killpack worked for the library full time. "The hardest thing is going to be missing my people because they are like family," Killpack said. "Her people," as she called them, are the patrons she would visit and give library supplies to. The day before Killpack and her assistant deliver the boo... The Womens Resource Center, 628 Summit Ave. in Greensboro, is offering a series workshops. Unless otherwise noted, these are open only to women. The workshops are free but registration is required; call (336) 275-6090. Moving Meditation, 5:15-6:45 p.m. Tuesday. Simple movement and gentle stretches. Fall Vegetable Gardening Extending the Harvest, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Learn strategies, techniques and timing tips to maximize and extend your harvest by growing fall and winter crops. Free and Easy Ways to Promote Yourself or Your Small Business, 5:30-6:45 p.m. Aug. 16. Learn free and inexpensive ideas on how to attract and keep new business, and create practical and profitable promotions and solutions to promote your business. Money Matters for the Unemployed, noon-1:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Bring lunch. Topics: budgeting, credit, mortgage assistance program. Making Difficult Decisions about Medical Care for a Loved One, 5-6 p.m. Aug. 25. With Marcia Patterson Vanard of Hospice and Palliative Care Greensboro. Open to men and women. Everything Your Need to Know About: Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Social Security, 10-11:30 a.m. Aug. 30. For men and women. High Point library offering yoga for kids The High Point Public Library is starting a yoga program for children on Tuesdays this month. The three-week Yoga Kids program for 3- to 5-year-olds will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, with the session for school-age children at 3 p.m. Both programs will be in the library story room. The free program, led by a certified yoga instructor, will combine books, games and activities to teach children the basics of yoga. For information, call (336) 883-3668. Journey Church to give away school supplies Journey Church will hold a back-to-school event from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at 1801 S. Fayetteville St. in Asheboro. It will hand out 500 free backpacks filled with back-to-school items. The church will offer pizza and drinks, face painting, inflatables, popcorn, snow cones and more. Everything is free. For information, call (336) 736-8720. Bridge of Hope also to meet school needs Bridge of Hope Church will give away backpacks filled with school supplies from noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 13 at Hester Park off Groometown Road in Greensboro. There will be free food, face painting, balloon characters, games, inflatables, music and more. For information, call (336) 285-8218 or visit www.bridgeofhope.church. Bee-friendly day to be honey of a celebration The Guilford County Cooperative Extension Service is celebrating National Honey Bee Day on Aug. 20, with Bee Friendly to Bees Day. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3309 Burlington Road in Greensboro. Participants will learn about pollination, bee keeping, good bugs, and integrated pest management. There will be a scavenger hunt, honey tasting and the opportunity to build a bee hotel. For information, call (336) 641-2400. Peter Langman was in bed two Saturday mornings ago when the phone rang. It was a reporter calling about Ali Sonbaly, the 18-year-old who went on a shooting rampage the night before at a mall in Munich. Langman often gets phone calls after mass shootings. A psychologist in private practice, he has spent the last 10 years obsessively researching school shootings, writing two books widely admired by threat-assessment professionals and academics. The reporter told Langman that Sonbaly had apparently been reading a German edition of Langmans first book, Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters. Its incredibly disturbing, Langman said in an interview. Its terrifying. The initial fear over Sonbalys attack was that it was terrorism. But as investigators looked closely at his life it turned out he was obsessed with mass shooters, committing his attack on the anniversary of Anders Breiviks 2011 attack in Norway that left more than 70 dead. A Washington Post profile of Langman a few weeks ago revealed a soft-spoken and deeply caring man on whom the shootings have taken a toll. Sometimes he has to back away from his research, which involves reading thousands of documents and police reports, often before bed. But what brings him back is the good he knows he can do in getting his research out to schools, police and parents. People need this information, he said. Thats the point of doing it. In conversations with a reporter, Langman spoke of the care he takes to not include sensational videos or pictures in his books or on a website he maintains of his school shooting documents. He knows firsthand how much time mass shooters often spend researching their forebears. For me, its not about the violence, Langman said. Its about whats going on in their minds. Thats what we need to understand. What was Ali doing with Langmans book? The grimmest possible answer is the one Langman most fears: studying how to emulate and honor them. But Langman also wonders (or hopes) that Ali, who was in mental health treatment, was trying to get some insight into his own disturbed mind. We just dont know yet, Langman said. This is not the first time one of Langmans books has been found in possession of a shooter. Karl Pierson, 18, who killed a student at a Colorado high school in 2013, had a copy in his bedroom. And Ali will probably not be the last. An author cant control what someone does with their book, Langman said. You have to do the research and get it out there. A little over 30 years ago, Linda Evans attended a community theater production about Greensboro native William Sidney Porter, better known to most of us as beloved short story writer O. Henry. The play, called Whats Around the Corner, was written by local playwright Joe Hoesl. Evans, a historian at Greensboro Historical Museum, decided to contact him about a new endeavor. Though the museum had always commemorated O. Henrys life and work with a collection of artifacts and archives, Evans thought a similar performance could become a new tradition there. Hoesl had long been an O. Henry fan and was delighted by the idea. He adapted five short stories for the stage, and 5 by O. Henry has entertained crowds each year since. Ive been part of this from the beginning, but it really all started with Joe, Evans says. Hes the one who pulled it all together and made it happen way back then, and this year marks its 30th anniversary. Ive done more than 80 of these stories for the stage now, Hoesl said. The best thing about O. Henry is that his stories have such great dialogue. It makes it so much more interesting because the characters come alive more than when youre just reading. And of course, theres always one of his famous unexpected twists at the end, which takes everybody by surprise. O. Henry was born in Greensboro in 1862. An avid reader, he attended Lindsey Street High School and was a clerk at The W.C. Porter and Co. Drug Store on South Elm Street, which was owned by his uncle. He enjoyed sketching the customers and eventually became a pharmacist there before moving to Texas at age 20. He led a complicated life, writing and drawing while holding a variety of jobs, including bookkeeping for a bank that accused him of embezzlement in 1894. He was later arrested, but before his trial he fled to Honduras, where he wrote his first book, Cabbages and Kings. When he returned to Texas to be with his dying wife, he was sentenced to five years in prison but continued submitting stories to magazines. After his release, he moved to New York, where he wrote the majority of his work nearly 400 stories. An alcoholic, he died in 1910 after a long illness, having published nine other books. Most of O. Henrys work is witty, revolving around the lives of ordinary people and ending with an element of surprise. His best known stories include The Gift of the Magi, The Cop and the Anthem, The Ransom of Red Chief and The Caballeros Way. In the early days of 5 by O. Henry, Hoesl chose which stories to adapt and juggled other responsibilities to bring them to life. When I started out, I directed it, I cast it, I wrote it, I got all the sets together myself, and it was just horrendous, he said, laughing. Every year, I said, Ill never do this again. The museum rounded up a crew of experts over the years people that Evans and Hoesl are both thrilled with and coordinating the production is easier today. Each year the selection changes, with the cast performing two songs between stories while sets are changed, accompanied by pianist Michael Greene. The best thing is that weve got all these people now who love doing this, Hoesl said. We have a core of actors, and we keep adding more, and theyre always good. And the singing is crucial. Barbara Britton is such a great artistic director, and she has directed hundreds of shows. Now, I give her 10 stories to choose from and she picks five. This years playbill features The Rathskeller and the Rose, The Fifth Wheel, Conscience in Art, Tobins Palm and The Memento. Musical Director Pam Murphy chooses the songs, and Marion Seaman, who teaches at Greensboro College, designs costumes. John Saari, also a professor at Greensboro College, designs sets and lighting. He could have any job in the world, hes always in demand, but he stays here in Greensboro and has done fabulous sets for us for at least 15 years, Hoesl said. About half of each audience has never been to the museum before, Hoesl said, adding that the shows are great for families. We encourage them; we say youve got to come back. For people new to this, Id tell them, Youll really enjoy it and have a great time. Evans says the shows are well-received every year, and humor is a large part of their appeal. Who doesnt like to laugh, and believe me, youre going to laugh if you come, she says. Youre going to laugh a lot. Ukraine has agreed an increase in supplies of nuclear fuel with Westinghouse and building a nuclear fuel plant in Ukraine in the future to avoid dependence on Russia, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said. "We agreed to diversify supplies for almost half of nuclear reactors and to build a nuclear fuel plant on the territory of Ukraine," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday. The minister said that the agreements were reached during his recent trip to the United States. Nasalyk recalled that at present Russia supplies almost 95% of nuclear fuel to Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs). The minister specified that Westinghouse is ready to discuss building of the nuclear plant in Ukraine. "On August 18 I will fly to Kazakhstan where I will discuss, among other issues, the completion of the nuclear fuel plant in Ukraine. We have two sources. When we have two, it is better to work," he said. As reported, in order to diversify sources of nuclear fuel supply for the country's NPPs, Energoatom jointly with Westinghouse in 2000 launched the project for the qualification of this company's fuel. In March 2008 Energoatom and Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB (Sweden) signed a commercial contract to ship fresh fuel to three or six reactors of Ukrainian NPPs in 2011-2015. In April 2014, the sides prolonged the contract until 2020. At present, the Yuzhnoukrainsk NPP's reactor three and Zaporizhia NPP's reactor five are the only reactors that run on Westinghouse fuel. A plan to broaden the use of upgraded Westinghouse nuclear fuel assemblies (WR fuel assemblies) involves their use at reactor two of Yuzhnoukrainsk NPP in December 2016. Energoatom operates all four active NPPs in Ukraine. It runs 15 power units equipped with pressurized water reactors with a total installed capacity of 13.835 gigawatts. GREENWICH - The Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission has given its approval for a developer to demolish an old house historic preservationists had tried to save. The approval allows property owner Robert Stone to bisect a 36,000 square foot piece of property at 50 Lockwood Ave. to build two new houses on the lot in place of the single home built there more than 140 years ago. The market, such as it is, is not for old homes, said attorney Thomas Heagney, representing Stone. Its for new construction. Thats what people are looking to buy, and what people are looking to build. The structure at 50 Lockwood Ave. was built in 1875, according to the Greenwich assessor's office, but records from the Greenwich Historical Society document it as early as 1834. An article from The Greenwich Press dated February 3, 1938, ties the house to the Lockwood family of early Greenwich. The house was not on any state or federal historic registry, said Chairman of the Historic District Commission Stephen Bishop, though it was certainly old enough to be. Heagney said Stone had had difficulty selling the old house as it was. It was on a big piece of property which drove the price up, and would have required major renovations to have a full modern interior appeal, requiring further investment from any potential buyer. The buyer the owner finally found was willing to purchase the property contingent upon getting permission from the town to subdivide the lot into two pieces of property and build new houses on each one, Heagney said. The subdivision line went right through the middle of the old house, requiring its demolition for that plan to succeed. Despite destruction of the house, the demolition will leave a stone wall on the eastern edge of the property and a 42-inch wide maple tree intact. Heagney said the house will be documented and photographed and an archaeological survey of the property done before the land is cleared. Fi Fi Sheridan, an HDC member, spoke at the meeting in favor of saving the old house. If we were to work under the assumption that no one is interested in saving older homes, we would never save anything, Sheridan said. We all know that real estate, as in other parts of life, is cyclical. Our commission wholeheartedly endorsed any part of creativity or wisdom so that this property could be saved. Bishop had lobbied the Planning and Zoning Commission to save the building at the last meeting. Richard Maitland, chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said in agreeing to retain the stone wall and the large maple tree he thought the applicant had made reasonable concessions. I think thats a move forward, Maitland said. The vote was passed unanimously. The property on which the house is located was owned by David Lockwood, who represented Greenwich in the state Legislature and was the great-great-grandson of Susannah Lockwood, one of the wives of Jeffery Ferris, considered a founder of Greenwich. David Lockwoods great-grandson, Beal Burr Lockwood, was the first Lockwood born in the house in 1807. Beals son William helped establish a railroad station in Old Greenwich, and Williams daughter lived in the house in 1938, when the Greenwich Press article was written. pfrissell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD Hidden at the tip of Wallacks Point, a private neighborhood east of Shippan, is a gated causeway leading to Caritas Island. The island is home to the family of John A. Morgan, great-grandson of the famous banker J.P. Morgan and great, great-grandson of former U.S. President John Quincy Adams. Morgans estate, which is on the market for $9 million, sprawls over the 3.5-acre island with a 14,200-square-foot stone mansion flanked by two guest homes, a greenhouse, a natural pool and gazebo. But some of the propertys most magnificent features are woven into its details. Marble trim separates the original Herringbone oak hardwood floors from the ornate wood-paneled walls on the first floor of the main house, a stone patio features a to-scale map of Connecticuts Long Island Sound coastline and imported chandeliers from Sweden and Denmark add to the 12-bedroom homes grandiose atmosphere. Im going to miss the atmosphere here, said Connie Morgan, Johns wife. When you cross that causeway, its like a relief ... Its like living in a vacation home. The 114-year-old mansion is a fortress of solitude, clad by 20-inch stone walls and a green slate roof. The library on the first floor, which features a secured room with a wet bar, is particularly private. This is a really quiet room, even when the weather is really bad, Connie Morgan said. On top of the thick walls, we just replaced all of the windows with storm windows so you really cant hear anything out there. Thanks to a protective seawall and a hearty stone skeleton, the main house has never sustained any weather damage. On the eastern tip of Caritas Island is a private harbor with a 13-foot draft and a 500-foot pier. A large pier and deep-water dock is a rarity, especially when its fully protected with a breakwater, said listing agent Janet Olmsted, of Halstead Connecticut. John A. Morgan said the private harbor, which is large enough to fit a 75-foot boat, is one of the most valuable amenities Caritas Island has to offer. Other amenities include eight fireplaces scattered throughout the main house, and a master bedroom suite featuring his-and-her marble-clad bathrooms and two dressing rooms. Attached to the home is a four-car heated garage with pens for the Morgans five dogs, a workroom, a mudroom and a pantry. A rich history Even though the main house was completely renovated in 2011, pieces of history still remain around every corner. Some of these gems are original to the home, while others were brought in by the Morgan family. John Pierpont Morgans original mahogany desk sits in the front room at the 140 Wallacks Drive home. Benjamin Bingo Gilbert and his Rockefeller wife Mary, used the same front room as a grand ballroom in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. This desk used to be in the original Drexel building in New York, Connie Morgan said with pride as she flipped through old photographs of J.P. Morgans first headquarters in Manhattan. J.P. Morgan sat here when he lent some money to America in 1895. Shes referring to the countrys near-disaster in 1895 when the U.S. gold reserves evaporated. J.P. Morgan dug up an old Civil War-era statute that allowed him and some fellow international financiers to replenish the Treasurys gold stocks, and the country was saved. The house was built in the early 1900s for members of the Anson Phelps Stokes and J.G. Phelps Stokes family, descendants of those who started the Phelps-Dodge mining company. Depending on who you ask, the house was built sometime between 1902 and 1909. After the Great Depression, it changed hands to the Gilbert family. During World War II, Connie Morgan said the FBI raided the home and arrested the Gilberts entire staff for being German spies. There are so many crazy stories like that about this house, she said. A lot has happened here over the years. There was even a movie made about this house. The 2009 documentary, Beyond Greenaway: The Legacy, is a film by Sue Gilbert about her childhood spent on the island. Caritas Island was known back then as Greenaway Island. The Morgans re-instated the original name when they bought the property in 1987. Caritas Island has always been a private residence, but the coastline property is zoned for nonprofit uses like a museum, a beach club, a day camp or an assisted living home. The property can be subdivided into two lots, with 2 acres around the main house, 1.5 acres around surrounding structures and an additional 1.5 acres beyond the seawall. Conversion of the property would require some zoning approvals, and any new structure could not exceed three stories, Olmsted said. nora.naughton@scni.com; twitter.com/noranaughton / Bob Luckey GREENWICH The YMCA of Greenwich will develop a new swimming program for special needs children, thanks to a recent $10,000 grant from the Abilis Community Foundation. We are proud of this partnership with the Abilis Community Foundation said Bob DeAngelo, CEO of the YMCA of Greenwich. All children deserve access to water safety resources and this investment will provide a great starting point for children and their parents to get comfortable in water while developing a lifelong love of swimming. Ukraine in the period of heat peaks asked Russia to provide technical assistance and extra supplies of electricity, although Russia refused to do this, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Ihor Nasalyk has said. "We asked technical aid from Russia, and the country refused to provide this aid," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday. Nasalyk said that Ukraine coped with peak burdens in the conditions of halted coal supplies from territories of Donetsk region that are beyond control of the Ukrainian government without importing electricity. He also said that the autumn and winter period when electricity consumption is lower than in some summer periods would be passed without rotating blackouts. Techpreneurs, especially in the mobile app business, often complain about lack of new ideas. There are many "me too" apps trying to steal the thunder from successful apps and miserably failing at it. This is because it is very difficult to become successful using someone elses formula of success. Just have a go at the iTunes or Play Store and look at some successful apps and their alternatives. Download both and compare. Even though the copy app might have more features and may be better looking, people will always go for the original app. Seems unfair? No, it isnt. Related: Why Your Small Business Needs a Mobile App There are still plenty of gaps to be filled, pain points to be solved and ideas waiting to happen. If you really want to make your app a hit, start thinking out of the box. In my brief experience as a co-founder of MoveoApps, I found that there are some common factors amongst all successful apps. I would like to call it my 3C theory. If you follow these 3Cs every time you are brainstorming for ideas, you have a real shot at winning every time. 1. Choose classics over trends. Some ideas never go out of style. Instead of chasing hit apps (aka Pokemon, Angry Birds) and coming up with a "me too" app, go for timeless classics, add your own flair to it and make it rewarding for users. One such example is of arcade games. Fans of arcade games dont tire of trying new apps, no matter how many arcade games they play. So if you want to develop an arcade game, look at the arcade games fan clubs and communities. It is the best place to find whatll work and what wont. From evergreen Pac-Man to the latest Robot Clash Run, youll find endless discussions on each game, which will give you an idea for your own app. You could even look at the pain points of existing apps and try to solve them in your own app, but try to market it in as different way as possible. The moment you are stuck with a "me too" label, your chance at success is lost. 2. Catalyze change. Apart from wanderlust, millennials are thirsty for change. They want to change the world, making it a better place. They are thirsty for ecological changes, political changes, economic changes and above all, world peace. Technology is a very powerful tool and you can bring out real changes in the world with it. Related: How to Engineer Growth in Mobile Apps If you want to be a harbinger of change, try to attach some social cause to your ideas. Think of ways your idea can not only help you financially but also the society altruistically. The Solidarity App has been designed keeping these millennial values in mind. It allows millennials to help the society in their free time, without actually donating money or actively participating in a cause. It is primarily a game-testing app, which pays on a users behalf for testing games and apps from within their app. Every time users try a new app or game; it makes donations on their behalf. Whats more, it supports various charities for different causes, so whether you want to donate for the betterment of refugees, clean the environment or defend animal rights, you can choose the campaign and fund it. 3. Crack real problems. Despite having a plethora of apps that solve our every day needs and problems, there is still a wide gap to fill. Think of weird Japanese inventions like the hand-resting device while you are playing Pokemon Go, thats probably stretching it too far, but you get the gist. Related: 5 Mobile Apps Every Entrepreneur Should Use When you have a crack at real problems, you create a niche for yourself. This is a sure shot way to claim your fame. In order to find problems, you need to gain experience in your particular field. For instance, people at pCloud found that existing cloud storage players like Dropbox and Box didnt use encrypted folders, so they came up with pCloud, which offers a real solution to a common problem. There are many such examples of techpreneurs who carved a niche by cracking real problems. Once you have a solid idea of what you want to build, validate it at an early stage with Xyologic. Sometimes even great ideas can backfire if the market is not ready or the niche you have chosen in very narrow. In a cluttered and competitive market, where there is an app for almost everything, it takes a real genius to find a niche or solve a problem. Who knew the world needed a monster-chasing game or another fitness app, despite that these app developers have seen great success. This is because they saw a breakthrough in the already cluttered market and found an idea to fill it. Remember the 3 Cs always: Classics over trends. Dont settle for fads; the fate of Angry Birds should act as a good deterrent. Catalyze change. Find worthy causes that can be attached to your app. Millennials are do-gooders and you have to appeal to their sense of altruism. Crack a real problem and get a real shot at success. Related: This App Lets You Call Any Number on the Planet For Free 4 Things You Can Learn About Marketing from Pokemon Go The 3 Cs of Successful Mobile App Business Ideas Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved You've got a speech topic and you know what benefit it will bring to all who hear you. You've invested in a phenomenal website and its accoutrements. You're like a teenage girl sitting there in your fancy prom dress, looking out the window, ready to go. When will your date show up? Time moves so slowly as you anticipate that phone starting to ring. After a few months of believing "If you build it, they will come" most would-be speakers start feeling frustrated, rejected, and hurt. Some may find their enthusiasm for speaking starts to wane. Maybe they will give up before they even really give their speaking business a chance to succeed. Because right in this moment, at this stage, as you're about to leap onto the world scene at last -- this is where the speakers and the wanna-be's come to the fork in the road. Believe it or not, no matter how delightful you, your speech and your website are, meeting planners are not looking for you. In fact, you probably don't even show up on the first page of Google yet if they search for your type of speaker. (Try it and see!) And none of their friends have heard you speak yet, so you won't get those precious word-of-mouth referrals. And that nice meeting planner from the company six states away who promises you that you'll surely get bookings if you spend your own money to fly to their event, pay for your own hotel room and speak for free? Yeah. Good luck with that, newbie. The time has come for you to promote yourself like a maniac. This is vital during the lift-off stage of your new career. Start by following these five steps: Find out which companies are having meetings in the next 12-18 months. Do they bring in outside speakers? Research the names of the meeting planners in charge of bringing in the speakers for those events. Sleuth out meeting planners' contact information. Write a compelling 3-4 sentence introductory pitch Summon up the courage to email, follow-up call, email, follow-up call, and email each of them. In that order during the first 10-14 days. I have a speaker client in Louisiana, now retired, who had his assistant send five physical pitch packages to five meeting planners every workday. The following Monday, he would call the previous Monday's five meeting planners, assuming they'd gotten the mail by then. He'd pitch them on hiring him, or at least do an "introducing myself" call. She sent five packages a day, he made five phone calls a day. Anyone can find time for five phone calls! 50 weeks per business year x 25 calls per week = 1,250 calls. He was averaging 80 paid engagements each year, and after we had fixed some of his marketing parts, he was getting almost double the money per engagement! This man was making more than $100,000 each quarter! If you don't market yourself in the beginning of your speaking career, no one else will ever take you on and market you later, because you will fail before you get off the ground. Your responsilbility is to market yourself so well that you can easily train in your marketing strategy and easily afford a marketing person to work for you. Preparation, packaging, and promotion will make the difference between whether you get paid to speak or it just remains on your "Maybe Someday" list. Take advantage of the information in this article to get yourself to achieve your goal. For more valuable insider information on how you can get paid to speak, click here. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Aschkan Abdul-Malek had come to Afghanistan to solve problems. He was working for a consulting firm, and in 2013 was helping the World Bank study healthcare constraints in developing countries. One day, as he was home talking to his cook, he learned how personally devastating the healthcare problem could be: The cook was spending six times his annual income to fly his wife to India for medical care, because she couldnt find the doctor she needed at home. Many Afghans were in similar positions: Despite an average annual income of about $680, locals spend nearly $300 million a year on whats called medical tourism. Abdul-Malek wondered if he could fix this. Entrepreneurship was new for Abdul-Malek, 34, a son of Iraqi and Iranian parents, who was raised in the U.S. He holds a law degree and an MBA from Vanderbilt University, worked in investment banking and strategic consulting and spent time with an NGO in Northern Iraq. But corporate life never suited him, he says: At no stage was I ever that guy that would just get lost in a crowd. He races cars at 160 mph for fun. When a bomb goes off near the office, he checks that everythings OK and gets back to work. He performs well under pressure. A Kabul startup was his kind of challenge. In 2014, he launched AlemHealth. If understaffed Afghan hospitals had a reliable way to connect with foreign specialists, he reasoned, patients could be spared the expensive travel. And if it worked in Kabul, it could scale to other developing countries. He hired an office manager and brought in a UAE-based cofounder with telemedicine experience along with his experienced team of Bangladeshi software developers. Kabul may be one of the worlds most unstable cities, but with the local population looking for ways to create jobs, and foreign aid agencies keen to promote entrepreneurship as a road to economic growth, a startup community is sprouting. The past few years have seen the citys first tech accelerator, Startup Weekend and coworking space. It definitely can be challenging, says Roia Shefayee, a director of the local accelerator Founder Institute, Kabul Chapter. Startups need to deal with security issues, government corruption, unreliable electricity and shaky infrastructure. But, she says, there are challenges in any country you go to. As Abdul-Malek built AlemHealth, he discovered that Kabuls challenges came with benefits. Its like trying to do things in space, he says. It will test your redundancies in ways that you never planned for, and it allows you to build something thats so robust and flexible that you can take it anywhere. For example, many hospitals werent set up for telemedicine, so he had messengers shuttle X-rays and MRIs across town to his office, where they were digitized and transmitted to specialists in the U.S. and India. Once the company proved there was demand, it developed affordable hardware; Afghan doctors could then send the images from the hospitals, and pay only when they used it. He also learned the local quirks -- like documenting everything to avoid any mistakes or disputes. Hed heard a rumor of someone in the medical community clashing with a client and then disappearing soon after. One client accused AlemHealth of breaking a machine and took the dispute to a jirga, or traditional council, which brokered a $2,000 payment to the client. Youre sitting in someones living room with a bunch of old guys with beards, trying to explain to them the nuances of a CT machine, says Abdul-Malek. Its kind of hilarious. After processing hundreds of patient records and signing up a handful of hospitals in Kabul, AlemHealth scored a $151,000 angel investment. In early 2016, it expanded to Lagos, Nigeria. Now Abdul-Malek is working with 15 facilities across the two countries and plans to be in Iraq and Sudan by the end of the year. Like Kabul, these new locations, he expects, will challenge him -- and make him better. Youre constantly reacting and learning very quickly, and these are skills that every startup founder needs, he says. If it starts to feel comfortable, youre probably not pushing the boundaries enough. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved First ship with coal alternative to coal from Donbas to arrive to Ukraine around Aug 21 minister A first ship with anthracite would arrive to Ukraine on August 20 or August 21, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said. "A first small tanker with 130,000 tonnes would arrive on August 20 or August 21. Then one tanker after another would arrive," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday. The minister did not disclose other details of supplies, referring to the commercial conditions of the contract. He said that Ukraine was able to buy coal thanks to establishing an indicative price of coal of UAH 1,370 per tonne from the beginning of August. Nasalyk said that another way of settling the problem is the switch of power plants' units to gas coal. Gas coal production on the Ukrainian government-controlled territory is enough to cover the needs. He said that it is impossible to fully stop buying anthracite made in Donbas. Now that the Samsung Galaxy Note7 is official and the craze is dying down, at least on the rumor front that is, leakststers and tipsters have naturally refocused all their attention to Apple and its upcoming iPhone lineup. And now that September is drawing ever closer, we seem to be somewhat past renders and on to dummy models and potentially even working prototypes out in the open. Alleged iPhone 7 The latest such clip seems to feature a working iPhone 7 prototype. Although not "working" in the typical iOS sense, the unit does seem to be loaded with a hardware testing suite. Interactions with it do appear believable enough, but you should still take it with a grain of salt. Why, you may ask? Well, judging by the sheer amount of leaks and renders of the alleged new design of the iPhone 7 that are already out there, less-honorable manufacturers out of China have already had plenty of time to out fake devices based on said exterior design. We experienced this first hand back in 2014 in the wake of the iPhone 6 announcement, when we spotted an almost perfect Android-powered clone on the streets of Shenzhen. To further illustrate the point, the iPhone 7 also made sort of an appearance on YouTube today on the quite popular Unbox Therapy channel. The video features what could possibly be a scale-accurate dummy model of the alleged iPhone 7 Pro (note the POGO pins on the back). It is a curious watch for the extravagant blue color if nothing else, but the takeaway is that you can expect an influx of more and more convincing fakes in the weeks to come. As always, we'll let you be the judge on this one. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Via The Samsung Galaxy Note7 is built on the S7 platform. This means the chipset is either Snapdragon 820 or an Exynos 8890 (which one you get depends on geography) and 4GB of RAM. Yep, there's no upgrade in RAM over the S7, despite the numerous 6GB rumors. Anyway, we just got an early unit that isn't 100% ready for a review. It's the Exynos version, which is what Europeans have to look forward to, while the US is getting the Snapdragon one. We'll start a full review when we get a proper retail unit, but we did try some benchmarks. And it comes as no surprise the Galaxy Note7 matched the S7 and S7 edge, the Exynos ones. AnTuTu 6 does show a small gain over the S7 edge (both versions). Samsung touched up the software - definitely visually, but perhaps under the hood too. Or it could just be the benchmarks margin of error. AnTuTu 6 Higher is better Moto Z Droid (Snapdragon) 151619 OnePlus 3 (Snapdragon) 141764 Galaxy Note7 (Exynos) 134660 Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon) 132849 Galaxy S7 edge (Exynos) 129229 Huawei P9 Plus (Kirin 955) 97392 Basemark OS 2.0 recorded a significant jump in performance - maybe Samsung really did tune up the engine. We'll redo the benchmarks once we get our hands on a retail unit, but so far it looks like the Note7 might bring a performance boost even if the specs on paper don't show it. Basemark OS 2.0 Higher is better Moto Z Droid (Snapdragon) 2690 Galaxy Note7 (Exynos) 2676 OnePlus 3 (Snapdragon) 2365 Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon) 2352 Huawei P9 Plus (Kirin 955) 2099 Galaxy S7 edge (Exynos) 2050 The Exynos 8890 chipset features an octa-core CPU with four of Samsung's own Mongoose cores (instead of the usual Cortex-A72) and four Cortex-A53. The Snapdragon 820 version has all custom cores by Qualcomm - four Kryo cores split into two groups, 2x 2.15GHz and 2x 1.6GHz. This gives the Exynos-powered Note7 a slight edge in multi-core performance, but the Snapdragon version has a lead in single-core tests. The differences are small enough that you shouldn't fret over which Note7 version is available in your local store. GeekBench 3 (multi-core) Higher is better Huawei P9 Plus (Kirin 955) 6660 Galaxy S7 edge (Exynos) 6600 Galaxy Note7 (Exynos) 6311 Moto Z Droid (Snapdragon) 5566 OnePlus 3 (Snapdragon) 5520 Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon) 5420 GeekBench 3 (single-core) Higher is better OnePlus 3 (Snapdragon) 2383 Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon) 2345 Moto Z Droid (Snapdragon) 2345 Galaxy S7 edge (Exynos) 2151 Galaxy Note7 (Exynos) 2143 Huawei P9 Plus (Kirin 955) 1892 Going over to the graphics tests, the Galaxy Note7 is a hair ahead of the S7 edge (Exynos) in one test, a bit behind in the other so the results are inconclusive. Here, Snapdragon's Adreno 530 GPU edges out Exynos' Mali-T880 MP12. GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen) Higher is better Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon) 32 Moto Z Droid (Snapdragon) 32 OnePlus 3 (Snapdragon) 31 Galaxy S7 edge (Exynos) 29 Galaxy Note7 (Exynos) 28 Huawei P9 Plus (Kirin 955) 10 GFX 3.1 Car scene (offscreen) Higher is better Moto Z Droid (Snapdragon) 19 Galaxy S7 edge (Snapdragon) 18 OnePlus 3 (Snapdragon) 18 Galaxy Note7 (Exynos) 16 Galaxy S7 edge (Exynos) 15 Huawei P9 Plus (Kirin 955) 6.2 We'll re-run the benchmarks when we get a hold of a retail unit, but we don't expect much to change. Now that the Galaxy Note7 is out, Samsung is busy promoting the phablet and its new features. The iris scanner is surely quite intriguing tech and many questions began piling up with the impeding launch. People that aren't familiar with the iris scanning process are asking how does this work, is it fast, safe, secure? Samsung is ready to answer all those questions as this is its first smartphone to feature this biometric security option. Microsoft used this already on its Lumia 950 series, but due to the lack of popularity of the Windows phones, this feature wasn't widely discussed. First, it works fast thanks to the IR LED next to the scanner, which allows the sensor to capture your iris even in low-light conditions. The phone actually seems to read both of your eyes, but the one you scanned is important. Second, yes, it's secure. The scanned image is encrypted and no one will be able to access it. Third - it's safe. The technology received the highest International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62471 (photo biological stability) certification level. So, the IR LED is safe for your eyes. Samsung made sure it has taken all necessary precautions, though, and it implemented an improved eye detection - the IR LED will turn off in close proximity or long exposure to the eyes, just in case. The iris scanner, just like the fingerprint sensor, can be used to lock and unlock sensitive content in the gallery, browser, phonebook, file manager, notes, or email. It can also be used in combination with the Knox mode. If you want to know more, follow the source link below. Source Via Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on representatives of Malaysian business to invest in Ukraine. "Investing in Ukraine you can receive inexpensive production facilities located closely to the EU market and a possibility of hiring skilled Ukrainian employees," the president said at a meeting with Malaysian businessmen as part of his official visit to Malaysia. "I am sure that today it is time for Malaysian investors to come to Ukraine. It has large opportunities in various economic sectors. Taking into account huge industrial and servicing potentials of our countries we should move to a more complicated and creative cooperation," Poroshenko said. Commenting on directions where businessmen can invest their money, the Ukrainian president said that they are agriculture, IT industry, aerospace and aviation. "Ukraine has a full cycle of transport and passenger aircraft building. The country also produces aircraft engines and aviation products that are better than foreign analogs from many points of view," he said. He said that cooperation in defense industry could bring economic relations between the two countries at a higher level. "Ukraine is among countries with the developed industrial base and large scientific and technical potential. Ukraine is interested in expanding cooperation in all industrial sectors, including shipbuilding, engineering, light industry, metal and chemical industries," Poroshenko said. He called on Malaysian investors to participate in the competitive and transparent privatization of state-run enterprises. Haiti - Politic : New session failed in the Senate Wednesday, after the failure of the Senate plenary session the day before, for lack of quorum https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18221-haiti-politic-the-permanence-declared-in-parliament.html the new attempt Wednesday, also ended by a failure. While it is true that in the first roll call 15 senators were present (8 Tuesday) and in the second 14 (7 Tuesday), the quorum was again reversed in the absence of 16 senators required nd the meeting was postponed to Tuesday, August 9 (The Senate sits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the summer). Ronald Lareche, Senate President, visibly disappointed, urged all senators to fully assume their responsibilities, lamenting of absence without reasonable explanations motivated. Apart Senators Carl Murat Cantave and Francisco Delacruz traveling abroad, the senators absent without just cause are : Edwin Zenny, Herve Fourcand, Onondieu Louis, Ricard Pierre and Wetsner Polycarpe. He asked absent from ending the empty chair policy, which damages the reputation of all members of the Senate. PI/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping politics... Chavannes Jeune apologize to the Nation The presidential candidate, Pastor Chavannes Jeune has endorsed the candidacy of Pastor Maxo Joseph,moreover he apologized to the Nation and the Protestant community for the damage caused. Pastor Maxo Joseph, is presented as the "single" presidential candidate of the Protestant sector, which in fact is not the case, the Protestant sector is still divided... The Deputies at work since 2 days Wednesday in the lower house, the deputies continued the session put in continuation the day before and ruled on the bill, bringing benefits to the beneficiaries of deceased police officers on duty. Furthermore, the Lower House adopted provisions for work during this week on several other proposals and bills, which are important for the country, the bills of public finances 2015-2016 (amending budget) and the new State budget 2016-2017 are part https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18221-haiti-politic-the-permanence-declared-in-parliament.html Chief a.i. of the PNH still not ratified Jean Renel Senatus, President of the Senate Committee "Justice, Security and Defence," announced that the Commissioners approved the report on the eligibility of Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General a.i. of the National Police of Haiti (PNH). He invites the Assembly of Senators to approve this report as soon as possible. Steven Benoit hopes for a jolt of his colleagues Senator Steven Benoit said he hoped a jolt of his colleagues about the holding of a plenary session to among another sanction the Commission report on the appointment of the Head of PNH, and the ratification of the boards of the BRH and BNC... Towards a possible alliance OPL-LAPEH Yrvelt Chery, the National Organization of People in Struggle Coordinator (OPL) announced a possible alliance between his party and the "Alternative League for Progress and the Haiti Emancipation" (LAPEH). OPL will propose a memorandum of understanding to officials of LAPEH to try to find an agreement. The fate of Privert in standby Ronald Lareche, President of the Senate stated that he begun talks with representatives of the political blocs for the continuation of the session in National Assembly, which must decide the fate of the Provisional President, Jocelerme Privert, as stipulated in the agreement February 6. He said that the representatives of the political blocs in Parliament are obliged to conclude a consensual agreement in order to end the session abort 4 times. He announced that if there is no prior agreement, it does not convene the National Assembly... HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2016/08/04 | Source Added episode 14 captures for the Korean drama "Doctors" (2016) Advertisement Directed by Oh Choong-hwan Written by Ha Myeong-hee Network : SBS With Kim Rae-won, Park Shin-hye, Yoon Kyun-sang, Lee Sung-kyung, Kim Young-ae, Jung Hae-kyun,... 20 episode - Mon, Tue 22:00 Also known as "Doctor Crush" Synopsis A drama about the realism in the relationship between doctors and patients and the social prejudice of educational background and origin. Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2016/06/20 More 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. 11:01, 28 OCT 2022 The Military Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (MPGO) has called on former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov to appear for questioning in Kyiv. A copy of the request has been posted to the MPGO's Internet site. According to the document, Azarov is invited for questioning at 14.00 on Aug. 9 and for procedural matters in the framework of a criminal case probing the activities of an organized criminal group headed by disgraced former President Viktor Yanukovych that embezzled up to UAH 2 billion with PSJC Ukrnafta and PJSC Ukrgazvydobyvannia. Azarov's son, Oleksiy, has also been summoned for questioning at 16.00 the same day. Mykola Azarov said the PGO itself illegitimate. "Following the overthrow of elected officials [in February 2014] the PGO ceased to serve as the agency responsible for law enforcement and upholding the Constitution of Ukraine. Following the arrests of Kotsaba, Hlishchensky, Aleksandrovsky, Efremov and many others, the PGO lost the moral and legal right to accuse individuals in the name of Ukraine. This is how to respond to PGO claims," Azarov wrote on his Facebook page. Azarov headed the Ukrainian government from March 2010 until the end of January 2014. Following the Revolution of Dignity he fled Ukraine. Presently he resides in the Russian Federation. Ukraine has put Mykola Azarov on the international wanted list on suspicion he embezzled government funds. Azarov's son Oleksiy was elected national parliament deputy in 2012. Militant forces shelled Ukrainian military positions 38 times from 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday to 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, with the majority of strikes recorded in Donetsk region, the press center of the headquarters of Kyiv's army operation said on its Facebook account. Positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces came under fire on 38 occasions, the headquarters said. "At 2:00 a.m., the adversary resumed strikes against residential areas in populated localities in the vicinity of Donetsk," it said. Militant forces opened fire 21 times in the Donetsk district, which 120mm and 82mm mortars and grenade launchers being used against Ukrainian military positions in Avdiyivka and Mayorsk, it said. The Minsk agreements were violated in Zaitseve, where heavy artillery weapons - 122mm artillery systems, banned by these accords - were used, the press center said. Large-caliber machineguns, grenade launchers and small arms were fired in Nevelske and Troitske. An anti-aircraft gun was used near Avdiyivka. The information available to the headquarters also indicates that the militants used mortars and machineguns against Ukrainian checkpoints in the Krasnohorivka-Maryinka area and the Hnutove-Shyrokyne area, near the city of Mariupol. The situation was "relatively quiet" in Luhansk region in the past day, the press center said. Controversy surrounding enterprise agreement negotiations between the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the United Firefighters Union (UFU) have flared up again with a letter from a head fire chief slamming the unions actions. I wish to raise with you my serious concerns regarding the negotiations with the United Firefighters Union, Peter Rau, chief officer at the Melbourne Fire Brigade (MFB) wrote in a letter to Emergency Services Minister James Merlino. Serious issues, he said, stem from the unions expectations that the terms of any agreement negotiated with the CFA should be reflected in a new agreement with the MFB. This would further impair the MFB from doing its public duty. The MFBs position has been that its own current agreement seriously impeded the delivery of effective fire prevention and suppression services in Victoria. The main cause of concern was the requirement of the chief officer to consult and reach agreement with union officials on all operational activities. As the chief officer, I have to respond quickly and decisively to emergency situations, Rau wrote. I need to make decisions unimpeded by provisions within an industrial instrument requiring agreement from a third party (UFU). Rau highlighted a number of instances where the current MFB enterprise agreement led to unacceptable situations such as: Dobro master and 13-time Grammy-award winner Jerry Douglas is to the resonator guitar what Jimi Hendrix was to the electric guitar: elevating, transforming, and reinventing the instrument in countless ways. In addition to being widely recognized as the foremost master of the Dobro, Jerry Douglas is a freewheeling, forward-thinking recording artist whose artistry incorporates elements of bluegrass, country, rock, jazz, blues and Celtic into his distinctive musical vision. The renegade traditionalists of Mipso Jacob Sharp on mandolin, Joseph Terrell on guitar, Libby Rodenbough on fiddle and Wood Robinson on double bass are doing their part to take three-part harmony and Appalachian influences into new territory. Formed in Chapel Hill in 2010, these musicians draw continual inspiration from their rich North Carolina roots. Location: Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts Time: 8:00pm Jerry Douglas Called dobros matchless contemporary master, by The New York Times, thirteen-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas is one of the most innovative recording artists in music, both as a solo artist and member of groundbreaking bands including J.D. Crowe & the New South, the Country Gentlemen, Boone Creek, and Strength In Numbers. Douglas distinctive sound graces more than 1500 albums, including discs released by Garth Brooks, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Earl Scruggs, and Ray Charles, among many others. Since 1998, hes been a key member of Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, touring extensively and co-producing and playing on a series of platinum albums. He has produced albums for Krauss, the Del McCoury Band, Maura OConnell, and Jesse Winchester and is is co-Music Director of the acclaimed BBC TV series Transatlantic Sessions, and his latest solo album Traveler features guest appearances by such notable friends as Paul Simon, Mumford & Sons, and Eric Clapton, among others. MIPSO When Mipsos 2013 debut, Dark Holler Pop, rose to #8 on Billboards Bluegrass charts, the success surprised a lot of people Mipsos four members included. Well, we didnt know so many people would buy it, laughs mandolin player Jacob Sharp, and we definitely didnt know we were a bluegrass band. Since then, Mipso has performed over 300 shows and welcomed frequent collaborator Libby Rodenboughs voice and fiddle to the fold and has continued to grow as musicians and songwriters, while drawing continual inspiration from their rich North Carolina roots. Their new album, Old Time Reverie produced by Mandolin Oranges Andrew Marlin is a reflection of that musical and personal growth: a gripping, mature sophomore release that finds the quartet expanding their sonic resources while doubling down on their experimentation with string band tradition. While the instrumentation on the acclaimed Dark Holler Pop embraced North Carolinas bluegrass heritage head-on, Old Time Reverie finds Mipso shifting their focus away from bluegrass, introducing new instruments and textures to create a distinctly different sound. Clawhammer banjo out of 1920s early country music meets atmospheric electric organ (played by Josh Oliver of The Everybodyfields) more native to 1970s pop. Add imaginative songwriting and a group cohesion gained from two years of near-constant touring, and the resulting sound is powerfully rhythmic, lyrically sharp, and woven with beautiful four-part harmonies. Before forming Mipso, Jacob Sharp (mandolin), Joseph Terrell (guitar), Wood Robinson (bass), and Libby Rodenbough (fiddle) were just classmates at UNC-Chapel Hill, where the experience of singing together in harmony drew them together. The sound of their blended voices remains one of the bands hallmarks. Since those college jam sessions, the four have entered a new phase of life, one where the work of making music and the work of living has become a more complicated affair. Many of the songs on Old Time Reverie grapple with the moral ambiguity that comes with keeping hope in a difficult world and making sense of its contradictions. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket Finland, he points out, has received assistance to cope with other mass redundancies such as those made recently by Microsoft and Nokia from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). We therefore luckily or unfortunately, however you choose to look at it have experience of the matter, he writes in a blog published on Puheenvuoro . The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has begun exploring options to support the employees affected by the bankruptcy of Anttila, reveals Jari Lindstrom (PS), the Minister of Employment and Justice. Lindstrom reminds that a key eligibility criterion for assistance from the EGF is that the lay-offs are a consequence of globalisation-induced structural changes in the competitive landscape. The entry of several major international retail chains to Finland, he argues, has certainly had an impact on the competitive position of Anttila and Kodin1. An increase in global e-commerce has similarly had an impact on competition in the domestic retail sector, he says. It is now important to determine whether the criteria are met in the case of Anttila, if the lay-offs are implemented in full. The EGF can provide assistance to member states in the event that a single employer lays off a minimum of 500 staff members. Mikko Tiilikka, the administrator of the bankruptcy estate of Anttila, has revealed that nearly all of the 1,300 people employed by the retailer are likely to be laid off as a result of the bankruptcy. Lindstrom acknowledges that the fact that the employer is bankrupt distinguishes the case from those of Microsoft and Nokia but estimates that it is nonetheless worthwhile to look into whether or not the criteria are met. In the case of Microsoft and Nokia, we were able to determine our possibilities to utilise the EGF rather quickly based on our prior experiences. We are now looking into the possibility in the case of Anttila, he writes. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Roni Rekomaa Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi Head of the National Police of Ukraine Khatia Dekanoidze hopes the budget for the National Police will be increased to raise wages of policemen, thus giving them proper motivation for work. "The most important task for us and the authorities is to provide normal wages for policemen. I declare that policemen, whose salary is UAH 4,000, of course, cannot properly perform their job," she told journalists in Kyiv during the commemoration of the National Police Day. "I really hope next year we'll have the budget that will give us a chance to provide a motivational component for the National Police at the highest level," Dekanoidze stressed. According to her, if there is no proper motivation in the form of wages, the corruption component will not be removed. Helsingin Sanomat reported earlier this week that researchers are suspected of leaking the basic test results of as many as 400,000 conscripts to their colleagues in the United Kingdom. The Finnish Defence Forces' accusations that researchers have leaked the results of psychological tests conducted on hundreds of thousands of conscripts are exceptional, estimates Reijo Aarnio, the Data Protection Ombudsman of Finland. The scope of the alleged data leak is very unusual, if not outright unprecedented, says Aarnio. But you're talking about an exceptional case when you take into consideration the kind of information [that was allegedly leaked], he says in an interview with Uusi Suomi. It currently remains unknown whether or not the data include any identifying information about the test subjects. The so-called P1 and P2 psychological tests were developed by the Centre for Military Medicine to measure not only the intelligence but also the leadership skills and pressure handling ability of conscripts, according to Aarnio. The risk is that these people can never be sure where the information will pop up and where it'll be used, he points out. One indication of the risks associated with the suspected data leak according to him is the probe launched by the Finnish Defence Forces. The Defence Forces is the best-equipped to evaluate risks related to the [defence] sector. Because they reacted as they did and I think it's good that they reacted it must be based on some kind of a risk assessment, he explains. Aarnio reminds that the researchers accused in connection with the alleged data leak have denied releasing any data to third parties abroad. A criminal investigation, he says, may well be necessary to determine whether or not the accusations are true. The case is also related to a dispute between the Defence Forces and the National Archives of Finland over how long the test results should be stored: the former has demanded, citing privacy concerns, that old test results be deleted, while the latter has insisted that the results should be stored indefinitely for research purposes. The Defence Forces currently determines which researchers are granted access to the test results. No permissions to access the data can be granted to foreigners. Statistics Finland has removed all identifying information from the test results handed over to researchers since 2010, while before that the researchers themselves were responsible for anonymising, storing and deleting the data. The old system was effectively based on research ethics although researchers were required to delete the data after use, a spokesperson for the Defence Command told Helsingin Sanomat. Whether or not researchers complied with the requirement remains unknown. Aarnio reveals that in such cases the recipient of data, such as a researcher, is designated as a private data controller who is required to comply with all provisions set forth in the Personal Data Act. It prescribes that [the recipient] guarantees data protection, plans the data life cycle and deletes the data safely after they are no longer needed, he lists. The current system is consequently not founded solely on research ethics as the boundary conditions are clearly defined in the legislation, according to Aarnio. The owner of the data, he adds, may also impose additional conditions for releasing the data but is under no obligation to monitor how the data are processed. The Data Protection Ombudsman, in turn, is not responsible for monitoring compliance with the provisions on the release and right to receive information laid out in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. It is, however, responsible for monitoring the data recipients and may, in some cases, be notified of a release of data for research purposes in advance. Aarnio considers it important that researchers have access to support to ensure sensitive data is handled accordingly. Research data pseudonymised with rudimentary tools, for example, can be decrypted with so-called key codes. Researchers, he says, should be provided with services that ensure they do not have to wrangle with problems related to anonymisation. Statistics Finland, for example, has developed its services in that direction and it's a good direction but the country should definitely invest in improving the preconditions for high-quality and safe research, says Aarnio. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Kaisa Siren Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Razak have stressed the importance of bringing to justice those responsible for the crash of the Malaysian MH-17 aircraft in 2014. "We've reaffirmed our common position on the need to complete the investigation into the MH-17 aircraft tragedy. It is necessary to do everything possible to bring perpetrators to justice," Poroshenko said after talks with the Malaysian premier. Poroshenko said special attention during the talks was paid to the further deepening of cooperation within international organizations, particularly the UN Security Council, where Malaysia now chairs. "I am pleased to note the Ukrainian position on the key issues of the global agenda coincides with that of our Malaysian partners," the president said. The Malaysia prime minister, in turn, said the parties discussed the importance of investigating the MH-17 tragedy, and identifying those guilty. "We are also committed to the idea of establish the truth and bringing the perpetrators to justice. We expect a criminal investigation into the case, which, we hope, will be completed by the end of this year," the Malaysian official stated. Poroshenko is currently in Malaysia for an August 3-5 official visit. As reported, the Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777, en route from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, was shot down over the armed conflict area in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people onboard. On October 13, 2015, the Dutch Safety Board's commission, which investigated the cause of the MH-17 crash, published a report saying that the passenger plane had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired from a Buk air defense missile system. The Dutch Prosecutor's Office said in June 2016 that the investigative group, made of representatives of the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine, working to identify those responsible for the MH-17 crash and hold them to account, would publish the initial results of its criminal inquiry this fall. It also said that legal assistance requests had been sent to the countries involved in the investigation and replies to them were expected to arrive within the next two months. In particular, Russia is expected to provide information about Buk systems. Following the international investigative group's inquiry, further information will be published detailing the weapon used to shoot down the Malaysian Boeing, as well as the site from which the missile was fired. 'In other cases staff were sanctioned for other serious issues - including theft, fraud, misuse of the internet, and conflict of interest' Stock photo: PA More than 35 staff of the Revenue Commissioners have been investigated for serious misconduct, including theft, fraud and underperformance in the last three years, the Herald has learned. Documents obtained by this newspaper show the number of serious misconduct cases by Revenue staff has increased year-on-year since 2013. Revenue management investigated just seven cases of misconduct in 2013, rising to 14 cases in 2014. The worrying trend continued last year, when 16 cases were investigated. Documents also show that high-ranking and well-paid workers were among those investigated. Four higher executive officers - who earn up to 47,379 per year - were subject to inquires, despite regular staff memos on acceptable behaviour at work. The majority of misconduct cases related to underperformance, breaches of sick leave rules, failing to comply with official procedures, and inappropriate access to data stored by the Revenue Commissioners. Most of the staff involved in these incidents were dismissed, had their salary reduced or received formal warnings. However, in other cases staff were sanctioned for other serious issues - including theft, fraud, misuse of the internet, and conflict of interest. Internet In 2013, a Revenue worker's salary was reduced for misusing the internet, while another worker was dismissed for not obeying civil service codes of practice. A worker who was being investigated in 2014 for a fraudulent tax refund claim resigned before a sanction could be imposed. In another case where a worker accessed data inappropriately, they were not dismissed but were demoted and transferred. Another worker had their salary reduced for theft last year, as did a member of staff who inappropriately accessed data. Last year, three workers involved in incidents of misconduct either resigned or retired before a sanction was imposed. Nine cases of misconduct against Revenue workers are still ongoing - including cases of fraud, inappropriate conduct in the workplace, unauthorised removal of property, and the disclosure of data. Despite the number of misconduct cases increasing, a spokesman for the Revenue Commissioners said the number is "relatively small" compared to the 6,259 staff they employ. "Allegations of wrongdoing are always fully investigated by the Revenue Commissioners," said the spokesman. "Where an investigation finds that misconduct has occurred, the official will be subject to disciplinary proceedings under the disciplinary code." Investigations should take no longer than eight week, but cases can be extended "in the interest of thoroughness". Deirdre Duffy of ICCL and Andrea Horan of Hunreal Issues at the unveiling of two replicas of the Repeal the 8th mural Photo: Collins Dublin A contentious "Repeal the 8th" mural has been given a new home after it was removed from a building in Temple Bar in a planning dispute. The blue, white and red mural, which calls for an amendment to the Constitution to allow for abortion, was originally unveiled at the Project Arts Centre. It has been reproduced and now hangs from the windows of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) headquarters at Blackhall Place, Dublin. Temporary ICCL said that, unlike the Project Arts Centre installation, planning permission is not required as they are "temporary signs". Executive director Mark Kelly said the move was based on the State's obligation to "respect, protect and fulfil the right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity". The original mural, by artist Maser, was painted over after Dublin City Council issued a warning saying it violated planning laws. A number of complaints were received by the Project Arts Centre about the mural before it was removed. Since it was painted out, the wall on which it appeared was spray painted with the same message. Another mural inspired by the Project Arts Centre image was painted on a wall in Arklow by 23-year-old artist Dara Kenny. A new range of T-shirts bearing a variation of the Mazer mural has also been released by the HunReal Issues site which originally commissioned the installation. 'Judge Michael Walsh struck the case out at Dublin District Court, saying he was taking Hodgins' apology into account' (stock photo) A businessman punched a female bouncer in the mouth in a gay bar, then left her a 300 shopping voucher to apologise. John Hodgins (50) "lashed out" and hit the doorwoman after he and a friend were asked to leave The George Bar in Dublin's city centre. The father-of-four was left without a criminal record after he paid 500 to charity. Judge Michael Walsh struck the case out at Dublin District Court, saying he was taking Hodgins' apology into account. Hodgins, of Gortaboy, Kinvara, Co Galway, pleaded guilty to assault and threatening and abusive behaviour at the George Bar at 12.30am on March 2. Sergeant Niall Murphy said Hodgins had been causing trouble inside when he was asked to leave. As he was walking out he punched a female bouncer in the mouth without warning. He was restrained by other security staff on the ground and gardai were called. Staff were still dealing with Hodgins on the ground outside the bar when officers arrived. He was still shouting obscenities at that stage. The victim had made a full recovery, the court heard. Diagnosed Hodgins was married with four children and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder six years ago, the court heard. He was self-employed but his business had been severely affected by the recession. He had a number of properties in receivership, his solicitor Aisling Mulligan said. Hodgins had managed to hold on to one company, a glazing firm that employed 50 people. He had "worked hard to bring the business back up". On the night of the assault, he had been in the bar with a friend. The friend had "caused trouble" which Hodgins was not involved in, Ms Mulligan said. They were both put out of the premises and Hodgins "lashed out" as he left. He was greatly ashamed and went back the next day to speak to the member of staff, but "she didn't want to speak to him". "He went and got her a voucher for 300 and left it with his phone number and an apology," Ms Mulligan said. Alcohol was "the trigger here", Ms Mulligan said. The accused had been on medication as well. He had not taken a drink since. Marius Stravinskas is accused of trying to sell stolen cars A man accused of trying to sell two stolen vehicles, valued at over 8,000, to another individual has been sent forward for trial. Marius Stravinskas (39) was served with the book of evidence when he appeared on bail before Blanchardstown District Court. The accused is charged with trying to induce another individual to purchase a Ford Mondeo, with a false 2009 Cavan registration number, with intent of making gain for himself. The alleged incident took place at Steeplechase Court, Ratoath, Co Meath on July 2 last year. Mr Stravinskas, with an address at Beechwood Downs in Clonsilla, allegedly wanted 4,300 for the stolen car. Mr Stravinskas is further charged with handling a stolen Ford Mondeo car and with using a false vehicle registration certificate at the same time and place. Cash In a second alleged incident on August 7, 2015, Mr Stravinskas is further accused of trying to induce an individual to purchase a Toyota Vitz, again with intent of making gain for himself at Steeplechase Green, also in Ratoath, Co Meath. In this second incident, it is alleged that he was looking for 4,400 cash for the car. He is also accused of handling a stolen Toyota Vitz and with having a false vehicle registration certificate at the same time and place. A State solicitor said the book of evidence had been served on the accused, who goes forward to the next sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge David McHugh gave Mr Stravinskas the formal alibi caution. The judge also assigned defence solicitor John O'Doherty and one junior counsel on free legal aid. Judge McHugh ordered that a video copy of an interview which gardai conducted with the accused be furnished to his legal team. Mr Stravinskas has not yet indicated how he is pleading to the charges. He was remanded on the same bail to appear before the circuit court in October. Some of the puppies that were found in a car at Dublin Port Homes are needed for 14 puppies after they were seized by gardai at Dublin Port. The pups, of various breeds, were found in a car being driven by a man in his 20s after it was stopped on Promenade Road yesterday. "The dogs did not have access to water or fresh air and were being transported in a dangerous manner," gardai said. "No valid documentation was produced and the dogs were duly seized because of alleged cruelty." It is believed that the pups, which gardai suspect were to be sold in Britain, would have fetched around 17,000. Adoption They were taken to Store Street Garda Station and later handed over to the DSPCA in Rathfarnham. They were "healthy but will require to be monitored for a number of days". They will be put up for adoption. A spokeswoman for the animal charity said: "The DSPCA would like to thank Store Street gardai and customs officers for their continued vigilance in these cases. "This is the fourth seizure of its type in the last three weeks of pups leaving Ireland for the UK market illegally." Twenty puppies and a bitch were seized last week at Cairnryan ferry port in Scotland and returned to Dublin via Belfast. The dogs, which included Pomeranians, Cavachons and Chihuahuas, were being brought into Northern Ireland and Scotland to be sold. None of the pups had the relevant and required vaccination records, microchips or pet passports. They were discovered after an illegal trader advertised the puppies for sale online. That seizure was carried out under Operation Delphin, a collaboration between British and Irish SPCAs and both countries' customs and tax authorities. The smouldering wreckage of the Emirates plane at Dubai airport Photo: AFP/Getty Images Four Irish people were among the 300 crew and passengers who survived a dramatic Dubai plane crash landing. However, one member of the airport fire crew, who rushed to battle the blaze, tragically died as he helped to save the lives of all those on-board. The incident happened at 9.45am Irish time yesterday when Emirates flight EK521 travelling from India crash landed at Dubai. Smoke It was travelling from the southern Indian state of Kerala to the United Arab Emirate city, which is a major transport hub operating with two runways. Incredibly, all 282 passengers and 18 crew members who were aboard the Boeing 777 survived. The Emirates airline has a significant number of Irish crew and has made recruitment drives for cabin staff here in the past. Dramatic videos and pictures of the accident circulated online yesterday. Black smoke could be seen billowing from the aircraft, which appeared to have landed on its belly. Some of the pictures showed how almost the entire roof of the plane was burnt off by the time emergency services got the blaze under control. The Aviation Herald, a respected journal dealing specifically with aeronautical news, said the aeroplane suffered "a collapse in landing gear" and burst into flames. Passengers described hearing a loud noise as the plane touched down after what until that point had seemed to be an ordinary flight. "It was a big noise," said Shadi Kochuktty, a passenger from India. "We hadn't heard any announcement, but it was a big noise." Terrifying From that terrifying moment on, all those on board the Boeing 777 faced the nightmare all white-knuckle fliers fear: smoke filling the cabin, people screaming and the rush to escape. "All the people were shouting, all the children, all the women," said Arun Krishna, an Indian national. Flight attendants jumped out of their seats as the plane screeched to a stop, opening emergency doors on the craft and inflating the emergency slides. Asked what the flight attendants said, Kochuktty offered just one word: "Escape!" Another passenger, Sharon Maryam Sharji, described the terrifying experience. "As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin. "People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. We left by going down the emergency slides, and as we were leaving on the runway we could see the whole plane catch fire," she added. Krishna Bhagavathula, who was at the airport, wrote on Twitter that the flames had burned through the top of the aircraft before being brought under control. Approach There were conflicting reports about whether the plane was making an emergency landing or normal approach before the accident. All arrivals and departures from Dubai International were suspended for over five hours, but resumed at 2.30pm Irish time, authorities said. According to air traffic control recordings cited by the Aviation Herald, controllers at Dubai reminded the crew of the plane to lower the landing gear as it came in to approach. Shortly afterwards, the crew announced they were aborting the landing to "go around", a routine procedure for which pilots are well trained. But the aircraft came to rest near the end of the runway instead. It was not immediately clear whether the landing gear was extended by the time the aircraft touched the ground, though a family of passengers who declined to be named said the wheels did not deploy and the jet landed on its belly. A spokesperson for the Dubai media office, which represents the Emirate's government, said the plane was flying in from India when it "crash-landed". The nationalities of the passengers and crew aboard were released by the airline on Facebook. Along with the Irish, there were also 24 Britons while the majority, 226, were from India. The airline said the captain and the first officer had over 7,000 hours of flying experience each. Tribute Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum paid tribute to the firefighter who lost his life fighting the blaze. In a news conference last night, he also said 10 people were hospitalised after the incident. "Our thoughts are with everyone involved," he said. Safety experts said it was too early to pinpoint a cause for the crash, but Sheikh Ahmed ruled out any security breach. Boeing said it would work with Emirates to gather more information and was deploying a technical team to advise. Investigators will scour the wreckage and interview pilots, controllers and witnesses for clues to any technical malfunctions, human error or weather-related problems. One other bidder wanted to buy almost 5,000 acres of land in the Dublin Mountains when Nama agreed to sell to the Government. Growing concern that the land would be sold to a private party led Minister of State Michael Ring to go public with the deal yesterday - even though the sale still hasn't been formally signed off on. The agency had been insisting it could not sell for less than the estimated market value of 2.5m. However, over recent weeks the minister argued that this price did not take into account the fact that over 90pc of the land is off-limits for development. Sources told the Herald that Nama eventually retreated somewhat from its asking price of 500 an acre - but the price was still "considerable". Mr Ring said that final price would be revealed once the deal is finalised. The parcel of land, which takes in Kippure down to Glenasmole Valley and Bohernabreena Reservoir, was the largest to have come on the market in recent years. Negotiations will now start with residents and farmers living in the area to decide what grazing rights, turf-cutting rights and shooting rights they will retain. Purchase The minister said the purchase would help create "one of the largest national parks in Europe". It will be added to the Wicklow National Park and managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Arts and Heritage and the Dublin Mountains Partnership. "This is very good news for the whole country", Mr Ring said, adding that in this case Nama "are to be complimented for taking the national interest into consideration". Almost 20,000 people had signed a petition calling on the Government to buy the land amid fears that sections could be developed for housing or wind farms. The land fell into Nama ownership after a developer who had owned it got into financial difficulties. Nama had warned that the Government needed to move "quickly" to prevent the land being sold to a private party. Dublin South West TD John Lahart, who had warned it would be "scandalous" to allow the mountainous terrain fall out of State ownership again, said local people would be relieved and delighted that a deal was about to be done. Kyiv cannot discuss candidate for Russian ambassador to Ukraine due to lack of positive dynamics in Donbas Ukraine so far cannot discuss candidates for a Russian ambassador because of the absence of any positive dynamics in the context of Russia's actions in Donbas, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said. "The matter today concerns not candidates or some concrete things but the creation of positive dynamics in what is happening in the context of Russia's aggression, what is happening in the context of Donbas," Klimkin said in a commentary for Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday. Workers dismantle old tracks at Caogusi circuit station of Zhengzhou Railway Signal Depot in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province, on August 3, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] An important interconnecting section of the country's high-speed railway network has been completed in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, on Wednesday. Constructors worked hard overnight from Tuesday to complete a key joining facility of the section to link the high-speed railways from Beijing to Guangzhou, Xuzhou to Xi'an, and Zhengzhou to Kaifeng. The completion of the section will allow the high-speed railways in the country's eastern part to connect with the lines in the central and western parts. Zhengzhou has an important position in the country's high-speed railways network, according to the country's medium- and long-term railway network plan that was published earlier this year. The plan said that China expects to have 38,000 km of high speed railway by 2025. By 2015, China had 19,000 km high-speed railways. The high-speed railway line connecting Beijing in the north and Guangzhou in the south meets with the line connecting Lanzhou in the west and Xuzhou in the east in Zhengzhou, making the city the most special one in the country's network. Currently, more than 120 high-speed trains pass Zhengzhou, said Feng Dexian, head of the Institute of Geographical Science under Henan Academy of Sciences. More than 30 cities are in a three-hour economic circle around the city, he said. The interconnecting section outside Zhengzhou East Railway Station will allow high-speed trains to pass the station without stopping, which will significantly improve the capacity of the network, experts said. The section is also an important part of the high-speed railway from Zhengzhou to Xuzhou, which will be put into operation in September. The Zhengzhou-Xuzhou railway is part of the line from Lanzhou to Xuzhou. MOSCOW, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The upgrade of the U.S. B61-12 bomb will threaten nuclear security, as its combat characteristics increase the risk of its use, senior Russian Foreign Ministry officials said Wednesday. "It is no coincidence that some American experts rushed to call the new warheads more 'ethical' because, as they say, their application will have less dramatic humanitarian consequences," said Mikhail Ulyanov, director of the ministry's Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control. "But this is precisely the negative aspect: characteristics of such weapons would objectively increase the temptation to use them," Ulyanov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency. According to the diplomat, the unified nuclear warhead has been designed primarily to substitute obsolete U.S. nuclear weapons in five European countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, as well as for its own storage in Washington. The upgrade of the U.S. nuclear arsenal in Europe is a long-term extension of the practice of joint NATO nuclear missions, in which pilots of non-nuclear countries are preparing to use U.S. nuclear weapons, Ulyanov said, adding that it's a "flagrant violation of the letter and spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)." Ulyanov recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly said Moscow would not get dragged into a new costly arms race but it would certainly take care of the efficient provision of its national security. The B61 nuclear bomb, designed in 1963, is one of the U.S.'s primary thermonuclear weapons. U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a statement on Monday it had authorized production of an upgraded B61-12 nuclear warhead from 2020, which will have greater accuracy and lesser destructive force and is expected to replace the existing U.S. B61 bombs of its old modifications. Famed for the gold rush, gunslingers and its spectacular mountains, the American frontier fascinates millions of visitors every year but they probably havent seen it like this before. These high contrast black-and-white images show stunning scenes in places such as Arizonas Grand Canyon, Californias Yosemite National Park and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. They were captured by French photographer Laurent Baheux, who visited the greatest landscapes in Americas Wild West to retrace the steps of Ansel Adams. Adams was famous for his black-and-white photos of western landscapes, including Yosemite, and has inspired generations of photographers. More than 30 of Baheuxs photos appear in a new book, America, which celebrates the countrys seemingly endless horizons and landscapes. The 46-year-old said on his website: This territory is amazing, huge and ever changing. There are mountains, plains, deserts with panoramas that take your breath away. French photographer Laurent Baheux's travels took him to the Grand Canyon, one of the natural wonders of the world. The breathtaking Upper Falls at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming are a 109ft cascade of surging water. Around 1,000 bison reside in Grand Teton National Park (pictured) in Wyoming, said the National Parks Service. Baheux retraced the steps of famed photographer Ansel Adams (pictured: Half Dome at Yosemite National Park) Zabriskie Point, in California's Death Valley National Park, is a popular spot where tourists watch the sun rise or set. Crater Lake, located in Oregon's Crater Lake National Park, is the deepest lake in the US, with a depth of 1,943ft. Snake River (pictured in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming) empties into the Pacific and is more than 1,000 miles long. Half Dome (right), in Yosemite National Park, rises nearly 5,000ft above Yosemite Valley and 8,800ft above sea level. On July 31, nearly 60 mothers simultaneously breastfed their babies on a subway carriage in Nanning, capital city of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to promote the upcoming World Breastfeeding Week. The mothers called for increased public support for breastfeeding. At around 10 a.m., the mothers entered a carriage of the newly constructed Nanning subway and began breastfeeding their babies. The other passengers in the carriage all offered their seats to the mothers. A man surnamed Lu, also the father of a 2-year-old, said he supports breastfeeding and does not view it with any prejudice. The mothers all vocally encouraged breastfeeding, saying that it increase babies' immunity and also keep women in good shape. In response to skepticism about the propriety of public breastfeeding, one mother said that women nowadays don't have to expose their breasts when feeding babies because there are various products available on the market that help to provide modesty. "Breastfeeding is also a tool to enhance the mother-baby bond," said a father who had accompanied his wife and baby to the subway event. Three provinces, all known for their wild giant panda residents, are considering the idea of a joint giant panda national park, which would help to protect the animal's natural habitat. The potential park would stretch across the three provinces, from southwestern Chinas Sichuan province to northwestern Chinas Gansu province, into neighboring Shaanxi province, covering over a dozen cities and prefectures along the way, Xinhua News Agency reported. In addition to pandas, the national park would also contain natural heritage sites, nature reserves, scenic spots and geology and forestry parks, the report added. According to 2015 census data, the total population of wild giant pandas in the three provinces is 1,864. Natural and man-made isolation has divided the species into 33 separate populations, some 22 of which are at risk of extinction. Eighteen populations currently have fewer than 10 pandas, which puts them at an especially high risk, according to Xinhua. While scientists are trying to rescue more pandas and encourage them to reproduce in laboratories, many are also calling to protect the animal's natural habitat, which is essential to protecting populations in the wild. Currently, given that the habitat spreads across several different administrative regions, the management and protection of giant pandas' natural habitat has suffered thanks to chaotic supervision and overlapping responsibilities. The first panda cub born in Shanghai is about to turn 1 month old, thepaper.cn reported on Aug. 3. Guo Guo was already pregnant when she came to Shanghai from Sichuan. After Guo Guo's arrival, the park assembled a special five-person team just to take care of her. At 11:40 a.m. on July 3, Guo Guo gave birth to a cub. The birth took only one minute. It was unusually quick and easy, according to a zookeeper, who explained that it usually takes about 20 minutes for a panda to deliver a cub. Guo Guo gives birth to the cub. After the cub was born, Guo Guo held her almost 24 hours a day. Indeed, in the monitor room, the reporter observed Guo Guo holding the cub close to her chest. When the cub turned around, it stretched its limbs, looking especially adorable. The cub's eyes have not yet opened. Zookeepers are monitoring the mother and daughter around the clock using a high-definition surveillance system, logging their conditions every hour. A physical check on July 29 showed that the cub weighed 893.4 grams and was 29 centimeters long. These numbers are both above average for a panda cub. Min Yingguo, a zookeeper, said, "After [the cub] can walk more, she will begin to meet visitors for about one hour each day." According to the zoo, Guo Guo and her cub are expected to start meeting the public in September. However, the zoo will control the number of visitors, and they are considering limiting admission through reservations or lot drawing. The panda cub 21 days after birth. China Nuclear Engineering Group Corporation (CNEC) has signed a cooperation agreement with an Indonesian nuclear enterprise to promote the 4th generation of High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGR) on Monday, according to the official website of CNEC. Wang Shoujun, chairman of CNEC, signed the agreement on Aug. 1 with Djarot Sulistio Wisnubroto, chairman of Indonesia's National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), to jointly develop HTGRs and train professionals. The agreement was signed during the second official Meeting of Cultural and People-to-People Exchange between China and Indonesia. In order to better understand the Indonesian market, Wang visited BATAN in June, at which point the two parties reached a consensus about the issue. To meet increasing demands for electricity, Indonesia aims to construct large light water reactors in populated areas including Java, Bali, Madura Island and Sumatra, and to construct small HTGRs on Kalimantan and Sulawesi starting from 2027. Before the commercial-use reactors, Indonesia plans to construct HTGRs for experimental use. The first HTGR is scheduled to start construction in 2017 Besides Indonesia, CNEC has entered negotiations with various countries and regions including Pakistan, Djibouti, Brazil, Saudi Arab and ASEAN countries to promote HTGR. Wang said that the global spread of HTGR shows CNEC's ambition to become an owner of nuclear power rather than just a builder of nuclear power stations. What's the secret to Small Favors' sell-out pizza? Bottle Shop Mondays include options for wine carryout curated by owner Nick Detrich and his staff. However, the real star is the pizza pie. North Korea is slamming South Korean President Park Geun-hye for her latest attempt to garner public support for her government's decision to deploy the THAAD anti-missile defense system. Park made an emotional appeal on Tuesday, saying the joint deployment with the US is meant to counter security threats posed by the North. Park also calls the decision "irreversible." A statement issued by the North Korean government has blasted Park, saying the North's nuclear capabilities are meant for self-defense against the US, and not as a weapon against South Korea. North Korea fired off a pair of ballistic missiles on Wednesday. One of them exploded after a failed launch. This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ So gory and numbing has the civil war in Syria become that news about people fleeing their homes, hospitals being bombed and innocent civilians dying does not seem to invoke the horror and attention it should. And that perhaps is the reason why the report about two chemical attacks in Syria on Wednesday was treated as routine news in many parts of the world. The first attack was in the city of Saraqeb, in Idlib, in north-western Syria. The attack was reported on social media by the anti-regime group called Idlib Civil Defense. According to the group, which is also called White Helmets, chlorine was the gas that was used and about 30 people were affected by the attack. The Bashar al-Assad government in Damascus, and ally Russia, have denied such an attack. Saraqeb is where, on Monday, a Russian helicopter was downed killing all five onboard. Read | Islamic State names new leader of Nigerias Boko Haram The second attack was in eastern Aleppo, in the north, where Assads forces along with pro-government militias are engaged in an intense battle with opposition groups. The Russian defence ministry accused rebel group Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki for the attack that killed seven and injured more than 20 people. Both are pointers that the civil war is far from over. This is not the first time chemical attacks have been reported from Syria. The two attacks have an eerie similarity to the previous attacks. A report by the Syrian-American Medical Society brought out earlier this year estimates that about 1,500 people have died in the past five years because of the use of chemical weapons. There have been more than 20 attacks, small and big, in these years, and investigations have revealed the gases used in these attacks include Sarin. Read | Toxic gas dropped on Syrian town where Russian helicopter shot down Damascus has denied responsibility for any of the previous attacks rather, it has pointed fingers towards Riyadh and Doha for the 2013 attacks that killed more than 700 people. It is near impossible to verify the allegations made by either Damascus or the rebels about the perpetrators of the recent two attacks. The bloody nature of the civil war and the absence of an independent agency further obscure the picture. According to the UN, the situation in Aleppo is quickly moving towards a catastrophe. Food, water and medicines are in short supply, and electricity is scarce, making it difficult for the remaining hospitals to function. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that more than 6,000 people have been killed in less than three months in Aleppo. Read | The Islamic State will benefit from this mayhem Signs that the situation in Aleppo will continue and the siege might worsen were seen when in a recent interview to Reuters Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem talked about the plan for Aleppo: Regaining Aleppo will remain one of the goals of the Syrian State and its allies but were not tied to a timeframe. The more frightening aspect is that no one not Assad, not Russia or Iran, not the United States, nor the UN has a roadmap for Syria. The civil war, which is in its fifth year, has seen more than 10 million people leave their homes about 6.6 million have been internally displaced and 4 million have become refugees in neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Europe. It is estimated that close to 300,000 people have lost their lives in these five years. Read | Czech president says bar refugees to prevent barbaric attacks The US, which until a few years back put the ouster of Assad as the precondition for any talks, has now come around to accept that in the crisis that Syria is today, perhaps, the President is the best in a host of bad option. Washingtons cooperation with Moscow and even Tehran on targeting extremists strongholds which help Assads position points to this. However, an important step that Washington and Moscow must agree on is to identify and back the same moderate groups. Both countries accuse the other of backing the wrong groups in the war. The Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, blamed by Russia for the attack on eastern Aleppo, is a group that is backed by Washington. Another aspect of the unrest in Syria is that it is a major reason for trouble in Iraq. As Patrick Cockburn, in The Rise of Islamic State, states: A blind spot for the US and other Western powers has been their failure to see that by supporting the armed uprising in Syria, they would inevitably destabilize Iraq. Twitter: @vijucherian SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON British filmmaker Leslie Udwins documentary on the horrific December 2012 gang-rape in Delhi was blocked from broadcast in India courtesy a court order but renowned Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta has now addressed the same event in a feature that will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September. Anatomy Of Violence will be showcased in the Masters section of the festival, among three premier film events internationally. In a statement announcing the programming of the film, TIFF described it as a devastating fictional dramatisation of the lives of the rapists. Read: If one film wins, four lose: Deepa Mehta What makes monsters? is a question that this film stares directly at. It probes and explores where these young men could have come from and what might have motivated them. They have been called monsters but is this a simplistic labelling that relieves society and leaders from the responsibility of looking more deeply? the filmmakers said. The film is an attempt to imagine what might have driven these men towards such a savage assault. The film also imagines the nature of the young womans life, her family, her friends and her hopes and dreams before the fatal attack, they said. Read: A flavour of India as Toronto film festival celebrates 40 years The 93-minute feature in Hindi mixes fiction and fact in an improvised exploration of the events leading up to, and following the atrocity that shook India and the world. The film has an ensemble cast that includes Indian actress Seema Biswas, Indo-Canadian actress Tia Bhatia and Indian actor Vansh Bhardwaj, recently seen in Udta Punjab. Coincidentally, this years edition of TIFF features the world premiere of a documentary by Deepa Mehtas brother Dilip: Mostly Sunny. The subject is Canadian porn star-turned-Bollywood actress Sunny Leone. TIFF noted that the documentary asks what makes Sunny tick, and explores the birthplace of the Kama Sutras paradoxical relationship with sex. Dilip Mehta was elated that, for the first time, both siblings have a film premiering at the same festival. Read: Sharmila Tagore, Freida Pinto, Deepa Mehta invited to vote for Oscars His sister has been a regular and honoured participant at TIFF. Her feature, Beeba Boys, premiered at TIFF last year and examined the phenomenon of Indo-Canadian gangs in Vancouver and its suburbs. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdies Midnights Children was similarly showcased at TIFF. This, though, is the first time Deepa Mehta will present a feature that could be placed in the docudrama category. It could prove this Oscar-nominated directors most challenging project yet given the sensitivities that still surround the subject in India. Six people, including a juvenile, had assaulted the woman in a moving bus in South Delhi on December 16, 2012. Later, the accused threw out the victim and her male friend at an isolated spot. She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012, triggering nationwide protests. Read: International actors should learn from Indian actors, says Deepa Mehta One of the convicts in the case, a juvenile, was sent to the shelter home. The Delhi high court refused to stay his release, allowing him to walk free on December 20 last year. Five other adults convicted for the crime were sentenced to death. Of them, one was found dead in his Tihar Jail cell in a suspected suicide. The incident led to tougher laws for crime against woman in the country. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An NGO working against tobacco consumption will write to actor John Abraham asking him to withdraw his poster for Dishoom where he is seen smoking a cigarette. We will be writing a letter to John Abraham along with the producer and the director of the movie asking them to withdraw the poster which violated the anti-tobacco law, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) general secretary Shekhar Salkar said. An NGO working against tobacco consumption will write to actor John Abraham asking him to withdraw his poster for Dishoom where he is seen smoking a cigarette and plans to file a police complaint if the poster is not taken down. Read: Dishoom movie review The movie poster showing Abraham smoking a cigarette promotes the use of tobacco. This is against the law. The poster should be immediately withdrawn, Salkar added. Watch our discussion on Dishoom Directed by Rohit Dhawan, Dishoom starring Varun Dhawan, John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez released on July 29. Read: Dishoom has Bollywoods most expensive chasse sequence Follow @htshowbiz for more German automaker Volkswagen on Thursday said it has started an in-house arm in Pune to serve the information technology-related needs of all its global brands. It has invested 3 million euros or Rs 22.5 in crore into Volkswagen IT Services India, the newly created company with a team of 300 professionals at present which will be scaled up to 450 soon, a company statement said. They will be collaborating with different IT organisations within the Volkswagen Group in Germany and work on future related projects and drive innovations, it said. We are offering our brands the opportunity to unlock the potential of their IT investments with the support of the IT talent pool we have put together in India. As the team here will eventually extend its services to cover all brands, Indias significance will only be further amplified, Martin Hofmann, Volkswagen AGs chief information officer, said. Head of the management board of Volkswagen Group IT Services GmbH, Uwe Matulovic, said the company is focused on building the right team which is at par with German standards of quality and effectiveness at present. The group, which is at present mired in the emissions scandal, boasts of a brand portfolio including marquee names like Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche and Skoda. At present, the team has an expertise in areas like AVA, Microsoft Technologies, Business Intelligence, SAP, ServiceNow, mobility and testing, it said. BEIJING, Aug. 4 -- The controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula yet again betrayed Washington's deep-rooted Cold War mentality and its petty anxiety over the United States' declining global hegemony. The Republic of Korea (ROK) last month announced plans for a U.S.-made THAAD battery to be deployed in Seongju County, 300 km southeast of Seoul, by the end of next year. Washington claims that THAAD can help defend the ROK against potential security threats from its neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). But as the missile shield is designed to intercept incoming inter-continental ballistic missiles at relatively high altitudes, the DPRK needs only short-range rockets and conventional arms to launch attacks on its southern neighbor. This alone renders THAAD a completely ineffective deterrent, and suggest that there is a hidden agenda behind THAAD, an installation that barely covers Seoul but extends its reach to China and Russia's Far East. With its X band radar commanding surveillance of an area that extends over 1,200 miles from the peninsula, THAAD can be used to collect radar data of warheads and decoys of Chinese and Russian strategic missiles by monitoring their tests, thus enabling the United States to neutralize their nuclear deterrence and put the national security of China and Russia at risk. After years of trumpeting the fictional "China threat," Washington is now bringing real, strategic threats to China's doorstep. Deploying THAAD in the ROK to counter the so-called "missile threat" from a "rogue state" is yet another Hollywood-style drama directed by and starring Uncle Sam as part of the United States' Pivot-to-Asia strategy. What lies behind the scheme is Washington's insatiable appetite for global hegemony and its vain anxiety toward an imaginary enemy from a rising China. Such anxiety is both economically and militarily motivated from the U.S. side. Last week's lower-than-expected U.S. GDP data in the second quarter of 2016 continued to point to a significant loss of momentum that puts the economy at risk of stalling in a country that has seen growing anti-free trade sentiments. More pertinently, it is the United States' declining military supremacy that constitutes the main driver behind its THAAD muscle flexing. Deploying THAAD in the ROK is a crucial step to healing the Achilles heel of Washington's anti-missile missile system in the Asia Pacific, which has long been nagged by its inadequate recognition ability. With the help of THAAD's X band radar, the United States can effectively and immediately raise recognition accuracy. But this strategic upper hand comes at the cost of the security interests of other nations in northeast Asia. Already, the DPRK has threatened to take "physical countermeasures" to deal with THAAD, which Pyongyang says would only exacerbate tension in the region, encourage a new arms race and even provoke another Cold War. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang also warned last month that China will take necessary measures to safeguard its own interests if the United States and ROK don't stop the deployment. The United States is highly advised to stop building its own security at the cost of the security of other countries. The nearsighted actions will only destabilize the strategic balance and stability in northeast Asia, giving Washington more things to worry about. US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin is in talks with the government to build the latest version of F-16 warplanes in India, a company official said on Thursday. The firm has offered to move its only production line for the fighter jets from Fort Worth, Texas to India from where F-16s could be exported. Lockheeds national executive (India) Abhay Paranjape, however, clarified that the establishing the production line here was conditional on assured orders from Indian Air Force. We have had multiple discussions with the government and the industry. There has been a level of interest we have not been told to go away, he said. Lockheed has proposed to build the latest variant of the fighter F-16 Block 70 under the Make in India programme. Other aerospace biggies who have shown interest in building fighter jets in India are US firm Boeing, Swedens Saab, Frances Dassault Aviation and the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium. The Block D variants come packed with superior radars, advanced avionics and sensors, new weapons, improved situational awareness for pilots and enhanced operational capabilities to keep pace with rapidly evolving military requirements. Lockheeds current orders will keep the Fort Worth F-16 line running till late 2017 and the firm is eyeing another order that could extend its life till 2021, said Randall L Howard, who looks after business development at the firm. So far, the firm has delivered 4,588 F-16s to 27 international air forces, including that of Pakistan. The neighbouring air force operates more than 80 F-16s, including 13 second-hand F-16A/B Block 15 jets bought from the Royal Jordanian Air Force in 2014. Bulk of the Pakistani fleet consists of older F-16A/B fighters, now upgraded to Block 52 standards in Turkey. It also has 18 F-16C/D Block 50/52 planes. Block refers to the F-16 evolution, with a higher number representing technological upgrades. Howard said the Block 70 fighters would be the finest combat planes in the region. Asked to comment on Pakistan operating F-16s and Lockheed planning to make India its export base, he said, Decisions for fighter sales are not taken by Lockheedthose decisions are made by governments. Howard said building the planes in India would drive down the production cost and increase its demand worldwide. Lockheed officials were non committal on the kind of investment the firm planned to make in India. India is negotiating a deal with France to buy 36 Rafale fighters. The original plan was to buy 126 fighters but that contract was scrapped. India needs 45 fighter squadrons to counter a combined threat from China and Pakistan, but it has only 34 squadrons with about 18 planes each. For all those who thought that the goods and services tax or GST was just an indirect tax reform, should want to think again. The implementation of GST is going to effect direct taxes, helping in widening of the tax base and increasing the taxes collections. According to tax administrators, GST will help in curbing domestic black money. Though it is a reform for indirect taxes, there are filers who understate incomes by not reporting each and every transaction. By doing this, they save excise, VAT, Octroi etc, and more importantly, are able to furnish under reporting of their incomes. Since, GST will have a paper trail which can be accessed by the income tax department such practices will discourage generation of black money in the system, said an income tax official. Usage of PAN and Aadhar will be more frequent and will be required to file GST returns, this will help the income tax department to track transactions, which it is unable to do today. There can be more data mapping for audit by the revenue authorities. Last year, a panel led by chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian had said that bringing alcohol, real estate and precious metals such as gold sectors within the ambit of GST will help curb black money generation in these sectors. Though alcohol is likely to remain outside the GST net, the other two key sources of illicit money are likely to get busted. Sources say that revenue department has already taken a note of this fact and both the tax boards; central board of direct taxes and the central board of excise and customs have already started sharing the data with each other to better monitoring of black money. A tax official in the Delhi state government feels if a retailer has purchased goods from a whole seller and is not showing that purchase today, then he will not be able to do so after GST. Thus, to substantiate his purchase he will have to maintain the books of sales for which proper bills will be generated. So any trader after GST will not be able to sell products or goods without bills. Once a bill exists in the system, scope for black money reduces automatically. Creating self-policing environment. The dual monitoring structure proposed within GST, involving the Centre and the states will also curb income tax evasions. So, even if one set of tax authorities overlooks or fails to detect evasion, there is the possibility that the other overseeing authority may not. In real estate, a sector which absorbs and generates maximum amount of black money, the uniform tax structure will improve tax compliance by developers, local builders, property dealers, investors and occupiers. The mandatory paper trail that GST will create will go a long way in improving tax compliance. One of the lesser known facts perhaps of the 2002 Gujarat riots is that Dalits were at the fore of much of the violence against Muslims in Ahmedabad. When I asked an accused Dalit boy in the Naroda Patia area why he got involved in the rioting, his answer troubled me: The local Bajrang Dal has promised us we will be allowed to stay in the land vacated by the Muslims who have fled. Whether that was a riot jumla or not, the fact is many Dalits were the foot soldiers of the rioting mobs and were swayed by the promise of being empowered by caste Hindus. The local Muslims were then seen as a common enemy. In 2016, cracks are being noticed in this so-called consolidated Hindu identity. The images of the lashing of Dalits at Una by cow protection vigilante groups have gone viral and highlighted the social disquiet that lurks beneath Gujarats seeming caste and communal peace. The anger that has spilled onto the streets of Ahmedabad and beyond is a sign that Dalits will not take the violent discrimination lying down. While Dalits may be just 7% of Gujarats population, their unease at being taken for granted by caste Hindus threatens the political project that the sangh parivar first initiated in the state almost three decades ago. Remember it is Gujarat that has been the BJPs laboratory for its political expansion from the late 1980s. It is here that the Ram Janmabhoomi movement got its initial impetus with LK Advanis rath yatra attracting a large cross-caste support in the journey that began at Somnath. That saffron surge came against a backdrop of a decade of intense caste and communal conflict. Anti-reservation protests snowballed into communal riots in the mid-1980s, rupturing the carefully crafted KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi, Muslim) caste alliance of the Congress. The break-up of that alliance was virtually the beginning of the end of the Congress dominance in Gujarat and slowly allowed the BJP to capture the space on the back of its claim of representing a unifying Hindu ethos. Read: In village of Una thrashing victims, anger, hope after politicians come visiting That merged Hindu identity now finds itself under intense scrutiny. First, it was the Patel agitation with the demand for reservations that raised questions over whether the rapid economic growth, which had created a neo-middle class, had also led to growing frustration among those who felt left out of the wealth creation process. Now, the Dalits seem to feel that their trust in caste Hindus has been betrayed. This isnt just about what happened at Una. Statistics show that atrocities against Dalits have been on the rise in Gujarat even as conviction rates are among the lowest in the country. It is almost as if Dalits are finally waking up to a harsh reality that participation in a rath yatra or a riot for that matter wont change the feudal order in regions like Saurashtra where the rigidity of caste traditions has still not been annihilated. Read: Cultural practices of caste-Hindus obstructing justice for Dalits But this is not just about the caste politics of Gujarat. One of the challenges for the BJP in its political ascent has been to ensure that it is seen as a more inclusive, less socially conservative party. Which is why the emergence of OBC leaders like a Kalyan Singh in UP or a Narendra Modi himself in Gujarat was crucial to the BJPs aim to grow beyond its original Brahmin-bania image. The RSS too, encouraged this process, one that gathered momentum through the BJPs decade of phenomenal growth across north and western India in the 1990s. Ahead of the 2014 general elections, the BJP made a deliberate effort to attract Dalit leaders to its side, be it an alliance partner like Ram Vilas Paswan in Bihar or even an Udit Raj in Delhi. In UP too, there was a clear strategy to wean away the non-Jatav Dalits away from Mayawati by promising them membership of the wider Hindu parivar. Even Modis Stand Up India scheme, launched on the birth anniversary of the Congresss original Dalit face Babu Jagjivan Ram, was designed to promote entrepreneurship among Dalits. Now, one incident in Una threatens to undo the hard work put in by the BJP to win the confidence of Dalits. This isnt the first time upper caste Hindus have been caught beating up Dalits in a horrifying manner. Massacres have taken place in Congress-NCP ruled Maharashtra (Khairlanji), in Congress-ruled Haryana (Hissar and Sonepat), in RJD-ruled Bihar (Laxmanpur Bathe). And yet, the fact that the incident takes place in the PMs home state and the chief minister wakes up to the horror almost a week later makes it a potential political volcano. Most damaging is the fact that there has been little attempt made to effectively rein in the cow protection mobs. Extending the ban on cow slaughter to bulls and bullocks and even to their trade and consumption in BJP-ruled states like Haryana and Maharashtra have only empowered gau raksha groups to believe that they enjoy state sanction for their goondaism. Read: RSS condemns cow protection vigilantism at Sant Sammelan in Una Which is why the BJP and the sangh parivar need to speak out loud and clear on where they stand on Dalits engaged in hereditary occupations like disposing dead carcasses or skinning dead cows or tanning leather. Are Dalits going to be seen as anti-Hindu for carrying out the very tasks that Brahminical Hinduism assigns to them in the traditional varna system because of repugnant notions of purity and pollution? Surely, you cannot sustain a Dalit outreach and then perpetuate the ugliest form of caste discrimination in the name of cow politics at the same time. Professed reverence for a Babasaheb Ambedkars teachings and a deep attachment to the Manu-Smriti cannot co-exist. If crime in the name of gau-mata is unchecked, then the entire Hindutva project could unravel. Post-script: In his book Karmayog published in 2007, Modi writes that the work of cleaning toilets has been a spiritual experience for the Valmiki community. Would the PM care to explain to the country what he means by manual scavenging being a spiritual experience? Rajdeep Sardesai is a senior journalist and author The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: Days after accusing Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of giving him death threats, Aam Aadmi Party legislator Asim Ahmed Khan said on Wednesday that a political conspiracy was being hatched in the chief ministers office at a particular point in the village. Addressing a press conference at his Daryaganj residence, Khan said a group of women created a ruckus at his fathers shop with an intention to fix his father in wrong cases. Asims father, Nassem Ahmed Khan, has filed a police complaint. Terming the allegations as trash, AAP spokesperson Deepak Bajpai told PTI that Khan is left with no other work but to attack the Aam Aadmi Party. He was sacked by the Delhi government for corruption. The only job he has left is to team up with the corrupt BJP and attack the AAP, Bajpai said, rejecting the MLAs allegations. The former Delhi food and civil supplies and environment minister was sacked by Kejriwal from his Cabinet last year allegedly for taking a bribe of ` 6 lakh for allowing construction of a building in his constituency. The CM had transferred the complaint to the CBI. The Matia Mahal legislator, however, continues to be a part of the AAP. We have filed a complaint. We have provided CCTV footage of the scuffle at the shop in Meena Bazar. Since we had got prior information about such an attack we had filed a case on August 1 as well. As planned, the incident happened the next day. We want the police to probe the connections of these women, Khan said. According to Khan, he came to know about the alleged conspiracy through an anonymous call from the Delhi Secretariat claiming that the AAP leaders were conspiring against Khan and his family. The caller warned me that Kejriwal was conspiring to implicate my family members in a fake molestation case and the same thing happened, Khan said. He also demanded scanning of phone records of the three women, who he claimed had criminal record. He also said he will soon spill the beans about AAP. Khan added that some miscreants allegedly assaulted his personal security officer at his residence on Wednesday and tried to snatch away his pistol. Three men in a white car stopped outside my house at around 3am, on Wednesday and began hurling abuses. When my guard approached them, they tried to snatch away his weapon and threatened to kill me, he said. Khan alleged that he has been facing threats after he raised the issue of the sacrilege of the Quran in Malerkotla in Punjab. The Punjab Police had on July 24 arrested AAPs Mehrauli MLA Naresh Yadav in connection with this case. This issue is very sensitive to us. We are demanding a probe into the matter by the party. What action is the party taking against its MLAs? At least probe the charges. Instead me and my family are facing threats, Khan said. What I have been indicated is that the top AAP leadership, including Kejriwal ji, is behind the conspiracy to slap a false case against my father, he alleged, adding, Target me. Why are you targeting my father? Your fight is with me. (With PTI inputs) NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party will kickstart a Dalit dialogue series in poll-bound Punjab this week, a move that comes at a time atrocities against the community have become the focus of political discourse. The outreach is part of AAPs decision to come up with a Dalit manifesto for assembly elections scheduled early next year in the state. The caste-specific manifesto expected by September-end will be a first in the country, though some regional parties are identified with specific caste groups. Dalits legally come under scheduled cast es, who makeup 32% of Punjabs population, according to the 2011 census the single biggest vote bank in terms of caste groups. Squaring up against the ruling B JP-Shiromani Akali Dal combine and the opposition Congress, the AAP is hoping for a repeat of its monster victory in Delhi last year. Scheduled castes are a big chunk (16.7%) of Delhis population, too, but the AAP didnt feel the need for such a manifesto here. Sanjay Kumar, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, said this was because the writing was already on the wall for the Capital. In Punjab, its different. While AAP has a groundswell of support there, the contest is likely to be three-cornered. And in a state where one out of three voters is Dalit, every vote counts. There is a sense of anxiety among Dalits in the country right now and the party is trying to capitalise on that, said Kumar. The Dalit dialogues will be organised in each district and a gist of these will find reflection in the manifesto, AAP sources said. The manifesto will have a clear roadmap and promises aimed at empowering Dalits. Health and education are likely to be thrust areas as a majority of Dalits depend on government institutions in these sectors, a senior AAP leader said. Academic and Dalit thinker Kancha Illaiah said AAP should include programmes that help abolish castiesm and untouchability while passing on the message that human life is more important than the life of animals, including cows. A food diversity programme was recently held in Hyderabad. It defended citizens right to eat things of their choice. I found it creative. If AAP can include such programmes in its manifesto, it can have a huge impact. Some AAP leaders said the manifesto should not be viewed through the prism of casteism. One leader called it AAP s attempt at bonding with the poor and Dalits. Since its emergence, AAP has been a party of the poor. In Delhi, migrants, scheduled castes and minorities are it score support base. Even in its first assembly election in 2013, AAP won eight of the 12 reserved constituencies in Delhi, said the leader who refused to be identified. The first open letter AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal wrote after joining politics was to the Valmiki Samaj in Delhi, he said. The sources also pointed to the AAP symbol (broom) and the partys association with the Valmiki mandir in Kejriwals New Delhi constituency, especially before starting big-ticket projects and campaigns. Delhi CM Kejriwal had visited the University of Hyderabad in January in the wake of the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, and recently Una in Gujarat where cow vigilantes had assaulted Dalits. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BULANDSHAHR/SUTARI: A majority of Mewati habitants of Sutari village have come out in support of Mohammed Raees, the 32-year-old man who is one of the three arrested accused in the Dostpur robbery and gang rape case in Bulandshahr. I last saw him a day after the Dostpur incident. Police arrived around 3am and called him. He was sleeping on the roof and went with police as they wanted him to answer one or two questions. He never returned, said Sabrun, his wife and mother of four children. Even on the night of the incident, he was watching TV in the neighbourhood and slept at home, she said. The Mewati village, with an estimated population of 4,000, is six kilometres via a kuchha road from Dostpur and nearly 12km by the concrete road. Villagers here claim that Raees, a daily wager, was a good character since his childhood and never got implicated in any police case. We have no one to advocate his case. He was the only earning member but is now in jail and I am bedridden, unable to move, said Shohrat, his father. To support him, hundreds of villagers from Sutari, mostly daily wagers, went to the Kotwali Dehat police station on Tuesday night and demanded his immediate release. Raees is currently in judicial custody. My entire life has passed but I never saw him involved in any crime or even having fight with anyone. Had he been a bad character, villagers would not have had any sympathy with his family. We will do whatever we can for his release, said Naseeran, an 80-year-old villager. Locals said Shohrat has been bedridden for the past four years due to severe ailments while Raeess sister is mentally challenged since childhood. The family is so poor that villagers donated to marry his niece three years back. People then donated chair, table, cloth and other daily use items... Most villagers like Raees here are daily wagers while some work in West Asia as drivers... We will do our best to help his family, said Mohammed Sahjor Saifi, a block development committee member. In a robbery at a dhaba a month back, police had inquired about Raees but he came out clean... Even after we staged a protest on Sunday and Tuesday night, the police assured they will help his case, said Bablu, his uncle. Javeed Ahmad, Uttar Pradesh director general of police, on Sunday had said that the accused, including Raees, were arrested as they were identified by the victims family. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: A man in east Delhis Laxmi Nagar strangled his wife a week ago, hid the body in his beds storage compartment, and slept with his lover on the very couch that concealed the macabre crime, police said. Suspect Feroz Khans live-in partner, Suman aka Pooja, allegedly helped him get rid of his nagging wife, 31-year-old Haleema, after she found out her husbands extramarital affair. The lovers strangled Haleema with a stole in a rented flat last Wednesday. They hid the body in the bed box and waited for an opportunity to get rid of it. They pretended to be as normal as possible. They even welcomed guests, betraying no signs of any abnormality in their behaviour , an officer said on Wednesday. But the fear of getting caught with a rotting body overcame the duo, and around 4am on Friday, they crushed the dead woman s face with stick sand a blunt object. They stuffed the body with a mutilated face into a gunny bag, and dumped the sack in a waste dump nearby. Job done, they locked the flat and bolted. But police caught them on Tuesday in their hideout, barely a couple of kilometres from where they lived. Feroz told police he and Haleema were married for around 12 years, but she left him some two years ago and started living separately. They waited tables in restaurants in east Delhi. The estranged husband then fell in love with Suman, a waitress at a restaurant where Feroz worked. Soon, Suman moved to Feroz s rented flat and they started living together. When Haleema learnt about Ferozs live-in relationship, she decided to reclaim her husband despite his objection and entreaties to leave him alone. Haleema, it is said, remained adamant and mounted pressure on him to split up with Suman. Last Wednesday, Haleema came to the flat, confronted the couple, and refused to leave .Enraged, the duo overpowered and pinned her down. Feroz took out a stole and strangled her, an officer said. Delhi Police investigators approached the cold-blooded murder in a calculated way after residents informed them of a suspicious bag in the garbage dump on Friday afternoon. Rishi Pal, the deputy commissioner of police (east), said three investigating squads collected information about women missing from nearby localities. They gathered details about missing tenants after July 26 and 27. A door-to-door search for vacant and locked flats led us to the one we were searching for. The landlord recognised Haleema from the photographs of the woman with the battered face. Other tenants in the building identified her too, the officer said. The landlord said Feroz and Suman, tenants of 10 months, abruptly vacated the flat on July 29. The two were missing, and their mobile phones were switched off. But digital surveillance gave away the location of their phones somewhere in Shakarpur. It didnt take long to trace the new flat where the suspects were hiding. SAMAIPUR( FARIDABAD ): As the deadline for making villages open defecation free is fast approaching , officials in Faridabad have adopted a novel method to ensure it is not missed. They wake up in the dead of night, rush to remote villages and catch red-handed people defecating under bushes and open farmlands. They then take help of the village elders to teach them civic lessons. There are 116 panchayats in Faridabad district alone, out of which 47 have woman sarpanchs. The district administration of Faridabad set the deadline of August 15 for making these 47 villages free from open defecation. A detailed presentation was made by senior state government officers before all 116 sarpanchs in Faridabad recently. After being educated on how open defecation causes health hazard and how cleanliness improves the quality of life, the sarpanches took oath to make their villages free from open defecation. Two dates were finalised . For 47 villages headed by women sarpanches, August 15, 2016 is the deadline. For the remaining villages headed by male sarpanches, November 1, 2016 is the deadline for making the villages free from open defecation. We educate people in our village to use toilets and do not go for open for defecation, said Kamlesh, Sarpanch of Samaipur village. Some people living on rent in our village mostly defecate in the open. But we have told them that by August 15 our village has to be free from open defecation, she said. But with the deadline approaching, officials cannot take a chance. They started visiting the villages where open defecation is prevalent. Government officers hold meeting sat the spot where people defecate in the open. It becomes difficult for villagers to meet due to the bad smell. We make them realize the bad effects of open defecation on their health , said a senior state government officer. I visit such villages early in the morning, especially areas where people defecate in the open. Yes, I do see some people with bottles of water, defecating in the open, said Upendra Singh, district consultant, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). I and some elder sin the village advise such people not to defecate in the open, Upendra said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: Parents of the students of Maxfort School said the Delhi governments decision to take over the management of the institution was their victory. The Delhi government took over the management of two branches of the school on Wednesday over allegations of violations of education laws. The movement was run entirely by the parents as we were tired of the harassment by the school authorities. We gave the details to the government. We fought with them for three years, said Arvind Dikshit, the president of the parents association of the Pitampura branch of the school. The school did not have a parents association. The aggrieved parents got together and decided to highlight the alleged irregularities the schools were involved in. Parents have alleged that in the name of different charitable trusts, a family was running the school. We have given records to the government that shows that the school had a monthly earning of Rs 30 crore Rs 10 lakh a day. There was no proper school management and parents were never allowed to raise their problems with the authorities, said Dikshit. The annual increase in the fees was one of the first issues that the parents start protesting over. In a year we were paying a little more than Rs 1 lakh, excluding the transportation fees. We were forced to buy books and uniform from the school and never given a receipt for it. How much could we tolerate? We decided to take up the issue with the government, said Amit Khanduja, whose two kids study in the school. Though the parents were excited over the decision, some of them were concerned if it meant change in the academic staff. We are very happy that the government has taken over. In the name of educational trust they were looting we parents. I just hope only the management is changing and not the teachers. The teachers are very good, said another parent who did not want to be named. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to the ICU of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with severe dehydration and high fever on Wednesday, less than a day after she cut short her road show in Varanasi due to ill health and rushed back to Delhi. Doctors said she was stable and improving. The 69-year-old spent Tuesday night at the Research & Referral (Army) Hospital, where she arrived close to midnight after a chartered plane flew her back from Uttar Pradesh. She was treated for fever, high blood pressure and electrolyte imbalance from dehydration, which causes dizziness, muscle weakness, BP fluctuations and vomiting. A fall from a dizzy spell resulted in a hairline fracture in her arm. Doctors at R&R put her on intravenous fluids to stabilise her so she could be shifted to Ganga Ram, where she is under the care of her physician and pulmonologist Dr Arup Basu. She is dehydrated but stable. Investigations are being conducted. She is conscious, responding to queries and talking to her family. Her condition has improved rapidly. R&R did a good job stabilising her, said Dr DS Rana, chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Gandhi had been running a fever since Friday and missed Parliament on Monday on account of it. We were told she was dehydrated and had fever and body ache, so we sent a team of specialists from medicine, cardiology and gastroenterology to Varanasi airport on Tuesday night. But she had left for Delhi by then, said Dr OP Upadhyay, medical superintendent at Banaras Hindu Universitys Sir Sunderlal Hospital. Son Rahul Gandhi, daughter Priyanka Vadra and son-in-law Robert Vadra, and senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel visited Gandhi at R&R. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar also called on her. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had late Tuesday offered to send doctors and a plane to Varanasi his parliamentary constituency. Media reports said he also called up Sheila Dikshit, the Congress chief ministerial candidate for the UP elections early next year, to inquire about Gandhis health. The Congress chief was in Varanasi to launch the partys campaign and a huge crowd had turned up for the roadshow. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BEIJING - China on Wednesday opened a website on the South China Sea, complete with historical maps, articles and research, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). Run by the National Marine Data &Information Service, the Chinese language site has 10 sections that cover basic information, news, historical archives, development and management, expert opinion, law and regulations, a timeline of major events, pictures and videos and Q&A. "The South China Sea has drawn huge attention, but some information online is not accurate," said Zhang Haiwen, SOA official in charge of international cooperation. "We hope that this website will enable domestic and overseas people to better understand it and learn about the truth behind the 'dispute' over it." According to Zhang, the website contains not only maps and archives but also exclusive analysis and expository articles based on experts' research of thousands of maps. Zhang cited that a map often used by Vietnam to prove that it owned the Xisha Islands was actually pieced together by two maps, which have already been obtained by experts and might be used to refute the country's claim. Zhang said new findings will be published on the website once verified. According to the SOA, information on the website must first be reviewed by an expert panel and be "comprehensive, authoritative, detailed and accurate." "The website is founded with the aim of positively publicizing our policies, claims, historical proof, legal basis and international cooperation while serving as a reliable channel for domestic and overseas government departments, research groups and individuals to learn about the South China Sea," said SOA spokesman Shi Qingfeng. The website has now six domain names, including www.thesouthchinasea.org and www.china-nanhai.org, due to "information unification and security concerns," according to the SOA. NEW DELHI: After the Bulandshahr gangrape and robbery, Delhi culture minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday called for a law for publicly killing rapists, saying they should be treated as terrorists. He called for the need to give arms training to women and liberty to kill rapists. The AAP minister made the comments in his blog even as he wrote to Union law minister DV Sadanand Gowda, requesting him to ensure the government should amend laws to give death penalty to rapists and those convicted of acid attacks against women. Mishra said that in the last one year, 450 minor girls had been raped in the capital. I have been against death penalty for a long time, but I want to say that rapists are terrorists and they should be treated like one, he said. ...give arms and arms training to all girls and women. Let them kill those who try to rape them, let them kill their rapists. Give exemplary punishment speedy and exemplary. For example, Parliament should pass a special law following the Bulandshahr incident and rapists should be killed publicly, Mishra wrote. If we cant protect them, at least let them protect themselves. Give arms and arms training to all women. Let them kill those who try to rape them, said Mishra. Mishra, who re presents Karawal Nagar, said age bar for trying a rape accused should be done away with while dealing with sexual offenders as if one is old enough to rape, he is old enough to be punished like adults. He demanded that identity of criminals who have raped or sexually harassed a female should be made public. The burden of the crime should fall on the criminal and not the victim. LUCKNOW: The gang rape of a woman and her minor daughter from Noida on national highway 91 in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr is not an isolated case. Data released by the State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) showed that in 2015, several gang rapes were reported from western UP. According to the data released in July, Bulandshahr reported 31 gang rapes, second only to Moradabad where 34 incidents were reported. The highest number of cases, 97, was recorded in Moradabad range that comprises Rampur, Bijnore, Amroha, Sambhal and Moradabad. This was followed by Meerut range comprising Bulandshahr, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Baghpat and Hapur with 87 cases. Saharanpur range recorded 35 incidents followed by Bareilly with 40 cases. This is the first time the SCRB report has included gang rape as a separate crime. A total of 458 gang rapes were reported in UP in 2015, which were in addition to the rape cases. About 3,025 rapes were reported in the same period. West UP has always registered a high rate of criminal activities. The condition of women is pathetic in the area, be it the trend of shared wives, rapes or female foeticide, saidMadhu Garg, state president of All-India Democratic Womens Association. Uttar Pradesh as a whole contributes for high number of gang rapes, revealed the 2014 report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Over 25% gang rapes in 2014 were reported from UP. A total of 574 cases of gang rape were reported in 2014. Cases of gang rape took place in the state earlier too but now victims are not shying away from reporting the crime. Such incidents have happened in villages and cities in the past, said Madhavi Kuckreja, a social activist working in remote areas of UP. Many believe reporting of rape cases rose after the December 16, 2012, Delhi gang rape. At least 17 prisoners were injured in a brawl in Delhis Rohini jail on Wednesday evening. The injured, who belonged to two groups, were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were given first-aid. DG Tihar Sudhir Yadav said that the prisoners started the fight when they were asked to go inside their cells. There was no clash between two groups. They have self-inflicted injuries. We are looking into the incident. Delhi Police said jail authorities informed them about the clash outside ward number 2 around 11 pm. . We have not registered a case so far and are awaiting a report from Tihar authorities. Prima facie, the fight broke out between two groups after one of them refused to get inside the cell first. They all sustained superficial injuries, said DCP(outer) Vikramjit Singh. Police sources said they are probing if the clash broke out because of their fight for supremacy inside the prison. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Delhi high court on Thursday ruled in favour of the lieutenant governor (L-G) in a tussle for the reins of the Capital. An HC bench headed by chief justice G Rohini said L-G Najeeb Jung is Delhis administrative head and isnt bound by the advice of the city council of ministers. The decision is a huge setback to the AAP government that wants complete control of the city and has repeatedly blamed the L-G of trying to rule by proxy and bypassing an elected administration. Here are ten take-aways from the verdict: 1. Delhi continues to be a Union Territory even after the Constitution (69th Amendment) Act, 1991 inserting Article 239AA making special provisions with respect to Delhi. On a reading of Article 239 and Article 239AA (special provisions to Delhi) of the Constitution together with the provisions of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991... it becomes manifest that Delhi continues to be a Union Territory, the bench said. The AAP has now said that it will challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court. 2. Delhi will continue to be administered by the President acting through an administrator -- the Lieutenant Governor. This means the city government has no control over important departments such as law and order and agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority. 3. The L-G is not bound to act only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. 4. Decisions of the Delhi government has to be communicated to the LG for approval. 5. LG has primacy over appointment of central government employees in the capital. 6. The citys Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) cannot take cognizance of offences against central government officers. 7. Commission of inquiry to look into CNG Fitness scam and alleged irregularities in DDCA is illegal as it was issued without seeking the views of LG. 8. Appointment of Nominee Directors of Delhi government on Board of BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited by the Delhi Power Company Limited is illegal. 9. Delhi governments direction to Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission to compensate consumers in case of unscheduled power cuts is illegal as such policy directions cannot be issued without communicating to the LG. 10. LG could appointment of Special Public Prosecutors, but such power has to be exercised on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung said on Thursday the high courts ruling that he was the administrative head of Delhi was neither a victory for him nor a defeat for chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Earlier in the day, the court held that the L-G was the administrative head of the National Capital Territory and that the AAP governments contention that he was bound to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers was without substance. The decision is a huge setback to the AAP government that wants complete control of the city and has repeatedly blamed the L-G of trying to rule by proxy and bypassing an elected administration. Jung, addressing a rare press conference, said a number of decisions, including Delhi governments directions to power regulator DERC, appointment of government representatives to BSES board and certain orders relating to tax, will have to be corrected as they did not have his concurrence. Read: Court blow to AAP : HC rules all Delhi decisions to go through L-G Jung, who had a long running battle with the AAP government on a host of jurisdictional issues, said he always wanted to protect the provisions of the Constitution and did not agree to the AAP governments decisions when he found they were at variance with the laid down norms. It is not a victory of anyone. It is not a win for Najeeb Jung and loss for Arvind Kejriwal. The court order is a kind of clarification that incorrect things will have to be corrected, he said. Jung, who has been targeted by the Kejriwal government over his decisions, said: My DNA is such that I dont get affected by abusive language. Jung said the verdict clarified that matters related to services will have to be handled by the LG and that the Centres concurrence was not necessary on certain issues and he can take calls on them. Court setback for AAP In a verdict seen as a setback to the AAP government, a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed its plea challenging the Centres May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to L-G in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital. The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of LG. The bench, in its 194-page judgement, said the AAP Governments contention that the LG is bound to act on the aid and advice of Council of Ministers cannot be accepted. Since coming to power two years ago, the AAP government and L-G have repeatedly clashed over appointment of officials, clearance of files and controlling the police. The AAP says the L-G, who reports to the Union home ministry, works at the behest of the Centre while Jung alleges the city government disregards established protocols and constitutional mechanism. The power struggle is rooted in Delhis unique position as a union territory functioning as the Capital, with the state government having no say over important departments and agencies. (With PTI inputs) The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday reached out to the victims of the Bulandshahr gang rape incident and handed over allotment letters of two flats to the family. Two 1BHK flats have provided to the two women of the family in the Arthala locality of Ghaziabad under the Shahri Awas Yojna. The flats are meant for residents who have been living in the district for more than three years and belong to the financially weaker background, said district magistrate Nidhi Kesrwani. She said the process of providing compensation under Rani Laxmibai Mahila Samman Kosh scheme had been expedited and clearance would be received soon. The process of release of compensation from the chief ministers fund is also under process from Bulandshahr authorities, Kesrwani said. Read: Bulandshahr suspect involved in a robbery case that police overlooked? The flat allotment letters are in the name of two women who were gangraped for almost three hours after being stopped and held captive by a gang of robbers on the intervening night of July 29-30 in Bulandshahr. The allotment letters were handed over Thursday evening. We were given a choice of three places and we chose Arthala because it is closer to the upcoming Metro link, said uncle of the victim girl. The family will now have to deposit an earnest amount to get possession and will not be able to sell the flats before 10 years as per norms under the scheme. The lieutenant governor is the administrative head of Delhi and all decisions taken by its ministers must be communicated to him, the high court ruled on Thursday, dealing a blow to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in its power struggle with the central government-appointed official. The court said the lieutenant governor (L-G) isnt bound by the ministers advice while they must communicate their decisions to the Centre, too, in the event of a dispute with the L-G. Doubling the hurt, it quashed two high-profile probes set up by the Arvind Kejriwal government into alleged irregularities in granting CNG fitness certificates and in the running of the state cricket body. It also scrapped an AAP order to penalise discoms for unscheduled power cuts and set aside appointments made by it to the discom boards, saying both decisions werent communicated to L-G Najeeb Jung. On the other hand, it upheld a Union home ministry notification stopping the citys anti-corruption branch (ACB) from acting against central government employees. Read: After high court ruling, L-G Jung has a message for Delhi CM Kejriwal Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain said the government will challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court. Only the Supreme Court has the power to define and interpret the Constitution. AAPs Ashish Khetan tweeted: The verdict has made a mockery of Indian democracy Would (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi have agreed to Pranab Mukherjee running the central govt after winning 282 seats in Lok Sabha? The L-G said the verdict is not a win for Najeeb Jung or a loss for Arvind Kejriwal. The court order is a kind of clarification that incorrect things will have to be corrected. Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said: I hope the Delhi government gives up its confrontationist attitude towards the Centre and starts focusing on civic issues concerning Delhi. Since coming to power in February 2015, the AAP government and the L-G have clashed over appointments, file clearances and control of the police, who report to the Centre. The AAP says the L-G is trying to rule by proxy, at the Centres behest. Jung accuses the state government of disregarding established protocol. The tussle is rooted in Delhis unique position as a Union Territory functioning as the Capital, with the state government having no say over important departments like law and order and agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority. On a reading of articles 239 and 239AA (special provisions to Delhi) of the Constitution together with the provisions of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991... it becomes manifest that Delhi continues to be a Union Territory, a high court bench headed by chief justice G Rohini said. It said matters related to services fell outside the purview of the legislative assembly, limiting the governments powers to appointing central government officials. The fight reached the high court after the AAP government challenged two central notifications that gave the L-G absolute powers in appointing bureaucrats in the Capital and limited the ACBs jurisdiction to Delhi government officials. Thursdays ruling came after year-long hearings on nine cases that arose out of this dispute. Matters came to a head with the AAP setting up commissions of inquiry into the CNG scam where it demanded that Jung and former CM Sheila Dikshit be questioned and the Delhi and District Cricket Associations functioning where it alleged financial bungling during Union minister Arun Jaitleys tenure as its chief. The BJPs Vijender Gupta, opposition leader in the assembly, said he hoped the verdict will put an end to unnecessary litigation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday termed as illegal the order of SDM banning public meetings and protest near the Chief Ministers residence and said strict action would be taken against him for violating the law. He said that only officers of DCP rank and above can issue order under Section 144 of CrPC under the Police Act. North DCP Madhur Verma has also asked the SDM to withdraw his order pointing that it was unnecessary interference in the working of police. Sub divisional magistrate (SDM) B K Jha on Wednesday issued an order under Section 144 of the CrPC, restricting demonstrations, making of speech by any political party for 30 days outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence on Flag Staff Road in North Delhis Civil Line area. The order is illegal because under police commissioner system, the SDM cannot issue an order under Section 144 of CrPC. We will pull up the magistrate. He is liable for action for violating the law, Jung told reporters here. If LG is sitting in his office, he imposes Section 144. Tell me can I do it? Despite the fact that the police commissioner reports to me, I cannot impose Section 144 in a particular area. Under Police Act, a Deputy Commissioner of Police can do it, the Lt Governor further said. Read: Kejriwal vs Jung: AAP to move SC challenging Delhi HC verdict In view of serious and law and order problems, Jha, a DANICS officer, had imposed ban on public meetings, dharnas, slogans near the CMs residence. It has been reported that various political parties and pressure groups may hold protests, demonstrations, dharnas, processions etc on political and others issues in front, near or around the residence of the chief minister, GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), which may create serious law & order problems..., the SDM said. These protests need to be prohibited in order to prevent public nuisance, obstruction to traffic and persons, danger to inhuman lives or safety and public property, the SDM (Civil Lines) had said in his order. Asking Jha to withdraw his Wednesdays order, Madhur Verma said that a letter has been written to SDM Civil Lines to withdraw his order as it amounts to unnecessary interference in the working of Delhi Police and is beyond the domain of powers of SDM in Delhi. Verma, the officer whose North Delhi police district covers Chief Ministers residence, said that order issued by SDM Civil Lines, on August 2 is in violation of Ministry of Home Affairs order, dated July 1, 1978, according to which powers and duties of executive magistrate and district magistrate under section 144 CrPC within Delhi are given to commissioner of Delhi Police. Read: Court blow to AAP : HC rules all Delhi decisions to go through L-G The AAP government said on Thursday it will move the Supreme Court, challenging Delhis high court order that the lieutenant governor is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory. Only the Supreme Court has the power to define and interpret the Constitution and we will approach it against the decision, home minister Satyendar Jain said. AAP leader Ashish Khetan said the verdict made a mockery of the Indian democracy. The HC verdict has made a mockery of Indian democracy. This is an anti-people judgment. Would Narendra Modi have agreed to Pranab Mukherjee running the Central Govt after winning 282 seats in Lok Sabha? (sic) Khetan tweeted. The head of AAPs Delhi unit, Dilip Pandey said it was necessary to go to the Supreme Court to protect the rights of people of Delhi. Delhi government is a symbol of the publics aspirations. To dismiss it is to dismiss democratic principles. The Assembly cannot be powerless, he tweeted. AAPs national spokesperson Raghav Chadha said the fight was not for supremacy but for democracy. BJP leaders, however, said that the decision brought an end to unnecessary litigation. We welcome the decision of HC & hope it will pave way 4 better governance. Crores of rupees were spent on fighting d avoidable legal battle, (sic) tweeted Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta. The decision comes after months-long turf war between LG Najeeb Jung and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed AAP Governments plea challenging the Centres May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital. The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of the LG. Protests and demonstrations outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals house are banned all August, the sub-divisional magistrate of Civil Lines ordered on Tuesday. As reported by the Police authorities, lot of applications of demonstrations, protests, dharnas etc in front of the residence of Chief Minister have been received from various groups and political parties. The month of August has many festivals such as Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan, Parsi New Year and Janamashthmi etc. People in general visit the Chief Minister. Therefore, it is apprehended that any demonstration protests or dharna etc will create public nuisance and serious law and order problems. It will also cause obstruction to the vehicular traffic movement, danger to human life and public property (sic), the order states. Guest teachers and opposing political parties have been holding regular dharnas outside the CM House on Flag Staff Road for the past many months. The CM is not even in the city as of now, why do people want to go outside his house? In any case, when Independence Day is close there are restrictions across the city. What is the problem if there is a restriction on another road, said Delhi minister Satyender Jain. Kejriwal is in Dharamsala for Vipassana meditation classes. The order, imposing Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, prohibits holding public meetings, assembly of five or more persons, carrying firearms, banners, placards, lathis, spears, swords, sticks, brickbats, shouting slogans, making speeches, processions/demonstrations and dharnas. The 11th G20 Summit is to be held in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province from September 4 to 5, 2016. [Photo: 163.com] Record number of developing countries will attend the G20 summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou in early September, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday. Wang made the remarks at a press conference together with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith after their talks in Beijing. As the biggest developing country in the world, China has the responsibility of maintaining and expanding the rights and interests of other developing countries, said Wang. China has invited five developing countries to the G20 Hangzhou summit: Chad, chair of the African Union; Laos, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); Senegal, chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD); Egypt; and Kazakhstan. Thailand, as the chair of the G77 this year, also expressed willingness to attend the Hangzhou summit, said Wang. "The developing world is best represented in the upcoming summit in Hangzhou, making it the most inclusive," Wang said, adding that China is confident in hosting a successful G20 summit. The foreign minister said there will be nearly 30 deliverable outcomes at the Hangzhou summit, making it one of the most fruitful summits in G20 history. A member of the special investigation team (SIT) probing the mysterious murder of Congress leader Shashi Tharoors wife Sunanda Pushkar, may visit the US to collect her viscera samples from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). A DCP-level officer may go there by the end of August. Sources said they decided to collect the samples on the union home ministrys directions. The samples have been lying at the FBIs forensic lab for almost a year. They said the home ministry, which was in touch with the FBI, recently asked Delhi Police to send a team to the US, and finish the job at the earliest. Senior Delhi Police officers associated with the Sunanda murder probe were tight-lipped over the matter. The SIT received the FBIs report on the viscera samples in October last year. The report said the radiation levels in the samples were within the standard safety norms. Since investigators could not ascertain the cause of Sunandas death from the report, they requested an AIIMS board to analyse it. The boards findings are awaited. The SIT has also asked the forensic labs that are examining Sunandas mobile phones and laptops in India to submit their reports. Read: Conspiracy theories abound: A timeline of Sunanda Pushkar murder case On January 17, 2014, Sunanda was found dead in suite number 345 of Leela Palace Hotel in south Delhi where she had checked in with her husband. A day before, Sunanda and Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar had a spat on Twitter, with Pushkar accusing Tarar of having an affair with Tharoor. Pushkars suspicions also led to a row between the husband and wife. Tarar was questioned in the case during her visit to India in February. Despite a murder case being registered last year, no development has taken place so far. As it stands, the commissioner of police, special CP (law and order), two joint CPs (southeastern range), two DCPs, two additional DCPs, the ACP of the special task forces, and the first investigating officer moved out in routine transfers. A Delhi University college has decided to take feedback from students on the performance of teachers in classrooms - a move aimed at improving academic performance. Dyal Singh College has formed a committee to prepare a method of taking feedback after the governing body (GB) of the college decided to initiate the process of collecting feedback. The GB decided to constitute a committee to draft a proforma to collect feedback from students about conduct of classes, tutorials, and practicals, principal I S Bakshi told HT. The committee includes the principal, three members from the GB, and a teacher representative to work on the initiative. However, teachers have criticized the move and pointed out that the recent UGC regulation, which was opposed by teachers and later rolled back, also had the provision of student feedback linked to promotion of teachers. Read: In big show of strength, thousands of teachers march against new UGC rule I am not opposed to taking feedback but this move is flawed. It could be affected by caste, gender, class and other factors. It can initiate a trade off between student and teachers. Also, feedback should be handled by an independent person as the college authorities can use it against dissenting teachers, said Naveen Gaur, who teaches physics at the college. Another teacher said, Students can blackmail teachers for not being lenient with attendance and marking by giving us negative feedback. The staff association is going to take up the matter in its meeting. Meanwhile, Bakshi said that the GB has decided to take feedback from students without their names. The only motive of the scheme is to improve the academic atmosphere of the college and not to victimize anyone, he said. The issue was discussed in the GB meeting and it was felt that there is a need to improve academic performance. The feedback would be confidential, he said. He said that GB also felt that the faculty members must do justice to their assigned duties and hold classes regularly and as per timetable assigned to them. It was desired that all faculty members should partner in collective endeavour of improving academic performance of the students, the notice said. Other decision taken by the GB is to seek clarification from teachers, who are not able to follow the timetable, and in such cases where a sizeable percentage, more than 50% of students for example, remain absent in classes. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A study conducted in Tanzania, Africa, suggests that people infected with a common parasitic worm may be twice as likely to acquire the HIV virus that causes AIDS. The parasite, Wuchereria bancrofti (W. bancrofti ), is found in many areas in Africa, where HIV infection rates are high. It can cause elephantiasis, a disease that horribly deforms the limbs and other parts of the body. Also endemic in Asia, the western Pacific and parts of the Caribbean and South America, the parasite has infected 120 million people worldwide. Read: You should know: 5 deadliest mosquito-borne diseases in India The mosquito-borne worm can live in the human lymphatic system for years without showing any symptoms. The new findings, published in The Lancet medical journal, added a compelling reason for tackling elephantiasis, known to scientists as lymphatic filariasis, the authors argued. The long disease duration of W. bancrofti infection -- around 10 years -- creates an ongoing immune response, which could make people more susceptible to HIV infection, said Inge Kroidl, a tropical medicine specialist at the University of Munich in Germany. For the study, conducted between 2006 and 2011, researchers analysed 2,699 people in the Kyela district of Mbeya, southwest Tanzania. Lymphatic filariasis affects one in four people in the country, and has long been suspected as a factor driving the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. People carrying Wuchereria bancrofti are twice as likely to have the AIDS virus, claim researchers. (Shutterstock) Participants were examined annually over a five-year period. Blood, urine, stool, and sputum samples were collected to test for HIV and W. bancrofti infection. Interviews determined if sexual activity could have heightened their risk of contracting HIV. The researchers found that people carrying the parasite were twice as likely to have the AIDS virus. The impact was the highest among adolescents and young adults. For now, the observed link is merely a correlation, with no proven cause-and-effect, the researchers pointed out. It does, however, highlight the need for an elephantiasis cure. Lymphatic filariasis elimination programmes in the past decade have focused on the reduction of transmission but made only limited efforts to cure W. bancrofti infection, Kroidl said. Prevention currently focuses on the use of bed nets and other mosquito repellents. Read: Abhishek Bachchan meets elephantiasis patients Other infections such as chlamydia, herpes and syphilis are known to increase susceptibility to HIV. Jennifer Downs and Daniel Fitzgerald of the Center for Global Health at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York (USA), writing in a commentary, said further study was urgently needed to confirm the findings. Controlling lymphatic filariasis has the potential not only to decrease morbidity from the disease itself, but could additionally prevent incident HIV infections among the 120 million people living with this chronic infection, they said in The Lancet. Lymphatic filariasis is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of about 20 neglected tropical diseases that collectively affect more than a billion people in developing countries. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. The second movie in the Harry Potter spin-off series Fantastic Beasts will be released in November 2018, Hollywood movie studio Warner Bros said on Wednesday, promising much more on the horizon from the boy-wizard franchise. British author JK Rowling will write the script for the second movie as she did for the first and David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter films, will direct, Warner Bros said in a statement. Read: JK Rowling has already written Fantastic Beasts 2 The movie, yet to be titled, is part of a three-movie deal based on Rowlings book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a prequel to her best-selling Harry Potter books. The first movie, starring Eddie Redmayne, will be released on November 18, 2016. Read: New Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trailer drops a Dumbledore Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who arrives in New York in 1926 with a case of magical creatures that escape, wreak havoc and face threats from the non-magical humans in the city. Ahead of San Diegos Comic-Con event last month, Yates teased that a familiar character from the Harry Potter stories will return in Fantastic Beasts. There is a mention of some characters that we know and love from previous movies, but we only talk about them fleetingly, Yates told Reuters. In the next movie, part two, well get to meet one of them in a significant way. Hes much younger than he used to be, but hell be coming back. In June, Yates said Rowling already had ideas for the third Fantastic Beasts film and said he relished not having to adapt the new stories from books. When we adapted the books, wed always have to leave out things you hated leaving out because they didnt quite work in the structure of the storytelling for the movie, he said. Pottermania returned with a vengeance in recent weeks, with rave reviews for the London stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and publication of the play script in book form. US and British booksellers say the book is already the best-selling title in a decade. Read: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The perfect sequel to an epic story Harry Potter theme park attractions are up and running in Florida and California, as well as in Osaka, Japan. Warner Bros, without giving details, hinted there is much more on the horizon from Rowlings Wizarding World. Read: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: What worked and what didnt More than 450 million copies of the seven original Harry Potter books have been sold worldwide in 79 languages. The movie franchise has grossed more than $7 billion worldwide. Follow @htshowbiz for more Three bodies were recovered on Thursday morning as search and rescue operations resumed at the Savitri river, more than 36 hours after a bridge collapsed in Maharashtras Raigad district. Raigad collector Sheetal Ugale confirmed that a body was recovered from Anjarle beach, about 150 kilometers from the location where around 10 vehicles, including two state transport buses, fell into the river. The body was identified as that of Srikant Kamble who was driving a Jaigad-Mumbai state transport bus. A second body, that of a woman, was found at Harihareshwar beach, about 60 kilometers from Mahad. Authorities, however, are trying to ascertain if the body is from the bridge collapse. A third body, also of a woman, was found at Kemburli. The Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Navy began combing the river early in the morning, looking for signs of the vehicles. Heavy rains had caused the Savitri to flood, leading to the collapse of a century-old colonial bridge that links to the Mumbai-Goa highway around Tuesday midnight. Two bodies were recovered by Wednesday afternoon, but authorities estimate around 30 people are still missing. Read | British-era bridge near Mahad washed away in floods, 29 feared dead Sources from the NDRF said the massive magnet being used to trace metal bodies in the river may have found something as it become stationary underwater. Teams are waiting to pull out the 300 kg magnet using a crane. Something has got stuck in one of the hooks we had put in the river from the new bridge. But it is not clear if that is a vehicle as we have not been able to penetrate the surface due to the strong current in the river, said a NDRF official. The current is same as it was on Wednesday. Our officials are also trying to trace the vehicles and the people in boats up to three kilometers down the spot.We hope to recover the vehicles and some people by today evening, the official added. The incessant rains in the catchment areas of Mahabaleshwar, where river Savitri originates, has made the rescue operations a tough task given the raging torrent of muddy water. Officials also fear that the current will have carried bodies and vehicles out into sea. Two helicopters each from Navy and Indian Coast Guard along with river rafters have been pressed into service while scuba divers and electronic sensors to locate human bodies under the water will bolster efforts on Thursday. Mahad Police and local residents have also joined in the operations. Raigad district superintendent of police, Suvez Haque, said various agencies were part of the operations combing the 30-kilometer stretch of the river. Families asked to approach authorities Relatives of two families arrived at Mahad, claiming seven of their kin were travelling in a Tavera from Guhaghar to Mumbai, and were not reachable since Tuesday night. I talked to my relatives over phone at around 11pm when they were having dinner. However, in the morning I noticed that they have not reached their homes nor they are reachable, said Ashish Bhalekar. District administration said there were 22 persons including the driver and conductor travelling in two Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses. The Jaigad-Mumbai and Rajapur-Borivali buses had 17 passengers on board. Based on the information shared by one eyewitness, we suspect two buses have been washed away. Apart from people travelling in two ST buses, we have appealed people to come forward if their kin who were supposed to have travelled by this road has not reached the desired destination, said Sheetal Ugale, district collector, Raigad. Time and nature lead to disaster More than half the 100-year-old bridge, connecting Mahad-Poladpur section, gave way at around 11:30pm due to the rains and river current. Such was the ferocity of the water that locals didnt hear the noise from the bridge collapse. According to Basant Kumar, an eyewitness, two Mumbai-bound buses fell into the river after the bridge crumbled within seconds. I first noted a bus going down. Within moments I saw another vehicle falling in the river, said Kumar, who works at a garage near the bridge. The collapsed bridge had apparently surpassed its utility period, but the state Public Works Department allowed vehicular traffic on it, despite another bridge being built parallel to it in 2000. Traffic moving towards Mumbai plied on the old bridge while vehicles moving towards Goa where routed to the new bridge. Police, in Kashmir, have launched a massive crackdown on youth to control the stone-throwing incidents and spiraling protests going on across the Valley since July 8 when Hizb-ul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter. As many as 471 persons have been arrested or detained by the police since the latest unrest began in Kashmir. In its continuous drive against the hooligans and miscreants 349 accused persons have been arrested in the Valley. Besides, 122 have been detained under prohibitory provisions of law, a police spokesman said. The crackdown has been launched against the youth for their alleged involvement in protests and stone-pelting incidents. At least 53 persons have been killed, including two policemen, and nearly 5,000 others injured in the ongoing street protests in Kashmir since the killing of Hizb-ul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and his two associates in an encounter with security forces on July 8. Many incidents of arson were also reported during the protests. Despite curfews and restrictions, protests have become order of the day in the Valley. The police had launched the crackdown on habitual stone throwers almost immediately after the initial wave of protests in Kashmir. Hundreds more were put under surveillance by the respective police stations. Residents said police is raiding homes during nights looking for youth creating fear psychosis among the families. The practice has caused outrage prompting sharp reactions from the separatists. Many absconding youth, allegedly found involved in stone-throwing incidents, have been asked to report to police station through their families. Police and CRPF have been using video cameras to identify known and unknown faces during stone-throwing incidents and protests. It took nine back-to-back blasts inside the historic walled city of Jaipur in 2008 that killed more than 60 people to finally jolt security agencies in the state out of their slumber. As chaos spread in the densely populated area and television flashed gory images of bloodied bodies lying everywhere, few noticed the attackers chose the spot for maximum casualties and proximity to the citys iconic structure: The Hawa Mahal. Experts say the Hawa Mahal is only one of the dozens of heritage structures across the city vulnerable to militant strikes. The security arrangements are flimsy and ill equipped to deal with an attack mounted like in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka last month, where a hostage crisis in an upmarket restaurant left 20 people dead. An attack on the Hawa Mahal would be a direct assault on the essence of Jaipur since this monument is synonymous with the city, said Rajasthans former director general of police (DGP) Omendra Bhardwaj. Such an attack would deal a body blow to the tourism industry that sustains a major part of the states economy. But eight years after the walled city attacks, has Jaipur learnt its lesson? Read all the stories in this series here HARDLY ANY SECURITY At 10 in the morning, the sprawling courtyard of the Hawa Mahal is already filled with loose clusters of tourists, many of them foreigners. Contrary to expectations, there is no trace of a guard as one enters the compound of the monument. There is hardly any security arrangement here. Even if there are any security personnel, they will be looking at traffic arrangements and will be probably unarmed, said Bhardwaj. Its easy for anyone to enter the compound and start spraying bullets on the unsuspecting tourists. The primary duty of the two guards at the main entrance is to check for tickets and their halfhearted attempt at frisking tourists indicates that searching for hidden weapons is not on their mind. People who are doing the frisking themselves have no idea what they are looking for, said Bhardwaj. Read | Cyberabad IT Parks guards cant hold off terrorists for even 3 mins: Expert THREAT OF A LONE WOLF The former DGP said that an attack akin to the Orlando shootings that is carried out by an individual working independently with no prior connection with known terror outfits is the biggest nightmare for security agencies. In Orlando, for example, a lone shooter entered a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 people. In case of a group attack, the intelligence agencies get a chance to monitor people getting in touch with known terror suspects but in a lone wolf attack, its not possible, said Bhardwaj. He said that it is easy to apprehend people if they come in touch with known suspects. For example, two youth living in Jaipur, who planned to carry out a terror attack, were arrested in 2014 after they contacted a known operative of the ISI, said Bhardwaj. HIGH IMPACT TARGETS Understanding the psyche of terrorists is important to identify potential targets because they hunt for locations with maximum impact, both in terms of casualties and shock value, Bhardwaj said. Terrorists would look for heavily crowded places and also those of religious significance, he said, adding that a place like the popular Govind Dev Ji temple was a probable target. Read | Chinks in the security armour of this popular Shia mosque in Lucknow WAKEUP CALL IN 2008 The 2008 serial blasts was a wakeup call for the security establishment, said the ex-DGP. Before the 2008 blasts, Rajasthan hardly had any specific set of people to combat terrorism. The anti terrorism squad (ATS) was constituted after the attacks and now we have some of the best people, said Bhardwaj. Another game changer has been the multi agency centre (MAC) -- a central organisation with centres in all states with representatives from various investigative agencies. MAC was created for streamlining intelligence efforts. We have specific sets of plans developed for different scenarios which will be implemented in case of an emergency, said Sanjay Agarwal, city commissioner of police. Rajasthan also has an emergency response team (ERT) that is an arm of the ATS. Regular mock drills and 360 degree trainings are organised by the ERT teams and it has proven its mettle in competitions with other such agencies in the country, said Bhardwaj. He added that the state also has a team of negotiators, who have been trained to handle hostage situations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON All seemed normal to the 300 people aboard the Emirates airliner as it flew past the worlds tallest building in hazy skies and made a slow left turn over the waters of the Persian Gulf. But as soon as the plane touched down at Dubai International Airport, everyone knew something had gone wrong. It was a big noise, said Shadi Kochuktty, a passenger from India. We hadnt heard any announcement but it was a big noise. From that terrifying moment on, all those on board the Boeing 777 faced the nightmare all white-knuckle fliers fear: Smoke filling the cabin. People screaming. And the rush to escape. The three-and-a-half-hour, nearly 3,000-kilometre (1,860-mile) flight itself began normally. It left from the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state, where many of the United Arab Emirates construction workers, taxi drivers and labourers come from in search of a better life. Flight EK521 took off at 10:19am and was scheduled to land at 12:50am local time, according to Emirates. The aircraft flew over the Arabian Sea and later Oman on a northwesterly course heading toward Dubai. By the time it reached the skies over its destination, the scorching mid-day sun had raised temperatures to a humid 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). Thats about average for this time of year. Winds of 39 kilometers an hour (24mph) blew toward the northwest at the airfield, according to the UAEs National Center for Meteorology and Seismology. Read | Emirates flight from India crash-lands in Dubai, all 300 on board safe As the aircraft made its descent, there were reports of wind shear at the airport, though it was unclear if it had any effect on what happened, Emirates CEO and chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said. Wind shear is a sudden downdraft encountered by aircraft that can be dangerous, especially for planes near the ground. The control tower at the airport remained in contact with the flight as it slowed and descended toward Runway One-Two-Right, according to air traffic recordings made by aviation website LiveATC.net. The scratchy recording includes someone calling out the flights number and saying returning to 4,000, suggesting the pilot attempted to abort the landing and regain altitude. But at that point, passengers inside the flight had no idea something was about to go wrong until the loud noise rang through the cabin as the plane hit the ground. The plane skidded across the airport runway, turning slightly as part of the wing tore away. Smoke started coming through the cabin. All the people were shouting, all the children, all the women, said Arun Krishna, a passenger from India. Flight attendants jumped out of their seats as the plane screeched to a stop, opening emergency doors on the craft and inflating the emergency slides. Asked what the flight attendants said then, Kochuktty offered one word: Escape! As horrified passengers on other planes watched, people slid down the slide and began walking to safety. Some clutched bags and suitcases, though many left behind passports and money. Some passengers, barefoot, burned their soles on the hot runway. In the control tower, a female controller ordered firefighters to respond immediately: Do not wait to proceed! ... All fire vehicles, all fire vehicles proceed to the aircraft. Trucks quickly surrounded the burning aircraft, spraying foam on it to try to contain the flames. An explosion struck one side and in the chaos, one firefighter was killed, Sheikh Ahmed, the Emirates CEO, said. In pics: How 300 people escaped a crash-landed Emirates flight at Dubai airport The fire burned away the top of the airplanes fuselage, singeing the Emirates name in gold. The tower controller asked: Do we want to shut down? Minutes later, the crash-landing had closed the worlds third-busiest airport, diverting flights for long-haul carrier Emirates and others across the UAE and into other countries. Passengers and crew from EK521 made it inside a nearby terminal, with at least 10 requiring hospital care. By 4pm, some passengers on board the flight began leaving, vouchers in their hands for hotels as they entered waiting taxis. Several said they needed assistance from the Indian Consulate as they had lost all their travel documents, but they remained grateful to be alive. See, our belongings are gone thats no problem. Our family is safe, Kochuktty said. We have saved our life. Lord had mercy on us. Thousands of Dalits in Gujarat will start a 10-day march from Ahmedabad to Una on Friday to protest against atrocities against the community in the state. Organisers said the march called Aazadi Koon (March for Freedom) has been planned to galvanise the community and will cover a distance of around 350 km. The march comes after a number of protests by Dalits against upper-caste communities as well as the state government, which they view as unsympathetic to their cause, across Gujarat. The foot march with end on August 15 in Una where thousands of Dalits will converge to observe independence. We want to give the message that we will not tolerate discrimination against the community anymore, Jignesh Mewani of Una Dalit Atyachar Ladal Samiti, who will lead the march, said. During the march, we plan to meet people and make them take an oath that they will not skin animals anymore. We will tell them to demand jobs under Digital India and Skill India initiatives which Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has been publicising, Mewani said. At the same time, we will make them aware of our key demands and ask them to join us on Una on Independence Day. Never before in Independent India, have Dalits asserted their demands like this. Una town in Gujarats Gir Somnath district has become an epicentre of Dalit protests after the brutal thrashing of four scheduled caste men by alleged cow-protection vigilantes for skinning a dead cow last month. At least six people have been arrested in connection with the case. Read | Dalit attacks muddy the waters for Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel Members of Dalit community protest in Ahmedabad on Tuesday against the assault on Dalit members by cow protectors in Rajkot district, Gujarat. (PTI) Dalits have staged statewide protests to register their opposition to the incident and raised a number of issues facing the community for decades. Your mother, you take care of it, has become the slogan for the protests. Following the Una incident, several incidents of Dalits attempting suicide in the state have also been reported. A 23-year-old Dalit, who consumed poison during a rally in Rajkot on July 19, died at an Ahmedabad hospital on Sunday. Around 5,000 Dalits from across the state gathered in Ahmedabads Sabarmati area and appealed for unity in the fight against injustice and atrocities on Sunday. They also pledged to stop skinning cattle carcases and cleaning manholes as a mark of protest against the flogging incident and demanded that the government should provide them with alternative livelihood options. The 10 key demands that the community leaders put before the government include providing them with alternative livelihood options, reservation for Dalits under the reservation act, allotment of land for Dalit families, strong legal framework to fight atrocities against Dalits, ensuring that people from the community do not work as manual scavengers and implementation of Forest Rights Act. Of Indias 200 million Dalits, 2.3% live in Gujarat and make around 7% of the western states population. More than 80% of the Dalits in Gujarat are daily labourers, the majority of whom work in the agricultural sector. Half of the Scheduled Caste population is landless or owns less than one acre of land. Gujarat has a rising record of atrocities against Dalits. According to a 2010 study by Navsarjan, a non-profit, around 5% of such cases result in acquittal against the national average of 28%. The study covered more than 1,500 villages of Gujarat and recorded various forms of discrimination practised against Dalits. The massive statewide protests have threatened the ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) poll chances in Gujarat as well as other states such as Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. On Monday, Anandiben Patel stepped down as Gujarats first woman chief minister, a decision seen prompted by mounting pressure over her governments handling of a string of political protests including the Una incident. Read | Gujarat Dalits not to lift carcasses, demand firearms for protection Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel visits a Dalit youth who was assaulted by cow vigilantes in Rajkot. (PTI) A day after, she resigned Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi alleged on Twitter that Narendra Modis rule as the chief minister of Gujarat is responsible for the states problems. He said the move to sacrifice scapegoat Patel will not save the ruling party in the state where elections are due next year. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party is looking to make an electoral foray into Gujarat, said Patels offer to resign was the result of growing popularity of his AAP. BJP is terribly scared, Kejriwal tweeted soon after Patel made the announcement on Facebook. The resignation is a victory of AAPs fight against corruption in the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Trouble in Gujarat has woken up the BJP to challenges in other states under its rule. BJP chief Amit Shah has called chief ministers of party-ruled states to Delhi on August 27 for a stock taking exercise and give them a pep talk on governance and political issues. Ahead of the meet, Shah invited the core group of the party in different states for a brain storming session on August 23. It is almost two years of Shah taking over reins of the party. He has been keeping an eye on the performance of these governments. Its time for a stock taking and giving these chief ministers some pep talk, a BJP source told HT. BJP has chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Goa, Rajasthan and Assam. It has chief ministers from alliance partners in J&K, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland. BJP won Jharkhand, Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra and formed a coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir under the duo of Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leadership has concerns about Chhattisgarh, which goes to vote next year. Haryana has also been in news for wrong reasons and some of CM Manohar Lal Khattars colleagues are openly taking potshots at him. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis is also dealing with unrest among OBC stalwarts. Shah is also expected to ask nine BJP-ruled states to speed up the process of getting the GST bill ratified by their assemblies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, next month is attracting more students to learn English, according to a volunteer teacher in the city. Timothy Clancy, an Australian student at Zhejiang University, teaches children English as he works as a volunteer for the upcoming G20 Summit in Hangzhou. Security rehearsals for the summit have been carried out between 11pm and 4am. ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY Timothy Clancy, 31, an Australian who has lived in Hangzhou since 2011 with his wife, who is from Zhejiang, said, Australia has hosted such a summit before, but I never imagined that people in the host city could be so hospitable. I want to be part of this great event through the English classes and express my own welcome. Zhao Jihong, 67, one of the senior students in Clancys class, said, I am learning English here just in case I come across foreigners so that I can at least say hi to welcome them to Hangzhou. Zhao Yide, the Hangzhou Party chief, said, Thanks to the consistent efforts made by the people of Hangzhou, preparatory work for the G20 Summit has been a success. All services, including dining, transportation and security are in place. Hangzhou is now ready to host the two-day summit and welcome its distinguished guests. The summit will be held on Sept 4 and 5. Non-G20 member countries such as Laos, Chad, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Egypt have confirmed that they will take part in the summit, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Zhao said the participants will have the chance to taste Hangzhou cuisine. A 7,450-square-meter warehouse is being used to store up to 900 tons of food, and all the food and ingredients will be bought, examined, monitored, maintained and delivered through this huge building. Up to 900 vehicles are ready to transport the G20 leaders and their delegations. In addition, more than 2,000 drivers will be on duty to meet the needs of summit participants. Attention will focus on all the hotels accommodating G20 leaders, guests and the media, with security the top concern in the summit preparations. Zhao said, All the security rehearsals have been carried out between 11 pm and 4 am with advance notice, as we have tried our best not to disturb peoples daily lives. Hangzhou Mayor Zhang Hongming said: All previous hosts of G20 summits paid a lot of attention to security, with troops and police fully prepared to guarantee this. Hangzhou is very confident of making the summit a safe event, and people are volunteering to be security guards. A 760,000-member patrol group has been made up from local volunteers, according to Xinhua News Agency. [email protected] Patients in need of blood and blood components such as platelets across 100 cities in India will now be able to get in touch with the nearest donor on the click of a mouse. LocalCircles, a citizen engagement website and app, on Thursday created blood donation circles in 100 cities, where a person who wishes to donate blood can register and people in need can search for a donor in their area. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Allahabad and Lucknow are among the 100 cities that will benefit from the blood donation circles. We are trying to use the power of social media for a cause. There is a massive shortage of blood in India, especially in tier two cities as organisations that organise blood donation camps are not very active and blood banks are few and far between, said Yatish Rajawat, chief strategy officer at LocalCircles. A person just has to visit http://www.localcircles.com or download the android/iOS app and register in the blood donation circle of a particular city. The membership get approved in a few hours, after which people might respond to requests for blood donation or post a need request. A circle of 1,20,000 donors was created by the organisation last year in Delhi during the dengue crisis, which affected almost 16,000 people and killed 60. There was an over-whelming response from Delhiites last year, especially for platelets, which is needed for transfusion in serious dengue patients. This year, we thought of expanding the circle to include 100 other cities as dengue is on the rise, said Rajawat. Throughout India, more than 15,000 people have had dengue fever and 26 people have succumbed to date. Experts, however, say that these circles can come in handy only in limited cases. A person who requires just one unit of blood can use such apps, but, if the person needs four or five units it gets difficult to coordinate with so many donors. Hence, there is a need for local blood banks which can meet the blood requirements of the population, said Dr Vanashree Singh, director of the blood bank, Indian Red Cross Society. As per the norms of the World Health Organisation, India needs approximately 1.3 crore units of blood and a little more than 1 crore is collected. The problem is that of distribution. For example, based on the population ratio, Delhi should need only about 2 lakh units of blood, but even after collecting 6 lakh units there is a shortage. This is because Delhi is a referral centre, said Dr Singh. The shortage of the few lakh units of blood in India can easily be met if the blood components are separated. One unit of whole blood can help three patients if it is split into its component platelet, plasma and red blood cells. Whole blood must not be prescribed for patients where only one component is sufficient, she said. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Army has said it will provide all possible assistance to the Jammu and Kashmir government to bring peace in the region, which has been on the boil since the killing of Hizb-ul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Northern army commander, Lt Gen DS Hooda, accompanied by Chinar corps commander, Lt Gen Satish Dua called on chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday at her official residence and discussed the prevailing security situation in the Valley, a defence spokesman said. Hooda appealed to all sections of the society, especially the youth to exercise calm and maintain peace. He said the prevailing state of violence has led to losses in terms of education of children, damage to public property, losses to traders and daily wagers and has badly affected tourism. The most precious loss is that of young people who were the sole breadwinners of their families, Hooda said. Earlier in the day, Lt Gen DS Hooda visited different areas of Kashmir valley and reviewed the security situation and collaborative measures of security forces towards ensuring peace and calm in the region. The chill in India-Pakistan ties was on full display at the meeting of SAARC interior ministers in Islamabad on Thursday, with home minister Rajnath Singh seeking the strongest action against countries that back terrorism. Singh did not name any countries or individuals in his terse speech but there was little doubt he was referring to Pakistan. In a speech that was not covered by the Pakistani media, Singh sent out a strong message to his hosts: There is no good or bad terrorismTerrorism is terrorism." He said mere condemnation of terrorism is not enough, adding: Strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organizations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. Terrorists, Singh said, should not be eulogised or glorified as martyrs. The remarks were an apparent reference to the stance adopted by Pakistan on slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad has angered New Delhi by referring to Wani as a Kashmiri leader and a martyr and describing his death as an extrajudicial killing. If we are to rid ourselves of terrorism, we will have to genuinely believe that attempts to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' terrorists are misleading, and thus, no type of terrorism or support to it can be justified on any grounds whatsoever," Singh said. Immediate and effective action is required against all those who support or encourage international terrorism in any way, whether they are state actors or non-state. Only then justice will be ensured for the victims of terrorist attacks such as in Mumbai and Pathankot. We must have the approach of 'zero tolerance' against any type of terrorism," he added. Pakistans interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan brought up Kashmir in his speech and criticised what he said was the use of excessive force" to suppress protests in Jammu and Kashmir. He also said there was a difference between fighting for freedom and terrorism. Using torture against innocent children and violence against civilians qualifies as terrorism, Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn. As the SAARC meeting began at Serena Hotel in Islamabad, the frost permeating bilateral ties was plain for all to see. Pakistans interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was receiving participants at the entrance of the venue and shaking their hands. When Singh and a grim-looking Khan came face-to-face, their hands barely touched before the Indian minister moved into the hall, witnesses said. Visiting Indian journalists were not allowed to capture the moment as they were kept at a distance by Pakistani officials. This led to an angry exchange between an Indian official and a Pakistani official. Both Singh and Khan stayed away from a lunch hosted for the SAARC ministers. Pakistani media, including the vibrant private TV news channels, did not cover Singhs speech. Pakistani officials said there was great anger in the country against the Indian government over the violence in Jammu and Kashmir, and that was why the media blacked out Singh. We are respecting public sentiments," one official said. TV news channel directors said on condition of anonymity they were advised by official quarters not to cover Singhs speech. The Pakistan government tried to downplay the SAARC meet and only state-run Pakistan Television covered the introductory speeches by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and interior minister Khan. Singh is the first Indian minister to visit Pakistan since the terror attack on Pathankot airbase in January that was blamed on the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed. The two sides have not held any substantial dialogue since the 2008 Mumbai attacks by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. During his speech, Singh also said terrorism had been greatly amplified by the misuse of digital technology. He asked governments to look at all aspects of cyber crime and called for immediate ratification of the SAARC convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters. Prime Minister Sharif also touched on terrorism in his opening address but from a different point of view. Sharif said Pakistan had registered "remarkable gains" against terrorists at the national level through the armys operation Zarb-e-Azb and the implementation of a National Action Plan. "This reflects our governments determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good," he said. "Let me reaffirm that Pakistan remains committed to jointly working with the SAARC member states in fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crime among others. Interior Minister Khan told the gathering, "It is time for us to seize the moment, to leverage our potential and overcome our challenges." Pakistan is committed to the SAARC process and desires to see it a successful regional organisation, he added. Even before Singh reached Islamabad on Wednesday, India ruled out a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart or other leaders, with officials saying the atmosphere was not conducive to such an interaction. Singhs arrival coincided with protests at several places by radical organisations and extremist leaders such as Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin. Some protesters gathered at a distance of about 10 km from the National Assembly, located close to the venue of the SAARC meet. The media reported that civil society groups and religious and hardline organisations staged protests for the second day against Singh's visit. Islamabads main express highway was blocked by a large number of workers of the Hurriyat Conference. The focus shifted from the SAARC meeting to the visit by the Indian minister. Pakistani officials said the stance adopted by the Nawaz Sharif government was meant "to compensate for the fact that the Indian minister had been welcomed in Pakistan despite the situation in Kashmir". Security was high for Singh, who was transported to the hotel in a helicopter. Singh also called on the Pakistani premier with other SAARC ministers. The ministers were with Sharif for about 20 minutes and exchanged pleasantries. There were no formal discussions. Soon after the SAARC meeting, Singh left for India. The suspense over the next Gujarat chief minister is likely to end on Friday evening after a meeting of the party legislators in Ahmedabad. But the real challenge before party chief Amit Shah is to find a leader who can step into the shoes of Narendra Modi, who ruled the state for 13 years before becoming prime minister. The new CM will have their task cut out provide good governance, placate irate Patel and Dalit communities, battle two decades of anti-incumbency and repair ties between the government and party machinery. And all this will have to be done in less than a year, before polls in early 2017. Modi took over in October 2001 to calm waters in the party that was riven with infighting at the time. Within months of taking charge, he dissolved the assembly following the 2002 riots where more than 1,000 Muslims died and called for elections. The future PM romped home in the poll and never looked back. He proved himself an able administrator under whose watch Gujarat prospered. Despite hailing from a small community, Modi expanded his influence among every caste and kept law and order under control. He not only exercised total control over the government but also on the party unit, weeding out any chances of conflict. His detractors were marginalised as Modi fastened his grip, establishing Brand Gujarat, which became a talking point in the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign. Read| Anandiben resigns as Gujarat CM, Amit Shah to choose her successor The comparison with Anandiben couldnt be starker. In less than a year after taking over from her mentor, Anandiben ran into trouble with the influential Patel community, who launched violent protests demanding quota in jobs and colleges. Patel, who turns 75 in November, was hardly the leader of the future. Egos clashed as Shah expanded his influence on the party. Ties between the two leaders, who were ministerial colleagues under CM Modi, are at best frosty. Her exit mirrors that of Modis predecessor Keshubhai Patel, who was forced to quit after defeat in three byelections and allegations of tardy handling of earthquake rehabilitation. The crisis in the state unit and BJPs plummeting fortunes in the countryside has party leaders wishing for a second Modi. Many think this is time for Shah to step up to the mantle. Read|The Gujarat question: Who will step into Anandibens shoes? Slogans of BJP ni majboori, Amit Shah Jaruri (Shah is the only option for the BJP) are doing the rounds in party circles, pointing at the need for a strong leadership. A major drawback of the Modi rule was that it did not see the growth of second-rung leaders. And, today it does not have a single option when it comes to finding a strong leader who can steer the party home in the 2017 elections, said political observer Achyut Yagnik. The party needs a strong leader if it has to regain the ground lost by last years drubbing in panchayat polls, simmering Patel anger, nationwide outrage over the flogging of four Dalit men in Una and anti-incumbency sentiment after two decades of BJP rule. The BJP needs a face that can pacify both the dominant Patidars and marginalized Dalits at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress are leaving no stone unturned to uproot the BJP. Losing Gujarat in 2017 will be end of the road for the partys bid to retain power at the Centre in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said Yagnik. On Wednesday, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu ruled out Shahs return to Gujarat as CM, citing his requirement at the national level but many in the party are still hopeful of the BJP chief succeeding Anandiben. The other options such as health minister Nitin Patel and state unit president Vijay Rupani do not have either wider acceptance within the party or the required administrative experience. Read| The rise and fall of Anandiben Patel Read| For Congress, Anandiben was the best bet in Gujarat The rural employment programme and a clutch of schemes aimed at marginalised sections, including Dalits and minorities, will have the first claim on funds under the Modi governments national development agenda. The decision comes at a time when the ruling BJP is desperately trying to reach out to Dalits ahead of the next years assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh and Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state of Gujarat. The cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a panel of chief ministers set up to reduce the number of centrally sponsored schemes. The panel was led by Madhya Pradeshs Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The panel wants the Centre-funded schemes to be restricted to 30 to ensure better use of resources and implementation. It has divided the trimmed list into core schemes to be implemented by all states and optional schemes. Social protection and inclusion plans will be counted as core of the core schemes and be the first charge on available funds for the national development agenda, a statement said. The 15-year agenda that replaces five-year plans will focus on long-term development planning while reviewing and monitoring various schemes. Welfare schemes for scheduled castes, minorities, scheduled tribes, backward classes and the disabled and old age pension and the rural employment job plan, which offers a safety net to farmer and farm labour, will be treated as core of the core. Dalits, who form a sizable chunk of voters, have traditionally not gone with the BJP but the party is eyeing them to expand its social base. Party chief Amit Shah shared a meal with Dalits during one of his visits to Uttar Pradesh. But self-styled cow protection activists who flogged four Dalits in Gujarat on suspicion that they killed a cow last month provoked angry reactions from the community. The government came under renewed attack, with the opposition accusing it of launching social terror and falling to protect weaker sections. Senior ministers were forced to step in. Information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu said last week it was wrong to kill a human being on the pretext of protecting the cow. His comments reflected the unease within the party over the alienation of the community that accounts for 17% of the countrys population. Dalits account for 21% of the population of Uttar Pradesh where the BJP is trying to wean them away from the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party. Poll-bound Punjab (32%) and Himachal Pradesh (25%) are two other states with a significant SC population. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ANPUR: A dozen policemen were suspended and five of their colleagues were charged with murder after a 26-year-old Dalit man died in custody in Kanpur on Thursday, which triggered violent protests. The suspect, Kamal Valmiki, was detained on Wednesday along with his alleged accomplice, Raju Mistri, for burglary, and kept at Ahirwan police station. His sister, Rekha, found that he has died when he went to meet him at the station on Thursday afternoon. He was subjected to third-degree torture, resulting in his death, she alleged. As news spread that a Dalit man has died of police brutality, people gheraoed the police station, demanding arrest of the culprits in uniform. Police resistance led to clashes. The mob threw stones at policemen, tried to torch the station, and blocked traffic on national highway 2. Police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and restore traffic movement. Co-accused Mistri is missing after Valmikis death. Senior police officials said a case of murder was registered against the five constables who brought Valmiki in, while the entire staff of Ahirwan police station sub-inspector Yogendra Solanki and 11 constables were suspended. Kanpur senior superintendent of police Shalabh Mathur said an investigation into the death has been ordered. A hunt was also launched to catch the fugitive prisoner. (With inputs from PTI) Former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya has described Congress UP chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit as discard from Delhi, drawing sharp reaction from her party leaders on Thursday. Sheila Dikshit is a rejected maal of Delhi whom Congress party has put up in Uttar Pradesh, Maurya told reporters on Sunday. As the video of his remarks went viral on social media, Congress on Thursday lashed out at Maurya for his sexist remark and protested before Ekona police station here demanding lodging of an FIR against him. If the FIR is not registered, we will intensify our protest, Congress leader Dilip Sharma told PTI. He said that he had submitted a complaint to the police in which he said using such expressions against a woman was tantamount to criminal offence. Maurya, who quit Mayawatis party and formed Loktantrik Bahujan Manch, was in Shrawasti to meet his supporters to garner support for his rally in Lucknow next month. That party (Congress) talks about youth, but in such a big state like Uttar Pradesh they could not find a single young face and out of compulsion they had to project a rejected maal of Delhi who has lost mass support as its chief ministerial candidate, Maurya had said. The former BSP leader said Congress has completely lost its support among people and projection of Dikshit as the chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh Assembly 2017 polls proved this. This shows the thinking of Congress party ...this proves they have dearth of leaders...the face which had failed in Delhi is being put up in UP...the party which is dreaming of forming government is in the dark, Maurya said. UP Congress Secretary Bhagat Ram Mishra said Maurya was in the habit of speaking against Brahmins. This is not the first time that he (Maurya) is talking like his. He has been speaking against Brahmins in the past too, Mishra said. When asked whether BSPs Naseemudin Siddiqui should be arrested for raising slogans against the family members of expelled BJP leader Dayashankar Singh, Maurya said, If Dayashankar can be arrested for abusing why not Naseemuddin? The first batch of 340 Haj pilgrims from Delhi left for Jeddah on Thursday while a total 1,00,020 pilgrims will be facilitated by the government across India through Haj Committee this year. Haj pilgrimage is a cherished desire of every Muslim in his life time. All the Haj pilgrims should pray for peace, prosperity, harmony and brotherhood in our great nation as well as the entire world, minister of state for minority affairs (independent charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said after flagging off the first group of pilgrims from IGI Airport in the wee hours. Naqvi extended wishes to the pilgrims on the behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For Haj 2016, a total 1,00,020 pilgrims will be facilitated from 21 points across India through Haj Committee. Apart from this, 36,000 pilgrims will proceed through private tour operators. A total of 12,500 pilgrims will be proceeding from Delhi to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by Air Indias 37 charter flights for the pilgrimage this year. Of these, 8,690 pilgrims are residents of Uttar Pradesh, while the rest are from Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Delhis deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Haj Committee of India chairman Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Qaiser, its member and Delhi coordinator HB Kazmi, ministry secretary Rakesh Garg and others were present on the occasion. Karnatakas former anti-graft ombudsman Y Bhaskar Rao has been chargesheeted in a corruption case in connection with an alleged extortion racket involving his son. This is the first such action against a former Lokayukta in the country. Rao, named as the seventh accused, has been charged with abetting illegal gratification to influence a public servant, concealing evidence and being part of a criminal conspiracy to cover up and protect the offenders. He is a former high court chief justice. His son Y Ashwin is the prime accused in the alleged extortion racket that was being run in the Lokayukta office, with subsequent public and opposition outcry causing the exit of Rao as the head of the anti-graft institution. Various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, have been invoked, including Section 8 (taking gratification, in order, by corrupt or other means, to influence public servant.) Under the IPC, he has been charged invoking sections 120 (b) relating to punishment for criminal conspiracy and Section 119 about public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent. Also, IPC section 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and Section 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) have been slapped against Rao in the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Special Investigation Team in the Special Lokayukta court in Bengaluru on Wednesday. We have filed a chargesheet against Bhaskar Rao as the seventh accused in the case. His son is Ashwin and is the first accused, SIT chief Kamalpant told PTI on Thursday. Governor Vajubhai Vala had recently given the nod to the SIT to prosecute Rao in the case, which is one of the five pertaining to the alleged extortion scandal. SIT is expected to seek governors permission for his prosecution in the remaining cases too. The alleged scam came to light after the then Lokayukta,superintendent of police, Sonia Narang wrote a letter to Lokayukta Registrar about the complaint she received from an executive engineer, who alleged that someone from the Lokayukta office demanded Rs one crore in bribe to avoid a raid. Resisting all attempts for his exit, Rao had resigned in December 2015 only after a motion to remove him was moved in the State legislature. Ashwin was arrested by SIT in Hyderabad in July last year based on an FIR filed against him by Lokayukta police. After Raos resignation, the post of Lokayukta has remained vacant as the governor had rejected the name of SR Nayak proposed by the state government. The government is yet to finalise another candidate. Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Latala village, Titu Bansal, a native of Bowani village and Malkit Singh, who hails Ghaloti village in Ludhiana district were stuck in the conflict-ridden Libya for months. Following an appeal from their family and the political leaders in Punjab, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has asked the officials to expedite the search for them. And the three were subsequently traced to 900 km away from capital Tripoli on Wednesday. It has also emerged that two of them were among the Indian nationals government had evacuated, but returned to Libya in April this year. The government is struggling to deal with citizens returning to conflict-ridden zones like Libya and Iraq. The security situation is dangerous in these countries. But we see people, including those who were brought back by the government tending to go back again. That creates a worrisome situation, said an Indian official. Those who have returned from these countries however, are lured by better salaries and are willing to bear the risk of going back into these areas. I am getting Rs 12,000 now. I used to get Rs 48,000 with free food and lodging. Given a chance, I will love to back to Iraq, said Sinimol Joseph, an Indian nurse who now works in Bangalore. When asked about the security situation, he says I understand the security situation is not alright. But what options do people like us have? More than 4,000 people were brought back from Yemen in April last year. Saudi to send back Indians External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has directed his officers to resolve the issue of stranded Indians in the country within two days. Approval has also been given to companies who wish to employ these Indians. (With PTI inputs) SAO PAULO, Aug. 4 -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong on Wednesday visited the Confucius Institute affiliated with Sao Paulo State University and asked students there to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two peoples and help promote bilateral ties. Respectively the largest developing nations in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, China and Brazil are each other's important cooperation partner, noted Liu. The two countries have a long history of friendly exchanges and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang conducted successful visits to Brazil, which have elevated the bilateral relationship to a higher level, the Chinese vice premier said, adding that the two countries are now enjoying closer ties in such areas as education, science and culture, among others. "Not long ago, President Xi, Premier Li and I have received a letter signed by Mr. Luis Antonio Paulino, dean of the Confucius Institute and some 30 students from the school ... We are really moved by their enthusiasm for the Chinese language and their aspiration to learn more about China," said Liu. There has been increasing interest in Brazil in learning the Chinese language and the Latin American country hosts the largest number of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, Liu said. There are about 20,000 students registered at the 10 Confucius Institutes and the four middle school Confucius Classrooms in Brazil. Many primary and middle schools have incorporated the Chinese language into their regular school curriculum, she added. Meanwhile, more and more Chinese youngsters have started to learn Portuguese. Nearly 30 universities are teaching Portuguese, Liu said, adding that learning each other's language has played an irreplaceable role in enhancing the friendship between the two peoples. Liu said that she hoped the Confucius Institutes in Brazil would highlight their unique features, integrate resources and explore potential to promote the communication and coordination among them and that between Chinese and overseas enterprises and social organizations, enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and consolidate the public opinion on bilateral ties. Liu also expressed the hope that Brazilians would enhance understanding of China through learning the Chinese language and culture so that they would carry forward the China-Brazil friendship, participate in pragmatic cooperation between the two countries and promote the development of bilateral ties. The Chinese vice premier gave Chinese knots to teachers and students at Confucius Institutes as presents. "I hope Confucius Institutes will be like the Chinese knots, which represent sincere cooperation and joint efforts between China and Brazil; they are also like the Olympic rings, which represent peace and friendship," she said. During her stay in the Confucius Institute, Liu toured classrooms and the library, chatted with teachers and students and watched a stage performance. The goods and services tax (GST) that was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday will bring about the biggest tax reform since Independence as it will stitch together a common market by dismantling the fiscal barriers between states. Under the new system brought about by the 122nd constitutional amendment bill, the states and the Centre will collect identical rates of taxes on goods and services. For instance, if 18% is the GST rate on a good across the country, the states and the Centre will get 9% each called the CGST and SGST rates. The Centre will also levy and collect the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) on all inter-state supply of goods and services. The IGST mechanism has been designed to ensure seamless flow of input tax credit from one state to another. What next? As India moves towards one common national market with the unanimous voting to the constitutional amendment bill for GST, government officials feel that the real battle to bring the tax structure into a reality actually begins now. Passing of GST bill: This is only end of a beginning. The real hard work starts now, revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted. There are major milestones which need to be covered before April 1, 2017, when the Centre wants it to take effect. At least 15 of Indias 29 states have to ratify the bill followed by the assent of the President. After which, the GST council will be constituted. GST council and its tasks There has been no agreement yet on rates of various goods and services, which remains a tricky issue. Last week, state finance ministers told the Centre that the rate should provide relief to common citizens and small businessmen while not resulting in loss of revenue to states. A panel under chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian has recommended a revenue-neutral rate of 15-15.5%, with a standard rate of 17-18% be levied on most goods and all services. A revenue-neutral rate is a single rate at which there will be no revenue loss to the Centre and states in the GST regime. The panel has recommended a three-tier rate structure wherein some essential goods will be taxed at a lower rate of 12%; so-called demerit goods such as luxury cars, aerated beverages, pan masala and tobacco products at a higher rate of 40%; and all remaining goods at a standard rate of 17-18%. The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) favoured a standard rate in the range of 23-25% if goods are taxed at three different ratesa special rate for precious metals, a lower merit rate for some important goods as well as a standard rate that will be applicable to most goods. It also suggested a GST rate of 18-19% in case of a single GST ratethat is all goods are taxed at the same rate. The 13th Finance Commission headed by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar had suggested 18% as a possible GST rate. According to the bill, passed in the Lok Sabha in May 2015, the rates were to be decided by a GST council headed by the central finance minister with state finance ministers as members. Apart from the rates, the GST council will also have to develop consensus on exemptions, threshold limits, dual administration. Other legislation GST legislation such as the central GST law, integrated GST law and 29 state GST laws, including allied rules and notifications, would need to be passed by the relevant legislative bodies. During this process, there would also be a need for a substantial engagement with the industry bodies, traders, service providers and almost every local trade bodies and associations for the training and the acceptance of the new tax regime. These steps would require a lot of time, patience and constant deliberations both at the state and central government level, only then the timeline of implementing GST by April 1, 2017, would be met. The Congress may have supported a constitution amendment bill to roll out the goods and services tax in the Rajya Sabha but it wants to keep the NDA on a tight leash over the issue of capping the tax rate. Former finance minister P Chidambaram announced the party will campaign across states for capping the new tax rate at 18% -- a move that takes the political tussle over from the negotiating tables to the public platform. Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma also indicated a prolonged campaign on the GST rate. We will always maintain that the tax rate should not be high, he said during the debate in the Rajya Sabha. Chidambaram tried to garner support from regional parties for the key demand. By capping the rate, we mean it should not be changed at the whim at the executive. Now, I ask you (MPs), do you want the tax rate to be changed by executives or the Parliament? In the Rajya Sabha, the government came under sharp attack from parties such as the AIADMK and the CPI(M). BJP ally Shiv Sena criticised some provisions of the bill as it would affect municipal bodies. The Congress said it wants the GST regime but it repeatedly reminded the BJP about its hostile stance during the UPA era. That time, it was political consideration and not on issues. Modiji led the protests. After 2014, things changed. CM Modi became PM. During the debate, the Congress used every opportunity to underline its role in the journey of the GST. Read | GST bill passed in Rajya Sabha, unified market plan closer to reality With Congress support crucial for the passage of the bill, Jaitley too, acknowledged the Opposition partys role in preparing the GST bill. This is one of the most significant tax reforms in Indias recent history. It was first mooted in the budget speech of P Chidambaram. Discussion paper was released in 2009. A formal constitution amendment was introduced after the budget in 2011, he said. Chidambaram welcomed the governments friendly and conciliatory tone but quipped that the tone and approach changed only in the last 3 or 4 weeks. He mentioned how during the UPA rule, the bill could not be passed. I did my chaar dham: meeting my PM, leader of Opposition of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the empowered committee of finance ministers. We tried to pass the GST bill with principal opposition party but failed. The government tried to pass it without the opposition party and I am glad it also failed, he said. The GST, the Congress leader said, also stands for Good Sense Triumphs. The Congress leader clarified that the party had never opposed the concept of GST but wanted amendments in the NDA governments draft bill. While the government moved nine amendments to address the Oppositions concerns, the former minister added they were pieces of clumsy drafting. Read | Industry hails passage of GST, advises cooperation with govt Both Chidambaram and CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury questioned how the government could park the revenue outside the consolidated fund of Indiaas proposed in an amendment. The Congress and the Left demanded further tightening of the redressal mechanism and said a regressive tax like indirect tax should not be enforced at a high rate. Samajwadi Partys Naresh Agarwal wanted to know if the GST will affect food prices. He sought governments assurance against price escalation. Trinamool Congress Derek o Brien slammed the Congress and the BJP for the delay. When Virat Kohli was in school, we started talking about GST. For the sake of children, pass the GST bill early. Yechury batted for right of states, Kerala government recently implemented a health tax on junk food. But they cant do it anymore under the GST regime. Are we trying to reduce the states to come with a begging bowls to seek money for natural calamities? Ensure flexibility whereby concept of federalism is not destroyed, he said. AIADMKs A Navneethakrishnan maintained that the GST bill violates right of TN assembly to impose levies: The parliament has no jurisdiction to enact this law. This entire process will not withstand judicial scrutiny. Article 368 of Constitution is abused. Read | How behind-the-scenes managers helped pave the way for GST deal At least 45 girls have stopped going to school in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly district to escape harassment and stalking by groups of miscreants including students of the same institution, officials said on Thursday. Police arrested two of the accused following a complaint lodged by parents. Stalking was made separate category of punishable crime in 2013 but women continue to face harassment on way to office and educational institutions across the country. Activists say that the laws have failed to act as a deterrent in a highly patriarchal society where such incidents are often passed off as a minor issue. Police said the girls are students of classes 8 to 12 at the Dunka Inter College, around 50 km from Bareilly. They stopped going to school on Monday after enduring harassment for several months. We have started investigation into the matter. The girls and their parents were assured of police support and so the students have decided to go back to school, said RK Bharadwaj, Bareilly senior superintendent of police (SSP). He visited Dunka on Thursday to assess the situation. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) RAN Pandey said the girls are harassed on their way to school, located around two km away from their homes in a cluster of villages near Dunka. Pandey said he held meetings with the local police and school administration to resolve the issue. The goons stand outside the school gate and pass lewd comments. They even stalk the girls. How can our girls continue their education in this environment? asked Satendra Singh of Dunga village. Satendras 17-year-old daughter is among those who have stopped going to school. Officials said that following the arrest of two miscreants and assurance of senior officials, a few villagers have decided to send their daughters to school from Friday. Last year, a similar incident was reported in Shergarh area here, when more than 100 girl students quit school after facing harassment. The incident comes amid nationwide outrage over the gang rape of a 35-year-old woman and her minor daughter by highway robbers near Bulandshahr on Friday. Crime against women is rampant in Uttar Pradesh -- the most populous state in the country and accounts for the highest number of atrocities, data from the National Crime Records Bureau show. A school in Kerala popular with NRI parents is under police scanner after it emerged that several among the 21 missing people suspected to have joined terror outfits abroad had links with the institution. The mystery over the schools association with the disappearances deepened further after the arrest of a woman from the Delhi airport three days ago as she was attempting to slip out of the country. Police were stunned to find that Yasmin Ahmad, 28, hailing from Sitamarhi in Bihar, worked as an English teacher with the Peace International School in Kotakkal of Keralas Malappuram district for two years. Many others among the 21 missing also had jobs with the same school and security agencies are now desperately seeking to dig deeper into the disconcerting pattern. Yasmin was apparently motivated by Abdul Rashid, who went missing along with his wife. Rashid was the public relations officer of the Peace International School right until he vanished. Rashids wife Sonia alias Aysha also worked at the same school as a teacher. Another missing couple, Bestin alias Esa, and his wife Merrin, were also employed as teachers at the school. Faced with its links to those who disappeared, the school is battling to save its reputation and stay clear of trouble. It has disowned Rashid, but many parents have already applied for transfer certificates for their children. We preferred such schools because we thought our children will get a good spiritual and moral grounding. But latest developments are really disturbing, said a parent who did not want to be identified. Founded in 2006 by one MM Akbar, and run by Niche Group, an independent religious body aiming to propagate Islam, Peace International runs 10 schools in Kerala and one each in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. More than 7,000 students are enrolled with the schools that have classes up to 12th standard. Akbar, who runs two conversion centres in Ponnani and Kozhikhode, is also locally known as Keralas Zakir Naik, the Islamic televangelist in the eye of a storm for allegedly preaching radical views. Akbar is currently in Qatar and a police official said a questionnaire would be sent to him shortly. There is also speculation of pressure being brought upon the investigative agencies to go slow on the school, with the Muslim League a constituent of the ruling UDF government already pledging support to Akbar. The school insists it is the target of a vilification campaign. Rashid and some of the missing worked here one or two years ago. We had no association with them once they left the school. It is not proper to target a well-run professional group citing the role of old staffers, said Mohamed Amir, a spokesman of the Niche group, said. Police investigators say Yasmin hasnt thrown much light on the schools connections with the disappearances, beyond saying that she was only heeding to the call of her faith. I wanted to live my life as a true Muslim prescribed by Quran and that is not possible here, she reportedly told the SIT after her arrest. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Kerala minister KT Jaleels application for a diplomatic passport to visit Saudi Arabia was rejected by the external affairs ministry on Thursday. The local self government minister was planning to leave on Friday to meet the Indians stranded in the kingdom and co-ordinate the on-going efforts to provide help to 300-odd Keralites rendered jobless. I have no idea why my application was overlooked. I was deputed by the state government to co-ordinate the ongoing evacuation process. We are not in a race with anyone, the minister said adding he was told by the ministry that there was nothing for him to do in Saudi now. Left Front leaders criticised the MEA action, saying it was the NDA governments ploy to take the full credit for the evacuation process. Usually diplomatic passports are issued within a few hours. But my plea was pending with the ministry for last two days. Our only aim was to help stranded. No politics is involved here, the minister said adding he has done enough homework for the trip. Minister of state for external affairs, VK Singh arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday on a mission to bring home 10,000 laid off Indian workers stranded in the kingdom without enough money for food or plane tickets. A sharp drop in oil prices has led to a spending slowdown in Saudi Arabia, the worlds top exporter, and some construction firms that employ South Asian workers have fired their staff. Earlier there were reports Saudi Arabia has expressed serious reservation over the Indian media and others, what it called, overplaying some labour issues. Bahujan Samajwadi Paty (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the BJP government in Gujarat of creating an atmosphere of fear for Dalits, saying she felt the pain of the Una victims when cow vigilantes flogged them on July 11. The Dalit parliamentarian and four-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh met the victims recouping at a state-run hospital in Ahmedabad, and assured them help. They are still so scared. There is an atmosphere of fear, Mayawati said. I was shocked to see the video ... they were tied to a car, their shirts off. One by one the accused were hitting them on their back and legs. When I saw Dalits being hit I felt the pain on my back. She said after Muslims, Dalits are being targeted by the BJP. Mayawati asked Dalits, Muslims, tribals, and people of backward classes to unite against oppression in Gujarat, a BJP stronghold that votes for a new assembly late next year. I was shocked that neither the Congress raised the issue, nor the BJP government was moved. The Gujarat government took action only after I raised the issue in Parliament, she said. The Dalit beatings in Una thrust into the national limelight after Mayawatis outburst in Parliament on July 18, putting the ruling BJP on the back foot. The Dalit debate soured after Uttar Pradesh BJP leader Dayashankar Singh compared Mayawati to a prostitute, forcing the party to expel him and placate Dalits a powerful electorate the BJP is trying to woo to win the 2017 state polls. Mayawati said Singhs rant was the BJPs plan to prevent me from visiting Gujarat. She met Balu Sarviya, head of the Una family which was targeted by vigilantes enforcing a ban on cow slaughter. The self-styled cattle protectors accused the family of killing cows, though the Dalits traditionally dispose of dead animals and skin them for their hide. Seven members of the Sarviya family were attacked; four of them were discharged by the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital three days ago, but they voluntarily stayed back. The family took them home after Mayawatis visit. The Dalit leader promised Rs 2 lakh to the family. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Home minister Rajnath Singh will not have any bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting, home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said on Wednesday. Singh arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday evening to attend the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers conference during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. There will be no bilateral meeting. We have already said that, Mehrishi told reporters when asked if any bilateral meeting between Singh and Khan would take place. According to official sources, the home minister along with his counterparts from the SAARC countries will call on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later in the day, as per tradition. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Prime Ministers Office Wednesday night. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long conference, Singh had said he was looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime. This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security, Singh had said, who is also expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. A very bleak possibility of Singh having a bilateral meeting with Khan was expected in the wake of strains in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that Kashmir will one day become Pakistan, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country will not be realised even at the end of eternity. Read| As Rajnath visits Pakistan, Sharif says Kashmir not Indias internal matter Pakistans interior minister has chastised arch-rival India over the recent violence in Kashmir. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said no country should attack unarmed people in the name of fighting terrorism. He said Pakistan was open to dialogue but with dignity and respect. Traditionally tense relations between Pakistan and India have been strained further in recent weeks by a flare-up in protests Kashmir, which has been on the boil since the killing of Hizbul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8. His death sparked violent protests in the Valley that killed about 50 people and wounded thousands. Kashmiris have alleged atrocities by Indian armed forces during street protests, and the use of pellet guns has been under the scanner. Khan spoke on Thursday as a regional gathering of South Asian nations concluded in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. The gathering has been marred by daily anti-India rallies by hundreds of Pakistanis who protested against Indias rule in Kashmir. The protesters also denounced Indian home minister, Rajnath Singh, who attended the Islamabad meeting. Khan, in his remarks, drew the attention of SAARC member states to the use of brutal force ...against unarmed civilians engaged in a struggle against foreign occupation, a barely-veiled reference to Kashmir. Khan said he hoped the SAARC meeting could be a forum for a lot of soul-searching on all sides. Maybe that will provide us with the opportunity for ... our leadership to sit together informally and work out solutions to the problem that have been afflicting this region ...Discussions which might not be possible in the glare of media publicity, heart-to-heart discussions, Khan told the opening session. Home minister Rajnath Singh used a meeting in Pakistan on Thursday to seek the strongest action against countries that back terrorism and pilloried those who eulogise terrorists, delivering a terse message that was not covered by the Pakistani media. Singh did not name any countries or individuals in his speech at the meeting of Saarc interior ministers but there was little doubt he was referring to Pakistan. The remarks were an apparent reference to the stance adopted by Pakistan on slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and the subsequent unrest in Kashmir that left about 50 people dead last month. Islamabad angered New Delhi by referring to Wani as a Kashmiri leader and a martyr besides describing his death as an extrajudicial killing. If we are to rid ourselves of terrorism, we will have to genuinely believe that attempts to distinguish between good and bad terrorists are misleading, and thus, no type of terrorism or support to it can be justified on any grounds whatsoever, Singh said in his speech. Strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. Women supporters of Pakistani religious party Jamaat-e-Islami attend an anti-Indian rally holding pictures of Burhan Wani in Karachi. (AP) Singh said mere condemnation of terrorism was not enough and that terrorists must not be eulogised or glorified as martyrs. Singh, who returned to India late Thursday afternoon, said he would speak in Parliament about his visit to Pakistan. As the Saarc meeting began at Serena Hotel in Islamabad, the frost permeating bilateral ties was plain for all to see. Pakistans interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was receiving participants at the entrance of the venue and shaking their hands. When Singh and a grim-looking Khan came face-to-face, their hands barely touched before the Indian minister moved into the hall, witnesses said. Khan brought up Kashmir in his speech and criticised what he said was the use of excessive force to suppress protests in Jammu and Kashmir. He also said there was a difference between fighting for freedom and terrorism. Using torture against innocent children and violence against civilians qualifies as terrorism, Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn. Visiting Indian journalists were not allowed to capture the moment as they were kept at a distance by Pakistani officials. This led to an angry exchange between an Indian official and a Pakistani official. Both Singh and Khan stayed away from a lunch hosted for the Saarc ministers. Pakistani media, including the vibrant private TV news channels, did not cover Singhs speech. Pakistani officials said there was great anger in the country against the Indian government over the violence in Jammu and Kashmir, and that was why the media blacked out Singh. Women supporters of Pakistani religious party Jamaat-e-Islami attend an anti-Indian rally in Karachi. (AP) We are respecting public sentiments, one official said. TV news channel directors said on condition of anonymity they were advised by official quarters not to cover Singhs speech. Pakistan tried to downplay the Saarc meet and only state-run Pakistan Television covered the introductory speeches by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and interior minister Khan. But India dismissed the blackout controversy over Singhs speech as misleading, suggesting only host country ministers remarks are aired. It is the standard Saarc practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media while the rest of the proceedings are in camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues, a government source said. During his speech, Singh also said terrorism had been greatly amplified by the misuse of digital technology. He asked governments to look at all aspects of cyber crime and called for immediate ratification of the Saarc convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters. Prime Minister Sharif also touched on terrorism in his opening address but from a different point of view. Sharif said Pakistan had registered remarkable gains against terrorists at the national level through the armys operation Zarb-e-Azb and the implementation of a National Action Plan. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with Indian home minister Rajnath Singh (R) and Pakistans interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (L) in Islamabad on Thursday. (PTI) This reflects our governments determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good, he said. Let me reaffirm that Pakistan remains committed to jointly working with the Saarc member states in fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crime among others. Singhs arrival in Pakistan has coincided with protests at several places by radical organisations and extremist leaders such as Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin. Some protesters gathered at a distance of about 10 km from the National Assembly, located close to the venue of the Saarc meet. Security was high for Singh, who was transported to the hotel in a helicopter. Singh also called on the Pakistani premier with other Saarc ministers. The ministers were with Sharif for about 20 minutes and exchanged pleasantries. There were no formal discussions. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has officially ruled that Rohith Vemula, the research scholar of the University of Hyderabad whose suicide on January 17 this year created a nationwide uproar, was a Dalit. The commission has given the ruling after conducting a series of hearings on Vemulas suicide and studying reports from the Andhra Pradesh government on his caste affiliation. It has directed the state government to extend all benefits to Vemulas family, including house, employment and monetary help, as per rules, as the family comes under the BPL category. We were waiting for a report from Guntur district administration. We got the report in June. The district administration conducted a detailed probe and it concluded that Rohit Vemulla was a Dalit, said PL Punia, chairperson of the commission. Vemula hailed from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. The district administration gave us a detailed report. It also produced documents that showed over many years, not only Rohit, but his brother, sister and mother had been shown as Dalits. We examined the documents and came to the conclusion that Rohit Vemula was a Dalit, said Punia. The NCSC has called a meeting on August 23 where it will review the action taken by the state government and the progress of the cases filed on Vemulas death. Though commission chairman PL Punia submitted his findings to the government on June 22, the report surfaced only a couple of days ago. Obviously, the report was suppressed by the government as well as university authorities to deny justice to Rohith Vemula, Sannaki Munna, leader of the UoH Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, told HT. Vemulas family was not available for comment. Guntur collector Kantilal Dande told HT that the district administration would take all measures to implement the recommendations of the NCSC. (With inputs from New Delhi) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 4 -- China will continue working together with African nations to push the China-Africa cooperation forward despite all ups and downs of global economic situations, said a Chinese envoy. La Yifan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, said that the Coordinators' Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held on July 29 in Beijing, convened in a manner further promoting the cooperation between China and Africa. He said the two sides have inked a number of new agreements during the Beijing meeting, showing the dynamic development of China-Africa cooperation. The ambassador made the remarks on Wednesday during a ceremony in its embassy to award the Chinese Government 2016/17 scholarship to Ethiopian students, who will be pursuing their postgraduate studies of masters and PhD programs in China. La said the Beijing meeting deliberated on ways of jointly pushing forward the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC. The Summit opened a new era of win-win cooperation and common development between China and Africa, and was a milestone in the history of China-Africa relations, said Chinese President Xi Jinping in his message to the Coordinators' Meeting. Over the past six months, China and Africa have worked together to overcome the negative impact of the sluggish world economy, reached consensus on jointly implementing the outcomes of the summit, and achieved tangible results, Xi said. "It is not the end; it is a new beginning. We believe this South-South cooperation between China and African countries. We could work together to overcome the downward pressure of the world economy and moving forward," said La. "China will continue working together with African countries, with Ethiopia, despite all ups and downs of the current economic situations," he added. Recalling that China would host the G20 summit in Hangzhou next month, La expressed China's commitment to using the summit as a platform for deliberation on issues of sustainable development in Africa. "We certainly believe that it is not the club of the wealth and most powerful; it is the club that should pay attention to development of the south, so for that purpose we have to make sure to take on board the achievements of sustainable development goals, in particular African countries, as one of the component of the G20 summit," said the ambassador. "We will always work together with the countries in the South to achieve common progress, common prosperity," he added. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said that the Patel and Dalit agitations has created problems for the BJP in Gujarat. The development model of Gujarat stands exposed today. After the Patel stir, Una incident has taken the wind out of BJPs sails, he said, while talking to media persons outside the assembly on the conclusion of the five-day monsoon session. Kumar, however, refused to comment on the change of guard in Guajarat. It is an internal matter of the BJP, but the party is certainly feeling the pinch. Patel agitation for reservation raises a question mark over the development model of Gujarat, he added. Kumar had lent support to Gujarats Patel community agitating for inclusion in the OBC category in August last year and said the state government "could delay" it, but cannot 'turn a blind eye' to the issue. He said that Bihar has been supportive of GST right from the very beginning, as it is beneficial for the state. Now, we expect the Centre to take required steps to facilitate its effective implementation from April 2017. As soon as Bihar gets formal information about it, the government would go in for a special session of the state legislature to approve it, Kumar added. Taking a dig at the Prime Minister crop insurance scheme, the CM said, I fail to understand what kind of a scheme is it which is in PMs name but farmers and the state have to bear half the cost of premium. If it is so, why cant it be named centre-state scheme or PM-CM scheme or farmers scheme, he said. Kumar said that the scheme seemed to be aimed more at benefiting the insurance companies than the farmers. According to an estimate, the state will require Rs 650-crore. In case of crop loss, the state in any case gives compensation. Besides, there is no uniformity in premium. If it is 2.5% in UP, it is 17% in Bihar. The problem is that the Centre wants to launch schemes, but hesitates in giving funds, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON There should be strong action against not only terrorists but also individuals and nations supporting them, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, a possible reference to Pakistan that India accuses of sponsoring cross-border extremist strikes. Speaking at a Saarc foreign and interior ministers summit in Islamabad, Singh argued against glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs, a possible hint at Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, whose death triggered waves of violence in Kashmir. Wani a poster boy of terrorism -- was held in high regard by many in the Valley with Pakistan calling him a martyr and blaming India for the clashes that have left 50 dead and nearly 2,000 injured. Mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists isnt enough. There is no good or bad terrorist, said Singh at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. For years, India has alleged that Pakistan favours good terrorists who are fighting in Kashmir and supports them while condemning terrorism elsewhere. An inmate at Nagpur Central Prison, convicted of rape, was released before his term ended because he topped the yoga examinations conducted by the Maharashtra Prisons Department. Yogesh Desai, the superintendent of Nagpur Central Prison said Sheetal Kawale, who was convicted for raping his relative in 2012, was released 40 days before his prison term ended. Kawale succeeded in the test which has 100 marks, scoring a distinction. So, he was granted 40-day remission or reduction of sentence, he said. According to the jail superintendent, over 100 inmates have qualified for the remission in due course but Kawale and one more convict are being freed as they were close to the period. The jail authorities reduced the sentence of prisoners who scored good marks in yoga in the wake of Union governments directives to promote yoga. The governments directives also prompted the BJP-led government to introduce yoga examination for jail inmates in all prisons of the state. However, the remission is not applicable to convicts of terror charges and those of narcotics crime (NDPS), as per the prison manual. The next examination will be held in October this year which may allow other convicts an opportunity for remission, Desai said. Eight prisoners four each from Nagpur and Aurangabad central jails have got remission ranging between 30 and 40 days so far. These include two who have been sentenced to seven years for causing voluntary hurt with a dangerous weapon, four who have been convicted for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, one who has been convicted for rape and one who has been convicted in a graft case, sources said. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP and BSP of trying to derive political advantage over the gang rape of a woman and her minor daughter near Bulandshahr, seeking to deflect mounting criticism over alleged lawlessness in the state. The Samajwadi Party government has come under attack from opposition parties after the twin gang rape on Friday night sent shockwaves across the country and raised questions over the law and order scene in the poll-bound state. I want to know what kind of politics the BJP leaders, including Union ministers, are trying to play? What kind of political suggestions are they (BJP leaders) giving to the victims family? the chief minister told reporters on the sidelines of a programme at the Raj Bhawan. He described the incident as painful and shameful and said the government has acted fast to nab some of the accused. He linked the criticism of his government to the forthcoming elections and said the opposition parties were playing politics over the gang rape case after failing to corner the government on the issue of development. Uttar Pradesh is going to have assembly elections. These people (the BJP and BSP) have nothing to say about their contribution to the states development, Yadav said. Though leaders of all political parties have made a beeline to meet the two survivors, the chief minister was yet to visiting the family which has threatened suicide if police fail to deliver justice within three months. Sources said Yadav cancelled a planned visit after the family criticised one of his ministers and senior SP leader Azam Khan who said whether people, with the opposite ideology or those who want to come to power, are behind this incident in order to malign the government. Khan later said his comments were miscontrued. The chief minister did not criticise Khan for the comment but instead chose to accuse central ministers of conspiring against the Samajwadi Party. SP has never favoured use of abusive language in politics but the BJP and the BSP have been doing so. This needs to be controlled, he said. Yadav said his government was ready to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as demanded by opposition parties. We will also make a request for trial of the case in fast track court. We acted promptly and sent senior officers to monitor the situation. We also acted against the officers who did not respond to the situation. The chief minister also asked the media to bring out the truth behind the suggestions the BJP leaders were giving to the victims family. You (media) should expose the political conspiracy that is being hatched behind closed doors. If it is not a political conspiracy, then what do we call it? he asked. The Narendra Modi government secured support from rival political parties to back his reforms push, but it failed to win hearts of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliates. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an RSS-affiliate, will launch a programme on August 9 to demand the roll back of the FDI reforms marking the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhis Quit India Movement that started on the same day in 1942. Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, the trade union arm of the RSS, has expressed apprehensions about the Goods and Services Tax bill, barely a day after it has been cleared by the Rajya Sabha. The government hailed the GST bill as a step towards ushering in a new era of economic reforms but the BMS quickly dubbed it as anti consumer. We are waiting to see how it will be implemented, but from what we have understood it is just an instrument to burden the common man with additional taxes, said a BMS functionary. The SJM, which counts among its supporters, small businesses, shops, factory workers, farmers and lakhs of workers from the unorganized sectors, is among the other RSS associates that are at loggerheads with the government over its economic policies. Our representatives and all those who associate with us will petition the government at every district level and at the Centre to demand a roll back of the FDI policy that we strongly oppose, a senior functionary told HT. The SJM, does not offer membership, but is active in 450 districts across the country. The movement, he said will be peaceful and there has been no call for a strike or closing down businesses. An effort to placate the RSS affiliates such as the SJM, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Bharatiya Kisan Sang who are unhappy with the government for failing to create jobs, cut taxes and protect the rights of the workers was made last month when senior ministers of the Narendra Modi cabinet held prolonged discussion with the representatives and heard their demands. The SJM and the BMSs toughened stance however is a clear indication that the government has not been able to win over the organizations, which took on the government for its economic and liberalisation policies even during the NDA government earlier stint. The Centres decision to allow FDI up to 100% in some sectors including defence, aviation, food processing, pharmaceuticals, animal husbandry, single brand retail, private security agencies and broadcasting has been described as anti-welfare state measures by these associates. In its manifesto the BJP had opposed it will not allow multi brand retail. Single brand retail in itself means nothing, so they are reneging on their word another SJM functionary said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Several states have suggested introducing yoga and meditation for inmates in jails to alleviate their isolation and help them prevent suicides while in custody. The suggestions are part of the states proposal to usher reforms in countrys 1,387 prisons given to the Centre. It is in response to the Supreme Courts directions inviting states recommendations on how to curb the rising number unnatural deaths in jails. The top court is hearing a public interest petition that highlights the deplorable living conditions in the prisons. Regular spiritual exercise will help prisoners overcome their depression and on their release be of an assistance to integrate with the mainstream. Seven of the 22 states have made the recommendation to calm the prisoners minds and make them better citizens. Advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who is assisting the court in the case, told HT that if the SC accepts the recommendation, it will become mandatory for all the states to incorporate yoga and meditation in their jail manuals. The states favouring spiritual exercise to reduce stress among the prisoners are Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Haryana, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Jharkhand. National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) figures point to a spike in unnatural deaths in jails - in 2012 there were 126 incidents, in 2013 there were 115 and in 2014 there were 195. The number of natural deaths reported in jails in 2012 was 1,345, in 2013 1,482 and 2014 1507. Almost all states have called for the appointment of a panel of permanent psychiatrists to counsel the inmates on daily basis. Agrawal said at present jails get assistance from non-government organizations (NGOs) on this front. But, states say interaction with counselors should be regular, he said. There is a need to augment medical facilities for the inmates inside the jails. States want to end the practice of having a doctor on deputation to monitor the health of prisoners. They suggest there should be a panel of doctors who should be part of the jail cadre. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Taxi aggregators such as Uber and Ola may no longer be able to raise fares arbitrarily in times of higher demand. The cabinet on Wednesday agreed to bring all app-based taxi-hailing services under the regulatory network that will allow state governments to fix a fare cap and check arbitrary charging, the biggest customer grouse. Violators face a fine of up to Rs 2 lakh. Once there is a fare cap, aggregators will have to keep the surge pricing within the range that has been fixed, a road ministry official said. Taxi aggregators have been operating in a grey area as the motor vehicles act, framed in 1988, doesnt cover ride-sharing services, allowing them to run without licences. The ministry is looking to plug this hole and is reworking the licensing norms. It has decided to introduce a new category to cover aggregators. Under the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2016, an aggregator has been defined as a digital intermediary or marketplace for a passenger to connect with a driver for the purpose of transportation. According to rough estimates, aggregator service account for five percent of the Rs 59,720 crore taxi business in India. Once brought under the motor act, the aggregators will have to adhere to fares prescribed by the government. Violation of licensing norms will invite a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, the cabinet decided while approving several changes to the motor act. It will also be mandatory for such taxis to get city permits, which makes a fare meter a must. These taxis operate on an all India tourist permit that doesnt require a meter. The intermediary category would also make the aggregators answerable under the Information Technology Act, a double check that would ensure fewer violations, sources said. The Delhi government had in 2015 unsuccessfully tried to regulate these services. The Kejriwal government in Delhi got Uber and Ola to drop surge-pricing during the odd-even fortnight in April but steep prices were back once driving restrictions were lifted. Recently, Karnataka came out with a set of rules to rein in surge-pricing but those have been challenged in the high court by a Bengaluru-based cab aggregator Helion Technologies. The company has taken the plea that it operates in digital space and the motor act was not applicable to it. The road ministrys proposal to bring in a new category will ensure that services that have direct interface with the public do not go unregulated, an official said. Parliament will have to clear the changes. The government plans to table the amendments during the ongoing monsoon session that ends August 12. Read| Hefty penalties around corner as cabinet okays road safety bill SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will meet the Bulandshahr gang-rape victims in Ghaziabad on Thursday. This can be seen as a damage control initiative as it comes after senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan hinted at a political conspiracy behind the gangrape of a mother and her 13-year-old daughter in Bulandshahr. The three men, who have been arrested, were sent to 14-day judicial custody on Wednesday. Four other accused are, however, still absconding. The incident took place earlier on Friday night when a 35-year-old woman and her daughter were allegedly gangraped by a group of robbers. The victims were on their way from Noida to Shahjahanpur with the other family members when their vehicle was stopped near a cycle repairing shop in Dostpur village on NH-9, which connects Noida and Bulandshahr. A Hawk advanced jet trainer crashed on Thursday soon after take off from Air Force Station, Kalaikunda in West Midnapore due to a technical snag but both the pilots ejected safely. IAF sources said that the aircraft developed a technical problem at about 1100 hours, minutes after taking off from Kalaikunda air station in West Bengal, where another Hawk had crashed in June last year. The crash occurred within the boundary of the air station, 138km from Kolkata, and the two pilots ejected safely, they said. A Court of Inquiry has been instituted into the crash, an IAF source said. Last year in June, another Hawk crashed after taking off from Kalaikunda station as it developed a technical problem. Budding fighter pilots undergo their stage-III training for a year on Hawk. Chauthi Koot Cast: Suvinder Vicky, Kanwaljit Singh Director: Gurvinder Singh Rating: 4/5 Fear makes us feel our humanity, said Benjamin Disraeli. This perhaps best sums up Chauthi Koot (Fourth Direction). A young Hindu couple, along with their child, knocks on a door late one night. A burly Sikh responds indecisively, but on his mothers insistence, asks the couple to come inside. Later, he accompanies the three lost travellers to the next village. This is 1984 when the Indian paramilitary forces are fighting a bloody battle with the Khalistani separatists. Communal tension is rising, and so is the friction between Hindus and Sikhs due to their differing views on Indira Gandhis tough approach towards Sikh militancy. Read: National Awards are complete farce this year, says director of Chauthi Koot Read other film reviews here Operation Blue Star, in which the army raided the Golden Temple in Amritsar, has probably been planned by now. Terrorists are visiting villages for food, shelter and information. Those who dont endorse their views are treated as the states spies. It is in this climate that Joginder (Suvinder Vicky) escorts the Hindu family. Humanity wins, but this can change on the slightest of pretext. Watch: Our FB Live chat on Budhia Singh, The Legend Of Michael Mishra and Chauthi Koot What nobody knows is that Joginder himself is suffering. He has been asked by local militants to kill the family dog for its barking could alert government agencies to their presence. Joginder doesnt want to, but neither does he wish to feel a gun barrel pressing against his chest again. Chauthi Koot subtly shows Punjab during Operation Blue Star of 1984. (YouTube) The military also arrives at his house, threatening him to not be cordial with militants. Between Scylla and Charybdis, the family waits for their ordeal to be over. Joginder has options turn into a militant, kill his dog, maybe even run away, but it also means trading in his humanity over fear, not an easy choice. And its this fear that Chauthi Koot wields so well. Chauthi Koot has already won prestigious awards at film festivals. (YouTube) There is never any actual gore in this Punjabi film, but a blanket of terror is laid out nonetheless. Its the fear of unknown. Its about a constant threat that grows manifold with approaching footsteps. It looms large on paddy fields, and pours with the monsoon. It hangs heavy in the air after an announcement on a loudspeaker and penetrates the soul. Director Gurvinder Singh earlier showed his flawless depiction of complex psychological issues in Anhe Ghore Da Daan (2011); that continues here. He doesnt state the obvious, but plays with the audiences psyche. He wants us to feel the subtlety and how, as humans, we are divided, yet united. Chauthi Koot is a humanitarian film. (YouTube) Looking for a traditional structure is futile in Chauthi Koot as it breaks the set norms. Jugal (Kanwaljit Singh) begins the film, but its not his story. Its the back-story of a character who lends him support on a frightening night. Jugal doesnt know much about Joginder, but theyre connected through fate and situations. Unknowingly, Jugal becomes the narrator of the trauma a peace loving family goes through during the armys clash with the Khalistan-supporting militants. Singh sets the tone perfectly with silence. You dont hear human voices initially. All you take note is the sounds of trains, brass band and army boots. Characters keep straight faces despite being frightened to the core. A turbaned head can attract an army bullet even in the dark. A Hindu cant dare to sit next to a Sikh. The paranoia crawls on your skin. Watch: Trailer of Gurvinder Singhs Chauthi Koot Long shots and dim lightening try their best to trick the viewers mind. Lack of talkative characters pushes one to believe in the suppressed emotions. Sorrow and mourning are the prevalent sentiments. In total, Chauthi Koot is an emotional and psychological drama; it doesnt comment on policy paralysis or find a culprit. It transports the audience to a dark time where one feels the pain and horror of Joginders family. This is a crafty move on the directors part, as it translates facts into a humane narrative without giving much room for prejudice. Hope rears its head when needed the most. The humanitarian perspective is the movies biggest win. Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BEIJING/SEOUL, Aug. 4 -- South Koreahas joined China in opposing Japan's 2016 defense white paper, a policy document Tokyo is using to justify its efforts to move away from an isolated and pacifistic defense posture to a more active one. SEOUL'S OBJECTIONS South Korea on Tuesday lodged a strong protest against Japan's repeated territorial claims on its easternmost islets, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries. Seoul's Defense Ministry called in a defense attache from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the white paper, in which the islets are described as Japan's territory. It marked the 12th consecutive year since 2005 that Japan has claimed sovereignty over the islets in the annual paper. The ministry expressed deep regrets over the Japanese government in its protest letter, delivered to the summoned attache, saying Japan must immediately stop making useless claims, squarely face history and make efforts to open a new future for relations between South Korea and Japan. The protest letter said that South Korea's military will take strong actions against any Japanese attempt to damage South Korea's sovereignty over the Dokdo islets. Seoul's Foreign Ministry also summoned an official from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, lodging an official protest against the annual white paper. The foreign ministry said in a statement that South Korea strongly protests against Japan's unjust territorial claims on the Dokdo islets, which it said are its indigenous territory historically, geographically and according to international laws. The statement called on Japan to squarely face historical facts and immediately stop making groundless claims, saying Japan must make efforts to move toward a new future for South Korea-Japan relations based on trust. HYPING UP "CHINA THREAT" In the 480-page white paper, Japan devoted some 30 pages to making irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and its normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas. Analysts believed that by playing up the so-called "China threat," the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abeis attempting to make excuses for amending the postwar pacifist constitution and building up Japan's military. On Wednesday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China is "strongly dissatisfied" with the paper's groundless accusations against China's defense development and military activities. In a statement, spokesperson Hua Chunying said China has made solemn representations to Japan over the irresponsible white paper. Japan has no right to make disparaging comments on China's legitimate activities near the Diaoyu Islands, Hua said, stressing that China's determination to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is "unshakable." She said that China's navy and air force activities are in line with international law, domestic law as well as national defense needs. China will not accept the "award" of the South China Sea arbitration initiated unilaterally by the Philippines, said Hua, adding that China will continue to strive for the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiations between countries directly concerned on the basis of respect for historical facts. The spokesperson blamed Japan for fabricating excuses for its military expansion and stirring up enmity on regional security issues. She urged Japan to learn from history, stick to a peaceful development path, act prudently in military matters and regain the trust of its neighbors instead of undermining regional stability. TOKYO'S CALCULATIONS The paper was the first of its kind issued after Japan's controversial new security laws came into effect earlier this year. Wang Xingyu, a researcher with China's Renmin University, said that this year's white paper highlights the importance and legitimacy of the security bills, and urges Japan to maintain its advantage in defense technologies over its neighbors. He said hyping up the so-called China threat is also part of Tokyo's agenda to justify the security laws that allow Japan to exercise collective self-defense rights. Since Abe became prime minister in 2012, his cabinet has been dedicated to a shift in the country's exclusively defense-oriented policy and to a revision of the constitution. To win popular support, the Japanese government has chosen to instigate a sense of crisis among its people by presenting China as a threat to regional peace and stability, he said. Analysts believed that if Tokyo puts into practice what is in the paper, then both its relations with China and the security in the Asia-Pacific will take a big hit. Wang said Japan, by stirring up China's maritime disputes with other countries in the South China Sea, is trying to team up with those claimant countries against China. This would deepen distrust between the two Asian nations, and render their ties more contentious, he said. Also in the paper, Japan stressed the necessity of enhancing the alliance between Tokyo and Washington, as well as its autonomy in the partnership, and entertained the feasibility of conducting multilateral security cooperation with the United States, Australia and India in the area that covers the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. Wang said that by doing so, Japan wants to strengthen its military clout in the region, yet that would further complicate the security situation in the area. Jason Bourne Director - Paul Greengrass Cast - Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Julia Styles, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel Rating - 2.5/5 The siren blares. The beat kicks in. Mobys voice, the only voice that can be both cold and soothing at the same time, sings that familiar tune. Oh baby, oh baby. Then it fell apart, fell apart. But this time, instead of the usual sense of amazement, Mobys words are accompanied by a feeling of cruel irony. This time, Jason Bourne isnt floating away from a certain death this time, there is no wry smile on Nicky Parsons face, and neither is there one on yours. If you, like me, are a fan of the Bourne series, hearing those siren-like notes announce Mobys Extreme Ways is always an emotional moment. Its the moment when all the pieces fall together, the moment when you sit back, awestruck, and let the exhilaration of those final scenes sink in. Read more movie reviews here Even before the movie began, it was the promise of Moby-fuelled catharsis that excited me, because unlike the rest of you, the idea of a fifth Bourne movie was never something that made sense to me. Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass were right the first time their story had seen its logical end. There was no need for them to come back. The first 3 Bourne films are perfect. They redefined action movies for the post-9/11 generation. Even the always under-enthusiastic Jeremy Renner and his subpar spinoff couldnt ruin the streak. In hindsight, the title shouldve given it away: Jason Bourne, the film, is far too enamoured with Jason Bourne, the character, to function on its own. The film has been totally and utterly consumed by his awesomeness. Every line coming out of his mouth and god knows there arent too many is declared with such intense ferocity, that it almost seems as if Matt Damon has decided to quit acting. Tommy Lee Jones role, on the other hand, comprises mostly of him whispering You have no idea who youre dealing with to whoever is within earshot. We get it: Bourne is cool. You dont have to remind us. Despite everything, Matt Damon remains a movie star. His screen presence is as strong as always, and even though Bourne doesnt have much to do or say in this movie, he still owns the part. Jason Bourne makes it seem as if all those years Damon and Greengrass spent refusing to return was just an elaborate negotiation tactic. He really does have nothing to do in this movie. Nothing. The plot is borderline non-existent, stretched to breaking point amidst vague murmurs of social media conspiracies, mass surveillance and Edward Snowden. Perhaps they thought they could simply skirt by on nostalgia, offering up trope after trope in failed fan-service. But everything they do here from poor Nicky getting chased along alleys, to Vincent Cassels silent assassin was done better in the first 3 films. Vincent Cassel follows in the tradition of Clive Owen, Karl Urban and Edgar Ramirez as The Asset. Paul Greengrass, sworn enemy of dollies and cranes, has always been a political filmmaker. He often shrouds his work in the accessibility of genre, but at its heart, his films are an honest appraisal of overbearing governments, corporate misdeeds and human beings trapped in organisations. Jason Bourne too flirts with more important themes, but less so than any film hes made before. More often than not, it seems like the plot is being constructed around the next spectacular chase scene and not the other way around. But boy, does Greengrass know how to shoot a car chase. His handheld camera finds the truth among the glitzy Hollywood lies, it finds calm within the chaos. Paul Greengrass shoots action like a documentary, stranding the viewer in the middle of the chaos. A riot scene in Greece reminded me of Bloody Sunday, a fantastic film he made early in his career that you really must watch. But it was the Las Vegas car chase that stood out. Its nowhere near as great as the one in Moscow from The Bourne Supremacy, but its bonkers in all the right ways. It pushes Bourne into a whole new realm of invulnerability. Its this series jumping the shark/nuking the fridge/pulling-a-John McClane-moment. Jason Bourne is the worst of the Matt Damon Bourne series it might even be worse than The Bourne Legacy. But its almost as if Bourne knows He knows his best is behind him. He knows he deserves better than this movie, and that makes him want to return to the only life hes ever known, the only life hes understood a life in which no one is safe, a life spent looking over his shoulder. But before you do that, get some rest Jason. You look tired. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @NaaharRohan ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop For the past five months, 16-year-old Zoya Merchant is biding her time at home while her friends attend college. They meet her in the evenings, brimming with stories of college life and their newfound freedom to dress in casuals (finally free from the shackles of the sombre uniform) and bunk lectures. But the teenager can only nod and wonder when she will have stories of her own to narrate. Owing to an error in the online admission process for first-year junior college (FYJC), Zoya, who scored 399 out of 500 (79.8%) in Class 10, was allotted Elphinstone College, Fort, whose cut-off in the second list was 400. My preference was KPB Hinduja in Charni Road, which is closer to her home and offers more opportunities for extra-curricular activities, said Zoya. Surprisingly, the Hinduja cut-off was lower than her score and she could have easily received admission there had it not been for this mistake. We reported this to the authorities, but they turned us away saying she already received a better opportunity and so will not be allotted any more colleges in the regular rounds, said Afzhal, her father. She has pinned her hopes on the special rounds that will be conducted from August 8 to August 30 for thousands of students like her more than 70,000, who did not claim their seats and a few more from the 1.53 lakh admitted. A majority of the students were allotted seats in their least-preferred colleges, despite scoring high marks, while students scoring lower marks secured better colleges. Principals questioned the logic behind the allotment of seats. The entire tier of students with high percentages is missing from our college this year, even though they had applied. Hundreds of students, who have scored higher than our cut-offs wait outside my office every day for offline admission but we are helpless, said Kavita Rege, principal, Sathaye College, Vile Parle. According to BB Chavan, deputy director of education, this is a result of the system allowing only one betterment round and applicants not listing out colleges in their order of preference in the option form, which is part of the online application. This means if a student gets his 7th preference in the first list, then the system will try to get him sixth or above college in the next list, said Chavan. After betterment, the applicant exits the process automatically and not considered for further rounds. This year, the problem occurred as the students didnt list out colleges in the correct order. So if a child has listed a college that they do not really want on top, they will be allotted that college because the system doesnt understand whether a child really wants that college or how far it is from his residence, it only understands the number, said Chavan. Despite knowing this, the department did not hold any orientation sessions for students and parents. So how is it that such mistakes were made seven years after the online process began in 2009? Were they unnoticed for so many years? Officials said the governments decision to conduct all the admissions online this year is to be blamed. Until 0last year, offline admissions were allowed after the online process ended. But this year, the department stated an interim order passed by the Bombay high court asked them to hold all admissions in Mumbai region strictly through online. However, a senior official on the condition of anonymity said, The court sought transparency in the admission process. There are better ways of ensuring transparency than online admissions. The department is compromising the future of the students. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Over 40 hours after the swollen Savitri river in Mahad washed away a century-old British era bridge, taking with it two buses and at least one SUV, search and rescue teams are losing hope of finding survivors. However, relatives of the missing are still optimistic. At least 29 persons are missing and feared dead in the accident. Search teams, along with locals, have recovered five bodies including the driver of a Jaigad-Mumbai bus and two women who were travelling in an SUV. The body of the bus driver who has been identified one Srikant Kamble was found in Anjarle beach, which is about 150 kilometers from the site of the accident, said Raigad collector Sheetal Ugale. The women were identified as Ranjana Vaze and her mother Shevanti Mirgal. Their bodies were recovered from Kenburli and Harihareshwar respectively, authorities said. Local fishermen involved in search operation said they found an unidentified body of a young man near Dadli bridge while another body of a man was discovered near Dasgaon. Search teams have also recovered metal parts of one of the buses from around four kilometers from the accident spot. Read: CM Fadnavis announces judicial probe in Mahad bridge tragedy Rescue workers pull a rope during a search operation in the flooded River Savitri after an old bridge collapsed in Mahad. (AP) Search and rescue operations resumed on Thursday morning after a break in the night. Incessant rain in the area have been making the operations difficult. The Savitri river too continues to be a raging torrent of muddy water. Earlier, a boat carrying four NDRF jawans capsised, but all personnel returned safely to the river bank. NDRF officials said they have been joined by scuba divers from Malval. Two helicopters from the Navy and Indian Coast Guard along with river rafters have also been pressed into the operation. Local administration say that it is difficult to make an exact assessment of casualties as locals say that more than two vehicles may have been washed away in the river. Based on the information shared by one eyewitness, we suspect two buses have been washed away. Apart from people travelling in two ST buses, we have appealed to people to come forward if their kin who were supposed to have travelled from this road have not reached their destinations, said Sheetal Ugale, district collector, Raigad. Rescue workers search the flooded River Savitri. (AP) Around 60% of the 100-year-old bridge, connecting Mahad and Poladpur, gave way at around 11:30 pm. The dark made it difficult for rescue teams to begin their operations for the first few hours, said locals. According to eyewitness Basant Kumar, two Mumbai bound buses fell into the river after the bridge crumbled within seconds. I first noted a bus going down. Within moments I saw another vehicle falling in the river, said Kumar, who works at a garage near the bridge. Even as 40 hours have elapsed since the incident, relatives of the missing say that they are hopeful that their kin will return alive. My brother Avinash Malap had gone to drop our grandmother in Konkan. While there is no word of him so far, our family is positive about his return, said Anil Malap, a resident of Vile Parle in Mumbai. Abdul Rehman said his brother had gone to Lanja but has not returned yet. We are all desperately awaiting a word from administration about my brother Ismail. We are praying to Allah of his safe return. Read: After Mahad tragedy, authorities shut down 153-year-old bridge in Thane The state government on Thursday told the Bombay high court that its own Special Investigations Team will continue probing the murder of rationalist Govind Pansare and the probe will not be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The governments submission came after Pansares kin expressed apprehension over a likely transfer of probe. The familys lawyer, advocate Abhay Nevagi, told the high court that the chief ministers office had issued a letter to the SIT saying it would allow for the transfer of probe to the CBI. The court, however, said it wont allow for any change of guard, and the CMO was no one to allow the transfer, when the court was monitoring the case. A bench of justice SC Dharmadhikari and justice Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi also granted both the CBI and the state CID eight weeks to get the ballistics report and complete all paperwork in the Dabholkar and Pansare murders respectively. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor-musician Jared Leto refused to take sides when it came to discussing the fight between his friends, Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Instead, he chose to praise their talent. West has recently been involved in a huge public spat with Swift over his controversial single Famous, after she claimed she didnt give him permission to sing about her. Leto, 44, complimented both the musicians for the way they have dealt with the situation, reported Female First. The Suicide Squad star showed his loyalty to rapper West first by saying how much he appreciates his ability to speak his mind, whilst also admitting hes the complete opposite because he worries about the consequences of speaking out. Read: Justin Bieber provokes Taylor Swift with an Instagram post Talking about his friendship with West, 39, he said, (Kanye) hes a friend and has always been. Kanye has always been the nicest person to me, kind and generous. I think hes a talent, and I really appreciate his ability to speak his mind. Read: Kanye West says he was raised to make a difference Jared Leto said he liked that fact that Kanye West can speak his mind, something he is hesitant about. (AFP) Im very different. Im very careful and cautious because I dont want to deal with the other things that come along with speaking out like that. But I do appreciate that in other people. As for the 26-year-old Bad Blood hitmaker, Leto admires how she is able to stay strong and fight off criticism by marching forward. Shes great. She triggers a conversation with myself about whats possible. And you know, the thing I like about Taylor is shes a self-made woman. Read: Kanye West didnt pen the Famous lyrics parading Taylor Swift? Jared Leto likes the fact that Taylor Swift is a self-made woman. (REUTERS) I see that in my mother. There were probably points in Taylors career where someone else maybe would have been knocked off balance by criticism or other challenges, and she just kept marching forward. Leto also said it doesnt matter whether you are West or Swift because no one is able to please everyone all the time and anyone that tries to is on a fools errand. Theres going to be people who love you, people who hate you. It doesnt matter if youre Kanye or Taylor Swift. Theres gonna be people that love you and people that dont. And thinking that you can please the world or convince everyone otherwise is a fools errand. The NDA government is discovering that the Indian diaspora is not merely the rich and prosperous who used to congregate at stadia to chant PM Modis name. The Gulf expatriates, whose remittances since the 1980s have kept the Indian balance of payments evenly balanced, are the ones whose vulnerabilities are only noticed when a crisis arises. They work and live in nations dependent on petroleum exports, thus making them subject to the boom-bust cycles that all commodity-exporting countries experience. Their livelihoods get immediately impacted when the downturn arrives. The current one is particularly significant for many reasons. Firstly, globally the drivers of growth are themselves sputtering, with question marks over Chinese and to some extent over Indian growth figures. Secondly, shale gas is a significant new swing factor in global oil supply as it can go on and off stream very fast. This will perhaps ensure that the old cycles of supply-lags-once-demand-picks-up, no longer applies. Thirdly, with even Saudis beginning to tighten their belts and cut unbridled subsidies, many big projects may be hit in that country or other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members. Read | Gulf labour crisis: Is India prepared for the returning NRIs? Thus there may progressively be even greater number of expatriate workers out of work in months to come. The question then arises as to whether the Indian governments flurried approach to crises with ministers rushing in is the correct approach to the problem. In the past, too, whenever economic downturns in GCC countries led to lay-offs, embassies and consulates adopted ad hoc measures, like using well-off Indians and associations of Indian diaspora to chip in with funds and manpower. Concomitantly in Delhi, policy options were debated, like building a fund from fees charged by the labour ministry when approving job contracts or granting emigration clearance for covering emergent situations like the present one or one caused by unforeseen conflict akin to the crisis in Kuwait when it was attacked by Saddam Hussein. Discussions were then even held with insurance companies to cover the risk of expatriate workers losing life, limb or job. The government now must consider a number of steps, besides rescuing the current lot of workers in Saudi Arabia. The ministry of external affairs has always had a consular section, which used to work under joint secretary dealing with passports and visas. Now the three charges have been divided amongst separate joint secretaries. The consular division needs to be energised. Next, the long-talked-about safety net for workers must be established so that no worker leaves Indian shores without an insurance cover. Lastly, GCC nations should be pressed to negotiate with India agreements on worker emigration so that their rights are known and justiciable in those countries. At the moment, some GCC countries are moving towards being more transparent and equitable in spelling out rights and obligations of expatriate workers. Perhaps it would be useful to begin with whoever is willing so that moral pressure then builds on the laggards. However, basically the tendency is to side with the local employer rather than abstract principles. Ultimately, as I articulated on BBC, as a rising power India has to plan to wean itself off the expatriate remittances. There is no justification in 21st century for India to let its citizens undertake menial jobs, under adverse conditions. Indian economic success will be judged on whether it is able to absorb surplus workers in India. The author is a former secretary, ministry of external affairs Police claimed to have solved six recent cases of snatching and robbery with the arrest of six members of a gang four from Sector 40 and two from Dadumajra on Wednesday. The gang used the Activa modus operandi wherein they snatched while on a running scooter. The police added they snatched gold chains to fund their drug addiction and lavish life. Two gold chains, three mobiles, four scooters, four women purses and a knife have been recovered from the accused, who the police claim are habitual snatchers. Read: Snatchers in Chandigarh operate in three ways, reveals footage The accused have been identified as kingpin Vishal Sharma (25), of Housing Board Complex, Dhanas; Nitish Kumar (24), of Sector 41; Inderjeet Singh (23), of Buterala village in Sector 41; Harmeet Singh alias Noor (22), of Sector 27; Avtar Singh alias Tari (25), of Milk Colony, Dhanas, and Charanjit Singh Channi, of Sector 25. Sharma and Tari, who specialised in snatching of gold chains were arrested from Dadumajra. Chandigarh SSP Sukhchain Singh said that after the recent snatching spree that where more than 10 snatchings were reported within a week they had formed a special team to trace the snatchers. We identified the snatchers from CCTV footage and also cracked their modus operandi. An Activa gang was found to be operating in Sector 38 and Maloya. We searched our records. After a number of raids, we zeroed in on the suspects, the SSP said. He added that inspector Poonam Dilawari led a team from Sector 39 police station led one arrest team with Maloya SHO Ram Rattan Sharma leading the other. The police have so far failed to get any clues about the miscreants who vandalised the chamber of advocate Gian Singh Mungo, president of the Nabha Bar Association, on Monday night. Mungo is on the panel of lawyers of AAP Delhi MLA Naresh Yadav in the Quran sacrilege case. Mungos junior Sukhdeep Singh, who reached the chamber on Tuesday morning, said there were broken glass pieces and blood stains on the floor and wall of the chamber. The door was locked from outside and the window was intact. A mobile phone was also found in the chamber, he said. Even 36 hours after the incident, the police have failed to make any breakthrough in the case. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Manpreet Singh said the investigations were on and the media will be informed when there was any breakthrough. The police had called forensic experts who collected finger prints, samples from blood stains and the broken pieces of glass. The police did not disclose anything about the watchman who was found in an inebriated condition on Tuesday morning. Mungo said that the silence of the police on the matter was raising suspicion about some conspiracy behind the attack. I have been the president of the Nabha Bar Association for the past 15 years and such an incident has never taken place in the court premises, he added. The police had registered a case against unidentified person(s) under Section 457 and 427 of IPC. Mungo, former additional advocate general, was earlier associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal and had switched to AAP recently. On August 1, I had not come to the office since I had gone to the Malerkotla court in connection with the sacrilege case against the AAP MLA and the incident happened the same night, he said. LAWERS STRIKE IN PATIALA Meanwhile, the Patiala District Bar Association observed strike in the courts on Wednesday. Association president Bhupinder singh Virk said, The lack of security in court premises is a great concern and it is unfortunate that the police could get any breakthrough in the case so far. He said lawyers, who are the protectors of the human rights, were not safe in the state and feeling insecure. The police have detained 20 employees of Punjab government for staging a protest in-front of Punjab public works department minister, Janmeja Singh Sekhons house. The employees from different Punjab government departments, enrolled in contributory provident fund (CPF) scheme, held the protest as a part of a state-wide plan. The protesters include employees of education department, excise and taxation department, health department and revenue patwaris. Police detained the leaders to foil the protest, and later released them. District president of the union, Kuldeep Singh, said that the employees recruited in the Punjab government, after 2004, will not be getting pension benefits and are enrolled under CPF scheme. They want the government to restore old pension scheme for all employees. He said that a meeting of union leaders is scheduled with deputy commissioner, Basant Garg on Thursday. They will seek time to meet chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and plan next course of action. The Parkash-SinghBadal-led Akali-BJP government is yet to provide sanctioned staff to Punjab Claims Commission four years after the Punjab and Haryana high court formed the panel. On Wednesday, the commission headed by chief justice VK Bali (retired) wrote to chief minister Badal about how officials of the home department looked after by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal are creating difficulties for the panel. GOT ITS OFFICE AFTER 18 MONTHS The Bali Commission deals with damage to the government property in agitations, of which 75 cases were registered in the state by 2012. The Punjab government formed this body on June 8, 2012, under the May 29, 2012, direction of the high court. But the commission got its office in December 2013, after 18 months. whereas the sanctioned staff has not been provided even till date, justice Bali has said in his communique, seeking Badals intervention at the earliest, according to sources in the chief ministers office (CMO). NO REPLACEMENTS Of the two senior assistants Surjit Singh and Girdhari Lal posted on the commission, one was transferred on his promotion as superintendent, while the other retired. Thereafter, reads justice Balis letter, no senior assistant has been posted. And the only clerk was also transferred on July 19 without a replacement. Earlier, the under secretary (home) was told to look after the commission as well but the officer seldom attended the office for more than an hour a day, that too only once or twice a week. Deputy-secretary-rank officer Harchand Singh retired in October 2015 but replacement hasnt arrived. EXPENSES NOT CLEARED Justice Bali told Badal that even the files sent to the home department for the sanctioning of routine expenses on telephone, electricity, and stationery were not received back even after four months. Even the vehicle-service bills are paid after six months. When the claim commissioner and registrar were appointed, they were promised a a car along with driver and 290 litres of petrol or 440 litres of diesel each. Later, the travel was restricted to 80 kilometres per day, and 25 days a month, in violation of the conditions of appointment. Asking the government to restore the original terms, justice Bali said: Several times we have written to the home department for the restoration of the facility of vehicles. The officers concerned be directed to remove the said difficulties. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As much as Chinese consumers have enjoyed South Korea shopping in the past, that situation may change in the wake of a decision by South Korean customs to impose a purchase limit at the countrys tax-free outlets, thepaper.cn reported. On July 11, the Korea Customs Service notified all Korean duty-free operators--including Lotte, Shilla and Shinsegae--to limit the number of purchases made by each customer to 50 cosmetics and/or perfume purchases, and 10 bags and watches per brand, the Korean Herald reported. Current figures show that in the first quarter of 2016, 70.8 percent of sales at Lotte, South Koreas largest duty-free retail chain, came from Chinese visitors. In July, South Korea received 1.55 million foreign visitors, 758,500 of which were Chinese, accounting for 48.8 percent of the total. South Korea has seen a huge influx of Chinese tourists, many of who come for shopping holidays with the primary aim of stocking up on cosmetics at a cheaper price than they would pay in China. The radio-diagnosis department of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, is using two ultrasound machines whose life span has expired for the past few years, stated an audit report from the principal director of audit (central), Chandigarh. The machines were purchased to get correct results. And the effective treatment is depended only on the correct results, it stated. As these machines have completed the their lifespan in October 2013, its constant use may have distorted results, affecting the final outcome of the treatment, mentions the report. In reply, the department stated that its not compromising with the diagnoses of the patients. The end of the life span of a machine is only for the repair purpose. And machines can work even after that, until or unless they are out of order. So the department is not compromising with the quality of diagnoses. Not satisfied, the auditors stated, But the fluctuation in results conducted on them cant be ruled out. In another report, the audit had flagged the issue of purchasing of the machines. The radio-diagnosis department bought the ultrasound machines in 2006. Their comprehensive annual maintenance contract (CAMC) was given to a Delhi-based supplier, Shimadzu Pvt Ltd, for three years, after the expiry of its two-year warranty period. The CAMC also expired in October 2013, and the hospital requested to the company to extend the contract for six months. However, when the hospital asked the firm to submit fresh CAMC rates for the next five years, it refused to sign the contract, citing the ultrasound machines have already crossed the lifespan. Also, its production is now stopped, stated the audit. Dr Atul Sachdev, director principal, GMCH-32, said, There is no shelf life of an ultrasound machine, which is an operator-dependent machine. If the operators are satisfied, they can be used for long. Itll not produce distorted results. Dr Naveen Kalra, a radiologist at the PGIMER, said, There is no fix shelf-life of an ultrasound machine, except that with time, its image quality deteriorates. Technology keeps on changing, and you need to update them to get better results. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Some unidentified persons reportedly barged into a Punjab warehouse at Aliwal road and fled with 450 bags of wheat after assaulting the security guards, here, on Tuesday night. According to information, five to six persons came to the warehouse around 2 am and asked the security guard, Sukhpreet Singh, about the road leading to Aliwal village. During their conversation, the accused told Sukhpreet that one of their companions had gone missing from the road. Sukhpreet then called his fellow guard Daniel Masih to enquire about the missing youth. But as soon as he arrived, the miscreants overpowered the guards and tied them with chairs after assaulting them. Later, the accused called their companions, who came on a truck and loaded 450 bags of wheat on it and fled to Aliwal. On Wednesday morning, the locals noticed the two guards tied with chairs and informed the police. On the statement of manager, Punjab Warehouse Corporation, Major Singh, the police had registered a case under Section 458 and 480 of the IPC against unidentified persons. Giving information, Major Singh said the security guards were employees of a private security agency Eagle Eyes and were working as security guards in the godown since oneand-a-half year. When contacted Batala SSP Daljinder Singh said they had sounded alert in the area and also informed the police of adjoining districts. We are closely watching the CCTV footage of the shops and other premises on this road to get a clue about the truck used in the crime. Right now, we are working on various theories and have also got clues. The accused will be behind bars soon, he assured. Using Facebook, Twitter or other social media, including even the messaging application WhatsApp, during working hours can now land judicial officers and other staff and lower courts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh in trouble. The Punjab and Haryana high court has asked all the district court judges and employees not to use the internet on their phones during court hours for surfing social networking sites. In case any judicial officer or court official is found using internet on mobile phone for surfing social websites like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during court hours, for the purpose other than mentioned herein before, strict disciplinary action will be taken against him/her, reads the speed post letter sent to all district and sessions judges of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The letter states that social sites could be used only for official purposes or in emergency. All the judges have also been told to acknowledge the receipt of the letter sent by the registrar general of the high court. Also read | Positive content on social media helpful in keeping stress at bay Sources said there was no particular instance where officials or judges were found using social networking sites, but this letter was followed by a similar circular issued to the high court staff last month. That circular too had come in the wake of an exercise initiated by some other high courts to increase productivity, an official not authorised to speak to the media told HT. In May 2016, the Delhi high court had also issued similar instructions to its employees. After a long wait, the Patiala municipal corporation has finally reached a consensus over the land allotment rate for the dairy units which are being shifted out of the city. A 10-member committee that was constituted in June has fixed the allotment rate at Rs 3,500 square feet. Mayor Amarinder Singh Bajaj said the allotment rules are being finalised in consultation with the MC commissioner and other technical staff. Once the state government grants its approval, we will begin the allotment process. We expect the allotment to begin in a month, he added Under the project, all the dairy owners operating within the walled city would be shifted at the 21-acre project site in Ablowal village where they are being given plots at a government-controlled rate. Although the project was approved in MC House meeting on June 23, the councillors did not accept the technical committee report that had proposed the allotment rate at Rs 7,500 per square yard, saying the rate was too high. To build consensus over rates, a 10-member committee was assigned the task to finalise the allotment rates in consultation with dairy owners, which has now submitted its report. Congress councillor Sanjeev Bittu, one of the members, said that with MC slashing the proposed rates by 60%, the dairy owners should not hesitate to shift out at the project site where MC will provide them several facilities. PROJECT RELEVANCE The presence of 150 dairies within the city limits is the main reason behind the frequent choking of sewers and the resultant waterlogging in different parts of the city. Also, cattle dung is being regularly dumped in the citys seasonal rivulet that often creates problems during the monsoon season. The move to shift dairies outside the city was first mooted in 2003 during the tenure of the Congress regime under the then chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh. However, the project was delayed and missed several deadlines due to different reasons. Arranging the required project land itself took more than 5 years. Then the project got stuck due to delay in getting six acres of land from the forest department. Mayor Bajaj claimed that all the hindrances in the projects implementation were now over. The MC will provide sewerage treatment plant, veterinary hospital, milk collection centre and other facilities at the project site. The final allotment rate has been decided after incorporating infrastructure cost and the price of the land, he said. The MC House, he added, has already agreed to allow 75% plots through a draw system and the remaining through an auction. The project site has approximately 200 plots. Out of this, 150 will be allotted to dairies, which are currently operating from within the walled city. The remaining plots will be allotted to others through government auction. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Even before the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced its first list of candidates for the assembly polls, bushfires of protests against the finalised candidates erupted at many places in the state on Wednesday evening. Former bureaucrat Hardip Singh Kingra, a ticket hopeful from Faridkot, quit the party on Wednesday in what seemed to be in protest against having been denied a ticket. Kingra, who retired as chairman of the National Scheduled Caste Finance and Development Corporation, GOI, joined the AAP in 2013 and was the partys spokesperson and head of its finance committee. He was among the five people whose names were under consideration for the ticket from Faridkot. The ticket, say sources, is going to Gurdip Singh Sekhon, another AAP leader from the area. Lashing out against AAP, Kingra said AAP had degraded and become worse than traditional parties. He said the Delhi AAP team led by Durgesh Pathak has destroyed the party in Punjab and had made sycophancy a norm in the party. AAP leaders Chander Suta Dogra and Himmat Singh Shergill during a press conference at Press Club in Chandigarh on Wednesday. (Anil Dayal/HT Photo ) In Mohali, where the partys legal head Himmat Singh Shergills name is said to have been finalised, 19 out of the 30 other ticket hopefuls passed a resolution against Shergill, saying that he was unacceptable as candidate. They said he was not even present at the meeting where the volunteers proposed names. They further alleged that Shergill has not visited his constituency after the parliamentary elections where people voted for him. They said voters openly say that his behaviour with them was rude and unbecoming of a political leader. When contacted, Shergill said the resolution was of no value. There are no allegations against me. The only thing they are holding against me that I did not attend the meeting where volunteers proposed my name. It has happened at many other places. They are saying all this because they feel they have been denied tickets, he said. Samar Bir Singh, who is tipped to be AAPs candidate from Fazilka, also faced protests from a group of workers who are insisting that the ticket be given to somebody from the town itself. Samar Bir belongs to a village nearby. In Ludhiana (West) where Ahbab Grewals name is said to have been finalised, supporters of other candidates went to the extent of alleging that the partys agents were demanding Rs 1 crore for a ticket. From Talwandi Sabo, candidature of Prof Baljinder Kaurthe partys women wing chiefhas been withheld owing to pending allegations against her. Sources said there was a rethink on the names of former Punjab IG Jagdish Mittal from Barnala and Arjuna awardee Sajjan Singh Cheema from Sultanpur Lodhi. Some Sikh organisations have protested against Mittal for the role he played during terrorism. Circle presidents and officebearers of the party in Sultanpur Lodhi had on Tuesday threatened to boycott the party if Cheema is given the ticket. Names of Giani Sarup Singh Kadiana from Phillaur, former wrestler Kartar Singh Pehalwan from Tarn Taran and Master Baldev Singh from Jaito, which are said to be in the final list, are also being reconsidered. AAP volunteers recommended nearly 500 names for 26 assembly seats to the campaign committee, which forwarded its list to the partys screening committee. The screening committee met on Sunday and shortlisted nearly 130 names, forwarding these to the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) headed by AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. On Monday morning, before leaving for a 12-day meditation break, Kejriwal finalised 23 candidates, withholding two names. The list was to be made public by the partys Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh through a press conference on Tuesday. However, sources said, the announcement was again deferred following complaints and affidavits filed by AAP volunteers and workers against some of the finalised candidates. If the much-delayed list is not announced in the next two days, it will be out only after Kejriwal comes back from his Vipassana. Trouble spots O In Mohali, partys legal head Himmat Singh Shergills name is being opposed. O Samar Bir Singh, who is tipped to be candidate from Fazilka, also faced protests from workers. O Names of Giani Sarup Singh Kadiana from Phillaur and Kartar Singh Pehalwan from Tarn Taran are also being reviewed. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Punjab National Bank branches in the district are not secure enough to prevent robberies of the kind that took place at one of their branches in Kochar Market where four men walked away with `15 lakh in broad daylight on Monday. Around 50% of all 103 branches have no security guards deployed in the premises. The robbery was a cakewalk for the four men in the busy Kockar Market. However, the bank has woken up from its slumber and appointed a fulltime guard. Oddly enough, bank officials blamed it on staff crunch in PNB branches. They said they were unable to find competent recruits. Read Ludhianas 90-sec robbery cracked: One held, Rs 6 lakh found BN Mishra, PNB circle head, said, We have around 103 branches in Ludhiana and Moga district, half of which have security guards. In the absence of competent retired army men in the region, we could not fill vacant posts for security guards. We are in the process to recruit guards at the earliest and in about a months time will have guards in all sensitive areas of the district. When it comes to bank robberies, Punjab does not feature as a highly sensitive zone in the country. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The release of Arshad Warsi- and Aditi Rao Hydari-starrer The Legend of Michael Mishra, scheduled to be released on Friday across the nation, has been suspended for two months for now by the Punjab government. A government spokesperson on Thursday informed that the decision was taken keeping in view the prevailing strong resentment among the Balmiki community over some references to Maharishi Balmiki. Assistant inspector general intelligence, Jalandhar, Mandeep Singh confirmed the development. The row has led to a series of protests in Jalandhar city from the past one week. According to the consensus between the administration and Balmiki unions, a preview of the movie was arranged for the community at Big Cinemas at Viva College Mall in Jalandhar at 9 pm on Wednesday. We requested the filmmakers to delete some scenes that the Balmiki community members are raising objection on, but the scenes are still a part of the movie. They have only muted the volume, said Mandeep Singh. In a meeting held in Chandigarh on Wednesday, inspector general of police intelligence Gaurav Yadav had reportedly asked the members of Safai Mazdoor Federation to watch the movie first and decide if deleting the scenes will be enough. Else, they will ban its screening in the entire state. Nearly 50 people of Balmiki community from the city attended the screening along with the officials and demanded the ban. Challenging the current hierarchy in the UT education department, the two subject experts of commerce and home science, SS Bedi and Anita Sharma, have asked director school education (DSE) Rubinderjit Singh Brar to include their names in the provisional gradation list of school and inspection cadre, which comprises assistant director, DEO, deputy DEO, principals and other officials. They have asked the department to include their joining date as October 7, 1996, above adult education deputy director Jaswinder Kaur. If approved, their seniority would be higher than DEO Vinay Sood. We have made the request on the basis of the Punjab Rules, as Chandigarh follows the Punjabs guidelines, said SS Bedi, adding Punjab included three subject experts in the School and Inspection Cadre on the basis of their seniority in 1993. The DSE has asked the other party deputy DSE, DEO, deputy DEO, and principals to submit objections by August 12. I will also call the principals for a personal hearing after they send their objections, if any. Then well take a final call, said Brar. DEO Vinay Sood said, In their case, the seniority list was prepared in 2013. Why they are raising the issue now? A principal, requesting anonymity, said, These subject experts were appointed against Class-3 posts, while the posts of principals are of Class 2. And the seniority is considered in case of Class 2 officials only. Sources say the seniority list cant be challenged now owing to a significant delay. As per the Union of India vs SS Uppal case, the SC held the question of seniority has to be determined by the rules in force on the date of appointment in the service. Well submit a representation as this is unfair. We do a lot of school-level work, and are hired after due process. How can someone claim the seniority now? questioned Harbir Anand, GMSSS-10 principal and the president of Government Schools Principals Association. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In order to provide relief to the residential and industrial buildings in the ambit of 500 metres of the waste processing plant, Vidhan Sabha Committees members said they would recommend the state government to set a buffer zone inside the limit of the plant. A Vidhan Sabha team visited the waste processing plant at the dumping point near Tajpur Road on Wednesday. The members inspected the plant and learned how the waste is being processed for final disposal. Earlier, the municipal corporation (MC) was not allowing any construction for residential and industrial purpose in the ambit of 500 meters from the dumping point. However, hundreds of the constructions have been raised near the dumping place. The members dont want any action against the residential and industrial buildings in ambit of 500 meters. Now, according to the new rules of Municipal Solid Wastes (management and handling) Rules, 2016, new limit of buffer zones is to be declared. MLA Prem Mittal, a member of the committee said that they will submit the report to the government and will recommend to provide relief to the residential and industrial buildings near the plant. He said the company A2Z group that was running the waste processing plant had demanded that there should be no construction of building in the area of 500 metres. MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon claimed that the residential and industrial buildings have been there for long. We gave suggestions to use new techniques for handling the solid waste. The buffer zone should be declared inside the limits of garbage dumping and disposal area. Earlier, the buffer zone was in the ambit of 500 metres outside the dumping area, he said. The members also visited the newly renovated swimming pool near Rakh Bagh. We are satisfied with the 99% work done, said Prem Mittal. With setting up the common effluent treatment and upgraded sewerage treatment plants, the problem of Buddha Nullah will get resolved, the members claimed. MC commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said that the MC, Punjab Pollution Control Board along with other departments concerned will have to take decision about the buffer zone at the waste processing plant. Earlier, the members including MLAs Prem Mittal, Deep Malhotra, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Ranjit Singh Dhillon and other conducted the meeting with the officials of municipal corporation (MC), Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) and other departments at Circuit House. The Punjab government has assured the Punjab and Haryana high court that it will revisit the rules and regulations and conduct inspections of all private-run de-addiction centres across the state by September 7. Additional advocate general, Punjab, Reeta Kohli told the court on Wednesday the government will rope in former PGIMER director KK Talwar and psychiatrist Dr Ajit Awasthi for the exercise. The submissions were made during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by the court into Jagdish Bhola drug racket case. Earlier, Dr Aditya Avinash Kaushik, a Haryana doctor, who is assisting the court in this matter, stated that during his visit to a private de-addiction centre in Rara Sahib, Ludhiana, he found patients in unhygienic conditions. There were 56 patients, lodged in a hall. They were even forced to share towels. The infrastructure was poor. Such centres across state may be earning lakhs of rupees but spending only a few thousands on facilities, he said, seeking courts intervention. Dr Kaushik said that he also visited a government de-addiction centre in Jargaon area, where he found good facilities. But sadly, only three patients were there, he said. Taking serious note of the submissions, the court urged the doctor to file a detailed report in a week, observing that ill-equipped private de-addiction centres should not be allowed to flourish. The high court also suggested Punjab to consider engaging retired psychiatrists for the deaddiction centres. The court was informed that there were only 30 psychiatrists against the requirement of 60. An affidavit from the principal secretary concerned has also been sought on the next date of hearing. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Maksim Tsurkov Trend: The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $49.4 million to 28 banks through an auction held by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), SOFAZ said Aug. 4. SOFAZ offered $50 million at the auction, but the banks demand was $49.4 million. SOFAZ will continue selling foreign currency through auctions in 2016. The foreign currency is sold as part of SOFAZs transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget, which are envisaged to stand at 7.615 billion Azerbaijani manats in 2016. SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million. As of July 1, 2016, SOFAZs assets increased by 4.6 percent and amounted to $35.1 billion as compared to $33.57 billion in early 2016. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi underwent surgery to repair a shoulder fracture at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and is recovering well, doctors said on Thursday. Mumbai-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr Sanjay Desai flew to Delhi for the surgery, which took three hours late Wednesday night. She had dislocated and fractured her left shoulder in a fall. We relocated the ball and fixed the fracture using plates and screws, Dr Desai said. She is fine and should be fit to be discharged in a couple of days. However, she will need physiotherapy. The 69-year-old sustained the fracture when she fell due to a dizzy spell, brought on by acute dehydration, during a roadshow in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. She was flown back to Delhi on a chartered flight close to midnight. Gandhi was taken straight to the Research & Referral (Army) Hospital, where she was treated in the intensive care unit for an electrolyte imbalance that was causing dizziness, blood pressure fluctuations, muscle weakness and vomiting. She was shifted to Ganga Ram on Wednesday to be under the care of her personal physician, pulmonologist Dr Arup Basu. An official statement from Ganga Ram said her health parameters were showing improvement and she is soon going to be shifted out of ICU. A bout of viral fever had forced the Congress chief to miss Parliament on Monday. She is scheduled to travel to Allahabad on August 16 for another round of campaigning for the assembly elections due early next year, but may have to cancel the visit, Congress sources said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan issued a joint statement on counter-terrorism at the end of a military dialogue in Urumqi, the capital city of the restive Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. According to Chinas defence ministry, the four parties agreed that terrorism and extremism pose serious threats to regional stability, and fully recognised the unremitting efforts made by their militaries on fighting terrorist and extremist forces. The four parties agreed to establish the "quadrilateral mechanism" to coordinate with and support each other in a range of areas, including study and judgment of counter terrorism situation, confirmation of clues, intelligence sharing, anti-terrorist capability building, joint anti-terrorist training and personnel training, and that the coordination and cooperation will be exclusive to the four countries, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The statement added: The four parties agreed that the "quadrilateral mechanism" should abide by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and other recognised principles and rules of international law, especially the principles of preserving international peace and security, maintaining independence and equality, mutual respect to sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression and mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs. Pakistans Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif and his Chinese counterpart, General Fang Fenghui took part in the dialogue. Delivering the keynote address, Fang said: Currently, the three evil forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism are frequently creating disturbances, seriously affecting regional peace and stability. Fang said the purpose of establishing "quadrilateral mechanism" was to implement the important consensus reached by heads of state of the four countries, and to help construct a community of common destiny for Asia, maintain regional peace and stability and safeguard people's welfare. Fang said China and Pakistan were all-weather strategic partners and mutual support between their armed forces is critical for safeguarding regional peace and stability. Sharif assured the Chinese military that he would crack down on East Turkestan Islamic Movement and protect the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Hollywood heavyweight Clint Eastwood has stopped short of endorsing Donald Trump, but praised the Republican presidential candidate for being on to something in an interview in Esquire magazine. In the interview, posted online on Wednesday, the actor-director hailed Trump as a foe of political correctness and lamented what he called the kiss-ass generation. Everybodys walking on eggshells... We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things werent called racist, said the 86-year-old known for his western movies, and largely regarded as a cultural icon of machismo for his movie roles. Eastwood, who spoke at the 2012 Republican convention -- that silly thing ... talking to the chair -- urged people to get over it. What Trump is onto is hes just saying whats on his mind. And sometimes its not so good. And sometimes its . I mean, I can understand where hes coming from, but I dont always agree with it. Eastwood said he wasnt endorsing anyone for president, but said hed choose Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Id have to go for Trump, you know, cause shes (Hillary) declared that shes gonna follow in Obamas footsteps. Theres been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle, he said. Indian-American Pramila Jayapal has swept an open Congressional primary in Washington State and could make history as the first woman from the community to be elected to the US House of Representatives if she wins the November general election. Born in India and raised in Indonesia and Singapore, 50-year-old Jayapal would be facing either of the two candidates she defeated in the open primary by more than 16%. Besides Pramila, there are three other serious Indian-American contenders for seat in US House of Representatives. Ami Bera is seeking his third term from California. He is the only Indian-American in the current Congress. Two others running for a House seat are Raja Krishnamoorthi from a suburb of Chicago and Ro Khanna from Silicon Valley. All four are considered to have a bright chance of winning the November general elections. Running from the seventh Congressional district in Washington State, Jayapal swept the Tuesday night open primary with 38.2% of the votes. Her two other rivals were Joe McDermott (21.5%) and Brady Walkinshaw (20.9%). Thank you so much to the voters of the 7th Congressional District! You have fueled the flame of our movement with the clear belief that we together can and will reclaim our government to work for all of us! Jayapal told her supporters at a victory speech. Jayapal was endorsed by former Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders. Pramila just proved that candidates can run a strong progressive campaign funded by small-dollar donors and win big, Sanders said. The people-powered movement that propelled our campaign to victory in states around the country is already changing how campaigns are run up and down the ticket, he added. Jayapal trailed early in the race, but saw a steady climb in the polls following Sanders endorsement on April 13. In addition to campaigning with her, the Vermont senator helped Jayapal raise USD 226,000 from 27,692 individual donations and recruited volunteers to make 140,314 phone calls and knock doors. When you think of the political revolution, I want you to think about Pramila, Sanders said. Jayapal has spent the last 20 years working both internationally and domestically as a leading national advocate for human rights. She led one of the largest voter registration efforts in Washington State, helping over 23,000 new Americans to register to vote. In May 2013, she was recognised as a White House Champion of Change. A Chennai-born Malayali, she came to the US in 1982 to attend Georgetown University. She worked on Wall Street as a financial analyst and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University. After working in the medical equipment industry for a year she found her passion in the social justice arena. She now lives in Seattle. The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has rejected the Pakistan governments proposal to include teachings of Quran in the schools syllabus up to tenth standard. The ministry of federal education and professional training had sent a set of books containing Quran verses with translation to the CII for vetting and proposed to teach these books in schools up to tenth standard. However, the CII members rejected the proposal and said that too many lacunas were present in the books. The council also held discussions on the Hague convention on Parental Responsibility and Protection of Children, sent by the law ministry and ruled that Pakistan should not sign it. The meeting was chaired by CII chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani, who said that certain clauses of the Hague Convention were contradictory to the Constitution of Pakistan. The Islamic State (IS) has named a new leader of Boko Haram, the Nigerian militant group which last year swore allegiance to it. Abu Musab al-Barnawi was named Islamic States governor for West Africa in a two-page interview in its weekly magazine, al-Naba, which was circulated late on Tuesday. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who took office last year, has made it a priority to defeat Boko Haram, which has tried to create a state adhering to strict sharia law in the northeast during a seven-year insurgency. Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land in northeast Nigeria around the size of Belgium at the end of 2014 but was pushed out by Nigerian troops, aided by soldiers from neighbouring countries, early last year. In the interview, al-Barnawi said Boko Haram was still a force to be reckoned with and that it had been receiving new recruits. Despite having been pushed out of most of the territory it controlled, Boko Haram has carried out suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad, focusing on busy public areas such as markets and mosques. Fulan Nasrullah, a security analyst, said al-Barnawi had been a senior figure within Boko Haram who was previously the groups military commander. The Islamic State publication did not mention Abubakar Shekau, who was the groups leader and represented the Nigerian jihadists in videos during an insurgency that has killed about 15,000 people and displaced more than two million. Shekau, whose death has been reported on numerous occasions by the army only for him to reappear in videos, was last seen in a video circulated in March in which he seemed to suggest he was ailing and Boko Haram was losing its effectiveness. A video emerged the following week saying there would be no surrender. In June, a senior US general said Boko Haram had fractured internally, with a big group splitting away from Shekau over his failure to adhere to guidance from Islamic State. The Nigerian group swore allegiance to Islamic State, based in Syria and Iraq, in March 2015. That assessment came days after US officials said they had seen no evidence that Boko Haram had so far received significant operational support or financing from Islamic State militants, concluding the loyalty pledge had so far mostly been a branding exercise. Britains capital woke up on Thursday to increased presence of armed police after an overnight knife attack left a woman in her 60s dead and five others injured in the busy central London area of Russell Square. Scotland Yard arrested a 19-year-old man and said mental health was a significant factor in the case but terrorism was one line of inquiry. Local residents said on Thursday that they had not seen such police presence since the July 2005 London bombings. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: This was a tragic incident resulting in the death of one woman and five others being injured. Early indications suggest that mental health was a factor in this horrific attack. The suspect was neutralised with a taser gun and was treated in a London hospital. Police later said he has left hospital and is in custody at a south London police station. The five injured included three women and two men. We are keeping an open mind regarding the motive and terrorism remains one line of inquiry being explored. As a precautionary measure, Londoners will wake up this morning to notice an increased presence on the streets of officers, including armed officers today. We would urge the public to remain calm, alert and vigilant, Rowley said. The attack comes within hours of Scotland Yard chief Bernard Hogan-Howe announcing a new operation to increase presence of armed police in London in the wake of recent terror attacks in Europe. London mayor Sadiq Khan appealed to the people to remain calm and vigilant. We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Most Indian carriers on Thursday cancelled or rerouted their scheduled flights to and from Dubai as authorities restricted operations a day after an Emirates flight from India with 300 people on board crash-landed at the international airport. Passengers, mostly Indians, had a narrow escape after the Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram crash-landed and exploded on the runway in Dubai, shutting down one of the worlds busiest airports. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated. However, a Dubai-based firefighter died while putting out flames after the accident. Dubai- only widebody aircraft allowed till 7 AM tomorrow. Air India routing thru Sharjah, Jet thru Sharjah&Abudhabi & Indigo,Spicejet cncld today, aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju tweeted. Budget carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet said they have cancelled all flights to Dubai from various domestic destinations. Our flights to & from Dubai are cancelled for the day, IndiGo said in a tweet. Apologies for inconvenience. All to/from Dubai flights stands cancelled for today, SpiceJet also tweeted. Full-service carrier Jet Airways announced its schedule on its website, saying a number of its Dubai flights have been cancelled or clubbed with others. Jet Airways has clubbed its flights from Mumbai to Dubai in larger A330 aircraft. We are operating some of our Dubai flights to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, a Jet Airways spokesperson said. Dubai International airport, the worlds third-busiest, closed minutes after the crash-landing and diverted flights for long-haul carrier Emirates and others across the UAE and into other countries. It reopened partly after suspending operations for nearly six hours on Wednesday. After resuming departure operations at 18.30hrs, Dubai Airports has now commenced arrival operations at DXB under restricted capacity. DXB is operating with one runway, with arriving flights being given priority over departures, Dubai airport announced on Twitter. Read| A big noise: Survivors recount horror of Emirates flight crash landing Read| In pics: How 300 people escaped a crash-landed Emirates flight at Dubai airport A 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin with mental health issues was arrested on Thursday after he went on an overnight stabbing spree in Londons Russell Square, killing a woman in her 60s and injuring five others. The rampage prompted a response tailored for a terror attack, but police said after initial investigation there was no evidence of link to radicalisation or terrorism. This morning we have searched an address in north London and will search another in south London. So far we have found no evidence of radicalisation or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism, Assistant police commissioner Mark Rowley said. Whilst the investigation is not yet complete - all of the work that we have done so far, increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues, he said, adding that embassies of the victims countries of origin had been informed. The woman who died was identified as an American citizen. The five injured were from the US, Britain, Israel and Australia. The police said three of the five have been discharged while two remained in hospital with non-life threatening injuries suffered in what the police called a random attack. London has been on alert this week after the head of Scotland Yard issued two statements announcing an increase in number of armed police in public places, and stating that a terror attack here was a matter of when, not if. Russell Square, a busy area in central London frequented by many tourists and students, was the scene of one of the London bombings in July 2005. It was opened to the public on Thursday morning after investigations and clearing operations overnight at the crime scene. The man arrested was neutralised by a taser gun soon after the police were called by members of the public around 2230 GMT on Wednesday (0300 IST Thursday). He received treatment in a hospital and was then moved to police custody in south London. Local residents said they had not seen such police presence in London since 2005, but the situation was normal on Thursday morning, with police cordons lifted. Shyam Sanghani, who runs a shop opposite the scene of the attack, told BBC: We had more police announced yesterday and then this today, it's scary. We had Russell Square bombing just close by and now this. We've been here a long time and to have two incidents is awful. This is our home. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Pentagon will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after US secretary of defence Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a US official said. Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with US officials frustrated by what they term Islamabads unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network, Pentagon spokesperson Adam Stump said on Wednesday. The $300 million comes under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), a US Defense Department program to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter terrorist and counter-insurgency operations. Pakistan is the largest recipient. This decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years, Stump added. According to Pentagon data, about $14 billion has already been paid to Pakistan under the CSF since 2002. The decision by the Pentagon is a sign that while it sees some progress by Pakistan in its military operations in North Waziristan, much work remains. Pakistan rejects harbouring militants but says there are limits to how much it can do as it is already fighting multiple Islamist groups and is wary of a blowback in the form of more terror attacks on its soil. (The) Coalition Support Fund is one of the many cooperative arrangements between Pakistan and the United States to pursue common objectives, said Nadeem Hotiana, a spokesperson for the Pakistani embassy in Washington. Relations between the United States and Pakistan were tested in May by a US drone strike that killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour on Pakistani soil. There has been growing resistance in the US Congress to sending money to Pakistan. Many lawmakers have expressed concern about its nuclear program, commitment to fighting terrorist organisations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process. In March, Republican senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar any US funding for Islamabads purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 Trend: Armenian armed forces have 18 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Aug.4. Armenians were using large caliber machine guns while firing at Azerbaijani positions. Armenian armed forces stationed in Voskevan village of Armenias Noyemberyan district and the Paravakar village of Armenias Ijevan district, opened fire at Azerbaijani positions located in the village of Gushchu Ayrim and the nameless heights of Gazakh district. Besides, Azerbaijani positions on the nameless heights of Gadabay district underwent fire from the positions stationed on the nameless heights of Armenias Krasnoselsk district. Moreover, Azerbaijani positions took fire from the positions located near the villages of Marzili of Aghdam district, Chilaburt of Terter district, Horadiz of Fizuli district, Kuropatkino of Khojavand district. 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 Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in Taliban-held territory in neighbouring Afghanistan on Thursday and all passengers and crew are feared captured by the insurgents, officials said. The helicopter went down in Logar province, close to the Afghan-Pakistan border - an increasingly lawless area since a two-year Pakistani military operation pushed many Taliban and allied fighters further into Afghanistan. Those detained by the Taliban are Pakistanis, Sameem Saleh, spokesman for Logars governor, said. The chopper was not shot but made the landing because of technical failure. A Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman confirmed that a helicopter belong to the Punjab provincial government had gone down, saying the fate of the crew was not yet clear. The Afghan authorities have assured they will investigate and learn about the whereabouts of the helicopter and the passengers, spokesman Nafees Zakaria said. He said seven passengers were on board, six of them Pakistanis and one a Russian technician. The pilot was Pakistani. The aircraft had permission to fly over Afghan air space on its way to Uzbekistan further north, he said. Pakistani army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif spoke with top U.S. commander Gen. John Nicholson on Thursday asking for the international military coalitions help in recovering the Pakistani personnel, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa, said in a tweet. Hameed Khan, district governor of Azra district of Logar, said the helicopter landed in his border district, which lies across from Pakistans Kurram agency. They were detained by the Taliban, Khan said. A senior Pakistani military official said the Russian-made MI-17 transport helicopter was en route from Peshawar in northwest Pakistan to Uzbekistan for maintenance when it experienced technical failure and made an emergency landing. He said there was no information about the occupants. Other military officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said three of those aboard the helicopter were retired security officials. Bangladeshi police on Thursday said they had formally arrested two foreign nationals of Bangladeshi origin in connection with the July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan bakery that left 20 hostages dead. Hasnat Karim, a university teacher with British citizenship, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student of the University of Toronto have been detained by security agencies shortly after the attack but their whereabouts were not known for the past few weeks. Dhaka metropolitan police spokesman Masudur Rahman said the duo had been arrested. They were produced before a court in Dhaka on Thursday and police sought their remand for 10 days. Dhakas Metropolitan Magistrate Nurunnahar Yasmin granted police permission to interrogate both for eight days. Khan and Karim were present in the cafe in the elite Gulshan area on the day of the attack. Karim was a former teacher of North South University of Dhaka, where at least one of the attackers had studied. Amateur videos shot by people living near the cafe had shown Karim speaking with the attackers even while the siege was on. The families of both the arrested had complained that they were not informed of their whereabouts. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had called on Bangladeshi authorities to clarify about their status. The IS had claimed the attack. It had emerged that Tamim Chaudhury, a Canadian national of Bangladeshi origin, was the leader of IS in Bangladesh. Bangladesh government, had rejected the claim, saying local militants were responsible. The United States on Wednesday announced it had added the Pakistani militant outfit Jamaat-ur-Ahrar to its list of global terrorists, triggering sanctions against a group that has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities and soldiers. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar claimed responsibility for at least five major attacks in Pakistan since December, including the Easter Sunday bombing in a public park that killed 70 people in the eastern city of Lahore. It is a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban movement that has also declared loyalty to Islamic States leadership in the Middle East. The group also claimed responsibility for the killing of two Pakistani employees of the US Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar in early March. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar has not yet commented on the designation. Announced by the State Department, the designation means anyone who supports Jamaat-ur-Ahrar could have their assets frozen by the US government. In recent years, Pakistan has also cracked down on movements that target its own citizens and institutions, including the Pakistani Taliban who are fighting to topple the government, and install a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Most recently, it launched a paramilitary crackdown in Punjab, the countrys richest and most populous province, after the Easter bombing in Lahore, the provincial capital. The United States will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements that it was supposed to, because of Washingtons continued dissatisfaction with Islamabads counter-terrorism efforts. The payment was incumbent upon Defense Secretary Ash Carter certifying to Congress that Pakistan was acting against the Haqqani Network that targets US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said Wednesday. The United States pays partners for aiding in operations in Afghanistan from the Compensatory Support Fund, from which Pakistan has received $14 billion since 2002. But financial aid and reimbursements to Pakistan have faced close scrutiny and opposition in recent months because of deep dissatisfaction with Islamabads counter-terrorism efforts. The US Senate blocked recently a proposal from the Obama administration to sell Pakistan eight new F-16 fighter jets in a heavily subsidised deal for the same reason. Lawmakers from both parties have been increasingly critical of Pakistans counter-terrorism record, specially its failure to move against all terrorists operating from its soil. They intend to make all payments to Pakistan aid or compensation incumbent upon certification from the administration that Islamabad was doing enough. Pakistan claims it is doing all it can, but worries about a blowback in the form of retaliatory attacks from terrorists, of which there have been plenty in recent months. Pakistan does not draw any distinction between any terrorists and we have taken up the fight against terrorism and the terrorist elements within Pakistan, Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria told reporters in Islamabad on Thursday. These reimbursements enable the United States to support Pakistan's ongoing counterterrorism efforts in a manner that serves shared interests of both the countries. But Washington seems to have run out of both patience and sympathy for a non-NATO ally which is increasingly described as duplicitous and frenemy now. The New York Times recently called for a squeeze on aid to Pakistan saying it remains a duplicitous and dangerous partner for the United States and Afghanistan, despite $33 billion in American aid and repeated attempts to reset relations on a more constructive course. (With agency inputs) NEW DELHI : Some 650 Pakistanis are fighting in conflict zones in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Central Asian states and their return to the country could add to sectarian strife, according to a media report on Wednesday. Intelligence agencies have identified 132 of these Pakistanis and expressed fears about their return after being defeated by international forces, the influential Dawn newspaper reported. The National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) of the federal government has alerted law enforcement agencies to take preventive measures and to tighten security on Pakistans borders, especially in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and coastal regions, and at airports. An unnamed security official was quoted as saying by Dawn that the defeat of fighters in Middle East, Afghanistan and Central Asian states had put Pakistan on the verge of sectarian violence. This prompted the NCMC to advise the interior ministry to take steps to prevent the return of these fighters, the official said. The NCMC directed the intelligence and law enforcement agencies to also keep surveillance on families of the individuals who had travelled to conflict zones and might create multiple security risks for Pakistan on their return, the official said. Another unnamed senior official said intelligence agencies had reported about Pakistani fighters plans to return to the country. He said these fighters were gathering in Afghanistan and planning to take refuge on the border. A source said foreign fighters who have suffered heavy losses in Afghanistan, Middle East and Central Asian region could also take refuge in Pakistan. Fighters of other nationalities, especially those belonging to the Central Asian states, might find Afghanistan as a safe haven. But our own nationals who are fighting in Syria and Iraq would prefer moving back to Pakistan, the source said. ALEXANDRIA: Prosecutors on Wednesday brought the first-ever terrorism charges against a law enforcement officer in the US, alleging that a patrol officer with the DC regions Metro Transit Police was caught buying $250 worth of cards for the Islamic State group. Nicholas Young, 36, of Fairfax, was arrested Wednesday at Metros headquarters in Washington. He is charged with a single count of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group, and is scheduled for an initial appearance at US District Court in Alexandria. According to an FBI affidavit, Young bought nearly $250 in gift cards last month intended for the Islamic State for use to purchase mobile apps that would facilitate communication. But Young actually gave the gift cards to an undercover FBI source. Documents show Young has been under surveillance since 2010, and that he travelled to Libya twice in 2011, where he said he joined rebel forces seeking to oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Joshua Stueve, spokesman for the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said Young posed no threat to the Metro system. Court documents show Young directed his efforts at seeking to help the Islamic State overseas. FBI spokesman Andrew Ames confirmed Young is the first law enforcement officer to be charged under the federal governments terrorism law. Prosecutors said it was Metro Transit Police that initiated the investigation, and then worked cooperatively with the FBI. Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. Theyre disturbing to me, and theyre disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said. KATHMANDU : Prachandas life is intertwined with Nepals slow and often bloody transition towards democracy, shaking off its past as a Himalayan kingdom. Born into a simple lower-middle class family on December 11, 1954 in Kaski district, Prachanda holds a bachelors degree in Agriculture and Animal Science. After college, he spent six years as a teacher, and worked for USAID in Jajorkot, which was facing massive poverty and inequality. The dire conditions there inspired him to join politics. He rose through the ranks of the Maoist party, which evolved through a number of splits. Prachanda led the armed revolution in 1996 and became the supreme commander of the Peoples Liberation Army. CPN (Maoist) declared a peoples war on February 4, 1996 and started looting weapons of policemen posted in rural Nepal. The Maoists blew up police posts and terrorising the people and gradually expanded its military and political clout across rural Nepal. People from backward communities and ethnic minorities extended support to the Maoists. The deterioration of Kathmandu politics in the wake of the Royal massacre of 2001 came as a panacea to the Maoists. Prachanda led the bloody civil war for 10 years, during which over 13,000 people were killed Ending his 25-year long underground life, Prachanda made a public appearance at Baluwatar, the Prime Minister's residence, on June 16, 2006 with his deputy, Baburam Bhattarai. Once a wanted man for revolting against the state, Prachanda became the Prime Minister of Nepal on August 18, 2008 and remained in office till May 25, 2009. Prachanda is married to Sita Dahal and has four children. LONDON: Karan Bilimoria, entrepreneur and member of House of Lords, and educationist Bahram Bekhradnia have been awarded honorary doctorates in Civil Law by the University of East Anglia, UK. Bilimoria is the founder of a popular drinks brand, while Bekhradnia became the first director of the Higher Education Policy Institute in 2002 after a career devoted to the higher education sector both nationally and internationally. The doctorates were presented at the universitys graduation ceremony in Norwich to the two Indian origin individuals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SEOUL: North Korea fired a ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time on Wednesday, drawing an outraged response from Tokyo and ramping up tensions with the United States and South Korea. The US military said the North had actually launched two Rodong intermediate-range missiles simultaneously, but one appeared to have exploded on take-off. The launches followed a North Korean threat of physical action over the planned deployment of a sophisticated US anti-missile system in South Korea, and came just weeks before the start of large-scale, joint South Korea-US military exercises. Japan said the one missile had landed in the Sea of Japan, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) off its northern coast and within the countrys Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Its a serious threat against our countrys security, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. This is an outrageous act that cannot be tolerated. The United States condemned what it called a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Koreas use of ballistic missile technology. This provocation only serves to increase the international communitys resolve to counter (North Koreas) prohibited activities, said Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross. US Strategic Command said the two missiles were launched from a site in western North Korea. Initial indications reveal one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the second was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan, it said . The Unions eight-month struggle to conquer Vicksburg, Miss., culminated in a 47-day siege that ended on July 4, 1863one day after the Federal triumph at Gettysburg. Terrence Winschel, former chief historian at Vicksburg National Military Park, has written nine Civil War books, including Triumph and Defeat: The Vicksburg Campaign, first published in 1999. We recently spoke with Winschel from his home in Vicksburg about the epic campaigns leaders, setbacks and losses. 1. Why was Vicksburg so important? Even George Meade referred to it as second in splendor if not the first in real consequences. At Vicksburg, not only did the North gain control of the Mississippi and split the Confederacy in two, but it also eliminated an entire army of 29,500 men. The South lost hundreds of square miles of territory, plus 254 cannons, 50,000 shoulder weapons, 38,000 artillery projectiles, 600,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, etc.a staggering loss of men and materiel. Gettysburg was far bloodier, but Vicksburg was vastly more significant in its results and consequences. 2. How critical was Grants ability to improvise as the campaign progressed? Grant was a 3-D thinker, a modern warrior by any definition. Throughout the campaign he demonstrated a level of flexibility that no other general, North or South, could boast. That, coupled with his dogged determination and firm resolve, made him the premier American soldier of his day. And his ability to cooperate as he did with Admiral David Dixon Porters fleet was a key factor in the Union victory. 3. William Sherman called Benjamin Griersons April 1863 raid on the Southern Railroad of Mississippi the most brilliant expedition of the Civil War. Do you agree? Most important was the impact the raid had on Confederate commander John C. Pemberton, who became obsessed with Griersons Raiders after they tore up the tracks and destroyed culverts and water towers at Newton Station, putting one lifeline to the Vicksburg garrison out of commission for a period. They went on to wreck the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Railroads tracks at Hazelhurst and between Brookhaven and Summit, Miss. As Pemberton turned his attention to the raiders, Grant was marching through Louisiana looking for a suitable crossing below Vicksburg. Pemberton stripped his river defenses of cavalry to pursue the raiders, and dispersed available infantry to guard any attempt by Grant to cross the Mississippi. Pemberton did have numerical superiority on Grant early in the campaign, but now he was not able to concentrate his manpower in time. That gave Grant a numerical edge in every engagement leading up to the siege. 4. Pemberton, a Pennsylvanian by birth, correctly predicted ObloquyI know will be heaped upon me for losing Vicksburg. How much of the blame is deserved? Like many of his contemporaries, Pemberton was elevated in rank and responsibility beyond his capacities. He was of course up against a modern warrior in Grant. Few, if any, of his contemporaries could have done better at Vicksburg. Yes, he should shoulder some of the blame, but others must be blamed, too: Jefferson Davis meddled in the campaign from a distance; Joe Johnston abandoned Pemberton altogether; William Loring kept working against his commander. But Pemberton faced superb Union leadership and fighting, from Lincoln down through the men in the ranks. 5. How about socialite Emma Balfours famous Christmas Ball? In the fall of 1862, Grant divided his force at Memphis into two wings and advanced south on Vicksburg, with Pembertons forces falling back from the Coldwater River before digging in at Grenada. Facing a strong enemy force and a flooded river, Grant ordered the wing under Sherman back to Memphis, hoping Sherman could move rapidly by water to capture Vicksburg while his own wing kept Pemberton occupied in northern Mississippi. On December 22, Confederate Generals Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest led raids on Grants supply bases at Holly Springs and the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. Sherman was en route from Memphis to Helena, Ark., when he heard reports of the disaster at Holly Springs, reports confirmed when he reached Helena. But Sherman was undaunted, confident he could reach Vicksburg by water faster than the Confederates could by rail. He would lose that race. When word reached Vicksburg that Grant was apparently falling back, jubilation swept the city, prompting Dr. William Balfour and his wife to host a Christmas Eve ball where Confederate officers danced with Vicksburg bellesunaware of Shermans approach. Sherman might have succeeded had a young black girl not spotted his flotilla near Lake Providence, La., and informed nearby telegraph operators who got word to Vicksburg garrison commander Maj. Gen. Martin Luther Smith. He evacuated the citys women and children, then prepared to meet Sherman, who finally landed on December 26. For the first few days, fighting escalated. On the 29th Sherman launched an attack, saying, well lose 5,000 men before we take Vicksburg, and may as well lose them here as anywhere else. He suffered a bloody repulse, losing 1,776 men to the Confederates 187. Terry Winschels books can be purchased at Vicksburg National Military Park, 3201 Clay St., Vicksburg, MS 39180. Call 601-636-0583 or visit nps.gov/vick/learn/bookstore.htm Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 Trend: Member of Irish Chess Federation delegation Kevin OConnell has been removed from the list of undesirable persons of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. Kevin OConnell, sending a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed his full respect to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, inter alia, the laws and regulations of Azerbaijan, said the website of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. He stressed that his visit to Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia was not intentional and he was unaware about the consequences of this visit. Kevin OConnell expressed his apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for an illegal visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and attested that he will refrain from such visits to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the future. Against the background of aforementioned, he asked from the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan to give an authorization for his visit to the country to participate in the 42nd World Chess Olympiad and the 87th FIDE Congress to be held in Baku from August 20 till September 20. Kevin OConnell's appeal was properly considered and the decision was made to issue a visa for his visit to Azerbaijan. 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 Midwesterners of the 17th and 72nd Indiana, the 98th and 123rd Illinois mounted infantry and the 18th Indiana Battery of Colonel John T. Wilders brigade peered with dismay through the curtains of smoke covering much of the West Viniard field and the La Fayette Road on September 19, 1863. At that point during the Battle of Chickamauga, pretty much all was confusion for the Union forces. Retreating Federals streamed by Wilders men, driven before the thundering Confederate attack of General Braxton Braggs Army of Tennessee. One member of the 72nd Indiana expressed shock at the sight of Union flight: They ran over us like sheep. Wilders men, however, remained calm as they took up positions to stem the gray hurricane and peered through the man-made fog at the oncoming Southern battle line. The 18th Indianas cannons began dousing the Rebels with canister, while Wilders infantry cocked their Spencer rifles and let go with a fusillade of .56-caliber rounds that crumpled the Southern ranks. Our Spencers, wrote Corporal Ambrose Remley of the 72nd Indiana, [were] equal to the emergency. A private in the 17th Indiana confirmed that assessment: Never did the enemy once reach us. We held our line intact. After several roaring attempts, the Confederate attack abated. Bragg seemed determined to break our lines, but we held our position pretty well all day, was how Sergeant William Thompson of the 17th understatedly summed up the horrific battle. The famous Lightning Brigade, as Wilders regiments collectively were known, was one of the Civil Wars most unusual and successful fighting conglomerations, and the brigades 31-year-old commander was primarily responsible for both those characteristics. In 1849 Wilder had moved from his native Greene County, N.Y., to the Midwest, where he worked in a foundry as a draftsman in Columbus, Ohio. In 1857 he had established his own foundry in Greensburg, Ind. At the beginning of the Civil War he had hoped to form his own artillery battery, but Indiana had already filled its artillery quota. Instead, Wilders men were accepted into the service as Company A of the 17th Indiana Infantry. Throughout 1861s summer and autumn, Wilders men fought in western Virginia, and during that time he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment. Late in the year, the 17th Indiana was sent to the Western theater, where it would remain for the duration of the war. Shortly before the Battle of Shiloh, Wilder became the colonel of the 17th, and he acquitted himself well in that fight. His superiors recognized Wilders command ability, and during Braggs autumn 1862 movement into Kentucky, Wilder was posted to command some 2,000 men guarding a vital railroad bridge over the Green River, near Munfordville. Braggs men soon approached, and Wilder and his troops found themselves surrounded. For two days his men beat back Confederate attacks. He refused to consider surrender offers, flippantly telling his foes tostay out of the range of my guns if they did not want any more fighting. Eventually, Wilder realized the inevitability of the situation and decided to consider surrender terms. He did so, however, only after he made the rare and astonishing request to survey the enemy lines to make sure the odds were indeed against him. The Confederates allowed Wilder to take a look at the 25,000 men and 45 cannons surrounding him. After a few minutes of reflection, Wilder gave the Rebel commander his decision: Well, it seems I ought to surrender. Two months later, Wilder was exchanged as a prisoner of war and greeted back into the Army of the Cumberland in Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds 5th Division of the XIV Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas. Wilder took command of the 1st Brigade, which included his old unit, the 17th Indiana. He structured the leadership to his liking, mostly from officers in the 17th, and improved the brigade in a number of ways. By the turn of 1863, Wilders brigade, which at that time included the 17th, 72nd and 75th Indiana, the 92nd and 98th Illinois and the 18th Indiana Battery commanded by Captain Eli Lilly, was trying to stop Southern cavalry from raiding the Army of the Cumberlands main supply route, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Frustrated with the futility of chasing on foot Confederate troopers, Wilder ordered some of his men to mount mules brought up from the wagon trains. The experiment largely failedmost of the animals were unused to having saddles on their backsbut the attempt gave Wilder the idea to permanently mount his brigade. Wilder discussed the matter with the commander of the Army of the Cumberland, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, and Old Rosey enthusiastically agreed to the idea. In February 1863, Rosecrans issued Special Field Orders No. 44, which gave Wilder sanction to mount his men. The army had precious few horses, and the would-be troopers had to round up their steeds in the countryside. Since the men were operating in disloyal country, they simply impressed what horses they could find during foraging sweeps. For the next couple of months, Wilders brigade spent its time adjusting to its new mounts by undertaking various expeditions in the vicinity of Murfreesboro. They would ride to a location, dismount and leave their animals with comrades appointed as horse holders, and fight or scout like infantrymen. During the shakedown period, Wilder realized that conventional muzzleloading muskets were too unwieldy for mounted soldiers. The enterprising colonel wanted his men to move quickly to their destination and hit hard when they got there. He did not favor breechloading carbines carried by cavalry troopers because their range was limited, and he began to study the worth of some of the new rapid-firing, breechloading rifles that were being developed. Wilder first considered the Henry repeating rifle, but passed on that weapon after meeting Christopher Spencer. Spencer had been touring the Army of the Cumberland that March to promote his new repeating rifle in hopes of a finding a major purchaser. The Spencer rifle had a tubular magazine that held seven rimfire, .56-caliber metallic cartridges. The magazine was inserted into the stock, and the rounds were fed into the breech by lever action. Wilder was stunned by the firepower of the weapon and decided to equip his brigade with them. To avoid Army red tape, he decided to try and persuade his men to buy their own Spencers at $35 apiece, and put the idea to a vote. They agreed, and handed $35 of their own money over for the weapons. Wilder co-signed for those who needed a promissory note to buy one of the rifles, and in May the weapons began arriving in camp. The 72nd Indiana was the first regiment to get the Spencers, and the men were ecstatic about the firearms. Corporal Benjamin Magee liked the weapons reliability. It never got out of repair, he recalled. Private John M. Barnard produced a more bloodthirsty assessment of the weapon: I think we can bring down a reb with them, he boasted. He would soon get his chance to try doing just that. Shortly after the Spencers began to arrive, the 75th Indiana, the only regiment that had not agreed to become mounted, was swapped out of the brigade in exchange for the 123rd Illinois, a veteran regiment eager to put spurs on their boots and mount up. In just a few months, the innovative Wilder had reshaped his brigade, changing it from a conventional group of line infantry regiments to fast-moving, rapid-shooting mounted infantry. In late June, Wilders brigade got its first chance to prove itself in a major campaign. Rosecrans, after months of fitting out his army, prepared to move southward from Murfreesboro against Braggs line along the Duck River. Bragg had a strong position and held the critical gaps in a series of hills through which the Army of the Cumberland would have to pass. Rosecrans decided to use Wilders brigade to push through at Hoovers Gap. On June 24, Wilders men pounded up to the gap, dismounted and drove forward. In a surprisingly easy fashion, they hammered through the defile, forcing out the outgunned Rebel troops. The Confederates regrouped, got reinforcements and tried counterattacking back into the gap. After three hours of fighting they gave up. Wilders men triumphantly held Hoovers Gap as the rest of the Army of the Cumberland approached. The fight at Hoovers Gap was a key moment in what was called the Tullahoma campaign, during which Rosecrans pushed Bragg back toward Chattanooga. It was an eye-opening battle for Wilder and his Midwesterners. The brigade saved many Union casualties by taking the gap so swiftly. The effect of our terrible fire was overwhelming to our opponents, Wilder reported. Colonel Wilder was so pleased with his men that he conferred a new sobriquet on his commands, sanctioned by his order: Wilders Lightning Brigade. The rest of the summer was spent in camp in the vicinity of Tullahoma. The Lightning Brigade spent the time raiding and foraging in the countryside, obtaining horses, liberating slaves and skirmishing with Confederate cavalry and guerrillas. In the meantime, Rosecrans planned his next move against Bragg, who had fallen back to Chattanooga. The Army of the Cumberland advanced late that August, with Wilders brigade in the van for much of the time. By the 21st, Rosecrans men were just across the Tennessee River from Chattanooga. For several weeks Rosecrans shelled the town while his army maneuvered around Braggs fortifications. On September 9, the Confederates abandoned Chattanooga. Reports streamed into the Union lines indicating that the Army of Tennessee was in disarray and in full retreat to Atlanta, with stragglers falling out in droves. Convinced he had Bragg on the run, Rosecrans opted to split his army into three sections and try to cut Bragg off. Thomas XIV Corps comprised the center of the push, with Maj. Gen. Alexander M. McCooks corps to the right and Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Crittendens XXI Corps on the left. Braggs retreat, however, was a ruse. He had planted soldiers to fall out and trickle into Union lines with accounts of total defeat. In fact, Bragg knew that troops from Mississippi and also Lt. Gen. James Longstreets I Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia were on the way to reinforce him. Bragg realized that he would have numbers equal to his opponent for one of the few times in the war. Only a few miles from Chattanooga, he halted his forces and turned them around for a fight. The key to a decisive victory for the Confederates was to cross Chickamauga Creek and strike the Union corps scattered up and down the streams valley east of Missionary Ridge. Then the Confederates hoped to cut off opposing forces backpedaling along the La Fayette Road, crushing them one corps at a time. The plan was well-founded, but for it to succeed the Confederates would have to push through two advanced brigades of Federals, Colonel Robert H.G. Mintys cavalry regiments and the Lightning Brigade. While the bulk of Wilders regiments operated together, the 92nd Illinois had been detached and sent on its own scouting mission. By September 12, the Lightning Brigade was near Ringgold, Ga., and Colonel Wilder was quickly becoming aware that the Army of Tennessee was not retreating and demoralized, as his superiors had hoped. Major General Benjamin F. Cheathams Confederate division had actually surrounded the Midwesterners as the Rebels turned and headed back toward Chattanooga. Cheathams pickets bumped into Wilders videttes, but the Rebels had no idea how many men they were facing and were hesitant to attack. Wilder knew he was in trouble, and his men had to slink cautiously to the west to escape. For the next several days Wilders men spent their time carefully picking their way through the Confederate-infested countryside. By September 17, his mounted infantrymen were at Alexanders Bridge over Chickamauga Creek. On September 18, at Reeds Bridge two miles north of Wilders position, Confederate Brig. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnsons division pushed across the creek and attacked Mintys cavalry. Minty needed help in order to cover yet another bridge, Dyers, on his left flank, and pleaded to Wilder to send him reinforcements. The Indianian complied, sending the 123rd Illinois, most of the 72nd Indiana and a portion of Lillys battery. Only 1,000 men, half of the Lightning Brigades strength, remained at Alexanders Bridge to face an oncoming force eight times their number. Wilders men made the most of the surrounding terrain to help even the odds. The dense woods and steep banks of the creek near the bridge would force enemy units to make a frontal attack at the span, and the 98th Illinois deployed on the left side of the bridge and the 17th Indiana on the right, with the remaining Company A of the 72nd Indiana guarding the bridge itself. During the midmorning hours of the 18th, Wilder ordered Company A of the 72nd Indiana to wreck the bridge by pulling up its wooden planks. At 1 p.m., three of Brig. Gen. Edward C. Walthalls Mississippi regiments attacked the position, but the rapid-firing Spencer rifles thwarted any Confederate attempts to cross the creek. While the infantrymen fought, the four guns of Lillys battery left at Alexanders Bridge traded shots with an Alabama battery. One of the first shells fired by the Alabamians hit and bounced off the Alexander cabin, which stood north of the bridge along the Alexanders Bridge Road, and landed among Lillys gunners. I dont think I will ever forget the awful, unearthly screeching that shell made.We all knewit would strike some place close by, recalled a batteryman. As the projectiles fuse sputtered, Private Sidney Speed picked up the round and heaved it past the cabin before it exploded, undoubtedly saving lives. By midafternoon the Confederates were finding other ways to ford the creek to the South. Word also filtered down from the north that Minty had withdrawn. After hours of fighting, Wilders brigade was beginning to be surrounded. Wilders men began to pull out in a slow and orderly fashion. Lillys battery fell back first, followed by the 17th Indiana, then the 98th Illinois. Company A of the 72nd Indiana was the last to leave the bridge. Wilders regiments had inflicted more than 100 Confederate casualties and held off two Rebel brigades in defense of the bridge, while suffering only a few casualties. A few miles to the southeast, along the Alexander Road, a narrow trace that connected the La Fayette Road with Alexanders Bridge Road, the Lightning Brigade set up a new defensive line facing to the northeast. The regiments sent to Mintys aid rejoined the group. In the dim hours before sunset, some of Wilders skirmishers traded shots with the lead elements of Bushrod Johnsons division. The Federals fought mounted. One soldier of the Lightning Brigade recalled that his horse bucked so hard every time he fired that he was nearly thrown off. The stiff Union resistance convinced Johnson he was up against a large force, and the Confederate general halted his troops for the night. The night of September 18-19, however, provided little comfort for Wilders brigade. During the last skirmish with Johnson, most of Wilders men had sent their horses, blankets and tents to the rear. As the soldiers shivered during a particularly chilly night, the two massive armies began arriving and maneuvering for the mornings fight. At about 4 a.m., the men were finally removed from the front and took up a new position on the far right of the Union line in front of the XXI Corps. On September 19, Rosecrans sent two brigades and one battery of guns under the command of Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis in front of Wilder, across La Fayette Road and into the East Viniard Field. One of Davis brigades, led by Colonel Hans Heg, stumbled into a Tennessee and Texas brigade of Johnsons division, and the Battle of Chickamauga began to swing into full fury. Davis men were pushed back over the La Fayette Road and into a ditch in the West Viniard field. Wilders men received orders to hustle to the West Viniard field and help the overwhelmed Federal line. They arrived to find the 3rd Arkansas and the 1st Texas of Brig. Gen. Jerome Robertsons Texas Brigade, a portion of Longstreets corps, dangerously close to the 2nd Minnesota Battery. The 72nd Indiana and 123rd Illinois ran in to shatter the Texans and Arkansans. Wilder then deployed his regiments along the western side of the West Viniard field with Lillys battery on the left flank supported by the 98th Illinois. Running to the south, the 17th Indiana was next in line, followed by the 123rd and 72nd. As the Confederate attack developed, the 98th Illinois and 17th Indiana, along with two of Lillys cannons, wheeled to the left to fire at the 39th North Carolina and 25th Arkansas of Brig. Gen. Evander McNairs brigade. The sputtering Spencers and roaring cannons compelled the Confederates to withdraw. Within a short time, the momentum of a major Confederate advance across the La Fayette Road had been halted and pushed back by the Lightning Brigade. But at 3:30 p.m., after a short lull, the Texas Brigade came on again. After another full hour of fighting, Robertsons men fell back across the La Fayette Road. Ourseven-shooters were too much for them. The ground was gray with the dead and wounded, remembered one of Wilders men. Colonel George P. Buells brigade of the XXI Corps pursued them into the East Viniard field. The fight was not yet gone out of Robertsons men, however. Around 5:30 p.m., Robertsons brigade aligned with Brig. Gen. Henry Bennings Georgia brigade and came storming back across the La Fayette Road, herding Buells men before them and heading once more toward Wilders men at the edge of the West Viniard field. Ammunition was dumped on the ground within easy reach of the Lightning Brigade soldiers. As the Rebels came on, Ambrose Remley of the 72nd claimed, [We were] ordered to wait until we could see the whites of their eyes Once that happened, Sergeant Ben Magee of the same regiment recalled he was not alone in working hisspencer rifle for all it was worth. Outnumbered nearly 2-to-1, Wilders men kept the Southern attack in check, and the Rebels slipped into the West Viniard field ditch for cover. Robertson and Benning looked for a battery to help blast the Midwesterners, but none was found. Meanwhile, Lillys battery rolled forward and enfiladed the Rebel-filled ditch with canister, causing it, said one gunner, to become full of killed and wounded. The Confederate attack fell apart, and those who got away retreated back across the La Fayette Road. Many were captured. One Rebel prisoner queried his captors, What kind of guns have you got over here?You jus kept on shootin and shootin. While the battle raged in the West Viniard field, the 92nd Illinois was fighting for all it was worth a short distance to the north in the Brotherton field. There, the regiment had done all in its power to stop the flight of a rattled Union brigade and slow down an onslaught of Tennessee and Texas troops. They had been only partially successful, and when they went to withdraw, the Illinoisans discovered that retreating infantrymen had made off with many of their horses. Later that night, the 92nd rejoined their brigade on its left flank. For the second day in a row, Wilders men had helped save the Army of the Cumberland from total disaster. On the third day of fighting, however, events out of their hands would lead to a full retreat of the entire army. On that day, September 20, an aide for Rosecrans was surveying the field and failed to see part of Brig. Gen. John M. Brannans division in the center of the Union line. He reported the apparent hole to Rosecrans, who called on Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Woods nearby division to fill the gap. Woods departure, ironically, did create a major hole in the middle of the Union line where Longstreet had planned a full attack with a fresh division. The result was a major Confederate breakthrough. Longstreet began wrapping up the Union line in quick fashion, with fleeing Union troops streaming past Rosecrans headquarters at the Widow Glenn farm. Wilders men, McCooks Corps and more specifically Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridans division, which had arrived in the West Viniard field area late on the 19th, were cut off by Longstreets drive. In a vain attempt to stop the attack, Rosecrans sent two brigades of Sheridans men to the left. Wilder was ordered to fill the gap created by their departure. Sheridans men hit a tidal wave before they even got into position. Like most of the Union line at this point of the battle, utter chaos prevailed, and they started fleeing. Rosecrans gave up trying to rally his troops, and fled his headquarters. With Sheridans division routed, the last semblance of hope on the far right of the Union line lay with the Lightning Brigade. Wilder brought his regiments out of a small patch of woods to the right of the Widow Glenns and set up Lillys battery within striking distance of Glenn field, saturated with Confederate colors at this point. The rush of the Lightning Brigade surprised the advancing gray columns. With Lillys guns in play and the Indiana and Illinois regiments sweeping the field with their Spencer rifles, they were able to halt the Confederates. The action soon turned into a Union counterattack, with Wilders men routing one enemy regiment, the 34th Alabama, and forcing the 28th Alabama to fall back. By the time the brigade had fully secured the field, they would tally 200 prisoners. A lull ensued in the vicinity of the Glenn property, though sounds of fierce fighting could be heard to the north. Wilder ordered his men back to their horses. While the unit regrouped, he was deciding on a course of action. The rest of Thomas corps was doing the fighting to the north, and all evidence pointed to the fact that it was what remained of the Union line. Although cut off by Longstreets breakthrough, Wilder reasoned he could re-form his unit and push north, wrapping up the Confederates while he slashed his way to his corps. Wilder sent dispatches to McCook and Sheridan, hoping that both would follow his lead and form up beside him along the attack. Meanwhile, he set up his brigade in a hollow square, with two regiments up front, two on the flanks, one in the rear and Lillys battery in the middle. Just as Wilder was about to put his plan into action, a hatless, shaken civilian came galloping toward him: Assistant Secretary of War Charles A. Dana. After inquiring what command he had stumbled across, Dana demanded to be escorted back to Chattanooga to send word to officials in Washington of the retreat. In his own personal account of the battlefield encounter, Wilder said he had offered Dana a few scouts, to which Dana had agreed, but again emphasized to Wilder to fall back to Chattanooga and guard the withdrawal. Dana would later disagree with accounts of what happened, stating he had not given Wilder any orders and had decided to ride to Chattanooga himself. Regardless, the Lightning Brigade withdrew from the field and covered the retreat of the Union army, finally taking a position along Missionary Ridge east of Chattanooga. That left the field to Thomas, who held out on Snodgrass Hill until the last possible moment in order to save the army from total defeat. Wilders brigade had certainly proven itself in the Battle of Chickamauga. It had held back an entire Confederate division from crossing Chickamauga Creek on September 18, pushed back the elite Texas Brigade the following day and deflected part of James Longstreets advancing attack on the 20th. At a cost of 125 casualties, the five regiments and their accompanying battery had been the plug in multiple holes and the catalyst of a couple of crucial counterattacks. Wilders Lightning Brigade remained a force in the Western theater for the remainder of the war, but its commander did not. Soon after his brigade was assigned a defensive position in Chattanooga, Wilder fell ill and requested a leave of absence. While he was at home the Army of the Cumberland broke the siege of Chattanooga, and he rejoined his brigade in April 1864 in time to take part in Maj. Gen. William T. Shermans Atlanta campaign. By October, however, he decided the physical demands of the campaign were too much for his fragile health and resigned, never having received a commission of brigadier general. That slight was also a factor in pushing him out of the military, though he did receive the lesser honor of brevet brigadier general. In an ironic twist, Wilder returned to Chattanooga after the war and became wealthy operating a factory that made railroad rails. He even became the mayor of the city he had once ordered Lillys cannons to fire upon. Wilder died in 1917 and was buried in Chattanooga, his military accomplishments largely overlooked until a later generation of military historians began to research and analyze the successes of the innovative and deadly Lightning Brigade. This article was written by By Graham Garrison and Parke Pierson and originally published in Americas Civil War magazine. Account of the Battle Of Port Royal, an eastern theater Civil War Battle during the American Civil War Battle Of Port Royal Summary Location Port Royal Sound, South Carolina Dates November 37, 1861 Generals / Commanders Union: Samuel F. Du Pont Confederate: Thomas F. Drayton Soldiers Engaged Union Army: 12,600 Confederate Army: 3,000 Outcome Union Victory Casualties Union: 31 Confederate: 63 Three days after the fall of Fort Sumter in April 1861, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of all Southern ports. While that decree had an unintended political impactthe tacit recognition of the Confederacy as a belligerentit was nevertheless an essential action on his part. The European nations had already determined that they would not recognize or honor a Union declaration that the Southern ports were closed to trade. In order to ensure the de facto closing of the ports, the Union had to assert control over the various waterways and coastlines of the Confederacy. The blockade proposed by Lincoln was part of an overall strategy championed by General-in-Chief Winfield Scott that was derisively given the nickname Anaconda by the press and political opponents of the administration. Scott believed that, given the temperament of the Southern people and their deep love for the Union, in time they would realize the error of their ways and return to the fold. His theory required a strategy that did not rest on battles and invasions but on the ability of the Union to slowly strangle the South into submission. Scotts plan boiled down to establishing a deep-water blockade of the entire Confederate coast to prevent the South from doing business with European countries. To efficiently administer the blockade, he divided it into four regions: the North and South Atlantic Blockading squadrons, responsible for watching the eastern sea-board, and the East and West Gulf Blockading squadrons, which kept an eye on the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, a 60,000-man army supported by gunboats would be sent down the Mississippi River to New Orleans in order to split the Confederacy in half and cut off the shipment of resources from the west to the east. In the end, he believed, the rebellion would be choked to death by internal and external economic strangulation. Scotts insightful strategy took advantage of the Norths strengths, including the U.S. Navy, but was ridiculed by many who called for a quick battlefield victory to end the war. As vessels of various kinds were pressed into service on blockade duty, a new issue presented itself. In order to be in a position to respond to the elusive nature of Southern blockade runners and to be able to interdict illegal shipping without regard to the arbitrary nature of winds and tides, the Federal blockading fleets would have to rely on steam power and coal. For a flotilla to remain on station, coaling stations and maintenance facilities would be needed. Initially, the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron operated out of the ports of Hampton Roads, Va., and Key West, Fla. Those bases, however, were far from the primary Confederate ports of Charleston, S.C., Savannah, Ga., and New Orleans. Blockading ships thus spent as much time getting to their operational stations from the bases as they did on duty. In addition, the coasts of the Carolinas and Georgia were filled with dozens of minor inlets and natural harbors that could provide safe haven to blockade runners. The Union naval force, therefore, would have to be exceptionally large to watch over the long stretch of coastline, thereby requiring even more extensive base facilities. To have any chance for success, the Union needed a new strategic approach. Ultimately, the Federal strategy along the Confederate coast was based upon the findings and reports of an ad hoc strategy board convened by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles and consisting of Captain Samuel Francis Du Pont, superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey, Major J.G. Garnard of the U.S. Engineers and Commander Charles H. Davis of the U.S. Navy. Among its many duties, the Blockade Strategy Board was charged with finding suitable coaling stations along the Southern coast. At its first meeting, however, the members determined that such depots might be used for other purposes as well, including storing provisions and serving as refuges or headquarters for the forces along that part of the coast. The board also looked at the development of the depots as support bases for inland military expeditions. Consequently, Du Pont and his colleagues issued six primary and four supplemental reports detailing the Confederate coast and the significant rivers, harbors and inlets along it. They determined which areas could be blocked and which could be turned into bases for the fleet in order to enhance the Navys ability to shut off access to ports. The panel described the water, the land, the population and the value of landing points along the Confederacys coast. Their report formed the basis for future strategic naval actions and amphibious operations against the Confederates. The first Northern success resulting from the recommendations of the board was the assault and capture of Cape Hatteras, N.C., on April 27, 1861. Seven warships, under the command of Flag Officer Silas H. Stringham, shelled the two forts protecting Hatteras Inlet into submission. Major General Benjamin Butlers 900 soldiers then occupied the works. That action was followed two weeks later by the U.S. Navys seizure of Ship Island off Biloxi, Miss. The Union then began planning another attack on the Confederacys South Atlantic coast. The exact point of attack was not specified during the planning stages, in keeping with the Blockade Boards view that the simple putting to sea of such a force, if it were only to return to its port, would cause general alarm, and the Gulf States could no longer permit their troops to swell the armies of Virginia. The force thus organized, after being, by frequent embarkations and disembarkations, used as a means of threat, and thus perfectly drilled to its intended service, might at last be permitted to strike its blow. Whether at New Orleans, or Mobile, or Pensacola, or Savannah, or Port Royal, or that focus of rebellionthe scene of the great indignity offered our flagCharleston, might be decided at the last moment. In the late summer of 1861, Du Pont was given the title of flag officer and placed in command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. An impressive and aloof 45-year-old veteran of the Mexican War, Du Pont had previously participated in long, drawn-out blockade actions off the California coast during that conflict and knew from personal experience how difficult they were to manage, coordinate and maintain. He was also well versed in the rigors of independent command. Du Pont set about organizing an expedition to seize a harbor to use as a base for the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The target of the expedition was to be either Bulls Bay, S.C., or Fernandina, Fla. Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman was ordered to work with Du Pont and organize a 12,000-man infantry force that would take and hold the harbors points of land once its protecting forts had been reduced by naval gunfire. At the start of the Civil War, the U.S. Navy stood in the doorway between two maritime erasthat of wood and sail, and that of iron and steam. The threshold was symbolized by Du Ponts flagship, Wabash, whose combination of wooden sides, steam engine and 44-gun battery consisting of the most powerful rifled ordnance in history represented both the advantages and the weaknesses facing the Navy. Du Pont understood the need for new tactics. He was skeptical, however, regarding the concepts of ironclads and monitors. The upcoming operation would allow him to test modern naval tactics that took advantage of advanced weaponry and the increased maneuverability provided by steam power. As indicated in an October letter to Henry Winter Davis, a longtime friend and mentor, Du Pont was concerned about the planning for the expedition. I shall have some twenty men-of-war, small and weak some of them, but others very suitable, and if we could have commenced a couple of weeks earlier, I would have had an efficient squadron, he noted. We will make it answer however. To form simple lines of sailing and to establish the proper signals with such a number of transports unused to these things, to avoid separation and collision, to see to the transshipment over the bays, and the landing of such a number of men under fire, in all probability, are matters which occupy me a good deal as you may supposebut it must go right. On October 29, the Du Pont expedition departed from Hampton Roads, Va., with as much secrecy as possible. Not only was the force to conduct the largest joint Army-Navy operation of the war to date, but the flotilla was also the largest ever assembled in the United States. It consisted of 14 warships with 120 guns, 26 collier and supply ships and 25 transports for the 12,000 troops. In addition to the 44-gun flagship Wabash, the fleet included the steam sloops Susquehanna, Pawnee and Mohican; steamers Bienville, Seminole, Pocahontas and Augusta; and the sloop Vandalia. The size of the expedition was such that Bulls Bay and Fernandina were deemed too small. Du Ponts armada instead set a course for Port Royal, S.C., between Charleston and Savannah. The Blockade Board had quickly recognized the value of Port Royal. The panels second report, issued on July 13, 1861, described Port Royal Sound as the finest harbor south of Chesapeake Bay, which it resembles in capacity and extent. It is approached by three channels, the least of which has seventeen feet of water.Several of our screw frigates of the first class can pass the bar, and when the entrance is once made a whole navy can ride at anchor in the bay in uninterrupted health and security.The entrance is over two miles wide; there is fine anchorage under Bay Point; on the shore there is a number of roughhouses, the summer resort of planters. Water may be had at the Station Port Royal, Lands End.Near this point may be constructed a wharf for a coaling station above the mouth of the little creek.Port Royal is one of the wealthiest of the Sea Islands, and is devoted to the culture of sea-island cotton. The Sea Islands of South Carolina were home to some of the wealthiest and most exclusive planters in the South. Beaufort, the only sizable town in the region, was the locus of some of South Carolinas most ardent secessionists. The large mansions dotting the islands were the homes of the likes of Robert Barnwell Rhett, the fieriest of the Southern secessionists, and William J. Grayson, secessionist poet and champion of slavery. Beaufort had a year-round white population of about 2,000. The number was nearly double that in the summer, when the wealthy planters left the cities for the finer weather of the islands. About 13,000 black slaves also permanently resided on the Sea Islands. Representing 83 percent of the population, the slaves ran the plantations, oversaw the cotton fields and tended the rice for which the area was famous. They lived, worked and suffered under repressive slave laws, completely isolated from the mainland. In the summer of 1861, Confederate Brig. Gen. Roswell S. Ripley, commander of the Department of South Carolina, designated a series of harbor-protection forts along the states coast. In support, South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens requested cannons from Richmond and bought powder from Connecticut with state funds. He also requested 1,800 men to staff the defensive positions proposed by Ripley. By the fall of 1861, two forts built at the urging of General P.G.T. Beauregard had been established to protect Port Royal Sound. Construction engineers Major Francis D. Lee and Captain J.W. Gregory were obliged, however, to arm the batteries of the forts with such guns as the Confederate government could provide, even though more were called for and needed. The result was that the positions included the 20-gun Fort Beauregard, manned by 640 men along with a five-gun outer work on Bay Point that protected the left flank of the sound, while on Hilton Head Island, Fort Walker consisted of 23 guns and a one-gun outwork serviced by 622 soldiers. Just before the arrival of the Union fleet, another 1,000 men, along with two howitzers for Fort Walker, were transferred into the area. Brigadier General Thomas F. Drayton, overall commander of the Port Royal defenses and the brother of Commander Percival Drayton of USS Pocahontas, moved his headquarters from Beaufort to Hilton Head on November 6, 1861. Despite these efforts, the two forts, which were separated by the three-mile-wide mouth of the sound, were not adequate to withstand the might of the U.S. Navy. A fleet could maneuver between the two positions and largely keep out of range of either. To be effective, the forts needed guns of longer range and larger caliber, which were unavailable so early in the war. In addition to the forts, the sound was protected by a paltry Confederate naval flotilla under the command of Commodore Josiah Tatnall. The fleet was made up of three tugs and a converted river steamer, each of which had two or three guns. The Union fleet left Hampton Roads on October 29 in a tight, well-disciplined formation. Du Pont was concerned about the hard-to-manage size of the flotilla and the various types of vessels and experience of the commanding officers. Nature conspired against the Union commander, for on November 1 the fleet encountered a hurricane-strength storm off Cape Hatteras that scattered the ships. That same day, Confederate Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin telegraphed Governor Pickens and General Drayton that an enemy fleet was headed for Port Royal. The point of attack was no longer a secret. On November 2, Du Pont and Wabash arrived off Port Royalalone. Now the worth of his detailed planning and preparation, as well as the training and professionalism of his ships commanders, showed their value. The fleet was largely able to reassemble off the inlet to Port Royal Sound in spite of the severity of the recent storm. By November 4 the flotilla had converged, and during the next few days the vessels prepared for combat and moved over the sounds outer sandbar. At the same time, the coastal survey crew attached to the fleet repaired the marker buoys in the mouth of the sound. As with all plans, some factors were beyond the control of even the best officers. Despite all the preparations, the army invasion force unwisely had placed all of its ordnance and ammunition aboard one ship, Ocean Express. Originally towed by Baltic until the gale, this was the one ship that did not rendezvous with the fleet and arrive off Port Royal. The soldiers would have to land with only 100 rounds each and no field guns. While Du Pont could supply small-arms ammunition from the fleets stocks, he could not provide the shells needed by the armys field guns. The attack could not be a joint operation as originally envisioned. Gunfire from the ships would have to silence the forts before the troops could land. Based on a reconnaissance of the forts protecting Port Royal conducted on November 5, Du Pont and his flag captain, C.H. Davis, developed and issued a novel attack plan that involved a double reduction. It was designed to take full advantage of the large expanse of water between the two defending forts, the mobility of steam vessels and the firepower of the vessels themselves, especially the 44-gun Wabash, as well as the continuity of fire provided by such a large fleet. Fort Walker, Du Pont surmised, was the stronger of the Confederate forts, and operations would initially focus on its reduction. The plan called for two squadrons, or columns, of ships to move into the sound. The main column, made up of the heaviest ships, would move in a line-ahead formation, with Wabash in the van followed by the frigate Susquehanna, the sloops Mohican, Seminole and Pawnee, the gunboats Unadilla, Ottawa and Pembina and the sailing sloop Vandalia, towed by the steamer Isaac Smith, which had lost all of her guns in the storm. The ships would pass the forts, simultaneously firing on both strongholds. When they were two miles into the sound, they would turn about to the west and south. As the vessels headed back out of the sound along a line taking them closer to Fort Walker, their guns would fire on that strongpoints weak northern side as well as enfilade its strongest positions facing the water. Already sailing against the incoming tide, Du Ponts ships would slow to a crawl as they passed the fort. At the mouth of the sound they would turn about once more and retrace their previous path past the forts. This pattern would be maintained until the forts were reduced. The second column of five lighter gunboatsBienville, Seneca, Curlew, Penguin and Augustawould range to starboard, protecting the flank of the heavy column from attack by the Confederate naval squadron in the sound. Once past the forts, the light column would peel off and fire into their weaker side walls. On November 6 the fleet prepared for action, taking down the topgallant masts and readying their armament. General Drayton, who was at Fort Walker, later wrote that The morning of 7th of November was a still, clear, beautiful morning, not a ripple on the broad expanse of water to disturb the accuracy of fire from the broad decks of that magnificent armadaadvancing in battle array. At 9 a.m., general quarters was sounded throughout the Union fleet, and at 9:17 the ships cleared for action and stood into the sound. Ten minutes later the forts opened fire, answered immediately by the bow swivel gun of Wabash, commanded by Lieutenant Roswell Lamson. Once engaged, the ship maintained a terrific and well-directed fire on the forts. After a show of force, Tatnalls small fleet of weak, makeshift warships was quickly bottled up near the mouth of Skull Creek, behind Hilton Head Island, by the squadron of Federal gunboats. These vessels then concentrated on bringing their guns to bear on the exposed left flank of Fort Walker. Mounted atop a parapet for better range, Fort Walkers cannons were exposed to enemy fire. In addition, the Confederates had made no provision to place artillery on the bluff overlooking the forts flank. With poorly sighted guns, crews that were incompletely trained and powder of an inferior quality, the defenders of Forts Walker and Beauregard were not prepared for a long duel. As the engagement continued, the inexperienced Southern gunners quickly tired. Taking advantage of steam power, the heavy squadron did not stop, drop anchor and open fire from fixed positions, as wind-powered ships would have. The Navy gunners blasted away at the forts while their ships were moving, creating ranging and targeting problems for the Confederate artillerymen. The Union vessels continually shifted position, pounding both strongholds with almost mechanical precision at a rate of two dozen shells per minute. The Southerners, at least initially, were able to score some hits. On the first pass of the heavy squadron, fire from Fort Beauregard hit most of the ships, causing casualties among the Union tars. At 10 a.m. the leading Federal ship turned about to the south. At this point, Du Ponts plan broke down. Rather than the entire squadron following the flagship on the outward leg of the elliptical path, only Susquehanna and Bienville followed. As Wabash slowly passed Fort Walker, 800 yards away, Du Pont saw that the rest of the ships were not following. In spite of his signal to close the order and close action, follow the commander-in-chief, the remainder of the heavy squadron stayed inside the sound, providing enfilade fire on the forts, mainly Fort Beauregard. The ships effective fire dismounted the Confederate guns and scattered the crews, further degrading the ability of the forts to defend themselves. On our second attack I can remember nothing in naval history that came to this ship in terrific repetitions of her broadsides, Du Pont reported. The officers of the Army, who with 14,000 men were looking on, were filled with wonder and admiration. By the end of the second pass, Fort Walker had only three guns still operational. The Southerners defense was gallant but as the bombardment continued almost unceasingly, the morale of the defenders was broken, and they became increasingly unnerved. As soon as the larger vessels took flanking positions on the forts, the Confederates simply hoped to hold out as long as possible as a matter of honor. By the start of the third leg of the heavy squadron, Du Pont received a signal from the commander of Ottawa that Fort Walker had been abandoned. Wabash stood within 500 yards of the fort and fired a broadside and both pivot guns into it, verifying that it was unmanned. Shortly after the fall of Fort Walker, Fort Beauregard was also abandoned. After enduring four hours of firing and three turns by the Union column, the Confederates had given up their defense. By 4 p.m., the fleet secured from battle stations and the crews were sent to supper. More than 500 surfboats were then employed to bring the 12,000-man landing party ashore. Commander John Rogers, Du Ponts aide, rowed to the fort and placed the national colors on the ramparts, after which Marines landed to assume control over the works. The Marines turned the fort over to Army Brig. Gen. Horatio Wright and his brigade for garrisoning, and by sundown on the 7th, both forts were in the hands of U.S. Army and Marine troops. As the guns cooled, a battle damage assessment revealed that nearly all of the Union ships had sustained some hits, with six sailors killed and 20 wounded. Wabash had been struck from all directions, her mainmast shot through and her spars, rigging and hull hit. Inside the forts, 10 defenders had been killed and an additional 20 wounded. Draytons Confederate forces did not surrender. After abandoning the forts, they successfully withdrew to the mainland. Over the next few days, the victors rowed up rivers and inlets and occupied the colonial towns of Port Royal and Beaufort, as well as the fine old plantations along the sound. The Union forces also took possession of the entire string of coastal islands from Savannah almost to Charleston. Du Ponts successful attack against Port Royals strong shore defenses helped revive the flagging spirits of the North, which had slumped since Bull Run. The victory also mandated a revision in the tactical theories held at the start of the war. Improvements in naval ordnance and the advent of steam-powered vessels had changed the U.S. militarys perception that one infantry gun was worth four sea guns. The engagement at Port Royal initiated a new phase of naval warfare by proving that warships with steam power and well-served ordnance were fully equal to forts and land-based guns. The victory at Port Royal also inaugurated a revolution in naval tactics. The Navy no longer had to depend on tide and wind, and with the new weaponry available, forts could be challenged with a greater degree of confidence. Ships could run past forts andgiven speed and room to maneuverpound them into dust. In some ways, however, the Union was unprepared to follow up on the initial success it enjoyed at Port Royal. From the start, all preparations had centered on attacking and seizing the forts and the sound. The Federal forces around Port Royal consolidated their holdings and then continued the stated mission of the South Atlantic fleetto enforce the blockade and to establish a strong base at Port Royal Sound. Over the next few months, amphibious expeditions seized coastal ports as far south as St. Augustine, Fla. Fort Pulaski, Ga., was shelled and captured in April 1862. Militarily and politically, the success at Port Royal was far beyond Union expectations, and the leadership of the Navy, as well as the North, did not know how to follow it up. As a result, the strategic potential of the plans developed by the Blockade Board was never realized. This lack of strategic vision meant that except for the attack on Port Royal and the later attack on New Orleans, there would be few joint operations against key Confederate ports, many of which remained open until late in the war. The last harbor open to blockade runners, Wilmington, N.C., did not capitulate until February 1865. Because of his success at Port Royal, Du Pont was promoted to rear admiral in July 1862. He led a flotilla against Charleston in April 1863. The composition of that fleet was entirely different from his Port Royal force. Instead of wooden steamers, the admiral commanded a squadron of seven monitors, an armored gunboat and the metal-sheathed steamer New Ironsides. The armored force, however, proved no match for Charlestons strong defenses. Du Pont, who had been wary monitors chances of success, resigned from the navy after the defeat. The attack on Port Royal had a major impact on General Robert E. Lee, who took command of the Confederate Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida on November 8, 1861. As a result of his observations of the potential of the Union naval forces, Lee determined that the dispersed garrisons and forts that protected the widely scattered inlets and rivers could not be strengthened enough to defeat Union naval forces. Accordingly, he concentrated the Souths coastal guns at Charleston and Savannah. Making use of the Confederacys interior lines of communication, Lee developed quick-reaction forces that could move along the coastal railroads to prevent a Union breakthrough. The Confederate defeat also had a major impact on the local white population of the Port Royal Sound area, as the majority of Southern whites fled inland from the Union invaders abandoning their property and their slaves. You can form no idea of the terror, Du Pont reported. Beaufort is desertedthe enemy flew in panic leaving public and private property, letters, portfolios, all their regimental archives, clothes, arms, etc.they were grandly supplied. The contrabands are wild and sacking Beaufort, in return for being shot down because they would not leave with their masters. Also left behind was a political, social and economic vacuum into which stepped the Union military forces. The Port Royal experiment, as abolitionists called it, became a dress rehearsal for Reconstruction. After the military victory, there was a problem defining the status of the refugee black populationthey were neither slaves nor freemen. In March 1862, Gideon missionaries arrived in Port Royal to establish schools and a hospital. In the interim, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase developed a plan that allowed the freedmen to operate the plantations as their own, while the profit gained from the crops was given over to the Department of the Treasury. In the final analysis, the attack on Port Royal resulted in sweeping changes never envisioned by the Blockade Board. The aftermath of the Union victory led to the first black recruits for a Union regiment, the first schools exclusively established for former slaves and the start of a black political history. This article was written by William C. Lowe and originally appeared in the January 2001 issue of Americas Civil War. For more great articles be sure to pick up your copy of Americas Civil War. A Floating Revolution The steam-powered ironclad Monitor was a revolutionary weapon. Designed and built by Swedish-born engineer John Ericsson, the ironclad was a bizarre prototype that featured dozens of original inventions. Nicknamed the cheesebox on a raft because of her round two-gun turret mounted on a low, flat hull, the Monitor was the first warship with a revolving turret. It would change the shape of naval warfare forever. The Monitors turret, encased in thick iron armor, was turned by a small steam engine. The turrets ability to revolve gave the guns a 360-degree sweep, enabling the crew to fire on any target within range without maneuvering the vessel. The gunstwo 11-inch smoothbore Dahlgrenssat side by side in the turret, their muzzles aligned with two corresponding gunports in the turret wall. Iron shutters covered the gunports when the guns were not firing, at least in theory; in actual combat, the crew generally left the shutters open and turned the turret to protect themselves while they loaded the guns. The Monitor was built in response to reports that the Confederacy was constructing a steam-powered ironclad gunship on the partially burned hull of the U.S.S. Merrimac, a screw frigate that was seized when Confederates captured the Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia. The Confederate ship, rechristened C.S.S. Virginia, had armored casemates, but they were immovable. Just five weeks after the Monitor was launched, the two ironclads would meet in combat. On March 8, 1862, the 10-gun Virginia emerged from the Elizabeth River and destroyed the 24-gun U.S.S. Cumberland and the 50-gun U.S.S. Congressboth wooden vesselsnear Newport News Point (Camp Butler). The U.S.S. Minnesota ran aground farther to the east. At sunset, the Virginia retired to Sewells Point, intending to finish off the Minnesota the next day. The Monitor was on her way, having left New York Harbor under tow on March 4, 1862. Though she nearly sank along the way, the Union ironclad arrived at Cape Henry on March 8the day the Virginia went on her rampage against the wooden Federal warships. The next morning, the Monitor was in position near the Minnesota and ready for action. The Battle of Hampton Roads, as the fight between the ironclads became known, raged about three miles south-southwest of Fort Monroe and a mile north-northeast of Sewells Point. The two ships pounded away at each other for four hours before first the Monitor and then the Virginia retired, having done little damage to each other. The battle ended in a draw, although the Monitor had saved the rest of the Northern ships. The two ironclads never fought again, but the fight signaled the end of the era of wooden warships. The Virginia was destroyed by her own crew near Craney Island on May 11 when Confederate forces evacuated Norfolk and Portsmouth. The Monitor played a small role in the Battle of Drewrys Bluff on the James River on May 15, between Federal ships and Confederate shore batteries. Near the end of December 1862 the Monitor was ordered to Beaufort, North Carolina, for blockade duty, and ran into a severe storm. The Graveyard of the Atlantic off Cape Hatteras became her final resting place. Bert Hubinger Forgotten Federal Success Despite the censure heaped upon Colonel George A. Porterfield for his [conduct at the less-than-epic Battle of Philippi, the men who relieved him including those who served on the court of inquirywould do no better than he in wrenching western Virginia free of the tightening grasp of Major General George B. McClellans Union forces. Taking charge of 4,500 Confederate troops in Beverly, Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett found himself unable to recruit more from the predominantly pro-Union population, and so resorted to hit-and-run guerrilla raids against Federal supply lines. McClellan responded by moving on Beverly, only to find that Garnett had dispatched two regiments under Lt. Col. John Pegram to Rich Mountain in Randolph County, to block the Union approach west of the town, while another force held Laurel Mountain to the north. On July 11, 1861, McClellan sent a brigade under Brig. Gen. William S. Rosecrans to attack Pegrams position Scrambling up the steep sides of Rich Mountain in pouring rain, Rosecrans men managed to surprise and overrun the 1,300 Rebels charged with holding it. At the same time, another strong detachment of Rosecrans force circled south, cutting off Pegrams retreat. Seeing his position to be hopeless, Pegram surrendered 553 officers and men on the following evening. Federal casualties totaled 46. Both Pegram and his chief of artillery, Julius de Lagnelwho was severly wounded while singlehandedly manning his long cannon during the fight and then captured as he tried to slip through Union lineswere later freed in an exchange of prisoners. Pegram would fight on for the Southern cause until his death in 1865. Upon learning of the fiasco at Rich Mountain, Garnett withdrew from beverly in an attempt to slip between McClellans and Rosecrans forces, but McClellans men caught him at Carricks Ford, routed the Confederate army and killed Garnett.. As a result of McClellans campaign, western Virginia was securely in Federal hands by September 1861, when General Robert E. Lee led six brigades west with the intention of ousting the Yankees from Cheat Mountain, which controlled several mountain passes in western Virginia, as well as the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. Cheat Mountain itself was occupied by only one regiment, the 14th Indiana under Colonel Nathan Kimball, while five other Union regiments under the overall command of Brig. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds lay seven miles to the west, at the village of Elkwater. Taking command of 15,000 troops from Brig. Gen. William Wing Loring, Lee divided the Rebel force into five columns and devised a complicated plan that depended on coordination and initiative on the part of all his subordinates. Colonel Albert Rust, who had discovered a concealed route to Kimballs position, was to surprise him on the right flank, opening the way for a second column under Brig. Gen. Henry R. Jackson to overrun and occupy the Federal position, while Brig. Gen. Samuel Andersons brigade cut off the wagon road to the rear of Cheat Mountain. At the same time, Lee and Loring would deploy their remaining three brigades against Reynolds. After advancing through heavy rain on September 10, Lees force made first contact with Reynolds troops the next day at Conrads Mill and drove them back to Elkwater. September 12 saw Lorings two brigades pressing Elkwater, and Anderson severing the road behind Kimball, but the key to Lees planthe occupation of Cheat Mountainnever came off. Rust, convinced by some Union prisoners that he was outnumbered 2-to-1 (when, in fact, his 2,000 men were opposed by only 300 Indianans) and that he faced a Yankee trap, faltered at the crucial moment. Over the next two days, Lee probed desperately for an opening against Reynolds, on one occasion narrowly missing a run-in with a Union cavalry patrol. On September 13, his eldest son, Major William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, and his aide-de-camp, Colonel John A. Washington, did run into Union pickets. Washington was killed in the volley. Rooney Lees horse was wounded, but he managed to escape capture on Washingtons mount. On September 15, with the rain continuing unabated and the element of surprise hopelessly lost, Lee canceled his operation against Cheat Mountain. On October 24, western \Virginias 40 counties voted to form the Union state of West Virginia. In consequence, Lee judged his position untenable and withdrew six days later, leaving the region to its fate, with nothing to show for his efforts but a newly acquired gray beard. The successful Federal campaign in western Virginia was soon eclipsed by the double disasters at Manassas and Balls Bluff, a Confederate one-two punch that assured a much longer and more difficult war than either side had expected. But it ultimately provided the Union with a new state and enhanced McClellans reputation to such a degree that he would be placed in command of the Union armies in the East. Robert E. Lee, on the other hand, went on to do much better than he had at Cheat Mountain. Ably assisted by an improved cadre of subordinate commanders, he would become a master of the art of overcoming an opponent by the relentless application of constant pressure, a technique that would win his Army of Northern Virginia a succession of remarkable victories and bring down a succession of Northern counterpartsincluding McClellan. As it did during the Vietnam War, when the Defense Department tapped retired Army Lt. Gen. Claude M. Mick Kicklighter to run the Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration, it was once again sending the officer to where he was most needed. With the generals logistical and planning experience both in Vietnam and after the war, his appointment to lead the massive and multifaceted venture was a natural. Since last July, Kicklighter has been building an organization to plan and execute a decade-long, nationwide effort to deliver a grateful nations thank you and welcome home to every Vietnam veteran. Were your two tours in Vietnam what you had expected? In February 1966, I was an artillery officer en route to join the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), but I was diverted to the 1st Logistical Command as planning officer. This was very early in the war and our mission was to plan for supporting combat operations at the brigade size and larger. Id had logistical training, so the Army thought I was needed there more. Then, on my way to join the Cav for my second tour in August 1970, I was again diverted, this time into the 101st Airborne Division, because of my logistics background. I was supposed to be given command of an artillery battalion after six months, but the policies changed and that never happened, and I ended up staying as the assistant chief of staff (G4) for the division. Were you disappointed? Initially, but I count my blessings for that year and the chance to work with such great men and women in the division. How was your logistics and planning expertise put to the test in early 1971? I helped plan and ensure that support was sustained for Lam Son 719. It was a huge operation, using primarily South Vietnamese ground troops in an effort to disrupt enemy logistics and the flow of supplies going through Laos. The operation was unexpected, but the enemy response was very strong. We provided all the air support, the airlift and helicopter gunships. It may have been the most intense antiaircraft our helicopter pilots ever encountered. Wed accomplished what we set out to do, but the fighting was fierce. What was the toughest part of your job? Knowing that if you failed, people died. First, you couldnt run out of ammunition. Second you couldnt run out of fuel; it was a helicopter war, after all. You had to be able to move, shoot and communicate. We had to make sure troops were fed when hungry and medevaced when wounded. It could be very complex. As a logistician, you like to know that no combat operation has to be scaled down or canceled because it cant be logistically supported. I never had to scale down or cancel an operation because we couldnt provide for it. While I would have preferred being in an artillery unit, you have to do what youre asked to do and do the best you can. I was no hero, but I was very proud to serve alongside many great Americans who were. Why did you go back to Vietnam in 1975? In the spring of 1975, after the North Vietnamese invasion, President Gerald Ford decided to send a small team led by General Fred Weyand into Vietnam to assess the situation and report back. I was on the Joint Staff and was assigned to the secret mission along with Army Lt. Col. Harry Summers and about 10 others. At the time, we only had about 50 uniformed Americans left in Saigon. It was chaotic. Just days before Saigon fell, we received letters from Vietnamese who had helped Americans, pleading not to be left behind. It was a very emotional mission. As we were leaving Saigon on April 4 to report our findings to President Ford at Palm Springs, a C-5A that wed used to bring in supplies was being loaded with orphans to be evacuated to the United States. Then, a couple of hours into our flight, General Weyand brought us very bad news. I cant believe things could be much worse, he said, but we just got word that the aircraft with the orphans has crashed and there are few survivors. How would you describe your experience serving in Vietnam? It prepared me for the rest of my life. Im very proud of my service in Vietnam and of those I served with. I cannot adequately express my admiration and respect for those brave men and women who, in my opinion, did all the nation asked of them. They went to the sound of guns, where they were needed, and many did so as volunteers. Did the treatment Vietnam veterans received upon coming home affect you? It was hurtful. I was a boy during World War II. Many members of my family went to war and when they came home they were nothing less than heroes in our eyes and minds. So, I think it was tragic that the Vietnam veterans, the sons and daughters of that greatest generation, came home to something so very different. Do you see your next Vietnam assignment as a way to address that? Yes. The Defense Departments Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration mission is to help the nation take advantage of a rare opportunity to turn back to a page in history and to right a wrong, by expressing its honor and respect to Vietnam veterans and their families. Im really here to get the commemoration planned and underway. As a Vietnam vet myself, eventually I want to be able to sit on the sidelines and enjoy the parades. Does your experience with the WWII and Korean War anniversaries help? For the WWII and Korean War efforts, we studied the U.S. and Constitutional Bicentennials. I learned from the leaders of those efforts, including Sen. John Warner and Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, how they were able to reach hometown America. The community partnership programs that we developed for the Korea and WWII anniversaries proved to be very successful and will be replicated and expanded for the Vietnam commemoration. However, unlike the WWII effort, which struggled financially, we have a law mandating our mission, we are well funded and have the authorization to raise donations and seek sponsors. This program is much more flexible and I think we have the total support of Congress. Im optimistic we will get it right. Will the Vietnam Wars unpopularity and controversy taint the publics reception? I dont think there will be any question why we are doing this. The nation learned a lot since Vietnam, and I think the way we treat our veterans today proves that. I believe that the country wants to do this right and will do it right. Our charter is not to make judgements. Its not our job to convince anyone one way or the other. Our focus is on the veterans and their families, and to present the most accurate information about the war. How will the wars length affect the commemoration process? It will have three phases, much like the war itself, with a gradual buildup, peak period and gradual ramping down. We are in the preparatory phase now, leading to the Memorial Day 2015 kick off of the most active phase, which will run to Veterans Day 2017. After that will be what we call the sustainment phase, lasting until Veterans Day 2025. During this period we will mark major events and find permanent homes for many of the commemoration programs, such as the exhibits and educational materials. It was a long war, and as such it gives us the time to revaluate as go along. Nothing is set in stone, so we expect to be modifying and adjusting our plans. What are some of the immediate tasks during the first stage? The recruitment of community partners. Our goal is to have 7,500 partners by 2015 and 9,500 by 2017. A senior-level advisory committee comprised of individuals from all walks of life is also being established. A working group representing each service, the VA, CIA and State Department, will recommend at least two Vietnam veterans from their respective organizations. And we are very busy planning all of our efforts: educational materials, a Pentagon exhibit, traveling exhibits, symposiums, oral history projects and much more. When will the public be learning more about the commemoration? I cant announce the details of what will take place, but I can say that on Memorial Day, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, we will begin to recruit the nation to get behind this effort in a very big way. I cant say any more than that. What should Vietnam veterans most understand about the Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration? That this will truly be coming from a grateful nationfor all the right reasons. You know, all veterans really want is to be thanked, and our task is to do everything we can to make sure that happens in a meaningful way. As the director of this operation, I know our mission will only be complete when all Vietnam veterans, and their families, have been honored for their service, valor and sacrifice. For more information on the 50th Anniversary Commemoration visit http://www.vietnamwar50th.com Early in the War of 1812, the fledgling U.S. Navy displayed its mettle against Britains vaunted Royal Navy. The British had a far larger fleet than the United States, but U.S. frigates were fast and formidable. The crews of USS Constitution and USS United States, for example, outgunned British warships in the Atlantic. Americans were doubly thrilled when United States commander Stephen Decatur sailed the damaged enemy frigate Macedonian back to a U.S. port as a trophy. But the second year of the war proved more difficult for the United States. There were military setbacks on land and a gathering British presence off the U.S. coast, both of which cast a shadow on American expectations. Stung by early naval defeats, the British Admiralty in 1813 forbade any one-on-one battles with Americas heavy frigates, which tended to have bigger cannons and stronger hulls than their British rivals. Britain had already blockaded much of the Eastern Seaboard, and with its war against French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte winding down, Britain aimed to deploy more ships to completely choke American navy and merchant-ship traffic. Whats more, the six big frigates that functioned as the U.S. Navys muscleall commissioned by the Naval Armament Act of 1794 to thwart the Barbary pirateswere at that moment in no position to trade fire with the Brits. One was in ordinary (out of commission), three were blockaded and one, Chesapeake, had been captured on June 1, 1813. That left Constitution, affectionately known as Old Ironsides, as the Navys sole fighting option, but even it was in dry dock and under threat of being corralled in Boston Harbor. Against this backdrop, Captain Charles Stewart took command of Constitution on July 18, 1813. Born in 1778, Stewart grew up in Philadelphia, where he was a boyhood friend and classmate of Decatur. Stewart went to sea as a cabin boy when he was 13 and rose quickly in the merchant service. Just before his 20th birthday, the Navy offered him a commission as a lieutenant. Stewart accepted and soon distinguished himself in the Quasi-War with France when, as commander of the schooner Experiment, he captured two French ships and freed several American vessels from the French. Stewart did not always endear himself to his superiors, but his naval skills were unquestioned. Transferred to the Mediterranean, Stewart was given command of the brig Siren and provided cover for Decaturs daring raid to blow up Philadelphia, the American frigate captured in the Barbary War with Tripoli in 1803. When war with Britain broke out in 1812, Stewart commanded several smaller ships before being given the helm of Constellationone of Americas big frigates. Problem was, the Royal Navy had penned up Constellation at Norfolk, Va., leaving Stewart with little chance of achieving the glory he sought. Stewart lobbied for a change of command and got his wish when he was reassigned to Constitution. Constitution had scored two notable victories in 1812, defeating HMS Guerriere in August and HMS Java in December, and after an overhaul the next year was ready for more action. So was Stewart, and a brilliant bit of seamanship by the American captain signaled the arrival of a new military competitor on the high seasone that would soon take its place among the globes superpowers. Stewart wasnt thinking of geostrategic matters in late 1813. He was simply relieved to sail Constitution out of Boston Harbor. It was his first cruise of the war, and within a couple of months he and his crew had captured three British merchant ships. In March, near Barbados, Constitution spotted HMS Pictou, a 14-gun British schooner that was escorting other British ships through the Caribbean. Constitution overpowered the smaller ship, destroying Pictous main mast and deck in one pass. Stewart had his first victory of the war, though not one worth bragging about. He nearly got a sterner test after spotting the 36-gun Pique, but the latter, following the Admiraltys orders not to engage, took advantage of a favorable breeze and sailed out of sight. When his crew discovered a crack in Constitutions main mast, Stewart decided to return to Bostonand barely made it. On April 3 two British frigates peeled off from a Royal Navy squadron en route to blockade Boston and chased Constitution north of the city. Stewart slipped into Marblehead Harbor ahead of his pursuers. The arrival of Old Ironsides caused a stir in Marblehead. It was a Sunday, and the faithful were attending services when word came of the ships arrival. Led by their preachers, parishioners dashed to the shore to help defend their town. There was no threat, however, and a few days later Constitution sailed down to Boston. And there the big ship stayed for more than eight months after the Royal Navy deployed outside Boston Harbor. The British hoped that antiwar sentiment, which was rife in New England, would create a separatist movement in the city, but it never materialized. Some local politicians, alarmed by the burning of Washington in August 1814, argued that Constitution should be kept in port and positioned to defend the city. But Stewart aimed to make a run for it, even as the British ships, lurking on the outskirts of the harbor, monitored the readiness of Constitution, no doubt aided by reports from sympathizers. A rotation of British ships to Halifax for repairs gave Stewart his chance, and on Sunday, December 18, 1814, Constitution left Boston Harbor unchallenged. There were rumors that it was to join other American frigates to attack shipping off the British coast, but Constitution headed south to Bermuda and then sailed east. Stewarts objective was to disrupt British merchant convoysand to fight if he got the chance. But as he approached Spain, Stewart learned that a treaty ending hostilities had been signed. A German ship bound for Portugal, he noted in his log on February 8, 1815, carried the news that peace had been signed at Ghent between the British and American Commissioners. Although the treaty had been signed on December 24, 1814, it would not take effect until the U.S. Senate ratified it. So Stewart continued his hunt for British shipsand on February 16, near the Rock of Lisbon, Constitution sighted two sails. One was a neutral Portuguese merchant, the other British, the 74-gun Elizabeth, which Stewart took pains to avoid. Later that day Constitution captured the British merchant Susanna, bound for Liverpool with a cargo worth $75,000. Stewart himself spent the next several days in a fruitless search for merchant convoys while avoiding his well-armed foes, and then came the fighting chance hed pined for. Dawn broke to a cloudy sky on February 20, 1815, and found Constitution about 180 miles from Madeira, sailing before a light northeasterly wind. At about 1 p.m. a lookout spotted a sail two points off the larboard bow that changed course and headed in Constitutions direction. Forty-five minutes later the lookout sighted another sail. The two ships, HMS Cyane and Levant, were the rear guard of a convoy en route from Gibraltar to the West Indies. Each ship was smaller than Constitution, with its 52 guns, but combined they carried more firepower. The Cyane, a light frigate rated for 24 guns, was armed with 35, while the 18-gun corvette Levant actually carried 21 cannons. Although Stewart did not know the identity of either ship, he was certain that the two were Royal Navy craft and ordered all sails set to intercept the first ship before it could join forces with the second. Two hours into the chase, the highest section of Constitutions main mast gave way with a sickening crack. Sailors scrambled to replace it and keep the ship on course with its target. At 5 p.m. Stewart opened fire with a forward-mounted cannon, but the British ships were out of range. A half hour later, with the range narrowing, Stewart ordered the decks cleared for action. Muskets and pikes were placed within reach for sailors to use should the opportunity arise to board the enemy ships. Sand was thrown across the decks to absorb blood. Gun crews loaded and primed their cannons. The two British ships, now within hailing distance of each other, made similar preparations. With all three ships sailing on a starboard tack, the British attempted to gain the advantage by positioning themselves upwind of Constitution, but they failed. As Constitution came up from the stern on the windward side, the British ships fell in line separated by a hundred yards, with the smaller Levant in the lead. At 6 p.m., just as the sun was setting, Constitution raised its colors and the Brits responded immediately. Constitution surged alongside at 600 yards, and all three ships commenced firing. British fire slackened quickly and Stewart ordered his gunners to hold their fire to allow the smoke to clear and see what damage they had inflicted. Constitution had caught up to Levant, but Cyane was coming up behind the American ship, intent on raking the American frigate. It was a devastating naval tactic: firing a broadside down the length of an enemy ship that was not in position to return fire. Stewart then tried an unusual maneuver. According to his own battle report, he backed Constitution, allowing the wind to catch the front of the main and mizzenmast topsails, bringing the ship to a halt before slowly swinging it around to face Cyane. The two ships traded fire until once again the British ships fire slackened. Constitution then turned to Levant, raking its stern twice and forcing it to fall back for repairs. Cyane managed one last broadside before signaling its surrender with a single cannon shot away from Constitution. At 6:45 Cyane struck its colors. Did Stewart actually move Old Ironsides backward? According to Matthew Brenckle, historian with the USS Constitution Museum in Boston, Stewart seemed to think so. On the other hand, the Cyane was moving forward at the same time, trying to close on Constitution. . . . It is possible that the backward movement was simply an optical illusion produced by one ship stopping in its tracks and the other moving forward. Such maneuvering was nothing radicalthis sort of ship handling was performed all the time in narrow or congested seaways to avoid obstructions or other ships. . . . That Stewart and his crew had the discipline and peace of mind to pull this off in the midst of a heavy cannonading is pretty remarkable. At 8:40, as an American prize crew took control of Cyane, Levant remarkably returned to the fight. Broadsides were exchanged, and Constitution raked Levant. Levants captain, recognizing the futility of fighting a much larger adversary, tried to escape but finally struck his ships colors about 10 p.m. The British captains were bad-tempered in defeat and argued about who was to blame. Stewart silenced them: Gentlemen, there is no use getting warm about it; it would have been the same whatever you might have done. If you doubt that, I will put you all on board and you can try it over. The British sailors were equally chagrined, first breaking into the liquor lockers on the captured vessels and then complaining repeatedly that Americans had stolen their personal belongings, prompting several searches of Old Ironsides, which turned up nothing. Assheton Humphreys, Constitutions chaplain, summed up the situation succinctly. Suffice it to say, that the sun of Britains naval glory has set. Stewart took his prize ships to Porto Praya in the Canary Islands for repairs and provisions, but their stay was cut short by the appearance of HMS Leander, Newcastle and Acastacoincidentally, three of the ships that had blockaded Boston Harbor. Within minutes, Constitution and its two prize ships cut their anchor cables and headed out to sea with the Brits in pursuit. Stewart ordered his captured ships to split up. Cyane escaped, reaching New York on April 10. Levant returned to Porto Praya, where it was attacked by the British and forced to surrender, even though the port was officially neutral. Returning to Boston by way of the Brazilian coast and then Puerto Rico, Stewart learned that the U.S. Senate had ratified the Treaty of Ghent on February 16. A clause in the treaty allowed an additional 30 days to notify ships at sea that the war was over, which meant that technically, the capture of Cyane and Levant could be counted as legitimate wartime victories. Was it a balanced fight? It depends on ones perspective. The smaller British ships had the potential to outmaneuver their larger foe but werent able to do so. The Brits were principally armed with carronades, small cannons capable of throwing a 32-pound ball a short distance. Constitution, on the other hand, was armed with long cannons capable of throwing a 24-pound ball a much greater distance. According to Dr. David Winkler with the Naval Historical Foundation, While the two British ships with their carronades could mount a greater throw weight versus the Constitution, the commander of the Constitution had greater range with his long guns and used that to his advantage. Captain Stewarts victory made him a national hero, and he, in turn, heaped praise on his all-volunteer crew in a letter to the secretary of the Navy. Considering the advantages derived by the enemy, from a divided and more active force, as also their superiority in weight and number of guns, I deem the speed and decisive result of this action the strongest assurance which can be given to the government, that all under my command did their duty, and gallantly supported the reputation of American seamen. The significance of the battle was more psychological than strategic. Technically, it did not affect the overall state of British-American relations since the Treaty of Ghent had been signed, according to Winkler. The treaty reaffirmed the status quo between the two countriesand for that reason many consider the war to have been a draw. But Constitutions victory at sea, when combined with Andrew Jacksons post-treaty success at New Orleans, equaled victory in the minds of Americans. Confidence in the Federal government and the armed forces was restored, said Winkler. Charles Stewart continued his naval career after the war, rising to the rank of rear admiral. When the Civil War broke out, Stewart volunteered for active duty at age 83, but President Lincoln regretfully denied his request. Stewart resigned his commission in 1862 and died seven years later. He had been the oldest surviving captain from the War of 1812. Constitution remained with the U.S. Navy until 1830, when Congress deemed it unfit to sail and planned to scrap it. Public sentiment inflamed by an Oliver Wendell Holmes poemAy, tear her tattered ensign down!forced Congress to reconsider, and Old Ironsides was returned to active duty, serving a variety of assignments. In 1931 the great ship began a cruise that took it to 90 American seaports on both coasts. Constitution docked in Boston in 1934, and it has remained there ever sincethe oldest commissioned Navy ship in the world. Tom and Gena Metcalf are Marietta, Georgia-based freelance writers with an interest in maritime history. They have produced an interactive CD with original source material about the War of 1812, and have a websitewww.1812atsea.com. Yankee in Gray SUBMITTED BY MIKE FITZPATRICK OF ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND NAME James R. Mathewson DATES 1837 to ? ALLEGIANCE Union RANK Captain UNIT 7th Massachusetts Infantry, Company B SERVICE RECORD Enlisted on June 15, 1861. Fought in Peninsula Campaign and in the May 1-4, 1863, Battle of Chancellorsville. Wounded in the May 1864 Battle of the Wilderness. Mustered out on July 5, 1864. James R. Mathewson was a machinist by trade, a worthy occupation for a son of New England, home of the industry and innovation that were making American commerce and transportation grow by leaps and bounds. When the Civil War erupted in 1861, the 24-year-old Mathewson stood up for his state and the Union she espoused, and volunteered for military service. He accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the 7th Massachusetts Infantry and was mustered in on June 15, 1861. When Mathewson strode into H.B. Kings Photographic Rooms in his home town of Taunton, Massachusetts, that same month, he was clad not in Union blue, but in a frock coat and trousers as gray as any Rebels. Mathewson had not switched loyalties; he was merely wearing the uniform the Bay State had issued to several of her regiments. In the color of his woolen outfit, Mathewson shared the predicament of many other Union soldiers early in the war: they were friends who looked like foes. When Mathewsons regiment reached Washington, D.C., in July, the fledgling soldiers traded their Massachusetts gray for less conspicuous Union blue. In November 1861, Mathewson was promoted to first lieutenant of Company B. The 7th Massachusetts embarked for Virginia at the end of March 1862 as part of Brigadier General Darius Couchs 1st Division of the Army of the Potomacs IV Corps. The unit saw hard fighting in Major General George McClellans Peninsula Campaign late that summer, and Mathewson received captains bars that fall, on October 25. The following May, the 7th Massachusetts participated in the Union attacks on Maryes and Salem Heights at Fredericksburg, Virginiasuccesses too insignificant to save the army from a crushing defeat in the Battle of Chancellorsville. One year later, on May 5, 1864, Captain Mathewson led his company into the nightmarish fighting in Virginias Wilderness, where a Confederate bullet ended the war for him. He spent the last few weeks of his three-year enlistment recuperating from his wound, and was mustered out with his comrades on July 5, 1864. Ted Giouzelis, who owns the Fishermans Taverna with his wife, Marie, says he renovated the counter with a rustic theme in mind and kept the original ceiling beams from the 60-year-old Half Moon Bay building. Cat Cutillo / Review The woolly mammoths which existed on earth during the Ice Ages might have become extinct due to the shortage of drinking water, according to a study conducted by scientists. The study was conducted by researchers at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and according to their findings, the scarcity of drinking water following the end of the Ice Age led to their extinction approximately 5600 year ago. According to a report in the BBC, "The Ice Age beasts were living on a remote island off the coast of Alaska, and scientists have dated their demise to about 5,600 years ago.They believe that a warming climate caused lakes to become shallower, leaving the animals unable to quench their thirst.Most of the world's woolly mammoths had died out by about 10,500 years ago. Scientists believe that human hunting and environmental changes played a role in their extinction." The report went on to add, "As the Earth warmed up after the Ice Age, sea levels rose, causing the mammoths' island home to shrink in size.This meant that some lakes were lost to the ocean, and as salt water flowed into the remaining reservoirs, freshwater diminished further.The fur-covered giants were forced to share the ever-scarcer watering holes. But their over-use also caused a major problem." Professor Russell Graham of the Pennsylvania State University, who was also the lead author of the study further explained the process. "As the other lakes dried up, the animals congregated around the water holes.They were milling around, which would destroy the vegetation - we see this with modern elephants.And this allows for the erosion of sediments to go into the lake, which is creating less and less fresh water.The mammoths were contributing to their own demise." He further added,"We do know modern elephants require between 70 and 200 litres of water daily. We assume mammoths did the same thing. It wouldn't have taken long if the water hole had dried up. If it had only dried up for a month, it could have been fatal." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 Trend: Swiss chess player Yannick Pelletier has been removed from the list of undesirable persons of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. Yannick Pelletier, sending a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed his full respect to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, inter alia, the laws and regulations of Azerbaijan, said the website of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. He stressed that his visit to Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia was not intentional and he was unaware about the consequences of this visit. Yannick Pelletier expressed his apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for an illegal visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and attested that he will refrain from such visits to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the future. Against the background of aforementioned, he asked from the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan to give an authorization for his visit to Azerbaijan to participate in the 42nd World Chess Olympiad and the 87th FIDE Congress to be held in Baku from August 20 till September 20. Yannick Pelletiers appeal was properly considered and the decision was made to issue a visa for his visit to Azerbaijan. 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. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend: Romanias ambassador to Azerbaijan Daniel Cristian Ciobanu paid working visits to Azerbaijans Gabala and Shaki districts, said the message from Romanian embassy in Baku. The diplomat met the heads of executive powers of Gabala and Shaki districts. During the visit, Romanian ambassador was informed about the major social and economic infrastructure projects carried out in these two regions. Ciobanu expressed high appreciation for the impressive developments in Gabala and Shaki. He underlined that Romania is interested in continuing the process of enlarging its economic cooperation with different regions of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a country of pivotal importance for Europes energy security and offers, at the same time, huge opportunities in the field of freight transport, said the ambassador. He pointed out that for Romania, Azerbaijan is a strategic partner and during the last years, bilateral cooperation strongly developed in all fields. For almost eight years, Romanian embassy successfully fulfils the tasks of NATO Contact Point Embassy in Azerbaijan, added the diplomat. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum Wyoming is known for majestic mountains, pristine rivers and the legendary plains of the Old West. The 44th state abounds with a wealth of natural beauty and enthralling history that makes it a magnificent vacation destination. The best way to take in the breathtaking beauty of Wyoming is from the back of a horse. A great place to start is in the town of Jackson Hole, which is located next to Grand Teton National Park and just outside Yellowstone National Park. Popular outfitter Wilderness Trails, Inc., can get you on a horse and give you an experience like no other. Get Our Free Weekly Enewsletter About Horses Wilderness Trails offers half- and full-day guided rides, along with overnight nature tours. Overnight accommodations feature a lantern-lit wall tent and bunk bed, and include a cowboy cookout in the evenings. For those interested in one of the day rides, the outfitter provides unrivaled access through both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Weve been offering professional, custom-tailored wilderness experiences for three generations now, says proprietor Galloway Clover. Our guests follow the trails blazed by the Indians and mountain men of the past. Wilderness Trails rides feature miles of backcountry trails that can only be traveled by riders and hikers. Yellowstones lakes and streams, herds of wildlife grazing on ranges, and sweeping vistas are just some of what youll see on one of these rides. Jackson Hole boasts some of the most breathtaking landscapes in all of the United States. Seeing the Tetons towering above the valley at sunrise or sunset is a highlight of the outing. Full-day ride guests travel over gentle terrain leading to the Snake River Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park, says Clover. Or, they may ride the high slopes of Huckleberry Mountain in Bridger-Teton National Forest. Sweeping vistas of Yellowstone and the Teton Wilderness provide the view during the lunch included on this ride. The peace and quiet they discover will change them forever, he adds. The half-day ride takes you from the Teton Wilderness Area to Yellowstone National Park, where youll observe the Teton Wilderness from a gently rising and falling trail that leads into Yellowstone National Park. We have visitors from all over, says Clover. In all our years of doing this, everyone comes away feeling like theyve never had any experience quite like this. If You Go Wilderness Trails provides its guests with mountain-wise, surefooted horses and mules. Riders of all levels of experience can participate on the tours. For more information, visit www.wildernesstrailsinc.com. Audrey Pavia is a freelance writer and the author of Horses for Dummies. She is based in Southern California. This article originally appeared in the July 2016 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe! CLEVELAND Vantage Hotels' Lexington brand continues to expand throughout South Korea, with the latest addition being a 340-room new-construction project in the country's second-largest city, Busan. The property, which is expected to open in November 2017, will be a full-service hotel and carry Vantage's Value Hotel Worldwide name, by which Lexington Hotels are known in South Korea. The property in Busan is the sixth new build in the country to be introduced by Vantage's master licensee for South Korea, Service Legend, Inc. A 20-floor, 300-room property in Suwon was the first to open in December 2013; a location in Seogwipo is opening this month; a property in Sejong City is expected to be completed this December; and hotels in Jeju City and Gangneung are set to open in 2017. All of the properties are also managed by Service Legend. Located on the southeastern-most tip of the Korean peninsula, Busan is the cultural, educational and economic center of the region. It is home to the country's largest beach (Haeundae Beach); top tourist attractions such as the Busan International Film Festival, Nampo-Dong shopping area, Gwangbok-dong Cultural Center and Fashion Street, Jagalchi Market and Gukje Market; and is the largest port city in South Korea. The 24-floor Value Hotel Worldwide in Busan will feature a top-floor restaurant/sky lounge, fitness center, gift shop, outdoor terrace, business center and meeting rooms. An important part of the redevelopment of the city's North Port area, the hotel will be close to the Busan International Ferry Terminal and Busan Train Station. "Only two of the 17 business hotels in Busan are in the same part of town as our hotel site, so we look forward to providing a much-needed lodging option there. It's also exciting to be included in the North Port Redevelopment Project, which is transforming the original port into a cultural center and tourist destination," said Bill Hanley, the Group President of Vantage's International Division. There are over 1,200 properties under the Vantage worldwide umbrella, including those operating under the Americas Best Value Inn, Canadas Best Value Inn, Signature Inn, Jameson Inn, and Country Hearth Inn & Suites brands. The growth in South Korea continues the selective international expansion of the Vantage brands, particularly in India and Canada. About Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc. Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc., has been recognized as one of the most progressive hotel companies in the history of the lodging industry. With over 1,200 properties worldwide, Vantage is the only hotel company to be ranked among the Inc. 500/5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies for eight consecutive years. Supported by the resources of a franchise and the freedom of a membership organization, hotel owners around the globe have embraced Vantage's philosophy that puts control back in their hands, allowing them to be "In Business for Themselves, Not by Themselves." Vantage Hotels is among the top 10 hotel franchisors based on the number of hotels in its system. Whether a property is a member of Vantage's legacy brands, the award-winning Americas Best Value Inn brand (with its sister brands, Canadas Best Value Inn and Value Inn Worldwide) and the ground-breaking Lexington by Vantage, or of the Jameson Inn, Country Hearth Inn & Suites, or Signature Inn brands, all Vantage Hotels members enjoy the opportunity to maximize their revenue and asset value through Vantage's low fees and reasonable contract terms; flexible, straightforward agreements; A Voice and A Vote in major brand initiatives;the most comprehensive resources, support and CRS in the industry; sensible PIPs, and a culture that is centered on educating, not mandating. Membership in Vantage brands in the United States is offered (as a franchise) through Vantage Franchising, Inc., and in Canada, through Vantage Franchising (Canada) Inc., wholly-owned subsidiaries of Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc. For more information, visit www.JoinVantageHotels.com. Al Cohen PR Manager Vantage It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home In year-over-year comparisons, the industrys occupancy was nearly flat, decreasing 0.2% to 77.3%. However, average daily rate was up 4.6% to US$130.20, and revenue per available room increased 4.4% to US$100.65. The U.S. hotel industry reported mostly positive results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 24-30 July 2016, according to data from STR. In year-over-year comparisons, the industrys occupancy was nearly flat, decreasing 0.2% to 77.3%. However, average daily rate was up 4.6% to US$130.20, and revenue per available room increased 4.4% to US$100.65. Among the Top 25 Markets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-New Jersey, recorded the largest year-over-year increases across the three key performance metrics. Host to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia posted a 10.6% lift in occupancy to 86.2%, a 92.6% rise in ADR to US$235.37 and a 113.1% spike in RevPAR to US$202.84. Four additional markets saw double-digit growth in RevPAR for the week: Dallas, Texas (+16.2% to US$80.70); Nashville, Tennessee (+14.7% to US$115.39); Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida (+13.9% to US$88.71); and Chicago, Illinois (+12.5% to US$144.70). After Philadelphia, only one other market posted a double-digit rise in ADR: Nashville (+10.6% to US$139.02). No market outside of Philadelphia experienced a double-digit increase in occupancy. St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois, reported the only double-digit decline in occupancy (-11.3% to 74.1%) as well as the largest decrease in RevPAR (-15.5% to US$74.62). Two other markets reported a double-digit decrease in RevPAR: Houston, Texas (-14.3% to US$64.83), and New Orleans, Louisiana (-11.0% to US$72.82). Houston reported the largest drop in ADR, down 6.2% to US$100.31. View weekly U.S. hotel performance review About STR STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com. The Definitive View on View-Through Attribution Dipping your toe into display advertising can often feel like youre in the deep end right away - there are so many acronyms to decode (CPM, CPC, VT, etc.) and a multitude of debates on best practices for each. In an effort to help keep your head above water, we at Sojern are breaking down some of the tough topics into smaller, easier to digest pieces, including the ever-controversial view-through attribution model. Dipping your toe into display advertising can often feel like youre in the deep end right away - there are so many acronyms to decode (CPM, CPC, VT, etc.) and a multitude of debates on best practices for each. In an effort to help keep your head above water, we at Sojern are breaking down some of the tough topics into smaller, easier to digest pieces, including the ever-controversial view-through attribution model. View-Through Defined Also called VT or post-impressions, view-through attribution is a method of giving credit to advertisers for a conversion. In view-through, an individual is exposed to an ad and then later takes an action, such as visiting a website or purchasing a product. Despite its fancy name, view-through has actually been around for a long time. Its the basic idea behind television, radio, and billboard ads: if you hear a commercial for a store or a product, you will go buy it. How View-Through Works: Cookies & Pixel Placements With the birth of the digital age, advertisers can now place ads on peoples computers and mobile devices, in addition to TV and billboards. Figuring out how many people viewed your digital ad, however, requires a new, more complex system. For example, if you are a hotelier in Oregon, you may want to place ads in front of consumers who are looking for a trip to Portland. Placing those ads costs money, so youll also want to know to what extent those ads influence a traveler to book with you. But how exactly does this tracking work? When the traveler is exposed to your ad, a pixel fires, and drops a cookie on their device. That traveler, then, goes to your website and books directly with you. On your site, youll have another pixel that recognizes the presence of that cookie and matches the purchase back to the original ad. By recognizing and matching cookies, youre able to attribute a purchase to the viewing of an ad. Concerns for View-Through Answered Despite the fact that view-through has been around since the invention of advertising, many now decry it as being fundamentally unmeasurable and problematic for a number of reasons. Lets review the major concerns for view-through and address them: It lacks a direct, measurable action. Unlike someone who clicks on an ad, view-through doesnt have a traceable connection from the viewing of the ad to the purchase. Whos to say it was the ad, and not a conversation with a friend, that led to the booking? Answer: Its not true that you cant measure view-through, the measurements are just different. View-through is better for people further down the purchase funnel and help customers closer towards making a decision. Someone whos already booked flights to Oregon are going to be more moved by viewing your hotel ad to book with you and this is exactly where impressions matter. Further, according to Marin Software, Proper view-through attribution can lead to increased search lift. The positive impact of display and social advertising on search activity and conversions is undeniable. Its been proven by a number of different studies over the past several years. The 30-day lookback window is unrealistic. The standard time in which an action can be credited back to an ad is 30 days. Very few purchases require that long to think about, except maybe a car or house. Many, then, decry view-through altogether because of this single standard. Answer: Try a more performance-based attribution model. If youre suspicious of attribution models taking credit for everything, consider a timeframe thats shorter than 30 days and more performance based. Whats a Travel Marketer To Do? So, what model is best? Which one can you actually trust? As with many great debates, things arent always as black and white. While view-through attribution may face some challenges, a blended and more nuanced approach can prove beneficial. We at Sojern understand the nuances of these debates and offer flexibility and accountability in all of our services. In their latest podcast on Paid Advertising and the different models you can use, Fuel, calls us out as being a refreshingly different, performance-based model to look out for. If youre looking to understand more about view-through attribution and what it can do for your campaigns, connect with us! About Catlyn Catlyn is Sojern's Content Marketing Manager. She loves playing video games and hiking with her dog, Dottie. Her favorite part of travel is the food, preferring street food to fine dining. Daily Hotel Industry News Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest hotel news and trends. Jumeirah Guangzhou Hotel As Regional Vice President Graham will head operations across Greater China, where currently there are eight hotels in the Jumeirah Group pipeline. Graham will also continue his responsibilities leading the pre-opening-team for the new Jumeirah Guangzhou, a 198 room luxury hotel scheduled to open in 2019. A British National, Graham joined Jumeirah in 2010 as the pre-opening and operations manager for Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, in Dubai. He has spent more than 30 years working in South East Asia and Greater China undertaking a number of General Manager positions in China, Singapore and Manila. He is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese as well as German, French, Indonesian and Thai. As Regional Vice President Graham will head operations across Greater China, where currently there are eight hotels in the Jumeirah Group pipeline. Graham will also continue his responsibilities leading the pre-opening-team for the new Jumeirah Guangzhou, a 198 room luxury hotel scheduled to open in 2019. Stefan Leser, Jumeirah Group CEO, said: "The Asia Pacific region is of strategic importance to Jumeirah, both as a focus of our development plans and a key source market for our portfolio of 22 hotels. We currently have 10 projects under development in the region with eight being in China: Nanjing, Qiandaohu, Wuhan, Sanya, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Haikou. In 2015 Jumeirah welcomed more than 176,000 guests from China to our hotels, and we know that our Chinese guests appreciate our warm hospitality. We look forward to introducing our brand to more guests and sharing our Jumeirah STAY DIFFERENT experience across key cities in China." Graham Kiy, said: "I am delighted to be returning to China and am honoured to be charged with the opening of the Jumeirah Nanjing Hotel as well as lead the further expansion of our Jumeirah brand across the Greater China region. Jumeirah Nanjing is an exciting new property for Jumeirah in China. Nanjing is an important commercial centre and only an hour by train from Shanghai. Jumeirah Nanjing's prime location within the city's business district means that it will have strong appeal to the business traveller." In addition to being the General Manager for the 250 luxury room and suite Jumeirah Nanjing, which is expected to open in 2017, Graham will also lead the pre-opening team. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 Trend: Baku Summer Oil School project will be realized at BHOS (Baku Higher Oil School). In accordance with the project program on Sept. 14-25, 2016, students from German universities will visit BHOS in order to join summer school organized by the higher school. In the frames of Baku Summer Oil School program students will not only be able to get new knowledge, they will also get a chance to visit picturesque regions, historical sites, museums situated in our country to be closely familiarized with Azerbaijan. They will also visit oil wells, historical oil wells, oil related museums, industrial companies and other places that reflect the oil history of Azerbaijan and its development. Together with the German students, selected Azerbaijani students will also be involved in the mentioned project. It should be underlined that Baku Summer Oil School project was approved by the selection commission of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with the purpose of further financing in the frames of DAAD Towards East program. Ayten Shadlinskaya, specialist of BHOS quality assurance department, manages the project. French Montana finally has a concrete release date for his album MC4, which is also (finally) getting some buzz thanks to his single with Drake, No Shopping, although the single caught more attention for Drake lyrics possibly dissing Joe Budden than it did for French. French isnt lacking in guest features or, star power, for that matter on the upcoming album. The tracklist was revealed today via Complex, and French enlists A$AP Rocky, Nas, Miguel, Kanye West, Jeezy, Beanie Sigel, his fallen artist Chinx, Max B and more through out the projects 14 records. Take a look at the complete tracklist in the gallery above. MC4 drops on August 19th. Are you excited for it? French Montana The Air Jordan XV will be returning this year as part of a collaboration between Nike, Laika and Focus Features in celebration of the upcoming film, Kubo And The Two Strings. The films Good vs. Evil themed is played out on the special edition XV, with one shoe featuring a red accents and the other utilizing blue. Unlike previous XVs this pair doesnt feature the tongue that juts out, and is instead equipped with a zipped-up upper. The Kubo XVs will be extremely limited but there are a few ways you could potentially score a pair. Separately, timed to the From Coraline to Kubo: A Magical Laika Experience opening August 5 at Universal Studios Hollywoods Globe Theatre, Kernel will offer the websites ticket buyers to the interactive event a chance to win a pair as well. On August 8, the Just Keep Livin Foundation will host a live eBay auction with dozens of pairs of Kubo XV sneakers up for bidding; all the proceeds will go to the Foundations programs that teach the importance of decision-making, health, education, and active living. Finally, on August 10, gamers who sign up to play the new Moon Beast game named after the monster whom Kubo must battle in the movie at the official Kubo and the Two Strings website can compete to be the top scorers and win a pair of Kubo XVs. And if youre really not on board with any of the Air Jordan XV colorways, youre not alone because Tinker Hatfield himself has said that this silhouette is probably his least favorite of all- which is why he decided to revamp the design for this Kubo edition. People ask me all the time, Whats your favorite Air Jordan and whats your least favorite? Hatfield told Complex. Sometimes Ill say my favorite is the Jordan XI, and a few times Ive said my least favorite is the Air Jordan XV. [Via] Item #1 "He's a modern hero," says the Dublin-based synth pioneer The new issue of Hot Press features an in-depth interview with French synth God Jean Michel Jarre ahead of his October 10 visit to the Dublin 3Arena. Meeting with our man Stuart Clark in Nimes, he talked about the French terror attacks, hanging out with Messrs. Bowie, Jagger and Albarn, Christine & The Queens and his new Electronica 2 album, which finds him collaborating with the likes of Gary Numan, Jeff Mills, Cyndi Lauper, Pet Shop Boys, Julia Holter, Peaches and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Seeing as he couldnt come to him, Jarre travelled to Russia to meet the in-exile Snowden. Hes living in the centre in Moscow, but exactly where I dont know for obvious reasons, Jean Michel told us. It was quite complicated to meet him but we really do need people like Edward. Hes the real modern hero. Part of the reason for doing these Electronica records is the relationship we have nowadays with technology. On one hand, you literally have the world in your pocket with smartphones. On the other, we feel as if were being spied on by the outside world. Advertisement In 50 years time, Edward Snowden will be recognised as the great human being he is. I was really impressed with his integrity, honesty and humour. Edward Snowden did what he did to improve his country. Read the full interview in Hot Press, in shops today. You can Buy Hot Press 40-13 starring Lisa Hannigan direct from hotpress.com Or download the iOS app for iPad/iPhone Or download the Android App The film will be based on the 1967 Detroit Race Riots. He isn't going to be Han Solo, but Jack Reynor is still one of the faces to watch. The film already has a strong cast with other rising stars such as Will Poulter and Ben O'Toole. Here's the back story: The riots broke out when police raided an unlicensed after-hours bar. All hell broke loose resulting in five days of looting and the destruction of public buildings. By the end of the riots, 43 people were dead and 1000 people were injured. Bigelow has made a name for herself with edgy productions such as The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, so she should have no problem bringing one of the deadliest of riots in US history to life. Advertisement The film is sceduled to be released in 2017. This weekends sales tax holiday on clothing, computers and school supplies could provide a much-needed lift to many small stores and businesses, said Brad Jones, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. The tax holiday is Aug. 5-7 in participating jurisdictions. Its been a ho-hum summer for a lot of small businesses, Jones said. In jurisdictions that choose to opt in, the sales-tax holiday should help people get fired up and in the mood to spend. The latest NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, released July 12, shows that small-business confidence improved by only a fraction of one percent in June. Small businesses are in maintenance mode, said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. Uncertainty is high, expectations for better business conditions are low, and future business investments look weak. Thats where the salestax holiday comes in, Jones said. Parents would go back-to-school shopping regardless, he said, but the tax holiday could also attract cash-strapped shoppers who have delayed purchases. And people need to remember that the tax holiday applies to Main Street as well as the mall, Jones said. Even if you dont need school clothes, you can save money shopping during the sales-tax holiday, and you can find some great deals and unique merchandise by shopping small. When you shop at small, locally-owned businesses, youre helping your friends and neighbors, Jones said. Youre supporting the businesses that support our schools and charities and create jobs in our communities. Combined with the back-to-school sales a lot of stores are having, the sales-tax holiday is going to help people get a bigger bang for their buck, Jones said. The more we can do to encourage people to shop at small businesses, the more jobs well save, and the faster our economy will grow. To learn more about Missouris sales tax holiday, visit the Department of Revenues website at http://dor.mo.gov/business/sales/taxholiday/school/. NFIB is the states leading small-business association, representing a cross-section of the states economy. For more information, visit www.NFIB.com/MO or follow @NFIB_MO on Twitter. Details added (first version posted on 12:19) Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 Trend: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has laid foundation of the new road-transport infrastructure on the so-called Soviet Street of the Yasamal district of Baku. The president was informed about the reconstruction and landscaping work carried out by Azeravtoyol JSC on the so-called Soviet Street. Head of the Azeravtoyol JSC Saleh Mammadov informed the president about the projects implementation. Overhaul reconstruction work will be carried out there on five streets with the total length of over six kilometers. President Aliyev laid foundation of the new road-transport infrastructure on the former Soviet Street. The president gave instructions and recommendations on the upcoming work. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. executive chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi has officially resigned, admitting hed embarrassed the firm after his sexist comments sparked international backlash.My miscommunication on a number of points has caused upset and offence, and for this I am sorry, said Kevin Roberts, in a statement released late last night.I have inadvertently embarrassed Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis Groupe, two companies I love and have been devoted to for almost 20 years, he continued.The controversy began after Roberts told Business Insider that he did not believe a lack of women in senior roles was a problem. He claimed many women had a circular ambition to be happy rather than vertical ambition.The British-born exec said his motto had always been fail fast, fix fast, learn fast and he admitted that he had failed exceptionally fast during the recent interview.Roberts who was due to retire in May 2017 confirmed he would be leaving on September 1, 2016.I have expressed my regret and apology to the companies for the furore my remarks and language stimulated, and I extend this to colleagues, staff and clients, he added. sp;It goes without saying that a harmonious workplace is necessary to any successful companys office culture. However, recent research points to the ways in which respectful disagreement can bolster productivity and innovation.Berkeley psychologist Charles Nemeth has found that workplaces encouraging the presence of a devils advocate -- that is, someone who expresses a minority opinion -- yield more and better solutions than those that strive for consensus. In fact, workplaces that had a dissenter in their midst generated up to 48 per cent more solutions to a given problem than their supposedly in-sync counterparts.The investment banking firm, Bridgewater, partially attributes its enormous success to its embrace of a culture of productive dissent. And calling its success enormous may be an understatement. In 2010 , the hedge fund generated greater profits than Google , eBay, Yahoo, and Amazon combined.Whats more, in the companys 41 years in business, it has made its clients more money than any other hedge fund in the industrys history. Much of Bridgewaters undeniable success is owed to its radical encouragement of healthy disagreement.Take a recent occurrence at the company, for instance. A low-level employee sent a critical email to the companys founder, Ray Dalio, flouting the conventions of a typical corporate hierarchy in a move that, at many companies, would be considered career suicide.Instead of reacting defensively, Dalio used the exchange as an opportunity to reflect on his performance. Dalio asked others who attended the meeting to rank his behaviour on a scale from A to F, and forwarded the critical message to the whole company so that others could learn from the experience.There are countless lessons to be learned from Bridgewaters unorthodox workplace culture. Dalios response to the critical email reflects an inclusive environment that pervades the company, one that eschews hierarchy in favour of open communication.For instance, instead of deferring to seniority or putting big decisions up to a majority vote, the company strives to instil a spirit of meritocracy -- one in which all views are considered, regardless of ones rank.With this in mind, Bridgewater also seeks to court disagreement and a certain degree of controversy. Principles Dalios manifesto to investing and management promises a culture of honesty, whereby each employee should feel free to air their opinion -- provided they can defend it.Dalio periodically conducts a survey of his employees and selects the most opinionated to go head-to-head in a formal debate. His reasoning: the format allows a variety of grievances to be aired and solutions to be voiced, in turn guarding against the dangers of conformist groupthink.This is not to say that everyones opinions hold the same weight. Dalio himself is sceptical of democratically-determined solutions because not everybody has the same believability. At Bridgewater, each employee is assigned a believability score based on their past judgment and reasoning. This system protects the company from implementing outlandish and irresponsible solutions just for the sake of dissent.Lastly, companies looking to dissuade excessive groupthink should encourage employees to exercise a degree of self-awareness and self-reflection. One of Dalios principles advises each employee to write down your weaknesses and the weaknesses of others to help remember and acknowledge them.If everyone in the company -- from top to bottom -- brings an engaged and critical mind-set to the workplace, new and innovative solutions are sure to emerge as a result. And for your business, that could mean the difference between soaring profitability and crippling stagnation.Bio: Ken Sterling is the Chief Marketing Officer at BigSpeak Speakers bureau the leading keynote and business speakers bureau in the world. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California and an MBA from Babson College. Ken teaches Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Strategy at UC Santa Barbara . He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker , business consultant and sales & marketing expert. For press interviews, contact [email protected] Greater Vancouvers real estate market is in the throes of chaos as buyers, sellers and industry insiders try to adapt to a new tax on foreign buyers that went into effect on Tuesday. Though a recent poll showed nine out of 10 British Columbians back a tax on foreign buyers of residential real estate, many industry insiders and entrepreneurs are lining up against it, saying it risks destabilizing the housing market and Vancouvers economy. Advertisement The tax has even taken on shades of a political controversy, as a prominent Vancouver real estate marketer and provincial Liberal fundraising chief denies he knew in advance the tax was coming. Most Vancouverites support a tax on foreign buyers as well as a vacancy tax. https://t.co/QfO0a8dSuapic.twitter.com/6z5kv8HDBG Angus Reid Institute (@angusreidorg) August 2, 2016 Vancouver realtor Steve Saretsky told Global News his analysis of MLS data found that detached home sales collapsed by 75 per cent in the few weeks after the provincial government announced it was introducing a 15-per-cent sales tax on foreign buyers of residential real estate in Greater Vancouver. Saretsky described the market as being in absolute mayhem. But other realtors told media it is too soon to tell what the precise impact will be on the housing market. Advertisement 'Domino effect' Real estate agents say numerous deals have collapsed since the tax was announced, and some 3,000 to 4,000 home sales are in limbo, after the buyers failed to finalize deals before the new tax came into effect, CBC reports. But the Vancouver Sun reports its not just foreigners who are withdrawing offers: Realtors say local buyers are also pulling out of deals, on the expectation that the market will soften. Theres a domino effect here, Rob Philipp, CEO of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, told the newspaper. One deal collapses, [and] theres so many other deals impacted by that. Jonathan Cooper of Macdonald Realty predicted some of these collapsed deals would end up in court. I think the next chapters in this story are going to be written by lawyers, Cooper said, suggesting sellers could sue buyers who backed out of real estate deals, demanding compensation if they cant find other buyers willing to pay as much for their houses. Advertisement Did Liberal insider know about tax in advance? The issue of B.C.s foreign buyer tax took on hints of political controversy Wednesday as a prominent Vancouver real estate marketer and chief fundraiser for the provincial Liberals denied he knew in advance that Premier Christy Clark's government would announce the tax. I did not have nor was given advance knowledge on the Foreign Buyer Tax, Rob Rennie, the condo king behind Rennie Marketing Systems, said in a tweet. The Globe and Mail cited Rennie in an article Monday saying that he knew three weeks ago the tax was coming, though he thought it would be in the 5- to 8-per-cent range, and not the 15-per-cent levy that was announced. Rennie denied ever speaking to the Globe for that story, but told the newspaper Tuesday that he had simply predicted that the government would apply a tax on foreign buyers. Advertisement Im a pretty astute guy on strategy and real estate, and I made the assumption that something [else] was coming, he said, adding he's willing to resign as Liberal fundraising chief if asked. Some tech workers worried The foreign buyer tax could make it harder for Vancouver to reach its goal of becoming a major North American tech hub, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The business publication noted that Vancouver already has two strikes against it in that effort: It has some of the highest house prices on the continent, and the lowest wages among North American tech hubs. Bloomberg interviewed a Singaporean computer scientist planning to move to Vancouver, who discovered he now has to find another $114,000 to cover the tax on the home he wanted to buy. Advertisement Its a complete shock, a nightmare, Eric Kong said. Sales have been falling for months For all the talk about the foreign buyer tax, data from the regions real estate board shows home sales in Greater Vancouver fell for months before the tax was announced. Sales fell 26.7 per cent in July from a month earlier, and were 18.9 per cent lower than they were a year ago. It was the fourth month of falling sales in the region. The numbers likely didn't capture the last-minute confusion over cancelled deals ahead of the new tax. But prices havent followed sales down. The benchmark price for a Vancouver home hit $930,400 in July, an increase of 1.4 per cent from a month earlier, and 32.6 per cent higher than a year earlier. Also on HuffPost Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Baku has hosted a meeting with participation of representatives of Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation and 24 NGOs with the purpose of creating an initiative group for the referendum scheduled for Sept.26, 2016. The meeting was attended by 402 representatives of the initiative group consisting of 4,002 people. The meeting participants praised the proposed amendments to the constitution and noted that Azerbaijan has significantly strengthened during the years of presidency of Ilham Aliyev. Moreover, during the event, it was noted that amendments to the constitution are submitted to referendum in all countries. The meeting participants noted that currently, there is a necessity to make relevant amendments to Azerbaijans constitution. It was decided to call the initiative group the Civil Society. Twenty-five authorized representatives of the initiative group and an authorized representative for financial issues were appointed during the meeting. Moreover, it was decided to send a notification to the Central Election Commission (CEC) for registration of the initiative group. Earlier, Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to hold the referendum on making amendments to the constitution Sept.26, 2016. Police in B.C. are investigating an alarming situation where two teen girls appear to have been drugged. Last weekend, Good Samaritans spotted a 16-year-old girl, who appeared upset and intoxicated, on the side of the road in Abbotsford, said a police news release on Thursday. Advertisement They dropped her off at home, and called authorities. The girl and her 14-year-old friend had gone out earlier in the evening but got separated. The teen was unclear on many of the events that occurred that night. One of the girls parents went looking for the 14-year-old friend and located her nearby, said police. Signs of 'date rape' drug "She also appeared intoxicated and showed symptoms indicative of GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate) consumption," said a statement from Const. Ian MacDonald. GHB is commonly known as the "date rape" drug because it sedates victims, prevents them from resisting sexual assaults, and causes short-term memory loss, according to Health Canada. Advertisement Both teens were treated in hospital and released. Police said the girls were in the area of the Matsqui Recreation Centre and skateboard park between 11 p.m. on July 31 and 1 a.m. on July 31. An investigation remains ongoing. Investigators hope to speak with the Good Samaritans who helped get the 16-year-old girl home, as well as anyone who has further information. Also on HuffPost Canada is one of the few countries where you can ski a glacier, eat poutine and pay massive amounts for the right to call yourself a permanent resident. But how much does that privilege cost? And how does it compare to other countries? The International Monetary Fund (IMF) outlined the cost of citizenship and residency in a chart published in December, that was recently reported on by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It shows that the cost of permanent residency in Canada ranks with either the most or least expensive countries, depending on whether you want to settle in Quebec or P.E.I., the two provinces that still take money in exchange for permanent residency. Advertisement An immigrant investor program allows people to buy citizenship or residency for a "substantial investment," the WEF reports. The object of such a program is to drive business investment in a country. And there's lots of money to be had. Every year, thousands of people spend as much as $2 billion every year obtaining a second or even third passport, BBC News reported in 2014. Advertisement Foreign investor money made up as much as 25 per cent of the GDP in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2013, the Forum said. But not all countries offer immediate citizenship. Some, like Canada, give you permanent residency first, then make you wait years for the privilege of calling yourself a Canadian. Pathway to Canada Canada has two immigrant investor programs. The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP), for example, allows people to enter Canada with an $800,000 investment, which is reimbursed to participants after five years. Investors must also have assets worth at least $1.6 million, and have agricultural, industrial, commercial or management experience. Advertisement There is also the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which invites foreign nationals to become permanent residents so long as they "invest in and actively manage a business" in Canada's smallest province. PNP applicants must invest at least $150,000 in a P.E.I. business, and control not less than 33 1/3 per cent of the firm in question. There are also limits on the kinds of businesses you can run there. A foreign national can't, for example, develop real estate, unless it's "deemed to be [of] significant economic benefit to the P.E.I. economy." A source of controversy Immigrant investor programs in Canada have been the subject of controversy for years. The federal government shut down its program in 2014 amid concerns that it was just a way for wealthy foreigners to buy citizenship, The Globe and Mail reported. The QIIP, however, remains in operation and a significant source of consternation amid worries that it's allowing foreign capital to inflate Vancouver's housing market. Advertisement Investors coming to Canada through Quebec's investor program must intend to settle in the province. But as many as 89 per cent of applicants leave Quebec and about two-thirds of them end up in Vancouver, according to South China Morning Post reporter Ian Young. Many of these investors come from China and put their money into expensive detached homes on the city's west side and in the suburb of Richmond a trend that could very well be helping to drive prices to unaffordable heights, he added. The QIIP has been such a concern in B.C. that Premier Christy Clark raised it with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard at a meeting last week, Global News reported. "When people come into Quebec as investor immigrants, they want them to spend the money there and they want them to stay there," Clark told the network. Advertisement Also on HuffPost: OTTAWA The federal government may scrap Friday sittings of the House of Commons despite a lack of unanimity from Parliamentarians, the Government House Leader's office confirms. Writing in the summer edition of Power and Influence magazine, Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc argues Friday sittings should be eliminated to improve the way Parliament works. Advertisement But LeBlanc's comments fly in the face of a Commons committee report this June that found a lack of consensus between MPs on getting rid of the Friday sittings. LeBlanc's spokesman Sebastien Beliveau told The Huffington Post Canada that the government hasn't made a final decision on eliminating Friday sittings but "it is one of many options being seriously considered." "He believes it is a very valid option," Beliveau said of his boss. Shifting hours during the week Getting rid of Friday sittings would require hours to be extended Monday to Thursday "to ensure the House of Commons sits for at least the same number of hours it currently does, if not more," LeBlanc wrote in the magazine. Advertisement Extending sitting hours during the week would allow more work to be accomplished when more MPs are in the Commons, he argued. Right now, the House ends at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays and no votes can take place on that day. "There are many reasons for for this, but one main reason is that all parties, including those arguing that Fridays are sacrosanct, typically only have a third of their members in Ottawa on Fridays, if not fewer," said LeBlanc. Eliminating Fridays in Ottawa would allow MPs who work "round-the-clock" to spend more time in their ridings connecting with their constituents and attending more events, he wrote. "I believe it is important that we recognize that by implementing this change, Canada would be recognizing what many other legislatures, both in Canada and internationally, have already realized; increasing the amount of debate in the House of Commons and ensuring that Members of Parliament can spend more time directly helping their constituents is worth much more than a lesser amount of hours and a sitting day where all parties already let two-thirds of their members be absent." Advertisement LeBlanc's opinion piece was penned before the committee's report came out, the magazine's editor said. In June, the Procedure and House Affairs committee found no agreement on eliminating Friday sittings, However, it noted that the House of Representatives in both Australia and New Zealand don't sit on Fridays, while the House of Commons in the United Kingdom sits on only 13 designated Fridays. The committee's report noted that some MPs were opposed to eliminating Fridays since "it would reduce the ability of the Opposition to hold the government to account." Extended sitting hours during the week would also encroach on family time in the evenings for staff and those MPs living in Ottawa with their spouse and children. "Given the lack of consensus the Committee has heard regarding whether the potential benefits of eliminating Friday sittings outweigh the potential drawbacks, the Committee does not intend to propose a recommendation regarding this matter," it wrote. Advertisement Family-friendly modern workplace LeBlanc, however, may plough ahead with reforms. "He's going to follow through on the mandate letter that was given to him, asking for a more family-friendly modern workplace," his spokesman said. The Government House Leader's mandate letter calls on him to "work with Opposition House Leaders to examine ways to make the House of Commons more family-friendly for Members of Parliament." That may be difficult with the NDP and the Conservatives raising concerns about eliminating one extra day of parliamentary work and many MPs at odds about possible changes. Also on HuffPost A possible contender for the Conservative leadership says Liberals are treating Atlantic Canada like a "backwater place" by not guaranteeing that the next Supreme Court justice will be from the region. And Tory MP Lisa Raitt who was raised in Sydney, Nova Scotia but represents the Ontario riding of Milton says she is surprised more people aren't upset. Advertisement Lisa Raitt talks with media in Ottawa on June 1, 2015. (Photo: Matthew Usherwood/The Canadian Press) Raitt spoke with CBC Radio's Mainstreet Thursday about the federal government's new advisory board that will help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau name top court justices. The seven-member group will recommend up to five names to fill the seat of retiring Justice Thomas Cromwell of Nova Scotia, the only Atlantic Canadian on the Supreme Court. By convention, the court has always included one member from the Maritimes. Despite acknowledging a "regional custom" exists, Liberals are accepting applications from across Canada to fill Cromwell's spot, leading some to conclude Atlantic Canadians are about to lose their traditional spot on the bench. Raitt said she was "very shocked" by the revelation, calling it a "minimization of the regional aspect" of Canada and a worrying sign for Atlantic Canadians. Advertisement "It's completely overlooking the unique perspective that you have across the country," Raitt said, adding that regional concerns are precisely why there are 338 members of Parliament. "I'm really surprised that there's not a greater outcry, especially since I'm very proud of coming from a part of the world that doesn't take a lot lying down." Lisa Raitt The former lawyer, who serves as her party's finance critic, said it was clear those running the "prime minister's shop" don't think highly of the Maritimes. She also expressed concern the country's highest court could reflect only the realities of Ontario, Quebec, and big cities. "I'm really surprised that there's not a greater outcry, especially since I'm very proud of coming from a part of the world that doesn't take a lot lying down, that we stand up for what we believe is right," Raitt said. Atlantic Canadians are "getting the short end of the stick" again, she said. "It just drives me around the bend when people assume that we're not good enough, that we can't be bilingual, that we don't have visible minorities here, whatever that mix is that they're looking for," Raitt said. Advertisement "It can't possibly be in Atlantic Canada because 'they're a backwater place.' And I'm tired of that whole label that we get down here." 'It friggin' well matters a lot' Raitt also took to Twitter this week to ask where that "Atlantic fighting spirit" was on the issue. She also cautioned Cape Bretoners to steer clear of apathy. "It friggin' well matters a lot," she said. Wondering where that great Atlantic fighting spirit is. Why would any politician give up Atlantic spot on SCC. Our traditions matter too. Lisa Raitt (@lraitt) August 3, 2016 And by the way my fellow Cape Bretonners - don't let anyone tell you it doesn't matter u have no SCC seat. It friggin' well matters a lot. Lisa Raitt (@lraitt) August 3, 2016 Raitt's passion on the issue could also reflect the reality that there are no Conservative MPs in Atlantic Canada to push the government on the matter. Advertisement All 32 MPs from Atlantic Canada are Liberal, as are the premiers of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Tory justice critic Rob Nicholson said in a statement this week that those Liberal MPs and premiers collectively failed to "guarantee their region's representation on the top court in the country." It's a safe bet that Raitt will lean on her Atlantic Canadian roots if she jumps into the race to replace Stephen Harper as Tory leader. Former prime minister Stephen Harper waves as he steps away from the podium after addressing delegates during the 2016 Conservative Party Convention in Vancouver, B.C. on May 26, 2016. (Photo: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) Advertisement Unlike other one-member, one-vote leadership contests, each riding will have equal weight. This means that Tories in Atlantic Canada ridings have just as much power as those in the Conservative heartland out West. Former Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay, who once warned he would leave the party if it moved to a one-member, one-vote system, is also mulling a bid. 'I'm home for the conversation again' Raitt suggested she will make up her mind about the leadership contest as she visits her home province this week. "When I decided to run in 2008 for member of Parliament, my gut check was done here in Sydney, sitting at the kitchen table with my family and having the conversations that I needed to have," she said. "I'm home for the conversation again. So this is it." ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Ask any teen and theyll tell you the worst summer job is cutting grass or working at a fast food joint. Luckily, Sasha Obama isnt doing either of those things. Instead, shes spending her summer days on Martha's Vineyard thanks to a sweet new gig. The 15-year-old daughter of U.S. President Barack Obama just landed a job at Nancys Restaurant, a seafood joint in Oak Bluffs. Her responsibilities include tending to the cash register, bussing tables and prepping the restaurant for lunch. Advertisement While this seems like a pretty regular summer job, you have to admit that working any gig on a beautiful island is a win. Plus, the Boston Herald reports that Sasha only works four-hour shifts in the early morning, leaving her plenty of time for fun in the sun. Keeping it real. First Daughter Sasha Obama working summer job as take-out cashier on Martha's Vineyard. pic.twitter.com/DGg488gEWR Mike Sington (@MikeSington) August 4, 2016 Considering the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act states that age 14 is the general minimum age of employment, its safe to say that this is Sashas first job. According to NY Daily News, the teen has decided to go by her full name, Natasha, while at work. And since she is still the First Daughter, she is accompanied by a group of Secret Service agents on every shift. Advertisement We were wondering why there were six people helping this girl, a server at Nancys told the Boston Herald, but then we found out who it was. The Obamas are known for vacationing on Marthas Vineyard and are reportedly friends with restaurant owner Joe Moujabber, which is how Sasha scored a job. The teen's work days will end on Saturday, though, when her family is expected to arrive for a two-week visit. Sashas older sister Malia had quite a different first job. Last summer, the 18-year-old interned on the set of HBOs Girls. However, this year, Malia appears to be taking a break from work. The eldest daughter of President Obama was recently spotted enjoying herself at Chicagos Lollapalooza festival. Advertisement Also on HuffPost (Photo: AP Photo/Armando Franca) The pro-GMO lobby spends much of its time and resources attacking critics who have genuine concerns about GM technology. These attacks are designed to whip up emotive, populist sentiment and denigrate critics. In part, this approach aims to divert attention from the underlying causes of hunger and poverty as well as the commercial interests and political motivations of the pro-GM lobby itself. The pro-GMO lobby has a long history of well-orchestrated smear campaigns against individuals and groups, pro-GM propaganda (see this about the sweet potato) and dirty tricks. Advertisement For instance, former U.K. environment minister Owen Paterson describes critics of GM as a "green blob" bunch of anti-science Luddites. Then there is Fellow of the U.K. Royal Society Sir Richard John Roberts who implies that critics have a political agenda. Roberts says if you don't want to eat GMOs, then don't -- conveniently ignoring that fact that at least $100 million was spent in the U.S. to prevent mandatory labelling of GM food. He has also expressed dismay over the delay in the production of Golden Rice. Mirroring the propaganda of the pro-GMO lobby, Roberts says though Golden Rice became a reality in February 1999, the opposition to GM has ensured that it is not currently available. Recent research by Washington University shows this is simply not the case. Another prominent scientist-cum-lobbyist, Anthony Trewavas, calls on critics to defer to (pro-GM) scientists and stop forcing their authoritarian views on people, thus denying choice and GM to consumers and farmers alike. However, the GM agritech industry is driven by self-interest. And the GMO project is based on fraud and the capturing and corrupting of international and national bodies, including the WTO, bilateral trade deals, governments and regulatory bodies. The massive financial clout and the capture of key political institutions (thereby curtailing the option of prioritizing more productive and sustainable models of agriculture) constitute the power base of global agribusiness corporations. Advertisement If anything matters to the pro-GMO lobby, it clearly has little to do with "choice" or objective science. It has more to do with undermining and debasing these concepts (see "Monsanto wants to know why people doubt science"). If it were to genuinely embrace these values, along with "humanitarianism," a concept it also lays claim to, it would flag up and protest against the corporate capture of science and the infiltration by commercial agribusiness interests of public institutions. It would also protest against the way trade, agriculture and aid is used to subjugate regions to the needs of powerful commercial entities. But it won't. Eric Holt-Gimenez has indicated that the companies driving the GM agenda fuel and benefit from these processes. The World Bank, World Trade Organization, World Food Program, The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the likes of Cargill, Syngenta, DuPont and Monsanto carefully avoid addressing the root causes of the food crisis. The "solutions" they prescribe are rooted in the same policies and technologies that created the problem in the first place: increased food aid, de-regulated global trade in agricultural commodities and more technological and genetic fixes. These measures only strengthen the corporate status quo controlling the world's food. Eric concludes that the future of our food is being decided de facto by unregulated global markets, financial speculators and global monopolies. It should therefore come as no surprise that these companies and their PR foot soldiers (whether scientists or media people) set out to attack those who campaign against GM and who desire genuine food democracy and proper accountability. While certain molecular biologists argue that adopting GM would offer plentiful and affordable food, it seems they fail to recognize the line between science and propaganda. It must be understood that these people are not economists, anthropologists, environmental scientists, health professionals, political scientists or trade policy analysts. Advertisement Spouting out personal opinion while waving a science PhD does not mean that we should automatically bow before some self-appointed scientific priesthood. No amount of gene splicing or fine-sounding rhetoric can overcome the structural factors that lead to poverty and malnutrition. The geopolitics of food and agriculture, structural inequality, debt repayment, trade policy, commodity speculation and access to land and credit, among other things, all determine whether there is plentiful, affordable food. By focusing so heavily on GM, the pro-GMO lobby is attempting to divert attention away from the real issues that are fuelling food poverty and food insecurity and literally cash in on the problem with patented corporate seeds. When it comes down to it, it's not really a case of being pro- or anti-GMO. It's a case of being anti-corruption and pro-democratic. When hugely powerful corporations flex their political and financial muscle, they can and do effectively slant science, politics and regulation to suit their own self-interest. People naturally become suspicious and demand transparency, genuine independent testing and genuine independent evaluations of the impacts of GM. And people are right to be suspicious. Dr. Meryl Hammond, founder of the Campaign for Alternatives to Pesticides, told a Canadian Parliament committee some years ago that a raft of studies published in peer-reviewed journals point to strong associations between chemical pesticides and serious health consequences. And there is scientist Dr. Shiv Chopra who exposed to the public his many battles against the Canadian government which he says knowingly allowed carcinogenic pesticides to enter the food supply. From sugar-drenched food to glyphosate, regulatory delinquency and the power of large corporations to exert influence over governments and public agencies is widespread. And GMOs are no different. Steven Druker has shown that widespread fraud and the subversion of science helped get GMOs on to the commercial market in the U.S. Advertisement Instead, what we get are smears and PR, which demonstrate a deep ideological commitment to corporate profit and power, rather than a willingness to address the concerns of those who question the efficacy of GMOs and the practices of companies, politicians and scientists who are promoting this technology. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook In the year 2001 the population in the small town of Milton, Ontario was just over 31,000 people -- making this an ideal small town in the province to raise a family. Now, in 2016 the estimated population in Milton is well over 100,000 with projections of 228,000 by 2031. Milton is a town surrounded by farmers fields and the Niagara Escarpment and divided by the 401 highway. This small town that is west of Mississauga, north of Burlington and Oakville and not too far from Toronto and right on the 401 quickly became the ideal place to start a family with an easy commute to work. Now as you travel between Oakville or Burlington into Milton it's hard to notice where one city ends and the next one begins. Advertisement Overhead view of Milton, Ontario Milton is just one of many Ontario cities that are building homes all over what were once vast fields and family farms. As developers purchase land and as builders wait for the permits and for the lots to sell, what's left behind are the houses that used to run those farms. Farms where the kids learned the importance of a hard days work, where the farmers made a living on blood and sweat and hard work and a place where city dwellers could escape for a long country drive with the family. In a 2015 Toronto Star article titled Ontario farmland under threat as demand for housing grows we learn of a farmer named Don Howard who is a fifth generation farmer north of Newmarket. Nine years ago Don's mother sold their land to a developer and Don now pays that developer rent to live and work on his own family farm -- but he is living there on borrowed time. The article states that developers are "...banking that urban sprawl will soon find a new home among the York Region towns and hamlets that form an island, slated for development, right in the heart of Ontario's 10-year-old protected Greenbelt zone." There are surely many more "Don Howard's" out there in his same situation, I have personally had conversations with a handful of men who are living on land now owned by developers, their family homestead left abandoned and derelict, waiting for the eventual development of more modern cookie cutter housing. Farmers living on borrowed time in homes that have been there for generations, homes with charm, character and hours upon hours of stories from the many years. These old and derelict houses are what curious explorers and photographers like myself and many others seek to document and photograph before the urban sprawl takes over. Advertisement A popular abandoned house along a back road in New Tecumseth We still have back roads and we still have lots of open countryside but take a drive anywhere in Ontario and head down any of those country roads and it won't be long until you start noticing all of the abandoned and forgotten houses that are scattered all over the province. Some of them are visible in plain sight, some of them are hidden behind years of bushes, trees and overgrowth and some are down long driveways and well hidden in what was once a farmers field. Shattered windows with curtains flowing in the breeze, screen doors open and barely hanging on, crumbling roofs and siding hanging on by a screw. Old rusty farm equipment left in the fields, barns with fallen roofs, left to become an eventual heap of wood that will end up being the "authentic barn-board kitchen table" sold for $2,000 at Pier 1. Advertisement Now, for the next in my ongoing series of documenting the many abandoned houses left behind all across Ontario, here is a brand new selection of the derelict and abandoned houses I've visited and photographed in my travels around the province. An abandoned house found in the middle of a wheat field near Listowel, Ontario. A home near Rockwood, Ontario that was at one time undergoing restoration The back roads between London and Chatham are peppered with old houses like this one. Advertisement An abandoned home built with the Gothic Revival style in Milton, Ontario This home in Halton region is slated for demolition A child's Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal ironically sitting beside a fallen hornets nest somewhere near Georgetown, Ontario This beautiful stone house near Lake Michigan will soon be fallen into itself Advertisement A geodesic dome house in Huron County seems to be a reno project left unfinished This small green house sits right in the middle of a corn field somewhere in Southwestern, Ontario. ntirely hidden in the summer months. Somewhere down a long overgrown driveway in Binbrook, Ontario. An abandoned house found somewhere east of Chatham, Ontario Advertisement Power still runs to this old insulbrick home in the Hamilton area but home sits vacant Near Welland, Ontario many people drive past this abandoned house every day and probably don't even notice it. Inside this abandoned house sits a bear head rug in the living room An abandoned school house north of London, Ontario. In the summer months this building is entirely surrounded by corn. Advertisement Thank you for taking the time to read, I look forward to your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below. If my photography and subject matter interests you feel free to visit my website on Urban Exploration Photography or follow me on Facebook or Instagram. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: Azerbaijans Central Election Commission plans to prepare and distribute special brochures among all participants of the referendum. Therefore, participants will be able to get acquainted with the draft referendum act, Head of Central Election Commission Mazahir Panahov said Aug. 4 at the commission meeting. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree July 18 on submitting the draft Referendum Act "On Amendments to the Constitution of Azerbaijan to the Constitutional Court. The Azerbaijani Constitutional Court approved the draft amendments to the countrys constitution at a session July 25. The referendum on amendments to Azerbaijans constitution was scheduled for Sept. 26. Issues related to the preparation of final protocols of election (referendum) commissions on the voting results, amount, text, form, rules of preparation of ballots and text, form, amount, and the preparation of notifications of voters about the place and time of the voting were discussed at the meeting and the corresponding decisions were made. Getty Images Surgeons in hospital scrubs operating during surgery - focus on female surgeon As the old riddle goes: A father and a son are in a horrible car crash. The son is rushed to hospital and the trauma surgeon is called. As the surgeon walks into the room, the surgeon says "I can't operate! That boy is my son!" How can this be? Over the past year, the Australian community has become uncomfortably aware of the pervasive culture of discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment within the medical profession. To those of us within the profession, it is clear that this deeply embedded culture of sexual harassment is a symptom of a much deeper problem. This profession, particularly the surgical specialty, is pervaded by an inherent androcentrism that means women are seen as outsiders. Advertisement As a female medical student, I have been told that teaching women to be surgeons is "a waste of resources." In my opinion, this is not because women are inferior to men, it is because the structure of the profession favours men. Consider, when was the last time a male surgeon was considered to "have it all" because he had a full-time surgical career, a marriage and children? In fact, when one refers to a surgeon, how often is it simply assumed that the surgeon is male? If you haven't already realized, the aforementioned trauma surgeon -- in the riddle above -- is the patient's mother; she is female. Advertisement In the past, medicine was an all-male industry, so the processes and behaviours grew around the needs of men. The difficulty now arises in catalyzing a shift towards an equitable distribution of opportunity and access. There are a myriad of industries that are also historically all male, but have since progressed, so the question remains: Why is medicine still stuck in the past? As a society, we must shift our lens. We must reflect, are we attempting to change the culture of a profession in the hopes that the structural framework will follow suit? Have we got it backwards? If we consider the medical profession as a metaphor for society itself, then the select few in the surgical field are a parallel for those in Federal Parliament. While we are optimistic that a new generation of doctors will bring with it change, it would be naive to think this will happen without support from the top. In an era when the emphasis is on empowering girls and women, it is disappointing that only 31.9 per cent of the top tier of our nation is comprised of women. Females in high-profile leadership positions influence cultural norms, and are the first step towards delivering policy that treats men and women equally in terms of education and labor force participation. A gender-diverse Parliament will promote policy that is non-discriminatory, ensuring that decision-making is not weighted towards the needs of either gender. Though nations with gender diverse parliaments are not all perfect, what they have in common is that they have each seen rapid progress and social advancement. For instance, Rwanda, which has a 64 per cent female parliament, now has 86 per cent female labor force participation compared to Australia's 65 per cent. The Nordic nations have shown the effects of promoting female leadership; Swedish Parliament is 44 per cent female and has the highest female employment rate in the E.U. Similarly, Finland, a nation often considered the gold standard in terms of female representation in government, has generous paid maternity leave and heavily subsidized child care. Advertisement The road to equal representation in Parliament will be a difficult one, and will most likely only occur when the group that benefits from an imbalance in power is willing to give up some of their advantages, for the sake of true equality. By Maria Bilal, G(irls)20 Delegate, Australia alexsl via Getty Images Currency exchange rate finance stock market data fintech The word "disruption" has come to define the relationship between start-ups and large companies, most notably in fintech. But "disruption," in the true sense of the word, is looking less and less likely. Traditional financial institutions are no longer scoffing at Silicon Valley, they're using their tools to beat them at their own game. And the smart fintech startups actually understand this. They know that their fate is either to be acquired (and likely forgotten) or to be the seed of an idea that creates real change in the market, whether they succeed financially or not. Advertisement If I asked you who the leading robo advisers were, would you list fintech companies like Betterment and Wealthfront? If so, you would be wrong. Charles Schwab and Vanguard, both traditional financial institutions with long histories, have surpassed these start-ups with their own in-house robo offerings, in terms of assets under management. This is a remarkable turn in the history of digital disruption. This is the equivalent of Blockbuster launching an online streaming service that outpaces Netflix's subscription numbers. While we have been trained to look for the next digital upstart and cheer when they defeat Goliath with a better interface, and cheaper, more convenient model, I would suggest that disruption pattern does not neatly apply to financial services, at least not today. When Clayton Christensen coined the term "disruptive innovation", he was referring to something very specific. Disruptive innovation is when a new entrant joins the market with a cheaper product or service, and begins to eat the market from the bottom up. It usually starts from the bottom of the market because the product is less complete (though usually more novel technology) than the top of the market offerings. After surviving on thin margins and slowly taking away market share from the top players, disruptors invest their profits back into more and more features and marketing spend to work their way up-market until they have "disrupted" the incumbents by either taking them right out of business, or permanently knocking them into a lower competitive tier. That is disruption. Compare that with the robo adviser landscape. It's true that robo advisers, with their automated portfolio balancing, superior user interface, and rock bottom prices, began swooping up the millennial investor market. But then something happened. The media began sounding the "disruptor" alarm, and all the big wealth management firms listened. For the average investor, this is a very good thing. Now virtually all large wealth management firms have either incorporated robo advisers, or have publicly stated they are working on implementing them. This includes all of the "Big Five" banks in Canada. The original robo advisers now offer enterprise services and white-label themselves to sell into traditional wealth firms. It's a smart business move, but it can no longer be sensibly called "disruption." Advertisement The unsexy truth is, larger companies are better positioned to innovate than start-ups. They have more money, more man-power, a more trusted brand, and most of all, more ways to reach their customers. Out of all bank customers, some are technology enthusiasts who moved entirely to robo advisers as soon as they could. At the other end of the spectrum, some customers refuse to do any banking without talking to a human, face to face. The banks with robo advisers are able to capture all those customers. When a new fintech challenger arrives, big banks are able to iterate, adopt the challenger technology, and welcome the technology enthusiasts as customers. Robo advisers on the other hand, are simply not able to offer a "face to face" option to expand their "late adopter" market share. Another big hurdle that fintech startups face in the quest for disruption is compliance. Banking and finance regulations are famously complex and laden in red tape. Consider the fact that Elon Musk, arguably the most boundary-pushing entrepreneur of the last decade, initially tried to make it in fintech, but was bogged down by the regulations and technicalities stacked against his fully digital bank concept (the final product was an email payments company that merged with PayPal). If Elon Musk can't disrupt banking as we know it, then I'm not sure who can. This may not be the narrative that the world wants to hear about the nature of fintech and disruption, but it's the current market reality. This is not to say that there are not genuinely innovative and fascinating fintech companies here in Canada that are changing the way we handle money. There are plenty of them. Advertisement But the fintech startups in Canada that are succeeding are either taking only a portion of the financial technology pie, such as lending or payments (Grow and Payso respectively) or they are directly helping financial institutions solve their own compliance problems, through identity verification or digital client onboarding (Trulioo and Agreement Express). None of these companies could be called disruptors, because they all sell to financial institutions in some way and help them become more effective, rather than trying to run them out of business. Louis CK once said that if you describe your Wendy's sandwich as "amazing," then how can you describe your wedding day or the birth of your first child? It's too late, you've already wasted "amazing" on your lunch. The same is true for fintech. Canadian fintech companies are doing truly innovative things to make financial services better for everyone. But at this point, we can't use the word disruptive. Maybe someday, but not yet. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: Shutterstock / albund Occasionally, criminal law and estate law intersect. That intersection was particularly shocking in the high-profile cases of Helmuth Buxbaum and Peter Demeter. Both were convicted of arranging the murder of their wives and both tried to collect on life insurance policies in their respective wifes name. The court refused to allow these men to benefit as a result of their crimes and, therefore, barred both of them from collecting the proceeds of their murdered wives life insurance policies. The law is clear that murder will prevent a person from inheriting from the estate of the victim. Typically, the accused must be found guilty and exhaust all rights to appeal before the courts will intervene to void a testamentary gift or a beneficiary designation. As noted in Demeter v British Pacific Life Insurance Co, [1984] OJ No 3363, 48 OR (2d) 266, a criminal conviction is accepted as proof of the criminal activity in civil cases. Therefore, a convicted murderer cannot subsequently argue in an estates matter that he or she is innocent of the crime and capable of accepting a testamentary gift, or other benefit resulting from, the death of his or her victim. Advertisement Another criminal offence that can operate to prevent a person from inheriting under a will is section 366 of the Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c. C-46. Section 366 deals with forgery and offences resembling forgery. If a will came about by fraud or forgery, the fraudster cannot take under the will. As a matter of public policy, a court will also not enforce a gift in a will that encourages the commission of a crime. The question here becomes: what crimes committed by a beneficiary will result in the criminal-beneficiary becoming legally incapable of taking under the victim-testators will? Beyond the two criminal offences noted above, the law generally does not preclude a beneficiary, who was previously convicted of a criminal offence, from receiving a benefit to which he or she is entitled under a will. One criminal offence that has gained the attention of other jurisdictions with regard to estates matters is the offence of spousal or elder abuse. At present in Canada, a prior conviction of abuse perpetrated by a beneficiary against a testator does not invalidate a gift to that beneficiary under a will. While it is arguable that criminal offences other than those in Buxbaum and Demeter have little to do with obtaining gifts under a will, abuse can be, amongst other things, a form of controlling the victim. The law recognizes and forbids certain kinds of control exercised by beneficiaries in the estates context. For example, undue influence or coercion that is used to procure a benefit under a will is legal grounds to challenge the validity of the will itself. In addition to a will challenge on the basis of undue influence, a disappointed beneficiary might claim a tort of interference, namely, that the defendant intended to injure the plaintiff and cause a loss to him or her. As such, the courts are prepared to intervene in situations where a person uses coercion to procure a benefit from the testator. Advertisement While it could be argued that spousal and elder abuse may have nothing to do with procuring an economic benefit, it should be remembered that law is often a reflection of the state of public policy and the kinds of behaviour and attitudes that a society wishes to encourage or discourage. While murder is widely recognized as a heinous crime that may disentitle a prospective beneficiary, all forms of violence and coercion are worthy of censure. While the law in Canada may not, at this stage, invalidate a gift to a beneficiary who was previously convicted of abusing the testator, it may nevertheless be considered within the context of an estates dispute, in which remedies against the perpetrator may be sought by other interested parties. Ian Hull and Suzana Popovic-Montag are partners at Hull & Hull LLP, an innovative law firm that practices exclusively in estate, trust and capacity litigation. To watch more Hull & Hull TV episodes, please visit our Hull & Hull TV page. Anthony Devlin/PA Archive Jaquline Reeder, 8 (left) and Rosie Reeder, 7, carry buckets and spades along the beach at Looe, Cornwall, where holiday makers are enjoying the warm sunshine. For millions of children around the world, life can be a daily struggle. From managing a disability, to overcoming cyberbullying, to escaping conflict, children face challenges many adults couldn't even imagine. But the lucky ones don't have to go through it alone. Meet five sets of friends who remind us what giving truly means. 1) Usher and Mampatchi, Guinea Bissau Advertisement Usher, 7, was born in the village of Ponta Nova, Guinea Bissau. He has a physical disability. Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school or access medical services, and are at greater risk of physical abuse, among other risks. That might have been Usher's fate were it not for the UNICEF Child Friendly School he attends, and for Mampatchi, his best friend at the school. "She sits with me. Sometimes she helps me write," says Usher. With his teacher's support, and the constant help and encouragement of Mampatchi, Usher has been welcomed into the school with open arms. He is able to learn as an equal alongside his peers. Thanks to his best friend, Usher's future is promising to be a bright one. 2) Jessica and Winny, Brazil When inappropriate pictures from her mobile phone were stolen and shared throughout her school, Jessica, 20, found herself the victim of cyberbullying, social isolation and embarrassment. "When I walked into the building...everyone was looking at me and they laughed at me," she said. "I didn't go out of the classroom during recess to avoid crying in front of people. A lot of my girlfriends helped me during this time, like Winnie." Advertisement Winnie, 17, stood by Jessica when other students were making fun of her. "She treated me as if nothing happened," said Jessica. "It feels so good when people make an effort to try to help us face a tough situation." Winny not only supported her friend, but she also became an advocate against online sexual exploitation and cyberbullying, and was a finalist of UNICEF's Safe Surf Campaign. "I come from a big family and we are all very close, so that if one of us is suffering then the others do too," said Winny. "I guess that dynamic goes with me into society too, and with my friends at school." 3) Mercy, Martu, Justina and Harris, Liberia When her long-time best friend passed away from Ebola, Martu Weefor knew she had to help the children left behind. Mercy and Harris's father had already passed away years before, but now Ebola left them orphaned. Advertisement Justina King had served as their caregiver while the children stayed at an interim care centre for children exposed to Ebola. UNICEF helped train Justina and the centre's other workers - who were themselves Ebola survivors - to closely monitor patients for any symptoms. Once discharged, Martu made the big decision to become their permanent foster mother, and committed to giving her best friend's children a permanent home, and hope for a better future. 4) Mohammad, Sanna, and Fodaoi, Gambia Fodaoi, Mohammad, and Sanna walk the beaches of Sicily during an outing from the UNICEF-supported reception centre where they're staying, which also doubles as a lodging station for unaccompanied minors. The boys, originally from Gambia, took a boat together from Libya to Italy in search of a better life. They were fleeing political persecution and pre-election violence. The three friends created a crew called "Do it or die." "We risked our lives to come here," said Mohammad, 17. "We crossed a sea. We knew it is not safe, so we sacrificed. We do it, or we die." The journey was harrowing. From being beaten at checkpoints in Niger, to seeing corpses in the vast deserts of Libya of others who had failed before them, to having their boat sink and being rescued by the Italian Marines, these three friends gave it - and each other - their all. Now they are helping each other adjust to their new lives. Advertisement 5) Kinan Kadouni and Syrian boy, Greece Friends aren't necessarily lifelong acquaintances. Sometimes, our best friends are people we only meet for a few brief minutes. On the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos, volunteer Kinan Kadouni spotted a young boy in the midst of other Syrian refugees who had just landed, having risked their lives to flee violence in their home country. UNICEF is working to support the migrants who flee the violence for Europe, which include many unaccompanied children. "When their boat arrived, everyone looked pale and afraid and this boy was the only one with a big smile, and that is how he drew my attention immediately," said Kadouni. "I went directly to him and got him out of the boat and we started playing and laughing." Kadouni, 26, is himself a refugee from Saragep, Syria, who left his country five years ago and went on to study in Belgium. He spent two and a half years in a refugee centre while waiting for his asylum application. Advertisement "They gave me a lot when I was living there, and now it's time for me to give them something back," he said. That's why Kadouni flew to Greece to volunteer in welcoming and assisting refugees after they landed. The journey across the Mediterranean is a difficult one, with many refugees becoming seasick as a result of dehydration and cold. Many don't survive the trip at all. "I did this because I am myself a refugee and I know this feeling very well and it would be good for the refugees who come by boat to find someone welcoming them," he said. "This lovely boy made my day with his nice smile. When everyone else was afraid, this boy was laughing." London's iconic Trafalgar Square was transformed into an interactive, tropical tax haven to increase pressure on world leaders to clamp down on tax dodging MPs have today published a damning report which strikes a blow at the idea that we're on course to fix the broken global tax system. Advertisement The scourge of corporate tax avoidance hurts rich and poor countries alike but, as with so many things, it is often the poorest people who pay the heaviest price. Developing countries are estimated to lose US$200 billion a year to corporate tax avoidance. It is the poorest women and children who are hardest hit when schools and hospitals are starved of the funding they need. World leaders have spent the last few years making bold promises to sort out the problem. In 2015 this gave birth to the so-called 'Base Erosion and Profit Shifting' ('BEPS') package of global reforms. The way some people spoke of it, you would imagine this raft of new measures was to be the solution to all global ills. A more sober analysis is delivered by the cross-party group of MPs, chaired by Margaret Hodge MP, which gathered evidence on these much-vaunted proposals from experts on all sides of the debate. Their conclusion? "BEPS has fallen short of creating the fair global system needed to combat global tax avoidance." In fact they describe the reforms as a "sticking plaster". Doesn't quite sound like the promised panacea, does it? Advertisement What went wrong? The proposals represent, as the report says, "international consensus on the development of new global tax rules and ... major progress in gaining cross-country agreement on sharing tax information". It all sounds very promising. So what went wrong? The negotiations were led by rich country clubs (the OECD and G20), whose membership doesn't extend to any of the developing countries which suffer most from the broken global tax system. Unsurprisingly the package was not designed with their needs in mind, and hence does not even try to address many of the issues which concern them most. One of the most important of these is how taxing rights are divvied up between the country where a company does business (usually the poorer one) and the country where the company has its headquarters (usually the richer one). Often this favours the richer country. BEPS includes nothing on this critical problem. Another problem lies in the weakness of some of the recommendations. Transparency is vital to fixing this problem. As they say, sunlight is the best disinfectant. So, while it's good BEPS will introduce country-by-country reporting for the first time - companies will have to report profits and taxes paid in each country where they operate - this is greatly undermined by the fact the requirement will only apply to the very largest companies (turnover above 750m per year) and the information will never be published. Campaigners around the world, and especially in poorer countries, will remain reliant on whistleblowers (think Panama Papers) to bring dodgy dealings into the light. And finally, some countries have been less than up front about what they have been calling for behind closed doors. The MPs' report calls the UK government a 'difficult friend', leading on tax avoidance reforms in public while undermining the effectiveness of the same proposals behind the scenes. In particular the report highlights that it was difficult to agree stronger recommendations on anti-tax haven rules (CFC rules) due to "push back... from the UK". Advertisement The new Prime Minister has emphasised that she will not be a showman politician, and we should judge her by her deeds not her words. So how will her approach to the thorny issue of tax - which still gives rise to great ire in voters - differ from that of her predecessor? Committing to implement public country-by-country reporting; supporting efforts to bring developing countries into global reform processes on an equal footing; and ensuring that the UK's tax policy does not harm developing countries would all be excellent ways of demonstrating she means business. Global tax conversations are littered with acronyms - G20, G8, OECD, CFC, PCBCR, DTT to name but a few. It may seem a crowded market but in light of the UK's "difficult friend" moniker I would suggest there is space for Theresa May to introduce one more: BFF. Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Our democracy has run away from us. After five years of broken promises from a Conservative/Lib Dem coalition, we now have a Tory government which has veered right from its manifesto and has put young people under attack. Many are resigned to it - we're young, we're struggling, we've no reason to expect better. Jobs are hard to find, we can neither afford education nor afford to neglect it, and a secure home is just a distant dream. For millions of young people in Britain today, it feels like there's nothing we can do. Those of us who voted last election did so overwhelmingly for Labour, but even there the offer was inadequate. There would be small changes here and there which would make our lives a little less bad. Tuition fees would be reduced to a level still double that of 2009; there would be investment in some areas, but only within the consensus that austerity was inevitable and necessary. The focus was never our generation - and from the perspective of some politicians, why should it be? We don't vote. Advertisement Last summer this all changed. The Labour Party dramatically altered its trajectory. When hundreds of thousands of people - a large proportion of them young and disenfranchised - elected Jeremy Corbyn, we set the Labour Party on a different path with a positive vision for democratic socialist politics. After a whirlwind of drama and chest-beating from some of our MPs, Jeremy Corbyn has been given the opportunity to reiterate, expand and clarify this vision. This time there is a much better feel for how we will rebuild and transform Britain. I have no doubt that, once again, young people will overwhelmingly endorse it. We are being offered the four things we most desperately need: jobs, homes, education, and hope. Today, many areas are being drained by big cities simply because young workers can't stay with their friends and families to start their working lives. Even those with training or degrees are fighting for a handful of jobs. Under a Jeremy Corbyn government no young person will be thrown on the scrap heap. No matter where you're from, or whatever has happened to the industry in your community in the past, you will be guaranteed a decent job. This will be paid for through a 500billion National Investment Bank: pumping money into the economy to get it running again, with every pound spent creating jobs and building infrastructure. Education will no longer be an unaffordable privilege. We will enjoy a National Education Service that offers free and accessible education for all stages of life. This won't just cater to the academically-inclined, it will guarantee quality apprenticeships and lifelong skills training Advertisement The insecurity, instability and chaos that plague our living conditions will end. There will be rent controls, and beefed up tenants' rights. This means safe and decent housing, not forcing young people to live in damp, overcrowded, fire hazardous accommodation. Most importantly, Corbyn is pledging to end the housing crisis by building a million homes, half of which council houses. With this mass building programme will come jobs and opportunities. Beyond jobs, education and homes, we are being offered a vision of a government that will offer something which has been sorely missing for decades: hope. Last year our new leadership offered young people a vision to get behind. This year, we are being given a real sense of how a Jeremy Corbyn government will offer us hope for a better world. The recent brutal killing of a French priest marks yet another tragedy in a year that has been consumed by horrors. If a few months ago we were uncertain as to whether conflict had truly reached our borders, now we are left in little doubt. The reported sentiments of a woman in the streets of Rouen, where the murder took place, are striking, both for their courage and for their defiance in the face of calamity. 'We will not be afraid,' she shouted as she cycled past the media cameras through the quiet city boulevards. If only that were true. We know is not true, rather with every attack in the Western world, our collective resolve grows ever weaker, and our mistrust towards those who look different from ourselves grows ever more pronounced. We know this because we allow our governments to continually extend their surveillance powers, despite legitimate concerns that these measures are excessive and vastly disproportionate to the threat faced. We know this because we have allowed extremist, xenophobic leaders to come to the forefront of our political arena. We know this because fear is a natural, innate response to an evil that, after every new atrocity, we perceive to be increasing. The fruits of our collective mistrust are already evident, for with every Islamist crime, the frequency of Islamophobia-related attacks correspondingly increases. Such attacks are callous and unfortunate, but are fundamentally conducted not simply because of hatred, but also due to a sense of fear around the religion of Islam itself. After all, aren't 'moderate' Muslims are only tolerant and pluralistic because of their western upbringing? If they really followed original 7th century Islam then religious harmony would be replaced by brutal tyranny, right? Advertisement Wrong. The teachings of Islam provide comprehensive, unequivocal guidelines on the circumstances in which violence should be used. Firstly, they pronounce that war and conflict is only allowed in cases of self-defence. In other words, to act as the aggressor is condemned in all situations. Even when one must fight in self-defence, as soon as the enemy desists from fighting, violence becomes no longer permissible. Today there exists no war against Islam, and since Muslims are free to live and practice their faith across the Western world, no act of violence can be deemed theologically legitimate. Secondly, Islam teaches that the purpose of war is not to establish tyranny or domination, but to ensure that the rights of all citizens to practice their faiths are upheld, regardless of the creed they follow. Only after thirteen years of unbearable persecution were the early Muslims allowed to retaliate against their oppressors, and the reason given for this permission was because the safety of synagogues, churches, temples, as well as mosques, was under threat. Ultimately, the Prophet Muhammad and his companions were forced to fight in order to establish freedom of conscience, not because they sought to destroy it. Finally, Islam teaches that, whether in a state of war or in a state of peace, the killing of a single innocent person is equivalent to the killing of the whole of humanity. It therefore places a profound value on all human life. Specifically with relation to the attack on the French priest, the Prophet Muhammad ordered, 'Do not kill the monks in monasteries, and do not kill those sitting in places of worship.' How much clearer can teachings be? Deeyah Khan As the Home Office under Theresa May launches an investigation into so-called sharia courts, I'm reminded of an event I attended at the end of April this year. Some of the most influential feminists from the UK's minority communities gathered together to discuss the implications of the growth of so-called 'sharia' law, whether operating as arbitration tribunals, unofficial courts within mosques, or as specialist sections within reputable law firms. These all claim to help Muslims to live in accordance with the tenets of their faith. This 'shariafication' of Muslim life began with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the 1980s. Fundamentalism attempts to overwrite the civilisational heritage of one of the world's great faiths with a fixation on petty rules and regulations. Thus, so-called 'sharia' law has been presented as if it were an expression of God's will, rather than being the product of a particular legal culture, developed within the political context of the 7th - 10th centuries. Advertisement As Dr Elham Manea explains in her new book, the focus of this legal culture is less on providing justice than maintaining male power within the family. From the insistence that adult women have 'guardians', the acceptance of child marriage and polygamy (for men only, of course), the refusal to allow women to marry outside their group and the limited provisions of property to women, classical 'sharia' is the product of a society with very specific - and very limited - roles for women. In practice, this is contrary to the principles of women's human rights. Dr Manea was vehement on this point, pointing out that the same verse of the Quran that 'sharia' judges use to justify polygamy also allows men to keep slaves. 'And shall we have slaves?' she asked, eyes flashing with anger. Polygamy has rocketed over the past 20 years, with some men taking multiple wives to demonstrate their piety. It can even serve as a religiously 'legitimate' means of trafficking girls and young women into sexual slavery. Within the context of 'sharia' law as it is currently understood, even those 'sharia judges' who attempt to do their best for women are doing so against the grain of a tradition that discriminates against them. Those 'judges' who are prejudiced against women have very little to restrain them. Having more than one legal system running is not a sign of a healthy or inclusive society. It is just one less thing that people have in common. It is the very essence of discrimination to provide different standards for justice for people based on aspects of their identity, whether this be their gender, their ethnicity - or their religion - and this goes just as much for other legal systems operating in the UK, such as the Beth Din as it does for the 'sharia' courts. The reason for segregation between communities has often been laid at the feet of Muslims themselves, rather than the failure of successive governments to treat Muslim citizens as individuals, rather than members of religious voting blocs. This runs from allowing exclusive faith schools, to the persistence in dealing with conservative community leaders presumed to be representatives of the 'community'. Advertisement This also occurs within a context the government has gutted legal aid. The poorest members of our society have been diverted into cheaper arbitration and reconciliation services. This has created a two-tier system where justice is only available for the wealthy. This creates a double pressure on Muslim women - unable to access the formal legal system due to the costs, and under pressure within the community to be 'good Muslims' and use so-called 'sharia' services - even though this will cost them their own rights. And so, an unfair system which places justice outside of the reach of Muslim women is enfolded within another unfair system which places justice outside the reach of the poor. *Karen Hong [2015] completed an MPhil in Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge with the support of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She is currently a fourth-year medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine. Picture credit: Kate Holt/AusAID [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Has science finally discovered the "cure" for blindness? Just this week, news sources reported on the exciting breakthrough spearheaded by Dr Andrew Huberman at the Stanford University School of Medicine of using visual stimuli to encourage the regrowth of visual neurons in mice. Several other articles in the last month have similarly heralded the cure to blindness, from stem cell implants that restore dead eye tissue to gene therapy injections for inherited conditions. With these novel advances, how close are we to truly eliminating the world of blindness? To assess this question, we must examine the current state of global eye health. Advertisement Cataract surgery The most common causes of global visual impairment from the 1980s have been treatable for decades. This has led to some significant public health successes, including a 50-90% reduction in eye infections and childhood eye disease in the last 30 years. Now, cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye, have become the leading cause of blindness. Removing cataracts require the skill of an expert surgeon and typically lasts 15 minutes. There are four main challenges in establishing cataract surgery programmes. First, there is a shortage of eye care specialists in developing countries where 90% of people with visual impairment reside. For example, there are only seven ophthalmologists to serve the entire country of Rwanda. This means each doctor is responsible for well over a million citizens. In contrast, the United States has about 25,000 ophthalmologists, meaning there are 83 doctors to serve a population of one million. The Inverse Care Law further compounds the problem - an observed phenomenon where good medical care is inversely related to medical need. Second, in contrast to having a high demand for care, some places with poor infrastructure cannot bring in enough surgical patients to the hospital. It can be difficult to raise awareness about eye health or to transport patients if most villages and towns are in remote locations, cut off from urban city centres. Third, the cost of surgery is an economic barrier. It is necessary to establish self-sustaining programmes to cover costs. Solutions include implementing sliding scale or tiered payment systems where more affluent patients who can afford private rooms and better amenities subsidise the cost of less affluent patients who receive the same medical care without the added post-surgical luxuries. Advertisement Lastly, there is cultural and societal wariness about treatment in some communities. Citizens who have never been to a city hospital may see or hear about sick friends and family who make the days-long trek to seek treatment, only to die at the hospital or never return. The benefit of cataract surgery is not immediately apparent to many. Public health innovations Public health initiatives have come up with innovative solutions to these problems. Mobile surgical camps have increased the spread of eye health in countries with poor access to care. The Aravind Eye Hospital chain in India has created groundbreaking low-cost cataract equipment to offer sustainable treatment. The Himalayan Cataract Project, started by Dr Sanduk Ruit in Nepal, has spread to over six other countries due to its commitment to training doctors from developing countries. One way Dr Ruit overcomes the stigma of treatment is to show the surgical process on a television screen in the waiting area so patients can see the process from start to successful end result. In addition, organisations like Peek Vision seek to integrate portable eye examination technology into healthcare systems, making sure those identified with cataracts end up receiving treatment. Carl Court via Getty Images It is now more than a decade since people in Essex went to the polls to vote in large enough numbers to return Labour MPs at a General Election. That our county doesn't have any Labour representation in the House of Commons is serious, both for the Labour Party and for the people of Essex in ensuring that our views are heard in holding the Government to account. Advertisement These are difficult times. Many Essex workers fear redundancy following Brexit; pockets of our communities are moving towards becoming some of the most economically deprived in the country and we know that our young people are not reaching their full potential. House prices across the county are unaffordable for most first time buyers and families, our public services and local infrastructure have been starved of the investment it needs by a county council that rides roughshod over the needs of so many people in Essex. And Ukip, seizing on justifiable disaffection, act like charlatans by stoking up division and promising working class people that all of society's Tory-made ills will be eradicated if we just stopped immigration into the UK, when racism and hate crime is rising across Essex. There are more children living in poverty in some of our towns then there are in northern mining towns - proving that when you truly understand the levels of deprivation in parts of Essex, you come to realise that the challenges people in Bradford, Sunderland and Liverpool face aren't so different to those facing our friends and families here. We understand that when Labour fails to effectively challenge the government's systematic failures across so many policy areas, radical change is required. Advertisement And that radical change must also be credible change. There are some in the current Labour movement who want us to believe that there is another Labour Party out there. A real one. One that has been missing in action for decades but which can be reborn under the stewardship of Jeremy Corbyn. They tell us that blind faith in Jeremy will be enough. That he has all of the answers, even if he is yet to articulate them to the public. And make no mistake, despite the "true blue" political complexion of Essex at present, we know that in our county, there are thousands of families asking themselves profound questions they never dreamt they would have to find the answers to. Will their children do better than they did; will they afford a home of their own; will their grandchildren still have access to jobs in the factories and docklands that line the Essex coastline; will their pensions be safe; what would happen to their life savings if they need care as they get older? Over the last 11 months, we have continued to work hard in the Labour Party, and we have waited for Jeremy to address these questions with meaningful answers - just as the people of Essex have done. In the end, those answers have been missing from his speeches and his articles. It is now our responsibility as party members to think of what Essex needs - not just how we feel when Jeremy speaks. Advertisement As Labour Party members we all believe passionately in social justice - it is the bedrock upon which all of us are built and no one person or faction has a monopoly on it. We all believe in placing opportunity in the hands of the many and not just the few. However as Labour members we know that injustices - in whatever form - are removed only when you build strong and broad coalitions to achieve change. It's how our movement secured universal suffrage, created the NHS, the welfare state and introduced the minimum wage. We had a basically socialist idea and we transformed it into reality by taking the public with us. We now need to do the same with modern day injustices such as the bedroom tax, food bank usage and attacks on disabled and vulnerable people. The movement that has grown up around Jeremy is extraordinary. It is a welcome injection of enthusiasm and hope into a Labour Party that had become too technocratic and soulless. The rallies he convenes can feel amazing. But as we saw in the 1980s when Michael Foot commanded even bigger audiences at his rallies, the number of supporters for a Labour Leadership candidate doesn't necessarily translate into votes in General Elections and that is what we - and the people of Essex - ultimately need. Irrespective of our personal politics, or views on the politics Jeremy espouses, we understand that the job of electing a Labour government who can improve the lives of these families, is bigger and more important than any of us as individuals. The people we fought desperately hard to serve last year are more important than us. Advertisement We will all be casting our vote for Owen Smith in this Labour leadership election. Owen's dogged belief in putting Labour principles into action through power is exactly the right ethos that we believe can lead labour to victory in towns like Basildon, Thurrock and Harlow - our Essex marginals at the next general election and elect more much needed Labour Councillors. A Labour Government will allow us to invest more in our NHS, create new high-tech jobs that our children can work in, build 1.5million new homes in one parliament and end the public sector pay freeze so we can ensure teachers, doctors, nurses, firefighters and police officers in Essex are paid what their service deserves. More than any of that, we understand that there are too many people in Essex who simply cannot afford to live in a Britain that is ruled for the next decade by the Conservative Party. One of the great figures of Labour history Nye Bevan once said that "When the time comes, we don't just want a penny on the pound or an hour off the day. We want to secure for our people nothing less than the mastery of their own lives." And it's true. The broad appeal of our values can have a broad impact on the lives of the many. But to put our principles into practice we need to win back power. A vote for Owen gives our councillors and prospective parliamentary candidates a fair crack at winning in Essex in the elections to come. Advertisement So we will do all we can to ensure he is elected Leader of our party - regardless of the personal cost to us. And for the chance of Labour victories In Essex, we hope that you will vote for a Labour Leader capable of winning a General Election and electing Labour MPs in Essex. Gavin Callaghan, leader of the Basildon Labour Group and former Parliamentary Candidate for Basildon & Billericay Baroness Angela Smith of Basildon, former Member of Parliament for Basildon Polly Billington, former Parliamentary Candidate for Thurrock Ivan Henderson, leader of the Essex Labour Group and Former Member of Parliament for Harwich Ian Gilbert, leader of the Southend Labour Group and Former Parliamentary Candidate for Rochford & Southend East Liam Preston, former Parliamentary Candidate for Brentwood & Ongar Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Maksim Tsurkov Trend: Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR will additionally produce 29,200 tons of oil thanks to the commissioning of a new well, said SOCAR in a message Aug. 4. The well is being drilled at the Gunashli offshore field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. The projected depth of the well is 2,850 meters, and the well yield is expected at the level of 80 tons per day. The Gunashli field plays an important role in Azerbaijan's oil and gas industry. The field's shallow part is developed by SOCAR on its own, while its deep-water part is developed jointly with foreign partners. Currently, SOCAR is implementing a program for stabilizing and increasing the oil production. The company produced 3.78 million tons of oil at offshore and onshore fields in 1H2016 as compared to 4.14 million tons in January-June 2015. SOCAR produced 8.16 million tons of oil in 2015 compared to 8.32 million tons in 2014. In total, 41.59 million tons of oil was produced in Azerbaijan in 2015, compared to 42.02 million tons in 2014, according to SOCAR. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov As a Muslim woman, at some point in your life, you will have come across the idea that a good Muslim woman does not get aggressive, angry, or allow herself to be seen as *cue dramatic music*... 'outspoken'. This will ultimately lead to the worst outcome imaginable of potential spouses seeing you as not good wifey material or, if you are already married, some kind of mouthy fish wife! While I'm hyper-generalising here the unwritten yet accepted tradition that Muslim women should appear docile has influenced the way in which we are viewed in wider society and has resulted in us being the most vulnerable targets of Islamophobic abuse. Advertisement You don't have to scroll Facebook or Google news very far before you come across a story that includes some form of harassment or abuse perpetrated against a Muslim woman. There are lots of reasons as to why this is: For example, wearing a niqab (face veil) or headscarf makes you more easily identifiable as a Muslim etc. etc. etc. But I think our reaction to these incidents also has a part to play. Majority of the time when a Muslim woman is being verbally abused she is viewed as the subdued, helpless victim. We are not victims. Ok, if a crime has been committed then technically you are, but we need to stop incubating this victim mentality within Muslim society. Each situation will be different and most of us have the common sense and instinct to judge whether we are in physical danger or not. So I am in no way advocating a violent response or even a confrontational one. But we have a duty to our fellow sisters to respond. There are numerous examples from Islamic history of how to deal with conflict. Although the situations differ in many ways from ours today we can use these responses as stimuli to formulate our own reaction. And there are many examples of people doing this successfully: The founder of Muslimgirl.com, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, wrote a Facebook post about how her standing up to a racist resulted in an apology and the Islamophobe losing his job. Zakia Belkhiri came up with a genius response to an anti-Muslim rally by turning up and taking selfies. Malaak Ammari and her friend Nura dealt with an angry Trump supporter while eating ice cream by recording his racist rant and replying in a calm yet assertive way. A lot of Muslim women reading this will have a debate going on in their heads right now. Aren't we supposed to be merciful and 'tread carefully on this earth'? Didn't the companions just accept the abuse in Mecca? I don't want to be seen as a loud mouth?! Advertisement Fair enough. But we are talking about your, and your fellow sisters', safety. The hijab is supposed to be a protection for us but it also makes us an easily identifiable target for Islamophobes. We are obligated to show how much we are not easy prey in order to prevent further abuse. We are intelligent, eloquent, well-informed members of our society that have a voice and are perfectly capable of using it. This is not about being aggressive or seeking confrontation. It is about asserting your authority as a person requiring respect. Using your voice enables us to be heard above the cacophony of Islamophobia. Most people are aware of Donald Trump's recent comments about Ghazala Khan, the mother of the late Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed while serving in Iraq. His suggestion that "maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say" was callous and in true Trump-style entirely insensitive. Her heartfelt and eloquent article in response explained how her silence was nothing to do with her status as a downtrodden, oppressed Muslim woman but from grief. Pure and simple. I admire this woman so much because at a time when most of us would forgive her turning a blind eye - she chose to speak up. However, as much as we hate to admit it, there are Muslim women that are prevented from, or believe they should not be, using their voice. Whether it be with religious justification or a cultural pressure - the fact remains that there are a lot of silent Muslim women. I would argue that, to some extent, this is subconsciously tolerated by the Muslim community as it comes under the large category of issues that we acknowledge needs to change but usually shrug our collective shoulders at. But if we are content to ignore it then we have to expect that comments like Trump's will continue. Luckily, it seems that a large proportion of Muslim women are not willing to accept this any longer. The hugely successful hashtag campaign #canyouhearusnow started by CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations) has highlighted how Muslim as well as non-Muslim women and men are unwilling to tolerate such statements. It occurred to me, while writing this, that the problem of men telling the story of women, as Trump attempted to do with Ghazala, is not isolated to Muslims. I came across an article based on a series of tweets made by Lauren Haroutunian, a film producer and expert in her field. She related a story of sitting on an all-female panel at the San Diego Comic-Con discussing 'Women in Film Production'. She explained how an elderly male member of the Comic Con staff took it upon himself to take control of the Q&A and was "answering questions not asked of him". She said, to her regret, her 'polite mode' switched on and she allowed herself to endure a group mansplain. Advertisement You may think that you would never allow this to happen but the truth is that we do all the time. In work, community projects etc. we women tend to consciously avoid taking control or being assertive because we will be seen as "bossy" or, even worse, "a bitch". It is always an interesting point that the male version of being assertive is usually viewed as simply organised, focused, and driven. If he is recognised to be dominating it is more commonly accepted than if it were a woman. When a Muslim women keeps silent when faced with verbal abuse is she merely defaulting to 'polite mode' too? After a campaign as successful as #canyouhearusnow, one that seeks to annihilate the idea that Muslim women are afraid to/ prevented from using their voice, it seems natural that the next step is to ensure that this isn't the case: How dare you say we are silent! -> We are not silent! -> We will show you! Newsletter sign-up HuffPost UK Daily Brief Sign up and we will email you daily with the best of our political and news coverage while also giving you a taste of our most-popular lifestyle, opinion and personal blogs. "Take it off! This is America!" cried Gill Parker Payne, a man from Gastonia, North America, to a woman sitting in a front row seat during a Southwest Airlines flight from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Chicago. "My sister-in-law was spat at and punched in the face at the grocery store while carrying my nephew in London, Ontario," said a Canadian man on his Twitter account. "Now my niece is too frightened to even go back to town," complained Tayyib Nawaz. He was struck by the tragedy that befell his four-year old niece in Worcester city centre. An unidentified man approached the innocent child and pushed what looked like human faeces into her face. Advertisement Such inhumane behaviour towards two women and one small child had the same motivation: the hijab, or face veil. The bad news is these cases are only a small proportion of the many abuses that occur away from the media's gaze. The world seems too big and the number of journalists is not commensurate with its inhabitants; therefore, not all shameful actions against Muslim women who wear the hijab can be documented. It seems strange that a piece of cloth attached to a person's body causes the wearer to become a target for hatred and even violence. Its material is ordinary, made of yarns, the same as basic clothes worn by everyone. The use of that veil does not even disturb those who are around. Then, why do so many dislike it? Admittedly, it is not the piece of cloth known as hijab that is in question, but rather the value that encourages its use; namely, Islam. It cannot be denied that hatred against the hijab is borne out of the growing Islamophobia. This has led many Muslim women who wear the hijab to become the impingement target of hatred in the form of insults as well as violence. In reality, however, this piece of cloth is not worn solely by Muslim women. The women of other religions and beliefs actually wear the same cloth that covers the head; for example, Christian nuns, Coptic Christians, Hindu women, Sikh women, and Orthodox Jewish women. All of these women dress in the style prescribed by their religions, just like Muslim women who wear the Hijab to follow what is written in their holy book. Advertisement Surprisingly, those 'hijabi' women of religions and faiths other than Islam are not discriminated against or abused. Nobody is disturbed by their presence when the clothes they wear also cover the head. Therefore, it is clear that the 'culprit' is not the Hijab, but Islam. Growing hostility against Islam is increasingly apparent after some politicians in the western world 'douse' the fire with oil. The political rhetoric of U.S. presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is fresh in the memory as he calls for the prohibition of Muslims entering the United States. Meanwhile in the UK, based on the results of a survey conducted by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IRHC), more than two-thirds of the 1,780 respondents revealed that they have heard anti-Islamic comments made by politicians. Not only that, half of them admitted that politicians deliberately allow Islamophobia-inspired discrimination to occur. The unfair treatment of Muslims illustrates how Islam continues to be regarded as an enemy, not a friend. It is still considered a source of problem rather than part of the solution. Across Europe, Islam is still considered an unpleasant ideology. In Germany, for example, 47% of far-right Germans see Muslims through a negative lens. The same view is also true in many other European countries, from Hungary to the UK, and from Sweden to Italy. Even in Eastern European countries, the negative perception of Muslims has reached more than 60%. Again, the dislike of Islam is not based on Muslim themselves, but rather the religion followed by Muslims. As has been uttered by a Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, few years ago; "I have a problem with Islamic tradition, culture, ideology. Not with Muslim people." The problem is that Muslims and Islam cannot be separated as an individual is Muslim because he adheres to the religion of Islam. In other words, hatred of Islam equates to hatred of Muslims. So it is no wonder that Muslims become the target of all forms of discriminations and violence borne out of Islamophobia. And the ones who are at most risk are Muslim women because their Islamic identity, the Hijab, cannot be hidden from sights. As reported by Tell Mama, an organisation that monitors Islamophobia-based violence, Muslim women are the ones who most often suffer violence and harassment on the streets. Advertisement The hijab worn by Muslim women is still regarded by many as a problematic ideological symbol; thereby making many women vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, and violence. Islamophobia that is spreading in some parts of the world should be scrapped because, as a religion, Islam is the same as other dominant religions in the world; namely, one that respects differences. Would it not be boring if everyone was uniform in their beliefs? In April this year I spoke on a panel on the death penalty for drug offences alongside the Philippines Ambassador to the United Nations. In her presentation, the Ambassador explained why her government had made the decision in 2006 to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, including drug offences, an important political statement in a region known for its punitive drug laws. With her words still fresh in my mind, it was with profound sadness that I watched the ascension of Rodrigo Duterte to the Philippines Presidency a month later, coming to power on a frightening platform that espoused not only a call to reinstate capital punishment, but also an open incitement for police and civilians to kill people involved in the drug trade. President Duterte was inaugurated on 30th June, and in his first month in office we have witnessed what can only be described as State-sanctioned criminality on a mass scale. Reports detail up to 300 people murdered in the streets, a figure thought to be conservative as it reflects only those killed in police operations, and not killings perpetrated by armed vigilante groups actively encouraged by the President. Advertisement A local newspaper maintains a regularly updated 'Kill List', providing a gruesome catalogue of the slaughter. Many of those killed are found decorated with homemade signs left by their murderers: 'Pusher Ako' - 'I am a drug pusher'. Such open brutality in the name of 'fighting drugs' has not been seen since 2003 when the Government of Thailand murdered 2,000 alleged drug dealers in a three-month killing spree widely condemned by human rights organisations and UN bodies. Today, a group of over 300 non-governmental organisations from around the world released an open letter demanding an end to these abuses. While the ongoing abuses in the Philippines are extreme, they are sadly not unique. Indeed, the body count in the global war on drugs keeps climbing week on week, year on year. A review of the news in the past month alone offers a grim snapshot of the carnage. In Indonesia, four people were executed for drug offences last week, with more expected to be killed in the coming months. These executions add to the fourteen people executed for drug offences the previous year. Advertisement As in the Philippines, these killings are politically driven by a newly elected President seeking to look 'tough on crime'. Indeed, prior to President Jokowi's election in 2014, Indonesia was on the verge of ending executions altogether. The influential Islamic scholar, Prof Tariq Ramadan, recently released a letter to Jokowi, the President of the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, arguing that 'the death penalty for drug-related offences is not at all regulated and/or in accordance with the agreed upon Islamic legal framework'. Prof Ramadan's call to end the death penalty for drug offences based on Islamic legal principles also resonates in other parts of the world. Two weeks ago, Iran Human Rights reported that at least 250 people have been executed the first six months of 2016, half of them for drug offences. Iran therefore maintains its place along with Indonesia as one of the small group of 'extreme fringe' nations that execute drug offenders in staggering numbers (the others being China, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam). But the drug war body count goes beyond explicit State-sponsored violence. Two weeks ago in Mexico, 14 people were shot dead - 11 of them relatives, including five girls - in feuding between rival drug cartels, adding to the more that 100,000 people killed in the country's drug war since 2006. On June 29th, the Russian government began persecuting the courageous Andrey Ryklov Foundation as a 'foreign agent'. Their crime? Fighting for the rights and health of drug users in a country in which the government's pathological refusal to support life-saving harm reduction programmes has resulted in a doubling of rates of HIV infection among people who inject drugs since 2011, resulting in as many as 30,000 preventable deaths annually. In late June, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency reported that fatal opioid overdoses have more than tripled in that country since 2007. In some cities, overdose deaths are so numerous that they have no room to store the bodies. Advertisement In late July, 36 overdoses were recorded in a single Canadian neighbourhood over the course of one weekend. Deaths were fortunately averted in these cases because of access to the life-saving overdose reversal medication naloxone, although not everyone is so fortunate. Earlier this month the coroner's office reported deaths from overdose in the province of British Columbia are up by 75% over last year. I have written previously on the pernicious impacts of 'punitive suppression' - the belief that harsher punishments for drugs will result in more effective suppression of drug use and drug markets. This logic underpins the legal and policy frameworks for drug control in almost every country or the world, driving the criminalisation, marginalisation and violence that make deaths from all the causes above (and more) sadly predictable. Whether driven by brutal police and military crackdowns, battles between rival drug gangs, State sanctioned executions or health risks created or exacerbated by criminalisation, reports such as these are the now predictable outcome of the global drug regime that prioritises criminalisation over health, violence over human rights, ideology over evidence. President Duterte has justified his brutal crackdown by arguing that the Philippines is 'drowning' in drugs. As more and more information emerges, it is clear that his country is also drowning in blood. Blood that seems to stain the hands of every country the war on drugs touches. The current political theatre resembles one of the more absurd Monty Python sketches; full of unpredictability, stupidity and chock full of nonsensical phrases like "Corbynistas" or "Brexit means Brexit" - phrases which at the best of times make me want to finally take up that plan of deserting society and moving to Nepal - simply put it does seem a bit farcical to anyone not involved in it, which is most of us. I'd like to focus on the Labour leadership campaign though, yes, there's another one (would you have guessed) The basic synopsis can be summarised as a bland, yet amiable MP, who've I seen described as having pertained "sheer forgettability" (think of all last years candidates) is facing off against another bland, yet again amiable MP, who five years ago wouldn't have stood a chance in the Labour leadership contest. Advertisement This new leadership contest feels like the basic M. Night Shyamalan film, near the end everyone expects the huge twist: either the party soars to greatness or collapses into a red puff of smoke as the left sings the Internationale (although personally my vote is for Corbyn being able to see dead people). It's easy to make fun of because it's been set up to be a comedy, what with the accusations that violent "Corbynistas", although farcical in their own way, are being secretly ordered to harass their leaders enemies by Corbyn himself; the ridiculous idea that a party leader should refuse to step down when the majority of his MPs despise him, and, my personal favourite; the idea that a man who lobbied for Pfizer, supported the Iraq War and voted for the Tory government's welfare reforms, is somehow going to bring about a "socialist revolution", in his own words. I'm no expert, but it can't just be me who believes that claim might have been a bit disingenuous. Full disclosure, I have no side here, and I'm certainly not on the opposing side of the political spectrum either, jumping in to make spurious claims about the unelectability of the left. My angle is a bit more of a cynical one, away from the emotional Labour supporters fighting for, let's break out those phrases again, the "heart and soul" of the Labour party, whatever that means. With that said then, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. The two sides are set, the die-hard Corbyn supporters who believe he best represents their socialist views, and the Owen Smith supporters who see him as a better leader who has a more "realistic" chance of getting Labour into power. The main thrust of the Owen Smith supporters argument is that the Corbyn followers are ignorant of Labour's failed socialist excursions in the past, holiday choices that in electoral terms were about as successful as a holiday to Syria might be, and that Corbyn himself has provided poor leadership. Although Corbyn's leadership style leaves much to be admired, the first point in particular deserves contesting. Advertisement Across Europe we've seen the collapse of centrist parties and increasing polarisation, strides for AfD in Germany, La Pen's Front Nationale in France, Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece, the tight presidential election in Austria this year, for example, was only contested by the left and extreme right, the centrist parties were out long before the final vote. What this clearly shows us then is that centrist politics are not appealing to voters, and they didn't in our last election in 2015. There seems a clear strand of hypocrisy then from some Labour members when they claim that Corbyn supporters are ignorant of the past, for surely they are ignorant of the present, putting forward an opposing candidate who, for all his left-leaning policies, merely comes across as another Ed Miliband, who we must remember was widely rejected in last year's election - although it does feel like a political lifetime ago. The centre is no longer a valid option for Labour, what is left of it has been taken up, first by George Osborne and successively by Theresa May, as she outlined her policies aimed at supposedly helping the working class as she assumed office; although I'm sure she won't mind if I'm slightly sceptical about that claim. What Jeremy Corbyn has done, like it or not, is shift the conversation in the Labour Party. What was deemed during Ed Miliband's tenure as party leader as unelectably left is now a necessity to even win the leadership contest, we've seen this as Owen Smith outlined his own policies earlier this week with a strong socialist overtone. Start with some sizzling wage councils, dashed with the abolishment of zero hour contracts and finished with a pledge not to cut corporation tax, to mention but a few. Of course, don't forget the pledge to reduce skyrocketing inequality, a term repeated so often it's probably the second most commonly said phrase in Britain only narrowly behind "Well that was disappointing" and "Oh look it's raining again". In truth, this is Corbyn's greatest success as party leader. Perhaps he is indeed unelectable, he definitely isn't the most infallible leader; I'd worry for him even leading a geography trip to Blackpool, but he's moved the parties discourse back to its roots, and more importantly, to a place of potential. Britain might not be ready for a socialist government, but it certainly isn't in the mood for another Blairite one; those ideals of cool Britannia and multiculturalism have certainly been tarnished in the wake of Brexit. No, if European trends of polarisation are anything to go by, the Labour party will embrace the present and move with the popular, charged activism of Podemos and Syriza in the tough days ahead, and it may yet clinch a victory. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, Labour needs to put their "feet in the right place, then stand firm", the only trouble being they don't know which foot to put forward... and they're standing in an alligator infested river. Advertisement It's becoming known as the "Brexodus." The United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union--"Brexit"--has inspired a global exodus of sorts, sparking interest in second passports in nations like Ireland and economic citizenship and residency programs in Cyprus and Malta, and may ultimately boost the appeal of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program in the United States. In Ireland, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charles Flanagan reported a spike in interest in Irish passports. Those with parents born in Ireland are automatically eligible for a passport, regardless of where they live. "The increased interest clearly points to a sense of concern among some U.K. passport holders that the rights they enjoy as EU citizens are about to abruptly end," Flanagan said. Advertisement Flanagan went on to assure the public, pointing out that the U.K. has not officially left the EU yet, and the negotiation process to complete the separation could take two years or longer. During this time, the U.K. will remain a member of the EU and its citizens will continue to enjoy EU rights, including free movement. Nonetheless, the 1.2 million British expatriates living in EU countries are rightly concerned that they could ultimately face the loss of their right to stay in their homes year-round, along with the ability to work without a visa. As the separation negotiations proceed, those at the bargaining table should keep these people in mind--ensuring they are not displaced. Mediterranean Paradises of Citizenship Meanwhile, Brexit may generate interest in citizenship-by-investment and residency programs in Cyprus and Malta--Mediterranean island nations where citizenship can be gained in a relatively short period of time. Historically, many of those applying for these programs have been from China, Russia and other countries, but Brexit may make these programs more attractive to U.K. expatriates living in the EU. "As the U.K. will no longer be a part of the EU, U.K. nationals may be looking at alternative ways to enjoy the free movement rights that come with membership of the EU," says Nadine Goldfoot, a London-based partner at Fragomen Worldwide, a firm that provides immigration services globally. "It's conceivable that in the future (high net-worth individuals) may look to options around Malta and Cyprus that will allow them and their families to enjoy the right to establish themselves elsewhere in the EU." Advertisement On the flip side, though, Brexit has devalued the Cyprus and Malta programs for those looking to Maltese and Cypriot nationality as a pathway to the U.K. Currently, dozens of countries offer economic citizenship and residency programs, though the Cyprus and Malta programs are considered unique. Citizenship by investment, or economic citizenship programs, offer direct paths to citizenship through investment. Residency programs, on the other hand, offer rights of residence--either temporary residence or permanent residence--again through some form of investment, but they do not immediately offer citizenship. The world of investment migration started off several decades ago, rose to greater prominence following Canada's adoption of the Business Immigration Program in the late 1970s, and is now a prominent global phenomenon. Many of the programs were created in the last 15 years. The economic citizenship programs in Cyprus and Malta are among the most popular, largely because they offer the quickest path to EU citizenship. In recent years, these programs have provided people visa-free travel, as well as financial stability, a high quality of life, and better English-based educations for their children. In 2014, investors spent about $2 billion on economic citizenship programs. In exchange for buying real estate or making other investments, they are provided fast-tracked residency and citizenship in these countries. Cyprus, for example, offers full Cypriot citizenship in return for investing a minimum of 2.5 million euros in government bonds or real estate. Successful applicants gain the right to live, work and study in all 28 EU member countries. Known as one of the fastest destinations to obtain a second citizenship, the process in Cyprus typically only takes about three months. Full citizenship and passports are granted to the applicant and their family members, permitting visa-free travel to 159 countries throughout the world. Advertisement Malta's citizenship-by-investment program also offers successful applicants with the right to live, work and study in any of the 28 EU countries and Switzerland, along with visa-free travel to 168 nations. Under visa-free travel, people can travel as visitors for short periods, usually visits of three months, without a visa. The cost is less than it is in Cyprus--starting at 900,000 euros. But this less expensive option may not be available much longer. The Maltese government has capped the number of citizenship applications at 1,800. Currently, over 1,200 cases are in progress or already approved, according to Dominic Volek, the managing director at the South East Asia office of Henley & Partners, a residence and citizenship planning firm. At a time when the government is getting about 50 applications each month, the quota is expected to be reached early next year. These programs, along with the EB-5 program in the U.S., generate billions of dollars in investments and create tens of thousands of jobs at zero cost to taxpayers. The Brexit Question But with Brexit, the question turns to what impact it will have, once the separation is complete, on investors who already acquired economic citizenship in Cyprus and Malta. Will they continue to benefit from rights of free movement into and out of the U.K.? Given that they already made significant investments to acquire citizenship, it seems reasonable that they should. "Cyprus and Malta and their citizenship programs will continue to be popular because they offer the citizenship of an EU member state, and as a citizen of an EU member state, you have the right of free movement into other European countries, which for people from outside the EU is very attractive," Goldfoot says. "What's yet to be seen, and where we think there will potentially be an impact, is from people outside of the EU who were looking to utilize the Maltese or Cypriot citizenship routes as a pathway access residence in the U.K., which has been one of the trends we've seen. Going forward they may be more likely to utilize the U.K. Tier 1 Investor route to gain residence in the U.K." Advertisement Tasos Stavrou, the group sales manager and China and Asia general manager at Aristo Developers, one of the largest property developing companies in Cyprus, says he's seen a "good and stable increase" in applications for naturalization by investment in Cyprus since the Brexit vote. "I believe that countries like Cyprus and Malta will receive an increase in interest of people that were also considering the U.K.'s program for naturalization, and more specifically, from third, non-EU countries such as Russia and China," Stavrou says. "Cyprus has become with Russians an established destination over the past 15 years, and following this course of action (it's become more popular) with Chinese and Asians over the past five years." While Cyprus and Malta will continue to generate interest, attracting those who want to either reside in those nations, or access free movement rights around the EU for themselves and their families, the full impact of Brexit won't be fully known until the separation is completed. Theresa May, selected as Britain's new prime minister following the resignation of David Cameron in the aftermath of Brexit, has indicated that movement rights into the U.K. for EU nationals will be on the negotiating table. In a joint statement from the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Foreign & Commonwealth Office, U.K. officials said there has been no change to the rights and status of EU nationals in the UK, and UK nationals in the EU. "The decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU will be for the new prime minister," officials said. "The U.K. remains a member of the EU throughout the process, and until Article 50 negotiations have concluded." Other nations could be affected by Brexit too, but the impact will be less direct, with most other programs experiencing longer waits to acquire EU citizenship. Advertisement "This is the crux of the issue with Malta, Cyprus and Brexit," Goldfoot says. "It's not that it's going to automatically cause a massive upsurge in applications, or indeed cause a reduction in applications. It's just going to impact people who were using the (Malta and Cyprus programs) with a view to gaining residence in the U.K." Future of the Schengen Zone The economic citizenship programs will remain popular, but the impact on the broader immigration crisis across Europe will continue to reverberate, with concerns over the long-term future of the Schengen zone--the 26 European countries that have abolished passport and other border controls. The U.K. and Ireland are not part of the Schengen Agreement, having opted out. The Schengen zone countries signed the agreement in 1985 for the purpose of allowing short-term travel. Malta is part of the agreement, but Cyprus is not. "The U.K. is not part of the Schengen Agreement," Goldfoot says. "Schengen and Brexit are totally separate issues, although there is obviously some overlap. If we continue to see restrictions in the Schengen zone that may well devalue the benefit of some of the residence programs, such as ones in Portugal, Latvia and Hungary, if borderless travel around the Schengen zone is impacted." It's also possible that the U.K. could end up under a European Economic Area-type of arrangement, or acquire similar status to Switzerland--ensuring that a form of free movement and settlement would likely remain. Yet the uncertainty surrounding the coming negotiations raises the possibility that this may not be the case. "Restraining immigration was one of the key issues raised by the campaign to Brexit," Volek says. "In the unlikely event that the reciprocal right of settlement between the EU and the U.K. was to be terminated, it would damage the value of British citizenship far more than that of European citizenship. The EU would lose one country whereas the UK would potentially lose free access to most of the countries on the continent, since also the EEA and Switzerland form part of the same internal market created by the EU." Advertisement Impact on EB-5 in America At this point, it's still too early to tell what will happen in the long-term for any of these programs in the wake of Brexit. With expectations of protracted negotiations, don't expect a solid answer for some time. A surprising result of Brexit is that it may make the EB-5 program in America more appealing. "It will highly depend on whether Brexit causes people to look outside Europe to the U.S., Canada, Australia or elsewhere," Goldfoot says. Meanwhile, the economic and political uncertainty in the EU and U.K. may translate into increased interest in the EB-5 program in the U.S. In the past, one of the primary selling points for Chinese in the Cyprus and Malta programs is that investors are given a conditional European residence card, allowing them to live in the EU. For parents who want to take advantage of Britain's world-class educational system through these routes, Brexit calls this into question. U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller A Muslim religious leader, Fehullah Gulen, is daily in the news, as Turkish president Erdogan accuses him of plotting the recent coup, calling him a terrorist. We are so used to Muslim clerics being or being considered terrorists that we give the matter little thought. And yet, the recent crackdown in Turkey on Gulen's movement, Hizmet, should be of grave concern to anyone who cares about the Middle East, about Islam, and about religion. On Islam and Politics Muslim leadership is based on the example of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet held together two kinds of leadership -- religious and secular (including military). Later generations in the Islamic tradition were unable to hold the two components together, and the split between them has led to a complicated history of Church-State relations, a history that continues to unfold in our own day. Negotiating politics and the state remains a major concern today. Consider: the biggest global threat is an organization called the Islamic State, pointing to the core of the challenge. The world, or the "West", or whatever we chose to call that significant "other", is constantly pitted against Islam, and more often than not against its violent face, an Islam that has a hard time reconciling contemporary notions of the state, of democracy and the rule of law with Islamic tradition. How many times have I heard the rhetorical question -- where are the "good" Muslims? Where are the "moderate" Muslims? The millions who follow Fethullah Gulen have an answer, and it is Mr. Gulen. His views respecting democracy, the rule of law, and opposing terror and violence have been consistent for decades. It may have taken the present crisis to bring this man's views to broader public attention. Advertisement Erdogan and Gulen The Gulen Movement - A Personal Connection I have been friendly with members of the Gulen movement for nearly 20 years. I have found in them trusted partners, potential partners and friends, who share a common vision of humanity, religion and values and who, like me, work through interreligious dialogue to achieve this vision. Sometimes it requires a living relationship to give reality to ideals. Friendships with members of the movement that I have enjoyed for nearly 20 years have led me to high esteem for their brand of Islam, to the depth of their humanity and ultimately to their spiritual teacher, whom I have never met in person. One of these friends is Alp Aslandogan. Alp is Executive Director of Gulen's Alliance for Shared Values, an umbrella organization of several Gulen-related, US based organizations that engage in interfaith dialogue. His office handles media enquiries for Mr. Gulen. I've known Alp for some time and have been touched by his person, his views on Islam and on interfaith dialogue. I had a long talk yesterday with Alp. Religion and politics were an important part of our conversation. As Alp stated, when religion and politics get mixed up both suffer, but religion suffers more. And yes, there is regret by the Gulenists for uncritical support of Erdogan in the early years. Things could have been easier, he admitted, had Gulen simply gone along with Erdogan. But for Gulen independence is a principle. His movement should never become a satellite to a political party. Becoming a political party was simply out of the question. Gulen has a clear view of Church-State relations. The religious voice should be part of a system of checks and balances in relation to the State. When all goes well, the two support each other. But the political order has more than once destroyed the voice of religion. All four leaders of Muslim legal schools, Imams hanbal, hannafi, shafi and maliki suffered under political authorities because they refused to pledge unconditional authority. Gulen, then, was following a painful but tested pattern of Muslim political-religious history. Advertisement Weathering the Hard Times Gulen draws on Muslim spiritual teachings and is considered by his followers in line with the Sufi tradition. This conditions his response to the present moment. I asked Alp how he viewed the future of Hizmet in Turkey. He acknowledged that it has now been destroyed in Turkey. "It will continue living in the hearts". Other observers have suggested to me that this may be the moment that the movement may grow globally, rather than in its homeland in Turkey. Time will tell. What are Gulen's teachings for the moment, I asked? What teaching can he offer his persecuted flock? Alp calls it "active patience". On the practical side, one must do all one can to defend one's rights. But in terms of attitude it is a call to patience, despite whatever they do to you. The patience involves patient suffering. One must observe the law, and not cause further polarization, or engage in violence. But this patience also has an active part. It involves reflection, looking to the lessons we can draw from the situation, lessons that are true for society as such. Every event has a purpose, and so its purpose must be sought out. But this can only be fulfilled along with trust in God. Only so can one avoid the descent into violence. I listened in amazement. This spiritual teaching echoes generations of martyrs who relied on God as their support, resisting the temptation of power, if such existed. Here it is, a teaching of an embattled and persecuted Muslim group, in a world in which the nature of true Islam is one of the most burning global challenges. I've been struggling with the appropriate response to these events. There has been an outcry concerning violation of human rights in Turkey and concern over torture and rape. There's been concern about using the coup for political purposes. We can easily recognize, as Alp argues, that there is no vacuum and that the space from which Gulen is ousted may well be taken up by forces we would not wish to see in his place. Advertisement Chief Rabbi Bakshi Doron and Pope John Paul II; Waiting for their voice to be heard Over the past 10 years, Aydin and the Felicis Ventures team have helped 11 companies grow to over $1 billion each. They also assisted 36 portfolio companies surpass the $100 million mark. Out of their 180 investments, 60 have turned into notable exits. That would be considered quite a great track record. I wanted to discover what made Aydin Senkut so successful at venture capital, so I sat down with him to get his thoughts on investing, working with entrepreneurs, and the journey he's taken to grow Felicis Ventures to its latest fund size of $200 million. Aydin is fond of saying that "the only constant is change." When you're a venture capitalist constantly searching for the next great company, that's an understatement if there ever was one. Here is what he and his team focuses on to find, back, and support the best founders. Advertisement 1. Betting on visionary entrepreneurs Aydin believes that he's been able to navigate the turbulent waters of startup investing primarily by having an "antifragile" mindset that removes many constraints favored by traditional investors. Diversity is one of his team's greatest strengths: "global DNA" allows Felicis to cast a wider net in identifying promising opportunities and relate to a broader swath of founders. But how do they pick and choose the right entrepreneurs and businesses to invest in? Aydin looks for founders who can envision how things will look if everything goes right, and can answer two important questions: Number one, what is it you need to sell? It has to be very simple. It's not something that takes ten Powerpoint slides... The second thing is the ability to articulate success...Some founders have a very, very keen sense of what that success looks like, what really matters to get there and what the key leverage points are. So rather than basing his decision on a particularly promising business model or idea (in other words, trying to predict the "right" business), Aydin first finds the right entrepreneurs -- the ones able to define what success looks like to them -- and then makes a decision from there. 2. Understanding venture capital is just a tool that fuels business growth Most investors would agree that a venture capitalist's primary responsibility is providing the money to keep things running smoothly. But Aydin doesn't see it that way. He sees money as a means to an end, and connecting the team he's invested in with the right people to be of far greater importance. If you're an entrepreneur, you're building a company and you need a tool set...Venture capital is just one of those things that's available to you...it's fuel for growth. In other words, money will only get you so far because it's just one variable in a very long and complex equation. Anyone can write a check--it takes more finesse to help a company grow and succeed beyond expectations. The best way to utilize venture capital is...finding the people that have the right connections, network and experience...Otherwise it's just like going to the bank. 3. Engineering serendipity: helping entrepreneurs in their difficult journeys Aydin helps guide companies through each stage of growth by introducing them to the right connections in an attempt to engineer serendipity and maximize the chances for successful outcomes. What it comes down to is every company goes through many, many steps, but there is about one critical step...Being able to help them in those pivotal moments is probably the most important contribution that we make. One of Aydin's favorite anecdotes is about Rovio, the company that made Angry Birds, and Shopify: Rovio came to us...it was the first time they were planning to launch an ecommerce initiative selling branded items like stuffed animals based on the Angry Birds characters, but they're like, 'We've never done an ecommerce store. We only have three weeks before Christmas. At the time we'd just closed our investment in Shopify...I called [the CEO of Shopify] up, he put his best engineer in and Rovio was live in two weeks. Overnight it became the largest store in the Shopify platform. It was a great connection because...it was a huge contributor to their revenues...It probably only took 45-minutes, but again this is what we call 'engineering serendipity.' 4. Establishing trust with the founder and being on the same side Everything Felicis does for the companies they invest in can be summed up by one impulse: trusting the founders and helping them however he can. Being on their side and being a cheerleader rather than an activist investor. Honestly the biggest thing...is establishing a relationship with the founders...we have even publicly committed to voting our shares with them. A huge part of being on the side of the founders is helping them to relate to you. Aydin believes his diverse team, underdog background, and innovative methods all help with that. But most important is knowing how to get founders to be transparent when the company isn't doing well. Instead of complaining or yelling at the founder, we're like, 'You know what? We've also seen the same challenges with other companies..." We get them over that hump, get them over that hurdle and nudge them into more positive thinking. To get from $1 million to $10 million is one stage of growth. But to get from $10 million to $100 million is a totally different stage with different obstacles. And, according to Aydin, it's 10x harder. Getting up to $1 billion is even harder. Finding the right exit is harder still. Advertisement Rather than basically trying to prescribe what we think [the founders] need, we actually ask them, 'Look, there are probably many things we can do for you. What is the one thing that is most important to you?' When is it the right time for an investor to exit a company or pursue M&A? I think the more important answer there is it's the founder's decision. Where are the next billion-dollar opportunities? Felicis Ventures believes that the "hot" new markets are next-gen gene sequencing, AI and deep learning, 3-D printing, verticals with trillions of dollars transacted, and vertical apps (apps designed for specific end users, like healthcare or construction). By constantly adapting and remaining flexible in its approach, they will be able to remain competitive in upcoming markets. Aydin came to Silicon Valley from Turkey without any background in finance, yet he and his team have averaged one billion-dollar valuation each year since he started investing in startups. By trusting in the founders and valuing social capital more than monetary capital, he's been able to grow Felicis Ventures and its investments in a way that few investors could ever hope to. Destroyed ammunition are seen on the site from the Syrian army base near Salma. Destroyed by the Syrian army (officially the Syrian Arab Army). Between the borders of Syria and Jordan is a no-man's land several miles across called the Berm, where 70,000 refugees are trapped in appalling conditions. Little reported because aid agencies do not want to antagonise Jordan, which has taken in almost a million Syrian refugees, the Berm is supplied with food, water and medical supplies partly as a result of philanthropists' collaboration with government. Advertisement Last year, Canada announced it would match any funds donated to help Syrians, but the campaign had elicited only around $9million USD by the deadline at the end of December, when philanthropists started to take the lead in the campaign. What we're interested in is adding value beyond our money While making a sizeable donation, the Houssian Foundation asked the government for an extension in which to mobilise others. After a further eight weeks, the total had reached $24million USD, which the Canadian government matched. Some of that money went to alleviating conditions in the Berm, including setting up 'Makani' centres where refugee children get education and psychological support. Jessica Houssian, one of the Foundation's directors, told Apolitical, 'What we're interested in is working in a way that adds value beyond our money. So in this case it was about connecting with the community to leverage resources, not only the government's but also the private sector's, and raise awareness that leads to even more.' The Foundation is now working with the Canadian state to figure out how they can co-operate more closely in future. Houssian said, 'There's a role for each of us and what we need to understand is: what's the common agenda? And then: how can everyone operate at their highest and best to leverage each other?' Advertisement This collaboration is part of a trend shaking things up all over the world: governments and philanthropists are turning to each other to tackle problems that neither could attempt alone. A new model of how to do that has been invented by the Maverick Collective, a group of women philanthropists co-chaired by Melinda Gates and the Crown Princess of Norway. The philanthropists like to be part of the solution As is often the case in collaborations of this sort, the Maverick Collective can pay for pilot projects that carry too high a degree of risk for government to bear. If the pilots succeed, they can be scaled up by governments or institutions like DFID and USAID. What makes the Maverick Collective different is that the philanthropists lend their skills and contacts to their chosen field. One who had run an agency specialising in human-centred design for firms like Nike and Levi's used the same techniques to improving a teen pregnancy project in Tanzania. 'She helped us look at how we were designing interventions,' said Kate Roberts, one of the Collective's co-founders. 'Due to her involvement, we got further partnerships for other countries in what is now a $30million project. Because of her skills and the results we could show, it's now in Ethiopia and Nigeria.' Roberts added, 'Philanthropists like it because it goes beyond check writing. They roll up their sleeves and are part of the solution.' Advertisement For governments, the appeal is partly that philanthropy will work almost like a venture capital fund, bearing a high degree of risk. The other part is the sheer scale of the problems that need to be solved. There is a shortfall estimated at between two and three trillion dollars annually in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals to which UN member states have committed. That shortfall is being made up through things like USAID's Global Development Alliance, which matches state funds to private and corporate donations. Since its inception in 2001, it has created more than 1,500 partnerships and mobilised well over a billion dollars. Domestically as well, the squeeze is on. Government budgets have been severely cut since 2008, and foundations have also seen the growth of their assets slow down since the golden era of the 1990s, at the end of which many also lost out heavily when the dotcom bubble burst. Fred Ali, board chairman at The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy, has said, 'I don't think I've ever seen a more challenging time in philanthropy.' So the response has been to try and forge ongoing partnerships rather than ad-hoc collaborations in moments of crisis. In the US, for example, there has been a proliferation of Offices of Strategic Partnership since the oldest surviving one opened in 2003, in Michigan. Run as part of the governor's office, it was actually set up on the initiative of philanthropists and with their support. A variant of these OSPs is that foundations are increasingly funding staff within government to bridge the divide, usually in a certain topic such as education. Advertisement The head of the Michigan office, Karen Aldridge-Eason, told Apolitical, 'Government and philanthropy don't speak the same language. And so these offices are about being able to translate, being able to broker between the two, and have relationships in both worlds to build a bridge so that work can be done. 'It's hard work, because often people say, yeah, we want to collaborate, but then they don't want to move from where they are. So I try to make sure they have early conversations and build things together. It's not good for a state to build a project and then ask foundations to fund it. Because foundations have read the research, they know the evidence and they have their own ideas about how it should be done. Is there anybody out there who knows something about this? 'If a foundation wants to collaborate with the state government, there are 16 departments and 30-something thousand employees. So it's for them to be able to say: I don't know where to go but this is an issue that I want to talk to somebody about, or vice versa. Or for the state government it could just be: is there anybody out there who knows something about this issue we're working on? 'We help government understand that it's not always about monetary help; it's about the knowledge that foundations can bring.' The main difficulty for offices of this sort has been surviving changes of administration, because even though the work is supposed to be non-partisan, it is so closely associated with individuals that offices or their staff are often ejected with outgoing mayors or governors. The other difficulties are that governments can try to treat philanthropists like ATM machines, without consulting their knowledge, or that foundations don't understand government's obligations to, say, pass legislation in support of an initiative or pay for things at certain points in the budget cycle. Advertisement Nevertheless, the Michigan office, just to take one example, has brokered more than $100million of investment in fields such as education, health and early childhood development. They can do more once the relationships are built As these relationships continue to develop, the real value goes far beyond cash. Sophisticated collaborations between not just government and philanthropy, but also socially responsible business and NGOs with detailed local knowledge can mobilise far greater resources of money, manpower and expertise than anything they could hope to achieve by themselves. Professor James Ferris, founding director of the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California, told Apolitical, 'It is not just philanthropy, but business as well. They do a lot of information sharing between the sectors and over time move to more joint developments. They can do more once the relationships are built, and there is common understanding.' Nevertheless, there is a mountain to climb. That trillion-dollar funding gap for the Sustainable Development Goals will not be plugged easily, and even the UN response to a high-profile crisis like the war in Syria has a shortfall of $789million in this year's budget. In the developed world, also, there is long-standing economic stagnation and increasing job insecurity. The challenges facing any combination of government, philanthropy, NGOs and private business are sobering. Prosecutor General of Tajikistan Yusuf Rakhmon called for death penalty for a certain category of criminals, RIA Novosti reported. The death penalty should be applied to persons who have committed the most serious and violent crimes such as willful killing of several persons with special cruelty, terrorists, traitors and people who tried to make a coup, he told reporters. In June 2003, after the Criminal Code of Tajikistan was amended, the number of articles providing for the death penalty reduced from 15 to five. The exceptional measure was retained only for felony murder, terrorism, rape, genocide and biocide, that is, the development and use of biological weapons against certain ethnic groups of population. The death penalty was abolished in respect of women and minors. Meanwhile, the moratorium for the death penalty has been in force in Tajikistan since 2004. In June 2004, the Tajik parliament approved the draft law On suspension of death penalty in Tajikistan. Punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of starting from 25 years to life imprisonment is determined for a person sentenced to the highest measure during the moratorium on the death penalty in Tajikistan. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles during a campaign town hall at Ocean Center, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Long before Donald Trump became the most dangerous, unstable, and unqualified presidential nominee in American history -- that is, back when he was just vying for that distinction -- it became necessary to look around in search of something, anything, that might explain his rise. Faced with the prospect of President Trump, the people who get paid to try to make sense of such things -- in politics and especially in the media -- began looking to the past. What was it in our collective psyche that could allow this to happen? Was there something in our history that presaged the rise of a racist, xenophobic, reality-TV-star-turned-demagogue? Advertisement These questions sent the pundits and cultural historians back to works, mostly from the 20th century, that explored dark forces and sinister personalities in American politics. There's Elia Kazan's extraordinary 1957 movie "A Face In The Crowd," which the Washington Post called "The movie that foretold the rise of Donald Trump." And Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel "It Can't Happen Here," with its account of a populist-nativist senator who ascends to the presidency with disastrous results, which Salon called "the novel that foreshadowed Donald Trump's authoritarian appeal." But looking at the destruction Trump has already wrought even since his nomination, I think we can reach for something more recent: Harry Potter. This past week the Harry Potter universe was all about the most recent addition, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but I'm thinking back to an earlier work. Of all of J.K. Rowling's unforgettable inventions, there's one in particular that speaks to this election on a deeper level. Call it spiritual. As Trump continues to insult and offend his way to the bottom -- most recently with his unspeakably vile and sustained attacks on the family of a fallen American soldier -- I'm reminded of the dementors, which make their first appearance in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Dementors, for the uninitiated in the Muggle world, are the guards of the Azkaban prison. Here is how Professor Lupin, Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, describes them: "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them." In fact, that's how the dementors exercise their power -- by sapping their victims of their warmth and vitality, leaving them cold, emotionally shrunken and diminished. "Get too near a dementor," warns Professor Lupin, "and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself . . . soulless and evil." Advertisement Sound familiar? Does that ring a bell about anybody currently on the campaign trail -- someone no doubt insulting some American hero or trashing some bedrock American principle as I write this (it's hard to keep up)? If what happened in Cleveland didn't suck every good feeling out of the air, the Dementor-in-Chief who was crowned there has been working hard at it since. But the worst thing a dementor can do, what Professor Lupin calls "its last and worst weapon," used against those the dementors "wish to destroy utterly," is the Dementor's Kiss. Here "they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim," Professor Lupin explains, "and suck out his soul." And look at the growing list of victims of the Dementor's Kiss. One of first to receive it was Chris Christie, whose soul seemed to depart from him on live television as he stood -- silent and morose -- behind Trump in that unforgettable post-endorsement press conference. Then came Paul Ryan, who endorsed Trump in an op-ed in a Wisconsin newspaper in June. He said he and Trump had talked "at great length," and the meeting was "very encouraging." He then talked about his vision of America. "Donald Trump, can help us make it reality," he said, as his soul officially left him. Back in his 2012 speech accepting the vice-presidential nomination, Ryan declared that "these times demand the best of us." Apparently times have changed, or Paul Ryan's "best" is not so good. In response to the despicable comments by the man Ryan thinks should be the President of the United States, Ryan's best was an 82-word statement. "As I have said on numerous occasions," the statement read, "a religious test for entering our country is not reflective of these fundamental values." So, in essence, Paul Ryan is willing to support a president who breaks the fundamental values of the United States. Advertisement On Monday a group of House veterans wrote a letter to Ryan urging him to withdraw his endorsement of Trump. "As veterans who previously served on active duty, we are horrified by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's slander of parents whose son died serving our country," the letter read. Ryan's response? There was none from Ryan himself - he had his spokesperson refer back to his previous statement. The Dementor's work is finished here. Then there's Mitch McConnell. When he endorsed Trump he spoke of how Trump presented "the opportunity and the obligation to unite our party around our goals." In the weeks following the brave Senate Majority Leader refused to answer whether he even thought the man he'd endorsed to be president was actually qualified for the office. "I'll leave that to the American people to decide," he said. "You know, he won the Republican nomination fair and square." Excuse me, Mr. Majority Leader, but I believe you've got a slight kiss mark on your forehead there. And Ryan and McConnell are hardly alone. During the campaign Senator Marco Rubio called Trump "dangerous," a "con man," too "erratic" to be given "the nuclear codes of the United States," and "the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency in terms of how he's carried out his candidacy." One kiss later, there he was endorsing Trump, saying he'd be "honored" to help that same person win the presidency. A month after that endorsement, Rubio was asked by The Weekly Standard if he still believed Trump was unfit to serve as commander-in-chief and whether he was still too erratic to be given the nuclear codes. "I stand by everything I said during the campaign," Rubio replied. And even this past week, after Trump's revolting attacks on Captain Humayun Khan's Gold Star parents, Rubio said that "we have to make sure that Donald wins this election." Clearly, the Dementor is powerful, robbing all who go near him of their humanity, conscience, and self-respect. Meanwhile, Trump's campaign has emboldened other dementors, including hate groups long confined to the margins of American society, that feel they have found their champion. To look back to Greek mythology, it's the equivalent of opening Pandora's Box. "I think what we really find troubling is the mainstreaming of these really offensive ideas," Jonathan Greenblatt, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told The New York Times last month. "It's allowed some of the worst ideas into the public conversation in ways we haven't seen anything like in recent memory." As The Times' Nicholas Confessore wrote, "Mr. Trump's campaign electrified the world of white nationalists. They had long been absent from mainstream politics, taking refuge at obscure conferences and in largely anonymous havens online." However, with Trump's rise, "This year, for the first time in decades, overt white nationalism re-entered national politics." Online forums, not surprisingly, have been gathering places for the ugliness. But Trump's influence can be seen not only in the dark corners of the internet, it can be seen right out in the open. Consider that David Duke -- the white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader Trump notoriously refused, at first, to disavow -- has announced his plans to run for senate in Louisiana. As Dante Ramos wrote in The Boston Globe, "When David Duke crawled out of his swamp and jumped into a US Senate race this month, he was only responding to tremors in the political landscape." And Duke has explicitly linked his senate run to Trump's popularity, saying in a campaign video, "I'm overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues that I've championed for years." In the wizarding world, there is an antidote, something that makes the dementors flee. It's called a Patronus, a powerful and positive countervailing force that can be summoned with the Patronus Charm ("Expecto Patronum"). The Patronus will sometimes take the form of an animal -- in Harry's case, the Patronus he summoned came in the form of a stag. Hermione calls it "very, very advanced magic." In the Muggle world, our Patronus can be summoned at the ballot box. And while there's unfortunately no magical phrase that will make the Dementor go away, and undo the damage he's already done to the country, there are steps that could be taken right now to minimize the chances of the entire country losing its soul to the Dementor. At the White House this week, President Obama urged Republicans to withdraw their support from Trump. "I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as President," he said. "I said so last week, and he keeps on proving it. The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job." This can't be dismissed as blind partisanship. For a sitting president to call on an opposing party to drop a nominee is, yes, unprecedented. But completely warranted -- because having such a dangerous, unstable, and corrosive presence one step away from leading, and potentially destroying, our country is also unprecedented. Advertisement Image: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Public Domain YEREVAN, Armenia -- The bloody siege of a police station in Armenia is over, with President Serzh Sargsyan's administration prevailing against the station's 32 fringe-party occupiers. But the depth of public anger that surfaced in street demonstrations supporting the occupiers and in anti-government commentaries from political analysts and other thinkers indicates that most Armenians have lost faith in Sargsyan. It's time for him to go. A clearly shaken Sargsyan tried to put the best face on the station occupation by addressing an assemblage of Armenian influentials, including government officials, lawmakers, educators, representatives of the arts and culture, and the clergy. Advertisement But Armenians saw through the event as a pitiful public relations ploy aimed at defusing grassroots anger. Underscoring the widespread feeling that Sargsyan's victory over the station occupiers was Pyrrhic was the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin has summoned him to Moscow for talks on August 10. The last time that happened, in the fall of 2013, Putin ordered Sargsyan to drop Armenia's plan to join the European Union -- or else -- and join the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union instead. That turn-about led to anti-government demonstrations from many of the Armenians who thought their country would be better off casting its fate with Europe instead of its old subjugator Russia. Advertisement So the meeting on August 10 with Putin must be filling Sargsyan with dread. My guess is that Putin, who despises the color revolutions that sparked regime changes in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, will tell Sargysan that while he supports him remaining in office, Sargsyan needs to be ruthless in putting down the next challenge to his authority. Sargsyan's speech to the Armenian influentials on August 1 vacillated between conciliatory and threatening. His most grandiose conciliatory pronouncement was a declaration that in the months to come he would be forming a national-unity government that would include representatives of all political persuasions. The implication was that Armenians who had once felt voiceless would now be represented in the decision-making process. The goal, Sargsyan said, is to build on the reforms that Armenia's new constitution has provided for. Advertisement "One thing is clear," he said. The change that's under way "in Armenia's social and political life must be expedited." He might have been better off not mentioning the new constitution. The document ignited nationwide protests in December of 2015 because of provisions that allow Sargsyan to stay in power for many years to come. Another attempt at conciliation in Sargsyan's speech was his vow that Armenia would never agree to the loss of any land in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. A long-simmering conflict between ethnic-Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan flared up again in April of this year, with Azeri forces occupying some of the enclave's land. Still another attempt at conciliation in Sargsyan's speech was his assertion that there would be an investigation of the station occupation, presumably both the underlying causes and how authorities had responded to it. Armenians are angry with the excessive force that police used against the demonstrators who supported the occupiers, and against the journalists covering the protests. Authorities can't deny the allegations because much of the excessive force was caught on video. Advertisement Sargsyan didn't address the issue of force against the protesters. But he did apologize to the journalists who were injured after Reporters Without Borders condemned the violence. And Sargsyan said it wouldn't happen again. Many journalists probably rolled their eyes over that. As for the threatening side of his speech, Sargsyan said the government would never again allow a violent protest to destabilize Armenian society. The implication was clear: If there is another attempt, it will be snuffed out immediately, with overwhelming force and likely without regard for life. As might be expected, the threats were not well received. Political analyst Hrant Gadarigian spoke for many in noting that after eight years of protests against Sargsyan's rule, the president still doesn't get it. "Maybe Sargsyan just doesn't care what people think of him," Gadarigian wrote. "It could also be that he and his cronies live in a world so far removed from the trials and tribulations of the common folk that they really can't see beyond their villas and the walls of the presidential palace." Advertisement He was referring to Armenia being one of the former Soviet Union's poorest countries, to millions leaving to find work elsewhere, and to the corruption that has allowed Sargsyan and other political and business elites to live sumptuously. Given the lack of progress in the eight years that Sargsyan has ruled, and the country's continuing turmoil, many Armenians have concluded that he must go. I am one of them. The skeptics believe a new leadership team must be brought in through free and fair elections -- people with the credentials and the resolve to fix the problems that Sargsyan has been unable or unwilling to resolve. At this point, the president would do Armenians a tremendous favor by announcing his resignation, and laying out a succession time frame. We did not anticipate this summer of fatal fanaticism when we decided to hold the third Global Conference on World's Religions after September 11 in Montreal this year, which will meet on September 15. Little did we know while we were planning the conference that its purpose and goal would become even more relevant today. The events which we have seen this summer raise the following questions: What is fanaticism? And how do we combat it? As the convener of the conference, I try to provide an answer to the question, "What is fanaticism?" in the following video. For an answer to the question, "How to combat it?" please join us on September 15 at the venue of the conference. Advertisement For more on the relationship between faith and fanaticism, and how religions can contribute to peace in the world, also see the following videos: Arvind Sharma Birks Professor of Comparative Religion McGill University Opening night of the 2016 Hill Cumorah Pageant. (Photo: Courtesy Hill Cumorah Pageant) By Michael Schulson, originally published in Atlas Obscura. "It's better than Disney World," said Kelsey Trainor, standing in a field in upstate New York, surrounded by 700 costumed Mormons. All around were throngs of missionaries and tourists. People took photos in front of a seven-tiered stage, and families staked out seats among rows of green plastic chairs. Children walked around in the grass, dressed as the sinners of an ancient Mesoamerican civilization. Out on the highway, protestors shouted into bullhorns. Kelsey and her four friends had driven up from Virginia in a chartered bus. It was the middle of July, and the bus did not have air-conditioning. Nevertheless, the young women were in good spirits. They had met some of their favorite prophets. Also, they had just taken a photo with Joseph Smith. Advertisement "It's a little bit overwhelming," says Teresa Weigeshoff, one of Trainor's buddies. Each summer, some 900 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gather in rural New York. There, on a sacred hillside, they reenact key scenes from the Book of Mormon. The projection has 1200 roles; actors are usually double-cast. (Photo: Courtesy Hill Cumorah Pageant) The Hill Cumorah Pageant is an elaborate production--possibly the largest annual outdoor theatrical production in the United States--yet most of the world has no idea that it exists. It has taken place since 1937. The current version, with a script by science fiction novelist Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game), debuted in 1988. The exact number of participants changes annually, and this year's pageant included 744 actors, 150 crew members, and nine directors. The show involves water cannons and jets of fire. A spotlight representing the Star of Bethlehem is so powerful that its use requires annual approval from the FAA. According to the Church, this part of New York was the site of a civilization-ending battle around 400 C.E. That was just a few centuries after Mormons believe that Jesus visited the Americas, and 800 years after an Israelite prophet named Lehi left Jerusalem and sailed to the New World. Advertisement Mormons believe that this is also the spot where a 21 year-old farmer named Joseph Smith dug up a set of inscribed golden plates in 1827. Using a sacred stone in a hat, he translated the inscriptions into English and published them as the Book of Mormon. If you're a believer, the Book of Mormon is scripture, on par with the Old and New Testaments. If you're a skeptic, the Book of Mormon is a kind of extraordinary Biblical fan-fiction--a book that takes figures and themes from the Christian Bible, inflects them with an American vibe (Mormon prophets talk a lot about freedom and "the voice of the people"), and then sets the whole story in the familiar Promised Land of the Americas. For many, then, this corner of New York has a certain magnetism. Most American Mormons now live in the West, but thousands volunteer each year to take part in the Pageant--not everyone gets a slot--and thousands more travel to the town of Palmyra to see the show, along with plenty of non-Mormons. For such an extravagant production, the casting is pretty casual. You don't need any acting experience to appear in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. You won't get paid. You do need to be a Mormon, and if you're employed, you do need to take three weeks off from work. Roles are reassigned each year, even for returning actors. When the cast arrives in Palmyra a week before opening night, the directors line them up in the amphitheater and quickly start handing out parts. Within a few hours, they have filled the show's 1,200 roles (most actors are double-cast). Because the whole pageant is sound-tracked--the actors are lip-syncing--and because it's hard to read facial expressions from so far--the stage is huge--the job mostly involves hitting your mark, gesturing impressively, and trying not to accidentally whack anyone with a fake spear. Advertisement Backstage, the vibe feels like a summer camp. Entire families appear in the show together. At the foot of the hill where Smith found the Golden Plates, cast members park RVs, hook up outdoor refrigerators, and set up grills. "You know, the little ones, they like to pile on. They just sleep on the floor, they do whatever. We make it work," says Joshua Boswell, who plays the prophet Alma, about the RV in which he's staying with his wife and nine of their eleven children. A Pageant volunteeer, Heather Williams, gave me a backstage tour. In one of the seven dressing rooms, we walked past racks of tunics and plastic tubs full of bangles. In a shed, the prop master showed us a large vase--he and his daughter found it at Pier 1 Imports--that had been repackaged as exotic booty from an ancient battle. At the Hill Cumorah Pageant, a depiction of Nephi's vision of Lehi's dream. (Photo: Eustress/CC BY-SA 3.0) As we left the building where they keep the fake beards (and some of the nicer wigs), Williams steered the conversation in a more solemn direction. "We truly believe that angels and prophets walked this ground," she says. Williams is a local. Raised in the Church, she decided to commit fully to Mormon life as a teenager, after praying in a nearby grove sacred to the Church. She felt an enormous sense of peace, she remembers--a sense that has recurred throughout her life. The Pageant stage is an enormous scaffolded affair, clad in vacu-formed plastic to look like a Mesoamerican temple. Williams waited on a lower tier while I climbed a metal ladder to the stage's highest point. Later, a 20 year-old first-time actor, cast in the role of the Jesus, would appear on this spot, his white robes incandescent in the spotlights. For now, the amphitheater was empty, and everything was hot. The thousands of green chairs in the grass below looked tiny. I tried to imagine what it would be like to climb up here and impersonate Jesus. Advertisement "Where you're standing is where I found out that I was pregnant with my seventh child," Williams says suddenly. She had a moment of dizziness and sudden nausea years before, there are the top of the stage. Several months later, a child was born. A scene from the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, New York. (Photo: Krishna Kumar/CC BY-SA 2.0) Tensions lurk around the edges of the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Protestors--generally Christians who believe that Mormons are heretics--regularly visit, re-enacting the kind of theological throwdown that originally drove early Mormons out of the hills of upstate New York. Security around the stage is tight. A local business owner told me that, over the years, he'd heard shouting matches between Mormons and protestors in the streets. There are also questions of race and appropriation. The Pageant's cast is almost entirely white; the people they depict are almost uniformly not. It can be uncomfortable to see white men in faux-Mesoamerican headdresses. When I brought this issue up with Brent Hansen, the Pageant's head director, he argues that I was thinking too much like a non-Mormon. "We back off to a large extent in this production from that whole concept of Native Americans," he says. "Native Americans came after these people. These people who moved out Jerusalem, they built a culture here, and so it's simpler, in a lot of ways, because we dodge a lot of issues that aren't issues in the story that we're trying to tell." The show itself taps into the peculiar thrill evoked by Broadway musicals, marching bands, and perhaps even North Korean martial exercises--that feeling of watching the well-synced motion of human beings and music. The tides of cast members ebb and flow across the stage. They fight. They run. At times, they dramatically perish. Prophets get up on platforms to lip-sync their speeches. The real show is before the show, when the audience mingles with the cast. Gregory Thornton--a hedge fund manager from Fort Collins, Colorado, cast in the role of Joseph Smith--talks about the affection he receives when he's roaming around in costume. "Since I'm representing Joseph, you get to see their love and appreciation for Joseph," he says. "I'm just playing a role--like Mickey Mouse, right?--but it's fun to see how excited [they get]." Advertisement Wandering around the American-Biblical-Renaissance Fair, you feel how thin the lines are between theater and ritual, play and worship, the mythic and the kitsch. It was somewhere in these borderlands between Disney and Jerusalem that I found Kelsey Trainor and her friends, who were trying to process the experience of seeing scripture come to life. "I definitely did not picture Nephi to look like that," says Trainor, referring to a key Mormon prophet and his descendants. "I thought every Nephite would be like AWRAOHRR," she adds, making a series of guttural, manly noises. "Well they were, like, 14 year-old boys!" protests Emily Gingerich. Soon there were screams. In my notes and audio recording at this point, the cross-talk becomes almost indecipherable. "I think that's him." "That's Noah." "KING NOAH!" "Wait, how do you know that's King Noah?" I ask. "Because someone--" "--we asked someone--" "--and a Nephite told us." "And described his outfit." "We just go and ask, like, 'What does Nephi look like?' And then we go find him." "KING NOAH!" screams Kelsey. "He's too far away. He's talking to people." A minute later, duly summoned, King Noah walks over. He is a young man wearing a spiky red and blue headdress and a fake goatee that reached to his collarbones. If you imagine how a 1950s film director might depict the Aztec emperor Montezuma, you will have a good sense of the overall aesthetic. Advertisement "Are you King Noah?" someone asks. "I am King Noah," says King Noah. "Holy crap, he's huge!" says Teresa Weigeshoff, who is 4'11". The actor playing King Noah gives his height as 6'4" or 6'5". Weigeshoff went up to stand with him. Behind them was the stage and the steep tilt of Hill Cumorah. On the top the hill stands a golden statue of the angel Moroni, not far from an enormous American flag. Making sense of current events on an international scale is a challenge, even for the brightest people. News coverage of global trade and financial markets has become an exercise in decoding an onslaught of abbreviations and acronyms. For ordinary citizens unsteeped in geopolitics, the jargon can make economic diplomacy sound alien, making the subject difficult to understand. Do recent economic developments and Brexit-speak confuse you? If you answered yes, you're not alone. These days, news broadcasts and articles are peppered with geopolitical jargon. Frequently-used foreign policy terms are defined below. My goal in creating this glossary is to demystify recent conversations related to the EU, and to help people enrich their understanding of current events on a global scale. Arab League - The League of Arab States, or LAS, is a voluntary association of countries whose populations are mainly Arabic speaking, or where Arabic is an official language. The Arab League has 22 members (including Palestine) and aims to strengthen ties among member states, coordinate their policies, and direct their regional efforts toward a common good. Advertisement ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was officially formed in 1967 when Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand signed the Bangkok Declaration. Since its formation, ASEAN has grown its membership to include other countries in southeast Asia. ASEAN promotes cultural, economic and political development in its geographic region. AU (African Union) - The AU is comprised of all 53 African countries in Africa, created for political and socio-economic integration and cooperation. BREXIT - Portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit." Brexit refers to the United Kingdom (UK) vote to withdraw from the European Union (EU). BRIC - BRIC is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development. Advertisement CARICOM (Caribbean Community) - The Caribbean Community, comprised of Central American countries for economic integration and cooperation. ECB (European Central Bank) - Based in Frankfurt; responsible for implementing European monetary policy. EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) - The EEZ is a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources. EU - An economic and political partnership of 28 European countries. The EU formed in the wake of WWII for purposes of promoting trade and economic cooperation. Eurozone - The monetary union of 19 European Union (EU) member states that have adopted the Euro () as their common currency. FTZ (Free Trade Zone) - A free trade zone is a geographic area where goods may be landed, handled, or manufactured without the intervention of the customs authorities. Advertisement FONOP (Freedom of Navigation Operations) - The U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations program uses diplomatic protests to challenge territorial claims on the world's oceans and airspace. The U.S. insists that all nations must obey the international law of the sea, as it is defined by the UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS). G77 (The Group of 77) - G77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing nations in the United Nations. The organization, established in 1964, currently includes 130 member nations. G77 functions like a union or sorts with the UN and allows developing nations to leverage their negotiating power on issues of international commerce and development. IMF (International Monetary Fund) - The IMF was created after World War II, in order to prevent economic crises like the Great Depression. The IMF is a specialized agency run by the 186 member countries of the United Nations and its aim is to facilitate foreign exchange transactions, and thereby foster investment and promote balanced global economic trade. OAS (Organization of American States) - The OAS is a group of 35 independent countries in North and South America and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) - OPEC coordinates the petroleum policies of its member nations and provides them with technical and economic aid. OPEC functions as a cartel and attempts to limit price fluctuations in crude oil. OPEC was established in 1960. As of 2016, OPEC has 12 members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela, Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. NAFTA (North American Free-Trade Agreement) - An agreement between Canada, USA, and Mexico to promote free trade. Eliminates tariffs on imports and exports to and from among these nations. A regulation implemented January 1, 1994 in Mexico, Canada and the United States to eliminate most tariffs on trade between these nations. The three countries phased out numerous tariffs, (with a particular focus on those related to agriculture, textiles and automobiles), between the agreement's implementation and January 1, 2008. NAFTA's purpose is to encourage economic activity between the United States, Mexico and Canada. Advertisement NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) - Intergovernmental military alliance created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. Currently consists of 28 member nations. TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) - Ten years in the making, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade agreement among 12 countries that geographically located around the Pacific Rim. In addition to the U.S., TPP member nations include: Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Peru. The TPP aims to open new markets, and address 21st century issues in the global economy, such as the free flow of electronic data across borders. UN (United Nations) - International peacekeeping body. Oversees International Criminal Court (a.k.a. "The Hague") and has power to pass economic sanctions). U.N. LAW OF THE SEAS (UNCLOS) - Negotiated in the 1970s at the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development is a treaty that sets forth regulations and economic provisions to control pollution of oceans and other marine environments. UNCLOS also establishes specific jurisdictional limits on coastline and ocean areas that countries may claim. Of late, UNCLOS has been discussed in relation to the South China Sea dispute. WTO (World Trade Organization) - The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international organization that deals with the rules and laws governing trade between world nations. The WTO agreements have been signed by most of the world's trading nations; its main function is to help producers of goods and services protect and manage their import-export businesses. The WTO has become the driving force underlying globalization during the past few decades. Advertisement In my effort to promote Ruism among ordinary American people I have encountered a major push-back from, of all people, Chinese Americans. Most of them are either indifferent or hostile to their own tradition. But regardless of the reason, an unvarnished ignorance underlies this opposition. A recent example took place this summer when I gave a talk to the largest Chinese evangelical Christian church in the Boston area about 'The Three Guides' and 'The Five Constant Virtues.' After I finished my talk, a pious Chinese woman, around 40 years old, came up and whispered to me: "I know Ruism was the dominant tradition of ancient China, but I had never heard anything like what you were saying during your talk. After hearing what you have explained about Ruism, I find that it is actually quite good ()." Anecdotes like this tell us that in comparison with other traditions such as Judaism, Hinduism or Roman Catholicism, most Chinese immigrants to the United States are actually an obstacle, rather than an aid, to introducing and advancing their supposed 'home tradition' to other Americans. So, why is this happening? Where does this ignorance come from? As a scholar of the humanities, I have to assign the major reason to the May Fourth Movement and the radical anti-Ruist rhetoric which, in the 1910s, this movement created and afterwards was used in governing most of modern China's public education. What happened was that, facing a national defeat by the Western colonial powers, some radically westernized Chinese intellectuals such as Lu Xun or Chen Duxiu, whom I call 'The May Fourthers,' invented a dualistic mindset separating East from West, and old from new. In order, they said, to surpass the West, China must give up its own culture and re-learn everything Western. For this reason, Ruist teachings such as 'The Three Guides' and 'The Five Constant Virtues' were condemned by the May Fourthers as representing the backward morals of a feudal society. They said that these ideas were hopelessly authoritarian, enslaved the independent will and spiritual freedom of individual people, and weakened Chinese cultural vitality. As a consequence, they thought, Chinese tradition must be completely jettisoned so that the Chinese people can learn the new morality of the West. Advertisement Although I appreciate the apparent sincerity of the May Fourthers' intentions (they, after all, hoped to make China better and stronger), I nevertheless see that their racial, anti-Ruist rhetoric is as ridiculous as to say, for example, "A wise old man, punched in the face by an impetuous young guy, has to totally give up his own wisdom and identify spiritually with the young guy." In fact, most of the May Fourthers' criticisms of Ruism are simply wrong! In my view, in order to practice 'The Three Guides' and 'The Five Constant Virtues,' nothing more is needed than the independent spirit of individuals! In the remaining sections of this essay, I will demonstrate how this is the case. First, a little history: The first time that the single phrase 'the Three Guides and the Five Constant Virtues' () is mentioned in the Ruist classics was when Ma Rong (, 79-166 CE) in the Eastern Han Dynasty used this phrase to comment on Analects 2:23 in order to explain the unchanging aspect of a harmonious human society. According to Ma, regardless of what happens on the outside, people must still practice Ruist ethics inwardly for human society to remain on the right track. Before Ma, it was Dong Zhongshu's (, 179-104 BCE) works and a later text entitled, 'A Comprehensive Exposition in White Tiger Hall' (, compiled in 79 CE) that provided a separate philosophical exposition to each of the terms 'The Three Guides' and 'The Five Constant Virtues'. As perhaps will be well known, the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) was a very special period for Ruism. After other teachings, such as Legalism and Daoism, had proved not to be robust enough for maintaining a unified dynasty and an harmonious human society, Ruism was established as the state ideology. Accordingly, we can see that all those expositions about 'the Three Guides' and 'the Five Constant Virtues' which were provided by the Han Dynasty Ruists are actually a distillation of previous Ruist ethical teachings such as 'The Five Cardinal Human Relationships' () and 'The Ten Reciprocal Duties' () from Ruism's Pre-Qin classical period. These teachings were intended to function, and they actually did function, as a textbook version of Ruist ethics, and thus were perennially influential. In this sense, the May Fourthers were right to select these Guides and Virtues [ and ] as representative of Ruist ethics, even though their understanding of these ideas was quite wrong. Advertisement Second, the philosophy: The standard expression for 'The Three Guides' is that 'The ruler is the guide for subjects, the father is the guide for the son, and the husband is the guide for the wife' (, , ). The original meaning of the Chinese character, written gang, refers to the lead rope of a fishing net, and thus, by extension, it means guide, guideline, bond, or guiding principle, etc. In Ruist ethics, if X is said to be the guide () for Y, it primarily connotes, first, that the relationship of X to Y is a major human relationship, and secondly, that this X-Y relationship is, in a practical sense, hierarchical, in which X takes the major and leading role while Y takes a minor and subordinate role. Therefore, both X and Y must fulfill those distinct duties which are entailed by their differing roles. So, if X guides ( ) Y, it means that X must act as a moral model for Y. In other words, X has a great responsibility for instructing Y about right human behavior. In the subordinate role of Y, he or she needs to show consistent deference towards and thus, discreetly and responsibly follow X as long as a normal X-Y relationship is being maintained. Even so, to what extent can an X-Y relationship be seen as 'normal'? The answer depends. The tradition tells us that for the ruler-subjects relationship, if a ruler continues to act badly, a minister ought to leave the state or resign after remonstration has failed three times. In more extreme cases, such as when a ruler proves to be a ruthless tyrant, revolt is urged. In the father-son relationship, if a father commits misdeeds and refuses to correct himself after his son has remonstrated three times, his son should 'follow his father while crying and weeping' (, ). This implies a persistent duty of the son to remonstrate since the father-son relationship can't be abandoned as easily as that of ruler-subjects. For the husband-wife relationship, if a husband's wrongdoing concerns only minor issues, the wife ought to tolerate while continuing to remonstrate, but if the misbehavior is really brutal such as killing the wife's parents and other similar deeds that violate basic principles of human relationships, the wife has the right to a divorce (", ). Therefore, if there is anything that the teaching of 'The Three Guides' suggests to which a human being must be subordinated, it is only to one's duties and to the universal moral principles that are entailed by each person's distinct roles within various human relationships, rather than to any capricious human person who unjustly happens to hold authority. In relation to this, Xunzi taught us to "follow the Dao, rather than the ruler; to follow what is right, rather than the father." If a person's will is not firm, or if a person's spirituality is not independent and principled, I want to ask the May Fourthers, "How could anyone be a Ruist who follows such teachings?" The ethics of 'The Five Constant Virtues' is higher than those which concern 'The Three Guides', 'The Five Cardinal Relationships', or 'The Ten Reciprocal Duties'. This is because these latter terms refer to concrete human relationships and their related duties, but meanwhile, human society is far more complex than what these terms refer to. Even when we know how to behave ourselves within three (or five) major human relationships, we still feel the need for a higher principle that can guide all human relationships. Therefore, the purpose of teaching 'The Five Constant Virtues' is to provide that 'single' principle which will apply in various occasions. These 'Five Constant Virtues' are Humaneness (, ren), Righteousness (, yi), Ritual-Propriety (, li), Wisdom (, zhi) and Trustworthiness (, xin). I will explain these terms one by one. The basic meaning of 'Humaneness' (, ren) is love. Ruism's conception of love is all-encompassing. It can be as close by as one's parents and one's children, or in its incipient form, in the reaction one has when, seeing a baby about to fall into a well, one feels a sense of 'commiseration' (, Mencius) and is hardly able to prevent oneself from saving the baby. It can also be as distant as when tiles and stones are crushed and one feels concern and empathy for their reordering (Wang Yangming). In a word, the Ruist conception of human love is so universal that a person of humaneness is said to be able to 'form one body with a myriad of things between Heaven and Earth.' Nevertheless, even though human love is universal, Ruism also urges its particularization, so here we are with the virtue of 'Righteousness' (, yi). The basic meaning of refers to something that 'ought' to be done, that is, to what is right. In relation to 'Humaneness,' this virtue requires human beings to love appropriately in relation to particular people and in concrete situations. For example, as human beings, our love towards our own parents and children is naturally and understandably more intense than towards other people's parents and children. However, love should not end with one's own family. We must love other people's parents and their children by extending our love outward from our own. In this regard, Ruism teaches us to correctly determine the value of one's various relationships, and thus to bring about a graded form of dynamic harmony in one's performance of various duties through a reasonable distribution of time and energy. 'Ritual-Propriety' (, li) refers to the audible and visible ways of human behavior, through which what the virtues of 'Humaneness' and 'Righteousness' require are practiced. For example, if one has good intentions to appropriately love one's parents but does not actually practice the respectful ways for speaking, looking, hugging, or taking good care, it is hard to say that one has internalized the virtues of humaneness and righteousness in his or her person. The virtue of Wisdom (, zhi) balances the virtue of 'Ritual-Propriety' since it refers to knowledge. To know how to appropriately love is to possess wisdom. In line with the Ruist idea of dynamic harmony, the central task of human wisdom is to be thought of as knowing both the facts and values of things, and thus, of understanding how things in concrete situations can fit together based upon appropriate human reactions to that situation. The virtue of Trustworthiness (, xin) is mainly about one's attitude, and thus, has no additional content compared to the other four. It requires that one sincerely practice the four aforementioned virtues, and thus really possess them (). In a word, 'Humaneness' is universal human love, 'Righteousness' refers to how to love appropriately in concrete terms, 'Ritual-Propriety' is the audible and visible ways of human behavior in which 'Humaneness' and 'Righteousness' are practiced, 'Wisdom' is to know how to be humane, righteous, and ritually-proper using one's deep axiological reasoning, while 'Trustworthiness' urges one to be sincere in the practice of these virtues, and thus, to truly own them. Overall, 'The Five Constant Virtues' is the principle that governs one's behavior within various human relationships. For example, if a minister can be humane, righteous, ritually-proper, wise, and trustworthy in his or her behavior within the ruler-subjects relationship, he or she will be seen as fulfilling his or her duty of 'loyalty', as specified in the teaching of 'Ten Reciprocal Duties'. Based on this discussion, I have to ask one final question: Can we still believe, as the May Fourthers did, that the Ruist teachings of 'The Three Guides' and 'The Five Constant Virtues' represent the backward morals of a feudal society and thus are totally irrelevant to modern society? Absolutely not. In my view, every virtue listed in 'The Five Constant Virtues' continues to be extremely valuable for our time. Nothing need be changed in order to practice this teaching today. For 'The Three Guides,' we only need to make minor changes in order to adjust its social context. As I have argued in a previous essay, the ruler-subjects relationship ought to be understood as that of government-citizens, or any other hierarchical relationship in public life; the father-son relationship needs to be reformulated as that of parents-children; and the teaching about the husband-wife relationship ought to be reconsidered as one of a husband and wife who are guides for each other depending upon their differing levels of expertise. In my view, each of these adjustments is what the Ruist ethical principle of 'The Five Constant Virtues' requires for today's human relationships. In a word, I believe the teachings of 'The Three Guides' and 'The Five Constant Virtues' are still key for the realization of social harmony in every time period. May Fourthers, I have to say again, "Sorry, you were wrong. It is the Ruist tradition which is the antidote for our modern malaise!" Co-founder of iDly Systems, Finn Murphy creates cloud software for organizations to issue digital IDs onto mobile devices. With a degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Trinity College Dublin tucked firmly under his belt, Finn recently spoke at Trinity's campus launch as part of the first international expansion of the Blackstone LaunchPad program. People often ask me what the 'secret ingredient' is to successful entrepreneurship. If anything, my answer just raises more questions: it's all about luck. Ask any budding entrepreneurs just starting out what will make them successful, when so many others are not. The answers are typical: some say they know their market inside out, others praise the killer team in the background, and the rest count themselves lucky that they have huge resources at their disposal. However, if you inquire as to why the truly successful movers, shakers and industry tycoons succeeded, most will put it down to one, singular factor - luck. Of course, this isn't what we're told in school. In fact, it's the opposite- you cannot simply teach someone to be lucky. Some are born lucky, some achieve luck, and some have luckiness thrust upon them. But fret not, prospective enterprisers - all hope is not lost. What you can do is to learn the appropriate skills, so that when an opportunity presents itself, you're ready to take full advantage of the situation at hand. The courses you've taken and lessons you've learned are just ways of shutting out the noise of the world so that when opportunity knocks on your door, you won't be caught singing in the shower. Of course, it's easy to say that hugely successful people have just been lucky. If Sergey Brin hadn't been asked to give Larry Page a tour of Stanford, would they have gone on to found Google? If Ryan Graves hadn't seen Travis Kalanick's tweet looking for a co-founder, would Uber be the company it is today? And if Sean Parker hadn't heard about a dorm room startup called 'The Facebook,' would Mark Zuckerberg still have gone on to change the world? The easy answer, of course, is that they got lucky. But the reality is that they were prepared and capable to act when the right person, the right opportunity, and the right time crossed their path. I know this first hand. The simplest way to describe how I'm running a company straight out of college is luck. Junior year had just ended, I was elected to student government and I had just closed the book on my first failed start-up. Closing one door and opening another, so I thought. Although I did not realise it at the time, new ideas were starting to form in the already bustling corporation between my ears. Slowly but surely, I was becoming more confident in meetings and presentations. I was preparing research and planning documents for student projects. I was building connections and leveraging my network without a clear goal. Then these different strands all came together in a student government meeting with the college President. The agenda was finished, and as we were about to sit up from our chairs the President asked: Hillary Clinton is up in the polls, and once again, Donald Trump is claiming the election is rigged. Just two weeks after the close of the Republican National Convention -- and less than two weeks after Trump opened up a lead on Clinton -- Hillary is back up: 3 points in the latest Economist/YouGov poll; 6 points in the latest CBS News poll; 9 points, according to CNN; and 5 points with Public Policy Polling. Not surprisingly, Donald Trump is not taking the news well. In typical Trump fashion, The Donald is playing the sore loser card, claiming the November election is "rigged." Advertisement "I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged, I have to be honest," Trump said this week. "I've been hearing about it for a long time. I'm telling you, November 8... that election is going to be rigged." This is not the first time, of course, that Donald has claimed an election is rigged. He said the same thing about the GOP nomination -- a nomination that, ironically, he won. "It's a rigged, disgusting dirty system," Trump said in April, speaking to an audience in New York about the GOP primary. "It's a dirty system, and only a non-politician would say it." Trump, of course, went on to win the New York primary -- by a whopping 35 points! -- but did he let that victory, or any other victory, get in the way of doing what he does best? Whining about how "rigged" the system is? Of course not. He continued to whine, and this week he's at it again. Advertisement After being pummeled at the Democratic National Convention, humiliated by the Gold Star parents of a slain U.S. soldier, and called out for his bizarre reactions to a crying baby -- ironic, since the biggest crybaby at Donald Trump's rallies seems to be Trump himself -- The Donald was once again taking the media to task this week, and claiming the system is rigged against him. "We gotta beat a totally dishonest machine," he told voters in Virginia this week. "It's a crooked system. We're running against a rigged system, and we're running against a dishonest media." Rigged. Crooked. Dishonest. Disgusting! Get the picture, America? Your democratic system is so filthy and disgusting, that an otherwise decent candidate like Donald Trump doesn't stand a chance! That's what Trump would have you believe, anyway. And you know what? I'm starting to think Trump is right. Maybe the election is rigged. Maybe Donald Trump doesn't stand a chance. Why do I say this? I say this because the system -- the electoral process, the voters, our democracy itself -- does indeed seem to be stacked against him. Let's take his stances on the issues. Trump's solution to global terrorism? Simple! We just ban an entire religion from entering the United States. This, of course, is insane. It's illegal, it's unconstitutional, it's impractical, and it's impossible, and the voters aren't buying it. He's sinking in the polls, his proposed Muslim ban has fallen flat, and as a result, it seems like the entire system is stacked against him. Advertisement Let's take his budget plan, too. Trump's budget could add $10 trillion to the U.S. debt! This, too, is insane. It's also impractical, not to mention unsustainable. The American people are noticing. He's sinking in the polls, the system is stacked against him, and his budget proposals look like they're dead on arrival. Trump says Mexicans are rapists! He has no proof to back up this claim, but he keeps saying it anyway. The American people aren't buying it. He's dropping in the polls, even Republicans are fleeing his narrow-minded brand of xenophobia, and again, it's like the entire system is rigged against him. Trump is backed by neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and members of the Ku Klux Klan. He doesn't think this is a problem, but the American people do. His support among non-white voters -- if he ever had any -- is fading. It's almost like the entire non-white, non-racist, non-neo-Nationalist vote is rigged against him! This, of course, is boorish, oafish, baboonish behavior that wouldn't be tolerated by the American people at any level of politics let alone the White House, and it seems to be working against him. Again, Trump is plummeting in the polls, the voters don't seem to care for his trash, and the entire system seems to be stacked against him. Advertisement So maybe Donald Trump is right. Maybe the system is rigged. Maybe a gutless, classless, trash-talking neo-Nationalist who insults women, Muslims, Mexicans, war heroes and the handicapped really can't get a break in 2016. It's almost like the whole system is -- wait for it -- rigged against him. Many believe that the relentless pursuit to offer the next compelling employee benefit that will attract and retain the talent companies need is a "race to the bottom." But there's a gem sitting right in front of us that is shinier than any trendy perk. Hint: it's not free yoga classes, the drink fridge or bring-your-dog-to-work Fridays. It's the idea of delivering up Goodness as part of the employee experience, which is even more powerful in a global context, as businesses continue to be challenged to create a unified corporate culture that transcends borders and leverages diversity. Goodness, expressed through the giving of time, money, talent and services to worthy charities via the workplace, is a proven way to engage your people while solidifying your brand and reputation to an even wider audience. Employee giving and volunteering is simply one of the best - and most underutilized - workplace benefits to unite global employees. It springs from within employees themselves, their intrinsic desire to make a positive social impact and the power in bringing meaning and purpose to one's work. By shifting the focus towards Goodness, local and international businesses can transform cultural challenges into ripe opportunities for building a truly engaged and inclusive workforce. Advertisement Global companies like Microsoft, Google and Nike are already starting to figure this out, as international giving among multinationals like these is on the rise. Companies expect international giving rates to increase by 25 percent over the next two years, according to a recent study from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. We've heard from employees at Fortune 1000 companies that they want a chance to give, volunteer and get involved in their company's philanthropic efforts anywhere around the world. But this has proven difficult or even impossible for corporate responsibility and benefits managers who have tended to provide only U.S. or North American-centric programs. Doing it right (accounting for nuances like language, currency, domestically relevant charity validation, global payment disbursement to charities and more) is complex. It requires a single platform that unites functions and purposes into one experience under the company's brand; it's about being global and local at the same time. Until recently, it was a struggle to deliver a similar experience to all your people. But with better solutions now available, and a knowledge of geographic nuances, companies can invest in international Goodness efforts that will shape a more unified global workforce. Here are three key reasons why you should do it: 1. It's One Thing Boomers, Millennials and Generation Z Can Agree On Companies have spent a lot of time thinking about how to cater to Millennials, but this summer an even younger cohort has begun to enter the labor force. The eldest of those born between the 1990s and early 2000s - dubbed "Generation Z" - have graduated college and are becoming your workmates. Advertisement Like their Millennial predecessors, Gen Z wants to integrate work with life, and do Good in the world. This group tends to prefer a career that gives them a chance to help people, according to a study of 49,000 members of Gen Z across 47 countries. You can bet these employees will be attracted to - and stick with - employers that value volunteerism and philanthropy anywhere in the world. This aligns strongly with not only the demands of Millennials but Boomers, too, who are not all that different from the generations that followed them (at least in this sense). Across the board, the employees of the present and the future want to work for companies that provide a sense of greater purpose and support them in living the values to which they aspire. 2. It Helps Make Inclusion More than an HR Buzzword For international program expansion to be successful, companies need to tackle diversity and inclusion amidst evolving workplace demographics. As companies cross borders, they often can't easily anticipate the nuances of employee needs in offices outside of headquarters. By creating consistent employee engagement benefits across all locations, people can rally around a single experience and build closer relationships with each other. Having a prosocial culture shows your people and other stakeholders what your company universally stands for in more than a lip-service way. Employees, whether they want to give to causes in their backyard or halfway around the world, need a trusted, convenient and tech-savvy way to support their organization(s) of choice. For example, an employee in Beijing may want to donate part of her paycheck to a local Chinese charity. She will need her company to invest in technology that supports the right currency and language, and ensures the company's eligibility criteria have been met. Employee giving and engagement - and the technology that backs the program - needs to be flexible, adaptable and global. 3. It's Good for the Bottom Line Successful employee engagement strategies are one of the greatest opportunities available to all companies, and there are numerous studies showing unequivocally that active and engaged employees improve the bottom line. Companies with well-designed corporate responsibility programs can reduce employee turnover by 50 percent and increase employee productivity by 13 percent, according to a report published by Project ROI last year. Furthermore, investing in global Goodness programs can help companies empower their employees to achieve smoother operations in global markets, bolster community relationships internationally and improve their reputation with employees and customers outside corporate headquarter countries. To create solid engagement programs, companies need the technology and tools to scale workplace giving, volunteerism and grantmaking so that all employees feel invested, whether they are in Palo Alto or Paris. The key is providing a globally consistent experience that resonates at a local level, connecting individuals personally while knowing the impact may be felt a world away. Advertisement When was the last time you helped an employee succeed or encouraged creativity among your team? If it was longer than yesterday, it might be time to reevaluate your role as a leader. Ask yourself these next several questions every day to become a better leader for your team. A. What Could I Accomplish If I Had No Fear? As a founder, your job is to have pie-in-the-sky visions and move your company forward to places no one thought you could go. It's important to stay grounded in reality while constantly asking yourself how you could dream bigger. - Lisa Curtis, Kuli Kuli A. What's One Thing I Can Improve Every Day to Grow My Company? Setting daily goals are crucial to productivity. Completing tasks -- small or large-- pushes my company to accomplish its long-term goals and consistently grow. By asking the above question, it helps me to stay focused, organized and motivates my team to produce great work. - Ariel Sultan, Food Guru Advertisement A. Why Did I Start My Company? On a daily basis, I like to remind myself of the reason why I started my business. It allows me to continue seeing the positive impact we are making on the community and fuels my passion for how inner growth has changed my life. - Jessica Baker, Aligned Signs A. Do I Inspire My Team? As the owner of a business, you need to be able to inspire your employees to achieve great tasks. Share your vision and have them share the same dream as you. That is what makes a great business owner. - Ajmal Saleem, Suprex Learning A. How Can I Support My Team? Servant leadership is a methodology that puts guidance ahead of directives. This has been extremely beneficial at our organization. It forces leaders to be introspective when things are not working, making them ask how they personally can support the individuals on their team to produce better outcomes as opposed to passing blame. - Justin Moodley, LASANAN A. What Does It Feel Like to Work For Me? As leaders, we often forget what it feels like to be on the other side of the table as an employee. There's an automatic power dynamic at play between a boss and an employee, whether or not we intend for there to be one. As a result, thinking about how we as leaders come across is essential to ensuring we're doing our part to create the best work environment for our employees. - Claire Lew, Know Your Company Advertisement A. Am I Helping My Employees Succeed? The employer/employee relationship needs to be mutually beneficial. It's important to talk to the people you supervise. Discover what tasks they enjoy and don't enjoy doing, find out what their professional goals are, and work with them to provide a path to those goals. Knowing their boss cares and wants to take an active role in helping them succeed will lead to happier, more productive employees. - Joshua Moe, Odigia A. Do I Encourage Creativity and Out-of-the-Box Thinking? It's really important for my team to know that I'm open to their ideas and provide positive feedback when possible. Creativity should be rewarded so the team feels like they are being heard and what they're bringing to the table is important for the growth of the company. - Nadia Hansen, Result Logix Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Aug. 4 By Demir Azizov Trend: Foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries and the US have discussed practical issues of cooperation in the Central Asia-US (C5 + 1) format in Washington, the press service of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported. Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirodjidin Aslov, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and US Secretary of State John Kerry took part in the meeting held Aug. 3. The meeting participants exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation in the spheres of economy, ecology and safety. Events were held within the C5 + 1 format with representatives of the US business and private investors interested in the Central Asian market. The C5 + 1 format was established in 2015. In September 2015, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian countries in New York. In November 2015, foreign ministers of the US and the Central Asian countries met in Samarkand in C5 + 1 format and adopted Samarkand Declaration, in which they approved creation of a new format of interaction (C5 + 1) for regular political dialogue between foreign ministries of the six countries on issues of common interest. With Donald Trump's latest moral outrage---denigrating the Muslim-American parents of a dead war hero and claiming his "sacrifice" as a businessman equates to a hero's ultimate sacrifice---Republicans up and down the line, from elected leaders to the party's grass roots, have to be pondering their presidential pick. Republicans are famously loyal. They also have long claimed the mantle of moral rectitude, which high claim has suffered badly of late---with a war of choice (Iraq), a descent into torture, a preference for the 1 percent over the 99 percent, a dedication to an unregulated free market, no matter the destruction it wreaks, among other moral failings. And these failings compound: Out of the failed state of Iraq arose ISIS, which Republicans out of moral guilt try to put on President Obama. But, starting right now, today, Republicans could mount a moral reawakening of their party---by repudiating their moral catastrophe of a presidential nominee. Advertisement Let them count the ways in which Donald Trump fails the moral test---denigrating the Muslim-American parents and their heroic son, denigrating the judge of Mexican-American heritage, denigrating women as "fat pigs," threatening nuclear warfare, advocating torture, inviting foreign espionage to find Hillary Clinton's missing State Department emails, the list is long and various---and then, let them declare a New Day for the Grand Old Party. Yes, it may mean losing the election in November, but the Republicans are going to lose anyway (I predict). Besides, basic political calculus dictates: The bigger Trump's loss and the more it is attributed to his moral failings, thanks in part to the case made by Republican reformers (with lots of help from the Democrats, of course), the stronger the hand of those GOP reformers post-election and the cleaner the slate from which to proceed. Otherwise, if no moral reform is mounted, after Trump's loss in November the GOP establishment, or whatever desperate members remain of it, will try to reinstate the old---discredited---Republican brand. Not good. Or, might moral reform be the way the GOP establishment recovers its best self? At the moment, it is painful to watch GOP "leaders" like House speaker Paul Ryan, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, and Senator John McCain all denounce Trump, but then fail to withdraw their endorsement. President Obama now calls on Republicans to do exactly that: repudiate Trump. As Mr. Obama puts it, "The question they have to ask themselves is: If you are repeatedly having to say in very strong terms that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?" Advertisement Indeed. Of course, given Republicans' loathing of Mr. Obama, his advice won't likely be taken. But this doesn't mean the advice isn't sound or is a Trojan horse. This Democrat believes our democracy functions better with a strong two-party system. Moreover, were Republicans to mount and succeed with their party's moral reawakening, they'd be better able to recognize the moral standing of the opposing party. Democrats are beyond tired at being tagged as amoral or pagan by the errant Republicans. True moral rectitude recognizes the validity of all humans. Moral reform is the most profound and most powerful kind of reform. It provides a "firm foundation," as Martin Luther, the first Protestant, demonstrated in his argument against an errant Catholic Church in the 16th century. Moral reform is possible in all human endeavors, including politics. So, Republicans: Be a "profile in courage." Be a Martin Luther, who in protest said, "Here I stand, I can do no other." Or, less grandly, as the Nike ad urges, "Just do it"---because you know sooner or later it must be done. Repudiate Donald Trump and proceed with your party's moral reform. History, country, conscience---and party---require it. Carla Seaquist's latest book is titled "Can America Save Itself from Decline?: Politics, Culture, Morality." An earlier book is titled "Manufacturing Hope: Post-9/11 Notes on Politics, Culture, Torture, and the American Character." Also a playwright, she published "Two Plays of Life and Death" and is at work on a play titled "Prodigal." I was living in Hong Kong and born in Hong Kong and Hong Kong use to have a gay and lesbian film festival in 1989 but they stopped it in 1997 when Hong Kong was given back to China for political and economical reasons. I restarted the gay and lesbian film festival in 2000 because I didn't want that kind of freedom of speech and freedom of being gay to be suppressed and lost. We started the film festival in the year 2000 and the festival since then has been very strong and we are the biggest and longest running gay and lesbian film festival in Asia now. I think it is very important to have our stories being told. If you are a young kid coming out with no identity or not sure what it is like being gay you can go to the cinema and watch your story or some other people's story or their struggles on the screen and that kind of gives you a lot of power and belief in life. So they have a sense of identity and they have the belief in other people's dreams and life can be different or better or whatever so the world they live in there are other avenues and ways of living. I think it is very important to have gay and lesbian film festivals everywhere in the world. Co-Authored by Tracy Gregoire, Learning Disabilities Association of America It's August. Each day now, the sun comes up a bit later and sets a little earlier. Summer is half over and that means it's time to start thinking about going Back to School. This year, returning to the classroom includes a higher awareness of environmental factors that can impact children's ability to learn -- especially when it comes to the water they drink. Our collective awareness was shocked by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. On the school front, that led some responsible school administrators to test drinking water quality in schools for lead. Unfortunately, in too many cases, high levels of the dangerous heavy metal were found in school drinking fountains and kitchen faucets at alarming levels. But the main lesson, sadly learned every day, is that we still don't have good data on school environments, and worse, we ignore vulnerable children at risk or with exposures in schools. The environment of schools does affect children (and staff), and their ability to learn. So this year's Back to School theme is Reducing Risks to Children. That is the title of a new report just published by Healthy Schools Network and partners in the national Coalition for Healthier Schools. It documents both disturbing and encouraging facts about schools nationally. But what concerns us the most is that while public school enrollments are growing, including increasing numbers of poor children and children with special needs, teaching and support staffs are decreasing. And we still lack the fundamental information to properly evaluate what is going on. Advertisement Learning Disabilities Association of America shares these concerns. It seeks to reduce disabilities related to unnecessary toxic chemicals like lead and also decrease the associated special education and healthcare costs as the anguish and emotional stress associated with these disabilities. Tracy Gregoire, LDA's Healthy Children Project Coordinator noted, "The National Academy of Sciences states that toxic chemicals contribute to at least a quarter of all learning and developmental disabilities. We need to eliminate the preventable causes of learning disabilities, autism, ADHD and other challenges where children live, learn, and play. We have a duty to protect our children and their future by taking immediate action on dangerous chemicals like lead in drinking water." Referring both to the new new Reducing Risks to Children, and this national crisis, Jerome Paulson, MD, FAAP, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and of Environmental & Occupational Health, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health says: "This report gives a peek into the impact of environmental factors on the health of children in our nation's schools. It clearly shows the need for a comprehensive data collection system encompassing all children in all childcare centers and PK-12 schools. Without the data, it is impossible to adequately identify problems, implement preventive programs, create solutions to existing problems and track their implementation. We need answers to Who? What? Why? When? and Where? Absent a data system, we'll never have answers." Paulson is echoed by Jeff Vincent, deputy director, Center for Cities + Schools, University of California, Berkeley. "In California," he says, "we know that we have widespread educational and environmental health deficiencies in many of our PK-12 school facilities. Unfortunately, we don't know the scale and scope of these problems statewide. As a result, inequities continue and we can't adequately target resources for effective remedies." Because of Flint, lead in school drinking water has become a focus of concern for parents, educators and public health officials across the country. The lead comes from old pipes and solder, as well faucets, valves, and other plumbing fixtures, such as those made of brass. Exposure to very high blood lead levels can cause serious health effects including learning and behavioral disabilities, seizures, coma, and death. Although it is uncommon today to see blood lead levels that are high enough to be life threatening, any exposure to lead may have the potential to cause adverse health effects. Advertisement Because of the large number of children who are involved nationwide, lead poisoning is still a very important public health problem, and parents want answers and child-protective action, now. Following national outrage and concern about the lead in drinking water situation, and less public but equally well-documented incidents like water contamination in Hoosick Falls, New York, some schools began testing for lead. The Los Angeles school system found it in school drinking water, including in relatively new schools. Even though old pipes had been replaced, lead used to solder new joints showed up in the tests. In Portland, Oregon, the community was shocked to discover lead in several public schools, leading to a ban on students drinking any water from school facilities. Carolyn Smith Evans, co-founder and Chair, National Education Association's Healthy Schools Caucus, noted, "The events in the Portland, Oregon public schools regarding lead in school water supplies and the untimely disclosure to parents and teachers seem to be reverberating around the state. The positive outcomes of this are the mobilization of Oregon's Governor and the Oregon Legislature to seek ways to address issues of lead and other environmental toxins in Oregon schools. As well, school districts in other parts of the state such as Eugene, Salem-Keizer, and other smaller districts are voluntarily announcing their plans for water testing and disclosure of the results to the public, parents and school employees." What solution will be waiting for Portland, OR children when they return this fall is not clear, although it might echo Baltimore, MD which has used only bottled water in its schools for the past decade. Advertisement In New York, there was also progress, both in the area of data collection and remediation. When lead turned up in the drinking water in schools in Ithaca, Rochester and Amsterdam, local legislators introduced the New York School Safe Drinking Water Act, a bill to require testing at the tap of all drinking water in New York's PK-12 public schools. Although it came down to the final hours of a late legislative session, the bill passed. Governor Andrew Cuomo weighed in with some last minute amendments, so his signature is expected. Important features of the law include: transparency - all parents and staff are to be notified that testing is taking place, and the results are to be posted on state and county health department websites; remediation and reimbursement - state school building aid will reimburse schools for testing and remediation; and, reporting - the law requires the state Health Department to report to the governor on test results by December 2016, in time to impact the development of next year's state budget proposal, and bi-annually thereafter. Nationally, states are stepping up, but not fast enough. In every state, there is plenty of work to do for parents and for schools to get ready for the coming school year. They can: Advertisement write a blog or op-ed for their paper test at the tap for lead buy third party certified green cleaning products buy EPEAT-rated green computers that have fewer toxic chemicals and are energy efficient use third party certified green interior wall and ceiling paints and they can encourage staff and parents to avoid disinfecting wipes practice safer pest control. To illustrate the depth of the environmental problems all children face, Towards Healthy Schools: Reducing Risks to Children includes state-by-state examples of problems over the past year. In a series of interviews with public health officials across the country, the report adds evidence to the concern about the lack of systematic data collection needed to document and address environmental health concerns affecting children in all schools. When you add in the emerging public health threats like lead in school drinking water, PCBs and asbestos in classrooms, schools within a mile of hazardous facilities, and the growing climate crisis, it becomes clear why this report concludes that "all children are at risk for additional health and learning problems due to the unaddressed and unexamined threats in their schools and the absence of public health services for children". I suppose I ought to front load this: In the Democratic Party Primary in New York State, I voted for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. My reasons for the doing so were various, but they focused heavily upon how well Senator Sanders articulated what I consider to be a genuine crisis in our time: the out of control growth in income inequality and the consequent damage to opportunity and justice that comes with it. Senator Sanders' ability to make a genuinely competitive campaign outside of the system of large donor politics was also inspiring, and it pointed to another vital issue - how our campaign finance system grants large donors more access and more voice to the point of commanding far more attention than the voters. In contrast, former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton, while acknowledging such issues, has spent the last quarter century at or near the very highest offices of political power in the country. While I did not doubt that she recognizes these as problems, I did question her ability to give full critique to them while running a campaign that is fully enmeshed in big donor politics, especially when given the choice of Senator Sanders' avoidance of typical large donors. Further, as an advocate for public education and full-throated critic of the current reform environment, Secretary Clinton's long standing connections to education reform was, and remains, a real difficulty for me. Secretary Clinton has been supported by Eli Broad, whose education "philanthropy" has been consistently aimed at aggressively favoring charter schools over fully public schools. Secretary Clinton's PAC received a massive donation from Alice Walton, and the Clinton Foundation has been a financial beneficiary of the Walton Family Foundation whose education efforts are geared towards privatization and hostility to teachers' unions. "Democrats" for Education Reform, an organization founded largely by Whitney Tilson in a effort to convince Democrats to support anti-union and pro-privatization policies that are more typical of Republicans, greeted Secretary Clinton's campaign with enthusiasm. Secretary Clinton's 2016 campaign chair is John Podesta who is President Bill Clinton's former chief of staff and the founder of the Center for American Progress (CAP). CAP, while often progressive and innovative on a range of issue, is reliably on the wrong side of education reform. If there is a bad idea being proposed for our public schools, there is a good chance that CAP has written a position paper in support of it. Advertisement Suffice it to say that this has been at least a bit of a difficult journey. In reality, finding American politicians who truly support - and understand - public education and its purposes is not actually easy. Senator Sanders' education record - beyond college financing - is not actually stellar considering missed opportunities to trim back today's test and punish environment. California Congressman Mark Takano is a former school teacher who has explained that most of his colleagues, however well-intentioned, have limited time to learn an issue as complex as teaching and learning and are readily swayed by ideas that fit their known areas of expertise such as law and finance. So how have I come to support Secretary Clinton's bid for the Presidency? One thing to remember is that, despite my initial support for her opponent, I find a huge portion of the criticism hurled at Secretary Clinton either false or overblown. The Clintons really have been the target of a now generation long effort to both defame them and to blow up every misstep into major scandal. Despite her currently dismal poll numbers on trustworthiness, Secretary Clinton has been admirably honest in her campaign statements - this really isn't even close in comparison to the Republican nominee. Secretary Clinton has been endlessly accused of corruption, and while I agree that our big donor political system is rife with the corrupting influence of money, it is hardly fair to claim that Secretary Clinton is some extraordinary example. This is a system of campaign finance that touches most elected officials at most levels of government. 60 Minutes did a story in April about how the need to raise campaign money is so important to remaining in Congress that Congressional Republicans had personal targets of raising $18,000 a day over a six month period. While I desperately want this system to change, it is not fair to single out Secretary Clinton as some kind of avatar of political corruption merely for having been around for as long as she has. While her long time associations and past positions have worried me, it is also true that Secretary Clinton has proven herself persuadable on key education issues. Last Fall, she created a near panic among education reform advocates for saying something that is objectively true: many charter schools "don't take the hardest-to-teach kids, or, if they do, they don't keep them." This is objectively true by any normal analysis, especially of the high flying "no excuses" schools who claim they "prove" that urban public schools are full of lazy teachers -- even while they do everything they can to suspend students they do not want until they leave. It is also fair to say that Secretary Clinton seems to be trying to have it at least one and a half ways on charter schools, making statements about high quality "public" charter schools and trying to thread a needle on the difference between "for profit" and "not for profit" charters. These are attempts to dichotomize situations that are often much murkier. For example, a charter school can be run by a "not for profit" management organization that then contracts services to companies that entirely for profit - and which have ties to the people running the not for profit. Fraudulent use of public funds is a very real problem across the charter sector and unlikely to improve without strict public scrutiny that charter operators and their investors have mightily resisted. Further, current school financing situations generally mean that charter schools, as a whole, operate at the expense of their host districts who find that their fully public schools have higher concentrations of the highest need students without accompanying increases in spending to help them succeed. Advertisement Secretary Clinton and the Democratic Party, however, appear to be making some progress on the issue as evidence by subtle but meaningful changes in the platform. The original platform language on charter schools was basically more of the same - equating them with fully public schools and insisting that parents have options while offering a relatively meaningless opposition to for profit charters and a weak call for transparency. The new language inserted: "We believe that high quality public charter schools should provide options for parents, but should not replace or destabilize traditional public schools. Charter schools must reflect their communities, and thus must accept and retain proportionate numbers of students of color, students with disabilities and English Language Learners in relation to their neighborhood public schools." This should not be controversial - unless you believe that it is a great thing for schools accepting public money to operate to the detriment of existing schools and to fail to retain their students. The platform also addressed accountability and testing, adding language that called for testing to meet reliability and validity standards, opposing testing that unfairly labels vulnerable students as failing, using test data to redirect funds, close schools, and in teacher and principal evaluation, and it directly supported parents' right to opt out of standardized tests "without penalty for the either the student or their school." Shavar Jeffries, head of "Democrats" for Education Reform, was not at all pleased. His statement said the platform had been "hijacked" at the last minute and declared that the platform would harm the nation's most valuable children. Advertisement You have to wonder about someone who thinks calling on charter schools to stop kicking out so many poor and minority children and not financially destabilize their host district and calling for testing to be used in ways that do not actually harm schools and teachers and children is a massive affront to progress. The good news is that Secretary Clinton and the Democratic Party as a whole may have begun a slow and ponderous turn from failed policies of test and punish and letting charter schools do whatever they want. Another issue for teachers to consider is the composition of the Supreme Court. This term, the court heard Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, and the court's five conservative justices were poised to issue a death blow to public sector unions and to rule that people who enjoy the protection of a union contract did not have to contribute money to the union if they do not join. Such agency fees are a vital way for unions to still have enough revenue to represent all members even though they cannot mandate membership. A decision against the CTA would have overturned decades of precedent and only the unexpected death of Associate Justice Scalia prevented the anti-union ruling. The composition of the Supreme Court should be on teachers' minds not simply because of the Friedrichs case, but also because of Vergara v. State of California case which is working through appeals and which is inspiring copycat lawsuits financed by dark money. Where they cannot win with elections and legislation, education "reformers" are trying to break the back of teacher unions and are trying to sue away teachers' workplace rights in court. The four justices appointed by President Bill Clinton and by President Obama voted against the most recent case to reach the court. The four justices appointed by President Reagan and by both Presidents Bush voted in favor. There is no reason to believe Secretary Clinton would appoint justices markedly different than those appointed by her Democratic predecessors. Secretary Clinton should also get some recognition for her choice of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate. Many progressives that I know are not happy with the pick, citing that Senator Kaine has, at best, a mixed record on many issues of sincere importance. On education, however, he was one of the most promising of Secretary Clinton's potential running mates. Simply put, among prominent Democrats, Senator Kaine is not a favorite of education "reformers". As Virginia's governor, he was not a proponent of standardization, high stakes testing, and privatization - the grand trifecta of what passes for education reform today. Further, Senator Kaine's wife, Anne Holton, is Virginia's current Secretary of Education and in that position, she has worked to reform standardized testing in the Commonwealth, blaming it for making the achievement gap worse, and she has opposed charter school expansion. Advertisement Consider the other possibilities. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker was reported to be a top contender, and as a rising star in the party, he certainly would have added quite a lot to Secretary Clinton's ticket, especially with his prodigious political talent. But he is also a horrible choice on education policy, supporting vouchers, privatization, merit pay, and high stakes accountability testing. Frankly, I was holding my breath wondering if I could ever be pleased voting for Secretary Clinton in the general election, and while Senator Kaine may not be a fully progressive pick, his selection gives me confidence that on education issues, Secretary Clinton is listening to a much broader and more informed set of advisers than President Obama has. The issue of listening is actually another reason to be hopeful of a Clinton Presidency on education. Ezra Klein wrote a fascinating portrait of Secretary Clinton, one that discussed some of her flaws as well, that got to a central strength of her leadership style - listening. Klein stated that this seemed almost too cliche for him at first, but person after person repeated the same observation: Secretary Clinton not only listens to others, she does so with a sincere interest in understanding their point of view, and she saves notes and records from those conversations to use when it comes time to craft policy: It turned out that Clinton, in her travels, stuffed notes from her conversations and her reading into suitcases, and every few months she dumped the stray paper on the floor of her Senate office and picked through it with her staff. The card tables were for categorization: scraps of paper related to the environment went here, crumpled clippings related to military families there. These notes, Rubiner recalls, really did lead to legislation. Clinton took seriously the things she was told, the things she read, the things she saw. She made her team follow up. This is substantial, and it makes me consider the very strong possibility that Secretary Clinton and the Democratic Party's "evolution" on issues like charter schools and high stakes testing may be more than cosmetic and that they might signal the beginning of a shift away from the era of testing and punishment and privatization. President of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten has long been a supporter of Secretary Clinton. While some rank and file members of the AFT were critical of the union's early endorsement and while I do know members who have questioned the union's efforts to cooperate with education reformers in the past, two things are indisputable: 1) as evidence has come in, AFT has been more forceful on opposing policies such as value added measures in teacher evaluation; 2) President Weingarten had a substantial and sincere role in assisting a ground breaking study by the Badass Teachers Association on workplace issues for teachers. This study gained major, unprecedented, response from AFT membership, and issues that it highlighted even made their way into the renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed last year. Given Secretary Clinton's leadership style and given President Weingarten's role in supporting her this year, it is entirely reasonable to hope that genuine shifts are beginning. Advertisement Of course, it is possible that I am entirely wrong. I accept that. President Obama certainly said many of the right things about testing and accountability in 2008, only to hurl our schools into even worse policies than those imposed by the Bush administration. The reality is that we are 30 years into a policy cycle premised on accountability rather than equity and 15 years into a policy cycle using high stakes testing as a bludgeon on schools. The reform side of education today is backed by enormously powerful and enormously wealthy interests such as Rupert Murdoch who claimed in 2010 that education was a "500 billion dollar sector" waiting to be "transformed" by technology. That's a pile of potential profits that none of them will simply walk away from readily. At their best, education reformers tend to be blind to the consequences of creatively disrupting a core democratic institution the way they disrupt wireless communication. At their worst, they are outright fraudsters enriching themselves at the expense of equity and justice. The consequence if I am wrong about Secretary Clinton on education is that we continue to argue with the Federal DOE and that we continue to lobby state by state for needed changes from punitive accountability and towards support and growth. These are arguments that are gaining traction community by community, so if Secretary Clinton turns out to produce no substantive change in education policy, there is at least familiar, if exhausting, work ahead. Certainly, education reformers have no intention of going anywhere regardless of federal education policy, so we'll be in this for the long haul. But what is the alternative in this election? I have seen friends insist that others make a positive case to vote for Secretary Clinton without mentioning her opponent. That is an entirely reasonable request, and I hope that I have made a positive, if heavily qualified, case on those grounds. However, it is also impossible to ignore her opponent in this election. Whatever flaws Secretary Clinton may or may not have, they are within the normal parameters of American politics. Donald Trump is far beyond the bounds of acceptability, not merely because of his utter and total lack of qualifications for the job, not merely because of his horrendous temperament, not even because of his documented lies, racism, and sexism -- but because he represents a genuine threat to our system of governance. President Trump guarantees a rolling series of Constitutional crises from the moment he is sworn into office. Advertisement Some public education voters may be swayed by his promise to get rid of the Common Core State Standards. Among all of his empty promises, that is quite a whopper as he will possess literally no leverage to change that. While the CCSS were pushed into place with federal incentives during Race to the Top, the states were the ones that ultimately adopted them in response to those incentives. Does Mr. Trump propose a DOE grant program to convince states to repeal the standards now? Actually, that power is pretty much gone as the Every Student Succeeds Act passed last year places extraordinary limits on the Department of Education's ability to mandate or coerce states into adopting standards and academic content. Whatever fighting is going to continue over the Common Core standards, it is entirely at the state level now. What passes for education policy from the Trump campaign was in full view when his son, Donald Trump Jr., addressed the Republican National Convention and blasted our public schools, comparing them to "Soviet-era department stores that are run for the benefit of the clerks and not the customers." He touted school choice and the free market, and he further decried the Democrats as more concerned with "tenured teachers" than with children's education. If you really like Campbell Brown's war on teachers, you will absolutely love the Trump Administration. Advertisement Donald Trump's broader proposals will harm the children in our classrooms. One of his most consistent proposals is to deport every single undocumented immigrant in the country, an idea that would require massive investments in extra police, extra police powers, mass detention facilities, and emergency courts. Beyond the stark horror of trying to round up and deport many millions of people, the plan would inflict terrible hardship upon millions of our school children. Approximately, 1.4% of school children in America are themselves undocumented immigrants, and in 2012, roughly 4.5 million children born in America, and therefore American citizens themselves, lived with at least one parent who was an undocumented immigrant. Donald Trump would inflict unimaginable agony upon them. American Muslims are only about 1% of our population, but they would take it harshly on the chin due to Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the country. Nearly two thirds of adult Muslims in America were born in another country, which means Muslim children in our schools are very likely to have relatives who live abroad -- and who would be unable to even visit during a Trump administration. In addition, Donald Trump continuously defames Muslims in America from falsely claiming that 1000s of Muslims cheered the destruction of the World Trade Center to claiming that Muslims in America "know what is going on and they don't tell us," blaming the entire Muslim community for the acts of a very few extremists. Muslim school children face increasing cases of bias and acts of hate against them -- can we imagine what will happen to those students in schools if Donald Trump is President using that bully pulpit to spread his lies and hate? Donald Trump's acceptance speech painted a picture of America spinning into chaos, terrorism, and violence. While the facts do not support these claims at all, he used them to repeatedly claim that he will be a "law and order" President and that "safety will be restored." If this does not send chills down your spine, you need to investigate history and ask yourself if children of color in our schools will see "safety" or if they will see even more aggressive and even more antagonistic policing in their communities and in their schools. Donald Trump's platform is a manifest threat to millions upon millions of the children in our schools. All of this is bad enough, but Donald Trump represents a different and even worse threat. It is unfortunate that we have used the word "fascist" as a political epithet in recent decades largely to mean "I don't like how conservative this politician is." The term has actual meaning and a set of core ideas and themes that are emblematic of actual fascism that is extremely hard to map onto typical American politics with any honesty. But not this time. While not "pure" fascism in the traditional sense, both Donald Trump's acceptance speech and the overall agenda of his campaign hit a distressing number of fascist themes - call it American proto-fascism, but the fact remains that Donald Trump is a genuine threat to our system of governance. Advertisement In 1995, Italian author and philosopher Umberto Eco wrote an essay about what he called "Ur-Fascism" or "Eternal Fascism". Having witnessed the rise of Italian Fascism and being forced to participate in Fascist competitions about the glory of the state and Mussolini, Eco was well equipped to explain central themes of fascism that managed to endure even though they did not manifest as national political forces in Europe of the early 1990s. Consider some of Eco's themes of Eternal Fascism and how well they line up with Donald Trump's speech accepting his nomination: Cult of Tradition: Trump's portrait of an America falling into violence and chaos was an inherent effort to call for a return to a traditional, nearly mythic, national order. His signature theme of "Make America Great Again" inherently calls for a period of glory lost to our current generation. Trumpism sees no advancement except in a return to a mythologized past. Rejection of Modernism: Nearly everything about the world we have made since the end of WWII seems a threat to Trump. Modern economics. International agreements. Inclusive immigration policies. He does not propose reforming them. They are all rejected in favor of a retreat to isolation and protection. Cult of Action for Action's Sake: Throughout this campaign, Trump has repeatedly emphasized that we must "do something" about all of the problems he claims we have. He does not have a real plan because that is not the point -- we must act and must act now. Trump's own son, himself the product of elite private schools and universities, declared his disdain for the educated elite and proclaimed that he and his siblings learned from those with "PhDs in common sense," indicting expertise in favor of blunt action. Fear of Difference: Trump has thrived on seeking to make his supporters afraid: undocumented immigrants are murderers and rapists; Muslim immigrants and visitors are potential terrorists; Black Lives Matter protesters are thugs seeking to murder the police and overthrow order. His support is hugely based upon stoking these fears. Appeal to a Frustrated Middle Class: Unlike progressive politics which identifies economic hardships and proposes policy fixes, Trump identifies those same hardships and uses them to whip up more anxiety and resentment and a belief among followers that their rightful place in the economic order has been stolen from them, leading to... Obsession With A Plot: Again, Trump thrives on the resentments of his followers and directs their fear and sense of humiliation towards others who have victimized them. Again, this should not be mistaken with progressive politics that seeks to address economic insecurity through policy. In Trump's speech and campaign, the fault is that others, immigrants, Muslims, minorities, foreign governments are existential threats to his followers and must be removed or controlled or beaten. Humiliation from Enemies: Consider the typical Trump tack on trade -- everyone cheats the United States and gets rich at our expense. In the world according to Trump most of our supposed allies take advantage of us and laugh at us while our adversaries do not respect us and cheat us. Life Is Permanent Warfare: Trump promises swift military action against certain enemies, even to the point of committing overt war crimes, but the themes of war are evident in his constant talk of winning and losing. To Donald Trump, all of our problems are summed up by how we "do not win anymore" because there are only two possibilities - victory or defeat. This gives Trumpism another theme of Eternal Fascism: Contempt for Weakness: Whether he is mocking the disabled or proclaiming that "only he" can fix our problems, Donald Trump oozes contempt for anyone he sees as weak and viciously attacks on that front. Everyone Educated to Be a Hero: Trump promises us that we will "win" as a nation and all of us will prosper as a result. Eco links the Fascist impulse to herorism to a willingness, even a desire, to die which seems absent from Trumpism as of yet, but his appeal to our desire to heroic victory is present. Machismo: Heroic death may be elusive, but macho strutting and bragging is readily available to the Ur-Fascist. Donald Trump's hyper-machismo is on full display with its attendant sexism and disdain for women. This is perhaps one of his most reliable personality traits from his personal life to his business career to his current career in politics. Selective Populism: Fascism requires that individuals give up their individuality for a Common Will. This is not entirely present in Trumpism as it is still wedded to more typical American conservative ideals of individualism, but in his acceptance speech, Trump openly declared "I am your Voice" and said of our problems that "I alone can fix them." Trump has openly proclaimed himself the legitimate voice of his aggrieved and furious followers. Opposition to Corrupt Parliamentary Governments: Trump does not openly advocate the replacement of our Constitutional system of government (assuming, of course, that he remotely understands it), but his contempt for that government is evident. He repeats endlessly that are leaders are "not very smart" and that his skills are essential to save us. Use of Newspeak: Trump does not yet have a unique form of speech replacing common language, but Fascist regimes typically use diminished syntax and poor vocabulary that requires little reasoning. That stands on its own as a description of Trump's speeches to date. None of this means that Donald Trump intends to replace the United States' political order with a fascist regime. To begin with, he does not possess the paramilitary force that historic fascist leaders surrounded themselves with before ascending to power. Second, he is seeking the Presidency through our existing political structure even as he derides it constantly. However, it does point to a truly unique danger of a potential Trump Presidency: he holds views of power, authority, and the social and political order that are antithetical to our system of shared power among equal branches of government. Consider a President Trump ordering our INS and border guard to begin building massive detention centers and rounding up millions of undocumented immigrants. Now picture him being ordered to stop by a federal judge. Will he stop? Will he recognize the judiciary's authority over the executive branch? Or will he lash out at the judge and simply proceed? What then? Does the court hold him in contempt? Would Congress impeach him under those circumstances? What happens when he makes good on a promise of ordering the military to violate international and military law? Do the Joint Chiefs resign en masse? Does he go through every general and admiral until he finds someone willing to commit a war crime? Perhaps our Constitutional system would be strong enough to remove him from office. Perhaps not. As a nation, our political order has not faced a threat like this since General Beauregard ordered the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Trump is a potential sledge hammer to America's Constitutional system, a system for which he displays no knowledge and no regard, and to which his views of both his power and of his governing mandate are entirely antithetical. Donald Trump portrays himself as the avenging voice of an aggrieved and humiliated population on whose behalf he will remove parasitic outsiders and force all of our enemies to "lose" as we "win" under his leadership. This is a candidate who promises to smash all norms for rhetoric, policy, and respects for the roles of our institutional limits on the Presidency. He may not seek to be an actual dictator, but he threatens to stretch our system to the very breaking point. As teachers, we should be horrified by this. Our system of Common Schools was established in no small part to promote democratic values and to contribute to the health of our civic sector. Public schools are working instantiations of the ideal that a healthy civic order provides for the education of all and through that education promotes the wise and beneficial exercise of the franchise: If the responsibleness and value of the elective franchise were duly appreciated, the day of our State and National elections would be among the most solemn and religious days in the calendar. Men would approach them, not only with preparation and solicitude, but with the sobriety and solemnity, with which discreet and religious-minded men meet the great crises of life. No man would throw away his vote, through caprice or wantonness, any more than he would throw away his estate, or sell his family into bondage. No man would cast his vote through malice or revenge, any more than a good surgeon would amputate a limb, or a good navigator sail through perilous straits, under the same criminal passions. - Horace Mann, 1848 Over time, we have seen our schools become the very places were advancement in inclusiveness and expansion of the franchise have played out, but this has required working branches of government: executive offices, legislatures, courts responding to the needs of the day and the petitions of people seeking justice. A Presidency that threatens to damage those institutions and their balance will inevitably damage our schools as the system that supports them is thrown into uncertainty. Advertisement Some may read this and accuse me of trying to frighten teachers into a particular vote. I will gladly own that accusation, for the prospect of Donald Trump assuming the Presidency is truly frightening. I do not merely believe he must lose this election; I believe he must lose by a margin that thoroughly repudiates his worldview. I understand that after the past 15 years, it is very hard for many teachers to support a Democrat for President who has been an ally of many in modern education "reform". I also accept that the observations I have made in favor of Secretary Clinton may be unpersuasive for many teachers and for good reasons. I also hope very sincerely that everyone sees what is truly at stake in this election. If I am correct that Secretary Clinton is beginning a slow pivot on public education, then her administration offers a chance for education policy to, slowly, move towards support and growth instead of test and punish. If I am wrong about that, then we continue our familiar advocacy on familiar ground. It will be painful, and it will lead to more harm of schools and children. But if Donald Trump is President, it is a certainty that millions more of our students will be caught up in his racist and xenophobic policies, and the very political institutions that sustain public education face serious peril. On election day, I will vote for the hope of a wiser set of education policies from a candidate who has a genuine gift for listening, and I will vote to repudiate what her opponent represents. Barack Obama won Colorado in both 2008 and 2012 by close enough margins to still earn the state the color of purple in the eyes of many pundits. Yet Democratic Congressman Jared Polis is not worried about his state going red. After all, Colorado is not Ohio. "We have a high percentage of Latino voters and we have a highly college educated population," says Polis, whose district includes Larimer, a Bush-Obama county. "Those two demographics are not Trumps' and frankly he would win a state like Ohio or Pennsylvania before he won a state like Colorado. If he wins Colorado, I think he'll win the presidency, but I don't expect him to win Colorado." Even after leaving a Democratic convention that is the envy of many Republicans, Polis is worried about Clinton's fate and expects an uphill battle. "I mean all I can say is Hillary Clinton has a small lead. It's not as large as we'd like and it's certainly not safe. She's up by 2-5 points in many national polls. It's very, very close. I'm hoping that we get a bounce from the convention and part of that bounce will come from Bernie Sanders appeal to his voters to support Hillary Clinton." The core of Clinton's challenge in attacking Trump may rest in a value expressed in Michelle's Obama's convention speech--advice she says she gives her daughters that was clearly a swipe at Donald Trump. "...when someone is cruel or acts like acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high." Marlon Kimpson, a South Carolina state senator who was a Clinton delegate, says, in crafting attacks on Trump, Clinton should consider the the motherly advice of Michelle Obama and the failure of the Rubio campaign. "One thing we know particularly coming from South Carolina," says Kimpson whose district includes Charleston, a Bush-Obama county. "You can't out wallow with a hog in the swamp because that's where the hog lives. He lives low and lives in the mud. And if you to start getting low on his level, he'll beat you everyday because that's what he does. That is where he lives. You saw that in the Republican primary. Rubio engaged on that kind of level and he lost because that wasn't his natural habitat. We have to talk about ideas. We have to talk about vision. We have to talk about concrete plans, albeit we have to be able to pull those ideas and visions into a concise sound bite so the social media age can digest it." You might or might not be surprised how well Mariah Carey plays the role of diva. Promoting her upcoming E! television series Mariah's World, Carey entertained the Television Critics Association Wednesday with a promotional session in which she reclined on a purple velvet couch in black lingerie, sipped champagne and called everybody "Darling." Taking questions from the amused critics about Mariah's World, an eight-part series that premieres Dec. 4, Carey glided from seemingly serious responses about her children or reality television to one-liners channeled from Miss Piggy. Asked whether she took any television lessons from her year as a judge on American Idol, she replied, "Oh, it was the most abusive experience," picked up her champagne glass and said, "You've just driven me to drink." Advertisement Asked if she hears any particularly talented young female pop artists today, she first asked the questioner to "define pop" and then answered, "There's a few. They would be lovely ladies and it's not their day." Carey made her entrance in what looked like fancy black lingerie, accompanied by six sculpted and shirtless young male dancers. They arranged themselves as a human couch on which she first sat briefly before moving to the actual couch. Midway through the session, she made a show of having her hair and makeup people come on stage. "This is part of my world," she said. "Anybody else want a touchup? It's very expensive." Yes, this is Mariah's world, one in which her 5-year-old twins "have been around the world probably more than most adults will ever be around the world." Advertisement She struck seemingly more serious notes when she said she hopes the show will reveal "sides of me that people don't know. . . . I can be a bit of a jokestress, and sometimes that gets the best of me. I can be a bit bossy, but I try to be a nice person." She returned to that last point when someone asked her whether Mariah's World would touch on "what you do to make Mariah throw shade." "I don't do shade," she replied quickly. "I don't know why people think this. I really don't. Do you legitimately think that I'm a shady person, or maybe a nice person that gets put in situations where I have to answer questions that might be awkward or uncomfortable, and so it's the first thing that comes to my mind is what I say? It's my own truth, darling. It's my truth. " She said she doesn't see Mariah's World as "reality" television, which she said she doesn't watch. She called it more a "docuseries," because it explores the nuts and bolts of a concert tour. When it's not exploring her visits to exotic vacation spots or her preparation for her next wedding, matters that also look very expensive. Pressed about what television she does watch, she first declined to specific, saying, "I don't want you to judge me on my shows." Further pressed, she admitted she sometimes binges on ABC's Scandal. Advertisement She said her ex-husband Nick Cannon is okay with her having the children on the new show and that her upcoming husband, James Packer, would make limited appearances. "He's been very cool in allowing some moments," she said. "But he's not a professional entertainer. So I can't expect him to change his whole thing because you've got to be interviewed constantly and this and that." She said the album Butterfly was her breakthrough record in expressing and revealing herself, a process she said is ongoing. "I grew up with nothing," she said. "I didn't have money. I had a very difficult childhood. I moved around a lot. I had some things that were amazing and great and encouraging and then some things that were really difficult and sad and hard and hurtful. So I think that's always a part of me, and that goes into making music or doing any kind of creative activity." That said, she admitted she remains wary of letting the outside world too far in. She noted a scene in Mariah's World where she waves off the camera. "I did that a lot in the beginning," she said, "because I was like, 'Why are they in here? I'm changing. This is awkward.' And as I started to feel more comfortable with the whole documentary thing, I was just like, 'All right. It is what it is. And if I don't give the right amount of access, it's going to do the opposite of what I want.' Advertisement "I mean, it's my life, and I figured, if I don't document this right now, I'm not sure when I'm going to go on tour again." For years, DeVry University, like other big for-profit colleges, forced its students to sign agreements that they would take any dispute with the school to private arbitration, rather than sue in court. When, this year, it appeared that the U.S. Department of Education was moving in the direction of banning or limiting such mandatory arbitration agreements for colleges that get federal student aid, DeVry, to its credit, reversed course and announced on May 13 an end to forcing students into arbitration. When I pressed DeVry officials for details, they made clear in a June 7 email to me that the decision did not come with the kind of loopholes that we have seen other companies, like ECMC/Zenith, sneak into the mix -- no ban on students filing class action lawsuits, or having jury trials, and no enforcement of arbitration agreements already signed by students. (The University of Phoenix also claimed in May that it was ending arbitration, but has pointedly failed to address some of the specifics in response to questions from me and others over several months.) In fact, Tom Babel, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at DeVry emailed me back in June, "In my now 32 years with DeVry, I am aware of only one instance in which the arbitration provision was enforced. We have many more instances in which suits were filed and the arbitration provision was not utilized (nor referred to in any preceding complaint disposition)." Advertisement Now, as the Department of Education moves toward a rule finalizing limits on forced arbitration by colleges, there's a twist: Two former DeVry students, T'Lani Robinson of Georgia and Robby Brown of Missouri, citing the arbitration provisions in their enrollment agreements, filed on June 16 a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association. And in response, DeVry has gone to a federal court in Chicago, its home turf, and sued the students, claiming the dispute belongs in court, not arbitration, at least for now. The fact that DeVry committed (to me) that it would not be enforcing mandatory arbitration agreements does not eliminate the rights of students to invoke these agreements to force DeVry to arbitrate. Julie Murray, a Public Citizen attorney who is expert on arbitration matters, told me she agrees. Robinson and Brown claim in their arbitration filing that DeVry breached its contracts with the students and used deceptive advertising. They cite the lawsuit filed earlier this year by the Federal Trade Commission, which focused on DeVry's long-standing assertion in ads that 90 percent of its graduates get jobs in their field of study within six months, and that bachelor's degree graduates on average earn 15 percent more than graduates from other schools. Robinson and Brown have filed the arbitration as a class action, purporting to bring the matter on behalf of all DeVry students who might have similar claims. DeVry's lawsuit against them, filed July 21, asserts that the arbitration agreements it signed with the students do not permit a class action arbitration, and that the issue of whether there can be a class action arbitration must be decided by a court, not an arbitrator. Advertisement The arbitration clauses in Robinson's and Brown's enrollment agreements do not prohibit, expressly allow, or otherwise mention class actions. But the clauses do say that "Any claim or controversy arising out of or related to the terms of this Agreement or the education provided by DeVry, regardless of form or cause of action," (emphasis added) must go to arbitration, not court. Resolution of DeVry's lawsuit, through various levels of federal appeals, could delay the students' arbitration proceeding for years. On the other hand, Robinson and Brown might decide, now that they are in court, to simply move their whole case to that forum. I haven't asked for comment from DeVry or from Robinson and Brown's lawyer about how they will proceed, because I realize they will be addressing these issues in the litigation itself. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. This article originally ran at Devex.com on August 1, 2016. It is time for the world to raise the bar for reporting immunization data. A few weeks ago the World Health Organization and UNICEF released their annual report on childhood immunization that serves as a "checkup" on how much progress we're making. This year's report gave us much to celebrate: We are reaching more children with lifesaving vaccines than ever. And yet, we're not satisfied with the report and its outcomes. Why not? The report provides a useful summary of coverage at a national level, but it lacks the resolution that is needed to really understand our progress and the challenges we face in immunizing the world's children. What we need is data on immunization coverage in each district, not just a national average. In 2016, it is not too much to ask to for local data to be made availableand it would be many times more valuable in informing the actions required to reach more children with vaccines. If you don't think it's possible, just consider this: New York City has used a data base and maps with every single planted tree in Manhattanshowing where it's located and when it was plantedto modify its schedule for pruning the trees. This data has helped show the "city that never sleeps" how to reduce by 22 percent the number of power outages that occur from branches falling on power lines. Advertisement Contrast this with this year's report from WHO and UNICEF on vaccine coverage. The latest data show that in 2015, a record-breaking 86 percent of the world's children received the required doses for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussisthe vaccine used to measure basic vaccine reach. What's more, the number of countries that have achieved and sustained the 90 percent immunization target established for DTP3 has doubled from 63 in 2000 to 126 in 2015truly remarkable progress. Good news, to be sure. But when summarized at the planetary level, this information is not entirely helpful for understanding where we're doing better and where we need to improve. The report does demonstrate that some countries are still missing key targets. Sixty-eight countries are still falling short of the Global Vaccine Action Plan's 90 percent targetwith some fragile states only reaching 15 percent coverage. But what does a coverage rate of, say, 51 percent actually mean? Are the remaining 49 percent spread evenly across the country, or are there pockets of very high and very low coverage? If so, what do those variations teach us about the factors that lead to success in some places and failures in others? While these findings are encouraging at a macro level, they highlight the critical need to examine coverage data at the district level in order to identify where kids are missed and where they are served well. It is simply impossible to get an accurate picture of immunization coverage in a single national figure, as disparities between states, districts or communities are completely eclipsed in these aggregated data points. Advertisement How can immunization program managers identify and correct pockets where coverage is low when only one number is reported for an entire country? They simply can'tat least not beyond making an educated guess. It is time to hold ourselves to a higher standard as a global immunization community and aim for annual reporting of district-level immunization data to portray a more accurate picture of what is working and where challenges remain. This will allow policymakers and immunization program managers alike to direct resources at children who are being missed. For most countries, improvements to immunization data can be made now simply by improving collection and analysis efforts. To track malaria, for example, scientists generate heat maps from 25 square kilometers of data to show how malaria affects different parts of a single country in very different ways. The travel app Waze uses live data to help us avoid traffic jams, and the Find my Friends app helps us to discover if someone we know is dining at a nearby table. Doesn't it make sense to expect the same level of resolution from the data we use to deliver lifesaving vaccines? Better data collection will help but even today every country in the world with only a single, national coverage estimate in the latest WHO and UNICEF report has built that estimate on data collected at a district-level. This datalike the data on the trees of New York Cityexists. Advertisement Anastasia Somoza was on television last week, delivering the best speech you probably didn't see at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. It was an hour before broadcast network coverage started on Monday, Day One of the four-day event. Somoza was the 11th of 20 scheduled prime-time speakers, some of whom Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Al Franken were a tad better known than she. The convention's disembodied program voice announced Somoza's name and hometown. The 32-year-old advocate for the rights of people with disabilities steered her powered wheelchair to the center of the vast stage and turned it to face the assembled thousands. She began to speak with strength, heart, authority and authenticity. Advertisement Screen grabs of DNC feed "I first met Hillary as First Lady on a visit to the White House," Somoza said. "I was 9 years old.... Over the past 23 years, she has continued to serve as a friend and mentor, championing my inclusion and access to classrooms, higher education and the workforce." Somoza devoted about three-quarters of her five-minute speech to the enduring personal relationship that developed between her and Hillary Clinton after they met in 1993. Even back then, there was no missing the potential within the quietly assertive 9-year-old who, with her twin sister, Alba, had been born prematurely with cerebral palsy. Today, Somoza said, Clinton "sees me as a strong woman, a young professional, a hard worker and a proud daughter of immigrants my father from Nicaragua and my mother from Ireland." She praised the presidential nominee's depth of understanding of the challenges facing people with disabilities and how the whole country benefits when it helps them manage those challenges. Somoza, a graduate of Georgetown University and the London School of Economics, closed by directly addressing the absent Clinton: "On the eve of the 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act," she said, "I'm proud to be with you, Hillary. Thank you for showing me how to live boldly with a courageous heart." Advertisement The cheers of the standing crowd in the hall applauding Somoza's inspiring presence as well as her eloquence went on for nearly a minute. The young woman smiled broadly as she motored off stage, clearly pleased with the response and maybe a little surprised. It was no surprise, however, given the heat of the presidential campaign, that much of the scant coverage of Somoza's guileless speech focused on a minute-long passage in the middle about Clinton's Republican opponent, Donald Trump. "I fear the day we elect a president who defines being American in the narrowest possible terms," she said, "who shouts, bullies and profits off of vulnerable Americans.... I honestly feel bad for anyone with that much hate in their heart." Somoza expressed confidence that American voters in November would choose "genuine strength and thoughtful leadership over fear and division." Somoza ended her brief comments on Trump by challenging a line he had used several times in his acceptance speech four days earlier: "I am your voice," he had told supporters. "Donald Trump doesn't see me," Somoza countered, "he doesn't hear me, and he definitely doesn't speak for me." Advertisement Trump infamously pretended to speak for Serge Kovaleski, though. At a rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C., nine months ago, Trump flailed and bent his arms spastically and distorted his voice in ridiculing Kovaleski, a reporter for the New York Times who was born with arthrogryposis, a muscular disability that affects his joints and arm movements. Serge Kovaleski, left, and Donald Trump. Photo illustration by CNN As I and others wrote not long after, Trump's ignorant mockery of Kovaleski emerged in connection with a web of untruths in which the candidate had ensnared himself. Trump had told a false story claiming he saw TV coverage of thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. There was no evidence to support his tale. Trump insisted that a 2001 story Kovaleski had written for the Washington Post backed up his fantasy about the New Jersey Muslims. Actually, the story did no such thing, which is what Kovaleski told other reporters who called to ask about Trump's claim. For Trump, Kovaleski's honesty was enough to justify cruelly making fun of him, even though Trump denied that's what he was doing and denied that he'd ever met the reporter. In fact, Kovaleski had interviewed and covered Trump for years as a business writer for the New York Daily News. Trump's ugly antics not to mention his other bigotry-laced comments earned him a deeply negative reputation among people with disabilities and those involved in advocacy work for them. The extraordinary Anastasia Somoza counts as both, and there is an extraordinary story, complete with video evidence, behind the initial visit to the White House she mentioned at the beginning of her speech. Advertisement The 9-year-old Somoza, it turns out, was one of a small number of students selected from some 20 elementary, middle and high schools public and private to participate in a two-hour Saturday morning ABC News special called President Clinton: Answering Children's Questions. The session, anchored by the late Peter Jennings, took place in the East Room of the White House and was broadcast on Feb. 20, 1993, just one month after President Bill Clinton's first inaguration. Forty-nine minutes and 28 seconds into the program, Jennings called on Somoza, who proceeded to tell the president about a problem her family was having. She explained that her twin sister, Alba, could neither speak nor use her hands but communicated well by using a special computer. Even so, Anastasia said, the school had refused their parents' request that Alba be allowed to join students in a regular classroom. It said she had to remain in a special classroom with students who could not communicate nearly so well. Anastasia wanted that to change. Clinton replied that presidential influence over locally controlled schools was limited. But, he said, the fact the two of them had talked about the situation on television might get Alba a chance to show what she could do in a typical classroom setting. Anastasia listened carefully, responded clearly to all of Clinton's questions and expanded on her answers when she thought he hadn't quite grasped her point. Advertisement "Thanks for sticking up for your sister," the president said. "That's wonderful." Then he asked all the people in the East Room to join him in applauding her. And what may be most remarkable of all, if you look into the eyes of 9-year-old Anastasia Somoza on this old video and listen to her quiet, confident voice, you get a clear sense of the qualities that this determined girl developed into the skills and talents of the 32-year-old woman who commanded the convention stage in Philadelphia last week. Candidates vying to be the next United Nations Secretary General debate in the General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in Manhattan, New York, U.S., July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY UNITED NATIONS -- Led by Columbia, many UN members want a woman as secretary-general of the world body. But if a recent straw poll is any guide, the choice will be another man. The next informal poll in the UN Security Council is on August 5 (Friday) but a final decision is not expected until October. Still if the results are the same, the second poll is an indicator of the final choice. Advertisement The first secret vote, with results leaking almost immediately, showed Antonio Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister and the ex-10-year high commissioner of the U.N.'s refugee agency, with 12 votes of support out of 15 possible votes and three "no decision." The former president of Slovenia, Danilo Turk, who had been a high ranking official in the UN Political Affairs department, came in second, with 11 votes in favor, two against and two "no decision." In the convoluted voting procedure all 15 Security Council members voted for each of the 12 candidates, casting a total of 180 ballots. There was no distinction among the veto-bearing five -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- who will have the final word. What will Russia do?Unknown is whether Russia will insist on an Eastern European secretary-general, a region that that is a leftover from the Cold War since most of its member nations are in the European Union. Yet its candidates have argued that these countries opened their borders that resulted in the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 Advertisement Moscow's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, told reporters he had a preference for Eastern Europeans and had nice words for Guterres but refused to reveal his decision. And thanks to the current president of the 192-member General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark, all candidates for the first time in the 70-year history of the world body, have appeared in public sessions where UN members could question them. Lykketoft believes it would be impossible for someone to run for secretary-general without talking to the full membership. Twelve candidates are in the race so far to replace Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose 10 years in office expires in December. Eight are from Eastern Europe and only three are women, two of them already more or less eliminated in the informal poll. The other four from outside the region include three women and one man. Colombia's UN ambassador, Maria Emma Mejia, had circulated a letter seeking support for a female secretary-general. Over 44 governments initially signed on to the initiative and she has pointed out that only 25 percent of the top level jobs in the United Nations are held by women. One Council diplomat said there was a possibility of a blockage with no candidate emerging. The door would then be open to encourage others to enter the race, but this is a long shot. Advertisement The other 10 candidates are:In the second level of front-runners were Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, the head of the Paris-based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and former foreign ministers, Vuk Jeremic of Serbia and Srgjan Kerim, a former foreign minister of Macedonia. Bokova, a hard-working UNESCO director has some detractors among Western nations and Jeremic, despite his energy and vision, also had some detractors when he served as General Assembly President in 2012. The next group with positive and negative votes showed a deep and firm grasp of issues in the open forums because of their positions in U.N. headquarters: Helen Clark, a former prime minister of New Zealand and the head of the U.N. Development Program, and Susana Malcorra, Argentina's foreign minister, who recently was chief of staff to Ban Ki-moon and a former top official in the UN peacekeeping operations. And ranking high in this group with a good grasp of issues was Miroslav Lajcak, Slovakia's minister of foreign and European affairs and the former high representative in Bosnia. Those with the least encouraging votes included Cristiana Figueres of Costa Rica, the head of the UN climate change operation; Natalie Gherman, the former deputy prime minister of Moldova; Igor Luksic, foreign affairs minister of Montenegro; and Vesna Pusic, Croatia's first deputy prime minister. Advertisement Being secretary-general is a messy job. Despite overseeing a huge organization, his or her power is limited by the Security Council and budget committees as well as pressure for jobs from individual nations. Yet many believe the holder of the position is expected to bring crises to the attention of the world and have strong communication skills. Others prefer a low-key role. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug 3 By Farhad Daneshvar Trend: Iran has taken required measures for the construction of a short segment of a railroad project which along with other segments will connect the countrys northern city of Rasht to Azerbaijans southern city of Astara, an informed source told Trend. The two kilometer long segment will link a cargo terminal in Irans border city of Astara to a bridge which is currently under construction over the border between the two neighboring countries. The 82.5 meters long bridge over the Astarachay River which defines border between the two neighboring countries is being constructed by both, Iran and Azerbaijan. As part of the project, Azerbaijan has already launched the construction of a 8.3 kilometer long railway segment on its own soil in order to extend railway from its city of Astara to the bridge. According to information obtained by Trend, Azerbaijani constructors have carried out considerable works on the project and they will start laying rail lines on the 8.3 km long route as of mid-August. Simultaneously, Iran and Azerbaijan are jointly constructing the 164 kilometer long Astara-Rasht railway inside the Islamic Republic. The railway segments connecting Irans Rasht to Azerbaijans Astara are projected to be completed by the end of the current year. The construction of the Rasht-Astara railway comes as part of a larger project to create the North-South transportation corridor. The North-South transportation corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link for connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, it is planned to transport 5 million tons of cargo via the North-South corridor per year and to increase the figure to over 10 million tons in the future. The political theater that passes for convention season is over for another four years, and audiences can now sigh with relief. For two weeks, stages have been prowled and platitudes mouthed; lines have been scripted and fourth-wall promises have been made to be broken. If a distinction is to be drawn between the RNC and the DNC, then dark threats in the wings have been contrasted with effervescent hope front-and-center in the spotlight. Advertisement This quad-annual playbill is perhaps the singular aspect that makes America first, and makes America great. Nowhere does it better. At the RNC, Trump's bombastic temperament, combined with his political naivete and an ever-revolving auditioning of advisers, meant his board-treading was heavy-footed and amateurish. Trump played his own narcissistic Iago, motivated only by nihilism and malice, in a cameo that eclipsed vice president nominee Mike Pence's hapless Othello. Ideally, and with some admirable combination of fidelity and duplicity, Trump would play Iago only unto himself; of course, his real role is to feign ignorance as the fool. The DNC, on the other hand, was a magnificently orchestrated - if entirely contrived - production, as slick as winter asphalt after the first spring rain. Monday saw headliners Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren addressing President Obama's legacy and Hillary Clinton's promise, in a chorus with an undulating crescendo. Tuesday saw Bill Clinton deliver a rambling soliloquy that bettered Hamlet; Wednesday saw the president himself deliver a triumphant oratory worthy of Caesar. Do I believe in Hillary more after her convention performance? Not particularly. Does she believe in the role she has cast for herself after Thursday evening? Perhaps. Like Iago, her motivation seems more about ambition than grand idealism. Advertisement But then I'm not part of the audience who needs to suspend their disbelief. Since few theatrical villains are worse than Trump, she would have my vote. A strong moral argument can be made in that regard; I am white and male, after all. But sheer political pragmatism has equal force: as a thundering op-ed in the Washington Post has specified, even the mighty American Constitution may not be strong enough to cage Trump's authoritarian tendencies, not to mention his belligerence in international affairs. The 10 percent or so - according to polls - of Bernie supporters who refuse to back Hillary won't be swayed either, but then nothing short of Sanders' kingship or sainthood would. Neither will the even larger majority of Trump voters likely be convinced, because their beliefs in his ability to resolve their grievances, whether legitimate or otherwise, are too firmly entrenched. But, for all her faults, Hillary seems to believe she can avert catastrophe - not alone, but by being stronger together. Who, then, is the intended audience for this carefully constructed and well-paced appeal last Thursday night, a speech that hit all the right notes? And for this week-long, brilliantly-produced piece of carnival? The short answer is that it's the centrists who would never vote for Trump, but wouldn't necessarily buy tickets to see Hillary's coronation. It's likely not that they particularly resent her; it's just they don't find her character compelling enough to turn out for. By her own admission, she has been better at the "service" part of public service, and this is a disabling trait in political theater. The DNC this week has concentrated on highlighting Hillary's strengths as well as candidly assessing her flaws; complexity has dramatic allure, though it must be carefully managed. She delegated speaking Spanish to her vice president pick Tim Kaine; Rev. William Barber II - a man too honest to play a character other than himself - stood in briefly as a brimstone narrator preaching unity. Advertisement The inescapable pachyderm, of course, is Hillary's gender. As a potential Hippolyta to Bill Clinton's Theseus, she faces the essential and infuriating dilemma of any female leader: whether to summon Amazonian strength, or whether to capitulate, and be damned for doing either. Visually, however, the closing shot of the pair hugging on-stage was a masterstroke of political optics. While the phrase is mis-attributed to Shakespeare, she hardly comes across as a woman scorned. But these are distractions and side-plots to be dealt with later. What matters right now is whether Hillary is electable. In the face of the dire necessity of averting Trump's all-too-realistic portrayal of megalomaniac Richard III, Hillary is the only option. Here's a startling fact: According to The New York Times, only 9 percent of the American population voted for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump as their candidate. It seems that when you deduct those who are too young, too infirmed, and too lazy as well those who voted for other candidates during the primary season, you reach a very low number of real people who actually support our two presidential candidates -- fewer than 30 million out of a total population of 324 million. Another sad fact: in the last presidential election, only 57.5 percent of eligible voters actually voted. "Despite an increase of over eight million citizens in the eligible population, turnout declined from 131 million voters in 2008 to an estimated 126 million voters in 2012 when all ballots are tallied," reported the Bipartisan Policy Center. "Some 93 million eligible citizens did not vote." One CEO wants to change that. Hunter Walk, who runs Homebrew, a company that provides seed venture capital and operational advice to small businesses and startups, plans to give his employees time off in the middle of the day to vote. Advertisement "While I might be partisan," he wrote this week in his blog, "this voter effort is not. For too long the tech community has been accused of apathy around social issues. I know this to not be the case from my daily interactions with passionate entrepreneurs. This time I wanted to seek out CEOs and founders of tech companies who would be encouraging their teams to vote and proactively give them time off if necessary. Let's flip the script and have the CEOs inform their teams of their right to go vote -- and encourage participation." Walk reports that many other tech firms -- including Spotify, TaskRabbit and SurveyMonkey -- are also giving their employees time off during the day to vote. I admire his passion and agree with him. There is definitely a voter turnout problem in this country. But hey, why stop there? Shouldn't employers also give their employees time off to go food shopping? Or take a bike ride? Couldn't you argue that a person's nutrition and health is even more important to the country than whether he votes this year? Or maybe a little time off to see the latest Woody Allen movie or visit the library during the day -- we all could use some intellectual stimulation and the smarter we are, the better country we'll be, don't you agree? Or wait -- how about some time off during the day so that we can go home and play with our dogs? Studies have shown that pets reduce stress, and isn't stress a major issue we all have to deal with? As employers, where exactly do we draw a line when it comes to "encouraging" our employees what to do? Whether or not your employees vote, eat right, exercise daily, watch Woody Allen movies, or spend enough time with their dogs is really not your problem. They are grown people who are capable of making their own decisions. Just as long as they get their work done. Advertisement If you run a business and you're like most of my firm's clients, then I'm going to make a bet that you vote. Maybe you show up at the polls when they open at (gasp!) 7 a.m., or you stop by to vote after work instead of playing Pokemon Go with your friends. Or perhaps you sneak out during the day when the lines are shorter, vote, and then return to work. And of course you make sure that your responsibilities are still met even if that means (gasp!) staying an hour later at work to get them done. You do this because you are an adult. No one needs to encourage you. Or pay you, for God's sake. You do this because you understand that voting is a right and that whoever gets elected to Congress and the White House will have a significant impact on your livelihood over the next four years. You don't need anyone telling you to vote. You don't need an incentive, a prize, or a glass of milk and a chocolate chip cookie to do what you know you should be doing. As a business owner, no one is "paying" you with time off to exercise your right -- no, your duty -- as an American citizen to participate in the election process. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have died in wars over the past 200 years to protect our freedom and our right to democratically vote for our elected leaders. Millions of people around the world live under unelected, authoritarian governments where they fear for their safety and have no freedom of speech. And yet some employers in this country feel the need to give a trophy in the form of paid time off to their employees just so that they make the time to vote? I guess you figured out how I stand on this issue. Walk's passion is justified and admirable. Everyone should vote. It's critical -- particularly in this insane election year. Employers should do their best to educate their people and be flexible to accommodate their schedules. But no, compensating them to vote by way of offering paid time off is the wrong message to send. At some point, and at some age, we all have to step up and do the responsible thing -- even if it causes a little inconvenience in our busy, important lives. Vote button pin on flag The United States now knows who the candidates of the two major political parties are. As usual, each candidate and their partisans are predicting total disaster if the other wins. There are also claims that there has never been an election like this in history. As is normally the case, the candidate of the party out of power is claiming that the U.S. has reached a catastrophic point because of the current government. The other candidate is saying that the country is not collapsing, but that it will if the opposition's candidate is elected. This is pretty normal stuff, including the belief by much of the public that there has never been such an election before. But that is wrong. There have been others with much more at stake. Advertisement The 1860 election resulted in a civil war that killed 600,000 soldiers on both sides. In 1968, the leading candidate of the Democratic Party, Robert Kennedy, was murdered after winning the California primary. Martin Luther King Jr. had been murdered a few months before, and the Democratic Convention was held amid massive riots outside the convention hall. In the 2000 general election, there was a recount in Florida and the case wound up in the Supreme Court. John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic running for president and some people seriously believed that he would be controlled by the Pope. Some also believed Ronald Reagan was a hack actor without any knowledge of the world and unqualified to be president. The same thing was said of Harry Truman when he ran in 1948, after serving as president for over three years. Chevy Chase portrayed Gerald Ford as too stupid to walk without falling over during the 1976 election. Barry Goldwater, in 1964, was accused by a bunch of psychiatrists who had never met him of being psychologically unstable. Lyndon B. Johnson was accused of being a criminal in 1964 because he became a multi-millionaire without ever holding a job outside government. The impression that there has never been an election like this one is common in every election cycle. And charges that one of the candidates is a criminal and the other is psychotic have been standard fare in American elections. My standard is whether electing either candidate will cause a civil war. Short of that, it is safe to conclude that the republic will survive either of them. The question is not why Americans regard this particular election as apocalyptic. The question is why Americans routinely regard presidential elections as apocalyptic, without realizing they are simply acting out an old script. Advertisement For one thing, Americans do not remember the past very clearly, particularly when it doesn't directly affect their lives. America was founded without a past, but with a breathtaking future. As a culture, our focus has been there. We get caught up in the moment and we lack a sense of perspective because our memory of the past has been rendered fuzzy, with the hard edges removed. Further, presidential elections are the only ones in which all Americans have the opportunity to participate in the same election. Every four years, there is an opportunity to release our pent-up anger. Americans were taught to be suspicious of monarchs at the founding, and the president is the closest we get to a monarchy. It is natural that we should distrust our president. Thomas Jefferson would have approved of it - except in his own case, of course. The fact is that the president has very little power. Donald Trump wants to make the country great again. It's a concept he borrowed from Reagan's campaign against Jimmy Carter. Nobody could oppose that. Hillary Clinton is running as a technocrat who can get the job done. She probably doesn't remember that she is running on Herbert Hoover's platform. Hoover, a brilliant engineer, wanted to bring technocratic government to Washington to run it like he ran his engineering projects. Americans love the claim of competence but have learned from Hoover not to trust the people who believe in little but getting the job done right. In each campaign, we are presented with candidates who we have never met and whose real lives we know little or nothing about. The candidates are imbued with attributes that are about us, not them. Each are hated for reasons we don't fully understand and loved for the same reasons. Then the election is over and he or she takes office and we remember that the president really doesn't have the power to make us great again or to develop solutions to problems we might have. Advertisement The founders designed the presidency to preside over the process of government rather than to govern. Governing requires the other branches of the federal government and the states. We overestimate the power of the president enormously. The presidential candidates act as if they will rule. But the president only presides over the government and the elections every four years, in our personal experience, create a drama that always ends in the disappointment of inauguration. The one we hated is not a fiend. The one we loved is not a saint. And so we move on to more important things like earning a living and picking up the kids, and the urgency of the election fades for all but the few who remain obsessed. by Rod Collins, Director of Innovation at Optimity Advisors Each March, Fortune magazine publishes its annual list of the Best Companies to Work For. The list is based upon an extensive survey of a random group of employees from each of the applicant companies. The responses are converted into company scores that aggregate employees' attitudes about management's credibility, overall job satisfaction, and camaraderie as well as assessments of the quality of hiring practices, internal communication, training, and recognition programs. This past March, for the seventh time in the last ten years, Google (disclosure: the author is invested long) ranked #1 on the prestigious list. Making the list is no small challenge; achieving the top spot seven times in a decade is truly an extraordinary accomplishment, especially in a business environment where various employee studies show that, in the typical organization, less than thirty percent of employees feel engaged in their work. While low levels of worker engagement and poor corporate cultures might have been acceptable--albeit not desirable--in the recent past, organizations that continue to tolerate a dismal place to work may be creating their worst competitive disadvantage. That's because, in a rapidly changing hyper-connected world, business is increasingly an inherently human endeavor where dedicated people collaborate together to delight customers in ways that continually exceed their expectations. Companies like Google and the others who populate Fortune's list seem to recognize this current reality, which may explain why they share a common attribute: They all value the importance of culture as the most important ingredient of their business success. Advertisement Building a Great Place To Work Larry Page and Sergey Brin rose to fame by creating an incredible search engine. Although they were late entrants into a crowded field of upstarts, Google instantly became the preferred place for search because their results were simply far superior. While other search vehicles relied upon individual experts to decide the most relevant pages, Page and Brin developed a sophisticated algorithm that aggregated the collective intelligence of the users to rank the pages. They discovered the basic axiom that defines the fundamental dynamic of the Digital Age: Nobody is smarter or faster than everybody. Thanks to the digital revolution, we suddenly had the technology that transformed this idealistic truism into a practical reality, and Page and Brin brought this new reality to everyone's fingertips. Google's success was nothing short of meteoric, and the innovative start-up quickly found itself growing into a large organization at an incredible pace. The two founders were suddenly confronted with the core challenge that faces every successful start-up: Can the founders scale the success of a small team into a large distributed organization? The investors, concerned that the two young founders did not have the maturity to manage rapid growth, insisted the founders hire a seasoned CEO to protect their investment. Although the founders did not necessarily agree with the investors, they acquiesced to their request, but only after they made sure they brought in the right CEO, Eric Schmidt, the former head of Novell, who like Page and Brin was an engineer and had attended the famed Burning Man event. It was the later similarity that let the founders know they had found a good cultural fit. Advertisement The Look and Feel of a College Campus While Page and Brin may be most known for their search engine, their greatest innovation is arguably the organization that they built together with Schmidt, which is chronicled in the book How Google Works, co-written by Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg. The founders were very mindful that they wanted to build an organizational culture, which like their search engine, was based upon the fundamental dynamic that nobody is smarter or faster than everybody. Accordingly, they shared a vision that a workplace should look and feel more like a college campus than a bureaucratic building and should be a space where people are free to pursue their passions and are naturally encouraged to collaborate, think boldly, and create new products that will delight customers. They wanted their company to be an organic laboratory for innovation. If you have seen the movie The Internship, which was filmed on Google's main Mountain View, California campus, you've had a glimpse into how Brin and Page have realized their vision by creating a very different company. Seven Key Guidelines In their book, Schmidt and Rosenberg describe in engaging detail the comprehensive mix of innovative practices and principles that enable Google's high level of employee engagement. For those who are looking for a good place to start to begin to emulate how the best company to work for works, the following seven guidelines taken from the book may provide a foundation for leading your organization's transformation: Keep People Crowded. Google looks to hire smart creatives, and smart creatives thrive on interacting with each other. That's why Google's offices are predominantly open spaces designed to "maximize energy and interaction rather than status and isolation." By keeping people crowded, Google kills what they refer to as "facilities envy." When no one has a private office, people don't complain about their space. Work, Eat, and Live Together. The fundamental working unit at Google is the cross-functional team. Rather than physically separate product managers and engineers, as many traditional companies do, Google brings these roles together, along with scientists, designers, or other smart creatives, into a common space where they are continually interacting together, learning from each other, and, most importantly, solving problems together, in real-time. Advertisement Messiness Is A Virtue. Innovation is messy. Perhaps that's why so many traditional companies--which detest messy and prefer orderly planning--struggle with innovation, despite their best intentions. At Google, messy is viewed as an indicator of progress because messiness is a natural by-product of self-expression and innovation. The leaders at Google understand that true order is not something that's directed, but rather something that is discovered by embracing emergent processes. While these processes are messy in the beginning, they provide the needed space for the serendipitous connections of unusual things that become the inspiration for game-changing products. Don't Listen to the HiPPOs. At Google, the quality of the idea matters more than who suggests it. That's why HiPPOs--Highest Paid Person's Opinions--are considered dangers to be avoided in the landscape of ideas. Google prides itself on being a meritocracy where people are encouraged to stop listening to the hippos and to feel an "obligation to dissent" if they don't agree with an idea. The free expression of ideas without pressure to conform is the soil in which working through polarities produces the higher level thinking necessary to enable innovation. The Rule of Seven. In traditional management, there is an axiom that holds that seven is the maximum number of direct reports that any one person should have. Google inverts this axiom by making seven the minimum number of direct reports. The intent is clear: Google wants to be a flat organization where it is simply impossible for managers to micromanage the work of others. The typical manager often has anywhere from 20 to 60 direct reports to reinforce that Google's managers are expected to act more as supportive coaches than sovereign supervisors. The Bezos Two-Pizza Rule. This is a guideline that Google learned from Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. The leaders of Google believe that the building blocks of organizations should be small teams because small teams, like families, "can bicker and fight, or even be downright dysfunctional, but they usually pull together at crunch time." The two-pizza rule says that teams should be small enough to be fed by two pizzas. Establish a Culture of Yes. When Page and Brin built the Google organization, they were very mindful that few things kill innovation faster than the word "no." Traditional companies are often wittingly or unwittingly designed as passive-aggressive conveyers of negativity by installing process gauntlets, myriad approvals, and countless meetings before saying "yes." One of the reasons that Google makes it difficult for managers to micromanage is to starkly limit their ability to use the No word. Google is a culture that's biased to yes because the leaders understand that smart creatives don't like hearing no, and if they hear no often enough, they will head for the door. The Ultimate Value The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen at sunset in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park two days prior to 71st anniversary of the bombing in Hiroshima, western Japan, Thursday, August 4, 2016. The Genbaku Dome also known as the Atomic Bomb Dome is now a symbol for peace within the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The building was one of the few left standing when the first atomic bomb 'Little Boy' was dropped by the United States from the Enola Gay on August 6, 1945. (Photo by Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Hiroshima Day, this Saturday, is once again upon us. It's been a notable year, with Barack Obama becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Japanese city and pay his respects to those who died (while not apologizing for the atomic attack). It's been a year also marked by hysteria over the "Iran bomb" and more genuine concerns surrounding new North Korea tests. Now, in recent days, many in America and around the world have grown alarmed by Donald Trump's views on the use of nuclear weapons -- even just the notion of his tiny finger on the button. And so, seventy-one years after the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the bomb is still very much with us. But the thousands of weapons in the hands of the current or former superpowers, the United States and Russia, draw less notice and controversy in our country than the perceived threat from other nations or from terrorists. Our first-strike policy, in fact, remains in effect, and has been a cornerstone of U.S. nuclear policy for decades. Advertisement Yet despite some positive signs from Obama, I fear that moving very far in the direction of no-first-use, let alone towards abolition, is still a long way off in America. Perhaps the strongest reason is this: most Americans, our media and our leaders (including every president), have endorsed our "first-use" of the bomb against Japan. This remains true today, despite new evidence and analysis that have emerged for so many years. I've been writing about this for over thirty years with little shift in the polls or change in heart among our policymakers and elected officials. There has also been little change abroad -- where the use of the bomb in 1945 has been roundly condemned from the beginning. Indeed, U.S. support, even pride, in our use of the weapon has given us little moral standing in arguing that other countries should not develop nuclear weapons and consider using them, possibly as a first, not a last, resort (that's our policy, remember). So it all goes back to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While I respect the views of a range of historians on this matter, and the opinions of the men who fought in the Pacific, I happen to believe the bombs should not have been used against Japan, directly over cities, at that time. The war would likely have ended very shortly without it (or a bloody American invasion planned for many months later), largely because of the Soviets finally declaring war on Japan -- an event long-dreaded by Japanese leaders. Advertisement Yes, there was a day when conservatives like John Foster Dulles, columnist David Lawrence, Admiral William Leahy and General Dwight D. Eisenhower clearly condemned the use of the bombs. John J. McCloy and Gen. Douglas MacArthur also expressed doubts. They knew that the argument of "saving tens of thousands of American lives" only counted if an invasion actually was necessary. We had demanded "unconditional surrender," dropped the bombs, then accepted the main Japanese demand -- keeping their emperor as figurehead. But the key point for today is this: how the "Hiroshima narrative" has been handed down to generations of Americans -- and overwhelmingly endorsed by officials and the media, even if many historians disagree -- matters greatly. Over and over top policymakers and commentators say, "We must never use nuclear weapons," yet they endorse the two times the weapons have been used against cities in a first strike. To make any exceptions, even in the past and in a horrid situation, means exceptions can be made in the future. Indeed, we have already made two exceptions, with over 200,000 civilians killed. The line against using nuclear weapons has been drawn... in the sand. And, as I noted, the fact that the United States first developed, and then used -- twice -- the WMD to end all WMDs has severely compromised our arguments against others building the weapon ever since. Hiroshima was our original sin, and we are still paying for it, even if most Americans do not recognize this. That is why I always urge everyone to study the history surrounding the decision to use the bomb (with much new evidence in recent years) and how the full story was covered up for decades. There is certainly, in the minds of the media and the American public, no taboo on using nuclear weapons, and it all started, but did not end, with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is what nuclear abolitionists -- or even those who (like Obama) simply want a partial easing of our first-use policy -- are up against. Advertisement Will Republicans finally wake up with Trump's vicious attack on a Gold Star Family? Covered in a shame that he is incapable of recognizing, the Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump, denigrates the parents of a military officer killed in action for speaking their mind. Not only did Trump attack the Gold Star mother but also questioned her religion and sacrifice. All veterans should be horrified. Gold Star families sacrificed on a scale too many of us can only imagine. Is nothing sacred? If any group has achieved a status that deserves nothing but respect, it is gold star families. Agreement is not required but vicious personal attacks that double down on their pain and grief should never be condoned. The Khans, and Gold Star families, are the people who represent all our sacrifices in service to the country. How has it come to this? Veterans should be withdrawing their support of Trump in droves. The Republican Party is to blame. They, long ago, abandoned military values. Just as candidate Trump arose from the slime of racism, misogyny and ignorance that has festered in the Republican Party for so very long, so too did his words and views towards military veterans. Trump is a chickenhawk who neither understands nor respects the military values of service and dedication to a greater good. The Republican Party steadily drifted into this hostility to veterans and military service, all the while praising us. Advertisement My first awareness of the growing Republican disdain for the military, veterans and their families was during the 2002 Georgia race for senate. Senator Max Cleland, a man I admire and consider a friend, is a wounded Vietnam War veteran, triple amputee who holds Silver and Bronze Stars for courageous actions in combat. Yet, his opponent viciously questioned both Senator Cleland's patriotism and service. The Republicans won that senate seat and learned that in their search for power, it was an open season on military heroes. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee during the run up to the Iraq invasion, General Shinseki answered a question from the committee: A spokesman for General Shinseki, Col. Joe Curtin, said today that the general stood by his estimate. ''He was asked a question and he responded with his best military judgment,'' Colonel Curtin said. General Shinseki is a former commander of the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia. A firestorm of administration criticism engulfed the general for honestly providing his best military judgment that far more troops were required to successfully pacify and reorganize Iraq. Although subsequent events proved the General correct, his career was ended. Lack of respect for the military, apparently played well with a Republican base once thought to be very pro-military. Advertisement In the 2004 presidential campaign, a new word entered the American vocabulary - swiftboating: telling lies and denigrating a political candidate's military service for political gain. Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry, who received the Silver and Bronze Stars as well as three Purple Hearts, was viciously slandered and his service under fire denigrated. The Republicans learned well from the Cleland race. Republican admiration for the military and veterans fell so low that delegates to the Republican national convention sported Band-Aids printed with little purple hearts mocking both the medal and John Kerry's service. Congressman Jack Murtha, another decorated military veteran and a powerful congressman received the same targeted assault on his military service when he called for the US withdrawal from Iraq. Clearly, Republicans would not hesitate to attack the heroic military service of any opponent. Gone is respect for national service and for the military. Donald Trump followed a well-worn path that was paved over a decade ago with Republican disrespect for military service and values. Republicans pretended horror when Trump attacked John McCain, military hero and former POW, with the reference that Trump's heroes do not get captured. To rub salt into the wounds Trump inflicted on the heavily tortured Senator McCain, Trump tormented McCain by announcing that crimes against humanity (torture) would be standard US military behavior when he becomes president. The trip is not long from tormenting a disabled veteran and POW to insulting and attacking a Gold Star mother and her religion. Trump is on familiar ground and he is indeed probably the best candidate to reflect Republican values. These values run counter to decency and respect. No military veteran or their families should tolerate Trump's behavior and what the Republican Party has become. Veterans, conservatives and Republicans, the time has come to place country before party. Disavow Trump. Naki'o is one amazing dog that will fill your heart with love! Naki'o and his littermates were very young and left in a foreclosed home during the winter in Nebraska. Naki'o was the only pup found in a frozen puddle. He suffered severe frostbite and lost all his toes on all four feet. But it gets better! His now owners found him on PetFinder and instantly fell in love! When he was a puppy, he got around fine on his nubs because he was so lightweight. But as he started growing, they knew he needed more support on his legs. They were referred to OrthoPets where they created new legs and a new life for Naki'o! His prostheses changed his life; he gained more confidence and couldn't be happier! He is now the only dog in the world with 4 prosthetic legs... he is the bionic dog! He is a true inspiration to anyone who meets him. His parents started a dog rescue to help dogs like him and they even wrote a book inspired by him, Stubby and His Magic Boots! This dog really is a superhero! God to Moses: "You shall not go across yonder Jordan" (Deut 31:2). Dismayed Delegates: We want Moses! #Mosesorbust! Moses to Delegates: "Joshua is the one who shall cross before you" (Deut 31:3). Awed Delegates: Wow, he really endorsed Joshua! Wow! Moses to Delegates: "Be strong and resolute, be not in fear or in dread" (Deut 31:6). Sophisticated Delegates: Right! Some people are trying to make everyone afraid and angry. They say that things have been getting worse, even though things are actually much better. The economy is doing better. Poverty is down. Teen births are down. Violent crime is down.... Moses to Joshua: "Be strong and resolute, for it is you who shall go with this people into the Promised Land, and you who shall divide [opportunities] among them" (Deut 31:7). Worried Delegates: But Joshua is beholden to Wall Street! He won't make things fairer. He won't make sure that everyone has a real chance to get ahead. He won't reduce income inequality or the influence of money in politics. Advertisement Moses to Delegates: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts...when all the People [go to the polls] you shall read this [party platform] before them" (Deut 31:10-11). Reassured Delegates: OK, I guess Joshua will really work to reduce inequality (by cancelling some student debt, for example). After all, he knows that otherwise we won't support him in the next election. God to Moses: "The people [may] go astray in the land that they are about to enter... Therefore write down this [platform] and teach to the people" (Deut 31:16-19). Excited Delegates: Yes, we will have to promote the platform to the electorate. That is indeed our task. We will go door-to-door, man phone banks, and send direct mailings! We will talk it up to our relatives, coworkers, neighbors, and even FB friends! Advertisement God to Joshua: "Be strong and resolute, for thus shall you bring the people into the Promised Land" (Deut 31:23). Serious Delegates: Yes Joshua, follow the platform. Follow the platform resolutely. Moses to Levites: "Take this [platform] and place it beside the Ark." (Deut 31:26). ("beside the Ark" = a central place in everyone's life) Excited Delegates: Yes, we will show the voters how our policy proposals will improve their lives. We can do it! We will do it! Moses describing the platform in poetic terms to the Delegates: "God found them in a desert region, in an empty howling waste....He set them atop the highlands to feast on the yield of the earth,...milk of cows, best of lambs, and rams, and goats, with the very finest wheat and wine." (Deut 32:10-14). Proud Delegates: Yes, America has indeed risen from a small group of humble settlers in the wilderness to become a Great Nation. Of course problems remain, but we are trying to solve the problems of our time, while some people close their eyes to these problems. We are trying to help the truly needy, while some people close their hearts to these people. Advertisement Moses to Delegates: "For a fire...will consume the earth and its harvests and eat down to the base of the hills." (Deut 32:22). Puzzled Delegates to each other: Is he talking about global warming? To fight global warming, we will need to pass stricter environmental regulation, despite the bitter opposition of some people. Moses to Delegates: "Wasting famine..." (Deut 32:24). Thoughtful Delegates: To help the hungry and the unfortunate, we will need to raise the minimum wage, despite the bitter opposition of some people. Moses to Delegates: "Ravaging plague, deadly pestilence" (Deut 32:24). Thoughtful Delegates: To make healthcare more available, we will need to improve Obamacare, despite the bitter opposition of some people. Moses to Delegates: "The sword may deal death without, as shall the terror within" (Deut 32:25). Thoughtful Delegates: To reduce terrorist shootings and other gun deaths, we will need to pass stricter gun control laws, despite the bitter opposition of some people. Advertisement Moses to Delegates: "Take to heart all the words with which I have warned you this day. Enjoin them upon your children" (Deut 32:46). Inspired Delegates: Yes! We will celebrate this historic convention with our families. It is groundbreaking! #glassceilingbreaking! It will inspire our daughters...and our sons, too. Moses blessing the Delegates: "May Reubenites flourish, though they are a minority...May Judah be helped against his foes...Let Levi's enemies rise no more..." (Deut 33:6-11). Delegates getting the idea: Yes! And may all of the other disadvantaged groups overcome the injustices practiced against them, too. #Blacklivesmatter! #Nomorewararagainstwomen! #GLBTmarriage! Moses concluding his speech: "Your enemies shall come cringing before you, and you shall tread on their backs..." (Deut 33:29). Advertisement Confident Delegates: Yes! We will win an overwhelming victory! We will retake the Senate, and maybe even the House! God to Moses: "This is the Promised Land...I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross there (Deut 34:4). Sympathetic Delegates: You came so close, Moses. So close! "The period of wailing and mourning for Moses came to an end. Now Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had [endorsed] him. So the Delegates listened to him" (Deut 34:8-9). In response to the most tragic day in American history, we as a country turned to TSA to protect us as we traveled. And every day since, they've kept us safe. They've stood on the front lines risking own safety to make sure we could fly free of fear again. But as lines have swollen and passenger anger grows, privatization has become a cause celebre for small government politicians and pundits. Unfortunately for this short-memoried crowd, replacing skilled Transportation Security Officers with untrained amateurs will do nothing to shorten the lines. Instead, it will just make air travel more dangerous. Prior to 9/11, all U.S. airports had privatized screeners guarding our airports. They were, for the most part, low-rent, inexperienced amateurs with no background in security operations. In response to four planes being hijacked and used as weapons, the American people told President George W. Bush, and his Republican-led Congress that we deserve more protection. They listened, and the Transportation Security Administration was born. Their charge was simple - allow Americans to fly safely again. Advertisement As a result, all but six airports handed over security to the trained professionals at TSA who have continued to keep us safe to this day. Since turning security over to TSA 15 years ago, some airports have opted to privatize again under the Screening Partnership Program. Their effectiveness - or more appropriately, complete lack thereof - serves as a vital cautionary tale as the push for further privatization gains steam. In September 2014, Orlando's Sanford International Airport transitioned to private screeners. Just days later, there was a serious security breach when inattentive, untrained screeners allowed a civilian to enter the terminal unscreened. Just two weeks after that, Sanford screeners failed to confiscate a steak knife in a passenger's carryon baggage, allowing it to pass through to the secure area of the terminal. Thankfully neither incident resulted in catastrophe, but both could have been easily prevented by a federally-trained TSA officer. Late last year, four Montana airports cancelled their agreements with private screeners when it was found they were "not able to meet requirements that were set forth in the contract," according to TSA. This breakdown came not long after Sacramento County's Board of Supervisors voted against a pre-existing agreement to privatize Sacramento International Airport, opting instead to keep security in the hands of federally-trained TSA Officers. Advertisement What often gets lost in the privatization discussion is that the long lines have nothing to do with TSA's ability to do the job; rather, it has everything to do with a growing imbalance of passengers and screeners. Over the last seven years, passenger volumes have ballooned to new highs while TSA employment has continued to fall. Making matters worse, Congress is pillaging TSA's cash flow by diverting $1.2 billion each year to pay down the federal deficit. Congress is starving TSA to the bone, and the public won't stand for it any more. Despite a perpetually-understaffed workforce and increased workload, TSA Officers discovered a record 2,653 firearms at security checkpoints in 2015 - a 20 percent increase from 2014. And just last month, TSA Officers discovered 74 weapons, 65 of which were loaded. If the current trend keeps up, 3,000 firearms will be confiscated by the end of 2016. And that doesn't even include the thousands of knives and other dangerous weapons that were removed from passengers' luggage. The results are clear: TSA works. Their decade and a half of good work cannot be swept aside because they've been starved of the resources they need to get the job done right. More daily fake news on The Political Garbage Chute. FOLE'S FALLS, VIRGINIA -- At a campaign rally this morning, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had a protester ejected from the hall in which he was delivering a speech. Mr. Trump screamed from the stage to have his security remove who he described as a "tiny, infantile protester with giant hands." Secret Service and venue security were able to remove the protester without incident. "I just hate it when these little shits come to my rallies," Trump said, "I mean, what are they wanting me to do, kiss them or something? Get outta here with that." Mr. Trump said that he "only kisses two women in [his] life." "My wife and Ivanka," Trump said, "I'm not going to kiss anyone else, especially not some short little protester with humongous hands. What if they decided to strangle me with those massive mitts when I'm bending down to kiss them?" Advertisement Trump said that his policy has long been that "crying protesters" be removed from his rallies. He said the attention should be on him at all times, and he doesn't like sharing attention with anyone, "no matter how cute or cuddly the protester may seem." He also cited a major concern for security in having the "super young looking" protester thrown out. "These millennials with their Tinders and their websites," Trump said, "you just don't know how much you can trust them. I had one vomit all over me, and another one tried to pull my tie off my shirt and kept babbling incoherently." After a pause, Trump admitted, "Though the babbling incoherently part I actually really admired and could sympathize with. Reminded me of Sarah Palin a little." The alleged billionaire and confirmed D-List celebrity told reporters after the rally that he "has zero problem" with security "roughing up these pint-sized protesters people keeping bringing" to his rallies. He said he'd gladly "foot the bill" for anyone who takes it upon themselves to "get a little hinky" with them. "I'm not saying you should just pop one of these tiny, really immature looking protesters with ginormous hands in the face or anything," Trump yelled at the crowd while the protester was being removed, "but you all know I have a lot of money, like a lot, a lot, a lot of money. So I'm just saying someone might be able to pay your legal fees if you do." Advertisement Before leaving the rally stage, Trump had a message for any other similar protesters that might be tempted to go to his rallies and "make too much noise" during his speech. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 2 By Fatih Karimov Trend: An Iranian private company is negotiating with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan for gas swap, Azizollah Ramazani, director of the International Affairs Department at the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), said. Serious talks are underway for gas swap between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan through a private Iranian company, SHANA news agency reported Aug. 2. He did not unveil further details. Iran has already announced readiness for natural gas swap projects with Russia, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. It was earlier announced that Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to increase the volume of gas swap. The two countries have gas swap infrastructure via which Azerbaijan supplies its fuel to Iran's northern provinces. Iran, for its part, ensures the gas demand of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Elsewhere in his remarks Ramazani said that talks are underway with Oman, Kuwait and the UAE for gas export, in order to increase Tehrans share from global gas market. Studies are on the agenda to take share in the LNG markets in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, India and China as well as eastern and western Europe and Southeast Asia, Ramazani added. The Islamic Republic holds 34 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves, sharing 18.2 percent of total global gas reserves, which puts the country in the top of the world's gas holders list. Excerpt from a chapter on Mindfulness from Creativity Unzipped: Why Your Thoughts Matter My mother died recently, and in her belongings I found a poem written by my father in 1943. It was published in the Black River Journal, in response to a letter to the editor criticizing farm boys for not joining the war effort. As it turned out, my father tried to enlist but was rejected because he was a farmer and the country needed the fruits of his labor. Where there was once his life, his desire to wear a uniform, his willingness to fight, there is now this form, these lines, the spirit of him still breathing. These are his hand-written words, still alive: In answer to: Win the War 1943 I read your letter with much concern And then decided that it was my turn To explain to you and others as well The importance of farm boys--all in a shell. In my opinion, it was your thought That some of the farm boys are easily bought. Now I don't think you know the way we feel And that's just what I'm about to reveal. Advertisement It wasn't our choice to do as we please Or didn't you ever hear of the word "freeze." I know of hundreds who tried to enlist But the draft board had orders and had to resist. I don't think that you can mention a one That isn't willing to shoulder a gun What would you do if we all did this? Run the farms by hit and miss. You mentioned the cow, as a good place to hide But I'll inform you, that we still have pride You think of a farm as just a cow; That's just the half of it, I'll tell you right now. It all looks simple to folks like you But you've still got to eat, to see the war through. Now I don't pretend to be a famed poet But just a farm boy, and I want you to know it. Advertisement My father did not have a mindfulness practice that I know of, but he favored silence over everything. On our long rides through the country, he rarely spoke. We never played music in the house when he was there. When he did his chores, cleaned the gutters, spread the hay, milked the cows, he was alone with his thoughts, and happy. If he didn't have something important to say, he said nothing. And when he did speak, it mattered, like this poem matters. His words were clean, clear, concise. They revealed his feelings, but most subtly. My mother said it broke his heart that he couldn't enlist, but you can't see that in the poem. You see acceptance and resolve, but not his pain. He somehow mastered that. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves, writes: Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. As the Spanish saying goes, the sun is the poor man's blanket. And thanks to technology, it's also our heating system, air conditioner, refrigerator and a shinning spot that lights up our clean energy future. The solar industry is the fastest growing sector of the US economy. It currently employs more than 200,000 workers, thousands of them Latinos, and double that of the coal mining industry. And for us Latinos, solar energy is a three-fold blessing. "Since I had my rooftop solar panels installed last year, I spend less than half of what I used to pay for dirty energy," says Oscar Medina, a client of Solar City in Tucson, AZ. "It not only keeps my home cool in the Arizona desert, it also allows me to avoid using power from dirty coal." Advertisement And one of those thousands of Latino solar workers is Roberto "Bobby" Rosthenhousler, another Tucson resident, whose mother is from Los Mochis, Mexico. He enthusiastically supports solar. "If you are Latino, this is a good choice," says Bobby, who installs panels for Net Zero Solar. "As long as the sun is there, we are going to have a job. I want to be a pioneer because there is only room to improve in this industry." But dark clouds loom over solar --the backlash of public utilities. In the last four years, the explosive growth of rooftop solar has turned it into a severe threat to an archaic system based on a monopolistic model that heavily depends on dirty energy. Take Arizona utility Tucson Electric Power (TEP), which owns, at least partly, four coal-burning plants, including the San Juan Generating Station in Northern New Mexico. Advertisement TEP is due to review its energy plan for the next few years, which presents it with the opportunity to drop at least a large part of its coal fleet and expand its clean, renewable energy portfolio. Alas, TEP plans to stick with the dirty coal plant, hike rates for its customers and damage Arizona's growing rooftop solar industry with new fees on solar customers such as Oscar. Utilities across the country justify these rate hikes by arguing that rooftop solar clients continue relying on the electric grid without contributing their fair share to its maintenance. Study after study, however, indicates that rooftop solar reduces the stress and wear of the grid by using it less often. Furthermore, it limits the construction of expensive, dirty plants, thus substantially reducing coal pollution and the climate change it triggers. These abusive practices may paint a bleak future for the rooftop solar industry. The clean energy progress, however, is unstoppable. A Cambridge University study indicates that photovoltaic solar panels will soon be more competitive than any fossil fuel energy. And this scares the living lights out of the energy dinosaurs. "They need to let other environmentally friendly companies come in and provide a service that would especially benefit working-class families," says Oscar. "It's clear that utilities need to stop the pollution that makes people sick, especially us Latinos." "My four-year-old is autistic," says Bobby. "And that's one other reason I went into clean energy. I worry about all those chemicals in the air affect my child. This is something I can give back to him." Advertisement Silhouette of weight scales John Thompson, a 22-year-old black man in New Orleans, was convicted in 1985 -- in two separate trials -- of carjacking and murder and sentenced to 49 years on the carjacking charge and to death for the murder. He spent the next 18 years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, 14 of them on death row. He was 30 days away from execution when his attorneys finally found the evidence that cleared him. The New Orleans DA's office, then headed by Harry Connick, Sr., had known all along that a blood stain found on one of the carjacking victims, did not match Thompson and concealed that fact from Thompson's attorney in the carjacking case. In the murder case, they made a plea deal with a second man -- who was the likely killer -- to testify against Thompson. The informant got five years; Thompson was sentenced to death. Advertisement Most importantly, by winning a false victory on the carjacking charge, Connick and his henchmen effectively deprived Thompson of the right to testify in his own defense in the murder trial -- a flagrant bit of Constitutional misconduct. The carjacking charge was dropped in 1999 and Thompson -- now free to tell his side of the story -- was retried in the murder case in 2002. He was acquitted in 35 minutes. None of the DAs involved in Thompson's case were ever disciplined or held accountable in any way. They almost never are. As Brandon Buskey, a staff attorney for the ACLU's Criminal Law Reform Project, wrote in NY Times op ed: "In privileging the discretion of prosecutors and judges to enforce the law, we have come perilously close to placing these officials above the law." Added Buskey: "...advocates across the country continue to expose judges who unlawfully deprive defendants of lawyers or throw people in jail simply because they are too poor to pay small amounts of money. We are constantly confronted with wrongful convictions rooted in a prosecutor's belief that winning a case is more important than seeking justice. These experiences compel us to recognize that sometimes the criminals our justice system most needs to confront are actually running it." Under American law, prosecuting attorneys are among the most powerful of public officials. They can choose whether or not to bring criminal charges, what charges to bring, what evidence justifies charges, and they hold the power to plea bargain. Their power is nearly absolute and unreviewable, with absolute immunity from civil liability. At its best, this means prosecutors have significant opportunity to show leniency and mercy in a system that is frequently marked by broad and harsh criminal laws. At its worst, it leads to many wrongful convictions. Advertisement There are a number of ways for a prosecutor to commit misconduct. He could make inappropriate comments to jurors, or coax witnesses into giving false or misleading testimony. But one of the most pervasive misdeeds is the failure to turn over favorable evidence to the defendant, as required by the landmark Brady v. Maryland case of 1963, in the which the Supreme Court ruled that withholding exculpatory evidence violates due process "where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment." It's the most common form of misconduct cited by courts in overturning convictions. In 2015 alone, a record 149 people in 29 states, the District of Columbia, federal courts and Guam -- were exonerated of crimes they didn't commit. These 149 innocent defendants had spent on average about 14-and-a-half years of their lives in prison. Official misconduct was a factor in 65 exonerations in 2015, a record number. Three-quarters (44/58) or 75% of the homicide exonerations in 2015 included known official misconduct. There was a time when the American public believed that innocent people didn't go to prison. If you were arrested and convicted by a jury of peers, you were guilty. Most people had faith that prosecutors and police and judges conducted investigations and trials with total integrity with goal of fairness and equal justice for all. That faith is clearly misguided. Since the first DNA exoneration in 1989, 336 people have been exonerated and released on the basis of DNA testing alone. At least 20 of those spent time on death row. In fact, the total number of exonerations since 1989 -- based on all factors, not just DNA -- is 1,740, according to the National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan Law School. There is no aspect of the criminal justice system in greater need of reform. Of the many ways innocent people wind up in jail for crimes they didn't commit -- eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, tainted forensic science, incompetent legal representation, false testimony by dubious informants -- none is more grave and destructive to the American criminal justice system than official misconduct. Public faith in the integrity and fairness of the investigatory and prosecutorial process is the fundamental tenet of the justice system. Advertisement Prosecutors have been literally getting away with murder for years and it is past time for the free ride to end. The Supreme Court missed a chance to swing the pendulum back in the right direction in 2011 when, in a 5-4 opinion written by Clarence Thomas, they threw out John Thompson's $14 million jury award for wrongful conviction on the grounds that he had shown a violation only in his own case, and not a pattern of misconduct. With the recent opening of Cats, legendary composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber now has three shows running simultaneously on Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock and Cats. Fiercely devoted to the arts in education, at this year's Tonys, it was announced that the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation is giving a $1.3 million grant to support theater education opportunities for underserved young people in public schools throughout the United States. At the star-studded Cats opening, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber talked to NewYork.com about his deep affection for felines. These creatures helped inspire the musical based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. That original Broadway production, which opened in 1982, ran for 18 years and 7,485 performances. It went on to be presented in over 30 countries, was translated into 15 languages, and seen by more than 73 million people around the world. "I've always loved cats ever since I could remember. My mother read T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats poems to me when I was very small. My first cat was a Siamese cat called Perseus. I don't know why he was called Perseus because it's not a very Siamese name. It's a Greek name, really. But he was a lovely seal point cat. A very, very intelligent cat. Now I have four marvelous Turkish Van cats, who are the swimming cats. They come from a place called Lake Van in Eastern Turkey. Advertisement In one sense, the heart of this beast is actually T.S. Eliot's view of Cats. It's the extraordinary way that he wrote these poems for his godchildren. But, of course, he had an eye on the parents who were going to read for the godchildren. So, they're brilliantly observed and very witty, and yet, he understands the cat." Click here to read the entire story at NewYork.com. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with his three leading players: (From left) Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman (Dewey Finn in School of Rock - The Musical), James Barbour (Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera), and Broadway's newest leading lady, Leona Lewis (Grizabella in Cats). For four days this week, I walked around downtown Cleveland during the Republican National Convention. Countless journalists from media outlets large (HuffPo, the New York Times, TIME, The Economist) to small (Nigerian television, student newspapers) asked me: Why are you here? My sign made it clear what side I was on. "Trump Threatens American Values" is pretty straightforward, after all. But what brought me to Cleveland went much deeper than picking a side. I'm a lifelong progressive, yet it had never before occurred to me to attend a political convention, Republican or Democratic. Though I have definite opinions, and I believe there are strong differences between candidates from the two major parties, most politicians are politicians. But Donald Trump is different--and not in a good way. My tipping point came when he began giving interviews promising to use torture on suspected terrorists. (He also briefly threatened to wipe out their families, but ultimately walked those comments back.) For me--and I like to think for millions of Americans--this proved to be too much. Here was the presumptive presidential nominee of one of the two major parties bragging about committing illegal acts. War crimes, actually. Not only is the threat inhumane, but also bad policy. Advocating torture just gives anti-American groups more recruiting fodder and puts our own people at risk of torture if they're captured. Advertisement This was the last straw in a now well-worn litany of offensive statements (no need to recap them here). To me, his most chilling policy positions play on anti-Muslim, anti-"other" biases. Besides the pro-torture comments, he wants a ban Muslim visitors and legal immigrants, states "Muslims know who the terrorists are" and should be forced to spy on their neighbors, and calls for a registry of all Muslims in the U.S. Though not a Muslim myself, I live in a diverse community with many recent Muslim immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. I'm proud my country can provide a home for people fleeing desperate circumstances and give them a chance to start new lives. Their experiences mirror those of my own family, whose members came to America early in the 20th century from Slovakia, Italy, and Poland. So I made plans to head to Cleveland. I packed up the car with sign boards, markers, and my wife, who insisted on coming along if only to bail me out should things turn sour. As it happened, the feared riots, melees, and mass casualties predicted in the media beforehand failed to materialize. If anything, the whole thing was surreal. It was an odd experience--in a city (briefly) filled to the brim with Republicans, I quickly learned this deeply Democratic region welcomed me (and my sign) with open arms. In between a march on day one and a rally at the end of day four, I carried my sign around Public Square and the surrounding streets in the hot sun. Reporters seemed surprised to meet a middle-aged white guy wanting to talk about Trump's torture and anti-Muslim stance. On day four, I switched to a new sign decrying Trump's anti-NATO, pro-Putin position. Again, this is a topic I think Americans of all political persuasions can agree on, including several RNC delegates who gave me the thumbs up. Advertisement Many pro-Trump folks taunted me, but I chose to walk away. With them, I let my sign do the talking. And despite the constant looming presence of young men brandishing AR-15 assault rifles to demonstrate their love of Ohio's open-carry laws (and of Trump), the streets of Cleveland remained calm. The violence was instead occurring inside the Quicken Loans Arena. Not the physical kind, despite some close calls during the chaotic rules fight of the #NeverTrump crowd. Rather, the violence of negative, nationalistic speechifying and hateful rhetoric--the kind that threatens real American values. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attends a campaign event at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S., August 3, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Thayer As questions swirl over whether Donald Trump will willingly bow out as the Republican nominee, or be forced out, pundits have labeled such an event as "unprecedented." Yet there have been cases in American political history where a nominee has been forced to the sidelines, and a replacement has been named. It's pretty rare in American presidential history, but there have been cases of nominees that didn't make the final contest. The most famous one occurred in the 1872, when Horace Greeley died after the election, but before the Electoral College met. This Democratic Party nominee won only six of 37 states against President Ulysses S. Grant, so it was not really close. But when the Electoral College met, he only received three of the 66 votes he was supposed to get. Advertisement But there have been other cases, involving contests for governor, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. And in each case, the party dealt with the issue differently. They major party could have backed a third party candidate, hoped for enough votes from the contest to appoint a replacement afterwards, but in most cases, the party chose to a name a replacement before the election, with varying degrees of success. In 2006, Republicans had to deal with Florida Congressman Mark Foley, accused of inappropriate relationships with House of Representative pages. It was too late to change the ballot, but the GOP tried to have state legislator Joe Negron replace him. The slogan "Punch Mark For Joe" was funny, but ineffective, as Democrats took that longtime Republican district. Advertisement The Republicans could stay with Trump, and hope he doesn't drag down the party too badly. Of course, some in the GOP are more afraid that he'll win than anything. And Trump doesn't seem too concerned about the Republicans, as he said he wouldn't mind if the party lost their majority in the U.S. Senate, as it would make him "a free agent." The Republicans also could name a replacement. But who would they pick among the fallen nominees? Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush would be seen as "too establishment" for the anti-establishment Trump crowd. Taking Pence makes it look like a GOP insider coup. There's too much bad blood between Trump and Cruz supporters for the Texas Senator to be the pick. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio is trying to save the GOP Senate lead, while Scott Walker, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry or Dr. Ben Carson just smack of desperation. In the cases where a replacement worked, there was a good candidate, or spouse, ready to step in. And Melania Trump, after her RNC speech, inspires no confidence. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe inspects the guard of honour during a ceremony in Harare, Monday Aug. 10, 2015, honouring thousands of fighters who died in a 1970s Bush war against colonialism. Mugabe, in his first public comments about the popular lion named Cecil, says his compatriots failed in their responsibility to protect the lion that was killed by an American in an allegedly illegal hunt. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) "You're fired!" As a big fan of The Apprentice television series, it's impossible to forget those words. It was my first real introduction to The Donald. At first, it was difficult for me to like Donald Trump; I saw him as a mean and arrogant showoff. But it's been nearly a decade now, and I've come to respect and admire the man for his tough love, assertiveness, tenacity, and remarkable achievements as an entrepreneur. Never mind the 'political season' seems to be blurring all that. Advertisement I have keenly followed his speeches, interviews, faux pas and controversies as he, beyond my wildest expectations, bulldozed his way through 17 other Republican presidential hopefuls to clinch the party's nomination for the November elections. As an African who's lived on the continent his whole life, I can't help but notice some striking similarities between Mr. Trump and the kind of leaders we're used to over here. You see, compared to the U.S., Africa is still quite new to the whole democracy thing. You folks have over 200 years of practice under your belt. Over here, memories of strongmen, dictators and tyrants are still fresh on our minds. We know how they talk, think and act. Permit me, if you may, to give you some perspective. As you read these words, there's a revolution in the works in Zimbabwe, driven by the #ThisFlag movement. Robert Mugabe, one of Africa's last surviving vestiges of the "classic dictatorship era" rose to power on overwhelming popular support in the 1980s. He is notorious for his fiery speeches and vitriolic attacks on the United States, Britain and Europe. He blames them for everything; from workers' protests due to unpaid wages to food shortages and the precipitous crash of the Zimbabwean economy. Advertisement By passing the blame to a foreign enemy, Mr. Mugabe has successfully attracted and maintained a massive cult-like following that has kept him in power for more than three decades. Make no mistake, he is a very charismatic, vocal, formidable and divisive "leader." With his characteristic thumped fist, his followers roar and cheer him on at rallies, which are heavily attended by admirers, supporters and sycophants. And then there was the enigmatic Idi Amin of Uganda, who deported thousands of foreigners from the country, blaming them for its economic misfortunes. I could go on forever. Africa's history is replete with daring, charismatic and very popular strongmen, whose views and positions on "controversial" issues struck a chord with the common people -- at least, in the beginning. However, there's a common thread and a very disturbing strategy to the methods of nearly all of Africa's strongmen. It's called "divide and rule." You see, by taking a strong, high-handed and often extreme stand on burning national issues of the time, these men polarize their countrymen and create a cult of hardcore and fiercely loyal followers, some of who are often willing to die for "the cause." Advertisement In the face of a brazen global terror threat from ISIS and successful lone-wolf and coordinated terrorist attacks on US allies, there is ample reason for Americans to nurse some fear about the future. It's therefore not surprising to see millions of Americans support Mr. Trump's plan to take a strong and decisive stand against the "enemy", both foreign and domestic. Extreme and highly divisive proposals -- like placing a blanket ban on all Muslims entering the U.S., surveillance against mosques, establishing a database specifically for tracking and monitoring all Muslims living in the U.S., and branding Mexican and Latin American immigrants as drug dealers and rapists -- while shocking from an American standpoint, feeds on popular fear and resonates with a large section of the American population who think Mr. Trump's plan sounds like a very practical and credible solution. According to The Donald, "America is led by 'stupid' people". So, Mr. Trump's rallying cry is to "Make America Great Again". And to make this happen, the country needs a vocal, tenacious, decisive and independent-minded leader who will "carpet bomb" ISIS out of existence, flush out 'radical Islam' on U.S soil, face-off with China and twist its arm into renegotiating landmark trade deals, and build a 2,000-mile wall on the southern U.S. border (paid for by Mexico) that'll stem the tide of drug dealers, "rapists" and illegal migrants entering the country. Mr. Trump's propositions are daring, shocking and extreme. Nevertheless, they have proven to be very appealing to millions of Americans. You just have to give it to the man. But this is an election that will force America to look itself in the mirror. Over here in Africa, we get the sense that the values of democracy and a free society are distilled in the hearts and minds of all Americans. We admire your respect for individual rights, regardless of a person's race or religion. We love the idea of a classless and non-discriminatory society where anyone can aspire to, and achieve, the American dream. Advertisement Sadly, Donald Trump's intentions, and the massive support from the American people who have brought him this far, are starting to blur my views. However, in my experience, African leaders are notorious for falling short on the promises they made while they were running for office. It is my earnest hope that Mr. Trump will follow this lead. While I see several distinct traits of an African strongman in him, I hope all of his divisive rhetoric is just a ploy, by a very astute entrepreneur, to win an election. I hope he doesn't make decisions that will discriminate against and alienate any section of American society. I hope he will not by his promises, and subsequent actions, trigger a global pandemic of ill will and disdain for the U.S. Advertisement I hope under his watch, America does not become a mean big brother. Don't dash my hopes and faith in you, Mr. Trump. Else, come this November, I hope... On Tuesday July 20th, thanks to an overwhelming crowdfunding effort, I delivered the Change.org #WhatTheFork Walmart petition, complete with over 140,000 signatures of support, to Walmart staff in Bentonville, Arkansas. After delivering the petition, I was also fortunate to have a "closed door" meeting with public relations and sustainability staff at the retail giant's Home Office (Headquarters) in Bentonville. And while I was appreciative and fortunate for these things, I was also disappointed. Yes, just six days before the petition delivery Walmart announced their recent "ugly" potato Spuglies sales in 400 stores in and surrounding Texas. And, yes, just the day before the petition delivery, Walmart announced their I'm Perfect apple sales in 300 stores in Florida. However, there are quite a few things that have come up, at the July 20th meeting in Bentonville and in the last couple weeks, that leave me disappointed. Disappointed because Walmart's plans with "ugly" produce may not be what they seem and here's my top five reasons why: 1.Incorporating "Ugly" Produce into Other Products: one thing that Walmart is trumpeting lately in the press is that they work to incorporate "ugly" produce into processed items like pies, juice, etc. This happens everywhere, especially with grocers that have in-house products or brands (like Walmart does) and this method of "ugly" produce use is obviously not enough, see number 3 below for why. Advertisement 2.Working with Farmers on 100% of the Harvest: you also will find Walmart explaining to reporters that they try to work with farmers on "100% of the harvest." The problem may be Walmart's wording which effectively side-steps the issue in that "the harvest" is not where the biggest issue lies. The biggest problem is what's left on the farm, left in the field, because it didn't meet cosmetic standards to actually be harvested. 3.Not Acknowledging the Real Problem: in their July 11, 2016 sustainability blog Walmart tries to diminish the "ugly" produce issue by saying that "ugly" produce "items usually make up a very small part of a harvest and aren't a major contributor to food waste " This is simply not true or again, side-stepping the issue. The U.S.-based ReFED report shows that 20 billion pounds of produce, consisting mostly of perfectly nutritious and delicious produce, that looks less than "perfect," is wasted, before stores in the U.S., every 12 months! 4.Removing The Problem: check several recent articles (NPR, Sustainable Brands, etc) and you'll find "For apples, blemish-related losses can reach as high as 30 percent, according to data Walmart cites from Columbia Marketing International." A fact that underscores the potential, and need, for a long-term commitment (to at least the apples!) being sold all over the U.S. at some point. However, when you go back and check Walmart's blog on the I'm Perfect apples effort, the "30%" figure which originally appeared there, has been removed. 5.No Commitment to "Ugly" Produce Programs: with the Spuglies and I'm Perfect efforts, Walmart did not commit to developing a program like other U.S. grocers have. They didn't commit to finding additional weather-blemished items to sell this year. They didn't even commit to continuing to sell the weather-blemished apples and potatoes, through the same suppliers, every year in some capacity (I know because I asked all of three these questions in my meeting with them on July 20th). Advertisement The bottom line with Walmart's current strategy is that they have no stake in the new efforts, they can cancel at any time, leaving the farmers to find a new avenue for these items in future years of weather blemishes or other causes to get the produce rejected. And that is falling short as "ugly" produce programs, that strive for all year-round supply of some form, can and should be developed with every large grocer, including the largest in the U.S. Walmart. Where might you find ugly produce programs all year-round? In less than 2 years, the following programs have started up (with most starting in the last year): Giant Eagle (supermarket) in Pennsylvania and Ohio, Hannaford (supermarket) in New York, Hungry Harvest (home delivery) in the Northeast, Imperfect Produce (home delivery and working with grocers) in California, Perfectly Imperfect (home delivery) in Ohio and Whole Foods Market (supermarket) in California (and now in New York as well). And every single one of these programs sells for a discount of 20-50% off (or more) and stocks a program of multiple items all year-round! So despite what Walmart and others may say about the lack of supply, there is no doubt that supply of "ugly" produce is there, you just have to work for it. Work for it as the recently expanded programs with Hungry Harvest, Imperfect Produce, Giant Eagle, and Whole Foods Market have and will continue to do. Even further, I have faith, and now the citizen demand to back it up, that citizens want ugly produce programs everywhere in the U.S. and they will buy ugly produce (for that discount). The more than 250,000 signatures on two petitions that myself and Stefanie Sacks have started, to Walmart and Whole Foods shows that. This is why Stefanie and I are holding firm with our petition to ask Walmart to sell ugly produce in its U.S. stores in an actual program, or test pilot with the intention of working out a full program. So please, help us do more about ugly produce. You can do that by checking out my previous blog Ugly Fruit - The 20 Billion Pound Elephant in the Room by following my @UglyFruitAndVeg social media accounts to join in the #Funactivism! And lastly, by signing our petition to Walmart because we need real commitments from large grocers on this issue! In 2014, two 12-year-old girls were alleged to have stabbed a classmate to please an Internet based fictional villain called Slenderman. This week, a Wisconsin state appeals court ruled that these young girls will be tried as adults. Yes, you read that right. Tried as adults. If accepted beyond this specific case, the reasoning behind this decision challenges the rationale for having a juvenile court at all, and flies in the face of everything juvenile justice policymakers, and the U.S. Supreme Court, know about child development. Perhaps most sadly, this decision entirely ignores evidence of the capacities of youth for fundamental and genuine change as they mature--especially if they have the kinds of guidance and support they are unlikely to receive if treated as adults. Both girls have been diagnosed with psychotic disorders, or disorders which implicate a break with reality, and both girls have endorsed the notion that this supernatural Internet meme is real and motivated their behavior. The stated rationale for the judge's decision was the belief that the two defendants, both now 14, would not receive long term mental health treatment if tried and sentenced as juveniles, as they would be released from juvenile supervisory authority at age 18. This line of thinking is misguided. First, the distinction between who goes to juvenile court and who goes to adult court shouldn't rest on how long a sentence you want to dispense- it should rest on whether that person has the attributes of a child or of an adult. Compared with adults, children as a group are impulsive and reckless - especially in situations where they are isolated from feedback from adults and are vulnerable to peer influence. They generally exercise poorer judgment than adults and are most likely to do so in situations of high risk and high stakes. They have always been treated differently under the law because of their developmental differences and this has been specifically reflected in US Supreme Court cases since the 2005 ban on execution of juveniles in Roper v. Simmons. 543 U.S. 551 (2005). Although the district and appeals court in this case made much of alleged premeditation, the crime itself evidences disorganized and unrealistic thinking and the psychotic motivations of its perpetrators. Advertisement It is difficult to conceive why youth who cannot exercise other adult rights and privileges will stand trial as adults for alleged offenses committed at age 12. They have neither the rights nor the responsibilities of grownups. At age 12, these girls cannot sign a binding contract, legally marry, enlist in the military, purchase alcohol, get a driver's license, provide most medical informed consent, control access to their school records, or get a personal credit card. In most legal contexts, the law understandably recognizes that youth cannot be legally accountable as if they were adults. Juvenile courts and juvenile justice systems were created to treat these differences as opportunities to foster rehabilitation. They were designed to engage the developmental capacities for change in children--even chronically violent adolescents commonly desist from criminal misconduct as they mature into young adulthood. The prospects for youthful change work for their benefit and for society's benefit and can be facilitated by providing research-based interventions that promote positive youth development. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a series of decisions between 2005 and 2012, took explicit notice of the developmental immaturity and unique rehabilitative potential of young people in articulating a "children are different" constitutional jurisprudence. The "children are different" constitutional perspective led to bans on imposing the death penalty and then mandatory imposition of life without possibility of parole for crimes committed under age 18. The reasoning in the Slenderman case upends both this constitutional jurisprudence and everything that is scientifically known about child and adolescent development. Advertisement Enlisting the fiction that someone who committed a crime as a 12 year old should be deemed an adult ignores what happens to teenagers in adult prisons. From a neurodevelopmental point of view, adult prisons place teenagers in a predatory environment, which may permanently alter brain circuits and leave them vulnerable to dysfunction later in life. Current research points to heightened neuroplasticity in adolescence and increased cortical vulnerability, particularly in the context of social stress. In plain language, adolescents are sponges for their environments, and deprivation, stress, violence and decreased opportunities for learning may permanently alter their brain development. But we don't have to look to emerging neurobiology to understand why teenagers shouldn't be in adult jails. We can just look to the data. Teenagers in adult prison are 36 times more likely to attempt suicide than their adult counterparts. They are 200 times more likely to be physically assaulted by other inmates and correctional staff and five times more likely to be sexually assaulted than adult detainees. Finally, while studies vary, there is little doubt that youth held in adult jails are between 3 and 34 times more likely to recidivate than youth held in juvenile facilities. In Wisconsin, recent studies have shown that young offenders placed in the adult correctional system are estimated to recidivate at a rate of 48 percent, which is three times higher than for adult offenders or for younger juveniles in the juvenile system. Juvenile facilities are simply more attuned to the developmental deficits of youthful offenders and more skilled at remediating those deficits. These two defendants, if tried and sentenced as adults, would face up to 45 years in prison, and would be transferred from the youth prison facility in Wisconsin directly to an adult prison at age 18. Finally, one can cynically wonder if the "need for mental health treatment" is a legal fig leaf seized upon by a judge who fears backlash if these children are not tried as adults, conveniently ignoring the reality that mental health services in adult correctional facilities are meager at best, and not developmentally informed. Even if the judge genuinely hoped to access long-term mental health treatment for these now 14 year-old defendants, there are ways to accomplish mental health treatment after their term of juvenile justice commitment, which includes imposition of involuntary treatment. Every state has some combination of statutes that provide for involuntary medication and/or hospitalization if someone is dangerous to himself or others due to a mental illness. In all of these jurisdictions, delusional or psychotic thoughts and plans to harm others would justify emergency psychiatric confinement. In many states, psychiatric evaluations are routine for inmates who are mentally ill and there are concerns about violence risk due to their mental illness. Incarcerated youth and adults of concern can be evaluated for ongoing dangerousness caused by mental illness, and if they present a continuing danger to the public, they need not released but can be transferred to forensic or community psychiatric hospitals for monitoring and treatment.. These young girls are accused of a brutal and planned attack on a classmate. This lethal attack may have been motived by a psychosis or psychotic-like preoccupation with the Internet Slenderman entity. All would agree that if these early adolescent girls are found guilty of this heinous crime, they must be held appropriately accountable. However, Constitutional jurisprudence and neurodevelopmental and behavioral science argue against trying and punishing then-12 -year-old girls as if they were adults. The judicial holding in this case is untethered from both sound public policy and science, and says more about the desire to maximize punishment than any goal of providing mental health treatment. Judith G. Edersheim, JD, MD. Co-Director, The Center for Law, Brain and Behavior, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School michelle obama speaking in... I am a lover of words- words that weave together a cadence of light, music to our hearts and "dopamine" ahas for our mind. I am always drawn by the magnetism of words at the intersection of all three. The genius words of Sarah Hurwitz baked in the spell binding speech delivered by Michelle Obama last week is a true testament to great content. Advertisement Here is my analysis on my why. 1) Emotive Imagery Great words can advocate a cause. On the other hand, outstanding words across the ages have one thing in common - the feelings and images they evoke that linger through the ages outliving their cause. As I reflect back on this speech, away from the context or message, the resounding images were The faces of two young girls pressed up against the glass window as they were driven to school in black SUV accompanied by bodyguards. Two girls playing in the green lawns of the white house with their dog. That in essence sums up the longevity of Sarah Hurwitz's content. The emotional imagery in the small, powerful details is out of the charts. We can all relate to kids in cars and playing in a lawn. We can extrapolate to visualize them in unusual settings for us - presidential cars and lawns. In all this, it was in the voice of a mother, through the eyes of her children. Just brilliant. 2) Words match the message: Showing the other cheek. In a scene in the movie Gandhi, during the early days in South Africa, Gandhi shares a famous line when he crosses path with adversaries on a road - "If the enemy strikes you on the right cheek, offer him your left." The act of defiance lies in the act of stepping up to show the other cheek. Sarah Hurwitz words were laden with this act of defiance - the opponent was named by implication, without uttering his name once. It is one thing to have a powerful message - "when they go low, we go high." It is a whole different playing field when the same content has a living proof. Her piercing words of implication without naming the opponent precisely did that. I was astounded by the congruence of content with the message. It was dignified and devastating at the same time. Advertisement It did something more - It surprised many in the world for singular lack of twitter retort from the opponent. That did not surprise me. The intent of showing the other cheek is to bring the best of humanity on the other side. When the world baits opponents with their weakness [to combat and dominate in this case], this speech showed defiance and yet took it to a higher plane of human interactions. It brought the best in the opponent - an appreciation for Sarah's words that were truly beautiful. 3) My aha As a parent of two young girls, I am always looking for examples of "when a woman is thrust into a spotlight." Deep in my heart, that was my propelling reason to hear Michelle Obama speak. I am glad I was curious - it brought me an unexpected gift, my own aha as a parent - "when we go to the polls, that is what we are deciding. Not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. In this election and every election, it is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives." These words connected the dots on a subtle message. All along I had looked at elections as what we want for our future, centered on self. My aha was keeping children at the vortex and parents orbiting around them. The common bonds for many of us are our children - across generations and across nations. Advertisement Just like my middle class parents from India, lot of things we do in daily life as parents is around that theme- It is more than what we want for our future, it is what future we want for our kids. Until that moment in the speech, it never occurred to me to connect it to elections. 4) Why this speech truly elevates You surround yourself in the aura of positive words, not because you are naive, it is because you believe in surging ahead. The human mind is a funny thing. It is more malleable than we can ever conjecture. We can consciously build safeguards to filter thoughts. My instinct is that something almost always oozes from the sides of the safeguards, unconsciously into our consciousness. The way I hear it - it is in my own self-interest to choose the energy around my ears. In that sense, the positive language and optimism in Sarah's words were inspirational, deep rooted in emotion, incandescent and raw. Michelle Obama's passionate and authentic delivery amplified this gem of rhetoric - 14+ minute capsule of bliss. They say content is king. By far, Sarah was the queen of all words I surveyed the last few weeks. A true obeisance to her gifts -crafting words, structuring her composition and above all, content dripping with all-round class. Long live the Queen. In closing, in the eyes of my daughter This speech would likely enter the pantheons of great speeches. Yet, for me, it would be deeply personal. While watching the speech live, I turned around to my 7 year old daughter seated next to me on the couch and said, "here is an example of a great speech." That chance to show rather than tell is a dream of an opportunity for any parent. I grasped it with gusto and gently guided my daughter to absorb exceptional, positive words laced with emotion. Advertisement That image of my young daughter, at an impressionable age, intently listening to every word is my defining moment and lingering memory of Sarah Hurwitz's words. What more can a parent ask for? Ottawa has started the deployment of some 200 troops to Ukraine to continue military training, Canadian Armed Forces said in a press release on Thursday. The ministry added that the deploying soldiers will relieve their counterparts already in Ukraine to continue military training activities requested by the Ukrainian government. "Starting today and continuing throughout the month of August, approximately 200 Canadian Army soldiers will be deploying to under Operation UNIFIER as part of the Government of Canadas ongoing commitment to support Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity," the release said. In the federal court system, the Sentencing Commission sets guidelines in order to reduce sentencing disparities. These guidelines provide judges with a mathematical formula that dictates the maximum and minimum lengths of a prison term. The range is determined by a combination of the defendant's charges and past criminal history. The judge is allowed to consider other factors in order to reduce the range of an individual's sentence. These factors are called downward departures and include cooperating with law enforcement, first-time offender (aberrant conduct), accepting responsibility for the crime, and even for having an excellent employment history. Despite the Sentencing Commission's attempts to reduce sentencing disparities, there is still a major problem. According to the commission's report, black males receive sentences that are 20% longer than those received by white males convicted of similar crimes. Since we know this is an unfair result, how about a downward departure of 20% for the sentences imposed on black males? Advertisement Some argue that race should not be used as a factor in sentencing, and the guidelines back up that point of view. They specifically prohibit a judge from considering race when granting a downward departure. However, we know, through the commission's statistical data, that race is implicitly factored into sentences. There are many complex reasons for this, including that the factors for downward departures inherently favor white defendants and the possible implicit biases of judges cause black defendants to receive sentences at the upper end of the sentencing range, while white defendants receive sentences at the lower end. Therefore, a rule to counter this unfair treatment seems to be within the spirit of the commission's congressional mandate to reduce the disparities in sentencing. This proposal should have bipartisan support. Democrats support programs like affirmative action, which considers racial disparity in college applications, and Republicans tend to support using race when profiling individuals at airports or in stop-and-frisk programs, if there is statistical data to support their policy. We know that black men are receiving 20% longer sentences than white men who commit the same crimes. There is an easy way to fix this issue that is already built into the system. The Sentencing Commission, or Congress, should allow a downward departure of 20% to the sentences of black males in order to compensate for the disparity in sentencing. Community involvement is crucial for small business owners to network and meet new clients. Before you even start your business, your community connections are a valuable resource for discovering which goods or services your community is lacking. I was able to break into the shade structure industry 11 years ago from a background in political consulting because I realized that businesses offering high-end, aesthetically pleasing shade structures were practically nonexistent in my community despite a high demand. From personal experience and my interactions with neighbors, clients and community members, I knew that sun safety was a pertinent issue in Miami but noticed that many public areas and outdoor businesses were not adequately shaded. My business, ShadeFLA, was founded with the goal of filling my community's need. Below, I offer some tips on how understanding your community can help you grow your business. 1)Know your community. Every community is different depending on location, climate, and demographics. Involvement in neighborhood or homeowner organizations, school PTA groups, local business councils and other groups allows you to meet people and find out what they are looking to improve in their neighborhoods or their own lives. Advertisement 2)Know your community's needs. As you get to know your community, you will discover its unique needs and perhaps notice where they are not being met. In the early 2000s, I found that although many tourists and residents were attracted to Miami for its sunny weather, unbearable heat and sudden storms often put a damper on outdoor living. Playgrounds, outdoor restaurants, pool decks, and schools needed shade and rain protection. In a community where tourism is a cornerstone of the local economy, the lack of shade struck me as a lost opportunity. Connections with with local business owners, parents, and community leaders gave me insight into what my community was lacking. 3)Offer a high quality product or service. Identifying an unmet need in your community gives you a powerful competitive edge in the market. You want to offer such a high quality product that no one will be tempted to start a competing business that can "do it better." Further, you want your clients to be so excited about your product or service that they eagerly recommend you their friends and associates. I sourced my first products from Australia, which is in industry leader in tension shade sails. By distributing a product that already had a proven track record of quality, I was able to impress clients from the very beginning. 4)Stay exclusive. Once others see how successful your business idea is, they may try to emulate you and steal away business. One way you can avoid this is by becoming the exclusive regional dealer of a particular product. My company is the exclusive U.S. retailer of the Sun Square retractable sail, in addition to selling other shade products. Offering an exclusive product has allowed my company to stand out from the competition for over a decade. 5)Follow trends. Perhaps you are already meeting your community's needs, have the exclusive rights to a product or service, and your sales are increasing rapidly - great! But communities change, and so do their needs or the way that they seek to fill those needs. I am constantly on the lookout for new products and services that I think would appeal to my current and potential clients. In 2011, I began offering a retractable roof system with both sun and rain protection, a particularly good fit for hotels and restaurants that need to cover a large outdoor space. As this product becomes more and more popular, I have been able to continue to expand my business. Advertisement 6)Use referrals and community connections to reach new clients. This is common sense to any small business owner, but it bears repeating! Every social or community gathering is an opportunity to network and share what your business is doing. We're in the midst of Pride season: a summer of marches and parades and festivals around the globe in celebration of LGBT pride and the pursuit of equality. From the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center in New York to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, municipal buildings around the world are illuminated in the colors of the rainbow flag--and yet few cities fly the rainbow flag with as much conviction as Stockholm. Throughout Sweden's largest city, rainbow flags wave proudly in front of the Royal Palace and the Royal Opera House, as well as the Royal Dramatic Theatre and Stockholm Concert Hall, home to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. On Strandvagen, one of Sweden's most posh waterfront promenades, Hotel Diplomat hangs a full-size rainbow flag alongside the national flags of both Sweden and Britain. Consider, for a moment, the symbolism: gay people every bit as equal as citizens of Britain and Sweden. Advertisement In 2014, the Swedish government announced its ambition to make Sweden the world's leading nation in the pursuit of LGBT equality. As stated by Erik Ullenhag, then Minister of Integration, "For Sweden to be able to speak with credibility and influence the situation for LGBT people around the world, we must put right our own house. We must prove that in this country, we are serious that LGBT rights are human rights." Historically, Sweden has been at the vanguard of LGBT equality. Same-sex relations were legalized in 1944, which was followed in 1976 by the integration of the Swedish military, which enabled all LGBT people to serve without being closeted. In 1979, Sweden became the first country in the world to declassify homosexuality as a medical disorder. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2009. During Stockholm Pride 2015, the Swedish government appointed a special task force to strengthen the work of LGBT rights in the world, with a focus on the skills levels of the State Department and embassies. As stated by Alice Bah Kuhnke, Minister for Culture and Democracy, and Isabella Lovin, Minister for Development Cooperation, "We want to ensure that Sweden is a model that takes a leading global role for LGBT rights." Unofficially known as Sweden's LGBT minister, Kuhnke, alongside four other Swedish government ministers, is spearheading legislation to strengthen the rights of LGBT people to be themselves in all areas of life. In their words, "The Government is therefore planning to implement changes that aim to offer the same conditions for everyone, regardless of the choice of partner and type of family that each of us chooses to live with." Advertisement "Two hours of happiness and love," was Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's assessment of this year's Stockholm Pride parade, the largest in Scandinavia. Lofven marched with more than 60,000 participants and nearly a million cheering spectators along a 2.6-mile route that ended in Pride Park where entertainers such as Ruby Rose, star of Orange Is the New Black, kept the crowds dancing long after sunset. Putting their money behind their principles, the Swedish government has budgeted over SEK 6 million (nearly $1 million) for education initiatives aimed at increasing knowledge of LGBT issues in the public sector. A six-prong strategy for equal rights aims to improve the lives of LGBT people with a focus on health and social services; violence and other violations; LGBT youth; family life; culture; and a civil society. The municipality of Stockholm has allocated SEK 8 million (nearly $1 million) to initiate an LGBT education program in the city schools, commencing with elementary school. The goal will be to create a safer environment for LGBT students, particularly those exposed to violence, with a focus on staff training and school activities. As the Swedish government asserted in 2014, "Every effort we have made to strengthen LGBT rights has been preceded by long and lively discussions. Sometimes it sounded like the world was going to fall apart. But that has not happened; the world has not broken up because we said yes to love and equality of all people." In other words, those rainbow flags flying all over Stockholm and Sweden are a testament to the love of LGBT people in a country notable for its pursuit of equality. Advertisement For more information about Sweden's rainbow pride, visit Stockholm Pride, as well as Visit Stockholm and Visit Sweden. In May, the FDA warned that fluoroquinolone antibiotics, because of common and sometimes permanent side effects, should only be used as a last resort. The agency followed up in July with language for new label warnings and a Medication Guide to be given to every patient. Fluoroquinolones have been widely used until recently for urinary tract infections, bronchitis, sinusitis and other infections and include Levaquin (levofloxacin), Avelox (moxifloxacin), Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Floxin (ofloxacin), Factive (gemifloxacin mesylate) and Noroxin (norfloxacin). But for years, public health experts and patients have highlighted orthopedic, gastrointestinal, neurological, visual and renal injuries from taking the drug for only five days. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics have been among the biggest-selling drug classes. Demand for Bayer's Cipro was so strong after the 9/11 attacks when anthrax-containing letters were sent to media outlets and lawmakers, killing five and infecting 17, daily prescriptions soared to 14,000 a day. Bayer planned to open another plant. Advertisement But by 2008, Cipro was under the same cloud as other drugs in its class thanks to an FDA announcement that cautioned fluoroquinolones posed an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture. The FDA warning, which told drug makers to make label changes, said the agency had conducted a new data analysis of tendinitis and tendon ruptures and identified a three times greater risk for patients using fluoroquinolones. "Patients experiencing pain, swelling, inflammation of a tendon or tendon rupture should be advised to stop taking their fluoroquinolone medication and to contact their health care professional promptly about changing their antimicrobial therapy," the FDA advised in its statement. "Patients should also avoid exercise and using the affected area at the first sign of tendon pain, swelling, or inflammation." The watchdog group Public Citizen called for warnings about the tendinitis and tendon rupture side effects with the drug class as early as 1999 and sued the FDA in 2006 to have warnings added. At the time, ten years ago, Public Citizen cited 262 cases of tendon ruptures, 258 cases of tendonitis and 274 other cases of other tendon problems. A more recent count in a medical journal revealed there have been 2,495 reports of tendon rupture linked to fluoroquinolones from their respective approvals date through 2012. There were 1,555 for Levaquin (levofloxacin) and 606 for Cipro (ciprofloxacin) said the research. Tendinitis and tendon ruptures, it turned out, were the tip of the Levaquin and fluoroquinolone iceberg. In 2013, the FDA admitted under pressure from public health officials and patients groups that the "serious side effect of peripheral neuropathy" (nerve damage) can "occur soon after these drugs are taken and may be permanent." By then, hundreds of lawsuits had charged that warnings falsely claimed that the side effects were "rare" and that symptoms go away on discontinuation. In fact they are often permanent charge patients and patient groups who are raising awareness, coining the term "Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome." Advertisement And there was more to the Levaquin and fluoroquinolone iceberg. Fluoroquinolone use is a "major risk factor for development of community and hospital acquired C. difficile infection," reports the Duke Antimicrobial Stewardship Outreach Network (Dason), the dreaded and tenacious intestinal microbe. The drugs are also linked to mental effects like confusion and hallucinations says Dason, and a medical journal reports psychosis. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that of 4,384 patients diagnosed with retinal detachment, 445 (10 percent) were exposed to a fluoroquinolone in the year before diagnosis. Other possible fluoroquinolone side effects include liver injury--which caused Trovan (trovafloxacin), a different fluoroquinolone to be withdrawn--and heart problems--which caused the fluoroquinolone Raxar (grepafloxacin) to be withdrawn after heart-related deaths. Omniflox, another fluoroquinolone, was withdrawn from the market after more than 100 patients experienced allergic events, hemolytic anemia and worse. Patients also experienced kidney dysfunction on Omniflox and half needed dialysis. Others suffered liver dysfunction. Livestock Use After a decade-long battle with Bayer whose fluoroquinolone Baytril (enrofloxacin) was routinely used in poultry, the government managed to ban the antibiotic's use in poultry water. As with all antibiotics used in livestock, the FDA worried about the development of fluoroquinolone-resistant bacteria sometimes called "superbugs" and the ability to treat human infections. But fluoroquinolones are still clearly in use on U.S. farms. The USDA's National Residue Program for Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products which tests for six fluoroquinolones found enrofloxacin (Baytril) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro) residues in meat in 2014, 2013 and 2012--the most recent reports available-- and danofloxacin residues in meat in two of the three years. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton arrives to speak at a rally at Adams City High School in Commerce City, Colo., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Let me be as candid and transparent as possible: I was a very strong supporter of Bernie Sanders, and until the past four weeks, held out great hope that he would become our next President. Over the course of the past month, I have had to do a great deal of reflecting and ask myself where does this seemingly irrational antipathy for Hillary Clinton come from? Why have I participated in it? After doing some research and looking hard at systemic misogyny, I have had to confront myself with the truth that I bought into a narrative about Hillary Clinton that has been produced, packaged, and perpetuated by mostly the GOP with the help of many democrats and independents. This narrative is a 30-year-old vilification of a woman who is bright, independent, wealthy and powerful -- a woman who asks for what she wants and needs. How very dare you, Ms. Clinton? How dare you have a mind of your own? How dare you be bright and powerful? How dare you ask for what you want and need? Don't you know these rights are still exclusively for white, Christian, cisgender, able-bodied, heterosexual men? Advertisement My research indicates that the reality -- the facts (I realize facts are immaterial when talking to many Trump supporters) -- are that Hillary Clinton is one of the most honest politicians tracked by the Pulitzer Prize winning fact-checking project Politifact. I would also call upon Jill Abramson's piece in the Guardian. Most of you probably know Abramson from the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Abramson writes: As an editor I've launched investigations into her business dealings, her fundraising, her foundation and her marriage. As a reporter my stories stretch back to Whitewater. I'm not a favorite in Hillaryland. That makes what I want to say next surprising. Hillary Clinton is fundamentally honest and trustworthy. Members of the press, in their misguided attempt to be "balanced", love to point out that we face a presidential contest between the two least-popular candidates ever. What they fail to do is analyze their own complicity in blindly adhering to the cartoon version of Hillary Clinton. Trump is unpopular -- even with many Republicans who weakly support him -- because of his stated positions. Secretary Clinton is unpopular largely because of an aggressive campaign of fictions and slander. That campaign has succeeded largely because of systemic misogyny. Journalist Michael Arnovitz points out in his article "Thinking About Hillary-A Plea for Reason" (I strongly recommend his piece) that propaganda around Hillary's "dishonest" nature stems from the pablum written by conservative writer William (I can't be concerned with facts or evidence) Safire. Safire wrote the 1996 article Blizzard of Lies in which he vilifies and demonizes Hillary as a "congenital liar" without any evidence to support his claims. (How's that for irony?) What I find profoundly sad is how quickly and how easily I -- and so many Americans -- bought into this false and misogynistic narrative. This tragically illustrates how systemic sexism/misogyny is: how it is in the water we drink, the air we breathe, in every fiber we wear. Advertisement In fact, most of the resistance to Hillary initially was about how "smug" she was in pushing that "Universal Health Care" agenda. How dare she want all people to have health insurance-why that means that health care is a community health problem-there she goes again, with a mind of her own! Furthermore, apparently she was not behaving as a First Lady should. What the hell is that? How should a First Lady behave? The intense misogyny is too overwhelming to ignore here, and sadly, we are all implicated in this system of oppression. Just this past June, Hillary was shredded by the media for the Armani jacket she wore. Really? The day she was announced as the Democratic Nominee for President, it was a picture of her husband that made the front page of the paper. This is some intense sexism at work. Did anyone ask what Bill Clinton was wearing and who designed it? Sadly, any time there is a claim of sexism at play, people roll their eyes as though such a thing does not exist, because women, women of color, people of color, LGBT folk, all of the intersecting identities of all targeted communities are always under suspicion. We are disbelieved disproportionately for asking to be treated the same way our white, heterosexual, Christian, cisgender counterparts are treated. All of a sudden being treated equally becomes "special rights." So say those within the dominant narrative and power structure. While I have never been a fan of David Brooks, he actually was able to offer some reflection and repair work on Friday's NPR commentary with E.J. Dionne. Brooks made the claim that Hillary is too guarded (why wouldn't she be?). Kudos to E.J. Dionne for pointing out the double standard to Brooks, that he would not make the same claim about a male candidate for President. Brooks connected and agreed that this was a sexist statement. What I find profoundly sad is the blatant double standard of how we individually and collectively punish women who seek power, as opposed to how we reward men for the same ambition. As Arnovitz notes in his article: Advertisement What I see is that the public view of Hillary Clinton does not seem to be correlated to "scandals" or issues of character or whether she murdered Vince Foster. No, the one thing that seems to most negatively and consistently affect public perception of Hillary is any attempt by her to seek power. Once she actually has that power her polls go up again. But whenever she asks for it her numbers drop like a manhole cover...Even NBC news, looking back over decades of their own polls, stated that, "she's struggled to stay popular when she's on the campaign trail." If this has nothing to do with gender, then wouldn't the same thing happen to men when they campaign? But it doesn't. Why not? When I try to ask people for specific examples of why they "hate" Hillary, or how has she been dishonest, all I get is "everyone knows she is," or "that's just the way I feel." These two answers are problematic in so many ways. Regardless, this sentiment is testament to how effective the messaging/propaganda from Republicans has been over the past two decades. All I am asking is this: can we slow down and think critically and not accept without caution or question what is presented to us as the narrative of Hillary Clinton? Can we also allow for the fact that she has made mistakes and more importantly that she grows and learns from her mistakes. I know I have gone from a true supporter of Bernie Sanders to an apathetic supporter of Hillary to now an excited and enthusiastic supporter of our first female President. It's certainly true that she isn't as progressive a candidate as I would like. Neither was Bernie and his stand on guns. Neither is absurd long-shot Jill Stein and her strange anti-science positions. That's the reality of American politics in 2016. I truly believe that Hillary and her platform are beneficial to targeted communities: people of color, people in poverty, people with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ people, and all of the intersecting identities thereof. She is a hard-working, fundamentally honest person for whom -- as she so nicely framed it -- "the service part has always come easier than the public part." I welcome people's input here. All I ask is that you put in check any misogynistic comments and please have evidence to support your assertions. Every election matters, but this one has even deeper resonance than most. Please remember to vote! General Von Hindenburg, the last elected President of the German Weimar Republic, is remembered for two things: First, Von Hindenburg appointed Adolph Hitler as German Chancellor, after which Hitler abolished democracy and instituted a Nazi dictatorship. Second, in Von Hindengurg's honor, the Nazis named a huge blimp after him-- a technological marvel of German engineering--bringing even greater fame to his name until the Hindenburg blimp crashed and burned in one of the most spectacular aerial explosions in history. In other words, while Von Hindenburg was once considered a national hero, Von Hindenburg's name now lives in infamy. Republican leaders who continue to endorse Donald Trump's presidential bid risk having their names and reputations similarly sullied forever. We should start to call them "Von Hindenburg Republicans". Advertisement Why must patriotic Republicans repudiate Trump for the sake of the country and the world and to preserve their good names and sacred honor? Let me count the ways: Had Trump only attacked Mexicans as rapists and murderers, it would have been enough. Had Trump only criticized John McCain for being shot down serving in Vietnam and held as a POW for four years, it would have been enough. Had Trump only proposed banning all Muslims from entering the country, it would have been enough. Had Trump only proposed that the US armed services commit war crimes by engaging in torture, it would have been enough. Had Trump only called women "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs," "bimbos," and "disgusting animals," it would have been enough. Had Trump only attacked a Gold Star family, it would have been enough. Had Trump only refused to endorse the reelection of former Republican Presidential nominee John McCain and Republican Speaker of the House and former Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan, it would have been enough. Had Trump only said that he consults himself on foreign policy because he has a very good brain, it would have been enough. Had Trump only been ignorant that Russia is already in the Ukraine, it would have been enough. Had Trump only threatened to renege on US Treaty commitments to defend its NATO allies, it would have been enough. But it gets worse. Now Trump and his surrogates are questioning the very legitimacy of the election and even threatening a "bloodbath" if Clinton wins. Advertisement Trump told a campaign rally in Ohio that he fears the election will be rigged. Trump then doubled down on Fox News, claiming that with the courts striking down discriminatory voter ID laws, "People [presumably only Democrats] are going to walk in there, they're going to vote 10 times, maybe. Who knows. They're going to vote 10 times." Roger Stone, longtime Trump advisor and partner of Trump's campaign manager Paul Manafort, all but called for a political uprising if Trump loses: "He [Trump] needs to say...'I am leading in Florida. The polls all show it. If I lose Florida, we will know that there's voter fraud. If there's voter fraud, this election will be illegitimate, the election of the winner will be illegitimate, we will have a constitutional crisis, widespread civil disobedience, and the government will no longer be the government.' I think he's got to put them on notice that their inauguration will be a rhetorical [one], and when I mean civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath. The government will be shut down if they attempt to steal this and swear Hillary in. No, we will not stand for it. We will stand for it." Has there ever been a major party Presidential candidate and his surrogates who have threatened to not recognize the results of an election. Even when the Communist Party USA ran Presidential candidates, they never threatened a bloodbath, or shutting down the government if they lost. And with many armed militia groups supporting Trump, this is all but a call for massive violence if Trump loses. How can Republican leaders stand for such threats to the Republic? But it gets worse, still Letting Trump anywhere near the nuclear codes risks nuclear war and the destruction of humanity. Advertisement In March, Trump refused to rule out using tactical nuclear weapons in the war against ISIS. At a Republican debate, when asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt what he would do to maintain, modernize and secure the nuclear triad--airplanes, missiles, and submarines--Trump didn't even know what the nuclear triad is. According to Republican Joe Scarborough, during a national security briefing with a foreign policy expert, Trump asked at least three times why, if the US has nuclear weapons, it can't use them. Unconcerned about, or ignorant of, the possibility of mutually assured destruction, Trump repeatedly asked why the US builds nuclear weapons if the President can't use them. It's almost unimaginable that a man born in 1946, who lived through the Cold War when the US and Russia had tens of thousands of nuclear missiles pointed at each other, any one or two of which could destroy humanity; when school children were told to duck and hide under their desks in the event of a nuclear attack; when the planet came within a hairs breath of nuclear annihilation during the Cuban missile crisis, could be so ignorant and uncurious as not to comprehend the dangers of nuclear war. But that's who the Republicans have nominated to be the next President of the United States. As Norman Lear told the Los Angeles Business Journal, "I don't want a President who's out of his f*cking mind." Do Republican leaders like Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John McCain, and Reince Priebus want a President with his hands on the nuclear codes who's out of his f*cking mind? It's time for them to put country before party and reject Trump. Otherwise, their names will be scorned by future generations, if there are future generations, and they will go down in infamy like Paul Von Hindenburg and the exploding blimp that carried his name. Handout picture of Cuban official website www.cubadebate.cu, showing President Raul Castro giving a speech during the opening of VII Congress of Cuban Communist Party (PCC) at Convention Palace in Havana, on April 16, 2016. President Raul Castro vowed Saturday never to pursue 'privatizing formulas' or 'shock therapy,' setting the tone for a Communist Party congress convened to review progress in revamping the island's Soviet-style economy. / AFP / Cuba Debate / ISMAEL FRANCISCO / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO MARKETING, NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - MANDATORY CREDIT: AFP PHOTO/CUBA DEBATE/ISMAEL FRANCISCO - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - XGTY (Photo credit should read ISMAEL FRANCISCO/AFP/Getty Images) Raul Castro has made changes in 10 years. Paradoxically, the most fruitful turn has been the approach to the United States that created a relaxed and hopeful environment in Cuba, with Obama as the most admired by the people. But he began his year 11 amidst economic turbulence and social concerns. His slow changes in the State-controlled economy have been too limited, in agriculture too tight and in self-employment too short. Foreign investment hasn't flown as needed. Oil from Venezuela shrunk. Individuals are not motivated to work hard following absurd regulations and receiving ridiculous salaries. Scores of officials and bosses at all levels are reluctant to give way to changes afraid of losing their privileges and political command. The revolution created corruption and destroyed moral values that will take a long time to restore. Advertisement The president hasn't granted the rights to express different opinions, partake in decision making, and independent civil society is repressed, accused of being counterrevolutionary acting on behalf of the United States. In 2016, the Gross Domestic Product is expected to grow only by 1%, and in 2017 probably will decline. Blackouts started and stores are even more poorly supplied, although the government and scholars consider that difficulties won't be as harsh as during the peak of the Special Period in the 1990s. Cubans are hoping hurricanes won't strike this season, destroying infrastructure, harvests, and shabby homes dwelled by several generations. Cuba is not the same Fidel Castro provisionally delegated on July 31 2006, when he was forced to do so at death's door 13 days before tuning 80. Then, Raul controlled Cubans with silk gloves to maintain social calm, mend the economy and gain international acceptance. A year later he acknowledged the need of changes, perhaps certain that Fidel wouldn't be back. In February 2008 he was invested president by the National Assembly, started changes by allowing Cubans rent rooms and use Internet in hotels, selling cell phones, granting land in usufruct to diminish food shortage and imports, and increasing permissions for self-employment. His military took over the economy. In 2009 he swept Fidel's principal men in the government. In 2011 the VI Congress confirmed him as first secretary of the Communist Party, the most important post in Cuba; his appointees in the politburo and the secretariat, and their economic program (Lineamientos) prevailed. In 2013 by the Migration Law permitted Cubans to travel abroad and return, and in 2014 the new Investment Law encouraged foreign flow of desperate needed money to recapitalize the infrastructure and develop tourist facilities and others. In the meantime State owned taxis, barbershops, beauty parlors, restaurants and cafeterias were rented to their employees, most of them forcefully to become nonagricultural cooperatives. On December 17 2014 with Barack Obama he entered into history by reestablishing diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. In April 2016, the VII Congress of the Communist Party reelected Raul Castro for a 5 years term (he turned 85 in June), renewed the central committee, and limited ages and to two terms in ruling positions. Advertisement The president has promised to step down from the Councils of State and Government in 2018, so he will have two complicated years. Export of doctors, remittances and growing tourism will continue as the main sources of net income. Debts forgiven and would be foreign investment might be lifesavers. But reduced fuel, electricity and loans could have a negative impact on agriculture, industry and tourism. Increasing work and productivity are essential, as much as human motivation to achieve them. Raul Castro might leave a great mess in 2018, although he dismantled most of Fidel's webs, quoting Fidel's words in old speeches. Yet as first secretary of the Communist Party he will be guiding fake at least until 2021. Miriam Leiva Cuban Independent Journalist Electronic music has seen a great many trends and evolutions since the early days of Robert Moog, Wendy Carlos, and Kraftwerk. However, through the crests and troughs of the industry, one the sub-genres that has steadily remained like an unfaltering heartbeat is house music. Its infections beats and pulsating rhythms are still popular in the mainstream as well as the underground. Hailing from London is Kryder, a highly ambitious proudcer/DJ who led the "groove movement" in house music along with producer Tom Staar. Known in the electronic scene for his rolling and driving beats, Kryder decided to push forth in a new direction, evolving alongside the sound with which he had become so intimately familiar. In addition to creating music and performing, Kryder also runs an independent boutique label called Sosumi Records where he releases music for free. "Sosumi is a label that I set up to help young up-and-coming DJs get their music recognized by the masses and the industry alike," says Kryder. "I think there are a lot of artists complaining that they cannot breakthrough, so Sosumi is more of a promotional platform than a record label." On July 25th, he and Staar joined forces with the independent Dutch Label, Spinnin Records to establish a new label called The Cartel. While Kryder already has a history of releasing music with Spinnin Records, their union played a huge role in the establishment of The Cartel. "Spinnin Records is a game changing, highly established label and I feel they have been one of very few labels in dance music that have been able to break though artists and their music," explains Kryder. "I have really enjoyed working with them on many releases but wanted to create something of our own that our fans could be part of." Advertisement The Cartel is an assemblage of passionate music-lovers and dream-chasers who are as similar as they are diverse. The first, celebratory release from The Cartel is the percussion-driven, tribal track, "The Chant." Still following the ever-infections house formula, this song produced by Kryder and Eddie Thoneick possesses a hypnotic chant that will surely entrance those enjoying these sounds on the dancefloor. "The Chant" is familiar enough to entice the ears of house music lovers as well as unique enough to keep them intrigued. Though Kryder's goals for both Sosumi and The Cartel are similar, there are a few differences that separate the two. "The internet can be very powerful if used correctly and Sosumi gives a voice to the up-and-coming talent to be exposed to a global network," he explains. "Both concepts are different artistically but both have the same mission, to release quality forward thinking electronic music." Sosumi and The Cartel will both be working with a litany of new electronic music artists, however, The Cartel will be building a diverse yet specific sonic landscape that will eventually become its signature sound. Kryder's longtime partner-in-crime, Tom Staar, is a huge part of The Cartel, being one of the few people whom he can trust for musical feedback. Therefore, it was a natural decision to have Staar join Kryder's new movement as they move forward into new, aural frontiers. "I love the fact that we can work in the studio together and be serious but as soon as we are at a show, the fun begins," Kryder reflects. Advertisement Thanks in large part to "The Parent Trap," one of my greatest wishes growing up was to discover my own separated-at-birth twin. We'd wear matching outfits and fool everyone into thinking we were the same person so I'd never have to do anything I hated again (conveniently, my imaginary twin would love taking math tests). These days, I'm resigned to my lot as a solo zygote, but the mystique of twins has never worn off. Whether you are a twin or simply dream of being one, these seven books will have you seeing double. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb Dominick and Thomas are identical in every respect except one: Thomas suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. After Thomas cuts off his own hand in what he believes to be an act of sacrificial protest, Dominick must review his own status as the "normal" twin and confront the dark and suppressed truths of his own life in this tale of alienation, connection, and, above all, the power of familial bonds. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton A long-lost letter compels Edie Burchill to visit the great but decaying old house of the elderly Blythe spinsters--a set of twins and their disturbed younger sister. Edie is soon drawn into the mysteries of the house and the hidden truth of the sisters' past in this richly atmospheric tapestry of madness, forbidden love, and family secrets. Advertisement Night Road by Kristin Hannah When Mia's best friend falls in love with Mia's fraternal twin, Zach, the three form an inseparable trio--until one decision shatters their world in the blink of an eye. Luminous and emotionally nuanced, this unforgettable story raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, and loss. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Cath and Wren are identical twins who, until recently, did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren doesn't want to be one half of a pair anymore--she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties, and let loose. In this touching exploration of codependence and sisterhood, Cath and Wren must open their hearts to new people and new experiences, and discover their own identity without each other's constant presence. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Set in Ethiopia and New York, this is the unforgettable story of twin brothers born of a secret union between an Indian nun and a British surgeon. As they come of age, passion and betrayal will tear them apart, but they can never truly escape their intensely intertwined fates. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy Born into a tragic yet extraordinary legacy, Tom and his gifted and troubled twin sister, Savannah, struggle to fashion their own lives amidst heartbreak and cruelty. Spanning forty years and filled with the vanishing beauty of South Carolina low country and the dusty glitter of New York City, Pat Conroy's huge, brash thunderstorm of a novel is astonishing, cathartic, and profoundly human. Advertisement Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger Intensely attached twins Julia and Valentina move to London when their aunt dies and leaves them her apartment on the edge of Highgate Cemetery. As they become involved in the lives of the eccentric neighbors, the twins discover that much is still alive in Highgate--including, perhaps, their aunt. See the full list at Off the Shelf, a daily blog that connects great readers with great books. On July 18, the Associated Press reported the existence of a secret document within the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, revealing a lesser limit on Iran's nuclear work than had been initially announced and believed. This disturbing revelation only increased the skepticism of many, especially among Iran's neighbors, that the deal will ever unfold as promised. However the good intentions of the negotiators seem unquestionable: avoiding military confrontation and reducing nuclear capability. My purpose here is to evaluate the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal in a historical context. This reflection is about ethics and has no political ambition for two reasons. Advertisement First, it has become practically impossible, today, to have an intelligent, civil and open-minded conversation on any political subjects. Second, the U.S. media have succumbed to the overwhelming compulsion to treat all international news through the lens of American presidential politics. This media practice includes covering developments which are tragic and hugely consequential to the destiny of entire regions of the world. It betrays a degree of national self-obsession that has become utterly embarrassing. History offers a multitude of striking examples of attempts to accommodate thoroughly unjust and immoral regimes and demagogues in order to avoid escalating tensions. The intentions are good but the consequences can turn out catastrophic. On July 20, 1933, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli signed, on behalf of Pope Pius XI, a treaty with the recently formed Nazi regime. Pacelli became Pope Pius XII in 1939 and the so-called "Reichkonkordat" is still in force today. Advertisement The content of the agreement is not widely criticized but historians have argued convincingly that it played a crucial role in the history of the third Reich. Most significantly, it gave "legitimacy" to a very evil regime and completely neutralized the Catholic opposition to it, which, to that point, had been constant, fierce and highly effective. The role of Pius XII during WWII is, in my opinion, considerably more nuanced than the crude caricature initially made of it. Although frequently covert, his active opposition to Hitler is becoming clearer to a growing number of researchers. The damage, however, had already been done by the 1933 treaty. On hindsight, it remains particularly challenging to defend it as anything else than an enormous historic blunder. Paul von Hindenburg, the president of the Weimar Republic, appointed Hitler as Chancellor on January 30, 1933. With the institution of the first concentration camp (March 1933), the young Nazi regime had shown, by the time of the Konkordat, abundant signs of recklessness and ruthlessness. However, most of what we consider evil about it came later. The unveiling of the true identity of the regime follows an immensely dark progression defined by the total elimination of political opposition and the resulting dictatorship (1934), the Nuremberg Racial Laws (1935) Kristallnacht (1938), etc. Advertisement In 1933, very few, truly, saw where the Nazis were going to take Europe and the rest of the world. No such excuse can be afforded by the signatories of the latest agreement with Iran. To suggest naivety is untenable. The repeated threats to exterminate an entire nation, the human rights violations, the religious persecutions, the discrimination of women and the support of international terrorism are all very well-documented and widely reported. Apple and other American corporations have threatened to boycott North Carolina and Indiana because of bias. But, following the nuclear deal, some of the same enterprises have apparently no reservation about doing business in Iran where gays are punished by imprisonment, corporal punishment and even execution. A little consistency would be nice! The same applies to our government. Only consistency credibly argues for principle and sincerity. Without it, a particular position is only a form of sophistry that reflects political opportunism. My father and I went to the same public elementary school in a quiet neighborhood of Paris: Ecole Saint Ferdinand. About a dozen years ago, on the rather cheerless facade of the building, a somber black marble plaque was placed. The central message can be translated like this "On the night of July 16, 1942, 37 Jewish children who attended this school were arrested , held in inhuman conditions, deported and murdered in Auschwitz,"... Then comes the haunting conclusion "...with the complicity of French people." Nothing confronts a dark past more bitterly than the writing on the wall of a childhood memory. But horrors of this magnitude do not take place in a vacuum. They are the outcome of many people making terrible moral choices over a period of time. The bad choices may lead to unforeseen or, at least, unintended consequences. But sufficient awareness of the viciousness of a regime forbids absolution for the implicit complicity in their crimes. Advertisement Many view the 1933 Konkordat as one these terrible choices with horrific results. I fear that the recent Iran Nuclear Deal is exposed to the same kind of criticism of complicity in legitimizing and emboldening a dangerous and blatantly racist regime and suppressing its opposition. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkish government and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will hold a joint rally against the military coup attempt, Anadolu Agency reported Aug. 4. The rally will be held August 7 in Istanbul, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as MHP leader Devlet Bahceli will take part in it. Earlier, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus announced a final rally in support of the government to be held August 7. Rallies in support of the government have been taking place in Turkey since July 16. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu The following post is from an interview I had with Maria Ludvigsson, an award-winning columnist writer in the Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet. This is also an excerpt from the book Attractive Unattractive Americans, which are available in bookstores now. The Swedish are known for their attitude; we think we have something to teach to the rest of the world. Even here in little Sweden, one can often find preconceived comments about how bad everything is outside of our borders. America is the country we want to talk about most when we share opinions on how things should be done. In the most recent presidential election in 2012, Sweden expressed more statements than usual about how crazy Americans are and that they lack the sanity to vote as honorable Swedish people would. Not infrequently, Swedish people make statements about the Swedish welfare state, equality and the excellences of their equality state. But the self-satisfaction of the Swedish ought to make every human being sick if they have a trifle of objectivity in their body. Advertisement The stuck-up comments from Swedes stem from something that reminds them of an unhappy love story. We love, admire and constantly crave to be like Americans, but they do not return our adoration. Americans mix us up with some other country that begins with an S, "Swiweden or what was the name again?" As if that wasn't enough, humiliated, we realize that our great love for America is worn on our sleeve, obvious to all, including ourselves and Americans. Americans manage to take care of themselves without our good Swedish advice, benevolence and attention. No other country has as many Nobel Prize winners as the United States. The latest technology, medicine, movies, music and everything we perceive as "the newest" comes from America. Of course, it can be noted that American hegemony sometimes is disturbed by up-and-coming countries, like China, who impress us with their ambitions toward labor, growth and economic stability. However, it is clear that countries like China look to one specific country as their primary inspiration--America. The current economic crises and the low conjuncture also injure the USA's highly esteemed reputation. That worries us; it concerns us when the one who we have all hope for doesn't live up to our expectations. But this worry also gives us a reason, to again, tell Americans about Sweden and how we think things should be done. We are proud to showcase how good our country is financially, and we like to point out that The Financial Times selected our Swedish finance minister as the "Finance Minster of the Year, 2012." That is a major award! So, in our comments and greetings to the country "over there," we Swedes explain willingly how we believe the USA should have done things. Of course, we believe they should strive to be more like us: raise taxes, secularize the religious population and, as soon as possible, build the same welfare state that Sweden did in the 1970s. And for God's sake, let wealth be synonymous with "stealing from the poor." Only then could the United States be more easily understood, and more important, America would be much better because they would be more Swedish. Advertisement Perhaps our love story goes back longer than we believe--to a time long before America gave us rock music, movie stars, dreams and the iMac. Wasn't it our close family members who once left the captive and poor lands of Europe to build anew and big in the West? Why should those who left to escape religious oppression, tax collectors, counts, barons, emperors and kings ever expose themselves to that again? Why build a copy of Europe when you could build a better country in America with freedom of expression, economic liberty and religious independence of the United States? It stings a bit for the Scandinavians to acknowledge that the people who left did it to start something new. Let it also be said that there are those who believe that everything in the U.S. is good, but some people argue that Americans in general are a trigger-happy, overweight population that believes in God but not in the welfare state. Therefore, this disparity of opinion creates a natural need to provide an alternative picture. However, neither image is correct. The U.S. is perhaps like most people: both good and bad. Mixed race man placing Open sign in shop window This week we recognize August 4th as Startup Day Across America, a time to celebrate entrepreneurs and the jobs they create. It's also an opportunity to reflect on the challenges that our entrepreneurs face and explore solutions to allow the best and brightest minds to succeed. Our country's entrepreneurial spirit and innovative minds are the lifeblood of the American economy. Our country's entrepreneurial spirit and innovative minds are the lifeblood of the American economy. America's startups are the driving force behind new job creation in the United States. In fact, companies less than one year old have created an average of 1.5 million jobs per year over the past three decades, fueling both local and national economic growth. From Uber to ZocDoc, startups are behind the technologies and services now a part of the daily lives of many Americans. And these companies no longer exist solely within Silicon Valley -- in fact, Texas ranks fifth highest on the Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship. While the United States continues to provide exceptional opportunities for private organizations to innovate, more can be done to ensure all entrepreneurs, especially immigrant founders, are set up to succeed in America. Representing the public and private sectors, we see this need firsthand. Congressman Castro's San Antonio is one of the top 10 U.S. cities in overall startup activity, and Unshackled Ventures works within our current system, investing in 16 teams with founders born in six different continents. More can be done to ensure all entrepreneurs, especially immigrant founders, are set up to succeed in America. Without the necessary support, too many innovators will give up, and too many brilliant ideas will remain unexplored. Advertisement As a starting point, we must encourage an inclusive, collaborative entrepreneurship pipeline, so that all aspiring innovators across the country have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and compete with larger corporations. When the playing field is level, the best ideas will win. We must also connect aspiring innovators with the tools and resources they need to build a startup. In some cases, the resources are already there, and it is simply a matter of linking entrepreneurs to the right network. Unfortunately, some of the country's most promising entrepreneurs are still struggling to break through. This is particularly true for the U.S. immigrant population. In addition to the challenges of the entrepreneurial journey -- including securing funding and accessing a support network to help them bring their ideas to life -- immigrant entrepreneurs must contend with obstacles such as uncertainty around their ability to stay in the United States long enough to see their idea take hold. Immigrant entrepreneurs must contend with obstacles such as uncertainty around their ability to stay in the United States long enough to see their idea take hold. On a larger scale, we cannot exclude or handicap immigrants who are seeking funding for new ventures. To eliminate what can be the biggest barrier to entry, we need to build an immigration system that is designed for individual contributors, not just large businesses. Without a framework that allows us to train and retain the talented thinkers who want to be a part of our country's economy, we will fall behind in the global marketplace. Advertisement There is huge opportunity to unlock entrepreneurial potential if we do a better job of ensuring that all entrepreneurs are set up to succeed in America. Empowering every entrepreneur, including those who come from other nations, to participate in America's innovation economy is key to recognizing our country's full economic potential. We've seen the tremendous success that's possible; some of America's most iconic companies were created by immigrants -- Google, AT&T, and Procter & Gamble, for example -- and immigrants and their children founded 40 percent of the companies in the Fortune 500. The promise of America is what draws the world's dreamers and doers to put their talents and ideas into action here. Allowing immigrants' entrepreneurial energy to take flight isn't just the American way, it's in our nation's best economic interests, spurring the creation of new jobs for American workers and new products for American manufacturers to assemble. Startup Day Across America is a time to celebrate immigrant contributions and recognize the importance of opening avenues of opportunity and innovation to all who call our nation home. Choosing a career as a Police officer means one is aware of the stressors and dangers that come with the job. Some statistics suggest that a DV call (Domestic Violence) are especially dangerous. Often the arrest and charges come after several violent encounters by a spouse or significant other. Friday night a Detective of the Indianapolis Metro Police Officer (IMPD) was taking a statement from a DV victim at her home with their children present. The suspect returned and shot the Detective, then fled to Cincinnati. After a traffic stop and hour standoff, he was arrested by Ohio Officers. Advertisement Now charged with Attempted Murder is IMPD Officer Adrian Aurs, an 18 yr. veteran. Yes, an IMPD officer attempted to kill a fellow officer. The Detective who was shot has non-life threatening injuries and is in the hospital, Aurs estranged wife and children were not physically injured. Aurs has a history of being a "hero" as well as several arrests . This is not the first time "Blue on Blue" crime occurred in the IMPD. There is the detailed events of Officer Kim Carmack, who was shot and killed by her ex-husband, IMPD Sergeant Ryan Anders. Anders suicided after murdering Carmack. This case is especially tragic as IMPD had investigated, no arrest, and initiated some protective measures- assuring Carmack of 24-hour surveillance in her home, an officer assigned to protect her, and constant monitoring of Anders. Yet this was seemingly abandoned, and her son is suing the City of Indianapolis, and ex Chief Hite according to the complaint. Unbelievably in the past 2 years there have been five other instances where an IMPD Officer was charged with Domestic Violence. In January of 2015, Officer Jonathon Burger was arrested and charged with Domestic violence with injury involving his wife. The case was later dropped and he was reinstated with back pay from suspension, after his wife recanted believing it would be his word against hers. In February of 2015 IMPD Officer Justin Beaton was charged with attempted murder after shooting his pregnant girlfriend in the face. Again the victim changes her mind- first backing his story that this was accidental , then stating she feared for her life and it was deliberate, and the final outcome where the Officer retired rather than be terminated. (Note- it is common for victims to refuse to press charges- threats, coercion, or hope it "will get better", along with environmental factors weigh heavily on victims and their children) Advertisement In June of 2015, IMPD 7 yr. Officer Joseph Taylor was placed on administrative leave after his wife was hospitalized after an alleged assault. (No update can be found) In August of 2015 IMPD Officer John Scott, 14 yr., veteran, was arrested and charged with Domestic Battery, strangulation, and battery resulting in bodily injury. He retired rather than be fired. In May of 2016 10 yr. IMPD veteran Daniel Bullman was charged with 8 felonies and 5 misdemeanors against his wife and children. The incidents occurred over a 2-year period and include placing a gun to his sleeping daughter's head, . What is the purpose of government ? Does the country's political system provide assistance and services to it's citizens or do we provide for ourselves ? Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay " Self-Reliance " wrote: " It is only as a man puts off all foreign support, and stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail. He is weaker by every recruit to his banner. Is not a man better than a town? Ask nothing of men, and in the endless mutation, thou only firm column must presently appear the upholder of all that surrounds thee. He who knows that power is inborn, that he is weak because he has looked for good out of him and elsewhere, and so perceiving, throws himself unhesitatingly on his thought, instantly rights himself, stands in the erect position, commands his limbs, works miracles; just as a man who stands on his feet is stronger than a man who stands on his head." Self-Reliance - Ralph Waldo Emerson Textswww.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm Some have interpreted this as a blueprint to encourage citizens to take their own responsibility for everything in life. Yes, as humans we are responsible to take care of ourselves, our health, our livelihoods, our children and our families. Yet, there are instances in life when tragedy befalls us when we least expect it. You lose a job, you lose a spouse suddenly, you lose a child to war. When I saw Ghazala and Khizr Khan talk about the loss of their son U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004 at the recent Democratic convention, I thought about how brave and dignified they were to be able to share their grief in publicover their son's death . I also thought about all of the other Gold Star parents and families of our wars, including my cousins Richard and Virginia Gullixson ( See previous blog "A Family Transformed By War " ). Losing a son or daughter, husband or wife or partner or father or mother, grandparent, uncle,niece,cousin is excruciating for a family. The last thing you would expect is for anyone to ask why you don't say anything about your loss. I thought Ghazala Khan was eloquent when she said: " When Humayun was sent to Iraq, my husband and I worried about his safety. I had already been through one war, in Pakistan in 1965, when I was just a high school student. So I was very scared. You can sacrifice yourself, but you cannot take it that your kids will do this." Ghazala Khan: Trump criticized my silence. He ... - Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/...khan.../c46e52ec-571c-11e6-8...The Washington Post Ghazala Khan spoke like a mother who was concerned about her son's welfare and the desire for her child to be spared the suffering she had known earlier as the result of war. Our country is again at the fork in the road, like the Robert Frost poem " Two Roads Taken" . Do we argue that the purpose of our republic is to tell our citizens " you are all on your own, with your own resources and your own aspirations and desires. There will be no assistance extended to you, not even in your grief. " Or, are we a country that says we can support one another ? We can extend assistance and support, when needed and warranted, to those who seek sustainability financially, vocationally, familiarly and spiritually. We are a great country and we express our greatness when we can extend ourselves in love and compassion and support to those who are truly in need, including those who suffer the loss of their family members due to war. May it be so. Insurance is one of the most competitive markets in the country, and in any given area you will find many auto insurance companies ready to give you their business. While that may seem intimidating, it is actually great for customers. More companies means better pricing, and the freedom to make sure you are going to have a great consumer experience. There are a few things you should consider first however when deciding on the best car insurance policy. 1. Optimizing Your Coverage When shopping for auto insurance, the company you want is the one that is going to afford you the most coverage for the cheapest price. That is the first and most important factor to consider. To achieve this, you should be familiar with the different components of car insurance such as bodily injury liability, property damage, uninsured motorist, comprehensive and collision and personal injury protection. Your coverage in each component will play a part in the final price. Your coverage will also not mean much if it's a giant pain to file a claim. Go to your state's Department of Insurance website and look at complaint ratios. This can give you an idea of how well they handle claims. You can find similar data at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Advertisement 2. Shopping Around Depending where you live, you can have an upwards of over 30 auto insurance companies at your disposal; some the largest in the country, and some just local. Never assume that just because a company is large and well known that it will be the best or cheapest. You should be getting quotes from no less than three companies any time you shop. This should include quotes from big national insurers as well as some local ones. You can expedite the search by using Google. If you live in Massachusetts for example, you can start by searching "best cheap car insurance in Massachusetts". Not every company offers the same level of protection, or at the same price. Similarly, not every company is suited for every driver either. For example, in Georgia, we found Allstate only increased rates by 36% and State Farm by 21% after a driver was convicted of a DUI. These types of variations can exist for a host of driving records. Some companies will be more forgiving if you've had an accident in the past. This is why we recommend looking at no less than three companies. The more you do, the more likely you will be to get a great price for your auto insurance. 3. The Customer Experience If you are fortunate enough to find many companies giving you lots of coverage at a great price, you want to make sure they are also giving you a rewarding customer experience. The easiest way to access that information is by simply asking people you know, such as friends and family. If they are in your area, they most likely have one of the companies you are considering. They may be able to tell you about an experience they've had filing a claim. Was it simple or was it a hassle? If you want more assurances than from just word of mouth, you can also check out a company's track record by visiting J.D. Power and A.M. Best. They can show you how a company ranks against other competitors for customer satisfaction, the claims process, appraisal process, even their rental car process. We conducted our own study ranking a large array of insurers, which you can find here. Advertisement Several months back, I wrote about what I thought would happen in the general election. I didn't get the GOP primaries right, but then pretty much no one did. I'm not convinced even Donald Trump got it right. But I was pretty sure that I had the general election right. What I wrote, by way of reminder, since I don't think most people are taking notes, is that when pundits were asking how Hillary Clinton would be able to handle Trump, since he had fooled all the pundits before, they were missing the important point. In the GOP primaries, Donald Trump was able to get away with saying the most outlandish, shameful, pathetic things because -- as outlandish, shameful and pathetic as they were -- they were still, at their foundation, what the GOP base believed. Yes, he was more over-the-top, but the core beliefs about women, Mexicans, Muslims. Blacks, and on and on were there. And so, his GOP opponents couldn't really criticize him -- because they'd then be criticizing the GOP base. And because they too had similar, though more rationally-addressed, beliefs. So, he largely ran in the Republican primaries without being slammed for his positions. And the few times anyone did try to attack his thoughtlessness, the base rose up, and that person plummeted in the polls. So, the others learned to tread lightly. Advertisement But once Donald Trump was in the general election, I wrote, he wouldn't be up against people who agreed with him, but would be one-on-one against a candidate who was thoroughly opposed to almost everything he said. And who would tell him so, tell him how utterly wrong he was, tell him off at any opportunity. And that, simply put, was the other point. Because what I wrote, too, was that one thing clear about Donald Trump from watching the Republican debates was that he could not take criticism. Absolutely could not. It seemed against his very being. It wasn't in his DNA. Indeed for all his outgoing, pompous bluster, he seemed to be one of the most insecure public figures I'd ever seen. One of the most insecure people, period. When he was debating and someone else was talking, saying something even slightly disagreed with Trump, you could see his body clenched, it seemed like his whole body was shaking, waiting to yell something back. And often he would do just that, unable to control himself he'd talk out of turn. But when he was forced to remain quiet, it appeared like his whole body was shaking and would explode. So, describing that, I bet cash money with total certainty that Democrats saw all this, too, and when the two candidates had their debates, Hillary Clinton's strategy would be to continually disagree with him, continually criticize him, continually say all night how wrong wrong wrong he was, and goad him on at every single chance she had. I was absolutely, 100 percent sure of this. And wrote about it months ago. I know I wasn't alone in this. I know there were others who saw the same things and said so. But that's okay. It served to confirm what I'd seen and was completely sure off. Advertisement But I was wrong about one thing. I never expected it to happen this fast. Yipes! It's only been one week since the Democrats finished their convention, and the general election officially began. And already -- after just one week -- some GOP lifers are publicly jumping ship, not just saying they wouldn't vote for Trump and would stay out of the election, but saying they'd actually vote for the Democrat to help make sure he didn't win. But worse, the Republican Party is in such disarray that party officials are bizarrely talking how they could get rid of Donald Trump from the ticket and put another candidate in! After one week! By the way, that whole "ticket thing" is a ridiculous notion. First, Donald Trump is not quitting the race. Donald Trump is not someone who will quit the greatest attention-getting position he could ever imagine, from which if he won he would be The Most Powerful Man in the World. Is that the Donald Trump any of you see? It's his very self-absorbed arrogance that needs this attention that has caused this problem in the first place. Unless he has a mental breakdown and has to drop out, Donald Trump is not quitting. And lest anything think that all his crazy rants and actions are the first stage alerts of a breakdown, you haven't been watching him long enough. This is who he is. He might indeed be crazy, but he's been a sociopath for decades. This isn't new, this isn't evidence of a sudden change. This is a public manifestation of Donald Trump at his fullest. And second, let's even say that somehow mystically he's forced to quit the race. What I've yet to hear from any pundit is who on earth the GOP would get to run in his place. Would it be Mike Pence? A man so disliked by his own state party that they were relieved he took the VP nomination so that he wouldn't run for re-election as governor and lose the statehouse. Besides, I'm not sure the party nomination process works the same as elective office, where a VP nominee inherently by rule assumes the new position. And if so, then who? Paul Ryan? I doubt it. Paul Ryan wants to be president one day. And he -- and any smart GOP politician -- knows that if Donald Trump is forced out as the nominee, his legions of maniacal, die-hard supporters would be so outraged beyond all measure that they would split the Republican Party into smithereens. And any sensible, substantive Republican with a foundation knows that, too. So, who does it leave? Who'd take the job? Newt Gingrich? Chris Christie? Yeah, they'd probably take it. I don't think it would be offered. Gingrich is abhorred, and Christie is not only still hated for thanking Obama, but he has Bridgegate hanging over him. (Unlike with Hillary Clinton, the cry of "Lock him up" has real meaning.) So, all that's left is some good Republican Samurai willing to fall on his sword. Like maybe Mitt Romney, who has nothing to lose, and already has. So, it's not like getting Donald Trump to quit the race will be any great panacea for the party. And besides, he's not quitting. Yes, it's a horrible position for the Republican Party. Having Donald Trump as their party leader and presidential nominee risks losing the Senate and even the House. But folks, he's who you voted for. He's who your party actually wanted. And don't say you didn't know what he'd be like. We all knew what he'd be like. He told us, he showed us. For the past year. He's your guy. You're stuck with him. And you brought it on yourself. As I wrote months ago. In the words of your spiritual leader Clint Eastwood, quit being part of the "pussy generation." Donald Trump is your nominee. "Just fucking get over it." ***** It's 2016 and I, a grown man at the age of 27, spent at least 8 of my waking hours watching a video that's on a website that links to another website that links to another code. Then, like some sort of savant internet age Columbo, I poked at about five different news articles that led me to blogs, that led me to Twitter feeds, but surprisingly not to some basement where Kevin Smith from Die Hard 4 was running a three computer set up and was feverishly trying to unravel a grand Frank Ocean conspiracy. Is Boys Don't Cry actually coming out this Friday? Don't toy with me Frank. Just don't. I am a man. I might cry. In the current day and age of the internet, online music piracy and Twitter news cycles, releasing an album an old fashioned way seems actually refreshing. You know, setting a date for when it's supposed to come out, marking that date on your calendar, recording tracks all the way up to that date then packaging them neatly on whatever streaming service gave you more rupees for time-exclusive rights and letting it go into the world. Everything else seems inexplicably played out and old, like Will Smith's acting career. Which is why I am still amazed that Frank Ocean's newest opus release saga managed to smash through these conventions like some sort of sonic Kool-Aid Man. When Beyonce dropped her self-titled album a few years back, the whole of internet went collectively nuts. It seemed insane that an artist of Beyonce's magnitude can release a major album that would be available to you that very night, from the comfort of your couch without as much as a word of warning and without anyone knowing. This level of not cultural shock has not been documented since people tried I Can't Believe it's Not Butter and refused to believe it wasn't actually butter. I don't know who runs Bey's publicity team, but based of the fact that absolutely no news leaked surrounding TWO (2!!!) of her major releases, Hillary Clinton should hire them immediately as her executive email overseer. Advertisement Since then, the "surprise album" has become almost a staple in the world of music. Drake did it. Then someone else did it. Then the garage band down the street from your house that practices at 3am did it and it wasn't just as cool anymore. The cultural cache of the surprise release was done. Dropping new music unexpectedly is fun as long as it's good music. No one would is shocked or unexpectedly elated when a pile of hot garbage lands on their porch at 11pm on a Thursday night. Following the death of the "surprise release" other artists tried to elevate the way they let you listen to their music. Some think that making you work for it is the answer. What other reason would there be for dropping an exclusive on Tidal other than wanting to see your fans laboriously circumvent subscription rules and free trials just for access to your craft you megalomaniac you. But I guess you have to dig through shit to find some gold. Kanye West, or the auteur version of Kanye West when even talking to yourself out loud in public is too mainstream tried the "non-release." He released an album, but he really didn't. If a tree falls in the woods does it make a sound? If your album is a Tidal exclusive, does anyone hear it? But not only did he hid it away from the world on Tidal after premiering like six cuts at Star Wars inspired, if not straight up plagiarized, fashion extravaganza in the middle of auteur Mecca he never actually released the album. Sure you can now purchase a physical copy of it, sure you can download it in all entirely, but considering that there are at least six versions of at least five tracks floating around on the web, is this album really complete? Who's to say that a whole new Life of Pablo with a whole new (and hopefully finished) version of Wolves, three extra tracks and some sort of digital karaoke sing-along component that encourages you to yell into you iPhone like an idiot won't drop this November? Advertisement Ima fix wolves KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 14, 2016 Anyways, as you were, which gets us to two more releases that weren't actually releases or were releases for something else entirely. Kendrick basically dropped a bunch of raw cuts and called it an album (arguably still better than most albums) and Beyonce did her whole shtick again. Except this time you kind of knew something was coming? With Formation heating up the sound waves the suspicion was in the air. The biggest difference here is that I can't quite tell whether or not she was releasing her directorial debut on HBO (unprecedented partnership for a musical release I must note), an album, a manifesto or a weird hybrid of all three. What matters though is that Beyonce closed the loop on the "surprise" release. She started it, she finished it, in style. So now we can go back to our regular scheduled programing. Or can we? This brings us back to Frank Ocean. Oh Frank. Stop playing with me. Agent Orange decided that it was time to morph literally everything that we know about music releases and just give us a hybrid. First, we had about 15 various release dates with the most conclusive one being last July (still a very definitive reason on why I have trust issues). Then we had extended silence. I felt like we were being punished, like when your mom won't talk to you and you don't know why so you kind of just have to figure it out on your own. Then, Frank got even more cruel, starting guest features but never actually teasing new music, just letting us know what we were missing. And now we're here. The date seems to have been set and this Friday may be as close as we come to listening to Boys Don't Cry. Unless Frank changes his mind again. On Sunday night, boysdontcry.co updated itself with a video, leading to the internet loosing it's mind a collapse of at least one small economy as grown people watched their screens with anticipation, some (like me) until 3am. Advertisement In case you're wondering what you're staring at, it's a workbench inside a warehouse. Since the launch of the video/link on the site, we've been treated to small tidbits of news and information. Someone cracked the code and discovered a photo of Frank. A man came in and worked on what I am assuming to be a plaque holder for the inevitable moment this album goes triple-adamantium. Classical music replaced ambient noise for just long enough to make you wonder if you were actually losing your mind. Now we're back to ambient noise. We can't leave now. We're so close. when your mom says wait in the car, I'll be right back and just bounces for a few days pic.twitter.com/PJ4bk0hMp2 .serge (@Sergetacular) August 3, 2016 The point is, we can spend the next week scrutinizing every aspect of what's about to happen, surrendering our productivity for a sliver of hope that we might hear a snippet of a sample of a vocal of a new Frank Ocean song. Or we can accept that we're staring at two workbenches in an empty room and try to get on with our life until Friday. My rational mind is telling me to do the latter, but every single ounce of my being is making me do the former. I don't think I closed the window yet. Congratulations Frank you broke the release blueprint. Why are you doing this to me?! At the end of the day, I want to be able to say that I am not getting my hopes up. I have been here before. I have been hurt by you before Frank. It's hard for me to trust again. Yet, here I am, staring at a black and white workshop hoping that you will pop in at any moment and reassemble my emotions using a buzz-saw, some plywood and duct tape like some sort of musical McGyver. Make me trust again. Release Boys Don't Cry on Friday. Because if you don't, I just might. Again. Until then. Most of us couldn't have predicted that one day, so much of our lives would be public. Young adults growing up in the early days of social media hadn't yet learned that posting online is like carving in stone -- that photo of you and friends celebrating spring break is mighty hard to erase. Even today, the permanent nature of our lives online doesn't always sink in. Only 9% of teenage social media users have concerns about the privacy of their data, according to Pew Research Center. Meanwhile, social media use among teens is skyrocketing -- 92% of teens report going online daily - including 24% who say they go online "almost constantly" (Pew Research, 2015). It's important for young adults to remember that social networks may seem private, but are indeed public. There are consequences for what you post, even if your intentions aren't malicious. Since the internet never sleeps -- or forgets -- personal branding should start early. If young adults begin cultivating their brands in high school, their online reputations will grow positively and strengthen over time. Advertisement A model high school program Fortunately, an increasing number of high schools and colleges offer career management courses that embrace personal branding. In a recent blog, I discussed North Broward Prep, a private high school in Florida that requires all high school students to enroll in a personal branding course. Shortly after publishing the blog, the class' instructor, Jason Shaffer, and I connected. What followed was a number of emails, phone conversations, and an in-person visit to his classroom. What Jason shared was fascinating and reinforces my belief that this class should be offered in high schools nationwide. Personal Branding and Digital Communication has been in place at North Broward since summer 2012. The course has evolved over time but the message has remained the same. Identify your passions, stick to your moral code, focus on your goals and tell your personal story through a variety of social platforms. Today, Jason's curriculum is rich with interactive exercises focused on matching your passions with your online identity. One of his favorite teaching tools? Music. "A teen's language is music," Jason says. "Music allows them to express their identity. There's no better way to chronicle the stories of their lives." In the Personal Branding classroom, students develop a playlist of songs they feel represents the different aspects of their lives. This playlist is eventually published publicly on Google+ -- hence the clever name of the exercise, "My Sound Track." (Fun fact: The most common song on playlists is "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson.) Advertisement Once this, and a series of other self-discovery exercises are complete, students build a digital portfolio across various social media sites like About.me, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Jason encourages students to leverage brand assets, like photos and logos. Students are also advised to showcase their passions, backstory, extracurricular activities, and accomplishments. And of course, Jason's curriculum includes social media best practices. "Kids should be smart about using social media," Jason explains. "It's more essential than ever to start this conversation young." Shortly before visiting Jason's classroom, I had a serendipitous moment: I watched a local news segment about high school curricula not meeting students' needs. Funny, I thought. I'm about to visit a course doing just the opposite -- empowering and equipping students for the years ahead. It's no surprise Jason recently won the Meritas Excellence in Teaching award and North Broward's Soaring Eagle award. Jason is a visionary who understands that a clear, clean, and powerful brand can land a student at a top college and entice prospective employers. Personal Branding and Digital Communication class in session at North Broward Prep Meet Samantha Samantha Alyce Hreschak, 16 years old, signs every email "Branding Ambassador" and "Artist." Advertisement Samantha took Jason's class as a sophomore (she's now a junior), and notes the experience was life-changing. "The course helped me pinpoint my passions," Samantha says. She has many: cooking, acting, and art. At the top of the list is stop motion animation. In 10 years, she'd like to work for a company that specializes in animation. To say that Samantha is a fan of the class is an understatement. She continues to work closely with Jason as a Brand Ambassador. And Samantha hopes North Broward introduces further personal branding classes to help bolster students' internship and job interview skills. "Before, I always thought personal branding was simply adding a logo," Samantha says. "But now I know: It's extremely competitive out there, and taking the extra step to develop your personal brand will pay off -- from getting accepted into college to landing the perfect job." Samantha walks the walk. Currently, she has a website, About.me page, YouTube channel, blog, and LinkedIn. Advertisement What colleges are looking for Naturally, I had to round out my reporting by speaking with Heidi Teplitz, Director of College Advising at North Broward. "Not everyone can get into Harvard, but we want everybody to get into their Harvard," Heidi told me. Indeed, the competition is fierce: More than 200,000 high school seniors graduated with a flawless GPA last year. About 3,000 students achieved 2200-plus on the SAT, and Harvard turned away 200 applicants with a perfect 2400 score. Personal branding is more than just an online profile -- it's a holistic picture that appeals to college admission officers. "Every campus has a unique culture," Heidi says. "They are building a community and want to ensure that incoming students will be an asset. Beyond traditional GPAs and test scores, they are seeking students who are engaged in and out of school, who have leadership skills, and who have a passion for learning." Publicity Photo / Carmen Cusack "I'm just going to do things that I like to do, sing songs that I like to sing," Carmen Cusack said, sounding carefree, in a recent interview about her solo concert debut at NYC's Feinstein's/54 Below. She'll perform there for four nights this month, starting on the 9th. "Hopefully everyone will enjoy listening as much as I'd like them to." Cusack will sing songs from "Bright Star," the show she headlined this Spring--making her long-overdue Broadway debut--but which sadly shuttered in June after just 139 performances. She's promised songs from the show, including some that were cut before they made it to Broadway, as well as numbers from other notable roles ("Wicked," "Ragtime"), and some original material. "Just bits and bobs," Cusack said, using a phrase uncharacteristic of the American South, where she spent her formative years. Advertisement Cusack's voice is a lot like her resume and it says as much in its sound as in her words. Her charming Southern accent, a souvenir of her upbringing and the rhythm, or cadence, of her speech--sounding ever-so-slightly British--an affectation earned, likely, during her years already logged as a leading lady in London's West End. It's complemented by a subtle rasp that not only further distinguishes her from her fellow actresses, it hints to the fact that while Cusack may be new to Broadway, she isn't an ingenue. She's already a major star, but in choosing her path to Broadway she's simply taken the scenic route. Born in Denver, CO, Cusack's parents were 15 and 16 years old when she was born and they, "tried to play house," she shared. "They attempted to do the right thing and raise a child. It was clearly not going to work out. My grandparents then raised me for a bit alongside my mother who did come, but she was going to school full-time and working. I didn't really see her, but we moved in with my grandparents who then, at that point, moved to Panama City, Florida. They raised me until I was about eight," Cusack said. Her mother then got a job in Alabama, and Cusack was soon being raised there alongside three younger siblings, born from her mother's second marriage. "I was mommy's helper," she remarked. Some years later, they moved to Houston, TX, where Cusack stayed until college. She couldn't finance her second year at the University of North Texas though (where she was studying opera) and she realized she'd need to quit and get a job. Advertisement Cusack did just that, and it began her journey across the pond--both literally and figuratively--when she was hired on the Queen Elizabeth II cruise liner. "I was working as a singing waitress at an Italian restaurant in Fort Worth [Texas]. My friends were going to go to this audition in Dallas and asked me to come with them. I just walked into the audition and sang 'Summertime' [from 'Porgy & Bess'] and got offered a job on the QEII. So I took it. That's what then led me to England," Cusack explained. "That's pretty much where I stayed. I got married instantly to one of the guys on the ship. A guy from Manchester... I got married way too young. I was a child bride." "That marriage didn't last very long but the work kept coming in, in the West End, so I stayed in the UK for over a decade." But, sorry gents. She's married again: to hunky Scottish actor, Paul Telfer ("Hercules," Xander Cook on "Days of Our Lives"). That glorious sound? "Well, I grew up in the church. My mother was highly religious. I was singing at the age of five for big congregations," she said. "The first music that came to my ear was gospel... I used to sing 'Amazing Grace' with a very strong southern accent and a vibrato already at five years old." From there, Cusack says she took a liking to choral music outside of church too, joining school choirs, which led her to start her training in opera. All detectable elements when evaluating Cusack's unique and powerful sound. Advertisement MORE BELOW... "I'm just so glad to have all of those different facilities to draw from with all the different styles of music that I enjoy singing," she said. Bit by the bug of having created a role from scratch (Alice Murphy in "Bright Star") that fit her talents perfectly, Cusack says that's where she wants to keep her focus for now. "I'm so blessed and proud that I got to be a part of 'Bright Star' because it was so new and so fresh." But that's not to say, like any performer, that she doesn't have other dream roles. She's already played some that are on many actresses' lists: Dot in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of "Sunday in the Park with George," Nellie Forbush in the national tour of "South Pacific," Christine Daae in "The Phantom of the Opera" and of Elphaba in "Wicked," among others. "Do I want to redo something that's been done before? Maybe when I get a bit older, I think I would like to try the Norma Desmond role in 'Sunset Boulevard'. Maybe the mother [Rose] in 'Gypsy'. Those roles won't get to me until a while down the line," she said. Advertisement But Cusack makes it clear that for now, she remains focused on creating characters anew: "Really my head space has just been creating new things, fresh new things, because it's so ballsy to do that in this climate. I just like to live on the edge." In addition to the upcoming series of shows at Feinstein's/54 Below, Cusack's been planning a solo album intermittently while she was working on "Bright Star" and while now moving more permanently to New York. "That is in the making," she shared. "I kind of has to put it on hold... I have about five songs that I've put down in kind of an EP... There's five more. I am trying to put together, at least, a ten song album." No release date has been set. Cusack will appear at Feinstein's/54 Below on August 9 and 11 at 9:30 p.m. and August 14 and 16 at 7:00 p.m. Every day 297 Americans are shot. Every day 89 Americans die from gun violence. In an average year, around 17,000 American children are shot and nearly 7,000 of them die. All my adult life I have worked and campaigned to ensure everyone can love whomever they choose. I consider being able to love whomever you want to be a most sacred human right and I will do all I can to make sure love is allowed to flourish. For the last 30 years I have helped in my own way to lead the campaign here at home, and around the world, for LGBTQ rights - so we all can be allowed to love, marry, participate in our society openly and be who we are. All the while embracing and celebrating the diversity which makes our country stronger. The LGBTQ community has achieved so much, and while there is still so much yet to do, the LGBTQ community must not let our fellow Americans be left without the same justice and love we are striving so hard to secure for ourselves. The horrifying facts on gun violence remind us how we have to do more to stand up for love. Our work must include ending gun violence. Preventing guns and other military weaponry getting into the hands of people who hate should be a priority. We cannot always see what is in a person's heart but those who hate enough to kill innocent people can be deterred. While we can and should remain committed to the 2nd Amendment, the right to own guns does not mean Americans have to suffer under the yoke of such violence and death. Owning a gun, being trained in gun use, and hunting with a gun are seen by many as fundamental rights and a part of the building blocks of America. However, this does not mean individuals should be allowed to have military style assault weapons, armor piercing bullets, and magazines with more than five rounds. This type of weaponry should not be available outside of our military. Americans with certain documented and recognized mental health issues, or someone convicted of violent offenses, should not be able to purchase a weapon. This should also include those suspected of, or under investigation for being a terrorist. Common sense dictates some parts of our country should and must be gun free, including schools, universities, hospitals, public buildings, and other "safe-zones". We need to ensure scientists and researchers are allowed to examine the causes of gun violence and how best to prevent any future gun violence. The vast majority of gun owners support these types of sensible proposals. After Orlando, Baton Rouge, Minnesota and Dallas still in the headlines most Americans know and feel the situation cannot go on as it is. One in every three Americans know someone who has been shot, gun violence is the second-leading cause of death for young people, an average of over 35,000 Americans are killed due to gun violence every year. As noted by CNN: "According to the Gun Violence Archive, which compiles data from shooting incidents, a "mass shooting" is any incident where four or more people are wounded or killed. By definition, we've seen 136 mass shootings in the first 164 days of this year." In the first half of 2016 already, 21 police officers have been shot and killed while on duty; to these tragedies we must now add the 5 officers killed in Dallas and three killed in Baton Rouge . We all recognize the list of the worst mass killings: Orlando where nearly 50 young people enjoying music, dancing and life were killed; Sandy Hook - 27 killed including 20 children aged between 6 and 7 years old, as well as six adult staff members who were at school; Virginia Tech - 32 people including college students and professors were killed; 12 moviegoers were killed in Aurora, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona saw 6 people killed and a U.S. Congresswoman shot in the head. These terrible incidents may be some of the worst examples, but every day, all over our country, communities and families suffer under gun violence This great Republic will never fulfill its promise of equal protection under the law while our nation lives in constant fear of armed attacks. An end to gun violence is necessary for the security of our citizens, and vital to the survival of our democracy. America can never be truly be united so long as mass shootings continue with no action from Congress. We must view gun violence in America as an impediment to the future and success of our country, and we must act now. Steven Wozencraft is a globally recognized campaigner and leader on social justice. He is Executive Vice President of the John D. Evans Foundation and has spent the last 30 years of his career working to extend value, opportunity and spread justice & love all around the world. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The state of emergency imposed in Turkey after the military coup attempt is an internal affair of the country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Anadolu Agency reported Aug. 4. He said that following the introduction of the state of emergency, implementation of the agreement on the European Convention on Human Rights was suspended in Turkey. Currently, the state of emergency is in force on the French territory as well, said Erdogan. He went on to add that after the military coup attempt, over 20,000 people were detained and nearly 10,000 people were arrested in Turkey as a whole. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Let us talk about careers in data science! Mathematics, statistics, data analysis skills are quite big on the job market these days, I hear questions from people all over the world (literally - from Cambridge to Kazakhstan) about the best way to apply their technical skills. To learn about math careers, I asked my friend Alexander Isakov. Alexander did his bachelor at Harvard in physics and math, and then stayed at Harvard to do a PhD in physics, which he finished this year (congratulations!!) Alex has tried himself in many fields, to much success: his PhD focused on physical and social networks; he invented a medical device for surgeons and spun it off into a well-funded startup; he started a data science company. For the past few years, Alex has worked on understanding the behavior of complex systems both in his role as an academic and as a businessman. "I have always been interested in understanding the macroscopic world; how we affect the world we actually see and consciously interact with every day and how it affects us, often without our knowledge", he says. In graduate school, he studied how people assemble into groups to perform risky tasks. In a collaboration with Luke Glowacki, Nicholas Christakis, James Fowler, and several other prominent scientists, he studied data from a small society in Africa to understand how people form groups to conduct stealth raids. On a different note, together with L. Mahadevan (his advisor) and Ben de Bivort, Alex made models and led a team of undergraduates as they did experiments on how fruit flies recover straight walking behavior after leg injury. They discovered that proprioception, the ability to sense where body parts are and how much force they're applying, plays an important role in the recovery process, which provides insights into many more organisms than just flies. "It's all a matter of individual units coming together and learning to coordinate, be they legs, bacteria, or even humans", he says. Advertisement In business, the problems Alex solves seem more accessible, and the tools he uses are different - physics equations give way to techniques from data science and machine learning. But, at the end of the day, he thinks they share a common spirit. "How do we predict customer and employee retention? How do we optimize online customer experiences? These are all questions of human behavior, and companies have been observing and collecting data for years - we help them figure out what it means, and how to convert it into actionable strategies that lead to business improvement." As a true scientist, Alex approached my request for advice very seriously and devised what I called the Framework of Achievement for Quants (FAQ). The framework includes three main components: 1) learn the theory; 2) think of an application; 3) devise the implementation. I asked Alex to expand on his ideas and talk about building a successful career in data science. Alex, take it away. 1. Learn the theory. "I am a big fan of understanding the theoretical underpinnings of the sciences; therefore, you should take rigorous math and science classes to understand the foundations and learn to think rigorously and abstractly. If we think of specific skills to learn in the first two years of college, there are two main categories: a) the basics of mathematics, including multivariable calculus and linear algebra, as well as foundational proof-based coursework and b) learning to model the world with both differential equations and statistics. Advertisement In terms of statistics, many courses tend to be a bit more applied, though of course I encourage you to take some that dig deeper into the theory. You will come out with a basic understanding of probability, how to model processes that have noise (and believe me, the real world has lots of noise), how to predict events that occur sequentially in time, and so forth. If you take statistics-type classes in social sciences departments, you will also know the specific tools as they apply to those fields. In economics, for example, you will spend a lot of time dealing with time series. In more foundational statistics courses, however, you will learn more generally about methods that have broad applicability across disciplines. 2. Find interesting problems. Once you have the theory down, find interesting problems to solve. I recommend going to people that you personally find interesting, and asking them about the challenges they are thinking about. It is neither necessary, nor do I think advisable, to think of yourself purely as a "physicist", a "chemist", or a "statistician" - that just limits the problems we expose ourselves to. Ultimately, the highest classification that matters is being a curious human being. If you're majoring in statistics and someone tells you about an interesting problem in physics (or literature!), don't dismiss it - see if you can find a way to contribute! We are all human beings first, and scientists second. 3. Implement your skills and do the work. To implement your theoretical and practical skills, find a project that requires you to either build theoretical or data-driven models (better: both). You can start learning computer programming at various levels of sophistication, and I strongly recommend learning at least basic programming early. As you develop your computer science skills, approach a professor and ask about a project you could do that would involve some simulations, agent-based modeling, or statistical analysis. Doing a real research project would necessitate new ways of thinking that were not necessarily available to you as a freshman or a sophomore. If you are interested in data science in particular, go heavier on the stats and programming. But again, the way to get good on the implementation piece is to practice implementation. As you do more programming work, you might discover you want more theory foundation from Step 1; go back to the start of the framework and continue to get better. 4. Solve problems that arise instead of looking for problems that fit your tool. My PhD advisor (Professor Mahadevan at Harvard) encouraged me from the start to follow the problems, and not to limit myself by tools. Your value as an academic, a businessman, and/or a leader comes from coming up with creative solutions to problems as they arise without worrying about the form of the solution. Sure, it's good to have a big bag of tools - statistics, simulations, differential equations, knowledge of problems in multiple disciplines. But you'll quickly discover that real world problems are not often nails that lend themselves to banging with the hammer given to you in the classroom! They have intricacies and caveats, missing data, multiple paths of approach, and you'll have to deal with the tough challenge of decision-making under various constraints - you will have to use your knowledge and current tools to build others until a solution is reached, and that's the critical skill to learn. 5. What is the difference in your approach on the undergraduate and graduate level? Graduate school is different from undergrad. In your undergrad, you are more focused on learning tools and being exposed to a broad range of disciplines. I encourage you to work broadly in your undergrad: try projects in different fields. It's good for developing intuition and different perspectives. For example, do a project in stats, physics, and anthropology, and begin early in your career. At the end of a successful undergraduate degree, you should feel comfortable solving a range of problems. Advertisement At the graduate level, you are being trained to be the next thought leader - to formulate good problems of your own, problems that contribute in important ways to our collective understanding of the world. Actually, if you follow the advice above, you may be able to start doing that already towards the end of your undergraduate career! 6. How do you work with mentors and advisers? Don't (necessarily) take the first problem given to you. Don't do things just because you hear a lot of mainstream buzzwords. The key to growth and increasing your skillset is going for interesting problems. You should strive to find a mentor who you think has good problems - in the academic world, that's typically a professor who is a leader in his or her field. BE SMART. Have advisors. Ask questions. Have courage. Advisors are there to share interesting questions, and ultimately they are fellow human beings. Talk to them: come to the office hours, and speak generally at first, and then move on to questions that you are thinking about now; share what led you to thinking about these questions, and why you think the questions are important. The key mistakes that I made early on: I thought I knew well enough. I would find one or two people that were a good fit, and I would stick with them instead of growing my network of relationships. However, even if you talk to one or two extra people, you expand your horizons drastically just by getting new perspectives. You can't invent everything on your own; it's not particularly efficient or good use of time. 7. Learn from People that Cross the disciplines. Advertisement Anja Manuel is co-founder and partner at RiceHadleyGates LLC, a strategic consulting firm. In this interview, Ms. Manuel shares her thoughts on books, writing and global politics. Your book, This Brave New World, was published earlier this summer. Would you tell us a little bit about it? The book is about China and India and the dramatic impact both of these countries will have on the U.S. in the next decade. Advertisement Within the next decade or so, they will be the fastest growing markets for American companies and they are already the engines of world growth. They will have three billion people between them with the world's biggest middle classes. So, our companies will continue to sell to China and India and thus create good jobs here in the U.S. They will be competing with us for energy and resources. I live in California and the smog from Asia already drifts all the way over here. We used to think we could solve the world's biggest problems if just the U.S. and Europe managed to agree, but there's no way to solve climate change, for example, without China and India, since they will soon be the first and third largest emitters of carbon on earth. And finally, if we want peace here in the U.S., we also need to keep Asia peaceful. Currently, China and India -- along with other Asian countries -- are some of the world's largest arms importers. Asia should be a hopeful region, yet it is increasingly scary. Asian countries made up almost half of overall global arms shipments over the past few years. The U.S. needs to move carefully and create positive relations with both China and India to ensure our own prosperity. Advertisement What can the international community do to ensure that China's rise is peaceful? This isn't as simple as being pro-China or against China. America is going to have national interests that differ substantially from those of the Chinese in particular. China's behavior is pushing people away. The danger is that, as a result, we will partner too closely with India and other Asian countries and thus make China even more surrounded. Instead, the international community should be very clear about what the red lines are and enforce them consistently. On the South China Sea, for example, early in the Obama administration, the U.S was doing Freedom of Navigation Operations. Then the U.S. stopped for a few years and now the U.S. is doing them again. If I were a member of the Chinese military, I would be a little bit confused about whether America is serious. The U.S. needs to be serious, it needs to be clear and it needs to enforce these lines quietly -- out of the press -- in order to allow the Chinese to save face. At the same time, we need to, practice cooperating wherever we can. The Chinese, especially under President Xi, are making it difficult, for example through cyber-stealing of industrial secrets and by making it hard for American companies to do business in China. The deal that President Obama struck with the Chinese on climate change in 2014 is a great example of cooperation. Another opportunity is in the tech world. I live in Silicon Valley and there's so much innovation happening in Beijing, Shanghai and here, and opportunities for these companies to work together. We need to work on cooperation across governments, businesses and individuals to establish more trust and thus make the difficult issues more manageable. Advertisement What sort of feedback have you gotten on the book? I've gotten very positive feedback and have been happily surprised because the mood, especially in the Washington policy community, is so negative towards China right now. I think people saw this book as a breath of fresh air. I have spent two decades negotiating with Delhi and Beijing at the State Department, traveling the back-roads of each country, and now advising American businesses on how to navigate their often opaque systems. I wrote this book to help explain what makes these two Asian giants "tick." In our public discourse, we often appear terrified of China and often seem to ignore India. The U.S. must to get our relations with both exactly right or risk a world of low economic growth for all of us, military skirmishes that we can ill-afford, and run-away pollution that will harm our health. The goal in the book is to map out how we can work together for a future where we can all prosper, instead of working against each other and -- in the worst case -- slipping into a new cold war with China. I think that message has been really well-received. The book has been positively reviewed in outlets ranging from The San Francisco Chronicle on the left to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times on the right. I've been very lucky. What advice would you give to aspiring authors? If you really want to write a book, get a book deal first, especially for a nonfiction book. Write a proposal and then send it to publishers and see if they like it. I don't think I would have done this book without an actual deal in hand from a publisher -- and most importantly -- a real deadline! Advertisement How long did it take to write? Do you have a writing routine? Yes, I did have a writing routine. I really enjoyed the writing. I signed a book deal in February of 2015 and I turned in the manuscript on Halloween of that year. Now, I'd done research and outlining and knew what I wanted to say before starting to write the book. I had two research assistants who were incredibly helpful. In order to write the book, I disciplined myself. For two hours a day, I wouldn't take calls or have any meetings. I just wrote 500 words every day -- sometimes they were great, and sometimes they needed a lot of revision. If I didn't write 500 words on a particular day, I'd have to write 1,000 the next day. I am much better at writing when I have a deadline. I loved the writing process. I found it very relaxing; it allowed me to think in detail about two countries that I love and am interested in. What do you read for fun? I read very widely -- both in fiction and nonfiction. In terms of fiction, I read everything from Dostoyevsky to contemporary fiction. I just finished The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. In nonfiction, I just read Karl Jaspers' The Great Philosophers, and my friend Steve Hilton's excellent book More Human. Sala Silvermine, Sweden Sala Silvermine is known as the deepest hotel room in the world at 500 feet underground. It can only be accessed through a mine lift shaft. As you can imagine, there is no room service or anything youd expect in a luxurious hotel, except a comfortable double bed, silver furnishings and champagne platter. Its cold and damp, but absolutely gorgeous . One night in the bizarre suite will cost about $500. Sala Silvermine, as the name suggests, was a mine, which produced about 3 tons of silver a year used mostly for coins.Photo Credit: Trip Advisor/ Sala Silvermine, Sweden Click Here to See Caves You Can Actually Stay In Around the World Photo Credit: Murderpedia In 1963, Boston was in the clutches of a phantom serial killer, who had already claimed the lives of 11 women. Known as the "Boston Strangler," he was difficult to profile, as his victims ranged from ages 19-85 and were very diverse in terms of ethnicity. His actual name was Albert DeSalvo, and he was a charming, good looking man, who strangers naturally trusted. DeSalvo's 12th victim was named Joann Graff, and she was new to Boston. Having recently graduated from the Chicago Art Institute, she taught Sunday School at her local church and made certain her new home was safe and respectable. And although she mostly kept to herself, there was no stopping what happened next. Advertisement On November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Joann's neighbors -- along with the rest of the city -- were in a daze. When handsome DeSalvo asked around about a young woman living in the building, her upstairs neighbor didn't think twice about sending the man down to Joann's home. The next day, she was murdered. The epic search for Albert DeSalvo and his horrific rampage are detailed in Gerold Frank's bestselling, Edgar Award-winning true crime chronicle, The Boston Strangler. The gripping book pulls you in with details that are as captivating and heartbreaking as they are grisly. KEEP READING FOR AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOSTON STRANGLER. On Friday, November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. From 1:30 that afternoon--the hour of his death--a distrait Boston, its shops closed, its streets all but empty, sustaining a sense of loss more personal than any other city, for this had been his home, began the long mourning vigil. At 12:17 the next afternoon--Saturday, November 23--the people of Boston saw President Lyndon B. Johnson en route to St. John's Cathedral for memorial services, and then watched as the TV cameras moved to the White House to show dignitaries slowly entering the East Room where the casket of John Kennedy lay, banked with flowers. And in the hours that immediately followed, between 12:30 P.M. and 3:30 P.M. that Saturday afternoon, as Boston and the rest of America sat numbly before its television screens, a quiet, retiring 23-year-old girl named Joann Graff was raped and strangled to death in her locked apartment in suburban Lawrence, an hour's drive from Boston. Advertisement She was strangled with two nylon stockings intertwined with a leg of her black leotard, tied about her neck in an elaborate, flowing bow, like a circus clown's bow-tie, and with the extra half hitch--the Strangler's knot. She lay diagonally across her bed, nude save for a pink blouse bunched up about her shoulders, her legs wide apart, the left extended directly forward, the other bent almost at right angles, dangling over the edge of the bed, a white slipper still on the foot. The front of her blouse had been ripped open with such violence that four buttons had popped off. There were unmistakable teeth marks on her left breast. Under her head was found the earpiece of her metal-rimmed glasses, surprisingly old-fashioned for a girl of 23. A Salem detective left the scene muttering, "It's like rerunning a film of Evelyn Corbin." Joann's one-room apartment had been ransacked, but left untouched on the table was an envelope with her gas bill and several dollars. There was no sign of forced entry. A girl with few friends, she had come from Chicago five months ago after graduation from the Chicago Art Institute, and she taught sixth grade Sunday School at the Lutheran Redeemer Church in Lawrence. She was so conservative that she thought most print dresses too gaudy to wear. The firm for which she worked as a designer, creating motifs for automobile upholstery, tablecloths, and trays, was directly across the street from Lawrence General Hospital. Albert DeSalvo is escorted into Cambridge Superior Court. Photo Credit: Murderpedia The time of death was carefully established. At 11:30 Saturday morning, Mrs. John S. Johnson of Andover, who had befriended Joann when she first arrived, telephoned to invite her to dinner that night. She had accepted gratefully. At 12:30 P.M., George Privetera, her landlord, came by to collect the $15 weekly rent. He held Joann in high regard. Before she took the apartment she had asked innumerable questions--"Is it respectable? Will I be safe here?"--and she had insisted that he tell her about the other tenants. She kept the place spotless--often he found her on her knees scrubbing the floor--and her blinds were always drawn because she once glimpsed a Peeping Tom training his binoculars on her windows from a neighboring building. As she paid her rent (she never allowed him to enter, but kept him standing in the hall), he noticed through the partly opened door that she had done her breakfast dishes and had been studying a religious tract on her kitchen table. Later her fountain pen was found under it, as if her murderer might have surprised her as she made notes for next day's Sunday School class.] At 3:25 on the floor above her apartment, Kenneth Rowe, a 22-year-old engineering student at Northeastern University, was alone, studying, when he heard footsteps outside in the hall. He would have paid no attention save that for two preceding nights his wife Sandra, 21--now out at the neighborhood laundromat--had complained someone was "sneaking about" the halls. Rowe tiptoed to his door and listened. READ MORE: THE BIZARRE DEATH OF ELISA LAM The footsteps approached, and stopped. He heard someone knock on the door directly opposite theirs. Apparently no one was home: a moment later the knock sounded on his door. He opened it to see a man about twenty-seven with shiny pomaded hair, wearing a brown jacket, a dark shirt, and dark green slacks. "Does Joann Graff live here?" he asked. Rowe could not see his features clearly because the man's hand was rubbing his nose as he asked his question. He pronounced it "Joan," not "Jo-ann," as her friends did. Rowe said, "No, she lives just below the apartment you were knocking on before." The man mumbled thanks and was already walking down the corridor. He vanished at the turn of the stairs. A moment later Rowe heard a door open and shut on the floor below. He assumed Joann had opened her door and let her visitor in. Albert DeSalvo smiles as he is driven away from the courthouse. Photo Credit: Murderpedia At 3:30, Mrs. Johnson telephoned Joann to say her husband would pick her up at 4:30. There was no answer. The Johnsons, who attended the same church, had met Joann through the minister, the Reverend Kirstips Valters, after Joann asked his help in introducing her to people in the congregation.* Repeatedly at 15-minute intervals Mrs. Johnson called, without an answer. At 4:40, Mr. Johnson decided to drive to Lawrence anyway. He hurried into Joann's building and rapped loudly on her door. All was silence. He did not know it, but death had preceded him. READ MORE: THE TWISTED MIND OF FAMILY ANNIHILATOR JOHN LIST The morning before--Friday, November 22--a neighbor down the hall from Joann heard someone outside her door. Suddenly her attention was caught by a piece of white paper being slipped under her door, perhaps two inches. Now it was slowly being moved from side to side. There was no voice. Was it a prank, or someone seeking to tantalize her into opening her door? Too terrified to move, she remained rooted where she stood, watching the paper move back and forth, like a person hypnotized, for what seemed an unendurable time. Suddenly it was withdrawn. She heard footsteps move away. Then, silence. Advertisement Had it really happened? Was it a delusion? No one at 54 Essex Street knew more until the discovery Sunday of Joann Graff's body as she had been left murdered in her apartment that Saturday afternoon, November 23, 1963. Notes from Indian Country By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji, Stand Up For Them) It was 83 years ago on June 18, 1934 when the Indian Reorganization Act became the law of the land. On the 50th anniversary of the IRA, a conference was held at Sun Valley, Idaho to talk about the good and the bad of the Act. On the 75th birthday of the Act, there was nothing but silence. Has Indian Country forgotten the significance of the IRA? When the proposed Act was making the rounds in early 1934, an Act also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act, 10 meetings were held across the country that were supposed to bring the Indian people and the government officials together to go over the finer points of the Act. Oddly enough, the Act itself never made it to any of the meetings or congresses; only the "explanations" were there to be discussed. To many tribal leaders it became known as the Indian New Deal, or as some skeptics called it, "The Indian Raw Deal." Those opposed to the Act feared that it would be detrimental to them because it would be controlled by the federal government. In the end 181 tribes voted in favor of the Act and 77 tribes rejected it. Advertisement S. L. Tyler, in his "History of Indian Policy" wrote about some of the criticisms of the IRA. "It was put into effect too rapidly. Neither the Congress nor the Indians were adequately informed concerning it nor prepared for it. Bureau personnel needed better training for application of provisions contained in IRA, some of which were quite foreign to their past experience and to their personal philosophy concerning the Indians. The philosophy of the IRA itself was violated in that Indians did not play a truly significant part in preparing [tribal constitutions]. As a result, some also felt that many good tribal governments were replaced with less capable ones." I was in attendance at the conference in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1983 as was Gerald One Feather, a noted Oglala leader. I was delighted to hear the Indian historian, publisher and journalist, Rupert Costo, Cahuilla, speak. He had many observations to make about the IRA and since he was one of the early and lasting opponents of the ACT, his comments were cogent to the debate. Costo said, "The IRA was the last great drive to assimilate the American Indian. It was also a program to colonize the tribes. All else had failed to liberate the Indians from their land: genocide, treaty-making and treaty-breaking, sub-standard education, disruption of Indian religion and culture, and the last and most oppressive of such measures, the Dawes Allotment Act. Assimilation into the dominant society, if by assimilation we mean the adoption of certain technologies and techniques, had already been underway for some hundred years. After all, the Indians were not and are not fools; we are always ready to improve our condition. But assimilation, meaning fading into the general society with a complete loss of our identity and our culture, was another thing entirely, and we had fought against this from the first coming of the white man." Costo died shortly after that historic conference. Advertisement There was a lot of nodding heads in agreement with the analysis of the IRA by Costo. One man, Kenneth R. Philp, said, "My assessment of the Indian New Deal has become more negative over the years. The policy of termination grows out of many of the failures of the New Deal. One of the failures of the New Deal is that it did not have wide Indian support. One of the reasons that occurred is because the IRA was a white -imposed reform program." The Indian Reorganization Act was the brainchild of Indian commissioner John Collier, a man who was loved, hated, cherished and despised. But Collier was not an assimilationist, as some have accused. Because he stressed that the Indian reservations were permanent homelands for Indians, he was accused of initiating Jim Crow Indian policies. Many of John Collier's critics believed him to be paternalistic and domineering. When he did not encounter the docile Indians he always expected to meet, but instead met Indians with good educations and even sharper wits, he was taken aback. Some say he then started to leave these Indian leaders out of his planning sessions. On the 83rd anniversary of the Indian Reorganization Act there is still much to be learned because after 83 years, the Act is still with us. One of the best sources of information available on this topic is the book "Indian Self-Rule: First Hand Accounts of Indian-White Relations from Roosevelt to Reagan." Why was the 75th anniversary of the Act totally ignored? Many of the conclusions on the 50th anniversary drawn from the conference in Sun Valley in 1983 can be found in the book. It is a compilation of writings by many authors including Rupert Costo and it was edited by Kenneth R. Philp. Advertisement The Navajo Nation was one of the tribes that did not adopt the IRA. I wonder if the IRA will be remembered on its 100th Anniversary or be forgotten as it was on its 75th anniversary. Has it been a success or a failure? The debate is far from over because thousands of people from Indian tribes across America are still living with the impact of the Indian New Deal. There are Indians to this day who believe it was a "raw deal." By 2030, half of the energy produced in the state of New York will come from renewables, according to a new policy adopted Monday by the state's public service commission. The move is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels (80 percent by 2050) and to attract billions in clean energy investment. "New York has taken bold action to become a national leader in the clean energy economy and is taking concrete, cost-effective steps today to safeguard this state's environment for decades to come," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "This Clean Energy Standard shows you can generate the power necessary for supporting the modern economy while combatting climate change. Make no mistake, this is a very real threat that continues to grow by the day and I urge all other states to join us in this fight for our very future." The plan calls for New York to retain its nuclear reactors--though The Washington Post reports that those facilities don't count as part of the 50 percent renewables target. According to New York regulators, doing so might cost $965 million over two years but could lead to net benefits of $4 billion due to avoided carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution. While supporters of this provision applaud New York's effort to retain its emissions-free nuclear generation, opponents are likely to challenge the nuclear subsidies on the grounds they are discriminatory, hurt markets, and intrude on federal authority. Advertisement New York is not the first state to announce an ambitious greenhouse gas reduction target. In April 2015, California announced it planned to cut those emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels in the same time frame with renewables increases. Like California, New York plans to phase in its renewables increase; 31 percent of its energy is to come from renewables by 2021 and 50 percent by 2030. Those targets are meant to give utilities and clean energy companies time to develop their business models. The only states with higher renewables standards are Vermont, which set a target of 75 percent renewable power by 2032, and Hawaii, which set a target of 100 percent renewable power by 2045. White House to Federal Agencies: Consider Climate Change Impacts "Focused and effective consideration of climate change in NEPA reviews will allow agencies to improve the quality of their decisions," the guidance states. "Identifying important interactions between a changing climate and the environmental impacts from a proposed action can help Federal agencies and other decision makers identify practicable opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve environmental outcomes, and contribute to safeguarding communities and their infrastructure against the effects of extreme weather events and other climate-related impacts." Advertisement The guidance, the product of a six-year effort by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, advises agencies to quantify projected greenhouse gas emissions of proposed federal actions whenever the necessary methodologies and data are available. It also encourages them to draw on their experience and expertise to determine the appropriate level and extent of quantitative or qualitative analysis required to comply with NEPA and to consider alternatives that would increase the climate-change resilience of the action and affected communities. "From the public standpoint, we are now going to know what all of our decisions add up to in terms of impacting climate change," said Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the Council on Environmental Quality. "You can think of all the different federal decisions, and how they all add up. We have numbers where we can actually say, 'this is a huge decision, given the amount of greenhouse gases coming out of it.' And that gives the public a chance to really weigh in on decision-making." Several media outlets pointed out that because the White House guidance is not a regulation, agencies are not legally bound to follow it. Clean Power Plan Analysis: National Costs Low, State Costs Varied Wednesday marked one year since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formally rolled out the Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. Even with the February stay by the U.S. Supreme Court, which halted implementation of the plan pending resolution of legal challenges, some say the plan is having an impact while others are finding more reason to explore the legality of the rule (subscription). Should the rule survive judicial review, a new paper by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions uses the Nicholas Institute's Dynamic Integrated Economy/Energy/Emissions Model to evaluate Clean Power Plan impacts on the U.S. generation mix, emissions, and industry costs. It indicates that industry trends are likely to make Clean Power Plan compliance relatively inexpensive, with cost increases of 0.1 to 1.0 percent. But policy costs can vary across states, which might lead to a patchwork of policies that, although in their own best interests, could impose additional costs nationally. Advertisement "The answer is not the same for everyone in terms of what's going to be the least-cost way for a particular state to approach this policy," said lead author and Nicholas Institute Senior Economist Martin Ross. "Nationally, it would make the most sense to have a broadly coordinated policy where you can take advantage of the usual economic [tools] to spread the cost reductions around and pick up the most cost-effective sources for reducing emissions." Similar findings were presented at a conference of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. Because of lower-than-expected natural gas prices, renewable power, and extended federal tax credits for that power, the country as a whole is set to meet the Clean Power Plan's early goals, reports ClimateWire. This week, World Breastfeeding Week presents an opportunity to promote the widespread benefits of breastfeeding on an international scale, in the hope of making this vital practice a global norm. According to recommendations from the World Health Organisation, exclusive breastfeeding - breastfeeding in the absence of additional supplements - should be practiced for the first 6 months of life, followed by a period of feeding breast-milk in addition to other foods for at least 18 months thereafter. Sadly, this wholly natural, simple method of child nourishment is not universally practiced, with figures particularly low in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015 only 27% of babies in West and Central Africa received exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months, rendering this region the lowest in the world. Although breastfeeding is widely practiced across the Africa, many babies are also given additional water by their mothers. Yet the human body provides the exact composition of nutrients and water in a mother's milk, making additional nutrition both redundant and dangerous for an infant. The readiness of mothers to provide their baby with extra supplements is worrisome, and highlights the educational vacuum that exists surrounding breastfeeding practice. Nigeria, the country of my birth, has the poorest EBF rate in Africa, with just 17% of children being exclusively breastfed to the optimum age. It is paradoxical that it is in countries and regions of poverty and a lack of resources where nature's mechanism of child nourishment is most flatly rejected. Advertisement The health benefits of breast milk to a child are innumerable, and extend far beyond the realm of nutrition. Enzymes in the milk work to activate and enhance the baby's immune system, as well as stimulating growth. The enzymes received in breast milk therefore have the effect of greatly decreasing a child's vulnerability to childhood cancers, infectious diseases, respiratory infections, neurological disorders, allergies, and epilepsy and depression in later life, to name a few. Likewise, the mother also benefits from breastfeeding, which provides a level of protection from breast and ovarian cancer, and expedites a mother's recovery from childbirth. Strikingly, health indices are just one of many aspects of wellbeing that are positively affected by breastfeeding; recent studies published in 2015 suggested that breastfeeding not only increased intelligence, but it also improved educational attainment and earning ability. Those that were breastfed longer were found to have increased language performance ability and visual reception, and improved motor control performance. In contrast, additional nutrition can lead to a host of complications. The 63% of mothers in West and Central Africa that fail to provide this basic method of nourishment to their babies are victims of misinformation and hearsay, and we at the WBFA strive to reverse this trend. The WBFA recognise EBF as a key to sustainable development, and a mechanism for opening doors and improving lives. We pioneered Nigeria's first civil society health visitor program supporting mothers through antenatal, perinatal and postnatal birth preparedness and we have seen the impact these can have first hand. This week we will be hosting MamaCare Antenatal Classes and Breastfeeding Initiative campaigns in Nigeria to celebrate the theme of this week, in alignment with our overall mission to improve perinatal care in Africa. Working in association with a wide range of organisations and individuals who share our mission, the WBFA strives to promote, protect and support EBF in Nigeria. With the breastfeeding training simulators donated to us by the Laerdal Global Health, the WBFA hopes that our ambitious aims can be accomplished. Advertisement Indeed, there is much to be done. In order to improve the rates of optimal EBF, we must firstly address the barriers to this practice. Studies have concluded a set of reasons that deter women in Nigeria from EBF; fear of passing on illness, insufficient lactation, ill health, social stigma, and pervasive old wives tales were all identified as factors that dissuaded women from EBF. From these responses, we can begin to map out a plan of what needs to be done to make universal EBF a reality. Firstly, basic education on the benefits of EBF would thwart belief in old wives tales, and should serve to extinguish social stigma surrounding breastfeeding. The WBFA already have a training programme in progress, but we must expand our reach to even the most remote corners of Africa. Secondly, health factors that prevent women from producing sufficient milk, or deter mothers from breast-feeding from of fear of contagion, highlight the heightened importance of a mother's health during and after the gestation period. Healthcare, and the fulfillment of SDG 3, is absolutely vital for development and societal progress. Studies have shown that women who attended four or more antenatal visits were significantly more likely to engage in EBF. This ascertains and justifies our emphasis on maternal health and increased access to perinatal care. While reviewing publications from a colleague's son's college search, I noticed a handful of colleges referred to "demonstrated interest" in the visit section. I realized it's likely that most students and families have no clue what that entails. If I didn't work in college admissions, I know I'd be asking, What is demonstrated interest and how do I demonstrate it? And, does demonstrated interest make any difference at all? These questions deserve some explanation. School counselors and policymakers tend to think demonstrated interest provides some students (those in the know or those who are affluent) with an advantage in the college search and selection process. There may be some truth to that, but I believe demonstrated interest has evolved well beyond activities like visiting campus or participating in an admissions interview. In fact, technology and engagement have probably made some of the traditional measures less relevant than they once were, which I think levels the playing field. Advertisement So, one might ask, what is demonstrated interest? In short, it's a fancy way for colleges to say they are paying attention when prospective students do what they are asked to do. For example, colleges suggest lots of things to prospective students, such as when to apply, when to visit the campus, when to meet a visiting college counselor at their high school or hometown. They might ask a prospect to answer a short poll question, or see if they can send text messages. Colleges that value demonstrated interest are going to pay attention (oftentimes more attention) to those prospects who are following directions and engaging. Colleges want to make sure they are communicating with students who are engaged and interested. Sometimes when I talk about demonstrated interest with prospective students and parents, I describe it as "showing a college some love." In the case of the institution where I work, we make a very clear statement about demonstrated interest. We also reach out to applicants and ask some pretty straightforward questions to learn more about interest: What attracted you to apply to our college? What are some of the important factors that will go into making your final college decision? When do you plan to visit campus? Advertisement We ask these questions with genuine curiosity and a desire to get to know our applicants, so we can serve them effectively. Another question related to demonstrated interest often is: Does it matter? There may not be a universal answer, but my instincts tell me that if a college goes to the trouble of mentioning demonstrated interest, then it matters. How might it matter? How about this example: Let's say an admissions counselor has two comparable applicants for admission, and there are a limited number of spots left. Wouldn't you want to admit the student who has done the things you've asked them to do, whatever that might be--visit, phone interview, pick up the phone, visited a rep at the high school, etc.? I think it's probably pretty rare for demonstrated interest to be the sole determinant of an admissions decision, but I do think showing or not showing interest can sway an admissions decision. As a prospective student, you will want to pay attention to statements about demonstrated interest that might appear in publications or on the website. And, if you are uncertain about a college's policy, you should ask. Finally, please think about demonstrated interest as a way to show a college that you are following directions, paying attention and are genuinely interested in a particular college. Those of us who value demonstrated interest like that--a lot. A Christian fundamentalist holds a crucifix during a protest against the play "Golgota Picnic" by Argentina-born director Rodrigo Garcia in Paris December 11, 2011. The fundamentalists protested against the play as they considered it offensive to their religion. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier (FRANCE - Tags: RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) Today, I read an article by a fellow HuffPost blogger about how cruelly some individuals in her fringe religion treated her when she was date-raped and got pregnant. Her words ignited a passion in me to tell my own "church abuse" story publicly for the first time. Maybe her courage and mine will inspire other women with Fundamentalist or other extremist religious backgrounds to speak up, or maybe even escape and find a new spiritual path, one that supports both genders as we seek to love our neighbors as ourselves. Advertisement My parents joined an extreme Fundamentalist Christian fringe group when I was six years old. I grew up believing, among other toxic things, that the world was about to end and my grandparents, favorite teachers and best friend at school would be slashed to death and then burned up by Jesus and his Holy Army when he came back to Earth, just because they didn't belong to our cult. Blood was going to run in the streets, up to three feet deep! Our "church" was actually listed every year in the directory of American cults! I was told I shouldn't worry because my parents were True Believers. (I worried anyway!) Although I had a passion to become a writer or a journalist when I grew up, I was told repeatedly that my highest destiny was to marry a minister and become a housewife. My role was to bear children who would serve the Lord with all their might. It was drummed into my head that women are inferior to men by Divine Decree. I wasn't sure I agreed, but I didn't speak up. I wasn't strong enough to leave, but I was smart enough to walk the edge. I started my first business at 15 so I could save up enough money to start at a local community college at 16. I won a journalism scholarship for an article I wrote on solar energy. It gave me the cash and the confidence to finally get away from home. I enrolled at Arizona State University when I was 17. That year, ASU was voted the number three party school in the country by Playboy magazine. But I never missed a church service. I remember studying cult literature in my dorm room while other students were making out in the halls. To this day, I have never even smoked weed and nor ever gotten drunk. I was a nerd, a dork, a weirdo, a freak...a cult member. Advertisement My parents and their brethren were horrified that I was living in such a sinful place, preparing for a career that was utterly ungodly. But I had tried and failed to get into "God's College"," so I gave myself to my studies and took four part time jobs to pay for it all. Adults at church gossiped about my sinful nature, my obstinacy, my lack of godly feminine qualities. I didn't care...very much. I'd had a church boyfriend since I was 14. I felt certain I'd marry Dave one day, while working at a newspaper or TV channel. I remained a virgin, even in the Bill Clinton sense of the term. During the second half of my junior year, a string of unfortunate events led to me be accepted at the last minute after all into "God's college". My parents were delighted! I tearfully left Dave and all my close church friends, the professors who believed in me, the staff at the two newspapers I wrote for and all my dreams. My secret intention was to attend for a year, save up every penny and then come home to ASU to finish my real degree. I didn't feel I would achieve much with one in theology. My friends threw a going-away party the night before I left. During it, I saw the wife of a junior minister making out with her brother-in-law. His hand was up her shirt! As in most Fundamentalist "religions", members are encouraged to tattle on one another. I was torn. I didn't want to get involved. But I didn't want to sin. So I did my duty and told an elder what I'd seen. He assured me he would handle it. As a female transfer student from a "worldly" [read:pagan/heathen/sinful] university, a girl with a budding journalist's mind and attitude, I was under scrutiny from the minute I arrived on that small campus. The third day, I was called to the dean's office. He asked me if I had accused a godly woman of inappropriate conduct with her brother-in-law. I said yes and told him accurately what I'd seen. Advertisement He informed me that I had not seen any such thing, that she had denied it, and that I was to never speak about it again. (Probably not blog about it on HuffPost, either!) I knew the church rules after a lifetime with these people, so I just let it go. A week later when the publisher of the campus newspaper I worked for announced that I had to go to bed and that "the men will finish the paper" I was outraged but held my tongue, mostly. He had security escort me to my dorm. The lights were turned off in the women's dorms an hour earlier than the men's. The next day I started a petition to allow females to stay up as late as they wanted. No one signed. I got scolded. A few weeks later, the minister's wife whom I had accused called my dean and told him she knew I'd had sex with Dave. I denied it vehemently. Nonetheless, he told me not to speak to any other students until the matter was resolved; I could not attend classes; I was not to call anyone in Arizona under any circumstances; I was not allowed to eat in the cafeteria - they would send a tray to my room lest I contaminate the student body; and I should pray and beg for God's forgiveness. Advertisement He told me to choose a minister to whom I could confess my sins. I chose wrong. The minister I chose had me sit on a small, hard wooden chair set a good distance from his large wooden desk. He ignored me completely while I fidgeted and cried. I was terrified of him, of God, of the church itself. Of my blood running in the streets when an avenging Jesus came back to slaughter unbelievers. I knew Jesus would be extra vicious with those who had spurned the truth. The minister began to ask me horrifying questions. "Where did he touch you?" "How did that feel?" "Did your panties get wet?" "Did you see his..." I told him the truth, because I had been taught not to lie. That first day, he just listened to me tearfully confess that my teenage body responded to being around Dave. I was shaking and crying as I told him these deeply intimate, shameful things. He told me to come back the next day. The next day, after I waited silently in my little chair for what seemed like an hour, he asked similar questions. But this time, he was so angry at me (I thought) that he was banging the underside of his desk drawer. His face got really red and then he made a sound I'd never heard before. Then, in the middle of my next sentence, he seemed to suddenly relax. He told me to leave. I had no idea what was going on. He did the same thing the next day. And the next. It was terrifying when his face got so red! And the banging noise! After four days of isolation and worry, I was drained. I was faint from lack of food because I couldn't touch the trays. I was terrified of Jesus as much as the shame my parents would feel against me. We already didn't get along too well. Advertisement I slumped in my little chair and began repeating the same personal details. This time, he asked about how my nipples responded to Dave being near me. I snapped. I shouted, "Do you want me to show you my hymen so you can see it is still intact? He instantly expelled me. I was told I would be ex-communicated if I ever contacted anyone at home in Arizona - my friends, Dave, the adults I trusted. The dean announced that I had been expelled for "Sexual Misconduct" in front of almost 6,000 other students and brethren. I was shunned - no one would talk to me at church. I was forced to attend, but not allowed to contaminate anyone until I had shown signs of sincere repentance. felt my parents hated me, although they let me sleep on a cot in a storage room. I eventually found a part time job so the church would give me permission to live with a "righteous" older girl from church. She called me a "filthy harlot" every day. During those dreadful, lonely months, I realized the ministers and God had been right all along: I was worthless. Recalcitrant. A sinner of the worst kind. A bad person through and through. I was not worthy of God's love, my parents' love, anyone's love. Advertisement They had won. I was so lost that I just gave up - on myself, on my dreams, on my life, on Dave, on my own happiness. Finally, I was told I had met the requirements of repentance at last. Very soon thereafter, just before I turned 20, I married a man who worked for the church and who needed a "godly" wife. We made it through ten years of me being someone I knew I wasn't. I left the church the day I left him, and he left it too a few years later. Both raised in that Fundamentalist "church", today we are good enough friends to look back and see the damage those beliefs wrought on our marriage. I wonder how many women who were also raised to be chattel make it out alive? I think about some of the women in the strict Muslim countries, even though I know there are many thousands of women worldwide suffering under the same heartless patriarchy in the name of religion. How different are we than those poor little 10 year-old-girls in Yemen who are forced to marry their 40-something uncles? I know there are many women here in America, right under my nose, who were raised to believe that their female gender makes them less deserving than men. Less than capable of taking care of themselves. Less than worthy of being strong, making their own decisions, growing into the fullness of who they really are. Using their gifts for their own joy and service to mankind, living as an authentic expression of love for themselves and others. I've run my own company for almost 30 years now. My publisher will release my next book in November of this year. I run a popular site on Facebook called the "WendyKellerCompassionPage". I have a new philanthropic venture that helps people going through life crises of all types. I raised our daughter - mostly on my own - to be a confident, strong, self-directed, educated young woman. I have been featured on countless radio and television programs, including Dr. Phil,Good Morning America and Dateline and I've written hundreds of published newspaper and magazine articles. In total, I've been the Real Me since I left that church and my husband. Advertisement I've learned to stand on my own two feet, albeit sometimes wobbly. So can you. If you're reading this and you can relate, please comment below. But also, please know that your perverse, abusive, misogynistic religious childhood doesn't really have to shape your future. At any age, we can break out and start anew. We can grab on to the life preserver and kick as hard as we can to get away from that sinking, stinking ship. They were wrong about you. They are wrong about women. You are glorious. You are competent. You are a bigger soul, more beautiful, more capable, more gifted, more creative, more delightful than anyone ever told you. You can set yourself free - the key is right there in your heart. This article was inspired by this post from @JaymeAllen. Here it is. Read her post too and let yourself be encouraged by those of us who escaped. ___________________ Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses during an attempted coup in Istanbul, Turkey July16, 2016. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY ISTANBUL -- The attempted coup in Turkey in mid-July was, unlike attempts by the military to seize power in 1998 and 2007, neither soft nor indirect. On the contrary, it was led by a harsh and hardcore group of senior military leaders and had a more than sufficient level of cross-divisional support. By midnight, while Istanbul and Ankara experienced intense fighting, most of Turkey's allies were still shamefully silent; many commentators believed that the coup was about to succeed. Some global news outlets had already started running post-coup news stories about how Erdogan brought the wrath of generals upon himself. Some wasted no time in arguing that the coup would bring democracy to Turkey. Advertisement The mood in Istanbul was very different. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who escaped a squad of plotters headed to his Marmaris hotel by only minutes, called on the nation to go into the streets against the traitors and protect their democracy. Meanwhile, mainstream media outlets were on air, still talking to the members of the elected government, not to the plotters. As Istanbul and Ankara experienced intense fighting, most of Turkey's allies were still shamefully silent. The coup attempt seemed destined to fail soon after it began because the plotters did not consider that the whole country's social dynamics had changed -- as well as in the rest of the world. It failed, and badly. In the end, it was essentially the people of Turkey who thwarted it, an unprecedented achievement. More than two weeks after that night of carnage, order has returned to Turkey. New details continue to emerge and the whole nation is more clearly understanding what kind of threat was avoided. This is both a great moment of pride and relief for Turks. Advertisement People gather at Taksim Square in Istanbul to protest the failed military coup on Aug. 2. (Abdullah Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) It would not be an exaggeration to argue that the coup attempt brought Turkey's polarized society closer together. Today, at a rare historic moment, political factions are united not only against the attempted coup, but also about who was behind it. On July 24, at an anti-coup rally in Istanbul's Taksim Square, top representatives of Erdogan's party, the AKP, took the stage along with Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition party, and his comrades. This provided a historic opportunity to civilize Turkey's military administration. Nearly half of the country's generals and admirals have been arrested. Military colleges will be shuttered and replaced by civilian defense academies. The chief of staff will now report to the president and land, air and navy forces to the defense minister. The coup attempt brought Turkey's polarized society closer together. Yet when you look at global media outlets, they portray a very different scene. This rare moment of socio-political conciliation and the democratization of the military administration are almost invisible. Indeed, that a brutal military coup was attempted in Turkey is given only as a background detail. Few stories underline the dynamics of public resistance to the coup and give details on how it was mobilized. Where are the stories of the more than 240 people who have lost their lives? On the contrary, newspapers and television screens around the world are full of news of a great purge. We are reading stories of how Erdogan is eviscerating the army and other state departments and further solidifying his grip on power. There are fantastic articles that even argue that Islam is surging in Turkey after the coup failed. Nobody can argue that such a huge and complex reprisal process will be free of mistakes and unfair cases; one expects the legal process to reassert control once the current state of emergency is over. Yet, it seems to me quite strange that, with a handful qualified exceptions like the New York Times or The WorldPost, global media outlets and opinion circles are so heavily concentrated on the post-coup reprisal as if nothing happened before it. There is, once again, a big gap between global perceptions of Turkey and the reality on the ground. People protest the failed military coup in Istanbul on July 19. (Berk Ozkan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) This gap has always been there. You can find the reasons for it in the oft repeated and partly convincing argument that Turkey is a torn country. As in many other cases of torn countries, alternate visions of reality compete with each other and whoever is closer to global content producers gets their version of reality into the global consciousness. Intentionally or not, many Western media organizations and decision makers get their information from a rather limited part of Turkish society. During recent years, that part has not only become more and more isolated from the rest of the public, but also distinctively resistant to Erdogan and his government. The result is a noticeable bias. Advertisement Binary thinking like this is an old fashioned way of analysis that's been abandoned and discredited. But the West still applies it to some parts of the world. That's why so many fail to grasp the reality in Turkey -- and to stand with the Turks in their struggle against a military coup. Anger towards Erdogan is so widespread that it fails to take a principled position against a brutal coup attempt. Intentionally or not, many Western media organizations and decision makers get their information from a rather limited part of Turkish society. But there is also the much-repeated, much-complained-about framing biases of most Western media outlets about eruptions of democracy in what seems to be a non-democratic part of the world. During military coup attempts -- or popular revolutions -- the framework through which the world views events are generally established not on what is happening, but rather on the power hierarchies and political priorities in place with that country. Lastly, there's the Gulenist factor. The perception of Gulenists as a benign civilian community, especially in the U.S., where they have a successful public relations program, is distant from the reality that most Turks came to know during the last couple of years. In Turkey, people view the Gulenists as a gang-like organization infiltrating and permeating the state and eliminating rivals through suppression, intimidation and blackmail using a great deal of eavesdropping and manufactured evidence. There are many solid criminal details that rather convincingly link Gulenists with the coup attempt. Yet when the global community has no idea of the clandestine side of this group, it becomes very difficult for people to be convinced that the Gulenists were behind it. Likewise, as foreigners can't diagnose the sheer number of Gulenists within the government and military, and the rather harmonious solidarity they possess, the current prosecution process seems to them to be a random purge of an immense number of people. Advertisement A Turkish soldier, arrested by civilians, is handed to police officers in Istanbul's Taksim Square on July 16. (AP Photo/Selcuk Samiloglu) Today, largely as a result of this Western indifference towards the coup and its culprits and the much greater amount of attention paid to other events, many people in Turkey, including commentators who have nothing to do with conspiracy theories, believe that people in the West would have been content if this coup had succeeded. Turks are struggling to convince their global counterparts about what is so clear to them here at home. I believe that many in the West will eventually come to terms with what Turks are trying to tell them these days. But the longer that process takes, the bigger the gap may become and the higher the likelihood that the West may lose Turkey as a trustworthy ally. More importantly, global media outlets will lose a great deal of credibility in the country. Also on WorldPost: Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: There is no shortage of pilots in the Turkish Air Force, the countrys Minister of Defence Fikri Isik said, HabertTurk TV channel reported Aug. 4. He said that the earlier dismissed pilots are being currently restored to service in the Turkish Air Force. A number of Turkish media outlets reported earlier that Turkish Air Force announced admission of military pilots. Previously, 214 military pilots were dismissed in Turkey as part of the fight against the movement of Fethullah Gulen who was involved in the military coup attempt in the country, said the report. Five hundred pilots were dismissed from the countrys Air Force in 2008-2014, according to the General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Finland began the reform of its education system some 40 years ago. Today, Finland's school system is top-ranked among developed nations, as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international standardized test for 15-year-olds in language, math and science. The most interesting aspect of their education system is that Finland achieved its success by breaking what are considered the customary rules of education. Finnish children do not begin school until the age of seven, when they are developmentally ready to learn, and schooling is compulsory for just nine years. School days are shorter and classes are fewer. Homework is minimal. There are no mandated standardized tests. There are no rankings, comparisons or competition between students, schools or regions. Yet 93% of Finns graduate from academic or vocational high schools, this is 17% higher than in the US. Sixty-six percent go on to higher education, the highest rate in the European Union. And Finland spends about 30% less per student than the US. Advertisement What can other countries learn from Finland's achievement? Here are three lessons. Let children play. Students in Finland only have three to four classes a day. They also have several breaks and recesses during the day, which usually are held outside whatever the weather, even in winter. These 15 to 20-minute breaks allow children time to digest what they are learning, to play and exercise in the fresh air. Studies have shown that children need to let out the "wiggles," and to be physically active in order to learn. Children who sit too much lose their focus, leading to so-called "hyper" kids. Less time in the classroom also benefits teachers, who use it to think, plan and create lessons. Give teachers some respect. Primary school teacher is one of the most sought-after positions and competitive degrees in Finland. Teaching programs accept just 10% of applicants and turn down thousands of students annually. The best and brightest candidates have to pass a series of interviews and personality screenings, designed to determine their natural ability and drive to teach. In addition to top grades and a natural disposition toward teaching, all teachers must earn a Master's degree. The requirement for an advanced degree essentially confers upon Finnish teachers the same status as a doctor or lawyer. Because only students with a gift for teaching are accepted into university programs, and teachers are so well-qualified and well-trained, they are highly respected and trusted by parents. Parents have confidence teachers will do what is in the best interest of the children. Teachers in turn are free to innovate, unfettered by bureaucracy or excessive regulation. Provide as much individual attention as possible. Classes are smaller in Finland. In elementary school, students often have the same teacher for up to six years of their education. Teachers get to know their students, their individual needs and learning styles. Weaker students are caught early and given extra assistance. The Finnish system overall stresses warmth, collaboration, encouragement and assessment, with teachers doing whatever it takes to help students, rather than stress and control. Advertisement The school system in Finland can be summed up in the words of a teacher, as quoted in Smithsonian magazine. "We prepare children to learn how to learn, not how to take a test," he says. "We know much more about the children than tests can tell us." Many of the countries in Africa need to find a way to deliver effective, efficient and high-quality higher education systems in the region. There is an abundance of growth and opportunity that needs to be met by eager and educated individuals. Also, it is important for Africa to understand that a good education isn't necessarily bought by spending more money. The Finnish outlook not only highlights the importance and possibility of spending less and still receiving a quality education, it provides a model that every country should learn to emulate. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Turkey, TRT Haber TV channel reported Aug. 4. Kerrys visit to Turkey will take place in late August, according to the TV channel. The US Secretary of State will meet with Turkish officials, as well as Chief of the General Staff of the countrys Armed Forces Hulusi Akar within the framework of the visit. This will be Kerrys first visit to Turkey after the military coup attempt. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Attorneys in a class-action lawsuit against three of Californias largest workers compensation insurance companies, including Berkshire Hathaway , are fighting a proposed dismissal of their case by claiming evidence is too devastating to warrant the action.The suit, filed in April, accuses Berkshire Hathaway Homestate, Zenith Insurance and Cypress Insurance of hacking into California attorney databases and stealing roughly 33,000 workers compensation files containing personal information related to a series of cases.Insurers filed a motion to dismiss the case in June, saying lead plaintiff Adela Gonzalez lacks standing as she cannot identify how she was harmed or aggrieved by the alleged incident under federal and state privacy laws.But Gonzalez and others struck back Monday, citing the fact that an insurance investigator associated with Berkshire admitted to taking the files, and that the insurer was caught using the information in separate litigation. By hacking into the servers of HQ Sign-Up Services, the platform used by law firm Reyes & Barsoum, Berkshire and the other insurers violated the Stored Communications Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.The statutes identified [in the complaint] were enacted and intended to protect the publics right to privacy in their electronic communications, Gonzalez wrote in Mondays action. Violations of those statutes based on the unlawful data breaches involving personal and confidential data confers standing, therefore, even in the absence of a showing of tangible harm.The hacking incident allegedly took place when insurance investigators William Reynolds and Oliver Glover broke into the law firms data base on behalf of Zenith and Berkshire. It is said to have taken place over several years, directed by the insurers, in order to access attorney-client privileged documents to gain an advantage in litigation.It was discovered in April 2014 when an in-chambers meeting during a workers compensation case between Berkshires attorney and lawyers for the plaintiff. Berkshires attorney was caught red-handed with the plaintiffs private files, the complaint states.Reynolds admitted to the California Workers Compensation Appeals Board his role in the hacking scheme, though Berkshire has argued he was not working for the company at the time of the breach. Gonzalez, however, suggests a direct link between the two, pointing in part to his status as a Berkshire employee through LinkedIn.Berkshires acceptance of Reynolds stolen information also suggests complicity, she argues.While defendants argue that they are strangers to plaintiffs workers compensation proceeding in which the hacking was discovered, it is still undisputed that defendants accessed downloaded plaintiffs In-Take packet, containing confidential and privileged information, Gonzalez wrote, referring to the file. [It] is fairly traceable to defendants.Though pointing out that tangible harm is not required for the suit to go forward, Gonzalez suggests that the public exposure of her information including attorney communications caused her harm due to the informations lost value. On Wednesday, a New Jersey federal judge ruled that owners of a commercial property damaged by Hurricane Sandy can still bring claims against their insurers.Chief U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle determined that insurance broker DeMonaco Agency Inc. and its wholesaler, Brooks Insurance Agency, cannot shake off the breach of fiduciary duty and professional negligence accusations brought by the commercial property owners GBW Realty Inc., Grace & The Dudes LLC and Brian McMullin.The ruling was made despite the property owners failing to provide an expert affidavit verifying that they have made their claims on time. The property owners reasoned that districtwide stay in Hurricane Sandy actions caused the delay.Judge Simandle also tackled the scope of the indemnification provision in the broker-wholesaler agreement between the companies. According to him, no reasonable factfinder could find that DeMonaco was entitled to contractual indemnification from Brooks. Judge Simandle, however, noted that it was too early to tell whether the latter should prevail on its own contractual indemnification claim, explaining that the applicable provision only mentions that DeMonaco has to provide indemnification for any claims arising from its own conduct.In that way, the provision appears to capture primarily, if not exclusively, claims related to DeMonacos conduct, and not any independent (or, potentially negligent) acts by Brooks. In their fiduciary duty claim, however, plaintiffs allege that Brooks owed plaintiffs fiduciary obligations independent from DeMonaco, and breached those obligations through acts unconnected to and separate from DeMonaco, Simandle said.In other words, plaintiffs allegations extend far beyond the narrow contours of the indemnification provision.It has not yet been confirmed if Brooks owed the property owners a fiduciary dutyand if so, whether the company had breached that duty, which would complicate its right to indemnification. It also remains unclear if DeMonacos actions solely breached that duty, which triggers the indemnification provision.In May 2012, the property owners hired DeMonaco to help secure insurance for a commercial property in in Sea Bright, New Jersey. Through Brooks help, DeMonaco managed to get the owners commercial property insurance from Lloyds of London underwriters.Hurricane Sandy then struck the owners property in Oct. 2012, causing significant property damage. The owners filed claims with their carriers, but Lloyds had cancelled the owners policy for premium nonpayment (purportedly without the knowledge of the policyholders) and denied their claim, which led to the lawsuit which began Oct. 2014.The commercial property owners asserted that Lloyds and the other insurance companies involved breached their policies. They also contended that Brooks and DeMonaco breached their fiduciary duty, with the latter additionally accused of professional negligence and fraud. The demand for professional liability insurance is set to hit $40.5 billion by 2019 according to new analysis from market consultancy Finaccord.The report shows that the US was the main driver of professional liability insurance in 2015, accounting for 53.4 per cent of the $36.2 billion global market.Medical malpractice was the largest single professional category buying the coverage ($17.9 billion).Finaccord forecasts that the global markets growth is likely to be higher in less developed markets but there is also growth expected from fast-growing sectors.It is generally likely that growth will be more rapid in segments in which the number of insurable entities is rising quickly and for which purchase of insurance for professional risks has historically not been viewed as essential, especially among smaller enterprises and individuals. Examples of such segments are IT, business consulting and healthcare-related services, commented Claire Michaud, Finaccord consultant.Sun Life Financial is to expand its operations in Asia with the acquisition of FWD Hong Kongs pensions business, Reuters reports.Its the latest addition in the region to the Toronto-based firms business, reflecting the growth possibilities in Asia with its growing middle-class.No details of the transaction have been revealed.Totten Insurance Group has acquired the shares of Canadian Resources Insurance Solutions for an undisclosed sum.Totten, a leading national managing general agency, says that the deal is a strategic acquisition which expands the firms footprint in Canada and also grows the national coverage for CRIS specialty offerings.The synergies created by this partnership will add significant value to our broker partners and further enhance Tottens focus on specialty underwriting across Canada, said Susan Murphy, President, Totten.CRIS president Rob Strain will join Totten reporting to Murphy.Just under 2 per cent of US housing stock, nearly 2 million homes, could be destroyed by rising sea-levels according to analysis by real estate marketplace Zillow.Based on new research published in the journal Nature which predicts sea levels rising 6 feet by 2100, Zillows report suggests that more than half of the homes lost would be in Florida where 1 in 8 homes would be lost.Among coastal states, Pennsylvania, Oregon and California have the lowest share of homes at risk of being underwater. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Commenting on Ankaras fighting the movement of Fethullah Gulen, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey and Azerbaijan are members of one family, the TRT Haber news channel reported Aug.4. He noted that Azerbaijans flag will always be welcome in Turkey and during the solidarity rally to be held Aug.7 in Istanbul, the Turkish people dont want to see any flag other than the flags of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Erdogan pointed out that Turkey will continue to fight the Gulen movement as before. It was earlier reported that the Turkish government and the oppositional Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will hold a joint protest rally against the military coup attempt in the country. President Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and MHP leader Devlet Bahceli will take part in the rally. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Liz Whynott of Tapestry Health presented an overview of what the organization offers to the Board of Health on Wednesday. Pittsfield Health Officials Considering Needle Exchange Program PITTSFIELD, Mass. City officials are looking into whether a needle exchange program will help halt the spread of infectious diseases. In the face of a heroin epidemic, a needle exchange program is one way to help users stop a growing number of Hepatitis C cases. Liz Whynott, director of the Syringe Access Program for Tapestry Health, said her organization currently runs two programs in Western Massachusetts one in Holyoke and one in Northampton and provides a way for users of injected drugs to have access to clean needles and to dispose of used needles. "We are anonymous. There is so much stigma and shame. People are very uncomfortable to come into a place for the first time and share that information. So they don't have to give us any identifying information. But the first time they have to sit with us and we assess their risk behavior in a conversation about what is going on in their life," Whynott said. The organization works on "harm reduction" in hopes that for those who are continuing to use, the health issues are minimized. For those who are not in rehabilitation programs, there is still tremendous risk. "We really work with the users who come in and talk about how they can improve their health. Because even if somebody is not in treatment, they do have the ability to make positive decisions," she said. The stopping of disease matters because Berkshire County has a seen a massive increase in Hepatitis C, according to Berkshire Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative Coordinator Jennifer Kimball. "Hepatitis C rates in the county are staggeringly high. You can't look at things as a Pittsfield problem, that's not how this works. In the first seven months of 2016 without ready access to coordinated screening and testing in any setting, close to 150 new cases of Hepatitis have been reported," Kimball said. She estimates that less than 50 percent of those with it actually know the status of it, meaning the confirmed number is low compared to actual prevalence of the disease. She said since 2010 in Berkshire County there have been 1,100 cases of Hepatitis C diagnosed translating to a countywide rate of 8.7 people per 1,000. To date this year, there have been 150 cases with 71 of them in Pittsfield. But what is more notable for Kimball is the age group. Of those 71 in Pittsfield, she said 43 of them are under the age of 45. In 2015, there were 140 cases with 55 in Pittsfield and 36 of those under the age of 45. "There is a large, large hepatitis disease burden here and a severe lack of services," Kimball said. She says if the trends continue, there will be somewhere around 250 new cases identified in Berkshire County in 2016. Added to the number of those who have not have the RNA exam perform to confirm it, she estimates more than 2,000 people are infected, which is double the national average per capita. "We have an abnormally high rate of deaths related to HIV and Hepatitis C," she added. Whynott said the trend of the disease is growing everywhere and Tapestry provides testing and connects patients with referral to doctors and other treatment. But, many are not seeking treatment because of access issues. She said with the population of drug users, there are challenges with transportation and economics keeping them from pursuing the care further. "There is a very worrisome growing trend for 15- to 24-year-olds. In that age group there is a lot of Hepatitis C and a lot of them are not accessing care," she said. A needle exchange is one way to help reduce the spread of disease, she said, and is coupled with a growing Narcan program the organization runs. Tapestry has distributed some 112 Narcan kits and provided training of how to identify when to use it, how to use it, and spot signs of an overdose. Narcan is an overdose reversal drug and she said many of those who have taken kits in all of the areas the company operates have reported using them. "We try to target drug users because drug users are the most likely, about 10 times more likely, to witness an overdose," Whynott said. Tapestry doesn't run a needle exchange program in Pittsfield and only recently submitted an application for approval to run one in North Adams. The organization is hoping the Board of Health will approve one for Pittsfield so it can pursue opening the program here. "In order to open a syringe exchange we have to get approval in each town. The body that authorizes syringe exchange is the local Board of Health," Whynott said. The company doesn't have any specific plans but wants a letter from health officials to start the process. But, the Board of Health refused to put their support to a vote without having the input from other city officials. According to Director of Health Gina Armstrong, the administration is meeting with health, law enforcement, and Tapestry Health on Thursday to consider the option. "The board is certainly open minded to it," member Jay Green said, but he added that he is reluctant to vote to support it until more information is provided. The board would be asked to send a letter to the state Department of Health and without that letter and further details, none of the members felt confident in doing that. "It should be a collaborative approach," Cynthia Geyer said, piggybacking on member Steve Smith's belief that such a program transcends just the health realm. General Manager Michael Gleason tells the Selectmen of the troubles the Adams Ambulance Service has had with the new dispatch system. Adams First Responders Say Dispatch Issues May Cause Tragedy ADAMS, Mass. The general manager of Adams Ambulance Service says the new dispatching system is faulty and warned "someone is going to get hurt" because of delays. Michael Gleason spoke during the public comment period at the Selectmen's meeting Wednesday. He told the board the ambulance service is not satisfied with the dispatching service now handled by the Berkshire County sheriff's office. "They aren't following the protocols and there are communication issues," Gleason said. "We need to get them fixed. I am not here looking for money, and I am not here to bash anyone. I came to tell you this is a very poor system and I am afraid someone is going to get hurt." Dispatching was taken over in June by the county communication center after Selectmen voted earlier this year to outsource the service in order to save near $95,000. Town officials have been looking to outsource 911 communications for several years as a cost savings but ran into continued opposition from residents and emergency responders. In early July, Police Chief Richard Tarsa said the system was up and running with a few minor bugs that had to be worked out. He said there were no safety concerns on the Police Department's end. Gleason said there have been more than a few "bumps" in the ambulance system that has caused delays of up to 20 minutes and in the past month. He said he made requests to the sheriff's office to use a specific protocol and has asked for changes to be made multiple times but has yet to receive an answer. Normally primary pagers go off alerting first responders, then secondary pagers go off alerting the backup crew if the first can't answer. He said they are not alerting the backup crew, instead sending calls straight to North Adams Ambulance or County Ambulance. "That is additional time. One time they didn't dispatch North Adams Ambulance until 13 minutes after the original call," Gleason said. "Fortunately for that person, he was having abdominal pain which turned out to be a minor problem. Thank god it was not a heart attack or a stroke." Gleason said he thought the ambulance would be allowed to keep the same radio frequency and channel, but found it had to switch to the Berkshire Control frequency the service does not have the infrastructure to handle. So he had to scramble to buy used pagers. He added that the service was also promised a phone line that linked it directly to the sheriff's office. He said this was installed at the last minute and it only allowed the sheriff's office to call Adams before it quit working altogether. There also are issues with the handheld radios. When the pagers go off, they are supposed to respond on the response channel. Gleason said this does not always work with the handhelds and they are at times useless when trying to contact the sheriff's office. "This portable ... I may as well throw it away it is useless," he said. "If I have to go into your house and one of your family members is having a heart attack, I have to go out to my truck to make a phone call or call the radio to ask for extra help." He added that this was an issue during last week's fatal car accident on Howland Avenue. "The officer in charge of the Fire Department was on his portable trying to get a hold of the dispatch center to get a hold of the [LifeFlight] helicopter because this person was obviously that bad," he said. "He couldn't reach them and he had to take off to his truck, which was a detriment to patient care." 'Cafe Society': Great Expectations, Woody Style The short review for Woody Allen's "Cafe Society," if you'll pardon the slang, is, "He's still got it!" So now here's the longer version. While the delightful, circa 1930s tale of a young man who leaves The Bronx for Hollywood in search of his raison d'etre and destiny isn't quite "Annie Hall" (1977), it's an entertaining addition to this national treasure's estimable body of work. It is witty, wise, poetic and, like most of the filmmaker's more recent films, reworks familiar topics with a storytelling art that elegantly synergizes styles from different eras of his career. Of course the lead issue is love, with money, ambition, status and the irony of life itself bringing up the rear. Savory and sweet notions combine in a delicious swirl of philosophical ideas that suggest the auteur might indeed uncover some of Cupid's elusive secrets if given the gift of more time. Pending that epiphany, he tenders a sighing, yin and yang blend of fatalistic optimism, and consoles that at least we are all in the same boat. Good performances breathe illustrative life into the grand thoughts and smartly exact the parables that constitute the plot. Act 1, Scene 1, Bobby Dorfman, despondent over the bleak prospect of toiling in his father's sad sack jewelry store, moves to Los Angeles with the hope that his Uncle Phil, a high-powered talent agent, will hook him up with some great expectations. Satirizing the vagaries of rich relatives petitioned for favors, it's initially slow-going, the show-offish star-maker preferring to do a little dance first. However, because even the jaded and shamelessly snooty acknowledge at least a trace of obligation to the blood-is-thicker-than- water thing, Phil, portrayed by Steve Carell, asks his secretary, Vonnie, to show Bobby around Hollywood. Well, you know how that usually goes. Now the future can wait. Whether gofer or junior partner, fully infatuated Bobby is singing in the shower. Naturally, there's a fly in the ointment. I can't say why, but Vonnie, for all her charm and down-to-earth espousals about the shallowness of Tinseltown, is unfortunately a cliche. Nevertheless, the undaunted Bobby is determined to win her favor. Meanwhile, Allen suffuses the tale with a subplot or three and, to supply sociocultural background while embroidering the scenario, regales us with an amusing series of character sketches as only he can write them. The Sand Mill Road bridge has been closed for more than a year now as town officials try to get the state to sign off on plans No Movement On Cheshire Bridge Project The Selectmen said they had renewed confidence in the school district leadership after meeting with the interim superintendent. CHESHIRE, Mass. The Selectmen are still waiting on state approval for the Sand Mill Road Bridge project. Some residents are getting frustrated with the lack of progress and on Tuesday wanted to know when work would begin. Selectman Paul Astorino said the town's hands are tied for the time being. "We have gone to our state reps trying to get it expedited, but we can't move Boston. That is the problem," he said. "We would like to be able to say it will start next week but our hands are tied ... we are pushing as hard as we can we are just so far away from Boston they just don't know here we are half the time." The town had to close the bridge last year because of unsafe conditions and deterioration. The town decided to use paving money to make repairs to the bridge. Many residents have complained about the inconvenience and longer travel times. The town plans to use paving money to fix the bridge that is estimated to cost between $150,000 and $250,000. Astorino said the bridge architect has gone back and forth with the state six times, however, a final approval has yet to be made. Selectman Robert Ciskowski added that the plan alterations are down to small tweaks at this point but even when they are complete, the town still has to go through the bidding process. "They are getting down to some really minute details on how to reconstruct the bridge like whether to bolt something together or whether to weld," he said. "It really is detailed engineering stuff now and it just takes time." The selectmen said they will keep calling the state. Town Administrator Mark Webber said the water superintendent has gathered two estimates for a mandated water system master plan. He said it probably cost the department a little more than $20,000. "Typically it is quite a bit less than that but with that recent state report that had many items on it, they all have to be addressed,"Webber said. After meeting with the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District interim Superintendent Robert Putnam last week, Ciskowski said his faith has been renewed in the school district. "I kind of have a renewed confidence that we are going to get somewhere with the schools," he said. "I really didn't know what to believe for a while." The other selectmen agreed and looked forward to better communication with the school. "I think he was forthright coming to us, and I feel we will get information we never got before," Astorino said. "It will only make things better." iciHaiti - Health : Timid resumption of health care at HUEH As announced Monday, by Dr Maurice Mainville Fils, Executive Director of the Hospital of the State University of Haiti (HUEH) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18209-haiti-health-umpteenth-announcement-of-resumption-of-activity-at-the-hueh.html the largest public hospital in Haiti, paralyzed since 28 March by a strike of resident physicians timidly resumed on Wednesday its activities but without resident physicians who maintain their strike. If dozens patient was seen in the hospital in the morning, about the middle of the day, most services were empty, despite the presence of several physicians of service, the patients having not been informed of this modest reopening. "The recovery is only partial," says Dr. Maurice Mainville, who confirmed having taken measures for regular presence of physicians of service stressing that HUEH does not possess, all the means of its policy. Moreover, it recognizes that many physicians of services were not present for fear of being attacked by protesters resident doctors, as has repeatedly been the case in previous months... He announces having asked for help from the National Police of Haiti (PNH), to ensure a minimum of security at the hospital, to deter aggression on staff or sabotage of equipment. However, the beginning of the recovery will not end the crisis paralyzing most public hospitals in Haiti, but on this issue, the Ministry remains silent except as negotiations continue... TB/ iciHaiti Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Anahanum Idayatova Trend: The tensions in relations between the US and Turkey are possible, and this is perfectly normal, problems in the relations of the US and Turkey occurred before as well, Togrul Ismayil, political scientist, associate professor of the Department of International Relations at the Ankara-based TOBB University of Economics and Technology, told Trend Aug. 4. Turkey, which is currently rebounding from the April 15 military coup attempt in the country, claims that former Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, the founder of the Gulen movement, is beind the coup attempt. Gulen currently resides in the US, and Turkey has made two official requests to the US regarding Gulen's extradiction, but they haven't been fulfilled. Togrul Ismayil believes that everything that is currently happening between Turkey and the US is a temporary cooling of relations, which will soon come to an end. Turkey and the US are two big countries with own interests, and these interests may sometimes collide, Ismayil said. He said that despite all the problems that exist between the two countries, Turkey continues to be of strategic interest to the US. Meanwhile, Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu noted that any support to Gulen movement by the US can harm friendly relations between the two countries. Following the failed coup attempt, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkey highly appreciates Azerbaijans role in Ankaras fight against the movement of Fethullah Gulen, Turkeys presidential administration told Trend Aug.4. Azerbaijan made a significant contribution to Ankaras fight against the Gulen movement and Turkey expects such reaction from other brotherly countries as well, said the presidential administration. Azerbaijans support to Turkey in its fight against the Gulen movement is another bright example of brotherly relations between Baku and Ankara, said Turkeys presidential administration. Fethullah Gulen was involved in the military coup attempt in Turkey. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Istanbul court has adopted a decision to arrest Fethullah Gulen, the Anadolu Agency reported Aug.4. Gulen is accused of organizing the military coup attempt in Turkey. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The US Vice President Joe Biden and Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim discussed the attempted military coup in Turkey during a phone conversation, the Turkish government said in a message Aug. 4. The message said that the US vice president strongly condemned the military coup attempt in Turkey. Biden noted that Turkey and the US, as before, are allies, and Washington understands Ankaras concerns over Fethullah Gulens extradition. Earlier, Turkish authorities sent two requests for Gulens extradition from the US. Istanbul court adopted a decision Aug. 4 to arrest Fethullah Gulen. He is accused of organizing the military coup attempt in Turkey. On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people excluding the coup plotters and over 2,000 people were wounded. Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Imperial Valley News Center President Obama Grants Commutations Washington, DC - Today, the President made grants of commutation of sentences to the following 214 individuals: Timothy Adams Hartsville, SC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine base (crack); Middle District of North Carolina Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 2, 1995) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment. Asher Adkins Columbia City, IN Offense: Distribution of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting (two counts); distribution of methamphetamine (three counts); use or carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime (two counts); distribution of more than 100 grams of methamphetamine (two counts); Northern District of Indiana Sentence: 624 months imprisonment; five years' supervised release (January 3, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Jamonte L. Allison Carbondale, IL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of "crack cocaine"; Southern District of Illinois Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $500 fine (September 6, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Joe Alvarado Ogden, UT Offense: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts); possession of a firearm and ammunition by convicted a felon; District of Utah Sentence: Life imprisonment (October 13, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Tyrell L. Anthony Kershaw, SC Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine); willfully failing to appear; District of South Carolina Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 28, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Reinaldo A. Arocho Lake Station, IN Offense: Drug conspiracy; maintaining a drug house; distribution of crack cocaine; carrying a firearm during drug trafficking; attempting to corruptly persuade a witness; Northern District of Indiana Sentence: 387 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 19, 2000); amended to 300 months' imprisonment (January 18, 2011) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Jose Carlos Arras, Jr. Albuquerque, NM Offense: 1. Conspiracy to import; conspiracy to wit: possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms and more of marijuana; District of New Mexico 2. Supervised release violation (Importation of a quantity of marijuana); Western District of Texas Sentence: 1. 262 months' imprisonment; eight years supervised release (November 4, 2002) 2. 10 months' imprisonment (consecutive) (November 4, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Sidney J. Ball Lenox, GA Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 12.04 kilograms of cocaine; Southern District of Texas Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 30, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Lloyd Battles Columbia, SC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; Southern District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (December 6, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment. David Bell Miami, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (three counts); Southern District of Florida Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (February 12, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Pauline K. Blake West Valley City, UT Offense: Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; conspiracy or attempt to manufacture methamphetamine (two counts); establishment of a manufacture operation; possession of a listed chemical (two counts); District of Utah Sentence: 210 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $2,000 restitution (January 7, 2002); amended to 292 months' imprisonment (January 27, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Deborah Lucille Blue Alcoa, TN Offense: 1. Distribution of cocaine base (two counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee 2. Supervised release violation (distribution of cocaine hydrochloride); Eastern District of Tennessee Sentence: 1. 292 months' imprisonment; eight years supervised release (February 23, 2007); amended to 234 months imprisonment (May 16, 2014) 2. 3 months' imprisonment (consecutive) (February 23, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Marston Edward Blue District Heights, MD Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute heroin and cocaine; felon in possession of firearm; possess with intent to distribute heroin, aiding and abetting; District of Maryland Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 25, 2002 (on remand)) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Lucius Boswell Madison, GA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); Middle District of Georgia Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 5, 1997) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Joshua Boyer Tampa, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; possession of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 288 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (November 27, 2001) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Debra R. Brown Nashville, TN Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base to a person under 21; Middle District of Tennessee Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 18, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Eddie Lee Brown Brunswick, GA Offense: Distribution of cocaine hydrochloride (two counts); Southern District of Georgia Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; six years' supervised release (June 12, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Patrick A. Brown Alexandria, VA Offense: Felon in possession of a firearm, aiding and abetting (two counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, aiding and abetting; District of Maryland Sentence: Life imprisonment; three years' supervised release (August 8, 1997) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Timothy Aaron Brown Warren, OH Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Central District of Illinois Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 3, 2009) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Jose Luis Buenrostro Stockton, CA Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; Eastern District of California Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 8, 1997) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months imprisonment. Barry Charles Butler Shelby, NC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 30, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment. Charles Bynum Torrance, CA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; Northern District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 27, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Annette Maria Canania DeSoto, MO Offense: Conspiracy to possess pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine; possession of pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine (two counts); Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (December 22, 2006); amended to 210 months' imprisonment (April 27, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Jose Manuel Candelario Miami, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Schedule II (crack cocaine) controlled substance; possess with intent to distribute Schedule II (crack cocaine) controlled substance; Southern District of Alabama Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (April 21, 1994); amended to 360 months imprisonment (May 17, 1999) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Ralph Casas North Miami Beach, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute 9,445 kilograms of cocaine; District of Puerto Rico Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (April 19, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 292 months' imprisonment. Willie Chester Waco, TX Offense: Possession of a firearm by felon; false statement in acquisition of firearm; Western District of Texas Sentence: 264 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $3,000 fine (March 26, 1992) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Donyelle Childs Clearwater, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (January 12, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment. Kenneth Choice Chicago, IL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver narcotics; possession with intent to deliver narcotics; Northern District of Illinois Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 24, 1999); amended to life imprisonment; eight years supervised release (June 9, 2004); amended to 324 months imprisonment (February 1, 2016) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Osvaldo Cisneros-Gutierrez Earlimart, CA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of methamphetamine; Northern District of Texas Sentence: 292 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (October 13, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 228 months' imprisonment. Mark Anthony Clark Rockford, IL Offense: Conspiracy; possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute amphetamine; possession of a firearm by a felon/fugitive from justice and aiding and abetting; Northern District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment; six years' supervised release (September 1, 1995) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months imprisonment. Antonio Cobb Bloomington, IL Offense: Distribution of cocaine base; Central District of Illinois Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 28, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months imprisonment. Jimmie Clyde Collins Joshua, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute; possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting; using a drug involved premises and aiding and abetting; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Texas Sentence: 370 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (February 11, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Dewayne L. Comer Syracuse, NY Offense: Engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise; conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (two counts); possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; Northern District of New York Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (December 8, 1997) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Jason Andrew Comer Weyers Cave, VA Offense: Aid and abet in the possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Western District of Virginia Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (October 23, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Delaria Antwan Conway Laurens, SC Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine and a quantity of cocaine (two counts); District of South Carolina Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (December 17, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Eugene Ross Cousins Greenville, VA Offense: Distribution of methamphetamine (two counts); possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (two counts); drug user in possession of firearm (two counts); Western District of Virginia Sentence: 406 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (August 8, 2007); amended to 397 months' imprisonment (April 4, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Lavon A. Crockett Kansas City, KS Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base ("crack cocaine"); District of Kansas Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release (December 6, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Darnell Crookshank West Covina, CA Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture phencyclidine; manufacture with intent to distribute phencyclidine, aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute phencyclidine; Central District of California Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 17, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Dawan Croskery Buffalo, NY Offense: Engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise; money laundering; Western District of New York Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (December 16, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Andrew Crumbly Fort Myers, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine base, crack cocaine (three counts); Middle District of Florida Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; six years' supervised release (February 14, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. Morris Dabbs Trenton, NJ Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base (crack); Middle District of North Carolina Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 29, 2000); amended to 291 months imprisonment (August 2, 2011); amended to 240 months imprisonment (October 6, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Ricky Darden Kinston, NC Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); District of Maryland Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 16, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Lenwood Davies Wabasso, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Southern District of Florida Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (November 15, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Richard Lawrence Davis St. Louis, MO Offense: 1. Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Eastern District of Missouri 2. Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 1. 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (June 15, 2004) 2. 93 months' imprisonment (concurrent) (March 4, 2005); amended to 75 months' imprisonment (November 18, 2011) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Terry Davis Monroe, LA Offense: Distribution of cocaine base; Western District of Arkansas Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 8, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Christopher M. Dees Pensacola, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base; Northern District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (September 1, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Jose Del Valle Philadelphia, PA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and aiding and abetting; Eastern District of Pennsylvania Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 7, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Maynard Dennis Liverpool, NY Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Northern District of New York Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (September 7, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Bobbie Jo Diers Romeoville, IL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base ("crack"); possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base ("crack"); Central District of Illinois Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 12, 2010) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. James J. Dino Upper Tumon, GU Offense: 1. Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; District of Guam 2. Supervised release violation (possession with intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine); District of Guam Sentence: 1. 240 months' imprisonment;10 years supervised release (October 19, 2006) 2. 60 months' imprisonment (concurrent) (October 19, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 193 months imprisonment. Scottie Ladon Dixon Atmore, AL Offense: 1. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; 2. Violation of supervised release (conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine); 1. Southern District of Alabama; 2. Southern District of Alabama Sentence: 1. Life imprisonment; 2. 33 months' imprisonment (concurent); 1. 10 years' supervised release (1. & 2. May 18, 2010) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 221 months' imprisonment. Thomas Duncan Columbia, TN Offense: Possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; felon in possession of a firearm; possession of five grams or more of cocaine base with intent to distribute; Eastern District of Tennessee Sentence: 352 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (September 23, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Vincent Duval Bradenton, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (October 28, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. William Ennis El Paso, TX Offense: Conspiring to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, to wit: cocaine more than five kilograms; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, to wit: cocaine more than five kilograms; using a communication device to facilitate the commission of a felony; Western District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $5,000 fine (July 17, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Kenneth Evans Fort Worth, TX Offense: Conspiracy; possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base and aiding and abetting; use and carry firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and aiding and abetting; Northern District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment plus 60 months; five years' supervised release (August 20, 1993) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment. Ronald Evans Norfolk, VA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin, and a mixture containing cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute heroin (three counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing cocaine base (two counts); Eastern District of Virginia Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (July 30, 1993); amended to 360 months' imprisonment (March 16, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Ronald Evans New York, NY Offense: 1. Possession with intent to distribute in excess of five grams of cocaine base; District of Maine 2. Supervised release violation (possession with intent to distribute cocaine base); District of Maine Sentence: 1. 270 months' imprisonment; eight years supervised release (August 13, 2003) 2. 12 months' imprisonment (concurrent) (August 13, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. James Oliver Fambro Decatur, GA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense; Northern District of Florida Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release, $500 fine (April 5, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. J. B. Farris, Jr. Atlanta, GA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Georgia Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 26, 1993) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Corey Ferguson Bowling Green, KY Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; distribution of cocaine, aiding and abetting; Western District of Kentucky Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (May 5, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 202 months' imprisonment. Alejandro Flores Mission, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; traveling in interstate commerce to facilitate a criminal activity; Northern District of Georgia Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 10, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment. Raul Camargo Flores Lubbock, TX Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting; Northern District of Texas Sentence: 292 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 7, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Felix Monroe Fort Birmingham, AL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; Northern District of Alabama Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release (November 18, 1998) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months' imprisonment. Raymond Fox New York, NY Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Southern District of New York Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 2, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Charles Franklin St. Louis, MO Offense: Possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of cocaine base (crack); possession with the intent to distribute heroin; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 7, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Cleveland R. Franklin, Jr. Indianapolis, IN Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing cocaine base; carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Southern District of Indiana Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (November 17, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Michael L. Franklin Kansas City, MO Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of Missouri Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 3, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Toddrick Onterio Franklin St. Petersburg, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm in and affecting interstate commerce; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 120 months' supervised release (March 21, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. William Anthony Freeman Detroit, MI Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of Michigan Sentence: 480 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (December 14, 1990) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Thomas R. Fuller Kansas City, MO Offense: Conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine; aiding and abetting to distribute crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of a firearm; Western District of Missouri Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 7, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. John Nicholas Gargano Folcroft, PA Offense: 1. Conspiracy to distribute methylenedioxymethamphetamine and ketamine; distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine; distributing and possessing with intent to distribute ecstasy; Southern District of New York 2. Conspiracy to commit identification fraud and credit card fraud; unauthorized use of access devices; Southern District of New York 3. Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine; District of New Jersey Sentence: 1. 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (November 30, 2004) 2. 10 years' imprisonment (concurrent); three years supervised release; $212,379.38 restitution (November 30, 2004) 3. 100 months' imprisonment (concurrent); five years' supervised release (September 8, 2010) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Enrique Garza Zolfo Springs, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; attempt to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 480 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 17, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Jesse James Gentry Grand Prairie, TX Offense: Possession of more than 50 grams of crack cocaine with intent to distribute; Northern District of Texas Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (February 3, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Bernard Gibson, Sr. Temple Hills, MD Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled drug substances: heroin and cocaine; District of Maryland Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 15, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment. Steve P. Gillespie Greeneville, TN Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (August 16, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Derrick Glass Youngstown, OH Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Northern District of Ohio Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 14, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Fred M. Glover Washington, DC Offense: Unlawful distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base; unlawful distribution of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school (three counts); unlawful distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (two counts); District of Columbia Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (October 17, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Will A. Goines, Jr. Chicago, IL Offense: Distribution of cocaine base ("crack") (three counts); Central District of Illinois Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 14, 2010) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 120 months imprisonment. Michael Goldsby Cleveland, OH Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 5.88 grams of cocaine base; Northern District of Ohio Sentence: 383 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (November 19, 1997); amended to 360 months' imprisonment (August 31, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Ramon Gonzalez San Juan, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute 4506.65, kilograms of marijuana; possession with intent to distribute 4506.65 kilograms of marijuana; Southern District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment; life term supervised release (January 20, 2009) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment. Edgar Gonzalez-Valentin Mayaguez, PR Offense: Conspiracy to import cocaine, aiding and abetting; importation of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of firearm in relation to drug trafficking crime (two counts); District of Puerto Rico Sentence: 595 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (July 10, 1992); amended to 511 months' imprisonment (August 19, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Christopher Green Waycross, GA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine hydrochloride and crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (two counts); Southern District of Georgia Sentence: Life imprisonment (December 23, 1997) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. Randy P. Green Sikeston, MO Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 7, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Samuel Grooms Clinton Township, MI Offense: Conspiracy with intent to distribute heroin; attempted possession with intent to distribute heroin; Eastern District of Michigan Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 23, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment. Steven C. Hall Gonzales, LA Offense: 1. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base; Middle District of Louisiana 2. Supervised release violation (conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base); Middle District of Louisiana Sentence: 1. 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years supervised release (April 22, 2005) 2. 45 months' imprisonment (consecutive) (February 16, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Stephen Ramont Hardridge Tulsa, OK Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of cocaine and 50 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of cocaine base; Northern District of Oklahoma Sentence: 292 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $10,000 fine (November 25, 2002 (on remand)); amended to 240 months' imprisonment (June 10, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, and unpaid balance of the $10,000 fine remitted. Steven R. Hardy Tampa, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 50 grams of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute and distribution of more than 50 grams of cocaine base; Middle District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 14, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Donella Marie Harriel Stuart, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; District of South Carolina Sentence: 264 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 17, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment and 10-year term of supervised release commuted to a four-year term of supervised release. Benjamin Harris Dallas, TX Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute MDMA, cocaine and 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Middle District of Louisiana Sentence: 226 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (February 23, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment. Christopher J. Heath Ridgway, IL Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture more than 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; Southern District of Illinois Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $500 fine (February 24, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Wilson Henderson Hollywood, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (incorrectly listed on the judgment as cocaine); use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Southern District of Georgia Sentence: Life plus 60 months imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 20, 1992) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. John A. Hill Cleveland, OH Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; felon in possession of a firearm; Northern District of Ohio Sentence: Life imprisonment (July 16, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. Robert Hill Washington, DC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base (three counts); Eastern District of Virginia Sentence: 480 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 20, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment. Marcell Hogans St. Louis, MO Offense: Distribution of cocaine base; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 168 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (August 21, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Kenneth Bronson Hughes Charlotte Court House, VA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; Western District of Virginia Sentence: 334 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (September 3, 2003); amended to 272 months imprisonment (September 2, 2008); amended to 218 months imprisonment (March 4, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Deangelo Hunt Richmond, VA Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of Virginia Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (February 1, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Courtney D. Hurt Tamms, IL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base; Southern District of Illinois Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (July 25, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, and unpaid balance of $1,000 fine remitted, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Alfonzo Ingram Rowlett, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Northern District of Illinois Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (June 16, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment. Anthonial Irick Cameron, SC Offense: Possession with intent to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine; possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Middle District of Georgia Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 18, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Albert Jackson Mount Vernon, IL Offense: 1. Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; distribution of cocaine; 2. Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine; Central District of Illinois Offense: 1. Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; distribution of cocaine; 2. Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine; Central District of Illinois Sentence: 1. 262 months' imprisonment; 2. 480 months' imprisonment (consecutive); 1. 10 years' supervised release; 2. eight years' supervised release (1. August 19, 1991; 2. November 7, 1994) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Dickey Joe Jackson Boyd, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts); felon in possession of a firearm; possession of an unregistered firearm (two counts); Northern District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 17, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Elmer Jackson Bushnell, FL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (four counts); Middle District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (December 19, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment. Eugene Ernst Jackson Baltimore, MD Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics; distribution and possession with narcotics, aiding and abetting; District of Maryland Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 19, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment. Tommy Merrel Jackson Boyd, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; Northern District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 17, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Tyrand James Youngstown, OH Offense: Distribution of cocaine (two counts); distribution of cocaine base; Northern District of Ohio Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 16, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Bernard Jennings Vero Beach, FL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (three counts); Southern District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 12, 1993) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Douglas George Jensen Whitefish, MT Offense: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; District of Montana Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 24, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Derrick Anthony Johnson Richmond, VA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; as principle or aider and abettor, possessed with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of Virginia Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 17, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Frederico Johnson Kansas City, MO Offense: Distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base; Western District of Missouri Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (July 23, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months imprisonment. Matthew Troy Johnson Baltimore, MD Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, aiding and abetting; District of Maryland Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (November 12, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Walter Lee Johnson Shreveport, LA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Western District of Louisiana Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 14, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Arnold Ray Jones Lubbock, TX Offense: Distribution of less than 50 grams of cocaine base and aiding and abetting; Northern District of Texas Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release (November 22, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Jeffrey Lynn Jones Eugene, OR Offense: Manufacturing methamphetamine; conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; District of Oregon Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (November 3, 1999) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Vernon Jones Evansville, IN Offense: Possession with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base (mixture); distribution of cocaine base (mixture) (two counts); Southern District of Indiana Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (June 9, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Albert J. Josey, Jr. Sayreville, NJ Offense: Possession of 50 grams or more of cocaine base with intent to distribute; Western District of Virginia Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (October 3, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, and unpaid balance of the $1,000 fine remitted. Keldren Joshua Los Angeles, CA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance; Central District of California Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (August 21, 2006); amended to 168 months' imprisonment (November 10, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Cory Baker Kamerud Aberdeen, SD Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Northern District of Iowa Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 7, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Charceil Kellam Berryville, VA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base; distribute more than 5 grams of cocaine base; Western District of Virginia Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 24, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 160 months' imprisonment. Kenneth Lee Kelley Westville, OK Offense: Felon in possession of firearm after former conviction (two counts); possession of stolen firearm; attempt to manufacture methamphetamine (three counts); possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine; possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of methamphetamine; possesssion of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of Oklahoma Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (April 27, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Milton Kemp Jewell, GA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine; Southern District of Georgia Sentence: 280 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 19, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Joseph Willie Kennedy Randallstown, MD Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, aiding and abetting; District of Maryland Sentence: Life imprisonment (December 14, 1992) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. Delinege King Houston, TX Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; Eastern District of Louisiana Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 27, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Vince Cordell King Detroit, MI Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); using or carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of a firearm; Eastern District of Michigan Sentence: Life plus five years' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (May 21, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Kent Edward Kiser Manassas, VA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; Eastern District of Virginia Sentence: 270 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (March 10, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment. James LaRon Knight Jonesboro, GA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Southern District of Alabama Sentence: 292 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (November 23, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Derrick Tyrone Lamb Fort Pierce, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Southern District of Florida Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (March 3, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 151 months' imprisonment. Charlie Lawuary Springfield, IL Offense: Possession of controlled substance with intent to distribute; Central District of Illinois Sentence: Life imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (July 27, 1998) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Josephine Ledezma Rialto, CA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance (cocaine); being aided and abetted by others, did unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally possess and cause to be possessed, with intent to distribute, a Schedule II controlled substance (cocaine); Western District of Tennessee Sentence: Life imprisonment (October 30, 1992) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. James Allen Ledford Auburndale, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Middle District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 16, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 235 months' imprisonment. Eric L. Lemon St. Petersburg, FL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 6, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Gregory Allen Liningham Los Angeles, CA Offense: Possession of more than 50 grams of "crack" cocaine with intent to distribute; Western District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $3,000 fine (December 1, 1993) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Antonio Lopez Grand Prairie, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; Eastern District of Texas Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (October 26, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Jeffrey Lundin Livingston, TX Offense: Conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States; conspiracy to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine while aboard a United States vessel; Southern District of Florida Sentence: 324 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 15, 1998) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Edwin M. Mack Fort Myers, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base, "crack cocaine"; distribution of a quantity of cocaine base, "crack cocaine" (two counts); possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base, "crack cocaine"; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of an unregistered firearm (incorrectly listed on the judgment as possession of a firearm by a convicted felon); Middle District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 1, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Alonzo Mackins, Jr. Charlotte, NC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine, cocaine base, heroin, and marijuana; conspiracy to commit money laundering; Western District of North Carolina Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (October 8, 1999); amended to 360 months imprisonment; three years supervised release (August 14, 2006); amended to life imprisonment (September 2, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Alberto Maisonet Philadelphia, PA Offense: Distribution of cocaine base (two counts); distribution of cocaine (two counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine; illegal use of a communication facility (four counts); Eastern District of Pennsylvania Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (February 23, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Sheldon Paul Mangiapane Hot Springs, AR Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 13, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Tommy M. Martinez Sparta, IL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine; Southern District of Illinois Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $4,000 fine (April 7, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, and unpaid balance of the $4,000 fine remitted. Robert L. Matthews Memphis, TN Offense: 1. Distribution of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Northern District of Mississippi 2. Supervised release violation (possession with intent to distribute cocaine base); Western District of Tennessee Sentence: 1. 280 months' imprisonment; eight years supervised release (June 13, 1997) 2. 15 months' imprisonment (consecutive) (September 30, 1998) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. James A. McGee Chidester, AR Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; possession of chemicals with intent to manufacture methamphetamine (three counts); Southern District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (April 4, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Artis Sangria McGraw Saluda, SC Offense: Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; use of fiream during and in relation to a crime of violence; felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm with obliterated serial numbers; District of South Carolina Sentence: 270 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 30, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Reba L. McIntyre Hayti, MO Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (June 26, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Torey A. McKay Wesley Chapel, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute and distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (two counts); possession with intent to distribute and distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute and distribute a quantity of cocaine; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (March 29, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Rudolph McKinnon, Jr. Fort Walton Beach, FL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Florida Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (October 26, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. John Anthony Mickens Louisa, VA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense; Western District of Virginia Sentence: 211 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (June 25, 2007); amended to 181 months imprisonment (October 21, 2008); amended to 180 months imprisonment (October 14, 2011) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. David Dean Millard Grimes, IA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; use of communication facility to distribute methamphetamine (two counts); Southern District of Iowa Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (October 10, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Titus Jerrard Mobley Groveland, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; Middle District of Florida Sentence: 210 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (June 23, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Tyrone Montgomery Lexington, KY Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of Kentucky Sentence: 288 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 27, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 209 months' imprisonment. Ronald Perry Moon Commerce, GA Offense: Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; Northern District of Georgia Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $2,000 fine (February 10, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, and unpaid balance of $2,000 fine remitted. Martin Brandon Moore Fort Lauderdale, FL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base and more than 5 kilograms of a mixture and substance containing cocaine; principal to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and more than 50 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base; Northern District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 30, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment. Michael L. Moore Mount Vernon, NY Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine; distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine; Eastern District of Virginia Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (June 5, 1998); amended to 292 months' imprisonment (October 27, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Amir Morgan Evansville, IN Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine (mixture); Southern District of Indiana Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (December 19, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on July 1, 2017. Lucille Mae Morse Billings, MT Offense: Distribution/possession with intent to distribute heroin/methamphetamine (two counts); possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (six counts); District of Montana Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 29, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Luciano Murga Houston, TX Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana; Northern District of Florida Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $800 fine (January 25, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Robert Earl Nettles Fort Pierce, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Southern District of Florida Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (January 22, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Linton C. Nichols Cleveland, OH Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack); possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Nothern District of Ohio Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 15, 1999) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Robert Lee Nickles Mobile, AL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Southern District of Alabama Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 27, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Hilario Nieto, III San Antonio, TX Offense: 1. Possession with intent to distribute heroin; Western District of Texas 2. Distribution of a controlled substance, heroin; Western District of Texas Sentence: 1. 188 months imprisonment; five years supervised release (Feburary 5, 2004) 2. 188 months imprisonment (60 months consecutive to above offense, the remainder concurrent); three years' supervised release (August 9, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Francisco Olivera Modesto, CA Offense: 1. Use of a communication facility in the commission of a drug offense; Eastern District of California 2. Conspiracy to manufacture and to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute; attempted manufacture of methamphetamine, aiding and abetting; possession of a listed chemical knowing that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine, aiding and abetting; Eastern District of California Sentence: 1. 48 months' imprisonment; 12 months supervised release (March 16, 1998) 2. 324 months' imprisonment (consecutive); 36 months' supervised release (November 3, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 288 months' imprisonment. Kenyatta O'Neil San Antonio, TX Offense: Distribution of cocaine base (two counts); Western District of Texas Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (March 30, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Candido Ortiz-Martinez Pagedale, MO Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of firearm during the commission of a drug trafficking crime (two counts); distribution of cocaine; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 592 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (December 12, 1991); amended to 535 months' imprisonment (March 30, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Lonnie Dwayne Payne St. Louis, MO Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; interstate transportation of a firearm by a felon; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 324 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 25, 2003); amended to 240 months' imprisonment (April 21, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Jeremy Payton Winnfield , LA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Western District of Louisiana Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 8, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Erenio C. Perez Colorado Springs, CO Offense: Conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting the manufacture in excess of one kilogram of methamphetamine; possession and aiding and abetting the possession of ephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine (two counts); possession and aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (two counts); District of Colorado Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 19, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Sharon Price Nacogdoches, TX Offense: Conspiracy to commit money laundering; Western District of Texas Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $20,000 fine (June 6, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, and unpaid balance of the $20,000 fine remitted. Thomas Jefferson Price, III Kernersville, NC Offense: Conspiracy: possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine; possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine (three counts); Middle District of North Carolina Sentence: 330 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 24, 1999) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Jack Dewhan Randolph Charlotte, NC Offense: Possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and aiding and abetting the same (two counts); Western District of North Carolina Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (November 29, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Evans Ray, Jr. Fort Washington, MD Offense: Distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine, aiding and abetting; felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, aiding and abetting; District of Maryland Sentence: 324 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 7, 2007); amended to life imprisonment (May 15, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Keith Ray Minneapolis, MN Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Northern District of Illinois Sentence: 263 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $2,500 fine (April 17, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Richard D. Reid Wilmington, DE Offense: Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition (five counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of a cocaine base (crack); possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession of crack cocaine; possession of marijuana; District of Delaware Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 4, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Ricardo Renteria Irving, TX Offense: 1. Conspiracy to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine; Western District of Texas 2. Conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine; Eastern District of Texas Sentence: 1. 235 months' imprisonment; five years supervised release; $1,000 fine (August 22, 2007); amended to 188 months imprisonment (August 24, 2015) 2. 135 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (October 8, 2008); amended to 108 months' imprisonment (November 13, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment. Richard L. Reser Sedgwick, KS Offense: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of firearm while trafficking in drugs (two counts); possession of a firearm by a felon; distribution of methamphetamine; conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; District of Kansas Sentence: 480 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (December 20, 1989) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Samuel Reyes Coral Springs, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute detectable amount of cocaine; Southern District of Florida Sentence: 210 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (November 24, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Broderick Richardson Louisville, KY Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Western District of Kentucky Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 27, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. William C. Robertson, Sr. New Orleans, LA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Northern District of Florida Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (November 8, 2001) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Derwlyn Rosborough Lake View Terrace, CA Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine; District of Wyoming Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release, $2,000 fine (December 5, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Thomas R. Ross Fairfield, CA Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; conspiracy to distribute pseudoephedrine with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that it would be used to manufacture a controlled substance; distribution of pseudoephedrine with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe it would be used to manufacture a controlled substance and aiding and abetting; Eastern District of California Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (April 26, 2001) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on September 2, 2016. Jerome Rowser Birmingham, AL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of firearms; Northern District of Alabama Sentence: Life plus 60 months imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 19, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Alphonso P. Rubalcava Rock Island, IL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Central District of Illinois Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 19, 2002); amended to 327 months' imprisonment (June 22, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Breon Montez Sanders Wilmington, NC Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack) and five kilograms of cocaine; Eastern District of North Carolina Sentence: 295 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (August 17, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Michael Sandmeyer Rockford, IA Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) after having previously been convicted of a felony drug offense; felon in possession of a firearm; Northern District of Iowa Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 22, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Kelvin Jerome Shears, Jr. Rock Island, IL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Southern District of Iowa Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (April 23, 2007) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Andrew Simmons, III Lake Charles, LA Offense: Possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Western District of Louisiana Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 14, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Martin Ruiz Singh Marshalltown, IA Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; distribution of methamphetamine (three counts); felon in possession of a firearm ; Southern District of Iowa Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 12, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment. Kenneth H. Smith Nashville, TN Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack cocaine); convicted felon in possession of firearms; false written statement to licensed firearm dealer; Middle District of Tennessee Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 29, 2001) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Kenneth Junior Smith Brooklyn, NY Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base, aid and abet (three counts); felon in possession of a firearm; District of South Carolina Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 14, 1999) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Noriel K. Snider St. Louis, MO Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 196 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release (June 8, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Martin Souza Chicago, IL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine; Northern District of Ohio Sentence: Life imprisonment (December 15, 1999) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. Christopher Stanton Pensacola, FL Offense: Possession of firearm by a convicted felon; possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Northern District of Florida Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (July 25, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Sandy Steen, Jr. San Antonio, TX Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base; Western District of Texas Sentence: Life imprisonment (December 3, 1993) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Cedric DeWayne Stephens Waco, TX Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana; conspiracy to commit money laundering; Western District of Texas Sentence: 120 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $2,000 fine; $2,000,000 forefeiture (July 15, 2011) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, and obligation and payment of forfeiture remitted. Terry Storeby Waverly, FL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Middle District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 29, 2003) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 300 months' imprisonment. Minnie Pearl Thomas Allentown, GA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine; Middle District of Georgia Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 20, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Vincent Thomas Gonzales, LA Offense: Violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act (two counts); Eastern District of Louisiana Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 26, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Derrick Anthony Timmons Herndon, VA Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; Eastern District of Virginia Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 1, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. John L. Tolliver Holly, MI Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Southern District of Illinois Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $250 fine (June 23, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, and 10-year term of supervised release commuted to five-year term of supervised release. Terrence Upshaw Yonkers, NY Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base; Northern District of New York Sentence: Life imprisonment (December 29, 1998) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. Ronald Wade Daytona Beach, FL Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride; Middle District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $25,000 fine (April 5, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, and unpaid balance of the $25,000 fine remitted, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Jimmy L. Walden, Jr. Morristown, TN Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana; Eastern District of Tennessee Sentence: Life imprisonment (May 19, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Rodney Edward Wall Rockingham, NC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a protected area; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 7, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Clarence Ward Hollywood, FL Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (four counts); felon in possession of a firearm; Southern District of Florida Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (December 20, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months' imprisonment. Richard Douglas Warrick Englewood, NJ Offense: Drug conspiracy: controlled substance, sell, distribute or dispense mixture of cocaine base; controlled substance, sell, distribute or dispense mixture cocaine base (two counts); Northern District of Alabama Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $500 fine (January 10, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Jamel Washington Austin, TX Offense: Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute; felon in possession of a firearm; Western District of Texas Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (December 1, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Dennis Merrimon Waters Hendersonville, NC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine; Western District of North Carolina Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (October 1, 2002) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment. Dennis L. Webb Washington, DC Offense: Unlawful distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base (two counts); unlawful distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (incorrectly listed on the judgment as cocaine); unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; District of Columbia Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 13, 1999) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Billy Whitehead North Little Rock, AR Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; aiding and abetting the distribution of less than five grams of cocaine base (two counts); distribution of more than five grams of cocaine base (two counts); aiding and abetting the distribution of more than five grams of cocaine base (two counts); Eastern District of Arkansas Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 21, 2000) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Patricia Widener Glade Spring, VA Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Western District of Virginia Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $10,950 restitution (November 13, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 151 months imprisonment, and unpaid balance of restitution obligation remitted. Ralph K. Williams Baltimore, MD Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; District of Maryland Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $6 million forfeiture (February 25, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment and obligation and payment of forfeiture remitted. Byron Willis Knoxville, TN Offense: Distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride; Eastern District of Tennessee Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (March 7, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Damion M. Wilson Caruthersville, MO Offense: Distribution of five grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base; Eastern District of Missouri Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (March 19, 2008) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. David Dejuan Wise Montgomery, AL Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and aiding and abetting; possession of cocaine base; Middle District of Alabama Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (July 13, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. Karen Denise Witherspoon Lenoir, NC Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina Sentence: 324 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 10, 2007); amended to 262 months' imprisonment (November 19, 2015) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment. Ervin Darnell Worthy Akron, OH Offense: 1. Felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm with an altered serial number; Northern District of Ohio 2. Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine; Northern District of Ohio Sentence: 1. Life imprisonment (February 7, 1996) 2. Life imprisonment (February 7, 1996) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2017. James Wright Baltimore, MD Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and aiding and abetting; District of Maryland Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 4, 2006) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016. New California Clinic Provides One-Stop Shop for Marines, Sailors Twentynine Palms , California - Navy Medicine West Commander, Rear Adm. Bruce L. Gillingham, stood side by side with Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms Commanding Officer, Capt. John A. Lamberton and with the Director of NHTP Branch Health Clinics, Cmdr. Rebecca Navarrete, to officially open the new Medical Home Port for Marines and Sailors. The new clinic replaces the old building, a former dental clinic that dates back to when the Marine Corps Base was established in 1953. The new $21 million, 45,000-square-foot facility delivers high-quality health care to both garrison Marines and active-duty service members on board the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. The new AMCC/Medical Home Port consolidates the battalion aid stations, which previously had been attached to individual units and allows patients to access Audiology, Deployment Health, Immunology, Laboratory, Mental Health, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Primary Care, Radiology and a Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic under one roof. Previously, Behavioral Health was housed in a relocatable trailer. And if a patient in the old facility required an x-ray, he or she would have to travel to the main hospital. In the new facility, the patient is referred to the in-house Radiology Department. "The long anticipated move into the new building is exciting as we now offer more services in one location for our Marines," said the Director of Branch Clinics, Cmdr. Rebecca Navarrete. "The Marine Centered Medical Home provides improved access to care, convenience to ancillary services and decreased wait times," Hospitalman Jordan Thomas has been screening patients at the front desk of the old AMCC for almost two years and appreciates her improved working conditions. "The new facility is wonderful," Thomas said. "It's a lot better for both patients care and the corpsmen who render care. Everyone is thrilled we have a lot more space. Both patients and corpsmen appreciate having greater privacy. It's just a good place to be." Theresa Partin, pharmacy technician, compared her old work space to "working out of a closet." "The new pharmacy is wonderful," said Partin. "It's nice and roomy. With the new ScriptPro machine that counts my meds, I save time, which benefits the patients." Partin has already received a few comment cards and all have been positive. "They like the new building. It's nice and roomy and they like the lounge area with more seating." The new Physical Therapy Department, located on the ground floor, feels open and airy due to the glass northern-facing wall allowing in ambient light. "It just gives you a warmer feeling," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Benjamin Clark, physical therapy technician. "The space is much more open and all of the equipment is new. All of the patients love it. With the open space, whoever is closest can help, which makes for better patient care." The new AMCC is one of three branch health clinics under the command of Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms. Branch Health Clinic China Lake is on the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, located near Edwards Air Force Base; and Branch Health Clinic Bridgeport is located aboard the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center on the California side of the Sierra-Nevada Mountains. Joint Statement for C5+1 Ministerial Washington, DC - The Secretary of State of the United States of America and the foreign ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, following the second ministerial level meeting in the C5+1 format, held today, in Washington DC, together issue this Second Joint Declaration of Partnership and Cooperation. The heads of foreign ministries of these six countries reconfirm their interest in further deepening cooperation through engagement in the C5+1 format. The Secretary of State of the United States of America and the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries announce the launch of five joint projects, aimed at improving economic connectivity, adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change, and increasing dialogue regarding the common threat of terrorism, and commit to supporting the implementation of these projects. On the eve of the celebrations this year of the 25th anniversary of the independence of the Central Asian states, and reaffirming mutual abiding respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of each country, the Secretary and the Foreign Ministers declare the intention of their countries to: Enhance the C5+1 diplomatic platform further as a mechanism for dialogue and joint action through future ministerial meetings devoted to the exchange of views on issues of common interest, through implementation of mutually-agreed projects, and future C5+1 events; Implement trade facilitation measures and advance development of transportation corridors across the region to increase access to markets, improve productivity and efficiency of transport, and strengthen competitiveness in the region and in international markets; Strengthen logistics sectors across Central Asia to facilitate regional trade and promote investment potential; Enhance the regions favorable business climate to attract foreign direct investment and facilitate local entrepreneurship, and broaden and strengthen business and investment contacts among the Central Asian countries and the United States; Contribute to the development of the regions renewable energy resources; Support regional, national, and local-level planning and implementation of the measures to prepare for and adapt to the impact of climate change; Enhance cooperation to prevent and counter transboundary threats and challenges such as terrorism, and the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, illicit drugs and human beings; Contribute to global and regional efforts on nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including by respecting the provisions of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone in Central Asia and pursuing entry into force of the Treatys Protocol; Increase dialogue on threats from foreign terrorist fighters, and exchange best practices on countering terrorism and preventing radicalization to violence; Continue support to Afghanistan and its development as an independent, peaceful, thriving state, recognizing that the situation in Afghanistan remains an important factor in security and stability of the entire region; Further develop cooperation in the humanitarian sphere and more extensive people-to-people ties and encourage wider educational, cultural, and business exchanges; Protect human rights, develop democratic institutions and practices, and strengthen civil society through respect for recognized norms, and principles of international law, including the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on Principles of International Law, the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe; Align the projects and dialogues with other international partner C5 formats on issues of common interest; and The Ministers express their gratitude to the United States for hosting this meeting of the Foreign Ministers in the C5+1 format. Mars Petcare in the doghouse for deceptive claims about Eukanuba Washington, DC - Its a dogs life, they say and according to Mars Petcare, its Eukanuba brand of dog food could extend dogs lives by 30%. But the FTC alleges that Mars made misleading representations about the products life-extending benefits and falsely claimed that scientific tests supported what the company said. Mars Petcare US, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mars, Inc., sells some of the biggest brands in the dog food business. Eukanubas ads featured rolling farmland, picturesque vistas, adorable Labradors really adorable Labradors and this narration: Man is always searching for the fountain of youth. A way to live longer yet stay younger. One decade ago, Eukanuba set out on the same quest. We launched a long life study with a band of Labradors, their devoted caretakers, and enough Eukanuba to last them a lifetime. Or so we thought. While the typical Labrador lives 12 years, some dogs in the study even lived past the age of 16. According to the ads, dogs in a 10-year Eukanuba study including featured canines Bunny, Utah, Georgia, Clown, and Iowa were living 30% longer than their typical life span. Whats more, each was living an exceptionally long life and still full of vitality even at age 16 or 17. Other ads touted the astonishing observation that with Eukanuba and proper care, dogs in the study were able to live beyond their typical life span. But according to the FTC, that dog wont hunt. The complaint alleges that Mars Petcare didnt have substantiation to support its claims that with Eukanuba, dogs live 30% (or more) longer than their typical life span or that Eukanuba enables dogs to live exceptionally long lives. The FTC also charged that the company falsely claimed to have scientific tests to support the advertised results. Among other things, the proposed order prohibits the company from making misleading claims about the health benefits of any pet food. The order also bars misrepresentations about the contents, validity, results, conclusions, or interpretations of any test, study, or research about the health benefits of pet food. The settlement applies just to Mars Petcare, but wags like us cant resist fetching a few bones to share with other advertisers. Like any other objective representation, claims for petcare products must be supported by appropriate evidence. Every dog has his day and every promise about a pet product is subject to the FTCs long-standing substantiation doctrine. With more than 65% of American households owning a pet, consumers and canines have a right to truth in advertising. Touting testing may up your substantiation ante. As the FTC Policy Statement Regarding Advertising Substantiation makes clear, a company must possess the amount and type of substantiation the ad actually communicates to consumers. According to the FTC, Mars Petcare didnt just advertise that dogs were living 30% longer. The company referred to a 10-year long life study that purportedly proved it. Marketers call that an establishment claim and false statements of that nature are a particular pet peeve for the FTC. When translating research into ad claims, dont bark up the wrong tree. A lot of companies undertake studies about their products, but make sure that: 1) the methodology is sound; and 2) the advertising claims accurately reflect the results. An ad touting a 30% increase in a pets life span or any other express health claim is likely to attract consumer attention and law enforcement interest if the underlying science doesnt support the representation. The FTC is accepting comments about the proposed settlement until September 6, 2016. Secretary of State John Kerry"s Remarks to Members of the American Chamber of Commerce Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry"s Remarks to Members of the American Chamber of Commerce: Well, good morning. Good morning, everybody. Thank you very, very much. Thank you for the introduction. Thank you for being here. Im really delighted to have a chance to be able to share a few thoughts with all of you this morning. My thanks to AmCham Argentina, to Manuel Aguirre, to Alejandro Diaz, and to Daniel Martin for making this event possible. I really appreciate it very, very much. And I want to thank all of you for what you do, because youre involved in the most important enterprise in the world today, which is really helping to tame the worst elements of globalization and put the best elements to work for people. And one of the most exciting things that is happening here in Argentina right now is this new government is bringing a level of expertise, business savvy, sensitivity, common sense, practicality to the marketplace of governance marrying with the private sector. And my message to you today is really a very, very simple one. It is that I come here with the same sense of optimism that President Obama brought here, that we believe in the friendship between our countries. We share your optimism and hope, and we are extremely excited about the possibilities of Argentina. This is a sea change, what is taking place here. And you all are a very, very big part of that. The private sector, we believe, is both the driver of economic growth and a key contributor to the goals of development and international understanding that are essential to the work that we now do at the State Department. I was telling folks earlier that when I came in as Secretary of State, people sort of viewed foreign policy as something you do over here, and then the Treasury Department does economics or the Commerce Department does economics not in our State Department today and not in this world today. I said when I first got nominated to be Secretary of State there is no difference; foreign policy is economic policy and economic policy is foreign policy in todays world. And you better understand that as you approach the challenges that we face, which are enormous. It is a complex world, much more complex than the world of the last century during which I was raised. I grew up in the Cold War. Many of you here did the same, and it was very bipolar: East, West; Soviet Union, the West; Warsaw Pact, so forth, NATO. But thats not the world were living in today, even though NATO still exists and there are challenges of security. But the fact is that were much more integrated; were much more dependent on each other; were much more reliant on moving goods quickly, breaking down barriers, get rid of red tape, end the tyranny of bureaucracy. In todays world, particularly when you look at technology companies and other kinds of companies, it just moves at a pace that is extraordinary. So I have a pretty good understanding of all this. I served for about 10 years as chairman of the Small Business Committee in the United States Senate, and I actually opened a small business myself when I opened after I opened my own law firm, I was working in private sector. And the store that I created in Boston, Massachusetts a tiny, little purveyor of various foodstuffs, so forth, in Faneuil Hall Marketplace, if youve ever been there Im proud to say its still there 40 years later. So if I hadnt made the choice to go to into public service, I could have been the Steve Jobs of fast food or cookies or something. And in six months, when I finish up this tour as Secretary of State, I actually am looking forward to engaging in some private sector enterprise, because the privilege of traveling the world to try to resolve conflicts has also given me rare insight into the just vast opportunities on this planet that exist today. And if we can tame some of these negative forces, restrain the levels of corruption in certain places, and improve governance in certain places, its just unfathomable the growth that we could witness, because still, half the world is living on a pittance, as you all know, on very little money huge numbers of people living on less than $2 a day, a dollar a day. The room for infrastructure, development, growth, hospitals, schools, education, et cetera, is just gigantic. Now, I know Ronald Reagan, because I served in the Senate when he was president, used to get a laugh by saying that the most terrifying words in the English language were Im from the government and Im here to help. (Laughter.) But I hope I think that may well apply in Spanish too. (Laughter.) I hope you agree that the work that the U.S. embassy is doing here is of enormous value, and I can certainly attest to the long hours that Ambassador Noah Mamet is applying and his team is applying, and I thank them for all that they do. I have been Secretary of State now for three and a half years, but I served as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and 28 years in the Senate. And I can tell you that wherever I go, I firsthand see and feel this connection between prosperity and, in todays world, the preservation of stability. So what were talking about when we talk about growth and development is not just putting money into the hands of investors; were talking about building security. Were talking about giving people the alternative to seeing their minds plucked by recruiters of extremism of one kind or another. And where you see this stability, where you see this growth, you rarely see the kind of disquiet that you see in certain regions of the world today. I think that this connection is particularly visible right here in Argentina now. This country has a terrific new leadership team. There is an economic reform agenda on the table that is aimed at boosting trade and investment, eliminating poverty, creating jobs, easing regulatory burdens, and reintegrating Argentina into the world economy. And its impressive. They are people who know what theyre doing. Theyre people who have experience. And above all, it is our sense that they are committed to making sure the government is open and transparent and accountable and run with an honest approach not to line the pockets of individuals, but to make sure that the country prospers as a whole. Now, when you make some of the choices that they have made, which are bold initiatives, which are timely, you can see the difficulties, because its not all going to change overnight. Getting rid of bad habits takes a little bit of time and investment takes a little bit of time to take hold and begin to create the momentum. But I am 100 percent confident, as is President Obama, that Argentina is on the right course, and people need to be patient. They need to work at this. Now, there are many ways to think about how you help economies to diversify and become more competitive and productive, and I know that all of you have your own thoughts about what works best or what the first step is. But let me just outline very, very quickly what we think are four key priorities. First of all, the foundation of a thriving economy, the foundation of a democracy, the foundation of good governance, the foundation of peoples ability to be able to go out and use opportunities and make the most of them is very simple. Education educacion education it is the key. And Argentina has long been recognized as a regional leader in that regard, but here, as in the as in our country, there is often a disconnect between the skills that schools teach and the expertise that the marketplace demands. And thats why it is increasingly important that the private sector make an academic commitment join in a commitment to academic excellence, be involved in the process. And we have the right ambassador here to, I think, help you do that, because he has a background in this. He understands it. Now, President Obama recognized this when he created the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund, which mobilizes private sector funding in order to help students get the experience and instruction that they need to work effectively in this modern world. I look at this fight over trade today in the United States, and I voted for trade agreements when I was in the United States Senate. And we had a strong consensus built over the years around trade and the consensus was built because promises were made to people that if we engaged in increased trade, people were going to benefit. During the 1990s in America under the Clinton Administration, every single quintile of income earner in America saw their incomes go up every single one. But I might say in fairness, in bipartisanship, President George Herbert Walker Bush made some tough decisions before he lost the election that also began to take hold, and he honestly shares some credit in those years. There was a technology boom and things began to change. But the whats happened is that consensus is fraying not just in America but elsewhere in the world, because as globalization has increased, not every quintile of income earners in many countries have seen their incomes go up. And that just doesnt work, folks. You cant just see all the product of this revolution in the marketplace going to the top 1 percent, and were having that fight in America right now. Thats part of whats going on in our politics and its part of the fight in other places too. So if you have trade adjustment assistance there is dislocation with trade, and if you have assistance to help people transition from the job they had to the job theyre going to have or could have particularly if theyre 45 or 50 or 55 years old thats how you hold a country together. Thats how you create a civil society that has strength to withstand the bumps that occur in the context of economic change. So it is important that Argentina pursue this education track with programs that prepare students for the workplace in cutting-edge fields like health, environmental science, information technology, STEM education. And I know that some of your companies are already supporters of the fund and youre also friends of the Fulbright Program, and I encourage others to consider that possibility not as a matter of just being nice but as a matter of your self-interest in making this work. A second area that demands our attention is investment in trade itself. Now, we strongly support President Macris effort to further integrate Argentina into the global economy and we look forward to the next months G20 summit, which both our governments are going to be supporting policies aimed at strong, sustainable, and balanced economic growth, and we welcome Argentinas commitment to chair the G20 in 2018. And you should make that 2018 target a big deal in terms of the organization its a great organizing principle with respect to many of the things that you want to accomplish. Now, in March, during the presidents historic visit here, the United States and Argentina signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement that illustrates our common commitment to engage on such issues as market access, intellectual property, workers rights. And our two-way trade now exceeds $20 billion, but let me make it clear we view that as a floor, not a ceiling. And as the Macri Administration continues with its reform program, we expect to see a lot more investments that benefit both countries. And the inaugural U.S-Argentina Commercial Dialogue is going to be held in Washington later this year. Thats going to just add to the momentum, folks. And to facilitate business and travel and tourism, Im pleased that we will be signing a joint statement with Argentina to begin working towards a global entry program. Now, this brings me to the third priority, and that is entrepreneurship and small business. In Latin America, as in the United States, more than half the new jobs are created by small and medium-sized businesses. Now, I saw this firsthand when I was serving as chair of the small business committee in the United States Senate. Almost all of our jobs were being created by small or medium-sized business. And four years ago, President Obama launched the Small Business Network of the Americas. As part of that effort, we are cooperating to establish an Argentinian network of small business development centers. Ive seen these centers. I opened one in Chile and you just its amazing, the impact that that has for women, for startup enterprises, people who need a little bit of assistance, and it just opens the doors of opportunity in extraordinary ways. The bottom line is that if our goal is to grow the middle class and help families create a better life for their children, then we need to do everything that we can to help small businesses start up and tap into regional and global markets. And with the internet today, its stunning how a family-grown mom-and-pop business run out of the house or some small little basement or building can actually be selling goods in the world. Nobodys out of touch if you pay attention to connectivity. And finally, we have to understand that the healthiest economies in the future are absolutely going to be those that are built on the power sources of the future. Now, today, clean energy technologies are more affordable. Theyre more available. Theyre better-performing than ever before. And believe me, we can use them to help curb climate change even as they generate jobs. This is something I actually have spent Ive spent 30 years in that field. I began to be involved when I was a lieutenant governor in Massachusetts in and I served as lieutenant governor chairing a governors task force on acid rain. And I worked with Republicans, Democrats alike. We built the Clean Air Act provision for our power supply in America out of that with a trading mechanism, by the way, which today you couldnt even begin to start to talk about in American politics, but it worked back then. Still works today. And it solved the problem. But I have watched this issue. I was in the Senate in 1988 when Jim Hansen first testified about global climate change happening. And I was in Rio in 1992 for the global Earth Summit. And I was in most of the Conference of the Parties meetings in one here, one in Copenhagen, and around the world over the years. And I was in the negotiations in Paris, and I was privileged to sign for the United States at the United Nations this year for the Paris agreement with 186 nations saying were going to change. Now, I will tell you that what is happening around this planet is happening far faster than anybody predicted and the evidence is clear. Were seeing it in so many different ways. Last year we spent $230 billion in America fixing up the damage from intensified storms once-in-500-year storms. Floods once-in-500-year floods. Fires devastating forests. Agriculture thats affected by the increased heat. Last month was the hottest month in the history of the world recorded history. The month before that was the hottest. The month before that was the hottest. In fact, last year was the hottest year in recorded history. But guess what? Last year was one of ten years that made it the hottest decade in recorded history. And the decade before that was the is now the second hottest. And the decade before that is the third hottest. Do you begin to get the drift? I mean, common sense at some point begins to say, Hey, somethings happening. But we dont need to rely on just common sense because the science is telling us this every single day. And what we did in Paris was send a message to the marketplace: The future is going to be in alternative and renewable energy or low fossil burn energy. You have resources, obviously, with shale gas, and you have great potential, and gas is 50 percent if burned correctly, 50 percent less damaging than CO2 than, excuse me, than oil coal or oil. Coals the most damaging of all, obviously. So the bottom line is this: This is an economic opportunity. The economy I referred to about the 1990s was an economy that was built up on a $1 trillion market with 1 billion users. It was the technology computer, personal computer, personal communications, et cetera. One trillion; one billion users. The energy economy staring us in the face already has four to five billion users, its going to go up to nine billion users as we see whats happening with population, and its already a multitrillion dollar market. The arguments vary as to how large, but we are looking at the possibilities of trillions of dollars being invested in this marketplace over the course of the next 30 years. Last year we had $330 billion invested for the first time in history in the alternative renewable clean energy market, and for the first time in history more money is being invested in these technologies than in fossil fuels. This trend is opening the door to the mother of all markets. And the rewards are going to go to the swift, to the people who get it and understand it. And by the way, nobody does you all know about accounting better than anybody in the world nobody does realistic accounting when they start telling you how much it costs per kilowatt hour to burn and people say, Oh, Im going to go use coal. Because youre going to pay on the back end for coal with increased number of cancer, increased problems in your hospitals with kids who are and the greatest source of hospitalization in America of children in the summer are kids who are there because of environmentally induced asthma. Billions we spend, not to mention the billions on those storms, and the billions down the road in other ways for remediation when land starts chipping away because of sea level rise and so forth. So, my friends, the renewable energy auction that is underway is going to generate as much as one gigawatt of new wind and solar capacity and more and its going to move your country toward a goal of 8 percent renewable energy generation next year, and we strongly urge you: embrace it. Go for it. This is an area of enormous change. And the workshops that we sponsored recently in Buenos Aires and Neuquen Province were designed to show how government can assist in meeting an energy goal for a nation which includes expanded access, safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Our embassy, by the way, is setting an example with new solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, and a new wind turbine. And here in Argentina and across the planet this energy revolution is accelerating because of the vision of the private sector and the community leaders who understand that climate change is real and has potentially catastrophic consequences for us if we dont change. So we are delighted that under President Macris leadership, Argentina joined the United States in signing the agreement, and were working together to bring this pact into force as soon as possible. So just to wrap up, as we think about the future which I hope you feel as excited about as I do I see opportunity. Sure, we wake up in the morning, and like we did today and you read about people being stabbed in London, or the terrible events of Ankara and Paris and Belgium and Orlando and so forth. But were living in an extraordinary time where the truth is people are actually living better; theres less overall killing in the massive terms that we saw last century with two world wars and other wars; were seeing us on the brink of curing diseases, the first generation that will be AIDS-free in Africa, we stopped Ebola, we will deal with Zika; we have remarkable progress in health and the health sector; we are seeing young people born today live longer, greater chance they will be fed and live a better life and go to school than at any time in human history. You dont hear about that every day. So if we do what you do best, which is keep faith in realities of the marketplace, invest correctly, be sensitive to the bad forces of greed and excess within that marketplace but if we do what we can do, then I tell you, well make it. And Pope Francis, speaking to the challenge of climate change and other things, said, It is never too late. Gods world has incredible healing powers, and human choices can change the tide in global warming. It is up to us to shape our future; it is up to us to change our destiny. Thats what youre doing here in Argentina, and I salute you for it. I congratulate each and every one of you for all youre doing to create opportunity for the people of this country. And I believe the friendship between the United States and Argentina is going to grow and grow for generations to come. Because youre on the right track and the future of this country and of this region could not be brighter. Thank you for the privilege of being with you today. Turkey pays special attention to Russian holidaymakers' security and it take all the essential measure in that sphere, Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan said on Thursday in an exclusive interview with TASS. "There are no problems from the point of view of security," he said. "Its important for us to make sure that tourists and other visitors from Russia feel secure in Turkey." "In addition to it, we have the relationship that strengthened over years," he Kalin said. "Many Russian citizens view Turkey as a second home and come here every year to spend vacations." The Russian authorities subsequent steps included a ban on chartered flights between Russia and Turkey and the sales of tours in the wake of a rise of the threat of terrorist acts there. "The Turks and the Russians have centuries of friendly relations behind them," Kalin said. "Unfortunately, a short-term turbulence in bilateral relations depressed the size of incoming Russian tourists but after the two countries leaders made certain steps, the incoming tourism from Russia reopened again." He underlined the hopes of the Turkish side that the overall number of Russian tourists would return to last Novembers figures in the short-term and would grow further in the future. WATCH: This Restaurant in Pune Are Run by Speech and Hearing Impaired People Ex-FBI Technician Faces 10-year Imprisonment After Pleading Guilty for Acting as Agent to China An ex-FBI employee pleads guilty to acting as an "agent to China." (Photo : Getty Images) An agent from the United Stats' Federal Bureau of Investigation with high-ranking clearance is facing possible 10 years in jail for betraying public trust when he pleaded guilty of acting as an "agent to China." According to CNN, Chinese-born Kun Shan Chun who is also known as "Joey Chun" is an FBI employee who was arrested following an undercover operation conducted by the bureau in March. Advertisement Chun appeared in a court in New York on Monday where he pleaded guilty to charges involving the disclosure of sensitive information to the Chinese government. The U.S. Department of Justice released details about Chun and his case in an official statement published on their official website on August 1. Who is Joey Chun? Joey Chun served as an electronics technician for the FBI since 1997 and gained top secret clearance to access some sensitive information in the agency. When he was just starting at the FBI, Chun was assigned to work at the New York Field Office's Technical Branch, more specifically in the Computerized Central Monitoring Facility. In 1998, Chun was granted Top Secret security clearance which entails being able to access "sensitive and, in some instance, classified information." Chun was tasked to deal with correspondence with Chinese nationals who are aware of his connections with the bureau. Being put in the position, Chun took advantage of his power and "collected sensitive FBI information and caused it to be transmitted to [an unidentified Chinese official] and others, while at the same time engaging in a prolonged and concerted effort to conceal from the FBI his illicit relationships with these individuals." Chun's Case The 47-year-old naturalized American citizen was arrested on March 16, 2016, after he was caught red-handed through an undercover mission. Apparently, Chun remained acquainted with distant relatives in China affiliated with a firm identified as Zhuhai Kolion Technology Company Ltd. or "Kolion." According to the Justice Department, Chun maintained financial interest in the company via a previous investment by his parents and used his access to FBI records "to perform research and consulting tasks in the United States." This, says Southern District of New York Attorney Preet Bharara, was when he betrayed his sworn duty to the American people. "Americans who act as unauthorized foreign agents commit a federal offense that betrays our nation and threatens our security," Bharara noted, adding that the fact that he is an employee of the FBI makes the betrayal "more duplicitous." On Tuesday, Chun pleaded guilty of the charges against him under oath in the presence of Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV and will be receiving sentence in December. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} As if reading could get any better, scientists have now linked it to a longer life. Using data on 3,635 people over 50, researchers found that people who read for up to three and a half hours a week were 17 per cent less likely to die over 12 years of follow-up, and those who read more than that were 23 per cent less likely to die., OpenCulture reported. Book readers live an average of almost two years longer than those who did not read at all. Becca R. Levy, a professor of epidemiology at Yale University, was quoted in the New York Times as saying: People who report as little as a half-hour a day of book reading had a significant survival advantage over those who did not read. The reason for why people who read more appear to live longer was not explained in the abstract version of the report. However, multiple studies show that literacy levels can affect several aspects of a persons life, from economic wellbeing to family circumstances and mental health. A Prison Reform Trust study in 2008 showed that 48 per cent of British prisoners had a reading level at or below Level 1, suggesting a link between criminality and illiteracy. Another recent study found that children who had access to books were able to expect a higher adult income than those who grew up with few or none at all. "The returns to education for individuals in such households [with less than a shelf of books] were much lower than for the luckier ones who had more direct access to books," study author Guglielmo Wiber said. "In this sense we claim that books - like diamonds - are forever." Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Angelina Jolie regularly grace the covers of glossy magazines around the globe. Yet, arguably, none of those actresses have appeared in as many high-grossing movies as Bryce Dallas Howard. As the daughter of celebrated filmmaker Ron Howard, she has preferred to shy away from the spotlight, but one cannot attribute her success to nepotism unless you include her teenaged blink-and-you-miss-it unaccredited appearances in her fathers movies; Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. As a drama student at New York University, she even rejected her famous family name, dropping the Howard and enrolling as Bryce Dallas. At 23-years-old, she made her break-out film debut in M Night Shyamalans creepy mystery The Village, before landing her first role in a major movie franchise, starring as Spider-Mans love interest Gwen Stacey in Spider-Man 3. Further blockbuster franchises followed with roles in The Twilight Saga and Terminator Salvation, while also delivering an outstanding performance as The Helps hateful housewife Hilly Holbrook, recipient of the infamous poo pie. Last year she appeared one of 2015s biggest-grossing movies, Jurassic World, and is preparing to reprise her role next year in an as-yet-untitled sequal. But when I first set out as an actor, I didnt want anyone to know who I was so I used the name Bryce Dallas until I realised it sounded a little like a porn star, laughs the 35-year-old actress when we meet in Las Vegas earlier this year, after she was anointed with an award for Excellence in Acting at CinemaCon. But then my parents had a talk with me and they were like, Just so were clear. Are you ashamed? and I was like Whoa, because thats the action of someone who is ashamed, when you drop your family name. And I told them, Oh no. Im so proud of my family, so proud. Bryce Dallas Howard in Jurassic World (Universal) Compelled to add the Howard back into her name, today she reflects, Through the years, the only thing that gave me confidence is when the fears and insecurities have been crowded out by evidence that maybe I would still work regardless of my father. And I hate to say this, but I havent worked with my father; hes never hired me for anything, so I dont feel like my first thing in coming out was due to him, reflects Howard. My dad was shocked when M Night Shyamalan hired me for The Village. He was like What?! Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Despite her box-office success, the red-head has preferred solid work over flitting celebrity. Im hardly ever recognised at the grocery store, says Howard, who rarely ventures into a night club. Set to feature in the British TV series Black Mirror, previously on Channel 4 but now exclusive to Netflix, she portrays a no-nonsense park ranger in her latest movie role in Disneys Petes Dragon, first popularised as a 1977 animated family movie. I was brought up on Disney and loved the original animated version. Im exactly the age that is the sweet spot for that film. What drew me most was the story and these children. Im extremely protective of my own children and what I let them watch and, when I was reading it, I felt absolutely transported and my heart was moved and felt this was something I would be so proud to be a part of because I feel its a wonderful story for children, says the actress who wed her college sweetheart, actor Seth Gabel, 10 years ago, with whom she has a nine-year-old son, Theo, and four-year-old daughter Beatrice. I can only speak to my own family, because you just never know of other kind of situations, but I think its interesting because my kids definitely have an expansive imagination. We are overly attentive in ensuring that they dont get addicted to media, and they dont just only play video games; that theres still that sense of excitement to be outside, to spend time alone, to pretend. As adults, we are spending less and less time in that kind of situation, and as a result our kids are as well. Pete's Dragon - Trailer 2 Struggling with postpartum depression after the birth of her son, she gave a public voice to other mothers battling depression. It is perhaps for that reason, she says today, that she prefers to avoid working in darker genres. For me, there always needs to be something positive at the end. I love all genres but the only ones that turn me off are those really dark films about miserable people living miserable lives in a miserable town in the USA. I would just feel sad during the whole movie. But if I think theres something redeeming or inspiring, or something that resonates on a deeper level then Ill do it, no matter what the genre is. I suggest that Black Mirror may well fit into that darker category, and she smiles, [Director] Joe Wright began by telling me it was a drama but I argued, Its a comedy! It was so awesome. If she refuses to follow in her fathers footsteps, then already she has begun making baby steps in that direction, directing several short movies. Certainly, she is open to working with her father in the future. I recently had a chat with him and I said, Youre a man of your age and Im a woman of my age. The clock is ticking! Lets do this while we still have a lot of energy. I pointed out to him that the average time it takes to develop something and for it to come to fruition in Hollywood is seven years. Those are the stats I threw at him so well see what comes of that. Conceived in Dallas, Texas hence her middle name and born in Los Angeles, she is the eldest of four children born to former Happy Days star Ron Howard and writer Cheryl Alley. Determined to raise sensible children, her parents relocated to a farm in Greenwich, Connecticut, when she was five-years-old, encouraging her to play outside instead of watching TV a move she today applauds although shes happy to raise her own growing family in Los Angeles. Reflecting on what must have been a very difficult decision for her parents, she says. Looking back, I can see how there are challenges for any working parent. My mom was a stay-at-home mom and that was really challenging too. I think its hard to be a parent and its complicated and there are a lot of difficult decisions that you make for your child and for yourself and for your family. Only now as an adult can I appreciate how courageous it was for my parents to move because they didnt know anybody there [in Connecticut], and also for my dads career it must have been hard being away from LA. But we were always on movie sets. We were never apart. I was sheltered from the industry lifestyle but not from the experience of the set. US film director and father of Bryce, Ron Howard (Getty) (Getty Images) Together with her husband, she takes every experience as it comes. We handle each job differently. Our kids go to an international school, and so they went to a version of this school when my husband was working in Vancouver, and another version of this school in Hawaii, New Orleans and New Zealand, and the curriculum is the same. So the kids come with us and go to school in that area, and theres an army of exceptional women who are, like, were like sister wives, thats what we say! We just pack up and travel the world together, and its really very cool. Filming Petes Dragon in New Zealand for six months, she says, I realised this would be a wonderful experience for us as a family to share, and they went to school in New Zealand and we lived in a tiny house, all of us on top of each other. It reminded me of the experience I had with my dad, when we went to Dingle, Ireland, with all four kids sleeping in one bed. And there were sheep at our window, in the morning, waking us up, and we would open the window and be like Hi! Taking her children to the Petes Dragon set every day, she says, Theres nothing happening that I wouldnt feel comfortable for them to see. So I think they have a lot of wonderful memories and, having been a kid in that same situation, I know thats something that will last forever. Petes Dragon is released on 12 August Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} If there's anything cooler about Fast 8 than the 'holy sh*t iconic prison breakout' promised by Dwayne Johnson, it's Helen Mirren. Just Helen Mirren, in her pure essential being; having joined the cast back in June after admitting it was her "great ambition" to be in a Fast and Furious movie. "I so want to be a mad driver in a Fast and Furious movie," she had confessed. "My claim to fame is I always do my own driving I was on Top Gear, and I did [my lap] in a very good time. I keep putting it out there, and they never ask me. Ill be in Fast and Furious 8. I have to say Vin Diesel is brilliant. I love Vin Diesel. Hes a great guy, smart I love him. Its partly because of him Id like to be in one, but also the driving." Unfortunately, it turns out the "driving" part of that wish hasn't exactly come true; yet, every cloud has a silver lining, and it turns out Mirren will at least get to share screen time with her beloved Diesel. The actor has dropped a first look at the pair in action on his Instagram page, celebrating a 'Toretto Tursday [sic]' by revealing an initial glimpse at Mirren's character. She's not exactly had any kind of radical road hog makeover over for the film, but it's always great to see Mirren looking her usual, glamorous self on film. Mirren joins another Oscar winner for the project, Charlize Theron, who's signed up as the film's villain; alongside Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood, and Kristofer Hivju. As to who she's playing, there's no confirmation yet; though considering Furious 7's villain was played by fellow Brit Jason Statham, who's confirmed to return, it'd be no surprise if their characters are related somehow. Because in the logic of the Fast and Furious universe, there's no way two British people are sharing the screen without being related. Fast 8 hits cinemas in April 2017. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jared Leto's onset shenanigans have taken centre stage of Suicide Squad's publicity wheel, but Joel Kinnaman is here to remind us the Joker wasn't the only one to let loose and get weird during filming. Speaking to Digital Spy at the film's London premiere, the Rick Flag actor revealed one of his own fondest memories from the strange shoot. "My favourite was when David Ayer walked into Jai Courtney's trailer, and me and Jay Hernandez were in there," Kinnaman recalled. "Jai was in the shower and he came out with a towel around him! David was like, 'Oh sh*t!'" "Jai dropped the towel - and Jay said, 'Sic him boy!' The director David just ran out and Jai chased him around the whole studio parking lot, butt-naked Terminator-style! David ran for his life - but he got away!" At least Courtney's brief revisit to his days in Terminator Genisys had a happy ending; it certainly seems like the kind of shameless antics his Captain Boomerang character would get up to, and it's not the first we've heard of the actor going a little method for the role. Courtney previously revealed his research for the part involved self-inflicted burns. Now, you only need to add that to the absolute catalogue of strange behaviour Leto's been assigned with committing; from the dead pig wheeled onto set by a henchman, to the gift of a black rat in a box handed to Margot Robbie - who plays the Joker's paramour, Harley Quinn, in the movie. Then there's the mention Leto also sent his co-stars a bunch of anal beads and used condoms, claiming "the Joker is somebody who doesnt really respect things like personal space or boundaries." Certainly sounds like an experience none of the cast is likely to forget anytime soon. Suicide Squad character posters Show all 38 1 /38 Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Will all of that effort pay off? We'll have to see how the box office numbers pan out, since the film's been met with quite the critical mauling; with some raging DC fans now petitioning to take down reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Suicide Squad hits cinemas 5 August. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Earlier this year, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) certified the film Suicide Squad as PG-13 despite sustained threat and moderate violence, two points noted by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) when certifying the film 15. The lower US rating has led to one outraged director, Mike Birbiglia, to question the MPAA after they gave his upcoming comedy, Dont Think Twice, an R-Rating. Suicide Squad has machine gun killings and bombings and got a PG-13 rating, he wrote on Twitter. Dont Think Twice gets an R because adults smoke pot. Confusing? In a now-deleted follow-up message on the social media platform, he said: F**k the MPAA. A spokesperson for the MPAA declined to speak to Variety on the matter, while other directors, including Trainwrecks Judd Apatow, offered up sympathetic words for Birbiglia. Studios own the ratings board, Apatow wrote on Twitter. Violence sells so they make pot and sex the scary thing so they seem caring. Birbiglia replied: That makes a lot of sense and is insane. Suicide Squad opens this weekend in the US and UK and has been met with relatively negative reviews by critics. Suicide Squad character posters Show all 38 1 /38 Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Suicide Squad character posters Dont Think Twice was released earlier this year to limited cinemas in the US and currently holds a 100% Rotten Tomato score. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A sudden, unexpected cut to a renewable energy subsidy by the Government in the days following the Brexit referendum result has been condemned by the industry and farmers. The decision was announced by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) just days before it was abolished and came into force just three weeks later on 1 August. The Renewable Energy Association said investments in combined heat and power (CHP) projects totalling some 140m had been put at risk. Persuading people to invest in energy generation is largely reliant on providing a degree of certainty that there will be a return, with subsidies a key part of that picture, whether the power comes from renewable sources or fossil fuel plants. James Court, head of policy at the Renewable Energy Association (REA), said: The abrupt cut in support significantly impacts the biomass CHP industry. It is the suddenness and the lack of consultation that is the core issue here. Over 140m worth of investment is affected by this change, with a planned renewable energy capacity totalling 203 megawatts [MW] of heat and 20MW of power. He said the industry had been preparing for a new tariff structure from spring 2017, as had been flagged up in a recent consultation. But no one was warned about this change, Mr Court said. The industry has invested in good faith in these projects, some which have been in preparation and construction for up to two years. Over 22m has been paid in non-refundable deposits. This unexpected cut will prove damaging to investor confidence. The REA surveyed 36 companies developing biomass CHP plants in the UK about the Governments decision to change the way Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments are made. Essentially it means that plants which turn less than 20 per cent of their fuel to produce electricity would receive a lower subsidy on sliding scale. Of the companies surveyed, 92 per cent stated that the changes will a negative or very negative impact on their projects, Mr Court said. This significantly reduces the likelihood that many companies and investors will be keen to invest in this low-carbon technology in the future. We are therefore calling on BEIS [the new Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy] to withdraw the amendment until a proper consultation has been launched to examine the impact on these projects, or introduce a grace period for those who can demonstrate that they have already made a significant financial commitment. The National Farmers Union also criticised the cut. A number of farmers have built CHP plants to utilise biomass that is a byproduct of agriculture. Jonathan Scurlock, the NFUs chief adviser on renewable energy and climate change, wrote on its website: Industry was given only 21 days notice, and neither DECC nor the new BEIS formally consulted with the relevant industry trade associations or other stakeholders. The NFU strongly contests these regulatory changes because of the manner in which they have been applied, leaving no opportunity for heavily committed projects to complete commissioning and, therefore, severely disadvantaging these investments. This change also discourages low-carbon innovation, for example, the addition of small CHP systems to biomass heating for livestock housing and horticulture, where the optimum balance of electricity and heat is demonstrably less than 20 per cent. The NFU has raised the matter with Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Andrea Leadsom and also written to Energy Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe. A BEIS spokesperson said: These changes have been made to close a loophole in existing regulations. RHI subsidies are paid for by the taxpayer and it is therefore only right that they are fair and give good value for money. Previously, companies could get double the amount of subsidy by generating electricity as well as heat, even if the amount of electricity they were producing was very small. "The changes mean that companies will receive payments that better reflect the amount of electricity they actually produce. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Over 30 fake UK universities and colleges have been shut down since last year as part of a Government-led clampdown, it has been revealed. Around 80 per cent of the fake institutions reported to the Higher Education Degree Datacheck (HEDD) are based outside Britain, meaning they cannot be prosecuted. In conjunction with graduate careers experts, Prospects, HEDD confirmed the Department for Education has commissioned it to continue the fight against degree fraud with a new emphasis on international cooperation which will see year two of the project focus on dealing with offenders at a local level. Recommended Read more Students being warned of the dangers of posting graduation selfies Prospects was appointed last year by the former Department for Business, Innovation & Skills to reduce the number of unaccredited institutions by increasing prosecutions whose fraud team has been working with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and other law enforcement agencies to force closure of operators violating the Education Reform Act. Jayne Rowley, director for Prospects HEDD described how incredible progress has been made over the last year, which has seen the team develop a shutdown process with law enforcement agencies while making alliances overseas. She said: Were in a good place to make a bigger impact on offenders based outside our legal system. With the onset of the Internet and distance learning, degree fraud is a borderless crime and we must collaborate with agencies around the world to deal with it. We also need to get people thinking more about prevention. Weve developed free toolkits for higher education providers and employers to help them develop policies on tackling degree fraud. As part of the project, Prospects has been raising awareness of degree fraud. Degree verification through HEDD has increased 16 per cent year-on-year. More than 116,000 checks and a total of 220 bogus institutions have been officially identified since the service launched in 2011. HEDD already issued a warning this summer aimed at university students about the dangers of sharing graduation selfies online. The team said sellers of fake degrees are able to access the latest designs from photos posted onto social media sites of graduates celebrating with their certificates. Logos, crests, signatories, stamps, holograms, and wording can all be easily copied onto fake certificates and passed off as genuine to unwitting employers, the warning added. Not only is the issue one being tackled in the UK, but in China also which has exposed 30 fake higher education institutions this year alone at a time millions of high school students across the country are preparing to apply for university. The countrys state press agency also confirmed that, since 2013, 400 fake universities have been outed by an education website. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There are few outgoing US presidents who can claim an approval rating that is close to their age. But as Barack Obama celebrated his 55th birthday, he, his party and the woman he has endorsed as his successor, were celebrating another figure - an approval rating of 54 per cent. A poll by CNN/ORC put Mr Obamas rating at its highest level for four years and elevates him to a rare group of modern presidents. Perhaps more importantly, it underscores the fact that Hillary Clinton will be turning to him, frequently, to help win the support she needs to make it to the White House. What's the one word that goes through your mind when you hear President Obama speaking? I think that this is unprecedented at this point. We have never really had modern presidents with these ratings - only Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, Jeanne Zaino, Professor of Political Science at Iona College in New York, told The Independent. Barack Obama has this support among the groups of people she needs and he is happy to help her. At the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week, Mr Obama delivered a powerful speech in which he urged voters to support Ms Clinton. The pair then surprised the convention hall, when she appeared on stage to join at the end of his speech, and they hugged and smiled. Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me, Mr Obama asked the crowd. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. Ms Zaino said that while Mr Clinton and Mr Reagan also left office with high approval ratings, their anointed successors used them little in their own election campaigns. George HW Bush appeared at few campaign events with Mr Reagan, and Al Gore effectively banned Mr Clinton from campaigning for him, a decision that ultimately proved to be a fatal mistake. Mr Gore was beaten by George W Bush, George HW Bushs son. By contrast, Mr Obama has indicated he was ready to campaign for Ms Clinton, to directly challenge her rival, Donald Trump, and to try and bring out voters for a someone he hopes will be his ideological successor and the inheritor of his two-term legacy. Mr Obama said he knew he was leaving the party in safe hands (AP) The poll - which noted Mr Obamas approval rating was at its highest than at any time during his second term - also found that 94 per cent of voters who approve of the president also backed Ms Clinton in a head-to-head matchup with Mr Trump. Eighty-five percent of those who disapproved of Mr Obama backed Mr Trump. Sixty-four per cent said if Ms Clinton were elected, she would mostly carry out Mr Obamas policies, while 33 per cent said her policies would mostly be different than his. An average of national polls collated by Real Clear Politics places Ms Clinton four points ahead of Mr Trump, both of whom had been their number spike following their party conventions. Yet Ms Clintons primary campaign failed to generate the excitement and frenzy of her rival, Bernie Sanders, and the convention revealed that many of his supporters are still unwilling to vote for her. Ms Zaino said that was one group of voters - those who considered themselves very progressive - that Mr Obama may not be able to bring to Ms Clintons camp. Otherwise, she said, the combination of Mr Clinton political and tactical acumen, matched with Mr Obamas charisma and oratorical powers, were a tough prospect to beat. It was Bill Clinton who, at the convention, helped put Mr Obama over in 2012, she said. This is what Barack Obama is doing for her right now. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Clint Eastwood has some words of advice for people who accuse Donald Trump of being a racist: get over it. In an interview with Esquire, Eastwood, 86, lashed out against so-called political correctness and praised the Republican nominee for his improvised and unfiltered approach to delivering stump speeches. [Trump is] onto something, because secretly everybodys getting tired of political correctness, kissing up, Eastwood said in the Wednesday interview. Thats the kiss-ass generation were in right now. Were really in a p*ssy generation. Clint Eastwood Obama empty chair (2012) He continued: We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things werent called racist. Eastwood was born in 1930, at the height of Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation and were mostly enforced in the US South, but were still present in states like California, where the actor is from. He stopped short of endorsing either Mr Trump or Hillary Clinton in the interview, but said that both candidates have certainly said dumb things. You know, hes a racist now because hes talked about this judge, he said, referring to Mr Trumps comments made in June about Indiana-borne Judge Gonzalo Curiel presiding over the Trump University lawsuit. Hes said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides. But everybody the press and everybodys going, Oh, well, thats racist, and they're making a big hoodoo out of it. Just f**king get over it. Its a sad time in history. Still, if he had to choose, Eastwood said he would have to go for Trump. Eastwood became the focus of ridicule when he appeared at the 2012 Republican National Convention and spoke to an imaginary Barack Obama in a chair beside him. But he admitted the stunt was silly at the time. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Melania Trump - she of Slovenia, a glamorous past and a husband running for the White House - has denied allegations that she violated visa rules when she entered the United States. The 46-year-old posted a message on social media in which she alleged she had been the victim of inaccurate reporting about the circumstances surrounding her arrival in the US as a young model 20 years ago. In recent days there has been a lot of inaccurate reporting and misinformation concerning my immigration status back in 1996, said Ms Trump. Let me set the record straight: I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period. The wife of the Republican candidate has been at the centre of controversy since the publication last weekend of naked photographs of her that were shot in New York in 1995. Politico said there were inconsistencies with her account of her arrival in America and the visa she came here on. Michelle melania speech plagiarized Mr Trump has taken a hard line on illegal immigration in his campaign. So far, the Trump campaign has refused to say exactly which visas Ms Trump had, and when she had them. (Getty (Getty) The owner of one modelling agency, Paolo Zampolli, has said he sponsored Ms Trump for an H1B work visa in 1996. She has said that she had to go back to her native Slovenia every few months to renew her permit - something that is only generally necessary for tourist and business visas that do not permit work. In her Twitter message, Ms Trump added that any suggestion that she had acted illegally was simply untrue. In July 2006, I proudly became a US citizen, she said. Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to live, work and raise a family in this great nation and I share my husband's love for our country. Becoming More 'Chinese' the Only Way for Foreign Firms to Thrive in China: Expert Foreign companies like Uber decide to become more Chinese to survive in China. (Photo : Getty Images) The struggle continues for foreign companies looking to expand business in China as the country proves to be a difficult market for non-Chinese enterprises. China is a difficult market to get a significant share from, but foreign companies particularly those from the West still wish to pursue business in the world's second-biggest economy. Advertisement Tech firms, in particular, are having the most difficult time entering the Chinese market due to the strict regulations the government claims to be installed to uphold national security and not hinder business from foreign companies. Who Has It Worse? Companies involved in technological advances are having a particularly difficult time in introducing and promoting their products and services in China. Be it because of the local mentality or the government's continued effort to maintain national security, there is no question that they have it worse. In the past, Facebook and Google had repeatedly tried and failed to please the Chinese market--or should we say the Chinese government--that they are now banned from being accessed in the country. With behemoths already having a hard time, it does not come as a surprise that the mobile cab-hailing service provider Uber has already given up and sold its China market share to its local competitor, TIME noted. Didi Chuxing, the Apple-backed company is already dominating the entire market with Uber out of the way. Business analyst Duncan Clark is positive that the reason why foreign companies are not performing very well in the country as much as they do in other nations is because of the heavy localization in China. "The need to localize the product and navigate a complex regulatory environment means it is often hard [for foreign tech firms] to translate international success to domestic momentum in China," he told TIME in an interview. Why Continue? With the difficulties and troubles continue to rise for foreign businesses trying to enter China many smaller businesses were forced to reconsider. Despite this, most still try to achieve the nearly impossible goal of gaining significant market share in China which would make one wonder why the firms even continue the task. Drew Bernstein, a partner at the Marcum accounting firm in New York who specializes in Chinese companies has a pretty straightforward answer to that. "Companies are caught up in a 'Catch-22' ... China is the second-largest economy in the world -- it doesn't seem like a smart business plan to lock yourself out of that," Bernstein explained to CNN Money. He further explained that because of this, foreign companies are trying their best to become more "Chinese" in a process he called "Sino-fication," an example of which is Uber's sellout to Didi Chixung. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Like Justin Bieber before him, Orlando Bloom has awoken today to find his naked image splashed across front pages of tabloids. Unlike his predecessor, however, Bloom was not snapped by paparazzi on the decking of his private holiday apartment. Instead, in an apparent moment of complete indifference to being globally recognisable, accompanied by someone arguably even more A-list, and on an Italian beach, the actor decided to go full frontal while paddle boarding with Katy Perry. His image made it to the front pages ofThe Daily Star and The New York Daily News, with Bloom completely naked bar a modesty box. People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015. Now people are furiously attempting to track down the uncensored images in the hope they could have leaked online as they did with Bieber. A number purport to have already found them, meaning it won't be long before they are almost impossible for anyone active on social media to avoid. Orlando Bloom uncensored on Twitter throws up hundreds of desperate pleas for the images. Come on Twitter don't let me down. Where's the uncensored Orlando Bloom pics at?!??, and Disgusted by the intrusive paparazzi shots of a nude Orlando Bloom. But I need to see the uncensored versions so I can be extra outraged summarise the tone of most tweets. Outlets have generally taken a light-hearted approach to the pictures and reaction, with the Daily Telegraph declaring pleas for the images amusing. The NYDN has even made a gallery of images of Bloom somewhat ungracefully clambering off his paddle board before putting his clothes back on. The paper claims other tourists were frequenting the beach too. But this unrelenting search, now in its fifteenth hour, is being criticised as sexist by those suggesting the only thing preventing collective outrage on Blooms behalf is his gender. Would the reaction be different if it was Perry pictured nude instead of him? Bloom has yet to comment on making his way to the front page of tabloids on two continents. But Bieber, who is much more active on social media and therefore quicker to get his point across, branded his treatment a violation of his privacy. My first thing was likehow can they do this? Like, I feel super violated," he said after. "Like, I feel like I can't step outside and feel like I can go outside naked. Like, you should feel comfortable in your own space especially that far away. Representatives for Bloom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There a few high-profile women who have been lucky enough to escape the Daily Mails microscope lens hovering over their face or body for signs of weight gain or ageing. Renee Zellweger, Stella McCartney and Kate Moss have all appeared in articles where unrecognisable, and taken its toll are almost perquisite descriptions. This week, it was Samantha Camerons turn. Ms Cameron was treated to her once over after photographs of the Camerons enjoying their first holiday abroad since leaving Downing Street dropped, with both pictured in their swimwear. David Cameron's biggest controversies Show all 8 1 /8 David Cameron's biggest controversies David Cameron's biggest controversies Pig-gate A book released by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft alleged that an MP and Oxford contemporary of David Cameron had allegedly seen a photograph of Mr Cameron performing a sex act on a pig while at university. Downing Street did not comment on the allegations and the peer said they could have been a case of mistaken identity David Hartley/REX Shutterstock David Cameron's biggest controversies Swarm of migrants In July 2015 David Cameron referred to refugees coming into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa as a swarm. He was criticised for using the language, which critics said was dehumanising Getty David Cameron's biggest controversies Child tax credits In April 2015 David Cameron was asked whether hed cut child tax credits. No, I dont want to do that, he said, saying that he rejected reports that he would. Shortly after the election the Government unveiled cuts to child tax credits EPA David Cameron's biggest controversies Cycling to work As leader of the opposition David Cameron was regularly photographed cycling to work. In early 2006 he was photographed cycling but with a driver in a car carrying his belongings. It was suggested at the time the cycling was just for show and that having two vehicles on the road instead of one was wasteful Rex David Cameron's biggest controversies Andy Coulson David Cameron employed former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as government communications director from 2010. After stepping down from the post due to coverage of the phone hacking affairs, Mr Coulson was later found guilty of conspiracy to intercept voicemails. He served a short prison sentence AFP David Cameron's biggest controversies His personal windmill Early in his leadership of the Conservative David Cameron made an effort to change the partys image by making eco-friendly gesures. As one of these gestures, the future PM put a wind turbine on his house. However, the turbine later had to be removed after neighbours condemned it as an eyesore and the councils planning committee said it had been put in the wrong place Getty David Cameron's biggest controversies Funeral selfie David Cameron was pictured posing for a selfie with Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Barack Obama at Nelson Mandelas funeral. Some in the press criticised the prime minister for showing in an inappropriately low level of respect for the gravity of the occasion AFP/Getty Images David Cameron's biggest controversies Eating a hotdog with a knife and fork The Prime Minister was pictured eating a hotdog with a knife and fork in the run up to the 2015 general election. He was accused of being posh. I had a very privileged upbringing... I've never tried to hide that, he said Reuters While Ms Camerons summary was arguably more forgiving than the women subjected to it before her, her sister and Vogue deputy editor Emily Sheffield criticised the Mail for publishing forensically glaring pictures. The piece pointed to what it said was a lump on Ms Camerons stomach and asked unidentified medical experts to comment, who advised: "It is probably a small bulge in the frontal wall of the abdomen that is common in women who have undergone multiple pregnancies. The Mail also enlisted a plastic surgeon to comment on Ms Camerons figure after having four children and a fitness expert to compare the physique of husband and wife. In her response, Ms Sheffield demanded to know why it believed it had the right to publish forensically glaring pictures of the former Prime Ministers wife. Ms Sheffield also emerged as a staunch defender of her brother-in-law in the aftermath of Brexit. In my opinion, you brought down a good man, she wrote in a piece for the Spectator. To the media and the electorate he was the Prime Minister. To me, he was also my sisters husband, who loved and protected her through truly terrible times. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The man who killed a woman and injured five others in a stabbing rampage in Russell Square didnt say anything during the attack, witnesses have said. A cyclist who was passing the scene on Wednesday night told how he was stopped by a family of Spanish tourists asking for help. Fernando, from Brazil, said he called for an ambulance after seeing an older woman slumped against park railings with a stab wound to her back. Russell Square stabbing: One woman dead and 5 injured in suspected terror attack in central London The 40-year-old also described seeing an English man with a chest injury and young woman wounded on her upper arm. There were three people stabbed. The older woman was slumping against the gates, and it was another two people, he said. "One of the Spanish family was comforting the older woman. "I thought they were friends, but then I realised that they were just passing. No-one knew each other. He added that he had not seen the attacker but said the Spanish family told police the man was wearing black shorts and a white shirt, and was covering his face as he made sweeping, stabbing motions. Fernando said: "The moment the police arrived, they asked them if the man had been shouting. They said that he didn't say anything. They said that when he stabbed the people he didn't shout or scream anything. In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Russell Square stabbing In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at work in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at the scene in Russell Square, central London PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A private ambulance leaves Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed during a knife attack AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Police at the scene of a stabbing attack in Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police officer lays flowers left by a member of the public close to the scene where one women died and several people were injured in a knife attack in Russell Square EPA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing The police cordon Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016, AFP/Getty Images A woman believed to be in her 60s was pronounced dead at the scene, police said, while two other men and three women were injured. Philippa Baglee, who was staying in a hotel nearby, told Sky News she went outside to have a cigarette when she saw the aftermath of the attack. I saw someone lying down and people standing round, and a guy with a motorbike helmet balanced on his head parading up and down, she added. Then the police and the ambulance came and I went back into the hotel...there was quite a few people there but I thought someone had come off their motorbike. Another witness, Paul O'Geibheannaigh said he and friends had left a local cinema at around 11pm when he stumbled into armed police in Russell Square. Then we saw the body lying on the pavement which was quite disconcerting as it wasn't covered at that stage, he told the BBC. Then we went for a drink and everyone was shocked in the bar. The police came in and interviewed people but at that stage we had no idea other people were injured, we just knew a woman had been attacked. I haven't seen a police presence in this area like that since 7/7, it brought that memory back." The Metropolitan Police said they received numerous calls starting at 10.30pm describing a man attacking people with a knife between Russell Square, Montague Street, Bloomsbury Square and Great Russell Street. Police officers stand near a forensics tent after the knife attack in Russell Square (Reuters) Armed officers attended the scene within approximately five minutes of receiving the first call and discharged a Taser to detain the suspect. Two of the injured victims remained in hospital on Thursday morning, while three others had been discharged. Investigators said mental illness was a major line of inquiry but that they were not ruling out any motives at this stage. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the attack. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: Early indications suggest that mental health was a factor in this horrific attack. However we are keeping an open mind regarding the motive. As a precautionary measure, Londoners will notice an increased presence on the streets of officers, including armed officers today. We would urge the public to remain calm, alert and vigilant. The Metropolitan Police Service's Homicide and Major Crime Command is leading the investigation, supported by officers from the Counter Terrorism Command. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 020 8721 4868 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Additional reporting by PA For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Norwegian man was being held in custody on Thursday on suspicion of murdering an American woman in a random stabbing rampage in central London. Investigators say the 19-year-old suspect, who is of Somali origin and moved to the UK aged five, is mentally ill and has no known links to terror groups or radicalisation. Witnesses described their horror as a knife-wielding man launched his attack on passers-by in Russell Square, stabbing anyone he could reach late on Wednesday evening. Russell Square attack: Woman killed in London was American citizen A cyclist said he was flagged down by a Spanish family to call an ambulance, saying he called an ambulance as he watched one of the tourists cradle the dying woman in her lap. Fernando, from Brazil, said: I thought they were friends, but then I realised that they were just passing. No-one knew each other. The moment the police arrived, they asked them if the man had been shouting. They said that he didn't say anything. They said that when he stabbed the people he didn't shout or scream anything. The American woman, in her 60s, reportedly used her last words to warn passers-by trying to save her that the attacker was among them, saying: Hes still here, hes still here. Paramedics attempted to save her life but she was later pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Pol O'Geibheannaigh, who was walking back from a nearby cinema with friends, said he saw a woman lying in a pool of blood as Russell Square swarmed with armed police. In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Russell Square stabbing In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at work in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at the scene in Russell Square, central London PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A private ambulance leaves Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed during a knife attack AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Police at the scene of a stabbing attack in Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police officer lays flowers left by a member of the public close to the scene where one women died and several people were injured in a knife attack in Russell Square EPA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing The police cordon Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016, AFP/Getty Images That level of police presence I haven't seen since 7/7 and I was here - I live around the corner, he added. Bombs exploded in nearby Russell Square station and Tavistock Square as part of the al-Qaeda inspired attacks that killed 52 people and injured 700 on 7 July 2005. A witness who gave his name as Michael said he heard screaming and ran to find a young woman lying on the floor bleeding from a knife wound in her back. She was lying on the floor with a friend hugging her, he told MailOnline. She was among another five people injured - two other women and three men from Australia, the US, Israel and the UK. Four of the wounded victims were discharged from hospital on Thursday, while a British man remained in a serious condition with a stab wound to his stomach. Mark Rowley, the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said armed officers arrived within six minutes of being alerted to the attack at around 10.30pm. They used a Taser to restrain the suspect as he continued trying to stab other victims in the street, in what was praised as the minimum necessary force. Police move the woman's body from the crime scene in Russell Square on Thursday (AFP/Getty ) (AFP/Getty) Whilst the investigation is not yet complete - all of the work that we have done so far, increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues, Mr Rowley said. At this time we believe this was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. Describing the suspect as a Norwegian national of Somali origin, the counter-terrorism chief said his background was not believed to be relevant to the motivation for his actions. So far we have found no evidence of radicalisation or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism, he added. When asked why initial police statements had named terror as a line of investigation, Mr Rowley told reporters detectives were considering many options in light of recent attacks in Europe and the current climate of threat. The unnamed suspect and his family have been interviewed, as well as witnesses, and a full intelligence review has been conducted alongside house searches in London. Norways National Criminal Investigation Service said it had been informed by their British counterparts and would offer assistance in the case, adding that the suspect emigrated in 2002. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said a normal night out ended in horrific circumstances for the victims. He deployed hundreds of armed and unarmed police across London to reassure the public a move already planned after a string of attacks in Europe adding: We will protect our capital and those who live, work and visit our city. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Black Lives Matter are calling for a day of coordinated rebellion and protest across the UK on Friday with demonstrations planned in London, Manchester and Nottingham. Hundreds of people have vowed to attend the events which fall one day after the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, shot dead by police in Tottenham, and one day before the fifth anniversary of the riots his death sparked. The Facebook event page reads: 5 years ago. 1 day after they killed Mark Duggan. 1 day before the riots. A moment for rage, reflection and rebuilding. A moment for coordinated nationwide action. Instructions tell people to Turn up. Celebrate. Commemorate. Feel Rebellious. There have been several Black Lives Matter protests in the UK in recent weeks, in solidarity with police shootings in the USA, but also highlighting stop and searches and deaths in custody here. One last month brought Londons Oxford Street to a standstill before heading to Downing Street where people chanted: Hands up, dont shoot. Maryam Ali, an 18-year-old student from west London who helped found the movement's London chapter, said: There is internalised racism everywhere. There is a system that targets young black people because of a stereotype that they are dangerous, without actually looking at who they are. It's a terrifying cycle." A statement on the Black Lives Matter Facebook page reads: We need a new politics, to take decisions and our destiny into our own hands. This means we need to get people up and out, talking and creating, listening and grieving, believing that there is another way. A video promoting the protests references Sarah Reed, Jermaine Baker, Mzee Mohammad, who all died in the last eight months after having contact with police. A Met police spokesperson said they are in dialogue with Black Lives Matter about the London event, adding: We have an appropriate policing plan in place. The protests are planned in Altab Ali Park in London, Alexandra Park in Manchester, St. Peters Gate in Nottingham, and a to-be-announced location in Birmingham. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The detention of a British Muslim woman, after cabin crew saw her reading a book about Syrian art on a flight to Turkey and reported her to police, has been condemned as a gross act of misjudgment. The Independent revealed that Faizah Shaheen, a psychotherapist from Leeds, was detained under the Terrorism Act as she returned to the UK from her honeymoon to Turkey. She was told by police that suspicions had been raised by Thomson Airways cabin crew in relation to a book she had been reading on her flight titled Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline. Recommended Read more Muslim detained under terror laws for reading Syrian art book on plane The award-winning book by Malu Halasa is a collection of essays, short stories, poems, songs, cartoons and photographs from Syrian authors and artists. Ms Shaheen says she was left in tears by the distressing incident and feels she was targeted because she is a Muslim. Green Party leader Natalie Bennett tweeted her support of Faizah Shaheen, describing airline Thomson Holidays utterly out of order. She added that she has a copy of the same book on her bookshelf. Jo Glanville, director of English PEN, a writers association promoting human rights and freedom of expression, described the incident as deeply disturbing and a gross act of misjudgement by the airline. She said: Thomson Airways should be highly embarrassed about this gross act of misjudgement. The current culture of anxiety around extremism now means that even our reading material has become grounds for suspicion of terrorist activity. This case also highlights the continuing problem of Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, under which the police can detain individuals without grounds of suspicion of involvement in terrorism or other criminal activities. It is overdue for reform. Zaher Omareen, co-editor, of Syria Speaks said: "This despicable incident reflects the deep and widespread misunderstanding towards Syria today. It shows how far stereotypes influence our cities under the otherwise understandable security and terror concerns. Judging individuals and even taking measures against them based on their race, their looks, their language, or the printed words they carry is unacceptable and unjustifiable. I stand in solidarity with Faizah Shaheen who faced this humiliating situation because she carried a book on Syria. We must learn from this incident to make sure that no one faces similarly hideous situations in the future. Ms Shaheen told The Independent she now intends to make formal complaints against the police and Thomson Airways. She said: I was completely innocent I was made to feel like a culprit I couldnt understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this. I told the police that I didnt think it was right or acceptable. I do question if it would be different if it was someone who wasnt Muslim. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A spokesperson for Thomson Airways told The Independent: We appreciate that in this instance Ms Shaheen may have felt that overcaution had been exercised. However, like all airlines, our crew are trained to report any concerns they may have as a precaution. When asked by The Independent if the airline will issue an apology to Ms Shaheen, a spokesperson for Thomson Airways declined to comment further. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A restaurant where diners bare all while tucking into dinner is set to open in Paris. Following its London success, The Bunyadi, which first opened in a disused pub in the south of the capital in June, is now launching a pop-up in the French capital. Its founder, Seb Lyall, told The Independent: "It's early stages but we are aiming for September or October. We've learnt a lot from London - mostly positive. "I've met so many fascinating people, so many liberal people. I've even met people from the North who voted for Brexit. "The French expressed a lot of interest in the London restuarant so I thought I was onto something. They told me, 'This is a great idea but only you can do it.'" Asked why, he said: "They don't have the mojo. Experimentation is not a big thing in France. Entrepreneurship is still growing. "France has been stubborn. They are scared because of the history of their gastronomical success." The Bunyadis menu consists of mostly raw food vegetables, flowers and pickled and smoked meat and fish. The London pop-up opened with a waiting list of 30,000 people. It is due to close on August 13 but Mr Lyall hopes to open a permanent venue in the city - "perhaps a members' club". France is renowned for its laissez-faire attitude to nudity with toplessness popular on many of its beaches. But London is has its fair share of nudist events and venues. NKD Training is the citys only all-nude fitness training session and Naturist London host a weekly Sunday swim at University of London Unions pool. Its website reads: It is just like going to any other public swimming pool except that costumes are banished. Unlike many traditional naturist events, there is no booking, no membership and no commitment. You are welcome to just turn up whether or not you consider yourself a committed naturist. Naked dining is on trend with bare-all counterparts opening in Australia and Japan. The Amrita, a nudist restaurant due to open in Tokyo this month, controversially imposed weight and age limits originally stating nobody more than 15kgs heavier than the average weight for height would be allowed to dine there. It relented following a public backlash and has reportedly dropped all restrictions. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A woman in her 60s who was killed in a knife attack in Russell Square was an American citizen, police have revealed. The incident, which happened on Wednesday night in central London, is not believed to have been terror-related and investigators said mental illness may have been a significant factor in the attack. Police said the attacker, who is a Norwegian national of Somali origin, appeared to target victims randomly, and that those injured are Australian, American, Israeli and British. A witness who rushed to help the woman who died, told the MailOnline she used towels she had bought earlier in the day to stem the flow of blood. She said: I was just trying to console her I was trying to help her. The victim said something about: 'He's still here, he's still here' - after that she was not lucid. That's when I saw someone. He was meandering about. He was very disturbed. After emergency services arrived, they treated the woman at the scene, but she was pronounced dead a short time later. Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said: While the investigation is not yet complete all of the work we have done so far, increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues. Indeed at this time we believe it was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. A man who gave his name as Fernando, told MailOnline the man was slashing at people with the knife in silence. In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Russell Square stabbing In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at work in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at the scene in Russell Square, central London PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A private ambulance leaves Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed during a knife attack AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Police at the scene of a stabbing attack in Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police officer lays flowers left by a member of the public close to the scene where one women died and several people were injured in a knife attack in Russell Square EPA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing The police cordon Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016, AFP/Getty Images He said a Spanish family of four helped the woman as he called 999. She was being cradled in the lap of a Spanish tourist who was trying to keep her alive. I didn't hear the old woman speak she had been stabbed in the back, he said. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron has been accused of taking cronyism to new heights after he showered 46 of his former aides, advisers and ministers with honours in his resignation list. Mr Cameron nominated another 13 political allies, including Tory fundraisers, for peerages. Although a leaked version of his list provoked a storm of controversy, most of the names he put forward have been approved by Buckingham Palace. Many of those rewarded played a key role in the Remain campaign, which was on the losing side in Junes EU referendum. These awards have already been attacked as rewards for failure. George Osborne, the former Chancellor who was sacked by Theresa May when she succeeded Mr Cameron as a Prime Minister, was handed the rarely-awarded Companion of Honour for outstanding public service. Jeremy Corbyn slams David Cameron's honours list Andrew Cook, a former Tory treasurer who has given more than 1m to the party and gave 350,000 to the Remain campaign, was awarded a knighthood for political service. He is the chairman of William Cook Holdings. Another businessman and Tory donor on Mr Camerons draft list, Vitoil Oil chief Ian Taylor, withdrew his name after it was leaked. There was no place on the final list for Michael Spencer, the former Tory treasurer and founder of Icap, which became embroiled in the Libor fixing scandal. It is believed that Mr Cameron nominated him for a peerage on three occasions and that his name was not approved by the honours scrutiny committee. There is no suggestion that Mr Spencer was personally implicated in the Libor affair. The valedictory list will be remembered for the awards handed to Mr Cameron's inner circle and backroom advisers, who included some of his long-standing personal friends and were dubbed the chumocracy. Critics argue that they should not have been rewarded for merely doing their jobs. Isabel Spearman, who was Samantha Camerons stylist, was made an OBE, as was Thea Rogers, who gave Mr Osborne an image makeover as his chief of staff. Two of Mr Camerons government drivers, Sean Storey and Martha Gutierrez Velez, also received honours. Former Chancellor George Osborne was handed the rarely-awarded Companion of Honour for outstanding public service (GETTY) There were peerages for Ed Llewellyn, who was Mr Camerons chief of staff since he became Tory leader in 2005; Gabby Bertin, his former press secretary; Andrew Fraser, the Tory treasurer; Olivia Bloomfield, a former governor of Cheltenham Ladies College who raised millions for the Tories; Camilla Cavendish, who headed the Downing Street Policy Unit and Liz Sugg, who was Number 10s head of operations. Craig Oliver, who was Downing Street's director of communications, was given a knighthood. Other spin doctors on the list included Graeme Wilson, Helen Bower-Easton, Ramsay Jones, Alan Sendorek, Giles Kenningham and Caroline Preston. Several policy advisers also received honours. Unusually, two members of Ms Mays Cabinet received knighthoods Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary and Patrick McLoughlin, the Tory chairman. David Lidington, the Commons Leader who was Mr Camerons Minister for Europe, was made a CBE. Oliver Letwin, the Governments former policy chief who was sacked by Ms May, was knighted. So was Hugo Swire, a former Foreign Office Minister. Gavin Williamson, who was Mr Camerons parliamentary aide and is now Government Chief Whip, received a CBE. Two new dames were created Caroline Spelman, the former Environment Secretary, and Arabella Warburton, who is chief of staff to the former Prime Minister Sir John Major. The pro-EU campaigners on the list included Labours Will Straw, executive director of the Remain campaign, who was made a CBE. He is the son of the former Cabinet minister Jack Straw. Nick Herbert, a Eurosceptic Tory MP who urged an In vote in the referendum, received the same honour. Charlotte Vere, executive director of Conservatives In, was made a peer. For a prime minister who promised to cut the cost of politics, David Cameron is leaving a big bill for the taxpayer as he leaves office

Katie Ghose, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: David Camerons resignation honours list is so full of cronies it would embarrass a medieval court. He is not the first Prime Minister to leave office having rewarded quite so many friends, but he should be the last. For the reputation of future leaders, such appointments should be handed over to an independent panel. Tommy Sheppard, the SNP's Cabinet Office spokesman, said: This list confirms what we already knew - the Westminster honours system is rotten to the core.The former Prime Minister has well and truly overstepped the mark of acceptability with these awards by choosing to use his resignation to hand out knighthoods and honours as a form of personal patronage. Katie Ghose, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: For a prime minister who promised to cut the cost of politics, David Cameron is leaving a big bill for the taxpayer as he leaves office. His parting gift of 16 Lords is a sorry legacy, both in terms of cost to the taxpayer and the quality of our democracy. Mr Camerons Lords legacy could have been about real, democratic reform. Instead, he has unfortunately chosen to follow the well-trodden route of every other PM and packed the second chamber with former politicians, donors and party hacks. These unelected peers will cost the taxpayer millions over the long term hardly a fitting goodbye. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters 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 Peerages also went to Shami Chakrabarti, former director of the Liberty human rights group, who was nominated by Jeremy Corbyn even though his deputy Tom Watson urged Labour to boycott the honours system after the row over Mr Cameron's farewell list. There are two new crossbench peers Sir Nicholas Macpherson, the former Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, and Sir Peter Ricketts, the former National Security Adviser. A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: Shami Chakrabarti shares Jeremys ambition for reform of the House of Lords. Her career has been one of public service and human rights advocacy. Her legal and campaigning skills, and the trust that she has gained from many ordinary Britons, will be a considerable asset to the House of Lords. Ms Chakrabarti said: I am honoured to accept Jeremy Corbyns challenge and opportunity to help hold the Government to account. This is a dangerous moment for our country and we share vital human rights values that need defending more than ever before in my lifetime. An outgoing prime minister has the right to propose a resignation honours list to Buckingham Palace. Although Ms May has drawn a line under the chumocracy of the Cameron era, she refused to intervene to block any of his proposed honours, arguing that this would set a bad precedent. However, she may seek to reform the system. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The attempted Labour leadership coup has damaged support for the party amongst voters, Jeremy Corbyn has said. The Labour leader dismissed concerns from resigning Labour MPs that he could not win a general election as a new poll showed the Tories with a 14 per cent lead. Mr Corbyn made the claim at a speech in east London where he laid out 10 key policy pledges including building a million homes, a universal free national childcare service, and the repeal of anti-trade union laws. Weve defeated the Tories 22 times in the last 10 months, weve won four parliamentary by-elections, weve won four mayoral elections, we were ahead of the Tories in the local elections, we gained seven points on what we got in the 2015 general election, he told his audience in Dagenham. Continuing, he suggested that Labour would be more united at the end of the contest, which is due to last until the party Liverpool conference in the autumn. Yes, we are having a leadership campaign and that has probably damaged Labour support, he said. But I think the things I have set out today will appeal to a broad range of people. The partys going to be stronger and perhaps more united at the end of it. A YouGov Poll for the Times newspaper showed the Conservatives on 42 per cent, with Labour on 28 per cent. The Liebral Democrats were on eight per cent, Ukip on 12 per cent, and other parties on 10 per cent. The party's poll deficit has increased significant since the European Union, after which the coup was launched. It was previously close to drawing even with the Tories, with some outliers showing it neck-and-neck. Owen Smith has challenged Mr Corbyn (EPA) Mr Corbyn issued what appeared to be a veiled warning to MPs thinking of splitting from the party. Im sure no Labour MP would even dream of walking away from the family of the Labour party, the family of the Labour party that helped to put them into parliament, he said. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Show all 11 1 /11 The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He called Hezbollah and Hamas friends True. In a speech made to the Stop the War Coalition in 2009, Mr Corbyn called representatives from both groups friends after inviting them to Parliament. He later told Channel 4 he wanted both groups, who have factions designated as international terror organisations, to be part of the debate for the Middle East peace process. I use (the word friends) in a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk, he added. Does it mean I agree with Hamas and what it does? No. Does it mean I agree with Hezbollah and what they do? No. Reuters The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn thinks the death of Osama bin Laden was a tragedy Partly false. David Cameron used this as a line of attack at the Conservative Party conference but appears to have left out all context from Mr Corbyns original remarks. In an 2011 interview on Iranian television, the then-backbencher said the fact the al-Qaeda leader was not put on trial was the tragedy, continuing: The World Trade Center was a tragedy, the attack on Afghanistan was a tragedy, the war in Iraq was a tragedy. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is haunted by the legacy of his evil great-great-grandfather False. A Daily Express expose revealed that the Labour leaders ancestor, James Sargent, was the despotic master of a Victorian workhouse. Addressing the report at the Labour conference, Mr Corbyn said he had never heard of him before, adding: I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not doing the decent thing and going back in time and having a chat with him about his appalling behaviour. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn raised a motion about pigeon bombs in Parliament This one is true. On 21 May 2004, Mr Corbyn raised an early day motion entitled pigeon bombs, proposing that the House register being appalled but barely surprised that MI5 reportedly proposed to load pigeons with explosives as a weapon. The motion continued: The House believes that humans represent the most obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal species ever to inhabit the planet and looks forward to the day when the inevitable asteroid slams into the earth and wipes them out thus giving nature the opportunity to start again. It was not carried. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He rides a Communist bicycle False. A report in The Times referred to Mr Corbyn, known for his cycling, riding a Chairman Mao-style bicycle earlier this year. Less thorough journalists might have referred to it as just a bicycle, but no, so we have to conclude that whenever we see somebody on a bicycle from now on, there goes another supporter of Chairman Mao, he later joked. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn 'Jeremy Corbyn will appoint a special minister for Jews' False so far. The Sun report in December was allegedly based on a rumour passed to the paper by a Daily Express columnist who has written pieces critical of the Labour leader in the past. The minister did not materialise in his shadow cabinet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn wishes Britain would abolish its Army False. Another gem from The Sun took comments made at a Hiroshima remembrance parade in August 2012 where Mr Corbyn supported Costa Ricas move to abolish it armed forces. Wouldnt it be wonderful if every politician around the worldabolished the army and took pride in the fact that they dont have an army, he added. The caveat that every politician must take the step suggests Mr Corbyn does not support UK disarmament just yet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn stole sandwiches meant for veterans False. The Guido Fawkes blog claimed that the Labour leader took sandwiches meant for veterans at at Battle of Britain memorial service in September but a photo later emerged showing him being handed one by Costa volunteers, who later confirmed they were given to all guests. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He missed the induction into the Queens privy council True. After much speculation about Mr Corbyns republican views and willingness to bow to the monarch, his office confirmed that he did not attend the official induction to the privy council because of a prior engagement, but did not rule out joining the body. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn refuses to sing the national anthem. Partly true. The Labour leader was filmed standing in silence as God Save the Queen was sung at a Battle of Britain remembrance service but will reportedly sing it in future. Mr Corbyn was elusive on the issue in an interview, saying he would show memorials respect in the proper way, but sources said he would sing the anthem at future occasions. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cheese True. The group lists its purpose as the following: To increase awareness of issues surrounding the dairy industry and focus on economic issues affecting the dairy industry and producers. The intervention followed reports at the weekend suggesting that a number of Labour MPs are readying a legal challenge against their party in order to take control of its brand and assets if Mr Corbyn wins again. These MPs would then elect a new party leader of their own from among their own number, effectively bypassing the leadership election result, the Daily Telegraph said. The newspaper quoted multiple MPs who appeared to back the move, though other opponents of Mr Corbyn are understood to not be onboard. A study, also by YouGov, released yesterday found that a split by either side in Labours internecine struggle would likely have a devastating effect on both camps. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell this morning told the BBC that he and Mr Corbyn would happily unite behind Owen Smith if he won the leadership contest, and called on challenger Owen Smith to make a similar call. Were democrats whoever is the leader of the Labour party we will unite behind, he said. Mr Corbyn and Mr Smith will go head-to-head in the first hustings of the leadership campaign in Cardiff on Thursday evening. Yacht marinas, luxury residences and resorts, golf courses, and a Club Med have also been built in Sanya to attract more foreign and domestic tourists. (Photo : Getty Images) Local authorities in Hainan Province have opened a large fishing port near the Nansha Islands on Monday, Aug. 1, to serve fishing vessels in the South China Sea, China Daily reported. A ceremony was held for the opening of the port at Yazhou, some 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan Province, which also coincides with the culmination of the annual fishing ban that started May 16, in the South China Sea. Advertisement Flying red flags, more than 300 fishing boats left the port at noon on Aug. 1 for the fishing grounds of the South China Sea but others cancelled their long journeys in anticipation of Typhoon Nida. One of the fishermen from Sanya, Gui Junjiang, sailed together with his colleagues from the port to the Xisha Islands, about 260 kilometers away. "The new port will provide a more comfortable, clean environment for fishermen, as well as more convenience," Gui said. The new port can accommodate about 800 fishing vessels, with a potential to handle about 2,000 in the future, Li Jin, vice-general manager of Sanya Yazhou Port Investment Co, said. "We have not had a large and modern public fishing port that performs various functions. We have now filled the gap," Zhang Huazhong, head of the Sanya Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said. Hailed as the largest in Hainan, the port will not only be used for as docking area for fishing vessels, it can also serve as a shelter during typhoons. The port will also be used as a logistics and studies center for fisheries products. According to Zhang, the port has "very important significance in safeguarding China's fishing rights in the South China Sea." It will also serve as a support base to develop fishery resources and as a transit point for supplies for Sansha, the southernmost Chinese city. Sansha's headquarters is located in the largest of the Xisha Islands, the Yongxing Island. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Bitter in-fighting within the Labour Party was cast into the open as Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith clashed in the first head-to-head debate of the leadership campaign. Mr Smith, who pledged to deliver the most radical programme since the Labour Government of 1945, suffered a bruising encounter in Cardiff as he was heckled and booed by members of the audience when he mentioned the disunity in the party's ranks. One audience member shouted you split this party! while another simply added: Nice suit In an attempt to calm tensions Mr Smith at one point directly addressed the audience and said: We are not behaving like comrades to each other. Recommended Read more Jeremy Corbyn is retreating further into the Corbynmania bubble While the two contenders echoed each others sentiments on curtailing bankers bonuses, tackling tax evasion and investing billions in infrastructure, they clashed on the renewal of Trident. Mr Corbyn, a lifelong critic of the nuclear deterrent, was greeted with one of the loudest cheers of the evening when he reminded the audience he had voted against its renewal just weeks ago. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate weapon of mass destruction which indiscriminately kills Mr Corbyn claimed. Mr Smith, who repeatedly referred to himself as a Bevanite, said: I'm in favour of a world without nuclear weapons, I'm in favour of the Labour Party being in the vanguard of looking for multilateral disarmament. But he added: I believe the world has become a more dangerous, volatile place, I believe Russia is a more dangerous power than it used to be. And my view about this is very clear, that we must retain a nuclear deterrent in order to enable the multinational disarmament of the entire world arsenal. That is the unfortunate, terrible truth. In the heated 90-minute debate in Cardiff the pair clashed as Mr Smith acknowledged that we agree about so much of this stuff, with Mr Corbyn swiftly retorting: So why did you resign? Mr Smith replied: Because I dont think youre going to be able to deliver it. I dont think we can win with Jeremy at the moment. And without being able to win and put our principles into practice, I dont see that we are going to be able to do anything other than protest. Weve got to win in order to get this stuff done, otherwise its just hot air. Looking at his challenger, the Labour leader responded: You walked away. You walked away. The Labour leadership candidates took part in a heated debate in Cardiff (Matthew Horwood/Getty Images) (Getty) There were divisions over Labour's approach to Brexit, with Mr Smith leaving little doubt that he blames Mr Corbyn for his lacklustre campaigning in the European Union referendum. He said that the Labour leader should have been in the vanguard of the EU referendum campaign and told Mr Corbyn: We should have been absolutely in the trenches fighting every day and I don't think we fought hard enough. Mr Corbyn's call on the day after the poll for the withdrawal process to begin immediately had effectively allied ourselves to the Tories he said. But Mr Corbyn insisted: We spent a lot of money on it, we did a lot of campaigning. I travelled the whole country doing a very large number of meetings. He also dodged Mr Smith's repeated challenges to join him in demanding a second referendum on any Brexit deal, saying only that it was likely to be an issue in the general election. Mr Corbyn said that the result is what the result is, adding: We have to make the best of it. It is clear that Mr Smith, who is relatively unknown outside the Parliamentary Labour Party, has the most to gain from the televised debates. But speaking to The Independent, 71-year-old Julie Williams, a Labour Party member in the audience, said she was unsure who to vote for before the debate. When the event came to a close, she had made her mind up - shell be voting for Mr Corbyn when the ballot papers are sent out later this month. Her 68-year-old husband, Richard, however, remained unconvinced. Jeremy is good at convincing people in this audience, he said. But most of us are well off here his challenge is to convince the people out there. The event, held just miles from Mr Smiths constituency, is the first in a series of debates Labour has organised across Britain during the leadership contest. So far, events have been confirmed in Cardiff, Gateshead, Nottinghamshire, Birmingham, Glasgow and London. Lousie Haigh, who remains a minister in Mr Corbyns shadow Cabinet but is backing Mr Smith for the leadership, told The Independent shortly after the debate finished that she thought Mr Smith was fab. I thought Owen set out very clearly, very credible policies that he has. Hes come out with more policies in the last two weeks than we have had in the last ten months, she said. Ms Haigh added: I think most people that came today had already made their mind up about who they are supporting. I think probably the room was towards Jeremy 200 members are not representative at all. The vast majority who voted Jeremy last year are undecided. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Show all 11 1 /11 The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He called Hezbollah and Hamas friends True. In a speech made to the Stop the War Coalition in 2009, Mr Corbyn called representatives from both groups friends after inviting them to Parliament. He later told Channel 4 he wanted both groups, who have factions designated as international terror organisations, to be part of the debate for the Middle East peace process. I use (the word friends) in a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk, he added. Does it mean I agree with Hamas and what it does? No. Does it mean I agree with Hezbollah and what they do? No. Reuters The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn thinks the death of Osama bin Laden was a tragedy Partly false. David Cameron used this as a line of attack at the Conservative Party conference but appears to have left out all context from Mr Corbyns original remarks. In an 2011 interview on Iranian television, the then-backbencher said the fact the al-Qaeda leader was not put on trial was the tragedy, continuing: The World Trade Center was a tragedy, the attack on Afghanistan was a tragedy, the war in Iraq was a tragedy. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is haunted by the legacy of his evil great-great-grandfather False. A Daily Express expose revealed that the Labour leaders ancestor, James Sargent, was the despotic master of a Victorian workhouse. Addressing the report at the Labour conference, Mr Corbyn said he had never heard of him before, adding: I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not doing the decent thing and going back in time and having a chat with him about his appalling behaviour. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn raised a motion about pigeon bombs in Parliament This one is true. On 21 May 2004, Mr Corbyn raised an early day motion entitled pigeon bombs, proposing that the House register being appalled but barely surprised that MI5 reportedly proposed to load pigeons with explosives as a weapon. The motion continued: The House believes that humans represent the most obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal species ever to inhabit the planet and looks forward to the day when the inevitable asteroid slams into the earth and wipes them out thus giving nature the opportunity to start again. It was not carried. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He rides a Communist bicycle False. A report in The Times referred to Mr Corbyn, known for his cycling, riding a Chairman Mao-style bicycle earlier this year. Less thorough journalists might have referred to it as just a bicycle, but no, so we have to conclude that whenever we see somebody on a bicycle from now on, there goes another supporter of Chairman Mao, he later joked. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn 'Jeremy Corbyn will appoint a special minister for Jews' False so far. The Sun report in December was allegedly based on a rumour passed to the paper by a Daily Express columnist who has written pieces critical of the Labour leader in the past. The minister did not materialise in his shadow cabinet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn wishes Britain would abolish its Army False. Another gem from The Sun took comments made at a Hiroshima remembrance parade in August 2012 where Mr Corbyn supported Costa Ricas move to abolish it armed forces. Wouldnt it be wonderful if every politician around the worldabolished the army and took pride in the fact that they dont have an army, he added. The caveat that every politician must take the step suggests Mr Corbyn does not support UK disarmament just yet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn stole sandwiches meant for veterans False. The Guido Fawkes blog claimed that the Labour leader took sandwiches meant for veterans at at Battle of Britain memorial service in September but a photo later emerged showing him being handed one by Costa volunteers, who later confirmed they were given to all guests. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He missed the induction into the Queens privy council True. After much speculation about Mr Corbyns republican views and willingness to bow to the monarch, his office confirmed that he did not attend the official induction to the privy council because of a prior engagement, but did not rule out joining the body. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn refuses to sing the national anthem. Partly true. The Labour leader was filmed standing in silence as God Save the Queen was sung at a Battle of Britain remembrance service but will reportedly sing it in future. Mr Corbyn was elusive on the issue in an interview, saying he would show memorials respect in the proper way, but sources said he would sing the anthem at future occasions. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cheese True. The group lists its purpose as the following: To increase awareness of issues surrounding the dairy industry and focus on economic issues affecting the dairy industry and producers. Earlier on Thursday the incumbent leader outlined 10 pledges to rebuild and transform Britain - a day after Mr Smith laid out programme of reform which he said would amount to the biggest boost to living standards for a generation. In a speech in Dagenham, east London, Mr Corbyn vowed to inject 500 billion of investment into public services. The leader added, under a Labour government, one million homes would be built, including at least 500,000 council homes. A new 250 billion national investment bank, backed up with a network of regional development banks, will put power to determine their own futures back into the hands of those places outside of Westminster and the City of London, he added. It comes after John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor and the Labours leaders closest political ally, said Owen Smiths friends were using the possibility of a damaging separation to drive votes towards their chosen candidate. He added that anti-Corbyn MPs organising around the challengers leadership campaign are holding the party to ransom under the threat of a split. Mr McDonnell also repeated his calls from Mr Smith to denounce the threats of a split. The result of Labours leadership contest will be announced on 24 September at a special conference. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Urban South Africans are set to deal the African National Congress (ANC) its biggest political blow since the end of apartheid, knocking the ruling party off its perch in three cities as voters vent anger at alleged corruption, high unemployment and poor public services. The ANC - which ended white-minority rule when it won power in the first democratic national election in 1994 - hold a big lead in the overall count in nationwide municipal elections. But it is trailing the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in Port Elizabeth, which it has previously held virtually unopposed for the last two decades. The ANC is also unlikely to make it to a 50 percent outright majority in the capital Pretoria and economic-hub Johannesburg. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could mark a watershed in South African society and politics as the country shifts from what has effectively been a one-party system in the era immediately post-apartheid. It could reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. The municipal vote comes as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession. The ANC lost Mr Zuma's hometown of Nkandla in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, a personal blow to Mr Zuma, where the Inkatha Freedom Party retained its hold on the region. Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. With about two-thirds of the vote counted, the ANC led in the national count with 54 per cent on Thursday afternnon against 27 per cent for the DA and 7 per cent for the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader Mmusi Maimane, was ahead in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power and which includes the city of Port Elizabeth. South African local elections could be closest ever for governing ANC Daryl Glaser, lecturer in political studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said he expected the DA to be the biggest single party in Nelson Mandela Bay but to fall short of a majority. In the case of Tshwane and Johannesburg the ANC will be the biggest party - but very significantly, it will fall below 50 percent, so we are looking at a major setback, he said. We are into an era of coalition politics. The DA is expected to maintain its control of Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC, where it had a large lead over the ruling party. By late afternoon on Thursday, the ANC had a slim lead in Tshwane municipality, home to the capital Pretoria. The ANC had 42.9 perc ent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the DA's 42.7 per cent after half of the votes had been counted. President Jacob Zuma, centre, at a rally before the elections (Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters) In Johannesburg, the opposition party's lead had been trimmed to 42.09 per cent to 42.02 per cent for the ANC, with 40 percent of the votes tallied. While in Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 56 per cent versus 38 per cent, with 85 percent of votes in. The DA had 69 per cent of the vote in Cape Town against the ANC's 22 per cent, with 77 per cent of the votes in. Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC's liberation hero would be an embarrassment for the ruling party. While the middle classes are upset about government incompetence and corruption, the working classes are economically frustrated by the lack of jobs - good paying or not, said Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, DaMina Advisors chief Africa frontier markets analyst and global managing director. The ANC said it expected to retain Tshwane municipality but was not so sure about Johannesburg or Nelson Mandela Bay. Some ANC backers said votes expected from black townships would eat into DA's lead in Nelson Mandela Bay. I'm still hoping the ANC will win, said Yvonne Mehlo, 38, as she lay out fruit and vegetables at a roadside hawking stand in Port Elizabeth. South Africas ruling ANC at crossroad as local polls open DA leader Mr Maimane said his party would put the best coalition on the table when asked if he would be open to sharing power in some areas. We've shown some incredible growth in these elections and we're quite excited about that, said Maimane, whose party has promised to help create jobs and improve social services. There is no metro that is a given at this point, said ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe. He said votes in the party's strongholds in Nelson Mandela Bay had not yet been counted. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is led by firebrand Julius Malema, Mr Zuma's one-time protege and former ANC youth leader is participating in only its second election and was running a distant third in the votes counted. It is, however, winning some support from voters frustrated about inequality in country where black people make up about 80 per cent of the 54 million population, yet most of the economy in terms of ownership of land and companies remains in the hands of white people, who account for about 8 per cent of the population. Many South Africans who queued up to vote across the country said they were worried about Mr Zuma's performance and the state of the economy, where one in four in the labour force is unemployed. Mr Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million (12m) in state funds spent on renovating his private home in Nkandla. In December, he rattled investors after changing his finance minister twice in a week, sending the rand plummeting. Mr Zuma has said he would repay some of the funds spent on his home and rejected criticism of his conduct. Reuters Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A black volunteer firefighter in upstate New York lost his home in a fire two days after receiving a racist letter threatening him and his family. Kenneth Walker the only black person serving in the Gratwick Hose volunteer fire department was at work when flames broke out in his apartment of two years on Wednesday afternoon. His wife, Amanda, and two children were also away during the fire. Other tenants were reportedly in the building at the time, but were alerted by fire alarms and escaped to safety. The Walker familys two cats did not survive the blaze. (Gratwick Hose Fire Co/Facebook (Gratwick Hose Fire Co/Facebook) Mr Walker, 28, received a racist letter on Monday telling him to resign from the volunteer service or you will regret it, WGRZ reported. N***ers are not allowed to be firefighters, the letter said. No one wants you in this city. You have until the end of the week to resign your position or you will regret it. Ms Walker told Buffalo News that she believed the fire was in retaliation for her husbands refusal to resign from the service. Authorities have not confirmed a link between the letter and the fire as of this writing. The fire is under investigation. Thats all I can say, said North Tonawanda Fire Chief Joseph Sikora. We called in the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control for a couple more investigators to make sure we cover everything. North Tonawanda Mayor Arthur G Pappas called the incidents distasteful and hateful, and said local police were investigating alongside the FBI. [Resigning] from the fire department would obviously please them and I dont want to please them, Mr Walker said. At the same time I am going to do what I have to do to protect my family. I am still going to live my life. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Prosecutors claim 52-year-old Kerry Johnson said he has a gambling problem. If the allegations against him he was charged with felony bank robbery on Wednesday are proven, that will be an understatement. Johnson told Charleston police that he arrived at the Mardi Gras Casino in the small city of Nitro, W. Va., around 10am, preparing for a full day of gambling. He plunked himself down at the blackjack table, where he claimed he stayed, hitting and holding, until 4:30pm. Police disagree. They say that around 3pm, he left the table for a while, leaving a $25 chip to hold his spot, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported. He wasnt stepping out for a deep breath of fresh air after spending the day in the casino. Instead, police claim he was trying to find more gambling money. They say he headed to the nearby City National Bank and robbed the place, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, WJLA reported. Around 3:30pm, a man with a white towel wrapped around his neck and wearing a red T-shirt and a dark hat with a gold WV the logo for West Virginia University above the bill entered the bank and handed the teller there a note scribbled out on yellow legal paper. He entered the bank, he presented a demand note and robbed the bank of an undisclosed amount of cash, Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, told the Gazette-Mail. The note claimed that the intruder was carrying both a bomb and a weapon, and it demanded an immediate windfall of cash, WJLA reported. The teller handed the man an undisclosed amount of money, but not before surveillance footage captured images of him. Then, the man drove off in a green Mazda Miata. A few minutes after the robbery occurred, Johnson reappeared at the blackjack table, where he continued to play, police said. Meanwhile, police released surveillance footage of the green Miata, along with the images from inside the bank. In response, they received an anonymous tip that Kerry Johnson had just purchased a new Mazda Miata and perfectly fit the description of the suspect. When police arrived at Johnsons house, his girlfriend told them that Johnson was sleeping. A green Miata, matching the one on the surveillance footage, was parked out front. After searching the house, police found a dark hat with a gold WV and a white towel lying around. They also found a yellow legal pad with paper matching that on which the threatening note was written. Even more damning, they noticed couch cushion that seemed out of place. Pushing it aside revealed, there between the cushions, a large sum of U.S. currency. Finally, some of the money that had been stolen was actually found at the blackjack table where Johnson had been playing. I didnt rob the bank, Johnson told WJLA. When asked if he was him in the picture, he said, It wasnt me. Reminds me of that song, Kanawha Magistrate Ward Harshbarger told Johnson at the arraignment Wednesday, according to the Gazette-Mail. He chuckled and said: "What were you thinking?" If convicted, Johnson could face up to 20 years in prison. He is currently being held on a $50,000 bond. Copyright: Washington Post Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Muslim couple who accused Delta Air Lines of Islamophobia for throwing them off a flight have spoken of their ordeal for the first time. They said they were singled out because flight crew had noticed them "sweating" and saying the word "Allah", which they denied. Faisal Ali and Nazia Ali were waiting for about 45 minutes on a Delta Air Lines flight in Paris to fly back to Cincinnati, Ohio when a Delta employee asked the couple to exit the aircraft as he needed to ask them questions. "We asked if we should get our stuff and he said, 'Yes, take all of your stuff as you won't be on that flight'," Ms Ali told The Independent. "That was really alarming." A French police officer was waiting outside the gate. "I was scared because it looked like some random guy was taking pictures of our passports on his personal phone," she said. Video shows Muslims kicked off flight After interrogating them about their stay in Paris - the couple had been enjoying a brief holiday in the capital city for their 10th wedding anniversary - the officer said he had no problem with them and there was nothing else he could ask the couple. The Delta employee then explained that the pilot had decided to ask them to leave as one of the crew members had felt uncomfortable in their presence, as the crew member had reportedly seen Mr Ali hide his phone as they walked by, and that Mr Ali had been sweating and saying Allah. The couple enjoyed their holiday seeing the sights in Paris (Nazia Ali) Mr Ali said he had been texting his mother to let her know they had safely boarded the plane as she would be picking them up from Cincinnati airport. "I wanted to get on that plane so badly. I didn't care about my privacy, I just wanted the captain to see my phone so he could see we were just texting our parents," she said. Her husband added he might have been sweating due to poor air circulation on the plane as it had been on the tarmac for about 45 minutes. "We just went straight to the terminal and they booked us on the next flight home, so they know we didn't do anything and we know that we didn't do anything," said Ms Ali. The couple, who have three young children under the age of five, were booked into a hotel by the airline overnight. "I told my four year old that you'll see me tomorrow, in another nine hours," she said. "But that didn't happen." The children were being looked after by the couple's parents. The first stop on their anniversary was London (Nazia Ali) The couple was interrogated again by a US customs agent at the airport the next day. When Mr Ali asked what they had done wrong, the agent said: You have done nothing wrong, unfortunately this is the way the world is right now. It is Deltas word against yours. They finally boarded the plane and Ms Ali said she still felt scared. "We now know that just because you're on the flight doesn't mean you won't be asked to leave - until you're airborne," she said. The Council of American-Islamic Relations has filed a complaint against the airline and said that the couple had been discriminated against. By falsely construing their simple and normal actions into something scary and threatening, it is clear that Mr and Mrs Ali were being singled out due to their Muslim appearance and name, wrote staff lawyer Sana Hassan. Delta Air Lines spokesman Morgan Durrant responded: Delta condemns discrimination toward our customers in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or gender. As a global airline that brings hundreds of thousands of people together every day, Delta is deeply committed to treating all of our customers with respect. Delta continues its investigation into this matter and will issue a full refund of these customers airfare. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The American woman killed in a central London knife attack that left five others injured has been identified. Recommended Read more What happened in Russell Square The Tallahassee Democrat reported that 60-year-old Darlene Horton was the sole fatality in the Wednesday night incident. She was married to Florida State University psychology professor Richard Wagner who was leading a summer study programme in London, which had just concluded. Both Ms Horton and Mr Wagner were scheduled to return to the US on Thursday. Students in the programme had already flown back home. The FSU London Study Centre is only a few blocks away from Russell Square, where the attack took place. Russell Square attack: Woman killed in London was American citizen There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy, said FSU President John Thrasher. We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family, and we will do all we can do assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the Psychology department, as they mourn. Ms Horton sustained multiple knife wounds to the back. Prior to her death, witnesses said that her final words were, Hes still here, hes still here, in reference to the attacker. In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Russell Square stabbing In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at work in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured. PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police forensic officer at the scene in Russell Square, central London PA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A private ambulance leaves Russell Square in London early on August 4, 2016, after a woman in her 60s was killed during a knife attack AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing Police at the scene of a stabbing attack in Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Russell Square stabbing A police officer lays flowers left by a member of the public close to the scene where one women died and several people were injured in a knife attack in Russell Square EPA In pictures: Russell Square stabbing The police cordon Russell Square in central London on August 4, 2016, AFP/Getty Images One victim from London sustained a stabbing wound to the stomach. He is listed in critical but stable condition. The four other victims an Israeli woman, an Australian man and woman, and American man have been released from the hospital. Metropolitan Police apprehended the 19-year-old knifeman before 11 pm in London after the arresting officer deployed a Taser. The man was identified as Norwegian of Somali descent. Police believe that mental health may play a significant factor in his motivation for the attack. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a ruling by a lower court that would allow a transgender Virginia teenager to use the school bathroom befitting his gender identity. Wednesdays order, which comes amid growing controversy over constraints on the use of school and public bathrooms by transgender people, means 17-year-old Gavin Grimm will be blocked from using the boys bathroom when he returns for the new school year. Grimm was born female but identifies as male and has undergone hormone therapy. Recommended Read more Federal court strikes down discriminatory North Carolina voter ID law School officials had allowed him to use the boys bathroom until some pupils and parents complained, after which he was told to use only the girls bathroom or a unisex bathroom. Grimm sued the school board in Gloucester County, Virginia, and in April a federal court ruled in his favour, saying that if the school board stopped him using his preferred bathroom, it would be in violation of Title IX, a 1972 law banning sex discrimination in federally funded schools. Lawyers for the school board intend to appeal the decision, claiming they want to protect the basic expectations of bodily privacy of Gloucester County students. The Supreme Court this week agreed to block the order by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals while the board prepares to make its appeal, which it hopes the Supreme Court itself will consider when the Justices return from the Summer recess. How did the bathroom issue get so fraught? Last year, the Obama administration issued advice to school districts nationwide, formalising its opinion that Title IX that 1972 sex discrimination law was applicable to the rights of transgender people. In a letter, a lawyer from the US Department of Education said transgender students should be permitted to use the bathrooms and changing rooms that are consistent with their gender identity. The appeals court in the Grimm case agreed with the Department of Educations assessment. The Gloucester County school board did not. Its lawyers said: Depriving parents of any say over whether their children should be exposed to members of the opposite biological sex, possibly in a state of full or complete undress in intimate settings, deprives them of their right to direct the education and upbringing of their children. This isnt just about one case in rural Virginia though, is it? No. The issue of transgender people and bathrooms has stirred controversy in more than 20 states, with Republican politicians trying to force transgender students to use the bathroom that coincides with the gender on their birth certificates, and transgender activists and their allies arguing for their right to choose. In May of this year, the Department of Education followed up last years guidance with a directive threatening to withhold federal cash from schools that continued to discriminate against their transgender pupils. Eleven states quickly sued over that directive, and last month they were joined by 10 more. Last week a group of more than 100 pastors wrote to Ohios school districts, urging them to ignore the Obama administrations mandate. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, a federal judge is considering whether to block the states controversial HB2 law, adopted in March, which says all school and public bathrooms and changing facilities must be segregated according to the gender stated on a persons birth certificate. Similar bills have been brought in several other states, but North Carolinas Pat McRory is the only governor to have actually signed one into law. Is this an election issue? With even the economy and global terrorism being overshadowed by Donald Trumps hourly offences on the campaign trail, the matter of transgender people and bathrooms is unlikely to get much play as a presidential election issue. Hillary Clinton takes the same view as the Obama administration; the day after Mr McRory signed North Carolinas bathroom bill, she tweeted: LGBT people should be protected from discrimination under the law period. Mr Trumps position is less clear. After initially saying the North Carolina law had a lot of problems and that transgender celebrity Caitlyn Jenner could use whichever bathroom she preferred if she ever visited Trump Tower, the Republican nominee later walked back those remarks, saying the bathroom issue ought to be decided by individual states. His running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, faced his own backlash in 2015 after signing a religious freedom law seen as allowing discrimination against the LGBT community. But even if it doesnt appear to impact the national race, transgender rights are a crucial issue in North Carolina, which is looking more and more like a swing state. The Tar Heel state has voted Republican in eight of the last nine presidential elections, but polls currently put Ms Clinton and Mr Trump neck and neck there. Mr McRory himself is facing a tough re-election fight, especially after HB2 turned the state into something of a pariah, with high-profile musicians cancelling North Carolina shows, and several major companies cancelling plans for expansion there. In a battleground state, small issues can have a big impact, and the Clinton campaign knows it. On Wednesday, Ms Clintons running mate Tim Kaine was in North Carolina, where he called on voters to go forward, not backward on LGBT issues. Lamenting the passage of HB2, he said: You all have stood up in a major way and youve said this is not who we are. This is not who North Carolina is. These are not our values. And thats one of the reasons why North Carolina is so intensely focused on this race. Where does the Supreme Court stand on transgender rights? If it decides to consider Gavin Grimms case in the autumn, it will be the first time the Supreme Court has intervened in the issue. Its order this week blocking the appeals court ruling was seen as a blow to the transgender rights movement, but it may be more of a formality. Since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February, the eight-person court has been split evenly between liberal and conservative justices, with Senate Republicans refusing to entertain the idea of confirming President Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, to fill the vacancy. Wednesdays order was a 5-3 decision because liberal Justice Stephen Breyer joined the courts four conservatives as a courtesy to keep the issue on hold until they return from recess. Justice Breyer implied, however, that he did not support the school boards appeal. If the Supreme Court were to take the case and come to a 4-4 tie, the Fourth Circuits ruling would stand. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Two American Muslim women were asked to leave an American Airlines plane after one of them talked to another passenger about the lack of water and food and a flight attendant said they had made him feel unsafe. Niala Mohammad, a journalist for the government-funded news outlet Voice of America, and her friend, who works for the federal government and did not want to be named, were travelling on an American Airlines flight from Miami to Washington when they were asked to disembark the plane. Ms Mohammad, a journalist who has had dinner with Malala Yousufzai, the woman who spoke out against Taliban oppression, wrote in a Facebook post that their plane had been grounded for about five hours in Miami and they were not allowed to buy food or drink. Her friend and a white male passenger seated behind her started talking about the delay. A male flight attendant allegedly approached her friend and said: If you have a problem, you can get off the plane. He also accused her of instigating objections from other passengers and allegedly threatened to remove her from the plane. Ms Mohammad was watching a Pakistani drama and took off her headphones to learn what had happened. The friends took a picture of the male flight attendant to try and identify him as he was not wearing a badge and did not give them his name. Video shows Muslims kicked off flight They were then told that taking a picture was a federal offence and were asked by a female attendant to delete the picture. An American Airlines customer relations representative came on board and asked the two women to follow her off the plane, where they were greeted by armed air marshals and police officers. They told the women that the male flight attendant had felt threatened by them. The male passenger they had talked to on board the plane was not asked to leave. The two women were assigned seats on the next available flight, and offered a $200 credit voucher and $24 food voucher. Although we were encouraged to document the incident to AA customer relations, we still experienced insult and embarrassment as two minority Muslim-American women, she wrote. For being such a threat to an AA attendant, it's telling that the Miami-Dade police officers joked with us and posed for this picture with the pretty harmless airplane menaces. American Airlines spokeswoman Alexis Aran Coello told The Independent that the passenger had violated the airline's policy of videotaping and taking pictures of an attendant even though he reportedly asked them to stop. "This was a case of non-compliance. At no moment did discrimination come up, according to the passenger relations representative who was there," she said. "She told me they were very calm, very nice, they weren't upset. They didn't say they were being kicked off because they were Muslim. Those words never came out of their mouths. It's only now that she's saying this was an issue." Ms Mohammad responded: "I'm really disappointed in American Airlines for not taking ownership of their mistake or reprimanding the airline attendant for his rude behaviour. I feel insulted and the non-compliance statement is a complete and utter lie." The news comes as a couple of American Muslims were told to leave a Delta Air Lines flight in Paris after a flight attendant told the pilot that the passengers made her feel uncomfortable. The husband and wife were allegedly singled out for removal by the pilot, and no other passengers were asked to leave. The executive director of the Cincinnati branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told The Independent that the married couple were flying home after enjoying a brief holiday in the French capital. They had to wait until the next day to fly home, she said. CAIR has filed a complaint to the department of transportation, alleging that the couple were religiously profiled after the flight attendant had expressed her concerns. CAIR-Cincinnati staff lawyer Sana Hassan said: We call on the US department of transportation to conduct a thorough examination into the prevailing practices of major American air carriers, including Delta Airlines, and to develop policy guidelines on the objective factors that are to be considered when determining that a passenger may legally be removed from a flight. Delta Air Lines spokesman Morgan Durrant said: "Delta Air Lines does not discriminate nor do we condone discrimination against any of our customers in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or gender. We are concerned by the allegations and are looking into what transpired." Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump suffered another blow to his chances of uniting Republicans behind him, after a Congressman and military veteran said he was unable to support the tycoons bid for the presidency. Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who served in Iraq, said he would not support Hillary Clinton or tell voters how they should vote. But he said he could not support a nominee who throws all these Republican principles on their head. Im an American before Im a Republican, Mr Kinzinger told CNN. I wont be silent. He can tweet all he wants. I have to do this for my country and for my party. Mr Kinzinger, who was elected to Congress in 2010, has openly hesitated to embrace Mr Trump as his partys standard-bearer. He said he went to the convention in Cleveland hoping to at least mildly endorse" the Republican front-runner. But in the aftermath of Mr Trumps comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the parents of slain Muslim American soldier Humayun Khan, the third-term Illinois congressman said that he did not see how I get there anymore. Usborne on Republican split Im a Republican because I believe that Republicanism is the best way to defend the United States of America, Mr Kinzinger said on Wednesday evening. The congressman also said the possibility that Mr Trump could be a drag on races further down the ticket was a factor and that he wanted to focus on defending the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Trump is proving hard to love even within his own party (Reuters) (REUTERS) The high-profile defection is the second of its kind against Mr Trump in two days. Richard Hanna, a Republican congressman from New York who is retiring after this term, announced on Tuesday he would vote for Ms Clinton in November. Mr Kinzingers home state senator Mark Kirk, who is facing one of the toughest re-election battles this cycle, rescinded his endorsement of Trump in June when the real estate mogul questioned the partiality of an American judge over his Hispanic heritage in a lawsuit against his Trump University. A senior Republican fundraiser, Meg Whitman, also announced this week she would vote for Ms Clinton rather than a man she described as a "demagogue". Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Muslim woman said she was fired as she refused to remove her hijab at work. On the third day at her new job at the Fair Oaks Dental Care clinic in Viriginia Najaf Khan decided to go into work wearing her head scarf. She claimed her boss immediately took her aside and told her to remove it to keep a neutral environment and said that the dress item would offend patients. She was allegedly told she would have to remove her hijab otherwise she would lose her job, and she refused. Ms Khan said she was excited to begin work at the Fairfax-based clinic and that she wanted to become a dentist. I was astonished because he had been saying I was doing so well, she told Fox News. I received an email the Friday morning saying how much positive enthusiasm I was bringing to the dental office. 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 I didnt think it was going to be a big issue. I was completely aware he might ask me, but I didnt know it would come down to the fact that if I wear it, I cant work there. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for the dental clinic to reinstate Ms Khan, and to compensate her for economic and emotional suffering. No employee should face termination because of his or her faith or religious practices, said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. We call on Fair Oaks Dental Care to reinstate the Muslim employee and to offer her reasonable religious accommodation as mandated by law. The Fair Oaks Dental Care clinic could not be immediately reached for comment. She said she did not wear the headscarf during the job interview as she did not wear it on a regular basis and simply decided to put it on after the weekend at her third day at work. The case comes one year after the US supreme court signaled its support for a young Muslim woman called Samantha Elauf who was not hired at Abercrombie & Fitch in 2008 because she wore a headscarf. The company said it violated the Oklahoma stores look policy for sales staff. She argued that the company had violated her civil rights and she won her case in June 2015. The Chinese government is cracking down on activism. (Photo : Getty Images) Zhai is among the 300 activists and lawyers arrested last year as part of President Xi Jinping's crackdown on legal activism. Twenty individuals are still detained. The Chinese authorities said that the 55-year-old activist "had long been influenced by anti-China forces and gradually adopted ideology to overthrow the current state system." Advertisement Government-run media Xinhua said that the activist was "subverting state power" by organizing sit-ins and demonstrations outside courthouses. He and the other detained activists are associated with the Fengrui Law Firm in Beijing. Other lawyers who are facing similar charges are Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng, and Li Heping. Wang Yu, another prominent lawyer from the law firm, was released on bail on Monday. Yu was reported to be free after swearing that she will not go back to practicing law. Her whereabouts are still unknown. In a video presented to media, Yu also said that Zhou Shifeng as "unqualified" as a lawyer and that "foreign forces" were using the law firm to discredit the government. The lawyer said that she was "ashamed and remorseful" for her actions, according to the Global Times, a tabloid run by the Communist Party. Activists claim that the video was taken with coercion. Families of the detained activists said that the charges were "ridiculous and evil." They were not allowed to attend proceedings. Zhai's wife has disappeared. Other family members fear that they will also be "taken away." Wives of the activists went to protest at the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the top prosecutor's office, in Beijing last month. They were demanding that they see their husbands in jail. "For one year, we've heard nothing about our husbands except an arrest notice. I'm worried about his health, I wish he could get back home soon," said Li Wenzu, wife of Wang Quanzhang, China has been internationally criticized for disrespecting human rights. The Chinese government maintained that they are only practicing the rule of law. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Dozens of members of the military and their families have contracted the mosquito-driven Zika virus, according to the US Department of Defence. A total of 41 military staff, including one pregnant woman, and seven family members are infected. The Pentagon told The Independent that most cases were contracted during personal travel to 16 different countries - including Jamaica, Haiti and Brazil - as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico. The department did not provide the status of the expectant mother and her unborn baby, but said that anybody on active duty is covered by medical insurance. Zika often produces only mild symptoms in adults but is believed to cause microcephaly in fetuses, which means babies are born with small skulls and incomplete brain development. There are 200 military installations in areas where the virus can be found, but the military did not provide details of where exactly they had contracted the infection. So far no analysed mosquitoes found on these 200 sites tested positive for the virus. The US continues to monitor those bases at risk, said spokesman Air Force Major Benjamin Sakrisson, and the military is working closely with federal, state and local authorities. The Zika virus - in pictures Show all 5 1 /5 The Zika virus - in pictures The Zika virus - in pictures A three-month-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. A rise in microcephaly cases is thought to have been caused by the spread of the Zika virus in affected countries Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A mother holds her baby who has microcephaly Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A five-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A baby affected with microcephaly Actions taken include increased emphasis on education about personal protective measures; increased attention to mosquito surveillance and control; expanded diagnostic laboratory testing; and increased attention and preparedness in medical treatment facilities to screen, diagnose, and care for infected individuals, Mr Sakrisson told The Independent. Data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found that there have been 1,658 reported cases of Zika within the continental US and Hawaii, as of 27 July. The majority of those cases - 1,642 - were contracted outside the US. 15 cases are thought to have been transmitted via sexual intercourse. The first case of Zika being contracted via sex was reported in February in Dallas. The news comes as the state of Florida has confirmed that 15 people contracted the infection through indigenous mosquitoes. The first case of female-to-male Zika transmission was confirmed in New York in July, and the first person to die of the virus in continental US happened in Utah the same month. Congress has still not approved close to $2 billion worth of emergency funding to fight Zika, and the debate on that funding has stalled since February. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Concerned relatives of a British man arrested by Bangladeshi authorities after surviving an Isis terror attack are demanding his immediate release. Hasnat Karims whereabouts were unconfirmed for more than a month after five gunmen burst into the Holey Artisan Bakery Cafe on 1 July as he celebrated his daughters 13th birthday with his family. His wife, Sharmina Parveen, told The Independent that the militants forced him to carry out tasks and act as a human shield against police snipers during the 10-hour siege that ended with the murder of 20 hostages. Hasnat Karim's family and legal representatives say he is being detained unlawfully after the terror attack (Supplied) But authorities are believed to be treating him as an accomplice to the atrocity, alongside detained University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan, who also disappeared after being taken for questioning. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police admitted the pair were being held on Thursday, saying they were formally arrested overnight under section 54 a law under which police can detain suspects for any crime without charge. Mr Karim and Mr Khan later appeared in a magistrates court, where a judge granted permission for investigators to interrogate them for eight days in custody two days short of the 10-day remand requested. Bangladeshs national police chief, AKM Shahidul Hoque, told reporters that the two men had fallen under suspicion as a result of their behaviour and actions during the siege. Mr Karims family were dismayed by the news, which came after a month-long campaign to confirm where the father-of-two was being held. His legal representatives say he was detained incommunicado, without access to family visits or lawyers for a month, and must be released immediately. Bangladeshi army soldiers during a rescue operation near the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh last month (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images) Rodney Dixon QC, his lawyer, said: The authorities have finally admitted that Mr Karim is in their custody. They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries. There is clearly no evidence to charge him and she should be let go without any further delay. Recommended Read more Mystery over British victim of Isis attack imprisoned in secret jail He is not a suspect and has not been charged. We therefore fully expect that he will be [released] promptly. Relatives say they are willing to fully cooperate with police to prove Mr Karims innocence, saying he has no links to Isis or to home-grown extremists, whom the government has blamed for the attack while continuing to deny the presence of foreign terror groups. Mr Karim, 47, is a joint British-Bangladeshi national who lived, studied and worked in the UK for nearly 20 years before returning to his country of birth to teach. He became a professor in the business faculty of Dhakas North South University, where one of the attackers was his student, in 2008 but has since left to run his fathers engineering business. Police said there were photographs showing Mr Karim smoking on the rooftop of the building with two of the attackers standing behind him, as well as footage showing him talking to the gunmen, but relatives say he was forced to carry out tasks to save his familys life. His wife described how they and their two children had been celebrating their daughters birthday in the Holey Artisan Cafe when gunman burst in at around 9.30pm on 1 July. Bangladesh attack raises security questions We were sitting for only a few minutes when we suddenly heard gunshots and screams coming from the seating outside the restaurant, she told The Independent. Then suddenly the gunmen entered the restaurant. We were immediately asked if we were Muslim. When we said yes, they asked us to put our heads down and said, We love Muslims, you can trust us, we will not harm you. The family were made to sit at a table with other hostages in silence at gunpoint before they were made to recite the first chapter of the Koran to be spared. Mr Karim was then allegedly forced to carry out menial tasks and walk in front of the gunmen to form a shield against the snipers stationed outside, matching witness reports of a bald man walking to and fro. When the gunmen found out we were my husbands family, that is when they picked him out as a human shield, Ms Parveen said. I think they chose him because they knew he would not run away if his family were there too. I cannot describe to you in words how it felt. They kept taking him away and then bringing him back and every time they took him I had no idea if we would ever see him again. Mr Karim and his family were eventually freed alongside other Bangladeshi Muslim hostages, who were immediately taken for questioning from which he never returned. Security forces stormed the restaurant after 10 hours, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages, while finding the bodies of nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian citizen. In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Bangladesh attacks In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks Hindu ashram worker Nityaranjan Pande, 62, was hacked to death in Pabna on 10 June 2016 AP In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks Hindu priest Anando Gopal Ganguly, left, was murdered in Jhenidah in Bangladesh on 7 June 2016 EPA In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, wife of the Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, was murdered in Chittagong, Bangladesh on 5 June 2016 EPA In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh Students Union arranged a torch procession in protest over recent murders of free thinkers in Dhaka NurPhoto In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks Murdered gay rights activist Xulhaz Mannan, who was editor at Bangladeshs only LGBT magazine Rex In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks A Bangladeshi policeman stands guard at the site of the murder of a law student, hacked to death by four assailants the night before, in Dhaka on April 7, 2016 AFP/Getty In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks People have protested against the murders around the world, seen here in Kolkata AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks A relative of dead Bangladeshi blogger Washiqur Rahman reacts after seeing his body at Dhaka Medical College in Dhaka on March 30 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks People gather on the spot where Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy was killed in a street in Dhaka (EPA) EPA In pictures: Bangladesh attacks Bangladesh attacks Bangladeshi social activists shout slogans during a protest against the killing Avijit Roy in Dhaka on February 27, 2015 AFP/Getty Images Mr Khans family have also protested his innocence, saying he had returned home from Canada the day before the attack and studies at the University of Toronto. Relatives said he was at the cafe with two female friends, who were also students, but police said he was seen standing near the door with a gun during the siege. Amnesty International is among the human rights organisations raising concern over the mens continued detention. While it is a positive step that Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Khan have been produced in court and formally arrested, the Bangladeshi authorities must now ensure that their rights in detention are being met, including access to a lawyer of their choosing, their families and any medical attention they may require, a spokesperson said. We call on the Bangladeshi authorities to charge them promptly with a recognisable crime, in line with international law and standards, or else release them. There must be justice for the victims of the horrific attack in Dhaka, but Bangladesh must ensure that human rights are now not sacrificed in the name of national security. A Home Office report on prison conditions in Bangladesh said they were so poor as to amount to inhuman or degrading treatment and that cases of torture had been recently reported. A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told The Independent that representatives were in contact with local authorities over Mr Karims case but could give no information on discussions. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Flooding exacerbated by torrential monsoon rains in India has left 21 rare rhinoceros dead after rising waters devastated the Kaziranga National Park in the north eastern state of Assam. Conservationists have described the deaths as a catastrophic event for the one-horned rhino which has been making a recovery after being hunted almost to extinction in the 20th Century. The park, a Unesco world heritage site, is the worlds largest habitat for the rhino, containing 70 per cent of the species global population. At the height of the flooding, 80 per cent of the park was underwater. Ten of those drowned were calves between two and six months old. Rescue teams and volunteers managed to pull eight rhino calves out of the water using ropes, though many remain in a critical condition. Most of the rescued calves have been moved to the nearby Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation, where they are being cared for. Recommended Read more Scientists discover new species of stunning silver snake in Bahamas Kaziranga wildlife official Rathin Barman told the Wall Street Journal many of the rhinos are dehydrated and in distress. He said: The babies have been wrapped in blankets. The staff has been bottle-feeding milk and vitamin supplements. The calves will be released after two years, Mr Barman told NDTV in a separate interview. We are hoping they will be all fine soon, he added. The deaths are a significant setback for the species which numbered just 3,500 in 2016, according to the WWF. Kaziranga National Park director Satyendra Singh said 30 per cent of the 166-square-mile park remains flooded. Some 270 wild animals have died, this has been one of the worst seasons of flooding, he told Sky News. The devastation to the parks infrastructure, roads, and bridges has been very severe. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned the deaths could have a devastating impact on the status of the species. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The worlds one-horned rhino population reached a nadir in 1975, when only 600 were left in the wild. Since then, concerted conservation efforts and strict protection measures in India and Nepal have seen populations rise by about 5 per cent a year to 3,500 in 2016. However, the species remains listed as vulnerable, one level down from endangered. Together with the African white rhinoceros, the one-horned rhino is the largest of all rhino species, with males weighing up to 2.7 tonnes. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Malaysian man charged with raping a 14-year-old girl has avoided prison after marrying his victim, sparking anger from rights groups and calls for bans on child marriage. Ahmad Syukri Yusuf, 22, faced 30 years in prison and being whipped after he was charged with statutory rape of the girl. But he has avoided the sentence after marrying the teenager under Islamic law. Prosecutor Ahmad Fariz Abdul Hamid said a court in Kuching, in Malaysias eastern state of Sarawak, ruled the case need no longer continue after a marriage certificate was produced and the girl withdrew the complaint, Reuters reports. Under Malaysias civil laws, the minimum age for marriage is 18, but under Sharia law, Islamic courts can grant permission to Muslims under 16, allowing them to marry as children. The ruling has prompted outrage from womens rights groups. Speaking to Reuters, Kuala Lumpur-based Women's Aid Organization spokeswoman Tan Heang Lee said: It is very common for rapists to marry their survivors, especially when they are underage, to cover up their crime, There is usually a high risk in this kind of cases that these girls will be subject to a lifetime of sexual abuse. Her marriage is basically an extension to rape, she added. Ann Teo, vice-president of the Kuching-based Sarawak Women for Women Society, said those who have been charged with rape must be prevented from marrying their victims. It sends a message a person will be freed from his charge if he enters into this kind of marriage of convenience with the girl, Ms Teo said. A 2010 United Nations report (the last year available), estimated that 82,000 married women in Malaysia were girls aged 15 19. The same year, the countrys deputy minister for women revealed that almost 16,000 girls below the age of 15 were married. Though the data is sparse, the problem appears to be on the rise in some parts of Malaysia. In the state of Kedah in northwest Malaysia, underage marriage applications rose by 35 per cent in the two years to 2010, with 90 per cent of those for marriages for girls younger than 16, according to international organisation Girls Not Brides. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The organisation estimates that 15 million girls a year are married before the age of 18 worldwide. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A senior EU official has warned the blocs trade policy will be close to death if it does not manage to ratify a trade agreement with Canada. The European Unions Director General for Trade, Jean-Luc Demarty, warned there would be a big credibility problem if the agreement didnt go through. Mr Demarty issued the warning at the EUs trade policy committee, according to notes seen by Politico. Canada is a third country which stands very close to the EU. If the EU is not able to ratify this agreement, the EU trade policy would have a big credibility problem - it would be close to death, the leaked notes reportedly say. The comments were confirmed by two other diplomats who claimed this was typical of Mr Demartys helpless tone on the subject, Politico reported. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The EU-Canada trade deal, referred to as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), has taken seven years to negotiate and requires approval in Europes 38 national and regional parliaments. An EU-Canada summit is scheduled for 27 October but the deal may not be passed by then. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A gay Syrian refugee has been mutilated and beheaded in Istanbul. Muhammed Wisam Sankari was found dead in the Yenikapi district of Istanbul and his body was so badly mutilated that friends were only available to identify him by pieces of clothing. Mr Sankari arrived in Istanbul a year ago from war-torn Syria and friends said he was trying to flee Turkey after previously being kidnapped and raped by a group of men, according to Kaosgl.org. One of his housemates said they had complained about the kidnapping to the police but nothing was done about it. Another close friend, Diya, said the entire LGBT community live in fear in Turkey. No one cares about us. They just talk. I get threats over the phone. I speak calmly so something does not happen. It does not matter if you are Syrian or Turkish, if you are gay you are everyones target, he told Kaosgl.org. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty While Turkey is often thought of as being more accepting than other Muslim countries, the police turned hoses and tear gas on LGBT demonstrators in June and Istanbul's Pride event was cancelled. No arrests have been made as of yet. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 40 people were injured at a beer festival in Kosovo after a toy gun was fired and someone was heard shouting Isis as part of an elaborate prank that prompted a stampede. The fake terror alert caused festival attendees to panic, pushing past each other as they rushed to leave the event in the central square of the capital Pristina. Amid false reports a 15-year-old boy had been shot by terrorists from the extremist group, the sudden crush left two visitors critically injured in hospital, and a further 40 with minor injuries. People ran from the square into nearby alleyways to hide and lost their shoes and bags in the panic to get away, according to MailOnline. Local witnesses said they heard a loud voice above the crowd shouting Run, run, Isis is here, before a gunshot issued from the fake weapon and people in the crowd began screaming in a scene of chaos. One witness, Arton, who attended the event, told Kosovo media: We noticed that something was not right. People began to push and to jump over each other. I was in the middle of it, people came pushing past us and knocked us over. People were crying, shouting they have to flee. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Kosovo has one of the highest proportion of gun owners in Europe, with estimates suggesting up to 350,000 of the country's 1.8 million population possess firearms. The organiser of the beer festival, Ekrem Tahiri, confirmed the gunshot came from a person shooting a toy gun and said none of the attendees were in danger during the event. Meanwhile, the mayor of Pristina said he had decided to revoke the licence for the festival due to lack of capacity, and to verify whether everyone attending was the required 18 years of age. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Italian government has overwhelmingly backed a new set of laws aimed at cutting down the vast amounts of food wasted in the country each year. A bill passed by 181 Senators will encourage families to use "doggy bags" to take home unfinished food after eating out and removes hurdles for farmers and supermarkets seeking to donate food to charity. The goal to cut the five million tonnes of food wasted every year by at least one million tonnes was only opposed by two Senators and abstained from by one when put to a vote in Italy's upper house on 2 August. Ministers have said that food waste is costing Italy's business and households more than 12 billion (10 billion) a year, or about 1 per cent of GDP. And since the country has a public debt exceeding 135 per cent of GDP - a figure which has increased by a fifth since 2003 - and a youth unemployment rate of an estimated 40 per cent with millions of Italians in poverty, the levels of food waste are considered unjustifiable. Indeed, Italy's highest court ruled only three months ago that stealing small amounts of food because of hunger was not a crime. The new laws seek to make donating food easier by allowing businesses to record donations in a simple form every month, according to La Repubblica. Sanctions for giving away food past its sell-by date have been removed, and business owners will pay less waste tax the more they donate. Britain's most popular foods Show all 12 1 /12 Britain's most popular foods Britain's most popular foods Butter Britain's most popular foods Bananas Britain's most popular foods Grapes Britain's most popular foods Chilli Britain's most popular foods Olive oil Britain's most popular foods Salmon Britain's most popular foods Pasta Britain's most popular foods Pizza Britain's most popular foods Ready meals Britain's most popular foods Peanut butter Britain's most popular foods Low cal diet drinks Britain's most popular foods Prepared sauces (curry/bolognese) Farmers will also be able to donate unsold produce to charities without incurring extra costs. Innovative ways to store foods in transit to prevent rotting and lengthen their life on the shelf, as well as a public campaign about food waste, will also be developed with a 1m grant from the agricultural ministry. Another 1m will back a "doggy bag" campaign, in which families will be encouraged to take home unfinished food home after a regional pilot scheme proved a success. The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has said 40 per cent of all food is wasted across Europe. World-wide, the figure is lower at one third. "The food currently wasted in Europe could feed 200 million people," said the FAO. Similar measures have been passed elsewhere, albeit with a more punitive bent. French supermarket owners now face fines of up to 75,000 (62,800) if they do not sign contracts with food donation charities. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Turkish court has formally issued an arrest warrant for the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the government has accused of being behind the failed coup last month. The state-run Anadolu news agency said an Istanbul court had issued the warrant for ordering the 15 July coup attempt. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Mr Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, of masterminding the plot which saw soldiers take control of bridges on the Bosphorus, the state broadcaster and the main airport in Istanbul. The soldiers announced they had taken control of the country but after President Erdogan told his supporters to go out onto the streets to resist the coup, he was able to re-establish control. Mr Gulen has denied any knowledge of the coup which killed 270 people and has led to the arrest of 18,000 others. A further 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs in the civil service, judiciary, education, police, healthcare, the military and the media. Turkey has deemed the Gulenist movement, which runs charities, schools and businesses, as a terrorist organisation and launched a widespread crackdown on suspected members. In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters Ankara has not made a formal extradition request but the arrest warrant paves the way to do so legally. Washington previously asked for evidence that Mr Gulen was involved and said the extradition process would follow in due course. During a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara, Mr Erdogan said: "Without doubt, this organisation has an extension in the business world. Maybe it is what they are most powerful at. "We are determined to totally cut off all business links of this organisation, which has blood on its hands." He said every penny that goes to finance the Gulenist movement "is a bullet placed in a barrel to be fired against this nation. In the same way that we do not pardon those who fire the bullet, we will not forgive those who financed the bullet". The president said the purge of the military would continue as the arrests made so far were just the tip of the iceberg. Separately, the deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Mehdi Eker, said countries around the world need to take action against schools or other establishments linked to Gulen. Mr Eker said the cleric's movement had hundreds of schools, charities or other establishments in more than 100 countries and warned they too could face security risks from the group in the future. If we had seen that these schools were not innocent educational nests but nurseries raising members for a terror organisation, we would not have lived through the (attempted coup), he told journalists in Ankara. It is our responsibility to warn countries that have (Gulen-linked) schools, Mr Eker said. In Africa, we know that they work as nurseries (for terror) and we want to warn them. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} At least six tourists and their driver have been wounded after Taliban militants attacked a group of foreign tourists being escorted by an army convoy in western Afghanistan. The group of at least a dozen travellers including eight Britons, three Americans and one German but it is currently unclear who was hurt during the assault by gunmen as the convoy passed through western Herat province on Wednesday. Jilani Farhad, a spokesman for Herats governor, said security forces had been sent to the scene and the group were taken to local clinics to be treated for light injuries. But Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed the group had killed the foreign invaders as well as seven slave Afghan soldiers in a series of tweets. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the convoy was on its way from the scenic Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan to the city of Herat when it came under attack. Photographs published by local media in Herat showed uniformed men standing around what appeared to be the burnt wreckage of a small bus. A spokeswoman for the British Embassy in Kabul said they were assisting UK citizens who were involved in the attack and coordinating with local officials. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin confirmed one of their citizens was involved in the attack but was unharmed. The American embassy did not respond to a request for comment. Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all but essential travel in the country, citing threats of attack and kidnapping. Despite this, several foreign tourism companies advertise adventure tours in Afghanistan, including a British firm which has a trip to the Herat area scheduled for next week. Bamiyan, home to Afghanistan's first national park, is one of the country's more peaceful areas and attracts some of the few tourists who do visit. Additional reporting by agencies Beijing Capital International Airport is currently experiencing slot shortage. (Photo : Getty Images) China Eastern and China Southern Airlines, two of the country's premiere airlines, are set to be relocated in a new Beijing airport, Guanming Online reported. According to the article, this move will be helpful in decreasing airfares for international passengers. Advertisement The decision also eyes to improve the services being provided by Air China, the country's national carrier. This airline will remain at the Beijing Capital International Airport. Due to slot shortage, airlines at the said airport have found it hard to launch new routes and add flight schedules. "Beijing Capital International Airport is overly saturated. The relocation of China Eastern and China Southern Airlines to the new airport will provide them with significant growth potential," Li Xiaojin, a professor at the Civil Aviation University of China, said. Star Alliance partners such as Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and Japanese airline ANA will also stay. The new international airport in the Chinese capital is expected to begin its operation in two years' time, a statement from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) noted. The two airlines will move to the airport along with other carriers including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, Air France and other SkyTeam Alliance members. The new airport will be located in southeastern Beijing's Daxing district. The ultra-large hub will cater to passengers traveling to and fro Beijing and its nearby regions such as Tianjin and Hebei. Li revealed that since the location will be around 50 kilometers from the city's downtown area, it is more likely that airlines will give more economical airfares in order to lure passengers. The professor added that passengers will find it convenient to use the new airport since more and more enterprises and government offices are moving in southern Beijing. CAAC noted that China Eastern and China Southern will be offered "favorable policy support on flights and routes, as well as ground services," the article wrote. The two airlines will be permitted to construct their own facilities at the new airport. The companies will serve as the airport's main carriers, with an approximate 40 percent share in its yearly passenger volume. Both airlines will be given a transition period of four years. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Tributes have been paid to the "ultimate sacrifice" of a firefighter who died rescuing 300 passengers and cabin crew, when a plane crashed and burst into flames at Dubai International Airport. Officer Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan boarded the wreckage of Emirates Flight EK521 when it exploded shortly after arriving from Thiruvananthapuram in India, and ensured everyone on board was able to escape the aircraft without significant injury. Mr Hassan was however unable to avoid the flames, and later died in hospital from severe burns and asphyxiation. There were alleged problems with the planes landing gear, forcing the pilot to attempt a second landing at the last minute, which unfortunately was quickly aborted. The majority of the 282 passengers on board were Indian nationals, as well as 24 British travellers, while the 18 crew members on board were also able to exit unharmed as flames and smoke issued from the engines of the Boeing 777. In a statement, UAEs General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) praised the efforts of Mr Hassan in rescuing those trapped on board. The GCAA spokesperson said: We are grateful to God for his mercy and confirm that there were no fatalities among the passengers and crew on board. "We are however, very sad to announce that one of the firefighters lost his life while saving the lives of the others. Firefighter dies after Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai On behalf of the General Civil Aviation Authority, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family of deceased. I salute his ultimate sacrifice that kept many from harms way. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family." Later, Dubai emir Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted residents were "proud of our youth and their sacrifices while performing their duties in protecting lives and saving people". In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai An Emirates plane erupts in flames after crash landing at Dubai International Airport on 3 August 2016 jamesdxb/Instagram In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Footage showed a fireball bursting from the plane after it crash landed at Dubai International Airport In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Smoke rising after an Emirates flight crash landed at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. AP In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Emirates plane crash lands at Dubai International Airport YouTube In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai An Emirates Boeing 777-300 at Dubai International Airport on 3 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Emirates airlines Boeing 777-300 A6-EMW plane flight number EK521 from Trivandrum to Dubai lays on the ground in Dubai airport after being gutted by fire EPA In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Dubai International Airport after an Emirates Airline flight crash-landed, the UAE August 3, 2016. Reuters The Emirati pilot and Australian co-pilot, who was named as Jeremy Webb, have more than 7,000 flying hours between them according to the airline. Emirates, which began operating globally in 1985, has never yet had a fatal accident involving one of its aircraft. An investigation is now underway to examine the cause of the accident and to see what measures can be taken to avoid such an incident occurring again. Dubai airport is the biggest air hub in the world in terms of passenger traffic, handling some 78 million passengers last year. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A row has erupted at a US university amid allegations it built an escape hatch which would allow the chancellor to flee the building if student protests were to begin. University of California, Berkeleys student newspaper, The Daily Californian, published an article claiming the $9,000 (6,850) emergency exit was built near Nicholas Dirks office last month. The site added how a campus spokesperson said in an email it was put into place as a security measure to provide egress to leave the building, causing one activist to label the chancellor elitist and out of touch with the student body. Recommended Read more Campuses hold race protests after Missouri resignations Then, in an editorial published this week, the papers staff referred to the placement of the exit as one of the most recent in a series of increasingly absurd missteps. The staff added: Protests on this campus are commonplace, and they frequently occur around the chancellors office and residence. We acknowledge the chancellors right to safety and security, but we fear many of these safety measures are coming at the expense of accessibility to students and faculty. The opinion piece was making reference to a demonstration in April last year which saw protesters storm the chancellors offices over plans to build a new global, research-focused campus, a move protesters argued would have a negative impact on the city of Richmond. Dirks also faced criticism after he reportedly put into place a fence around his official residence at a cost of $700,000, something the Californians staff said shows campus administrators operate in a near-constant state of fear of its students. The university has yet to respond to the Independents request for comment. However, co-chair of the Berkeley Faculty Association told the Guardian Dirks should welcome student protests, and that the installation of the hatch shows a fortress mentality. Downplaying the incident, he added: Its a door. Recommended Read more US students continue to occupy university amid racial tensions The prestigious institution has seen several protests take place on its grounds from as far back as the 1960s on issues including race relations and free speech. More recently, though, the university became the centre of demonstrations regarding its sexual assault policy after a number of complaints were filed against alleged incidents involving a professor. After a review of critical gaps in its sexual harassment training, awareness, reporting, and disciplinary units, UC Berkeley announced in May it would be making immediate changes, as well as implementing key units tasked with providing support to survivors and training and prevention schemes. Dirks said in a statement prior to the summer break: Executive dean Carla Hesse has made significant progress in her assignment to find ways to improve how we prevent, respond to, and address sexual harassment and sexual violence involving members of our campus community. We announced a $2.5 million supplemental investment in the key areas that support survivors, manage investigations, and conduct training and prevention efforts. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} One of Britains leading budget airlines is tackling alcohol-fuelled air rage but only at breakfast time. Jet2.com is claiming to be the first European airline to take the bold step to ban alcohol sales before 8am in a bid to tackle what it calls disruptive and abusive behaviour. From Monday, passengers aboard the first wave of flights will have to wait until 8am before the on-board bar opens. Other airlines already operate bans on some specific flights Ryanair does not allow alcohol in the cabin of some departures to and from Ibiza. Research by The Independent on two years of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reportable occurrences of air rage show alcohol is the principle trigger of in-flight disruption. Phil Ward, managing director of Jet2.com, said: We believe that stopping sales of alcohol before 8am BST on our morning flights is an effective way to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable journey. In practice, the ban is likely to affect only a small proportion of passengers, but it is part of Jet2.coms wider campaign to reduce in-flight disruption. Since 2015 it has refused travel to more than 500 passengers, and handed lifetime bans to more than 50 people. The airline flies from Belfast, Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle to a range of resorts and cities. It is also calling for alcohol, on sale in airports, to be supplied only in sealed, tamper-evident bags known as Stebs in a bid to reduce the illegal consumption of alcohol before and during flights. In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai An Emirates plane erupts in flames after crash landing at Dubai International Airport on 3 August 2016 jamesdxb/Instagram In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Footage showed a fireball bursting from the plane after it crash landed at Dubai International Airport In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Smoke rising after an Emirates flight crash landed at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. AP In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Emirates plane crash lands at Dubai International Airport YouTube In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai An Emirates Boeing 777-300 at Dubai International Airport on 3 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Emirates airlines Boeing 777-300 A6-EMW plane flight number EK521 from Trivandrum to Dubai lays on the ground in Dubai airport after being gutted by fire EPA In pictures: Emirates plane crash-lands in Dubai Dubai International Airport after an Emirates Airline flight crash-landed, the UAE August 3, 2016. Reuters The new aviation minister, Lord Ahmad, has vowed to tackle drink-fuelled air-rage, saying airline passengers deserve to have a safe and hassle-free journey. He has ordered a study of how alcohol is sold at airports, which is where many of the problems originate. According to Philip Baum, editor of Aviation Security International magazine, alcohol-fuelled air rage is a global problem. He estimates disruptive passengers affect around 50 flights a day worldwide. Concern about drunk passengers has increased since the crash-landing at Dubai on Wednesday. In the event of an emergency evacuation, anyone incapacitated by alcohol presents a hazard to themselves and other passengers. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} As armed rebels terrorists in the eyes of the regime tighten their grip on the country, at one stage holding 60 per cent of the land, government troops hit back, seizing control of the main roads and laying siege to major towns. The ruthless dictator, supported by Russia, accuses foreign powers of assisting his rebel enemies. There are massacres by both sides. NGOs fear for the tens of thousands of civilians trapped amid the fighting, while Western powers threaten to strike at the dictator unless he abides by a humanitarian ceasefire. Sound familiar? Of course. Im describing Kosovo in 1998, the year before Nato launched its war against Slobodan Milosevics regime in Serbia. The Kosovo Liberation Army assisted and advised, as we now know, by the CIA was threatening to seize all of Kosovo, the Serbian province in which Milosevics regime had long committed human rights abuses and ethnic murder against its Muslim majority. Milosovic accused Albania of sending weapons into Kosovo with the help of Western powers. All true. The difference between then and now is that, in 1998, the Western powers were itching for a war with Serbia. Today, those same Western nations will do anything to avoid going to war with Syria. Syria's civil war: Rebels launch operation to break Aleppo siege For Albania, of course, read Turkey. For Milosevic, read Assad. For the KLA, read the Free Syrian Army, Jabhat al-Nusra or Isis or any of the other outfits which we either love or hate in Syria. But its worth remembering how much the humiliation of Bosnia was driving the West to war in Serbia. And its not, I fear, by chance that a UN official (widely quoted and, as usual, anonymous) said this week: Aleppo is the new Srebrenica. Good soundbite; bad history. Aleppos tragedy is unique and terrible and totally different from the massacre at Srebrenica, the Bosnian mass slaughter of more than 8,000 Muslims by Christian Serb militia in 1995 while Western UN troops watched and did nothing. In Aleppo, Sunni Muslim militias are fighting largely Sunni Muslim soldiers of the Syrian army whose Alawite (Shia) leader is supported by Shia Muslim Hezbollah militiamen and Shia Muslim Iran. Only three years ago, the same Sunni militiamen were besieging the surrounded Syrian army western enclave of Aleppo and firing shells and mortars into the sector where hundreds of thousands of civilians lived under regime control. Now the Syrian regimes forces are surrounding the Sunni militiamen in the eastern enclave of Aleppo and firing shells and mortars and dropping bombs and explosives into the sector where hundreds of thousands of civilians live under rebel control. The first siege didnt elicit many tears from the satellite channel lads and lassies. The second siege comes with oceans of tears. For, since 2011, the West has been demanding the departure, overthrow or death of Bashar al-Assad, blaming him for 90 per cent or 95 per cent, or the latest figure Ive heard 98 per cent of the 300,000 civil war deaths, or 350,000 deaths or again, the latest figure Ive heard 400,000 deaths. And before you dismiss this as a cynical game of statistics, let me add that I suspect the real death toll may be more than 450,000. Aleppo bears the brunt in another day of carnage and defiance Show all 3 1 /3 Aleppo bears the brunt in another day of carnage and defiance Aleppo bears the brunt in another day of carnage and defiance IA11-4-Syria-main.jpg EPA Aleppo bears the brunt in another day of carnage and defiance IA11-4-Syria.jpg AP Aleppo bears the brunt in another day of carnage and defiance IA11-4-syria-3.jpg AP But if the West is correct, then Assads forces have killed well over 400,000 of the dead which is odd when the fatalities among the regimes own army alone come to well over 60,000 a military secret, but a real statistic which the regime does not wish to make public. And if the Wests figures are correct, then the rebels including the horrific Isis, whom we want to destroy, and the horrid Nusra whom we probably want to destroy, and the kindly Free Syrian Army and New Syrian Army and Syrian Democratic Forces, whom we like very much because they are Kalashnikov-toting moderates, who want to destroy Assad have killed, at most, only a few thousand of the wars victims. This is absurd. There are no "good guys" among the Syrian warlords; yet still, despite all the evidence, we want to find them. At the same time, we cant really work out who the "bad guys" are. Of course, Isis or the so-called Islamic State as the BBC likes to refer to them, for they are neither Islamic nor a state must be liquidated. But the American supplied and reinforced Syrian Democratic Forces which are never referred to as "so-called" by the BBC, even though they are neither a force (since they rely on US air power), nor democratic (since they are not elected), nor Syrian (because they are largely Kurdish) must be supported. Having thus divided the cult-like evildoers of Isis from the groupuscules of moderates be they old Dave Camerons 70,000 ghost warriors or just CIA clones we are having problems with the Nusrah-whoops-changed-our-name-to-Sham-and-no-longer-with-the-al-Qaeda chaps. Because they hate Assad, but they also kill Christians, blow up churches, chop the heads off their enemies and do other rotten things which make it hard to like them, even though they are financed by Qatar one of our wealthy "moderate" Arab Gulf allies as opposed to Saudi Arabia, another of our wealthy "moderate" Gulf allies, which still unofficially supports the horrific Isis. And its the Nusra-Sham-no-longer-al-Qaeda rebels who are now besieged in Aleppo, along with 300,000 civilians. Trouble is that our wealthy American allies who may or may not be moderate, depending on who wins the presidential election are going to have two candidates who will go all out over the next three months to demand once more the destruction of Bashar al-Assad. We will not only be told all over again that his regime is responsible for almost the entire death toll of the Syrian civil war, but that he maintains the cruellest torture chambers in the world. Yet I promise you that the US presidential contenders wont remind Americans that, until a few years ago, they were happily dispatching dark-skinned folk of the Muslim faith (including two Canadians) to endure the horrors of those very same torture chambers via a security agreement with the Syrian government. Rendition, I think it was called. And the parallels with Kosovo? Well its Hollywood. A movie. A simple plot. In 1998, we had to go to war to save the Muslims of Kosovo from the Hitler of Belgrade. In 2016, we are going to be urged to go to war with the Hitler of Damascus although whom we are supposed to save this time is less clear. The Kurds? The armed moderates? The Syrian people millions of whom now live outside Syria? Isis? Surely not the latter. Or will we be saving Sunni Saudi Arabia and Sunni Qatar from disintegrating under the pressure of the war they have been stoking in their weary battle against the Shia of Iran and Lebanon and, yes, Iraq? No, unlike 1998, we will not go to war for Syria. In Kosovo, we bombed from the air until Milosovic was told by Yeltsins Russia that he was on his own. But Putins Russia is not going to tell Assad hes on his own. And besides, we dont have Nato armies waiting on the Syrian border to invade the country if Assad surrendered. We used to have the Turks. Remember them? Wasnt Natos most powerful army just itching to move into Syria on our behalf? Not any more, its not. And we all know why. We can also forget red lines. Both sides in Syria have, I suspect, used gas and we didnt go to war, even though we put all the blame on the regime. But we didnt go to war for the Kurds when Saddam gassed them in 1988 it became one of the smaller excuses for the Blair-Bush invasion of Iraq 15 years later. And after suggesting the Russians have just dropped gas in Idlib province, you can be sure were not going to war with Moscow. So amid the anguish of Syrias people, lets not offer more lies to the Arabs. We are not going to save Aleppo, even if the Assad regime forces the rebels there to surrender (as they did in Homs, with scarcely a whimper from us). And I dont think we are going to destroy Assad indeed for several months before the US elections reached their climax, the "Assad-must-go" routine mysteriously faded away. Yes, its time we stopped lying to the people of the Middle East. And its time we stopped lying to ourselves. A man was being treated in hospital after being shot, gardai have said. The victim, who is aged in his early 40s, suffered a gunshot wound after being targeted in the Walkinstown area of west Dublin. The shooting took place on Greenhills Road at about 11.35am. It is understood the man did not suffer life-threatening injuries and g ardai said he was taken to Tallaght Hospital. Gardai appealed for anyone who was in the area at the time of the shooting or for anyone with information to contact Crumlin station or any other Garda contacts or stations. Officers said investigations were continuing. The shooting happened at Cullen's Car Parts in Walkinstown. It is understood the victim was a customer. The business is a car dismantler and scrapyard which supplies new and used car spares and parts. Spokesman Conor Faughnan, the public face of the AA in Ireland AA Ireland paid an 82.6m dividend to its UK parent in advance of the Irish arm's 156.6m sale to Carlyle Cardinal, new accounts for the business show. The accounts show that turnover at AA Ireland rose 6.5pc last year to 51.4m, while operating profits fell 8.5pc to 11.8m as it continued to invest in the business and incurred a one-off administration charge. Of its turnover, 26.7m was generated from its roadside assistance membership programme, with 24.2m from its insurance business. AA Ireland had 128,000 customers at the end of 2015, up 8pc in 2014. The customer base for its combined insurance portfolio rose 5pc to over 205,000. Chief executive Brendan Nevin said that the number of breakdowns the company attended during 2015 was 5pc higher than in 2015. But 78pc of breakdowns were resolved at the roadside without vehicles having to be towed to garages. He said that the fundamentals of the business, which employs 440 people, "remain strong". Mr Nevin and other senior AA Ireland management are investing in the business as part of its sale. The Irish arm's operating profit last year was negatively impacted by a 900,000 increase in exceptional administrative expenses, the accounts note. They also reveal that the company wrote off bad debts of just over 1m last year, compared to 179,000 in 2014. Restructuring and redundancy costs totalled 885,000 in 2015, compared to just under 1.1m in 2014, the accounts note. Total directors' pay jumped to 802,000 last year from 438,000 the previous year. AA plc confirmed last month that it had reached agreement to sell its Irish unit to Carlyle Cardinal, a 292m private equity fund that is a joint venture between Carlyle and Cardinal Capital. The AA agreed to provide certain transitional services to AA Ireland and will retain responsibility for the defined benefit pension plan of AA Ireland. AA plc said that as an insurance broker-led business, AA Ireland differs significantly from the AA's UK business, and that synergies and cross-sell opportunities are limited. AA plc is using the proceeds of the sale to reduce its own debt. AA plc's executive chairman, Bob Mackenzie, said the sale was a "good result". He added: "I would like to thank our 450 Irish colleagues for their dedication, professionalism and service to our customers, which has resulted in the creation of a great business. "I am confident that the agreement with Carlyle and CCI presents an exciting opportunity for their continued success." AA plc had expected the sale to close in July. It has not yet been cleared by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has moved to allay fears of a return of a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland. Photo: Frank Mc Grath Revenue officials are working to develop a post-Brexit electronic customs system where vehicles will be able to cross the border between north and south without having to stop. The Irish Independent understands that informal contacts have already taken place between Irish customs officials and their UK counterparts about the possibility of developing an integrated, joined-up electronic border system. The head of Revenue's customs division said staff are at the early stages of a scoping exercise, and that the plan could take a number of years to fully build. Anthony Buckley, deputy director general of Irish Customs with the Revenue Commissioners, said the aim is to develop a system whereby a truck can drive from one end of the island to the other without having to stop. "Even if there's a free-trade agreement [between the UK and EU], we'll still need to know what is being traded, what's crossing the border," Mr Buckley told a Brexit briefing organised by the Irish Exporters' Association (IEA). "Our design challenge, as I like to term it, is that a truck should be able to drive from Cork to Belfast or from Holyhead to Galway, without stopping. That would be the ideal, and we want to achieve that. "We're starting the design process at the moment. We've already started the scoping and we will be building, but it will take us two or three years to build." Revenue's aim is to ensure that information about a truck's load, for example, could be put into a computer on this side of the border, and then be automatically conveyed to the UK authorities in the north. The movement of the truck could then be monitored in an M50 eflow-style electronic camera system. Customs clearance facilities would have to be provided, Revenue believes, but they don't necessarily have to be at the border. Revenue is looking at the possibility of using existing tax offices in the border areas. But at the border itself, vehicle examination areas may need to be established. Spot checks of vehicles may have to take place to combat smuggling and fraud. Currently, as a European Union member state, the UK is able to trade with the rest of the EU on a tariff-free basis. Once Prime Minister Theresa May invokes Article 50 and begins the formal Brexit negotiations, the UK will then have at least two years to renegotiate Britain's trading relationship. But what that would mean, and how it would look, in terms of customs procedures, remains to be seen. It is of particular interest in Ireland's case, given the border with Northern Ireland, and the political desire to avoid a return to a physical border. It is understood that up to 10 staff in Revenue are at the early stages of the scoping exercise. Officials, as part of regular contacts, have spoken with colleagues in Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. Earlier at the IEA Brexit event, Rory Montgomery, second secretary general at the Department of the Taoiseach, said that it was very likely that there would be a customs border between the Republic and Northern Ireland of some sort. "Will there be a customs border? The answer is very probably yes there will be," he said. "But to what extent will there be more significant trade restrictions and barriers, that will depend very much on the overall EU-UK relationship as it's worked out." But he said there shouldn't be any reason to believe the free movement of people between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and the Republic and Britain, would be affected, as long as Ireland remains outside of the Schengen travel area. "There is no pressure from our European partners to join the Schengen area," he said. Mr Montgomery highlighted the fact that other EU leaders are aware of the issues facing Ireland post-Brexit. "Chancellor [Angela] Merkel went to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia for an EU/Asia summit. "She talked to the Chinese and Japanese and others about Brexit, and she spontaneously mentioned Northern Ireland as an issue which was on her mind. "Everybody knows that there are unique aspects to our situation." Mr Montgomery, who has previously served as Ireland's ambassador to Paris, will be returning to the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade as Ireland's "principal level negotiator at EU level" for the Brexit negotiations. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has moved to allay fears of a return of a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland. Speaking following a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Kenny insisted that he would not allow a scenario involving the erection of "customs posts every mile along the road". The Central Bank did not want Department of Finance officials attending meetings on financial supervision during an International Monetary Fund (IMF) visit earlier this year, the Irish Independent has learned. Citing legal "confidentiality obligations", Central Bank Governor Philip Lane argued against the attendance by Departmental officials at as many as 17 meetings related largely to banking and insurance supervision. One of the most senior officials in Michael Noonan's department sought to persuade Professor Lane to allow the Department of Finance staff access, stating the exclusion should be "clearly attributable to specific legal requirements". Governor Lane argued the presence of the officials "would prevent a full and complete response" to the topics being discussed, and may "bring into question the Central Bank's independence". Instead, he offered to have the Finance officials provided with briefings both before and after the meetings. The meetings were organised as part of one of the IMF's Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) visits to Ireland, which took place in March. The FSAP assessment was the first to take place since the onset of the crisis, and focused on the conditions of, and prospects for, Ireland's financial system. There were a number of visits between September last year and March, and the findings informed the IMF's Financial Assessment Stability Report on Ireland, which was published last week. In a March 4 letter to Ann Nolan, second secretary general at the Department of Finance, Governor Lane said the Central Bank had co-operated fully with the Department and other state bodies throughout the FSAP process, and that Finance officials had attended meetings during earlier visits. But he added: "The Central Bank has reviewed the 68 meetings the Department of Finance officials indicated they would like to attend during the current FSAP mission," the Governor wrote in his letter, obtained by the Irish Independent under Freedom of Information. "Seventeen of these meetings relate to discussions on areas (primarily the supervision of regulated institutions), where due to these confidentiality obligations, Department of Finance officials' attendance would prevent a full and complete response on the topics in question, restrict the Central Bank's ability to discuss evidence of practice and may also bring into question the Central Bank's independence." Two days earlier, Ms Nolan wrote to Governor Lane referring to email correspondence between officials in her department, and the Central Bank, relating to the FSAP meetings. "I am firmly of the view that department officials' attendance is important in terms of fulfilling our oversight role in relation to the State's economic, fiscal and financial stability, particularly in light of the findings and recommendations emerging from the recently published Report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis," Ms Nolan said. "A key lesson from the banking crisis is the need for full co-operation between the Department of Finance, the Central Bank and other State bodies." Ms Nolan said the "exclusion of Department officials" should be an "exceptional arrangement" and one which is "clearly attributable to specific legal requirements". In his response, Governor Lane said that under law, the Central Bank cannot disclose confidential information unless there is a "gateway" to disclose such information to certain persons under prescribed circumstances. He cited Section 33AK, which sets out the secrecy provisions of the Central Bank Acts, and the Supervisory EU Legal Acts. "However, there is no 'gateway' to the Department of Finance in this situation," he said. A spokesman for the Department of Finance confirmed that its officials did not attend the 17 meetings. However, he said the Central Bank provided "a full and comprehensive brief" before and after each meeting, "In relation to the meetings were the Department of Finance wasn't involved, and even if the issues didn't even impact on the Department of Finance, a full briefing was given before and afterwards," the spokesman said. "They [DOF officials] were happy with that and the outcomes." The State held a stake in technology giant Apple at the end of last year worth just over 5m. As the Government awaits a decision from the European Commission over the company's Irish tax affairs, it has emerged that the State held more than 54,000 shares in the California-based company, Those shares were held through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF). At the end of last year, that shareholding had a market value of 5.26m. A spokesman for the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), under which the ISIF operates, could not comment on whether the holding has been increased or reduced since then. If it has been retained as at the end of last year, it is now worth fractionally less, at around 5m. The Apple stake is just one of hundreds of investments in dozens of countries around the world held by the ISIF, the successor to the National Pension Reserve Fund. The investments are in countries as diverse as Columbia, Israel, Russia, Liberia and Turkey. According to a list of ISIF's investments in publicly quoted equities as of the end of 2015, the largest valued stake outside of Ireland in a single company was the 18m holding in the National Grid in the UK. Other large-scale investments include a 14m holding in an operator of wireless and broadcast communications infrastructure, American Tower, as well as a 9.8m stake in pharmaceutical company Bayer, a 7.6m stake in Allianz and a 9.3m shareholding in brewing company Anheuser-Busch. It also had a 2m stake in social media giant Facebook. In Ireland, ISIF's biggest investment to date has been its 50m punt on Malin Corporation. According to data from Bloomberg, that investment is now worth just over 70m. Other investments include FBD Insurance, Irish Continental Group, Paddy Power Betfair, National Toll Roads, Ryanair, Smurfit Kappa and Medtronic. At the end of last year, the ISIF overall portfolio was valued at 7.9bn. Last year it had committed 758m to various transactions across a wide range of sectors. Finance Minister Michael Noonan now expects the decision from the European Commission on Apple's tax dealings in the autumn. The EU opened the Apple probe in 2014, and, in preliminary findings, said its tax arrangements were improperly designed to give the company a financial boost in exchange for jobs in Ireland. The Government has said it will "vigorously defend'' any adverse Apple tax decision. British Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Friday that her government will review again a nuclear project financially backed by a Chinese firm. (Photo : Getty Images) After the new British new government announced it would review the venture again, China urges the western country to continue the nuclear power plant that has received investment from a Chinese firm, Reuters reported. Advertisement The project, planned by France's EDF, eyes to built two reactors and is seen "as a sign of Britain's openness to foreign investment," the article wrote. The endeavor, championed by David Cameron, the predecessor of Prime Minister Theresa May, has the financial backing of State-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp. The recent announcement of May's government about the reviewing of the project has raised concerns from experts. They claim that the move could mirror the change that is happening in the country's approach to infrastructure deals, foreign investment and energy supply. A source, who is a former colleague of May, told Reuters that the new British leader was concerned about the Hinkley Point nuclear plant's security implications, particularly citing the planned investment from China. The source added that May herself intervened to postpone the project. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told Reuters that they had acknowledged the announcement. "I would like to stress that this project was agreed upon by China, Britain and France in the spirit of mutual benefit and cooperation, and win-win cooperation, and has always had the strong support of Britain and France," Hua said in a statement sent to the media outlet. Hua added that the country "hopes that Britain can reach a decision as soon as possible, to ensure the project's smooth implementation." It was in 2013 when EDF and Britain first reached a commercial agreement on the nuclear power plant venture. China was involved in the project two years later when President Xi Jinping made moves to foster the Sino-British ties. Nonetheless, State-run Xinhua News Agency took a bolder stance against the recently released British decision. "What China cannot understand is the 'suspicious approach' that comes from nowhere to Chinese investment in making the postponement," the agency stated. "If history offers any guide, many China-targeted suspicions have been boiled down to diffidence and distortion. China can wait for a rational British government to make responsible decisions, but cannot tolerate any unwanted accusation against its sincere and benign willingness for win-win cooperation," it added. Taoiseach Enda Kenny meets Voxpro founders Linda and Dan Kiely, centre, at the companys Cork offices last year The Cork-based call centre firm Voxpro has announced that it intends to employ an additional 500 people in the US in the next four years. The 20-year-old company, which offers call centre services to Google, Airbnb and more than 100 other companies worldwide, is to expand into Athens, Georgia, home of the rock band REM. Earlier this year, it announced 450 jobs in a facility in California. In Ireland, Voxpro recently announced its ambition to add 400 new jobs in Cork by the end of 2016. This would bring the company's Irish workforce to over 1,200 people. "North America is a critical part of our global expansion," said Voxpro co-founder Dan Kiely. "We are excited to be a leading Irish company bringing jobs to the US. Our success is built on delivering beautiful customer experience and it's our people and our culture that provide that point of difference." Voxpro was founded in Cork by Dan and Linda Kiely. It currently employs 1,700 people and services customers in 32 countries. "Georgia offers a wealth of resources for an innovative company like Voxpro to grow its business," said Georgia governor Nathan Deal. "Georgia's top-ranked business climate and highly skilled workforce is critical to attracting international business. "We established a strong relationship with Voxpro leadership in Ireland and look forward to the company's continued investment in Georgia." Growth in the Irish services industry fell to its lowest rate since February 2014 as the fallout from Brexit continues to take its toll, new research has shown. According to the Investec Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), a slight weakening was reported for a second successive month in new business. However, the index points out that last month twice as many panellists reported a rise in new business as those that posted a fall. The headline reading for the PMI came in a 59.5 for July, down from June's 61.2, extending the four year run of above-50 readings. Companies in the sector are continuing to add staff, however employment is growing at its weakest rate since May 2013. Average input costs rose at a sharp pace in July with some companies reporting positives from the weak sterling. Investec chief economist Philip O'Sullivan said: "Given the backdrop of Brexit, it is surprising that the Business Activity: Expected Levels in 12 Months Time (expectations) index recovered some ground in July from Junes 34 month low. "With that being said, within this index we note that the only monitored segment within the four (TMT, Business Services, Financial Services and Travel & Leisure) that comprise the Services sector to have seen an improvement in sentiment was TMT, with the others all reporting a less optimistic outlook than in the run up to the referendum." Noreen McManus, wife of JP, has applied to demolish a bungalow to the rear of her Ailesbury Road home and replace it with a two-storey dwelling Noreen McManus, the wife of the wealthy businessman and racehorse owner JP, is looking to extend the reach of her palatial home in the heart of Dublin's embassy belt. Records held at Dublin City Council's planning department show that Mrs McManus's architects, de Blacam and Meagher, submitted an application on June 30 to demolish an 861 sq ft single-storey bungalow to the rear of her 16,000 sq ft Ailesbury Road mansion, and replace it with a 2,152 sq ft two-storey dwelling which, upon completion, would be ancillary to the main house. A further inspection of the planning files shows that council planners issued a social housing exemption certificate for the proposed development at 14A and 16A Ailesbury Road on July 19. Mrs McManus acquired the main house - Nos 22-24 Ailesbury Road - the former home of developer Bernard McNamara, towards the end of 2011 for 10m. While the figure represented a 2.5m reduction on the 12.5m which had been sought by selling agents Sherry FitzGerald, the fact that no mortgage was recorded at the Registry of Deeds suggests that it was purchased outright for cash. The original house at 22 Ailesbury Road had been home to the Japanese embassy in the late 1990s before it was purchased along with the neighbouring No 24 by McNamara. Having demolished No 22, he retained architect Brian O'Halloran to design a new three-storey house with numerous reception rooms, entrance hall, lift and indoor swimming pool which can be transformed into a dance floor, thanks to the addition of a retractable, transparent glass cover. Within months of buying Nos, 22-24, Mrs McManus bought Nos 14A and 16A, both of which had also been owned by McNamara, paying a total of 2.7m. While the monies raised from both sales were expected to go towards the repayment of McNamara's debt to his main creditor, Nama; the agency does in certain cases make allowances for debtors whom it has placed in receivership. Explaining Nama's position to the Sunday Independent at the time, a Nama spokesman said: "This is decided on a case-by-case basis but a portion of the sale proceeds may be made available in these situations not least because of the influence of the Family Home Protection legislation in this area, the fact that a debtor's partner [who may not be a Nama debtor] may be co-owner of the family home, and the likely attitude of the courts to any dispute." RTEs new director general Dee Forbes, left, has moved swiftly to reassure staff at the State broadcaster following the departures of five high-profile employees. RTE's new director general Dee Forbes tried to boost morale in Montrose after another senior member of staff announced they would be stepping down from the station. Head of news and deputy director general Kevin Bakhurst told staff he was leaving the station yesterday morning. Expand Close Managing director Glen Killane has also left RTE. Photo: Colin O'Riordan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Managing director Glen Killane has also left RTE. Photo: Colin O'Riordan Mr Bakhurst is the fourth member of staff to leave the organisation in four weeks. Managing director Glen Killane is moving to Eir, head of RTE2 Bill Malone is joining rival station TV3, while deputy MD of RTE news and current affairs Michael Good retired at the end of June. Ms Forbes' predecessor Noel Curran left the station in May. The exodus of senior staff comes after RTE's annual report revealed a deficit of 2.8m in 2015 as costs rose more than revenue. Ms Forbes addressed the RTE staff yesterday after news of Mr Bakhurst's resignation broke and told the newsroom it was reflective of an overall shift in the media landscape. Expand Close Head of news and deputy director general Kevin Bakhurst set to leave RTE. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Head of news and deputy director general Kevin Bakhurst set to leave RTE. "Change can be disconcerting but ultimately I have always believed that change is good; with it, we challenge ourselves, our thinking and our ways of working," she said. She added how organisations like RTE need to "grow and evolve" and "audiences must ultimately benefit". Former BBC boss Mr Bakhurst will leave the station after four years to take up the offer of a job in Ofcom in the UK. And he insisted his leaving was completely unconnected to being overlooked for the job of RTE's director general. "This didn't influence my decision," he told 'RTE News at One'. Expand Close Noel Curran Photo: Damien Eagers / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Noel Curran Photo: Damien Eagers "I went for that position and Dee is there now. I've been working very closely with Dee and she has got a real vision for the organisation. Serious "I would have been delighted to carry on working with her. "That wasn't a factor, what was a factor was when these big jobs come up you have to give them serious consideration." He said that he never intended to leave, but an "exceptional role" came up in the UK. Expand Close Head of RTE2 Bill Malone is to leave for TV3. Photo: Gareth Chaney / Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Head of RTE2 Bill Malone is to leave for TV3. Photo: Gareth Chaney / Collins Mr Bakhurst also hit out at the issue of public funding. RTE received 179.8m in funding from licence fee revenue in 2015, up 300,000. However, advertising revenues have fallen dramatically. "If Ireland is to continue having a powerful and important national broadcaster that is certainly something people should be turning their attention to," he said. He said he had spent a "wonderful four years" at RTE and he was proud of its recent coverage of the General Election and 1916 commemorations. Mr Bakhurst will leave RTE towards the end of October. Expand Close Deputy managing director of news and current affairs Michael Good retired at the end of June. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Deputy managing director of news and current affairs Michael Good retired at the end of June. RTE will start the recruitment process shortly and are looking for potential replacements both within and outside the organisation. Mr Bakhurst previously served as deputy head of the BBC newsroom and joined the national broadcaster in 2012. Morale was low at the time, with RTE reeling from the scandal arising from the 'Mission to Prey' programme and the 'Tweetgate' incident on 'Frontline' during that year's presidential election campaign. Minister of State Michael Ring said that final price will be revealed once the deal is finalised in the coming days. Photo: Tom Burke One other bidder was actively in pursuit of almost 5,000 acres of land in the Dublin Mountains that Nama agreed to sell to the Government. Growing concern that the land would be sold to a private party led Minister of State Michael Ring to go public with the deal yesterday - even though the sale still hasn't been formally signed off yet. The agency had been insisting it could not sell for less than the estimated market value of 2.5m, but the minister argued over recent weeks that this price did not take into account the fact that over 90pc of the land is off-limits for development. Sources told the Irish Independent that Nama did eventually retreat somewhat from its asking price of 500 an acre - but the money changing hands is still "considerable". Mr Ring said that final price will be revealed once the deal is finalised in the coming days. The parcel of land, which takes in Kippure down to Glenasmole Valley and Bohernabreena Reservoir, was the largest to have come on the market in recent years. Negotiations will now also have to take place with residents and farmers living in the area to decide what grazing rights, turbary rights and shooting rights they will retain. Minister Ring told the Irish Independent the purchase would help create "one of the largest national parks in Europe". It will be added to the Wicklow National Park and managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Arts and Heritage and the Dublin Mountains Partnership "This is very good news for the whole country", Mr Ring said, adding that in this case Nama "are to be complimented for taking the national interest into consideration". Almost 20,000 people had signed a petition calling on the Government to buy the land amid fears that sections could be developed for housing or wind farms. The land fell into Nama ownership after a developer who had owned it got into difficulties. Nama had warned the Government would need to move "quickly" to prevent the land being sold to a private party. Minister Ring added: "The Featherbeds are an important area for nature conservation and for public amenity. I believe an exceptional opportunity has been realised for the State in terms of the environmental gain and the amenity potential." Dublin South West TD John Lahart, who had warned it would be "scandalous" to allow the mountainous terrain fall out of State ownership again, said local people would be relieved and delighted that a deal is in the offing. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said it was a "once-in-a-lifetime chance to protect a large area of the Dublin Mountains for the hundreds of thousands of walkers and nature lovers who value the uplands as one of the great things about our capital city". The Illinois-based startup founder Evan Sims always liked Ireland. But he never thought he could actually move his business here. "A lot of rural ireland just doesn't have access to the network capabilities you need to do a tech startup," he said over the phone from his current base in Champaign, a small city around 130 miles from Chicago. Yet he and his mother Jane, who does marketing for Sims's business networking startup Rogue Helix, are about to move to Skibbereen in West Cork. The reason? Skibbereen has started to build out a 1,000Mbs broadband network for its 2,000 homes and businesses. Although being rolled out by Siro (the joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone), the network's inception is partly the result of a campaign by local burghers and successful business people who live or holiday in the area. "If they didn't have the high speed broadband we wouldn't be able to settle there," said Sims, who hopes to grow his online business to 20 employees over the next few years. "That's made all the difference. We've spent the last six months working with the immigration service and we now have permission." If ever there were a case of 'build it and they will come', Skibbereen's new Ludgate Hub business centre is it. The 1m facility, built largely on the goodwill and personal financial donations of successful local business people such as Glen Dimplex president Sean O'Driscoll and local supermarket owner John Field, is bringing people from abroad into West Cork to grow companies. That includes four from America, two from Spain and at least one from London according to the centre's chief executive, Grainne Dwyer. It also includes former Ikea marketing executive Mark Stratfold, who has moved to Skibbereen from Saudi Arabia with his Irish wife purely because broadband now allows him to operate his business there. "I met my wife in the Middle East and she wanted to come back to Ireland," said the South African. "I didn't think we could do a startup from here. We were thinking we would have to go to Dublin or maybe Cork city. But now we can do it here." Stratfold's startup is targeting online tourism operators, mainly with southern African countries in mind. "As a tour operator, we want to bring all the platforms together so that itineraries can be personalised," he said. "We're starting with the UK and then going to Southern Africa. It hasn't been done before. At some point we'll be looking for funding. But now we're living in Castletownshend. The lifestyle here is great." Both Stratfold and Sims will be joined in the new Ludgate Hub centre by incoming staff from Granite Digital, a web design agency currently based in Cork city. "We've taken two desks here," said Ger O'Shea, co-founder of the company and a nearby resident. "Instead of losing three hours a day commuting to Cork in the commute, we now have the connectivity right here." O'Shea said that broadband quality was "shocking" before the new 1,000Mbs connections arrived in the town. "We were getting two megabits per second," he said. "When we needed to do some heavy lifting we had to rely on the personal hotspot from the mobile phones." Now, his company can start thinking about diversifying its offices more in Cork. "Skibb would never have been a place we recruited from but now we can," he said. "We have 55 staff now and plan to hire another 45 over the next three years." Walk around the town and you won't meet anyone who isn't upbeat about the arrival of "proper" broadband to the area. Yet Skibbereen is not a typical example of high speed connectivity reaching far-flung regions. Siro, the operator building out the network out of the privately-funded coffers of Vodafone and the ESB, flexed its own guidelines to hook up the town. Previously, its position was that it wouldn't lay infrastructure in towns with less than 4,000 homes or businesses because it wasn't commercially desirable to do so. In that vein, it focused its efforts on non-urban large towns such as Cavan, Dundalk, Tralee or Letterkenny. But it seems to have made an exception for Skibbereen. "This is a strong market town," said Siro chief executive Sean Atkinson. "There are a lot of people in small towns in the immediate area who we think will benefit from this." Skibbereen also benefited from having a powerful cabal of successful business people and celebrities with holiday homes nearby and a love for the gentrified West Cork area. The board of the Ludgate Hub - all of whom were "very active", according to Ludgate chief executive Grainne Dwyer - contains a number of people that any campaigning group would want on their side. They include Vodafone chief executive Anne O'Leary, Google Ireland boss Ronan Harris, Glen Dimplex president Sean O'Driscoll, RTE director general Dee Forbes and local property owner John Field (who donated the town centre building for use as a business centre). All have permanent or holiday residences in the immediate area. (The project's launch date was held on the Friday before the August bank holiday weekend, probably with returning holiday home patrons in mind.) The Ludgate Hub also attracted a number of additional corporate sponsors which pushed its case and provided consultancy, advice and contacts. "We have received not a penny of public money for this," said Sean O'Driscoll, president of engineering and heating giant Glen Dimplex. O'Driscoll said that he personally financed much of the interior refurbishment of the Ludgate Hub building. So while the coming of 1,000Mbs broadband to Skibbereen is something special for the region, it may be difficult to reproduce for less well endowed communities across the country. Talk to aspiring local businesses, though, and they couldn't care less why the broadband has arrived. They're just happy it's here. "This will make a huge difference to us," says Kevin Buckley, co-founder and chief executive of Spearline, a fast-growing Skibbereen-based company that tests telephone numbers and communications quality. "It's all about reliability." Spearline has been hiring locally for its telecoms-orientated business and Buckley says the new broadband will speed this process up. "People say that you can't hire people locally but you absolutely can," he said. "On top of that, we now have people coming into Skibbereen with skills to work for us. We have a guy who relocated from India to Skibbereen just to work here." And workers from local islands will now stay in Skibbereen rather than go to Cork or Dublin, according to Adrian Legg, chief executive of CultureArk, an online archiving startup currently based in Sherkin Island off the West Work coast. "The people we need to recruit are here," said Legg. "We're now going to take a desk here in the Ludgate Hub. This is dynamite." Grainne Dwyer says that she has been contacted by 15 towns across the country, asking for advice on how to set up a centre like Ludgate to attract startups and new businesses. "They're all saying that they have some closed or disused buildings," she said. "Our message is that you can do it. But no-one's going to invest in a thrown if all they hear is bad news." Up until recently, Skibbereen had its share of bad news. "I've watched young people leave West Cork," said John Field, owner of the town's largest SuperValu store and the donor of the building in which the Ludgate Hub is now located. "These are people from Skibbereen who are anxious to come back." Other celebrated local residents agreed. "This is a wonderful place but young people had to go to cities to get the jobs they needed," said David Puttnam, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who lives nearby. "That may no longer be the case." Even global tech firms see an interesting story in Skibbereen's broadband buildout. "This is going to have a transformative effect on business here," said Ronan Harris, head of Google in Ireland and owner of a home close to Skibbereen. Others hope for more employment and extra commercial activity from the new infrastructure. "The overall objective is to create 500 jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs here," said Anne O'Leary, chief executive of Vodafone Ireland. This could also have an effect on local property and retail business, according to RTE director general Dee Forbes. "There are houses being sold locally where this forms part of the purchasing decision," said Forbes. "I know of one restaurant moved here specifically because of this. Skibbereen was decimated. This is already making a huge difference." Local business people are trying to keep their foot on the accelerator with a new 300,000 seed fund for local startups. Glen Dimplex president Sean O'Driscoll is one of the investors. "We're not limiting ourselves," he said. "If there are good projects out there, that figure can be higher." While half of the rented desks at the Ludgate Hub are being taken by locally-based workers from multinational IT and pharmaceutical firms, small businesses should be the ones to benefit in the long term, according to the head of Cork's Chamber of Commerce. "This is transformational to the town," said Barrie O'Connell, who is also a partner at KPMG. "The ability to bring digital speed here means that a whole host of barriers disappear and geography becomes history. "We see companies allowing people to work away from the office all the time now. Two of my team are Skibbereen natives. And that's part of the reason we got behind this. They promoted and sponsored this as a good thing for us to do." High speed broadband in the rest of rural Ireland: whats happening and when With a population nearing five million people, Ireland has only 10,000 fibre broadband connections according to industry estimates. That puts us near the bottom of the OECD's table for fibre broadband penetration, even if this figure doesn't take into consideration cable broadband from Virgin in cities (which currently matches many fibre broadband offerings). By 2022, this paucity of broadband in rural Ireland is due to be reversed. Here are the different schemes currently planned. 1. National Broadband Plan: According to the Government's National Broadband Plan, over 700,000 rural Irish homes and businesses will have a fibre broadband connection or some service that connects to fibre very close by. This will be paid for via a public private partnership between the state and one or more of Eir, Enet and Siro, the joint venture between Vodafone and the ESB). However, following delays, the new fibre broadband infrastructure won't commence building until the summer of 2017. Sixty percent of the rural homes to be covered will be completed by the summer of 2019, the government says, with the more remote locations hooked up over the following three years. This is a taxpayer-funded initiative that could cost the State 500m. 2. Siro: The ESB and Vodafone have commenced building out a series of town-based fibre broadband networks under the name of Siro. So far, they have wired up Carrigaline (in Cork), Cavan Town, Letterkenny, Dundalk, Sligo and Tralee. They are currently in the process of laying fibre in Skibbereen and a handful of other towns. The service is currently only available to end-users from Vodafone, although other companies may start to resell it too. The speeds vary from 350Mbs (55 per month) to 1,000Mbs (90 per month). 3. Eir: Eir currently has its own rural broadband rollout under way. The company says that it will have 100,000 rural homes and businesses connected to fibre broadband by the end of 2016 and 300,000 by the end of 2019. There remains some confusion over this, however, as the Government has not yet accepted that Eir will build these broadband connections. 4. Enet: Estimated to have about a third of Ireland's existing active 10,000 fibre broadband connections. It has built out services in towns such as Claremorris (Mayo), Loughrea (Galway), Ardee (Louth) and Kilkenny. It mainly targets business customers with these fibre connections. It is continuing to build out rural locations around towns. Why towns desperately need good broadband to stay in business One reason why Skibbereen is making such a fuss about high speed broadband coming to the area is the growing realisation that modern life is becoming more difficult without it. According to a recent Amarach survey of 1,000 people outside Ireland's cities, a growing proportion of Ireland's rural population say that there is pressure on them to abandon their homes and move to cities because of poor regional broadband infrastructure. One in four rural dwellers say they "would be forced" to move to a city or large town without proper broadband, according to the survey, which was commissioned by Vodafone. Of rural homes that have some form of broadband, almost one in four uses the internet at home for work. And nearly 150,000 of those say that they choose to avoid commuting some or all of the time because they can connect to work through the internet. One in five now say that they have to leave home to access the internet, with the same number saying their home has no broadband access at all. Existing internet services are increasingly obsolete, too. Half of rural homes with connectivity say that they have insufficient speeds to perform ordinary tasks. "The results suggest that both businesses and potential employees won't consider places with poor broadband infrastructure," said Gerard O'Neill, chairman of Amarach Research. "It also suggests that having proper broadband improves the chance of attracting returning emigrants, many with skills." Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers: Irish Independent * RTE's new director general Dee Forbes tried to boost morale in Montrose after another senior member of staff announced they would be stepping down from the station. Head of news and deputy director general Kevin Bakhurst told staff he was leaving the station yesterday morning. * The tax take for the year so far is 644m ahead of expectations, but VAT - a key gauge of consumer spending - is coming in below target. VAT receipts so far this year are 292m below projections. For July alone, they're 61m lower than targeted. Overall in July, the tax take is 98m lower than expected, with VAT receipts partly to blame. * The Central Bank did not want Department of Finance officials attending meetings on financial supervision during an International Monetary Fund (IMF) visit earlier this year, the Irish Independent has learned. Citing legal "confidentiality obligations", Central Bank Governor Philip Lane argued against the attendance by Departmental officials at as many as 17 meetings related largely to banking and insurance supervision. The Irish Times * A shortfall in the State tax take has threatened budget measures as the latest exchequer figures point to concern in consumer spending after Britain's exit from the EU. The Government's intake from tax was 98m below target with both corporate tax and VAT receipts falling. * German supermarket Lidl is to add an extra 600 employees over the next two years as it bids to secure its growing market share. The new roles will be split up across its head office as well as its stores where new positions will be created for store workers and managers. * Dublin homeowners are reaping the reward of the incredibly valuable property market at the moment as AirBnb rates continue to spiral. According to a report in The Irish Times, Dublin hosts are looking at an average weekly rate of 168 for a shared room, 256 for a private room, or 508 for an entire property. Irish Examiner * Whitegate refinery's new owners have vowed to run it the facility as a refinery and aims to maintain its entire workforce of nearly 300 people. The refinery was taken over by Canadian company Irving Oil, which said it would be making a long-term investment into it. * The main Irish arm of security firm, G4S returned to operating profit last year as revenues jumped by 10pc to 37m. New accounts just filed by G4S Cash Solutions Ireland Ltd show that the firm recorded an operating profit of 1.1m after sustaining operating losses of 7.2m in 2014 - a positive swing of 8.3m. A researcher works at a gene research laboratory in Italy. (Photo : Getty Images) Chinese geneticist Han Chunyu has answered critics and defended the validity of his gene-editing technique after the head of an Australian genetics lab said he was unable to replicate the process despite numerous attempts, China Daily reported. Advertisement In early May, Nature Biotechnology, a monthly scientific journal of Nature Publishing Group, came out with Han's paper discussing his research findings on the new gene-editing technology called NgAgo, which immediately attracted international attention. But three months after its publication, some scientists started to wonder whether the technology is possible since they have been unable to replicate it. Gaetan Burgio, head of the transgenesis lab of Australian National University, said on his Twitter account Friday, July 29, that he had tried using NgAgo several times but he found no evidence for genome editing. According to Burgio, the conditions for successful replication were contradicted by Han's paper. He had said earlier in a statement that the gene-editing technology is effective only in editing genes from mice. Han, an associate professor at Hebei University of Science and Technology, said he would repeat the experiment results, adding that he would reveal the original experimental data if requested by the journal. "It's like they ganged up against NgAgo," Han was quoted by Chinese media as saying. In terms of accuracy, efficiency and flexibility, the NgAgo is seen as a better method than the current mainstream gene-editing technique called CRISPR/Cas9. Han said it helps solve the "off-target effect" problem, which is a major issue with CRISPR/Cas9. The NgAgo method is theoretically more accurate, reports said. The new gene-editing technology could replace CRISPR, once it is widely accepted and confirmed. It would also have a huge impact on business, especially those who have made big investments on CRISPR, according to an opinion published by Qilu Net, a regional news portal in China. A Beijing researcher told China Daily that it was still premature to judge Han's research findings or give any conclusions. "That Han's experimental results cannot be replicated so far doesn't mean it cannot be in the future," the researcher said. "The issue should be left to time and peer scientists. Give it at least three to five years." The country's only oil refinery, at Whitegate in Co Cork, is set to continue supplying the Irish market following confirmation yesterday of its sale by US owner Phillips 66 to Canada's Irving Oil. The Irish Independent reported last week that a deal had at last been sealed by Phillips 66 to sell the refinery, which the Texas firm has been trying to sell, on and off, since 2013. Family-owned Irving Oil, based in Saint John, New Brunswick, confirmed yesterday that it will acquire the facility, which can process 75,000 barrels of oil a day. There had been fears that a new owner would use the refinery to store oil, mothballing its refining activities. However, Irving Oil said it intends to continue refining at the site. That will come as a relief to the 160 people employed at the facility, and hundreds of others including contractors whose work is connected to the refinery. "We are delighted to be pursuing an acquisition that feels so natural for us," said Ian Whitcomb, president of Irving Oil. "The Whitegate refinery has a tremendous reputation as a vital and secure supplier to the Irish market, and we will uphold that commitment very proudly and very seriously." The Government had been concerned that refining operations at the site would cease, which it believed posed security of supply issues. Irving Oil said the acquisition will enable it to expand its business across the Atlantic to gain valued customers in Ireland, "in addition to securing optionality for its business". It expects to finalise the sale in the current quarter. Whitegate supplies between 30pc and 40pc of the requirements of the Irish retail market, excluding jet kerosene. Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Denis Naughten welcomed the sale of the refinery. "This is very positive, not just in relation to maintaining oil refining on this island, but also for Cork and for the country in general," he said. "The continued operation of the refinery at Whitegate on a commercial basis is an important part of our security of supply." Irving Oil was founded in 1924, and operates Canada's largest refinery, in New Brunswick. Volkswagen cars - the state of Bavaria is set to sue the car company The German state of Bavaria said it would sue Volkswagen for damages caused by its emissions-test cheating scandal, the first regional government in VW's home country to take legal action against the carmaker. Bavaria's state pension fund for civil servants lost as much as 700,000 after VW shares plunged in the wake of the September 18 revelation by US regulators of the carmaker's manipulation, a spokeswoman at the Bavarian finance ministry said. Bavaria, home to German blue-chip companies including BMW, Siemens and Allianz, owned about 58,000 VW preference shares when news of the scandal broke, she said. Europe's largest carmaker is also caught up in legal action in the United States, South Korea and elsewhere and is facing billions of dollars in costs related to its emissions-test manipulations, making it the biggest scandal in VW's history. Bavaria's pension fund lost out from the fall in the shares, Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soeder said. "We want this money back," said Soeder, a member of the Christian Social Union sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats. (Reuters) Irish-listed mobile phone technology company Zamano will seek acquisitions as it seeks to shift into higher value services. The company said it has specific bolt-on targets in its sights in mobile advertising, social and billing The company announced that its second quarter profits were lower as a result of increased advertising spend and effects of uncertainty in the UK. Zamano said a strategic review completed in June came back with a recommendation to pursue new revenue growth strategies. The review stated that the company should embark on a growth-oriented acquisition programme in the mobile advertising, social and billing areas. It added that it has identified potential acquisitions in each sector. The company also announced the appointment of technology entrepreneur Edmond Murphy to the board as a non-executive director. Mr Murphy will assist the board with the implementation of the companys strategic review. Commenting on the appointment, Colin Tucker, Chairman, said: "We are delighted to welcome Eddie to the Board of Zamano. His extensive experience in payments, social media and advertising will be of considerable benefit to Zamano as we actively pursue the re-positioning of the business". The latest Batgirl character who has an affair with Batman in 'Batman: The Killing Joke' Holy internet controversy! It's been ages since we've had a properly contentious superhero movie. Now, like a number 16 bus on a rainy morning, two have arrived at once, trailered by a faintly noxious odour (the movies, not the buses). The higher profile of the pair is obviously the Jared Leto, Will Smith-starring 'Suicide Squad'. In cinemas this weekend, it puts a heroic, postmodern slant on villains such as The Joker and Killer Croc. Yet the film has also provoked criticism over the perceived sexualisation of the Harley Quinn character, portrayed by Margot Robbie as a skimpily dressed waif. Meanwhile, comic fans are already wrestling with an animated adaptation of 'Batman: The Killing Joke', Alan Moore's seminal 'Batman' graphic novel from 1988. The original has become somewhat notorious over the decades largely because of a scene in which the Batgirl / Barbara Gordon character suffers horrific and gratuitous sexual humiliation. When it was announced Warner Brothers was to turn 'The Killing Joke' into a film, there were hopes the new telling would better reflect modern sensibilities, with Batgirl presented as something other than a hapless and helpless victim. Expand Close Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad But the movie has, in fact, doubled down on the mistreatment of Gordon, who in the graphic novel is crippled then photographed naked by the Joker simply to psychologically torture her father, Commissioner Gordon. Now, in addition to suffering the Joker's depredations, she is shown having an affair with the (far older) Batman and thus reduced twice over to glorified plot device rather than independent protagonist with her own motivations and story arc. These days were supposed to be behind us. In the past decade, the superhero genre is perceived as having worked hard at casting off its image as a refuge for pasty faced young men who can't get a girlfriend. Strong female characters have become de rigueur, more or less, in comic book movies - and if usually expected to display more flesh than their male counterparts, they are at least given interesting storylines of their own (in 'Suicide Squad', for instance, Harley Quinn is motivated by a sincere romantic attachment to the Joker). So though Scarlett Johansson is of course obligated to pour herself into a leather jumpsuit two sizes too small when playing Black Widow in the 'Avengers' films, she is nonetheless given more to do than pout and toss her hair. Indeed, she is arguably the moral centre of the most recent entry in the series, 'Captain America: Civil War' - perhaps the only hero mature enough to see both sides of the argument as Captain America and Iron Man have a violent falling out. Expand Close The latest Batgirl character who has an affair with Batman in 'Batman: The Killing Joke' / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The latest Batgirl character who has an affair with Batman in 'Batman: The Killing Joke' "It is definitely changing for the better from the earlier than it was originally," says graphic novel artist Triona Farrell. "Right now there is a huge push for more female representation in the comics community as a whole, such as comics like the new '52 Batgirl' [the "new 52" is a 2011 revamp of DC Comics' entire line of heroes] or the new 'Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan', which are pushing for a wider demographic, especially with the young women." Perhaps that is why 'Suicide Squad' has generated so much comment, with Robbie required to publicly defend the re-imagining of Harley Quinn as bubblegum-chewing sexpot in short-shorts (very much at variance with the historical depiction of the character as a sociopathic, fully clothed, court jester). Video of the Day There was, the actress allowed, a degree of discomfort in squeezing into the skin-tight outfit. "As Margot, no, I don't like wearing that. I'm eating burgers at lunchtime, and then you go do a scene where you're hosed down and soaking wet in a white T-shirt, it's so clingy and you're self-conscious about it." Nonetheless Robbie defended the new look. Harley Quinn was "wearing hot pants because they're sparkly and fun," she said, not because "she wanted guys to look at her ass." "Harley Quinn started out as a beloved character on a cartoon, so the recent changes to her costume in the comic and now on screen have been controversial," says one comic industry insider, who asked to not to be named because of the divisiveness of the subject. "Part of the problem is that there just aren't enough prominent female characters, especially on-screen. It's often argued that female comic characters in skimpy outfits are justified as it suits their personalities and it's what they would wear. "However, when there is a dearth of female characters, especially on-screen, all we see are scantily clad women. It becomes accepted as the norm." Yet among comic fans, any discomfort about Harley Quinn has been obscured by outrage over 'Batman: The Killing Joke', currently on limited release (you can catch it at Dublin's Light House). By general consensus the new adaptation exacerbates the tawdriness of the original. Brian Azzarello, the movie's writer, didn't do the project any favours when, at the recent Comic Con convention, he called a fan a "pussy" after they pointed out that Batgirl's only agency in the film comes via her sexuality. "When women are targeted for violence, that violence is overwhelmingly sexual," wrote Noah Berlatsky, author of 'Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism', in the 'Guardian'. "The Joker doesn't just shoot Barbara; he strips her and takes nude, voyeuristic photos, transforming the violence into a symbolic rape." "The depiction of women is improving," says artist and writer Leonie O'Moore. "More women are entering the comics industry, more women are being vocal about how stories effect them and more men are becoming aware of these issues. "Some of the larger publishers are beginning to realise that there is a much broader market for comics than they'd previously assumed and that women are an important part of that. As a result we're slowly starting to see more diversity, in the industry and on the page. "However, there's still a long way to go and we're still seeing the same tired old tropes being dragged out. In 1999, Gail Simone famously coined the term 'Women in Refrigerators' which highlighted the recurring theme in comics of using the death or suffering of female characters as a plot device. This device is still commonly used in stories." "I've read mainstream American comics since I was a young kid but have pretty much given up on them in recent years as they frankly don't seem to want my money," adds animator and illustrator Cliodhna Lyons. "They continue to focus their business model towards a shrinking market of middle aged white males. Do I think comics have an issue with the depiction of women? Comics don't, but certain publishers and creatives certainly do." Still, perhaps what we are experiencing presently is a darkness before the dawn. One of the big superhero properties touted at Comic Con was 2017's 'Wonder Woman' - starring Gal Gadot and, unusually for a genre film, directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins. "I can't let you do this," blusters love interest Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) as Gadot's character prepares for a dangerous mission. Wonder Woman doesn't miss a beat: "What I do," she says, "is not up to you." To lose one parent, Lady Bracknell observed, may be regarded as a misfortune, but to lose two "looks like carelessness". So how careless is RTE's loss of three parental executives and all within the space of a month? You'd have to wonder, even though exciting new prospects were the reasons dutifully cited by RTE TV MD Glen Killane for his announced departure last month to Eir television; by RTE2 channel controller Bill Malone at much the same time for heading off to rival network TV3; and this week by news and current affairs MD Kevin Bakhurst for his new job with UK communications watchdog Ofcom. Bakhurst's decision, he insists, had nothing to do with the fact that Dee Forbes was recently given the director general job for which he competed. Meanwhile, Ms Forbes has been assuring the RTE newsroom that while change "can be disconcerting" it can also be both "good" and "challenging". Expand Close Managing director Glen Killane has also left RTE. Photo: Colin O'Riordan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Managing director Glen Killane has also left RTE. Photo: Colin O'Riordan How that went down with staff is another matter because morale in RTE's programme-making departments has been very low for quite some time. And it is likely to plummet even further with these latest defections by crucial executives. That's largely because RTE has long ceased to be the key television player that it once was - a time when alternatives, in terms of channels, weren't numerous and when Gay Byrne's 'Late Late Show' somehow seemed unmissable to the majority of Irish viewers. And in recent years, myriad alternative screening options have rendered its hold on viewer loyalty even more tenuous. It hasn't helped that RTE's response has largely been to pander to the most trite and hackneyed of formats (its obsession with hand-me-down reality shows continues unabated), while largely abandoning the serious documentaries for which it was once admired and almost completely ignoring the making of original drama. RTE bosses will tell you that these strands require the kind of money that Montrose simply doesn't have anymore. Yet, it has no problem spending buckets on the risible Eurovision Song Contest and on trivial reality-docs that depend for their success on celebrity presenters. Indeed, even the recent 1916 commemorative documentaries seemed to require the presence of a Ryan Tubridy or a Joe Duffy if they were to get the OK from above. Video of the Day Viewers, though, aren't fooled by any of this or by the paucity of creative ideas in RTE programming. Yes, the occasional arresting investigative programme gets made and, yes, Montrose still knows how to cover sport. But that's about it from a station that still puts its faith in chat shows that are long past their sell-by date, in lifestyle offerings that either need cancellation or a radical revamp, and in the encouragement of wannabe celebs unable to disguise the vacuity of what they're fronting. It's a long, long way from the public service remit of which RTE and its programme makers were once so proud. These days, RTE1 and RTE2 are just two channels among hundreds and with little to distinguish them from most of the others. Denise Mulvihill, from Lucan, holds an anti-tank missile launcher while being assisted by Corporal Gerry Walsh of the 3rd Batallion. Photo: Brian Lawless The Tricolour hung at half mast as a minute's silence was observed for the last leader of the 1916 Rising to be executed by the British empire. Roger Casement, a humanitarian who spent much of his life in the Congo exposing abuse, was honoured at a State ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery yesterday morning. Expand Close Niall Casement and Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan lay wreaths at the ceremony to honour Roger Casement in Glasnevin cemetery. Photo: Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Niall Casement and Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan lay wreaths at the ceremony to honour Roger Casement in Glasnevin cemetery. Photo: Gerry Mooney The commemorative service, one of many to take place across the country this week, was held exactly 100 years after Casement died by hanging after being found guilty of treason. His remains were eventually repatriated back to Ireland in 1965, where he was given a State funeral. The event was attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan and Niall Casement, a relative of the Easter Rising leader. The ceremony included a wreath-laying service with a military colour party followed by a minute's silence to commemorate Casement. A reading of the trial documents relating to the plea from the accused were also read out. Roger Casement's relative Niall described the ceremony as a "very special tribute", adding that he was "deeply honoured" to have been a part of it. "It did justice to his life, he was obviously a very complex individual who had many facets to his career and work, and I think this really captured it," he said. The Irish Defence Forces also held a public event to mark the anniversary of Casement's death. The 'Roger Casement Humanitarian Open Day' was held in Baldonnel Airfield in west Dublin. Among those in attendance was TD Joe McHugh, Minister for the Diaspora, who gave an impassioned speech about the importance of international humanitarian work. Ian Bailey arriving at the Four Courts for a previous hearing Ian Bailey is facing the prospect of a "show trial" in France over the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier 20 years ago, his lawyer has claimed. Bailey was arrested twice but never charged with the brutal killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier on an isolated hillside in Toormore, near Schull, west Cork two days before Christmas in 1996. He has always vehemently denied any involvement. The Association for the Truth about the Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier (Assoph), founded by the dead woman's family, has been told that Mr Bailey is facing a second extradition warrant and a charge of voluntary homicide. One of the lawyers working with Assoph, Laurent Pettiti, said the group was notified that an indictment of voluntary homicide was issued by the investigating magistrate in Paris, Nathalie Turquey, on July 27 and a European Arrest Warrant was sent to Irish authorities on July 13. Frank Buttimer, solicitor for Mr Bailey, said the reported moves in Paris would lead to a "show trial". Expand Close Sophie Toscan du Plantier. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sophie Toscan du Plantier. "The Irish prosecutorial authorities have ruled there is no evidence in which (Mr Bailey) can be tried in this jurisdiction and France is going to use, it seems, evidence that the previous Director of Public Prosecutions described as flawed and prejudiced to put him on trial," he said. Mr Buttimer said it would result "in what will be a show trial to satisfy French interests in circumstances where the injustice to Mr Bailey is appalling". "Ian Bailey has had an extremely difficult life due to his being wrongly associated with this crime," he said. "It continues to be his life. This is the next phase of the injustice." Mr Bailey had not been informed of any legal moves in France against him, as he "is never told anything by the authorities", Mr Buttimer said. Under French law, authorities can investigate the suspicious death of a citizen abroad. The penalty for voluntary homicide is up to 30 years in jail. Independent.ie has learned that Mr Bailey was informed of the action when a Belgian journalist contacted him at his home in West Cork on Thursday morning. Sophie was found battered to death on an isolated lane way to her holiday home at Toormore outside Schull in west Cork on December 23 1996. She had been beaten to death as she apparently attempted to flee from an intruder at her home. Expand Close Ian Bailey (centre) and his partner Jules Thomas and solicitor Frank Buttimer / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ian Bailey (centre) and his partner Jules Thomas and solicitor Frank Buttimer Ms du Plantier had been spending a brief holiday in Ireland at her holiday home before planning to fly back to France to spend Christmas with her family. Mr Bailey was arrested twice by Gardai in connection with the matter in 1997 and 1998. He was released without charge on both occasions. He has since repeatedly claimed that attempts were made to "stitch him up" for the crime. Mr Bailey has also vehemently protested his innocence. When no-one was every charged with the killing in Ireland, the French authorities - under pressure from Sophie's family and friends - launched their own probe. This was under Paris-based Magistrate Patrick Gachon and enjoyed the co-operation of the Irish authorities. This included allowing elite French police units access to the original murder file and the ability to re-interview all the original witnesses. French police units had made multiple trips to Ireland over the past five years. Six years ago, the French issued a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) seeking the extradition of Mr Bailey to France for questioning. Mr Bailey vigorously opposed the warrant and, in a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2012, the Irish courts refused to extradite Mr Bailey. Since then, Mr Bailey sued the Irish State for wrongful arrest. He lost that action though it is currently under appeal to the Supreme Court. The French probe under Magistrate Gachon concluded earlier this year and it was widely expected that it would recommend a Paris-based trial. Mr Bailey has repeatedly predicted that the French would attempt to trial him in absentia. Under France's Napoleonic law based system such trials in absentia are perfectly permissible and have taken place before. Mr Bailey and his legal team were unavailable for comment today. It is understood that Mr Bailey will again vigorously contest any French attempt to extradite him. The Manchester native has complained that his life has been rendered "a nightmare" by the ongoing French legal process. Because of the French extradition stance, he was unable to attend a family funeral in the UK two years ago amid fears the Paris police might demand that the UK police exercise the EAW. Free Health Care Clinic Offers Services To The Uninsured (Photo : David McNew/Getty Images) Flossing teeth was one of the most important oral health care practices recommended by dentists. However, study shows that flossing does not help that much and might cause more problems in the long run. According to medical literature, floss can cause bad bacteria to go through the bloodstream that may cause infections especially to those people with weak immune system. Careless flossing can damage the teeth, gums and dental work. A new research also said that most of the available studies cannot demonstrate that flossing is really effective in removing plaque, as reported by Telegraph. Advertisement A two-week study was conducted by Procter & Gamble - a company that markets different brands of floss - to prove that floss fights common mouth problems. But, it was later called irrelevant by a research review. The US Department for Health and Human Services and Agriculture said in a letter that benefits of flossing had never been studied properly. Professor Damien Walmsley, a British dentist at the University of Birmingham also stated that the evidence which suggests that flossing is beneficial is weak. On the other hand, American Dental Association (ADA) firmly stated that flossing is an essential part of oral hygiene. It also said that flossing cleans the areas of the teeth where toothbrush cannot reach. However, according to AP, the studies that are supporting the ADA's claim are old and the survey was done to a small number of people, BBC reported. Other studies that were conducted in the past 10 years said that the evidence found that supports flossing were very low quality, unreliable, and there was a moderate to large potential for bias. "The difficulty is trying to get good evidence. People are different and large studies are costly to do... until then you can't really say yes or no," said Walmsley. Meanwhile, Tim Iafolla, a dentist from the US National Institutes of Health said that when purely looking at the science, dropping the floss guidelines would be appropriate. However, he also said that people should still floss. He also said that flossing is low risk and low cost and it possibly works, so they are still comfortable telling people to do it. Notorious criminal Leroy Dumbrell has launched a High Court legal action against the State, the Minister for Justice, Irish Prison Service and the governor of Castlerea Prison. Photo: Stock photo Leroy Dumbrell claims he was detained in inhumane conditions in Castlerea Prison One of the country's most violent prisoners is suing the State for alleged ill-treatment while he was behind bars. Leroy Dumbrell launched a High Court legal action against the State, the Minister for Justice, the Irish Prison Service and the governor of Castlerea Prison. Legal papers were submitted last week, but it is not known exactly on what grounds Dumbrell (29) is intending to sue the State. However, sources believe the dangerous thug will allege he was detained in inhumane conditions when he was held in solitary confinement in the Co Roscommon prison when he was there from December 2009 to August 2010. He was transferred to Castlerea after he orchestrated riots in Mountjoy, an offence for which he received a suspended sentence in October 2012. Three prison officers were injured when between 15 and 20 inmates armed with wood and metal bars became involved in a violent confrontation with the inmates of a cell on December 27, 2009. Dumbrell is considered one of the most violent and disruptive inmates in the prison system. While serving various multiple sentences, he has received more than 100 P19 Reports, which are issued when disciplinary action is taken against a prisoner. Dumbrell has been disciplined for acts of violence and incitement to cause a riot, emptying his chamber pot on the prison landing, being caught in possession of drugs and of being in possession of mobile phones as well as numerous other breaches. Such is his fearsome reputation that Mountjoy staff walked out of their jobs for four hours after management placed Dumbrell in a special unit in the prison in September 2010. Stamping Dumbrell, also known as Leroy Roche and whose last address was Carriglea Gardens, Dun Laoghaire, is serving a seven-year sentence for stamping on a man and threatening to kill a garda. The sentence was imposed by Dublin Circuit Court in late April when he pleaded guilty to one count of violent disorder on November 27, 2013. He also admitted threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Ballymun-based Det Gda Ronan McMorrow on May 5 last year. The violent disorder conviction related to an incident in which Dumbrell stamped on the victim's leg as he lay on the ground in Ballymun. The assault was captured on CCTV. Dumbrell later made threats that Det McMorrow would "need a body bag". He warned the officer: "You bring me back to court and you'll regret it. Mark my words, you c***." He is a member of one of Ireland's most notorious crime families. His brothers Jeffrey (36) and Warren Dumbrell (42) are serving life sentences for the murder of Christopher Cawley (33) on October 29, 2006. Mr Cawley was stabbed on the stairway of the flat complex where he lived in Inchicore. Philip Cairns was in first-year of school when he disappeared. Inset: Eamon Cooke is now the suspect in his disappearance Gardai have not been able to forensically link convicted paedophile Eamon Cooke to missing schoolboy Philip Cairns. The 13-year-old schoolboy vanished on his way home from school in Rathfarnham 30 years ago. His schoolbag was later found abandoned in an alleyway and DNA taken from this bag was compared with that of 79-year-old convicted paedophile Cooke who died in June. However RTE is now reporting that the DNA samples do not match. Expand Close Eamon Cooke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eamon Cooke Detectives are, however, continuing to pursue over 160 lines of inquiry since a woman told them last May that Cooke attacked the child in October 1986 in his pirate station Radio Dublin. The woman, who was a child at the time, made a statement to gardai. Read More She claimed that Cooke picked up Philip in his car and brought him to Radio Dublin in Inchicore. In her statements she said that she saw Cooke strike the boy there and that he may have killed him. Gardai interviewed Cooke at a hospice in Dublin before his death and aspects of the woman's statement were corroborated but he denied killing the boy. DNA samples were analysed by Forensic Science Ireland but so far no match has been found with Cooke. A number of people have come forward to gardai with information since their initial appeal and, despite the forensics results, it is understood that Cooke has not been ruled out as a suspect. However gardai have again reissued their appeal for help cracking the 30-year-old case. A source said: "At the moment it feels like gardai are back to square one. But they will continue regardless." Mealla Fahey of Lismore Heritage shows an old milestone in Lismore, one of which has been stolen. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney Nothing is sacred when it comes to the toll crime is now exacting on rural Ireland. Lismore in west Waterford has won multiple awards for its determination to develop itself as one of Europe's top heritage destinations. It has launched literature festivals, heritage walks and redeveloped its town park into one of the most beautiful in Ireland. Lismore Castle, owned by the Dukes of Devonshire, is copper-fastening its status as one of Ireland's top tourist attractions. But criminal gangs have also blitzed the area. Lismore Heritage official, Mealla Fahey, admitted locals are appalled by a series of burglaries and thefts - which have even included 19th Century 'mile markers'. These are unique to west Waterford and a key part of the local tourism infrastructure. To add insult to injury, the unique markers were stolen just days after the community launched a special 'Adopt a Monument Scheme'. The west Waterford community has vowed not to let the theft of the monuments, both dating from the 1840s, spoil their heritage commitment but Ms Fahey admitted that it is desperately sad that while some are working to promote heritage and create jobs, others seem intent on attacking the community. "I suppose Lismore is no different to other communities in Cork, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick or wherever," she said. "We've had cases here where people leave their homes to go get messages or collect a friend, they are only gone for 15 or 20 minutes but yet, when they come back, their homes have been robbed." Ms Fahey said that while the combination of house burglaries and the theft of community heritage assets is upsetting, it is the suspicion that homes and businesses are being watched which is truly disturbing. "That is what is really concerning - that people trying to do the best for their family and community are being watched." Lismore, like other rural towns, has largely been targeted by gangs operating from urban centres including Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Dublin. Gardai protect the scene at Waterville Post Office in County Kerry following a raid by three men on Tuesday Gardai are continuing their search this morning for a possible third suspect in the armed Post Office raid in Kerry who may still be in the possession of a weapon. Chief Superintendent Con Cadogan told Morning Ireland that gardai have not recovered any weapon used and cant rule out the possibility that an third suspect is still out there. Expand Close Liam Walsh, who tackled a post office raider / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Liam Walsh, who tackled a post office raider Were not ruling out the probability of a third person being involved directly or indirectly in the raid yesterday. Therefore were concentrating our search this morning in the Beaufort area that was protected overnight from gardai in Killarney, Superintendent Cadogan said. Some evidence has been recovered but gardai said they are still searching for a weapon that the two gardai were confronted with. Were not ruling anything out at this stage. Im appealing to local people out there to search their premises and land. We ask them to ring us immediately if they come across anything that might be of interest to the investigation. Over 30 gardai began searching the Beaufort area in Kerry this morning, a largely mountainous area. Superintendent Cadogan said that the use of local text alerts and public information helped the gardai arrest two of the suspects quickly. We got tremendous support from all the people of south Kerry yesterday. We got numerous calls in. We made full use of our local texts to get information we were looking for, he said. The texts came in from the public and very quickly gardai received information of the vehicle that they were looking for. There was a change of vehicles and information was relayed out to the public again and as a result several calls were received in a very short space of time. As a result of the texting information from the public gardai were able to track the gang as they tried to make their getaway. Kerry Radio was also used to get information out to the public quickly. Superintendent Cadogan said its proof that the community, local media and gardai can work together in an investigation. I want to thank the people of south Kerry for that because numerous members of the public updated the gardai minute-by-minute. Everybody was very vigilant and kept a close eye out for anything strange and were very quick to call in. Gardai are appealing for anyone with information to contact them immediately. Two men in their 30s are being quizzed by gardai at Killarney and Tralee Garda stations. Two gardai are being treated in hospital after their car was rammed repeatedly by suspected armed Post Office raiders. It is understood two men entered Waterville Post Office in Co Kerry at around 11.30am on yesterday. The pair, brandishing a firearm, demanded cash before fleeing with just under 5,000. They abandoned their Ford car in Waterville before transferring to a second vehicle. A garda text alert was sent out across South Kerry and senior officers appeared on local radio appealing for help. Around 40 minutes after the raid two garda detectives encountered a 03 D navy blue Mazda car around 50km away. The suspected raiders rammed the garda vehicle - injuring a male and female officer. Three warning shots were fired by the detectives and the Mazda fled the scene. It ultimately crashed in the Beaufort area of Killarney before it was set on fire. The suspected offenders fled to nearby fields on foot. Officers were able to track down the suspects who were hiding on farmland. Meanwhile, gardai in Kilkenny are investigating a separate Post Office raid in Mullinavat. A lone male raider in his 20s entered the Post Office with what was believed to be a firearm after midday yesterday. Three local men, Billy and Liam Walsh and Fergal Tynan, were hailed as heroes after they stopped the man. "I just ran straight away out the door [of the Post Office] and roared at your man," Billy told RTE. "As soon as I roared at him, he made a run for it." Liam added that: "I tore off after [the raider] in the van anyway. He tripped, we jumped out of the van and caught him. Weird enough, I never saw someone so casual after robbing somewhere." The raider was then arrested by gardai and brought to Thomastown Garda Station where he was being questioned under S30 Offences against the State Act. Two 'prolific burglars' have been arrested after a major garda operation overnight. Independent.ie has learned that the men, aged 37 and 38, were arrested in Dublin in the early hours of this morning travelling in a vehicle stolen earlier in Carlow town. During a follow-up search a car taken during the course of a burglary in Tullow, Co Carlow the previous night was seized from a property in Tallaght, West Dublin. It is understood that a Mitsubishi 4x4 was taken in the early hours of the morning from a property in Carlow town. The owner woke up to hear the vehicle being driven away and he alerted gardai. Officers attached to the Dublin Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) were in Naas, Co Kildare at the time and they were alerted to the incident. The armed officers, supported by gardai from Finglas, Clondalkin and Carlow stations, intercepted the stolen vehicle and a second car travelling along the N7 Naas Road, Dublin at around 4.30am. Two men, who are well-known to gardai for burglary offences, were arrested and brought to Carlow station for questioning. They are currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. During follow up searches at an apartment complex in Tallaght a third car - a Ford Focus - was recovered. The car was taken during the course of burglary in Tullow on August 3. A senior source said: "This is a significant blow against criminality." Ireland is actively seeking to poach some of the world's best academic brains from the UK in the wake of the Brexit vote. The Irish Research Council (IRC) has lost no time in targeting top international scientists to come to Ireland to carry out their work. The move could help to trigger a reverse of the brain drain that has, over the years, cost Ireland some of its brightest talent and, with them, opportunities lost to the country. The IRC has taken out an eye-catching double-page ad in the current issue of the UK-based, Times Higher Education, the leading UK and international higher education and trade publication. The weekly, Times Higher Education (THE) supplement is well-known for its annual league table of the world's top 800 universities. The two-page spread seeking to capitalise on the recent Brexit decision promotes Ireland as an open and innovative destination for research of all kinds. The UK has many highly rated universities - 16 of the top 100 in the last THE rankings - and receives about 1bn a year in EU research grants. That level of funding made it an attractive career destination, not only for UK researchers but also for those from across the EU, and beyond. However, a UK withdrawal from the 28-member state community, puts its universities at risk of losing most or all of that cash. The IRC is now hoping to get a share of that for Ireland - which currently receives about 100m a year in EU research grants - by persuading funding decision-makers and leading researchers to make the switch. The council's ad is directed specifically at researchers and includes a link to its research.ie website, which highlights the opportunities available. If Britain is outside the EU, Ireland would be in the unique position of being the only English-speaking country in the European community. IRC director Dr Eucharia Meehan, said the council believed that Ireland was ideally placed to now attract the best emerging researchers in the UK and across Europe. "The message is that the opportunities are in Ireland and, through Ireland, researchers have guaranteed access to European research funding," she said. A UK withdrawal could take some time and the British Government will seek to negotiate deals with the EU and will also be under pressure from higher education to replace funding lost from Brussels. But, the uncertain climate has many UK-based researchers rethinking their futures - some forced to do so because of decisions already taken to stall funding, while others don't want to deal with the unknown. The IRC is part of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which is currently examining the potential impact of Brexit across all areas of higher education and research. Brexit could bring both gains and losses to Ireland. There are thousands of partnerships at all levels between Irish and UK higher education institutions, many supported by EU funding. In addition, there are between 12,000 and 15,000 Irish students studying in the UK each year. The recent Cassells report on future funding of higher education in Ireland provides a worrying snapshot of the state of the system, and makes a case for a significant and sustained increase in investment. Stock Image: PA There is the well-worn adage about Ireland getting a cold when Britain sneezes, but the shivers being experienced in the UK as a result of Brexit could blow some beneficial winds across the Irish Sea. The vote to leave the EU sent tremors through the UK higher education community. University towns voted in favour of staying. Even being selfish about it, they understand the importance for them of being part of the EU family: their scientists get more back from the EU than the British Exchequer pays into its research funds. Without wanting to profit from someone's misfortune, it would be foolish of Ireland now not to seek to lure researchers working in, or attracted to the UK, who may now see their funding disappear over there. The value to Ireland would not only be counted in hard cash in the short term, through a diversion of some of that 1bn a year in EU research funding that the UK currently enjoys, but the opportunity to build capacity and reputation as a research destination. And, as often happens, the results of that research could, in turn, translate into jobs throughout the economy. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it also demands action by authorities in Ireland, other than the Irish Research Council. These who drive research, such as the EU, governments, companies and academics themselves, pay close attention to international university league tables when deciding where to commit resources, but the era of austerity has seen Ireland's top universities suffer in these rankings. The recent Cassells report on future funding of higher education in Ireland provides a worrying snapshot of the state of the system, and makes a case for a significant and sustained increase in investment. Cuts have reduced staffing levels in colleges and staff-student ratios are well out of kilter with international norms. A lack of state investment in new buildings, equipment and IT facilities has led to overcrowded and poorly maintained lecture halls, labs and libraries, to the point where some pose serious health and safety risks. This is the infrastructure upon which researchers rely to underpin their work. If Ireland is to convince bright researchers to its shores, it will need not only some of that EU cash, but a Government committed to more investment in the higher education system. The current crisis at St Patrick's College seminary is not the first time it has been subjected to controversy and allegations of sexual misconduct. Micheal Ledwith, a former president of the institution, was defrocked as a priest by the Pope in 2005. It came just over a decade after he suddenly stood down from his role at the college, amidst allegations against him of sexual abuse of a minor. Mr Ledwith, who in recent times has lectured for a religious cult group in the US, was a rising star of the Catholic Church when he was appointed at the age of 42 as president of St Patrick's in 1985. He had served as its vice-president, a professor of dogmatic theology, written its history, and was due to celebrate the college's bicentenary when he unexpectedly stood down in June 1994. At the time, there were rumours of allegations made against him. In 2002, the 17 trustees of the college confirmed that before his departure, there was an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against Mr Ledwith - an allegation he strenuously denied. The college also confirmed a settlement had been made with the claimant, without any admission of liability. In addition, the trustees said a second allegation was made against Mr Ledwith in 2000 by a former student, who studied there between 1992 and 1994. Mr Ledwith officially resigned from his personal professorship in 1996. He got a pension top-up of about 100,000 (127,000). The process of laicising Mr Ledwith began some time after his resignation, but was only completed in 2005. He was named in the Ferns Report, which specified that he asserted his innocence of all allegations made against him. In detailing one allegation made against Mr Ledwith, then a monsignor, the report said a man called Raymond alleged he was abused by him in the early 1980s when he was 13 years of age. It alleged this continued until after the man's 15th birthday. Mr Ledwith said he only become acquainted with this family after Raymond was 15 years old. The inquiry also detailed another allegation against Mr Ledwith by a seminarian at Maynooth, which was withdrawn. He told the inquiry the allegation was without foundation and made by a person he did not know and was alleged to have occurred when he was not in Ireland. After he left Ireland, Mr Ledwith was a part-time lecturer at the New Age Ramtha's School of Enlightenment in Yelm, in Washington State. The group was established by a woman who claims to channel a being called Ramtha the Enlightened One. Marine biologist Dr Louise Allcock from the Marine Institute at NUI Galway is leading a team of researchers who will be analysing samples of coral and sponge from the deep sea shelf off the west coast to see whether they contain as-yet undiscovered compounds or properties that can be used in medicine. A study aimed at easing the aggressive treatment used to treat breast and prostate cancer while preventing relapse is among a raft of major scientific research projects that have been given the green light. The project - which is spearheaded by UCD professor Catherine Godson - is among 24 winning projects announced by Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Mary Mitchell-O'Connor yesterday that have been earmarked for 40m in research funding. Ms Godson's team will receive more than 2.5m in funding. This will enable them to develop two clinical tests which will indicate the likelihood of tumours reoccurring following surgery. The study aims to address a problem facing oncologists in which breast and prostate cancer patients are often given more aggressive treatment than necessary. This occurs despite the fact that tumours can now be diagnosed at an earlier stage due to improvements in screening programmes. Many early-stage cancers are unlikely to return following surgery. However, some cancers do return because doctors cannot currently distinguish between low-risk and high-risk tumours. Another project that will receive funding involves searching the coral beds of the Atlantic. The project will explore the pharmacological potential of coral from the Atlantic off the Irish coast. Dr Louise Allcock of the Marine Institute at NUI Galway, is leading a team of researchers who will be analysing samples of coral and sponge to see if they contain beneficial properties that can be used in medicine. The 1.9m project will see researchers extract compounds from coral over the next five years. Researchers will examine the coral and sea sponges to see whether "extreme environmental conditions promote the evolution of novel compounds". Five children in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Dublin children's hospital were moved on Thursday after a power outage in the early hours of the morning. Temple Street Children's University Hospital said there was an eight-second interruption to its power supply at 3am and the hospital switched to generator power. The hospital carried out an investigation which confirmed that there was a fault in the hospital's sub-station which will now need to be replaced. In a statement this evening, Temple Street hospital confirmed that the additional generator has arrived and was to be installed by 6pm. The emergency department at the hospital was scheduled to go back on-call for ambulances from 6pm, and parents were also advised to bring their children to the emergency department as normal from this time. The hospital said that the five patients from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) that were transferred to Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin will be transferred back to Temple Street on Friday morning. Dior sells online through WeChat for the first time. (Photo : Getty Images) Dior released the bag on WeChat on Monday and was already sold out on Tuesday. The bag is priced at 28,000 yuan or $4,210. The bag can also be tailored according to the style that the buyer wants. Lu Zhenwang, chief executive officer of the Shanghai-based Wanqing Consultancy, said that it is easier for luxury brands to zero in on their target buyers through WeChat. The platform caters the ads to its user's preferences. Advertisement "Since luxury brands can find their target consumers by big data of WeChat, the largest social network in China, it's easier for them to advertise and sell products on WeChat," he said. He added that luxury brands are under pressure now due to low sales. Dior reported that sales have gone down by 2 percent in 2015. "Many luxury brands are operating under pressure, and they would like to open up the market to e-commerce platforms. Even if the sales were slow, they could achieve results through marketing and branding," Lu added. This is the first time that the luxury brand sold online. The brand posted the ad on its public WeChat account on Aug. 1. A report was published by Ipsos Group, a consultancy firm that showed 36 percent of Chinese consumers are willing to purchase luxury items online. In 2014, only 24 percent expressed interest. Liang Shangjiu, the general manager of Longchamp China, said that there is still no e-commerce platform that can meet the requirements to sell luxury brands. "Offline shops have indeed entered a bottleneck period that is in need of adjustment," she said. In the meantime, Longchamp is selling on WeChat. Other brands are already selling through the Chinese chat app. Cartier, International Watch Company, and Montblanc have already posted ads. The opening of a new residential care centre for people with autism has been delayed after inspectors found five areas of major non-compliance at the facility. The Carena Care centre in Cork has not yet opened, but inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) discovered a number of serious failures to comply with regulations on visiting the site. The Irish Times reports that the manager of the British-owned centre was found to be lacking the required qualifications, skills and experience to run the centre, and inspectors criticised the fact that UK law formed the basis for many of the centres policies. The centres policy on risk-taking in particular caused concern, as inspectors said it didnt offer enough detail about how incidents involving aggression or violence would be handled. The centre also lacked clear arrangements to allow residents access to a pharmacist. The Carena Care centre is housed in a newly-renovated two-storey farmhouse across four acres of land in a small town in Cork. It is built to accommodate four residents with autism, epilepsy or challenging behaviours. The farm has chickens, roosters, dogs and two horses, which the manager said would be available to residents with intellectual disabilities for therapeutic horse rising. While inspectors deemed the renovations were of a very high standard and were satisfied that significant resources had been dedicated to fire safety upgrades, the report noted that the ratio of staff to residents was unclear, and found contradictions in the centres policies on Garda vetting. The Times reports that the operators have committed to hire a more qualified person to run the centre and to adapt their policies to comply with Irish laws and regulations. Leo Varadkar at the launch of the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed publication Working for Work at Araby House in Dublin. Photo: Tom Burke Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has said he is in favour of introducing a so-called 'sugar tax' in the Budget. A ten cent levy on a can of fizzy drink would yield the exchequer 100m, according to pre budget documents published by the Department of Finance. While Mr Varadkar said he believes the measures should be included in October's Budget, he warned that a sugar tax is not the complete solution to tackling obesity. "Yeah. I think a sugar tax is a good idea. I don't think it's the solution to obesity," Mr Varadkar said. "A lot of different measures are going to be required to get on top of obesity, to reduce obesity in Ireland. My colleague (junior health minister) Marcella Corcoran Kennedy has developed a whole action plan around obesity which I think will contain a lot of really important measures that can make a difference and a sugar tax is just part of that. " The Dublin West TD also acknowledged reported in the Irish Independent that the drinks industry is considering legal action to stave off such a tax. "I suppose when you introduce any change, any new tax, or any change to the law, there's always the risk it could be challenged legally by those who don't agree with it," Mr Varadkar said. Mr Varadkar made the remarks at the launch of the 23rd edition of the 'Working for You' handbook by the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU). Speaking during the event, INOU chairperson Ann Fergus called directly on Mr Varadkar to fully restore the Christmas Bonus in the budget. The minister told reporters afterwards that the issue will be considered during budget discussions with Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe. The scene of the shooting of a man at a business premises on the Greenhills Road, Dublin earlier this morning A man blasted in a shotgun attack in west Dublin this morning was an 'ordinary customer' buying car parts - sources have revealed. Gardai do not believe the victim was the intended target of a gunman who stormed the car parts yard. The incident happened shortly after 11.30am this morning at a car parts yard on Greenhills Road, Walkinstown in Dublin. It is understood that the man who was injured in the incident was not the intended target. It is believed he was a customer at Cullen's Car Parts yard. The gunman arrived on foot and he was seen running from the scene before fleeing in a silver car with an accomplice. Expand Close The scene of the shooting of a man at a business premises on the Greenhills Road, Dublin earlier this morning / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene of the shooting of a man at a business premises on the Greenhills Road, Dublin earlier this morning A large number of garda units responded to the incident. The injured party was struck in the chest by shotgun pellets and his condition is described as serious. He was taken Tallaght Hospital where his injuries are described as "not life threatening". Sources say he is in a serious but stable condition. The area has been sealed off. An local worker said he had no idea anything was wrong until he saw the garda helicopter hovering overhead. Large numbers of partly dismantled cars were stacked in the yards. The yard where the shooting happened had a bright blue security fence, a CCTV camera at the entrance and a sign which stated All customers please report to office. A local resident said she had no idea anything happened until she saw an ambulance parked beside the road. It had been raining very heavily and I was minding a three-year-old girl. I didnt hear anything. Ive lived here for over 30 years and nothing like this has happened before. The guards came and told me a chap was after being shot. They asked me if I saw anything but I didnt. Thank god nobody was killed, she added. A man working nearby said: The ambulance crew worked on the man who was shot for about 20 minutes before they took him to hospital. We heard he wasnt seriously wounded. Gardai are appealing for anyone who was in the area or who has any information to contact Crumlin Garda Station 01-6666200 In particular, they are appealing for information on a number of points: 1 For anyone who may have been in the Greenhills Rd area of Walkinstown between 11am and 1pm and may have seen or noted the movements of a Seat Ibiza Reg No. 97 D 44770. 2 This car was subsequently located on Corrig Close which is only a short distance from the scene of the shooting. Did you notice the suspects leave this car and who may have got into another car? 3 It is believed that there were two suspects, the first a male described as tall and wearing a grey tracksuit, the second who was driving is not yet described. Mourners during a celebration of Publican Oliver Hughes's life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Publican Oliver Hughes has been remembered as a caring father, a loving husband and an ambitious businessman in a fitting farewell. More than 300 mourners attended a celebration of his life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham yesterday for the co-founder of the Porterhouse Group and owner of celebrity haunt Lillies Bordello. The former barrister (57) died suddenly from a suspected heart attack at his north Dublin home on Saturday night. His wife Helen and the couples children Holly (21) and Elliot (24) were the chief mourners at the gathering of family and friends. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Cllr Mannix Flynn during a celebration of Oliver Hughes's life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Cllr Mannix Flynn during a celebration of Oliver Hughes's life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Tom Doorley during a celebration of Publican Oliver Hughes's life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Actor Rory Cowan during a celebration of Oliver Hughes's life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Actor Rory Cowan during a celebration of Oliver Hughes's life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cllr Mannix Flynn during a celebration of Oliver Hughes's life at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Brian Kennedy sang Frank Sinatras My Way as Mr Hughes remains were conveyed to their final resting place. Mrs Browns Boys star Rory Cowan and celebrity chef Derry Clarke were also among the mourners. Some of Mr Hughes favourite songs were performed, including Princes Purple Rain and Come Together by the Beatles. His heartbroken daughter Holly paid tribute to her father in an emotional piece read by her brother. I never thought Id be writing this, not for a long time, said Holly. I still expect you to walk through the door and wrap your arms around me. What you achieved in your lifetime is unbelievable. You make us all so very proud. Youre so special to me, and you always made me feel so special to you. I miss you every day, I miss everything about you. Elliot told mourners that before he makes any decision in the future, he will ask: What would Oliver do? He also recalled how his father was his dad, best friend and boss, and said he had so much more to achieve in life. I keep checking my phone, waiting for his name to appear. He was an incredibly kind, loyal, generous man, he said. My fathers son is what I will strive to be. Police have released CCTV footage of the last movements of a man who died suspiciously in Newtownards. Dessie Mee, 45, died after an incident at the Millers House apartment block in Regent Street on Tuesday July 26. Mr Mee, from Blenheim Drive in the town, was found badly injured outside the block and died later in hospital. Two men and a woman arrested in the wake of the incident have been released on bail pending further police inquiries. Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes from Serious Crime Branch said: This remains a suspicious death. I am convinced that the answer to what actually happened to Dessie lies in the local community and particularly with anyone who was in Millers House that night, Tuesday 26 July. "Some people have come forward and spoken to us. Others have not. I would urge anyone with information about the events of that night or the preceding days to contact detectives on the non-emergency number 101 or use the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A junior minister has claimed that he knows "for a fact" that God doesn't exist but that aliens which are more sophisticated than humans probably do. In an extraordinary interview, John Halligan has likened some pro-life campaigners with Jihadi terror group Isis and admits he would "absolutely" break the law to help someone close to him die by suicide if they were in pain. The Independent Alliance TD for Waterford also told 'Hot Press' magazine that he favours Simon Coveney as the next leader of Fine Gael. He argues that prostitution should be regulated so that "lonely" men have an outlet for sex and that people caught smoking "a bit of hash" should not be brought to court. Mr Halligan is the Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, working alongside Richard Bruton and Mary Mitchell O'Connor. He describes himself as an atheist who lost his virginity at 15 and dropped out of school at 16. The father of three is separated from his wife but he has a partner, Elaine, for more than 20 years. In the interview, Mr Halligan says that he doesn't believe a God could exist because nobody could create a world of raging war, murders and rapes. "We're being asked to believe that - boom - Adam and Eve appeared on earth, and then we all came from Adam and Eve," he said. "I don't think there's any God - I know for a fact there's not." However, he believes other species exist in the universe but human may be "so unsophisticated" or "moronic" that they are "just passing us off". Mr Halligan adds that humans need to get over our own self-importance and realise that in a short time the earth will be gone. "The solar system will be destroyed. Our sun will burn up and burn out and destroy all the planets," he said. The minister recently placed himself in direct conflict with his government partners in Fine Gael by insisting that he be allowed vote in favour of a Mick Wallace Bill that would pave the way for abortion - despite the Programme for Government committing to a Citizens' Assembly on the issue. Speaking to 'Hot Press' about that controversy he said it's "inevitable" the Eighth Amendment will be repealed. Having been subjected to threats because of his stance on abortion, Mr Halligan describes a minority of people in the pro-life movement as "a mob" and he has taking legal advice on "the bastards". "And they're the guys who call themselves Christians. Could you imagine those people in power? Oh, Isis here we come," he says. Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor was labelled a "blueshirt" and a "Redmonite" by an unruly member of the public who was in attendance at a Roger Casement commemoration in Dublin. Witnesses at the event in Dun Laoghaire said an elderly male individual continuously hurled abuse at Ms Mitchell O'Connor, who is a TD for the constituency. Family members of Roger Casement were in attendance at the event. On a number of occasions, the chairman of the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown 1916 committee Roger Cole asked the individual to desist from shouting insults. Last night, the minister insisted she did not let the abuse put her off. "(It's the) cut and thrust of politics. Water off a duck's back," she told the Irish Independent. Fine Gael parliamentary party chairman Martin Heydon recently asked the Oireachtas authorities to conduct a review into the security arrangements for TDs on the back of the murder of British Labour MP Jo Cox. Asked for an update on the situation, a spokeswoman for the Oireachtas told the Irish Independent: "As you might be aware, we never comment on security issues." Paedophile Eamon Cooke was always surrounded by children in his Radio Dublin studio and likely used his stable of unknowing and popular Radio DJs as "magnets" for new victims, it has been claimed. Former colleagues of Cooke - who was known as Cookie Monster to his victims - have spoken out to paint a disturbing picture of the prolific child abuser in a new TV3 documentary to be aired tonight. Gardai have been taking a renewed look at the predator after two women came forward separately linking him to the disappearance of Philip Cairns in 1986. Philip was just 13 at the time. He left his Rathfarnham home to return to school after a lunchbreak, but was never seen again. It has now emerged that one woman, who was a child herself at the time, has said that she saw Cooke attacking Cairns in the Radio Dublin studio. Another woman has said that Cooke bullied one of his victims into dumping Philip's schoolbag in an alleyway near his home six days after his disappearance. Expand Close Philip Cairns was in first-year of school when he disappeared. Inset: Eamon Cooke is now the suspect in his disappearance / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Philip Cairns was in first-year of school when he disappeared. Inset: Eamon Cooke is now the suspect in his disappearance Read More The question of whether Cooke could be involved in the case, which has been the subject of a garda probe for three decades, was posed to a number of people who knew him or who worked on the investigation. James Dillon, ex station manager at Radio Dublin, was one of the first to discover that Cooke was abusing children. He heard from a 14-year-old that another child (9) had been abused by Cooke. He urged her to get a recording of the youngster re-telling the story. Mr Dillon was extremely concerned to hear the allegations. "If it was true, the DJs of the station were being used as a type of magnet to bring in children for abuse basically," he said. Expand Close Serial paedophile Eamon Cooke: his other victims could hold key to the death of schoolboy Philip Cairns / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Serial paedophile Eamon Cooke: his other victims could hold key to the death of schoolboy Philip Cairns The recording was captured and it was then passed on to a local priest who informed the family. A police complaint was never filed but it alerted Cooke's Radio Dublin colleagues to what was happening in his Inchicore studio. They staged a walkout and set up a rival station, forcing Cooke to deny the allegations and abuse live on air. Mr Dillon also believes that Cooke could have used a similar tactic to lure quiet schoolboy Philip into his car. "I think he could have used the station as a magnet and said something [to Philip] as simple as 'would you like to come and have a look at the station, it's not far from here?'," he said. The vile paedophile - who was described as "smelly" and unkempt by his former workmates - had ample opportunity to meet new children, kids who were keen to get close to their radio idols. Read More Convent "Sometimes it felt like a bit of a creche in there. There was a lot of kids, they'd come in their school gear," ex-DJ Stuart Clark said. "I do remember going in one day at about 5pm or 5.30pm and there was two or three, I'd say 14 or 15 year-olds, in their convent outfits and one of those I know Cooke regularly took home in his car." Two ex-colleagues, Mr Dillon and Don Moore - who was known to his listeners as Doctor Don - recalled instances when Cooke threatened to kill them. Mr Moore said that nothing surprised him about Cooke anymore. "I would feel that if Philip Cairns is a victim of Eamon Cooke, he is probably not the only one," he said. Retired detective inspector Gerry O'Carroll described Cooke as a "wicked, evil, manipulative, sociopathic predator". This is the moment a security guard tussled with a woman outside a popular city centre store. The clip, recorded at around 4pm on Wednesday, July 6, shows a violent exchange between the security guard and a woman outside the St Stephens Green branch of H&M. In the video, the two can be seen struggling over a handbag, as the woman tries to escape. In the clip the woman can be heard screaming: Let go please, let go of my f****** bag now, let go of my bag I said." She later screamed: Take your hands off it and Ill open it. The woman can be seen pulling the bag further up the street, while the security guard roughly tries to steer her back towards the shop. Eventually, the guard manages to drag her back inside the store with the help of a shop assistant. An eyewitness told Independent.ie that the incident quickly attracted a crowd. I heard it before I saw it, he said, describing how he was locking his bike as he was struck by the sound of shouting behind him," he said. There were so many people watching, and I thought it could have been handled in a different manner. It wasnt an everyday occurrence anyway. A spokesperson for H&M said the company is investigating the incident. North Korea fired a ballistic missile off Japanese waters following South Korea's plan to deploy American anti-missile system. (Photo : Getty Images/Chung Sung-Jun) North Korea has launched a ballistic missile near Japanese-controlled waters on Wednesday, a day after South Korea said it is firm in its decision to deploy a sophisticated missile defense system with the United States. According to Reuters, the missile's body landed in Japan's economic exclusion zone, where the country claims exclusive rights to drilling, fishing, and other economic activities, and has further heightened tensions in the region. The report cited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as describing North Korea's move a "grave threat" to Japan and stating that Tokyo is "strongly protesting" it. Advertisement The news agency wrote that the move was the latest in North Korea's series of launches to show its defiance of sanctions by the United Nations Security Council that barred the North from developing ballistic missiles. The North came under these U.N. Security Council resolutions in March following its fourth nuclear test in January and its launch of a long-range rocket in February. The report also recalled that North Korea had earlier warned of a "physical attack" after South Korea and the U.S. arrived at an agreement last month to deploy an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the South. Under the agreement, the defense system, called "THAAD," will be deployed in Seongju by the end of next year. The North Korean missile, a mid-range Rodong missile, was fired from Eunyul and landed 155 miles off northern Japan. According to The New York Times, this was the closest a North Korean missile had come to Japan since 1998, when Pyongyang fired one over it. The NY Times also cited the South Korean military as stating that the North's "provocative" launch sends a message that Pyongyang can launch a ballistic missile in the future that is tipped with a nuclear warhead. South Korea referred to the launch as North Korea's way of showing its ambition to broadly and directly attack neighboring countries and target South Korean airfields and seaports. The report further wrote that Wednesday's missile launch was the North's first ballistic missile test since its July test of a Scud-type short-range missile and two midrange Rodong ballistic missiles. These missiles flew from 310 to 370 miles, not far enough to reach Japan's exclusive economic zone. Analysts have weighed in and said that North Korea launched those missiles in July to demonstrate its capability to strike South Korea despite the latter's plan to deploy the THAAD. See the report on North Korea's recent missile launch off Japanese waters in this video below: Everday sexism: Ambitious women like Hillary Clinton, who is vying for president of the United States role, are judged on their manner In recent times, women have come a long way. The UK now has a no-nonsense female prime minister, while the frontrunner for the US presidential race is also a woman (in a fun twist, several headlines from last week's Democratic National Convention ran thus: 'Hillary Clinton's Husband Wears a Fetching Pantsuit to Honour Her'). Yet for every step ambitious women take, there is always someone trying to keep them in their place. Step forward this week's someone, Saatchi & Saatchi boss Kevin Roberts. While his own sector - advertising - hasn't yet achieved gender parity in leadership roles, Roberts believes the gender diversity issue in advertising is essentially 'over'. "Their ambition is not a vertical ambition," he said by way of defense. "It's this intrinsic, circular ambition to be happy." His comments met a hostile reception: so frosty, in fact, that he has been placed on leave of absence at work. Outmoded though his mindset may seem, is there any ring of truth to his observation? Do women place more importance on work-life balance than they do on reaching the pinnacle of their careers? There is no shortage of Irish women who certainly appear ambitious. Women are, after all, in positions of seniority in a staggering number of global giants in Ireland. To name just a few: Cathriona Hallahan became MD of Microsoft Ireland in 2013; Louise Phelan runs the Irish arm of PayPal as VP of Global Operations; Anne O'Leary is CEO of Vodafone Ireland, Google's director of ads policy ops is Kathryn O'Donoghue, while Regina Moran is CEO of Fujitsu Ireland. Yet the gender pay gap in Ireland is still significant: women in Ireland are paid 14pc less than men (an increase from 12.6pc in 2009). According to EU statistics published in October 2013, Irish women make up just 10.5pc of board members of the largest publicly listed companies in Ireland, significantly below the EU average of 18.6pc. Female representation on Irish State boards is better, at 36.2pc. A survey published by Catalyst in January shows that just one in 10 directors of Irish publicly listed companies are women. Add to this the grim reality that only 22.2pc of TDs in Dail Eireann are women (the highest ever number in history), and suddenly the picture starts to look a little more complex. Somewhere in the middle of all this data, presumably, lies the truth. Historically, considering oneself an ambitious woman was fraught with peril. According to PR guru Terry Prone, the mindset has endured somewhat. "When I'm preparing women for job interviews or promotion interviews, the one question that stops 98pc of them in their tracks is 'Would you describe yourself as ambitious?'" she reveals. "Two per cent happily answer that they're hugely ambitious. The rest hesitate while they try to gauge what's the right answer, knowing - as they do - that to describe a woman as 'very ambitious, you know' is to condemn her as a mad driven bitch who'd leave her track marks on your face." Kirstie McDermott is editor of 'Stellar' magazine, and works with what she describes as a team of dynamic, wholly ambitious women. "(Roberts) is a bit of a dinosaur and with men like that, pale, male and stale, you can't expect him to know what young women want or feel. I know from my own experience, when you first encounter that institutional sexism, you sidestep it and don't bother. "At 'Stellar', the team is ambitious not to get a great product out every month, but they're ambitious in a wider sense, to learn new skills all the time." Margot Slattery, MD of Sodexo Ireland (a company that signed Ireland's first Diversity Charter) is in staunch disagreement with Roberts' viewpoint on women and ambition. "My views are personal, but I certainly don't share that same opinion," she says. "What I see is that of course women want to have a more rounded perspective in their lives, but there's no lack of ambition on their part. My experience is that in the last number of years, gentlemen have as much a wish for a work-life balance as women," she adds. "Workplace equality has been good for both genders. There's a good sense of fairness here, and we're seeing people at various part of their lives that want or need to take a step back in work. I see male colleagues, for instance, going through a situation where they need to look after parents. In a decade's time, our definition of success will be seen as radically different. Our lives will be much more rounded because of it." Of course, while several men may indeed take leave of absence to care for parents, or even children, the narrative that women fall (or readily) jump off the career ladder to undertake childcare is the dominant, more visible one. "We're at a point where the Government need to step in and think of the pressure put on families by the workplace," asserts McDermott. "A lot of this is still falling on women. I think there might be a self-imposed 'glass ceiling'. Some women have kids in quick succession because their biological clock dictates that. And women who try to get back into the workforce in their mid to late 40s are met with hungry, younger types with years ahead of them. Little wonder that work might become less compelling." "Let's not forget the hidden implication that if you don't take at least a year's maternity leave, your child will show the marks of your neglect," adds Prone. "Why is it always women who are burdened with the task of controlling their ambitions? It takes two to tango and to make a marriage/partnership." And while Sodexo has equality embedded in the organisation, corporate culture - for perhaps the very reason that childcare is still seen as a wholly female preserve - is still slightly suspicious of women who want to make their way to the top. "I think that (way of thinking) is still there," notes Slattery. "It's probably less pervasive than it has been but you can see it even with Hillary Clinton, with people judging her on her manner." Little wonder, then, that for all our ambitions, the issue for women in the workplace isn't competence, but confidence. "Women don't have those same advantages - the networking opportunities, the mentors - that men have enjoyed for years," says McDermott. "There's sexism evident in publishing," notes Sarah Davis-Goff, co-founder of Tramp Press. "From being told by men that they don't see why they should read female writers, to being advised that a work of literary fiction by a woman would be a particularly tough sell, our experiences have been wonderfully varied. "There's one way of tackling problems in the industry and that's to try to become a decision-maker from within it. Acquiring leadership positions might be the single most effective way women can call a halt to sexism in business. "In the meantime, I think it's safe to assume this much - we don't like to be told what we want, or what we should aspire to." Says Paula Fitzsimons, founder/director of Going For Growth, a peer-led initiative that matches female entrepreneurs with others further along in their careers: "When it comes to applying for jobs, women won't go for a job unless she ticks every box, while many men will go in with half the job requirements. With women, it's definitely a confidence thing." As evidence by the vast swathe of women in positions of power, that mindset is slowly ebbing from public view. Also shapeshifting before our very eyes, is Roberts' antiquated definition of success. More people are starting to see time, not money, as the world's premium currency, and as such, a healthy work-life balance is seen more and more as an aspirational ideal. Roberts' vision of worker drones burning the midnight oil until they reach the top of the heap is becoming less and less relevant. And the powerful in business - men and women alike - are questioning this model. Happiness, flexibility and working conditions that allow people to balance the stress of the workplace with family, friends and passions are now what the truly successful strive for. Those fixated on the top of the greasy pole are missing an awful lot on the way up. But for now, the idea that men are corporate ballbreakers who are most at home in the boardroom and women are, as Roberts says, more interested in a life beyond the boardroom, is damaging to everyone. "Women are realists, and happiness and balance is very important to them," says McDermott. "Similarly, I think it vastly underrates men to say that they don't value happiness in the same way that women do." "In some women, the desire to be happy and create happiness comes ahead of the desire to set up and head a global business," surmises Prone. "Because you know what? Women are an interesting and infinitely diverse bit of the human race." 'When do you think you'll stop?", "How long are you going to keep going?", "Oh! Are you still doing that?" The questions are asked with a mix of intrigue, incredulity and confusion and they come on a regular basis. You would think I was engaged in some record-breaking attempt - perhaps creating the world's longest knitted scarf or running, Forrest Gump-style, back and forth across Ireland. But the reality is both more mundane and yet also, to many, more bewildering: I'm breastfeeding a toddler. This week is World Breastfeeding week, and a good time - perhaps the breast I mean best time - to address the issue of 'the other bressure'. There's been plenty of debate on 'bressure' (the pressure to breastfeed) supposedly heaped on new mums when baby first arrives. But there's little or no recognition of the massive pressure often placed on breastfeeding mums to turn off the mammy milk supply once a child is up and walking. My family and friends have always been hugely supportive of my decision to breastfeed but even those closest to me have now started to question when it might be time to stop feeding Tom, who turns two next week. Their issues range from the atheistic "he's too big", "it just looks wrong" to concern for me "isn't it time to give you a break?", "sure you couldn't have another child while he's still on the boob". Their concerns are well meaning but they're also wrong. The WHO advises breastfeeding until two years and beyond. The nutritional benefits of breast milk don't disappear after reaching some arbitrary age and the immunity properties actually increase in concentration after the first year. We live in a health-obsessed era, endlessly chasing the next superfood and cutting out gluten, dairy, sugar - whatever it takes to improve our well-being. And yet, when it comes to breastfeeding, arguably the best superfood of the lot, many find feeding anything larger than a small baby utterly unpalatable. I'm part of a huge Facebook breastfeeding support group (who have been invaluable to me every time I've wondered 'is this normal?' and have doubtless been a key factor in drowning out the negative voices and helping me follow my instincts on feeding my son). Recently I put up a post asking if anyone else had felt under pressure to stop and was instantly inundated with replies. "The assumption, from some family members, that we were going to stop 'soon' started when my son was six months," says Claire O'Looney (29) from Dublin, whose son, Oliver, turns three in October. Comments like 'when will you start feeding him normally (ie formula)', 'when are you going to give that up?' and references to the 'Little Britain' 'Bitty' scene have all been thrown at me. "I often feel like there's a big pink elephant in the room when I nurse my son. Sometimes people avert their eyes and twist uncomfortably in their chairs these small things all add up. They're unlikely to impact on my continuing to breastfeed, but it does hurt," she adds. "It knocks my confidence and makes me feel like an outsider. Luckily I know that the nursing relationship I have with my son is worth more than these remarks, but I'd be lying if I said they didn't sting a little." The negativity in the media is draining for many, where natural term breastfeeding is often presented as something sensationalist. Many had it levelled at them that their choice to follow their child's lead and let them self wean was tantamount to abuse or stunting their development - when in fact research suggests that such attachment parenting actually creates better independence in the long term. "Some members of my family think that breastfeeding is disgusting - yes, they've used that word - and the fact that Tessa (two and five months) is still feeding is ridiculous in their eyes," says freelance journalist and blogger Aine Bonner (33) from Donegal. "Just this week, myself and my husband got chatting about breastfeeding and, despite him being so supportive of breastfeeding and an advocate for it, even he said that he'd prefer it if Tessa was weaned at this stage," she continues. "He has grown up in a society where bottle feeding is the norm, where kids are expected to have a 'routine' and be sleeping through the night from six-weeks-old. So of course it's pretty normal to think the way he does. "He piped down a little when I reminded him that breastfeeding is the reason he never had any sleepless nights, never had to worry about night feeds, mixing bottles or any of that other stuff I've heard other men complain about." I'll hold my hands up, pre-baby, I was one of the 'if he's old enough to ask for it, he shouldn't be getting it' brigade. But I'll happily admit that my attitude was borne out of ignorance. I'd rarely seen a baby breastfed, let alone an older child - I just assumed it couldn't, and shouldn't happen. "I think it is a cultural issue," explains Wendy English, a leader with the breastfeeding support organisation, La Leche League. "In many countries it is common to see children being breastfed beyond infancy. But in Ireland I think the WHO recommendation to exclusively breastfeed for six months gets misinterpreted as, 'that's when you stop', when in fact that WHO says to continue breastfeeding with solids to two years and beyond. "There's no need to 'move on' from breastfeeding unless mum wants to. This would be clearer if Ireland fully implemented the WHO code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes." Ah yes, the F word. Even a GP told me I would 'have to' move on to formula eventually. Nutrition aside, there are a host of other reasons why it's a positive to feed an older child. From a selfish point of view, I like that it means I can eat copious amounts of food, and also, the longer I breastfeed, the more I'm lowering my chances of developing breast cancer. It's also a great way to calm Tom, send him over to sleep, and nurture him when he's ill. "Breastfeeding is about so much more than just nutrition," agrees Wendy. "I often liken breastfeeding an older child to a hug with extra nutrition thrown in. No one would ever question a mum hugging her child." Anecdotally, the La Leche League leader feels that more mums are now feeding older children. Certainly there's a growing number of celebrities joining the ranks of 'extended' or 'full-term' feeding, like Tamara Ecclestone and Australian actress Teresa Palmer, whose children are both over two and who both are passionate about advocating the benefits of nursing a toddler. But we're still a minority, which often makes pulling up your top for a NIP (nurse in public) a vulnerable, isolating and anxious experience. Just one in 40 Irish mums breastfeed beyond six or seven months and 80pc of those who stop breastfeeding report they did so before they wanted to. Social stigma is often cited as a factor. "It's never nice being exposed to negativity and in some cases this has resulted in mums stopping breastfeeding before they, or their nurslings, were ready," says Wendy. "The only 'right' time to stop is when mum and baby are ready to. Breastfeeding is a relationship and both parties need to be happy to continue. Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the child outgrows the need." La Leche League provides great support for mums (see lalecheleague.com) and also has a book on the subject of nursing an older child and there's another publication, 'Breastfeeding Older Children' by Ann Sinnott with excellent information. I don't feel I, or any mum, should have to justify how I feed my child - but combating ignorance is often best done with information. It's ridiculous that we're letting cultural squeamishness about a pair of mammary glands get in the way of good sense. Purely from an economical point of view, breastfeeding is a good thing - a Lancet study earlier this year estimated that low breastfeeding rates cost the economy 0.53pc of GNP, which in Ireland equates to 800m. No one is saying that every mum should breastfeed. Nor am I saying that every breastfeeding mum should do it as long as I have. I also know plenty of people have only had positive feedback and often surprising levels of support for breastfeeding a toddler. I just wish we could get rid of all the bressure around breastfeeding. Because feeling judged for still doing it is every bit as horrible as feeling judged for not doing it at all. Parents are being warned of "super lice" that are almost immune to treatments as children return to school. A new study has revealed that 98pc of lice in at least 42 states in the US have developed resistance to treatment and medication. The results of the study threaten to create a major problem in Irish schools, with parents unable to treat lice with over-the-counter medication. Lead author of the study at Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital, Indianapolis, Dr Chris Belcher advises parents to ask their doctors for other treatments to tackle the head-scratchers. Andrew Hennessy of The Hair Experts, Dublin told Independent.ie that when it comes to lice, prevention is key. There's an epidemic of lice in Ireland, it has just gotten worse and worse. There's a stigma around lice in the country - nobody talks about it." "If people talked about it, it could be prevented. It's all about prevention. You have to check regularly and comb the hair regularly," he emphasised. "The primary reason for the increase of lice infestations is because the chemicals that were used to treat them (pesticides), were banned by the World Health Organisation as they were found to be cancer-causing." "The problem comes from people not understand the life cycle of lice. Preventative combing prevents that. You have to be consistent, it's the only way to keep infestations at bay." "Get your comb and have a nit kit at home," he advises. Learn to say not to others to get your own stuff done Whatever your role in life, chances are you have too much to do. Take my nine-year-old niece, for example. Her average week consists of school; homework; Irish dancing lessons, practice and competitions up and down the country; caring for three donkeys; and attempting to train a bear-sized dog that likes to dig really big holes and play on trampolines. For most of us, the daily tasks we're juggling are a lot less fun. There's a lot to be done, and our days are often spent doing the things we have to do, rather than the things we want to do. Those activities that may take us closer to our dreams and goals have to wait until we've finished those that keep the lights on and put food on the table. And it's very much a health issue. The constant struggle to get things done can be very stressful. But it doesn't have to be this way. The world of life hacks and task management has plenty of ideas that we can all use to get stuff done with less stress. Here are 15 of them. 1 Make a list The most starting point for getting stuff done is actually knowing what stuff you have to do. So, before you start, you'll need to prepare a list of all those things that are waiting to be done. Don't overthink it. If it needs doing, write it down. Making a list like this saves so much time in the long run. You can tell at a glance what tasks you have to do - and not having to remember them really helps reduce your stress. It's also very satisfying when you start ticking tasks as completed. 2 Define your goals Being busy isn't the same as being productive. It's easy to be busy doing things that aren't that important. One of the best ways to make sure you're getting your most important tasks done is to take the time to discover what's important to you. What are your goals? What do you want to do with your life? Once you have the answers to these questions, it becomes easier to prioiritise your tasks. Do the important things first - the rest can wait. 3 Eat a frog Personal development expert Brian Tracy believes we should begin each day by eating a frog. According to Tracy, frogs are those tasks that we tend to put off because they seem too big, or complex or time consuming. But many of those tasks, if completed, are also likely to make the biggest impact on our lives. And because of that, Tracy suggests we tackle those tasks first each day. But what if you have a number of frogs on your plate? Tracy recommends you eat the ugliest one first. 4 Break it up For bigger tasks, you might have to break them up to make them manageable. Tracy suggests using the "salami slice" method, where you cut the task into smaller, more manageable pieces that you then complete - one at a time. He also advocates the "Swiss cheese" method. It's slightly less methodical, but just as effective for getting certain jobs done. Like the name suggests, you take small bites out of a big task, hitting it hard for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, before moving on to something else. 5 Give it your full attention Regardless of whether you use the "salami slice" or "Swiss cheese" method, once you've started on the task you should give it your full attention. Don't think about all those other tasks waiting to be done, or all those other things you'd much rather be doing. Focus on the task in hand. Primarily, this is so you can get it done - quickly and to the best of your ability. But Brian Tracy believes that when we focus in this way, we become more productive, more confident - and happier. 6 Use the two-minute rule David Allen is famous for Getting Things Done, a task management system that can be used to run your life or your company, even if that company happens to be Microsoft. Allen's system sets out how to break projects down into actionable tasks, how to schedule the completion of those tasks using task lists and diaries, and how to delegate tasks. But most important is his two-minute rule. Allen says that if you come across a task that can be done in two minutes or less - such as returning a phone call or sending a short email - you just do it. Right there. Right then. You don't postpone it. You don't write it in your diary or put it on a task list. You don't leave it in the hope that someone else will do it. You get it done. 7 Find the best time to be productive Ray Josephs, author of How to Gain an Extra Hour Every Day, believes we should do our most important tasks during our most productive hours. And when is that? It's when you feel at your most alert. So it's not going to be the same for everyone. Some of us feel at our best in the morning, and some of us come alive later in the day. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to this ebb and flow of productiveness. Puberty does something that makes it near impossible for them to be in bed before 11pm, which means they are at a disadvantage when required to do anything that requires focus and concentration early in the morning. This isn't about late night socialising; something hormonal is going on. But a study by the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Centre in Rhode Island found that by having later school start times and allowing teenagers to sleep a little later in the morning, they became more alert and better able to learn. 8 Don't just wait, get things done Ray Josephs also believes we could make good use of time that's normally wasted. Whether it's waiting on buses, commuting on trains, or walking from A to B, this time, he says, could be put to good use making phone calls, answering emails, revising, listening to audio books, updating task lists - anything really. It's amazing what can be done. When Arthur Conan Doyle first opened his GP practice, he had very few patients and even less money. But he used the gaps between patients to pursue his literary ambitions - and make some money - by writing detective stories. It paid his bills - and gave the world Sherlock Holmes. 9 Plan your day the night before Many success gurus extol the virtues of planning your day the night before. "Never begin the day until it is finished on paper," said Jim Rohn, the gurus' guru. Basically, you select those tasks on your to-do list that you're going to tackle, and you schedule the time to do them. There's any number of reasons for why this is a good idea, but the main one is that when you're ready to get stuff done, you're not wasting time on deciding where to start. According to Brian Tracy, you can save two hours a day when you spend 10 minutes planning the night before. 10 Try the Pomodoro Technique For tasks that require focus and concentration, you could try the Pomodoro Technique. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on the task - giving it your full attention, with no distractions - until the timer goes off. Then take a five-minute break. Repeat this process another three times, and then take a half-hour break. Continue until the job is done. The technique was devised by Francesco Cirillo, who believed that taking frequent breaks improves mental agility. Cirillo devised his method using a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato - or pomodoro in Italian. 11 Keep score According to Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles, successful people keep score. They continually monitor their progress and their achievements. It lets you know if you're getting more done, and it lets you know if you're closer to reaching your goals. But more importantly, it can give you a sense of achievement. This can motivate you to do more, and it's incredibly good for your wellbeing. 12 Understand that you can't do everything You really can't do everything. In fact, you don't have to do everything. But some of us will really struggle to let go of those jobs that we feel we should be doing ourselves. For example, if you've grown your business from nothing, you might seethe at the very idea that you now need someone to help you manage it. And if you're a parent, you might fight any suggestions that you need help with the kids. But it's okay to ask for help, and it doesn't have to mean giving over control or admitting defeat. It may even be as simple as asking your partner to do a little more. 13 Learn to say 'no' You may be the kind of person that likes to help others; and you always make time and do your best for friends and family. But making someone else's life easier often makes your life harder. So, sometimes you're just going to have to say 'no'. Fergus O'Connell, author of Earn More, Stress Less suggests being honest when you do this and say, "I don't really have time to do that right now." Failing that, he also suggests working in places where friends and family are unlikely to find you. 14 Stick with it Not everything in this article will be useful to you. But if you do find something that works for you, stick with it. Committing to a successful system can lead to great things. For example, Anthony Trollope enjoyed his job with the post office, but he wanted to be a writer. So every morning, beginning at 5.30am, Trollope would write for three hours before going to work. He worked continuously during that three hours; and if he finished writing a novel, he would immediately begin the next one. And though Trollope's job took him to as far from home as Egypt and Central America, he still wrote for three hours each morning, and became one of Victorian England's most successful and prolific writers. 15 Don't be so hard on youerself Finally, we all make mistakes, particularly when we're pushing ourselves. And the harder you try, the more likely it is that you will make mistakes. But don't be so hard on yourself. As Richard Carlson, the man who told us "Don't sweat the small stuff", said: "We learn from our mistakes and from stumbling. The best any of us can do, in any given moment, is to call it as we see it, to give it our best shot. None of us, however, certainly not I, have mastered life." Sarah Clifford is asking the public to crown her dog Freya Nose of Tralee. A Cork woman who became wheelchair-bound when she slipped in her home is asking the public to crown the dog who saved her as the Nose of Tralee. Sarah Clifford slipped on water and hit her head on a marble fireplace in her home in May 2014, causing her leg to become paralysed. Originally from Clontarf, Dublin, Sarah lay unconscious for 48 hours before she was found and brought to Cork University Hospital. She underwent 28 surgeries, dialysis and remained in hospital for six months after the fall. Expand Close Sarah Clifford is asking the public to crown her dog Freya Nose of Tralee. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sarah Clifford is asking the public to crown her dog Freya Nose of Tralee. The former nurse is now pleading with the public to vote for her dog Freya as the Nose of Tralee. Sarah decided to get a dog when she left hospital to keep her company, and the pup has gone on to save her life. Speaking about Freya on the Nose of Tralee voting page, Sarah says: She has been mind blowingly amazing in her short two years of life! She has been an assistance dog without the training! She protects me and my health in every way possible and barks alarming neighbours if I'm in danger! But most of all she has saved me from the depression that inevitably comes with becoming wheelchair bound at 28. She wakes me at night if Im in pain, she licks my paralysed side when it's sore and she has learned how to use my emergency call bell if I fall. She wines and sits by me for hours if I'm unwell. Sarah (30) says that after becoming paralysed, Freya gives her happiness she never knew imaginable and has got her through her near death experience. There are a lot of amazing stories of rescue dogs on The Nose Of Tralee (thank you on behalf of me and Freya for rescuing) but in this case I didn't rescue I was rescued! Freya has been a God send and there is nothing in life I'm more grateful for! she says. Vote for Freya here. Hundreds of basking shark "and maybe even white sharks" make Malin Head ideally suited to a 'Shark Park', according to a world-renowned expert. "I'm looking at a site which I think is really unique in the world." On a recent visit to Ireland, Dr. Pete Kilmley stood at the edge of Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula, gazed out over a heaving ocean, and marvelled at the potential beneath the Wild Atlantic Waves. "I believe there might even be white sharks here," he gushed. Dr. Klimley - AKA Dr. Hammerhead - is one of the worlds foremost shark experts. He was visiting Ireland as part of a public outreach program organised by the Irish Basking Shark Study Group, the U.S. Embassy in Dublin and the Royal Dublin Society, and shared his enthusiasm for a Donegal "Shark Park" in a video posted this week by the US Embassy. 'Shark Parks' are similar concepts to National Parks - a defined area of the ocean dedicated to the conservation of sharks. Visitors to such a park at Malin Head could see hundreds of basking shark in the waters offshore, Kilmley believes. "I don't think people in Ireland really understand what a jewel they have... I don't believe there's anywhere else in the world where you could see that. And it's right here in Ireland." 'Dr. Hammerhead' is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology in the University of California. He was one of the first scientists to develop telemetric techniques (where data is collected at remote locations and transmitted to receiving equipment) for shark observation. Many of the tags used to track fish today are a direct result of his research. Klimley earned his nickname by studying hammerhead sharks in depth - literally. He is known to have held his breath while diving up to 100 feet in order to hand-tag hammerheads. During his trip to Ireland, Klimley visited Donegal, where the Irish Basking Shark Study Group (IBSSG) hopes to develop a basking shark research and visitor centre and Shark Park off Malin Head. "The 'Shark Park' is something we are working hard to develop as a tool for managing some of Irelands and indeed our neighbouring territories shark populations," says Emmett Johnston, a spokesperson for the Group. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A basking shark photographed off Donegal. Pic: Nigel Moyter/www.baskingshark.ie Juvenile basking shark, photographed off Malin Head. Pic: www.baskingshark.ie Niamh Ni Drisceoil of the Fastnet Tour Company managed to capture some video footage of a shark basking around West Cork. Malin Head, Co. Donegal. Pic: VisitInishowen.com Dr. Pete Kilmley, AKA Dr. Hammerhead, at Malin Head. Basking shark off Donegal. Pic: www.baskingshark.ie / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A basking shark photographed off Donegal. Pic: Nigel Moyter/www.baskingshark.ie Johnston and his colleagues are close to gaining a consensus between the relevant Departments, County Councils and Agencies for an application to an EU fund for the development of "a collaborative shark-focused research and interpretation initiative on the Malin front," he says. This would provide the data and interpretation required to implement a joint Shark Park with Scotland and Northern Ireland on the Malin Front, he believes. Sharks roam freely across territorial boundaries - hence the collaborative approach. Some 100 million sharks are killed every year by commercial fishermen, according to a report published last year in the journal Marine Policy. Although Dr. Klimley mentions a "no-fishing zone", however, Johnston is quick to reassure fishermen that this is not what his Group is advocating for Malin Head. "The fact that so many sharks are visiting and residing in the area is a testament to the management of the current fisheries practices there," he says. "This was something Dr. Klimley mentioned with relevance to other parks he is working on in the Galapagoes and Costa Rica, and it was taken out of context for the video because shark finning is not an issue in the marine area we are looking at." You can read more on the mooted Malin Head Ocean Centre, Marine Park and Biosphere here. Expand Close Dr. Pete Kilmley, AKA Dr. Hammerhead, at Malin Head. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dr. Pete Kilmley, AKA Dr. Hammerhead, at Malin Head. Inishowen Tourism (visitinishowen.com) is enthusiastic about the prospect. "We gladly welcomed Dr. Hammerhead to the Peninsula," says Siobhan Kelly, Interim Manager. "This is a huge development opportunity for the area and Inishowen Tourism would gladly welcome the development of a Shark Park. It would be amazing to offer such a niche product to incoming tourists." A 'Shark Park' is not on Failte Ireland's radar, however. "Dr. Kilmley is right about the wildlife," says Alex Connolly, its Head of Communications. "I think the wildlife out there is genuinely surprising - that's one reason so many Irish people have gotten out to explore the Wild Atlantic Way this year. "The touring route really is like a safari in itself." It's the ordinary Catholic in the pew you'd feel for, hearing about the alleged carry-on at Maynooth, learning, perhaps for the first time, that there is a "gay dating app" which trainee priests were allegedly in the habit of availing; and that the usually liberal Archbishop of Dublin seems to consider St Patrick's College - once the powerhouse of Catholic Ireland - such a worry that students have to be despatched to Rome to acquire their pastoral and theological training. The ordinary Catholics - the mild and thoughtful women and men that I sometimes sit beside at St Theresa's Church in Clarendon Street on a Saturday evening when I'm in Dublin - will surely feel confused, dismayed, and disappointed that the situation seems such a mess and a muddle. When the Archbishop of Dublin makes a point, and his brother bishops blatantly refuse to back him - well, where is the leadership in a crisis? Where is the management? Where is the steady shepherd who guides his flock? Many of those older churchgoers will remember a time when the Catholic Church - when Maynooth itself - seemed as solid and commanding as any of the great institutions of Christendom, when its power was so awesome that politicians would regularly kneel to kiss a bishop's ring. The old church was too powerful, and it had to change. Many changes were positive, too - the innovations of Vatican II, in the 1960s, were warmly welcomed in Ireland - but should change mean confusion? Should it mean a rudderless institution with a "quarrelsome" - Dr Martin's word - atmosphere? Anonymous complaints of sexual harassment abounding, while open complainants such as Father Gerard McGinnity had his career destroyed for reporting the "inappropriate behaviour" involving Maynooth's then vice-president, Monsignor Micheal Ledwith. It would be hard for the average Catholic not to regard the whole business as scandalous. One of the wider issues, I am told, is that a high percentage of the Catholic clergy today are gay men, and what prevails inside the church is a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude. The iron disciplines of yesteryear - when John Charles McQuaid, erstwhile Archbishop of Dublin, would advocate "custody of the eyes" to clerical students (do not look at anything that might tempt your eyes) - can hardly be invoked in an era of instant smart-phone dating (itself a euphemism for easy sexual hook-ups). "These young men coming into the seminaries today are very much more influenced by the wider culture," says one who has seminary experience. "Sexuality isn't accompanied by the same scruples as it used to be." There's a hothouse, boarding-school atmosphere in any seminary, and while clerical students are expected to be celibate, it's not something that is easily enforced, especially among gay students. A heterosexual seminarian - who is expected, equally, to observe the rule of celibacy - would have some difficulty inviting a woman into his college room, whereas two gay men may well be quartered in close proximity anyway. Perhaps the rule of celibacy should simply be abolished. The moral historian WEH Lecky, back in the Victorian era, described it as "a war against nature". There would be widespread support among churchgoers for married priests, and there would also be considerable support for the ordination of women. And since women mature earlier than men, they might, as clerical students, be more serious about focusing on theology rather than on dating apps like Grindr. But all that requires a large shift at the Vatican (tentative steps were taken by Pope Francis this week when he opened discussion on female deacons), and the Holy See, famously, thinks in centuries. Yet, neither marriage nor female ordination automatically corrects all irregularities. Some Anglican seminaries have also been identified as hotbeds of camp frolics, with students of divinity giving one another jokey girls' names - "Doris", "Gladys", "Dame Edna". Women priests in the Church of England have often been impressive as individuals, but the numbers of worshippers has fallen catastrophically over the past ten years just the same. Certainly, many people think there should be deep, structural reform around the Irish seminary system - perhaps adopting the system that the late Cardinal Lustiger in Paris (born Jewish, converting as a young man to Rome) introduced: priests learning their trade in a parish, under the pastoral care of a trusted mentor, while going to college part of the time. Being in an actual parish brings a taste of the real world, rather than being in an overgrown boarding school. Change there must be, evidently. But older Catholics will cast their minds back to the time when the towering Monsignor Horan, or the inspiring Blessed Father John Sullivan, or the heroic Father Gleeson of the Munster Fusiliers who ministered so peerlessly on the battlefields of Flanders, exemplified the best of the Irish priest - men who were brave, devoted, and, in the best way, manly. Donald Trump has insulted women, Muslims, Mexicans, the disabled and countless other demographics and individuals in this extraordinary, disturbing US election cycle. Until now, his deeply offensive rhetoric and playground bullying have done little to affect his popularity as his polling numbers continued to rise and he swept to the Republican nomination. He has even just clashed with the mother of a crying baby in Virginia. Initially, he said: "Don't worry about that baby. I love babies." But when the baby continued to cry he said: "Actually, I was only kidding. You can get that baby out of here." It was said with a slight smirk, as laughs and a few gasps escaped from the crowd, and he added: "Don't worry, I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I'm speaking. That's OK. People don't understand. That's OK." He famously stated he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and it would not damage him - and, as the months rolled by, many in America even started to believe that absurd claim. The question 'has Trump gone too far this time?' has, of course, been posed constantly since the businessman announced he was running in June 2015. This week, however, in the aftermath of his mockery of the grieving parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq, it feels like, finally, his luck could be running out and his winning streak coming to an end. Perhaps it was the horrific realisation, following his formal coronation as the Republican nominee in Cleveland two weeks ago, that Mr Trump is now just one step away from the White House. Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back - the weight of 13 months of often unbelievable insults finally giving way with no sign of the 'presidential' demeanour he had promised to adopt. Or it could simply have been the fact that Mr Trump was not attacking a political rival or TV personality or journalist or a faceless wider demographic - and that is not to belittle those countless victims. This time, however, the target in his sights was an ordinary immigrant American family that had suffered the intense grief of losing a child - and he was also a war hero who had made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. Whatever the reason, the Khan family controversy could be the moment the Trump bandwagon came off the rails. Barack Obama went for the jugular with his most forceful intervention to date, calling the 70-year-old "woefully unprepared" and "unfit to serve as president". "He keeps proving it," the US president said, in near disbelief, as he drew a scathing distinction between Mr Trump and past Republican opponents John McCain and Mitt Romney, whom he said he respected and whose ability to lead he did not doubt. Mr Obama was swiftly backed up by Francois Hollande, the president of France - America's oldest ally - who said he was "sickened" by Mr Trump in an unprecedented intervention from the leader of a Nato ally at this late stage of a presidential campaign. Mr Hollande went on to say that, if Mr Trump wins in the November election, the very existence of democracy around the world could be under threat. More significant, though, has been the re-opening of the deep wounds within the Grand Old Party, which were merely papered over in Cleveland. Leading Republicans Paul Ryan, Mr McCain, Jeb Bush, Mitch McConnell and even Trump ally Chris Christie firmly distanced themselves from their nominee over the controversy. Richard Hanna, a New York congressman, went one step further, becoming the first elected Republican to say he would be voting for Hillary Clinton in November. Mr Hanna could be the first of many, as it becomes increasingly impossible for moderate Republicans to contemplate voting for the reality TV star to take over as commander-in-chief. They now face a moment of reckoning over whether to stand by their unpredictable nominee to the end, or settle for another Clinton in the White House and regroup during the next four years. Hardcore Trump supporters, who have cheered his lack of political correctness at every twist of the campaign, even sounded a note of caution at a rally in Washington's Virginia suburbs on Tuesday afternoon. "He could have framed that in a totally different light," Nathan Coryell told reporters in reference to the Khan family controversy. "I think he needs to apologise," added Chip Galloway, who served in the military for 32 years, stating that Gold Star families who have lost a child in combat should be off-limits - even for Mr Trump. 'So far, Mr Trump's pronouncements have been anything but nuanced or diplomatic. His see-sawing on policy and his heady brew of inflammatory statements do not induce confidence' Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has managed to test the tolerance of not only the American public, but he has also sparked open warfare within his own party, too. From lambasting the mother of a war hero to humiliating the mum of a crying baby, Mr Trump has produced more cringe-inducing moments than any other contender in living memory in the race to become the most powerful person in the world. Embarrassment we can live with - but volatility and unpredictability at a time of such global instability is of far more immediate concern. Yesterday, Mr Trump was alleged to have asked an advisor three times why the US can not use its nuclear weapons. A spokesman for Mr Trump denied the claim, but the fact that it could credibly be made is a worry in itself. Yesterday also saw North Korea fire a missile which landed in the sea off Japan - an incident that prompted an emergency UN meeting. So far, Mr Trump's pronouncements have been anything but nuanced or diplomatic. His see-sawing on policy and his heady brew of inflammatory statements do not induce confidence. His provocative and deliberately controversial stances have guaranteed that he sucks all the oxygen out of the room when it comes to gaining attention, but gaining trust at home and abroad requires something more. Yesterday, French President Francois Hollande said some of Mr Trump's utterances make his stomach churn, and previously said Mr Trump's election would be dangerous. Playing to the galleries is all very well, providing that's as far as it goes. Mr Trump might set the nerves of the world at ease were he to be more of the statesman and less of a showman. He might also familiarise himself with Mario Cuomo's dictum - 'campaign in poetry, govern in prose'. RTE must move with the changing times in media The media landscape is changing before our eyes, and the challenge is clear enough - adapt or die. The national broadcaster, RTE, has been the promised land for aspiring journalists and broadcasters since it was founded on June 1, 1960. With a licence fee and a chokehold on advertising, the station thrived. It had a clear public service remit and, without competition, went from strength to strength. But, as all media without the benefit of licence fees know, there is no safe haven from commercial considerations. Yesterday the station announced that its deputy director general and managing director of news and current affairs, Kevin Bakhurst, is leaving. Last month, RTE lost Glen Killane, former managing director of RTE TV, and RTE2 channel controller Bill Malone. Holding on to the millennial market and formulating new strategies in such a congested market is vital for RTE. In the digital age, managing and capitalising on changing viewer habits is equally critical. Advertisers have multiple platforms as the paradigm shifts, so developing new approaches is key. Montrose has, in the past, been accused of playing safe and sticking too closely to outdated formats. Audiences now have a smorgasbord of choice. It has proven itself to be a survivor, and new director general Dee Forbes, the first woman to hold the post, has an impressive track record. Moya Doherty, chair of RTE's board, said her arrival marks "a significant moment in the development of RTE". Given the revolution taking place in media, Ms Forbes must know that more of the same just won't cut it. Chinese tourists take pictures at Wat Chedi Luang on April 17, 2014, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Photo : Getty Images) Chinese tourists on the country's blacklist due to "uncivilized behavior" may soon face restrictions on airplane travel, joining travel groups or even taking overseas trips due to a revised draft of travel regulations posted on Monday. China's current laws enable provincial and national tourism authorities to maintain records and share them with the public, travel agencies, and industry organizations as well government offices responsible for public security, customs, inspection and quarantine, border protection, transportation, and finance. Advertisement Under the revised draft, which is in its public comment phase, "punishments can be imposed by travel agencies or other related agencies or organizations based on the record," the China Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday. According to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), examples of bad behavior that is subject for blacklisting include violating order on airplanes and other public transportation, damaging public facilities or historical relics, ignoring social customs at tourism destinations, and being involved in gambling and prostitution. The proposed regulations are among a series of laws aimed to curb unruly behaviour of Chinese tourists, who have been involved in several international incidents in recent years. In April last year, the CNTA began keeping records of bad behaviour of tourists, resulting in 19 people being blacklisted as of 2016. Chinese tourists have also been asked to dress modestly in public, avoid coughing in other people's faces, and avoid pressuring foreigners to stand for photos with them. Liu Simin, vice-president of the tourism branch of the China Society for Futures Studies, said the blacklist may not have worked as effectively in practice as when it was initially envisioned. "It is not that difficult to introduce restrictive measures on flights," Liu told China Daily. "However, if tourism authorities want to restrict blacklisted tourists from traveling overseas, they can only do this through travel agencies." "If travelers plan their own trips and skip the agencies, they're out of reach," he added. Aside from uncivilized behavior, the proposed regulation addresses other major concerns, including tourism security, unscrupulous practices by travel agencies, and false information presented on travel websites. The revised draft also requires outbound tourists to carry information card containing personal information, disease history, and emergency contacts. Zhang Hui, who works at an advertising agency in Shanghai, said the government should do more besides revising the regulation in order to fully protect tourists' safety and rights, "I am very pleased to see the new draft support us in getting a refund if we are forced to purchase goods during a trip," she said. "However, it may be very difficult for tourists to prove that the tour guide pressured us to buy. We can't always take videos or make recordings." Ashley Graham stuns in a Bao Tranchi dress at the Oscars. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) Model Ashley Graham attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 28, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) Model/designer Ashley Graham walks down the runway during the Addition Elle/Ashley Graham Lingerie Collection fashion show during the Spring 2016 Style 360 on September 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Fernando Leon/Getty Images) Ashley Graham has accused fans aggrieved by pictures they believed showed she had lost weight of body shaming her for working out. The Plus is Equal advocate and US size 14 model was hit by a barrage of angry comments suggesting she had succumbed to industry pressures and propagated notions of beauty by slimming down. She has now replied in an essay concluding with a simple message: "It's my body. I call the shots." The image that attracted such a fierce reaction showed Graham standing to the side in a white two piece and Balmain jacket. Glam squad magic A photo posted by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@theashleygraham) on Jul 20, 2016 at 5:43am PDT Responding in an essay for Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter newsletter, Graham highlighted how some fans were criticising her for exercising, despite the 28-year-old having actually put on weight this year. Comments ranged from disappointment to anger. You dont make plus-size dollars anymore, you make backstabbing dollars and, You dont love the skin youre in, you want to conform to Hollywood, you believe being skinnier is prettier, were two Graham highlighted in her essay. "Having been a model for sixteen years, I know my angles, just like we all know our favourite filters and lighting and our good sides. I pick the photos I like best," writes Graham. No matter how many empowerment conferences, TED talks, and blog posts are out there, women keep tearing one another down over physical appearance. Body shaming isnt just telling the big girl to cover up. Its trying to shame me for working out. My thighs are so sexy they can't stop rubbing each other! by Me!! Available at @swimsuitsforall See more on my snapchat #beautybeyondsize #shakewhatyourmamagaveya A video posted by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@theashleygraham) on Jul 10, 2016 at 1:16pm PDT Its giving skinny a negative connotation. Its wanting me to be plus size, or assuming Im pregnant because of some belly bulge. ( Independent News Service) Video of the Day The woman apparently took literally the phrase Insert Words at the edge of the picture An elderly woman who filled in spaces on an artwork depicting part of a crossword at a German museum contends that she was completing the piece, not damaging it, her lawyer has said. Officials at Nuremberg's Neues Museum filed a criminal complaint after the 90-year-old, who has not been identified, filled in blank spaces with a ballpoint pen last month on avant-garde artist Arthur Koepcke's 1965 work, Reading-work-piece. She apparently took literally the phrase Insert Words at the edge of the picture. Lawyer Heinz-Harro Salloch said the woman argued she had not damaged the piece "but only completed it as the artist intended", news agency dpa reported. She told police that the picture even gained in value, he added. The museum has since removed her additions. AP Japan's prime minister condemned an "unforgivable act" on Wednesday when North Korea fired two nuclear-capable missiles towards his country, one of which landed within 200 miles of the coast. The Rodong medium-range missiles were launched in breach of a series of United Nations resolutions. One exploded soon after take-off; another flew eastwards for about 600 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. The United Nations Security Council was meeting last night to discuss the latest missile launch after the United States and Japan requested the meeting, diplomats said. This was among the longest-range missile tests that North Korea has ever conducted. It was also one of the rare launches aimed towards Japan. The Japanese government confirmed that one Rodong landed inside the country's "exclusive economic zone" - or within 200 nautical miles of its coastline. "It imposes a serious threat to Japan's security and it is an unforgivable act of violence toward Japan's security," said Shinzo Abe, the prime minister. The Rodong missile, which has a maximum range of about 900 miles, could be modified to carry a nuclear warhead. North Korea has tested four nuclear bombs since 2006, most recently in January this year. Experts differ over whether North Korea has developed a "miniaturised" nuclear warhead capable of being loaded on a missile. But South Korea's government believes that the North has crossed this crucial threshold. A study published by the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in the US concluded that North Korea has between six and eight nuclear warheads. America condemned the latest missile tests. "This provocation only serves to increase the international community's resolve to counter [North Korea's] prohibited activities, including through implementing existing UN Security Council sanctions," said Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. North Korea is also developing an inter-continental ballistic missile known as the Taepodong-2. If this weapon is perfected, Kim Jong-un's regime would be able to launch a nuclear strike on the US mainland. North Korea has recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental US. South Korean defense officials say North Korea doesn't yet have such a weapon, but some civilian experts believe the North has the technology to mount warheads on shorter-range Rodong and Scud missiles that can strike South Korea and Japan. According to the South Korean and Japanese announcements, one suspected Rodong missile lifted off from the North's western Hwanghae province and flew across the country before falling in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it "strongly condemns" the missile launch because it explicitly shows the North's intentions of being able to launch missile attacks on South Korea and neighboring countries. Japan's Defense Ministry said the missile landed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the 200-nautical mile offshore area where a nation has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting resources. Japanese media reported it was the first North Korean missile that has splashed down in Japan's EEZ. At the United Nations, US Ambassador Samantha Power said that "we expect to be calling an emergency meeting of the Security Council with our Japanese colleagues". The Pentagon condemned the launches as violating UN Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology. "This provocation only serves to increase the international community's resolve to counter (North Korea's) prohibited activities, including through implementing existing UN Security Council sanctions," said Navy Cmdr Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. North Korea has previously fired Rodong and other missiles into the sea, but South Korean analysts say yesterday's 1,000km flight was one of the longest for a North Korean test. Several other North Korean rockets have gone farther and even over Japan. But North Korea called them satellite launches while Washington, Seoul and Tokyo said they were disguised tests of missile technology. After several failures, the North put its first satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket in December 2012, and conducted another successful satellite launch in February. Launch In June, North Korea, after a string of failures, sent another type of mid-range missile known as Musudan more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) high. Analysts said the high-altitude flight meant North Korea had made progress in its push to be able to strike US forces throughout the region. North Korea routinely conducts weapons tests, but the latest launch came after North Korea warned of unspecified "physical counter-actions" against a US plan to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea by the end of next year. On July 19, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea, according to Seoul defense officials. The North's state media later confirmed that it fired ballistic rockets carrying trigger devices for nuclear warheads as part of simulated pre-emptive atomic attacks on South Korea. Analyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul's Institute for Far East Studies said the latest Rodong launch appeared to be aimed at showing an ability to attack U.S. military bases in Japan, a major source of reinforcements for U.S. troops should a war break out on the Korean Peninsula. British national Hasnat Karim, centre left, and University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan, centre right, are taken to court in Dhaka, Bangladesh (AP) Two men, including a British national, who had not been heard from since a restaurant attack in Bangladesh last month have been arrested over allegations they were involved in the deadly siege carried out by radical Islamists. Hasnat Karim and University of Toronto student Tahmid Hasib Khan were arrested in different areas of the capital, Dhaka, and a court has allowed police to keep them in custody for eight days to question them, said police spokesman Masudur Rahman. Five armed gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant on the night of July 1, killing 20 people and holding others inside hostage. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages. Those killed were nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian. Karim, 47, and Khan, 22, were known to have been inside the restaurant, but Bangladeshi authorities and police denied having them in custody after the attack. Their families and Human Rights Watch had appealed for news about them and said the authorities were holding the men. Karim was in the restaurant with his wife and two daughters and the family had said they were there to celebrate the birthday of their daughter. But a South Korean man from a nearby apartment had shot a video of the scene in the restaurant in which Karim was allegedly seen talking to the attackers. Police also said there were photographs showing Karim allegedly smoking on the rooftop of the building with two of the attackers standing behind him. Hours after his arrest, Karim's family said he was innocent and should be released immediately. "He had no links to any terrorist group or organisation. He and his family were celebrating his daughter's 13th birthday when they became victims of a terrorist attack," Rodney Dixon, the family lawyer, said in a statement. He said the family was "willing to co-operate fully with the authorities to prove his innocence". "There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be let go without any further delay," the family said. "He is not a suspect and has not been charged," the statement said. Karim had lived in the UK for nearly 20 years and returned to Bangladesh a few years ago when he began teaching in a private university in Dhaka. Later, he was under investigation for his alleged involvement with a banned Islamic group, Hizbut Tahrir. He left the university in 2012 and became a businessman. One of the attackers has been identified as his former student. Bangladesh police have said they are investigating whether the attackers had links to the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the attack. The claim was rejected by Bangladesh's government, which said IS has no presence in the country and instead blamed a local radical group, Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh. AP Zhou Shifeng sits for his trial at the Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court in northern China's Tianjin Municipality (CCTV via AP Video) A Chinese lawyer has been jailed for seven years in the third in a series of subversion trials demonstrating the ruling Communist Party's determination to silence independent human rights activists and government critics. The sentence given to Zhou Shifeng results from his role as director of Beijing's Fengrui Law Firm, which took on sensitive cases and represented people who dared to challenge the party. Zhou, 52, accepted the ruling and will not appeal, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. His half-day trial in the northern city of Tianjin followed those of two related legal activists earlier this week, both on charges of subversion. As with the others, Zhou was detained in July last year during a sweeping round-up of activists and lawyers. About 300 people were initially seized and questioned before most were released. Zhou was accused of coming under the influence of "anti-China forces" and opposing China's government and political system. He was also accused of opposing the "one country, two systems" policy applied in former foreign colonies Hong Kong and Macau. Zhou "played a major role in a group of activists who attempted to manipulate public opinion and damage national security by spreading subversive thoughts", state media quoted the verdict as saying. It said Zhou worked with activists Hu Shigen, Zhai Yanmin and Li Heping "to encourage lawyers to highlight sensitive cases and hired protesters to disturb the judicial system". Hu was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday and Zhai was given a suspended three-year sentence on Tuesday. Li is being tried separately. Zhou also "asked administrative officers in the law firm to post anti-government comments online to stir up public sentiment", the verdict said. Zhou established Fengrui in 2007, and the following year took on one of the country's biggest dairies in a massive tainted infant formula scandal that the government had tried to suppress. The firm also represented clients targeted by the government, including members of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect and activist artist Ai Weiwei. Zhou's final case involved Zhang Miao, a news assistant for German weekly Die Zeitm who was detained for nine months after helping with the magazine's coverage of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Zhou was meeting Zhang at a hotel in suburban Beijing following her release when he was seized, hooded and driven away by agents. This week's trials are part of a pattern established under the administration of President Xi Jinping to use more sophisticated legal means to attack perceived opponents as it maintains pressure on activists and non-governmental organisations. The trials show China is intent on silencing anyone who "raises legitimate questions about human rights and uses the legal system to seek redress", Amnesty International said in a statement on Zhou's conviction. "The authorities are using vague legal provisions as a weapon to give their politically motivated assault the veneer of legitimacy. When state security laws are open to such rampant abuse, the law needs to change," Roseann Rife, the group's East Asia research director, said in the statement. Several of those detained, including Zhou and fellow Fengrui lawyer Wang Yu, have made televised apologies for the crimes they are accused of, saying their legal activism was directed by unidentified "hostile foreign forces" to smear and attack the Chinese government. Fengrui often worked with activists to gather evidence of government abuses and lead clients and the disgruntled in street protests while spreading word online. Their actions were harshly denounced by the authorities as thuggery and interference in the legal process. Many family members of those being held say they and their retained lawyers have been denied access to the detainees for more than a year, receiving only occasional updates by word of mouth. Some have been briefly detained themselves while seeking information. Zhou and others were assigned government-appointed lawyers who worked closely with the court. More than a dozen of those detained last year remain in custody, their legal fates still unknown. AP Cranes have been used to deliver a month's worth of food and supplies to more than 75,000 Syrians stuck on Jordan's sealed border, aid agencies said. The World Food Programme said 650 metric tons of goods were sent to two desert camps this week, with cranes used to lift bags from the Jordanian side over an earthen barrier along the frontier. The operation was unprecedented because of the use of cranes and Jordanian army drones monitoring the distribution, it said. The one-off shipment is meant to ease harsh conditions in the camps, housing mostly women and children. Jordan said it will not reopen the border, which it closed after a June 21 attack by Islamic State extremists. The international community has not found an alternative to what were once regular aid deliveries from Jordan. AP Police forensic officers at work in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured A police tent in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured Police activity in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured Police forensic officers in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured A body is driven away in a private ambulance from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured A body is driven away in a private ambulance from the scene in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured Police forensic officers in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a knife attack in central London in which a woman was killed and five other people injured. Counter-terrorism officers are supporting the investigation into the incident, while Scotland Yard said early indications suggest mental health "was a factor". Armed officers raced to the scene in Russell Square on Wednesday night following reports that a man armed with a knife was targeting people. A woman, believed to have been in her 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene, while two other women and three men were hurt. Expand Close Police forensic officers in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police forensic officers in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured Read More As a result of the attack armed police and other officers will be deployed on the streets of London on Thursday as a "precautionary measure" to A Taser was discharged during the arrest of the suspect.He received hospital treatment and was then taken into custody at a police station in south London. The Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command is leading the investigation, supported by counter-terrorism officers. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "This was a tragic incident resulting in the death of one woman and five others being injured. Early indications suggest that mental health was a factor in this horrific attack; however,we are keeping an open mind regarding the motive. "As a precautionary measure, Londoners will wake up this morning to notice an increased presence on the streets of officers, including armed officers today. We would urge the public to remain calm, alert and vigilant." In an earlier statement, police said terrorism was "one line of inquiry being explored". A tent surrounds the scene where a woman has been murdered and five others injured #russellsquare pic.twitter.com/etEts8LHrI Nicky Harley (@nickyharley) August 4, 2016 #London Russell Square locked down & surrounded with police officers. Many police cars & ambulances. Abdulrahman Muammar (@Am3mr) August 4, 2016 London: Stabbing attack in #RussellSquare . One female dead and six injured. Suspect arrested. Possibly terrorism. pic.twitter.com/SlBUuaGcIG Moshe Zichmir (@mosezichmir) August 4, 2016 Police cordon around #russellsquare now extended & forensic tent erected on Southampton row pic.twitter.com/0cU8Uor2E3 Helen Edwards (@hyperlinkhelen) August 4, 2016 Two women and three men were also stabbed at #russellsquare where a sixth woman has died #LondonStabbing pic.twitter.com/ZerrghUtbP Nicky Harley (@nickyharley) August 4, 2016 A private ambulance has arrived at the murder scene #LondonStabbing #RussellSquare pic.twitter.com/SwjrYlxoq6 Nicky Harley (@nickyharley) August 4, 2016 Eyewitness Zuhair Awartani told the BBC he saw the attacker being arrested. He said: "I arrived here at my hotel and I saw the guy getting arrested just on the block. Expand Close Police activity in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police activity in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed and five people were injured "There were two police cars and he was like African ... a dark-skinned man ... late 20s probably. "We heard that there'd been stabbing going on. The streets were blocked and no-one was allowed through." The attack came hours after Scotland Yard announced that more armed officers would be deployed on public patrol around the capital. Security services are on high alert following a spate of terrorist incidents around Europe. The official threat level from international terrorism currently stands at severe - indicating that an attack is highly likely. On Sunday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe warned that a terror attack in the UK was a case of "when, not if". There have been warnings that Islamic State may be targeting people with mental health problems to inspire them to perpetrate attacks. Police were called to Russell Square, a popular tourist area near the British Museum in Bloomsbury, shortly after 10.30pm on Wednesday to reports of a man armed with a knife assaulting people. A Met spokesman said: "Numerous other calls were made by members of the public between 22.30 and 23.00hrs with reports of a man attacking people with a knife between Russell Square, Montague Street, Bloomsbury Square and Great Russell Street." Armed officers attended the scene within around five minutes of receiving the first call. A Taser was discharged as the suspect was held, while no shots were fired. Two women and three men suffered "various injuries", police said. Two of the five are still in hospital but no details of their conditions have been released so far. The others have been discharged. A cyclist passing the scene moments after the stabbing was stopped by a Spanish family who flagged him down for help. Fernando, 40, from Brazil, said he was the first to call the ambulance and saw an "older woman" slumped against the railings with a stab wound to her back, an Englishman with an injury to his upper chest, and a younger girl with a wound on her upper arm. He said: "I was just cycling by when I saw that. The Spanish family just stopped me, just asked me 'Call someone, call an ambulance'. "There were three people stabbed. The older woman was slumping against the gates, and it was another two people. One of the Spanish family was comforting the older woman. "I thought they were friends, but then I realised that they were just passing. No-one knew each other." He added that he had not seen the attacker but said the Spanish family told police the man was wearing black shorts and a white shirt, and was covering his face as he made sweeping, stabbing motions. Fernando went on: "The moment the police arrived, they asked them if the man had been shouting. "They said that he didn't say anything. They said that when he stabbed the people he didn't shout or scream anything." A former Isis militant turned whistleblower has warned that the terror group is planning a simultaneous attack on the UK, France and Germany. Harry Sarfo, who was born in Germany but raised in the UK, said Isis commanders want to carry out multiple attacks in Europe. He told the New York Times that when he arrived in Syria in 2015 he was told to return to his home in Bremen, Germany to plot a terror attack. The 27-year-old described an encounter with masked members of Isiss secret service, who told him and a German friend they needed to go home. He said: He was speaking openly about the situation, saying that they have loads of people living in European countries and waiting for commands to attack the European people. And that was before the Brussels attacks, before the Paris attacks. They said, Would you mind to go back to Germany, because thats what we need at the moment. And they always said they wanted to have something that is occurring in the same time: They want to have loads of attacks at the same time in England and Germany and France. Sarfo, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for terror offences, said there had been many recruits in the UK and Germany, but they had chickened out before carrying out attacks. But in contrast, they had more than enough volunteers for terrorist attacks in France. He said when his friend asked about French recruits, the Isis commanders had started laughing and said dont worry about France. The former postman said hundreds of militants had definitely returned to Europe. He said they looked to target people with criminal histories, in particular because they often had ties to organised crime and know you get fake IDs or they know you have contact men... who can smuggle you into the European Union. When The Independent interviewed Sarfo in May he said he had been persuaded to join Isis because he thought their videos demonstrated unity under one flag... white, black, Asians and Arabs from all walks of life protecting the Sunni Muslims. He said he had felt victimised in Europe after being repeatedly detained and put under surveillance by intelligence agencies after converting to Islam from Catholicism. He said he became radicalised after coming into contact with Rene Marc Sepac in a Bremen jail after he was sentenced to two years in prison for taking part in an armed robbery of a supermarket. Sarfo claimed he decided to leave the caliphate after three months having witnessing the brutality of life there. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on August 3, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo : Mark Wallheiser) Sean Davis, a veteran of war, had written an open letter to Donald Trump. He is not happy with what the presidential candidate said after being given the purple heart by a retired lieutenant colonel. Sean Davis is a veteran who received a Purple Heart, an award bestowed those in the military who have been wounded or killed during war, by the president himself. Davis had received the award when he was wounded from a violent ambush in Taji, Iraq. He also ran for mayor in Portland this year. Advertisement Davis wrote a direct letter to Trump on The Big Smoke on Tuesday, August 2, where he explained the weight of the medal and what it means to him, as a survivor of an ambush. When Davis heard Trump tactlessly quipped, "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier," he got very upset. In the letter, Davis did not hold back his dislike for the presidential candidate, and called it unfair that someone gave a person "so full of hate and ignorance" an item that Davis holds sacred inh his heart. He further stated that Trump had absolutely no idea what the Purple Heart award really meant to those who hold it. Davis then addressed the issue by taking a load off his heart through sharing the story and aftermath of the incident. He said that he first gave the Purple Heart to his son when he first returned to America 12 years ago. The reason he gave it to his son is for him to understand the weight and load of sacrifice and duty for one's country and what it truly means. In an ironic twist, he wishes the same thing to Trump: that the Purple Heart award the lieutenant colonel gave to Trump would make him understand what it really means to hold that award. By making things optimistic, Davis wishes it was something Trump could learn from, especially since Trump has absolutely no idea about sacrifice and duty. Most of all, to end the letter in a brilliant note, Davis wrote that he wishes it would have a crushing load on Trump at first, and make him realize that the veterans and their families are not toys and props for him to use in the battlefield for his own satisfaction. His life has been defined by sacrifice after joining the war, and he concludes that no wealthy business magnate turned presidential candidate can ever belittle those accomplishments. Davis feels like he had the duty and responsibility to speak out on the matter, Oregon Live quoted him as saying. Part of that responsibility is not letting someone like Trump win and get into power. Below is a video of Trump talking about the Purple Heart he received and calling the veteran to stage. Italy is investigating whether Isil is involved in organising the passage of tens of thousands of migrants across the Mediterranean, its justice minister said yesterday. The Turkey to Greece migration route has been largely shut down since a repatriation deal was struck between the European Union and Ankara in March, but hundreds of people are arriving in Italy every day, mostly from Libya. Criminal gangs have taken advantage of chaos in Libya to charge mainly sub-Saharan Africans, who are looking for a better life in Europe, hundreds of dollars to make the voyage. "From the information available, there is an investigation underway focused on whether representatives of Isil (Islamic State) have crucial roles in controlling and managing migrant flows to Italy," Justice Minister Andrea Orlando told a parliamentary committee. Risks He told the hearing on immigration, Europe's border-free Schengen accord and European police agency Europol that details of the investigation were secret. "The risks we have to take on are high," he said, adding there was also a suspicion the militants were trying to influence where in Italy migrants were eventually placed. The militant group has made money by selling oil from fields it seized in the Middle East and North Africa and from plundering weapons and ammunition. Militant groups have smuggled members into Europe among the migrants, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also said. The migrants are taking often unseaworthy boats from Libya to Italy. A total of 4,027 migrants or refugees have died worldwide so far this year, three-quarters of them in the Mediterranean, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. This is a 35pc increase on the global toll during the first seven months of 2015. More than 257,000 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea this year, it said. Separately, Germany has announced that 42,300 unaccompanied minors entered the country from abroad last year. This was an increase of 30,700 - or 263pc - compared with the previous year. About 91pc, or 38,700, of these children and teenagers were male, while only about 3,600 girls entered Germany without their parents. Germany saw an unprecedented influx of migrants in 2015. More than 1 million people registered for asylum - the majority of them from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Unaccompanied refugee children are normally taken into care by the country's youth welfare offices. Excerpts from Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler's diary show how mass murder was institutionalised and routine in Adolf Hitler's Germany. Bild newspaper has been publishing extracts from the day planner, which was found in a Russian archive in 2013 and is being prepared for publication next year. The service diaries, which cover 1938 and the crucial war years of 1943 and 1944, had been snatched by the Red Army towards the end of the war. Extracts document the hour-by-hour schedule of the reviled SS chief, juxtaposing phone calls with his wife and daughter alongside writs of execution. Several of them allude to massage appointments taken early in the day which could last up to hours. The January 3 1943 entry shows Himmler ate a late breakfast followed by a massage, then spoke on the phone to his wife and daughter. He ends his day ordering civilians in Poland to be executed in retaliation for a partisan attack on a police station, and the families of the policemen, who did not fight back, to be sent to concentration camps. Sometimes he would relax by watching a film, or playing cards or he would just "gaze at the stars" in between meetings with Adolf Hitler and other senior Nazi officials in which the Holocaust was planned and carried out. One entry on a visit to the Buchenwald concentration camp reads: "Took a snack in the cafe at the SS casino." Damian Imoehl, the Bild reporter who tracked down the diaries, said he was struck by the impression they created of a man who was at once a doting father and a mass killer. "The most interesting thing for me is that combination," he said. "He was very careful about his wife and daughter, as well as his affair with his secretary. He takes care of his comrades and friends. "Then there is the man of horror. One day he starts with breakfast and a massage from a personal doctor, then he rings up his wife and daughter in the south of Germany and after that he decides to have ten men killed or visits a concentration camp." Nikolaus Katzer, the director of the German Historical Institute, said: "The importance of these documents is that we get a better structural understanding of the last phase of the war. "It provides insight into the changing role of Himmler and insight into the SS elite and overall the entire German leadership." Political theorist Hannah Arendt once famously called Himmler's underling Adolf Eichmann an example of the "banality of evil". Pope Francis has set up a panel to advise on womens role as deacons. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP Photo/Getty Images Pope Francis has set up a panel to study whether women could serve as deacons, a role now reserved to men. The Vatican said Pope Francis "after intense prayer and mature reflection" decided to set up the commission, with 12 members - six men and six women - including priests, nuns and laywomen. It noted that he had told superiors of nuns' orders in May that he intended to "set up an official commission to study the question" of the diaconate for women "above all regarding the early times of the church". Some historians point out there were female deacons in the early church. Married men who serve as deacons can preach and preside at weddings, baptisms and funerals. But only priests can celebrate Mass. There has been no sign from the Vatican that any change on deacons would impact on its strict ban against women being ordained as priests. Heading the commission is a top official, Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, a Jesuit who is the No 2 official at the Congregation of the Faith, the Vatican office entrusted with ensuring doctrinal orthodoxy. Putting the commission under his watch signals the Vatican is intent that whatever the panel concludes will be scrutinised for conformity to church doctrine. A US-based organisation dedicated to achieving the ordination of women as priests cautiously hailed the development. The Women's Ordination Conference called the commission "an important step for the Vatican in recognising its own history of honouring women's leadership". A person holds a banner picturing Sainte-Rita as other stand in front of barriers blocking the access to the sainte-Rita church in Paris with an inscription on it which translates as In France, priests are killed and churchs are demolished", on August 3, 2016 following the evacuation of people protesting against its demolition. Photo: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images) Members of a private security agency stand in front of a barrier with an inscription which translates as "In France, priests are killed and churchs are demolished" as they block the access to the Sainte-Rita church in Paris on August 3, 2016 following the evacuation of people gathered to protest against its demolition. Photo: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images A priest was seen dragged from the church as the police quashed a sit-in protest against the demolition of the Catholic Church of St Rita, in Paris, Wednesday. The demolition of the church has ignited public outrage after it was announced that a parking lot is to be built in its place. Read More The St Rita church has been closed for more than a year, but news of the impending destruction inspired a sit-in protest, as local residents gathered inside the church. The footage shows police forcibly removing protestors, including a number of priests, from the church. In the clip, the crowd can be seen assembling at the back of the church, while one of the priests lies face-down on the ground. Police grab hold of the priest's arms and proceed to drag him down the aisle, until they reach a step. The priest eventually gets to his feet and is escorted out of the church, followed by the rest of the worshippers. Le Figaro reports that about 30 people in total were removed by police. 'In April this year, French wine makers hijacked five tankers full of Spanish wine on the border, pouring the equivalent of 90,000 bottles of red and white down the drain in protest at 'unfair competition' Stock photo: PA News An entire street, cellars of apartment blocks and underground car parks have been flooded with wine in a southern French town after a suspected act of sabotage by a shadowy group of "wine terrorists." Thousands of litres of the tipple poured out of five giant vats of a wine merchant late on Tuesday evening in the Mediterranean port of Sete. The wine flooded the avenue Marechal-Juin, the street in front of the wine merchant's premises, and was several inches deep along a stretch of the road. It also found its way into the cellars and underground car parks of nearby apartment blocks, and the smell of wine filled the entire district. It took firefighters half an hour to drain the liquid away. Police did not comment on what had caused the massive leak, but the local press was quick to speculate that it was the work of saboteurs such as the Comite d'Action Viticole (Wine Action Committee), a shadowy group of "wine terrorists" bent on militant action to protect local produce from foreign imports. The group, which previously went under the name CRAV, has been active since 1970 in France's biggest wine-growing region, now called Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi- Pyrenees, where Sete is located. It has in recent years hijacked tankers of foreign wine and dynamited government buildings or supermarkets. In April this year, French wine makers hijacked five tankers full of Spanish wine on the border, pouring the equivalent of 90,000 bottles of red and white down the drain in protest at "unfair competition". It is speculated that the Comite d'Action Viticole was also behind that attack. Industry figures show that France is now the biggest buyer of Spanish wine - purchasing almost 400 million hectolitres in Languedoc-Roussillon alone in 2014, and some 10pc more last year. A forest fire on the Canary Island of La Palma has claimed the life of a park ranger A German man suspected of starting a forest fire on the Canary Island of La Palma that has claimed the life of a park ranger and forced the evacuation of 700 people has been arrested. The 27-year-old was detained on Wednesday, shortly after the fire started near El Paso town in the west of the island, the Civil Guard said. Police said it appeared he may have accidentally started the blaze, which continued to rage on Thursday. Acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy expressed his condolences for the forest worker on his official Twitter account. The islands' regional government said some 200 firefighters and army emergency service soldiers were working to extinguish the fire. It said 700 residents had been evacuated as a precautionary measure. AP At least six foreign tourists and their driver were wounded in Afghanistan on Thursday in an attack by gunmen on their convoy as it passed through western Herat province, government officials said. The group of at least a dozen travelers included eight British citizens, three Americans, and one German, but the nationalities of the casualties were not clear, said Jilani Farhad, a spokesman for Herat's governor. He said security forces had been sent to the scene. The convoy, reportedly escorted by security forces, was on its way from scenic Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan to the city of Herat in the west when it was attacked, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said. Both officials described the foreigners as tourists. Photographs published by local media in Herat showed uniformed men standing around what appeared to be the burned remains of a small bus outfitted with a roof rack for luggage. The group was taken to local clinics where they were treated for generally light injuries, Farhad said. The British embassy in Kabul was providing assistance to its citizens affected by the attack, and were coordinating with Afghan officials, spokeswoman Jenny Jones said. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin confirmed that the German national was involved but unharmed in the attack. The American embassy did not immediately respond to request for comment. Several foreign tourism companies advertise adventure tours to Afghanistan online, including one British firm which had a trip scheduled to the area in Herat this week. Afghanistan remains locked in a violent insurgency and Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all but essential travel in the country, citing threats of attack and kidnapping. Bamiyan, home to Afghanistan's first national park, is one of the country's more peaceful areas and attracts some of the few tourists who do visit. A picture shows a Boing 777 of the UAE airliner Emirates after it caught fire following a crash-landing at Dubai airport on August 3, 2016. Photo: Ahmed Ramzan/AFP Photo/Getty Images/Gulf News Dubai Four Irish people were among the 300 crew and passengers who survived a dramatic Dubai crash landing. However, one member of the airport fire crew, who rushed to battle the blaze, tragically died as he helped to save the lives of all those on board. The incident happened at around 9.45am Irish time yesterday when Emirates Flight EK521, travelling from Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, India, crash landed at Dubai. The United Arab Emirate city is a major aviation transport hub. Expand Close Firefighters tackle the blaze on the aircraft at Dubai Airport / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Firefighters tackle the blaze on the aircraft at Dubai Airport Incredibly, all 282 passengers and 18 crew members who were aboard the Boeing 777 survived. The Emirates airline has a significant number of Irish crew members and has made recruitment drives for cabin staff here in the past. Expand Close Onlookers distance themselves from the fire. Photo: Facebook/Aanthai Reporter / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Onlookers distance themselves from the fire. Photo: Facebook/Aanthai Reporter Blaze Dramatic videos and pictures of the accident circulated online yesterday, and black smoke could be seen billowing from the aircraft, which appeared to have landed on its belly. Some of the pictures showed how almost the entire roof of the plane was burnt off by the time emergency services got the blaze under control. The Aviation Herald, a journal dealing specifically with aeronautical news, said the plane suffered "a collapse in landing gear" and burst into flames. There were conflicting reports about whether the plane was making an emergency landing or a normal approach before the accident. One passenger told the Reuters news agency how terrifying the experience was for them. "As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin," Sharon Maryam Sharji said. "People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. We left by going down the emergency slides. We could see the whole plane catch fire." Krishna Bhagavathula, who was at the airport, wrote on Twitter that the flames had burned through the top of the aircraft before being brought under control. A spokesperson for the Dubai media office, which represents the Emirate's government, said the plane was flying in from India when it "crash landed". The airline said both the captain and the first officer had over 7,000 hours of flying experience each. Emirates chairman Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum paid tribute to the firefighter who lost his life trying to extinguish the blaze. Emirates has an excellent safety record and is the Middle East's biggest airline. American B-61 nuclear bombs on a bomb rack (Photo : USAF) The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency responsible for the military use of nuclear technology, has given the go ahead for the production of the upgraded B61-12 thermonuclear aircraft bomb. NNSA said production of the first upgraded B61-12 nuclear bombs will begin in fiscal year 2020. Its decision authorizing the B61-12 warhead life-extension program (LEP) is the final development phase prior to actual production. Advertisement "Reaching this next phase of the B61-12 LEP is a major achievement for NNSA and the exceptionally talented scientists and engineers whose work underpins this vital national security mission," said NNSA head Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz. "Currently, the B61 contains the oldest components in the US arsenal. This LEP will add at least an additional 20 years to the life of the system." The authorization is another major step in the Obama administration's plan to modernize America's nuclear force, which could cost from $350 to $450 billion over the next decade. From 400 to 500 B61 Mod 12s are planned that will have a service life of 20 years. NNSA's modernization plan, the "3+2 Strategy," will consolidate the U.S. arsenal of warheads into five variants. Five bomb and cruise missile warhead types are being combined into two replacement-warhead designs: the W80-4 and the B61-12. The five ballistic missile warheads now in service are being consolidated into three new interoperable warheads: the IW-1, IW-2 and IW-3. The B61-12 will replace the existing B61-3, -4, -7, and -10 bomb designs. The B61-12 has a circular error probability of 30 meters and carries a 50 kiloton warhead. Measuring 3.56 meters long, the bomb is designed to be launched by jets and bombers. Its casing can withstand supersonic flight speeds such as those achieved by the F-35 stealth fighter, the B-1B supersonic bomber and the B-2 stealth bomber. Donald Trump asked a foreign policy expert advising him why America can't use nuclear weapons, it was claimed yesterday. MNSBC host Joe Scarborough made the claim on air, citing an unnamed source who claimed he had spoken with the GOP presidential nominee. "Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them why can't we use them," Scarborough said on his "Morning Joe" programme. A spokesman for Mr Trump last night said that there was "no truth to the claims." Mr Scarborough made his remarks during an interview with former Director of Central Intelligence and ex-National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden. Mr Scarborough then asked a hypothetical question to Mr Hayden about how quickly nuclear weapons could be deployed if a president were to give approval. "It's scenario dependent, but the system is designed for speed and decisiveness. It's not designed to debate the decision," Mr Hayden said. Also yesterday Mr Trump refused to support the re-election of two leading Republicans, Paul Ryan and John McCain, in an unprecedented move that has reopened huge divisions within the party. The latest controversy erupted as Barack Obama called Mr Trump "unfit" to be president and Francois Hollande described the Republican nominee as "sickening" for attacking the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq. In March, Mr Trump refused to rule out using nuclear weapons against Europe, telling the same network he is not willing to "take any cards off the table". Mr Trump said he was "not quite there yet" in endorsing the party's top-ranking elected official, Mr Ryan, the house speaker. He also declined to back Mr McCain, the 2008 presidential candidate whose own military record has been mocked by Mr Trump, and called Kelly Ayotte, the Republican New Hampshire senator, weak and disloyal. All three Republicans were among leading politicians from both sides of the divide to criticise Mr Trump for his mockery of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son Humayun Khan, a US army captain, was killed in Iraq in 2004 by a suicide bomber. "We need very strong leadership . . . and I'm just not quite there yet," Mr Trump said about Mr Ryan - using the same words he himself had used when he initially declined to endorse Mr Trump. Mr Ryan's spokesman said on Tuesday night that the house speaker had never asked for Mr Trump's endorsement in the first place. The extraordinary comments from the Republican nominee highlighted how divided the party remains two weeks after its Cleveland convention and just over three months before the general election. Latest polling figures suggested the Khan family controversy had given a boost to Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump's Democratic rival. According to the a poll by Reuters/ Ipsos released on Tuesday night, Mrs Clinton leads Mr Trump by 8pc - up by two points on last week's figures. ( Daily Telegraph London, and agencies) Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen is resident in the US (AP) A court in Turkey has issued a formal warrant for the arrest of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the government accuses of being behind the failed coup that left more than 270 people dead. An Istanbul-based court issued the warrant for "ordering the July 15 coup attempt", the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The government says Mr Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, masterminded the failed coup attempt by renegade officers in Turkey's military and wants him extradited to Turkey. Mr Gulen has denied involvement or prior knowledge of the coup attempt. Ankara has not yet made a formal extradition request, but the arrest warrant could be the prelude. Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement and has said the extradition process must be allowed to take its course. Turkey has designated Mr Gulen's movement, which runs charities, schools and businesses across the world, as a terrorist organisation and has launched a widespread crackdown on suspected members since the failed coup. Since the coup attempt, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from jobs in the civil service, judiciary, education, healthcare, the military and the media. About 18,000 people have been detained or arrested, mostly from the military, on suspicion of being involved in the failed coup. Earlier, Mr Erdogan vowed to go after businesses linked to Mr Gulen's movement. "Without doubt, this organisation has an extension in the business world. Maybe it is what they are most powerful at," he said during a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara. "We are determined to totally cut off all business links of this organisation, which has blood on its hands." The president said that every penny that goes to the Gulen movement "is a bullet placed in a barrel to be fired against this nation. In the same way that we do not pardon those who fire the bullet, we will not forgive those who financed the bullet". Mr Erdogan added that the purge of the military would continue. "After July 15, this sneaky organisation's structure in the Turkish armed forces has started to be uncovered," he said. "For now, those who are captured are the tip of the iceberg. Efforts are continuing for others." Separately, the deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, Mehdi Eker, said countries around the world need to take action against schools or other establishments linked to Mr Gulen. Mr Eker said the cleric's movement had hundreds of schools, charities or other establishments in more than 100 countries and warned they too could face "security risks" from the group in the future. "If we had seen that these schools were not innocent educational nests but nurseries raising members for a terror organisation, we would not have lived through the (attempted coup)," he told journalists in Ankara. "It is our responsibility to warn countries that have (Gulen-linked) schools," Mr Eker said. "In Africa, we know that they work as nurseries (for terror) and we want to warn them." AP A man walks by a TV news programme with footage of a North Korean rocket launch at the Seoul railway station (AP) North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches will be condemned by the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Samantha Power predicted following an emergency meeting. She told reporters after the closed meeting there were "strong condemnations across the board" from all 15 council members, which she found encouraging. However UN diplomats said attempts to condemn the launches have been held up by China. South Korean and Japanese officials said a medium-range ballistic missile fired on Wednesday flew about 620 miles and landed near Japan's territorial waters. It was one of the longest flights by a North Korean missile, and the first time a missile landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from shore. The US Strategic Command said initial indications were that a second missile exploded immediately after launch. Britain's deputy UN ambassador Peter Wilson said as he headed into the emergency council meeting they were concerned that it was the first time a North Korean missile had landed in Japan's EEZ. "Our objective in this meeting is to draw attention to that fact, but also to come together to very, very clearly condemn it," he said. After the meeting, Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho was heartened by the "many messages of solidarity" after his appeal to the council to be united and send a strong message to the world and especially to North Korea that its actions are "totally unacceptable". No date was announced for a follow-up meeting of council members or experts, but Mr Bessho said he hopes for council action as soon as possible. South Korea's UN Ambassador Oh Joon said so far this year North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of missile tests - including the firing of 29 missiles of different varieties, ranges and trajectories using mobile launchers and submarines. "They are doing all of this with a systematic, comprehensive purpose of upgrading and refining their missile technologies, which is not only a grave challenge to the global nonproliferation system but also poses a clear and present danger to the security of all countries in the region," he said. "It is definitely in the interest of all countries to stop this dangerous series of provocations immediately." The ballistic missile launches on Wednesday were the third since the US and South Korea announced plans on July 8 to deploy an advanced missile defence system in South Korea by the end of next year - a move Pyongyang has denounced. The council has condemned six other launches in April, May and June, but has not responded to a July 9 failed attempt by a North Korean submarine to launch a ballistic missile and the July 19 launch of two short-range Scud missiles and a Rodong intermediate-range missile. China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi told reporters that "the situation is tense and we need to do everything to de-escalate the situation". Ms Power said the South Korea missile defence system was "purely defensive" and aimed solely at protecting the South Korean people and US and other forces stationed there from North Korean ballistic missiles. She stressed that the US will be pushing for implementation and enforcement of the sanctions - and is looking at adding individuals and organisations to the sanctions blacklist, which requires approval by all 15 council members. AP SHARE The name of an Anderson County man who was struck by an 18-wheel vehicle early Tuesday morning was released Wednesday by the Anderson County Coroner's office. Deputy Coroner Josh Shore said Peter Wetteland, 55, of 3321 Whitehall Road in Anderson, died as a result of injuries sustained in a collision with a truck driven by 55-year-old Waymond Bledsoe of Jasper, Florida. Lance Cpl. Tony Keller of the South Carolina Highway Patrol investigated the incident, which occurred near Old Green Pond Road, about four miles west of Anderson. Bledsoe told police he never saw Wetteland, who lived nearby. The driver accelerated at a traffic light when he heard the sound of a collision and stopped. The wreck occurred at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday on S.C. 24. As of Wednesday afternoon, no charges had been filed in the case. Staff report SC superintendent race: business donors, teacher's movement, fate of public schools Millions have flowed into SC's superintendent race where a teachers' movement is up against a network of politicians and business owners A special edition of the Xbox One, not the Xbox Scorpio, is shown (Photo : YouTube / GF SirJames I Gamerfuzion) Electronic Arts believe that the Xbox Project Scorpio and the PlayStation Neo will be the beginning of constant hardware upgrades for the console gaming industry and that they are optimistic about the outcome. PC gamers are constantly upgrading their systems to the newest video card such as the new NVIDIA Pascal Titan X or the GTX 1080. All of the components of their gaming rigs are often replaced every year or so to keep up with the new AAA games that require more powerful hardware. Advertisement Consoles such as the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One are always left behind with their games downgraded in terms of graphics quality so that they will still be able to run. EA executives have said that the Xbox Project Scorpio from Microsoft and the PlayStation Neo from Sony will be the start of the hardware upgrades in the middle of the consoles' life cycles, Daily Star has learned. EA CEO Andrew Wilson said that they are excited with the PlayStation Neo and the Xbox Project Scorpio. Both of the consoles will help in the problems with the hardware refresh cycle going faster than the software refresh cycle. Wilson also added that the hardware upgrades of the Xbox Project Scorpio and the PlayStation Neo will be great for the industry and extend the console cycles to "almost an infinite level," Gamepur reported. However, both Sony and Microsoft have previously said that their new consoles do not mean that they will be constantly upgrading their devices. In addition, constant hardware upgrades in the console gaming industry does not seem to be the best course of action for the consumers. The value of consoles would decline much faster compared to the current market now. Constant hardware upgrades would also basically make the PlayStation Neo and Xbox Project Scorpio consoles in the future similar to PCs. The latter would still have the advantage considering that users have more freedom with the parts and they are not just locked into two or three brands. Sony is expected to launch the PlayStation Neo this fall while Microsoft plans to launch the Xbox Project Scorpio in 2017. EA's views might be a little too optimistic for the console gaming industry but it could still be possible. Nihar Info Global applies for trademark registration for 'ONVO' Nihar Info Global Limited informed to the exchanges that it has successfully applied for Trademark registration of its private label "ONVO" under the 'Trademark Classes 18 and 21. ... October 28, 2022 | 2:37 pm Rupee rises 4 paisa to 82.29/$ Early on Friday, the rupee strengthened against the US dollar by 4 paise to 82.29, helped by a weak US dollar in the international market and strong local equities. The influx of new fore... October 28, 2022 | 2:30 pm PNB Housing Finance's net profit increases by 12% PNB Housing Finance announced on Thursday that its September 20222023 quarter net profit increased by 11.7% to Rs 262.63 crore, thanks to a little increase in core income. In the same period... October 28, 2022 | 2:25 pm Dhanuka Agritech soars ~8% as board to consider buyback Dhanuka Agritechs stock surged as much as 8% in Fridays intraday session and touched a high of Rs742. The company stated in its filing with the exchanges that at its ensuing ge... October 28, 2022 | 2:18 pm Markets trade flat amid volatility; Nifty below 17,800 dragged by metals Domestic benchmark indices in a volatile session and trading flat after a gap-up opening on Friday. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are in the green during the afternoon market session ami... October 28, 2022 | 2:00 pm The Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) announced Shelby Slaughter, a sixth grade student from Bedford, Indiana, as the winner of the organizations annual student essay contest. ICRC partnered with the Indianapolis Indians to present Civil Rights Night at Victory Field last Friday, July 29, to celebrate the progression of equal rights and Americas pastime. Rick Hite, ICRC executive director, addressed the crowd before the ceremonial first pitch and announced Slaughter as the winner. In her essay, on why education needs to be given to all students, Slaughter said education, its what makes America operate. Imagine America without any schools. It would be chaos. Moreover, she spoke on the importance of providing an education to students like herself in an effort to keep America great. There is a reason that America is one of the best nations in the world, the student said. Its because we give all of our children a quality education. If we change that, we might not be the great country that we are. Ava Taylor, events and outreach manager for the ICRC, said the organization is dedicated to encouraging young minds to be engaged and motivated by education. She said the essay contest is a chance to do just that. The Student Essay Contest, which was open to all Indiana elementary school students from grades K-6, featured Slaughter as the first place winner, Nethaneal Kent, also from Bedford, Indiana, with second place, and Austin Betzold, a fourth grade student from Carmel, Indiana, with third place. Betzold, in his essay, compared education to a seed that sprouts to create success. A kids life is like a seed, he said, but when they get educated that seed grows. When that seed sprouts it is all grown-up. Then the seed stays there! He then concluded that when education is taken away the seed inevitably falls and dies. Kent, on the other hand, authored a personal story about his passion for education. He spoke of a time where he was a bully and distracted other students in class, but his teachers didnt give up on him. I was mean in second grade, a bully, and a huge disruption to everyone around me, Kent said. Students complained they couldnt hear the teacher and were scared around mesome said I shouldnt even be there. However, the school persevered and kept me there. The teachers changed my point of view on everything. Things wouldnt be the same without my quality education, he concluded. Quality Education? By Shelby Slaughter 1st place Education. Its what makes America operate. Imagine America without any schools. It would be chaos. Fortunately, thats not how it is here in the United States. Sadly, it is for some kids. Should ALL kids get a quality education? Some people dont think so. Some of them disrupt class on purpose and then hold back the whole class from learning. However, I feel that ALL children should get a quality education. One benefit is it could change the future. Think about it: one kid is going to invent something amazing, but without the knowledge to do it, he wont succeed. We will no longer have that great thing he made. Also, we would have more people in the country who are intelligent and that can make America better as a whole. There is a reason that America is one of the best nations in the world. Its because we give all of our children a quality education. If we change that, we might not be the great country that we are. Another benefit is it could keep schools in business. We need all the schools we can get. One thing is true, we all have our own opinions. Thats okay, but after reading this essay, maybe you could stop to think of all that education has done for us. Thats why I think all kids should get a quality education. Should kids have a quality education? By Nethaneal Kent 2nd place Education is the most powerful weapon which you can change the world with. Nelson Mandela This essay is about if children should have a quality education. I will tell you the pros and theories from the perspective of my own life. After this essay, you will realize that a quality education is the only option for children. I was mean in second grade, a bully, and a huge disruption to everyone around me. It prevented not only others from learning, but my behaviors prevented ME from learning. Students complained they couldnt hear the teacher and were scared around me. I freaked out easily. Some said I shouldnt even be there. However, the school persevered and kept me there. The teachers changed my point of view on everything. Over time, from second grade to fifth grade, I changed from a bully to a nice cuddly bear. Things wouldnt be the same without my quality education. I love school and cant wait to see where my education takes me. Why should all children get a quality education? By Austin Betzold 3rd place I think kids should have a good education so they can have a good life. It does not matter if you are black or white, you can still get a good education. Education is the most important thing in a kids life, even in an adults life. A kids life is like a seed, but when they get educated that seed grows. When that seed sprouts it is all grown-up. Then the seed stays there! And, when you cant learn anymore, that seed falls and dies. Ben Winters, an author of nine novels, recently released Underground Airlines, an alternate history where slavery is still legal in four special states. Winters, who is not a Black author, has already reached the New York Times best-sellers list for this particular work, which continues the recent string of successful novels about Blacks, especially slaves. Brit Bennett, a Black author of soon-to-be-released novel The Mothers, in her opinion, said the trend stems from 12 Years a Slave and the reboot of Roots, which both made its turns in the media with the former winning an Academy Award for Best Picture. But is it wrong that stories featuring beatings and rapes are profiting? Perhaps. But there is also the argument that these stories need to be told, which is what writer Mychal Denzel Smith meant when he said, I want a Marvel Universe of films about slavery. I want so many films about slavery that white actors start to complain that the only roles theyre being offered are those of slave owners. To be clear, audiences of all kinds, Black and others, have shown, in some sense, an eagerness to consume these narratives. While some say theyve had enough, others believe there is much more to be said. When it comes to fiction, as of now at least, the latter argument seems to be winning. Aside from Underground Airlines, this year, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi tracks multiple generations of slaves, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead has been selected for Oprahs greatest endorsement, The Book of the Month Club, and a trip to Barnes & Noble will likely feature a section for African-Americans with more texts on slavery and modern troubles for Black and brown people. Nonetheless, slave narratives have a long history, long before modern novels, and this must be noted in the same context and respect. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, an autobiography of a former slave living in Britain, was first published in 1789. In another case, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, is now required reading in many high schools and universities. Moreover, while some scholars may call this genre sensationalist drivel, the sheer horror and thrilling nature of these works continue to mystify, and there isnt any reason to believe that publishers will all of a sudden say no to what consumers seem to enjoy. With all of this said, however, one potential critique for slavery narratives is an alleged predictability of violence and torture, cruel masters and whippings. Typically stories begin and end, for example, with protagonists who yearn for literacy, a better life, better food, and this tends to make the narrative uneasy, melancholy, reflective and downright dreary. But since it is based on the reality of institutional slavery, in all senses, this critique is likely null and void. As award-winning author Toni Morrison said, writers will continue to rip that veil and continue to force readers to take a long look in the mirror and judge history with a fine comb and pick. Buying and investing in Black owned businesses is a new trend for some who seek to protest the injustices currently affecting African-Americans. Many localities have begun boycotts in support of Black owned businesses to help increase the economic status of African-American communities. According to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study titled, Race and Entrepreneurial Success: Black-, Asian-, and White-owned Businesses in the United States, a substantial portion of Black owned businesses are overall worse off than white and Asian owned companies. The study notes slavery and Jim Crow laws as underlying factors that can influence the different outcomes experienced by Black businesses. I believe the 60s integration hurt us more than it helped, said former business owner, Damond Johnson, who is participating in the buying Black movement. Yes, we wanted equality, but when we integrated, we stopped buying Black because of envy, or wanting to be seen as equals, but in the 50s all our goods and services were owned by Blacks. The MIT study also states Black business success is influenced by a loss in capital to expand companies. This can include wage disparities, loan discrimination, and a lack of available investment opportunities. Morgan State University professor Jared Ball who studies mass media relations said, Even if (Blacks) changed the way they invest money, it would not make us equal and it would not lead us to a situation where we are powerful and secure and on par with the elite, because the knowledge of certain financial deals is not offered to many minorities. Although scholars observedpre-business disparities, it is still unclear what the post-business differences are. Prior research alleges that lower levels of education, less owned assets, and entrepreneurial household teachings attribute to the number of unsuccessful Black owned businesses. The research noted other races have an advantage with inheritance money received to jumpstart business endeavors. It also mentions that children in households with successful business owners are likely to develop effective business tactics. Alan Benson, owner of Benson Group LLC, a business-consulting firm, said Black entrepreneurs should align with other successful businesses to learn effective tactics. A Black father told me, I taught my children to go out and get a job, but just really thinking, I should have not only taught them how to go out and get a job, but also to look at how to create a job, said Benson. Alexander Burks is a business professional who recently inquired about having his windows tinted at multiple Black owned auto mechanic shops in Indianapolis. After companies didnt return his phone calls or told him materials were out of stock, he was serviced at a non-minority owned shop that price matched. Burks said, We have to do better. I cant support you if youre not supporting yourself. Burks accounts of inconsistencies with some local Black owned businesses proliferates a narrative that other African-Americans have shared. In an unofficial survey conducted by Recorder reporters, several respondents stated that many local Black businesses have a lack of customer service and overpriced or unavailable products. Johnson, who is committed to buying Black owned products, said, Today, we have a negative stereotype of Black business. But now, we are starting to see that we need to control our spending power, because money is how our local and federal government is swayed. Numbers are good but money is what solidifies (politicians) stance on issues. He continued, We are starting to pull our money back into ourselves first banking, then community grocery stores and from that, buying land to grow produce and a trucking system. With that, we can start distribution of our goods. Then, we can demand the banks to loan to us, since we have invested with them. But they should do credit counseling classes for those who qualify for the loans, so they will do better with their earnings. He said changing the way Blacks operate business can help minority communities. We have to change our thinking, our habits, and our materialistic ways to keep our resources and system in control, which will benefit us. We just have to plan, then stick to the blueprint. Many are aware that the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), a white supremacy group, has recently attempted to rebrand its organization. Today, the Klan, which distributed recruitment flyers Sunday in Fishers, Indiana, is not classified as a terrorist group and is protected by the free speech clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Black Panther Party, is however described as an extremist organization that uses violence and guerilla tactics on the Federal Bureau of Investigation Vault webpage. The same website lists the KKK with no description. Bessie House, a professor of political science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, asked, What is terrorism? How do we define our terms? We have to be able to use these things in the same way when were looking at different kinds of activities, regardless of who perpetrates them, regardless of what race the perpetrator is. Terrorism is defined by Merriam-Webster as violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. House continued, We see stereotypes in not just the individual images the media gives us, but in the narrative they give us. For example, when we had a caucasian man that entered the African-American church and killed the minister and a number of members of the congregation, the media was reluctant to describe that as an act of terrorism. However, when we have an African-American man that gunned down policemen the word terrorism was used repeatedly. Both of these individuals perpetrated equally heinous acts. Although the KKK is classified differently than other extremist groups, some organizations condemn the groups messages. American Civil Liberties Union Director of Communications and Education Kelly Jones Sharp said, We wouldnt look at something like this from a legal perspective but from the other stuff that we do, like our advocacy and education work. We are actively trying to educate on Black Lives Matter, and racial justice and all of the sub-issues involved with mass incarceration like the school-to-prison pipeline. Also, in our advocacy work we would be able to help advance some roles in legislative sessions. Jones Sharp said the the ACLU will do more advocacy work when the legislature goes back into session soon to learn how hate crime laws can tie into discriminatory groups and practices. The Fishers Police Department has found that the group has posed no threat to the public with its recruiting efforts. Fishers Police Officer Tom Weger said, I can only speak on what has happened now. I cant speak on what might happen in the future, but as of right now, no crime has been committed. Its not illegal to leave a loose leaf pamphlet at a residence. We have it happen all the time, whether someone wants to mow your lawn or clean your house, but dont get me wrong, its unfortunate that this has happened, but from a legal standpoint no crime has been committed. The Fishers Police told media outlets that the department will remain aware of the incident. The Recorder asked if the awareness could initiate any sort of process in the future. Leger said, I cant answer that. Although the KKK has a past of terrorist tactics, law enforcement and other entities do not consider the organization a threat. Weger said this is the first documented recruitment by the discriminatory group in Fishers, Indiana. Hopefully for the community, it will be the last. House said, Were in a really serious crisis in this country, and we really need to work together across racial, gender, age lines to come up with a solution, so that all people in this country feel valued. At only one event this summer can festival-goers see themselves projected onto the facade of an Indianapolis landmark; witness illuminated icebergs floating in the canal; groove at a soulful silent disco; and become part of a black light coral reef among other electrifying experiences. That event? IN Light IN, a dazzling, free, two-night interactive light festival, from 8:52 p.m. to 1:02 a.m., Friday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 27. More than 20 artists and performers from Indianapolis and beyond will illuminate the Downtown Canal and The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick (along Walnut Street) at the event produced by Central Indiana Community Foundation, in partnership with Northern Lights.mn, to honor The Indianapolis Foundations 100th anniversary. IN Light IN highlights include: Daily Tous Les Jours, Montreal, Quebec: The U.S. debut of McLarena, an interactive installation that encourages attendees to imitate a dance sequence. Their movements will be projected on the facade of a building in the Zesco.com parking lot. PATTERN, Indianapolis, IN: Indys most talented fashion designers partner with PATTERNto turn the Downtown Canal into a roving fashion showcase featuring light-based couture. Tiffany Carbonneau and Susanna Crum, Louisville, KY: Carbonneau and Crum will pay homage to Bethel A.M.E, Indianapolis oldest African American church with a site-specific video projection onto the 147-year-old building, celebrating its significance and history. YesYesNo, Brooklyn, NY Artist collective YesYesNo will transform the Scottish Rite Cathedral into an interactive playground with Night Lights/Funky Forms. Attendees will become performers as their body and hand movements are projected across the Cathedrals iconic architecture, , bringing it to life. BareBones Productions and the Illuminated Reef Collective, Minneapolis, MN Attendees will leave land behind, figuratively, as they immerse themselves in a black light coral reef, borrowing an illuminated sea creature and interacting with fellow deep sea dwellers in the space. IN Light IN is sponsored by The Indianapolis Foundation, Efroymson Family Fund, Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL), Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, Lilly Endowment and many other generous sponsors. Dont miss the most illuminating event of the summer. More information about IN Light IN, including an event map and details about the 20 plus artists and performers featured at the festival, can be found at inlightinfestival.org. Even as Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is in Pakistan for the SAARC summit the leadership in Islamabad is continuing it provocative stand, in relation to Kashmir. AFP Addressing a gathering of Pakistani envoys from across the world, in Islamabad on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif urged them to canvass opinion in world capitals on J&K and to tell them that the "Kashmir issue is not the internal matter of India." "Desire of freedom is running in the blood of Kashmiris," Sharif reportedly told Pakistani envoys. Even though Sharif's statement is nothing new and tows the line Pakistan has been following for decades, what is notable this time around is the timing. After Pakistan termed killed Hizbul commander Burhan Wani a 'Martyr' and the countries support to the separatists in Kashmir, India in a strongly worded statement asked Pakistan not to interfere in India's internal matters. EPA Sharif had also echoed Wani's words, "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", to which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj retorted saying that his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". It could also been seen as a 'pacifying' move to elements like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and other Kashmiri separatist groups operating from Pakistan at a time when they say that Islamabad is not doing enough for the Kashmiri cause. AFP LeT chief and globally designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin who have a huge following in Pakistan had openly came out and threatened against the visit of Rajnath Singh to Islamabad. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched a strong attack against Pakistan and its continued support to terrorism. There cannot be a distinction between good terrorists and bad terrorists, Singh reminded Pakistan in his speech at the SAARC Summit in Islamabad. AP Referring to Pakistan declaring Hizbul commander Burhan Wani as martyr, Singh said "there should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs." "There should be strongest of action not only against terrorists but also against organisations, individuals and nations who support terror," he added. Singh's speech did not come as a surprise, as New Delhi was expected to nail Islamabad on the issue of terrorism in the first platform where the home ministers of the two countries shared common space for the first time since the Pathankot airbase attack in January. AP In a surprise and unprecedented move, Pakistan which also expected Singh to unleash an an attack during his speech blacked out his speech. No Indian media including number of news channels and agencies who were at the venue were not allowed to broadcast his speech. This was a SAARC conference. Pakistan, the host decides to humiliate Indian Home Minister. https://t.co/bdXvGqO61T Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) August 4, 2016 Even though Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, they won't be holding a one-on-one bilateral talk. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday arrived in Islamabad to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' conference being held on Thursday during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. BCCL Rajnath Singh, who arrived in Islamabad on his maiden visit to Pakistan, has been accorded tight security amid threats from Lashker-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups against his visit. The home minister was flown in a helicopter to the Serena hotel located in posh Islamabad locality. It is also the venue of Thursday's meeting where Rajnath Singh will be underlining the need for meaningful cooperation among South Asian countries. Roads leading to the hotel have been heavily barricaded by the police and para-military forces to ward off any threat from terror groups. In the past, there have been instances when terrorists rammed explosive-laden trucks into the hotels. Also Read: During Rajnath Singh's Visit, India Likely To Use SAARC Forum To Expose Pakistan's Hypocrisy Despite tight security, around 100 people gathered outside the hotel shouting anti-India slogans and protested against Rajnath Singh's visit. LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin had warned of a nationwide protest if Singh arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. BCCL Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long SAARC Home Ministers' Conference, Singh said he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime." "This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security," said Singh, who is expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. India has been demanding handing over of Dawood, who has been designated as a global terrorist by the anti-terror body of the United Nations, for running an organised crime syndicate from Pakistan. Thursday's meeting is preceded by the 7th Meeting of the SAARC Interior/Home Secretaries which is being held on Wednesday. The Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who is leading the Indian delegation, arrived here on Tuesday. BCCL There is little possibility of Rajnath Singh having a bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in the wake of strain in India-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu & Kashmir on July 8. BCCL Apart from terrorism, other key issues to be discussed include liberalisation of visa, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and how to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat such menace. The three-tier meeting began at the joint secretary-level and then moves on to Secretary and Home Minister-level meetings. The focus of the meeting will also be on strengthening networking among police forces of SAARC member-countries and also enhance information-sharing among law enforcement agencies. China's latest glass walkway is attracting tourists in throngs. The 100-metre-long glass skywalk is as much a delight as it is terrifying, for it stretches forever into the skies as if promising a surprise beyond. VCG/Getty Images The winding walkway around the Tianmen mountain is aptly named the 'Coiling Dragon Cliff'. The skywalk offers a 300-metre-deep view beneath and overlooks Tongtian Avenue - a mountain road that has 99 turns making their way ever above! Otherwise, it is also called 'Avenue to the Sky'. Imaginechina/Rex/Shutterstock Tourists are transported from a nearby train station to the top of the mountain on a cable car. Getty Images However, this is not it. According to CNN, China is soon to open another glass bridge which will be the world's longest one yet - measuring 430-metres and 6-metres wide! The Pentagon will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after US secretary of defense Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a US official said. Reuters Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with US officials frustrated by what they term Islamabad's unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. "The funds could not be released to the government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said on Wednesday. The $300 million comes under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), a US defense department programme to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations. Pakistan is the largest recipient. AFP "This decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years," Stump added. According to Pentagon data, about $14 billion has already been paid to Pakistan under the CSF since 2002. The decision by the Pentagon is a sign that while it sees some progress by Pakistan in its military operations in North Waziristan, much work remains. Pakistan rejects harboring militants but says there are limits to how much it can do as it is already fighting multiple Islamist groups and is wary of a "blowback" in the form of more terror attacks on its soil. timedotcom Relations between the United States and Pakistan were tested in May by a US drone strike that killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour on Pakistani soil. There has been growing resistance in the US Congress to sending money to Pakistan. Many lawmakers have expressed concern about its nuclear programme, commitment to fighting terrorist organizations and cooperation in the Afghanistan peace process. The Geological Society of Australia (GSA) welcomes the international mineralogical community to the 22nd General Meeting of the International Mineralogical Association in Melbourne in 2018. The GSA is proud to host the IMA2018 in Australia. The Australian geoscience community welcomes the opportunity to interact with the members of the international mineralogical societies. Such interaction is vital to maintaining Australias reputation in producing world class researchers in mineralogy. The Nigeria Police Force said it has detained eight of its officers in Nasarawa State over the killings of 2 persons during the recent workers protest to the government house over 50% salary cut. The State commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Bello, disclosed this on Thursday in Lafia while addressing journalists, he added that the incident occurred during a recent visit of the National President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Ayuba Wabba, to the state. Mr Bello said the case had been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department at the Police headquarters for full investigation. He said that the doctor, who conducted an autopsy on the two victims said that one died from injuries sustained from a hard object while the other died from a pellet. The commissioner, however, said that the pellet extracted from the deceased did not match the gun used by policemen stationed at the Government House gate. It would be recalled that the NLC president was in Nasarawa on Friday to hold talks with the state government over the protracted industrial dispute in the state. Waba told newsmen in Lafia that unknown policemen shot four workers at the gate of the government house, while they were awaiting the outcome of the NLC meeting with Gov. Umaru Al-Makura. He said that one of the shot workers died instantly, while another died later at the National Hospital in Abuja where he was referred to for further treatment. Workers in the state had embarked on an indefinite strike following the decision of the state government to slash their salaries by 50 percent Sequel to about 72 hours of trending rumors about an alleged STUNT GONE WRONG on the set of a Nigerian (NOLLYWOOD) Film titled BEHIND THE WHEELS, the world was shocked to discover during a recent press conference that the entire frenzy was the result of a perfectly planned, and well-executed P&A spin conceived by the director of the movie; Stanlee Ohikhuare and his production team headed by the Producers Kelechi Udegbe and Ugochukwu Azikiwe. The team put out the publicity material and simply observed as bloggers, journalists and individuals alike made it trend because of its controversial nature. The P&A however, transcended the immediate spheres of the film and dramatically drew attention to the Nigerian Movie Industry at large. It is believed that the SPIN would cause a remarkable change in the attitude and perception of fellow Nigerians and the world at large, towards NOLLYWOODS potentials. This Publicity Spin was don to create Film Awareness and Industry patronage via media engagement; utilizing the ever evolving social media platform to gain reach and peculiar attention to an entire industry. The press statement also addresses several peculiar current issues in NOLLYWOOD and the nation at large. Government intervention is needed to ensure that theres adequate funding to curb ugly occurences like the one insinuated in the circulated video. It is the story of HOW A NOLLYWOOD MOVIE FOOLED THE WORLD. Watch here: Behind the Wheels stars Kelechi Udegbe, Patrick Doyle, Liz Benson Ameye, Queen Nwokoye, Saeed Funky Mallam, Sani Danja, Chiwetalu Agu, Gregory Ojefua, Ani Iyoho, Donald Ndubisi, Ero Josh, Daniel O David and many others. The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, yesterday described the intervention of the partys leaders into the crisis over alleged budget padding in the House of Representatives as medicine after death. Mr. Frank had earlier lampooned the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee for allowing the alleged budget padding scandal in the lower legislative chambers to fester, blaming the development on lack of leadership on the part of the party leadership. Following his outburst on the party leaderships silence in the face of public show of shame between its members in the lower legislative chamber, the APC summoned the lawmaker at the center of the budget padding allegation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin to a meeting on Tuesday at its national secretariat in Abuja. Although no truce was reached, the party, which revealed that it had earlier met Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who Jibrin accused, alongside other principal officers, of padding the 2016 budget, said it could not sanction the lawmakers involved in the scandal. Reacting to the development, Frank, who noted that his outburst triggered the partys conciliatory moves, hailed the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu; the partys National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, and the APC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, for their role in the separate meetings with Messrs. Jibrin and Dogara. The APC deputy spokesman, who addressed journalists in Abuja Wednesday, however, said the action came too late after the fight had gone dirty. According to him, After summoning Jibrin to the secretariat, he is still talking that the Speaker must resign. I expect the party to speak when he raised the allegation against the number four man in the country. What is happening to Dogara is not only an embarrassment to the party, but also to Nigerians who have confidence in our party. The party allowed the issue which it could have resolved if it did not keep quiet. The case is now before Nigerians. I watched my party advising Jibrin to make it an in-house matter. It can no longer be an in-house issue. I advise the party not to let it happen again. The party must respond rapidly to resolve internal party problems before it gets to the public, said Frank. The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday dismissed the suit filed by Mr. James Faleke challenging the election that brought Gov Yahaya Bello of Kogi State into power, thereby upholding the election. A five-member panel led by Justice Jumai Hannatu Sankey held that Falekes case was not substantial enough to disqualify the governor. Counsel to the appellant, Akin Olujimi, had prayed the court to invalidate the election of Bello on the ground that he did not undergo all the electioneering processes required by law before he emerged as his partys candidate in the re-run election. While stating his own case, Joseph Daodu, Counsel to Gov Bello, explained that nominating a candidate for election was the sole responsibility of a political party, arguing that his client undergo his political partys process required by law to emerge the candidate. Residents of Geidam Town in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State were thrown into a state of pandemonium on Wednesday when officers of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police engaged each other in a gun battle over a misunderstanding. Witnesses reported sporadic gunshots across town with much concentration around the Mai Idris Aloma Polytechnic located in between the military base and the Geidam Police station. The spokesman of the 27th Task Force Brigade in Yobe State, Lt. George Okupe and the Police Public Relations Officer ASP Samaila Solomon, who both confirmed the clash said it occurred as a result of a misunderstanding between both parties. However, both parties could not give further details on the particular cause but stated that the situation is currently under control. They said its too early to assess the extent of the damage but details will be provided as they unfold. President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday inaugurated the Governing Council and the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Trust Fund for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland. The inauguration of the council and BoT is ensure total implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland. Speaking during a brief ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the president noted that the project, which will take two decades to implement, was commencing five years after the UNEP report was submitted. The next five years, he said, will address emergency response measures and remediation, while the subsequent years will aim to restore the ecosystems in the Niger Delta. Buhari, therefore, charged the communities to ensure security for the project and prevent recontamination of Ogoniland when completed. He said: Today marks another milestone in the commitment that this administration has made in ensuring the implementation of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland and other impacted sites. This is a very important endeavour that has direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of our brothers and sisters whose environments have been severely degraded by years of unchecked pollution from oil exploration activities. It is exactly five years today, on the 4th of August 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) submitted an extensive Report on its environmental assessment of Ogoniland. That report, which was commissioned by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, did not only document the problems that existed, but also contained recommendations on how they can be addressed, both in the short term and in the long term. Five years on, the project is yet to properly take off. It would appear to have experienced a series of false starts, while the local communities continue to suffer from the problem, which has existed long before the Report. This all adds to the picture described in the UNEP Report as a landscape characterized by a lack of trust, paralysis and blame. Thanking the Council and BoT for accepting to serve on the Project, the president said since the flag-off of the project two months ago, considerable effort had been expended to create a robust mechanism for implementing the project in the long term. According to him, the Governing Council and BoT jointly form an essential part of the governance framework. The governance framework we lay today, following extensive consultations, will form the bedrock for sustainability for years to come, President Buhari added. A former Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon, has backed calls for restructuring of the country, provided it is done within the context of one Nigeria. Mr. Gowon said this when Shehu Sani, the Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja on Wednesday. Reacting to calls by some Nigerians, the latest of which was by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to restructure the country, Mr. Gowon said there was nothing wrong with restructuring. The former vice president had while delivering a keynote address at the late General Usman Katsina Memorial Conference at the Murtala Square, Kaduna, at the weekend, restated his call for restructuring, saying whether Nigeria likes it or not, restructuring had become inevitable. Mr. Abubakar, who was of the opinion that restructuring would strengthen Nigerias unity and stabilize its democracy, warned that if it is not done now in a direction influenced by relevant stakeholders, it may happen in a more unpredictable arena and in a manner over which we have little influence. Backing the call, the former head of state recalled that under his leadership, Nigeria was restructured with the creation of states in 1967. We can restructure within one Nigeria context. I did it in 1967; we created states to stop eastern Nigeria from seceding. We had to do something to ensure the fear of their seceding did not exist; a serious issue of a part of the country wanting to breakaway when we already lost a part to Cameroon. If we had allowed the eastern region to go away, the map of Nigeria would have looked funny; it would have been tilted one way. So, we decided overnight to break the fear through the creation of states. If we had to save the country that was the only way to do it. We also ensured that no state was too big or too small to threaten the unity of the country, he said. Mr. Gowon, in 1967, announced the creation of 12 states, namely, North-Western, North-Eastern, Kano and North-Central states. Others are, Benue-Plateau, Kwara, Western, Lagos, Mid-Western, Rivers (a South-Eastern state), East-Central and East-Central states. He added that the call for true federalism by some Nigerians was also not misplaced as long as it was done within the context of the nations unity. What is true federalism? As long as it means respect for oneness of our country, it is alright, but if it means to breakaway, it is not my way of thinking, the elder statesman said. (NAN) Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday met President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. In an interview with State House correspondents shortly after the meeting, the former president spoke on the wave of corruption cases against former ministers, his role in the Niger Delta unrest and his visit to president Buhari. On the various cases of corruption so far instituted against his former ministers and aides by the present administration, President Jonathan said; I dont want to talk about that one (corruption cases) because there are too many cases that are in court. It will not be fair to make comments. I will talk at the appropriate time when most of these things are resolved, On his role in bringing peace to the Niger Delta, he says; It is not just about me but about all the traditional rulers, elders and opinion leaders that are of Ijaw ethnic nationality. We have been in touch to see that peace reigns in the country. Those of you that have followed my talks when I was here (in the Presidential Villa) know that my emphasis is that we need a united Nigeria. I always emphasise that Nigeria is great not just about the oil. So many countries produce more oil than Nigeria and nobody notices them. We are great because of our size; the human resources we have; and the diversity we have. If we fragmentise the country into small components, we will be forgotten by the world. That has been my focal position. Without peace, there cannot be development anywhere in the world. We are all working collectively to see that the issues are resolved. According to the ex-president, having been a head of a government, a former President has become a state property, therefore, international engagements that have to do with public addresses and some international assignments become a national assignment. About his visit, he said; A man from West Virginia, USA, is facing bank robbery charges after police said he left a black jack table, robbed a bank and then returned to the casino to continue gambling. Kerry Johnson, 52, was arrested Wednesday afternoon after police said he robbed the City National Bank on Bridge Road Tuesday at about 3:30 p.m., according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. The complaint said Johnson walked into the bank and handed an employee a note that said he had a bomb and a weapon and demanded they give him money. After receiving money, the complaint said Johnson left the area in a Green Mazda Miata. Detectives received an anonymous tip that the suspect was Kerry Johnson. The complaint said detectives went to his residence and located a yellow legal pad that matched the note that was handed to the teller. They also found a hat that appeared to be the one that Kelly wearing in surveillance video. Detectives noticed a couch cushion in Johnsons home was out of place and when it was removed, a large sum of cash was found stuffed into the couch, according to the complaint. Upon questioning, Johnson told police he had been at the Mardi Gras Casino from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, but detectives later discovered he left the casino for a short period of time that matched the time of the robbery. Johnson was also seen leaving a $25 casino chip at Mardi Gras blackjack table. Then, after the time of the robbery, he returned to the table to continue gambling. The money taken during the robbery was recovered at the same table where Johnson was seen gambling. Johnson is charged with bank robbery and is being held in the South Central Regional Jail on $50,000 bond. And if he does post bond, he has to stay on home confinement. Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has felicitated with a former governor of the state, Chief James Onanefe Ibori on his 58th birthday today, August 4. In a congratulatory message to the former governor, signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, the Delta governor hailed Mr. Iboris sterling contributions to the development of the state and Nigeria, as a whole. Ibori, who was governor of oil-rich Delta State between 1999 and 2007, is currently serving a 13-years jail sentence in London after admitting fraud of nearly 50million. He was sentenced by a Southwark crown court in 2012. Gov. Okowa in the message, extolled the enigmatic political prowess of Ibori, who he called his former boss and described him as an astute administrator and leader of impeccable disposition. According to the governor, the sterling contributions of Ibori to the development of Delta State and Nigeria is legendary, and will remain a subject of discuss by contemporary political watchers. The message reads: On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I wish to felicitate with a leader par excellence, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, on the occasion of his 58th birthday on Thursday, August 4th 2016. My distinguished leader, that Oil producing states of the Niger Delta are enjoying 13% Derivation today is unarguably due to your indefatigable role as a champion of Resource Control and Fiscal Federalism. Deltans and Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry how you laboured to the build the most virile, potent and undefeatable political force in Delta State, even as your legacies still dot the nooks and crannies of the State. In a life that has seen you clocked 58 years amidst your achievements in public service and political endeavours, there is great cause for you, members of your family, your many associates, proteges and well-wishers to thank Almighty God for His benevolence upon you. As you deservedly celebrate this birthday, it is my prayer that Almighty God continues to bless you with robust health and many more years of happiness. I join your family, friends and well-wishers to thank Almighty God for His continued guidance, protection and provision for you in the past 58 years of a life of outstanding contribution to humanity. Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has described a former Minister of Works and immediate past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, as a great asset to the country. Mr. Anenih clocks 83 years old today. In a congratulatory letter to the PDP chieftain dated August 3, Dr. Jonathan commended the elder statesmans wisdom, patriotism and time-honoured commitment to the strengthening of democracy and national growth. I wish to most sincerely congratulate you on your 83rd birthday. I am glad the Almighty God has blessed you with the grace of long life and good health, in accordance with your manifest dedication to national development. There is no doubt that you have been a great asset to our dear nation while serving her in various capacities, especially in the critical areas of politics, peace building and security systems. I join your family and numerous admirers around the country to wish you more productive years in your determination to see our great country progress in peace and prosperity, part of the one-page letter read. A 48-year-old landlord on Tuesday hanged himself in Ibadan, leaving behind a three-page suicide note. The incident happened in Idi-Ose along Akan road in Ona Ara Council Area of the city. The deceased, Popoola Adepoju, was found in his room dangling from a rope tied to a ceiling fan. Residents of the area said the father of three sent his children on an errand before taking his own life. Adepojus wife told the police that her husband left the defunct National Electric Power Authority in Abeokuta two years ago but his entitlement was yet to be paid. She added that he had engaged himself in cement business on a small scale before his death. His family initially refused to hand over the suicide note to the police but after the intervention of the general chairman of the Idi Ose community, Taiwo Alimi, it was taken to the Akanran Police Division. The deceased was interred in his house after the Divisional Police Officer at the station, Aliko Dankoli, gave the family permission to proceed with his burial arrangement. A member of Four Square Gospel Church, where Adepoju worshipped with his family, said he attended Monday morning service in the church and never gave a sign of depression. He said, Adepoju was a devout Christian, pious and was talented. He was always offering tangible suggestions whenever the Welfare Committee of the zone met. What could have informed this action is unclear. We were together at the early morning service at our church on Monday. We usually have such service on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of every month. When I saw him last on Monday evening after the evening service, he never gave the premonition that he was going to commit suicide. A landlord in the area, who did not give his name, however gave a hint that the deceased was going through a difficult period. He said that the deceased had wanted to sell his Honda car for N250,000 but only got a buyer who was ready to pay N150,000. He said Adepoju had planned to buy a smaller car to be used as taxi to supplement what he made from the small cement business he was doing. He said, he wanted to sell the car so he could buy a small vehicle which he would be using as cab to serve as a sustaining means of livelihood for his family. He however said that the amount being offered was insufficient. He sometimes complained that things were no longer as they were before he was disengaged from work. It was a surprise when we discovered that this unfortunate incident had happened. Source: Punch The strike action embarked upon by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Kwara State, has been suspended. The Union had embarked on indefinite strike in June to protest non-payment of salaries. However, in a statement issued Wednesday and signed by its Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Abayomi, the Union said its decision to suspend the strike followed the promise of the state government to assist local councils in paying a full month salary to their workers. Abayomi, therefore, urged members of NULGE across the 16 local government areas, to resume work immediately. It would be recalled that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, last week approved the release of N162m to augment local government allocation for the month of July to enable them pay a full month salary to their workers. He also pledged to work with the council chairmen in finding means to clear the existing backlog of council salary and pension arrears. Police in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA, arrested a man who they say robbed a pharmacy and tried to commit the same crime the next day. The man was said to have walked into the pharmacy just before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday and demanded prescription medications. Police said the man showed a handgun, believed to be a BB gun or airsoft gun, during the incident. Daniel J. Greco, Jr., 27, of Denver was arrested after he allegedly entered the pharmacy again Wednesday afternoon and demanded Xanax. The owner confronted Greco, who then fled and was found in an alley behind the business, according to police. Greco admitted in an interview that he stole pills from Anderson Pharmacy on Tuesday, police said. Some of the stolen pills have been recovered but The gun was not. Greco has now been charged with robbery, criminal attempt to commit robbery and theft by unlawful taking. The Nigerian Navy said yesterday it is optimistic that dialogue and political intervention will address the militancy in the Niger Delta, otherwise,it is more than ready to take the military option. Commodore Christian Ezekobe, its Director of Information, stated this when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja. What has posed some level of challenge is the re-emergence of militancy in the Niger Delta the blowing up of oil and gas infrastructure, which is crucial to the nations survival This we are grappling with right now. Over the news you would have heard of various levels of arrest being made and handover of suspects to DSS also being made and so on. But we are praying for a political solution a way of dialogue and political intervention However, where that fails, we are more than ready to take the military option. He said that between June 2015 and Dec. 2015, the rate of maritime-related crimes at the sea such as robbery, kidnapping and piracy dropped sharply. Ezekobe, however, said a surge in the rate of such crimes was recorded in Feb. 2016 and continued up to April, when the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas initiated Operation Tsare Teku. Since April, when Operation Tsare Teku was initiated, we have had only two cases (of maritime-related crimes). When it was initiated, the operation was to last 90 days. He said although the operation ended two weeks ago, the second phase was recently inaugurated by the chief of naval staff in Port Harcourt. Ezekobe noted that before Tsare Teku was initiated, 47 attacks by pirates, were recorded. He said since then, the Navy had clamped down on illegal bunkerers and crude oil thieves, who were moving stolen products from the hinterland to the sea. Ezekobe said the Navy had acquired boats from an indigenous firm for use to patrol the creeks, rivers and rives in the region. So, overtime, we are going to see that our partnership with Epenal leads to the mass production of patrol boats within the creeks and rivers of the Niger Delta, he said. He, therefore, urged all relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to join the crusade against piracy in the country. But the solution to that problem is land-based and like I said, all the agencies of government need to intensify their efforts so that we can all solve the problem, he said. He disclosed that Operation Awatse had put in place to check pipeline vandalism and other crimes. The operation has addressed this issue and largely eliminated pipeline vandalism at least in the Lagos lagoon area. According to him, the re-emergence of militancy in the Niger Delta has encouraged some criminal elements to infuse themselves into the local criminal groups in the area to heighten the spate of insecurity and sabotage to oil and gas infrastructure. Punch A former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, on Wednesday alleged that the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, handed out $25,000 to lawmakers so that they could pass a vote of confidence on the speaker. Vanguard JOB seeking youths in their thousands have besieged the office of the Commissioner for Economic Empowerment and Job Creation seeking for jobs in line with the state governments campaign promise of providing jobs for the teeming youths of the State. The Sun RIVERS State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, has petitioned the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), over moves allegedly being made to reverse the cancellation of the March 19 legislative re-run election in Tai Local Government Area of the state. Thisday Former President Goodluck Jonathan has continued to refuse to speak on the ongoing corruption cases against some of his former aides and officials who worked for his government, insisting that he would speak about the issue at the appropriate time. Daily Times Disgraced former chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin must think he is dealing with a clan of nincompoops. Guardian Boko Harams elusive leader Abubakar Shekau said in an audio message Thursday he is still around despite his reported ouster as head of the Nigeria-based jihadist group by the Islamic State (IS). Daily Trust The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said a factional national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, is planning to stop the August 17 national convention and destroy the party. The Nation A disciplinary committee set up by the Lagos State University (LASU) to investigate the alleged abduction of the Students Union president, Tayo Sekoni, by two undergraduates and one alumnus on Thursday last week will begin investigations today. New Telegraph Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) yesterday stated that he had no presidential ambition whatsoever, pointing out that his emergence, as Head of State at the age of 31, was an accident of history. The abductors of the member representing Mashi/Dutsi federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Sani Bello, are demanding a ransom of N10million before they release him. The lawmaker was kidnapped two days ago alongside one of his yet-to-be-identified aides on his farm in Gobirawa village of Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. A member of the State Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Katsina State, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the kidnappers have reached out to associates of Mr. Bello. The spokesman of the Katsina Police Command, Salisu Agaisa, denied knowledge of ransom demand even as he disclosed that Katsina and Kaduna (where the abduction took place) States are collaborating to rescue the lawmaker unharmed from his captors. For now, we dont have information about whether the captors have demanded ransom from any quarters, said Agaisa, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP. He added that police detectives had already swung into action with a view to rescuing the victim. Though the incident occurred in Kaduna State, I want to assure you that the two police commands are sharing intelligence information with the aim of rescuing the member. Agaisa further explained that the police were working hand-in-hand with Bellos family to ascertain whether the kidnappers had demanded a ransom. He urged the public to assist the police with vital information that would lead to the rescue of the federal lawmaker. Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin has been trending on twitter as an hashtag has been raised calling for his immediate arrest by the EFCC. Nigerians have however taken their turns to react to this call. INFORMATION NIGERIA in this piece brings you the reactions. This would make sense if Jibrin wasnt an APC member #EFCCArrestCrookJibrinNOW https://t.co/p3OlsdfHDl Bara Yekorogha (@rhymeShizle) August 4, 2016 One made allegations & submitted evidence to EFFC The other pays hungry youths to trend #EFCCArrestCrookJibrinNOW The difference is CLEAR Banky (@AdeBanqie) August 4, 2016 This hashtag #EFCCArrestCrookJibrinNOW is pure desperation and clear admission of guilt from the Dogara camp. Mr. JAG (@jag_bros) August 4, 2016 which EFCC are u people calling on? The same one u accused of witch hunting Buharis enemies? E ti sick gan #EFCCArrestCrookJibrinNOW Proud KwaraBoi (@alexandakeem) August 4, 2016 @GalacticoHD: Which one is #EFCCArrestCrookJibrinNOW again? alert haff hit account Hash tag ti take over Ariba simileoluwa (@simileoluwa_89) August 4, 2016 The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, a factional chairman of the party, is planning to stop the August 17 national convention and destroy the PDP. The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee is scheduled to hold the convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and has announced a national convention planning committee but the Sheriff faction said going ahead with the event would amount to contempt of court. But the spokesman of the Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said yesterday that the ruling of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which Sheriff was relying on, was a mere narrative of the case before the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Port Harcourt divisions. Adeyeye argued that Justice Abang did not vacate or nullify the judgment of Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, which had authenticated the May 21, 2016 national convention of the PDP and the resolutions reached at the convention. The caretaker committee is a product of the May 21 national convention, which set the stage for the series of litigations and counter-litigations between Messrs. Sheriff and Makarfi. The caretaker committee, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard a letter, it claimed Sheriff had written to it, seeking to stop the convention, saying he is acting the script of his paymasters. Nigeria has lost over $1trillion due to tax evasion by multinational companies over a period of time, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has disclosed. The minister made the disclosure yesterday while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr. Mohammed said the FEC approved a memo for a Multi-lateral Competence Agreement (MCA) and the Exchange of Country by Country Report (ECCR) in order to give the government a better grip on its tax laws and prevent any further tax evasion by multinational companies. He stressed that apart from shoring up Nigerias finances, the move is also part of the Buhari administrations fight against corruption and enhances transparency. He said: Where multinational companies operate, its quite easy for them to move profit from one territory to another territory where the tax law is very favourable to them. And what has happened over the years is that the revenue companies have lost a lot of money. As at the last count, over $1 trillion has been lost over a period of time. And the revenue companies have found that they were losing more money in terms of tax evasion and avoidance than what they were even receiving as grants from multinational agencies. Speaking in the same vein, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola said the MCA was in line with the governments macro-economic policy to fund its operations and economy with more tax income. On this day in 2014: Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, who treated a Liberian victim of Ebola, contracted the viral disease. She was part of a team that attended to Liberian-American civil servant who collapsed on arrival at Lagos airport. Patrick Sawyer, who worked for Liberias Finance Ministry, was credited with importing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to Nigeria, contracted the virus from his sister before he traveled to Lagos for a meeting of West African officials. He landed in Lagos on July from Monrovia after switching planes in Togos capital Lome. He collapsed at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos on Sunday July 20, and was hospitalized at First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende Lagos, where Dr. Stella Adadevoh worked as a medical practitioner. However, Sawyer died in quarantine on July 25, 2014. Dr. Adadevoh is regarded as a great icon to the nation. One can dread to imagine what would have happened in Lagos, and indeed Nigeria in entirety, had the index case not been taken to First Consultant Hospital where Dr. Stella worked. Her foresight and effective management of that case probably saved our collective bacon. Also on this day in 2003;The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a pan West Africa economic organisation, deployed its peacekeeping forces in war-torn Liberia in the hope to end more than two months of fighting between government forces and rebels, and allow food and medicine to enter Monrovia. 200 Nigerian troops were the first to arrive at the Liberian airport as part of ECOWAS plan to deploy about 3,250 West African soldiers in Liberia. There were also American forces offshore with three warships waiting to move in if necessary. The Anambra State Police Command on Thursday paraded a 29-year old woman from Ebonyi state, Chidimma Favour Okorie, and two medical doctor accomplices for child trafficking. The doctors were Emmanuel Tobechukwu and Cosmos Ugorji. Chidimma said she had sold two children since she was introduced into the business by a woman she identified as an evangelist. She said, I sold the two children at N50, 000 each. Im pregnant and the madam said when I deliver my baby she would buy it for N100, 000. I have five children but Im not married, and I have not sold any of my children, but I have sold two children, starting with the child of a pastor that I first stole. Im pregnant and I have agreed to sell it to madam for N100,000 when I will deliver of the baby. She said the medical doctors were helping her in the trafficking because they had ready market through a nurse that was still at large. She said, Madam (Evangelist) brought three of us(girls) from Ebonyi to Anambra state and took us to a shrine in Asaba where she collected our blood for voodoo so that we will not reveal to anybody the type of business we do. She insisted that the two medical doctors aided her in the trafficking of the two children. Speaking Dr Ugorji said he had not seen Chidimma before and he had not done any transaction with her. Ugorji who said his hospital was located at Awada, Obosi, near Onitsha said the nurse, now at large, who Chidmma allegedly named as his accomplice in child trafficking only came to his hospital to conduct blood sample tests in his laboratory. He said, I have not done anything again with the nurse blood sample test and I dont know this girl (Chidimma) because I have not seen her before. I was surprised to see the police storm my hospital yesterday (Wednesday) and was talking about child trafficking and today they brought us here. For his part, Dr Tobechukwu, who said his hospital was at Nkpor, near Onitsha, said a woman brought Chidimma to his hospital for blood test. This woman (Chidimma) has a medical condition, which I wont want to discuss here. She was brought by one woman, who said she was a nurse. I didnt document their addresses because we did not do any treatment. What we did was blood test and they left. Im from Enugu said and Im working in somebodys hospital at Nkpor. I have nothing to do with child trafficking. Parading the suspects at the Anambra Police command headquarters at Amawbia, the Police Public Relations officer, Nkeiru Nwode said the suspects were arrested on Wednesday after a tip off. She said Chidimma had come to Idoma village in Umuoji, Idemili North of the state and stolen a four year old boy but luck ran against her as people raised the alarm and she was apprehended. The PPRO said before the incident Chidimma had stolen a child belonging to a pastor in the state. Nwode alleged that the doctors were accomplices who would link the traffickers to ready markets. She said two of the accomplices, a nurse and a female evangelist, whose names were not given at of press, were still at large. Source: Punch Demand Resurrection The PRICE Futures Group - Fri Oct 28, 9:06AM CDT Once again, the death of oil demand in the US may be greatly exaggerated. OK, I know I've used that before but it's apropos. Oil markets look poised to close higher on the week as yesterday's US gross... Another Bought Dip Monica Kingsley - Fri Oct 28, 8:51AM CDT S&P 500 was pulled lower overnight on poor AAPL, AMZN guidance even though current earnings didnt disappoint much odds were any S&P 500 setback would be bought. The premarket downswing brought stocks... Cotton Dropping Another Triple Digits Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 7:24AM CDT Cotton futures are trading lower with triple digit weakness through the Friday morning. Cotton futures closed off their lows by ~20 points, but were still down by 142 to 271 at the bell. The @USD dropped... CTZ22 : 72.11 (-3.99%) CTH23 : 71.92 (-3.86%) CTK23 : 72.18 (-3.15%) Friday Hog Futures to Respond to Sharp Drop Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 7:24AM CDT Front month lean hog futures worked lower on Thursday with Dec futures getting within 20c of a limit drop on the days low. Dec hogs ultimately lost $3.37, with $0.87 to $2.85 losses in the other front... HEZ22 : 85.500 (+0.44%) HEJ23 : 92.825 (+0.76%) KMZ22 : 95.825 (+0.05%) The museum's permanent collection includes Appalachian photographs by Shelby Lee Adams.We've written a bunch lately about how "small town" museums are giving their big city brethren a run for their money, often with the help of local patrons with deep pockets and a strong sense of civic pride. It's inspiring stuffa great underdog story in an era of nine-figure gifts to places like MoMA. But often lost amongst the hoopla is the hard work involved in getting from Point A to Point C. How can smaller museums grow most effectively? How can they minimize the associatedand often times costlygrowing pains? And, perhaps most importantly, how do philanthropic dollars fit into the equation? For an answer we turn to Asheville, North Carolina, where the William Randolph Hearst Foundation awarded the Asheville Art Museum a $250,000 grant as part of the museum's Art WORKS for Asheville Capital Campaign to support expanded curatorial and collections storage, research and study facilities as part of the major renovation, and expansion project underway to create the new Asheville Art Museum, scheduled for completion in spring 2018. In short, the grant has given some breathing room to a museum that became a victim of their own success. Over the past 15 years the museums collections have nearly quadrupled in both size and significance. The museum's current collection storage facilities are over-capacity. And according to the museum, only three percent of the Permanent Collection can be on view at one time. With the expansion project, the museum's new storage facilities, including a new collections storage area located in the Curatorial and Collections Center, will securely accommodate the museums current collections as well as providing space for continued growth. And so the gift represents a mix of unglamorous utilitarian initiatives like a new Collections Resource and Study Area as well as the construction of "visually stunning" structures to create what the museum calls a "21st century architectural landmark." At its core, the Hearst Foundation's gift marks yet another example of the grantmaker looking to improve access to the arts. Last year it awarded $200,000 to fund the Film Society of Lincoln Center's CineKids, an education initiative focused on bringing film into the classroom through screenings, discussions, and production, in order to bolster visual literacy learning in elementary schools. Last year it also gave the Connecticut-based Aldrich Contemporary Arts Museum a $60,000 grant for continued support of its arts education programs for children and youth. The museum offers preschool programs, school visits, and after-school teen programs, as well as school break workshops and a summer day camp. Commenting on the gift, Asheville Art Museum Executive Director Pamela Myers said, "The museum thanks the William Randolph Hearst Foundation for their longstanding commitment to collections and education and for their recognition of the excellence of the Asheville Art Museums programming, exhibitions, and collections and its impact now and in the future." Earlier this year, Zika spreading to the United States was a distinct possibilityit had already spread from Latin America to U.S. territories by the time spring rolled around. Now, news outlets are reporting confirmed cases of Zika transmission in Florida. Will funders start paying more attention, now? To be clear, these new cases aren't the first in Florida; its already had close to 400 confirmed cases of Zika to date, all of which were travel related. The distinction here is that officials have confirmed that four people were infected with the virus by local mosquitoes. And this isnt just a Florida problem. The list of athletes opting out of the summer Olympics continues to grow. At the beginning of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the virus was spreading explosively in the Americas, and international health officials expected up to 4 million new cases over the course of the year. Despite the warning and the WHO's declaration of Zika as a public health emergency, private sector funding to get ahead of the expected explosive spread of virus has been moving at a glacial pace. Related: Who Cares About Containing the Zika Virus? This is a bit surprising. When the Ebola outbreak hit, funders large and small were incredibly responsive and quickly backed efforts to stem the rising tide of new cases and treat those who had contracted the virus. The Gates Foundation made close to $55 million in Ebola grants, Mark Zuckerberg gave $25 million, Larry Page pledged $15 million from his family foundation and an additional $10 million from Google. The biggest donation of all came from Paul Allen, who promised to direct at least $100 million in funding here. And it wasnt just big tech money that was coming in to combat Ebola. A range of other funders stepped up, too. Not so with Zika, which isn't evoking the same sense of urgency among private funders as Ebola, even as it infects victims right here in the United States. Thats not to say that this funding space is a complete void. Paul Allen and Vulcan Inc., have stepped up, giving over $2 million to combat the spread of the virus. Google.org has awarded UNICEF a $1 million grant to raise awareness, reduce the populations of mosquitoes that transmit the virus, and support the development of diagnostics and vaccines to prevent disease transmission. Google also launched an employee matching campaign to give $500,000 to UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization. Meanwhile, the Gates Foundation has pitched in around $1.5 million to date, a paltry sum compared to its $55 million for Ebola. RB, a leading health and hygiene company, committed $1 million in cash and product donations to its Zika Relief Package, which included insect repellents and insecticides. Since Zika can be sexually transmitted, RB also donated 1 million of its Durex condoms. While Congress has been bickering over how to respond to the virus, the CDC has already redirected over $85 million in funds to states and territories for Zika preparedness plans. The U.K.-based Wellcome Trust, along with the Medical Research Council and the Newton Fund, have also put up a collective 3.2 million to support the Zika Rapid Response Initiative Related: What a U.K. Funder is Doing to Stop Zika in its Tracks Product donations are pouring in as well: Bayer is giving more than 90,000 IUD units and oral contraceptive products, 700,000 units of its mosquito control product K-OTAB, and 10,000 unites of LifeNet, a long-lasting, insecticide-treated mosquito net. SC Johnson has donated 60,000 cans of OFF! insect repellent. 3M and CRC Industries also donated their respective brands of insect repellent. The Summit Chemical Company gave their product Mosquito Dunks which kills mosquito larvae in standing water. Church & White donated 150,000 of its Trojan brand condoms. Good stuff. All of it. But as of June, at the CDC Foundation, which has received nearly $2 million in funding in addition to in-kind donation commitments, a multimillion-dollar funding shortfall remains. CDC Foundation board members Dikembe Mutombo and Gary Cohen said in this op-ed piece, As Zika evolves and spreads, there remains an urgent need for $45 million flexible funding from philanthropies and the private sector. Just as alarmingly, Mutombo and Cohen also state that four months after major international health agencies sounded the alarm on the dangers of the Zika virus, the agencies are experiencing the same insufficient mobilization that characterized the initial response to the Ebola epidemic. What the writers are referring to is the WHOs acknowledgement of unpreparedness in its initial response to the Ebola outbreak. Read more about that here. The writing is clearly on the wall, alarm bells are sounding, and international health agencies are pleading for more funding. Its curious that more funders arent answering those pleas. Update 8/12/16 The Merrillville Town Council has tabled the Haddadin self-storage proposal for 7525 Taft St. to give the developers, community and city officials time to gather more information. Several of the two-dozen condo residents who opposed the project during a recent BZA meeting were in attendance, according to the source. "We want to see a plan to know what it will look like, Peterson told the council. We'd like a privacy fence there and would hope the units would be kept to one story. We'd also like landscaping on the back side, too, which is facing the condos." Sullivan also noted there are nine self-storage facilities within a 4.4-mile radius of the Taft property. "It sounds like there are unanswered questions and a lot of paperwork needed, councilmember Jeffrey Minchuk said during the meeting. I ask that this be tabled until all the questions are answered, we can see the paperwork and everyone can sit down and discuss the plans." 8/3/16 The Merrillville, Ill., Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted last week to offer no recommendation to the town council for a proposed self-storage development after two dozen residents voiced their objections to the project. Three BZA members voted on July 29 to give no recommendation while another said hes against the development entirely, according to the source. Rami and Ghassan Haddadin are seeking approval to build 200 storage units in the 7500 block of Taft Street, which is near Brookstone Estates Condominiums. The Haddadins have agreed to meet with condo residents to discuss the project, according to Milton Peterson, the condo developer. "We may be able to work something out. We want development there that adds to the neighborhood, not detracts from it," he said. Rami Haddadin, who purchased the 2.8-acre property five years ago, said the project would cost about $1 million. The facility would feature an office, fencing and landscaping. Renderings of the development werent available during the meeting. Residents who oppose the plan said they dont need additional storage. They also voiced concerns about increased traffic on Taft Street, how the facility would affect their property values and if it would be an eyesore. Ron Sullivan, president of the Brookstone Estates Homeowners Association, called the 120-unit Brookstone complex a gem in the community. Half the people don't know we exist there," he said. Board member Robert Bigelow also questioned if drainage issues would need to be addressed at a later date. The permitted uses under the areas current zoning include a laundromat, liquor store, hotel and office buildings, said BZA President Tim Fortier. "Some other uses might be less attractive. It's a fine line. Despite a deal announced late last week that will provide fresh capital for Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the worlds oldest lender in continuous operations, concerns over the weakness in the Italian banking system continue to haunt European investors. The move to spin off nonperforming loans into a so-called bad bank comes in the wake of the firms failure in its European Central Bank stress test. Estimates by the International Monetary Fund that the total percentage of loans that have gone sour among Italian financials has reached 18 percent, or more than 350 billion ($389 billion). While concerns over the impact of the UKs departure from the European Union have dominated market risk narratives, the growing potential crisis in Italy has garnered far less attention. It appears that a combination of political pushback against forcing losses upon shareholders and creditors as well as a sluggish pace of regulatory reform has left the nations banking system in a vulnerable state that presents a threat to the euro zones overall growth. With a referendum in September on political reforms in sight, few elected officials in Italy appear prepared to address the ongoing banking crisis, suggesting that the issue will continue to weigh heavily on investors minds in the coming weeks. Bank of England announces rate cut. Earlier today the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England announced fresh monetary policy actions to combat the potential impact of Brexit on the U.K.s economy. For the first time in seven years, the benchmark lending rate was reduced in a 25-basis-point cut that brings it to an all-time low of 0.25 percent. Separately, the central banks asset purchase facility was increased by 60 billion ($79 billion) earmarked for government securities and an additional 10 billion for corporate debt acquisitions. As much as 100 billion will be extended in credit to banks in additional liquidity measures. NYSE to split shares. In a regulatory filing released yesterday, Intercontinental Exchange, parent company to the New York Stock Exchange, announced a 5-for-1 stock split that will see the companys share price changed to roughly $56 versus a prior closing price of more than $278. The move comes at a time when the popularity of stock splits has waned on the back of the prevalence of institutional investors and funds as primary allocators in U.S. equity markets. New Jersey, Goldman to drop hedge funds. Bloomberg reported late last night U.S. Eastern time that a Goldman Sachs Group employee retirement fund will liquidate approximately $350 million invested in a hedge fund managed by Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, a hedge fund firm founded by Goldman alumnus Daniel Och. The move comes as hedge fund performance generally has lagged market benchmarks, causing consternation among institutional investors because of relatively high fees. Och-Ziff has faced mounting redemptions following a period of underperformance and a federal probe into activities in Libya. Goldman clients continue to represent a major portion of the more than $30 billion managed by Och-Ziff. Separately, state pension fund New Jersey Investment Council announced its intention to reduce total exposure to hedge funds as an asset class from 12.5 percent to 6 percent of total allocations is the latest signal that the appetite among institutions for alternative managers is waning. South African elections shake up ANC. Critical municipal elections held throughout South Africa overnight surprised the ruling African National Congress party, as many voters appeared to reject the establishment in favor of rival centrist groups. Although the ANC is still expected to emerge victorious, the percentage lead on a national average basis may be the lowest since the end of apartheid in 1994. Chief among the opposition parties who fared well in polling is the Democratic Alliance, which is perceived as a probusiness entity that rejects calls for nationalization of industries and is a target of ire among the nations powerful labor unions. Goldman settles over Fed leak. Regulators revealed yesterday that Goldman Sachs Group has agreed to a fine of $36.3 million in connection with charges that firm executives inappropriately accessed information from Federal Reserve employees. Joseph Jiampietro, the specific Goldman executive accused of accessing the information, has indicated that he intends to contests the charges against him personally in court. Two other individuals involved have already pleaded guilty, accepted modest fines and being barred from the industry. Nokia looks to slash overhead. Second-quarter financials Finnish mobile phone equipment giant Nokia Corp. released today revealed the second consecutive year-over-year loss as the firm continues to grapple with expenses related to the ongoing merger with French rival Alcatel-Lucent. Revenues for the period were 11 percent lower than the combined top line reported by the separate companies during the same period in 2015. Rousseff faces potential removal in Senate vote. A Brazil senate committee is to vote today to decide whether Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will be permanently removed from office, potentially ending the ongoing impeachment drama that is part of the Petrobras corruption scandal. The removed president has maintained that charges against her are politically motivated and is boycotting the Olympic opening ceremonies in Rio de Janeiro tomorrow. This content is from: Opinion Cryptos descent into hell, rather than sending institutional investors straight for the exits, has triggered a hunt for the next big bet.(Part of the crypto column series.) Mobile messaging and chatbots are transforming the insurance industry and need to be at the forefront of every Insurance brands agenda today, an expert has said.Chatbots, or computer programs that simulate human interaction online, are already having their presence felt across the industry and Donna Peeples, CCO of Pypestream, told Insurance Business they need to be part of every business's future plans.Mobile messaging needs to be at the forefront of every Insurance brands agenda today, Peeples said.Service and other interactions you have with customers shouldnt require constant searching online, waiting on hold with call centers or a clumsy toggling between apps.Peeples said that rather than threaten the broker advice model, chatbots and automated messaging present brokers with an opportunity to improve their overall offering to customers.The broker advice model will continue and has an opportunity to improve alongside chatbots as brokers focus on higher level tasks and support, Peeples said.Maintaining a human element is always important. The goal of chatbots is to improve customer service, save customers time and streamline their experience, making it easier to file a claim or handle other requests or questions though the message stream.Chatbots, automation and mobile messaging provide an improved customer experience, around-the-clock customer service and secure in-message billing and payments, Peeples said, as customer interactions continue to be transformed.Intelligent automation or chatbots are transforming customer service in the insurance industry, Peeples continued.These bots offer customers new ways to ask questions, file a claim, pay their premiums and more within a messaging app on their smartphone or mobile device.Pypestream recently announced a new global partnership with Insurance Thought Leadership (ITL) which will see the company work across the world, including in Asia Pacific, to advise ITL members on the roll-out of chatbots throughout the industry.As the trend of automation and chatbots in the industry continues, customers are going to continue to enjoy better experiences, Peeples continued. And any great experience starts with listening to customers and deepening the engagement level.Its about moving from transactions to relationships. By staying conversational and focusing on responses that add the most value possible to customers, on-demand - Insurers have an opportunity to truly differentiate their service though intelligent automation, while saving costs on traditional call centers. Honan Insurance Group has announced the appointment of Brad Tymmons to the newly created role of group director, broker operations.Tymmons brings a wealth of industry experience to Honan, having served most recently as head of enterprise risk & assurance at Energy Australia, and prior to this, have held senior corporate risk servicing roles with Aon and Willis and management roles with Aon Retail.In his new role, Tymmons will drive initiatives around business strategy, carrier management, ancillary revenue, client services, and best practice, in cooperation with the senior leadership team. This team is composed of Damien Honan, CEO; Amanda Honan, COO; Andrew Fluitsma, director global & corporate; Nat Barrs, director property & affinity; and Louise Baker, group legal counsel.Tymmons will also help strengthen Honans global capabilities, working closely with Jaime Asher, VP global.Tymmons said: After seeing the tremendous growth Honan has experienced, I am excited to be a part of it and looking to working closely with the team and welcoming this new challenge.Damien Honan commented on Tymmons appointment: Brads wealth of experience, track record, and clear dedication will make him a valuable asset to Honan.We view his appointment as a sign of our commitment to taking Honan to the next level. With how quickly our business has evolved, as we expand into Asia and service more clients around the world, we were fortunate to find someone of Brads calibre to fulfil this much needed role. I am confident Brad will fit in with the team and complement Honans culture and ethos. In the week leading up to Sydneys Round 20 clash between Sydney Swans and Port Adelaide at the SCG, QBE Insurance Australia has launched the Week of Giving to pay tribute to charities.The awareness campaign featured seven QBE Foundation partners and charities and four Sydney Swan charities. Part of the awareness campaign is the auction of special edition runout T-shirts worn and signed by Sydney Swans players to raise funds. The auction will be held following the match this weekend.Tim Plant, QBE Australia CEO, said the campaign was for recognizing the important work of those who have done so much to support the community."QBEs 30-year partnership with the Sydney Swans has put QBE front and center at every Swans game," Plant said."In QBEs Week of Giving, we want to celebrate our partnership by showcasing our charity partners, as well as raise some important funds along the way."The charity runout T-shirts will be worn by Sydney Swans players during the warm-up as well as for the much-anticipated traditional curtain-raiser between the Sydney Swans Legends and QBE brokers."Well also use the SCG big screens to help raise awareness of these organisations and showcase the important work they do."Andrew Ireland, Sydney Swans managing director, said the Swans are excited to be part of QBEs Week of Giving."QBE has been part of our Sydney Swans family for the past 30 years. Its a wonderful milestone that were looking forward to celebrating in Round 20 at the SCG," Ireland said."For QBE, to use this match to highlight the work of charities speak volumes about the kind of organisation QBE is theyve supported us for 30 years and also give to the community through their Foundation and charity work. Were really looking forward to being part of QBEs Week of Giving."QBE will also host special guests of the charities in a match-day experience to be held in the QBE Clubroom at the SCG.QBEs Week of Giving gives recognition to the following charity partners Brainwave, Camp Quality, Guide Dogs Australia, The Big Issue, The Kids Cancer Project, The McGrath Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, The Cerebral Palsy Alliance, The Go Foundation, The Jodi Lee Foundation, and redkite.For information about the abovementioned charity partners, visit: QBE Australia website A Massachusetts chemicals manufacturer has been cited by federal labor officials following a January explosion that injured four workers. The U.S. Department of Labor says an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that Rohm-Haas Electronics Material failed to adequately design, inspect, maintain and operate the chemical process that led to the fire and explosion at the companys North Andover plant. The Labor Department said the investigation also uncovered 11 workplace safety violations, including that the plant stored flammable liquids improperly and failed to empty a waste container of flammable liquids on a daily basis. OSHA has proposed penalties of $129,200. Rohm-Haas has filed a notice of contest to its citations and penalties. Philadelphia-based Rohm-Haas is a subsidiary of chemicals company Dow Chemical, headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Workers' Compensation Massachusetts Chemicals AXA said it has entered into an agreement with Vienna Insurance Group to sell its life & savings insurance operations in Romania and exit the Romanian market. Under the terms of the agreement, Vienna Insurance Group would acquire 100 percent of AXA Life Insurance SA through its BCR Life and Omniasig entities. (AXA Life Insurance SA is AXAs life & savings operating entity in Romania.) The parties agreed not to disclose the terms and conditions of the transaction. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals, AXA said in a statement. The purchase agreement for the life insurance company AXA Life Insurance S.A. (AXA Life) was signed on 3 August 2016. The buyers are the two VIG Group companies, BCR Life and Omniasig. The acquisition is subject to approval by the local authorities. AXA Life generated more than 4.5 million ($5 million) gross premium income in 2015, primarily from traditional life insurance business, said Vienna Insurance Group in a statement. The CEO of the Vienna Insurance Group Elisabeth Stadler, discussed the prospects for growth in the Romanian market by saying:The Romanian life insurance market grew 11 percent in 2015. Our existing VIG Group company, BCR Life, the second-largest player in the Romanian life insurance market with a market share of 14.4 percent, also recorded significant growth in the previous year. GDP growth forecasts for Romania are promising as well, Stadler said. Thanks to a rapid increase in private consumption, experts expect GDP to grow by more than four percent this year. GDP growth in 2017 and 2018 is expected to be around 3.5 percent. AXA announced on July 7, it entered into an agreement with Vienna Insurance Group to sell both its life & savings and property & casualty operations in Serbia and exit the Serbian market. Source: AXA and Vienna Insurance Group Topics AXA XL The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a LaMoure, N.D., company for an incident that injured a worker. OSHA says a worker at the Larson Grain Co.s facility in Fredonia suffered multiple cuts in an April incident involving an auger. The 36-year-old worker had to be hospitalized. OSHA is proposing $104,300 in fines for six willful and eight serious violations of federal safety standards. The company has about 15 days to decide whether to contest the agencys findings. Company officials did not immediately comment. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Pfizer Inc. on Tuesday said it has reached a $486 million settlement of litigation accusing it of causing big losses for shareholders by concealing safety risks associated with its Celebrex and Bextra pain-relieving drugs. The accord is subject to negotiation of a final settlement agreement with the plaintiff shareholders, and would end more than 11 years of litigation against the drugmaker and several officials, including former Chief Executive Henry McKinnell. It was reached nearly seven years after Pfizer agreed in September 2009 to pay $2.3 billion to settle a U.S. government probe into the marketing of Bextra and other drugs. Pfizer said it has set aside reserves to cover the entire shareholder settlement, which requires court approval. All defendants denied wrongdoing. This resolution reflects a desire by the company to avoid the distraction of continued litigation and focus on the needs of patients and prescribers, Pfizer said in a statement. Gregory Joseph, a lawyer for shareholders including the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana, declined to comment. The lawsuit covered shareholders who bought Pfizer stock between Oct. 31, 2000 and Oct. 19, 2005. Pfizers market value fell by roughly $70 billion from early October 2004 until the day after the class period ended. Shareholders accused Pfizer of having concealed tests that began in 1998 and which suggested health risks associated with Celebrex and Bextra. Safety concerns mounted in late 2004 when rival Merck & Co. withdrew its Vioxx drug because of associated cardiovascular risks. Pfizer pulled Bextra from the U.S. market the following April. The shareholder litigation had been dismissed in July 2014, but was revived on April 12 by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which cited errors by the lower court judge. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Phil Berlowitz Topics USA Drugs Volkswagen AG and its former chief executive have asked a U.S. federal judge in California to dismiss lawsuits filed by American investors accusing the German automaker of deception involving its cheating on diesel emissions tests. VW late on Monday filed court papers asking U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco to throw out a class action securities complaint led by the Arkansas State Highway Employees Retirement System and the Miami police pension fund, saying the matter should not be heard in a U.S. court. Lawyers for former CEO Martin Winterkorn, who resigned after the company admitted the cheating last year, and current VW brand chief Herbert Diess filed separate motions also asking the judge to dismiss the litigation. Volkswagen believes that the consolidated securities class action complaint is without merit. The plaintiffs do not satisfy the basic elements of a U.S. securities claim and, in any event, this action challenging Volkswagens investor disclosures, issued in Germany, does not belong in a U.S. court, Volkswagen spokesman Pietro Zollino said. Breyer is set to hold a hearing on the motions on Dec. 16. VW last September admitted using sophisticated secret software in its cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests, with millions of vehicles worldwide affected. The Dieselgate scandal has harmed VWs business and reputation and cost the worlds No. 2 automaker billions of dollars. The U.S. investor lawsuits accuse Volkswagen of deception for failing to inform investors in a timely manner about cheating emissions tests in the United States by installing improper software that deactivated pollution controls. They contend the deception led to steep investment losses. Winterkorns lawyers said any claims should be heard in Germany and that he had nothing to do with statements about diesel vehicles made by VWs U.S. unit. Winterkorn said in a declaration to the court that he has not been to the United States since the diesel emissions scandal became public last September, and last visited in July 2015 for previously undisclosed test drives in Florida. VW has said that more than 450 plaintiffs, including more than 90 U.S. institutional investors, also have filed more than 130 lawsuits against VW in Germany, alleging untimely disclosures of the cheating and seeking billions of euros in damages. German government authorities have ongoing investigations into whether VW violated disclosure obligations. Germany has a demonstrable interest in holding VW AG, a German corporation, accountable, if it is found to have violated Germanys stringent public disclosure and anti-market manipulation regulations, VW said in its U.S. court filing. VW has agreed to spend up to $15.3 billion to offer to buy back 475,000 polluting U.S. diesel vehicles, offset excess emission, promote electric vehicles and resolve 44 state lawsuits. (Reporting by Edward Taylor in Frankfurt and David Shepardson in Michigan; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Will Dunham) Topics Lawsuits USA Federal safety officials have proposed penalties of $106,700 against a Houston tortilla factory over unsafe conditions at the companys workplace. The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an investigation at the Houston Heights location of La Espiga de Oro after the agency received a complaint against the tortilla maker. Its inspection resulted in 25 serious violations for exposing workers to struck-by and caught-in hazards and failing to protect workers from dangerous machinery. Inspectors also found workers exposed to extreme heat, electrical hazards including exposed energized electrical parts and fall hazards as they loaded dough into machines used to make tortillas. La Espiga de Oro has operated since 1977 at its Houston Heights location, and supplies restaurants in Texas, Louisiana and Colorado. It has approximately 65 employees. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The citations were issued on Aug. 1. Source: OSHA Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance Manufacturing Members of the Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia (PIA of Georgia) elected Hamilton Tillman serve as president at their annual meeting held at Lake Oconee, Georgia. Tillman is president of Tillman Insurance Agency, Valdosta, Ga., and specializes in business insurance and works with clients including construction, bonds, and general business insurance. Tillman Insurance provides a variety of insurance services including commercial, personal auto & homeowners and life insurance with more than 50 national carriers. Tillman previously worked for the Commercial Union Insurance Company in Boston. At Commercial Union he completed the commercial underwriter training program in Wenham, Mass. After the training program Tillman worked as a multi-line underwriter in the Boston branch office for both the standard and large accounts departments. After returning to Valdosta, Hamilton earned his Certified Insurance Counselor designation in 1985 and his Certified Risk Manager in 2002. Currently, Tillman is licensed in Georgia as a property & casualty agent, a life and health agent and as an insurance counselor. Others elected as officers of PIA were: President-elect P.K. Martin, IV (Hood Insurance Agency of Lawrenceville); Vice-president Lorie M. Yauney, SPHR (J. Smith Lanier & Co. of West Point); Treasurer John T. Franks (Franks & Associates of College Park); and Secretary Mike Kaplan (BB&T Insurance Services of Macon); National Director Victor Hamby (Hamby & Aloisio of Atlanta). PIA of Georgia was founded in 1937 as the Mutual Insurance Agents of Georgia and has operated continuously for the past 79 years. In addition to working with more than 47,000 insurance agents in Georgia, PIA is the sole provider and facilitator of designation courses through The National Alliance. Topics Agencies Georgia A military funeral will be held for Egyptian chemist and Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail who died in the United States on Tuesday at the age of 70, Zewail City for Science and Technologys media advisor and spokesperson Sherif Fouad said Wednesday. Although military funerals are usually only held for former military personnel, Zewail received the Order of the Grand Collar of the Nile the highest Egyptian state honour -- meaning that he is eligible for the distinction. No date has been set for the military funeral, but Fouad said the late Zewails body will not arrive in Egypt before Sunday. It was Zewails will to be buried in Egypt. Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and House of Representatives speaker Ali Abdel Aal mourned the loss of Zewail. [Zewail] will remain a symbol for the scientist who devoted his life honourably, faithfully and sincerely to scientific research, and the best teacher for generations of scientists of the future who will continue his 'journey of giving' to provide a better reality to humanity, the El-Sisi said in a statement. Zewail is a national pride to Egyptians and Arabs -- the consolation is that his memory will remain through the scientific research he left for humanity, Abdel Aal said. Zewails international standing has not stopped him from caring for his homeland at all times -- especially in recent years where wanted to make sure the Zewail City for Science and Technology became a reality as a glorious edifice for Egyptian scientists of the future, Shoukry said. The concept of the Zewail City was first proposed in 1999 and its cornerstone was laid in January 2000. The project was revived over a decade later, when the Cabinet proclaimed it a National Project for Scientific Renaissance in 2011 and a year later, a law enabled students to enroll at the centers Sheikh Zayed campus. However, the building at the new campus in 6th of October is yet to be completed. Around 550 scientific researchers are enrolled at the centre, the institutes academic president told the privately-owned Al Shorouk newspaper on Wednesday, while a further 150 are expected to enroll soon. California Institute for Technology (Caltech), where Zewail was the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemistry, a professor of physics, and director of the Physical Biology Center for Ultrafast Science and Technology, also mourned his loss. "Ahmed was the quintessential scholar and global citizen," said Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics. "He spent a lifetime developing instruments that interrogate nature in fundamentally new ways, and defining new directions that cut across the physical and biological sciences. Ahmed's fervor for discovery never abated and he serves as an inspiration to colleagues and generations of students. The Caltech community deeply mourns his loss," Rosenbaum said. Britains ambassador to Egypt John Casson also paid his respects, tweeting, Last night we lost Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail. His legacy endures - a pioneer of science & 1 of the great Egyptians. The official Facebook page for the Nobel Prize posted Zewails banquet speech when he was awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and wrote that "the Nobel Prize Medal carried a deeper symbolic story which he traced in his banquet speech back to the beginning, his early life and education in Egypt." "The medal I received was designed by Erik Lindberg in 1902 to represent Nature in the form of the Goddess Isis or as the Egyptians would say, Eeses [the prominent ancient Egyptian Goddess of motherhood, nature, magic, healing and more]. She emerges from the clouds, holding a cornucopia in her arms and the veil which covers her cold and austere face is held up by the genius of science," Zewail said in the speech. "Indeed, it is the genius of science which followed the race against time, from the beginning of astronomical calendars six millennia ago in the land of Eeses to the femtosecond time regime which you kindly honoured this evening, the chemist added. Zewail received the Nobel Prize for "his studies of the transition states of chemical reactions using femtosecond spectroscopy" in the fields of chemical kinetics and physical chemistry, according to the official website of the Nobel Prize. The chemist made it possible to observe atoms in motion on the femtosecond (10-15 seconds) time scale, which led to the establishment of the discipline of femtochemistry. Later, he developed with his group 4D electron microscopy for the direct visualization in the four dimensions of space and time of materials and biological behaviors, Caltech said. Zewail earned his BS and MS degrees from Alexandria University in 1967 and 1969, then received a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1974 and completed an IBM postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley. He joined the faculty at Caltech in 1976 as an assistant professor, before becoming associate professor in 1978, then professor in 1982. From 1990 to 1997, he was Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Physics, then he was named professor of physics in 1995, and then the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemistry in 1997. Zewail was awarded the Order of Legion d'Honneur in 2012, the highest French Order, by the President of France. He became a naturalised U.S. citizen in 1982. He is survived by his wife, Dema Faham, and four children. The U.S. embassy in Cairo mentioned Zewails passing on Wednesday and posted his banquet speech of 1999. He will be missed, the U.S. embassy wrote. Search Keywords: Short link: A former insurance agent in Miami has been convicted and sentenced to prison on multiple felony charges, including creating fake insurance documents for his clients. The Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS) announced Mandy Rodriguez, 36, was convicted in July on multiple felonies, including insurance fraud, grand theft, and forgery following his attempt to create fake proof of insurance documents for his clients. He was sentenced to two years in state prison and ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution. Rodriguezs arrest resulted from a case worked by the Departments Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services and the DIFS, which revealed that Rodriguez defrauded at least four clients by stealing their insurance premium payments and issuing them fake insurance policy documents. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation recognized the alleged deceitful behavior and referred the matter to DIFS, which launched an investigation. The investigation revealed that Rodriguez prepared and provided fake insurance quotes, certificates of insurance, insurance declaration pages, and invoices to four consumers who believed they had purchased legitimate commercial or homeowners insurance policies. Rodriguez instructed these consumers to make their insurance premium payments to his personal corporation, Risk Management Agency Group, Inc. or RMAG, rather than to Citizens directly. Citizens and the owner of the insurance agency where Rodriguez was employed, Bentrust Insurance Group, LLC, both verified that the policies generated by Rodriquez were not legitimate. Furthermore, upon learning of Rodriguezs misconduct, Bentrusts owner fired Rodriguez, generated and paid for the appropriate insurance policies, which Citizens honored in good faith. In addition to paying $200,000 in restitution, Rodriguez was sentenced to serve two years in state prison, followed by two years of probation. Rodriguezs insurance agents license has been revoked and he is permanently barred from the insurance industry. This case was successfully prosecuted by the Miami-Dade County State Attorneys Office, 11th Judicial Circuit. Source: Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services Topics Agencies The National Council on Compensation Insurance filed a proposed drop of 14.7 percent in workers compensation loss cost rates with the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner. In response, West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin says the state will save employers $36 million through lower workers compensation premiums. Tomblin said in a news release that the savings result from a 12th reduction in workers compensation premiums in 12 years. Tomblins office says that amounts to a savings of more than $352 million since the program was privatized in 2006. The new rate is effective Nov. 1. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Trends Workers' Compensation Pricing Trends Virginia Even six years after the Panama Papers leaked a confidential list of offshore accounts held by the global elite, tax morality is still very much on the table. The British PM and the Egyptian president also discussed the resumption of direct British flights to Sharm El-Sheikh Britain's new Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged that the UK would work towards propping up Egypt's ailing economy and increase British investment in the country, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported. The remarks by May, who assumed the office of PM last month, were made in a telephone call with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who called to congratulate her on taking office. According to Egypt's State Information Service, Britain is the biggest foreign, non-Arab investor in Egypt, with $26 billion worth of investment, and an additional $12 billion planned to be pumped into investment. During the call, the two leaders discussed plans to bolster mutual ties between Egypt and Britain as well as the latest regional developments and solutions to crises in troubled countries, MENA added. They also discussed the ban the British government has imposed on direct flights to Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh and measures being taken by Cairo to resume the air trips. The UK was among several foreign governments that halted flights to the popular beach resort over security concerns following the October 2015 crash of a Russian passenger jet in the Sinai Peninsula, which killed all 224 people on board. The British government has since deployed expert teams to assess security practices at Egyptian airports, but flights to South Sinai have yet to be resumed. "Both sides have agreed to continue to work together to resume flights to Sharm El-Sheikh," MENA said. Russia, which has also suspended civil flights, has maintained that that a bomb destroyed the Russian airliner, while President El-Sisi suggested in February that the plane was downed due to "terrorism." Egypt's economy has been hard hit since the 2011 popular uprising, which has scared off investors and tourists, two critical sources of hard currency. The country's tourism industry has suffered further losses following the 2015 plane crash. Search Keywords: Short link: Retirement advice tends to focus on families, including how to balance the costs of raising kids and putting them through college, while still managing to save enough for your retirement. But of course, not every couple has kids. As the name suggests, dual-income, no kids (DINK) households have two incomes and no children. If you're a DINK, different retirement advice applies. For some, nothing is more vital to the human experience than having children. These people see it as almost a sacred duty to give their parents grandchildren, to propagate the species, or to savor the indescribable joy of parenting. Then there are the othersa small minority, to be surewho can't have children or can't imagine trying. From that point of view, every dollar spent raising offspring would be better spent elsewhere. For those entrenched in the latter category, or younger ones thinking of joining their ranks, some of the standard rules about retirement planning do not apply. Key Takeaways Dual income, no kids is a slang phrase for households with two incomes and no children. DINKs tend to have higher disposable incomes because they don't have the expenses associated with kids. DINKs may be able to spend more than the recommended 4% during retirement or retire earlier because they have more money to save and invest. Be sure to take advantage of employer-sponsored retirement plans if both of you have access to them. You may find yourself with more tax liability if you don't have any kids, which means you may have to find tax-efficient investments. 1:47 Common Retirement Advice That DINKs Can Ignore The Cost of Raising a Child Parents tend to underestimate the cost of raising a child. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that parents can expect to spend $233,610 for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise a child through age 17. And that doesn't even consider the cost of college. That figure is more the result of an exercise in governmental public relations (PR) than a scientific attempt to calculate the exact cost of child-rearing. Still, it's large enough to reinforce the belief of the voluntarily childless that they made the right decision. And those are the expenditures for just one kid. Granted, you can use the same bassinet and toys for multiple children, but should you plan to reproduce the 2.1 times necessary to stave off population decline, it seems as though the average person might as well regard affluence as mathematically incompatible with raising a family. What to Do With That Extra Money So, what could you do with the extra nearly $13,750 a year that might have otherwise gone to everything from mittens and Pablum to violin lessons? Retirement planning is not just moderately easier for DINKs than it is for parents. Rather, it is exponentially easier. If the first commandment of retirement planning is to start early, then having as few dependents as possible is #1a. As Bob Maloney of Squam Lakes Financial Advisors in Holderness, New Hampshire puts it: "For every dollar spent on children's education, retirement planning is hurt proportionately." That extra $13,750 a year can go a long way toward growing your nest egg. The 4% Rule for Retirement One popular financial rule of thumb says that actuarial trends, cost-of-living expenses, and per capita income data can be distilled into a single, convenient number for retirement planning purposes. That number is 4%. According to the 4% rule, this is the percentage you should be able to withdraw from your retirement fund every year without fear of running out of money. It presumes you are leaving the workforce at the traditional retirement age (65 or 66), and thus require a nest egg totaling 25 times your annual expenses. Since you have no kids, consider paying off any high-interest debt that you may have as you plan and save for retirement. Spend More or Retire Early? If you have been socking away an extra $13,750 per annum throughout 18 years of your prime working lifethe money that otherwise would have been spent on childrenthe conclusion is clear. If you want, you could either withdraw more than 4% and spend a little more extravagantly each year of your retirement, or if you've been really diligent, you can even retire earlier. DINKs Can Ignore That 4% Rule Drawing down 3% of a $1.5 million retirement account is the equivalent of drawing down 4% of a $1.125 million retirement account. Spend your working years amassing the $375,000 difference, and you could conceivably retire eight years earlier. The 4% rule might make for a good theory, but is it valid in the real world? Bill Bengen, the certified financial planner (CFP) who popularized the rule in the early 1990s, acknowledges that 4.5% or 5%, or even more, might be appropriate for investors positioned in securities with significantly higher volatilityand thus potentially higher rates of return (RoR). An alternative interpretation is that, if you want to remain invested in conservative securities, one possible way to raise your annual drawdown percentage is to start with a greater margin of error. DINKs Can Save (and Invest) More Grossly simplifying all the different variables, let us assume that a childless worker can indeed save an additional $13,750 per year for 18 years. And let us start at 25, a reasonable age at which to have one's first child. With a 4.5% rate of return, compounded annually, the diligent childless person gets to enjoy an additional $393,536 that a parent doesn't. Further, assume that money now remains invested at 4.5% with no further contributions through age 65, that money grows to $1,036,438. That's a nice pot with which to begin the period of one's life aptly referred to as the golden years. When a couple opts not to multiply, that couple increases its capacity to expand its retirement fund. One less partner at home with the kids means one more partner in the workforce. If both partners receive an employer match on 401(k) contributions, up to a maximum of 25% of each spouse's salary on a contribution of up to $19,500 annually in 2021 ($20,500 in 2022), the road to retirement becomes considerably wider and smoother. Taxes and Other Considerations "A word of caution would probably be about their tax situation," says investment consultant Dominique J. Henderson Sr., owner of DJH Capital Management LLC in DeSoto, Texas. "A typical couple without kids will have a higher tax liability and would, therefore, need to find more tax-efficient ways of investing." He also points out that less life insurance will likely be needed. "The surviving spouse would go back to work at some point and would still have no dependents to provide for, so this number is much less than the typical family." Some Advice Still Applies For couples who have committed to selfishly putting their interests ahead of those of hypothetical, nonexistent offspring, much of the same retirement advice intended for parents still applies. Defer Social Security payments until age 70 and be strategic about when and how to use spousal benefits. Do not cash out your 401(k) early, as this would result in a 10% penalty. Should the opportunity arise, refinance your mortgage along the way at a more attractive rate. That should be relatively easy, given that you and your spouse presumably have a higher combined credit score as a result of having a greater capability for making mortgage paymentsthanks to two incomes and no kids. The Bottom Line Not everything is quantifiable, and parents would be the first to argue the point. The psychological rewards that go with seeing one's child graduate from college, raise a family of their own, or even just grow up without ever getting arrested are difficult to put a dollar figure on. But people who have looked at the costs and benefits of raising kids and have decided that the former outweigh the latter will find that forgoing those intangibles will place them on an easier path to retirement. Top News - Investor Idea REE Stock News - Defense Metals (TSX-V: DEFN.V) (OTCQB: DFMTF) Drills 113 metres of 2.50% Total Rare Earth Oxide at Wicheeda Vancouver, British Columbia - October 26, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mining / Metals / Green Energy Stock News - Defense Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DEFN / OTCQB: DFMTF/ FSE:35D) is pleased to announce high-grade Rare Earth Element ("REE") assay results from one additional core hole, totalling 383 metres (m), collared within the northern area of Defense Metals' 100% owned Wicheeda REE Deposit. Top Cleantech News - Investor Idea Breaking EV Stock News: Pre-orders for Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) FIVE Electric-SUV Crossover Exceed Expectations as the FIVE 'Strikingly Different' Tour Begins BREA, Calif. - October 28, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today that the Mullen FIVE "Strikingly Different" EV Crossover Tour which began yesterday, in Pasadena, California, is off to a great start with first day reservations exceeding expectations and overwhelmingly positive customer feedback. Top Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures Third Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA Worth Approximately $1.5M in Revenue for First two Fiscal Quarters of 2023 CAVE CREEK, Ariz. - October 27, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-derived, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured three key significant orders for its newly acquired, non-nicotine plant-based vape product, HYLA. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore. Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire What do the Irish really drink? Guinness? Tea? Irish whiskey? For centuries, Ireland has produced world-renowned beverages that are distributed throughout the world. A nation famous for Guinness, obsessive tea drinkers, and some of the best whiskey on the planet, Ireland's indigenous beverages offer a varied selection for any drinker. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Subscribe to IrishCentral There is no escaping the impact beverages such as Guinness and Baileys have had on the global market. It is rare to travel any to any location in the world and not be greeted by the familiar sight of an Irish drink. We have even included some of the childhood favorites that we all love to crave! Guinness Like silk being poured into a glass. The Guinness brand is synonymous with Ireland. In 1759, Arthur Guinness acquired a four-acre site and signed a 9,000-year lease for the St. James' Gate Brewery in Dublin. The brewery became well known for brewing porter, which was a dark ale. Over the past 250 years, the dark ale has evolved into a unique dark stout, which is enjoyed across the globe. According to the company, over 10 million glasses of Guinness are enjoyed daily around the world. Irish Whiskey Ireland is home to several distilleries, which produce some of the world's finest whiskeys. Uisce Beatha is the Gaelic term for whiskey and translates to water of life. The most common types of whiskey distilled in Ireland include single malt, single grain, and blended whiskey. Examples of Irish whiskey include Black Bush, Bushmills, Jameson, Paddy, Powers, and Tullamore Dew to name a few. Tea Earl, chamomile, green, chai - offer any of these varieties to your average Irish person and they will most likely decline. If it's not black and doesnt contain either sugar or milk, then it's not a cup of Irish tea. Most Irish people begin their day with a cup of tea and continue to drink copious amounts of their favorite hot beverage throughout the day. Irish tea is a strong blend of several black teas, mostly Assam Indian teas. There are several Irish companies that produce tea, but Barry's and Lyons are the market leaders and are the cause of rivalry between friends and family! Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Subscribe to IrishCentral Irish Coffee An Irish coffee is a coffee with a kick! This popular after-dinner drink combines coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and freshly whipped cream. Miwadi Miwadi takes its name from Mineral Water distributors, who invented the dilutable fruit drink in Dublin in 1927. During the war, the drink was sold in chemists as it was a fruit cordial and was often given to people when they were sick. The growth in supermarkets in the 1970s made the drink more accessible to consumers. It was bottled in glass up until the 1980s when plastic became more common. Ireland's number one cordial has a range of flavors including orange, blackcurrant, lemon, lime, and tropical, which are all produced in Dublin. A popular hangover cure, customers will often ask for a pint of Miwadi in bars. Bulmers Cider Bulmers Original Irish Cider is made in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Cider production in the town began when local man William Magner founded the company in 1935. It is more commonly known abroad as Magners Irish Cider. Their tradition of brewing cider has been developed over the past seven decades and continues to be a popular refreshing cider enjoyed around the world. A total of 17 different types of apples are grown in Bulmer's orchards in Clonmel, Ireland. The refreshing alcoholic cider beverage is most commonly enjoyed over ice. Read more How to make the perfect Irish whiskey hot toddy TK Red Lemonade No Irish childhood occasion was ever complete without a giant tumbler of red lemonade. TK Red Lemonade remains the brand leader in Ireland. Originally, Taylor Keith, it continues to be Ireland's leading value soft drink brand and is distributed by C&C beverages. Many people like to mix the popular beverage with their favorite Irish whiskey. Baileys Irish cream R & A Bailey were responsible for inventing the recipe for the Irish liqueur cream that would take the world by storm. In 1974, they combined the Irish tradition of distilling whiskey with another great tradition of dairy farming. Baileys only uses cream from Irish cows in their product. The recipe, which included cocoa nibs, vanilla pods, caramel, and sugar combined with whiskey and cream results in Baileys Irish Cream that's enjoyed the world over. Club Rock Shandy The original Club Orange was the first orange soft drink to come on the market in Ireland. Oliver Grace was the man behind the juicy beverage. In 1950, Club Lemon was launched as a sister product. Sometime later, a director of the C&C drinks group would discover a new drink by accident: Frank Murphy from Blackrock in Co. Dublin enjoyed mixing the Club Orange and Club Lemon, resulting in a refreshing drink that would become known as Club Rock Shandy. Poitin This lethal concoction is usually made from remnants of barley or potatoes. Also known as Moonshine, the distillation of the spirit has been banned in Ireland since 1661 because of its high potency. Despite this, many people continue to distill the beverage for personal consumption. Some Irish companies, such as Bunratty Irish Potcheen, distill a beverage that is significantly weaker than the traditional tipple. What's your favorite Irish beverage? Let us know in the comments! Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Subscribe to IrishCentral * Originally published in 2013, updated in May 2020. Ankara summons Berlins deputy ambassador after handling of pro-Erdogan rally in Cologne angers Turkish officials BERLINA diplomatic rift sparked by Germanys handling of a Turkish demonstration deepened on Monday, the latest sign of worsening relations between Turkey and the European Union since the failed Turkish coup in July. The government in Ankara summoned a senior German diplomat Monday afternoon to explain why the countrys top court had barred Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing by video a crowd of around 40,000 of his supporters in the German city of Cologne the day before. Citing the risk of unrest at the rally, German police had decided not to let Mr. Erdogan appear via a live link. German courts upheld the decision over the weekend after protest organizers challenged it, prompting Turkeys EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik to describe the ruling as utter backsliding in freedom of speech and democracy. The growing tensions between two major players in Europes migrant crisis reflect the high stakes for the EU as it struggles to strike a balance between condemning Mr. Erdogans postcoup crackdown and maintaining good relations with a critical partner in grappling with terrorism and migration. Turkish and German politicians have since traded accusations of bias and blackmail via television and social media, displaying the heightened mistrust between the countries over what Mr. Erdogans European critics see as autocratic repression in Turkeyand his Turkish supporters see as unfair criticism of their country. This is the lowest point Ive ever seen in German-Turkish relations, said Burak Copur, a political scientist and scholar of German-Turkish relations at the University of Duisburg-Essen. And therefore we are also heading towards a clash between the EU and Turkey. The stakes are particularly high for German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who has sought to avoid riling Mr. Erdogan, her ally in Berlins efforts to curb the recent inflow of migrants. The new decision will possibly lead to the reversing of an earlier move to standardise Friday sermons Egypt's top Muslim clerics said Wednesday that an academy specialised in training preachers will be set up as part of the government's campaign against religious extremism, seemingly paving the way for the revoking of recent controversial measures to standardise sermons at Friday prayers. The decision to establish the new religious body followed a meeting between the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, and Minister of Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, along with other top clerics. The meeting, where the officials discussed means of "renewing religious discourse" as repeatedly called for by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, came on the same day when similar talks took place between El-Sisi and Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb. A recent decision by the Ministry of Religious Endowments requiring clerics to read identical, pre-prepared scripts on Friday sermons in a bid to crush radical ideas has been a source of discord between the ministry and Al-Azhar, two of the country's top religious bodies. Al-Azhar, which under the Egyptian constitution is in charge of Dawaa (proselytising) and preaching, opposed the decision, arguing it would freeze the development of religious discourse and make the thinking of the religious clerics shallow. Some scholars at Al-Azhar have said that the decision lies outside the jurisdiction of the endowments ministry, which is only responsible for administering mosques and Islamic centres. Wednesday's meeting does, however, seem to have helped in reaching a middle ground. The top scholars agreed to form an academy for Dawaa whose graduates would be the only clerics authorised to preach, serve as imams or issue edicts. The new school will provide training to improve competence of clerics, officials say. Mohy El-Din Afify, the head of Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Academy, who also attended Wednesday's meeting, suggested that following the latest talks the standardised sermons would not be obligatory. "Al-Azhar's opinion is fundamental, yet not at the expense of that of the endowments [ministry] or Dar Al-Ifta [which issues religious edicts]," Afify said in TV comments on Thursday. "Negotiations are now underway to reach an objective vision that suits those working in Dawaa and religious discourse," added. The Ministry of Religious Endowments has since 2014 been setting topics for weekly sermons delivered during Friday prayers across the country, but the recent decision of mandating the preaching of identical sermons would further restrict preachers in Egypt's more than 100,000 mosques to read out the same text. The recent moves come as part of the government's efforts to end the use of mosques as a platform for political groups and to clamp down on extremist views, which authorities say are being spread by preachers supporting the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group and its ultraconservative allies. El-Sisi has more than once blamed outdated religious discourse for holding back Egypt and called for reform, saying that radicalised thinking has become a source of destruction for the rest of the world. Search Keywords: Short link: Great news if youre traveling to Ireland this weekend: despite what youve always been told about the Irish summer, its going to be warm for once. And not just warm, but a lovely hot summer day, reaching temperatures to rival Barcelona, Spain. Yes, after a relatively kind July, which experienced its own little heatwave, the sun will once again shine down on Ireland this Saturday, and Dublin will feel more like one of its continental counterparts with temperatures climbing to 80 (27). The midlands and east coast will feel most of the heat as strong breezes from the Atlantic will cool things down slightly in the west. Currently the temperature [estimates] are going up to 26, 27 and the forecasts have been fairly consistent with that," said Jean Byrne of Met Eireann, the Irish Meteorological Service. Itll be quite breezy as well with a moderate southwesterly, a bit fresher with the winds a bit stronger along Atlantic coasts and duller there with temperatures 18, 19, maybe 20. The highest temperatures will be anywhere away from southern and western coasts but particularly across the Midlands and the East. Read more: Top ten Irish beaches, according to people whove been there (PHOTOS) When the irish #heatwave is too much for you there's always one aid. pic.twitter.com/qRFhPpIqgU Queen of Scauld (@NiamhTraynor) July 19, 2016 Stood outside on this hotter than hell summers day. Us pasty-white #Irish folk aren't designed for this! #heatwave pic.twitter.com/TKNGObiyWn Adrian Carey (@lindsaysbro) July 19, 2016 In typical Irish fashion, however, the clouds and rain wont stay away for long and our luck could run dry by as early as Saturday evening. Weve got windy weather with cloud and rain coming in along Atlantic coasts later on Saturday," Byrne continued. Sunday looks like being mostly dry practically everywhere but definitely not as warm with temperatures back down again to 17 to 20 with the East and South faring best. In the meantime, Ireland can look forward to yet more showers of rain before the warm spell kicks in, set to hit sometime on Friday. Byrne told the Irish Mirror: Friday looks better because it looks like being dry nearly everywhere with cloudy intervals as well, not blazing sunshine. Therell be a few scattered showers on Friday but in-between those some places could escape and there will be good dry spells with sunny intervals. Temperatures will be no better than Thursday and around 16C to 19C, maybe 20C in some eastern and southern counties. If youre planning on making the most of the good weather while it lasts, why not try out one of Irelands top ten beaches or open up the BBQ to try out some of these recipes. Read more: Top ten reasons to love Irish summers Heavy shwrs will gadually die out later this eve/early tonight leaving most of the night dry and clear.Low 8 to 12 in mod NW'ly breezes Met Eireann (@MetEireann) August 4, 2016 H/T: Irish Mirror There were to be many black-bordered pages in U.S. newspapers on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, and for days afterwards.One appeared before the president was even shot. As if by way of premonition, President John F. Kennedy saw the first of them over coffee in his Fort Worth hotel room on the last morning of his life. It darkened his mood. Were heading into nut country today, he told his wife Jackie ahead of the short hop on Air Force One to Dallas. The thick black border surrounded a full-page ad a 650-word attack on his administrations domestic and foreign policies in the Dallas Morning News. Paid for by three members of the far-right John Birch Society, it was headed, mockingly, Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas. The unsigned Wanted for Treason handbill (reproduced here), paid for by a supporter of the right-wing General Edwin Walker and distributed on the eve of the assassination, also became notorious. The president was in Texas to mend fences between liberal and conservative personalities in the Democratic Party. In Dallas, though, the main political factions were conservative and ultraconservative Republicans, according to scholar Edward Millers Nut Country: Right Wing Dallas and the Birth of the Southern Strategy (published last year in hardcover and this summer in paperback). During the 1960 campaign, vice-presidential candidate Lyndon Johnson and his wife were jostled and spat upon in Dallas. And, in October 1963, just a month before the president and vice-presidents visit to the city, UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson was hit over the head with a placard. He warned the president about the ugly and frightening mood there. An article in Fortune magazine shortly after the assassination referred to Dallas as the hate capital of the nation, and a place so steeped in violence and political extremism that school children would cheer the presidents death. In a 14-minute New York Times documentary by filmmaker Errol Morris, posted on Nov. 21, 2013, investigator and author Josiah Tink Thompson recalled the cognitive dissonance experienced when it turned out that it was some Marxist sympathizer nutcase, in Dallas of all places, who decided to shoot the president. That, together with the murder by Jack Ruby two days later of the accused assassin Lee H. Oswald, fueled conspiracy theories from the get-go. Many who resisted the notion of a conspiracy, however, did speculate that the unbalanced Oswald, a proclaimed pro-Castro leftist, may have been pushed over the edge by the toxic anti-Kennedy atmosphere in right-wing Dallas. Historian William Manchester, who was handpicked by Mrs. Kennedy to write Death of a President, was one who gave the idea much credence in his 1967 volume. One wonders whether a kind of Oswald syndrome was at work over the past couple of weeks, when we saw the anti-Hillary Clinton rhetoric of the RNC in Cleveland spill over into streets of Philadelphia during the DNC. The chant of Lock her up promoted by right wingers, for example, was taken up by the Bernie-or-Busters. News outlets had no problem finding left-wing protesters in Philly willing to go on the record with misogynistic epithets directed at the presumptive Democratic nominee. American politics has always been robust, of course, but the toxicity of the Dallas Morning News' full-page ad and that handbill both of which set a sort of thematic template thats still used has become more mainstream and 24-7, via cable news and talk radio. The good news is that there is a great deal more fact-checking, if youre interested. And so when Gov. Chris Christie took on Hillarys foreign policy record in his RNC slot, the New York Times declared it mostly fact-based, but selective and often ignoring exculpatory evidence. This might have been a good summary of his comments on the Libyan intervention (which Donald Trump supported), but overall it let the New Jersey governor off very lightly. Fred Kaplan on Slate.com wasnt alone in invoking the Salem Witch Trials of the late 17th century and Arthur Millers play about the episode: This [Christies] reading seemed more like an audition for the role of Reverend Parris in a summer-stock production The Crucible. Of course, its more likely that Christie was actually up for a certain part in the cabinet. Kaplan, author of Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, added: In this light, he wouldnt make it as an assistant district attorney in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, much less as attorney general of the United States. He went on to outline a quite devastating take-down of Christies bill of indictment, showing that on Nigeria, Iran, Cuba, Syria and Russia, the exculpatory evidence simply made a nonsense of the charges. But then the witches of Salem in the play and in history were innocent, too. The inflamed atmosphere today with Trumpism is mirrored in the hate towards JFK back in 1963. America has moved on in so many ways but vicious political attacks have not changed. A recent survey of people in all 34 European states has shown the Irish people are more concerned about terrorism than are people in countries such as France or Germany, places that have been targeted by acts of terrorism in recent months. The Eurobarometer poll for Spring 2016, carried out each quarter by the European Commission, showed that immigration and terrorism ranked as the biggest concerns for European citizens. Although immigration remained the most frequently cited issue at 48%, it had dropped some 10% since last quarter. Terrorism was cited 14% more often than it had been in the prior quarter, or by 39% of Europeans. The Irish people interviewed showed greater concern about terrorism, however, with 50% admitting it was their greatest concern in Europe. In contrast, despite the recent attacks, just 39% of the French said it was the most important issue to them. The high level of concern about terrorism among the Irish is not shared by the government. After the terrorist attacks in Belgium earlier this year the Irish Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald said, while an international terror attack on Ireland is possible, it is not considered likely. She continued to say that the level of threat to Ireland was under constant review, however, and An Garda Siochana (Ireland's police force) continues to work with international partners to identify any possible threats and seek to prevent attacks. Eurobarometer poll conducted in May shows immigration as top topic of concern across Europe https://t.co/z3XhN14MvT pic.twitter.com/RSSWPmsvN0 migrationwatch (@ migrationwatch ) August 1, 2016 Irish people were not alone, however. People of Cyprus also expressed a high level of concern regarding terrorism, 50% said it was their biggest worry. They were followed by those in Romania (49%), Croatia (48%), Luxembourg (47%), and Portugal (40%). Terrorism was listed among the top two concerns in every member state except Greece. Immigration was also among the top two concerns in every member state except Portugal. Compared to the winter 2015 report, it was the primary concern in only 20 member states rather than the 27 that registered it as the main at that time. The countries most worried by immigration were Estonia (73%), Denmark (71%), and the Czech Republic, Latvia and Hungary (all 67%). Excluding Portugal, immigration is the second biggest concern in every other country included in the survey. Listed among the other concerns of European citizens were the economic situation (19%, down 2%), the state of member states' public finances (16%, down 1%) and unemployment (15%, down 2%). Read more: 86 Syrian refugees to arrive in County Mayo for resettlement The survey also showed a negative perception of migrants coming from countries outside of the EU, with six out of ten saying they regard it negatively compared to six out of ten who have a positive outlook on migration between EU member states. In total, 79% of Europeans are in favor of "free movement of EU citizens who can live, work, study and do business anywhere in the EU." Standard Eurobarometer 85 - Majorities in all 28 member States in favour of "free movement of EU citizens" in the EU https://t.co/qB7zyfOVT4 EuroBarometer (@ EurobarometerEU ) July 29, 2016 Despite the interviews for this survey being carried out over the period in which the UK people went to the polls to decide to leave the EU, a higher percentage of those spoken to by the Eurobarometer had faith in the EU compared to those who had faith in their national government. The number of Europeans who say they trust the European Union has, in fact, gone up to 33% while the average level of trust in national governments is stable at 27%. The survey consisted of face-to-face interviews with 31,496 people across 34 European countries and territories carried out between May 21 and May 31. The Eurobarometer survey assesses Europeans attitudes towards the EU, as well as citizens' main concerns and perceptions of the economic situation. This weekend, the Irish Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration, David Stanton, revealed that details of a new strategy for integrating migrants into Irish society will be published this fall. Speaking at the National Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, established in Ireland in 1992, Stanton stated that it is important for politicians from all parties, and other leaders in our community, to engage in a meaningful and open way with the representatives of the various communities from which the fabric of Irish society is now woven. The Irish government is currently believed to be establishing a new state agency which can monitor airline passenger records for suspected terrorists. Dublin is now more expensive than Paris to rent a room on Airbnb. Dublin was 23rd for the most expensive cities in the world to rent a room for two, according to the Bloomberg World Airbnb Cost Index. There are currently more than 2,000 homes in Dublin advertised on the site. Chairman of Temple Bar Residents Association Frank McDonald said Airbnb needed to be carefully regulated, especially given Dublin's accommodation shortage. "The real problem is where an apartment or house is being let 'for holiday use', but (actually) for most of the year," he said. "In Berlin they aim to get back 12,000 residential units into the housing market as a result of the action they're taking there." Berlin residents who blame the citys rising rental prices on Airbnbs growth have launched a #BoycottAirbnb campaign that includes billboards around the city. Other residents claim the money people can earn through Airbnb helps offset the costs of rising rents. Frank McDonald added that actions were also being taken in Paris and San Franciso and other cities "where it's recognised this is a real problem". A school in Virginia can block a transgender male from using the boys' toilets when term starts next month, the US Supreme Court ruled. In a 5-3 decision, the court put on hold a lower court ruling that ordered the Gloucester County School Board in Virginia to let Gavin Grimm (pictured) use the toilet that matches his gender identity. The school board is expected to ask the justices to further intervene in the case later this month. The decision means the teenager will be barred from using the boys' toilets for at least the first half of his senior year, said Josh Block, an lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who is representing him. "The school board welcomes the Supreme Court's decision as the new school year approaches," the Gloucester County School Board said. "The board continues to believe that its resolution of this complex matter fully considered the interests of all students and parents." The school board plans to formally ask the Supreme Court to review the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the case by the end of August and then it will be months before the justices decide whether to do so. Mr Block said he is disappointed the teen will have to begin another school year being "stigmatised and isolated from the rest of his peers just because he is transgender". The Fed is also pursuing a $337,500 fine and a permanent banking ban against a former Goldman Sachs managing director, Joseph Jiampietro, over his unauthorised use and disclosure of Fed secrets. Starting in 2012, Mr Jiampietro, an investment banker who formerly worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance, received bank regulators unauthorised supervisory information and used it for his work at Goldman Sachs, the Fed said. While the latest KBC Bank Ireland/ESRI consumer sentiment index shows a marginal decline for July, the slip was more closely linked to concerns over Irish economic growth and the domestic labour market. While the UK referendum result has had a dramatic impact on financial markets and prompted an exceptional amount of media commentary in Ireland and elsewhere, the immediate implications for the average Irish consumer might be seen as notably less concrete than other developments that typically weigh on sentiment, such as news of major job lay-offs or the prospect of looming changes in key areas of public spending or taxation, said KBC Ireland chief economist Austin Hughes. Our sense is that deep uncertainty in relation to so many key aspects in relation to Brexit from when it might occur to what might be the everyday implications for Irish consumers of the UKs eventual post-exit relationship with the EU meant that the UK referendum result wasnt seen as posing clear and immediate risks to Irish household finances. That said, confidence in the economy has weakened to its lowest level in nearly three years and job sentiment is at a two-year low. KBC said the delivery of a credible budget in October now assumes even greater importance. Meanwhile, latest preliminary employment figures, from the CSO, show that Irelands unemployment rate remained at 7.8% in July; the same level as June and May. Davy Stockbrokers chief economist Conall Mac Coille said it is too early to suggest there is a slowdown in the labour market as the CSO figures tend to be heavily revised and too early to suggest Brexit is playing any negative role. It is too early to discern any negative effect from Brexit on Irish companies hiring decisions, he said. We still do not expect any significant impact on the pace of Irish employment growth from Brexit until late 2016 at the earliest. Business representative group Isme, meanwhile, said the seemingly stalled jobs figures are due to high business costs and that cost reduction must be prioritised by Government to assist job creation. It added that the Government needs to better tackle cost-creep in the business sector. The initiative is targeting potential international investors who may be interested in the six development locations deemed appropriate for marine investment. Three of the sites are located in Limerick, with another two in Clare and one in Kerry. The sites include Clare sites Moneypoint (280 hectares) and Innismurry/Cahericon (65ha), Askeaton (98ha), Foynes Island (40ha), and Foynes Port and adjoining lands (186ha), in Limerick; as well as Tarbert-Ballylongford Landbank (550ha) in Co Kerry. The bodies involved include all relevant local authorities in each county, IDA Ireland, Shannon Commercial Properties, and Shannon Foynes Port Company. The promotion of investment and development opportunities is the result of the Strategic Integrated Framework Plan (SIFP) for the Shannon Estuary, a land and marine-based plan launched in late 2013 by a multi-agency steering group comprising member organisations from throughout the wider region. Clare County Council senior planner Brian McCarthy said the plan-led approach would provide investor certainty and confidence to interested parties. IDA Ireland business and relationship manager Niall OCallaghan said the estuary is one of the focal points in attracting investment to the wider region. The Shannon Estuary is a key pillar in the potential attractiveness of the Mid-West to new forms of foreign direct investment and, aligned with IDA Irelands Regional Strategy through the Action Plan for Jobs. he said. The culmination of many months work with our stakeholders within the Mid-West Region, the full potential of the SIFP can only be achieved with a co-ordinated delivery of infrastructure to support the six strategic sites that have been identified. The estuary is Irelands premier deepwater port routinely catering for ships up to 200,000 deadweight tonnage with key ports at Limerick and Foynes and direct connectivity to all major international shipping lanes. Foynes Port Company chief executive Pat Keating said: As Irelands largest bulk-port company and the port authority for the Shannon Estuary, Shannon Foynes Port Company views the implementation of the SIFP as vital to realising the commercial maritime opportunities afforded by the naturally occurring deep waters of the Shannon Estuary. A dedicated website, www.shannonestuary.ie, has been launched to help market the six locations. Efforts to introduce new copycat drugs and integrate operations gained through its largest acquisition doesnt mean we confine our business to just generics, chief executive Erez Vigodman said in an interview at Tevas headquarters in Petach Tikva in Israel. The strategy and vision are much broader. Teva reclaimed its spot as the worlds biggest maker of generic medicines with the purchase, but at a difficult time. Copaxone, the blockbuster multiple sclerosis injection that at one point delivered half the companys profits, faces the threat of cheaper copies. Vigodmans comments suggest he wont hesitate to resort to one of Tevas favourite tools acquisitions. The company will target attractive specialty assets, or branded drug assets or pipeline assets that fit with the disease areas its looking to treat, the 56-year-old CEO said. The drugmaker seeks medicines for pain, migraines, neuro-degenerative, and movement disorders, as well as respiratory diseases. Even so, integrating Allergan is Tevas No 1 priority, according to Mr Vigodman, whos pledged a boost in revenue of as much as 40% by 2019. It will also need to absorb its US distribution unit, which it agreed to buy yesterday for $500m. The macroeconomics underlying Vigodmans rationale for the acquisition have worsened since an accord was announced. US regulators have sped up approvals for generic drugs, creating more competition and driving down costs, while forcing Teva to divest some assets to overcome antitrust concerns. Mr Vigodman counters with a different view. The generics industry is growing and will reach about $300bn by 2020, and Teva plans to take advantage of that by launching between 1,000 and 1,500 products every year, mitigating an expected 5% decline in prices. The Allergan deal has already put Teva in a stronger position, he says. In the US alone, the company has 338 treatments awaiting approval. Concerns over declining drug prices and the delays in obtaining US antitrust approval for the Allergan deal sapped enthusiasm. Tevas American depositary shares now trade 26% below the record high they reached after the agreement was made public in July 2015. Ahram Online traveled this week to Ethiopia to take a first hand look at the under-construction Grand Renaissance Dam and sought to gauge local opinions on the project "You have the High Dam in Egypt, and we hope to have the GERD, because we want electricity and our country to grow, an Ethiopian taxi driver in Addis Ababa told Ahram Online, and I am paying for this dam. Its not fair for Egyptians to think that we want to harm them; we are brothers, 28-year-old driver Temesqen said. The drivers words came as Ethiopia lifted the photography ban on the under-construction Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, leading to the first field visit by local media outlets as well as counterparts from the Nile Basin region, to the 55-percent-complete site. The dam has long been a source of controversy in Egypt, which with Sudan is one of the two countries downstream from the dam site. Egypt relies almost exclusively on the Nile for irrigation and drinking water, and there have been ongoing concerns that the Ethiopian dam which when complete will be the largest hyrdoelectric dam in Africa could effect its share of the Nile water, estimated to be around 55 billion cubic metres annually. Field visit The hydroelectric dam is located on the Blue Nile, one of the Nile's two main tributaries, in a rural area roughly 500 kilometres north west of the capital, in the region of Benishangul-Gumuz. When completed, it will generate 6,000 megawatts of power. According to project manager Semegnew Bekele, the dam, which is anchored between two high mountains, is 1,870-metres long and 145 metres high, and will be equipped with 16 turbines. The total labour force is around 11,000, including 350 foreign workers. So far we have consumed 6.5 million cubic metres of concrete out of total 10.5 million cubic metres, with the raw material supplied by local companies, Bekele told reporters, during the visit organised by the Swedish Stockholm International Water Institute. The second section of the controversial dam project is the saddle dam, a 5.2 kilometre-long and 50 metre-high dam that helps filling the reservoir. The reservoir itself has a capacity of total 74 billion cubic metres and covers a surface area of 1,874 square kilometres, or less than half of Egypts Lake Nasser in Aswan. The reservoirs to-be-flooded area is currently covered by forest. We cant keep the water because it will go over the dam and reach Egypt, we are forced by nature to pass it, Bekele said. "Its a non-water consuming scheme, Bekele added. The dam, which is being built by the Italian Salini Impregillo Group, the leading global infrastructure company in the water sector, will cost 3.44 billion euros and is likely to be completed in mid-2017. A scientific perspective Kevin Wheeler, an American engineer who conducted a recent study on the GERD at the University of Oxford, said that storage of the dam can provide a drought safety net for the downstream countries with a basin-wide drought management plan. Within dry years, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have to agree that the GERD will release a certain amount of water for Sudan and Egypt's reservoirs to address any shortage, according to Wheeler, who visited the dam site last year. Wheeler expects a temporary impact on the amout of Nile water Egypt receives during the dams filling time, which will be decided, along with the filling pattern, by the ongoing negotiations between the three countries. He believes that the Aswan High Dam will help ease the problems caused by filling the dam, however. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan are also awaiting two studies being carried out by French firms BRL and Artelia on the dam's impacts. Seif El-Din Hemdan, a Sudanese member of the tripartite national committee which brings together officials of the three affected countries to discuss issues related to the dam's construction, told reporters during the field visit that Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia will hold their 12th meeting in Khartoum within a week or two to continue negotiations. Generating electricity About 71 million of Ethiopias total popluation of 90 million do not have access to electricity, giving the country an electrification rate of 24 percent, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency. Addis Ababa is hoping that the GERD will change that. The African nation is aiming to become the worlds eight largest electricity producer on the back of the massive hydroelectric dam. Alan Nicol, a senior political economy researcher at the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute, stated that annual revenue from power sales could be some $1 billion, at an estimated rate of 15,000 gigawatt-hour for $0.07 per kilowatt-hour, according to studies. Ethiopia has long said that the two downstream countries, as well as other neighbours, will benefit from the abundant and cheap power it hopes the GERD will provide. Nicol agrees that Egypt could be a major electricity consumer in around five years, after the completion of necessary transmission infrastructure After several years of public concern in Egypt about the GERD and its implications for Egypt's water flow, recent diplomatic developments suggest that the three countries are focusing on cooperation. Last year, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a Declaration of Principles in Khartoum on the sharing of Nile waters and the GERD, include giving priority to downstream countries for electricity generated by the dam and providing compensation for any damages, former Egyptian Irrigation Minister Hossam Al-Moghazi said in July. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who last year visited Ethiopia and addressed the country's parliament, has also reassured Egyptians about the state of affairs. Water is a matter of life and death he said during a public address last December, but Egyptians should not worry about the dam because matters are in hand. Search Keywords: Short link: The census results are out, and it is clear from the data presented that population decline continues in many rural areas, particularly those far distant from cities. This pattern has continued for a very long period and, in part, it reflects changing priorities in a changing society, where citizens prefer urban living modes, and the contribution of agriculture and fishing to the economy is declining. However, to what extent is the decline, in part at least, a product of government policies? Many of the services traditionally available in rural areas (gardai, post office, banking) have been cut. The more the population declines, the greater the cost of these services, and the greater the likelihood of further cuts, adding to the problem. An additional service necessary for life in the modern world is broadband. Many isolated rural areas lack this service. Its provision was a major priority in the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (Cedra) report, published two years ago. Without adequate broadband, employment could not be provided in rural areas, thus forcing migration or emigration. Are the balladeers words coming true: Therell be no one living now between the schoolhouse and the mountain. On the hill John Murphy ploughed, so many trees you could not count them. Population change at sub-county level The pattern of population change is not uniform within counties. In general, urban areas and areas close to cities have shown greater increases in population than distant rural areas. In Cork city, the population grew by 5.4% in the last five years, compared with 4.7% for the total city and county area. Areas which showed above average growth in population included Kinsale (up 9.8%), Ballinadee electoral district (up 8.8%); Innishannon electoral district (up 9.8%); Kilbrogan electoral district (up 19.2%); Murragh (up 12.9%), and Templemartin (up 8.4%). By contrast, the population fell in the Bantry rural district. Areas which showed a significant fall in population in the five-year period included Kilcaskan electoral district (down 8.2%); Sheeps Head electoral district (down 9.2%); Beara electoral district (down 22.7%); and Kilnamanagh (down 12.7%) in the Castletown rural district. Each of these areas is on the Beara or Sheeps Head peninsulas. In the Schull rural district, there was a large fall in population in the Ballybane electoral district (down 11.9%); Dunbeacon (down 12.6%); and Goleen (down 10.9%). Two other electoral districts, Milane in the Dunmanway Rural District, and Streamhill in the Mallow Rural District also showed large falls of 20.1% and 23.6%. By contrast, Courtmacsherry and Timoleague, in the Clonakilty rural district, showed population rises of 12.2% and 9.3%. Other rural electoral district showing large increases in population included Killeagh in east Cork (17.3%); Ballycotton (up 14.7%); Caherduggan (up 14.4%), and Nohoval (up 13.5%). Similar patterns can be seen in Kerry and Tipperary. The population of Kerry grew slowly over the last five years. Nine out of 21 electoral districts in the Cahersiveen rural district showed a decline in population, including the district of the town itself, which lost 9.3% of its population in five years. In the Dingle rural district, eight out of 18 electoral districts showed a fall. In the Kenmare rural area, it was eight out of 16, though Sneem increased its population by an amazing 41.1%. The population in Tipperary also grew slowly. There are much fewer examples than in Cork of large increases or decreases in population. Among the areas where population grew at above average rates, were Nenagh (up 8.2%); Cloughjordan (up 8.3%); Killoscully electoral district (up 9.6%);Newport (up 8.3%); Twomileborris (up 8.3%); Carrick-on-Suir (up 13.2%); Cashel Rural (up 11.3%); Cloneen electoral district (up 11.3%); Derrygrath electoral district (up 8.3%); Newcastle electoral district (up 8.4%); and Ballyphillip (up 8.2%). Areas in Tipperary which showed decreases of over 8% in the five years included Shronell electoral district (down 8.2%); Emly electoral district (down 9.1%); Anner electoral district (down 10.8%); Kilpatrick electoral district (down 8.9%); Ardmayle electoral district (down 9%); Upperchurch electoral district (down 10%); Templederry electoral district (down 15.6%); Dolla electoral district (down 9.4%); Graigue electoral district (down 10.7%); and Aglish-Cloghane electoral district (down 11%). Three of these districts are clustered together between Nenagh and Thurles but, there is no pattern comparable to the isolation of areas of population decline in West Cork and Kerry. Still, Ireland has a significantly higher proportion of its population in rural areas (42%) than the EU as a whole (27%) and particularly Britain (12%). The census shows that population in the 26 counties rose by 170,000, to reach 4,758,000 in 2016. Carbery Group won 17 awards, with the DSM Trophy for the best Single Vintage Cheddar underlining the companys reputation as a producer of high quality cheeses. Winning three gold medal awards in the Vintage Cheese, Extra Mature Cheddar and Light Cheese categories was also particularly noteworthy for Carberys cheese facility in Ballineen, one of the largest cheese-producing facilities in Ireland. The plant produces almost 25% of Irelands cheddar cheese output. There were also big trophy wins for Ornua and its UK subsidiaries, Northern Irelands Dale Farm Ltd, and Glanbia Ingredients. However, the star of the show was Treur Kaas of the Netherlands, Champion Overseas, Supreme Champion and winner of the Westminster Cup 2016 for their aged Jerseyhoeve Schorren. The Kerrygold Trophy for the best Irish Cheddar went to Northern Irelands Dale Farm Ltd. The Co-operative Food Award went to Glanbia Ingredients Ireland Limited for the Best Mature Cheddar. The DSM Cup went to Ornua Co-operative Ltd for the best Mild Cheddar. The DSM Trophy presented by DSM Food Specialities went to Carbery Group for the best Single Vintage Cheddar. The Tetra Pak Tebel Award for the best Extra Mature Cheddar went to First Milk Haverfordwest-Ornua Foods UK. The Tesco Red Leicester Trophy for the Champion Red Leicester Cheese also went to First Milk Haverfordwest-Ornua Foods UK. The Orchard Valley Dairy Supplies Trophy for the best UK soft/semi-soft/cream cheese went to Dale Farm Ltd. The Tipperary Peace Convention said it had chosen the US politician for his work on a global basis to bring about an end to conflict in many countries. He is to be presented with the award later this year. Previous winners have included the late Nelson Mandela, former US President Bill Clinton, former President of Ireland Professor Mary McAleese, and Pakistani schoolgirl and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai. Last year it went to UN secretary general Ban-ki Moon. The convention said one of Mr Kerrys greatest global challenges during his time as secretary of state had been the conflict in Syria. His efforts led to negotiations that resulted in the destruction of Syrias declared chemical weapons, the convention said. Secretary Kerry has been steadfast in this effort, saying that the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. The convention pointed out he had helped establish the International Syria Support Group, over 20 countries and entities that are working together to reach a political solution to end the conflict in Syria. Through this process, Secretary Kerry called for a cessation of hostilities and increased access for humanitarian aid throughout the country, as well as the beginning of political talks between the Syrian government and opposition, the convention said. It also praised Mr Kerrys steadfast dedication which, it said, made him the leading force in recent multilateral talks with the government of Iran. These talks resulted in an arrangement to ensure Irans nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. Secretary Kerry led the global effort to defuse a political crisis in Afghanistan following the political elections in 2014. He also became the first sitting US secretary of state to visit Hiroshima, more than 70 years after the city was devastated by the worlds first atomic bombing. Responding to his selection, Mr Kerry said I am grateful to be selected for the Tipperary Peace Award. I am truly honoured to be listed among the remarkable past recipients who have contributed so much to the cause of creating a more peaceful world. There was no budget actually written for 2016, as a matter of fact, said CEO of Irish Autism Action (IAA), Brian Murnane, yesterday. And, you know, budgeting is kind of a hazardous occupation in a charity, simply because youre at the mercy of fundraised income, which had fallen by 30% in each of the prior two years. He was speaking after a meeting with parents of autistic children in Dublin. The meeting was held by Irish Autism Mammys after news broke that the charity was cutting back vital outreach services due to funding constraints. Three signed fine art Iris prints by Clarke will be unveiled at the gallery next year after being donated by his wife Lindsey. Bob was born and grew up in Cork, so I am delighted to make this donation to the people of Cork in his memory, said Lindsey. The three photographs, individually entitled Knife, Spoon, and Fork, are from Clarkes 1991 series Styx and are quite different from the nudes and celebrity portraits for which he is best known. From Clarkes 1991 series Styx. Picture: The Estate of Bob Carlos Clarke In welcoming the donation, Peter Murray, curator at the Crawford, said the gallery opted for pieces that showed the quality of Clarkes work. The works we selected are very simple. Hes a very talented photographer who brings a classic sensibility to his work in terms of form, light, and shadow. I wanted work that had an abstract quality but also showed him at his best. In time, we may get some of his racier work, said Mr Murray. From Clarkes 1991 series Styx. Picture: The Estate of Bob Carlos Clarke Those racier pieces include pictures of the likes of Dita VonTeese and Rachel Weisz, as well as a range of photographs of latex-clad models for which Clarke went beyond straightforward erotic fare by attaching such props as a shark fin and a remote control antenna. He also did the pictures of his friend Marco Pierre White for the chefs hugely influential White Heat book in 1990. Clarke was born in the Bons Secours hospital in Cork in 1950 and lived in Kinsale for much of his childhood. He moved to England in the early 1970s and attended Worthing College of Art where his interest in photography developed. In later years, he continued to visit Kinsale where his mother Myra and younger brother Andrew (also to meet a tragic end) lived. However, his relationship with conservative Ireland was complicated. From Clarkes 1991 series Styx. Picture: The Estate of Bob Carlos Clarke His soul was Irish but his work was too risque, Lindsey explained to this newspaper earlier in the year. He told this story about coming home to Ireland with a box of condoms and being stopped at customs. His parents were waving and smiling at him through the glass as he was having all his condoms confiscated. Some of Bob Carlos Clarkes racier works include this one of the actress Rachel Weisz. Picture: The Estate of Bob Carlos Clarke By the time he died at the age of 55, Clarkes life had been blighted by depression and addiction. In the years since his death, Clarkes reputation has endured, and the Little Black Gallery in London has worked with Lindsey and his daughter Scarlett on exhibitions. They really do a great job in honouring his memory, said Mr Murray. Bob Carlos Clarke was one of the greatest photographers and we hope this will be the start of a long relationship between the estate of Bob Carlos Clarke and Cork. Democrat Peter DeFazio has become embroiled in the dispute after he wrote to the European transport commissioner voicing concerns about Irish-registered Norwegian Air, which he accused of using Ireland as a flag of convenience. Last September, Norwegian Air announced it would be launching transatlantic flights from Ireland to Boston. Since then, the US has refused to grant permission to the proposed routes, with many politicians, including former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, objecting to the plans. Mr DeFazio wrote to the EU raising issues with the airline, claiming it hires crew on contracts governed by Singapore law. If Norwegian were a US carrier, their practices would not be acceptable under US airline labour laws, and I am confident they are not acceptable under the laws of Norway. They certainly are not consistent with the fair labour principles of the European Union, he wrote. As European legacy carriers face increasingly challenging market conditions, what will be the next Norwegian, and what flag of convenience will appear on the sides of its aircraft? I do not believe that anyone, on either side of the Atlantic, can assure the flying public with confidence that this race to the bottom will end well. The EU announced last week that it would be moving the issue forward for arbitration in a bid to resolve the trade issues between the EU and the US. It is understood that this prompted the congressman to contact the transport commissioner. Yesterday, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune rejected the claims Mr DeFazio made in his letter. She compared opposition to Norwegian Air flying from Cork and Shannon airports to the US as the same kind of negativity and opposition that faced Ryanair when it sought a licence to fly to the UK in 1986. Now, she said, Ryanair employs around 10,000 people and has opened up air travel to millions of Europeans. I utterly refute the allegations that Norwegian Airlines is using Ireland as a flag of convenience to employ low-paid crew and to undermine working conditions for cabin crew working for other transatlantic airlines, said Ms Clune. Some US politicians, certain unions, and a number of legacy airlines carriers are attempting to block new competition on the transatlantic routes. Ms Clune said the routes will increase tourism, open up more investment, and create a direct link between Ireland South and the US. She pointed out that Norwegian Air Ireland, headquartered in Dublin, is a recognised EU airline and has more than 35 aircraft registered in Ireland. I am calling on Irish politicians to get behind the new route and put as much pressure on the US authorities as possible to resist the efforts of some in the US who are opposed to competition, progress, and efficiency, said Ms Clune. Government revenue will now come under extreme scrutiny in the months ahead of Octobers budget as Vat receipts came in lower than expected. Exchequer figures released by the Department of Finance were lower than forecast, with Vat, excise and corporation tax all under target. Although exchequer returns are still ahead of target for the first seven months of the year, the amount collected in Vat during July the first month after Britains vote to leave the EU was 61m less than anticipated. Reacting to the figures released yesterday, economist Jim Power said: There is no doubt that we are seeing some Brexit impact. It is still modest but it has instilled a level of uncertainty into the Irish economy that we havent seen for some time. The exchequer returns do reflect some Brexit impact. It is clear that Brexit has had some impact on confidence. I would expect the next consumer confidence reading which should be published in the next few weeks will be interesting and will be one to watch. Almost 4.09bn in taxes was taken in last month but this was 2.3% lower than the amount laid out in Budget 2016. Revenue generated from corporation tax was 23m (16.5%) less than expected in July while excise was 25m (5%) less. However, in the year to date, tax receipts are up 8.5% and the Government still has 644m more than anticipated. Mr Power described the July outcome as disappointing and said this may have been a knee-jerk reaction in the immediate aftermath of the UKs decision to leave the EU but the returns in the coming months would have to be monitored closely to see if a trend develops. The immediate impact of Brexit on Ireland has been seen in the currency, but the other effect that is more difficult to capture is the uncertainty and the fear factor it creates, said Mr Power. University of Limerick economist Stephen Kinsella said the figures could be an indicator of the impact of Brexit but added that longer term returns would have to be considered. It may be that people decided not to invest more but its hard to tell. Month on month, there is an astounding level of volatility, he said. Dr Kinsella said that the true economic impact Brexit will have on this country will only be realised when the deal is negotiated between Britain and the EU. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has suggested alternative ways to monitor trade crossing the border may be examined when Brexit negotiations get underway. Charlie Flanagan He effectively said that previous proposals from other ministers for a so-called all-island Brexit forum were now essentially dead in the water. Brexit would remain a huge challenge for the coming years, he said. He said he had spoken to every one of his 27 foreign affairs ministerial colleagues in Europe about the Brexit implications. I am anxious to ensure that the unique position of Ireland is not only acknowledged but appreciated by my foreign affairs colleagues, he said. He said he was encouraged by their understanding about the unique relationship between Dublin, London and Belfast and said any possible reintroduction of a hard border between the North and South would be inoperable. Mr Flanagan said 30,000 people a day now crossed it, with some going to schools and colleges, and said alternative means of checking trade could be examined. In the event that, for example for trade purposes, there may wish to be a need for a form of checking that could be done by other means, he said. Their mission is to climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest without leaving Cork. They aim to raise funds so more than 40 sick children can go on a trip of a lifetime at Euro Disney in Paris. The beneficial charity is the Cork City Hospitals Childrens Club which arranges a series of events for sick children yearly. The fire crews, meanwhile, will climb ladders until they have reached the magical 29,000ft-plus at 22 different locations in the city and county where there are fire stations. Dora and Minnie Mouse with Robbie, Aidan and their dad Steven OBrien, Cork City Fire Service. Picture: Jim Coughlan The feat will be undertaken over the September 2-4 weekend. It will culminate with a ladder climb at the city library in Grand Parade at about 4pm. Anglesea St station officer Ger Ryan said, at any time, there would be 15 to 20 firefighters climbing at the various locations. Speaking at the event launch at Cork University Hospital yesterday, Mr Ryan said gardai and ambulance personnel would be helping to collect money at the different venues. We will be selling a unique collection of 2,000 tie-pins from the fire brigade, ambulance and gardai as part of the fundraiser. There will also be bucket collections and sponsorship cards. We also will have a ifundraise.ie account called climbing for sick kids, the senior fire officer said. John Looney, chairman of the Cork City Hospitals Childrens Club, said he was delighted the fire officers had offered to help them. Steven OBrien, John Mallone and Ger Dolan, Cork City Fire Service members, who will be climbing in the event. Picture: Jim Coughlan They approached us because they realise its one of the best charities around and they know what we do. Every year we take 57 children, their carers, doctors, and nurses to Euro Disney. We also take another 250 children to see Santa at Fota House every Christmas and send seven families of terminally ill children away for weekend breaks, Mr Looney said. Its just short of 1,000 to send a sick child to Euro Disney and Mr Ryan said he was hoping firefighters would collect enough from the fundraising climb to send at least 40. Present at the launch was Janice Byrne and her daughter Megan, 6, who suffers from a number of health issues and has undergone 17 operations. We went out to Euro Disney last year and it was absolutely brilliant. The childrens charity is wonderful and its great the fire brigade are helping out, Janice said. The report is to be basis of a pending Commission of Inquiry into the foster home, and is to lay out suggested terms of reference. The allegations refer to a girl who has come to be known as Grace who was in the home until 2009, almost 14 years after allegations of abuse against children were raised. The report was originally due back in June but it has been delayed several times. The decision by the previous government to establish a Commission came following a series of reports in the Irish Examiner earlier this year. Minister of state with responsibility for disabilities, Finian McGrath, is to announce an extension today, the Irish Examiner believes. Mr McGrath is to indicate that he expects to receive the completed report by Conor Dignam SC into matters related to disability foster care in the South-East by the end of August. Mr Dignam had previously advised his work would be concluded in early August. Mr McGrath, who has described some of the allegations as shocking, is keen to present the report and the terms of reference to Cabinet at the earliest opportunity in September. On foot of the request, Mr McGrath is to state that a short additional amount of time has been agreed with Mr Dignam at his request to allow him to take account of some final details. Among the subjects which Mr Dignam will address in his review is the identification of matters which will assist in framing the terms of reference for the proposed Commission of Investigation into the care of individuals with a disability in the Waterford foster home. Mr McGrath was happy to accede to the request to extend the deadline but he has made it known he wants progress made quickly. Earlier this year, the Irish Examiner revealed how the foster father of Grace directly lobbied Michael Noonan when he was minister for health, claiming she was in a happy and secure home. The letter was sent following a decision by health officials to remove her, amid concerns about alleged sexual abuse of minors at the home in 1996. Documents showed how the foster family, in a breach of the rules, sought Mr Noonan to intervene to keep Grace an intellectually disabled minor in the home. Crucially, a letter from Mr Noonans private secretary confirms that, on foot of the foster fathers request, Graces removal from the foster home was delayed. The minister understands that the health board, at your request, agreed not to remove Grace until the end of the summer period, the letter from Mr Noonans secretary states. The delay followed a request for an update report from Mr Noonans department to the health board. However, in his letter to Mr Noonan, the foster father paints a picture of serenity in terms of Graces care. At present, she resides in a family home, enjoys a happy and secure life, goes to the seaside, shopping and out for a meal and gets individual treatment for her special needs, he wrote. The 24 successful projects include the development of a vaccine against the hospital-acquired infection methicillin-resistant staphylococcus (MRSA). The awards range from 50,000 to 2.7m over four- to five-year periods. The money will support projects involving 200 researchers and 39 companies. SFI director general Prof Mark Ferguson said the programme supports the highest standard of impactful research. I have high expectations for these projects; all have undergone rigorous peer review by international experts and we have funded only those projects deemed to be at the pinnacle of scientific excellence, said Prof Ferguson. Scientists at Trinity College Dublin received 2.19m for a project to help advance the development of a vaccine against MRSA. Dr Rachel McLoughlin, the assistant professor of immunology at Trinity, and her colleagues will establish if particular immune cells (T-cells) are important in protecting against infection in at-risk patients. They will also identify strategies used by the bacterium to inhibit the protection afforded by the T-cells that may impede vaccine efficiency. Knowledge gained will inform S.areus vaccine development, attracting significant industrial interest, said Dr McLoughlin. Meanwhile, researchers at University College Cork received 1.7m to investigate how escaped farmed salmon reduce the survival potential of wild salmon when they breed together in rivers. The principal investigator, Dr Philip McGinnity, who has been working in the area for over 20 years, said that results using new analytical techniques would enable salmon farming to be better managed and expanded in a sustainable way. The Molniya RKA 32 is among the most advanced vessels in the Russian navy, Egypt's military says Egypt's military hoisted the Egyptian flag Thursday on an advanced new warship it received from Russia at a ceremony by the Armed Forces, an army statement said. The Molniya RKA 32, which the army says is among the most advanced vessels in the Russian navy, was "granted by Russia to Egypt as part of mutual military cooperation between Cairo and Moscow." The ship visited the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria last August as it was part of a fleet taking part in the inauguration ceremony of the New Suez Canal. The vessel is equipped with multiple armament systems including surface-to-surface missiles, artillery as well as alarm and electronic warfare systems, the military said. "It is a new addition in the process of developing and modernising our naval forces," the statement added. Thursday's ceremony was attended by a Russian military delegation headed by the commander of Russia's Leningrad naval base. The Egyptian army said that an Egyptian technical team has received training in Russia to work on the unit. Last year, Russia and Egypt, once Cold War allies, held their first-ever joint naval exercise off the coast of Alexandria. The eight-day drills included supply and communication exercises, search operations, defence and firing exercises. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Egypt in February 2015 for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, whom Putin has strongly backed, while El-Sisi visited Moscow three times since he came to office in mid-2014. Search Keywords: Short link: New accounts show that revenues at Our Lady Queen of Peace House of Prayer (Achill) Ltd last year totalled 459,470. This represented a 14% drop on the 534,432 revenues recorded in 2014 and contributed to profits at the company plummeting from 126,080 to 8,403. The firms cash reserves decreased marginally from 237,093 to 230,082. The House of Prayer was founded in 1993 by religious visionary Christina Gallagher and is part of a wider unofficial Catholic group. The directors state that the principal activity of the company could be described as a place to establish, maintain, and conduct a house of prayer. In 2008, the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, distanced the archdiocese from the House of Prayer, stating that its work is entirely of a private nature and carries no ecclesiastical approval whatever. In the firms directors report, they say that in common with many companies operating in Ireland in this sector, the company is facing increasing difficulty in generating income due to the current economic difficulties. The report states: The directors are of the opinion that the company is well positioned to manage these difficulties. The directors state that the company operates in the service sector and can be affected by factors outside its control such as consumer spending power. They state the company faces competition from other organisations, however, the directors feel the steps they have taken will ensure the continued survival of the organisation. The firms revenues were last year made up of 378,745 in donations and 80,825 from the sales of religious objects. The loss takes account of non-cash depreciation costs totalling 44,367. The book value of the firms land and buildings was 1.4m at the end of December last. The members of the board are listed as Karla OKane, Bernice Marsh, Patrick Coleman, Josephine Butler, Marie Egan, and Philomena Grenham. The Revenue Commissioners stripped the company of its charitable status in 2006, therefore forcing the centre to treat all its donations as income. The accounts state: The directors have, through the companys tax advisers, entered into negotiations with the revenue commissioners to have this matter resolved. The directors state that if the Revenues decision is not overturned, the company could be facing a potential liability in the region of 125,000 before interest and penalties. The centre did not have anyone available to comment yesterday when contacted. While no decision will be taken by the group until they reconvene later in the month as to what they will do, members last night signalled their unwillingness to oppose a bill which they fully support. In the weeks before the Dail broke for the summer, the Government came close to collapsing over an insistence by ministers Shane Ross, Finian McGrath, and John Halligan to support a bill proposed by Independent TD Mick Wallace, which sought to liberalise Irelands abortion laws. Although Mr Ross had agreed to the establishment of new channels of communication with Taoiseach Enda Kenny in order to improve relations, there are fears the Coppinger bill could spark a similar crisis for the Government. Both Mr McGrath and Mr Halligan in particular have long campaigned for abortion laws to be liberalised and the duo have made it known that they will seek to be consistent when the Coppinger bill is taken. Absolutely, the three ministers as of now feel they want to be consistent in their actions on this issue of conscience. At this stage that would mean supporting the Coppinger bill, said a senior source. However, it is possible the alliance could split as it did on the Wallace bill, with junior OPW minister Sean Canney and Longford TD Kevin Boxer Moran likely to oppose it. The bill to repeal the Eighth Amendment was launched by the Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit last month, who said they hoped supporters will lobby their local TDs on the abortion issue. Dublin TDs Ms Coppinger and Brid Smith were joined by Ailbhe Smyth of People Before Profit are supporting the bill. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution equates the right to life of the unborn with the mothers right to life. When it was introduced in 1983, it was heralded as a victory for pro-life campaigners in Ireland. Pro-choice campaigners are seeking to have a referendum on this amendment as its removal could pave the way for new laws on abortion in Ireland. Independent TD John Halligan has also said that prostitution should be regulated and that ministerial wages, including his own, should be reduced further. Mr Halligan, in a very personal interview for the latest edition of Hot Press, also said that he had a healthy sex life with his partner and that God did not exist. But the junior education ministers comments about the use of drugs could fuel debate and pile pressure on his Fine Gael ministerial colleagues to address his calls. I think they [drugs] should be regulated, the Waterford TD said. I think it should be decriminalised. I dont think people that are caught smoking a bit of hash should be brought to court absolutely not. And heroin addiction is a cruel addiction for people. They need help and not to be brought into court for using it. Id fecking definitely bring the drug pushers to court, but not the people that use it. He favours the Portuguese model, which allows for the legal use of drugs. Specific areas run by the HSE where drugs could be sold or used should be examined, he suggested. What would the effects be if you were to have an area where you might be able to buy a small amount of cannabis, once a week or something, for people who smoke cannabis? he asked. Would that be better than buying it off a drug pusher? Would we not take the drug pushers out of the equation if there were particular government shops set up by the HSE, or whoever, where you could buy some legalised drugs? We should have a look at that and see is that a way forward because were losing the drugs war. All across the world, the drugs war has been lost. The minister also said he favoured the idea of injection centres for heroin addicts. People injecting themselves with dirty needles and picking up Hepatitis C and so on? We have to look at that in tandem with trying to wean people off heroin because heroin is a deadly drug, he said. The decriminalisation of cocaine should also be considered, he said. The Americans have spent billions and theyve lost it. Were losing it in Dublin, were losing it in other areas of the country. Mr Halligan, who said he had never tried marijuana, also said prostitution should be regulated. They [prostitutes] make the point they enjoy it, theyre not being brutalised, theyre not being victimised, he said. And what they were saying was, to deal with the people that are being victimised that maybe you need to regulate it. It should be regulated in the sense where its checked by the Guards, checked by the medical profession. And then I think it will take it away from pimps that run prostitution rings. He also said he favoured restoring full welfare payments for those aged 18 to 23. Of cutting ministerial wages, he said: We should bring it down to where we could reason with ourselves as to how other people are suffering. Large companies coming into areas affected by unemployment should be consulted by departments and the Government, and local people trained up to work for new positions, he said. His comments came as he announced that the Government will launch an action plan for jobless families this year targeting generations of people out of work. The Government has promised to reduce unemployment to below 6% during its lifetime. The current rate is 7.8%. Mr Varadkar suggested that more co-operation and a specific framework are needed to support and get significant employers to take on the unemployed and local workers. At a launch for the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, he said there is a job to be done by his department and others in picking out big, new employers that are coming into an area, identifying them in advance, and making sure that they are aware that the Government does supply supports to employers. Specifically to take people off the live register, specifically for the long-term unemployed, and also to work with employers, to identify people living in the locality well ahead of time, and to train them for those positions, he said. It would be a big shame if a big employer came into an area and didnt employ large numbers of people from the locality, for all sorts of reasons. Mr Varadkar referred to the recent announcement of 1,000 permanent jobs by Center Parcs for Longford. He noted that the level of unemployment at 7.8% was still high. On the one hand, you have employers who say they cant find staff and then you have a live register with lots of potential staff on it, he said. What we need to do, particularly where there is big investment in an area, is for the Government and the employer to work together, to ensure that jobs are given to local people and particularly people who have been unemployed for a period of time. The Department of Social Protection last night highlighted how Intreo offices assist employers to identify potential candidates for jobs. The department said there are financial incentives to recruit the unemployed through JobsPlus. Through this, employers are given 10,000 per unemployed person recruited in monthly payments over two years. Mr Varadkar, however, said this scheme is undersubscribed and underutilised by employers. Michael Corbett is charged with assault causing harm to three teenagers, two males, and a young woman on the afternoon of June 27. The alleged incident took place at the Hell Fire Club, otherwise known as Montpelier Hill, a popular south Co Dublin site for hikers surrounded by lands owned by the State forestry company Coillte. He had been refused bail by Dublin District Court on June 29 and was held in custody. Mr Corbett, of Woodbine Close, Raheny, appeared again before Judge Conal Gibbons at Cloverhill District Court yesterday. Brian Coveney, defending, said the case was listed for directions from the DPP to be given. However, the directions were not available and Mr Coveney said there was consent to the case being adjourned for four weeks. He remained silent during the proceedings as Judge Gibbons further remanded him in custody to appear again on August 31 next. A psychiatric assessment had been ordered at an earlier stage. He made no reply to the charges. At his bail hearing earlier, Garda Pauline Glennon said three campers, an 18-year-old woman, a male aged 18, and a 17-year-old boy, were at the Hell Fire Club, at Killakee Rd. The defendant, who was not known to them beforehand, allegedly travelled there by taxi and remained with them for a few hours. They also went picking logs. Garda Glennon said it was alleged the 18-year-old youth was stabbed across his throat, in to his chest and was assaulted with a log of wood. She had added the young woman and the second youth were also struck with the log. The three teens were rushed to Tallaght hospital and were treated for a number of hours but were not kept overnight. During the bail hearing, the court heard Mr Corbett felt he was going to be attacked and there was a weird air about the place. His solicitor had told the court he had serious underlying psychiatric problems and he claimed he was restraining the victim; there was a scuffle and this was something he did not want to happen. In 2005, the Ferns Inquiry found it was entirely understandable that Fr Gerard McGinnity felt he was victimised as a result of his raising the concerns of seminarians. The report detailed how seminarians had expressed concerns over the allegedly extravagant lifestyle and alleged sexual orientation and propensity of Monsignor Micheal Ledwith, who was vice-president at the college at the time. Fr McGinnity said reports this week of a culture of secrecy and gay dating at Maynooth had features of what occurred in the college when he raised his complaints. It sounds and reads like a deja vu in many respects, because I can see the features of what occurred 30 years ago repeated in a lot of the narrative about it, he told RTEs News at One. Fr McGinnity said six seminarians brought complaints to him when he was senior dean in Maynooth. I took them seriously, and I listened and indeed, they were afraid right then, just as we read today about what is happening there, that they might be disciplined if they werent taken seriously. So that was why they came to me, he said. I relayed their concerns to a number of the trustees at the time and the situation then unfolded that, to put it in a nutshell, I was shafted and deprived of my position. The Ferns report found it was understandable that Fr McGinnity felt victimised as a result of the sabbatical enforced upon him after he raised the seminarians concerns. Punitive actions of that nature could only deter bone fide complaints to church authorities which should be valued as providing information for the control of those having access to young people, the report found. Fr McGinnity said he should have been taken seriously at the time. I would say to any would-be whistleblowers: Be prepared for a difficult passage because, and it is very sad that this has had to be said, but unless there is someone there to protect you, and you feel you have recourse to them, then you may well lose everything. It was appalling what occurred to me when I came back from the enforced sabbatical that I was sent upon. I found efforts to discredit me and undermine my credibility. This was in clerical circles and I know where it originated. Even my subsequent life as a priest was marred by all of that because it didnt vanish then, and I was put into a soul-destroying appointment which seemed to emphasise my degradation after being removed from Maynooth inexplicably. Fr McGinnity said stories emanating from Maynooth have raised doubts that anything has changed at the college in terms of mechanisms through which complaints can be made. The notion of undermining and threatening people, there was such a culture of that pertaining then, he said. Where the bishops stand Several Dioceses have indicated they will not be following Archbishop Diarmuid Martins decision not to send seminarians to St Patricks College in Maynooth. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin A spokesperson for Bishop William Crean in Cloyne said there is currently a student in Maynooth, and there are no plans to desist from sending seminarians there. Bishop William Crean A member of staff at the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore said that a spokesperson for Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan would return our call, but no reply was received at time of going to press. Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan Archbishop Eamon Martin has indicated he will continue to send his seminarians to Maynooth. Archbishop Eamon Martin Archbishop Michael Neary has told media that he will also continue to send trainee priests to St Patricks. Archbishop Michael Neary A spokesperson for the diocese of Limerick said Bishop Brendan Leahy was out of the country, and that the diocese has no comment to make. Bishop Brendan Leahy The Diocese of Ossory said it continues to have confidence in Maynooth. It is led by Bishop Seamus Freeman. Bishop Seamus Freeman. Archbishop Kieran OReilly said that the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly will continue to send seminarians to pursue their studies in Maynooth. Archbishop Kieran OReilly A number of seminarians from the diocese of Down and Connor are studying in Maynooth, and the diocese, headed by Bishop Noel Traynor, has said it will continue to send students there. Bishop Noel Traynor Bishop Francis Duffy is the head of the Diocese of Armagh and Clonmacnoise. The diocese has no plans to change training seminarians at Maynooth. Bishop Francis Duffy The Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, headed by Bishop Denis Nulty, has students in Maynooth and has no plans to change. Some are struggling to pay loans of up to 100,000 on a basic internship salary of about 2,583 a month, it emerged yesterday. The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) said many of the medical graduates were forced to emigrate to get higher-paid jobs. The NAGP wants the Government to put supports in place for indebted medical graduates to encourage them to remain in Ireland and become GPs. The group said members of the previous administration gave assurances that the issue would be addressed in the 2015 budget. NAGP chief executive Chris Goodey warned that the shortage of doctors in general practice would continue if medical student debt was not addressed. A study by University College Cork found that medical students who graduate with debt were less likely to become GPs. It is difficult to identify any progress which has been made to alleviate the crisis, said Mr Goodey. Graduate medical students continue to pay approximately 15,000 in fees per year and are not eligible for any state financial aid. The Government must put in place supports to reduce medical graduate debt. As long as the financial burden exists the shortage of doctors in general practice will not be addressed. We know that 915 GPs have declared their intention to retire, or emigrate, in the next three to five years. Action must be taken now. The UCC survey of 212 students in 2014 found that medical students who graduate with debt are less likely to become GPs. Also, students from high-income backgrounds are most likely to opt for surgery rather than a GP practice. The Vatican said Francis after intense prayer and mature reflection decided to set up the commission, with 12 members six men and six women including priests, nuns and laywomen. It noted he had told superiors of nuns orders in May he intended to set up an official commission to study the question of the diaconate for women above all regarding the early times of the Church. Some historians say there were female deacons in the early Church. Married men who serve as deacons can preach and preside at weddings, baptisms, and funerals. However, only priests can celebrate Mass. There has been absolutely no sign from the Vatican that any change on deacons would impact on its strict ban against women being ordained as priests. Heading the commission is a top official, archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, a Jesuit who is the No 2 official the Congregation of the Faith, the Vatican office entrusted with ensuring doctrinal orthodoxy. Putting the commission under his watch signals the Vatican is intent that whatever the panel concludes will be scrutinised for conformity to church doctrine. In a possible insight to the Popes thinking, Francis has noted that the deaconesses of the early Church werent ordained, as the male deacons of today are. A US-based organisation dedicated to achieving the ordination of women as priests cautiously hailed the development. The Womens Ordination Conference welcomes and is encouraged by Pope Francis gender-balanced and lay-inclusive appointments to study women deacons in the early Church, a statement said. The group called the commission an important step for the Vatican in recognising its own history of honouring womens leadership. It also expressed hope that its conclusions will lead to a new reality for women in our Church: one that models equality and inclusion. Justine Hughes, who is the principal of Colaiste na Mi post-primary school at the Johnstown Educational Campus, Johnstown, Navan, Co Meath, denies allegations of serious misconduct made against her. The co-educational school, run by the Louth & Meath Education Training Board, first opened its doors to students in 2013. The High Court heard that, last year, eight members of current and former staff at the school made what Tom Mallon, for the training board, said were very serious complaints about Ms Hughes in relation to child welfare and health and safety issues. Counsel said that arising out of the complaints, the training board decided that an investigation should be launched, which, he said, is to be conducted by a barrister. In addition, the training board suspended Ms Hughes last January on pay pending the outcome of the investigation. Last month, she launched a High Court challenge against her employers decision to hold an investigation into the allegations. Permission to bring that action was granted by Mr Justice Richard Humphreys, who also placed a stay on the investigation until the High Court proceedings have been determined. The case was adjourned and will return before the High Court later this year. However, the case returned before Mr Justice Bernard Barton yesterday after Ms Hughes lawyers brought a motion seeking to have a stay placed on a decision to reduce Ms Hughes pay. After she was suspended, she was diagnosed as having a psychiatric illness and was deemed by her employer to be on sick leave. The training board informed Ms Hughes that, under the terms of the relevant sick leave scheme, her pay is to be reduced after a certain period of time. She now fears her pay, while she remains on sick leave, will eventually be reduced to zero. This would cause her and her family hardship, it was submitted. Her lawyers also told the court that she denies each and every allegation of misconduct that has been made against her. The training board had yesterday opposed the application, arguing it was entitled to reduce her pay under the terms and conditions of the relevant sick leave scheme. In his ruling, Mr Justice Barton said Ms Hughes had initially been placed on what was known as administrative leave. However, she was subsequently placed on sick leave which, Mr Justice Barton said, was triggered as a result of Ms Hughes becoming ill following her suspension. In the circumstances, the judge said he had to dismiss the application to place a stay on her pay being reduced. Without question one of the most fascinating characters of the cause for Irish Independence, yesterday, 50 years after his remains were interred in Glasnevin Cemetery, he was honoured formally by the State he gave his life to help establish. Having been hanged 100 years and one day ago in Londons Pentonville Prison for conspiring against the king with the German enemy, yesterday Casement the hero was hailed. Members of the Casement family joined with members of the Defence Forces and Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan to celebrate his life. As inclement weather took hold, they huddled under a crisp and brilliant Tricolour at the Casement grave in the Republican plot in Glasnevin. Casement had spent 18 months in Germany trying to persuade the government there to support a rebellion in Ireland. Roger Casement In April 1916, Casement travelled to Ireland in a German submarine to rendezvous with The Aud, a ship carrying arms from Germany for the Rebellion. Following a major foul-up in the plan, Casement was arrested and taken to London. He was tried for treason at the Old Bailey in June 1916 and found guilty. Yesterday, the short, solemn ceremony commenced with the August gales blowing as wild as they did on Banna Strand when Casement was arrested for trying to land a consignment of German arms for the Rising. As a minutes silence was observed, the heavy rain seemed poignant, with drops lingering on the noses of the soldiers in the guard of honour. Hanged at the age of 51, Casements defiance in the face of being branded a traitor to the British king featured in the speeches at the ceremony. Army historian Commandant Thomas Martin, who has researched the First World War, read extracts from Casements trial. Mr Flanagan, in his address, spoke of how Casement asserted to the end that it was the right only of the Irish people to judge his actions, and nobody else. At the heart of his speech was his assertion that it was the right of the people of Ireland to decide upon the future of their country, a right he compared to the right to life itself the right to feel the sun or smell the flowers, or to love our kind, said Mr Flanagan. Looking back at Casements life, what stands out most is the generosity of spirit and selflessness which led him to take a central role in the independence movement, said Mr Flanagan. He also paid tribute to his humanitarian work in Africa and in South America, where he spent time campaigning against the terrible abuse of the rights of people. Fr Gerry McFlynn of the Irish Chaplaincy service in the UK, which deals with prisoners of Irish descent in British jails, gave a moving account of Casements last hours before he met his death. Two Irish priests Canon Ring and Fr Carey spent most of the day before the execution walking with him in the prison yard. The gloom and tension which had all but deprived him of his reason in those earlier weeks had completely vanished, he said. Casement formally embraced Catholicism and received his first and last Holy Communion at the 7am Mass just before his execution, said Fr McFlynn. This was despite his homosexuality which had undermined his pleas for clemency from the authorities. The cord was fastened round his neck, and then the trapdoor fell. Straight as a lance, the tall, proud body dropped without a tremor into the pit, said Fr McFlynn. A lone piper sounded a lament at the conclusion of the ceremony after the army band had played a stirring rendition of Amhran na bhFiann. Niall Casement, a distant relation of Roger, laid a wreath on behalf of the family, as did Mr Flanagan, and the party moved a short distance at which a plaque in his honour was unveiled. Casements contribution to international human rights is also being marked at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel in an event hosted by Irish Aid and the Defence Forces. Elsewhere, an exhibition on his humanitarian work has been officially opened at the National Museum on Kildare St in Dublin. Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail's body is set to arrive in Egypt on Saturday morning for a military funeral and burial that will be held on Sunday morning. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and a number of high ranking military figures are expected to attend the funeral. A wake will be held on Monday, for both men and women, at El-Moshir Tantawi Mosque in New Cairo. According to Zewail's media representative, Sherif Fouad, all measures for transporting his body from the United States to Egypt are finalised. The timing of Zewails committal will be announced later by the presidency once preparations for the Nobel winner's military funeral have been finalized. He is expected to be buried in the familys cemetery in 6 October suburb of Giza. Although Zewail has no military background, he will receive a military funeral as he was awarded the Grand Collar of the Nile. Recipients of the award are entitled to a military funeral, the highest Egyptian state honor. Zewail's media representative Fouad added that Zewail City has decided to open a condolence book for Egyptians, fellow Arabs and foreign diplomatic missions starting Thursday in the Zewail City headquarters in 6 of October city. Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zewail passed away on Tuesday at the age of 70 after losing a long battle to cancer. Zewail dedicated his life to science and research and was instrumental in developing four-dimensional electron microscopy. In 1999, he received the Nobel Prize for his study of chemical reactions. Search Keywords: Short link: One of the scouts traversed along a glacier and descended a cliff face unaccompanied on his way to raise the alarm. Ferrybank Scout Group from Waterford was taking part in an 11-day excursion in the Austrian mountains when the expedition leader Mick McGrath fractured his ankle on the summits descent. Unable to walk any further and without mobile phone signal, scouts Brian McGrath (his son) and Sean Hoban who had accompanied him on this stretch of the journey, devised their own rescue operation. The pair strapped his leg and applied ice to the injury before Brian went in search of help across the remaining part of glacier to the next hut, which was two hours away. Meanwhile, Sean put his survival skills into action and bedded in, in case they were going to have a long wait for help to arrive. Scout leader Kelly Hall said that they applied layers of clothing to insulate them from the elements, started building a shelter using rocks, they also took into account food and water situation and prepared a marker in case of aerial assistance. Ms Hall said that the group are extremely proud of the boys and how they put their scout training from simulated exercises into practice during the real-life emergency. Brian traversed along a glacier, descended a cliff face where he got a signal on his phone, contacted emergency services and gave grid reference to the location. Once he had made contact, he continued along another glacier and descended further down to a mountain hut where he raised the alarm again. A mountain rescue helicopter arrived at the scene and lifted the injured leader to hospital. His comments came as third-level students this week began in earnest to hunt for housing against the background of a shortfall of 25,000 accommodation units for colleges. The Government has now funded a special student accommodation officer to oversee barriers to students getting a room. Mr English outlined how the 49,000-a-year position with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) would help alleviate difficulties for students on the hunt for accommodation. The intention was now to increase the number of students who are seeking digs, explained the Meath West TD. Last year the USI helped place over 600 students into digs but this year it is hoped the number will be over 1,000. The minister admitted this was a drop in the ocean compared to the tens of thousands who would be seeking accommodation away from home. Damien English The minister said the Governments housing action plan would take time to achieve but he was also asked if students should get extra money or additional grants because of the high cost of rents. He replied: Naturally Id like to give all the money I could to help with accommodation cost. But there is an issue of trying to balance a budget. It is hard to increase the [existing student] grant, but they are monitored on a regular basis. Planning, financing and building delays needed to be overcome to help build student accommodation quicker, he said, noting that 700 such purpose-built units would open this autumn. In the construction of student accommodation, it shouldnt take as long as it takes to build family homes. We are trying to work with the stakeholders in that market to provide that space, to provide student accommodation. Students are concerned that they have been priced out of the market ahead of the new academic year, especially in Dublin where there already is a housing crisis. Canadian company Irving Oil said it was making a long-term investment and offered a commitment to both the people and the secure energy supply that the refinery provides. Irving Oil chief operating officer Mark Sherman said the company was impressed with the staff and facilities in Whitegate and had no intention of turning the refinery into a storage terminal, despite fears during the sales process that any new owners could be tempted to do so. Obviously, there was a lot of speculation through this sales process whether somebody might be interested in purchasing the asset just as operating as a terminal, said Mr Sherman. Part of the due diligence of this whole process is to really assess the condition of the refinery and we were quite impressed, not only with the people but with the assets and the way theyve been maintained, so were very comfortable operating as a refinery; that is our full intent. This is one way to increase our overall crude [oil] capacity as a company as we continue to grow and it lines up perfectly with our growth strategy. While major growth at the refinery is unlikely short-term, Mr Sherman said sustaining current employment levels and some incremental growth that would add a few new jobs is certainly plausible in the near future. His comment was echoed by Sarah Irving, executive vice president and chief brand officer, who said the move excited the company for a number of reasons. When the Whitegate opportunity presented itself it was certainly something we were very interested in for a number of reasons, she said. In terms of the market similarities to the market that we operate in today in eastern Canada and New England, but also many of the cultural values are very similar between Whitegate and Irving Oil and between the people. We look forward to continuing to invest and continuing to grow and find synergies between our teams as we move forward, but absolutely, a very exciting day for our company. Irvings only other refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick is Canadas largest, capable of producing over 300,000 barrels of refined product per day. Irving won out after a protracted sales process initiated by Texan company Phillips 66 (P66) in November 2015. P66 had previously failed in an earlier attempt to offload the refinery citing lack of interest in the facility. Local Fine Gael TD David Stanton said the continued operation of the refinery on a commercial basis is an important part of the countrys security of supply. The sale of the refinery was also welcomed by the Energy Minister Denis Naughten, who described it as very positive for Cork and the country in general. BRITISH people last year spent a whopping 4.6bn on looking after their animal pals, and its estimated the countrys pet population includes 8.5m dogs, 7.4m cats, a million rabbits and 19.9m indoor fish. Ireland may not spend quite as much, but an increasing amount is being spent on pet care. So, it comes as little surprise that The Supervet, Channel 4s documentary series following Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, the worlds leading neuro-orthopaedic veterinary surgeon, regularly attracts two million viewers. Now, the professor is back with a new series, The Supervet: Bionic Specials, which will lift the lid on the science behind some of the advanced procedures carried out at his centre, using special 3D graphics. For me, this is a deeply personal series of films, which chart the evolution of thought, regarding techniques and implants, which have taken place for more than a decade, says Laois man Fitzpatrick. On that note, here is a taster of whats in store... THE SET-UP As ever, the series shows the journeys the pets and their owners go through during the surgical process, with pets featured, including a nine-year-old king Charles cavalier called Molly, who suffers from a condition affecting her brain, and Archie, a four-year-old terrier whose left elbow doesnt fit together properly. This time, every episode has a different theme; theres one on joint surgery, one on limb salvage, one on spinal surgery and finally, an episode on regenerative medicine. Along the way, Fitzpatrick visits the factories building the prostheses he uses, and laboratories working on innovative stem cell therapies. CUTTING EDGE So, advanced are the procedures carried out at Fitzpatricks centre that some are world firsts. The vet is understandably effusive. The definition of bionic is having an anatomical structures or physiological processes that are replaced or enhanced by electronic or mechanical components, he explains. Fitzpatrick with some of the high-tech equipment in his surgery. Bionic limbs and regenerative medicine involving stem cells and three-dimensional printing of implants will be seen for the very first time by most of the audience. The implants and techniques are so advanced that it may be several years before some of them are available in human patients. HUMAN INTEREST On a wider point, Fitzpatrick, who founded the charity the Humanimal Trust, insists more should be done to help animals in need. I strongly believe that all animals should be given all of the options, all of the time, he argues. Right now, in veterinary medicine, that often doesnt happen, which is a shame. One of the major reasons is lack of awareness of the available technology, and lack of willingness to employ these technologies for the greater good of our animal friends. He believes we can all benefit from doing so. Many of the techniques demonstrated in this series are not available for human patients yet, says the vet. This should herald a wake-up call for human surgeons everywhere, that unless we move forward together, both human and animal medicine will be much worse off because of this lack of communication. CHANGING TIMES With advances in technology for example, Fitzpatrick can create 3D titanium implants to replace dogs and cats bones his main challenge is more the ethical arguments surrounding progress. Many people both within and outside the veterinary profession believe we should not move forward with custom joint replacements and bionic limbs or spinal disc replacements and regenerative medicine in pet dogs and cats, because the current options of full limb amputation or euthanasia may, in their view, be kinder for the animal, he says. While the owners featured in the series are ecstatic Fitzpatrick can help their beloved pets, not everybody is impressed with his skills. I get some criticism for moving things too far in veterinary medicine, says Fitzpatrick, who once had a practice in Co Cork. And, yet, I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I would never pick up a scalpel blade and operate on any animal if I wouldnt do it on my own dog, nor if I didnt feel I could provide that animal with a reasonable quality of life in a reasonable time frame. ANIMAL MAGIC Fitzpatrick says he knew from an early age he wanted to work with animals. All I ever wanted to do was make things better and find solutions where existing options were poor, he says. Looking back on the journey, I recognise the cost emotionally and financially... in the development of any technique or implant, one must do so for love. I hope that these programmes will go some way to countering any doubt that surrounds motivation for progress in medicine and explains to people the thought, the effort, and the love that goes into each and every implant and technique. He hopes the series will change perceptions of the work he does, too. What makes the journey deeply personal, is what I believe to be the unfairness and silliness of animals giving humanity all we need in terms of safe drugs and implants, but animals with those diseases not getting that same medical progress by way of return, he says. I sincerely hope this series of programmes will go some way to prompting our social conscience to redress this balance. Then my life will have had some meaning in the overall scheme of things. Like most people, my life is a chaotic checklist of things to do and finding time to relax and unwind never seems to happen. Between work and socialising as well studying and training, I often find myself overwhelmed with stress and finding peace and tranquillity feels impossible. Tai Chi Master, Shouhui Sang is a man for whom calm and serenity is always at hand, despite his gruelling workload. At 50 years of age, the man has skin as smooth as a babys bottom, not a wrinkle in sight, just a soft smile, playing on the edge of his mouth. A smile of calm contentment on a face of sage wisdom and knowledge gained from over 40 years of training in the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi. Tai Chi is a form of Kung Fu martial arts that is said to enhance mental and physical health in many ways, including relieving stress and clearing the mind. One look at Master Sang and his smiling class of students and I am inclined to believe it. Master Sang, who was taught his art by the same man who now teaches the president of China, is on a three-year trip to Ireland to help Irish people learn more about Chinese culture and traditions, such as Tai Chi. But since moving to Ireland, Master Sang has also learned a great deal about Ireland and Irish culture. The great martial arts expert, who was classmates with the famous martial arts expert Jet Li, has become enamoured with the great beauty that can be found in the Irish countryside as well as the taste of a good cup of Barrys Tea. Master Sang, an international teacher who is teaching Tai Chi on behalf of Confucius Institute UCC in conjunction with Irish-Chinese culture and Arts association at the Himalayan-Yoga centre, Penrose Wharf. Pic: Gavin Browne Living in Ireland for the past two years, Master Sang said he loves the Irish people who he finds friendly and kind, but he is not always a fan of the wet and windy Irish weather. The world renowned martial arts instructor, who has a number of prestigious gold medals for practising the art of Tai Chi also said he often misses his homeland and in particular Chinese cuisine as unfortunately Irish Chinese food is in his own words So-so. A very softly spoken man with broken English, Master Sang warns me although Tai Chi has a list of benefits to it, the effects are not instant. It is not like eating your dinner and then feeling full. Master Sang told me, Tai Chi takes time and patience to master. Intrigued by the art and inspired by the prestigious Master Sang, I decided to give the ancient art a go and see how I got on. The first thing I noticed about the class was how slow the movements were. This is easy, I thought to myself, Im a prodigy, Ill have this picked up in no time. Sadly I was very wrong. These movements developed into sequences and soon I was struggling through an intricate string of actions that engaged my entire body in an intense workout. However, as the class developed, I found myself accessing an oasis of serenity through focusing on fluid motions that needed precise execution and deep concentration. Master Sang, who travels to primary and secondary schools around the country showcasing Tai Chi, described the art as a very gentle exercise that increases a persons flexibility and strength. It takes about three months to really see the benefits, but once you do, you will notice your body is more balanced and your mind more relaxed. Martin Fitzgerald, who has been practising for the past five years explained the basis behind the principle of the Chi. It is all about the Chi or energy that flows through our bodies. As we practise Tai Chi we are pushing the Chi around the body. Martin said he finds Tai Chi useful for combating stress and exhaustion from his everyday life. I sometimes find myself using Tai Chi movements or breathing exercises to regain a sense of calm when work is hectic. Cora Burke, who has been studying Tai Chi with Master Sang for a year and a half said she hopes to keep up the art for the rest of her life. It is a very gentle martial art that is both fierce and beautiful. I find it very beneficial in my daily life and I have noticed a change in my lifestyle since taking up Tai Chi. Master Sang who is the 12th generation of Chen style Tai Chi has this advice for anyone thinking of taking up the ancient martial art. Patience is key to access the great benefits of Tai Chi. It is not an instant fix, it takes time to learn and appreciate, but with practice it can enhance your life with great physical benefits and improved mental health. Tai Chi is taught by Master Sang at the Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre, in Penrose Wharf, Cork city every Saturday at 3.30pm. The Menu and No 1 Son made a brief but glorious return to that scene some 10 years ago and the first new market they pitched up in was Bandon market, then still in fledgling status but already hinting at its potential to be the very fine market it has since become. It is now celebrating a full decade of serving the citizenry of Bandon and further afield with some of the very finest Irish food produce every Saturday morning. These days the offering is extensive and varied and includes Menu favourites: West Cork Larder pies, Laughing Willow Fermented Foods, great baking from the West Cork Baking Emporium, Heavens Cakes and Petras Oven gluten-free baked goods, Martin OLearys Organic Beara Lamb, West Cork Olive Company, The Real Meat Co-Operative, Ballycotton Veg, splendid Thai tastes of Asian Junction, Baltimore Fresh Fish Stall, and that summer swallow, recently returned, Lydia Bushby and her exquisite flowers along with father Daves unsurpassable strawberries, about the finest The Menu has ever eaten. And, of course, The Menu advises all and sundry to not pass the totemic Dutchy and his organic veg stall for the man embodies the spirit of all that is best about Bandon market and any interaction can only elevate mind, body and spirit. Happy Birthday, Bandon Market, and especial congratulations to its inimitable supremo, Shirley Kingston. * www.facebook.com/BandonFarmersMarket Grilling up a storm The Big Grill BBQ Festival & Competition (August 11-14) returns for a third outing to the leafy green Herbert Park, in Ballsbridge, Dublin, with yet another celebration of all that is best about the marriage of smoke and good meat. Showcasing Irish and international stars of live fire cooking, grilling and barbecuing from some truly superb pitmasters, guests include the internationally renowned Neil Rankin, from the UK, and Andre Lima De Luca, while those flying the flag for the home team include Kerryman John Relihan, recently transplanted from Jamie Olivers Barbacoa, in London, to new venture Holy Smoke, in Cork city. As well as all the demos and competitions there will be ample opportunity to slug back a fine Irish craft beer, the only option to wash down a plate of ribs or a bowl of smoky beef with many Menu faves on offer including, Metalman, Porterhouse, Eight Degrees, Kinnegar, OHaras, and Blacks of Kinsale, while those wishing to up the ante might seek out some very fine gins and wines, keeping an especial weather eye out for the Dingle Distillery crew. Along with all the usual assortment of family-friendly high jinks to keep all and sundry entertained there are several speakers worth checking out and there is sure to be a heavy emphasis on butchery with the renowned Richard Turner, of Hawksmoor/Pitt Cue but also one half of butcher duo, Turner and George, and Irish butchers Peter Hannan and Pat Whelan all in attendance. * www.biggrillfestival.com TODAYS SPECIAL Simpli Homemade Muesli Cereal Bar Mix is a canny idea indeed, a dry mix (containing oats, dates, coconut, almonds, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and linseed seeds) to which a body just adds sunflower oil and honey to make decent cereal bars, a healthy addition to any school lunchbox. But The Menu, ever a contrary sort, sought other applications, adding Ned McCarthys non-homogenised milk for an old-school bowl of muesli, soaking it overnight in his own homemade yoghurt and freshly squeezed apple juice for a most superior bircher and, finally, substituting melted butter for the sunflower oil and adding cinnamon to the honey, he created a fine crisp and crunchy granola that lasted for the entirety of a single breakfast. Very simpli indeed! * www.facebook.com/SimpliBrownBreadMix There is a near-certainty in American political speech, going back to the 1980s: When a senior US official labels you a thug, trouble follows. Thug is the safest go-to word in the lexicon of American Exceptionalism. So, it is with concern that folks are lining up at the mic to call Russian president Vladimir Putin just that. Current president Barack Obama called him a thug, as did failed Republican nomination candidate Marco Rubio, who added gangster for good measure. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryans spokesperson found fault with Mr Putin and his whole nation, even adding an adjective: Russia is a global menace led by a devious thug. One rarely hears ruffian, hooligan, vandal, hoodlum or villain, but watch out for thug. While throwing the term at Mr Putin is tied to the weak public evidence supposedly linking Russian state hacker to the Democratic National Committee computer breach, there may be larger issues in the background. It seems the word thug is a sort of whistle that when blown signals Americans and their media to psyche up for a new fight. For example, Secretary of State John Kerry on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: A thug and murderer. Kerry also said, Daesh [Islamic State] is in fact nothing more than a mixture of killers, of kidnappers, of criminals, of thugs ... Then-president George W Bush on al Qaeda: If we let down our guard against this group of thugs, they will hurt us again. Bush also thought Saddam Hussein was a thug. Bashar al-Assad Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Muammar Gaddafi: Look, everybody understands Gaddafi is a thug and murderer. Madeleine Albright found thugs in Somalia and the Balkans for the wars of her era as secretary of state. But why Mr Putin, and why now? Perhaps what were seeing is preparation for the next iteration of Americas perpetual state of war. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the conclusion of the Cold War (the end of history, as Francis Fukuyama called it), there was no global enemy for America to face down. No big nasty to spur weapons procurement, to justify a huge standing military with hundreds of bases around the world, or to pick fights with to allow a president down in the polls to morph into a superhero. A lot of people had a lot of power and money in play that demanded some real bad guys. An attempt was made in the 1980s to make drug lords the new major threat, but they were too few in number to sustain the media campaign. Following 9/11, the bad guys were the terrorists. The George W Bush administration riffed off that theme in appointing Saddam Hussein as a weapons-of-mass-destruction threat and in tagging Iran and North Korea as members of an axis of evil. Saddam Hussein turned out to be a bust, and the war in Iraq was very unpopular. Osama bin Laden never launched a second attack on the US, and the Taliban was dragged down by a war that seemed to lose its focus after 15 years. Iran and North Korea make a lot of noise but never seemed able to do real harm to America. The US made a good-faith effort trying to label all sorts of others Gaddafi, Assad, Islamic State as global enemies worthy of perpetual war, but the Middle East in general has turned into a quagmire. America likes a winner, or at least the appearance of winning. Ahead of the next administration, Washington really needs an arch enemy, a poster-child kind of guy who looks like a James Bond villain. And preferably one with nuclear weapons hell brandish but never use. Enter Putin the Thug. Americans are already well-prepared by the old Cold War to see Russia again as an evil empire, and Mr Putin looks the part. The Russians are involved in Syrias civil war, so there is some sense of continuity. A new Cold War with Russia would require America to buy more expensive military hardware, and find new areas of Europe, such as the Baltic states, to garrison. It might even breathe new life into a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation that is confused about its role vis-a-vis terrorism. For politicians, ceaselessly shouting about the Muslim threat has proved to have downsides: It has inflamed many Muslims, perhaps pushing them toward radicalisation. In addition, it turns out there are Muslim voters in the US, and people who respect Muslims. The Kahn familys speech to the Democratic National Convention about the death of their soldier son was proof of that. On the other hand, Mr Putin doesnt vote, only a handful of far leftists think hes a good guy, and he can be slapped around in soundbites without risk that he will actually launch a war against the US. Why, he can even be accused, without penalty, of meddling in our democratic processes. Putin the Thug is a political-military-industrial-complex dream candidate. Expect him to feature heavily in the next administrations foreign policy. Peter Van Buren, who served in the US State Department for 24 years, is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, a look at the waste and mismanagement of the Iraqi reconstruction. His latest book is Ghosts of Tom Joad: A Story of the #99 Percent. He is on Twitter @WeMeantWell That threat comes from North Korea which has just test-fired a ballistic missile, which landed 250km off Japans coast. Japans prime minister Shinzo Abe condemned it as an outrageous act that posed a serious threat that cannot be tolerated. Given its chequered miliary history, there is probably little that Japan can do to counteract this on its own. THEY were told to zip their jumpers up and stand straight when they were singing the national anthem. Im left wondering does everyone have to pledge allegiance to the Irish State if theyre learning Irish in the Gaeltacht? Im wondering if it would it be out of the question to be an Ulster unionist and learn Irish at one of our Irish colleges. Im wondering if its out of the question to go to Irish college if youre not Irish. And is it a requirement to be a Catholic? Mass is part of the programme in most of the Irish colleges I looked into: Mass, without even a politically correct nod to If you wish to take part or if you have another Church you want to go to. Can you not learn Irish at the Gaeltacht if youre a Muslim? Is it all one big package: Irish nationalism, the Irish language, and the Catholic Church? Do you have to buy the whole thing? About 24,000 kids went to Irish college in the summer last year and probably a few more went this year as the economy improved. Im sure most of them had a fantastic time. I have three such happy punters in my own house who met people from all over Ireland and gained independence as well as hugely improving their Irish. Personally, I have no problem with Mass or Amhran na bhFiann or ceilis. I just wonder if we know what were doing as we hand our kids this package which they know has been wrapped up specially for them. Because no one in the Gaeltacht lives in this Gaeltacht bubble. No one ever has. In fact the most recent study of the impact of Gaeltacht colleges, undertaken by NUI Maynooth, found that when there was contact between the students and the Gaeltacht youngsters they tended to speak in English. Can you blame them? Would you want to speak pidgin to another young person when you both have perfect fluency in another language a language in which both of you are likely to be more fluent than you are in Irish? My kids do a good imitation of the po-faced renditions of Amhran na bhFiann at Irish college, but they loved it all. What I worry about is that none of this experience will carry into their daily life. The Irish language is presented to them in a time warp when everyone went to Mass and saluted the national flag. Except there never was such a time. The Gaeltacht experience of the Irish colleges is a fiction and the kids know it. I fear the Irish gets left behind as soon as the bus leaves for home. More than 20,000 kids down from 28,000 in the boom times go to Irish college in the summer every year. They live with Irish-speaking families and are more or less obliged to speak Irish all of the time for three weeks. And yet our kids Irish is no better than ours was. So what is going on? How can the Irish language hope to translate into their day-to-day life if it is presented as being spoken exclusively by Irish nationalists who go to Mass in picturesque parts of the western sea-board? And how far will this have to depart from the reality of the Gaeltacht in which most 12-year-olds have more English than Irish and Mass attendance is poor, before some change comes to the Irish colleges? Will our kids kids be singing in Irish at Mass during Irish college when no one in the area speaks Irish and no one goes to Mass? Already the Maynooth study cited one case in which Mass is in English during the year but in Irish in summer for the students. Youd be forced to ask what is going on. Irish Colleges main purpose is often childcare and the June courses could be sold twice over, suiting parents with other kids in primary or doing exams. Our secondary school year is truncated and the June courses fill the gap. Its not surprising that parents who send their kids to Gaeltacht are working hard. Three weeks in Gaeltacht costs parents up to 950 and financial considerations are the main factor influencing parents not to send their children, according the Maynooth study. Thats clearly why the numbers fell during the Recession and are now rising again. Another massive expense for parents is the often near-obligatory weekend visit which can mean travel and an overnight stay. The main aim of these visits is to funnel money into the area in all, the Irish colleges are worth 50m a year to the Gaeltacht economies but it is often money parents can ill afford. One college is quoted in the Maynooth study as saying one or more parents came to visit 220 out of 240 students on a particular Sunday. The other 20 kids must have felt great. Despite the huge financial barrier to kids accessing these courses, the State is paying the mna tithe in the houses in which most of the children stay a tax-free subvention of 9.50 per student per day to keep them. This subvention amounted to 3.7m from the State to the mna tithe last year. The money is incredibly useful to these rural women in places where there is very little other employment. Arguably, it keeps life in these communities. But you really have to ask whether it is right that such a big State subsidy goes to fund an educational experience available only to the better-off. Scholarship support is patchy and random, depending mostly on initiatives made by individual colleges. If youre asking if the colleges keep the Irish language alive in the Gaeltacht youd have to answer that it doesnt. The latest research from the NUI suggests the language has 15 to 20 years left as a living language in the so-called Gaeltacht. You can even argue that the coming of droves of English-speaking students has hastened the decline of the language. You have to wonder what it has done to Irish-speakers perception of their language to see it as their cash cow. My children had mixed reports as to the friendliness of the natives they met while at Irish college and there is possibly resentment of these thousands of children who arrive every summer and make poor stabs at speaking their language. I like my kids being out West and I like them speaking Irish. I am happy for them to go to Mass through Irish in the local community and to experience ceilis and traditional music and Gaelic games. But at some point we are going to have to examine the fact that as a society we are spending millions of euro sending our children into an artificial zone to experience a life and a language that we have largely abandoned. Were going to have to ask ourselves if we send them into their Gaelic bubble because we dont want to trouble ourselves with big questions like, What is irish identity? and What place has the Irish language in that identity? Were going to have to ask ourselves if were not, as usual, making a symbolic act through our children while we get on with something more important like going shopping. A scathing joint report by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said detainees on the Pacific island nation of Nauru, where Australia sends asylum seekers, are denied medical care, frequently attempt suicide, and endure physical assaults by locals. Australias policy of exiling asylum seekers who arrive by boat is cruel in the extreme, said Anna Neistat, senior director for research at Amnesty International. Few other countries go to such lengths to deliberately inflict suffering on people seeking safety. Australias Department of Immigration and Border Protection criticised the groups for not consulting with the government while preparing the report. We would strongly encourage Amnesty International to contact the department before airing allegations of this kind, the department said in a statement. The department strongly refutes many of the allegations in the report. However, the department did not respond to a request seeking details on what parts of the report it was refuting. Australia refuses to accept any asylum seekers who attempt to reach its shores by boat. Instead, it pays Nauru and the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea to hold them often for years. Reports of abuse, miserably hot and crowded living conditions, and frequent suicide attempts at the detention camps have plagued Australia for years; in April, an Iranian refugee on Nauru died after setting himself on fire. Human rights groups have long called on Australia to abandon its offshore detention policy, calling the practice a violation of human rights obligations. Australia argues that the policy has saved lives by removing the incentive for migrants to attempt the deadly ocean crossing from Indonesia to Australia in rickety boats. Critics say the country has simply traded one evil for another. Journalists have been almost entirely banned from the island of Nauru. However, researchers from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said they were able to enter the country last month, spending 12 days interviewing 84 refugees and asylum seekers. Those interviewed said they were suffering from severe anxiety and depression. Both adults and children told interviewers they wanted to kill themselves. Since last year, asylum seekers held in detention centre have been allowed to leave the camp and move about the island during the day but many say they are too afraid to do so. Egypts general prosecution ordered Thursday the four-day detention of a police officer pending investigations into the murder of a man in an exchange of fire with police in the Minya village of El-Baiho. A complaint was filed to police by the head of the village's local council stating that the victim assaulted and threatened police and a municipality employee who were attempting to remove an unlicensed cafe. The police said that the victim, who has a criminal record, opened fire at the officers, leading security forces to return fire, fatally injuring the victim. In April, a low-ranking police officer shot dead a street vendor over the price of a cup of tea and was afterwards charged with murder. The officer was referred to criminal prosecution. The interior ministry said they have drafted legislative amendments that would regulate the performance of security services, stressing that regulations would apply to the entire police force, not only low-ranking policemen. The amendments have been referred to parliament but have not yet been voted on. Search Keywords: Short link: Ten people were taken to hospital after the incident at Dubai International Airport, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum told a news conference. The accident happened as Flight EK521, a Boeing 777, was arriving from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. There were 300 people on board the aircraft at the time, including four Irish people. The accident was the most serious ever for Emirates, which has grown at a breakneck pace over the last three decades and turned its home city of Dubai into a major long-haul international air hub. It was the second major air disaster for a Dubai government-backed airline in less than five months. A FlyDubai 737-800 jetliner crashed in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in March, killing all 62 on board. The two airlines operate independently of one another, though they share the same chairman and are both ultimately owned by the government of Dubai. Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Mr Al Maktoum stressed that all passengers, including four Irish, were safely evacuated before the plane was engulfed in a fireball. He said one firefighter died trying to put out the blaze. Emirates said the accident happened at around 12.45pm local time as Flight EK521 was arriving from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. It confirmed that all passengers and crew are accounted for and safe, but gave no details of what went wrong. We do not have ... all the information. Thankfully there [were] no fatalities among our passengers and crew, Mr Al Maktoum said in a video statement . Our thoughts are with everyone involved. The Boeing 777-300 was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew members from 20 different countries, according to the airline. Those onboard included 226 Indians, 24 Britons, 11 Emiratis, and six each from the United States and Saudi Arabia. Airline officials refused to answer questions from journalists, including what might have caused the accident. A problem with the planes landing gear appeared to have at least been a contributing factor. Some excesses make your stomach turn, even in the United States, especially when as did Donald Trump he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier, Mr Hollande told members of the French Presidential Press Association. Mr Hollande was referring to Mr Trumps recent comments about Captain Humayun Khan, a US soldier killed in Iraq in 2004. Capt Khans parents criticised Mr Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric, only for Mr Trump to suggest the Khans were controlled by rival Hillary Clintons campaign and Ms Khan wasnt allowed to speak. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said Mr Hollandes comments were a response to Mr Trumps recent verbal attacks on France. In this campaign, there are some extremely unusual types of comments, Mr Le Foll told reporters following a cabinet meeting. Last month, Mr Trump said France would be among countries he would subject to the extreme vetting he is proposing for those seeking to enter the US, a move he says is necessary to deter attacks by people coming from countries compromised by terrorism. France has been hit by a series of attacks by Islamic extremists since 2015. Mr Le Foll also said US president Barack Obama was well qualified to make comments describing Mr Trump as unfit and woefully unprepared to serve in the White House. In June, Mr Hollande said he would consider Mr Trumps election as dangerous and it would complicate relationships between Europe and the US. Mr Hollande said he was hearing hurtful, humiliating comments during the campaign. Speaking about politicians in general, he said they should be respected when they are respectable. If the Americans choose Trump, that will have consequences, because an American election is a world election, said Mr Hollande. It could lead to a very strong turn to the right in the world, or to a correction ... the American campaign shows issues that will be reflected in the French campaign. However, there was no evidence that Republican officials were backing off their support of Mr Trump in the White House race. Party chair Reince Priebus, a close friend of Mr Ryan, is deeply irritated by Mr Trumps recent actions and his unwillingness to listen to the advice of senior advisers. Mr Priebus has been speaking with campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the billionaires children, who are said to agree that Mr Trump needs to stop picking fights within his own party, according to a Republican official with knowledge of the conversations. Mr Priebus and the Trump confidants, as well as numerous Republican politicians, have been particularly irked by the candidates repeated criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, a US Army captain, was killed in Iraq in 2004. Mr Trump yesterday dismissed suggestions that the frustration was hurting his campaign. He wrote on Twitter: There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H! a reference to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump stunned Republicans by telling The Washington Post in an interview that he was not ready to endorse Mr Ryan, who faces a primary contest in Wisconsin next week. Mr Ryan has backed Mr Trump despite deep differences on policy and temperament, and has encouraged other Republicans to unite behind the partys nominee. Mr Trumps latest comments come on the heels of his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. Mr Trump has said he himself was viciously attacked by the Khans, who appeared at last weeks Democratic convention and challenged the Republicans fitness to be US president. Former Trump adviser Barry Bennett acknowledged signs of poor morale among the campaign staff he maintains contact with, but said it would be silly to dismiss Mr Trumps chances with three months to go before the election. This would be the end of any other Republican candidate in the history of the country. And hes only five or six points behind, said Mr Bennett. The discord comes just two weeks after the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that formally nominated Mr Trump for president. It is the latest rift in a party already frayed by internal dissent over its standard bearer, seen in stark relief at the convention where John McCain was among high-level party members who essentially snubbed Mr Trump by choosing not to attend. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, and former presidents George HW Bush and George W Bush also did not attend the convention. Mr Trump has had a running dispute with Mr and Mrs Khan since they took the stage at the Democratic convention to cite their sons sacrifice and criticise Mr Trumps proposed ban on Muslims entering the US. The uproar has led many Republicans to distance themselves from Mr Trump and voice support for the Khan family. Mr Trump, mirroring the language Mr Ryan used about supporting the nominee before his eventual endorsement, told the newspaper he was not quite there yet on endorsing Mr Ryan in next Tuesdays Wisconsin primary, and that he had never been there with Mr McCain, who will be on the ballot in primary elections in Arizona later this month. Mr McCain had a very friendly meeting with Mr Trumps vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, on Tuesday in Arizona, where Mr Pence was visiting, a McCain spokeswoman said. Mr Trump said Mr Ryan had sought his endorsement, but that as of now he is only giving it very serious consideration. Mr Ryans campaign office quickly responded that neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trumps endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week regardless, campaign spokesman Zack Roday said in a statement. Mr Ryan is favoured to win against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, who Mr Trump praised as running a very good campaign. In a mid-July survey by Harper Polling, Mr Ryan was ahead of Mr Nehlen by nearly 50 points. The decision to keep Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr, 76, imprisoned was met with applause at the hearing in Montgomery. Relatives of the girls killed spoke against Blantons release during the hearing. Amina Al-Jeffery who grew up in Swansea and who has dual British and Saudi Arabian nationality that says her father, Saudi Arabian academic Mohammed Al-Jeffery, has locked her up because she kissed a guy. Lawyers representing Ms Al-Jeffery have taken legal action and asked Mr Justice Holman to look at ways of helping her. The judge, who analysed the arguments at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London in July, has begun to deliver a ruling. Mr Justice Holman was told that Ms Al-Jeffery left Swansea and moved to Saudi Arabia with her family four years ago. Mr Justice Holman said he had concluded that Ms Al-Jefferys freedom of movement had been severely constrained. He said she could be described as caged although not literally in a cage. The judge said Mr Al-Jeffery should give his daughter back her Saudi and British passports and pay her fare. He added: Current circumstances are such that this British citizen does require protection. She is currently in peril from which she requires to be rescued. The judge said he had decided that he should take steps to protect Ms Al-Jeffery from London. He added: To do nothing at all would, in my view, be dereliction towards Amina. Solicitor Anne-Marie Hutchinson, who represented Ms Al-Jeffery, said after the ruling: We have got exactly what we wanted. Mr Justice Holman said there was no reason to suppose that Mr Al-Jeffery would not comply with a proportionate order. He said he accepted that there was little or nothing he could do to enforce the order if Mr Al-Jeffery did not comply. However, he said he had a moral hold over Mr Al-Jeffery. The judge also said Mr Al-Jeffery might face contempt of court proceedings if he returned to Britain without having complied. Mr Justice Holman said Ms Al-Jeffery should be returned by September 11. He said he aimed to analyse the case again on September 13. Mr Erdogan told RAI television the investigation by prosecutors in the northern city of Bologna, where Bilal, 35, had been studying, might affect bilateral links. If my son came back to Italy at this moment, he could be arrested, Mr Erdogan said in an interview with the state broadcaster. This could even cause problems for our relationship with Italy. Bilal went to Italy in 2015 to finish a doctorate. It was not clear when he left, but a legal source said he had been back in Turkey for some time. He denies wrongdoing. Mr Erdogan, criticised in the West for the scale of a post-coup crackdown, told RAI: Italy should be attending to the mafia, not my son. In response, Matteo Renzi, the prime minister, said Italy had an independent legal system and judges answer to the Italian constitution and not the Turkish president. Turkish authorities have detained, suspended or placed under investigation more than 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service, and education system since the failed July 15 bid to overthrow Mr Erdogan, in which more than 230 people were killed. The investigation followed accusations by Murat Hakan Uzan, an exiled member of one of Turkeys richest families and an opponent of the president, a legal source said. Bilals lawyer said his client declared all his economic and financial activity is totally transparent and legal, and the accusations are completely unfounded. In July, Nicholas Young, who lives in Virginia, sent codes for gift cards worth $245 to an FBI informant. The gift cards were intended for mobile-messaging accounts IS uses to recruit its followers. Mr Young believed the informant was an acquaintance of his who was working with IS, court records said. Mr Young, 36, who had worked for the transit authority since 2003, had been on the radar of US law enforcement since 2010, according to an affidavit in the complaint filed in federal court in Virginia. Joshua Stueve, spokesman for the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said Young posed no threat to the Metro system. Court documents show Mr Young directed his efforts at seeking to help IS overseas. FBI spokesman Andrew Ames confirmed that Mr Young is the first law enforcement officer to be charged under the federal governments terrorism law. Prosecutors said it was Metro Transit Police that initiated the investigation, and then worked co-operatively with the FBI. Metro authorities said Mr Young was fired immediately after his arrest yesterday. In 2014, he met several times with an undercover agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an eager recruit of IS, according to the affidavit, and advised the agent about how to evade law enforcement as he left the US to join the militant group. Metro transit police alerted the FBI about this individual and then worked with our federal partners throughout the investigation, said Metro general manager Paul Wiedefeld. It was also reported that Mr Young travelled to Libya twice in 2011, where he said he joined rebels trying to oust Muammar Gaddafi. Asia KBZ Bank Opens Office in Bangkok Kanbawza Bank (KBZ Bank) has opened a representative office in Bangkok, the first Burmese bank to establish an international presence. Kanbawza Bank (KBZ Bank) has opened a representative office in Bangkok, the first Burmese bank to establish an international presence. Earlier this year, KBZ Bank officially received a licence from the Bank of Thailand to open the office in the capital. The bank also recently obtained a representative licence to open an office in Singapore, continuing its planned expansion within the Asean region. Than Cho, senior managing director of KBZ Bank, said the office would start offering financial and advisory services as soon as possible to Burmese people and to businesses in Thailand. Naturally, Thai businesses are interested in entering Burma. We hope they take advantage of our extensive knowledge of Burmas financial markets and join the growing bilateral trade between our two countries, he said. Zeyar Sein Htut, KBZ Banks new chief in Thailand, said the bank will focus on activities such as market research, liaising with the private sector and serving as a source of information, including regulatory requirements for doing business both in Thailand and Burma. KBZ Bank wants to explore opportunities to build relations with, and eventually cater to, the large Burmese population in the kingdomestimated at 3 million peoplewhen they return to their home country. Thailands Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan met Burmas President Htin Kyaw in Naypyidaw last month. The two countries announced they intended to double bilateral trade to US$20 billion in 2017. Burma A Legacy of Military Land Grabs in the Delta: a Test for the New Govt The large-scale dispossession of farmers in the Irrawaddy Delta, some linked to Shwe Man, may challenge civil-military relations under the new government. By the standards of her village in Burmas swampy Irrawaddy Delta, Than Shin was a prosperous woman. She had 20 acres of farmland on which her family grew rice. But her fortunes changed in 2000 when the military government informed her it was taking possession of her land. Over the next year, Than Shin watched as the fields that for decades had provided her family with a living were cleared to make way for fish farms. Today, Than Shin and her family live in a thatched shack along the main road leading to Burmas commercial capital Yangon. Her 67-year-old husband goes door to door on his bicycle selling soybeans. We depended on that land our whole lives. When they grabbed it, we had nothing, no income. We had to eat curry made from leaves, she told Reuters. Than Shins story is just one example of what the ruling party of Aung San Suu Kyi says was the systematic confiscation of land from farmers by the army and the placing of that land in the hands of crony companies close to the military junta that ruled Burma for half a century. The fish farms that were built on her land were owned by a company linked to then regional military commander Shwe Mann, who is now one of Burmas most powerful political figures, according to a Reuters review of corporate filings. When Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) stormed to power in elections last November, its victory was fueled in part by rural anger over land seizures and the partys pledge to provide redress. Just days after the NLD formed the first government since 1962 that is not backed by the military, the new deputy agriculture minister told local media that returning land to its rightful owners was the duty of the government. Now the NLD is moving to make good on that promise. The parliament member overseeing the effort, Sein Win, told Reuters the party aims to solve all land-grab cases within one year. Thats an ambitious timeframe. In untangling land disputes, the new government will have to contend with powerful business interests, many linked to the military. That could put Suu Kyi on a collision course with the generals and threaten Burmas fragile transition to democracy. VIRGIN LAND The NLDs Sein Win estimates that the number of land-grab cases is in the hundreds of thousands. Based on surveys conducted by the partys branches around the country, he says that between three to five million acres of land was forcibly taken by the military. Shwe Mann, the former army commander, held the powerful post of speaker in the previous military-dominated parliament. Today, he is a close confidante of Suu Kyi. In a rare interview, he defended the juntas actions, saying that vast swathes of land were allocated to him in his capacity as the regional commander and to local authorities by the government as part of a national project by Burmas military rulers in the 1990s to bolster food security and agricultural production. All the land in the area he oversaw, he said, was vacant, fallow or virgin and so the juntas actions were not illegal. Still, Shwe Mann said there could be a discrepancy between whats on the map in the land record office and the situation on the ground. In the past, he said, farmers did not want to register land as agricultural to avoid participation in a socialist economy. The military did not respond to questions from Reuters. The previous military-dominated parliament set up two bodies to investigate and mediate land-grab cases, but was criticized for dragging its feet. In total, the government reviewed 17,000 cases, but only resolved around 1,000, according to local media reports. With Suu Kyis party now taking the lead, the new government has formed a taskforce to deal with land-grab cases. In June alone, 6,434 acres of land that was seized in the Irrawaddy Delta was returned to 324 villagers, according to the state-owned Myanma Alinn Daily and local media. The vast majority of land was taken in the 1990s and early 2000s, amid a military-led transition from socialism to a market-driven economy. The state owned all land, but farmers were granted rights to cultivate it. The land grabs were done by the (junta) government, with most of it going to the military, companies, government departments and ministries, the NLDs Sein Win said. MILITARY CONNECTIONS Hta Ni village, a collection of hamlets about two hours from Yangon, encapsulates the challenge facing Suu Kyi. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, local authorities under then-Southwestern Regional Military Commander Shwe Mann seized roughly 1,000 acres from about 200 homes, according to local paralegals who base their estimate on statements and documents from villagers. It was during this period that 474 acres of land in Hta Ni was handed to Asia Might Co. Ltd., the company with ties to Shwe Mann, for an aquaculture project. The former commander confirmed that Asia Might was linked to him and that it took part in the project at his request. He also confirmed that the company was run at the time by Min Naing, whom he described as a close friend. A brother of Shwe Mann served as a company director and was a minority shareholder, according to corporate filings. When it comes to my role, I take full responsibility, said Shwe Mann. I acted according to the existing law. Min Naing did not respond to questions from Reuters that were sent via a son of Shwe Mann. There are a lot of villages, particularly across the delta, which have lost almost all of their agricultural land to land grabs, said Tim Millar, the Burma program director of Namati, a legal aid group involved in helping farmers in Burma retrieve their land. With the start of Burmas transition away from military rule in 2011, villagers began actively demanding the return of land. After its November election victory, the NLD instructed its branches across the country to gather information on land dispute cases. Now that the review has begun, the NLDs Sein Win is hoping his partys massive parliamentary majority will forestall any resistance from the military. It wont be easy. The countrys constitution still reserves key ministerial posts for the military, including defense, border affairs and internal affairs. And Suu Kyis relationship with the army is strained: The constitution drafted by the military in 2008, for instance, bars her from the presidency. Whether or not these cases will be solved depends on whether the NLD has a good relationship with the military commander-in-chief, said Myint Naing, the director of Human Rights Watch Defence, a local NGO in the Irrawaddy Delta that is helping the villagers in Hta Ni. If theyre not resolved, well be forced to take to the streets, he said. LIKE SELLING STOLEN GOODS Frustration has already boiled over. A police officer was killed and 40 people injured in a 2013 land protest in the village of Ma Let Toe, not far from where Than Shin lost her land 16 years ago. Villagers are still occupying a tract of land they say was stolen by the army and forms part of a fish and rice farm owned by Orchard Co. Ltd. Orchards owner, Myint Sein, says his entire concession was either virgin land given to him for free by the military or land that he legally purchased from farmers. He showed Reuters a 2003 aerial map of some of the concession area, which shows a section of the land as empty swamp. But the map did not include the area currently occupied by protesting farmers. Adding to the challenge of addressing land disputes is the sheer complexity of the cases and often the absence of a clear paper trail. In many areas of the country, documents such as land tax receipts, government loan books, land use permits and witness statements from village elders have been destroyed by the damp climate. Cyclone Nargis, which killed as many as 140,000 people in the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008, also destroyed many of the documents kept by locals in their homes. Land-grab victims often dont know who now owns the land they once farmed. In many cases, the land has been divided and sold on several times, further complicating efforts to settle disputes. None of the Hta Ni villagers or NGO workers interviewed by Reuters were aware that Asia Might was linked to Shwe Mann. Whats more, Asia Might no longer owns the land. In the mid-2000s, the company transferred ownership, according to the chief land office official in the area. Even if companies that were originally given the land have sold it on, the transfer should be viewed like selling stolen goods, Namatis Millar said. Its not theirs to sell in the first place. Egyptian armed forces announced Thursday the killing of militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis leader Abu Doaa Al-Ansari and a number of his associates in air strikes against the group's strongholds south and south-west of Al-Arish in Sinai, the army spokesman said. In a statement on his official Facebook page, the army spokesman announced that the operation, which was undertaken by anti-terrorist forces in cooperation with the air force, also killed 45 members of the Sinai-based group, injured dozens and destroyed weapons, ammunition and explosives storage facilities. The group, which originated in Sinai, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and its leader, Abu Bakr El-Baghdadi, in November. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks against security personnel and installations in the restive North Sinai. The army recently announced the killing of hundreds of the militants in a military operation entitled Martyr's Right. A decade-long Islamist militant insurgency in the northern part of the peninsula has intensified over the past two years following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Search Keywords: Short link: Burma Advocacy Group Calls for Release of Arrested Arakan Activist EarthRights International calls for the immediate release of prominent environmental activist Khine Myo Htun, who will appear for a court hearing on Friday. EarthRights International (ERI) called on Thursday for the immediate release of prominent environmental activist Khine Myo Htun, who will appear for a court hearing on Friday. Khine Myo Htun, deputy-spokesperson for the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) was arrested last week in Arakan States capital Sittwe, after being accused of sedition and incitement under Burmas severe penal code. He faces charges for accusing the Burma Army of committing war crimes in the state. In its statement on Thursday, United States based advocacy organization ERI said that Khine Myo Htuns arrest was politically motivated. Ka Hsaw Wa, co-founder and executive director of ERI said in the statement that the Burma Army had once again demonstrated its ruthlessness and unwillingness to change by going after activists who dared to expose its abuses, despite the introduction of a new democratic government. It is disgraceful that human rights activists continue to be persecuted for exercising their democratic rights in a country led by a former prisoner of conscience, he added. The Arakan Liberation Army, the military wing of Khine Myo Htuns ALP party, was one of eight non-state ethnic armed groups that signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) in October with the former government. The outspoken activist was charged under sections 505(b) and 505(c) of Burmas Penal Code for sedition and incitement respectively. The charges were filed by Lt Col Tin Naing Tun from the Sittwe-based Regional Operations Command of the Burma Army on May 5. Khine Myo Htun is a former student at ERIs school for human rights and environmental activists in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He also worked with Arakan Oil Watch, an environmental and human rights group. He is the co-founder of Natural Resources for the People and a board member of the Arakan Natural Resources and Environmental Network. In April, the ALP incited controversy when it accused the Burma Army of violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians for forced portering and torture. ERI, however, said that it had reviewed the audio and video evidence backing torture and forced portering allegations against the army and deemed that it was credible. The rights advocacy group said it would support Khine Myo Htuns legal case. Burma For Sumlut Roi Jas Husband, Trauma Continues Five Years After Her Disappearance Since Roi Ja disappeared from Kachin State in 2011, her husband Dau Lum has struggled with chronic illness and depression; Roi Ja, believed to have been abducted by Burma Army soldiers, has never been found. Since his wife disappeared in Oct. 2011, Dau Lum has struggled with chronic illness and depression. Sumlut Roi Ja, a then-28-year-old mother of one, was abducted while harvesting corn, allegedly by Burma Army soldiers from the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 321 in eastern Kachin State. It is believed that she was raped and murdered, but her body was never found. At the time of the interview with The Irrawaddy in late July, Dau Lum is still visibly distressed. I often get sick, and since she was taken, my mind has become traumatized and sad, Dau Lum said. He and his lawyer took the case against the commander of LIB 321 all the way to Burmas Supreme Court, but it was dismissed in 2012 due to a lack of evidence. Although he traveled to Naypyidaw, Dau Lum was not allowed a chance to testify. Since then, civil society organizations have attempted to put pressure on public officials to re-examine the case, particularly the Kachin Womens Association Thailand (KWAT), which sent an open letter to ex-president Thein Sein asking him to re-open the Roi Jas case. He did not. Dau Lum and his parents have since abandoned their village of Hkaibang and relocated to a camp for internally displaced people, about a three-hour drive from Mai Ja Yang on the Chinese border. The Irrawaddy visited Dau Lum and Roi Jas house, built just after their marriage in 2007, but now abandoned. Uninhabited, it is now broken and empty of belongings. Dau Lum and Roi Jas daughter entered first grade this year. The girl, Dau Lum said, often asks him where her mother is. I say to her, your mother went to look for money, he said, using a local expression for leaving home in search of employment. Then, she replies, why does it take her so long to find money? Dau Lum still remembers the last day he saw his wife. They were with his father, harvesting corn just outside their village. He said Burma Army soldiers appeared and detained themDau Lum and his father managed to escape, but as soldiers shot after them, Roi Ja could not keep up. They tightened the rope around our hands, but the three of us ran away. Then, they shot at us, and my wife was afraid, and she could not run anymore, he said. Some locals reported seeing her in the Burma Army barracks on the mountain ridge outside the village. Troops from the Kachin Independence Armya local ethnic armed groupwho monitored the base said, on at least one occasion, they saw a woman they identified as Roi Ja. The Irrawaddy asked Dau Lum whether he believed Roi Ja was still alive. She is not alive, he said quietly. She has been killed already. Burma Govt Blacklist Practices Highlight Lack of Transparency, Activists Say The Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population announce the removal of over 600 people from Burmas notorious blacklist, but fail to disclose their names. RANGOON The Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population officially announced on Wednesday the removal of over 600 people from Burmas notorious blacklist. A total of 619 namesof both foreign and Burmese nationalswere taken off of a previously existing blacklist of more than 4,380 people, minister Thein Swe told the reporters at a press conference in Naypyidaw. The names which have been removed include individuals put on the blacklist by the former Thein Sein government for political reasons, according to Minister Thein Swe. He said there was no plan to disclose the blacklisted names, in order to protect the privacy of the people in question. Fifteen ministries are working together to scrutinize the list of blacklisted people and to continue relaxing regulations, he added. Despite the removals, activists are still skeptical about the announcement, which comes on the heels of an incident involving Maung Maung Wann, an educator, 88-generation political dissident and former Burmese political prisoner who was deported back to the US on Tuesday by Burmese immigration officers at the Rangoon International Airport. They claimed he was on the countrys blacklist. Maung Maung Wann was in fact granted entry to Burma with the permission of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, but he was forced to return to the United States before being notified of this development. So why was Maung Maung Wann, a US citizen, issued a visa by the Burmese embassy in the United States if his name was featured on a blacklist? Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary with the Immigration and Population Department, told The Irrawaddy that the name Maung Maung Wann was on the blacklist until August 2, but was removed. However, spokesperson Aye Aye Soe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on Wednesday that the Burmese embassy in the US had issued him a visa because his name was not on the blacklist that the ministry had used as a reference. Aung Myo Min, executive director of Equality Myanmar and a once-exiled activist, questioned the government mechanisms at play, describing them as not transparent and exhibiting a lack of coordination. The case proves there is a lack of coordination between respective ministries, he said. Such a blacklistand the removalsshould be announced publicly so that similar cases to Maung Maung Wann do not happen again. Without knowing who is still on the blacklist and who has been removed, we cant pressure the government about who else should be removed, he explained. Bo Kyi, of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) agreed that the current government faces challenges in reforming the much-criticized bureaucracy of its predecessors. He also highlighted the lack of clear guidelines and government policy reflected in the removals. Some exiled activists have been forced to sign pledges that they will not engage in political activity in Burma, lest they face a rejection of their visa if they try to return. Ko Ni, a legal advisor to the ruling National League for Democracy party, said that the current government should remove all names of those who were put on the blacklist by the former military junta due to their political stances or dissident beliefs. He also feels these changes should be publicly announced once they are finalized. Former President Thein Seins administration removed more than 2,000 names from a blacklist of more than 6,000 in 2012one year into his quasi-civilian rule. The names included many exiled pro-democracy activists, foreign journalists and political critics. Burma Govt to Take Action Against Those Behind Illegal Hpakant Mosque The religious affairs ministry announces that the mosque burnt down by a mob in rural Kachin State had been built illegally on state-owned land. RANGOON The Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs has announced that the mosque burned down by a mob in rural Hpakant Township in Kachin State had been built illegally on state-owned land, and action would be taken against those who constructed it. The mosque, in Lebyin Village of Lone Khin Village Tract, was burned down by a Buddhist nationalist mob on July 1, after which five locals were arrested. The Irrawaddy phoned the Lon Khin Village Tract administrator and local police officials but they could not be reached. The ministrys statement on Thursday via state-owned media outlined the background of the Muslim place of worship, according to government investigations: Ye Maung, a local Muslim, was permitted to construct a temporary home in 1985 on vacant land in the village held by Khin Maung, the chairman of the local Peoples Council. After the latters death, the land defaulted back to the state. In September 2014, Sonny Thein, another local Muslim, was being employed as a supervisor on the construction of the Uru Creek Bridge in the village. Sonny Thein erected a wall around a yard adjacent to the construction site to prevent it being used as a footpath. The walled-in area contained the small structure built earlier by Ye Maung, which Sonny Thein then expanded and adapted into a mosque. When the bridge was opened on March 28 this year, local Buddhist residents and monks discovered that local Muslims were using the structure and its extensions as a place of worship. The structure was not legally authorized for religious purposes, according to the statement. The Buddhist residents urged local authorities to take action. Hpakant Township authorities met with two trustees of the mosque on June 26-28 and said they would be charged according to the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management Law (2012), if they did not demolish all the illegal buildings. The ministrys statement said the Mosque trustees then oversaw the demolition of three extensions to the structure, but refused to have one part demolished because it had been funded by private donations. This prompted the authorities to charge the trusteesalthough legal proceedings could not get underway before the mob burned the structure down. Tin Soe, the National League for Democracy representative for Hpakant Township in the Lower House of Parliament, told The Irrawaddy that he had attempted to mediate between the mosque trustees and the township authorities. He and local authorities had had around seven meetings with the mosque trustees, who ultimately promised to demolish all the buildingsin contradiction to the ministrys statementbefore the extreme nationalist mob came. A very upsetting incident happened because of some extremists. Our efforts were ruined within a moment, he said. Tin Soe claimed that Ma Ba Tha members were among the mob, and that the Ma Ba Tha township chapter was behind the incident. He told The Irrawaddy that four men and one womanof Burman, Shan and Arakanese ethnicitywere being tried in court for the Lone Khin mosque burning, and were now acquiring a defense lawyer. The lawmaker also recalled an earlier incident, which had received little publicity, in Tanai Township of Kachin State, where a mosque had also been destroyed by a local mob. The Irrawaddy phoned the director of the Ministry of Culture of Religious Affairs, Aung San Win, on Thursday. He confirmed that the government would be taking action against both the people behind the construction of the illegal mosque in Lone Khin and the people involved in burning it down. The director said the relevant government department in Kachin State is still investigating the case. The ministrys statement on Thursday explained that the government had also been taking action against the illegal construction of Buddhist religious structures. It stated that, in early 2014, the government had demolished 24 illegal Buddhist monasteries in the Naypyidaw area. Additionally, legal proceedings against 173 monasteries in Rangoon Division and 86 in other states and divisions had been launched at the recommendation of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, the government-appointed council that oversees monastic discipline in Burma. Ministry director Aung San Win confirmed these actions, stating that many of these monasteries had been not been authorized for religious observance. He declined to say how many monks had been imprisoned, although some individuals behind these monasteries had been given prison terms. When we found them guilty, we disrobed and jailed some of them, he said. Some are on the run. Although the ministry statement cited a total of 283 monasteries that had been previously been charged as illegal, it did not mention any figures for places of worship related to other religions, such as Christianity or Islam. Aung San Win said a list of illegal religious buildings had been compiled across the country, although he would not disclose the number. Burma Lawmakers Blame Burmas Drug Problem on Warlord-Govt Nexus Upper House lawmakers have blamed Burmas endemic drug problem on a nexus of corrupt government officials and warlords commanding ethnic militias. Upper House lawmakers have blamed Burmas endemic drug problem on a nexus of corrupt government officials and warlords commanding ethnic militias, and demanded that the government take a tough line against both. In a session of the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday, lawmakers said the connivance of such highly placed actors, in an environment of general impunity, made it particularly difficult to tackle the drug scourge, which was particularly harming Burmas youth. Khun Than Pe, representing Shan State Constituency-9, said that drug lords could begin to produce drugs on a grander commercial scale by posing as ethnic armed resistance leaders at a time when the military junta was forging a series of bilateral ceasefires in the 1990s. It was in the 1990s that [the drug problem] spread across both urban and rural areas. It is fair to say that [the problem] was born with peace, said Khun Thein Pe. He said that uniformed people, besides drug kingpins and militiamen, are selling drugs in the Pa-O Self Administered Zone of southern Shan State. He also said that, In eastern Shan State, [drugs] as served like snacks in public gaming centers. You can see people openly abusing drugs in groups, as if they dont care. Though the government has formed dedicated drug squads in the police force at the division and state level, they are too understaffed and under-equipped to arrest drug lords even if they want to, said Myo Win, a lawmaker from Mon State Constituency-8. On the other hand, he said, the complicity of government authorities in the drug trade has frustrated efforts to arrest drug kingpins and major dealers because government officers leak information to them. He cited a raid on July 15 on 13 known drug-dealing hotspots in the city of Mandalay involving 350 policemen, which resulted in the arrest of only drug users and small-time street dealers. In the parliamentary session, military representative Lt-Col Tin Lin Oo countered that large-scale drug seizures were now frequent. However, he did not comment on the causes of the drug problem in Burma or on whether the Burma Army had a special plan to combat the activities of drug lords in cooperation with police drug squads. Lawmakers suggested that higher-level government authorities should take the responsibility of taking on drug lords and rooting out government officials working in cahoots with them. They also urged the government to conduct public awareness campaigns on a wide scale and provide poppy growers with alternative livelihoods. Various lawmakers commented on increases in drug abuse within their constituencies, particularly among the young, many of whom become prone to committing crimes when short of money to buy drugs. Drugs are available even at betel nut shops in the streets in Arakan State, although poppy is not grown there, said Myint Naing, a lawmaker representing Arakan State Constituency-5. Poppy, the primary ingredient for opium and heroin, is grown in Shan, Kachin, Karenni and Chin states of Burma. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Burma is second largest producer of opium in the world, after Afghanistan. Large quantities of methamphetamine drugs are also produced and trafficked in Burma. Business Commission Approves 13 Foreign Investment Proposals During New Govt Term The Myanmar Investment Commission approves significantly fewer investment proposals than they did during the same period in 2015. RANGOON The newly re-formed Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) approved 13 foreign investment proposals and nine local investments over the last two months, a figure significantly lower than the same period in 2015, Aung Naing Oo, secretary of the MIC, told The Irrawaddy. Since the MIC was re-staffed in early June under the chairmanship of Kyaw Win, Union Minister of National Planning and Finance, the commission has been met with more than 100 proposals left over from the previous governments term; most are still waiting to be approved. The new MIC has approved 13 foreign investment proposals. Were checking more proposals, as most of them are for the construction of office towers, said Aung Naing Oo. Its only the beginning stage of the new government. Thats why we are taking more time to approve the proposals, he said. The foreign investment proposals approved by the MIC over the last two months have an estimated net worth of more than US$124 million. These include proposals for seven projects in the manufacturing sector, three in transport and telecommunications, and three proposals whose sectors were not known at the time of publication. Approved local proposals, which total nine projects, include one in transportation, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, respectively. Two projects have been approved in the hotel and tourism industry, and three are not yet known. The total investment is valued at nearly US$35 million. Some local proposals include investment in hotel projects in Mandalay and Kengtong [Kengtung], Aung Naing Oo said. The amounts of these investmentsboth local and foreignare estimates provided at the time of proposal. Yet these foreign investment projects are expected to create 9,651 job opportunities in Burma; the local investment proposals aim to establish more than 1,750 jobs. The MIC, which is responsible for assessing and approving large-scale investments and is headed by Union-level government officials, initially consisted of at least nine members who dealt largely with processing foreign investment. Each set of MIC members serve a term of three years. In the first quarter of the 2015-16 fiscal year, 71 projects were approved at a valuation of $2.65 billion. The first quarter of the 2014-2015 fiscal year saw 39 projects approved which were valued collectively at $810 million. However, when compared to last year, the first quarter of the 2016-2017 fiscal year has seen lower numbers of approval, which some attribute to the country undergoing a transition period with the new government. Dr. Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), told The Irrawaddy that though the National League for Democracy-led government has announced its 12 economic policies, they appear to be very general, which will impact foreign direct investment (FDI) entries. General economic policies will not work well. More rules and regulations need to be put into placethats why decisions concerning FDI are also wait and see this year, he said. Maung Maung Lay added that other countries in the region are welcoming FDI with more attractive methods, which could delay Burmas own development, as investors often have to build infrastructure themselves in order to complete projects. It is important to welcome FDI here, he said. Commentary Commentary: Still Too Early For Burmese Refugee Return Preparations to enable the return of refugees on the Thai-Burma border raise concerns of indirect pressure in light of unsafe environments for return. Service centers for Burmese refugees who wish to return home will soon be opened in the camps along the Thai-Burma bordera sudden development that has alarmed refugees and camp leaders. Set up with the involvement of agencies including the International Organization of Migration, the Voluntary Repatriation Centers will provide counseling, advice and provisions to enable voluntary returns. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will conduct official processing in coordination with the Thai authorities. However, refugee community leaders and local organizations have told The Irrawaddy that a majority of the 120,000 registered refugees in the nine camps along the border do not wish to return to Burma. The conflict-wracked areas of rural Karen State in eastern Burma that many of the refugees fled from are still considered unsafe, due to continued militarization. There is a perception among sections of the international community that, after 30 years on Thai soiland after the installment of a democratically elected government and the signing of a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement that included the Karen National Union (KNU)it is time for many of the refugees to return home. In the last few years there has been a decline in assistance from international donors to the border refugee communities, which has coincided with an increase in donor funds dispersed inside Burma, including through government channels. The decline in assistance has also been attributed to unprecedented global pressures on refugee funds and resources caused by the current refugee crisis in the Middle East. The UNHCR has given assurances that all returns would be voluntary and that refugees retain the right to decide. However, many refugees consider the choice as one of do or die, being unsure of their chances of survival in Thailand under dwindling donor assistance. Some have interpreted cuts in this assistance as a form of pressure. Since Thailand does not legally permit refugees to work, those in search of extra incomeoutside of running small-scale businesses within the campswould have to join the ranks of illegal Burmese migrant workers in Thailand, whom labor rights organizations have estimated to number as high as 2 million (against 1.7 million Burmese migrants working legally). Those with family members or friends working in third countries may be able to live on remittances. Saw Honest, chairman of Mae La camp, the largest Burmese border camp hosting around 40,000 refugees, said that, when the Mae Fah Luang Foundationa Thai nongovernmental organizationconducted a survey in 2014, only 2 or 3 percent of the [refugee] population showed an interest in going home. Most of them wanted to resettle in third countries. The second largest proportion wanted to remain in Thailand, said Saw Honest. We know that we are coming under pressure, anyhow, said Saw Honest. More official and up-to-date statistics on refugees willingness to return home are not currently available, but refugee community leaders claim that the majority of refugees consider it still too early to return home. Refugees have gone individually to check on their abandoned villages and farmlands, they said, but the continued presence of Burma Army units there have precluded the desire of most to return permanently. We know that the KNU has made a ceasefire with the Burmese government and they have developed a greater understanding of one another. But there are still threats to civilian safety because the Burma Army and [non-state] armed groups are deployed close to villages, and landmines have not yet been removed. Also, land ownership issues should be addressed, said Saw Honest, referencing a legacy of military land grabs. A large proportion of the refugees who fled conflict have lost whatever land registration documents they might have had, after their villages were burned down or ransacked and they went on the run, moving from place to place before reaching Thailand. After visiting some of the villages that these refugees had fled from in Karen and Mon states in April this year, this Irrawaddy reporter found that several of the model villages built for returnees were incomplete and seemingly abandoned. Some that have made return visits to their villages in Thaton and Bilin townships of Mon Statefrom which 3,000 refugees fled armed conflict to the border camps in Thailandfound that their old farmland had been confiscated. Across Papun and Hpa-an districts of Karen State, which saw large outflows of refugees due to conflict, militarization remains significant, with not only the Burma Army present across rural areas but also ethnic Karen armed groups including a Border Guard Force, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and brigades of the KNU. These groups have also seized farmland and exploited land rich in gold and tin for business opportunitiesincluding land once held by the current refugees. Despite apparent progress in the peace process, with the 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference scheduled for later this month, there have been scant moves by the Burma Army to withdraw their troops from rural civilian areas. Furthermore, the KNUs armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, is continuing to recruit and train new soldiers, and is remaining on the alert. Naw Blooming Night Zar, a spokesperson for Karen Refugee Committee, told The Irrawaddy that she had raised with the UNHCR her concern that the sudden introduction of Voluntary Repatriation Centers might frighten refugees. We do not see so many refugees interested in returning. Some individuals have gone home only to observe the situation. There are no group returns. We have told [the UNHCR] that it is not yet time, said Blooming Night Zar. The UNHCR, meanwhile, said that it would distribute pamphlets to inform refugees about the voluntarily return process, and would explain to community leaders about the current preparations. Iain Hall, a UNHCR senior field coordinator, insisted that they were not promoting or encouraging refugees return, but were making the necessary preparations to support any refugees that have made a voluntary decision to return, as is their right. Such preparations, being undertaken in earnest, appear to reflect the new priorities of donors and governments. But instead of expediting their altered policies, the UNHCR should be exercising its mandate to speak of behalf of refugees and their concerns. Without fully understanding or addressing the challenges on the groundsuch as continued militarization in the areas of Burma where these refugees may return toany decisions made by the Thai and Burmese government, donors, international agencies and non-state armed groups to accelerate repatriation would be premature. If the wrong choices were made, it is not they, but the refugees, who would suffer the consequences. Iran has executed a group of 20 "terrorist" Sunni prisoners for committing several murders and undermining national security, state media reported on Thursday. "These people had committed murder... killed women and children, caused destructions and acted against the security and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions," IRIB television quoted Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri. He said all the executions happened on Tuesday. Search Keywords: Short link: 5 Security Steps to Protect Users from Ransomware I didnt get to attend security conference Black Hat this year, but based on the highlights Ive been seeing, ransomware is a major topic. Im not surprised (and Im sure my readers arent, either). As ComputerWeekly pointed out, ransomware is the security concern of the summer. Id say it is the security issue of 2016. It seems like every security discussion begins or ends with ransomware. So Ive rounded up some of the findings about ransomware that were disclosed this past week. According to PhishMes Q2 malware report, ransomware made up half of all malware and, in fact, ransomware has developed into a real business for cybercriminals. There has been a significant rise in encryption malware and in evasion techniques, according to the study. As PhishMe CEO and co-founder Rohyt Belani was quoted by eSecurity Planet: Barely a year ago, ransomware was a concerning trend on the rise. Now, ransomware is a fully established business model and a reliable profit engine for cybercriminals, as threat actors involved treat it as a legitimate industry by selling information, tools and resources to peers based all around the world. Meanwhile, a Malwarebytes study revealed that 40 percent of enterprises had been hit with ransomware in the past year, with many of those companies losing revenue because of the attack and a whopping 20 percent saying that they had to shut down operations altogether. But here is a stat that really surprised me: Only 3 percent of American companies have paid the ransom, compared to 75 percent of Canadian companies and 58 percent of businesses in the UK. CSO explained a possible reason for this lack of ransomware payment: This is partly due to the fact that, in the United States, the attacks were much more likely to hit lower-level employees. In the U.S., enterprises reported that 71 percent of lower-level staff were affected, compared to 29 percent in the U.K., 23 percent in Canada, and 14 percent in Germany. In addition, U.S. infections were less likely to spread to other computers. I want to note one more study (although, I think I could write a book about ransomware discoveries at this point). CyberArk tested 23,000 real-world samples from common ransomware families in order to investigate ransomware behavior. Analyzing this behavior, according to Chen Bitan, general manager with CyberArk, will allow security professionals to better protect themselves from future attacks. He added in a formal statement: Ransomware has emerged as a credible and opportunistic tactic for attackers, leaving infected organizations with the difficult choice of abandoning hijacked data or paying cybercriminals for the chance to retrieve their files. Moving beyond traditional anti-virus solutions, which are not effective in blocking ransomware, and adopting a proactive approach to endpoint and server security is an important step in protecting against this fast-moving and morphing malware. Sue Marquette Poremba has been writing about network security since 2008. In addition to her coverage of security issues for IT Business Edge, her security articles have been published at various sites such as Forbes, Midsize Insider and Toms Guide. You can reach Sue via Twitter: @sueporemba How to Be a Winner: 5 Keys to Achieving Big Goals Think about the typical tech entrepreneur story: A bright young person graduates from the likes of MIT or Stanford, settles in Silicon Valley, and eventually transforms an innovative idea into a lucrative business with customers all over the world. Now, turn that scenario on its head. Welcome to Matrix Integration. Matrix is not in Silicon Valley. Its in Jasper, in the hills of southern Indiana, with locations up in Fishers, Ind., and in Louisville, Ky., on the other side of Hoosier National Forest. It was co-founded by Brenda Stallings, whose early ventures a music store and a Radio Shack franchise blossomed into a computer business and a communications business that merged in 1997 to form Matrix Integration. Stallings, who has only a high school education, is the CEO. Today, Matrix, a family-owned business, is a Certified Womens Business Enterprise and a successful IT services provider in the region. In an interview last week, Stallings spoke about her unconventional path to the tech CEO suite, an unconventionality that is reflected in her LinkedIn profile. In the Education section, Stallings cites her Degree of Life Experiences & Success, Entrepreneurship, Lifetime, awarded by the School of Life in Entrepreneurship. I asked her about that fictitious degree and institution, and she explained the significance of it this way: I have been told so many times in my career that my way of thinking is different, and when I explained that I dont have a college education, everybody would come back and say a college education only gives you some parameters it doesnt make you a success. I guess I finally concluded that my life experience in growing a company, from the time I was 19 years old till now, that is my college. That is the schoolbook from which Ive learned the vendors, the clients, and all the other people. So I feel its those life experiences that have made me a good entrepreneur. Its about hard work and dedication my education is my life and entrepreneurship. Stallingss career path merged early on with that of Dan Fritch, the co-founder and now the COO of Matrix. I found it interesting that Fritch has an associates degree in business administration, in that neither he nor Stallings has a technology-related academic background. So how did the two of them gain the IT knowledge and skills that enabled them to start and lead a successful IT services company? Stallings said it all has to do with an appreciation for processes and a passion for learning: Ive always believed that you have to hire people smarter than you are you have to have good people and good processes. Weve never gone down the ISO 9000 path, but Ive been told that the way we handle our processes, with the documentation and so forth, we could be ISO 9000-certified. I grew up in a family of 10 kids living on a farm, sharing and helping each other, and with that many kids, we had to have a process certain people have to do certain things. I learned more from that than I ever realized early in my career. Dan and I just had a passion for learning and working hard. The fact that I have a high school education didnt keep me from learning. That desire to always want to keep learning is what has driven me, and Dan, as well. Its not just about the money my goal has always been to build a team, to empower people so that if something happened to me tomorrow, the business wouldnt fall apart. I asked Stallings if she could have one do-over since co-founding Matrix Integration, what it would be. She noted that it has only been in the last two years that shes had an outside advisory board, and that she should have had one long before that: It doesnt have to be a full-fledged fiduciary board, although it can grow into that. As a family business, were part of the Family Business Center affiliated with the University of Louisville, and theyve asked me to sit on their board. They brought up the idea of an advisory board six years ago, but I really didnt get it. Now, I would tell anybody to have an outside advisory board not your CPA or your lawyer people who really understand business, who understand your industry, the markets you serve. I wish I had done that way back, 20 years ago. Finally, I asked Stallings what challenges she has confronted as the co-founder and CEO of a family-owned business. She said her perception early on was totally different from reality: I guess as a founder, you think differently than the next generation. Its important to start early to have family discussions. What is the family vision? What does the family want out of the business? Its totally different from what I, as the founder, wanted out of the business. You have to be on the same page, because at some point theres an exit strategy. But your kids are sometimes working with you 15 or 20 years before you exit. So putting together a family council, and having those family discussions to talk about the business early and often, is important. And also setting down the guidelines your code of conduct. I think the biggest thing in the family is their behaviors. The behavior of family members can be different from the behavior of other employees. So you need to set down that business behavior, and you need that code of conduct to keep everybody level-set. And you need to talk about it early, before you bring them on. The outside advisory board helps that a lot. A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant. How to Be a Winner: 5 Keys to Achieving Big Goals If there was ever a company that should at least consider that it has a CEO problem, it should be HP, now HPE. Over the last 16 years, it has had five CEOs, four of which were effectively fired. Youd think the lesson there for any CEO would be just to keep your head down and focus on the job. For some, politics may be attractive. But CEOs are the faces of their firms and most know that there is no upside to being politically active while also holding that top job. Thats because customers and buyers are unlikely to choose a firm because they agree with you but are very likely to avoid a firm if they dont. Weve had reminders of this when Tim Cook, Apples CEO, was hit a couple of times for doing things like fundraising for Paul Ryan. In a way, given how Apple and the federal government have been at odds of late, I can see a business reason for this. But given how it seems to have backfired, it instead becomes a showcase for why not to do this. Currently, HPE CEO Meg Whitman, who ran for the office of California Governor as a Republican, has come out against Donald Trump, using language that is highly inflammatory, and pledged her support for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. Given that one of the reasons ex-CEO Carly Fiorina was in trouble at HP was because she was spending too much time on the reelection campaign of George W. Bush Jr., youd think her successor would know better. Apparently not. Lets explore why business and politics dont mix well. The Whitman HPE/Trump Problem At the heart of this is that there is no real upside for HPE. However, just as we saw when Ted Cruz didnt endorse Trump at the Republican Convention, a move like that from someone who has identified as a Republican appears as a party betrayal. This is very different from supporting someone from your own party (which is also ill advised, by the way). This has the potential of upsetting Republicans and, because Whitman is seen as a Republican, it doesnt garner any long-term trust from the Democrats. It simply looks opportunistic, and people generally dont buy from firms that they dont trust. Depending on the depth of coverage and what Trump does, this has the potential of dramatically affecting HPes and HP Inc.s sales adversely (because folks likely cant tell the difference). And given that this looks like a betrayal, suggesting that she could change sides again, even a marginal offsetting positive bounce seems unlikely. So, for a moment in the limelight, Whitman has likely done millions of dollars of damage to both of the companies she oversees. Even if she now plans to run for office on the Democratic ticket, it is unlikely shell be trusted enough to get elected because of the way she did this. Given her history of bad-mouthing Republican candidates she did support, Im kind of surprised the party keeps her around, but thats another issue. Why Politics and Business Dont Mix Most CEOs in Silicon Valley do support the Democratic Party and some do have fundraisers for candidates. But there is a big difference between relatively private fundraisers and being on a government advisory board where you are working to gain influence and insight and actively participating as a proxy, or jumping with both feet into a campaign. That difference is that suddenly you have brought the company with you into the fight, and firms arent set up to fight political battles in public. Their tools are lobbying and funding and, if Trump now goes after HP directly, HPs marketing organization will have to respond. The controversy will detract from HPs offerings. And in this case, given that HPE and HP Inc. are no longer tied together, the lack of coordination between them could become a problem in and of itself. Wrapping Up: One Reason Why Hurd Was a Better CEO Than Whitman Mark Hurd, at least while he was at HP, significantly outperformed both Fiorina and Whitman. Granted he, too, was fired, but not because of bad management. He also focused on fixing the company and didnt get distracted by politics. You see, politics doesnt just put the firm at risk. It can also become a huge distraction for the CEO, particularly when running a firm like HP likely takes more time than that person has to begin with. While Whitman has struggled with the HP turnaround and is currently executing a strategy of bleeding out the assets to hold up stock prices, Hurd took a nearly destroyed hardware unit from Sun and made it viable while at Oracle. I think the lesson here is twofold. CEOs should focus on the job, not on any other major task like politics. When the CEO, not the company or products, is the center of attention, it will be a bad thing. Steve Jobs, felt his own fame detracted from the job and extreme focus on product and company was part of what made him the most successful tech CEO of all time. Bill Gates was much the same way and, in the end, I think their examples, not Whitmans or Fiorinas, should prevail. Over the years, Ive seen politicians try to be CEOs, mostly unsuccessfully, and CEOs try to become politicians, also mostly unsuccessfully. But one thing that I think is certain: Trying to be both just never seems to end well for the CEO or the company. Rob Enderle is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. With over 30 years experience in emerging technologies, he has provided regional and global companies with guidance in how to better target customer needs; create new business opportunities; anticipate technology changes; select vendors and products; and present their products in the best possible light. Rob covers the technology industry broadly. Before founding the Enderle Group, Rob was the Senior Research Fellow for Forrester Research and the Giga Information Group, and held senior positions at IBM and ROLM. Follow Rob on Twitter @enderle, on Facebook and on Google+. Save Save Despite the confirmation of "Limitless" being cancelled, fans have not lost hope for the show. Currently, a petition has been started in hopes that a sequel might still be picked up. Showrunner Craig Sweeny has already confirmed that "Limitless" will no longer be renewed for a second season. However, this announcement has not stopped fans from hoping that it will still be picked up sometime soon. With that, they have created a petition online to prompt CBS to renew the show, as reported by Movie News Guide. Until now, there hasn't been any word on the effect of their petition just yet. However, fans are already anticipating a storyline for when it comes to light. They are in the hopes that the second season will explore Brian's relationship with Senator Morra, and find out what happened to the latter during the finale of the first season. Fans believe that it has been exhausting how networks produce good shows during the first season only to have it cancelled, according to Game and Guide. This has led to the fans to believe that it is not right to do such thing, since it has not given a proper ending to the show's characters. The petition has now reached 9,000 supporters, exceeding their initial goal of only 3,000 signatures. Others also hope that if the show will not be renewed for the second season on CBS, it may be renewed on other networks. These actions have proved that avid fans of the show "Limitless" will not stand idly by on the side and not go down without a fight. It has been a while since the confirmation of the show being cancelled was released, and yet they have not given up hope for the show to be picked Up, regardless of the network which will air it. In the aftermath of security researchers' claims that Iranian hackers have identified the phone numbers of 15 million users and compromised at least a dozen of accounts on the secure messaging service, Telegram has made a statement to explain what really happen. Reuters reported this week that the hack attack in Iran was the "largest known breach" of Telegram's encrypted messenger. The hackers part of an Iranian group called "Rocket Kitten" performed their attack earlier this year but have kept the breach undisclosed until now. The security researchers Collin Anderson and Claudio Guarnieri announced that they found a vulnerability within the Telegram communication system. Despites the fact that Telegram offers end-to-end encryption, hackers can access users' SMS text messages sent when new devices are signed into the service. Anderson and Guarnieri discovered that t when a Telegram user logs into the messaging system from a new smartphone, the authorization codes sent via SMS can be intercepted by the phone company. Since in Iran communication providers are owned or monitored by the State, the data intercepted by the phone company might be shared with the country's law enforcement agencies and cyberattackers. In response to those allegations, Telegram made a statement posted on the company blog. According to the company's statement, the Iranian accounts "were not accessed" and the only released information was already public domain. According to ZDNet, Telegram added that since the recent introduction of limitations into the firm's API, such mass checks are no longer possible. The company clarified that since its messaging system is based on phone contacts same as other contact-based messaging apps like Messenger or WhatsApp, anyone can freely check whether a phone number is registered in the system. According to Venture Beat, Telegram also commented that accessing accounts by intercepting SMS-verification codes is not a new threat. The company has already warned its users in various countries about this security risk. Telegram recommends using a registered email account to set up an additional code when setting up a new device, in order to prevent account compromise through SMS messages. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Turkey in late August, broadcaster CNN Turk said on Thursday, more than a month after a failed military coup shook the NATO member state. Turkey's relations with Washington have been strained by the abortive putsch, which President Tayyip Erdogan blames on U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan has called for the extradition of Gulen, who denies involvement in the plot. Search Keywords: Short link: Facebook Live is becoming quite an indispensible tool for many of its users. An alleged Rikers Island inmate was recorded airing his gripes about the abusive jail guards and the oppressive environment of the facility. A person identified as PIX11 is suspected of using a smuggled smartphone to interview the prisoner, according to The Verge. The video was then uploaded in Facebook Live on July 22. Around 7,000 persons got to see the online video before it was removed. The prisoner accused the prison guards of stifling their rights. To dramatize their plight, the inmate showed the food they eat and the cell where they stay and sleep. He also showed a prison made blade fashion out of a scalpel. The Rikers Island prison facility is situated in New York City. It has become more dangerous to prisoners and guards alike. Less than a week after the Facebook Live upload, a guard in the facility was attacked and wounded in the face. The guard survived but it also confirmed that many prisoners are armed with lethal weapons. Prison officials reported that the number of illicit items they confiscated in 2016 jumped by almost 50 percent compared to last year. To improve security, 100 more CCTV cameras have been added. There is also a possibility that body scanners will soon be introduced at Rikers. The Daily News reports that new policies and procedures will soon be implemented to improve prison security and decrease the level of violence at Rikers. The new polices will include how Prison officers apply force and how to handle cases of violent incidents. Prison guards will be equipped with body cameras on an experimental basis. Guards will also be given handheld cameras to document their handling of prisoners. Correction officers suspected of violent tendencies will be profiled and stored online. Almost 8,000 CCTV cameras are expected to be put in place in the near future. Facebook has built a hardware lab facility called Area 404 on a new 22,000-square-foot surface at its Menlo Park, CA headquarters, where the company will perform modeling and prototyping of new hardware components and products. Moving faster than most companies, Facebook has experienced delays whenever it had to outsource testing and prototyping of its gadgets. The company has lots of hardware projects on its 10-year roadmap, so it made sense to dedicate a hardware laboratory within its Menlo Park headquarters. According to The Verge, Facebook's hardware lab is filled with massive and expensive machines typically found at a manufacturing plant. For instance, the Area 404 facility has installed a 5-axis milling machine, a computer-controlled 9-axis drill and a sheet metal-cutting water jet. All the equipment is located in a central building of Facebook's main campus. Facebook has rapidly growing hardware and infrastructure needs. For instance, the new Menlo Park space will support Facebook's Connectivity Lab. This is part of Facebook's Internet.org initiative that aims to bring internet access to remote parts of the planet and developing countries through lasers, satellites and drones. The Area 404 hardware lab will also be used by Facebook's expanding data center operations, virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR and the company's new secretive Building 8. The Building 8 is a team led by former DARPA director and Google exec Regina Dugan. Facebook will prototype in Area 404 its Internet-beaming lasers, solar drones, next-gen servers and VR headsets. According to Tech Crunch, the Area 404 hardware lab also houses one of the few rooms at Facebook where even its CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn't allowed in. The reason is that the room is too unsafe despite all the certifications and precautions. Facebook adheres rigorously to a 5S safety system. Jay Parikh, Facebook's Head of Engineering and Infrastructure, explained for the same publication that the name Area 404 was chosen for the 22,000 square foot space after the "Not Found" error code. This is related to the fact that resources necessary were unfortunately "not found" at Facebook by the engineers who kept needing to prototype new hardware devices. After many requests have piled up, Facebook decided to create the futuristic hardware lab center. Israeli occupation forces on Thursday razed the southern West Bank homes of two Palestinians who shot dead four Israelis at a trendy Tel Aviv cafe in June, the army claimed. "Overnight in accordance with government directives security forces demolished the residences of the two Palestinians who carried out an attack at the Sarona market on June 8, killing four civilians and wounding several more," a military spokeswoman said. The Yatta home of Mohammad Makhamrah was blown up, with the windows of nearby homes shattered by the explosion. The second story of a building where Khaled Makhamrah's family lived a short distance away was demolished by an excavator, witnesses told AFP. The pair, who are cousins, were charged last month at the Tel Aviv district court for murder, conspiring to murder and attempted murder. A third suspect also from Yatta, south of Hebron, was charged over allegedly providing them with guns. Video footage from the June attack showed the two men walking into a popular Tel Aviv cafe wearing black suits, before opening fire on customers at random. According to the Shin Bet domestic security agency, the assault was planned after a July 2015 arson attack by Israeli extremists in the West Bank that killed three members of a Palestinian family, including an 18-month-old baby. On Thursday, bystanders gathered around the rubble of what used to be his house, as a Yatta municipality bulldozer cleared the road. Ammar Makhamrah, a relative of Khaled who lives next to the demolished home, told AFP the Israeli occupation forces had given family members time to leave the building and take furniture before razing it. A short distance away, Mohammad Makhamrah's mother was consoled by women from her family in a building near the rubble that used to be home to her and 10 other relatives. Israel routinely demolishes homes of Palestinian in what it says is a means to deter further attacks. Israeli occupation forces also seized four gun-making devices overnight, a military statement read, bringing the number of such machines seized throughout the occupied West Bank to 27, with 235 firearms taken. Violence in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 219 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Many of the Palestinians were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces. *The story has been edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Micron Technology is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions as a manufacturer of a full range of DRAM, NAND and NOR flash memory. Its brands include Crucial DRAM and SSD for commercial and home use and Ballistix DRAM for the professional gaming and overclockers market. Avnet is a global distributor known for taking a solutions specialist approach. Richard Clarke, national sales manager for Micron, said, Avnets business model allows them to cater to rapidly changing market trends, providing customers with an in-depth understanding of technology and fast order fulfillment. Avnet is aligned with our business strategy and an ideal partner to take Crucial and Ballistix SSD and DRAM products to the market. We look forward to representing Crucial and Ballistix products in Australia, said Mohit Jain, vice-president, Avnet Global Computing Components, Asia Pacific. Avnet Australia has two specific areas of business expertise: our components business and our IT business, which specifically focuses on the top 200 IT resellers and integrators in Australia. The latter division only manages tier one storage brands, therefore deploys a very knowledgeable team to promote and ensure the continued and future success of Crucial and Ballistix products in Australia. The sale, which is expected to close by year-end, is valued at US$4 billion with Emerson to retain a small interest in Network Power. Network Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, had revenue of US$4.4 billion in fiscal 2015. It is a leading provider of thermal management, A/C and D/C power, transfer switches, services and information management systems for the data centre and telecommunications industries. The sale is the second to Platinum Equity in the last three years. In November 2013, Emerson sold a 51% controlling stake in its embedded computing and power business to Platinum. It was rebranded as Artesyn Embedded Technologies. Emerson chief executive David Farr was quoted as saying that the agreement marked a major milestone in the strategic portfolio repositioning the company had announced in June 2015. "By selling Network Power to Platinum Equity, we have achieved a successful result for our shareholders as part of our plan to streamline Emerson to create a more focused company with significant opportunities for growth and profitability in our core served markets," he said. "We believe Network Power has a bright future and Platinum Equity is well-positioned to help the company continue to thrive and realise its full potential." Scott Barbour, business leader for Network Power, will continue to lead the division. "We firmly believe Platinum Equity is an ideal partner as we continue to drive efficiency in our operations and invest to bring innovative products and services to our customers," he said. "The work we've done at Network Power in recent years ensures we are well prepared for an ownership transition and have the right foundation in place to be successful." Platinum Equity partnet Jacob Kotzubei said: "Emerson has been a great long-term partner and we are pleased to collaborate again. "We have worked extensively with Emerson to customise a divestiture solution for Network Power that is beneficial for all sides and aligns with the long-term strategic goals of the business. "Network Power is recognised as a global leader in infrastructure technologies and we are confident that in working together with management we can further extend that position as a standalone company." The Australian Bureau of Statistics is required by law to conduct a periodical count of the country's population, with the reason being that it guarantees electoral representation. A High Court decision determined "that the Constitution required that the population of the various States needed to be ascertained during the life of each ordinary Parliament for the purpose of determining the number of members from each State in the House of Representatives". This appears to have escaped the current head of the ABS, David Kalisch, when he decided to play with public expectations by retaining names and addresses in the census and tying them to individuals' data, first indefinitely, and later for four years. It has been said that if George W. Bush had walked down to any public library and made himself aware of the history of the foreign occupation of Afghanistan, then the whole world would have been spared a great deal of misery. Similarly, if Kalisch had bothered to readdrafted after the 1996 census and one that is present on the website of the organisation he headsthen this year's census would have passed without any bother. (The quoted material above is from this very document.) After the 1996 count, a survey was done by AGB McNair to ascertain public attitudes about the five-yearly exercise. The key findings were: 89% of respondents agreed that "Census forms should be destroyed to protect people's privacy and confidentiality"; 67% disagreed that "Census forms should be stored for release in future for research purposes"; Between 34% and 45% said they would be less likely to complete a census form if forms were kept for release at some time in the future; Between 38% and 49% said the information on the census form would be less accurate if forms were kept for release; and 73% disagreed that "Researchers should be given access to Census forms including names and addresses". Is Kalisch aware of these statistics? Or has he chosen to turn a blind eye to them? No survey has been done since then to understand the attitude of the population as far as the census is concerned. Yet Kalisch, like a bull in a china shop, decided to go where nobody has gone before. Former ABS head Bill McLennan says the organisation, like many others in the public sector, suffers from what he calls "political amnesia". During a chat early this morning, he pointed me to a Quarterly Essay with the same title, written by the AFR's Laura Tingle. McLennan points out that no longer are changes tested before being implemented; he puts this down to a lack of institutional memory. It is not as though Kalisch had no precedents to guide him. In 2006, a similar proposal to retain names and addresses was dropped after a damning privacy impact report by Nigel Waters, a privacy expert. The document referred to at the start of this article is worth reading in its entirety. It points out that federal funds are allocated to states and territories based on ABS population estimates and under-estimating one state's share of the total population by just 0.1% (about 18,000 people in 1996) could reduce that state's allocation by $21 million per annum. (Now the amount would be much more.) Incorrect population estimates could also affect the distribution of funds to local government authorities. Also affected by inaccurate census data would be: urban planning and infrastructure development, inter- and intra-state population movements, targeting of labour market programmes, and many resource allocation and service delivery programmes. One has to wonder: what was the source of the advice that Kalisch followed to jeopardise the quality of census data? Or did he come up with the idea himself? Two versions of the free office suite LibreOffice have been released, one aimed at power users and the other at enterprises and more conservative users. The Document Foundation announced that version 5.2 of the free suite, with several user interface improvements and enterprise grade features, was meant for early adopters and power users. Version 5.1.5 is a more settled version of the suite and targets businesses. LibreOffice 5.2 has document classification according to the TSCP standard; the TSCP is a government and industry partnership that has created a framework for secure electronic transmission and sharing of sensitive information internationally. Version 5.2 also has a set of improved forecasting functions in Calc. Multiple signature descriptions are supported, along with import and export of signatures from OOXML files. Inter-operability has been improved, with better Writer import filters for DOCX and RTF files, and added support for Word for DOS legacy documents. Additional type argument values for interoperability with other spreadsheets, along with wildcard support in formula expressions for compatibility with XLS/XLSX and ODF 1.2, have been added. A single toolbar mode has been added to Writer and Calc to help users focus on content, and some icons have been added to the default toolbars to make several frequently used functions such as hide/show track changes, and freeze the first column or row of a spreadsheet quicker to access. Also, most of the context menus can now be customised, for even greater control. LibreOffice has been downloaded 140 million times since it was launched in January 2011. It has been deployed by big organisations on every continent, with the latest being the Lithuanian Police who have used it on more than 8000 desktops. Veteran free and open source software developer Michael Meeks said: "LibreOffice 5.2 is a significant step forward for free software on the desktop, and will soon be available as a full featured cloud office suite. Meeks, a director at The Document Foundation and a leading developer of LibreOffice Online, added: "The tight integration between desktop and cloud will provide enterprises a value-added experience, with the best of both platforms always available to all users." Checking your notifications could soon be as simple as swiping down on your Nexus phones fingerprint sensor. Thats the latest rumor to pop up about how plans to bring more exclusive software features to differentiate the Nexus line from other Android smartphones. Android lice says it scored an animation that displays how the feature will work. Android lice Checking your notifications may involve a quick swipe. Youll also notice that may change up the software buttons at the bottom of the screen, filling in the square triangle adding some color to the home button in the middle. The blue green dots in the above image are part of a stuck animation bug, wont be sitting there like that in the final release. Its unclear if this would be available for the Nexus 6 5X or just the new Nexus phones coming later this year. If its just a software capability, then there shouldnt be an issue. If theres some type of specific hardware tweak being added to the sensor, then its going to be exclusive to the new Nexus phones. y this matters: Its Nexus rumor season, so this is probably one of several that will float our way during the coming weeks. is clearly using this next Nexus launch as a way to bake in its services more deeply to the operating system possibly show other manufacturers how they could do the same. Or, at the very least, to differentiate Nexus more provide value beyond just the stock Android experience. In 2011, Hewlett-Packard ranked seventh in federal contracting. Barack Obama, a Democrat, was president. In 2012, HP CEO Meg Whitman publicly backed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for president, and even served as a California "statewide honorary chairman" for him. Did Whitman's backing of Romney help or hurt HP? Will her particularly brutal condemnation Tuesday of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump hurt the firm, should he win the election? If Whitman's support for Romney caused any corporate damage it is not apparent in its federal contracting. In 2011, HP's total federal contracting was pegged at $3.83 billion by Washington Technology in its annual ranking of federal contractors, putting it in seventh place. In 2015, HP was sixth among all federal contractors, with $3.86 billion in contracts, a slight uptick from 2011, according to the publication's latest list. (Hewlett-Packard late last year since split into companies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), which Whitman runs, and HP Inc.) On Tuesday, Whitman published a Facebook post announcing her support of Hillary Clinton, the Democrat's presidential candidate. "To vote Republican out of party loyalty alone would be to endorse a candidacy that I believe has exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division. Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character," wrote Whitman on Facebook. "Trump's reckless and uninformed positions on critical issues - from immigration to our economy to foreign policy - have made it abundantly clear that he lacks both the policy depth and sound judgment required as President." Corporate leaders are often engaged in politics, usually through campaign donations and on specific issues affecting their companies. But Whitman is a little different from most CEOs. She was hired as HP's CEO in 2011 after her unsuccessful run in 2009 as the Republican nominee for governor of California. HP was hiring someone with political ambitions. Simon Business School Professor David Primo said CEOs do have to consider the potential effects of their political involvement. But, "in Whitman's case, I'd argue that this is largely a non-issue, since she is a previous candidate for public office whose political views are well-known," he said. "While I don't think Whitman's endorsement will affect HP one way or the other, it is a major coup for Clinton to get this endorsement," said Primo. The Simon School of Business is based at the University of Rochester. Does Whitman's endorsement matter? Any evidence showing it is consequential is "more muted -- just as labor endorsements by union leaders do not always translate into support for the position taken or the candidate endorsed," said David Caputo, a professor of Political Science at Pace University and president emeritus. The Clinton campaign is attempting to attract Republican and independent voters to its candidate and the endorsement of Clinton by business leaders "known to be strongly affiliated with the Republican Party should be seen as part of their strategy to win Republican and Independent support," said Caputo. "One endorsement will not make a significant difference, but a large number might reinforce the Clinton campaign's assertion that Donald Trump is not qualified to serve as president," said Caputo. While it's not clear what Whitman's endorsement of Clinton might cost the firm if Trump wins the election in November, one thing is clear: Trump has proven time and again in this race that he doesn't take criticism lightly. AgileBits today launched a $3-per-month subscription service for individuals running 1Password, a password manager particularly popular among macOS and iOS users. The new plan extends the pay-as-you-go model beyond the work team ($4 per user per month) and family ($5 a month) deals the company had rolled out previously. The individuals' service will synchronize all copies of 1Password on all devices using the same hosted infrastructure that backs up the team and family plans. For $36 annually, customers also receive rights to all 1Password apps and applications, which include editions for macOS, iOS, Android and, in beta, Windows. 1Password for macOS, for example, costs $65 on Apple's App Store, while the "Pro" version on the iPhone and iPad runs $10. As with other software subscription plans, users will receive app updates and upgrades free of charge as long as they make regular payments. Dave Teare, AgileBits' founder and creator of 1Password, pledged that the company would continue to sell traditional perpetual licenses while making plain that he thought subscriptions are the future. "Using our new service provides the simplest and most feature-packed way to use 1Password," Teare wrote in a post to the firm's blog. Teare also promised that ending payments would not lock customers out of their password data, although the account will be frozen. Users will be able to "access, view and export" all data after letting a subscription lapse, an FAQ stated. AgileBits is just one consumer software developer that's entering or experimenting with subscription plans, which have been all the rage among vendors, if not customers. Quicken, for instance, is testing a personal finance service that would run the Windows application from a remote data center. AgileBits will offer six months free to customers who sign up for an individual plan at its website. Marc Tarabella wants to swipe left on Tinder's privacy policy. The company's terms of use breach European Union privacy laws, according to Tarabella, a member of the European Parliament. Tarabella particularly dislikes the way the company gives itself the right to swipe the personal information and photos of its users, and to continue using it even if they deactivate their accounts. It's not just Tinder: Tarabella is also unhappy about how much personal information Runkeeper keeps about runners' movements, even when the app is inactive. He has the same concerns about Happn, a sort of missed-connections dating service. The lawmaker wants the European Commission to root out abusive clauses in the terms of use of a number of mobile apps, and to penalize their developers. "The problem is always the lack of transparency, and the notion of consent. For example, the consumer has never consented to the transmission of their data to third parties when the app is offline in the case of Runkeeper or Happn," he wrote Wednesday. Mobile apps simplify our daily lives, he said, but they should not become a lawless zone where the consumer is systematically taken advantage of. Privacy rules should be fair, transparent and easy to understand -- and respect consumers' legal rights, he said. But in calling for an investigation by the European Commission, Tarabella appears to be swiping the wrong way. While some laws, such as those on competition and cartels, are both enacted and enforced by the Commission, the rules on privacy and protecting consumers from unfair contract terms are for national data protection authorities to enforce, a Commission spokeswoman said Thursday. Tarabella, a Belgian MEP, may find a better match with the Belgian Privacy Commission, responsible for protecting the personal information of Belgian citizens. The Belgian Privacy Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tinder's privacy policy. Authorities in other countries, however, are taking an interest. Earlier this year the Norwegian Consumer Council launched a campaign calling on app developers to respect their users' privacy. In an entertaining video, it invited users to imagine what life would be like if everyone treated personal information the way some apps do, by setting up a market stall selling intimate photos of strangers. Norway is not a member of the EU, although it is a member of the European Economic Area, where EU privacy and consumer protection rules also apply. Are links on other websites that point to your site an important Google-search ranking factor? The answer used to be blatantly obvious, and for some, it still is. Google, however, made major changes to its search engine algorithm during the past few years. The company also changed the way it displays search results. Then there are mobile search results, which can be different from desktop results, the possible impact (or not) of social media shares, the emergence of Googles RankBrain artificial intelligence (AI), and many other factors that come into play. Its all enough to cause confusion and lead to questions about todays most important search engine ranking factors. We interviewed a set of SEO experts for their takes on the most important ranking factors. Theyre not listed in order of importance, because not all of the experts agreed on the degrees of importance for factors. However, the consensus is all digital marketers, SEO experts and other search pros should focus on the following six SEO ranking factors. 6 key search-ranking factors 1. Content relevance and SEO rank Google ultimately became the dominant search engine because it is adept at displaying, on the first page of search results, the most relevant content that matches a keyword query. Eventually, users came to assume the search engine only shows the most relevant results first, a behavior that web-usability consultant Jakob Nielsen dubs, Google Gullibility. Content relevance is often assumed or overlooked in studies of ranking factors, but its still the most important factor, according to Eric Enge, CEO of Stone Temple Consulting, which offers content marketing, SEO, social media, and Google-penalty recovery services. Relevance is often presumed to be on or off, so content is either relevant or irrelevant to a query. But thats not really the right view in my opinion, Enge says. You cant assume that relevance is a binary factor, where you assign a zero score if its not relevant and a 1 score if it is relevant. True relevance scoring would be on a sliding scale, ranging from 0 to 1, with any possible value in-between. The content with the lower score would need to score somewhat higher on other metrics to outrank the [higher score]. 2. Inbound links and SEO Google made a number of tweaks during the past year, including the rollout of RankBrain and a second mobile-friendly update, but the core ranking factors remain much the same, according to Jayson DeMers, founder and CEO of AudienceBloom, a content- and social-media marketing firm. The quality of inbound links pointing to your domain or page is still the most important ranking indicator. Links have always been key to high Google ranks. During its early days, Google touted its PageRank technology as an important competitive differentiator. PageRank is Googles numeric rating of how important it considers pages to be, according to Search Engine Land. Google said in 2011 that PageRank works by counting the number and quality of links to a page to determine a rough estimate of how important the website is. The underlying assumption is that more important websites are likely to receive more links from other websites. As of earlier this year, Google no longer shares PageRank scores publicly, but it still uses them in ranking calculations, Search Engine Land says. Stone Temple Consulting recently performed a research study to answer the question: Are links still a powerful ranking factor? All of the details are available in the companys related blog post, but the gist is that provided the content is relevant and a site doesnt have technical problems or quality issues, links are still highly important. And authority is Enges No. 2 most important ranking factor after content relevance, though its primarily driven by the quality and diversity of backlinks, he says. SEO consultancy Backlinko recently posted the results of its search engine ranking factors study, based on a million Google search results. Backlinko found that the number of domains linking to a page correlated with rankings more than any other factor. Backlinko also concluded that a sites overall link authority, as measured by Ahrefs Domain Ratings, strongly correlates with higher [search] rankings. Rand Fishkin, founder of Moz, which offers SEO and other software tools as a service, says page-level link features are the No. 1 search engine-ranking factor today, assuming a sites content is relevant. These features include Googles PageRank, the quantity of linked root domains, quality of the link sources, and trust metrics. Every other year, Moz releases its own search engine ranking factors survey, and in the last survey for 2015, page-level link features were the No. 2 ranking factor, just slightly below domain-level link features. 3. Content quality and SEO rank Google wants to deliver not only the most relevant content, but also the highest-quality search results. And quality can be measured in a variety of ways, according to Enge, including proper grammar and spelling, reading level, comprehensiveness how well the content covers the spectrum of user needs related to the query uniqueness, and a lack of negative signals, such as excessive keyword repetition. (The Content Marketing Institutes blog offers more information in, How Google judges quality and what you should do about it, and, What quality content is, and how to help your clients create it.) Marketers and SEO professionals should still focus on developing the best content they can to attract quality inbound links to their content, and that usually means executing a solid content marketing strategy, says DeMers. Its harder to stand out these days due to increasing competition in the content sphere, so if theres one change I can recommend its investing more to make sure your content is truly remarkable, even if that means creating less content overall. Backlinkos survey results found that publishing focused content that covers a single topic may help with rankings, and that longer content tends to rank higher in Googles search results. The average Google first page result contains 1,890 words. And a separate study from BuzzSumo and Moz found that long-form content of over 1,000 words consistently receives more (social media) shares and links than shorter form content. Searchmetrics, an enterprise SEO and content marketing service provider, ranked content quality as the third most important element in its 2015 study of search ranking factors and rank correlations. Among the factors that can influence such ranking are keywords, in the body of the copy, in internal and external links, and in meta-descriptions; word count; and relevant terms. 4. Technical issues and SEO Like content relevancy, technical issues are sometimes overlooked in SEO ranking factor studies. Technical issues, however, can prevent a sites content from ranking as highly as it could for relevant keyword queries or keep it from ranking at all. Common technical issues include duplicate content, dubious inbound links, poor navigation, and improper redirects. Googles goal is to deliver a positive user experience, so content on sites with architecture problems wont likely earn high ranking. You have to solve those problems if you want to play the SEO game, Enge says. In fact, technical issues ranked as the No. 1 most important factor to mitigate in Searchmetrics study. Technical issues arent just about problems in a websites structure, however. Technical on-page factors that can play a role in rank include whether or not content has a strong meta-description, if it uses H1 and H2 tags, and whether a site is encrypted via HTTPS. HTTPS is becoming more relevant and even a ranking signal for Google but it is not necessary for every site, the Searchmetrics report says. Encryption is primarily important for sites with purchasing processes or sensitive client information to increase trust and conversion rates. 5. User engagement and SEO rank Does your content truly engage website visitors? If so, Google may reward you with a higher search ranking. Unfortunately, its unclear how exactly Google measures user engagement. I dont think anyone in the industry has a good handle on what user engagement measurements might be, Enge says, adding that he doesnt think click-through rates are a direct ranking factor. For some pages, high bounce rates are a positive signal, according to Enge. When visitors land on contact pages in search of phone numbers and then click away, for example, thats a satisfactory user engagement. But I do believe Google is looking at user engagement in some ways, Enge says. Google software engineer Paul Haahr confirmed as much in a March 2016 presentation, in which he said Google leverages user engagement to evaluate the quality of its ranking algorithms. Mozs Fishkin says user interaction and engagement, along with usage-data signals, are among the top SEO ranking factors. Such signals include clickstream analysis, which collects, analyzes and reports aggregate data on the pages site visitors see and in what order, and visitor traffic. In its beginners guide to SEO, Moz outlines some user engagement metrics, and provides an explanation of how usability and user experience impact search rankings. Searchmetrics lists user experience as its No. 2 ranking factor, based on elements such as the number of internal links and images, responsive design when a website adjusts to both mobile and desktop screens and time spent on site. 6. RankBrain and SEO In March 2016, a Google search executive said RankBrain, links and content are the three top ranking factors, according to Search Engine Land. RankBrain uses AI to help Google interpret the searches that people submit to find pages that might not have the exact words that were researched for, Search Engine Land says. But some SEO professionals arent convinced RankBrain is such an important factor. Google has said many times that RankBrain has a larger impact on long-tail queries, according to Enge. (Long-tail queries are highly specific search phrases with multiple words.) RankBrain runs on all queries, he says, but it doesnt impact broad or generic keyword search terms at all. Instead, it impacts keywords terms that are a bit more complex infrequently, and RankBrain affects long-tail keyword phrases fairly often, Enge says. SEO tips and best practices for 2016 1. Dont overemphasize social media shares After Google+s fall from grace, social signals lost a lot of search sway, especially for personalized results, according to Mozs Fishkin. And Enge points out, social media sources can be shut off at any time, so Google doesnt want to make it part of their core algorithm. 2. Ranking factors are intertwined Some misconceptions about ranking factors come from the idea that site owners can make a handful of changes or tweaks to pages and quickly see them rank, according to Holly Miller, a Searchmetrics SEO expert and professional services manager. There are a lot of factors at play, she says. A lot of the technical and content elements have to work together in concert to provide a superior user experience. Its ultimately about asking yourself, Does this content help the user accomplish X? Or ,Does this content answer their question?' 3. Always keep user experience in mind Usability, user experience, speed, and the ability to deliver unique value are crucial to SEO, according to Fishkin. These were often the domains of other marketing and website professionals in the past, and SEOs merely helped with more technical and keyword-based on-page and off-page signals, he says. But today, to succeed long-term in search, you need these elements of stickiness and remarkability. A Jordanian court on Thursday sentenced a man to death for killing five intelligence agents in their office in a Palestinian refugee camp in June, state media reported. Amman's state security court "sentenced the criminal Mahmud Masharfeh to death by hanging for his terrorist act against the intelligence agency," Petra news said. Masharfeh, a Jordanian national, was arrested hours after the June 6 attack in the Baqaa camp north of Amman. Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks. But no group claimed responsibility for the Baqaa shooting, which authorities said was "an individual and isolated act". Two weeks later a car bomb killed seven soldiers near a makeshift Syrian refugee camp in Jordan's remote north. That attack was claimed by IS. Search Keywords: Short link: Lazy people will love Windows 10 and its ability to automate home tasks, and the operating system's smart-home credentials are getting a serious boost with a recent internet of things pact. Microsoft wants to put Windows 10 at the center of smart homes. The company wants users to be able to tell the operating system's Cortana voice assistant to switch on a light, open a door, release food for a cat, and even check the contents of a refrigerator. For Windows 10 to be successful, the OS will have to work with a wide range of smart home and IoT devices, and that goal has taken a big step forward thanks to a recent agreement between standards bodies the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) and the Thread Group. The two organizations will work together on improving interoperability between smart home and IoT devices. This means devices running Windows 10 will be able to connect with most smart home products and program home automation tasks based on events or times of the day. The new alliance will see the major IoT standards-settings groups working together to make it easy for devices to discover and communicate with one another. "As members of OCF, we are very excited by this development and look forward to moving closer to a world where smart home devices just work together regardless of brand or make, a Microsoft representative said in an email. The alliance will benefit smart-home customers, with less guesswork involved in getting devices to work together. The alliance between OCF and Thread Group will help Windows 10 devices natively support and communicate with products from companies like Nest Labs, an Alphabet company. Multiple IoT standards have hurt interoperability between devices, and the alliance gets rid of the fragmentation in standards that's threatening the IoT and smart home markets. Founders of the Thread Group include ARM, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Nest. The OCF brings together security, discovery, and connectivity tools from the Microsoft-backed AllSeen Alliance and the former Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), with key members including Intel, Samsung, and Dell. The OIC was renamed OCF. Microsoft's plan is to integrate OCF protocols -- which are due to be released in 2017 -- into Windows 10. The integration will ultimately bring the Thread Group protocols and network transports to Windows 10. Users could then automate tasks using a Windows PC, mobile device, Xbox console, or Raspberry Pi 3. Users will be able to create profiles and assign actions for smart home devices. For example, users could establish a specific profile in Cortana like "activate smart home," which would trigger actions like switching on lights and air conditioning. Microsoft will have to incorporate Thread APIs into its plans for OCF tools. Microsoft has already released an open-source bridge to connect OIC tools, called IoTivity, with the AllSeen Alliance's AllJoyn APIs. It will help AllJoyn devices talk to OIC-compatible IoT devices. Google Chief Education Evangelist Jaime Casaps oldest daughter scored a full ride to college on a swimming scholarship but she only lasted one semester out of frustration with the lack of technology at the school. She had been used to taking notes on her laptop in high school, for example, but was told she couldnt bring her device into the college classroom. Ive been in education for 10 years and I remember talking to CIOs at universities saying technology is not a differentiator for their schoolsthat students dont pick schools based on their technology, says Casap, an adjunct lecturer in innovation at Arizona State University, where his daughter wound up attending and graduating from. I can tell you thats starting to change. MORE: 25 of today's coolest network & computing research projects Casap, speaking at the Campus Technology 2016 conference in Boston this week, served up the anecdote about his daughter to shed light on what he sees as a need for higher education institutions to change how they use technology. Casap, who dealt directly with universities early on in his Google career, now works mainly in the K-12 field, or what he described as conference attendees future customers. Casaps style of relaying his companys vision of the future of learning in higher education is personal. Those of us who caught his my-life-is-an-open-book talk at the conference learned that Casap grew up in Hells Kitchen, N.Y. (not the Hells Kitchen from today where you would want to live), that his mother escaped from poverty and an oppressive regime in Argentina, that he has three kids whose ages range from 2 to 23 (I can only handle one kid at a time), and that he has spoken into the most powerful microphone in the world to young students at the White House. His experiences have given him a great appreciation for the value of higher education, but also unique ideas of how to improve it. Among them: working to open this month the unconventional Phoenix Coding Academy to 9th graders interested in a tech-infused education. Casap emphasized that Im not on the college is broken bandwagon, Im not on the education is broken bandwagon, Im not on the teachers are terrible bandwagon, pointing out that so many people from around the world want to come to America to go to college. Its not that education is necessarily broken, its that the world has changed, he said. Our job is to do what our forefathers in K-12 and college did 100 years ago and ask whats the right model to build to focus on the [globally-connected, knowledge-based] economy that we face. While much has been made of the potential of technology, from TV to MOOCs, to boost education in the past, Casap said the speed at which technology is changing our lives now makes it imperative for universities to come up with ways to embrace and exploit it in the name of student success. The Google evangelist said that we are armed with plenty of knowledge now about what sort of instructional models work, and dont, for different groups of people. We dont even need to build anything new we can just go back 5 years to some of the Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus. The head of a top European rights watchdog Thursday urged Turkey to show restraint in its crackdown on suspects linked to the failed July 15 coup that has seen thousands detained. "Turkey's post coup proceedings: the net must not be cast too wide," Council of Europe chief Thorbjorn Jagland wrote on Twitter after meeting Turkish officials in Ankara. Jagland is one of the most senior European officials to visit Turkey in the wake of the coup, with Turkey contrasting his presence with the failure of EU leaders to come in the wake of the coup. After talks with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara the day earlier, Jagland had gladdened his hosts by saying there was a need to take on the "secret network" of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for the coup. "Of course we see a need for cleaning up all of this," he said Wednesday, adding there was "too little" understanding in Europe on the challenges faced by Turkey. A spokesman for Jagland clarified Thursday that while the secretary general "understands the need for the investigation", he was not backing a wholescale purge of Turkish institutions. On Thursday Jagland held talks with EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik and main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. According to Interior Minister Efkan Ala, 25,917 people have now been detained, 13,419 of whom have been remanded in custody over their roles in the coup. Tens of thousands more have also lost their jobs, in particular in the education centre. The spokesman said Jagland was for example concerned that a teacher should not be disqualified from the profession simply because they had worked at a Gulen-linked school. But Erdogan said Thursday that the "virus" of Gulen's influence had spread everywhere in Turkey and must be "cleaned up". "We have not put the full stop yet, this is a comma. We will keep on fighting in a determined way," he said in a speech at the presidential palace in Ankara. Search Keywords: Short link: Town sued over denied water service The town council met in executive session last week to discuss its defense after a lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court by a Jamestown homeowner who was denied permission... Scout earns Eagle rank with boardwalk work A local Boy Scout is the latest member of Troop 1 Jamestown to lead an environmental project at a wildlife sanctuary in his mission to attain the Eagle rank. Alex... State: Steer clear while deer breeding As deer begin mating during the rut, public safety officials are urging drivers to be cautious on the roads because herds tend to move around more frequently during this time.... European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday rejected Austria's call for the EU to end membership talks with Ankara, warning that it would be a grave error. "If one gives the impression to Turkey now that, no matter what, the EU is not ready to take in Turkey, then I would say that is a serious foreign policy mistake," Juncker told German public broadcaster ARD. Search Keywords: Short link: Related UN aid official laments failure to achieve more in Syria Cranes hoisted huge white bags with rice, lentils and dates from Jordan into tent camps on the Syrian side of a border berm an unprecedented way of delivering U.N. aid to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians cut off from outside help for almost two months. The three-day delivery to two makeshift encampments in a remote desert area ended Thursday, U.N. aid agencies said. Relief over getting badly needed aid to the Ruqban and Hadalat camps was muted by concern over deteriorating conditions there. Some camp residents have dug holes for sleeping after selling flimsy shelters for scarce food and water, said a displaced Syrian, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions if he were to return home. Aid agencies have said disease, malnutrition and dehydration are on the rise. This week's shipment of 650 metric tons of food and hygiene kits was a one-off Jordan has said it would bar future deliveries from its soil on security grounds. The international community is scrambling for alternatives, but no viable option has emerged. Sending supplies from war-ravaged Syria appears risky, while U.N. officials say aid dropped by planes could end up in the wrong hands. "This should be a wake-up call for everyone," Shaza Moghraby, a spokeswoman for the World Food Program in Jordan, said of the growing suffering at the berm. "The world has a moral obligation to do something about this." Close to 5 million Syrians have fled their homeland during five years of civil war, most settling in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Over the past year, it has become increasingly difficult for Syrians to flee the fighting as the country's neighbors tightened entry restrictions. The number of Syrians stranded on the Jordanian border, awaiting entry, has grown from a few thousand to more than 75,000 over the past eight months, according to U.N. figures. The rapid increase was caused in part by the bottle neck at the border. For months, Jordan was only letting in a limited number of refugees each day, citing the need for stringent security vetting and arguing the two camps had been infiltrated by militants from the extremist group Islamic State. On June 21, Jordan sealed the border for good after a cross-border suicide attack by the Islamic State group killed seven Jordanian border guards near the Ruqban camp. The closure also halted what until then had been regular aid deliveries from Jordan to the camps. Jordan said it would not reopen the border, but U.N. agencies were able to negotiate this week's shipment of one month's worth of aid. Moghraby said deliveries began Tuesday at the smaller Hadalat camp, home to about 7,000 Syrians. She said two cranes deployed on Jordanian soil, several dozen meters (yards) from the berm, lifted large white sacks of food and other goods, each weighing about 750 kilograms, and dropped them into pickup trucks on the other side. Parcels of lentils, rice, dates, bread and other goods were then handed to Hadalat residents by tribal leaders who had previously given aid officials a list of beneficiaries and also received training on how to manage a distribution, Moghraby said. In a further precaution against aid falling into the hands of war profiteers or militiamen, the distribution was monitored by Jordanian army drones, she said. "We know that the vast majority are innocent women, children, elderly and sick," she said of those at the berm. "We just have this one opportunity to distribute aid." On Wednesday and Thursday, deliveries reached the larger Ruqban camp, Moghraby said. Since the Jordanian border closure, already dire camp conditions deteriorated further. Clean water has become scarce. Camp residents have reported a rise in hepatitis and dysentery, said an aid official, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to talk to reporters. Some camp residents were forced to sell their tents for food and water. The group Doctors Without Borders has estimated that children make up half the population in the berm encampments, and that about 25 percent of them suffer from acute diarrhea. This week's shipment was also meant to buy time for the international community to come up with alternatives to aid delivery from Jordan, but all options appear to have serious drawbacks. Enticing the displaced to move to a more accessible part of Syria would likely mean they'd have to cross one or more front lines. Jordan appears determined not to reopen its border. And resettling those from the berm encampments to third countries would likely draw even larger numbers to the border area. Search Keywords: Short link: A drone strike killed two suspected Al-Qaeda members in southern Yemen on Thursday, a security official said. The strike targeted the pair in a military vehicle at a jihadist checkpoint in Shabwa province, the official told AFP. The United States has carried out numerous drone strikes in Yemen. It has vowed no let-up in its war against jihadists, who have exploited the power vacuum created by a conflict between the government and Houthi rebels to expand their presence in south and southeast Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition which is militarily backing the Yemeni government has also turned its sights on the jihadists. Washington considers the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be the network's deadliest franchise. Search Keywords: Short link: Iraq's judiciary has imposed a travel ban on the speaker of parliament, two lawmakers and several other people in connection with corruption allegations, a spokesman said on Thursday. Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi on Monday told parliament that speaker Salim al-Juburi and several lawmakers were corrupt and had sought to blackmail him. The next day, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he had ordered a "temporary travel ban" against those under investigation, but Juburi rejected it, saying only the judiciary had the authority to impose such measures. After hearing testimony from Obeidi, a judiciary commission decided to impose a travel ban on Juburi, lawmakers Mohammed al-Karbouli and Taleb al-Maamari, said spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar. Four other people were also barred from travel, including a former member of parliament, he said. The commission, which is investigating the corruption allegations, will also hear testimony from current and former officials, Bayraqdar said. Juburi has denied the accusations against him, which Obeidi first made on Monday while appearing in parliament to answer graft allegations he said were brought in retribution for his rejection of corruption. Obeidi also outlined his accusations on social media, including that Juburi was involved in attempting to pass corrupt arms contracts. A post in on the minister's official Twitter account said Thursday that he would "give his testimony and provide his evidence in corruption cases of a number of politicians and MPs." Corruption is widespread in Iraq's government, from senior officials to low-level functionaries, and while Iraqis have repeatedly demonstrated for change in the past year, little in the way of real reform has taken place. The accusations against Juburi and the lawmakers are just the latest problems in a tumultuous year for the Iraqi legislature. Parliament was deadlocked for weeks over Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet, at one point had to rival claimants to the speakership, and was stormed by angry protesters, among other incidents. Search Keywords: Short link: RALEIGH Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence compared running mate Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan Thursday in his first solo campaign appearance in North Carolina. Pence, the governor of Indiana, gave a speech and answered questions from an audience of about 300 people at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. He spent much of the speech praising Trump and criticizing opponent Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama. Not since Ronald Reagan in my lifetime has there been a man or woman at the national level who has heard the frustrations and the aspirations of the American people the way (Trump) does, Pence said. Hes distinctly American. He makes some of those people in Europe just crazy. Pence addressed his running mates differing approach when he answered a question from an 11-year-old boy who wondered if softening up Mr. Trumps words would be his role in a Trump administration. Sometimes things dont always come out like you mean, Pence said. We have different styles, you might have noticed that. Differences in style should never be confused with differences in conviction. Pence refuted Obamas recent criticism of Trump, noting that the president had said the billionaire was woefully unprepared to do this job. As Pence quoted the presidents critique, someone in the crowd shouted Was he looking in the mirror? This administration through its policies has weakened Americas place in the world, Pence said of Obama. Were still reeling this morning from the news that on the very week four American hostages were released, $400 million worth of cash was delivered to Iran. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama essentially put a price tag on the head of every American traveling abroad. During the question-and-answer session, the first audience member called on was N.C. Republican Party executive director Dallas Woodhouse. Woodhouse wanted to hear Pences thoughts on North Carolinas voter ID law after a federal appeals court judge struck it down. The integrity of the vote is the foundation of the integrity of the democracy, Pence said, noting that the Supreme Court upheld Indianas voter ID law. I think we helped lead the nation in voter ID, and it has not been a barrier to access to the ballot place. Pence praised his counterpart in North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory. North Carolina and Indiana are out there with the fastest growing economies in America, he said. Your good governor, Pat McCrory needs to be re-elected. Pence appeared with Trump in Winston-Salem last week. His appearance follows a rally Wednesday that featured Clintons running mate. And former President Bill Clinton is expected to campaign in the state on Friday. The UN special envoy to Yemen said Thursday he plans to suspend peace talks between the country's warring parties at the weekend but that negotiations will resume later. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been mediating the talks between President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and their allies in Kuwait since April 21, without a major breakthrough. "We plan to hold the final session (of the talks) on Saturday," the Mauritanian diplomat said in an interview on state-run Kuwait TV. "We are working on issuing a communique that will emphasise on the main points we have achieved." The talks would resume later, he said, without providing a specific date or the location but he added that they could return to Kuwait. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he offered delegates a peace plan a few days ago, and thanked the government for its positive response while adding that the rebels had some reservations. The envoy said all difficult issues were discussed and some achievements were made during the negotiations. "We wanted to have a sustainable and lasting peace agreement," said Ould Cheikh Ahmed who on Wednesday briefed the UN Security Council about the talks. The peace plan calls for the rebels to withdraw from territories they occupied in September 2014 including the capital Sanaa and hand over heavy weapons, said Ould Cheikh Ahmed. The government delegation which left Kuwait this week returned to the emirate late Thursday to attend the final session, its spokesman Mohammed al-Emrani told AFP. The rebels had insisted that first a national unity government must be formed and a new consensus president appointed to oversee the transition. Yemen, home to what the United States sees as Al-Qaeda's deadliest franchise, descended into chaos after the 2012 ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces are fighting alongside the Houthi rebels. Security deteriorated further after the Houthis swept into Sanaa and pushed south, forcing President Hadi's government to flee into exile in March last year. The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since then, when a Saudi-led Arab coalition launched a military campaign in support of Hadi. Search Keywords: Short link: TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - August 04, 2016) - Primero Mining Corp. ("Primero" or the "Company") (TSX: P) (NYSE: PPP) today reported operating and financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. Highlights: Improved Q2 2016 Operating Results: Total production of 49,499 gold equivalent ounces 1 , comprised of 28,978 ounces of gold and 1.60 million ounces of silver from San Dimas, and 15,172 ounces of gold from Black Fox, a 37% improvement over the 36,158 gold equivalent ounces produced in the first quarter of 2016. Primero produced 62,490 gold equivalent ounces in Q2 2015. Total production of 49,499 gold equivalent ounces , comprised of 28,978 ounces of gold and 1.60 million ounces of silver from San Dimas, and 15,172 ounces of gold from Black Fox, a 37% improvement over the 36,158 gold equivalent ounces produced in the first quarter of 2016. Primero produced 62,490 gold equivalent ounces in Q2 2015. Operating Cash Flows Increased: The Company realized a net loss of $19.4 million ($0.12 per share) and adjusted net loss 2 of $2.4 million ($0.01 per share) in Q2 2016. The Company generated second quarter operating cash flow before working capital changes of $11.2 million ($0.07 per share), notably increased over Q1 2016 of negative $8.5 million. The Company realized a net loss of $19.4 million ($0.12 per share) and adjusted net loss of $2.4 million ($0.01 per share) in Q2 2016. The Company generated second quarter operating cash flow before working capital changes of $11.2 million ($0.07 per share), notably increased over Q1 2016 of negative $8.5 million. Black Fox Achieved Higher Underground Production Rates: Underground production from the Black Fox mine averaged 636 tonnes per day in Q2 2016, a 50% improvement over the production levels in Q1 2016. The mine continues to make progress towards initial production from the Deep Central Zone, with stope production expected from this new area before the end of Q3 2016, slightly later than originally planned. Underground production from the Black Fox mine averaged 636 tonnes per day in Q2 2016, a 50% improvement over the production levels in Q1 2016. The mine continues to make progress towards initial production from the Deep Central Zone, with stope production expected from this new area before the end of Q3 2016, slightly later than originally planned. Equity Financing Improved Balance Sheet Flexibility: Primero ended Q2 2016 with $79.5 million of total liquidity, which includes $54.5 million in cash and $25.0 million available on its line of credit. The $40.0 million bought deal financing, which closed on June 24, 2016, positively contributed to Primero's June 30, 2016 cash position. 2016 Production Guidance Updated: Primero has reduced its 2016 production guidance to between 195,000 and 215,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs 3 of between $775 and $825 per gold equivalent ounce with all-in sustaining costs 4 of between $1,200 and $1,250 per gold ounce. Production at San Dimas has been impacted by lower than planned grades, unexpected labour disruptions in July and a lower gold/silver ratio as a result of minimal expected silver spot sales. Production at Black Fox has been affected by delays in accessing high-grade mineralization from the Deep Central Zone. Primero has reduced its 2016 production guidance to between 195,000 and 215,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs of between $775 and $825 per gold equivalent ounce with all-in sustaining costs of between $1,200 and $1,250 per gold ounce. Production at San Dimas has been impacted by lower than planned grades, unexpected labour disruptions in July and a lower gold/silver ratio as a result of minimal expected silver spot sales. Production at Black Fox has been affected by delays in accessing high-grade mineralization from the Deep Central Zone. Drilling to Commence on New Concession in San Dimas District: Initial orientation sampling has begun on the recently acquired Lechuguilla concession located close to San Dimas' southern boundary, with drilling to commence later this year. Initial orientation sampling has begun on the recently acquired Lechuguilla concession located close to San Dimas' southern boundary, with drilling to commence later this year. NAFTA Notice of Intent: In order to protect its rights as a Canadian investor in Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement ("NAFTA"), on June 2, 2016, the Company issued a Notice of Intent to submit a claim to international arbitration against the Government of Mexico, pursuant to Article 1119 of the NAFTA. Primero maintains it has the right to rely on its 2012 advance pricing agreement with the Mexican tax authority ("SAT") which confirmed the appropriate price for sales of silver. "We increased production levels in the second quarter and we are committed on continuing to bring both of our mines up to their optimal operating rates," stated Ernest Mast, President and Chief Executive Officer. "San Dimas showed solid production improvements over Q1 2016, achieving average mining rates of 2,500 tonnes per day. But there is still much work to be done to optimize and refine the mining cycle, increase development rates and maximize productivity and grades. We had labour disruptions during July that impacted July's production and delayed some development work. As a result we initiated a mine optimization plan focusing on technical and human resources issues. We are continuing to make progress at Black Fox in developing the Deep Central Zone ahead of production expected in the third-quarter, unfortunately we have experienced delays in early July due to poor ground conditions on the 660 metre level. In light of these challenges the Company has reduced its 2016 production guidance." San Dimas Operations Improve; Black Fox Achieves Increased Underground Production Rates Primero produced a total of 49,499 gold equivalent ounces in Q2 2016, which compares to 62,490 gold equivalent ounces produced in Q2 2015, but represents a 37% increase compared to Q1 2016. Gold and silver production was 44,150 ounces and 1.60 million ounces, respectively, in Q2 2016 compared to 54,862 ounces and 2.15 million ounces in Q2 2015. The Company incurred consolidated total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce of $851 for Q2 2016, compared to $653 for Q2 2015. All-in sustaining costs ("AISC") per ounce were $1,345 for Q2 2016, compared to $1,036 in Q2 2015. San Dimas produced 34,327 gold equivalent ounces (28,978 ounces of gold and 1.60 million ounces of silver) during the second quarter of 2016, a 50% increase over Q1 2016 and compared to 44,128 gold equivalent ounces produced in Q2 2015. The decreased production year-over-year was mainly due to lower throughput rates and lower head grades due to the lack of availability of high-grade stopes mainly as a result of lower development in Q1 2016 and ventilation and mine services issues. The labour issues during July further impacted development and therefore deferred mining some high grade areas to 2017. San Dimas total cash costs on a gold equivalent basis in the second quarter of 2016 were $843 per ounce, compared to $608 per ounce in Q2 2015. AISC at San Dimas were $1,063 per ounce in the second quarter 2016, compared with $822 per ounce in the same period of 2015. The higher cash costs per ounce were mainly due to lower metals production and reduced silver credits realized in the second quarter of 2016. Higher unit costs were also related to an increase in the annual bonus paid to unionized employees. The impact of the increased union bonus was approximately $90 per ounce in the second quarter. Black Fox produced 15,172 ounces of gold in the second quarter of 2016, a 14% increase over the 13,257 ounces produced in Q1 2016 and compared to 18,362 ounces in Q2 2015. In Q2 2016 the majority of production ounces came from the underground mine, whereas in Q2 2015 gold production was largely sourced from the open-pit mine. In the second quarter of 2016 the underground mine achieved increased production rates averaging 636 tonnes per day, representing a 50% improvement over Q1 2016 production levels. During July 2016, a planned initial long-hole stope of the Deep Central Zone was delayed due to poor ground conditions in a footwall development drift that required the development of an alternative route. An alternate route was implemented that has already mined 3,220 tonnes of development ore grading 9.8 g/t (cut at 30 g/t) confirming the existence of high grade ore at the 660 level. As a result, initial stope production from the Deep Central Zone is now expected to commence before the end of Q3 2016. Black Fox total cash costs per gold ounce were higher in Q2 2016 at $870 per ounce compared to $762 per ounce in Q2 2015 due to lower gold production. The Black Fox mine incurred AISC per gold ounce of $1,362 in Q2 2016, compared to $1,071 in Q2 2015 as a result of increased capital spending on underground development in 2016 compared to 2015. Primero generated $59.4 million of revenue in Q2 2016, 12% lower than in Q2 2015 as a result selling 17% less gold equivalent ounces despite a 6% higher average realized gold price. In Q2 2016, the Company sold 43,008 ounces of gold at an average realized price of $1,241 per ounce and 1.43 million ounces of silver at an average realized price of $4.24 per ounce. Revenue in Q2 2015 totalled $67.4 million from selling 52,975 ounces of gold at an average realized price of $1,171 per ounce, and 1.26 million ounces of silver at an average realized price of $4.20 per ounce. Silver produced at San Dimas is subject to a silver purchase agreement5 and as a result 1.43 million ounces of silver were sold to Silver Wheaton (Caymans) Ltd. ("Silver Wheaton") at a fixed price of $4.24 per ounce during the quarter. As of June 30, 2016 the Company has delivered 5.6 million ounces of silver under the San Dimas silver purchase agreement's 6.0 million ounce annual contract year threshold (which runs from August 6th to the following August 5th), following which the Company can begin selling 50% of the silver produced at San Dimas at spot market prices until August 5, 2016 when the annual threshold is reset. Primero expects minimal spot silver sales in 2016. Gold produced at Black Fox is subject to a gold purchase agreement6 and as a result 1,131 ounces were sold to Sandstorm Gold Ltd. ("Sandstorm") at a fixed price of $524 per ounce in Q2 2016. The Company incurred a net loss of $19.4 million ($0.12 per share) in Q2 2016, compared with net loss of $6.7 million ($0.04 per share) for the second quarter of 2015. Adjusted loss for Q2 2016 was $2.4 million ($0.01 per share) compared with adjusted net income of $1.1 million ($0.01 per share) in Q2 2015. Adjusted loss primarily excludes the impact of foreign exchange rate changes on deferred tax balances, costs specifically related to the NAFTA and APA claims, and the mark-to-market gain/loss on the convertible debenture and warrants. Primero generated operating cash flow before working capital changes during Q2 2016 of $11.2 million ($0.07 per share), compared to operating cash flow of $22.6 million ($0.14 per share) in Q2 2015. Q2 2016 operating cash flow included $4.5 million in cash payments for income taxes in Mexico for 2016 tax instalments. Q2 2016 cash flows were also affected by lower production levels relative to Q2 2015. Liquidity Update The Company's total liquidity position at June 30, 2016 totalled $79.5 million, comprised of $54.5 million in cash and $25.0 million available under its line of credit. During Q2 2016, Primero completed a $40.0 million (C$51.8 million) bought deal financing, which positively contributed to Primero's June 30, 2016 cash position. Primero has $50 million drawn on its revolving credit facility that matures on May 23, 2017. The Company expects to renew this facility, but in the event full repayment is required cash generated by operations may not be sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility in full at maturity. The Company has a plan to improve production at San Dimas and will focus on cost and capital reductions at both of its operations to increase cash flows and is also evaluating the potential divestiture of assets and joint venture opportunities. 2016 Production Guidance Update Primero has reduced its 2016 production guidance to between 195,000 and 215,000 gold equivalent ounces at total cash costs of between $775 and $825 per gold equivalent ounce with AISC of between $1,200 and $1,250 per gold ounce. The Company has also re-evaluated its capital budget and as a result, 2016 capital expenditures have been reduced to $73.7 million including $42.4 million at San Dimas and $29.0 million at Black Fox. Production at San Dimas has been impacted by lower than planned grades, unexpected labour disruptions in July and a lower gold/silver ratio as a result of minimal expected silver spot sales. Labour disruptions in July were related to the local union seeking to increase short term production bonuses and interrupted the mine's operation during discussions. The short term production bonuses were agreed upon in late July. The labour disruption affected July production and development and as a result, select high grade areas will not be mined in 2016 resulting in a production shortfall. In view of these recent operational challenges at San Dimas the Company initiated a mine optimization program, in conjunction with a third party. A seven point action plan was developed to focus on technical improvements such as improving development rates and services, reducing dilution, decreasing operating costs, and improving labour productivity. The Company expects to provide an update at the end of the quarter. Production at Black Fox has been affected by timing delays in accessing high-grade mineralization from the Deep Central Zone. . Stope production from the Deep Central Zone has been delayed by approximately one month, due to poor localized ground conditions experienced on the 660 metre level. The Black Fox team has successfully worked through this area, but the timing delay has pushed first stope production until September. Black Fox updated guidance includes additional capital costs to develop the Deep Central zone. Additional drilling and development will be undertaken to increase available stopes in the Deep Central zone. Table 1: 2016 Production Guidance Previous Guidance Revised Guidance San Dimas Black Fox Consolidated San Dimas Black Fox Consolidated Attributable production (gold equivalent ounces) 160,000-170,000 70,000-80,000 230,000-250,000 135,000-145,000 60,000-70,000 195,000-215,000 Gold Production (ounces) 120,000-130,000 70,000-80,000 190,000-210,000 110,000-120,000 60,000-70,000 170,000-190,000 Silver Production (million ounces) 7.5-8.5 N/A 7.5-8.5 6.5-7.5 N/A 6.5-7.5 Total cash costs (per gold equivalent ounce) $600-$650 $750-$800 $650-$700 $725-$775 $850-$900 $775-$825 AISC (per gold ounce) $775-$825 $1,000-$1,050 $975-$1,025 $950-$1,000 $1,250-$1,300 $1,200-$1,250 Capital Expenditures ($ millions) $51.4 $23.6 $77.3 $42.4 $29.0 $73.7 Material assumptions used to forecast total cash costs for 2016 were based on the Company's actual results to June 30, 2016 and include an estimated average gold price of $1,250 per ounce (based on actual gold prices received through Q2 2016 and $1,300 per ounce for the remainder of the year), silver market price of $20 per ounce, and foreign exchange rates of $1.30 Canadian dollars and $18 Mexican pesos to the U.S. dollar for the remainder of 2016. Silver sold under the silver purchase agreement is expected to average $4.26 for the 2016 year. Froome Zone Update Primero continues to evaluate the potential of the Froome Zone located approximately 800 metres west of the Black Fox mine. Following the announcement of positive drilling results in Q1 2016, Primero continued to delineate and expand the deposit and commenced an internal economic evaluation of the Froome Zone. An initial mining plan has been developed and preliminary engineering and geotechnical studies have begun with the focus on accessing the ore body via an underground drift from the Black Fox pit, expediting the permitting process and timeline to initial production. Optimizing studies will continue in Q3 2016 with the focus on reducing capital cost and de-risking the project. The Company's regional exploration program will now focus on the discovery of Froome-like targets along the mineralized trend. Mineralization Potential Identified on New Lechuguilla Concession in San Dimas District With the June 2016 acquisition of a large new concession in the San Dimas district (Lechuguilla), Primero conducted a geological reconnaissance of identified geological windows. The large-scale Lechuguilla concession is not covered by the San Dimas silver purchase agreement and is a key focus of Primero's H2 2016 exploration program. Initial geological reconnaissance conducted by Primero's geologists has obtained preliminary grab samples from the Causitas vein, located close to the main road between Durango and Tayoltita. Preliminary samples returned 1.0 g/t gold and 7 g/t silver, and 0.7 g/t gold and 98 g/t silver at surface providing an indication of potential mineralization. The Causitas vein has been identified between one and five meters and has been traced over 200 metres of strike length. Based on these early results, Primero's geologists will begin a program of detailed vein mapping and channel sampling in order to identify drill targets. Primero's geologists have also noted anomalous precious metals values in preliminary grab samples taken from the identified Sara Costanza and Cinibas veins. Grab sample locations are shown in Figure 1. Exploration sampling at Lechuguilla was conducted by Primero's exploration team. Mr. David Laudrum, P.Geo., Senior Resource Manager for Primero has reviewed the technical exploration information in this news release as the Qualified Person ("QP") for the purposes of NI 43-101 for the Company. All samples and analyses reported herein were performed in the ISO certified independent laboratory SGS Servicios Minerales in Durango Mexico, using fire assay with atomic absorption finish or gravimetric finish for values over 10 g/t gold. Mexican Tax Update and NAFTA Notice of Intent The Company continues to vigorously defend its Advance Pricing Agreement ("APA") from the legal claim initiated by the Mexican tax authorities ("SAT"). The APA was obtained to confirm that the Company should calculate taxes on silver sold from the San Dimas mine based on the price realized by the Company. The legal claim initiated does not identify any different basis for paying taxes, nor have any tax reassessments been received from the SAT. The Company continues to record its revenue from the sale of silver for purposes of Mexican tax accounting in a manner consistent with the APA on the basis that the applicable facts and laws have not changed. The Company's legal and financial advisors continue to believe that the Company has filed its tax returns compliant with applicable Mexican law. In defending the APA, the Company has filed procedural and substantive responses to the SAT-initiated legal claim. The procedural response is a challenge against the admission of the SAT's claim. The substantive response contains the Company's response to the SAT's claim. While the resolution of the procedural challenge remains pending and the substantive matters are ongoing, the Mexican District Court recently issued a final order mandating that no resolution may be issued in connection with the substantive matters until the procedural challenge against the admission of the SAT's claim is finally decided. As consideration of these matters continues in parallel, the Company does not expect the order to delay the resolution of the substantive case. The Company believes that it is entitled to rely on the APA which is legally binding in respect of the Company's 2010 through 2014 taxation years. The Company obtained the ruling transparently and in good faith. Primero believes the APA should not be the subject of challenge by a government administration installed upon the change of government after the APA was duly issued. On June 2, 2016, the Company notified the Government of Mexico that the measures taken by its tax authority (the SAT) with the judicial proceeding seeking to nullify the APA, breached several provisions of Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because these measures are arbitrary, discriminatory, unfair and inequitable. As such, the Company informed the Government of Mexico that, absent amicable resolution within 90 days, it intends to commence international arbitration proceedings pursuant to Article 1119 of the NAFTA. The Company will continue to vigorously defend the validity of the APA and the correctness of its tax filing position. Conference Call and Webcast Details The Company's senior management will host a conference call today, Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 10:00 am ET to discuss second quarter 2016 operating and financial results. Participants may join the call by dialing North America toll free 1-888-789-9572 or 416-695-7806 for calls outside Canada and the U.S., and entering the participant passcode 4770671. A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at www.primeromining.com under the News and Events section or by clicking here: http://www.gowebcasting.com/7695. A recorded playback of the second quarter 2016 results call will be available until November 1, 2016 by dialing 1-800-408-3053 or 905-694-9451 and entering the call back passcode 2048848. This release should be read in conjunction with Primero's second quarter 2016 financial statements and MD&A report on the Company's website, www.primeromining.com, in the "Financial Reports" section under "Investors", or on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, or on the Edgar website www.sec.gov. (1) "Gold equivalent ounces" include silver ounces produced, and converted to a gold equivalent based on a ratio of the average commodity prices realized for each period. The ratio for the second quarter 2016 was 293:1 based on the average realized prices of $1,241 per ounce of gold and $4.24 per ounce of silver. (2) Adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are non-GAAP measures. Neither of these non-GAAP performance measures has any standardized meaning and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to other measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, the Company and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance. Accordingly, it 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 GAAP. Refer to the second quarter 2016 MD&A for a reconciliation of adjusted net income (loss) to reported net income (loss). (3) Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce and total cash costs per gold ounce on a by-product basis are non-GAAP measures. Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce are defined as costs of production (including refining costs) divided by the total number of gold equivalent ounces produced. Total cash costs per gold ounce on a by-product basis are calculated by deducting the by-product silver credits from operating costs and dividing by the total number of gold ounces produced. The Company reports total cash costs on a production basis. In the gold mining industry, these are common performance measures but do not have any standardized meaning, and are non-GAAP measures. As such, they are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. In reporting total cash costs per gold equivalent and total cash costs per gold ounce on a by-product basis, the Company follows the recommendations of the Gold Institute standard. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures, prepared in accordance with GAAP, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it 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 GAAP. Refer to the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A for a reconciliation of cash costs per gold ounce on both a by-product and gold equivalent basis to reported operating expenses (the most directly comparable GAAP measure). (4) The Company, in conjunction with an initiative undertaken within the gold mining industry, has adopted an all-in sustaining cost non-GAAP performance measure that the Company believes more fully defines the total cost associated with producing gold; however, this performance measure has no standardized meaning. Accordingly, it 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 GAAP. The Company reports this measure on a gold ounces produced basis. For the purposes of calculating all-in sustaining costs at individual mine sites, the Company does not include corporate general and administrative expenses. Corporate general and administrative expenses are included in the computation of all-in sustaining costs per consolidated gold ounce. Refer to the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A for a reconciliation of all-in sustaining costs per gold ounce. (5) According to the silver purchase agreement between the Company and Silver Wheaton Corp., until August 6, 2014 Primero delivered to Silver Wheaton a per annum amount equal to the first 3.5 million ounces of silver produced at San Dimas and 50% of any excess at $4.12 per ounce (increasing by 1% per year). Thereafter Primero will deliver to Silver Wheaton a per annum amount equal to the first 6.0 million ounces of silver produced at San Dimas and 50% of any excess at $4.20 per ounce (increasing by 1% per year). The Company will receive silver spot prices only after the annual threshold amount has been delivered. (6) Black Fox was subject to a gold purchase agreement which continues and was assumed by the Company upon its acquisition of the mine. According to the gold purchase agreement, Sandstorm is entitled to 8% of production at the Black Fox mine and 6.3% at the Pike River property. About Primero Primero Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based precious metals producer that owns 100% of the San Dimas gold-silver mine and the Cerro del Gallo gold-silver-copper development project in Mexico and 100% of the Black Fox mine and adjoining properties in the Township of Black RiverMatheson near Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Primero offers immediate exposure to un-hedged, below average cash cost gold production with a substantial resource base in politically stable jurisdictions. The Company is focused on becoming a leading intermediate gold producer by building a portfolio of high quality, low cost precious metals assets in the Americas. Primero's website is www.primeromining.com. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business and operations of Primero Mining Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, "Primero" or the "Company"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "if approved", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "in order to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "are anticipated", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will require", "will allow", "will enhance" or "will include" or similar statements or the negative connotation thereof. Forward-looking information is also identifiable in statements of currently occurring matters which will continue in future, such as "is updating", "is working" or "is also assessing" or other statements that may be stated in the present tense and are not historical facts or words with future implication such as "opportunity", "promising". Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the implementation of enhanced ground support standards at the San Dimas mine; the level and timing of gold equivalent production at San Dimas and Black Fox; the Company's annual production guidance; the realization of silver sales at spot prices; the amount of gold equivalent ounces produced in 2016, the cash costs and all-in sustaining costs for 2016; the capital expenditures in 2016; the Company's intentions and expectations respecting the expansion of San Dimas' production to 3,000 TPD; the Black Fox underground development and ability to open new mining areas in 2016; the ability to develop the Froome zone; the amount of ore from the Company's operations in 2016; the probability of encountering high grade mineralization in, and the exploration potential of, the Company's exploration targets and plans; the ability to generate significant free cash flow while repaying debt and also internally funding future growth; optimization and expansion initiatives; statements regarding the APA and the Company's ability to defend its validity, the Company's ability to pay taxes in Mexico on realized silver prices; the appeal by the SAT of judicial orders or rulings and the Company's ability to successfully reverse any such SAT appeals which are successful; statements regarding the Company's issuance of a Notice of Intent to submit a claim to international arbitration pursuant to NAFTA; and the Company's intentions to become an intermediate gold producer. The assumptions made by the Company in preparing the forward-looking information contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to: the expectations and beliefs of management; the specific assumptions set forth above in this news release; that there are no significant disruptions affecting operations; that development and expansion at San Dimas proceeds on a basis consistent with current expectations and the Company does not change its development and exploration plans; that the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar, Mexican peso and the United States dollar remain consistent with current levels or as set out in this news release; that prices for gold and silver remain consistent with the Company's expectations; that production meets expectations; the amount of silver that the Company will sell at spot prices in 2016; the success in the exploration and development of areas in the Deep Central Zone and the adjacent Froome zone at Black Fox; that the Company identifies higher grade veins in sufficient quantities of minable ore in the Central Block and in Sinaloa Graben; that there are no material variations in the current tax and regulatory environment or the basis for the calculation of the Company's income tax (including as a result of the current challenge to the advance pricing agreement); assumption regarding the discriminatory nature if the actions of the SAT against the Company; assumptions regarding the failure of the Mexican Government to uphold the core values of NAFTA and to protect the Company's Canadian investment in Mexico; that the Company will receive required permits and access to surface rights; that the Company can access financing, appropriate equipment and sufficient labour; that the political environment within Mexico and Canada will continue to support the development of environmentally safe mining projects. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Primero to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including: the Company may not be able to achieve planned production levels; the Company may not be able to expand production at San Dimas as anticipated or generate significant free cash flow; the Company may not be successful in returning the Black Fox mine to higher production levels; the Company may be required to change its development and exploration plans with a negative impact on production; the Company may not discover mineralization in minable quantities; the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar, the Mexican peso and the United States dollar may change with an adverse impact on the Company's financial results; the optimization and expansion initiatives may not provide the benefits anticipated; the Company's ability to obtain full compensation from the Mexican Government; the Company may not be able to become an intermediate gold producer by building a portfolio of high quality, low cost precious metals assets in the Americas. Certain of these factors are discussed in greater detail in Primero's registration statement on Form 40-F on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and its most recent Annual Information Form on file with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. In addition, although Primero has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and accordingly are subject to change after such date. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. Primero does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are included in this document, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING RESULTS (in thousands of United States dollars, except per share and per ounce amounts) SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL DATA Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 2016 2015 2016 2015 Key Performance Data Tonnes of ore milled 454,089 478,410 827,724 926,999 Produced Gold equivalent (ounces) 49,499 62,490 85,657 123,563 Gold (ounces) 44,150 54,862 76,986 109,227 Silver (million ounces) 1.60 2.15 2.52 4.08 Sold Gold equivalent (ounces) 47,787 57,449 91,378 119,100 Gold (ounces) 43,008 52,975 81,789 108,012 Silver (million ounces) 1.43 1.26 2.77 3.16 Average realized prices Gold ($/ounce)1 $ 1,241 $ 1,171 $ 1,201 $ 1,179 Silver($/ounce)1 $ 4.24 $ 4.20 $ 4.24 $ 4.20 Total cash costs (per gold ounce)2 Gold equivalent basis $ 851 $ 654 $ 891 $ 676 By-product basis $ 801 $ 579 $ 852 $ 609 All-in sustaining costs (per gold ounce)2 $ 1,310 $ 1,036 $ 1,415 $ 1,040 Financial Data (in thousands of US dollars except per share amounts) Revenues $ 59,439 $ 67,371 $ 109,983 $ 140,681 Earnings (loss) from mine operations 4,622 11,078 (1,173 ) 22,548 Net income (loss) (19,432 ) (6,744 ) (32,600 ) (3,156 ) Adjusted net income (loss)2 (2,401 ) 1,146 (10,174 ) 2,285 Basic net income (loss) per share (0.12 ) (0.04 ) (0.20 ) (0.02 ) Diluted net income (loss per share) (0.12 ) (0.04 ) (0.20 ) (0.02 ) Adjusted net income (loss) per share2 (0.01 ) 0.01 (0.06 ) 0.01 Operating cash flows before working capital changes 11,205 22,556 2,744 41,336 Operating cash flows before working capital changes per share 0.07 0.14 0.02 0.26 Weighted average shares outstanding (basic)(000's) 166,410 162,343 165,367 162,065 Weighted average shares outstanding(diluted) (000's) 166,410 162,343 165,367 162,065 June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 Assets Mining interests $ 804,851 $ 790,118 Total assets $ 938,482 $ 924,968 Liabilities Long-term liabilities $ 172,796 $ 162,427 Total liabilities $ 281,055 $ 276,092 Equity $ 657,427 $ 648,876 1. Average realized gold and silver prices reflect the impact of the gold purchase agreement with Sandstorm at the Black Fox mine and the silver purchase agreement with Silver Wheaton Caymans at the San Dimas mine (see "Other liquidity considerations" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A). 2. See "NON-GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A SUMMARIZED OPERATING DATA San Dimas Three months ended 30-Jun-16 31-Mar-16 31-Dec-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-15 Key Performance Data Tonnes of ore mined 231,224 151,193 228,539 232,014 263,868 Tonnes of ore milled 224,427 149,182 250,796 228,392 256,235 Tonnes of ore milled per day 2,466 1,639 2,726 2,483 2,816 Average mill head grade (grams/tonne) Gold 4.10 4.13 5.23 4.75 4.60 Silver 231 198 300 272 275 Average gold recovery rate (%) Gold 98 % 99 % 98 % 96 % 96 % Silver 96 % 97 % 96 % 95 % 95 % Produced Gold equivalent (ounces) 34,327 22,901 50,370 49,566 44,128 Gold (ounces) 28,978 19,578 41,371 33,623 36,500 Silver (million ounces) 1.60 0.92 2.32 1.90 2.15 Sold Gold equivalent (ounces) 33,653 29,140 48,466 53,475 38,747 Gold (ounces) 28,873 24,300 40,320 34,471 34,273 Silver at fixed price (million ounces) 1.43 1.35 2.10 2.01 1.26 Silver at spot (million ounces) - - 0.85 - Average realized price (per ounce) Gold $ 1,265 $ 1,178 $ 1,092 $ 1,115 $ 1,187 Silver1 $ 4.24 $ 4.24 $ 4.24 $ 7.42 $ 4.20 Total cash costs (per gold ounce)3 Gold equivalent basis $ 843 $ 998 $ 535 $ 507 $ 608 By product basis $ 765 $ 968 $ 414 $ 219 $ 487 All in sustaining costs (per ounce)2 $ 1,063 $ 1,362 $ 753 $ 454 $ 822 Revenue ($000's) $ 42,578 $ 34,333 $ 52,960 $ 59,660 $ 45,979 Earnings (loss) from mine operations ($000's) $ 4,348 ($6,390 ) $ 11,408 $ 18,179 $ 9,537 1. Average realized silver prices reflect the impact of the silver purchase agreement with Silver Wheaton Caymans (see "Other liquidity considerations" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A). 2. For the purposes of calculating all-in sustaining costs at individual mine sites, the Company does not include corporate general and administrative expenses. See "NON- GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A. 3. See "NON- GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A Black Fox Three months ended 30-Jun-16 31-Mar-16 31-Dec-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-15 Key Performance Data Open pit mining Tonnes of ore mined - - - 201,484 372,319 Strip ratio - - - 4.40 4.02 Average gold grade (grams/tonne) - - - 2.01 2.02 Underground mining Tonnes of ore mined 57,898 38,501 57,041 36,005 36,265 Average gold grade (grams/tonne) 4.46 4.99 5.80 3.99 4.00 Tonnes increase (decrease) in stockpile (171,764 ) (185,952 ) (172,188 ) 3,979 186,409 Tonnes processed Tonnes of ore milled 229,662 224,453 229,229 233,510 222,175 Tonnes of ore milled per day 2,524 2,467 2,492 2,538 2,441 Average mill head grade (grams/tonne) 2.14 1.94 2.51 2.66 2.65 Average gold recovery rate (%) 96 % 95 % 96 % 96 % 97 % Produced Gold (ounces) 15,172 13,257 17,785 19,054 18,362 Sold Gold at spot price (ounces) 12,996 13,146 16,434 16,302 17,324 Gold at fixed price (ounces) 1,138 1,336 1,015 1,640 1,378 Average realized gold price (per ounce)1 $ 1,192 $ 1,118 $ 1,059 $ 1,089 $ 1,143 Total cash costs (per gold ounce)2 $ 870 $ 851 $ 834 $ 780 $ 762 All-in sustaining costs (per ounce)3 $ 1,362 $ 1,404 $ 1,104 $ 1,000 $ 1,071 Revenue ($000's) $ 16,861 $ 16,211 $ 18,444 $ 19,559 $ 21,392 Earnings (loss) from mine operations (000's) $ 328 $ 658 ($1,075 ) ($354 ) $ 1,205 1. Average realized gold prices reflect the impact of the gold purchase agreement with Sandstorm (see "Other liquidity considerations" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A). 2. See "NON-GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A 3. For the purposes of calculating all-in sustaining costs at individual mine sites, the Company does not include corporate general and administrative expenses. See "NON- GAAP measurements" in the Company's second quarter 2016 MD&A PRIMERO MINING CORP. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015 (In thousands of United States dollars, except for share and per share amounts) (Unaudited) Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenue $ 59,439 $ 67,371 $ 109,983 $ 140,681 Operating expenses (39,042 ) (36,412 ) (79,324 ) (79,179 ) Depreciation and depletion (15,775 ) (19,881 ) (31,832 ) (38,954 ) Total cost of sales (54,817 ) (56,293 ) (111,156 ) (118,133 ) Earnings (loss) from mine operations 4,622 11,078 (1,173 ) 22,548 Exploration expenses (612 ) (739 ) (946 ) (860 ) General and administrative expenses (7,647 ) (7,151 ) (13,179 ) (15,164 ) Earnings (loss) from operations (3,637 ) 3,188 (15,298 ) 6,524 Transaction costs and other expenses (828 ) - (1,214 ) (3,906 ) Finance expense (1,881 ) (1,933 ) (5,140 ) (4,803 ) Mark-to-market gain (loss) on debentures & warrants (2,278 ) (3,705 ) (2,653 ) 4,500 Other income (expenses) 294 (213 ) (352 ) 3,092 Earnings (loss) before income taxes (8,330 ) (2,663 ) (24,657 ) 5,407 Income tax expense (11,102 ) (4,081 ) (7,943 ) (8,563 ) Net loss for the period ($19,432 ) ($6,744 ) ($32,600 ) ($3,156 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax Items that may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss: Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations, net of tax of $nil 10 (219 ) 10 (733 ) Unrealized gain on investment in Fortune Bay, net of tax of $nil 138 60 223 60 Reclassification of unrealized loss on investment in Fortune Bay to impairment, net of tax of $nil - - - 456 Total comprehensive loss for the period ($19,284 ) ($6,903 ) ($32,367 ) ($3,373 ) Basic loss per share ($0.12 ) ($0.04 ) ($0.20 ) ($0.02 ) Diluted loss per share ($0.12 ) ($0.04 ) ($0.20 ) ($0.02 ) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding Basic 166,410,400 162,343,034 165,366,684 162,064,569 Diluted 166,410,400 162,343,034 165,366,684 162,064,569 PRIMERO MINING CORP. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (In thousands of United States dollars) (Unaudited) June 30 December 31 2016 2015 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 54,476 $ 45,601 Trade and other receivables 98 1,793 Taxes receivable 34,287 30,689 Prepaid expenses 4,656 8,524 Inventories 30,096 31,964 Total current assets 123,613 118,571 Non-current assets Restricted cash 4,758 5,920 Mining interests 804,851 790,118 Deferred tax asset 4,512 3,781 Long-term stockpile - 5,694 Other non-current assets 748 884 Total assets $ 938,482 $ 924,968 Liabilities Current liabilities Trade and other payables $ 44,752 $ 44,972 Income tax payable 371 12,870 Other taxes payable 5,420 3,406 Warrant liability 5,079 - Current portion of long-term debt 52,637 52,417 Total current liabilities 108,259 113,665 Non-current liabilities Other taxes payable 13,767 13,354 Deferred tax liability 59,353 53,107 Decommissioning liability 31,033 28,294 Long-term debt 64,338 62,727 Other long-term liabilities 4,305 4,945 Total liabilities $ 281,055 $ 276,092 Shareholders' equity Share capital $ 904,939 $ 867,375 Shares reserved for future issuance 2,158 - Contributed surplus 56,180 54,984 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (4,417 ) (4,650 ) Deficit (301,433 ) (268,833 ) Total shareholders' equity $ 657,427 $ 648,876 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 938,482 $ 924,968 PRIMERO MINING CORP. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015 (In thousands of United States dollars) (Unaudited) [JURIST] US President Barack Obama [official website] commuted [report] the sentences of 214 federal inmates on Thursday, the most at one time during his presidency. Sixty-seven of the inmates whose sentences were commuted were serving life sentences for non-violent drug crimes. The most recent grant of clemency highlights Obamas call to the Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] to prioritize petitions for commutations by non-violent drug-felons who are facing heightened sentences, based on outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws. Obama has now commuted the sentences of 562 individuals, more than the last nine presidents combined. The report ended with a call to the House and Senate [official websites] to craft a bi-partisan criminal justice reform bill for the president to sign. This is the latest effort of the Obama Administration to encourage criminal justice reform efforts [WH backgrounder]. In June the Obama administration announced [JURIST report] a number of programs focused on better reintroducing released prisoners into the community. In January Obama ordered [WP report] the Attorney General to review the use of solitary confinement. Conservative groups have criticized [Daily Signal report] the Obamas efforts as harming law enforcements abilities to dismantle and disrupt drug trafficking organizations. Republicans have also insisted on requiring federal prosecutors to prove that white-collar defendants acted knowingly to violate the law, but the Administration and Democrats maintain [The Hill report] that those provisions would make it harder for the government to prosecute corporate crimes. [JURIST] Council of Europe [official website] Secretary General Thorbjrn Jagland arrived [press releaserelease] in Turkey Wednesday to meet with a variety of Turkish, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yldrm, urging respect for the rule of law. Following the first meeting in Ankara, Jagland stated that [t]here has been too little understanding in Europe about the challenges facing democracy and state institutions in Turkey following the attempted coup in July. The Secretary General further emphasized that, while he understands the recent call for justice, any investigation and judicial action taken must not violate the European Convention on Human Rights [text, PDF] or the precedent of the European Court of Human Rights [official website]. Jaglands visit comes after Erdogan vowed last month that those involved in the coup [JURIST report] will pay a heavy price and the aftermath of the coup may be bloody and repressive as the state of human rights has been controversial in Turkey for years. At the end of last month, Erdogan stated that he would approve reinstating [JURIST report] the death penalty so long as the measure had sufficient support in the Grand National Assembly. Last week Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated [JURIST report] that Turkey has blocked access for independent investigations into mass abuses against civilians. In 2015 then-Human Rights Commissioner for Germany stated [JURIST report] that Turkey must improve its human rights record before it can be admitted to the EU. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern [official statement] for the human rights violations faced by the Yazidi minority in Northern Iraq on Wednesday, stating that actions of the Islamic State (IS) may amount to genocide. Two years ago the IS attacked the Sinjar area in Iraq killing nearly 5,000 individuals. The statement claims that 3,200 Yazidi women and children remain in captivity and are subjected to nearly unimaginable violence. The Secretary-General proclaimed these crimes may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide. The UN encouraged the Iraqi government to bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice with a fair trial and due process while supporting the survivors. IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), have been accused of war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria. In March US Secretary of State John Kerry said [JURIST report] that IS is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. Also in March the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution [JURIST report] denouncing the actions of IS as genocide and called for the establishment of international and domestic tribunals by UN member states. In December Amnesty International said that IS is in possession of a large and lethal arsenal [JURIST report] due to decades of reckless arms trading and the poorly regulated international flow of weapons into Iraq. In November IS claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated attacks in Paris [JURIST report] that killed more than 120 individuals. In September members of Iraqs Yazidi community met with International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and urged the court to open a genocide investigation [JURIST report] into IS actions in Northern Iraq. Taliban militants attacked a group of 12 American and European tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in western Herat province Thursday, leaving at least seven people wounded as the insurgents step up nationwide attacks. The tourists -- eight British, three Americans and one German national -- were ambushed by Taliban gunmen in the restive district of Chesht-e-Sharif, while en route from the neighbouring provinces of Bamiyan and Ghor. It is unclear why they were travelling overland at a time when Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of kidnapping and attacks. "The foreign tourists -- three Americans, six Britons, two Scots and one German -- were travelling with an Afghan army convoy when they were ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif," said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor. He said the insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, adding that the attack left at least six foreigners and their Afghan driver wounded. Local authorities released photographs of some of the foreigners being treated in a district hospital for apparently minor injuries. The Taliban claimed the attack on "foreign invaders" as they intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July. Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. But that has not stopped some foreign tourists from travelling to Afghanistan, endowed with stunning landscapes and archaeological sites, many of them in volatile areas prone to the Taliban insurgency. The Guardian newspaper reported the tourists came to Afghanistan with Hinterland Travel, an England-based adventure travel company which offers tours passing through central and north Afghanistan as well as volatile lapis mines in the country. The company was not immediately reachable for comment. Its latest 21-day tour through "glorious, stark mountain passes" in Bamiyan and Herat started on July 26, according to its website. James Willcox, founder of another England-based adventure travel operator Untamed Borders, said his agency stopped using the Bamiyan-Herat road in 2009 because "it's just not safe". Bamiyan, famous for empty hillside niches that once sheltered giant Buddha statues that were blown up by the Taliban, is at the centre of Afghan efforts to boost revenue from warzone tourism. A vast, ancient landscape of russet-hued cliffs, Bamiyan is a rare oasis of tranquility but it is wedged between insurgency-hit districts. The United States has warned its citizens in Afghanistan of a "very high" kidnapping risk after an American citizen narrowly escaped abduction in the heart of Kabul. Thursday's attack follows a Taliban truck bombing on Monday at a hotel for foreigners in Kabul, which triggered a seven-hour gun and grenade assault that highlighted growing insecurity in the city. The guests and staff of the Northgate hotel escaped unharmed, but one policeman was killed after the suicide truck bomber paved the way for two other armed insurgents to enter the heavily guarded facility near Kabul airport. The attack was a grim reminder of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan since most foreign troops withdrew in 2014. The rising violence has resulted in large Afghan civilian casualties. Foreigners are also increasingly being targeted as the conflict escalates. American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed in June while travelling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province. Aid workers in particular have increasingly been casualties of a surge in militant violence in recent years. Judith D'Souza, a 40-year-old Indian charity worker, was rescued in late July, more than a month after she was taken at gunpoint near her residence in the heart of Kabul. D'Souza's abduction came after Katherine Jane Wilson, a well-known Australian NGO worker, was kidnapped on April 28 in the city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan. Search Keywords: Short link: A bomb attack killed five inmates and wounded at least 30 others at a Venezuelan prison, officials said Thursday. Unidentified attackers threw two explosive devices into a courtyard at the Alayon prison in the central city of Maracay on Wednesday night, prosecutors said. Venezuelan media reports said the attackers rode up on a motorcycle and threw five grenades into the prison, only two of which exploded. Venezuela, which is mired in twin economic and political crises marked by severe shortages and violent crime, has seen a series of grenade attacks in recent months. About a dozen such attacks have occurred at military bases, police stations, prisons and a newspaper since mid-2015. President Nicolas Maduro's government blamed the hardline opposition party Popular Will for one recent attack that killed a policeman -- an accusation the party vehemently denied. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's cabinet has approved plans for an international bond issuance of between $3 billion and $5 billion, a finance ministry official said on Thursday. The official said Egypt would initially target $3 billion but could borrow up to $5 billion if it found there was investor appetite. Search Keywords: Short link: Special forces will be deployed in Amsterdam on Saturday when hundreds of thousands are expected to flock to the annual Gay Pride parade along its famous canals, police said. The colourful climax of two weeks of celebrations in the Dutch capital comes amid heightened security in The Netherlands, and follows a series of attacks in European cities in recent months. Some 80 decorated boats are expected to float along Amsterdam's historic and picturesque canals watched by packed crowds from the banks. This year the city is also hosting the EuroPride event and authorities warned there "will be substantially more police present than last year" during the regular annual Gay Pride celebrations. No specific threat has been made against the city or the gay pride celebrations, authorities said, adding the first 10 days marked by over 300 events had gone well. But in "the interests of safety, several measures will be taken over the weekend," Amsterdam city hall said in a statement Wednesday. "There will be more a visible police presence in the city, with the deployment of special units." Special traffic measures have also been put in place to ensure the centre's crowded, and narrow streets are kept "easily accessible for emergency services." Mayor Eberhard van der Laan welcomed the parade as "an important event for Amsterdam, because we are celebrating that we have the freedom to be who we want to be." He added in a statement that "a lot of hard work had gone into making it a big, cosy and safe festival." The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage and the Gay Pride event has become an annual fixture in the free-wheeling city. Following the Orlando mass shooting in June when 49 people were killed in a gun attack on the Pulse gay nightclub, hundreds of mourners held vigils in Amsterdam. Security at Schiphol airport, just outside the city, was tightened last Saturday following an unspecified threat and remains in place. Police are carrying out thorough checks of all vehicles entering the complex. Search Keywords: Short link: (Beijing) The nascent online car-booking industry in China went through a watershed moment, first with the government opting to legalize it on July 28, and two titans Did and Uber announcing plans to join forces a few days later. Experts say rules that lifted a cloud of regulatory uncertainty hanging over the industry would also serve as a benchmark for anti-trust regulators probing the US$ 35 million deal announced August 1, between Didi Chuxing Technology Co., the country's largest online car-hailing app by orders, and the Chinese arm of global heavyweight Uber Technologies Inc. Uber China's surrender to Didi puts an end to years of bruising battles where both have bled money for a stake in China's booming ride-share market. Didi, confirming the deal, said its San Francisco-based rival would own 17.7 percent of Didi, with other existing investors in Uber China, including search giant Baidu Inc., taking another 2.3 percent. Didi will also invest US$ 1 billion in Uber as part of the deal, according to people with knowledge of the matter. This unexpected marriage between once sworn enemies has left the industry with bated breath, as they wait to see whether China's Ministry of Commerce would green light the union that would have far-reaching consequences. In response to a Caixin query, Didi said August 1 that both Didi and Uber China have not turned a profit and, therefore, they don't need government approval for the deal. However, the Ministry of Commerce, one of the country's anti-trust regulators, said August 2 the merger "can't proceed if they (the two companies) don't apply for permission." The National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, said August 3 it would also probe the deal to see whether it would create a monopoly, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Although Didi has been burning money since the launch in 2012, the company has cornered the domestic ride-sharing market. It received over 85 percent of all online orders for car hires in China in the first three months of this year, followed by Uber's 7.8 percent, data from Internet information provider CNIT showed. Didi also raked in US$ 7.3 billion in its latest round of fundraising from investors including Apple Inc., adding to its list of powerful backers that include e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. and social media operator Tencent Holdings Ltd. Other smaller domestic players such as Yidao Yongche, backed by search giant Baidu, and Shenzhou Zhuanche have a small footprint in this emerging industry, which is expected to be valued at 500 billion yuan by 2020, according to Munich-based consulting firm Roland Berger. The exercise of deciding whether the merger of the two biggest players in the field would create a monopoly requires a detailed and precise interpretation of the government guidelines, which will take effect on November 1. Easing Tensions The rules issued jointly by seven government departments on July 28 spell out new licensing and insurance requirements for car-hailing firms, and lays down the regulatory framework for the industry that had operated in a legal gray zone for over two years. On August 1, the Ministry of Transportation issued another set of draft rules that fleshed out the compliance requirements. The guidelines say online car-hailing services should apply for a business license from local governments in the cities and provinces they operate in, and special vehicle registration licenses and drivers' licenses for those who want to pick up passengers, which are different to those issued to private car owners. Companies must ensure that drivers do not have a criminal record and have at least three years of experience. App operators must also sign contracts with registered drivers and offer them motor insurance including third-party coverage to protect passengers, the rules said. The final version of the rules, however, has dropped the requirement for private cars offering rides to obtain a taxi license. The clause included in an October draft was criticized for being too strict, with potential to stifle the industry. The old draft also needed vehicles to be taken off the road after eight years due to safety concerns, but the latest guidelines have relaxed the condition, saying cars that haven't traveled 600,000 kilometers in eight years are still valid for private use, an adjustment which gives part-time drivers more flexibility, market analysts said. Both the guidelines and detailed rules aim to minimize frictions between the Internet-based ride-sharing firms and the traditional taxi industry. In recent months, taxi drivers have taken to the streets in several cities including Nanjing and Shenyang, saying car-hailing apps engaged in unfair competition by heavily subsidizing drivers and doling out steep discounts to riders. The transport ministry has banned private drivers from patrolling the streets in search of customers, or picking up passengers at taxi stands at airports and railway stations. The government, however, has not stopped ride-sharing firms from subsidizing drivers and offering discounts to passengers, the biggest issue raised by rival taxi companies. But the policy states fares for rides booked online cannot fall below cost. Several sources in the online car-booking industry said the new rules will not affect their pricing strategy because they don't operate below cost. The real problem was taxi fares were too high, they said. On the same day the new rules for the online car-hailing industry were released, the State Council, China's cabinet, issued guidelines to push for reforms in the taxi industry. The key change orders taxi companies to cut the monthly fee that drivers had to pay them for insurance and maintenance. The reforms will allow taxi companies to compete with ride-sharing services and even encourage them to start Internet-related business, said Cheng Shidong, a transportation industry expert at the National Development and Reform Commission. Some taxi drivers already use Didi's platform to find customers, blurring the line between traditional taxi services and online ride sharing. Matter of Definition Local governments have been left to decide how to implement the broad framework laid out by the center. The merger between Uber China and Didi has raised a new challenge for authorities who now need determine whether Internet-based car hailing is an independent technology-driven industry or part of the overall taxi sector. The new rules classify ride-sharing services as "Internet-booked taxies" providing "differentiated" services. If regulators adopt a narrow interpretation and define the industry as limited to Internet-driven firms catering to transportation needs, "it seems all but certain that the merged entity will monopolize the market," Chen Yongwei, a market researcher at Peking University, wrote in a commentary on Caixin's Chinese website. Companies such as Didi and Uber China are now offering online car-booking services in more than 400 Chinese cities with daily orders exceeding 10 million, official data showed. But regulators could also view the Uber-Didi entity as another player in the larger taxi industry, said Fu Weigang, a researcher at Shanghai Institute of Finance & Law. "If authorities consider the merger as a normal cab company, then from this perspective, the combined entity doesn't have a big share of the (taxi) industry," he said, and therefore the deal will not be scuttled by anti-trust regulators. The Ministry of Commerce and the NDRC will also see whether the merger prevents new players from entering the ride-sharing market by pushing up the entry barrier, said Xue Zhaofeng, a professor at Peking University's National School of Development. Meanwhile, regulators can also choose to see Didi as a part of the overall transportation landscape in a city, said Xue, and if they opted for this broad definition, then public transport options such as subway trains and buses would become possible low-cost alternatives for clients, weakening the case to call the car-hailing juggernaut a monopoly. (Rewritten by Han Wei) (Beijing) Chinas sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) has appointed a veteran securities regulator as its deputy general manager. Qi Bin, who was at the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) for 16 years, assumed responsibilities in his new role on August 3, sources with knowledge of the matter told Caixin. CIC has not announced the appointment yet. Qi, 48, joined CSRC in 2000 after studying and working abroad for several years including a stint at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He served as the head of CSRCs Department of International Affairs for nearly two years before leaving for the CIC, and has been credited with encouraging Chinese companies to list in Hong Kong by cutting red tape and relaxing regulations. Colleagues say he was a driving force behind the launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong stock connect system in November 2014, which allowed international investors to buy stocks listed in the Shanghai Stock Exchange through brokerage firms in Hong Kong, and vice versa. Previously, foreign investors could only indirectly participate in the mainland market through very limited channels such as the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor program. Qi secured the position at the CIC through a competitive system open to executives at large state-controlled financial institutions, sources close to the situation said. The process requires applicants to take exams and interviews before the Organization Department of the ruling Communist Party vets the candidates for the job, they said. Qi has worked in several CSRC departments, with responsibilities ranging from researching on the capital market and regulations to supervising fund companies and financial innovation. Qi graduated from Tsinghua University, a top college in Beijing, with a degree in Physics in 1991 and received a masters degree in biophysics from the University of Rochester before heading to work in the finance industry in New York and London from 1996 to 2000. He also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in quantitative economics from Tsinghua University. CIC has just posted an annual loss on its overseas investments last year the first since 2011 and blamed it on falling commodity prices and a strengthening U.S. dollar, which depreciated the value of assets denominated in other currencies in its portfolio. (Rewritten by Wang Yuqian) Kim Woo-bin and Suzy postponed their fan meeting three days before the actual date in China. The process of establishing the meeting was special. Chinese fans demanded to see Suzy and Kim Woo-bin and even the president of Hoi Group requested for the two stars to be brought to China. However, the fan meeting has been pushed back. Apparently, natural disaster matters have forced local production to delay the event. Speculations say it might be because of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system. "Uncontrollably Fond" is a romantic love story about a couple who broke up young, reuniting as a documentary producer and a top star. Source:HanCinema (Beijing) Investors who provided the buyout funds used to take private a leading Chinese software developer that had been listed on the New York Stock Exchange said the firm was seeking to push through a new restructuring plan that would harm their interests. Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd., developer of China's most widely used anti-virus software and security services, told the investors recently that it planned to spin off some unprofitable assets in order to clear obstacles for it to relist on a mainland exchange, according to several people who work at financial institutions that received the notice. Qihoo delisted from the New York bourse this month through a US$ 9.3 billion buyout. Like many other overseas-listed Chinese enterprises, which have completed or are mulling similar moves, Qihoo's owners and investors who backed the buyout think the firm could raise more capital if it's listed and traded in a domestic stock exchange. A document obtained by Caixin last year showed that the firm wanted to take all of its assets public in the A-share market by the end of 2018. But the new plan, as seen by Caixin, shows Qihoo will leave out assets involved in the development of mobile phones, healthcare, computer desktop management and Internet finance, which, combined, posted a loss of 374 million yuan last year. Qihoo said in the new plan that investors who backed its privatisation will hold a stake in these sectors, while it continues to seek funding to prepare them for an IPO or sale to other investors. Several institutional investors said they had refused to agree to the new plan before a July deadline set by Qihoo, because the restructuring will add great uncertainties to how they may recover their investment. Many are short-term funds that can't afford to wait for some of the unprofitable assets to eventually show a return. Moreover, several investors said they were not informed about the change until it was made. Qihoo has dismissed the new restructuring plan, saying it was "untrue", even though the document carries its corporate seal. It also told Caixin the investors' claim that they did not know about the change was also "untrue". But it did not offer a further explanation. It has become more difficult for overseas-listed Chinese companies to go public on a domestic stock exchange due to a series of regulatory changes this year aimed at clamping down on speculative investments and controlling financial risk. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), for example, has tightened requirements regarding reverse mergers, which have been often used by private companies to conduct back-door listings. Internet finance, including the type of wealth management and online private equity investment services Qihoo has been running, is also facing greater regulatory pressure as frauds were exposed and risks unveiled. Commercially, it makes sense for Qihoo to spin off its Internet finance arm, because otherwise it would only obstruct or slow down the company's plan to pass the CSRC's review and go public, said several people familiar with how the regulator assesses IPO candidates. Specifically, buyout investors are not happy because they may not be able to cash out on their stake in the assets that Qihoo wants to shed. This is a particularly severe problem for banks that channeled short-term wealth management funds to support the privatisation. As of April, 36 institutions have pledged funds to support the buyout. Through arrangements that often involved several layers, funds from individual investors were combined with those from investment institutions and channeled to Qihoo through those institutions. Many of those funds are set to end in three years, before the assets Qihoo wants to shed can possibly generate a return, according to a source from one of those institutions. While some may agree to an extension, those involving bank wealth management funds "may have to give up on their share of investment in those spun-off assets to make sure they can exit the investment on time," he said. Investors object to the new plan also because it is vague and inaccurate, the sources said. "The material given to us by Qihoo's financial consultant cannot stand up to scrutiny at all," one of them said, citing inconsistency between the officially registered number of firms a Qihoo subsidiary controls and the number reported by itself. Data on the past and forecast financial performance of assets that Qihoo wants to spin off are not clear either, another source said. "No one knows how many of the items were calculatedwe need to verify them one by one." (Rewritten by Wang Yuqian) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form 284 Shares Share The morning my patient Evan tried to end his young life, I woke up early to make banana pancakes. It was a warm spring day, and I pushed up the windows in my kitchen. That same morning, Evan opened his window with a different intent. He had argued with his parents the evening before, not unexpected at 16, yet this was different. Evan is transgender, and his parents were not supportive. They kept telling him, This is just a phase. They wanted him to delay treatment with hormones, but he knew he could not wait. I was notified of his suicide attempt when I arrived at work, and my heart broke. After learning that he would be physically OK, my mind flooded with questions. This is a patient I felt connected to had I asked him if he was feeling depressed? Was he thinking of suicide? What had I missed? What could his community and I have done to prevent this? Evans desperation, which both shocked and devastated his parents, is sadly not unusual among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) teens. A 2001 national study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that LGBT youth are more than twice as likely to have attempted suicide as their peers. Additional research published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence in 2009 found that the root cause of this is not inherent mental health disorders, but rather chronic exposure to unconscious bias, discrimination, and victimization. Whether LGBTQ youth experience acceptance or rejection can make all of the difference. A 2014 survey of more than 7,000 LGBTQ youth found that 74.1 percent and 55.2 percent reported verbal harassment at school based on sexual orientation and gender expression, respectively. Sadly, this does not always end at school. The journal Pediatrics reported in 2009 that LGBT youth who faced rejection by their parents were nearly eight times more likely to have attempted suicide. It can be tempting to want to place blame, yet many parents are also isolated, unknowing of where to turn for support, and this blame does not solve the problem. Moreover, the Family Resilience Project shows us that many LGBTQ youth have loving, supportive families, which is very protective. Evans story, while unique in its nuances, is not rare in its truths we need to be doing more to support our youth and their families. Legislative advances help. This month, Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill into law that will make it illegal to discriminate against transgender people when they are in public spaces like bus terminals, retail stores, and restaurants. Even with the public debate that took place around this bill, conversations regarding gender, sexuality, and mental health continue to be relatively taboo. We are fortunate in the Northeast; we have wonderful organizations such as Youth Pride, TransYouth Family Allies, GLSEN, BAGLEY, Gender Spectrum, and more. What we do not have, though, is consistent, open, supportive dialogue around these issues in our homes, schools, places of worship, or our health care settings. So who is responsible for this dialogue? Not all young people feel safe disclosing to parents, and not all parents have the ability to explore these topics. Presumably, health care providers should always initiate these conversations. However, not all youth attend annual visits and not all providers will raise these topics. As for our public schools, as of 2015, only 22 states require sex-education, and those that do generally focus on contraception and sexually transmitted infections. Each of us is connected in some way to the well-being of LGBTQ youth and their families. Our reticence to talk about gender, sexuality, and topics of mental health in the open is triggering grave consequences. It is up to each of us to initiate conversations within families and communities. This is a vital time to engage. We all can feel empowered to raise the issue in our clinics, schools, places of worship, and our homes; it may make all the difference for our youth, their families and our communities. Not long after Evans suicide attempt and motivated in large part because of it I helped create the first Trans Health Conference at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, in 2015. This multidisciplinary and community conference saw nearly 200 participants the first year, and nearly 400 the second year. I knew we were on the right track when, that Saturday in January 2015, from the corner of my eye, I saw Evan and his father walk in together. Alexis Drutchas is a family physician. This article originally appeared in the Boston Globe. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 53 Shares Share Ruth was a spry, but frail 98-year-old woman who was stiff and sore following the 6-hour drive from California to Arizona. She had suffered a recent wrist injury and was not recovering well after spending three weeks in a rehabilitation center. She was in the midst of upheaval and discontent in the throes of relocated to an assisted-living residence closer to her son. The facilitys coordinator had begun to evaluate Ruths aptitude and appropriateness for assisted living, but thought it best to have Ruth seen in the emergency department. Ruth was hungry, but did not wish to eat. She felt like her bowels needed to move, but did not wish to use the bedside commode. While still engaging, Ruth wished to be left alone. Ruth had explained that she used to be able to tell herself not to be sick, but her higher power seemed to be failing her now. When a patient feels abandoned by a higher power, what hope is there for patient satisfaction? When patients are uncertain of what is in their best interest, how can physicians succeed at meeting their expectations? Does it become the physicians duty to tell Ruth that she is not doing well and further deflate her self-image? The breakdown in patient satisfaction often occurs when physicians cannot view the situation from the patients perspective. When the ED staff does not see the emergency, misunderstandings and missed opportunities frequently happen. There is a propensity for ED personnel to become defensive and stand their ground regarding standards of care and appropriate patient conduct. The parental cry resounds: do things my way or else. Coercion and entitlement rarely lead to patient satisfaction. Having the right to care for others is risky business particularly when patients might be on the fence as to their desired care. Rather than health care personnel digging in their heels of righteousness, these types of situations often call for personnel to dig deeper into self-awareness and question, What would Jesus do? The healer of all healers would show compassion and treat people with kindness, similar to how those with special needs are treated. Ruth was in delicate position and needed to be treated with kid gloves rather than sterile gloves. Given her stage in life, there was little hope of making her situation better. Doing more would most likely worsen her state of mind and lessen her satisfaction. As situations often spin out of control in the ED, physicians are often called upon to soften their tone and maintain professionalism without authoritarianism. Through reassuring patients that we are in this together rather than working in opposition, hope springs eternal regarding patient satisfaction. Ruth simply needed to be reminded that she had the inner strength to weather the storm front at the end of life and that there was nothing really wrong with her. Nevertheless, she remained indifferent to the whole life-and-death conundrum. While this might be the best anyone hopes for, Ruths ED experience remained less than satisfying. Kevin Haselhorst is an emergency physician and author of Wishes To Die For: Expanding Upon Doing Less in Advance Care Directives. He can be reached at his self-titled site, Kevin Haselhorst. Image credit: Shutterstock.com At around 1:30 am on Thursday, Laredo Police received a call from a Stripes employee reporting there was a person with a gun in the parking lot. The victim was pumping gas when Ricardo Alberto Gonzalez and Abigail Nicole Catt came up and demanded money. Once officers arrived, they subdued Gonzalez and Catt and recovered a pistol with no bullets. Gonzalez was then arrested and charged with aggravated robbery, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and failure to ID - while Catt was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery. The victim was not injured, and both subjects were reprimanded to the Webb County Jail. The county might be extending their deadline to continue providing free garbage collection services in the outer city limits. On Monday, city council approved an inter-local agreement that said they did not object to the county continue services. Now the county attorney will review it to see if it's what the county needs to be allowed to regulate and impose fees in the extra territorial jurisdiction. Residents living in the affected area had received notice services would stop August 15th. However, that deadline might be moved. "It's important that if August the 15 is not going to give us enough time to formulate a plan, then I think the court is going to be willing, and we should be recommending that we go ahead and extend the services up until the end of September, before the Fiscal Year October 1st", said Leroy Medford. On Monday, commissioners could approve the agreement. They hope by being granted authority, they would be able to possibly charge for garbage collection services which currently cost the county about $400,000. Key differences: Trump wants to pull back from worldwide economic engagement in pursuit of tougher trade deals and creating more jobs at home. His approach is similar to the Brexit vote to pull the United Kingdom out of the European Union, only on a more global scale. Clinton emphasizes economic development that relies on trade. And she supports more liberal immigration policies, which Trump opposes. Key Clinton quote: We need to raise pay, create good paying jobs, and build an economy that works for everyonenot just those at the top. Key Trump quote: Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo. As long as we are led by politicians who will not put America First, then we can be assured that other nations will not treat America with respect. The respect that we deserve. Nobody knows the system better than me. Which is why I alone can fix it. Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up Trump's proposals are a radical departure from 100 years of Republican pro-business, free-market orthodoxy. He wants to force some American companies to bring their foreign manufacturing operations back to the U.S. from China, Mexico, Japan and Southeast Asia. To put Americans to work, he advocates a huge infrastructure rebuilding program at home, including building a wall along the Mexican border (opens in new tab) to stop illegal immigration. He says he'll deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants living illegally in the U.S. and place new restrictions on H-1B visas, which allow skilled immigrants to work in the U.S. for up to six years. Trump supports a federal minimum wage of $10. He wants to declare China a currency manipulator (opens in new tab) and impose huge tariffs on Chinese and Mexican imports if they dont behave. Such threats concern economists, who worry that they will provoke a trade war and increase the likelihood of a global recession. At the Republican National Convention (opens in new tab) Trump denounced former President Bill Clintons signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement, declaring that it was one of the worst economic deals ever made by the United States. He said he would not let companies move to other countries, firing employees along the way, without consequences. There he also pledged to never sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership as it would make America subject to the rulings of foreign governments. Where Trump waves a club, Clinton favors a carrot approach (opens in new tab): She would create tax and economic incentives to entice multinationals to bring jobs back to the U.S. She supports creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., and supports the H-1B program. In accordance with the Democratic Party platform, Clinton would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour from $7.25. She says trade has been a net plus for our economy, yet she opposes President Obamas Trans-Pacific trade agreement. With no real free trader in the presidential race, economist Chris Farrell worries that neither candidate is embracing retraining and financial support for workers who have lost their jobs to international competition. Yes, protectionism is wrong. But so is not sharing the bounty from freer trade with those on the losing side of trade liberalization, Farrell says. In her speech at the Democratic National Convention (opens in new tab), Clinton too, said that she would stand up to China and unfair trade deals and that she would support the steelworkers and autoworkers and homegrown manufacturers. She called for comprehensive immigration reform because when we have millions of hardworking immigrants contributing to our economy, it would be self-defeating and inhumane to try to kick them out. Sarah Smith contributed to this report. Each election year, myths of all kinds are presented as gospel to investors. This year, investors might be especially at risk since this presidential election is, well, pretty crazy. Unfortunately, many of the myths are spun by people with an agenda. They are thinking about themselves or their political party, not investing for real returns. Here are a few of the more common myths in presidential election years. 1. The stock market always goes up in presidential election years. The reasoning behind this myth is that the politicians don't want investors upset going to the polls in November. Sounds plausibleif you believe presidential administrations have some sort of control over the markets. Actually, this myth may have a kernel of truth because of two things: the Federal Reserve has shown it is not shy about influencing, some might say supporting or interfering with, the markets; and yes, each administration would love to have its party win the White House. Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up The problem is that the numbers just don't support the myth. Looking at Standard and Poor's Composite Stock Price index dating back to 1872, as reported Robert Shiller's Irrational Exuberance, presidential election years have the lowest median annual rate of return of all four years of a presidency. The third year is typically the best year for market performance, returning a little more than double the fourth year's median return. 2. If the current administration is Republican/Democrat (take your pick) during the Presidential election year, the market will go up. This may be more about political leanings than actual data. The S&P Composite index shows a slight advantage with Republican presidents sitting in the Oval Office in election years. Since 1872, there have been market gains in presidential election years for 11 sitting GOP presidents and seven for Democrats. But when the Republicans were in the White House, the market dropped five times during the election yearand two of the worst plummets were under Herbert Hoover in 1932 and George W. Bush in 2008. The market dropped four times when Democrats were in office. Bottom line: Its statistically a draw. Republicans might have a slight advantage, but not by much. 3. The market predicts who will win the presidency. Again, the S&P data doesn't support the myth. The market has been up during the election year a net 10 times before Republicans won the Presidency. It has been up a net eight times before Democrats won. However, it was down five times when Republicans won and four times when Democrats won. Again, statistically, not enough to say with any confidence that a rising or declining market favors either party. 4. Republican/Democratic administrations are better for the market. This is more about the whole term. So I measured how much the market gained or lost during various stretches of one or the other party in office (meaning the Kennedy/Johnson administrations counted as one term and the Reagan/Bush administrations also count as one). Democrats can rejoice since the median average annual return during their tenure since 1872 was more than double the return during Republican administrations. Then again, here's something Republicans can cheer: Since 1872, during Republican administrations, the market was up 50 of those years. It was up only 41 times for the Democrats. Now, before everybody drops their political affiliations to join the party with an elephant or a donkey as its mascot, there are a few things to consider. In order to believe that this is anything more than a statistical anomaly, one would have to believe that the party of the commander-in-chief makes a difference to the stock market. Frankly, I prefer to focus on economic and market data. Market valuation and economic activity might have a stronger impact on the markets than which political party is in office. The statistical term "correlation without causation" comes into play here. The economy has a direct impact on the market. That is causation. Valuations have a direct impact on the market's performance. That is causation. Many college professors have eaten carrots. But eating carrots did not cause the person to become a college professor. That is a correlation without causation. Fast Company has published some funny correlations with no causation (opens in new tab). For instance, the divorce rate in Maine has a high correlation with the number of people that eat margarine. Or the consumption of mozzarella cheese correlates with the number of civil engineering doctorates awarded. None of these caused the other, but the correlations were high. Truth is, these correlations are coincidence. There are too many other influences that have a much more direct impact on the market. Conclusion Believing in myths will not help your investment portfolio. Understanding your own portfolio's risks and your own risk tolerance is more important. In the current environmentwith domestic civil unrest, global terrorism, a crazy presidential election, a slowing economy and a high market valuationrisks are high and could be getting higher. Investors should be thinking more about protecting themselves from macro-economic dynamics than listening to narrow, self-serving political myths. John Riley, registered Research Analyst and the Chief Investment Strategist at CIS (opens in new tab), has been defending his clients from the surprises Wall Street misses since 1999. Disclosure: Third party posts do not reflect the views of Cantella & Co Inc. or Cornerstone Investment Services, LLC. Any links to third party sites are believed to be reliable but have not been independently reviewed by Cantella & Co. Inc or Cornerstone Investment Services, LLC. Securities offered through Cantella & Co., Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Cornerstone Investment Services, LLC's RIA. Please refer to my website for states in which I am registered. McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE, TSX: MUX) lists net income of $8.4 million, or 3 cents per share, in the second quarter. This is a turnaround from a net loss of $14.1 million, or 5 cents, in the same period a year ago. Officials say the result was helped by investment in Minera Santa Cruz and lower all-in sustaining costs at the El Gallo mine. Average realized prices of gold and silver sold during the quarter were $1,267 and $18.08 per ounce, respectively, up from $1,172 and $15.34 a year ago. The company says it generated $4.8 million of net cash flow from operations for the three months ending June 30. During the quarter we purchased a royalty on our El Gallo property for $5.3 million, which reduced our cash flow but increased our future leverage to higher gold and silver prices, the company says in its earnings statement. The company has no debt. Gold-equivalent output rose to 39,555 ounces from 39,164 in the same period a year ago, with gold production down but silver output higher. McEwens 2016 production guidance remains 99,500 gold ounces and 3.3 million silver ounces, or approximately 144,000 gold-equivalent ounces, at total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs of $780 and $935 per gold-equivalent ounce, respectively. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Primero Reports 2Q Loss, Trims Output Guidance Primero Mining Corp. (TSX: P; NYSE: PPP) reports a loss in the second quarter and lowered output guidance as it deals with production issues. The company lists April-June production of 49,499 gold-equivalent ounces, a 37% improvement over 36,158 in the first quarter although down from 62,490 in the second quarter of 2015. The company lists a net loss of $19.4 million, or 12 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared with net loss of $6.7 million, or 4 cents, in the year-ago period. The adjusted loss for the second quarter was $2.4 million, or a penny per share, compared with adjusted net income of $1.1 million, or a penny, a year ago. Primero says it generated second-quarter operating cash flow before working capital changes of $11.2 million, compared to a negative $8.5 million in the first quarter. Primero reduced its 2016 production guidance to between 195,000 and 215,000 gold-equivalent ounces at total cash costs of between $775 and $825 per gold-equivalent ounce with all-in sustaining costs of between $1,200 and $1,250. Output at San Dimas has been impacted by lower-than-planned grades, unexpected labor disruptions in July and a lower gold/silver ratio as a result of minimal expected silver spot sales, the company says. Production at Black Fox has been affected by delays in accessing high-grade mineralization from the Deep Central Zone. "We increased production levels in the second quarter and we are committed on continuing to bring both of our mines up to their optimal operating rates," says Ernest Mast, president and chief executive officer. "San Dimas showed solid production improvements over Q1 2016, achieving average mining rates of 2,500 tonnes per day. But there is still much work to be done to optimize and refine the mining cycle, increase development rates and maximize productivity and grades. We had labor disruptions during July that impacted July's production and delayed some development work. As a result, we initiated a mine-optimization plan focusing on technical and human resources issues. We are continuing to make progress at Black Fox in developing the Deep Central Zone ahead of production expected in the third quarter; unfortunately we have experienced delays in early July due to poor ground conditions on the 660-meter level. In light of these challenges the company has reduced its 2016 production guidance." By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com B2Gold Reports Adjusted Profit, Record Quarterly Production B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO; NYSE MKT: BTG; NAMIBIAN: B2G) reports record production in the second quarter as prices rose, helping the company reverse to an adjusted profit. Adjusted net income was $29 million, or 3 cents per share, compared to an adjusted net loss of $1.4 million, or basically zero per shares, in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted net income in the April-June period mainly excludes a non-cash mark-to-market loss of $37.4 million relating to the change in fair value of convertible senior subordinated notes. Otherwise, the company lists a net loss of $11.8 million, or a penny, in the quarter, compared to a net loss of $22.8 million, or 2 cents, in the second quarter of 2015. For the most recent quarter, gold output was another quarterly record of 135,242 ounces, which were 5,697 ounces above budget and 13,676 higher than a year ago, B2Gold says. Gold revenue in the second quarter was a record $164.8 million on record sales of 130,829 ounces at an average price of $1,260 per ounce, which was up from $1,193 a year ago. Cash operating costs were a quarterly record low of $494 per ounce, $90 below budget and $183 below the prior-year quarter. This was mainly the result of lower fuel costs and higher gold production, although it also benefited from a weaker Namibian dollar than expected, B2Gold says. All-in sustaining costs in the quarter were $731 per ounce, $232 below budget and $325 per ounce lower than the second quarter of 2015. B2Gold projects another record year for gold production in 2016, with output expected to be in the range of 510,000 to 550,000 ounces. Based on first-half results, cash operating costs for 2016 are now expected to be at the lower end of the guidance range of $560 to $595 per ounce. AISC are now expected to be at the lower end of the guidance range of $895 to $925 per ounce, B2Gold says. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Great Panther Silver Trims Guidance For 2016 Costs Great Panther Silver Ltd. (TSX: GPR; NYSE MKT: GPL) cut its guidance for costs in 2016 after they fell sharply in the second quarter. Mine operating earnings before non-cash items in the April-June quarter were C$13.2 million, compared to C$6.7 million in the same period a year ago. The results were helped when the average realized silver price increased from US$15.47 to US$17.82 an ounce and also due to favorable foreign-exchange rates, as the stronger U.S. dollar had the effect of increasing revenue in Canadian dollar terms, the company says. Cash costs fell to US$1.72 an ounce from US$6.63, and all-in sustaining costs fell to US$7.19 from US$12.54. Meanwhile, Great Panther lists a net loss of C$1.7 million for quarter, reflecting the impact of a predominantly unrealized foreign-exchange loss and non-cash impairment charge related to the termination of the option agreement for the Coricancha project. Still, the net loss was smaller than the C$4.7 million net loss in the same period a year ago. Silver production decreased 17% year-on-year to 536,726 ounces, while gold output increased 13% to 6,010 ounces. With the decline in costs per ounce, we are taking the step to reduce our cash cost and all-in sustaining cost guidance for the year while maintaining our production guidance, says Robert Archer, president and chief executive officer. Cash costs are now seen between US$4 and US$6 an ounce and AISC between US$12 and US$14. Each of these figures in these ranges was cut by US$1. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Great Panther Suspends Topia Operations After Death Of General Manager Great Panther Silver Ltd. (TSX: GPR; NYSE MKT: GPL) reports the temporary suspension of operations at the Topia Mine in Mexico after the death Wednesday of the general manager, Javier Ramirez Vargas, in the town of Topia. The company did not specify the cause of death but says authorities are conducting an investigation. Although Mr. Ramirez's death did not occur at the company's operations, out of respect for Mr. Ramirez and to allow our employees time to recover from his sudden passing, the company has temporarily suspended mining and processing operations at its Topia Mine in Durango, Great Panther reports. Robert Archer, president and chief executive officer, released this statement: "We are all shocked by this tragedy. Javier was general manager at Topia since the commencement of operations there more than 10 years ago, and was integral to the success of the mine. Our thoughts and prayers are with Javier's family and friends during this most difficult time. We will continue to offer his family and team any support that they might require." By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Sandstorm Gold Posts Second-Quarter Profit Streaming and royalty company Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (NYSE MKT: SAND, TSX: SSL) reports a second-quarter profit and says it is now debt-free after an equity financing. The company reports sales of 12,517 gold-equivalent ounces in the April-June period, compared to 12,901 in the second quarter of 2015. Net income was $5.2 million, compared to a $13.4 million loss a year ago. Factors playing a role in the financial results included a $6 million gain on the revaluation of the company's investments, a $3 million decrease in depletion expense, a $1.3 million increase in interest expense, as well as certain items recognized during the second quarter of 2015 that did not recur in 2016, Sandstorm says. The company amended its revolving credit facility, extending the term to four years and allowing Sandstorm to borrow up to $110 million for acquisition purposes. Also, Sandstorm completed an equity financing for gross proceeds of $57.5 million, the majority of which was used to reduce the credit balance and leave the company with no bank debt. The entire $110 million revolving credit facility remains for acquisition purposes. "During the first half of 2016, Sandstorm has added 55 royalties to the company's asset base, and has generated $18.4 million in net income and $18.6 million in cash flow from operations, says Nolan Watson, president and chief executive officer. He later adds, There are a wide range of deals that we are working on presently, from small deals on exploration-stage assets to large transactions on cash-flowing mines." Based on Sandstorms existing gold streams and royalties, gold-equivalent production for 2016 is forecasted to be between 43,000 and 50,000 ounces, rising to some 65,000 by 2020, the company says. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Premier Gold Mines Announces Financing Deal With Orion For Purchase Of Mercedes Mine Premier Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: PG) announces a letter agreement with Orion Mine Finance to fully fund the cash portion of the recently announced acquisition of the Mercedes Mine from Yamana Gold Inc. for $140 million, based on the July 5 closing price on the date of signing the non-binding letter of intent with Yamana. The $122.5 million cash component of the purchase will be funded by a package from Orion that will include a secured gold prepay facility, silver stream, increase in an existing unsecured credit facility, 1 million common share warrants, plus other measures. "This financing arrangement was constructed with a view toward minimizing near-term shareholder dilution," says Steve Filipovic, chief financial officer of Premier. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com (Kitco News) - Gold has been one of the best performing assets this year, making gains of almost 29% year to date, but it is also attractive as a global currency, according to one commodity analyst. Tuesday, in an interview with Bloomberg News, Francisco Blanch, head of global commodity research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said that not only does gold make an attractive investment when one-quarter of global bonds are offering negative yields, but its carry costs are even lower compared to some currencies. The negative carry on gold is actually smaller than the negative carry on say the euro or some of the other currencies, he said. It is more expensive to carry euros then it is to carry gold and that in itself is a good reason to buy gold. Blanch reiterated the banks call for gold to go to $1,500 over the next six months. One of the reasons why gold is becoming a popular global currency is because of growing geopolitical tensions. Heading into yearend, politics, particularly G10 politics, are going to become more important to gold prices. What happens to Italian banks, what happens next year in the French elections, German elections if we keep moving in this path? I think there is a meaningful chance gold will be positively impacted. One of the biggest risk that lies ahead which could benefit gold, according to Blanch, is the U.S. election and the looming threat of a Donald Trump Presidency. If Republican candidate Trump is elected, Blanch said that investors could see a move in gold similar to what happened when Britons voted to leave the European Union in late-June. Gold saw major swings against the British pound; at one point, in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, gold was up more than 21% against the pound. Broad-based demand in global currency markets caused the yellow metal to see it biggest rally in U.S. dollar terms since the 2008 financial crisis. I think the uncertainty that a Trump Presidency would bring would be pretty positive for gold. Thursday, December Comex gold futures settled the session at $1,367.40 an ounce, up almost 0.2% on the day. By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com Follow @Neils_C Red Flag (Joel Kinnaman, left) and Deadshot (Will Smith) are among the leaders of the "Suicide Squad," supervillains recruited out of prison to confront a magical enemy. Clay Enos/ Warner Bros. Pictures SHARE Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays the reptilian Killer Croc, one of many memorable characters in "Suicide Squad." (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures) Margot Robbie, left, and Jared Leto are among the breakout stars in "Suicide Squad." Robbie plays Harley Quinn while Leto is the Joker. (Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures) By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY NETWORK The fantastic felons of "Suicide Squad" have got soul and they're superbad. There's both undeniable sincerity and an over-the-top punk rock vibe to writer/director David Ayer's completely bonkers ode to supervillains (in theaters Friday) tapped to contribute to the greater good. It helps flesh out the comic-book world of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," plus makes a bunch of obscure outsiders just as engaging and fun to watch as that well-known Dark Knight. With powerful metahumans and vigilantes inhabiting the Earth (Ben Affleck's Batman turns up more than you'd expect), the government needs a plan to deal with them. Enter the ruthless Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who has taken it upon herself to recruit Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), an archaeologist possessed by an ancient witch, as the first member of Task Force X. Its modus operandi is to send its members on deadly missions. And if they don't come back? Oh, well. With shades of "Guardians of the Galaxy" and the original "Ghostbusters," "Suicide Squad" takes its ne'er-do-wells led by the assassin Deadshot (Will Smith) and oddball bad girl Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) from their Louisiana supermax home to battle a magical enemy. Alliances are formed, bonds are shaken, and the group is constantly on the edge of implosion. Because of the size of Ayer's cast, some of the more interesting characters are shorted, especially samurai warrior Katana (Karen Fukuhara) and Australian hoodlum Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) though the latter has a quick run-in with a superhero that knowing comics fans will adore. Deadshot is the movie's emotional heart, and it's Smith's best role in years he gets to showcase some of the deep emotion of "Concussion" but with that old "Independence Day" swagger. Jay Hernandez similarly impresses as El Diablo, a fiery L.A. gang leader with a horrific back story. Harley, a psychiatrist turned unhinged moll with an undying love for the Joker (Jared Leto), is finally Robbie's star-making turn. And Leto's weirdo take on the Clown Prince of Crime is a far cry from the late Heath Ledger, though it definitely works. A tattooed Tony Montana type, this Joker is a nightclub owner with a thing for bling and a psychopathic determination to find his main squeeze. His relatively brief screen time leaves you wanting more, and Leto and Robbie make a distinctly dynamic duo in their fleeting scenes together. Another relationship that's intriguing but ultimately overshadowed is that of squad leader Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Enchantress' human alter ego. While their romance drives one of the many subplots, Delevingne spends most of the film in freak mode, leaving Kinnaman as the guy keeping the fires burning. No matter the character, though, Ayer has a keen way of making you care for them, even the Joker. Like "The Dirty Dozen" for the Hot Topic generation, the team gets in-your-face introductions and things just grow more mental from there. But compared to its ilk, "Suicide Squad" is an excellently quirky, proudly raised middle finger to the superhero-movie establishment. Review: hhh Suicide Squad Rating: PG-13 (violence and action, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language) Running time: 2 hours, 3 minutes Director: David Ayer Cast: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Adelae Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Karen Fukuhara, Jay Hernandez, Adam Beach Emily Meeks pushes her special needs shopping cart with son Stephen, 16, in it at Central Market in Poulsbo. The cart helps her bring him along when she shops. They are joined by daughter Alexa Meeks, 11, and her friend Lindsay Leaman, 10. SHARE Meeks helps Stephen after they used a special needs shopping cart at Central Market. Some stores are adding the carts to help families with special needs children. Emily Meeks,right, gets help with loading her Stephen,16, in a special needs shopping cart at the Central Market in Poulsbo, on Wednesday July 27, 2016. She is with her daughter Alexa Meeks,11, top center,t ,and friends Lindsay Leaman,10,,left, and Sophia Moore,11,. The cart allows her to bring him shopping with her. Emily Meeks pushes her special needs shopping cart with son Stephen, 16, in it at Central Market in Poulsbo. Emily Meeks takes her special needs son, Stephen, 16, shopping at Central Market in Poulsbo. Daughter Alexa, 11, pushes the cart. By Christian Vosler, christian.vosler@kitsapsun.com POULSBO Going to the grocery store is a regular task for most families, but it's one Laura Leaman can't take for granted. Leaman's son, Lance, has a rare genetic disorder called MECP2 Duplication Syndrome. The condition impairs his movement and speech and can make trips to the store difficult for his mother. The arrival of specialized carts at two grocery stores in Kitsap County is helping parents like Leaman who have children with special needs overcome what would otherwise be an arduous shopping process. Central Market in Poulsbo and Target in Silverdale began offering a Caroline's Cart a shopping cart designed for children and adults with special needs this year. Two stores in Gig Harbor offer Caroline's Carts, according to the manufacturer's website. Caroline's Cart was developed by an Alabama mother after she encountered difficulties shopping with her daughter, Caroline, who had a genetic disorder called Rett Syndrome. The modified carts feature a large, backward-facing seat with a harness to secure the rider and can support up to 250 pounds. "This is a game-changer," Leaman said. Emily Meeks, executive director of The Arc of Kitsap and Jefferson Counties, also has two sons with MECP2 Duplication Syndrome. Meeks learned about Caroline's Cart through social media and passed along the idea to Leaman. Shopping with the boys presents a number of challenges to family members, their mothers say. The boys will wander off, throw tantrums or sit down and refuse to get up. Meeks and Leaman have to get in and out of the store quickly or rely on their other children to help supervise. "It's a fiasco," Meeks said. Parents in this position have a few options when they need to go to the grocery store, Meeks said. They can try to find a baby sitter for a few hours, wait for their spouse to come home from work or ask friends to pick up a few things while they shop. Leaman reached out to Central Market, Target and other big-box grocery stores this year and requested that they purchase a cart. The carts allow for focus while shopping without having to worry about the safety of family members and are a quality-of-life change, Leaman said. "It's about including everybody," she said. "I realize (stores) can't cater to everybody, but it's definitely something that would help." Meeks, who lives in Bremerton, said she would make the trip to Silverdale or Poulsbo to use the cart. It makes the shopping experience easier, she said. "What's frustrating for parents trying to reach out is that it's hard to get stores to spend $800 for one cart," Meeks said. "They don't get how hard it is." Caroline's Carts are manufactured by Technibilt. A standard cart costs $850, according to Technibilt sales and marketing coordinator Alice Little. Town & Country Markets, the parent company of Central Market in Poulsbo, has added a Caroline's Cart to many of its stores after a customer requested them, senior director of retail operations Jim Huffman said. While several stores are awaiting delivery of the carts due to manufacturing back order, Huffman said he would be open to adding more of the carts as necessary. "We're waiting on feedback from customers," he said. In March 2013, Target rolled out a Caroline's Cart to most of their stores, including the Silverdale location. Leaman, whose husband is stationed at Bangor and who spent 16 years in the military herself, reached out to the commissary at Bangor, which does not have a Caroline's Cart. The Defense Commissary Agency added 40 carts to commissaries across the United States in 2014, including at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, according to Defense Commissary Agency spokeswoman Nancy O'Nell. O'Nell said that 126 additional carts have been purchased for commissaries in the United States, including the commissaries at Bangor and Bremerton and are expected to arrive in 90 days. "Our customers gave us good reviews of the first 40 Caroline's Carts we put in Commissaries," O'Nell said in an email. "This order, for another 126 carts, will expand that valuable service to more military families." While Leaman, who is studying to be a medical assistant at Olympic College, wants to reach out to more businesses, she said that she is often too busy. Her outreach often involves dropping off a brochure at a store and waiting. "All I can do as a consumer is go, 'Hey store manager, can your purchase this?' And they're left to figure that out," Leaman said. SHARE No one would mistake Roger Ailes for a ladies man, at least not without a fistful of dollars or a garter belt. So emerges a fresh image of the man who created Fox News, the cable network known for its leggy, law-degreed female hosts. Ailes, like Hugh Hefner, knew that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Then suddenly, somebody squealed. Former anchor Gretchen Carlson last month filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes for making lewd remarks, including publicly announcing that he'd slept with three Miss Americas but not Carlson. The floodgates opened. Another 20 or so women subsequently have come forward with their own allegations of sexual harassment going back decades to when Ailes was with "The Mike Douglas Show," as well as through his years as a political consultant with the George H.W. Bush campaign. In interviews with New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman, several women told stories that contained strikingly similar details. One of those is the garter belt, which Ailes allegedly asked many of them to put on. One woman said she was filmed by Ailes after he insisted that she dance while wearing it. The dance scene was described a few days ago in a separate New York article profiling Laurie Luhn, a former Fox News booker of 20 years who, despite having agreed never to file a lawsuit against the network, decided to speak up. In so doing, she not only has created a head-swiveling drama that has Fox employees variously stunned and disgusted but has created a sidebar debate about feminism's rules of engagement. What is sexual harassment? When is a woman a victim and when is she a participant? What is the statute of limitations on intimidation? What is the line between perception and interpretation? Is a woman still a heroine if she speaks up only after she has tolerated it and professionally benefited while others were being targeted? Was she expediently complicit for her own advantage? When "everybody" knows what's going on and no one speaks up, isn't "everyone" complicit to some degree? Such questions are unwelcome in the television industry and on certain college campuses where they'll spark a protest faster than a military draft. You can carry a gun to class, but you'd better not present ideas that might make someone uncomfortable. But ask these questions we must, not only for the benefit of younger women entering the workplace but also for the sake of feminism itself. Rallying to any and all women who claim victimhood, even in cases of complicity, damages the cause and credibility of those who are targeted for abuse. If all that has been claimed against Ailes is true, then obviously there's no defense for him and his diamond-seamed parachute is further insult to his victims. Carlson's claim clearly meets the standard of sexual harassment even if she waited until she felt she was demoted before she decided to make her accusations. Apparently emboldened by Carlson's move, superstar Megyn Kelly tipped the point when she reportedly told investigators that Ailes had made unwanted sexual advances a decade ago. Hold that thought. But Luhn topped all with jaw-dropping stories such as that Ailes allegedly ordered her to kneel, facing him. She said he placed his hands on her temples and extracted a pledge to obey him henceforth. Most women, I'd like to think, wouldn't have gotten on their knees certainly would never vow to obey anyone against their will. But Luhn says she played along for 20 years. Under what New York magazine describes as "Ailes' protection within the company," Luhn says she received cash payments, promotions, a $250,000 salary and, in 2011, a $3.15 million severance. Last week, she told Sherman that her life at Fox was "psychological torture." No doubt it was, but Luhn could have left at any time. As recently as last summer, having recovered from a nervous breakdown and an overdose, Luhn wrote Ailes a letter asking for help finding a job in Los Angeles. O, what a tangled web we weave. This lurid, Byzantine tale of sex, lies and videotape will likely continue to unfurl in the coming weeks, but the moral of the story is clear: Nothing, neither money nor career, is worth surrendering your dignity and self-worth, both of which will be questioned when you call quits on a game you agreed to play. Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparkerwashpost.com. She writes for The Washington Post Writers Group. The Herald reports: New Zealand judge Dame Lowell Goddard has resigned as head of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said. According to ITV Rudd confirmed Dame Lowell offered her resignation as Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. I want to assure everyone with an interest in the inquiry, particularly victims and survivors, that the work of the inquiry will continue without delay and a new chair will be appointed, Rudd said. I would like to thank Dame Lowell Goddard for the contribution she has made in setting up the inquiry so that it may continue to go about its vital work. Unless the resignation is for medical reasons, this is a bad look. I presume it is connected to this story: A Kiwi judge tipped to become the United Kingdoms highest paid public servant spent three months on holiday or overseas during her first year in the $660,000 job. Dame Lowell Goddard, a former High Court judge, is leading the UK government independent inquiry into child sex abuse (IICSA). The IICSA was announced in July 2014 by then British prime minister David Cameron to interrogate previously covered-up cases of child abuse in hospitals, care homes, churches and schools. Goddards basic salary is around 360,000 (NZ$660,000) a year, topped up with perks such as free business class flights home, a 110,000 a year rental allowance, and a car and a driver, all paid for by the Home Office. She spent 44 working days in New Zealand and Australia after becoming chair of the inquiry, the Times reported. The time spent abroad was on top of her annual leave entitlement of 30 working days, an entitlement arranged when she was appointed by Theresa May, the British home secretary at the time. What a shame for the victims of child abuse as her resignation will delay progress even more than all her holidays. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Claire Trevett writes: There has been a slight irony in developments around the race to be UN Secretary-General this week. Over the Tasman, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd discovered he did not have support from anybody except indigenous groups thanks to his apology to the Stolen Generation. Here, Helen Clark discovered she had the support of everybody except the Maori Party (and the Right-to-Lifers but lets not go there.) Maori Party co-leaders Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox have been hung, drawn and quartered for saying they did not support Helen Clarks bid to be Secretary-General. Labour described it as political hysteria, Dover Samuels said it was utu, NZ First leader Winston Peters proclaimed it was treacherous in the extreme. It seems the Maori Party missed out in the nationwide distribution of rose-tinted glasses since Prime Minister John Key and Helen Clark announced her bid. Anyone who is surprised at the Maori Partys position has forgotten where the Maori Party came from. It was born from protest against the very actions of Helen Clarks former Labour Government. This weeks debate has prodded old scabs Clark meeting Shrek instead of the foreshore and seabed hui of haters and wreckers, Clark referring to the Maori Party as last cab off the rank. It was a reminder that the Maori Party owed Clark nothing. Clark called them the last cab off the rank, so not very surprising they they are not enthusiastic. Morgan Godfery also makes the case against Clark from a Maori point of view: I was thirteen years old when Helen Clark pinched my land. She told the country my family were haters and wreckers. But Clark is the prime minister responsible for preventing Maori from establishing customary title to the countrys foreshore and seabed, a land confiscation in process if not name. As if the psychic harm of nationalising the beaches were not enough, owners with private title to the foreshore and seabed could continue business as usual. Its an exhausted truism, but property rights for some are property rights for none. There are so many things that hurt here: the double standard between possible owners of Maori customary title and owners of private titles; blocking access to the courts, another breach of natural justice for Maori; but the moment that survives in my memory, almost twelve years later, is how Clark condemned the laws opponents as haters and wreckers. Again, this isnt neutral the unspoken context is that Maori hate and plan to wreck the nation. This distinction between them and us, between Maori and the nation, is more than hypothetical. Maori activist and writer Tim Selwyn, who threw an axe through Clarks electorate office window in the middle of the night as a symbolic act of dissent against the foreshore and seabed law, was convicted on a charge of sedition. Understood in this context, the accusation that Marama Fox is a traitor takes on a sinister edge. If racism is a private act, then Helen Clark is no racist. But if racism is a public act, something that happens through institutions and manifests in power relations, then perhaps she is. Racism works like a virus, infecting progressive and conservative hosts. Politicians, especially prime ministers, often make racist choices, whether they mean to or not. Clarks foreshore and seabed law may lack racist intent, but its racist impact is clear: one standard for Maori customary owners, another for private most likely overwhelmingly white owners. Im sorry, but your progressive fav is problematic. #ImWithMarama Im personally a backer of Clark for three reasons: I think she can do the job, and would be better than the other candidates in terms of cutting costs at the UN I think NZ would benefit from having a NZer as UN Secretary-General It keeps her out of NZ for another five to ten years! But I agree with Godfery that it is hysterical and nasty for media and politicians to insist everyone must be backing Clark or they are traitors to NZ. Absolute nonsense. She was a controversial politician and of course some NZers will not back her candidacy. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Xavier Cunningham peeks through a stack of balloons at Knox County's Back to School Bash at The Knoxville Expo Center in 2015. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE BASH AT IJAMS Join Ijams Nature Center for a fun, free Back-to-School Bash from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6. Learn about the center's new programs and participate in some family-friendly nature fun. They'll be showcasing their new birthday parties, adventure programs, homeschool programs, Family Nature Club, Tennessee Naturalist Program and preschool programming. No preregistration is required. VEGETARIAN EVENT The Vegetarian Society of East Tennessee will meet 6 p.m. Sunday, August 7, at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike. Jessie Nguyen, owner of the Vietgrill food truck, will demonstrate Vietnamese fried rice. A potluck supper follows. Cost is $4 per person, plus a potluck item. Info: bobgrimac@gmail.com, or call 865-546-5643. MORE BASHING Knox County is hosting its annual Back to School Bash at the Knoxville Expo Center on Monday, Aug. 8, the first day back to school for Knox County schools. Students are invited to attend between 3-6 p.m. at the Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway, to get free school supplies and health screenings. Free food, special programs, fun activities and vendors also will be at the Bash. Info: http://knoxcounty.org/news/news.php?id=618 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump flash two thumbs up as he introduces his wife, Melania, during the opening day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Monday, July 18, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) How much more repugnant can Donald Trump get? I suspect we'll find out repeatedly between now and Election Day. Yet the more important question is: When will his silent sideline supporters finally scream, "Enough!" and turn away? No doubt Trump's hardcore base loves it when he uses crude language to denigrate women, immigrants, Muslims, the physically handicapped; in short, anyone he deems a "loser." They'll never waver from lockstep support of this narcissistic, flip-flopping blowhard. But what about those multiplied millions of Republicans in the background, the ones who usually vote along party lines? Have they not the gumption to cut ties with this spoiled brat, their callous, fear-mongering, insensitive presidential nominee? I admire party loyalty. It's the ol' be-true-to-your-school drill. Democrats and Republicans alike often hold their noses and vote their party's ticket, for a variety of offices, even if they'd much prefer someone else on the ballot. But there's a breaking point. In my mind, that point was reached when Trump's vile tongue targeted people in uniform who have paid dearly on behalf of their country. I was convinced Trump had lost his mind last year when he dissed Arizona Sen. John McCain, accusing him of not being a war hero because he "got captured." Say what?! McCain was imprisoned and tortured by the North Vietnamese for nearly six years. Not so coincidentally, this was during the same period the multi-deferred Trump was partying it up in New York. Trump wallowed even deeper in the gutter a few days ago. He disparaged the Muslim parents of an Army captain who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Then Trump added insult to injury by claiming he had made "sacrifices" of his own. You gotta be kidding. In the context of war, Trump wouldn't know sacrifice from Shinola. A few brave Republicans have denounced Trump's latest outburst. Aside from nervous throat-clearing, however, most continue to endorse this lout. Oh, for another Joseph Welch! Welch was the Boston lawyer who took down Sen. Joe McCarthy, another bully who fed on terrorizing the masses. This was during the height of McCarthy's witch hunts for alleged "communist sympathizers." On June 9, 1954, Welch upbraided McCarthy with these immortal words: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never have truly gauged your cruelty or your recklessness . . . have you no sense of decency, sir?" Surely there are enough Republican leaders to confront Trump the same way. If only they had the same courage. SHARE A recent letter to the editor attempted to advance the notion that some socialism is OK. The letter ended by stating, "The issue is whether we will be better off if we socialize or privatize various systems." That issue can be settled quickly by looking no further than the present socialization of our health care system and the disaster it is to so many Americans. For those willing to admit it, any tax-based federal intervention into our lives seldom has happy circumstances. As a glaring example of what socialism really is, at the very same time President Barack Obama was forcing the Affordable Care Act on us by threatening fines, etc., Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal were undergoing financial crises brought on by socialized health care as well as massive entitlement programs that couldn't be serviced. Yet many in Congress, oblivious to available facts from these countries, extolled the greatness of the ACA and spent hours in front of television cameras telling Americans how wonderful socialized health care was. Reference was also made to a candidate who "describes himself as a socialist" then says he is a "democratic socialist" and "not a Stalinist, nor does he believe in Maoism." This is the way socialism works its way into people's thinking. It's offered as acceptable because it's neither this nor that. Socialism is socialism regardless of whether it enters through the front door or the back door. When enough Americans begin believing that tax-funded government programs are better than private enterprises, then we're in big trouble. Private enterprise built the greatest economy the world has ever known. That would not be true today had the Founding Fathers established our nation on the principles of socialism in any of its forms. Eddie Archer, Newcomb, Tenn. POSCO Daewoo has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesian shipbuilder PT. Pal to export $150 million worth of materials. / Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan POSCO Daewoo has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Indonesian shipbuilder PT. Pal to export $150 million worth of materials, the Korean firm said Thursday. Once the MOU is put into effect, the Indonesian firm will use the materials including main engines to build 10 patrol boats and one combat support ship for the Indonesian navy and related parties. "Our past business performance has been acknowledged to the point of making this deal," POSCO Daewoo CEO Kim Young-sang said. "We will expand the deal into exporting materials to serve more diverse purposes including marine platforms, fishing boats and ferries." From 2006 to 2010, POSCO Daewoo, the trading arm of Korean steelmaker POSCO, transferred shipbuilding technologies to PT. Pal for two of four medium-to-large multi-purpose vessels the firm was commissioned to build for the Indonesian navy. Since 2014, the Korean firm has been supplying materials for two of the same vessels the Indonesian firm is building for the Philippines navy. POSCO Daewoo CEO Kim Young-sang, left, poses with PT PAL CEO Firmansyah Arifin after signing a memorandum of agreement in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday. Under the $150 million deal, POSCO Daewoo will supply engines and other parts to PT PAL, Indonesia's state-run shipbuilder, for the latter's patrol boats and other naval vessels. / Courtesy of POSCO Daewoo By Lee Hyo-sik POSCO Daewoo has signed a $150 million contract with PT PAL, Indonesia's state-run shipbuilder, to supply engines and other parts for the latter's patrol boats and other naval vessels. The trading arm of steelmaker POSCO held a ceremony, Wednesday, in Jakarta, where CEO Kim Young-sang signed a memorandum of agreement with PT PAL CEO Firmansyah Arifin. Under the deal, POSCO Daewoo will provide the Indonesian shipbuilder with various components necessary for building 10 patrol boats and one combat support ship over the next few years. Once completed, the ships will be delivered to the Indonesian Navy. "The latest contract shows that we have been successful in doing business in Indonesia and earned a great deal of trust from our partners there," Kim said. "We will expand our reach to other areas of shipbuilding, such as offshore oil rigs, fishing vessels and cruise ships." In 2003, the company also signed a contract with PT PAL to supply engines and other parts for two landing platform docks (LPD). Between 2006 and 2010, POSCO Daewoo supplied tools and materials to the Indonesian shipbuilder for construction of LPDs, while sharing its knowhow with local partners. The trading firm is also seeking to sign parts supply contracts with shipbuilders in Brazil and other South American nations. By Jhoo Dong-chan German auto brand Volkswagen sold only 425 cars last month, a 76.8 percent sales decline compared to 1,834 cars sold in June. Its sister brand Audi also saw a nosedive in sales to 2,638 cars, down 46.5 percent over the same period, according to data released by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA). An industry insider said Volkswagen and Audi's deteriorating sales performance is expected to continue for a while. "The Ministry of Environment has revoked certification and banned the sales of 32 types of vehicles from the two automakers," she said. "It will probably take a long time to reapply and get approvals from the ministry to sell those models again." Led by the German auto brand duo's decline in sales, the total number of imported cars registered in July was 15,730, a 32.9 percent drop compared to sales in June. It is also a 24 percent decline from the previous year's figure of 20,707, the data added. "The government ended a consumption tax cut by the end of June, and some brands suffered a huge loss in sales last month. It was a huge blow for import auto brands' sales in general," said a KAIDA official. Monthly sales of imported vehicles peaked at 24,366 cars last December, and have since turned down to 15,730. Domestic automakers, however, did not benefit from the decline in the sales of imported auto brands. Hyundai Motor sold 47,879 cars last month, suffering a 31.6 percent decline compared to its sales in June. It is also a 20.1 percent drop from the previous year's figure. Kia Motors also reported a 16.2 percent decline in sales to 44,007 cars last month, also down 8.7 percent year-on-year. According to the Korea Auto Industries Cooperation Association, domestic automakers sold 121,144 cars in July, a 10 percent decline in sales compared to June. "Degree of sales decline is not as bad as imported auto brands'. But it is certain that the end of the consumption tax cut did influence sales of domestic automakers," said a domestic automaker official. Train To Busan On a train to Busan, Seok-wu (Gong Yoo) and his daughter (Kim Soo-ahn) find out that there has been a zombie outbreak in Korea. He teams up with a number of passengers and strives to survive. Ma Dong-suk and Jung Yumi also star. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho. Jason Bourne Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has been staying in the shadows. CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) hires a hacker Heather (Alicia Vikander) to find Bourne, to try and bring him back to the agency for a special mission. Directed by Paul Greengrass. The Last Princess This film is about the life of the last princess of the Joseon Dynasty, who had to live a pitiful life as a daughter of Gojong. When she is taken to Japan as a hostage, Jang-han tries to bring her back to Korea, fighting for Korean independence. Directed by Heo Jin-ho. Suicide Squad An intelligence officer assembles a team of imprisoned supervillains for a top-secret mission. This deadly team is consisted of Deadshot (Will Smoth), Harley Quinn (Margot Robie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and other despicable inmates. Directed by David Ayer. The Secret Life of Pets A terrier named Max's peaceful life in New York is interrupted when his owner adopts another pet Duke, a large canine. The two dogs clash at first, but they soon encounter a dangerous adventure and decide to get through it together. Directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney. A Studio Deluxe room at Citadines Han River Seoul which receives guests from Aug. 12 / Courtesy of Citadines Han River Seoul Max Philips By Kim Se-jeong Somerset Palace Seoul is recognized for its location, atmosphere and service, among others. It has become one of the most coveted serviced residences in the city, attracting both long-term and short-term guests to the heart of the city. A sister serviced apartment property is opening on Aug. 12 in Yeongdeungpo, southwestern Seoul. Citadines Han River Seoul belongs to one of the Ascott Limited's three brands Somerset, Citadines and Ascott. The property will have its official grand opening in October, but it starts receiving guests from Aug. 12 with special pre-opening rates. The southwestern district of Seoul is a good location for Citadines, which caters primarily to long-term guests. The property is close to small- and medium-sized factories and warehouses and Lotte Home Shopping. It is also close to Yeouido, the nation's financial hub, which is less than five kilometers away or three subway stops away. Price is what makes Citadines stand out among its competitors. The smallest studio unit with kitchen and laundry facilities costs less than 100,000 won per night, and during the pre-opening promotion costs only 64,000 won per night, with complimentary Wi-Fi and other services. The property has 149 units, the majority of which have a fully-equipped kitchen, in-room electronic safe, multi-split air conditioning and heating, steam iron and ironing board, telephone, washing machine and cable TV. It also has a 24-hour reception desk, housekeeping service, baby toys and a fitness center. Citadines' facilities are perfect for business people. It has a meeting room, a computer station at the lobby and breakfast service. The property has three room types: 20 square-meter Studio room; 20-square-meter Studio Deluxe room; and 29-square-meter Studio Executive room. Most rooms can accommodate two guests, but a number of interconnected rooms can accommodate a family of up to four. "The two properties (Citadines and Somerset) are very different due to location and size, but you can get a good synergy between difference in room rates," Max Philips, Country General Manager for The Ascott Limited, said. "If someone calls up for a Somerset room, and if it is over their budget, we can immediately recommend Citadines." The Ascott Limited, a Singapore-based hospitality chain, is the world's biggest serviced residence owner and operator, with more than 47,000 units around the world. Citadines Han River Seoul is the company's third property in Korea. It opened Citadines Haeundae Busan last summer, attracting vacationers in the city with its affordability. Philips said he hopes Citadines Han River Seoul will attract domestic guests as well, including those looking to go on "staycation," or relaxing mini-vacation while staying in an urban hotel. Staycation has become a trend for Koreans who do not have the time to take long holidays, and therefore look for something close to home. Citadines Han River Seoul is close to IFC Mall and Time Square, two big shopping malls in the city. It is also only five to 10 minute walk away from the riverside parks along Han River, as well as from Seonyudo Park, an island park in the middle of the river. During the promotional period until Dec. 31, the Studio room will cost 64,000 won per night, excluding tax and service charge, the Studio Deluxe room 80,000 won per night , and Studio Executive room, 104,000 won. The package includes laundry service but not breakfast. For more information, call (02) 2014-1111. Grand Hilton Seoul Grand Hilton Seoul will hold its annual Oktoberfest on Sept. 3 in the Convention Hall, marking its 10th anniversary this year. Oktoberfest is a German beer festival held for 16 days from the third Saturday of September. This year's festival will feature unlimited Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier and Weihenstephaner Original Lager on tap, along with traditional German food, including Bavarian white sausage and Black Forest ham. The hotel is bringing the legendary Anton Band from Munich for live music. All attendees posting their photos on Facebook and Instagram will receive a facial mask sheet and a voucher for premium cosmetics brand TREEANNSEA, eco-bags, perfume samples and more. There will be a lucky draw with winning prizes including Lufthansa airline tickets and hotel vouchers. The party will start at 6 p.m., and tickets will cost 140,000 won. For more information and reservations, email Oktoberfest@grandhilton.co.kr or call (02) 2287-7456. Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel offers a family getaway package until Aug. 27. The package includes a one-night stay in a Deluxe room with the city view, access to the kids experience zone, and three tickets to a performance of "Musical Rainbow Fish & Five Senses," based on the bestselling children's story "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister, taking place at Songdo Convensia. Guests will also have access to an indoor swimming pool and fitness center. The package costs 155,000 won, excluding tax and service charges. For more information and reservations, call (032) 835-1004. Park Hyatt Seoul Park Hyatt Seoul's The Timber House presents "Frozen Summer Cocktail" until Aug. 31. The bartender makes drinks, such as Peach Reality, Kiss the Rain and Vanilla Monster. Peach Reality is made with homemade honey-lemon syrup, peach-flavored liqueur, grapefruit juice, ripe peaches and crushed ice on top. Kiss the Rain is a mix of sweet sherry wine, coconut rum, Cointreau liqueur, pineapple juice, homemade honey-lemon syrup, creme de cassis liqueur and fresh peaches blended with ice. "Vanilla Monster" is made with bourbon whisky, vanilla syrup, homemade ice cream and banana, with a vanilla bean powder garnish. Each drink costs 29,000 won, including tax. The Timber House opens every evening from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more information and reservation, call (02) 2016-1290. JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul's all-day dining restaurant, Tavolo 24, presents Texastic, a beef buffet promotion from Aug. 5 to Sept. 13. The promotion offers Texas barbecue freshly grilled at live cooking stations along with a wide variety of dishes. Beef brisket will be the signature dish, cooked low and slow for over 10 hours, a perfect match for the hotel's house-made pickles and mustard. Other menus include oak-grilled sausage, hickory pork ribs and pork belly steamed with sweet maple syrup. The buffet costs 78,000 won for lunch and 98,000 won for dinner and weekends per person, including tax and service charge. For information and reservations, call (02) 2276-3320~1. A fan meeting in China for two top South Korean actors has been canceled, an official said Thursday, fanning concerns of a growing political row between the countries. Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy, the lead actor and actress in the KBS drama "Uncontrollably Fond," were scheduled to hold a fan meeting in China on Saturday but the event's organizers canceled it for "reasons out of their control," an official at the series' production company Samhwa Networks said. "We were told by Youku on Wednesday that it's been postponed," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Uncontrollably Fond" has been shown simultaneously in South Korea and on the Chinese video site Youku. "The fan meeting was planned in advance so there were no issues with the planning," the official added, saying it has been difficult to determine the exact reason. Pastor Lee Dong-hyun has admitted sexually molesting a female follower for years. / Courtesy of Twitter By Ko Dong-hwan Pastor Lee Dong-hyun, head of popular Christian teenage evangelical community "Rise Up Movement," has admitted sexually molesting a female follower for years. Lee, 48, harassed the high school girl who was 17 from 2005 until 2008, consistently demanding her to have sex with him, according to NewsNJoy, an online news outlet, Tuesday. When the victim refused, he threatened her, saying: "Your life will be ruined once our relationship is known among Korean society" and "How will you manage to get married after you had sex with me?" the report said, citing the victim, now 28. NewsNJoy said Lee preferred female followers as his aides and when he took a small group of teenagers to Europe, he often slept in the girls' room. With the scandal becoming viral, Lee said on the "Rise Up Movement" web page Tuesday he will no longer chair the group. The site said the community will cancel a mass Christian gathering planned for Aug 7. The group, established in 1999, has been holding an annual mass gathering at Seoul Plaza, drawing about 30,000 teenagers and parents. "I committed a mistake when I was still a neophyte as a Christian leader," Lee said, according to Hankook Ilbo. "I admit the whole wrongdoing. I am sorry to all the students who followed my leadership." Lee said his younger brother, who is a secretary general of "Rise Up Movement," will take his position. The victim has not decided whether to file a suit against Lee, a report said. A senior judge was caught buying sex at a studio apartment in southern Seoul. The judge, surnamed Shin, tendered his resignation, but the Supreme Court did not accept it, saying it would review disciplinary measures. Officers from the Suseo Police Station caught the judge as he was leaving the studio apartment in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, at around 11 p.m. Tuesday. Police officers were conducting a crackdown on prostitution in the area. Shim was with a sex worker, whom he allegedly paid 200,000 won. Shim and the sex worker admitted to having engaged in prostitution, and both were booked without physical detention. The judge said after he drank with acquaintances, he was attracted by a flyer, which prompted him to call the sex worker. Shim said he was alone when he went to see her. After the incident, Shim expressed his intentions to resign. But the top court deferred accepting the resignation and just suspended him from duty, Wednesday. "It is not appropriate to let the judge off as the investigation is still ongoing," a court official said. "We will take strict punitive measures if the allegations are proven to be true." If found guilty, Shim could be subject to a prison term of up to one year, or a 3 million won fine. Punitive measures to be handed down by the court's disciplinary committee include a reprimand, suspension and a salary reduction. By Lee Kyung-min The dispute between the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare over a "youth subsidy" is developing into a full-blown legal battle as the former has refused to follow the latter's order to cancel the handouts. The ministry's correction order came immediately after the SMG began giving 500,000 won ($447) in cash, Wednesday, to a total of 2,831 young residents as part of its welfare plan to support 19 to 29 year olds suffering from long-term unemployment. It plans to offer the money monthly for up to six months. After the ministry's deadline for the correction order at 9 a.m. Thursday, the ministry sent an official letter to the SMG at 9:20 a.m. ordering it to scrap the project immediately. "The SMG pushed ahead with a welfare plan that was not approved by the ministry in advance, which is in violation of the law. The plan is scrapped," the ministry said in a statement. "The SMG's pushing ahead with its project undermines the nation's welfare policy principle that requires harmony between municipalities and the central government. It could further trigger other municipalities to follow suit in resorting to similar populist policies that could result in a moral hazard for unemployed young people," it added. It claimed that the SGM's cash can be used for any individual activities unrelated to job training or seeking work. "Offering cash is the easiest way to attract voter attention and the most dangerous way to render the recipients increasingly dependent upon the system. Further, it discourages and frustrates other jobseekers who did not qualify for the subsidy," a ministry official said. "The subsidy is paid out of the taxpayers' pocket, and like any state expenditure, tax should be spent on the most urgent issue, and the SMG project is not the case." Following the ministry's order to stop the project, the SMG said it would ask the Supreme Court to issue an injunction to suspend the ministry's decision, and file a separate suit against the ministry to nullify the cancellation. "The central government's employment policy is support for conglomerates rather than support for jobseekers. Even state-run labor institutes have said the central government's policy does not meet young jobseekers' needs," the SMG said in a statement. While it provided the money to 2,831 out of a selected 3,000 because it has not yet obtained approval for private information use from the remaining 169, the city said it may not be able to offer them money for now until a court decision is made. The SMG also said it would not ask the 2,831 to return the already paid money, saying they do not have a legal responsibility to return it. But the ministry disagreed, saying the whole project has been scrapped and thus the city government should collect the money back. By Jun Ji-hye South Korea and the United States are moving to strengthen their joint exercises aimed at striking missile and nuclear facilities in North Korea in response to its continuous provocations, officials here said Thursday. Tokyo is also seeking to enhance military cooperation with Seoul and Washington after one of the two Nodong ballistic missiles fired on Wednesday by the North landed in waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) after flying around 1,000 kilometers. According to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), a dozen F-16 fighter jets and hundreds of airmen have recently arrived in South Korea to participate in joint drills. The South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing arrived at Osan Air Base, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, with more than 300 airmen and 12 F-16 Fighting Falcons ready to "fight tonight," PACAF said in a statement, Tuesday. Korean defense officials said the newly arrived U.S. fighter jets will carry out joint exercises with the South Korean Air Force as well as personnel of the U.S. Air Force stationed here to check their readiness posture and strengthen joint capabilities for better deterring the North's provocations. "Enhancing U.S. and Korean interoperability assures shared international responsibilities to provide assistance during regional crises and allows us to build cooperation and bolster regional security interests and goals," Lt. Col. Nicholas Johnson, PACAF chief of fighter operations, said in a statement. The U.S. Air Force also plans to deploy its B-1B bombers to the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, Saturday. The B-1B Lancers, which will replace B-52s there, carry the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons of any current American bombers, and are capable of arriving at the peninsula faster than B-52s. South Korea and the United States are also planning to hold an annual joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) later this month amid increasing tension on the peninsula. Pyongyang has denounced the UFG, together with the annual springtime exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North. The UFG is basically a computer-assisted war simulation exercise, but observers say that allies are also expected to conduct various fire exercises targeting the North's major facilities during this year's drill. "There is a great possibility of various exercises taking place to strike the North's major facilities such as long-range artillery bases," Korea Defense and Security Forum senior research fellow Kim Dae-young told reporters. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday that Tokyo will handle the North's provocations in cooperation with South Korea and the United States, after Defense Minister Gen Nakatani confirmed that one of the two missiles launched by the North appeared to have landed in Japan's EEZ 250 kilometers west of the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture. The Nodong has a maximum range of 1,300 kilometers and can hit targets on the Japanese mainland and Okinawa. Since April, the repressive state has launched several Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles, with the sixth launch on June 22 considered to be successful. The North's Korean Central News Agency claimed that the missile reached a maximum altitude of 1,413.6 kilometers and fell precisely onto a designated target 400 kilometers away in the sea. In theory, the IRBMs, believed to have a range of 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers, can reach Guam, home to U.S. naval and air bases. By Jun Ji-hye North Korea's latest launch of what is presumed to be two medium-range Nodong ballistic missiles was apparently intended to display its ability to strike any targets in Japan, especially bases of the U.S. armed forces stationed there, according to officials and experts, Thursday. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani confirmed Wednesday that one of the missiles fired earlier in the day by the North was analyzed to have landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) 250 kilometers west of the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture at 8:05 a.m. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also said the missiles were fired from near Eunyul in South Hwanghae Province at 7:50 a.m. and that one flew some 1,000 kilometers, while the other exploded just after the launch. The launch shocked Japanese people because it was the first time a warhead of a North Korean ballistic missile had landed in the country's EEZ waters, according to Japanese media outlets. President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Saenuri Party lawmaker Yi Wan-young, who represents Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. Park held a meeting with 11 Saenuri lawmakers from Daegu and the province to listen to their concerns about the planned deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in Seongju. / Joint press corps By Kang Seung-woo President Park Geun-hye said Thursday the government can consider an alternative site within Seongju County in North Gyeongsang Province for a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery. Last month, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the anti-missile battery will be set up in Seongsan-ri which currently houses the Air Force's air defense artillery battery. However, residents there have staged protests due to their fears about health risks linked to THAAD's powerful X-band radar. They also complained that the government failed to communicate with the county before the deployment decision was made. "Considering concerns from residents over the THAAD deployment, the government will closely review a new site in Seongju to house the battery, if it is possible," Park said during a meeting with 11 ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers who represent Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Park invited them to Cheong Wa Dae as part of efforts to listen to their concerns over the deployment, the presidential office said. "After a feasibility study, the government will fully explain its results to residents." Later in the day, the defense ministry also said that if the county recommends an alternative site, it will conduct a review of the new site. It is a shift from the ministry's initial stance that other sites in Seongju are not fit to station a THAAD battery. On July 25, the defense ministry issued a statement saying its study had found that other sites in the county carried many elements that rendered them unfit for the deployment of THAAD. Korea and the United States plan to complete the deployment by next year. However, should the government decide to place THAAD in another site, the deployment plan could take longer than expected, missing the allies' deadline. "A THAAD battery is planned to be stationed on the site of the Air Force anti-aircraft missile base, meaning that it will not take much time," said a military official. "However, selecting a new site means the deployment plan should start from scratch and it may be completed after next year." In response to Park's remark, opposition parties said the government admitted that the THAAD decision was pushed through. "Although the government has stressed that Seongsan-ri is the optimal place for THAAD, now it is changing its stance, exemplifying how the decision was made rough-and-ready," said Ki Dong-min, a spokesman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea. People's Party spokesman Rep. Lee Yong-ho said, "The President's remark has shown a reversal from its previous stance on the THAAD deployment, which ridicules the people." Meanwhile, the ruling party rejected the speculation that President Park's remark may be seen as her decision to reconsider bringing THAAD here. "What she said is not reconsidering the THAAD deployment on Korean soil at all," said a ruling party official. On Tuesday, Park told her Cabinet that the THAAD decision is irreversible, stressing that the anti-missile shield is a self-defense measure against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. During the meeting, she also said that the deployment cannot be delayed anymore due to growing tensions by Pyongyang's military provocations. By Kim Hyo-jin The minor opposition People's Party said Thursday that Google should not be allowed to use the country's map data for commercial purposes because it could undermine national security and disadvantage local firms. It called on the government to reject Google's request. "Considering the special circumstances on the peninsula, the government should be cautious in selling detailed map data, viewing it as an asset for national security," Rep. Shin Yong-hyeon said during a party meeting. "Also, there are suspicions that Google does not operate a data center in South Korea in order to evade tax. If we provide our map data to Google, it is not fair for local businesses that duly abide by regulations." Rep. Park Jie-won, the party's floor leader, said he will deliver the party's stance to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The remarks came a week before the government is scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss whether to allow Google to use the nation's detailed map data. In June, the U.S. firm asked for permission to access 1:5,000 scale map data, the most detailed available, as part of efforts to upgrade its Google Maps service in Korea. Its current mapping service only provides limited features based on data from SK Telecom's T-Map. The request fueled controversy because Google opposes the government's call to remove the country's military-sensitive information from satellite images offered overseas. The government has been cautious about releasing map information on key military facilities as the country remains technically at war with North Korea. A Google request made in 2010 was rejected for the same reason. The second-largest opposition party backed critics, saying the country could be vulnerable to security threats if the 1:5,000 scale map data is combined with the current Google satellite map. Rep. Shin, who is leading opinion in the party, noted that if the firm wants to access the data it should abide by local regulations. They allow access to the map data if a firm has a data center in the country or forms a partnership with local firms providing mapping services. "It's not like the country bans the access unconditionally," she said. "If its intention is not about avoiding corporate taxes it should follow the domestic rules." Amid deepened controversy, the government is scheduled to deliver its decision this month after a meeting of the consultative body that includes the transport ministry's National Geographic Information Institute, the defense and ICT ministries, and the National Intelligence Service next Friday. The law stipulates that a decision on a request for a map data license should be made within 60 days. The National Assembly plans to hold the first discussion session Monday over the effects providing the map data will have on the domestic information industry. In the session, arranged by lawmakers affiliated with the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Kwon Beom-joon, Google Maps product manager and a software engineer at Google Korea, will present the firm's stance. Applicants get their vision and hearing checked at the driving test center in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Thursday. The current test system fails to filter those with mental health problems unless they voluntarily report it. / Yonhap System fails to filter applicants with mental conditions By Kim Se-jeong The deadly car accident in Busan last month by an epilepsy patient is raising questions about the nation's driving test system that allowed the driver with a inhibitive medical condition to be behind the wheel. It showed the system needs to be revised to prevent similar accidents, but it is not easy because of a controversy over privacy. The accident on July 31 in downtown Busan killed three and injured 21. The police in Busan confirmed the driver was an epilepsy patient who had passed out several times previously, while they are still investigating whether he passed out as well at the time of the accident. They also found he had renewed his driver's license just last month. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder, often accompanied by epileptic seizures. While epilepsy or dementia patients can cause car accidents when their conditions are not well managed, such people as well as alcohol or drug addicts can obtain driver's license due to lax implementations of the law. Under the current law, such people are banned from obtaining driver's license. But they are allowed when they submit a doctors' opinion that they have been treated and a review committee of the Korea Road Traffic Authority (KoRoad) allows it. But in reality, it is difficult to know whether driver's license applicants have such conditions unless they voluntarily report it to the authority. Applicants are asked about their medical conditions on the application form and those who lie are subject to a fine up to 3 million won or imprisonment for up to one year, but hardly anyone gets caught. Some argue the driver's license test authorities should be given access to applicants' medical records archived in the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) to filter the unqualified. The National Police Agency is pushing for it and Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the ruling Saenuri Party based in Busan pledged to come up with a new bill concerning that after Sunday's accident. But such a move faces hurdles. The Personal Information Protection Act states that it's illegal for an institute to share personal data with other organizations without the person's consent. Other laws regarding medicine say the sharing of medical information should not infringe on privacy. "Sharing personal information, especially medical records, is a violation of human rights," Hong Seung-bong from the Korean Epilepsy Society said. He also questioned the credibility of medical records, citing a recommendation by the national rights commission in 2002, when the commission said the past medical record could tell little about the current condition. It said there are possibilities that the patients would have improved or healed. It also pointed out that the number of people with mental health problems unregistered with medical authorities would be high. Cheon Yong-hwan, official from the KoRoad, said it's time for debate. "Under the current system, there's no way for us to identify those with disorders unless they voluntarily come forward. It's time for debates." The driver of the Busan accident initially told the police that he went unconscious and did not remember anything as he skipped medication in the morning. Yet, the police later discovered that he had caused another hit-and-run several minutes before and was escaping from the scene, raising suspicion about his testimony. The operator of Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway, on Thursday said it has completed a feasibility test on building a new passenger terminal in Uzbekistan's Tashkent airport, as part of a project led by Seoul's aid organization. Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) launched the study in January after signing a contract with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which is the country's official development assistance provider. The project was first outlined in May last year, when South Korea's President Park Geun-hye held a summit with her Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov during his visit to Seoul. Karimov had asked Seoul to help upgrade its international airport. Following the study result, some $454 million will be injected into the project, which is slated to open in 2020, according to the IIAC. With the new terminal, the airport is expected to host an estimated 5.7 million users annually. (Yonhap) Seoul feeling heat from Beijing's retaliatory move against THAAD By Yi Whan-woo China appears to be taking some retaliatory moves against South Korea over the latter's decision to allow the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system to counter North Korea's missile and nuclear threats. While Beijing has remained lukewarm about Pyongyang's continued provocations, it is playing hard ball with Seoul, putting bilateral relations at risk. China's two-faced policy toward the two Koreas is becoming more evident. On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) stopped short of adopting a formal statement against North Korea's latest launch of two ballistic missiles apparently due to China's opposition, according to sources Thursday. One of the two missiles flew over 1,000 kilometers to land in Japanese territorial waters. Speculation is rampant that China, a veto-wielding UNSC member, will remain uncooperative in seeking measures against the North's provocations to protest against the planned deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here. The People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, claimed the U.S. missile system was intended to "destroy the security of Northeast Asia." Although it did not explicitly mention President Park Geun-hye, the newspaper said that "South Korea's decision-maker offended national interests of neighboring countries by pursuing its well-being one-sidedly." It said the South Korean leader should "prudently handle THAAD-related issues in order to avoid pushing the country into the worst circumstances." Warning against a possible military conflict between the U.S and China, the newspaper said Seoul will be the "first target" if such a conflict occurs. A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul expressed regret over the report, saying "It should focus on sending warning messages to Pyongyang instead." Beijing is also making it more difficult for South Korean business people to enter China. On Wednesday, Chinese authorities stripped its travel agencies of the right to issue invitation letters to South Korean entrepreneurs, which helps them get the appropriate visa. By Yeom Won-gyun South Korea is walking on a tightrope over its national policy caught in a tug of war between the United States and China. The international tribunal's recent ruling on China's territorial claims in the South China Sea has raised tension in the region. While the U.S. and China doubt each other's intentions, South Korea has to demonstrate the art of maintaining a balance between the two countries' policies which are sometimes at odds with each other. This dilemma is being acutely felt these days as we are confronted by an increasing nuclear threat. In response, South Korea has justifiably reinforced its missile defense posture by deciding to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD battery in the small southeastern city of Seongju. China has responded sensitively to this decision by saying that it would endanger its national security. Korea has many reasons to maintain a close relationship with China. It is South Korea's largest trading partner and is a nation that can influence the unpredictable regime in North Korea. However, in the midst of increasing nuclear threats and continued missile upgrades by the North, South Korea has no choice but to take self-defensive measures for its own national security. China is well aware of the fact that the THAAD in Korea will have no impact on the effectiveness of its missile employment system unless it conducts missile attacks against South Korea. The reason that China was so annoyed by this defensive system was that the deployment of THAAD would invite a broader missile defense system of US in the Ease Asia and perceivably mitigate its "anti-access/anti-denial" strategy. During the 1950-1953 Korean War, as U.S.-led United Nations troops crossed into what is now North Korea and advanced toward China, China intervened. Eventually, the United Nations forces failed to seize the entire Korean peninsula, and retreated to the original border between the two Koreas. After the fierce battle reached a stalemate, the two sides agreed to stop hostilities by signing the Armistice 63 years ago (July 27, 1953). Sadly, the confrontational reality between the U.S. and China has not changed. It is conceivable that major crises in North Korea such as the sudden collapse of the regime, nuclear weapon proliferation, and massive humanitarian crisis might trigger a repeat of the Korean War, and would potentially lead to more catastrophic consequences. South Korea wants to bring the two Koreas together through peaceful unification. By estimations, the costs of unification would top 1 trillion dollars. The effort to bridge the social and cultural gaps between the two Koreas would be enormous. However, South Korea has great potential and the tenacity to achieve this monumental task, as evidenced by the rapid achievements of economic growth and the development of a democratic government from the ruins of war. However, without a solid strategic partnership between the U.S. and China, a unified Korea would still be a distant dream. If walking a geopolitical tight rope is the destiny of South Korea, it should be more focused on efforts to increase transparency and build a favorable strategic environment conducive to both nations. * * * The writer, a retired brigadier general, is currently taking a degree program at Harvard University Kennedy School. Members of the U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches as the group held an emergency meeting Wednesday but stopped short of adopting a formal statement, the U.S., Japan and South Korean ambassadors said. "What we heard was ... encouraging, strong condemnations across the board from individual member states. So we have every reason to believe that the council will be able to come together in a swift and united way to condemn this, again, just the latest launches," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters. Power did not elaborate, but permanent council members China and Russia could have expressed reservations about adopting a statement. There has been concern that Beijing and Moscow could refuse to render full cooperation over North Korea in anger over a decision by the United States and South Korea to deploy the THAAD missile defense system. North Korea fired two Rodong intermediate-range ballistic missiles early Wednesday. One of them exploded right after launch, but the other flew some 1,000 kilometers and fell in waters off Japan in the country's exclusive economic zone. Such launches represent a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the North from any activity using ballistic missile technology over concern that it can be used to develop long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. "This year alone, North Korea ... conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests, and they test-fired altogether 29 missiles of a variety of types, ranges and trajectories, including intermediate-range missiles, short-range missiles, using mobile launchers, using submarine launching technology," South Korean Ambassador Oh Joon said. South Korea on Thursday lashed out at North Korea for criticizing Seoul's move to deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system, saying that Pyongyang is trying to drive a wedge among its citizens over the issue. North Korea's committee handling inter-Korean affairs said Wednesday that if the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is deployed in South Korea, the country will become the stage for nuclear confrontation by regional powers. Seoul's unification ministry said that North Korea should be blamed for posing a threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. "The government's decision to station a THAAD battery here was made to counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats as a self-defense measure to defend people's lives and national security," the ministry said. The North has ceaselessly developed its nuclear and missile programs by launching more than 30 ballistic missiles so far this year. On Wednesday, North Korea fired off two Rodong mid-range ballistic missiles with one of them presumed to have landed in waters controlled by Japan. "North Korea should realize that its slander and sophistry cannot justify its nuclear development and drive a wedge among South Koreans," the ministry said. "The country should immediately end its foolish act and walk on the path to denuclearization with sincerity." (Yonhap) By Joo Hyung-hwan Korea has never stopped seeking fast-growing sectors for targeted investments that can provide new impetus to the country's economic growth. As its latest initiative for a new growth engine, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) unveiled a detailed investment plan on July 5 to promote the "new energy industry'' as Korea's next growth driver. The gist of the investment plan is that Korea will invest a combined 42 trillion won ($36.6 billion) into new energy businesses by 2020, including renewable energy, electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage systems (ESS) and smart grids. The plan aims not only to fight climate change but also to nurture a new export industry. Germany's recent renewable energy revolution provides a model for how the climate crisis can be turned into an opportunity. The renewable energy sector has transformed into one of Germany's fastest-growing export industries. As of today, Europe's largest economy exports more than 65 percent of the solar power generated in the country and nearly 70 percent of the wind power. Germany's clean energy industry is also one of the country's biggest job-creators, more than making up for the jobs lost due to the slowdown of traditional manufacturing. As of 2014, a total of 370,000 jobs have been created in Germany's new energy sector, outnumbering redundancies in the traditional manufacturing industries. The number of jobs created in the new industry is expected to reach half a million by 2020. MOTIE sees Germany's successful energy ventures as a blueprint for Korea. The only thing needed is a clear policy direction and detailed action plans to attain the best results. First of all, to develop and promote Korea's new energy industry, 30 trillion won out of the total investment plan is slated to be spent on the construction of renewable energy power plants with a combined power generation capacity of 13 million kilowatts, equivalent to that of 26 coal plants. To speed up renewable power plant construction, the ministry will raise the "renewable portfolio standard" to 5 percent from an earlier target of 4.5 percent in 2018, and from 6 percent to 7 percent in 2020. The renewable portfolio standard, a regulation that requires more power to be generated from renewable sources, is a globally accepted tool to facilitate renewable energy. In addition, incentives will be offered to solar power producers utilizing ESS, which will double the ESS market to 600 billion won by 2020. A deregulation drive is another critical piece for the development of the new energy industry. A series of deregulatory measures will be put into action in the renewable energy sector. One such measure is to allow solar power generators to sell electricity to individual and corporate customers via the Korea Power Exchange. MOTIE expects the opening of the power generation and supply market to draw more private companies into the new energy market. The long-term investment goal is to develop these new energy companies into exporters. For this, pairings will be sought with Korean financial institutions and public energy giants such as Korea Electric Power Corp. that have global reputations and business experience to help new Korean energy ventures tap into overseas markets. Since the historic Paris Climate Agreement last December, a growing number of countries, including Korea, have been pursuing the shift to clean energy. Whether climate change turns out to be an opportunity or a burden to Korea will depend on our success in developing the new energy industry into Korea's next growth engine. Joo Hyung-hwan is the trade, industry and energy minister. By Donald Kirk Donald Trump should be thankful the Republican convention in Cleveland that nominated him for the presidency was held the week before Hillary Clinton's shining moments at the Democratic conflab in Philadelphia. Just think what the fallout would have been if the Muslim parents of an army captain who was killed in Iraq had talked at the Democratic convention before the Republican convention. How would the Trumpster's Republican advocates have responded on the convention floor knowing that he'd openly disparaged the mother and father of a fallen army officer? Would all those who were committed to him have really wanted to see him nominated? Maybe they couldn't haven backed out of their commitment, but I'm betting Indiana Governor Mike Pence, father of a marine, would have had second thoughts about accepting the vice presidential nomination. Yo, guv'nor, it's not too late. You can stop your campaign right now. Have your name withdrawn. Let the Trumpster find another patsy to take second place on the ticket. Of course, that's not gonna happen. While the ruckus was reverberating in the media, Pence was busy putting out a statement to the effect that he and Donald "believe that Captain Humayun Khan is an American hero." Moreover, he added, in a comment meant to mollify Khan's mother, whom Trump had chastised for not talking before the convention like his father, "his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American." Whatever Trump says, though, he's going to have a hard time living down the fact that he besmirched the memory of an American killed in combat decades after he himself had assiduously dodged the draft at the height of the Vietnam War. He may appear warlike in talks before veterans, he may vow to annihilate the Islamic State (IS) and all the other bad guys, but there's no getting around that he's never visited an active battlefield, never seen bodies mown down by bullets and bombs, never walked among refugees who've fled their homes and livelihoods, never visited a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) filled with the wounded and dying such as those set up at or near the frontlines during the Korean War. You have to see war close up to begin to get a sense of what it's like. Millions of Americans aging veterans of World War II and Korea, much younger ones from the Middle East, have experienced the horrors of combat. Hard for me to believe, but aging Vietnam veterans are now retiring from their civilian jobs, proud to have served in a useless war that Trump believed was a waste and avoided. I was in Vietnam as a reporter for the old Washington (DC) Star during the 1968 Tet offensive when Trump was getting out of college, finding a doctor to say he had a foot problem. I ran into a lot of soldiers and marines all over South Vietnam. Many never came back. Many more were greeted with derision by protesters at home but now, years later, talk proudly if sadly of their time in a losing cause. Trump has said he "sacrificed" by providing jobs for thousands, but his sacrifices did not begin to compare with those of the thousands who died or the families that mourn them in ways that Trump has never known. Trump's uncaring, grossly unaware outlook has repercussions for Korea and Japan as well as countries in Europe and the Middle East. You have to wonder, 63 years after the Korean War armistice was signed, if he has a clue of the suffering endured by millions of Koreans and thousands of American and allied soldiers. Certainly, he's never talked about any of that while saying American forces might as well withdraw from Korea Japan too and suggesting he meet with Kim Jong-un to see about getting the North Korean dictator to stop investing in missile and nuclear tests. But then again, Trump doesn't know much about World War II either, judging from his careless view that America's NATO allies should take care of themselves, no more American taxpayers' money. He's not worried about the rather large country about which NATO gets so concerned. That would be Russia, mainstay of the former Soviet Union. In fact, Trump admires the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, a strongman who ordered the takeover of the Crimea, is fostering trouble in the eastern Ukraine and pursues a strategy in the Middle East that's antithetical to that of the U.S. Trump didn't seem too upset that the Russians were responsible for getting into the Democratic Party records, revealing party leaders undermining Bernie Sanders' bid for the nomination against Hillary. Instead, he suggested maybe the Russians could find out the contents of her deleted emails from when she was secretary of state. Is the Trumpster unbelievably saying fine, let's play cyber-ball with a potential enemy power if that's what it takes to destroy his opponent? In some countries, that kind of thing would be seen as treason a betrayal of the government and the nation he aspires to lead. Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com, has been covering war and peace in Asia for decades. He's at kirkdon4343@gmail.com. North Korea's daily food rations to each of its citizens during the second quarter of this year fell to the lowest level in five years and far below what is recommended by the United Nations, a U.S.-based media report said Wednesday. Citing the report by the World Food Program (WFP), Voice of America (VOA) said the communist country has provided an average 360 grams of daily rations to each of its people during the April-June period. This marks the lowest amount of food the country provided to its people since 2011. The second quarter rations are 10 grams short of the total handed out in the January-March period, and also 50 grams less than 410 grams provided to North Koreans in the same period last year. According to VOA, the amount is far less than the North Korean government's own target of 573 grams, and merely 62 percent of the U.N. recommended 600 grams per day. WFP also said, as a result of its nutritional survey on North Korean residents in 2014, it has found that one out of five children aged younger than five years old are suffering from anemia. According to the U.N. organization, it also began a new nutritional support project last month for the vulnerable social group in the country's seven provinces including North Hwanghae and Kangwon. (Yonhap) By Yoon Sung-won KT is expected to become the telecom partner of U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Motors in the Korean market. Tesla is planning to roll out its relatively cheaper EV Model 3 here and has named KT as the provider of network services for its vehicles, according to industry sources, Friday. The companies have had detailed discussions to settle the final agreement, the sources said. The Model 3 is an advanced EV that will have diverse wireless network services, or telematics, such as voice call, map searching, shopping and gaming, similar to a smartphone. The car is expected to be released after late 2017. Tesla has established partnerships with telecom operators in other regional markets to provide mobile network services for its cars. It has worked with AT&T in the U.S. while cooperating with Telefonica and TeliaSonera in European markets. The EV maker established a Korean subsidiary, Tesla Korea, in November and has been in talks with SK Telecom and KT, the nation's two biggest telecom operators, over forming a partnership here. Under the leadership of Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu, KT has pushed to expand in the EV car and autonomous vehicle industries, which are expected to bloom in Korea. It has cooperated with Korea's top automaker, Hyundai Motor, to provide a remote car condition monitoring service dubbed Hyundai Blue Link on its networks. KT is also known to be in discussions to set up more than 100,000 EV charging facilities at its regional branch offices and telecom offices nationwide, aiming to accelerate EV distribution here. But a KT spokeswoman said: "We have nothing solid to confirm at the moment." Tesla's Model 3 is considered a budget model costing about $35,000. Despite its relatively low price tag, the EV is capable of traveling up to 346 kilometers when fully charged, drawing wide global interest. By Kim Yoo-chul Tesla Motors is approaching LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation as part of its strategy to diversify its battery-sourcing channels beyond Japan's Panasonic. LG Chem is expected to win the Tesla business thanks to its output commitment, good pricing and on-time delivery. A solid partnership with LG Display could also help LG Chem. The company previously supplied batteries for Tesla's Roadster model, though the volume it shipped was "small." "Tesla intends to use more Korean technology on its Model 3. It decided to use tires manufactured by Hankook Tire and LG Display will possibly be supplying its OLED panels for the automotive systems. Additionally, Tesla is testing the manufacturing capability and production of LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation," said an official, Tuesday. Tesla executives recently visited key research centers at LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation, holding working-level meetings with all of them. An LG Chem spokesman said the largest battery supplier in the world has no official comment about its business with specific clients. Samsung SDI said it has no authority either to confirm or to deny business deals with its major clients. SK Innovation wasn't available for comment. The Model 3 electric vehicle is faster, cleaner, more reliable and has better handling; while its entry price will start at around $35,000, cheaper than many competing gas powered cars. Because of those factors, market analysts and officials say that the Model 3 "should be a game changer" at an affordable price point. They said the Model 3 will drive the "third wave of adoption" in the electric vehicle industry. This third wave will finally attack the majority "mainstream and economically attractive" segment and it's been expected that others will follow including the GM Chevy Bolt, which should help propel EVs to the real tipping point of mass adoption. "This is why LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation all are keenly interested in boosting their tie-up with Tesla. The three Korean battery manufacturers can't afford to lose the new business given the Model 3's impressive initial responses from customers," said another official. Tesla plans to produce up to 500,000 electric vehicles by 2018. The Model 3 will be available in 2017, at the earliest. The company has received 400,000 pre-orders. Currently, Japan's Panasonic is the exclusive battery partner with Tesla, supplying small-sized rounded batteries as these are more economical and easier to mass produce. Both LG Chem and Samsung SDI are also manufacturing round batteries. Although LG is pushing the pouch-type battery as its mainstream product with Samsung SDI focusing on the rectangular-type battery, sources who are involved with the issue say Tesla may use LG and Samsung's mainstream technologies to keep adequate inventory levels as it's been widely expected the supply for the Model 3 will remain tight. "The Model 3 is aiming for a base price of $35,000, which after subsidies would be $28,000 in the United States (or $25,000 in California), this puts it up against the far bigger entry level luxury sedan segment such as the BMW 3-series (at $33,000-$38,000) before subsidies, or mainstream sedans such as the Honda Accord ($22,000-$34,000) after subsidies," Bernstein Research's senior analyst Max Warburton said. By Kim Yoo-chul Tesla Motors confirmed that it plans to build superchargers in Korea, a move seen by many as a concrete measure to expand its profile in the market here. "We are seeking an experienced implementation manager to oversee the deployment, installation and servicing of Tesla's network of Supercharger and Destination Chargers in Korea," Tesla said on its official website. It added, "The job is to contract construction partners, oversee construction, commission upon completion, service, troubleshoot and maintain existing sites as needed," the U.S.-based automotive company said. Tesla said its charging network includes a supercharger, which relies on sophisticated electromechanical systems designed to supply large amounts of power to Tesla vehicles. The job posting came after Tesla earlier confirmed its plan to establish authorized dealer shops. Tesla's budget electric vehicle (EV) Model 3 will be available in Korea by next year at the earliest. The job posting, however, didn't specify the timing of the completion of its superchargers and locations. According to Tesla, its superchargers are capable of delivering up to half a charge in as little as 20 minutes. Also, superchargers are used for long-distance travel, conveniently located along the most popular routes in Asia. As of April this year, about 612 supercharging stations have been installed in the United States. Officials say Tesla's latest plan to build superchargers in the Korean market will further challenge Hyundai Motor on their home turf. The Korean auto market, which has long been dominated by Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia Motors, is one of Tesla's growing markets in which the U.S. EV manufacturer is well-positioned to sell its new Model 3. EVs still account for less than 1 percent of the 21 million cars in Korea, according to market research firms. But Hyundai and Kia plan on having no fewer than 28 environmentally friendly models in their lineups by the end of 2020 including pure EVs and hybrids. Hyundai Motor has been selling their updated Ioniq-dubbed compact EVs since January with a type of gasoline-electric hybrid system, although Korea's top automotive firm plans to release a new plug-in version by the end of this year in a preemptive measure to fight back against the Model 3. "Tesla's Model 3 should be a game changer. For the first time, an EV with sufficient range that is faster, cleaner, more convenient, more communicative and we expect cooler than competing gasoline-powered cars, will be at an affordable price point for the masses. This is enabled predominantly by Tesla's superior battery technology that just got pushed forwards further and faster than even we expected," Bernstein Research's senior analyst Mark C. Newman said in the latest report to clients. By Kim Yoo-chul Investors are always looking for stocks in companies that have beaten or will beat market consensus at earnings season, and LG Display will clearly be one such company. Helped by tightened supply and growing demand for LCD panels with ultra-high definition (UHD) viewing quality, LG Group's display affiliate is expected to report stronger profits throughout this year, pushing its stock prices higher and further, said leading research firms. The general outlook for LG remained stable. The Bank of America revised up its target on LG Display from "neutral" to "buy," while Nomura Securities upgraded its rating for the company from "reduce" to "neutral." Barclays Capital presented an "overweight" position on the display leader, while Deutsche Bank joined the ranks of the leading investment banks by upgrading its rating on the LG affiliate from "hold" to "buy." Analysts and investment banks expect LG Display to report more than 450 billion won in operating profit for the second half of this year, which is far better than previous years. "Our brighter outlook on LG Display is due to its ability to generate much cash from the conventionally strong LCD business. Also, LG Display's OLED display product portfolio from small to mid-sized ones is getting balanced," Kim Dong-won at Hyundai Securities said in a report, Thursday. Shares of LG Display were up 30 percent since June this year on expectations of such impending positive factors. The company's management also remained positive. "We are seeing achievements on the OLED side as well. For large-size OLEDs, there were improvements in yield, productivity and shipments. With higher consumer awareness of OLED TVs and based on the visibility and acceptance we have gained, we started a product lineup with various different customers. As such, it seems that we are entering a virtuous cycle," LG Display CFO Kim Sang-don told investors in a conference call on the company's second quarter earnings. Panel price movement is considered the barometer to gauge the profitability of all display companies, as it is subject to macroeconomic factors as top panel manufacturers increase their output if consumers buy more consumer electronic goods. "The display industry is now trending toward surprising tightness in the second half of 2016. Supply is expected to tighten still further in 2017," said IHS, a leading research firm. "Capacity growth is restricted, as manufacturers adopt new and more complicated processes in some factories, and more importantly close fewer productive facilities." The IHS added LG's efforts to shut down older and less-profitable display fabrication lines are also helping the industry see balance. Panel prices for medium- and large-sized LCDs, in which LG Display has strengths, remain stable. Challenging factor? But LG is asked to expand its presence in the small-sized OLED business segment, which has long been dominated by its chief rival Samsung Display, whose market share in the segment is a stunning 96 percent. LG Display, which has been focusing on producing large-sized OLED panels for use in televisions, is accelerating its efforts to grow its small-sized OLED business as it plans to invest up to 2 trillion won to build a new such fabrication line at its display complex in Paju. It also plans to construct a new plastic OLED production line in the country's southern industrial city of Gumi with 1.36 trillion won, aimed at supplying curvy OLED panels to new Apple iPhones and premium mobile devices by Chinese makers. "LG Display is looking good. Its stock prices will go further up if Apple's upcoming new iPhone, which has been for the latter half of this year, sells well above expectations," said a senior fund manager at a Europe-based investment bank by telephone. LG Display has been the display supplier for Apple since the late Apple founder Steve Jobs praised LG's displays as a "retina display," however, its rival Samsung is ramping up. Samsung is said to win the first-batch curved OLEDs to be adopted by Apple. LG and Japan Display are ready to steal the limelight by ramping up, said officials. By Lee Min-hyung LG CNS has supplied a software development kit (SDK) for Pepper, a bipedal robot made by Softbank Robotics, facilitating Android software developers to build more robotics applications converged with the Internet of Things (IoT), the company said Thursday. Under the partnership with Softbank Robotics, LG Group's IT service affiliate offers its Pepper SDK to Android Studio. Both companies unveiled the SDK the first time at this year's Google developer conference, Google I/O, in May in San Francisco. LG CNS said the software tool is expected to open up various lucrative opportunities, as the intelligent robotics industry is gaining popularity as an emerging revenue source for software developers and global IT giants including Google. "In particular, Android developers can build applications to control the movements of Pepper using the Animation Timeline program co-developed by LG CNS and Software Robotics," an LG CNS spokeswoman said. The Pepper SDK is available for Windows and Linux users at the moment, and would-be developers can access the software tool through Softbank Robotics' website. This is not the first time both firms have collaborated on robotics. Since July 2014, LG CNS has been the sole supplier for tablets grafted to the chest of the bipedal robot. "LG CNS and Software Robotics have reached a consensus to create new business opportunities for those in the IT industry," said the official. "Both companies will keep forging strategic alliances in the promising robotics industry." The growing popularity of Android is another reason why LG CNS remains optimistic for the project, according to the company. Google's mobile operating system (OS) held more than an 84 percent share in the global mobile OS market in the January to March period this year, up 78.8 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher Gartner. In recent years, LG CNS has pushed for aggressive investment in the robotics industry, identifying it as its next key growth area. In 2015, the company gained attention from clients and developers after unveiling its IoT robot at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The IoT robot recognizes objects, determines their location and monitors surroundings without assistance, according to LG CNS. The company attributed the latest achievement to its years-long research and development of both robotics hardware and software. LG CNS's robotics tablet handles direct communication with the robot's users, as the hardware is designed to measure various controls including its management system, power consumption and interfaces, the company said. Koo Seung-hoi, head of LG CNS' overseas marketing division, said: "robotics tablets are similar to tablet PCs in functionality, but focused more on efficient management of robots." He said traditional manufacturing companies without software expertise cannot generate tangible results for the intelligent robotics industry. Samsung Electronics Mobile Communications Business President Koh Dong-jin speaks during a press conference in New York, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Yoon Sung-won NEW YORK Samsung Electronics Mobile Communications Business President Koh Dong-jin said the company will work to keep the large-screen smartphone in the mainstream. The remark, which came with the unveiling of the company's new large-screen Galaxy Note 7, shows the Samsung mobile chief's resolve to push for the Note series as one of the company's growth engines alongside the flagship S series in the global premium handset markets, especially in North America. "The market for large-screen smartphones is growing 200 percent every year in the United States," Koh said during a press conference in New York, Tuesday. "In the past, some people said large-screen smartphones will not succeed. But now it has become the general trend around the world and we will work to keep that going." Koh expects that the Note 7 will outsell its predecessor Note 5. An estimated 26 million S7s and S7 edges have been sold globally since they were introduced in March. The bigger-than-expected popularity of the S7 series has led Samsung Electronics in boosting its profitability in the mobile business. The company said last week that its mobile communications business posted 4.32 trillion won ($3.89 billion) in operating profit in the second quarter, up 56.52 percent from 2.76 trillion won a year ago. Koh said both product competitiveness and thorough marketing strategies were the driving forces behind the S7 series' achievement. "I believe the key is meaningful innovation and improvements such as a larger battery, being waterproof and the advanced camera that can produce clear images even in low light," he said. "Our sales and marketing divisions have also taken the extra effort to cover a wider range of business partners and sales channels than before." Koh also underlined that the company's mobile payment service, Samsung Pay, which recently had its first anniversary, has become one of the contributors to the Galaxy brand's popularity. "We have launched the service in Korea and in the United States and now in China, Spain, Brazil and Singapore. Especially in Korea, many customers have responded that they will continue to choose Galaxy smartphones for Samsung Pay," he said. "Though the feature has not met with the same enthusiasm in the United States, we will work to change that and expect to boost its popularity in China by cooperating with UnionPay and AliPay." Citing tough challenges with rising Chinese brands such as Oppo, Koh said the company will continue strengthening sales of budget handsets and localized models. "It is a fact that our mobile business is still undergoing difficulties to some extent due to the rapid growth of Chinese manufacturers," he said. "But globally, our budget handsets such as the A and J series are selling well. We are also operating an independent product development unit for the Chinese market and introduced the Galaxy C series exclusively in the country. We may need more time in China but will continue to make efforts not to fall behind the Chinese manufacturers in competitiveness." New technology, design Koh said the iris scanner, which is incorporated in the Note 7, will be put into more diverse premium and mid-end smartphones in the future. He said the company has adopted the iris scanner not just to give another screen lock option but also to connect it to diverse services such as mobile banking and general system security. "Though I think that it is unnecessary to put both iris and fingerprint scanners on all our smartphones, we will be able to install the iris recognition technology not only on the flagship models but also on mid-end handsets through continuous cost-saving efforts," he said. The mobile business president said the company will expand the application of curved-edge screens to its new smartphones. "Internally, we decided to push for the curved edges as the identity of our Galaxy brand if we can provide a convenient interface and differentiated user experiences," Koh said. "To that end, we have improved the design to offer better grip and usability for the Note 7. We seek to expand the application of curved edges especially for our flagship models as much as possible." He also said the company needs more third-party developers to boost usability of curved edges, adding that the company has already reached an agreement with Google to cooperate in this sector. Koh added that he wants to roll out foldable smartphones in the future as they will have a major impact in the device industry. "We really want to make it in the foldable device sector as it will have a great ripple effect in the industry," he said. "But we need more time to provide meaningful innovations and convenience considering the current status of technology. We need serious changes in software and user experience to build foldable smartphones and this will certainly take time." Medical benefits of dental floss have never been scientifically proven, according to an Associated Press report. / Courtesy of Twitter By Lee Jin-a The U.S. government has stopped recommending the use of dental floss, saying its effectiveness has never been proved, according to a news agency report. The Associated Press said on Tuesday the flossing recommendation had been removed from the government's latest health guidelines. It had been included since 1979. The U.S. government told the news agency that it acknowledged there was no research to prove the medical benefits of flossing. Citing research that analyzed 25 studies over the past decade to compare the use of a toothbrush and the combination of a toothbrush and floss, the AP said the evidence for flossing was "weak, very unreliable," and "carried a moderate to large potential for bias." The agency found one positive study -- published in 2011 -- that said flossing helps slightly reduce gum inflammation, which can sometimes develop into serious gum disease. But the AP said a commentary in a dental magazine stated that any benefit of flossing would be so little it might not be noticed. / Courtesy of Twitter By Ko Dong-hwan A mass stabbing in London on Wednesday killed one woman and injured at least six other people. The Metropolitan Police arrived at Russell Square at around 10:30 p.m. (local time) after it was reported that a man with a knife was stabbing people. The police discharged a Taser and arrested the man at the scene about 10 minutes later. A female victim was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. "Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage," the full police statement said, according to the Guardian. In November, Missouri voters will choose between two political converts for governor: Attorney General Chris Koster, a Republican-turned-Democratic insider, and, Eric Greitens, a Democrat-turned-Republican outsider. A voting map on the website of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gives a good snapshot of how and where Greitens beat three rivals. He got one of out of every three votes statewide, with a well organized, well financed campaign. John Brunner, a businessman from St. Louis, only captured the Springfield-Joplin region, which used to decide statewide Republican primary races. Third was three-term Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, who carried the Bootheel, where he's from. Last was former Missouri House speaker and U.S. attorney Catherine Hanaway who conceded she got "Trumped." "The top two vote-getters and our presidential nominee ran as outsiders. And that's what happened," Hanaway said on Tuesday night. "People are fed up with Obama-Nixon, statewide, and we got caught up in in it." Greitens addressed his victory party on Tuesday night. "Our state used to be known for great missions. Now it's an embarrassment, with serial corruption, and career politicians -- and Daddy's going to fix it!," Greitens said, addressing his infant son, who whimpered during his speech. Greitens is a former Navy SEAL officer who already has a remarkable resume that includes international humanitarian trips and founding a nonprofit to help military veterans find work. He garnered about 35 percent of the vote by casting himself as a conservative outsider in his first political campaign. Koster, a former Republican state senator, easily won the Democratic gubernatorial primary. He describes himself as a conservative Democrat. ---- From The Associated Press: About one-fourth of Missouri's registered voters turned out to cast ballots in the state's primary elections. Secretary of State Jason Kander said Wednesday that more than 1 million people voted in Tuesday's primaries - a turnout of 24.8 percent. The top attraction was the Missouri governor's race. The four-way Republican primary won by former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens drew nearly 684,000 votes. The Democratic governor's race, which was won by Attorney General Chris Koster, had more than 324,000 votes. The overall turnout fell short of the 31 percent that had been predicted by election authorities. The primary winners will face off in the Nov. 8 general election. An easier-than-expected first mammogram experience HUNTERSVILLE Scheduling a cancer screening probably ranks somewhere on your to-do list between "clean out the garage" and "donate those clothes that don't fit." Sure, you'll get to it at... Chamber retreat helps discover strengths in communication The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce has proved that networking can come in many ways. It doesnt have to come at a luncheon or happy hour or Christmas party, but... The 20th meeting of the European Union (EU) - Sri Lanka Joint Commission took place in Brussels on 19 July 2016. The meeting was co-chaired by Mrs Chitranganee Wagiswara, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, and Mr Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service. The Joint Commission, which oversees the 1995 EU-Sri Lanka Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development, deals with a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Its tasks are to: ensure the proper functioning and implementation of the Agreement; set priorities; and make recommendations. All three Working Groups established under the terms of the Joint Commission reported back from their respective meetings held in January (the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights) and in May (the Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation Issues, and the Working Group on Development Cooperation). The meeting was held in an open and constructive spirit. The EU extended condolences to the many victims of the damaging floods and landslides in Sri Lanka in May and their bereaved families. The Sri Lankan side expressed their appreciation for the EU's swift response to this disaster. The EU gave 700,000 (LKR 114.5 million) to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the worst affected communities. The parties welcomed the recent lifting of the EU ban on export of fish from Sri Lanka. This was achieved due to the extensive improvements made by the Government of Sri Lanka in fisheries management and control, consistent with its international obligations. It was agreed that the close relationship established on fisheries between the two parties will continue. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the state of implementation of the UN Human Rights Council resolution of 1 October 2015, which was co-sponsored by a number of UN Member States and Sri Lanka. The parties noted the progress made and indicated that further measures would be pursued and progress would continue for the implementation of the resolution. Progress with regard to the release of land and the normalisation of the life in the North and East of the country, the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the release or prosecution of detainees held under the PTA, and the establishment of the transitional mechanisms for truth, reconciliation, justice and reparations were also discussed. Sri Lanka provided updates on the process of drawing up the new Constitution. The Joint Commission welcomed Sri Lanka's application for access to the trade concessions under the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) as a sign of Sri Lanka's renewed commitment to meeting its wider international obligations. The parties discussed the procedure for assessing the application, which was presented to the EU at the end of June, in line with the GSP Regulation. The EU drew attention to the importance of continued positive progress in fulfilling Sri Lanka's stated commitments which need to proceed in parallel. The Joint Commission also agreed to resume the EU-Sri Lanka investment dialogue. The European Investment Bank announced that it was currently negotiating a 50 million (LKR 8.2 billion) concessional loan with the Government of Sri Lanka for Greater Colombo Wastewater Project. The EU reiterated its plans to widen its 2014-2020 development programme (210 million (LKR 34.4 billion) beyond rural development to provide grants for reconciliation and good governance. Discussions on the specific needs will continue with the Government of Sri Lanka in the coming months. The EU welcomed the participation of Sri Lankan students, scholars and universities in EU higher education and research cooperation programmes and encouraged more applications from Sri Lanka, given the wealth of available opportunities. The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more PRESS RELEASE Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank Kicked Off Top European Stock Index Aug. 3, 2016 (EIRNS)Credit Suisse Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG are being dropped from the exclusive StoxxEurope 50 Index of blue chip stocks next week, following sharp declines in their share prices this year. Stoxx announced late Aug. 1 that the two banks will be kicked out on Aug. 8, due to the "fast exit" rule, which requires the action if a company on the benchmark ranks 75 or below on the respective Indexs monthly selection lists for a consecutive period of two months. Both Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank are down around 50% this year, and have lost almost 90% since their all-time highs hit in 2007. Yesterday Deutsche Bank lost 4.8%, while Credit Suisse lost 6.2%. Stephen Guilfoyle, chief market economist at Stuart Frankel & Co. yesterday wrote in Yahoo Finance: PRESS RELEASE French Pro-Russian Opposition on the Move Aug. 3, 2016 (EIRNS)French parliamentarians and military are not on recess this summer but putting the heat on the government to end the sanctions against Russia, recognize Crimea as part of Russia, and distance itself, or better, withdraw again, from NATOs integrated command. A delegation of 12 French Parliament members, nine National Assembly Deputies, and three Senators, most of them from former French President Nicolas Sarkozys Les Republicains, visited Crimea July 29-31, ignoring the governments attempt to prevent them, and the fury of the Ukrainian Embassy. Their aim was to see what changes have occurred since their trip a year ago, and to join Russias celebration of Navy Day in Sebastopol. The delegation was headed by Thierry Mariani, who heads an LR faction called Droite Republicaine (Republican Right), which thinks of itself as Gaullist. Just prior to the visit, Mariani met with Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin, in their fourth meeting in 18 months. At a press conference in Sebastopol, Mariani said, "For a country that is supposedly occupied, Crimeans sure look happy." Asked what their message would be to their fellow parliamentarians, he replied, "Simple: Go see Crimea for yourselves, and then form your own opinion." Mariani continued, "This question must be resolved as soon as possible, that Crimea is part of Russia. Crimea chose to become Russian; Crimea is Russia. Now lets move onto something else. Lets work to re-establish normal relations among European countries and Russia." And to rub it in, he said he hoped to be re-elected so that he could come back to Crimea with a larger delegation. In early August, Sputnik France ran two interviews with retired Gen. Jean Bernard Pinatel, who called for France to withdraw from the integrated command of NATO, and to work closely with Russia, especially against terrorism. General Pinatel spent his military career in the paratroopers and special forces, before creating the international crisis group GPES under Giscard dEstaing, and was also active in Russia during the Chechen wars. Today he has his own intelligence consulting operation. General Pinatel told Sputnik that France has more to gain by leaving NATO and working with Russia in the fight against terrorism. Unfortunately, failing to recognize the British Empire hand behind the "American imperium" theory, his discussion is otherwise insightful: "For me NATO is a product of the Cold War that was mainly supported by the United States because the bloc serves to promote Washingtons interests. Americas foreign policy goals," he said, "were expressed by Zbigniew Brzezinski in the mid-1990s. The former U.S. National Security Advisor urged Washington to make every effort to prevent Europe and Russia from forming an alliance since it would be detrimental to Americas global leadership." "The North Atlantic Alliance has played the key role in promoting this strategy. NATO," he said, "should be viewed as an instrument that U.S. policymakers use to present Russia as Europes competitor if not a potential opponent. It follows that those interests that NATO has protected in the post-Cold War do not coincide with those of France. "Russia is our best partner in the fight against the Islamist threat. Today I am even more convinced that this is true, although not everyone shares my opinion," he said, noting, however, that "there are high-ranking politicians in France such as [former Prime Minister Francois] Fillon, a presidential candidate, and even lawmakers like Mariani and others, as well as military officials, who fully share my stance." Most of those who favor a Franco-Russian alliance are coming from the right-wing spectrum of politics. It is not surprising, therefore, that Russian sources in France are at this point betting on a Sarkozy Presidency. Rumor has it that Sarkozy is ready to make a public commitment that Crimea be recognized as Russian. PRESS RELEASE Kerry Backs Away from Plan B For Syria Aug. 3, 2016 (EIRNS)Has Secretary of State John Kerry abandoned the "plan B" for Syria with which he was threatening Russia in May? The August 1 target date in the transition plan agreed to last December has come and gone, and all Kerry could say at a press conference on Aug. 1 was that the US would continue to prod Assad and the moderate opposition to agree to a truce and talks on a unity government. "Almost all of the time from the moment of the announcement of the target date until today has been consumed by trying to get a cessation of hostilities in place that is meaningful," Kerry said. "And that is precisely what we are engaged in right now." In the view of the Associated Press, he even seemed to be taking some of the blame for the failure, pointing to offensive operations by not only the Assad government but also the Nusra Front, al-Qaidas Syria affiliate, for preventing a truce from sticking. Several Syrian opposition groups are embedded with Nusra, and Kerry said Washington had a responsibility to control them, while Russia has to control Assad. "Now, my hope is that we can arrive at that," Kerry said, before issuing a new, if vaguer, suggestion of a potential U.S. breaking point. "If we cant, nobody is going to sit around and allow this pretense to continue." This is less than the ultimatum he issued on May, when he warned of "repercussions" if the Aug. 1 deadline were not met. Of course, one of the things that has happened in the interim was Kerrys trip to Moscow mid-July and the beginning of an effort to find some way to cooperate with Russia against terrorist groups in Syria, particularly Al Nusra. In Moscow, the Foreign Ministry reacted very strongly against Kerrys demand that Moscow stop the Syrian government offensive in Aleppo. "As soon as there is real headway in fighting terrorists, made by the Syrian government and army with our support, the Americans started... demanding that we stop fighting terrorists," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. Rabia Chaudry is a woman on a mission. Shes the one who approached This American Life producer Sarah Koenig about Adnan Syed, who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he says he didnt commit. That story turned into Serial, the podcast mega-hit that debuted in 2014. The first season, which took an intense look at Syeds case, has been downloaded more than 80 million times. Chaudry is a longtime friend of the Syed family who is convinced of Adnans innocence. After Serial ended, Rabia Chaudry co-hosted her own podcast, Undisclosed. Now we have her new book, Adnans Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial. The first half of the book focuses on the details of the investigation and court proceedings. It is rather dense and at times reads like an attorney case file not surprising because Chaudry is a lawyer. Advertisement Syed was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, but Chaudrys basic assumption is that someone else must have. Her book is critical of every move made by the police and court system. Even the man who found Lees body isnt safe from scrutiny: She makes note of his arrest record for indecent exposure and includes crimes committed more than a decade after the murder took place. Syeds case has been back in the news: In June he was granted a new trial based on questions about cellphone-tower evidence, and in July the state of Maryland announced that it intends to fight that ruling. As Serial listeners will remember, cellphone-tower pings were what confirmed the states timeline of the day Lee was murdered. Publisher St. Martins Press says the book will include a letter from the author with her reaction to the news of Syeds conviction being vacated (but the story may be moving too fast for them to keep up). The cell tower records are addressed at length in the book, along with more information Serial listeners never learned. A few of the major surprises: 1) Syed was almost exonerated after his first trial. The first trial ended in a mistrial because of a lawyers mistake. Members of that first jury later said they would most likely have found him not guilty. 2) The investigating detectives had a habit of going after the wrong guy. Chaudry goes over three other cases involving the same police detectives that ended with innocent men being incarcerated and later exonerated. The cases shared a number of similarities to Syeds. 3) Islamophobia played a big part in the states case. A large portion of the book focuses on the role Syeds religion played in his life and in the investigation. Chaudry contends that the police and the state attorneys office relied on a number of untrue and ugly stereotypes about Islam to make their case against Syed, some of which were unfortunately repeated in Serial. Serial had taken what seemed like a routine state-level homicide case and made it something mythical, magical. Rabia Chaudry 4) Serial wasnt the story Chaudry wanted to tell. Part of what made the podcast so enthralling was how it explored Syeds case from the side of someone who wasnt sure if he did it or not. Even by the last episode, Koenig confessed she couldnt conclusively assert his innocence. While that was exciting for listeners, who tuned in every week to find out more twists and turns, this was incredibly painful for Chaudry (and Syeds family, and Syed himself) to listen to. She had hoped Serial would tell Syeds story as one of an innocent man wronged, as opposed to putting him on trial all over again. It led to a number of heated exchanges between Koenig and Chaudry, including at least one shouting match. The detailed, documentary nature of Serial made it seem like listeners were hearing all the facts; in bringing up these fights that never made it into the podcast, Chaudrys book shows us how the producers were also shaping the story. 5) Jay Wilds had at least one possible motive. Serial listeners noted Wilds was the only person ever directly connected to Lees murder. He came to the police and showed them where her missing car had been stashed and was the states star witness in implicating Syed. Podcast listeners argued back and forth online that, despite all that, Wilds lacked a motive to kill Lee. According to Adnans Story, there was one: Wilds was cheating on his girlfriend, and Lee knew about it and had threatened to tell her. 6) But Wilds may have not been connected to the case at all. Toward the end of the book, Chaudry uncovers evidence suggesting Wilds was heavily pressured by the police into testifying against Syed and that everything he said including the location of Lees car was invented by investigators to prop up their case. It was easy to forget, listening to Serial, that it was a true story about real people. Adnans Story adds context and humanizes it in a way that could change how you think about the case, and about Serial itself. :: Adnans Story: The Search for Truth and Justice after Serial By Rabia Chaudry St. Martins Press: 416 pp., $26.99 Michael Fifer, the chief executive officer of Sturm, Ruger & Co., had excellent news to impart to his shareholders this week. Sales at the Southport, Conn., gun manufacturer were up a handsome 19% in the quarter ended July 2, compared from a year earlier, and profit per share was up 34%. But a cloud is darkening the companys destiny, Fifer cautioned during a conference call about the earnings report: politics. Put simply, the 2nd Amendment guaranteeing gun rights is under attack by a certain nominee of a major political party who is actively campaigning against the lawful commerce in arms. He didnt have to mention Hillary Clinton by name; his audience understood the reference and it was made even clearer during the Q&A portion of the call. We hope this call to action inspires our customers and all freedom-loving Americans to take action in support of the 2nd Amendment. Sturm, Ruger CEO Michael Fifer Advertisement His words, moreover, were very carefully chosen: they were an explicit reference to PLACA, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, the 2005 federal law championed by the National Rifle Assn. that limits liability for gun makers and sellers whose products get used in a crime. Sturm, Ruger already had announced a $5-million grant to the NRA to support its campaigns against gun control. Fifer laid out the details during the conference call: its a challenge grant through which the company will donate two dollars to the NRAs lobbying effort for every gun it sells between now and the November elections, up to the $5-million maximum. We hope this call to action inspires our customers and all freedom-loving Americans to take action in support of the 2nd Amendment, Fifer said. I have no doubt about it, the makeup of the Supreme Court is on the ballot this November, and therefore, the 2nd Amendment is also firmly on the ballot. This years elections, he said, will affect our firearm rights for decades to come. The companys customers can do their part by contacting their senators, representatives, and other politicians and to support the NRA by purchasing a Ruger firearm. One can hardly blame a gun manufacturer CEO for sticking his oar in about gun policy, any more than one can blame an oil-company CEO for praising the contribution of fossil fuels to civilization or, for that matter, a dog for drinking out of a toilet. Nor is it news that Sturm, Ruger would seek to exploit panic over gun control in order to sell more guns. After all, the stunt has worked in the past: gun sales always spike up when political leaders talk about tightening gun laws. Indeed, investors sometimes experience a frisson of optimism after a major gun attack, presumably reckoning that the attack will inspire calls for gun control and therefore a surge in sales. Sturm, Rugers stock price leaped by 8.5% on Monday, June 14, the first trading day after the nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla. Its shares did shed nearly 10% in the days after the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which took place about 25 miles from its headquarters. But they recovered smartly by the first week of January. In fact, at $67.10 as of this writing, the shares are about 54% higher than they were the day before Sandy Hook. Whats notable about Fifers remarks is that they demonstrate no awareness that his products might play any role in this sort of carnage; even oil company executives have come around to admitting that their products might play a teeny role in climate change, and that climate change may in fact be a problem. You wont hear anything of the kind from Sturm, Ruger. Asked during the call if mass shootings like Orlando have much impact on sales, Fifer said, with evident relief, It didnt appear to have a material impact. Our distributors I think reported to us that they got some calls the next day, but it quickly died down. Move along, he seemed to be saying. Nothing to see here. As for Clintons position on gun control, Fifer overstated it just a bit, but got most of it right. During her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last week, she stated explicitly, Im not here to repeal the 2nd Amendment. Im not here to take away your guns. But she spoke up for tighter background checks and other such common-sense reforms [to] keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and all others who would do us harm. Still, its reasonable to assume, as Fifer did, that as president, Clinton would appoint Supreme Court justices with a more refined view of the 2nd Amendment than the most recent gun-control ruling. Thats the Courts 2008 decision in District of Columbia vs. Heller, which upended a nearly seven-decade precedent treating the 2nd Amendments right to bear arms as applicable to the formation of state militias, not as a bar to regulation of individual gun rights. The 5-4 opinion in Heller, which was written by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, is the basis for the spread of state open-carry laws and other hands-off gun measures nationwide. It was highly controversial at the time Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the dissenting minority, called Scalias interpretation strained and unpersuasive and the majoritys reasoning in overturning the precedent feeble. But it was locked into law by the conservative majority that prevailed until Scalias death this year. Fifer was correct in observing that Clinton has said she thinks the Supreme Court got it wrong in the Heller case. Shes made it clear that she considers the case was wrongly decided and should be overturned. He calls her position on Heller as nominee unprecedented, which is a bit over the top, since Heller has only existed since 2008 and itself marked the end of a precedent that had existed since 1939. To Sturm, Ruger and its executives, the prospect of a Clinton presidency might well look like a threat to their interest. But what does that say about the public interest? Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. A consumer advocacy group accused oil refiners of intentionally keeping Californias gasoline prices higher than in the rest of the nation to bolster profits, despite growing inventories and falling wholesale prices. Consumer Watchdog argued Thursday that per-gallon pump prices should be lower than the current $2.69 statewide average $2.72 in the Los Angeles area about 60 cents higher than the nationwide average, as measured by the AAA daily price survey. Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, said the oil industry has attributed high retail gasoline prices to high state taxes, fees and Californias special blend of environmentally friendly fuel factors that state regulators also point to as contributing to expensive gasoline. But Court believes the problem stems from oil industry price manipulation. Advertisement The states wholesale gasoline prices are the cheapest in America but California gasoline is more expensive, Court said. We have a problem not with higher production costs or an isolated market but with refiners. In response to Courts assertions, the Western States Petroleum Assn. defended its long-held position that Californias unique market is the cause of higher gasoline prices. Repeated investigations and independent analyses have consistently demonstrated that market factors are the primary driver of fuel costs in California, said Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the trade groups president. State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has issued subpoenas to oil refiners as part of an investigation into unusually high gasoline prices in California during 2015. In July 2015, average gasoline prices in the L.A. region reached as much as $1.50 a gallon more than the U.S. average. Regulators said much of the price gap was the result of the outage at Exxon Mobils Torrance refinery, which cut production to less than 20% of its capacity after an explosion in February 2015 destroyed a pollution control system. It took Exxon Mobil more than a year to fully repair the plant. The oil giant sold the facility to New Jersey-based PBF Energy in July. During an earnings call July 29, PBF Chief Executive Thomas J. Nimbley said that Exxon Mobil wanted to get out of the California market and that there was too much clean product in the market. Court, who praised PBF during its first month of operation in California, said he took those statements to mean that Exxon Mobil intentionally delayed bringing the refinery back into service and the refining industry was attempting to reduce supply to increase prices. Todd Spitler, an Exxon Mobil spokesman, said the company continues to have a presence in California, and he would not comment on any third-party speculation about its intentions. Jeff Dill, PBFs Western region president, said PBF has been absolutely maximizing production at the Torrance refinery with no intent of reducing output. The contention that Exxon Mobil delayed bringing the refinery back into service is just ludicrous, Dill said. I know firsthand, Exxon spent a lot of money and worked very hard to make the repairs to the facility. ivan.penn@latimes.com For more energy news, follow Ivan Penn on Twitter: @ivanlpenn Southern California grocery workers have reached a tentative labor agreement with the Ralphs and Albertsons chains. The move averts the immediate threat of a strike that could have roiled some of the regions largest supermarket chains. Rick Icaza, the president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 770, said the two sides hammered out a deal Thursday. He declined to give further details until Monday, when union members are to vote on the package. For all intents and purposes, its over, he said. Ralphs spokeswoman Kendra Doyel said the company had proposed pay increases and changes to its pension and healthcare plans. She did not provide specifics on the deal. Advertisement We remain committed to finding solutions that will be good for our associates and keep Ralphs competitive in the market, she said in an emailed statement. Albertsons, which includes the Vons and Pavilions chains, said the three-year deal acknowledges the important contributions of our front-line employees, our most valuable asset, and allows our company to remain competitive. We will continue to provide retail employees with pay that significantly exceeds the minimum wage, along with comprehensive health, welfare and pension benefits, the company said in a statement. The specter of the last major grocery strike, which started in 2003 and lasted 141 days, loomed over this years negotiations. That strike dealt heavy losses to both sides. In June, about 47,000 clerks, meat cutters, stockers and other grocery workers across Southern California voted to authorize a strike against Ralphs and Albertsons if a deal wasnt reached by Aug. 8. At the time, the chains wanted cuts to holiday pay, and proposed a raise of 10 cents an hour per worker over the next three years, union officials said. The chains also wanted to make it harder for entry-level employees to reach the highest pay grade of $20.10 an hour for a clerk, the officials said. Union officials also said the stores would not fund healthcare beyond current levels, forcing employees to contribute more or sacrifice coverage; would reduce the companies future contributions to pensions; and would force employees to retire at 65 rather than 60. Icaza said Thursday that both sides compromised, describing the final contract as a give and take. We are satisfied with the wages and benefits, he said. We are satisfied we are upholding our obligations to workers. By reaching a deal, the grocers and their workers avoided a disaster, said Burt Flickinger III, managing director of the retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. The big chains hemorrhaged market share during the 2003-04 strike and have never fully recovered. The strike cleared the way for the expansion of ethnic grocery stores and the entry of new chains into the region. Even in a short strike say, a week or less Albertsons and Ralphs would have lost about 2% to 3% of the Southland market, Flickinger said. If the strike stretched on for months, about 10% of the region might have permanently slipped away to non-union rivals such as Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Flickinger said workers would have suffered as well. In the 2003-04 strike, workers drew from unemployment and a union strike fund, but most did not get as much as they earned working normally. The same thing would have happened this time if a strike dragged on for months, he said. ALSO As new apartments flood downtown L.A., landlords offer sweet deals How the nations largest security-guard firm adapts to changing threats Not a sports fan? Dish Network lets subscribers drop ESPN, cutting prices UPDATES: 2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Burt Flickinger III. 3:35 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments and analysis. This article was originally published at 2:20 p.m. The USC Roski School of Art and Design is attempting to rebuild both its embattled infrastructure and its image. Last year, seven studio art MFA students withdrew from the school protesting curriculum changes and staff defections at the university. The lone student left, International Artist Fellow HaeAnn Kwon, walked away in June from the school and her free tuition calling the program a sham in a public letter. On Thursday, the Roski School announced what it called a transformative group hire. Advertisement Artists Suzanne Lacy, Edgar Arceneaux, Keith Mayerson, Kori Newkirk and Patty Chang will join the Roski Schools senior faculty as of the 2016-2017 academic year. Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter In a statement, USC said the new artist hires signals the schools dedication to playing a key role in the broader Los Angeles, national and global art communities and that the new faculty members represent the most exciting aspects of cross-disciplinary practice, traversing pure aesthetics and social activism. Leveraging our enviable position in a major comprehensive university, the only major research university that boasts six independent art schools as well as schools of social work, public policy and the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has been a strategic goal since 2013, said USC Roski Dean Erica Muhl. We are steadfast in preparing our students to thrive in a more complex art world. The high-profile hires bring an infusion of new energy and rigor to the Roski Schools MFA program, whose U.S. News & World Report ranking plummeted to No. 69 this past spring from No. 36 in 2012 among fine arts graduate programs. Lacy in particular is a high-profile hire. The international artist, pioneering feminist and social activist who was part of artist Judy Chicagos Feminist Art Program at both Fresno State and CalArts was chair of fine arts and creator of the MFA program in public practice at Otis College of Art and Design, as well as a founding faculty member at Cal State Monterey Bay, among other academic positions. These transformative hires will continue the schools tradition of excellence, added Vice Dean of Art Nao Bustamante, while breaking new ground in visual arts pedagogy, practice and research. Follow me on Twitter: @DebVankin ALSO I was participating in a sham: Lone MFA student at USC Roski art school withdraws via searing statement Behind the impasse that led USCs 2016 MFA students to withdraw in protest Heartbroken: 72 USC alumni write in support of withdrawn MFA students The dean of the USC art school with only one MFA student responds to her critics Fox News may have lost its longtime leader Roger Ailes, but the channels brand identity wont be changing under his replacement. That was the message from Lachlan and James Murdoch, the top executives at Fox News parent 21st Century Fox, who addressed Ailes departure during the companys call with Wall Street analysts Wednesday. Theres no desire or need to shift the position that it has in the market, said 21st Century Fox Executive Chairman Lachlan Murdoch. Its a very successful business and were just undergoing a transition to new leadership. Advertisement Fox News has been the most-watched cable news channel since 2002 and is a money-making machine for 21st Century Fox, generating more than $1 billion in annual profits. Under the firm guidance of Ailes, a former Republican media consultant, Fox News built a loyal audience of viewers who seek news coverage accompanied by strong conservative commentary. Ailes resigned from Fox News on July 21 amid charges of sexual harassment. Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson filed suit against Ailes on July 6, saying Ailes sabotaged her career in retaliation for rebuffing his sexual advances. An internal investigation conducted by law firm Paul, Weiss turned up similar complaints from past and present female employees at Fox News, although no details have been disclosed by 21st Century Fox. Fox News Channels star prime time anchor Megyn Kelly confirmed through her attorney that she cooperated in the investigation and reportedly complained about past behavior by Ailes, who has denied all allegations made against him. The Murdochs did not directly address Ailes or the investigation but referred to their recent actions in their opening remarks on the analysts call. Throughout this process, we have moved quickly and decisively to protect the business, to protect its employees and to protect the unique and important voice Fox News broadcasts, Lachlan Murdoch said. They expressed confidence in their father Rupert Murdoch, the 85-year-old 21st Century Fox executive chairman who replaced Ailes on an interim basis. There is no one more dedicated or more able to transition Fox News to new leadership than its founder, Lachlan Murdoch said. As acting CEO, he joins an existing team that is extraordinarily strong and equally devoted to its success. While there has been no timetable set for naming a permanent replacement for Ailes, the consensus in the TV news industry is that the Murdochs will wait until after the presidential election in November. Lachlan Murdoch noted that Fox News is scoring its highest ratings ever in 2016, staving off its competitor CNN, which has seen significant audience growth during the presidential campaign season. Increases in cable TV affiliate revenue and advertising sales helped 21st Century Fox post better than expected earnings of 45 cents a share for the quarter. Wall Street had expected 37 cents a share. Total net income jumped to $567 million from $87 million. The company also announced an 20% increase in its semi-annual stock dividend, raising it to 18 cents. stephen.battaglio@latimes.com Twitter: @SteveBattaglio The Americans can be a difficult series to embrace initially. It asks the audience to forgive a multitude of immoral behavior adultery for the purpose of getting classified information, parents hiding their real selves from their children, committing murder to further a political end, and then theres that whole being a Soviet-era spy thing. But much like Breaking Bad and Walter White, the Emmy-nominated FX drama plays to contemporary audiences, luring them in through strong writing and smart character development. Here, show runners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields share their insights into the series, CIA involvement and why it took four seasons to finally catch the attention of Emmy voters (who bestowed five nominations). The series has been critically well-received since its debut four years ago. Why havent you gotten a best drama nomination until now? Advertisement Weisberg: There are so many great shows on now, a better question is how does any show break through and get nominated? Who knows? We had a lot of theories before on why we werent getting nominated, now we have to dump those and start over on why we did get nominated. Mostly, were just happy. Has your series, which is set around a family of Soviet spies living in the Washington, D.C., area in the 1980s, generated any negative response for its subject matter? Fields: We were expecting it. After all, it wasnt that long ago that we were all afraid the Soviets might bomb us into oblivion. But there has been so little negative reaction that we might as well say theres been none. The audience seems ready to move past the Cold War. So it would be a real shame to start a new one. As a former CIA operative, you have to have any scripts you write or co-write approved by the organization. Has the CIA objected to any scripts or particular scenes? Weisberg: There has never been a problem with an entire script or full scene. There have been very minor changes requested. Or is it required? Theyre sort of requested and required at the same time. Anyway, they have never been difficult changes to make. Part of the shows setup is that an FBI agent lives across the street from the spy family. Why has it taken him so long to become suspicious of them? Fields: Two reasons. First off, he was suspicious of them in the pilot and got over it. That sets the bar very high to get suspicious again. Secondly, Philip and Elizabeths [played by Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell] expertise is living a believable cover. So theres really been nothing to make Stan [Noah Emmerich] suspicious of his neighbors. Have your lead actors ever objected to something in the script? Fields: They have never had a major objection to anything. A few times over the years a line didnt ring true, or they encouraged us to find more emotional truth in a scene. So we did. Are you asking your audience to root for the bad guy? Weisberg: We feel like were definitely asking them to root for the enemy. We dont think of them really as bad guys, though. We think of them as complex people who do some horrible things, but then, we have spies and soldiers on our side who do some horrible things too. Are they bad guys? We want the audience to relate to them, and to see themselves in them. Could The Americans play on network television and was it ever pitched to them? Fields: The television landscape is so wide open and varied these days. A few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine The Americans on network TV. Today, why not? Although no, it was never pitched there. Your show was renewed for two more seasons and then will end. Will the next season be a setup for the final one or will it have stand-alone story lines? Weisberg: A little bit of both. It probably wont be careening towards the final season you know The Americans, we dont usually careen but it will knit whats come before with whats coming up. calendar@latimes.com The dreary postmortem drama Five Nights in Maine is barely kept afloat by the gravitas of dueling leads David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest. Unfortunately, this hermetic film, written and directed by Maris Curran, provides too rickety a framework to properly showcase these two fine actors. Oyelowo (Selma) plays Sherwin, a grieving, unsteady widower who warily travels from Atlanta to bucolic Maine to visit Lucinda (Wiest), the estranged mother of his late wife Fiona (Hani Furstenberg). Although Lucinda, a frail but officious widow with cancer, extended the invite, she proves a less-than-welcoming host, leaving the niceties to her kindly nurse, Ann (a subdued and underused Rosie Perez). Communication between Sherwin and Lucinda occurs in fits and starts, neither one ready or willing to truly share their thoughts and feelings about Fiona. Olive branches are offered then retracted, shared meals prove abortive events, and what passes for action Sherwin hurts his leg jogging, a weakening Lucinda falls out of bed often lacks resonance. Advertisement Currans spare script inspires more questions than answers: Was Sherwin and Fionas marriage troubled? Was Fiona drunk when she fatally crashed her car? What was at the heart of Lucinda and Fionas longtime rift? Was it because Fiona married a black man? Effective character dissection and satisfying moments of catharsis are also in short supply. Maybe a sixth night would have been the charm. ------------- Five Nights in Maine Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 22 minutes Playing: Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills; also on VOD Fans of HBOs series Game of Thrones are abuzz about a mysterious upcoming fan event at the Hollywood Palladium. The fete, which will occur on Monday, is in service of a special live concert announcement featuring composer Ramin Djawadi, who is responsible for the series musical score, and actor Isaac Hempstead Wright (a.k.a. Bran Stark). According to a press notice, the event will feature a full orchestra performance of music from the show, a display of costumes from Season 6, an interactive Hall of Faces exhibit, a holographic experience involving the character Melisandre and Arya Starks sword, Needle. See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Advertisement As with the series itself, which HBO recently announced will conclude in 2018 at the end of Season 8, questions remain. Specifically, Djawadi will be revealing exciting new details surrounding an extension to the Game of Thrones universe. Details are so far sketchy, but a 12-second trailer offers clues. Live in concert. Music is Coming, reads text in the clip, followed by a title card that says, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience featuring Ramin Djwadi. Anyone who has ever had the majestic Game of Thrones opening theme song stuck in their head understands Djawadis skills at musical dramatization. The German-Iranian composer is best known for his work in the Thrones universe, where his emotionally charged orchestral scores augment battles, sex scenes and everything in between. He has also scored films and television shows including Iron Man, Person of Interest and Prison Break. The Monday event at the Hollywood Palladium, which will occur at 11:30 a.m., is open to the public, but attendees must RSVP to gain entry. Theres a lot of terrible music out there. For tips on the stuff thats not, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter: @liledit ALSO Game of Thrones looks to rule the Emmys again Game of Thrones season seven teaser takes you behind the Iron Throne The Game of Thrones crews goal for its epic Battle of the Bastards: Show films how its done The Game of Thrones panel at SDCC had tons of love for Hodor, but no real surprises For years, wine cocktails have gotten a bad rap. Hear the term, and you might vaguely remember college days filled with wine spritzers and bottled wine coolers, the alcohol cut with sparkling water or teeth-jarring sweeteners, with flavorings both natural and otherwise, the beverages a color palette ranging from soft pastels to vibrant neons. Or maybe you think of sangria, at times a syrupy-sweet wine infused with any of a number of herbs and spices, a daily dose of chopped fresh fruit taking up otherwise valuable real estate in each glass. Theres so much more to wine cocktails, says Darwin Pornel, lead bartender at Faith & Flower in downtown Los Angeles, than most people immediately think. For Pornel, incorporating wine in cocktails is all about balance and finding the right harmony in the glass. When adding wine, youre looking for flavors that work together. Its not just about topping something with Champagne. I wanted to do something different, he says. Recipe: Port Wine Sangria >> Advertisement Different for Pornel and his bartenders came in the form of a rye whiskey cocktail not exactly a typical pairing with wine. The Parade Route, made with Rittenhouse rye whiskey shaken with lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters, then finished with sparkling rose wine, was a way for him to draw drinkers outside their comfort zone. Its amazing, because such a wide demographic orders it. You have the rye drinkers, but also the rose drinkers, he notes. Rittenhouse is very aggressive its got a lot of spice. And the rose is nice on its own, but its really nice paired with the rye. Its a perfect drink for summer. At the Cannibal in Culver City, head bartender Dan McClary features a drink called Rhum With a View. Served in a Champagne coupe, the drink inspired by the bartenders trips to the island of Martinique features two types of rum sourced from a single type of sugar cane, along with fresh guava puree, the drink rounded out with sparkling wine. The addition of dry sparkling wine simply lifts up the guava a bit, and brightens the cocktail, McClary notes. Rhum With a View from Cannibal. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times ) Recipe: Rhum With a View >> For the wine component of the drink, the Cannibals wine director, Karina Turtzo, decided to use Elbling, a sparkling wine from the upper Mosel, an extension of the Paris basin. Its somewhat neutral, Turtzo says, but the Kimmeridgian soil imparts a specific minerality, resulting in a current of citrus flavors and a salinity that blends with the guava and kicks this cocktail up quite a bit. At Paper or Plastik in West Los Angeles, wine and beer curator Phillip Mikey Mikell knows how much, in both wine and food, centers around pleasing different palates. One customer Ive always had a hard time pleasing is the non-wine drinker. My father is a non-wine drinker. See the most-read stories in Life & Style this hour >> Mikell, who once lived along the coast of northern Spain, recently visited with his father. As they toured Spain and then Portugal, Mikell tried to get his father to enjoy the local wines but to no avail. That is, until they ended up at Oportos Sandeman Cellars. There, Mikells father fell in love with the sangria, which a server finally admitted was a simple mixture of ruby port, Sprite and a little orange juice. Parade Route wine cocktail from Faith & Flower. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times ) Recipe: Parade Route >> Once back in L.A. aiming to re-create the drink, Mikell tried various ratios of the soda, wine and juice, finding nothing that approximated the taste in Oporto. Until he finally tried adding ginger beer. For Mikell, the ginger beer made all the difference, as it is less sweet than lemon-lime-flavored sodas and provides a higher dynamic in flavor profile. Unlike Spanish-style sangrias that are made in large quantities and must cure in a vat, this Port wine sangria is made fresh to order by the glass or pitcher. It lacks the harsh tannins present when introducing fruit. Regarding ABV, since we start with a 20% wine, the result is an 8% cocktail that hides its booze well. When hes not serving the drink at the restaurant, Mikell will make a pitcher to bring to a party or gathering. Simple to make and transport, its the perfect summertime cocktail. noelle.carter@latimes.com Twitter: @noellecarter A prominent Chinese lawyer who had taken on sensitive, high-profile cases involving activists and victims of a tainted infant formula scandal was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison on charges of subversion. Zhou Shifeng, a human-rights lawyer and director of the Beijing Fengrui Law firm, was arrested in July 2015 in a wide-reaching crackdown that saw hundreds of people detained. State-run media accused him of operating a criminal syndicate that masterminded serious illegal activities to incite social disorder all in the name of making money. Advertisement Authorities accused Zhou of drawing unwarranted amounts of public attention to sensitive cases by publishing information about them online and encouraging people to appear outside courthouses where trials of such cases were being held. Fengrui gained a reputation as a firm that would take on the most difficult, and from the governments perspective, nettlesome cases. Outspoken artist Ai Weiwei turned to the firm when he was slapped with a tax evasion case; the firm also represented Ilham Tohti, a scholar from the Uighur ethnic minority who was accused of separatism and sentenced to life in prison in 2014. And when contaminated baby formula sickened thousands and led to multiple deaths in 2008, Fengrui represented families seeking redress. Zhous trial was held Thursday morning at the No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court in Tianjin, a city southeast of Beijing. On Tuesday and Wednesday, two associates of Zhous activists Hu Shigen and Zhai Yanmin were also convicted of subversion charges. Hu received a 7 year sentence and Zhai a suspended three-year sentence. On Friday, a fourth defendant, Gou Hongguo, is expected to be tried in the same court. This wave of trials against lawyers and activists are a political charade. Their fate was sealed before they stepped into the courtroom and there was no chance that they would ever receive a fair trial, said Roseann Rife, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International. The Chinese authorities appear intent on silencing anyone who raises legitimate questions about human rights and uses the legal system to seek redress. In addition to Zhous seven-year term, the court said he would be stripped of his political rights for five years after his release. Prosecutors made an issue of Zhous contact with foreigners, particularly foreign media. Zhou, the court said, was guilty of colluding with others to plan the strategy, methods and procedures to subvert the state power; accepting foreign medias interview to attack socialism system. His behavior hampered state safety and stability. A week after Zhous arrest, he appeared in a video aired on state-run TV admitting that his firm had been involved in serious illegal activities and asking authorities to give him a chance and show leniency. Zhous friends and associates say they have been unable to contact him during his year-plus detention and say the video was likely made under duress. Zhou was apparently not allowed to select his own defense attorney; his lawyer, Yang Jinzhu, has said that when he tried to visit Zhou, court authorities refused his request and claimed that Zhou had engaged another attorney. China Human Rights Defenders, an advocacy group, said the trial makes a mockery of justice. The group said that Zhous family was under house arrest. ALSO A sense of panic is rising among Republicans over Trump Many Rio residents see more harm than good in hosting the Games Millennials are having less sex than any generation in 60 years. Heres why it matters UPDATES: 1:20 a.m.: Updated with a quote from Rife. This article was first posted at 12 a.m. Aug. 25, 2016, 10:40 a.m. Reporting from imperial beach, Calif. We made it, Oregon to Mexico, along an 1,100-mile beach The drive began at the Oregon border. It ended five weeks later at the Mexican border. Where I almost got arrested. OK, thats an exaggeration. When photographer Allen Schaben and I got to the border of Tijuana and Imperial Beach, the party was much better on the Mexican side. Families were in the water and on the sand, a Mariachi band played, and the whole scene was rather festive compared with two people strolling quietly on the Imperial Beach side. I thought briefly about defecting. One man stood at the fence on the Tijuana side, so I walked up to say hello. I asked why he wasnt swimming and he said he didnt have a bathing suit, then he stuck his hand through the fence to shake my hand. A Border Patrol agent sped toward me in an SUV and yelled for me to stand back from the fence. I hesitated, because what was the big deal? But then I noticed a sign warning against contact or the passing of narcotics through the fence, etc. So I stepped back from the fence because I didnt know if Id be able to write my last road trip columns from a jail cell. Im going to wrap up the series on Sunday, but that wont be the end of my coverage of the California Coastal Commission on the 40th anniversary of the Coastal Act. Theres lots to keep an eye on. Legislation to ban private meetings between commissioners and developers could move forward later today. A vote has been delayed on the controversial proposal for a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, a project that doesnt make a lot of sense in my opinion but has big money backing it. The ever-controversial Newport Banning Ranch project -- a massive hotel/housing development on the last undeveloped plot of privately owned coastal property in Southern California -- will be up for a vote in early September. And the City Council election in Pismo Beach has gotten very interesting because Erik Howell, a councilman and coastal commissioner who ticked off Pismo residents by supporting a development that will block ocean views, now has challengers in his reelection campaign. Howell, if youve forgotten, accepted a $1,000 campaign donation from the domestic partner and business colleague of the lobbyist who represents the Pismo development. If he loses his council seat, he loses his Coastal Commission seat too. So stay tuned. The Coastal Commission will have a new director soon, a new chair and at least two new commissioners, and we need to watch closely because whats at stake is the greatest 1,100-mile coast in the world. 10:25 A.M. reporting from san diego Lawmaker who led 72 coastal preservation bike ride from San Francisco to San Diego still has Schwinn that delivered win Former senator James Mills, 89, stands with the bike he rode from Sacramento to San Diego in 1972 to promote Prop 20, which created the Coastal Commission and led to the Coastal Act. The photo was taken overlooking the San Diego skyline from Mills Coronado apartment Wednesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The bike. I wanted to see the bike, and meet its owner. Arriving in San Diego meant our coastal trek from Oregon to Mexico was coming to an end, and it meant that it was finally time to pay a visit to Jim Mills. Mills, a state legislator from 1962 to 1981, was Senate president pro tempore in 1972 when he decided to support Proposition 20, the coastal preservation act. Without it, conservationists feared, coastal development would run amok, Highway 1 would be widened, and a string of nuclear power plants would spring up on some of the greatest beach fronts in the world. But there wasnt much money to fight Prop. 20s foes, said Mills, who had grown up wading in La Jolla Cove and has a deep appreciation of the states greatest natural resource. So in September 1972, he hopped aboard his canary yellow Schwinn Super Sport and led a bike rally from San Francisco to San Diego. The number of riders swelled at times, Mills said, and bikers were greeted each evening by locals serving plenty of carbs. We ate a lot of weenies and beans, and spaghetti too, he said. He recalled PG&E executives following the cyclists in a chauffeur-driven Cadillac, doing their own spin on Prop. 20. The bike rally drew lots of publicity, Mills said, and whether it made the difference is anyones guess. But Prop. 20 won 55% of the vote and led in 1976 to the Coastal Act that to this day protects the coast for the benefit of fragile marine and land habitats and the enjoyment of everyone. Mills was 45 when he rode down the coast, and 89 now. He greeted me and photographer Allen Schaben at his Coronado condo and said he hasnt done any riding lately, but hes doing a lot of writing. Mills has written several books and is working on another. He leads us down to the basement, and there it is. The dusty, canary yellow Schwinn that Mills rode in 1972, and for many years after the Prop. 20 campaign. He was an avid cyclist. Mills also kept the helmet he wore in 1972. We took the bike upstairs, where Mills put on his helmet and posed next to the bike that is a piece of California history. The Coastal Act has done a great deal of good over the years, Mills said, and the cause is no less important now than it was when he rode south from San Francisco. We need to preserve the coast for the benefit of future generations, he said, and I thank him for his contribution. Aug. 21, 2016, 10:50 p.m. Reporting from the Mexican border Steve Lopez reflects back on his 1,100 mile trek down the California coast 6:57 P.M. Sometimes the sausage is good enough to eat Two things will happen soon. The last column from my 1,100 mile road trip down the California coast will be done. And the reform bill banning private communications between California Coastal Commissioners and developers, as well as others, could finally emerge from the factory. As Ive been saying, Hannah-Beth Jacksons bill sailed through the Senate and should have done the same in the Assembly, but it got pushed off into a dark corner after a very fishy report claimed that reform costs money. The thing has come back to life, though, with amendments that arent as bad as the original amendments. I dont see why we need the amendments at all, or why the wrangling has to take place behind closed doors and out of public view. While I was thinking about that, a reader emailed me a clever idea about how to keep coastal commissioners honest -- make them strap on body cameras, like cops. I like it, and why not do the same with legislators, so we can all see whats going on? Having said all this, though, Im hearing from supporters of Jacksons bill that they think theres actually a chance the legislation is going to be OK, once all the cooks are done tweaking the recipe. Sausage is full of awful stuff, but just about all of it is good on the grill. So as much fun as Ive had telling you to ping Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, @Rendon63rd, and Appropriations Chair Lorena Gonzalez, @LorenaAD80, and ask what gives, maybe we should try another approach. Im told that Rendon, Gonzalez and other Assembly leaders have done some decent work rescuing this much-needed bill from the trash. So go ahead and tweet them again, and tell them youre encouraged, and still watching -- to the extent thats possible -- and counting on them to do whats necessary to get the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown, which is when the real fun will begin. 8:46 A.M. When it comes to coastal protection, why does state Assembly have such a problem with transparency? The need to clean up the way the California Coastal Commission operates was obvious. Commissioners meet privately with developers more than with any other group, by far. They have repeatedly failed to fully explain the nature of those meetings, and have even failed to report them on occasion. State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) penned a bill to ban such meetings. It cleared the Senate and bounced over to the Assembly, which nearly killed it, but finally decided this week to merely beat it to a pulp. The toothless mess that emerged from the Assembly Appropriations Committee this week would allow private meetings to continue under certain circumstances, and now Sen. Jackson has the task of trying to put some punch back into her bill. And heres the irony: We dont know which Assembly members, or higher powers, conspired to water down Jacksons bill because there is no transparency in the process. You cant peer through a window into the sausage factory. These amendments were hammered out privately. One can guess that the development lobby and labor groups did not like Jacksons reform bill because it would get in the way of a process that gives an advantage to those who want to build on the coast. One can even guess that the Brown administration shares their view. But we dont know, because a bill to shine a light on important decision-making got pummeled in a dark room, and the perps left no fingerprints. See Dan Weikels story at latimes.com. Ive sent in a request for an explanation to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount). He has appointing authority for four coastal commissioners and itd be nice to hear what he thinks about the handiwork by his Appropriations Committee. If youd like to ping him or Appropriations Chair Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) to ask what happened, try @Rendon63rd and @LorenaAD80. Or you can drop a line to The Silent One @JerryBrownGov, but Ive tried, and despite months of turmoil and controversy on the 40th anniversary of the Coastal Act he signed into law, the governor doesnt want to be disturbed. 7:36 A.M. Summer is in the rear-view mirror, end of journey just down the road The tide splashes up on the beach at sunset on a warm summer evening at Windansea Beach in La Jolla. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Carlsbad. Leucadia. Encinitas. Cardiff. Solana. Del Mar. Summer is disappearing in my rear-view mirror. Week Five of my trip from Oregon to Mexico will be over in just a few days, 1,100 miles after it began. Photographer Allen Schaben is farther down the road, waiting for me in San Diego. Soon well stand at the Mexican border and reflect on a deeper love of the California coast, a greater appreciation of the Coastal Act on the 40-year anniversary of protections that became law. Ill wish Id had a week to spend in places where I only had an hour or two. Ill thank the people we met along the way, and tell others well take up their offer the next time through. Californians are passionate about their coast. Theyre closely watching those in public office whose job is to protect fisheries and dunes, to limit development and maximize access. Ive got one eye on Sacramento myself. On legislative reforms that would serve all Californians. On coastal commissioners, some of whom seem to have forgotten their purpose. Im pulling into San Diego, where the air is warm, the water blue, Mexico in the near distance. 4:14 P.M. La Jolla The palm fronds of a palapa reveal a surfer, a couple and children taking in a warm summer sunset at Windansea Beach in La Jolla. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 1:07 P.M. newport beach Watts in a name? Find Amp-le answers in Newport Beach On Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach. (Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times) Im driving south on the Pacific Coast Highway and spot the sign. The boat name of the week, it says, is Watt A Man. Thats not a mistake. This is the headquarters for Duffy, which makes the electric boats that are part of the culture in the Newport harbor. Many years ago, I wrote a column about a day of hobnobbing and bar-hopping, by boat, with local residents. I also wrote, at the time, about boat owners trying to out-do each other with clever names for the battery-powered boats. One of my favorites was Salt n Battery. So what are some of the newer ones? I walk into the office, and salesman Jim Drayton says one of the best ones this summer was Amp-ly Endowed. Not bad. Tyler Duffield, of the Duffy family, shows me a list with a few more recent winners. Your name here. (Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times) Its a Ohm Run. Watt the Hey. Watta Yacht. Going back through the years, some of the better names include: Current Affair. Carry Us Ohm Watts the Hurry. Shock Cousteau. Ohmer Simpson. Knots and Volts. I could go on, but why dont you, instead? Send me your best names. Its not as easy as it looks, Duffield said. Its usually the hardest part, he says. Someone comes in and orders a boat, and they get the colors and everything figured out, and the last thing to do is come up with a name before the boat leaves the factory. Yeah, Its a Duff Life out here, where people are Ohm on the Watter, but It Is Watt It Is. 9:13 A.M. Going under in Laguna Beach A snorkeler looks for fish at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Garibaldi swim and feed on rocks at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 2:41 P.M. Catching waves in Huntington Beach 10:53 A.M. On our way toward Mexico A view of the beach through a telescope at Pacific City, a new 31-acre mixed-use development in Huntington Beach, also known as Surf City U.S.A. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The site of the proposed Banning Ranch development now before the California Coastal Commission. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The tide rolls in at twilight at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station located on the border of San Diego County and San Clemente. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 4:52 P.M. Laguna Beach 4:45 P.M. Laguna Beach 12:51 P.M. Dana Point A pod of dolphins leaps out of the water with a view of south Laguna Beach in the background on Aug. 12, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 10:37 P.M. sacramento Profiles in courage: Legislators soften Coastal Commission reform, leave no fingerprints A perfectly sensible bill to clean up the way California coastal commissioners do business has been getting the waterboard treatment. First, Santa Barbara Sen. Hannah-Beth Jacksons SB 1190 was submerged by a ludicrous report claiming it would cost too much money to prohibit private conversations between developers and commissioners. Then it was tossed overboard and dragged like chum. Then on Thursday, legislators pulled SB 1190 back into the boat so badly decomposed its barely recognizable. As my colleague Dan Weikel reports at latimes.com, five amendments gutted the good intentions. The most egregious one allows commissioners to meet privately with developers during on-site visits. This comes just weeks after reports that Coastal Commission Chairman Steve Kinsey met twice with developers of the massive Newport Banning Ranch development and failed to properly report those confabs. Environmental groups, however, would not be able to have such meetings in the bills current form. On my best day, I could not have come up with a more Alice in Wonderland outcome. Details were still emerging, and it wasnt clear which legislators were responsible for the hatchet job, or whether they caved in to political, development or union pressure, or all three. No fingerprints on the body, in other words. Three environmentalists I checked with were livid, and understandably so. Stay tuned for updates on the autopsy, and dont stop letting @JerryBrownGov know how you feel about whats happening to coastal preservation on his watch. #SaveYourCoast 7:46 A.M. Sunset at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages Children run along the beach at twilight near the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The sun sets over the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Isabella, 9, and Holden, 7, roast marshmallows over a beach fire with their parents, Steve and Amy Knuff, of Aliso Viejo at twilight at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Incoming tide rolls onto the beach at twilight at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 1:29 P.M. Column: Fighting for the California coast from a tiny office in her kitchen nook Susan Jordan, who created and runs the California Coastal Protection Network, is seen in her Santa Barbara office. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) If you were a coastal conservation activist in California, with 1,100 miles of shoreline to look after, how would you even decide where to begin? Theres always a battle somewhere, and let me give you just a couple of examples from one tiny section of the coast. Moss Landing is in the news again this week as the Surfrider Foundation and other activists try to stop Cemex, an international sand mining company, from trucking away the beach as it has done for decades, causing erosion that has begun to set off lots of alarms. Read more 8:49 A.M. Hermosa Beach Remember when you could spend a night at a California beach motel for less than a weeks pay? A third-generation motel owner in this seaside town tells me he gets an offer, about every other day, from someone who wants to buy his property, bulldoze it and rebuild. But hes hanging on because three generations of families have been staying at his low-budget, no-frills motel since the 1960s, and he doesnt want to end those summer vacation traditions. Elsewhere on the California coast, motels and hotels have been bought out by chains and developers, driving up the cost of affordable family vacations. Look for my column on the Hermosa Beach motel in the coming days. And if you know of good low-budget beach lodging, or if youve seen your motel go from cheap to chic, drop me a line at steve.lopez@latimes.com Over the next two days, photographer Allen Schaben and I will be in Hermosa and Huntington Beach, reporting on the proposed desalination plant there. And, by the way, we should find out in the next day or two whether legislation banning private meetings between coastal commissioners and developers is released from legislative prison and put up for a vote in the state Assembly. Theres still time to weigh in at #SaveYourCoast and be sure to give a poke to @JerryBrownGov and Assemblywoman, Lorena Gonzalez @LorenaAD80. Read more Robert Saltzman was torn. As a member of the Los Angeles Police Commission, he wasnt sure whether he wanted to renew LAPD Chief Charlie Becks job for another five years. It was 2014, and Beck had proved himself a popular leader. But Saltzman was concerned by some of the chiefs recent actions, including a decision to only suspend a well-connected officer caught uttering a racial slur and a failure to promptly alert commissioners about officers who had tampered with recording equipment on their patrol cars. Saltzman wrote two statements one opposing a new term, the other in support. The second, he recalled, was just too difficult to write. It was enough to convince him. Advertisement Days later, Saltzman was the only police commissioner to vote against re-appointing Beck. The move was a signature moment for the longtime commissioner an example, those who have worked with him said, of his willingness to stand up for issues he felt strongly about, even if he stood alone. This week marked the end of Saltzmans term on the five-person civilian panel that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department, capping a nearly decade-long run. The 61-year-old became a distinct voice championing changes within the LAPD, urging the department to be more transparent and challenging top brass, including the chief. He was the lone vote last year against the LAPDs controversial body-camera policy, faulting the decision to allow officers but not the public a chance to see the footage. He also advocated for improved relationships between police and the citys gay, bisexual and transgender residents, both inside and outside the LAPD. Among his achievements was successfully pushing the department to sever its youth programs ties with the Boy Scouts of America over the organizations ban on openly gay leaders. Saltzmans pressure on the LAPD at times ruffled department leaders as well as some rank-and-file officers, who cast him as an unfair critic. But current and former colleagues as well as police outsiders credited him with asking tough questions intended to make the LAPD better. A commission that doesnt ask questions, that doesnt press the department, that doesnt occasionally disagree and ask for further changes in policy, isnt doing the job of civilian oversight, said Peter Bibring, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Its just a rubber stamp. And Commissioner Saltzman wasnt that. As the longest-serving member of the current commission the only one to work with two mayors and two police chiefs Saltzman was the boards last link to a critical chapter in the LAPDs history: the consent decree, the 12 years of federal monitoring, prompted by scandal, that led to major reforms within the department. In a recent interview, Saltzman said he believed reducing use of force, improving relationships with black and Latino residents and addressing biased policing essentially, how the department is policing and is perceived in minority communities remains the LAPDs top priority. Theres been improvement, he said, but theres tremendous work to be done. Saltzmans departure comes at a tumultuous time for the Police Commission. The board is pushing to curb the number of shootings by LAPD officers while facing weekly criticism from activists angry over the killings, reflecting the heated national debate over policing and race. Cynthia McClain-Hill, an attorney with deep ties to L.A. civic leaders and community activists, will take Saltzmans seat. Craig Lally, the president of the union that represents the rank-and-file, said he believed Saltzman was too tough on officers when reviewing how they used force. I just wish he would have been more open-minded, Lally said. We just want smart, objective people to listen to the facts and not listen to the noise. Others said Saltzman was committed to constitutional, respectful policing and was known to praise as well as criticize police. Hes really a man who stands by his convictions, said the commissions current president, Matt Johnson. It doesnt matter to him whether its popular or not popular its all about, for him, doing whats right. Appointed by the mayor, police commissioners serve a maximum of two five-year terms. They oversee the operations of the 10,000-officer agency, set LAPD policies and have an inspector general who investigates and audits the department on their behalf. In one of their most important roles, commissioners decide whether police shootings and other serious uses of force were appropriate. Saltzman joined the board in 2007, appointed by then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. A Harvard Law School graduate and associate dean at the USC Gould School of Law who taught legal ethics, Saltzman had also served as vice president of the citys Ethics Commission. After Saltzman became a police commissioner, he paid particular attention to the LAPDs nearly 50-year partnership with the Boy Scouts of America, which was running the departments youth program. The problem that Saltzman, who is gay, and others saw: Scout policies at the time banned gay people from being troop leaders, violating the citys non-discrimination policies. Saltzman pressed for the LAPD to split from the Scouts and create its own youth program but faced resistance within the department. Saltzman said there was a breakthrough when the incoming chief, Beck, backed the idea, and the commission voted to separate from the Boy Scouts. In the years since, thousands of teenagers have participated in the LAPD-run youth program. Its turned into a tremendous program, Saltzman said. Thats what makes me so proud. Saltzman pointed to Becks support of the split as one of the positive things hes done as chief, along with his efforts toward improving community relationships and stepping into a national role in the discussion about police reform. But, Saltzman said, he still has concerns over how the chief disciplines officers and how open he is with the Police Commission. Theres been some progress, but not as much as I would like to have seen, he said. Hes done some very good things, but those two issues, for me, are of overriding importance. Saltzman said he still stands by his vote two years ago to oppose Becks reappointment. That decision to break from his colleagues on the panel showed tremendous courage, said Richard Drooyan, a former commissioner. Beck, who an LAPD spokesman said was on vacation, did not respond to messages seeking comment. Now that his time on the board has ended, Saltzman says he plans to take a break from public work, travel and spend more time reading to kindergartners at his neighborhood elementary school. On Tuesday, he was greeted at his last commission meeting with a standing ovation from his colleagues. Soon, however, the retired law professor was tackling the agenda at hand, again voicing a concern he has long expressed: how the LAPD handles complaints of biased policing, police parlance for racial profiling. Saltzman noted that once again, the department had not upheld a single allegation during a recent three-month period. This is an item that I have focused on since the beginning of my time on the commission, and one which I have found frustrating, he said. I simply wanted to raise it and urge the department and my colleagues to continue to focus on this. Absolutely, Johnson said. kate.mather@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter: @katemather ALSO LAPD officers killed one resident of this Watts housing project. 12 hours later, they worked to save anothers life Video: Stop the violence, LAPD chief and rapper the Game urge in a new anti-violence PSA A series of seemingly random, violent crimes in L.A. leaves a trail of chaos, pain A motorcycle-riding gunman opened fire on a motorist on the 210 Freeway in Sylmar early Thursday, wounding the man in the arm, Los Angeles police said. In the predawn darkness, two motorcyclists began following the victim, who was driving westbound in a white pickup truck on his way to work, said Capt. Robert Marino of the Los Angeles Police Departments Mission Community Station. At about 4:10 a.m., near Roxford Street, one of the bikers began shooting. See the most-read stories this hour >> Advertisement The shooter hit the victims truck numerous times, police said. To avoid the bullets, the man pulled his truck off the freeway, but he was hit in the arm. The victim, who is believed to be in his 50s, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Marino said. Police detectives said that firing shots from a moving motorcycle, especially at high speeds, is extremely difficult because the motorcyclist must keep the bike steady while discharging the weapon. It is not something I have seen before in my career, said LAPD Capt. Andrew Neiman, a spokesman for the department. It is something you see in the movies, but it is not something you see in reality. The shooting victim was shielding himself from gunfire and did not get a good look at the shooters, although he thought they were on dark-colored motorcycles, Marino said. The motive was unclear. Theres no indication there was any issue with traffic, Marino said. There was no road-rage incident here. The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, said LAPD Officer John Burdios. Authorities said he was expected to be released Thursday afternoon and that he had been talking with detectives. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> The California Highway Patrol closed the westbound freeway for about two hours Thursday morning. Investigators scoured the roadway, searching for evidence connected to the shooting, such as shell casings, authorities said. Burdios said there was another incident in the area in which a vehicle crashed and spilled diesel fuel. ABC7 reported that a truck trying to avoid the road closure crashed and was hanging over a bridge, leaking diesel fuel. hailey.branson@latimes.com Twitter: @haileybranson ALSO Series of earthquakes strikes Northern California Masked gunman, possibly wearing Star Wars costume, shoots and kills man in Venice street New 4,600-acre wildfire triggers evacuations near Lake Berryessa UPDATES: 12:12 p.m.: This article has been updated throughout. 6:34 a.m.: This article was updated information about the lanes being reopened. This article was originally published at 6:15 a.m. A former security chief at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is suing the municipal utility, alleging that he was fired for complaining about security gaps and illegal actions by other employees. Patrick Findley, who oversaw security and emergency management, was terminated earlier this year. His ouster came shortly after the release of a confidential report that pinpointed security vulnerabilities at three power stations, spurring concern at City Hall. In his lawsuit, Findley says he had told the authors of that report, Navigant Consulting, that facility managers had ignored his concerns about malfunctioning security systems, scant lighting and other problems revelations that proved embarrassing to the agency after reporters obtained an unredacted version of the study. Advertisement Findley also claims that he repeatedly complained to his supervisors about illegal activity by other employees, including burglarizing a department facility, skipping out on work, and ordering other employees to do tasks for the personal benefit of their bosses rather than to assist the utility. In one case, Findley claimed, an employee used a department vehicle for personal purposes and then filled out a false police report claiming it had been stolen from their home after the department had to remove it from a casino parking lot. In addition, Findley told an independent group doing an audit for the city controller that utility employees had drawn up contract specifications and then successfully bid on the work themselves using dummy companies, as well as other unlawful acts, the lawsuit claims. The former security chief alleges that the DWP failed to act on his concerns and thwarted his investigations, instead firing him despite an impeccable record with the utility. The lawsuit specifically claims that David Wright a utility executive who was recently tapped by Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as the DWPs interim general manager was unable to give Findley a reason for his termination in January. See the most-read stories this hour >> DWP spokesman Joseph Ramallo said in a written statement Thursday that the utility had not yet been served with the complaint, which was filed Wednesday. Nonetheless, we strongly disagree with any allegation of retaliation and with the assertions Mr. Findley has made in his lawsuit, Ramallo said. This is an employment and legal matter and we cannot provide further comment. The Los Angeles Daily News first reported on the security concerns raised in the unredacted Navigant report earlier this year. emily.alpert@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter at @LATimesEmily ALSO Federal judge is fed up with verbose lawyers and their bloated briefs After very embarassing blunders, prosecutors offer no-jail deal in L.A. Coliseum corruption case Stockton mayor arrested, accused of playing strip poker with minors and providing them alcohol A group of reserve law enforcement officers has sued Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris, contending her office has improperly ended a longstanding practice of allowing them to have assault weapons while on duty. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles by the California Reserve Peace Officers Assn., says state law permits part-time sworn officers and deputies to have semiautomatic rifles if authorized by their departments. California law defines such rifles as assault weapons. Among the reserve officers who sought to register such a rifle was Martin Llanos, who was one of the first responders during last years terrorist attack in San Bernardino. Llanos, whose other job is in real estate, had only a handgun. Advertisement See the most-read stories this hour >> Following the attack, he sought and obtained permission from the San Bernardino Police Department to acquire a semiautomatic rifle and carry it with him on patrol. The suit said the Police Department did not have the funds to purchase one for him. But the state Bureau of Firearms, which Harris oversees, refused to register the rifle based on its classification as an assault weapon and ordered him to dismantle it or turn it into a law enforcement agency, the suit said. A letter from the bureau said reserve officers may use department-assigned assault weapons but may not own them for personal use. David Beltran, communications director for the attorney general, said the Bureau of Firearms complies with state law. We will review the lawsuit once we are served, he said. However, the bureaus policy is consistent with California law. This is simply complying with state law, and the power to effectively change it lies with the Legislature. Sean A. Brady, a lawyer representing the reserve officers, said the group decided to sue after the bureau refused to register semiautomatic rifles for several reserve officers. Brady said Harris office had been registering the guns for reserve officers until late last year, and nothing in the law had changed to warrant a new policy. The decision to deny a critical source of protection for police and communities throughout our state during a time of rising terrorism seems to be motivated by little more than election year politics, instead of concern for public or officer safety, Brady said. Harris is running for the U.S. Senate. About 600 law enforcement agencies in California, including the Los Angeles police and L.A. County sheriffs departments, employ 5,000 reserve officers. They are required to undergo training and pass the same background checks required of full-time officers. Department policies vary as to how reserves are used. Some are paid, others are not. The part-time sworn reserves are ranked in three categories. The highest level reserve officer is permitted under state law to work alone. Law enforcement agencies can impose their own restrictions on reserves, denying some the right to carry a gun or requiring that they work only with a full-time officer. Kevin Bernzott, chief executive of the reserve officers association, owns an institutional money management company and works about half-time for the Ventura County Sheriffs Office. His current assignment is to do background checks on people who apply to carry concealed guns. It is unfortunate that we have to ask a judge to compel the attorney general to do her job, Bernzott said. It is frustrating. Some departments pay for semiautomatic rifles for their full-time officers, others do not, Bernzott said. Officers can and do purchase their own rifles and carry them on patrol, he said. The kind many use can be customized to a particular individual, he said. Brady said most officers and deputies have semiautomatic rifles, which can be fired more accurately at a longer distance than pistols. Local law enforcement agencies began supplying full-time officers with deadlier weapons after the 1997 North Hollywood shootout, in which 11 Los Angeles police officers were injured. Two bank robbers with automatic weapons overwhelmed the first responders, whose guns were largely ineffective against the heavy artillery of two bank robbers. maura.dolan@latimes.com Twitter: @mauradolan ALSO Stockton mayor is charged with providing alcohol to minors Something you see in the movies: Motorcyclist opens fire on L.A. freeway motorist Two babies in California born with microcephaly from Zika, officials say UPDATES: 3:55 p.m.: This article was updated to include a fuller quote from the attorney generals spokesman. This article was originally published at 10:40 a.m. Judge Alex Kozinski, who serves on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has had enough of sly lawyers who flout court rules with their verbosity. In a mundane order from the court Thursday giving a California state prosecutor permission to file an overly long brief, Kozinski dissented and said he would not read the additional 14 pages. Many judges complain about long-winded lawyers who file last-minute requests to submit bloated briefs that exceed the courts word limitations. Advertisement See the most-read stories this hour >> The 9th Circuit typically grants such requests nonetheless to save time and ensure both sides are heard, Kozinski said. Sly lawyers take advantage of this institutional inertia to flout our page limits with impunity, Kozinski wrote. This encourages disdain for our rules and penalizes lawyers who comply. The Reagan appointee railed against the common and rather lamentable practice in an order giving a lawyer in the Californias attorney generals office permission to exceed the courts limit of 14,000 words. The lawyer said the extra words were necessary because of the complexity of the case, an appeal by a prison inmate convicted of robbery. Kozinski dismissed that explanation. To me, it seems perfectly clear that the state filed an overly long brief because it thought it could get away with it, he wrote. Appeals courts make decisions based primarily on written arguments, and judges or their staff lawyers must wade through voluminous pages before a ruling is issued. For my part, Kozinski said, I dont feel bound to read beyond the 14,000 words allowed by our rules, so I wont read past page 66 of the states brief. If the lawyer had anything important to say in the remaining pages, she should file a substitute brief within seven days that adheres the courts word limitation, he said. Instead of getting leave to file an oversized brief before the deadline, lawyers wait for the last minute to file chubby briefs and dare us to bounce them, Kozinski said. maura.dolan@latimes.com Twitter: @mauradolan ALSO Shrimp Boy gets life in prison for murder, corruption in San Francisco case Former DWP security chiefs suit alleges he was fired for exposing illegal acts After very embarassing blunders, prosecutors offer no-jail deal in L.A. Coliseum corruption case The tip came in the form of a voice message. The woman on the line said she had been browsing the most wanted section of the Los Angeles Police Departments website and saw a photo of a man she recognized. The man, Samuel Calvario, was a suspect in a 16-year-old homicide. The website warned that he was considered armed and dangerous and urged members of the public not to try to apprehend him themselves. The tipster told police where he was and wished them luck. On Wednesday, police announced that they had taken Calvario, 45, into custody at his place of work last week. Advertisement Calvario had been able to evade authorities for so long by assuming a new identity, said LAPD Officer Deen Alcaraz. The detective did not give details on where Calvario was living, other than to say he was in Los Angeles County. The crime took place on Nov. 9, 2000, at about 9 p.m., when 31-year-old Daniel Felix saw Calvario and his girlfriend arguing inside a white truck, police said. Felix intervened in the dispute and Calvario became angry, pulled out a gun and shot him, Alcaraz said. After the shooting, police had found marijuana in the white truck, which had been abandoned by Calvario. In addition to one count of murder, Calvario faces charges of assault with a firearm, kidnapping and transportation of marijuana, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. Calvario is due in court Aug. 10. The Homicide Report: A story for every victim >> Not much is known about the victim, who lived in the area at the time of the killing. Police are still trying to get into touch with his family. Alcaraz said hes never had a suspect identified by someone who was browsing the departments website, but he said the case underscores the role the public can play in solving crimes. This caller did a great justice, he said. Ultimately, the community is the one who provided the information that led to the arrest. Police urged anyone with additional information about the case to call Newton Division detectives at (323) 846-6556. nicole.santacruz@latimes.com To read more about homicides in Los Angeles County, follow the Times Homicide Report on Twitter: @latimeshomicide ALSO 1 dead, 2 injured in South L.A. shooting LAPD officers who fatally shot Ezell Ford sue city, alleging racial discrimination After years of asking the hard questions, L.A.'s longest-serving police commissioner is stepping down The venerable Eastside art institution gathered artists and community members in its Boyle Heights headquarters to have a talk about gentrification. In no time, the meeting went south as about a dozen mostly young activists, some wearing the brown berets of their 1960s Chicano Movement forebears, barged in. One woman covered her face with a red bandana. They accused Self Help Graphics of helping to roll the Trojan horse of gentrification into Boyle Heights by supporting art galleries popping up in the neighborhood. Hoisting signs with rebukes that included Out with the galleries out with the sellouts, the activists took control of the microphone from a Self Help board member and insisted that the art galleries get out of town. Advertisement A member of an activist group holds a sign protesting Self Help Graphics and other art galleries in Boyle Heights. (Steve Saldivar / Los Angeles Times ) We demand that all existing galleries leave immediately, said a woman from Defend Boyle Heights. And leave it up to the community on what to do with those spaces. Even in an old Los Angeles neighborhood where the debate over gentrification has become heated, the confrontation between Self Help Graphics and the brash, uncompromising activists was stunning. Founded by a Franciscan nun, and with more than 40 years in East L.A. and Boyle Heights, Self Help had gained a certain level of respect, exhibiting the work of artists such as Gronk, Frank Romero and Barbara Carrasco. Betty Avila, associate director of Self Help, said it was unfair to compare the organization with these new commercial galleries that have thousands and thousands of dollars passing through. We function as a nonprofit. We have to fundraise, she said. Were a community-serving organization whose mission is rooted in serving this local community. But the situation was the latest example of how Boyle Heights, a neighborhood that was a working-class launching pad for many groups including Jews, Italians, Japanese and Mexicans, has cemented its reputation as a focal point in the ongoing battle over gentrification. In some ways, the activists tactics harked back to strategies that may be familiar to people who grew up in the 1960s and 70s. In many ways, that Chicano Civil Rights movement looked to Boyle Heights as our community, our home. And thats changing now, said Eric Avila, a professor of history, Chicano studies and urban planning at UCLA. If you think about it, the struggle for Mexican American civil rights has always been strongly connected to this idea of turf, territory Mexican American history is about displacement and dislocation and conquest. At the same time, Avila said art has a significant history in the Eastside, so its not altogether shocking that it would become a medium for a passionate, angry and uncomfortable debate. Boyle Heights has a long tradition of art and artistic and cultural production, and that was an important part of the Chicano Civil Rights movement as well, he said. Muralism, for example, or art galleries, art studios, were important kinds of community centers where activists and artists came together to assert a new vision of Chicano identity, culture and community. But for activists from Defend Boyle Heights and the advocacy group Union de Vecinos, the new art galleries that have moved in many in just over a year are the latest threat to the neighborhoods poor and working class. Last years median household income for Boyle Heights stood at $31,502, according to census data, well below the countys median income of $56,251. The activists say Boyle Heights needs more affordable housing and that more militant tactics are necessary to combat the displacement of lower-income renters who make up much of the Eastside. Maga Miranda, a member of Defend Boyle Heights, said activists have talked to people who regret that they didnt push back harder and earlier in neighborhoods that saw waves of gentrification, such as Highland Park and Echo Park. Maga Miranda, center, a member of Defend Boyle Heights, attends a community meeting at Pico Gardens in Boyle Heights. (Steve Salvidar / Los Angeles Times ) Theyre telling us, We wish we had done something about it. We wish we had been more angry, and more militant and fought back harder, she said. Now were seeing our communities that dont look anything like our communities. And its hard to argue that the more in-your-face strategy hasnt worked to some extent. In addition to garnering media attention, including in foreign publications such as the Guardian, the activist said their actions delayed the opening of at least one nonprofit art space, PSSST, earlier this year. Though Councilman Jose Huizar who represents Boyle Heights said hes seen people who cannot afford other areas moving in, he noted that it is not happening en masse as in other neighborhoods. As Ive been hearing these discussions and following the discussions, one thing Ive always expressed and noted is that I dont think we will see the mass-scale change of demographics in Boyle Heights by demographics, I mean either racial or income level as other parts of this city have experienced, because of the fact that over 70% of the people who live in Boyle Heights are renters and about 90% of them are under rent control, he said. Ive kind of felt comforted by those numbers to assure folks that I just dont see this mass-scale gentrification happening given that. Huizar said if the community would like more affordable housing in those areas, we can support that. However, he said he disagreed with the militant tactics being used. I think these tactics are counterproductive to creating the type of harmonious city that is respectful of all peoples backgrounds, Huizar said. I disagree with the tactics that have been used by some groups who evict people from Boyle Heights simply because of their racial or economic background. Visitors make their way into Nicodim Gallery on Anderson Street in Boyle Heights. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times ) The 11 art galleries that Defend Boyle Heights on its Facebook page has demanded leave are concentrated in the western side of the neighborhood -- an area that has long generated more immediate concerns about gentrification because of its closeness to a gentrifying downtown L.A. and changes that have already taken place. Many of the galleries opened in the last year, popping up in the industrial area where previously graffiti on buildings was the closest thing to art. Two gallery owners declined to talk about the controversy and another one said he did not know he was on Defend Boyle Heights list. Eva Chimento flinched when a reporter stepped into her gallery. She was jumpy, she said, because of the activist groups. She opened Chimento Contemporary last July, employs two Boyle Heights residents and features L.A. artists, she said. Chimento said she agrees that there is a need for affordable housing in the neighborhood and said she sent activists the names of free legal services that could help. But she said there seemed to be no negotiating. I feel like they wont listen, Chimento said. You cant engage, theres no more dialogue to be had. A string of warehouses on the western edge of Boyle Heights have recently been converted into art galleries. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times ) At a meeting after the confrontation at Self Help Graphics, a gallery owner asked the activists what they could do. An activist responded: Art galleries, we look forward to you all leaving soon. Defend Boyle Heights has called for a moratorium on Self Helps work with outside artists and galleries that they feel pose a threat of gentrification. Our problem with Self Help Graphics has been that theyve been prioritizing the community artists and supporting spaces that give Chicano artists or marginalized artists the space to show but theyre not recognizing how theyre erasing the voices of the people who stand the most to be affected by gentrification and those are the community members, Miranda said. In the early 1970s, Sister Karen Boccalero turned an East L.A. garage into Self Help Graphics, a thriving cultural center that gave rise to some of the citys most successful Latino artists. Its first official space was located in Boyle Heights. Later, it moved to a 1920s-era building on Cesar Chavez Avenue in East L.A. that would become distinctive for its mosaic-covered facade. After it was displaced from that home, Self Help moved to 1st Street in Boyle Heights. Lalo Alcaraz, an artist and nationally syndicated cartoonist who has worked in both Boyle Heights and East L.A. for more than 25 years, said that he opposes gentrification but defended Self Help. Attacking an institution like Self Help Graphics that has created so many artists and given so much voice to the community is simply wrongheaded and counterproductive, he said in a statement. Also, art galleries dont bring gentrification. Economic forces that are against poor working people bring gentrification. brittny.mejia@latimes.com steve.saldivar@latimes.com Times staff writer Sandra Poindexter contributed to this report. ALSO Construction is set to begin on $140-million La Plaza mixed-use project near Olvera Street In event of a Newport Pier blaze, wait time for fire boats is a major concern After very embarrassing blunders, prosecutors offer no-jail deals in L.A. Coliseum corruption case Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow the so-called dragonhead of a San Francisco Chinatown fraternal organization was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for murder and other charges stemming from a massive corruption case that cost millions in taxpayer dollars and infiltrated the citys political establishment. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer also ordered Chow, 56, to pay $15,881 to the victims family to pay for funeral and other related expenses, said Abraham Simmons, a spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office in San Francisco. A federal jury in January found Chow guilty on 162 counts including racketeering, robbery, aiding and abetting the laundering of drug money and conspiring to deal in the illegal sales of goods. Prosecutors sought a life term because Chow has dedicated his entire life to organized criminal activity, violent crime and using others for his own power and personal enrichment. Advertisement In a sentencing memorandum, they said that Chow has refused at every opportunity to accept any responsibility or express any remorse for his actions, while portraying himself as a community activist dedicated to helping Chinatowns youth. Most [criminals] are true to their nature: violent gangsters, but openly so, prosecutors said. Chow was a wolf in sheeps clothing for years not even true to himself. The investigation that led to Chows arrest and prosecution swept up numerous others, including Democratic state Sen. Leland Yee. In February, Yee was sentenced to five years in prison for doing political favors in exchange for campaign cash. Chow was found guilty of arranging the 2006 slaying of Allen Leung, who preceded him as head of the Chinatown fraternal organization Ghee Kung Tong. Leung was gunned down by a masked assassin at his import-export business. While talking to an undercover agent later, Chow admitted his involvement in Leungs slaying, saying that he wanted money from Mr. Leung and that he would tell Mr. Leung once or Mr. Leung would be gone, according to court documents. Of course, the man who directly benefited from that murder was defendant Chow, prosecutors said. According to court documents, Chow ran a criminal enterprise in San Franciscos Chinatown for decades and roped young kids into his organization, ruining their lives. He had supreme authority in an international organized crime group known as the Triad, authorities said. Chow knew exactly what he should not have been doing with youngsters and he did it anyway, in a profound contrast to his public persona. Prosecutors Chow knew exactly what he should not have been doing with youngsters and he did it anyway, in a profound contrast to his public persona, prosecutors said. Chows attorney submitted dozens of letters from young people, expressing their support for him. Many were written by students who had sat through one of Chows classroom presentations or workshops about gang life. When Raymond Chow came to our class in the fall of 2006, I was skeptical about meeting him, one student wrote. I had never met a man like him and I was nervous. However, once he began to speak about his life, I could see in his eyes a man that had made some bad mistakes but was hoping to come back from them. In Chows sentencing memorandum, his attorney argued that his client had a serious heart condition and suffered from asthma and arthritis, requiring constant medical care. He also cited Chows exceptional good works and contributions to the community, as well as his impoverished upbringing in China and the U.S. By all accounts Raymond Chow has pledged to live a humble life, characterized by public service and community outreach, J. Tony Serra wrote. He experienced a true epiphany after prison and thereafter devoted his life to bona fide social causes. Born in Hong Kong in 1960, Chow came to the United States at 16. His grandmother gave him the nickname Shrimp Boy because of his small stature, according to documents and law enforcement sources. In 1978, he was convicted of armed robbery and spent more than seven years in prison. Then in 1986, after being indicted on charges including assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem and possession of a firearm. he served three years in prison. According to records, Chow forged an alliance with Triad member Peter Chong. Along with a third man, they created Tien Hu Wui the Whole Earth Assn. to oversee organized crime in San Francisco, according to federal court documents. In 1995, Chow faced a judge again and this time he was convicted on a variety of federal firearms and prostitution-related charges. He was sentenced to 280 months in prison. Chows history and characteristics are deplorable, prosecutors in the murder and racketeering case said. The government doubts that the court, with all of its years of experience, has had occasion to sentence a defendant with a more violent and depraved past. veronica.rocha@latimes.com For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. ALSO Until his arrest, Shrimp Boy considered an inspiration Federal judge is fed up with verbose lawyers and their bloated briefs After very embarassing blunders, prosecutors offer no-jail deal in L.A. Coliseum corruption case UPDATES: 3:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about Raymond Chows sentence. This article was originally published at 3:05 p.m. A man was fatally shot Wednesday on a Venice street, and the gunman was possibly wearing a Star Wars costume, police said. The gunman walked toward the victim near 7th Avenue and Brooks Court and opened fire with a chrome revolver, Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im said. The victim, a 30-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. Video footage from the scene showed the mans body lying in the street. Advertisement The gunman, described as a black man between 25 and 30 years old, fled west on Brooks Court, Im said. He was wearing gray shorts, a black hooded sweatshirt and black glasses, according to LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman. The gunman was described as wearing a mask, Eisenman said. An initial report indicated the gunman wore a Star Wars costume, Im said. Police briefly detained a person for questioning in connection with the shooting but determined that person was not the attacker, Eisenman said. This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available. For more news in California, follow @MattHjourno. UPDATES: 11 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman. This article was originally published at 5:20 p.m. One man was killed and two people injured in a shooting near a gas station in South Los Angeles early Thursday, authorities said. Sheriffs deputies were called to a 76 gas station in the 1300 block of East Imperial Highway in the Willowbrook neighborhood at about 1:15 a.m., said Lt. Daniel Holguin of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments Century Station. Somebody drove one of the victims two miles to the Los Angeles Police Departments Southeast Community Police Station on West 108th Street, said LAPD Sgt. Aaron Skiver. The man was pronounced dead outside the station, he said. Advertisement The two injured people were taken to nearby hospitals, Holguin said. The victims identities had not been released. L.A. County Coroner officials remove the body of a man found in a white car parked in the street in front of the LAPD Southeast Community Police Station on West 108th Street in the Willowbrook area. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times ) No arrests had been made as of Thursday morning, authorities said. Television news footage showed a blue police tent over a white Chrysler outside the LAPD Southeast station. Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies said the shooting was a car-to-car shooting, involving two people in the car and one pedestrian, KTLA reported. The injured people were a man and a woman, according to KTLA. The investigation is being handled by the sheriffs department, and authorities are urging anyone with information to call the Sheriffs Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. hailey.branson@latimes.com Twitter: @haileybranson MORE LOCAL NEWS Stockton mayor is charged with providing alcohol to minors In event of a Newport Pier blaze, wait time for fire boats is a major concern Something you see in the movies: Motorcyclist opens fire on L.A. freeway motorist Two babies in California were born with microcephaly after their mothers were infected with Zika virus, state health officials said Thursday. The mothers had traveled to countries with outbreaks of the illness before becoming infected. Officials would not release any more information about the women or the babies. This is a sobering reminder for Californians that Zika can cause serious harm to a developing fetus, said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health. Advertisement Nationwide, 13 babies had been born with Zika-related birth defects as of July 21, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The sole physiotherapist at Pedro I Municipal Hospital in Campina Grande, Brazil, started with seven cases of babies with microcephaly in December; she now has 37 cases, with the number increasing weekly. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) When an unusually high number of babies in Brazil were born with microcephaly last year, health experts began to suspect Zika virus. The mosquito-borne illness was declared an international public health emergency in February. Outbreaks of the virus have since spread to dozens of countries in the Americas. The CDC has warned pregnant women not to travel to infected areas. Just last week, mosquitoes began to spread the virus in a region of Miami, prompting the CDC to issue a travel advisory for pregnant women not to travel to that neighborhood the first ever travel warning within the continental United States. More than 1,600 people in the United States have become infected with Zika virus this year, almost all of whom traveled to countries with outbreaks. There have been 114 travel-related infections in California, with the most in L.A. County with 24 and San Diego County with 23. soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com Follow @skarlamangla on Twitter for more health news. ALSO Three vaccines prevent Zika infection in monkeys; vaccine trial in humans gets underway Zika, dirty water and more than 7,500 hours of Olympics TV: How NBC is preparing for the Rio games Zika is now here: Mosquitoes are spreading virus in U.S. Flowers lined the entrance to Corpus Christi Catholic Church Thursday, where friends, family, law enforcement officers and members of the public gathered for the first of two memorial services to honor slain San Diego police Officer Jonathan De Guzman. The church, which holds 1,200 people, was filled to capacity for the 90-minute service. De Guzmans casket was carried into the church by pallbearers, one of whom was his 17-year-old son. This is an opportunity for us as a church to come together and to pray, to support the family, to be together with the widow of Officer De Guzman, but also to be able to come together as a community of faith to pray for peace and for those who have given their lives in service for their country and community, Father Efrain Bautista said. Advertisement Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman recalled De Guzmans career, telling those gathered about how she had called his family several years ago after the officer had been stabbed in a traffic stop. The first thing she said to his wife that day, Zimmerman said, was that JD was going to be just fine. Zimmerman then recounted how this time, it was so very different. She said that when she was driving to see De Guzmans family, she so wished she could say those same words again. The chief then stopped and wiped away a tear. De Guzman, who had been on the force for 16 years, was gunned down Thursday night in a shooting that also wounded his partner, Officer Wade Irwin. The officers, members of the departments gang suppression unit, had stopped to talk to two pedestrians. Irwin got out of the car, asked one of the men a question and was met with immediate gunfire, prosecutors said. A bullet hit him in the throat. The shooter then walked to the open passenger-side door of the car and opened fire on De Guzman, hitting him several times. De Guzman died at a hospital a short time later. Irwin returned fire and struck the shooter, who ran away. He later was found unconscious in a ravine and arrested, according to prosecutors. Jesse Michael Gomez, 53, a construction worker with a long criminal history, has been charged with murder and attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday from his hospital bed at UCSD Medical Center. After the service, mourners showed their support for law enforcement. One woman was seen hugging police officers outside the church. You guys are so great, she said. A former L.A. County sheriffs deputy stood across the street, holding a sign that said: Police lives matter. Gangsters not so much. Fred Faul of Oceanside, 81, said he just wanted to show his support for the family. So many officers have been killed. Im sick of it, he said. Somebody has to stand and support the police. A second memorial service for De Guzman will planned for Friday morning at the Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon. Among those scheduled to attend is Gov. Jerry Brown. De Guzman will be buried at Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita in a private ceremony. debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com Baker writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune MORE LOCAL NEWS Former L.A. County sheriffs deputies lose appeal in jail inmate abuse case Stockton mayor arrested, accused of playing strip poker with minors and giving them alcohol In event of a Newport Pier blaze, wait time for fire boats is a major concern David Huddleston, a character actor who already had a vast list of credits to his name when late in his career he took what was to become his most famous role as the title character in The Big Lebowski, has died, said his wife, Sarah Koeppe. He was 85. Koeppe, his wife and partner of 32 years, said he died of advanced heart and kidney disease Tuesday in Santa Fe, N.M. A longtime favorite NBC character actor, Huddleston specialized in big, blustery characters. Such was the title character he played in 1998s The Big Lebowski. Advertisement A 1990s sendup of a 1940s film-noir mystery, The Big Lebowski traces a Raymond Chandler-esque plotline, but in place of a hard-bitten investigator, it stars a stoner lay-about played by Jeff Bridges. Huddleston, known for the line Strong men also cry, appeared in only a few scenes, but they are among the most memorable in the film. His knack was to play puffed-up dons, but with a wink. He managed to act comic parts with an air of being in on the joke, a device served to deflate the very grandiosity he projected. He was born Sept. 17, 1930, in the Blue Ridge Mountains region, in Vinton, Va., and raised in Villamont, Va., where he often performed monologues in community productions, Koeppe said. After serving as an aircraft engine mechanic in the Air Force, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he studied acting on the G.I. Bill. His acting career spanned more than half a century, and included Broadway, television and commercial roles. In addition to playing guest roles on numerous TV dramas, he starred in the 2005 film The Producers, Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and in 1974s Blazing Saddles. He told the Roanoke Times that Blazing Saddles was probably the most fun I have ever had on a set. His wife was his casting agent for Santa Claus: The Movie. Things were not important to him people were, she said of her husband. He loved entertaining and would rather sit down and talk with someone over dinner. Huddleston had thousands of cookbooks, and he loved reading them because they told him about the history of people and locations, Koeppe said. He was always asking people, If this was your last meal, what would you have? Huddleston, the father of actor Michael Huddleston, had a passion for performing live. He began on the stage. That was the part he loved the most, Koeppe said. She said he considered his crowning achievement to be playing Benjamin Franklin in the 1997 Broadway production 1776. The role brought together all of his interests, which included government and politics, she said. While he performed nearly his entire life starting from early childhood, he had always wanted to go to the University of Virginia to go to law school and be a politician. Five years after the Broadway production of 1776, Huddleston performed as Ben Franklin at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. His wife recounted traveling locals stopping them once on the streets of Kusadasi, Turkey. They recognized him as the Big Lebowski even though they couldnt speak any English. They asked us to stay and told us, we will cook for you, she recalled. ALSO Anne of Romania, wife of King Michael, dies at 92 Gloria DeHaven, star of 40s musicals, dies at 91 Marni Nixon, whose singing gave voice to Hollywoods leading ladies, dies at 86 UPDATES: 8:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 2:55 p.m. When Daniel Seth Franey first caught the attention of federal officials, they suspected he was an aspiring terrorist who had privately made threats to kill law enforcement officers and soldiers. A 34-year-old former soldier and Muslim convert, Franey told it differently. He was an innocent though desperate man, set up by an FBI agent who had pretended to be a black-market gunrunner and paid Franey for his help. But by the time Franey learned he had been played, he was in handcuffs. Advertisement The governments case against him came to a quiet end in early July while the nation was consumed with presidential campaigns, terrorism abroad and the funerals for five slain Dallas police officers. Franey made a quick appearance in federal court and pleaded guilty to a single charge illegally possessing a machine gun provided to him by an undercover FBI agent. In a July 12 announcement, Annette Hayes, the U.S. attorney in Seattle, said Franey had espouse[d] violent rhetoric and expressed a desire to attack the police or U.S. Military personnel out of allegiance to the Islamic State. I have been harassed by the FBI for five years. Daniel Seth Franey Franey denied any wrongdoing. I would never hurt a man, woman or child, if I was in a war on one side or the other, Franey told U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton during a hearing in April. Franey said hed been set up by an agent who pretended to be a gunrunner and paid him to be his lookout, taking him on staged road trips to peddle machine guns. The agent allowed Franey who was barred under a domestic violence order from possessing firearms to hold and shoot some of the guns, according to the agents court statements. The government says such cases are difficult to make and sometimes require staged plots, which critics might wrongly see as entrapment. Federal prosecutors say the investigation began a year ago, but Franey told Leighton that hed been targeted for years. I have been harassed by the FBI for five years, said Franey, who had been posting anti-American comments on his Facebook page since at least 2013. They have come at me with informants and agents for five years, asking for guns, asking me to take guns. I have refused. This last time I did not use my better judgment. I toyed with them because I was broke. Following Franeys arrest in February, federal prosecutors said the commercial fishermans threats included a plan to invade an annual gathering of generals on the Washington coast, intending to kill them all. Responding to the suspicions of Franeys neighbors in Montesano, a rural town in southwest Washington state, the FBI sent in an undercover agent June 2015 to pose as a gunrunner, record conversations and allow Franey to handle and fire some of the weapons he was supposedly peddling, including fully automated AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles. Those target-practice sessions led to five counts of illegal gun possession, leaving Franey facing up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine on each count. In exchange for a guilty plea, the government dropped all but one count. By law, holding a gun is possession something Franey was forbidden to do, the FBI had learned during a background check. A three-year-old protective order from a domestic violence case in Illinois involving Franey and his ex-wife prevented him from possessing firearms anywhere in the U.S. Franey had apparently been obeying that court order. He had no guns of his own, a search of his home by the Seattle Joint Terrorism Task Force later showed. He also told the undercover agent he hadnt fired a gun in six years. The FBIs road trips took Franey to Seattle, Spokane and Los Angeles for dramatized sales to other undercover agents. Besides paying Franey to be his his lookout, the undercover agent also gave the out-of-work veteran money to catch up on his electric bill. During a run to Santa Monica last September, he was allowed to come into a motel with the agent, who was delivering a duffel bag of weapons to four agents posing as illicit buyers. While chatting with the customers, Franey said, according to court records. Any government agents that Im around, I feel the duty to kill. The FBI had dug into Franeys background, finding hed been subject to debt collections and the domestic-violence order and had served six years in the Army, where he was taught to handle rifles and small arms. He had also helped maintain and operate a Patriot Missile launching station and served at air-defense artilleries in Texas and South Korea. Some of his Montesano neighbors saw him as a friendly, religious man who helped others around his small farm home where he lived with his girlfriend and two children, according to court papers. Others said he was often spoiling for an argument. He tried unsuccessfully to talk a neighbor into supporting Islamic State and flying a black flag out front, according to the court papers. His Facebook page displayed quotes from Allah, anti-Israeli posters, and a photo showing Franey wearing a Research Islam T-shirt. Last January, he shared a photo of a Hamas soldier with the caption, You invade my land, bomb my house, kill my family, steal our resources and then call me a terrorist?!?! See the most-read stories this hour He was repeatedly caught on tape, federal officials say, boasting of his prowess to kill Americans. You know who Im after, he said during one session, according to court documents. Feds, pigs, politicians, bankers, policymakers, think tankers, the whole crew Anyone who is not furthering the black flag He suggested that taking down a large military facility, such as Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Tacoma, would be a pushover, court documents said. There is no indication in court filings that Franey actually conspired with others, knew anyone who sympathized with him, or physically harmed anyone. In his April court appearance, he said he was worried that his words could be used against him. They were. Franey faces up to 10 years in prison when hes sentenced Oct. 7. Rick Anderson is a special correspondent ALSO The Khan familys road to confrontation with Donald Trump If the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram has a new leader, where is Abubakar Shekau? Rio is a contrast in new and old, as many residents see more harm than good in hosting the Games Pulse wasnt built to be a memorial. It was built to be a nightclub, a shrine to cocktails and loud music with a dance floor and a patio, a temple of the living. Then a gunman killed 49 clubgoers at the gay Orlando, Fla., nightspot on June 12. Now the building stands as it did on the night of the bloodshed, with well-wishers still leaving balloons, flowers and notes outside the sealed facility. But Orlando city officials and club representatives still have to decide on the best permanent tribute to the victims of the deadliest mass shooting and the deadliest attack on the LGBT community in modern American history. Advertisement Its a delicate process, unfortunately familiar to many American communities visited by mass shootings, and leaders have taken different paths in how to treat the locations where they took place. Columbine Unlike other disasters, mass shootings tend to leave the structures where they take place intact. The problem isnt filling in bullet holes, but the memory of what happened. One of the first places to encounter this conundrum was Littleton, Colo. On April 20, 1999, two students, Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 18, shot and killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School before killing themselves. Mass shootings had happened before, but few were covered as heavily by the media and had such an emotional impact as the Columbine shooting. After the burials, there was the problem of what to do with the school itself. It was still basically a functioning school, after all, and the district still had students who needed to be educated. The school spent more than $1.2 million on repairs and renovations to the building, which reopened just four months later. Officials decided to change the sound of the alarms that had blared for hours during the attack, and the library, where many of the victims died, remained closed. A little paint and new carpet isnt going to heal the wounds, Linda Mauser, whose son Daniel was among those killed, told the Denver Post in 1999. The library was eventually demolished and replaced with an atrium, and a memorial park has been built outside the school. Here is a compilation of President Obama reacting to mass shootings in the United States over the years. Sandy Hook Newtown, Conn., faced similar trauma after a gunman killed 20 children and six staffers at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. But, unlike at Columbine, parents couldnt imagine dropping off their children at the school again, even a renovated version. The 28-member Sandy Hook School Task Force voted unanimously to tear down the whole school and build a new one. I dont mean to one-up Columbine, but the number of victims and their ages here made it different, Dan Cruson, the town historian, told the Los Angeles Times in 2013. With time, memories will become less raw, and with future generations, the hope is that this will become something in a history book. But its a crime scene. The unanimous vote notwithstanding, demolition and reconstruction came with its own anguish and debate. Our family has not asked for anything since Dec. 14, except that the building ... be razed and the new Sandy Hook school be located at a new location, Brian Engel, the father of shooting victim Olivia Rose Engel, 6, told the task force. Relocating the school required that some homeowners move to make room for new construction. Officials decided to change the entrance to the building so that families wouldnt have to pass by the firehouse where grieving parents waited for news about their children immediately after the attack. The hardest thing Im having to deal with is ... the feeling that we didnt just lose 20 children and six adults, Peter Barresi, whose son was a first-grader at Sandy Hook when the attack happened, told The Times. Were letting [the gunman] take the building too, and hes winning. The newly rebuilt school, which cost $50 million, opened to the public this week, though no memorial has been built at the original site yet. Aurora, Colo. After 12 moviegoers were killed and 70 others wounded at the Denver-area Century 16 movie theater on July 20, 2012, theater owner Cinemark decided to renovate the facility and reopen it six months later under a new name, Century Aurora. Shooting survivor Corbin Dates called the event empowering, telling The Times, Evil doesnt have the best of me and it never will. Not everyone was so happy. Many of the victims families boycotted the event. They were treating it like I lost my raincoat there and not my son, Scott Larimer, whose son John Larimer, 27, was killed, told The Times in 2013. Im not sure if theyre just trying to drum up support so they can just reopen their theater and make some money, or what it is. Family members of nine of the victims wrote a letter criticizing Cinemark for showing ZERO compassion to the families of the victims whose loved ones were killed in their theater. City officials, fearing such a response, had held an online survey about the future of the theater and said the publics response was widely in favor of reopening. Everyone heals. Some slower, some in different ways. Some wanted this theater open, some didnt, Gov. John Hickenlooper said at the theaters reopening. For many here tonight, this is the path to healing. Tom Sullivan, whose son Alex Sullivan, 27, died in the attack, decided to attend. The people of Aurora decided thats what they wanted, Sullivan told The Times. So I decided, Well, thats what well do. The people of Aurora have done everything they can to help us through this very difficult time. ALSO The worst mass shooting? A look back at massacres in U.S. history Are the media complicit in mass shootings? From San Ysidro to Sandy Hook: Surviving, but never getting over it President Obama and Hillary Clinton both expressed surprise Thursday that a $400-million cash payment to Iran early this year has suddenly become an issue in the presidential campaign. After all, Obama had publicly disclosed the payment to Iran at a White House news conference in January called to announce implementation of the historic Iran nuclear deal. At a news conference Thursday at the Pentagon, Obama did little to hide his bemusement at having to answer questions about the payment. Advertisement There wasnt a secret, he said. We announced [it] to all of you. He described the money as the return of Iranian funds from a dispute dating back to the 1970s. The administration could not send the money in dollars or send a wire transfer of funds because of U.S. sanctions, Obama said, so the money was delivered in other currencies We couldnt send them a check, he said. The president flatly rejected allegations that the $400 million was a ransom for four Americans who were released from Iranian custody at about the same time. The idea that the U.S. would have paid ransom defies logic, Obama said, and would have betrayed the families of other Americans held unjustly around the world many of whom he has met with personally. He took the opportunity to defend the landmark nuclear accord that the U.S.-led international coalition reached with Iran more than a year ago. The agreement has worked exactly the way we said it was going to work, he said. The impetus for renewed questions about a publicly announced settlement was a Wall Street Journal account of the transaction, which revealed that the $400 million was converted into other currencies, stacked onto the wooden pallets and delivered to Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, as the paper described it. The existence of the deal itself was indeed disclosed and reported in real time, covered by the Los Angeles Times and others. But whats old can still be news, especially given the pace of the modern news cycle. Put it in the midst of a presidential campaign and all bets are off. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has questioned the payment for two days. I woke up yesterday and I saw $400 million dollars, different currencies, they probably dont want our currency, Trump said Thursday in Portland, Maine. Four hundred million dollars being flown to Iran. I mean, folks whats going on here? What is going on? Trump again cited a video that he said shows an airplane coming in and the money coming off. That was given to us has to be by the Iranians, he said. You know why the tape was given to us? Because they want to embarrass our country. They want to embarrass our country. And they want to embarrass our president. But his campaign has acknowledged to CBS News that the video, in fact, shows Americans landing in Geneva, Switzerland, and wasnt provided by Iran. Stephen Miller, a senior policy advisor to Trumps campaign, still insisted that nothing less than a full investigation is required. This administration has embarrassed our country as no administration has before, going so far as to fund Islamic terror through cash payments to Iran, he said in a statement. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) raised concerns that the report confirmed suspicions that the money was paid as ransom for the release of several U.S. citizens, including journalist Jason Rezaian, held by Iran. Iran said it was owed the money from an unfulfilled contract for U.S. fighter jets that the previous, U.S.-backed government had paid to the Pentagon. The aircraft were never delivered after the shah of Iran was deposed in the 1979 revolution. Ryan said if it were a ransom payment, it would mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell the international agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear development program. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest denied that the money was paid as ransom. The United States does not pay ransoms, he said. The only people who are making that suggestion are right-wingers in Iran who dont like the deal, and Republicans in the United States that dont like the deal. Clinton, who stepped down as secretary of State several years before the payment was made, bluntly described it as old news in an interview with a Colorado television station. So far as I know, it had nothing to do with any kind of hostage swap or any other tit for tat, she said. Republicans were only reviving the issue because they want to continue to criticize the [nuclear] agreement, and I think they are wrong about that. I have said the agreement has made the world safer, but it has to be enforced. And Ive spoken out very strongly about how I will enforce this agreement, she added. I will hold the Iranians to account for even the smallest violation, and thats exactly what I think needs to happen. michael.memoli@latimes.com For more White House coverage, follow @mikememoli on Twitter. ALSO Trumps latest flare-up stirs an already sizzling Northern California congressional race How deferments protected Donald Trump from serving in Vietnam Napster co-founder Sean Parker once vowed to shake up Washington so hows that working out? UPDATES: 3:40 p.m.: This story was updated with comments by President Obama and Donald Trump. The first version of this post was published at 11 a.m. Patients burst into tears at this citys glistening new charity hospital when they learned they could get Medicaid health insurance. In Baton Rouge, state officials had to bring in extra workers to process the flood of applications for coverage. And at the call center for one of Louisianas private Medicaid plans, operators recorded their busiest day on record. Advertisement The outpouring began in June, when Louisiana became the 31st state to offer expanded Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act, effectively guaranteeing health insurance to its residents for the first time. Now, as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promises to repeal the healthcare law, Louisiana is emerging as a powerful illustration of the huge pent-up demand for health insurance, particularly in red states where elected officials have fought the 2010 law. People have needed coverage here for a long, long time, said David Hood, who served as state health secretary under a Republican governor from 1998 to 2004. This is long overdue. As of the beginning of August, 265,723 low-income Louisianians have newly signed up for Medicaid, according to state officials. Other states that have expanded Medicaid through Obamacare are seeing a similar flood of low-income patients seeking insurance. Medicaid sign-ups in Montana are already double what the state expected, just seven months after expansion began there. In Michigan, enrollment last year surpassed what state officials projected it would be in 2020. More than 15 million people across the country have enrolled in Medicaid and the related Childrens Health Insurance Program since the health laws coverage expansion began in 2014, federal data show. That has accounted for much of the historic decline in the nations uninsured rate since the law went fully into effect in 2014. Historically, the program was limited to certain vulnerable populations, including low-income children, pregnant women, people with disabilities and the elderly. The expansion has not been cheap, and many states are seeing costs surpassing estimates, even though the federal government is picking up almost all of the tab. But supporters note that these costs only underscore how great the need was. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj In Pennsylvania, for example, nearly 10% of the more than 650,000 people who have enrolled in Medicaid since the state expanded last year have gone into treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, with three-quarters getting services in the first two months they were enrolled. When people get that treatment, they can keep working, stay out of the hospital, remain a part of their families lives, said Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas, who has overseen the Medicaid expansion. Folks have to weigh the costs for everyone if these people didnt have coverage. Nevertheless, opposition to the law remains stiff in many red states where Republican politicians have called expansion of Medicaid, jointly funded by federal and state governments, unaffordable and ineffective. Nineteen states have rejected federal aid made available under Obamacare to expand their Medicaid programs, a key pillar of the laws program for guaranteeing health coverage. Medicaid allows adults making less than 138% of the federal poverty line, or about $16,000 a year, to get insurance. Rejection of the expansion has left nearly 3 million low-income Americans without health insurance in those states, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. Many of these states, including most of the Deep South, have among the highest rates of poor health, including chronic illness and deaths from diseases that could be prevented or treated with timely medical care, such as diabetes and childhood measles. Louisiana was among them. Residents of the state, which has the nations fourth-lowest life expectancy, live nearly six years less on average than residents of the healthiest states, according to federal data. And Louisiana had among the highest uninsured rates. The states former governor, Republican Bobby Jindal, was a fierce foe of expanding Medicaid eligibility, however, calling universal health coverage a liberal shibboleth and warning that expansion would jeopardize the care of the most vulnerable in our society. But Jindals mismanagement of the states budget helped Democrat John Bel Edwards sweep into office in November on the promise to reverse Jindals policies and expand Medicaid eligibility. The outpouring since sign-ups began in June has surprised even the programs biggest advocates. Though Louisiana set up a system to automatically enroll thousands, many more low-income Louisianians came forward on their own, seeking help that many had put off for years because they couldnt afford it. See the most-read stories this hour At CrescentCare, a New Orleans clinic serving low-income patients, people have been calling to ask how they can get dental care and help with mental health, officials there said. Dr. Sarah Candler, who worked as a primary care physician at another safety-net clinic in the city, said she cried with one of her patients who recently learned she would get the new Medicaid coverage. It was like I got to tell her I cured cancer, said Candler, who said the woman had routinely postponed recommended screenings and put off filling her prescriptions because she couldnt afford them. It was so powerful to be able to say that I could fix at least one of the things that was making her sick. For Cherry Jackson, a 55-year-old New Orleans native who had been living in a homeless shelter, the Medicaid coverage has helped her get medicines she needs to control her high blood pressure and diabetes. I thank God for this program. Cherry Jackson Every time my doctor would give me a prescription, I couldnt pay for it, Jackson said. I thank God for this program. There is growing evidence nationally that Medicaid coverage is affecting patients, as previously uninsured Americans like Jackson begin to get recommended medical care and more routinely take their medications. After Kentucky and Arkansas expanded their Medicaid programs in 2014, for example, researchers found poor patients there skipped fewer medications and were more likely to get regular care if they had a chronic illness such as diabetes. By contrast, the researchers found little improvement in Texas, which continues to oppose the Medicaid expansion. In Louisiana, Edwards and other state official say they are looking for even longer-lasting results. This isnt just about getting health insurance, the governor told a group of reporters visiting Baton Rouge recently. You get people health coverage for a reason. You want better health. We want healthier people. Twitter: @noamlevey ALSO Obama administration moves to block health insurance mega-mergers Still no Obamacare alternative from House Republicans, five years on Fighting Obamacare, many red states find fewer tools to fight opioid addiction epidemic Donald Trump repeats false claim of tape showing cash delivered to Iran (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) Donald Trump on Thursday repeated a claim that hes seen a video showing a plane delivering $400 million in cash from the United States to Iran, even after his own campaign acknowledged such an assertion is incorrect. A tape was made, you saw that? With the airplane coming in and the money coming off, I guess, he said while addressing supporters in Portland, Maine. At a campaign rally in Florida a day earlier, Trump for the first time said he had seen a video shot by Iran, taking that money off that airplane. But campaign officials later told CBS News that the video in question was actually footage of the released American hostages landing at Geneva, which had been aired on Fox News. Even so, Trump repeated the claim in Maine, insisting that the video was made public by the Iranians to embarrass the United States. They want to embarrass our country. And they want to embarrass our president, he said. Trumps campaign in recent days has been fueling allegations that the Obama administration paid $400 million in cash ransom to win the release of four Americans as part of the agreement implemented in January to restrict Irans efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. The administration has denied any ransom was paid, noting that it publicly disclosed the $400-million payment in January and that it was widely reported at the time. The administration says the money was being returned to Iran after being frozen following the 1979 Iranian revolution. The payment was to partly settle Irans legal claims arising from a weapons purchase from the U.S. that never took place. Republicans and the Trump campaign have said the timing of the payment and use of cash give the appearance that the U.S. was paying ransom. At his rally on Thursday, Trump speculated that the money would be used by Iran to fund terrorism. I wonder where that money really goes, by the way.... Well, it went either in their pockets, which I actually think more so, or toward terrorism -- probably a combination of both, he said. Meg Whitman joins chorus of Republicans supporting Hillary Clinton Meg Whitman, the Hewlett-Packard chief executive who ran unsuccessfully for governor of California in 2010, will back Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, joining other prominent Republicans troubled by Donald Trumps candidacy. As a proud Republican, casting my vote for president has usually been a simple matter. This year is different, Whitman wrote on Facebook. Donald Trumps demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character. Whitman, a major GOP fundraiser whose net worth is about $2 billion, also told the New York Times that she planned to raise money for Clinton. Whitman has already donated more than $100,000 to anti-Trump efforts, but her decision to actively solicit donations for Clinton is a major blow to Trumps fundraising, which has deeply lagged behind Clintons. Last month, Clinton raised $90 million for her campaign and that of other Democrats, while Trump said he raised a bit more than one-third of that. Trumps unsteady hand would endanger our prosperity and national security. His authoritarian character could threaten much more, wrote Whitman, urging fellow Republicans to reject his nomination. In recent days, Trump has drawn scorn from Democrats and Republicans alike for his criticism of an American Muslim family whose son died in combat in Iraq, and several leading Republican operatives have backed off from supporting Trump. Sally Bradshaw, an influential GOP strategist in Florida who advised former Gov. Jeb Bush during his primary campaign, announced Monday that she would leave the party. A day later, Maria Comella, a top former advisor to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, also called Trump a demagogue and signaled her support for Clinton. Trump, she said, has been a demagogue this whole time, preying on peoples anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the other. The move by several Republican women to back Clinton underscores the issues the GOP nominee has had with female voters. Trumps comments about women, including suggesting that a Fox News reporter was menstruating when she questioned him in a Republican debate, have been the subject of advertising by Clinton and super PACs supporting her campaign. While speaking to reporters Tuesday, President Obama declared Trump unfit to become president and said Republican denunciations of Trumps actions were hollow if they continued to endorse him. There has to come a point at which you say, Enough, he said. The alternative is that the entire party effectively endorses and validates the positions that are being articulated. Whitman echoed some of the presidents themes in her Facebook post: Trumps reckless and uninformed positions on critical issues from immigration to our economy to foreign policy have made it abundantly clear that he lacks both the policy depth and sound judgment required as president. She added that in a tumultuous world, America needs the kind of stable and aspirational leadership Secretary Clinton can provide. Updated at 9:16 p.m.: The post was updated with additional comments from Whitman. Good morning. It is Thursday, Aug. 4. If youre in the market for a new lunch spot, consider these San Francisco restaurants for a delicious dosa. Heres what else is happening in the Golden State: TOP STORIES Changing market Advertisement Theres a new dynamic emerging in downtown Los Angeles rental market: Some landlords are trying to entice tenants with free rent and parking. In the last 18 months, 3,700 apartments have opened in downtown and 6,260 more are in the works. When the apartments are finished, theyll represent a 15% boost in downtown housing units. Landlords dont have the leeway to push rents as they did in the past, said Steve Basham, senior market analyst with CoStar Group Inc. Los Angeles Times Pay day Embattled Assemblyman Roger Hernandez continues to collect salary and per diem payments, causing political headaches for legislative Democrats. He went on medical leave this week after allegations of domestic violence and a restraining order. Los Angeles Times Filmed on location Los Angeles share of overall TV pilot production in the U.S. and Canada dropped to the lowest level on record in the last year. L.A. is still the most popular destination to film TV pilots but is losing ground to Vancouver, Atlanta and New York. Los Angeles Times Readers, we always love hearing from you. You can keep up with Alice and Shelby during the day on Twitter. Follow @TheCityMaven and @ShelbyGrad. L.A. AT LARGE Police oversight: Robert Saltzman was a man who was never afraid to vote his own way on the Police Commission. This week, his nearly 10-year term on the civilian panel came to an end. Saltzmans pressure on the LAPD at times ruffled department leaders as well as some rank-and-file officers, who cast him as an unfair critic. But current and former colleagues as well as police outsiders credited him with asking tough questions intended to make the LAPD better. Los Angeles Times Shooting settlement: The family of a 26-year-old man shot and killed by Los Angeles police will receive a $2.2-million settlement. Christian Eaddy, who suffered a brain injury as a child, was stabbing himself with syringes and carrying two kitchen knives when police responded to the familys 911 call in May 2013, officials said. Within a minute of arriving at the home, one police officer fired his Taser at Eaddy while his partner, nearly simultaneously, fired a single shot. Los Angeles Times Digging up dirt: The strange history of the land being used for downtown L.A.s newest park. Curbed LA Political leadership: The future of South El Montes leadership is up in the air after Mayor Luis Aguinagas decision to plead guilty to corruption charges. Once he enters his plea, Aguinaga will have to resign his seat. And that could force the city to hold a special election in March. San Gabriel Valley Tribune Whats on your phone: The 13 apps you need to live in L.A. Los Angeles Magazine POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Taking a loss: Maybe there are limits to the Bay Area housing boom? Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, just took a $50,000 loss on the sale of their home in Oakland. San Francisco Chronicle Deleted tweet: The Riverside County Republican Party tweeted out a picture Wednesday that showed an executioner holding a noose and the words Im Ready for Hillary. The party removed the tweet but initially said it was nothing more than political satire. Chairman Scott Mann later said he was horrified by the tweet. Los Angeles Times Virus reported: An Anaheim woman in her 60s is the first person in Orange County to contract West Nile virus this year. She remains hospitalized in serious condition. Anaheim, La Habra, La Palma and Santa Ana have proved to be hot spots for the virus, according to health officials. Orange County Register CRIME AND COURTS Mentally competency: A court-appointed psychiatrist will evaluate the mental state of a 39-year-old man accused of killing three homeless men and critically injuring two others in San Diego. For the first time, prosecutors revealed Jon Guerrero used railroad spikes in his attacks. In his 20s, Guerrero was diagnosed with schizophrenia. San Diego Union-Tribune No way out: A Venice Beach man wanted for battery attempted to evade police by swimming into the ocean. The shirtless man remained in the water for two hours before surrendering to police. Los Angeles Times Traffic fines: Civil rights attorneys are challenging Californias practice of suspending the licenses of drivers who fail to pay off their traffic fines. If they are poor and dont have the money to pay, by definition, they cannot be found to have willfully failed to pay, said Antionette Dozier of the Western Center on Law and Poverty. They are just poor. Los Angeles Times EDUCATION Expensive trips: As chancellor of UC Davis, Linda P.B. Katehi made 26 international trips between 2010 and 2016. Records show she often paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for first-class airfare, large hotel rooms and travel guides. Often the purpose of the trips was to woo donors or attend conferences. Katehi remains on leave as UC officials investigate allegations of nepotism and misuse of funds. Sacramento Bee DROUGHT AND CLIMATE Dead trees: Drought and insects have killed off thousands of trees in the Santa Monica Mountains. Typically, dead trees still look healthy on the outside until rot from the inside causes them to fall over. Now, you see them just go brown and die in place, just standing. That kind of rapid death for a tree is pretty unusual, said John Tiszler, plant ecologist and certified arborist with the National Park Service. Ventura County Star Watch out: Newport Beach is the first city in Orange County to set up a webpage tracking shark sightings along the coast. Last month, lifeguards set up three acoustic receivers that can record data from marine animals tagged by researchers. Its just like any other risk we have; we want to learn to educate the public, said Chief Lifeguard Rob Williams. Daily Pilot CALIFORNIA CULTURE Break time: The 22 most important doughnuts in L.A. Los Angeles Magazine Take a hike: It took six days, but this writer hiked the 67-mile Backbone Trail through the Santa Monica Mountains. I basked in some transcendent sunsets with swarms of dragonflies and a few deer as my only companions. I never even saw a rattlesnake, he writes. LA Weekly Caught on tape: Its no longer enough to just brag about your vacations on Instagram. The new trend is to hire a Hollywood filmmaker to make a short documentary about your trip. Bloomberg Art and nature: A new art installation along the Los Angeles River projects images of soil samples taken every 10 feet on its concrete walls. As you descend in space, youre also going back in time at 1,400 feet, youve gone back 2.5 million years, said artist Peggy Weil. CityLab CALIFORNIA ALMANAC San Diego will have low clouds and a high of 74 degrees. It will be mostly sunny and 93 in Riverside. Los Angeles will start the day with some clouds before temperatures reach 82 degrees. There will be clouds and a high of 65 in San Francisco. Sacramento will be sunny and hot with a high of 89. AND FINALLY Todays California Memory comes from Gee Gee Roos: 1957 took me, my husband and two daughters to Heaven Burlingame, Calif. Perfect climate and perfect location overlooking the Bay, with the right wind bringing the aroma of Ghirardelli chocolate into our apartment. Excellent schools, wonderful neighbors, close to the city. How could we have asked for more? Moving day away from Burlingame was the saddest day; and we have never forgotten how happy we were in our perfect California place. 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. About two dozen environmental lawyers and activists met in La Jolla in 2012 to discuss possible strategies for raising public awareness of global warming and devise ways to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. The advocates had a model to work with: the campaign against the tobacco industry, in which opponents used the internal documents of cigarette companies to reveal that they had covered up the dangers of smoking while continuing to market tobacco as safe. Four years later, thanks to the efforts that began in La Jolla, at least 17 state attorneys general are in various stages of investigating whether Exxon Mobil lied to investors by publicly denying a link between fossil fuels and global warming even though their own research dating back to the 1970s established the connection. As part of the investigations and following publication of articles in The Times and on the Inside Climate News website about the companys early research several states have subpoenaed more internal documents from Exxon Mobil. Global warming is underway; climate change is here. Advertisement But suddenly, theres pushback and not from the company. Now eight environmental groups most of them involved in the La Jolla meeting and attorneys general from two states are facing their own subpoenas from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, which, according to its fossil fuel-loving and climate change-denying chair, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), is trying to defend the 1st Amendment rights of Exxon Mobil. Yes, a congressional committee is meddling in investigations by state-level prosecutors on behalf of an industry favored by its chairman in an effort to protect that industrys 1st Amendment right to hide information from the public. That is a ludicrous abuse of Congress oversight powers. Smith and his committee earlier papered government climate scientists with subpoenas after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a report that questioned the so-called stall in global warming. Climate change deniers had suggested that a slowdown in global surface temperatures proved that warming is natural, not manmade; a NOAA report countered that there had been no such stall just misleading statistics. Smith, his hackles raised, went fishing for evidence that NOAA scientists were colluding to twist the science to push a climate change agenda. NOAA officials and academics rightly condemned Smiths actions as an act of intimidation. Though Smith overstepped in targeting scientists, at least in that case he could make some claim to jurisdiction, since his committee has oversight for government science programs, including NOAA. But now he is interfering with active state investigations, which are far beyond the committees purview. The committee says it is targeting the environmental groups as part of its oversight of this infringement on the 1st Amendment rights of American citizens and their ability to fund and conduct scientific research free from intimidation and threats of prosecution. Apparently, Smith and his fellow Republican committee members are deaf to irony. The subpoenas are sweeping, seeking from the environmental groups all documents and communications with any officer or employee of the office of a state attorney general, as well as communications among the eight targeted environmental groups. All those who received the subpoenas have refused to comply, setting up at least in the case of the state prosecutors a potential constitutional battle of federal jurisdiction versus states rights, an issue in which the Republicans have historically landed on the side of the states. The nation has become inured to the partisan bickering, showmanship and intransigence in Washington that have stalled efforts to reach reasonable compromises on wide-ranging and crucial topics such as immigration reform and gun control. But the efforts by Smith and his committee to inject themselves into state investigations of possible violations of state laws are especially egregious. Global warming is underway; climate change is here. Smith should embrace the science and use his committee to forge solutions instead of trying to bludgeon those who are already trying to address it. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook In launching airstrikes in Libya this week, the Obama administration opened a new chapter in its campaign to degrade and ultimately destroy Islamic State. But even as that war expands, it continues to be waged under authority granted by Congress more than a decade ago for a very different purpose. If this military campaign is to continue, it is vital that Congress explicitly authorize it and place limits on its extent and duration. This weeks strikes by U.S. drones and attack jets targeted Islamic State positions in the city of Surt on the Mediterranean coast, from which Libyan government forces are attempting to dislodge the terrorist group. Though not the first American airstrikes in Libya, this weeks missions are the inauguration of what Pentagon officials called an open-ended effort to secure Surt. It amounts to a major escalation. If one accepts the administrations insistence that the U.S. must take on Islamic State and we do, though we have opposed the deployment of U.S. ground troops its difficult to argue that Libya should be off-limits. But its outrageous that this war has been fought for almost two years without explicit approval by Congress. Advertisement Congressional approval is necessary not only because the Constitution requires it but also because waging war is a fateful decision that shouldnt be made by the president alone. Moreover, formal consideration of a new Authorization for Use of Military Force would require the administration to articulate and define its objectives. In February of 2015 five months after he launched a steady, relentless effort to defeat Islamic State President Obama proposed that Congress approve a new AUMF targeting that so-called caliphate and associated persons or forces for a three-year period. The authorization wouldnt permit the use of U.S. forces in enduring offensive ground combat operations (a definition this page has criticized as overly loose). But Congress hasnt acted on the presidents request for an AUMF (or approved its own version), and Obama hasnt found it necessary to expend much political capital on the issue. Thats because the administration has a fallback legal position. It maintains, unconvincingly, that the war is legal under two previous authorizations of force: one approved in 2001 in response to the Sept. 11 attacks and another in 2002 aimed at the continuing threat posed by Iraq the Iraq ruled by Saddam Hussein, that is. In June, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, now the Democratic nominee for vice president, said: Nearly two years into an executive war against [Islamic State], the unwillingness of this Congress to authorize the war not only shows a lack of resolve, it sets a dangerous precedent. When Congress returns to work after Labor Day, it should rectify that dereliction of duty and pass a new AUMF. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Although hardly news, it bears repeating that the Afghanistan War stands as the longest in all of United States history. By election day, it will have entered its 16th year. Our next president will surely inherit the war there, just as Barack Obama inherited it from George W. Bush. Here is a situation where the phrase endless war is not hyperbole; it accurately describes reality. Given this depressing fact, one might think that those aspiring to the office of commander in chief would have something to say about how they intend to win or at least curtail that conflict, or perhaps why the U.S. should persist in such a costly endeavor. But in their lengthy convention speeches, neither Donald Trump (who spoke for 75 minutes) nor Hillary Clinton (who spoke for 66) found the time to even mention Afghanistan. Their silence hints at what we can expect in the weeks between now and November: a campaign in which the opposing candidates will vigorously impugn one anothers qualifications for high office while dodging any serious examination of core national security issues. Of bellicose posturing and the insipid recitation of platitudes, there will be plenty. Of critical analysis probing the recent failures and disappointments resulting from U.S. military interventions, expect very little. Advertisement For a long time now, Americans have displayed a tendency to sanitize, marginalize, or altogether forget wars that resist incorporation into the preferred triumphal narrative of U.S. history. Afghanistan falls into the category of the best forgotten. Yet however inconvenient, Afghanistan demands attention. For here the United States first set out to test the proposition that has formed the cornerstone of our national security policy since 9/11: That the deft application of U.S. military power can not only eliminate those threatening to do us harm, but also install in their place a stable political order conducive to liberal values. In Afghanistan, the United States and its allies have succeeded on neither count, despite considerable sacrifice and expenditures exceeding one trillion dollars. Notwithstanding many years of Western tutoring, the Afghan government, currently dependent upon international donors for 70% of its operating revenue, has shown little capacity to stand on its own. Efforts to root out pervasive corruption have gone nowhere. Opium production flourishes, with Afghanistan persistently supplying 90% of the worlds heroin. Although no longer at the helm in Kabul, the Taliban persists and by some estimates is growing stronger. Hardly less troubling, Islamic State has established a local Afghan franchise. The operation once grandly known as Enduring Freedom now goes by the bland name Resolute Support, the restyling itself a de facto admission of expectations ratcheted downward. The mission objective is now, in essence, simply to hang on. Taken in toto, the present-day situation in Afghanistan represents a policy failure of staggering dimensions, matched in recent years only by the equally abysmal results achieved by U.S. efforts in Iraq, site of another long war that shows no signs of ending anytime soon. Political calculation may provide Trump and Clinton with a continuing rationale to avoid subjecting the Afghanistan War to close scrutiny. Because Trumps candidacy is fundamentally idiosyncratic, divining the reasoning behind his silence is necessarily a speculative exercise. But one real possibility is that he is oblivious to the events that have occurred in Afghanistan since U.S. forces began arriving in the fall of 2001 and so has nothing to say. Another is that there are other issues Libya offering a prime example that he can more readily hang around Clintons neck. As for Clinton, she may be reticent to remind voters that it was during her husbands presidency that Islamist militants in Afghanistan first laid the basis for the 9/11 conspiracy. In that sense, the less said about that country the better. Then there is this additional factor: Clinton has gone out of her way to emphasize her cordial relations with senior military leaders, no doubt hoping thereby to bury a residual impression of the Democrats as an anti-military party. For her to focus critical attention on Afghanistan will necessarily call into question the performance of senior officers who commanded U.S. and NATO troops there and came home without getting the job done. As the prominent role allotted to one of those commanders at the Democratic convention suggests, Clinton appears less interested in holding generals accountable than in securing their endorsement. If the candidates dont turn to Afghanistan on the stump, we may hope indeed, should insist that the upcoming presidential debates oblige Trump and Clinton to address questions like these: What specific lessons do you take away from this longest of American wars? Please explain how you will apply those lessons once in office. As for Afghanistan itself, where do we go from here? To evade such questions would be an abdication of responsibility. Andrew J. Bacevich is the author most recently of Americas War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Donald Trump has had a very bad week, picking inexplicable fights with the parents of a fallen soldier, with war heroes, fire marshals and even babies. Its probably just wishful thinking, but rumors are now swirling that hes sabotaging his chances because he doesnt really want to make it to the White House, and will eventually drop out. In the very unlikely scenario that Trump leaves the race, the Republican Party would have the chance to name his replacement. Here comes Paul Ryan, 2016! Or perhaps Mitt Romney Redux? But thats easier said than done and would require some flexibility in the courts. As Politico reports, Republicans could be forced to wage state-by-state legal battles to get a new candidate on the ballot. Thats because our presidential race is not a single election, but 51 separate elections (all of the states, plus Washington, D.C.), each with its own rules for who gets on the ballot and how. Many states have early deadlines for naming a replacement, so if Trump waits, say, another three weeks before withdrawing, some state laws may require his name to stay on the ballot. Advertisement The democracy canon ... holds that election rules should be interpreted as generously as possible in favor of voter interests. State courts should bend over backwards to not hold states to these deadlines. Our democracy depends upon competitive elections, and ballots should give voters a real choice whenever possible. We have a precedent: the 2002 U.S. Senate race in New Jersey. Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Torricelli was running against Republican Douglas Forrester and two minor-party candidates. Torricelli withdrew when faced with questions about improper gifts and campaign contributions. (He was never charged with a crime.) Democrats wanted to replace him on the ballot with former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg. New Jersey law provided that a political party could name a replacement candidate In the event of a vacancy, howsoever caused, among candidates nominated at primaries, which vacancy shall occur not later than the 51st day before the general election . . . Torricellli withdrew 36 days before the general election. Over loud objections from the Republican Party, New Jersey courts allowed the Democrats to replace Torricellis name with Lautenbergs on the ballot, after determining that ballots had not been printed and there was enough time to make the switch. Lautenberg went on to win the race and served again in the U.S. Senate. Although the statute did not explicitly say that there could be no replacement of a candidate in fewer than 51 days, that was its clear implication. But the New Jersey courts were right to apply what I like to call the democracy canon, which holds that election rules should be interpreted as generously as possible in favor of voter interests. Sometimes the democracy canon has led courts to count a write-in ballot when the voter misspells a candidates name, or when the voter puts an X in a box for a candidate rather than a check mark as rules might direct. In the New Jersey case, the canon led judges to disregard obvious but indirect legislative instructions that would have deprived voters of the right to support the party they evidently preferred. Of course, some Democrats would just love it if Trump would drop out of the race even as his name lingered on the ballot. That scenario would certainly give their candidate, Hillary Clinton, an enormous advantage. But our democracy functions best when there is a fair contest between two or more candidates or parties, and the letter of election law, unless crystal clear, shouldnt get in the way of a meaningful choice. Richard L. Hasen is a professor at UC Irvine School of Law and author of Plutocrats United. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook MORE FROM OPINION House GOP members pursue an objectionable defense of fossil fuels Afghanistan: The campaigns forgotten war Without more walkable cities, building new transit wont reverse Metros ridership decline The United States is failing victims of crime in a multitude of ways. The Trump campaign emphasizes the betrayal felt by families whose loved ones were killed by immigrants in the country illegally. The solution they seek mass deportation is based on a myth of immigrant criminality, but these families frustration with the justice system is not unique. Across the country, crime victims too often experience a system that violates their human rights. Despite the vocal emphasis on law and order and, more specifically, victims rights by some lawmakers, prosecutors and law enforcement, Americas everyday record on protecting the rights of victims is decidedly mixed. The Rape Abuse & Incest National Network estimates that tens of thousands of rape kits around the country go untested for DNA evidence, hindering arrests and prosecution of attackers. Military service members who report sexual assault face retaliation that too often goes unpunished. One woman who reported a sexual assault to Washington, D.C., police told Human Rights Watch, Reporting to the police was far more traumatizing than the rape itself. Sexual assault is the most underreported violent crime in the U.S., and widespread failure to investigate reported cases further undermines victims confidence in the justice system. Racial disparities in the criminal justice system extend to the treatment of minority victims of crimes, and not just those who are killed by the police. A 2013 California survey of crime victims found victims of violent crime are more likely to be low-income, young, and Latino or African American. Yet these same victims were also more likely to be unaware of services available to them. Immigrants who are in the country illegally are particularly vulnerable to victimization. From a farm worker raped by a foreman to a mother whose 10-year-old daughter was assaulted in an isolated stairwell, they have told Human Rights Watch how fear of the police and deportation have kept them from reporting crimes and accessing the criminal justice system. Advertisement All victims want justice but they do not uniformly support the harshest possible penalties. Even as they promise justice for victims, policymakers sometimes fail to take into account how victims of crime define justice. All victims want justice but they do not uniformly support the harshest possible penalties. The same California survey of victims, conducted by Californians for Safety and Justice, found the majority believe too many people are sent to prison, and that victims in general preferred investments in mental health and drug treatment programs over prison for offenders by a three-to-one margin. Certainly, not all victims of crimes committed by immigrants see swift and harsh immigration enforcement as justice. The farm worker raped by her foreman told me she was disappointed to see her attacker, who was also in the country illegally, summarily deported rather than held accountable in the U.S. criminal justice system. When law enforcement agencies take extra steps to reach out to minority or undocumented immigrant victims, they do so in order to protect the public safety of everyone. A 2011 report by the American Immigration Council found more than 70 cities and states have policies that prevent police agencies from asking residents who have not been arrested about their immigration status, in order to encourage all victims of crime to come to the police for help. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck in 2012 decided immigrants without papers who were arrested for low level crimes wouldnt be turned over to federal authorities. Taking a too heavy handed approach to immigration matters, he told The Times, has eroded public trust. We need to build trust in these communities and we need to build cooperation or we wont be prepared [to police the city]. Policymakers who want to truly protect victims rights should do more than cite specific sensational killings in support of harsh penalties for undocumented immigrants. The diversity of opinions among victims reflects the multifaceted nature of justice and the values it must balance deterrence, retribution, rehabilitation, restoration and even mercy. Policies that seek to protect all victims, that recognize the inherent dignity of all persons, are the smartest and most effective way to keep us all safe. Grace Meng is a senior researcher in the U.S. program at Human Rights Watch. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook The Justice Department sent an earthquake rumbling through the music industry Thursday morning, even as it insisted that it wasnt changing a thing. After a two-year review, the departments antitrust division announced that it wouldnt seek to modify the 75-year-old consent decrees that govern two groups that issue licenses to perform music publicly (just the underlying compositions, not the actual recordings, which have separate copyrights). Though the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc., (BMI) had sought more flexibility in negotiating licensing deals, the department wound up giving them less. It declared that the decrees require the two organizations to issue full licenses to all the songs in their catalogs, including the ones whose songwriting teams they dont fully represent. BMI and ASCAP said they would challenge the departments position in court and in Congress. If it remains unchanged, it would be a big win for online music services but not necessarily for anyone else. By saying that ASCAP and BMI are required to offer full licenses to all who seek them, the department will force the industry to rethink its approach to some of the most popular genres of music, such as Top 40 and hip hop, where songs are frequently crafted by a grab bag of unaffiliated producers and writers. Worse, songwriting groups have warned that the departments decision (which has been rumored for several weeks) will discourage collaboration in an industry that thrives on it. Advertisement Songwriters and music publishers complain that theyre being hamstrung in a fast-changing market, stuck with royalty rates too low to support them. ASCAP and BMI were formed to help songwriters and the music publishers that represent them to negotiate licensing deals with the thousands of radio stations, bars, restaurants and other entities that play music for the public. But concerned about price-fixing by songwriters (who, technically, compete with one another), the Justice Department filed antitrust lawsuits in against the two organizations, bringing them under federal court supervision in 1941. The consent decrees signed that year require ASCAP and BMI to offer licenses to their entire catalog to anyone who wants one, at a fee thats either negotiated or set by a federal judge in a rate court. The decrees have been updated since then, yet songwriters and music publishers complain that theyre being hamstrung in a fast-changing market. As a result, they say, theyre stuck with royalty rates too low to support many of them. Thats not a unique complaint lots of recording artists argue that the royalties from online services are too low but online services typically pay much less for licenses to compositions than they do for licenses to play recordings. Some want to be part of the big ASCAP and BMI catalogs for most of their licensing, but negotiate individually with Spotify, YouTube and other online services because they think the songs they control are particularly valuable, and so worth more than what ASCAP and BMI are collecting. Or they may simply not want to participate in free, ad-supported music-streaming services, where the royalties are much lower than in fee-based services. At least one court, however, has interpreted the consent decrees as an all-in or all-out proposition. If songwriters sign with ASCAP and BMI, they have to be party to every licensing deal those organizations negotiate. So ASCAP and BMI asked the Justice Department in 2014 to give them the flexibility to let music publishers withdraw their songs from some licensing deals, particularly the ones with online services. The department declined to do so, saying Thursday that the withdrawals would cause too much confusion. Thats because individual publishers may not have the complete rights to the songs in their catalogs either for example, a publisher may represent only half of a songwriting team. If that publisher withdraws from an ASCAP deal with Pandora but the other rights holders do not, would ASCAPs blanket license still grant Pandora the right to play those songs? The department didnt stop there, however. To make sure the blanket licenses required by the consent decrees provided real insurance against infringement claims, the Justice Department ruled that ASCAP and BMI must each provide full licenses to the songs in their catalogs, even if they dont represent every songwriter and publisher credited on the tunes. The department says that its not changing the meaning of the decrees, just making an honest evaluation of how the market has been working. And its true that online services have routinely obtained licenses from the three largest performance rights organizations (the third is Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, a smaller player that isnt covered by the consent decrees), effectively covering all the songwriters and publishers whose music they play. Plus, under common-law principles, any member of a songwriting team can grant a full license to the composition unless they specifically agree otherwise. Nevertheless, the department is forcing ASCAP and BMI to go through their catalogs and cull the songs they dont have the legal authority to offer a full license for. That would include any works by songwriting teams whose members are scattered among different performing rights organizations and who have explicitly barred one another from unilaterally granting full licenses. It may also include works whose credits include songwriters represented by foreign rights organizations. Its also giving bars, restaurants and music services an incentive to obtain blanket licenses from fewer performance rights organizations, counting on an ASCAP or a BMI license to give them a large enough catalog to suit their needs. This would create an administrative nightmare as publishers and rights organizations try to parcel out royalties to unaffiliated songwriters who are co-writers on the tunes in their catalogs. Worse, some of those co-writers may be with SESAC, Global Music Rights or another rights organization not covered by the consent decree. Unless they reworked their agreements with their fellow songwriters to bar them from granting full licenses without their permission, they would be forced to live with the royalty rates negotiated by ASCAP and BMI. Thats why the departments new interpretation of the consent decrees, unless its rejected by a federal court, is likely to cause an upheaval in the music industry as songwriters and music publishers scramble to sort out who controls what. It also may deter songwriters or producers concerned about royalties from working with writers and producers that belong to a different rights organization. If the Justice Department had decided against 100% licensing, however, a different set of problems would have emerged. As the Copyright Office observed in a 2015 report, there is a shortage of reliable, publicly available data about who owns songwriting copyrights. A service can easily identify who owns the copyrights to the recording of a song, but there is no comprehensive, publicly accessible database that can be used to match that information with songwriting credits. Making matters worse, publishers come and go, catalogs of compositions get sold, and new rights organizations are emerging to compete with ASCAP and BMI. Without 100% licensing, a service may have no way of knowing that it wont get sued for playing songs in the catalogs it has licensed. This lack of transparency, by the way, led a coalition of songwriter associations to oppose allowing publishers to withdraw partially from ASCAP and BMI in order to negotiate separately with online music services. The songwriters worry that they wont get a full and accurate accounting of the royalty flow, and thus wont get their fair share of the deals. What a mess. And it may not be in the Justice Departments power to clean it up, at least not on its own. The department cant order rights organizations and music publishers to keep better records or to make their accounting more transparent. The situation is so bad, private firms have sprung up to amass their own databases of song credits, audit royalty payments and recover lost money for their clients. Its not clear how the announcement will affect how songwriters and publishers are paid by ASCAP and BMI. Today, if one holds 40% of the rights to a song and the other holds 60%, they each pay the relevant percentage to the own members. The department insists that this will continue to be the case, assuming that music services, bars and the like will continue to obtain blanket licenses from both organizations. Thats not likely to be true in every case, however, which means that someone will have to figure out how to pay rights-holders whose works are included in the licensing deal, but who arent a member of that organization. Songwriters fear, legitimately, that the resulting increase in administrative costs will leave them with an even smaller share of the pie. By requiring full licensing by ASCAP and BMI, the department may ultimately clear the way for publishers to partially withdraw and negotiate separately with online services provided they can satisfy their songwriters concerns about accounting and payment. In the meantime, though, the departments latest interpretation of the consent decree will hinder songwriters legitimate efforts to get the most royalties they can for their works. Ideally, more performance rights organizations would emerge to represent songwriters and compete with one another, reducing the need for court oversight of ASCAP and BMI. But the mandate for full licensing by ASCAP and BMI will only deter songwriters and publishers from affiliating themselves with anyone else. jon.healey@latimes.com Twitter: @jcahealey To the editor: Michael Hiltzik clearly outlines the mechanisms of Californias cap-and-trade program, and rightly concludes it works because it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Will states carbon pricing fail? column, July 31) The fact that permit sales this year were lower than expected and thus impacted the states budget is problematic, but not indicative of failure. In fact, the challenge of fluctuating revenues and impact on programs like the bullet train is exactly why we should stop trying to regulate ourselves out of climate changes damage. Businesses cant plan when regulation outcomes arent predictable, and politicians squabble about how to address revenue overages or shortfalls. Advertisement A more effective approach to reducing emissions is carbon fee and dividend. Charge a fee for fossil fuel production at its source, and then redistribute those dollars to American families. Predictable for producers, and even with some higher prices, families would enjoy a net gain in spendable income that would boost our economy. Edward Dignan, Long Beach .. To the editor: Californias carbon pricing has already succeeded. It has brought global warming to our attention and many others. Someone has to lead and as is often the case California has taken on the leadership role. The California Assembly showed renewed leadership in June, passing a greenhouse gas measure, which goes to the Senate for its consideration. The measure points to the place where the climate conversation needs to move: Washington. If passed, it would urge Congress to pass a carbon tax, effectively saying: The United States needs powerful new policies to meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals established in Paris. The best thing about the tax is its not a tax; it is a fee. The government keeps none of the money. Fossil fuels pay to dump pollution; households receive an equal share of the money raised. The carbon dividend helps poor and middle class households adjust to rising prices. Mark Tabbert, Newport Beach Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Donald Trumps public feud with the Muslim family of a fallen soldier has drawn attention to the businessmans own record of military service. Khizr Khan delivered an emotional speech at the Democratic National Convention in which he told the story of his son, Humayun, who was killed in 2004 by a car bomb while serving in Iraq. In his remarks, Khan, with his wife at his side, said the Republican presidential nominee had sacrificed nothing for his country. And in a response condemned by both Democrats and Republicans, Trump criticized the Gold Star parents and insisted his own sacrifices included creating jobs and helping establish a Vietnam War memorial in New York. But for all of Trumps boasting about his support from veterans, he has never served in the military, thanks to a string of deferments that enabled him to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. Heres a look at what happened: Trump graduates from New York Military Academy in 1964 as Vietnam War is ramping up. At the military academy, Trump wore a uniform and participated in marching drills all four years, up until his graduation in the spring of 1964. In March 1965, the first U.S. combat troops arrived on the ground in Vietnam. Shortly after his 18th birthday, Trump registered with the Selective Service on June 24, 1964. Federal law requires men at age 18 to register and be available for military draft. His Selective Service card noted that Trump was 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. Under a section titled physical characteristics it stated that Trump has a birthmark on both heels. Registering made Trump a candidate for a military draft, which was about to ramp up as U.S. involvement in Vietnam grew. But Trump said he wanted to pursue his education so he could enter the real estate business and follow in the footsteps of his father, Fred, who had built a profitable company in New York. Donald Trumps Selective Service card (National Archives and Records Administration ) (Kurtis Lee) College deferments during his years at Fordham and the University of Pennsylvania. Trump decided to stay in New York, enrolling at Fordham University in the fall of 1964. He would remain there for two years, before transferring to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he would study business. Trump received four education deferments while in school, according to the National Archives and Records Administration. The first education deferment came on July 28, 1964, several weeks before he began his freshman year at Fordham. Trump received similar deferments his sophomore, junior and senior years. The deferments ended once he graduated from Wharton, making the then-22-year-old Trump eligible to be drafted again. After college, Trump receives a medical deferment. Trump graduated in 1968, one of the most turbulent years of the war. He set his sights on returning to New York. On Oct. 15, several months after his graduation that spring, Trump was granted a 1-Y medical deferment. In an interview with the New York Times, Trump said the reason he received the medical deferment was because of bone spurs in his heels. The National Archives and Records Administration does not specify the reason for the medical deferment, only that it resulted from a September 1968 physical exam that disqualified him from service. I had a doctor that gave me a letter a very strong letter on the heels, Trump told the New York Times. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks declined to offer additional comment about the deferment. Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter Whats a 1-Y medical deferment? This deferment was handed out to individuals with health conditions that would have limited their effectiveness to serve. Those conditions, among others, included high blood pressure, severe asthma and allergies. Registrants who received this deferment were deemed not qualified for military service by the Selective Service. Trumps high lottery number for the draft. When the draft lottery for Vietnam began in December 1969, Trump was already shielded because of his medical deferment. Over the years, Trump has offered few details about his deferments, but has sometimes said the reason he did not fight in Vietnam was because he was fortunate enough to receive a high lottery number. If I would have gotten a low number, I would have been drafted. I would have proudly served," he told ABC News last year. "But I got a number, I think it was 356. Thats right at the very end. And they didn't get -- I dont believe -- past even 300, so I was -- I was not chosen because of the fact that I had a very high lottery number." An official for the National Archives confirmed that Trump received a draft number of 356 out of 365. But before that, Trump was protected from the draft for more than year by his 1-Y medical deferment. The draft ended in 1973. Listen to Trump talk about his draft number and deferments: What are Trumps views on not serving? At a campaign rally in New Hampshire last year, after Trump had criticized the war record of Sen. John McCain for being captured and held prisoner in Vietnam, he expressed some guilt about having not served. I didn't serve, I haven't served," said Trump. "I always felt a little guilty." Trumps relations with veterans groups. Trump has aggressively courted veterans in his presidential campaign and boasted of his contributions to veterans causes. But many of those donations remain undocumented. Earlier this year, the Washington Post found that Trump had raised $3.1 million at a January fundraiser for veterans, despite proclaiming he had raised about $6 million. At that same fundraiser, Trump pledged to personally donate $1 million to veterans causes. Only after intense pressure and questions from reporters did Trump make good on his pledge four months later. While speaking at the Veterans of Foreign Wars conference last month, Trump asserted he would be the best commander-in-chief that veterans have ever seen. Our debt to you is eternal yet our politicians have totally failed you, he said. Yet after his confrontation with the Khan family, the VFW issued a statement condemning Trumps remarks. Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression, said Brian Duffy, head of the veterans organization. There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed. Numerous other Gold Star families called upon Trump to apologize, but he has said he does not regret responding to what he called Khans vicious attack against him. At a Virginia rally Tuesday, a retired lieutenant colonel gave Trump his Purple Heart medal in a gesture of support. Trump thanked him and said, I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier. Follow @kurtisalee on Twitter kurtis.lee@latimes.com ALSO Op-Ed: Why Trump can't tell the difference between a Twitter war and a presidential campaign Foreign leaders long refrained from commenting on U.S. elections. Then Trump came along. 'A sense of panic is rising' among Republicans over Trump, including talk of what to do if he quits As Donald Trump stumbles from one self-inflicted wound to the next, that other candidate in the presidential race the one Trump has been too distracted to engage with very much has also been out on the campaign trail, garnering much less attention as she relentlessly focuses on selling her message. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has been doing a lot of skating right through some notable mishaps that could have caused serious damage if she were running against a more disciplined opponent. A week that might otherwise be difficult for Clinton is turning into one of the best of her campaign, as her Republican rivals troubles eclipse her own, enabling her to hit the stump unfettered, staying on message and on task in events in one hotly contested state after another, with the national polls moving in her favor. Advertisement Were going to have to look for some bigger places when we come here to Colorado, she joked with a crowd of 2,000 in the Denver area Wednesday. An additional 1,000 supporters were sent to the overflow room. Clinton took plenty of shots at Trump during the rally, but she also charmed the crowd with her knowledge of Denvers mass transit system, and talked in detail about her plans to address the economic challenges voters face. Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter Clinton seemed unburdened by a series of embarrassing resignations at the Democratic National Committee, charges that she mischaracterized the conclusions of the FBI investigation into her private email server, and the news this week that her massive fundraising lead over Trump is fast disappearing. Rather than shine the spotlight on Clintons troubles, Trump has tangled with the father of a deceased war hero and the leaders of his own party. Clinton was more than happy to talk about that in Colorado. There is no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump is unqualified to be president and unfit to be commander in chief, she said. Anyone who spends his time insulting our military, demeaning the service of our POWs and fallen soldiers, insulting Gold Star families, this is not someone who understands the honor, the duty of serving America. I am so grateful to every single person who has ever put on the uniform of the U.S. military. Then Clinton returned to a favorite line from her address when she accepted the Democratic nomination in Philadelphia last week. Anyone who can be provoked by a tweet should not be anywhere near nuclear weapons, she said. Clinton also was able to hone her campaigns message of optimism and hope and leave voters with the sense that she has a focused policy agenda that addresses their concerns. She preceded the rally near Denver with a visit to a local factory that makes scarves to punctuate her point that, despite what Trump says, business owners are not forced to offshore their production the way he has. I know he is wrong because I have been collecting information and visiting places that are actually doing these things, Clinton said at the rally, showing off the scarf she picked up earlier in the day. Then she invited voters to check out a new page on her website that catalogs the scores of factories in America that make ties, suits, shirts, furniture and other products that the Trump brand manufactures elsewhere. Clinton told stories about the fabrics manufacturing business her father owned, talking in detail about how much work he put into each of his products, taking the audience through each step. Then she turned back to Trump. This time she reminded the crowd of all the lawsuits filed against him by small-business owners who say his companies refused to pay them for the work they did. Trump has spent his career stiffing small businesses, Clinton said. I thought it happened once or twice. But no, my friends, it happened over and over. What kind of man does business by hurting other people? Such lines seemed designed to bait Trump into responding, an effort to bring him further off message and give Clinton yet more opportunity to talk about the hundreds of times hes been sued. The tactic has proven effective against him on other occasions. Clinton also ticked through the highlights of her economic policy agenda while in Colorado. She hopped from equal pay for women to promises of the biggest investment in public works since World War II to her vow to make public college debt-free. Again, she took digs at Trump along the way. If Donald Trump can plead bankruptcy six times and refinance his debts, American students and families ought to be able to refinance their debts, Clinton said. evan.halper@latimes.com Follow me: @evanhalper How Khizr and Ghazala Khan went from grieving parents to stars of the presidential race Obama says Trump is unfit to serve, and Trump threatens to walk away from leading Republicans Trump mired in another day of controversy with family of soldier killed in Iraq It was Sean Parkers house, but it was hardly his scene. The food station lines, rote candidate remarks and hordes of well-mannered donors chatting under a backyard tent did not scream renegade. Neither did the guest of honor, Hillary Clinton, who netted more than $1 million breezing through that June fundraiser at Parkers Los Angeles home. Parker is the man who terrorized the music industry with his file-sharing technology at Napster, inspired a sinister Justin Timberlake acting performance with his scheming at Facebook, and threw environmentalists into a fit with his multimillion-dollar fairy tale-themed wedding in a California redwood grove. Yet, here he was doing legwork for the old guard of politics. The 36-year-old Silicon Valley oligarch once vowed to rattle the established order of Washington. But several years into a multiplatform, multimillion-dollar effort that seeks to transform politics through technology, campaign cash and a few big ideas, the renowned rule-breaker is finding that the rules of politics are not easily broken. Advertisement Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter Parker is a curiosity in Washington: a billionaire eager to engage in politics, but without a signature cause. His agenda is murky, and can even be contradictory. He might emerge as the anchor donor in a big campaign to rid money from politics during one election, and then take a lead in funding efforts to protect some of the most entrenched incumbents in another. His ideology defies definition. Members of his team, several of whom were interviewed for this story (Parker declined), describe an almost quaint motivation. Allies say the billionaires overarching goal is a government that is more responsive to its voters, its entrepreneurs, its needy. Tech geniuses love experimentation, one GOP consultant said, and Parker sees politics as an inviting lab. The approach, though, is very different from the one Silicon Valley typically takes with Washington, in which impatient tech entrepreneurs try to apply their fast-moving business model to the lumbering machinery of government, and often find themselves tangled inside it. A lot of these big-time investors come into town and have a lot of disdain for policymakers in D.C., said Steve Glickman, executive director the Economic Innovation Group, a think tank that Parker is funding in Washington. Sean is interested in building relationships here. That is unique. His take is not that they should just subscribe to the Silicon Valley way of doing things. The behind-the-scenes coalition-building contrasts sharply with some of Parkers headline-grabbing political spending. He was one of the most generous donors to the Mayday political action committee launched by his friend and fellow open-Internet activist Lawrence Lessig, who attracted big money and a lot of media attention to a failed bid to pack Congress with campaign finance reformers. The massive checks Parker wrote for a similarly high-profile effort to make Congress friendly to gun control also yielded unimpressive results. The $2.5 million he contributed to a popular California marijuana legalization measure came only after other billionaires before him blazed the trail on pot legalization. Where the serial start-up investor is having the biggest impact in the political world, ironically, may just be in bolstering the status quo. His money was a big factor in keeping a Senate seat in the hands of Thad Cochran, a moderate Republican from Mississippi whose 2014 reelection bid was threatened by a tea party insurgent. He helps Republicans cozy with the Chamber of Commerce fend off tea party insurgents through another PAC. He gives generously to Democratic Party accounts. He opened his house to Clinton donors. The pattern suggests politics is not so much a whim or calculated business move for the billionaire, but a personal project. Parker is approaching government dysfunction in the same way he is his $250-million effort to find a cure to cancer. Both are scourges of society that are complex and intractable. And in both cases, Parker is trying to work his way deep into the networks of entrenched operators and decision makers and nudge them toward alternative paths. Much of the work takes place out of the public eye, at the Economic Innovation Group, launched last year. The obscure think tank has attracted top Washington policy talent to help develop, articulate and carry through Parkers vision for spreading prosperity to the many American cities losing ground amid the economic recovery. Predictably, the framework focuses on policies that would draw the kind of entrepreneurship and venture investment that has enabled Silicon Valley and other innovation hubs to thrive to the places investors dont consider. The work is unglamorous and slow going. The team has been churning through data models, meticulously assembling and revising legislation and engaging in the humbling task of congressional coalition-building. Hes not one of those guys who just flies into Washington and says, You need to do this, this and this, said Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Bay Area Democrat who was a guest at a dinner recently where Parker brainstormed with a small, bipartisan group of up-and-coming lawmakers. He was not pushing or peddling anything. It was more, Here is what I am working on and taking the temperature of what we thought could move in the House. Still, Silicon Valley bravado doesnt disappear when the billionaire shifts focus to Washington. He is zealous in his belief that tech will drastically change the way the electorate engages, motivating millions of people who sit out politics altogether to rise up and force the kind of action on issues such as gun control and campaign finance that the progressive PACs he backed could not. He has invested millions in a firm called Brigade, which aims to build a networking tool for voters that would be as powerful and seamless as LinkedIn is for job seekers. People have learned how to use Twitter and Facebook to build a movement, but the question for us was whether it is having a long-term impact, said Michael Polansky, a longtime business partner of Parkers. We wanted to take it to the next level and say, How do we connect these grass-roots communities back into a meaningful system? Lets say you care about gun control, Polansky said. Instead of generally recruiting all your Facebook friends, we can help you recruit people in districts that are competitive and meaningful. And when it comes time for the election, we can re-engage users who have pledged their votes for certain things, help get them to polls, and help them take positions on the ballot. Parker has bet on other political engagement technology, some of which has changed the face of campaigns. One firm he helped fund, NationBuilder, has become one of the most highly regarded tools for tracking and targeting voters, enabling even small-scale campaigns to run highly sophisticated outreach operations. His decade-old firm Causes helped turn online petition-gathering into a social phenomenon. But the outlook for Brigade is murkier. It is but one of many such apps, and some veterans of digital campaigns say they are hard pressed to see how it will be a game changer, particularly with its focus on trying to connect voters with causes and candidates that might motivate them to vote. Weve got 40 years of data about why and how people vote, said Nicco Mele, director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard and a former Los Angeles Times executive. The general consensus in both academia and political consulting is that information is not the problem. Parker built his personal brand flouting such advice. Whether his style will ultimately redefine how voters engage remains to be seen, as does whether he can redefine how well-heeled political donors engage. The only certainty seems to be that it will all move slowly. Early in the presidential race, as the spotlight shifted to Silicon Valley and Republican candidates were tripping over one another to project a hipness to the sharing economy and embedding Silicon Valleys values into their campaign message, Parker granted several of them an audience. Among those he huddled with were Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Parker had even given money to the Senate accounts of Rubio and Paul. He was sending a clear signal: Innovators like him would not be taken for granted again. Many had felt betrayed by the large financial contributions tech innovators made to President Obama, a candidate who they felt said all the right things on his visits out West but ultimately did not fully deliver for the innovation economy. We could have had a shot at Sean, Charlie Black, a Republican consultant in Washington who advises Parker and other tech innovators, said of bringing him to the GOP side in the presidential race. But those GOP politicians failed. Republican voters rallied behind Donald Trump, a candidate whose main use for Silicon Valley is to antagonize it. Parker and other unconventional donors had nowhere to turn to shake up the race. Eventually, 500 Hillary Clinton donors would pay $2,700 each to be in his backyard. evan.halper@latimes.com Follow me: @evanhalper ALSO How Khizr and Ghazala Khan went from grieving parents to stars of the presidential race Obama says Trump is unfit to serve, and Trump threatens to walk away from leading Republicans Clintons mission in battleground states: Lure working-class white voters away from Trumps camp Donald Trumps relations with the Republican Party and his political fortunes worsened dramatically Wednesday, as party leaders fretted openly about the inability of his campaign staff to control him and even began to discuss what to do if their unpredictable nominee suddenly quit the race. A sense of panic is rising among GOP elected officials and operatives, said Ed Rogers, a former Republican White House official. Serious, senior lawyers have begun researching how the rules would work if the party had to replace Trump on the ticket, a senior GOP figure in Washington with close ties to the party hierarchy confirmed. Advertisement Though the chance of Trump quitting remains extremely unlikely, the fact that Republican officials were conducting such semi-open discussions spoke loudly about how far panic has spread, prompted by Trumps actions of the last few days: his extended quarrel with the family of a soldier killed in action, his pointed refusal to endorse House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Sen. John McCain in their GOP primaries, and even less weighty matters like telling the mother of a crying baby to leave a rally. His volatility and wishful thinking on the part of some forced party leaders to reckon with any possible turn of events, including Trump ending his candidacy. Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter Republican officials cant force Trump out of the race, and the strong support he still has from many GOP voters makes elected officials reluctant to publicly oppose him. But their plotting makes clear the extent to which he is likely to be running alone, without the kind of help he was depending on from the partys more organized campaign apparatus. He just seems willfully destructive and willfully sort of sadistic about other Republicans, said Rick Wilson, a Florida-based GOP consultant who has spoken out against Trump for more than a year. Finally, people are like, No more. Were done. Were not playing this game anymore. All of the flareups point to a singular frustration: Trumps refusal to take advice. Khizr Khan, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq, speaks at the Democratic National Convention. Combined, they have also helped restore Hillary Clinton to a solid lead in most polls, renewing fears among Republican leaders that Trump could drag down-ballot GOP candidates down with him. The last two weeks have been terrible for the Republican nominee, conceded Barry Bennett, a former senior campaign advisor to Trump. I cant deny the obvious, he said. Bennett said even the smaller controversies, like the crying baby, are creating the type of image problems that would have ended the Mitt Romney campaign in 2012. But Trumps willingness to shock set the bar much higher, and also attracted GOP primary voters. Bennett called the notion of Trump leaving the race crazy talk and noted that the nominee, despite his foibles and missteps, remains in a very competitive race. The bottom line is that he has to get more disciplined, said Bennett, still a Trump supporter. Theres no doubt about it. We cant have unforced errors. Trump showed no signs he would heed that advice. Instead, during a rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, he recounted controversial moments from his primary campaign: vulgar comments about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and his imitation of a reporter with a disability. He ran through a long list of other grievances, insisting the media had unfairly criticized him at every turn. And he pronounced that his campaign has never been so united. His declaration defied intensifying leaks about discord within the campaign and between his staff and the Republican National Committee. The chatter grew significant enough to force campaign Chairman Paul Manafort to deny the infighting. But even Manaforts comments left the impression that Trump may be shutting out his closest advisors. The candidate is in control of his campaign, Manafort said on Fox News. We are organized, we are moving forward, and the Clinton machine may not like it, but were prepared for the fight. Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, made a separate attempt at damage control, endorsing Ryan in another Fox television interview. Trump strongly encouraged me to endorse, Pence said, awkwardly trying to bridge the gap on his own. Both tactics have become familiar in recent weeks: blaming the Clinton campaign and sending Pence to mend fences. Neither has stanched the problems. And the concerns have reached Trumps older children, who have closely advised him throughout his campaign. They all recognize that theres a lack of focus, and that this race is eminently winnable if they just focus, according to one person who keeps in contact with them. The person didnt say whether they have convinced their father or even spoken with him about it. Other GOP luminaries have made their own efforts. One highly placed Republican said Trump met Tuesday with former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for about two hours, and spoke by phone with Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who has counseled and supported Trump. This is not October. Its August, said Charlie Black, an informal Trump advisor, cautioning against drawing fixed conclusions from his bad week. The array of bad news for Trump has overshadowed some political opportunities. Figures released late last week showed anemic economic growth, Clinton claimed inaccurately that the FBI director vouched for her honesty about her email, and a staff shake-up plagued the Democratic National Committee. You can never recoup the time you lose in the media cycle. So every day that hes on defense or trying to explain some utterance, hes losing, said Rick Tyler, a former spokesman for Trumps top primary-season rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Converting potential advantages into votes will not only require more discipline from Trump, but also money and organization in battleground states. The Trump campaign announced Wednesday that it had raised a combined $80 million with the RNC and state parties in July, the vast majority from small-dollar donors who gave online or through mail solicitations. That was less than Clinton, but stronger than prior efforts. Trump did not indicate how much is available to his campaign and how much will remain under the partys control, a crucial issue given his apparent tension with the RNC. Trump will need the money. Not only is Clinton ahead, she also has a big advantage among the major donors. Many of the GOPs so-called whales have declined to help Trump. Among them is Meg Whitman, the Hewlett Packard Enterprise chief executive who ran unsuccessfully for governor of California in 2010. A prominent Republican fundraiser with a net worth of $2 billion, Whitman announced Tuesday that she was backing Clinton, saying, Trumps demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character. Even if Trump were to pick up his fundraising pace, he faces stiff organizational challenges, particularly if he loses support from the RNC. In these critical battleground states, the states that absolutely Trump must win, theyre undermanned and outgunned in every way, Wilson said, and he pointed to one of the most crucial battlegrounds, his home state of Florida. Wilson said Clinton has more staff exclusively targeting Latino voters in Orlando alone than Trump has in the entire state. Even if they had $1 billion that walked in the door tomorrow, he said, these things cant just happen. Bierman and Lauter reported from Washington and Finnegan from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Jill Ornitz and Kurtis Lee in Washington contributed to this report. Twitter: @noahbierman, @finneganLAT, @davidlauter ALSO How Khizr and Ghazala Khan went from grieving parents to stars of the presidential race Obama says Trump is unfit to serve, and Trump threatens to walk away from leading Republicans Trump mired in another day of controversy with family of soldier killed in Iraq Sacramento County sheriff and law-and-order congressional candidate Scott Jones already has taken heat for saying hell vote for Donald Trump this November, and his rival is doing his best to turn the burner to high. In a race tinged by accusations of sexual harassment and financial misdeeds, Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove called on Jones to denounce the GOP presidential nominee for feuding with the Muslim parents of Humayun Khan, an Army captain killed in the Iraq war. For the record: An earlier version of this article gave the name of Rep. Ami Beras father as Babual Bera. His name is Babulal Bera. Jones isnt the only Republican in California being forced to delicately or not so delicately maneuver around the latest Trump tempest. Advertisement Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) on Tuesday called Trumps comments about Khans parents deplorable, and Republican Assemblyman David Hadley of Manhattan Beach penned an opinion piece in the Daily Breeze saying he wont vote for Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton. Both are locked in tough reelection fights and were called out by Democratic rivals to denounce Trump. In July, Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) said he wouldnt vote for Trump because he denigrates people based on their ethnicity, religion, or disabilities. Jones has faced nettlesome questions about Trump since May when he first said he would vote for the New York billionaire. In a district that leans a hair to the left, the sheriff has tried hard to keep Trump at arms length, insisting that his vote is not an endorsement while criticizing Trumps hate speech. Beras closely divided 7th Congressional District has been a prize coveted by both parties. Democrats hold an edge with 39% of registered voters compared with 35% for Republicans. The district includes Folsom, Elk Grove and a portion of Sacramento, a region where state government is a crucial engine for the local economy. Bera and Jones were the only two names on the June 7 primary ballot, with Bera winning 54% of the vote and Jones 46%. Election 2016 | California politics news feed | Sign up for the newsletter Bill Hitchcock, a 20-year Air Force veteran and member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Elk Grove, said Jones and anyone else supporting Trump were displaying a lack of good judgment. VFW national leader Brian Duffy denounced Trump on Monday for his comments about the Khans, saying they were out of bounds. Hitchcock, a Republican, called Trumps remarks disgusting but not surprising. He noted that Trump last year questioned the heroism of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who was tortured during his five years in a North Vietnam POW camp. Every time Trump speaks, he shoves his foot deeper inside his mouth, said Hitchcock, 83, a former weapons system engineer who served two tours in Vietnam. From a military aspect, were all leery of him. Hitchcock plans to vote for Clinton. And Bera. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched an aggressive effort to tether GOP candidates to Trump, hoping to win over voters who may be spooked by the presidential nominee. Its a well-worn political tactic, and one Beras campaign has latched onto with glee. Dave Gilliard, a consultant for the Jones campaign, dismissed the Bera campaigns call to denounce Trump as a political stunt done in concert with the Democratic Party. Jones has said he plans to vote for Trump because he is the Republican Partys presidential nominee and because he opposes Clinton. Still, Trump may be down the list of Jones concerns. The Sacramento Bee reported that a female deputy at the Sacramento Sheriffs Department said in a court deposition that 13 years ago, Jones made unwanted sexual advances, groping and kissing her. Jones, who was a sergeant at the time, denied the allegation, saying the deputy was the aggressor. The deputys statement surfaced in a discrimination lawsuit filed against the Sheriffs Department by female deputies. A jury in May awarded the women $3.6 million. Jones emerged last November as a formidable challenger. The popular sheriff and conservative Republican stepped into the public spotlight in 2014 when he decried President Obama for the nations immigration problems shortly after a twice-deported Mexican national killed two police officers during a Northern California shooting rampage. Bera, a physician, has been a ripe target for the Republicans ever since he unseated GOP Rep. Dan Lungren in 2012. Bera survived a bitterly fought challenge by former Republican Rep. Doug Ose two years later, a race that attracted more than $24 million in campaign spending. Bera won by less than 1% of the vote. He appeared vulnerable again this election after national labor organizations denounced him for supporting the Obama administrations Pacific trade deal. Jones even picked up an endorsement from a Northern California chapter of the Teamsters union a rarity for a Republican only to see it withdrawn in May when the sheriff announced he would vote for Trump in the general election. For more on politics >> Ose, in an interview this week, dismissed the Bera campaigns efforts to link Jones to Trump as a political ruse to deflect attention away from a scandal involving Beras father, who diverted more than a quarter of a million dollars to his sons congressional campaigns. Babulal Bera, 83, pleaded guilty to the charges in May. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 18 and could face up to 30 months in prison. Federal prosecutors said he and his wife asked relatives, friends and acquaintances to make the maximum allowable federal campaign contributions and paid those donors back with his own money. Federal authorities said there was no evidence the congressman was aware of the scheme. His dad is going to prison, and the guy who benefited is on easy street, said Ose, who has endorsed both Jones and Trump. Ose believes the sheriffs chances of unseating Bera in November only grow stronger with Trump on the ballot. Rancho Cordova City Councilwoman Linda Budge, a Republican who has endorsed Jones, offered a less sympathetic view of Trumps latest entanglement. Budge noted that her city, a Sacramento suburb, is home to many veterans who worked at the nearby Mather Air Force Base before it was shuttered by the Pentagon in the late 1980s. Regardless of your politics, we need to look at the people who are serving and the people who have served and just honor them for what they did for their country, said Budge, who grew up in an Air Force family. Especially when their family members dont come home. Still, she doubts the controversy surrounding Trump and the anger many voters feel about Washington politics will have much of an impact on the outcome of the areas congressional race. Budge said most people see the Jones-Bera contest as a local race, focused on local issues. Theyre way more concerned about whats going on in their own backyard, she said. phil.willon@latimes.com Twitter: @philwillon ALSO: I have, in fact, done the crime: Rep. Ami Beras father admits illegal campaign contributions No regrets for taking on fallen soldiers parents, Trump says Republican Rep. Steve Knight calls Trumps comments on Khan family deplorable South Bay assemblyman says he wont vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton Meg Whitman joins chorus of Republicans supporting Hillary Clinton Updates on California politics Im Christina Bellantoni here with an assist from Julie Westfall, our deputy politics editor. Essential Politics begins today with a question is it time for Republicans to panic? This is something top members of the GOP establishment are asking in the wake of a rocky week that saw Donald Trumps convention bounce all but evaporate. David Lauter, Michael Finnegan and Noah Bierman report on how party leaders are openly discussing the inability of Trumps campaign staff to control him and even talking about what to do if he suddenly quits the race. Advertisement A sense of panic is rising among Republican elected officials and party operatives, said Ed Rogers, a former Republican White House official with longstanding ties to the party hierarchy. Lets get this straight the chance of Trump quitting the race remains extremely unlikely. But the fact that Republican officials were conducting semi-open discussions of what to do, with senior lawyers researching the rules and precedents, spoke loudly about how far that panic has spread. Our team checked in with two-dozen voters in Virginia and Arizona to see how Trump is viewed today. His mouth is digging a hole for himself that hes falling into, one Northern Virginia Republican said. Its a strong position for Hillary Clintons team, given the Democratic nominee has been doing a lot of skating right through some notable mishaps that could have caused serious damage if she were running against a more disciplined opponent. WISCONSIN SAGA ROLLS ON Unlike his running mate, vice presidential nominee Mike Pence isnt unsure whether he wants to support House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in his upcoming primary. A day after Trump said he wasnt there yet on endorsing Ryan, and following a nice tweet he sent Ryans rival, Pence went on Fox News to throw his support to his former House colleague. He said he did so with Trumps encouragement. Get the latest from the campaign trail on Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics. Check our daily USC/Los Angeles Times tracking poll at the top of the politics page. THE ROGER HERNANDEZ SAGA ROLLS ON Embattled Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina), who is missing the first weeks of the legislative end-of-session rush on medical leave after a judge issued a domestic violence restraining order against him, continues to receive per diem payments to cover travel and lodging costs on top of his salary. Melanie Mason and Patrick McGreevy report that Hernandezs legal troubles have become a political headache for Assembly Democrats, including Speaker Anthony Rendon, who suggested to Hernandez weeks ago that he consider resigning. The ordeal has sparked a debate about invoking a new law, Proposition 50, that allows legislators to suspend a colleague without pay. Its really busy in Sacramento on Thursday. Keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed for the latest. THE TRUMP EFFECT Trumps troubles may be spilling over into one of Californias most contentious congressional races. Facing another tough reelection battle, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) called on his rival, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, to denounce the GOP presidential nominee. Phil Willon reports that Jones has been dogged by questions about Trump ever since he announced his plans to vote for him in May. One Air Force veteran in the district, a Republican, had this advice for Scott: Cut all ties to Trump. SILICON VALLEY RE-MATCH COULD UNSEAT HONDA Two years ago, Democratic challenger Ro Khanna came dangerously close to beating Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose), finishing just three points behind the eight-term congressman in the general election. This year, Khanna bested the incumbent in the primary, earning 2,200 more votes than Honda, who is now in the fight of his life for his Silicon Valley seat. After more than 35 years as an elected official, Honda has earned a reputation as a liberal stalwart in Congress. Christine Mai-Duc and Sandra Poindexter take a look at a race where shifting demographics and an ongoing ethics probe could threaten Hondas political future. CALIFORNIA CLIMATE POLICY Climate change is one of the biggest issues facing lawmakers at the end of the legislative session, and Gov. Jerry Brown is hoping lawmakers will support his effort to create a regional electricity grid. The plan is intended to help spread clean energy throughout western states, but there are concerns that it would bolster a utility dependent on coal. On Wednesday, Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said he had some reservations about the idea. Hes planning to keep working on it with the governor. THREAT OR SATIRE? The Riverside County Republican Party sent out a tweet Wednesday that showed an executioner with a noose, with ready for Hillary written at the bottom. A Press Enterprise journalist first saw the controversial tweet and took a screenshot before it was deleted. Riverside County GOP Chairman Scott Mann said he was horrified. Earlier in the day he had defended it as satire. TODAYS ESSENTIALS You knew the election and the Olympics would eventually converge. Sean Parker once vowed to rattle the established order of Washington. But several years into a multi-platform, multimillion-dollar effort that seeks to transform politics through technology, campaign cash and a few big ideas, the 36-year-old Silicon Valley oligarch and renowned rule-breaker is finding that the rules of politics are not easily broken. Evan Halper looks at the man behind the political money. Republican Rep. Steve Knight (R-Lancaster) called Trumps verbal attacks on the family of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq deplorable, goaded by calls from his congressional challenger. The Trump Taj Mahal casino will shut down after Labor Day, the victim of the longest strike in Atlantic Citys 38-year casino era. The closure will cost about 3,000 workers their jobs and reduce the number of casinos in Atlantic City to seven. California is running out of money for 911 emergency services and lawmakers need to find a solution, legislators were told Wednesday. The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted an emergency appeal to allow a Virginia school district to temporarily block a male transgender high school student from using the restroom that matches his gender identity. In an unusual 5-3 order, Justice Stephen Breyer said he agreed to join the four conservatives in blocking a lower court ruling that upheld the Obama administrations position that schools should allow transgender students to use the bathroom they preferred. Rep. Karen Bass got a little snarky Wednesday, asking her Twitter followers, effectively, if Trump is crazy. How did the gold star become a symbol that a family had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country? It started during World War I. Also of note, Trump reportedly met with some Gold Star families on Wednesday to hear their concerns. Who will win the November election? Give our Electoral College map a spin. 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. For months, Ro Khanna had one goal in his primary race against eight-term incumbent Rep. Mike Honda: lose by 10 points. If he could come within that margin, the Fremont Democrat reasoned, he stood a good chance of overtaking Honda to win the Silicon Valley seat in November. But when election night returns showed the two neck and neck, and later put Khanna ahead, he didnt believe it. Call the guy back, he told his wife when she relayed the early results. I dont think that could be possible. Advertisement In the end, Khanna, 39, received 2,200 votes more than Honda. The results could mark a turning point in the 75-year-old congressmans career: After more than 35 years as an elected official and 16 years as a congressman, Honda has earned a reputation as one of the liberal stalwarts of Congress, with high rankings from labor, civil rights and environmental groups. But shifting demographics in the district and an ongoing ethics probe could threaten Hondas success in the race. I wouldnt call it losing, Honda said in a recent interview. Lets call it moving on to the general election. Factors that may contribute to Hondas potential vulnerability have been developing for years. Redistricting in 2012 changed the demographics of Hondas constituency more Indian Americans live in his district than any other in the nation and wrapped in cities that are home to leaders of the Bay Area tech boom. The growing political muscle of tech executives such as Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg and Googles Sundar Pichai both of whom have thrown their weight behind Khanna and the expanded influence of Indian Americans in the district may have paved the way for a candidate like Khanna, a former appointee of President Obama, to succeed. Honda says his strategy all along has been to store up resources for whats sure to be a hard-fought general election against an opponent who has been known to out-raise him. Still, the June election marked a big reversal from the 2014 primary, when Honda, 75, handily defeated his upstart challenger by more than 20 points. Khanna came within striking distance of Honda that November, losing by just three points. A lot has changed since then. Heading into the primary, Khanna had a more than 2-1 fundraising advantage. Honda had lost a couple of key endorsements, most notably from President Obama, and has been dogged by an ongoing investigation into whether he inappropriately used official resources and staff to benefit his campaign. All this has made Khanna quite confident about his chances when the two Democrats face off in November, thanks to Californias top-two primary. We will win by at least 10 points, Khanna predicted recently. Honestly, theres just no path for Mike Honda at this point. But longtime political observers in Silicon Valley say it would be a mistake to count Honda down and out just yet. Few people historically have had the deep reverence in their quiver that Mike Hondas had, said Larry Gerston, a professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University. Honda, a former high school science teacher who spent part of his childhood in a Japanese internment camp, is well-liked and has a long-standing reputation as a progressive advocate for immigrants, the poor and seniors, Gerston said. Those groups could come out in full force as the general election nears. Honda already has the backing of the California Democratic Party and more than a third of the California congressional delegation, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). His campaign has been funded largely by retirees and union and corporate PACs. Khannas donors, on the other hand, comprise a whos who of Silicon Valley executives, including Sandberg, Pichai and former Facebook president Sean Parker. Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel, a self-described libertarian who addressed the Republican National Convention last month in endorsing Trump, is also a Khanna supporter, a fact the Honda campaign happily seized upon. Khanna, whose parents emigrated from India, has also had success fundraising within the districts sizable Indian American community. SIGN UP for our free Essential Politics newsletter >> Khanna seems to have learned his lesson from last cycle, when he blew through the bulk of his money before the primary, launching television ads early on and running out of steam closer to November. According to the latest numbers released by his campaign, Honda has raised a total of $2.2 million, with almost $1 million cash on hand. Khannas campaign said it has raised a total of $2.9 million, with $1.4 million banked. In the 17th Congressional District, where the median household income tops $103,000 and Republicans have a 44%-19% disadvantage in voter registration, Khanna and Honda have largely been left to claim loyalties from different types of Democrats. Its a relatively new district to Honda, who previously represented the 15th Congressional District that stretched south into the more rural community of Gilroy. District lines were shifted north in 2012 and now include the Alameda County cities of Fremont and Newark as well as Cupertino and Sunnyvale, wealthy suburbs that are ground zero for Silicon Valleys so-called innovation class. Voters in that region tend to be more conservative on economics and progressive on social issues, according to Bruce Cain, a politics professor at Stanford University. Its an area that is not traditionally liberal in the way the Democratic Party in California has been, Cain said, with a stronger faith in private investment and technology. Those differences were reflected in the June primary results, according to a Times analysis. Khanna, a former intellectual property attorney, made major inroads in Cupertino and Sunnyvale and in Milpitas and Fremont, home to sizable Indian American populations. Honda, however, had strongholds in San Jose, Santa Clara and Newark, lower- to middle-income cities with larger Latino populations. Khanna and Honda agree on many major issues, including opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, helping relieve student debt and raising the federal minimum wage. While Honda has touted his decades of experience first as Santa Clara County supervisor and then state assemblyman, and a self-described proven record as a progressive Khanna has portrayed his opponent as woefully out of touch with a district that is known for being cutting-edge. Khanna has also seized on the protracted ethics investigation still hanging over Hondas head. Last year, the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics found substantial reason to believe that Honda used official taxpayer resources to benefit his campaign, which is against House rules. The report quoted emails between Hondas chief of staff and his campaign manager about who should be invited to a State Department event. The matter was referred to the House Ethics Committee, which is still investigating. Honda called the issues raised clerical in nature, and said hed raised a firewall in his office that bars any office employees from working on the campaign, even as volunteers. I didnt break any laws, Honda said in an interview, adding that the Khanna campaign used some of the emails as if to say we were practicing pay-to-play [politics]. But Khanna called Hondas alleged actions a cardinal sin that erodes trust in government. Honda has opened a separate legal defense fund, allowing him to raise money specifically for his legal fees. Despite his legal challenges, Cain says, Hondas chances of retaining his seat will come down to getting voters to the polls. Higher Republican turnout is thought to favor Khanna, who has received support from some right-leaning donors, while true-blue liberals who might turn out for Hillary Clinton and other establishment Democrats will likely favor Honda. In the nations highest Asian-majority district, where nearly 15% of the population is Indian American, ethnic voting patterns could be key as well. When you bring down an incumbent, its not just one thing, Gerston said, but a combination of the districts changing demographics, the looming investigation and other factors could make Honda more vulnerable. And in a year when anti-establishment messages seem to be resonating, Gerston said, you kind of wonder whether Honda, despite his past and close ties with the communitymay get swept out in that same tide. christine.maiduc@latimes.com, sandra.poindexter@latimes.com For more on California politics, follow @cmaiduc. Top-two primary yields surprises, relief for California candidates and incumbents These California congressional leaders spent the most taxpayer money communicating with constituents Updates on California politics One day after U.S. health officials announced an early start to a clinical trial to test a Zika vaccine in humans, researchers reported in the journal Science that three types of vaccines designed to block the virus all worked to perfection in monkeys. The three experimental vaccines had already proved effective in mice, and their success on rhesus monkeys is raising optimism for the development of a vaccine for humans, the study authors wrote. With more than 50 countries and territories battling active Zika outbreaks, the need for a vaccine is clear. Hundreds of thousands of people have been infected, including more than 6,400 people in the U.S. and its territories. Advertisement Although most infections cause only mild symptoms at best including fever, rash, headache and joint or muscle pain women who contract the virus while pregnant put their unborn children at risk of microcephaly. Affected infants are born with small heads and often experience neurological problems and cognitive deficits as they get older. There is also some evidence that, in rare cases, a Zika infection can lead to a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is researching the link between the two. A safe and effective vaccine to prevent Zika virus infection and the devastating birth defects it causes is a public health imperative, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. The vaccines assessed by researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Harvard Medical School and elsewhere use three different methods to generate an immune response in patients. The first of them used a purified and inactivated version of the virus, which was too disabled to cause an infection but still caused the monkeys immune systems to make antibodies capable of fighting Zika. When deliberately exposed to the virus, none of the eight monkeys that received two doses of the vaccine showed any sign of infection. However, the eight monkeys that got the placebo became sick for about a week. Next, the researchers extracted antibodies from the vaccinated monkeys and infused them into four other unvaccinated monkeys. Two of the animals received a lower dose of antibodies and experienced a blip of infection when exposed to the virus. The other two monkeys that got a higher dose of the antibodies showed no sign of infection, according to the study. See the most-read stories in Science this hour The other two vaccines a DNA vaccine and a so-called adenovirus vector-based vaccine exposed monkeys to fragments of DNA that the Zika virus uses to make its outer coat. Each version was tested in four monkeys, and another group of four monkeys received a placebo. A single shot of the adenovirus vaccine prompted recipients to make Zika-fighting antibodies two weeks after the injection. The DNA vaccine required two shots an initial injection and a booster four weeks later to spark a robust antibody response. After being exposed to Zika, monkeys that got either type of vaccine had complete protection against the virus. However, all of the monkeys that got the sham vaccine became infected with the virus. These data support the rapid clinical development of [Zika virus] vaccines for humans, the study authors concluded. The vaccine being tested in people in the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases trial is also a DNA vaccine. It contains genes that cause a persons cells to make Zika virus proteins. Once those proteins are assembled, the bodys immune system should respond by making antibodies and T cells capable of neutralizing the Zika virus. That way, if an actual Zika infection occurs, the body will be ready to fight it. The vaccine itself cant cause an infection because the Zika proteins it prompts the body to make do not contain infectious material, according to the NIAID. The launch of this study is an important step forward. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases A similar approach was used in an experimental vaccine for West Nile virus. A preliminary clinical trial found that it safely prompted an immune response. The Zika vaccine will be tested in 80 volunteers who will be randomly assigned to one of four groups. All of them will get the vaccine at their first visit, using a device that pushes medicine directly into the arm without requiring a needle. Members of the four groups will receive one or more follow-up doses over various periods of time. Each time a dose is administered, volunteers will be monitored by a doctor for at least 30 minutes. Investigators will draw blood at follow-up visits so they can monitor the strength of the immune response. The last scheduled follow-up will occur two years after the initial dose is given. Although it will take some time before a vaccine against Zika is commercially available, the launch of this study is an important step forward, Fauci said. The trial will be conducted at the National Institutes of Healths Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., the University of Maryland in Baltimore and Emory University in Atlanta. If the vaccine proves safe and prompts an immune response, federal health officials plan to launch a larger clinical trial early next year. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. is also testing a DNA-based Zika vaccine in a clinical trial that is scheduled to enroll 40 participants in Miami, Philadelphia and Quebec City. The first dose in that trial was administered last month, according to the Pennsylvania-based company. karen.kaplan@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook. ALSO Amish kids help scientists understand why farm life reduces the risk of asthma Unfortunate dinosaur in New Jersey suffered from horrific case of arthritis Senior citizens rarely turn to Dr. Google for medical advice UPDATES: 3:20 p.m.: The story was updated with information about a clinical trial for Inovio Pharmaceuticals Zika vaccine. The story was originally published at 12:15 p.m. About 1,500 residents attended this years National Night Out held Tuesday along the Chandler Bikeway, where safety tips, local police and camaraderie amongst neighbors were celebrated in order to improve safety in the community. When you park your car, roll your windows up, put your valuables in the trunk and lock your vehicle. If you see something, say something, Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse said to the crowd. Held every year on the first Tuesday of August, National Night Out is an annual event which takes place in cities across the country to unify communities and their local police to prevent and solve crimes. The program encourages people to take action, keep an eye out for any suspicious activities and exercise their power to control what happens in their neighborhoods. This is a national event to garner support in the community as we partnership with them in fighting crime. Its based on the Neighborhood Watch program, working together to make a difference, said Burbank Police Community Resource Officer Karel Castro , who, along with fellow resource officer Angela Burrows, coordinated the event. ------------ FOR THE RECORD August 4, 11:07 a.m.: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of a Burbank resource officer. Her name is Angela Burrows, not Angela Burroughs. ------------- In light of recent violent events between police and civilians, Burrows admitted, There are some people who are kind of more standoffish with us, but then there are others who come up to us and thank us for our service, and thats always so nice to have someone come up and tell us were doing a great job and that they support us. Councilman Bob Frutos, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer, said Burbank is fortunate to have its police officers. Their outreach with the community is imperative for our success in our city. What theyre doing is establishing those relationships with the communitys first form of government to let them know that were there for them, Frutos said. National Night Out also aims to educate residents on how to be more observant and aware of crime in their own neighborhoods. You see people walking down the street buried in their phone, not aware of the surroundings and theyre walking victims, said Dan Dodd, a Burbank police reserve officer. Theyll see something unusual in their neighborhood and their instinct tells them, That doesnt look right. That persons out of place. That cars out of place. But they dont take action. They dont actually pick up the phone and call the police. In an agency like Burbank, they will come out immediately. Burbank Bike Angels created a bicycle safety course using sidewalk chalk to help young riders learn the basics of bike safely. It helps them learn the basics, to look both ways, how to stop at stop signs, wear helmets and check that a bike is ride-worthy before they get on, said Henry Diel, a volunteer with Burbank Bike Angels and local resident since 1963. Raquelle Masoudi, 16, a volunteer with the Burbank Volunteer Program, reviewed bike rules and safety with the young riders. We show them a bike safety quiz, and we ask them safety questions, like if its safe to wear headphones (while riding). We think its important to teach them these things now, because when they older, theyll remember. Its important they learn from a young age. Masoudi said. Residents had the opportunity to strike up conversations with local police officers, which Jireh Gerry, a 16-year-old volunteer with the Burbank Volunteer Program, said is important. Events like this are really great because people see police officers at other (events) happening now as dangerous, Gerry said. We are so unaware of so many things that police and firemen do for us every single day. So, its a great opportunity to thank them and just let them know we appreciate what theyre doing and that we do understand that its a dangerous job and sometimes its very stressful. Toy is a contributor to Times Community News. Two 32-year-old men accused in a home invasion robbery in which a housekeeper was tied up at gunpoint before more than $1 million was stolen from the trunk of a Rolls Royce in Burbanks hillside pleaded no contest this week to different charges. Siavash Razaghi, of Oak Park, pleaded no contest to one count of first-degree residential burglary, while Travis Kennedy, of Newhall, pleaded no contest to possession of methamphetamine for sale, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon with two priors, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. As part of their negotiated pleas, additional charges are expected to be dropped at their sentencing hearing next month, officials said. For Razaghi, thats one count each of home-invasion robbery, second-degree commercial burglary and identity theft, while for Kennedy, that includes one count each of home-invasion robbery, first-degree residential burglary and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm. The case stretches back to a November afternoon two years ago, when, according to testimony given during a five-day preliminary hearing last year, Angelina Hernandez heard a knock at the door of a home on the 1300 block of Paseo Redondo, where she worked as a live-in housekeeper. Two men, with a clipboard and an orange Home Depot box in tow, claimed they had a mail delivery. When Hernandez opened the door, one twisted her arm and stuck a pistol in her side. He asked for the money and keys to the house and forced her to the kitchen, where he zip-tied her hands. The second man, meanwhile, closed all the window blinds in the home. They both subsequently put on ski masks, gloves and sunglasses, before one of them took Hernandez to the bathroom, where she stayed until they left. The homeowner, Melvin Hoffman, later told police that $1.35 million in cash stored in colored envelopes with different labels in the trunk of a blue Rolls-Royce in the garage was missing. The money had come from cash payments hed been collecting for eight years for trust deeds, though there were no records of who paid what and when. Between 3:03 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. that afternoon, two cars a light blue Ford Ranger and a white U-Haul van that was missing stickers typically seen on similar vehicles were caught on neighbors security cameras driving up the hill toward the Hoffman residence, and back down again. At 3:46 p.m., a neighbor called 911 after Hernandez, barefoot, ran over and asked for help. Half an hour before driving up the hill, both cars had stopped at a Shell gas station. A man was caught on video walking inside the store, where he paused for a few seconds, and left. For almost four months, detectives were unable to identify the man or find the vehicles. In February 2015, police announced that the homeowner was offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of any suspects. During a press conference that month, police released surveillance photographs from the gas station, as well as of the blue Ford Ranger. They did not mention the U-Haul. Someone subsequently pointed detectives to Razaghis Facebook page. Detectives identified him as the man at the gas station. It was not clear this week whether anyone received Hoffmans reward. In the weeks after the robbery, Razaghi acquired a Mercedes-Benz and a Cartier watch, and was reportedly seen holding a 3-inch stack of cash. On Facebook, he posted a photo of a room full of stacks of U.S. and foreign currency. A Google search of the image revealed that it was not the stolen money, which has not been recovered. You know Im a grinder, he told a friend who questioned the lavish purchases, according to police. Razaghi had been crashing with that friend since he was released from police custody on Oct. 27, just days before the home invasion. Frustrated by Razaghis lifestyle and drug use, the friend kicked him out, a detective testified last year. A couple days after the gas station photographs were made public, Razaghis girlfriend overheard part of a conversation that took place in a Van Nuys storage garage where Kennedy was living, police testified last year. Razaghi, Kennedy and a man she called Torres were talking, and the latter two were concerned that they were also caught on camera. She told detectives that the group discussed what to do with the truck that was photographed, though Razaghi stayed mum. She also indicated that more than $1 million was stolen during the robbery. But at that point, police had only publicly stated that the amount was more than $500,000. Razaghi and Kennedy were both arrested, separately, in March of last year. Razaghi was arrested after he allegedly used someone elses credit card to pay for a room at Hotel Amarano in Burbank, while Kennedy was arrested after investigators executed a search warrant at his storage garage, where they located a safe box that contained a disassembled handgun, methamphetamine and nearly $2,000 in cash, police testified. Defense attorneys have said in the past the robbery was an inside job, and neither of their clients were involved. They pointed to testimony from Hernandez in which she said Razaghi was definitely not one of the two men who forced their way into the home. On Kennedy, she wasnt sure. She did, however, hear other voices while she was locked in the bathroom that afternoon. Razaghi faces three years in state prison, while Kennedy faces 32 months. -- Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com Twitter: @atchek In front of hundreds, an interracial group of clergy held a sobering discussion at the Washington National Cathedral last month, the Washington Post reports. The discussion: the role of the white church in perpetuating racism. The Rev. Kelly Brown asked why the white church was being singled out. In response, the Rev. Jim Wallis paraphrased a book in Corinthians about how when one part of the body of Christ hurts, the entire body hurts. However, thats not happening, Wallis said. When the black part of the body hurts, the white part doesnt know whats happening most of the time. The discussion was prompted by a sermon that took some of its themes from Martin Luther King. Jr.s 1963 Letter from Birmingham, in which he wrote that the greatest obstacle to black freedom wasnt the Ku Klux Klan, but white moderates who were more devoted to order than to justice. Q. What are your thoughts on some of the points of the discussion? Are white moderates complicit in perpetuating a system of oppression, as some clergy members say? Do you think discussions like these are effective? Exchanging views in a candid yet civilized discussion cant help but be positive, while its effectiveness is probably not measurable in the short-term. The gathering of clergy at the Washington National Cathedral was prompted not only by a theoretical question about who to blame for racism but by the here-and-now decision by the church to remove a set of stained glass windows memorializing Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and a depiction of the Confederate flag under which these generals led a war against the United States. The United Daughters of the Confederacy successfully lobbied for these windows, which were added in 1953. I question the basic concept of whether a national church is appropriate at all. The view of an unrepentant group honoring the attempted break-up of our country was represented in this edifice while millions of loyal U.S. atheists, agnostics and religiously unaffiliated were not consulted, belying any claim of nationalness. Another participant on the panel, Rev. Amy Stapleton, on the United Methodist Church General Commission on Race and Religion, spoke of the personalization of racism and called instead for a focus on the structural system of oppression perpetuated in our institutions. I do agree with Dr. King that moderates are often unhelpful, and support moderation in everything including moderation, to paraphrase either Aristotle, Ben Franklin and/or Oscar Wilde. But Stapleton really nails it. Whether we personally know and like individuals of different races is not the foundation for racial justice, nice though it is for cohesion in society. Deeds, not just words are needed: how our laws and regulations are applied and enforced, including our criminal policies and procedures, and training of law enforcement personnel. Roberta Medford Atheist Montrose It is likely true that when the black part of the church hurts, the white church doesnt know whats happening most of the time. I might add that the reverse is also most likely true. What do black churches know about white churches as distinct from the unchurched white population? And so-called white churches, by and large, are integrated, whereas, it has been my observation that black churches are generally not. Instead, they are culturally distinct, cater to their own sensibilities, and often have social justice (related to their own racial interest) as one of the highest points of their mission. Churches that are not predominantly black-focused direct their attention more toward their own membership and local communities, with the Gospel message of salvation being primary. Again, these are both generalizations. Church should be a place where people of all races can come together and worship God, hear his instruction from the Bible, and be energized to go forth and live as good and godly people. Where races begin to divide the most is when one ethnically specific group calls a meeting in Washington with the express purpose of disparaging another. So I understand why many white pastors did not want to attend this meeting, as the discussions subject title sounds like a whipping-boy platform. If there is something that our black Christian brothers and sisters need, that white churches can do anything about, then there needs to be a change in the discussion away from assumed racism, and lean on our mutual Christian familial mandate. I think all true Christians grieve at so much of the racial tension in America, but never would white Christians, or any Christians, applaud harm to people of another race. Neither should black pastors, or any pastors, give a pass to their constituency throwing fits and engaging in burning violent temper tantrums over individual cases of perceived racial discrimination. That such discrimination exists, there is no doubt. But again, it goes both ways. Still, do we want to do away with the rule of law? Do we want to lower our Christian standards? Isnt the right thing, to teach our congregations color blindness, and encourage their voice of good in the public square? If there is anything that we can do systemically, lets come together and figure out how, but if all whites are castigated and seen as enemies every time a single incident occurs, then what expectation can anyone really have that they should really want to know or care about the other side? Rev. Bryan A. Griem Tujunga Growing racial tension has prompted a number of meetings of leaders and members from Christian denominations who feel a need to reconsider the role they may have played in Americas racial divide and how they might help to heal the nation. I believe this is a good thing, even if the process is painful and solutions remain elusive. I agree with some of the comments cited in the Washington Post article, and others worry me. They all merit more discussion that this space allows, so Ill focus on a couple of points that stood out to me. Before going further, I should point out that the LDS church hasnt commented on the meeting at the Washington National Cathedral, so the thoughts that follow are my own. My first concern is the idea, expressed by the Rev. Amy Stapleton, that Christianitys emphasis on nurturing a personal relationship with Christ is one of the problems. I believe the opposite that more fully embracing a Christ-like love for others is one of the few things that can actually dispel the animosity and suspicion that so often characterize our discussion of race. Stapletons view, as quoted in the article, was that the emphasis on a personal relationship with Christ limits our perspective to the care and concerns of white folks only. But Christs love is infinite, a gift available to us all. Its my observation that coming to Christ, and to the discipleship of trying sincerely to follow him, expands our vision, our empathy and our capacity to reach out beyond our own selfish concerns. Im more inclined to agree with Rev. Jim Wallis statement that the solution lies, at least in part, in all of us becoming more Christian, a process that will require us to draw still closer to Christ than we have been in the past. Michael White The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints La Crescenta Laguna Beach is cleaning up in more ways than one. Two years after the cleanup of a nearby hazardous waste site, the city has received notice of a $500,000 grant for removing invasive plant species in and along Laguna Canyon Creek, planting trees along the creek and constructing a public trail that will be a safer walkway than busy Laguna Canyon Road. The project will provide a destination for hikers, students and other visitors, offering interpretive trail signs to educate about the riparian habitat along the creek, according to plans. The California Natural Resources Agency, whose mission is to restore, protect and manage the states natural, historical and cultural resources, awarded the grant for restoration of an area within the 186-acre, city-owned DeWitt property in Laguna Canyon. Advertisement The restoration area is adjacent to a 6-acre parcel within the DeWitt property that was the site of a hazardous waste cleanup effort in late 2014, four years after floods in the area caused erosion, exposing debris. The city removed 15,500 cubic yards of waste in an area referred to as the burn site, so named for the household trash incinerated on the land between 1958 and the early 1970s, consultant Bob Burnham wrote in an email, citing an environmental impact report. Debris included broken and melted glass, fused metal, ceramics and porcelain. The city purchased the DeWitt property for $2 million in 1991 after two years of wrangling over the price with then-owners John DeWitt, a San Gabriel Valley oil dealer, and Alice Platz, an Arizona resident, the Los Angeles Times reported. Were so happy about being able to to work together on a project of this magnitude, Hallie Jones, executive director of the Laguna Canyon Foundation, said of the foundations partnership with Laguna Greenbelt Inc. to give the city expert council on the project. Laguna Canyon Creeks restoration is a high priority. The Laguna Canyon Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to preserve and protect the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and surrounding parklands. Laguna Greenbelt is a grassroots organization that works to protect wildlife habitat. The nearly 5-acre restoration area, adjacent to the creek, stretches from the Sun Valley neighborhood north to Anneliese School. It harbors areas of invasive arundo and pampas grass, scattered dirt piles and a former asphalt parking lot, according to a city staff report. Jones expects to begin removing invasive plants and debris this fall or winter. Vegetation experts still need to decide which types of plants to include in the meadow and along the creek, she said. Inspiration for the project came from landscape architect and Laguna Greenbelt board member Bob Borthwick, who developed a comprehensive plan for improving areas along the 51/2-mile creek, which begins north of Laguna Lakes. Bob did the yeomans job on Laguna Canyon Creek as a whole, really highlighting the most critical improvements that could take place, Jones said. Last year Borthwick told the City Council that Its a thorn in my side when people refer to the creek as a ditch or channel. Its not the creeks fault it looks the way it does. Its our fault for the way weve packaged it. The Laguna project was one of 23 statewide awarded a share of $10.3 million in grant funding in conjunction with the California River Parkways Act of 2004. Grant applicants needed to satisfy two of five conditions. The DeWitt project qualified under the habitat category, for improving or restoring riparian environment, and for interpretive enhancements, said Bryan Cash, the resource agencys deputy assistant secretary. Its great there is an elementary school next door so students can see a restoration project in progress, Cash said. Interpretive signs along the trail will help teachers instruct students on the natural elements of the area, he added. The grant, combined with $125,000 from the city and $5,000 in private donations, will make for a comprehensive restoration effort of the DeWitt property, those associated with the project said. As part of the grant application, the city agreed to conduct a biological study and secure necessary permits from regulatory agencies before beginning work to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act. Agency staff typically visit a project site while work is in progress and at the end to ensure consistency with planned restoration, Cash said, adding that the city will receive funding in stages as it submits invoices to the agency. -- Bryce Alderton, bryce.alderton@latimes.com Twitter: @AldertonBryce Costa Mesa planning commissioners unanimously signed off Monday on a second brewery in town, but not without hearing complaints from its potential competitor across the street. Gunwhale Ales, which describes its product as farmhouse-style ales inspired both by European traditions and forward-thinking California practices, was approved to operate at 2960 Randolph Ave., an existing industrial building behind The Camp in Costa Mesas Sobeca District. The 3,710-square-foot microbrewery will include a nearly 900-square-foot tasting room and 420-square-foot outdoor patio, with a food truck of varying types available in the parking lot. Gunwhale, which has been operating as a homebrewing start-up, hopes to open its new facility this summer. Given the facilitys size, Gunwhale owners say they will not have the entire brewing process onsite. Rather, an early stage of the beer will be made elsewhere and then finalized at the Randolph facility with fermentation, blending and packaging. This is primarily a place to experience the brand in its fullness, said Bob Fitzgerald, one of Gunwhales three founders. The business expects to brew about 1,200 barrels a year. Gunwhale Ales request to open in Costa Mesa was met with skepticism from Barley Forge Brewing Co. across the street at 2957 Randolph Ave. When Barley Forge opened in fall 2014, it was Costa Mesas first commercial microbrewery. Barley Forge co-founders Greg Nylen and Mary Ann Frericks said they arent necessarily against a second brewery but claimed they were unfairly subject to restrictions that Gunwhale wasnt, particularly its approval for outside food. That is why we went to the extreme expense and difficulty of opening an onsite licensed kitchen, Frericks said. Im not a NIMBY, Nylen said, but I do want a level playing field. In a letter Friday to the Planning Commission, Nylen noted how city staff had recommended that Gunwhale Ales also be allowed to have an outdoor patio, while the Commissary Lounge, an adjacent nightclub, is prohibited from having one. He said he worries that Commissary patrons who he said improperly use Barley Forges parking lot when the nightclubs lot is full may loiter on Gunwhales patio. City staff said each application is unique and not necessarily an apples-to-apples comparison. A city planner said a food truck was considered appropriate for Gunwhale Ales because the site has sufficient parking to host one truck at a time. Nylen, Frericks and the homeowners association from Pentridge Cove, a nearby condominium complex off Baker Street, opposed Gunwhales approved parking plan. City staff contended the brewery will have adequate parking 48 spaces and will be closed during times when the Commissary Lounge, which shares Gunwhales parking lot, is open. Approved hours for the tasting room are 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Commissary Lounge is open after 8:30 Thursday through Saturday nights. However, Pentridge Cove HOA board member David Smith said, There is no such thing as surplus parking in this area. . Despite the concerns, planning commissioners said they are optimistic and want to review Gunwhales progress in six months. I hope we can find a way to coexist and have everybody be successful, commission Chairman Robert Dickson said. Gunwhale Ales proposal does not need City Council approval, though it still needs state and federal approvals for an alcohol license. President Park Geun-hye will visit Vladivostok on Sept. 2-3 for the second Eastern Economic Forum and meet with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Park is expected to try and calm Russian jitters about the deployment of U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense batteries in southern Korea. The EEF is an annual regional forum launched in 2015 to lure investment to Russia's far eastern region. Park is invited as a guest of honor and is expected to give a keynote speech at a full session on Sept. 3. It will be her fourth summit with Putin. With very limited parking, and a very steep staircase to climb, the residents of Newport Beach did not disappoint to fill the Newport Beach Sea Base Yacht room to attend a public workshop for the Mariners Mile Revitalization Master Plan. This was presented by the citys newly appointed consultant, PlaceWorks. The PlaceWorks Professional Service Agreement that was signed by the city states that PlaceWorks will review the Newport Beach General Plan and document its descriptive visualizations for the future of Mariners Mile. This would include conceptual drawings, templates and outline Mariners Mile vision and design framework. PlaceWorks has prepared a series of conceptual drawings that depict the potential land use, residential housing, streetscape conditions, mobility and connectivity of the roads that will include a highway-oriented corridor. According to the city, Coast Highway is carrying approximately 44,000 cars trips a day. The 14 massive projects that have been approved and or are near completion by the most conservative estimate this will likely generate an estimated 100,000 car trips daily on PCH. The workshop consisted of a pop-quiz in which one of the questions was, How Do You Spell Mariners Mile? There were vague and incomplete aerial maps of Mariners Mile placed on each of the six tables with blue, green and red round stickers. Then each group was given a black marker to list the challenges, opportunities and dreams for Mariners Mile. This is when the meeting ended for the consultant, and where it began for the residents. It was evident that the maps, stickers and charts were all a juvenile and futile attempt for the residents to believe that they had a say in this project. It wasnt lost on the residents that after 21/2 months, PlaceWorks and the city of Newport Beach must have a vision of the 11/2 mile area. The residents wanted to know what that vision was and pleaded for transparency. Why wasnt their vision presented at this meeting? The citizens vision is clear; they do not want to replicate Huntington Beach or Marina del Rey. What was apparent was that there will be impacts of the view-shed along PCH and the bluffs to the Harbor frontage. In fact, there is talk of making PCH will six lanes in the area. What is the definition of view shed and what does this mean for all of Newport Beach and especially for Newport Heights? The concerns were apparent and these impacts were not addressed at the workshop: Newport Beach/Lido/Newport Heights property values. Views. PCH, potentially increased to six lanes. Impact of Traffic for Corona del Mar, West Newport and Newport Heights. Light pollution. Noise. Water. Newport Beach continues to regulate a mandatory 15% reduction, unlike the surrounding cities and the rest of California. Project commencement date and project completion date. There are two more scheduled workshops. These meetings need to be held at the City Hall for convenience of parking, pedestrian and handicapped access. A friendly reminder to PlaceWorks and the city of Newport Beach: Please bring the Master Plan with the conceptual drawings to the next workshop, as you can be assured that the Newport Beach residents will bring the rest. PEGGY V. PALMER lives in Newport Beach. At a recent Costa Mesa City Council meeting, the mayor pro tem complained from the dais that I was suing five citizens for signing a ballot argument because I disagreed with their opinions. Youve got a group suing five residents over their language because of their disagreement, he said. None of that is true. I am not suing anyone. I would not sue anyone because of their opinions. He is abusing his official position to publicly accuse me of something I did not do. The truth is, I filed a petition in Superior Court, asking the court to order the elections officials of the city and county to delete from the November sample ballot pamphlet certain false and misleading statements. Those statements are in a rebuttal authored by the mayor pro tem and four other people. The elections law requires that I give the authors of the document the opportunity to defend their statements in court. The way to do this is to name them as real parties in interest. I named them in my petition because the law required it. If they choose not to participate, they lose nothing but that opportunity. It is high time the citizens of Costa Mesa hold their public officials accountable, at least to the extent of not letting them put blatant falsehoods in the ballot pamphlet. We also must not be silent when elected officials make false accusations against citizens who work to protect the integrity of the ballot. Eleanor Egan Costa Mesa Trump isnt the one who made sacrifices Drop in to any nearby coffee shop and youll hear people talking about it. No, not the hot weather, the Sawdust Festival in Laguna or the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. The topic thats generating all the buzz is Donald Trumps attacks on Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim American soldier killed in action, for questioning his (Trumps) sacrifice to America. With so much turmoil swirling around Mr. Khans speech at the Democratic Convention, I decided to Google sacrifice. Here are the facts: The Khans lost a son in war, and Trump says he sacrificed for his employees. The definition is clear. Sacrifice is, The act of giving up something that you want to keep, especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone. I leave it to the voters to decide which party and presidential candidate best embodies the spirit of the word. Denny Freidenrich Laguna Beach Two propositions affecting California schools on the Nov. 8 ballot have nearly gained full support from Glendale school officials, who are expected to pass a resolution backing them during a meeting later this month. Earlier this summer, Glendale school board members questioned whether they would support one or both measures. But last week each board member ultimately said that both measures are key to students success locally and in cities across California. I think theyre extremely important to the health and well-being of our district and education across the state, said board member Christine Walters. Proposition 55 would extend Proposition 30s temporary income-tax increase on wealthy residents for a dozen more years, and collect from Californias wealthiest individual taxpayers who earn more than $250,000 per year or from couples who bring in more than $500,000 annually, between 2019 and 2030. The revenue would give K-12 schools and community colleges access to anywhere from $5 to $11 billion per year. Meanwhile, voters approval of a separate measure, Proposition 51, would authorize the state to issue $9 billion in bond funds that would be allotted for new construction or modernization upgrades at school facilities for K-12 schools and community colleges. Each of the five Glendale school board members said they would support both. I think theyre both vital to us for survival, said school board member Greg Krikorian. We still know the fact of the matter is, were highly underfunded in public schools. This gives us at least some tools to survive. Armina Gharpetian, school board president, said shes hopeful that the boards backing of both measures will send a strong message to local residents. I hope that our community will support us on this, Gharpetian said. The board is expected to officially vote to adopt a resolution favoring both propositions during a meeting on an Aug. 16. After that point, school board member Nayiri Nahabedian said she wondered if board members should consider a campaign to spread the word about the measures in Glendale through local community groups, and fellow members supported that idea. Theyre funding different parts of our education system, said school board member Jennifer Freemon. One or the other doesnt work. I think we need to support both. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan The Glendale Police Department welcomed four new officers and recognized the promotion of two sergeants and two lieutenants during a swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday. The new officers and supervisors bring diverse language skills with several of them fluent in Spanish, Korean or Russian which Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro said will help the agency interact with Glendales culturally diverse population. You have all demonstrated you have the qualities, skills, abilities that Im looking for in todays Glendale Police Department, Castro said to the newly promoted sergeants and lieutenants. I can tell you it wont be easy. It will be difficult. I will look to you for your leadership, your experience, your honesty and your support. Among those promoted was Matthew Prokosch, a new sergeant who speaks Korean and Spanish in addition to English. Prokosch, who immigrated to La Crescenta from South Korea at 12 years old, became Glendales first Korean police officer in 1997. The negative attention is not something that discourages me, it encourages me to do better, to do the right thing. Glendale Police Officer Aaron Kim Police work is all about relating to people everybody is in a different situation. We come in in the midst of it and try to help them, said Prokosch, who will work as a patrol sergeant. Also promoted to sergeant was Christian Hauptmann, who joined the Glendale force in 2005 before serving as a field training officer and a vice/narcotics detective. Tim Oswandel, a sergeant since 2010 who has worked in the patrol, juvenile and internal affairs bureaus, and Andrew Jenks, a member of the SWAT team with experience in the robbery/homicide and assaults units, were both promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Three new police officers, along with one reserve officer, were also sworn in during the ceremony. That included Officers Christopher Zendejas, Cory Galbraith and Aaron Kim, along with Reserve Officer Karl Park. Law enforcement plays a big role in the community, said Kim, who also speaks Korean. The negative attention is not something that discourages me, it encourages me to do better, to do the right thing. Jazz up your life while you sail the southern Caribbean when the 13th annual JazzFest at Sea takes place Dec. 6 aboard the MSC Divina. The 10-night cruise, which departs Miami, sails to Colombia, Aruba, Curacao, Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas before returning to Miami. JazzFest features music popular during the 1920s to the 40s, with performances each evening and afternoon sessions on days at sea. Advertisement Musical styles include classic, Chicago and traditional, as well as other forms of jazz that emerged during the first half of the 20th century. The on-board lineup features award-winning composer, arranger and saxophonist John Altman, Harry Allen, Allan Vache and Duke Heitger, among others. Vocalists include Banu Gibson and Terry Blaine. Dates: Dec. 6 to 16. Price: From $1,399 a person, double occupancy. Includes meals, accommodations, taxes and fees, and exclusive access to all the jazz events and performances. Airfare from LAX to Miami is not included. Info: JazzFest at Sea, (800) 654-8090 MORE Hawaii: Japanese bomber to go on display for 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack Idaho: Best mountain bike rides at Sun Valley (yes, the trails are open) Hells Kitchen winner claims her prize: Head chef at Las Vegas BLT Steak Bring the kids and save some cash by shopping for available cruise deals Abubakar Shekau, the Nigerian terrorist responsible for the 2014 kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls, has resurfaced a day after a rival figure was named as Boko Haram leader by Islamic State. Shekau claims he still heads the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, which last year pledged allegiance to Islamic State and renamed itself Islamic State West Africa Province. We are still around, Shekau said in an audio message published online Thursday. We are sending this message for the world to know that we are still very much alive and still in charge. Advertisement In its Arabic newsletter, Al Naba, Islamic State on Wednesday referred to Abu Musab Barnawi as Boko Harams leader, raising speculation that Shekau might be sick, dead or weakened. Thursdays comments from Shekau were his first public remarks in more than a year. In his last video appearance on YouTube, he looked frail and said his time was coming to an end. According to a translation of his remarks Thursday by Associated Press, he said, Today, I woke up to see one who is an infidel whom they want me to follow. No, I wont. Shekau added, We cannot subject ourselves to people who are in ignorance of all holy books and teachings. The audio opened the most public rift yet seen in the Nigerian terror group, whose nickname, Boko Haram, means Western education is a sin, a reference to its opposition to all aspects of secular life, including education, democracy, tax and banking. Tellingly, Shekau no longer used the name Islamic State West Africa Province for his group in the statement, but referred to it by its former name, Jamaatu Ahlissunnah Liddaawati Wal Jihad. Shekau said he had been deceived, and found himself forced to follow an infidel his description of Barnawi. He said Islamic States leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, had ignored reports from Shekaus faction that Barnawi was a polytheist or infidel who worships more than one god, an offence in Islamic law. Boko Haram, which has waged a 13-year rebellion to impose an Islamic state, has always been a group of shadowy splintered militias whose alliances ebb and flow. But Shekaus comments suggest that his faction has lost its connection with Islamic State, usurped by a faction associated with Barnawi. Shekau has been declared dead by Nigerian authorities several times. He declared a caliphate in 2014, when Boko Haram overran much of the north of the country, sweeping into towns and villages on motorcycles, SUVs and tanks, burning down businesses and killing hundreds of people at a time. He pledged allegiance to Islamic State last year, a move the Islamist militant group celebrated on Twitter, with Boko Haram seen as the groups most hefty foreign ally. But since then, the group has lost the vast swath of territory it controlled in northeastern Nigeria. Nigerias military has lately been claiming successive victories against Boko Haram, posting photographs of the groups leaders it says it has killed or arrested. A multinational force of Nigerian, Chadian, Cameroonian and Nigerien troops announced last week that it had taken control of Damasak, near the border of Niger, the last town in northeastern Nigeria controlled by the group, and had cleared fighters from surrounding villages. Damasak was seized by Boko Haram in 2014. robyn.dixon@latimes.com ALSO U.S. launches airstrike campaign against Islamic State in Libya D.C. cop faces terrorism charge after buying $250 worth of gift cards to send to Islamic State American woman killed, five others injured in knife attack near Londons British Museum UPDATES: 12:50 p.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting. This article was originally published at 10:30 a.m. A court in Turkey issued a formal warrant Thursday for the arrest of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the government accuses of being behind the failed July 15 coup that left more than 270 people dead. The state-run Anadolu news agency said an Istanbul court issued the warrant for ordering the July 15 coup attempt. The government says Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, masterminded the failed coup attempt by renegade officers in Turkeys military and wants him extradited to Turkey. Gulen has denied involvement or prior knowledge of the coup attempt. Advertisement Ankara has not yet made a formal extradition request, but the arrest warrant could be the prelude. Washington has asked for evidence of the clerics involvement, and has said the extradition process must be allowed to take its course. Turkey has designated Gulens movement, which runs charities, schools and businesses across the world, as a terrorist organization and has launched a widespread crackdown on suspected members since the failed coup. Since the coup attempt, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from jobs in the civil service, judiciary, education, healthcare, the military and the media. And about 18,000 people have been detained or arrested, mostly from the military, on suspicion of being involved in the failed putsch. Earlier Thursday, Erdogan vowed to go after businesses linked to Gulens movement. Without doubt, this organization has an extension in the business world. Maybe it is what they are most powerful at, he said during a speech to the heads of chambers of commerce in Ankara. We are determined to totally cut off all business links of this organization, which has blood on its hands. The president said that every cent that goes to the Gulen movement is a bullet placed in a barrel to be fired against this nation. In the same way that we do not pardon those who fire the bullet, we will not forgive those who financed the bullet. Erdogan added that the purge of the military would continue. After July 15, this sneaky organizations structure in the Turkish armed forces has started to be uncovered, he said. For now, those who are captured are the tip of the iceberg. Efforts are continuing for others. Separately, the deputy chairman of Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party, Mehdi Eker, said countries around the world need to take action against schools or other establishments linked to Gulen. Eker said the clerics movement had hundreds of schools, charities or other establishments in more than 100 countries and warned they too could face security risks from the group in the future. If we had seen that these schools were not innocent educational nests but nurseries raising members for a terror organization, we would not have lived through the attempted coup, he told journalists in Ankara. It is our responsibility to warn countries that have [Gulen-linked] schools, Eker said. In Africa, we know that they work as nurseries [for terror] and we want to warn them. Reclining on a drab, olive-colored couch wearing army fatigues and a checkered red-and white kuffiyah, Abdullah Muhaisini announced that in a few hours, the greatest epic battle of the Syrian jihad would begin. The Saudi cleric had risen from obscurity over the last few years to sit at the apex of the Syrian insurgencys jihadi circles. As a wide array of Syrian rebel factions mustered late last week to bust the governments siege of Aleppo city, Muhaisini rallied their men. Where are those who want 72 gorgeous wives? shouted Muhaisini in a YouTube video viewed by tens of thousands, his voice trembling as he spoke of the Hoor, the beautiful women with lustrous eyes promised to martyrs in Paradise in the Islamic religion. Advertisement A wife for you, O martyr in heaven, if she spits in the sea, the sea becomes sweet. If she kisses your mouth, she fills it with honey If she sweats, she fills paradise with perfume. His voice warbled as it rose in pitch. Rebel fighters gathered around him and held their smartphones closer to catch his every word. Then how would it be in her embrace? In hugging her? With her singing? Where are those who would be engaged to the Hoor? It was the latest high-profile appearance for Muhaisini surely one of the stranger figures to emerge from the Islamist-dominated opposition against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Suleiman Muhaisini, 29, is nothing less than a one-man jihadi superstar, the lynchpin of a media empire aimed at fulfilling the political, funding and legal requirements needed for an Islamist state on Syrian soil. A powerful presence on Twitter (one account has more than 355,000 followers), he also has a dedicated channel on the messaging service Telegram with more than 32,000 subscribers. He appears on a weekly online talk show called Syria in one Week. During the month of Ramadan, he was featured on Daymah, a program where he played host to clerics, military commanders and others many of them Syrians whose Islamist bona fides were established well before Muhaisini came to the country. He is also reportedly a masterful fundraiser. In March, the Army of Conquest, a loose alliance of hard-line Islamist groups that includes the Nusra Front, blitzed through the northwestern province of Idlib. Muhaisini boasted of raising the $5 million needed to buy arms and ammunition for the attack, according to the opposition-affiliated news outlet All for Syria. As the general judge of the Army of Conquest, he routinely adjudicates between the oppositions frequently bickering factions, and even once tried to reconcile between the Nusra Front and its onetime ally turned nemesis, Islamic State. Perhaps the main reason for his success is that hes been right in the thick of things, said Beirut-based Syria analyst Sam Heller in an interview on social media. Hes inside Syria, not in Turkey or elsewhere. And hes on the front lines hes been wounded repeatedly. Muhaisinis upbringing and early career betrayed no sign of the international jihadist salafist leader he would become. See the most-read stories in World News this hour >> The son of a famed reciter of the Koran and wealthy businessman who is still posted at a mosque in Saudi Arabia, Muhaisini was born in the city of Buraidah in Saudi Arabia, once described by Sandra Mackey, author of The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom, as a hotbed of fundamentalism even in the most normal of circumstances. The biography on his website says he began working toward his doctorate at the Um al-Qura University, where he wrote a dissertation on The Treatment of Refugees of War in Islamic Jurisprudence. But the market of jihad had begun so I would go to Syria for jihad and supporting our brothers in the Nusra Front and Ahrar Al-Sham, wrote Muhaisini. By 2013, he had become the face of a major fundraising campaign, Perform jihad with your money, aimed at supporting Islamist brigades. Potential donors, who were given phone numbers in Qatar and Kuwait, could donate at the Silver level, enough to buy 50 sniper or 150 Kalashnikov rifle bullets. Gold level donors added eight mortar shells to a factions arsenal, while the Diamond level would go toward buying anti-aircraft defenses. It brought him to the attention of the Saudi authorities, he claimed, who harassed him to stop collecting money and banned him from travel. Nevertheless, some time between August and October 2013, he was spirited out of the country to Syria via Kuwait and Turkey. (He eventually got his doctorate from ISR University, which, according to its materials, employs a non traditional model of granting the degrees that is focused, self-paced and in very short period of time.) Some, however, question Muhaisinis account of strained relations with Saudi Arabia. The pro-Assad Lebanese newspaper Assafir alleged in a 2014 report that Muhasinis fundraising campaign, widely advertised in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and elsewhere, was a front allowing the governments of those countries o support Islamist factions, including the Nusra Front. The money, the paper said, was funneled to organizations headed by Saudi individuals close to the government, and had come through banks in the country. Whatever the source of the money, it has made Muhaisini immensely popular -- and a leader whose words are obeyed. We do not accept, when the battle begins, for any youth among you to return except either as a martyr or victorious, declared Muhaisini in his address before the counteroffensive in Aleppo. By Friday, the Russian military said more than 800 militants had been killed. The government-held western part of Aleppo is under threat of being cut off by the opposition, with devastating clashes between both sides. The U.N., meanwhile, has desperately worked to bring a halt to the fighting. We have been in contact with various parties, we continue to talk to all the interested parties to make sure the cessation of hostilities is in place to allow us to move ahead, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, United Nations deputy special envoy for Syria said in a press conference in Geneva on Thursday. We have not given up hope, we cannot give up hope, he said. Bulos is a special correspondent. MORE WORLD NEWS China sentences longtime activist to nearly 8 years on subversion charge In wake of Turkey unrest, Greece grows nervous about a potential spike in influx of refugees Antibiotics. Plastic suits. Bleach. This is how Olympic athletes are preparing for Rios polluted water All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced. 19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc. North Korea fired two mid-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday morning, one of which flew some 1,000 km and fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone. The other exploded above the ground immediately after launch. The Joint Chiefs of Staff here on Wednesday said the North fired two presumed Rodong missiles from South Hwanghae Province into the East Sea around 7:50 a.m. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said one missile came down in Japan's EEZ 250 km west of the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture. A travel warning was issued for Koreans traveling to Florida in the U.S. that has seen cases of Zika virus. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised pregnant women to postpone trips to the touristy city of Miami, and asked other travelers to take extra care not to get bitten by mosquitoes. This brings the number of cities or countries in the world where Zika virus infections have been reported to 58. The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday awarded a W500,000 allowance to some 2,800 handpicked young unemployed people (US$1=W1,118). The Ministry of Health and Welfare immediately condemned the move, which went ahead despite increasingly frantic attempts by the ministry to stop it. The ministry said it "cannot allow" what it called "populist" welfare policies aimed at bribing young voters. It gave the city government an ultimatum of 9 a.m. Thursday to cancel the policy and threatened to revoke the city's powers. Seoul city officials countered by threatening to take the ministry to court. The unemployment allowance is paid for up to six months to select young people between 19 and 29 who have lived in the capital for more than a year and work less than 30 hours a week. The aim is to help them out as they search for jobs. The city has set aside W9 billion this year and hopes to expand the number of recipients in the future. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, a top presidential contender in the liberal camp, has repeatedly vowed not to back down. The city received 6,309 applications and last week chose 3,000 of them based on their household income, duration of unemployment and number of family members. The payments started immediately to 2,831 people who signed an acceptance form. The ministry had apparently hoped to stop the payments at the last minute, but too late. A ministry official warned, "This could prompt other regional governments to undertake similar policies aimed at wooing voters." U.S. Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday denounced the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement as a "disaster." Speaking at a rally in Virginia, Trump accused rival candidate Hillary Clinton of pushing the bilateral trade agreement through in 2011, when she was secretary of state. Trump has previously called for a re-negotiation of the pact in efforts to win over disaffected working-class voters in the U.S. At another rally in Ohio on Monday, Trump said the trade pact "killed" U.S. jobs and moaned that Americans buy their TVs from Korea instead of making them themselves. As an example he cited the obscure TV maker Sylvania, which ignominiously went out of business. Korea's e-commerce exports have grown significantly due to growing demand for cosmetics and clothing among Chinese online shoppers. According to a report by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, online sales to foreign countries stood at W497.4 billion in the second quarter of this year, up a whopping 83 percent from the same period last year (US$1=W1,118). But since the Chinese government began to levy taxes on overseas e-commerce transactions under 50 yuan, online sales fell 1.9 percent from the first quarter. Online exports to China accounted for 75 percent of the total at W373.2 billion, followed by the U.S. at W35 billion, Japan at W31.7 billion and Southeast Asian countries at W19.2 billion. Cosmetics were the most popular items with W333.3 billion (67 percent) and clothing came next at W87.5 billion (19.2 percent). Lead pipingwhere is it? That was the question at a Portlaoise Municipal District meeting. Cllr Jerry Lodge called on the County Council to help householders to ascertain if they had such piping and enable them to avail of grants to replace it. He stressed: I dont want to scare anyone. Administrative Officer Mary Donohue, in a written response, said the Council hadnt received any queries to date to a grant scheme designed to assist low income households to replace lead pipes. Cllr Lodge: The question is not being answered. How do I know if I have lead pipes in my house or not? Elderly plumbers will tell you that parts of the town are full of lead pipes. Cllr William Aird: The older estates were all lead piping. I guarantee that lead piping is on the Main Street. Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley told of a Dr Murphy Place resident who couldnt afford to remove lead pipes. She asked: Could we get a list of Council houses with lead pipes? Director of Services Kieran Kehoe said the responsibility of the water network stopped at the gates of houses. The Council could write to Irish Water about the issue, he added. Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald: We could be sending out a message frightening people. Mr Kehoe said there was no need to be frightened as the water was tested regularly. IN every town in every county there are personalities who have achieved celebrity status through the force of their own charisma, not using the modern methods of Twitter, Facebook or by courting national media attention. From my own perspective heres some local characters who everyone knew growing up in Naas... Paddy Murphy The late local council worker was ever present on the streets here. A big man who wore a peaked cap, Murphy spoke with a distinctive voice and fired out loud nodding hellos to all who passed. Peddling home on his bike, or leaning back on his broom, he was hard to miss. He became such a fixture through the decades that his theatrical hat tipping and animated way became a seamless part of the personality of Main Street. Noel Delaney Noel must have cut the hair of every man in the town, at least once. If that makes him inaccessible to the female side of the populous then remember that the degree of separation has only ever been a scissors snip away from your husband or son. On my last visit to Noel he revealed how he once lived up the road from where I now live in Crystal Palace. It was yet another reminder of his innate ability to relate to those sat in front of him, worrying about how short he was about to cut. Moling Lennon and Father Breen Everyone knows their parish priest but the personal reach of the two men above was extended through their immersion in Gaelic games and horse racing respectively. The late Moling Lennon once stood from behind the Altar to interrupt the St Corbans confirmation service of 1990, when excitedly reporting a Kildare goal in Croke Park. While Father Breens post-service Sunday tips surely bolstered his flock as well as embolding a reputation which did eventually bring national media attention. Dessie Finan The business vision behind the Yankee Express chipper, the pub on Murtaghs Corner, the Attic Nightclub and more. Des Finan changed the retail landscape of the bottom end of the town ala Trump in Manhattan. And, crucially, these hospitality platforms offered round-the-clock access to locals hungry for fast-food and pints Monday through to Sunday. Johnny McDonald The runaway star of Naass 1990 county final win over Clane, McDonald had the kind of on-field skill and off-field charisma that caught Mick ODwyers attention and everyone elses too. As the headline makers caught up, McDonald was billed as the local player of his generation with an out-going personality that fixed him under a spotlight for a time. Tommy Fletcher Arguably the most celebrated pub in the town and home to one of the localitys most celebrated stories when the Rolling Stones walked into his premises and produced a guitar. The charm of this story is rooted in the collision of the worlds most famous rock and roll bands and the no-nonsense, stoic landlord unimpressed by the bands reputation or celebrity. However, the visit proved seminal and has helped cultivate the very public profile of the pub owner. Because the star at the centre of said story has never been the band. Ben from the Gem Retail positions feature heavily in this list because working in a shop gives you huge access to the public. By such, the Gem was a veritable jewel in the Naas retail landscape. And for a generation the shop in Poplar Square became synonymous with Ben who was known by all as Ben from the Gem. Through across the counter transactions Ben always seemed to be referred to on first name basis even by the very few he didnt know. When Ben retired he maintained his visibility by walking every inch of the towns byroads. Noel Merrick and Sister Anne The respective and long-serving principals of Naas CBS and St Marys College on the Sallins Road. Noel Merrick was revered by parents; Sister Anne, feared by her students. Mention of their names needed no further qualification nex tto our parents, they were the bosses of our adolescence. Noel Merrick would never need the help of social media to make an entrance the sight of his silver saloon screaming into the old car park to break up a fight grabbed the attention of hundreds. - Robert Mulhern is a London based journalist contracted to RTE's Doc On One programme Its amazing at times what can trigger something in the auld mind. Take last week for instance. One of the lads in the office innocently asked what age should he bring his son for his first official haircut to the barbers? First response, from one of the females present: Did you try cutting it yourself. No came the instant reply and I wont be either. Does anyone remember their very first visit to the barbers? my colleague inquired. No takers on that one. But it got me thinking. Thinking back to the time when going to the barbers was a bit like going to confession on the last Friday of every month when we were marched down from school to the church of Our Lady & St Davids in Naas. A visit to the barbers was also one of those monthly chores but while you might get away with a five-week gap from the gruaige chore, there certainly was no way you were allowed to go five Fridays without a visit to the dark and dingy confessional box. Back then there were only a handful of barber shops, unlike today where if you look around most towns and villages one thing there is no shortage of is barbers. For some strange reason they seem to pop up all over the place. I can readily identify with barbers as my grandfather and uncles were in the trade, situated on the Main Street of Naas (opposite the Town Hall) for many a year. From what I can recall they were the only barbers on the Main Street (although I am open to correction on that one). There was a slogan in the front window of the shop that was known far and wide. It was simple and to the point and simply stated: We need your head to run our business. My head was of little use though as I never had to part with the thrupence or sixpence for the cut but for my troubles I could only go when it was very slack, usually on a Monday after school, and if anyone arrived in when I was patiently sitting waiting for the nod to get into the chair, they would always be taken before me. I absolutely dreaded it. I remember one day asking one of the uncles if he would give me a square cut finish at the back, which was all the rage at that time. Now the uncles were what I would call bread and butter barbers, no fancy frills and certainly no square cut finishes. My suggestion did not get much of a hearing. Here I was on a buckshee hair cut dictating the type of cut I wanted. It didnt go down particularly well I can tell you. There were a few (inaudible) words mumbled before the razor appeared and was run up the back of my neck with a speed that I had never experienced before, or since; much to my annoyance I can tell you. Little did the uncle realise at the time, that all these years later that particular cut I asked for is now practically the norm with younger folk these days. So in one way you could say that Callaghans the Barbers were ahead of their time. Another well known barber in the town of Naas those days was Charlie Byrne. Charlie was situated in New Row, just down from Joe Plants sweet shop and where the Harbour Hotel is now situated. Charlie, along with his able lieutenant Noelie Behan, operated from that small premises for many a year. Guilfoyles was another shop, situated in Basin Street which was handy as Paddy Whites bookies was just around the corner, and lads having a bet could run in and out while waiting for a seat, particularly on a busy Saturday afternoon. Down around Chapel Lane Noel Delaney was another well known character who operated another barbers. There was never any shortage of craic and banter in Noels; a great character and a mighty chatter. Noels son carries on the family tradition these days up around the Kilcullen Road. Along with the many new barbers around the town such as The Boston Barber Company, The Turkish Barber, The Barber Shop, Squires, amongst others, there are many who have been operating successfully now for a fair few years. Michael OBriens (great Kildare GAA follower) is the proprietor of Shylocks and caters for ladies and gents on the Main Street opposite the Leader offices is one that springs to mind And you couldnt forget Seamie Curran who is in situ around Chapel Lane, close to where Noel Delaney use to operate from. Seamie is known to have opened at sunrise for a certain former Minister for Finance who was always anxious to look prim and proper on his way to the Dail. Another well known client of Seamies is a present day judge, a former schoolmate, but in his (the judge) case, there would hardly be a need to sweep the floor when he (Seamie) was finished tidying up that particular crown. As for my work colleague who enquired when he should bring his lad for his first cut, sure now is as good a time as any. A piece of board that used to be placed on the barbers seat when we were kids is still operating in many shops. Amazing really with all the modern technology; TV in many shops; electronic chairs that can be raised and lowered, brought forward and back as required; all the different fandangles that are used to ensure the right cut; yet still the plank of wood for the very young customer is still in operation; the red and white poles remain in situ and the slogan that was in the front of the grandfathers shop window is as relative today as it was back in well days gone by shall we say. William Wallace has been writing for the Yorkshire Post, to mark the celebration of Yorkshire Day earlier this week: In David Camerons response to the referendum result, he announced that the Government would consult the Scots, the Welsh and Northern Ireland administrations throughout the negotiations, as well as other regional centres of power by which he mainly meant London. Theresa May has made a demonstration of that commitment by making early visits to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. But who would she come to consult in northern England? Will she even feel any need to do so? Self-government in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales has built into the structure of UK government regular procedures to take their interests into account. I sat on several government committees in the coalition Government in which separate agenda items were included for the presentation of Scots, Welsh and Ulster perspectives, while the interests of England were taken as understood. Conservative MPs, predominantly from the south of England, have responded to Scottish devolution by calling for English voters for English laws in Parliament, but this assumes that the interests of Yorkshire and the North East are little different from Kensington, Surrey and Kent. On the doorstep across the North during the referendum campaign, there was as much resentment against London and its wealthy establishment as against Brussels. Both were seen as having let down Englands old wealth-producing areas, as international finance and immigration transformed their old identity. The gap between the South East and the North has widened sharply over the last three decades, as closures and takeovers have left gaps in the northern economy and London has soared ahead. Public spending has supported Londons rise, with massive investment in regional transport in contrast to the dribble of funding for Northern schemes. Local authority budgets have been cut more sharply in Northern cities, while free schools have mushroomed with public subsidies across London and the Home Counties. LifeStyle The best LifeStyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel LifeStyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Deb Hutton and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand. Get Foxtel A ROMANIAN prostitute was grabbed in a headlock and swung around her apartment during a robbery, after providing her services to another man. Limerick Circuit Court has heard that Brazilian national Iago Dionizio, 21, with an address in Charleville, pleaded guilty to robbing three mobile phones worth 1,000 and 300 in cash from from a woman at an apartment at Market Place, High Street on May 31, 2014. Judge Tom O'Donnell heard evidence from Sergeant Vincent Brick, Roxboro Road station, that the injured party, who advertised as an escort and prostitute on the internet, received a call that night looking for an appointment straight away. There was a controlled access door to her apartment on the fourth floor and she admitted one man to her apartment. However, another, the defendant, stayed in the common area downstairs. Sgt Brick outlined that a transaction took place between Mr X and the victim, who left her apartment after about 20 minutes. However, as she opened the door to leave him out, a second man, the accused, was standing outside and grabbed her in a headlock and threatened her. John O'Sullivan, BL, for the State, outlined that two mobile phones were taken by Mr X and the accused took another phone and the 300 in cash. The defendant told the victim that he had a weapon and would injure her if she didn't co-operate. She believed this to be true as she felt something at the back of her neck. Both men left the apartment, and the woman, who was in a very distressed state, made a report to the gardai. CCTV footage, which was described as being of very good quality, from the apartment complex was harvested by gardai. On June 24, 2014, the accused was arrested at his place of work, and made full admissions to gardai during interviews, in which he didn't request a solicitor to be present. Dionizio, who had been living in Charleville for the past nine years, also identified himself on CCTV. The court heard that the victim has been travelling over and back to Ireland from Romania over the past five years, and is grateful that the defendant pleaded guilty. She was overwhelmed that she didn't have to give evidence based on the nature of her business, said Mr O'Sullivan. Dionizio was in full-time employment with Dawn Meats and has no previous convictions. Mr O'Sullivan said this was a planned incident and that the defendant is now very remorseful for what he has done. Sgt Brick agreed that when he met Dionizio at court for previous listings of this case he was visibly upset and asked to pass on his remorse to the injured party. Defending barrister Anthony Sammon, SC, said that the victim is entitled to the full protection of her rights and her activities does not mean she's a lesser person in terms of her rights. Judge O'Donnell said this is an unusual case and adjourned it for a year, ordering the accused to remain under the care of the Probation Services for that period . A sum of 1,000 has been suggested by way of compensation. A YOUNG man has been jailed for his role in a violent street fight outside the social welfare offices at Dominic Street. Kurt Ryan, aged 23, of Cliona Park, Moyross pleaded guilty to a charge of affray relating to the incident which happened at around 2.30pm on April 14, 2015. Detective Garda Dave Burke said Ryan became involved in an altercation with four other young men following a chance encounter in the foyer of the Intreo offices. He said those involved were from rival factions of a feud that has involved serious violence. CCTV footage shows all five leaving the premises following an initial verbal exchange inside the front door. One man is seen to take off his jacket before the fight, which lasts for less than a minute, outside the building. Det Garda Burke said defendant and another man, who was prosecuted separately, were the main protagonists in the fight which was witnessed by a garda who was on secondment to the Department of Social Protection. No weapons were used during the street fight and nobody sustained serious injuries. Mark Nicholas BL, said his client was inside the Intreo offices minding his own business when the other four men walked in. While accepting the scenes on the public road were unacceptable, Mr Nicholas said it was difficult to make out who did what. However, referring to the CCTV footage he said at one point his client can be seen retreating back into the social welfare offices to seek refuge. It was an unflattering event but it didnt last long and the level of aggression rose and fell very quickly, he said. Imposing sentence, Judge Tom ODonnell said the level of aggression and the hostilities shown by those involved were a serious concern. He said an aggravating factor was that the incident happened in broad daylight in a busy area of the city centre. The citizens of Limerick are entitled to be protected from this unacceptable behaviour, he said He accepted the fight had erupted following a chance encounter and that it didnt last very long. He imposed a two year prison sentence suspending the final 12 months for two years. The sentence was backdated to January 28, last meaning Mr Ryan is likely to be released in the coming weeks. The defendant, who has a number of previous convictions, smiled and cheered as he was being led back to the cells following the sentencing hearing. OMAHONYS booksellers in Limerick have completely sold out of the latest instalment to the Harry Potter series and are plotting how they can keep the best-seller restocked on shelves until Christmas, writes Anne Sheridan. Hundreds of copies have already sold in the space of a few days, and thousands more are due to arrive. The OConnell Street sellers flung open their doors on Sunday last to queues, and were sold out within hours. After restocking their shelves this Monday after receiving the new batch, they again are waiting to receive a new order to satisfy a steady flow of customers. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a two-part West End stage play written by Jack Thorne based on an original new story by Thorne, J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany. The rehearsal script, not a novelisation of the play, was released last weekend and became the eighth story set in the Harry Potter universe. The story is set nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his younger son Albus Severus Potter. Grainne OBrien, who works in the store, is herself a huge Harry Potter fan, and even organised a conference in the University of Limerick in 2012 dedicated to the cultural impact of the Harry Potter phenomenon, entitled Magic is Might. It was a crazy, crazy, brilliant day. I went to see the play a few weeks ago and it was spectacular. I had never seen anything like it. Its amazing. Its wrong to say that its another book its not, its a totally different thing. All the staff here are big Harry Potter fans, have all read it and loved it. I was 13 when I queued up for the first book myself, she said. Its not a book, its a script of this wonderful play, but its very obvious she [J.K. Rowling] didnt write it. Its a totally different animal, she told the Limerick Leader. It was not just kids or teenagers who clamoured to get their hands on the latest installment, but many people aged in their 20s and 30s, she said, who have grown up with the books and the films. LITTLE Judi Terren Hogan has made it a perfect 10 for one Limerick family. Judi was the tenth baby delivered to Olga Terren Hogan at University Maternity Hospital Limerick since December 1996. Judi came into the world on July 23 weighing seven pounds eight ounces and mum and baby are both in good health and back home in Knockainey. The staff said it was unusual that they had all been born in the same hospital and more unusual that they should all be in the same room together so we were glad to oblige and stand in for a photo, said proud father Shane, a teacher at CBS Charleville. Judi is thriving, he smiled. The Terren Hogan children, eight girls and two boys, range in age from 19 to just over one week. Eldest daughter Emma is in college and the second eldest Ruth is waiting for her Leaving Cert results. For the younger children this is their first time being conscious of having a little baby around - the olders ones are well used to it, smiled Shane. Its a busy house but we are used to that. We buy a lot of stuff in bulk we are well used to it all, he added. Noreen Spillane, chief operations officer, UL Hospitals Group, commented: Judis birth at the maternity hospital last weekend was an occasion of great joy and excitement for all of our staff. On behalf of the staff, I would like to again congratulate Olga and Shane and all of Judis sisters and brothers on the new arrival, she added. A LIMERICK woman who initiated civil proceedings in the High Court against Bishop Eamonn Casey will see the case go to trial at a personal injuries hearing in Limerick early next year. The proceedings against Bishop Casey, now 89, and living in a nursing home in county Clare, are listed among five sets of civil proceedings in relation to members of the clergy, regarding a number of claims in the Limerick diocese spanning several decades. Affidavits have now been served by Limerick solicitor Tommy Dalton, on behalf of the woman, and the Killarney based legal firm Liam F. Coghlan & Co have come on record for Bishop Casey, who for a time was listed as having no legal representation. Both parties have now served affidavits. Representatives from Bishop Caseys defence were not available to comment at the time of going to print. A defence has yet to be filed in respect of Bishop Casey. A joint action is also being taken against the current Bishop of Limerick, Dr Brendan Leahy solely in his representative capacity as the current head of the diocese. The Limerick diocese is being represented in this case by Leahy & Partner solicitors in Limerick. Bishop Casey was based in Limerick from 1955 to 1960, when he served at St Johns Cathedral as curate. Two other cases entered against Bishop Leahy last year, again solely in his capacity as head of the diocese, have been discontinued, according to court files. However, five cases have been entered against Bishop Leahy this year, including three cases by women, including the aforementioned case in relation to Bishop Casey. A case taken by a man against Bishop Leahy, also lists the Minister for Education and the Attorney General as co-defendants, along with a number of members or former members of the clergy. Born in Kerry, Bishop Casey, the former Bishop of both Galway and Kerry, was brought up in Adare, where his father was a creamery manager, and he attended school at St Munchin's College. Pressemitteilung: Silvia Kuhn startet YouTube-Kanal Clever Money mit Silvi Die Tochter der Honorarberater und Stiftung Warentest Autoren Stefanie und Markus Kuhn startete Mitte Mai mit ihrem neuen YouTube Kanal Clever Money mit Silvi. Ziel ist es, jungen Menschen alles Wissenswerte rund um Geld und Finanzen auf einfache Art und Weise nahe zu bringen. Die Idee zu einem YouTube Kanal ist aus einem Schulerpraktikum in 2019 entstanden. Silvia Kuhn hat [mehr] Die Tochter der Honorarberater und Stiftung Warentest Autoren Stefanie und Markus Kuhn startete Mitte Mai mit ihrem neuen YouTube Kanal Clever Money mit Silvi. Ziel ist es, jungen Menschen alles Wissenswerte rund um Geld und Finanzen auf einfache Art und Weise nahe zu bringen. Die Idee zu einem YouTube Kanal ist aus einem Schulerpraktikum in 2019 entstanden. Silvia Kuhn hat Pressemitteilung: Buntes Wachstum: Ceresana untersucht den Markt fur Farben Farben und Lacke verschonern nicht nur, sie konnen auch schutzen. Die Wande von Krankenhausern zum Beispiel werden zunehmend mit antibakteriellen Eigenschaften versehen. Hauchdunne, aber sehr haltbare Lackschichten bewahren Fahrzeuge vor Rost. Ceresana hat bereits zum vierten Mal den gesamten europaischen Markt fur Farben und Lacke untersucht: Im Jahr 2019 wurden 9,1 Millionen Tonnen dieser Beschichtungen verbraucht. Farbenfrohe Hauser und Autos Bautenfarben sind [mehr] Farben und Lacke verschonern nicht nur, sie konnen auch schutzen. Die Wande von Krankenhausern zum Beispiel werden zunehmend mit antibakteriellen Eigenschaften versehen. Hauchdunne, aber sehr haltbare Lackschichten bewahren Fahrzeuge vor Rost. Ceresana hat bereits zum vierten Mal den gesamten europaischen Markt fur Farben und Lacke untersucht: Im Jahr 2019 wurden 9,1 Millionen Tonnen dieser Beschichtungen verbraucht. Farbenfrohe Hauser und Autos Bautenfarben sind Pressemitteilung: Altlasten 2.067 Mrd. Euro - Krisensubvention 1.000 Mrd. Euro Die Welt leidet unter der Corona-Pandemie, deren Kosten viele Staaten an den Rand der Exixtens bringen konnte. Wie konnte es in Deutschland dazu kommen? Die Welt leidet unter der Corona-Pandemie, deren Kosten viele Staaten an den Rand der Exixtens bringen konnte. Wie konnte es in Deutschland dazu kommen? Lehrte 29.05.2020 In Deutschland wurden in den letzten 50 Jahren 25 Steuerarten [mehr] Die Welt leidet unter der Corona-Pandemie, deren Kosten viele Staaten an den Rand der Exixtens bringen konnte. Wie konnte es in Deutschland dazu kommen? Die Welt leidet unter der Corona-Pandemie, deren Kosten viele Staaten an den Rand der Exixtens bringen konnte. Wie konnte es in Deutschland dazu kommen? Lehrte 29.05.2020 In Deutschland wurden in den letzten 50 Jahren 25 Steuerarten Pressemitteilung: 16. Juni und 18. Juni um 15 Uhr CEST europaischer Zeit Real-Time Innovations (RTI) organisiert zwei neue Webinare speziell fur den europaischen Markt. Hier geht es um die Themen Konnektivitat von Elektrofahrzeugen sowie Landfahrzeugplattformen in Kombination mit Software-Systemen und DDS. Sie finden zu europaischer Zeit um 15 Uhr CEST statt und sind im Anschluss on Demand verfugbar. Sunnyvale (USA)/Munchen, Mai 2020 - Real-Time Innovations (RTI) organisiert zwei neue Webinare speziell fur [mehr] Real-Time Innovations (RTI) organisiert zwei neue Webinare speziell fur den europaischen Markt. Hier geht es um die Themen Konnektivitat von Elektrofahrzeugen sowie Landfahrzeugplattformen in Kombination mit Software-Systemen und DDS. Sie finden zu europaischer Zeit um 15 Uhr CEST statt und sind im Anschluss on Demand verfugbar. Sunnyvale (USA)/Munchen, Mai 2020 - Real-Time Innovations (RTI) organisiert zwei neue Webinare speziell fur Pressemitteilung: [mehr] MCM Investor: Wohnen in Deutschland bis 2060 teuer Laut einer aktuellen Untersuchung der Universitat Freiburg wird das Wohnen bis 2060 vorrausichtlich. Magdeburg, 28.05.2020. In dieser Woche analysiert die MCM Investor Management AG aus Magdeburg eine aktuelle Untersuchung der Uni Freiburg uber die zukunftige Entwicklung des deutschen Immobilienmarktes. Demnach gehe die Bevolkerungszahl hierzulande zwar tendenziell zuruck, die Nachfrage nach Wohnraum steige aber weiter an. In der Studie geht Pressemitteilung: Latest in Electronic Test & Measurement Equipment MICHIGAN - May, 2020 - An international provider of electronic test and measurement equipment, AAATesters has announced that it now offers the INNO View 500 SM Fiber Optic OTDR w/ V20 Fiberscope (https://www.aaatesters.com/Inno_View_500_OTDR_Model_View500_Inno_500_1.html). This new addition to AAATesters expanding inventory of electronic test and measurement equipment, will assist consumers save time and money with greater testing proficiency and success. AAA [mehr] MICHIGAN - May, 2020 - An international provider of electronic test and measurement equipment, AAATesters has announced that it now offers the INNO View 500 SM Fiber Optic OTDR w/ V20 Fiberscope (https://www.aaatesters.com/Inno_View_500_OTDR_Model_View500_Inno_500_1.html). This new addition to AAATesters expanding inventory of electronic test and measurement equipment, will assist consumers save time and money with greater testing proficiency and success. AAA Pressemitteilung: Thomas May ist neuer Chefredakteur fur Perfect Eagle Thomas May ubernimmt mit 1. Juni 2020 die redaktionelle Leitung der fuhrenden multimedialen Golf-Lifestyle-Plattform im deutschsprachigen Raum. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank: Mato Johannik https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/Es4aLP2m5bhHtlEPowWj1SEB5hhgDDEv96D9i9Z_Ok9ajA?e=Xi0L1x Wien (LCG) Perfect Eagle hat heuer allen Grund zum Feiern. Nachdem das Golf-Lifestyle-Magazin mit der Marz-Ausgabe seine erste Dekade feierte, begrut Herausgeber Thomas Wasserburger nun Thomas May als neuen Chefredakteur fur das multimediale Golf- [mehr] Thomas May ubernimmt mit 1. Juni 2020 die redaktionelle Leitung der fuhrenden multimedialen Golf-Lifestyle-Plattform im deutschsprachigen Raum. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank: Mato Johannik https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/Es4aLP2m5bhHtlEPowWj1SEB5hhgDDEv96D9i9Z_Ok9ajA?e=Xi0L1x Wien (LCG) Perfect Eagle hat heuer allen Grund zum Feiern. Nachdem das Golf-Lifestyle-Magazin mit der Marz-Ausgabe seine erste Dekade feierte, begrut Herausgeber Thomas Wasserburger nun Thomas May als neuen Chefredakteur fur das multimediale Golf- Pressemitteilung: Frische fur den Sommer mit UNIKA Kalksandstein Frische fur den Sommer mit UNIKA KalksandsteinFur die einen ist es eine Wohltat, fur die anderen eine Herausforderung: sommerliche Warme. Keine Frage, Menschen lieben die Sonne. Aber nicht jeder mag hohe Temperaturen, schon gar nicht in den eigenen vier Wanden. ... Fur die einen ist es eine Wohltat, fur die anderen eine Herausforderung: sommerliche Warme. Keine Frage, Menschen lieben die [mehr] Frische fur den Sommer mit UNIKA KalksandsteinFur die einen ist es eine Wohltat, fur die anderen eine Herausforderung: sommerliche Warme. Keine Frage, Menschen lieben die Sonne. Aber nicht jeder mag hohe Temperaturen, schon gar nicht in den eigenen vier Wanden. ... Fur die einen ist es eine Wohltat, fur die anderen eine Herausforderung: sommerliche Warme. Keine Frage, Menschen lieben die Pressemitteilung: [mehr] Humor und Lachen - ein ernstes Thema Humor und Corona Rechtzeitig zu einer Zeit, in der vielen das Lachen vergangen ist, mit oder ohne Corona, erscheint das 14. Buch von Jurgen W. Goldfu. Wahrend sich die bisherigen Werke des Autors mit Themen der Fuhrung (von sich und anderen) sowie Wirtschaftsthemen beschaftigten, geht es nun ums Lachen, die Welt und sich selbst mit lachenden Augen zu betrachten. Auf Pressemitteilung: ...einfach, schnell und effizient ...einfach, schnell und effizientUberall da verkaufen, wo die Kunden sind, ist das Ziel aller Handler. plentymarkets bietet als Softwarehersteller eine E-Commerce-Losung, die genau diese Philosophie im Markenkern tragt. ... Uberall da verkaufen, wo die Kunden sind, ist das Ziel aller Handler. plentymarkets bietet als Softwarehersteller eine E-Commerce-Losung, die genau diese Philosophie im Markenkern tragt. Eine, die alle relevanten Marktplatze unterstutzt [mehr] ...einfach, schnell und effizientUberall da verkaufen, wo die Kunden sind, ist das Ziel aller Handler. plentymarkets bietet als Softwarehersteller eine E-Commerce-Losung, die genau diese Philosophie im Markenkern tragt. ... Uberall da verkaufen, wo die Kunden sind, ist das Ziel aller Handler. plentymarkets bietet als Softwarehersteller eine E-Commerce-Losung, die genau diese Philosophie im Markenkern tragt. Eine, die alle relevanten Marktplatze unterstutzt Pressemitteilung: [mehr] Neuer Corona-Mitarbeiterschutz - digitaler Abstandshalter Auch nach den Lockerungen beeinflusst die Corona-Pandemie die Weltwirtschaft tiefgreifend. Die Betriebe sollen wieder sicher anlaufen. Die Schlusselrolle spielen dabei die Einhaltung der Hygieneregeln und des Mindestabstands fur Mitarbeitende. Auch nach den Lockerungen beeinflusst die Corona-Pandemie die Weltwirtschaft tiefgreifend. Die Betriebe sollen wieder sicher anlaufen. Die Schlusselrolle spielen dabei die Einhaltung der Hygieneregeln und des Mindestabstands fur Mitarbeitende. Dazu Pressemitteilung: HUP aktiviert neuen Geschaftsbereich ready2boxx my-buddy-app die HUP Reminder App. Schutzt vor Verlust des iPhones. Mit den ersehnten Lockerungsmanahmen rund um die Coronavirus-Pandemie steigt ein ganz anderes Risiko: der Verlust des iPhones auf Geschaftsreise, beim Einkauf oder etwa dem Besuch von Oma und Opa. Einfach, weil man das mittlerweile nahezu unverzichtbare Device schlicht und einfach liegen lasst. Das Braunschweiger Software-Entwicklungsunternehmen HUP hat fur Apple [mehr] my-buddy-app die HUP Reminder App. Schutzt vor Verlust des iPhones. Mit den ersehnten Lockerungsmanahmen rund um die Coronavirus-Pandemie steigt ein ganz anderes Risiko: der Verlust des iPhones auf Geschaftsreise, beim Einkauf oder etwa dem Besuch von Oma und Opa. Einfach, weil man das mittlerweile nahezu unverzichtbare Device schlicht und einfach liegen lasst. Das Braunschweiger Software-Entwicklungsunternehmen HUP hat fur Apple Pressemitteilung: Das Lernen, wie wir es kennen, andert sich immer mehr. Online ist die neue Ara der Weiterbildung, die Freude macht und die viel leichter in den eigenen Lebens-Zyklus integrierbar ist! Ayurveda-Seminare und Ayurveda-Ausbildungen fordern ein gesundes Leben und geben viel Sinn-Erfullung. Viele Menschen sind wissbegieriger geworden und wollen ihr volles Potenzial durch Bewusstseinsveranderungen ausschopfen. Durch die digitale Welt ist es einfacher und schneller denn je geworden an Informationen zu kommen. Ich stelle [mehr] Online ist die neue Ara der Weiterbildung, die Freude macht und die viel leichter in den eigenen Lebens-Zyklus integrierbar ist! Ayurveda-Seminare und Ayurveda-Ausbildungen fordern ein gesundes Leben und geben viel Sinn-Erfullung. Viele Menschen sind wissbegieriger geworden und wollen ihr volles Potenzial durch Bewusstseinsveranderungen ausschopfen. Durch die digitale Welt ist es einfacher und schneller denn je geworden an Informationen zu kommen. Ich stelle Pressemitteilung: [mehr] Gasnetz Hamburg pruft monatlich 1.200 Hausanschlusse Arbeiten unter umfassenden Schutzmanahmen Haushalte erhalten detaillierte Informationen zum Corona-Schutz Sichere Gasanschlusse stehen im Mittelpunkt Hamburg. Ab sofort klingelt an vielen Hamburger Hausturen wieder der Gasanlagen-Prufer. Die turnusgemae Inspektion der Anschlusse in Kellern oder Wirtschaftsraumen von Ein- und Mehrfamilienhausern ist alle zwolf Jahre vorgeschrieben. Seit Marz hatte Gasnetz Hamburg die Hausbesuche unterbrochen. Nun schickt das Unternehmen wieder seine Fachleute zu den Anschlusskunden Pressemitteilung: Wie COVID-19 unsere Kommunikation verandert Sprachexpertin Tatjana Lackner von Die Schule des Sprechens analysiert, wie sich das Kommunikationsverhalten in der COVID-19-Zeit verandert und welche Kommunikations-Trends daraus entstehen. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/EuP2VeRtjsdPpxlLUzBimIsB-GcG-m5aFr4de0hEQ_WCPw?e=s2GwN1 Wien (LCG) Die Manahmen zur Eindammung der COVID-19-Verbreitung verandern durch Physical Distancing und zahlreiche neue Verhaltensregeln den personlichen Umgang miteinander. Korpersprache, Social Codes und Rituale bekommen eine wichtig Bedeutung in der neuen [mehr] Sprachexpertin Tatjana Lackner von Die Schule des Sprechens analysiert, wie sich das Kommunikationsverhalten in der COVID-19-Zeit verandert und welche Kommunikations-Trends daraus entstehen. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/EuP2VeRtjsdPpxlLUzBimIsB-GcG-m5aFr4de0hEQ_WCPw?e=s2GwN1 Wien (LCG) Die Manahmen zur Eindammung der COVID-19-Verbreitung verandern durch Physical Distancing und zahlreiche neue Verhaltensregeln den personlichen Umgang miteinander. Korpersprache, Social Codes und Rituale bekommen eine wichtig Bedeutung in der neuen Pressemitteilung: Facebook diskutiert Strategie in der COVID-19-Pandemie Beim Moving Forward-Round-Table sprechen Facebook-Manager uber die Zusammenarbeit mit der WHO, die Intensivnutzung in Italien und andere Strategien gegen Falschmeldungen. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank: JMC https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/EsGAMdDUM2lNt4Jo2RfF_R4BhwzfZ8LXK305xeAAjGcAdw?e=EyC94A Video zur Meldung auf Facebook https://www.facebook.com/movingforwardconference/videos/973105823109354 Dublin/Wien (LCG) Die Verbreitungsgeschwindigkeit der sozialen Medien war in den letzten Wochen essenziell, um Informationen zu COVID-19 zu streuen. Auch Fake News fanden in diesem Umfeld einen fruchtbaren [mehr] Beim Moving Forward-Round-Table sprechen Facebook-Manager uber die Zusammenarbeit mit der WHO, die Intensivnutzung in Italien und andere Strategien gegen Falschmeldungen. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank: JMC https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/EsGAMdDUM2lNt4Jo2RfF_R4BhwzfZ8LXK305xeAAjGcAdw?e=EyC94A Video zur Meldung auf Facebook https://www.facebook.com/movingforwardconference/videos/973105823109354 Dublin/Wien (LCG) Die Verbreitungsgeschwindigkeit der sozialen Medien war in den letzten Wochen essenziell, um Informationen zu COVID-19 zu streuen. Auch Fake News fanden in diesem Umfeld einen fruchtbaren Pressemitteilung: Musikfestival Steyr: Kulturgenuss trotz Pandemie Als kultureller Impulsgeber fur die Region ermoglicht das Musikfestival Steyr auch heuer Kulturgenuss und wartet mit einem neuen Programm auf. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/EnbiYHVH3KNOg_ZakCqco3wBz529TPFExmEgRThtSEHHQA?e=fAzk1G Steyr (LCG) In den vergangenen Wochen und Monaten haben die Manahmen der osterreichischen Bundesregierung zur Eindammung der COVID-19-Verbreitung die Kulturnation Osterreich in einen regelrechten Stillstand versetzt. Seit Anfang Mai 2020 setzt die neue Normalitat [mehr] Als kultureller Impulsgeber fur die Region ermoglicht das Musikfestival Steyr auch heuer Kulturgenuss und wartet mit einem neuen Programm auf. Bilder zur Meldung in der Mediendatenbank https://leisure-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/office_leisure_at/EnbiYHVH3KNOg_ZakCqco3wBz529TPFExmEgRThtSEHHQA?e=fAzk1G Steyr (LCG) In den vergangenen Wochen und Monaten haben die Manahmen der osterreichischen Bundesregierung zur Eindammung der COVID-19-Verbreitung die Kulturnation Osterreich in einen regelrechten Stillstand versetzt. Seit Anfang Mai 2020 setzt die neue Normalitat Pressemitteilung: OstseeResort Olpenitz bei Kappeln/ Schlei Private Vermietung von ausgefallenen Ferienobjekten an der Ostsee - "Nie mitten drin, aber immer ganz nah dran!" ist hierbei die Devise. Auch wenn die Corona-Pandemie Urlaub und Ferienvermietung weltweit lahm gelegt hat das Leben im OstseeResort Olpenitz ist trotzdem weitergegangen, und Ferienobjekte in diesem neuen Ferienresort bei Kappeln/ Schlei verkaufen sich weiterhin gut. Oder aber jetzt erst Recht? Das [mehr] Private Vermietung von ausgefallenen Ferienobjekten an der Ostsee - "Nie mitten drin, aber immer ganz nah dran!" ist hierbei die Devise. Auch wenn die Corona-Pandemie Urlaub und Ferienvermietung weltweit lahm gelegt hat das Leben im OstseeResort Olpenitz ist trotzdem weitergegangen, und Ferienobjekte in diesem neuen Ferienresort bei Kappeln/ Schlei verkaufen sich weiterhin gut. Oder aber jetzt erst Recht? Das Pressemitteilung: Gut vernetzt: Ceresana-Report zum Markt fur Kunststoff-Rohre Die Nachfrage nach Kunststoffrohren steigt in vielen europaischen Landern. Besonders in Ballungsraumen werden derzeit neue Wohnungen gebaut. Allerdings boomt die Bauwirtschaft nicht uberall: Ausgelastete Kapazitaten, steigende Preise, Fachkraftemangel, fehlendes Bauland und zunehmende wirtschaftliche Unsicherheit bremsen die Dynamik. Dabei konnen sich Hochbau, Tiefbau und Infrastrukturbau sehr unterschiedlich entwickeln: Die verschiedenen Bausegmente sind in hohem Mae von den offentlichen Investitionen im jeweiligen [mehr] Die Nachfrage nach Kunststoffrohren steigt in vielen europaischen Landern. Besonders in Ballungsraumen werden derzeit neue Wohnungen gebaut. Allerdings boomt die Bauwirtschaft nicht uberall: Ausgelastete Kapazitaten, steigende Preise, Fachkraftemangel, fehlendes Bauland und zunehmende wirtschaftliche Unsicherheit bremsen die Dynamik. Dabei konnen sich Hochbau, Tiefbau und Infrastrukturbau sehr unterschiedlich entwickeln: Die verschiedenen Bausegmente sind in hohem Mae von den offentlichen Investitionen im jeweiligen We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. Thread from a Bronze Age village is one of many everyday objects that were abandoned when the village burned, archaeologists said. An unusually delicate pair of artifacts recently emerged from a dig site in the United Kingdom: a tiny ball of thread and another length of thread wound around a bobbin. Both are estimated to be approximately 3,000 years old. The fragile fiber objects appeared during the excavation of a Bronze Age village near what is now Petersborough, in eastern England. The location, known as Must Farm, is thought to have been abandoned suddenly after a fire decimated the settlement thousands of years ago. Many everyday objects were left behind, and are now being discovered and brought to light for the first time. Archaeologists working on the project shared images of the thread ball and bobbin on the project's Facebook page. That generated a discussion thread (naturally) that drew dozens of questions and comments from curious readers, though in-depth analysis of the finds is yet to come. [Photos: Prehistoric Village Holds Bronze-Age Treasures] The photo of the first fiber object, a miniscule thread ball that still appears to be neatly wound, was posted on July 21, and the archaeologists described its condition as "amazing." They explained that the thread was probably so well preserved because it was made of plant fiber, "likely flax or nettle," that carbonized in the fire and then became waterlogged a process that helped protect it. The greenish-brownish thread might have been a different color before it was burned, soaked and buried, but it's "very unlikely" that even the most careful cleaning and preparation would restore its original hue, the archaeologists said in a comment on Must Farm's Facebook page, as carbonization would have removed any trace of pigment. Found close by the thread ball was a small bobbin with more thread wrapped around it, also in excellent condition, the archaeologists reported. "We did as much as possible to delicately remove sediment from the fibers before we lifted it," the archaeologists wrote on Facebook. Thread wrapped around a bobbin was exceptionally well preserved; the archaeologists described it as looking "almost new." (Image credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit) A great variety of well-preserved artifacts have been discovered at Must Farm during this excavation: woven textiles, pots, a bronze sickle, an ax head and glass jewelry. It is not known what caused the fire that destroyed the village, though archaeologists have suggested that it might have been deliberately set by hostile neighbors. These balls of thread and the other everyday items found at Must Farm present a remarkable snapshot of life thousands of years ago, disrupted by a single catastrophic event. For this reason, the site has been compared to a more famous doomed city and archaeological site: Pompeii. "The Must Farm settlement has one of the most complete Bronze Age assemblages ever discovered in Britain, and it is giving us an unprecedented insight into the lives of the people who lived there 3,000 years ago," the archaeologists explained on the Must Farm website. Once excavation at the site is complete, the much longer process of preparing, preserving and describing their discoveries begins, and that can take years to complete, the scientists said on Facebook. Original article on Live Science. Cute baby otters can suck the life right out of their mothers. What scene could be more tranquil than that of a sea otter mother cradling her nursing pup? But there's a darker side to this heartwarming tableau. Suckling a baby comes with a high metabolic cost, one that some female otters' bodies just can't meet and the experience can be fatal. Scientists knew that mortality rates are unusually high in female southern sea otters that have just finished lactating, but researchers had yet to pinpoint the cause. However, a new study offers the first evidence of what's happening in the bodies of female otters as they nurse their young, helping scientists to understand how the animals' metabolisms kick into overdrive to handle the demands of lactation and why they sometimes burn out. [The 7 Weirdest Moms in the Animal Kingdom] "This had been a big question within the marine mammal scientific community for many years," said study co-author Nicole Thometz, a postdoctoral researcher with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Thometz told Live Science in an email that in an earlier study, she and her colleagues had evaluated the energy demands of sea otter pups at the Sea Otter Research and Conservation (SORAC) program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. As the otters grew from pups to juveniles, the scientists calculated how many calories a female otter would require to keep up with the youngsters' needs, estimating that she would need about twice as many as a nonlactating female. But Thometz said a crucial piece of the puzzle was missing: metabolic analysis of a lactating female. Without that critical data, scientists had no way of knowing how a female otter's body responds to lactation, and whether that challenge might be even greater than they suspected. Meanwhile, the scientists faced a challenge of their own; breeding otters in captivity is illegal, so the researchers had no way of collecting the missing data. The unexpected arrival of a pair of young female sea otters, one of whom was pregnant, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium handed the researchers exactly the opportunity they needed. The two otters were moved to a lab at Santa Cruz, where the researchers used a special chamber to measure the animals' oxygen intake. The scientists monitored the pregnant otter, nicknamed Clara, before the pup's birth, while she nursed it, and after the pup was weaned. They found that over four months of producing milk for the pup, Clara's energy requirements doubled, with her resting metabolic rate increasing by 51 percent. "Due to high lactation costs, we found the cost of pup rearing to be significantly higher than previously estimated approximately twice nonreproductive levels for the last three months of lactation," Thometz told Live Science. For a species whose normal energy demands are already high and whose energy reserves are typically low, this represents a significant energy burden, she explained. "This is likely one of the underlying reasons why we are seeing high mortality rates for prime-age females at the end of lactation," Thometz said, particularly in areas where sea otter populations are more numerous and there is limited access to prey. The findings were published online Aug. 3 in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Original article on Live Science. The Guanting Basin would have been under water the height of one-third the Empire State Building during China's "Great Flood." With the help of a channel-digging dragon and magical, water-absorbing dirt, the legendary Emperor Yu is said to have saved China from a Great Flood that lasted thousands of years. While this tale is the stuff of myths, with plenty of embellishments added through the years, geologists are finding that at least part of the story is based in reality. The ancient Chinese legend holds that a devastating flood of the Yellow River forced people from their homes and washed away farmland, leading to famine. Emperor Yu is said to have tamed the floodwaters by dredging the river bed. The heroic emperor went on to establish the Xia Dynasty, the first in Chinese history. Until now, a lack of geological evidence for such a flood left some scholars questioning whether the legend tells the story of a real disaster or if it was propaganda used to justify imperial rule. [Top 10 Deadliest Natural Disasters in History] Now, a team of scientists has provided geological evidence for a disastrous flood that occurred around 1920 B.C., which could be the origin of the legend. The research, published today (Aug. 4) in the journal Science, reconstructed ancient events along the Yellow River including an earthquake, a landslide and a dam burst that led to a catastrophic flood. If this ancient flood is in fact what came to be known as the Great Flood, then Emperor Yu's Xia Dynasty likely started several centuries later than historians had thought, the researchers said. "Because this flood happens at a critical turning point in the development of Chinese civilization, this geological event takes on even greater significance," said study co-author David Cohen, an archaeologist at the National Taiwan University. "This is because the flood dates to the likely time period for China's legendary Great Flood, and this is the first time a flood of the scale large enough to account for it has been found." The study shows that an enormous flood surged down the Yellow River after a dam broke. In their research along the Yellow River, in China's Qinghai province, the scientists found remains of a landslide, dam and outburst flood sediments downstream that allowed them to reconstruct the flood's size. "The flood was about 300,000 to 500,000 cubic meters per second [about 10,600,000 to 17,650,000 cubic feet per second]. To put that into perspective, that's roughly equivalent to the largest flood ever measured on the Amazon River, the world's largest river," said study author Darryl Granger, a geologist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. "It's more than 500 times larger than a flood we might expect on the Yellow River from a massive rainfall event." The researchers were able to determine the flood year by dating human remains from people who died in the same earthquake that triggered the landslide that dammed the river. Granger said the remains of children, because they grow so quickly, their bones give an accurate and reliable age at the time of their death. This allowed the researchers to narrow the time frame in which the flood would have occurred. Given the timing of this flooding event, plus information from historical texts and astronomical evidence, the researchers said the Xia Dynasty likely began around 1900 B.C., with Emperor Yu starting his reign in 1914 B.C. Much of Chinese dynastic history is dated as a "floating chronology," Cohen said. Evidence drawn from ancient documents has allowed historians to determine the duration and order of the reigns, but not necessarily specific years. Especially in the case of the Xia Dynasty, which was originally thought to have begun in 2070 B.C., the historiographic evidence was lacking, he said. Cohen explained that the basic calculations for each reign was based on a "leapfrogging" approach, the historians would move backward from a known point to determine each predecessor's reign. "There has to be an anchor point somewhere in that," Cohen said. This flood, if it is indeed the legendary "Great Flood," could be the Xia Dynasty's anchor point, the researchers said. Beyond supporting the legend of Emperor Yu's flood, the new research could offer researchers a greater understanding of China's ancient history, they said. Original article on Live Science. For the first time, scientists have tracked the flight paths of bumblebees over the span of their entire lives. Not only do the results help biologists better understand bee behavior, but because the insects play a critical role in pollinating crops, understanding their movements could improve how farmers manage agriculture. Joseph Woodgate of Queen Mary University of London and his colleagues used radar to monitor the daily flight patterns of four different bees, from the time they first left their nests to the time they ceased to return. RELATED: Bee Backpacks Track Foraging Because only one bee could be tracked at a time with the radar, the researchers set out four different colonies at four different times, tracking one bee each time. A transponder-fitted bumblebee feeds on a thistle. (Image credit: Copyright Joseph Woodgate) "For the first time, we have been able to record the complete 'life story' of a bee," study coordinator Lars Chittka said in a press release. "From the first time she saw the light of day, entirely naive to the world around her, to being a seasoned veteran forager in an environment full of sweet nectar rewards and dangerous threats, to her likely death at the hands of predators, or getting lost because she has ventured too far from her native nest." To monitor the insects, the scientists affixed a radar transponder just 16 millimeters tall to each bee using superglue. The antenna didn't harm the bee or interfere with its normal activities as it spent its days foraging a field of wild flowers and thistle in Hertfordshire, UK. From those four bees, the scientists gathered data from 244 flights, adding up to 15,000 minutes of flight and covering 111 miles. RELATED: Top 10 Tricks for Pollinators Previous studies had shown that foraging bumblebees tended to explore the area looking for food or exploit it, settling down to harvest. But how long they explored vs exploited was unknown. "One of the most striking results to emerge," the researchers say in their paper published today in the journal PLOS ONE, "is the large degree to which our bees differed from one another." For example, Bee 1 spent a much higher proportion of her time exploiting -- more than 90 percent. But Bees 2 and 3 spent more time exploring. Bees 1 and 3 didn't travel as far as 2 and 4 in their explorations. Bees 1 and 4 switched the destination of their flights over the course of their foraging and never returned to the first location they foraged. RELATED: Pesticides Diminish Bee Sperm Each panel represents the lifetime activity of a single bee, with the nest shown with a blue circle. Each individual flight is shown in a different color: earliest flights (green), followed by later flights (yellow), and the last flights (red). (Image credit: Woodgate et al., http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160333) The research sheds a little more light on a bee's life, which is short -- a month tops and most bees die much sooner. Bee 2 lasted just 6 days, the shortest life span of the bees in this study. On one occasion the scientists saw Bee 2 in the field after sunset, perched on a thistle stalk just below the flower. Bees don't fly at night and so it was there that she spent the night. In the morning, the scientists returned before dawn and found her where they left her, sitting just below the flower. By 8:15 am, she was off again to forage for nectar. On the sixth day, she made a fast, direct flight to the southeast, disappearing beyond the range of the radar. Maybe she found herself on a thistle stem as evening approached, strategy to forage again come sunrise. But a severe storm drenched the area overnight and she was never seen again. Original article on Discovery News. CHINA Cosco Shipping Corporation has agreed to ban the transport of shark fin and related products on its vessels, joining 15 other international container line operators in the fight to save endangered wildlife. The move by the Chinese state-owned conglomerate was welcomed by environmental groups including WWF-Hong Kong, which since launching its campaign Global Shipping Companies Say No to Shark Fin in 2014 has seen 16 global shipping companies enacting no shark fin carriage policies. The addition of the fourth largest global shipping company in terms of market share means a total of 68% of global shipping companies (by market share) were now committed not to carrying shark fin, WWF said. Cosco is one of the last of the worlds top 20 container lines to sign up to ban. As of March 2016, WWF said 16 shipping companies had established policies prohibiting the carriage of shark fin: Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Hapag-Lloyd, Hamburg Sud, MOL, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), OOCL, APL (now part of CMA CGM), Hanjin Shipping, Yang Ming, NYK Line, UASC, K Line, PIL (Pacific International Line), ZIM and Wan Hai Lines. In addition, two shipping companies, CMA CGM and Evergreen Line, restrict all shark fin except CITES shark fin. China Cosco president and director Wan Min made the statement in a letter to US-based environmental organisation WildAid. The organisation aims to decrease demand for wildlife products and rescue endangered species across the globe. In the letter, Wan noted WildAid's efforts to protect wildlife and said the group was also committed to preserving the environment and fulfilling its social responsibilities. As a world class shipping conglomerate, Cosco Shipping will be as always devoted to excellent shipping services to the customers with safety, efficiency and compliance, and make sure that no shark fin-related products are carried by our vessels through stricter monitoring and regulation," Wan said, adding that the shipping line will continue with its commitment to wildlife preservation and global environmental protection. The organisation said that Hong Kong, which is a major transhipment hub, saw a 43% decline in shark fin imports by air transport between 2013-2015 after its campaign resulted in roughly 30 airlines committing to the halt of shipping shark fin products. According to WildAid, Hong Kong accounted for half of the global shark fin trade in the past 15 years. China Coscos commitment to the cause could have the effect of as many as around 10 or more airline commitments given the container line's near 8% market share of the global container shipping trade, WildAid said. Earlier in July, activists dressed in what looked to be blood-stained shark outfits protested outside a FedEx office in Hong Kong urging the global logistics firm to cease the shipment of shark fins. Cosco Shipping, a mainland Chinese conglomerate, has shown FedEx how quickly a shark fin ban can be implemented, if the will to do so is there at the management level, said WildAid wildlife campaigner Alex Hofford. This article was adapted from a report originally published in Lloyds List: https://www.lloydslist.com/ll/sector/ship-operations/article531551.ece Image: Shutterstock Fears are growing that local companies are being squeezed out of tendering for contracts due to frailties with public procurement laws. Cllr Seamus Butler issued the appeal to Local Government Minister Simon Coveney to afford local authorities like Longford greater flexibility to procure goods and services locally. He said his experience in business over the years and involvmeent with ISME and the Small Business Taskforce had taught him that SMEs were being priced out of the marketplace. I am saying all of this because I don't think we (small and medium sized businesses) are getting a fair crack of the whip, he told a recent county council meeting. The former Chamber of Commerce president likened the situation to the drawn out nature that surrounds Longford Co Council's housing voids programme. We have one of the most centralised governments in Europe and that is a prime example, he said. We have a fund to do up our voids and to bring them up to scratch but every stage of that has to go back to the Department for approval. Cllr Butler said he hoped the debate would, at best get a conversation going about potentially reforming Ireland's present day procurement laws. He was supported by fellow Fianna Fail Cllr Martin Mulleady. As a director of a local construction firm himself, he too told of the difficulties many firms face in trying to secure public contracts. The procurement laws in this country are absolutely ridiculous, he snapped. It's putting people out of business and it is not encouraging people to enter business. It's just not good enough. Cllr Gerry Warnock agreed. He said the stringent nature of procurement legislation was indicative of Ireland's modern day political system. This just highlights how weak local government is, he said. It's also an example of how bureacracy and centralisation is having a negative effect on ratepayers in different areas across the country. Cllr Warnock said a massive sea change was needed in order to allow local authorities a greater input into how their counties are run and managed on a daily basis. The signage to and promotion for Corlea Trackway has long been an issue for many people who feel that not enough has been done to publicise this tourist amenity. In recent times, complaints have been received at the Leader office over poor signage and inadequate opening hours at Corlea Trackway and Visitor Centre. Hidden, concealed - yes, because many visitors to Corlea have experienced huge trouble in finding the place, Aidan OHara told the Leader this week. Lets face it, lovely and all as it is, Kenagh is not on any main highway to anywhere, and getting there is some sort of a tourists triumph, so those who make it are deserving of an explorers medal. Mr OHara went on to say that the signage for Corlea Trackway was incredibly inadequate and inquired as to how, once visitors made it to Kenagh, they would locate the Trackway. The signs are well into the village and almost hidden behind some leaves and lost among several road signs that motorists will surely miss, he continued. Anyway, it is right at the junction and even if the sign were big and clear, motorists will have passed by and then find themselves having to stop, turn around and come back again. The local man also questioned the opening hours at the centre which is generally closed from October to March each year. For the past 22 years the Centre has been open to visitors from the beginning of April to the end of September when it should be open all year round, he remarked. Without a word to anyone, the OPW then lopped off more than six weeks so that the Centre now opens weeks later and closes weeks earlier. In a statement the OPW said that the road signage issue was a matter for the relevant local authority, in this case Longford Co Council. OPW are actively engaging with the Council at present and hope to improve the position as regards signage in the future, added a spokesperson. With regards to the opening hours, OPW added, The current season operates from May 5, 2016 - September 28. Out of season requests to visit the site may be facilitated by prior arrangement by emailing permissions@opw.ie. Meanwhile, Longford Co Council said signage had improved greatly over the last few years with four dedicated reference signs along the arteries leading to Kenagh as well as an image-based sign (Warrior) in Kenagh itself. A new Tourism Information panel is being cited in the centre of the village over the next month that will also reference Corlea, continued the statement. Corlea is one of the countys top tourist attractions and Longford County Council knows that it has a responsibility to promote our tourism product as effectively as it can. There are, however, restrictions into the type and number of direction and promotion signs allowable along the road network and Longford County Council must work within these parameters in the promotion of any one facility. We will conduct a review of the signage related to Corlea over the next few months to determine if the signage highlighting Corlea Interpretative Centre can be optimised. Longfords Tourism chairman, Micheal Carrigy told the Leader that major plans were in place for the development and incorporation of Corlea Trackway through the Longford Royal Canal Project and the Ireland Ancient East initiative. He also stressed the importance of Longford people visiting the sites and new developments around the county so they could see everything for themselves, thus putting them in a strong position to promote Co Longford through word of mouth. Signage is definitely something that we are working on and we are also working on an overall plan that will include Corlea Trackway and incorporate it into the Royal Canal walkway, he added. Over 500,000 has already been allocated for that project and Cllr Carrigy says that if the local authority could secure an additional 300,000 or 400,000, major works could be carried out. The issue with opening hours at Corlea was because of the number of visitors, but we have to figure out a way of driving visitors to the Centre and with the plans that are in place, that will happen. If we are serious about putting ourselves on the map, we need to put the facilities in place and Longford people need to see everything for themselves so they can encourage people from outside the county to come here and experience all the wonderful things that are on offer. A man was sentenced to two months in prison at last months sitting of Granard District Court. Daniel Caldararu, 19 Buckingham Village, Buckingham Street, Dublin, who is currently serving another sentence, came before Judge Seamus Hughes accused of the theft of a purse, containing 270, at Dunnes Stores, Dublin Road, Longford on December 17, 2015. Giving the details of the case to the court, Superintendent Se McCormack explained that on the date in question, the injured party was at Dunnes Stores with her mother, who was in a wheelchair. The victims handbag was hanging from the wheelchair and she later discovered that her purse had been stolen. The defendant had been identified on CCTV, he added, revealing that Mr Caldararu had 14 previous convictions, which occurred in countries including the UK and Romania. In mitigation, Solicitor for the defendant, Brid Mimnagh explained that her client was in Ireland for the past 18 months with his wife and child and had been working part-time. She also pointed out that Mr Caldararu had been handed down an eight month sentence the previous week at a court in Dublin. She revealed that Mr Caldararu suffered with a drug addiction, which would have led to the theft. Judge Hughes subsequently sentenced Mr Caldararu to two months in prison to be served concurrently to the existing sentence. Tech & Science, Local News, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: August 04 2016 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the New NY Broadband Program has made sweeping progress toward achieving its nation-leading goal of broadband for all. Albany, NY - August 3, 2016 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the New NY Broadband Program has made sweeping progress toward achieving its nation-leading goal of broadband for all. On the heels of its merger with Time Warner Cable, Charter has outlined its four-year rollout plan to service 145,000 currently unserved households in upstate New York. Additionally, Charter will make available internet speeds of 100 megabits per second for more than 2 million upstate homes and businesses by early 2017 in its upstate service area, including in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany. The Governor also unveiled the New NY Broadband Programs Round I awards, which will connect 34,000 homes to high-speed internet for the first time. Once completed, these actions will ensure 97 percent of New Yorkers have the broadband access required to succeed in a 21st century economy, with the goal of serving all New Yorkers by the end of 2018. Access to high-speed internet is critical to keeping pace with the rising demands of the modern economy, Governor Cuomo said. The New NY Broadband Program is advancing our vision for inclusive, interconnected communities that empower individuals, support small businesses, and advance innovation. These actions are a major step forward in creating the most robust broadband infrastructure network in the nation, and ensuring that reliable, high-speed internet is available to all New Yorkers. Building on the progress already achieved, the Governor also announced the launch of a Request for Proposals for Round II of the State Broadband Program. The initiative will target a further extension of broadband availability to the most remote areas of the state in order to bring increased connectivity to millions of New Yorkers. Chair of the Public Service Commissioner Audrey Zibelman said, "With new authority provided by Governor Cuomo and the Legislature to ensure cable mergers are in the public interest, the Commission secured important conditions from Charter when it approved its acquisition of Time Warner that will result in a faster broadband network and a substantial expansion of its infrastructure to serve an additional 145,000 households. We are pleased to report that Charter is planning to deliver its speed upgrade to 100 Mbps nearly two years earlier than required, and is following through on its build-out commitments. Today's announcement is a major milestone in Governor Cuomo's plan to deliver broadband for all." Charter Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Catherine Bohigian said, We are excited to be working with Governor Cuomo and his Administration. Charter is committed to investing in New York to deliver broadband to more unserved homes and to bring faster broadband speeds to the communities we serve. We have already begun delivering on these plans and look forward to bringing product and service enhancements at a greater value to our customers in New York. New NY Broadband Program Design The Program is designed to ensure that New Yorks most remote communities receive the high-speed internet they need and deserve. The Program supports the deployment of advanced technologies to achieve the Governors goal of providing New Yorkers with access to internet download speeds of at least 100 Mbps in most places, and 25 Mbps in the most remote parts of the state, by the end of 2018. As a result of these speed upgrades, users will be able to download HD movies in 11 minutes -- versus 2.3 hours without broadband -- and credit card transactions will be processed five times faster. Award recipients were selected through a reverse-auction methodology, which prioritizes bidders seeking the lowest amount of state investment per new household served. In order to avoid cost duplication, the Charter footprint was excluded from Round I. This exclusion enabled the New York State Broadband Program Office to operate with a highly targeted scope and design an innovative auction process across the state, while preserving state funds. Round I Award Winners Following the conclusion of the application period for Round I, a team of expert advisors assisted the BPO in its review of applications to ensure that projects aligned with the robust goals and expectations of the Program. As part of Round I, the BPOs grants will drive $75.8 million of total investment for broadband deployment projects$54.2 million of which will be funded by the state, and $21.6 million of which will be funded by private investment. Consistent with the Programs vision, more than 80 percent of Round I funding was awarded to projects addressing unserved areas through each Upstate REDC region. When combined, nearly 18,000 miles of broadband infrastructure will be deployed. The awarded projects cover 18 upstate libraries and 96 community anchor institutions, including government buildings, healthcare facilities, institutions of higher education, K-12 schools, and public safety locations. The 25 awarded projects addressing both unserved and underserved territories span 27 counties, including sparsely populated areas in the Adirondacks and Catskills, ensuring that all New Yorkers are connected, regardless of population density. Twenty four of the awarded projects will provide Fiber to the Home and cable DOCSIS technologies to unserved and underserved communities, with most customers being eligible to receive Gigabit systems on par with the most technologically advanced areas across the nation. Projects will provide service to over 30,000 homes that would have otherwise been left behind if not for the states investment in broadband infrastructure. Round I awards: Armstrong Telecommunications, Inc. - $3,930,189 Armstrong Telephone Company - $1,778,256 Citizens Telephone Company of Hammond, N.Y., Inc. - $3,316,810 Empire Access - $3,396,374 Frontier Communications - $3,339,543 Germantown Telephone Company - $2,512,562 Haefele TV Inc. - $271,568 Hancock Telephone Company - $4,915,920 Heart of the Catskills Communications - $1,224,946 Margaretville Telephone Company - $4,791,505 Mid-Hudson Data Corp - $1,009,339 State Telephone Company, Inc. - $8,720,560 TDS Telecom - $9,393,753 The Middleburgh Telephone Company - $5,562,548 Family & Parenting, Local News, Health & Wellness, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: August 03 2016 The annual Breastfeeding Grand Rounds webcast takes place on Thursday, August 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET. Webcast by New York State Department of Health and University at Albany School of Public Health to explore strategies. Albany, NY - August 3, 2016 - The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the University at Albany School of Public Health are hosting the annual Breastfeeding Grand Rounds webcast on Thursday, August 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET. The live webcast, entitled Building a Continuum of Care to Support Exclusive Breastfeeding in New York State, is being aired during World Breastfeeding Week. The webcast targets healthcare professionals and will highlight three initiatives in New York that promote exclusive breastfeeding: the WIC Exclusive Breastfeeding Learning Community, the Breastfeeding Quality Improvement in Hospitals initiative and Breastfeeding Friendly Practice Designation. Each of these programs will be discussed, so they can be adopted by webcast participants in other healthcare settings. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in encouraging and supporting women to exclusively breastfeed, which has been proven to have significant health benefits for both the mother and the baby, said Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard Zucker. The Department continues to work with hospitals and providers to make system changes that help women breastfeed, with the goal of extending breastfeeding well into the first two years of a childs life. The webinar will feature Dr. Ruth Lawrence, a professor of pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry as well as Dr. Zucker and program leaders at the NYSDOH. The panelists will share strategies, challenges and best practices that are positively changing breastfeeding trends in New York State. Although 87% of New York mothers initiate breastfeeding, only 43% exclusively breastfeed by the time they leave the hospital. Over the years, New York State has adopted laws and regulations that have increased support for new moms who want to breastfeed exclusively, including the right to refuse bottle feeding and pacifiers in the hospital, and the right to breastfeed in any location, public or private. New York also recently passed the Paid Family Leave Act legislation, which provides partial wage replacement, so that new parents can stay home and bond with their newborns. Research in California shows that new moms who have paid family leave are more likely to exclusively breastfeed and to do so for a longer period of time. Last years webcast was viewed by more than 3,600 people in 45 states, as well as Puerto Rico, Canada and Denmark. Participants in the webcast are eligible to secure free continuing medical education (CME), continuing nursing education (CNE), certified health education specialists (CHES) credits and lactation counselor continuing education recognition points (LCERPS). For more information and to register, visit: here or call 518-402-0330. Chinese, African companies ink 17-billion-USD deals 2016-08-04 07:23 Chinese and African representatives attend a signing ceremony during the Seminar on China-Africa Business Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, July 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Companies from China and Africa signed 39 deals worth around 17 billion U.S. dollars on Thursday. The deals, involving financial institutions and enterprises, were signed on the eve of a meeting on delivering the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). More than 400 participants from government agencies, financial institutions, business associations and enterprises attended the Seminar on China-Africa Business Cooperation and Signing Ceremony in Beijing on Thursday. The seminar was hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), which is a supporting event for the Coordinators' Meeting of the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Johannesburg Summit of the FOCAC. During the seminar, participants exchanged views on industrial capacity cooperation, trade and investment facilitation and financial cooperation. Chinese and African companies spanning the sectors of infrastructure, processing and manufacturing, finance, investment, energy, chemicals, agriculture, pharmaceutical and ICT, reached consensus for future cooperation. Jiang Weixin, chairman of the CCPIT, said the development strategies of Africa and China were highly compatible, and the two sides have many advantages. In the future, the CCPIT will work with its African counterparts to enhance communication, strengthen policy coordination, and organize more trade and investment events to boost China-Africa trade ties, said Jiang. Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao had a group meeting with the African delegates. Hailing the success of the Johannesburg summit, Li called on China and the African countries to enhance mutual trust, promote pragmatic cooperation, expand people-to-people exchanges and improve coordination on global affairs. State Councilor Yang Jiechi held separate meetings with the foreign minister of Chad, Moussa Faki Mahamat; Sudanese Presidential Assistant Al-Jaz; and Gambian Foreign Minister Neneh MacDouall-Gaye, exchanging views on China's ties with their respective countries as well as Africa as a whole. At the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) last December in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced ten major China-Africa cooperation plans for the next three years, backed by 60 billion U.S. dollars, including interest free loans and preferential policies. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his counterparts from Mali,Madagascar, Comoros and Democratic Republic of Congo. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> Food, Wine, & Dining, Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: August 04 2016 As of August 1st, customers across the region, including Long Island, can enjoy the new McNuggets at their local restaurant. McDonalds employees celebrate the launch of the new Chicken McNugget in the New York Metro region. From left to right: McDonalds Owner/Operators Nicholas Norman and Lynn Samaha; McDonalds Senior Director of Nutrition, Dr. Cindy Goody; McDonalds Owner/Operator Bill Diekmann; Mwaffak Kanjee, Vice President and General Manager of McDonalds New York Metro Region. Long Island, NY - August 4, 2016 - As a part of its continued commitment to improving food quality, McDonald's has launched a new Chicken McNugget free of artificial preservatives and still without artificial colors or flavors. As of August 1st, customers across the region, including Long Island, can enjoy the new McNuggets at their local restaurant. On August 2nd, McDonalds Senior Director of Nutrition, Dr. Cindy Goody, discussed the new McNugget and McDonalds recent food initiatives at Owner/Operator Paul Hendels McDonald's restaurant at 541 6th Avenue in Manhattan. Made with ingredients including white meat chicken and tempura batter, McDonalds Chicken McNuggets are one of the most popular menu items. They are sourced from three U.S. trusted suppliers: Tyson, Keystone Foods and Dorada Foods. The evolution of the McDonalds menu continues with the introduction of the new Chicken McNugget, said Josh Kaufman, a McDonalds Owner/Operator on Long Island. We are committed to providing our customers with quality food, and I am excited to offer this new menu item in my Long Island restaurants. McDonald's originally set out to achieve its antibiotics chicken commitment by March 2017, but through a collaborative effort with its suppliers and farmers on a large scale, the company was able to make this change a reality and bring it to its customers nearly a year ahead of schedule. Now every chicken item McDonald's serves is made from chicken not treated with antibiotics important to human medicine. "More than ever, people care about their food -- where it comes from, what goes into it and how it's prepared," said Mike Andres, president, McDonald's USA. "We're making changes to ensure the food we're proud of is food our customers love and feel good eating, and we remain committed to our continuing food journey at McDonald's." This effort is a part of McDonalds USAs effort to provide customers with great tasting food they can feel good about eating. Some additional moves McDonalds has recently made across its menu include: Removing artificial preservatives from several additional items, including the pork sausage patties and omelet-style eggs served on McGriddles, Bagel and Biscuit breakfast sandwiches, and the scrambled eggs on its breakfast platters; New buns rolled out this month that no longer contain high fructose corn syrup, including the buns used on Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, Filet-O-Fish and McChicken sandwiches. The Artisan roll introduced in 2015 never contained high fructose corn syrup; and Completing a major commitment to only serve chicken not treated with antibiotics important to human medicine, nearly a year ahead of schedule. In total, these changes affect ingredients in nearly half of the food on McDonald's menu. McDonald's continues to innovate its menu to include new tastes and ingredients that customers are looking for, such as turkey sausage, guacamole made with real Hass avocados, Sriracha and freshly prepared pico de gallo as part of local tests and regional introductions. About McDonalds New York Tri-State Restaurants As one of the brands flagship markets, McDonalds New York Metro Region represents one of the worlds best known brands within the Tri-State area. Based in Iselin, New Jersey, the regional office oversees 600 McDonalds restaurants and more than 100 franchisees located throughout the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Tri-State region. The regional office is run by a team of leading professionals in the fields of operations, marketing, public relations and public affairs. Visit www.McDonaldsNYTriState.com or follow us on Twitter for more information about other McDonald's area programs. About McDonald's USA McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or Twitter and Facebook. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases China opens S China Sea website 2016-08-04 07:59 BEIJING - China on Wednesday opened a website on the South China Sea, complete with historical maps, articles and research, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). Run by the National Marine Data & Information Service, the Chinese language site has 10 sections that cover basic information, news, historical archives, development and management, expert opinion, law and regulations, a timeline of major events, pictures and videos and Q&A. "The South China Sea has drawn huge attention, but some information online is not accurate," said Zhang Haiwen, SOA official in charge of international cooperation. "We hope that this website will enable domestic and overseas people to better understand it and learn about the truth behind the 'dispute' over it." According to Zhang, the website contains not only maps and archives but also exclusive analysis and expository articles based on experts' research of thousands of maps. Zhang cited that a map often used by Vietnam to prove that it owned the Xisha Islands was actually pieced together by two maps, which have already been obtained by experts and might be used to refute the country's claim. Zhang said new findings will be published on the website once verified. According to the SOA, information on the website must first be reviewed by an expert panel and be "comprehensive, authoritative, detailed and accurate." "The website is founded with the aim of positively publicizing our policies, claims, historical proof, legal basis and international cooperation while serving as a reliable channel for domestic and overseas government departments, research groups and individuals to learn about the South China Sea," said SOA spokesman Shi Qingfeng. The website has now six domain names, including www.thesouthchinasea.org and www.china-nanhai.org, due to "information unification and security concerns," according to the SOA. Simple Plan asks China fans to go crazy From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-08-04 10:17 Simple Plan is touring China with hits from its latest album, Taking One for the Team.[Photo provided to China Daily] French-Canadian band Simple Plan will return to China with three shows later this month. Supporting its fifth album, Taking One for the Team, which was released in February, the showsone in Beijing and two in Shanghaiare part of the pop-punk group's ongoing Taking One for the Team Tour 2016, which started in Madrid immediately after the album was unveiled. "It's always exciting to be in China. Our Chinese fans have been great since the beginning. We're looking forward to being there again and seeing familiar faces, enjoying the awesome food and culture that we already know so well," lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier tells China Daily over email. The band performed on the Chinese mainland in 2012 and the following year. Both shows were successful. "Pure madness," Bouvier says of fan expectations from the upcoming shows. "We love to get the party started and the set list that we have is great for that. We want fans to get involved in the show so we also expect craziness from you guys. We basically feed off you. The crazier you get, the better the show will be." Besides the band's single hits, including Welcome to My Life and Jet Lag, they will perform tracks from their latest album, Taking One for the Team, which range from heavy punk guitars and drums to reggae and alternative. With the new album, the band showed lots of personal growth both as a group and individual members. Simple Plan started in mid-1990s in Montreal, where classmates Bouvier and drummer Chuck Comeau met in high school. In 1999, guitarists Jeff Stinco and Sebastien Lefebvre joined in. It's been almost five years since the band released its last album, Get Your Heart On!, and a lot has happened in the lives of members since then. "I'm motivated by having my little girls watch me play music and come to the shows. I have a studio in the back of my house. They pop in and they're like, 'Hey Daddy! Whatcha doing?'" says Bouvier, adding that he is excited to see that his daughters are interested in what he is doing and doesn't want them to later think their dad "used to be in a band that people liked". "Our drummer Chuck (Comeau) always talks about it. We want our kids to be able to come see us while we're still doing well," he adds. After 17 years as a group, the band members have shared much. "The message is really on point these days. The world is not always a beautiful place, but it's important to always keep going," Lefebvre says, adding that Singing in the Rain is his favorite number from the latest album. Simple Plan made a name with its pop-punk sounds and songs about love and breakup after releasing the debut album No Pads, No Helmets ... Just Balls. "Breakup songs are such an instrumental part of pop or punk. We shouldn't limit ourselves to not write these songs that are such a part of our style just because we're happily in love (now). We just dive back into people that we were in love with in the past," Bouvier says. If you go 8 pm, Aug 28. Huiyuan Space, LeSports Center, 69, Fuxing Road, Haidian district, Beijing. 400-610-3721. 8 pm, Aug 30-31. Mixing Room, Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Shibo Avenue, Shanghai. 400-610-3721. Some of the soldiers as seen in the video Ansar Dine, a mainly Tuareg jihadist front for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has released a video showing Malian Army soldiers that were captured in last months large-scale attack on a military base in southern Mali. Ansar Dine has previously stated its Katibat Macina (Macina Battalion), which is mainly an ethnic Fula group, perpetrated the attack. The video, one of the first produced by Ansar Dines new Al Rimaah Media outlet, shows five soldiers sitting in front of the jihadist groups flag. Each soldier then speaks to the camera, saying their name, rank, and where they were captured. The highest ranking soldier shown is a First Sergeant, while three others are only identified as soldiers. In prior releases related to the Nampala attack, Ansar Dine did not mention any captives taken during the battle. The first report of hostages taken came from the Mauritanian news outlet Al Akhbar just days prior to the release of the video. The jihadist group does not indicate that these soldiers will be executed in the video and it is possible the soldiers could be used as bargaining chips for potential prisoner swaps in the future. Jihadist groups in Mali, like AQIM, have completed prisoner exchanges in the past, but these have usually been performed for Western captives. Prior to the release of the video, Malian authorities claimed to have captured a leader of Katibat Macina, Mahmoud Barry, who is also known as Sheikh Yahya. The Malian officials have placed Yahya as one of the masterminds of the Nampala offensive. Yahya was first seen and identified as a leader of Katibat Macina in a video released by the battalion in May. In addition, Malian authorities also claimed to have captured a Burkinabe leader of Katibat Macina last month near the border with Burkina Faso. It remains to be seen if the loss of key leaders hinders its ability to effectively operate. Last months attack in Nampala left at least 17 Malian soldiers dead and more than 30 others wounded. The assault was claimed by both Ansar Dine and the National Alliance for the Protection of the Peul Identity and the Restoration of Justice (ANSIPRJ), which is an ethnic Fulani (also known as Peul) militia that formed just two months ago. It is possible that there was cooperation between the two in the onslaught, as both Ansar Dines Katibat Macina and ANSIPRJ are ethnic Fulani groups and ANSIPRJ is unlikely to have the capabilities to pull off such an invasion by itself. In addition to the ANSIPRJ and Ansar Dine, Malian officials have stated that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) also took part in the assault on the base. Reuters has reported that a Malian military spokesman said that Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb attacked from the north, the Macina Liberation Front [another name for Katibat Macina] linked to Ansar Dine waited outside the town to ambush military reinforcements and an ethnic Peul [another word for the Fula people] group attacked from the southeast. (See Threat Matrix report, Malian military base targeted in southern Mali.) 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. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. A dispute over the leadership of the Islamic States West Africa province has broken out into the public. The controversy was revealed after the Islamic States An Naba magazine identified Abu Musab al Barnawi as the groups wali, or governor, on Aug. 2. That position had been held by Abu Bakr Shekau, the longtime leader of the group known as Boko Haram. In Mar. 2015, Shekau swore his allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Boko Haram was quickly rebranded as Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), with Shekau as its governor. [See LWJ reports: Boko Haram leader pledges allegiance to the Islamic State and Islamic State spokesman publicly accepts Boko Harams allegiance.] An Nabas announcement of Barnawis promotion drew a swift response from Shekau. An audio message attributed to Shekau was disseminated online just one day later, on Aug. 3. The SITE Intelligence Group has translated both An Nabas interview with Barnawi and the response from Shekau. Shekau, who is notorious for being one of the jihadists most erratic leaders, criticizes Barnawi for not being extreme enough. Barnawi and his coterie say that if a Muslim went to the land of disbelief and did not show his animosity to the disbelievers there, then he is not a disbeliever, Shekau alleges, according to SITEs translation. However, we say that such a person is a disbeliever. Shekau charges that Barnawi and his men also say that if [a Muslim] does not show his animosity to the tyrant who rules with something other than what Allah decreed (meaning sharia law), then he is not a disbeliever either. Shekau says that such a person is a disbeliever. In essence, Shekau argues that Barnawi refuses to accuse other Muslims of apostasy even when, in Shekaus view, they clearly deserve it. Shekaus frustration is noticeable throughout the audio message. According to SITEs translation, Shekau says he sent Baghdadi many letters, eight letters, to showthe truth of the matter based on Islamic texts, but Baghdadi apparently did not respond. Shekau reiterates that he sent Baghdadi (or his lieutenants) many letters demonstrating that Barnawi and his men adhered to a false creed based on personal opinion. You asked me about this so I responded to you in the language of verses and Hadith, and yet I found no answer, Shekau says, according to SITE. In An Naba, Barnawi discusses at length the history of his group, tracing its roots back to Boko Harams founding father, who is identified as Abu Yusuf al Barnawi. This is a reference to Mohammed Yusuf, who died in July 2009 after he was captured by Nigerian authorities. Abu Musab al Barnawi briefly mentions that Shekau replaced Yusuf after the latters demise in 2009, but he does not add any more detail about Shekaus current status. Interestingly, Barnawi tries to soften his groups image just a little, at least when it comes to the killing of Muslims. He rejects the claim that his fighters are kharijites. In the current context, this word is used as a synonym for extremists. It is often used by other Muslims, including al Qaedas ideologues and loyalists, to describe the Islamic States membership. Barnawi claims that the Islamic State has prohibited targeting the ordinary people, whether they be in markets or mosques. However, ISWA has repeatedly targeted such locations. Therefore, Barnawis comments may reflect a concern over the widespread condemnation of ISWAs often indiscriminate operations. Barnawi does not hold back in his criticism of Christianity. He says the number of Christians in Nigeria has steadily grown since the latter part of the 20th Century and he warns that they are trying to Christianize the society. An Nabas interviewer asks Barnawi how his organization plans to deal with Nigerias Christians. Barnawi gives a striking answer. It is by booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those who we find from the citizens of the Cross, Barnawi responds, according to SITE. In addition, he continues, we educate the people and warn them of the risk of the Crusader organizations, and that they only came to Christianize their sons under the name of relief, and not to be deceived by it. Shekaus fate has been a mystery for months, as various unsubstantiated rumors have circulated throughout the African press. But assuming the latest audio message is authentic, Shekau is alive and hes angry about being replaced. Shekau still refers to Baghdadi as the Caliph in his message, but he is clearly aggravated by the way the Islamic States hierarchy has handled the leadership dispute. How disputes are handled by the Islamic States bureaucracy Shekau is not the first Islamic State wali (governor) to face a rebellion from his subordinates. As The Long War Journal reported, a cadre of senior leaders and fighters in the Yemen province rebelled against their wali late last year. [See LWJ report, Divisions emerge within the Islamic States Yemen province.] The rogue faction sent a complaint to the caliphs office, which is presumably in Raqqa. Their objections were answered in a matter of days by one of the Islamic States most senior administrators, Abu Ubaydah Abd al Hakim, who is a veteran jihadist and a member of the Islamic States shura council. Hakim dismissed the dissenters arguments and ordered them to fall in line behind the caliphates chosen wali. What you have ventured to do is absolutely rejected, Hakim wrote. You must hear and obey he who has been tasked with [governing] your emirate. Hakim continued: The walis do the work of the caliph, so hear and obey them as long as they do not order insubordination against Allah; their obedience is not to be questioned as long as you do not see a brazen nonbeliever among them. While the wali in Yemen received a ringing endorsement from the caliphates headquarters, Shekau apparently was not as fortunate. In early July, the Islamic States Al Furqan media establishment produced a video outlining the structure of the khalifah. Al Furqan indicated that a delegated committee reports directly to Baghdadi and, among other duties, oversees all of the wilayat (or provinces). A screen shot from the video can be seen above. Although the video greatly exaggerated the power and scope of the wilayat, it is likely that there is a body within the organization that oversees the wilayat. In that case, the delegated committee, or a similar entity, would have played a key role in sidelining Shekau. In the case of Yemen, Hakim was identified as a member of the groups shura council, which also sits above the wilayat. The degree to which the Islamic States mothership has been in contact with and directing ISWA has been the subject of some debate. However, the Barnawi-Shekau spat indicates that the Islamic States headquarters has a degree of control. An Naba is produced by the caliphates central media apparatus. Its announcement of Barnawi as ISWAs new governor shows that the caliphates administrators decided he was more fit for command than Shekau. Shekau does complain that his letters were ignored, but this may be because the chain-of-command had already decided he was too problematic to keep in place. Al Qaedas leaders made a similar calculation when Boko Haram was allied with their network. Files recovered in Osama bin Ladens compound reveal that Shekau wanted to unite under one banner with al Qaeda. [See LWJ report, Osama Bin Ladens Files: Boko Harams leader wanted to be under one banner.] It is possible that Shekau swore bayah (oath of allegiance) to al Qaeda behind closed doors, but neither bin Laden, nor Ayman al Zawahiri ever officially recognized Shekau as their man. And no one in al Qaeda complained last year when Shekau decamped for the Islamic State. Under Shekaus leadership, Boko Haram received assistance from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other al Qaeda groups. But al Qaeda also groomed another leadership cadre in Nigeria to serve its interests. Some of these jihadists formed Ansaru, which was allied with Shekau but also ended up condemning his and Boko Harams operations. Ansaru, which follows al Qaedas manhaj (methodology), criticized some of the very same practices Barnawi now disavows in An Naba, such as bombing markets and mosques. [See LWJ report, Jihadist divisions grow in Nigeria.] Shekaus message indicates that while he is no longer the wali of ISWA, he still sees himself as the head of Jamaat Ahl al-Sunnah Lil Dawa Wal Jihad, the local name for what we in the West call Boko Haram. It remains to be see how strong his faction is after his unceremonious replacement. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. United States Africa Command announced today that it has carried out nine airstrikes in Sirte, Libya since Aug. 1. The bombings are part of Operation Odyssey Lightning, which is targeting the Islamic States positions, weapons and equipment in the city. Five of the airstrikes took place on the first day of the air campaign, destroying two tanks (a T-72 and a T-55), two military support vehicles, an enemy fighting position, and two pieces of heavy engineering equipment. Four subsequent airstrikes on Aug. 2 and 3 took out a rocket launcher, one piece of heavy engineering equipment (excavator), one pickup truck with mounted recoilless rifle, and one pickup truck with mounted recoilless rifle. Africa Command has also posted a video of the airstrike that disabled the T-72 tank. As The Long War Journal noted at the outset of the airstrikes, local fighters loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) had stalled in their campaign to clear the so-called caliphates fighters from Sirte. Al Bunyan Al Marsoos (Solid Structure), a military operations room that recruits fighters from Islamist militias in Misrata and elsewhere, made progress during the first weeks of its offensive in late May and early June. But the Islamic State is hunkered down inside the city and this prompted the GNA and Al Bunyan Al Marsoos to call in air support from the Americans. US Africa Command says that the bombings and other actions taken previously are intended to deny Daesh [Islamic State] a safe haven in Libya from which it could attack the United States and our allies. In February, the US targeted a Tunisian named Noureddine Chouchane. The Pentagon described Chouchane as a senior facilitator for the Islamic State in Libya. He had been implicated in high-profile terrorist attacks in neighboring Tunisia. The Defense Department also suggested that Chouchane could potentially be involved in planning external attacks on American interests in the region. [See LWJ report, US airstrike targets Islamic State operative, training camp in Libya.] Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Counsel at Red Lobster, Atlassian and two other companies say its hard to register descriptive terms, but that it can be worth the slog in some cases Dubai: The operation at the Dubai international airport return backs to normal after the harrowing emirate plane fire incident on last day. The passengers of Emirate jetliners flight have a miraculous escape after the flight burst into flames after emergency landing at Dubai airport. Three hundred people, about 60 Keralites escaped by jumping out of the emergency exit and back door. The Terminal 3 which closed temporarily was opened today. Many passengers ran barefoot and suffered from the burning heat on the tarmac. The passengers who suffered physical inconvenience were treated at the airport clinic. An Iranian supertanker collided with a container ship in the Singapore Strait with no loss of life or pollution despite damage to both vessels, shipping officials said on Thursday. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the collision took place just before midnight on Thursday between Dream II, owned by Iran's top oil tanker operator NITC, and MSC Alexandra, owned by the world's no.2 container group MSC of Switzerland. The MPA and MSC said a number of container boxes fell into the sea, and others landed on the deck of Dream II. "We are ... extremely relieved to hear that there has been no loss of life, or pollution caused despite the significant damage to the hull of MSC Alexandra," Yock Juee Tan, managing director of MSC Asia, said in a statement. "We are now continuing to work closely with the authorities and salvage teams to ensure containers are safely discharged." MPA said separately Dream II sustained damage to its bow, adding that both vessels were safely anchored in Singapore. Iran has aimed to ramp up oil exports since the lifting of international sanctions in January after Tehran signed a nuclear deal with world powers last year. The removal of international restrictions has enabled NITC to operate more freely and increase shipments of oil cargoes to its top buyers in Asia including China. The Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest commercial shipping routes, is a 105-km long, 16-km wide passage between the Strait of Malacca to the South China Sea. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Alexandra Hudson) Crowley Maritime Corp. said its liquefied natural gas (LNG) services group has been awarded a multi-year contract to supply containerized LNG from the U.S. mainland to Molinos de Puerto Rico, the Caribbean arm of Ardent Mills LLC, supplier of flour, wheat, corn and rice-based food ingredients. The contract was executed through Crowleys subsidiary Carib Energy (USA) LLC, and includes both the supply and transportation of LNG. The transportation of LNG from liquefaction facilities on the mainland to Molinos plant will be managed by Crowleys domestic logistics team, which will coordinate the over-the-road transport of 40-foot ISO containers, authorized by the U.S. Department of Transportation to carry approximately 10,000 gallons of LNG, to the companys Jacksonville, Fla., shipping terminal. Once in Jacksonville, the containers will be loaded onto company-owned vessels departing for Puerto Rico. Upon arrival on the island, Crowleys Puerto Rico-based logistics team will deliver the LNG to the customers facility. There, the LNG will be re-gasified and used for power consumption. Crowleys Carib Energy was the first company to receive a small scale, 25-year, LNG export license from the U.S. Department of Energy for LNG transportation from the U.S. into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries. Shortly thereafter, a Crowley LNG services group was formed to begin offering supply, transportation and distribution of LNG services via 10,000-gallon ISO tanks, and the company was additionally granted the first small-scale license for supply, transportation and distribution of LNG into Non-Free Trade Agreement (NTFA) countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Molinos de Puerto Rico joins several other customers receiving containerized LNG supply in Puerto Rico, where a virtual natural gas pipeline has been established by Crowley from the U.S. Crowley is already supplying LNG to Coca-Cola Puerto Rico Bottlers in Cayey and Club Caribe in Cidra, both wholly owned subsidiaries of CC1 Companies, and to a major pharmaceutical company on the island. Additional industrial companies on the island are considering making the switch to LNG. A new, emission-free electric tour boat now plies the Rideau Canal, powered by two 80 horsepower Torqeedo electric motors. The 75-foot, 100-passenger vessel Queen Elizabeth Dr. is the first of two planned vessels to offer guided tours and host events on the canal. The second, Colonel By, is expected to enter service in the spring of 2017. Torqeedo's high-power Deep Blue system was the obvious choice to propel Canada's largest electric passenger vessel because of its comprehensive safety systems, said Robert Taillefer, owner of The Queen Elizabeth Dr. and operator of Ottawa Boat Cruises. These systems were fully vetted by the Canadian government in order to have the vessel certified. The 1.5 hour tour travels from Chateau Laurier to Dow's Lake, passing more than 30 of Ottawa's landmarks, and runs four times a day. The Queen Elizabeth Dr. has two Deep Blue systems installed, but only one is used at a time. The canal is quite narrow for the long vessel; instead of turning around, it engages the second motor. Meredith Brown, Ottawa's Riverkeeper, said, Our organization is always happy to see new opportunities for people to connect with the river in a sustainable way, and there is nothing like a quiet electric motor to help everyone enjoy the natural sounds of the river. Queen Elizabeth Dr. was officially launched on June 9, 2016 by Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Minister responsible for Parks Canada and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Center. Ottawa is familiar with the benefits of electric boatinga Torqeedo-powered water taxi has served the downtown area for several years. When Parks Canada opened an opportunity for a new tourism operation within the site, it specified that only electric boats would be considered. The Deep Blue line provides the horsepower, torque and performance of a diesel or gasoline-powered engine, without the noise, fumes and pollutants. Torqeedo offers a wide range of outboard and inboard motors. They're powered by high-voltage lithium batteries with exceptionally fast recharge times. Subscribe for Maritime Reporter E-News Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week The buzzword for the post-Brexit landscape both in Europe and further afield is uncertainty. No-one really knows the long term effect that Brexit will have on local and global economies, says Eversheds International. However, as the dust settles following the referendum, market experts, industry analysts and businesses are assessing the position with cooler heads and so, whilst certainty may be a little way off, more concrete predictions and assertions of intent are beginning to emerge. This is evident daily in commentary and news from the shipping and sea trade sector. The international shipping market is fuelled by trade, which in turn depends on the health of the global economy. The Brexit vote landed at a time when the shipping market, particularly in certain sectors like bulk freight, was already extremely challenging. The factors which have contributed to dry bulk freight rates heading towards all-time lows in Q1 2016 reflect long term issues which would have persisted whatever the referendum result. These factors include oversupply of ships and the effect on global trade of the rebalancing of the Chinese economy following the boom of the last decade. Sea trade in and out of the UK accounts for only a very small fraction of global shipping activity and therefore an isolated post-Brexit slowdown in the UK economy may be unlikely to impact dramatically on global freight volumes. This is reflected in some of the bullish reaction we have seen from industry players in recent weeks. Euronavs chief executive was quoted in Lloyds List as saying, on a conference call for analysts: It should be largely speaking something of a non-event in terms of impact on global trade for crude oil. For companies with income denominated in US Dollars, which will be the case for many international shipping companies, it could be temporarily beneficial, particularly if costs are in euros and sterling. Others comment that potential constraints in available finance, arising from the Brexit vote, may contribute to a longer term upturn in the market, in terms of helping address the current oversupply of vessels. However, not all commentators are as optimistic. Whilst there seems generally to be agreement that the Brexit vote alone will not be hugely impactful on world trade, the consequences could be amplified when combined with other matters currently playing themselves out on the world stage. Tradewinds reported this week that Wells Fargo analyst Michael Webber, who covers shipping stocks for the bank, said that the combination of the rise of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee to the White House, the Brexit vote, uncertainty around Italy's banks and the coup attempt in Turkey could create "meaningful tail risk" for crude demand expectations in the second half of the year. If this prediction is accurate, it is likely to impact on demand for tanker shipping services and therefore freight rates. The shipping industry, particularly the dry bulk and container sectors, is facing other macro threats to its existence in the longer term, which are completely unrelated to the Brexit vote. The rise of the digital economy and more widespread use of technology in logistics (for example drone deliveries) and the consumer sector (for example 3D printing) may impact on the longterm need for the same volume of goods to be carried by sea. The global shipping market is experiencing challenging times, mainly due to factors which were set in train long before the brexit vote. However, the shipping industry is used to market cycles and draws resilience from the fact that global trade cannot function without international shipping. Regional issues like the Brexit vote certainly have the power to impact the market, but if ultimately they are not significant enough to affect global supply and demand for physical goods and commodities, they are unlikely to prove more than a drop in the ocean in terms of their individual impact on the global shipping market. The impact of the vote is bound to be felt more locally, in the UK and European shipping industry. Particular markets, such as the UK offshore market and the UK marine professional services market, will be watching the negotiations unfold very carefully in order to evaluate both the issues and also the opportunities that brexit creates for them depending on the future structure of relations both between the UK and the EU and the UK and the rest of the world. British satellite operator Inmarsat reported a rise in revenue in the second quarter, more than reversing a dip in the first quarter, as its customers used its broadband terminals to improve efficiency in tough shipping and energy markets. The company reported a 6 percent rise in second-quarter revenue to $330.4 million and a 22 percent rise in core earnings to $202.2 million on Thursday, and reiterated its target for full-year revenue. "It a very solid performance, despite the market being quite challenging," Chief Executive Rupert Pearce said in an interview on Thursday. "Many of our markets are in recession, but ironically there's some counter-cyclicality here because people are investing in communications to improve their efficiency and effectiveness, that's certainly true in energy, it's certainly true in maritime." Shares in Inmarsat, which have languished since it downgraded its full-year revenue forecast range by $50 million to $1.175-$1.250 billion in May, were trading up 1.6 percent at 793 pence by 0817 GMT. Reporting by Paul Sandle Kongsberg Maritime said it has been awarded an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract worth more than NOK 120 million from Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) for engineering and maritime technology deliveries to a RoPax ferry for Irish Continental Group (ICG). Kongsberg Maritime together with its wholly owned subsidiary Kongsberg Maritime Engineering (KME) will execute the project, which will see KME provide all engineering, procurement and project management while Kongsberg Maritime will supply a full picture system delivery. The RoPax ferry will have a 194.8 m length overall and 31.6 m beam with a cargo capacity of 2,800 lane meters, and an additional dedicated car deck for 300 cars. It will be equipped with 435 passenger cabins and a number of restaurants, bars and lounges on four decks, with a total capacity of 1,900 passengers and crew. Kongsberg Maritimes project delivery and sophisticated automation and control technology will support the vessels design to enable optimal fuel consumption, while meeting current and known future environmental regulations. The contract includes supply and integration of the electrical, telecom and integrated control systems, project management, interface management and engineering services at all stages. Cables, installation and installation materials for the above systems are also included. In addition, a technology scope of supply includes; shaft generators, switchboards, automation, propulsion control, navigation systems and radio/satellite communications. The engineering and construction phase is estimated to be two years. In a challenging market we are very pleased that we can supply a tailor made Electrical, Instrument and Telecom (EIT) solution for the yard and owner with a large scope of both in-house and procured technology, said Egil Haugsdal, President, Kongsberg Maritime. This is our first contract in Germany for a full EPCI scope. As a major shipbuilding nation, Germany is seen as a strategic area for Kongsberg Maritime as we turn our focus to new markets. Tropical storm Earl whipped Belize with wind and heavy rain as it weakened, moving into Guatemala toward southeastern Mexico on Thursday after hundreds of people took shelter overnight. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said at 1200 GMT that Earl had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour) as it churned about 90 miles (145 km) west of Belize City. Earl had been a hurricane overnight. Late Wednesday, over 1,000 people were in shelters in Belize City, according to Philip Willoughby, who is in charge of the city's emergency management. Dozens of people were also evacuated in Honduras on Wednesday, the government said. As it moves west, Earl is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later Thursday or by Friday morning, the NHC said. Mexican national oil company Pemex said Wednesday night it was monitoring Earl but had not evacuated workers at oil platforms that are concentrated in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Earl, the fifth named storm of the 2016 season, was expected to bring 8 to 12 inches (20-30 cm) of rain in parts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula through Friday morning, the Miami-based NHC said in a statement. By Henry Romero and Manuel Carrillo Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3,348,040 tons in July, a decrease of 18 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lakes Carriers Association (LCA). Julys loadings were also 14 percent below the months five-year average. Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 2.6 million tons, a decrease of 26 percent compared to a year ago., while shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 760,000 tons, an increase of 35 percent compared to a year ago, LCA said. Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 13.1 million tons, a decrease of 6 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings out of Michigan and Ohio quarries total 10.4 million tons, a decrease of 11 percent. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 2.7 million tons, an increase of 19 percent. Euroseas Ltd.announced that it has signed an addendum to its shipbuilding contract with YJZ yard for the construction of Kamsarmax vessel Hull Number YZJ 1153 scheduled to be delivered during the first quarter of 2018. According to the addendum, the Company acquired the option until December 31, 2016 to decide whether to build the vessel, or build a vessel of different type, or credit the payment already made as part of the original contract ($2.77m) to acquire a different vessel from the yard at a mutually agreed price, or decide to cancel the shipbuilding contract without any additional cost. The Company took delivery of a similar Kamsarmax vessel, M/V Xenia, in February 2016. M/V Xenia has been chartered for four years at $14,100/day with an additional year at $14,350/day at the charterer's option. The Company also announced that the first of its Ultramax vessels, Hull Number DY 160 (planned to be renamed ALEXANDROS P), under construction at Dayang yard and originally scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2016, was cancelled due to excessive construction delays. The Company has demanded the return of its progress payments and other expenses as specified in the newbuilding contract and secured by refund guaranties. The parties have referred the matter to arbitration. The Company has a second newbuilding contract for a similar Ultramax vessel, Hull Number DY 161, with the same yard which is also facing significant delays. As part of a commitment made to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) earlier this year, United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has prohibited the carriage of shark fin and shark fin related products. WWF estimates that overfishing of sharks has led to around one quarter of the worlds shark species to be under threat. Sharks play a pivotal role in marine ecosystems and their disappearance can have severe consequences on the marine environment. The demand for shark fin as a delicacy is one of the key reasons for over-fishing. UASC is one of sixteen global carriers that have committed to upholding a policy of not carrying commodities declared as shark fin. A week ago, Cosco Shipping, the world's fourth largest shipping operator which holds 7.7% of the global market share, pledged a total ban on shipping shark fins! Environmental group WildAid says that the commitments of 17 container shipping lines and 34 airlines have intensified scrutiny of American multinational courier FedEx, which has yet to commit to a No Shark Fin carriage policy despite intense pressure. UPS, FedExs chief industry rival, banned shark fin shipments nearly a year ago. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will launch its third mission to the wreckage of the El Faro on Friday from Virginia Beach, Virginia. The missions primary objective is to retrieve the sunken cargo ships voyage data recorder. The Military Sealift Commands fleet ocean tug USNS Apache is expected to arrive at the accident site around August 9. Along with the NTSB, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, and Phoenix International are joining the recovery effort, using CURV-21, a deep ocean remotely operated underwater vehicle to retrieve the VDR and conduct additional wreckage documentation. Were hopeful that the information contained in the voyage data recorder will provide insights into the circumstances of the ships sinking, said Brian Curtis, Acting Director of the NTSB Office of Marine Safety. The El Faro, a U.S. flagged cargo ship, sank during Hurricane Joaquin October 1, 2015. In October and November of 2015, the NTSB conducted an initial search mission to locate the vessel and conduct an initial survey of the debris field. The data collected during that mission was used by investigators to plot high probability search zones for the second mission in April, which resulted in the location of the mast and VDR. The wreckage is in approximately 15,000 feet of water, about 41 miles (36 nautical miles) northeast of Crooked Islands, Bahamas. USNS Apache is expected to arrive at Mayport, Fla., between August 16-20, following completion of the mission. The cost for this mission is expected to be $500,000, bringing the total for the three missions to approximately $3 million. Managing Director of Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) Mohammad Saeed-Nejad says the nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 has removed all sanctions imposed on Iranian ports. The big vessels and famous international shipping lines are facing no restrictions in their traffic in the Iranian ports, says a report by IRNA. The number of foreign oil supertankers docking at Irans southern Kharg oil terminal has seen a major increase. He said big trawlers and well-credited shipping lines of the world are berthing in Iranian ports. He went on to say that current era is the era full of changes and developments in the international trade sector and commercial ports after the JCPOA. "The changes and developments need careful planning in works and organization missions." "Presently, we are fortunate to be out of such conditions; so, the strategic section of the maritime and port activities in the country need to be smart enough and swift to show appropriate action in concordance with the conditions," he added. He also reiterated that the PMO also pays due attention to train its human resources through holding international, short and mid-term training courses. Euroseas Ltd., an owner and operator of drybulk and container carrier vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk and containerized cargoes, has announced certain developments related to its newbuilding program. The Greek liner has signed an addendum to its shipbuilding contract with YJZ Shipyard for the construction of Kamsarmax vessel Hull Number YZJ 1153 scheduled to be delivered during the first quarter of 2018. According to the addendum, the Company acquired the option until December 31, 2016 to decide whether to build the vessel, or build a vessel of different type, or credit the payment already made as part of the original contract ($2.77m) to acquire a different vessel from the yard at a mutually agreed price, or decide to cancel the shipbuilding contract without any additional cost. The Aristides Pittas-led company took delivery of a similar Kamsarmax vessel, M/V Xenia, in February 2016. M/V Xenia has been chartered for four years at $14,100/day with an additional year at $14,350/day at the charterer's option. The Company also announced that the first of its Ultramax vessels, Hull Number DY 160 (planned to be renamed ALEXANDROS P), under construction at Dayang yard and originally scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2016, was cancelled due to excessive construction delays. The Company has demanded the return of its progress payments and other expenses as specified in the newbuilding contract and secured by refund guaranties. The parties have referred the matter to arbitration. The Company has a second newbuilding contract for a similar Ultramax vessel, Hull Number DY 161, with the same yard which is also facing significant delays. Eversheds International says that UK trade would clearly be impacted by the Brexit vote. "We saw an immediate effect on currency and share prices, although there are signs that the market is settling down after the initial post-vote furore," says a report by Eversheds. In terms of longer term impact, there are some matters which are already tolerably clear, for example that any changes to the cost of trade with the EU are likely to affect freight volumes at British ports. However, the precise nature and extent of the effect on UK trade will depend entirely on the form of relationship which is ultimately agreed both with the EU and with other trading partners. With the new British Prime Minister, Theresa May, looking to defer triggering Article 50 until 2017, that form of relationship remains pretty uncertain. There are wider potential outcomes for shipping in the UK beyond the direct effect on trade volumes. In terms of the UK offshore industry, for example, Tradewinds reported recently that when news of the UKs decision to exit the EU hit the offshore sector, most analysts agreed that the longer-term damage for the sector would be from a possible slowdown in the worlds economy. However, some warned the immediate and near-term effect would be that oil companies would obviously put the brakes on much-needed investment in the UK. The UK continental shelf (UKCS) is already suffering from record low investment at one-eighth the value of the annual average over the past five years and the nations oil-and-gas sector is on course to have lost up to 140,000 jobs by the end of this year. There is also the UKs position as a leading provider of maritime professional services to consider. The marine insurance industry is pushing hard to maintain the passporting rights currently enjoyed between EU member states, although whether this will be possible without full access to the single market (and the associated EU requirements for free movement of workers) is set to be the key topic in negotiations. In terms of other professional services, such as legal and shipbroking services, there is some speculation that UKs so called stability premium may have been affected by the vote. However, the UKs long maritime history, the reputation of its courts (which rely on an extremely well established body of specialist case law) and institutions and the number of highly qualified individuals resident in the UK working in the sector should help ameliorate any effect on this premium at least whilst Brexit is negotiated. However, even if the premium remains intact the professional services sector may be rightly concerned about how services are dealt with in negotiating future trade deals. Such agreements traditionally focus on trade in goods and therefore may not be as advantageous to the services sector. The new release of DNV GLs Synergi Water includes four modules that have previously been separately licensed. The addition of these modules Unidirectional Flushing, Pipe Design, Calibration and Pump Scheduling supports Synergi Waters position as a uniquely comprehensive, efficient and data smart water modelling solution. With this release, Synergi Water is taking yet another step toward helping our users improve and maintain water quality standards, says Kyle Williams, Product Manager, Software, DNV GL. We are providing additional intelligence which also increases and improves customer transparency, he say Comprehensive water modelling application Today, many water utilities are using various tools from different software vendors, in addition to their own in-house tools. Now all existing and new users of Synergi Water can use one application for many different needs, adding significant value. The four modules that are now included in the basic package for Synergi Water provide essential tools for water utilities. For example, the Unidirectional Flushing module is an important tool for many water companies with aging infrastructure, which affects water quality. An improperly performed flushing program could lead to customer complaints or exposure to regulatory fines. An analysis run in Synergi Water will indicate which valves to open and close to minimize discolouration during pipeline flushing, and also minimize the amount of water used for flushing. According to widely available research, using these tools can reduce the amount of water for flushing by over 40%. Minimizing energy costs with Synergi Water Another module now included in the basic package, Pump Scheduling, helps minimize energy cost as it performs an analysis of which pumps should operate and for how long for maximum savings according to fluctuating power rates. This addition of four modules to Synergi Water provides added value and improved sustainability and efficiency to our customers, says Are Fllesdal Tjnn, CEO, Software at DNV GL. Maintaining high water quality and minimizing water usage and waste in aging infrastructures is crucial for water utilities, he says. Simultaneous with the most recent release of Synergi Water, DNV GL is releasing a new, separately licensed module, LIQT, for water hammer analysis. LIQT is a powerful tool for analysing liquid transients as a result of pump shutdowns or valve operations. 3 Signs IBM Is in Big Troubleand How the Company Masks It BY TONY SAGAMI : I got a lot of positive feedback on my recent column, Anatomy of a Successful Short Sale. Its no surprise, though. Spotting failing companies is as useful and lucrative as uncovering hidden gems. Now lets put theory into practice and take a look at a stock that my subscribers are currently shorting. That stock is IBM. IBM recently reported its quarterly results. The see-no-evil analysts on Wall Street jumped for joy at what I think were terrible results. What was so terrible? Here are the reasons why I expect this stock to fall. Acquisitions to hide falling revenues How about this: IBM has reported falling revenues for 17 consecutive quarters. IBM pulled in sales of $20.2 billion last quarter. But thats 2.7% less than a year ago and 25% lower than in 2011. The weakness is widespread: Global Business Services had revenues of $4.3 billion, down 2%. Technology Services & Cloud Platforms (includes infrastructure services, technical support services, and integration software) had sales of $8.9 billion, down 0.5%. Systems (includes systems hardware and operating systems software) had sales of $2 billion, down 23.2%. Global Financing (includes financing and used equipment sales) had sales of $424 million, down 11.3%. With all that red ink, acquisitions are the only way you can make yourself look good. IBM has bought 11 companies worth $5 billion so far this year. In fact, it has spent more on acquisitions in the last 12 months than ever before. The acquisitions have boosted the Q2 revenues of $20.2 billion by $400 million. So, the results would have been even uglier without thema 5% decline instead of the current 2.7% growth. Pro forma calculations and massaged profits IBM reports its earnings on a pro forma basis instead of a GAAP basis (I wrote about this tactic in detail in this column). This way it can use accounting magic to prop up its pro forma profits. IBM reported better-than-expected pro forma profits of $2.95, which was above the average forecast of $2.88. On a GAAP basis, those profits shrink to $2.61 a share. Still, even those phony pro forma calculations are 25% lower than a year ago. A cash hoard of borrowed money IBM is proud of its cash hoard, which increased from $7.6 billion in Q2 of 2015 to $10.6 billion today. That cash, however, didnt come from operating profits. Its borrowed. IBM had $33 billion of debt a year ago. The company took on $11.5 billion more and now owes a staggering $44.5 billion. That $10.6 billion cash isnt going to last long. IBM is burning through it. The company had $3.4 billion of operating cash flow in Q2 but spent $5.9 billion on: $1.0 billion on capital expenditures $2.8 billion on acquisitions $1.3 billion on dividends $800 million on share repurchases Thats $2.5 million of negative operating cash flow. Only IBMs debt makes it possible. Its a big warning sign of a company in trouble. By the way, competitor Infosys warned that Brexit could hurt its business. IBM, however, adopted the see-no-evil defense: Brexit didnt help, but from everything weve seen we havent changed our view, said CFO Martin Schroeter. I think that IBMs day of reckoning is near Subscribe to Tonys Actionable Investment Advice Markets rise or fall each day, but when reporting the reasons, the financial media rarely provides investors with a complete picture. Tony Sagami shows you the real story behind the weeks market news in his free weekly newsletter, Connecting the Dots. John Mauldin Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. STUARTA Critz man whose case led to a Amber Alert situation in 2014 was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday. All of that time will be suspended, if he meets the conditions set forward by the judge. Tommy Lee Travis Engle entered an Alford plea in Patrick County Circuit Court, meaning that while he didnt admit his guilt, he acknowledged the commonwealth might have enough evidence to convict him of a crime. Engle had been charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery. The 36-year-old, who served as a Marine from 2005 to 2009, told the court that his post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury get the best of me sometimes. He was injured in 2007 in an IED roadside bombing and had to take a medical retirement from service in 2009. At the time Engle was serving in the Anti-Terrorism Special Forces Unit and was deployed two miles from the Iraq border when his unit encountered the IEDs. The roadside bombing claimed the lives of several soldiers and injured others, including Engle, whose truck went into a water canal and he was thrown 30 feet away. Engle suffered serious injuries from the incident, including a herniated disk, a ruptured disk and a pinched sciatic nerve affecting his left leg. The problems in this case happened after his return from active duty. On Aug. 1, 2014, Patrick County deputies were called to the Engle home in the 300 block of Oak Hill Lane in Critiz, regarding a domestic disturbance. Engle had already left the home with his son, with his girlfriend claiming he had assaulted and tried to strangle her. The girlfriend, Jessica Rose Justice, told officers she had tried to get away from Engle after an argument, but he came up from behind and put her in a choke hold, then carried her to the bathroom, where he assaulted her again. Justice suffered multiple facial bone fractures from the incident. The sheriffs office obtained warrants for Engles arrest that night on charges of malicious wounding and strangulation. They didnt put out an Amber Alert for his son, 3-year-old Tommy Lee Able Engle, until Aug. 5, however. Officers stated in their report that they had independent sources familiar with the situation who assured the police Engle would not hurt his son. From Aug. 1 to Aug. 5, that changed, as the sheriffs office received information Engle might be armed and that he had made suicidal threats and homicidal threats toward police. A few days later, Engle reached out to law enforcement and told them he was in Pike County, Kentucky. He told officers that he would turn over his son without any problems. That happened on Aug. 6, as Engle surrendered himself as well. Once in custody, Engles mental condition deteriorated. He wrote letters to the judge and other state and federal officials, including the governor, the General Assembly, a state senator, the FBI and President Obama. He claimed that the commonwealth involved with the KKK against him and was trying to send him to the nut house. He later claimed to be hearing voices while in prison. The problem, some officials argued, was a lack of consistent care. Lisa Fitzsimmons, a registered nurse with the U.S. Marine Corps Wounded Warrior program wrote in a Sept. 2015 communication that a lack of continuity in his care in the past has prevented him from establishing trusting relationships with providers and, because no one provider has had the big picture over a significant period of time, his mental health has gone downhill unchecked. According to Judge Martin F. Clark Jr. and Commonwealths Attorney Stephanie Vipperman, the commonwealth has tried to get mental care for Engle from a number of agencies. Clark said that at one point a doctor for Veterans Affairs had found Engle to be competent to stand trial, but not long afterward, Engle was at the White House wanting to talk with President Barack Obama. In Clarks opinion, Engle was delusional. Clark said he plans to contact a congressmans office shortly to see if Engle can get in a structured treatment program. Engle himself, in a Sept. 2015 letter to a judge in Patrick County, said he needed help, stating that he is eat up with survivors guilt from two of my guys I got killed in the sandbox. At the time, he blamed the voices on new medication, saying the drugs caused him to have flashbacks and hear the voices of those soldiers. Please sir, this has destroyed my life, my home life and my family life, Engle wrote to the judge. I beg for your mercy to help me not destroy me. This war has affected my life forever. I need to be in a PTSD clinic with other vets that understand what Im going through. Its just a military mindset that most people misunderstand. On Wednesday, Clark sentenced Engle in each case to 12 months of incarceration, suspended on two years of good behavior, and ordered Engle to pay court costs. Clark ordered that Engle could be released from jail, but only into the custody of his biological father, who lives in West Virginia. Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com. edit-P1300914.jpg Violinist Lily Francis rehearsing last week at the Marlboro Music Festival in Marlboro, Vermont. (Photo by Allen Cohen, courtesy of Marlboro Music Festival) Growing up in New England, violinist Lily Francis often attended music camps in the summer in remote parts of the region. "I had spent many of my summers at the Greenwood Music Camp as a teenager" in Cummington, Francis said during a recent phone interview. The West Hartford, Connecticut native had also been to Yellow Barn, a music camp in Putney, Vermont. So going to the Marlboro Music Festival in Marlboro, Vermont as a participant during the summer from 2004 to 2006 was not a complete shock, Francis said. "These were some of the best summers of my life so coming to Marlboro in a way wasn't a surprise," Francis said. "Yes, it (Marlboro) was very remote but there are a number of great music programs in Western Mass and Southern Vermont that students go to. So I always thought that that's what you did in the summer - you escaped the city and you come to these places that are full of nature and woods all around and bugs and make great music. That wasn't a foreign concept to me. So this was sort of natural." But Francis eventually admitted that Marlboro is different. "The thing that was sort of special about Marlboro to me, of course, was the reputation," Francis said. "To be invited to come to Marlboro was a great honor and it is a great honor still." "I think that's what set it apart for me," Francis said. "It has an amazing reputation, the history and the weight of that was very unbeknownst to me." Famed pianist Rudolf Serkin helped found Marlboro Music 66 years ago and the list of musicians who have participated in the festival over the years is astounding. Cellist Yo Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax first performed together here in 1973. Cellist Pablo Casals participated in Marlboro Music for many years. Other former participants include violinist Joshua Bell and pianists Jeremy Denk, Lang Lang and Murray Perahia. From left, Lily Francis, Karen Ouzounian and Jonathan Biss last week at Marlboro College, where the Marlboro Music Festival is held every summer in Marlboro, Vermont. More recently, world-famous pianist Mitsuko Uchida has served as the festival's artistic director. That's why Francis said she was a bit intimidated 2004 when the first group she played with at Marlboro included cellist David Soyer, a founding member of the world-renowned Guarneri String Quartet, which incidentally was formed at the Marlboro Music Festival in 1964. (Soyer died in 2010 at the age of 87.) Francis added she can still vividly remember the late Beethoven quartet she performed (Opus 135) with Soyer 12 years ago. "I just remember being so daunted with the prospect of playing with this giant at this music festival and playing this giant work and that sort of summed up the experience," Francis said. "It was like, wow." Since then, Francis has graduated from two of the most prestigious music schools in the United States - the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2006 and the New England Conservatory of Music in 2008. Francis then lived and performed in New York City with various musicians for a year before moving full time to Europe in 2009. She now lives near Linz, Austria, where she has been teaching music at the Anton Bruckner Private University since last year. This summer is the first time Francis has returned to Marlboro since 2006. Although now, Francis said, she's here "in a slightly different capacity as junior senior as they sort of call it here." Just don't call Francis a teacher or the "junior" members at Marlboro students. "Obviously, we're all participants and it's very democratic here," Francis said. But things are different for Francis than when she last came here 10 years ago. "I'm in a different stage of my life," she said. "I brought my husband and two-year-old daughter and this time I'm pregnant with our second child and it's very different from being a student here." But none of that matters when Francis takes the stage Friday and Saturday night at the Marlboro Music Festival. On stage, the performers are all equals. Francis will be one of the performers Friday during Dvorak's Piano Quartet in D Major, Opus 23. On Saturday, Francis will join her fellow participants to play Mozart's Divertimento in D Major, K 251. Even so, off stage, there remains an air of mystery around this remote music festival. From left, Eunice Kim, Lily Francis and Alice Yoo last week rehearsing at the Marlboro Music Festival in Marlboro, Vermont. Unlike most music festivals, the pieces performed each week are only announced a week in advance. And just because a group of musicians rehearse a piece at Marlboro does not automatically mean that they will perform that work that summer. Asked who or how the music is selected for groups performing at Marlboro, Francis said a group of "senior musicians who have been coming to the music festival for a long time" select the music. She paused, then added, "I'm not actually sure which senior musicians are on this committee which changes from year to year. And they sit together each week at least once in the evening and have a big powwow as far as I understand it. I don't know, it's a bit of a legend also how these things get decided." The more senior members also try to group musicians together that they think will have a good chemistry together. "The senior members are very intimately aware of how the junior members play and what they think might be good chemistry and what might be a good work for a student to study," Francis said. And if musicians want to play certain works, the other senior, festival participants are open to suggestions, Francis said. "Everybody's asked before we come here what would be our dream works to study during the summer," Francis said. "They try to fulfill those wishes as well." "It's a giant puzzle they have to do every week," Francis said. She added that the senior members make sure that the junior participants do get an opportunity to perform each summer. "I think it's a little bit different for the senior members," Francis said. "The seniors really have no need to perform. They've done that and they've played so many of these works so many times it's really not necessary for them. But on the other hand, the performing experience is a valuable one for the junior participants." This summer, Francis said she has been rehearsing five different works at Marlboro. And even though Francis has been away from 10 years, she added that very little changes at this music festival celebrating its 66th season this summer. So what has changed? "The food has gotten better," Francis said. "They've paved a few things and added a few picnic benches. Really superficial things. In essence, the festival is amazing because it really doesn't change. It's exactly the way I remember it." Instead of computers, schedules for rehearsals are handwritten on chalkboards or pieces of paper. The festival has many other traditions that have remained unchanged over the years. These traditions include giving honest feedback to each other after performances and much sillier ones, such as "napkin ball throwing" in the cafeteria and a treasure hunt, a more recent tradition which Francis said she will help organize this year. "Marlboro is notorious for being reluctant to change and I think for good reason," Francis said. "It's worked for a long time and they preserve tradition in a wonderful way here." The Marlboro Music Festival in Marlboro, Vermont continues through Aug. 14. Concerts will be held this weekend on Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. For a complete schedule and more information, visit the Marlboro Music Festival's website. AE run 2.jpg Several major motorcycle runs are on tap in the weeks ahead, including the Western Massachusetts Project 22 run, the Melha Riders Hospital Run and the Ride LIke an Animal run to benefit the T. J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center. This file photo shows riders in a previous year's Shriners Hospital Run. (THE REPUBLICAN FILE PHOTO) Not long ago, combat veteran Patrick Klendzior was looking for ways to deal with some issues he had going back to his two tours with the Marine Corps in Iraq. Pat came across an interesting event that had taken place and that had led to a movement. In 2013, Daniel Egbert and Matt "Doc" King, both combat veterans, rode their motorcycles some 5,000 miles across the United States to learn how veterans were dealing with combat-related post traumatic stress disorder and the estimation that some 22 veterans a day will commit suicide from its effects. Thus, Project 22 was born. During their motorcycle journey across America, King and Egbert interviewed many veterans who had contemplated or attempted suicide as well as researchers and healthcare providers. Their goal was to raise awareness of the high rate of suicide among veterans and to give sources of hope to others. They were supported by some fundraising efforts and the generosity and kindness of many people. Through their efforts they were able to film a feature-length documentary that combined a look at their motorcycle trip with an inspirational message. They also created a non-profit called Medical Missions, which was specifically started to increase awareness about PTSD among combat veterans. Klendzior, who is a biker, thought that the movie would be the perfect way to get the message out to people to show what combat veterans have to deal with every day of their lives. Pat's wife, Andrea, soon joined in, and, by securing a minimum of 68 people (they sold out), they were able to arrange a screening of the Project 22 film at the Rave Cinemas in West Springfield. Many of the Klendzior's friends in the motorcycle community as well as veterans attended the showing. Encouraged by that, Andrea Klendzior then thought it would be nice to take things further. So, with the help of her husband, Bob Alves, of Throttle Rocker magazine, and Daniel Poirier, of Chicopee, the Western Massachusetts Project 22 Motorcycle Run was born. It will take place on Aug. 27. Says Andrea Klendzior, "We will be having vendors at the ride including some that offer holistic alternative treatments for combat PTSD. These treatments include float therapy, yoga and acupuncture. Recent studies have shown that many of these holistic treatments have positive results. We want to be able to maximize the amount of treatments available to our veterans. We will also have T-shirts for sale and anyone who does the ride will receive a free DVD copy of the Project 22 movie." The ride will start at Southampton Harley-Davidson and, after a leisurely ride through the Western Massachusetts countryside, end up at the Cove in Southwick for the after-ride dinner and party. Staging will begin at 10 a.m., with kickstands up at noon. The cost is $22 per bike and $10 for walk-ups to the dinner. In addition to the ride, there will be a screening of the Project 22 movie the night before on Aug. 26 at Whalley Park on Powdermill Road in Southwick. The free screening is set for 7 p.m. Matt "Doc" King, the filmmaker and founder of Project 22, will be the very special guest and will also take part in the ride aboard a motorcycle generously loaned by Southampton Harley-Davidson. Also on hand during the screening of the movie will be clinician Brian Doe, of the Springfield Veteran's Center. All proceeds from the ride will go to Project 22 and One Call Away. Please come down and join me for this wonderful cause. Our good friends from the Melha Riders would like you to know that their annual ride to benefit the Shriners Children's Hospital, set for Aug. 21, will be undergoing a change this year. Now in its 10th year, the Melha Riders Hospital Run has long been one of the most popular and important motorcycle runs in Western Massachusetts. The Melha Riders have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, all going directly to the Shriners Hospital for Children. This year's run will start at the Melha Shrine Center on Longhill Street in Springfield. Registration begins at 10 a.m. with the ride to the hospital commencing at high noon. This year's after-party will be at Shortstop Bar & Grill on Springfield Road in Westfield. The band for this year will be LA's Backstage Pass. The cost is $15. Goings on: On Aug. 13, it will be Ride Like An Animal Motorcycle Run and Car Show. This ride will begin at the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center on Cottage Street in Springfield. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with kickstands up at 10:15. After a nice ride through Western Massachusetts, the ride will end up at the Polish American Club in Agawam where, among other things, there will be food, live music and raffles. The cost is $25 for an adult rider, $25 for an adult passenger, children under 7 are free, show cars per passenger are $15 and after party only is $15. For more information or to register, log on to tjofoundation.org. Until next time, ride safe and ride smart. Tim Aloisio of Chicopee has been a recreational motorcycle rider for over 40 years. He is a member of the national Harley Owners Group. He can be contacted at travelintim@hotmail.com. Connecticut's Schaghticoke Tribal National has withdrawn its lawsuit against the state's 2015 gaming act, six weeks after a federal judge dismissed MGM Resorts International's parallel lawsuit against the law. The Schaghticoke tribe voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit Wednesday, according to a court filing. Its suit had been funded by MGM Resorts International, which is building a casino in Springfield that would compete with a proposed new gaming facility in Northern Connecticut. MGM has since appealed its lawsuit. The Schaghticoke tribe withdrew its suit without prejudice, meaning it could file again if it chose to. Connecticut's gaming act authorized the Mohegan and Mashantucket-Pequot tribes to form a joint company and pursue sites for a third Connecticut casino. MGM and the Schaghticokes had argued that the law unconstitutionally favored the two tribes, which are Connecticut's current tribal casino operators. At a news conference in March, the Chief of the Schaghticoke Tribe - which has a reservation in southern Connecticut but is not federally recognized - said he is partnering with MGM to fight the gaming act with a lawsuit. MGM filed its own lawsuit last August, also arguing that Connecticut's gaming act violates the Equal Protection and Commerce clauses of the Constitution. In a statement at the time, MGM Resorts International Executive Vice President Alan Feldman said the company had mutual interests with the Schaghticoke tribe, who has long fought against opposition by state officials for federal recognition and the right to develop its own casino. "As a global leader in hospitality and gaming, it is common for MGM to identify development opportunities around the world," Feldman said. "In Connecticut, [yesterday] we announced a collaboration on the legal effort with the Schagticoke Tribal Nation, with whom we have similar legal interests in that we both seek to have the current law in Connecticut replaced with a transparent process that allows fair competition among all bidders." The Schaghticoke lawsuit listed MGM's lawsuit as a related case, but they are not using the same lawyers; the Schaghticokes are represented by Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman, while MGM is represented by Covington & Burling and Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey, according to court filings. MMCT, the joint Mohegan-Mashantucket Pequot company, narrowed its field to three possible municipalities in late Feb: Hartford, East Hartford and Windsor Locks. But despite initial intentions to quickly choose a location it has not yet done so. Connecticut anticipated a legal challenge to the law while it was being drafted, and the version signed by Malloy specifically did not authorize construction of a casino -- another act of the legislature is required for that to occur. EVERETT, Mass. - With a round of air horn blasts, state officials and Wynn Resorts executives celebrated the re-start of work on the $2.1 billion hotel and casino along the Mystic River. Off a dusty and bumpy road that leads into Boston's Charlestown neighborhood, the 33-acre construction site hummed with activity. Underneath red and white cranes, backhoes rumbled through the mud. Mogul Steve Wynn was unable to make it to the celebration, apparently due to another project in Macau. Wynn received its final license from the state Department of Environmental Protection earlier this week, and the company is now on track to open its doors June 2019, according to officials. The project includes public access to the waterfront on the Mystic River. Earlier, the city of Somerville had appealed the awarding of the license, citing environmental and traffic concerns. Even so, Wynn continued pre-construction work, site preparation and utility re-location on the former Monsanto Chemical Co. site as it waited for state regulators to sign off. They weren't able to work on the waterfront, which was protected by the Department of Environmental Protection permit they just received. "Today really launches the official start of construction for Wynn Boston Harbor," said Robert DeSalvio, president of Wynn Boston Harbor. "There's no stopping us now," he added. Asked about any other delays, DeSalvio told reporters, "Any pending litigation will be handled through the court system, but we are absolutely positively moving forward from this day forward." The project is the largest private development in the history of Massachusetts, according to Gaming Commissioner Enrique Zuniga. More than 500 union workers are expected to be on the site soon, a number set to eventually swell to 4,000. MGM Springfield is aiming to open its casino in September 2018, while the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is aiming for 2017, though it has run into its own legal problems thanks to a judge's ruling. Wynn officials said they expected the building frame to be up by the end of 2017, and they plan to start moving furniture into the building by the end of 2018. Chris Gordon, Wynn's president of design and development, said workers will be moving 500,000 tons of soil from the site to other U.S. states and Quebec. After the ceremony, Gordon led reporters through the site. Video of the mini-tour is available below. 403 Forbidden 403 Forbidden Code: AccessDenied Message: Access Denied RequestId: FD7064992789ECA9 HostId: OTtS0e4anHD79L/Ya7aJ0OGJ7Un78EZsirnEYOdvzFpbrm/ODzoRQgYZDisaF03iHqjOGgmaNGw= An Error Occurred While Attempting to Retrieve a Custom Error Document Code: AccessDenied Message: Access Denied Although her identity had not yet been released Thursday morning, authorities say the woman killed in a London knife attack that left five others wounded was an American in her 60s. Police responded to Russell Square in London at 10:33 p.m. Wednesday to reports of a man armed with a knife "silently and indiscriminately" attacking people, the Telegraph reported. The American woman was stabbed multiple times, several sources report. According to the Telegraph: She was helped by a family of Spanish tourists as she lay slumped against railings after being targeted by the knifeman, who witnesses said did not say a word as he also stabbed a man in his 40s in the chest and a woman in her 20s in the arm. One of the other surviving victims was also an American. According to the , the suspect is a 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin. Authorities say there appears to be no connection to terrorism, but that the suspect appears to have "mental health issues" and the victims were selected at random. Amesburyfire1.jpg Amesbury firefighters helped to deliver a baby on Tuesday after a home birth went wrong and a woman went into labor on I-95 while attempting to reach a hospital. (Amesbury Fire Department) AMESBURY A baby was delivered in a highly unusual place on Tuesday afternoon, after a home birth in Amesbury went wrong and paramedics were forced to assist with the birth on the side of the highway. Amesbury Fire Rescue paramedics delivered the child on I-95 on Tuesday, according to Fire Chief Kenneth E. Berkenbush. After responding to a 4:40 p.m. call at a residence on Cedar St., Amesbury firefighter-paramedics discovered a woman in labor, according to a spokesman for the Amesbury Fire Department. The woman had apparently been attempting to conduct a home birth, but had run into complications which led her midwife to decide to take her to the hospital. During the trip to the hospital, however, the woman's condition intensified. As the vehicle reached the John Greenleaf Whitter Bridge on I-95, the paramedics instructed the driver to pull over, as the birth was considered to be "imminent." Approximately five minutes later, the paramedics delivered a healthy baby girl. After making sure that the baby was breathing and otherwise healthy, the paramedics continued the trip to the area hospital. As of Wednesday, both the mother and her new child are said to be doing well. "We train for these kinds of situations all the time, but firefighters could go their whole careers without actually delivering a baby," said Firefighter Ryan Casey, one of the paramedics involved. "It is good to have a positive outcome," Casey said. "The mom did the hard work. We just fell back on our training and helped her," said Firefighter Michael Burke, another paramedic involved. Berkenbush presented the three firefighters with a pink stork pin that signified their baby-birthing experience. Amesbury Mayor Ken Gray also presented the firefighters with proclamations from the City of Amesbury. "We are very fortunate in Amesbury to have firefighter-paramedics, who undergo extensive training, usually over a two-year period. This allows Amesbury Fire Rescue to provide our residents with an advanced level of service, because our firefighters are prepared for any incident," Chief Berkenbush said. "I am very proud of their work this week in helping to bring a new life into the world." Asthma Amish In this April 9, 2013 photo, an Amish girl chases a cow from the outfield during a baseball game in Bergholz, Ohio. A study published Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2015 explored reasons why asthma is so uncommon among Amish communities, where children play barefoot in dairy barns and farm fields, while indoor pets are taboo. (AP Photo/Scott R. Galvin) CHICAGO -- Forget Fluffy and Fido. Bessie the cow just might make a healthier pet. That idea stems from new research in two farming-based religious communities that shun modern ways but have dramatically different childhood asthma rates. The goal was to find an explanation for why asthma is so uncommon among Amish communities, where children run barefoot in dairy barns and farm fields, but much higher in the other group. Blood samples, house dust and mice experiments revealed some tantalizing clues, suggesting something in the dust was protecting the Amish children. The study was published in . It involved 60 school-aged children -- 30 each from an Amish community in Middlebury, Indiana, and from a Hutterite colony near Mitchell, South Dakota. Amish and Hutterites both originated in Europe, share old-style Protestant beliefs and lifestyles and have similar genetic ancestry. But Hutterites live on large highly industrialized communal farms, use modern agricultural machinery, and children are more isolated from livestock. By contrast, the Amish have family-run farms, they use horse-drawn plows, their barns often are located near their homes and their children have daily exposure to farm animals, the researchers explained. Asthma is a lung disease involving narrowed airways and episodes of wheezing, coughing and breathing difficulties. Its cause is unknown but scientists believe genes and the environment play a role. Having a family history of allergy or asthma increases the risk, and pollution, dust and pet dander are among triggers in susceptible people. No Amish children and six Hutterites had asthma. Other studies have found rates of about 5 percent in Amish school-aged children versus up to about 20 percent in Hutterites and 10 percent for U.S. kids. Reasons for the higher Hutterite rate aren't known but exhaust from farm machinery is an unlikely explanation because they typically don't come in close contact with it, said study co-author Carole Ober, a University of Chicago geneticist. Blood tests confirmed both groups of children had similar genetic profiles. But Amish children had far more white blood cells called neutrophils -- important in fighting infections. Plus, these cells looked younger in Amish kids, suggesting their immune system was constantly stimulated by exposure to germs to produce more. Other blood cells called monocytes were found in similar numbers in both groups. Previous studies suggest these cells are hyperactive in allergy-prone children, but the cells showed signs of being less responsive to allergy triggers in the Amish kids, said co-author Anne Sperling, a University of Chicago immunologist. "This was a phenomenal difference," she said. "We were blown away." She said the second "gee-whiz moment" came after researchers collected Amish and Hutterite house dust and tested it on special mice sensitized to develop asthma symptoms. Hutterite dust triggered breathing troubles and inflamed airways in the mice; Amish dust did not. What exactly is in Amish house dust that might protect children is not known and more research is planned to find out, but the study authors theorized it could be microbes including bacteria from dairy cows. "We could just say put a cow in everyone's house and no one would have asthma anymore, but of course that's not easy," Ober said with a chuckle. But if protective germs can be identified, it might someday be possible to create an asthma blocker for all children, she said. A journal editorial said the study bolsters evidence that exposure to germs from traditional farming may protect against asthma. The results also support the so-called "hygiene hypothesis," which theorizes that relatively germ-free homes of modern society make infants more vulnerable to allergies and asthma. Dr. Talal Chatila, an allergy expert at Boston Children's Hospital who wrote the editorial, said the study doesn't answer when and how often exposure to farm dust might be needed to protect children and if it needs to begin before birth. Ober noted that research has shown that infants whose families have dogs are less likely to develop asthma and allergies but that acquiring a dog later on doesn't make a difference. Over a stretch of five days last November, the steady trickle of overdoses in Western Massachusetts became a flood. More than 40 patients received care at Baystate Medical Center emergency rooms; several died, adding to the tally of deaths that have led political, law enforcement and health officials to brand the spread of opioid addiction a state-wide crisis. "That was just unbelievable," said Dr. Niels Rathlev, chairman of emergency medicine at Baystate Health in Springfield. "It's disturbing, obviously." It is unclear what, exactly, caused the November overdose spike, Rathlev said at the time. But according to state statistics and Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, there is a major factor linked to the recent increase in local overdoses: the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Fentanyl, a potent painkiller used as an anesthetic that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, was found in more than half of the 1,531 confirmed victims of fatal overdoses in Massachusetts last year, according to the state Department of Public Health. And its prevalence has only increased since then, with fentanyl found in 66 percent of fatal overdose victims in the first quarter of 2016. "It's sort of increased the problem of heroin. Here, in Hampden County in my experience, you're almost always seeing fentanyl mixed with heroin in some way," Gulluni said. Gulluni said law enforcement has determined that fentanyl is linked to recent overdose spikes in Hampden County, including a notorious batch of "Hollywood" heroin which left at least five people dead around New Year's Eve. Addicts, who are used to a certain potency of opiate, can overdose if the heroin they use has an unexpectedly high proportion of fentanyl. That fatal miscalculation is one factor that can lead to spikes in overdoses, along with other chemicals being mixed into heroin batches, Gulluni said. "Fentanyl being so much more stronger than straight heroin, it triggers the overdose, and if Narcan is not available you're talking overdoses that result in death," Gulluni said. And fentanyl, which is often mixed with heroin for street-level distribution, has become far more common in Hampden County over the last year and a half, Gulluni said. There are likely several reasons for its growth as a street drug, but one sticks out, Gulluni said: the price. "It essentially boils down to profitability for drug dealers," he said. It is, he said, a question of supply and demand. Unlike heroin, which is derived from poppy harvests, fentanyl can be mass produced in a lab. Much of it is manufactured in China and shipped to Mexico, where it is distributed by cartel-run drug organizations to dealers in the United States. The increased availability has made it a cheap way for dealers to fill out their heroin packages, according to Gulluni. Fentanyl is often blended with heroin, Gulluni said, either south of the border or by the American drug rings, who receive smuggled fentanyl in pill form and mix the doses themselves. Hampden County dealers do not typically receive their heroin directly from Mexico; rather, they rely on New York City-based dealers sending drugs on interstate highways through New Haven and Hartford. "Generally speaking, there are not international connections coming into Hampden County. There are intermediate points," Gulluni said. According to the DEA, fentanyl was first produced in Belgium in the 1950s and was quickly adopted by doctors as an intravenous anesthetic due to its potency. It is still used medically, but since the 1970s has also been trafficked illicitly and used as a street narcotic. Its symptoms are identical to those of heroin, Rathlev said, and fentanyl overdoses are treated like any other opioid overdose: with the drug naloxone, better known as Narcan. "It's more dangerous because it's much more potent," Rathlev said. "The problem is that the physical presentation of these patients when they come in is really no different." Local law enforcement, working with state police and federal agencies like the FBI and DEA, have targeted efforts at fentanyl-laced heroin like the "Hollywood" label, Gulluni said. Part of the strategy behind the busts is, in part, to raise prices of heroin and reduce its profitability for dealers. "That affects the cost on the street because it's a supply and demand issue," he said. Hampden County has also become a heroin distribution center, Gulluni said. Heroin is currently very cheap in Hampden County, selling for around $3 per bag, according to Gulluni. That is a lower price than in Vermont, where the drug is less available, leading to the growth in dealers smuggling heroin up I-91 to sell it for greater profit. That pipeline has made the news in recent months, with "Hollywood" heroin being found in Vermont and state police making multiple busts along that trade route. According to a February police report, one dealer was suspected of buying $3,000 worth of heroin in Holyoke and selling it in Vermont for $7,000. "That's why we've seen places in Hampden County, particularly Holyoke, become a center of distribution for a lot of New England. For the region," Gulluni said. "The scary aspect of that is that the gun laws in Vermont are lax, so much so that, especially compared to a place like Massachusetts, you're seeing an exchange of drugs for guns." Gulluni said he could not cite a specific case of Hampden dealers trading heroin for Vermont guns, but that both local and federal law enforcement were confident those deals were taking place. Earlier this month, a major heroin bust in Springfield turned up two handguns reported stolen in Vermont. Gulluni's office, as part of the"High Impact Player Strike Force" created last year to target repeat offenders in the Springfield area, regularly communicates with the FBI's Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Agency Narcotics Task Force, Gulluni said. But he said that for addicts who are not violent and not selling heroin, his focus is on rehabilitation, with his office regularly agreeing to plea deals that include drug counseling, work programs and education. "I am very focused on those who profit from addiction," Gulluni said. "We are looking to apply the full force of the law to these people. On the other side of things, I have made it very clear while working with our addiction taskforce, with our partners in the nonprofit sector, with Baystate, with Mercy, about providing services for people who are really suffering from addiction." k9.jpg K-9 "Chase" assisted Springfield police officers in apprehending an alleged drug dealer on Tuesday, according to police. (Springfield Police Department) SPRINGFIELD "Chase," a German Shepherd in the Springfield K-9 Unit, assisted the city police in the arrest of a suspected drug dealer on Tuesday, according to police. Police responded to a call for immediate assistance at 165 Liberty St for a man who was slumped over in the front seat of a black SUV that was reportedly sitting in the middle of road. During the process of helping paramedics to remove the unresponsive male from the vehicle, police discovered two zip lock bags that appeared to contain heroin packages, as well as crack cocaine, according to police. The K-9 unit was then called in to assist with the investigation and "Chase," along with his partner Officer McKay, conducted a "sniff" of the rest of the SUV. As a result of the sniff, "Chase" alerted officers to a number of areas in the SUV. When police searched these areas, they discovered an additional 35 grams of cocaine, according to police. With the help of the K-9 Unit, a total of 18 grams of heroin and 89.6 of Cocaine were recovered from the vehicle, according to police. The suspect, Anthony L. Rodriguez, 30, of Springfield, was placed under arrest while being taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment. His charges include heroin and cocaine trafficking. On Wednesday, the Springfield K-9 unit thanked "Chase" over social media for "sniffing out drugs." CHICOPEE -- The TD Bank robbery last month may not have been the perfect crime for Joseph Richey, the man accused of it. First, a dye pack slipped in with the stolen money exploded in the alleged robber's pocket, and then he dropped his cellphone only for it to be recovered by police, according to court records. Richey, 35, of Ludlow, was arraigned on charges of armed robbery and assault to murder with a firearm in Chicopee District Court on Wednesday. Judge Patricia Poehler set bail at $50,000 cash or $500,000 surety, and his case was continued until Sept. 2. The arraignment was the latest for Richey, who is accused of a three-week crime spree that included three bank heists, three store break-ins and stealing $2,800 from his grandmother. When he was finally tracked down to a room in the Red Roof Inn in Enfield, Connecticut, police allegedly found 14 packets of heroin, one package of cocaine and a stolen car and also charged him with possession of narcotics, drug paraphernalia and larceny of a motor vehicle. In the Chicopee robbery on July 6, Richey slipped a note to a teller inside the 153 Meadow St. bank that said "I have nothing to lose," continuing a mantra he used in other crimes, according to court records. "Do not hit the silent alarm. Put all the money in your draw (sic) in the bag. All big bills no ones...I have a gun. No die (sic) packs or GPS or I will come back and blow yr head off!!" the note read. According to Chicopee Police Lt. Michael Dion, the suspect fled before police arrived, but dropped his cellphone on Grattan Street. The next day, Chicopee and Agawam police compared evidence of the July 6 robbery with a July 1 robbery of the Easthampton Savings Bank in Agawam. They decided the suspect was the same after a side-by-side examination of notes given to the tellers and video taken on the banks' cameras, court records state. In subsequent interviews, Richey's girlfriend told police he is addicted to heroin and cocaine. On the day of the Chicopee robbery, she and another man parked on a side street near the bank and Richey said he had some banking to do, court records say. When he returned a few minutes later, he told the two he had just robbed the bank. He said the dye pack exploded in his front pocket and his right leg was burning with pain. When the three drove away on Interstate 391, Richey threw the plastic bag and the money, all covered in red ink, out the window, according to court records. The court appearance on Wednesday is one of an odyssey of arraignments Richey is facing following his avalanche of arrests for crimes in Holyoke, Springfield, Agawam, West Springfield, Ludlow and Chicopee. Leading utilities are looking at how to make money from self-consumption service offerings, not just the sale of more electrons. by Andy Stone Full Story: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/more-utilities-are-offering-self-consumption-packages?utm_source=Daily&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=GTMDaily "When I went to school, who wouldve thought Helena would be on the cutting edge of manufacturing precision parts for the worlds most technologically advanced airplane?" Defense giant Lockheed Martin contracted with Helena-based Pioneer Aerostructures http://www.pioneermt.com/ for construction of titanium bulkheads for the F-35. The highly machined bulkheads create ribbing for structural stability for the fighter jet, and Pioneer is among nearly 1,300 suppliers for the F-35 program nationwide. TOM KUGLIN Independent Record Full Story: http://helenair.com/business/pioneer-aerostructures-helps-get-fcombat-ready/article_2104d98c-baea-5980-9321-75d34f53fc6c.html *** Montana Career Opportunities Machinists Pioneer Aerostructures http://www.matr.net/article-72802.html The development came following a formal complaint lodged by the band alleging that the song used in the movie had portions directly lifted from their song "Navarasam". Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank. by Chase Martin , August 3, 2016 The future of wearables will see convergence. This was a general consensuses from a panel of agency executives at the MediaPost IoT Marketing Forum this week. Wearables can add another layer of context to data, said Marley Kaplan, who heads innovation at Kinetic Worldwide. Chad Vavra, experience strategy and design director at Isobar, suggested that wearables will undergo a convergence and ultimately land on products that can track, monitor and sense multiple types of metrics. Vavra also said the key value for consumers will be in aggregating the data into a dashboard specifically tailored for the individual user. Vavra pointed to the fact that he used to wear multiple different fitness trackers, but ultimately moved to a single smartwatch, which can deliver more all-around functionality. A distinction was drawn between wearables and sensors. Wearables, like fitness trackers and smartwatches, have processing power and provide interactive communication with a consumer or device. Sensors dont collect data, but can be read or relay information, such as touch input and gestures, to other devices. Sensors are significantly smaller than wearables (they are actually in wearables) and can be embedded into products. Kinetic Worldwides Kaplan pointed to a partnership between Levis and Googles Project Jacquard, which could see such sensing capabilities literally woven into clothing. Other wearables mentioned were head-mounted devices, Googles infamous Glass in particular, and a somewhat new category, hearables. Hearable devices are currently making their way to the U.S., but some examples include Doppler Labs Here Active Listening wireless earbuds, which act like augmented reality for hearing. They let a user filter and manipulate the sound entering their ears, through a smartphone app. Another hearable is Samsungs soon-to-be-released Icon X wireless Bluetooth earbuds, which can monitor heart rate in addition to streaming music. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, August 4, 2016 Rob Garner's passion for content recently landed him at iProspect as director of content services for North America, where he will combine social and search media practices to turn the Dentsu agency into a content powerhouse for brands. Garner likes to stay one step ahead of innovation. "Remember, I was a Google Glass Explorer," he said, suggesting that the query results from the voice-driven interface demonstrated the importance of content. "It allowed you to see how search could return results in a different way." In the early days of his advertising career, Garner worked at TBWA\Chiat\Day, spent two years at Omnicom Group, dabbled at Hearst, and then jumped to iCrossing for nearly seven years before writing a book, Search and Social: The Definitive Guide to Real-Time Content Marketing. He also spent time at 3Q Digital, and Harte Hanks Company. advertisement advertisement Now, at iProspect, he plans to look deeper into content architecture and mapping, which he believes remains a big missing piece in a brand's content strategy. "It's important to look at the way a site is built to build out content," he said. As director of content services for iProspect North America reporting to iProspect VP of Products and Services Collin Cornwell, Garner will focus on gaining audience-led content insights and strategies that provide a roadmap for the agency's client. The idea is to help brands create targeted and measurable content that lives on their Web site and social media pages to help boost search engine optimization (SEO) and engage and grow brand fans. "Think of brands as publishers," Garner said. "I have been saying that for more than 10 years." Those who doubt the importance of content need only look at Time Warner's 10% stake in Hulu's video service. On Tuesday the company said it paid $583 million in cash, although The Wall Street Journalreports the deal is valued at $5.8 billion. Time Warner plans to make its channels like TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies available on demand. Pure content. by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, August 4, 2016 Aiming to expand its focus on header bidding, AppNexus on Thursday announced the relaunch of its full header bidding stack of solutions, adding new services and analytics offerings to its existing technology. The ad tech firms PreBid Enterprise product is a header bidding solution with services that includes open source wrapper technology powered by prebid.js, integrations with demand sources including AppNexus supply-side-platform (SSP) services, and analytics that offer publishers tools for monetizing their inventory. Header bidding has been popular among ad-tech firms as a way to help publishers increase scale and improve inventory monetization. For publishers that are unable to migrate their ad serving from Googles DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), header bidding opens up additional demand sources that compete for every impression, allowing publishers to earn what their inventory is truly worth. Using prebid.js, publishers can integrate and manage multiple header bidding partners without latency or impacting the user experience. advertisement advertisement Since AppNexus launched its Prebid.js header bidding solution a year ago, more than 200 publishers representing more than 10,000 websites have adopted it. Most of those publishers are leveraging the AppNexus SSP as a header bidding demand source. Over the past year, weve seen substantial market demand for header bidding. Publishers that can't currently migrate off of DFP want to access demand sources directly, without paying the AdX tax, Pat McCarthy, SVP product, Publisher Technology Group, AppNexus, told Real-Time Daily via email. Publishers that use header bidding see significant revenue lift. Our wrapper solution combines powerful, open-source technology, services, and analytics to help digital publishers get the best price possible for their inventory. It keeps them from being locked into the DFP/AdX arrangement. Thats a solution that everyone can get behind except, perhaps, Google. AppNexus has reinforced its expertise as an end-to-end header bidding partner by contributing to our monetization efforts, resulting in nearly double our CPMs over other demand sources and lifting our header bidder fill rates by almost 50%, stated Carrie Atwood, programmatic partnership manager at InfoSpace, the owner and operator of websites including HowStuffWorks. AppNexus rival Rubicon Project on Tuesday saw its desktop managed revenue decline 2% in the second quarter and experienced a loss of $234 million for the quarter. Rubicon CEO Frank Addante told investors that the company was slow to recognize how important of header bidding was to its publisher customers. Rubicon didnt launch its FastLane header bidding product until October 2015, months after the technology became popular. by Philip Rosenstein , August 4, 2016 AOL recently made three top-level hires in the APAC (Asia Pacific) region, preparing for an expansion in the regions ad-tech market. The new positions will be based at AOLs regional headquarters in Singapore. Carolina Troman joins AOL as commercial director for the APAC region, after previously serving as director of programmatic & regional sales for Yahoo APAC. Catherine Shen will serve as APAC marketing manager after working in Singapore and Sydney for Tatler Asia, Mediacom and Starcom Mediavest. Sonal Agarwal is joining the AOL APAC team as strategy & business process manager, arriving from the AOL office in Los Angeles. APAC already accounts for around 30% of the worlds ad revenue, and according to MagnaGlobal Advertising Forecasts this number is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. AOL looks to ensure the industry fully understands the benefits programmatic technology can provide, stated Alex Khan, AOLs managing director for Asia. by Larissa Faw , August 4, 2016 Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU)'s new campaign is differentiating itself from banks by highlighting the benefits of credit union membership, such as lower rates, no fees and member-owner status. Developed with agency DNA, the "You Own It" creative features upclose, personal images and voices of BECU members who happily embrace the benefits of BECU. The voiceover asks whether someone would charge their neighbor for a cup of flour to illustrate the fees banks charge its customers. The spot ends with the BEC-U-Own It tagline. There is a reason most of the featured faces are young, says the agency. Appealing to the values of todays more socially conscious consumer was one of DNAs key goals in crafting the new You Own It campaign, they say. advertisement advertisement Millennials are values-driven and care deeply about what companies and brands stand for, says Alan Brown, co-founder, CEO of DNA. The campaign covers themes central to BECUs philosophy and how membership makes all the difference. This gives this consumer something to buy into, not just something to buy. The campaign runs in the Seattle area on television, radio, out of home, print and online channels, as well as through social media. A brand introductory campaign will launch in the Spokane DMA in October 2016, supporting BECUs expansion in the area. BECU is the fourth-largest credit union in the U.S. with $15 billion in assets and more than 950,000 members. Last year, the group raised awareness for its new University of Washington-branded Visa card by having a dog choir literally sing the University of Washington fight song in a nod to the school's mascot, the Husky. While other MediaPost newsletters and articles remain free to all ... our new Research Intelligencer service is reserved for paid subscribers ... Subscribe today to gain access to every Research Intelligencer article we publish as well as the exclusive daily newsletter, full access to The MediaPost Cases, first-look research and daily insights from Joe Mandese, Editor in Chief. by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, August 4, 2016 In March, Blue Moon replaced its Artfully Crafted tagline and creative with a new campaign, Somethings Brewing, from its new agency, Venables Bell & Partners. The first spot in the campaign which aims to convey the brands connections to creativity featured Blue Moon founder and head brewmaster Keith Villa. Villa talks about the creative process behind the beer, with a fanciful backdrop of its home city, Brussels, Belgium, fashioned from origami, and oranges falling from the sky. Now the brand is introducing two more spots, this time featuring creative types from the worlds of cuisine and music. One thats now airing (see below) stars Los Angeles-based chef Roy Choi, known for creating the Kogi BBQ gourmet Korean food trucks business. A second, to debut later this summer, features indie band Family of the Year. advertisement advertisement Two-minute behind the scenes videos featuring Family of the Year, as well as Choi, are also hosted on YouTube. Choi has also created exclusive recipes that pair well with Blue Moon, hosted on the brands site. In addition, the brand, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary, is opening a new, 26,000-square-foot pilot brewery in Denvers River North Art District, which joins the brands small, existing Sandlot Brewery in Coors Field. In addition to serving as a center for developing new Blue Moon varieties, the facility boasts a brewpub. The pub offers 24 beers on tap and includes a restaurant led by chef Darrell Jensen, with a menu featuring local ingredients. It also offers an open-air patio facing the mountains, and an events room. A common way for doctors to try and identify depression in children and adolescents is by using short questionnaires. Research now suggests that these questionnaires do not provide accurate information and may lead to misdiagnosis of depression in this age group Researchers advise against routine screening in this age group In Canada and the U.S., doctors are increasingly being encouraged to try to identify depression in children and adolescents - even if they do not have obvious indications of the disease. In order to do so, the physicians often use short questionnaires that ask about symptoms of depression. But, according to new research, there is insufficient evidence to show that any of these questionnaires accurately screen 6- to 18-year-olds for the disease. The researchers believe that this calls into question the use of these assessment tools for this group and raises worries about possible misdiagnosis of the disease in this age range. "Our study shows that if depression screening were carried out using existing screening tools, many non-depressed children and adolescents would be mistakenly identified as depressed," says Brett Thombs, who is affiliated with the Jewish General Hospital's Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and McGill University's Faculty of Medicine. He is the senior author on a study that was recently published on the subject in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Inadequate testing of screening tools In order to assess the quality of the screening tools that are currently being used to identify depression in children or adolescents, the researchers carried out an exhaustive search of the medical evidence looking for studies that put the screening tools to the test. In the end, they were able to identify just 17 studies where the test results from the screening tools were compared with results from a diagnostic interview to determine if the children or adolescents in the study actually had depression. Thombs and colleagues, including lead author Dr. Michelle Roseman, then assessed the methodology and results of these 17 studies. They found that most of the studies were too small to make a valid determination about the accuracy of the screening tools and that the methods of most studies fell short of expected standards. They also found that there was inadequate evidence to recommend any single cut-off score for any of the questionnaires. (Patients scoring above a pre-defined cut-off score are considered likely to be depressed, whereas patients below the cutoff are not.) Roseman says, "There was not a single tool with even moderate evidence of sufficient accuracy to effectively identify depressed children and adolescents without also incorrectly picking up many non-depressed children and adolescents." Depression screening for children and adolescents is controversial Depression in children is a disabling condition associated with behavioral problems and poor school performance. But routine screening for the disease in this age group is controversial. In the United Kingdom and Canada it is not recommended. On the other hand, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recently recommended routine screening of adolescents between 13-18, but not of younger children, as part of regular medical care. Thombs believes that given the inaccuracy of the tools currently being used, some children could end up mislabeled as depressed. "This could lead to the unnecessary prescription of potentially harmful psychiatric medications and negative messages about the mental health of some children who do not have mental health disorders." Moreover, a potentially massive amount of resources would be needed to sort out which children may really be depressed. Research suggests relatively few would meet the criteria. "These resources would then not be available to provide treatment to large numbers of children and adolescents who are known to have severe mental health problems, but who do not receive adequate care." The researchers say that to properly assess the accuracy of depression screening tools in children, large, well-designed studies that present results across a range of cut-off scores are needed. This research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society, the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada, and a Murray R. Stalker Primary Care Research Bursary. Article: Accuracy of Depression Screening Tools to Detect Major Depression in Children and Adolescents A Systematic Review, M. Roseman, L. Kloda, N. Saadat, K. Riehm, A. Ickowicz, F. Baltzer, L. Katz, S. Patten, C. Rousseau, B. Thombs, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, doi: 10.1177/0706743716651833, published 27 May 2016. Advertisement Research Study on Staphylococcus lugdunensis Human Microbiome - A New Source for Antibiotics Staphylococcus strains that are unable to resist antibiotics (particularly methicillin) are classified under Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This type of staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) seems to be one of the major reasons for nosocomial infections (hospital acquired infections) which kills about 11,000 people per year in the United States. MRSA is also known as the "Superbug" because of the speed in which it transfers the antibiotic-resistant genes from one bacterium to the other.German researchers were trying to find a new antibiotic which could kill the germs that already inhabit the body.Andrew Peschal, the lead scientist of the study and microbiologist at the University of Tubingen, Germany, pointed out that the human nose is the most common entryway through which MRSA enters the body.The study which was conducted using the nose swab of 37 people by Peschal and colleagues at the University of Tubingen, Germany have found Staphylococcus lugdunensis bacterium in the nostrils that can slowly stop the growth of the infectious bacteria which is responsible for MRSA infections.Researchers found that the nostril dwelling bacterium Staphylococcus lugdunensis was able to produce an antibiotic compound called ' lugdunin' which is capable of inhibiting the growth of staphylococcus infections. They also showed the growth inhibitions on cell cultures, mice skin and in the nose of cotton rats.Researchers also said that 'Lugdunin' is known to be the first example for a new class of peptide antibiotics.This was further analyzed in 187 hospital patients and researchers were able to prove that S.lugdunensis in the human nose was able to keep S. aureus at bay.Antibiotics were found mostly from soil, living micro organisms and from the environment. In the recent studies, researchers are finding new ways and trying to search for new antibiotics inside the human body.Dr. Nita Salzman, a pathologist at the Medical college of Wisconsin said that the human microbiome is a good source for producing novel antibiotics.Peschel also said that the human body has a lot of different ecological niches, and it might be the right place for the discovery of new human antibiotics.He also emphasized that the early stage findings of S. lugdunensis in the nostrils would further require more research and clinical trials in order to develop it into an antibiotic medicine for use.Source: Medindia Advertisement Kathrin Doppler with Luise Appeltshauser, doctoral student of medicine, and Claudia Sommer, senior consultant and professor of neurology, have now identified a potential trigger of such neuropathies in a new study. They present the results of their research in the current issue of the journal"We found that some patients have antibodies against the protein Caspr," Kathrin Doppler outlines the central study result. Caspr is involved in building myelin sheath gaps, the so-called Nodes of Ranvier, a nerve fiber structure crucial to forward nerve impulses. The scientists were able to show that in patients with antibodies against Caspr, the structure of the Nodes of Ranvier is destroyed and nerve function is severely impaired.In their study, the Wuerzburg researchers examined 35 patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), a chronic form of inflammatory nerve disorder, and 22 patients suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome, an acute form. In one patient each with CIDP and Guillain-Barre syndrome, antibodies against the protein Caspr were detected in the blood. Moreover, the scientists were able to show that antibody production in these patients can be inhibited by the drug Rituximab which reverses the symptoms.Even though antibodies for Caspr are found in only a small set of patients, antibody-associated immune neuropathies are probably more common than assumed so far. Caspr is the third protein in this area of the Nodes of Ranvier for which autoantibodies have been identified. In the past years, researchers from Spain and Japan have also identified autoantibodies against two other Nodes of Ranvier proteins, Contactin-1 and Neurofascin-155, in patients with immune-mediated neuropathies."Our study backs the assumption from previous studies that patients who have antibodies against proteins of Nodes of Ranvier exhibit characteristic features," says Kathrin Doppler. This means: The disease develops rapidly, causes severe paralysis and responds poorly to standard therapy with corticosteroids or immunoglobulins but excellently to Rituximab treatment. The Wuerzburg neurologists found that strong neuralgia is another typical symptom in patients with Caspr antibodies. Patients with antibodies against the two other proteins, Neurofascin-155 and Contactin-1, in contrast typically exhibit a distinct tremor in targeted movements.According to the Wuerzburg scientists, this study raises hopes of identifying a cause at least in some of the patients suffering from inflammatory neuropathies and that a simple blood test for autoantibodies might help them get targeted treatment.Source: Newswise The following is an overview of cartoons on the U.S. elections, published in Russian pro-Kremlin media outlets. The main cartoons' leitmotif is that both Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump are inadequate for the job of U.S. president. There is no shared monolithic view shared by Russian politicians and political commentators, but Trump is perceived as someone who can foster U.S.-Russia relations. Chairman of the Upper House Committee for Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, said that Trump has little political experience and he does not yet understand that spontaneous decisions are not always optimal ones, even though Trump's victory would open "a window of possibilities" between Russia and the U.S.[1] A senior researcher at the Institute of U.S .and Canada at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Georg Mirzoyan, wrote that in case of a Republican electoral victory, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump would "understand each other." According to Mirzoyan, Moscow likes Trump's political pragmatism, since he talked about discussing cooperation with Russia. Mirzoyan also added that even though he believes that the Republican candidate will be a tough negotiator and will protect U.S. interests, "the complicated Trump is ten times better than the radical Hillary."[2] Commenting on the recent accusation by the Democratic campaign that Russia is behind the DNC email hack, the head of the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee Alexey Pushkov, wrote on his twitter account: The spirit of McCarthyism is being resurrected in the U.S. McCarthy was chasing "the reds". The U.S. press has found Trump to be a Putin's agent.' The senator is dead, his legacy [remains] alive."[3] Trump Ready To Recognize Crimea As Part Of Russia Vitaly, Vk.com/13studiya, July 28, 2016. U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a banner saying: Crimea is yours! Earlier last week, Trump was asked: "I would like to know if you became president, would you recognize (inaudible) Crimea as Russian territory? And also if the U.S. would lift sanctions that are (inaudible)?" Trump answered: "We'll be looking at that. Yeah, we'll be looking." (Washingtonpost.com, July 27) The Baltic States Find Protection In Trump's Hair Vitaly Podvitsky, Ria.ru, July 21 2016. On July 21, the New York Times published an interview with Donald Trump. Concerning NATO, Trump said: "If we cannot be properly reimbursed for the tremendous cost of our military protecting other countries, and in many cases the countries I'm talking about are extremely rich. Then if we cannot make a deal, which I believe we will be able to, and which I would prefer being able to, but if we cannot make a deal, I would like you to say, I would prefer being able to, some people, the one thing they took out of your last story, you know, some people, the fools and the haters, they said, 'Oh, Trump doesn't want to protect you.' I would prefer that we be able to continue, but if we are not going to be reasonably reimbursed for the tremendous cost of protecting these massive nations with tremendous wealth." Concerning the Baltic States, Trump said that "they have an obligation to make payments." Answering the question of whether NATO members, including the new members in the Baltics, could count on the U.S. to come to their military aid if they were attacked by Russia, Trump answered: "Have they fulfilled their obligations to us? If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes."[4] Neither Candidate Is Qualified To Be President Twitter.com/sharzhipero, May 23, 2016. On the table badges: candidate Hillary Clinton, candidate Donald Trump. Statue of Liberty: Can I see all of them [all candidates for the U.S. presidency]? U.S. President Barack Obama: That's all of them Statue of Liberty: Oh, f**k.. The People Prefer Putin To The U.S. Presidential Candidates Vitaly, Vk.com/13studiya, May 27, 2016. While Clinton and Trump are fighting in the ring, the public cheers for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter.com/sharzhipero, May 27, 2016. Forced to choose between Clinton and Trump, the voters write-in Putin. Obama: "Throw it away! Burn it! Destroy! NOW!" Secretary of State John Kerry: "And what do we do with the remaining 85% of the ballots?!" Clinton Won't Be A Good President Vitaly Podvitsky, Sputniknews.com, July 27, 2016 Sputniknews.com comments on the above cartoon: "Despite all the skeletons in her closet, Hillary Clinton was officially nominated as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. It seems like nothing can stop the first ever female presidential candidate from being nominated, except herself which is quite apparent from the recent DNC email leak?"[5] Vk.com/13studiya, May 20, 2016. To the left is Crimean Republic Prosecutor-General Natalya Poklonskaya. The caption on top reads: She will enter the burning house, and will stop a galloping horse!" The sentence echoes the 19th century Russian poet Nikolay Nekrasov, who wrote that a Russian woman can "stop a galloping horse and enter a burning house." In contrast, the Hillary Clinton caption reads: "She will set the house on fire, and will let all the horses loose!" Endnotes: Theres no way youve been to Goa and not visited Thalassa, the crazy-popular festive Greek restaurant in Goa that overlooks the beautiful Vagator beach. Fortunately, come September, you wont have to go all the way down to Goa to experience the scrumptious food and magic of Thalassa. You can just take a stroll down to one certain Hotel Shubhangan in Khar, Mumbai, and enjoy the cuisine, the culture and the charm of Thalassa because thats where its going to be! Although, I dont quite know how I feel about that because if youve seen Hotel Shubhangan in Mumbai, then you know that the Goa property is a far cry from that. Earth Trip But, its still Thalassa and at the very least, wed like to check it out once the doors officially open. Before that its all just a bunch of assumptions, anyway. And while were still having trouble imagining what Thalassa without a beach and Goa would be like; were still loving the idea that we get to have some of our favourites from the restaurant not too far away from where were at! Looks like we have one reason to look forward to September after all. Source: Brown Paper Bag "We're here to work," she said at a gathering of residents and law enforcement at Wayne State University in Detroit. "We have asked people to come, to focus on the issues and to come with solutions that we can lift up, that we can implement, that we can carry to other jurisdictions so that we can actually begin to make a difference." The event comes weeks after deadly attacks on police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which followed fatal shootings of black men by officers in Baton Rouge and Minnesota that sparked protests. Lynch on Tuesday participated in a National Night Out event with Detroit police. Detroit police Chief James Craig was among those who applauded Lynch's effort to bring all sides together. He lamented the number of officers killed in the line of duty. "We have got to talk to each other," Craig said. "We've got to work with each other." The Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit NAACP, called for police to be held accountable as well. "One of the things that folks need to see is police being arrested and going to jail and doing time," he said. "That's basic. Police officers who do wrong things need to go to jail and need to do time. That's accountability." Lynch acknowledged in prepared remarks that the task won't be easy and that setbacks will happen. "Even so, I am here in Detroit because I know that progress is possible and because I firmly believe that in the face of recent tragedies, we must not give in to cynicism or despair. Rather, we must redouble our efforts build on the progress we've made." PORT AUSTIN TOWNSHIP What was supposed to be an enjoyable Sea Doo ride for a 51-year-old San Antonio, Texas, man Tuesday nearly led to his drowning and wound up putting him behind bars. According to the Huron County Sheriffs Office, deputies were called around 7:30 p.m. to an offshore area of Jenks Park, where kayakers had heard yelling for help. Deputies responded, along with a private personal watercraft, to find the kayakers. They then found the man swimming and yelling for help. An investigation revealed the man had flipped the Sea Doo two miles off shore in Hume Township and decided to remove his life jacket and attempt to swim to shore. Eventually, the kayakers saw him and assisted him in distress due to fatigue. Its easier to swim without a life jacket on, but its not the smartest thing to do, said Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson. Hanson said no one knew the man was out there, which may have led to his decision to shed the life jacket and attempt to swim to shore. Its always recommended you stay with your machine, but with three-quarters of his machine sunk and nobody even knowing that he was out there, that was a gamble he had to take, Hanson said. But taking off his life jacket was not a good idea. Upon talking with the man on shore, it was discovered he had five out-of-county warrants for his arrest and he was taken into custody and turned over to out-of-county authorities. Officials were eventually able to locate the Sea Doo, which was almost totally submerged, and managed to pump it out and tow it to shore. It was then towed to Port Austin and returned to its owner. With Tuesdays incident, along with last Saturday, when boaters tried to swim to shore on Saginaw Bay, the sheriff reminds people that swimming any distance at all on Lake Huron is nothing to take for granted. UPPER THUMB Paul Mitchell won 38 percent of the vote in Tuesday nights Republican Primary to vie for a seat in Michigans 10th Congressional District. Im incredibly humbled by tonights win, Mitchell told the Associated Press. As a conservative outsider and businessman, we worked hard over the last 13 months to share our message focusing on lower taxes, national security and reforming government. ... I ran because I believed I could make a difference, and thats exactly what I intend to do. Votes for Mitchell totaled 30,114. He will face Democrat Frank Accavitti in November, who was unopposed Tuesday. Mitchell, of Dryden, defeated state Sen. Phil Pavlov, former state Sen. Alan Sanborn, state Rep. Tony Forlini and military veteran David VanAssche in the five-man primary. Pavlov, who won Huron County with 52 percent, or 2,258 votes, received 28 percent of the vote throughout the district with 22,019. Mitchell got 33 percent of the vote in Huron County, or 1,445 votes. In the district, Sanborn got 16 percent, or 12,639 votes; Forlini received 10 percent of the vote with 7,885, and VanAssche got 8 percent of the vote with 6,689. Mitchell, a retired businessman, is favored to succeed outgoing GOP Rep. Candice Miller. The 59-year-old former CEO of a vocational school company spent millions of his own money on the race. Mitchell, who lived in St. Clair County for a number of years, moved back to the Republican-leaning district after losing an open Republican primary in the 4th Congressional District in 2014. He led the opposition against a state constitutional amendment that would have increased sales taxes to boost transportation and other spending. Neither Mitchell nor Pavlov returned phone calls from the Tribune seeking comment. A lifelong collector, talented artist and feisty competitor, Annie passed away peacefully on July 24, 2016, at her home in Pointe Aux Barques. Her family helped her transition out of this life by recounting funny stories about her, drinking martinis and toasting to her indomitable spirit. Annie was 86 years old and despite her cancer diagnosis, she continued to live with characteristic grace, gratitude, courage, joy and humor. Annie, who grew up in St. Louis and attended Villa Duchesne School, met her husband, Bob, at Pointe Aux Barques, where their families had summer homes. They were married for 63 years and raised their five children in Grosse Pointe. After Bob retired, they split their time between Pointe Aux Barques and Boca Grande, Florida, where they had a home for over 20 years. If she loved you, you were family; her generous spirit extended to friends and animals she treated like family. In addition to a love of family, Annie and Bob shared a passion for traveling and visited nearly 60 countries across six continents. She went zip lining in Costa Rica, dune-buggy riding in Dubai, on safari in Botswana and polar-bear watching in Manitoba and collected treasures such as swizzle sticks and matchbooks along the way. Annie considered herself the caretaker of several generations worth of her familys belongings, some of which she donated to the Missouri Historical Society and The Charleston Museum. She also donated her time to several organizations including Pointe Aux Barques, where she spent decades chairing numerous committees, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America and the Junior League of Detroit, which recognized her for her service. Annie is survived by her husband, Bob; their children, George (Allison) of Corvallis, Oregon, Anne Milligan (Edward) of Grosse Pointe, Robert (Julia) of Grosse Pointe Farms, Catherine (Steve Germic) of Port Austin and Ellen of Washington, DC; and their grandchildren, Max and Andy Boomer, Scot and Charlie Milligan and Eloise Germic. The family will have a memorial service for Annie on Oct. 8 at Pointe Aux Barques and anticipates hosting a memorial in Grosse Pointe, spring 2017. Please email 110cloverly@gmail.com for details. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to The Grosse Pointe Academy, the Pointe Aux Barques Special Gift Fund, Suncoast Humane Society or The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. Charles Battaglia is a U.S. Navy veteran who served on the Wounded Warrior Project Board of Directors from 2006 to 2015. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Recently, the Wounded Warrior Project has been the subject of some critical media reports focused primarily on whether the organization's leadership was properly spending the millions donated by hardworking Americans each year on the wounded veterans who so desperately needed WWP's help. The reports were alarming, and while in the end many of the allegations were proven to be untrue, the concern they sparked left many donors confused and unsure about whether to continue their support. That is incredibly frightening, because the people that will be hurt the most are the ones most in need of our support. I served on the Wounded Warrior Project's Board of Directors for nine years, and during that time I made it a point to connect with many wounded young men and women to ask them whether WWP was being helpful. Their constant refrains that "WWP saved my marriage," "WWP saved my job," or most pointedly, "WWP saved my life" convinced me of how incredibly important the life-changing programs run by the organization and the money that funded them were. The funds came in donations big and small, but they have always been critical to healing and empowering those who so bravely protected our country, and suffered bodily and often emotional harm in return. The needs of our veterans are greater than ever, and it is necessary that as a nation we continue to support WWP. Yes, this is a time of transition for WWP but, if our decisions are guided by misperceptions, it's possible that our wounded warriors will suffer the most severe consequences. While recent criticism raised in media reports of WWP, the nonprofit organization that was founded in the years following 9/11, may make for compelling television, these misperceptions do nothing but belittle the great work of WWP serving many thousands of veterans over the past 13 years. WWP currently provides more than 20 free, direct programs and services to warriors, their caregivers and their families. Participation by WWP's registered warriors and family members across WWP's many programs increased from approximately 1,850 in 2010 to more than 144,000 in 2015. In 2015, WWP revised its investment strategy to focus on multi-year investments, which have totaled more than $101 million in the past year, to support partners who are striving to solve the most pressing issues facing our country's wounded veterans. These efforts have the potential to redefine what it means to be a veteran service organization. WWP's current Board of Directors recently issued a lengthy statement in an effort to clear up the misconceptions reported in the media. For instance, while the widely cited report from the charity rater Charity Navigator claimed that only 60 percent of WWP's funds go to programs, few are aware that Charity Navigator previously awarded WWP a 96 percent rating for accountability and transparency. WWP's financial statements are independently audited and have certified that WWP devotes approximately 80.6 percent of all donations directly to veteran programs. This difference in calculations is due to Charity Navigator's disregard for a widely established and broadly accepted accounting principle on tax reporting, referred to as joint cost allocation, which is used by a number of prominent charities and is subject to review by independent auditors. Further, in a 2013 note to donors, Charity Navigator urged that donors should not focus on a charity's overhead costs, but instead should focus on performance. WWP has done just that and more. According to WWP's most recent federal tax filing, which is independently audited, approximately 94 percent of the $26 million WWP spent on conferences and events between Oct. 1, 2013, and Sept. 30, 2014, was associated with programs for wounded warriors and their caretakers and families. With this in mind, there is no doubt that WWP is delivering on its stated mission to honor and empower wounded veterans. WWP depends on its donors, partners and sponsors to support the critical programs and services offered to veterans, their caregivers and their families. The success of these and future offerings is in jeopardy if we as a nation are unable to see past the distraction of recent weeks and settle our focus on those in need of our support: our wounded warriors. Not only do individuals rely on WWP for care and aid, but WWP also supports small veteran service providers through necessary funding and grants. WWP helps fund, for instance, the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury research and treatment projects alongside four major medical centers, including Massachusetts General Hospital. These are critical initiatives that need the full support and backing of generous donors, or they may struggle to exist in coming years and veterans will be left with one fewer option for rehabilitation services. There is the adage that one's perception is one's reality. There is also the adage that one is permitted to have his own views, but not his own facts. WWP may recover its funding support over time, but it will be the wounded veterans it is serving with excellent programs who will suffer in the interim. I urge you to look past the misperceptions raised in recent weeks, and see WWP for what it is: a dutiful organization that has already changed the lives of so many veterans. It now needs your help to continue this brave and honorable mission. -- If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. 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 has ordered all non-deployed aircraft squadrons to observe a 24-hour "operational pause" after a Miramar-based squadron suffered a third F/A-18C Hornet crash in 12 months -- two within the span of a week, one fatal. Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns told Military.com there would be an operational pause for all Marine Aircraft Wings, exempting deployed units. "This operational pause is to happen within the next seven business days," she said in an email. "Operational pauses are routine and are a time to align, discuss best practices and look at ways to continue to improve." The news of this grounding throughout Marine Corps aviation was first reported by Marine Corps Times. Burns said the timing of the pause was at the discretion of the wing commanders. Investigations into the most recent crashes are still ongoing, she said. Pilot Maj. Richard Norton of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 was killed July 28 when his F/A-18C Hornet went down during training near Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. A second Navy pilot, who has not been identified, is being treated after ejecting from an F/A-18C Hornet from VMFA-232 on Aug. 2 over Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, during a training flight. That aircraft had been temporarily assigned to Fallon's Strike Fighter Wing Pacific Detachment, officials said. In October 2015, a Marine pilot also attached to VMFA-232, Maj. Taj Sareen, was killed when his Hornet crashed near Royal Air Force Airfield Lakenheath in England during a flight from Bahrain to Miramar at the completion of a six-month deployment to the Middle East. No cause has been publicly released for any of these three crashes. Officials said recently they have wrapped up an investigation into a deadly Navy F/A-18C crash that happened earlier this summer. Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss, a soloist with the Blue Angels demonstration team, was killed June 3 when his aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in what was supposed to be a rehearsal flight ahead of an airshow in Smyrna, Tennessee. The results of that investigation have yet to be released. In a discussion at a think tank in Washington, D.C., on July 29, the Marines' head of aviation, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, said he did not believe diminished flight hours for Hornet pilots had contributed to the tragic July 28 crash. "I track [flight hours] each week. This particular unit was doing OK," he said. Davis added he did not believe that reduced flight hours, a function of limited resources and available aircraft, were making Marine Corps squadrons less safe, but added the Corps was "not as proficient as we should be." -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. U.S. Africa Command said Thursday that there have been nine U.S. bombing missions over three days in the new Operation Odyssey Lightning in support of the Libyan Government of National Accord. The latest strike on Wednesday hit a pickup truck carrying a recoilless rifle in the port city of Sirte, which GNA forces have been trying to take back from fighters affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria since May, AFRICOM said in a statement. On Tuesday, U.S. manned and unmanned aircraft targeted one rocket launcher, an excavator and a pickup truck with a recoilless rifle. The first strikes on Monday hit a Soviet-era T-72 tank, a T-55 tank, two military support vehicles, an enemy fighting position and two pieces of heavy engineering equipment, AFRICOM said. Pentagon officials have declined to say where the strikes originated from, but the missions reportedly were carried out by Marine Harrier jump jets flying off the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp off the coast in Libya's Gulf of Sidra and by drones equipped with Hellfire missiles flying out of a U.S. base in Jordan. In announcing the first strikes Monday, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the airstrikes backing the GNA were expected to be of short duration and limited to assisting local forces in retaking Sirte. The opening of the new front against ISIS in Libya, and the involvement of the U.S. in yet another Mideast civil war, was expected to be at the top of the agenda in closed meetings Thursday at the Pentagon with President Obama and his national security team on the overall progress of the war against ISIS. Obama was to hold a rare Pentagon news conference following the meetings. In giving air support to the GNA, which has been endorsed by the United Nations as the legitimate government, the U.S. was stepping into a three-sided civil war that has raged off and on since the late dictator Moammar Gadhafi was killed in 2011 in the Arab Spring uprisings. The GNA, based in Tripoli and led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, is opposed by the Islamist-dominated Government of National Salvation, also based in Tripoli, and by a rival parliament based in Tobruk near the Egyptian border. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related video: The U.S. Navy's top officer told the head of the South Korean Navy on Thursday that the two leaders should communicate "as brothers" amid heightened tensions in the Pacific. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson met with Adm. Jung Ho-sub of South Korea at the Pentagon during Jung's week-long trip to the United States as both nations participate in the Rim of the Pacific multinational exercise. The meeting took place just a day after U.S. and South Korean officials confirmed North Korea had fired two medium-range ballistic missiles Tuesday evening, one into waters near Japan. The other missile exploded after launch. STRATCOM officials said the missile launches did not pose a threat to North America. This weapons deployment defied U.N. restrictions and was "strongly" condemned by South Korea. "It's extremely important as we work together -- as our two navies work together -- that you and I have a personal relationship, that we can call one another up as brothers to work for better ways to collaborate," Richardson said in a statement and audio remarks released by the Navy. Richardson said he hoped to collaborate on anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures. "Not only are we finding new ways we can bring our forces together to enhance our peace and stability, we're also reinforcing our personal relationship," he said. Jung said his first goal of the U.S. visit was to discuss measures to improve defense readiness postures. "This is so that our [Republic of Korea]/U.S. alliance can remain robust and steadfast in the face of recent challenges from North Korea," he said. "So far, our visit has been very successful." Jung has also met with Navy Secretary Ray Mabus; Adm. Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces Pacific. He said he planned to visit the Missile Defense Agency and Center for Naval Analysis before his departure. Since the two leaders last met in Seoul in October 2015, China has also increased its militaristic posture in the South China Sea, most recently vowing to ignore an international tribunal's ruling in favor of the Philippines on a land dispute in the region and announcing plans to hold a naval exercise with Russia, highlighting a strengthening alliance between U.S. geopolitical adversaries. Jung said he hoped to "share understanding and promote awareness" on South China Sea issues with his U.S. counterpart. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck. As summer camps wind to a close and kids make their final splashes at the pool, parents have one thing on their minds: back-to-school shopping. But when you add up the cost of all the items on your kids classroom supply lists, backpacks, clothes and shoes, back-to-school is expensive. The following is a list of discounts to help military families get the kids off to school in style while staying within your budget. 1. Operation Homefront's Back-to-School Brigade Operation Homefront partners with Dollar Tree to collect school supplies for military children as part of their Back-to-School Brigade. Volunteers distribute the supplies at events throughout the country during the back-to-school season. Visit the Operation Homefront website for more information and to find events in your area. 2. Tax-Free Shopping Days For a few days each year, some states offer a "sales tax holiday" right around back-to-school time when shoppers can buy specified items tax-free. This is a great way to save on back-to-school necessities like clothes, shoes, and other school supplies. Click here for a list of participating states and dates. 3. Clothing and Accessories By the time summer is over, the kids have either outgrown all their school clothes or worn them ragged from vacation and camp. Update their wardrobe with new clothes and accessories using military discounts at stores like Kohl's, Old Navy, L.L.Bean, Wrangler and Columbia. If you're mall shopping, be sure to ask for a military discount in every store you stop in. Some malls, like the Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, Virginia, offer military discounts in many of their stores. 4. Shoes No back-to-school wardrobe is complete without new shoes. So take advantage of the military discounts offered by stores like Rack Room Shoes, Foot Locker, New Balance, Nike and Zappos.com. 5. Classroom Supplies Most schools expect parents to help stock classroom supplies like pencils, crayons, notebooks, folders, scissors, glue, and binders, as well as necessities like tissues and hand sanitizer. Find these supplies and use military discounts as Office Depot, Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabric. 6. Eye wear It may be time for a new prescription or maybe just fun new frames. Military discounts are available when purchasing glasses at Zenni.com and Eyemart Express. 7. Backpacks and Lunch Bags Looking for backpacks and lunch bags? Vera Bradley has adorable collections and offers a 15% military discount. Kohl's also has backpacks and lunch bags, but keep in mind their military discount is only valid on Mondays. 8. Tutoring and Test Prep Does your child need a little extra help with homework and studying? Tutor.com, where expert tutors are online 24/7, offers free tutoring for military families. Do you have older kids getting ready for college testing? eKnowledge donates their SAT and ACT College Test Preparation Programs to service members and their families. You pay a small fee of either $19.99 (standard), $39.99 (premium) or $99.99 (super course). 9. Computers, Devices and Cellphone Plans If youre looking to buy a computer or other devices, check out the military discounts offered by Apple. Most cellphone providers, like Verizon and T-Mobile, offer military discounts, so if youre in the market for new cellphone plans to keep in touch with your active student, contact your provider to ask what they offer for military families. (Some offer military discounts on devices and accessories as well.) 10. Exchange Price Match Policy Dont forget that the Navy Exchange (NEX), the Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) and the Army and Air Force Exchange (AAFES) all offer price matching. That means if you see a lower price for the same item at another store, bring proof to the Exchange and you can buy that item for the competitors price. Stay Up-to-Date With Military Discounts Want the scoop on military discounts? From travel to phones and everything in between, troops, military families and veterans can stay on top of military discounts. Become a Military.com subscriber and get full access through our newsletter. ZEELAND, MI - More than 78 percent of the primary employers in Allegan and Ottawa counties increased sales in 2015 and 72 percent have plans to expand, according to the 2016 Business Intelligence Report published by Lakeshore Advantage. But more than half of the 118 "primary employers" surveyed also report "barriers to growth," according to the annual report published by the economic development agency on Thursday, Aug. 4. A lack of needed labor was the main "barrier" for 72 percent of those companies, according to the report, which came out as Ottawa County posted he state's lowest unemployment rate at 3 percent. Ottawa County recently was identified as the fastest growing county in Michigan by the U.S. Census Bureau. Seventy-six percent of the employers said they had problems recruiting new employees. A lack of skilled production workers was cited by 37 percent, a lack of engineers was cited by 28 percent while 13 percent of the responding companies reported a lack of unskilled labor. Of the 35 percent who said there were reasons not to expand locally, 33 percent cited a labor shortage as a reason. Lakeshore Advantage reported 59 percent of the employers in the survey said they are "bridging the talent divide" by increasing their training budgets. "Over the last three years, 78 companies in our region received more than $3 million in skilled trades funding programs," the report said. While the region is criticized in some quarters for low manufacturing wages, the report also noted Ottawa County's cost of living is at 87 percent of the U.S. average. "Our region is in the top 10 percent in the nation for engineers per capita," the report said. The primary employers that participated in the survey are "businesses that export goods and services out of the region and bring wealth back into the community," according to the report. "These employers form the very core of the region's economic vitality, driving home the importance of understanding trends and operational needs critical to the region's economic base." Lakeshore Advantage executive said they also working with local schools to raise awareness of available career opportunities with students and teachers. "Working with Lakeshore Advantage, we were able to better understand the gaps that exist between career prospects available locally and what we are teaching our students about industry in our region, and next steps to bridge the gaps," said Dave Tebo, superintendent, Hamilton Community Schools. "Bringing relevancy to our classroom that allows our students to be employable has to be a key priority of educators." FILM REVIEW 'Cafe Society' 3.5 stars (out of 4) MPAA rating: PG-13 for some violence, a drug reference, suggestive material and smoking Director: Woody Allen Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Corey Stoll Run time: 96 minutes In Woody Allen's Los Angeles, swimming pools are just mirrors reflecting the superficial beauty of the people standing near them, shimmering centerpieces for parties attended by the well-moneyed movie-business elite, wearing crisp tuxedos and glitzy evening gowns. Does anyone actually swim in them? Surely, you jest. And yet, the light reflects off them with celestial beauty in "Cafe Society." Allen's latest dramatic comedy uses a sumptuously photographed 1930s Hollywood as the backdrop for his typical high-strung deliberations on love, ever so fickle, peppered with existentialism, ever so chilly. The filmmaker romanticizes the city and era's palatial movie houses, showing "The Woman in Red" and "Swing Time" on their screens. The city's history would be all downhill from there, per Allen - you'll recall "Annie Hall," where the marquees of the late '70s featured "House of Exorcism" and "Messiah of Evil." Jesse Eisenberg plays the Allen archetype - you know, a Jewish New Yorker, jittery, culturally adroit, neurotic, wears his heart on his sleeve, self-aware almost to a fault. His card should read "Bobby Dorfman from the Bronx," and to refer to him as anything other than "Bobby Dorfman from the Bronx" feels like a mistake, but for brevity's sake, I'll hereby call him just Bobby. The young 20-something arrives in L.A. in search of himself and maybe a career. He knocks on the door of his big-shot movie-producer uncle, Phil Stern (Steve Carell), to beg for a job. But Phil is so important, he keeps bumping their meeting further down the calendar. After three weeks, Phil finally gives Bobby "some cockamamie title" and a menial odd-job gig, which mostly requires driving to Beverly Hills mansions and dropping off manila envelopes. "We don't want to overemphasize the nepotism," Phil says. Phil assigns his secretary, Vonnie, to show his nephew the ropes. She's played by Kristen Stewart with effortless charm, and a portion of the film's Hollywood glow emanates from her sweetheart performance. All the easier for us to comprehend why Bobby falls in love with her, as she leans on a behemoth convertible automobile in a midriff-bearing outfit, lightly bemoaning Hollywood phonies. She's an Allen ideal. It's no spoiler to reveal Vonnie's secret affair with Phil, a married family man. Scandal brews. "I just hate the duplicity of this," she says, clearly a character in a Woody Allen movie. As opposed to a character in most any other romantic comedy, who would be contrived in a more stereotypically corny manner, and likely say something forgettable. As Bobby nervously, but also confidently, makes some headway in the movie business and with Vonnie - if he didn't invite her back to his place to listen to jazz records and comically gripe about Hollywood superficialities, he wouldn't be an Allen protagonist - the filmmaker frequently cuts back to the Dorfman family in New York. Bobby's brother, Ben (Corey Stoll), is a ruthless, fedora'd gangster who negotiates with a club owner by eventually depositing the body in a rapidly solidifying building foundation. This isn't just a narrative dalliance; Bobby eventually will be prompted to return home and run his brother's nightclub, where he becomes a man whose name everyone in the social scene knows. Allen cultivates some uncomfortable comedy as the Dorfmans look the other way regarding Ben's thuggery, a parallel to Bobby's broken-hearted melancholy. He also contrives a second Vonnie, who prefers the formalist Veronica, for Bobby. She's played by Blake Lively, whose effervescence underscores how sparsely written the character is, and we yearn for the underrated actress to enjoy more nuance and screen time. Sari Lennick stands out as Bobby's schoolteacher sister, Evelyn, who somewhat reluctantly calls upon Ben to confront her obnoxious-drunk neighbor, and Parker Posey enjoys a few colorful flourishes as Rad Taylor, head of a New York fashion agency. Compared to the supporting troupe, Eisenberg's performance is a touch bland, perhaps a too-familiar Allen lead. But "Cafe Society" sets its hook deeper in the final act, where the story gradually becomes saturated with intense longing and regret - an emphasis Allen might not have made earlier in his career. He also floats the truth that people change, for better or for worse, sometimes unexpectedly or without logic, Allen included. His romanticism for New York is well-documented in his body of work, but here, he clearly enjoys rendering Los Angeles as a beautiful place, as likely to propagate love as any. Such is his quiet progression. Updated: 2016-08-03 09:31 Madagascar's rich biodiversity and unique landscape, such as its clean water, lemurs, baobab trees and limestone formations with magnificent rocky spires, appeal to Chinese tourists.[Photo provided to China Daily] A growing number of Chinese tourists are enjoying a unique natural world far away from big-city life, Xu Lin reports. Several Chinese celebrities are moving quietly in the forest. They whistle, with peeled bananas in hand, until suddenly a cute lemur appears from a tree and grabs a banana for a bite. More lemurs approach, eager for their snacks. The scene is Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar. It's a part of the ongoing reality show Our Laws produced by Anhui Satellite TV, featuring the adventures of seven Chinese celebrities, including Nicholas Wu and Li Yapeng, in Madagascar and Ecuador. The recent episodes showcased Madagascar's rich biodiversity and unique landscape, which appeal to Chinese tourists. They can get a visa on arrival in the country. "Many tourists want to see Madagascar's flora and fauna, about 90 percent of which can't be found elsewhere in the world," says Lan Piaoxue, sales manager for China at the travel agency Madagascar Decouverte. About 10,000 Chinese visited the country last year, and more than 4,000 are travelers, according to Lan. She says the reality show vividly displays Madagascar's unique attractions. The agency offers the show's itineraries and some are suitable for parents traveling with children during the summer vocation. Local flora and fauna experts are on hand to share their insights, and visitors can also experience island life, such as watching whales. "When you set up your camp in the forest and watch the stars in the sky, you forget all your tiredness from hiking and immerse yourself into the precious scenery. It's a land of idyllic beauty: You live on the mountains and listen to the murmur of the running water and wind," says Liu Yun, 50, an office worker from Beijing. She and her friends hiked for three days in Andringitra National Park and finally reached the mountain peak. Last year, Liu traveled to the Madagascar for 14 days and visited five well-known national parks. Public transport is not so convenient, so she rented a car, hired a driver, and asked a local agency to design part of her itinerary. BAY CITY, MI -- In the past few days, feet have walked around it, cars have driven over it and plenty of smartphones have snapped photos of it. A colorful street art logo was officially unveiled, complete with a ribbon cutting, on Wednesday, Aug. 3. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures, a few dozen Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and community leaders gathered to acknowledge the new graphic at Center Avenue and Water Street, which was put together by a Leadership Bay County class. On Wednesady, the public was invited to take deck tours on top of the Delta College Planetarium to see what the graphic looked like from up above. Bay City Times photographer Gavin McIntyre captured the shots in the gallery above. StrangeRoque.jpg Brandon Strange (left) and Justin Roque ( ) BAY CITY, MI -- A Bangor Township ex-con and his cousin are charged with burglarizing a neighbor's home and stealing guns, knives, hunting supplies and other sundries. About 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 31, Bay County Sheriff's deputies responded to a breaking-and-entering complaint in the 3200 block of State Street Road. The victim, a 53-year-old man, told police he was last at home about 3 p.m. the previous day and had returned to find his house broken into. The missing items included several handguns, rifles, ammunition, kitchen knives, a cutting block, trail cameras, power drills, a crossbow, a compound bow, hunting clothes, a flat screen TV, collectible coins, wine, laptops, and jewelry, court records show. The man said he believed his neighbor, 28-year-old Brandon S. Strange, was responsible, as he'd recently been on parole for property crimes. While deputies were at the scene, they saw Strange drive by in a silver Ford Explorer. They determined Strange's driver's license was suspended and they removed him from the Ford, court records show. On searching Strange, deputies found cocaine and a pipe on him. In his wallet, he had $563 as well as some collectible coins, court records show. Strange's parents told deputies he lived with them, adding that their 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun was missing from a closet. They gave deputies consent to search their home, with deputies finding a purse containing more collectible coins. Strange's girlfriend, who also lives at the residence, told deputies the purse was hers, but she hadn't used it in months and she didn't know where the coins came from, court records show. "It wouldn't surprise me if Brandon stole it," the woman told deputies. "Have you seen his rap sheet? Stealing is like second nature to him." The woman also said Strange's cousin, 34-year-old Justin M. Roque, had been over the night before, court records show. Strange denied any wrongdoing to deputies. He said he found a bag containing the coins in his driveway while leaving that morning and took it, court records show. In the course of their investigation, deputies went to Roque's address in Bay City and encountered him there. Roque told them he'd heard of Strange's arrest and denied being his accomplice. He allowed police to search his residence and they did not find any stolen property, court records show. Police also went to the home of Roque's younger brother, Alexander Roque. In the house's basement, police found and confiscated a compound bow case with the complainant's name on it, the compound bow itself, a laptop, a tote box of hunting supplies, rifles, power tools, trail cameras, and a backpack with jewelry and another camera in it, court records show. Deputies arrested Alexander Roque on outstanding warrants. En route to the jail, Alexander Roque told deputies his brother had contacted him earlier to say he put some items in his basement, but not to worry about it as he would take care of them. Alexander Roque told his brother he wanted nothing to do with the situation and told him to remove the items from his house, court records show. In police's presence, Alexander Roque called Justin Roque to get him to implicate himself in the crimes. "Alexander told Justin that he was going to put the items to the curb but Justin told him not to in case the police were watching," police wrote in their reports, contained in court records. "During the conversation Justin asked Alexander to wipe down the items to get Justin's fingerprints off of them. Justin then advised he would be on his way to get the items and planned to throw them in the woods behind the residence." Police returned to Justin Roque's home and arrested him. They also executed a search warrant on his home and discovered a Ruger rifle and ammunition they'd missed in their previous search. Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Monday, Aug. 1, arraigned both Strange and Justin Roque on the same five charges -- first-degree home invasion, larceny of a firearm, receiving and concealing a stolen firearm, and two counts of felony firearm. First-degree home invasion is the most serious as it comes with a maximum 20-year sentence, though felony firearm conviction mandates a minimum two-year prison stint consecutive to any other terms. Kelly also arraigned Strange on single counts of driving on suspended license and possessing less than 25 grams of a narcotic or cocaine. Alex Roque was not charged in connection with the burglary. However, Kelly did arraign him on a warrant dating back to 2013 for unpaid fines. Court records indicate Alex Roque in 2012 pleaded guilty to second-degree retail fraud, second offense, and was ordered to pay $916, of which he's only paid $35 as of Aug. 2. Strange and Roque are to appear for a preliminary examination before District Judge Mark E. Janer at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18. Strange in July 2009 was sentenced to 18 months to six years in prison after pleading guilty to larceny in a building in Saginaw County. After serving some time, Strange in November 2011 was sentenced to two to 10 years after pleading guilty to receiving and concealing $1,000 to $20,000 in stolen property in Bay County. The Michigan Department of Corrections discharged Strange on Feb. 27, 2015. A journey around the Great Lakes has ended for the crew of the Draken Harald Harfagre, the world's largest Viking ship that ended up being one of the most popular vessels at the 2016 Bay City Tall Ship Celebration last month. Ship officials announced Thursday, Aug. 4, that their journey ends in Green Bay, Wisconsin, one stop short of Duluth, Minnesota, where the country's largest concentration of Norwegian-Americans reside. While the ship navigated through rough seas, ice and extreme conditions, its biggest challenge was government red tape. When the ship's crew departed Norway for the Great Lakes, they were told by Canadian officials that they would not need to hire a pilot when sailing Canadian waters. The crew, however, thought that rule applied to all of the Great Lakes, including U.S. waterways. As a result, the ship didn't anticipate having to pay an estimated $430,000 in pilotage fees. The Sons of Norway later launched a crowd-funding campaign that raised tens of thousands of dollars, but it wasn't enough. The District 3 Western Great Lakes Pilot Association was able to reduce the pilotage fees for the Draken from $430,000 to $250,000, but the crew was still unable to raise enough funds to continue their journey, according to a blog post published on the ship's website. The Viking ship sailed to Fairport Harbor, Ohio, Bay City, Chicago and Green Bay as part of the 2016 Tall Ships Challenge. The ship's crew plans to make a scheduled stop in New York in September. The government will lift restrictions on exporting crude oil, diamonds and gold early next year, an official told The Myanmar Times yesterday, cutting the state list of restricted goods down to just four. Earlier this year, the government took five items off the list: niger seed and oil, mustard seed and oil, sunflower seed and oil, oil cakes, and shrimp bran, which is used as animal feed. Still on the list along with gold, diamonds and crude oil are cow, horse, buffalo, elephant and other rare animals; weapons; antiquities; and ivory. Restrictions will be lifted on gold, diamonds and crude after discussions with relevant government departments and businesspeople, said U Khin Maung Lwin, assistant secretary at the Ministry of Commerce. These include the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Myanmar Gold Entrepreneurs Association, Myanmar Federation of Mining Association, Myanmar Gems and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association, the Central Bank and the customs department. The ministry will have to allow imports along with granting permits for export. If a company is allowed to import gold from abroad, it should be allowed to export jewellery too, he said. We have to settle a lot of issues, because local gold mining companies want to export raw gold. He believes companies will be allowed to import and export blocks of gold, and to export gold jewellery. For now, gold and diamonds both cross the countrys borders illegally, traders said. Industry bodies asked the commerce ministry earlier this year to strike the precious metal from its list of restricted goods, saying this would boost government coffers and help to combat smuggling. Smugglers now take advantage of a tax-free environment, pocketing all the proceeds at the expense of Myanmar livelihoods and the wealth of the country, said a senior official at the Myanmar Gold Trading Association previously said. The commerce ministry is also negotiating with the Ministry of Electricity and Energy over the export of crude oil, and should finish discussions early next year, U Khin Maung Lwin said. The Ministry of Commerce is aiming for a minimum of $11.1 billion in exports for the 2016-17 financial year, and wants to see this increase three-fold by the end of its five-year plan, which started this year. Translation by Thiri Min Htun More than 1000 jade mining companies will be forced by law to clean up their sites in Hpakant and Lone Khin mining areas in Kachin State once their permits have expired, the government says. U Win Htein, director general of the Department of Mines, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, told The Myanmar Times on August 2 that the government would enforce an existing law requiring companies to protect the environment and repair any damage inflicted by their operations. The new ministry, which is prioritising environmental restoration, also plans to put a Natural Environment Management Plan out to tender. The Hpakant and Lone Khin zones, the heart of the countrys jade mining country, are scarred and disfigured by swathes of treeless, grassless tailings and slagheaps that have killed hundreds of itinerant workers in landslips. The Myanmar Gemstones Law requires mining companies to repair the environment through landscaping and other methods to the satisfaction of the ministry. The provision is already included in the procedures for granting licences, U Win Htein said. We will send them letters to make sure companies know to make the site safe. They cant just leave [when their permit expires]. They have to stay until the mining department has inspected the site. Last week the ministry said it would not renew mining permits for jade and gems when they expire and would only consider issuing new permits once by-laws to the Myanmar Gemstones Law have been passed. Local residents welcomed the new approach to enforcement. The companies should be aware of the regulations, but most do not pay attention to the details, said Hpakant Gems and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association deputy chair U Zaw Shan Lone. No company has ever repaired the environment of their site once their permit expires. We have not heard that companies are doing anything to conserve the environment, he said. Hpakant resident U Kyaw Myint said the government should go further, suspending existing licences until the mining companies take steps to restore the environment. People die when they fall into big holes the companies have dug. The holes fill up with water, and the water leaks out. Some roads are impassable. There are no trees. Theres no grass, he said. There are 1002 worksites whose permits are about to expire in Hpakant and Lone Khin, out of 7368 private worksites permitted by previous government. There are also 302 jade worksites wholly or partially operated by the government. U Win Htein could not say when the permits for the remaining 6000 or so worksites would expire. Translation by Khant Lin Oo United Amara Bank became the second local lender to sign with the Asian Development Bank under its Trade Finance Program (TFP) yesterday, and will receive guarantees for international letters of credit worth up to US$4 million each year. It joins the TFP program almost a year after Cooperative (CB) Bank signed to receive up to $12 million in annual guarantees last October. The deal marks the first step in a long-term partnership to assist trade financing for local businesses in Myanmar and ultimately to help boost Myanmars economy, United Amara Bank said in a statement yesterday. Trade financing is still new in Myanmar most exporters and importers pay for shipments on the spot. A letter of credit system, on the other hand, allows a bank or development institution to guarantee that the seller will receive a timely payment from the buyer if they fail to pay, the sponsor steps in. With a letter of credit agreement in place, exporters are able to ship products before receiving payment. However, many foreign banks do not yet accept letters of credit from Myanmar banks. Local lenders such as CB Bank and United Amara Bank already have some trade lines with international lenders, but their credit ratings are low, which limits the amount of business they can do. The ADB, on the other hand, has an AAA credit rating the highest available. If it guarantees the trade lines of local banks, they will be able to finance much larger transactions. United Amara Banks CEO U Thein Lwin said yesterday that his bank first conceived of the partnership back in 2013. It has taken many discussions, reviews and agreements for the line of credit to be realised, he said, thanking everyone involved for their stamina. The bank has grown fast since it was set up in 2010 as of March 31, it had a deposit size of K596 billion, assets worth K662 billion and a network of 52 branches and 250,000 customer accounts, he said. In the future, UAB will continue to grow. We already have a plan to expand our network to 75 branches by the end of this fiscal year. Myanmars total trade volumes have grown by an average of 14 percent annually during the past five years, the ADB said, while imports have grown 19pc per year since 2012, spurred by strong economic growth of around 7pc. Janet Hyde, an ADB relationship manager for Myanmar, noted that other local banks are being considered for the program. The TFP is an open-ended program and we are continually assessing new banks for membership, not least in Myanmar, she said. The value of the facilities approved can vary according to the due diligence process and the size of the trade finance needs of each bank, she said. Ethnic Karen women are still subject to abuse and to feelings of insecurity, say human rights advocates. The Karen Human Rights Group yesterday officially released its report Hidden Strengths, Hidden Struggles: Womens Testimonies from Southeast Myanmar at a press conference at Summit Parkview Hotel, Yangon. The report said that since the 2013 preliminary ceasefire between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the government, women in Karen areas of southeast Myanmar have reported feelings of suspicion and mistrust toward government-led health and education initiatives and their staff. The report quoted a 50-year-old Karen woman from KDee Poo village tract, Thaton township, Mon State, as saying, I cant entirely trust what the government said. They [the government and the KNU] were both armed. They were enemies before they made peace. I cant believe it yet. I will believe it when they lay down their weapons. In south-eastern Myanmar, problems of drugs and crime seem to have eased under the new government, said KHRG field director Saw Albert. The drugs are controlled by armed groups in the Karen areas. If someone is killed, nobody will name the killer. Villagers are afraid even to report crimes, he told journalists. However, he added, where once narcotics could be bought as cheaply and easily as candy in snack shops everywhere, drugs had now largely disappeared from public view. As Karen areas are mostly situated on the Thai border, human trafficking still represented a threat to people struggling to make a living and find jobs. Action against traffickers who took villagers into Thailand is still weak. Incomes failed to improve even after the ceasefire, while industries in Thailand paid more money. High-income job opportunities turned the villagers into both traffickers and victims, said Saw Albert. In 2013, the KNU signed an agreement not to abuse women in their areas, but enforcement action is inadequate, advocates say. Landgrabs are also a problem. Some villagers have reported misconduct to KHRG and other human rights groups showing they suffered at the hands of both government and ethnic armed groups, though the report said instances of extortion of money by both sides had declined since the ceasefire. Human rights groups are helping to create better conditions, said Naw Jasmin, a representative of the KHRG. The report quotes several women as saying that last Novembers election had made no difference to the lives of the Karen people. While some women showed cautious optimism regarding the results of the election, others were hesitant to make judgments regarding its potential impact. Usually, people blame the woman first if there is abuse, saying her dress or conduct was inappropriate. They also deny rape, saying that because it happens so often there must have been consent, said one woman quoted in the report. The KHRG was founded in 1992. More details of the report can be found on www.khrg.org. A restored version of the 1934 Myanmar film Mya Ganaing (The Emerald Jungle) is to premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival (Festival del film Locarno) in Switzerland on August 13. Directed by Maung Tin Maung considered one of the fathers of Myanmar cinema Mya Ganaing is the oldest Myanmar film for which elements still exist. Work on restoring the film started in April 2015. The debut screening will be introduced by Myanmar Academy Award-winning actress Daw Grace Swe Zin Htaik. This is an incredible reward for the restoration project team But it is also a reward for Myanmar cinema that its glorious past will be highlighted at a major festival such as Locarno, said Severine Wemaere, co-director of non-profit organisation Memory Cinema, which carried out the restoration. Shot in 1934 as a silent film, music was added to Mya Ganaing around 1954. In 1970, to mark the 50th anniversary of Myanmar Cinema, A1 Productions the company that produced the film added dialogue with actors of the time and re-released the film. The restored film is based on the 1970 version. Mya Ganaing is a milestone as it the very first complete restoration of a classic Myanmar film, Wemaere said. [We hope] this project will raise awareness about the critical situation of Myanmars film archives. Cinema began in Myanmar as early as 1920 and the country had one of the most active film industries in Asia for several decades. In 2015, an assessment of the film archives revealed fewer than 20 heritage films are still in existence. The Ministry of Information, in association with Memory Cinema, has launched a preservation program to restore and preserve Myanmars heritage films. Wemaere said the restoration of Mya Ganaing was only the first step in preserving Myanmars film heritage. Beyond this symbolic restoration, we must keep in mind that urgent action is required to avoid further dispersion and damage to elements, and to undertake research for lost films in Myanmar and abroad. Myanmar cinema has a glorious history but this history is at risk, she said. Mya Ganaing will make its Myanmar debut later this year at the opening of the fourth Memory International Film Heritage Festival, which will be held in Yangon from November 4 to 13. The festival will feature around 80 classic films from around the world, including a screening of the 2011 silent film The Artist, presented by Oscar-winning French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius. The government is planning on reviewing the status of dams throughout the country to see if they are worth keeping. U Htun Win, deputy minister for agriculture, livestock and irrigation, told parliament on August 2 that the review would take into account the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and long-term benefit of the dams. A shift in policy, away from building dams and toward running irrigation channels to farmland, has already led to a 50 percent cut in the request for irrigation funding next year. The ministrys assistant secretary, U Myo Tint Tun, told The Myanmar Times on July 18 that expenditure in 2017-18 would be less than half of this years level, falling from K253 billion (US$216 million) to K120 billion. The funds would be used primarily to provide irrigation drainage to existing dams that lacked it. U Htun Win was responding to a question in Pyithu Hluttaw from U Lin Lin Kyaw (NLD; Myitthar) regarding the profitability or otherwise of dam projects. He said there were particular questions about the effectiveness of Kin Tar diversion dam in Meiktila, Mandalay Region, which accumulates water by pump action instead of relying on natural gravity. The deputy minister said, A team is being set up to consider this question and make recommendations on a course of action if it is found that the dams are not profitable, beneficial or cost-effective. The team would also consider dams currently under construction. Earlier administrations, including the military regime, had built dams without considering either the environmental or the social impact, the deputy minister said. We have found that many dams have had serious impacts on surrounding forests and mountains, leaving many with a very bitter experience. We have to consider what benefit these dams have. Although there are more than 500 dams for projects like the Meiktila Land Greening, many lacked the drainage networks necessary to irrigate surrounding fields. There are many cases of dams without drains, and worse, he said. Some dams built to provide the dry zone in central Myanmar with drinking water had turned out to more expensive than other commercial solutions. The teams findings would guide the government on what action should be taken over the dams future. The deputy minister also said that a huge program developed under the former military regime to pump river water into irrigation channels to increase paddy yield would be scrapped because it did not work. Out of 300 river water projects, 170 have been stopped, he said. Translation by Emoon and Khine Thazin Han The Upper House has asked the Union government to establish a systematic, nationwide review of floods and droughts annually in order to compile effective measures to prevent damage. A sluice gate that was built in Kawhmu township saved Kawhmu from severe flooding, but then flooding was made worse in Kungyangon township because of the overflow, MP U Kyaw Htwe (NLD; Yangon 8) told The Myanmar Times yesterday. And now less water reaches Dala township because of the Kawhmu sluice gate. Each region must calculate how a project will benefit and hurt other towns by building an implementation plan. He hopes to implement a system for reviewing projects and how they might impact drought and flood areas so that the right rivers and creeks can be dug to benefit the public. Floods occur annually and people lose their homes and livelihood, he said, adding that during droughts there is a shortage of drinking water in some areas. The public is suffering every year, he said. They need long-term support with the help of experts, who can observe why droughts and floods occur annually. There are standards for treating river floods or sea floods but those standards differ in each area, he said. Floods currently occurring in upper Myanmar will reach Bago Region, he said. The government needs to add a sluice gate in the Ayeyarwady delta area, he said, to keep the seas saltwater from flowing into the deltas freshwater. Currently, governments take emergency preventative measures in flood or drought-plagued areas, he said, but those little projects have big costs when calculated for the long term. Smart projects will also benefit animals, rivers, transportation, agriculture and conservation, he said. MP U Soe Moe (NLD; Ayeyarwady 1) agreed with the statement. Representatives agreed to debate the proposal at a future meeting. Translation by Khant Lin Oo Myanmar's government will monitor an investigation by its Malaysian counterpart into a hit list purportedly penned by a member or sympathiser of the Islamic State terrorist group that includes the name of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and several Malaysian leaders. The Malaysian prime minister, his deputy, the countrys attorney and police inspector generals, and a handful of cabinet ministers were listed along with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in a two-page letter headlined IS threat, reported The Star, a Malaysian newspaper majority-owned by one of the countrys main political parties, on August 2. It reported that photocopied photographs of the targeted leaders were appended to the letter, which Malaysian officials were attempting to determine the authenticity of. Malaysian police suspect the unidentified sender was attempting to boast about the influence of IS in Malaysia, according to The Star. The threatening letter was reportedly sent to a police station in Negri Sembilan, a Malaysia state southeast of the capital Kuala Lumpur. U Zaw Htay, deputy director general of Myanmars Presidents Office, told The Myanmar Times yesterday that the government was taking the threat seriously and would not be dismissive of the potential for harmful intent. We wont be careless about their threatening. But we also dont worry about the security of the state counsellor. The IS has always sent early messages in previous incidents, such as [attacks] in France and the US. Some have really played out, so we need to be alert about it, he said, adding that Myanmars government collaborates with the international policing body Interpol and fellow ASEAN countries on potential threats posed by the IS, also known as ISIS. The Ministry of Home Affairs is primarily responsible for the state counsellors safety, providing her bodyguards, convoy protection, and outdoor and indoor security arrangements. A spokesperson for the ministry declined to offer details on any adjustments to future security protocols for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The Star quoted Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, the Malaysian police inspector general who was also named as a target, saying law enforcement authorities would not take the matter lightly and would work to determine who was behind the threats. The motive is unclear as several foreign leaders were also mentioned in the letters. These threats will not weaken our spirits in carrying out our duties as police personnel, he was quoted as saying. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had planned a trip to Malaysia this month to visit the sizeable contingent of Myanmar migrant workers living in the fellow Southeast Asian nation, but a member of her cabinet told The Myanmar Times last week that her increasingly busy schedule might not allow it in the near term. One of Myanmars largest officially recognised labour unions has vowed to boycott the Arbitration Council and to stage strikes if they encounter problems with employers. The announcement is yet another protest of the newly appointed representatives to the dispute resolution body. U Naw Aung, speaking on behalf of the Myanmar Industries Crafts and Services Trade Union Federation (MICF), said on August 1 that unless the current representatives are replaced, workers will sidestep the council. If they dont hold a re-election, we will go against their representatives and we wont acknowledge them or their decisions. We have lost our trust in the Arbitration Council and if a problem happens with workers under our organisation, we wont go through the council mechanism, but will stage strikes, he said. The quasi-legal Arbitration Council acts as a dispute resolution body, negotiating between employers and their workers. In early July, five new members representing workers were elected to the 15-member council. Many labourers cried foul, claiming that the new members were not democratically elected and do not accurately reflect workers interests. None of the new workers representatives U Tin Tun, U Maung Maung Aye, U Thein Kywal, U Thin Maung Swe and U Ye Kyaw Thu represent a labour union, according to U Naw Aung. Two of the representatives confirmed to The Myanmar Times that they work in the private sector, but declined to share the names of their companies. When the first council was created in 2012, most of the labour representatives were drawn from private businesses, a sticking point for labour unions and the employees supposedly being represented. The council, which has the final say on disputes that work their way up to it when decisions by similar local and regional tribunals are appealed, is to have five representatives from each of three sectors: the Ministry of Labour, employers organisations and labour groups. The representatives have to go through a qualification process first before their nomination is submitted to the government. They serve as official committee members only after they are confirmed by the Union government, said U Ye Naing Win, an outgoing workers representative on the Arbitration Council. He added that none of the representatives appointed to the council have been confirmed yet, as negotiations with the disputing labour unions are ongoing. The Ministry of Labour would have rejected our nomination if we were not qualified, said newly appointed member U Ye Kyaw Thu. But we were chosen fair and square, I believe. The councils term is two years and the current term will expire by September, said lawyer U Htay, who is also a member of the council. Around 350 workers from Yangons industrial zones gathered at Mahabandoola Park on July 31 to march against the recent appointments to the Arbitration Council. But the demonstrators were blocked by police who told them they lacked the necessary permit to march downtown. Shan activists and politicians are calling for a halt to resource extraction in parts of Myanmar plagued by conflict, with one human rights group using a controversial coal mine to highlight the damage these projects are inflicting on local communities. The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) on August 2 urged an immediate suspension of the Nam Ma coal mines in Shan States Thibaw/Hsipaw township, where fighting has flared in recent months, as well as reiterating a call for similar stoppages at all other extraction projects in areas of ethnic conflict. Projects should only be reconsidered when a federal peace settlement has been reached, granting local communities the right to decide over natural resources in their areas, the SHRF said in a report. Its report detailed a Tatmadaw offensive against the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), an ethnic armed group, in May that led to arbitrary arrests, torture and killing of local civilians. The military move, near the Nam Ma coal mines, left no doubt that a main aim of the offensive was to safeguard the mining operations, the SHRF said. The report adds to growing scrutiny of the mining operation. On April 1, hundreds of villagers gathered at a temple in the Nam Ma area to protest the coal extraction and demand that it be put to a stop. According to the SHRF, that local opposition caught the attention of the SSPP, which sent officers to assess the situation at the mining site on May 17, one day before the Tatmadaw launched its offensive to drive out the ethnic armed group. The May 18 assault included an aerial bombardment and more than 500 Tatmadaw troops, leading over 1000 civilians to flee, mostly to the towns of Hsipaw and Lashio. Questions about the mines were also raised last month in both the Shan State legislature and the Union-level lower house of parliament. State MP Nang San San Aye (Shan Nationalities League for Democracy; Hsipaw 1) raised the issue on July 12, asking whether the company primarily responsible for the coal excavation, Mandalay-based Ngwe Yi Pale, had obtained an operating permit from the government. She went on to ask whether it would be possible to suspend any such contract. The inquiry was forwarded to the Union Ministry for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. My question was unanswered, Nang San San Aye said. The Hsipaw Pyithu Hluttaw MP is also trying to get an answer. We will keep doing what the people want and what the people asked for. We are representatives of the people, so we have a responsibility. On August 1, Pyithu Hluttaw lawmaker Sai Thant Zin (SNLD; Hsipaw) got his reply, being told that the Ngwe Yi Pale company obtained a permit in 2010 with a licence to operate the coal mine for 10 years. That answer did not satisfy the lower house MP, who said the firm was operating the mine long before it had received official approval from the government. Since 2004, the Mandalay-based Ngwe Yi Pale company began work in the Nam Ma area. According to the reply, they just got a permit in 2010. And they didnt get the permission or agreement of the locals, nor guarantees or tests for the environmental [impacts], Sai Thant Zin said. The SHRF report said mining at Nam Ma began in the 1990s, at the time wholly carried out by the Tatmadaw. In 2004, Ngwe Yi Pale entered into a joint venture with the state-owned No 3 Mining Enterprise, becoming the main excavator. I heard that the reason behind the protest of the villagers from Nam Ma was that the company broke the promises they made, Sai Thant Zin said, adding that, We have to consider both sides and keep trying not to bring suffering to the locals. We have plans to watch over the controversial coal project until it is cleared up. In addition to fuelling conflict, the SHRF said the coal mining has destroyed farmlands, blocked and contaminated water sources, and caused air pollution, particularly impacting Pieng Hsai and Wan Long villages. Despite repeated complaints from local communities, Ngwe Yi Pale company has continuously expanded its mining operations. One of the key resolutions to come out of the recent Ethnic Youth Conference, which brought together some 800 participants in Panglong, Shan State, similarly called for the immediate cessation of major business projects involving natural resources in conflict zones. The Rakhine State Ministry for Border Affairs and Security is continuing to pressure an ethnic armed group to retract a statement it made alleging forced portering by the Tatmadaw. The ministry, which is headed by a military appointee, refuses to release a detained communications officer of the group until its demand is met, according to members of the armed organisation. Representatives from the Arakan Liberation Party met with Border Affairs Minister Colonel Htein Lin on July 29, but the two sides failed to reach any agreement, according to Major Khine Nay Lin, a senior member of the ALP. At the meeting, the minister reiterated a request that the offending statement be withdrawn or amended. In April, the ALP released a report accusing the Tatmadaw of committing war crimes and violating the Geneva Convention by forcing Rakhine civilians to act as porters and human shields. The report included video and photo testimony. The Tatmadaw has strongly denied the allegations. On July 25, ALP communications officer U Khine Myo Tun was arrested and charged with incitement and defamation under sections 505(b) and (c) of the penal code. Maj Khine Nay Lin said the ALPs central executive committee will hold an internal discussion about the ministers request. I cant decide on my own to withdraw or amend the statement because it was issued by consensus. Now we will have to have a discussion about it within the party, he said. Rakhine States information department confirmed the July 29 meeting as well as the stalemate, but said it is unclear when the two sides will meet again. According to state government-run social media the Rakhine Gazette, the minister said during the meeting that the case could be dropped if the purportedly inaccurate statement is corrected. However, the ALP did not agree. According to a Sittwe state police official who asked not to be named, U Khine Myo Tun remains in Sittwe Prison. He will have a hearing in court this coming Thursday [August 5] in Sittwe, said the source. Col Htein Lin was unavailable for comment yesterday, according to his personal assistant. The governments economic policy, released last week, could dovetail with its peace policy to help ensure resources are shared for the country as a whole, an economic analyst has said. A statement released on July 29 said greater fairness in the allocation of resources among regions and states could help the country pursue national reconciliation. The pursuit of national reconciliation through the establishment of a market-oriented economic system is a key objective of the 12-point plan announced by the government on July 29. Economic analyst U Ye Min Oo said fairness in resource sharing would support the peace process, with the cornerstone summit, the 21st-century Panglong Conference, slated to be convened later this month. A resource sharing policy would allow the Union government to share tax revenues from various sectors in the interests of states and regions, in accordance with negotiated agreements yet to be reached, he said. Kachin State produces jade, Shan State and Sagaing Region produce gold and minerals, and Rakhine State produces oil and natural gas. But all the income from those natural resources has been flowing into central government coffers, leaving no opportunity for the regions and states to enjoy income from natural resources extraction, say analysts. Kachin State Chief Minister U Khat Aung said, Kachin State produces jade as well as timber, while the countrys central zone cant produce anything. Natural resources have been extracted, but no one has reaped the benefits over the past 50 years of a dictatorial regime. The introduction of federalism would prioritise the welfare of states. For example, allowing the central government to take 10 percent, while the remaining 90pc is shared out among the 14 regions and states. We have a responsibility to conserve natural resources from generation to generation. Former Pyithu Hluttaw MP U Ye Tun said the governments economic policy does not state clearly how resources will be shared out. They policy seeks to increase available financial resources under a transparent and strong public-oriented financial management; to ensure the success of state-owned enterprises; to privatise enterprises that can be reformed and to support small and medium enterprises which can support job creation and economic development; to foster human resources for the countrys economic growth; and to improve the development of vocational education. Natural resource sharing has been hot topic at recent ethnic organisation summits, including the key meeting held at Mai Ja Yang in Kachin State last week. The 17 groups attending Mai Ja Yang pressed for the government to include discussions of land and resource management at the upcoming Panglong Conference. However, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has said only two agenda items will be on the table at the coming meet politics and security. Further topics can be discussed during the political dialogue stage set to occur after the conference, she has said. Translation by Zar Zar Soe Could the issue of citizenship documents to Kokang residents in Shan State open the back door to infiltration from China? That appeared to be the implication floated by Myanmars immigration minister yesterday when he spoke to MPs of the progress of regularising citizenship in the self-administered zone. Union Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe told the Amyotha Hluttaw that he refused to relax the provisions of the controversial 1982 Citizenship Law when it came to identifying Kokang residents. The minister said the risk of false representation or concealment by those applying for citizenship was too great. He was responding to a question from U Kyaw Ni Naing (USDP; Shan 11), who had asked about the possibility of relaxing the rules when issuing new identity cards for ethnic Kokang residents. Kokang was ruled by the Communist Party of Burma for more than 30 years and its ethnic leaders signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in 1989, said U Kyaw Ni Naing. He said that as a Myanmar ethnic group, the people of Kokang should enjoy the same rights as those of other ethnic minorities under the constitution. U Thein Swe said, The language, appearance and traditions of the people of Kokang are very similar to those of the citizens of a neighbouring country who can easily immigrate to Myanmar. There is a concern over the possibility of making false representation or concealment to acquire our citizenship. Therefore, we cannot relax any provision of the law because citizenship is part of our sovereignty. We are very carefully working with the law to ensure that any mistakes in issuing cards are eliminated. We are taking our time and carrying this out on a step-by-step basis. The ministry may owe its caution in Kokang to the situation in Rakhine State, where the Arakan National Party has called on the government to carefully scrutinise the eligibility of so-called certificate holders, and to punish any unsubstantiated citizenship claims. We cannot just say people holding certificates are citizens already, because they may have become citizens through false representation or by corruption. Therefore, we are complaining to the government and appealing that the [1982] law be implemented exactly, said Daw Aye Nu Sein, a high court lawyer and the vice chair of the ANP. Penalties under the law include imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine of K50,000. According to the latest census data, a total of 283,431 ethnic Kokang aged 10 or older are eligible to apply for registration cards. Of those, 91,733 hold Citizen Scrutinising Cards, 104 hold Certificates of Associate Citizenship, 135 hold Certificates of Naturalised Citizenship, 75,465 hold National Registration Cards and 5245 hold certificates that have yet to be scrutinised, the minister said. Translation by Zar Zar Soe Lawmakers in the Pyithu Hluttaw have endorsed a proposal urging the Union government to put forward measures to effectively combat corruption nationwide. The motion was submitted by Pyithu Hluttaw lawmaker U Than Win from North Okkalapa township in Yangon Region (NLD), with fellow ruling party MP U Myo Zaw Oo from Lewe township, Mandalay Region, seconding it. Speaker U Win Myint (NLD; Tarmwe) decided to accept the proposal on August 2 after no MPs voiced objection to it. The practice of taking bribes and corruption has been happening in all areas the executive, judiciary, education, health and social [sectors] for decades, said U Than Win. He called graft a plague afflicting the country and its people, hindering trade and investment, and leading to the depletion of forests and other natural resources. As part of the Anti-Corruption Law enacted in 2013, an Anti-Corruption Commission was formed, but U Than Win this week argued that the graft-fighting body had been ineffective to date. Despite a lot of complaints, just a few were acted on, [with the commission] saying there was no irrefutable evidence in cases it dropped, he said of the commission. The North Okkalapa lawmaker said a culture of reluctance or outright fear of coming forward with graft allegations made irrefutable evidence a difficult threshold to meet in corruption cases. U Myo Zaw Oo said corruption was burdening ordinary citizens. He added that graft in the country typically came in two forms large monetary bribes or valuable gifts, typically involving high-ranking government personnel or businesspeople, and smaller payments to lower-level individuals, euphemistically known as tea money in Myanmar. The nation ranked an abysmal 147th out of 168 countries in Transparency Internationals 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index. A zero-tolerance policy toward corruption was one of the National League for Democracys consistent themes on the campaign trail last year. Early in its administration, it made a point to highlight and publicly chasten an unidentified media company believed to have been SkyNet that attempted to give a K5 million gift to the assistant of a government official during Aprils Thingyan festivities. The incident came just weeks after the Presidents Office issued a new directive capping the monetary amounts that government officials are allowed to accept as gifts. Where U Than Wins proposal goes from here will depend on the NLD administration and U Win Myint, who has had a tendency in the early days of his speakership to put such motions on the record, opting not to push for stronger legislative action. The former parliament was able to make checks and balances on the government. This parliament also has lively debates, but all the proposals end with being put on the record, said U Nay Myo, a resident of Pyinmana township who follows the legislatures activities. Over 4300 people, mostly foreigners, were enumerated on the blacklist maintained by the previous government, the Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population revealed yesterday. Since announcing it would prioritise helping political exiles return home in June, the National League for Democracy has been scratching names off the catalogue of undesirables, minister U Thein Swe added. A total of 619 people 248 Myanmar citizens and 371 foreigners have so far been removed from the no entry list. Particularly, all people formerly included in the blacklist on political grounds have been removed, U Thein Swe said at a press conference held yesterday evening in the capital. After discussions with 15 ministers, 619 names have been removed. The ministry has not publicly disclosed the names of those enumerated on the blacklist, and told The Myanmar Times there was no plan to do so as it could negatively impact individuals privacy. The minister did however yesterday announce that 4380 people 443 Myanmar nationals and 3937 foreign nationals were included on the blacklist by the former government. Most foreigners remain on the blacklist because the international community asked us to include them as they are implicated in terrorism cases, cross-border criminal cases or drug cases, U Thein Swe said. He added that the government ministries will arrange for the removal of the Myanmar citizens who remain on the blacklist as soon as possible. Similarly, for foreign businesspeople and those who are married to a Myanmar citizen, we have a plan to remove them from the blacklist, he said. The long list of undesirables was composed by successive military regimes, which forced many citizens into exile, primarily taking up residence in the United States, Australia or Europe. The government of U Thein Sein scrubbed nearly 2000 names from the blacklist in 2012, including politicians, foreign journalists, pro-democracy activists and armed group leaders. It was not known at the time how many further names remained on the inventory. Even after names are removed from the list, some dissidents have encountered continued discrimination however, including visa rejections, or being forced to sign pledges that they would give up politics, or forfeit permanent residence eligibility. In addition the blacklist, 4800 passport numbers that have been reported as missing or destroyed are also enumerated on an official no-entry list, U Thein Swe said. The passports reported as missing or destroyed might have been counterfeited by someone. So these passport holders are included on a blacklist to avoid people entering the country on a counterfeit passport, he said. For those with a criminal record enumerated on the blacklist, including both foreigners and Myanmar nationals, they will be removed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the scale of the offence committed, the minister told The Myanmar Times. We will set a timeframe for removing them from the blacklist depending on the severity of the crime they committed. Other countries do similarly, he said. It was also announced yesterday that after a personal intervention by the state counsellor, deported 88 Generation teacher U Maung Maung One was dropped from the watchlist yesterday. U Maung Maung One, a political dissident in exile in the US, obtained a visa to visit Myanmar and arrived in the country on August 1. He was immediately detained by airport police forces and, not long afterward, deported. Deputy director general of the Presidents Office U Zaw Htay said that the state counsellor had instructed the relevant officials that the 88 Generation figure should be permitted to enter the country. He added that there had been a misunderstanding that led to the deportation. The Ministry of Immigration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are in the process of removing names from the blacklist. It was just a misunderstanding, he said. U Maung Maung One said on social media yesterday that after two back-to-back international flights around the globe, he will take some time to rest before attempting the journey to Myanmar again. Now, Im in New York. And I will not be coming back [to Myanmar] immediately, the English teacher said in a Facebook post yesterday. Additional reporting by Ye Mon, translation by Thiri Min Htun Noting that crime has not declined in recent years, members of the Pyithu Hluttaw urged the Union government to take more proactive measures to cut the crime rate yesterday. Pursuing sharp declines in crimes is very important for people who have been living in fear and without human rights, said Pyithu Hluttaw MP Daw Khin Hnin Thit (NLD; Padaung), who submitted the proposal. Measures are particularly important while hopes for the new government are high, she said. Nationwide crime figures rose slightly between 2013 and 2014, she said. Murders rose from 1307 to 1333, rapes from 734 to 741 and burglaries from 4671 to 5229, she said. And crime did not decline in 2015, she said. In Yangon alone, there were 191 murders, 67 robberies, 92 rapes and 46 break-ins. She did not cite specific nationwide crime figures for 2015. In 2016, since the new government took office, murders and rapes have not declined, she said. Traffic accidents are also on the rise, she said. Criminality is driven by political, economic, social and moral factors, she said. Felonies, including drug cases, are the result of a lack of peace and rule of law, she said. Human-trafficking is on the rise due to lawlessness in Myanmars border areas and theft is rising due to poverty, she said. Unemployment leads to a rise in gambling, she claimed. Weak moral standards cause people to disregard traffic rules, she said, and that, in turn, causes more accidents. It is the job of the police to protect the innocent party and arrest the guilty party, she said. In Myanmar, there is one police officer for every 1000 people. That is just one-third of the international norm. Illegal timber and drugs are regularly seized but police still struggle to find and arrest the owners of the contraband, she said. Pyithu Hluttaw MP Daw Khin Sandar (NLD; Launglon) seconded the proposal. If there is rule of law, crimes will be reduced, so parliament, which is a legislative body, should amend or abolish laws that are no longer appropriate for the present day as soon as possible. Parliament should also expand education about laws. The Pyithu Hluttaw accepted the proposal as there were no objections. Translation by Zar Zar Soe Ma Ba Tha, the abbreviation of what in English is the Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion, is a Buddhist nationalist organisation that thrust itself into political prominence two years ago. At the time, Myanmars more open atmosphere allowed Ma Ba Tha to gain traction with a divisive, anti-Muslim platform that once would have been stamped out by censors and police personnel. It held stadium-sized rallies with the blessing of the government of the day, organised protests, and pushed laws defending race and religion through parliament. The organisation has contributed to a climate of fear for Myanmars Muslims, who have seen violence and property damage directed against them in recent years. Ma Ba Thas seemingly unstoppable momentum had Myanmars politicians cowering before them. Until it didnt. It unravelled rapidly. Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein arrived back at Yangon Airport from Singapore on July 6 and was greeted by a small protest, calling for him to take back comments he had made during his trip that we dont need Ma Ba Tha. Instead, he doubled down. His comments went viral on social media, with users changing their profile photos and sharing quotes in opposition to Ma Ba Tha. Ma Ba Tha leaders called for the government to punish U Phyo Min Thein and threatened a nationwide campaign against him. An escalation of the conflict seemed likely: In the past Ma Ba Thas leaders have shown a great capacity for mobilising supporters, usually small in number but vociferous and sometimes violent. This time, though, the authorities also moved quickly. A spokesperson for the National League for Democracy (NLD) said the party would not take Ma Ba Thas demands on the matter seriously. The chief ministers remarks were in the context of the state already having an oversight committee for the state religion. The Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee is a clerical council appointed by the government to oversee Buddhist religious life. Within a week, and likely in coordination with the NLD, the Sangha declared that it did not recognise Ma Ba Tha in the official Buddhist order, greatly delegitimising it. The committees statement was strong: Ma Ba Tha is not a Buddhist organisation that was formed in accordance with the basic Sangha rules, regulations and directives of the State Sangha authority. The Sangha did not call for Ma Ba Thas dissolution, however. Ma Ba Thas most prominent monk, U Wirathu, lashed out with insults regarding the government and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Su Kyi, calling her a dictatorial woman, but the protests Ma Ba Tha promised have failed to materialise. Meanwhile, Minister for Culture and Religion U Aung Ko told reporters that the government plans to ask the Sangha Committee to deal with cases of hate speech. U Aung Ko specifically stated U Wirathu could be charged if someone were to complain about hate speech to the council, in what appeared to be an appeal for civil society groups to join a widening coalition against the nationalist movement. The same week a charity group filed a defamation lawsuit. The NLD-led government has been wary of provoking Ma Ba Tha, given its ties to powerful people in the previous government and its capacity for stirring up trouble. The government wanted Ma Ba Thas influence diminished, but also felt it could not be too hostile toward the sentiments underlying that influence. Daw Aung San Suu Kyis party and government have been particularly unwilling to challenge nationalists on the issue of the Rohingya, Muslim Indo-Aryans from the Rakhine State recognised by the UN as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested that the US embassy in Yangon refrain from using the term Rohingya on the heels of protests in Yangon over the embassys use of the term. The international community views Daw Aung San Su Kyis capitulation on the Rohingya issue as a major black mark on her record. But now the government has found an aligned position with the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee and been empowered by the social media response to U Phyo Min Theins stand. Is this the end of Ma Ba Tha as a political force? Probably. The NLD was long worried that its conflict with Ma Ba Tha might escalate beyond its control. The time for Ma Ba Tha to push back hard against the government seems to have passed, however. In failing to escalate immediately, it has allowed the government to coordinate legal and political challenges with the Sanghas moral and religious repudiation. Furthermore, census results on religion were released late last month. This was after two years of delay due to the sensitivity of the information. They showed that the Muslim population has not risen significantly over the past 30 years, diminishing a pillar of Ma Ba Thas fearmongering on the Islamic penetration of Myanmar. Of course, facts and figures are rarely the most motivating influences on a democratic polity. The underlying issues and sentiments that made Ma Ba Tha relevant remain. These will be far more difficult for the government to stamp out and a successor movement may yet arise. Hopefully the government has bought itself some time to demonstrate successes in the peace process and economic development before it does. A strategy for empowering more inclusive civil society organisations will also be needed. The Interpreter If a tree falls over in the jungle and no one hears it, does it make a noise? The old riddle now has a new counterpart: If an international legal body hands down a landmark verdict but no one enforces it, is it irrelevant? The question became embarrassingly pertinent after a United Nations tribunal in The Hague, in Holland, ruled last month that Chinas claim to almost all of the South China Sea is invalid. Analysts around the world hailed the judgement as a massive defeat for China and a great triumph for its smaller rival claimants, most notably the Philippines, which took the case to court. Yet in reality nothing has changed: No territory has been ceded by China, and none will be. The tribunals explosive decision has made no noise. Not a whimper came from last months ASEAN meeting in Laos, where the regions band of brothers-without-backbones declined to even mention the judgement in its final statement. That was predictable because China had bought the support of Cambodia and Laos, while others like Brunei, Myanmar and Thailand tacitly fell into line by saying nothing about enforcing the verdict. The same shameful inaction and sycophancy to Beijing was on display at a June ministerial meeting in Kunming and at the infamous ASEAN summit in Cambodia four years ago. So the regions rival claimants are not going to start making any noise now, nor are their ostensible supporters in the United States, Australia, Japan and Europe. In fact, the EU was even more craven in its news release by declining to even refer to China or to state that the tribunals judgement should be binding. Really, everyone except China should have been crowing after the triumphant verdict, but instead they have been cowering. It is as if the magnitude of the decision has left them stunned and unable to know what to do next, while China has moved quickly and turned its seeming defeat into a real victory. As Feng Zhang of Australian National University said last week, It is becoming clear that the tribunals finding was so sweeping that it is paradoxically less likely to have any real-world impact. He continued, Perhaps the biggest paradox of the ruling is that many policy elites inside China now privately see it as a big gift to their government. He was right, and to understand the crazy outcome, it pays to recall that the tribunal ruled that China had no right to most of the South China Sea based on its occupation of islands dotted across the sea the reason being that they are not real islands, but just rocks that cannot sustain life and thus fail the most basic test to be regarded as an island under international law. To pass that test they must be above water at high tide in their original state before any reclamation has been done, and they must be able to sustain human habitation and have their own water supply. None of them do, so they do not qualify as real islands and whoever occupies them has no right to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, but only to a measly 12 miles of sea around them. That means ownership of the islands, or rocks, is almost worthless because it only brings territorial rights to about 1.5 percent of the South China Sea, not the more than 85pc Beijing claims. Although it is a staggeringly profound judgement, the problem is that no one can put it into practice, and so, to return to our original riddle: If no one can enforce it, is it not irrelevant? Certainly, Beijing believes it is, and has adamantly refused to accept the verdict and will not relinquish its claim to any of the South China Sea. And as their craven sycophancy at recent regional meetings showed, none of its rival ASEAN claimants nor even the United States is going to try to force China to honour the tribunals decision. Of course, since that decision signalled that the other claimants also have no sovereignty rights to large areas of the sea, it can be argued that everyone lost or that everyone won. But China, the biggest claimant by far, rejects that view. Its president, Xi Jinping, said recently that his nations territorial sovereignty and marine rights over the South China Sea will not be affected by the ruling. In response, everyone else has backed down. Even the Americans, who had earlier said Beijing risked terrible damage to its reputation if it ignored the verdict, have done nothing. Given that situation, the US Secretary of State John Kerry was pointedly asked last month, If you dont mention the ruling publicly, if nobody admits it, then are you not afraid that it could become irrelevant? He replied, Its impossible for it to be irrelevant. Its legally binding. Its obviously a decision of the court that is recognised under international law and it has to be part of the calculation. Legally binding. Recognised. Part of the calculation. Sure, it is so binding and recognised that Beijing has declared it null and void, while Kerry and his regional cohorts have been too petrified to even mention it publicly in their recent meetings. As Greg Poling at Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies said, We should all be worried that this case is going to go down as nothing more than a footnote because its impact was only as strong as the international community was going to make it. And they have chosen to sidestep it and make no noise. So China wins the whole sea. Game over. [August 03, 2016] UnitedHealthcare Invests Nearly $17 Million to Expand Affordable Housing for Individuals, Families and Veterans in Michigan UnitedHealthcare is investing $16.9 million to increase availability of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income individuals, families and veterans in Michigan. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160803006723/en/ Community leaders, residents and development partners celebrate the start of construction for New Parkridge, a new 86-unit affordable-housing community, during a groundbreaking ceremony. UnitedHealthcare invested $8 million in the new development, part of a $16.9 million commitment to build 150 units of affordable housing in Michigan. L to R: Vicki Vaughn, Chesapeake Community Advisors; Russ Olwell, Eastern Michigan University; Parkridge resident Lolitha O'Day; Ypsilanti Mayor Amanda Maria Edmonds; Felicia Brabec, Chair, Washtenaw County Board of Commissioner; Jim Logue, COO, Cinnaire; Dennis Mouras, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Michigan; U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell; Michele Wildman, Chief Housing Investment Officer, MSHDA; Zachary Fosler, Executive Director, Ypsilanti Housing Commission; Douglas Gordon, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development; Renee Smith, Chairperson, Ypsilanti Housing Commission (Photo: Nick Azzaro). The announcement was made at a groundbreaking ceremony for New Parkridge in Ypsilanti, where community leaders and investment partners celebrated the start of construction for the new 86-unit affordable-housing community. Developed by the Ypsilanti Housing Commission and Chesapeake Community Advisors, the new community will include onsite support services to help improve residents' access to health care, education, job training and childcare. UnitedHealthcare is investing $8 million in the $17.2 million development. UnitedHealthcare is also investing $8.9 million in Prestwick Village, a new 66-unit affordable-housing community with support services in Holt that will serve individuals and families, including veterans struggling with homelessness and people with disabilities. The $10.7 million housing community, developed by Gryphon Group,is currently under construction by T.R. Hovey Construction LLC, with construction expected to be completed by year-end 2016. The investment by UnitedHealthcare is part of a partnership with Minnesota Equity Fund (MEF (News - Alert)) and Cinnaire, full-service community development financial organizations serving Minnesota, Michigan and the Great Lakes region. MEF and Cinnaire support community stabilization and economic development through partnerships with investors and mission-focused organizations through the purchase of federal tax credits and by providing creative loans, investments and best-in-class services to partners. "UnitedHealthcare's investments to support affordable housing in Michigan are part of a larger initiative by our company to help people live healthier lives by connecting them to housing, health care and other important services," said Dennis Mouras, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Michigan. "We are grateful for the opportunity to work with these key partners to build stronger communities in our state." "Cinnaire's partnership with MEF has provided an opportunity for socially motivated companies like UnitedHealthcare to make economic investments in well-designed, high-quality affordable-housing developments in communities throughout the Great Lakes region," said Mark McDaniel, president and CEO of Cinnaire. "Working together, we are helping to meet a critical need in Michigan, and we thank UnitedHealthcare and MEF for joining Cinnaire in our commitment to providing at-risk individuals with quality, permanent housing with supportive services." Through its Affordable Housing Investment Program, UnitedHealthcare has provided more than $240 million in financing since 2011 for 26 housing development projects in 14 states, creating more than 1,300 affordable-housing units. The company is continuing to identify new community investments and partnership opportunities that align with its mission of helping people live healthier lives. About Cinnaire Cinnaire is a full-service community development financial partner that supports community stabilization and economic development by developing and nurturing partnerships with investors and mission-focused organizations. We provide creative loans, investments, and best-in-class services to partners. For more information visit www.cinnaire.com. About the Minnesota Equity Fund MEF is a subsidiary of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF), a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution. GMHF provides loans, equity investments, grants and technical assistance to create affordable housing in Minnesota. MEF is a strategic partnership between GMHF and Cinnaire, a nationally recognized Community Development Financial Institution that provides creative loans, investments, and best-in-class services to partners. About UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter (News - Alert). Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160803006723/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 03, 2016] ICT China - 2016 High Level Forum BEIJING, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On the occasion of the convening of PT/EXPO CHINA 2016 sponsored by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and organized by China National Postal and Telecommunications Appliances Corporation, its official conference -- the ICT China - 2016 High-level Forum, will be held synchronously in China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. Reputed as the "Davos Forum" in the ICT field, ICT China High-level Forum is an important platform for policy interpretation, international cooperation, industry communications and enterprises showcasing, and has received wide attention inside and outside the industry. From September 20th -22nd 2016, government officials, industry leaders and renowned experts from both China and overseas, together with professionals from famous enterprises and research institutes including China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Tower, China Academy of Telecommunication Research (CATR), Huawei, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Datang Telecom, Microsoft, LeTV, Xinhua News Agency, Tongding Group, Hengtong Group, 21vianet, Snail Mobile, Bus-online and Ernst & Young will attend the ICT China High-level Forum to discuss industrial hot-spot issues, with keynote speeches covering subjects like 5G, cloud, SDN/NFV, 4K, intellectual property, data centre, tower industry, mobile communication resale, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). The theme of ICT China - 2016 Hgh-level Forum is "Celebrate 'IN' World: Internet, Integration & Innovation". Nearly 20 forums will be held during the three-day conference covering hot subjects of the industry including 5G, SDNFV, tower industry, emergency communications, fiber & 4K, mobile communication resale, data centre, cloud computing, intellectual property rights, smart home, digital health, AI and VR. The forums are expected to attract more than 3,000 visitors. At the 5G themed forum, CATR will release the first 5G testing results in China, and relevant enterprises will also report their own 5G test developments and visions. At the Digital Health Summit & the First Health Urban Ecosystem Conference, the host will joint with Health Axis Europe (HAE) to share smart and health city cases in Europe, and collaboratively discuss current situation of smart and healthy cities in China, its prospects and technical applications. At the intellectual property rights themed forum, government authorities, research institutes, law firms and key manufacturers will be invited to discuss the operation of intellectual property. VR technology greeted a climax in 2016, while AI has been put into the firing line by the Go match between Lee Sedol, a South Korean professional Go player of 9 dan rank and AlphaGo, a computer Go program developed by Google DeepMind in March. ICT China - 2016 High-level Forum will also pay special attention to AI, VR and other emerging industries, and themed forums will be organized to discuss these subjects in depth accompanied by VR interactive experience area. ICT China High Level Forum Agenda Opening Ceremony ICT Leadership Forum Emergence Communication Future Network Innovation Seminar SDNFV Digital Medical High Level Forum China Tower China 4k Industry Development Forum Smart Home MVNO Cloud Computing Data Center Intellectual Property 5G AI/VR Having successfully run for 11 years, ICT China High-level Forum aims to create maximum value for all parts of the industry chain. ICT China - 2016 High-level Forum will continue to foster an industrial platform for enterprises to make their voices, communicate with their partners and compete with their peers. To attend conferences or become an audience, please contact: Helen Sun [email protected] +86-10-6642-6831 Official Website [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [August 03, 2016] Indonesian Telecommunication Operators Reveals the Market Potential of IoT Indonesia JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia IoT Business Platform will return to Indonesia from 15 to 16 August 2016 at JW Marriott Hotel, Jakarta, for the 9th edition of its regional series. Supported by the Ministry of Communications and Informatics, the conference and exhibition will explore various opportunities and challenges of Internet of Things (IoT) adoption, as well as feature case studies of IoT solutions implementation across sectors. The Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Rudiantara, will be giving a welcoming address for the conference which is routinely held and involves all stakeholders in the IoT/M2M industry in Southeast Asia. This event allows for an in-depth discussion related to the market potential of Internet of Thing (IoT) in Indonesia, as well as educate local enterprises on various technology that can be explored for operational efficiency. The potential is attributable to Indonesia's position as the largest market in Southeast Asia for IoT development in a number of sectors, especially in the industrial IoT, smart city (public services), manufacturing and retail, transportation and logistics, as well as banking and finance. More than 400 participants from Indonesia and the international community will attend this comprehensive event to learn on IoT adoption and implementation, including decision makers from public sectors and local enterprise. As a preview to the conference, a panel session was held at the Jakarta Smart City Lounge. Key leaders from local telecommunication operators and government sectors to private sectors driving the IoT and smart city initiatives in Indonesia were present, providing inputs on the current progress and sharing efforts to be taken on further. The discussion was moderated by Abhisek Shah, Head of the ICT Committee, Amcham Indonesia; and panelists that participated included Setiaji, Head of Jakarta Smart City Unit, Arifa Febriyanti, Head of Internet of Things at XL Axiata, Hendra Sumiarsa, Head of M2M at Indosat Ooredoo, and Muhammad Azhar Zainal, Deputy Director for ICT Facilitation at the Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy (BEKRAF). With a population of over 235 million and 297 million of mobile users, Indonesia is the fourth largest in the world, which is expected to become a major player in the biggest IoT growth in Southeast Asia. This includes the development of industry in Indonesia where in 2030, the automotive sector is expected to reach 46 million vehicles, while in public service sector, 83 million homes will be available for 300 million people. In the meantime, in the financial sector, 4.8 million SMEs will contribute to economic growth. Cloud service has emerged as the solution of IT strategy for most businesses in Indonesia, particularly SMEs. Nevertheless, the latest government data shows that 70 percent or around 56.5 million SMEs in Indonesia are not using IT solutions. Still, cloud computing market in Indonesia is expected to reach more than US$120 million in 2017 and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) will become apopular choice in Indonesia. Together with the government, local telecommunications companies (Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredo and XL Axiata) encourage the development of IoT/M2M market, which is expected to reach an inflection point during the next few years. With a mobile penetration rate of 120% in Indonesia, Indosat Ooredoo believes that CSPs (communication service providers) are trusted partners to help IoT adoption. Being in the driver seat, they want to lead the IoT development through an extensive portfolio of solutions and services ranging from connectivity, infrastructure, cloud services, data analytics to end-to-end IoT solutions and services; promoting innovation simple and open environments for local developers to build innovative IoT services; and Big Data. "We have done a lot of market educations in the last 2 years and this year we will continue to accelerate growth in banking, transportation and security, plus develop new markets in eHealth, user based insurance, business applications, Industrial IoT, oil gas, Smart Cities," said Hendra Sumiarsa, Head of Machine-to-Machine, Indosat Ooredoo. During the panel discussion, Arifa Febriyanti, Head of Internet of Things, XL Axiata, also emphasized that telcos play very important roles in the IoT world; telcos can become end-to-end solutions for IoT services. "For the user or end customer, there's is no hassle for them while using an IoT solution because the telcos who take part as a solution provider for IoT can provide everything starting from the connectivity, the application, to the device and all the sensors that are providing the total end-to-end service," she added. The panelists urged IoT stakeholders from all sectors - both locally and from abroad - to come together to help local enterprises and public sectors in adoption and implementation of IoT. Solution providers are welcome to build strategic partnerships and grow the IoT ecosystem in Indonesia. The 9th Asia IoT Business Platform is an annual event held by Industry Platform Pte. Ltd. Before heading to Jakarta this August, the conference made its stop in Manila, Philippines (23-24 May 2016) and Bangkok, Thailand (26-27 May 2016). The event will focus on discussing various opportunities and challenges of IoT adoption and show case studies of solutions implementation in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The conference agenda, which is explored on separate sessions, is advised by an esteemed board that consists of global IoT stakeholders from across the ecosystem, including Hendra Sumiarsa (Head of M2M of Indosat Ooredoo), Arifa Febriyanti (Head of IoT of XL Axiata), Bambang Dwi Anggoro (Deputy Director of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology), Setiaji (Head of Technical Implementation Unit of Jakarta Smart City), Heru Sutadi (Executive Director of Indonesia ICT Institute), Muhammad Neil El Himam (Director for ICT Infrastructure, Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy), Suhono Supangkat (Chief of Smart City, Institute Technology Bandung), Narenda Wicaksono (CEO of Dicoding Indonesia), Sundar Iyer (HPE Strategist, Domain Leader, APJ Internet of Things of Hewlett Packard Enterprise), and Sylvia W. Sumarlin (General Chairman of Indonesia Information Technology Federation). Asia IoT Business Platform is supported by local telecommunication companies including Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredoo and XL Axiata. Case studies and solutions will be shared by technology companies and service providers including Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Atilize, Qlue, Giesecke & Devrient, Schneider Electric, N'osairis, AST, ADLINK and Parkeon. Exhibitors include K2, 1Rwave, Advantech, STMicroelectronics, Gemalto, Bright Box, DRVR and South Quarter. Supporting partners of Asia IoT Business Platform include FTII, American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), Indonesian Benelux Chamber of Commerce (INA), Indonesia Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), Europe-Indonesia Business Network (EIBN). Members of the mentioned associations are entitled to concessionary rates for participation. About Asia IoT Business Platform With a focus on local telecommunication companies and verticals, the Asia IoT Business Platform is an educational platform crafted by the industry, for the industry, with the aim of addressing key issues facing the adoption of IoT technologies in the ASEAN region. We drive enterprises to understand and learn about the adoption of IoT technologies for their business. Since its inception in 2013, the Asia IoT Business Platform has secured strong support from local governments and telecommunication companies for the past six editions. The 9th edition of Asia IoT Business Platform: IoT indonesia will continue to explore opportunities and challenges within enterprise IoT, while providing ample networking and business matchmaking opportunities for IoT stakeholders. This is the third year running that the event will be held in Jakarta and will take place on 15-16 August 2016, followed by IoT Malaysia (18-19 August). For more information, please visit www.iotbusiness-platform.com or follow us at LinkedIn (https://sg.linkedin.com/in/asiaiotbusinessplatform) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/AsiaIoT or @AsiaIoT). About Industry Platform Pte. Ltd. Industry Platform Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore incorporated firm focused on the global telecommunications sector. We are Southeast Asia's leading organizer of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) conferences and exhibitions. We work with local and global businesses, as well as public sector bodies and associations who are looking to expand their reach in Asian markets. We provide the best platforms for industry professionals to network and shape developments. Media Contact: Sue Yuin, Ho +65-6733-1107 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Background to Brexit The European Union is both an economic and political partnership which includes 28 countries. The aim of the union is to develop economic cooperation among members. Over the years, the EU has grown to be very strong with individual countries trading among themselves and having one currency. On Thursday, June 23, 2016, a referendum was held to decide if the United Kingdom (UK) should remain in the European Union (EU). Fifty-two percent voted for the UK to leave the EU, while the remaining forty-eight percent voted to stay. The exit of the UK from the EU has created mixed feelings not only in Europe but among Commonwealth nations . What does the future hold for countries like Ghana? Jumia House Ghana interviewed Dr Eric Osei-Assibey, a Senior Economic Lecturer with the University of Ghana to find out how the UKs exit will impact the economy and the real estate sector in general. Brexit How will it impact the Ghanaian Economy? There are likely to be some effects since Britain is an important trade partner to Ghana. Ghana exports many of its products to the UK through an EU arrangement known as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Using the Interim EPA, Ghana and other Commonwealth nations have tariff-free access to the UK market. If the UK is leaving the EU, this free access covered by the EPA will no longer be available. Ghana will, therefore, have to re-negotiate any trade agreement with the UK. If the terms of the new agreement are less favourable than the interim EPA, then it is going to affect Ghanaians negatively. However, if the Government is able to negotiate much better trade agreements with the UK, the impact will not be felt much. Although the UK has voted to leave the EU, it is going to take a bit of time for it to exit completely, therefore, time can allow Ghana to adjust, plan and negotiate new agreement terms. In terms of development financing, Ghana like most Commonwealth nations receive a lot of aid from the EU. Britain was a large contributor to the European Development Fund, therefore its exit could affect such projects. It is important to note that some countries in the Union have already pushed for similar referendums if conditions do not improve within the EU. If this leads to a disintegration, Commonwealth nations, especially Ghana will be affected by development projects that are EU-financed. Some of the projects could be abandoned. Brexit could also affect West Africas efforts at regional integration. ECOWAS is pursuing regional integration which the EU is a sponsor, therefore, if the EU is disintegrating, West Africa will not have an example to help speed up its integration process. This can wane confidence and reduce the willingness of governments in West Africa to come together. How will the exit affect the real estate sector? A key negative effect for the real estate sector in Ghana will be the slowdown in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). If the exit will lead to an economic slowdown, income levels of people living in Europe will be affected. The real estate sector depends largely on foreign remittances, therefore if they are reduced economic activities, low-income levels, and unemployment is likely to increase. The needed inflows, the FDIs among others for the real estate sector will reduce because initial buyers will not be forthcoming due to the distress in the European economy. This can also present an opportunity for African countries like Ghana because the European countries will no longer be attractive for investors and they will begin to diversify and find new markets. If Africans are able to manage it properly, using their own macroeconomic conditions to make the continent more attractive and conducive for investors, there will be an alternative for foreign investors. Is there a cause to panic? There is no cause for panic. Countries can adjust and that basically depends on how the EU handles the situation. The initial response is that of panic but over time, these countries will adjust accordingly, therefore, there will be no cause for alarm that is, if it does not lead to disintegration. 04.08.2016 LISTEN The final funeral rites for the late Gospel Minister, Danny Nettey has been scheduled for Friday September 2, 2016 at the forecourt of the State House in Accra. There will be a tribute gospel concert in honor of the late musician. This was contained in a release copied to Citi News and signed by John Jeffery Nettey for the Family Head. A funeral service will be held on Saturday September 3 at 9 am at the State house and later to the Osu Cemetery for interment. Dress Code for the funeral is white. The prolific gospel minister dies on Friday july 15 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. He was 48. ''We are so overwhelmed by the reaction, both locally and internationally to our beloved Danny's death and we are most grateful to everybody'' Dan Clottey uncle of the late minister said. He noted that ''One thing is clear that Danny was on a mission for his Maker who in his wisdom has called him home peacefully; in all things we give thanks'' About Danny Nettey He begun his music career with his own group, 'Danny Nettey and Pals,' which focused on ministry in Secondary Schools and churches. Nettey released his debut album, 'Positive Change', in 1995 which ushered in the contemporary style of gospel music in Ghana and endeared him to many young people back then. He followed that album with two more, 'This Time' and 'I believe'. Over the course of his music career, Nettey ministered alongside the likes of Bishop T. D. Jakes, Don Moen, Bebe Winans, Ron Kenoly, Kirk Franklin, Israel Houghton, and Alvin Slaughter. By: Lorrencia Nkrumah/citifmonline.com/Ghana Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian air strike killed the head of the Islamic State group in the Sinai Peninsula along with top aides and dozens of other jihadists, the army said Thursday. Abu Doaa al-Ansari was among more than 45 jihadists killed in the operation carried out by the air force and the anti-terrorism squad, said a statement posted on the army spokesman's Facebook page. A committee to oversee the relocation of illegal and small scale miners from AngloGold Ashanti's Obuasi mine concessions has been launched. The 15-member team will among all things, develop and implement a roadmap for peaceful exit of unlicensed small-scale miners to a designated site surrendered by AngloGold Ashanti. It will also assist the Minerals Commission to allocate concessions to small-scale mining interests. The committee was inaugurated a few days after a demarcation exercise to release land to unlicensed miners was. Invasion of the mine by galamsey operators has often caused death from clashes between security personnel of the mine and the intruders. One such attack led to the death of then Communications Manager of AngloGold Ashanti, John Owusu, in February this year. AngloGold-Ashanti has sued government at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) over security concerns at Obuasi concession. To salvage the situation, there were steps put in place to stamp out future occurrences of such incidents. The Minerals Commission has said it will prevent the Obuasi Mine issue to degenerate into crisis amid lamentation over effects of illegal mining. Chief Executive, Dr Tony Aubynn, made the commitment in a speech read for him by the Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Richard Afenu. In the very past, we have all witnessed the devastation galamsey has caused to some of our water bodies and its effect on the production and supply of water to various communities countrywide. There has also been casualties and loss of lives arising from conflicts in some areas where unlicensed small-scale mining is taking place. According to Dr Tony Aubynn, government in recent time has made efforts to resolve the AngloGold Ashanti-Illegal Miners impasse by approving partial surrender of 60 per cent AngloGold Ashantis concession, registration of of unlicensed miners on AGA concession among others. That notwithstanding, he admit the issue has reached a crisis level. The problem we have in Obuasi currently is a crisis or a near-crisis situation which calls for immediate attention. Meanwhile, Adansihene Opagyakotwere Bonsra Afriyie II, is urging government to commit itself to the decisions of the committee. According to him, government has over the years failed to protect AngloGold Ashanti concessions. When there is illegal mining inside a concession and the law does not allow concession owners to have security with guns and we call the police and the military and we cannot get it, then somebody has to accept responsibility. Where are we? Wheres the government? This is the government in power. As a traditional ruler, I can say anything. I dont care. It is government responsibility to make sure police control Obuasi if theres a problem. The Committee is chaired by Engineer Kwaku Frimpong Kumah with three representatives each from the Minerals Commission, Small Scale Miners and AngloGold Ashanti and two representatives from the Obuasi Municipal Assembly and a representative each from the police, Ghana Chamber of Mines and Adansi Traditional Council. It has one month to submit its report. Member of Parliament (MP) for Efutu Constituency in the Central Region, Alexander Afenyo Markin, has lauded the Electoral Commission (EC) for the extension of the period for re-registration of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registrants whose names were deleted. Let me commend the Electoral Commission because they have acted in good faith, he told Joy News. EC at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting of all active political parties announced the extension of the period for the re-registration of NHIS registrants whose names were deleted following Supreme Court (SC)s ruling in an electoral case. A former National Youth Organiser of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako sued the EC over the credibility of the voters register which they claim is incapable of ensuring fairness in the upcoming December polls. SC ordered the deletion of persons who registered in 2012 using unapproved identity cards. The Commission proceeded to delete over 56,772 NHIS registrants and gave ten (10) days for victims to get back into the register. At the end of the exercise, 24,287 persons registered out of the over 56,772 deleted names. This led to calls by sections of Ghanaians for the Commission to extend the period since it was merely complying with SCs order. Mr Markin threatened legal action against the EC saying more than 3,000 deleted NHIS registrants of his constituents out of the total 5,200 deleted were unable to re-register due to logistic challenges. The EC had initially declined calls for the exercise to be extended, but it disclosed to the political parties that process would be extended a period of seven (7) days beginning Friday, August 5 to 12, 2016. Welcoming the news, the Efutu MP says his threat to visit court action on the Commission was to afford it the opportunity to do the right thing. He cautioned the Commission, to instead of focusing on the limited extension period, be interested in how to retool the various registration centers in terms of registration kits which denied many people the opportunity to register during phase one of the re-registration period. I am not just interested in extension but I more particularly interested in how they are able to resolve the logistical problems that experienced in the phase one of the re-registration, he said. My particular concern is the mode of registration. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected] Ghanas electoral body has accused opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) of misconstruing its decision to let the electronic transmission of the December 7 election results to a private company. Head of Communications at the Electoral Commission (EC), Eric Dzakpasu, says the Commission will invite political parties for deliberation before a decision would be taken on the matter. We have written to the companies to come to the premises of the Electoral Commission and do a demonstration so it is at this level that we bring in the critical stakeholders, the political parties, he told Joy News. NPP has expressed a lack of faith in the decision by the EC to transmit the December polls electronically citing lack of transparency in the system. NPP Campaign Manager, Peter MacManu, berated the Commission for distancing political parties in decisions leading to the opening of tender for businesses to bid for the contract. This claim by the NPP was swiftly opposed by both the EC and governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) accusing it of hypocrisy. At a news conference addressed by the partys chief scribe, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the NDC described the NPPs claim of non-involvement of political parties in the decision to electronically transmit the general election results as false. Contrarily, it was the NPP that proposed the use of the system which will ensure that all constituency results are scanned and faxed to the National Collation Center (NCC) here in Accra. NPPs MacManu retorted saying it rather argued the usual strong room concept which is very small, media people are not allowed, and the public do not see what goes on should give way to a more public, open and transparent system of transmitting results. That is what we called for and if you go to Electoral Commissions website what is there is the National collation Center. The 27 reforms they have listed there do not include anything on providing handheld scanners because it is not a major item. It came under the banner of the National Collation Center, he said. But the Commission says it will not take a conclusive decision on who to award the contract to and operationalisation of the system in the upcoming election without meeting with the political parties. He says the system is not cumbersome and would ensure efficient correspondence between the Commission and its operatives at all levels. When the collation is done at the Constituency level, all the polling results are going to be on a collation sheet with signatures of polling agents. It would then be scanned and electronically transmitted to the National Collation Center (NCC) in Accra. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected] Police in the Ashanti Region have urged the youth of Tafo to desist from any unlawful acts as they work to address their security concerns. The angry youth accuse their colleagues from the Muslim community of deliberately threatening their lives in bid to renew hostilities in the area. Speaking to Citi News, Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Police Service in the region, ASP Yussif Tanko said that we are appealing to the youth among the indigenes and exercise maximum restraint and also endeavor to report any disturbance or any happenings to police for necessary action. He added that nobody should take the law into his own hands. ASP Yussif Tanko noted that, we are working so hard to ensure that perpetrators of crime in the community are arrested and prosecuted. ASP Yussif Tanko promised a prompt reaction from the police hence called for calm Currently, the Ashanti regional police commander, COP Nathan Boakye is visiting the area in an attempt to broker peace. Citi News' Ashanti regional correspondent, Hawa Iddrisu who was with him explained that the Chief of Tafo, Nana Agyen Frimpong Ababio is angry following the release of seven persons whose actions triggered clashes in the area in February this year. The police chief is also visiting the Muslim community to speak to the chief of the area. Background On Tuesday, over a hundred and fifty youth besieged the local chief's palace demanding to be given the right to defend themselves against some Muslim youth in the area. Their fears followed the alleged threats from the youth of the Zongo community and the possibility of the clashes in Tafo being rekindled. In February, the people in the clash affected area were subjected to a 6pm to 6am curfew. A clash in the area was over a piece of cemetery land led to the death of 25 year old Aminu Sulemana, with several others injured and property destroyed. This was after the chief of Tafo halted the fencing of a cemetary land, an exercise by the Muslims of the area. A mosque and some churches were reportedly destroyed in the clashes. By: Kuukua Buahin/citifmonline.com/Ghana Press Release On The New Public Financial Management (Pfm) Bill A Bill to regulate the financial management of the public sector within a macroeconomic and fiscal framework as well as define the responsibilities of persons entrusted with the management and control of public funds, assets, liabilities and resources is presently under consideration in Parliament. The Bill further seeks to ensure that public funds are sustainable and consistent with the level of public debt and makes provision for accounting and audit of public funds. The Civil Society Platform congratulates the Government of Ghana for this bold step. The new Bill is a major structural reform to harmonise and review existing fiscal rules to check the persistent fiscal indiscipline and streamline management of the countrys public finances. It will therefore promote good financial governance which is one of the greatest governance challenges of our time. This is clearly very exciting and we look forward to the passage of this new law. The Platform believes that no effort should be spared in crafting this new law such that it can meet the test of time. Our ability as a nation to fight corruption will depend to a large extent on this law. Given the importance of this law, the Civil Society Platform is alarmed that the Bill is being considered under a certificate of urgency to be passed within a record period of one week. In the process, there has been no invitation to the public to submit memoranda to the Finance Committee as is usually the practice. This breach of parliamentary convention is dangerous and unacceptable. It has denied key institutions like the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) that has a statutory duty to oversee and regulate the practice of accountancy in this country the opportunity to contribute to the development of this most important law. Key stakeholders including some of the major Civil Society Organisations that focus on good financial governance, academia and reputable PFM practitioners in the country have equally not had the opportunity to make inputs into this bill which to a large extent is the product of foreign consultants. The Civil Society Platform expresses its appreciation to Government and Parliament for their keen interest in accelerating the passage of the PFM Bill. At the same time, we strongly appeal to Government and Parliament to allow for sufficient time for Parliament to receive memoranda from the general public and key stakeholders notably ICAG, CSOs, Academia and PFM practitioners. It is our considered opinion that this would create space for much needed consultation with the public and also give adequate time for Parliamentarians to reflect and deliberate over this critical legislation. We call upon His Excellency the President and the Right Honourable Speaker to listen to our humble appeal. signed JOE WINFUL, Chairman, Civil Society Platform 3 August, 2016 In 2014, the Asutifi North District of the Brong Ahafo Region experienced a fire outbreak which nearly wreaked havoc within the central business district of Kenyasi. The district did not have a dedicated fire station at the time and had to wait for hours to receive help from another district; at a time several properties had already been destroyed. Following this development, Newmont Ghanas Ahafo mine initiated discussions with the Asutifi North District Assembly and the Ghana National Fire Service in 2015 to establish a mutual framework to enhance emergency preparedness in the district. The company thus committed to construct a fire station to serve Asutifi and some other communities in the area. The project, costing about $100,000, has been completed and in July this year, the Ahafo mine handed it over to the Asutifi North District Assembly at a short ceremony in Kenyasi. Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the General Manager of the Ahafo Mine, Joep Coenen commended the traditional leaders, the Ghana National Fire Service and the District Assembly for playing their role in ensuring the completion of the project and reiterated Newmonts commitment to partner with development agencies to create shared value. The completion of this project on schedule and the provision of office furniture for the facility is a further demonstration of our responsibility value to always deliver on our commitments, said Joep Coenen. The Asutifi North District Chief Executive, Honorable Eric Addae expressed gratitude and commended Newmont for its continuous commitment to partnering government in its development pursuit within the district. Speaking on behalf of the traditional authorities, the queen mother of Kenyasi No. 1 Nana Adutwumwaa advised the firemen and the District Assembly to regularly maintain the facility to serve its purpose for the current and future generations. She commended Newmont for employing the services of local contractors to execute projects within host communities. The Deputy Regional Fire Service Commander, D.O 1 Paa Kwesi Adutwum said plans afoot to acquire a fire tender for the station and assured the district of their commitment to maintain the facility. Present at the handing over ceremony were officials from the District Assembly, the Regional and District Ghana Fire Service, traditional authorities, Newmonts Executive Vice-President for Sustainability and External Relations, Dr. Elaine Doward-King and Alwyn Pretorius, Regional Senior Vice-President, Newmont Africa. President John Dramani Mahama must sack the ministers who signed the petition asking him to pardon the Montie 3 convicts, according to Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom. The flagbearer of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) has condemned the action of the ministers, who have been at the forefront to wheedle Mahama to invoke his prerogative powers of mercy under the 1992 Constitution, to free the contemnors who denigrated the Supreme Court of Ghana. Members of the ruling NDC, including key ministers of state such as Nana Oye Lithur (Gender Minister), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang (Education) and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (dep. Education) have assented to the petition. Supporters of Mahamas government have threatened to throw away their votes come the December 7 general elections if he fails to heed their request. However, the convicted trio - Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase - have asked the irate supporters to exercise restraint and remain composed because they are not worried. Speaking on the issue which has dominated headlines for weeks, Dr Nduom opined the ministers must take an early shower before the general elections because he would not have countenanced such act under his government. When the host of Starr Chat Bola Ray asked him if he would have heeded the call to pardon the trio, he remarked: Absolutely not. I just dont get it. When something is wrong, it is wrong. We must not bring politics into it. We must tell the young people it is wrong and just wrong. He added: Mahama himself must disagree, if I were the president and my ministers go to sign that book I will sack them. The petition was presented to the presidency Tuesday and Dr Nduom has called on Mahama to condemn the statement of the journalist and the two panelists who threatened the lives of the Supreme Court judges. Gauging the reaction of the supporters and sympathizers of the Montie Three, who were convicted and sentenced by the Supreme Court of Ghana to 4 months imprisonment, one readily comes to the conclusion that approximately half of the adult population of the country is composed of the clinically retarded. It dispiritingly appears that so decadent has our culture become that many a supporter or sympathizer of the Montie Three could clearly be envisaged to be having an extremely difficult time in coming to terms with the moral aspect of the sentencing of Messrs. Salifu Maase (aka Mugabe), Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn. And such difficulty was not restricted or peculiar to the lowly educated and/or economically deprived in Ghanaian society. To be certain, as of this writing, nearly half of the members of the Mahama cabinet, among them Ghanas Foreign Minister, Ms. Hanna Tetteh; the Culture and Tourism Minister, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare; and Mrs. Nana Oye Lithur, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, had signed onto a petition calling on President John Dramani Mahama to promptly and summarily nullify the Supreme Courts verdict and sentencing. What is fascinating here is that all these three female cabinet appointees are mothers who claim to be feminist-oriented. That they see absolutely nothing wrong with the sentencing of a man who threatened to rape Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood boggles the imagination, especially coming on the heels of vehement calls by these same women for Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, the New Patriotic Partys Member of Parliament for Assin-Central, in the Central Region, to offer an unqualified public apology to the Chairwoman of the so-called Independent Electoral Commission (EC), for allegedly impugning the chastity of Mrs. Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei. Mr. Agyapong has even been reported to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges by the same gang of NDC female politicos for sanctioning, because Mr. Agyapong had dared to suggest during an electioneering campaign tour of the Asante Region that he was in possession of reliable information indicating that Mrs. Osei had secured her current post as EC Chair by means other than her professional qualifications. Actually, the media mogul had suggested that Mrs. Osei may have offered sexual favors to President John Dramani Mahama. Now Mr. Kofi Adams, the foulmouthed National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has predictably weighed in on the controversy surrounding the sentencing of the Montie Three to 4 months prison terms apiece. As usual, Mr. Adams is trying to second-guess the members of our august Supreme Court on the curious grounds that not only was the sentencing of the Montie Three to 4 months imprisonment harsh, the trio had also shown remorse. Does remorse really offset or automatically negate the gravity of the threat posed by Messrs. Nelson, Gunn and Maase to Chief Justice Wood, who had been threatened with both rape and summary execution? As well, the threat by the Montie Three to execute Justice Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe, if the Supreme Court decision in the Ramadan-Nimako cause celebre did not favor the Osei-chaired EC and by extension the Mahama regime? What is even more flabbergasting is the fact that several critics resident abroad, largely here in the United States, Canada and Britain, some of them with advanced law degrees, have weighed in on the side of the Montie Three by vacuously and scandalously arguing that the sort of inflammatory and hateful language used on the airwaves by the Montie Three is fully protected by all constitutional democracies. I wish one or two of these devils advocates could storm the studios of one of the major media networks and threaten to liquidate any members of the U.S. Supreme Court and see what happens. Mr. Adams also claims that the Montie Three thugs had exhibited remorse for their criminal behavior and so ought to have been let off the hook (See I Am Angrier Over Conviction of Montie 3 Kofi Adams Modernghana.com 7/28/16). He may do us and himself great good by pointing to any article in Ghanas 1992 Republican Constitution which states that the exhibition of remorse by a criminal convict is tantamount to having served a prison sentence or having made up for criminal conduct of the highest order. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed shock about the New Patriotic Partys (NPP's) decision to kick against the electronic transmission of the 2016 election results. According to the NDC, the whole idea of the e-transmission of results known as Electronic Results Transmission System (ERTS), was a proposal by the NPP which was exhaustively debated and accepted by the Electoral Reform Committee before approval by IPAC and finally accepted by the Electoral Commission. NPPs Concern The NPP recently expressed grave concern over what it noted to be a deliberate attempt by the EC to keep it in abeyance in decisions regarding the electronic transmission of the December 2016 election results. Peter Mac Manu, NPP Campaign Manager, said the party was not invited to sit in when the five companies that had been shortlisted to be considered for the contract were invited by the EC to demonstrate its software. NDC Responds However, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, NDC General Secretary who addressed the media yesterday, said, It is surprising that the NPP is kicking against the e-transmission and blaming its introduction on EC without the involvement of political parties. He said in a document titled, 'Towards reforming Ghanas future elections,' submitted to the EC under a cover letter with heading 'New Patriotic Party Reform Proposals' signed by then National Chairman, the late Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, and addressed to the Chairman of the EC, the NPP proposed the e-transmission of results. Mr Asiedu Nketia aka General Mosquito said the NPP in the document said, The Commission may adopt the use of satellite transmission of results to the National Tallying Centre pending the receipt of pink sheets from the regions. In this regard, the EC should consider procuring handheld scanners to scan and send all pink sheets to Accra before collation and receipt of hard copies. He added that in the same document the NPP stated, The party recommends that decisions at IPAC ought to form part of the body of constitutional instruments which will govern the conduct of elections in this country. Asiedu Nketia said the NDC was surprised that the NPP is rejecting the e-transmission of results after it had proposed and agreed on its introduction at IPAC. We have observed that the NPP will first participate actively in all the engagements to seek consensus together with all other parties and stakeholders, commit their authorized signatures to the agreements reached and yet come out publicly not only to dissociate themselves from, but actually attack these decisions and putting the blame on other innocent stakeholders, he said. He admitted that while the ERTS has no legal backing, an agreement had been between the EC and the political parties at IPAC meeting, to which the NPP was a party, on the rules which would and would not have constitutional backing. There's no law backing the electronic transmission. When you are dealing with elections, there are some aspects that are administrative and others that are covered by subsidiary legislation CIs and LIs and others that are covered by the constitution. It's not everything that should be backed by law, he argued. Mr Asiedu Nketia said since the establishment of IPAC in 1994 almost all the reforms to the electoral system have been agreed by consensus; steps are taken to enact the enabling legislation which consequently attracts very little controversy. It is against this background that the NDC views the positions taken by the main opponents, NPP, with a lot of concern. We wish to tell the NPP that they should let their yes be yes and no be no, he charged. By Cephas Larbi [email protected] 04.08.2016 LISTEN The Supreme Courts verdict on the Montie 3 has come as a shock to many primarily due to the severity of the sentences that were imposed on them. Sentences of four months imprisonment for each of the contemnors coupled with huge fines on them, directors and owners of Montie FM cannot be justified considering the circumstances surrounding the whole matter. In this regard, the Supreme Courts general posture and decisions in the Abu Ramadan cases from inception cannot be discounted in the whole mix of events. Its decision of issuing orders to the Electoral Commission to delete names of NHIS card holders from the Voter Register was the beginning of a myriad of controversial decisions of the court that inflamed political passions in the country - especially when it was obvious to all that the Electoral Commission had legally complied with the existing law when it registered the NHIS registrants. The courts sheepish endorsement of the request of Abu Ramadan and his affiliates - to have NHIS registrants deleted from the Voters Register without imposing any burden on them to justify such an extreme demand on the Electoral Commission - was irresponsible to say the least. This set in motion a chain of events which culminated in the Supreme Courts issuing of draconian verdicts to redeem its image and criminalize free speech in a manner never before witnessed in Ghana. The background leading to Abu Ramadans case was there for all to see but was unfortunately ignored by a Supreme Court that was eager to sacrifice the integrity of the Electoral Commission - the constitutionally mandated authority on electoral issues and procedures in Ghana. That background was very well reflected in the outcome of the Electoral Commissions forum which arose out of Dr. Bawumias ill fated and irresponsible attempt to denigrate Ghanas voters register with a false claim that 76,000 voters on the register were Togolese. The outcome was that Dr. Bawumias claim was found not to be credible- a development which presented the Supreme Court with adequate background information of public knowledge to put Abu Ramadan to strict proof to substantiate his claim that NHIS voter registrants were all foreigners who had to be deleted from the register. Rather, the court exhibited gross irresponsibility by resorting to attacking the credibility of the EC through issuing inflammatory threats on the EC to the effect that they would not sit down for the EC to throw the country into chaos. To heighten tensions further, Justice Doste a Judge of the court inflamed passions further by doing the unusual of seeking to publicly explain that the courts decision ordered the EC to delete NHIS voter registrants without recourse to the ECs internal procedures for such an exercise. The Supreme Court was obviously calling the tune of Abu Ramadan and his affiliates as though it was their paid piper to the detriment of the national interest and the integrity of the EC. The court thus demonstrated no respect for the Electoral Commission and in the process inflamed political passions on the issue culminating in the unfortunate reactions of the Montie 3. The reactions of the Montie 3 especially that of Alisa were definately unfortunate in the sense that they were indirect threats to the judges calculated to caution them to refrain from engaging in conduct which could plunge Ghana into chaos the result of which could be that no one would be safe in Ghana including the judges. It is undeniable that a choice of better words minus the conditional and indirect threats would have achieved the purpose of exposing the consequences of the judges conduct on the issue. The Montie 3 had obviously committed some sort of contempt of court on the issue and this compelled the judges to react to their pronouncements. However, against the background of circumstances as recounted, and against the background of extreme show of remorse by the culprits, and considering the history of a previous and relevant precedent in a similar situation handled by the court, were verdicts handed to the Montie 3 and their mother company fair and justified? Obviously No. To begin with the four month sentences imposed equally on each of them were excessive and unjustified considering the background and circumstances to this, whole saga. Again considering the fact that the threats were not direct threats but indirect and conditional, the court should have placed them in the right context when it was exacting punishment. Nothing beyond two week sentences for the Montie 3 as has been the history of the court in similar instances, in addition to lesser fines, would have placed the court in a much better light. The safety of judges can never be guaranteed by excessive exercise of judicial power in any society. What rather guarantees the safety of judges is a perception and belief across board and among the populace that the Judiciary is impartial and fair to all sides of the political divide. The current situation in Ghana in which one side of the political divide perceives the Judiciary as bending over backwards to koto to the demands of their opponents, rather renders the Judiciarys position in the society insecure. In a related context, the consequences of the wholesale deletion of NHIS voter registrants as sanctioned by the Supreme Court are there today for all to see. It is now obvious that there were no foreign registrants on the register after all, and that the deletions have rather thrown the electoral register and processes into chaos with the NPP crying loudest that their members have been disenfranchised. The stark reality is that 34,000 or so NHIS registrants have been disenfranchised as a result of a dogmatic adherence to legal gymnastics by the Supreme Court. Can we now say that we have a cleaner register with drivers license registrants who could as well be foreigners - still on the register? What was the wisdom in disenfranchising registrants who had legally complied with then exiting laws that they had no hand in putting in place? Has the EC not been vindicated in its strategy to rather adopt a cautious process of compliance with the courts order, which was rudely truncated by a pushy Supreme Court which has been exposed as having little or no knowledge about the intricacies of electoral processes in Ghana? Going forward therefore, the circumstances, errors and injustice on the part of the Supreme Court that characterized the Montie 3 saga do not justify their being imprisoned for four months. The President should therefore grant them a pardon to redress the infractions of the Supreme Court in order not to perpetrate the injustice that have been visited on them. After all what is in issue is the criminalization of free speech and no court should be permitted to sensationalize criminality in free speech for its parochial interests. Another interesting aspect of the courts decision was its attempt to lay blame on the Attorney General for its inaction in the matter. The legitimate answer to that reference is to ask why the court did not decide rather to refer the matter to the Attorney General for prosecution. What did the court do with findings of investigations that had been conducted by the BNI on the probability of the implementation of the threats that were issued by the Montie 3? The judiciary going forward should therefore try to win the hearts and souls of Ghanaians of all political divides, and it would not have to live in fear of anyone. Their decision to impose four month imprisonment sentences and hefty fines for threats albeit conditional, is akin to trying to kill a fly with an axe. It is a decision which is obviously unjust and unfair compared to sentences for similar conduct exhibited by NPPs Sir John which came before the same court, for which he was merely fined and not imprisoned even for a day. A court that is perceived as unjust and bias cannot guarantee its safety with draconian verdicts aimed at intimidating the general public. It is rather a general perception of fairness on the part of the Judiciary that can guarantee its safety and respect. In view therefore of the totality of circumstances surrounding the Montie 3 saga, the President should exercise his powers of pardon as constitutionally permitted in this matter. Yes a form of punishment is certainly in order under the circumstances, but definitely not sentences beyond two weeks, in order to curb the obvious excessive and unfair application of judicial power especially as applied to free speech. The four months imprisonment sentences imposed against free speech in this matter are an embarrassment to Ghanas fledging democracy. God Bless our Homeland Ghana. Mensah Dekportor (Germany) Email: [email protected] Mike Pence? Full disclosure: I served as head of the Super PAC seeking to draft Pence into the 2012 presidential race. Having long been persuaded of Pences superior leadership qualities, Im even less objective than usual. We called Pence The Conservative Champion and for good reason. Then, in 2012, Pence made the right decision: to run for governor of Indiana. That was an opportunity for distinguished public service. As it happened it was a perfect boot camp for the vice presidency. The Honorable David McIntosh, now president of the powerful Club For Growth, was the one who encouraged Pence to come back into electoral politics. McIntosh later served as the guru of the Draft Pence For President Super PAC. In my recent exclusive interview, McIntosh recalled: When I was vacating my Congressional seat to pursue an ultimately unsuccessful gubernatorial run, in 2000, I wanted my seat to be occupied by a true conservative and someone of high integrity and commitment to public service. I turned to Mike Pence. He had run unsuccessfully in 1988 and 1990 and by 2000 had achieved considerable success, and affluence, as a syndicated talk radio host. Mike replied that he no longer aspired to public office but would, together with his wife Karen, pray on my request and determine whether they sensed a calling. Several months later I encountered Mike at the Indiana State Fair. I asked him about whether he had reached a conclusion. He replied that he and Karen recognized that he could not shirk the duty. Pence went on to run, and win, and serve America with distinction in the Congress and then to serve splendidly as governor of Indiana. If elected to the vice presidency he will again serve America magnificently. One of the reasons that Pence showed himself extraordinary may have faded from general memory. It has not faded from mine. Nor has it been forgotten, or forgiven, by the left, who are now highlighting this, much to my delight. In 2010 Pence gave a major speech at the Detroit Economic Club. As the center-left ThinkProgress.org then reported. The first item of Pences five-point for the economy is a sound monetary policy. Pence elaborated that he believes a return to the gold standard could create such a policy: PENCE: Before I move on, Id like to note, in the midst of all thats happened recently massive borrowing and spending, QE2 a debate has started anew over an anchor to our global monetary system. My dear friend, the late Jack Kemp, probably would have urged me to adopt the gold standard, right here and now in Detroit. Robert Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, encouraged that we rethink the international currency system including the role of gold, and I agree. I think the time has come to have a debate over gold, and the proper role it should play in our nations monetary affairs. A pro-growth agenda begins with sound monetary policy. (Emphasis supplied by ThinkProgress.) The elitist left is misguidedly neurotic about the gold standard. Properly designed the gold standard favors labor and debtors slightly over capital and creditors and hence carries majority rank and file support among the labor and ethnic left. Timothy B. Lee wrote at the elite left Vox on July 15th, Trump should ignore his running mates bad ideas about monetary policy , with reference to the same speech: Pence also flirted with returning to the gold standard. The time has come to have a debate over gold and the proper role it should play in our nations monetary affairs, he said. Many economists including free market thinkers like Milton Friedman believe the gold standard played a central role in worsening the Great Depression. It is perverse how the left has reviled Friedman when he was, as he most often was, right, while being deferential to him when he was demonstrably wrong. The international gold standard had ceased operations in 1914. In 1922, it was replaced, in the immortal words of the great French economist Jacques Rueff, by a grotesque caricature. The Economist described that system , quite correctly, as a mess. It called itself a gold standard without playing by the rules of the gold standard. The Interwar so-called gold standard was a hybrid between Jabberwocky and Calvinball . The true gold standard was but a dim memory by the onset of the Great Depression for which it was framed. The misguided fixation of many economists deluded by the Eichengreen Fallacy on the role of the gold standard in worsening the Great Depression is utterly contradicted by history. Conservative apostate David Frum, writing in The Wall Street Journal , also stubbornly continues to misunderstand the gold standard. Frum does however astutely observe some similarities between William Jennings Bryan and Donald Trump: Both men championed constituencies that formerly occupied a position of cultural and political dominance: small farmers in Bryans case, the white working class in Trumps. Both of those constituencies had been economically ravaged for years beforehand: by 20 years of price deflation for the small farmers, by a generation of declining wages for the white working class. This is a similarity previously noted by David Klinghard in US News and World Report and by Tim Reuter at Forbes.com . It is apt in some ways but not in others. Bryan, by prescribing depreciation through free coinage of silver, lost three presidential races. Trump provides a counsel of general prosperity and has thus far gone from victory to victory and is on track to astound the Frums of this world in the general election. It is disappointing that the erudite but curiously tone-deaf Frum fails to note that the ravaging of small farmers was caused by the post-Civil War restoration of the gold standard at pre-war parity. This forced a painful secular deflation. We are back in the jaws of deflation, this time Fed-induced. Trump twice has stated his appreciation for the gold standard, the very platform on which McKinley soundly beat Bryan. And the gold standard, properly done, is not an instrument of deflation. Paul Krugman and his plovers will rave on against the gold standard. Let them. To adapt a tweet by Neo-Keynesian economist Austan Goolsbee: Roses are red. Violets are pink. Dont listen to aurophobes. No one cares what they think. To wit : People suffering from aurophobia usually develop panic attacks when uncovered to gold, or when they see gold. Different folks suffer from totally different symptoms of the panic assault like irregular heartbeat, nausea, sweating, fast breathing, and shortness of breath and a feeling of dread on seeing gold. Being a victim of aurophobia proves to be very uncomfortable because the victim cannot do things normal people do. Pity the lefts rampant aurophobia. The rights thought leaders, such as Steve Forbes, have solid evidence for the beneficence of the gold standard properly done. And the New York Sun astutely noted in a recent unsigned editorial, Mike Pences Prescience : Donald Trumps choice of Mike Pence for vice president would be a promising pick for those of us who see a restoration of sound money as the essential precondition for returning Americas economy to a trajectory of jobs and growth. No doubt he has lots of other virtues, in that he has experience and success as both a congressman and governor. Were he ever called to the presidency, he would be prepared. But the feature of his political agenda that we have been watching for years is that in respect of monetary reform. What are the building blocks of an incentive-based, growth agenda? he asked [in his Detroit speech]. The first of his five building blocks was sound monetary policy. That, to us, was significant. Mr. Pences other four building blocks were terrific, too, including, as they did, tax relief and reform, access to American energy, regulatory reform, and trade. It was particularly newsworthy, we felt, that he had marked monetary first and that he was at the van of the leading Republicans on this head. He quoted Lawrence Kudlows line about how the Fed can print money, but it cant print jobs. Wed like to think that its no coincidence that Mr. Kudlow is advising Mr. Trump (as he did President Reagan). Mr. Trump himself has already stated that, in principle, he favors sound money. Bringing back the gold standard would be very hard to do, but, boy, would it be wonderful, hes said. Wed have a standard on which to base our money. Donald Trumps signature promise is to make America great again. Trump knows that it would be wonderful to restore the gold standard. He has a firm intuitive grasp of why: Wed have a standard on which to base our money. America is struggling through 16 years of economic sluggishness at only maybe half the growth rate of our gold standard eras. Since President Nixon closed the gold window on August 15, 1971 a window cynically smashed by President Johnson -- median family incomes have stagnated. The rich have disproportionately prospered. The American Dream requires prosperity and justice for all. The loss of one or two (or, to hark back to Kennedy, three) percent of annual economic growth may not seem like much. But thanks to the power of compounding (which Albert Einstein famously never called the strongest force in the universe) the American economy now is only two thirds as big it would have been if it had remained on trend line. This is a big deal. The American Dream lies buried in these ruins. Let's resurrect it. Had gold standard equitable growth rates continued wed all, on average, be making 50% more and be worth 50% more. Americas GDP would be $26+T rather than $18.5T/year. The Congressional Budget Office once estimated that every one tenth of one percent of GDP adds $314B to federal revenues over 10 years without raising taxes. True gold standard growth rates would have transformed our hundreds of billions of dollars in annual federal deficits into hundreds of billions in surpluses. That money would rebuild a lot of roads and bridges and a whole lot more. Trump laudably has committed himself to defending Social Security and Medicare. Good for him! At gold standard growth rates, our social insurance programs can be made solvent for the indefinite future without cutting benefits or raising taxes. Restoring gold standard rates of job creation, upward economic mobility, and equitable prosperity is the most plausible, easiest, and requisite means of making America great again. More easily done than said. How? Why, by restoring the gold standard, of course! Let Donald Trump consult Donald Trump: Bringing back the gold standard would be wonderful. Wed have a standard on which to base our money. Spot on. Then, if Trump -- or one of his trusted associates such as Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich, Chris Christie, Larry Kudlow, or Sam Clovis -- wishes to know just how to make this happen just pick up the phone and invite one Lewis E. Lehrman (whose eponymous institute I once professionally served) in for a chat. Lehrman was Jack Kemps eminence grise of his Gold Standard Act of 1984, the ideal vehicle. Lehrman was called by public intellectual James Grant our "modern Alexander Hamilton." Invite Steve Forbes -- a heroic champion of the gold standard during its long dark age and eminent Treasury Secretary candidate to participate in that gold standard caucus. While at it, invite Mike Pence, who got it long before most others did. Time to bring back the gold standard for its equitable prosperity inducing properties. Mike Pence will make a great partner in making America great again. Grand slam. Originating at Forbes.com Embittered National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Klottey Korles commitment to the success of the governing party has been called to question as some supporters of the party are questioning his motive for challenging the eligibility of Dr Zanetor Rawlings. Some NDC activists in the Klottey Korle constituency have said the incumbent MPs posturing after the Supreme Court cleared Dr Zanetor to hold herself as the partys candidate-elect for the constituency clearly shows that Ashieteys target is not Zanetor, but the NDC. A handshake which exceeds the elbow is no longer as handshake. We expected Ashietey to back off his legal battle with Zanetor after the Supreme Court ruling but he has rather intensified it, so to us what Ashietey is doing goes beyond Zanetor. He is bitter with the entire party and he probably want to rock the boat, an NDC supporter who does not want his name mentioned told this paper. The Supreme Court recently granted Dr Zanetor Rawlings the green light to go ahead and hold herself as the ruling NDC 2016 Parliamentary Candidate for Klottey Korle. In a 4-1 majority decision the court said a person was only deemed a candidate after the Electoral Commission (EC) opens the opportunity for parties to submit the names of their nominees elected from their parties primaries and that has not happened yet hence the argument of her not being qualified cannot hold. The court also directed the High Court hearing the substantive case to give a ruling in line with the determination by the Supreme Court. Even before the High Court delivers judgment on the case, the Korle Klottey constituency has been decked with posters of Hon Ashietey, indicating that he intends contesting the upcoming election as an independent candidate. However, the embattled MP has denied knowledge of the posters. The posters are not coming from us and even they are substandard; very low quality which has distorted the image of Nii Armah Ashietey, well not do anything like this from our end. We dont know if these posters are to antagonize or ridicule him, Kester Nana Korankye, Spokesperson for the MP told Accra based Kasapa Fm. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports as at press time yesterday indicated that Hon Ashietey has instructed his lawyer, Gary Nimako, who is leading member of the NPP, to withdraw his suit against Dr Zanetor and the governing party. Before this, those who thought the legal battle between Hon Ashietey and Dr Zanetor was over following the Supreme Court ruling had their jaws dropped when Kester Nana Korankye, spokesman for the MP said, he (Hon Ashietey) remains unfazed by the victory secured by daughter of the former first family. Mr Kester Korankye, Special Aide to Nii Armah Ashietey told Kasapa News that Dr Zenators victory at the Supreme Court does not end their suit challenging her eligibility as the Parliamentary candidate, as she has unfinished business at the High Court. The issue we sent to court is an internal party matter; we insist that the NDC party has flouted its own rules because Zanetor was not eligible to contest the election at the time she did per the partys constitution. We are not saying she cant go to Parliament. The law grinds slowly but it will surely get to its destination. The case is not over yet, well still continue at the High court, he stated. The incumbent MP and his supporters posturing come as a surprise to many, especially when the Klottey Korle NDC Chairman, Alhaji Bashiru Nii Narh Alema only recently announced that both factions have smoked the peace pipe. NDC supporters condemning Hon Ashieteys continuous pestering of Dr Zanetor say he (Ashietey) should just come out and tell us that he wants the NDC destroyed in the constituency. Because we think that is the only thing that will soothe him. Meanwhile, lawyer for the Klottey Korle NDC candidate, Edudzi Tamakloe has urged members of the party to see candidates of other parties as their opponents not Hon Ashietey, and focus on ensuring that the ruling party retains the seat It is important that we all get behind her. She is our candidate. There is a common opponent out there in the person of Lawyer Philip Addison and Madam Eva Lokko. These are the real opponents as far as these elections are concerned. I do not see Nii Armah as an opponent in this regard. It is important that everybody gets on board that together the party will retain that seat. Our busiest challenge now is how to get everybody behind Doctor. She is the face of the constituency now. There is no legal challenge to it. It is important that we get all the factions in this matter behind her. I have no doubt that in 2008, the NDC together with everybody who mattered stood behind the Honorable Nii Armah Ashietey, he told Accra base Citi FM. Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Boko Haram's elusive leader Abubakar Shekau said in an audio message Thursday he is still around despite his reported ouster as head of the Nigeria-based jihadist group by the Islamic State (IS). "People should know we are still around. We will never cause any discord among the people, we will live by the Koran," Shekau said in a 10-minute audio message. "This is our stand and we remain in our capacity as Jama'atu Ahlissunnah Lidda'awati Wal Jihad," he said using the Islamic name for the hardline jihadist group. His voice was recognised by an AFP journalist familiar with previous messages he has posted on social media. It was also confirmed as Shekau's voice by Berlin-based expert Yan St-Pierre of the Modern Security Consulting Group (Mosecon). "The person who posted on the internet is a very reliable source," he said. Shekau's audio message was released in response to reports that he had been purportedly replaced by Sheikh Abu Musab al-Barnawi, a former IS spokesman. In the latest edition of IS's online weekly magazine Al-Naba, which was published on Tuesday, there was an interview with Barnawi in which he was introduced as Boko Haram's new leader In March 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to IS. But Shekau dismissed Barnawi as an infidel who condoned living in an un-Islamic society without waging jihad. The shadowy leader's absence in recent months has sparked speculation about his fate and whether or not he had been deposed as leader. He became Boko Haram leader after Nigerian security forces killed the group's founding chief Mohammed Yusuf in 2009, sparking an insurgency that has left 20,000 people dead and forced 2.6 million people to flee their homes. Boko Haram has been pegged back by an aggressive fightback from the Nigerian military since January 2014, losing territory and its capacity to mount conventional attacks. 04.08.2016 LISTEN From my novice commonsensical thoughts, typical Ghanaian virtues include the fear of God, respect for the elderly, hospitality, pursuit of happiness, contempt for insult, disdain for disrespect towards others just to mention a few. In many Ghanaian traditional settings, it is not uncommon to describe an individual who is found of insulting others especially elders as possessing witchcraft: the employment of mystical powers evil in nature in a secret fashion. Individuals believed to be bestowed with such mystical powers were dispelled from their respective communities. In todays Ghana however, the aforementioned virtues are gradually sinking into oblivion. Begotten from a notorious womb of impunity a lamb called culture of insult. Some of the victims of this unsavory culture include, the president of the Republic, John Dramani Mahamah, Nana Addo -Dankwa Akufu Addo, Pastor Mensah Otabil, Lawyer Sam Okudzeto, Rt. Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Djan, Madam Charlotte Osei and many more. The purpose of this article is to link individuals who insult others without good grounds and psychopathological cases such as personality disorders. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): according to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders volume 5 of American Psychiatrist Association (DSM-5) individuals with BPD exhibit the following traits among other things. Impulsivity: Acting on the spur of the moment in response to immediate stimuli; acting on a momentary basis without a plan or consideration of outcomes; difficulty establishing or following plans; a sense of urgency and self-harming behavior under emotional distress. b. Risk taking: Engagement in dangerous, risky, and potentially self-damaging activities, unnecessarily and without regard to consequences; lack of concern for ones limitations and denial of the reality of personal danger. 3. Antagonism, characterized by: a. Hostility: Persistent or frequent angry feelings; anger or irritability in response to minor slights and insults. Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder: Compulsivity, characterized by: a. Rigid perfectionism: Rigid insistence on everything being flawless, perfect, without errors or faults, including one's own and others' performance; sacrificing of timeliness to ensure correctness in every detail; believing that there is only one right way to do things; difficulty changing ideas and/or viewpoint; preoccupation with details, organization, and order. Schizotypal Personality Disorder: Psychoticism characterized Eccentricity: Odd, unusual, or bizarre behavior or appearance; saying unusual or inappropriate things. b. Cognitive and perceptual dysregulation: Odd or unusual thought processes; vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, over-elaborate, or stereotyped thought or speech; odd sensations in various sensory modalities. c. Unusual beliefs and experiences: Thought content and views of reality that are viewed by others as bizarre or idiosyncratic; unusual experiences of reality. Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Antagonism, characterized by: a. Grandiosity: Feelings of entitlement, either overt or covert; self-centeredness; firmly holding to the belief that one is better than others; condescending toward others. b. Attention seeking: Excessive attempts to attract and be the focus of the attention of others; admiration seeking. In the view of Alfred Adler: the only normal people are the ones you dont know very well. In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issues of civil war (Abraham Lincoln). Indeed in our hands not in our leaders hands is this obnoxious issue of insulting culture in Ghana. The imperative need to shelve the culture of insult must be prioritized to reduce tensions. I read with stark horror and disappointment that Dr. Afari Gyan is now going to use his end of service benefit to complete his house. Yet, he was vilified and bastardized for allegedly taking bribes to rig elections. Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that were not so. (Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr). We must be sure with our facts before accusing others. Instead of learning from our elders we rather insult them. If you want to be great you must interact with the great. If you are found of insulting others without proper grounds you must see your psychologist before it is too late. We can conceive of a future without high-rises. But a humanity without music and love is not just inconceivable; it is impossible (George Leonard). Let us love our elders, our leaders, our friends and avoid insulting them when we disagree on issues. God bless our homeland Ghana. I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing. (Socrates) Feedbacks must be directed to [email protected] Nana Yaw Osei (Padigo), PhD Candidate, Psychology Arizona, USA 04.08.2016 LISTEN The tragedy of the conviction and sentencing of the Montie Three to 4 months imprisonment, apiece, on the part of the supporters and sympathizers of Messrs. Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe, inheres far less in the actual judicial action than the rather painful fact that these supporters, quite a remarkable number of whom are professionally trained lawyers, have little or no appreciation, whatsoever, of the legal crime and incitement to hatred that it entails. Indeed, in handing down its verdict and sentencing, the presiding judge, Justice Sophia Akuffo, was widely reported to have stressed the fact that the hateful speech for which the members of the Montie Three gang got convicted had brought the reputation and integrity of the Apex Court into abject disrepute. That much is incontrovertible. What Justice Akuffo, however, left out of her otherwise spot-on description of the patent element of criminality in such hateful is that it incited people in the general population already unfavorably disposed towards the institution of the judicial system in general, and the members of the Supreme Court in particular, to act out their violent and lurid sentiments. And the preceding observation is of great moment because one aspect of the barbaric treatment of the three Akan-descended Accra High Court judges who were abducted from their homes on June 30, 1982 and savagely executed, Mafia-style, on the instructions of then-Chairman Jerry John Rawlings and Captain (Ret.) Kojo Tsikata, that had been totally ignored, in a bid to painting the bigger picture of ethnic cleansing, as it were, had to do with the fact that the one female jurist among the three, namely, Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow, had been brutally raped shortly prior to her execution and the conflagration of her mortal remains. And so when one of the Montie Three thugs either vowed or threatened to rape Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, the would-be rapist was eerily evoking a precedent. Then also, the fact that these three thugs would jubilantly evoke the brutal assassination of all three Accra High Court judges on the 34th anniversary of their traumatic execution, in of itself, constituted a felonious crime of the highest order. But that a brigade of professionally trained Ghanaian lawyers, most of whom also happen to be Mahama cabinet appointees, would boldly and shamelessly append their signatures to a presidential petition seeking to have the conviction of the Montie Three nullified, is all the more worrisome. Indeed, were Ghana reckoned among civilized global democracies, ministerial appointees like Nana Oye Lithur, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare and Hanna Tetteh, among a platoon of others, would have promptly been expelled from the Mahama cabinet. Now, lets talk about womens rights and human rights! At any rate, what inspired this write-up, as many a Ghanaian back home is wont to characterize it, was the very angry declaration of Mr. Baba Jamal Konneh, described as the Communications Director of the Eastern Regional Branch of the ruling National Democratic Congress. According to Mr. Konneh, many a supporter and sympathizer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party, in particular staunch supporters of the partys 2016 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was heartily celebrating the incarceration of the Montie Three. Well, Mr. Konneh may have a point, except the fact that such jubilation and/or celebration of the immurement of the Montie Three, contrary to what the NDC operative would have the rest of the world believe, was squarely predicated more on the fact that finally the countrys judiciary was beginning to healthily regain a remarkable bit of its long-eviscerated power to infuse sanity into our decidedly frazzled societal fabric than anything else. Mr. Konneh is, however, egregiously offside to remark that when Messrs. Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie (aka Sir John), Sammy Awuku and Hopeson Adorye were caught in the leaden web of judicial contempt in the midst of the 2012 presidential-election petition, it was NDC operatives who paid the fines for these New Patriotic Party stalwarts. Well, to the best of my knowledge, it was Mr. Paul Collins Appiah-Ofori (aka PC), the retired NPP-MP from Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, who footed most of the bills as well as, I presume without any fear of contradiction, some heavy-lifters among the vanguard ranks of the New Patriotic Party. I have also never known Nii Ayikoi-Otoo, the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, to have avidly trucked with the NDC constabulary. Our people have a saying that if you are going to indulge in any form of apocryphal mendacity, make sure that at least you have created a sizeable aperture by way of an escape route, in case of an emergency. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Believing he was answering a holy call, Harry Sarfo left his home in the working-class city of Bremen last year and drove for four straight days to reach the territory controlled by the Islamic State in Syria. He barely had time to settle in before members of the Islamic States secret service, wearing masks over their faces, came to inform him and his German friend that they no longer wanted Europeans to come to Syria. Where they were really needed was back home, to help carry out the groups plan of waging terrorism across the globe. He was speaking openly about the situation, saying that they have loads of people living in European countries and waiting for commands to attack the European people, Mr. Sarfo recounted on Monday, in an interview with The New York Times conducted in English inside the maximum-security prison near Bremen. And that was before the Brussels attacks, before the Paris attacks. The masked man explained that, although the group was well set up in some European countries, it needed more attackers in Germany and Britain, in particular. They said, Would you mind to go back to Germany, because thats what we need at the moment, Mr. Sarfo recalled. And they always said they wanted to have something that is occurring in the same time: They want to have loads of attacks at the same time in England and Germany and France. The operatives belonged to an intelligence unit of the Islamic State known in Arabic as the Emni, which has become a combination of an internal police force and an external operations branch, dedicated to exporting terror abroad, according to thousands of pages of French, Belgian, German and Austrian intelligence and interrogation documents obtained by The Times. The Islamic States attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 brought global attention to the groups external terrorism network, which began sending fighters abroad two years ago. Now, Mr. Sarfos account, along with those of other captured recruits, has further pulled back the curtain on the groups machinery for projecting violence beyond its borders. What they describe is a multilevel secret service under the overall command of the Islamic States most senior Syrian operative, spokesman and propaganda chief, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani. Below him is a tier of lieutenants empowered to plan attacks in different regions of the world, including a secret service for European affairs, a secret service for Asian affairs and a secret service for Arab affairs, according to Mr. Sarfo. Reinforcing the idea that the Emni is a core part of the Islamic States operations, the interviews and documents indicate that the unit has carte blanche to recruit and reroute operatives from all parts of the organization from new arrivals to seasoned battlefield fighters, and from the groups special forces and its elite commando units. Taken together, the interrogation records show that operatives are selected by nationality and grouped by language into small, discrete units whose members sometimes only meet one another on the eve of their departure abroad. And through the coordinating role played by Mr. Adnani, terror planning has gone hand-in-hand with the groups extensive propaganda operations including, Mr. Sarfo claimed, monthly meetings in which Mr. Adnani chose which grisly videos to promote based on battlefield events. Based on the accounts of operatives arrested so far, the Emni has become the crucial cog in the groups terrorism machinery, and its trainees led the Paris attacks and built the suitcase bombs used in a Brussels airport terminal and subway station. Investigation records show that its foot soldiers have also been sent to Austria, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia. With European officials stretched by a string of assaults by seemingly unconnected attackers who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, Mr. Sarfo suggested that there may be more of a link than the authorities yet know. He said he was told that undercover operatives in Europe used new converts as go-betweens, or clean men, who help link up people interested in carrying out attacks with operatives who can pass on instructions on everything from how to make a suicide vest to how to credit their violence to the Islamic State. The group has sent hundreds of operatives back to the European Union, with hundreds more in Turkey alone, according to a senior United States intelligence official and a senior American defense official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. Mr. Sarfo, who was recently moved out of solitary confinement at his German prison because he is no longer considered violent, agrees with that assessment. Many of them have returned, he said. Hundreds, definitely. Vetting Recruits The first port of call for new arrivals to the Islamic State is a network of dormitories in Syria, just across the border from Turkey. There, recruits are interviewed and inventoried. Mr. Sarfo was fingerprinted, and a doctor came to draw a blood sample and perform a physical examination. A man with a laptop conducted an intake interview. He was asking normal questions like: Whats your name? Whats your second name? Whos your mom? Wheres your mom originally from? What did you study? What degree do you have? Whats your ambition? What do you want to become? Mr. Sarfo said. His background was also of interest. He was a regular at a radical mosque in Bremen that had already sent about 20 members to Syria, at least four of whom were killed in battle, according to Daniel Heinke, the German Interior Ministrys counterterrorism coordinator for the area. And he had served a one-year prison sentence for breaking into a supermarket safe and stealing 23,000 euros. Even though the punishment for theft in areas under Islamic State control is amputation, a criminal past can be a valued asset, Mr. Sarfo said, especially if they know you have ties to organized crime and they know you can get fake IDs, or they know you have contact men in Europe who can smuggle you into the European Union. The bureaucratic nature of the intake procedure was recently confirmed by American officials after USB drives were recovered in the recently liberated Syrian city of Manbij, one of the hubs for processing foreign fighters. Mr. Sarfo checked all the necessary boxes, and on the third day after his arrival, the members of the Emni came to ask for him. He wanted to fight in Syria and Iraq, but the masked operatives explained that they had a vexing problem. They told me that there arent many people in Germany who are willing to do the job, Mr. Sarfo said soon after his arrest last year, according to the transcript of his interrogation by German officials, which runs more than 500 pages. They said they had some in the beginning. But one after another, you could say, they chickened out, because they got scared cold feet. Same in England. By contrast, the group had more than enough volunteers for France. My friend asked them about France, Mr. Sarfo said. And they started laughing. But really serious laughing, with tears in their eyes. They said, Dont worry about France. Mafi mushkilah in Arabic, it means no problem. That conversation took place in April 2015, seven months before the coordinated killings in Paris in November, the worst terrorist attack in Europe in over a decade. While some details of Mr. Sarfos account cannot be verified, his statements track with what other recruits related in their interrogations. And both prison officials and the German intelligence agents who debriefed Mr. Sarfo after his arrest said they found him credible. Since the rise of the Islamic State over two years ago, intelligence agencies have been collecting nuggets on the Emni. Originally, the unit was tasked with policing the Islamic States members, including conducting interrogations and ferreting out spies, according to interrogation records and analysts. But French members arrested in 2014 and 2015 explained that the Emni had taken on a new portfolio: projecting terror abroad. Its the Emni that ensures the internal security inside Dawla the Arabic word for state and oversees external security by sending abroad people they recruited, or else sending individuals to carry out violent acts, like what happened in Tunisia inside the museum in Tunis, or else the aborted plot in Belgium, said Nicolas Moreau, 32, a French citizen who was arrested last year after leaving the Islamic State in Syria, according to his statement to Frances domestic intelligence agency. Mr. Moreau explained that he had run a restaurant in Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital of the groups territory, where he had served meals to key members of the Emni including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the on-the-ground commander of the Paris attacks, who was killed in a standoff with the police days later. Other interrogations, as well as Mr. Sarfos account, have led investigators to conclude that the Emni also trained and dispatched the gunman who opened fire on a beach in Sousse, Tunisia, in June, and the man who prepared the Brussels airport bombs. Records from French, Austrian and Belgian intelligence agencies show that at least 28 operatives recruited by the Emni succeeded in deploying to countries outside of the Islamic States core territory, mounting both successful attacks and plots that were foiled. Officials say that dozens of other operatives have slipped through and formed sleeper cells. In his own interactions with the Emni, Mr. Sarfo realized that they were preparing a global portfolio of terrorists and looking to fill holes in their international network, he said. He described what he had been told about the groups work to build an infrastructure in Bangladesh. There, a siege by a team of Islamic State gunmen left at least 20 hostages dead at a cafe last month, almost all of them foreigners. Mr. Sarfo said that for Asian recruits, the group was looking specifically for militants who had emerged from Al Qaedas network in the region. People especially from Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia they have people who used to work for Al Qaeda, and once they joined the Islamic State, they are asking them questions about their experiences and if they have contacts, he said. In his briefings with the German authorities, and again in the interview this week, Mr. Sarfo raised the possibility that some of the recent attackers in Europe who pledged allegiance to the Islamic States leader during their assaults might have a more direct link to the group than officials believe. Mr. Sarfo explained that the Emni keeps many of its operatives underground in Europe. They act as nodes that can remotely activate potential suicide attackers who have been drawn in by propaganda. Linking them are what Mr. Sarfo called clean men, new converts to Islam with no established ties to radical groups. These people are not in direct contact with these guys who are doing the attacks, because they know if these people start talking, they will get caught, he said of the underground operatives. They mostly use people who are new Muslims, who are converts, he said. Those clean converts get in contact with the people, and they give them the message. And in the case of some videotaped pledges of allegiance, the go-between can then send the video on to the handler in Europe, who uploads it for use by the Islamic States propaganda channels. The intelligence documents and Mr. Sarfo agree that the Islamic State has made the most of its recruits nationalities by sending them back to plot attacks at home. Yet one important region where the Emni is not thought to have succeeded in sending trained attackers is North America, Mr. Sarfo said, recalling what the members of the branch told him. Though dozens of Americans have become members of the Islamic State, and some have been recruited into the external operations wing, they know its hard for them to get Americans into America once they have traveled to Syria, he said. For America and Canada, its much easier for them to get them over the social network, because they say the Americans are dumb they have open gun policies, he said. They say we can radicalize them easily, and if they have no prior record, they can buy guns, so we dont need to have no contact man who has to provide guns for them. Training Days Since late 2014, the Islamic State has instructed foreigners joining the group to make their trip look like a holiday in southern Turkey, including booking a return flight and paying for an all-inclusive vacation at a beach resort, from which smugglers arrange their transport into Syria, according to intelligence documents and Mr. Sarfos account. That cover story creates pressure to keep things moving quickly during the recruits training in Syria, and most get a bare minimum just a few days of basic weapons practice, in some instances. When they go back to France or in Germany, they can say, I was only on holidays in Turkey, Mr. Sarfo said. The longer they stay in the Islamic State, the more suspicious the secret service in the West gets, and thats why they try to do the training as quickly as possible. Mr. Sarfos facility in both German and English he studied construction at Newham College in East London made him attractive as a potential attacker. Though the Emni approached him several times to ask him to return to Germany, he demurred, he said. Eventually, Mr. Sarfo, perhaps because of his burly build 6-foot-1 and around 286 pounds when he arrived in Syria, though he has lost weight since then was drafted into the Islamic States quwat khas, Arabic for special forces. The unit only admitted single men who agreed not to marry during the duration of their training. In addition to providing the offensive force to infiltrate cities during battles, it was one of several elite units that became recruiting pools for the external operations branch, Mr. Sarfo said. Along with his German friend, he was driven to the desert outside Raqqa. They dropped us off in the middle of nowhere and told us, We are here, he said, according to the transcript of one of his interrogation sessions. So were standing in the desert and thought to ourselves, Whats going on? When the two Germans looked more closely, they realized there were cavelike dwellings around them. Everything above ground was painted with mud so as to be invisible to drones. Showering was prohibited. Eating was prohibited, too, unless they gave it to you, Mr. Sarfo said, adding that he had shared a cave with five or six others. Even drinking water was harshly rationed. Each dwelling received two cups of water a day, put on the doorstep, he said. And the purpose of this was to test us, see who really wants it, whos firm. The grueling training began: hours of running, jumping, push-ups, parallel bars, crawling. The recruits began fainting. By the second week, they were each given a Kalashnikov assault rifle and told to sleep with it between their legs until it became like a third arm, he said, according to his interrogation transcript. The punishment for failing to keep up was harsh. There was one boy who refused to get up, because he was just too exhausted, Mr. Sarfo told the authorities. So they tied him to a pole with his legs and his arms and left him there. He learned that the special forces program involved 10 levels of training. After he graduated to Level 2, he was moved to an island on a river in Tabqa, Syria. The recruits sleeping spots now consisted of holes in the ground, covered by sticks and twigs. They practiced swimming, scuba diving and navigating by the stars. Throughout his training, Mr. Sarfo rubbed shoulders with an international cadre of recruits. When he first arrived at the desert campus, he ran laps alongside Moroccans, Egyptians, at least one Indonesian, a Canadian and a Belgian. And out on the island, he learned of similar special units, including one called Jaysh al-Khalifa, or the Army of the Caliphate. A 12-page criminal complaint indicates that the Islamic State tried to recruit at least one American into that unit, but he declined to enroll. The man, Mohamad Jamal Khweis, a 26-year-old from Alexandria, Va., traveled to Syria in December, only to be captured by Kurdish troops in Iraq in March. In his debriefing with the F.B.I., he explained that early on, he was approached by members of the unit. During his stay at this safe house, representatives from Jaysh Khalifa, a group described by the defendant as an offensive group, visited the new ISIL recruits, the complaint says. The representatives explained that their group was responsible for accepting volunteers from foreign countries who would be trained and sent back to their countries to conduct operations and execute attacks on behalf of ISIL. The groups requirements, among other things, were that recruits had to be single, would train in remote locations, must be free of any injuries and had to stay reclusive when returning to their home countries. The Big Man As he progressed through the special forces training, Mr. Sarfo became closer with the emir of the camp, a Moroccan, who began to divulge details about how the Islamic States external operations effort was structured, he said. Mr. Sarfo learned that there was one outsize figure behind the groups strategies and ambitions. The big man behind everything is Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, he said. He is the head of the Emni, and he is the head of the special forces as well, Mr. Sarfo added. Everything goes back to him. Born in the town of Binnish in northern Syria, Mr. Adnani is said to be 39, and is the subject of a $5 million bounty from the State Departments Rewards for Justice program. But details about his life remain a mystery. There are very few available photos of him, and the one used on the State Departments website is years old. Mr. Sarfo explained that when recruits to the special forces finished all 10 levels of training, they were blindfolded and driven to meet Mr. Adnani, where they pledged allegiance to him directly. Mr. Sarfo was told that the blindfolds stayed on the whole time, so that even Mr. Adnanis best-trained fighters never know what he looks like. To the world, Mr. Adnani is better known as the official spokesman of the Islamic State, and the man who put out a global call this year for Muslims to attack unbelievers wherever they were, however they could. Adnani is much more than just the mouthpiece of this group, said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington who tracks the groups leadership. He is heavily involved in external operations. He is sort of the administrative yea or nay at the top of the pyramid, who signs off on attack plans, the details of which are handled by his subordinates. During his time in Syria, Mr. Sarfo was contacted by other German fighters who wanted him to be an actor in a propaganda film aimed at German speakers. They drove to Palmyra, and Mr. Sarfo was told to hold the groups black flag and to walk again and again in front of the camera as they filmed repeated takes. Syrian captives were forced to kneel, and the other German fighters shot them, showing an interest only in the cinematic effect. One turned to Mr. Sarfo immediately after killing a victim and asked: How did I look like? Did I look good, the way I executed? Mr. Sarfo said he had learned that videos like the one he acted in were vetted by Mr. Adnani himself in a monthly meeting of senior operatives. Theres a vetting procedure, he said. Once a month they have a shura which is a sitting, a meeting where all the videos and everything that is important, they start speaking about it. And Abu Muhammad al-Adnani is the head of the shura. Mr. Sarfo said he had started doubting his allegiance to ISIS during his training, after seeing how cruelly they treated those who could not keep up. Making the propaganda video provided his final disillusionment when he saw how many times they recorded each scene in the five-minute film. Back in Germany, when he had been inspired by similar videos, he had always assumed they were real, not staged. He began plotting his escape, which took weeks and involved sprinting and crawling in a field of mud before crossing into Turkey. He was arrested at Bremen Airport, where he landed on July 20, 2015, and he voluntarily confessed. He is now serving a three-year term on terrorism charges. The Lieutenants Among the Islamic States innovations is the role of foreigners, especially Europeans, in the planning of attacks. Mr. Sarfos account agrees with investigation documents and the assessments of terrorism experts, who say that French and Belgian citizens like Mr. Abaaoud are more than just operatives and have been given managing roles. Its a creative and interesting operational road map, to be able to lean on someone like Abaaoud, who has his own network abroad, said Jean-Charles Brisard, chairman of the Center for the Analysis of Terrorism in Paris. They gave him the autonomy regarding tactics and strategy, even if the operation as a whole still needs a green light from the Islamic States leadership. Looking at the current leaders of the Emni, investigators have homed in on two in particular. They go by the aliases Abu Souleymane, a French citizen, and Abu Ahmad, described as Syrian. Both are considered top lieutenants of Mr. Adnani, according to the senior American defense official and senior intelligence official. The two men play a direct role in identifying fighters to be sent overseas, in choosing targets and in organizing logistics for operatives, including paying for smugglers to get them to Europe and, in at least one case, sending Western Union transfers, according to European intelligence documents. A glimpse into the possible role of Abu Souleymane came from one of the hostages held by suicide bombers inside the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November. After gunning down dozens of concertgoers, two of the suicide bombers retreated into a hallway with a group of hostages, forcing them to sit against the windows as human shields, said the hostage, David Fritz-Goeppinger, 24. In the two-and-a-half-hour standoff that ensued, Mr. Fritz heard one of the bombers ask the other, Should we call Souleymane? The second operative appeared annoyed that the first had asked the question in French, and ordered him to switch to Arabic. I immediately understood that, yes, this was the individual, maybe not the individual who had organized the attack, but who held a place in the hierarchy above them, Mr. Fritz said in a telephone interview. His testimony is also included in a detailed, 51-page report by Frances antiterrorism police. They were absolutely, like soldiers, awaiting orders, he said. Souleymane, whose full nom de guerre is Abu Souleymane al-Faransi, or Abu Souleymane the Frenchman, is believed to be a French national in his 30s who is of either Moroccan or Tunisian ancestry, according to Ludovico Carlino, a senior analyst with IHS Conflict Monitor in London. Mr. Carlino says he believes that Souleymane was promoted to be the top terrorism planner for Europe after Mr. Abaaouds death. A snapshot of the other senior leader, Abu Ahmad, appears in the account of a man who investigators have concluded was supposed to be part of the team of Paris attackers: an Algerian named Adel Haddadi. Mr. Haddadi said he and another member of the team, a former Lashkar-e-Taiba member from Pakistan named Muhammad Usman, were separated from two other attackers after they reached Greece by boat. Mr. Haddadi, 28, and Mr. Usman, 22, were eventually arrested in a migrant camp in Salzburg, Austria. The two men sent alongside them became the first suicide bombers to detonate their vests outside the Stade de France during the November attacks. After arriving in Syria and being routed to the international dormitory there in February 2015, Mr. Haddadi worked as a cook in Raqqa for months before a member of the Emni came to see him, according to French and Austrian investigation documents. One day, a Syrian came into the kitchen to see me and said that someone called Abu Ahmad wanted to see me, Mr. Haddadi was quoted as saying in the Austrian record of his interrogation. He was driven to a five-story building, where another Syrian holding a walkie talkie radioed Abu Ahmad. They waited for hours before the Syrian got orders to drive the recruit to the next location. In the street, a Saudi man wearing all white was waiting, and asked Mr. Haddadi to go on a walk. After 300 yards, they reached an empty apartment building and sat down. I was scared, I wanted to leave, but he talked the whole time, Mr. Haddadi told the authorities. He said only positive things about me, that Daesh trusted me and that I now needed to prove myself worthy of that trust. He said that Daesh was going to send me to France, Mr. Haddadi added, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. The details, he said, I would get them once I arrived in France. Sometime after that, Abu Ahmad arrived. Mr. Haddadi described him as a Syrian man between 38 and 42 years old, slim with a long, black beard, and dressed all in black. He was, Mr. Haddadi said, the giver of orders. Abu Ahmad brought Mr. Haddadi together with three other potential attackers, with the last man, Mr. Usman, being introduced just a day before they all set out for Europe. Mr. Haddadi and two of the other men were native Arabic speakers, and Mr. Usman spoke enough Arabic to communicate with them, the interrogation documents said. The day of their departure, Abu Ahmad came and gave them his Turkish cellphone number, instructing them to store it in their phone as FF, to avoid registering a name. He gave Mr. Haddadi $2,000 in $100 bills, and they were driven to the Turkish border. A man met them in Turkey to take their photographs, and returned with Syrian passports. Another smuggler arranged their Oct. 3 boat trip to Leros, Greece. All of these logistical steps, as well as Western Union money transfers, were organized by Abu Ahmad, one of the senior lieutenants running the Islamic States efforts to export terror. Until his arrest in December, Mr. Haddadi remained in touch with Abu Ahmad through messages on Telegram and via text messages to his Turkish number, according to the investigation record. Abu Ahmads Turkish number was found somewhere else, too: written on a slip of paper in the pants pocket of the severed leg of one of the suicide bombers at the Stade de France. Portia: The quality of mercy is not strain'd It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes It is an attribute to God himself, And earthly power doth then show likest God When mercy seasons justice. Portia disguised as young lawyer, Balthazar. The Merchant of Venice Act IV Sc1 THE EGOS OF THE 'MUNTIE TRIO' were blown last week, Wednesday, when they were sentenced to four months in jail, and whisked away to Nsawam Prison. Salifu Maase, also known as 'Mugabe', host of Pampaso, a political programme on Muntie FM, could not say: 'Bue Gya' (Open Fire) to panelist Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Tairo Nelson who had defiantly threatened mayhem on the Justices of the Supreme Court in case of war for daring to interfere with the work of the Electoral Commission. They knew the houses of the individual justices; they would arrange for someone to marry (rape) the Chief Justice; they would be treated the same way the murdered judges were treated over 34 years ago. It was the eve of the Martyrs' Day Memorial Service, held annually by the Ghana Bar Association. Salifu Maase, on being invited by the court had wondered why. He was 'only' a host, arguing that other hosts had not been invited in previous cases. The justices were inviting him because he was a northerner! Ei! To the Montie panelists the justices were in cahoots with a particular political party. Maase had left his wife and children in Europe to come home and work hard to get President Mahama re elected. Besides the incarceration, they were to pay a fine of GH10,000 each. The directors and shareholders, Kweku Kyei Atuah and Edward Addo as well as Kweku Bram Larbi, secretary to the board of directors and Harry Zakour, a vice chairperson of the NDC and Zeze, media owners of the frequency GH 30,000. Network Broadcasting Limited, parent company of Montie FM and Radio Gold was also fined GH 30,000, all totaling GH 90,000. Since then, the NDC have opened a book through Kwakye Ofosu's Research and Advocacy Platform, to be signed by sympathisers urging the President to invoke the Prerogative of Mercy as enshrined in Article 72 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992. The said article states: (1) The President may, acting in consultation with the Council of State (a) grant to a person convicted of an offence a pardon (b) Grant to a person respite from the execution of the punishment (c) substitute a less severe form of punishment .(d) remit the whole or part of a punishment . Nana Oye Lithur whose husband, Tony Lithur, has advised the President to restrain himself from bowing to the pressure to interfere with the judgment by the Supreme Court, is the Gender Minister; she has gone to sign the book petitioning the President; so has Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, Minister of Education and Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast. Others include Valery Sackey, Deputy Chief of Staff; Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Education; Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, an NPP founding member. Such acts could be soothing and therapeutic to the contemnors. All of a sudden, the justices of the Supreme Court have become demons; they are insensitive, callous, inconsiderate, cold hearted, merciless, phlegmatic, unsympathetic, obtuse, inhuman the same court that did self-deprecating acts against their own over the conscienceless Anas's spurious investigation! Contempt of court generally has two ramifications 'in facie curia' (in the face of the court) and 'ex facie curia' (out of the face of the court). Anything done or undone which has the tendency to lower the image of the court is said to be contemptuous of the court. The judge has discretion over what constitutes contempt and he / she can impose a sentence, including a warning, a fine, and imprisonment. The Supreme Court being the highest court of the land needs to be protected and insulated to ensure that democracy works. Remember what Nana Akufo Addo said with respect to the 4- minute judgment of the Supreme Court in connection with the 2012 Presidential Election Petition; he was ready to accept the verdict, even though he was not satisfied with it. In contempt proceedings, The main interest at stake is the dignity of the courts and the integrity of the administration of justice. (See In re: Effiduase Stool Affairs SCGLR, 2000). That is the spirit in which the Supreme Court contempt ruling against the 'Montie Trio' should have been accepted. But who are we to criticise NDC functionaries, NDC Ministers and NDC foot soldiers who have decided to petition the President? It is left for the President to decide whether to pander to the whims of the petitioners or to demonstrate that he is President for the whole of Ghana for all Ghanaians and not for NDC members and sympathisers only. A number of Ghanaians demonstrated their anger over the sentencing of Kweku Baako and Haruna Atta on charges of contempt in 1998. Ken Kuranchie and Atubiga were equally sentenced to serve days in prison on contempt charges, even though Atubiga openly declared he was the most stupid person for what he had said. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, (Sir John) and Awuku saw their 'smoothness level' before the Supreme Court. Mensa Bonsu believed 'truth' could exonerate him from the hangman's noose of contempt: it could not, and he suffered a prison sentence in 1995. Article 12(2) of the 1992 constitution provides that Every person in Ghana shall be entitled to the fundamental human rights and freedoms but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest. The same Constitution provides in Article 126(2): The Superior Courts shall have the power to commit for contempt to themselves. Cameron Duodu says: if you are not satisfied (with law), campaign until the law is changed to ask the President to grant a pardon to people who deliberately break the law is as ignorant as it is dangerous. Need anyone say anything more? In Ama Ataa Aidoo's 'Dilemma of a Ghost', the ghost is unsure where to go. In 'King Henry' by William Shakespeare, King Henry soliloquises; Canst thou O partial sleep, give thy repose to the wet sea boy, Deny it to a king? Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. King Henry's fate appears to befall our President. He lies between Scylla and Charybdis. To be between Scylla and Charybdis is to take a narrow path between two bad choices on either side. The phrase originates from Greek mythology, and as noted by Homer, Odysseus had to decide which monster (either Scylla or Charybdis) to confront while passing through the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily. The proverbial Latin phrase incidit in scyllam cupiens vitare charybdim (he runs on Scylla, wishing to avoid Charybdis) is near to jumping from the frying pan into the fire. It is close to the phrase between the devil and the deep blue sea. A poisoned chalice for the President. Africanus Owusu-Ansah [email protected] UNAMID is deeply concerned about the ongoing strike action by its national staff. The strike has been accompanied by reports of attempts to disrupt the Missions operations by locking entry gates to key areas in the Missions headquarters in El Fasher and coercing non-participating staff members as well as individual contractors not to perform their duties. UNAMID wishes to stress that such actions are in breach of UN rules and regulations as well as staff members obligations as international civil servants. Prior to the ongoing strike, Mission leadership extensively engaged national staff representatives to discuss their grievances, and assured them of its commitment to address these issues speedily within the UNs legal framework, rules and regulations. Regrettably, the proposals resulting from these engagements have not been considered by the national staff, who have opted to continue their strike in contravention of their status as international civil servants. Additionally, UNAMID has implemented the new salary scale and payment of national staff salaries in US dollars, resulting from a comprehensive salary review that took effect from 1 September 2015. All retroactive payments due to staff have been paid in full. While UNAMID remains committed to helping resolve the concerns of its staff members, the Missions overarching mandate remains focused on the bigger picture, namely, of building sustainable peace for the good people of Darfur. Any action by staff members that may negatively impact mandate delivery or disrupt daily operations, should, therefore, be avoided. In this regard, the Mission continues to urge striking national staff members to engage in dialogue in the quest for an amicable resolution of their demands. Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Boko Haram's elusive leader Abubakar Shekau broke his silence Thursday to insist he was "still around" following reports Islamic State had replaced him, but his message fuelled talk of a split within the jihadist group. For months, speculation has been rife over the fate of Shekau, who has led the Nigeria-based Islamist group since 2009 but has not been heard from since March. But on Thursday, following a report suggesting he had been replaced, Shekau released an audio message insisting he was still very much alive and in charge of the group, which last year had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadists. "People should know we are still around. We will never cause any discord among the people, we will live by the Koran," Shekau said in a 10-minute audio message. "This is our stand and we remain in our capacity as Jama'atu Ahlissunnah Lidda'awati Wal Jihad," he said using the Islamic name for Boko Haram. His voice was recognised by an AFP journalist familiar with previous messages he has posted on social media. It was also confirmed as Shekau's voice by Berlin-based jihadist expert Yan St-Pierre of the Modern Security Consulting Group (Mosecon), who said his message had laid bare divisions within the group. "The person who posted on the internet is a very reliable source," he told AFP. "We knew that Boko Haram was divided on a strategic point of view, now their divisions are public," he said. - 'They deceived me' - Shekau's audio message was released after IS on Tuesday published an interview with Sheikh Abu Musab al-Barnawi in its Al-Naba online weekly magazine in which he was introduced as Boko Haram's new leader. In the interview, Barnawi talks about the history of jihad in this region but makes no clear reference to Shekau. Since March 2015, Barnawi has appeared in several videos distributed by Boko Haram, claiming responsibility for successive attacks, earning him the reputation of group spokesman, experts say. But in his message, Shekau takes aim at Barnawi, dismissing him as an infidel who condones living in an un-Islamic society without waging jihad. And in a tacit acknowledgement that his own position as leader may have been usurped, he speaks of being tricked by some of his followers. "They deceived me," he said. "And now I find myself being forced to follow another character who practices disbelief," he says, in a message which becomes increasingly more animated as he speaks. - A house divided - St-Pierre said the message suggested Shekau was trying to retain his base of support within Boko Haram without compromising the commitment to IS. "In the message, Shekau refers to Boko Haram under its previous name, but with some ISIS propaganda elements, as if he wanted to reassure its old combattants and base, without denying his commitment to (its leader Abu Bakr) al-Bagdadi," he said. Speculation over the fate -- and alleged disappearance -- of Shekau has been rife in recent months: he was last seen in a YouTube video in March, looking weak, and saying: "For me, the end has come." He became Boko Haram leader after Nigerian security forces killed the group's founding chief Mohammed Yusuf in 2009, sparking an insurgency that has left 20,000 people dead and forced 2.6 million people to flee their homes. But the group has become fractured under his leadership, experts told AFP after the Barnawi interview was released. "Boko Haram has lost its prestige and become difficult to control (under Shekau). Today, Boko Haram is divided into several little groups," St-Pierre said. And a Nigerian security analyst said he believed Shekau was still alive, but that IS may be seeking to clean up Boko Haram's reputation among jihadists, by ousting a leader seen as disorganised and unreliable. Boko Haram has been pegged back by an aggressive fightback from the Nigerian military since January 2014, losing territory and its capacity to mount conventional attacks. Imagine not being able to control your eyelids, your mouth and other voluntary muscles within your body. How would you feel if you Dr-Dampsongot extremely fatigued by the least work such that you couldnt even lift a finger, nor talk? That is just an iota of what patients of Myasthenia Gravis; a neurological disorder, go through on a daily basis. Dr. Kemi Olawaiye-Dampson; a medical Doctor at New Crystal Hospital Takoradi, who is also a victim of this disorder tells rawgist.com all is set for the National launch of a Foundation to help with diagnosis and treatment of the condition in Ghana. She explains that it is very expensive to diagnose and treat the condition. During diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis, the sample has to be sent to South Africa for it to be tested. The first one costs about a thousand cedis while the second one costs about five thousand cedis, she explained to rawgist.coms Bernard Buachi during the launch of her book detailing her personal experiences with Myasthenia Gravis all through her life. She explains that her foundation will serve as a support group, help subsidize costs of diagnosis and treatment and possibly make it completely free. Myasthenia Gravis is not covered by health insurance in Ghana; a situation that makes life very tough for patients suffering from this rare condition. A Neurologist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital; Dr. Stephen Sarfo explains that Myasthenia Gravis makes the muscles of the body unable to work well and easily fatigued. Patients of Myasthenia Gravis also have difficulty breathing. They cant exercise. He adds that it affects more women than men. The cause is not really known, but it is thought that the body produces some chemicals that work against the muscles and impair their functions. Dr. Sarfo explains further that Myasthenia Gravis is a condition that is often missed by Doctors, adding that the treatment is usually lifelong. It is however not contagious. About five out of every one million people in Ghana will have Myasthenia Gravis. Medical Doctors and invited guests at the book launch held in Kumasi donated their widows mite towards making the Foundation a reality. Dr. Kemi Olawaiye-Dampson also made a passionate appeal to all to contribute to the foundation to help alleviate the plight of poor people suffering from Myasthenia Gravis. A Resident Family Physician at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital; Dr. Fred Bedzrah who was also a class mate of the author led the auction of the book. He explained that the condition lends itself to negative interpretations by society and wrong diagnosis by members of the medical community. He advised teachers and workers not to be quick to criticize a student who is unable to learn or misses classes as being lazy. Some might also give the condition all sorts of spiritual interpretations that may not help the patient, he explained and asked Ghanaians to donate generously towards the setting up of the foundation since the country has so far failed patients of Myasthenia Gravis. Contact Dr. Kemi Olawaiye-Dampson can be contacted via email at [email protected] 04.08.2016 LISTEN Three airline companies will be responsible for the airlifting of Nigerian pilgrims to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the 2016 Hajj exercise. They are two Nigerian companies: Med-view and Max Air in addition to a Saudi Arabian company Fly- Nas. The trio made the list after serious challenges that greeted the Nigerian submission to the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA). The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria has a provision that air traffic for 2016 Hajj was subject to instructions by the Saudi GACA. One of the reasons that led to the final selection of the three air carriers was the provision of the MoU. The policy of the commission mandates that all service providers in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia namely: Air carriers, excess luggage carriers, accommodation providers in Makkah and Madinah, food caterers, transport providers, tent providers, zamzam providers, amongst others be properly screened by the Commission. Agreements are signed between each service provider and the Commission on behalf of the Nigeria pilgrims and every bit of the contracts is clearly spelt out. Nine air carriers and four excess luggage carries had made the final list at the opening of bidding which took place in March 2016 at Stonehedge hotel, Abuja. The screened carriers were Azman Air Services, Chanchangi Airlines, Dornier AIEP, Fly-Nas, Kabo Air Limited, Max Air Limited, Med-View Airlines, Skypower Express Airways Limited and Top Brass, while applicants for excess luggage were Cargo Zeal Technologies Limited, Evergreen and White, Med-View International Travels and Cargo and NAHCO Aviance. The committee that conducted the screening was made up of the executive commissioners of the Commission, Board members representing the six geopolitical zones, representative of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), aviation experts from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), NAMA, NIMET, AIPB, Customs, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), officials of Osun, Kano, Nasarawa states and the FCT who represented all other states. Bar. Alhassan Abdulkarim from the Commission served as the secretary to the committee. The federal government approved six of the air carriers: Med-view Airlines Limited, Max Air Limited, Dornier Aviation Nigeria AEP Limited, Top Brass, AZMAN Air Services and a Saudi Arabia designated carrier Fly-Nas Air. This was after the commission had recommended same to the presidency. The government also approved two companies to airfreight pilgrims excess cargo. They are: NAHCO Aviance and Med-view International Travels and Cargo. NAHCON communicated the federal governments approved carriers to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to accord them all the necessary logistic and consular supports to enable them have smooth plan and execution of their assignment through prompt issuance of necessary visa to their officials, as well as officers of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). But alas, there came a challenge. The Saudi government through its aviation authority, GACA, rejected three of the six, even as all Nigerias efforts to ensure acceptance of all through diplomatic channels failed. They said that only airlines that operate schedule flights into the Kingdom are recognized by them. In the alternative, they demanded for 50% of the Nigerian pilgrims. The GACA demanded the implementation of the bilateral agreement signed on September 27, 2010 between Nigeria and the Kingdom on the 50% sharing of Nigerias hajj quota as obtainable in other nations: Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, amongst others. The demand is that the total number of pilgrims allocated to Nigeria every year be shared 50:50 between Nigerian air carriers and Saudi Arabian Airlines or its designated carrier. The genesis of this struggle is interesting. Nigeria engaged the Saudis for several years on this traffic sharing demand until it reached a point that Nigeria had no option than the bilateral aviation agreement between the two countries. Since 2009, many correspondences were exchanged and meetings held by the aviation sectors of the two countries. Sometimes the Saudi Ministry of Hajj was involved. Nigerias insistence on local content nearly spelt doom for Hajj operations in 2014 when the Ministry of Hajj sent warning letter to Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter. The implication may have been to stop Nigeria from that years Hajj. Part of the letter dated April 23, 2014 reads: the authorities in Nigeria should be ready to bear the consequences of violating such agreement in line with bilateral agreement which was signed by both parties, in addition to the terms stated in the international treaties regarding the equal sharing of airlifting opportunities between both countries. In addition, it accused Nigerian authorities of complicating the efforts made by the Saudi Arabian national air carrier to partake in the airlift operations as agreed by both parties. It read further; it should be noted that the authorities concerned in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not forfeit its agreed quota for the airlift of pilgrims as it occurred in previous years. Furthermore, it will ensure that the quota for Saudi Arabian Airline is guaranteed by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) which is the body vested with that responsibility before the commencement of the airlift of pilgrims during this years Hajj season. In another letter on May 14, 2014, the Saudis expressed consternation over exclusion of Fly-Nas from the operations, noting that Fly-Nas was ranked the second national air carrier in the Kingdom. However, in 2010 a Saudi-based airline Al-Wafeer was approved to airlift pilgrims under tour operators. It could not market itself, so it operated only one flight. In 2011, Nas Air of Saudi Arabia was approved but it could not market itself to the states, so it could not operate that year. In 2013, Nas Air was approved to airlift tour operators pilgrims; it failed to operate due to poor marketing. In the same year, the Saudi Arabian airline applied to participate but later withdrew before the opening of the bid. In 2014, both Saudi airline and Fly-Nas applied for states and tour operators respectively sequel to a meeting between aviation authorizes of both countries on 9th and 10thFebruary, 2014. The former applied late after closing date, while latter did not comply with the Nigerian aviation regulations. On August 11, 2014, a 17-man high-powered delegation led by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad met with the Director-General of GACA Dr. Faisal H. Al-Sugair and his 10-man team in Jeddah to further discuss and agree on the allocation of Nigerian pilgrims for airlift by the Saudi-based airlines. It was agreed, amongst others, that 9,500 pilgrims from Abuja and Kaduna axis be given to Saudi Arabian airline or Fly-Nas on its behalf without third party carriers; that GACA would facilitate allocation of direct flight slots to Madinah to approved carriers in accordance with Madinah Hajj allocation procedures; and that both parties meet immediately after the years Hajj to agree on a framework to enable participation of Saudi national carriers in the airlift operation according to GACA Hajj instruction. The agreement was endorsed by the leaders of both parties. On 16th and 17thFebruary, 2015, a 29-man delegation led by two permanent secretaries of Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Aviation met in Jeddah with GACA delegation led by its Safety and Air Transport manager and his 12-man team. In an agreement signed by Ambassador Danjuma N. Sheni of Foreign Affairs and Captain Mohammed Ali Jamjoom of GACA, the two parties agreed, amongst others, that Nigeria will allocate 25% of its pilgrims (16,000) to Fly-Nas for 2015 Hajj, while there will be a yearly increment of the allocations as follows: 2016-35%, 2017-45% and 2018-50%. The two parties agreed that the memorandum shall come into force with immediate effect and shall supersede all previous arrangements. For 2016 Hajj, the commission has signed agreements with the three approved air carriers during an that took place at the conference hall of the commission early July in the presence of members of the Senate committee on Foreign Affairs, House committee on Nigeria-Saudi Arabia Parliamentary Friendship and Hajj Affairs, Saudi Embassy in Abuja and chief executives of the airlines as well as senior management staff of the commission. The commission bluntly told the carriers that nothing less than high standard service delivery in term of timeliness, comfort and commitment will be accepted since the agreement was on behalf of all Nigerian pilgrims who cannot be present by themselves but who deserve to receive quality services for their hard-earned money. The presence of members of both Chambers of the National Assembly and the Saudi Arabia embassy was for the first time in the history of signing such agreements. The Chairman, senate committee on foreign Affairs, Sen. Monsurat Sunmonu applauded the commissions transparency and commitment in the process of air carriers selection, while chairman, House Committee on House committee on Nigeria-Saudi Arabia Parliamentary Friendship and Hajj Affairs, Hon. Abdullahi Salame urged synergy amongst the air carriers. It will be recalled that since the participation of Saudi-based Fly-Nas in the Nigerian operations, certain privileges have been granted Nigeria in term of exclusion from paying royalties by the pilgrims, easy acquisition of airlift slots to Nigerian air carriers and facilitation of direct flight into Madinah from all the departures centers in Nigeria. It will also be recalled that a former governor of Sokoto state once offered an open cheque to the Saudi Airline to airlift the state contingents to Hajj at any cost the airline would charge. Muhammad Ajah lives in Abuja. E-mail [email protected] Yesterday, 27th July, 2016 Will Go Down In The History Of This Land As The Day Two Prominent Muslims Of The Land Woke Up On The Shores Of The Afterlife. One Was The Wife Of The General Manager Of The Greater Accra Islamic Education Unit, Sheikh Armeyao Shuaibu And The Other Was Alhaji Adamu Iddrisu, The Owner And Chairman Of Global Haulage Group Limited (GHGL). May Their Souls Rest In Absolute Serenity. I was at the latters funeral gathering at the head office of Global Haulage Group Ltd at Achimota and I left there with a change in my usually lively and spirited mood. The sea of mourners with their attractively-packed cars, the melancholic countenances with an ambiance of sorrow and the surreptitious burial with its attendant quietness brought every activity to a tie-up. With a mere sight on the faces of mourners, one could sense the ejaculation of sorrow. Everybody concurred on the decision to bury him privately in the edifice of his domicile. It would have taken hours of difficulty and everything will have ended in a gridlock. (Gridlock: The stoppage of free vehicular movement in an urban area because key intersections are blocked by traffic). The death of Alhaji Adamu Global as he was affectionately called attracted high-profile personalities. The vice-president of the land, His Excellency Kwesi-Amissah Arthur was there to finally escort the remains of the great entrepreneur. The former President of the land, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufour was there and refused to move away from the sun when told to. He cited the fact that those praying for the dead body were also under the sun. That was when the final prayer for Alhaji Adamu was in session. Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, Mr. Inusah Fuseini were among the top-notch individuals of the country who came to bid their farewell to the philanthropist. I described the death as nation-stopper. I am not writing to inform anyone about this death. Its already known. Far from that. I wrote this because I am peeved and seriously disappointed. That a great man of such status will die without something to glean from about the major decisions he took in his life that shaped him. A great entrepreneur of such standing should have a well-documented chronicle about his life. Alhaji Adamu died at the age of 72. In his three score and ten life on earth, he founded the Global Haulage Company. According to the companys website, Global Haulage Company Limited is one of the most successful private transport entities in Ghana. The success of this company has been accomplished by virtue of the principles and beliefs fused into it by the Founder and Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Iddrisu. This is a man who demands HONESTY, HARD WORK and LOYALTY which he believes must permeate the entire business organization. Global Haulage Company Ltd. operates throughout the length and breadth of Ghana and to other destinations in the West African Sub Region. It evacuates 17% of the total national output of about 650,000 tonnes of cocoa from producing areas in the hinterland to in- land Take Over Points and the two sea ports of Tema and Takoradi. It also transports commodities like lime from Takoradi to mining companies in West Africa and also steel products, fertilizer, chemicals, consumables etc. from the two sea ports to destinations within the country and the Sub region. Under the name Global Haulage Group Ltd, eleven successful companies formed by Alhaji Adamu thrive. These are the Global Haulage Company Limited, the Royal Bank, Imperial General Insurance, Federated Commodities, Trans Royal Ltd, Cocoa Merchant, Royal Commodities, Isudam Construction and more recently, Global Automobile Limited. It also has the GG Farms and Global Haulage Real Estate, which is into the construction of warehouses and residential properties. Alhaji Adamu has left us sadly and with nothing for the generations to come to read and understand the difficulties he had to overcome to become one of the most affluent men in our nation. We read about entrepreneurs and other great men from other parts of the world from books authored by themselves or others. They help us in one way or the other. However, we need more of the lives of our successful ones to be written. It will resonate well with our circumstances here in Ghana. In that way, we can easily identify with the choices they made. The situation elsewhere can never be the same as in Ghana. We should be given the honor of knowing how they were able to make it in a land Mensah Otabil described as poisoned. That will definitely inspire us and imbue in us the confidence that through pluck and sweat and smarts, each of us can rise above the circumstances of our birth as Barrack Obama stated. Alhaji Adamus chronicle will have been a life worth-reading. To inspire and carry along the next generation of our entrepreneurs. A lot of the people who know Alhaji Adamu only know about the good times. They never knew about the turbulent period in his life. They never knew how he struggled to build such a business empire. They never knew how he rose from nowhere to be a recipient of the Millennium Excellence Awards. How he became the Greater Accra District Best Farmer in 1986 and the Greater Accra Regional Best Farmer in 1987. They never knew about the two awards he received during the Africa International Awards in Tunisia in 1992, and two European Awards- Brussels in 1999 and Spain in 2003. A lot will never know either. Chinua Achebe stated in Things fall Apart that Looking at a kings mouth, one would think he never sucked at his mothers breast. A lot do not see the difficulties Alhaji had to surmount to reach where he reached. In 1971, Global Haulage had only 15 vehicles. The company now runs over 230 trucks daily. It transports goods from the Tema and Takoradi port to Northern Ghana, Mali, Niger and other countries in the West African sub-region. When the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology conferred an Honorary Doctorate degree on him in 2015, he said this to the Daily Graphic when interviewed When many transport companies left Ghana in 1980 to seek greener pastures in other African countries, we stayed in Ghana to build this brand. The last time I had a chat with Abdul Salam Daaru, the CEO of Yaa Salam Publishers, we lamented the fact that we really have such paucity of writers and written materials as a people. He exhorted all of us to begin writing no matter how insignificant the subject is. Another brother of mine (Idris Gulo of the Gh Online Radio) left me speechless when he reminded me that the National Chief Imams life has not been documented yet. How sad! The late Adamu Iddrisu was born at Old Fadama, a suburb of Accra, near the bubbling Agbogbloshie foodstuff market. Yet he has risen through the mill to a position where he is providing job opportunities for about 12,000 people in direct and indirect labor. The advice I have for his twenty-six children is that they should have even if it is a short story of their great dad documented. To the youth, I leave you with my words. These words were captured in another piece I wrote. It is titled Letter to Hassan: Ghana must write more. It was published on Ghana Web on 5th July, 2014. When we say Ghana must work again, we are not only talking about the economy and governance. We are also not only talking about sports. Neither are we also talking about the manufacturing of aircrafts and rocket science. When we say Ghana must work again, it encompasses everything. Including that which consolidates our heritage as a people, everything that entrenches our position on the map of the world and everything that will make later generations proud of the well-documented history and lives of their successors. And writing will massively ensure that. Thank you! Inusah Mohammed. [email protected] NB: The writer is a Youth-Activist and a Student of Knowledge. Accra, August 02, 2016 MTN, the leading mobile telecommunications company in Ghana, has presented a cash cheque, air time and drinks hamper to the Ada Traditional Council in support of the upcoming Ada Asafotufiami Festival. The Company will also assist with the organisation of the Durbar of Chiefs and People of Ada, the Ada Royal Walk and MTN Asafotu Jam at Kemmat Hotel. During the celebration, MTN will also provide a platform for patrons to experience the Companys newly launched 4G LTE services. There will be 4G LTE experiential setups at vantage points in Ada with data ambassadors and MTN canvassers available to support patrons with their data needs. Data ambassadors will assist customers who need to activate data bundles and also provide internet settings for customers who want to use internet on their phones and devices. In a brief presentation to the chiefs and elders at Ada, MTNs Regional Sales Manager for Greater Accra Region, Mr. Prince Nyarko said, We are pleased to see that the 2016 Asafotufiame festival coincides with our companys 20 years of operations in Ghana. In view of this, we have come to express our gratitude to the people of Ada for your support during the two decades. You have contributed in making it possible for MTN to be in business for 20 years. Mr. Nyarko continued, As an indigenous African organisation, MTN is committed to supporting and promoting our rich Ghanaian heritage and festivals are an important component of this rich heritage. As a result, we have in the past nine years committed our resources to supporting selected traditional festivals each year across the country. MTN delegation used the opportunity to inform the leaders and members of the community of the launch of the MTNs 4G service and encouraged customers to swap their SIM cards to enable them experience the benefits of 4G LTE technology. Receiving the items on behalf of the Ada Traditional Council and festival planning committee, Mr Jonathan Dokutso, the Secretary to the Planning Committee, expressed his gratitude to the management of MTN for their continuous commitment to support Ada Asafotufiami. As part of MTNs plan to support and promote Ghanaian culture and heritage, the company supports over 12 traditional and regional festivals across the country, including the Asogli Yam Festival, Kwahu Easter Festival, Kobine Festival, Oguaa Fetu Afahye, Esikado Kuntum and Hobetsotsoza. The Company also celebrates MTN-initiated regional festivals - Oil City Fest, Savannah fest, Ashanti Fest, Suncity Fest and Sallah Fest, among others. A youth group linked to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Krobo Youth for Mahama, has pledged its unflinching support for President John Mahama and have vowed to work hard to ensure a second term victory for the president in the December polls. Speaking at the group leaders conference held at the Oklemekuku Community Center at Odumase , Krobo on Saturday, the Convener of the Group, Francis Amanor, a former TEIN Executive of the Koforidua Polytechnic said, our group includes young men and women who share in the vision of the NDC and its 2016 agenda 50-50 in the Eastern Region. We are gathered here today in response to the call by thousands of our youth in the Krobo constituencies to once again demonstrate our appreciation to the NDC for all that it has done for our Communities. The NDC has proven over the years that it is the party for the nation, not for a few, through infrastructural development, improved health care delivery, improved security, numerous social interventions in our Communities, and throughout the country. Our objective is to ensure that his Excellency John Dramani Mahama secures an overwhelming victory come December 7, 2016 and to ensure the Eastern Region NDC snatches eight parliamentary seats from the NPP to add to the seven the party currently has. The seats we will work hard for the NDC to snatch from the NPP include Asuogyaman, Ayensuano, Abetifi, Fanteakwa North, Abirim, Suhum, Akim Oda and Ofoase-Ayirebi. As a group, we will reach out to all the communities across the Krobo constituencies to ensure an effective mobilization of the youth and first time voters. We will educate them on matters relating to the elections and promote our presidential and parliamentary candidates. Its our belief that when the parliamentary candidates do well in the polls, it will provide a shine for our flag-bearers victory, he said. The Chief Executive of the Lower Manya Municipal Assembly, Francis Acolatse, who chaired the function urged the youth to work hard to garner lots of votes for Mahama and the NDC parliamentary candidates in all the Krobo Constituencies. I urge you to extend your influence to all Krobo speaking people in every part of the Eastern Region. We need all of them to come out in their numbers to show their love for President Mahama by voting massively for him. An Adviser to the Krobo Youth for Mahama, Owula Mangortey went through the NDC Green book and highlighted the many infrastructural developments and social interventions of the government. He said, if Nana Oye Lithur is to speak of the impact of the social intervention programs in the rural and urban poor communities that will get the electorate expressing gratitude to President Mahama by way of massive votes in the December elections. As we work hard to navigate phase two of the Transformational Agenda with Mahama as our leader and president, we are convinced that more initiatives and development projects shall be rolled out. John Mahama is post-independence-born president and he gives us hope and confidence. Having risen through the ranks as a member of parliament for 12 years, a deputy Minister/Minister of communication for four years, and Vice president for three and half years, and a President, it is only natural that the good people of Ghana give Mahama the opportunity to serve his second term. President Rawlings had eight years to complete his agenda. President Kufuor had 8 years. President Mahama deserves 6 years to leave us a legacy and a great heritage, I am urging you to work hard to ensure total and uncontestable victory for President Mahama, Mangortey told the youth. The Lower Manya Krobo Municipality has a total population of 89,246 with males and females constituting 46.5 percent, and 53.5 percent of the population respectively. The Municipality has a youthful population with 35.1 percent of the population below 15 years. The aged (60 years and older) constitute 8.3 percent of the population. With a household population of 87,649 the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality has an average household size of four persons per households which is slightly higher for rural areas (4.2) than urban areas (3.9). Majority (61.7%) of the household population in the Municipality live in extended family households. A Ghanaian-born German, Harry Sarfo jailed last year for his involvement in terror activities has warned of more ISIS attacks in the Western countries. Believing he was answering a holy call, Harry Sarfo left his home in the working-class city of Bremen last year and drove for four straight days to reach the territory controlled by the Islamic State in Syria . He barely had time to settle in before members of the Islamic States secret service, wearing masks over their faces, came to inform him and his German friend that they no longer wanted Europeans to come to Syria. Where they were really needed was back home, to help carry out the groups plan of waging terrorism across the globe. Harry Sarfo in a jailhouse interview reveals the workings of a unit whose lieutenants are empowered to plan attacks around the world. He was speaking openly about the situation, saying that they have loads of people living in European countries and waiting for commands to attack the European people, Mr. Sarfo recounted on Monday, in an interview with The New York Times conducted in English inside the maximum-security prison near Bremen. And that was before the Brussels attacks, before the Paris attacks . The masked man explained that, although the group was well set up in some European countries, it needed more attackers in Germany and Britain, in particular. They said, Would you mind to go back to Germany, because thats what we need at the moment, Mr. Sarfo recalled. And they always said they wanted to have something that is occurring in the same time: They want to have loads of attacks at the same time in England and Germany and France. The operatives belonged to an intelligence unit of the Islamic State known in Arabic as the Emni, which has become a combination of an internal police force and an external operations branch, dedicated to exporting terror abroad, according to thousands of pages of French, Belgian, German and Austrian intelligence and interrogation documents obtained by The Times. The Islamic States attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 brought global attention to the groups external terrorism network , which began sending fighters abroad two years ago. Now, Mr. Sarfos account, along with those of other captured recruits, has further pulled back the curtain on the groups machinery for projecting violence beyond its borders. What they describe is a multilevel secret service under the overall command of the Islamic States most senior Syrian operative, spokesman and propaganda chief, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani. Below him is a tier of lieutenants empowered to plan attacks in different regions of the world, including a secret service for European affairs, a secret service for Asian affairs and a secret service for Arab affairs, according to Mr. Sarfo. An External Operations Branch Within the Islamic State At least 10 deadly attacks against Westerners have been directed or coordinated by a special unit of the Islamic State dedicated to exporting terror abroad. In addition, more than 30 people working for this group were arrested before they could carry out attacks. Reinforcing the idea that the Emni is a core part of the Islamic States operations, the interviews and documents indicate that the unit has carte blanche to recruit and reroute operatives from all parts of the organization from new arrivals to seasoned battlefield fighters, and from the groups special forces and its elite commando units. Taken together, the interrogation records show that operatives are selected by nationality and grouped by language into small, discrete units whose members sometimes only meet one another on the eve of their departure abroad. And through the coordinating role played by Mr. Adnani, terror planning has gone hand-in-hand with the groups extensive propaganda operations including, Mr. Sarfo claimed, monthly meetings in which Mr. Adnani chose which grisly videos to promote based on battlefield events. Based on the accounts of operatives arrested so far, the Emni has become the crucial cog in the groups terrorism machinery, and its trainees led the Paris attacks and built the suitcase bombs used in a Brussels airport terminal and subway station . Investigation records show that its foot soldiers have also been sent to Austria, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia. With European officials stretched by a string of assaults by seemingly unconnected attackers who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, Mr. Sarfo suggested that there may be more of a link than the authorities yet know. He said he was told that undercover operatives in Europe used new converts as go-betweens, or clean men, who help link up people interested in carrying out attacks with operatives who can pass on instructions on everything from how to make a suicide vest to how to credit their violence to the Islamic State. The group has sent hundreds of operatives back to the European Union, with hundreds more in Turkey alone, according to a senior United States intelligence official and a senior American defense official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. Mr. Sarfo, who was recently moved out of solitary confinement at his German prison because he is no longer considered violent, agrees with that assessment. Many of them have returned, he said. Hundreds, definitely. An Islamic State sign in June in Manbij, a northern Syrian town that was one of the groups hubs for processing foreign fighters. Credit Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse Getty Images Vetting Recruits The first port of call for new arrivals to the Islamic State is a network of dormitories in Syria, just across the border from Turkey. There, recruits are interviewed and inventoried. Mr. Sarfo was fingerprinted, and a doctor came to draw a blood sample and perform a physical examination. A man with a laptop conducted an intake interview. He was asking normal questions like: Whats your name? Whats your second name? Whos your mom? Wheres your mom originally from? What did you study? What degree do you have? Whats your ambition? What do you want to become? Mr. Sarfo said. His background was also of interest. He was a regular at a radical mosque in Bremen that had already sent about 20 members to Syria, at least four of whom were killed in battle, according to Daniel Heinke, the German Interior Ministrys counterterrorism coordinator for the area. And he had served a one-year prison sentence for breaking into a supermarket safe and stealing 23,000 euros. Even though the punishment for theft in areas under Islamic State control is amputation, a criminal past can be a valued asset, Mr. Sarfo said, especially if they know you have ties to organized crime and they know you can get fake IDs, or they know you have contact men in Europe who can smuggle you into the European Union. The bureaucratic nature of the intake procedure was recently confirmed by American officials after USB drives were recovered in the recently liberated Syrian city of Manbij, one of the hubs for processing foreign fighters. Mr. Sarfo checked all the necessary boxes, and on the third day after his arrival, the members of the Emni came to ask for him. He wanted to fight in Syria and Iraq, but the masked operatives explained that they had a vexing problem. Continue reading the main story They told me that there arent many people in Germany who are willing to do the job, Mr. Sarfo said soon after his arrest last year, according to the transcript of his interrogation by German officials, which runs more than 500 pages. They said they had some in the beginning. But one after another, you could say, they chickened out, because they got scared cold feet. Same in England. By contrast, the group had more than enough volunteers for France. My friend asked them about France, Mr. Sarfo said. And they started laughing. But really serious laughing, with tears in their eyes. They said, Dont worry about France. Mafi mushkilah in Arabic, it means no problem. That conversation took place in April 2015, seven months before the coordinated killings in Paris in November, the worst terrorist attack in Europe in over a decade. While some details of Mr. Sarfos account cannot be verified, his statements track with what other recruits related in their interrogations. And both prison officials and the German intelligence agents who debriefed Mr. Sarfo after his arrest said they found him credible. Since the rise of the Islamic State over two years ago, intelligence agencies have been collecting nuggets on the Emni. Originally, the unit was tasked with policing the Islamic States members, including conducting interrogations and ferreting out spies, according to interrogation records and analysts. But French members arrested in 2014 and 2015 explained that the Emni had taken on a new portfolio: projecting terror abroad. Its the Emni that ensures the internal security inside Dawla the Arabic word for state and oversees external security by sending abroad people they recruited, or else sending individuals to carry out violent acts, like what happened in Tunisia inside the museum in Tunis, or else the aborted plot in Belgium, said Nicolas Moreau, 32, a French citizen who was arrested last year after leaving the Islamic State in Syria, according to his statement to Frances domestic intelligence agency. Mr. Moreau explained that he had run a restaurant in Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital of the groups territory, where he had served meals to key members of the Emni including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the on-the-ground commander of the Paris attacks, who was killed in a standoff with the police days later. Other interrogations, as well as Mr. Sarfos account, have led investigators to conclude that the Emni also trained and dispatched the gunman who opened fire on a beach in Sousse, Tunisia, in June, and the man who prepared the Brussels airport bombs. Records from French, Austrian and Belgian intelligence agencies show that at least 28 operatives recruited by the Emni succeeded in deploying to countries outside of the Islamic States core territory, mounting both successful attacks and plots that were foiled. Officials say that dozens of other operatives have slipped through and formed sleeper cells. In his own interactions with the Emni, Mr. Sarfo realized that they were preparing a global portfolio of terrorists and looking to fill holes in their international network, he said. He described what he had been told about the groups work to build an infrastructure in Bangladesh. There, a siege by a team of Islamic State gunmen left at least 20 hostages dead at a cafe last month, almost all of them foreigners. Mr. Sarfo said that for Asian recruits, the group was looking specifically for militants who had emerged from Al Qaedas network in the region. People especially from Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia they have people who used to work for Al Qaeda, and once they joined the Islamic State, they are asking them questions about their experiences and if they have contacts, he said. In his briefings with the German authorities, and again in the interview this week, Mr. Sarfo raised the possibility that some of the recent attackers in Europe who pledged allegiance to the Islamic States leader during their assaults might have a more direct link to the group than officials believe. Mr. Sarfo explained that the Emni keeps many of its operatives underground in Europe. They act as nodes that can remotely activate potential suicide attackers who have been drawn in by propaganda. Linking them are what Mr. Sarfo called clean men, new converts to Islam with no established ties to radical groups. These people are not in direct contact with these guys who are doing the attacks, because they know if these people start talking, they will get caught, he said of the underground operatives. They mostly use people who are new Muslims, who are converts, he said. Those clean converts get in contact with the people, and they give them the message. And in the case of some videotaped pledges of allegiance, the go-between can then send the video on to the handler in Europe, who uploads it for use by the Islamic States propaganda channels. The intelligence documents and Mr. Sarfo agree that the Islamic State has made the most of its recruits nationalities by sending them back to plot attacks at home. Yet one important region where the Emni is not thought to have succeeded in sending trained attackers is North America, Mr. Sarfo said, recalling what the members of the branch told him. Though dozens of Americans have become members of the Islamic State, and some have been recruited into the external operations wing, they know its hard for them to get Americans into America once they have traveled to Syria, he said. For America and Canada, its much easier for them to get them over the social network, because they say the Americans are dumb they have open gun policies, he said. They say we can radicalize them easily, and if they have no prior record, they can buy guns, so we dont need to have no contact man who has to provide guns for them. Tanks captured by Kurdish militias in Syria last year. The Arabic writing identifies them as belonging to Jaysh al-Khalifa, or the Army of the Caliphate, an elite Islamic State unit. Credit Mauricio Lima for The New York Times Training Days Since late 2014, the Islamic State has instructed foreigners joining the group to make their trip look like a holiday in southern Turkey, including booking a return flight and paying for an all-inclusive vacation at a beach resort, from which smugglers arrange their transport into Syria, according to intelligence documents and Mr. Sarfos account. That cover story creates pressure to keep things moving quickly during the recruits training in Syria, and most get a bare minimum just a few days of basic weapons practice, in some instances. When they go back to France or in Germany, they can say, I was only on holidays in Turkey, Mr. Sarfo said. The longer they stay in the Islamic State, the more suspicious the secret service in the West gets, and thats why they try to do the training as quickly as possible. Mr. Sarfos facility in both German and English he studied construction at Newham College in East London made him attractive as a potential attacker. Though the Emni approached him several times to ask him to return to Germany, he demurred, he said. Eventually, Mr. Sarfo, perhaps because of his burly build 6-foot-1 and around 286 pounds when he arrived in Syria, though he has lost weight since then was drafted into the Islamic States quwat khas, Arabic for special forces. The unit only admitted single men who agreed not to marry during the duration of their training. In addition to providing the offensive force to infiltrate cities during battles, it was one of several elite units that became recruiting pools for the external operations branch, Mr. Sarfo said. Along with his German friend, he was driven to the desert outside Raqqa. They dropped us off in the middle of nowhere and told us, We are here, he said, according to the transcript of one of his interrogation sessions. So were standing in the desert and thought to ourselves, Whats going on? When the two Germans looked more closely, they realized there were cavelike dwellings around them. Everything above ground was painted with mud so as to be invisible to drones. Showering was prohibited. Eating was prohibited, too, unless they gave it to you, Mr. Sarfo said, adding that he had shared a cave with five or six others. Even drinking water was harshly rationed. Each dwelling received two cups of water a day, put on the doorstep, he said. And the purpose of this was to test us, see who really wants it, whos firm. The grueling training began: hours of running, jumping, push-ups, parallel bars, crawling. The recruits began fainting. By the second week, they were each given a Kalashnikov assault rifle and told to sleep with it between their legs until it became like a third arm, he said, according to his interrogation transcript. The punishment for failing to keep up was harsh. There was one boy who refused to get up, because he was just too exhausted, Mr. Sarfo told the authorities. So they tied him to a pole with his legs and his arms and left him there. He learned that the special forces program involved 10 levels of training. After he graduated to Level 2, he was moved to an island on a river in Tabqa, Syria. The recruits sleeping spots now consisted of holes in the ground, covered by sticks and twigs. They practiced swimming, scuba diving and navigating by the stars. Throughout his training, Mr. Sarfo rubbed shoulders with an international cadre of recruits. When he first arrived at the desert campus, he ran laps alongside Moroccans, Egyptians, at least one Indonesian, a Canadian and a Belgian. And out on the island, he learned of similar special units, including one called Jaysh al-Khalifa, or the Army of the Caliphate. A 12-page criminal complaint indicates that the Islamic State tried to recruit at least one American into that unit, but he declined to enroll. The man, Mohamad Jamal Khweis, a 26-year-old from Alexandria, Va., traveled to Syria in December, only to be captured by Kurdish troops in Iraq in March. In his debriefing with the F.B.I., he explained that early on, he was approached by members of the unit. During his stay at this safe house, representatives from Jaysh Khalifa, a group described by the defendant as an offensive group, visited the new ISIL recruits, the complaint says. The representatives explained that their group was responsible for accepting volunteers from foreign countries who would be trained and sent back to their countries to conduct operations and execute attacks on behalf of ISIL. The groups requirements, among other things, were that recruits had to be single, would train in remote locations, must be free of any injuries and had to stay reclusive when returning to their home countries. Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the Islamic States spokesman, also commands a unit called the Emni, which has become both an internal policing force and an external operations branch. The Big Man As he progressed through the special forces training, Mr. Sarfo became closer with the emir of the camp, a Moroccan, who began to divulge details about how the Islamic States external operations effort was structured, he said. Mr. Sarfo learned that there was one outsize figure behind the groups strategies and ambitions. The big man behind everything is Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, he said. He is the head of the Emni, and he is the head of the special forces as well, Mr. Sarfo added. Everything goes back to him. Born in the town of Binnish in northern Syria, Mr. Adnani is said to be 39, and is the subject of a $5 million bounty from the State Departments Rewards for Justice program. But details about his life remain a mystery. There are very few available photos of him, and the one used on the State Departments website is years old. Mr. Sarfo explained that when recruits to the special forces finished all 10 levels of training, they were blindfolded and driven to meet Mr. Adnani, where they pledged allegiance to him directly. Mr. Sarfo was told that the blindfolds stayed on the whole time, so that even Mr. Adnanis best-trained fighters never know what he looks like. To the world, Mr. Adnani is better known as the official spokesman of the Islamic State, and the man who put out a global call this year for Muslims to attack unbelievers wherever they were, however they could. Adnani is much more than just the mouthpiece of this group, said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington who tracks the groups leadership. He is heavily involved in external operations. He is sort of the administrative yea or nay at the top of the pyramid, who signs off on attack plans, the details of which are handled by his subordinates. During his time in Syria, Mr. Sarfo was contacted by other German fighters who wanted him to be an actor in a propaganda film aimed at German speakers. They drove to Palmyra, and Mr. Sarfo was told to hold the groups black flag and to walk again and again in front of the camera as they filmed repeated takes. Syrian captives were forced to kneel, and the other German fighters shot them, showing an interest only in the cinematic effect. One turned to Mr. Sarfo immediately after killing a victim and asked: How did I look like? Did I look good, the way I executed? Mr. Sarfo said he had learned that videos like the one he acted in were vetted by Mr. Adnani himself in a monthly meeting of senior operatives. Theres a vetting procedure, he said. Once a month they have a shura which is a sitting, a meeting where all the videos and everything that is important, they start speaking about it. And Abu Muhammad al-Adnani is the head of the shura. Mr. Sarfo said he had started doubting his allegiance to ISIS during his training, after seeing how cruelly they treated those who could not keep up. Making the propaganda video provided his final disillusionment when he saw how many times they recorded each scene in the five-minute film. Back in Germany, when he had been inspired by similar videos, he had always assumed they were real, not staged. He began plotting his escape, which took weeks and involved sprinting and crawling in a field of mud before crossing into Turkey. He was arrested at Bremen Airport, where he landed on July 20, 2015, and he voluntarily confessed. He is now serving a three-year term on terrorism charges. Members of the Islamic State team that attacked Paris in November. Credit via Agence France-Presse Getty Images The Lieutenants Among the Islamic States innovations is the role of foreigners, especially Europeans, in the planning of attacks. Mr. Sarfos account agrees with investigation documents and the assessments of terrorism experts, who say that French and Belgian citizens like Mr. Abaaoud are more than just operatives and have been given managing roles. Its a creative and interesting operational road map, to be able to lean on someone like Abaaoud, who has his own network abroad, said Jean-Charles Brisard, chairman of the Center for the Analysis of Terrorism in Paris. They gave him the autonomy regarding tactics and strategy, even if the operation as a whole still needs a green light from the Islamic States leadership. Looking at the current leaders of the Emni, investigators have homed in on two in particular. They go by the aliases Abu Souleymane, a French citizen, and Abu Ahmad, described as Syrian. Both are considered top lieutenants of Mr. Adnani, according to the senior American defense official and senior intelligence official. The two men play a direct role in identifying fighters to be sent overseas, in choosing targets and in organizing logistics for operatives, including paying for smugglers to get them to Europe and, in at least one case, sending Western Union transfers, according to European intelligence documents. A glimpse into the possible role of Abu Souleymane came from one of the hostages held by suicide bombers inside the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November. After gunning down dozens of concertgoers, two of the suicide bombers retreated into a hallway with a group of hostages, forcing them to sit against the windows as human shields, said the hostage , David Fritz-Goeppinger, 24. In the two-and-a-half-hour standoff that ensued, Mr. Fritz heard one of the bombers ask the other, Should we call Souleymane? The second operative appeared annoyed that the first had asked the question in French, and ordered him to switch to Arabic. I immediately understood that, yes, this was the individual, maybe not the individual who had organized the attack, but who held a place in the hierarchy above them, Mr. Fritz said in a telephone interview. His testimony is also included in a detailed, 51-page report by Frances antiterrorism police. They were absolutely, like soldiers, awaiting orders, he said. Souleymane, whose full nom de guerre is Abu Souleymane al-Faransi, or Abu Souleymane the Frenchman, is believed to be a French national in his 30s who is of either Moroccan or Tunisian ancestry, according to Ludovico Carlino, a senior analyst with IHS Conflict Monitor in London. Mr. Carlino says he believes that Souleymane was promoted to be the top terrorism planner for Europe after Mr. Abaaouds death. A snapshot of the other senior leader, Abu Ahmad, appears in the account of a man who investigators have concluded was supposed to be part of the team of Paris attackers: an Algerian named Adel Haddadi. Mr. Haddadi said he and another member of the team, a former Lashkar-e-Taiba member from Pakistan named Muhammad Usman, were separated from two other attackers after they reached Greece by boat. Mr. Haddadi, 28, and Mr. Usman, 22, were eventually arrested in a migrant camp in Salzburg, Austria. The two men sent alongside them became the first suicide bombers to detonate their vests outside the Stade de France during the November attacks. After arriving in Syria and being routed to the international dormitory there in February 2015, Mr. Haddadi worked as a cook in Raqqa for months before a member of the Emni came to see him, according to French and Austrian investigation documents. One day, a Syrian came into the kitchen to see me and said that someone called Abu Ahmad wanted to see me, Mr. Haddadi was quoted as saying in the Austrian record of his interrogation. He was driven to a five-story building, where another Syrian holding a walkie talkie radioed Abu Ahmad. They waited for hours before the Syrian got orders to drive the recruit to the next location. In the street, a Saudi man wearing all white was waiting, and asked Mr. Haddadi to go on a walk. After 300 yards, they reached an empty apartment building and sat down. I was scared, I wanted to leave, but he talked the whole time, Mr. Haddadi told the authorities. He said only positive things about me, that Daesh trusted me and that I now needed to prove myself worthy of that trust. He said that Daesh was going to send me to France, Mr. Haddadi added, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. The details, he said, I would get them once I arrived in France. Sometime after that, Abu Ahmad arrived. Mr. Haddadi described him as a Syrian man between 38 and 42 years old, slim with a long, black beard, and dressed all in black. He was, Mr. Haddadi said, the giver of orders. Abu Ahmad brought Mr. Haddadi together with three other potential attackers, with the last man, Mr. Usman, being introduced just a day before they all set out for Europe. Mr. Haddadi and two of the other men were native Arabic speakers, and Mr. Usman spoke enough Arabic to communicate with them, the interrogation documents said. The day of their departure, Abu Ahmad came and gave them his Turkish cellphone number, instructing them to store it in their phone as FF, to avoid registering a name. He gave Mr. Haddadi $2,000 in $100 bills, and they were driven to the Turkish border. A man met them in Turkey to take their photographs, and returned with Syrian passports. Another smuggler arranged their Oct. 3 boat trip to Leros, Greece. All of these logistical steps, as well as Western Union money transfers, were organized by Abu Ahmad, one of the senior lieutenants running the Islamic States efforts to export terror. Until his arrest in December, Mr. Haddadi remained in touch with Abu Ahmad through messages on Telegram and via text messages to his Turkish number, according to the investigation record. Abu Ahmads Turkish number was found somewhere else, too: written on a slip of paper in the pants pocket of the severed leg of one of the suicide bombers at the Stade de France. 04.08.2016 LISTEN We received this information about the signing for the Second Edition of Mr. Milton Allimadis investigative journalism book, The Hearts of Darkness, How White Writers Created the Racist Image of Africa, from him [Mr. Allimadi] last week. As a matter of fact, we did actually publish a review of this book right here on Ghanaweb (June 30, 2016), titled The Hearts Of Darkness Decodes Western Medias Racism, as a feature article. Finally, Mr. Allimadi gave us the permission to share this important information, including an excerpt from the book (Chapter 10), with our general readers. And here is what he wants you to know! Greetings Sisters and Brothers. First things first. We now have a date and location for the first Book Reading and Signing for the Second Edition of "The Hearts of Darkness, How White Writers Created the Racist Image of Africa," due for publication August 15. The Book Signing is Saturday August 27, at "Nicholas Brooklyn" @ 570 Fulton Street from 4PM to 6PM. You can RSVP on the Facebook events page (https://www.facebook.com/events/hosting) Please save the date. Thanks to all those who've already ordered copies of the book. You can do so by visiting the GoFundMe page. (https://www.gofundme.com/2cj4hfvg) Today's excerpt "Kenya's 'Mau-Mau' Devils" is from Chapter X of the book. Best! Thanks Milton Allimadi Here's the excerpt: Even as the winds of political change began to blow across the African continent in the 1950s publications such as Time magazine and The New York Times remained hostile towards the independence movement in Kenya and Congo, a reflection of Western foreign policy to maintain the status quo. In Kenya, in order to justify the economic inequity favoring White settlers and the decades-long land dispossession, both Time magazine under its co-founder and editor, Henry Robinson Luce, and The New York Times demonized the liberation fighters of the Kenya Land And Freedom Army. They were derisively referred to as "Mau Mau" by the British colonial authorities. The Kenyans were fighting to reclaim land stolen and given to White settlers from the Kikuyu and other ethnic groups after Kenya became part of the British East Africa Protectorate in 1895. Time's publisher, Luce, was an avowed Christian fundamentalist. He wanted to continue in Kenya the crusade he had lost in China when Mao Xedong's Communist army crushed the forces of his idol Chiang Kai-Shek. In Kenya, as Luce saw it, the good guys were the British colonial officials and armed forces. The bad guys were the African "terrorists" who were being encouraged and misled by communist agitators and emboldened by "witch doctors" to attack Europeans. Time magazine published numerous articles depicting the freedom fighters as godless and irrational "savages" who had no objectives except mindless violence. One such article was published on September 1, 1952, under the abusive headline "Black & Red magic;" the red implied that the insurgency was an unholy alliance between African witchcraft and communism. "In recent years, the Black 97% of Kenya's population has banded together in a dozen fanatic, anti-white secret societies run by witch doctors and pledged to the slogan Africa for Africans," Time magazine claimed in the article, belittling the legitimate struggle to recover land while criminalizing the entire population of Africans who then numbered five million. Another Time magazine article ridiculing the uprising was published on November 3, 1952, under the contemptuous headline "The Meow-Meows." The article did mention land as an issue but then diminished its importance by emphasizing the alleged hatred of Whites by the Africans. "Part land hunger, part savage revolution against the domineering white man and the bewildering 20th century, the Mau Maus blind fury could, if left unchecked, turn the Crown Colony of Kenya into another Malaya," the article claimed. The reference to Malaya was to what's now Malaysia, which was at the time a British colony in the middle of an insurrection. The article's objective was to influence public opinion in the West in favor of a British military invasion of Kenya. The New York Times' own coverage of the rebellion also followed a narrative similar to Time magazine's. The Kenyan fighters were portrayed as demonic "terrorists" in the Times' articles. "Over the equatorial landscape of Kenya, the British Crown Colony in East Africa, lies the frightening shadow of Mau Mau, a secret tribal society whose campaign of murder has forced the imposition of martial law," The New York Times reported on December 7, 1952. While the Times' article conceded that much was not known about the "terrorist," it claimed, "The first aim of the Mau Mau, with its voodoo apparatus of disemboweled animals for warnings and long machete-like knives for their killings, seems to drive the 36,000 whites out of Kenya." "Jomo Kenyatta, who is held for trial as the suspected leader of the Mau Mau, received part of his education at the London School of Economics, married a white woman and thereafter visited Moscow," the article added. As if Africans needed outsiders to inspire them to fight and reclaim land stolen from them and reserved for the White minority population, the Times' article questioned whether the insurgency was a "spontaneous native uprising" or instigated from outside, since the organization seemed to "bear some resemblance to the cells of a communist organization." The Times' article never explained why the reputed leader of an "anti-White" movement had married a White woman. Presumably the alleged influence of communism came from Kenyatta's one visit to Moscow. The coverage of the uprising occurred during a period when the Cold War rivalry between West and East was very intense and being played out in Africa with each camp seeking ideological converts. Ironically, when Kenyatta was released, and even after Kenya's independence, he maintained that he had never been part of the uprising let alone having been its leader. The demonization of the liberation fighters as anti-White racists provided justification for the colonial governor Evelyn Baring's declaration of a state of emergency on October 20, 1952. The British unleashed scorched earth military operations. Thousands of Africans were killed and tens of thousands were detained in concentration camps on mere suspicion of being rebel sympathizers. The leading commanders of the rebellion were captured and executed after show trials, including the now iconic Dedan Kimathi, who was hanged on February 18, 1957. Years later, a former British colonial secretary, Oliver Lyttelton, published his reflections in "The Memoirs of Lord Chandos," (1962). "The kikuyu, a trading and intelligent but somewhat uncongenial people, came under the influence of Kenyatta, a demonic figure with extreme left wing views," Lyttelton wrote. "The driving force of the Mau Mau movement was, nakedly, power, and the expulsion of the white man: its methods of gaining adherents were the methods of African witchcraft. The Mau Mau oath is the most bestial, filthy and nauseating incantation which perverted minds can ever have brewed. I am not unduly squeamish, but when I first read it I was so revolted that it got between me and my appetite." In another passage, Lyttelton claimed he was constantly haunted by the "Mau Mau's" witchcraft while serving the Crown. "I can recall no instance when I have felt the forces of evil to be so near and so strong. As I wrote memoranda or instructions, he recalled, in his memoirs, I would suddenly see a shadow fall across the pagethe Horned shadow of the Devil himself." Below: Guerrilla leader Dedan Kimathi after being wounded and captured. Was executed by Britain after show trial. WBAI-Pacifica Radio (Gary Byrd) Milton Allimadi unveils the racial stereotyping which gave birth to 'all the news that's fit to printMilton Allimadi takes his scalpeland unveils the racial stereotyping of African people by the mainstream media. About Mr. Milton Allimadi Milton Allimadi attended the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia where he won the prestigious James Wechsler Memorial Prize award in international journalism. He has M.A. and Bachelors degrees in Economics from Syracuse University. He started his journalism career with internships at The Journal of Commerce and The Wall Street Journal. He was a freelance reporter for The New York Times, a reporter and deputy managing editor with The City Sun, before founding The Black Star News. Milton Allimadi publishes and edits The Black Star News which he co-founded in 1997 with seed funding from Bill and Camille Cosby. He previously was deputy editor of The City Sun and prior to that a Metro Desk news stringer for The New York Times. He's a graduate of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia. Allimadi is a member of a weekly reporters roundtable on WLIB every Sunday at 9.30PM and has been a frequent guest commentator on Errol Louis's Inside City Hall show on NY1 News and on Voice of America's "Straight Talk Africa" with Shaka Ssali. He runs a free weekly journalism workshop for local residents in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, every Monday (Source The Huffington Post). About Mr. Milton Allimadis Paper, Black Star News. Founded in 1997 BSN (Black Star News) has scored several news scoopsincluding a major Wall Street scandal at Morgan Stanley; a corrupt lawyer who fleeced money from settlement awards he'd won for Holocaust survivors; and many morethat have won it media coverage including on CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily News, The New York Post, Newsweek, The New York Times magazine, New York Observer, The Village Voice, and Brill's Content magazine. Please become a part of The Black Star News family today. Readers can reach Mr. Milton Allimadi (646)-261-7566 (or via [email protected]) Website (Black Star News): http://www.blackstarnews.com/info/about-us.html Milton Allimadi, Publisher/CEO The Black Star News www.blackstarnews.com P.O. Box 1472 New York, N.Y., 10274 (646) 261-7566 The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) has condemned government plans to hand over a key asset of the Volta River Authority (VRA) to an independent power producer, AMERI. It says all that government has to do is to replace some broken down turbines to get the Takoradi Thermal Plant, known as T3, working again. Instead, government is contracting AMERI to repair it and operate it for five years. That is quite strange that somebody should just install a component of the plant and own the plant, ACEP's Deputy Executive Director, Ben Boakye told Joy News Thursday. It is not only workers who should be agitated. Every Ghanaianshould be agitated because we spent over $250 million into the plant andwe are just going to hand it over to somebody, Mr Boakye said. About the T3 The Takoradi T3 power plant is a combined-cycle power plant at the Volta River Authority (VRA) power station at Aboadze, near Takoradi. It was meant to expand the Takoradi Thermal Power Station capacity by 132MW. It has four 25MW units that are fuelled by gas or LCO (diesel) and an additional 32MW generated from steam. The Government of Ghana (GoG) through the Ministry of Energy in around 2008 signed a deal with the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) for purchase and installation of the 132MW plant. Photo: Handing over the T3 to government in 2013 Government of Ghana (GoG) officially took over the $256 million thermal plant in April 2013, following the completion of the project and subsequent successful performance tests conducted by the CCC. The installation was then handed over to the Volta River Authority to operate. After operating the plants on crude oil for a period, they began experiencing some challenges. First, there was overheating in Turbine Four of the installation. The overheating, which led to an explosion, necessitated a precautionary shutdown of the four-turbine plant inaugurated just two months earlier. This prompted a full-blown inquiry into the challenge to determine if it was a defect with the equipment or operational challenges, and who should bear the liability. The owners of the Africa & Middle East Resource Investment (AMERI) an independent power producer which began operating in Ghana less than a year is to provide 250MW. The power plant, which arrived in the country last year, started operating on February 1, this year. But government plans to hand over a strategic T3 in a deal described as Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT). The energy think-tank in a statement said governments contract with AMERI to BOOT the T3 is weird and ill-conceived because the plant has already been built. the deal cannot be described as a BOOT. At best it can be described as Equipment Supply and Installations Contract, which VRA can deliver on given the same support, the statement stated. We wish to state therefore, that if the role expected of AMERI is what is being promoted under this deal, then there is no need to cede the plant to it. It will be in the best interest of Ghana to support VRA to revive the plant, ACEP stressed. AMERI will not be building a power plant, it will rather have to install four turbines and then own the facility for five years using VRA staff who will operate the plant but will not be paid by AMERI. "They will still be paid by the VRA which has invested $75.8million into the T3 but will not be able to make money out of it to pay for the loan they contracted to repair the plant," Mr Boakye disclosed. The T3 plant According to Mr Boakye, the turbines installed are not working because they are meant for temperate regions, not tropical Ghanaian climate. VRA has been asking government to help it raise funds to acquire a climate appropriate turbines to get the plant working. But their request made times without number has fallen on deaf ears, he indicated. Government has instead gone in for AMERI to install the turbines and use the facility until 2021. This news has angered workers of the VRA as Joy News' Ernest Asare reports that the workers were not consulted. With red bands tied to their arms, heads and necks the workers demanded a return of the three assets-T3 plant, a mine reserve plant and a parcel of land at Kpone which government had given to a third party to manage. A planned meeting with Acting Power Minister, Seth Terkper on Thursday did not come off because the workers demanded a forum with the entire board and management of the company. Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|EA| with additional files from BfT In the past ten years alone, there have been countless calls by shippers for the abolishing of illegal fees and charges being imposed by shipping lines on imports and exports. Almost an annual affair, these calls have been led by various organisations such as the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF), the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) amongst others. On at least one occasion, the Minister of Transport ordered the investigation of what was described as illegal 'taxes' imposed by carriers or shipping lines and their agents on port users. The charges in question are commonly referred to as local charges and are mainly levied by the carriers' representatives in Ghana. These charges are as varied as they are vague. Examples are Container Cleaning Fee, Container Control Fee, Container Administration Fee, Operational Charges, etc. Granted that the agents provide container release services for which some fees ought to be earned. However, the plethora of the charges is the cause for concern. What is more, the agents themselves often have trouble explaining exactly what service the charges are being levied for. For example, in some cases Container Cleaning Fees have appeared on invoices in respect of shipper-owned containers i.e. containers which the consignee will not be returning emptied to the line and which therefore will not require cleaning. Again, how does a shipping agency justify the implementation of a Terminal Handling Charge to be paid by importers and exporters in addition to the already existing Terminal Handling Charge levied by and paid to the terminal operators? And this new charge is not based on the introduction of a new service or responsibilities to be carried out by these agents. Business associations have lamented the resulting higher costs of doing business in Ghana. In 2007, the former president of the AGI, Tony Oteng Gyasi, was on record placing the additional costs to businesses at USD300 million a year. It has also been stated by a joint group of business associations in a press release dated August 2, 2016 that the implementation of the shipping agents' terminal handling charge could cost businesses an amount of USD78 million per year. The Shipping Review (2007) published by Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) states that as many as 54 shipping agencies participated in Ghana's liner import trade. That is a sizable number of players. Using the market share figures published by the GSA, a calculation of the market concentration using the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) yields a measure of less than 200 which suggests a competitive market with its attendant advantages of lower prices, improved quality of service and consumer choice. Most carriers and their local agents belong to an umbrella body called Shipowners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG). The Association's website states that it was formed to give members a unified front to ensure a successful business in Ghana's maritime industry. The Association represents its members primarily in negotiations with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Ghana Shippers Authority and terminal operators such as Meridian Port Services. While there is nothing particularly wrong with a trade association of like-minded companies, evidence abounds that unless carefully checked, such organisations can adopt a cartel-like nature and almost immediately, the advantages which a competitive market brings to consumers completely disappear into the shadows cast by a monopolistic monster. A close look at the shipping agents' actions over the years suggests that members of SOAAG reach agreement on what type (and perhaps amount) of fees to implement and almost simultaneously, as if on cue, the shipping community begins to receive notices from various carriers of their intention to introduce new or higher charges. As in the recent case of the introduction of terminal handling charges, the various agents are quoting between UD140 to USD155 for a 20-footer container and USD260 to USD275 for a 40-footer container, prices which interestingly fall within a very tight band of plus or minus USD15. One can only suspect that such announcements are either agreed in advance or at the very least are signals by carriers to each other of their pricing intentions and which allows them to co-ordinate their behaviour. It is not only the seemingly co-incidental nature of the timing, amount and type of charges imposed that is worrying, but also the fact that these charges are imposed on consumers without the consent of the Ghana Shippers Authority as required by law. These companies are without doubt concerted in their defiance and if the countless unheeded protests are anything to go by, shippers seem powerless against them. Interestingly, even the state-owned monopoly that is the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority subjects itself to the GSA's review in setting port tariffs in order not to disadvantage port users including these same ship-owners and agents. An argument with a shipping line agent over the legality or otherwise of charges can be costly for the importer as the resulting delays in the container release process leads to the accumulation of demurrage and possible forfeiture of the cargo. In fact, once cargo lands in the hands of a shipping agent, the shipper begins a race against time. Trouble is, the shipping agent is imposed upon the consumer by the carrier. In fact, in a lot of cases, the agencies of the major shipping lines are in fact subsidiary or affiliated companies such as Maersk Ghana Limited, MSCA Ghana Limited, PIL Ghana Limited, Intermodal Shipping Agencies Ghana Limited, amongst others. And if that isn't already limiting, in situations where the carriers' agents have essentially fixed their prices, there is little or no incentive for the shipper to go bargain-hunting. He simply has no choice but to accept the charges and make the most of a bad situation, invariably passing on higher costs of doing business to the end user. Yes, something ought to be done about this. But are the calls for abolishing illegal charges the right way to go? Protests by the business associations, warnings by the Ghana Shippers Authority and condemnation by Ministers have all yielded little fruit. It appears the shipping agents have unfettered ability to set rates, in a concerted manner, in spite of the powers granted to the GSA by law. Perhaps this is because power to negotiate rates is not as strong as a regulator should have, but that's a discussion for another day. Furthermore, calls on government to intervene and check this behaviour will, at best, result in persuasion tactics that the shipping agents can decide not to yield to, as borne out by past events. The vertically-integrated nature of some carriers means that we have shipping companies that are looking to maximize profits from freight on the ocean haul, local charges collected by the agencies and in some cases terminal operations and inland transportation. It is therefore unsurprising that carriers could attempt to use local charges to make up for recent losses incurred as a result of depressed freight brought down by excess capacity on their trading routes. For example, average 40-footer container from China to Tema would have set an importer back USD4,500 in 2014 but by 2015 rates had fallen to as low as USD2,000 for the same cargo. Shipping agents in Ghana would not be the first to display anti-competitive tendencies; several examples across the globe show that such behaviour is even more pronounced in shipping particularly due to the specialized, high-risk nature of shipping and the acceptance of the practice of liner conferences for decades. However, with the passage of competition laws which some national antitrust watchdogs have successfully used to clamp down heavily on violators, there is now a global non-tolerance for concerted practices. In the European Union (EU) for example, a shipping line found culpable of co-ordinated behaviour can face penalties of up to 10% of its global turnover, translating to hundreds of millions of dollars and in some cases a few billions. Recent cases in Peru and China show national governments impose hefty fines on global carriers to punish such actions. The writer strongly posits that the most effective way to curb anti-competitive behaviours is antitrust regulation. Legislation and an effective regulator are needed to check behaviour that harms competition in all sectors of the economy; be it shipping agents or oil marketing companies. Cartels that are camouflaging as trade associations need to be investigated and brought to book and so must monopolies intent on enjoying supernormal profits and offering shoddy products or services. The threat of heavy penalties will invariably discourage anti-competitive behaviour and lead to increased competition. As market players are forced to compete, all things being equal, prices will be pressured downwards allowing Ghanaian businesses to be more profitable and pay higher taxes to the State. In conclusion, the actions of ship-owners and their agents in Ghana quite worryingly appear to be engaged in anti-competitive behaviour and in the writer's opinion, effective anti-trust regulation, not moral suasion, are what Ghana needs to discourage concerted practices and enhance competition. Author is Maria Ogbugo, a petroleum Economist and maritime professional with Amitlaw Consult, a firm providing maritime and international trade advisory in Tema, Ghana. Comments can be sent to [email protected] Bibliography Importers losing US$300 million in illegal freight charges AGI. (2007, November 8). Retrieved August 3, 2016, from http://www.allghanadata.com/: http://www.allghanadata.com/?id=372-643-13&t=Importers-losing-US$300-million-in-illegalfreight-chargesAGI Minister orders investigation into illegal taxes by shipping lines. (2013, March 7). Retrieved August 3, 2016, from www.newsghana.com.gh: https://www.newsghana.com.gh/minister-orders-investigation-into-illegal-taxes-by-shipping-lines/ Aryee, J. (2016, August 2). Businesses, shipping companies in shipping charges row. Retrieved August 2, 2016, from www.citifmonline.com: http://citifmonline.com/2016/08/02/businesses-shipping-companies-in-shipping-charges-row/ Asamoah, B. (2007, March 21). Legal action to stop container charges. Retrieved August 8, 2016, from Boahene Asamoahs Stories: http://boahene.blogspot.com/2007/03/legal-action-to-stop-container-charges.html Coomson, J. (2007, February 21). Ghana: Freight Forwarders Angry At What They Say Are Illegal Charges. Retrieved August 2, 2016, from AllAfrica.com: http://allafrica.com/stories/200702210942.html European Commission. (2016, July 7). Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by container liner shipping companies on price transparency. Retrieved August 2, 2016, from Press Release Database: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-2446_en.htm Ghanaian Chronicle. (2011, May 24). GIFF to battle against illegal port charges. Retrieved August 2, 2016, from Modern Ghana: https://www.modernghana.com/news/330331/giff-to-battle-against-illegal-port-charges.html Shipowners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG). (n.d.). Retrieved August 3, 2016, from http://soaag.org/ you are here: business DGAD recommends import duty of $594 a tonne on cold-rolled steel The concerned anti-dumping probe was based on SAIL, JSW and Essar Steel's applications. The probe was made into cold-rolled steel product imports from China, Japan, South Korea and Ukraine. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More ICICI Direct's research report on Wonderla Holidays Wonderla Holidays (WHL) reported a mixed set of Q1FY17 numbers. Revenues increased 32.2% YoY to Rs 88.9 crore (above I-direct estimate of Rs 82.5 crore) led by 17.9% YoY increase in realisation and 12.2% YoY increase in footfall on account of addition of the new park at Hyderabad. Bengaluru park revenues increased 9.0% YoY to Rs 44.4 crore while revenues from Kochi park declined 7.5% YoY to Rs 22.0 crore mainly led by 24.4% YoY decline in footfall. Hyderabad park reported revenues of Rs 19.3 crore. Resort revenues increased 11.3% YoY in Q1FY17. Wonderla Holidays (WHL) reported a mixed set of Q1FY17 numbers. Revenues increased 32.2% YoY to Rs 88.9 crore (above I-direct estimate of Rs 82.5 crore) led by 17.9% YoY increase in realisation and 12.2% YoY increase in footfall on account of addition of the new park at Hyderabad. Bengaluru park revenues increased 9.0% YoY to Rs 44.4 crore while revenues from Kochi park declined 7.5% YoY to Rs 22.0 crore mainly led by 24.4% YoY decline in footfall. Hyderabad park reported revenues of Rs 19.3 crore. Resort revenues increased 11.3% YoY in Q1FY17. A high entry barrier due to huge capital investment and limited number of large amusement parks in India coupled with favourable demographics and rising discretionary spend augur well for WHL. We expect it to witness a sharp improvement in footfall and realisation led by addition of new parks and favourable demographics. Further, WHL has been able to generate higher cash flow driven by healthy margins at mature parks. As a result of high cash flow generation, the company has been able to keep its debt to equity lower and also been able to expand through internal accruals. Further, we believe that a healthy balance sheet (0.3x D/E vs. 1.46x for Adlabs), strong cash flow generation and revenue & EBITDA CAGR of 30.7% and 37.5%, respectively, in FY16-18E demands premium valuations. We have arrived at a DCF based target price of 460. For all recommendations, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana. The Morningstar European Ideas List features our most attractively valued European-domiciled names with sustainable competitive advantages, or economic moats. Equity analysts highlight companies across each sector chosen based on their uncertainty-adjusted discounts to their intrinsic value. This months list saw an increased amount of turnover, with seven new companies entering the list. These latest changes were evenly spread across multiple sectors, with the financial services sector being the only sector with more than one change. New additions to the list this month include Diageo (DGE) and ARM Holdings (ARM), as they represent some of the cheapest European names on an uncertainty-adjusted, price/fair value basis. They join three other UK stocks on the list; SSE (SSE), Centrica (CNA) and Petrofac (PFC). Most stocks traded up during the month, and while this can be a good problem to have, bargains have become more scarce. Several of the new additionsSyngenta, Diageo, and ARM Holdingsentered as three-star stocks. This means that while they are not massively undervalued on an absolute basis, from a relative standpoint they are the most undervalued for their sector. This means that their respective sectors are not currently presenting numerous bargains. Additionally, the technology and utilities sectors offer few bargains within our coverage list, with only one or two stocks, all of which are currently trading at three-star valuations, meaning they are trading at fair value, making the list from each of these sectors. With this being said, there are still several cheaper names on the list. Comms Stocks Hit by Brexit Vote Fibre-optic telecoms stock SFR Group, is trading at an uncertainty-adjusted price/fair value estimate of 78%, which is worthy of a five-star rating. Morningstar analyst Allan Nichols believes the markets reaction within the telecom sector to the EU referendum vote has been an overreaction. He views telecoms stocks as somewhat immune to geopolitical changes. In his view, Brexit will have no effect on cross-border transfers of voice or data, as mobile termination rates for voice have already been reduced to negligible levels, while for data they have been cut in half and will be down to local roaming rates by the end of 2017. While he expects the U.K. economy to slow as a result of Brexit, he doesnt believe the event will have a material impact on the U.K. operators. Nichols believes that SFRs narrow moat remains intact. Additionally, he expects SFR to improve margins as it reduces its cost structure. In-country mergers are almost always accretive, and Nichols anticipates that many functions between the two companies will be combined. In the longer term, there is the potential to benefit from additional consolidation in France if any companies can reach a merger agreement and the regulators allow consolidation. Only one technology firm, one energy firm, and two utilities firms made our list this month, and none of those firms look particularly undervalued to us currently. The European technology sector remains the most expensive sector, based on our uncertainty-adjusted fair value estimates. Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive. To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research. Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process. Free e-newsletter Our daily newsletter is FREE and keeps you up to date with the world of mortgage. Please complete the form below and click on SIGN UP to receive daily e-newsletters from Canadian Mortgage Professional. Should Texas fund public schools based on their academic performance rather than just giving them a certain amount of money per student? As that idea appears to take hold with conservative lawmakers who want increased accountability, some school officials fear a badly designed program would sap funding from poor, struggling schools or fail to consider the challenges individual schools face. At Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks direction, state senators on Wednesday will begin exploring how best to go about tying funding to performance, with the upper chambers education committee set to take testimony from several entities including for-profit companies that have designed such systems. School officials are highly wary of the concept, which was among several education-related interim charges Patrick announced late last year. Its far from the first time lawmakers have scrutinized the bang for the buck of the public education system, which is the states second-largest expense after health and human services. But they have stopped short of connecting funding to individual school performance. Now is the time, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Patrick ally who is pushing for a transition to some type of performance-based funding system. The Houston Republican says he is keeping an open mind about what exactly it would look like. I think that in the 21st century we should be looking at other markers of success besides just showing up, said the Senate Education Committee member. Along with standardized exam scores, Bettencourt said, performance could be measured by things like administrative costs and graduation rates. He said other states have enacted such systems, but he could not specify one hed like to mirror, saying he is still in the information-gathering phase. The timing is particularly right given a recent state Supreme Court ruling that found the states school funding system to be byzantine but constitutional albeit minimally and urged the Legislature to overhaul it, he said. The decision clearly leaves open the door for something new, he said. (State representatives also are studying changes to the state's school finance system.) Officials from the more than 600 school districts on the losing side of the recent ruling have decried the decision, which they fear marks the end of the courts long-held role in forcing state lawmakers to make the politically difficult and complicated decisions of increasing public education funding or improving funding distribution methods. The system already is underfunded and inequitable, favoring property-wealthy districts, they say. Until the Legislature addresses that effectively, to me it seems premature to be talking about funding based on performance, said Elgin schools superintendent Jodi Duron. Weve got to get the other right first. Duron fears how her district a small, property-poor district with mostly low-income students would stack up under a performance-based system. Under one of the proposed systems called the Texas Smart Schools Initiative spearheaded by former comptroller Susan Combs Duron said Elgin is grouped in with large, wealthy suburban districts like McKinney and Richardson that look absolutely nothing like us. Duron's district also shows up as a peer for Eanes, a wealthy, high-performing West Austin district that generates more revenue for their tax dollars than we do in Elgin, she said. On top of that, their foundation can raise $2 million to just turn over to the district for staff ... I mean, its no wonder that were going to be rated very poorly on a system like this. School officials opposed legislation enacted in 2009 requiring then-Comptroller Combs to identify school districts and campuses that use resource allocation practices that contribute to high academic achievement and cost-effective operations. The Legislature has since cut off funding for the Financial Allocation Study for Texas, or FAST, program. But Combs has used her leftover campaign cash to underwrite a related data project administered by Texas A&M University that seeks to help Texans identify which public schools are making best use of their tax dollars. Lori Taylor, director of A&Ms Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economic and Public Policy, who oversees the initiative and is scheduled to address the committee Wednesday, said the system matches districts with 40 peers, so in some cases dramatically different districts show up in the same group. Maybe we need to think about not having 40 matches, she said, confirming the system is a work in progress. On Wednesday, Im going to talk to them about how its crucially important to make fair comparisons among school districts, she said. That means taking into consideration the differences in demographics, the differences in size, the difference in labor costs, she said. That is what were doing with our project and were not going to claim its perfect, but its a whole lot better than what else is out there. Im going to talk to them about how its crucially important to make fair comparisons among school districts. Lori Taylor of the Texas Smart Schools Initiative The for-profit education accountability companies testifying Wednesday are The Woodlands-based Education Resource Group and Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks. ERG is no stranger to the Legislature. Texas Smart Schools is based entirely on exam scores at least for now, Taylor said which could become a sticking point as parents and school officials continue to push for the Legislature to overhaul standardized testing. We have long lost confidence in our state assessment and accountability system, said Duron. Stuart Snow, the associate superintendent of business and financial services for Cypress-Fairbanks schools near Houston, said he believes some kind of performance-based funding system is inevitable given the dominance of conservative Republicans in the Legislature. He's trying to convince other school officials to at least offer input into what the policy might look like. It hasnt been well-received, he added. Republican lawmakers often point to Cy-Fair as an example of a district that performs well despite receiving little state money. Snow says that while he understands the apprehension of lower-performing districts, he thinks having some kind of performance component in the state's public school funding system could be beneficial and fair, as long as it isnt the only basis for receiving funds. It could be a pot of incentive money doled out to high performers, for example, he said. But the system shouldnt penalize low performers and it should as does the current system account for students who are disabled or are learning English, who are more expensive to educate. We always ask for additional money but we need to be able to show how that correlates to academic performance, and I think that in most cases were able to do that, he said. I think every community wants to know and deserves to know particularly with their tax dollars that the school district is using their money wisely. A 21-year-old Texas State student who told police she had been drinking while floating the river was arrested Tuesday and charged with intoxication manslaughter and assault following a crash that killed a man and left his 5-months-pregnant wife hospitalized. The "unborn child would most likely succumb to injures sustained in the collision," a probable cause affidavit obtained by mySA.com said. Shana Elliott, a public relations and mass communications senior, was still wearing a bikini from a float while she was driving a Chevrolet Impala in the 1700 block of Highway 21 in San Marcos around 6 p.m. Tuesday when the crash occurred, according to the affidavit. Kristian Guerrero, a 24-year-old Bryan resident, was driving the opposite direction in a Toyota Corolla with her husband Fabian Guerrero-Moreno in the passenger seat when Elliott's Impala crossed the highway center line and collided with the Corolla, the affidavit said. Guerrero-Moreno was killed in the crash and his wife Kristian was transported to St. David's South Austin Medical Center for treatment, the affidavit said. On Facebook, the couple checked in at a Joe's Crab Shack in San Antonio hours before the crash and had also posted a sonogram image the day before the crash with a caption reading: "Is this the face of a little prince or a little princess?! We can't wait to find out Sunday! Are you team boy or team girl?! Taking bets now!" Elliott told an officer who responded to the scene that she consumed "beer and liquor while floating the river at Texas State Tubes prior to the collision," the report said. Her breath contained "the strong odor" of alcohol, her eyes were red, glassy and blood shot and she was unsteady on her feet, the affidavit said. The affidavit said a witness saw "a female in a bikini" "roll a bottle of alcohol under a vehicle" at the scene. Elliott was transported to the Central Texas Medical Center for minor injuries and is charged with two felony counts. Texas State officials confirmed to mySA.com Wednesday that Elliott "was a Texas State student enrolled in spring 2016, and that she is registered for classes in fall 2016. She was not enrolled this summer." Elliott posted a photo on Facebook of a Dean's List certificate from the fall of 2014. Her bond was set $185,000 cash or surety by Judge Beth Smith, she said. Staff writer Madalyn Mendoza contributed to this report. kparker@mysa.com Twitter: @KoltenParker HONS ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) The shot that killed a Texas sheriff's deputy at his home last week came from his own service weapon, authorities said Wednesday, but investigators have not yet determined whether he killed himself or whether someone took his gun and used it against him. Round Rock police Chief Allen Banks held a brief news conference to discuss the ongoing investigation into Travis County Sgt. Craig Hutchinson's death, which authorities had initially said happened during an apparent attempted burglary of the deputy's backyard shed. Its never too early to prepare yourself for Election Day (Nov. 8). We all remember the long lines during primary day voting in March during a historic turnout inside Midland County. The number of voters on primary day (13,980) was greater than during the entire primary process (early voting and primary day) in 2012 (12,204) and 2004 (13,226). Also, the number of voters on that Tuesday was greater than Election Day during the primary or general elections going back to the general election in 2004 (15,098 voters). We expect that the general election will bring a similar enthusiasm for the electoral process. Midland County officials expect a record number of voters, which is saying something. During the last three cycles, for the general election there were 44,999 voters in 2004, 46,525 in 2008 and 44,600 in 2012. The Midland County Elections Office reports it has been busy registering new voters this summer -- from those new to the area and those who have never voted before and want to make their voice heard in November. Officials at the Midland County Elections Office also wanted to provide some reminders about the upcoming election period. They include: - Midland County is fortunate to utilize vote centers both for early voting and on Election Day. This means that no matter where you reside in the county, you may vote at any one of the vote centers. Please visit the countys website in the coming weeks for early and Election Day vote center lists of locations and times. - The deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 8 election is Oct. 11. If you have questions about your registration, contact the Midland County Elections Office. - If you are over 65, disabled or are going to be out of the county during early voting and Election Day (i.e., college, mission trips, medical treatments or work) request an application for a ballot by mail. You may either call the Elections Office and request an application be mailed to you or go to offices website and be directed to the form. - If you or someone you know is in the military stationed domestically or overseas, encourage them to use the www.fvap.gov website to register and apply for a ballot by mail. - Elections Office officials encourage all voters to vote early. Early voting will be Oct. 24-Nov. 4. Please visit the Elections Office website in the coming weeks for specific locations and times. - The Elections Office reports that the Voter ID Law is still in effect in some manner in Texas, which means you need to bring one of these forms of ID with you to be able to vote: voter registration certificate, Texas drivers license, Texas identification card, Texas election identification certificate, U.S. passport, U.S. military identification card, handgun license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety, or a U.S. citizenship certificate with photo (the document cant be expired more than 60 days). - Do not wear political-oriented insignia, clothing or hats into the polling locations. - Bring your own personal cheat sheet with you (it cannot be on your phone), so you are prepared to cast an informed vote. For more information, contact the Midland County Elections Office at 432-688-4890, go to its website (www.co.midland.tx.us/elections) or go to the military website (www.fvap.gov). We have independently selected these offers and products because we love them and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may earn a commission if you buy something through our links. Items are We were not bribed to drop ... Some Americans are struggling with the choice they have for the next president and they're looking for other options. Libertarian candidates appeared on CNN Town Hall Wednesday Some voters fear a vote for a third-party candidate is a "wasted vote" On Wednesday night, voters got a closer look at Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and his running mate, Bill Weld, who appeared on CNN for a town hall meeting. We went to Al Lopez Park in Tampa, where we found voters with different opinions about a third party challenge. Some people said that even though they're not happy with Republican nominee Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, they worry about voting for someone else. "It would lessen the impact of my vote," said Danielle Collins. "I think it would be a wasted vote for someone else." But the idea of backing a third party candidate is gaining traction among other local voters. "I've heard other people say, 'Well, I'm not voting third party because that's just not going to make a difference." But essentially the difference needs to start sometime, so why not now?" said Chris DeSormier. "Why not just vote for a third party and get a third party in there?" Still others said while they are planning on backing a major party candidate, they hope everyone will vote. "You may not like a Mr. Trump, you may not like Hillary, you may not even like the third party that's running but if they're supporting your issue, or they're behind your issue, then get out there and get your voice heard," said Joe Cox. The Obama administration secretly arranged a plane delivery of $400 million in cash on the same day Iran released four American prisoners and formally implemented the nuclear deal, US officials confirmed Wednesday. Wall Street Journal story published Wednesday that described the delivery of the cash to Tehran in January $400 million U.S. payment to Iran delivered in cash White House officials: Payment did not constitute ransom President Barack Obama approved the $400 million transfer, which he had announced in January as part of the Iran nuclear deal. The money was flown into Iran on wooden pallets stacked with Swiss francs, euros and other currencies as the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement resolving claims at an international tribunal at The Hague over a failed arms deal under the time of the Shah. A fifth American man was released by Iran separately. Details of the cash delivery drew fresh condemnation of the Iran deal from Republicans. They charged that the administration had empowered a major sponsor of terrorism because the nuclear agreement enables Tehran to re-enter the international economy and gives it access long-frozen funds. In the late 1970s the Iranian government, under the U.S.-backed shah, paid the United States $400 million for military equipment. The equipment was never delivered because in 1979, his government was overthrown, revolutionaries took American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran were severed. In 1981, the United States and Iran agreed to set up a commission at The Hague that would rule on claims by each country for property and assets held by the other. Iran's claim for return of the equipment payment was among many that had been tied up in litigation before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal, and interest the U.S. owed for holding the money for so long was growing. Litigation over these claims has continued intermittently for 35 years, with some being settled and others going to the tribunal for judgment. All private U.S. claims before the tribunal have been resolved, with Iran paying more than $2.5 billion to American people and businesses. Some claims remain unresolved. Obama administration officials insist the payment did not constitute ransom and that there were was no quid pro quo for the payment. They said the agreement on the release of the prisoners dovetailed with the resolution of parallel negotiations over the dispute of the failed arms deal. "It's against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday. (Compiled from AP/CNN reports) WALLINGFORD Fifteen students embarked on a journey to China Wednesday with school staff to gain international business experience, reconnect with their Chinese counterparts and explore some of the countrys most famous sites. The 12-day trip is part of an international exchange program called Junior Achievement Global Connection, sponsored by Junior Achievement of Southwest New England and United Technologies Corporation. What were ultimately looking to do is leverage to the global scale of United Technologies Corporation to give the students in the U.S. and China experience in the challenges and opportunities associated with international commerce, said Randy Bumps, senior director of sustainability and corporate responsibility at UTC. The program connects American and Chinese students to share ideas and products. It alternates hosting Chinese students in Wallingford and sending Wallingford students to China every other year. Local students chose to export BIC pens to China, while Chinese students sent special hybrid cell phone cases Students gathered at E. C. Stevens Elementary School to board the bus to the airport Wednesday morning, hugging parents goodbye and double checking bags for essential items. Seventeen-year-old Sheehan High School senior Meaghan Burns said she was so excited she hardly slept. Having spent the last year working on products with students from China, Burns is excited to learn more about business overseas. Already, I have learned so much and we havent even gone to China yet, she said. Sheehan senior Kairav Maniar, 16, gave his parents a hug before getting on the bus. I am just hoping to expand what I have already learned in the last year, Maniar said. Going to China is going to help culminate the process and help us understand whats going on on the other side of the world. Aside from broadening her knowledge of business, Sheehan senior Meghan Partesano, 17, was eager to see some of Chinas iconic attractions, including the Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors. Im just really excited to do all the sight seeing and just explore. Theres so much history and culture over there, Partesano said. The students are joined by Superintendent of Schools Salvatore Menzo, who also went on the last trip in 2014. A new cohort of students are really excited to reconnect with the students in Shanghai, Menzo said. He hopes the students gain a deeper understanding of international business (and) definitely an appreciation for the cultural differences. ltauss@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @LeighTaussRJ Media News The local chapters of the American Marketing Association and Public Relations Society of America announced a merger of their two awards programs to create the Capital Region MARCOM awards. The joint ceremony will be held Nov. 16 at Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia, recognizing categories including marketing, public relations, public affairs and integrated campaigns. On the Board Jennifer Page, performance management coordinator at CDPHP, and Sarah Baluch, director of restaurant sales for BBL Hospitality, are the new cochairs of The Circle of Red, a group of women that support the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement. Dr. Suzie Mookherjee, a cardiologist at Albany Medical Center and immediate past president of the Capital Region Advisory Board of the American Heart Association, was named to the Founders Affiliate Board of the American Heart Association. Open for Business Saratoga Construction LLC, headquartered in Saratoga Springs, announced the opening of a new Adirondack Design Center at 1810 State Route 9, Suite A, in Lake George. Transactions Vanguard-Fine LLC's Paul Bulmer and IKON Realty Group LLC's Bruce Ginsburg brokered the sale of 2020 Central Ave., Colonie, between purchaser GWJC LLC and seller Double L LLC. The sale price was $525,000 and the property will be the new Cannon Funeral Home. Vanguard-Fine LLC's Kenneth Brownell, Barry Feinman and Paul Bulmer and CBRE, Albany's Thomas Savino brokered the sale of 242 Washington St., Saratoga Springs, between purchaser National Retail Properties and seller KNC Touch Free Car Wash. The sale price was $1.5 million and the property will be part of a new Rite Aid. Vanguard-Fine LLC's David Welcome brokered a lease between H&R Healthcare LP and Vatrano Realty Inc. The 1,500-square-foot office is located at 4F Vatrano Road in Albany. Vanguard-Fine LLC's Steven Lerner brokered the sale of 1385 Washington Ave., Albany, between purchaser Jon Grant, GSX Solutions LLC and seller National Hospitality LLC. The sale price was $500,000 and the building (formerly a Red Carpet Inn Hotel) will be demolished to make way for a student housing project. Jennifer Patterson This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty is big on innovation and technology. She is on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, is a member of the Research and Technology subcommittee, and on a STEM advisory committee advocating for the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. So it is no surprise that the two-term Democrat was eager to tour Pitney Bowes Global Technology Center in Danbury. The 300,000-square-foot facility is home to manufacturing and engineering for the global shipping and mailing company. Pitney Bowes employs about 500 people there and 15,000 worldwide. Its headquarters are in Stamford. Esty got a tour of the companys new sorting and inserting technology, both the physical machines and the software developed to make it happen. Above the spacious manufacturing and assembly area hang the flags of the countries with which the company does business. Following the tour and a sit-down Q&A session with about 50 employees, Esty walked away impressed. Its very exciting to see how innovative and forward-thinking they are, Esty said. When we walked onto the plant floor, there were all these flags from all these countries where Pitney Bowes operates, then in the other room all the states in which they operate it was a real reminder of what Pitney Bowes does. Its an old company. They have been around for a long time, but they have found ways to innovate and change what they are doing to continue to be competitive, to continue to meet the needs of consumers and companies. Pitney Bowes specializes in customer communications for businesses of all sizes, including direct mail, call center communications and digital messaging for the Internet, email and mobile applications. The company was founded in 1920 by Arthur Pitney and Walter Bowes. They were able to really transform the way we send mail, Esty said. It was critically important to unifying the country. Two of the things that unified the country was the postal service and the interstate highway system. Many people say those were the two most important elements, and the railroad, that unified and created America as a single country. Following the tour, which included seeing historic postal machinery, Esty fielded questions from employees. The questions covered a wide range of topics such as the TransAtlantic Trade Agreement, money budgeted for science, Smart City initiatives, tax reform, education and postal reform. The questions were inquisitive, optimistic, wide-ranging, informed. It reassured me about the talent pool that Pitney Bowes has been able to attract and retain, she said. They have that sort of optimism and can-do spirit that Connecticut is known for. It was an illustration of what I find very heartening, and that is a passion for this country and the optimism they feel. Esty had a stark warning concerning the federal governments funding of science. She said other countries are increasing their funding for research, while the U.S. continues to pull back. We cant keep doing that without serious consequences, she said. We dont have 10 or 15 years to get it together. We have about five. She also had strong words regarding tax reform, particularly on the corporate level where many companies find ways to avoid paying their share. GE hired over 900 tax attorneys. Id rather see them hire 3,000 engineers than 900 tax attorneys, Esty said. There are many injustices in the system. We need a corporate tax structure that makes sense and puts money back into the U.S. Jason Dies, president of Document Messaging Technologies at Pitney Bowes, led the tour along with Dan Goldstein, executive vice president for the company. It was a great visit. Any time you get to talk to someone who represents Connecticut and is interested to learn about the technology we create is fantastic, Dies said. We are happy she wants to know about what we are innovating here. cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338 In today's society, it's harder than ever for companies to satisfy everyone. There are so many different empowerment movements that there is always a group that will be offended. The GAP was under fire earlier this year for what was deemed a racist ad. The company moved past that blunder into a back-to-school PR disaster. A new ad has become the latest target for media platforms because, according to Internet users, it "perpetuates gender stereotypes." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Money does grow on trees or at least it does for organized crime operating in California's Central Valley. The region is the home of the state's $9.3 billion nut industry, whose almonds, pistachios, cashews and pecans have been increasingly targeted by highly sophisticated thieves. In April, the Los Angeles Times wrote that 31 truckloads of high-value tree nuts were reported stolen in 2015 in a "$9 million rural crime wave." The bandits steal by the truckload, but they don't do it stickup-style, with bandannas and semiautomatic handguns. Instead, the tech-savvy con artists use laptops and cellphones, and hack databases to infiltrate the shipping chain between buyer and seller. "They basically trick [the distributors] into giving [the criminals] the cargo," Scott Cornell, transportation lead and cargo & theft specialist at Travelers Insurance, told CNN. Cornell explained how the con works: The thieves "use the identity of legitimate trucking company but change the contact information. They then apply online to pick up the nut cargo load with the false trucking identity, arrive to pick it up, and disappear. It's only days later, when the distributors try to contact the company and reach a disconnected number, that they realize they've been scammed." Sometimes the criminals show up at a transfer location before the authorized trucking company does. They have faked papers to make it appear they are legit, so the distributor gives them the load. In other cases, while assuming the identity of trucking company bosses, they will call honest truckers (already in transit) and tell them the drop-off location has changed. The trucker complies, unwittingly delivering the load to the waiting thieves. The trucker gets his pay and leaves without ever realizing he's just become an accessory to a crime. California's nut industry is huge. The state grows virtually all the almonds, walnuts and pistachios produced in the U.S. Worldwide, only China grows more tree nuts. The pipeline shipping the nuts from grower to retailer is equally large. Trucking companies bid for jobs in online auctions, but if they win, they often subcontract the job to independent drivers. The nut distributors may not be familiar with the companies picking up the loads, and if the paperwork appears to be in order, it's easy for the distributors to be duped. Once a load is hijacked via fraud, it's almost impossible to recover. Scores of trucks loaded with nuts cruise California's highways every day without raising suspicions. Even a nut truck that does seem suspicious can pose a significant challenge to law enforcement. "I can pull over a car with 20 pounds of methamphetamine in it and that driver's going to jail," Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told Quartz. "I pull over 30,000 pounds of pistachios, I have to prove that those are stolen, otherwise the guy goes on his way." See other reasons that make large-scale nut heists attractive to crooks in the above slideshow. The sheriff's department in Tulare County, the top agricultural-producing county in California, has created an internal task force to address the thefts. Boudreaux told CNN there have not been any recent thefts, which he credits to greater awareness and task force education efforts with nut growers, growing associations and distribution locations. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A onetime San Francisco chef, food truck operator and North Bay youth counselor was arrested in Sonoma County on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old he met through a social media app, authorities said. Brett Aaron Niebergall, 38, was accused by police in Petaluma, where he lives, of sodomy, oral copulation, contacting a minor to commit a felony and giving a minor a controlled substance. Police officials said Niebergall and the teenager met through the app last week and talked for several days before they agreed to meet Saturday in person at Niebergalls home. There, he allegedly drugged the teenager and committed the assault. The teenager reported the incident to police two days later. On Tuesday, officers went to Niebergalls home and found evidence they said corroborated the teenagers allegations. Police also said Niebergall made statements that implied he had intimate contact with the 16-year-old. Police arrested Niebergall on Tuesday and booked him into Sonoma County Jail. He has since been freed on $330,000 bail. Efforts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful. Niebergall was the co-owner of Frisee, a restaurant at Market and Castro streets in San Francisco that closed in 2008. He later opened Southern Sandwich Co., a food truck, which has also since closed. Niebergall went on to work as a counselor for Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services, which has offices in San Rafael and Petaluma and helps teenage boys dealing with substance abuse. The organizations director said Thursday that Niebergall no longer works there and that no one had made allegations about his conduct on the job. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov A former associate superintendent at the San Francisco Unified School District has pleaded guilty to 10 felony charges in connection with the alleged misappropriation of $15 million in public funds, while agreeing to cooperate in the prosecution of her co-defendants. Trish Bascom, 69, is facing up to five years in jail for her part in the decadelong scheme, according to the city district attorneys office. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28 in San Francisco Superior Court. Bascom, who entered her plea Monday, was one of six former and current school district employees charged in May 2013 after a three-year investigation that found they diverted government grants meant for after-school and health programs into hidden slush-fund accounts at three private nonprofits that hold contracts with the district. They then directed the spending of the illegal funds, taking $250,000 for personal use and $470,000 for unauthorized salaries and benefits, prosecutors said. Defrauding the public school system comes at the expense of institutions that are fundamental to the future of our children, said District Attorney George Gascon. The needs and interests of our citys kids must come first. Of the diverted funds, $6.7 million was spent on student programs, although in violation of grant terms, and $200,000 was spent on computers and telephones for the districts student services division, authorities said. Bascom was associate superintendent of student support services, and the other employees were former members of her management team. Bascoms attorney, Stuart Hanlon, said his client was ashamed of the role she played in the case, but didnt do this to steal it or enrich herself. She admitted using some of the funds to pay for bonuses for herself and the other defendants and as reimbursement for personal receipts but didnt start with those intentions, Hanlon said. Ms. Bascom started off wanting to do a great deal for the school system and the kids, he said. She raised the money to use it for children and the school, and she did. She was afraid theyd run out of money, and she wanted to keep these programs going. He said she was in part acting on a long-standing practice in the district to transfer grant funds to community organizations to ensure that leftover funds wouldnt have to be returned a practice that never got to the extent that it had in this case, Hanlon said. Superintendent Richard Carranza said Thursday that the district has since implemented new protocols to ensure district funds are used for their intended purpose. We conducted a top-to-bottom review of the department and its practices and have put in place several measures to prevent any similar wrongdoing in the future, said Carranza, who is in the process of leaving the district to become superintendent of schools in Houston. The actions taken by this small group of former employees does not represent the overall integrity and professionalism of SFUSDs employees. Bascom, who retired in 2010, pleaded guilty to four counts of embezzlement, three counts of forgery, two counts of making fraudulent claims and one count of perjury. As part of her plea, she will be cooperating with prosecutors against her remaining co-defendants, Hanlon said. They include Lilian Capuli, a former principal administrative analyst; Linda Sue Lovelace, a former senior executive director in the student support services division; and Mychel Navales, a former assistant principal at Marina Middle School who was Lovelaces romantic partner. Last September, Meyla Ruwin pleaded guilty to embezzlement and forgery, and was sentenced to three years of probation, 300 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine. Betty Chuey Wong pleaded guilty to falsifying public records and was sentenced to three years of probation, 500 hours of community service and a $4,100 fine. All those charged resigned or were fired except Wong, who has a secretarial role with limited duties, said Gentle Blythe, a district spokeswoman. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo A 59-year-old man was killed by a relative inside his Hayward home, police said. Officers went to the house on the 27000 block of Eucalyptus Court before 8 a.m. Tuesday after someone reported a disturbance. Before they could get there, a person inside the home called 911 to say a man, Albert Williams, had been shot multiple times. Police found three residents and a neighbor in addition to the wounded Williams, who was pronounced dead shortly after officers arrived. It was Haywards fourth homicide this year. The alleged shooter, a family member of the victim, was arrested without incident, said homicide Sgt. Ryan Cantrell. Police were withholding his name and other details until a charging decision by the Alameda County district attorneys office. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow, sentenced to life in prison for racketeering and murder as the leader of a venerable Chinatown community organization, said Thursday he was an innocent victim of dishonest prosecutors, a biased judge and incompetent defense attorneys. You got the wrong man, Chow, 56, said in a discourse in San Francisco federal court that lasted more than an hour before a judge pronounced his sentence. Im not apologizing (for) a crime I had nothing to do with. Chow, the lead prosecutor responded, was only showing his tendency to blame others for his wrongdoing. And U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the evidence presented during an eight-week trial amply proved Chows guilt. A federal court jury convicted Chow in January of conspiring to operate his organization, the Ghee Kung Tong, as a racketeering enterprise and of ordering the murder of its previous leader, Allen Leung, in 2006. Chow was also convicted of conspiring unsuccessfully to murder another rival, Jim Tat Kong, who was later shot to death in 2013. Jurors additionally found him guilty of five counts of dealing in stolen liquor and cigarettes, and of 154 counts of money-laundering through members of his organization who testified that they had his approval. The Leung murder conviction carried a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Breyer also imposed a life term for the racketeering conviction, and added a 20-year term for the more than 140 remaining convictions. Chow plans to appeal. He made it clear at Thursdays hearing that one argument his new lawyers will make is that he was represented incompetently by a team that included J. Tony Serra, one of the nations most renowned criminal defense lawyers. My defense team has really failed to protect my rights, Chow told Breyer. He said his lawyers failed to properly challenge secretly recorded conversations and phone calls that were allowed as prosecution evidence, telling him their hands were tied by court rulings. When a series of co-defendants testified against him in exchange for reduced sentences, Chow said, he tried to tell his attorneys about the witnesses shady backgrounds, but they ignored him. The prosecution arose from a five-year undercover FBI investigation focusing on the Ghee Kung Tong, a century-old community brotherhood that Chow had led since Leung was shot to death in February 2006 by a still-unidentified gunman at his Chinatown import-export business. Agents said they arranged drug and gun deals and other crimes with payoffs to Chows associates, including Keith Jackson, a former San Francisco school board president. Jackson was also a fundraiser for then-state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who was snared in the investigation. In July 2015, Yee and Jackson pleaded guilty to racketeering and admitted that the senator, with Jacksons help, had accepted bribes from agents posing as shady campaign contributors in exchange for promises of political favors and an agreement to illegally import firearms. Breyer sentenced Yee in February to five years in prison. Jackson, who admitted taking payoffs for other crimes, including a fictitious murder-for-hire plot, got a nine-year term. San Francisco prosecutors have also charged Jackson and two former local government employees with agreeing to bribes by undercover agents who allegedly sought access to Mayor Ed Lee. Chow, a self-described gangster for much of his life, had been imprisoned in 1993 on another racketeering charge and won early release a decade later for testifying against a gang leader. He told jurors in the current case that he had reflected on his past while in prison and promised himself, during a meditation session after his release, to live a crime-free life. He began counseling troubled youths in minority communities and won praise from Lee and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. But prosecutors said Chow had been plotting all along to take over the Ghee Kung Tong and to run it as a criminal gang, with the help of longtime followers. Chow deserves some praise for working with young kids, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Frentzen said at Thursdays hearing, but at the same time he was turning (other) younger people to a life of crime. He described Chow as a highly manipulative, constant perpetual liar. Chow retorted that Breyer, as the trial judge, allowed Mr. Frentzen to lie, manufacture the evidence. Echoing his trial testimony, Chow said he had known nothing about the drug deals and other crimes his associates told agents they had committed with his approval. Of all the money the agents paid for the crimes, he said, none of it went to him. I might have less education, but Im not stupid, Chow told Breyer. I know money. The jury, however, heard recordings of an undercover agent repeatedly pressing Chow with cash payments for approving his associates activities. The agent said Chow usually protested, saying he wasnt involved, but never turned down the payments, which totaled $60,000. The agent, who posed as an East Coast businessman with mob connections, recorded conversations with Chow over the course of three years. Testifying in a courtroom closed to the public, the agent described agreements with members of the tong involving sales of supposedly stolen liquor and cigarettes, and some drug deals, with more than $2 million of the proceeds laundered to evade government detection. Chows convictions included more than 100 counts of money-laundering. He has been in custody since his indictment in March 2014. At Thursdays hearing, Chow said Breyer, the veteran judge assigned to the case, has been biased and prejudiced on me. He cited his lawyers unsuccessful attempt to dismiss the charges by claiming he was selectively prosecuted because FBI agents, in another recorded episode, had sought favors from Lee in exchange for a $20,000 contribution they made to his 2011 campaign for mayor. Prosecutors filed no charges against Lee, who has denied wrongdoing. Ive been prejudiced by the court protecting Ed Lee, Chow told Breyer, who had found no evidence of selective prosecution. Chow also told Breyer that the judge had unfairly made him look bad to the jury by telling him repeatedly to give yes-or-no answers to the prosecutors questions. Chow was implicated in Leungs murder by a former co-defendant who testified that he had heard Chow order the killing in the midst of a feud between the two men. The driver of the getaway car also said Chow had set up the killing. Jurors heard a secretly recorded conversation in which Chow supposedly told an undercover agent in 2013 that he had once advised Leung that anyone who messed around with Chow, or with his investments, would be gone. Chow listened to the same recording and told the jury he hadnt been referring to Leung. On Thursday, he denied any involvement in Leungs murder. They claim they do the murder for me. They dont say how much I pay them, Chow said, adding that his lawyers brush(ed) me off when he raised that issue with them. But Breyer said the evidence showed that Chow had been motivated by power, not profits. Eliminating Leung accomplished the removal of an obstacle to your ascension, the judge told Chow. His good deeds for troubled youth, Breyer said, were far outweighed by the corruption you fostered by virtue of your quest for power. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Kevin Schultz contributed to this report. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko Eva Longoria has been racking up 2016 memories including a new marriage, fashion line, T.V. show and Democratic National Convention speech, but now she's parting ways with an old one: the home she bought while a bachelorette in "the heart of Hollywood." The Corpus Christi native bought the home in January 2005 for $1,150,000, Variety reported. Longoria-Baston purchased the home a year after Desperate Housewives aired and became a sitcom sensation. She continued to own the home throughout her 2007-2011 marriage to San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY Area Brazilian Americans say they are excited, but nervous, for the Olympic Games, which open in Rio on Friday. Emanuela Palmares, the editor of the Portuguese, Spanish and English newspaper the Tribuna, said the Olympics come at a time of political unrest, recession and infrastructure issues for her home country of Brazil. Were still going to see the best of Brazil, and when Brazil doesnt show that, its not because of its people, she said. Its because of its government, its infrastructure. Were still going to make the world proud, but when its all over, our friends and families are still going to have a very unstable political climate. Brazils senate impeached its president in May after she was accused of breaking the law when managing the federal budget. The country is dealing with the outbreak of the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects in pregnant women. The countrys issues prevented it from focusing on planning for the Olympics, Palmares said. Its disappointing, in a way, that we missed an opportunity to have a positive light on our community, she said. Carolina Bortoletto, who moved from Brazil to Danbury at age 9, said if she had the choice, the Olympics would be somewhere else. She said the money the country put into the Olympics could have been used to improve roads and bridges and invest in education. So much good could have been done for the people with the amount of money theyre spending on the new stadiums, Bortoletto said. Bortoletto said she does not have any specific plans for the Games, but will watch on TV at home. Although she has lived in the United States for 18 years, she said she will be cheering for Brazil. When the Olympics come up, youre back and you want your home country to win, she said. Danbury has the biggest percentage of residents born in Brazil of any city with more than 80,000 population in the United States, according to City-Data.com. Padaminas Bakery, a Brazilian restaurant with locations on Newtown Road and Main Street, will not host any special events during the Games, but owner Pedro Coelho said he will have the games on TV. Coelho initially felt the Olympics should not be in his home country. But once you made a commitment to host, then you have to be happy about it and excited about it, he said. Its a mixed feeling. At first I wasnt sure if we should host it, but after we were picked, now lets make the best of it. He said he changed his tune, in part, because locals will benefit from the infrastructure built for the Games. Materials from one of the arenas will be turned into four public schools, while the Olympic parks will become recreation and athletic training centers, according to Rio2016.com. Palmares said sports are not a big part of Brazilian public schools like they are in the United States. This means athletes must forge their own way to make it to the Olympics, begging for scholarships so they can compete in the games. These athletes bring so much pride to Brazil, she said. But we have such a bad system to support them prior to the Olympics. A lot of these athletes live in poverty. But that is the story of the Brazilian people, Palmares said. Its not about getting the gold; its about working hard to get to the stadium, she said. Its the Brazilian DNA to thrive and struggle and really make the best of it, she said. That is what Brazilians will do in the wake of the Olympics, Palmares said. Brazilians deal with situations really well, especially unexpected ones, she said. And were going to make the world proud and show our appreciation for sports beyond competition. Brazilians understand sports are something that can bring people together, she said. In that light, I couldnt think of a better country (to host the Olympics), Palmares said. Albany As a state panel considers the question of whether to give state lawmakers a hefty pay hike, Democratic state Senate candidate Sara Niccoli is offering an answer: "a resounding no." Niccoli and a group of fellow Democratic candidates have penned separate letters to members of the state Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation urging them not to bump the current $79,500 base salary of state lawmakers, who haven't received a raise in roughly 17 years. In her letter, Niccoli, who is seeking the 46th Senate District seat in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley currently held by Republican Sen. George Amedore, pointed to legislators' part-time status and what has been lambasted as lawmakers' lack of action during the last legislative session to address Albany's ethical travails of the recent past. "Community members throughout New York find it offensive that legislators like George Amedore, who have blocked ethics reforms and treat their public service as a hobby rather than a full-time job, would try to give themselves a pay hike," Niccoli wrote. "That is why I urge you all to send a clear message that you understand legislative pay raises must be earned, and the State Legislature simply hasn't done enough to warrant one." Amedore spokeswoman Eileen Miller said Amedore "has very clearly been on the record: he does not support a pay increase for legislators." "The idea that Senator Amedore has blocked ethics reform is ridiculous," Miller said. "He has been a champion in the Senate for strong ethics reforms including pension forfeiture, term limits and increased disclosure and transparency." Amedore was supportive, as were most lawmakers, of at least some ethics reforms at the end of the legislative session, specifically a measure that would require lawmakers and other high-ranking officials convicted of a crime related to their office to forfeit their state pensions. Amedore does have outside employment with Albany-based Amedore Homes and related businesses. Niccoli herself operates a small farm with her family. She does not plan to give up farming if elected. As reported by the Daily News Tuesday, candidates Adam Haber of Long Island, Jim Gaughran of Long Island, Ryan Cronin of Long Island and Chris Eachus of the Hudson Valley have written similar letters to the commission. The commission said in July that it is considering raising lawmakers' base pay to $116,900 per year. It must make its decision by mid November, and lawmakers would then have the final say on whether they actually will receive a raise if they so choose. Lawmakers can either do nothing and the raises will automatically take effect or they can return to Albany to vote to reject them. mhamilton@timesunion.com 518-454-5449 @matt_hamilton10 The full letter from Niccoli is below: 08.03.16 NICCOLI Letter to Pay Commission This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany A contractor subpoenaed by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was selected as one of three "preferred" candidates in SUNY Polytechnic Institute's plan to build an on-campus dorm. The subpoenaed firm EYP Architecture & Engineering, along with Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and BBL Construction, were selected Wednesday by the Fuller Road Management Corporation board of directors the college's nonprofit economic arm to serve as joint contractors to plan, design and implement student housing. The day also marked the board's first public meeting. EYP, along with the SUNY Poly, the management corporation and Columbia Development, were issued subpoenas last September over potential bid-rigging for SUNY Poly's initial request for proposals for the dorm project. The investigation was launched after Columbia, which spent over $3.5 million quietly buying property on Loughlin Street adjacent to the SUNY Poly Fuller Road campus, was awarded the initial bid for a student housing project last year for the college. SUNY Poly officials said Columbia was the only firm to respond to the request for proposals. The college then decided to seek new proposals on the project. BBL Construction often works with Columbia on projects. This time around, board members shared with the public how the procedure went and RoAnn Destito, commissioner of the state Office of General Services and a Fuller Road board member, praised the process. "I think the evaluation was done amicably, and I believe they looked at each of the proposals in an objective way," she said by conference phone at the meeting. "I think that after reviewing all of the documents and information that I was shown, it is a legitimate and very good procurement." Officials outlined how an evaluation team was set up composed of various SUNY Poly department heads to review the proposals and a group of 200 graduate students served as advisors. Board members repeatedly emphasized their intent to remain transparent and open to public feedback, but explained that they could not answer questions during the public comment period. "Some of us are here because we have a lot of questions about what happened at Loughlin Street," Guilderland resident Bill Peterson said. "It's left a very bad taste in our mouths, and we'd like to get answers." Property on the dead-end road is poised to be redeveloped into a 173-unit apartment complex. The project has drawn criticism from surrounding residents and has been further complicated with the recent sale of the properties to Tri-City Rentals. Fuller Road board member Joan McDonald, who has served as commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, suggested posting questions with answers on the website as well as possibly having the college set up a public meeting to address area residents' concerns. "This is a new process to this board, and we want to make sure we're informing the public," McDonald said. A Westport Police Department service dog knows how to sit, shake and begonline that is. Images of the dog, named Atlas, adorn the departments GoFundMe page. Creators of the page write that the Westport canine unit has existed as an unfunded budget item since the 1980s, relying solely on community donations. A Port Arthur hospital's response to a baby's increasing fetal heart rate was questioned in a Jefferson County civil court on Wednesday by a Bridge City couple seeking $1 million in the 2014 death of their newborn. Olivia Marie Coats was taken off life support four days after she was born at the Medical Center for Southeast Texas. Dr. George Backardjiev used forceps to try and deliver the baby vaginally before ordering a cesarean section when the move failed, according to the lawsuit filed by her parents in August 2014. By then, Olivia had suffered a partial skull fracture and brain hemorrhaging, the lawsuit states. The girl's parents allege in their suit that the uncommon use of forceps, which studies show are being phased out of child delivery, crushed Olivia's skull. Both Backardjiev and the hospital are named in the suit. The hospital has denied there is any evidence to support the family's claims that Backardjiev gravely injured Olivia Coats. After her birth, the baby was taken to Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston, where Olivia's parents learned that multiple organs were failing, the lawsuit states. Haley Cupit, a nurse who treated Olivia's mother Rachel Melancon during the Dec. 28, 2013, delivery, testified Wednesday that while the hospital has policies in place, nurses and other medical professionals tend to defer to the doctor when they are uncertain of how to handle a situation. Cupit's testimony dealt mostly with the administering of Pitocin, a hormone used to cause or strengthen labor contractions. Olivia's heart rate increased after her mother received the hormone, according to testimony. The hospital's policy suggests nurses stop the hormone in this instance, though it is not uncommon to decrease the dosage. Nurses followed the policy for several hours until Dr. Backardjiev ordered the dosage to be increased, according to the lawsuit and medical records. Malachi Daws, an attorney for Melancon, was critical Monday of how the Pitocin dosages were administered and suggested Cupit or a supervising nurse should have intervened. "If (Dr. Backardjiev) had not been there, we probably would not have increased (the dosage)," Cupit said. But nurses tend to defer to physicians' expert opinion, even when they disagree, she said. Discontinuing the hormone is one of several options when a fetus heart rate increases, along with repositioning the mother and providing oxygen among others. Cupit, however, said it is not mandatory to stop Pitocin because "each patient is different." The more Melancon's labor progressed, the worse Olivia's condition became, Daws said. Daws pressed Cupit, who expressed concerns about the hormone dosages, about why she did not fight harder for Melancon and Olivia. She responded that since the physician was monitoring the situation, it did not seem bad enough to go further than the supervising nurse for a second opinion. Shortly after midnight on Dec. 28, 2013, Dr. Backardjiev applied forceps twice, but they slipped off on the second try, the lawsuit states. A nurse - concerned about Olivia's heart rate - asked the doctor to consider cesarean delivery, but he declined, according to the lawsuit. The forceps slipped again on the next contraction, but Dr. Backardjiev was still unwilling to do the cesarean delivery because he could see Olivia's head coming down, the lawsuit states. The forceps slipped a third time before the doctor decided to do a C-section, but "it was clearly apparent the baby suffered grave consequences," the lawsuit states. Cupit's testimony will resume at 9 a.m. BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott KIN MAN HUI/Kin Man Hui/kmhui@express-news.net Its that time of year again: shopping centers in the San Antonio area and beyond will be stuffed without a parking spot to spare during the upcoming tax-free weekend as the first day of school nears. The City of San Marcos announced this week that two highway exits would be shutdown near the Tanger Outlets in San Marcos which has more than 150 stores and restaurants during the Saturday of tax-free weekend to help alleviate traffic. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Doctors are inducing labor Thursday on a 5-months-pregnant woman hit by an alleged drunk driver who remains in Hays County Jail on charges she killed the woman's husband and child, family members said. Kristian Guerrero, 24, a Bryan resident, is in fair condition at St. David's South Austin Medical Center after being admitted Tuesday night after the car she was driving, with her husband in the passenger seat, was hit by an alleged drunk driver, Shana Elliott, on Highway 21 in San Marcos. MORE: Police: Drunk Texas State student, 21, caused wreck that killed man, injured pregnant wife Guerrero's husband, Fabian Guerrero-Moreno, was killed in the crash and the woman's unborn child succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash, police and family said. On a GoFundMe page set up Wednesday, Diane Castillo, Guerrero's aunt, said doctors would induce labor Thursday and deliver the child, named Fabian James Guerrero. "Baby Fabian has joined his daddy in heaven because of injuries sustained during the accident," she wrote. "(Kristian) is in so much pain, physically and emotionally... She lost her best friend, her soulmate, her son.... Because a 21 year old decided to drink and drive." Elliott, a senior at Texas State who has been arrested twice this year on a litany of felony drug charges, was still wearing a bikini after floating the river when her vehicle veered across the highway center line and crashed with the couple, according to an affidavit obtained by mySA.com. Elliott told police she consumed "beer and liquor while floating the river at Texas State Tubes prior to the collision," the report said, adding that a her breath contained "the strong odor" of alcohol, her eyes were blood shot and she was unsteady on her feet. Elliott is charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter, second-degree felonies, and an intoxication assault charge, a third-degree felony. RELATED: Teen dies while 'back flipping' off dam in San Marcos The couple was married Nov. 14, 2015 and were expecting to find out the sex of their child on Sunday, according to a sonogram image posted to Guerrero's Facebook page the day before the crash that read: "Is this the face of a little prince or a little princess?! We can't wait to find out Sunday! Are you team boy or team girl?! Taking bets now!" So far, $2,560 has been raised for Guerrero. In a second GoFundMe page, money is being donated to help with funeral expenses for Guerrero-Moreno, of which $4,670 has been raised. The affidavit said a witness saw "a female in a bikini... roll a bottle of alcohol under a vehicle" at the scene. Elliott was transported to the Central Texas Medical Center for minor injuries. RELATED: Records: Felony drinking and driving charges down significantly in Bexar County in 2016 Texas State officials confirmed to mySA.com Wednesday that Elliott "was a Texas State student enrolled in spring 2016, and that she is registered for classes in fall 2016. She was not enrolled this summer." Elliott posted a photo on Facebook of a Dean's List certificate from the fall of 2014. She was arrested on March 22 on three felony charges of possession of controlled substances and marijuana. She was arrested again May 2 on two felony charges of possession of controlled substances. Her bond was set $185,000 cash or surety by Judge Beth Smith, she said. According to county records, Elliott remained in Hays County Jail at 10 a.m. Thursday. Staff writers Tyler White, Kolten Parker and Madalyn Mendoza contributed to this report. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An elderly South Texas man is behind bars after he allegedly solicited a man and the man's teenage son for sex acts at a park. Gary Lynn Taylor, 78, was charged with prostitution/soliciting a person younger than 14-years-old on July 22, according to online jail records for the Hidalgo County Sheriff's office. RELATED: 16 arrested in undercover North Texas sex sting, including attorney A probe into the alleged sexual solicitation began on July 22 after a man and his son called the Mission Police Department following a visit to the Banworth Park, ValleyCentral reported. A father and his 16-year-old son went to the park when the teen's father noticed Taylor's green Ford F-150, according to ValleyCentral. The father of the teen had been solicited for sexual acts by Taylor previously and didn't report the incident to police, but remembered Taylor and his vehicle and warned his son, the South Texas news agency reported. RELATED: Sheriff: 20 'weird sickos' arrested in Central Texas child solicitation sting When the teen went to the restroom, the elderly man followed after him and asked if the teen could "give him a blow job," to which the teen responded "how much," and Taylor proposed $5, ValleyCentral reported. The teen ran from the restroom and yelled for his father according to a complaint obtained by ValleyCentral.com. The teen and his father kept Taylor at the park until police arrived and Taylor admitted to police that he asked the boy for oral sex in exchange for $5. RELATED: West Texas sheriff: Ex-youth pastor among 'sick and depraved' men arrested in sex sting Online records state Taylor is being charged with soliciting a person under 14-years-old while reports suggest the teen is 16. Questions to the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office were not immediately answered as officials familiar with the case were not available. Taylor's solicitation charge is a second-degree felony and he remains behind bars with a $50,000 bond. MMedina@mySA.com Twitter: @MariahMedinaaa A Laredo police officer was arrested and charged with four counts of indecency with a child last weekend after the mother of a teen told authorities the officer touched her daughter inappropriately. RELATED: Ex-NEISD coach gets probation in indecency with a child case Victor Rodriguez, a 14-year veteran of the Laredo Police Department, was taken into custody on last Friday by a fellow LPD officer around 12 a.m. in the 2900 block of Fishers Hill in Laredo, according to online jail records. Rodriguez was charged after a mother told police the officer touched her teenage daughter inappropriately last May and an investigation was launched, KGNS reported. RELATED: Reports: 78-year-old man offered teen $5 for oral sex in Texas park bathroom Rodriguez's attorney, Abundio Rene Cantu, released a statement on behalf of the officer that said he passed a polygraph test concerning the allegations and "submitted evidence to the detectives of the Laredo Police Department explaining the 'motivation' for making these false allegations," but did not elaborate on what the motivations were. According to KGNS, Rodriguez was put on administrative duty as an investigation is conducted. Cantu said he believes Rodriguez will be found innocent of the charges brought against him. RELATED: Sex offender who asked state to castrate him after molesting kids released from jail in San Antonio The Laredo Police Department said the report related to Rodriguez's case was not ready and that it would be a while before the details of the incidents would be released. Calls to Rodriguez's attorney were not immediately returned Thursday morning. MMedina@mySA.com Twitter: @MariahMedinaaa For nearly a decade, President Barack Obama has celebrated his birthdays in the Oval Office with his final one head of state birth date being today. The 55-year-old from Honolulu was 47 when he first took presidency on Jan. 20, 2009, becoming one of the youngest commanders in chief. If youd asked several months ago what message Democrats would adopt at their convention, I probably would have predicted a portrayal of all Republicans as responsible for Donald Trumps sins. That is, Democrats would claim that all Republicans, up and down the ballot, were tainted with Trumpism, and that all of them would have to answer for their standard-bearers foibles and fear-mongering. The message would go something like this: For Trumps mockery of a disabled reporter; for his arguments that a federal judge cant do his job because of his Mexican descent; for his calls for an unconstitutional religious test to be applied to immigrants; and for his disparagement of women, minorities and war heroes, all Republicans ought to be held accountable and thrown out of office. This prediction would have been wrong. Rather than demonizing the entire GOP, Democrats have lately portrayed Trump as distinct from other Republicans, as not a real Republican or a true conservative. In so doing, Democrats have absolved Republican politicians of responsibility for his excesses and Republican voters of any obligation to elect him. Many have noted that the Democratic convention last week liberally co-opted traditional Republican iconography. American flags abounded; Democrats name-checked family values, faith, patriotism and the military, all topics traditionally more closely associated with Republicans. Convention organizers recruited Republican speakers to endorse Hillary Clinton. But Democrats not only paid homage to Republican tropes and leaders. They also expressed great deference to the Republican Party itself, elevating the GOP to idealized heights. In contrast with previous party confabs, this Democratic convention presented Republicans not as enemies to be vanquished but respected rivals undeserving of Trumpian turpitude. The message for those watching at home: Trump is a pretender to the conservative throne. Hes taken the Republican Party a long way, from Morning in America to Midnight in America, Clinton declared in her Thursday night speech, in an unsubtle allusion to the GOPs patron saint, Ronald Reagan. What we heard in Cleveland last week wasnt particularly Republican and it sure wasnt conservative, President Obama argued the day before. A man who embraces the tactics of our enemies, torture, religious intolerance. You all know, all the Republicans know, thats not who we are, added Vice President Biden, perhaps giving Republicans too much credit. Such arguments were a clear appeal to crossover voters. If Trump isnt a real Republican, well, then self-identified Republicans shouldnt feel disloyal if they vote against him. In other words: Welcome, white college graduates! Welcome, suburban married women! Welcome, Rockefeller Republicans! Were not asking you to completely ditch your partisan tribalism; were just suggesting you redirect it. Or as Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine put it even more explicitly during his convention speech: If any of you are looking for that party of Lincoln, weve got a home for you right here in the Democratic Party. At least for one election. If some of this Trump-is-not-a-true-conservative rhetoric sounds familiar, its because we also heard it a few months ago but from Republicans, during their presidential primary. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio in particular railed against Trumps ideological impurities. This line of attack was not exactly successful in turning the primary base away from Trump. Whether it now works on more moderate Republicans, during the general election, remains to be seen. What we do know is that this strategic distinction that Democratic leaders are drawing between the truly principled conservatives and an unprincipled interloper lets too many Republicans off the hook. Republican leadership has been laying the groundwork for Trumpism for years, after all. They did it when they questioned Obamas legitimacy as a natural-born citizen, as a Christian and as a democratically elected president empowered to appoint federal judges. They did it when they used coded language about welfare queens and states rights and religious freedom and illegals. Trump may have taken their dog whistles down a few octaves, so that theyre now audible to regular humans, but he owes the original melody to earlier, allegedly truer Republicans. crampell@washpost.com Every nation has sacred places, where history has stopped and lingered, and visitors are hushed by memories of redemptive sacrifice. One is the balcony outside Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. On this spot a familiar voice was stilled, but also somehow magnified, becoming part of our collective conscience. This site is now part of a fine museum the National Civil Rights Museum that unfolds the story that King told and shaped. How 12 million Africans were shipped as slaves across the Atlantic. How they built resilient institutions that maintained their identity and demanded their freedom. How a great war ended slavery but not oppression. How African-Americans suffered a century of cruel and systematic indignity. Then came a movement of conscience in which being a community organizer could demand the courage of a soldier and get your head cracked open. A movement opposed by domestic terrorists who bombed homes and churches, and murdered children (should we refer to them as radical Christian terrorists?). This story of a captive people who forced America to fulfill its ideals prisoners who freed themselves and also their jailers is one of the most compelling moral narratives outside of Scripture. Leaders such as King believed that history has an arc, determined by the appeal of freedom and the Author of freedom. And their vision of human rights became an inseparable part of the American story: a nation that declared high ideals, then was judged by them, and now is motivated by them to expand the circle of inclusion, protection and promise. I visited the National Civil Rights Museum as a presidential candidate attacked the mother of a fallen American soldier by employing an anti-Muslim stereotype (maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say). Donald Trump went on to assert that the soldiers father, Khizr Khan, had no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution a statement that proved Khans point. My point is not that Trump is a classless, egotistical sadist though the case is strong. It is that Trumps view of nationalism is based on culture, ethnicity and exclusion. It does not matter if outsiders have made what Abraham Lincoln called so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Their faith, in Trumps view, is foreign and immediately associated with stereotypes of oppression and violence. Trump is not merely indifferent to the language of racial and religious inclusion; he is actively hostile to the premise. Whatever their motivations, leaders who support Trump are encouraging an alternate and degraded version of Americas story. In Trumps telling, this is a nation besieged by threats to its identity. Other nations have allowed their cultures to be overwhelmed by immigration. America must be protected from the same fate. Trumps America is the nation of decades past, largely white and Christian. In fact, America is the model for the world when it comes to integrating people of other faiths into a pluralistic society. Rather than recognizing this, Trump would undo it and foster the conflict he warns against. But even more is at stake. Those who support Trump are setting the Republican Party at odds with the American story told by Lincoln and King: a nationalism defined by striving toward unifying ideals of freedom and human dignity. Is this what the speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader and so many other good people intended when they entered politics? Is this how they define their souls high purpose? The night before his murder, King mused on mortality, saying he would die happy because he was sure of his lifes mission, which included standing up for the best in the American dream. Which Republican leaders can now rest in that confidence? It is not too late to repudiate. michaelgerson@washpost.com An open letter to veterans considering suicide: Please dont. You live, yet you are still often among the casualties of what is now nearly 15 years of unremitting war in Afghanistan and Iraq. There have been ebbs in these wars, but even when youre no longer in it, youre in it. This shows up too often as post-traumatic stress disorder, diagnosed and undiagnosed. There might also be combat injuries, but, always, what youve seen and felt live within you. And so do the aftereffects when you survive and your buddies dont. There is that void created because, as a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine, you were part of something. You feel untethered as you transition to civilian life. Because it is an all-volunteer force these days, not everyone understands much of this. Heck, even if you seek help, finding a counselor or health professional with military experience is not easy. This compounds the problem of lack of veterans services in rural Texas in particular. And there is that military ethos of self-reliance that overcomes all obstacles thrown your way a strength that leaves you weak if it results in not admitting you need help. Then dark thoughts of suicide might intrude. There are efforts to help people understand. What Martin Kuz wrote in an Express-News special report on veterans suicide Sunday represents one such effort. He told some stories. Among them was Manuel Garzas. He took his own life. He leaves a wife and four children. Garza, 33, did two tours in Iraq, the last ending in 2005. He was in pain. Diagnosed with PTSD, he sought and got help, but this last bit arguably came too late. He went to that session only 48 hours before he jumped from a Laredo freeway overpass on Sept. 18. He went to that session in San Antonio. He left feeling unsatisfied, unhelped. There just arent enough facilities and services for military veterans in South Texas, particularly in our border communities. This is why the area needs its own full VA hospital. There are also fewer private facilities able to take veterans in rural areas. Garza joins too many other veterans in taking their own lives. A Veterans Administration report from July says veteran suicides have jumped 32 percent since 2001 compared to 23 percent for civilians. Veterans between 18 and 29 in 2014 were six times as likely to take their own lives as civilians in the same age group, more than triple civilians 30 through 39. Garza was among the 13 percent to 20 percent of 2.6 million veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan who returned with PTSD. It is an ailment that can be treated but requires vigilance because symptoms can recur. There is a theme when it resurfaces. Those dark thoughts. And then thoughts of suicide as relationships and marriages become stressed and often crumble. There is self-medication, alcohol or other forms of substance abuse, all of which exacerbate conditions. And another theme: Because you are hurting and because you know you are hurting others, you reason that your family and loved ones will be better off without you. They wont be. In Garzas story there is the wreckage of what comes after, hurt that will take years to heal. You are needed. The world is a better place for your service. It is a better place if you continue to be part of it. This is more assured if with the self-reliance you honed as a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine you get the help you need. Kuz and others have explained it to us. You feel stigma if you admit to mental health issues, a sentiment occurring in small towns, too. You neednt feel this way. There is no stigma. And there is treatment, a way to get better for you and your families. Kuz told these stories, too of people who got that treatment and live fruitful lives. Yes, when there isnt as much help when and where you need it, you have been done a disservice. The country owes you much. There are many trying to fix things. This Editorial Board joins that effort. But services do exist and are worth getting, even if you have to travel a bit to get this. This country still needs you and your friends and family certainly do. You still have much to contribute. Get those services. It may take some effort others are working on making that less of an effort. Just because youre no longer in the military doesnt mean other people dont still have your six. If you allow them in. A trio of past and present Latino legislators are backing Democratic state Attorney General Kamala Harris in her race for the U.S. Senate, pointedly ignoring Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchezs effort to become the nations first Latina senator. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, state Sen. Ricardo Lara and former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, all from Los Angeles County, on Wednesday endorsed the former San Francisco district attorney in the Democrat vs. Democrat battle to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. Kamala is a leader for all Californians, De Leon said in a statement. In this political climate thats been defined by fear and divisive attacks, Im proud to stand with Kamala Harris someone who proudly fights for the best ideals of our state and our democracy. Harris, who finished well ahead of Sanchez in the June primary and leads in all the polls, already has the support of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and former Speaker John Perez, both Los Angeles Latino leaders. This is a pretty big hit for Loretta, said Roger Salazar, a veteran Democratic consultant. It shows that Kamala has made serious inroads into the Latino community. Thats bad news for Sanchez, whose hope for a November victory is centered on strong support from Californias fast-growing Latino community. While a July Field Poll found Harris with a 39 percent to 24 percent lead among all likely voters, Sanchez had a better than 2-to-1 lead among Latino voters. The 56-year-old Sanchez, who was first elected to Congress in 1996, grew up in Anaheim as one of seven children born to parents who emigrated from Mexico. She talks regularly about her pride in her heritage and her belief, as she said in a Sacramento campaign appearance earlier this year, that we need a Latina in the U.S. Senate. That concern is echoed by San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Sanchez supporter, who noted that Harris most recent endorsements come from the male Latino legislative leaders. We have different opinions, she said. A focus on what were doing, shattering a glass ceiling, is important ... it might be symbolic to others, but its important to me. But Harris new Latino endorsements may be less about ethnicity and more about day-to-day politics in California, Salazar said. For someone like Sanchez, a congresswoman who has never run for office outside of Orange County, its hard to build the visibility needed to win a statewide campaign. Harris and California legislators and state officials all came up through the same system, meeting together at party events and building up relationships, he said, while Sanchez was spending much of her time in Washington, D.C., 3,000 miles from California and California politics. That California tilt for Harris shows in the endorsements. The list on her campaign website shows endorsements from 19 of the states 26 Democratic state senators and 32 of Californias 52 Democratic Assembly members. By contrast, Sanchezs endorsements include a single state senator and eight Assembly members, all of them Latino. Its a different story on the congressional side, where Sanchez is backed by 17 of Californias 39 Democratic members. Harris lists only nine supporters from the states congressional delegation, all but one of them from Northern California. Sanchez showed this week that those congressional relationships extend across party lines when she picked up the endorsement of former GOP Rep. Howard Buck McKeon of Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County). McKeon, who retired in 2014 after 22 years in office, was chair of the House Armed Services Committee, where he served with Sanchez. I have worked closely with Loretta for many years and have seen firsthand her ability to put partisanship aside and work with Democrats and Republicans, he said in a statement. With no Republican in the Senate race, Sanchez is touting her experience on national and international affairs, including her work in Congress on defense and homeland security issues, to attract GOP voters in November. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth -- Texas agrees to water down voter ID law for November election, by the San Antonio Express-News David Rauf Along with one of the alternate IDs, voters will have to sign affidavits saying why they were unable to obtain one of the identifications required under the law. The deal needs to be approved by a federal judge, but the concessions from Texas on such a high-profile measure represent a major win for the U.S. Department of Justice and minority groups that have argued that state Republican lawmakers sought to disenfranchise blacks and Hispanics. "The case is not over," said Paxton spokesman Marc Rylander. "In light of the 5th Circuit's recent decision, we are working hard on saving all the important aspects of our voter ID law." >> Cruz, McCaul lead GOP in blasting cash payments to Iran, by the Dallas Morning News Jamie Lovegrove -- Greens coming to Houston hoping to shake up race for the White House, by the Houston Chronicles Kevin Diaz In an interview with the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday, Stein dismissed her party's role as a potential spoiler, the part traditionally accorded to third-party candidates in American presidential politics, from Nader to Texas Reform Party billionaire Ross Perot. It's kind of funny that these big politicians think there's an entitlement, a new kind of entitlement, that big politicians are entitled to our vote, Stein said. I don't think the American voters think that way. >> Mosquito repellent will be available to low-income mothers trying to avoid the Zika virus, by the ChroniclesSamantha Ketterer. -- Precinct chairs to meet to replace Miles on ballot for Texas House seat, by the Chronicles Rebecca Elliott Harris County Board of Education Trustee Erica Lee Carter and attorney Shawn Theirry are seen as frontrunners, with former City Council candidate Larry Blackmon and activist Valencia Williams also seeking the Democratic nod for District 146. -- Analysis: Pilot error cited in 70 percent of balloon crashes, by the Austin American-Statesman Jeremy Schwartz Its difficult to say whether had (the NTSB recommendations) been in effect it would have prevented this incident, Doggett told the Statesman. But more oversight is needed. Yet the data shows that ballooning deaths, until Saturdays crash, had generally been decreasing over the last two decades. There were 32 balloon deaths during the 1980s and 31 in the 1990s. But during the 2000s, deaths fell to 15, and in the first six years of this decade there were just six before Saturday. -- School Finance Dividing Lines Emerge at Hearing, by the Texas Tribunes Kiah Collier The 11-member Senate Education Committee and a hearing room full of education professionals, lobbyists and school and minority advocates generally agreed that the Legislature should scrap the way it divvies up the more than $40 billion of state money now spent on public schools. Youve basically gotta blow it up, said Ray Freeman, deputy executive director of the Equity Center, which represents property-poor school districts. Its all about productivity, said state Sen. Larry Taylor, the Friendswood Republican who chairs the panel. And I dont think were looking at cutting any spending, but weve got to do as well as we can with the money we have. SPEED READ Incorrect Latin word mars UTs monument to victims of 1966 Tower sniper, Austin American-Statesman Lubbock lawmakers look to 2017 after state plan sets softer rules on voter ID, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Law enforcement gets new funding option for active shooter training, Austin American-Statesman Senate Democrats ask Cruz to investigate Trump, potential Russian interference in election, Dallas Morning News Low oil prices mean losses for independent producers, Houston Chronicle Hurd slams, but still might vote for Trump, El Paso Times HISD's chief auditor reinstated, Houston Chronicle U.S. homeownership is at an all-time low -- and Texas is even lower, Houston Chronicle Texas Lawmaker: Expect Bills to Get Rid of Campus Carry, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth Lawyer: Video shows police officer caused confrontation with social worker, Houston Chronicle Bexar Co. Commish Kevin Wolff remembers little from DWI arrest, was wearing only underwear, San Antonio Express-News CAPITOL DAYBOOK: HOUSE 10 a.m. County Affairs [Tarrant County] RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE >> Mike Pence Splits With Donald Trump on Paul Ryan Endorsement, by The New York Times -- GOP reaches new level of panic over Trumps candidacy, by The Washington Post A new level of panic hit the street, said longtime operative Scott Reed, chief strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Its time for a serious reset. The current race is which of these two is the more unacceptable, because right now, neither of them is acceptable. Trump is helping her to win by proving he is more unacceptable than she is. -- Trump's shrinking electoral map, POLITICOs Gabriel Debenedetti With a clear lead in the polls, demographic advantages, and a rival who is out of sync with local GOP leaders, Hillary Clinton is beginning to put some distance between her campaign and Donald Trump, raising the prospect that Colorado, a pivotal swing state, is too far gone for Trump to catch up. Colorado has a significant and growing Latino population, and Trump has done everything he possibly can to draw Latino voters into the waiting arms of Democrats. The same is true in Nevada. So its not surprising that Hillary Clinton looks reasonably strong there I dont know if he can [win Colorado]. said Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who worked for Marco Rubios presidential campaign. >> Hillary Clinton Campaign Takes First Steps in Presidential Transition, The New York Times >> Can a rising Obama help Hillary Clinton? CNN >> How Khizr and Ghazala Khan went from grieving parents to stars of the presidential race, Los Angeles Times You don't have to have a big budget if you're looking to move into San Antonio's top school districts. A number of homes currently on the market can get your kids into some of the area's top schools while coming in well below the Alamo Citys median home price. PYONGYANG North Korean space officials are hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020, and don't intend to stop there: They're also aiming for the moon, and beyond. In an interview with the Associated Press, a senior official at the Norths version of NASA said international sanctions wont stop Pyongyang from launching more satellites by 2020, and that he hopes to see the North Korean flag on the moon within the next 10 years. Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon, said Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department of North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration. An unmanned, no-frills North Korean moon mission in the not-too-distant future isnt as far-fetched as it might seem. Outside experts say its ambitious, but conceivable. While the United States is the only country to have conducted manned lunar missions, other nations have sent unmanned spacecraft there and have in that sense planted their flags. It would be a significant increase in technology, not one that is beyond them, but you have to debug each bit, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who maintains an exhaustive blog on international satellites and satellite launches, said in an email. Hyon said the current five-year plan, at the order of leader Kim Jong Un, focuses on launching more earth observation satellites and what would be its first geostationary communications satellite which, technologically, would be a major step forward. He said universities are also expanding programs to train rocket scientists. We are planning to develop the earth observation satellites and to solve communications problems by developing geostationary satellites. All of this work will be the basis for the flight to the moon, Hyon said, adding that he personally would like to see that happen within 10 years time. North Korea has marked a number of successes in its space program and, of course, in its development of ever-more-sophisticated long-range missiles for military use. On Wednesday, it test-fired what was believed to be a medium-range ballistic missile into the seas off Japan, the fourth reported weapons launch the North has carried out in about two weeks. It launched its latest satellite the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilliant Star 4 into orbit on Feb. 7, just one month after conducting what it claims was its first H-bomb test. That brought new sanctions because nuclear tests and rocket launches, which can have military applications, are banned under United Nations resolutions. Hyon said claims that the Norths space plan is a military program in disguise are hypocritical, considering the history of space exploration. The U.S., Russia and China built their space programs out of military technology. Many of the rockets they use were developed as ICBMs. #Justice Party Former Justice Party leader Lee Jeong-mi elected for 2nd term Lee Jeong-mi, a former chief of the minor progressive Justice Party (JP), was elected Friday for a second term to lead a major reform of the party reeling from recent election rout... #KBO Heroes reach Korean Series after eliminating Twins in KBO postseason For the first time in three years, the Kiwoom Heroes will be playing in the South Korean baseball championship series. Former big leaguer Yasiel Puig homered and knocked in two ... UNITED KINGDOM Waitrose has become the U.K.s first major supermarket brand to operate a cashless store after opening a workplace convenience store in Skys new flagship head office building at its Osterley campus. This is the retailer's second workplace store, the first being at the British Airways' offices in Harmondsworth, and is also the second smallest Waitrose format at 1,400 square feet. Waitrose opened the British Airways store in 1998, another small footprint at just 529 square feet. The new little Waitrose branded store is located inside Skys new office building, Sky Central, which will be home to more than 3,500 staff. Sky employees are only able to pay by card or through their mobile devices at one of the five self-service checkouts in the store. Waitrose met with groups of Sky employees to determine what they would like to see in their new store. The focus is on evening meals and food to go, including fresh sandwiches, wraps and sushi, as well as a selection of fresh produce and ingredients, celebration cakes, freshly cut flowers and household staples. Bread and croissants are baked each day, too. Travel accessories and mini health and beauty care products are also available for those needing to travel at late notice or choosing to take advantage of the on-site gym. The store is run by Waitrose employees and has created 20 new jobs. By Lambert Strether of Corrente. TPP/TTIP/TISA The key [to preventing TPP from coming to a vote in the lame duck] is to get House Democrats on record before the election as opposing TPP, and then getting them to lobby the 28 Democrats who supported the fast track Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to oppose a vote after the election. These 28 are: Terri Sewell (AL-07); Susan Davis (CA-53); Sam Farr (CA-20); Jim Costa (CA-16); Ami Bera (CA-07); Scott Peters (CA-52); Jared Polis (CO-02); James Himes (CT-04); Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23); Mike Quigley (IL-05); John Delaney (MD-06); Brad Ashford (NE-02); Gregory Meeks (NY-05); Kathleen Rice (NY-04); Earl Blumenauer (OR-03); Kurt Schrader (OR-05); Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01); Jim Cooper (TN-05); Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15); Eddie Johnson (TX-30); Henry Cuellar (TX-28); Beto ORourke (TX-16); Gerald Connolly (VA-11); Donald Beyer (VA-08); Rick Larsen (WA-02); Suzan DelBene (WA-01); Derek Kilmer (WA-06); Ron Kind (WI-03) [Dave Johnson, CAF]. Hillary Clinton could help kill TPP by demanding the President Obama withdraw TPP from any possibility of consideration in the lame duck session of Congress. Its certainly odd that she hasnt. [A]ll 26 of the 28 pro-TPA House Democrats who have so far undergone primary contests have been successful [Politico]. The final two remaining are Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin, for whom voters will go to the polls next week, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, whose contest is at the end of the month. Look, people said TPA was dead six times, [Jason Miller, deputy director of the National Economic Council] said. And we got it passed. We got it passed with a bipartisan group, a majority of Republicans, but a bipartisan group, and that is the group that we are focused on getting TPP over the finish line' [Politico]. The White House official also urged the advisory group not to worry too much about the anti-TPP rhetoric coming out of the Democratic and Republican party conventions. The conventions are conventions, Miller said. So theyre doing their thing.' Pesky voters! Environmental, consumer, faith, senior, family farm, LGBTQ, Internet freedom, small business, human rights, online activism, and other organizations have made stopping the TPP a major priority because it would undermine decades of their policy achievements and foreclose future progress by requiring signatory countries to conform domestic laws to hundreds of pages of non-trade rules promoted by the corporate interests involved in negotiations (pdf) [Eyes on Trade]. That list is the glory and tragedy of todays left. 2016 Policy UPDATE Clintons campaign has such strong persuasion going right now that she is successfully equating her actual misdeeds of the past with Trumps imaginary mental issues and imaginary future misdeeds [Scott Adams]. This is a Rovian strategy: Assault the enemys strength. Youve got to admire the effrontery: The candidate who didnt raise a voice against the Iraq War and tipped the administration in favor of war with Libya (which were now bombing again) paints their opponent as a lunatic warmonger. The Money Fueled by Small Donations, Donald Trump Makes Up Major Financial Ground [New York Times]. Wait, wait. I thought the Trump campaign was imploding? Is it possible that the narrative has simply been ginned up by the (deeply threatened) Democrat and Republican establishments, working within the (deeply threatened) political class? That would be huge! Caveat that these are not FEC figures; nevertheless, this is Nick Confessores beat, so Id expect him to get it right. More: Donald J. Trump all but erased his enormous fund-raising disadvantage against Hillary Clinton in the span of just two months [The new figures] they suggest that Mr. Trump has the potential to be the first Republican nominee whose campaign could be financed chiefly by grass-roots supporters pitching in $10 or $25 apiece, echoing the success of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont during the Democratic primary And this is important: Mr. Trump was able to ramp up quickly in part through a digital operation set up by the R.N.C. since that campaign. Even before Mr. Trump was the nominee, the party built out its email list and tested ways of targeting small donors. Wait, wait. I thought the narrative was that Trump and the RNC were at each others throats? (Oddly, or not, Trump didnt mention the prospect of these figures on his hilarious interview with WaPos Philip Rucker.) Best headline: Donald Trump Implodes His Way To Strongest Fundraising Month Yet [HuffPo]. Trump will match small donations up to $2 million, his team said. Smart. Money in the bank: Clinton still has significantly more money in the bank than Trump; her campaign has $58 million on hand, compared to Trumps $37 million. However, this is a big improvement for Trump over just a couple of months ago. At the start of June, Trump had only around $1.3 million on hand, compared to Clintons $42 million [NPR]. And the air war: Trumps stronger fundraising could help even out the massive advertising gap between the two candidates. Thus far, Clintons camp has aired $68 million in ads, compared to Trumps $6 million, NBC News reported on Tuesday. Even more staggering, Clinton had reserved $98 million in TV ad time, compared to Trumps $817,000, NBC also reported. Clinton is ahead. And so she should be. But 95 days is a long time in politics. California entrepreneur Reid Hoffman [a cofounder of LinkedIn and PayPal] has purchased $220,000 worth of television, radio and online advertising in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne, according to a disclosure filed Thursday with the Secretary of States Office [Seven Days]. Throughout his campaign, Dunne has railed against the influence of big money in politics. At a Wednesday press conference, he framed himself as up against the establishment. In March, he returned all of his corporate contributions and called on his opponents to do the same. At the same time, he has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from out-of-state donors and held fundraisers in New York City and Washington, D.C. The Voters Think about it: While Bernie was the oldest candidate running for president, in heart, soul, vigor, and vision he is by far the youngest. He won the majority of voters under 45 years old and a stunning 71 percent of under-30 voters. In the under-30 demographic, Bernie even won decisively among women, including African Americans and Latinas. He also dominated among independents who voted Democratic. Theres the future [Defend Democracy]. Numbers like these should really put paid to the identitarian narrative pushed by the Democrat establishment that kitchen table issues cant appeal across their beloved identity silos. But that zombie narrative just wont die. (UPDATE I love this sentence, because its so totally TNR: There was a time when Democrats were skittish about confronting the white working class over race. Apparently, a policy of benign neglect thats permitted an AIDS-level epidemic with half-a-million excess deaths isnt confronting. Fine. If you ever want to see real hate, confront a liberal goodthinker with the working class. Speculating freely: If those same liberal goodthinkers, when they were a lot younger, hadnt insisted on Michael Dukakis instead of Jesse Jackson, a lot of those lives might have been saved. But they work every day. So, no.) Two takes, first the conventional one: The bottom line is that Clinton is up in the polls now. Will it last? Second convention bounces tend to fade; it did for the Republicans in 2004 and 2008 (even before the Lehman Brothers collapse); it did for the Democrats in 1996. Overall, since 1968 the in-party has tended to run behind its showing even two weeks out from the convention, but this is not a hard, fast rule. In this regard, Clintons lead of about four-to-five points should probably make Democrats nervous [RealClearPolitics]. The Trump-centric take: With that said, the model does not include an express variable for a candidate who says the sorts of things that Trump says. It also does not include an express variable for a candidate with the sort of baggage that Clinton has. And it certainly does not include a variable for the probability that Wikileaks will post the contents of Clintons hard drive, or Clinton foundation emails, to the Internet immediately before a debate, or a week before Election Day. Concluding: While it certainly feels as though the Trump campaign is approaching a precipice, in reality that probably still lies a bit down the road. With that said, however, a precipice probably is what awaits him on his current path. In this frantic rush for unity, the DNC is trying to silence dissent and critical thought about where we are now and how we got here [Counterpunch]. Not just the DNC, but the political class and liberal goodthinkers everywhere. Remember, that to liberals, just as to conservatives, the left is the real enemy. More: But behind the Democratic Conventions Hollywood stars, its sea of red, white and blue balloons and US flags, and the USA chants designed to drown out the No More War chants of the Sanders supporters, there was a notable dissent in the crowd, which is reflective of a larger and growing movement against corporate-controlled politics in this country and around the world. Rather than calling it disruption, as so many news pundits have this week, I prefer to call it democracy.' Notice, once more, the pro-war Democrat dogwhistling. The Parties UPDATE I want to underline my belief which is part of the reason for my shift away from horserace coverage that the emergence of truly independent left entities (and Im not saying party here very deliberately) is far more important than the Presidential race in the long and short term. In the short term, when the (neoliberal) conservatives and (neoliberal) liberals get their party alignment issues sorted, theyll turn on their common enemy, so the left had better have some institutional firepower, no matter how newly organized. (This will be true even in my preferred election scenario, in which either winner is crippled, and gridlock continues.) In the longer term, the left is where all the creative ideas in political economy are coming from, the neoliberal consensus having reached its final flowering, after which decay quickly ensues.) In a church meeting hall in Northwest Washington, leaning toward each other in metal folding chairs and talking loudly over cheese pizza, a small group of Bernie Sanders supporters gathered on Tuesday to answer an urgent question: What happens next? [The Atlantic]. Atmospheric piece, not too condescending. (Personally, Ive never understood why the Sanders operation never seriously organized D.C.; a revolution needs its sans culottes, after all, and its certainly helpful when theyre in the capital.) [W[e believe that the Bernie Sanders campaign proved that grassroots money and effort can be greater than that of billionaire backed opponents if it is properly focused and utilized. So we think this massive change is possible if we take the same model and apply it to congressional races. Our plan is to recruit and run 400+ candidates as a single, unified, presidential-style campaign [Brand New Congress]. I see the goals through June marked done. I dont see the goal in July marked done, including 60,000 total supporters, and 10,000 total individual donors. Since launching in April, the group has amassed an email list of 20,000 [Roll Call]. Over the past two and a half months they have also raised more than $85,000, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission report for the Brand New Congress political action committee. Roughly 90 percent of the funds came from small donations. [Brand New Congress] is a true bipartisan effort. Theyre planning to run Democrats in blue districts, Republicans in solid red ones, and independents wherever that makes sense [Jim Hightower, Sky Valley News]. But wait how can they get Republican candidates to run on progressive values? By recognizing that true populism is neither a right nor left theory, but a top vs. bottom reality that even middle-class and lower-income Republicans can relate to. First, let me say that switching gears to Congress and the 2018 midterms is a smart way to continue Sanderss fight and channel supporters passion and frustration into actual electoral change. To quote President Obama this week: Dont boo, vote. Its not uncommon for failed (and successful) presidential campaigns to shift to transition from getting their guy or girl elected into a broader mission of supporting candidates they agree with. [Howard] Dean for America became Democracy for America. Obama for America became Organizing for Action, and so on. Sanderss campaign itself may even do this [WaPo]. The reporter seems to believe that DFA and OFA magically disappeared. In fact, Rahm and Tim Kaine killed DFA, and Obama killed OFA. Our Revolution, [Sanders] writes, aims to bring millions of working and young people into the political system; recruit and support the next generation of progressive leaders running for office, from school board to U.S. Senate; and educate the public about the most pressing issues confronting our nation that he says the corporate media fails to emphasize [USA Today]. The Vermont senator plans to officially launch the organization later this month with a live-streamed event, similar to his launch of a massive volunteer effort for his presidential campaign last year, said Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs. Sanders is not waiting til after the election; thats very good. Note also: If you have some strong independents who would like to run, it would be my inclination to support them, [Sanders] said. To nurture the grassroots, Our Revolution will pursue a 50-state strategy, beginning with a challenge to the Democratic Party leadership in many of the states that Bernie carried in the primaries and caucuses. Democratic establishment be warned: Expect Sanders supporters to run in party precinct elections from Vermont to Hawaii [In These Times]. Since its founding 40 years ago, In These Times has advocated an inside/outside strategy vis-a-vis electoral politics. On the outside, we raise Cain, agitate, and describe the contours of a just and more democratic future. On the inside, we promote meaningful change within the existing dominant institutions. The inside game inevitably involves joining forces with people with whom we do not always agree. The alternative to pursuing such a strategy is to cede control of the public sphere to the rich and the powerful. The counter-argument is that this strategy has failed for 40 years. To which the rebuttal is that its time has come, just like Sanders said the same thing for 40 years, and his time came. Pramila Jayapal, one of the standard-bearers for Bernie Sanders Our Revolution movement, won a decisive victory in the primary race for Washingtons 7th Congressional District Tuesday night and will advance to the November general election [Common Dreams]. Amazingly, 37 Berniecrats ran for office in Washington during the primary election. This information comes from the website berniecrats.net, where folks are keeping track of this new movement of activist politicians [Capitol Hill Times]. Here is a national list of Berniecrats. The poll showed that Wasserman Schultz leads 46-38 percent with 16 percent undecided. Her lead narrows after the pollster provided positive and negative information about the candidates, but the press release from Canovas campaign didnt reveal the information provided to voters [Miami Herald]. This was the first poll released in the race so far. There have been no public polls and Wasserman Schultzs campaign hasnt commented about polling. Wasserman Schultz troubles help produce fundraising bonanza for challenger Tim Canova [Orlando Sun-Sentinel]. Swing States Colorado: There are a couple things that would make any supporter of Hillary feel confident; one is that a significant part of the Republican Party in Colorado is a family values party, and theyve always had some difficulty accepting Donald Trump as the partys candidate, said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. Thats been exaggerated because one of the other key parts of the Republican identity in Colorado is our very close relationship with the military, he said, referring to Trumps recent scrap with the parents of a soldier killed in 2004. In the last week or two, some of Mr. Trumps comments have been deeply troubling to many people who, before, would never consider not voting for the Republican candidate [Politico]. Anybody who saw General John Allen beating the war drums before Clintons acceptance speech at the convention knows this dog-whistling for what it is. Meanwhile, Larry Sabato moves Colorado to Likely Democrat from Leans Democrat [Larry Sabatos Crystal Ball]. UPDATE Pennsylvania: Hillary Clinton has opened up an 11-point lead over Donald Trump among likely voters in Pennsylvania, according to a new Franklin and Marshall College poll [The Hill]. Clinton has 49 percent support among likely voters, and Trump has 38 percent. Clinton is supported by 78 percent of registered Democrats, and Trump is supported by 69 percent of registered Republicans. The article doesnt say where the Republican defections are coming from, but Id speculate women from the 10% in the Philadelphia burbs, aided perhaps by Lysistratic Nonaction. Kidding! Squillionaires and Establishment Republicans for Clinton I really shouldnt go here, but just for fun: Billionaire hedge fund manager Seth Klarman. More Republican establishment figures. What could give a Sanders voter more confidence in Clintons good faith? Stats Watch Challenger Job-Cut Report, Ju;y 2016: A renewed surge of cuts in the energy sector drove Challengers lay-off count to 45,346 in July, up from a 34,000 average in the prior two months but in line with the prior trend [Econoday]. This report wont be changing expectations for tomorrows employment report but it does raise the question whether the oil patch, instead of stabilizing, will continue to erode. Jobless Claims, July 30, 2016: Initial jobless claims edged higher the last two weeks of July but remain near record lows [Econoday]. And: Rolling averages improve [Econintersect]. After the energy sector, the computer industry has seen the next highest number of job cut announcements this year. Gallup Good Jobs Rate, July 2016: Improved [Econoday]. The measure of underemployment in July was 12.7 percent, down from 13.6 percent in June and also the lowest Gallup has recorded since 2010. Julys rate also marks the fifth straight month of declining underemployment from Februarys rate of 14.7 percent. Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, July 31: Steady and firm [Econoday]. Firm levels of consumer confidence point to optimism for the jobs outlook. Factory Orders, June 2016: [1]Anecdotal reports on the factory sector have shown isolated strength that actual government data have yet to show. [2] Factory orders fell a sizable 1.5 percent in June [Econoday]. (Note the sentence order, which I have helpfully annotated.) A major negative in the report is a 0.8 percent drop in total unfilled orders where contraction is a negative for factory employment. Total shipments are a positive, up 0.7 percent in a gain that may not be repeated should orders stay weak. A plus is that inventories edged lower, pulling down the inventory-to-shipment ratio to 1.35 from 1.36. And: US Census says manufacturing new orders declined. Our analysis agrees. The rolling averages declined [Econintersect]. Uber for Walmart greeters! Shipping: The slump in the market for new trucks is getting deeper. Orders for heavy-duty trucks plunged to their lowest level in more than six years in July, tumbling 56% to a net of about 10,400 new Class 8 vehicles [Wall Street Journal]. Shipping: Business down, prices up: For LTL carriers, oligopolies are a good thing [DC Velocity]. Unlike the much-larger truckload industry that operates relatively straightforward point-to-point services, an LTL network is more complex and resource-intensive, with a phalanx of terminals and lanes with specific origin and end points. LTL carriers must recoup the significant costs of terminal networks to handle their flows of breakbulk traffic. In addition, LTL driver wages are significantly higher than the wages of the typical truckload driver. Faced with high capital expenditures, LTL carriers can ill afford price wars that will compress their bottom lines. What the truckload industry does have that LTL doesntregrettably for truckload carriersis extreme fragmentation. Shipping: Demand for air freight rose 4.3 percent in June, the fastest rate for 14 months, according to the International Air Transport Association [Reuters]. IATA cautioned against reading too much into Junes performance, given the prolonged downturn in cargo markets, which has forced air cargo companies to cut back fleets and seek new products and partnerships. And: The June data marks the 16th consecutive month the Middle East region reported the fastest growth in freight traffic, and reflects the regions growing prominence on the worlds air commerce stage. According to estimates from Dutch freight forwarding and logistics giant Ceva Logistics, Middle Eastern airlines account for 45 percent of the lower-hold, or belly space, in passenger aircraft ordered by the worlds top 15 carriers [DC Velocity]. Shipping: It might be said that greater consolidation of shipowning, which is becoming evident, will have a calming effect on the shipping cycle. This I take leave to doubt. There is no part of our industry more consolidated, and possessed of more computing power, than the liner shipping business and there is no part of our industry which has knocked the props out of its support mechanisms, and gone on to overtonnage itself, more furiously than liner shipping [Splash 247]. This is the third part of a really fun series (parts one and two), which makes clear that many, many of these stories could also be filed under Political Risk. In honor of part two, I post a trailer that explains the allusion in the headline to the British comedy classic Cold Comfort Farm (which has uncomfortable similarities to Game of Thrones, now that I think about it): Something nasty in the woodshed. Words to live by in 2016! The Bezzle: When all of thats lumped together, (it) can be confusing. And then they would think Teslas a money-losing company but, well, not really. Not if youre growing at like 100% a year, Musk said [MarketWatch]. Were losing money on every unit. Lets make more! The Bezzle: Chart from Cato: The degree to which IT producing, rather than IT using, industries are driving productivity growth is striking pic.twitter.com/zdl7K5lOvs Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) August 3, 2016 Political Risk: Using algorithms to predict the currencys direction, the index funds choose when to hedge, buying contracts that fix their exchange rate and protecting investors winnings if a foreign currency falls [ETF.com]. But their predictive modelsreset only once a monthmay have been caught short by Britains June 23 Brexit vote to leave the European Union, which was followed by an immediate sharp decline in the pound and rally in the yen. Political Risk: The fact that yields on top-quality government bonds around the world are at record lows tells us that there is an acute shortage of safe assets a shortage which is doing terrible damage to peoples ability to save for retirement, among other things. The obvious solution to this is for governments to simply create more such assets by borrowing [Stumbling and Mumbling]. Fixed it for ya. Political Risk: That would suggest that the relative price of manufactures properly measured today is not 40% but 12% of its immediate post-World War II level, and that the right real share graph sees not a constant real share of manufactured goods in output, but rather a tripling of the share [Brad DeLong, Washington Center for Equitable Growth] (in response to this Yglesias article). And: This has implications for the true rate of economic growthan aggregate-scale underestimate of 0.3%/year from this channel alone Well and good, but a cynical (or realistic voter) might raise some concerns: (1) This doesnt mean were going to jigger the numbers again, does it? (2) Hasnt this mistake been going on for rather a long time? If so, (3) this piece falls into the genre that might be called Only Those Smart People Who Broke It Can Fix It. The master of the genre is, of course, Larry Summers, but its a crowded field. Political Risk: Look at the last bullet point (from Macquarie Research, which looks like a tentacle of Macquarie Group, the largest Australian investment bank. Macquarie Our key global message has remained unchanged since the GFC pic.twitter.com/gkESqG5YwX Nick (@NickatFP) August 3, 2016 So now would be a good time to buy gold. Todays Fear & Greed Index: 80, Extreme Greed (previous close: 81, Extreme Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 82 (Extreme Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 4 at 11:42am. Random twitching? Our Famously Free Press Microsoft Keeps Dossiers on Journalists and Sent Us One By Accident [Gizmodo]. Class Warfare The number of jobs that people ages 16 to 19 secured in May the start of the summer hiring surge was just 156,000, down 14% from last year, according to an analysis of government data by career outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas released this week. And last year, the number of teens who got summer jobs was nearly 11% lower than the year prior One big reason for the decline? Teens are choosing not to work. Teens are not pursuing traditional summer jobs like they used to, says Challenger. Instead, many of them are volunteering, enrolling in educational programs or doing other things that may pad their college applications, he explains. [MarketWatch]. Sasha Obama got one, however. On Marthas Vineyard. So weve got the aspirational aspect covered. Economists have long expected an aging population to hamper growth for the simple reason that it means a smaller labor force. But new research has identified a potentially more powerful impact: Rapid retirements deprive companies of critical experience and knowledge, which undermines productivity across the entire economy [Wall Street Journal, For Economy, Aging Population Poses Double Whammy]. What crap. Workers are fungible and expendible human resources (warm bodies), to be screwed as hard as they can be on the job, after which they should train their successors, be fired, and have their pensions looted. Since when did the communists take over the Wall Street Journal? From a capitalist perspective, Trump is a hardworking if obnoxious businessman: he inherited money from his father and made it grow. From a socialist point of view, however, he got his wealth by very different means: theft [Jacobin]. Outright theft, as opposed to mere exploitation. News of the Wired A review of Stiglitzs new book, The Euro: How a Common Currency Threatens the Future of Europe [Nature]. British woman held after being seen reading book about Syria on plane [Guardian]. Pretty soon its going to be reading any book. Well give you any books you need to read when youre boarding the plane. * * * Readers, feel free to contact me with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, and (c) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. And heres todays plant (Kokuanani): At the Chihuly Glass and Gardens in Seattle, WA. Readers, if you want to send me some videos of plants in whole systems (bees and blossoms, for example, or running streams) I can use them to practice with FFmpeg and hopefully post them. Because of download times, theyll have to be measured in seconds, rather than minutes. Thank you! Adding, I got another one today! Please keep sending them; they will ultimately appear! * * * Readers, if you enjoyed what you read today, please use the dropdown to choose your contribution, and then click the hat! Your tip will be welcome today, and indeed any day. Water Cooler will not exist without your random acts of kindness. Cat and bowl. martha r: Must see. Birds engage in all types of sleep in flight, but in remarkably small amounts PhysOrg (Chuck L) Rare Amur leopards born at British zoo CNN (martha r) Dark Ages royal palace discovered in Cornwall in area closely linked to the legend of King Arthur Independent (martha r). Interesting historical detail. Rio 2016: Rio de Janeiros air more deadly than its water, study finds Independent (Chuck L) India is abandoning Monsantos GM cotton for indigenous varieties new europe (martha r) Theranos founders conference invitation sparks row among scientists Financial Times. Great picture. She looks possessed. Brexit Bank of England Cuts Key Rate to New Low Wall Street Journal Euro-area output unexpectedly accelerates to highest in 6 months as #Brexit fears fade Bloomberg. Highest in six months when the second half usually benefits from Christmas-related production seems to mean the EU is shrugging off Brexit risk for now, and not (yet) more than that. Draghi Thwarts Bank Funding Crisis, Western Assets Bellows Says Bloomberg 5 things to expect if 5Stars win Italian elections Politico China? Ukraine/Russia Lurching Toward World War III Consortium News ISISs New Chechen Warlord Daily Beast. Resilc: Russia should be our ally, but DoD/State/CIA loves the NATO power over a gutted EU. Syraqistan Justice Officials Raised Objections to Iran Cash Payment Wall Street Journal Turkey Russia debates Turkey Defend Democracy. Much more interesting than the title. Kern: Kein EU-Beitritt der Turkei Die Presse. Says the obviousTurkey was never under serious consideration as an EU member. But its one thing to suspect, another to have confirmation. Big Brother is Watching You Watch Member of European Parliament wants Commission privacy probe of Tinder app Politico Imperial Collapse Watch The Problem with Too Much Terrorism World Policy Institute (resilc) Clinton E-mail Tar Baby 2016 Is Iowa The Next Nigeria? Arson Suspected in Pipeline Fire OilPrice (resilc) Black Injustice Tipping Point Black Lives Movement Answers the Question: What Are Your Demands? Intercept Tom H: The article links to the policy platform web site. This site is very impressive. I had time only to glance at it, but I agree, and hope youll give it a good look. Note that it is also clearly intended to be a vehicle for organizing. Reinventing the company Economist. I may be acting like a knee-jerk skeptic, but remember the dot-com era where the claim was often made that they would completely upend companies, that all sorts of things done by companies would be displaced by freelancers? This sounds like the 2.0 version of that thesis, except its also a not-so-hidden pitch for PE. Technology Conquers Stock Market Bloomberg. Lambert: Eggs in one basket. This is a Warning Sign for Stocks Wolf Richter IBM: Illegally Bleeding Mortgages (allegedly) The Register (Dan K) Class Warfare Antidote du jour (martha r). This critter is in Iceland: And a bonus video from martha r. See The incredible life of Indias iconic swimming elephantThe incredible life of Indias iconic swimming elephant for the story. See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. Yves here. Its revealing to see the amount of economist hand-wringing in the wake of the Leave vote. And this article, while it makes some good points, makes a strong claim at the very top of the article that was contradicted in an article we ran yesterday, that there was a great deal of agreement among economists regarding the cost of a Brexit. The Institute for New Economic Thinking said the same thing in an earlier post we featured, that there was considerable divergence on the potential impact. As reader fosforos said: Speaking as an economist, it is totally clear to me that no economically rational voter would pay a moments attention to any Brexit prognostications by any economist. Why? Firstly, because the question to be voted on offers two choices Stay or Leave without any clue whatsoever about how either choice would be implemented. Stay might seem a simple default choice, but its consequences would depend on the future evolution of an EU already in crisis and heading for major changes with quite unpredictable effects. And leave, as we all now can see, has so many possible variants that no consensus either on which variant would be chosen or on its effects would be conceivable. Therefore, any pronouncement by an economist being inherently irrational and probably contradicted by the estimate of every other economist, the only economically rational choice for a rational voter was to disregard all the economists. But even that level of analysis leaves out the elephant defecating over the whole thing: the voters were being asked to participate in a purely advisory, legally meaningless, exercise whose only possible direct effects (besides settling a backroom knife fight among several gangs of Tories) would be purely psychological. So actually the rational voters were those who saw through the whole fraud and abstained. By Nauro Campos, Professor of Economics and Finance, Brunel University. Originally published as a chapter in the VoxEU ebook, Brexit Beckons: Thinking ahead by leading economists, available to download free of charge On 23 June 2016, 52% of British voters decided that being the first country ever to leave the EU was a price worth paying for taking back control, despite advice from economists clearly showing that Brexit would make the UK permanently poorer (HM Treasury 2016). The extent of agreement among economists on the costs of Brexit was extraordinary: forecast after forecast supported similar conclusions (which have so far proved accurate in the aftermath of the Brexit vote). Yet the publication of each one of these estimates was followed instantaneously by acerbic criticism which culminated, days before the vote, with the claim that economic experts warning about leaving the EU were like the Nazis who denounced Einstein in the 1930s (Cowburn 2016). Institutions were not immune, with the Treasury, Bank of England, IMF, OECD, and IFS receiving similar treatment. What went wrong? Were economists not ready? Were our forecasts technically poor? Were economic studies fundamentally incomplete and thus flawed? Are we to blame? This column addresses these questions. How Come Brexit? In the years to come, there will undoubtedly be many PhD dissertations dissecting Brexit. Economists have been blamed for it, but I dont think we even make the top three cuplrits. The three main culprits for Brexit, in my opinion, are political elites, economic elites, and the media. These are the three Cs Cameron, the City, and coverage with a number linked to each: 11, 17.5, and 41. Former prime minister David Camerons referendum pledge was a reaction to UKIPs performance in the 2014 European Parliament election. Voter dissatisfaction with the economic policies implemented by the coalition government since 2010 meant severe losses for the two coalition parties. The Conservatives lost seven seats (of 26), while the Liberal Democrats lost 10 (of 11). UKIP gained 11 seats to become the largest UK party. Economic elites were complacent because they thought common sense would deliver a win for Remain. Those with more at stake, like the City, did not feel the urge to back up the Remain campaign. Hence, the final fundraising total for Leave was bigger than that for Remain by about 3.3 million: 17.5 against 14.2 million (Electoral Commission 2016). Coincidentally, 17.5m was also the number of pro-Brexit votes. My third main reason is media coverage. Levy et al. (2016) use a sample of 1,558 articles across nine major UK newspapers to show that 41% were in favour of Brexit, while only 27% were pro-Remain. These are absolute numbers, not weighted by circulation. The authors call the remaining 30% mixed, undecided or no position. It is absurd to blame Brexit on economists, especially in light of the three reasons above. Yet economists may have not been fully prepared. The breadth of our knowledge was inadequate. Some examples: two years ago, we were still struggling with the fragility (i.e. lack of robustness) of our estimates of the benefits of EU membership;1 two years ago, we did not have answers to key questions such as how much EU membership increase FDI flows into the UK;2 and, to this day, we have not yet seen time-series data on how the UK financial sector grew after 1973.3 Such gaps are important because the estimates of the costs of leaving the EU are a function of the estimates of the benefits from EU membership adjusted by the size (and time profile) of the entry/exit shock. The latter can be thought of as a turning point, a structural break (Campos and Coricelli 2015), or also as varying across countries with some more capable than others of absorbing the benefits of integration. The bottom line is that economists cannot be listed among the main Brexit culprits. Yet gaps in knowledge may well have hindered the quality of our advice. Did this happen? In other words, how good were the ex ante estimates of the costs of Brexit? Looking Back at the Ex Ante Estimates of the Costs of Brexit Between the outright victory of the Conservative party in May 2015 and the Brexit vote, there was a stream of medium- and long-term forecasts. We can identify three types of estimates. Type 1 is the one showing gains: Economists for Brexit (2016 ) predict that Brexit will increase UK incomes by about 4% by 2030 (see Dhingra et al 2016b for a thorough assessment). Type 2 are older (pre-May 2015), mostly done by pro-Leave think tanks and often reporting a zero effect. Type 3 includes the vast majority of estimates, which show significant medium- and long-term losses from Brexit. To be specific, the Treasury (2016), CEP/LSE (Dhingra et al 2016a), the OECD (2016), and the NIESR (Ebell and Warren 2016) predict short-term income losses of about 3.8%, 2.6%, 3.3% and 2.3%, respectively, and long-term losses of about 6.2%, 7.5%, 5.1% and 7.8%, respectively.4 Figure 1 Recent estimates of the long-term impact of leaving the EU on UK GDP Source: Chadha (2016). These are central estimates. Type 3 studies often presented three scenarios: the EEA/Norway model, the Swiss model, and WTO rules.5 Although losses from the EEA option are the smallest in per capita GDP terms, there is evidence of productivity losses of 6-9% for Norway vis-a-vis EU membership (Campos et al. 2015). Note that the heated UK productivity puzzle debate is over a similar productivity loss of 6% to 9% (Yueh 2015). How can we differentiate between these types of estimates? I argue they differ in at least two fundamental ways: in methodological transparency, and in the quality of the assumptions. On the first count, it is abundantly clear that Type 3 studies are superior to the others. They all provide extensive details that make their estimates entirely replicable. The same can simply not be said of Types 1 and 2.6 The three groups also vary significantly regarding their underlying assumptions. An illustrative example refers to EU regulation costs, which are closely associated with the sovereignty debate. Types 2 and 3 correctly assumes these to be small. Type 1 assumes costs of regulation that are about 6% of GDP, which is large and unsupported by international evidence. Clearly, the larger the costs assigned to EU regulation, the better the Brexit option looks. There is something insidious about reports arguing that the long-run effect is small or zero. They not only cloud the debate, but present Brexit (and, by extension, UK membership of the EU) as immaterial, irrelevant, or even inconsequential. Brexit May Mean Brexit, but What Will Success Mean? If one silver lining is needed, the referendum focused our minds and pushed us to generate a lot of knowledge that we didnit have before. Almost without exception, the plethora of studies produced in the wake of Brexit will be useful for understanding, reforming, and hopefully improving the EU. A month on, the Type 3 forecasts are sadly proving accurate. We need to wait until 2030 to assess the long-run estimates, but one thing is clear: being eouti turns those still eini into natural comparators or counterfactuals. In 2030, there will be less need for sophisticated counterfactual estimation because just analysing the economic performance of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland and the other EU members after 23 June 2016, may well be instructive enough. See original post for references High accuracy measurements to meet manufacturing needs (Nanowerk News) The advanced technologies designed by researchers working on the SURFUND project go beyond the current state-of-the-art techniques in metrology, the science of measurements applied to manufacturing and other industrial processes. These novel measurement tools could have a large application potential in optics, aerospace, automotive, precision engineering, electronics and biotech industry and they have already attracted the attention of several companies working in these fields.The innovations generated by this ERC project could bring significant economic benefits to Europe. Dispersed reference interferometer (DRI). (Image: University of Huddersfield) In recent years, freeform surfaces are being manufactured more frequently and are being used in a wide variety of products such as optical systems, energy-efficient jet engines, human joint implants, solar panels. As freeform surfaces - also called complex surfaces - have often no symmetries at all, it is complicated to ensure good quality during their manufacturing. With the requirements imposed by continuous technological development, the need to make and measure these surfaces to a very high precision becomes more and more important. Prof. Xiangqian Jiang took on this challenge and, using mathematical models, explored new basics and principles for measuring and characterizing non-planar surfaces at nano-precision level. With her multidisciplinary team, she succeeded in designing nanometer-accurate instruments which possess noncontact and high speed qualities, are easy to use and can be produced at affordable costs, paving the way to the 21st century advanced surface measurements. Processes, sensors and instruments developed during this ERC project have applications for many products (e.g. flexible photovoltaic cells, flexible/ printable electronics, roll-to-roll flat panel displays, solar concentrators) as well as in the automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, bio-engineering and food packaging sector. These technologies guarantee an optimal performance, reduce manufacturing costs and could help the industry move towards a more environmentally-friendly production (zero waste and carbon neutral production). So far, more than ten world-leading companies in these fields in Europe and the USA have expressed their interest in the results of this research led by the University of Huddersfield. The technology transfer has already taken place through patents and strong cooperation with industries. To this purpose, Prof. Jiang, supported by an ERC Proof of Concept Grant for the project EMINSTR, launched the technical optimization, product prototype design and technological licensing to finally bring to the market three instruments: the wavelength scanning interferometer (NWSI), the white-light channelled spectrum interferometer (WLCSI), and the dispersed reference interferometer (DRI). Sprinkling of neural dust opens door to electroceuticals (w/video) (Nanowerk News) University of California, Berkeley engineers have built the first dust-sized, wireless sensors that can be implanted in the body, bringing closer the day when a Fitbit-like device could monitor internal nerves, muscles or organs in real time. Because these batteryless sensors could also be used to stimulate nerves and muscles, the technology also opens the door to "electroceuticals" to treat disorders such as epilepsy or to stimulate the immune system or tamp down inflammation. The so-called neural dust, which the team implanted in the muscles and peripheral nerves of rats, is unique in that ultrasound is used both to power and read out the measurements. Ultrasound technology is already well-developed for hospital use, and ultrasound vibrations can penetrate nearly anywhere in the body, unlike radio waves, the researchers say. The sensor, 3 millimeters long and 11 millimeters in cross section, attached to a nerve fiber in a rat. Once implanted, the batteryless sensor is powered and the data read out by ultrasound. "I think the long-term prospects for neural dust are not only within nerves and the brain, but much broader," said Michel Maharbiz, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences and one of the study's two main authors. "Having access to in-body telemetry has never been possible because there has been no way to put something supertiny superdeep. But now I can take a speck of nothing and park it next to a nerve or organ, your GI tract or a muscle, and read out the data." Maharbiz, neuroscientist Jose Carmena, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences and a member of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and their colleagues will report their findings in the August 3 issue of the journal Neuron ("Wireless Recording in the Peripheral Nervous System with Ultrasonic Neural Dust"). The sensors, which the researchers have already shrunk to a 1 millimeter cube - about the size of a large grain of sand - contain a piezoelectric crystal that converts ultrasound vibrations from outside the body into electricity to power a tiny, on-board transistor that is in contact with a nerve or muscle fiber. A voltage spike in the fiber alters the circuit and the vibration of the crystal, which changes the echo detected by the ultrasound receiver, typically the same device that generates the vibrations. The slight change, called backscatter, allows them to determine the voltage. The sensor mote contains a piezoelectric crystal (silver cube) plus a simple electronic circuit that responds to the voltage across two electrodes to alter the backscatter from ultrasound pulses produced by a transducer outside the body. The voltage across the electrodes can be determined by analyzing the ultrasound backscatter. Motes sprinkled thoughout the body In their experiment, the UC Berkeley team powered up the passive sensors every 100 microseconds with six 540-nanosecond ultrasound pulses, which gave them a continual, real-time readout. They coated the first-generation motes - 3 millimeters long, 1 millimeter high and 4/5 millimeter thick - with surgical-grade epoxy, but they are currently building motes from biocompatible thin films which would potentially last in the body without degradation for a decade or more. While the experiments so far have involved the peripheral nervous system and muscles, the neural dust motes could work equally well in the central nervous system and brain to control prosthetics, the researchers say. Today's implantable electrodes degrade within 1 to 2 years, and all connect to wires that pass through holes in the skull. Wireless sensors - dozens to a hundred - could be sealed in, avoiding infection and unwanted movement of the electrodes. "The original goal of the neural dust project was to imagine the next generation of brain-machine interfaces, and to make it a viable clinical technology," said neuroscience graduate student Ryan Neely. "If a paraplegic wants to control a computer or a robotic arm, you would just implant this electrode in the brain and it would last essentially a lifetime." In a paper published online in 2013, the researchers estimated that they could shrink the sensors down to a cube 50 microns on a side - about 2 thousandths of an inch, or half the width of a human hair. At that size, the motes could nestle up to just a few nerve axons and continually record their electrical activity. Diagram showing the components of the sensor. The entire device is covered in a biocompatible gel. "The beauty is that now, the sensors are small enough to have a good application in the peripheral nervous system, for bladder control or appetite suppression, for example," Carmena said. "The technology is not really there yet to get to the 50-micron target size, which we would need for the brain and central nervous system. Once it's clinically proven, however, neural dust will just replace wire electrodes. This time, once you close up the brain, you're done." The team is working now to miniaturize the device further, find more biocompatible materials and improve the surface transceiver that sends and receives the ultrasounds, ideally using beam-steering technology to focus the sounds waves on individual motes. They are now building little backpacks for rats to hold the ultrasound transceiver that will record data from implanted motes. They're also working to expand the motes' ability to detect non-electrical signals, such as oxygen or hormone levels. "The vision is to implant these neural dust motes anywhere in the body, and have a patch over the implanted site send ultrasonic waves to wake up and receive necessary information from the motes for the desired therapy you want," said Dongjin Seo, a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer sciences. "Eventually you would use multiple implants and one patch that would ping each implant individually, or all simultaneously." University of California, Berkeley engineers have built the first dust-sized, wireless sensors that can be implanted in the body, bringing closer the day when a Fitbit-like device could monitor internal nerves, muscles or organs in real time. Ultrasound vs radio Maharbiz and Carmena conceived of the idea of neural dust about five years ago, but attempts to power an implantable device and read out the data using radio waves were disappointing. Radio attenuates very quickly with distance in tissue, so communicating with devices deep in the body would be difficult without using potentially damaging high-intensity radiation. Marharbiz hit on the idea of ultrasound, and in 2013 published a paper with Carmena, Seo and their colleagues describing how such a system might work. "Our first study demonstrated that the fundamental physics of ultrasound allowed for very, very small implants that could record and communicate neural data," said Maharbiz. He and his students have now created that system. "Ultrasound is much more efficient when you are targeting devices that are on the millimeter scale or smaller and that are embedded deep in the body," Seo said. "You can get a lot of power into it and a lot more efficient transfer of energy and communication when using ultrasound as opposed to electromagnetic waves, which has been the go-to method for wirelessly transmitting power to miniature implants" Dot-drawing with drones (w/video) (Nanowerk News) You may have heard of plans to use drones for delivering packages, monitoring wildlife, or tracking storms. But painting murals? That's the idea behind a project in Paul Kry's laboratory at McGill University's School of Computer Science. Prof. Kry and a few of his students have teamed up to program tiny drones to create dot drawings - an artistic technique known as stippling ("Stippling with Aerial Robots"). It's no simple feat. Programming the aerial robots to apply each payload of ink accurately and efficiently requires complex algorithms to plan flight paths and adjust for positioning errors. Even very slight air currents can toss the featherweight drones off course. The drones, which are small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, are outfitted with a miniature arm that holds a bit of ink-soaked sponge. As they hover near the surface to be painted, internal sensors and a motion capture system help position them to dab the ink in just the right places. You may have heard of plans to use drones for delivering packages, monitoring wildlife, or tracking storms. But painting murals? Thats the idea behind a project in Paul Krys laboratory at McGill Universitys School of Computer Science. (MRO/Multimedia) So far, the flying robots have rendered - on paper - portraits of Alan Turing, Grace Kelly, and Che Guevara, among others. Each drawing is composed of a few hundred to a few thousand black dots of varying sizes. Night flights Kry came up with the idea a few years ago, as a way to do something about the blank hallways and stairwells in the building that houses his lab. "I thought it would be great to have drones paint portraits of famous computer scientists on them," he recalls. He bought a few of the tiny quadcopters online and had a student start on the task as a summer project in 2014, under a Canadian government award for undergraduate research. Later, master's students Brendan Galea and Ehsan Kia took the project's helm, often working at night and into the wee hours of the morning so the drones' artistic efforts wouldn't be disturbed by air turbulence from other students coming in and out of the lab. An article on the project by Kry and the three students won a "best paper" prize in May at an international symposium in Lisbon on computational aesthetics in graphics and imaging. Aiming high And the work goes on. Eventually, larger drones could be deployed to paint murals on hard-to-reach outdoor surfaces, including curved or irregular facades, Kry says. 'It just flipped': Busch details final season with Joe Gibbs Racing in 'Race for the Championship' In the latest episode of USA Network's "Race for the Championship," Busch describes the change at JGR and is introduced with a new team. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. in Madison, Wis., has launched an employee stock ownership plan. The move has been years in the making, according to Chief Executive Steve Jacobson. "This has been a goal of ours for many years," Jacobson said in a news release Wednesday. "We are humbled and grateful to have this opportunity." Research "shows that corporations that are employee-owned are often more successful over the long term and are able to grow more rapidly as a result," said Len Krupinski, the company's chief operating officer, in the release. The change should also improve employees' retirement portfolio. The company is not publicly traded. Jacobson founded Fairway in 1996 with Randy Cross. The company, which is also headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, has more than 250 locations and 3,800 employees across the country. WASHINGTON Settlements related to court fights over private-label mortgage-backed securities are significantly boosting the bottom lines at a few Federal Home Loan banks. Settlements made up 80% of the $419 million of net income reported by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for the first half of the year, totaling $337 million. They also helped increase the Chicago Home Loan Bank's total $104 million net income in the second quarter by $38 million. The San Francisco Home Loan Bank, meanwhile, reported net income of $231 million in the first quarter thanks to a $211 million settlement in private-label litigation. Though the settlements are acting as a benefit to some Home Loan banks, they are hard to predict, making it difficult to know how they will affect future earnings. "There is no way to determine when or if those lawsuits will settle. Trial dates are tentatively set for later this year," said a Des Moines Home Loan Bank spokeswoman. The Des Moines bank has seen the largest benefit so far, in part because it acquired the rights to the Seattle Home Loan Bank's litigation interests when the two banks merged last year. The bank has used the extra funds to build its capital buffer. "The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines' financial performance remains strong," said Michael Wilson, president and chief executive, in a press release. "We are delivering on our member value proposition, which is to be a reliable source of liquidity and funding. The growth in our retained earnings, attributable in large part to our private-label MBS settlements, provides a buffer to ensure we maintain the par value of the stock members have entrusted to us." Retained earnings at the bank jumped to $1.2 billion as of June 30, from $801 million at yearend 2015. The Boston Home Loan Bank has also seen benefits from private-label settlements, but its returns declined significantly in the second quarter. It received $19.6 million due to settlements in the second quarter, a far cry from the $134.7 million it collected in the same period a year earlier. As a result, net income dropped to $47.5 million in the second quarter, compared to $149.6 million a year ago. But the Boston Home Loan Bank is continuing to pursue litigation against private-label MBS issuers and sellers, according to its first-quarter securities filing. "We continue our private-label MBS litigation against the following entities and/or their affiliates and subsidiaries and/or entities under their control or controlled by affiliates or subsidiaries thereof: Barclays Capital Inc., Credit Suisse (USA) Inc., Impac Mortgage Holdings Inc., Morgan Stanley, Nomura Holding America Inc., RBS Holdings USA Inc. and UBS Americas Inc." the bank said. As parents search for missing daughter, CPS comes in and takes the other four children Young autistic girl's body found the next morning Police torture mother emotionally, assist CPS in illegal seizure of family's other four children (NaturalNews) The Wartena family of seven was returning from vacation, traveling home to California, when they were suddenly faced with the most tragic of circumstances. The family, stopping off to lodge at the La Kiva Hotel in Texas, was unprepared for what happened next. When their seven-year-old autistic daughter, Alexis Wartena, went missing that evening, the family called for police help and began to desperately search the area.The hotel was adjacent to a large body of water, the T-Anchor Lake. The land behind the hotel is rugged and drops off, giving way to the city lake.That Tuesday evening played out in horror for the family. As they searched frantically for their missing child, Michael Wartena and Tiffany Stewart were confronted by police investigators who launched a six hour "investigation" that was dead set on forcing some kind of confession from the mother. Before the parents could find their daughter, Texas CPS arrived to take the four other children away. The parents lost everything dearest to them as police authorities fought against them, assisting the CPS in kidnapping their other four children.Authorities found the young girl the next morning, in the lake behind the hotel, where she had apparently drowned. Gaps in the fence were also reported. It's the worst case scenario for parents of autistic children who are aware that their autistic child may suddenly wander away. Little Alexis was nonverbal and prone to wander away. Autistic children will sometimes "elope" and do not understand what they are doing or the danger they are wandering into.Amarillo attorney Jesse Quackenbush took up the case and fought on behalf of the Wartena's, who were grieving the loss of their autistic daughter, while also facing a ruthless CPS that swept in and kidnapped the rest of their four children.Quackenbush quickly filed a formal complaint with Amarillo Interim Police Chief Ed Drain, alleging that the officers "began a six hour investigation designed to mentally torture the mother into a confession", while interfering with the family's own search of their daughter During the lengthy investigation, officers emotionally tortured the mother by continuing to make accusations that she had murdered her own autistic daughter. Furthermore, the complaint goes on to detail how the family was intimidated, told they would be prosecuted and lose custody of their children "unless they submitted hair, fingerprint and blood samples."Attorney Quackenbush's letter said that the obstructing officers violated the couple's Fourth Amendment Constitutional rights , which guard against unreasonable search and seizure. "All of [the Wartena's] personal belongs were seized, probably without a warrant, and definitely without probable cause or consent." Police Chief Ed Drain immediately launched an internal investigation.According to preliminary autopsy findings, Alexis's death is determined to be by drowning. Quackenbush said that the police "told the family that this is an accident drowning" and still, a determination has yet to be made on the manner of her death. The hotel was cordoned off as if it was a crime scene. The family had no choice but to stay in Amarillo for a week, with little money, while they worked with attorney Quackenbush and a bereavement counselor pro bono.Quackenbush did everything he could to expedite the process of reuniting the family. With local media pressure, the CPS eventually backed down and returned the children to their parents so they could return home together. This incident is yet another case of CPS and authorities emotionally abusing parents while abducting their children through crude intimidation procedures and illegal search and seizure. Psychiatric drugs made Carter insane, defense claims Antidepressants are a menace to society (NaturalNews) Are pharmaceuticals to blame for the tragic suicide of Conrad Roy III, an 18-year-old from Massachusetts whose case gained worldwide notoriety after it was revealed that his supposed friend provoked him to take his own life? A lawyer in the case is now arguing yes, noting that both teens had been taking prescription antidepressants at the time when the tragedy occurred.The highest court in Massachusetts has already decided that Michelle Carter, Conrad's perpetrator, should face charges of involuntary manslaughter for her role in Roy's death. Text messages between the two show that Carter egged Roy on, encouraging him to "just do it." At times when Roy was hesitant in following through, Carter apparently badgered him, offering up ideas on what to try if carbon monoxide poisoning failed to get the job done."You always say you're gonna do it, but you never do," Carter reportedly wrote in a text to Roy, advising him to "try the bag or hanging" if asphyxiation with chemical poison didn't work. "I just want to make sure tonight is the real thing."Carter's lawyers claim that she was just trying to help Roy with his mental issues, and shouldn't be held accountable for his death. With that defense out the window -- Carter vulgarly demanded over text that Roy get back in his truck after he got scared and tried to leave the carbon monoxide-filled cabin -- they're now trying to position the case to plead insanity.Since both individuals had apparently been taking citalopram (Celexa) at the time when the incident occurred, Carter's legal defense is now arguing that the mind-altering effects of these drugs are to blame for Roy's suicide this after earlier claiming that Carter was somehow "brainwashed" into participating in the horrible incident.Citalopram is an antidepressant drug that's known to increase users' risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and there have been plenty of other incidents in the past where users have had suicidal or homicidal thoughts, or engaged in suicidal or homicidal acts, while under the influence of these drugs."The defense needs to have these studies reviewed by its experts as to how this drug may have played into the defendant's thinking and conduct during the calendar year of 2014 and how it might affect her thought process and behavior," Joseph Cataldo, Carter's lawyer, wrote in one of the 22 motions he recently filed seeking evidence in the case.Cataldo claims Roy had previously attempted suicide two years prior, and had been in and out of hospitals and doctors' offices where he had apparently been treated for mental illness. This, the defense claims, warrants further inquiry into the role that antidepressants may have played in further damaging the mental state of Roy, and somehow that of Carter as well. Cataldo is calling for a forensics expert to evaluate the evidence he's presented.And yet, it's already been revealed that Carter knew full well what she was doing at the time, and even tried to cover it up after the fact. She apparently texted Roy's sister after her brother's suicide and tried to play dumb, as if she was unaware that it had even occurred."Like, honestly I could have stopped it," Carter wrote callously in a text to some of her other friends several months after Roy's suicide.Arguments over Cataldo's evidentiary motions will take place on September 2, and those of the suppression motion on October 14. If everything goes as planned, Carter could go to trial as early as December. Similar discovery led other countries to ban American wheat in 2013 Possibilities of contamination high (NaturalNews) A farmer has found 22 illegal plants of genetically modified wheat in an unplanted Washington field, sparking fears of another international trade fiasco like the one that occurred three years ago when similar wheat was found growing illegally in Oregon.The wheat, which has been developed to be resistant to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, is unapproved for sale and commercial production in this country. The exact location of the wheat plants in question has not been released, and it's not clear how it got there in the first place. It is being reported that the field where it was found had not been planted since last year.Federal officials are working together with the farmer to make sure the modified wheat is not sold. They will be testing the farmer's entire harvest of wheat to make sure none of it is tainted with GMOs . The wheat they have tested so far has all come up clear, and the USDA claims there is no evidence that this wheat has made its way into the market.The plants found in Washington are eerily similar to wheat that was discovered three years ago in Oregon. The inserted DNA in the plant is the same, although it appears in a different location.When genetically modified wheat was discovered in an eastern Oregon field in 2013, a number of Asian countries placed a temporary ban on American wheat imports, including Japan and South Korea, while the European Union began to scrutinize American wheat . The plants involved were discovered after being sprayed with Roundup and surviving. An investigation failed to uncover how the plants got there.In light of the Washington finding, South Korea, the fifth biggest market for American wheat, has already said it will be inspecting all American wheat imports for signs of GMOs . The USDA said it would make a test available to trading partners. Washington Grain Commission CEO Glen Squires said be believes trading partners will continue to buy the wheat once they have the tests, and he added that he doesn't anticipate major trade disruptions taking place as a result. Prices on wheat are nearing multi-year lows thanks to tight competition in the international market.Genetically engineered wheat is illegal for commercial use and production in the U.S. and throughout the world. Monsanto admitted that GMO wheat plants were used during field trails between 1998 and 2001 in the Pacific Northwest, but they were never commercialized. Illegal GMO wheat was also discovered at a university research center in Montana, 14 years after Monsanto had tested it there.Part of the problem is that wheat pollen can blow into neighboring fields, which means it is fairly easy for crops to become contaminated. Wheat is also capable of self-pollination, which means there is no telling just how far the GM wheat from Monsanto's open-air tests could have spread . It seems to be popping up unexpectedly even more than a decade after the tests. This places the integrity of our nation's wheat crops at risk, and it means that short of growing your own organic fruits and vegetables at home, there is little that can be done to ensure that the food you consume is completely pure.Farmers aren't happy about the possible contamination, and the tests used to check for purity can be quite expensive. Monsanto shelled out $2.4 million in order to settle a lawsuit that was filed by American wheat farmers in the fallout of the Oregon GMO wheat scare. In 2015, the firm paid a further $350,000 to various farmers for the same problem. Of course, these amounts barely make a dent in the firm's bottom line as their annual profits number in the billions. (NaturalNews) An explosive new film detailing how Bill and Hillary Clinton used their positions of power and influence to raise millions for themselves and billions for their "charitable" foundation details, among other things, a deal that helped to enrich a friend and donor at the expense of invaluable, irreplaceable rainforest.The film, "Clinton Cash," which you can view online in its entirety here , thoroughly explains the nexus between Hillary Clinton's State Department, her ex-president husband, the Clinton Foundation, and foreign governments and business interests all conspiring to raise money at the expense of ordinary people and the environment.Here is one of the most egregious examples.In June 2010, Bill Clinton, along with friend and mining billionaire Frank Guistra, a Canadian, flew into Bogota, Colombia, where, coincidentally, they arrive at about the same time as Secretary Clinton, who flew in on a government plane. In her memoirs, which she wrote after leaving the State Department, she claimed that the meeting between her, her husband and Guistra was just happenstance as if the two of them had no idea they would both be in Bogota, ColombiaBut of course, the meeting wasn't just happenstance.The following morning, after the Clintons dined together at a restaurant in the capital city, Bill Clinton has an early morning meeting with outgoing President Alvaro Uribe; Secretary Clinton had a noon lunch meeting with Uribe as well. During the meeting with Mrs. Clinton, the U.S. government grants Colombia a number of technical agreements the Uribe administration had been seeking.In the days that followed, three companies belonging to Guistra receivedfrom the Colombian government. One of the companies, Prima Colombia Hardwood Inc., received permission to cut timber from a rainforest along the Pacific coast.One more thing: The rainforest timber was not bound for the United States or even Canada; it was exported toEnvironmentalists, as well as many of the Colombian people, figured out what was going on eventually and were outraged. Eventually, the permit to cut timber was pulled by a new Colombian government, but not before Giustra's company was able to massively profit from cutting down acres upon acres of irreplaceable rainforest.For their part, the Clintons have come out in public in support of "sustainable forests" and other environmental causes, but after receiving millions in donations to their foundation and after Bill Clinton raked in nearly $2 million in speaking fees their environmentalism took a back seat to their desire for payola.It wasn't just the Colombian timber deal where the Clintons' ostensible environmental principles were ignored. There was Clinton chicanery when it came to the Keystone XL pipeline as well, one of the touchstones of the so-called "climate change" debate. (See more on that here ) The pipeline is designed to carry oil from tar sands fields in Canada to refineries in Texas and Louisiana.When Hillary Clinton was named as President-Elect Obama's secretary of state in late 2008, there was an issue related to the pipeline waiting for her on her desk. She was to decide whether or not to approve an environmental and economic impact statement and decide whether the pipeline project should be approved; it was a State Department decision (among others) because the pipeline was multinational in scope.At that exact time, Bill Clinton received an offer of nearly $2 million to give 10 speeches in Canada from entities that had never before hired him to speak. The company that offered the deal, TD Bank Investment Group, it turns out, is a major shareholder in the Keystone XL project.Clinton gave the last speech in May 2011; three months later, Secretary Clinton's State Dept. released an environmental impact letter widely seen as favoring the construction of the pipeline. She had in her hands the power to kill the deal but she, mysteriously, signed it even though she and her boss, Obama, seemed to be opposed to the pipeline as an environmental issue.Watch the entire Clinton Cash documentary here A politician who understands the implications of everyday toxin exposure Leftist media tries backing Stein into corner over her views on vaccines and autism Stein: Farmers need to produce "real food" that's sustainable (NaturalNews) A growing number of Americans are feeling discomforted by the lack of choices for president, increasing the appeal of third party candidates. Bernie Sanders supporters, in particular, are feeling the burn after the purported anti-establishment nominee endorsed establishment queen Hillary Clinton. As a result, progressives are shifting their focus (and support) to alternatives such as Green Party Candidate Jill Stein.Born in Chicago and raised in Highland Park, Illinois, Stein graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1973 before obtaining a degree from Harvard Medical School in 1979. As a practicing physician, Stein began noticing the effects persistent toxin exposure has on public health, leading her to become somewhat of a natural health advocate.Among her many achievements, Stein directed a movement in Massachusetts that established more environmentally friendly standards for the state's "Filthy Five" coal plants. She also managed to help shut down a medical waste incinerator responsible for causing adverse health effects among the area's poorest communities.Stein has published two books: In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development and Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging both of which discuss the way harmful toxins cause disease and conditions such as autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and more.The candidate's history as an environmentalist helped her establish a unique understanding of the influence powerful industries, including Big Pharma, have over regulatory agencies which is arguably one of her greatest strengths as a politician.However, the leftist media, looking to defend their donors, recently attacked Stein over the statements she made about the collusion that commonly occurs between industry and government.Trying to demonize her as an "anti-vaxxer," theasked the candidate if she thought vaccines caused autism "Vaccines are an invaluable medication," she said, adding, "like any medication they also should be approved by a regulatory board that people can trust. And I think, right now, that is the problem that people do not trust a Food and Drug Administration, or even the CDC for that matter, where corporate influence and the pharmaceutical industry has a lot of influence."Though her response was thoughtful and fair, Stein was still attacked for not giving a hard "no." "Please just state it in the positive: Vaccines don't cause autism," wrote Fred Brodsky on Twitter.While Stein was unwilling to admit the link between vaccines and autism, her position on GMOs is much more hard-hitting. According to OnTheIssues.org , the Green Party candidate says she full-heartedly supports a "moratorium on GMOs until they are proven safe" and she feels the same about pesticides.When asked as president if she would eliminate federal farm subsidies, Stein said:"Our food system should be treated for what it is and not as a tool for agribusiness and market share. Our current subsidies drive the food system towards a very unhealthy industrialized FrankenFood type system.""Those subsidies need to be redirected to support small farmers and to support community farms and the institutions that can provide real food in a way that is sustainable for the long haul.""That means localized food systems rather than this globalized industrial factory system which is extremely unhealthy for the economy, farmers and for people who eat the food. The planet is being poisoned by the pesticides and the greenhouse gases that are being produced by the current system."Stein's position on GMOs is far stronger than most candidates, and is likely one of the reasons she continues to garner support. Recent polls show Stein at 5 percent and the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson, at 9 percent.Third Party candidates need to hit 13 percent in the national polls to in order to make the presidential debates.Sources: Cancer, genetic damage and other unknowns: Should pregnant women really be exposed to this? (NaturalNews) Researchers from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have developed a brand new vaccine in just seven days, believe it or not that they claim is capable of treating everything from Ebola and H1N1 influenza, to the newest villain on the block: the Zika virus that's on everyone's minds as the 2016 Summer Olympics in mosquito-ridden Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, rapidly approaches.Omar Khan, a chemical engineer who helped conduct research into the new vaccine, says it uses messenger RNA, or mRNA, to provoke an immune response in the body. mRNA is a special type of genetic material that's responsible for manufacturing proteins in cells, which can be customized and coded to target a variety of illnesses. And according to experts, it's already been shown to have a 100 percent success rate in mice.The way it works is these mRNA vaccines are injected into molecules where they can then be manipulated in terms of their electrical charge and shape. Based on the coding used to alter them, these mRNA vaccines gain special entry rights into cells, working much in the same way as viruses that do the same thing to their cellular hosts."Things like Zika, or the recent Ebola outbreak we can rapidly respond to that within seven days," Khan told reporters. "So when there's an extraordinary need and you need something that is safe, then we have the ability to make that happen."But is this vaccine technology actually safe ? DNA-based vaccines like the type of which Khan speaks are riskier than traditional vaccines, because they have the potential to induce "insertional mutagenesis," meaning they can trigger genetic mutations due to the unnatural interaction of new genetic material with healthy genes.DNA-based vaccines have also been linked to increasing one's risk of cancer. If this DNA were to integrate into the host genome, which is entirely possible, it could switch on oncogenes while switching off tumor suppressor genes, increasing the likelihood of carcinogenesis.Serious adverse events associated with DNA vaccines and other forms of experimental medicine are often missing from mainstream news reports, which is why we've compiled a full layout of independent science at Science.NaturalNews.com DNA vaccines need to undergo many more years of intensive research before they're ever allowed to hit the market if they're ever allowed to be released at all! And yet there are already efforts afoot to start testing them on humans, specificallywho are among the most vulnerable when it comes to the possible adverse effects of experimental medicine.A paper out of Emory University gives its own rationale for why potentially deadly vaccines need to be injected into pregnant women. We have a serious threat, the paper claims, of Zika harming pregnant women, which is why potentially harmful vaccines need to be injected into them as soon as possible in order to evaluate their safety.In other words, women carrying around unborn babies need to volunteer as human guinea pigs to see if a potentially deadly vaccine for Zika can protect them from a potentially deadly disease. It's circular reasoning at its finest, and similar to the argument Nancy Pelosi made for passing Obamacare: We've got to enact it first before we can find out what's in it!Without knowing exactly what these DNA vaccines might do to a woman and her unborn baby, both in the short-term and throughout the rest of their lives, it's wholly irresponsible to suggest that these vaccines be injected willy-nilly for testing purposes. Have we forgotten about the human rights abuses that are now prohibited in the Nuremberg Code? Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) reported positive sales and earnings growth for its second quarter (2Q) ended June 30, when adjusting for a US$203 million payment during the quarter to settle its case with FTC. Sales grew 3 percent (10 percent when excluding currency effects) for the quarter compared to the same quarter last year. Excluding the one-time payment and adjusting for currency fluctuations, earnings rose 4 percent to $1.29 per adjusted diluted share, compared to $1.24 per share a year ago, beating company expectations. Without the adjustments, the bottom line fell to a net loss of $22.9 million or $0.28 per diluted share, a marked change from $82.8 million or $0.97 per diluted share earned in 2Q2015. In a conference call, Johnson told reporters worldwide volume points grew 9 percent compared to the second quarter last year with approximately 80 percent of the companys markets reporting an increase in volume points. Additionally, four of its six regions: EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), United States, Mexico, and China achieved record-high volume points. This has been a historic quarter for Herbalife, with worldwide record setting volume points and new volume point highs in four out of our six regions," said Michael O. Johnson, chairman and CEO of Herbalife, in a press release. This momentum reflects the strength of our distributors' businesses and with the FTC settlement announcement, I am more confident than ever in Herbalife's future." As part of the settlement with FTC, which had alleged the company used an unfair compensation structure, Herbalife agreed to significant changes in how it operates its direct-selling business. The company promised to only make truthful claims about how much money its members can make and base its compensation of members on actual retail sales, not how many new members they recruit. In response to the settlement, Herbalife said it voluntarily established an Oversight Committee of the Board to handle full compliance with the terms of the agreement. The company also assigned Pamela Jones Harbour, currently Senior Vice President of Global Member Practices and Compliance and former FTC Commissioner, to oversee implementation of new distributor compliance initiatives. Management also said most of the changes agreed to in the settlement had either already been implemented or would be in place within ten months from the settlement. Among the changes, members will be designated as either preferred members who purchase for their own use, or as distributors for the selling of product to other consumers. These distributors will be compensated based on actual retail sales, verified by receipts, as well as by personal consumption of product within allowable limits. Distributors will also receive more company training and have more time to return an initial membership pack. "After more than two years of working with the FTC, I think we understand the terms of the settlement agreement very well," said Alan Hoffman, executive vice president, global corporate affairs, Herbalife, in a statement. We would not have settled unless we had the greatest confidence in our ability to comply with the agreement and grow our business and we believe this will be proven out over time." Directly after the settlement was announced mid-July, HLF shares hovered between $65 and $70 per share. It traded between $66 and 68 per share following the release of second quarter results. With the FTC settlement now behind us, we can turn our focus entirely on our future and making positive health impacts across the world," Johnson told reporters. Looking ahead, Herbalife said it expects strong volume points to continue, and with more favorable impact from currency fluctuations predicted its earnings guidance range between $0.74 and $0.84 per diluted share for third quarter (3Q) and between $2.30 and $2.60 per diluted share for fiscal year 2016 (FY2016). Factoring in Price changes in Venezuela, regulatory and implementation charges, and various accounting factors, earnings projections were set at $0.98 and $1.08 per adjusted diluted share for 3Q and between $4.50 and $4.80 per adjusted diluted share. NASA has recently received an information about an asteroid that could possibly hit the Earth in 2135. Because of fear, the space organization decided to launch a probe that will help them learn more about the celestial object and the impact it can cause once it collide with Earth. According to experts, the said asteroid, which is named Bennu, has already been seen on the Earth's orbit as it usually crosses the path every six years. It has a diameter of about 500 meters and has a speed of 63,000 mph as it travels around the sun, as reported by Independent. Past data showed how it has been travelling in the space without creating such huge impact, but that will not always be the case. Information gathered showed the terrifying possibility that this celestial object might cause the Earth's Armageddon by 2135, as noted by Huffington Post. The Professor of Planetary Science at Arizona University Dante Lauretta said in an interview, "That 2135 fly-by is going to tweak Bennu's orbit, potentially putting it on course for the Earth later that century." If that happens, based on its speed and size, the collision will surely create an "immense suffering and death," he added. Because of the possibility, experts say it's crucial to start an investigation towards the Bennu asteroid. Every information gathered will surely be very useful especially towards that century's generation. That is why NASA, with Mr. Lauretta as the principal investigator, is determined to launch the Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (Osiris-Rex) this September. The spacecraft is expected to land on the asteroid's ground by 2018 and be able to gather enough data before it heads back to Earth by 2023. The goal of the mission is to be able to accurately calculate if the asteroid is really a threat to Earth's existence or not. Through Osiris-Rex, experts will be able to study Bennu's mineralogy, chemical makeup and geological history, according to Daily Caller. An erupting volcano in Hawaii made news recently due to the odd smiley face visible from its crater while it is spewing lava and smoke. Dubbed as the "Smiling volcano", Kilauea volcano in Hawaii is currently erupting and reports say that it has been going on since 1983, one of the longest activity in history. Helicopters were able to capture the image of a smiley face on the crater of the volcano made up of lava and other materials. This is not the typical scene a person can expect when looking at an erupting volcano, that is why tourists flock the volcano to witness the extraordinary formation to be able to see the smiling face of the volcano. Images of the smiling Kilauea volcano is circulating on the Internet mainly because of this extraordinary occurrence, a happy representation of what is potentially dangerous natural activity. Mick Kalber of Tropical Visions with the help of Paradise Helicopters captured the video, according to CNET. The companies specialize in tour packages that offer the most scenic views in Hawaii and apparently, the weirdest, too. But there's an explanation as to why the volcano seems too happy to erupt. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Kilauea volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The smiley face appeared on the west part of the Pu'u 'O'o on the volcano's east rift zone. Experts also explained that the smiley face is composed of bright spots and "incandescent" lines that typically occur in a normal volcanic event. The movement of molten lava and the upwelling and downwelling of the lake causes the phenomenon. The bright spots peek from the dark colored, semi-molten lava. The only thing unusual about this is that the gap or opening seen from the semi-molten lava happens to be that similar of an emoji of a smiling face. "The Pu'u 'O'o lava lake just happened to produce two spattering sources (bright dots) that have been interpreted as 'eyes' and an incandescent line that has been interpreted as a 'mouth' - with the two lake surface features located relative to each other to produce the iconic symbol of a smiley face," Janet Babb, a geologist with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in an interview with Live Science. The helicopter passed by at the exact time the smiley face formed capturing the amazing view of and the now popular "smiling volcano." Scientists of Sansha Ship Course Research Institute for Coral Protection claimed they have found the world's deepest "blue hole" in the South China Sea. According to a report published by State News Agency, Xinhuanet, the hole has an estimated depth of 987 feet (300.89 meters), surpassing the depth of Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas, which is at 202 meters. Get to know newly-confirmed world deepest blue hole! Locals call it "eye" of #SouthChinaSea https://t.co/tmk5mQyItw pic.twitter.com/LL3WE2lehB China Xinhua News (@XHNews) July 23, 2016 Located in Yongle, the hole was traditionally called the "Dragon Hole or "Longdong" in their native language. The Chinese researchers started studying the hole with a 130-meter-diameter-wide entrance in August 2015 until June this year. Yahoo News said the group, headed by Fu Liang, used an underwater robot with a depth sensor to determine the size of the sinkhole. In addition to measuring the depth, the researchers also discovered more than 20 fish species and other marine organisms at the upper level of the sinkhole. The ocean is filled with wonders and the latest exploration might just give light on what else is left undiscovered. Pete van Hengstum, a marine geologist at Texas A&M University at Galveston explained to Live Science how a "blue hole" is formed. According the expert who conducts research on blue holes and sinkholes throughout the Caribbean region, blue holes are water-filled sinkholes formed by carbonate rocks as soon as they dissolve. "Eventually, the process of dissolution causes the cave to reach very close to the Earth's surface, and if the cave ceiling collapses, a blue hole or sinkhole is formed," he said. Because the water in this hole is isolated with walls of rocks enclosing them, the biodiversity in the unique sinkhole is often different and rich. Bahamas Caves Research and Foundation explains that the blue color of the water in the hole is just a reflection of the sky on the water when viewed from an aircraft. Some blue holes may also be muddy or have a dark surface. Surveillance footage was released Tuesday in the hunt for an accused sex predator in Los Angeles after one victim said he told her: "You're pretty. I want to make you mine," before grabbing her. The Los Angeles Police Department was searching for a man caught on camera twice in two different apartment buildings. Police accused him of going into the victim's homes and attacking them in the East Hollywood and Historic Filipinotown areas. The first victim left her front door open in the 800 block of N. Mariposa Avenue so she could go to the laundry room just after noon. The man can be seen using his shirt to open the door, presumably to not leave behind fingerprints. That's when a man went inside and waited behind a door for her to return, the LAPD said. Once the woman came back inside, the man pushed her up against the wall and assaulted her, police said. In the second attack, the woman was in her bedroom in the 1600 block of Cortez Street. She had left her door unlocked, and the man went inside. When she heard her dogs barking, she went to the door to find the man standing in her apartment. The man said, "You're pretty. I want to make you mine," then put his hand in her shirt and pulled her against a couch, the victim told police. When the woman's dog bit at the man, he ran, police said. The man was described as 25 to 30 years old, with black hair and brown eyes, about 6 feet tall and weighing 170-190 pounds. He was seen wearing a green shirt with a depiction of the Virgin Mary, blue jeans and white shoes. The Pentagon says 33 U.S. service members, including one who is pregnant, have contracted the Zika virus overseas, NBC News reported. Officials would not say where the service members were posted, but a defense official said all recently traveled to areas where Zika is prevalent. No details about the pregnant service member were provided. Six dependents of military personnel have also been infected, a Pentagon source told NBC News. The Military Times reported that the Department of Defense started tracking the mosquito-horne illness earlier this year. "(We are actively testing mosquitoes) as part of our ongoing integrated vector control and surveillance programs at bases and installations," Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Benjamin Sakrisson told The Military Times. Sonoma County public health officials are warning the public to keep pets away from the Russian River because of toxic algae, a repeat of last year's warning, which ended up killing a dog who swam there. Deputy Public Health Officer Karen Holbrook said the agency got back test results Thursday indicating a low-level blue-green algae toxin was found in parts of the river, triggering "caution" signs at all 10 public beaches. She said while the most recent results do not trigger restrictions of recreational activity at the river, the results do indicate there could be a risk to pets and children in particular. Last September, Brooke and Alfredo Rudas lost their dog, Posie, who died after swimming in the water, which contains a lethal toxin. The Department of Health discovered the 3-year-old Golden retriever "tested positive for Anatoxin-A, which is a blue-green algae toxin. NBC Bay Area Toxic algae has been a problem in other waterways in the recent past, such as Lake Temescal in Oakland, which has been closed all summer, as officials point to the drought as the likely culprit. It's common for toxic algae blooms to break out in warm weather, but the park rangers have said that the drought is likely making the situation worse. Warmer temperatures prevent water from mixing, allowing algae to grow thicker and faster. Also, warmer water is easier for small organisms to move through and allows algae to float to the surface faster. And algal blooms absorb sunlight, making water even warmer and promoting more blooms. From the Sonoma County Department of Public Health: Caution is the lowest of three levels of state recommended advisory signage (Caution Warning and Danger). The Russian River is open for recreational use. However, the public should be advised that potentially harmful algae may be present. Care should be taken to keep children and pets away from algae, and prevent them from drinking river water. Signs will include these recommendations: A dapper San Francisco Chinatown gangster known as "Shrimp Boy" whose conviction on murder and racketeering charges was part of a major federal organized crime investigation that also brought down a state senator was sentenced Thursday to two life terms one for killing a rival and more than 3,000 years in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer said Raymond Chow's claim during his trial that he had had an epiphany and abandoned his criminal ways was "highly manipulative" and contrary to the evidence. "The defendant is not going to change," the judge said. The case against Chow, 56, exposed the underworld in one of the nation's oldest Chinatowns. His prosecution was part of a major organized crime investigation in Chinatown that also brought down a state senator. NBC Bay Area first broke the story of Leland Yee's arrest in March 2014. Yee and Chow, leader of the Chee Kung Tong Free Masons in San Francisco, were among 26 defendants charged in the federal criminal complaint. Prosecutors say Chow killed a rival in 2006 and took over a Chinese fraternal group that had members that engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering and the sale of stolen cigarettes and top-shelf liquor such as Johnny Walker Blue Label and Hennessey XO. Chow, wearing a dark suit and flashing a smile, maintained his innocence during the sentencing hearing while accusing the judge of bias and lead prosecutor William Frentzen of lying. "I not apologize to the victims," Chow said in English, while sandwiched between a translator and his defense attorney. "I feel sorry for them because they did not get the right guy. I'm not the man they're looking for. That is a total fail in the justice system." Going back and forth with Frentzen for nearly 2.5 hours, Chow stood his grounds about having been wrongfully convicted, going so far as to blame the guilty verdicts on his previous defense counsel Tony Serra and Curtis Briggs. Chow called his attorneys liars, alleging they misrepresented him. Meanwhile, Frentzen stood just a few feet away from Chow, shaking his head, but refusing to mince words. Frentzen called Chow a "highly manipulative, constant, perpetual liar." "This is a man who is a parasite. He lived off of this organization and other people's criminal activities," the prosecutor said during the sentencing hearing, pointing at Chow. Vicki Behringer Chow has maintained his innocence, saying he was the victim of unscrupulous prosecutors who were determined to send him to prison. He renounced his drug-dealing and gangster ways after leaving prison in 2003 and turned to meditation and was working on a biography when he was arrested in 2014, he testified during the trial. His conviction was largely the work of an undercover FBI agent who posed for years as a foul-mouthed East Coast businessman with mafia ties after infiltrating Chow's fraternal group among dozens of active tongs, or family associations, in Chinatown. The agent testified under a false name that he wined and dined Chow and his associates for years. Chow willingly accepted envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash for setting up various crimes, the agent said. Chow said he was given the money because the agent was showing his respect, not in exchange for criminal activity. Chow presented himself as a reformed gangster who went from dealing drugs and running an escort service to mentoring troubled youth. Chow presented himself as a reformed gangster who went from dealing drugs and running an escort service to mentoring troubled youth. Rudy Corpuz, who founded an anti-violence youth group and worked with Chow to help inspire children, showed up in court Thursday to support him. "I wouldnt have put my reputation and credibility on the line with the kids I work with, if i didnt believe he was genuine," Corpuz insisted. Alicia Lo, who said she been dating Chow since 2008, echoed a similar sentiment. "I totally believe in Raymond," she said. Lo said she has talked to Chow every day since he was locked up in 2014, and will continue to tell his story ddespite the federal government ordering her not to. "They dont want me to produce any book or movie or anything," Lo said. "They feel it's some kind of shell company, which it's not. I just want his story to be told because it's unfair what theyve done to him." The investigation of Chow's tong led to the indictment of more than two dozen people, including former State Sen. Leland Yee a gun control advocate who acknowledged in a plea deal that he accepted thousands of dollars in bribes and discussed helping an undercover FBI agent buy automatic weapons from the Philippines. A federal judge sentenced Yee in February to five years in prison. Chow and his defense attorney now have 10 days to file an appeal to oppose the sentence meted out to him. A San Francisco Sheriff's deputy is under investigation in connection with an incident where someone allegedly tried to smuggle a cellphone hidden in a burrito to a murder suspect in jail. NBC Bay Area has learned the deputy is now barred from going into any of the jails. A notice was also sent out with the deputy's name, badge number and a picture warning other sheriff's department staff not to let the deputy into any secured facilities. The alleged incident happened last Friday outside the San Francisco Hall of Justice and involved a cellphone stuffed inside a burrito carried in a bag. Law enforcement sources tell NBC Bay Area the deputy in question bypassed metal detectors at the entrance while on his way to murder suspect Michael Green. Green was locked up on the seventh floor. He is on trial, accused of killing a woman and injuring another at a South of Market nightclub shooting from November 2013. "This is a huge red flag," San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi said. Adachi calls the smuggling allegations "extremely troubling." "It really raises concerns about training and clearly if this is a violation committed by a deputy, what other things are being smuggled in there?" Adachi said. The sheriff's department will only say no staff members were arrested in connection with the alleged smuggling. Sheriff Vicki Hennessy released the following statement: "The introduction of any contraband into the jails is a matter of great concern. cellphones, in particular, can be used to intimidate witnesses and perpetrate crime. We were pleased to have the assistance of other criminal justice partners in intercepting this cellphone before it made it into the jail. Our investigation is on-going." The sheriff's department also confirmed their office, the FBI and the District Attorney's Office are all conducting investigations. Still, Adachi does not think the multiple investigations will be enough and said there must also be a review of security procedures for the deputies going in and out of jail. "Jails are supposed to be a place where people are safe and not having drugs, other contraband," Adachi said. "Yet we often hear they are available. So it raises the question of what procedures are being followed and are they good enough?" There was at least one additional arrest in connection to the smuggling investigation. Christian Cornejo, 23, an alleged friend of Green, is accused of handing off the concealed cellphone to the deputy. Cornejo is in custody on a parole hold. NBC Bay Area has confirmed the District Attorney's Office has already dropped the charge against Cornejo of conspiracy to commit a crime. The Deputy Sheriff's Association and Green's attorney have yet to return requests for comment. The mayor of Stockton, California, was arrested Thursday at a youth camp he runs on several charges involving minors, including playing strip poker with one, authorities said. An FBI investigation led to the discovery of a clip on Anthony Silva's cell phone which allegedly contains audio of a strip poker game that took place in his bedroom and included a 16-year-old at the camp in Amador County in 2015, prosecutors said. Silva is also accused of providing alcohol to the people playing the game, who were underage. Silva, 42, was charged in Amador County with eavesdropping, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, providing alcohol to a minor and cruelty to a child by endangering health, according to the arrest warrant. "The audio of the surreptitious recording clearly indicates that the participants did not want to be recorded. Witnesses also informed FBI agents that Silva provided alcohol to the participants, all of whom were underage, including a minor," according to an Amador County District Attorney's Office news release. Silva was freed on bail and Attorney Mark Reichel, who represents Silva, said he will plead not guilty. Prosecutors and sheriff's officials did not return calls from The Associated Press seeking further details. Silva's arrest stems from a yearlong FBI investigation in which his phone was seized and searched, prosecutors said. A video clip on his phone allegedly contained audio of the game, said to have taken place last August in Silva's bedroom at the Stockton Silver Lake Camp, which he runs. One of the alleged participants was 16. Witnesses told the Amador District Attorney's Office that Silva also made alcohol available to underage counselors at the camp, according to prosecutors. The Stockton Record reported that allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior and underage drinking in Silva's presence have followed him over a decade, but never were proven. The No. 1 way to come and destroy me or hurt me is the sexual type of charges, those types of things," Silva told the Record in 2012. "When you're in the public eye and you're single, people are going to take those shots at you." Allen Sawyer, another attorney for Silva, told the AP his client will be allowed to return to the summer camp to finish the season. "He absolutely denies these charges, he's angry and he's going to fight it," Sawyer said. "But his biggest concern right now is not to disrupt the at-risk youth up at the camp." The charges come as Silva is running for re-election against Stockton Councilman Michael Tubbs. Before he was charged, the Stockton Police Officers Association endorsed Tubbs, citing his commitment to cooperation with police in establishing good practices, the Record reported. "They have had all of this evidence for over a year," Silva's attorney told NBC afiiliate KCRA. "Unlimited resources have been spent on this in an effort to find something they can investigate. The timing is extremely suspicious as people will only hear 1/2 of the story before the election. He will clear his name." Last week, the Record reported that a gun stolen from Silva's home during a burglary was linked to the killing of a 13-year-old boy in Stockton last year. Reichel said the 42-year-old Silva had nothing to do with the killing and was simply the victim of a crime when his gun was taken. Silva was elected in Nov. 2012, according to an profile on the Stockton city website. The Stockton native is a single father of an eight-year-old. He has served on a number of city commissions and boards and according to his bio, "has a passion for helping youth and, as a result, he sits on many local non-profit boards," including the Stockton Silver Lake Camp, Miss San Joaquin and the East Stockton Yellowjackets. Facebook interns and their families gathered at the social media companys Menlo Park headquarters for the Facebook Academy graduation on Wednesday. The event celebrated 18 rising high school juniors who completed Facebooks six-week internship program offered to underprivileged students. Facebook's "dismal" record on diversity has been widely reported. The company itself knows its employees are mostly white. Its own statistics show that more than 55 percent of its workforce are white and that the company has more "work to do" in terms of building a more diverse workplace. But the issue of changing that is "central" to Facebook, Maxine Williams, global director of diversity said in 2015, as she noted the many efforts the company has taken to reach out to young people of varied, underrepresented backgrounds to teach them about tech. One of those efforts is the summer academy, where eligible students come from the predominantly lower income areas of East Palo Alto and Belle Haven, and from Redwood City. They can also apply if they attend Mission High School or John O'Connel High School in San Francisco. Agustin Torres, the junior Community Engagement Manager for Facebook, as well as the head of the Facebook Academy program, hosted the graduation. He described his pride at seeing all the students success. The program may have been only six weeks, but it impacted our lives in many ways, Torres said. These kids are amazing, and Im glad that they were exposed to diverse roles and careers here at Facebook. The students in the Facebook Academy program were placed into different departments within the company, including transportation, facilities, information security and communications. Each group came on stage to present what they had been working on for the past weeks, as well as their biggest takeaways from the internship. Bianca Valencia, a student at East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, said that she would have never explored a career in technology before she started interning at Facebook. Now, Valencia said, shes open to pursuing it in the future. I loved getting to meet all the people here. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and created a great environment for learning, Valencia said. I can now see myself doing something more tech related. Valencia was a part of the finance department at Facebook, and she spoke to the audience about her project of working with 460 vendors that served underprivileged communities in the area. She hopes to attend Columbia University. Four students displayed a demo of an app they had created during their time at the company called XPress Shopping. The app essentially aims to cut down on long lines at the grocery store by providing an application that can scan barcodes and accept payment for purchased items. Alex Caceres, one of the students who worked on the app and was part of the Information Technology department during his internship, got emotional on stage as he described the lifelong friendships he formed. Caceres said, I can honestly say our weeks at Facebook have been part of the best time of our lives. The Facebook Academy has taught nearly 100 students since its inception in 2012. Rep. Tammy Duckworth slammed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Tuesday after the divisive billionaire accepted a Purple Heart medal from a supporter this week. During an event in Virginia Tuesday, Trump claimed that he always wanted a Purple Heart and that it was much easier to receive the medal as a gift than to actually earn the military honor. Duckworth, an Army veteran who earned a Purple Heart during her service, sent an email to backers Tuesday, slamming Trumps comments and urging supporters to call on the candidate to apologize for his disrespectful comment." I earned a Purple Heart in combat and I know many others who have as well, Duckworth said. Its not something anyone wanted to get. We earned them because our country asked us to. Duckworth received her Purple Heart after losing both legs piloting a helicopter over Iraq in 2004. Its no surprise Donald Trump accepted a Purple Heart the easier way today because thats the story of his life, Duckworth added. He never sacrifices. He always has things handed to him. The congresswoman also noted other instances where Trump showed a lack of understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices of our service members and their families. She chastised Trump for criticizing Arizona Sen. John McCains service as a prisoner of war and attacking the parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who posthumously received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star after being killed in Iraq in 2004. Additionally, Duckworth tweeted a photo of herself sitting in a hospital bed wearing her Purple Heart Tuesday. This is how one usually looks when you are awarded the Purple Heart, Duckworth wrote. Nothing easy about it. Duckworth sent a separate email to supporters Wednesday that includes her tweet and a response from Joe Walsh, who she beat out in a 2012 congressional race. Are you able to talk about anything besides your military service, Walsh asked. Come on. In the email, Duckworth asks for donations, promising that no matter what Republicans say about me on Twitter, Im not going to stop calling out Donald Trumps shameful disrespect of our veterans." Trump, who has compared his time at a military-prep school to actual military service, is facing new scrutiny over draft deferments during the Vietnam War. In total, Trump received five deferments, MSNBC reports. Four deferments were for college, while one was for having bad feet. Duckworth is locked in one of the countrys most highly-contested Senate races against incumbent Republican Mark Kirk, a retired Navy reservist. As President Barack Obama celebrated turning 55 on Thursday, some of the people closest to him took to social media to wish him a happy birthday. Vice President Joe Biden tweeted out a picture of braided friendship bracelets Obama had made for them earlier this summer, writing, "Happy 55th, Barack! A Brother to me, a best friend forever." Happy 55th, Barack! A brother to me, a best friend forever. pic.twitter.com/uNsxouTKOO VP Biden (Archived) (@VP44) August 4, 2016 The two men's political marriage has grown continuously stronger over the years and has developed into a close friendship. First Lady Michelle Obama also honored her husband's birthday with a candid photo on Instagram of the two of them dressed in formal wear. "55 years young and that smile still gets me ever single day," she wrote. "Happy birthday, Barack. I love you." The president and his family celebrated his birthday dining at Fiola Mare, an Italian seafood restaurant on the Georgetown waterfront a favorite of the Obamas. A group of Ugandans also sang a happy birthday to the President on Wednesday at a town hall meeting of young African leaders. Pregnant women are among nearly four dozen cases of the Zika virus reported in Illinois, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Thursday. The department reported 46 total cases of the virus statewide, with eight women listed in the Zika Virus Pregnancy Registry. A spokesperson for the department initially said the eight women were confirmed to have Zika virus, but later said five cases remained unclear. According to Divya Little with the IDPH, those five cases tested positive for a flavivirus, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials could not determine whether the women had Zika virus or Dengue fever. The updated numbers come amid a spike in cases in part of Miami, Florida. Health officials in Illinois and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned pregnant women to avoid visiting the Wynwood District of Miami. Officials there say at least 15 non-travel related Zika infections have been discovered in and around that area. Health authorities are testing mosquitoes and have not yet confirmed that anyone has been infected by a bite in the mainland U.S. More than 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the U.S. none involving bites from local mosquitoes 14 of these were sexually transmitted, and one lab worker was infected by a needle stick. The virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. Common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week, according to IDPH. Police have issued a warning about armed men targeting couples in Chicagos Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods. Three similar robberies were reported in the same week, according to police. In each instance, a couple told authorities they were walking down the street when they were approached by two men wearing black hooded sweatshirts. The men then displayed a handgun and then forced the victims onto the sidewalk before taking off with their wallets and cellphones, police said. All of the couples were walking at night when it happened, police said, at the following times and places: 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 24 in 2000 block of West Pierce Avenue 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 in 1900 block of West Evergreen Avenue 11:05 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 in 1700 block of North Honore Street Authorities say the suspects were described to be between 18 and 20 years old, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-10 and anywhere from 120 to 140 pounds. Both men were reported to have obscured their faces with their hooded sweatshirts during the hold-ups, police said. Its just the latest of the uptick in crime in both Wicker Park and Bucktown, despite being two of the citys trendiest neighborhoods. Local alderman are hoping to make the streets safer by hiring private security patrols and additional security cameras. Both neighborhood's business districts have agreed to spend $50,000 from a special tax fund on the new initiatives. The Chicago restaurant that was closed following an e.Coli outbreak last month has reopened, according to the city's Department of Health. Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill, located at 300 W. 26th St. in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, reopened July 29 after voluntarily closing July 1 due to an e.Coli outbreak. "All prepared food was disposed, food handling practices were reviewed, and all staff who handle food were tested at least twice for the bacteria," according to a release from Healthy Chicago, an initiative of the Chicago Department of Health. 68 people were sickened in the outbreak, 22 of whom were hospitalized. All have since been treated and released. Carbon withdrew from the Taste of Chicago so that it could turn "its full attention to addressing the issues at its Bridgeport location," health officials said. The owners also closed their second location at 810 N. Marshfield "out of an abundance of caution." That location reopened July 9, health officials said. Two lawsuits stemming from the outbreak were filed against the restaurant, one seeking more than $90,000 in damages. A 67-year-old woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison Wednesday for urging her grandson to kill his grandfather outside their Far South Side home in 2013. Janet Strickland encouraged 23-year-old William Strickland to shoot his namesake grandfather six times in the back as the 72-year-old walked out of their in the 400 block of East 95th Street to grab a bus to his weekly dialysis treatment on March 2, 2013, according to Cook County prosecutors. The woman persuaded him to pull the trigger so they both could spend the elderly mans money, prosecutors said. He later used money from his grandfathers wallet to buy a new phone, gym shoes and tattoos. She was convicted in April of numerous charges, including murder and solicitation of murder, Cook County Circuit Court records show. A judge handed down the 18-year sentence Wednesday. The younger William Strickland, who used his grandfathers own gun in the killing, was convicted in February and sentenced to 40 years in prison. A week after Drew Peterson was handed a 40-year sentence for trying to hire a hit man to kill the states attorney who put him behind bars for murdering his third wife, the former cop sued to get back his police pension, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting. Peterson is almost certain to die behind bars, thanks the the four-decade term that was tacked onto the 38 years hes already serving for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. But at his sentencing Friday for hiring a hit man to kill Will County States Attorney James Glasgow, Peterson said that he had felt suicidal since landing at Menard Correctional Center, but he took comfort in knowing his pension payments were still supporting his two minor children. But Peterson noted those payouts were stopped in June by the village Police Pension Fund Board, nearly four years after he was convicted of murdering Kathleen Savio. The pension board vote came, coincidentally, the day after a jury in Randolph County found Peterson guilty of soliciting a fellow inmate at Menard to rub out Glasgow. In a rambling, 25-minute speech to Judge Richard Brown, a haggard-looking Peterson said his life inside Menard was Hell and that he didnt expect to live out the sentence he was serving for Savios murder, much less the four decades for the attempted hit on Glasgow. Peterson had retired from the Bolingbrook Police Department in 2007, not long after his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared. Peterson collected more than $70,000 a year in a pension from the department, but in a long-delayed ruling in June, the pension board said that despite serving 30 years on the force, Peterson was no longer entitled to payouts because he had used his specialized police training, skills and ablilities to plan and commit Savios killing. Savio was found dead in the bathtub of her Bolingbrook home in 2004, about six months after she and Peterson had divorced. Medical examiners ruled her death was an accident, but Glasgow said that Peterson had killed her and used his training as a crime scene investigator to remove incriminating evidence from the scene to make it appear that Savio had struck her head in a bathtub. Petersons lawyer, Steve Greenberg, argues that just being convicted in Savios death does not allow the board to revoke Petersons pension benefits, noting state law requires there must be a clear and specific connection between the felony committed and the participants employment. Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration suspended Wednesday its no-overtime policy for workers caring for disabled residents in their homes, just hours before the workers' union planned to file a lawsuit challenging the plan's legality. Secretary of Human Services James Dimas said the agency would seek permission to bar overtime hours through an administrative rule with the consent of the Illinois Legislature. Human Services prohibited overtime earlier this year after the federal government decided home care workers deserved time-and-a-half pay for work over 40 hours a week. Dimas said the policy not fully enforced until May has saved $5 million and provides a break for some caregivers who routinely worked double-digit hours. "Previously, we had people working 17 or 20 hours in a day," Dimas said. "I don't think people are very fresh and responsive if they put in that kind of schedule." A Kane County judge approved a restraining order on the policy last month, and Dimas said he put enforcement on hold because the workers' union SEIU Healthcare Illinois aimed to expand the ban statewide through a lawsuit it was prepared to file Wednesday. SEIU argues that forcing severely disabled residents to find backups to take over for trusted caregivers when they hit 40 hours is disruptive and that there are too few people willing to do the sometimes distasteful work for $13 an hour. "We have been fighting this policy because it has harmed thousands of people with disabilities by threatening them with the loss of their caregiver," Terri Harkin, a vice president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, said at a news conference in Chicago. "The need for services does not end at 40 hours." The union claims the policy breaks federal law and court orders meant to keep disabled people out of institutional care. A study prepared in June by SEIU and four advocacy groups pegged preferred home care costs about $15,000 a year compared with the $52,000 cost of a nursing home. The union has said the policy has been applied inconsistently, and it threatened to make victims of conscientious caregivers because violating the overtime rule three times could lead to dismissal. A proposed administrative rule, which must be approved by a bicameral, bipartisan legislative panel, will be similar to the policy as it's been practiced, Dimas said. It could take several months for a decision on the rule, and DHS will not enforce the no-OT plan during that time. Kane County States Attorney Joseph McMahon has been named as the outside prosecutor who will handle the case against Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who fatally shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. McMahon was sworn in Thursday morning following a months-long search after Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez asked that she be allowed to step aside. This is an important case involving serious allegations," McMahon said after court Thursday. "It should be handled by a public prosecutor and an experienced prosecution team. This is a job Ive been asked to do, and its what the public expects of its states attorneys." McMahon is the second special prosecutor to be named in the case. Last week, a Cook County judge appointed former Cook County Judge Patricia Brown Holmes to look into whether other Chicago officers were involved in covering up the circumstances surrounding McDonalds fatal shooting. We have one goal in this case, and thats to present the truth in court and seek justice," McMahon said. Van Dyke is accused of shooting McDonald 16 times while the teen was walking away from police in October 2014. He was charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty. Dashcam footage showing the shooting was released to the public in November 2015, sparking protests and outrage nationwide. No one other than Van Dyke has been charged in connection with the shooting death, but two officers involved in the case were placed on administrative leave late last year, 14 months after McDonald was killed. The two officers were David March, who was lead detective at the time of McDonald's shooting death, and Officer Joseph Walsh, Van Dykes partner. Throughout the investigation, Walsh gave conflicting accounts about the events leading up to the shooting. Walsh told investigators "repeatedly" that McDonald was ordered to "drop the knife," claiming the teen approached them swinging the weapon before he was shot dead, the Chicago Tribune reports. Walsh also said he kicked the knife away from a lifeless McDonald after the teen "attempted to kill them," records show. None of the events Walsh explained could be seen in dashcam footage released by the city. Alvarez has also faced mounting criticism over her handling of the case, with many questioning why it took more than a year to bring charges against Van Dyke. Activists and civil rights attorneys previously asked Judge Vincent Gaughan to appoint a special prosecutor, alleging Alvarez was "disqualified from representing the people." Alvarez has defended her handling of the case, but has since lost her campaign for re-election. A woman was killed and a man injured in a shooting on Chicago's North Side Wednesday afternoon, according to police. The shooting occurred just before 3:30 p.m. in the 4500 block of N Sheridan Rd in the city's Uptown neighborhood, authorities confirmed. The 57-year-old woman and 58-year-old man were walking on the sidewalk when a car approached and someone inside opened fire, officials said. The victims were taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead, according to police. The man was listed in good condition, officials said. A statement from 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman described the victims as "bystanders" and said the police have described the shooting as gang-related. "Video footage from a police camera (placed there last year) will be reviewed to capture the person responsible for this senseless act," Cappleman said. No one is in custody and authorities continue to investigate. Grow lights seized by police from an illegal marijuana operation are finding a new purpose at New London High School. In the past two years, Chef Tomm Johnson has grown the schools culinary arts program. In our school we grow shrimp, we grow trout, we grow tilapia, Cheff Tomm said, pointing to fish tank. I wish I had this while I was in high school Chef Tomm says he knows the school doesnt have the money to buy expensive, top-notch grow lights. I was talking to our SRO officer, Officer Bertsch, and said, well you know any ideas how we can get some lights? Chef Tomm said. That is when New London Police got the idea to reach out to the State Police Narcotics Task Force, which often confiscated industrial lights from illegal drug operations. They went to the New London County prosecutors office and went through the paperwork and were able to get the equipment signed over to New London High School, Detective Sgt. Lawrence Keating said, instead of ending up in a dumpster. Students enrolled in the Science and Technology Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut collaborate with New London H.S.s culinary program. Now, they too will be able to grow more crops in the winter. Its going to absolutely facilitate the productivity in here once the light is gone, Environmental Science and Oceanography Instructor Chuck Mulligan said. So far, the high scools have received six of the seized grow lights. The goal is for police to donate even more to expand the culinary and agriculture programs into the middle and elementary schools. By the time they get up here theyll be farming geniuses, Chef Tomm said. West Hartford police have arrested a man accused of robbing a local bank in 2014. Seldale Moon, 23, was arrested by West Hartford police on June 21. Police said on December 19, 2014 a suspect entered the Webster Bank at 75 Park Road and passed a note to a teller demanding money. The teller gave the suspect $1,692 in cash and the suspect then fled to an awaiting car with someone in the drivers seat. West Hartford police worked with the FBI and other local police departments to identify the suspects. Based off surveillance video, detectives determined that the suspect may have also committed a robbery in Manchester. On September 26, 2015 Moon was arrested by Federal Marshals. According to court records, Moon was arrested by Manchester police on April 12, 2016 and charged with first-degree robbery. West Hartford police said they obtained an arrest warrant. The Hartford Superior Court States Attorneys office dropped the robbery charge. Moon was charged with 4th-degree larceny and held on a $10,000 bond. He entered a not guilty plea in court and is scheduled to appear in court in Hartford on September 6. John Gotti, the 23-year-old grandson of the late Gambino crime boss for whom he is named, was arrested along with six others early Thursday on state narcotics charges, authorities said. NYPD detectives took Gotti and the other defendants, including Gotti's girlfriend to the 113th Precinct for processing. Gotti was arrested in the home where his grandfather, dubbed the "Teflon Don," once lived. He was arraigned late Thursday night. The defendants are charged with illegal distribution of oxycodone and other prescription pills in Howard Beach and Ozone Park. Investigators say a search of Gotti's home yielded hundreds of the pain pills and more than $40,000 cash. They also seized two of his vehicles as evidence. Gotti's attorney, Gerard Marrone, said children were present when police "broke in doors'' and "wrecked the house.'' "I would have just surrendered him. It really wasn't necessary,'' said Marrone, asserting that the actions were taken "because of his last name; they want to make a headline. We're going to enter a plea of not guilty and fight the case." Gotti is the grandson of John Gotti, who died in federal prison in 2002 following his 1992 conviction on federal racketeering and murder charges. His arrest does not appear to be connected to an indictment also released Thursday accusing nearly four dozen suspects of running a massive East Coast crime syndicate. Time to hide your eyes behind your fingers because this is one stunt you won't be able to look away from, no matter how terrifying it's about to get. During Tuesday night's episode of "America's Got Talent," Canadian comedy daredevil team AmberLynn Walker and Ryan Stock took the stage armed with a handful of props, including a curved sword and an arrow, ready for Stock to...swallow. With a 1950s themed set and coordinating costumes, the fans and judges were distracted from the true danger of what the engaged pair was attempting to accomplish. However, it unfortunately became all too real when, during their finale stunt, error proved life-threatening. After swallowing the base of a lamp, Stock held it in his mouth as his fiancee aimed a flaming arrow at the target stamped on the bottom of the base. The arrow narrowly missed the target and hit the daredevil in the neck. Suddenly realizing the stunt had not gone as planned, Stock fished the lamp base out of his mouth and fanned away at his neck. Ouch! James Corden Plays Matt Damon's Stunt Double in Jason Bourne And Gets Badly Injured The judges looked horrified as the audience watched in shock. Not knowing quite what to do next, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Mel B tried to offer some critique of the segment, but they all could not ignore their concern for Stock although he insisted he was fine. Finally, Simon Cowell urged the panel to stop the discussion and implored Stock to seek the help of an emergency medic right away. The stuntman did see the onsite medic, said he was feeling fine and did not request any further treatment. "We had a serious mishap tonight outage live on @nbcagt," Cowell later tweeted. "A very unfortunate mechanical failure but I am very fortunate to walk away from it." Meanwhile, viewers in the audience and at home were stunned. One onlooker told E! News the stunt was "horrifying" to watch. "Retweet if @comedydaredevil has your votes once you've calmed down and stopped freaking out," the show posted on its official Twitter account. "You NEVER know what will happen when #AGT is live." You can say that again. Photos: America's Got Talent OMG Moments Police said two people were injured in a drive-by shooting in Dallas late Wednesday night. Dallas police said they responded to a shooting call near the intersection of Audelia Road and Forest Lane at about 11:30 p.m. Investigators said a group of people were hanging out at a nearby bus stop when a car drove by and started shooting at them, hitting two. One of the victims ran to a convenience store and was transported to a hospital. Police said the other victim also ran from the scene and ended up at a hospital. The victims conditions were not released. Police said they do not have any suspect information and continue to investigate the shooting. Georgia police arrested a man Wednesday in connection with the killings of two teens found behind a grocery store, NBC News reported. Jeffrey A. Hazelwood, 20, was arrested and will be charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Natalie Henderson and Cater Davis, both 17, according to Roswell police. Both teens were shot in the head. Roswell Police Chief Rusty Grant would not disclose a motive in the killings, and would not say what relationship, if any, Hazelwood had with the victims. He said in a statement that video and other evidence led police to Hazelwood. A delivery driver found Henderson and Davis behind a Publix grocery store shortly before 6 a.m. Monday. Police believe a serial killer in Phoenix may have added a ninth shooting on July 11, in which the gunman fired at a man and a 4-year-old boy sitting in a car, NBC News reported. The new incident means the shooter tried to kill again, even after police put the city on alert. The man and boy were not injured. Based on witness statements, police believe the suspect has access to several cars, including a white Cadillac or Lincoln, and a late 1990s or early 2000s 5 series BMW. Investigators have looked into whether he works as a mechanic or on a used car lot. Officials thought the gunmans spree ended in mid-June when he ambushed and fatally shot two women and a 12-year-old girl in their driveway. Police in London have a man in custody after he went on a rampage Wednesday night with a knife killing a woman and injuring as many as six others, NBC News reported. The suspect was described as a 19-year-old man who was under police guard in a hospital. They are calling the incident a possible terrorist attack. "Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage," police said, adding that extra officers remain in the area as a precaution. The Metropolitan Police said the man was arrested about 10:40 p.m. (5:40 p.m. ET) after he was brought down with a Taser in Russell Square, near the British Museum. Check back for updates to this developing story. An American woman was killed and five other people were injured in a stabbing attack in London Wednesday night, police said Thursday. Police arrested a 19-year-old Norwegian citizen of Somali origin on suspicion of murder after the incident in Russell Square, a busy area near the world-famous British Museum. Authorities said early indications suggested mental health was a "significant factor" in the attack. While police had initially said that "terrorism remains one line of inquiry," an updated statement said only that investigators were keeping "an open mind regarding the motive." There were increased numbers of armed police patrolling London streets Thursday morning. The vast majority of British police do not carry guns. Donald Trump's running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, is breaking with the Republican nominee by endorsing House Speaker Paul Ryan in his primary fight. Pence said in a phone interview with Fox News Channel that he's pleased to endorse Ryan. The move comes a day after Trump said in an interview that he's "just not quite there yet" when it comes to backing Ryan, who has at times been critical of Trump's most controversial comments. Pence says that he spoke with Trump Wednesday morning about his "support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship." He says Trump, "strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesday's primary. And I'm pleased to do it." Two Los Angeles police officers involved in the deadly shooting of a mentally ill man in South Los Angeles in 2014 sued the city Wednesday, alleging they are being kept from returning to field duty due to racial discrimination and retaliation. Officers Tony Villegas and Sharlton Wampler were both assigned to the Newton Division's gang unit when they encountered 25-year-old Ezell Ford Jr. on Aug. 11, 2014. A representative for the City Attorney's Office did not immediately return a call for comment on the plaintiffs' Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. The suit states that Ford attempted to grab Wampler's firearm and, fearing for his life and that of Villegas, the officer grabbed the backup firearm holstered to his leg and shot Ford, who died at the scene. "The chief (Charlie Beck) declared that all aspects of the shooting were within policy. Plaintiffs were cleared by the department," the suit says. However, the Police Commission -- described in the lawsuit as "an inexperienced group of political appointees" - overturned the LAPD's findings and found the shooting was out of policy. The officers were temporarily assigned to administrative duties but "remain benched today although they committed no misconduct," their suit says. Villegas, who is Latino, has been told he cannot do outside work; Wampler, who is white, has been denied a patrol bonus; and neither officer can be promoted to the rank of sergeant because of their non-field status, their suit says. They have additionally been unable to obtain transfers, overtime and coveted assignments, according to their court papers. In contrast, a black officer who was recently involved in a lethal shooting that was found by the chief and the Police Commission to be out of policy was only taken out of the field for a short time and now has an important position in the Metropolitan Division, the suit says. "Clearly, there is a different standard of discipline meted out to officers solely on account of their race and color of their skin," the suit alleges. The treatment of the officers also illustrates the retaliation they suffered after they reported their complaints and said they intended to sue, according to their lawsuit. Two formerly conjoined twins wore their quinceanera dresses Thursday at Children's Hospital Los Angeles for a celebration of their achievements, and so the girls and their families could thank the medical team that has helped them over the years. Josie Hull and Teresa Cajas, 15, have had 32 surgeries and procedures led by Children's Hospital staff since 2004. The girls and their families thanked the specialists in neurosurgery, neurology, orthopaedics, and reconstructive plastic surgery who have helped them at the event Thursday, according to a spokesman for the hopital. Born in Guatemala, the twins underwent a 23 hour separation surgery in 2002 at UCLA, and were given to families in Southern California, "where they would have a better chance at survival," according to the hospital's website. Josie's mother, Jenny Hull, called the twins' biological parents "heroes" for making the "ultimate sacrifice" for their children to get the care they needed in America. Due to the complex follow-up care required for both girls, both families transferred them to Children's Hospital Los Angeles in 2004. "We are just so impressed with this hospital and everything they've done for us, and today is just a prime example of how much they truly care about children," Hull said. "Really we're celebrating the staff here, because they're the ones who have gotten us to 15. Not only because of their medical care, but because of their compassion and their love. These girls are thriving because of this hospital." The girls donned the dresses they will wear to their quinceanera on Aug. 7, so the staff could see their dresses and celebrate the girls' achievements. "I'm happy today for Teresa and Josie," Teresa's mother, Florie Cajas said. "Teresa now is very healthy but many years ago she is very very sick, but now she is well." "Teresa just lights up the world with her little spirit," Hull said, noting that their families didn't know if she would make it past two years of age. "To see her here at 15, to watch her dance with her dad at the quinceanera on Sunday, I think we'll need some Kleenex." Hull said that Josie is fully functioning in school, has many friends and "really is a typical kid," doing things like dancing, swimming, and singing. "As two mothers of two very, very special girls, our story started many years ago, but it's still a lot of happiness and joy, and we are just blessed to be a part of that story and part of these girls lives," Hull said. "I think they change us, and I think they've changed our communities, and I know they've changed the world." "Thank you Children's Hospital Los Angeles and to the doctors, nurses, and all the staff here, we are eternally grateful for what you do for us," Hull added. Lanes on the westbound 210 Freeway in Sylmar were closed Thursday morning for a shooting investigation. Two motorcyclists shot at another person in a vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One person was hospitalized, but details about the victim's condition were not immediately available. The victim was traveling west when rounds entered his vehicle. Authorities did not confirm whether the shooting stemmed from a road rage altercation. No arrests were reported. The freeway reopened at about 6 a.m. Refresh for updates. Mourners gathered at a vigil at a Moreno Valley high school Wednesday night to remember three teenagers who lost their lives in a car crash over the weekend. Devin Thomas and Aldo Acosta, both 19, and Nicole Hache and Kiara Quilo, both 16, were riding in a car that crashed into a freeway column at the 405-105 interchange Saturday morning. Thomas was the lone survivor. He's recovering from injuries including broken bones. "Devin doesn't even know he's lost his friends yet," said his uncle, Damien Smith. "We are still trying to brace ourselves to break that news to him." Investigators say speed may have been a factor. Smith believes they had taken a trip to the beach. Acosta, who was behind the wheel, and Thomas both graduated from Valley View High School in 2015. Students remember Acosta as a friendly guy everyone wanted to hang around with. "He always has a smile on his face, he was very funny," said Melanie Reitan, a student at Valley View. Quilo attended Bayside Community Day School. Hache, who was entering her senior year at Valley View High, had dreams of going to college. Her Spanish teacher, Marissa Zarate, says she even attended summer school to boost her grades. Zarate described Hache as "a great student," who "succeeded at anything she would have wanted to." Mourners arrived to Valley View High with flowers to remember three lives lost. "My emotions are mixed because I'm very happy my nephew made it, but I'm very hurt that the other three didn't make it," Smith said. "Hug and kiss your children because you don't know what the next moment holds." Businesses in Los Angeles are getting a payday from the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water during a period of construction in North Hollywood. The construction of a major water trunk line along Lankershim Boulevard, which will bring better water pressure to businesses and residents in the area, is expected to be completed in three years. Councilman Paul Krekorian and members of the LADWP presented checks of up to $18,000 Thursday to local stores to help them stay in the business. Construction has blocked parking access to many businesses, driving them close to closure. Mariana Cruz Garcia, whose family-run antique furniture store sits in the construction zone, lost 90 percent of their business after construction began. Garcia said her family had 12 dollars in their bank account and she had to leave college to help out. My parents stay up all night, said Garcia. Its such an emotional obstacle too because they are trying everything they can. Out of the 26 businesses who applied for money, half received a check on Thursday. The funds, which come out of the construction budget, are part of a pilot project by the government to help businesses during large construction projects. I dont think its feasible to be able to help businesses with every inconvenience that comes with paving a street, said Councilman Krekorian.But this is a very different category. A number of University of Southern California students were displaced after a water main broke on the roof of a five-story residence hall in Los Angeles Wednesday night, fire officials said. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a water main break at 11:50 p.m. on the roof of the Malcolm and Barbara Currie Residence Hall on the 2210 block of Alcazar Street, near the L.A. County-USC Medical Center. Water flooded all five floors of the residence hall, including the basement, fire officials said. "My roommates had to move out, so they were put up in a hotel," said Danielle Lombardi, a grad student who was scheduled to move in this week. She added that she is worried about everything getting fixed, and about potential problems later on with the building. Lombardi acknowledged that since the residence hall is new, they expect some issues at first. Currie Hall is a new residence hall for USC's medical research students that opened this year, according to the school's website. It was named after USC trustee Malcolm Currie and his wife Barbara, who have given $10 million toward the endowment of the Keck School of Medicine and USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. The building, which houses modern, fully furnished apartments, was completed this week. One USC pharmacy student, Christina Fu, said she was disappointed since the apartments are new. "For that high rent you'd definitely expect something way better," Fu said. Crews were working to clean up the water. No injuries were reported. Annette Arreola contributed to this report. Donald Trump's campaign chief acknowledged Thursday the GOP presidential nominee's team is divided over whether to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, but promised Trump would work with the Republican speaker if elected. >App users: Watch live video here. "There's a conflict within the Trump campaign," campaign chairman Paul Manafort told ABC's "Good Morning America." ''We've sort of had a rule of not getting involved in primaries because it's usually not a good situation for the presidential candidate. Of course, he's going to work with Paul Ryan." Vice presidential nominee Mike Pence split with Trump and endorsed Ryan on Wednesday. Ryan on Thursday reaffirmed his support for Trump in his first comments since the Republican nominee declined to endorse him. Ryan brushed off Trump's stance, telling a radio interviewer in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that the only endorsement he cares about is from voters in his congressional district. But he also said that Trump "has had a pretty strange run since the convention. You would think we should be focusing on Hillary Clinton and all of her deficiencies." Ryan said it's "distressing" that that's not what the conversation is about. Trump's operation has been beset by internal discord in recent days, including growing concern about general election preparedness and a lack of support from Republican leaders, according to two people familiar with the organization's inner workings. One of the people said Trump privately blames his own staff for failing to quiet the backlash from his own party after he criticized an American Muslim family whose son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq.r The tensions come as Priebus and a handful of high-profile Trump allies consider whether to confront the candidate directly to encourage a new approach following a series of startling stances and statements. In the midst of the uproar over his criticism of the Khan family, Trump infuriated GOP Chairman Reince Priebus and other party leaders by refusing to endorse Ryan's re-election ahead of a primary contest Tuesday. The officials, including one with direct knowledge of Priebus' thinking, were granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue during one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trump's presidential campaign. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Thursday dismissed reports that he was planning an "intervention" with Priebus and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to urge Trump to abandon divisive tactics that have triggered sinking poll numbers and low morale. "I meet with Donald Trump all the time," Giuliani told the Fox Business Network, suggesting that Gingrich used the word, "intervention," in a recent memo. "He is a new candidate," Giuliani said of Trump. "That adds a little bit of more of a learning curve, that would normally be the case." Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the GOP frustration was hurting his campaign, even as he openly contemplated an Election Day loss. "Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible," he said during a campaign stop in battleground Florida. He also insisted, "We've never been this united." In an interview later with Florida's WPEC-TV, Trump was asked if he was being "baited into battles." "I think that's probably right," he acknowledged. "We're going to focus more on Hillary Clinton." The most powerful Republicans in Washington and New York's Trump Tower concede things will not change unless Trump wants them to. "The candidate is in control of his campaign," Manafort told Fox News Channel on Wednesday, highlighting his inability to control the nominee. "And I'm in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign." Clinton, meanwhile, kept up her assault on Trump's business practices, holding up a Trump-branded tie as she spoke at the Knotty Tie Company in battleground Colorado. "I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties," she told employees in Denver, "instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado." Trump blamed the media "so dishonest" for growing criticism of his recent statements and his unwillingness to accept guidance from senior advisers. Privately, however, Trump has concerns about his own team. He was deeply upset when GOP leaders "took the other side" during his quarrel with the Khans, one person said, and blames his staff for not keeping top Republicans in line. Another person said Trump is irritated that planning in battleground states isn't further along with less than 100 days until Election Day. Trump stunned Republicans by telling The Washington Post this week that he wasn't ready to endorse Ryan, ahead of his primary. Ryan has backed Trump despite deep differences on policy and temperament, and has encouraged other Republicans to unite behind the party's nominee. Trump on Wednesday reported raising $80 million in July for his campaign and the Republican Party, a significant improvement from past months. Clinton raised about $90 million over the same period. Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine spoke about the racial scar tissue in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday during a speech to the National Urban League Conference, NBC News reported. During his speech, Kaine spoke about his early career as a civil rights attorney and his work as a politician. The senator also focused on his call for criminal justice reform and the need to "rebuild the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve." Kaine is still working to introduce himself to a wider American public unaware of many components of his background, told his audience that when he served as Virginia's governor he did something "no other governor had done." The Urban League historically invites all major presidential candidates to speak to their conference but the Donald Trump campaign declined an invitation to join this year, Union League president Marc Morial said. Yesterday I was quoted by Capital Weather Gang's Jason Samenow and Brian McNoldy in regards to the unusual step by the Met Service of Jamaica to issue a Tropical Storm Warning before the system had even been classified as one by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The issuance of watches and warnings is within the purview of each country's government, but it often involves lengthy coordination with NHC in Miami. This is the first time in my 32 years of Caribbean forecasting that I've seen a Tropical Storm Warning issued before a system was classified. Here is the statement from the new director of the Jamaican meteorological office Evan Thompson, courtesy of RJR Jamaica: "The meteorologists, in just observing the signature of the satellite imagery, would have realized that the system [had] developed well past a tropical wave. Now there are some constraints under which the National Hurricane Center operates in that unless there is a confirmed closed circulation of the wind in the lower levels of the atmosphere it cannot be classified as a tropical cyclone. Hence they [continued] to refer to it as a tropical wave. This is something that is being addressed by the U.S. authorities but currently the law still indicates that they cannot issue actual advisories on the tropical systems or indicate track guidance on these systems when it does not have a closed circulation. And that is one of the constraints we've been operating under. So, although our understanding .. [pulled] us in the direction of indicating that this [was] at least a tropical storm moving through the central Caribbean, the information that [had] been passed on to us [had] only been able to confirm it as a strong tropical wave. However the hurricane specialists [did] indicate that with their best knowledge it also [appeared] to be a tropical storm." NHC did nothing wrong. If it's not a storm yet, then it's just not a storm yet. Advisories could not be initiated under the current rules. But the Jamaican government did everything right by using common sense, and not allowing a technicality from getting in the way of warning their population and saving lives. A similar warning in the Dominican Republic may have saved some of the 9 lives lost due to tropical storm conditions experienced in that country. Happily, the National Hurricane Center beginning as early as 2017 may change the ground rules and allow for the issuance of advisories, watches and warnings BEFORE a system is officially classified as a tropical cyclone. But maverick Evan Thompson of the Jamaican Met Service had the courage to do so before the rule change. So, "Irie, Jamaica" - one way of saying good job! The American woman who was fatally stabbed in an attack in London Wednesday was the wife of a Florida State University professor, school officials and Florida's governor confirmed Thursday. Darlene Horton, 64, wife of FSU psychology professor Richard Wagner was killed when a Somali-Norwegian teen went on a knife rampage through Russell Square. Five others were injured, including an American, Metropolitan Police said Thursday. [[238427591, C]] Wagner and his wife were in London while he taught in the summer session at FSU's London Study Program. The school said classes had ended and students enrolled in the program had left for the summer. The couple planned to return to Tallahassee on Thursday, university officials said. "There are no words to express our heartache over this terrible tragedy," FSU President John Thrasher said in a statement. "We are shocked that such senseless violence has touched our own FSU family, and we will do all we can to assist Professor Wagner and his loved ones, as well as his friends and colleagues in the Psychology department, as they mourn." Florida Gov. Rick Scott also confirmed Horton's death Thursday, tweeting condolences to her family and loved ones. [[389213481, C]] The 19-year-old suspect, whose name has not been released, was subdued by police and arrested at the scene of the stabbings late Wednesday. He remains in custody, Metropolitan Police said. What to Know A man said he's been seeing the traps for more than a month Police say they include nail-spiked wooden blanks and barbed wire stretched out across pathways Authorities say the traps can be extremely dangerous and advise anyone who sees anything suspicious to contact police Police are warning hikers and mountain bikers to be vigilant after someone apparently placed booby traps, including barbed wire and wooden planks with protruding nails, just beneath the surface of trails in a New Jersey park. Wayne police say a resident told them he has been finding the traps on the trails at High Mountain Park since June 23. He has found broken bottles behind or next to rocks or logs, rope and barbed wire strung across pathways and wooden planks with screws and nails sticking out of them placed just under the road surface to injure hikers or pop bicycle tires, authorities say. Police said the man's report about the traps was the first they'd heard of them; it wasn't clear if anyone had been hurt. High Mountain Park is shared among the jurisdictions of Wayne, North Haledon and Franklin Lakes, and Wayne police say anyone who has seen any suspicious activity in the park should contact their local department. What to Know The fire at a millwork factory on Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside was raging for hours into late Wednesday night Fire officials say wood and paint thinners inside fueled the blaze, which reached five alarms Some firefighters had minor injuries, but there were no civilian injuries A factory fire fueled by wood and paint thinners raged for hours Wednesday, and hundreds of firefighters struggled to put out the mighty blaze on Queens Boulevard before it was finally brought under control. It's not clear what sparked the fire inside the millwork factory on Queens Boulevard near 37th Street in Sunnyside just after 7 p.m. But the large amounts of wood, lacquer and paint thinners fueled the fire, according to FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard. More than 250 firefighters, EMTs and medics were on the scene of the five-alarm blaze. Four firefighters sustained minor injuries, but no civilians were hurt. A warehouse fire in Queens was sending black smoke billowing in the sky, seen by commuters in the area, people in Manhattan and even as far as New Jersey. The FDNY said that the fire was finally reined in around 11:20 p.m. The flames and black smoke were visible against the city skyline as the sun set Wednesday, and riders on the elevated 7 subway line and on Long Island Rail Road got a clear view of the fire at the height of the evening rush Wednesday (see social media photos and video below). The millwork shop was destroyed, but firefighters were able to save the surrounding shops. "One business is lost, we feel their pain," said Leonard. But, he continued, the firefighters "did a bang-up job, they saved three large businesses." The blaze was intense when firefighters responded within three minutes of the first 911 call, and the first units that went into the building briefly got trapped by flames behind them, Leonard said. The chief issued a May Day call to alert all firefighters to get out of the building, which they safely did, and the units proceeded to battle the fire from outside. The fire response was causing traffic delays on all Manhattan-bound lanes of Queens Boulevard at 39th Street. Drivers are urged to consider alternate routes and allow additional travel time. Residents were advised to stay indoors and keep their windows closed. Fire marshals will investigate the cause of the fire. What to Know The 30-year-old woman normally ran with her father in the afternoons, but he didn't accompany her this time Her body was found face down in a marsh several hours after she was reported missing The medical examiner's office ruled she died in a homicide. Investigators are working with DNA samples that may lead to a suspect in the strangulation of a 30-year-old runner whose body was found in a Queens marsh hours after she was reported missing, a law enforcement source says. The source says it's too soon to know if the samples may reveal any definitive connection in the killing and sexual assault of Karina Vetrano, and police continue to pursue multiple avenues of investigation. On Friday afternoon, investigators found Vetrano's missing sneaker and earbud in the weeds near the running path, sources said, alongside a secluded, overgrown marsh at the edge of Jamaica Bay. They'll test the items for DNA. Meanwhile, family and friends were mourning Vetrano at a wake at the Romanelli Funeral Home Friday, ahead of a funeral mass and burial Saturday at St. Helen's Church in Howard Beach. Vetrano was "very nice to talk to, very gentle, very sweet," said Marge Rosina, a family friend. "It's just devastating. This is someone who always loved life," said a friend of Vetrano who only gave her name as Shaina. Always laughing, having a good time. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. Wasn't something that happens to someone like her." NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Thursday that the department believes there is a "severe community threat" after the killing of Vetrano, who left her Howard Beach home to run near Gateway National Park Tuesday afternoon and never came home. The department is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Boyce, who previously said the circumstances of the killing were "extraordinarily rare," confirmed that Vetrano had been sexually assaulted in the attack, but that she "put up a ferocious fight right until the end." "She was beaten quite severely which suggests she put up a good fight," he said. Law enforcement sources say nothing in Vetrano's personal life raises a red flag. Investigators are exploring the idea she was attacked by a stranger and are questioning local sex offenders, a routine step. A public sex offender registry shows nine level-three offenders in the neighborhood. Boyce also said that Vetrano sent a text to a friend during the run, but it's not clear what the message was about. Vetrano normally ran with her father at the time she left Tuesday, but he didn't accompany her that day, police have said. When Vetrano didn't return, he called 911 to report her missing and a search was organized. Hours later, Vetrano's body was discovered in a marsh near the Belt Parkway bike path. Boyce said pings from her cellphone led cops to the weedy area near 161st Avenue and 78th Street, where Vetrano was found face down, her hands balled up, clutching the weeds surrounding her. The woman's father, a retired firefighter, was among the first to find her body. Family friend Joanne Rosina, who attended the wake with her mother Marge, said Friday the father "seems to be holding up." "I said to him, 'Phil, for the first time, I don't know what to say," Rosina told NBC 4 New York. "He says, 'You can't say anything.'" First responders, like the firefighters from FDNY's 270 squad, paid respects at the wake. Neighbors, meanwhile, have pinned white ribbons to telephone poles. Parks officials say they are looking into increasing patrols in light of Vetrano's death. Currently, a two-person patrol watches over all the federal parkland in Queens and Brooklyn. Officials said they are also cutting the weeds. "You never know what's in those weeds," said one resident. "I would say it's dangerous." The young woman worked as a caterer for RV Rooftop at Vetro, which said in an Instagram post it would be closed Wednesday to hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance. She was a world traveler and aspiring writer, and on her blog, she wrote about her life: "It's chaotic and unpredictable, but I do believe that on some days, it's quite beautiful, in all its poetic little tragedies." No arrests have been made in the case, and authorities are reviewing digital evidence from the park. Anyone with information about Vetrano's death should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. Police are searching for three men seen in surveillance video robbing a restaurant supply warehouse in Queens. The men cut a hole in a gate outside of Zahner's Restaurant City on 30th Avenue in Woodside last Tuesday morning. They then broke a window and used a rope to climb into the business, according to police. Once inside, the men stole $25,000 in cash from an office lockbox. They then used the rope to climb out and escape. Police believe the men are in their 40s. They ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. The White House on Wednesday denied suggestions that a $400 million cash payment to Iran in January was a "ransom" to free four Americans being held in Tehran characterizing the move as coincidental. A Wall Street Journal report Tuesday characterized the Obama administration's payment to Iran as a "secretly organized" airlift of cash to Tehran. It did not say when in January the money was received in Iran. But, State Department spokesman John Kirby said that sum was actually part of a $1.7 billion settlement to Iran for an outstanding legal dispute that had been before an international tribunal in The Hague, adding that the negotiations over the settlement were "completely separate" from the hostage discussion. "Not only were the two negotiations separate, they were conducted by different teams on each side, including, in the case of the Hague claims, by technical experts involved in these negotiations for many years," Kirby said. The money was owed to the Islamic republic following a failed arms deal dating back to 1979, NBC News reported. The State Department formally announced the settlement terms on Jan. 17 a day after the four Americans were freed. Firefighters rescued two people trapped in their vehicles after a serious, multi-car crash at a busy intersection in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Wednesday night, officials said. Several vehicles were involved in the crash at Easton and Blair Mill roads in Upper Moreland around 9 p.m., officials said. Two people were trapped for a short time before being rescued. The crash sent three people to the hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known. The intersection was shut down for hours as authorities investigated the cause of the crash. Bill Cosby's attorneys filed a motion asking that a recording of a phone call between him and the mother of his accuser be suppressed as evidence in the sexual assault case against him, saying that the call was recorded in violation of Pennsylvania law. Cosby's attorneys filed the motion asking that the Jan. 17, 2005 phone conversation between him and Gianna Constand, Andrea Constand's mother, be suppressed because it was "obtained in violation of Pennsylvania's Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act." The motion says that Andrea Constand told her mother in January 2005 that Cosby assaulted her in winter 2004, and that Gianna Constand contacted Cosby by phone at his Elkins Park home. She and Cosby spoke at length on the phone on Jan. 16, 2005, discussing the alleged sexual assault of Andrea Constand, according to the motion. The motion goes on to say that Cosby called Gianna Constand again from his Elkins Park home on Jan. 17, 2005, and that, "Unbeknownst to Mr. Cosby, Mrs. Constand recorded the telephone call without his consent." It's unclear when the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas will hear arguments on the motion. Cosby's next court appearance, for a pre-trial conference, is scheduled for Sept. 6. He is charged with aggravated indecent assault without consent, aggravated indecent assault of a person unconscious or unaware and aggravated indecent assault of an impaired person, according to his court docket. Cheltenham Township commissioners took the first step Wednesday night toward the possible sale of the municipality's troubled sewer system. The governing body voted unanimously to have township officials draw up a "request for qualifications," or RFQ, that will gauge interest from outside entities to purchase and operate the miles of sewer lines as a public utility. A resolution to issue the RFQ is expected to be introduced next month. "This is one of a variety of options the commissioners are taking under consideration," Commissioner Drew Sharkey told residents at the monthly Public Works Committee meeting. "This is an effort to find out if this is a viable option or not." The Board committee also tabled a vote -- for the second time since May -- on legislation that would begin mandatory inspections of all private sewer laterals and raise the fee for those lateral inspections "to account for additional personnel time and expenses required to inspect." The board, he said, will instead hold a special hearing Sept. 28 on Cheltenham's massive infrastructure headache. Two months ago, township Manager Bryan Havir told NBC10.com that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has demanded Cheltenham make widespread upgrades to its sewer system. The system is a century old. Miles of public sewer mains and thousands of private sewer laterals are either defective or overwhelmed during storms and in immediate need of replacement. Havir estimated that costs could be as much as $8 million a year for the next decade for "work being done in the public right-of-way as well as the inspection work" on private property sewer laterals. At the time in late May, the township planned to issue a longterm plan for inspecting the sewer laterals of every property owner in Cheltenham, starting with Cheltenham Village and Glenside. Any laterals that failed inspection would need to be replaced within 60 to 90 days. After NBC10.com reported on the proposed ordinance and groups of residents began questioning the financial burden on homeowners to replace costly underground pipes on their property, the township decided to table legislation. Yet state DEP officials have continued to demand that Cheltenham address an issue that has simmered at the local level for the last several years. Havir said that the township already has spent millions since 2010 on certain fixes. Township engineer Amy Montgomery said at the meeting Wednesday that Cheltenham Village and Glenside will still be the first neighborhoods where property owners' laterals would be inspected once the process begins. She and members of the township Board promised more details about an inspection schedule at the meeting later next month. Possibly selling off the sewer system, however, is part of a larger discussion about how to manage a vital and expensive infrastructure, Sharkey said. "We all have aspirations of revitalizing business districts, improving services, and things of that nature," Sharkey said. "But obviously, this is taking up a great deal of time. And it gets to a national issue of the need to invest in our infrastructure." "All municipalities need to make sure our infrastructure is being maintained and continuously improved." Laura Morgan feels she has one chance to give her son Jackson a normal life. The 14-year-old, who she lovingly refers to as Jack, has been battling a complex case of Autism where he injures himself, sometimes severely, with bruises, black eyes and internal bleeding. He was diagnosed as a toddler and as the teen has aged, hes become more of a danger to himself, Morgan said. My husband works a day job, I work nights and weekends to make things meet, Morgan said. But, we advocate for our children because Jack is a very complex case and we need to make sure he is safe. The Princeton, New Jersey mother has tried for years to get him the best help possible, but the current treatment program he attends is no longer working. Recently, Jack was offered admittance into a highly-regarded program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. KKI, as its known, has an 80 percent success rate with treating cases similar to Jacks, Morgan said. "If Jack got into KKI, it would be the first day of his life," Morgan said, fighting back tears. "[After treatment] he would come back to me, he would live here, in my home, and maybe we could go to the beach or the park or the store Thats our plan." Jack couldve started the program already, but hasnt because the family cant pay the $465,000 bill for the standard four to six months of treatment. Morgan said her insurance only covers a fraction of the cost. Loved ones surrounding the family are now asking strangers for help as time is running out to get Jack into KKI. A friend created a GoFundMe page to raise the cash for Jacks treatment. More than $39,000 has been raised in just three days, but thats very far from the goal. Morgan said shes already overwhelmed by the number of people interested in helping her and her son. "Even just that people that I dont know, would even care about me, it blows my mind There are no words to describe it, Morgan said. Jackson last guaranteed chance to join KKIs program was last Thursday. Morgan said a call could come at any moment letting them know the space has been filled. The family is hoping they can raise the money in time. No money has been collected from the GoFundMe yet, and wont be unless the goal is reached. To contribute, go to Jacksons GoFundMe page. A 9-year-old Pennsylvania girl visiting Virginia Beach suffered a monkey bite Wednesday night, authorities say. Police in Virginia Beach said the child was in a tourist area about a block from the beach about 10:30 p.m. when she came into contact with the monkey, apparently someone's pet, and its owner. The monkey bit the girl, and the animal and its owner took off, police said. "The owner and the monkey fled the area immediately following the exposure," police said in a statement posted to their Facebook page. A Virginia Beach police spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday that the girl who suffered the bite is from Pennsylvania. The spokeswoman said she did not know where in Pennsylvania the girl lives. Police said an animal control officer responded to the scene. They're still looking for the biting monkey and its owner, and are offering a reward up to $1,000 reward for information leading to them. The incident remained under investigation Thursday. Local Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. A day after completing its $40.5 billion purchase of Allergans generic pharmaceuticals business, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Anda Inc., a subsidiary of Allergan, for $500 million. Anda is the fourth largest distributor of generic pharmaceuticals in the U.S. The Weston, Florida, company distributes generic, brand, specialty and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products from more than 300 manufacturers to retail independent and chain pharmacies, nursing homes, mail order pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and physician offices. As part of the deal, Teva will acquire distribution centers in Weston; Olive Branch, Mississippi; and Groveport, Ohio; which combined have a total of more than 650 employees. To read the full article, click here. For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal. Two days after he walked free from a northeastern Pennsylvania prison on bail, Monsignor William Lynn, accused of shielding pedophile priests, learned when he'll face a new trial. Lynn served nearly three years in prison before a judge granted him bail earlier this week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed a lower court's decision to overturn his conviction, granting him a new trial. At a hearing Thursday morning, a Philadelphia judge set Lynn's new trial for May 2017. In the wake of Lynn's release, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams vowed to re-try the former Archdiocese of Philadelphia official, contending that he endangered thousands of children throughout the city's Catholic parishes when he knowingly transferred child-molesting priests to cover up abuse. Lynn's now-overturned conviction is historical, because he is the first Roman Catholic Church official in the United States ever to be charged with shielding pedophile priests. If he's convicted again, Lynn can only be sentenced to two months maximum in jail, his attorney, Tom Bergstrom, said. The state parole board had already granted him parole effective this October, when he would have completed a full three years of his three- to six-year sentence. Health officials say two babies have been born with Zika-related defects in California. The California Department of Public Health said Thursday the infants were born to infected mothers who spent time in countries where the virus is circulating. Authorities said one of the mothers returned to her home country with the baby. The other remains in California. Nineteen other pregnant women in California infected with Zika are being monitored. Nationwide, 13 babies have been born with Zika-related birth defects, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has advised pregnant women not to travel to Zika-affected parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami. Florida is the only U.S. state so far that has reported homegrown Zika transmission by mosquitoes. One in three offenders in San Diego County jails were sent there because of AB 109, a public safety realignment law that went into effect in 2011, according to a new study by the SANDAG Criminal Justice Research Decision. Due to AB 109, counties were given the responsibility for housing, supervising and rehabilitating certain offenders. AB 109 also reduced state prison populations by sentencing non-violent or non-sexual offenders to county jail instead of state prison. But Susan Fisher, Former Chairwoman of California State Parole Board says that is not the best option for all offenders. The fact that their last crime before they were put into jail happened to be a non-serious, non-violent offense, doesnt change who they are, she said. According to the SANDAG study, San Diego Countys jail populations are mostly male, slightly older, and include more minorities. There are also a higher percentage of offenders who require more protective custody. The study also found that there are 30 fewer bookings per day. This could be attributed to Proposition 67, which changed certain types of property and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. But Dr. Cynthia Burke, Director of Criminal Justice Research at SANDAG says AB 109s impact on the local detention centers did more than just effect numbers. Even though there [are] fewer bookings, people are staying longer, they're requiring more services, Dr. Burke said. There's a greater risk for deputies who are supervising or probation officers in the community because [the offenders] are more criminally sophisticated and have a higher risk of recidivating. One in five individuals in San Diego County jails were offenders who would have been sent to state prison prior to AB 109. We wanted to emphasize how the systems have changed even if the numbers are fewer. Even though crime is at historic lows, we do have a greater offender population with high level needs here, Dr. Burke told NBC 7. She says at any given time, there are about 5,000 offenders booked into San Diego County jails and 11,000 people on probation. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is urging all gay and bisexual men and any HIV-infected individuals to get vaccinated against meningococcal disease as an ongoing Southern California outbreak continues to spread. There have been 22 confirmed cases since March in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, according to the CDPH. Two people have died from the disease. Officials say most of the reported cases have been in gay or bisexual men. There are no reported cases in San Diego County, but health officials are advising residents to get vaccinated as a preventative measure. Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection that can cause meningitis and bloodstream infections (sepsis) and can be fatal. The disease can be transmitted through close personal contact with an infected individual by respiratory droplets from the nose and throat. Symptoms of the disease include fever, severe headaches, vomiting, rash, stiff neck and muscle pain. Anyone experiencing these symptoms is asked to seek medical care. Vaccination is the best protection against meningococcal disease, said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith in a statement. It is important that all gay and bisexual men and people living with HIV in the affected counties take action to protect themselves to reduce their risk. According to the CDPH, any individuals who regularly frequent crowded venues such as bars or parties, use illegal drugs, smoke cigarettes, marijuana, hookahs or spend time in areas where smoke is present, may be at an increased risk of getting infected. The CDPH recommends that all gay and bisexual men as well as people living with HIV should receive the Men ACWY vaccine. HIV-infected individuals should receive two doses of the vaccine. The San Diego Chargers just gave you another reason to attend Fanfest 2016. The Bolts are hosting a Pokemon GO meet-up during FanFest on Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium, the team announced Wednesday. In addition to hosting an autograph signing session with former Charger greats, Qualcomms lower concourse will be open to Pokemon trainers looking for their next rare catch. Participants in the Pokemon GO meet-up will be eligible for prizes including preseason tickets and autographed Chargers merchandise. After intercepting a Pokemon of your own, screenshot your capture and upload it to Twitter or Instagram, add the hashtag #ChargersPokemon and tag @Chargers. Screenshots must include a recognizable element from FanFest. Winners will be selected at random and announced Monday on Chargers.com. The Contest runs all day Saturday, August 6. The parking lot opens to guests at 9 a.m. and the stadium gates open at 9:30 a.m. The field and uppper levels of Qualcomm Stadium are closed to Pokemon GO players. For more information on the contest, click here. Anna Cox developed a sense of pride in the Navy. She served on USS Roosevelt during the longest deployment since World War II, right after September 11th. Despite some challenges, she said loved being in the Navy. The whole experience, everything about it, she said when describing her experiences. She spent nearly five years in the Navy before making the tough decision to leave to take care of her children. In November 2015, the Navy veteran says her right hand began to give her trouble. I was having issues holding things." she said. "All of a sudden, I might be gripping something and something (would) just fall. Cox said she struggled to do basic things like work in the kitchen, or hold a pencil. Several months later, in January 2016, she went to the VA Medical Center San Diego's emergency room and spoke to an ER doctor about her condition. I was telling him how it sometimes kind of goes to sleep, the color changes, it gets colder than the other one," she said. The doctor did some testing and pushed to get her an MRI quickly. They diagnosed me with a tumor, she said, adding that it was scary. The tumor sat on top of an artery, where there was a valve. You hear the word tumor and you think cancer, you think, 'Oh my gosh, what's wrong? What's going to happen now? Am I going to lose my hand?' she said. Her doctors at the VA approved Cox for the New Choice Program, a program that allows veterans to go to outside providers to avoid long wait times. At the time, Cox was told she would have to wait nine months for surgery. But as soon as she began to try to set up an appointment, the problems began. She called and said she never heard back from the Choice Program. When she did finally make contact, there was always something wrong, she said: the wrong address, the wrong phone number. They said her voicemail was full. I mean, every time, I've called them back, she told NBC 7 San Diego. Cox said she was tired of running around as her pain grew. I'm hurting by this time, the burning sensation is ridiculousit's getting almost intolerable, she recalled. The mother of four decided to put her Navy pride aside and began looking into Medi-Cal, Californias healthcare program for low income residents. Next thing I know, everything started to happen really quick, she said. In less than eight weeks, she was signed up and had surgery on her arm. The surgery was performed by one of the same surgeons who works with the VA. Cox said she could not be more pleased with the results. If I would've went to the VA itself, it would've taken almost 10 months, or actually went through Choice...I still haven't heard back from them, she said. After surgery, she learned the tumor was benign and she did not have cancer. Now, Cox says, she can do all the things she loves to do. I was ecstatic," she said. "I was like, wow, that was seriously like having a new hand. But after her months-long experience with the VA system, she has some advice for fellow veterans who may be experiencing some of the same problems. She says if other veterans experiencing long wait times qualify for Medi-Cal, they should put their health first and sign up - and be proud that they did. The San Diego Board of Education unanimously voted to select Edward Velasquez as the interim county superintendent of San Diego Schools on Wednesday night. Velasquez is the current interim superintendent at Poway Unified School District where he started two days ago. He will replace Dr. Randy Ward who is on paid administrative leave. According to the board, Velasquez's ability to relate to vulnerable and disenfranchised students was one of reasons he was selected from a group of 12 applicants. Im one of those students, Velasquez said. "A teen parent. Grew up in Boyle Heights, a suburb of LA. It was gang infested--drugs. I had to deal with those issues." Velasquez say he thanks the people who cared because he was able to follow the right path and become superintendent of Montebello and Lynwood School districts near Los Angeles. He has also served as interim superintendent in three San Diego County school districts including Alpine Union and San Ysidro. Velasquez holds a master's in education from Azusa Pacific University and a bachelor's degree in fine arts. "Mr. Velasquez has experience with the kind of students we educate here at the County Office of Education and a great personal background," said Board President Dr. Gregg Robinson in a statement. Dr. Randy Ward, the current county superintendent of the San Diego schools was put on paid leave back in July pending a forensic audit. Ward allegedly has budget oversight over all 42 school districts in the county. A lawsuit filed against Ward and the Chief Financial Officer of the district allege they gave themselves unauthorized raises. As superintendent of Lynwood Schools, Velasquez says he had put his district on strong financial footing after finding financial wrong-doing. He was also praised Wednesday night by the board for stabilizing finances last year as interim super at San Ysidro Schools. Velasquez's hiring is contingent on an agreement to be approved at the board's next meeting August 10. The other three candidates were current assistant superintendent Debbie Beldock, retired Oceanside Superintendent Larry Perondi and retired Carlsbad Superintendent John Roach. One candidate dropped out before interviewing. Retired San Diego Police Officer Jesse Navarro lost not one, but three fellow police officers he considered close friends, even family. In 1978, his partner Archie Buggs was gunned down execution style. A year later, his trainee was killed, and after that a DUI driver killed a close friend he had convinced to join the Department. The survivors guilt, he said, was at times unbearable. I told myself we were always together protecting each other. I shouldve been able to do something, get there sooner, Navarro said Thursday in an interview at his partners grave at Greenwood Cemetery. When Navarro learned last week that two San Diego officers had been shot and one died, the memories from nearly 40 years ago flooded in. I actually pulled over and stopped and started listening to the news, he recalled. Navarro said he remembered the years of guilt he felt and the more than 30 decades it took for him to verbalize his experience. He imagines Officer Irwin is feeling similar emotions. Could I have gotten there closer? 30 minutes before even? 20 couldve made everything different, he described. Navarro urges Officer Irwin and all other officers impacted to lean on family and remind themselves: It wasnt their fault. There was not much you could do. There wasnt much you could change, he emphasized. [The community] should do whatever possible to sincerely tell him, You didnt do anything wrong. Navarro admits he still struggles, and when a police officer dies, he still cries. Thats when he finds himself at Greenwood Cemetery in Bonita where his former partner is buried. As our interview concluded, he left a flag near the grave for the fallen all of them. He says it is important we make sure none of them are forgotten. Two San Diego companies, Deaf Mans BBQ and FITzee Foods, have won the San Diego Pitch Room competition put on by a Samuel Adams program for small businesses. As part of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program, the Pitch Room is a national competition that helps small business owners improve their sales pitch. This was the second Pitch Room competition in San Diego, and the second of four regional events this year. Deaf Mans BBQ makes premium sauces, and FITzee Foods has a food prep service for healthy meals made from scratch with fresh ingredients. Both will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Boston to compete in the national finals in December. The national winner receives a $10,000 grant and a years worth of mentoring from Sam Adams executives, including Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams. The San Diego Pitch Room winner from last years competition was Stenzelberry, which makes sweet fire jelly in interesting and complex flavors, according to a Sam Adams news release. Additional stories from the San Diego Business Journal are available here. Sign up for their free daily email newsletter. A 51-year-old San Diego woman has contracted West Nile Virus, the first case reported in 2016, county health officials said. The El Cajon resident donated blood on July 27, which was when authorities found evidence of the active infection. This week, she developed a fever and headache and was diagnosed with West Nile fever. No other residents have been confirmed infected with the virus. The County has counted 185 dead birds infected and 77 batches of infected mosquitoes infected with the virus, more than they have in recent years at this time. The numbers of dead birds and positive mosquito batches positive for West Nile virus has increased from what was found last year, so its important for the public to know the facts about how to prevent mosquito breeding and protect against mosquito bites, said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer, in a statement. Last year was the deadliest year yet for the virus in San Diego: six people died as a result of contracting the virus and 44 human cases were reported. County officials urge people to prevent mosquito breeding by dumping still water outside the house. Mosquito fish, which are available for free from the Environmental Health Vector Control Program, can be used in backyard water sources to control mosquito breeding. They also remind people to stay inside when mosquitoes are most active from dusk until dawn and to wear long sleeves and pants or use repellent. Residents should report dead birds or green swimming pools to the Environmental Health Vector Control Program. In an act of protest, a woman scaled a very tall Torrey Pine Thursday in San Diegos Ocean Beach neighborhood a tree set to be torn down, much to the outrage of local residents. The woman, Ocean Beach resident Crystal Rose Speros, began her sit-in at the tree around 11 a.m., making her way into a groove in the middle of the Torrey Pine in the 4600 block of Saratoga Avenue. "It seemed like the only option. Its a defenseless tree and it needs protection," Speros told NBC 7. "It's older than I am so it's part of this community. It's an old soul that can't defend itself, so it's an endangered tree." According to Ocean Beach residents, the tree was going to be chopped down Thursday. About a half-dozen residents on the ground joined Speros in protest, claiming the city was not transparent in its plans for the doomed tree. The City of San Diego said the Torrey Pine is a danger to the area. However, residents said they have not heard specific details of why it is dangerous and why, exactly, it needs to be torn down. A crew with Atlas Tree Trimming Service, the company hired to cut the tree, arrived at Saratoga Avenue Thursday to start the process. However, the crew was unable to start trimming due to the woman in the tree. Speros said she didn't plan to scale the tree, but felt it was her only choice. "I didn't plan this of course, but it felt necessary, so that's why I'm here," she added. NBC 7 reached out to the City of San Diego for details on the trimming and why the tree may be considered dangerous. According to John Ambert, Chair of the Ocean Beach Community Planning Board, the Torrey Pines that line that street are more than 95 years old. "These trees are basically an OB legacy," Ambert told NBC 7. "They've been around longer than I have, and most of the people standing around here. They're 95 years old, they're 75 feet tall, they're an endangered species. They basically represent the community's desire to be different than the rest of the county. Given the fact that there are only 2,000 left, I think there's reason to protect them." Ambert said the community has fought to protect those trees and maintain them in a safe way. The fact that the city is steam rolling through this process with zero transparency and insufficient public notice is shameful and unacceptable, he told NBC 7. Mark Leimbach/NBC 7 San Diego Ambert said the Citys reasoning behind tearing down the Torrey Pine was "the balance of the tree and signs of root upheaval indicate the risk of possible and potentially catastrophic failure." Still, he doesn't think this is reason enough to tear down the tree. "While I recognize the need for public safety and the rights of the property owners who have their plumbing or electrical lines affected, I still think that there has to be some kind of public discourse about how this process occurs, and some kind of transparency to demonstrate the need for its removal," he said Thursday. Ambert said he asked the City to see the arborist's report on the tree, or have a second arborist offer another opinion, but did not receive a response. The City told NBC 7 that four different arborists have looked at the Torrey Pine and determined the tree is hazardous. NBC 7 was able to obtain these reports. Bills Harris, Supervising Public Information Officer for the City of San Diego told NBC 7 that the City is working with the contractor to schedule another day to remove the tree. Harris says community members are welcome to attend a meeting of the Community Forest Advisory Board to learn more about tree maintenance. "I don't see the thing keeling over or cracking, I don't see any imminent danger here so if they were to demonstrate there were some imminent danger here, or if they were to issue a report that kind of talked about that, we would be more open to understanding the need for removal but without that, it seems very rash," Ambert added. According to this Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve website, Torrey Pine trees are the rarest native pines in the United States, and were first seen in San Diegos Sorrento Valley area as early as 1769. In 1850, the tree was official discovered and named the Torrey Pine by Dr. Charles Christopher Parry a doctor with an interest in botany when he was in San Diego as a botanist for the U.S.-Mexico Boundary Survey. Parry named the tree after his mentor, Dr. John Torrey, of New York, one of the leading botanists of his time. A lame-duck D.C. Council member who recently took a job as president of the city's Chamber of Commerce is asking that he no longer lead the committee that regulates businesses. Democratic Council member Vincent Orange has angered some of his colleagues by taking the job. They've called it a clear conflict of interest for Orange to serve as the business community's chief advocate while voting on legislation that affects his employer. On Wednesday, Orange asked Council Chairman Phil Mendelson to absorb the responsibility of the council's business committee into the Committee of the Whole, which Mendelson chairs. Orange said in a statement that he was making the request in part "to avoid the appearance of impropriety.'' Orange lost his re-election bid for his at-large seat in the June Democratic primary. A Loudoun County woman has been found guilty of animal cruelty after she sacrificed roosters as a Santeria religious practice. Mercy Carrion, a Santeria priestess, said in court Wednesday that the charges against her violated her First Amendment right to freedom of religion, multiple media outlets report. Carrion was arrested May 5 after a confidential informant working with Animal Control officers witnessed her slaughtering the chickens in her Sterling, Virginia, home. The informant told authorities that Carrion would carry out the sacrifices on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week. In some instances - while the chickens were still alive, Carrion would bury the chickens in the back yard, or burn them. Animal Control officers reported seeing blood spatter on the walls of Carrion's living room. Prosecutor Alexandra Hazel argued that Carrion could sacrifice the birds, but said she broke the law by failing to care for them beforehand and then slaughtering them in an inhumane way. Loudoun County animal control officers testified that they found no evidence of food for the roosters in Carrion's home during an April search. They also said Carrion had told them the roosters died over three to five minutes. A judge ultimately convicted Carrion of three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. One rooster in Carrion's home was found alive, but it was thin and sick. The rooster was taken to the Loudoun County Animal Shelter and now has a family that is ready to adopt it, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reports. According to the BBC, Santeria is an "Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions." The mother of the 27-year-old Democratic National Committee staffer shot and killed in his D.C. neighborhood last month is asking the public for help solving her son's murder. Mary Rich, the mother of Seth Conrad Rich, spoke Thursday afternoon on the block in the Bloomingdale neighborhood where her son was killed July 10. She and D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier asked anyone with information on the unsolved killing to come forward. Rich was shot multiple times on the 2100 block of Flagler Place NW. It is possible he was killed in an attempted robbery, Lanier said. The case remains under investigation. Rich, a Nebraska native, was a rising star in the DNC, colleagues said. Mary Rich said she took comfort in knowing her son tried to make the world better. "The only thing I can say as a mother is it warms my heart that he lived such a great life, even though it was cut short," she said. "I can always hold on to that." Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call police at 202-727-9099 or send a text message to 50411. A reward of as much as $25,000 is offered. Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story. Tokyo, Japan - August 4 2016 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) and Netcracker Technology today announced that they have provided a virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) solution via NEC Taiwan Ltd. to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a non-profit research institute working under the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan. The NEC/Netcracker vEPC solution has a proven global track record of virtualizing network functions, such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME) that accommodates LTE handset authentication and handover controls, and the Serving Gateway (S-GW)/PDN Gateway (P-GW) for audio and packet processing, and enables them to run on a general-purpose IA server. The vEPC was adopted by ITRI for an experimental network established for the Small Cell LTE Plugfest compatibility testing event. Ten Taiwanese small cell LTE base station manufacturers participated in this event, seeking to verify functions for their base stations, enhance the competiveness of their systems and explore new business opportunities. NEC and Netcracker will continue to support ITRI's compatibility testing in order to further promote the expansion of the Taiwanese LTE telecom market. "We are very pleased to have recently hosted a successful Plugfest compatibility testing event, utilizing the world's first commercially available vEPC solution from NEC and Netcracker," said Dr. Sheng-Ching Cheng, Deputy General Director of the Information and Communications Research Laboratories of ITRI. "We will remain focused on undertaking R&D activities in cooperation with NEC, primarily with respect to Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and the Internet of Things (IoT), aiming to develop new business opportunities and increase the competitiveness of the telecommunications equipment industry in Taiwan." "We are thrilled to have helped ITRI successfully leverage the virtual LTE core networks for the Plugfest event in which ITRI validated the wide-ranging capabilities for virtualized infrastructure," said Atsuo Kawamura, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. "NEC and Netcracker will continue to provide software-defined and virtualized solutions, including vEPC, to service providers in Taiwan and around the world in order to enable the delivery of better services more efficiently." "Netcracker is pleased to be part of this important technology validation of virtualized network functions for Taiwan's mobile service providers," said Loh John Wu, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Netcracker. "We look forward to helping more service providers here provide value today, while building advanced, new networks and business capabilities for the future." About NEC Corporation NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/vision/message.html NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. NEC Corporation. About Netcracker Technology Netcracker Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, is a forward-looking software company, offering mission-critical solutions to service providers around the globe. Our comprehensive portfolio of software solutions and professional services enables large-scale digital transformations, unlocking the opportunities of the cloud, virtualization and the changing mobile ecosystem. With an unbroken service delivery track record of more than 20 years, our unique combination of technology, people and expertise helps companies transform their networks and enable better experiences for their customers. For more information, visit www.netcracker.com. Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine hit his Republican counterpart on Wednesday, tying him to a piece of North Carolina legislation that tried to regulate which bathrooms transgender people could use, NBC News reported. North Carolina's law caused backlash, including a boycott of the state by people, businesses and events. Pence faced similar backlash last year after signing a "religious freedom" bill, which many critics said would legalize discrimination against the LGBT community. "The vice presidential nominee on the Republican side Mike Pence did something like the North Carolina bill," Kaine said. "Found that immediately, discriminating against LGBT people immediately companies started to pull out. You're seeing those announcements in North Carolina too, whether it's the all-star game or PayPal. Same thing happened in Indiana and he had to kind of do a U-turn." It was the first time Kaine publicly took on Pence since he was chosen by Hillary Clinton as her running mate. Family and friends said their final goodbyes Thursday to a 7-year-old boy who wandered away from a Boston summer program and drowned at a nearby beach. Kyzr Willis wandered away from the Curley Community Center last week. Community members took part in a massive search that was launched, and hours later, Willis' body was found in the waters off Carson Beach. During Thursday's service, the Mornign Star Baptist Church in Mattapan was filled with both grief for the boy's loss and praise for the changes the city has made to all its drop-in programs. Willis' disappearance from the community center prompted a major overhaul on policy there. The changes include head counts throughout the day and more staff members to oversee the children. Additionally, 34 security cameras have been installed. During his wake Wednesday, family members wore colors associated with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Willis' favorite cartoon. While they are glad changes have been made, the boy's family is calling for a more detailed investigation needs to be done. "I'm so angry about my grandbaby," said his grandfather, Ralph Jackson. "There's no replacing him. He was an angel, he really was." Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has introduced a new food grading system that may soon affect every restaurant in the city of Boston. All Boston restaurants and food trucks will be handed a letter grade of A, B or C if the mayors proposal goes through. Boston is packed full of nearly 3,200 restaurants and food trucks. Under the proposal, each one will be required to post its city-issued letter grade. It will fall on 18 inspectors to investigate all of the city's restaurants and food trucks. Similar food safety ratings are already in place in New York, Los Angeles, and most recently in Newton, Massachusetts. The ordinance calls for the letter grade to be posted immediately after receipt, unobstructed, at eye-level, facing outward on an exterior-facing wall or window within five feet of the main restaurant If the restaurant doesn't post its rating immediately, it will be fined $300 per day. necn Investigates looked at the top violations for 2016 so far this year. --> CHECK BOSTON RESTAURANT INSPECTION RECORDS <-- Just this year, of the thousands of violations we found, nearly 2,000 had to do with food protection. Nearly 800 times, inspectors found insects, rodents and animals. And there were thousands of violations for not storing food at the proper temperatures. Here are just a few examples of some of the violations: Violation type # of violations Insects, rodents, animals 775 Cross contamination 367 Inadequate cooling methods 351 Food utensil storage 350 Clean cloths/hair restraint 328 Clean equipment and utensil storage 281 Adequate handwashing 214 Spoilage/unsafe food 98 Good hygienic practices 92 Soiled linen storage 80 The violations are especially concerning when you consider the Centers for Disease Control estimates one in six Americans get sick from food. Here's a quick breakdown of the grading system, from the mayor's office: In accordance to the Federal Food Code, points will be based on the following three categories of violations: foodborne critical, non-foodborne critical and non-critical. The ordinance will allow each category of violations to be assigned numerical points, which are deducted from a point score of 100 during the inspection to include the following: Foodborne critical violations = 10 points Non-foodborne critical violations = 7 points Non-critical violations = 2 points Inspections will issue the establishment's letter grade to correspond to the score as follows: 94-100 = A 81-93 = B Less than 81 = C Restaurants and food trucks with a low grade, below an A, will have 30 days to clean it up and be re-inspected. If approved, the A, B, C letter grades will go online in the next month. Actual posting of the grades in restaurant windows will start a year later. Police in Dover, New Hampshire, have arrested a mother and father accused of failing to properly supervise their two young children and allowing them to live in filth. Michael Page, 32, and Sarah Hutchins, 32, are both charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Police responded to their apartment on Addison Place on July 20 after a state Division of Children, Youth, and Families report that a 2-year-old child was wandering the apartment complex with no supervision. It was learned Page was responsible for watching the children that day. Police also found that the apartment was in disrepair and a state of filth, so the children - ages 2 and 4 - were taken into protective custody. Arrest warrants were obtained for Page and Hutchins. Page was arrested on July 28 at the Strafford House of Corrections, where he was being held on other charges. Hutchins turned herself in on Aug. 3. Both were released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail and are scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 14. It was not immediately clear if they have attorneys. The trial for a suspended Vermont state senator charged with sexual assault has been delayed. Republican Sen. Norman McAllister also faces three counts of prohibited acts stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted two women at his dairy farm. Both were his tenants and employees. The Associated Press generally doesn't identify people who say they were sexually assaulted. The accusations were split into two separate trials. McAllister's second trial was scheduled to begin next week. The Burlington Free Press reports prosecutors requested the delay due to a family emergency. The defense says lawyers hope to reschedule that trial in December. Prosecutors dismissed two sexual assault counts during McAllister's first trial in June after the complaining witness' story failed to hold up under cross examination. McAllister has maintained his innocence. A 19-year-old student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell lost her left leg in a serious accident Saturday on Martha's Vineyard. According to the Eagle Tribune, Noelle Lambert, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, and her roommate were riding down Barnes Road in Oak Bluff, when her moped slipped on the shoulder of the road. She tried to get back on her path, but went far away, lost control and hit a passing a dump truck. Lambert was airlifted to the Boston Medical Center and underwent two surgeries. She is expected to be moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown. It is unclear how long she will have to spend in the rehabilitation facility. Lambert was playing lacrosse for the University of Massachusetts Lowell. GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has been aiming his fire at fellow Republican Kelly Ayotte, accusing the U.S. senator from New Hampshire of being weak and disloyal. Matt O'Hara of Hooksett can't understand why Ayotte would continue to support Trump after he said Tuesday that he would not endorse her. "I certainly hope she would end any and all support of Trump," O'Hara said. O'Hara is not a Trump fan, and he thinks it's just a matter of time before more Republicans come around. "Once enough of them have fallen off at their support for him and perhaps retracted endorsements, it will then become a critical mass and they will all move away," O'Hara said. But Francisco Rodriguez of Nashua has a very different opinion. "Of course she should stick with Donald Trump," he said. Rodriguez says Ayotte represents the old political system, which he feels is killing the country. Even though he called her weak, he says she should stand by him. "She should show that she is loyal. She should show she's not weak. By sticking to her party and supporting the nominee." Rodriguez says it's the hypocrisy of the establishment who pledged to support each other just to keep their jobs. April Rescigno of Goffstown has yet a different perspective on Ayotte. "I think she's supporting Republicans. I don't think she supporting the man. And that's why she's backed off," she said. Asked if she thinks Ayotte should pull her support completely, Rescigno said, "I think if you pull completely back, she's going to lose too many people who are on his side. So there's a funny balance that she needs to keep." The Ayotte campaign says the senator has nothing more to say on the issue at this time. In 2011, Hewlett-Packard ranked seventh in federal contracting. Barack Obama, a Democrat, was president. In 2012, HP CEO Meg Whitman publicly backed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for president, and even served as a California "statewide honorary chairman" for him. Did Whitman's backing of Romney help or hurt HP? Will her particularly brutal condemnation Tuesday of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump hurt the firm, should he win the election? If Whitman's support for Romney caused any corporate damage it is not apparent in its federal contracting. In 2011, HP's total federal contracting was pegged at $3.83 billion by Washington Technology in its annual ranking of federal contractors, putting it in seventh place. In 2015, HP was sixth among all federal contractors, with $3.86 billion in contracts, a slight uptick from 2011, according to the publication's latest list. (Hewlett-Packard late last year since split into companies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), which Whitman runs, and HP Inc.) On Tuesday, Whitman published a Facebook post announcing her support of Hillary Clinton, the Democrat's presidential candidate. "To vote Republican out of party loyalty alone would be to endorse a candidacy that I believe has exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division. Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character," wrote Whitman on Facebook. "Trump's reckless and uninformed positions on critical issues - from immigration to our economy to foreign policy - have made it abundantly clear that he lacks both the policy depth and sound judgment required as President." Corporate leaders are often engaged in politics, usually through campaign donations and on specific issues affecting their companies. But Whitman is a little different from most CEOs. She was hired as HP's CEO in 2011 after her unsuccessful run in 2009 as the Republican nominee for governor of California. HP was hiring someone with political ambitions. Simon Business School Professor David Primo said CEOs do have to consider the potential effects of their political involvement. But, "in Whitman's case, I'd argue that this is largely a non-issue, since she is a previous candidate for public office whose political views are well-known," he said. "While I don't think Whitman's endorsement will affect HP one way or the other, it is a major coup for Clinton to get this endorsement," said Primo. The Simon School of Business is based at the University of Rochester. Does Whitman's endorsement matter? Any evidence showing it is consequential is "more muted -- just as labor endorsements by union leaders do not always translate into support for the position taken or the candidate endorsed," said David Caputo, a professor of Political Science at Pace University and president emeritus. The Clinton campaign is attempting to attract Republican and independent voters to its candidate and the endorsement of Clinton by business leaders "known to be strongly affiliated with the Republican Party should be seen as part of their strategy to win Republican and Independent support," said Caputo. "One endorsement will not make a significant difference, but a large number might reinforce the Clinton campaign's assertion that Donald Trump is not qualified to serve as as president," said Caputo. While it's not clear what Whitman's endorsement of Clinton might cost the firm if Trump wins the election in November, one thing is clear: Trump has proven time and again in this race that he doesn't take criticism lightly. This story, "HPE's Whitman endorses Clinton; will Trump retaliate if he wins?" was originally published by Computerworld . What if one blood test could screen for more than 50 types of cancer? An A-Mazing Place Just a little over a week remains to visit Escobar Farms vast, intricate corn maze, open to the public through Nov. 6. The traditional, family-owned dairy farm, located in the... Proposal Unveiled for Buildings at Eastons Beach Eastons Beach may soon look very different. A preliminary proposal to overhaul the beach and its facilities, including the carousel, snack bar and rotunda buildings, was unveiled at a public... McKee, Kalus State Positions in Newport In a pair of meet-and-greet sessions at Innovate Newport sponsored by the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce, Gov. Dan McKee and challenger Ashley Kalus spoke on workforce housing, job creation... Newport Council Considers New Property Tax Rates The Newport City Council held a workshop on Oct. 25 that carried over to Oct. 26 in which it considered adopting new property tax classifications. (The discussion on Oct. 26... Richard Maher (Chatham House The Royal Institute of International Affairs) For the last couple of decades, the emerging strategic partnership between China and the European Union has often been a major topic of discussion. Former EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana considers China as a natural partner of the Union. Also other European leaders promote common interests in areas such as regional security, non-proliferation or the fight against global poverty. One of the motivations behind the Unions interest in a closer cooperation with this country is the belief that a closer involvement could lead to political and social changes in China, which could in turn steer it towards a greater democratization. Despite the above-mentioned common points within the Sino-EU relationship, there are many incongruities. Divergent points of view between both actors concerning the global order or their geopolitical interests are both evident. The question of fundamental political values is controversial as well because China does not approve of a democratic system, independent and free media or human rights, which all belong to the main pillars of the Unions values. China thus remains one of the biggest dilemmas of the EU foreign policy. On one hand, it is an interesting economic opportunity, yet on the other hand, China has an authoritarian regime that suppresses human rights. The period of the closest China-EU partnership was between 2003 and 2009, during the presidency of G. W. Bush. At this time, Chinas and EUs views converged thanks to their shared attitudes toward Bushs foreign policy. In particular, the representatives of China and the EU were concerned about the way the United States was using its power and influence around the world. After Obama assumed the presidency, the dynamics of the US foreign policy changed dramatically. Obamas conception of the US foreign policy is no longer a common source of concern for the EU and China and thus the issue ceases to be a common theme. In recent years, the Sino-EU relations have been defined both by discontent arising from different approaches to issues such as the preferred political system or the existence and respect for human rights as well as the flourishing cooperation, for example in the economic sector. The question remains whether the negative aspects of the partnership will prevail or if the positive ones will win. How this question is answered by the Union and China will be crucial because this will be shaping their partnership over the next few years. (The study can be downloaded here:https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/publications/ia/INTA92_4_Maher.pdf) Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Reporter Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee). Ghia Nodia, Jan Pieklo and Jeff Lovitt (The Policy Association for an Open Society) The countries of the Eastern bloc have had to face the influence of the big player in their neighborhood the Russian Federation since the beginning of their independence. With the gradual expansion of the Western international structures, a considerable part of the former Eastern bloc has successfully managed to join the EU and NATO. This integration is also gradually beginning to affect some countries of the former Soviet Union Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and the countries in Caucasus like Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, in the last few years, the relations between Russia and the Western structures have been rather tense because of Russias belligerent foreign policy. Examples include the incidents in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the annexation of Crimea and the support for separatists in Eastern Ukraine. As a result of the current direction of Russian geopolitics, some of Russias neighboring states begin to fear that their territorial integrity might be threatened and they seek support precisely in the contact and cooperation with NATO and the EU. Given the tense relations, they often act cautiously because they do not want to spoil the relations with their giant neighbor. Western organizations also profess caution. The concerned states would often want to join Western organizations but they mostly do not meet the set admission criteria, which means that the cooperation with the West can only take place in various forms of support. Russias influence on the neighboring countries is particularly problematic in the area of the dissemination of anti-Western propaganda in the concerned territories. For countries in Russias neighborhood, the ability to confront the concept of hybrid warfare used for example in Eastern Ukraine poses a problem. Although these are not entirely new methods of warfare, coupled with the development of modern technologies, these activities are one of the major challenges of the 21st century faced by NATO and the EU. Propaganda and military solutions of the aforementioned nature do not only threaten countries of the former Soviet Union, but also countries of the former Eastern Bloc. The situation is, however, complicated by the situation in the EU. Some disputes that arise from the EU agenda have a negative impact on the relations among the participating states, and even within NATO. A case in point is the critical approach to the Visegrad Group (V4) countries, which some Western European states have voiced within NATO. This has its origins in their dissatisfaction with the way the V4 approached the refugee crisis, which is certainly part of the EU agenda. However, transferring disputes from one organization to another may pose a danger since disputes between states may reduce NATOs defense capabilities against external aggression. (The study can be downloaded here:http://eap-csf.eu/assets/Seacurity%20Alert%20on%20EU%20Border.pdf) Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit NOTICE: This Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is intended for persons living in Australia. Tablets and EN tablets Sulfasalazine Consumer Medicine Information What is in this leaflet "Salazopyrin" will be used in this leaflet to refer to the "plain" and "EN" tablets unless specified. This leaflet answers some common questions about Salazopyrin. It does not contain all the available information and does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist. All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking Salazopyrin against the benefits this medicine is expected to have for you. If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Keep this leaflet with your medicine. You may need to read it again. What Salazopyrin is used for What Salazopyrin does Salazopyrin is used to treat and manage ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease which are inflammatory bowel diseases. Salazopyrin EN tablets are also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, which is a painful joint disease. Salazopyrin EN tablets help prevent damage to your joints. It works to slowly reduce the swelling and stiffness in your joints. It is usually given when a group of medicines known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not working. How Salazopyrin works The active substance in Salazopyrin is sulfasalazine. It has a number of effects in the body. It is an immunosuppressive and an anti- inflammatory medicine. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason. Salazopyrin is available only with a doctor's prescription. There is no evidence that Salazopyrin is addictive. Before you take Salazopyrin When you must not take it Do not take Salazopyrin if you have an allergy to: sulfasalazine sulfur-containing medicines e.g. sulfonamides; some oral hypoglycaemics (diabetes medicine) e.g. glipizide; thiazide diuretics e.g. chlorothiazide salicylates e.g. aspirin any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet. Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include: shortness of breath wheezing or difficulty breathing swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body rash, itching or hives on the skin. If you are not sure if you have or have had an allergic reaction to Salazopyrin, check with your doctor. Do not take Salazopyrin if you are taking the following medicines: sulfur-containing medicines e.g. sulfonamides; some oral hypoglycaemics (diabetes medicine) e.g. glipizide; thiazide diuretics e.g. chlorothiazide salicylates e.g. aspirin. Do not take Salazopyrin if you have the following medical conditions: kidney or liver problems any form of blood disorder any form of intestinal or urinary obstruction porphyria (rare disease of blood pigments). If you are not sure about any of the above, ask your doctor. Do not take Salazopyrin if: the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering or the tablets do not look quite right the expiry date (Exp.) on the carton has passed. If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work as well. Do not give Salazopyrin to children under two years of age. Do not take Salazopyrin to treat any other complaints unless your doctor says to. See your doctor for a check up before you start to take Salazopyrin. Before you start taking Salazopyrin Tell your doctor if you: are pregnant or trying to become pregnant are breast feeding or plan to breast-feed. Your doctor will discuss the possible risks and benefits of taking Salazopyrin during pregnancy and breast-feeding. are allergic to any other medicines or any other substances such as foods, preservatives or dyes have a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-P) deficiency. This is a rare blood disorder which means that your body cannot get rid of some medicines have bronchial asthma (wheezing or shortness of breath) have a history of recurring or chronic infections. If you have any of the above, tell your doctor before you start taking Salazopyrin. Your doctor will send you to have blood tests to help assess your liver and kidney function and the levels of various cells in your bloodstream before you start treatment with Salazopyrin. You may also have a urine test to monitor your kidney function. Your doctor will also send you to have the tests repeated at various times during your treatment with Salazopyrin. Taking other medicines Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines you buy without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. There may be interference between Salazopyrin and some other medicines including: oral medicines used to prevent blood clots e.g. warfarin methotrexate, a medicine used to treat arthritis and some cancers medicines to lower blood sugar or control diabetes mercaptopurine and azathioprine, medicines used to treat some cancers antacids, medicines that help to control heartburn or symptoms of indigestion digoxin, a medicine used to treat heart failure oxyphenbutazone, phenylbutazone, indomethacin and sulfinpyrazone which are medicines used to treat arthritis and gout salicylates, a medicine used to treat minor relief of pain e.g. aspirin oxacillin and penicillins, which are types of antibiotics certain local anaesthetics medicines used to make the urine more acidic iron tablets. These medicines may be affected by Salazopyrin or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicine or you may need to take different medicines. Your doctor or pharmacist has more information on medicines to be careful with or to avoid while taking Salazopyrin. How to take Salazopyrin Follow all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet. If you do not understand the instructions on the box, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help. How much to take Your doctor will tell you how many tablets you need to take each day. This may depend on your age, your condition and whether or not you are taking any other medicines. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Salazopyrin tablets are usually taken after meals at evenly spaced intervals over a 24 hour period. Adults: the usual initial dose is 2 to 4 tablets, four times a day. The usual maintenance dose is 4 tablets a day. Children: your doctor will determine the proper dose, taking into account the age and weight of the child. Rheumatoid Arthritis Adults: the usual dose is 2 Salazopyrin EN tablets, two to three times a day. It is usual to start taking Salazopyrin EN tablets at a lower dose and gradually increase. Your doctor will advise whether you should do this and how to do this. Salazopyrin EN is not recommended for treating rheumatoid arthritis in children. How to take it Salazopyrin should be swallowed whole after meals with a full glass of water. It is important to maintain adequate fluid intake while taking Salazopyrin. Do not crush, break or chew Salazopyrin EN tablets. How long to take it Continue taking Salazopyrin for as long as your doctor recommends. If you forget to take it If you forget to take your Salazopyrin, take your next dose at the normal time it is due. Do not try to make up for missed doses by taking more than one dose at a time because this may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect. If you have trouble remembering when to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints. If you take too much (overdose) Immediately telephone your doctor or Poisons Information Centre (in Australia, phone 13 11 26; in New Zealand, phone 0800 POISON or 0800 764 766) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency (Casualty) at your nearest hospital if you think you or anyone else may have taken too much Salazopyrin. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention. The symptoms of taking too many Salazopyrin tablets may include stomach discomfort and other effects listed under the heading "Side effects" in this leaflet. While taking Salazopyrin Things you must do Advise your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual symptoms. Drink plenty of fluids while on Salazopyrin. Tell your doctor immediately if you become pregnant while taking Salazopyrin. Tell all doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking Salazopyrin. If you are about to start taking any new medicines, tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking Salazopyrin. If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking this medicine. It may affect other medicines used during surgery. Tell your doctor that you are taking this medicine if you are about to have any blood or urine tests. It may interfere with the results of some tests. Make sure that you keep all doctor's appointments for check-ups and any tests that your doctor may order for you while you are taking Salazopyrin. Protect your skin when you are in the sun, especially between 10am and 3pm. Salazopyrin may cause your skin to be more sensitive to sunlight than it is normally. If outdoors, wear protective clothing and use a 15+ sunscreen. If your skin does appear to be burning, tell your doctor immediately. Exposure to sunlight may cause a skin rash, itching, redness or severe sunburn. Things you must not do Do not take Salazopyrin to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to. Do not stop taking Salazopyrin or change the dose without first checking with your doctor. Do not give Salazopyrin to anyone else even if they have the same condition as you. Things to be careful of Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Salazopyrin affects you. This medicine may cause dizziness or hallucinations in some people. If you have any of these symptoms, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous. Side Effects Check with your doctor as soon as possible if you have any concerns while taking Salazopyrin, even if you do not think the concerns are connected with the medicine or are not listed in this leaflet. All medicines can have side effects and Salazopyrin may have unwanted side effects in a few people. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects. Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have. Tell your doctor if... Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you: nausea and vomiting loss of appetite raised temperature sore throat enlarged glands diarrhoea stomach pains headache dizziness change in sense of smell or taste insomnia depression ringing in the ears hallucinations increased sensitivity to light cough If these effects do not go away or they are worrying to you, tell your doctor. Tell your doctor as soon as possible if... Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following: breathlessness chest pain palpitations redness and itchiness of the skin signs of serious skin infections such as rash or mucosal lesions convulsions allergic reactions swelling of the face dermatitis loss of hair signs of liver disease such as yellowing of skin and eyes and dark coloured urine severe pain in the loins or pain on urination The above list includes serious side effects that may require medical attention. Go to hospital if... If you get a sore throat, fever, pallor, rash and yellow skin tell your doctor immediately. This may mean that you have a serious blood disorder and need urgent medical care. Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people. These can only be found when your doctor does tests. These include blood cell changes, reversible low sperm count, swelling of the pancreas, swelling in the mouth, impaired folic acid absorption, peripheral neuropathy and neuritis (which cause tingling, burning or numbness in the hands or feet), changes in kidney function and lung complications. The above is not a complete list of all possible side effects. Some people may get other side-effects while taking Salazopyrin. It is very important to tell your doctor immediately if you notice any side-effects while taking Salazopyrin. It is also important to keep all doctor's appointments. After taking Salazopyrin Storage Keep your tablets where children cannot reach them. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines. Your Salazopyrin tablets should be stored in their original container in a cool, dry place where the temperature stays below 25C. If you take your tablets out of their bottle, they may not keep as well. Make sure the container is closed after use. Do not store Salazopyrin or any other medicine in a bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave them in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can destroy medicines. Disposal If your doctor tells you to stop taking Salazopyrin, or the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any tablets left over. Product Description What Salazopyrin looks like Salazopyrin tablets are yellow-orange, round and scored tablets, marked with '101' on one side and 'KPh' on the other side. They come in plastic bottles containing 100 tablets. Salazopyrin EN tablets are enteric coated 500mg tablets. They are yellow-orange, elliptical convex tablets, marked with '102' on one side and 'KPh' on the other side. Salazopyrin EN 500 mg tablets come in plastic bottles containing 100 tablets. Ingredients Salazopyrin tablets contain 500 mg sulfasalazine per tablet. It also contains colloidal anhydrous silica, magnesium stearate, maize starch. Salazopyrin EN tablets contain 500 mg sulfasalazine per tablet. It also contains colloidal anhydrous silica, magnesium stearate, maize starch, cellacefate, propylene glycol, white beeswax, carnauba wax, glyceryl monostearate, macrogol 20000, povidone and purified talc. Salazopyrin tablets do not contain lactose, sucrose, or tartrazine. Supplier Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd Sydney NSW Toll Free Number: 1800 675 229 www.pfizer.com.au Australian Registration Number 500 mg tablets: AUST R 14486 500 mg EN tablets: AUST R 14485. insights from industry Dr. James Lindsay Consultant Gastroenterologist, Barts Health NHS Trust Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited has launched IBD Unmasked as a first-of-its-kind global initiative designed to raise awareness of the unsung Super Heroes of the global IBD community. The company chose to work with the creative geniuses at Marvel Custom Solutions in this unique collaboration - tapping into the power of visual storytelling - to engage a range of audiences around the world in a relevant, innovative way that will help people living with IBD feel more confident in having conversations around the disease. IBD Unmasked highlights the physical and emotional challenges of IBD and features the IBD Super Hero, Samarium, and a graphic illustration series, while providing support and information to the patient community, including through new resources made available at @IBDunmasked. In addition to this first chapter of the graphic novel series, www.IBDunmasked.com also features interactive quizzes, facts, infographic, and an expert Q&A. More content will be unveiled in the coming weeks and months including more educational resources, new members of the IBD Unmasked team of Super Heroes, the next chapters in the graphic novel series, and the ability for users to create and share their own heroes. Background: (provided by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited) When is IBD typically diagnosed and how does it affect peoples lives? JOL: IBD (inflammatory Bowel Disease) refers to either Crohns disease or Ulcerative colitis, which are a common cause of chronic gut inflammation. Both conditions result in a burden of unpleasant symptoms and have a major impact on a patients quality of life. They can affect people of any age but diagnosis is most common in adolescence and early adulthood. Living with a chronic disease like IBD may be challenging, isolating, mentally and physically exhausting as well as being embarrassing to discuss. Because ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease (CD) can impact each individual differently, its especially important for people living with these conditions to have an ongoing and open conversation with their healthcare team about what theyre experiencing in order to find the treatment plan thats best for them. What are the physical and emotional challenges of IBD? JOL: More than five million people worldwide live with IBD and will experience a range of symptoms that vary from mild to life changing. The unpredictability of symptoms is often very troublesome. The condition can limit everyday activities like getting together with friends and family, study and work. They can have a major impact on social situations such as going out for a meal. In many cultures, there may also be a lack of public awareness and acceptance. Patients can oftentimes feel isolated, and simply discussing what they go through can be difficult. How do you hope the IBD Unmasked campaign will help people with IBD? JOL: IBD Unmasked aims to raise awareness and increase support for the global IBD community, and highlight the bravery, strength and determination that they display. The campaign highlights the physical and emotional challenges of IBD, while providing support and information through new resources made available at www.IBDunmasked.com and @IBDunmasked. The IBD Unmasked website provides useful hints and tips for the friends and relatives of people with IBD. Sometimes simply letting someone know that you are there to help in whatever way they need perhaps to talk through a challenge, to help out in other ways when they arent feeling well is the first step. While some people living with IBD are forthcoming about their disease, others may feel reluctant to speak up and ask for support. Do you think the initiative will help tackle stigma around the condition? JOL: I hope that it will help to address this by opening the conversation, getting people talking, and increasing better understanding of the disease. So yes, I think it will help tackle the stigma of disease. What support is available for people with IBD? JOL: Its important for patients to recognize that there are multiple treatment options available. Each individuals experience and disease course will be different and may require a different treatment approach. They should feel empowered to be an active participant in the decision-making process with their physicians or other HCPs to find a treatment plan that works best for them. What do you think the future holds for people with IBD? JOL: The goal of managing IBD is to treat active disease and then prevent it coming back, so allowing people to return to a normal life in every way. There is an ever-evolving landscape of new drugs that we can use to heal the gut, but also an increased understanding of the importance of focusing on symptoms that impact on peoples lives. Increasing awareness of the disease should allow earlier diagnosis, enhanced communication between patients and their health care team and also support from friends and family. That can only be a good thing! Where can readers find more information? Visit www.IBDunmasked.com to be inspired and to join forces today! About Dr James Lindsay Dr James Lindsay is Consultant Gastroenterologist at Barts Health NHS Trust and Reader in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Barts and the London School of Medicine. Along with a full multidisciplinary team he runs the adolescent and adult IBD service at The Royal London Hospital. He is the E-learning ambassador for the European Crohns and Colitis Organization (ECCO), and past chair of the ECCO education committee. He has chaired working groups for the ECCO consensus on the management of Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. He is the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) national societies representative to United European Gastroenterology (UEG). Dr Lindsay serves on the BSG IBD Clinical Trials Steering Group and is Chief Investigator for a series of investigator-led and commercial clinical trials in IBD. In addition, he collaborates with two translational research programs: one focuses on the antigen presentation within the mucosal immune system, and the other studies the role microRNA profiles to direct phenotype in IBD. Tesla Motors Inc reported a steeper than expected, quarterly loss on higher spending at its vehicle and battery factories, and said adjusted profitability could be within sight if the company meets its delivery goals. The 13th straight quarterly loss for the Silicon Valley electric carmaker underscores the financial hurdles that hamper it while it takes on increasingly ambitious goals - a ten-fold ramp of vehicle production in three years and the recent plan to acquire solar panel installer SolarCity Corp. Tesla, led by entrepreneur Elon Musk, said it was still on track to deliver about 50,000 new Model S and Model X vehicles during the second half of 2016, and reiterated that it would spend $2.25 billion in capital expenditures in 2016 to prepare for its upcoming Model 3 sedan. If the company can fulfil those production and delivery goals in the second half of the year, "we've got a great chance of being non-GAAP profitable" Chief Financial Officer Jason Wheeler told analysts on a conference call without specifying a time period. Tesla had reported its first-ever quarterly profit in 2013. Shares of the company, which has offered to buy SolarCity for $2.6 billion, were little changed in after-hours trading. Tesla reported last month it had missed its vehicle delivery target for the second consecutive quarter, raising doubts it would hit its annual target. But Tesla could end the year just shy of its original delivery target of 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles for 2016 if it delivers 50,000 cars in the second half of 2016. "We were in production hell for the first six months of the year," Musk told analysts during a conference call. "Man, it was hell. And we managed to climb out of hell partway through June and now the production line is humming and our suppliers mostly have it together." Musk warned he would fire suppliers and reorganise internal teams who fail to meet a target date of July 1 to begin production of the Model 3, even while acknowledging it will not be possible to meet that date. The company said it planned to open a new store every four days on average for the rest of the year, including in Taipei, Seoul and Mexico City, but did not disclose the cost. Musk sketched out an ambitious plan last month to venture into manufacturing electric trucks and buses, as well as expanding the company's solar energy business. Bengaluru: A seven-year-old girl in the city was beaten severely with a leather belt by her tution teacher for not doing her homework, Bengaluru police said on Thursday. The incident allegedly took place on Tuesday night and a case was registered against the teacher identified as Latha (40). "A case under Juvenile Justice Act has been registered against the teacher by the victim's family members. She (teacher) is absconding and we are looking for her," police sources said. The class two student has been attending private tuitions for the last one year at Latha's house which is close to her Subhash Nagar residence in Nelamangala town. On Tuesday evening, she went to attend classes when Latha noticed that she didn't complete her homework. Police sources said the teacher then became furious and thrashed her several times with a leather belt. When she returned home her family members noticed bruise marks all over her body. She told them that her teacher beat her with belt for not completing her homework. Her parents immediately went to the local police station and lodged a complaint demanding stern action against the teacher. Five-year-old Indian girl - Sarah - who was kidnapped by a couple on Tuesday night from Bahrain's Hoora area was rescued on Wednesday by the police. She was reportedly kidnapped from her mother's car in Hoora, when she had gone out of the car to buy bottled water from a store. Preliminary investigation revealed that taking advantage of girl being alone in the car, the culprits drove off the vehicle with Sarah, who was sitting in the backseat. The Interior Ministry stated that they had arrested a man and a woman in this case, without revealing their identities. Capital Governorate Police General Directorate Colonel Khalid Al Thawadi revealed that the kidnappers were a Bahraini man, 38, and an Asian woman, 37. "We have formed a team of 25 patrol vehicles to search the girl. Police initiated their investigations as soon as the case was reported. The kidnappers were identified and the child was found at the woman's residence in Hoora. We have initiated the legal proceedings to take action against the abductors," he said. Sarah's uncle, Anish Charles, had posted her picture on facebook seeking help from general public to trace her. "Whoever has taken my baby, please drop her at some mall or any public place with my number on a paper. We will not charge you with anything nor even try to find out who you are...please...please. It's a desperate plea," his post reads. (With input from agencies) Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday rejected the state government's ordinance providing 10% reservation to members of the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in government jobs and educational institutions. The HC delivered the verdict while hearing the petition on government's May 1 ordinance. A section of petitioners including Gujarat Parents' Association had challenged the government's ordinance that allowed 10% reservation to candidates belonging to the unreserved category with family income of Rs 6 lakh per annum. They claimed that the reservation is a gross violation of the Supreme Court's order providing 50 per cent ceiling for reservation. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh talked tough against terror at the SAARC meeting on Thursday but his speech was blacked out by Pakistan, reports said. News agency ANI reported that members of the Indian media, who had come from New Delhi to report on the conference, were not allowed to cover the speech. They were reportedly kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which reportedly led to a verbal dual between officials of the two sides. Only Pakistan state PTV was allowed to cover introductory speeches of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan Addressing the SAARC meeting, Rajnath called for tough action against terrorism and countries supporting it, saying terrorists should not be glorified as "martyrs". "There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism. There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs," Singh said. Hinting at Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that there should be strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals and nations who supports terrorism. While talking tough on terror, Singh - who is in Pakistan to attend the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers' conference - said, "There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs." He said, "There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists. Mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough. The world has to unite together to fight is this menace. Terrorism is main hurdle in achieving goals." "Those who provide support, encouragement, give sanctuary and safe haven and assistance to terrorists and terrorism must be isolated," he further said. The troubled Indo-Pak relationship was evident when Singh barely shook hands with his counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. They came across at Serena Hotel SAARC conference venue but the two leaders barely touched their hands. Singh along with senior officials of the Home Ministry went to Islamabad on Wednesday. He will not have any bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart. Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and leaders of other terrorists groups wanted by the Indian agencies condemned Singh's visit to Pakistan. Islamabad: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Islamambad to participate in the SAARC ministerial conference, today along with his counterparts from the member countries called on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singh was part of the joint delegation of the Interior/Home Ministers of SAARC nations when they called on the Pakistani Prime Minister at his office. "It was a formal courtesy call, nothing else," an official said. The Interior/Home Ministers' of SAARC nations were with Sharif for about 20 minutes during which only pleasantries were exchanged, the official said, adding nothing formal was discussed. Sharif's meeting with a senior Indian functionary came amidst the ongoing strain in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan following the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs an Prime Minister's Office last night. The eight-member SAARC grouping comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will call on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday but no bilateral talks will be held between him and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Rajnath reached Pakistan on Wednesday to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' conference where he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. Rajnath has been accorded tight security amid threats from Lashker-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups against his visit. Despite tight security, around 100 people gathered outside the hotel shouting anti-India slogans and protested against Singh's visit. LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin had warned of a nationwide protest if Singh arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference which would be inaugurated by Sharif. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long SAARC Home Ministers' Conference, Singh said he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime." India has been demanding handing over of Dawood, who has been designated as a global terrorist by the anti-terror body of the United Nations, for running an organised crime syndicate from Pakistan. : The government on Thursday described the reports of a 'blackout' of Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement during the SAARC ministerial meeting as "misleading". "With reference to the Home Ministers meeting in Islamabad earlier today, media reports of a 'blackout' of our Home Minister's statement are misleading."It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media while the rest of the proceedings are in camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues," a government source said.News agency ANI had earlier reported that members of the Indian media, who had come from New Delhi to report on the conference, were not allowed to cover the speech.They were reportedly kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which reportedly led to a verbal dual between officials of the two sides. Only Pakistan state PTV was allowed to cover introductory speeches of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali KhanAddressing the SAARC meeting, Rajnath called for tough action against terrorism and countries supporting it, saying terrorists should not be glorified as "martyrs"."There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism. There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs," Singh said.Hinting at Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that there should be strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals and nations who supports terrorism.While talking tough on terror, Singh - who is in Pakistan to attend the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers' conference - said, "There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs."The reaction came after there were reports that Rajnath Singh's speech was reportedly blacked out as media organisations were not allowed to cover the 7thSAARC Home/Interior Ministers' conference.The only broadcaster allowed inside the venue was state-owned Pakistan Television, the reports said. Bengaluru: Facing flak over severe water pollution, the Karnataka government has formed a panel to study the extent of encroachments by both the government and private companies. A ground survey revealed that nearly 11,595 acres of lake bodies were encroached and almost 50 per cent of all sewage in Bengaluru flows into the Bellandur lake alone. It also revealed that only 2% of the city's lakes have been left unpolluted. "One fifth of Bengaluru lakes encroached, which need to be clear," sources in the government said. It was learnt that Karnataka Chief Minister orders immediate clearing of encroachments on storm water drains, calls for action against corrupt officials. Meanwhile, encroachers have sought stay orders from various courts and asked for some time to resolve the issue. An independent Indian Institute of Science (IISc) study says only two per cent of the city's lakes are left unpolluted and rest have sewage and industrial contamination. IISc had studied 105 lakes in and around Bengaluru and found that 45% of all sewage in Bengaluru flows into the Bellandur lake alone. Islamabad: In a terse message to Pakistan, India on Thursday said there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs and also called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism. Without mincing any words, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is here to attend the seventh meeting of the Interior/Home Ministers Conference of SAARC countries here, said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough. Singh's comments in his speech came against the backdrop of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a martyr, much to Indias ire. "There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs. There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists," Singh said. The Home Minister also said there should be "strongest action" not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism. Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity. Mumbai: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who had a long battle with the Central Board of Film Certification recently over Udta Punjab, is set to deliver a master class on censorship to students and cinema lovers alike in Australia. The master class will be held at the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The festival, which will be attended by more Bollywood celebrities like Rishi Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Richa Chadha and Radhika Apte, will begin on August 11 in Melbourne. "I can put forth my point of view and talk about how censorship is so pointless in the day and age of the internet. I am excited as this is my first time there and I am really looking forward to interacting with the students," Kashyap said in a statement. New Delhi: Bollywood film Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui was sentenced on Thursday to seven years imprisonment by a Delhi court for raping a US researcher last year. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain awarded the minimum jail term prescribed for the offence to Farooqui, who was produced in the court in custody. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the 44-year-old filmmaker and said the amount be given to the victim, failing which he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months. It also tasked the Delhi Legal Service Authority to decide appropriate compensation for the woman. The court had on July 30 held him guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state. During the arguments on sentence earlier, Delhi Police had sought life imprisonment for the filmmaker, saying the crime perpetrated on the foreigner has brought "disrepute" to India. Farooqui's counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan had argued as the filmmaker suffered from bipolar disorder and has fully cooperated in the case he should be given a chance to reform. Seeking stringent punishment for Farooqui, complainant's counsel Vrinda Grover had said, "The foreigner (victim) was here for research work but was raped by a person she knew, who was her friend and whom she had trusted." Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in the case. Prosecutor Mohammed Ikrar had earlier said that the woman, in her complaint, had alleged that Farooqui was drunk when he raped her at his house where she had gone to seek his help for her research work in March last year. The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the woman's complaint after which he was arrested. The police had on July 29 last year filed a charge sheet against Farooqui, alleging he had raped the research scholar from Columbia University at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28 last year. The court had on September 9, 2015, started the trial in the case after framing rape charge against Farooqui and the victim, based in the US, had appeared in the court on September 14, 2015 to record her statement. The woman had, during the in-camera proceedings, alleged that Farooqui had raped her and later apologised to her in several e-mails exchanged between them. Later, however, Farooqui had denied the allegations against him, saying he was falsely implicated by the woman. New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government will try to push the Goods and Service Tax Bill in the Lok Sabha on Thursday where the amendments needs to be approved by a two-third majority, government sources said. The political parties set aside their differences to pass the long-pending GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. All parties barring the AIADMK voted in favour of the Bill in the Upper House of Parliament. The 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill will now be sent for the Presidential reference. The President will then refer the Bill to the state assemblies. At least half the state assemblies, that is 15, will need to ratify the Bill by a two-third majority. The bill will then have to be given Presidential assent. After this, Parliament will take up the actual GST Bill which is likely to be in the Winter Session of Parliament. All these procedures need to completed ahead of the Centre's planned rollout for the bill on April 1, 2017. Hyderabad: A case has been registered against Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh for his remarks which allegedly defended the attacks on Dalits in Gujarat's Una an supported the cow vigilantes involved, police said today. Mala Sankshema Sangam president B Ramprasad lodged a complaint with Mangalhat Police here accusing Singh of delivering hate speech through his statements. Following the complaint, a case was registered on August 2 under IPC section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) against the BJP MLA, Mangalhat Police Station Sub-Inspector Sekhar said. "The matter is under investigation," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Goshamahal Division) K Ram Bhupal Rao told PTI. In a two-and-half minute video posted on Facebook on July 30, Singh had defended the cow vigilantes, saying those who consume cow meat are bringing "disgrace" to the entire community and should be "taught a lesson". "I am asking those Dalits (who kill cows). Is it necessary to murder cow and eat its meat? This is absolutely wrong. It is because of such 'galeez' (dirty or disgusting) Dalits, that the image of whole Dalit community, which is patriotic, follows dharma, and worships cows, is tarnished. "I support the beating (up) of Dalits who slaughter cows to consume its meat. It is apt. I also support those who taught them a lesson," Singh had said in the video. He had said there are so many Dalits in Telangana who take part in 'Gau Raksha' along with him. Telangana AAP workers, led by their leader Somnath Bharati, had on August 2 held a demonstration near Hyderabad Police Commissionerate demanding registration of an FIR against Singh and his arrest. On July 11, four Dalit youth were beaten up by cow vigilantes at Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Gir-Somnath district when they were skinning a dead cow. Though the youth pleaded they are from the skinning community, the vigilantes thrashed them alleging they were involved in cow slaughter, sparking an outrage. Ahmedabad: The suspense over the next chief minister of Gujarat will be broken on Friday evening, but possibly not before a round of drama involving BJP president Amit Shah. The call will be taken at a meeting of the state MLAs including Shah in the presence of central observers Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey. Sources in the state BJP say the MLAs have almost scripted their moves for the legislators meet in Shri Kamalam at Koba near Gandhinagar. Of 121 MLAs in the state, nearly all of them are likely to vociferously demand Amit Shah to lead them sending a message loud and clear to the outgoing Chief Minister Anandiben Patel of Shah's popularity and his hold over the party in the state. Shah will succeed in scoring a strong political point. BJP sources in Delhi tell us Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on Shah continuing as president of the BJP as there are 10 states going to polls in 2017-18 where the BJP is a big stakeholder. Another reason cited is that Shah is undoubtedly the most trusted man for Modi in Delhi. The duo who gave Lutyens Delhi a surprise during the recent cabinet reshuffle, could well spring another one, time perhaps on their home state. The theatrics apart, if the BJP decides to go for the "second best choice" here are the names in the fray. Nitin Patel The seniormost minister in Anandiben Patels cabinet is seen as acceptable to both factions. Its an open secret in the state that Shah and Patel don't get along. But the name of Nitin Patel is not finding consensus and a strong section of the party feels that he doesnt enjoy the stature of a decisive leader who could lead them to the crucial battle of 2017. Another argument given is that replacing a Patel with a Patel will only send a wrong message to other castes in the state and will isolate the BJP further. What may work for him, a leader said, is the fact that he is a Patel from North Gujarat which was the epicentre of the Patidar agitation. Vijay Rupani At the betting market in Gujarat the numbers are stacked in favour of Vijay Rupani, though the state BJP president has more or less opted out of the race. Sources say Anandiben Patel has communicated to senior party leaders that she doesn't want Vijay Rupani as her successor. In fact, sources highlight that Rupani's on-record statement on Wednesday, that he was happy doing the organisation work and was not in the race for CM, was after BJP national general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal asked him up to do so. Vijay Rupani, seen as Amit Shah's right-hand man is a first-time MLA from Rajkot West who was appointed BJP State president three months ago despite Anandiben Patel's opposition. After Rupani assumed charge there was a complete breakdown of communication between the organisation and the government in Gujarat. What works in favour of Rupani, a Jain, is the stand taken by him during the Patidar agitation where he emerged as an acceptable voice for them. Bhikhu Dalsania A dark horse who could emerge at the last minute. Someone whose name had cropped up even in 2014 when Narendra Modi had to head to New Delhi after vacating the post of Gujarat Chief Minister. Bhikhu Dalsania, an RSS man who is general secretary in the state, acts as a coordinator between the BJP and the RSS. After arriving in Ahmedabad, Amit Shah held talks with the MLAs at his residence in Ahmedabad on Thursday evening. In a show of unity, Rupani and Nitin Patel appeared outside shah's residence to speak to the media. If it was for the cameras, it was well choreographed. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court verdict that the Lt Governor is the city administration's boss triggered a fresh war of words on Thursday between AAP government and incumbent Najeeb Jung, who said he felt sorry for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and that his interpretation of the Constitution is "laughable". Refusing to back down, the AAP government said it will challenge the order in the Supreme Court, asserting it has been targeted for trying to contain corruption. It also questioned why the Constitution was amended to have a legislative assembly if the city was to be run by the LG. Jung said that all the issues raised by AAP government have been declared wrong by the Court, suggesting that approaching the apex court on the matter will be futile. "I feel sorry for him (Kejriwal). Because he shows a paranoia which is really of concern. He should mature," Jung said, calling handling of certain issues by the Chief Minister "childish" and his interpretation of certain provisions of the Constitution "laughable". Jung also said the Delhi government will have to take corrective measures after the verdict. "We respectfully disagree with the High Court verdict," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, adding there was a "big difference" between any other Union Territory and the national capital and alleged that on the "pretext of rules", various decisions aimed at curbing corruption have been stalled. Jung, addressing a rare press conference, said a number of decisions including Delhi Government's directions to power regulator DERC, appointment of government representatives to BSES board and certain orders relating to tax will have to be "corrected" as they did not have his concurrence. At the same time, he said the Court's ruling that he is the "administrative head" of Delhi was neither a victory for him nor a defeat for Kejriwal, noting fulcrum of the verdict was to protect the sanctity of Constitution. The BJP and Congress attacked the AAP government asking it to respect Constitutional provisions. Arguing that AAP government has been targeted for trying to contain corruption, Sisodia said "The High Court says Delhi is merely an Union Territory. If as per Constitution Delhi is only an UT, then why was it amended to make Delhi an UT with legislature. "If Delhi was to be run by the Lt Governor, then why was the Constitution amended to have state assembly. Why provision was made to have an elected government. We were targeted as we tried to rid the city of corruption," he told reporters. Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain said city government will move the Supreme Court against the HC verdict. "Several acts of the Parliament relating to Delhi have defined both the Lt Governor and the Government of NCT as different entities. So, if Constitution had considered Delhi a mere UT, the city would have functioned like Chandigarh, Lakshadweep and Andamans. But it is not so," Sisodia said. The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party government's petition challenging the powers of the Lieutenant Governor in the National Capital Territory. The court stated that AAP government's contention that the LG is bound to act on advice of Council of Ministers is without any substance and cannot be accepted. The HC has asked the state government to take the approval of LG in all policy matters. "The High Court told AAP government that they will have to take L-Gs approval for anything that they want to do. The L-G remains supreme as far as Delhi is concerned," advocate for the central government Anil Soni said. In another setback to the Delhi government, the HC said that the AAP government's order to appoint Commission of Inquiry in the CNG fitness scam and DDCA scam is illegal since the same was issued without concurrence of the L-G. The AAP government's counsel said they will immediately file an appeal against the verdict. Staying firm on their stand that the verdict is not a setback for the Delhi government, AAP leader Ashutosh said the government will challenge the judgement in the Supreme Court. "Supreme court has the final word in such matters. We believe we will get justice in the apex court. The Narendra Modi government is trying to dislodge the AAP government in Delhi," Ashutosh said. Reacting to the HC order, Congress said AAP needs to respect the Constitution and should concentrate on the problems plaguing the union territory. "There was a Congress government in Delhi for 15 years and there was no such problem. The AAP government must respect the Constitution of the country," Congress leader Pawan Khera said. After L-G Dr Najeeb Jung struck down several decisions taken by the Kerjiwal government, AAP had moved a petition before the Delhi High Court challenging his powers. Unlike other states in India is still a Union Territory (UT) where the LG appointed by the Centre wields enormous powers. State government headed by the Chief Minister has to send most of its files to the LG for the approval. The appointment of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) chiefs, appointment of Parliamentary secretaries, etc led to a major showdown between Kejriwal and Najeeb Jung. Chicago: A 32-year-old Muslim woman has accused a US department store of discrimination after she was asked to leave the retail outlet for wearing the traditional Islamic veil or the 'niqab'. Sarah Safi, from Gary, Indiana, was wearing a niqab, a veil that covers the face, leaving only the area around the eyes clear, when she entered a Family Dollar store. The incident, which was captured on cell phone video and took place in front of Safi's children, began when she stopped at the store on Monday to purchase charcoal for a family barbecue. "I might have made it 10 steps into the store and I hear the lady behind the counter say, 'Ma'am, you need to take that off your face or you need to leave my store,'" Safi told WLS-TV. At that point, Safi began to record the exchange on her cell phone. She told the clerk that she wears a niqab and hijab for religious purposes but the clerk, who identified herself as the manager, insisted that Safi should leave. "I understand, but you have to understand too this is a high crime area and we get robbed a lot. You need to remove that from your face or remove yourself from the store," the clerk said. "I told her this country is a country of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and I have a right to wear whatever I want," Safi said. While her children waited in the car, the store employee told Safi if she did not leave she would call the police. "Do I wait for the police to come and let my children see this, or do I go head and just go and let Allah handle it how he sees fit?" Safi said recounting what she thought back then. Safi then decided to leave. The worker also had parting words for her as she was on her way out. "Have a blessed day," the employee says, according to the video. "I'm really saddened. I was born here, raised here all my life and I've never been to an establishment and been treated like this," Safi said. She said she had been covering her face in public for years, and the only thing she wants is for the store employee to apologise. "I would like to sit with her and speak to her about what I believe in, because maybe if she heard and really listened to what I believe it I would open her heart," Safi said. "It's not just a blatant violation of the civil rights laws of this country, but it's also a violation of the basic laws of decency and morality that you don't treat customers this way just because they have a different cultural background or a different religion," said Council on AmericanIslamic Relations' Ahmed Rehab in a statement. London: A woman was killed and five others were injured in a mass knife attack by a 19-year-old youth in the heart of London which police said could be linked to terrorism, days after Metropolitan Police chief warned that a terror attack in the UK was a case of "when, not if." The mass stabbing by the youth, who has been arrested, took place at Russell Square near the British Museum at 10.39 pm local time last night, Scotland Yard said. Six people were injured in the attack, but a woman believed to be in her 60s who was treated at the scene was pronounced dead later, police said. The attacker was arrested at the scene after being tasered by police officers. Police said early indications suggested that "mental health was a factor in this horrific attack." However, in the wake of a string of recent attacks in Europe, the authorities said that "terrorism remains one line of inquiry being explored." "Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage," Metropolitan police said in a statement. "Officers attended the scene along with the London Ambulance Service," the statement said. Additional police units have been deployed to the area after the attack. Ambulances and police vans were seen stationed outside Imperial Hotel, near the Russell Square Underground station. No details have been released yet about the condition of the five injured, including two women. The suspect himself was taken to hospital after being immobilised with a Taser electroshock gun.London mayor Sadiq Khan urged "calm and vigilance" after knife attack. The mayor said police were seeking "to establish the full facts including motives" for the attack and urged the city's residents to stay calm but alert. "I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant... We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected." The attack came on the same day that Scotland Yard announced that 600 additional armed officers will be deployed around London's major sites, including British Museum, as part of anti-terrorism plans in the wake of terror attacks in Europe. Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe had warned that a terror attack in the UK was a case of "when, not if." Since August 2014, the terror threat level in Britain has been "severe" -- the second highest level, meaning an attack is "highly likely". Virginia officials are seeing a surge in workplace deaths and they say if the trend continues the state could see an 80 percent increase this year. The Department of Labor and Industry said in a statement Thursday that 29 workers have died from job-related injuries and illnesses this year through the end of July. There were 31 workplace deaths in all of 2015 and the same number of deaths in 2014. Officials say nine of the 29 fatalities this year have occurred in the construction industry. In May, 63-year-old Eugene Boone, of North Carolina, died after an incident at Greif Inc., a packaging company in Amherst County. The labor department is urging employers to carefully review injury and illness prevention programs and safety and health procedures with workers. Costly consequences of THAAD for Seoul Updated: 2016-08-04 08:02 By Wang Junsheng(China Daily) ROK residents watch a television broadcast reporting the deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) at the Seoul Railway Station on July 13, 2016 in Seoul, the ROK. [Photo/VCG] By deploying its Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in the Republic of Korea, the United States will harm regional peace and stability, and put Seoul in a precarious position. The crux of the Barack Obama administration's "pivot to Asia" strategy is to consolidate its military presence in the region and THAAD is an important part of that move. Apart from the ROK, the US also hopes to deploy the missile system in Guam, Japan and the Philippines. But since deployment of THAAD in the ROK was considered the most difficult to achieve, the Obama administration sees Seoul's nod as a key step forward in its "pivot to Asia" strategy and wants to complete the process before ROK President Park Geun-hye's term in office is over. Donald Trump has said the ROK should be responsible for its own security, and this attitude of the Republican presidential nominee has been worrying Seoul. When the US withdrew parts of its forces from the ROK between 1950s and 1970s, Seoul felt "unsafe". So now, given Trump's stance, the Park administration seems eager to secure US protection by opening the door to the missile defence system. The deal could even include the introduction of US tactical nuclear weapons in the ROK arsenal in the future. This should make clear why the US said it would bear all the expenses for the first THAAD in the ROK, and allowed the ROK military to test its radar electromagnetic wave radiation at its base in Guam on July 18. Hawk Claus spreads Christmas cheer in DC's Grifter Got Run Over By a Reindeer first look Take a look at two stories from the DC holiday special including the titular chapter and a Hawkwoman and Hawkman tale Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Beware: Consumers warned about fraudulent Unclaimed Property letters and emails August 4, 2016 You've seen those announcements that the state is holding unclaimed property, waiting for its rightful owners to file appropriate paperwork and claim their property. Idaho and other states operate legitimate programs to help identify and return to its citizens property (often money) that has been unclaimed and is being held in trust by the state. Now a warning is being issued to watch out for letters and emails sent out fraudulently by scammers intent on deceiving people into thinking they have valuable unclaimied property coming from the state. The real goal of these scammers: to get you to hand money or your personal information over to them. As the official representative of the state unclaimed property programs, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) is warning consumers to be on their guard against fraudulent letters and emails alleging that there is an unclaimed sweepstakes listing that must be liquidated. NAUPA is warning consumers to be on guard against fraudulent letters arriving via the U.S. Mail and in consumers' email inboxes alleging that they have unclaimed property. This particularly deceptive letter is on fake NAUPA letterhead and requests money be sent to claim the property. Not to be confusing, but Idaho Unclaimed Property is currently contacting some rightful owners with a letter as part of an outreach campaign and those letters are legitimate, said Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane. The association (NAUPA) does not notify owners of forgotten or missing funds and never has. If a citizen receives a letter from Idaho Unclaimed Property it will be on the Unclaimed Property letterhead. However, if a person is ever in doubt of a letters legitimacy, there is a phone number at the bottom of the letter along with the claim agents name. Many times the intent of this type of fraudulent letter is to entice people to respond with personal information for the purpose of stealing their identity, or the victim will be asked to send a fee so that the claim can be processed. NAUPA encourages individuals to report any suspicious unclaimed property communication to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) online at www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx. ] The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators is a non-profit organization affiliated with the National Association of State Treasurers. Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail! Knife-wielding man kills one, injures five as London unveils new anti-terror unit Updated: 2016-08-04 18:13 By Angus McNeice in London(chinadaily.com.cn) Armed Metropolitan Police counter terrorism officers take part in an exercise on the River Thames in London, Britain August 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] Londoners woke up to a heavier armed police presence on Thursday as officers said they had arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of killing a woman and injuring five others in a knife-wielding attack in central London late Wednesday night, on the same day the authorities unveiled the capital's new, heavily armed anti-terror unit. Police say early indications point to mental health as a factor, and described it as a random attack. Police identified the man as a Norwegian of Somali origin and said there was no evidence he had been radicalized. The stabbing came on the same day the Met unveiled a significant addition to its anti-terror unit, in response to the high number of recent attacks elsewhere in Europe. Six hundred heavily armed marksmen called counter terrorism specialist armed forces (CTSFOs) have been deployed on London streets. The new unit, which includes a fast response contingent operating on BMW F800 GS motorbikes, brings the total number of armed police officers in the capital to 2,800. On Sunday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said a terror attack in the UK is a matter of "when, not if" and said the terrorism threat level in Britain remained at "severe." Europe is on edge after several attacks in France and Germany in recent months, including a truck-ramming that resulted in 84 deaths in Nice on Bastille Day. In the UK more than 90 percent of police officers are unarmed, and unlike their counterparts in other parts of the world do not routinely carry pistols. Each force has a small number of trained uniformed number of officers who carry pistols and semi-automatic weapons to guard key targets such as government offices and railway stations, but Wednesday marked the first time a dedicated heavily armed unit has been introduced. On Thursday, officers were alerted at 10:33 p.m. to reports of a man attacking people with a knife at London's Russell Square. Six minutes later police used a Taser, or electric stun gun, to subdue the man and arrest him at the scene. The suspect remains in custody. Paramedics attended to five victims, two women and three men. One woman a US national in her 60s - died at the scene and Scotland Yard said the other victims have "various injuries." The victims are from the UK, US, Israel and Australia. "Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of enquiry," Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement on Thursday morning. "But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive, and consequently terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of enquiry for us to explore." To contact the reporter: angus@mail.chinadailyuk.com Getting young people ready for workplace Developing A Better You For the World of Work, a series of four three-day workshops running this August, could help. Organised and facilitated by human resource consultant Carol Anne Joseph and Marcia Celestine, a therapeutic services consultant, the training is designed to sharpen your skills for the job market by focusing on areas such as building an effective resume; keys to a successful interview; developing a professional identity; and interpersonal communication. Joseph, who is director of CAnneJ Training Consultancy Ltd and has over 15 years experience in human resource management, said the workshops are being timed primarily to target young people fresh out of higher education. She said: Being an HR professional, I saw the need for developing our young people. I have to do interviews quite often and they come in unprepared; their resumes are sometimes not well-presented; in terms of their dress, some of it is inappropriate and you can see they have not had much training or much advice on how this is supposed to be done. They really need to go into the workplace prepared because first impressions count. A strong resume is ones passport to enter the process. The document tells a persons story which can often be confirmed at interview. It must be properly laid out because when it reaches the employer they are very concerned with some of the experiences youve had, if youre qualified for the job and what are some of the contributions you can make to the organisation, Joseph explained. If you secure an interview, professional attire will be required to ensure you do not distract members of the selection panel, she said, and good communication skills will enable you to sell your attributes. Both Joseph and Celestine acknowledge that the local job market is groaning under the pressure of increasing unemployment as a result of falling oil prices and a glut of university- educated graduates thanks in no small part to the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE ) programme. Joseph said these factors have meant that as many as 150 people are applying for one or two positions, in many cases irrespective of their qualifications. The amount of resumes you are getting now is amazing, she said. And when you check their current and last work, people are out of jobs. People are calling every day. Its a cry, it is a big cry anywhere you go. Celestine, who has practised both in the United Kingdom and locally and heads NIC International Consultancy, noted that the job-for-life is over and In a so-called recession time when jobs are competitive you have to be the best. You have to really stand out. Joseph said in the current climate where just about everyone has a degree, employers use work experience as one of their selection criteria. She added, however: Even though somebody is coming out of university and they may not have much (work) experience, I also believe in giving these people an opportunity. There are some people I see who were involved in so many things they even in the university. When you look at their social interactions, some of the things they were involved in in their church, in the community, it helps. Recruiters also match peoples character traits with the type of job and department they are applying to work in. Based on the questions we ask, we want to test (a persons) level of integrity, especially if they have no experience, Joseph said. You want to be able to question some of the things they see dear to them because their work ethics will come into the job place and you want to see if they would compromise in certain situations just to keep their jobs. You can give them scenarios and they cant run from that. Its either you will do it or not. Josephs mantra is developing a better you and that is exactly what she hopes participants will gain by attending the workshops. She said: My hope for the candidates coming out of these sessions is that they will have a holistic view of what is expected of them. They have to leave knowing and understanding (that) I am supposed to be more than I am settling for. However you came, it must be a better you leaving in all the areas we are going to touch on. Co-facilitator Celestine added: Its not (just) about getting ah wuk. Developing A Better You For the World of Work takes place over four dates: 8-10, 11-13, 15-17, and 18- 10 August at Upper El Dorado Community Centre in Tunapuna. Each three-day block is independent of the others and costs $900 to attend with a non-refundable registration fee. For more info: email: caro49.caj@ gmail.com or iasispractice@ gmail.com or CanneJ Training & Consultancy Ltds Facebook page. PAY AT THE GATE However, from August, persons over 50 years will no longer be eligible for GATE funding. Also effective from this month, Government will discontinue funding of new students in the medical programme at St Georges University (SGU) in Grenada. From the 2017-2018 academic year and beyond, students whose household income fall below $10,000 will be eligible for 100 percent GATE funding. This will be determined by means testing. For household incomes over $10,000, students will have to pay 25 percent of their tuition fees. Students from households whose income is over $30,000 will have to pay 50 percent of tuition fees. Government will increase the loan ceiling for students at local institutions to $35,000 annually while the loan ceiling for students at regional institutions will remain at $75,000 annually. Government will also establish a National Education Savings Fund, into which the private sector will be encouraged to make contributions, through tax incentives. BEST GOVT CAN DO Education Minister Anthony Garcia made these announcements at a news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, following an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the report of the GATE task force. Garcia said Government believes this is the best decision regarding GATE at this time. While hinting there could be further changes in time, Garcia made it clear, This Government has given a commitment that it will retain GATE. It will ensure that GATE is relevant, easily accessible and available to all those who need it. He disclosed that Cabinet disagreed with a recommendation from the task force that households with a monthly income of $9,000 should set the ceiling for which 100 percent GATE funding would be accessible. Garcia said in light of the countrys economic situation, Cabinet agreed to raise that ceiling from $9,000 to $10,000. Indicating the task force found that the majority of GATE funding has been accessed by persons in the middle and lower income brackets, Garcia explained, This is why we want to ensure that we lift that bar from $9,000 to $10,000, so that those in the lower income bracket can benefit. He gave the assurance that the means tests to be used from the 2017-2018 will be transparent and be handled by a special group in his ministry. Garcia explained that if a student lives with his/her parents and is employed, that will be included in the determination of the percentage of tuition fees to be paid. He did not envisage tuition fees increasing at the University of the West Indies (UWI) as a result of yesterdays Cabinet decision. On persons over 50 years being ineligible for GATE funding from this month, Garcia stated, It has nothing to do with discouraging people from accessing tertiary education Stressing the importance of running GATE efficiently, Garcia said, There must be some level of cutbacks because, if our economy is shrinking, obviously everybody must make a sacrifice. He said Cabinet believes persons over 50, would have already been employed and therefore they would be in a better position to contribute towards their education. However Garcia indicated, Continuing students over the age of 50 enrolled in undergraduate programmes will be granted funding to complete their programmes. MILLION$ IN SAVINGS Garcia said Government expects to save $100 million in the first year, through these initiatives, and then $200 million in the subsequent years. He said Governments target was to reach an annual expenditure of $500 million on GATE. Garcia said the discontinuing funding for new students at SGU, did not differ from statements made by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to students at UWIs Mona Campus in Jamaica, during his state visit to that country last month. At that time, Rowley said medical students, ought not to worry too much because, even if we become a little more selective in what we fund, as against funding the endless spectrum, the area of healthcare delivery is an area of grave shortage in the country. Garcia said the cost of funding at SGU, is much higher than the cost of funding at any of our regional campuses. Garcia also said the enrolment of local students at SGU, is way below that of St Augustine, Cave Hill and Mona. He was satisfied these initiatives would reduce the waste and efficiency in GATE, that seemed to be inherent in this programme. Garcia gave the assurance that agencies in the ministry that are responsible for administering GATE, will be strengthened. From next August, only institutions and programmes accredited by the Accreditation Council of TT (ACTT) will be funded. Asked how many tertiary level institutions would now be ineligible for funding, Garcia explained that was for ACTT to determine. He explained that currently, we have institutions that are accredited and we have programmes that are also accredited. On the Education Fund, Garcia said private sector organisations should be encouraged by tax incentives to make fund contributions on behalf of the children of their employees or engage in philanthropic initiatives to build the Fund. He said the details of the Fund will be subject to further discussions, especially with Finance Minister Colm Imbert. Garcia said from next August, funding for post graduate degrees will be available for students whose programmes are in alignment with the countrys development needs. However the Minister was unable to indicate what those programmes were. He said this was, something we are actively engaged in. Garcia said from this month, students should only be funded for one undergraduate programme and one post graduate programme. The Minister said continuing students should be allowed to complete undergraduate programmes for which funding had been previously approved. He said students enrolled in non-medical programmes at UWIs regional campuses, which are offered at UWIs St Augustine Campus, will only be funded to the equivalent level of the funding at the St Augustine Campus. In the long term, Garcia said Government will review its policies in respect of being the sole guarantor of loans and the subsidization of interest. He stated that Government will consider additional funding, including offering educations savings bonds. The Minister also said Government will consider fiscal incentives to encourage insurance companies and credit unions to invest in the development of education savings products. Yesterdays emergency Cabinet meeting was chaired by Rowley, who proceeds on two weeks vacation leave from today. (SEE PAGE 11A) Cultural icon Earl Crosby dies Crosby, 68, died at about 5 pm yesterday at the Vitas House Hospice, St James after ailing from pancreatic cancer for a few months. Newsday contacted his niece yesterday, comedienne Nikki Crosby who described him as a real culture man. Crosby was the owner of Crosby Music Centre, St James. He produced many artists. He was a man who totally fought for the rights of artists, he was very active in COTT (Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago) making sure the artists were well paid, she said. Crosby would have celebrated his 66th birthday on August 12 and Nikki said they always celebrated their birthdays together as her birthday is on August 9. This is going to be a difficult one, she said. Also speaking to Newsday, Port-of-Spain mayor Keron Valentine who said the city was poorer for his passing. He has always been the livewire in the St James community. He has always contributed in the cultural aspect with respect to downtown Carnival and all the festivals. I am really lost for words as I shared a very close relationship with Crosby. From time to time I would ask him for advice on cultural matters facing Port-of-Spain and St James, he said. For many years Crosby served as Chairman of the The WeBeat Committee. WeBeat was a festival designed to promote the community of St. James. Valentine said before Crosbys passing he had a conversation with someone in the committee about recognising Crosby for his contribution. Crosbys funeral is expected to be held next Wednesday. US: We See No Signs Putin Will Use Dirty Bomb (Newser) Yasuo Takamatsu explained to his instructor why, at 56, he wanted to learn to dive. "I'm trying to find my wife in the sea." Five years after Japan was ravaged by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Jennifer Percy tells an incredible story in the New York Times Magazine: That of Takamatsu and Masaaki Narita, two men searching the waters off Onagawa for the women they lost. Takamatsu's wife, Yuko, worked at the local branch of 77 Bank with Emi, Narita's 26-year-old daughter. It was only years later that the families of a dozen bank workers to die learned precisely what happened to their loved ones, through a 13th worker who survived. Believing the impending wave to measure 10 feet, the employees evacuated to the roof, which sat 30 feet above the ground. The waters rose to 65. The daily absence of Yuko and Emi is palpable in Percy's telling: Each Sunday, Emi's mother deposits a decomposable lunchbox into the sea containing Emi's favorite dishes; in the first year after her daughter vanished, she did so daily. Percy captures nuances of the day and its aftermath that only magnify its horror: that it snowed on March 11, 2011, and was so cold that survivors succumbed to hypothermia while crawling toward a hospital; a forensic pathologist's explanation of how bodies decompose in the sea, with some turning soft as cheese and others tough as plaster. Neither Takamatsu nor Narita has found what he is looking for, though Takamatsu had as of January dove 110 times. He says, as the Times piece is headlined, "I have no choice but to keep looking for her. I feel closest to her in the ocean." You should absolutely read Percy's full piece. (Read more Japanese tsunami stories.) (Newser) A 20-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in Georgia in connection with the murder of two 17-year-olds behind a Publix grocery store, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The bodies of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis were found by a delivery driver Monday in Roswell; each had been shot in the head. According to WXIA, police arrested Jeffrey Hazelwood after interviewing him at police headquarters. Authorities wouldn't say if or how Hazelwood knew the victims or give a possible motive for the killings. They do believe Hazelwood is the only suspect in the murders. Police say security camera footage and the victims' cellphones led to Hazelwood as a suspect. Police also spent a few hours searching a home in connection to the case Wednesday, WSB reports. Hazelwood's Facebook page reportedly shows he was involved in a romantic relationship with someone living at the home that was searched. He's been charged with two counts of murder. (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) An Indiana woman who just wanted to buy charcoal for a family barbecue was kicked out of a Family Dollar in Indiana for wearing a traditional Islamic niqab, NBC Chicago reports. Soon after Sarah Safi entered the store Monday in Gary, an employee identifying herself as the manager told her to remove her veil or get out. According to the Indianapolis Star, Safi explained that the veil was a "religious garment." "This is a country where we have freedom of religion and freedom of speech," Safi told the manager, who replied that the Family Dollar was in a "high-crime area" and gets robbed a lot. As Safi, a mother of four, left the store, the manager told her to have a "blessed day." Safi, who posted a cellphone video of the incident to Facebook, says she's "never been treated like this." The 32-year-old Muslim was born and raised in Texas and has been wearing a niqab for years, WLS reports. "It's not just a blatant violation of the civil rights laws of this country, but it's also a violation of the basic laws of decency and morality," a spokesperson for the Council on American Islamic Relations tells NBC. Safi says all she wants is an apology from the Family Dollar manager. (Read more niqab stories.) (Newser) Seventeen-year-old Gavin Grimm will start his senior year of high school once again banned from using the boys restroom, the AP reports. In a 5-3 decision on Wednesday, the US Supreme Court put a hold on the decision of a lower court that would have allowed Grimm, a transgender male, to use the boys restroom at his school in Virginia. According to the Los Angeles Times, an appeals court ruled in April that the school board was in violation of Title IX when it barred Grimm from the boys restroom. Grimm's lawyer says the Supreme Court's decision means Grimm will continue to be "stigmatized and isolated from the rest of his peers just because he is transgender." However, Politico reports it's likely the Supreme Court will hear Grimm's case when it reconvenes in the fall. And that's good news for Grimm and transgender students like him: A hearing on the issue will probably result in a 4-4 tie, which will uphold the appeals court's earlier ruling and allow Grimm to use the boys restroomalbeit months from now, according to the Times. The appeals court's ruling will also be upheld if the Supreme Court decides not to hear the case. Grimm used the boys restroom for a few weeks in 2014 until a number of parents complained. The Virginia school board says it wants to "protect the basic expectations of bodily privacy." (Read more transgender stories.) (Newser) Phoenix police have added another shooting to the lengthy list attributed to an alleged serial killer apparently targeting people at random. Authorities now believe a man who opened fire on a vehicle last month is the same one responsible for at least eight other shootings since March, resulting in seven deaths, reports the Arizona Republic, which breaks down each incident. In the most recent case, police say a 21-year-old man and a 4-year-old boy were inside a vehicle in a residential neighborhood on the evening of July 11 when a man opened fire, then fled in a dark BMW, per ABC 15. Neither occupant was injured. "The threat is still alive," but "if there can be a benefit to something like this, it's that we did obtain additional evidence," a police rep tells NBC News. Like in other cases, there appears to have been "no apparent motive, no pre-incident contact," he says, per CNN, adding physical evidence also links the case to the serial shooter. He's described as a white or light-skinned Hispanic man in his 20s and police believe he has access to several vehicles, including a white Cadillac or Lincoln and a black 5 Series BMW. The reward for information leading to an arrest has just been raised to $50,000. (Read more on the shooter here.) (Newser) A Muslim woman who works for the UK's National Health Service as a mental health services practitionerand whose job includes preventing youth from becoming radicalizeddescribes a "hurtful" experience she had on a Thomson Airways flight back from her honeymoon in Turkey, the BBC reports. Faizah Shaheen, 27, says she had disembarked her plane at Doncaster Airport on July 25 when she was pulled aside by airport officers. Turns out a crew member on her flight had become nervous because she had been reading a book on Syrian art and culture, the Independent reports. She was released after 15 minutes of questioning, but she says she plans to file complaints. "Our crew are trained to report any concerns they may have as a precaution," says an airline spokeswoman. In the US, meanwhile, two American Muslim women were asked Wednesday to leave an American Airlines flight waiting to take off from Miami, the Independent reports. Niala Mohammadalso known as Niala Khalil, a reporter for Voice of America who last year dined with teen activist Malalasays she and an unnamed friend were confronted by a male attendant after her friend complained about no food or water while the plane was grounded for hours. Mohammad says the attendant accused the friend of "instigating." An American Airlines rep says the friend violated the airline's picture policy (she apparently took a photo of the flight attendant during the disagreement). "This was a case of non-compliance. At no moment did discrimination come up," says the rep. (Read more Muslim stories.) (Newser) Four years after a Japanese mathematician announced he'd cracked an epic math problem, his fellow number crunchers are a step closer to deciding whether he got it right. Yes, his work is that complicated. In 2012, Shinichi Mochizuki of Kyoto University, who's known to work in isolation, published a 500-page proof he said explained the ABC conjecture, a renowned math problem involving prime numbers. The problem is few could understand his proof because it required a grasp on Inter-universal Teichmuller Theoryessentially a new branch of math Mochizuki createdand he refused to travel to explain it to the mathematical community, reports Nature. Finally, a breakthrough came last month in Kyoto, where he lives. During a meeting of four dozen mathematicians, Mochizuki was able to teach his theory to others. As Ivan Fesenko of the University of Nottingham put it on Facebook, some participants "visibly progressed in their understanding" and ended up "tired but happy," per Motherboard. (The latter site gets into the nitty gritty of the "simple-seeming" ABC conjecture.) There are now 10 people who reportedly understand IUT and are working to verify Mochizuki's proof. But it isn't clear how soon that could happen. One number theorist says it could still be years before Mochizuki's theory is proven corrector not. If he's right, though, it could be "revolutionary," says one mathematician. (Want to be a millionaire? Solve this problem.) (Newser) In late July, human remains were found near Cap-des-Rosiers, Quebecand archaeologists believe they may belong to people who died at sea in 1847. The story of the Carricks of Whitehaven layers tragedy upon tragedy: Passengers on the Irish ship were trying to escape the potato famine that was killing their countrymen, only to see their ship go down in a storm while en route to Quebec City. Of the nearly 200 people on the Carricks, at least 80 are believed to have died off the Gaspe coast. Parks Canada archaeologist Martin Perron says the remains, which look to belong to five adults and three kids, appear to have been quickly deposited in what the Canadian Press calls a "shallow trench"and could potentially be a mass grave. Bones have been found in the same area before. The Globe and Mail's report on the initial May 2011 find there noted that historical accounts describe victims as being laid out on the beach before burial, but no specific location of the grave was reported. It quotes some historical writings: a magazine article from the time noting the ship "went to pieces in the course of two hours," and a 1919 book on Gaspe that stated, "For a whole day two oxcarts carried the dead to deep trenches near the scene of the disaster." A 2014 Mail article reported that the bones found in 2011 were determined to be those of three European children who experienced malnutritionsuggesting they were very likely Carricks victims. Parks Canada will be using ground-penetrating radar in a search for additional remains. (This famous Canadian shipwreck finally floats again.) (Newser) When a woman entered a North Texas jewelry store with her two children, asking if the store was interested in buying a gold necklace, the employee, Noah, noticed tears in her eyes. "It seemed like she was sad," Noah, who did not want his identity revealed, tells CBS DFW. The woman explained to him that her mom had given her the necklace but that she was broke and needed money to pay bills. Noah asked how much she was hoping to get for the necklace, then gave her "exactly" that amount from his own pocketand handed the necklace back. The exchange, which ended with the grateful woman hugging Noah, was captured on the store's surveillance camera and has since gone viral. "I didn't think about it, I just grabbed the money," says Noah, a Syrian refugee seeking asylum in the US with his family. "I feel better and that's enough. Better than a lot of money." (Read more uplifting news stories.) (Newser) Dylann Roof was attacked by a fellow inmate as he was stepping into a jail shower Thursday in South Carolina, USA Today reports. Roof is charged with killing nine people during Bible study at a historic black church in 2015 in Charleston. According to NBC News, the 22-year-old Roof is in protective custody, meaning inmates' cells are supposed to be locked while he showers alone. But police say 25-year-old Dwayne Stafford got out of his cell, ran downstairs, and started pummeling Roof. Roof suffered only bruises before officers stopped the attack. One of the officers who was supposed to be monitoring the situation was on break at the time; the other was fetching toilet paper for another inmate. Police say the assault on Roof was "unprovoked," the Charleston Post and Courier reports. Sheriff Al Cannon says there's no evidence it was racially motivated "beyond the obvious speculation that we would all have given the nature of the situation." Roof, who is white, is facing federal hate crime charges and is said to have wanted to start a race war with the shooting. Stafford is black. Cannon doesn't believe the guards coordinated to allow the attack but says they will be looking into why Stafford was able to get out of his cell. Roof isn't planning on pressing charges against Stafford. In the wake of the attack, Staffordwho is being held on robbery and assault chargeswas praised on social media. (Read more Dylann Roof stories.) The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. New Delhi: BJP Parliamentary Board today authorised party president Amit Shah to pick the successor to Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel after accepting her offer to resign. Shah will be travelling to Gujarat tomorrow where he will hold consultations with party leaders and attend the legislature party meeting, likely to be held on Friday to elect the new leader. The meeting of the Parliamentary Board, which was chaired by Shah and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appointed Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP general secretary Saroj Pandey as partys central observers to hold consultations with the MLAs for electing the new leader, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters. Ruling out the candidature of Shah, also an MLA, for the chief ministerial position, Naidu said the party needs him to lead it at the national level. He said Patels successor will be from among the MLAs. Such a question does not arise. He is the party president and going to remain party president. The party needs his leadership at the national level. There is no such discussion at all, he said when asked about reports that Shah was also in the contention. Shah has taken the party to great heights and led it to many successes, he said. Anandiben Patel had offered to resign on Monday maintaining it was time for a fresh face to take over the states reins as she would be soon turning 75, understood to be the undeclared age bar in the party for holding ministerial position. The Parliamentary Board gave its approval to Anandiben Patels wish to quit, Naidu said and insisted that the Board did not discuss names of any candidate to replace her. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today arrived in Islamabad to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers conference. During the meeting, Singh is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. Singh, who arrived on his maiden visit to Pakistan, has been accorded tight security amid threats from Lashker-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups against his visit. The Home Minister was flown in a helicopter to the Serena hotel located in posh Islamabad locality. It is also the venue of todays meeting where Singh will be underlining the need for meaningful cooperation among South Asian countries. Roads leading to the hotel have been heavily barricaded by the police and para-military forces to ward off any threat from terror groups. Despite tight security, around 100 people gathered outside the hotel shouting anti-India slogans and protested against Singhs visit. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long SAARC Home Ministers Conference, Singh said he was looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime. This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security, said Singh, who is expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. India has been demanding handing over of Dawood, who has been designated as a global terrorist by the anti-terror body of the United Nations, for running an organised crime syndicate from Pakistan. Todays meeting is preceded by the 7th Meeting of the SAARC Interior/Home Secretaries which is being held today. The Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who is leading the Indian delegation, has also arrived here. Also there are possibilities of Singh having a bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in the wake of strain in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The two-day SAARC meeting began today with the Inaugural session of SAARC Home Ministers Conference in Islamabad. Just hours before the meeting, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi clearly stated that There will be no bilateral meeting between Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Here are the important updates from the meeting going on: For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: As the Upper House has approved the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill after over a decade when it was first proposed, this can be seen as the biggest legislative victory for the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. However, there is a long way to go as the Centre needs to cross several hurdles to rollout the new tax regime from April 1, 2017. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, as passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, will first go to the Lok Sabha again, since the Bill that had been passed by the Lower House on May 6 last year, underwent amendments to reach a political consensus. The challenges ahead The biggest challenge would be to get the state governments to expedite the passage of requisite legislation at their end. At least 50 per cent of the state assemblies need to ratify the Constitutional amendments. Once the Central GST law is cleared by Parliament, all states without exception must get their own GST laws passed. The states will have to enact their own legislation for a state GST. This is because the GST regime will involve the imposition of Central and state levies at identical rates. Once the Constitutional amendment is passed in Lok Sabha, it will need to be ratified by more than 50 per cent, or at least 15 of 29 Assemblies. The GST Council can be constituted only after the Presidential assent for the Constitutional amendment. For that, the Empowered Committee of the State Finance Ministers would have to arrive at consensus on complex matters such as tax rates, exemptions, threshold limits and dual administration and get the approval of the Council on the same. This will be followed by passing of a Central GST law in both the Lower House and the Upper House, the States own GST laws in their assemblies. Another variable here is getting the infrastructure in place and familiarising the official machinery as well as enterprises to make the transition to the new system. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will not have any bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said today. Singh arrived here last evening to attend the 7th SAARC Home/Interior Ministers conference during which he is expected to raise the issue of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, designated as global terrorist, and cross border terrorism. There will be no bilateral meeting. We have already said that, Mehrishi told reporters when asked if any bilateral meeting between Singh and Khan would take place. According to official sources, the Home Minister along with his counterparts from the SAARC countries will call on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later in the day, as per tradition. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Prime Ministers Office last night. Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the day-long conference, Singh had said he was looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime. This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security, Singh had said, who is also expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. A very bleak possibility of Singh having a bilateral meeting with Khan was expected in the wake of strains in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that Kashmir will one day become Pakistan, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country will not be realised even at the end of eternity. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New York: A 30-year-old Indian chef was punched repeatedly in the face and called ISIS by an unidentified man in an alleged hate crime incident in the US city of Omaha. Suthahar Subburaj, who works as a chef at an Indian restaurant in Omaha, was attacked last month while he was taking out trash for work. A man wearing a black hoodie punched Subburaj multiple times in his forehead, face, mouth and kicked him in the leg, according to a report in The Omaha World-Herald quoting police officials. Using abusive language, the man shouted at Subburaj, saying, ISIS, get out of my country and fled from the scene, the report said. An advocacy organisation for Hindu Americans have voiced concern over growing xenophobia towards people of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent. Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) have condemned the attack, calling it a hate crime. Subburaj is a victim of the growing xenophobia towards people across the country of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent, citizens and recent immigrants alike, said Jay Kansara, HAF Director of Government Relations. Law enforcement and government authorities must work closely with local community members of all racial and religious backgrounds in order to effectively address these types of attacks on innocent people and confront the hate and ignorance that fuel them, Kansara said. Local police are investigating the incident as a hate crime based on religion, HAF said, adding it is monitoring the case. Subburaj has been living alone in Omaha for about two years. He hopes his attacker is punished, but is also taught about different religions and races. His motivation and why he beat me, I dont have an answer for that, Subburaj said. The Anti-Defamation League condemned the possible hate crime in a press release. We must all stand together against bigotry, hatred and prejudice, regional director Mary-Beth Muskin said. We urge law enforcement to investigate this incident as a possible hate crime and hope that the perpetrator will be apprehended swiftly and brought to justice, Muskin said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chennai: Air services on the Chennai-Dubai sector were yet to be restored as three airlines have cancelled their flights , following the crash landing of an Emirates flight in Dubai, airport authorities said. Two flights, each belonging to Jet Airways and Indigo, in Chennai-Dubai route were cancelled , they said. Similarly, budget air carrier SpiceJet said all its flights have been cancelled in this route. Apologies for inconvenience. All flights to and from Dubai stand cancelled for , the airliner, said in a micro-blogging site. Dubai- only widebody aircraft allwd till 7 AM tom. AI routing thru Sharjah, Jet thru Sharjah&Abudhabi & Indigo,Spicejet cncld today. Ashok Gajapathi Raju (@Ashok_Gajapathi) August 4, 2016 The aviation minister also tweeted about the cancellation. Three hundred people, mostly Indians had a narrow escape, as an Emirates flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai crash landed and exploded on the run way in Dubai, shutting down one of the worlds busiest airports. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Islamabad: The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers conference here when Home Minister Rajnath Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time today and the two leaders barely shook hands. As Singh arrived at the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel here, Khan was at the gate to receive the dignitaries. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Members of the Indian media, which came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment and was kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which led to a verbal dual between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official. Indian officials said the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was clearly visible in the conference. Meanwhile, Khan said Pakistan was committed to SAARC processes, and, desires to see it as a successful regional organisation. We must do a reality check of what we have achieved so far and what still remains. It is time for us to seize the moment, to leverage our potential and overcome our choices, he said. We have made substantial contribution towards various SAARC processes and have taken a number of initiatives in furthering the goal of close regional integration, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Beijing: Defending its nuclear cooperation with its close ally Pakistan, China today said its supply of reactors to Islamabad were in accordance with the principles of NSG and under the supervision of UNs nuclear watchdog. Refuting a US think tank report which said that Chinas nuclear cooperation with Pakistan was in contravention with the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) principles, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said China-Pakistan cooperation is in accordance with the 48-member nuclear club, which supervises global nuclear commerce. China has stated on many occasions that the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the civil nuclear energy sector is completely for peaceful purpose, Hua said. Such cooperation is subject to the safeguards and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and in accordance with the NSGs principles and the international obligations assumed by the two countries, Hua told PTI. The Arms Control Association (ACA) has expressed concern over export of nuclear materials by China to Pakistan saying that it is in violation of international norms and established procedures. China has taken significant steps over the past several years to strengthen its export controls. However, Beijings decision to continue selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan in contravention of NSG and its sales of missile technologies to countries of concern earns China a failing grade, the ACA report said. In its updated report card 2013-2016 Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, ACA gave China a failing F Grade on nuclear weapons related export control. China had joined the NSG in 2004 and its national export controls include provisions related to export licensing, control lists, end-user controls, and import controls. At the IAEA General Conference in 2015, China had said it carried out stringent reviews on its export controls and adjusts its trigger lists according to technical progress. In March 2016, Beijing said it started to implement the Nuclear Export Control List that was updated in January 2016. Despite progress on its export controls China continues to supply Pakistan with nuclear power reactors, despite objections that the sale of the reactors did not receive a consensus exemption from the NSG, the report said. Pakistan, which is neither an NPT member nor under full-scope IAEA safeguards, is therefore ineligible to receive such assistance under NSG rules, it argued. ACA observations about the consensus and NPT were significant as China blocked Indias application to join NSG in the recent NSG Plenary meeting in Seoul despite the support of majority of its members, saying that it lacked the mandatory requirement of consensus among the group. China also said India was not a signatory to NPT, yet another obligatory requirement to join the NSG. In defence of its continued supply of nuclear reactors to Pakistan, China argues that they were part of the decision reached before it joined the NSG. China has argued that the reactor transfer was based on a contract negotiated with Pakistan in 2003, one year before Beijing joined the NSG, and grandfathered in when China joined the regime, the ACA report said. However, the 2003 exemption was widely understood to apply solely to the two nuclear power reactors whose sale was completed before Chinas acceptance into the NSG in 2004, the report said. In February 2015, Wang Xiaotao, vice-minister of the Chinas planning body the National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC) said China had assisted Pakistan to build six nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 3.4 million kws amid Beijings plans to build two 1100 mw reactors in Karachi with USD 6.5 billion assistance. It was the first detailed disclosure by a Chinese official about Chinas supply of reactors to Pakistan which remained under wraps for long. China had built two 300 mw reactors at Chasma in Punjab followed by two 320 mw units at the same place. It is currently building two 1100 mw reactors in Karachi at a cost of USD 6.5 billion, saying they are aimed at easing power problems in Pakistan. India and the US have expressed concerns over it and said the reactors were being built without the sanction of the NSG. While India has secured the NSG waiver after the India-US civil nuclear deal in 2008 to get more nuclear reactors and fuel, Pakistan has not got any such exemption. China which is rapidly expanding its nuclear reactors domestically to reduce dependence on coal is now aggressively marketing its newly acquired nuclear technology to build 1100 mw reactors abroad. Besides Pakistan, China signed an agreement to build a pressurised water reactor nuclear power plant in Argentina. It did not take long for us from introducing this (nuclear) technology to exporting it, Wang said. According to a report released last year, China had 27 nuclear power generating units in operation as of the end of October 2015, with a total installed capacity of 25.5 gigawatts (GW), while another 25 units with a total installed capacity of 27.51 GW under construction. The worlds second largest economy plans to raise its installed nuclear power capacity to 58 GW with an additional 30 GW under construction by 2020 and build itself into a strong nuclear power country by 2030. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: BSP supremo Mayawati today reached Una to meet the Dalit victims who were thrashed by 'cow vigilantes' in Gir-Somnath district and are admitted in the civil hospital. "It has been conveyed to us that Mayawatiji will visit Ahmedabad on August 4 to meet the victims of Una atrocity who are currently getting treated at the civil hospital here," state BSP unit secretary Pradeep Parmar said. The four were shifted to Ahmedabad hospital on Friday last week as their health deteriorated soon after being discharged from Rajkot civil hospital. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today quashed a state ordinance on 10 per cent quota for economically backward classes among the unreserved category, in a setback to BJP government which had taken the step to pacify the agitating Patel community. Terming the ordinance issued on May 1 as inappropriate and unconstitutional, a division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi said that such quota is not a classification, as claimed by the government, but it is indeed reservation. The court also observed that 10 per cent reservation for poor among the unreserved category takes the total quota beyond 50 per cent, which is not permitted as per the Supreme Courts earlier decision. The high court also said that state government gave the reservation to EBCs without any study or scientific data. The state government pleader requested the court to stay its order so that they can approach Supreme Court, following which the HC issued a two-week stay on its order. Petitioners Dayaram Verma, Ravjibhai Manani, Dulari Basarge and Gujarat Parents Association had separately challenged the ordinance announcing reservation of 10 per cent seats to candidates belonging to the unreserved category with family income cap of Rs 6 lakh annually in government jobs and educational institutions. Their petitions were heard together. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a huge setback for the Arvind Kejriwal Government, the Delhi High Court today held that the LG is the administrative head of National Capital Territory and the AAP Government's contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". Check out top 5 stories on August 4: 1. Setback for Kejriwal Govt as HC says LG is Delhi administrative head In a huge setback for the Arvind Kejriwal Government, the Delhi High Court today held that the LG is the administrative head of National Capital Territory and the AAP Government's contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". 2. Gujarat High Court quashes 10 per cent EBC quota ordinance The Gujarat High Court today quashed a state ordinance on 10 per cent quota for economically backward classes among the unreserved category, in a setback to BJP government which had taken the step to pacify the agitating Patel community. 3. Rajnath barely shook hands with his counterpart Khan at SAARC meet The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers conference here when Home Minister Rajnath Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time today and the two leaders barely shook hands. 4. BSP supremo Mayawati meets Dalit victims in Una BSP supremo Mayawati today reached Una to meet the Dalit victims who were , who were thrashed by 'cow vigilantes' at Una in Gir-Somnath district and are admitted in the civil hospital here. 5. Hillary Clinton a founder of ISIS: Donald Trump Hillary Clinton is a founder of ISIS, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged as he stepped up his attack against the Democratic candidate. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Proposed Amendments in Various Penalties under Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill 2016 177 General Rs 100 Rs 500 New 177A Rules of road regulation violation Rs 100 Rs 500 178 Travel without ticket RS 200 Rs 500 179 Disobedience of orders of authorities Rs 500 Rs 2000 180 Unautorized use of vehicles without licence Rs 1000 Rs 5000 181 Driving without licence Rs 500 Rs 5000 182 Driving despite disqualification Rs 500 Rs 10,000 182 B Oversize vehicles New Rs 5000 183 Over speeding Rs 400 Rs 1000 for LMV Rs 2000 for Medium passenger vehicle 184 Dangerous driving penalty Rs 1000 Upto Rs 5000 185 Drunken driving Rs 2000 Rs 10,000 189 Speeding / Racing Rs 500 Rs 5,000 192 A Vehicle without permit upto Rs 5000 Upto Rs 10,000 193 Aggregators (violations of licencing conditions) New Rs 25,000 to Rs 1,00,000 194 Overloading Rs 2000 and Rs 1000 per extra tonne Rs 20,000 and Rs 2000 per extra tonne 194 A Overloading of passengers Rs 1000 per extra passenger 194 B Seat belt Rs 100 Rs 1000 194 C Overloading of two wheelers Rs 100 Rs 2000, Disqualification for 3 months for licence 194 D Helmets Rs 100 Rs 1000 Disqualification for 3 months for licence 194 E Not providing way for emergency vehicles New Rs 10,000 196 Driving Without Insurance RS 1000 Rs 2000 199 Offences by Juveniles New Guardian / owner shall be deemed to be guilty. Rs 25,000 with 3 yrs imprisonment. For Juvenile to be tried under JJ Act. Registration of Motor Vehicle to be cancelled 206 Power of Officers to impound documents Suspension of driving licenses u/s 183, 184, 185, 189, 190, 194C, 194D, 194E 210 B Offences committed by enforcing authorities Twice the penalty under the relevant section New Delhi: Bollywood film Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui was on Thursday sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Delhi court for raping a US researcher in New Delhi last year. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain awarded the minimum jail term prescribed for the offence to Farooqui, who was produced in the court in custody. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the 44-year-old filmmaker and said the amount be given to the victim, failing which he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months. It also tasked the Delhi Legal Service Authority to decide appropriate compensation for the woman. The court had on July 30 held him guilty of raping the American woman last year at his house in a drunken state. During the arguments on sentence earlier, Delhi Police had sought life imprisonment for the filmmaker, saying the crime perpetrated on the foreigner has brought disrepute to India. Farooquis counsel Nitya Ramakrishnan had said as the filmmaker suffered from bipolar disorder and has fully cooperated in the case he should be given a chance to reform. Seeking stringent punishment for Farooqui, complainants counsel Vrinda Grover had said, The foreigner (victim) was here for research work but was raped by a person she knew, who was her friend and whom she had trusted. Farooqui, who was out on bail, was taken into custody immediately after his conviction in the case. Prosecutor Mohammed Ikrar had earlier said that the woman, in her complaint, had alleged that Farooqui was drunk when he raped her at his house where she had gone to seek his help for her research work in March last year. The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the womans complaint after which he was arrested. The police had on July 29 last year filed a charge sheet against Farooqui, alleging he had raped the research scholar from Columbia University at his Sukhdev Vihar house in south Delhi on March 28 last year. The court had on September 9, 2015, started the trial in the case after framing rape charge against Farooqui and the victim, based in the US, had appeared in the court on September 14, 2015 to record her statement. The woman had, during the in-camera proceedings, alleged that Farooqui had raped her and later apologised to her in several e-mails exchanged between them. Later, however, Farooqui had denied the allegations against him, saying he was falsely implicated by the woman. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ahmedabad: BJP national president Amit Shah today arrived in Ahmedabad and initiated talks with party leaders at his residence as a part of an exercise to finalise the name of the successor of Anandiben Patel, who resigned as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. State BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma and party treasurer Surendra Patel met Shah this morning upon his arrival here. The other top state leaders and ministers are expected to meet him in the evening. Anandiben had yesterday submitted her resignation to the Governor, after the partys parliamentary board in Delhi accepted her offer to resign, paving way for selection of a new Chief Minister for the BJP-ruled Gujarat, to lead the party in the 2017 state Assembly polls. Ahead of her resignation, Sharma engaged in hectic consultation with top BJP leaders and ministers in Gandhinagar over selection of the next CM. Sharma told media persons that BJP legislature party meeting in the presence of state observers will decide the name of the next Chief Minister by Friday. Though suspense still prevails about the next CM, the names doing rounds as potential successor to Patel include the number two in the Cabinet and Health Minister Nitin Patel, Union Minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader. State BJP chief Vijay Rupanis name was earlier in the contention but he indicated yesterday that he is not in the race as he is happy with his current task. Nitin Patel has now emerged as a strong contender for the post. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: A Hawk advanced jet trainer today crashed soon after take-off from Air Force Station, Kalaikunda in West Midnapore due to a technical snag but both the pilots ejected safely. IAF sources said that the aircraft developed a technical problem at about 1100 hours, minutes after taking off from Kalaikunda air station in West Bengal, where another Hawk had crashed in June last year. The crash occurred within the boundary of the air station, 138 kms from here, and the two pilots ejected safely, they said. A Court of Inquiry has been instituted into the crash, an IAF source said.Last year in June, another Hawk had crashed after taking off from Kalaikunda station as it developed a technical problem. Budding fighter pilots undergo their stage-III training for a year on Hawk. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Delhis Feroz Shah Kotla is all set to host the opening warm-up fixture of New Zealands tour of India when the visitors take on Board Presidents XI from September 16-18. Interestingly, the BCCI had sounded out Kotla whether it wanted to host the Duleep trophy day/night pink ball game from August 23. Yes, Kotla was offered the Duleep Trophy Pink ball game but the DDCA feels that due to ongoing monsoons, it will be difficult to get the ground ready on time for the match. Thats why UPCAs new ground at Greater Noida, which has floodlights will host the Duleep Trophy Day/Night game on August 23, a senior BCCI source told PTI today. The Greater Noida ground recently saw the Afghanistan team practice before the ICC World T20. The DDCA, however, will host the New Zealand warm-up game because it is also closer to the venue of the first Test which will be held in Kanpur from September 22-26. It is logistically viable that New Zealand team remains in Delhi for the better part and therefore play the warm-up game at the Feroz Shah Kotla. It will be a newly laid strip and the monsoon season by that time would have come to an end, the source added. Hyderabad: A case has been registered here against Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh for his remarks which allegedly defended the attacks on Dalits in Gujarats Una and supported the cow vigilantes involved, police said today. Mala Sankshema Sangam president B Ramprasad lodged a complaint with Mangalhat Police here accusing Singh of delivering hate speech through his statements. Following the complaint, a case was registered on August 2 under IPC section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) against the BJP MLA, Mangalhat Police Station Sub-Inspector Sekhar said. The matter is under investigation, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Goshamahal Division) K Ram Bhupal Rao told PTI. In a two-and-half minute video posted on Facebook on July 30, Singh had defended the cow vigilantes, saying those who consume cow meat are bringing disgrace to the entire community and should be taught a lesson. I am asking those Dalits (who kill cows). Is it necessary to murder cow and eat its meat? This is absolutely wrong. It is because of such galeez (dirty or disgusting) Dalits, that the image of whole Dalit community, which is patriotic, follows dharma, and worships cows, is tarnished. I support the beating (up) of Dalits who slaughter cows to consume its meat. It is apt. I also support those who taught them a lesson, Singh had said in the video. He had said there are so many Dalits in Telangana who take part in Gau Raksha along with him. Telangana AAP workers, led by their leader Somnath Bharati, had on August 2 held a demonstration near Hyderabad Police Commissionerate demanding registration of an FIR against Singh and his arrest. On July 11, four Dalit youth were beaten up by cow vigilantes at Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Gir-Somnath district when they were skinning a dead cow. Though the youth pleaded they are from the skinning community, the vigilantes thrashed them alleging they were involved in cow slaughter, sparking an outrage. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad: State Irrigation Department on Sunday will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Space Research Organisation for setting up Telangana Water Resources Information System (TWRIS). The system will keep eye from sky on states water resources and ISRO will update the system with new satellite imagery of all water bodies every fortnight. According to an official release, the new system will be set up by ISROs National Remote Sensing Centre. The MoU will be signed on August 7 in the presence of Irrigation minister Harish Rao and ISRO chairman Kiran Kumar, it stated. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : More than 70 per cent of the nearly Rs 9 crore spent by Indian diplomatic missions for Prime Minister Narendra Modis public and community programmes have been spent on event management during his visits to 51 countries since he assumed office. Nearly Rs 6.4 crore were spent out of about Rs 8.8 crore on the event management with the highest, Rs two crore, being spent during his visit to France in 2015, Rajya Sabha was informed by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh. However, it does not mention the expenditure on event management during many community functions including the famous Madison Square programme which was primarily organised by groups like Overseas Friends of BJP along with some NRI outfits. According to Singh, Modi has visited 51 countries in last 26 months after coming to power. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Pakistan to attend 7th conference of Internal Ministers of SAARC countries immediately on his return from Islamabad. Official sources said Singh rushed to meet Modi straight from the airport to debrief him about the events during his visit to Pakistan. They said Singh informed PM about the speech he made at the conference, his interactions on the sidelines with the leaders, and deliberations during the official sessions. Singh arrived here by a BSF plane at around 4.30 PM and cancelled his scheduled press briefing at the airport to meet Modi, they said. In Islamabad, Singh had delivered a stern speech asking Pakistan to stop encouraging terror groups and glorification of terrorists and also called for strongest action against nations supporting terrorism and their isolation. Without mincing any words amid the strain in Indo-Pak relations, Singh said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough and that there are no good terrorists or bad terrorists. Singhs comments came against the backdrop of Sharifs praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a martyr, much to Indias ire. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Puli Alam: A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, their embassy in Kabul said, with local authorities saying all six people on board were taken hostage by the Taliban. The insurgents have not so far commented on the incident in Azra district in the restive province of Logar. An Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab government was scheduled to fly to Russia for repair. We think the same chopper crash-landed in Logar, Pakistani embassy spokesman Akhtar Munir told AFP. We dont know anything about the fate of those on-board or why it crash-landed. The local district governor Hamidullah Hamid said six people on board had been taken hostage by Taliban insurgents. They have been taken to an unknown location, he said. The helicopter caught fire after it crashed, said Logar governors spokesman Salim Saleh. Russian-made Mi-17s are used by the Pakistani military. There was no official comment from the Pakistani military or Afghan defense ministry officials. Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and continuing to nurture sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER who braved the elements to collect more than 1,000 signatures objecting to the possible closure of Wycombe Hospital's Accident & Emergency department, handed her petition to the authorities this week. Janet Riley, 60, from Havenfield Road, Booker, was shocked when she read the news that as part of an acute services review health authority officials were discussing the possibility of closing the A&E ward at Wycombe, which would force patients to travel an extra 16 miles to Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Mrs Riley said: "There are old people. There are children. We all rely on that A & E and I felt very strongly about it." Mrs Riley spent two days in Wycombe collecting signatures from people objecting to any possible closure. She said: "I got 1,002 after two days which is not a long time. If we would have kept it going for a long time we would have got lots more. The people I spoke to are really quite proud of their hospital and don't want to lose the service." With the backing of Wycombe district councillors Ted Collins and Chauhdry Shafique, Mrs Riley presented her petition to Dr Jeremy Rose, chairman of Wycombe Primary Care Group (PCG), on Tuesday, who will forward it to Buckinghamshire Health Authority. Jayne Stone, chief executive of Wycombe PCG, said: "Any major change to services has to be part of a consultation. The CHC (Community Health Council) has the right to ask for a review by the secretary of state. "After April 2002 local authorities then have the statutory authority that the CHC does. The local authority can ask for a review by the secretary of state. Buckinghamshire County Council and Wycombe District Council will both have scrutiny committees for health." The strongest strains on earth 2016 At the start of 2016, we examined the six HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cups from the previous year and the thousands of entries they tallied. The goal? To ascertain exactly which of the entries deserve to be called the strongest strains on planet Earth. (Article by Nico Escondido) In years past, weve built our Strongest Strains on Earth list simply in order of potency. Weve reorganized the article to categorize these potent strains by their place of birth. (Readers enjoyed this format last year, so well use it again.) These rankings represent only one data point: THC potency, as determined by lab testing. They do not include the judges scores or notations, or any other cannabinoids or terpenes (the latter can be read about in our new annual feature, The Best-Tasting Buds on Earth). However, this year weve included a short list of the strongest CBD strains from 2015 to complement our THC charts. So if youre looking for a strain with a knockout punch, one that will get you high when youre feeling lowyoure in the right place! Notes: The Emperor Cookie Dough, a cross between Emperor OG and Girl Scout Cookies, was entered into the Denver US Cannabis Cup by the Greenwolf LA crew and is one of only two strains ever to cross the 30% threshold for THC. The other strain to do so? Keep on reading. Karmasutra, a collaboration project, is a hybrid of the Karma OG crossed with Rockstar. Rockstarhas two known versions: The Canadian version is a Bubba Kush x Lemon OG, while the European version is Rockbud x Sensi Star. Veganic Strawberry Cough has been included in our Strongest Strains on Earth compilation (hereafter, The List) for three out of the five years that HIGH TIMES has been running it. In 2012, the VSC maxed out at just over 20% THC. Meanwhile, veganically grown strains (using KyleKushmans Vegamatrix line) have made The List seven times over the course of those five years. Notes: Its no surprise that this years strongest strainand the new record holder for the highest potency ever recorded at a High Times Cannabis Cup eventis none other than Chem Dog. Reaching 32.13% THC, the Chem has achieved what most of us thought was impossible and leaves us asking one basic question: Just how high can a flower go in terms of potency? The Brotherhood was another organically grown entry that hit nearly 28% THC. Propagated from seed, her lineage stacks up like this: (Willies Wonder x Grape Krush) x (Bubba 91 x The White). The Sour Kush was grown under a purple LED light, and she still went over 26% THC. Does this mean that limited-spectrum LED lamps are healthy for plantsor that the plant was stressed, producing more resin to attract pollen in order to ensure its survival? And if the latter, do you care? The debate continues . The Ghost Train Haze appeared in our very first Strongest Strains on Earth feature, taking the prize for the most potent strain of 2011 at 25.49% THC. In 2014, she was our THC champion again at nearly 27.46%. Entered last year by the fine grow team at Greenman Cannabis in Denver, the Rare Danknessbred strain dipped slightly, but we suspect shell be back again next year looking for the top slot. Notes: Chiquita Banana, a relatively new name in the fruity strains, is likely a backcross of the Banana Kush(or Banana OG) out of NorCal, with her potency derived from one of her parents, the epic Ghost OGcut. Appearing twice on The List for 2015, the Strawberry Banana also was named one of The Strongest Strains on Earth in 2014, coming in at 22.51% THC. Additionally, she recently showed up in our Best-Tasting Buds feature (March 16) boasting a very prolific terpene profile. A cross betweenBubblegum and Banana Kush (OG), the SB goes nine weeks in flower. Gorilla Glue #4 has been steadily gaining in popularity over the past few years, combining a unique flavor with a very potent high. A super-cross of Sour Dubb x (Chems Sister x Chocolate Diesel), shes a sativa-dominant hybrid thats been making her way across the country, and has reportedly even been seen on a menu or two in Dutch coffeeshops. Notes: The Sunny Days doubtless gets her potency from her father, the Ghost Train Haze #1. This particularsativa-dominant hybrid is a GTH backcross whose lineage is represented as (Grape Stomper x GTH#1) bx GTH #1. This entry, hitting nearly 27% THC, was organically grown. Death Star has been around for a while, but the Sour Diesel x Sensi Star cross has never quite lived up to initial expectations. This pheno, however, achieved new heights when grown in all-natural soil and organic nutrients from the Detroit Nutrient Company. See a trend? Sunshine #4, an OG x Cherry Pie x Pink Panties cross, first made headlines in our Best-Tasting Buds feature this past March, boasting 2.2% total terps, with myrcene heading the roster. Combine that with nearly 26% THC, and you get a potent flower that took home first place in the Best Hybrid category. Notes: The Jamaican Cannabis Cup featured entries grown only in Jamaica, with the categories divided into Indoor, Outdoor Sativa and Outdoor Indica for flowers. The average indoor flower potency was 15.5% THC. Out of 53 total flower entries, the average outdoor potency was 10.1% THC for indicasand 10.4% THC for sativas. These averages represent the values for activated (decarboxylated) THC. Each province or parish of Jamaica is represented by a primary ganja growers association, and many of the entries were supplied via these organizations. Rastafarians comprise a majority of these growers and have been cultivating some of these strains for many decades. They were central in organizing this Cup competition. St. Bess Ganja Growers, which provided two of the most potent entries in the Jamaica Cup, as well as the St. Anns Botanical & Agro Processing Cooperative and the Orange Hill growers (of Westmoreland), were among the top associations of island cultivators. The True OG was grown from seeds purchased from Elemental Seeds. Eight of the 26 entries in the Best Indica category, or 31%, tested for high CBD levels (over 3%). The highest was 9.2% CBD, in a strain called Black Willy from the Accompong Maroons, Jamaicas oldest indigenous people. Strongest CBD Strains As THC potency rises, so too come increasing CBD levels. We never thought wed see the day whenCBD actually catches up to THC, but that sentiment is now being challenged as we witness CBDstrains crossing the 20th percentile for the first time ever. In comparison with the results in the THC category, the CBD strains were tested by three different labs across four separate competitions, with values coming back between 15% and 21%. The top CBDstrain, a Cannatonic phenotype thats been circulating in the northern US for the past several years, also hit 19% CBD at the Michigan Cup in 2011. Mile High Has Record High This feature has been running annually in our hallowed pages for five years now. The previous high mark for potency was 28.35% THC for the Bruce Banner #3, set in 2013 at the Denver Cannabis Cup. Since that time, weve discussed at length just how high a cannabis flower could go, physiologically speaking, in terms of THC. Weve also discussed the various lab-testing methodologies used by labs in different states. We asked the experts if we would see an end to these skyrocketing values, or would cannabis simply continue to progress until we had buds testing at over 50% THC? The truth is, there has to be a ceiling at some point: After all, a flower cant be 100% percent THC. In 2015, we reached a new milestone in the Mile High City, crossing the 30% threshold for the first time ever at a High Times Cannabis Cup competition. Sure, weve heard rumors about strains climbing as high as 35%weve even examined reports submitted by growers and prepared by no-name labs. But these reports wont be considered valid until we can certify the lab and its testing protocols, as we do for each Cup competition we hold. In Denver, we had not one but two flower entries break the barrier and cross into a new realm of cannabis potency. And while both were entered in the same Cup, they were grown in different states, by different growers, using different genetics and techniques. Still, its important to remember that while we validated the testing methods used, we had only one lab running samples at this Cup, as opposed to our normal protocol of two separate labs running the samples independently. Greenwolf, a celebrated LA dispensary, brought to the Denver Cup their Emperor Cookie Dough, which tipped the scales at 31.1% THCan impressive number, to say the least. And then we have our good friends at Next Harvest, a perennial contender from Denver, whose Chem Dog cut surpassed the 32% mark and set the bar with a new all-time high of 32.13% THC. This comes as no surprise to anyone whos ever smoked a pure Chem Dog, which just happened to originate from seeds found in a pound of cannabis grown in Denver in the 1990s (and known simply as the Dog back then). Today, we no longer question the results, but instead celebrate the unknown. And one day, sooner or later, our questions will finally be answered as to just how high this precious plant can take us. Wed like to pause here and thank our partner labs for providing such excellent and thorough lab results for our Cannabis Cup competitions in 2015: LA Cannabis Cup: Lab-testing results by CSA Labs, Los Angeles, using gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS). Denver Cannabis Cup: Lab-testing results by Charas Scientific, Denver, using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). San Francisco Cannabis Cup: Lab-testing results by Steep Hill Labs, Berkeley, using HPLC. Michigan Cannabis Cup: Lab-testing results by Iron Labs, Walled Lake, using GC-MS, and by PSI Labs, Ann Arbor, using HPLC. The World Cannabis Cup: Lab-testing results by CSA Labs, Los Angeles, using HPLC. Jamaica Cannabis Cup: Lab-testing results by Steep Hill Labs, Berkeley, using a QuantaCann-2 (IR-referenced technology), and in conjunction with the University of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica. Read more at: Hightimes.com Submit a correction >> This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SEYMOUR Connecticut Basement Systems is looking to raise its ceiling. The company, which specializes in waterproofing and refining, as well as crawl space and foundation repair, last week unveiled Building 9, which serves as a gateway to the companys campus and a sign of its continuing expansion. Our company stands for growth, said Tom Matthews, the companys national director of marketing. I do not think there is a better signal then creating a new building and expanding. We are committed to the region and our customers, and we are here to stay. CEO Larry Janesky said the company, whose trucks can be seen around southwestern Connecticut and beyond, added 50 new hires in the last year, in addition to the $5.4 million building project. The building is now our third major warehouse, but is also a three-story office building, Janesky said. This will become a training center for customers who are contractors looking to hone their skills. Bill Purcell, president of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce in Shelton, spoke about the implications of Building 9 for the community. Visitors are greeted by a signature building when entering the park, and this new project will shine a light on development for the industrial park, Purcell said. This is a gateway not only to Basement Systems, but affiliated companies and the entire industrial complex. It is the icing on the cake. While the buildings function as a company asset is apparent, many also found its aesthetic to be pleasing. It is a really pretty site, and the first one that is seen when entering the property on Cogwheel Lane, so I did not want it to be viewed as an ugly building on the corner, Janesky said. Building 9 is a glass, blue-and-white warehouse with a 9-foot stainless steel globe out in front that mirrors the one from the (1964) Worlds Fair. The unveiling of the new edifice arrives just one week after Basement Systems workers volunteered to create a new playground for the Ansonia Nature Center. Purcell spoke highly of Janesky, citing his vision to create several opportunities for astonishing development. The new building and park are a testament to the generosity, skill and talent within Larrys company, Purcell said. He is an extraordinary entrepreneur and leader, and because of this execution, people follow him and are loyal. The donation comes as a present to the nature centers neighborhood after the old recreation area, which lasted for 25 years, was demolished by the city after a child landed in the hospital with a a 6-inch splinter of pressure-treated wood lodged in his hand. We want to continue to work hard and break new grounds, and all of this development is part of that process, Janesky said. When people come into the park, they will feel welcomed by Building 9 out front of our offices. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HAMDEN Craft microbrewers and local pubs have a lot to be hoppy about with increased cultivation of the hop plant. A staple ingredient in beer, the crop is making a comeback in Connecticut following its disappearance during the Prohibition era, when there was no market for hops. Dr. Katja Maurer, an agricultural postdoctoral research scientist at the Valley Laboratory of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, is investigating the possibilities for growing hops in the state. Connecticut has really good water thats the reason why there are so many brewers right now and a lot of microbrewers, Maurer said. The demand for local products is pretty high now, and people also like to have local hops. She was a keynote speaker at the CAES 106th annual Plant Science Day at Lockwood Farm in Hamden on Wednesday. The event, showcasing the research efforts of leading environmentalists, entomologists, horticulturists and other leading experts, brought in crowds of more than 1,100 visitors. Maurer and her colleagues are also looking into the the plants susceptibility to diseases and pests. The public was able to walk through rows of perennial hop species. Related: Is craft beer on its way out? Weaving vertically upward on 10 and 18 foot trellises, the crops at Lockwood Farm and a similar plant field in Windsor mimic the growth patterns of their wild counterparts, said Dr. James LaMondia, chief scientist and plant pathologist at the Valley Laboratory. We actually train hops to string and they climb right up, said LaMondia, who is also leading the study. Harvest season for the hops is fast approaching, and the team is preparing to hand-pick the cones of the female varieties. Parts of the plant, called lupulin glands, are packed with different acids that give beer its signature flavor and bitterness, LaMondia said. Beer enthusiasts are able to experiment with the exact hoppy taste and aroma, LaMondia said, by adjusting the quantity of hops and the timeline for adding them to the brewing process. Its kind of popular right now, Maurer said. Theyre called brew farms you have your own farms and then you brew your beer. She said its best to avoid male hop plants because once the cones become fertilized, the flavor of the beer is altered. Black Hog Brewing Co. in Oxford has joined the trend of serving craft beer made from local crops. Taste room manager Marissa Leone said the brewery is in the process of canning a brew called Connecticut Love Bomb, which exclusively uses hops from Lockwood Farm. Two Roads Brewing Company, based in Stratford, has also dabbled into growing hops, which can be seen on the property by motorists passing by on Stratford Avenue. Maurer said that Germany remains the largest producer of hops, but Connecticuts temperate climate zone is still perfect for high-quality yields. MONTREAL, Aug. 4, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Results For the semester ended June 30th, 2016, the Company's revenues increased by $14,333,000 to $351,986,000, compared to $337,653,000 recorded in the corresponding 2015 period, a 4.2% increase. Same store revenues grew by 2.6% during the same period. Net earnings for the semester ended June 30th, 2016, amounted to $11,449,000 compared to net earnings of $12,255,000 for the corresponding 2015 period. Basic net earnings per share increased to $0.30 compared to $0.27 in 2015. The effect of the cost of options had no impact on basic net earnings per share for the semesters ended June 30th, 2016 and 2015. For the six month period ended June 30th, 2016, the share repurchase program contributed to an increase in basic net earnings per share of $0.05. The variation to the adjusted net earnings would have been $(648,000) or $(0.02) per basic share for the semester ended June 30th, 2016. The $(648,000) variation in adjusted net earnings in 2016 is as follows: (Unaudited and $ in thousands) 2016 2015 Net earnings 11 449 12 255 Variation of cost of options (after-tax) (43) (201) Adjusted net earnings 11 406 12 054 Minus: Adjusted net earnings for 2015 12 054 Variation (648) This variation in adjusted after-tax income is allocated throughout the quarters as follows: ($ in thousands) Increase (decrease) retail operating earnings Increase (decrease) Investment income Increase (decrease) Adjusted operating earnings 1st quarter 2016 1 113 (1 960) (847) 2nd quarter 2016 416 (217) 199 Total 1 529 (2 177) (648) Annual Financial Information ($ in thousands, except for per share amounts) 2015 2014 $ $ Revenue 717 338 701 356 Net Earnings 41 528 48 647 Total Assets 274 022 362 350 Net Earnings Per Share Basic 0,99 1,08 Diluted 0,99 1,08 Dividends Per Share 0,24 0,24 Financial Position and Dividends Cash and investments increased by $13,403,000 during the semester ended June 30th, 2016. Investments consist primarily of bank notes and common shares, which at the close of the semester had a market value of $75,892,000 (including cash). As of June 30th, 2016, the working capital showed a deficit of $1,018,000 a decrease of $2,928,000 compared to December 31st, 2015. The Company's shareholders' equity decreased from $172,968,000 as at December 31st, 2015 to $172,315,000 as at June 30th, 2016. As of June 30th, 2016, the book value per share stood at $4.66, compared to $4.56 as at December 31st, 2015. Pursuant to the normal course issuer bids on March 14th, 2016, accordingly, 913,850 Common Shares were repurchased and cancelled by the Company. As a result of this change, the Company had as of June 30th, 2016, 37,000,000 Common Shares issued and outstanding. During the semester ended June 30th, 2016, no options were granted. As at June 30th, 2016, options for 219,000 Common Shares, representing 0.59% of the Company's outstanding shares remain issued and 5,710,864 authorized share options, representing approximately 15.43% of the Company's outstanding shares, may still be granted pursuant to the Plan. The issued and outstanding options may be exercised at a price of $17.85 per Common Shares. A semi-annual eligible dividend of $0.12 per Common Share has been declared to holders registered at the close of business on August 15th, 2016 which will be payable on August 17th, 2016. Quarterly Results (Unaudited and $ in thousands, except for per share amounts) March 31st June 30th 2016 2015 2016 2015 $ $ $ $ Revenue 154 943 149 280 197 043 188 373 Net (Loss) Earnings (958) 59 12 407 12 196 Net (Loss) Earnings Per Share Basic (0,02) - 0,32 0,27 Diluted (0,02) 0,32 0,27 September 30th December 31st 2015 2014 2015 2014 $ $ $ $ Revenue 189 385 190 207 190 300 183 150 Net (Loss) Earnings 13 037 18 271 16 236 17 824 Net (Loss) Earnings Per Share Basic 0,31 0,40 0,41 0,40 Diluted 0,31 0,40 0,41 0,40 For the quarter ended June 30th, 2016, the Company's revenues increased by $8,670,000 to $197,043,000, compared to $188,373,000 recorded in the corresponding 2015 period, a 4.6% increase. Same store revenues grew by 1% during the same period. Net earnings for the quarter ended June 30th, 2016, amounted to $12,407,000 compared to net earnings of $12,196,000 for the corresponding 2015 period. Basic net earnings per share increased to $0.32 compared to $0.27 in 2015. The effect of the cost of options had no impact on basic net earnings per share for the quarters ended June 30th, 2016 and 2015. For the three month period ended June 30th, 2016, the share repurchase program contributed to an increase in basic net earnings per share of $0.05. The variation to the adjusted net earnings would have been $199,000 or $0.00 per basic share for the quarter ended June 30th, 2016. The $199,000 variation in adjusted net earnings in 2016 is as follows: ($ in thousands) 2016 2015 Net earnings 12 407 12 196 Variation of cost of options (after-tax) (83) (71) Adjusted net earnings 12 324 12 125 Minus: Adjusted net earnings for 2015 12 125 Variation 199 Operations BMTC Inc. On April 14th, 2016, Mme Sylvie Belanger was named CFO of the Company. She replaces M. Yves Des Groseillers, who remains President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The Company has started the restructuration of all of its websites. The first phase of the implementation of a distinct e-commerce platform for its Brault & Martineau banner is now complete and operational since November 2015. The second phase of the implementation process will continue throughout 2016 for all the other banners of the Company. The Company has reviewed its IT systems in order standardise them throughout the banners, as well as to allow them to be more aligned with our e-commerce strategies. Following this evaluation, the Company decided to invest in a new computer system, the integration and implementation of which began in the third quarter of 2014. The costs related to these modifications are estimated to be $10,600,000, some costs were incurred in 2015 and the balance will be recorded during 2016 and subsequent years. Brault & Martineau Division The Company is presently evaluating the refitting of its furniture and electronic departments in all of its stores. The objective of this improvement is to offer our clients a unique shopping experience which will help differentiate us from online shopping. The costs related to these renovations for the next two years, 2016 and 2017, are estimated to be $15,000,000. The Company has announced that it will be closing its six Sleep Gallery stores when their leases expire. The Company made this decision after a lengthy reflection on its mattress sale strategy. Even though these stores are profitable, management believes that the level of profitability does not warrant keeping these stores open. The Company will continue to sell the same wide range of mattresses, box springs and bedding accessories at the best prices in its Brault & Martineau stores as it currently does. To that effect, the Sleep Gallery departments located inside the Brault & Martineau mega stores will remain in operation. The Company believes that closure of the six Sleep Gallery stores will not have any material impact on the Company's financial performance. The lease expiry dates of the six stores that will close vary between November 2016 and November 2022. The Company is not excluding the possibility that one or several of these leases will be assigned or sublet before their expiry date. Caution regarding forward-looking statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the Company. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "predict", "project", "will", "would", as well as the negative of these terms and similar terminology, including references to assumptions. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Results indicated in forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results for a number of reasons which the Company has identified in the 2015 Annual Information Form under "Narrative Description of the Business Risk Factors", and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's continuous disclosure documents. The reader is cautioned that the factors we refer above are not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. The reader is also cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company made a number of assumptions in making forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Management Report. The Company considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable. These statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of release of this press release, and represent the Company's expectations as of that date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Non International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) financial measures The Company discloses adjusted net earnings, which includs or excluds certain amounts that are not considered representative of performance measures and financial recurrence of the Company. Management believes that this measure is useful in understanding and analysing the operational performance of the Company. The Company discloses in this press release under the section "Results" a reconciliation between net earnings and adjusted net earnings. Adjusted net earnings are not an earnings measure recognised by IFRS and does not have a standardised meaning prescribed by IFRS. Therefore, adjusted net earnings as discussed in this MD&A may not be compared to similar measures presented by other issuers. This measure of performance should not be considered as an alternative as an indicator of performance, but rather as additional information. Same store revenues are not an earnings measure recognised by IFRS and does not have a standardised meaning prescribed by IFRS. Therefore, same store sales as discussed in this MD&A may not be compared to similar measures presented by other issuers. BMTC Group Inc.'s Common Shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and through its subsidiary, Ameublements Tanguay Inc. and it's two divisions Brault & Martineau and EconoMax, is a major retailer of furniture, electronic goods and household appliances operating in the province of Quebec. SOURCE BMTC Group Inc. For further information: Mr. Yves Des Groseillers, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, BMTC Group Inc., (514) 648-5757 VAUGHAN, ON, Aug. 4, 2016 /CNW/ - The Board of Directors of Cara Operations Limited (TSX: CAO) ("Cara" or the "Company") has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.10169 per share on its outstanding Subordinate Voting Shares, Multiple Voting Shares and subscription receipts, or approximately $5.8 million in the aggregate. Dividends per share will be comprised of: (i) $0.05373 per share eligible dividend and (iii) a $0.04796 per share taxable dividend. Payment of the dividend will be made on September 15, 2016 to shareholders and subscription receipt holders of record at the close of business on August 31, 2016. The Company expects to return to paying 100% eligible dividends after the third quarter. Dividend Reinvestment Plan On May 5, 2016, the Company suspended the Dividend Reinvestment Plan which provided holders of Subordinate Voting Shares of Cara and Multiple Voting Shares of Cara, to acquire additional Subordinate Voting Shares by reinvesting all of their cash dividends at a purchase price discount of 3%. The Company will continue to review its Dividend Policy on a quarterly basis and may reinstate the Dividend Reinvestment Plan in the future. About CARA Founded in 1883, Cara is Canada's oldest and largest full-service restaurant company. The Company franchises and/or operates some of the most recognized brands in the country including Swiss Chalet, Harvey's, Milestones, Montana's, Kelsey's, East Side Mario's, Casey's, New York Fries, Prime Pubs, Bier Markt and Landing restaurants. As at June 26, 2016, Cara had 1,003 restaurants, 958 of which were located in Canada and the remaining 45 locations were located internationally. 88% of Cara's restaurants are operated by franchisees and 66% of Cara's locations are based in Ontario. Cara's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CAO. More information about the Company is available at www.cara.com. Forward-Looking Information Certain information in this news release relating to Cara is forward-looking within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. When used in this context, words such as "will", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "intend", "target" and "expect" or similar words suggest future outcomes. The purpose of forward-looking information is to provide investors with management's assessment of future plans and possible outcomes and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as actual results could differ materially from the plans, expectations, estimates or intentions expressed in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Cara disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement even if new information becomes available, as a result of future events or for any other reason. SOURCE Cara Operations Limited For further information: Investor Relations: Cara Operations Limited, Ken Grondin, (905) 760-2244, Chief Financial Officer, Email: [email protected] or [email protected] QUEBEC CITY, Aug. 4, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - (TSX: IAG) Q2-2016 Highlights Diluted EPS of $1.35 , 17% above top of Q2 guidance ( $1.05-$1.15 ) , 17% above top of Q2 guidance ( ) Annualized return on equity of 14.7% (guidance of 11.0% to 12.5%) Favourable policyholder experience of $0.10 EPS ( $0.19 EPS year to date) EPS ( EPS year to date) New business strain ratio of 13% versus guidance of 15% Continued strong sales growth for retail insurance in Canada and the US (+18%) and the US (+18%) Number one position maintained for net sales of segregated funds in Canada Solvency ratio of 199% reflects Q2 macroeconomics (guidance of 175%-200%) "Our excellent second quarter results clearly demonstrate the underlying strength of our operations," commented Yvon Charest, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our two largest business segments continue to perform extremely well, with retail insurance maintaining strong momentum in both Canada and the US and our segregated funds still leading the industry in terms of net sales. Among our subsidiaries, Excellence continues the successful roll-out of its adjustable disability product across Canada, iA Auto and Home is starting to generate sales from new partnerships concluded in the last year, and our wealth management distribution affiliates benefitted from the market growth this quarter. Despite recent turbulence in the macroeconomic environment, our investment portfolio remains healthy and our solvency ratio is well within our comfort zone." "We are extremely encouraged by the quality of our earnings in the second quarter," added Rene Chabot, Executive Vice-President, CFO and Chief Actuary. "In addition to delivering on the cornerstone of our 2016 plan, which is to lower strain on new sales and improve profit in Employee Plans and our US operations, policyholder experience was favourable in all lines of business. As a result of our very strong financial performance during the first half of the year, with earnings ahead of our guidance, we are wellpositioned to achieve our 2016 plan." Highlights Second quarter Year-to-date at June 30 (In millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated) 2016 2015 Variation 2016 2015 Variation Net income attributed to shareholders 143.6 146.1 (2%) 246.0 260.5 (6%) Less: preferred share dividends 4.1 3.9 5% 8.2 9.4 (13%) Less: redemption premium on preferred shares 4.0 Net income attributed to common shareholders 139.5 142.2 (2%) 237.8 247.1 (4%) Earnings per common share (diluted) $1.35 $1.402 ($0.05) 2.31 $ $2.432 ($0.12) Return on common shareholders' equity 1 14.7% 15.8% (110 bps) 9.4% 13.1% (370 bps) June 30, 2016 March 31, 2016 December 31, 2015 June 30, 2015 Solvency ratio 199% 205% 213% 223% Book value per share $37.60 $36.48 $36.76 $36.11 Assets under management and administration $121.9B $117.7B $115.8B $112.9B Net impaired investments as a % of total investments 0.04% 0.04% 0.05% 0.07% 1 Annualized for the quarter. Trailing twelve months for year-to-date. 2 2015 results include a tax recovery of $0.17 per share. SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS Profitability - For the second quarter ended June 30, 2016, Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. reports net income attributed to common shareholders of $139.5 million, diluted earnings per common share (EPS) of $1.35 , and annualized return on shareholders' equity (ROE) of 14.7%, all surpassing our guidance for the quarter. This compares with net income to common shareholders of $142.2 million, EPS of $1.40 and ROE of 15.8% a year earlier. Notably, last year's Q2 results included a tax recovery of $0.17 per share. The key elements that explain profitability follow. All figures are after taxes unless otherwise indicated. Expected profit on in-force increased by 6% to $140.4 million pre-tax over the same quarter last year and is attributed mainly to the retail and group insurance sectors. In addition, the Company reported gains of $0.26 per share, of which $0.10 is attributed to favourable policyholder experience across all lines of business, $0.11 per share to market-related items and $0.05 per share to strain, income taxes and income on capital. A detailed analysis of gains and losses follows. Individual Insurance reported an experience gain of $0.04 per share ($4.4 million), mainly for favourable morbidity. Individual Wealth Management reported an experience gain of $0.14 per share ($14.4 million) attributed to the dynamic hedging program for the segregated fund guarantee ($0.10 EPS), mortality on single-premium immediate annuities ($0.02 EPS), lower expenses ($0.01 EPS) and higher fees on assets under management ($0.01 EPS). Group Insurance reported a net experience gain of $0.01 per share ($0.6 million) explained principally by favourable long term disability for Employee Plans ($0.02 EPS), offset by higher claims for Special Markets Solutions ($0.01 EPS). Group Savings and Retirement reported an experience gain of $0.02 per share ($1.4 million) related to investment and expense gains. Strain - In the Individual Insurance sector, strain on new business amounted to $9.3 million pre-tax, or 13% of sales, compared with guidance of 15%. Management estimates that the lower strain ratio, which is attributed mainly to the higher sales volume in both Canada and the US, represented a gain of $0.01 per share. Income on Capital - Total income on capital amounted to $17.5 million pre-tax which is in line with the Company's quarterly run rate. Higher investment income was partially offset by seasonally lower results at iA Auto and Home, giving rise to a gain of $0.01 EPS. Income Taxes - The Company realized a net tax gain of $0.03 EPS on true-ups relating to 2015. Business Growth - Assets under management and administration of $121.9 billion progressed by 4% in the second quarter (8% year over year), principally due to market growth. Premiums and deposits of $1.9 billion were stable year over year, reflecting strong results in the insurance sectors offset by the decrease in gross mutual fund sales. The retail insurance sector continues to experience strong sales growth across all segments. Total sales of $72.9 million (+18%) progressed by 11% in Canada and 35% in the US. Sales in our adjustable disability business, which continues its crossCanada expansion, were up by 37%. Sales in Canada amounted to $48.4 million (including $5.2 million for adjustable disability) and the US accounted for $24.5 million. In retail wealth management, the Company recorded its tenth consecutive quarter of positive net segregated fund sales while the industry as a whole in Canada is in net redemptions. The Company, which holds first position for net sales and third for assets, had gross segregated fund sales of $352.1 million ($366.5 million in 2015) and net segregated fund inflows of $53.4 million ($88.8 million in 2015). In the mutual fund business, gross sales amounted to $316.7 million ($383.0 million in 2015) while net outflows slowed to $121.3 million from $165.1 million in the same quarter a year ago. The group insurance sector reported total sales of $217.3 million (-2%). In Dealer Services, sales of P&C products and creditor insurance amounted to $58.0 million (+3%) and $101.6 million (+2%), respectively, for an overall increase of 3%. In the remaining two segments, Special Markets Solutions had sales of $40.6 million (-3%) and Employee Plans had sales of $17.1 million (-32%). In Group Savings and Retirement, total sales were $325.2 million, 5% lower than the previous year. At iA Auto and Home, written premiums in the second quarter grew by 12% to $91.6 million, attributed to organic growth and new partnerships. Capital - At June 30, 2016, the solvency ratio was 199% compared with 205% at the end of the previous quarter. Most of the decrease is related to changes in the macroeconomic environment. Dividend - The Board of Directors approved a dividend of 32 cents per share on the Company's outstanding common shares. This dividend is payable on September 15, 2016 to shareholders of record at August 19, 2016. Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan - Registered shareholders wishing to enrol in the Company's Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan (DRIP) so as to be eligible to reinvest the next dividend payable on September 15, 2016 must ensure that the duly completed form is delivered to Computershare no later than 4:00 p.m. on August 12, 2016. Enrolment information is provided on the Company's website at www.ia.ca under About iA, in the Investor Relations/Dividends section. Common shares issued under the Company's DRIP will be purchased on the secondary market and no discount will be applicable. Market Guidance for 2016 Earnings per common share: target range of $4.20 to $4.60 Return on common shareholders' equity (ROE): target range of 11.0% to 12.5% Solvency ratio: target range of 175% to 200% Dividend payout ratio: payout range of 25% to 35% with the target being the mid-point Effective tax rate: target range of 18% to 20% Strain on new business: target of 15% (5%) of sales in Individual Insurance Guidance for ROE and earnings per common share excludes any potential reserve strengthening in 2016. GENERAL INFORMATION Non-IFRS Financial Information iA Financial Group reports its financial results in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). It also publishes certain non-IFRS financial measures that do not have an IFRS equivalent, including sales, value of new business and solvency ratio, or which have an IFRS equivalent such as data on operating profit and income taxes on earnings presented in the sources of earnings table. The Company also uses non-IFRS adjusted data in relation to net income, earnings per share and return on equity. These non-IFRS financial measures are often accompanied by and reconciled with IFRS financial measures. The Company believes that these non-IFRS financial measures provide investors and analysts with additional information to better understand the Company's financial results as well as assess its growth and earnings potential. Since non-IFRS financial measures do not have a standardized definition, they may differ from the non-IFRS financial measures used by other institutions. The Company strongly encourages investors to review its financial statements and other publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Forward-looking Statements This press release may contain statements relating to strategies used by iA Financial Group or statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "suspect", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "believe", "estimate", and "continue" (or the negative thereof), as well as words such as "objective" or "goal" or other similar words or expressions. Such statements constitute forwardlooking statements within the meaning of securities laws. Forwardlooking statements include, but are not limited to, information concerning the Company's possible or assumed future operating results. These statements are not historical facts; they represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. Although iA Financial Group believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to: general business and economic conditions; level of competition and consolidation; changes in laws and regulations including tax laws; liquidity of iA Financial Group including the availability of financing to meet existing financial commitments on their expected maturity dates when required; accuracy of information received from counterparties and the ability of counterparties to meet their obligations; accuracy of accounting policies and actuarial methods used by iA Financial Group; insurance risks including mortality, morbidity, longevity and policyholder behaviour including the occurrence of natural or manmade disasters, pandemic diseases and acts of terrorism. Additional information about the material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations and about material factors or assumptions applied in making forward-looking statements may be found in the "Risk Management" section of the 2015 Management's Discussion and Analysis and in the "Management of Risks Associated with Financial Instruments" note to iA Financial Group's consolidated financial statements, and elsewhere in iA Financial Group's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available for review at www.sedar.com . The forward-looking statements in this news release reflect the Company's expectations as of the date of this press release. iA Financial Group does not undertake to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. Documents Related to the Financial Results For a detailed discussion of the Company's second quarter results, investors are invited to consult the MD&A for the quarter ended June 30, 2016, related consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes as well as our supplemental information package, all of which are available on the iA Financial Group website at www.ia.ca under About iA, in the Investor Relations/Financial Reports section and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Conference Call Management will hold a conference call to present the Company's results on Thursday, August 4, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. (ET). The tollfree dial-in number is 1-888-225-7896. A replay of the conference call will be available for a oneweek period, starting at 7:30 p.m. on August 4, 2016. To access the conference call replay, dial 18005585253 (toll-free) and enter access code 21812614. A webcast of the conference call ( listen-only mode) will also be available on the company's website at www.ia.ca . About iA Financial Group Founded in 1892, iA Financial Group offers life and health insurance products, mutual and segregated funds, savings and retirement plans, RRSPs, securities, auto and home insurance, mortgages and car loans and other financial products and services for both individuals and groups. It is one of the four largest life and health insurance companies in Canada and among the largest publicly-traded companies in the country. iA Financial Group stock is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IAG. iA Financial Group is a business name and trademark of Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. SOURCE Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. For further information: Investor Relations : Grace Pollock, Office: 418 780-5945, Email: [email protected]; Media Relations : Pierre Picard, Office: 418 684-5000, ext. 1660, Email: [email protected] Reported Q2 2016 IFRS net income of $88.5 million , or $0.59 per diluted share. , or per diluted share. Q2 2016 adjusted net income from E&C (1) of $71.4 million , or $0.48 per diluted share. of , or per diluted share. Revenue backlog of $12.5 billion as at June 30, 2016 . as at . SG&A expense reduction of 10.1% versus Q2 2015, with annual anticipated benefits on track. Strong cash balance of $1.1 billion . . 2016 Outlook maintained: adjusted diluted EPS from E&C (2) in the range of $1.50 to $1.70 . To watch Neil Bruce comment on SNC-Lavalin's second quarter 2016 financial results, click here. MONTREAL, Aug. 4, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. (TSX: SNC) announces its results today for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. "We are pleased with our results in the second quarter as we continue to drive consistency throughout our organization. Our efforts in delivering consistent execution continue to drive financial performance and sustained earnings improvements across the Company. Looking ahead, we see many opportunities across all our sectors, particularly in Infrastructure, Power and Oil & Gas," said Neil Bruce, President and Chief Executive Officer, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. "We are also pleased with the progress of our Operational Excellence program, which we launched at the end of the first quarter of this year. We are already seeing its impact across the organization in making us simpler, more agile and client-focused." For Q2 2016, reported IFRS net income increased to $88.5 million , or $0.59 per diluted share, compared to a net income of $26.5 million , or $0.17 per diluted share, for the corresponding period in 2015. , or per diluted share, compared to a net income of , or per diluted share, for the corresponding period in 2015. Adjusted net income from E&C (1) for Q2 2016 was $71.4 million , or $0.48 per diluted share, compared to $8.2 million , or $0.05 per diluted share, for the corresponding period in 2015. The increase was mainly due to an improved Segment EBIT (3) from Infrastructure. for Q2 2016 was , or per diluted share, compared to , or per diluted share, for the corresponding period in 2015. The increase was mainly due to an improved Segment EBIT from Infrastructure. Total selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses in Q2 2016 decreased by 10.1% which builds upon the 18.7% reduction in Q1. These quarter-on-quarter reductions are mainly due to the successful implementation of the "STEP Change" program in 2015. As previously indicated, we will continue to take additional measures throughout the year, if required, to ensure we are as cost effective as possible. Adjusted E&C EBITDA (4) margin was 5.8% in Q2 2016, compared to 2.2% in Q2 2015. margin was 5.8% in Q2 2016, compared to 2.2% in Q2 2015. Total E&C revenue for Q2 2016 was $2.0 billion , compared with $2.2 billion in Q2 2015. The variation was mainly due to a decrease in the Mining & Metallurgy segment, which continues to be affected by the persistent softer commodity prices. , compared with in Q2 2015. The variation was mainly due to a decrease in the Mining & Metallurgy segment, which continues to be affected by the persistent softer commodity prices. Net income from Capital for Q2 2016 was $35.6 million , or $0.24 per diluted share, compared with $45.0 million , or $0.29 per diluted share for the corresponding period in 2015, attributable to an increase in business development expenses on new prospects and other SG&A. , or per diluted share, compared with , or per diluted share for the corresponding period in 2015, attributable to an increase in business development expenses on new prospects and other SG&A. The revenue backlog totaled $12.5 billion at the end of June 2016 . New contract awards for the quarter totaled $1.2 billion . at the end of . New contract awards for the quarter totaled . The balance sheet remained strong at the end of June 2016 with cash and cash equivalents of $1.1 billion . This balance sheet resilience gives our customers and partners confidence in our ability to deliver on projects. with cash and cash equivalents of . This balance sheet resilience gives our customers and partners confidence in our ability to deliver on projects. The Operational Excellence program is expected to further improve and sustain a culture of efficiency and execution. We launched this initiative at the end of Q1 2016, as we are committed to our strategy and actions to deliver consistently improving financial performance. Outlook The Company is maintaining its previously announced 2016 outlook for the adjusted diluted EPS from E&C(2), which is expected to be in the range of $1.50 to $1.70. We continue to expect that the Oil & Gas and Power segments will be the main contributors to net income, while Mining & Metallurgy will likely be the smallest contributor to net income. We also expect that the Infrastructure & Construction sub-segment will return to full year profitability in 2016. The Company is also targeting to deliver an annualized adjusted E&C EBITDA(4) margin of 7% in 2017. The above outlook is based on the assumptions and methodology described in the Company's 2015 Management's Discussion and Analysis under the heading, "How We Budget and Forecast Our Results", which should be read in conjunction with the "Forward Looking Statements" section below and is subject to the risks and uncertainties summarized therein, which are more fully described in the Company's public disclosure documents. Quarterly Dividend The Board of Directors today declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share, payable on September 1, 2016, to shareholders of record on August 18, 2016. This dividend is an "eligible dividend" for income tax purposes. Conference Call / Webcast SNC-Lavalin will hold a conference call today at 3:00 p.m. EDT to discuss the second quarter results. The telephone numbers to access the conference call are 1 866 530 1553 in North America, 416 847 6330 in Toronto, 514 223 0613 in Montreal, 080 0279 0444 in the United Kingdom, and 180 099 2284 in Ireland. Members of the media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis. A live audio webcast of the conference call and an accompanying slide presentation will be available at investors.snclavalin.com. A recording of the conference call will be available on our website within 24 hours following the call. About SNC-Lavalin Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure. From offices in over 50 countries, SNC-Lavalin's employees are proud to build what matters. Our teams provide engineering, procurement, construction, completions and commissioning services together with a range of sustaining capital services to clients in four industry sectors, oil and gas, mining and metallurgy, infrastructure and power. SNC-Lavalin can also combine these services with its financing and operations and maintenance capabilities to provide complete end-to-end project solutions. www.snclavalin.com (1) Adjusted net income from E&C is defined as net income attributable to SNC-Lavalin shareholders from E&C, excluding one-time net foreign exchange gains, charges related to restructuring and right-sizing and other, as well as amortization of intangible assets, and the financing, acquisition-related costs and integration costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of Kentz in 2014. E&C is defined in the Company's 2015 financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis. The term "Adjusted net income from E&C" does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS. Therefore, it may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management uses this measure as a more meaningful way to compare the Company's financial performance from period to period. Management believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance. See reconciliation below. (2) Adjusted diluted EPS from E&C is defined as the adjusted net income from E&C divided by the weighted average outstanding number of shares for the period. (3) Segment EBIT is defined herein as gross margin less i) directly related selling, general and administrative expenses; ii) corporate selling, general and administrative expenses that are directly related to projects or segments; and iii) non-controlling interests before taxes. Corporate selling, general and administrative expenses that are not directly related to projects or segments, restructuring costs, goodwill impairment, acquisition-related costs and integration costs and amortization of intangible assets are not allocated to the Company's segments. The term "Segment EBIT" does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS. Therefore, it may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management uses this measure as a more meaningful way to compare the Company's financial performance from period to period. Management believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance. (4) Adjusted E&C EBITDA is defined herein as earnings from E&C before net financial expenses, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and excludes one-time net foreign exchange gains, charges related to restructuring and right-sizing and other, as well as the acquisition-related costs and integration costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of Kentz in 2014. The term "Adjusted E&C EBITDA" does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS. Therefore, it may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management uses this measure as a more meaningful way to compare the Company's financial performance from period to period. Management believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance. SNC-Lavalin Financial Summary (in thousands of Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated) Second Quarter Six months ended June 30 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenues From E&C 2,045,237 2,191,876 3,976,010 4,396,871 From Capital 57,749 58,486 115,146 110,556 2,102,986 2,250,362 4,091,156 4,507,427 Net income (loss) attributable to SNC-Lavalin's shareholders From E&C 52,894 (18,508) 84,093 48,513 From Capital 35,616 45,017 126,524 82,376 88,510 26,509 210,617 130,889 Diluted EPS ($) From E&C 0.35 (0.12) 0.56 0.32 From Capital 0.24 0.29 0.84 0.54 0.59 0.17 1.40 0.86 Adjusted net income attributable to SNC-Lavalin's shareholders From E&C 71,400 8,153 128,578 65,016 From Capital 35,616 45,017 75,479 82,376 107,016 53,170 204,057 147,392 Adjusted diluted EPS ($) From E&C 0.48 0.05 0.86 0.43 From Capital 0.24 0.29 0.50 0.54 0.72 0.34 1.36 0.97 Adjusted E&C EBITDA 117,916 48,624 217,766 150,068 Adjusted E&C EBITDA margin 5.8% 2.2% 5.5% 3.4% Revenue backlog 12,544,300 12,388,200 Cash and cash equivalents 1,064,589 934,480 Reconciliation of IFRS Net Income as Reported to Adjusted Net Income Net income, as reported Net charges related to the restructuring & right-sizing plan and other Acquisition of Kentz One-time net foreign exchange gain Net gain on Capital investment disposals Net income, adjusted Acquisition-related costs and integration costs Amortization of intangible assets Second Quarter 2016 In M$ E&C 52.9 4.5* 1.4 12.6 - - 71.4 Capital 35.6 - - - - - 35.6 88.5 4.5 1.4 12.6 - - 107.0 Per Diluted share ($) E&C 0.35 0.03 0.01 0.09 - - 0.48 Capital 0.24 - - - - - 0.24 0.59 0.03 0.01 0.09 - - 0.72 Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 In M$ E&C 84.1 13.8 2.3 28.4 - - 128.6 Capital 126.5 - - - - (51.1) 75.4 210.6 13.8 2.3 28.4 - (51.1) 204.0 Per diluted share ($) E&C 0.56 0.09 0.02 0.19 - - 0.86 Capital 0.84 - - - - (0.34) 0.50 1.40 0.09 0.02 0.19 - (0.34) 1.36 *This amount includes $4.3 million ($2.0 million after taxes) of net charges which did not meet the restructuring costs definition in accordance with IFRS. Net income (loss), as reported Net charges related to the restructuring & right-sizing plan and other Acquisition of Kentz One-time net foreign exchange gain Net gain on Capital investment disposals Net income, adjusted Acquisition-related costs and integration costs Amortization of intangible assets Second Quarter 2015 In M$ E&C (18.5) 6.0 4.7 16.0 - - 8.2 Capital 45.0 - - - - - 45.0 26.5 6.0 4.7 16.0 - - 53.2 Per Diluted share ($) E&C (0.12) 0.04 0.03 0.10 - - 0.05 Capital 0.29 - - - - - 0.29 0.17 0.04 0.03 0.10 - - 0.34 Six Months Ended June 30, 2015 In M$ E&C 48.5 6.4 10.7 32.0 (32.6) - 65.0 Capital 82.4 - - - - - 82.4 130.9 6.4 10.7 32.0 (32.6) - 147.4 Per diluted share ($) E&C 0.32 0.04 0.07 0.21 (0.21) - 0.43 Capital 0.54 - - - - - 0.54 0.86 0.04 0.07 0.21 (0.21) - 0.97 Forward-looking Statements: Reference in this press release, and hereafter, to the "Company" or to "SNC-Lavalin" means, as the context may require, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. and all or some of its subsidiaries or joint arrangements, or SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. or one or more of its subsidiaries or joint arrangements. Statements made in this press release that describe the Company's or management's budgets, estimates, expectations, forecasts, objectives, predictions, projections of the future or strategies may be "forward-looking statements", which can be identified by the use of the conditional or forward-looking terminology such as "aims", "anticipates", "assumes", "believes", "cost savings", "estimates", "expects", "goal", "intends", "may", "plans", "projects", "should", "synergies", "will", or the negative thereof or other variations thereon. Forward-looking statements also include any other statements that do not refer to historical facts. Forward-looking statements also include statements relating to the following: i) future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses and future prospects; and ii) business and management strategies and the expansion and growth of the Company's operations. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe-harbour" provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company cautions that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and that its actual actions and/or results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, or could affect the extent to which a particular projection materializes. Forward-looking statements are presented for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding certain key elements of the Company's current objectives, strategic priorities, expectations and plans, and in obtaining a better understanding of the Company's business and anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The 2016-2017 outlook referred to in this press release is forward-looking information and is based on the methodology described in the Company's 2015 Management's Discussion and Analysis under the heading "How We Budget and Forecast Our Results" and is subject to the risks and uncertainties described in the Company's public disclosure documents. The purpose of the 2016-2017 outlook is to provide the reader with an indication of management's expectations, at the date of this press release, regarding the Company's future financial performance and readers are cautioned that this information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on a number of assumptions believed by the Company to be reasonable as at the date hereof. The assumptions are set out throughout the Company's 2015 Management's Discussion and Analysis (particularly in the sections entitled "Critical Accounting Judgments and Key Sources of Estimation Uncertainty" and "How We Analyze and Report our Results" in the Company's 2015 Management's Discussion and Analysis). The 2016-2017 outlook also assumes that the federal charges laid against the Company and its indirect subsidiaries SNC-Lavalin International Inc. and SNC-Lavalin Construction Inc. on February 19, 2015, will not have a significant adverse impact on the Company's business in 2016-2017. If these assumptions are inaccurate, the Company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. In addition, important risk factors could cause the Company's assumptions and estimates to be inaccurate and actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to: (a) the outcome of pending and future claims and litigation could have a material adverse impact on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operation; (b) on February 19, 2015, the Company was charged with one count of corruption under the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (Canada)(the "CFPOA") and one count of fraud under the Criminal Code (Canada), and is also subject to other ongoing investigations which could subject the Company to criminal and administrative enforcement actions, civil actions and sanctions, fines and other penalties, some of which may be significant. These charges and investigations, and potential results thereof, could harm the Company's reputation, result in suspension, prohibition or debarment of the Company from participating in certain projects, reduce its revenues and net income and adversely affect its business; (c) further regulatory developments could have a significant adverse impact on the Company's results, and employee, agent or partner misconduct or failure to comply with anti-bribery and other government laws and regulations could harm the Company's reputation, reduce its revenues and net income, and subject the Company to criminal and administrative enforcement actions and civil actions; (d) if the Company is not able to successfully execute on its strategic plan, its business and results of operations would be adversely affected; (e) a negative impact on the Company's public image could influence its ability to obtain future projects; (f) fixed-price contracts or the Company's failure to meet contractual schedule or performance requirements may increase the volatility and unpredictability of its revenue and profitability; (g) the Company's revenue and profitability are largely dependent on the awarding of new contracts, which it does not directly control, and the uncertainty of contract award timing could have an adverse effect on the Company's ability to match its workforce size with its contract needs; (h) the Company's backlog is subject to unexpected adjustments and cancellations, including under "termination for convenience" provisions, and does not represent a guarantee of the Company's future revenues or profitability; (i) SNC-Lavalin is a provider of services to government agencies and is exposed to risks associated with government contracting; (j) the Company's international operations are exposed to various risks and uncertainties, including unfavourable political environments, weak foreign economies and the exposure to foreign currency risk; (k) there are risks associated with the Company's ownership interests in Capital investments that could adversely affect it; (l) the Company is dependent on third parties to complete many of its contracts; (m) the Company's use of joint ventures and partnerships exposes it to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of the Company's control; (n) the competitive nature of the markets in which the Company does business could adversely affect it; (o) the Company's project execution activities may result in professional liability or liability for faulty services; (p) the Company could be subject to monetary damages and penalties in connection with professional and engineering reports and opinions that it provides; (q) the Company may not have in place sufficient insurance coverage to satisfy its needs; (r) the Company's employees work on projects that are inherently dangerous and a failure to maintain a safe work site could result in significant losses and/or an inability to obtain future projects; (s) the Company's failure to attract and retain qualified personnel could have an adverse effect on its activities; (t) work stoppages, union negotiations and other labour matters could adversely affect the Company; (u) the Company relies on information systems and data in its operations. Failure in the availability or security of the Company's information systems or in data security could adversely affect its business and results of operations; (v) any acquisition or other investment may present risks or uncertainties; (w) a deterioration or weakening of the Company's financial position, including its cash net of recourse debt, would have a material adverse effect on its business and results of operations; * the Company may have significant working capital requirements, which if unfunded could negatively impact its business, financial condition and cash flows; (y) an inability of SNC-Lavalin's clients to fulfill their obligations on a timely basis could adversely affect the Company; (z) the Company may be required to impair certain of its goodwill, and it may also be required to write down or write off the value of certain of its assets and investments, either of which could have a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations and financial condition; (aa) global economic conditions could affect the Company's client base, partners, subcontractors and suppliers and could materially affect its backlog, revenues, net income and ability to secure and maintain financing; (bb) fluctuations in commodity prices may affect clients' investment decisions and therefore subject the Company to risks of cancellation, delays in existing work, or changes in the timing and funding of new awards, and may affect the costs of the Company's projects; (cc) inherent limitations to the Company's control framework could result in a material misstatement of financial information and; (dd) environmental laws and regulations expose the Company to certain risks, could increase costs and liabilities and impact demand for the Company's services. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For more information on risks and uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause the Company's actual results to differ from current expectations, please refer to the sections "Risks and Uncertainties", "How We Analyze and Report Our Results" and "Critical Accounting Judgments and Key Sources of Estimation Uncertainty" in the Company's 2015 and as updated in the second quarter 2016 Management's Discussion and Analysis. The forward-looking statements herein reflect the Company's expectations as at the date of this press release and are subject to change after this date. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable legislation or regulation. SNC-Lavalin's Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis and other relevant financial materials are available in the Investors section of the Company's website at www.snclavalin.com. These and other Company reports are also available on the website maintained by the Canadian Securities regulators at www.sedar.com. SOURCE SNC-Lavalin For further information: Media: Louis-Antoine Paquin, Public Relations Manager, Corporate Communications, 514-393-8000, ext. 54771, [email protected]; Investors: Denis Jasmin, Vice President, Investor Relations, 514-393-8000, ext. 57553, [email protected] China will make high temperature gas nuclear reactors in Indonesia Under the agreement, CNEC and Batan intend to cooperate on an Indonesian HTGR project and to train workers. Batan is promoting the introduction of nuclear power plants in Indonesia to help meet the countys demand for power. It envisages the start-up of conventional large light-water reactors on the populous islands of Bali, Java, Madura and Sumatra from 2027 onwards. In addition, it is planning for small HTGRs (up to 100 MWe) for deployment on Kalimantan, Sulawesi and other islands to supply power and heat for industrial use. Prior to the introduction of commercial reactors in Indonesia, Batan is considering building a test and demonstration HTGR with an electrical output of 3-10 MWe and a thermal output of 10-30 MWt. In August 2014, Batan signed a cooperation agreement with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) on research and development of HTGRs. JAEA has developed a small prototype gas-cooled reactor, the High-Temperature Test Reactor. This is a 30 MWt graphite-moderated helium gas-cooled reactor which achieved first criticality in November 1998. In April 2015, Rosatom announced that a consortium of Russian and Indonesian companies led by NUKEM Technologies had won a contract for the preliminary design of a multi-purpose 10 MWe HTGR at Serpong in Indonesia. CNEC has been working with Tsinghua University since 2003 on the design, construction and commercialization of HTR technology. The partners signed a new agreement in March 2014 aimed at furthering cooperation in both international and domestic marketing of the advanced reactor technology. A demonstration HTR-PM unit is under construction at Shidaowan near Weihai city in Chinas Shandong province. That plant will initially comprise twin HTR-PM reactor modules driving a single 210 MWe steam turbine. Construction started in late 2012 and commercial operation is scheduled to start in late 2017. A proposal to construct two 600 MWe HTRs at Ruijin city in Chinas Jiangxi province passed a preliminary feasibility review in early 2015. The design of the Ruijin HTRs is based on the smaller Shidaowan demonstration HTR-PM. Construction of the Ruijin reactors is expected to start next year, with grid connection in 2021. New Yorks Public Service Commission enacted a landmark Clean Energy Standard that calls for propping up the states ailing nuclear plants with a multibillion-dollar subsidy. Its the most significant step yet by a state government to rescue nuclear power providers, which have been buffeted by low-priced electricity from natural-gas plants. Under the new plan, ratepayers will subsidize the operation of three of the states four nuclear power stations through 2029, providing funding that will average about half a billion dollars a year and could total $7.6 billion. The plan also aims to slash carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent and produce half the states electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The plants operators had publicly stated that they planned to shut down if regulators didnt come up with public funding. Entergy, which owns the James A. FitzPatrick plant, situated on the shore of Lake Ontario, said it would shut the plant down by early 2017. Exelon, owner of the R.E. Ginna and Nine Mile Point plants, has said it would close those plants in the next few years without state support. (The Indian Point Energy Center, located near New York City, is not included in the new subsidies because, the commission stated, power prices are higher in its region and the plant is not in danger of closing.) Abductors of a House of Representatives member Alhaji Sani Bello, yesterday demanded N10million to free him. Abductors of a House of Representatives member Alhaji Sani Bello, yesterday demanded N10million to free him.Bello was kidnapped on Tuesday near Gobirawa near Birni-Gwari in Kaduna State.The 52-year-old legislator, who has been living in Kaduna State for many years is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).He once served as Chairman of Mashi Local Government.A tweet from Aviation Minister(State) Hadi Sirika (@hadisirika) first announced the unfortunate incident.A respected indigene of Gobirawa near Birni-Gwari where Alhaji Bello lives, told The Nation on condition of anonymity that the legislator was ambushed and kidnapped on his way to the farm.The informant told The Nation on the telephone last night: He was abducted around 5pm on Tuesday but it usually takes much time for people who are about one and a half hours away in Kaduna city to hear about things happening to us here.On Wednesday (yesterday) evening, around 5pm, we heard from the kidnappers for the first time and they demanded that N6million be paid as ransom within two hours.Two hours afterwards, they demanded that N10 million must be paid immediately but we are trying to negotiate it downwards now.The kidnappers called one of their victims best friends to make their demands known and we are now praying that God would touch the hearts of his abductors to ensure a safe return.The area where Bellos kidnappers abducted him had been under the threat of highway robbers, cattle-rustlers and other criminal elements for years but lately, the Nigerian Army, Kaduna State government and various security agencies have dislocated the criminal elements. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the federal house of representatives, to stop levelling alle... The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the federal house of representatives, to stop levelling allegations against the leadership of the lower chamber in public.The party said this through Lawal Shuaibu, its deputy national chairman, north, in a letter to Jibrin on Thursday.As you are aware, the party, and indeed the government, has not been happy over the recent development in the house of representatives over the issue of the 2016 budget. We found it embarrassing to have to deal with another new phenomenon you tagged budget padding,' it said.Arising from the series of meetings we held with you over the subject matter, the national working committee had decided to request you to henceforth avoid issuing any public statement on this matter. This includes statements through social media or other means of transmitting an opinion on the matter to the public, as the party is now looking into it towards finding possible solution.Since July 21 when he made his first allegation of budget-padding against Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, and three other leaders of the house, Jibrin has publicly made a series of allegations against the quartet.He had claimed that a group led by Dogara had made insertions of about N250bn into the 2016 budget.On Monday, he went to the offices of the anti-graft agencies in Abuja to formally submit a petition against Dogara and others.READ APC Letter to Jibrin below: Chairman Caretaker of Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has called on the Independent National Electo... Chairman Caretaker of Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to disregard the letter by the factional chairman of PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff urging the commission not to recognize the partys convention slated for Port Harcourt on August 17.A statement issued in Abuja by spokesman of the faction, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said Sheriffs letter to INEC was not only meant to scuttle the convention but to destroy the party.It reads: The latest attempt by the former National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his cohorts is not only to scuttle the forthcoming National Convention but also another clear evidence of his determination to destroy the PDP. The law and the facts are as follows:The ruling of Justice Okon Abang which Ali Modu Sheriff is relyinga on is a mere narrative of the Case before the Federal High Courts in Lagos and in Port Harcourt Divisions. It does not set aside or nullified the Judgment of Justice Liman which has authenticated the May 21st National Convention and the Resolutions emanating therefrom.The ruling did not anywhere direct INEC to do anything or not to do anything, to discharge or not to discharge any obligation; to perform any function or not to perform any function. In essence, it is a mere legal tale and the Order having been made without any application before him by either of the Parties has no foundation in law.Hon. Justice Valerie Arshi had in a Judgment nullified the appointment of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as Chairman of the Party. That Judgment has not been set aside. It is still valid and subsisting. And no Court of Coordinate Jurisdiction including the Federal High Court can make any other Order with the intention of rendering that Judgment ineffective.The National Convention which held in Port Harcourt on May 21st 2016 which resolutions were confirmed by Justice Liman of the Federal High NCourt, Port Harcourt on July 4, 2016 dissolved the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) and affirmed Nthe National Caretaker Committee as the Supreme body to run the affairs of the Party until another Convention was held within 90 days.That being the case, it was therefore the last Convention that in fact convened the forthcoming one slated for August 17, 2016, and not the National Caretaker Committee parse. The National Convention is superior to all other Organs of the Party.We call on INEC to disregard the letter from the former National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his cohorts. It belongs to the garbage bin. He is merely acting the script of his paymasters. The Caretaker Committee will continue with its dogged determination to organize the best National Convention in the history of our great Party. Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu yesterday confirmed the abolition of the dichotomy that hitherto existed between the Higher Natio... Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu yesterday confirmed the abolition of the dichotomy that hitherto existed between the Higher National Diploma (HND) and University degree otherwise known as B.Sc..The Minister who announced the official position of the government in Abuja yesterday said the stories that has been on social media has element of mischief.The dichotomy between Bsc and HND has been eliminated, he said.Sources also gathered that the National Council on Establishments (NCE) has also given approval for the abolition of the dichotomy.The Minister, last month announced that the government had concluded plans to abolish the dichotomy that hitherto existed between these two educational qualifications, but a reliable source in the Ministry said the policy announcement was put on hold pending the decision of the National Council on Establishments and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).This is serious education policy that has effect on millions of Nigerian students. So, the Minister is very careful not to make mistake that would further compound the issue. To this end, he (the Minister) decided to wait for the input of all stakeholders, the source said. Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has publicly apologized to his predecessor, Mr Peter Obi, asking him to forgive any wrong done to h... Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has publicly apologized to his predecessor, Mr Peter Obi, asking him to forgive any wrong done to him.The Governor, who is an old student of the Christ the King College, Onitsha, as well as his predecessor, made the open plea during the burial mass of their School Principal, Reverend Father Nicholas Tagbo, at the premises of their alma mater.He did this in the presence of thousands of former school mates and a large number of priests who were present to honour the late renowned teacher and principal known for discipline, love, forgiveness and unity.It was an unprecedented development for the people of Anambra State who hailed Governor Obianos action as the best in the interest of peace and unity of the state.Reacting to the development, Governor Willie Obiano said that although he was unaware of what the challenge was, he deemed it wise to make the move in the spirit of the Reverend Father who taught them love and forgiveness.Former Governor Peter Obi in his reaction, said that as Christians, it is important to forgive and whatever they, as leaders, are doing, the interest of the children of Anambra State should be paramount.The Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Onitsha and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of the Niger, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke, blessed the reconciliation. Advocacy for Integrity and Economic Development (AIED), a non-governmental -organisation known for anti-corruption crusade, has approached... Advocacy for Integrity and Economic Development (AIED), a non-governmental -organisation known for anti-corruption crusade, has approached a Federal High Court in Lagos State for an order compelling the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Attorney General of the Federation to arrest and extradite Senator Buruji Kashamu to the United States for drug-related charges against him.A series of court injunctions in favour of Senator Kashamu last year prevented the anti-narcotics agency, which literally kept vigil at the Lagos residence of the Ogun East senator, from arresting and extraditing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain.But AIED in a fresh suit filed on Tuesday said Kashamus protection by the Federal Government was hampering efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to have past indicted government officials and stashed stolen funds returned to Nigeria.The NGO noted that non-extradition of the Ogun East senator, after a court application for his repatriation has been frustrated till date, was a violation of Extradition Treaty which has strained the relationship between both countries. Joined with the NDLEA and AGF as defendants in the suit number FHC/L/CS/1045/2016 are the PDP, the US Embassy and the Senate.Also being sought is an order compelling the PDP and the Senate to notify the NDLEA and AGF of the presence of Senator Kashamus at the August 17 convention of the party slated for Port Harcourt, Rivers State and the Senate chambers.That under the laws of the United States, Senator Kashamu has been indicted with the charges of drug trafficking.That Senator Kashamu has been described by the United State Government as the kingpin of a drug cartel.That Senator Kashamu has over the years been avoiding entrance to the United States to avoid arrest and subsequent prosecution. Senator Kashamu absconded and remains a fugitive in United States.Based on the foregoing international agreement between the two countries the United States government applied to the Nigerian government for the extradition of Senator Kashamu which application has been frustrated till date.That the current anti-corruption crusade of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is being undermined and threatened by the failure of Nigeria to live up to her international treaty obligations with the United States.That this failure to comply with international obligation has dissuaded the United States government from taking steps to grant the Nigerian governments request for extradition of alleged corrupt individuals for prosecution and effective repatriation of stolen public funds, a document stating the particulars of the suit said. Igbo traders and businessmen in Kano State, yesterday staged a peaceful protest to express their displeasure over the spate of cold-blood... Igbo traders and businessmen in Kano State, yesterday staged a peaceful protest to express their displeasure over the spate of cold-blooded murder of their colleagues and relatives in the state in recent times.The victims included Mr. Tochukwu Augustine Ilo who was killed by the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad a week ago and Mrs. Bridget Agbaheme, who was hacked to death by Islamic extremists for alleged blasphemy.The protest, which held amid tight security by the police and other security agencies, commenced with the closure of thousands of shops owned by Igbo traders in the different markets in the metropolis as early as 6 00am.Affected were the Abubakar Rimi Market, the Iron and Steel Market in Kofar Ruwa, Kofar Wambai Market, including shops and small businesses that line the streets of Sabon-Garri metro area.Over 5,000 traders and businessmen converged at the Rumfa Primary School, Enugu Road, Sabon Garri, Kano where the mourners assembled, Sun reports.Chairman of the Sabon-Garri Market Igbo Traders Association, who addressed the press, condemned the brutal murder of his member, saying he was a good man killed in bad taste.Eze Ndigbo Kano, Chief Boniface Ibekwe disclosed the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi 11 had waded into the issue, assuring the traders of the determination of the monarch to ensure that justice was done. The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by Mr James Faleke, challenging the election of Mr Yahaya Bello as Kogi ... The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by Mr James Faleke, challenging the election of Mr Yahaya Bello as Kogi State Governor, stating that Falekes case lacks merit.Justice Jummai Sankey in his ruling stated that according to Section 221 of the Nigerian constitution, only the party could canvass for votes.She explained that the constitution does not recognise independent candidature, so Faleke could not lay claims to the number of votes polled before the demise of Audu and before the election was concluded.So it may be said that he is not a candidate, Sankey said. The judge also held that Faleke was only joined to Audu after the primaries had been concluded, but Bello, whom the APC chose, participated in the primary election that produced Audu as candidate.Sankey also added that the nomination of Bello to replace the late Audu did not contravene the constitution or the electoral act.The appellate court had earlier reserved the judgment after hearing submission from all parties involved in the matter.Counsel for Faleke, Akin Olujimi, had urged the Appeal Court to set aside the decision of the Kogi election tribunal and invalidate the election of Yahaya Bello on the ground that Bello was not properly nominated.He submitted that Bello did not undergo all the electioneering processes as required by law before he emerged as his partys candidate in the re-run election. In his own submission, Joseph Daodu, who is counsel for Governor Bello, insisted that the issue of nomination of candidates for election was the sole responsibility of a political party.Daodu submitted that Governor Bello, having been nominated by the APC in compliance with the existing law and authority of the party remained the candidate of his party in the election.Counsel for INEC, Ahmed Raji, asked the court to uphold the election of Yahaya Bello on the ground that he was properly nominated by APC as a replacement to Abubakar Audu who passed away during the election. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has said that Nigeria could no longer build its future on oil revenue f... Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has said that Nigeria could no longer build its future on oil revenue following the fall in global price of oil.The minister spoke on Hard Talk, a weekly programme on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) monitored by NE in Abuja on Wednesday.He stated that Nigeria failed to spend oil money wisely by building infrastructure despite making huge profits from oil in the past.The minister specifically blamed the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for failing to save profits made from the sale of oil.Nigeria, he said, is now facing the consequences of global downturn in oil price resulting from making regrettable choices.Fashola explained that although Nigeria had made bad choices on how oil money was spent in the past, the present administration, he said, was ready to change that by focusing on taxation as a source of revenue.He said: As I have argued, at the time when there was a lot of prosperity, there was money to spend, we made some now regrettable choices.No nation is immune from what is happening now and people who are better able to weather the storm are perhaps those who invested wisely in educational assets, in security assets, in transportational assets, power generational assets but it does not make them immune. So it is like preparing for winter really.It is evolving in an era where there is a global economic downturn and there will be local consequences. We did not spend on investments particularly on infrastructure and therefore we consumed all our extraordinary income.You cant plan a future around extraordinary income that you dont control the circles. This budget will be driven by resources from taxation and any serious government, any forward looking government like this government must understand that the boom that comes from commodity prices really is extraordinary income.We may have made some very poor choices over the time about how we spent that money (oil money), this administration has a focus now that we will deal with our funding issues first from taxation, corporate taxation.No country survives on her own investment but every country thrives first on the investment of her people and as first Nigerians are responding and investing on that economy I think that we will turn this corner.There is a global downward trend. National growth projections are been revised downward and in this downward global times, there will be diverse local consequences. Ours is not different. We are not underPerforming. We are facing a turbulent time, difficult time but we will navigate. We will come through and I see that happening within a shorter time than a longer time.Speaking on the fight against Boko Haram in the North-East, the minister said that president Muhammadu Buhari had done well in restoring peace to the region.Fashola, who debunked claims that thousands of children were dying daily of malnutrition in the region, noted that Buhari had ordered the release of food to the region.He said: Again I have issues with those numbers. They are people who are displaced but to the point to make also is that there is progress now in the north-east.The president has fulfilled his mandate to taking control of the security challenges of the north-east.In terms of restoring order to the north-east I believe the evidence that speaks today, people beginning to trade today on the streets of Borno, and Damarturu, in Yobe.In the last three to four months the president himself ordered release of food support from our strategic reserves of agriculture. So we are mindful of the problems.Construction going on in Adamawa that I am aware of. Roads being built means that order has return. Securing law and order is the first leg to being able to provide for those child, to put them back, to relocate families back to their homes. It is already happening as a result of government taking responsibility, states and civil society organization.Fashola also said Buhari was winning the war against corruption, adding that Nigerians now believe that there is consequences for stealing public funds.The people of Nigeria believe that the president has walked his talk in terms of corruption. Now how many people you ultimately see in jail is one thing and I think that the point must be made and very clearly too that there are many interests here involved.The interest to see people convicted the interest to recover, and the interest to ensure that it wont happen again. And all of these are going on simultaneously and that people believe that there will be consequences for their actions, he added. Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called for caution with regards to the Niger Delta Republic agitations, saying there is no alter... Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called for caution with regards to the Niger Delta Republic agitations, saying there is no alternative to a united Nigeria.He also confirmed that he has been liaising with traditional rulers and others to douse militancy in the Niger Delta.Dr. Jonathan spoke to reporters at the presidential Villa in Abuja after a 20-minute meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.He spoke against the background of the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta including bombings of oil facilities.The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is spearheading the bombings.Another group, the Adaka Boro Avengers (ADA), set last Monday for its declaration of Niger Delta Republic.But the event was aborted by the heavy presence of the military in Kaiama and other places in the region where the declaration was supposed to take place.The group, in a statement calling off the plan, said it was prevailed upon by the former president and some traditional rulers.When asked yesterday about his involvement in stopping militancy, Jonathan said: Its not just about me but about all the traditional rulers, elders and opinion leaders that are of the Ijaw ethnic nationality. We have been in touch to see that peace reigns in the country.On his belief about Nigerias statehood, he said: Those of you who have followed my talks when I was here, my emphasis is that we need a United Nigeria and I always emphasise that Nigeria is great not just about the oil, so many countries produce more oil than Nigeria and nobody notices them.We are great because of our size, the human resources we have, the diversity we have, if we fragmentize the country into small components, we will be forgotten by the World.That has been my focal position and without peace there cannot be development anywhere in the world. We are all working collectively to see that issues are resolved.But the former President declined to speak on the anti-corruption war being waged by the Buhari administration, in which many top functionaries of his administration and party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are currently facing the anti-graft agencies following allegations of sleaze.I dont want to talk about that one because there are too many cases that are in court, it will not be fair to make comments. I will talk at the appropriate time when most of these things are resolved. He saidOn why he was at the Villa, he said: You asked why I came to see the President today, one key thing is that having been a head of government, a former president, you become a state property. Thats the privilege you have. But every privilege has its corresponding responsibility.And once you become a state property, most of your international engagements, that have to do with public addresses and some international assignments, become a national assignment, you brief the President.Even when I was here, the former presidents used to do that and see me, I have been coming, most times I come in the night thats why you dont see me.I came to brief the President about some of my engagements. As you are aware I will be leading the AU election monitoring team to Zambia, I came to brief the President about some of this external engagement . It is the tradition. The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Idris Ibrahim, on Thursday visited Isawo creeks in the Ikorodu neighbourhood of Lagos State, wh... The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Idris Ibrahim, on Thursday visited Isawo creeks in the Ikorodu neighbourhood of Lagos State, where militants recently unleashed terror on the residents.News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ibrahim was conducted round the areas by Lt.-Col. Julius Ogbobe, the commander of the military operation in the area. After assessing the security situation in the area, Ibrahim said that all buildings close to the creeks should be pulled down, stressing that the affected buildings had compromised the security of the area.He commended the joint operation and vowed that the police would do everything possible to make the area free from criminals, particularly vandals and militants.I am here to assess the security situation and to encourage men deployed to this area.The security of this area is not meant for the uniformed men alone; the residents should always give useful information to security men, he said.Ibrahim commended the people of the area for their cooperation and urged them to continue to support efforts to restore peace to their neighbourhood. Earlier, Ogbobe informed the IG that the military had succeeded in destroying some camps used by the militants, stressing that more of such camps would be targeted.He, however, noted that some of the suspects had escaped to other areas, adding, however, that with the clearing of an access route into the creeks, the remnants of the militants would be completely dislodged from the area.The creeks are not accessible, making it a difficult area to operate. That is why we have not been able to move in; in the next 24 hours, our operation will move farther into the creeks.The vandals have different commanders; some have escaped while others are still there.We have arrested 11 suspects so far. We have also seized 95 arms, eight Dane guns, 33 live cartridges, two mobile police uniforms, one army uniform, 18 cutlasses, two laptops, one fully-loaded AK-47 rifle and one general multi-purpose gun, he said.A community leader in the area, Rev. Joshua Aina, commended the joint security operation and solicited the establishment of a permanent police station in the area. Factional National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has written the Independent National Electoral Com... Factional National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking to stop the partys national convention, scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt on August 17.Sheriff asked the commission to ignore a letter sent to it by Chairman of the partys Caretaker Committee Senator Ahmed Makarfi, notifying INEC of the proposed convention.The August 2 letter, signed by Sheriff and faction National Secretary Wale Oladipo, said the Caretaker Committee is illegal and has no powers under the PDP constitution to convene the convention.It reads: Kindly refer to a letter dated July 20, 2016, by the illegal PDP Caretaker Committee purported to notify INEC of proposed ward congresses to nominate three Ad-hoc delegates on August 10, 2016, and LGA congresses to nominate national delegates on August 12, 2016, for a repeat national convention, and a repeat national convention slated for August 17, 2016.For the avoidance of doubt, the only body that can call for and ratify activities culminating to a national convention of PDP, is the partys National Executive Committee (NEC), headed by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, as national chairman.The Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led PDP is not planning any National Convention, as he has not been so authorised by the National Executive Committee of the PDP.Any person or group of persons planning for an event is doing so as an illegal body and in direct contempt of valid court orders. This letter is to put you on notice to ignore any such notifications by the illegal Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.Makarfi, has, however, faulted Sheriffs position.The Makarfi committee accused Sheriff and his group of attempts to scuttle the planned convention and also to destroy the party as well.The reaction, contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, stated that the ruling by Justice Okon Abang which Sheriff relied on, was a mere narrative of the case pending before the Federal High Courts in the Lagos and Port Harcourt Divisions.Adeyeye said:It (ruling) did not set aside or nullify the judgment of Justice Liman which has authenticated the May 21 National Convention and the resolutions emanating therefrom.The said ruling did not anywhere direct INEC to do anything or not to do anything, to discharge or not to discharge any obligation; to perform any function or not to perform any function.In essence, it is a mere legal tale and the Order having been made without any application before him by either of the parties has no foundation in law. A Nigerian woman, Franca Asemota, 38, has been sentenced to 22 years jail term for trafficking in persons. She was found guilty of att... A Nigerian woman, Franca Asemota, 38, has been sentenced to 22 years jail term for trafficking in persons.She was found guilty of attempting to traffic Nigerian girls through Heathrow Airport to work as sex workers in brothels across Europe, a statement by United Kingdom (UK) stated.Asemota was convicted on Wednesday, 3rd August at Isleworth Crown Court of eight counts of conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual exploitation, two counts of trafficking persons outside of the UK for sexual exploitation and two counts of assisting unlawful immigration.She was according to the statement part of a criminal network that trafficked girls, boys and women from Nigeria to Europe using threats to guarantee their compliance.Two other people were convicted in 2013 as part of Operation Hudson. Odosa Usiobaifu, of Enfield, London, and David Osawaru, of Benin City, were sentenced to 14 years and nine years respectively.Franca Asemota was identified as a trafficking suspect in 2012 but fled from Italy to Nigeria when some of her co-conspirators were arrested by Immigration Enforcement investigators.She spent time in Europe before the National Crime Agency (NCA) tracked her down to Nigeria. In an operation coordinated by the NCA she was arrested by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission in Benin City in March 2015. Once her identity was confirmed Asemota was then extradited back to the UK in January this year.She was found guilty of conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation and assisting unlawful immigration today (3 August), after a four-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court, and will be sentenced at the same court tomorrow (4 August). Asemota faced 12 counts in total, the statement reads.David Fairclough, from the Immigration Enforcement crime team, said: Asemota was the lynchpin of a trafficking ring which targeted vulnerable young women in Nigeria, promising them a brighter future working in Europe.But it soon became clear that this was far from the truth. The victims, some as young as 13, were told they would be sold into prostitution. Asemota travelled with the girls in order to threaten them and keep them in line.Trafficking is a despicable crime, as this case shows. We work closely with our law enforcement colleagues internationally to identify the criminal gangs responsible and put them before the courts.Martin French, head of the NCAs UK Human Trafficking Centre, said: Franca Asemota and her criminal network took advantage of these vulnerable young women in some of the worst ways possible.They promised them a better life but in reality treated them as nothing more than a commodity to be sold into slavery.Asemota thought she could evade arrest by fleeing Europe and hiding in Nigeria. But the NCAs partnerships give us global reach and mean international borders are no barrier to justice.This conviction is the result of many years of dogged investigation and co-operation between the NCA, Immigration Enforcement and our law enforcement colleagues both at home and overseas.Asemotas gang targeted teenage girls in remote Nigerian villages, some of whom had never left their home area before, telling them that educational work awaited them in Europe. The girls would stay with her before leaving, and in interviews with specialist officers from the NCAs Vulnerable Persons Team many of the girls told how they referred to her as Auntie Franca.Asemota travelled with the girls on flights from Lagos, Nigeria, to Heathrow, between August 2011 and May 2012, with the intention of reaching France. They remained airside during the transit at Heathrow so were not subject to Border Force passport checks. However, the trafficking attempts were prevented when French Authorities identified the girls false documents on arrival in France. When they were then returned to the UK, Border Force officers carried out further investigations and the case was quickly referred to Immigration Enforcement criminal investigations.Five of Asemotas victims gave evidence against her during the trial. One of them was rescued from prostitution in Montpellier, France, during a joint operation by Immigration Enforcement and the NCA.The cases are part of Operation Hudson, an Immigration Enforcement-led investigation targeting a number organised crime groups suspected of trafficking young women, via London, for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Imo State Government has scrapped annual leave for its workers, following the introduction of its controversial three-day working week pol... Imo State Government has scrapped annual leave for its workers, following the introduction of its controversial three-day working week policy.Commissioner for Information, Tourism and Public Utilities, Chief Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in Owerri, also affirmed that the current directive was part of the decisions of the last State Executive Council, SEC, meeting.Having given approval for the immediate implementation of the new work policy, the beneficiaries will no longer be entitled to annual leave, casual leave, sick leave and unnecessary absence from work, for all manner of reasons, Ajumbe said.After rolling out the categories of workers that would benefit from the new work policy, the Commissioner however said that nurses, doctors, teachers, journalists, broadcasters and other essential services workers would maintain the old work schedule.The Commissioner also assuaged concerns among workers that the new policy was another way of forcing in a salary cut through the back door.I must make it very clear that the new policy will not in any way; affect the take home pay of workers. Government is giving its word on this, Ajumbe said.Continuing, the Commissioner said the state government had recovered the Shell Camp Staff Quarters from the management of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, AIFCE, Owerri, noting that the government would now give out each plot to any individual that pays N50 million into its kitty.Shell Camp Staff Quarters has been taken over by Imo State Government and each plot will be given out to any individual that can pay N50 million into government kitty, Ajumbe said.When asked to quantify the losses suffered by the citizenry since the administration started the current massive demolitions in Owerri and its environs, the Commissioner said: Anybody that built his house close to the road should not expect any form of compensation from government.While saying that, destruction leads to development, Ajumbe added that if you dont destroy, you wont develop. The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Thursday, declined to sack Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State from office, even as it dismissed two appeals that sought to invalidate his election.In two separate judgments, a five-man panel of Justices of the appellate court, dismissed appeals that were lodged by the immediate past governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada ( retd), of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and that of the erstwhile running mate to late Prince Abubakar Audu, Hon. James Faleke.The Justice Jummai Hannatu-Sankey led panel of the appellate court held that both appeals lacked merit.Whereas the panel were unanimous in their decision that Falekes appeal lacked substance, however, in a dissenting judgment, a member of the panel, Justice Ita George Mbaba, upheld Wadas appeal, just as he voided the Certificate of Return that was issued to governor Bello by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.Justice Mbaba disagreed with the declaration of Bello as duly elected governor, saying there was no evidence that he participated in all stages of the gubernatorial election that held in Kogi state last year.He maintained that INEC acted in breach of section 141 of the Electoral Act when it declared Bello who only participated in the December 6, 2015, supplementary poll, as duly elected governor of the state.Nevertheless, four other members of the panel, while upholding judgment of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that previously affirmed Bellos election, said they were convinced that Wadas appeal ought to be dismissed for want of merit.Justice Mojeed Owoade who read the lead judgment, held that INEC acted properly when it merged all the votes that Audu garnered before his death and the ones Bello got after the supplementary poll, to return candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of the governorship contest.Four members of the panel waved Wadas contention that Bello did not participate in all stages of the election aside, saying the governor partook in all the stages by virtue of his party participation and accrued interest.They held that Wada lacked the locus standi to challenge the process that led to the nomination of Bello as a replacement for Audu who died after the initial election of November 21, since was not a member of the APC or participated in its primary election.Similarly, the court resolved six issues Faleke raised before it, against him. In a unanimous verdict, the court held that governor Bello was properly nominated by the APC as a substitute for late Audu, in line with the provision of section 33 of the Electoral Act, 2010.Justice Hanatu-Sankey who read the lead verdict, further faulted the Faleke over his failure to join APC as a party in the matter, an omission the court said was fatal to the appellants case. The court stressed that the issue of nomination of candidate for an election is an internal affair of a political party, a duty it said the APC duly discharged.The appellate court held that Faleke who was nominated as running mate to late Audu after the APC had concluded it governorship primary election, could not claim to be the candidate of the party or deemed to have been elected as Kogi state Governor since he did not participate in the primaries as required by law.It held that Falekes argument that electorates voted for a joint-ticket between him and Audu has no place in law since section 122 of the constitution made it clear that it is a political party that can canvas for votes and be voted for.It said the votes belonged to the APC and by extension, to the candidate it sponsored for the election, adding that Faleke could not by virtue of sections 181(1) and 179(2) of the constitution, stepped in as the governorship candidate of the APC upon Audus death.However, the appellate court noted that Faleke, who is currently representing Ikeja II Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives, had the locus standi to challenge the outcome of the election having participated in the November 21 poll on a joint ticket with Audu.Meantime, shortly after the judgment, both Wada and Faleke, while reacting through their respective lawyers, said they would take the case before the Supreme Court. The Archbishop of the Enugu Province, Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, Thursday, blasted Imo State Governor, Rochas Ok... The Archbishop of the Enugu Province, Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, Thursday, blasted Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha over his persistent attacks on the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.Okorocha, who is the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governors Forum, has vowed to remove Ekweremadu and replace him with the Senator elect from Imo State.Speaking when members of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, visited him at the Archbishops place in Enugu, the cleric maintained that Okorocha was pursuing anti-Igbo agenda.The NANS, who were in their hundreds took over Enugu streets protesting the plan by the APC to remove Ekweremadu.Chukwuma declared: We are saying that the Governor of Imo State should apologize to Ekweremadu because he has no right to be harassing him.The person who is going to the Senate under the APC is coming just for the first term; whether you like it or not, he must come and pay homage to Ekweremadu.How can you as a Governor who is just sponsoring one person, for the first time be threatening that you will remove Ekweremadu? It is not possible.What I am saying is that Okorocha should apologize and he should know that he is either an Igbo man or a bastard Igbo.He is a bastard Igbo if he does not apologize and we are ready to disown him because he is not in the same page with us as an Igbo man. If he was sent by agents from outside, they have failed.Details laterDailypost ATLANTIC CITY -- A Newark man who burst into a motel room and demanded cash at gunpoint from a group of women in 2014 was sentenced last month to 30 years in prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said. Rahime Adams, 39, was sentenced on five counts of robbery and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon in the Aug. 24, 2014 incident. Adams still awaits trial on charges he carjacked two other victims and set one of the stolen vehicles on fire that same day. Early that morning, police were called to the Knights Inn on Pacific Avenue, where five Pennsylvania women ranging in age from their 20s to their 40s said Adams had followed them from Resorts Casino, forced his way inside their room and brandished a semi-automatic handgun. He then ordered them to dump their purses onto a bed. "You ladies should not be out here. It's dangerous ..... I don't want to hurt you but I will if I have to," Adams said, before making off with about $700. Adams was identified as a suspect following a three-day investigation by city police. He was served with warrant complaints at the Atlantic County Justice Facility, where he was being held on unrelated matters, the prosecutor's office said. Adams was indicted Feb. 11, 2015, on 10 counts including armed robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He pleaded guilty to the charges May 20 in Atlantic County Superior Court. Under the No Early Release Act, he must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook. WYCKOFF - Police Chief Benjamin Fox plans to appeal the Township Committee's 5-0 decision to demote him to patrolman over a 2014 email the chief sent appearing to advocate racial profiling in some instances. Benjamin Fox (File photo) "We will be pursuing every legal means available to vindicate Chief Fox in light of the township's ongoing course of politically-motivated acts against our client," Fox's attorney, Arthur Margeotes, said in an email Wednesday night. Fox was the subject of a March ACLU complaint and state investigation after an email surfaced in which the chief stated to subordinates that "profiling, racial or otherwise, has its place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly." Soon after, the N.J. Attorney General's Office and Bergen County Prosecutor launched a joint investigation to determine whether the chief violated state guidelines against profiling. On Tuesday, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal said an investigation found that Fox violated a 2005 A.G. directive prohibiting New Jersey police from considering race or ethnicity when drawing conclusions about whether the person might be involved in criminal activity. But Grewal noted there was no evidence Fox broke the law or that racial profiling was practiced in the department. In addition to a demotion to patrolman, Wyckoff's governing body also recommends Fox be suspended without pay for 180 days. The chief currently earns about $175,000 a year, records show. Demotion is not enough. #Wyckoff should fire Chief Fox and take a strong stand against racial profiling in policing https://t.co/slY2KJspWP Udi Ofer (@UdiACLU) August 4, 2016 Attorneys for Fox have issued a lengthy statement, accusing Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney and members of the Township Committee of misconstruing, for political purposes, the police chief's email. They allege confidential information about the investigation was improperly leaked to the mayor and other officials, and are asking the prosecutor's office to investigate alleged misconduct. "Mayor Kevin Rooney's actions to attack, suspend and injure Chief Fox are an attempt at pandering to the ultra-liberal," Fox attorney Britt J. Simon of Somerville said in a statement. "And while (Rooney) may consider himself to exhibit strong values, the residents of Wyckoff should be concerned that their mayor would take steps to undermine the safety of the residents in order to appear politically correct," Simon said. Simon also accused the mayor of blindsiding Fox with a Rice Notice moments after the chief returned home "from cancer surgery at the hospital for his wife." A Rice Notice is used to inform employees in public positions that a closed-session meeting may be held that could adversely affect their position. "This notice served as an indication the township committee would be taking administrative action against Chief Fox only an hour later," Simon stated. "After a closed door meeting, Wyckoff's mayor announced the chief would be suspended without pay and demoted." The attorneys pointed to Fox's 30-plus years in Wyckoff and Simon said "the steps taken by the township were exceptionally inappropriate." Rooney on Thursday denied confidential information had been leaked and said township officials became aware of the investigation only after the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office issued a press release. "There was no rush to judgment," Rooney said. "We allowed the process to play out with the A.G. and the prosecutor's office. When the process was finished, we acted accordingly." "The penalty the Township Committee imposed is appropriate with the offense," Rooney said. Rooney said the chief has five days to appeal the Township Committee's decision and ask for a hearing, which would be scheduled in 30 days. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. HACKENSACK -- Just a year ago, 52-year-old veteran Vincent Weston suddenly found himself homeless after a family conflict forced him from his father's house. The Army vet had spent his entire life bouncing from one family member to the next. Things took a turn for the worse after he suffered an injury that forced him from his job as a cook. After spending six months at Bergen County Housing, Health, and Human Services Center, Weston became determined to live alone. And the help of the center, county and partner organizations, Weston was able move into his own place for the very first time. "It feels great," Weston said. "I get to relax more and my blood pressure is down." Weston is one of the success stories that led the federal government to certify Bergen County as the first county in the state to eliminate homelessness among veterans, an accomplishment that was celebrated Wednesday by county, federal and local officials. Proud to share that Bergen County in New Jersey is the 28th community to effectively end veteran #homelessness! pic.twitter.com/BTOLjVAleK Julian Castro (@SecretaryCastro) August 3, 2016 "The men and women who have so bravely served our country deserve more than just our deepest gratitude," Bergen County Executive Tedesco said. "They deserve to live securely and prosperously in our communities. That security starts with a roof over their heads." Last year, the county joined the Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran's Homelessness, a program launched in 2014 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to help end veteran homelessness throughout the United States. This January there were just under 40,000 homeless veterans reported throughout the U.S. Since joining the challenge, Bergen County has found homes for 125 homeless veterans. "I know we can all agree that this is an absolute outrage," the First Lady said at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting in January. "It is a horrifying stain on our nation, particularly when you think about all that these men and women have done for our country." The key to the initiative and Bergen's success is strategic partnership with service providers to help homeless veterans find a place to live, said Bergen County Division of Veterans Services Director A.J. Luna. In Weston's case, the center was able to help him apply for Section 8 housing, Veterans Services was able to help him find a place, and Community Hope, a Parsippany nonprofit that works to end veteran homelessness, was able to provide funds for his security deposit and first month's rent. In Feb., the county helped find a new home for a 77-year-old Veteran after they reached out to a local developer. Now, the veteran and five others pay $262 a month after the county struck a deal for low-income veterans' housing at Avalon at Wesmont Station in Wood-Ridge. "The language and camaraderie let us relate to each other," said Luna, also a U.S. veteran. "They can come where they are supported and not pushed away." There were 556 homeless veterans in the state during the annual Point in Time count this January, down from 696 in 2015. Luna said Bergen is now working with Passaic and Hudson counties to help end veteran's homelessness there. "A lot of times we are forgotten, We are the only country that doesn't take care of veterans," Weston said in his apartment as an American flag hung nearby. "The U.S. is the last one to do it but I'm glad." Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Governor Chris Christie at the ground breaking for a new Can In this 2012 file photo, Gov. Chris Christie attends the ground-breaking for a new Cancer Institute at Cooper Hospital, with hospital board chairman George Norcross. Cooper scored a court victory Thursday when the appellate court overturned a lower court ruling saying legislation that allows Cooper to take over paramedic services in Camden was unconstitutional. (Chris Pedota | The Record) TRENTON -- Cooper University Hospital scored a significant victory Thursday after the state's appellate division released a decision that overturns a lower court's ruling on the the trauma center's takeover of paramedic services in Camden City. Thursday's decision comes nearly eight months after a judge in Mercer County Superior Court ruled that a bill giving Level 1 trauma centers the exclusive right to handle advanced life support services in their home city and have the option of providing basic life support was "special legislation" and thus unconstitutional. The law came under fire last summer after it was fast-tracked through the state legislature, a move that some criticized as a "power grab" by South Jersey powerbroker George Norcross, the chairman of Cooper's board of trustees. It does not name Cooper specifically in the legislation, but Cooper professional testified to their support of the bill in legislative committee hearings. Virtua -- which operated paramedic services in the city for nearly 40 years before the law went into effect -- joined forces with Capital Health System to sue the state over the legislation, claiming it was designed to benefit specific parties. Capital Health, which provides paramedic services to Hamilton Township, is impacted via a provision in the law that allows Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital the option to provide the services in the large township instead. RWJ currently operates basic life support, or EMT, service in Hamilton, but Capital Health provides paramedic service for all of Mercer County. After the health systems filed suit last July, Mercer County Superior Court Judge Douglas Hurd ruled in December that the legislation was in fact unconstitutional, arguing there was no distinction that Level 1 trauma centers provided better pre-hospitalization care than Level 2 facilities. The state appealed the ruling, however, maintaining the argument that Cooper could provide better service to the community if its emergency medical services were fully integrated, allowing EMS workers to connect patients with the higher-level resources and follow-up care available at the trauma center. In the appellate decision, the court states that it was "inappropriate for the [trial] court to second-guess the Legislature's judgement" and that "it is conceivable that ALS and BLS can be provided more efficiently if provided by a Level 1 trauma center, and having a Level 1 trauma center provide the services would facilitate high-quality prehospital care." In the wake of Thursday's decision, Virtua released a written statement saying the health system administrators were disappointed Hurd's "thorough and well-reasoned decision" was overturned and that it is carefully reviewing the decision to determine its next move. The health system also stuck by its claim the legislation circumvents the process already in place to designate ambulances and paramedic services. Such legislative power also "calls into question" the rest of the Department of Health's approval process, Virtua said. Cooper University Hospital's vice president of communications said in a written statement that the health system is pleased it can continue to provide basic and advanced life support services to the city, which it began providing on Jan. 3. "We, again, thank the Governor and the members of the New Jersey Legislature who voted in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion to grant Cooper University Health Care the honor and privilege to provide the highest level of emergency care to the people of Camden." Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- A Passaic man made his initial appearance in federal court this week on charges that he attempted to rob five banks since June. Quentin Morales, 25, made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson Wednesday, court records show. Quentin Morales (Courtesy of FBI Newark) Morales was arrested earlier in the week in Newark, according to officials at the FBI's office in the city. According to a criminal complaint, Morales allegedly robbed the Wells Fago Bank branch in Kearny on June 24, taking $2,500. He then allegedly attempted to rob the Capital One Bank branch in Elizabeth on June 27, but left empty-handed, it said. Morales then allegedly robbed the Wells Fargo branch in Kenilworth on June 30; the Wells Fargo branch in Linden on July 6 and the Wells Fargo branch in Clifton on July 13, the complaint said. At each bank, Morales presented a note demanding cash from bank tellers, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman. During the July 13, robbery, it said, Morales handed the teller a note saying, "You are being robbed. Give me all your large bills. No alarms. No dye packs. You got 10 seconds." On at least two occasions, Morales said he had a gun, the complaint says. The FBI issued a public alert asking for help in finding Morales on Tuesday, and he was arrested that day. He was arrested by officers of the New Jersey State Parole Board, Fishman's office said. Morales was charged with four counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery, the complaint says. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, Fishman's office said. Fishman credited the FBI for its investigation and cited the cooperation of the officers of the state Parole Board, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and police departments from Kenilworth, Newark, Kearny, Elizabeth, Linden, Clifton and Union Township. Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Fired Landry-Walker principal sues to get her job back with cheating probe still underway Welcome to nonleaguedaily.coms news provision, your go-to source for all non league updates, rumours, interviews, and much more besides. Founded by a team with a genuine passion for the world of non league football, nonleaguedaily.com understands exactly what supporters of the so-called lower leagues are looking for. You want the high-quality reporting, in-depth analysis, and match reporting that matches that is more commonly found in the journalism for the top flights, but with the focus firmly fixed on the national leagues. We understand that your passion, interest, and dedication is constant, and we believe you need a news service that matches that commitment with its own dedication and thoroughness so thats what you can expect from our site. The latest non league news, as and when it happens Conventionally, non league news has always travelled fairly slowly, especially when compared to the instantaneous, constant breaking news cycles found in the upper leagues. Tales are told on terraces, rumours passed between pub patrons and circled between supporters at the latest game, often forced to remain somewhat local initially before word eventually spreads to other locales. For us, this slow spread may be fairly organic in nature, but it simply isnt compatible with the modern football environment. Its also not conducive to the current fast-paced, always-available media landscape, nor the way that people tend to consume news nowadays. Thats why we have put together a non league news source that fans can turn to for the latest updates, as and when they happen, and as and when you want to read them. Non-league news now is the only acceptable speed at Betting.co.uk. We update our non-league football news coverage constantly, bringing you all the latest developments and seeking to spread the word as quickly and accurately as possible. So if youre wondering whats happening both with your local team and with the lower leagues as a whole, you can visit us for non league news now, and be confident the stories you find are completely up to date. News reported by passionate fans Our efforts to bring you the very best non league football news are undeniably a professional concern, and one that we take seriously. We are if youll excuse the uncharacteristic tooting of our own horns good at what we do, and we know that the efforts we make in this regard are one of the reasons our site has enjoyed such success thus far. However, everyone who writes for us also shares our readers enthusiasm for non league football. Were not just churning out content in the hopes of cashing in on a professional dream; were here because we want to be, and will always be dedicated and committed to non league football as an entity and thriving in the experience of being able to talk about our favourite subject whenever we can. We create non-league news now that is written by genuine fans and enthusiasts, for fans. We know what you want to know and what matters most to an ardent non league supporter, and we always ensure that focusing on these elements is our guiding principle as we seek to solidify our status as an online non league paper fans can always rely on. When compiling non league news, we think with the mind of a fan first and foremost. We cover the angles and stories that we find compelling and that we know our fellow non league enthusiasts also care about. News doesnt have to be dry and formulaic, in our opinion. When its written by people who are genuinely as fascinated by the stories they are reporting on as their readership will be, we believe news can be interesting, compelling, and even have a sense of personality and humour. News content written with passion and expertise We believe that thanks to our dedication, insightfulness, and commitment to our subject matter of non league today, we are offering the best of both worlds to those searching for an online non league paper. We give you the professional approach we feel is appropriate for news about one of the most intriguing aspects of UK football; an aspect that we genuinely feel does not receive the interest and plaudits that it should be generating. Nevertheless, we dont let that professionalism take over everything we do: we remain committed fans, nurturing our own personal interest in non league football and ensuring every word we compose is infused with a sense of passion and dedication that enhances the posts we create. Its therefore obvious that our non-league content today isnt ever going to be dry, basic, or put together by a tired staff writer who has never heard of any team below the Championship before they rush off to the pub for the evening. Our writers are genuine experts: were covering non league football because we want to, because we believe in it, and because its where our strengths lie. The result is informed content that capitalises on our deep knowledge of the history, as well as the present-day realities, of non league football in the UK. Beyond news: the nonleaguedaily.com interview series One of our goals with nonleaguedaily.com is to not just dryly report the news from an outsiders perspective, effectively regurgitating press releases that are devoid of genuinely illuminating information. We also go right to the source of the stories: the managers and club insiders who have direct experience, and often influence, on the sport and how it is managed. We regularly conduct interviews as part of our news provision, asking the questions that are on everyones lips and providing the best possible view into the non league world. We have reporters pitchside at matches, microphone to hand and plentiful questions ready to be asked. The end result for you, the reader, is the kind of information and close-up looks into the non league world that just cant be found anywhere else. As our commitment to providing interesting interviews amply demonstrates, we want to be involved in breaking the stories that everyone then talks about, rather than following along and focusing solely on what everyone already knows. If youre looking for leading content that you cant find anywhere else, and that goes right to the centre of the non league world, then you can turn to nonleaguedaily.com for all the benefits of a conventional non league paper, but in electronic, easily-accessed form. A host of other content to enjoy alongside the non league today Our focus on providing non league news will always be maintained: we consider this aspect the most important of what we do, and it will always be the recipient of our time, dedication, and interest. Well be here, a consistent and trustworthy news portal, for as long as non league football news exists. With that said, when you have read up on the latest goings-on, were here with further content for you to enjoy. Naturally, given our partnership with leading brand Betting.co.uk, we provide guidelines for those interested in the world of sports betting. Well help you find the best UK bookmaker with our plentiful coverage of existing brands; ideal if youre looking to put your newfound knowledge, courtesy of us, about non league to use and place a few bets. Furthermore, we also provide highlights of all the latest UK betting offers, so you can ensure youre achieving the best value with all the latest betting deals whenever youre betting on the latest non league matches. Youll find all of this coverage is as consistent and reliable as our non league news provision, Non league features and deep dives Returning to the world of non league football, we also provide a range of feature content that goes deeper and further into the non league world than ever before. Less instantaneously topical but still hugely relevant to the modern game, our features are the dream deep dives that we feel non league fans deserve. Were always striving to do better, offer more, and ensure that non league fans can enjoy the same wealth of content as followers of the top tiers, so you can expect top-flight content with the same commitment and dedication as found throughout the upper echelons of the sport. So whether youre looking to find the most recent non league football news, seeking a new bookmaker for your non league bets, or hoping to delve deep into a niche non league-related topic, nonleaguedaily.com is always going to be worth a visit. Return to nonleaguedaily.com for all your non league news needs Weve told you what you can expect from nonleaguedaily.coms news; now we need to put our confidence where our promises are, make sure we deliver on those promises, and establish trust as an online non league paper you can trust. We look forward to welcoming you back to our news section and showcasing the best we have to offer, from exciting new non league interviews to cutting-edge news to transfer speculation. If you want to truly have your finger on the non league pulse, then nonleaguedaily.com is always going to be here for you. He was the son of John and Esther (Petersen) Burck, he was born on September 8, 1956, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He grew up on a farm that has been a part of his family since the 1870's and was a farmer all of his life. Even at a young age Laverne worked on the farm. He would come home from school and work along side his father, only taking a short break for his favorite cartoon, and then would go back out until the work for the day was done. After graduating from Lewis Central High School in 1975, Laverne attended Iowa State University for a short time, but missed the farm so much he returned home. He farmed with his parents until their passing, and has continued on with the family tradition until the present day. As a farmer, Laverne was a perfectionist. He was the first in the field in the spring, and the first one done harvesting in the fall. He kept up on new technology and adopted new methods and equipment as they became available. He expanded his farming operations and leased other ground. To supplement his income he also drove a truck for 30 years, hauling cattle or other commercial loads to various destinations across the country. He worked hard and did what he had to do to continue farming. A friend recently sent a text stating "Laverne has always set the standard for farming, his fields are always the best looking in the area. He is considered the best". Getty Images. Energy stocks could rally again this year as drillers continue to tap credit markets and private equity, according to Nasdaq's Tamar Essner. Two large exploration & production (E&P) companies have reported: Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN) and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY). We now have enough data points to make some broad generalizations about what oil companies are doing to cope with $40 oil. Both Devon and Occidental: 1) Declined to predict where the price of oil was going. No one is in the oil predicting business any more, instead the emphasizing is on factors that are under their control: production, costs, and asset sales. 2) Said production was high and would continue. Why, with an oil glut, is production still high? Because everyone needs to keep their cash flow up! Between capital spending and dividends, most oil companies are still cash flow negative. The good news is that the more they produce, the lower the per-unit costs. The bad news is, the more they keep doing this, the longer they prolong the oil glut. 3) Are continuing to cut costs, in part using better technology. Devon noted that production exceeded expectations and they were able to do that with dramatically lower costs, on pace to reduce operating and general & administrative (G&A) expenses by nearly $1 billion in 2016. 4) Are continuing to sell assets. Like Chevron (NYSE: CVX), they continue to acknowledge that many of their assets will not be profitable in the near future if oil stays in this price range, so they are selling. Devon sold $3.2 billion in assets, more than they had previously indicated. What are they doing with these cost savings and asset sales? They are reducing debt and, in some cases, continuing to invest modestly in new technology. Bottom line: it's a long and winding road, but E&P companies are continuing to slowly improve their balance sheets. One key point: OXY reiterated that the dividend was safe. Occidental has one of the highest dividends in the business 4.3 percent dividend yield and they are not only not cutting, they are increasing it modestly, from $0.75 to $0.76 a share. More From CNBC U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, asked the federal government to impose a new round of tariffs on hot-rolled steel from Korea and six other countries. Visclosky called for more protection from foreign competitors who cheat and choose to continually disregard our trade laws. The United States is looking at imposing anti-dumping tariffs of up to 49 percent on hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Hot-rolled steel is made in Northwest Indiana. Hardworking men and women in my district work every single day to manufacture the product we are discussing, and they are doing it more efficiently than anyone else in the world, he testified Thursday to the International Trade Commission. Visclosky told the commission steelworkers and managers in his district know they are doing their part to remain competitive, but in the back of their minds, the threat of illegal imports is unrelenting. Imports are threatening good jobs and the very existence of the American steel industry, even though its the most efficient in the world, Visclosky said. Northwest Indianas steel mills on Lake Michigan needed an average of 10.1 man hours to produce a ton of steel in the 1980s, but only need 1.9 man hours today. Yet despite being on the cutting edge of technology, American steel companies are faced with constant layoffs, idling and closures, Visclosky told the commission. It is clear to me that these wounds are not self-inflicted. The problem is not that our workers cant keep up with the capabilities of other countries, its that theyre being cheated out of the opportunity to compete fairly. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, imports reached an all-time record of 29 percent market share last year, higher than the import crisis in the early 2000s when around 30 American steelmakers went bankrupt. Visclosky said the same repeat offenders are to blame every time. Tariffs serve as a deterrent to stop the dumping of steel, or when foreign steelmakers unload it for less in the United States than it could be sold for back home, sometimes at a loss, to gain market share. The world is watching to see if the United States will send an irrefutable message to these repeat offenders that illegal trade will not be tolerated, Visclosky said. It is past time to stop illegal trade. Curt Lang, co-director of Chicago Heights Drama Groups Dogfight, expects audiences of every age to take away something important from their production of the acclaimed musical. "Dogfight" is set in the 1960s. Its a time that the younger generation is aware of, and for them its a great story to get a glimpse of a very turbulent time in United States history, he said. For people that have been around longer, it has some nostalgic qualities. I think the way the political arena is going at this point, its really important to learn the lessons of the past. Opening at the Studio Theatre Friday and running through Aug. 14, Dogfight tells the tale of Marine Eddie Birdlace, who meets Rose Fenny, a waitress, during a night of revelry before shipping off to Vietnam in Nov. 1963. The play chronicles their evening together as well as Birdlaces return to the States following his tour. Based on a 1991 film starring River Phoenix as Birdlace and Lili Taylor as Fenny, Dogfight made its debut off-Broadway in 2012. Featuring songs such as Nothing Short of Wonderful, Some Kinda Time and Before Its Over, Dogfight was nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and was also a hit on the other side of the pond in Londons West End. The music is just gorgeous, and the story line is beautiful as well, said Lang, who is directing Dogfight with his wife, Tammy Lang. It also appeals to young actors, and thats something we like to do during the summer here at Drama Group. Vince DeRe and Emily Durham star as Birdlace and Fenny, respectively, in Drama groups Dogfight. They are joined onstage by David Blakeman as fellow Marine Bernstein, C.J. Butler as Marine Boland and Natalie Carioti as fellow partier Marcy. Ive been directing shows for 30 years, and this is one of the smoothest productions that weve done, he said. Our cast is very dedicated. They were off-book, which means they had their lines memorized six weeks before production, whereas Ive been in a lot of shows where people didnt have their lines memorized until a few days before the production goes up. Dogfight is the final production of Drama Groups 2015-16. They will kick off the 86th season with the musical Little Shop of Horrors, scheduled to open at their Studio Theatre Oct. 21. FYI: Dogfight runs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Aug. 11 and 12; 2 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 14 and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at Drama Group Studio Theatre, 330 W. 202nd St., Chicago Heights. Tickets are $21 for adults, $20 for seniors, $15 for students and groups of 25 or more. Call (708) 755-3444 or visit DRAMAGROUP.ORG Ray Scott Crawford, director of Michigan Citys Canterbury Summer Theatres production of Parallel Lives, sees his production as serving up laughs with a purpose. It speaks to the idea that women, in particular, are expected to play so many different roles in life, and because of that, they have to develop a sense of humor about themselves, he said. They have to look at the world around them and go you know what? This is as good as it gets and Im going to make the best of it. Running today through Sunday, Parallel is made up of a series of vignettes that centers around and pokes fun at the ordeals women face around the world. The sketches take no prisoners when it comes to both sexes, and some of the tales are as heartfelt as they are funny. Parallel was created by Mo Gaffney, whose small screen credits include Absolutely Fabulous, That '70s Show and Mad About You, and Kathy Najimy, who starred in big screen favorites Sister Act and Hocus Pocus and lent her voice to animated favorites King of the Hill and American Dad. The play made its debut off-Broadway in 1989, with both writer-actresses taking home Obie Awards for Distinguished Performance by an Actress. Its topical information thats funny, Crawford said. They're stories that dont invite us to spend two hours thinking deep thoughts, but five, 10 minutes at a time thinking short and funny thoughts every one of the vignettes takes a womens issue and looks at it with humor and a good sense of survival. For Canterbury Summer Theatres Parallel production, Crawford called upon a half dozen actresses Taylor Brown, Elise Birmingham, Lari Leber, Elizabeth Jones, Jasey Gilbert and Allison Miller to assume the multiple roles. The cast and crew have also staged Parallel at Louisianas Bossier parish Community College, where Crawford serves as Dean of Performing Arts. When you go from playing a silly teenager to playing a migrant farm worker, you have to be very flexible, Crawford said of his cast. And theyre all very excellent at that. Parallel Lives is the final production of Canterbury Summer Theatres 2016 season. FYI: Parallel Lives runs at 2 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday and 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Canterbury Summer Theatre, 807 Franklin St., Michigan City. Cost is $15, today for adults and $16 Friday and Saturday for adults; $14 today for senior citizens and $15 Friday and Saturday for senior citizens. Call (219) 874-4269 or visit CANTERBURYTHEATRE.COM VALPARAISO Shortly before he was accused of shooting and killing a Portage man outside the man's home, Thomas Reichler was walking around the neighborhood in the predawn darkness playing with and boasting about a handgun he was carrying, according to a friend with him that day. Nathaniel Sipe of Westville told jurors Thursday morning that Reichler was saying, "I'm on the top of the world. I feel like I can do anything. I can kill anyone." Sipe said he and a third friend, who also was out stealing from cars that morning of Dec. 12, 2014, had contemplated trying to get the gun away from Reichler before he did something stupid. Reichler, 19, is on trial this week on a charge of murdering 36-year-old Alexius Tapia, after the Southfield Estates homeowner caught Reichler and the others stealing from his vehicles. The defense has argued this week that Reichler shot Tapia in self-defense. Sipe, who has his own charges pending against him from the incident when he was 19, said Reichler told him following the shooting that Tapia had a gun and struck him and was pulling him back toward his house. Reichler then said he acted dazed before he pulled out his gun, threw an elbow at Tapia and "aimed for the head and ran." Jurors also watched a nearly-hourlong video statement Thursday from Reichler at a Michigan City hospital where he had went for care shortly after the shooting. Reichler, who was seen wincing in pain in a hospital bed from gunshot wounds he had received to both arms during his encounter with Tapia, first tried to tell police he was shot after stopping to help a disabled motorist along U.S. 20 that morning. Sipe testified that he and Reichler concocted the false story and traveled to Michigan City for care in an attempt to avoid being tied with the fatal shooting in Portage. Portage Police Detective Mike Vaughan, who commented on the hospital interview he conducted, said Reichler never told him that Tapia threatened to kill him as he is now claiming. Vaughan said Reichler gave him several versions of the events that fatal morning. Among them is that he shot Tapia because he wanted to get away. Defense attorney Larry Rogers questioned the reliability of the interview considering Reichler was under the influence of morphine. Rogers quoted Reichler as saying, "I wasn't aiming at him (Tapia) if that's what you're asking." Vaughan accused Rogers of piecing together parts of the interview to support his claim of self-defense. "I would think if he thought his life was in danger, he would have told me that, and he never told me that," Vaughan said. Sipe told jurors that he, Reichler and Korey Izynski of Clarksville, Indiana, were out all night on Dec. 12, 2014, looking for things to do. They decided to "car hop," he said, which involves looking for unlocked vehicles and stealing anything of interest. That is how the trio came across two guns, including the one used in the fatal shooting, he said. Sipe said when Tapia spotted the trio going through vehicles in his driveway, he yelled, "freeze, don't move, stay where you are." Sipe did not hear Tapia threaten to kill anyone. Sipe said he and Izynski fled on foot and he heard three or four shots fired a short time later. Sipe said he made his way back to his car and found Reichler waiting inside the car and wounded. GARY Two men, one of whom was in a vehicle with his pregnant girlfriend and 1-year-old child, were wounded in separate shootings Wednesday, police said. Gary police responded about 9:30 a.m. to the 2700 block of Waverly Drive, where a 30-year-old Wisconsin man was shot several times, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said. The man's girlfriend and child were in the car with him when someone opened fire but were not harmed, she said. The man's wounds did not appear to be life-threatening, and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Detective Sgt. Gregory Wolf at (219) 881-1210. Police were called about 4:30 p.m. to the 800 block of East 36th Avenue for a man with a gunshot wound to his foot, Westerfield said. The man told police he was walking in the area of 49th Avenue and Rhode Island when he heard gunshots and a bullet struck his foot. The man got a ride to the address on East 36th Avenue before calling police, she said. He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. William Fazekas at (219) 881-1210. Anyone with information about crime in Gary who wants to remain anonymous should call (866) CRIME-GP. President Barack Obama on Wednesday commuted a Lake Station man's sentence for running a crack house in Gary. Reinaldo A. Arocho, 49, was convicted by a U.S. District Court jury in May 1999 of conspiracy to possess and distribute drugs, maintaining a drug house, distribution of crack cocaine, carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and attempting to tamper with a witness. The crack house was at 1105 Clay St., according to court records. U.S. District Judge James Moody sentenced Arocho in January 2000 to more than 32 years in prison and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine. Arocho's sentenced was reducted in January 2011 to 25 years in prison. Obama commuted Arocho's sentence to expire Dec. 1. Arocho is currently being held at the medium-security USP Marion facility in southern Illinois, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. Arocho was among 214 individuals granted commutations Wednesday by the president. The Department of Justice announced in 2014 an initative to encourage federal inmates to ask the president to reduce their sentences. According to its website, the department prioritizes such requests based on a number of factors, including whether offenders likely would receive a lower sentence if convicted today; if they are nonviolent, low-level offenders without significant ties to large-scale gangs or cartels; if they have served at least 10 years of their sentence; if they have a significant criminal history; if they have demonstrated good conduct in prison; and if they have no history of violence before their current prison term. INDIANAPOLIS Police must obtain a judicial warrant to access the cellular phone location records of a suspected criminal, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. In a 2-1 decision, involving a first-of-its-kind issue for Indiana, the appellate court determined Hoosiers have an expectation of privacy in their location data maintained by cellphone providers, and police do not have automatic authority to access and use those records as a tracking device. Appeals Judge Patricia Riley, a Rensselaer native writing for the court, distinguished cellphone location data from similar records individuals voluntarily convey to businesses, or other third parties, which those entities are free to provide to police or the government, upon request. She said cell tower tracking information is neither tangible nor visible to a user, is gathered quietly and constantly without notice and cannot be effectively disabled without rendering the device, which "has become essential for full cultural and economic participation," all but useless. "A cellphone user cannot be said to voluntarily convey to her service provider information that she never held but was instead generated by the service provider itself without the user's involvement. Accordingly, the third-party doctrine does not (apply)," Riley said. As a result, the appeals court held that cellphone location records are similar to data, photographs and other personal information stored in a phone, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2014 generally cannot be searched by police without a warrant even if the device belongs to a person under arrest. Likewise, a different three-judge panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals found in 2015 that Hoosiers have an expectation of privacy for historical location data stored in a vehicle's GPS device, and barred police from accessing that information without a warrant. "So here, too," Riley said. "We require police officers to do what they have done for decades when seeking to intrude upon a reasonable expectation of privacy: get a warrant." "Cell-site data is not the type of information which spoils or perishes during the short time it takes to get a warrant and, as such, imposing the requirements for a warrant under these circumstances would hardly shackle law enforcement from conducting effective investigations." The ruling overturned the robbery convictions, habitual offender enhancement and 61-year prison term issued to Marcus Zanders, 33, for his alleged role in a pair of 2015 southeastern Indiana liquor store holdups. Appeals Judge James Kirsch dissented from the decision. He said the court should have followed precedents set by several federal appellate circuits that declined to find individuals have an expectation of privacy for their cellular location data. Republican Attorney General Greg Zoeller is likely to ask the Indiana Supreme Court to review and set aside the Court of Appeals decision. However, the high court is almost certain to take note that the Republican-controlled General Assembly this year enacted a statute specifically addressing police access of cellular geolocation data. House Enrolled Act 1013, signed by Republican Gov. Mike Pence on March 21, requires police obtain a warrant every time an officer requests location data from a cellular provider, except if needed to respond to a call for emergency services or in an emergency situation involving the risk of death or serious bodily injury. Under those circumstances, the law provides police a 72-hour window after receiving the data to get a warrant. LANSING A man who assaulted police outside a bar in Shelby is facing extradition to Illinois on a charge of first-degree murder in the beating death of a Lansing woman, officials said. Joseph Manfred, 34, is being held at the Lake County Jail on charges related to the assault on Lake County sheriff's officers and a potential parole violation, a Lansing news release said. Lansing police found Janice Kuc, 55, dead Sunday inside her apartment in the 18000 block of Wentworth Avenue. The Lake County Sheriff's Department received information that a woman was killed and her boyfriend was wounded but fled the scene, the release said. Sheriff's police investigating the tip located Manfred sitting alone in a vehicle owned by Kuc in a parking lot outside a bar in Shelby, a hamlet along the Kankakee River in southern Lake County. Manfred assaulted sheriff's officers and was taken into custody, the Lansing release said. The Sheriff's Department then notified Lansing police and requested a welfare check on Kuc. Lansing police found Kuc about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The Cook County medical examiner's office later determined she died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries related to being beaten, the release said. Manfred provided a statement to police admitting to the homicide, according to the release. An arrest warrant has been issued for Manfred for first-degree murder. Extradition proceedings were pending Wednesday. GRIFFITH Police are asking parents to be on alert after receiving a report this week of a possible attempted child abduction near Wadsworth School. A man described as in his late 40s with a "white blond 1970s style haircut" approached a 7-year-old girl about 5:10 p.m. Tuesday near Cheever Park and Wadsworth School. The man drove up in a red pickup truck, asking the girl what her name was, where she lived, and offered her a ride home, according to a Griffith Police Department news release. The child asked him his name, to which he replied "Josh," but she refused to go with the man. The mother, who was in the park with her child but not in the immediate vicinity, eventually approached, prompting the driver to look away and drive away from the area, according to police. Police are investigating and area departments have been alerted of the incident, according to the release. Anyone with information can contact Cmdr. Keith Martin at 219-924-7503 ext. 257 or the Griffith Police Department's Anonymous Tip Line at 219-922-3085. GARY Store owner Dollar Express says it "deeply regrets" an incident in which a Muslim woman was told to leave one of the companys Family Dollar stores for wearing a traditional Islamic veil. The incident between Sarah Muzdaher Safi and a store employee was captured Monday afternoon at a Family Dollar store in Gary using Safis cellphone. In the video, posted Monday to Safis Facebook page, the employee demands Safi take off the niqab or leave the store. When Safi tells her its a religious garment, the store employee says while she understands, its a high-crime area and the store is robbed a lot. The conduct of the assistant store manager at that location was not in accordance with company policy and we are addressing this matter with her, Dollar Express, the parent company of Family Dollar, said Thursday in an emailed statement. We are also taking this opportunity to address with our workforce the importance of meeting the needs of a diverse customer base and providing a shopping environment that is respectful to all of our customers, the company said in the statement. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company says it will reach out to Safi, according to the Associated Press. EAST CHICAGO About 200 residents living in the lead-contaminated West Calumet Housing Complex packed the neighborhoods community center on Wednesday to learn more about the availability of housing vouchers to move out. They were promised by Tia Cauley, executive director of the East Chicago Housing Authority, they would be awarded vouchers a process she said will unfold within 60 to 90 days. The vouchers work like a security deposit to allow residents to transition from public housing to a lead-free residence, she said. Between 1,000 and 1,200 people live in the complex, including about 670 children. Additional details about relocation were not available Wednesday, but Cauley said the ECHA would inform residents once HUD provides the housing authority with an update. In an unusual move, HUD this week put funding in place for tenant protection vouchers, which will allow residents to permanently relocate to safe housing. James A. Cunningham, Midwest deputy regional administrator for HUD, told residents the federal agency realizes the urgency of the situation and has expedited the process. HUD may also help with moving costs, he said. The approval process for vouchers normally takes 90 to 120 days. Instead, HUD accomplished this in a week, given the circumstances, he said. Im making no guarantees but were working to find the resources so that you have assistance to move above and beyond what is typically given, Cunningham told the crowd. East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland said he found out about the dangerous lead and arsenic levels May 24, and immediately took action by sending residents letters saying it would be safer for them to temporarily relocate. We say this did not happen overnight, but every night we go is one night too many in this environment that we already deemed toxic, Copeland said. The public housing complex sits at the west end of the citys Calumet neighborhood, which is part of an EPA Superfund site established in 2009. A copper smelter, lead refinery and secondary lead smelter operated there from 1906 to 1985, according to the EPA. The housing complex was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Soil tests in late 2014 showed the soil in the complex is highly contaminated with lead, according to letters the EPA mailed to residents in June. The EPA has not yet provided The Times with a range of test results. However, a statement dated July 29 on the agencys Superfund website stated more than half of the 90 properties tested exceeded the agencys cleanup levels. Many applauded the citys mayor and federal housing officials for quick action to relocate residents. Others questioned what will happen to residents, who, years after moving away, remain affected by long-term lead exposure. Once we get tested, then what? Ginger Wells, a West Calumet resident, said. Officials said they will be working with the state health department to establish routine monitoring and healthcare services for those who test positive. After the meeting, Jaime Brown, EPA Region 5 on-scene coordinator, said he couldnt say when the EPA started receiving results back from the 2014 sampling, but that the agency would provide the information at a later date. A HUD official earlier Wednesday said the ECHA board would be voting that day to complete its application to HUD to demolish the West Calumet Housing Complex and set the stage for residents to receive vouchers to relocate. However, Housing Authority attorney Jewel Harris Jr. said Wednesday night the board did not take action. The authority plans to publicly advertise an upcoming special meeting, where members will vote to accept HUDs vouchers. A tentative meeting is planned for 4:30 p.m. Monday, he said. Times Reporter Sarah Reese contributed to this report. GARY A Gary woman said she was asked to leave a Family Dollar store for wearing a niqab a traditional Islamic veil, according to NBC 5 Chicago. The incident was captured Monday afternoon on cellphone video and took place in front of Sarah Muzdaher Safis children at the Gary store. An employee demanded she either take off the niqab or leave, according to NBC. In the video, an employee can be heard saying, Yes maam, if you cant remove that from your face, Im going to need you to leave the store. In the video, Safi tells the clerk she is wearing a religious garment, according to NBC 5 Chicago. I understand, but you have to understand this is a high crime area where we get robbed a lot, you need to remove that from your face or remove yourself from the store, the employee said. Bryn R. Winburn, public and media relations manager for Family Dollar, said in an email Wednesday night the store, while still branded Family Dollar, is owned and operated by a separate company, Dollar Express. Winburn said the company will be responsible for further communication. A follow-up email requesting a means to contact a Dollar Express spokesperson was not immediately answered. MERRILLVILLE Pastors and key leaders of area Christian churches were urged Wednesday to take part in the state's Decision America Tour 2016. The state's Decision America Tour 2016 prayer rally will be held at noon on Oct. 5 at the Capitol South Lawn in Indianapolis, Don Matolyak said. Matolyak serves as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association regional manager, an area that includes Indiana. "America is in trouble and at the crux is why Franklin Graham wanted to do a tour," Matolyak said. To date, there have been 32 rallies with the one to be held in Indianapolis the 46th. Franklin Graham, the oldest son of evangelist Billy Graham, is traveling to all 50 states this year to hold prayer rallies, to preach the Gospel and to challenge believers to take a stand and take action, according to information on the group's website. Graham, in conducting the tour, isn't favoring either Democrats or Republicans, but instead is running a campaign to put God back in the political process, Matolyak said. During the prayer rally held in June at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, Graham told supporters: I have no hope for the Democratic Party; I have zero hope for the Republican Party. I am running a campaign, a campaign to put God back in the political process. "He is not endorsing any candidate," Matolyak added. Matolyak addressed his comments at the NW Indiana Pastors and Key Leaders luncheon held at the Lake County Public Library. "We want to deputize you," Matolyak said. Those in attendance included approximately 70 leaders from Northwest Indiana and nearby Illinois communities. The 90-minute meeting started with the hymn, "How Great Thou Art," played on the guitar by Valparaiso musician Chris Erickson and prayers led by Matolyak. Participants dined on box lunches provided free to the event by Chick-fil-A of Hobart. Small books distributed to those who attended listed five duties of a Christian citizen including praying, registering to vote, becoming informed, helping elect Godly people and voting. Matolyak said the first prayer rally was held Jan. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa, with some 3,000 in attendance even on a cold day. The prayer rally held in Minnesota in June attracted double that number, Matolyak said. "This (tour) needs to be a catalyst of more to come. Don't let this be a one and done thing," Matolyak said. For more information about the tour go to DecisionAmericaTour.com or contact Stan Lovins II, Indiana's field representative, at (317) 513-6311 Manila (AFP) - Men shot and left to bleed out on busy streets, mutilated corpses dumped in vacant lots. The bodies are piling up as President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war brings terror to Filipino slums. Hundreds of people have died since Duterte won a landslide election in May, promising to rid society of drugs and crime in six months by killing tens of thousands of criminals. In one viral image summing up the human cost, a young woman howls in pain as she cradles her partner's blood-soaked body under the glare of television lights as horrified bystanders look on from behind yellow police crime tape. "My husband was innocent. He never hurt anyone," Jennilyn Olayres said of her partner Michael Siaron, 30, a tricycle driver -- refuting the crude cardboard poster left behind by the motorcycle-riding gunmen killers saying "drug pusher". Police figures showed this week that 402 drug suspects had been killed since Duterte was sworn in at the end of June. That figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte's May election, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. Police raids of suspected drug dealers' hideouts have led to near-nightly deaths. Most of the dead suspects -- often found face-down in pools of blood -- had pistols lying next to them in the act of resisting arrest, according to authorities. Suspected sympathy killings by anti-drug vigilantes have also left a trail of death. One man was attacked as he drove his tricycle, his body left hanging from the humble vehicle as blood dripped onto the street. Other people have simply turned up dead in deserted streets and vacant lots at night, their faces cocooned in packaging tape and with cardboard signs accusing them of being drug dealers hanging on their chests. - Victims not rich - At his first "State of the Nation" address to Congress, Duterte defended his anti-crime campaign and described the scene at Siaron's shooting as a parody of Michelangelo's 15th century Pieta marble sculpture. Story continues "And there you are, dead and portrayed in a broadsheet like Mother Mary cradling the dead cadaver of Jesus Christ," the president said, describing the tableau as "drama". For an alleged drug dealer, Siaron did not have a lifestyle like Mexican or Colombian cartel kingpins. The rented hovel that was home to him and his girlfriend, made of scraps of plywood and iron sheeting, was not much bigger than a pig pen. It stood precariously on stilts atop a smelly, garbage-choked open sewer. "At times we slept until late on purpose so we only had to worry about lunch and dinner," Olayres, a street vendor, told AFP at her partner's wake. Held in a hall at a local government office, two more of the dead were being mourned at the same time. Olayres said Siaron was among the more than 16 million Filipino voters who had catapulted Duterte to office. The attacks have left wives and relatives crying and fainting at the carnage, but also driven drug users and small-time dealers into frantic mass surrenders to district officials. Police say a staggering 565,806 have turned themselves in. Many of those who presented themselves with pledges to straighten out their lives wore rubber wristbands bearing Duterte's name -- materials used during his election campaign. Before the bodies started piling up, Manila police also launched a campaign, codenamed Oplan Rody -- the incoming president's nickname -- to rid the streets of drunks and shirtless men, who were made to do 40 pushups to avoid jail time. A children's night curfew was also imposed in some districts, with violators and their parents made to undergo counselling. GRIFFITH The Town Council expects to soon reach its goal of 1,500 Griffith residential signatures on the petition to leave Calumet Township. Last week, a petition signature drive in Central Park gathered about 400 names, said Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd. Three days later, the farmers market yielded about 200 more. Ryfa said door-to-door volunteers have boosted the overall total to about 1,000, which is the amount needed for the council to ask the Lake County Elections Board to schedule a referendum. They have not yet been verified by Clerk-Treasurer George Jerome, Ryfa said. He added the council prefers about 1,500 signatures to ensure that there are enough legitimate signatures to request the referendum. The referendum will allow Griffith residents to vote whether to leave the township and join another. Our goal is to hit 1,500 by next week, Ryfa said. Residents will have another chance to sign at the farmers market on Friday. If the referendum takes place, it would be exclusively among Griffith residents and would probably take place in September or October, Ryfa said. Leaving the township would require two-thirds of the referendum vote total. LAPORTE Joe Haney was alarmed by his recent discovery that military-like explosives would soon begin going off close to his home. He and his wife, Jacqueline, aren't very happy with the suggestions to remove their dishes from their shelves and take their pictures off their walls in anticipation of concussion-like impacts of 16-inch mortars and other gunpowder-filled devices during the week-long Pyrotechnics Guild International convention beginning Saturday. The upcoming convention is also causing the relocation of animals from a nearby shelter for the duration of the event. "I shouldn't have to do this in my own house," said Haney, who lives on Joliet Road close to where PGI will hold its convention at the at the LaPorte County fairgrounds along Ind. 2. Jacqueline Haney is also worried for the well-being of their dog, which recently had heart surgery. "What am I supposed to do now with my dog. He doesn't need to deal with all of this stuff, Jacqueline Haney said. The couple brought their concerns to the LaPorte County Commissioners this week, who voted to make sure any damage caused by the fireworks is paid for by PGI and that residents within 1,000 feet of the show area be given earlier notification by the LaPorte County Fair Board prior to another future convention. Joe Haney said his property is just 650 feet away, inside what's he described as the "danger zone." PGI took care of the few broken windows and other "minimal damage" that resulted from its last convention here in 2012, said LaPorte County Commission president Dave Decker. The Haneys have lived in their home for two years, which explains why Joe Haney's eyes popped after making his way over to a nearby field and learning the site was being prepared for the fireworks and thousands of spectators. "They're in compliance," said Decker, who also told the couple permission had been granted by the Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office and the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Public showings are scheduled Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The cost is $60 a car load on the Aug. 7 and 12 and $50 a car load for the other shows. Walk-ins pay $15 each. The nearby LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter has again made arrangements to house all of its dogs and cats at four boarding locations until after the convention. Jane Bernard, director of the shelter, said people living close by with concerns about their pets might want to contact their veterinarian to see if medication might be in order to help keep their animals calm. Pets can also be placed in a basement with a fan running and music playing to help muffle the explosions, she said. If Franklin Delano Roosevelt had not run for an unprecedented third term in 1940, there is a good possibility Hoosier Paul Vories McNutt, of Franklin, would have become the 33rd president of the United States. One of the most powerful politicians Indiana has ever seen, McNutt had astonishingly good looks, according to Life magazine. He displayed a moment of destiny air, said Time magazine, which put him on its cover of July 10, 1939. As it turned out, FDR ran again, and destiny bypassed McNutt. An unusual coincidence is that the Republican FDR beat for the presidency in 1940 was Wendell L. Willkie, of Elwood, a good friend and fraternity brother of McNutt when they both attended Indiana University. McNutt enjoyed a meteoric career. He graduated from Indiana University and Harvard Law School, served in the U.S. Army in World War I, became the youngest dean in the history of Indiana University School of Law in 1925 and was selected to be national commander of the American Legion in 1928. In 1932, he became the first Democrat in 20 years to be elected governor of Indiana and went on to be an enthusiastic supporter of Roosevelts New Deal. The Indiana Constitution forbade McNutt from seeking a consecutive term, and he never again ran for office. In his one term, McNutt reorganized state government to centralize authority in the governors office and used that authority to push through New Deal legislation and a major shift from property to income taxes. Controversially, he established the Hoosier Democratic Club, called the 2 Percent Club, which encouraged state employees to pay that fraction of their salary to the Democratic Party to fund campaigns, thus allowing McNutt to amass political power extending beyond his term as governor. In 1937, FDR named McNutt high commissioner to the Philippines, a position he held until 1939, when he became head of the new Federal Security Agency, which oversaw a variety of New Deal programs. While in the Philippines, McNutt performed a noteworthy humanitarian service. He persuaded the State Department to allow the entry into the Philippines of thousands of Jewish refugees from fascist regimes, although at this time the refugees could not legally enter the United States in large numbers. McNutt exhibited a less tolerant attitude in 1942 as chairman of the War Manpower Commission when he publicly urged the extermination of the Japanese in toto. Following the Japanese surrender in 1945, McNutt served again as high commissioner to the Philippines and then as ambassador to the Philippines. He returned to the United States to practice law in New York and Washington, D.C. McNutt died in New York City at age 63 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. A historical marker notes the location in Franklin of his birth home, which no longer stands. He is remembered at Indiana University by sculptures, paintings and Paul V. McNutt Quadrangle, a residence hall complex named for him. Historian James H. Madison observed a few years back, Paul McNutt towers over the 1930s, yet there exists no satisfactory biography. The omission was remedied in time for the states bicentennial. In January 2015, Dean J. Kotlowski, professor of history at Salisbury University in Maryland, published "Paul V. McNutt and the Age of FDR." This book, representing 10 years of research and writing, is 428 pages with 108 pages of footnotes. Lake County jailers haven't exactly been their own best public relations agents in recent months. Administrators at the county lockup must show urgency in getting a handle on a series of missteps if they're to restore public trust. Most recently, Sheriff John Buncich suspended five Lake County Jail corrections officers for locking up a woman in the same room with several male inmates last month. That same woman, Elysia M. Jeronimo, 20, of Hammond, was central to another embarrassment of jail staff earlier this year. In late April, police say Jeronimo served as the getaway driver for her boyfriend, jail inmate Richard N. Campos, 22, of East Chicago, after Campos fled the jail laundry area. Campos had trustee status and was in the laundry area on work detail at the time of his escape, the sheriff said. The escape should still have the faces of jail personnel and administrators glowing red with embarrassment. Though police moved swiftly to arrest the couple within days of the escape, the pair made it all the way to Texas, and security never should have been so lax. Then, late last month, Buncich said an investigation determined professional "negligence" resulted in Jeronimo being placed with her boyfriend and at least one other male inmate into a medical section of the jail serving as a temporary holding area. Mixing male and female inmates together and in close contact is wrong on multiple levels, not the least of which is safety and security of the inmates themselves. "Somebody didn't do their job, but they are going to learn the hard way," Buncich said while announcing the suspension of five jailers in the matter. "If they screw up one more time, they are done." Punishing and possibly firing any responsible parties is appropriate in such matters. But Buncich has to do more than that. He must get a handle on what caused the embarrassments and restore public trust in the jail by showing us how it won't happen again. The recent cases couldn't come at a worse time for the jail. The facility is making efforts to get out from under a long-running probe and mandate by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding past poor conditions there. It's pretty hard to justify a lessening of federal scrutiny when examples of professional "negligence" keep cropping up. Twenty-five alleged gang members are facing numerous charges in connection with a string of alleged violent crimes in one Brooklyn neighborhood. Authorities say two feuding gangs, the Lincoln Family and the Bergen Family, have been charged in eight shootings in Crown Heights between October 2013 and March of this year. One alleged gang member was killed in the turf war, and six people were injured by gunfire, including a 13-year-old girl, according to authorities. Prosecutors say the suspects used social media to taunt and threaten each other. The defendants range in age from 16 to 23 years old. Charges include murder, attempted murder, assault, conspiracy and illegal weapons possession. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp; Emergency crews battled a five-alarm fire at a woodworking shop in Long Island City, Queens Wednesday evening. The FDNY says the fire broke out early Wednesday evening in a building located at at the corner of Queens Boulevard and 37th Street. The fire sent smoke billowing over LIC and East River and could be seen from Manhattan. Officials said 250 firefighters were called to the scene. "It's a mill workshop, so it had a lot of wood, had a lot of lacquers, thinners, paint in the shop, which led to a quick fire spread," said FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard. "The shop was closed at the time, so we don't anticipate anybody being in there." Officials say four firefighters suffered minor injuries, and no civilians were injured. The fire was declared under control just after 11:20 p.m. Wednesday. QNS 5-ALARM 43-34 37 ST, COMMERCIAL FIRE ON THE 1ST FLR, UNDER CONTROL FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) August 4, 2016 The mourning continues for a woman found dead in a Queens park as authorities search for her killer. Dozens gathered Wednesday at the Vetro Restaurant and Wine Bar in Howard Beach, where Karina Vetrano worked. Investigators say the 30-year-old's body was discovered by authorities and her father in a marshy area near 161st Avenue and 78th Street in Howard Beach around 11 p.m. Tuesday. The St. John's graduate had been reported missing hours earlier when she went out for a run near Gateway National Park in Jamaica Bay and never returned. Sources tell NY1 she was raped and strangled. "She was about to be in the prime of her life. She had so much going for her, you know. Graduated St. John's. She's, you know, very into fitness, travelling the world and, you know, I know her and her dad were unseparable, so you know, the pain that the family's going through, I can't even imagine," said one person at the vigil. "I was shocked. I didn't know the girl personally, but she was very, very lovely, I'm sure," said another. "Her parents were very nice." An official cause of death is still pending. 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. The grandson of the late mob boss John Gotti has been arrested and charged for allegedly leading a crew of drug traffickers. The Queens D.A.'s Office says 23-year-old John Gotti was the head of a seven-person crew charged for allegedly selling painkiller drugs and other pharmaceutical controlled substances. He and the six other defendants are accused of pedaling the drugs in Howard Beach and Ozone Park over the last year. Investigators say they recovered nearly 240-thousand-dollars in cash and more than 850 Oxycodone and Xanax pills inside Gotti's and three other crew members' homes and vehicles. Police dubbed the sting "Operation Beach Party." Gotti was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, conspiracy and money laundering, as well as operating as a major trafficker. "We'll always chase organized crime around. There's no shift there. They're still there, said Robert Boyce, NYPD Chief of Detectives. A lot of their influence has been changed in this city. We're just making sure this younger generation, as you see, John Gotti Jr. a young man, is that he doesn't get into the same level that his grandfather did." If convicted, he faces up to 25 years behind bars. His grandfather, known as "the Teflon Don," died in federal prison in 2002 while serving time for his 1992 conviction on racketeering and murder charges. Season 2, Episode 5: eps2.3_logic-b0mb.hc Have you ever wondered how the world would look if the 5/9 had never happened? How the world would look right now? This question is being posed by a minister of the Chinese state security to a guest attending a party in his home, a young F.B.I. agent whos investigating the attacks to which hes referring. Theyre standing before a closet full of amazingly intricate womens dresses. He says they belong to his sister. He does not have a sister. In fact, some believe there are alternate realities playing out that very scenario, he continues, with other lives that were leading, other people that weve become. His smiling eyes welling with tears, he pauses for breath. The contemplation, he concludes with a lump in his throat and a slight, self-effacing laugh, moves me very deeply. As well it should. This may be the high-ranking official charged with heading the E Corp hack on Chinese soil, but this, weve learned, is a secret identity no closer to the mark than Clark Kent is to Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton. She is really Whiterose, the transgender woman who leads the lethal cyberterrorism organization the Dark Army. On both sides of her secret life she wields tremendous power, power which she will unleash the next day in the form of a mass shooting that wipes out nearly the entire F.B.I. contingent tracing the hack. But in this moment, with these words, its clear she wants nothing so much as to end the fiction of the fake sister and shed the male-presenting mask once and for all. The sequence is a variation on the Bluebeard fairy tale, but the locked room is full not of the bodies of women Whiterose has killed, but the dresses of the woman she wishes she could always be. If youve ever been momentarily overcome by the profound power of a beautiful, impossible ideal, youll recognize its effects etched into the actor B D Wongs face and echoing in his quavering voice. On Mr. Robot, even supervillains suffer. Jim Northrup, a born storyteller, began his writing career by necessity: Sent to a government boarding school as a 6-year-old American Indian boy, he resisted assimilation by regularly exchanging letters with his family on the Minnesota reservation that would become his home again. Mr. Northrup, who died on Aug. 1 at 73 in Sawyer, Minn., was a published author, columnist, playwright, poet, performer and commentator with crossover appeal beyond Indian country, his books winning state and regional awards. His narratives about combat as a Marine in Vietnam and his insular life on the reservation, woven together like the traditional birch-bark baskets he made with his wife, Pat, might be heartbreaking or ribald but were typically leavened by his dry wit. He delivered his narratives, in English and Ojibwe, as a palliative and a preservative. He hoped to heal troubled souls poetically evoking his traumatic Vietnam experiences to fellow war-weary veterans, reminding impoverished Indians whose future had held little promise of their heritage as Anishinaabe people. Tesla Motors said on Wednesday that its losses deepened in the second quarter, but the electric-car maker pledged to expand production and improve the profitability of its vehicles. The company said it lost $293.2 million in the quarter, on revenue of $1.27 billion. The loss was only slightly more than in the first quarter, but it greatly exceeded analyst forecasts and raised the pressure on Tesla to improve its factory output. Teslas chief executive, Elon Musk, said the automaker was on track to build 50,000 vehicles in the second half of the year despite missing its production targets in the first six months. I think our core business is actually doing quite well, Mr. Musk said in a conference call with analysts. We dramatically changed the perception of New York State, Mr. Zemsky said. The world thought that New York State was not open for business. But now, he added, The world thinks New York State is open for business. Mr. Zemsky made his remarks during an off-session hearing of the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry, and on the heels of troubling news for two other state economic development programs. Mr. Cuomos so-called Buffalo Billion plan, a billion-dollar investment project aiming to revitalize Buffalo and western New York, has come under federal investigation. And last month, the states Excelsior Jobs Program which slightly predates the administration of Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat was also the subject of an unflattering audit by Thomas P. DiNapoli, the state comptroller, who criticized the development agency for adjusting job creation requirements for tax breaks given to companies that had not hired as many as they had promised. Empire State disputed those findings, and Mr. Zemsky said on Wednesday his office was cooperating with the federal investigation of the Buffalo Billion program, which is being led by Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. While Mr. Zemsky faced questions about both the Excelsior and Buffalo Billion programs, the vast majority of his time was spent defending Start-Up, which uses space on or adjacent to college campuses statewide. Again and again, Mr. Zemsky argued the program needed time, saying its approved companies would invest $230 million and eventually produce some 4,100 jobs over the next four to five years. In his new job, Chief ONeill, a born-and-bred New Yorker who became an officer in 1983, will have to walk a tightrope between 36,000 armed officers and the power brokers inside City Hall at a time when a single instance of potential police misconduct can mushroom into a national controversy. The challenges for the police are myriad and unfinished: terrorism; the internal discipline of officers, including those involved in the death of Eric Garner; the enduring mistrust of officers in minority communities; calls for reform from legislative leaders; bitter union contract battles; and a federal corruption investigation that has ensnared top police officials and coincided with the suicide of Inspector Michael Ameri, a close friend of Chief ONeills. Im sorry I couldnt do more for you, Chief ONeill said in his eulogy in May, racked by tears. Im so sorry I couldnt stop the pain. But the challenges for the police extend to Mr. de Blasio. Soon to be without his most powerful defender on criminal justice matters, the mayor may become newly vulnerable to challenge from advocates of reform and from police union leaders skeptical of his leadership. Both the mayor and Chief ONeill are likely to be tested from inside and outside the department, from the political right and the left, and by those who found Mr. Bratton too formidable a rival. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. The dynamics of that relationship were already on display on Tuesday: Hours before Chief ONeills appointment was announced, dozens of officers from the Policemens Benevolent Association staged a protest of the mayor outside his Park Slope gym. A day after, two city councilmen said they would press for the passage of policing legislation that had appeared to have been obviated last month by Mr. Brattons promise to enact changes himself. But the timing of the transition from Mr. Bratton to Chief ONeill could yet help Mr. de Blasio, who is facing a raft of state and federal investigations, poor approval numbers in polls and a re-election fight next year. Should crime rise, or Chief ONeill prove unable to navigate the citys media and political landscape, the mayor could name a replacement before the election, though such a move would present its own risks. Mr. de Blasio appeared to decide that despite a national clamor for broad-based criminal justice reform, the Police Department needed stability and a continuation of the Bratton approach. Crime remains a concern for New Yorkers, who fear backsliding even as the statistics in most categories continue their decline. 1. The House speaker, Paul Ryan, reiterated his support for Donald Trump, even though Mr. Trump has refused to endorse him. Protesters handed out copies of the U.S. Constitution at Mr. Trumps town hall meeting in Maine, while military veterans, like those at Capitol Hill, above, have expressed dismay over his comments about the armed services. Mr. Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, faced down an 11-year-old at a rally in North Carolina who asked why he was kind of softening up on Mr. Trumps policies and words. The ruling was the sixth time in recent months that federal courts rejected unfair voter restrictions enacted by Republican-controlled legislatures in thinly veiled attempts at voter suppression timed for the presidential election. Last Friday, a federal appeals court struck down the heart of a new North Carolina voting law found to block African-American voters with what it called almost surgical precision just as the black vote has been growing in power in that important swing state. In Texas, a federal court struck down elaborate ID requirements as unconstitutional, freeing more than 600,000 Latinos and blacks to vote this November. Other rulings have ordered retreats from blatantly unfair restrictions in Wisconsin, Kansas and Ohio. More lawsuits are in the courts, brought by minorities and voting rights defenders complaining that the laws interfere with voters who are thought to favor Democrats. As the courts remove these crude hurdles one after another, Donald Trump has begun complaining that his presidential campaign may be facing a rigged outcome. Studies have established that fraud is a minuscule factor in American elections. But Mr. Trump told The Washington Post this week, If you dont have voter ID, you can just keep voting and voting and voting. In truth, the recent court decisions help un-rig the election by rejecting shamefully partisan strictures. In the North Dakota ruling, the judge found that more than 3,800 Native Americans could have been denied the vote in November in part because the Legislatures new restrictions required specific residential addresses on ID documents an obvious rebuff to the Indian reservation culture of using postal boxes for mail. This is the level of malicious voter suppression to which Republican statehouses have been stooping. Whatever else it does, the Trump campaign will test the willingness of the American electorate to support a candidate who asserts his right to run roughshod over the Constitution and flout traditional constraints on the exercise of power. Will voters fall in line behind a man who declares I am your voice and I am the law and order candidate, a man who looks more than 30 million television viewers in the eye as he says Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it. Trump is the candidate of the massive and unruly rally, seemingly always on the edge of violence, the candidate who dismisses critics and opponents as weak losers and who whips up mass audiences via Twitter, the 21st century counterpart to the Depression-era radio rants of Father Coughlin and Charles Lindbergh the aviator-turned-isolationist who brought us the original America First movement. Trumps entire campaign is premised on the primal assault of an in-group against an out-group. More brazenly than any major party presidential contender in American history, he promises voters the comfort, security and even happiness that autocratic leaders claim they can provide. He has based his presidential bid on the yearning for authoritarian leadership that he believes animates a majority of the voting public. Who are Trumps followers? Matthew MacWilliams, in a chapter of the forthcoming book, Why Irrational Politics Appeals, writes that those who support Trump stand out because of two variables: authoritarianism and a personalized fear of terrorism. MacWilliams, a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, goes on to argue in a companion essay that: Trumps success in the Republican primaries this year is demonstrably different than what has occurred in Americas political past. It is instead the rise of American authoritarianism Americas Authoritarian Spring. As the world knows, Trump set out to tap voters fears in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention on July 21st, arguing that 2016 is a moment of crisis for our nation. The attacks on our police, and the terrorism in our cities, threaten our very way of life. Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country. There is a striking array of statistical data linking Trump to voters disposed to believe in the value of authoritarian control. The rise of Mr. Trump and his brand of racial populism has undermined nearly all the reports recommendations on minority outreach. Among black voters, 90 to 94 percent hold unfavorable views of the nominee. By current polling accounts, he is winning between 4 to 9 percent of the black vote. Sally Bradshaw, one of Jeb Bushs top advisers and a co-author of the 2013 report, recently announced that she was leaving the party, citing Republicans decision to nominate a bigot. And yet, when you look beyond such glossy items like that 2013 report, the damage done by Mr. Trump feels of a piece with the partys history, however much people like Ms. Bradshaw protest. Set aside the instances of racial demagogy; even at its best moments, for decades the party has been unable to move beyond broad assessments and platitudes to advocate substantive change. The party has had no shortage of analyses devoted to fixing its race problem. In 1939, the future Nobel Prize winner Ralph Bunche created a blueprint for winning over black voters. Dozens of reports followed, usually in the aftermath of a disastrous presidential loss. After the 1964 presidential election, when the Republicans garnered only 6 percent of the black vote, a group of former Goldwater supporters concluded that the party could no longer rely on racist appeals, overt or covert. But as with the past four years, whenever the party begins to make incremental gains in its relationship with African-Americans, it finds itself pulled to the right, often at the expense of black needs and interests. In 1960, Richard M. Nixon won 32 percent of the black vote; in 1962, he told Ebony that it would be foolish and a violation of G.O.P. principles to give up on black voters. By 1968, as the Republican presidential nominee, he had alienated African-Americans with his racially charged language of law and order. The government is arranging classified intelligence briefings for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to prepare them for the White House. This longstanding practice of briefing nominees is controversial this year: Senator Harry Reid has urged the C.I.A. to give Trump a fake briefing, while House Speaker Paul Ryan has said Clinton cant handle classified material. But what would a Trump briefing look like, anyway? Mr. Trump, Im Gene Smith from the C.I.A. Smith, huh? Is that your code name? You know, I know a huge amount about the C.I.A., more than most C.I.A. directors. A terrific, beautiful, very good organization. Actually, Smith is my real name. Anyway, lets get started with China and our assessment that Xi is much more aggressive than Hu. She is more aggressive than who? Exactly. Well, Id like to meet her. I like aggressive women. She sounds like a 10. Shaken by a failed coup attempt, Turkeys government and many of its citizens are desperate for someone to blame. Instead of undertaking a thorough investigation of the facts, though, they have accused the United States of complicity in the insurrection. This has ignited a new wave of anti-Americanism that, combined with a sweeping government crackdown against enemies real and imagined, poses a serious risk to NATO, relations with the United States and Turkeys long-term stability. The main culprit behind the July 15 coup, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish leaders, is Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999 and has denied any involvement in the attempted overthrow. But the pro-government press, political leaders and ordinary citizens across all segments of society are also pointing fingers at Washington, which has denied any involvement. When Gen. Joseph Votel, the top American commander in the Middle East, told a security conference last week of his concerns about the effect of the purge on Turkish officers, including some who worked with the Americans and are now jailed, Mr. Erdogan faulted him for taking the side of the coup plotters. On Tuesday, Mr. Erdogan kept at it, giving a speech in which he said that in standing by the putschists, the West supported terrorism. Meanwhile, the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak accused the C.I.A.; Gen. John Campbell of the Army, formerly a NATO commander in Afghanistan; and Henri Barkey, who runs the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, of being behind the insurrection. The evidence against Mr. Barkey? When the coup erupted, he was on an island near Istanbul holding a workshop for academics. The paper called it a secret meeting and said he made several telephone calls, hardly a suspicious activity. It also ran a headline claiming the United States had tried to assassinate Mr. Erdogan that night. The police scandal that has roiled Chicago for months entered a new phase last week when a Cook County judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the cover-up that followed the police execution of a black teenager two years ago. The lawyers who petitioned the court for an outside prosecutor argued persuasively that the states attorneys office, which would ordinarily handle such a case, had been effectively captured by the Police Department and was incapable of handling the matter objectively. The special prosecutor, Patricia Brown Holmes, is a former judge and federal prosecutor, and clearly qualified for the post. But she will need steely perseverance to pry the truth from a Police Department that is well practiced in the art of concealing misconduct, brutality and even torture. This grim legacy dates back to the departments infamous midnight crew, an outfit that battered and tortured black men from the 1970s into the 1990s. This spring, a task force appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel found that the department was plagued by systemic racism and still operated with contempt for the lives of black citizens. The task force made many recommendations and proposed scrapping the current police oversight system in favor of a new investigative agency that would be under civilian control. Mr. Emanuel created the task force shortly after the city was forced to release a police video of a white police officer, Jason Van Dyke, firing away at a black teenager named Laquan McDonald on a busy Chicago street. The city added to the African-American communitys already deep sense of grievance by withholding the video from the public for 13 months while the police circulated a false account of the episode. Only after the court ordered the video released did the states attorney, Anita Alvarez, charge Officer Van Dyke with murder. Then 51, she had cracked glass ceilings in her time: a politician in Arizona before she became a judge, she was the first woman in the country to be majority leader of a State Senate. The Supreme Courts glass ceiling was plenty thick, but she shattered it during a 24-year-long tenure. This isnt the place to assess Justice OConnors Supreme Court career. Suffice it to say that the subtitle of Joan Biskupics 2005 biography of the justice, Sandra Day OConnor How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice is accurate. Putting jurisprudence and influence to the side, every day Justice OConnor took her seat on the Supreme Court bench signified to the courtroom audience and to the world beyond that the presence of a woman on the Supreme Court of the United States was possible and before something is seen as normal, it has to be seen as possible. Now that there have been four women on the Supreme Court and hundreds on the other federal courts, the question is often posed whether their presence has made a substantive difference in the way law is interpreted and applied. The evidence is anecdotal and theres really no proof one way or another. Female judges come in all ideological stripes (Donald Trumps list of 11 potential Supreme Court nominees includes three women, vetted like the men on the list for their conservative inclinations.) Anecdotally, the presence of a woman on the bench does make some degree of difference some of the time. During oral argument in a 2009 case on whether school officials violated a 13-year-old girls rights by ordering her to strip to her underwear in a search for unauthorized possession of generic Advil, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was then the only woman on the court following Justice OConnors retirement, was openly annoyed at her colleagues obvious failure to take seriously the students distress. In an interview with Joan Biskupic, then at USA Today, while the case was still pending, Justice Ginsburg explained her reaction. They have never been a 13-year-old girl, she said. Its a very sensitive age for a girl. I didnt think that my colleagues, some of them, quite understood. They understood soon enough; in an opinion by Justice David H. Souter, eight justices (all but Clarence Thomas) found that the search was unreasonable, in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The authors of a 2010 political science article titled Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging evaluated judges behavior in 13 areas of law. They found no sex-based effects in 12 of the areas. Only in cases concerning claims of sex discrimination did the composition of a three-judge appellate panel matter: panels with at least one female member were significantly more likely to rule in favor of the plaintiff claiming discrimination. Interesting, and maybe even important, but I have to think the most important result of women becoming judges lies not in the exceptional but in the routine: the presence of three women on the Supreme Court bench and five women on the very important 11-member United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit simply announces that women belong there. And if they belong there, theres no place they dont belong. Thats why, as the balloons floated down at the conclusion of the Democratic convention, I thought of Sandra Day OConnor, and Id like to think that somewhere out there, as the presidential campaign goes along, a few young women and men with a sense of history might think of her too. Waters is adamantly against the idea of ever retiring the look. But doesnt it get annoying? The only time I would shave it off is if I was going to prison, because I wouldnt have the proper tools, he relents. I dont want to be putting it on with a number two pencil which I have tried because it doesnt work, or taking a cigarette butt and trying to fill it in, which would be a little too much for beauty. He adds that if he ever had to go undercover in disguise, he would think about getting rid of the mustache but even that, he wagers, might not work. I bet if I shaved it off now there would be a mark there, or a scar, because Ive had it for so long, he says with a laugh. Why would I get rid of it now? In Gary Johnsons first run for the presidency in 2012, as the Libertarian Party candidate, he won just under 1 percent of the popular vote. He did not surpass 3 percent in any state. Thats not exactly a strong showing. But 2016 could prove more favorable because of the unpopularity of both major party candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Mr. Johnson is at roughly 10 percent in recent polls, well above where he was in 2012. The question, of course, is whether it will have any impact. Is This a Lot? American presidential elections are not set up to favor third parties. The first-past-the-post voting methods, in which the winner of the state gets all its electoral votes, make it hard for third parties to get a foothold. (In political science, this is a concept known as Duvergers Law.) The latest guessing game is whether Donald Trump will drop out of the presidential race before Election Day. Although his campaign has denied that this is a possibility, ABC News reports that senior Republican officials are taking the idea seriously enough that they are exploring how to replace him if he drops out. So, what are the odds he quits? One way to determine this is to look at the latest odds in political prediction markets. Its not that any bettor knows what Mr. Trump will do. Rather, markets are useful because people putting their money where their mouth is are more likely to give an honest assessment than party insiders positioning for political advantage. Moreover, aggregating the intuitions of many traders usually beats relying on any group of pundits. At the British prediction market Betfair, traders currently assess the Republican Party as holding a 25.8 percent chance to win the presidency. But they give Mr. Trump only a 24.1 percent chance of becoming president. The difference of 1.7 percent probably reflects the possibility that Mr. Trump drops out and that an alternative Republican wins the White House. A police standoff in Randallstown, Md., on Monday in which a 23-year-old woman with a shotgun was killed after the police say she had been encouraged by her online followers to defy their orders has highlighted an unexpected role of social media in violent encounters. During the standoff, which lasted several hours, videos from inside the apartment were posted to the Instagram account of the woman, Korryn Gaines, 23, whose 5-year-old son was also in the home, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. The police said Ms. Gaines had repeatedly pointed her shotgun at officers, at least once while her son was in her arms. At one point, she said she would kill the officers if they did not leave, the police said. An officer fired once at Ms. Gaines, and she fired back, the police said. Then officers fired three shots, killing Ms. Gaines. Her son also sustained injuries in the crossfire, though they are not considered to be life-threatening. Critics of the police have welcomed social media especially live video as a way to document their interactions with officers, hoping it would lead to better police behavior or eliminate conflicting stories. In July, a Facebook video broadcast by the girlfriend of Philando Castile, after a police officer shot him during a traffic stop in Minnesota, drew wide attention. Republican voters in Kansas rebelled against the policies of Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday, ousting his fellow conservatives in at least 11 state legislative primary races amid widespread angst about Kansass financial situation. With some races still undetermined on Wednesday, but also leaning toward moderates, the primary was a tangible sign of the grumblings that have been going on under the surface in heavily Republican Kansas, as deep cuts to taxes, a centerpiece of the Brownback agenda, have left the state short on revenue and led to cuts to government services. People, they were frustrated, said Dinah Sykes, a moderate Republican from the Kansas City suburbs who defeated the conservative incumbent in her State Senate district. They were ready for people to listen to them and be accountable to them. The results promised to reshape the dynamics in the Legislature, which has been dominated in recent years by conservatives friendly to Mr. Brownback, and perhaps add pressure for the governor to reconsider some of his tax policies, which were predicated on a supply-side theory of economics and championed by conservatives nationally. Kansas has repeatedly missed revenue collection targets, has seen its credit rating slashed and has cut funding for some government services during Mr. Brownbacks tenure. Denver, Colorado - 3 August 2016 1. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton walking into the Knotty Tie Company, meeting owners 2. Clinton talking with graphic designer, showing Clinton cat design on ties 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Hillary Clinton, (D) Presidential Nominee: Im taken both by the social enterprise nature of this work and the commitment to make things in America. As I was walking through of course I was thinking to myself, I wish Donald Trump could meet all of you and see what you are making here and hear the stories of people who have come together to produce products and create more opportunity for more people. I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump Ties, this is one of them its got his name on it of course, and instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado, with a company like Knotty. But its not just his ties, Donald Trump makes his suits in Mexico, not Ohio where he could, his furniture in Turkey, not Pennsylvania where he could, his picture frames in India, not Wisconsin where he could. As Ive said over this past week in many different settings and factories across Pennsylvania and Ohio, and I mean this, because if he wants to make America great again, he should start by making things in America and theres a lot he could learn by coming here. Unfortunately, when asked about this he basically has said and this is a quote they dont make this stuff here, meaning, they dont make ties or suits or furniture or bar wear here in America. Well, you know, thats just not true. 4. Clinton with staff, looking at Colorado-branded textiles, materials An agreement reached Wednesday would weaken Texas strict voter identification law and allow residents to cast ballots in Novembers election even if they have none of the seven identifying documents that the law recognizes. The accord, filed with the Federal District Court in Corpus Christi, followed a July 20 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that the Texas law violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The appeals court ordered the law weakened to end its discriminatory impact on black and Hispanic voters. A district court judge must still endorse the agreement, which was reached by lawyers for the state, civil rights groups and the Justice Department, but the approval is likely to be a formality. Civil rights advocates sued to block the law after the Texas Legislature enacted it in 2011, and federal courts struck down the law three times. Until the appeals court ruling last month, though, it had been in effect since 2013. One person was killed and five were wounded Wednesday night in a knife attack in London, the Metropolitan Police said. The police said they were called around 10:30 p.m. about a man with a knife who was attacking people in Russell Square, a park in Central London. A woman in her 60s died at the scene, the police said. Five others, two women and three men, were wounded. Details about their conditions and injuries were not immediately available, although the police said on Twitter on Thursday morning that three people had been discharged from the hospital. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has agreed to assist thousands of laid-off Indian workers stranded in the kingdom without money or food, an Indian minister said Wednesday. A sharp drop in oil prices has forced state spending cuts in Saudi Arabia, the worlds top crude exporter. Construction companies, squeezed financially, have laid off tens of thousands of South Asians and other foreign workers. More than 6,200 of the stranded Indian workers were employed by the construction company Saudi Oger, a conglomerate owned by the family of a former Lebanese prime minister, Saad al-Hariri, which has been unable to pay workers salaries for months, according to Indian officials. In a visit to meet the Saudi labor minister, Mufrej al-Haqbani, in Riyadh on Wednesday, Indias junior foreign minister, V. K. Singh, said the Saudi government had provided assurances that it would resolve the crisis and ensure that workers financial claims were pursued, even if the workers returned home. Long before they could take any actual roles in government, black political activists sent thousands of delegates to advocacy events called colored conventions that were held starting in the 1830s. The activists drafted legislative petitions demanding better schools and job opportunities and legal protections from bigotry and violence. Now, a team at the University of Delaware has created the Colored Conventions Project to explore these events, where committees were formed, transcripts were prepared, formal motions were submitted and firebrand speeches were delivered. It is unknown how many of these meetings were held, how much documentation of the speeches has survived and which attendees had only recently escaped from enslavement. The University of Delaware group is analyzing related subjects, too, including the lives of the boardinghouse and restaurant owners who hosted the delegates, the abolitionist songs sung at the conventions and the artists who sketched the events. P. Gabrielle Foreman, a professor and faculty director for the Colored Conventions Project, said that scholars of 19th-century activism had paid little attention to the conventions until now. Historians concentrated more on interracial collaborations before the Civil War, like the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad. In 1956, he began to experiment with stretchy, extensible fabrics that could be drawn across a chairs armature first of metal, and later of plastic. (His prototypes were made of the same elastic material used in swimsuits.) The technique permitted flamboyant, organic new shapes for seating, as attested by the chairs nicknames: Oyster, Orange Slice, Ribbon, Flower. They were upholstered in hot, solid colors that made them as much sculptures as design objects. Relatively cheap to produce, the chairs were sold widely in the swinging 60s, especially in the United States and the Netherlands. At both Perrotin and the Pompidou Center, four of Mr. Paulins 1967 Tongue chairs, in white, sit on hand-tufted rugs whose geometric patterning recalls Navajo decorative arts. The Tongues, like so many of his designs, called for reclining over sitting upright. Each is a single swoop of fabric, curving up-down-up like a sound wave, and so the seat is depressed almost to the ground. Similarly, his mischievous Tapis-Siege, a hybrid of carpet and sofa from 1970, takes the form of a cushioned base with dog-eared corners, suitable for meditation or other, more lascivious uses. In 1969, Georges Pompidou, the new French president, selected Mr. Paulin to decorate three rooms of the private apartments of the Elysee. The project was both a promotional effort for the French design industry and a personal undertaking for that design-loving president, who gave Mr. Paulin one request for the finished work: It must be absolutely quiet not a sound. The designer also wasnt allowed to touch the walls, so Mr. Paulin rethought the apartments as a sequence of igloolike chambers, constructed of beige polyester stretched on steel frames. The rooms included a paintings gallery, a smoking lounge (Pompidou was an inveterate smoker) and a dining room, the last of which was outfitted with nearly a thousand plexiglass rods suspended from the ceiling. A critical guide to performances of classical music in the New York City area. Full reviews of recent classical performances: nytimes.com/classical. A searchable guide to these and other performances is at nytimes.com/events. Opera BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) This summer the festivals spotlight has been on Puccini, with the conductor and scholar Leon Botstein using rarely performed operas to place Puccini in context. This weekend, a series of lectures and concert performances take aim at the complex relationship between music and Italian politics (Friday), symphonic and operatic traditions in Italy (Saturday) and the different ways in which opera emerged from the weighty shadow of Verdi (Sunday). Full schedule online at fishercenter.bard.edu. Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y, 845-758-7900. (Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim) Classical Music BARGEMUSIC (Friday through Sunday) Violin fireworks are assured in Kinga Augustyns program on Friday at 8 p.m., dominated by selections from Paganinis Caprices, along with Telemann, Drozdzewski, Penderecki and Ysaye. Theres another solo concert on Sunday, at 4 p.m., when the pianist Beth Levin takes on Schuberts late A major sonata, Brahmss Handel Variations and David Del Tredicis Ode to Music. In the middle, on Saturday at 8 p.m., comes Piazzolla and Ziegler, with Mark Peskanov, Jisoo Ok, Hector Del Curto and Pablo Ziegler. Bargemusic, Fulton Ferry Landing, next to the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, 800-838-3006, bargemusic.org. (David Allen) GLIMMERGLASS (all week) The many facets of opera, from comedy and romance to chilling drama, are on display at this summer festival. Productions of Rossinis The Thieving Magpie and Puccinis La Boheme offer lighter fare, while Christopher Aldens staging of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheelers Sweeney Todd and The Crucible, in a production directed by Francesca Zambello, probe dark undercurrents of political relevance. The formidable mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe offers a recital on Friday afternoon of a song cycle by Alan Louis Smith based on the Ellis Island Oral History Project that plumbs the American immigrant experience. Full schedule online at glimmerglass.org. 7300 State Highway 80, eight miles north of Cooperstown, 607-547-2255. (da Fonseca-Wollheim) Operating in 10 cities in the United States, Getaround has signed up about 3,000 car owners. Each owner agrees to let Getaround install a small box under the cars dashboard, which tracks vehicle diagnostics, pinpoints the cars location at any moment and keeps track of how the vehicle is being driven. Getaround charges owners $20 a month, and a 40 percent commission on rental fees. To rent a car, which costs $5 to $25 an hour depending on the model, a customer uses the Getaround app to find a nearby vehicle. A grid shows its location and whether and when the car is available. The customer can unlock the vehicle by smartphone, then find a car key that has been hidden within the vehicle. All rental forms are filled out electronically, with no need for the owner and customer to ever meet. The rental rate includes $1 million of insurance coverage, as well as roadside assistance. The Getaround model is meant for cities with concentrated populations, which is why its initial markets also include Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington. For less densely settled, sprawling metropolises like Los Angeles, there are companies like Skurt, a one-year-old start-up, which will deliver rental cars to customers. After the drop-off, Skurt drivers head back to the office by public transportation, a folding bike or even a skateboard. Like Getaround, Skurt does not own the cars. The company contracts with the major rental companies to make use of their excess capacity. Using the Skurt app, customers choose the models they want, set the drop-off and pickup times and locations, and scan their drivers licenses. Prices start at about $40 a day. Airbags made by a Tennessee supplier came under heightened scrutiny on Thursday after a rupture in one of its bags was linked to the death of a driver in Canada last month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the American regulator, said it had opened a formal investigation of bags made by the company, ARC Automotive. The fatal rupture raised the prospect of adding millions of cars to an already extensive recall of exploding airbags made by another manufacturer, Takata. American regulators are investigating hybrid airbag inflaters made by ARC that use both a gas and an explosive compound called ammonium nitrate. The agency had opened a preliminary inquiry into at least eight million airbag inflaters made by ARC for use in Chrysler, General Motors, Kia and Hyundai cars through 2004, but the formal investigation will go beyond that population of inflaters. The agency was still determining the number of airbags affected, it said. James J. Tierney, the government antitrust lawyer who oversaw the complaint accusing six major Silicon Valley companies of colluding not to recruit competitors employees, is leaving the federal job to join the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. The chief of the Justice Departments networks and technology enforcement section, Mr. Tierney, 62, worked for the government for 26 years. He oversaw all civil antitrust enforcement and competition policy in the areas of computer hardware and software, high technology component manufacturing, financial services, securities industries and professional associations. In the no-poaching case, the government accused Adobe Systems, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit and Pixar Animation of entering into agreements that blocked the recruiting of each others employees. The government argued that such a pact undercut competition among companies vying for employees with advanced or highly specialized skills, and squelched competition among workers effectively putting a lid on wages and depriving them of access to better job opportunities. The agreements, overseen by senior executives, had barred companies from cold calling a competitors workers to make better compensation offers, according to a 2010 settlement. Typically, women say, they ignore insults or sexist comments for fear of imperiling their careers or being labeled less than a team player. You either run with the nannies or you run with the wolves is the way one male partner at a San Francisco law firm described the choices to a pregnant associate, said Ms. Ramey, who is also a former dean of the Golden Gate School of Law in San Francisco. Ms. Ramey testified at a bar association public hearing in February in favor of the amendment, which would bar lawyers from harassing or discriminating on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or socioeconomic status in conduct related to the practice of law. If the amendment is adopted, any punishment for such discrimination would be meted out by participating state bar associations and could range from fines to suspension from practicing law. Opponents of the amendment argue that it could foster unfair punishments. Dozens of lawyers who filed a brief in opposition cited the cases of two Indiana lawyers who were disciplined under that states professional conduct rules, one for asking, without an ostensible reason, whether someone was gay, and another for describing himself with a racially derogatory term during a private telephone conversation with another lawyers secretary. Like the Indiana bar association, those in 22 other states and the District of Columbia already have protections against harassment and discrimination by lawyers in the conduct of their profession. The A.B.A.s model rules, adopted in 1983 and meant for state bar associations to follow, contain guidance for enforcement. A number of women and minorities, however, say they are inadequate to combat bias, prejudice, harassment and discrimination. RIONEGRO, Colombia Like many drug barons in Colombia, Federico Cock-Correa wants to sell his product globally. Just 15 miles outside Medellin, Mr. Cock-Correa is looking to replace vast acres of flowers with marijuana plants, with plans to export the harvest. But unlike the brutal heroin and cocaine trade that once flourished nearby, his operation has the governments stamp of approval. Last year, President Juan Manuel Santos spearheaded an overhaul of Colombias 30-year-old drug laws, which formally legalized medical marijuana for domestic use. Crucially, the new law also allowed the commercial cultivation, processing and export of medical marijuana products like oils and creams although not the flower, the part of the plant normally rolled into a joint. Officials hope the move will put a dent in Colombias drug trafficking business by creating a legal opportunity in an industry historically controlled by the black market. The authorities believe the new law will also help attract investment and give the economy a lift, though it will take several years before the returns on the investments become clear. The Justice Department announced on Thursday that it had concluded a two-year investigation into the complex world of music licensing and decided against making changes to the regulatory agreements that govern Ascap and BMI, two large clearinghouses for performing rights that process about $2 billion in royalty payments each year. BMI quickly said it would challenge the decision in federal court, and Ascap said it would explore legislative solutions to the problems of music licensing in the digital age. Lets take a look at what happened and what it means. What are Ascap and BMI? The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Ascap) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), known as performing rights organizations, collect money for songwriters and music publishers whenever their songs are publicly performed, whether on the radio, on television, in retail stores, bars, restaurants or on streaming services. Why is the government involved? Since Ascap and BMI are collectives that sell music rights at set prices, they have long been under antitrust scrutiny, and since 1941 they have been bound by regulatory agreements called consent decrees. Two years ago, both organizations asked the Justice Department to change these agreements, saying they needed to be updated to secure fair royalty rates in the digital era. A throwback to the Surrealists and exquisite corpse games, the omnibus film collective:unconscious began from a simple premise: Five filmmakers transcribed their dreams; each description was then given at random to one of the others to direct as a short. (The film bears no relationship to the theater organization Collective:Unconscious.) The results which have varying degrees of coherence and power raise fascinating questions about the individuality of interpretation. For anyone familiar with some of the filmmakers featured, watching the movie plays like an exercise in mix-and-match. In Black Soil, Green Grass, directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone from a dream by Lauren Wolkstein, a man combats the sound of robotic sheep-counting emanating from a tower with recordings of his grandmothers folk singing. In Swallowed, the dancer Lily Baldwin directs Mr. Carbones dream as a Rosemarys Baby-style horror movie, casting herself as a new mother for whom parenthood is a disembodying experience. There is hardly a shortage of buddy movies about mismatched men bonding under duress, but films that chart the emotional weather of everyday male friendship are rare. Literature has more to offer, at least as far as boys are concerned. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn have a rich and renewable legacy. And it may be that association that imparts a novelistic vibe to Ira Sachss Little Men, beyond the Louisa May Alcott echo in the title. Its a subtle movie, alert to the almost imperceptible currents of feeling that pass between its title characters. They are Jake Jardine (Theo Taplitz) and Tony Calvelli (Michael Barbieri), two middle schoolers who cross paths in Brooklyn. I almost ended that sentence and fall in love, a possibly misleading but not at all inaccurate account of what happens. The childhood bond that the psychologist Harry Stack Sullivan called chumship can be as intense and mysterious as romantic love, and can be sparked by the kind of intuitive connection that arises between Jake and Tony when they first meet. Jake, pale and reserved, is an exile from Manhattan, flung across the East River by the tides of family fortune. His father, Brian (Greg Kinnear), might be described as a struggling actor if it didnt seem that the fight had mostly gone out of him. He works, but he mostly worries, tries to be a nice guy and feels guilty when he fails at it. Jakes mother, Kathy (Jennifer Ehle), who is a bit more decisive, is a therapist, and her smiling demeanor acts as a shield against the unspoken tensions hovering in the air whenever she and her husband are together. The family moves into an apartment that used to belong to Brians father, whose death is the movies precipitating catastrophe. The old man also owned the building where Tonys mother, Leonor (Paulina Garcia) runs a dress shop, and if Little Men is a love story it is also a tale of economic conflict in a rapidly changing city, a fable about the insidious, toxic power of money and real estate. Maris Curran had plenty of opportunities to insert a cheesy plot twist into Five Nights in Maine, her delicate drama about loss and its aftermath. Yet she stayed true to her intentions, and the result is a believable character study that may not draw crowds but certainly challenges its two lead actors. Image Dianne Wiest plays a mother with struggles of her own whose daughter has just died. Credit... Sofian El Fani/FilmRise David Oyelowo, who played the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, portrays a man named Sherwin, whose idyllic-seeming life is derailed by the death of his young wife. This sends him on a sort of pilgrimage to visit her mother, Lucinda, in Maine. They are not well acquainted, though he does know that there was a simmering tension between Lucinda and his wife, a subject tiptoed around during his visit. Ms. Curran, who wrote and directed, could have pulled a dark family secret out of the hat at any point: a dead twin buried in the backyard, sexual abuse by a weird uncle, whatever. Thats what weve come to expect in these types of family-excavation stories. But the revelations here are subtle rather than shocking; Ms. Curran has her actors show rather than tell. Its 1973 in Brooklyn, and Santo (Troy Garity) is in a tough spot. A young man with a head for numbers, hes married with two kids and a third on the way, and has a bright future as a vice president for a local bank. He has stayed in the neighborhood and away from the mob ties that entangle his friends and family. At least until his father-in-law, Benny (Paul Sorvino), a lieutenant for the neighborhood don, brings him to the boss, Manny, who needs a favor. This is good for us, Benny promises. A minor entry in the mobster movie catalog, The Brooklyn Banker at least wears its influences on its black polyester sleeve. One recurring set is a street fair similar to the Feast of San Gennaro in The Godfather: Part II and Mean Streets. Indeed, Mean Streets is shown headlining a local movie marquee, and Manny is played by David Proval, who starred in that film. Mr. Proval also appeared on The Sopranos, and The Brooklyn Banker is thick with that crew as well. The movies director, Federico Castelluccio, played Furio, the Italian hit man who became Carmelas object of desire, and he finds roles here for the Sopranos alumni Arthur J. Nascarella and John Bianco. The Tenth Man, a modest charmer from Argentina, breathes considerable life into the rather trite scenario of a man discovering his religious roots, in part because it seems genuinely curious about the community in which its set. Ariel (Alan Sabbagh), who now lives in New York, returns to Buenos Aires to see his father, Usher, who runs a charity in the traditionally Jewish neighborhood of Ariels youth. For most of the film, Usher (a real person playing a version of himself whose last name is not given) is heard only over the phone. Following instructions, Ariel takes on his fathers tasks. Given that the week is the run-up to Purim, the assignments and Ushers failure to appear increasingly resemble an elaborate prank. An economist, Ariel claims that altruism runs counter to his way of thinking. (That suggests hes not a very good economist, but never mind.) He is also still smarting from a childhood incident in which Usher skipped seeing him perform in a school assembly in order to be the 10th man in a quorum of Orthodox worshipers. At the foundation, Ariel meets Eva (Julieta Zylberberg), a seemingly mute Orthodox woman who introduces him to some of her routines. A state judge ruled on Thursday that a reporter for The New York Times must testify at a trial this fall about her jailhouse interview with a man accused of killing the toddler known as Baby Hope. Justice Bonnie G. Wittner said in her ruling that the notes and testimony of the reporter, Frances Robles, were material, relevant and critical to the peoples case against the man, Conrado Juarez, because her interview with him was the only other public statement he made about the crime besides his confession to the police. A lawyer for Ms. Robles, Kate Bolger, said she would appeal the decision immediately; Justice Wittner, of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, said she would stay the decision until an appellate panel in Manhattan had a chance to review it, though she predicted they will confirm what I did. In April, the judge decided Ms. Robles could not be compelled to testify at a pretrial hearing about whether Mr. Juarezs videotaped confession could be admitted into evidence. In that decision, Justice Wittner said the prosecution had not shown that its case would rise or fall on Ms. Robless testimony. Shortly after 11 p.m., Mr. Washington got curious about the party for Ms. Willoughby on the 15th floor. They had not been invited, and none of them were dressed in purple, the color of lupus awareness, as an invitation had asked, so Mr. Washington walked down a flight of stairs to ask if they could join. So then he came back, he was like, Yes, its lit, she said we can come down, Ms. Vargas said. Tension Builds and Bursts For much of the night, the party had been relaxed. Mr. Hubbard had arrived around 6 p.m. People were sitting and talking on couches around the living room. Reggae and hip-hop hits were playing over the speakers, among them Rihannas single Work, Mr. Washingtons favorite song of the moment. It had something of the feeling of a family reunion. Ms. Willoughby had invited a number of her cousins, among them Mr. Hubbard, with whom she had reconnected only a few months earlier through her grandfather. He had come halfheartedly, his mother said in an interview. His sister, Ms. Newbold, asked him to bring food she had cooked: pans of pork shoulder, fried chicken, collard greens, crab salad and macaroni and cheese. Ms. Willoughby, wearing all black, cut the cake, which had two photos: one when she was in the hospital being treated for lupus, and another from when she had started feeling better. Mr. Hubbard, 35, looked out of place. A fast-food chef who had entered foster care when he was 12, he had been spending much of his time at home since being stabbed in the spine with an ice pick last summer during a robbery or possible gang assault, his mother, Venice Quinones, said. He was overheard complaining to his sister about wanting to go home until she persuaded him to stay. And he was getting drunk. He said in a jailhouse interview that he was downing E&J brandy and Miller beer. To the Editor: Re From One Draft Dodger to Another (Op-Ed, Aug. 3): Ted Gup misses one very big point in his musings on being a draft dodger in the Vietnam War era. Like him, Im 65 and vividly recall sitting in a dorm room while the radio read out the draft lottery numbers that would determine our fate. My birthday won me a high enough number to insulate me from the draft, but unlike Mr. Gup, I have never experienced the guilt he reports for never having had to serve. By that December day in 1969, I had come to the understanding that the war in Vietnam was a fundamentally unjust effort to maintain a colonial power structure in the face of an indigenous national liberation movement that posed no threat to us. I live with the knowledge that pure serendipity freed me from having to make a choice faced by many of my peers: prison, Canada, a fabricated 4-F (medical deferment). But guilt for not serving in a war that was wrong? No. ALAN MEYERS Cambridge, Mass. To the Editor: Ted Gups article about the Vietnam draft was truly moving. Those of us who served seek only respect. Those of you who had other priorities, I understand. The emergency law gives the government the authority to order house arrests, police raids and bans on public assemblies and nongovernmental organizations, including the closure of mosques. These measures may be meted out without warrants or other forms of judicial approval; for those affected, any recourse after the fact is often limited and inadequate. Since November, police and security forces have carried out about 3,600 raids on homes. These raids, almost always accompanied by searches and seizures, resulted in only six terrorism-related inquiries, only one of which, according to the Ministry of the Interior, led to a prosecution. In fact, as we heard from police union and magistrates representatives, most of these home raids were conducted by narcotics units that used these new powers against suspects with no ties to terrorism. There was evidence of similar misuse in the house arrests imposed on 404 people as of May: At least 24 of those were environmental activists detained in the run-up to last years Paris climate conference. A great majority of those who were placed under house arrest or whose homes were raided were French Muslims, typically of North African descent. We learned that searches were consistently conducted in brutal fashion with little regard for citizens rights. Residents related terrifying treatment at the hands of heavily armed, masked men who burst into their apartments in the middle of the night. One woman held at gunpoint during a raid on her home blamed the shock for her subsequent miscarriage. Another told us how she had soiled herself in front of her children because she was forbidden to use the bathroom during a search. Many held under house arrest lost jobs or employment opportunities as a result. France is home to the largest Muslim population of any country in Western Europe up to six million people who already face discrimination in employment, housing and educational opportunity. While Muslims constitute about 9 percent of the population, they are incarcerated at a disproportionate rate, making up an estimated 60 percent of the prison population a rate that surpasses even the overrepresentation of African-Americans and Latinos in American jails. When the French government targets French Muslims with its emergency measures, it reinforces the sense of persecution of this marginalized minority. JERUSALEM On July 21, a young Israeli woman posted an account on Facebook about falling in love with another woman. The young woman comes from a modern-Orthodox Jewish family. She had been hoping to have a traditional Orthodox family life a husband and several children living in a community adhering to Jewish law. Yet after a decade of searching for love, she ended up finding it where she least expected. Her true love came tangled up with the heartbreaking realization that everything she was hoping for the husband, the children, the community was not going to happen the way she envisioned it. That young woman is my sister. She is usually a private person, not the type who would casually present her story for everyone including our parents Orthodox friends to see. But this time she had a reason. These days it is clearer than ever that the personal, at least this kind of personal, is very much political, she wrote. To put it even more plainly, her reason has a name: Rabbi Yigal Levenstein. Ten days before my sisters Facebook post, Rabbi Levenstein publicly condemned an atmosphere that celebrated what he described as L.G.B.T. perverts. Rabbi Levenstein probably thought he was drawing a line in the sand against the inroads the L.G.B.T. community was making in Israel. But he ended up igniting something quite remarkable: the largest gay pride parade ever in Jerusalem, in which a significant number of modern-Orthodox Israelis showed their support by marching. Orthodox Judaism adheres to a strict biblical ban on homosexuality. Israels modern-Orthodox branch, known as Zionist-Orthodox, accounts for about 14 percent of the Jewish population and is usually counted as one of the four main branches of Israeli Judaism: secular, traditional, Zionist-Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox. Modern-Orthodox adherents try to live a strict Jewish life without separating themselves from the modern world a world that is more open-minded about homosexuality. Israel is a Jewish state in which Orthodox rabbis are often the official interpreters of Judaism. Israel is also a country in which acceptance of homosexuals is high (with some issues, admittedly, still under debate). SANTA COLOMA DE CERVELLO, Spain As industrial tension rose and the anarchist movement swelled in Barcelona in the late 1800s, it became fashionable for factory owners to set up industrial colonies self-contained mill towns away from the corrupting effects of the city. The best-known and the most utopian of these experiments is Colonia Guell, constructed by the industrialist Eusebi Guell in Santa Coloma de Cervello, about 10 miles from Barcelonas commercial center. It was from his summer retreat here, Can Soler de la Torre, that Count Guell planned the colony. Based around a textile mill, the colony would feature high-quality housing and amenities for workers, who he hoped would be turned away from revolutionary politics by these innovations. The whole project would be built in modernista style, as the Catalans call their take on Art Nouveau. The date offers a striking temporal link to the Xia dynasty which, if it existed, is thought to have begun at this time. A modern Chinese chronology project sets the beginning of the dynasty at 2070 B.C. Even closer, two scholars working from Chinese astronomical records a statement that there was a close conjunction of five planets early in the reign of the Emperor Yu have calculated that the dynasty began in 1914 B.C. Chinese annals record that Emperor Yu contrived a recovery from the Great Flood by dredging drainage canals rather than trying to repair breaches in the Yellow Rivers dikes, as his predecessor had done. He also laid the foundations for the Chinese civilization that followed by specifying which regions should send tribute. The place where he began his operations is recorded as Jishi, which has the same Chinese characters as that of the gorge where the landslide dam occurred. Dr. Wus team said its reconstruction of the outburst flood from the Jishi Gorge showed that the ancient textual accounts of the Great Flood may well be rooted in a historic natural event. The finding also supports the idea, the researchers say, that archaeological remains found at Erlitou, a site about 1,550 miles downstream from the gorge, may have been the Xia capital, given that the Erlitou culture dates to 1900 B.C., the same time as the Jishi Gorge flood. Thats cold! Disney has dismissed the director of its Broadway-bound Frozen musical. The company said Thursday that it was seeking a replacement for the director, Alex Timbers, a much-praised artist whose previous collaboration with Disney, as one of two directors of Peter and the Starcatcher, brought him a nomination for a Tony Award. Disney issued a brief statement that did not explain the change. Disney Theatrical Productions and director Alex Timbers have parted ways on the upcoming Broadway musical Frozen, the company said. Announcement of a new director for the project will be made in the near future. The president of Disney Theatrical, Thomas Schumacher, offered a few more details in a separate statement. Making the tough calls when creating a new Broadway musical is never easy, but this was especially painful, he said. Image Alex Timbers Credit... Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Alex Timbers is one of the most exciting and innovative theater directors I know, and weve proudly worked with him from my support of the early development of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson through our work together on Peter and the Starcatcher, Mr. Schumacher added. Though we have chosen to go in another direction with this role, we are committed to seeing Frozens tremendous theatrical potential brought to life onstage. David Pennock, class of 60, one of four generations of his family to have gone to Amherst, is so invested in the college that he bridles at incorrect pronunciations of the name. Our Amherst is pronounced without the H, he said. His Amherst was tough but paternalistic, he said. When he fell behind in classes, the admissions dean, Eugene Wilson, class of 29 and his fathers fraternity roommate, took him trout fishing on the Deerfield River and warned that he was headed for the underachiever program, a forced leave of absence. As class agent, Mr. Pennock did not reduce his giving, but he is one of a group of alumni pushing for the return of a core curriculum. Robert Longsworth, class of 99, the seventh in his family to have attended Amherst, has been the president of the New York City alumni association and a class agent. But he has withdrawn, he said, because of his sense that the college has become so wrapped up in this politically charged mission rather than staying in its lane and being an institution of higher education. Mr. Longsworth, 39, who works in the financial industry, said he thought erasing history only made people more vulnerable to racism. When the administration and faculty and ultimately a lot of the student body spends a great deal of time on witch hunts, I think that a lot of that intellectual rigor is forgone, he said. Mr. Longsworth said he had heard from friends who went to Hamilton, Trinity, Williams, Bates, Middlebury, Hobart, who are not pleased at whats happened on campus, and theyve kind of stepped away. For these alumni, he said, refusing to write a check seems to be the only lever that can make a difference. On a recent summer evening, a young man and a toddler were in a car stopped in a residential neighborhood in Phoenix when gunfire erupted. The two were not hurt, but investigators later said that it slowly dawned on them that they had a larger crime on their hands: A serial shooter had struck again. The attack on the car carrying the 21-year-old man and the 4-year-old boy on July 11 was the ninth time that an unidentified shooter had preyed on the citys neighborhoods this year, the police said. Since March, seven people have been killed and two injured. On Wednesday, the authorities stepped up their efforts to solve the shootings by republicizing an artists sketch of the suspect, revealing details about the vehicles he had driven and raising the reward for any information leading to an arrest to $50,000 from $30,000. PORTLAND, Me. Facing urgent calls to stabilize his candidacy and declining poll numbers, Donald J. Trump struggled on Thursday to refocus his message after threatening to withhold his endorsement from top Republican officeholders, including Paul D. Ryan, the speaker of the House. Snarling Mr. Trumps efforts to move past the controversy, he and his running mate, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, broke ranks for the second time in two days on questions of party unity. Having already split with Mr. Trump over his refusal to endorse Mr. Ryan, Mr. Pence went his own way again Thursday, telling WTKR, a television news station in Norfolk, Va., that he supported senators running for re-election whom Mr. Trump had snubbed, John McCain of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Mr. Pence at first gave an equivocal answer on Thursday regarding the senators. But when asked by the television station to clarify whether he supported them, he said, Well of course I support John McCain and Kelly Ayotte and all of our Republican incumbents. In his own travels, Mr. Trump was frustrated in his effort to go back on the offensive with an audacious foray into Maine, a solidly Democratic state in presidential elections. Three months before the November election, voters in New Hampshire, long one of the purple swing states in presidential elections, clearly favor Hillary Clinton over Donald J. Trump, according to a new poll. And another poll shows Mrs. Clinton holding a narrower lead in Florida. New Hampshire voters who either prefer or lean toward Mrs. Clinton outnumber those who prefer or lean toward Mr. Trump by 47 percent to 32 percent, according to the poll, conducted for WBUR, an NPR station in Boston, by the MassInc Polling Group. Gary Johnson, a Libertarian, was favored by 8 percent. Mrs. Clintons standing represents a remarkable turnaround for a candidate who lost New Hampshires Democratic primary in February. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont clobbered her, 60 percent to 38 percent. But against Mr. Trump, Mrs. Clinton does much better. While 48 percent say she is fit to be president, only 31 percent say that of Mr. Trump. RALEIGH, N.C. In the feverishly manicured spectacle that is electoral politics, there are few distractions quite as imposing to candidates as a small child. Just this week, Donald J. Trump earned a wave of negative headlines after he confronted a crying baby at a rally in Virginia. Mike Pence learned that lesson the hard and perhaps revealing way at a rally here on Thursday morning when he solicited a question from an 11-year-old boy, Matthew Schricker. Ive been watching the news lately, and Ive been noticing that youve been kind of softening up on Mr. Trumps policies and words, Matthew said skeptically. Is this going to be your role in the administration? Mr. Pence stood stone-faced for a moment before offering an uneasy chuckle. What did you say Ive been doing? Mr. Pence asked over laughter from the crowd. DAKAR, Senegal A new voice recording described by security experts as coming from the longtime leader of Boko Haram deepened speculation about a fracture in the militant group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and has terrorized Nigeria and its neighbors for years. In the 10-minute recording uploaded to YouTube Wednesday night, the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, referred to what appeared to be a split in Boko Haram over whether Muslims who live among nonbelievers are good Muslims whose lives deserve to be spared. Several analysts said they were confident the recording was of Mr. Shekaus voice. The recording emerged hours after an Islamic State publication distributed on the internet referred to another Boko Haram figure, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, as governor of the group. Mr. al-Barnawi was formerly thought to be merely a spokesman. The new title suggested that perhaps he was running Boko Haram now. The article caught the attention of Mr. Shekau, who had not been heard from in months and presumably rushed to broadcast his response. My brothers in Allah, he began, directly addressing Islamic State leaders. I received a message that you sent regarding placing a new governor. JUBA, South Sudan At a sprawling displacement camp on the outskirts of the capital, women have faced a wrenching choice: risk starvation or sexual assault. When her family ran out of food last month, Angelina Nhokmar, a 20-year-old mother of two, ventured outside the camps gates. She said she was lucky to have made it to the market and back unharmed, because dozens of women were raped by government soldiers in recent weeks as they made the same journey. Its not safe, she said, tossing handfuls of sorghum into a pot of boiling water. Our enemies are outside. The civil war that ripped apart South Sudan, the worlds youngest country, ended on paper months ago. But an eruption of clashes between the countrys rival factions in July put a chokehold on regular food distribution for the tens of thousands of people stranded in United Nations-run displacement camps. As families struggled to find sustenance, they endured an increase in health care crises, ethnic tensions and sexual violence. GENEVA Government forces were responsible for widespread killings and mass rapes after fighting broke out in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, last month, the top United Nations human rights official said on Thursday, deploring the lack of effective action to curb abuses. The official, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said that investigators had documented at least 73 civilian deaths since heavy fighting erupted in early July between President Salva Kiirs troops and forces loyal to his bitter rival, Vice President Riek Machar. But the investigators report offered only a snapshot of the violence, and the toll was probably much higher, Mr. Al Hussein said. Although some civilians were killed in crossfire, other victims were summarily executed by government troops, apparently targeting Nuers, Mr. Machars ethnic group, Mr. Al Hussein said. Soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes were also responsible for most of the 217 cases of sexual violence the United Nations documented from July 8 to July 25, long after the initial violence had ended, he said in a statement released by his office in Geneva. Many of the victims were minors, he said. DHAKA, Bangladesh When the Bangladeshi police freed hostages after a harrowing July 1 terrorist attack on a Dhaka bakery that left 22 people dead, two men remained mysteriously unaccounted for. Their families and other hostages said that the two Tahmid Khan, 22, a student at the University of Toronto, and Hasnat Karim, 47, a Briton working in Bangladesh had been hostages during the attack and had been taken into custody after the siege ended. They asked the authorities to reveal their whereabouts, but were kept in the dark. On Thursday, Shahidur Rahman, deputy inspector general of the Dhaka police, confirmed that both were in custody and had been arrested the previous night under a law that allows such action without a warrant. The police previously said the two were suspected of involvement in the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery. Image Tahmid Khan, in a photograph provided by his family. Mr. Khan had been visiting Dhaka on vacation when the attack took place, and Mr. Karim was working for a family-owned civil engineering company. Mr. Khan was beaten and both men were taken into police custody after the 11-hour siege, other hostages said. BEIJING A lawyer who took on Chinas political system with uncustomary grit, giving voice to dissidents and seeking justice for poisoned children, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday, the authorities announced. The lawyer, Zhou Shifeng, was found guilty of subverting state power, a charge the government has used repeatedly over the past several years as it seeks to dismantle and discredit a network of human rights advocates who have tested the limits of the state. Mr. Zhou, 52, was the focus of the governments ire as the leader of a law firm that employed nearly 100 people, many of whom specialized in cases officials deemed sensitive. His firm, Fengrui, represented dissidents like the artist Ai Weiwei and victims of a contaminated baby formula scandal in 2008, which sickened tens of thousands of children and resulted in a number of deaths. The ruling Communist Party, under President Xi Jinping, has apparently identified rights lawyers and their associates as a threat to its survival, and last year the government began a sweeping crackdown, detaining or questioning several hundred people. BANGKOK Two years after seizing power, Thailands military junta will hold a national referendum Sunday on a new constitution that it casts as an essential step toward restoring democracy. But the junta has blocked opponents from campaigning against the measure, banned election monitors and restricted news coverage of the referendum. And the proposed constitution, critics say, would weaken the role of elected officials and extend the militarys influence for years to come. The vote will be the first major test of the militarys standing with the public, as much a referendum on the legitimacy of military rule as on the draft constitution. But no matter the outcome, the junta will remain in control until it decides to hand power back to an elected government. For Thailand, which changes constitutions more often than the United States changes presidents, the proposed charter is not necessarily expected to endure. But it seeks to reduce the influence of any one politician or party, a measure that seems particularly directed at populist leaders who appeal to the poorer rural population of northern Thailand. The overall number of climate scientists at Csiro would rise to about 115 from 100, but that would be well short of the 140 working there before the cuts were announced in February. Image Greg Hunt, the science minister of Australia. Credit... Don Arnold/Getty Images The government also ordered the agency to devote an additional $2.8 million to climate science each year, with the money to come from other programs in the agency. Climate science is important, its significant, its critical to our long-term planning, the science minister, Greg Hunt, said in a radio interview. Climate science will be a bedrock function for research of the Csiro, which is really one of the worlds great institutions. Australias recent droughts and frequent wildfires are often cited as stark illustrations of the adverse effects of global warming. But senior ministers in the countrys conservative coalition government have often aggressively challenged climate science in recent years, especially when Tony Abbott, a vocal climate-change skeptic, was prime minister. After Mr. Abbott took office in 2013, the country scrapped a tax on carbon emissions and set goals for reducing emissions that scientists and environmental groups dismissed as inadequate. It has been variously described as a supersized lollipop, a doughnut on a stick or simply as an iSore. It didnt help that the opening was marred by long lines, prompting one critic to note on Twitter that the British Airways i360 was striving for the true airport experience right down to the delays to your flight! The structure has also attracted admirers, who have marveled at what they call its minalimist beauty, especially when lit at night, as shown in photographs on social media. Yet to many, its function trumps form, with the view from the top being heralded over the view of the tower itself. The attraction, which cost 46.2 million to build, is the brainchild of David Marks and Julia Barfield, the husband-and-wife team of architects behind the London Eye on the South Bank of the Thames. The Eye, a towering Ferris wheel, is one of the most popular attractions in the capital, and it has helped to revitalize the area. The couple, who have been working on the i360 project for more than 12 years, estimated that the attraction which includes what the towers website calls the worlds first vertical cable car would attract 800,000 visitors annually, create jobs and help regenerate an area once occupied by the now-dilapidated West Pier, which was built in 1866. SOUNDBITE (German) Pascal Boehm, security guard: Everything was relatively calm until 21:30, 21:40, then I noticed a person who was intensely looking at me. And he was always on the phone, he looked hectic and nervous, always looking around if someone was standing near him. As I said, he watched me, rather than for example, looking at the stage or anything else. And maybe he was waiting for me to walk away or to go inside the festival, to have free access. 8. SOUNDBITE (German) Pascal Boehm, security guard: I ran out here, I told the man who was checking the entrance tickets to call medics and police and to go inside, I ran outside, I called my colleagues over the radio to come to the main entrance, saw the first wounded lying behind the car, ran around the car and lying there was the man who earlier was constantly watching me while carrying a backpack. The backpack wasnt with him anymore and so it was clear to me that there had to be something in the backpack which caused the explosion. 9. Wide of refugees holding signs 10. Close of sign, reading (German) My religion is love SOUNDBITE (English) Iyad Diab, Syrian refugee: We dont know this guy and who is this guy, we dont know him, we just heard about this and we are shocked, we are shocked for what happened. At the beginning we were afraid, as refugees, for what, because its unknown and thats all. And this is why some people were looking at us in a bad way, thats why we are here to show that, we are showing that we are friends, we are not enemies, thats it. 12. Refugees holding signs, reading (German) We are Muslims and not terrorists and Together against terror SOUNDBITE (English) Iyad Diab, Syrian refugee: Nine months ago I came with my family to Germany. We left our country to survive, to find peace here. And we are, as refugees, we are against terrorism. And we are sorry for what happened in Ansbach, we refuse this. And maybe what happened is something personal, it reflects the guy himself, and as you know not all people (are) the same. All of the Gipsy Queens dream of leaving Via Candoni, which was intended to hold 500 people when it was established 16 years ago but holds twice that many today. If their entrepreneurial plans pan out, the Gipsy Queens hope to buy a food truck or rent a kitchen on a more permanent basis foundations for steady work that will bring in rent money. Getting out is my first priority, said Hanifa Hokic, 31, a divorced mother of five children between 8 and 12 years old, who is originally from Bosnia. They briefly made it out of the camp once before. Her children will have better chances outside the camp, she said, so she insists that they go to school. The catering business is a step toward the outside world, she said. Were determined to go forward. Maria Miclescu, a 20-year-old mother of two, agreed that to give her children a better future, she had to leave. Her husband is trying to establish a small-appliance repair business, another start-up project that has the support of Arci Solidarieta Onlus. The oldest member of the group, Mihaela Miclescu, 49, who is a grandmother, was happy to join the Gipsy Queens. I wanted to show Italians that we are not bad people, that we want to work, not to beg, she said. Its a good project. I hope it turns into a real job. ISTANBUL Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric based in the United States, who was accused last month of orchestrating a failed coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The warrant issued by an Istanbul court said Mr. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, ordered the July 15 coup attempt that resulted in the deaths of more than 250 people, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. WASHINGTON President Obama on Thursday flatly denied that a $400 million pallet of cash delivered to the Iranian government in January, on the same day that four American citizens who had been detained by Iran were released, was a ransom payment, calling the latest uproar over the landmark nuclear pact with Tehran the manufacturing of outrage. Mr. Obama said the payment was part of a decades-old dispute with Iran that had been litigated before an international tribunal, adding that his administration publicly disclosed the agreement in January. We do not pay ransom for hostages, Mr. Obama said during a news conference at the Pentagon. In a forceful rebuttal to accusations from critics who said that the payment could put more Americans in danger of being held, he called the notion that we would start now, in this high profile way, one that defies logic. On Jan. 17, the United States and European nations lifted oil and financial sanctions on Iran and released roughly $100 billion of its assets as part of the terms of the nuclear accord reached between Iran and six world powers. World Vision said in a statement on Thursday that we have no reason to believe the allegations are true based on the available information, and stressed that there was no suggestion the organization had been complicit in any diversion of funds. Tim Costello, the chief executive of World Vision Australia, which has been deeply involved in the Gaza project, said his organization was nevertheless very worried about the impact the accusations would have on its ability to raise funds and work. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. We are profoundly shocked by these allegations, Mr. Costello said. We want to get to the bottom of this, we want the truth. Mr. Costello said he did not think it was appropriate for the Israeli authorities to publicly accuse Mr. Halabi and World Vision of the diversion before they had a chance to review the evidence. He added that Mr. Halabi was prevented from consulting a lawyer for the first 25 days of his detention. We just really want a fair process, where Mohammad, once charged, gets to present his side, because we want to know the truth about this, he said. The truth comes out when you hear both sides. Maj. Gen. Yoav Poly Mordechai, an Israeli official responsible for liaising on civil affairs in the West Bank and Gaza, met in Jerusalem on Thursday with World Vision leaders and presented them with the results of Israels investigation and a confession from Mr. Halabi, according to a statement released by General Mordechais office. Hamas representatives were quick to dismiss the Israeli accusations, saying they had no faith in confessions obtained by Israeli intelligence officials, while maintaining that Palestinians were legitimately allowed to use all means to defend themselves. The quaint timbered houses of the German town of Celle recall the center of Britains most picturesque towns and villages. What is less obvious to the naked eye is that Celle is an ancestral home of Britains royal family, the House of Windsor. That connection has drawn unusual royal interest in this pretty place near Hanover. No other German town of its size about 70,000 people has seen anything like two visits from Queen Elizabeth II, as well as one in 1965 from her mother, known as the Queen Mum, and a walkabout by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who visited in 1987. What ostensibly drew the modern royals to Celle (pronounced TSELL-uh) was partly the presence of British troops during the Cold War. But Queen Elizabeth II, who first came to Celle in 1984, returned last year, at age 89, in conjunction with her visit to the nearby former Nazi concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen, liberated in 1945 by the British. She was also following in the footsteps of her ancestors. What became the House of Windsor, or Welfen in German, originated in this area more than 300 years ago, when Queen Anne died childless. Of all the characters here from the decades the book covers Irving Penn, Bert Stern, Steven Meisel, Bruce Weber Richard Avedon looms largest. Both as a talent and as a personality: Before Avedon, models were simply faces, hangers for beautiful clothing. He encouraged them to inhabit their personalities. After researching and planning his shoots, Avedon would work just as hard with his models, demonstrating how he wanted them to pose, leaping about if that was called for, chattering at them, joking with them, . . . encouraging them to express themselves. He also felt threatened by any photographer he perceived as even approaching him in stature. His rivalry with Irving Penn spanned decades and existed on planes both artistic and petty. As did his rivalry with Bert Stern: Stern once dismissed his taste in music by saying, Avedon was playing Sinatra. With glamour and debauchery came the inevitable casualties: Some passages from the book read like an especially affecting episode of VH1s Behind the Music. There was Stern, who in 1965 at the age of 35 was billing advertising and magazine clients $500,000 a year and in 1962 photographed the memorable Last Sitting with Marilyn Monroe. Stern went on to become a speed freak who lost everything and spent a good portion of his last years all but homeless. And there was Bill King, who exercised an unheard-of control over his studio assistants were not allowed to speak during shoots and were required to wear white lab coats but lost control in his off-hours, exploring New Yorks darkest underground gay sex scene, indulging in quaaludes and cocaine, and eventually dying of AIDS at 48. The time Gross spends here dissecting the magazine businesss various characters and mores is engaging and on point. We meet the legendary Diana Vreeland, with her outsize vision and embrace of the jolie laide or Vogue ugly model; Conde Nasts Alexander Liberman, considered a genius by some, a phony by others, but all-powerful by all; and Hearsts similarly influential Alexey Brodovitch, who ran the important Design Laboratory. The book is canny about the industrys move to a business model more concerned with pleasing advertisers than producing compelling editorial. This, weirdly, led to photographers getting to do their more creative work for advertisers. Grosss focus is stunningly light on female photographers, but then again, so has been the profession. But just because the giants of the field have all been men doesnt mean that women havent made an impact, and a few Corinne Day, Deborah Turbeville do get their (brief) moment in the limelight here. Still, one cant help wishing for more, and wondering if their absence has more to do with their stories being less dishy than those of their louche male counterparts. Those campers sought bliss and an uncomplicated escape from their messy lives, he writes. What they found was the actual Adirondacks: steep, soggy and unforgiving. White doesnt shrink from the actual, interspersing his historical narrative with first-person camping adventures, not all of which, alas, are especially eventful. To his credit, he devotes a chapter to the blinding whiteness of camping. (The estimated 50 million Americans who go camping each year are overwhelmingly Caucasian.) But his account of tagging along with a group of African-American and Latino campers in the Everglades mainly demonstrates that hes awkward around teenage girls. At other times, Whites stuntish approach he vows at the outset that he wont write about any period of camping history without living through it as much as possible himself comes off as a little narratively desperate. Its good to know about Joe Knowles, an early-20th-century huckster whose naked camping exploits made him a national celebrity. But what do we really learn from Whites own nude camping trip, beyond the fact that wearing a deerhide loincloth and sleeping with nothing between you and a mound-like debris shelter arent very comfortable? A chapter about hiking Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the Lower 48, with a homemade poop-collection tube he calls the Immaculator, on the other hand, is gonzo comedy aimed at a serious point. White arrives as a self-styled minimal-impact warrior and turd nanny bent on cleaning up after hikers who have flouted the rigorous pack-it-out rule. But halfway up, the Immaculator is full. Its not easy, a ranger tells him solemnly, to create an ethic of strong responsibility for up-close fecal disposal among the growing crowds on the mountain. Many of the great campers, starting with Thoreau, have needed something to camp against, White writes. For us less gnarly sorts, the urge to sleep in the woods is often rooted in softer-edged nostalgia for a less crowded world, a simpler time, our own childhood. In his epilogue, White drops the antic humor and offers a sweet meditation on the intergenerational experience of camping, in its mundane, generally undramatic glory. What can you do? his young daughter says, squirting Smuckers strawberry spread directly into her mouth after theyve run out of other food during their first family backpacking trip. This is camping. The English language may owe White a debt of gratitude for turd nanny. But in Landmarks, the British nature writer Robert Macfarlane takes a more high-minded approach to the vocabulary of the natural world. The book gathers some 2,500 endangered words used to describe natural features of the British Isles, offered in hopes that they might re-wild the language and help counter the forces of capital, apathy and urbanization that have turned so much of our landscape into a blandscape. With every presidential election, there are stories of couples who fell in love while working long hours together to get their candidate elected. But for every campaign-trail romance that ends in marriage, many others will be as short-lived as a lead in the polls was for Scott Walker and Ben Carson in the Republican primaries. One reason is that while the high-voltage atmosphere of political campaigns may incite passions, it also tends to skew the vision of the people working inside them. There is definitely such a thing as campaign goggles, said Sadie Weiner, 28, the communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington. You see a lot of people who met on campaigns married now and with kids, but I think even more realize a few weeks or months in, they dont have much in common. So many relationships dont last even as long as the campaign, Ms. Weiner said. She met her husband, Zachary Wineburg, 35, who worked on President Obamas 2012 re-election campaign, in a more low-key setting: at the apartment of his sister, whom Ms. Weiner had known from working together on a senatorial campaign. How did Pixars beloved Toy Story childrens movies lead to the foul-mouthed, sexually explicit comedy Sausage Party, from the screenwriting team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg? Were both crazy about Toy Story, and we talked about it all the time as the only comedic trilogy that gets better with each movie, Mr. Goldberg said in a phone interview. Mr. Rogen added: We became obsessed with these Pixar movies. Their quality, tone and style were so much fun that we thought we should try to make one of those. Their animated tale, however, is decidedly R-rated, much like their comedic take on the apocalypse (This Is the End) or high school (Superbad). Sausage Party (in theaters Aug. 12), which they wrote with Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir, is the story of a supermarket hot dog who leads other products on a quest to understand the true nature of their fate when they leave the store they will be sliced, diced and devoured by humans. Mr. Rogen voices Frank, the hot dog, and Kristen Wiig plays his love interest, Brenda, a bun. Much double (and sometimes single) entendre humor ensues. Animated movies for adults have a long history, including the first X-rated one, Fritz the Cat (1972); the sci-fi fantasy anthology Heavy Metal (1981); and last years existential Anomalisa. But they dont come around often, and big-budget, computer-animated films of the DreamWorks Animation and Pixar ilk have yet to venture into R-rated territory. For this reason, Mr. Rogen and Mr. Goldberg were intent on Sausage Party having the professional quality and detailed sheen of the best computer animation. In a fit of tragic irony, Ms. Vetrano was killed on National Night Out, an annual event occurring in most states on the first Tuesday in August, in which civilians gather with police officers in parks, on sidewalks and in town squares for the purpose of building stronger partnerships that lead or so is the hope to more effective crime prevention. Image A photo of Ms. Vetrano from her Instagram account. Given the recent spate of shootings around the country, the event had taken on special resonance this year. On Tuesday night, every police precinct in New York City did something to mark the occasion. The 84th Precinct in Brooklyn, for example, took over the grills in Brooklyn Bridge Park; the community affairs liaison cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, which were handed out at no charge, while one police officer played Frisbee with young children from the Gowanus Houses. Mayor Bill de Blasio visited several of the events around the city, accompanied by his departing police commissioner, William J. Bratton, who announced that afternoon that he would step down. Joining them was Mr. Brattons replacement, James P. ONeill, who has been an avid proponent of involving communities more intimately in reducing crime. At a news conference about the citys decreasing overall crime rate two days later, Mr. de Blasio and Robert K. Boyce, chief of detectives, reiterated how important community engagement was in solving a case like Ms. Vetranos. Calling the case of a young woman, murdered in a park in daylight, extraordinarily unusual, Mr. Boyce said there were no eyewitnesses, or at least none who had yet surfaced. The city is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer. National Night Out was conceived 32 years ago as the initiative of a young man in Philadelphia named Matt Peskin, who thought urban communities might reclaim their neighborhoods from mounting violence if people gathered in the streets and all turned their porch lights on one summer night a year. At that time, in the 1980s, when crime was rampant in cities across the country, a young woman who went jogging in an unpopulated park might be judged for her decision, as the narrative around the 1989 Central Park jogger case made clear. But few of us who live in relatively safe neighborhoods in New York today think twice about walking dogs late at night, or taking the subway after the theater, or working out in a pretty spot at dusk. Ms. Vetrano, like so many New Yorkers, was enjoying what modern law enforcers repeatedly refer to as the citys peace dividend. Have we all become too complacent? Last month, the 106th Precinct reported a rise in car break-ins along Cross Bay Boulevard. In many cases, the cars had been left unlocked and suspects simply took whatever was available and on view in the front seat. The police in Brooklyn Heights have repeatedly had to remind people over the years to lock the doors of their homes; many believe they are living in Mayberry. I think its because its got that vibrant sparkle, kind of like Alka-Seltzer, said Daisy Ryan, assistant beverage director at McGuire Moorman Hospitality, which she said serves crazy amounts of Topo Chico at several popular Austin restaurants, including Jeffreys, Josephine House and Elizabeth St. Cafe. Beyond any curative powers, many fans of Topo Chico will tell you that it just tastes good. Justin Yu, the chef and owner of Oxheart in Houston, said its better than the sparkling water he grew accustomed to drinking while doing internships in Europe. Theres nothing better than a cold Topo Chico after a long, hard service, said Mr. Yu, who was named 2016 Best Chef Southwest by the James Beard Foundation. I think it has a cleaner taste, its definitely the fizziest and I really enjoy the slight salinity. The cookbook author and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons got hooked on Topo Chico while filming in Austin five years ago. I would get in deep discussions with friends there about why its such an obsession was it the size of the bubbles, the salinity, the slight citrusy note? she said. I consumed it as much as possible when I was in Texas, and then I came home to New York and was a little distraught because I couldnt get it anymore. Musicians, too, seem drawn to Topo Chico. Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilco, Curtis Roush of The Bright Light Social Hour and Zella Day can be seen swigging it in the studio, on stage or at music festivals including SXSW, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. This week, I spoke again with Mr. Qader over Skype. He thanked me for writing about him. And he also said he wanted to expand upon several points. I had compressed his extremely complex life down to terse sentences to keep the article at reasonable length, so I am happy to have an opportunity to honor his request here. First, the article noted that Mr. Qader met Taliban members after he crossed from Pakistan into Afghanistan in 1999; they invited him to visit an area north of Kabul, near the front lines in their civil war against the Northern Alliance, and where he stayed for 10 months. This episode generated suspicion among intelligence analysts and judges. On Skype, Mr. Qader told me he wanted people to understand that this was before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and Taliban members were the government the police so he had no cause to avoid them when they approached him. He also said he traveled separately, not in the company of Taliban members, to that area north of Kabul where he rented a room; his point was that he did not enlist with them. In addition, the article described how he was among two groups of Arab men arrested in March 2002 when the police raided two guesthouses in Pakistan; at the other, a prominent terrorism suspect was captured. The police later conflated the two houses, telling the United States both had harbored suspected Qaeda cells, although the evidence of terrorist ties to Mr. Qaders house was thinner. Mr. Qader told me on Skype that he also wanted people to know that a gun battle had erupted at the first house when the police showed up, but that the residents of Mr. Qaders house had gone peacefully to the police station at the officers request. Finally, the article noted that Mr. Qader said he understood why, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States would detain him, but thought it should have freed him after a year or two. It quoted him asking the government to clear his name by saying publicly that the suspicions against him had turned out to be a mistake. Over Skype, Mr. Qader said he worried that people might misinterpret this as a concession that he did something that merited a prison sentence of a year or two. He wanted to make sure everyone understood that he was saying only that it was reasonable, under the circumstances, to detain him for scrutiny, but that officials should have then become satisfied that he had no involvement with the Sept. 11 attacks. Medicaid payment cuts to primary care doctors went into effect Monday, and doctors warn it wont be just Medicaid patients who suffer from the cuts. The Alabama Medicaid Agency announced in July it would end payment bumps for primary care doctors. Doctors offices are already making cuts to adjust to the lower payments, according to Eric Tyer, a pediatrician in Alexander City. This reduction in payments will have an impact that is not trivial, Tyler said. It will impact every component of our healthcare system, not just Medicaid. Tyler spoke Tuesday at a press conference held by the East Alabama medical community to bring attention to the cuts. The Alabama medical systems foundation is built on the funds it receives from Medicaid and Medicare, Tyler said. The failure of one component of this fragile healthcare system will result in a domino effect thats much akin to the failure of a dam on the river downstream, Tyler said. If a practice limits services or closes or a hospital limits services or closes, then other practices and other hospitals will have to absorb loads of which they were not designed to do. Pediatric Associates in Alexander City, where Tyler practices medicine, has already made cuts by reducing educational opportunities for staff, and is considering reducing the number staff. Medicaid has been on a ventilator in the ICU for most of my career, Tyler said. The present situation is a turn for the worse. The trajectory of the course is terminal shock for healthcare, and whats gone, frankly, wont be rebuilt. Kim Owens, a doctor at Lanier Primary Care in Valley, said the cuts to Medicaid are having a big impact in her community, and her practice is considering not accepting more Medicaid patients. Medicaid patients make up 67 percent of the patients seen at the pediatrics office in Valley, Owens said. You do the math, with such a large proportion of patients under a system that is now cutting reimbursement by 30 percent, there are obvious, undesirable decisions that must be made, Owens said. And who will suffer the most? Our patients. The cuts to the Medicaid program will save the state $14.7 million, but they may not be the last cuts announced if funding is not found for Medicaid. The Medicaid Agency had requested a budget of $785 million for the coming fiscal year. The Alabama Legislature approved $700 million, leaving the agency with an $85 million shortfall. This is a difficult, but necessary, cut due to the budget crisis the Medicaid Agency is facing at this time, said Stephanie Azar, Alabama Medicaid commissioner, in a press release in July. Gov. Robert Bentley called a special session of the Legislature to begin Aug. 15 to create a lottery to raise money for the General Fund, which includes Medicaid. Bentley said the lottery would generate $225 million. Greg Nichols, assistant vice president of operations at East Alabama Medical Center, said even if a lottery was approved, the funds wouldnt come in soon enough to solve the problem Medicaid is facing over the current fiscal year. There also could be issues in the future with a lottery. Medicaid costs are projected to grow year over year, while funds from lotteries tend to remain flat, Nichols said. It seems like an easy fix, but I think most states have proven that it is not, Nichols said. Osie "Jewell" Wood April 18, 1932 - August 2, 2016 Osie "Jewell" Wood, 84, of Opelika, died on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at East Alabama Medical Center. A Graveside Service will be held Saturday, August 6, 2016 in Parkhill Cemetery, 4161 Macon Road Columbus, GA 31907, at 11:00am EST. Ms. Wood, daughter of the late Ruby Leland Wood and Osie Gleaton Wood, was born April 18, 1932 in Allenville, Alabama. She devoted her life to Nursing; she received her Bachelor's Degree of Health Education from the Columbus City Hospital School of Nursing as well as a Master's Degree in Vocational Education. Ms. Wood held many nursing positions throughout her life including Private Duty Nursing. In her later years, she taught Nursing at Dade County Public School in Miami, FL. where she later retired. Ms. Wood was a Missionary and traveled to many places including Peru. She was also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints in Auburn. Other than her parents, she was preceded in death by three sisters and three brothers. Ms. Wood is survived by her sister, Barbara Mitchell (Pete); her adopted children, Joseph Richardson (Cheryl) and Herlem Coker (Roger); grandson, Mathew Coker; close relatives, Dena M. Jones (Gregory), Debbie M. Auditore (Frank), Donna M. Wooster (Robert); numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives. The Laguna Beach City Council is worried the city, already inundated with 6 million visitors a year, will become popular for another reason as home to South Countys only medical marijuana dispensary. A citizen-sponsored voter initiative proposing two medical marijuana dispensaries is already on the ballot for November. City officials are considering their own medical marijuana dispensary initiative, allowing for one dispensary, as a competing measure. If either ballot initiative were to pass, it would overturn the citys ban on medical marijuana dispensaries and likely make Laguna Beach the only city in south Orange County with a medical marijuana dispensary. Charnel James, a Northern California attorney representing the authors of the citizen-sponsored initiative, told the City Council last week that the authors would consider rescinding the citizen-sponsored initiative if they and the City Council could unite behind one ballot measure. If you are willing to work with us on making the changes, we would back down, James said. Laguna Beach City Attorney Phil Kohn said Monday its unclear if the citizen-sponsored initiative can be withdrawn. He cited Election Code Section 9604 that suggests that there is a time limit by which an initiative can be withdrawn. That seems to have already come and gone, he said. That seems to have to be done early on before it became official. On Monday, the City Council will hold a special meeting to make a decision on what, if anything, it will place on the ballot. Council members have to decide whether to leave just the citizen-sponsored initiative on the ballot, adopt their own draft prepared by Laguna Beach police Chief Laura Farinella or come up with a compromise using ideas presented by James and members of the public. Under election rules, the council has until Aug. 12 to put a measure on the ballot. If we dont put one on, one will be approved that doesnt have the safeguards we want, said Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman. If both are voted down, the ban remains. The debate over whether to consider a medical marijuana dispensary arose in April when the City Council learned of the citizen-sponsored initiative. That ballot measure sponsored by Laguna Beach residents Elizabeth Toomey and her nephew, Corey Aufhammer, would repeal the citys ban on dispensaries. Additionally, if a statewide measure for recreational marijuana use wins, then the citizen-sponsored initiative would allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use. The owners, operators and employees of two dispensaries would be vetted through background checks and other security measures, said Debbie Tharp, who with Toomey and Aufhammer collected 2,414 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot. The dispensaries would be licensed to operate in 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 Coast Highway. Planned operating hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. In July, the City Council voted 4-0 in favor of drafting a medical marijuana ballot measure that would allow one medical marijuana dispensary. The measure, considered a way for the city to keep local control, would allow one dispensary under certain circumstances, with the operator being vetted by the citys Planning Commission, City Manager John Pietig said at the time. Farinella said she and her staff visited dispensaries in Santa Ana and researched the issue to make sure the option would provide safe access for Lagunas residents. Farinella determined that the dispensary would not be allowed to operate in neighborhoods, within 250 feet of beach access or within 1,000 feet of schools, day care centers, parks and playgrounds. The hours for this dispensary would be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Farinella also suggested there be a security guard on the premises, appropriate lighting, camera surveillance and that the product would be kept in a safe. The topic has spawned controversy. Advocates say having the dispensary would make it easier for patients to get access to their medication. The closest dispensaries now are in Santa Ana. A recent survey found residents were split 49 percent for and 45 percent against when asked if they would support a dispensary. While most agree that patients with valid medical marijuana cards should be able to have access, some worry that the presence of dispensaries would provide easier access to the drugs and promote crime and traffic issues. The just say no approach might be the clearest choice for our citizens, said Laguna Beach resident Matt Lawson. Wherever you stand on the question, were debating whether we should have a land use that provides for one, said Councilman Bob Whalen. Wed be the only location in South County. Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini LAKE FOREST City officials may soon be able to name city-owned property after police and fire officials who have died in the line of duty. Councilman Dwight Robinson proposed the idea at Tuesdays council meeting in the wake of recent attacks on police officers across the country. He recommended a change to an ordinance that excludes Orange County Sheriffs Department or Orange County Fire Authority officials who have served the city from having buildings, parks or streets named after them. We need to be talking about ways of reminding our kids about people who have sacrificed for our country, for the community, Robinson said. Robinson first mentioned the change at the July 19 council meeting after the attacks on police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La. People like Officer Riches and Officer Robins, who have both given their life for this community, I think, deserve some recognition, he said of two officers who served the city in the 1990s. In June 1999, Sheriffs Deputy Brad Riches was shot while he sat in his patrol car, without warning or provocation, by a man carrying an AK-47 assault. Riches was on routine patrol and had pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot shortly after midnight when the attack occurred. Five hours after the shooting, deputies and investigators arrested 39-year-old Maurice Gerald Steskal, a Lake Forest man who had walked into the mini-market with an assault rifle and told the clerk that his intention was not to rob the store, but to use the weapon against police. In December 1993, Deputy Darryn Robins was killed by his partner during an on-duty training mishap behind a Lake Forest movie theater. After a brief discussion Tuesday, the City Council voted 4-0 to direct city staff to make a change to the ordinance. The proposed ordinance will come before the City Council at two upcoming meetings with a possible adoption at the second meeting. Dates for those two meetings have not been set yet. The 2008 ordinance allows the naming of city-owned property after any person, place, or thing that the City Council deems appropriate. However, it prohibits the naming of city property after a city official or employee, living or dead. Military personnel are excluded from the ordinance, but not Orange County Sheriffs Department or Orange County Fire Authority officials. Prior to the ordinance, the only name change came in 2002, when the city renamed El Toro Park II to Heroes Park to honor the lives lost during the Sept. 11 attacks, a staff report said. Contact the writer: npercy@ocregister.com Walk into Nuclear Comics yes, brick-and-mortar comic book stores still exist and be prepared to walk into a time machine. Rows of glossy new comics line the walls. What some call graphic novels, longer comic books, fill shelves. But the real gold mine flows through stacks of battered cardboard boxes stuffed with cellophane-covered, 22-page magazines. Perhaps its destiny that I pull out a 1967 DC comic about a well-known reporter named Clark Kent. The headline screams, When Superman Killed His Friends! Editor Perry White staggers, cigar clenched in teeth. Lois Lane reels. Superman screams, Great Krypton! My S emblems become an uncontrollable death ray! But nostalgia isnt what Im looking for in an era when theres a blockbuster movie based on comic book characters nearly every month. (This weekends Suicide Squad looks like a dud.) I hope to find out about the current state of printed-on-paper comic books. But what I discover knocks me over! Its exciting! Shocking! Hopeful! INSPIRE TV SHOWS A few years ago, I visited Marvel Comics king Stan Lee at his Hollywood Hills home. During a limousine ride, I got to know the white-haired guy who has a cameo in nearly every Marvel movie. Then I had the privilege of asking him questions onstage. In his 90s, Lees mind remains filled with wisdom and insight after reading everything from Shakespeare to Hesse. Comic artists like him not only create fantasy worlds, they examine the human condition. That may seem like impossibly high praise for a guy who used to crank out flimsy magazines most parents consider written for children. But many of those stories were built on the dramatic arcs of literature, deep thinking as well as messages of tolerance and peace. Kenny Jacobs, owner of Nuclear Comics, mixes Kashi and yogurt for a midmorning snack and explains the comic books of today push the 60s comic themes of civil rights even further. He adds modern comics also push the envelope when it comes to sex, drugs, violence and, gulp, nudity. Put it this way: The Archie of today a comic I once couldnt stand for its saccharine sap is one dark dude. Jeepers so is Jughead! Still recovering from an arduous but fruitful week selling graphic novels at Comic-Con in San Diego, Jacobs says, Most Americans have no idea that comics are as good as the best-selling fiction of today. The pictures are the expository setting, and what is left is pared-down dialogue that is the essence of the story. I leaf through some of the hardcover comics. The colors are dark. The themes are darker. Then I notice several comics named after television shows. Jacobs corrects and explains its the other way around. The hugely popular Walking Dead TV series is based on a comic. Zap! ALL GROWN UP Jacobs, 46, loved television cartoons while growing up in what is now Lake Forest. But he didnt get into buying and collecting comics until he was 18, when he had his own job and his own money. After high school, Jacobs worked full time at Trader Joes and part time at a comic book store in Laguna Niguel. At 24, he bought the place, figuring he could do better. The first year, he worked seven days a week to keep afloat. But he learned a lot. Little by little, Jacobs started turning a profit and, eventually, hired help. But the recession in 2008 hit hard. Today, Nuclear Comics is in Laguna Hills, Jacobs works part time at Trader Joes, and other store operators are only beginning to see an uptick in sales spawned by such movies as this summers Captain America: Civil War, which so far has raked in $1.152 billion. Part of the problem, Jacobs says, is that people dont realize how awesome comic books are. He says the artwork and especially the writing are better than ever. He gives a shoutout to the new Star Wars comics for particularly strong storylines. Still, perceptions are slow to change. In 1992, a graphic novel about the Holocaust by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman won the Pulitzer Prize. Yet the event failed to legitimize or propel the comic industry. Still, sales are strong and getting stronger. In North America, according to ComicChron, sales for both print and digital comics in 2011 were about $715 million. Last year, that figure jumped to $1.03 billion. But digital sales are eating an ever larger slice. In 2011, the internet grabbed $25 million of sales. Last year, that figure was $90 million. Pow! MEETING PLACES Comics come out monthly, but publishers sprinkle superheroes and the like over the month and every Wednesday is like Christmas, with new editions in stores. The first time I visited Nuclear Comics, I was a little overwhelmed. The place was nothing like the old Marvel and DC universe, when comics sold for 25 cents. One title was called Snot Girl. Another was Sex Criminals. The latter isnt what you might think; its, well you can find out for yourself. They push boundaries in comics, Jacobs admits. Parents have no idea. He adds when he has a customer on the young side of Sex Criminals, he suggests they come back with mom or dad. Still, on that day, I soon discovered something that Id only seen in record stores: Camaraderie with expertise. I mumbled something about a controversial new animated movie, Batman: The Killing Joke. It is based on a comic novel of the same name. Immediately, a worker and a customer came by offering up books. Soon, I found myself listening to a debate about the merits of the movie vs. the book. The book easily won and the movie was scorned for gratuitous violence and misogyny. Kim Lemire is Jacobs partner in life as well as in the store. The LLC filing playfully lists her as princess. She has an 18-year-old son who enjoys comics, and that, of course, is expected. Guys like comics. But Lemire says she loves comics as well and that the comic universe is expanding into more female themes and its not just Wonder Woman and Catwoman. Lemire pulls out several carefully illustrated books with romantic themes. One is illustrated in watercolor pastels. Why, she asks, would I not want to read something that is good and beautiful? Zing! Contact the writer: dwhiting@scng.com In two weeks of political conventions, eight nights of countless political speeches, was Chief Judge Merrick Garlands name mentioned even once? Was there any discussion of the 100 vacancies in the federal courts and the refusal of the Republican Senate to vote on nominees? This is a degree of obstructionism that is unprecedented in American history. No nomination for the Supreme Court has languished longer than Judge Garlands. Throughout American history, the Senate has approved presidential nominations for the Supreme Court even in the last year of a presidents term. Twenty-four times presidents in the last year of a term in an election year have nominated individuals to the Supreme Court. The Senate has confirmed in 21 of 24 instances. Never before has a Senate declared that it wont even hold hearings and votes on a nominee until after an election. Did a single speaker at the Republican convention question Judge Garlands qualifications? Of course not, because his qualifications are impeccable: a graduate of Harvard Law School, he clerked on the Supreme Court, was a federal prosecutor, a partner at a major law firm, and 19 years a federal court of appeals judge. By all accounts, he is moderate, tending towards the right on criminal justice issues and towards the left as to other constitutional rights. Did a single speaker at the Democratic convention discuss how the Republican Senate is violating its constitutional duty to advise and consent to nominations for the federal judiciary? Did a single speaker talk about how the Republican obstructionism is keeping the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary from fulfilling their constitutional duties? The question is why not? My sense is that both political parties figure that voters just dont care. Perhaps that is because people dont realize how much this election means for the future of the Supreme Court and for all of our rights. Since 1971, when Richard Nixons third and fourth justices for the Supreme Court were confirmed, there have been five and sometimes as many as seven justices on the court who were appointed by Republican presidents. For 45 years, when the court has been ideologically divided, more often than not it has decided in a conservative direction. But now, there are four justices appointed by Democratic presidents and four appointed by Republican presidents. The fight over Justice Scalias replacement reflects the potentially pivotal role of the next justice. Moreover, the next president especially if he or she serves two terms is likely to shape the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts for decades to come. Since 1960, 78 years old is the average age at which a Supreme Court justice has left the bench. Justice Scalia was 79 when he died on Feb. 13. In 2017, the year the next president is inaugurated, there will be three justices 79 or older: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer. Literally every issue concerning our constitutional rights will turn on who replaces these justices. A Hillary Clinton victory likely will mean, as she spoke of in her acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention, the overruling of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. A court with a majority appointed by Democrats is unlikely to extend protection of gun rights and perhaps would overrule recent decisions that for the first time in history recognized a constitutional right for individuals to have guns in their homes for the sake of security. A Democratic majority on the court likely will declare the death penalty unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment, bringing the U.S. in line with almost every other Western nation. At the same time, if Donald Trump wins and fills these vacancies, especially from the list of potential nominees that he released, Roe v. Wade is sure to be overruled and no longer will women have a constitutional right to abortion. Abortion quickly will become illegal in a majority of the states. Civil rights programs, such as affirmative action, will end. The court will allow far more government support for religion and religious involvement with government; there will be no notion of a wall separating church and state. Put in this way, the next election will affect all of us, often in the most intimate and important aspects of our lives. Who fills the vacancies on the court should be the most important issue in the presidential election. It is a shame that both political conventions largely ignored it. Erwin Chemerinsky is dean of the UC Irvine School of Law. SACRAMENTO Gov. Jerry Browns office made no commitments on a permanent closure of the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility during a meeting Wednesday with concerned Southern California residents who live near the facility, which has been crippled since a gas leak that started in October and was capped in February. Many residents who want Aliso Canyon shut down say theyve experienced health symptoms including headaches, nausea and nosebleeds. Some 8,000 relocated after the gas well blowout, although many have since returned. About 15 San Fernando Valley residents met with the Democratic governors staff Wednesday after holding a rally at the state Capitol. No conclusion was reached in the meeting, Helen Attai of Granada Hills said, but she thinks Browns staff left with a better understanding of residents health concerns. Were just hoping they get the idea of how sick and frustrated we are, Attai said. Life is not normal. This is not the way it should be. She said staff members listened closely to residents and offered examples of research being conducted. Saul Gomez, deputy secretary for energy at the California Natural Resources Agency, and Cliff Rechtschaffen, senior adviser in the governors office, sat in on the meeting. Deborah Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the governor, confirmed that the meeting occurred but declined to comment further on the governors position regarding the storage facility. The Aliso Canyon facility the largest in the Western United States for gas storage cant return to normal operations until all 114 remaining wells pass a battery of safety tests or are plugged, a process that is ongoing. Southern California Gas Co., which operates the Aliso Canyon storage facility, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon. Supporters of its closure rallied Wednesday, chanting Stop the lies and stop the leaks, shut it all down is what we seek. They shared stories of personal experiences with illness related to the facility. Jane Fowler said she moved to the San Fernando Valley region in 2007 to be healthy, but instead she has experienced memory loss, vomiting and headaches. Environmental groups say permanently closing the facility provides Brown an opportunity to be a climate leader and take a step toward renewable energy and to move away from a reliance on natural gas. LAGOS, Nigeria Nigerias Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who promises to end attacks on mosques and markets used by Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday by Islamic State. The groups al-Nabaa newspaper identified Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new Wali of its West Africa Province, a title previously used to describe long-time leader Abubakar Shekau. The report did not say what Shekaus current status is. The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major change in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have attacked mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen, blown up suicide bombers in crowded marketplaces and killed and kidnapped school children. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden. Wednesdays announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al-Qaida to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said. Ansaru broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. Al-Barnawi is the pseudonym of a Nigerian journalist allied with Ansaru, which is known for kidnapping foreigners, according to Zenn. Shekau in March 2015 declared that Boko Haram had become the Islamic States West Africa Province. At the time, Boko Haram was the most powerful military force in northeast Nigeria, controlling a huge area and better equipped and motivated than Nigerian forces. Under Shekau, the seven-year insurgency spread to neighboring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and driven more than 2.2 millon from their homes, creating what aid workers have called a catastrophic humanitarian emergency. Since last year, Nigeria has a new leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator who has better armed and motivated security forces. He is also fighting corruption that diverted some $2.1 billion that was meant to buy weapons to fight the Islamic uprising, and is cooperating with a multinational force that has the extremists on the run. In the interview, al-Barnawi said that under his leadership the militants will work to seize back territory. He claimed that increasing numbers of youth are joining the cause, though Nigerias military reports that hundreds of its fighters have surrendered as aerial bombardments and ground assaults cut supply routes. The major party candidates now are set the loose cannon Trump versus the pathological liar Clinton. What a choice we have. Paul Simon sang Bridge Over Troubled Water at the Democratic convention. A better song choice, however, would have been Mrs. Robinson, especially the part that goes, Laugh about it, shout about it when youve got to choose every way you look at it you lose. Edward Klopfenstein Brea Whos unfit? Re: Obama says Trump unfit for presidency [News, Aug 3]: How about writing a story regarding the many failures of the Obama presidency, including the terrible economy with poor growth not seen since 1949, the growth of ISIS that can largely be attributed to the Obama pull-out from Iraq, the $19 trillion deficit and all the other failures in Benghazi and all around the world? Although some may consider Obama a nice guy, he has always been unfit for the presidency. Ted Gallo Westminster Deregulation dangers Re: State leader stumps for housing plan [News, Aug. 2]: Gov. Jerry Browns housing bill is deregulation disguised as a helping hand. Weve seen the sorry result of deregulation in banking, energy and trade. Now its coming for our communities. Instead of creating much-needed affordable housing, it will unleash developers to have their way in any city in California. Current low-income tenants will be displaced. Neighborhoods will lose their say over what will be built near schools and parks. The underground economy, with a horrible track record of sending uninsured workers with workplace accidents to emergency rooms for taxpayer-funded care, will flourish. We in the building trades, representing tens of thousands of skilled and trained construction workers in Orange County, support a better plan that ties affordable housing development into two other equally worthy goals: smart planning for our communities and good jobs with health benefits for our residents. We urge legislators to work with us and make a plan that will help California, not make us Exhibit A again for the havoc of deregulation. Ron Miller Los Angeles Executive Secretary, Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building Construction Trades Council Last weeks Santa Ana Unified School District board meeting agenda contained a resolution to censure one of their own. In a statement attached to the resolution submitted by Board Member Jose Alfredo Hernandez, was the claim that fellow Board Member Cecilia Ceci Iglesias, due to her conduct had failed to adhere to board bylaws referenced in the resolution and that censure is therefore warranted. The resolution then expounded on those claims with a list of nine grievances. One would have been enough, however, because the real reason for the attempt at admonishment was apparent: Ms. Iglesias is a willing opponent of the entrenched special interests in education and an advocate for greater parental choice. Thankfully, the motion failed for lack of second, procedurally ending the censure attempt before it even began, and before the board members even discussed the topic. Ms. Iglesias only crime seems to have been holding views counter to the educational status quo. Hopefully, the motions failure, and the dozen parents and community members who spoke in support of Ms. Iglesias, only emboldened her. We could use more people like Ms. Iglesias on our school boards. Forty youth leaders are traveling across America in a bus to provide community services and random acts of kindness to honor the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Irvine-based nonprofit Team Kids kicked off its Servathon Tour with a festival on Saturday at Vista Verde Elementary School. The participating youth leaders, 31 of whom are from Orange County, will stop at 14 cities in 14 days. This is beyond anything weve ever done. said Julie Hudash, who founded Team Kids just weeks before the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Intended to spark a national youth movement, service projects during the tour include landscaping an affordable-housing community, hosting a youth town hall meeting and hosting a carnival for the children of fallen military service members, according to a news release. When they reach New York City on Aug. 12, International Youth Day, the participants will present their tour accomplishments to the United Nation. Only 1 in 4 children in the U.S. feels valued by adults and that they are given useful roles in their respective communities, Hudash said. How do we expect to raise the next generation of competent, compassionate leaders, when we are discouraging our youngest citizens from serving as passionate leaders in their communities? The tour participants, ages 14 to 22, are Team Kids alumni and have completed the five-week Team Kids Challenge. The flagship program teaches elementary school students about community issues, working alongside mentors to address them. For more information, visit teamkids.org Contact the writer: 949-445-6397 or tshimura@ocregister.com LONDON A Norwegian teenager of Somali origin is suspected of going on a knife rampage through Londons tourist hub of Russell Square, killing an American woman and injuring five other people, police said Thursday. The London force sent extra officers into the city streets and mobilized counterterror detectives, but said the investigation suggested mental illness was the driving force behind the attack. The attack came just days after authorities warned the British public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the investigation increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental-health issues. So far we have found no evidence of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism, Rowley said. The name of the dead woman, thought to be in her 60s, has not been released. Rowley said the five injured people are British, American, Israeli and Australian, and none has life-threatening injuries. Two remain in a hospital, while three others have been discharged. Rowley said it appeared to be a spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random. Officers used a stun gun to subdue the 19-year-old suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of murder. Detectives from the forces murder and terrorism squads interviewed the suspect, his family and witnesses and searched properties, and found no evidence of radicalization, Rowley said. The National Criminal Investigation Service in Norway confirmed the suspect was a 19-year-old Norwegian national who had left the country in 2002. Police said they received numerous calls from members of the public at around 10:30 p.m. (2130GMT, 5:30 p.m. EDT) Wednesday about a man attacking people with a knife in the streets around Russell Square, a busy central area full of students and tourists. Student Megan Sharrock, 18, looked out her window and saw someone lying on the sidewalk under a blanket. There was like two rivers of blood running away from the person so we thought, yeah, someone has been killed, she said. Helen Edwards, 33, who lives in the area, came out for a walk late Wednesday and found armed police near a subway station. In a city with vivid memories of the July 7, 2005, attacks on public transport two of which struck near Russell Square she immediately suspected that an attack had occurred. There is always that thing in the back of your mind, she said. You live with that threat of terrorism or other crimes in the back of your mind. It wasnt a huge shock I guess. Ellie Cattle, 21, a student staying in a hotel near the square, said she heard police shouting: Put it down, put it down! Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot, but it must have been the Taser, she said. After that they just stopped shouting. I didnt hear any screams from anyone. London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged the public to keep calm and remain vigilant. We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected, Khan said. Knives are the most common murder weapon in Britain, which has strict gun-control laws. There were 186 knife killings in the year to March 2015, according to government statistics a third of all murders. In the last three years London has seen two knife attacks by people inspired by radical Islam. In May 2013, two al-Qaida-inspired London men killed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby in the street near his barracks. In January, mentally ill Muhiddin Mire tried to behead a London Underground passenger, shouting that he was doing it for Syria. The Russell Square incident came within hours of an announcement by London police that they were putting more armed officers on the streets. The idea was to sustain public confidence following attacks by Islamic State-inspired groups in Europe. Police in Britain do not carry guns for the most part a principle that remains unchanged. Even with the additional armed officers, most of Londons 31,000 police officers will not be armed. Associated Press writers Jonathan Shenfield in London and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this story The campaign to legalize marijuana for adults in California is suing over what it calls grossly false and provably wrong claims made by the opposition. The lawsuit aims to force the Secretary of State to throw out portions of official statements from Proposition 64 opponents, including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, that would otherwise appear in voter information guides for the Nov. 8 election. Defenders of the failed war on marijuana are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts, said Jason Kinney, spokesman for the legalization campaign. Opposition spokesman Wayne Johnson said the lawsuit proves that the Yes on 64 camp realizes its in real trouble. When voters find out what theyre really trying to do with Prop 64, theyll reject it, Johnson said. So they hope to silence all valid opposition. At issue are claims from the No on 64 campaign that the measure opens the door for marijuana commercials on TV, including ads for gummy candy and brownies that would be attractive to children. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Sacramento County Superior Court argues that federal law prohibits cannabis commercials. And advocates point to language in the measure that makes it illegal to target products at kids. The lawsuit also takes issue with a claim that Prop 64 would repeal countless consumer protections signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in October as part of sweeping regulations aimed at Californias medical marijuana industry. While the measure does call for some differences in regulations for recreational marijuana businesses, proponents said it doesnt change those rules for medical businesses. These arent evidence-based arguments, Kinney said. They are scare tactics and theyre sadly reminiscent of the reefer madness-style disinformation campaigns that subverted honest dialogue around this issue for decades. With the opposition so far out-funded 40-1, Johnson said the Yes on 64 camp would love to force them to spend money on a legal battle. But they still plan to fight, he said and are even considering a lawsuit of their own. Contact the writer: 714-796-7963 or bstaggs@ocregister.comTwitter: @JournoBrooke ORANGE More than two dozen people in Theo Lacy jail on immigration holds ended a daylong hunger strike Wednesday evening after talks with deputies were largely successful, officials said. The strike began Tuesday morning. The 27 detainees on a hunger strike in Module I demanded longer access to the break room, that jail personnel leave cell doors open during the day and that job privileges be reinstated, said Orange County Sheriffs Department Lt. Mike Peters, who oversees the relationship between the department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Module I is where detainees are held when they have a level of criminal sophistication or perhaps violence on their record, Peters said. Only adult men are housed there and those detained are held on civil holds. They are not considered inmates. Leaving the cell doors open during the day was untenable for safety reasons, Peters said, but they did come to an agreement on other terms. We cant let 32 inmates out all at the same time, Peters said. Its dangerous for the inmates and its dangerous for the staff. Armine Petrosyans husband, Artiom Gulinian, was among the strikers but contested the number of them, but saying it was more than 27. The men requested access to the break room during the day because their embassies and lawyers usually keep normal business hours and cant be reached during off hours, Petrosyan said. The detainees see the talks as largely positive and are cautiously optimistic, Petrosyan said. They see it as a victory because promises have been made, but we dont know whats going to happen, she said. The detainees also asked that they have job privileges reinstated and that was granted, Peters said. Many of the men who went on a hunger strike ate Tuesday, and the remainder ended their protest by Wednesday dinnertime. If we get a grievance or complaint, we look into it immediately, Peters said. OC Weekly first reported the strike. Contact the writer: lawilliams@scng.com SAN FRANCISCO In a big victory for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., a judge has cut nearly all of a potential $562 million fine against the giant utility in a criminal case alleging it violated safety regulations before a deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in California and then obstructed investigators. U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson issued the order Tuesday without explanation late in the day, hours after the U.S. Attorneys Office requested it in a court filing. Prosecutors also offered no explanation for their surprising decision to seek a lower fine against PG&E after more than a month of testimony at trial and four days into jury deliberations. Jurors are deciding whether the company is guilty of multiple charges filed following the 2010 blast that sent a giant plume of fire into the air, killing eight people and destroying 38 homes in the Bay Area city of San Bruno. PG&E now faces a maximum fine of $6 million if convicted of 11 pipeline safety violations and obstructing investigators after the blast. No PG&E officials are facing prison time. The potential $562 million fine was double the amount of money prosecutors said PG&E saved by skirting pipeline safety requirements. The utility argued in court filings that determining any savings would be complicated and unduly prolong a penalty phase of the trial. Prosecutors may have been concerned that jurors would think they were asking for too much money and too much of their time to sit through a possible penalty phase, said Robert Weisberg, a criminal law professor at Stanford University. He said jurors might be so angry at prosecutors that they would side with the company on every count. Brandon Garrett, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who studies corporate crime, said the larger fines the government was initially seeking are meant to act as a deterrent and prosecutors appeared to be giving PG&E a massive and unexplained discount in the revised proposal. Obviously, if a company does not have to pay a fine that is larger than its gains, then its crime becomes profitable, Garrett said. During the investigation of the San Bruno blast, the San Francisco-based utility misled federal officials about the standard it was using to identify high-risk pipelines, prosecutors have said. The standard PG&E used violated safety regulations and led to a failure to classify the San Bruno pipeline and others as high-risk and properly assess them, prosecutors said in a 2014 indictment. PG&E also was charged with violating pipeline safety laws after prosecutors alleged the company ignored shoddy record-keeping and failed to identify threats to its larger natural gas pipelines. The company did not subject the pipelines to appropriate testing, choosing a cheaper method to save money, prosecutors told jurors. PG&E pleaded not guilty and said its employees did the best they could with ambiguous regulations they struggled to understand. Engineers did not think the pipelines posed a safety risk, and the company did not intend to mislead investigators, PG&E attorney Steven Bauer said during the trial. The utility inadvertently sent officials a draft policy about its standard for identifying high-risk pipes, not one the company was actually following, he said. Investigators have blamed the blast in part on poor PG&E record-keeping that was based on incomplete and inaccurate pipeline information. California regulators fined the company $1.6 billion last year for the explosion. ANAHEIM C.J. Cron has been cleared to resume hitting and will report to Arizona to work out while the Angels are on their upcoming trip, placing him ahead of schedule in rehab from hand surgery. Cron broke his left hand on July 9 and had surgery on July 12, with a projected rehab time of six to eight weeks. He is three weeks removed from the surgery. Thats remarkable, Manager Mike Scioscia said. Hopefully well continue to get good news as he moves forward. Scioscia said Cron will need more than a week in Arizona before hes ready to begin a rehab assignment. Given that timetable, its realistic to think Cron could be back in about two weeks. ALSO Geovany Soto will report to Triple-A Salt Lake City to begin a rehab assignment, which is expected to last five to seven games. Soto has been out with left knee inflammation since July 18 Craig Gentry rejected the Angels minor league assignment and became a free agent. Daniel Nava is still designated for assignment. The Angels still could either trade him, release him or outright him to the minors The Angels had the two players with the most hits in the majors in July. Yunel Escobar had 37 and Andrelton Simmons had 36 Alex Meyer, the newly acquired right-hander from the Minnesota Twins, had his bullpen session moved from Wednesday to Thursday because he arrived in Arizona late Tuesday night, general manager Billy Eppler said. Meyer has missed much of the last two months with shoulder inflammation, but the Angels believe he will be able to pitch in games again in a couple weeks. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. With polls showing Colorado slipping from the grasp of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton sought to close and bolt the door on him Wednesday, campaigning in a heavily Hispanic community, while the Trump campaign dispatched Mike Pence to rally the states bloc of social conservatives. In a sign of growing confidence in what it calls its Sun Belt states electoral path, the Clinton campaign pulled its television ads in Colorado last week, shifting resources elsewhere, as polls show Clinton running stronger in the diverse Rocky Mountain battleground than President Barack Obama did in his 2012 re-election race. Clintons visit to Commerce City, a blue-collar community outside Denver whose population is nearly 50 percent Hispanic, was strategically chosen. It is in a vulnerable Republican congressional district, whose incumbent, Rep. Mike Coffman, has gone out of his way to distance himself from Trump. Coffmans efforts to reach out to Hispanics including learning Spanish as an adult and participating in a Spanish-language debate contrast with Trumps pledge of a deportation force targeting immigrants in the country illegally. Trumps a walking get-out-the-vote billboard for Hispanics who oppose him, said David Flaherty, a Republican pollster and strategist in Colorado. He predicted the Hispanic vote could be as high as 18 percent of the states voters, surpassing the turnout in 2012. A relaxed Clinton was regularly drowned out by nearly delirious supporters as she checked off her priorities in a high school gym, with a heavy emphasis on spending for education and infrastructure, including a modern electric grid. She also received a huge applause for praising Denvers transit system, not the usual campaign red meat. Trump supporters still see a path for him here, because of wide desire for change in Washington and because many Coloradans tell pollsters that they are undecided. If you can bring 100,000 voters in Colorado who feel disaffected by both political parties, a candidate like Trump who promises to pull down the pillars might really resonate, said Ryan Call, a former chairman of the state Republican Party. Pence, Trumps running mate, spoke in Denver, where he mocked the rush by Democrats and the news media to declare Trump down for the count after each days gaffe. The party in power seems helpless to figure our nominee out, he said, clarifying that he meant Democrats and reporters. They keep saying that, you know, now we got him. They think the usual methods are going to work against him. Then you get up the next morning, and Donald Trump is still standing tall and fighting for the American people, he added. Clinton got her own licks in at her opponent. She announced a new website that lists American companies where Trump could have manufactured his branded ties, suits and barware rather than outsourcing the work. Clinton pulled ahead of Trump in polls of Colorado in July. A recent NBC News survey gave her an 8-percentage-point lead, but 21 percent of registered voters said they were undecided or would not support either major party candidate. Demographically, Trump is bucking the tide of younger voters who first registered to support Obama during his two campaigns. Since 2004, Republicans have had almost a 10-point drop among registered voters under 45. Call, who is advising a pro-Trump super PAC, worried that the Trump campaign is being badly outhustled by Democrats in grass-roots organizing. The Clinton campaign and the state Democratic Party are opening their 14th field office in the state this week. Trump is almost completely reliant on the local Republican Party for a ground game, and races like Coffmans will receive more priority. At one point, Clinton announced that the campaign was still hiring organizers in the state. She can afford to. On Tuesday night, she attended a fundraising dinner in Aspen, where about 65 guests contributed $10,000 each, according to a campaign aide. Colorados most crucial swing voters are independent women 45 and older. Those ladies decide our elections, Flaherty said. Theyre reluctant right now to support Hillary, but the Democratic convention was a step in the right direction. Jenny Howard, 44, an accountant in the Denver suburb of Englewood, is one of those independents. She called herself a Republican at heart, but is frightened of Trumps temper and shoot-from-the-hip outbursts. He spreads more fear than hope, she said. I will probably be voting for Hillary. It will be under duress and not something I will be proud of, but I feel a vote for Trump will definitely further divide our country. Two infants have been born in California with microcephaly after their mothers contracted the Zika virus while traveling in foreign countries, the state Department of Public Health said Thursday. This is a sobering reminder for Californians that Zika can cause serious harm to a developing fetus, said Dr. Karen Smith, state health officer. Smith declined to say in what counties the babies were born to protect their families privacy. She said one mother and infant have returned to their native country, where Zika is circulating, and the other mother and baby remain in California and are doing well. While mosquitoes that can carry the virus have been found in 12 California counties, including Orange County, there is no evidence these mosquitoes are transmitting Zika. And if they do, transmission is expected to be very limited, Smith said. State public health officials have confirmed 114 travel-associated Zika infections in 22 counties. Twenty-one of those infections have been in pregnant women, including the two who gave birth to the babies with microcephaly. Were not just following infants who clearly have birth defects; were going to be following infants who appear normal at birth, Smith said. Theres a lot we dont know about the full spectrum of what Zika gained congenitally could cause. Contact the writer: cperkes@scng.com 714-796-3686 Wang Xiaojiu, a 31-year-old barber from Jilin city, China, doesnt simply sweep shorn hair off the floor of his hair salon and dump it in the trash. At least not before painstakingly arranging it to create highly detailed works of art. Seen from a far, Wangs masterpieces look drawn with a pencil or charcoal, but a closer inspection reveals that they are made out of carefully arranged clipped hair. The talented barber told China Daily that he always thought throwing away leftover hair seemed like a pity, so one day he decided to do something creative with it instead. Armed with a hair brush and a plastic card, he started the piles of sheared hair on the floor of his salon into intricate portraits of popular cartoon and comic characters and, mythological heroes, and more. Although he only started drawing with human hair a few months ago, looking at his beautiful creations, youd be inclined to think he has been doing it for a lifetime. Paying great attention to details, like shades that almost make the artworks look 3D, Wang Xiaojiu has so far created amazing-looking portraits of Sailor Moon, Spiderman, X-mens Wolverine, Bruce Lee and Iron Man, among others. Wang says it takes him about two hours to complete one of his hair drawings, after which he always signs them with his nickname Xiao Jiu and snaps a few photos. Finally, he sweeps the hair away to keep the salon clean, but he admits that ruining his own work is not easy. When sweeping it away, I do feel hurt, he says. Wang Xiaojiu may be new at hair art, but he definitely has a bright artistic future ahead of him. He walks in the footsteps of giants like Bill Fink, an incredible artist who creates hair drawings that look like black and white photographs. He may not be at that level yet, but Wangs talent is undeniable. As unusual an art medium as hair may seem, there are plenty of artists who use it. Here are just a few that weve featured on OC in the past: Zhang Dexuan the worlds only hair woven portrait maker, Mateo Blanco who makes celebrity portraits out of dog hair, Kerry Howley a designer who makes necklaces from human hair, or Li Hailing another Chinese barber who uses leftover hair to create detailed portraits. Photos: China Daily, Huanqiu Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... President Barack Obama said that while the Islamic State is losing ground in Syria and Iraq, it still has the ability to inspire attacks. "Tragically, however, we have also seen that ISIL still has the ability to direct and inspire attacks. ... In fact, the decline of ISIL in Syria and Iraq appears to be causing it to shift to tactics that we've seen before, an even greater emphasis on encouraging high-profile terrorist attacks, including in the United States," Obama said. The president made his comments from the Pentagon after a Thursday meeting with his National Security Council. Obama said that America has been keeping "after ISIL aggressively across every front of this campaign." "In stark contrast to ISIL, which uses civilians as human shields, America's armed forces will continue to do everything in our power to avoid civilian casualties," the president said. The comments come as the U.S. bombs targets in and around the Libyan city of Sirte, in a notable expansion of the U.S.-led coalition's military mission against the Islamic State. Obama is assessing what's working and what's not in the fight against the Islamic State group as the U.S. military ramps up its engagement in Libya. Obama said that while the U.S. is "conducting the most precise air campaign in history," civilian casualties are not taken lightly. "After all it is the innocent civilians of Syria and Iraq who are suffering the most and who need to be saved from ISIL's terror and so when there are allegations of civilian casualties we take them very seriously," he said. The president said that the campaign against ISIL is making progress, as the terrorist group continues to lose ground. Obama also said ISIL "has not had a major successful offensive operation in either Syria or Iraq in a full year." "We'll keep hitting them and pushing them back and driving them out ... in other words, ISIL turns out not to be invincible. They are, in fact, inevitably going to be defeated," he said. Story continues Obama said, however, that the terror group cannot be defeated by military force alone and that efforts to stabilize the region are necessary to prevent the group from returning and exploiting divides. When a reporter asked the president if he was concerned that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is now receiving security briefings, he said that presidential nominees "need to get security briefings so that if they were to win, they are not starting from scratch in terms of being prepared for this office." Obama said, however, that both nominees "have been told that these are classified briefings and if they want to be president, they have got to start acting like a president and that means being able to receive these briefings and not spread them around." In June, Obama warned that terrorist groups like the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) want to push the notion that "the West hates Muslims" as propaganda for recruitment. So, he argued, any U.S. actions that legitimize that notion are playing right into those groups' hands. The Associated Press and CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld contributed to this report. More From CNBC The day Hillary visited the neighborhood, Ossie Lewis proudly displayed a sign in her front yard: Black Votes Matter. For the retired postal worker, who at 88 is old enough to have lived through the Jim Crow era, this message was personal. Lewis couldnt vote in her native Texas long ago because of a poll tax designed to keep blacks at home. Since moving to Omaha in 1960, Lewis says, she has voted in every election. She even spent years working at polling places around Omaha. She wouldnt dream of skipping a presidential race and wants people blacks in particular to vote. So does Hillary Clinton, who came to Lewis north Omaha neighborhood on Monday. Its no coincidence that the Clinton campaign chose a part of town that has a high concentration of black residents. A large African-American vote is absolutely essential to her victory, said Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia. She cannot win without it, period. Sabato added that Clinton, a Democrat, will also need lots of other votes to overcome Republican nominee Donald Trumps strength among white men. Clinton spoke at North High, a magnet school with a home attendance area that is 78 percent black. The city as a whole, by comparison, is about 14 percent black. The Clinton campaign is hoping to repeat what some called Obamaha in 2008, when Barack Obama peeled off one of Nebraskas electoral votes. Omaha investor Warren Buffett, who appeared with Clinton, is promoting an effort to drive people to the polls and pledged to personally drive some himself. Lewis lives just a block away from North High. Shes for Clinton. Had she felt able to stand in the long, hot line, she would have seen Clinton in person. Instead, Lewis had to be content with watching on TV. But she had that Black Votes Matter sign, and she hoped that neighbors and passers-by would get the message, one that is both an admonition and a plea. The messenger is Preston Love Jr., a north Omaha political organizer who made and distributed some 1,500 of those signs, which you can see sprinkled in the yards and front windows of northeast Omaha. Love is well aware that he needs that message to take hold beyond the voting faithful, like Lewis. Love has to convert a more doubtful demographic younger would-be voters. They may not have firsthand experience of the value of voting. And they tell him that they feel cut out of the process and even stressed out by everyday life. Love has held rallies, written a book, thundered about voting to college and high school classes and sent voter registration workers door-to-door in north Omaha. He presses his case passionately but sometimes feels like a voice in the wilderness. Its a tough sell, Love acknowledged, even after the 2008 Obama campaign energized voters. People havent seen enough change since then, and that might turn them off. What people dont realize, Love said, is change takes a while. In 2008, his job seemed easier. The prospect of electing the countrys first black president was a tantalizing reason for black voters to go to the polls and Obamas win, with an assist from Nebraskas 2nd District, seemed proof positive that ones vote mattered. That year, red-red Nebraska turned one-part blue. Nationally that year, black votes really mattered. In 2008, for the first time, black turnout surpassed that of whites. In 2012, black turnout was very close to or even topped white turnout, depending on the measure. How much did Omaha blacks vote in those two elections? Not as well as Love wanted. Its hard to get a purely racial analysis, so Love uses geography. He looks at voting patterns in northeast Omahas City Council District 2. The area is generally bounded by Dodge, Young and 60th Streets and the Missouri River, although the exact boundaries have changed somewhat over time. Blacks account for half of that areas population, compared to 14 percent citywide. Over the past 13 elections including primaries, generals and Omaha-based elections, like the 2011 mayoral recall residents of District 2 voted at a lower percentage than residents in the city overall. Even when Obama first ran in 2008, the north Omaha turnout (62.7 percent of registered voters) was less than city turnout (71 percent) in general. Were not doing our job, Love practically shouted at one Benson High social studies class last fall. Shame on us for not voting. Love decided to counter that with his Black Votes Matter campaign. The motto spins off Black Lives Matter, the movement that grew out of police shootings of black people. But its meant for a narrower audience. Black Votes Matter, said Love, is black folks talking to other black folks. Its a kind of wagging-my-finger kind of communication, he said. Its pretty much saying, Black votes matter. Get out and vote. Dont you realize if you dont vote, youll get (Donald) Trump? On Monday, I walked the North High neighborhood and found a different vibe than the one I got in 2008 when doing the same. Back then, black Omahans I interviewed were excited about participating in a potentially history-making election. Fast-forward eight years, and the voters I met said theyd vote for Hillary but were generally tepid in their support. At this point, Hillarys the only option, said Gwen Knave, 51, who had backed Clintons rival, Bernie Sanders. Knave and others were glad that Clinton was in the neighborhood. It was an opportunity to shine a light on the areas strengths and challenges like its staggeringly high unemployment rate of almost 19 percent. We need more jobs, said Leslie Daughtry, a 49-year-old shift manager at McDonalds. But only one of the 12 would-be voters I met seemed sincerely thrilled. We need jobs, and shes the woman for it, said Warren Gilreath, a retired packing house worker in his 90s who first voted for FDR and has voted ever since. Shes going to get my vote, he added with a smile. If Im living. Candace Partee, 33, said shed vote but wasnt excited about it. Although she was completely against Trump, she said: I dont trust anyone, to be honest. People seemed to focus more on the presidential candidate who wasnt in town. Trumps a joke, said Partee. If Trump gets in there, its going to be a mess, said Daughtry. His mouth is going to get us into something we cant get out of, said William Tucker, 63, who also has a Black Votes Matter sign in his front yard. The United States would be the laughingstock of everything. Sabato said Trumps candidacy could boost turnout if his critics are motivated to oppose him in November. I call it the FOT factor, he said. Fear of Trump. Longtime voters like Tucker and Lewis are sure to turn out in any case. But they hope others realize that action on Election Day counts more than words. If you dont vote, Tucker said, you cant quote. Paul Kulik runs some of the best restaurants in Omaha, and the James Beard Award semifinalist is known for his daring, often difficult cuisine. Ethan Bondelid is behind three of the citys most popular craft cocktail bars, and his ability to grab a trend and bring it to Omaha is well documented. Now the two old friends and former roommates have come together to open Via Farina, a neo-Italian pizza and pasta spot on the corner of Omahas historic Little Italy neighborhood adjacent to the new home of the Blue Barn Theatre, at 10th and Pacific Streets. Id be hard-pressed to think of another chef-owner partnership that found success so quickly. The result is a restaurant thats new but already feels comfortable, in both atmosphere and menu. I found the dining room crowded at both lunch and dinner and even at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday. I get why people are already making themselves at home, what with the vibrant, chic atmosphere; pasta and pizza made with the right amount of sophistication; and a wine list where every bottle sits at just $30. The dishes I cant stop thinking about are two: first, the fritti, a pizza with a fried crust. Ours had the perfect amount of heft with a glistening, crunchy finish and a thickness somewhere between traditional wood-fired pizza and the pan pizza Midwesterners are familiar with. Salty pancetta sat next to torn bits of fresh mozzarella, briny dark olives and acidic tomato sauce, the whole incredibly flavorful pie topped with an artfully dressed bunch of spicy arugula and a dusting of Parmesan. The other dish comes from the succinct list of six pastas. The gutsy ingredient here comes in the form of chicken livers, but dont be frightened by their funk, which ends up in the background adding robust depth to the sauce over a pile of hand-crafted wide tubes of rigatoni. (All the pastas served at Via Farina are made by hand, in house.) The ragu, with its savory richness, creamy texture and pops of fresh basil and thyme, is so good. Its the life-changing, eye-opening kind of pasta, the kind that makes anything less than entirely homemade suddenly feel entirely unacceptable. The careful construction of each dish is vintage Kulik. Hes known for one of the citys most upscale culinary spots, the Boiler Room, where he has introduced lots of Omaha palates to entirely new dining experiences, and his own creative riff on country French at his second spot, Le Bouillon. At Via Farina, in tandem with chef de cuisine Piero Cotrina, a Boiler Room alum with a passion for pasta, he has dialed the difficulty back a notch, and while the pizzas and pastas are thoughtfully assembled and classic Italian, the whole shebang is also approachable and affordable. Similarly, Bondelid has undoubtedly raised the citys craft cocktail game with his three bars House of Loom, Berry and Rye and Wicked Rabbit and if youve ever been inside one, you know he gets atmosphere. At Via Farina he has introduced a simpler menu of light Italian spritzes, including refreshing Aperol and Campari-focused drinks, alongside a handful of creative beers. Again, approachable but still fresh. The warm yellow and red color scheme, the trendy glass globe light fixtures, the record player that spins vinyl in the evenings, the big open kitchen with a vibrant orange wood fire oven and the Vespa scooter-centric branding are all Bondelids doing, too, though Kulik did cruise around Omaha on a Vespa himself for a number of years. The scooter parked out front, painted screaming yellow, will eventually be one of a fleet that zips around downtown and perhaps midtown to deliver pies and pasta. The space is hip, to be sure. But its also comfortable, welcoming and remarkably unpretentious. Bondelid worked with Omaha interior designer Lester Katz, of LK Design, on the space. Of course, I ate more. Like a memorable salad of shaved Brussels sprouts mixed with chewy cooked barley, sweet candied walnuts, spicy fresh horseradish and a hefty amount of Parmesan. And a classic version of fried calamari with plenty of flavor and whisper-thin breading dusted with chili flakes and julienned basil leaves. Be sure to give the lemon wedge a good squeeze over the bowl; it brought necessary brightness and acid. The wood-fired pizza crust has a thin profile with a bubbled, burnt-in-spots edge. Via Farina cuts pies into four hefty slices. One slice will do, along with a communal bowl of pasta and an appetizer or two. The pollastro pizza, a white pizza, bursts with flavor. Savory chicken thighs brought depth to the pizza, which also had just a bit of broccolini, a blend of fontina and ricotta cheese, garlic and olive oil. The spinto pizza is the restaurants version of a more classic combination: sausage, tomato and cheese. But its spiked with Calabrian chili heat and topped with spicy house-made sausage and bold garlic oil. And the tajarin pasta, a perennial favorite of mine, impresses with simplicity: thin, silky egg pasta arrives artfully twirled into a little pile blended with bits of crabmeat, a Parmesan crema, olive oil and parsley. Of all I tried, I wished for more only twice. I wanted more depth in a white Bolognese, a version of the classic sauce made without tomato, especially when I compared it to the other two sauces I sampled. But the dishs bigoli pasta, a thicker version of spaghetti, had perfect texture. And though the shredded potatoes and hot montasio cheese in the frico caldo baked dish were indeed a better version of hash browns, I found more to love elsewhere on the menu. These dishes fall short only because everything else aimed and struck so high. Kulik told me after my visits that this was perhaps the easiest restaurant opening hes had so far. He suspected thered be success in wood-fired pizza a handful of Omaha restaurants, including Dante Ristorante, had already paved the way but the neighborhood was untested when it comes to modern cuisine, and he planned smaller portion sizes than many are used to. Omahans are picky when it comes to Italian food and pizza. The diners, though, the ones coming back again and again and filling the place to capacity almost nightly, have proved that it was a safe gamble, and one that they understand. Kulik puts it simply: Its the power of pizza and pasta. Yes, thats true. But its also more than that. The ease with which the owners conceived, opened and run Via Farina translates to the diners easy, comfortable experience. The food is simply good. The atmosphere, fun and vibrant. The neighborhood is clearly hungry for such a place. Youll be hard-pressed to find a recent Omaha opening as good as this one. * * * * * Via Farina Address: 1108 S. 10th St. Phone: 402-502-9880 Hours: Monday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hits: A shaved Brussels sprouts salad had wonderful texture and varied flavor; the rigatoni pasta is simply terrific; and dont miss one of the restaurants signature pizzas, the singular fritti, with fried crust. Misses: I wished for more powerful flavors in two dishes: the frico caldo appetizer, a potato-based dish; and the white Bolognese, though the bigoli pasta here was perfectly executed. Drinks: all bottles of wine are $30; plus, theres a creative cocktail and beer list Service: Dont be afraid to ask questions about the mostly Italian menu. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Prices: reasonable; pizzas are around $12, pastas between $10 and $14 Other things to know: The space has great energy but is noisy, especially during busy lunch and dinner service. Gluten-free pasta and pizza are available for a $4 upcharge. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald is in Omaha this week to mark the start of one major VA construction project in the area and the finish of another. Today, McDonald will tout a public-private partnership between the VA and local business leaders to build a $136 million outpatient care clinic at the VA Medical Center site. The 157,000-square-foot facility would include primary, specialty and ambulatory care, as well as radiology and surgery suites. I think public-private partnership is the way of the future for us, McDonald told a House subcommittee in March. We need to prove out this model, and I think Omaha is a good place to do it. McDonald will meet with B. Don Burman, director of the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, and tour the 65-year-old hospital building. He also is expected to announce an energy partnership between the VA and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb. Hes not coming just to give a speech, Ashford said. Hes coming to roll up his sleeves and get to work. On Friday, McDonald will help dedicate the VAs new 236-acre Omaha National Cemetery in western Sarpy County. The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the SumTur Amphitheater, 11691 S. 108th St. Additional parking will be available at Papillion-La Vista South High School. The dedication culminates years of lobbying by local veterans for a national cemetery in the Omaha area. The closest one is in Leavenworth, Kansas, about 180 miles away. Contact the writer: 402-444-1186, steve.liewer@owh.com VA Secretary Robert McDonald got a firsthand look Thursday at the aging Omaha medical center whose replacement has vexed local legislators for years. Flanked by high-powered Nebraska lawmakers past and present, McDonald expressed his commitment to working with private-sector donors to build a new outpatient clinic next to the existing hospital on Woolworth Avenue. The Department of Veterans Affairs has not worked with the private sector in this way before. We think this is the right time, this is the right place, this is the right community, McDonald said Thursday afternoon. If we can get this done here, it becomes the pilot for doing it in other places. McDonald told a House subcommittee in March about plans for a 157,000-square-foot clinic, which would include primary, specialty and ambulatory care as well as radiology and surgery suites. He has previously estimated the cost at $136 million. Neither he nor the legislators including Sen. Deb Fischer, Reps. Jeff Fortenberry and Brad Ashford, and former Defense Secretary and Sen. Chuck Hagel would commit to a detailed plan, though, or a timeline to build it. Thats because theres a significant legal hurdle to overcome. Current law doesnt allow donors to give real property to the VA, McDonald said. Ashford and Fischer have sponsored identical bills in their respective chambers to permit such a partnership, and Ashford said they havent experienced any opposition. They are hoping to attach their measure to some must-pass piece of legislation this fall. We have a good, solid bill. The legislation is now in place, Ashford said. We have to find a vehicle in September for the bill. Fischer said its important to get it onto the presidents desk before the end of the year. We are going to get this through Congress, she said. We want to be an example for every community in this country. Nebraska politicians from both parties have fought for years to build a replacement for the 65-year-old Omaha hospital, which has suffered from failing heating/air conditioning and plumbing systems. In 2011, they appeared to have succeeded when Congress set aside $56 million to begin work on a new facility next to the current building about 10 percent of what was then projected as the cost. Since then, though, four other VA hospital-construction projects have far exceeded their budgets, dimming the prospects of funding a new Omaha facility. One of them, in Aurora, Colorado, is more than $1 billion over budget. Ashford was narrowly elected in 2014, in part by pledging to break the logjam in Washington that had held up construction of the new hospital. After briefly flirting with the idea of moving into the Creighton University Medical Center, which is being vacated next year, he and other Nebraska lawmakers have backed the public-private partnership. McDonald has embraced that idea. He said, Thats great, lets do it, Fortenberry said. This is a commitment of all of us, and we hope to get it going real soon. McDonalds visit will continue today, when he speaks at the dedication ceremony for a second major VA project, the new Omaha National Cemetery. That event will take place at 10 a.m. at the SumTur Amphitheater in Papillion, and it is open to the public. Contact the writer: 402-444-1186, steve.liewer@owh.com The Metropolitan Utilities Districts pension plan is on firm footing despite losing some ground over the previous year, its executives said Thursday. The utilitys pension fund totaled $329.3 million as of Dec. 31. Thats down about $4 million from the same period in 2014. Joseph Schaffart, vice president of accounting, told the MUD board of directors on Wednesday that the plans distribution of benefits to pensioners and associated administrative fees outstripped contributions made to the plan in 2015. MUDs distributions and fees in 2015 were about $16.2 million last year, and the value of the plans investments declined by almost $750,000. Meanwhile, the utility and its employees contributed about $13.1 million to the plan. That resulted in a net decline of $3.9 million. Despite facing a funding shortfall of more than $66 million, MUDs pension plan is about 83 percent funded. It was 86 percent funded at year-end 2014, which is a higher rate than other plans administered by local government entities. For example, the Omaha Public Power Districts retirement plan at the end of 2015 was funded at 72.4 percent. The plan for Douglas County employees was almost 67 percent funded in 2015. At the low end of the spectrum, the City of Omahas two pension plans for civilian employees and for police and fire department employees were funded at 56 percent and 50 percent, respectively, in 2015. The Nebraska Legislature considers a funding ratio of 80 percent as the minimum benchmark for a healthy plan. In other business, the MUD board heard an update on an ongoing initiative that the utility is undertaking to improve things like how its employees perform business tasks, or how they respond to calls for service. Kevin Johnson, director of planning and processes, said improvements have already been made that are expected to reduce the volume of overtime worked by some employees. Other changes will result in MUD sending out service trucks less frequently. The initiative is ongoing and will include scrutiny of how the utility responds to emergencies. Each of the utilitys departments has been asked to review its procedures around emergency response protocol, he said. Board member Steve Patterson requested a comprehensive summary of those procedures for the board to review later in the year. Contact the writer: 402-444-1534, cole.epley@owh.com COUNCIL BLUFFS - Friday night will be game night at the museum. The Union Pacific Railroad Museum, 200 Pearl St., Council Bluffs, will offer its fourth Family Night from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring Ticket to Ride: Game Night at the Museum, an night filled with fun and games for kids and adults alike. The team from Spielbound, Omahas community board game cafe, will bring games for all ages. Operation Lifesaver representatives will be onsite to provide information, child-centered activities and fun give-a-ways that promote community safety around railroads. Visitors can play the spin to win prize wheel for passes to Disneys "Petes Dragon" and meet their favorite Marvel comic book characters. Family Nights at the Museum are held the first Friday evening of each month from 5 to 7 p.m. In addition to providing extended hours for visitors to access the Museums range of interactive displays on railroading and the history of the west, each family night also features a unique arts or learning opportunity that is fun for the entire family. Admission is free and donations are accepted. The next Family Night will be Sept. 2, and will feature the theme, Todos a Bordo!: Hispanic Heritage Night at the Museum. The Union Pacific Railroad Museum is open Thursday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, go online to uprrmuseum.org or call 712-329-8307. LINCOLN Two judges in Douglas County have received the lowest scores in an informal survey of lawyers who practice in Nebraska courts. Douglas County Judge Darryl Lowe, an outspoken veteran of the court, was the only one of 136 judges who did not receive majority support for retention. Juvenile Court Judge Elizabeth Crnkovich received a slim margin of support but scored second-lowest in a survey compiled by the Nebraska State Bar Association. Meanwhile, a judge who presided over a motor-vehicle homicide case that fanned the national immigration debate received the endorsement of nearly eight out of 10 lawyers who responded to the survey. Douglas County Judge Jeffrey Marcuzzo approved a bail of $50,000, meaning $5,000 in cash had to be posted, for a Honduran man arrested Jan. 31 in what police say was a drunken-driving crash that killed 21-year-old Sarah Root of Council Bluffs. The man, in the United States illegally, failed to report for subsequent court hearings and remains at large. Much of the criticism was directed at federal immigration officials for not detaining the man. The case prompted U.S. senators in Iowa and Nebraska to introduce Sarahs Law, which would require detainers on immigrants charged in crimes that result in serious injury or death. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump also has called attention to the case, saying it is an example of the broken immigration system. Marcuzzo and Crnkovich are among the 55 judges who face retention votes in the Nov. 8 election. Judges stand for their first retention election no sooner than three years after appointment by the governor. Then they serve six-year terms between retention votes. The Bar Association conducts the judicial performance evaluation every two years. In April, it emailed the survey to its 5,500 active members and received 976 responses by the mid-May deadline. The survey is not a scientific poll. It is intended to help judges improve their performance and to help voters make informed decisions at the voting booth, said Thomas Maul, a Columbus lawyer who serves as bar president. Nobody ever confronts a judge when theyre on a case, he said. This is the only way they get feedback. Attorneys rate judges in 10 performance categories using a five-point scale, with a 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. Attorneys are instructed to evaluate only judges with whom they are familiar on a firsthand basis. Most judges fared well in the survey, with more than half receiving at least a 90 percent retention approval rating. Lowe spent 11 years as a Douglas County prosecutor before he was appointed to the bench in 1998. As a judge, he has a reputation for being unconventional and outspoken. Some have said his hearings border on the theatrical. His supporters say he holds people accountable. For example, he will overrule deals between prosecution and defense lawyers if he thinks a plea bargain fails to protect public safety. His detractors, however, question his fairness and fidelity to the law. In the survey, he received below-average scores for legal analysis, impartiality and judicial temperament. Nearly 57 percent of respondents said he should not be retained. Lowe, who was last retained by voters in 2014, did not return phone messages left at his office this week. Crnkovich has been the target of protests and formal complaints by parents and guardians who say she demeans some juveniles and retaliates against those who challenge her authority or question her decisions. During the last legislative session, State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha mentioned Crnkovich when he threatened to filibuster an amendment that would have provided Douglas County with a sixth juvenile court judge. The sponsor of the amendment pulled it rather than risk defeat of the underlying bill in the waning days of the session. Chambers, who said he has complained about Crnkovich to the Nebraska Supreme Court, vowed to fight any future legislation that would provide additional juvenile court funding while she remains on the bench. He said the judge uses intimidation and threats against children and their families. Contacted this week, Crnkovich declined to comment about the survey results. But during an interview earlier in the year, she said shes being targeted by those who resent her no-nonsense approach to addressing bad juvenile behavior and poor parenting. Do I hold peoples feet to the fire? Im told I do, and Im sure I do, she said in March. I will confess Ive been told I dont suffer fools gladly. Crnkovich, appointed to the court in 1994, has never been reprimanded by the Judicial Qualifications Commission. Nor has Lowe been reprimanded, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts. While Crnkovich received a below-average score for judicial temperament and demeanor in the latest survey, nearly 52 percent of respondents said she should be retained. The results represented an improvement for her. In 2014, only 44 percent said voters should approve her retention. Contact the writer: 402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com A report co-authored by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor found a correlation between perceived threats of police or black men and the level of support for police reform. The study, the results of which were published online in July, questioned mainly white participants about law enforcement, the use of body cameras, deadly force and racial demographics of police departments. The study found that people who thought black men were threatening did not support police reform as much as people who perceived police officers to be threatening. The findings also suggested media coverage of officer-involved shootings and police protests may inadvertently increase threat associated with Black men. The authors suggested that to reform police policies, advocates should highlight the problems of excessive force against all demographic groups, not just black men, and make sure that protests are not violent. The study was conducted by Ingrid Haas, an assistant professor of political science at UNL, and Allison Skinner, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington. Contact the writer: 402-444-1068, alia.conley@owh.com Updated: 2016-08-03 09:42 By Panama,business,canal (Agencies) Tourists at the Agua Clara locks of the newly expanded Panama Canal.[Photo/ Agencies] Dozens of spectators gawk from an observation deck as a bulk freighter carrying a variety of grains from the United States to China inches its way closer. Forty-ton locomotives known as mules latch onto the massive vessel with cables and guide it inside the Miraflores locks, employing a mechanical precision that keeps it from banging into the concrete walls despite the tight fit. The ship's crossing through the Panama Canal is nearly complete as the 700-ton steel doors swing shut. While most of their bulk is hidden underneath the water, they're as tall as an eight-story building and the same ones that have been doing the job for over a century. As a major Latin American hub of finance, commerce and transportation, the Panamanian capital is a growing destination for business travelers. For anyone looking to duck out of a convention center for a few hours, fill a gap between meetings or even if you've just got a long layover at the airport, a visit to Panama City's No 1 attraction and its newly expanded locks makes for the perfect side excursion. Shipping geeks in particular will delight at this engineering marvel that revolutionized global maritime trade when it opened for business on Aug 15, 1914, but it also appeals to a broader audience. Nearly 3,000 people visit each day during the January-April high season. The Miraflores Visitor Center offers several stories of space with an up-close view of the machinations of the canal, where ships pass through about 35 to 40 times a day. With each crossing, an enthusiastic guide informs visitors on a recent sticky, tropical morning, that the locks fill with about 26 million gallons (100 million liters) of fresh water that then spill into the Pacific Ocean. "I'm impressed by the magnitude of this operation," says Vicky Londono, a Colombian traveler who flew into the airport that day with her husband and hopped in a cab to see the canal before continuing to their final destination, Madrid. The Canal Authority threw a big bash in late June to formally inaugurate its new Cocoli locks, which doubled the waterway's capacity and can accommodate huge New Panamax-class vessels that carry up to three times as much cargo as those previously able to fit. There will be no separate viewing platform at Cocoli for at least two years, but for now you can see some of the action at a distance from Miraflores. Tip: Bring binoculars. "This is spectacular," says Tom Matz, a retired lawyer from New York, as a sky-blue liquid petroleum gas ship emerged from Cocoli bound for the Atlantic. "The past, present and future of the canal, all right here." Getting to the canal is a snap, with a host of travel agencies and hotel tours competing for your business. For $30 or so, depending on your willingness to haggle, taxi drivers will take you from the city center and pick you up a couple of hours later. Plan on $60 or more if you're starting from the airport, as well as a 30-to 45-minute cab ride there-possibly longer due to Panama City's chronic traffic congestion. If no ship is passing through right when you arrive, while away the time in the facility's theater and museum for comprehensive exhibits on the canal and its constructionwhich claimed the lives of more than 25,000 workers. Most of those who died were from Caribbean islands, most of them victims of tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. A simulator lets you play captain and virtually maneuver a ship through the locks. There's also a snack bar, and a pricier restaurant upstairs that stays open into the evening. LINCOLN Lawyers for Gage County will try to persuade the courts to reverse a $28 million jury verdict for a reckless investigation that wrongly imprisoned six people for a 1985 Beatrice homicide. A 67-page brief filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln argues that the verdict against Gage County and its sheriffs officials is against the great weight of evidence presented during the trial. In the event that the judge rules against the motion, the countys lawyer also asked for a new trial. Attorneys for the six people who won the landmark civil rights lawsuit had not responded to the countys motions as of late Wednesday. But the action signals that a final resolution in the case could still be years away. Last month, a jury awarded a combined $28 million to the six convicted in the death of 68-year-old Helen Wilson. DNA tests in 2008 cleared the Beatrice Six and pointed instead to an Oklahoma man who died before he could be brought to justice. It marked the first time that DNA testing had been used to free people wrongly convicted in Nebraska. Joseph E. White, Kathy Gonzalez, Tom Winslow, Ada JoAnn Taylor, James Dean and Debra Shelden spent more than 70 years combined in prison. They were convicted following a 1989 investigation by the Gage County Sheriffs Office. Wednesdays legal maneuver had been expected following a recent statement by a Gage County elected official that steps would be taken to protect the taxpayers. The county lacks insurance to cover the jury award, which exceeds its annual budget authority of $27 million. But the strategy also means that the county will face even greater legal costs if it loses its appeals. In addition to paying perhaps $2 million for its own outside legal counsel, the county is potentially on the hook for another $1.8 million in fees for the lawyers who represent the six. The motion filed by Lincoln attorney Melanie Whittamore-Mantzios asks Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf to set aside the jury verdict and rule in favor of the county. She argues that the plaintiffs failed to prove the late Sheriff Jerry DeWitt created a policy mandating that his deputies perform a reckless investigation or create false evidence. The lawyer also argues that her clients should be entitled to a new trial because the jury was tainted by repeated statements that the six were innocent. Such statements violated the judges instructions that jurors were not to focus on the guilt or innocence of the six, but on the work of investigators. The verdict at over $28 million is excessive and certainly is evidence that plaintiffs effort to maximize their damages by repeatedly mentioning they were innocent was accomplished, Whittamore-Mantzios wrote. The motion for a new trial also faulted a statement made by the judge after the jury had been excused for the day during the testimony phase of the trail. The judge said to those present in the courtroom that the state should help the county pay damages if the six prevailed. His comment was reported by news organizations. Whittamore-Mantzios argued that if jurors read the statement, it could have given them the impression there was a deep pocket to pay the plaintiffs a multimillion-dollar judgment. Contact the writer: 402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com LINCOLN Nebraska no longer risks losing $17 million in federal funds because of its public benefits call center system. Courtney Phillips, CEO of the State Department of Health and Human Services, announced Thursday that the state is meeting federal standards for processing food assistance applications on time. That means U.S. Department of Agriculture officials will drop their threat to pull federal administrative dollars from the state. USDA officials sent Nebraska a warning letter in January 2015 because Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program applications were taking too long to get processed through the problem-plagued AccessNebraska system. The letter said Nebraska had not met federal processing standards for some time. In 2013, the state met processing deadlines for 68 percent of applications and ranked 52nd of 53 states and territories for meeting deadlines. In contrast, Phillips said, from October last year through March this year, Nebraska processed 95.05 percent of applications for SNAP benefits formerly known as food stamps on time. The state now ranks 23rd nationally. Weve focused our efforts on increasing responsiveness and accessibility to our clients, she said. With the changes weve made, clients are receiving benefits sooner. In July their applications were approved in an average of nine days, with one-third of the clients receiving same-day approval. Federal regulations say SNAP applications must be processed within 30 days in most cases and seven days in expedited cases. Phillips praised the hard work of employees in making the improvements as a testament to their dedication to the citizens of Nebraska. Fixing the problems with AccessNebraska has been one of Gov. Pete Ricketts top goals for HHS. He talked about the importance of the system during his State of the State speech earlier this year. He also assigned his offices former chief operating officer, Felix Davidson, to help tackle the systems problems. Improved service at AccessNebraska is making a real difference in the lives of Nebraskans, the governor said on Thursday. State Sen. Sara Howard of Omaha, chairwoman of a legislative committee created to oversee AccessNebraska, welcomed the announcement. I think in terms of AccessNebraska, things are going very well, she said. In December 2014 the oversight committee concluded that AccessNebraska had been largely a failure. Over the past year, Howard said, HHS officials have improved the efficiency of the system and reduced turnover among workers. She credited the improvement to hard work by state employees. AccessNebraska processes applications for SNAP benefits, child care subsidies and other public benefits programs through two call centers. Another two call centers process Medicaid applications. The system also includes online benefits applications and electronic scanning and storage of documents filed with an application. In January, USDA officials said Nebraska had met the first set of improvement benchmarks necessary to keep its federal funding. The state was required to process 85 percent of applications on time from April through September last year to meet the benchmark. The state processed more than 91 percent of applications on time during that period. The benchmark for the October-through-March period was processing 95 percent of applications on time. Doug Weinberg, director of the children and family services division, said recent internal tracking of processing times shows that theyre even better. He said that in July, 99 percent of all SNAP applications were completed on time. In addition, call wait times for AccessNebraska have stayed below 5 minutes, down from a peak of more than 23 minutes in June last year. The improvements allowed state officials to settle a class-action lawsuit filed over the delays in providing food assistance to Nebraska families. Under the agreement, which was approved in April, HHS must process at least 96 percent of SNAP applications on time. The agency is to remain under court jurisdiction until it maintains compliance with that standard for 25 out of 28 months. HHS officials announced plans for AccessNebraska in fall 2008, touting it as a way to cut costs and improve efficiency by making use of technology. But the system has been plagued by long wait times, lost documents and delays in needed benefits since its inception. The problems persisted into last year despite numerous previous attempts to correct them. Contact the writer: 402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com Five years ago, the people of southern Sudan seceded from the north and established their own independent nation. At midnight on July 9, 2011, thousands of citizens of the new country flooded into the streets, dancing and singing and proclaiming their freedom. In retrospect, perhaps they should have stayed home; their optimism has proved unfounded. Last month, the government canceled the nations five-year anniversary celebrations as fighting broke out yet again between rival forces and scores of civilians were killed. Thats nothing new: Since the creation of South Sudan, tens of thousands of people have died in internecine violence, and some 2 million have been displaced. A region already plagued by floods and chronic food shortages, by poverty, violence and illiteracy, and by a lack of institutions and infrastructure is now being further ravaged by tribal conflict, insurrection, graft and corruption. In South Sudan, children have been abducted to serve as soldiers, women gang-raped by army and militia members, detainees beaten and tortured. In what seemed like a positive development, President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar announced a year ago that they were ending their two-year-old civil war and resuming a power-sharing arrangement; Machar returned to the capital city of Juba in April to take up his post as vice president once again. But two months later, the tentative peace fell apart after a shootout between militias at a checkpoint. By some accounts, conditions are worse for the people of South Sudan today than they were before independence from the Sudanese regime in Khartoum. Thats a tragedy for the people there and a grave disappointment for the Western and African countries that helped midwife the birth of the continents newest country. In the months ahead, the international community must continue its efforts to stabilize the situation. To that end, the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping forces should be extended, and if theyre deemed insufficient for the task, it may become necessary to deploy an additional African Union rapid reaction force. Once a measure of quiet has been established, the South Sudanese will have to take on the tougher job of eradicating corruption, building reliable institutions and depoliticizing the army. Understandably, some observers wonder whether the current government, which has failed so miserably to date, can be entrusted with those tasks. Meanwhile, some are saying that Sudans unhappy situation ought to serve as a lesson for the United States, arguing that secession was a mistake from the start, the disastrous result of an intervention into Sudanese affairs by well-meaning but clueless Americans. They blame lobbying by Christian missionaries and human rights activists, as well as U.S. policymakers driven by a misguided sense of moral idealism rather than a clear-eyed recognition of national security interests. As usual, Americans failed to see the folly in their starry-eyed efforts to improve the world. Ignorance and self-delusion certainly have gotten the U.S. in trouble over the years. The U.S. too often blunders overconfidently into foreign countries without clear goals, a coherent plan or an exit strategy. Surely some of that may have been at play in Sudan and South Sudan. Yet the situation doesnt fall neatly into that category. The move toward secession was in fact an outgrowth of a multinational effort to end Africas longest-running civil war. The north and the south had been shoehorned into a single country by the British in 1956 despite their overwhelming linguistic, racial, tribal and cultural differences and the result had been half a century of violence in which more than 2 million people died in cross-border raids from the Arab north into the black African south. When a comprehensive peace agreement was finally signed with the help of the African Union and the U.S., it included a provision that southerners would be allowed to vote on whether to declare independence from the north. That referendum was a particular goal not of the United States, but of the southerners themselves. In the end, nearly 99 percent of voters favored secession. Nation-building is in disrepute these days. But while it makes sense to be skeptical of military adventures, to be cognizant of the obstacles that may arise abroad and to be careful about spending taxpayer dollars on lost causes (the U.S. government has poured billions of dollars in aid into South Sudan), it would be a grave mistake for the U.S. to retreat from constructive engagement with the world. South Sudan has been a terrible, tragic disappointment, but whether or not it can be fixed, the United States should not forswear its important efforts to use its vast wealth to bring peace, stability and economic development to troubled countries around the globe. Karnataka to survey all Arabic schools to check if on same page as state board Mahadayi river row; CM calls all party meet on Aug 7 Bengaluru oi-PTI Bengaluru, Aug 4: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened an all party meeting here on August 7 to discuss further course of action following the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal's interim order rejecting the state's petition seeking 7.56 tmcft for drinking water projects. Members of Parliament from all the political parties will also be part of the meeting, the state government in a release said. It said government has also decided to go before the tribunal once again seeking some clarifications regarding its interim order. The Chief Minister today chaired a "high level" meeting that was attended by Home Minister G Parameshwara, Water Resources Minister M B Patil, Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhav and other senior officials. Karnataka government, which has locked horns with neighbouring Goa on the larger issue of sharing Mahadayi River water between both the states had petitioned the tribunal seeking the release of 7.56 tmcft for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project. The tribunal, which gave its interim order last week after hearing arguments from both Karnataka and Goa, had rejected state's plea citing various grounds including ecological damage that the project may cause. The Kalasa-Banduri Nala (diversion) project, which will utilise 7.56 tmcft from the inter-state Mahadayi river, is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag. Following the verdict, tension had gripped most parts of northern Karnataka like Gadag, Hubballi, Dharwad, Haveri, Belagavi, Naragunda, Navalagunda and other places as protests turned violent last week during which government offices had come under attack and damage was caused to public property. Normal life was affected as a state wide bandh was observed on July 30 in protest against the interim order. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 11:45 [IST] No move from Apple as yet to make iPhones in India Business oi-PTI New Delhi, Aug 4: Apple CEO Tim Cook during his visit met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and spoke of possibilities of manufacturing, but the company has not submitted any proposal with the IT Ministry to set up its plant in India, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Cook visited Hyderabad on May 20 to launch the technology centre relating to their maps division in presence of Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrashekar Rao, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology P P Chaudhary said in a reply to the Lok Sabha. "He also called on the Prime Minister on May 21, 2016. He shared Apple Inc's future plans for India and spoke of possibilities of manufacturing and retailing in India. There is no proposal with this ministry from Apple Inc to set up a manufacturing unit in the country," Chaudhary said. After meeting senior officials from manufacturing giant Foxconn, partner of Apple, the then telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in May had said the Cupertino-based technology major was coming to manufacture iPhones in India. Apple has been lobbying hard for exemption from the mandatory 30 per cent local sourcing on the ground that its products have such high-end technology that these cannot be sourced locally here. The government in June relaxed FDI norms by giving a three-year exemption from local sourcing to foreign players in single-brand retail and a further five-year relaxation for 'state-of-the-art' and 'cutting-edge' technology. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 9:53 [IST] Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia For many in the present times Facebook is one medium that lets them be in touch with friends and extended family members. The social media platform is increasingly filling up the space that was filled by fun activities that people used to do decades ago with their friends and family members like taking up a challenging task. Challenges that trend: Facebook is where people challenge their friends to take up fun challenges like putting up black and white photographs, or pick their favourite song beginning with a particular alphabet, and many others. Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photograph challenge Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photograph challenge Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photographs challenge Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photograph challenge Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photograph challenge Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photographs challenge Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photographs challenge Friends bond over Facebook Challenges Black and White Photographs challenge Nature photographer Sanjeet Swain on picking up challenges on Facebook said, "I was challenged by one of my friends to post innovative nature pictures for a week." He further mentioned that terms were set for him like he had to mention the location where the photograph was clicked and also that the photograph should not have any living being it in. The benefits Swain said of taking up such a challenge is that he can hone his skills and also that he could add great pictures to his collection. He further added that, "I might not have considered stopping at far off location for clicking such pictures, if I was not challenged". Communication in-charge Leena Sharma too was challenged on Facebook by a friend to come up with her favourite song on the given alphabet. This she said was similar to Antakshari and she said that now people enjoy such challenges on Facebook rather thatn discuss politics. This simple challenge has recently started trending on social media. Management Professional, Geeta Khatri took up a challenge of posting black and white pictures. She took up the challenge as she liked herself in black and white picture that she had posted in reply to the challenge. How has been the experience: Aditi Chaurasia feels that such challenges are new way to stay in touch with the friends online. She has picked up the challenge of putting up black and white pictures. Deepak Sharma finds these challenges entertaining and makes him laugh when people post crazy stuff online. He likes online challenge which is like Antaksari. Keshav Sekseria who is a student has taken up challenge of posting black and white picture he edited his picture and he loved the black and white photo. Now he is experimenting and exploring it with new and old photographs. Prateek Mittal Software engineer who loves music found Antakshari challenge fun and so took it up. He feels that it is nice to have a collection of songs on Facebook then sad news. Twinkle Mishra who is also a student finds it fun to take up challenges thrown at her on Facebook by her friends and this way she stays connected with her friends and finds new friends. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 15:59 [IST] Infantry Day: When Indian Army chased Pak out and saved Jammu & Kashmir 'Shaurya Diwas': Rajnath Singh says J&K entered new era of peace & prosperity after Article 370 abrogation In India terror down by 34%, civilian deaths by 90% since Art 370 scrapped: Shah Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh Kashmir unrest and shutdown through the lenses Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Srinagar, Aug 4: Kashmir has been in the throes of a Valley wide unrest since July 9, a day after Hizbul commander, Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces. At least 50 people including 48 civilians and two policemen have been killed in the cycle of violence while over 2,000 others including civilians and security personnel have been injured so far. Wani was killed along with two other terrorists on July 8 in an encounter at Bumdoora village of Kokernag in Jammu and Kashmir by a joint team of police and Army. Burhan picked up arms when he was merely 15-years-old. He was carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head. Here are some pictures of shutdown and unrest in the Valley JK HC lawyers hold protest rally in Srinagar Srinagar: Lawyers of Jammu and Kashmir High Court holding placards during a protest rally against the killing of 50 civilians and use of Pellet guns by forces, at Jehangir Chowk in Srinagar. A deserted street in Srinagar during rains A deserted street of Srinagar during the curfew. Lawyers protest in Srinagar Lawyers of Jammu and Kashmir High Court holding placards during a protest rally against the killing of 50 civilians and use of Pellet guns by forces, at Jehangir Chowk in Srinagar. Srinagar: Hari Singh High Street during curfew A view of Hari Singh High Street during curfew and srike in Srinagar on Wednesday. #KashmirUnrest: Is rant media creating justification for #war? - https://t.co/trtoBtBfQm pic.twitter.com/pY3aoph3j3 Firstpost (@firstpost) July 28, 2016 Tension grips Kashmir Post Burhan Wani killing, Kashmir has been in the throes of a Valley wide unrest since July 9 #Curfew lifted up from #Valley except 3 districts#KashmirUnrest #Anantnag #Kulgam #Pulwamahttps://t.co/sUpxopni1y pic.twitter.com/muAlUwRIKr Tehelka (@Tehelka) July 28, 2016 Burhan Wani declared hero Clashes erupted in Kashmir Valley after killing of Burhan Wani. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 15:14 [IST] T'gana DyCM seeks Swaraj's help in return of workers stranded in Saudi Arabia Hyderabad oi-PTI Hyderabad, Aug 4: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali today sought External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's intervention in the return of workers, from the state, stranded in Saudi Arabia after losing jobs. The employers have abandoned these poor labourers and they are living in camps without salaries for the last 7-8 months, Ali said in a letter to Swaraj. Of the total of 9,000 stranded Indian employees, 30 per cent are from rural Telangana and are poor, he said. Their relatives were pressing the Telangana government to facilitate their return to India, he said. "Therefore I request...use all your good offices by conducting necessary deliberations with the authorities concerned in both the countries to resolve the issue at the earliest," Ali said. With thousands of Indians left in the lurch after losing jobs due to the financial crisis in the Gulf country, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh last night left for Saudi Arabia to work out modalities to bring back those who want to return to India. PTI Assam hikes DA of home guards from Rs 300 to Rs 767 Ghazwa-e-Hind in Assam: NIA roped in as Islamists plan destruction of India Miya Museum sealed two days after opening in Assam Assam floods: Chief secy, DGP donate week's salary India oi-PTI Guwahati, Aug 4: Assam Chief Secretary V K Pipersenia and Director General of Police (DGP) Mukesh Sahay have contributed one week's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the flood-affected people of the state, an official release said here today. Pipersenia handed over the cheque to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at his office in Assam Secretariat yesterday, an official release said today. The DGP and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Darash Mathur also contributed their one-week's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and have handed over cheques to Sonowal. The Chief Minister thanked them for their contribution, the release added. PTI Congress hopes CGST, IGST bills are brought as financial bills India oi-PTI New Delhi, Aug 3 As the Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution Amendment Bill for GST rollout, Congress today hoped that subsequent legislations for its implementation like CGST and IGST bills would be brought in the Winter Session as financial and not money bills. Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said he was only half satisfied with the Finance Minister's promise made in the Upper House in this regard. "It's a half promise. Therefore, I am half satisfied," he told reporters after the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill. Chidambaram said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has assured that he will hold discussions with the Congress party before bringing the bills. Senior Congress leader and former Law Minister Kapil Sibal cited the example of Aadhaar Bill to claim the new legislations could be converted into Money Bills to block voting. "We have seen the Aadhar Bill was converted into a money bill and we were not given the right to vote on it. We have doubt that this GST bill will also be turned into a money bill whereby a discussion on it will take place in Rajya Sabha but members will not be allowed to vote on it. We are concerned over it," he said. "We hope that it will be a financial bill and there will be a discussion on it and we will be given the right to vote on it," he said. Another Congress member Renuka Chowdhury said, "They have considered many of our aspects. Have to wait and see what happens in the winter session." NCP leader Praful Patel said it is very good that the Constitution amendment bill to bring GST was passed with general consensus. "It is good for the country and states will also benefit, especially those which considered themselves as backward as they will get more revenue. We hope that the Bill to be brought by government in November will also be passed with general consensus. Finance Minister has given an assurance that whatever bill will be brought, it will be honoured," he said. Earlier in the day, Congress had made it clear to the government that firm assurances for keeping the GST rate capped at 18 per cent and bringing subsequent legislations needed for its rollout as financial bills alone could ensure its support to the long-pending Constitution Amendment bill. "We also demanded an assurance that the CGST and IGST should not be moved as money bill. The Central GST and Integrated GST are bills which will apply on taxpayers, on common man. They must be debated and voted upon by both Houses of Parliament. We hope to get assurance from the Finance Minister. If these assurances are forthcoming, we will be able to support," Chidambaram told reporters. PTI BJP MP scolds official for cleaning Yamuna with 'poisonous chemical' ahead of Chhath Delhi shocker: 22-year-old Nepalese woman gangraped India oi-PTI New Delhi, Aug 4: A 22-year-old Nepalese woman was allegedly gangraped by three persons on the pretext of landing her a lucrative job in Ashok Nagar area in east Delhi. One of the accused has been arrested, police said on Wednesday. The victim, who lived the same area, had met one of the accused, identified as Yogesh, recently. Yogesh had promised to find her a job. She was called by Yogesh near a sweet shop in the area on Monday and taken to his flat, where his two friends - Amit and Sahil - were already present, police said. The three forced her to drink alcohol, claiming they were celebrating Amit's birthday. Thereafter, they raped her, said a senior police officer. She was also locked inside the bathroom in the flat, but somehow managed to escape from there. Following a complaint, the victim was sent for a medical examination and an FIR was registered, he said. Amit has been arrested while a search is on to arrest the other two accused, he added. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 13:08 [IST] Government approves upgrade of 13 medical colleges in 8 states India oi-PTI New Delhi, Aug 3 The government today approved the upgrading of 13 government medical colleges in eight states in a move aimed at creating more tertiary care facilities. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the upgrading under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). "The upgradation will be done at a cost of Rs 200 crore for each GMCI (Central share: Rs 120 crore and state share Rs 80 crore). Accordingly the total upgradation cost shall be Rs 2,600 crore out of which central share will be Rs 1,560 crore and that of state will be Rs 1,040 crore. It will be completed in 36 months," an official statement said. The medical colleges which will be upgraded are: PMCH, Patna, GMC Bhagalpur and Gaya, medical college in Bilaspur and Jagdalpur in Chhattissgarh, UCMS-GTB Hospital in Delhi, GMC in Surat and Bhavnagar in Gujarat, GMC in Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Cuttack in Odisha, Jaipur in Rajasthan and Agra and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. "Upgradation of existing GMCIs will create tertiary care facilities. The tertiary care institutions will serve as composite centres for continued professional education, treatment, patient care and multi skilling of health workers," the statement said. The upgrading would involve strengthening of existing departments as well as building super-speciality blocks and trauma centres and other facilities as Centres of Excellence. However, the upgradaing process will vary from one institution to another as per "specific local needs" and the facilities to be augmented during upgrading will be decided after proper analysis involving all stakeholders, it said. "The population in Uttar Padesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Odisha will be benefited where these colleges are located," it said. PMSSY was announced in August 2003 with an objective of correcting the imbalances in availability of affordable and reliable tertiary-level healthcare in the country and to augment facilities for quality medical education. This scheme had two components - establishment of new AIIMS and upgrading of existing government medical colleges. Under PMSSY, 58 GMC have been approved for upgrading. Of these, work has been completed in 16 colleges while it is in progress at other places. PTI Gujarat HC scraps 10 pc EBC quota, Govt to move SC India oi-PTI Ahmedabad, Aug 4: In a setback to BJP Government in Gujarat ahead of the leadership change, the High Court here today quashed the ordinance providing 10 per cent quota for the economically backward among the unreserved category, promulgated to pacify the agitating Patel community. The state government said it will challenge the High Court decision. The HC stayed the order for two weeks on the request of the state government pleader so that they can approach Supreme Court. Terming the ordinance issued on May 1 as "inappropriate and unconstitutional", a division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi rejected the state's argument that it is a classification under the general category and not the reserved category and held that it will breach the 50 per cent quota cap set up by the Supreme Court. Significantly, the High Court order has come when the BJP government is all set to have a new chief minister after the resignation of Anandiben Patel yesterday as the ruling party grapples with multiple challenges, including Patidar quota stir, ahead of next year's Assembly polls. Sticking to its stand on the EBS quota, the BJP Government said it will move the Supreme Court against High Court decision to scrap the ordinance which was announced by Anandiben to pacify the agitating Patidars who were demanding quota in jobs and educational institutions under OBC quota. However, Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel welcomed the order and said their agitation for quota under OBC category will continue. The court observed that 10 per cent reservation for poor among the unreserved category takes the total quota beyond 50 per cent, which is not permitted as per the Supreme Court's earlier decision. The high court also said that the government took the decision without any study or scientific data. Petitioners Dayaram Verma, Ravjibhai Manani, Dulari Basarge and Gujarat Parents' Association had separately challenged the ordinance announcing reservation of 10 per cent seats to candidates belonging to the unreserved category with family income cap of Rs 6 lakh annually in government jobs and educational institutions. Their petitions were heard together. The Patel quota stir, spearheaded by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samity led by Hardik Patel, is seen to be a key factor that led to the leadership change in the state, where assembly polls are due in a little over an year. The BJP had suffered heavy losses in the rural local bodies polls, which were blamed on the quota stir of the numerically and socially strong Patel community. Reacting to the order, Health minister Nitin Patel, considered to be a front runner for the Chief Minister's post, said the Government will stick to the provision of EBC quota and challenge the HC order in the apex court as soon as possible. The government pleader had told the court that the reservation is actually "a further classification in the general, open, unreserved category" and does not violate either Supreme Court order or Constitutional provisions. The state government, in its affidavit, said the ordinance does not violate provisions of the Constitution nor does it go against the Supreme Court orders. "The ordinance should be read with Article 46 of Constitution (which states that social justice is required for weaker sections of society) and not with reference to Backward Class quota," the affidavit said. The petitioners submitted before the court that the reservation violates the Supreme Court's order providing 50 per cent ceiling for quota in the Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case. They said that additional 10 per cent reservation reduced the number of seats in educational institutions for candidates from unreserved category with annual family income of more than Rs 6 lakh. On May 1, the state had issued the ordinance providing 10 per cent reservation to persons from economically weaker sections from unreserved category, other than the SC, ST and OBC, for admissions in educational institutions and government jobs. The reservation is applicable to persons with annual family income cap of Rs 6 lakh. "When we announced the 10 per cent EBC reservation, our government had clearly stated that we will stick to this provision of EBC quota in any situation. Thus, we will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against today's order by High Court, which rejected this quota today," Nitin Patel said. Hailing the order, Hardik Patel said, "The court had clearly said that EBC quota was unconstitutional. "We welcome the order, as we always wanted reservation as per the Constitution. Thus, our agitation for reservation under OBC quota will continue till we get justice" Patel said through a video message from Udaipur, Rajasthan. He was directed to stay out of Gujarat for six months by the high court while being granted bail in a sedition case related to the agitation last month. PTI Gurgaon: Woman who owns Rs 3 cr house, sells 'Chole-Kulche on road to support her family India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, Aug 4: This is a big inspiration for all those people who find some work not of their standard. Reportedly a Gurgaon woman has started a Chole- Kulche business on a roadside food-cart, despite having plush house of worth Rs 3 crore. Not only that, she also owns a SUV. Reports say that 34 year old Urvashi Yadav started food business to support her family. Her husband Amit Yadav (37) who used to work in a construction company recently met with an accident. When doctors were consulted, they said that his hip must be replaced. But Urvashi didn't get bogged down. She gave a thought to start a eating joint so that she could share some burden of her husband who is a sole bread earner for the whole family. As she didn't have enough money to open a big restaurant, she settled for a roadside Thela. Reports say that initially she was dissuaded to do so by her father in laws and her children, but she went ahead after her husband gave nod for the same. She earns Rs 2000 to 3000 daily from her new business. She was quoted by a website as saying, "Day one was the toughest and I was very uncomfortable. I covered my face, broke down, but eventually I pulled myself together". "I hate to admit it but I was the kind of person who couldn't live without an AC and I hated the sun in my face. Yet, there I was, standing on the side of the road on a hot summer day, getting chole kulche ready for customers", she further stated. Graduate Uravashi Yadav is a teacher by profession. She lives in sector 17, Gurgaon. OneIndia News Pak PM's offer to India was in consonance with SAARC initiative on COVID-19: Pak FO Full potential of SAARC can only be realised in atmosphere free of terror, says PM Modi India-Pak SAARChasm: Rajnath set to return angry, hungry, gagged India oi-Vicky The chasm in India-Pakistan relations widened on Thursday after Pakistan blacked out Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's speech at the SAARC meeting at the ironically named Serene Hotel in Islamabad. Singh, in his speech, slammed Pakistan without naming it, but pointedly telling it not to glorify terrorists, a clear reference to Pakistan eulogising slain Hizbul militant Burhan Wani as a martyr. "Those who support, encourage and give sanctuary to terrorists must be isolated", Singh said, even calling for action against states that supported terror groups. The strain in ties became evident when both Rajnath Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan skipped a lunch that was supposed to be hosted by the latter for the visiting SAARC ministers! Earlier in the day, Khan was at the gates of the Serene Hotel to receive the dignitaries, but Singh barely shook hands with him, upset that the Pakistani authorities had allowed protests against him as he arrived by known terrorist groups. Pakistan spared no effort to provoke India ahead of the SAARC meeting, first denying visas to Indian journalists to cover the event, then allowing street protests against India and Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself trying to embarrass India by raising the pitch on Kashmir just as Singh arrived in Islamabad. While the Pakistani private media was kept out of the SAARC meet, even the government media only covered the speeches of Sharif and Khan, blacking out Singh's speech. Meanwhile, the Home ministry cancelled a press conference Singh was scheduled to address at Delhi airport. India planning to train 400 mn skilled people in few years India oi-PTI London, Aug 4 India is planning to train 400 million skilled people in the next few years under the ambitious 'Skill India' initiative to meet its requirement of skilled labour, India's High Commissioner to the UK Navtej Singh Sarna said. Sarna, who was the chief guest at a function organised by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here to celebrate India's Independence Day, said "70 years ago, there were many who questioned India's chances of survival, but it had proved them wrong because of values such as inclusivity, simplicity and truth, it followed." Noting that 50 per cent of India's population is under the age of 25, a huge amount of energy waiting to propel us forward, he said "in the next 7 to 8 years, we are expecting to achieve 99 per cent literacy. "We are planning to train 400 million skilled people in the next few years under the'Skill India' initiative to meet our requirement of skilled labour. We have set in motion an economic direction with very clear programmes of development answering these particular challenges", he said. Similarly, 'Digital India' is the programme for a new age, and several other programmes that are aimed to harness India's huge potential. "India is fortunate to have the Constitution that it has. The men and women who gave us a Constitution displayed unparalleled imagination that kept a huge population of incredible diversity together," Sarna said. The Constitution is not a dead letter but one that kept pace with the changing times. It has been amended nearly a hundred times but has kept its basic structure, to ensure that the vision of India that existed in 1947 remains to this day. He said today we have to thank all those faceless people who made India the beacon for the world. Despite all that has been achieved and all that remains to be achieved, India is today a leading example. In all of human history, a democratic experiment of this level has never been done or succeeded. The economic success and prospects of India are now well recognised by most international organisations like the IMF, the World Bank. "We have huge challenges of poverty, education and disease, but if we can't face them with our resources, and our survival instincts, not many can," he said. Noting that India's culture and tradition are priceless, the Chairman of the Bhavan Joginder Sangar said that is what it stands for. Keith Vaz, the longest serving Asian origin MP in the House of Commons described Joginder Sangar as an "unofficial Ambassador between India and the UK. Referring to Britain's vote to leave European Union, he said: now we have to look to India as main trading partner. Barry Gardiner the MP said Britain should now forge new relations with Commonwealth Countries, particularly India. PTI By Jonathan Saul and Anshuman Daga LONDON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) (SGXL.SI) plans to buy one of London's oldest institutions, the Baltic Exchange where shipping rates are published, and urged shareholders on Thursday to support a deal. As the global shipping industry struggles with the worst market conditions for decades, SGX offered shareholders in the privately-owned Baltic Exchange 160.41 pounds in cash per share, for a total 77.6 million pounds ($102 million). Founded in 1744 as a forum for chartering vessels, the Baltic Exchange now produces benchmark indexes for global shipping rates and owns a trading platform for the multi-billion dollar freight derivatives market. The Singapore Exchange, started in 1999, is making its offer as freight costs wallow at record lows, after a slump in commodity markets coincided with an increase in the number of vessels. SGX said it "contemplated" that Baltic shareholders would also receive at least 18.80 pounds in cash per share from the Baltic Exchange as a final dividend if the deal went ahead, giving a minimum total valuation of 86.7 million pounds or just over $113 million. "SGX has agreed with the Baltic Exchange ... to proceed with the solicitation of support from shareholders," it said, emphasising that the deal had yet to be finalised and there was no assurance of a definitive agreement. On Tuesday, Reuters cited sources as saying SGX was preparing a formal offer for the Baltic following months of discussions that culminated in exclusive talks. Sources had told Reuters the deal was priced at $100 million. The Baltic Exchange said on Thursday that it would consult major shareholders to seek their support for SGX's offer. "Subject to receiving sufficient support, and to it receiving the endorsement of the Baltic Exchange board, it is expected that a scheme of arrangement will then be circulated to shareholders and a general meeting will be announced, for shareholders to vote on an offer from SGX," the Baltic Exchange said in a statement. Story continues A Baltic spokesman said such a meeting would not take place before September. On May 25, the two sides said SGX was in exclusive talks, subsequently extended until Aug. 31. The Baltic is owned by about 380 shareholders, many from the shipping industry including ship brokers, companies and individuals, and a majority will need to approve any acquisition. "The exclusivity period is designed to make sure the entire process doesn't last forever," one source said. "Everything is proceeding on track. The ball is now in Baltic's court." Another source said: "The emphasis is on the 'solicitation' of support by SGX. There is still no clear indication at the moment whether there will be enough to push it through. Pricing will also be a factor." WEAKER POUND SGX would benefit from a drop in the value of the pound. Sterling fell 14 percent against the dollar after Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union, although it has since recovered around 3 percent. Sources say any deal is unlikely to be affected by Brexit. SGX is looking to expand its global presence in shipping and has been developing Asian pricing benchmarks for commodities such as iron ore, liquefied natural gas and coking coal. SGX has recently come under criticism after a string of trading disruptions. Separately a planned $28 billion merger between the London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) and Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) has won backing from shareholders of both companies, although it remains unclear whether the deal will get regulatory approval. The Baltic Exchange has been located in the heart of the City of London since its founding in a coffee house. Its later flagship building was blown up in a 1992 attack by the Irish Republican Army and the Gherkin tower now stands on the site. In February, the Baltic confirmed it had received a number of "exploratory approaches" after SGX said it was seeking to buy it. The London Metal Exchange , CME Group (CME.O), ICE(ICE.N), state-run conglomerate China Merchants Group [CNMGP.UL]and Platts were among other potential bidders, sources told Reuters previously. (Editing by Veronica Brown/Ruth Pitchford) Is ISIS operating as Hizbul Tahreer in Jammu and Kashmir? India oi-Vicky Srinagar, Aug 4: In the midst of all the chaos in Jammu and Kashmir, intelligence agencies have stumbled upon an outfit called the Hizbul Tahreer which incidentally is a shadow outfit of the ISIS. Intelligence Agencies are not taking lightly the ISIS threat when J&K is concerned. This is largely to do with the fact that a two year old map of the ISIS called the Global Islamic Council has Jammu and Kashmir prominently displayed on it. The Hizbul Tahreer or HT has splinter groups currently operating in Jammu and Kashmir. The role of the outfit is to solely focus on recruiting operatives for the ISIS and spreading its ideology. It is a very small outfit at the moment, but has been involved in propagating the ISIS cause. Recently banners and flags of the ISIS had cropped up in J&K and this was blamed on the HT. Training cadres Further proof of the ISIS's and HT link cropped up when the National Investigation Agency probed a case against Ayaz Sultan. The call centre employee who was radicalised on the web was told by his ISIS handlers to get in touch with HT operatives. When he got in touch with them, they called him over to Kashmir where he was imparted training. Following this he made his way out of India and into Syria and is now believed to be part of the outfit. Investigations also revealed that several more persons had been trained by the HT for the ISIS. Currently the role of the HT is to train cadres. They are low key at the moment and every now and then put out flags and banners relating to the ISIS. This is a deliberate ploy and they are still testing the waters, IB officials say. "There may be around 30 of their operatives in Kashmir at the moment. They call in cadres from different parts of the country and train them in shooting, mountain climbing and guerrilla warfare," officials also pointed out. They get them ISIS ready before launching them into Syria, officials added. Officials are also closely monitoring if the members of the HT had trained cadres and launched them into Afghanistan. ISIS has been trying to make inroads in Afghanistan as well. The recent arrest of a lady by the name Yasmeen had revealed that she wanted to join the rest of the ISIS recruits from Kerala in Kabul. OneIndia News BJP MP scolds official for cleaning Yamuna with 'poisonous chemical' ahead of Chhath Mamata Banerjee happy over Rajya Sabha clearing GST Bill India oi-IANS By Ians English Kolkata, Aug 4: Expressing happiness over the passing of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in Rajya Sabha, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded that small businesses should remain under single control of the states in the new tax regime. "We (Trinamool Congress) have consistently supported the idea and implementation of GST. Good constitutional amendment was passed today (Wednesday)," Banerjee tweeted. We have consistently supported the idea and implementation of GST. Good constitutional amendment was passed today 1/2 Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 3, 2016 "Now in GST Bill all states want to give relief to micro and small businesses which must remain under single control of the states," she wrote in another tweet. The GST Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after it was tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. IANS National Education Policy 2016: Schools to finally impart regular sex education classes? India oi-Oneindia By Maitreyee Boruah Bengaluru, Aug 4: In the name of imparting sex education to adolescents, most schools in India conduct workshops on health and hygiene. The issue of imparting sex education on a regular basis to school-going children in India has always been a controversial subject. Most of those who opposed the idea of having a proper sex education curriculum in schools say it would encourage promiscuous behaviour among children and this is against "Indian values". However, experts on children-related issues say that at a time when the country is witnessing increase in cases of sexual abuse of children and teen pregnancy, schools must have regular classes on sex education. Probably, the demand of those who advocate the importance of sex education is likely to be fulfilled soon. The draft of the National Education Policy 2016 made public on June on www.mygov.in website clearly mentions the significance of "sex education in schools for adolescent for safety measures". "There is a lot of misconception surrounding sex education in schools. A lot of parents and even politicians have opposed the idea of teaching teenagers about safe sex methods and sexuality in general. This kind of medieval mindset is harming our children. Sex education helps inculcate essential information about conception, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases among the teenagers," Nagasimha Rao, Bengaluru-based child rights activist, told OneIndia. "Right from parents and teachers in schools must tell children about safe and unsafe sexual practices. This will definitely help children save themselves from getting sexually abused," Rao added. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), sex education should be imparted to children who are 12 years and above. WHO further states that the age group of 12 to 19 years counts for some 34 per cent of the HIV-infected persons in the world. "It is irresponsible on the part of our school system to ignore the facts and figures cited by the WHO. Instead of children having to know about sex and its various aspects from unreliable sources, it is always better to provide them the right information by the right person. And it can happen only if parents and teachers openly talk about sex to their children," said Vasudev Sharma, executive director of Child Rights Trust (CRT), Bengaluru. Moreover, a study by the Department of Women and Child Development shows that some 53 per cent of children in the country have been victims of some kind of sexual abuse. According to a circular issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) back in 2005, it had chalked out an Adolescence Reproductive and Sexual Health Education (ARSH) project. However, experts say the project is yet to be implemented in totality. Some of the key objectives of ARSH project are: to acquire information and education on sex and reproductive health, to help teenagers avoid vulnerability to risky behaviour, to enable children to resist sexual exploitation and violence, to understand the consequence of substance abuse and adopt preventive measures and to help youngsters to understand the seriousness of the epidemic HIV/AIDS, to name a few. Because of the taboo associated with sex education, several states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Goa, had earlier banned a course on adolescent education programme as suggested by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 12:21 [IST] Pak committing atrocities against people in PoK, will have to bear consequences: Rajnath Singh Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh draws parallel between Mahatma Gandhi and Vajpayee India oi-PTI New Delhi, Aug 3 Union Minister Rajnath Singh today drew parallel between Mahatma Gandhi and ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying the latter is one such political personality in independent India who would be respected by public for many generations to come like the Father of the Nation. "The kind of respect Mahatma Gandhi received among people in India during pre and also post-independence era...if you look at politics of independent India, Vajpayee has the personality like Mahatma Gandhi, he will be respected for several forthcoming generations," the Union Home Minister said. Singh made the remark in a video message to event in which biography of the former Prime Minister 'Haar Nahi Manoonga - Ek Atal Jeevan Gatha' was released here. The event was attended by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, former Union Ministers Najma Heptulla and Jaya Jaitley, senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, besides author-scribe Vijay Trivedi. In his message sent before he left for Pakistan to attend SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' meet, Singh lauded Vajpayee for playing a crucial role in ensuring India was not affected due to economic crisis during his tenure as the Prime Minister and conducting nuclear test in Pokhran "that gave world a sense of India's growing strength". Gadkari showered praises on Vajpayee for leading simple life "sans ego" and sacrificing his life for building the BJP. During her address, Jaitley threw light over the rapport between Vajpayee and Defence Minister in his cabinet George Fernandes, who had to resign in connection with alleged bribery scandal, saying the duo were "saints and smart" politicians. "They share deep and cordial rapport," she said. Heptulla praised Vajpayee for his patience as a political leader, his oratory skill and for being a Prime Minister with whom it was "easy to share a joke". "I have seen many opposition leaders. But none was like him," she said. PTI GST rollout in J&K: This day will be written in golden words, says Mehbooba Mufti Rajya Sabha shows rare camaraderie over GST India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, Aug 3 As the Goods and Services Tax Bill got the parliamentary nod to end a stalemate that lasted almost 10 years, the Rajya Sabha saw a rare camaraderie and unanimity when all members present voted in favour of the statute. After the AIADMK walkout, the only party which opposed the bill, voting for The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, and the amendments introduced by the government saw not a single vote against the proposed law. Interestingly, the number of votes in the affirmative kept changing as Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien put the different clauses, and finally the bill, to vote, with some opposition members even raising concern as to how the numbers changed after lobbies were cleared. The votes in affirmative ranged from 197 to 205, and not one in opposition, except for one clause when nine members from the ruling benches voted in negative, much to the amusement of opposition members. The members, however, soon after asked for chits to correct their mistake. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for Commerce (Independent Charge) Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi rushed to instruct them on how to vote correctly. When it was time for voting on the next clause, a voice from the opposition benches emerged saying "press the green button". Clearing the lobby is a routine act before a division, or when voting on the bill is sought. After this, the gates of the house are shut, and all members are in their seats from where the voting buttons are used. While Kurien clarified that the votes were subject to correction, he also joked: "There is a magician in the house." An official from the Rajya Sabha later told IANS that some votes may not get recorded as some particular members may have stopped pressing the button before the voting time was over. As per procedures, every member has to press a red button at their seat along with the yes/no/abstain button for 10 seconds. Vote is recorded only from the button which is pressed at the end of the 10 seconds. A consensus had long been eluding the bill, which was first announced by the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in his budget speech for 2006-07. Chidambaram, recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, started the debate on the bill on Wednesday, as members from the ruling and opposition parties noted that he was speaking from the opposition benches in the upper house for the first time. The former minister also joked that it was his maiden speech, to which Kurien remarked he would still get only 15 minutes. Chidambaram's speech, however, lasted around half an hour. Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury even remarked that Chidambaram, his "old friend", sounded "much better from the other side". The Congress leader, meanwhile, out of habit, even called the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as "leader of opposition", and was corrected by one of his colleagues. Anticipating delay in the proceedings, the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry had arranged a dinner for the MPs, journalists and Parliament staff on the occasion. However, as the debate reached its fag end around 7.30 p.m., members preferred to stay in the house. When the voting was finally over after 9.40 p.m., a remark was heard from members on how "hungry" they were. After the bill's passage, Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar were seen walking to the opposition side, and shaking hands with Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. As the upper house was adjourned, ruling and opposition party members could be seen walking out together, smiling for the media's cameras after the "historic moment" that leads to one of the biggest tax reforms in the country. IANS Explained: Why did the ECI freeze the symbol of the Shiv Sena Not just future of Sena but democracy at stake, says Uddhav UP assembly polls: Shiv Sena to contest over 300 seats India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Lucknow, Aug 4: BJP's ally Shiv Sena is reportedly planning to contest on more than 300 assembly seats in 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. A report published in TOI said that Sena has already started shortlisting candidates for Uttar Pradesh polls that are slated to be held next year. Sena's media cell in-charge Vineet Chaudhary was quoted saying as, "The party will be contesting in more than 300 seats and we have already finalised names of 30 candidates." On Tuesday, atleast 40 candidates were interviewed at the residence of party's Aurangabad MP Chandrakant Khaire in Delhi. Mumbai MP Gajanan Kirtikar was also present during the interview. From Septemeber, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with other senior party members is likely to hold roadshows across Uttar Pradesh. [Shiv Sena 'rotted' during alliance with BJP: Uddhav] During Bihar assembly elections in Oct 2015, Shiv Sena had contested on 80 seats on its own and had received more than two lakh votes, giving its morale, a major boost to contest outside Maharashtra. In Bihar, Sena had projected candidates against the BJP, although it could not win a single seat. [Shiv Sena takes potshots at BJP over Bihar poll outcome] The battle of power for Uttar Pradesh seems to be an interesting one with Samajwadi Party, BSP, BJP, Congress, AAP and Shiv Sena, indulging in intensive election campaigns, in coming days. Shiv Sena, which is in an alliance with the BJP both in the state and the Centre, had also contested in Muzaffarnagar and Bikapur bypolls in 2015. OneIndia News Will Kejriwal win the Jung for Delhi in Supreme Court? India oi-Vicky What had seemed like an ugly, never-ending tussle between Arvind Kejriwal, the popularly elected Chief Minister of the state of Delhi, and Najeeb Jung, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of the Union Territory of Delhi has been settled by the Delhi High Court -- in favour of the latter. The reason for the tussle is that unlike previous Congress and BJP chief ministers of Delhi, Kejriwal, who won elections promising to upend the kind of politics that the two national parties represented and practiced, is unwilling to accept the duality of Delhi as primarily a Union Territory with the institutions of a State. It must rankle that even with a mandate like his -- with 67 seats in a 70-seat legislature -- he still does not have control over the most important institutions of government -- the police, the Delhi Development Authority, etc. The Delhi High Court on Thursday held that that that the capital, as a union territory, is mainly under the charge of the LG. The court said the LG is the representative of the central government in Delhi, the administrative head of the capital and is not bound by the advice of the elected government and council of ministers of the state of Delhi. Kejriwal's Aam Admi Party has said, however, that it will challenge the High Court order in the Supreme Court. Will the Supreme Court rule differently? It is unlikely. To understand why, we must look at the constitutional provisions that apply to Delhi. First and foremost, Delhi is not a full-fledged state. As per Schedule 1 of the Constitution, Delhi continues to be a Union Territory. Delhi has been given special status through amendments to the Constitution that keep law and order and land matters out of the purview of the Delhi government. The elected assembly, too, has the right to legislate on several subjects, except law and order and land. In such a scenario, if a conflict arises between a law enacted by the Parliament and one enacted by the Delhi assembly, the former will prevail. This is the basis of the LG's power and authority over Delhi as the Centre's representative. Limited Authority Going by these provisions, the powers of the Delhi government are limited. It does not have control over the Delhi Development Authority or the police or any other law enforcement agency. Article 239AA of the Constitution clearly states that the Legislative Assembly of Delhi shall not have power to make laws relating to subjects such as public order, police and land. In a nutshell, this means the Delhi government, from a constitutional point of view, has very limited executive powers and the basic powers of administration are vested with the LG. Moreover, the powers of the Delhi government can always be superseded by the President of India. A practical question that has been raked up due to these issues is whether the Chief Minister can direct departments under his government to route files pertaining to law and order and land without keeping the LG in the loop. Article 239 AA, which was inserted in the Constitution by way of the 69th Amendment came into force in 1992. This must be read along with the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1992, and the Transaction of Business of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Rules, 1993. The Transaction of Business Rules gives the LG a lot of power, but it is also mandatory for him to consult with the council of ministers in case of a divergent view. The LG can summon files from the secretary of the respective department. While it is mandatory for the secretary to obey the LG, he is to inform the minister in charge of the department about the action taken. Don't underestimate the power of the LG! Under Rule 45, which describes the LG's executive functions, it is clear that he has the right to exercise his powers where matters of public order, land and police is concerned. Further, it says that these decisions shall be taken in consultation with the Chief Minister if there is any order issued by the President of India under Article 239 of the Indian Constitution. On matters relating to reference to the Union Government, a clause states that the same can be done in case of a divergent view. If there is a difference of opinion between the LG and a minister, the first option would be to try and settle the matter through discussion. If there is no solution, then it may be referred to the council of ministers. If the issue persists, then it shall be referred to the union government for a decision by the President of India, whose decision is final. Clause 55(2) states that the LG is bound to make a prior reference to the union government on proposals such as the appointment of a Chief Secretary, Commissioner of Police and also the Secretary, both land and home. Given these constitutional provisions and Business Rules, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will overturn the Delhi High Court's order on who Delhi's boss is. OneIndia News Are you awake?: EAM Jaishankar recalls when he got a call from PM Modi at midnight Several Afghans on Germany's evacuation list have died 13th batch of medical assistance to Afghanistan delivered by India Attack in Afghanistan's Herat, 10 foreign tourists killed International oi-IANS By Ians English Kabul, Aug 4: At least 10 foreign tourists were killed and five others injured in an attack in Afghanistan's Herat on Thursday. "Two minibuses carrying foreign tourists were attacked by gunmen on the main road in Chishti Sharif district," a senior official told Xinhua news agency. Details about the nationalities of the victims were not available immediately. The official said the buses were travelling from Bamyan to Herat province, 640 km west of Kabul. IANS Even if not contesting 2020 polls, Hillary Clinton will not be entirely out of scene Hillary Clinton says Julian Assange must 'answer for what he has done' Oz: Artist covers Hillary Clinton's near-naked mural after authorities object International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Melbourne, Aug 4: A street artist here who faced warnings from the local authorities over a provocative mural of US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton covered the painting by spraying a burqa on it. US presidential election 2016 primary results The council took up the issue after the mural, showing the Democratic nominee wearing a revealing swimsuit printed with American flag colours with $100 notes tucked into it, annoyed the local residents. The painting was made on the side of a scooter shop in Footscray near Melbourne. [Hillary leads Trump in new national poll] The council described the mural as "offensive" because it violated its stand on gender equity. The body also threatened to fine and prosecute the owner of the building if the mural had not been removed. [New York Post publishes naked photographs of Melania Trump] Earlier, Lushsux, the painter who made the mural, had his Instagram account suspended temporarily after he had posted his artwork on it. In protest, Lushlux added those dollar notes in the swimsuit. But the artist had to backtrack in the face of the civic threat and eventually covered the painting with a burqa. The Dongald, uncensored for twitter pic.twitter.com/aKpOGxEZxV LUSHSUX (@lushsux) July 31, 2016 Decided to censor my work now as not to cause any offence. pic.twitter.com/Q8awqqjsUj LUSHSUX (@lushsux) July 29, 2016 This is not the first time that Lushsux has made full use of artistic freedom while making murals of top leaders. In the past, he has also made paintings of American Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his wife Melania with little clothes on. Oneindia News Terror in Islamabad: A top secret mission, all for the nation, all for the truth ISI-led protests against Rajnath Singh in Islamabad International oi-Vicky Islamabad, Aug 4: Pakistan clearly did not make any arrangements to ensure that widespread protests were stopped ahead of the visit by India's Home Minister, Rajnath Singh. The minister arrived in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference. As he arrived, there were protests led by the Hizbul Mujahideen and other terror groups. India had informed Pakistan about the issue and had requested that all arrangements be made to ensure that no such protests take place. The protests were so intense that the minister had to travel 16 kilometres from the airport to his hotel by chopper. Rajnath Singh faces threat from 4 terrorist outfits Protests were on expected lines Home Ministry officials say that this was on expected lines. The terrorists were protesting the killing of Burhan Wani and the unrest in Kashmir. Singh would however, not raise the Kashmir issue with Pakistan as it is our internal matter, the officer also noted. Officers say that it is clear that Pakistan did nothing to stop the protests. In fact they allowed it, officials also point out. The warning signals were on the wall. The Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba had warned that there would be protests. India had raised this issue with Pakistan ahead of the visit and said that the security of India's home minister would be the responsibility of Islamabad. The Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba are both pawns of the ISI. They have been trying to keep the Kashmir issue alive. The ISI in fact is not permitted to let the issue die down and is sponsoring elements to ensure that violence is kept alive. India would communicate yet again to Pakistan about the lack of measures taken to prevent the protests. India had made its point clear several times, but clearly there was no action taken on this issue, a Home Ministry official also informed. OneIndia News 180 Hindu organisations write to UK PM, say they are living in a state of fear 1 killed, 6 injured in knife attack in London International oi-Vicky London, Aug 4: One woman was killed and six others were injured in a knife attack at the Russel Square in Central London. The police say that one of the motives being examined is terrorism. The incident took place on Wednesday at 10.30 pm. Following the attack the police released a statement which read: "Police were called at 22:33 hours on Wednesday 3 August to reports of a man seen in possession of a knife injuring people at Russell Square, WC1. Officers attended the scene along with the London Ambulance Service. Upto six people were found injured at the location. A female was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. We await an update on the condition of the other persons injured and details of any other injuries. A man was arrested at 22:39 hours and a Taser was discharged by one of the arresting officers. Additional police units have been deployed to the area to provide reassurance. A possible angle of terrorism is being explored," the police statement also read. The police are ascertaining the identity of those injured and say that one of them could have been an American. The incident took place hours after it was announced that London would increase the presence of armed police following the recent attacks across Europe. OneIndia News PM to flag off South India's first 'Vande Bharat Express' on Nov 11 India's steel industry now 2nd biggest, target is to double crude steel output in 10 years: PM Modi PM Modi not to attend UN General Assembly session in September International oi-PTI United Nations, Aug 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the annual high-level UN General Assembly session here next month and the Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, according to the provisional agenda released by the UN here. Senior Indian diplomats also confirmed to PTI that Swaraj is "as of now" scheduled to head the Indian delegation for the General Debate of the 71st session of the General Assembly. The General Debate will open on September 20 and will run through September 26, when Swaraj will address the annual high-level debate. According to the first provisional list, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to attend the General Debate and address the global leaders on September 21. Sources however added that the programme for Sharif to attend the General Assembly session could change as they cited his health. Modi had given his maiden address to the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister in 2014, when addressing the world leaders in Hindi he had also made a clarion call to commemorate an annual International Yoga Day. Last year, he had attended the high-level UN Sustainable Development Summit ahead of the General Debate, when world leaders had adopted the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an intergovernmental set of aspiration Goals with 169 targets. He had also attended the UN Peacekeeping Summit hosted by President Barack Obama when he had announced that India will contribute an additional battalion of 850 troops for UN peacekeeping operation. The summit was the only forum when Modi and Sharif had come face to face during their visit for the UN General Assembly. The two leaders had only waved at each other as they sat across from each other on a horse shoe-table for the peacekeeping summit. According to the provisional list, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Maithrapala Sirisena of Sri Lanka are also expected to address the world leaders. As per tradition, Brazil's president opens the General Debate every year and is followed by the US President. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 11:37 [IST] Pak committing atrocities against people in PoK, will have to bear consequences: Rajnath Singh Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh Rajnath, other Saarc ministers to meet Pak PM; no bilateral talks on agenda International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Islamabad, Aug 4: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will not hold any bilateral talks with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan during his visit to Pakistan for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) ministerial conference. [IS-led protests against Rajnath Singh in Pakistan] Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi informed this at a press meet on Thursday (Aug 4). He also said that India has placed some proposals besides offering technical help to the Saarc Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk. [Rajnath Singh faces threat from 4 terrorist outfits] Mehrishi also said that Singh will meet Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with his Saarc counterparts during this visit. [Rajnath to raise border terror at Saarc talks] Singh reached Islamabad on Wednesday (aug 3) and was taken to his hotel here, which is also the venue for the meeting, in a helicopter amid a strong security. Singh's visit has been slammed by Syed Salahuddin of the Hizbul Mujahideen and Hafiz Saeed of Lashkar-e-Taiba as they threatened big protests against the "atrocities" in Kashmir and the killing of militant Burhan Wani. Violence has marred the border state over the past few weeks with the protesters clashing against the security forces, taking a heavy toll. Pak PM raises Kashmir issue Sharif also raised the Kashmir issue on the eve of the conference, saying it was "witnessing a new wave of freedom movement". He also directed his country's diplomats to apprise the world that Kashmir is not India's "internal matter". Oneindia News Man booked for rape of 12-year-old after video of injured girl surfaces on internet UP: 5, including a child, killed and 5 seriously hurt as car hits electric pole Modernisation of police force helped in controlling crime in UP: CM Yogi Former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya calls Sheila Dikshit a 'rejected maal' Lucknow oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Lucknow, Aug 4: Uttar Pradesh is all set to hold assembly elections in 2017, but political mud-slinging has already begun in the state. Former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya made a controversial remark on Congress party's chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit. While interacting with media in Shravasti district, Maurya said, "Congress leaders make slogans for the youth, but they have projected Delhi's rejected stuff here. It proves that Congress is short of young leaders." His shameless remarks were reportedly made on July 31. Speculations are rife that Maurya may join hands with either the BJP on Aug 8 or with the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. Congress kay neta naara denge yuvaon ka, aur Delhi ka rejected maal UP mein baithaenge (contd): Swami Prasad Maurya pic.twitter.com/RIm3HTvtz7 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 4, 2016 OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 14:27 [IST] Man booked for rape of 12-year-old after video of injured girl surfaces on internet UP: 5, including a child, killed and 5 seriously hurt as car hits electric pole Modernisation of police force helped in controlling crime in UP: CM Yogi Nigerian woman with cocaine worth Rs 17.8 crore held in UP Lucknow oi-PTI Mahrajganj (UP), Aug 4: In a major haul, a Nigerian woman was arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine worth Rs 17.8 crore from Sonauli area on Indo-Nepal border, police said today. Veneeta (36) was arrested last night while she was coming from Nepal and 3.5 kilogram cocaine was recovered from her possession, Chandra Sekhar Azad, an NIA Inspector, said. The woman has been booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, he said. PTI Barring AIADMK, GST gets widespread support New Delhi oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi/Chennai, Aug 4: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill appeared to be headed for smooth passage in the Rajya Sabha as nearly all major parties, barring the AIADMK supported the bill during the debate. Most of the opposition parties also backed the Congress' demand for a cap on the maximum tax under the bill, and also urged the government not to bring the bills on Centre and State GST that will follow as money bills. On Wednesday, the Goods and Services Tax Bill, technically called the Constitutional (One Hundred and Twenty-Second Amendment) Bill, 2014, was introduced for discussion in the Rajya Sabha. AIADMK member A. Navaneethakrishnan, participating in the debate in the upper house, called the bill "unconstitutional". "This bill is not constitutional because it violates state's fiscal autonomy, and also it will mean revenue loss to Tamil Nadu; so we oppose this bill," Navaneethakrishnan said. Most other parties, however, were in agreement on the idea of a pan-India Goods and Services Tax and said they supported the bill. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the debate on a goods tax has taken place even in the constituent assembly. He asked the government to make provisions to ensure states are not reduced to begging, and said that the subsequent two bills on GST that the government will bring should not be money bills. "The goods tax is not a new concept, it has been going on since the constituent assembly debates," he said. Yechury also quoted B.R. Ambedkar from the debates in the constituent assembly and said he concluded that the right for levying goods taxes should be with the provinces so that they have a source of revenue. "What will be the legitimate rights of state? How do we protect that right?" Yechury said. Yechury sought assurance that the government will "ensure there is a flexibility" so that states do not end up coming with a begging bowl to the Centre. "This is a very serious piece of legislation; we are making a major departure... Don't bring it as money bill," he said. Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal said his party was not opposing the bill becuase they did not want to be seen as the one blocking development. "Even if we don't want, we are supporting this bill so that a message doesn't go that Samajwadi Party is becoming an obstacle towards economic progress of the country," Agrawal said. He backed the Congress' demand of putting a cap on the maximum tax. "Congress wanted an 18 per cent cap on GST. But, the government did not do it because their intention is to increase the tax. The government is saying that it might be required to increase the tax later, and a Constitutional amendment would be done again. Why don't you fix the maximum rate, and maintain a minimum rate; then there will be no requirement for Constitutional amendment," he said. Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav also extended support to the bill and said: "The GST has been hanging for the past 12 years. Today, I am standing in support of GST." "The only reason for corruption in indirect taxes in our country is because of the several layers of taxation in our country. Single taxation will solve this problem. Our party has been in support of the bill since the beginning. But, I have a request to the government not to bring it as a money bill. Let there be a consensus on this by discussion and debate," Yadav said. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien also supported the bill and attacked both BJP and Congress saying they keep switching sides on supporting the bill. "We often get confused when they are supporting, when they are not supporting, because what their stand is depends on where they sit. My party is consistent on this - in 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2016 manifestos - we have promised GST. We promised it as an idea and as an implementation," the TMC leader said. Biju Janata Dal leader A.U. Singh Deo, extending support to the bill, said the provision for green tax should be given some time. "We support the bill but we have certain issue. There is a green tax which does not seem to find favour with lot of people. Odisha is a mineral rich state. There is environmental impact so the mineral rich states should be given time before putting the green tax," Deo said. Bahujan Samaj Party MP Satish Chandra Misra, while supporting the bill, said it should be ensured that the federal structure is not effected. IANS For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 12:59 [IST] Former Telecom Minister A Raja is ready to make the unknown facts about the 2G scam public. He is coming up with a book in November to tell his side of story titled "In My Defence. In the book A Raja claims that he was made the fall guy for decisions that were sanctioned by then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and policies that he insists were collectively shaped by top ministers like P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee. Kerala CM accuses Gov of 'acting as RSS tool' on his order to VCs to resign Kerala minister to leave for Saudi Arabia Thiruvananthapuram oi-PTI Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 4: Kerala government today said state minister for local self-government K T Jaleel will visit Saudi Arabia for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation of Keralites living in labour camps in that country after they lost their jobs. Considering the special circumstances in Saudi Arabia, state cabinet, which met here today, decided to send Jaleel and Department Special secretary V K Baby to that country, an official release said. They will leave for Saudi Arabia in two days time, it said. "Objective of the visit is to know the situation of Keralites living in labour camps," Jaleel told PTI. "According to an information, 200 Keralites are now in labour camps. The information is that they are not getting food. So the mission is to know their plight directly," he said. Over 10,000 Indians have lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia in the last few months due to the economic slowdown triggered by low oil prices. Scores of workers have not received wages for several months as their employers have shut down business. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 13:06 [IST] Kerala CM accuses Gov of 'acting as RSS tool' on his order to VCs to resign Kerala guv writes to CM Vijayan to take action against finance minister Vizhinjam port's board re-constituted Thiruvananthapuram oi-PTI Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 3: The Board of Directors of the Rs 7,525-crore underconstruction Vizhinjam International deepwater multi-purpose seaport was today reconstituted. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is now the Chairman of the port and Ports Minister Kadanapally Ramachandran is the Vice-Chairman. Chief Minister Vijayan had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi recently and informed him that the state government's plan to expedite construction activities of Vizhinjam port, being developed by Gujarat based Adani group. The Prime Minister had also expressed his commitment to make it a reality, an official release said. Dr Jaykumar has been appointed as Managing Director and CEO. The decisions in this regard was taken at a Kerala Cabinet meeting here today. State Finance Minister Dr T M Thomas Issac, Fisheries Minister, J Mercykutty Amma, Power Minister, Kadakanpally Surendran are directors in the board. Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor, Chief Secretary, S M Vijayanand are among the members, it said. Meanwhile, Alexander Jacob, former DGP, has been appointed as the nodal officer of National University for Police Sciences and Security Studies, it added. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 4, 2016, 9:05 [IST] Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. Americas wireless industry has traditionally featured a rigid class structure. The ruling class consists of AT&T and Verizon, the two biggest carriers with the two biggest networks, and below that you have smaller Sprint and T-Mobile, which might cost less but couldnt connect you as widely. But a new study says T-Mobile (TMUS) is moving on up. OpenSignals State of the Mobile Network report ranks T-Mos network as the second-best, only a few percentage points behind Verizon (VZ) in its LTE reach. AT&T (T) ranked third, and Sprint (S) was considerably farther behind. This should give T-Mobiles irrepressible CEO John Legere something new to tweet about. And when put together with other assessments of the US wireless industry, it should also suggest the usual view of the business needs an update. OpenSignals verdict OpenSignal, based in London and Laguna Hills, Calif., has been assessing wireless carriers since 2010 by collecting anonymized data from its iOS and Android signal-toolkit apps. The companys new study based on 2,818,124,916 of those app-generated reports, collected from 120,586 users from May 1 to July 10 found that while Verizon users spent 85.89% of their time on fast LTE signals, T-Mobile users had it almost as good by staying on LTE 83.2% of the time. The figure for AT&T was 80.37%, while Sprint now recovering from years of distraction offered 69.85% LTE coverage. OpenSignal also found that T-Mobile had the fastest LTE, with an average download speed of 16.28 Mbps. Verizon was right behind at 15.94 Mbps, while AT&Ts downloads averaged 12.83 Mbps. Sprint trailed with a 9.36 Mbps average. T-Mobile has undergone a remarkable transformation, the report said. True: Not only has the company ditched such wireless annoyances as two-year contracts and extortionate international-roaming charges, its advanced its network immensely. (Since all that wouldnt have happened if the government had not scuttled AT&Ts 2011 plan to buy T-Mobile, an un-ironic Thanks, Obama! is an appropriate response.) Story continues To grasp T-Mobiles progress, consider OpenSignals March 2014 State of US LTE report. That assessment gave Verizon a commanding lead over everybody else (83.2% LTE) and left T-Mobile (61.1% LTE) in third place after AT&T (70.6%). T-Mobile has invested a lot into coverage in the last year, OpenSignal analyst Kevin Fitchard wrote in an e-mail. Its using new 700 MHz airwaves which go farther than the higher-frequency spectrum T-Mo relied on earlier to build new LTE towers in rural areas and improve its existing LTE networks in cities. But hes not expecting Verizon to cede first place. Verizon is known for making massive network investments if its reputation is at risk, Fitchard wrote. Verizon may very well be pushing past 90% availability in the coming year. Other views: PCMag, RootMetrics If youve often seen T-Mobiles signal fade to slow 2G in rural areas as a T-Mo subscriber since 2013, I sure have OpenSignals claims may look like a reach. There are grounds for skepticism. Because OpenSignals iOS app only recently gained the ability to measure network quality in the background, its testing relies heavily on Android phones. Its results will also reflect the foibles of phones that dont have the same reception. There are some devices that work better with the network than others, said Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner. He prefers automated drive testing: Youre using the same device on all of the networks at the same time doing the same test. PCMag does just that in its annual Fastest Mobile Networks report, and this years testing also found T-Mobile to have greatly improved. While Verizons 4G got an overall speed score of 97 out of 100, T-Mobile was not far behind with a score of 93, while AT&T and Sprint trailed at 86 and 84. The wireless-analytics firm RootMetrics (for which Entner has done some work) also does automated drive testing for data as well as voice and text, and its nationwide report from the second half of 2015 reached a different conclusion. This subsidiary of the research and analytics firm IHS Markit ranked Verizon as the top choice with a score of 94.5 out of 100, followed by AT&T at 91.3, Sprint at 86 and T-Mobile at 80.9. (T-Mobiles score sank from poor voice performance. T-Mobile lit into RootMetrics for not testing Voice over LTE calling; the research firm responded by saying it only tests features used by a majority of a carriers customers at the time.) RootMetrics has yet to post a newer nationwide report, but its 2016 metro-area reports show T-Mobile first or tied for first in 40 of the 125 markets surveyed nowhere near Verizons 97, but not far behind AT&Ts 51. Based on all that, I still cant call T-Mobile the easy choice for somebody focused on coverage above all (note that one of my other gigs is maintaining the Wirecutters guide to the big four wireless carriers). But I will say its past time to continue seeing this carrier as the one for urban hipsterseven if T-Mobiles magenta-hued ads keep suggesting just that. (Verizon has made an offer to buy Yahoo Finances parent company, Yahoo.) More from Rob Pegoraro: Email Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. 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Matthias Knab, Opalesque: The number of Jersey-registered alternative investment fund managers marketing into Europe through national private placement regimes (NPPRs) under the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) continued to rise consistently over the first six months of 2016, according to figures from the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC). As at June 2016, 115 alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) had been authorised in Jersey to market into Europe through NPPRs, up 11% compared to December 2015. Over the same period, the number of Jersey alternative investment funds (AIFs) being marketed into Europe through NPPR stood at 251, representing a 9% increase. These figures come shortly after the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) made its further recommendation, on 19 July, that Jersey should be amongst those 'third countries granted an AIFMD passport. In addition, the Government of Jersey and the JFSC launched a joint consultation this week aimed at enhancing Jerseys funds regime. The consultation seeks to simplify and rationalise numerous aspects of Jerseys funds environment, with the paper confirming the intention to introduce new products to the market. These are anticipated to include a new manager-led Jersey registered alternative investment fund (JRAIF). The JRAIF will be supervised by the JFSC by proxy as it will be the relevant AIFM who will be responsible for ensuring the funds AIFMD complia...................... To view our full article Click here Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Websitte (Image by Katehon) Details DMCA On Monday, Aug 1, I was interviewed by *Katehon. Read the transcript below... Paul Craig Roberts Bernie Sanders won the presidential nomination, but he was cheated out of it by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which is the operating body for the Democratic Party. The DNC helped Hillary win the nomination by the combination of vote miscounts with appointment of super delegates, who no one elected, to vote for Hillary. So, she won this nomination illegitimately. All of Bernie Sanders' supporters know that. They have turned against Hillary, and it is unlikely that many of them will vote for Clinton. When the email scandal hit, the Democratic National Committee, hoping to shift the blame elsewhere, asked: "Who do Americans dislike more than Hillary" and answered "the Russians." Washington has been demonizing the Russians for last three-four years. So, the Americans are told to dislike the Russians. That's why the DNC and the presstitute media blame Putin for the WikiLeaks release of the emails that showed that Democrats were cheating Sanders out of the presidential nomination. Putin was made the issue instead of Hillary. Hillary is a crook in many ways. But she has escaped from prosecution, because she is too useful to the oligarchs. So they shift all that blame to Putin, saying that this is a Russian plan to get Donald Trump elected. But I don't think it will fool many people. Only the stupid ones. It will play in the media, because the media is not honest, not independent. The American media is like the old Soviet Media -- it has to answer to the Master and can't say much independently. It's not going to fool the American people that all this e-mail scandal is the work of Putin. Democrats are looking for a boogeyman, for somebody to shift the blame away from them. They don't even realize that their allegations make Russia look like a cyber superpower. Well, Russia may be a cyber superpower, but we all know that Clinton's e-mails did not reach WikiLeaks via Russia. It's just something Clinton operatives made up. The media simply went along with it, reporting it without investigating it. I don't think that many people will believe that Putin is behind the leak of Hillary's incriminating emails. It just makes the Democratic National Committee look even more ridiculous. The DNC steals an election from the candidate that people wanted and tries to blame Putin for doing that. Bernie Sanders, when he supported Clinton at the Democratic convention, discredited himself and demoralized all his supporters. Therefore, they turned from him too. That eliminates Sanders as a leader. He ruined it for himself. If he had gone to the convention and said: "You stole the presidential nomination from me! I am the one who won," he would be the most popular American today. He could run as an independent candidate and win. But he didn't have the courage to do that. He gave up, surrendered. The oligarchs are accustomed to people surrendering to them. They think that Putin will surrender to them. And that China will surrender. And Iran. Bernie Sanders does not have the support of the oligarchs. The military security complex, Wall Street, and the Israel Lobby are not behind him. He is not their agent. His support came from the Democratic voters themselves. So he doesn't have the power to prevail, unless he really takes the fight to Hillary. But he wasn't willing to risk that. Bernie Sanders is considered as an outsider by oligarchs. They did not fund his campaign. His endorsement of Hillary has broken him as a political leader, and it is the end for him as a potential leader. Hillary has chosen a war-mongering general as her vice-president. The American media, which is bloodthirsty for war, will support Clinton and attack Trump. But the media has lied so much that the media has lost its credibility. Fewer people depend on the media, because it was lying so much and for so long. Much more important is how Trump handles himself. If he continues to say that he doesn't want a conflict with Russia, that NATO is a problem and not a solution, and continues to denounce the offshoring of American jobs that have destroyed the middle class, Trump will win the presidential election regardless of the opposition from oligarchs and the media. The fact that corporations moved the middle-class jobs offshore really hurts Americans and the American economy. Trump is against having tensions with Russia. He realizes that there is no real need for NATO. So, Americans are supporting him for these reasons. If Trump sticks to these issues -- he will win, if the election is not stolen, But the question is: what could he achieve, if he gets the office? It may turn out that he could do nothing, but he's the only hope we have. Does Trump know who to appoint in order to achieve his aims, or will his government be appointed by the establishment who will "advise" him and thereby control him? If a Trump victory seems in the cards, Democrats will try to steal the election by programming the electronic voting machines that leave no paper trail. So, whoever programs the voting machines can determine the vote outcome. And nobody will ever know that fraud has occurred. Unless Trump has experts who can ensure that the voting machines are programmed correctly, I suspect that the machines will be programmed to vote for Hillary. Trump cannot trust the Republican political establishment, because it is opposed to him. If Trump relies on them, they will cooperate with Hillary's people and program the machines so that Hillary wins. There are no paper ballots to be recounted. This is the way a lot of elections have been stolen in recent years in the US. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Reprinted from Alternet Islamophobic workplace intimidation figures into the background of another mass shooter conveniently painted as a jihadist. The ongoing intrigue surrounding Omar Mateen and his massacre of 47 patrons of the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida was drowned out by the political circus of two party conventions this month. The personal details about Mateen, from his vicious abuse of his first wife to credible accounts of a secret gay life to the reports of his mental instability and the autopsy results confirming him as a heavy abuser of steroids, have been forgotten or apparently suppressed by the FBI. Taken together, these elements of Mateen's person profile directly contradicted the popular portrayal of the mass killer as an Islamic extremist acting in the name of ISIS. Unsurprisingly, they have fallen down the Orwellian memory hole. As the facts that could have interrupted the official narrative fell by the wayside, Congress and state legislatures exploited the tragedy to push for an expansion of undemocratic databases of "terror" suspects and the discriminatory no-fly list. As Sarah Lazare reported for AlterNet, police departments across the country have been leveraging the attack to lobby for expanded arsenals of military gear. At both Republican and Democratic conventions, Orlando has been invoked to summon fears of Islamic extremism at home and to gin up support for military action abroad. Meanwhile, new information continued to surface that complicated the simplistic war on terror narrative even further. On July 18, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Department where Mateen once interned and which later oversaw his security clearance as a private security guard working at the county courthouse released a series of records detailing its interactions with Mateen. Publicized over a month after the Orlando massacre and while Republicans were gathering for their national convention, the documents were buried by the national media, receiving only scant coverage and generating negligible public discussion. Yet they revealed explosive new details about the killer that may shed light on his motives and further expose the destructive culture of racism infecting police departments across the country. Click Here to Read Whole Article Barack Obama Washington secretly airlifted $400 million to Tehran amid a prisoner swap in January in which seven Iranians detained in the US were exchanged for Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-American prisoners, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Administration officials denied that the $400 million cash transfer was tantamount to critics' assertion of a ransom payment, insisting that the funds were part of a $1.7 billion financial settlement the US had reached with Iran as part of the nuclear deal. "As we've made clear, the negotiations over the settlement of an outstanding claim were completely separate from the discussions about returning our American citizens home," State Department spokesman John Kirby told The Journal. "Not only were the two negotiations separate they were conducted by different teams on each side, including, in the case of the Hague claims, by technical experts involved in these negotiations for many years," he added. But the fact that President Barack Obama failed to disclose the transfer of foreign hard currency to Iran via an unmarked cargo plane has once again raised questions about the administration's transparency in its dealings with Iran. "We were right in January 2016 to describe the administration's $1.7 billion transfer to Iran as a ransom payment," US Sen. Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, said in a statement on Wednesday. He continued: "Paying ransom to kidnappers puts Americans even more at risk. While Americans were relieved by Iran's overdue release of illegally imprisoned American hostages, the White House's policy of appeasement has led Iran to illegally seize more American hostages, including Siamak Namazi, his father Baquer Namazi, and Reza Shahini." Amir Toumaj, an Iran expert at the Washington, DC-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted in an email that neither the prisoner swap nor the payments seem to have deterred Iran from detaining Americans. Story continues "Instead of holding the regime and IRGC accountable for their actions, they have been rewarded," Toumaj told BI. "The Guard has arrested six dual nationals since January, and dozens of unlucky Iranians who do not have Western passports." United States Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, at the United Nations in New York, September 26, 2015. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith The prisoner swap itself fueled skepticism about the extent to which the US may have appeased Iran in the name of finalizing the landmark nuclear deal. The exchange was later revealed to have been a year in the making, despite claims by administration officials that the subject of a prisoner release was never broached during nuclear-related negotiations. The swap was also finalized on the same day the nuclear deal was implemented and the nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were lifted a "coincidence," as officials characterized it, that left some experts wondering whether the exchange was aimed at bolstering overall support for the deal inside Iran. "The administration announced the transfer of the $1.7 billion, of which the $400 million is the first installment, in January," Toumaj said. "Still, the timing of this first installment is suspicious," he added. "And its difficult to imagine that the prisoner swap and money transfer were not part of a quid pro quo arrangement." The negotiations leading up the exchange were apparently kept so far under wraps that even some Washington officials and insiders were not aware they were happening. The secrecy surrounding the issue fueled one of the biggest criticisms of the Iran deal namely, that it did not force Iran to release its American prisoners even as Tehran was due to receive sanctions relief. Jason Rezaian Chase Foster, a State Department official who leaked details of the prisoner-swap talks to The Huffington Post, apparently quit his job out of frustration that a release was not secured by the US as part of the broader nuclear deal. Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former Defense Department adviser on Iraqi security forces, told Business Insider at the time of the exchange that "for the White House to say they were negotiating for the release of illegally detained Americans would have been embarrassing after the Bergdahl fiasco." He was referring to the US's exchange of five Taliban prisoners for Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier who was held captive by the Taliban after he walked off his base in Afghanistan in 2009. Now the report that the US handed $400 million in cash over to Iranian officials at the same time as the American prisoners were released apparently because of demands from Tehran for cash "to show they had gained something tangible" is likely to fuel suspicions that the American prisoners were used as bargaining chips, even though they were illegally detained in the first place. "There are arguments by some analysts that downplay the transfer as a ransom payment because this was money owed to Iran in principle and interest," Toumaj, of the FDD, said. "But we wouldnt be having this discussion if the Islamic Republic were a government that abided by international norms and did not arbitrarily hold hostages as bargaining chips." Christophe Deloire, the secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders, expressed similar concerns in a statement released immediately following the swap. "We are thrilled to see [Washington Post reporter] Jason Rezaian finally free, but he should have never been imprisoned in the first place," Deloire said. "Jason was innocent. It is outrageous that he has been used as a bargaining chip." NOW WATCH: Watch Trump relentlessly slam Hillary Clinton in his big RNC speech More From Business Insider Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here. The Sixth Edition Of Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh Will Take The Denim Lovers On A Vintage Tour Vintage Recall www.bdshow.denimsandjeans.com/invite.php www.denimsandjeans.com The sixth edition of Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh is going to held on October 5-6 at Hotel Radisson,Dhaka with the theme VINTAGE RECALL, Denim Goes Back To Its Roots. After five successful editions in Dhaka, this international premium denim exhibition once again raised the level of expectations for its sixth edition. This semiannual denim show provides a platform where the global denim community comes together with an objective to share, interact and to establish future transactions with this very important supplier nation Bangladesh.There is a strong trend towards going into the past and looking for denim characteristics which the jeans had in early 1900s the color, the slubs, the weave, the looks. The current production of denim involves a high technology in spinning, weaving and finishing and the industry is looking at possibilities of giving the vintage character on the outside while using the high technology inside the fabric. This is what VINTAGE RECALL is!The show does not limit itself to an exhibition format; rather it is an event with many activities running on the sidelines. The last show had a an exclusive European styled Fashion show which also brought out a very interesting competition among the students of fashion universities of Bangladesh and their products first time on the ramp for an international audience. The show this time will have couple of Seminars by International denim experts and veterans where they will share their ideas on the different prospects of Denim.The show is Invite only and to get the invite, visitors can register online by following this link:With their limited number of exhibitors from around the world, Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh always managed to bring more and more global buyers/brands/retailers/factory to their shows with an objective to highlight the strength of Bangladeshi Denim Industry which is growing very strongly. It already supplies 50% more denim to EU than China.By 2020, it is expected that Global market size at denim industries will be USD 64.1 billion out of which more than 70% could come from Asia. And Bangladesh is becoming the most important nation among the Asian countries. Keeping these statistics in the mind, this show really helps to bring the global denim industry at the same podium for serious business.Bangladesh has a huge potential in the textile, especially in denim and in past few years it has been growing by leaps and bounds. Our Objective has been always to show the world the immense opportunity in Bangladesh through our denim shows, said Mr Sandeep Agarwal ,Founder of Denimsandjeans.com Bangladesh.About Denimsandjeans.comDenimsanjdeans.com is a premium fashion website dedicated to the denim industry and has been serving for last nine years. The articles and reports published by the website are considered as on the most credible sources of information in the denim industry. The company also enjoys the privilege to becalled as the creators of denim shows in Bangladesh as well as in Vietnam. For more Information, visit###Sandeep AgarwalDenimsandjeans.comG-19 , 1st Floor,Tiwari ComplexLakshminagar, New DelhiPin -110092Contact : +91-9815630600Email : Info@denimsanjdeans.com Global Frozen Food Market to Reach US$293.7 bn by 2019, Propelled by Growing Demand for Convenience Food http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=152 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Transparency Market Research (TMR) has announced the addition of a new market study based on the frozen food market. According to the report, the global frozen food market is set to reach a figure of US$293.7 bn by the end of 2019, from US$224.7 bn in 2012, thus displaying moderate growth at a 3.90% CAGR for the period from 2013 to 2019. The report focuses on the many influencing factors that steer the growth curve of the global frozen food market. Aiming to point out the exact factors that restrain or propel the growth of the market, the report makes use of intensive qualitative and quantitative research techniques.The report is titled Frozen Food Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019. The report provides a granular look at the market dynamics and the projections of the global frozen food market.Get More Information:Frozen foods, which include meat, vegetables, beans, soups, meals, pizza, and others, are stored at subzero temperatures to ensure that their moisture content does not liquefy, thus preserving the food for a longer time in comparison to fresh food. The market for frozen food is expanding globally due to the global increase in the number of working women. Hectic lifestyles are making consumers rely on convenient foods, which include ready-to-eat or frozen food products. The rising demand from emerging economies, constant product innovation, and attractive packaging are helping the frozen food market attain a high growth rate.Frozen food makers focus on various freezing techniques, ensuring that the nutritional content of the frozen food is not lost in the process of preserving it. According to TMR analysts, the market for organic and natural frozen food will see many growth opportunities in the coming years. Emerging economies in the Asia Pacific region will contribute massively to the frozen food market. Europe led the frozen food market in 2012 by accounting for a whopping 35% of the global frozen food market.Some of the factors that can curb the growth of the frozen food market are the reliance on third-party distributors to reach retail consumers, the necessity of maintaining impeccable hygiene, and the need to maintain perfect temperature control in order to maintain the freshness of the frozen foods. To beat these challenges, leading companies will concentrate on M&A strategies in the coming years to reduce the dependency on wholesalers and attempt to reach the retailers and consumers directly.The report segments the frozen food market by product type into fruits, vegetables, meat, ready meals, fish or seafood, and soup. Out of these, the frozen ready-to-eat meals segment leads the market, accounting for 35% of the total market, and the frozen potatoes segment is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment in the forecast period.Major companies dealing with frozen food profiled in the report are Birds Eye Foods Inc., Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products Inc., Amys Kitchen Inc., Unilever plc, The Schwan Food Company, Kraft Foods Group Inc., ConAgra Foods Inc., Nestle, Maple Leaf Foods Inc., General Mills Inc, Heinz, and Ajinomoto Co. Inc.The report segments the frozen food market as follows:By ProductFrozen Fruits & VegetablesFrozen PotatoesFrozen Ready MealsFrozen MeatFrozen Fish/SeafoodFrozen SoupAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market to reach US$ 11.3 Bn in 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2000 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Transparency Market Research has released a new market report titled, Wave and Tidal Energy Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2016-2024. According to the report, the global wave and tidal energy market was valued at US$ 497.7 Mn in 2014 and is anticipated to reach US$ 11345.0 Mn in 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 23.2% from 2016 to 2024.Get More Information:When harnessed effectively, ocean could prove to be one of the largest reserves of clean and sustainable energy. Wave and tidal energy are the two major forms of harnessing ocean energy. These have significantly different market dynamics. Tidal energy can be broadly segmented into tidal stream and tidal range energy. Tidal range power plants entail construction of tidal barrages. This is a mature form of energy generation technology. Commissioned in 2011, the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station with 254 MW capacity in South Korea replaced Frances Rance Tidal Power Station as the largest tidal power plant in the world. Tidal stream power plants are a relatively new technology with ample scope for development. Wave energy is a relatively new concept. The two sectors are likely to experience significant market growth in terms of installed capacity and investments in the near future.Currently, over 200 companies operate in the wave and tidal energy sector. Most of these players are extensively involved in the business of development of energy converter technology. Wave and tidal stream technologies have significant potential of reaping benefits of economies of scale. Large-scale commercial array deployments of wave and tidal power plants are projected to be followed by massive cost reductions. Strong development of the offshore wind energy sector in several countries can contribute significantly to cost reduction potential of wave and tidal energy. The path from prototype testing and project demonstration to large-scale commercial project construction is a long one. Constant financial and policy support from local governments is imperative for technology developers for brisk commercialization of their energy converter devices. Currently, the industry structure is fragmented. It is difficult to ascertain if the industry would consolidate in the near future. However, establishment of special purpose project companies and strategic alliances would be imperative for small technology developers to invest in projects across the world.Major developments in wave and tidal stream plants are expected to take place in Europe. On the other hand, South Korea is estimated to grow the fastest in terms of tidal barrage operations. Wave energy development in Asia Pacific would be concentrated in Australia. Currently, only tidal barrages are capable of generating returns on investments through the sale of electricity. Tidal stream and wave power plants are still not capable of generating power at grid parity levels. Commercialization of technology is the need of the hour for this sector. Otherwise, it would be difficult for project developers to sign long-term power sale contracts. Reduction in costs would become a necessity as the sector shifts from grant financing to private equity and debt financing.Key players in the global wave and tidal energy market include Pelamis Wave Power Ltd., Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd., Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., Ocean Renewable Power Company LLC, Tenax Energy, AquaGen Technologies, Atlantis Resources Ltd., S.D.E. Energy Ltd. (WERPO Wave Energy), Marine Current Turbines Ltd., and Aquamarine Power Ltd. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial revenues (on availability), business strategies, SWOT analysis, and recent developments. The global wave and tidal energy market has been segmented as follows:Wave and Tidal Energy Market: Type analysisWave energyTidal energyAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: IBRAS - Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug - A Global Consumption Update - iData Insights announcement http://www.omensol.wordpress.com/hcp-updates/gsk/ http://wp.me/P1SMn3-4k www.impartwisdom.blogspot.com www.omensol.wordpress.com Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug - A Global Consumption Update - iData Insights announcementThe Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug study is a professional and in-depth consumption study on the current state of the Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug market.First, it's a basic overview of the Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.Secondly, it states the global Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug market size (volume and value), and the segment markets by regions, types, applications and companies are also discussed.Third, the Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug market analysis is provided for major regions including USA, Europe, China and Japan, and other regions can be added. For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.Then, it focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information.What's more, the Radiation Therapy in Oncology Drug industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, it provides major statistics on the state of the Industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Related:~ Bioelectronic Medicines: Controlling The Nerves Could Treat Chronic Diseases, Scientists Say~ GSK and Google parent forge $715 million bioelectronic medicines firm~ How GSK And Google's Verily Will Tackle Diseases With Nerve-Altering ChipsRead Study:orToday's Thought"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."iData Insights which operates under Precision Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. is a marketing research consulting firm. Its efforts help companies to create and improve products and services based on what the market desires. We conduct both primary and secondary research. Our work does not end with research. We provide actionable recommendations and provide our expertise for business success today and tomorrow. It is our goal to be a partner to our clients in the exploration and discovery, and then be their guide in the implementation of changes that will make a difference to their bottom line.The team of highly trained syndicated research analysts create research reports, newsletters, magazines, directories and online databases which provide customers with broad technical and market trends. Their research and competitive and market intelligence studies provides specific in-depth intelligence to ensure that customers succeed in their undertaking.iData InsightsNE Airport Way, 355991, Portland, OR, 97230United StatesContact: Jamie Lawson Deepening Energy Crisis to Accelerate Demand for and Installation of Power Transmission Components, says TMR http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=7132 The top five players to have marked their leadership in the global power transmission components market are ABB Group, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Eaton Corporation, Siemens, and Emerson Electric Company. The cumulative share of these companies in the market accounted for 61.8% in 2014. The stronghold of these companies is explained by Transparency Market Research to be a result of their product innovation that is aimed towards reducing downtime of power transmission systems in end user industries.The paradigm shift within the power industry from generating energy using conventional resources to focusing on using renewables for a sustainable development yet another cue for key players in the take, reports the lead author of this research report. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, for instance, is making a dedicated effort to manufacture and promote power transmission components that will benefit the environment by reducing electricity losses. Such independent power generation methods and efforts to use resources in an optimum way will prove to be a successful strategy for companies.New Power Transmission Components Make Smaller Carbon Footprint AchievableThe demand for transmission infrastructure has leaped tremendously as the energy crisis across the globe has deepened. This has coaxed economies to grow through sustainable solutions, which has provided an impetus to the power transmission components market. The biggest advantage of installing the modern power transmission components is that they allow power transmission at higher capacities, thereby offering a seamless electric supply. The adoption of power transmission components is also receiving a stimulus from various government institutions that are offering incentives to power generation plants for using the sophisticated components that promise energy-efficient solutions and lesser carbon footprint.The need to modernize existing infrastructure to cater to the power demands of the developing world is anticipated to boost the installations of power transmission components. The technological advancements in the transmission infrastructure and the related components have also created a fair amount of opportunities for this market. Collectively, these developments promise energy security through reliable energy systems minus the unwanted power cuts. The future will also witness an effective deployment of power transmission components as countries across the world are focusing on building energy efficient economies.Get free research PDF for more Professional and Technical insights :High Cost of Components Restricts Market GrowthThe high cost of initial investment in building new transmission infrastructure is dampening the spirit of this market. The exceptionally high cost of installing components such as circuit breakers, switchgear, transformers, insulators, power convertors, and relays is forbidding the market from attaining desired profits. Poor investments and loose regulatory framework towards achieving energy efficiency in developing countries such as Africa and South and Central America are also hampering the market.North America Maintains Lead with Infrastructure Refresh ProjectsThe report states that the opportunity in the global power transmission components market will be worth US$102.57 bn by 2023 as compared to US$64.15 bn in 2015. Between the forecast period of 2014 and 2023, the global market is expected to surge at a CAGR of 6.0%. The predominant segment will be switchgear and circuit breakers, which will account for a share of 42.52% in the overall market by 2023. North America will retain its leading position as the existing components in this region require an urgent upgradation. Owing to these circumstances, the North America power transmission components market will acquire a share of 25.57% by the end of 2023.This review is based on Transparency Market Researchs report, titled Power Transmission Components Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023.Key Takeaways:Global power transmission components market poised to touch US$102.57 bn by 2023North America to account for nearly a quarter of the global market in terms of revenue by 2023Switchgears and circuit breakers rake in sizeable share of revenues as they remain critical to power transmissionPower Transmission Components Market: By Components TypeSwitchgears & Circuit BreakersTransformersCapacitors & InsulatorsOthers (Power Convertors, Relays etc.)Power Transmission Components Market: By Current TypeHVAC (High Voltage Alternating Current)HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current)About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 Sate Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Mobile Medical Apps Market 2015-2023: Provides Analysis of Recent Technological Developments In Industry http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=411 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/mobile-medical-apps-market.html Smart phones and other mobile apps are largely used in various areas of healthcare like health education, health management, data management, health information, and relative workflow processes. Variety of mobile phone apps have been developed to monitor the health of patients and provide the relative data to physicians. The modern age technology is driving the market growth as it saves time and proves much beneficial in providing medical care to patients in remote areas.Healthcare industry has exhibited the need for such innovative technologies. Smart phones are playing a vital role in healthcare industry by making medical services easier and even replacing some of the work that would have previously been done on laptops or desktop computers.Get Free Sample Report Brochure:The worldwide market for mobile medical apps is growing significantly in developed economies like US and Europe as a significant number of healthcare professionals are using mobile phone medical applications in everyday business activities. Compared to other mobile phone apps segments, there is sluggish growth in popularity of medical apps; however, it is expected to grow rapidly in the coming few years due to increasing dependence on medical apps for patient health monitoring.Market Segmentation Based on ProductEpocratesMedscape MobileiRadiologyNursing CentralCare360 MobileSTAT ICD-9 LITENetter's Atlas of Human AnatomyEMR appsMarket Segmentation Based on ApplicationNursing ToolsDrug ReferencesStudy Tools (includes games and flashcards)Medical ReferenceClinical Support SystemsBrowse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Market Forecast Report on Organic Tobacco, 2014-2020 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-245 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-245 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/organic-tobacco-market www.futuremarketinsights.com Tobacco around the globe is mainly offered to the customers in two form which includes smoked tobacco products and smokeless tobacco products. Smoked tobacco products are available in the form of cigars, pipes, cigarettes, kreteks (clove cigarettes), bidis, water pipes and others. These are used by burning tobacco and inhaled through the phenomenon of reverse smoking. On the other hand smokeless tobacco product includes chewing tobaccos, dry snuff, betel quid, Swedish-style snus, guthka, moist snuff, toombak, zarda, and newer dissolvable tobacco products. These products are consumed orally or nasally. Organic tobacco products are retrieved from organically grown tobacco leaves. Further it is processed naturally without using any kind of chemicals at the time of processing or as a preservative. Organic tobacco products are always possess United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic certification. Organic smoked tobacco products are mainly available in the form of cigarette, kretek, cigar, organic flavours for water pipes. Whereas, smokeless tobacco products are available in the form of e-cigarettes, flavoured e-liquid, chewing tobacco and others.Among all the form organic cigarettes is predicted to account for the major market share globally followed by cigars and chewing tobacco. However, cigar is not expected to show high growth as compared to cigarette but it is predicted to account for healthy market share in the forecasted period.Request Free Report Sample@Globally China is the prominent producer of tobacco followed by India and Brazil. China is also the leading consumer of tobacco products worldwide followed by Russia, United States, Japan and Indonesia. However, whereas organic tobacco is concerned currently United States is the leading producer for the same. The demand for organic tobacco products are growing in developed countries. This growth is supported by the awareness about the products among the consumers and high disposable income existing in developed countries. North American countries such as United States is expected to be the leading consumer for the organic tobacco products. The second highest share of the pie is expected to occupy by the Asia Pacific region. Among which countries such as China, Japan and India is predicted to be the major contributor in generating the demand for organic tobacco products. Apart European countries is also expected to show a healthy growth in the forecasted period.Regular tobacco causes many health issues such as cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and others. It has been found that globally the deaths related to tobacco disease has tripled from past decades. Among total number of dying men and women, approximately more than 15% of men and 7% of women dies due to consumption of regular tobacco. Thus due to this consumer are getting inclined towards organic tobacco products. Additionally, rising concern of consumers towards their health and hygiene and increasing awareness for greener products especially in developed countries are fuelling the market growth of the organic tobacco products in the forecasted period.Request For TOC@However, the highly expensive organic tobacco products as compared to regular tobacco products is restraining the growth of organic tobacco products. Moreover, less consumer awareness regarding organic tobacco products coupled with low availability in emerging market such as China, Japan, Brazil and others are also affecting the market growth.The major key players in the organic tobacco market include Organic Smoke Inc., Hestia Tobacco, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Natural American Spirit, Manitou organic, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Famous Smoke, Smoke Spirit, Yuma Europe S.A, RAW organic tobacco and others.Browse Full Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: India Air Treatment Products Market To Increase at Steady Growth Rate http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-in-246 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-in-246 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/india-air-treatment-products-market www.futuremarketinsights.com The air treatment equipment includes those products which modify or change the technological characteristics and properties of air. This modification may include the treatment of harmful gases present in the air, increasing or decreasing the air temperature, compressing the air, removal of harmful microorganism from the air, increasing or decreasing the air pressure, removal of extreme odours and others. The air treatment equipment includes air compressor, air dryers, air washers, air filters, injectors and others.?On the basis of application the air treatment products are available for both industrial and domestic use. It is also used for roadways vehicles, waterways vehicles such as for ships, marines, and also for airways such as in aeroplane, spaceship, fighter plane and others. For domestic use air treatment equipment are offered to the consumers in the modified form and available in the consumer durable products for their convenient use. The air treatment consumer durable product includes hot air blowers, air conditioners, automatic washing machine, microwave, oven, automatic washer dryers, hair dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers and others.On the basis of domestic use the air treatment products is sub-segmented into air conditioner, air purifier, humidifiers and dehumidifiers and others. Among all these sub-segments air purifiers are further sub-segmented into air filters purifiers, ionizing purifiers, ozone generators, adsorbents and others. Whereas air conditioners is sub-segmented into room air conditioners, split air conditioners, window air conditioners and others.Request Free Report Sample@Globally Asia-pacific is considered to be the highest market for the air treatment products followed by North America and Europe. In Asia Pacific China, India and Japan represent ample opportunities for players in this market. This growth in these countries is supported by increasing number of health conscious consumers and rising disposable income of the consumers.Among all these countries, India accounted for low growth for air treatment products in 2011 due to economic slowdown. Moreover, the demand of air conditioner segment also registered less growth as monsoon arrived early in the country. However, the market growth for air treatment product showed a positive growth in 2013 due to rise in country economic condition and urge of the consumer for better and healthier life. It is expected that India will show a potential growth for air treatment products in the forecasted period. This growth will be supported by rise demand for air conditioners in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and others due to rise in heat and temperature. It is expected that air conditioner will occupy the largest position of the pie as the consumers in India are making their switch from ceiling fans or table fans to air conditioner. Among all the sub-segments of air conditioner, split air conditioner is expected to show the highest growth. Furthermore, it has been found that awareness among the consumers for purified air will also fuel the market growth for air treatment products in India. States such as Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat is expected to support the growth of air purifiers as these states possess large number of industries.Request For TOC@In India, high entrant of manufacturing industries, outsourcing companies and rise in commercialization are some of the major drivers supporting the market growth. In addition, increase in number of health consciousness among the consumers coupled with rising disposable income is also expected to fuel the market growth for air treatment products in India.However, the market of air treatment products in India possess some restraining factors. This includes lack of awareness among the consumers regarding the product such as humidifiers, dehumidifiers and others. Additionally, the consumers perceives these products as quite expensive and also it is considered as a luxury product and not an absolute necessity.The key players for air treatment products in India includes Bajaj Electricals Ltd, Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd., Usha International Ltd., Panasonic Corp, Atlas Copco AB, Eureka Forbes, OSIM International, SANYO Electric Co ., Ltd and others.Browse Full Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) Consumption Market Research Report Market Research HUB http://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/global-human-hepatitis-b-immunoglobulin-im-consumption-2016-market-research-report-report.html http://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=770601 http://www.marketresearchhub.com/ Albany, New York, August 4, 2016: Market Research HUB has announced the addition of the " Global Oil smoke point meter Industry 2016 Market Research Report" report to their offering.The Global Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) Consumption 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) market.Browse Report on Global Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) Consumption -First, the report provides a basic overview of the Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.Secondly, the report states the global Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) market size (volume and value), and the segment markets by regions, types, applications and companies are also discussed.Third, the Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) market analysis is provided for major regions including USA, Europe, China and Japan, and other regions can be added. For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. Whats more, the Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM) industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.Request for Free Sample Report -Major Manufacturers Analysis of Human Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin (IM)BaxterCSLBayerGrifolsOctapharmaShanghai RAASHualan BiologicalChina BiologicTiantan BiologicShuanglin Bio-pharmacySichuan Yuanda ShuyangBoya Bio-pharmaceuticalShanghai Institute of BiologicalAbout Market Research HUBMarket Research HUB (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free : 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel : +1-518-621-2074Email : sales@marketresearchhub.comWebsite : Need to Modernize Healthcare Services Heightens Demand for Nurse Call Systems, reports TMR http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2173 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nurse-call-system-equipment-market.html The top five vendors in the global nurse call systems market collectively held 44% of the market in 2013. However, these vendors-Ascom Holding AG, Rauland-Borg Corporation, Tyco SimplexGrinnell, Azure Healthcare Limited, and Hill-Rom Holdings Inc.-have to compete with numerous small-sized players in a highly fragmented landscape. These are the findings of a recent study published by Transparency Market Research (TMR).Acquisitions and takeovers have been the key growth model for companies in the nurse call systems market, says the author of the study. A case in point would be Ascom Holding AG, the company acquired Integrated Wireless Software Pty. Ltd. and Integrated Wireless Pty. Ltd. This has allowed the company to penetrate into Asia Pacific and build a strong foothold in this region.Get Free Sample Report Brochure:System integration to increase compatibility with various healthcare applications in a bid to offer comprehensive workflow solutions is also what key players in this market are striving for. The integration of nurse call solutions allows real-time monitoring of individual patient metrics. The formation of national-level dealer networks in order to increase product reach and availability is another strategy adopted by key players in the nurse call systems market.Demand for High-quality Patient Care Necessitates Installation of Nurse Call SystemsAn increasing geriatric population across the world is a major factor driving the global nurse call systems market, says a TMR analyst. This is because this population is susceptible to illnesses and may require hospitalization for dedicated care. The use of nurse call systems for the geriatric population ensures that the patient can raise an alert at the nurses station to deliver timely care. This, in turn, allows healthcare organizations to attain seamless communication and streamline nursing activities.The increasing budget allocation for healthcare of the elderly population is also significantly contributing to the growth of this market. With an increase in the median age of the global population, several countries are focused on providing improved healthcare. Factors such as increasing dependency ratio and the retirement of baby boomers have necessitated the availability of quality healthcare services for aged population.The increasing need for effective and responsive healthcare communication is another significant factor driving the global nurse call systems market. This is because nursing staff need to be watchful and responsive to provide high quality of healthcare and to ensure patient safety.Government regulations in place for the manufacture and distribution of nurse call systems is major impediment to the growth of this market, says TMR analyst. As per the recent amends by the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF), nurse call systems would be included in the category of medical devices. This necessitates nurse call systems to be clinically audited, regulated, and certified.The IMDRF amend also requires that the software within medical devices need to satisfy medical grade ISO 9000 quality control specifications.Hospitals Represent Largest End-use SegmentThe global nurse call systems market is expected to be worth US$1.57 bn by 2020. Nurse call integrated communication systems is the leading segment of the market on the basis of equipment type; the segment held almost 75% of the overall market in 2013. Nurse call mobile systems equipment type is expected to display significant demand in the foreseeable years. Wired nurse call communication equipment is the largest segment of the market on the basis of communication technology. Hospitals is the largest end-use segment of the nurse call systems market.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com How A Time Tracker Helps With Invoicing And Productivity Assessment http://crocotime.com/en/ All small business owners are professionals of multitasking, who keep an eye on emails, calls, and project management. In the routine of working on different tasks at the same time, including time-wasting activities like Facebook sneaking in, it can be hard to assess how the day was really spent.Why Use A Time Tracker?When you work on many projects with hourly rates, it becomes especially important to know how much time is spent on every single project even with distractions so that the customers bill is precise and the companys owner does not miss out on the money they have actually earned.The next (but not the last) advantage of using a time tracker is that a companys owner can get a better sense of how long different tasks take so he will be able to estimate upcoming projects precisely or make proposals more accurately to existing customers and prospects. Many entrepreneurs often end up underestimating projects and missing out on incomes that they could get on current and future assignments. In addition, it helps customers to get a right assessment of how long projects take so that they can budget for it correctly.How A Time Tracker Helps To Improve Business EfficiencyTime is money, do you remember? So it makes sense to track time on a minute-by-minute basis to guarantee the highest productivity and profitability from every single employee, including the CEO. All time not spent on a project that can be billed needs to be assessed.But there are several work tasks that cannot be billed to a client such as accounting, PR, advertisement, and so on. It is possible that time that is being wasted could be spent working on projects. Moreover, it is still good to track time spent on these non-billable tasks to assess if there is a solution to minimize the time spent on each of those activities.By working to improve the records kept on time spent on different projects and customer accounts, those records can then be measured against the revenue to gauge real productivity and efficiency of your business. The data from CrocoTime time tracker may be viewed in relation to every single project and the whole company, or multiple employees working on a project.Optimize Your BusinessWhen you are able to estimate performance and productivity, including expenses and non-billable work, and compare it against overall revenue, you can understand more deeply how well is your company doing and what can be done for better planning and more informed strategic decisions. The CEO or project manager can assess the companys power and just how much they can produce in terms of project work by themselves and with their team to determine if other solutions might be available to streamline business tasks and project work.The results of the time tracker usage may well be a more successful business that can grow appropriately and scale up with a much better idea of what is possible or how much staff to add over time. Both big international companies and startups should look for a solution like the time tracker as the part of their overall technology to leverage all of these incredible benefits.Try our 14-days free trial for more benefits.Today CrocoTime is approved by more than 500 of customers ranging from small companies to enterprises of different spheres of business: production companies, project companies, trading, and service companies have been using CrocoTime to become more productive and efficient.3, Severo-Vostochnoy Ave., Saransk, Mordovia, Russia, 430000 Pet Playgrounds engineers, manufacturers, distributes, and installs the safest and most reliable REAL dog fencing system in the world. http://www.petplaygrounds.com http://www.petplaygrounds.com Pet Playgrounds engineers, manufacturers, distributes, and installs the safest and most reliable REAL dog fencing system in the world. From a small office in West Haven, Connecticut Pet Playgrounds has now grown nearly five times since 2010. Although 2016 is not yet done, Pet Playgrounds has made some incredible advancements this year, already.First, Pet Playgrounds now has installers available in all contiguous 48 states. By partnering with local certified professional installers, Pet Playgrounds has been able to focus installing in its local territory (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and parts of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), continually making the installation process easier and less expensive. Recently, Pet Playgrounds launched an updated website available atmaking it easier than ever for customers to learn about their unique dog fencing system. Customers can now order a kit up to 1,000 linear feet online and getting an instant installation quote in mere seconds.The last 3 months have been spent reshooting all new video tutorials, designing a custom Build Your Kit tool, and incredible step by step video instructions making installation a breeze for any homeowner.How did it all start? Victor Boemmels, the inventor and President of Pet Playgrounds has had a love of dogs from a very young age. Victor had his first puppy when he was nine, and he became a dog lover instantly. Unfortunately, his new puppy had escaped from his family home and was hit and killed by a car. It was devastating to him but it inspired him to dabble in various training techniques for dogs. He became an amateur dog trainer and became so good at training his dog, Goya that others started asking him to help train their pups. Victor saw how many close calls many of his friends & family had with their dogs escaping their yard and getting hurt. This was the inspiration to engineer an affordable yet incredibly effective dog-specific fence.Since then, Pet Playgrounds has become the only dog fencing system in the world that has been tested and approved by PETA. The unique fencing system received several endorsements from veterinarians and certified dog trainers due to its humane alternative to ineffective invisible electrical fencing that relies on shocking your dog to keep it safe. Using some of the latest web technology Pet Playgrounds has developed an incredibly easy to use website, with multimedia elements such as videos and even a virtual tour that allows customers to investigate certain parts of the fence to get a better view of how it is assembled.Whats next for Pet Playgrounds? Quite a bit. We are currently sourcing 360 cameras to provide customers a way to see how dogs interact with our fencing system. Our goal is to make our website the best way for customers to see exactly how our fencing system works. Weve also upgraded the strength of one of our major components and have already shipping this components to all new customers.Find out more about Pet Playgrounds by visitingor by calling us toll free at 1-800-985-9202Pet Playgrounds was founded in 2008 with the sole purpose of providing dog owners with an affordable and reliable way to contain their dog on virtually any property, and protect them from deer and coyotes. Today, Pet Playgrounds continues to push the envelope with our unique materials, and assembly methods to create the perfect enclosure for your dog. We work with many rescue organizations and help them with their fundraising efforts. We have had our fence tested by PETA, we are member of the ASPCA. We pride ourselves by knowing that Pet Playgrounds makes the safest and most reliable REAL dog fencing system in the world.Connecticut Sales Office48 Myrtle Ave.West Haven, CT 06516 Leading regional Asian bank paves the way for digitization of systems training www.tt-s.com/en/ www.tt-s.com In recent years, the client, a leading bank in Asia headquartered in Singapore, has recognized the power of digitizing corporate learning and has entrusted tts partner Synpulse to evolve its training solutions. With the aid of tt performance suite, the client is one of the early adopters in the Singapore Financial Industry to digitize its systems training and paves the way for other banks to do the same.Previously, the banks employees had to attend workshops whenever there were enhancements. This incurred unnecessary costs, leading to productivity loss and high cost of training. Trainings were conducted in classrooms and training materials produced were often presented in static and non-engaging manner in PowerPoint. As a result, very little knowledge from the classroom training was retained and the employees relied on the handouts to re-learn and navigate through the systems by themselves.tts partner Synpulse utilized tt performance suites ergonomic software capabilities to create an interactive system simulations. 87% of front office users reported that the simulations closely resembled the systems and helped them greatly in mastering the systems. The bank also found that its cost of training reduced by 52.3% with total hours spent on training decreased by 46.2%.Over the span of four projects engaged with the client, Synpulse has created over 25 e-learning modules with the help of tt performance suite. These modules covered a range of bank processes and train front office users to navigate across various platforms. Distribution of learning content was done via the clients intranet, thereby making learning content easily accessible to all required staff members.About SynpulseSynpulse is an internationally established management consulting company with offices in Zurich, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong, and Singapore and a valued partner to many of the world's largest international financial services firms. Since its formation in 1996, Synpulse has supported its clients in all stages of project management from the development of strategies and operational frameworks through technical implementation and handover, enabling its clients to generate added value for their businesses and shareholders.About ttstts is a leading global learning provider. With innovative learning technologies, tts supports its customers in turning knowledge into workplace performance. The portfolio covers the tts software tt performance suite (e-learning authoring and documentation plus performance support) together with talent management (SAP Human Capital Management and SAP SuccessFactors) and corporate learning (training and e-learning). With its corporate HQ in Heidelberg, tts has nine offices around the world to serve its' global clients. Find out more attts GmbHSchneidmuhlstrae 19D-69115 Heidelberg Healthcare Mobility Solutions Market - Increasing Internet Penetration Creates Promising Opportunities http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4773 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/healthcare-mobility-solutions-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The competitive landscape in the healthcare mobility solutions market is highly fragmented due a large number of players. Transparency Market Research has identified McKesson Corporation, Cerner Corporation, and Philips Healthcare as the key players in this market as of 2014. These players have a strong presence across Europe and North America, reports the author of this research report.Download Free PDF:To increase their geographical reach leading companies are also trying to expand their focus on inorganic expansion. For instance, Cerner Corporation joined hands with Truman Medical Centers (TMC) to collectively work with healthcare information technology to offer better care to patients and improved solutions to the medical fraternity.Penetration of Smartphones Encourages Adoption of Healthcare Mobility SolutionsThe incorporation of multiple application platforms in new-age smartphones has made tech savvy users opt for medical attention through their personal digital assistants. The gap between the need of the patients and the medical help is being blurred by mobile applications that have improved response time, clinician decision making, and overall patient care.The strong year-on-year increase in the penetration of smartphones and the accessibility to the Internet has thereby increased the deployment of healthcare mobility solutions. Furthermore, the growing acceptance of healthcare mobile solutions such as enterprise mobility platforms, mobile applications, and mobile devices is adding value to the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare in remote areas.Browse Research Report:Wireless Technologies Promote Usage of Healthcare SolutionsThe healthcare mobility solutions market is also being fueled by the successful rollout of wireless technologies such as 3G, LTE-A, and LTE. The wide network of these advanced technologies that deliver high-speed, seamless connectivity, and effortless communication has allowed vendors in this market to offer groundbreaking healthcare solutions. The prompt two-way response between the medical professional and patient to save lives has only been possible due to the efficient rollout of LTE and LTE-A. This market will also be driven by the declining nursing staff and the shortage of centers to treat the ever-growing pool of patients.However, developing regions of Latin America and Asia Pacific are expected to be attractive markets for these solutions. The unmet medical needs of patients across China, Brazil, South Africa, and India will not only offer a huge potential for growth to the companies operating in this market but also revolutionize the state of medical care in these regions. The soaring patient pool, increasing number of geriatrics, and the abnormal doctor-to-patient ratio are all expected to drive the demand for IT-enabled healthcare solutions in these regions.Risk of Data Hacking and Identity Theft Prevents Market to Reach Full PotentialThe issues faced in complete acceptance of healthcare mobility solutions are a threat to private information and security breaches. The potential risk of data hacking, identity theft, unauthorized access, and tampering with patient data is making both the medical fraternity as well as the patients skeptical about relying on these solutions.Asia Pacific to Rise at Fastest CAGRAccording to the research report, the global healthcare mobility solutions market was valued at US$20.13 bn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$148.66 bn by the end of 2023. During the forecast period of 2015 and 2023, the overall market will progress at a pace of 25.5% CAGR. The leading segment in the overall market will be mHealth application segment as analysts predict it will expand at a whopping CAGR of 25.6% during the forecast period. Geographically, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing segment due to a huge population base. This regional segment will grow at an impressive CAGR of 28.3%.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Accelerated Measures to Prevent Environmental Deterioration to Drive Biofuels Market, reports TMR http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1345 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The global biofuels market is highly fragmented with no single player holding more than 10% of the global market for both biodiesel and bioethanol, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new report. This is due to the emergence of a large number of biofuel producers to cater to the increasing demand for biofuels following the spurt in oil prices. Some major players in the global biofuels market that operate across the value chain for both biodiesel and bioethanol are Archer Daniels Midland Company, Green Plains Renewable Energy, and Total S.A.TMR analyst says, Top players in this market are focused on tapping into underutilized markets and acquire state-of-the-art production units to capitalize the opportunities. A case in point is ARfuels, wherein the company uses latest technologies to produce biodiesel that meets international standards. To capitalize on this, Shell Australia Limited opened a biodiesel facility that utilizes ARfuels biodiesel, which meets international standards.Download the Global Biofuels Industry Fact Sheet by 2019 @Use of superior technology is another key growth strategy that top players in this market are focused on. This is mainly to use technology for the conversion of waste into biofuel at low cost. Maintaining strong ties with partner companies is also one of the key growth models that companies in this market are adopting. This helps companies to create a strong supply and distribution channel.Economic Benefits of Biofuels to Attract Progressively Higher InvestmentsTMR analyst points out, Stringent environmental regulations is one of the prominent factors promoting the use of biofuels. The use of fossil fuels for running industries has been a major factor for environmental deterioration and rise in the Earths temperature. To address this, accredited environmental agencies and several governments around the world have formulated laws to control carbon emissions in the atmosphere. These are directly or indirectly related to the use of biofuels and other renewable sources of energy.Need for economic development is another key factor driving the growth of the biofuels market. The use of biofuels is not only less harsh on the environment, but also helps in economic development by providing employment.Concerns related to energy security, in the long run, is also a major factor boosting the growth of the biofuels market. Due to depleting crude oil reserves and increasing concerns about energy security in the long run, several countries around the world are seeking alternate sources for transportation fuel.Lack of Adequate Infrastructure for Biofuels Detrimental to Market GrowthIncreasing conflict between farmers and biofuel developers is detrimental to the growth of the global biofuels market. With increasing demand for biofuels, vast areas of land that is used for food cultivation would eventually be used for cultivating cash crops for biofuels production. This will have an impact on food prices due to their reduced production.The hindrances pertaining to the development, distribution, and retailing of biofuels is also challenging the markets growth. The slow technological development for the utilization of biofuels and limited availability of biofuels stations is also challenging the markets growth.The global biofuels production is expected to reach 50,921.4 million gallons by 2019. North America is the leading market for biofuels due to the increasing awareness about the use of biologically derived fuels and stringent environmental regulations for burning fossil fuels. Europe is also a significant market for biofuels. However, the developing economies of India and China will emerge as significant markets for biofuels in the coming years.The market is segmented as follows:Biofuels Market: By Fuel TypeBioethanolBiodieselBiofuels Market: By Form AnalysisSolid (fuel pellets, biochar, biocoal)Liquid (bioethanol and biodiesel)Gaseous (biogas, biopropane, syngas)About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: High-energy Fractures Devices (Spinal Trauma) Market: Propelled by Rising Prevalence of Spinal Injuries http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=7613 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Transparency Market Research (TMR) has recently published a research study on the global spinal trauma devices market, estimating the market to rise at a CAGR of 5.60% during the period from 2015 to 2023 and reach a market value of US$4.7 bn by the end of the forecast period.The research report, titled Spinal Trauma Devices Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023, states that the worldwide market for spinal trauma devices stood at US$2.9 bn in 2014.Avail Premium Sample Pages of this Report:According to the report, the increasing prevalence of spinal injuries, together with growing healthcare expenditure, is driving the demand for spinal trauma devices extensively in the global arena.The report analyzes the global spinal trauma devices market on the basis of the types of devices and the regional distribution of this market. Based on devices, the market is divided into the external fixation devices segment and the internal fixation devices segment.The internal fixation devices segment leads the global market at present. It held a 60.5% share in the global market in 2014. Plates and screws, rods and pins, and bone grafts are the major products of the internal fixation devices market. Among these, the plates and screws segment has occupied the leading position, states the market study.Analysts also expect the market for bone grafts to witness a healthy growth over the forecast period. The low rate of immunological rejection from bone graft and the minimal pain experienced while grafting are likely to drive the market growth significantly.The global spinal trauma devices market has been spread across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World, notes the market study. North America emerged as the market leader in 2014 with a share of 47.2% in the overall market. The rising prevalence of spinal deformities, together with a soaring frequency of spinal injuries, has triggered the demand for spinal trauma devices in North America. The technical advancement in this field is projected to stimulate this regional market during the forecast period.Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is presenting lucrative opportunities for market participants owing to the increase in disposable income as well as the rise in awareness regarding healthcare among consumers in this region. The market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.10% over the forecast period, registering the highest growth rate among all the regional markets.The global spinal trauma devices market is highly consolidated in nature with top three participants acquiring more than 66% of the overall market, states the report. It also present the competitive landscape, prevalent in this market, by analyzing the company profiles of key participants including CONMED Corp., Stryker Corp., Smith & Nephew plc, Medtronic, DePuy Synthes, NuVasive Inc., Spinal Technology Inc., ReWalk Robotics, Arthrex Inc., Orthofix International NV, Zimmer Biomet, B. Braun Melsungen AG, and Globus Medical Inc. Medtronic dominates the worldwide spinal trauma devices market at present on account of its varied product portfolio as well as high market penetration, says the note.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: THERE'S BEEN A MURDER IN SPACE - NOW WHAT? www.room.eu.com Space tourism could soon be a popular way for humanity to take a holiday but legal experts are concerned that criminality in outer space now needs some serious attention.Human spaceflight can vary in size of the crew and mission in the next few years we could see anything from near-Earth orbit tourist flights to long-term missions to Mars. The engineering, technical and biological problems have been well discussed but there is a real challenge in how to regulate numbers of people with contrasting temperaments who are travelling in space.Writing in the latest issue of ROOM - The Space Journal (), Dr Christopher J.Newman, reader in law at the University of Sunderland in the UK, said: There has been little discussion on the way in which human behavior should be regulated in outer space and what should happen when an individual commits a crime in space.Some form of criminal code may not only be desirable, it may be critical to the success of the mission - and the lives of all crew members.The Tokyo Convention of 1963 a convention of offences and certain other acts committed on board an aircraft could be used as a backdrop as it applies to offences and acts prejudicial to good order along with Article 22 of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). This article contains specific provisions relating to crimes committed by astronauts during long visits to the International Space Station (ISS).Questions also need to be asked about who would administer any punishment and, indeed, what the punishment would be because the value of people power is high on any space mission and confining space criminals in an already confined environment might prove problematic.ROOM - Space JournalMike Holland63 The AnnexeKettonPE9 3TE Get Ready to Go Beyond ERP: Kwantify Leads the Way CSM Technologies http://www.kwantify.com http://www.csmpl.com http://www.csmpl.com/ Dubai: CSM Technologies has announced the worldwide launch of their product Kwantify (), a robust Enterprise Management Solution. Kwantify empowers organizations to automate the way they operate. This office automation system comes in ONE bid package or Modular to cater to industry specific needs. It claims to simplify complex human resource management issues with K-HR+; it ensures to curb sales management worries with K-Sales; and provides a smart helpdesk system named K-Helpdesk.Kwantify has been made immensely flexible by enabling deployment of standalone packages. If you dont need the entire pizza, have a slice says the companys Product Development Expert, Mr. Siddharth Mishra. Kwantify was born out of a brain wave, molded by need, evolved though technology and perfected over the years by a bevy of technical experts, he adds.What Makes Kwantify DifferentBuilt on a highly scalable, web-enabled open architecture, Kwantify framework can seamlessly integrate uncoordinated business processes on a single interface. With its effective Process Management, it is an extremely flexible and customizable system that e-organizes office environment.Kwantify is customized to accommodate the entire approval process spanning across the spectrum of complex operations of small to large organizations.Kwantify in its complete package is a mini ERP that comes at affordable price and at the highest quality.About CSM TechnologiesCSM Technologies () is a CMMI level 3 certified IT solutions provider founded in 1998. CSM has designed and implemented numerous path-breaking solutions for varied industries including utility, mining, education, healthcare, governance sectors primarily. Apart from being a Microsoft gold certified partner, it has also achieved ISO 9001:2008, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and ISO 20000-1:2011 certifications. With development and business centers located in various parts of the globe including Bihar, Jharkhand, Chandigarh, Sudan Ethiopia, it majorly operates from Dubai and Bhubaneswar.CSM Technologies is a pioneer in providing consulting, developing and supporting complex IT solutions. Touching millions of lives worldwide by bringing in innovative technology, CSM forayed into the untapped markets like e-Governance in India and African continent.CSM technologies Private Ltd.CSM Complex, STPI, CRPF SquareBhubaneswar-751012, Odisha, India SQL-Lessons.com Launched to Learn SQL Easier & Faster http://www.sql-lessons.com http://www.sql-lessons.com Starnberg, Germany -- In our big data age, the ability to query databases efficiently becomes more and more important. On SQL-Lessons.com beginners can learn SQL step by step in an interactive environment. 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By the end of the course, you will know already some useful basics of SQL (select statements, join and group by statements) that you can use in your daily work immediately.About SQL-Lessons.comOn SQL-Lessons.com beginners can learn SQL step by step in an interactive environment. Beginners can skip the often difficult and error prone process of setting up a development environment and can instead use the provided online database.Media Contact:Andras HuebnerSQL-Lessons.comAugustenstrasse 382319 StarnbergGermany+49 176 43 44 11 03andreas.huebnerh@gmail.com The Global Naval Vessels And Surface Combatants Market 2015-2025 - Competitive Landscape And Strategic Insights: Market Profile http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/386693 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/333653 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ This report shows the leading Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants market segments in various regions across the world. Details of top companies active across the global Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants market are provided, together with market size and forecast 2015-2025 for the main players across those areas.View Full Report atKey FindingsThe report provides a detailed analysis of the competitive landscape of the Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants market. It provides an overview of key Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants companies catering to the Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants sector, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives and a brief financial analysis.The global surface combatant industry is highly competitive, with large numbers of suppliers catering to the requirements of countries around the globe.Reasons To BuyThe Global Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants Market 2015-2025 - Competitive Landscape and Strategic Insights: Market Profile"" allows you to:Gain insight into the competitive landscape of the global Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants market.Provides detailed company profiles of leading Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants companies and related systems manufacturing companies across the world.Analyse the activity of key Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants companies, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysis.Download Sample Copy of this Report atTable of Content1 Introduction1.1 What is this Report About?1.2 Definitions1.3 Summary Methodology1.4 About Strategic Defence Intelligence2 Competitive Landscape and Strategic Insights2.1 Competitive Landscape Overview2.1.1 Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering: overview2.1.2 Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering: products and services2.1.3 Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering: alliances2.1.4 Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering: recent contract awards2.1.5 Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering: financial analysis2.1.6 Huntington Ingalls Industries: overview2.1.7 Huntington Ingalls Industries: products and services2.1.8 Huntington Ingalls Industries: recent contract awards2.1.9 Huntington Ingalls Industries: financial analysis2.1.10 Fincantieri: overview2.1.11 Fincantieri: products and services2.1.12 Fincantieri: alliances2.1.13 Fincantieri: recent contract awards2.1.14 Fincantieri: financial analysis2.1.15 BAE Systems: overviewMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Polyalkylene Glycol Market - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2015 2021 http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com/market-analysis/polyalkylene-glycol-market.html http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com/request-for-sample.html?flag=S&repid=79461 http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com The report covers forecast and analysis for the Polyalkylene Glycol market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with a forecast from 2016 to 2021 based on volume and revenue (USD Million). The study includes drivers and restraints for the market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes study of opportunities available in the Polyalkylene Glycol market on a global level.Browse Full Report @In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view on the Polyalkylene Glycol market, we have included a detailed competitive scenario, and product portfolio of key vendors. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters five forces model for the Polyalkylene Glycol market has also been included, strategic development along with patents analysis is included in this report. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, where in type segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness.Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), Polypropylene Glycol (PPG), and Others are the major types of Polyalkylene Glycol. Polyalkylene Glycol finds widespread applications in for Polyurethane (PU) Foam, Functional Fluids, Lubricants, Personal Care, Pharmaceutical, Surface Active Agents, and Other Applications. All the segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2015 to 2021.The regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa with its further bifurcation into major countries including U.S. Germany, France, UK, China, Japan, India and Brazil.The report covers detailed competitive outlook including company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Bayer AG, BASF SE, Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell), LyondellBasell Industries N.V., E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont), INEOS Group AG, Clariant International Ltd., Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), and Repsol Group.Request Sample Report @This report segments the Polyalkylene Glycol market as follows:Polyalkylene Glycol Market: Type Segment AnalysisPolyethylene Glycol (PEG)Polypropylene Glycol (PPG)OthersPolyalkylene Glycol Market: Applications Segment AnalysisPolyurethane (PU) FoamFunctional FluidsLubricantsPersonal CarePharmaceuticalSurface Active AgentsOther ApplicationsPolyalkylene Glycol Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaSyndicate Market Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Syndicate Market Research cover more than 30 industries includsing energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact Us3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442,USATel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@syndicatemarketresearch.comWeb: Refrigerated Vehicles Market: Facts, Figures and Analytical Insights 2015 to 2021 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3595 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3595 Refrigerated vehicles are used for transportation of vulnerable food, pharmaceutical and healthcare products. The increasing population and consumer spending on food products has surged their production globally. Among food products, dairy products and fresh fruits and vegetables require cold storage and transportation for their sustainability. The increasing global warming has been emerging as a matter of great concern for the food producers globally which is reducing the shelf life of these products in non-refrigerated conditions. Most of the pharmaceutical and healthcare products need protection from heat and light to maintain their chemical and biological formulation. All these concerns have been driving the refrigerated vehicles market globally and are expected to increase in terms of growth rate during 2014-2020.Use For sample: Thinking about report: Please observe the beneath the hyperlinks to satisfy your necessities; Request for the Report sample:Refrigerated vehicles include a large types of vehicles used in several transportation requirements based on loading requirement. Some of their types include refrigerated vans, refrigerated trucks, refrigerated trailers, refrigerated railcars, refrigerated ships, refrigerated transport by air, refrigerated containers, atmosphere controlled containers, intermodal refrigerated containers, insulated containers, integral reefer containers and multimodal temperature containers. The increasing consumer awareness about fresh products is one of the important factors which have been escalating the demand for refrigerated vehicles globally.The developing and underdeveloped countries have an underdeveloped cold-supply chain infrastructure which leads to destruction of a large quantity of food products every year. This also increases warehousing charges of the food manufacturers and the distributors as they have to maintain local distribution points in the area of demand. The growing population and increasing per capita income in these countries is boosting the demand for food products which is further creating demands for the refrigerated vehicles in these countries. The dairy product consumption in Asia Pacific countries have also been increasing to a great extent in recent times. The pharmaceutical and healthcare industries have also been growing at a rapid pace in these developing countries which is creating demand for the refrigerated vehicles in this domain as well. The shortage of skilled labor and unstable fuel prices are the key hurdles for the refrigerated vehicles market. The companies operating in the refrigerated vehicles market are improving the fuel efficiency and noise reduction of these vehicles.There have been several technology development and introduction in the recent times by the refrigerated vehicle manufacturers. They include CorroGuard and ThermGuard by Great Dane, Strip door solution for refrigerated trucks by R.O.M, GRIPTM by RTE, LED based indicator by Carrier, economical cold plates by Johnson, reefer monitoring system by PAR, reefer-trak sentry solutions by Star-Trak, Secureseal system by OEM Group, new alternator by Robert Bosch and Fleetview by Terion.Use For to: Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Among regions, North America dominated global sales of refrigerated vehicles market, followed by Europe. There are a large number of market players in the refrigerated vehicles market which are operating in a particular country or globally through their subsidiaries. The global refrigerated vehicles market is fragmented however; it is increasingly advancing towards consolidation with a number of companies engaged in merger and acquisition activities.The key market players include Great Dane Trailers, Ingersol Rand Company Limited, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited, Schmitz Cargobull, R.O.M., Thermo King, Carrier Transicold, Johnson, PAR, Star-Trak, GE, OEM Group, Robert Bosch, Terion, Northgate Plc and Fraikin Limited.About UsPersistence 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.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Bread Mix Market Introduction: Bread mix is a mixture, made from flour, yeast, baking soda, salt and other ingredients. It is used in the baking of bread with less time and efforts. Types of bread mixes are available in the market includes wheat, rice, oat, and corn. The combination of two or more with more ingredients is also available. It is available as commercially manufactured or homemade. Food companies are more SPOOKY, SCARY SPOOKY, SCARY Neighborhoods in Orchard Park are more than ready for Halloween. In the top photo, at a house at the corner of Orchard Hill Drive and Briar Hill... Bremer finds seven residential lots storing items on town property Thanks to a new property-line shot by the Engineering Department, Building Inspector Steve Bremer was able to identify seven residential lots near Highmark Stadium that were placing all sorts of... Highway Department receiving number of calls on dying ash trees Highway Superintendent Andrew Slotman warned in the spring that the ash tree population in Orchard Park would soon dwindle to zero due to the presence of the emerald ash borer.... Nerve cells in the retina Verily has its hands in a lot of projects. The life sciences company has been developing glucose-monitoring contact lenses, and it makes silverware that makes it easier for people with hand tremors to eat. Along the way, Verily has partnered with some of the biggest names in pharma in everything from diabetes care to a surgical robot spin-out company. Its latest endeavor? A joint venture with British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, called Galvani Bioelectronics, that will develop ways to use electric signals to treat chronic illness like arthritis, diabetes, or asthma. GSK will have a 55% stake in the company, while Verily will own 45%. Following the announcement, Business Insider spoke to Verily's chief technology officer Brian Otis about what the new company will look like. How bioelectronics work Bioelectronics, or the concept that you can stimulate parts of the body with electric pulses to treat chronic conditions, isn't as science fiction as it sounds. It's already a technique used in deep brain stimulation, which uses electric signals to block out the abnormal nerve signals that cause tremors in diseases like Parkinson's. It's also similar to how a pacemaker works: The pacemaker sends electric signals to the heart to correct abnormal heartbeats. Otis said that the intent of Galvani will be to push this technology further in order to tackle more chronic diseases that you wouldn't necessarily associate with nerves. "The best way to think about it is theres one thing that Verily is interested in and thats improving outcomes," he said. To do that with bioelectronics, two things will need to happen: Illustration of nerve cells First, they'll need to have better maps of how our neurons connect to one another, creating circuits. That way, they can get a better picture of how those neural circuits relate to organs in the body. This information will have to come from both people with certain conditions, and healthy people. That way, researchers can get a good picture of how the nerves interact with healthy and unhealthy organs. And that's the part that GSK is already working on the company has been exploring bioelectronics since 2012. Story continues The second thing that needs to happen and that's where Verilys background will come into play is building the miniature devices that you can implant in the body. Otis said that since he joined Google four years ago, the organization's been working to make this happen. "We have years of experience making biocompatible technology," he said. "It's a good head start." Otis said that the most exciting thing to him is that the more they learn about how nerves play a role in diseases, the better they'll be able to make the bioelectronic technology, which ultimately could treat that disease. "Thats the cycle, this engine, thats making us exciting," he said. What the new company will look like Galvani will act as a standalone company that's headquartered out in the UK, though the company will also have a base in south San Francisco near Verily. The core group of scientists that have already been working on bioelectronics over at GSK will move over to Galvani, and the two parent companies will likely be involved in recruiting the rest of the organization. But, Otis said, it's important to keep the company separate from its two parent organizations. "The thinking is, for the best probability of success, it's best to have the whole organization focused," he said. "It'll have all the support of the parent companies, but it gives it a definite focus to be able to track bioelectronic medicine." NOW WATCH: Scientists just collected a mysterious 'purple orb' at the bottom of the ocean, but no one could anticipate what happened next More From Business Insider A man serving a 50-year prison term for the 1991 murder of a woman in Wilsonville should be resentenced because a judge didn't completely establish why the circumstances of the crime justified his penalty straying from the state's sentencing guidelines, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. The decision means Todd Davilla could return to Clackamas County Circuit Court for a sixth time for sentencing in the death of Lisa Flormoe. The other sentences also were overturned on similar grounds. Clackamas County Circuit Judge Eve Miller's explanation for sentencing Davilla to 50 years in prison in 2012 wasn't sufficient enough to justify deviating from a presumptive sentence of 10 years, the appeals court said. Her reasoning included citing Davilla's use of a small, dull knife to nearly decapitate Flormoe and his lack of empathy. The presumptive sentence was determined by Davilla's criminal history and the seriousness of the crime based on the state's sentencing guidelines at the time of his first conviction. But the appeals court sided with Davilla's objection that Miller's explanation didn't fully support that there was substantial and compelling reasons to justify a more lengthy sentence. Read the Oregon Court of Appeals ruling Davilla was 16 and armed with a Boy Scouts knife when he forced his way into a home where Flormoe was staying in September 1991. He attempted to rape her, but later stabbed her 15 times in the neck after she resisted. She was 22. Three different Clackamas County judges have sentenced Davilla, now 41, since 1992 in the case, court records show. Chief Deputy District Attorney Greg Horner said Monday that his agency is still assessing how to respond to the latest appeal court's opinion. Davilla was charged as an adult, pleaded guilty in January 1992 to murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree attempted rape and, two months later, was sentenced to life in prison, court records show. The conviction was later overturned by the appeals court because Clackamas County Circuit Judge Robert Morgan didn't use the correct sentencing guidelines, which didn't allow a juvenile to receive a life sentence. In November 1995, Morgan sentenced Davilla to more than 116 years in prison. The new penalty was also struck down because it didn't comply with Oregon sentencing guidelines either, the appeals court ruled. In August 2002, Judge John Lowe sentenced Davilla to 57 years in prison. The appeals court overturned that sentence to allow a jury to determine if there were any aggravating factors that should be considered in Davilla's sentencing. Lowe sentenced Davilla again in August 2007, this time to life in prison with immediate parole eligibility, court records show. The appeals court again overruled Lowe's decision. -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey FullSizeRender[1].jpg John F. Maher is the president of the Oregonian Media Group (Courtesy John F. Maher) John F. Maher has been named president of the Oregonian Media Group. He will start after Labor Day. Maher is the current president of the Gannett-owned Reno Gazette-Journal. He announced this afternoon that he will be stepping down in Reno. Previously, Maher was publisher of the Lincoln Journal Star. He also has served as vice president for business development at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He began his career in marketing, and went on to oversee marketing staffs at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Kansas City Star. Maher, 50, earned a bachelor's degree in English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He replaces Steve Moss, who announced last month that he would be taking a new role as a senior adviser at Advance Local. Advance Local is the parent company of the the Oregonian Media Group, which includes The Oregonian and OregonLive. "John is the perfect leader for our talented Oregonian Media Group team as they continue to grow," said Randy Siegel, president of Advance Local. Maher is expected to be in Portland next week to meet with staff. "I'm thrilled to join the Oregonian Media Group as well as Advance," Maher said. "Advance is a top-flight company in our industry. It has made tremendous strides in the digital space and I'm looking forward to being a part of that going forward." Maher was born in Maine and grew up in Wisconsin. He and his wife Cindy are the parents of four children ranging in age from 9 to 21. Maher will lead a company that now generates an average of about 10 million unique visitors a month on OregonLive. During the first six months of 2016, digital audience has grown more than 40 percent year over year. In print, The Oregonian has a total Sunday circulation of about 170,000. PilesOfDust.jpg Paint chips and debris that could contain lead dust swept into a at Franklin High School on July 19, 2016. (Don McIntosh/The Northwest Labor Press) A state safety agency is investigating if construction at Franklin High School exposed workers to lead paint. The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health investigation follows a story by The Northwest Labor Press that said lead-laced chips and dust littered the massive bond-funded project. A Labor Press reporter went on the $104 million construction site with a representative from the District 5 International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. The proof comes not just in the reporter's first-hand account, but in photos he took on scene. Photos show paint chips swept into a heap and mingled with dirt. The union said its members, who are doing other work at Franklin, saw workers repeatedly scraping lead paint without wearing a protective suit or respirator, as required by OSHA. The reporter noted he saw a person with a respirator and a vacuum while on the job site, but no suit and only a sheet many feet below to catch harmful debris. Vern Forrest, owner of Chosen Wood Windows, the subcontractor at the center of the complaint, said his workers followed the rules and wear respirators. He said workers did not need protective suits as air monitoring showed they were not overexposed. He also said suits weren't needed because they weren't doing lead abatement. But OSHA refers to scraping as a "trigger task" that can "expose workers to extreme amounts of lead." As such, OSHA says it should be assumed workers are overexposed regardless of air monitoring. Workers scraping paint are required by OSHA to wear protective clothing and use high-efficiency particulate vacuums to suck up harmful chips and dust. If the company can prove the workers are not overexposed with air monitoring, the requirements are less stringent and a suit isn't required, said Penny Wolf-McCormick, health enforcement manager for OSHA's Portland office. But until that proof exists the company must take the precautions. Additionally, monitoring must take into account every specific task a worker would be doing, she said. OSHA's rules say they apply to "renovation of structures, substrates, or portions thereof, that contain lead, or materials containing lead." Forrest, who had not read Labor Press' story or looked at the publication's photos, questioned if the paint chips shown were the result of his workers or whether another contractor on site could have caused the debris. David Winkler, the business representative for the union, said the only painted parts at Franklin are the windows, so the culprit had to be Chosen Wood Windows. But Dianne Danowski Smith, a spokeswoman for Skanska, the contractor overseeing the subcontractor, said the Franklin site had lots of lead paint chips lying around before Skanska began work there. She said she was unsure what requirements, if any, that triggered for keeping workers required to walk through those chip-strewn areas. She said Skanska is cooperating fully with OSHA's investigation and wants all questions answered. "Skanska's responsibility is to ensure that all of our vendors and subs are working within all safety requirements," Danowski Smith said. Portland Public Schools referred comment to Skanska. "Franklin is a closed site. There are no students or staff there," said Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Courtney Westling. "Skanska is solely responsible for all of the activity that occurs on that site, including best practices for the subcontractors with whom we don't have a contract." The district has admitted to previous slip-ups with lead paint, including failing to remove rampant lead dust debris from an Alameda playcourt during a schoolwide painting project in 2014 and failing to notify a Head Start program that workers would be scraping lead paint near an open classroom full of preschoolers. At Franklin, Forrest said he didn't understand why the union would complain about his workers, who are not represented, unless the union was upset about the job going to non-union workers. Winkler agreed his union's involvement was an important question. "Why did it take us coming out there to point this out?" Winkler said. "Do they just not care? It's weird to me, knowing with all the lead in the water, all the press, why no one stepped up. That's what I had an issue with." Franklin dates back to 1915, and lead is presumed present in building constructed before 1978. The union tested paint on site and found lead, and Forrest said his workers always assume they are handling lead because historical renovations involve old paint. "Jealousy isn't something that motivates what we do," Winkler said. "It's just trying to make sure everybody is following the same rules." This isn't Chosen Wood Windows' first OSHA investigation. In 2012, OSHA fined Chosen Windows $540 after a complaint that workers were getting sick from having to remove lead-based paint in a poorly ventilated room. OSHA deemed the violations "serious." Forrest said that violation happened when Chosen Wood Windows was new to restoration. "That was a learning experience back then as we were getting into the restoration process," Forrest said. "From that time to now our engineering for how we do all of our work is many times better, many times cleaner." Lead is extremely dangerous and has "a plethora of symptoms that it can cause," said Wolf-McCormick, of OSHA. Lead is a powerful neurotoxin and, while panic has lately been focused on drinking water, paint is the most dangerous form. Lead, if inhaled, is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, Wolf-McCormick said. That's why OSHA requires workers to use a respirator and suit and to entrap dust and debris. Loose lead dust and paint chips could scatter off site and harm people in the community, too, she said. In addition to inhalation, OSHA worries about people ingesting lead, which is easier than it might sound if safety protocol is lacking, she said. Imagine a worker is chipping paint without protection. Lead dust may be on his hands and sneak into his sandwich during his lunch hour, she explained. Or lead could slip into a worker's mouth during his regular smoke break. Perhaps he doesn't ingest it, but his family does, she said. Imagine lead falls off a worker's shoes and into his living room carpet, the same carpet his kids, who like to suck their fingers, play on daily. OSHA has 180 days to complete its investigation. -- Bethany Barnes wimwiewel.jpg Portland State University President Wim Wiewel in his office (Staff) Correction appended A little more than a week after Portland State's president, Wim Wiewel, announced plans to step down after the upcoming school year, the university was already into planning for what comes next. The school's board of trustees began the formal process to name Wiewel's successor Thursday, setting a deadline of hiring and having a new president in place no later than fall 2017. "This is the most important thing that a board of trustees has to deal with in the life of a higher-ed institution," said Pete Nickerson, the PSU board chair. Wiewel is entering his ninth year as PSU president, and he was hired by the since-disbanded State Board of Higher Education. Nickerson thanked Wiewel for giving the board enough time to hire his successor, calling Wiewel's tenure "historic and monumental." PSU's board set in motion the plan to hire a search firm, form a search committee and sketch a job description and ideal candidate profile for the executive position. Trustee Gale Castillo will chair the search committee. The board pledged to rely on "careful two-way communication with the campus community" on forming the job and ideal candidate descriptions. The search committee will include 17 to 20 members, including four trustees, student and faculty representatives and a president of another Oregon public university. Trustees plan to have a search committee, website related to the search, formal timeline and a search firm in place by Oct. 15. Oregon Tech is also in the process of searching for a new president. Since 2015, among Oregon four-year public universities, only Oregon State hasn't conducted a presidential search. Wiewel signed a three-year contract in 2015 that grants him a year-long paid sabbatical once he leaves the president's office. His contract includes a salary of $401,700. Wiewel plans to join the PSU faculty after his sabbatical and teach in the College of Urban and Public Affairs. Correction: An earlier version of this story said Pete Nickerson will chair the search committee. Nickerson appointed the search committee chair, and he selected Trustee Gale Castillo to chair the committee. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen 1ailes.JPG In this Sept. 29, 2006 file photo, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes poses at Fox News studio in New York. At age 76, Ailes has been vanquished from Fox News Channel, which he masterminded almost 20 years ago and had lorded over ever since. (The Associated Press) By Kathleen Parker WASHINGTON -- No one would mistake Roger Ailes for a ladies man, at least not without a fistful of dollars -- or a garter belt. So emerges a fresh image of the man who created Fox News, the cable network known for its leggy, law-degreed female hosts. Ailes, like Hugh Hefner, knew that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Then suddenly, somebody squealed. Former anchor Gretchen Carlson last month filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes for making lewd remarks, including publicly announcing that he'd slept with three Miss Americas but not Carlson. The floodgates opened. Another 20 or so women subsequently have come forward with their own allegations of sexual harassment -- going back decades to when Ailes was with "The Mike Douglas Show," as well as through his years as a political consultant with the George H.W. Bush campaign. In interviews with New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman, several women told stories that contained strikingly similar details. One of those is the garter belt, which Ailes allegedly asked many of them to put on. One woman said she was filmed by Ailes after he insisted that she dance while wearing it. The dance scene was described a few days ago in a separate New York article profiling Laurie Luhn, a former Fox News booker of 20 years who, despite having agreed never to file a lawsuit against the network, decided to speak up. In so doing, she not only has created a head-swiveling drama that has Fox employees variously stunned and disgusted but has created a sidebar debate about feminism's rules of engagement. What is sexual harassment? When is a woman a victim and when is she a participant? What is the statute of limitations on intimidation? What is the line between perception and interpretation? Is a woman still a heroine if she speaks up only after she has tolerated it and professionally benefited while others were being targeted? Was she expediently complicit for her own advantage? When "everybody" knows what's going on and no one speaks up, isn't "everyone" complicit to some degree? Such questions are unwelcome in the television industry -- and on certain college campuses where they'll spark a protest faster than a military draft. You can carry a gun to class, but you'd better not present ideas that might make someone uncomfortable. But ask these questions we must, not only for the benefit of younger women entering the workplace but also for the sake of feminism itself. Rallying to any and all women who claim victimhood, even in cases of complicity, damages the cause and credibility of those who are targeted for abuse. If all that has been claimed against Ailes is true, then obviously there's no defense for him and his diamond-seamed parachute is further insult to his victims. Carlson's claim clearly meets the standard of sexual harassment even if she waited until she felt she was demoted before she decided to make her accusations. Apparently emboldened by Carlson's move, superstar Megyn Kelly tipped the point when she reportedly told investigators that Ailes had made unwanted sexual advances a decade ago. Hold that thought. But Luhn topped all with jaw-dropping stories such as that Ailes allegedly ordered her to kneel, facing him. She said he placed his hands on her temples and extracted a pledge to obey him henceforth. Most women, I'd like to think, wouldn't have gotten on their knees -- certainly would never vow to obey anyone against their will. But Luhn says she played along -- for 20 years. Under what New York magazine describes as "Ailes' protection within the company," Luhn says she received cash payments, promotions, a $250,000 salary and, in 2011, a $3.15 million severance. Last week, she told Sherman that her life at Fox was "psychological torture." No doubt it was, but Luhn could have left at any time. As recently as last summer, having recovered from a nervous breakdown and an overdose, Luhn wrote Ailes a letter asking for help finding a job in Los Angeles. O, what a tangled web we weave. This lurid, byzantine tale of sex, lies and videotape will likely continue to unfurl in the coming weeks, but the moral of the story is clear: Nothing, neither money nor career, is worth surrendering your dignity and self-worth, both of which will be questioned when you call quits on a game you agreed to play. Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com. (c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group 1tpp.JPG Protestors assemble outside Nike headquarters in Beaverton to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Luke Hammill/Staff) The much maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal may face an uphill battle just getting to a vote by Congress this year. But Oregonians who recognize the vital role that international trade plays in the state's economy should celebrate one important development: Gov. Kate Brown now says that she wants the controversial deal to be approved. Brown, through her spokeswoman, told The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board in an email this week that she supports ratification of the deal brokered by President Barack Obama's administration that phases out tariffs, mandates worker protections, and stipulates other conditions for easing trade among the 12 member countries. Obama and his administration "have negotiated labor and environmental standards in the TPP that are stronger than other trade deals in the past," Brown said. "This deal moves us in the right direction, and in the future, I will continue to push for trade deals (that) will further improve on what has been negotiated in the TPP." http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg Editorial Agenda 2016 Get Oregon centered Better leadership in education Make Portland a city that works Build Oregon prosperity Protect and expand personal freedom Get pot right _______________________________ Such a statement from Oregon's governor should hardly be surprising. Oregon is, after all, typically on the top 10 list of trade-dependent states. More than $9 billion in goods were exported in 2014 to the 11 other countries that have signed on to the trade deal. And trade affects more than just the Nikes and Intels in Oregon. Some 3,600 Oregon businesses, including berry farmers, winemakers, bicycle parts manufacturers, greeting card designers and cattle ranchers exported their goods and services to TPP countries in 2013. But it is significant considering that in a recent Oregon Public Broadcasting interview, Brown refused -- five times -- to state a position on the trade deal one way or the other. Certainly, the trade deal is controversial, drawing fire from organized labor and others who contend the pact will cost Americans jobs. And Brown's newly announced support in itself won't factor into the complicated calculus of whether the deal comes to Congress for a ratification vote. As Sen. Ron Wyden, through his spokesman, told The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, moving the deal forward is up to Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "If the Majority Leader can deliver his own caucus for the deal as it stands, then it will most likely pass," Wyden said. Oregonian editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. are Helen Jung, Mark Katches, Steve Moss and Len Reed. To respond to this editorial: Post your comment below, submit a , or write a . If you have questions about the opinion section, contact Len Reed, interim editorial and commentary editor, at or 503-294-7667. But knowing where Oregon's top elected official stands on such a sweeping agreement with broad impact to the state's economy is important for shaping the debate in Oregon and sending a unified message to Washington, D.C. Brown can and should use her position to rally public support and apply pressure on Congress to approve the deal before Obama leaves office. With both presidential candidates opposed to the TPP, chances for its ratification afterwards are all but zero. The consequences of failure extend far beyond economics. The United States risks losing credibility and influence, while China, which is not a party to the trade deal, lines up its own international alliance that lacks the environmental and labor requirements negotiated by the Obama Administration. But Brown's pro-TPP position, joined by her announcement Thursday that she supports a corporate tax proposal known as IP 28, is important for another reason as well. Brown, who inherited the governorship after predecessor John Kitzhaber resigned, is now running for the right to serve the rest of his term. She owes Oregonians a clear picture of what she stands for so that they have concrete information upon which to base their decision on whether to vote for her. Her decision to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership counts. Issuing a strong defense of the deal to Oregonians caught up in an anti-trade fervor would count even more. - The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board Suspects.jpeg Eloy Carrera Jr. of Illinois, 20, left, and Denzel Cortez Hawthorne of Michigan, 22, have been ordered held on $2 million bail each after a judge deemed them a flight risk. (Marion County Sheriff's Office) SALEM -- Two men charged in a fatal shooting in Salem earlier this week have been ordered held on $2 million bail each after a judge deemed them a flight risk. The Salem Statesman-Journal reported Thursday that 22-year-old Denzel Hawthorne, of Michigan, and 20-year-old Eloy Carrera, of Illinois, were possibly traveling from North Dakota with drugs when the shooting occurred. According to court records, the two entered the home of 44-year-old Brett White on Monday with a shotgun and a pistol. When they ordered White's 20-year-old son give them his marijuana, White charged them and Hawthorne shot him in the head. Authorities arrested Hawthorne and Carrera on Tuesday at a Woodburn motel. They have another court date later this month and it wasn't immediately clear if they had attorneys. -- The Associated Press Missing Marion County hiker A hiker told Marion County sheriff's deputies Aug. 3, 2016, that he's the man shown in a photo taken July 29, 2016, of a man standing near a tent at Sprague Lake, deputies said. The family of Riley Zickel, a 21-year-old missing hiker, thought the photo showed Zickel. (Marion County Sheriff's Office) Update, 12:16 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 4: A hiker told Marion County sheriff's deputies Wednesday night that the photo taken Friday at Sprague Lake shows him standing near a tent, deputies said in a news release. The family of Riley Zickel, a 21-year-old missing hiker, thought the photo showed Zickel. A 40-person crew will resume search operations Thursday morning, deputies said. The rescuers will focus their efforts north and south along the Pacific Crest Trail. *** A week after a 21-year-old Lewis & Clark student set off for an overnight outing in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, authorities remain hopeful they'll find the missing hiker. And a photo taken by another hiker one day before Riley Zickel was reported missing may offer rescuers a clue. Deputies found his car at a trailhead Saturday night, and dozens of searchers have been looking for him since Sunday morning -- well past the usual duration of such a search and rescue operation. Zickel, of California, intended to stay overnight July 27 at Jefferson Park and leave the next day for a Seattle-area hike with friends. But the group canceled on him, and he told a friend he was going to extend his stay in Marion County a couple days, said Lt. Chris Baldridge, a county sheriff's office spokesman. "Our average search missions are 24 hours, maximum," Baldridge said. "We're in, we find the person right away, and we're out." This case, he said, is the "proverbial needle in a haystack because we don't know where he went to." Riley Zickel The photo, taken Friday, shows someone camping near Sprague Lake, which is north of Mount Jefferson and near the Pacific Crest Trail. Baldridge said authorities received the photo Monday but couldn't confirm whether Zickel is the camper. His family thinks it's him, Baldridge said. And the photo shows a tent that looks similar to one he uses. Baldridge said authorities have received other tips but noted that the only confirmed sighting of Zickel occurred Wednesday, when he entered into Jefferson Park and had a conversation with a hiker. Authorities are confident he had contact with the hiker, Baldridge said, but they haven't been able to place him at a specific location. Authorities don't have any plans to halt their search efforts and won't until they've made every possible effort to find him, Baldridge said. The sheriff's office said Zickel is an experienced hiker. He was carrying four days' worth of food, as well as water filtration and other outdoors gear, Baldridge said. Weather conditions have been favorable, he said. They should stay that way through at least Saturday night. Rescuers have concentrated on Jefferson Park and the mountain itself, as well as the north side of an area called Park Butte. On Wednesday, they focused on the south side of Park Butte and the along the Pamelia Lake Trail, where crews are working on horseback. A crew is working around the Olallie Lake area, as well. But they still have a lot of ground to cover, Baldridge said. "It's a really vast, wide open area," with meadows, steep canyons and tree cover, Baldridge said. Zickel could have gone in multiple directions, Baldridge said, and searchers are making sure to check each area. More than 60 people -- the vast majority of them volunteers -- searched for Zickel on Wednesday. That's constant with numbers from Sunday and Monday, while more than 30 turned up for Tuesday's search, he said. Authorities discourage impromptu rescuers from joining the search, instead asking family and friends to comfort and provide for Zickel's mother and father. Authorities ask anyone who sees signs of Zickel to call 503-584-7724. -- Jim Ryan jryan@oregonian.com 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Update 10:32 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 4 About 10 homes were put on an evacuation notice Tuesday night as a wildfire grows near the small town of Unity in eastern Oregon. Called the Rail fire, the blaze grew from 2,043 acres on Tuesday morning to more than 5,500 acres about 10 miles southwest of the Baker County town, officials said. Fire crews were pulled off the line during Tuesday because of the danger, but some went back out later that evening. The fire was pushed north and east by winds up to 35 mph on Tuesday, but crews are expecting calmer weather through Thursday, according to a news release. Almost 500 firefighters are at the fire with 11 bulldozers, 31 engines, 10 water tenders and four helicopters. More resources have been ordered. About 10 homes were placed on level 2 evacuation notices which suggest that people be prepared to evacuate should the risk increase, according to the news release. Other fires burning around the state: The Bybee Creek fire, burning in southern Oregon, has prompted an evacuation notice for parts of Crater Lake National Park, according to the Incident Information System. The fire started Thursday, has burned 788 acres and was 12 percent contained, as of Wednesday night. The 688-acre Weigh Station fire near Pendleton is 55 percent contained, as of Wednesday night. Evacuation notices are no longer in place, but people in homes near Deadman Pass near Meacham were evacuated Saturday and allowed to return to their homes Sunday. The Paulina fire, which was reported Tuesday afternoon northeast of La Pine, has burned 53 acres and is 80 percent contained, as of Wednesday night, according to central Oregon fire officials. A Level 1 evacuation notice for people at campgrounds along lower Paulina Lake Road has been lifted, as of Thursday morning. Forest Road 9735 is open again, as well. And the 30-acre Blue Top fire has prompted the closure of a portion of the McKenzie River Trail, as of Wednesday night. It has also cut off access to Blue Pool. The blaze, which started last Wednesday, is 40 percent contained. -- Tony Hernandez and Jim Ryan thernandez@oregonian.com; jryan@oregonian.com Gov. Kate Brown delivers State of the State address Gov. Kate Brown delivered her State of the State speech on Friday, April 8, 2016 at the City Club of Portland. Kristyna Wentz-Graff/Staff (The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com) This post has been updated: Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday morning that she supports every measure on the November ballot, including a controversial plan that could raise $3 billion annually by taxing companies based on their sales in Oregon. "I support Measure 97 because there is a basic unfairness in our tax system that makes working families pay an increasing share for state and local services, including public schools, senior services, and health care," Brown said in a written statement. The measure, currently known as Initiative Petition 28 but expected to appear on the ballot as Measure 97, would charge certain C corporations a 2.5 percent tax on their gross annual sales in Oregon above $25 million. The group behind the measure, Our Oregon, has the backing of the state's public employee unions. The governor's announcement followed months of speculation about whether she would take a position on the corporate tax measure or help negotiate an alternative tax plan and call lawmakers back to Salem for a special session to pass it. Although Brown had been talking to state economists, business interests and supporters of the measure earlier this year, the prospect that she might negotiate a compromise appeared to evaporate soon after a mysterious meeting in late May with Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem. Instead, Brown pitched a plan in early June for how the state should respond if voters pass the tax measure. It focused on counteracting some of the negative impacts of the tax that were forecast by state economists, from utility and consumer goods cost increases that would disproportionately hit low-income families to Oregon software companies that would be taxed on their sales to out-of-state customers. Brown proposed expanding the state's earned income tax credit, expanding a low-income energy assistance program and changing how the state classifies the location of sales for certain industries, so businesses such as software companies would not pay the tax on their sales to out-of-state customers. These and other parts of the governor's proposal, such as allowing businesses to subtract a portion of their Oregon payroll from their corporate tax bill, would reduce the amount of revenue the measure would generate. Brown has counted public employee unions and their political action committees among her top supporters over the years, according to an analysis of state campaign finance data going back to 2012. Her largest single donor was the political action committee Too Extreme for Oregon, headed by the director of the Service Employees International Union and funded by unions. The committee paid a total of $177,500 for political ads on Brown's behalf when she was running for re-election as secretary of state in 2012. More recently, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees gave Brown's campaign $100,000 in January and the Oregon Education Association contributed $50,000 in May. Otto Schell, legislative director for Oregon PTA, released a statement on behalf of the campaign in support of the ballot measure Thursday. "Gov. Brown has a clear vision of Oregon's future and Measure 97 helps fulfill that vision for our schools, our seniors, and for families needing health services," the campaign wrote. "Measure 97 will markedly improve the lives of Oregon families and students." Rebecca Tweed, a spokeswoman for the campaign against the measure, said in a statement that it "would increase the costs we pay for food, housing, electricity and virtually all other goods and services we buy. It does nothing to guarantee more funds for education, healthcare or anything else." The Portland Business Alliance also released a statement on Brown's announcement, saying that "based on her statement today, we are not clear where the governor truly stands on her intent should Measure 97 pass. Today she said she 'will make sure the funds the measure yields go towards schools, health care and seniors, as the voters expect.' But just a few weeks ago, she issued an implementation plan that would divert the money to other uses. These statements appear to be in conflict." Brown's Republican opponent in the November election, Bud Pierce, also weighed in. "Kate Brown believes that the government never has enough and always wants more," Pierce said in a statement. "I believe that the government has enough, if the government spends wisely." In announcing her support for the tax measure, Brown -- who spent nearly two decades in the Legislature -- referred to previous attempts by Oregon officials to increase and stabilize state tax revenues. Former Gov. John Kitzhaber had negotiated to keep similar initiatives off the ballot in previous years and planned to tackle revenue reform in his fourth term, but he resigned in 2015 amid an influence peddling scandal. Kitzhaber criticized Brown earlier this year for failing to lead on the corporate tax issue. "State leaders before me have repeatedly tried and failed to solve the problem of adequate and stable funding for schools and other state services," Brown said on Thursday. "Every solution has had strengths and weaknesses in terms of fairness and economic impact. None has succeeded in bringing the business community, individual and family taxpayers, service providers, and advocates together." -- Hillary Borrud hborrud@oregonian.com 503-294-4034; @hborrud Oregon lawmakers could spend the revenue from a corporate tax measure on the November ballot as they wish regardless of requirements in the measure, according to a new legal opinion released this week. Rep. John Davis, R-Wilsonville, asked lawyers for the Legislature whether lawmakers would be required to spend the new tax revenue in the three areas specified by the measure: early childhood and K-12 education, health care and senior services. "The answer is no," Chief Deputy Legislative Counsel Ted Reutlinger wrote in a letter to Davis on Monday. "[The measure] would not bind a future legislature in its spending decisions. If Measure 97 becomes law, the Legislative Assembly may appropriate revenues generated by the measure in any way it chooses." All the Legislature would need to do is pass a routine budget bill to dedicate the money to other programs, Reutlinger wrote. Opponents of the measure already raised that criticism last month, as a committee of state officials prepared an explanation of the measure's financial impact that will appear in the voter's pamphlet. Davis asked the Financial Estimate Committee this week to re-write the current version of the financial impact statement that stated the measure would "require" the Legislature to spend more money on early childhood and K-12 education, health care and senior services. The committee is scheduled to make a decision Friday on that request. The measure, which is currently known as Initiative Petition 28 but is expected to appear on the ballot as Measure 97, would charge certain C corporations a 2.5 percent tax on their gross annual sales in Oregon above $25 million. The tax would raise an estimated $3 billion annually. Ben Unger, executive director of the union-backed group Our Oregon and a chief petitioner for the measure, did not disagree with the legislative lawyer's analysis. However, Unger said the Legislature already spends most of the state budget on education, health care and senior services, and voters can be confident lawmakers will continue to do so in the future. "If the Legislature decides to change the statute, it can," Unger said. "But the truth is the budget is mostly pre-K, K-12, health care and senior services." Unger and the other measure sponsors started out with five different versions of the initiative, all with the same tax rate but different requirements for how the state would spend the new tax revenue. One version the sponsors ultimately rejected, Initiative Petition 22, would not have placed any requirements on how the Legislature spends the money. So why did Unger and the measure's other supporters decide to go with the version that calls for lawmakers to spend money on education, health care and senior services? Unger said the campaign gauged voter support for the various versions while talking to people early in the signature gathering process. "During those conversations, we talked to people about what their priorities were," Unger said. "It was clear that their collective priority was funding the things families need the most: grade school, health care and the ability to retire with dignity." -- Hillary Borrud 503-294-4034; @hborrud This post has been updated: A volunteer for a Democrat running for a Clackamas County seat in the Oregon Legislature faces criminal charges for allegedly recording the Republican candidate talking politics with him in a private campaign office. In Oregon, it is illegal to record an in-person conversation unless all parties are informed. Ethan Tatum showed up to Republican Evon Tekorius' Oregon City office on July 16 and asked to take part in her "Super Saturday" campaign event, said campaign manager Ben Carpenter. After spending the morning going door-to-door, Tatum, 26, came back to the office and started questioning Tekorius on hot-button issues, Carpenter said. Another member of the campaign then noticed Tatum hiding a recording device as he grilled the candidate on topics including a controversial ballot measure to raise corporate taxes. Tatum, who is a volunteer for the Mark Meek campaign, declined to comment. Meek, a Democrat, is running for the open state representative seat in House District 40, a Clackamas County swing district. About 40 percent of registered voters are Democrats, while about 30 percent are Republicans. House Democrats spokesman Scott Moore said recording an "opponent's speeches, rallies and public events is a routine practice in political campaigns." The Super Saturday event was advertised on social media, and Tatum was sent to record it as a public event. However, Moore added, "campaigns and their staff are trained and instructed not to record private conversations without the knowledge of all attendees. "If it turns out that the volunteer recorded more than he should have, that is unacceptable, and it wasn't at the direction of the campaign," Moore said. According to the Oregon City Municipal Court's website, Tatum could face a fine of $6,240 for violating a state law that says you can't record an in-person conversation if all participants aren't specifically informed. His arraignment will be held Aug. 17. Video trackers - people who follow candidates around and record them in hopes of catching a gaffe - are a growing part of the political landscape, said Jim Moore, a political science professor at Pacific University. "It's become more prevalent for two reasons," Moore said. "First of all, people see that it works. It gets ideas out there that people otherwise wouldn't have and shows candidates in a way that they don't control as well." In 2012, Mitt Romney's secretly recorded comment about the 47 percent dominated election coverage. And last year, Sen. Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro) faced censure after he was caught on video saying the Supreme Court was "right for the time" about slavery. House Republicans spokesman Preston Mann said polling has already been done on the issue, though he declined to share results. Voters were asked if they were more or less likely to vote for Meek based on this statement: "Meek sent a campaign staffer to the office of his opponent with instructions to secretly record her and her campaign staff, which is illegal under Oregon law. Local authorities are currently investigating Meek for his actions." The Oregon City Police Department's investigation is "specific to the person who went into the campaign office," said Sgt. Matt Paschall. The department is not investigating Meek. "I think voters in House District 40 care about an issue like this and if a campaign is being investigated for a crime or facing charges, we think that's relevant to a race," Mann said. "So we asked the question." Moore said the polling question is "blatantly dishonest." "It shows that they're planning on lying all the way through November," he said, "rather than talking about the issues that matter to the lives of Oregon City residents." Mann said Tatum's actions represent a violation of privacy. "if the individual wanted to come in and ask Evon questions, that's one thing. We'd welcome that all day long," he said. "But when motivations are not pure, like this, it's troubling." - Talia Richman @TaliRichman A grand jury has returned a 21-count indictment against Michael Strickland, the man accused of pulling a handgun on a crowd of protesters in downtown Portland in early July, according to court records. The indictment, returned Thursday, charges Strickland, 36, of Southeast Portland with 10 counts of unlawful use of a weapon, 10 counts of menacing and one count of disorderly conduct. The weapons charges are Class C felonies, and the menacing charges are misdemeanors. Each unlawful use of a weapon charge accuses Strickland of attempting to use, and possessing with intent to use a firearm against another. The menacing charge accuses Strickland of placing another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury. He's scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment Friday morning. A settlement conference is scheduled for Oct. 13. Strickland was released from custody on July 19, after posting 10 percent of his $250,000 bail. He's among 18 people who testified before the grand jury, according to the indictment. Strickland had an extended clip in what appeared to be a Glock 26 that he swept at chest level multiple times in front of Don't Shoot PDX protesters and a plain-clothed Portland police officer on July 7, according to Multnomah County prosecutor Katie Molina. Hundreds of protesters had gathered downtown to demonstrate against the deaths of two black men in back-to-back police shootings this week in Minnesota and Louisiana. Portland Officer Branden L. Combs was in Chapman Square during the protest and heard people running by him yelling, "Gun! Gun!'' and "He's got a gun,'' according to a probable cause affidavit. One of the protesters told police that he had recognized Strickland from other demonstrations where he had tried to "incite or instigate others," and attempted to tell Strickland. That's when he saw Strickland reach under his shirt and pull out the weapon, according to a court affidavit. Officer Combs was standing about 20 to 25 yards from Strickland when he saw him sweep the crowd with the firearm, Molina wrote in the affidavit. Once Strickland was arrested, police found the loaded handgun with a round in the chamber of the gun, plus two magazines of ammunition in a belt pouch on his left side, two magazines in his front right pants pocket and one magazine in his left front pants pocket, Molina said. He also had a pocket knife in his right front pants pocket. Strickland's attorney Chris Trotter countered last month in court that Strickland was a journalist with a concealed weapons license who "has every right to protect himself.'' He said he'd never heard of such a high bail sought for a defendant with no past criminal record. Trotter accused the district attorney's office of "making an example'' of his client in front of a courtroom with media and news cameras, and amid a climate of heightened sensitivity to guns. Trotter last month also called the state's allegations "conflated and confused,'' and said it was Strickland who had been previously assaulted during his work. Strickland has also retained lawyer Jason Glenn Short, who could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian Police are asking for the public's help to identify a man who robbed a Northeast Portland bank last week. At 1:16 p.m. on Friday, North Precinct officers responded to a robbery at the Albina Community Bank, at 2002 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Bank employees told officers the suspect had a knife and demanded money. He left with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. Police are now releasing surveillance images of the suspect. Crime Stoppers of Oregon also is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Tips can be left by phone at 503-823-HELP (4357), sent by text message to CRIMES, or 274637. Type 823HELP, followed by the tip. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian Intel recalled its Basis Peak line of smartwatches Wednesday, warning they could overheat and injure wearers. The world's largest maker of computer chips, eager to diversify beyond the fading PC market, acquired Basis Science in 2014. Reports pegged the price between $100 million and $150 million. Intel warned owners in June that it had received reports the Basis Peak watches were overheating and recommended people stop wearing them. The company said it hoped to solve the problem with a software fix but couldn't find one. "We are issuing this safety recall of the Basis Peak watch because the watch can overheat, which could result in burns or blisters on the skin surface," said Josh Walden, the Intel vice president in charge of its new technology group, in the recall notice. "It is important that you stop using your watch immediately and return it." Intel promised buyers a full refund, and Walden apologized for the company's inability to find a better solution. When it bought Basis, Intel called the company a leading maker of digital health tracking tools and promised it would extend the chipmaker's push into wearable computing. Intel's new technologies group produces a tiny fraction of its revenue, so the recall isn't a financial strain for the company. It does, though, represent an embarrassment and a reminder of just how difficult a transition Intel is facing as it seeks to find new homes for its chips. -- Mike Rogoway mrogoway@oregonian.com 503-294-7699 @rogoway tektronix_logo_patbyrne.jpg Tektronix chief executive Pat Byrne plans to use software to customize Tek's instruments for specific industries. (Wonder Knack) New owner, same dreary results. In its first quarter as part of a newly formed conglomerate called Fortive, core sales at Tektronix were down by percentages in the high single digits, according to the company, "broadly reflecting weak semiconductor and consumer electronics activity outside of China." The weak quarter was no surprise - Tektronix has been a big disappointment since Fortive's predecessor, Danaher, bought Tektronix nearly a decade ago. These days, though, no one's trying to hide Tek's lousy performance - least of all Danaher. When Danaher split in two last spring, it took all the high-growth businesses in its portfolio and saddled the newly formed spinoff, Fortive, with fading brands like Tek. Last quarter, the companies' first after the split, Danaher's sales were up 17 percent. Fortive's were down about 1 percent. Tektronix was Danaher's biggest acquisition ever back in 2007, when it paid $2.85 billion for Oregon's signature technology company. Danaher, at the time, was a conglomerate of old-line industrial companies that clearly had no idea what to do with Tek, which served advanced electronics designers and manufacturers. Tektronix makes oscilloscopes and similar instruments that measure the voltage from electronics, which engineers use to evaluate the performance of everything from smartphones and TVs to computer chips and communications networking gear. The company was aging even before its sale, shedding product lines while struggling to find a way to expand its market. Still, the Danaher Business System - rigid and inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, or continuous improvement - was a poor fit with Tektronix's open, inventive heritage. Danaher spent nine years trying to squeeze a square culture into its round company before giving up and spinning Tek off into Fortive. Fortive is run by Danaher alumni, though, and is adopting its predecessor's management strategy. There's been no indication Tek's prospects are any better under new ownership. "It's been somewhat disappointing for the last four years or so," Morgan Stanley analyst Nigel Coe told Fortive executives on their analyst call Tuesday. "What do you think it's going to take to get this business back to growth over the next couple of years? Is there an upgrade cycle? ... What's going to -- what will it take to get back to growth?" Fortive chief executive Jim Lico, who briefly ran Tektronix immediately after its sale, struggled to respond. "Well, I think when we look at we'll see some stabilization there in the second half, as we -- some of that will be comp related but also, some of that is really some of the things they have been doing that will start to see some traction," Lico said. He said Tektronix has been set back by macroeconomic weakness in Europe and, oddly, in the United States, where the economy is generally quite strong. In fact, Tektronix is trying to do some things differently. When it unveiled a new logo last winter, Tek President Pat Byrne also introduced a new strategy to use software to customize Tektronix instruments for specific markets - computing, communications or automotive, for example. It's too soon to judge the results of that initiative, of course, and too soon to write off Tektronix. It certainly has the raw material for a turnaround. The company, which celebrated its 70th anniversary this year, still employs hundreds of people at its Washington County headquarters (maybe more than 1,000? Fortive won't say) and its scopes remain a staple of many engineers' lab benches. NBC is again using Tektronix instruments to test audio and video for this month's Olympic broadcasts. Tektronix and Fortive declined an invitation to speak about last quarter's results or Tek's position in the new company. Byrne did offer a brief, written statement, reiterating growth in China and in the chip industry, and stating that bookings indicates improvement in Tek's backlog of orders. "Tektronix plays a vital role in Fortive's product realization strategy as we help our customers advance technology and accelerate innovation," Byrne wrote. -- Mike Rogoway mrogoway@oregonian.com 503-294-7699 @rogoway Jay Nixon In this Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016 file photo, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon delivers the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) The head of Missouri's public defender system says budget cuts have prevented him from hiring more attorneys even as caseloads are up. Fortunately, state law allows him to appoint any member of the bar to serve as indigent defense. On Wednesday, he picked one: the state's governor, Jay Nixon. Nixon, a Democrat from a small town south of St. Louis who previously served as the state's attorney general, has repeatedly restricted funding for indigent defense, said Michael Barrett, the director of the state public defense system. In a 2009 study, the state ranked 49th in per-capita spending on public defense. As a result, public defenders have double their maximum recommended caseload, the office said. Missouri's public defense caseload is well documented by the local press. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on a Jefferson County public defender who juggles 130 to 150 cases at a time. A 2014 study found attorneys spend an average of 27.3 hours less on each case than they should to provide effective counsel. Missouri also has a relatively high bar to qualify for indigent defense, the paper reported. It's easier in the state to qualify for food stamps. Barrett has previously said the state is violating Missourians' constitutional rights by failing to provide its poorest residents assistance of counsel. In 2015, the office received $3.4 million boost from the state legislature to contract cases out to private members of the state bar association. Nixon vetoed the appropriate, but lawmakers overrode the veto. Nixon withheld the funds, Barrett said in his annual report on the department. The office challenged the governor's actions in court. In the letter sent Wednesday, Barrett notes state law gives him the authority to delegate any person's legal representation to any member of the state bar. He said he's previously refrained from such assignments. "However, given the extraordinary circumstances ... it strikes me that I should begin with the one attorney in the state who not only created this problem, but is in a unique position to address it," Barrett wrote. "I hereby appoint you, Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon, Bar No. 29603, to enter your appearance as counsel of record in the attached case." It wasn't immediately clear what case Nixon was assigned. His spokesman told The Wall Street Journal he didn't plan to take the case, adding that the public defender doesn't have the authority to appoint private counsel. Barrett is appointed not by the governor, but by a board of seven members of the Missouri Public Defender Commission, who are appointed by the governor. &amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3004655/Delegation-of-Representation.pdf"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Delegation-of-Representation (PDF)&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3004655/Delegation-of-Representation.txt"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Delegation-of-Representation (Text)&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt; -- Elliot Njus enjus@oregonian.com 503-294-5034 @enjus Broussard.JPG Bruce Broussard (File photo) America's minor political parties have a major opportunity this election season. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton -- the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, respectively -- are disliked by a remarkably large percentage of voters. And so an electoral system that is structured to lock in major-party dominance has potentially opened up. One established Oregon community activist has decided the Republicans and Democrats have had their chance, and he is getting behind Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party of Oregon announced this week. Bruce Broussard, a long-time Republican who ran for Portland mayor this year, has joined the minor party. "Over the years, and especially during this election, it has become clear that we need a strong and effective third party to represent the American people," Broussard said in a statement. "I will continue to work with my Republican and Democrat friends where I can, but I look forward to bringing a fiscal conservative and socially liberal voice to Multnomah County politics." Broussard is best known for helming the long-running "Oregon Voter Digest" cable-access show. Last week, Broussard interviewed the Libertarian Party's Scott Scrimshaw, who lived in New Mexico when Johnson was the Republican governor of the state. "From a small-businessman's perspective ... I really see great merit in the Johnson/Weld ticket," Scrimshaw said on the program. Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld is Johnson's running mate. Scrimshaw added that Johnson and Weld understand "what unifies us as a nation." You can watch the interview below. With three months to go to Election Day, Johnson is up to 12 percent in one recent poll. If he gets to 15 percent in the polls come September, he will be allowed to participate in the high-profile televised debates. Other minor-party presidential candidates -- most notably the Green Party's Jill Stein, who's trying to appeal to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' supporters -- are vying for slices of the electorate in this unusual election season. But the Libertarian Party, as Broussard noted by referring to its low-taxes, limited-regulation economic platform and permissive stands on everything from recreational drugs to gay marriage, can appeal to both conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. Conventional wisdom says that Libertarian candidates primarily pull in disaffected Republicans, but recent polls suggest that Johnson is holding down Clinton's numbers more than Trump's. Broussard, a Vietnam War veteran, has headed up the Portland Observer newspaper and been involved with the City Club of Portland and the Oregon chapter of the NAACP. He and his wife run the restaurant Norma's Kitchen. -- Douglas Perry Sauvie Island is known for its beaches - yes, the nude beach included - but visitors looking to get away from the sand can enjoy a much greener experience instead. The Wapato Access Greenway gives hikers and picnickers a decidedly grassier alternative, offering a two-mile loop trail around Virginia Lake that passes by beautiful wetlands, towering oaks and hundreds of species of wildlife. The greenway takes up a chunk of the southwestern side of the island, bordered by the Multnomah Channel on one side, and farms on the other. It can't boast any good views off the island, instead offering an easy stroll around the local ecosystem. A two-mile hike around the Wapato Access Greenway on Sauvie Island near Portland offers a break from the beach, with towering oaks, wildlife viewing and a beautifully diverse ecosystem. A two-mile hike around the Wapato Access Greenway on Sauvie Island near Portland offers a break from the beach, with towering oaks, wildlife viewing and a beautifully diverse ecosystem. A two-mile hike around the Wapato Access Greenway on Sauvie Island near Portland offers a break from the beach, with towering oaks, wildlife viewing and a beautifully diverse ecosystem. You can find the trailhead off N.W. Sauvie Island Rd. about 2.5 miles north of the Sauvie Island Bridge. The property is managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation, so you won't need to worry about the island parking permit, but the small parking lot can fill up fast so consider going in the morning or on a weekday if you can. A small path leads from the parking lot to a picnic shelter, where the trail forks around either side of Virginia Lake. Head right to pass through a meadow with several big Oregon White Oaks. A sign beneath one of the trees is a gentle reminder that the oaks once dominated the Willamette Valley. The trail dips southeast soon after, running along the side of Multnomah Channel. Don't expect any views of the channel - even the scenic viewpoint is obscured by hanging branches. At the far end the trail turns to gravel and forks again. Stay left to complete the loop, or go right to get to Hadley's Landing, a lovely dock with picnic tables and a bathroom. If you're still craving the beach by the end, don't worry - N.W. Sauvie Island Rd. connects with Reeder Road just south of the greenway. --Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB Bobcat kitten A young bobcat kitten in a behind-the-scenes area at the Oregon Zoo's veterinary medical center. The zoo is briefly hosting the young kitten until it can be moved to a permanent home at another accredited zoo. (Oregon Zoo / photo by Michael Durham.) A furry little bobcat kitten has taken up residence at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, officials said Thursday, after some misguided do-gooders attempted to "rescue" the tiny feline, though he was likely never in any trouble to begin with. Last month, the bobkitten, a male estimated to be around 2 months old, was grabbed up by a couple near Eagle Point, Oregon, after they thought the cat was distressed. Officials from the zoo called the couple's attempt to "rescue" the bobcat from a danger that likely did not exist "well-meaning but misguided." "If you see a young animal alone, please leave it where it is," Michelle Dennehy, a wildlife communications coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said in a statement, noting that removing an animal from the wild is illegal and reduces its chances of survival. "Its mother is likely to be nearby, even if she can't be seen," Dennehy continued. "Most animals leave their young to forage or hunt. Bobcat kittens, when taken from the wild and fed by people for more than a few short days, become habituated to humans and most likely can never survive in the wild without causing problems with people, pets or livestock." Wildlife officials determined that the kitten had been out of the wild for too long and would not survive if it was returned to the forest. This is not the first case of humans thinking they know better than mother nature when it comes to baby animals. In May, tourists snatched up a baby bison in Yellowstone National Park after they thought it looked cold. They put the young bovine in the back of their van and drove it to a ranger station. Attempts to reunite the bison with its mother were unsuccessful and it "was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway," park officials said. The problem of people approaching, and sometimes attempting to handle, baby harbor seals is bad enough that every year wildlife officials issue warnings at the beginning of pup season warning the public in dire terms not to get near the adorable critters. For the Oregon bobkitten, officials at the Zoo were lucky in that they were able to locate a suitable home for the cat. Rebecca Stites, bobcat population manager for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, was able to procure the feline a new home. He'll be staying at the Oregon Zoo until a transfer can be arranged, which should take place in a couple weeks, said Kristin Spring, hospital manager for the Oregon Zoo's veterinary medical center. "In most cases, we try to arrange for animals to go directly to their new homes," she said in a statement. "But in special situations, we can care for them at the zoo for a short time depending on space. Fortunately, we had room at our vet center this time." While this little critter is objectively adorable, bobcats grow up to be fierce predators capable of bringing down small deer. A notoriously shy species, they do their best to avoid people and the kitten at the zoo will not be on display before he's transferred to his new home. If members of the public encounter a young animal alone in the wild, officials said to absolutely leave it where it is and, if they are concerned for its welfare, contact the ODFW, Oregon State Police or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. -- Kale Williams kwilliams@oregonian.com 503-294-4048 Oregonians have worried about earthquakes for years. But ever since publication of "The Really Big One," Kathryn Schulz's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 report about the long-overdue Cascadia subduction-zone rupture, that worry has flirted with outright panic. "When the next very big earthquake hits, the northwest edge of the continent, from California to Canada and the continental shelf to the Cascades, will drop by as much as six feet and rebound 30 to a hundred feet to the west -- losing, within minutes, all the elevation and compression it has gained over centuries," Schulz wrote, before adding: "By the time the shaking has ceased and the tsunami has receded, the region will be unrecognizable." Then came the money quote, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Northwest director Kenneth Murphy: "Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast." Wonderful. Of course, Oregon and Washington residents aren't the only ones who are stocking up on bottled water and figuring out where in their house is the safest place to duck and cover. Canadians in British Columbia are also thinking about the inevitable great quake, which scientists say has a one-in-three chance of happening in the next 50 years. "The risk of large, damaging earthquakes in B.C. cannot be understated," British Columbia's minister of state for emergency preparedness, Naomi Yamamoto, said this week in the Toronto Globe and Mail. The good news: Canada is aggressively doing something about it. And, at least theoretically, this could help British Columbia's brethren along the U.S. West Coast -- if, that is, Oregon and Washington officials set up a Batphone connecting them with B.C. quake monitors. Much of the death and injury in a major earthquake, says Ocean Networks Canada director Kathryn Moran, are a result of "being in the wrong place at the wrong time." By wrong place she doesn't mean living on the West Coast. She means being on a bridge, under a power line or undergoing surgery when the Big One rumbles. So Canada has invested in underwater accelerometers that can detect the earliest rumblings of the Cascadia fault in the Pacific Ocean. Ocean Networks Canada, a marine-research outfit, began installing accelerometers on the Pacific Ocean floor last month. Writes the Globe and Mail: By the end of 2018, once all eight sensors in the ocean are in place together with many more on land, the system will be able to alert officials the moment a major earthquake begins offshore -- potentially up to 90 seconds before the worst shaking reaches areas with the highest population density. In that time, trains could be alerted to slow down, bridges and tunnels closed to traffic, gas lines shut off, elevators brought to the ground floor, computer systems powered down and surgeons signaled to stop delicate procedures. That's a big ask, as the saying goes. Even assuming such an ambitious early-warning system actually works, the human factor then comes into play. Our instincts when an alarm goes off are to believe it's a malfunction and wait for confirmation that it's the real thing before leaping into action. With only 90 seconds -- at best -- before the walls start coming down, there will be no time for such hesitation. Training, obviously, will be key. Canada might be out front on high-tech preparedness efforts, but U.S., Oregon and Washington officials are working hard to do their part as well. The non-profit Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup reported in 2013 that a coalition of West Coast universities and the U.S. Geological Survey "have begun development of an earthquake early-warning system," noting that the Canadian effort was further along. In January, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown appointed the state's first-ever "resilience officer" -- essentially, Oregon's earthquake-preparedness czar. Two months ago, FEMA oversaw a large-scale Northwest earthquake-disaster drill called "Cascadia Rising." -- Douglas Perry Walmart Walmart may be in talks to purchase e-commerce company Jet.com as it struggles to compete with Amazon's online sales. (The Associated Press) Still unfamiliar with Jet.com? Walmart sure isn't. In fact, the mega-retailer may be looking to buy the e-commerce company, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Jet, just over a year old, has been working to attract Amazon shoppers with lower prices, but needs more funding. Meanwhile, Walmart has scrambled to keep up with Amazon online: Its e-commerce sales have grown to nearly $14 billion, a fraction of Amazon's total revenues of $107 billion, the Journal reported. (Walmart's total revenue was $482 billion last year.) If a deal goes through, Jet could get the infrastructure and cash infusion it needs, while allowing Walmart to grow beyond its brick-and-mortar stores and make quick home deliveries. Read the full Wall Street Journal story here, or a similar story from The New York Times here. -- Anna Marum amarum@oregonian.com 503-294-5911 @annamarum Senior Airman Jasmin Figueroa was selected as one the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2016 during her time as a 51st Medical Operations Squadron emergency services technician at Osan AB, Republic of Korea. This award recognizes 12 outstanding enlisted service members for superior leadership, job performance, community involvement and personal achievements. She is just extremely motivated and genuinely cares, said Maj. Regan Lyon, 51st MDOS emergency services flight commander. She cares not just about patients, but about people. Figueroa was selected for Senior Airman Below-the-Zone for her dedication to her people and mission. Some of her accomplishments were leading the pediatrics clinic while overseeing the duties of seven Airmen, driving the wing influenza campaign, and directing a team of three medics to vaccinate 4,000 personnel. She also facilitated five specialty clinic operations that cared for over 15,000 beneficiaries, garnering her the 2015 USAF Outstanding Aerospace Medicine Airman of the Year Award. The next step in her career is her move to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, to work in a labor and delivery unit. I am so excited! I cannot wait to learn different skills. I have always wanted to become a nurse midwife, Figueroa said. I know this was a God-move, and that I need to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to grow in my career. Lyon says Airmen wanting to follow in Figueroa footsteps should look at her motivation, pride, humility, caring nature, drive and attitude. Other Airmen should take note of those qualities and do their best to use similar qualities in whatever projects or tasks they have, Lyon said. Figueroa will be presented the Outstanding Airman of the Year Award in September at the 2016 Air Force Association Air and Space Conferences and Technology Exposition in Washington D.C. Award-winners earn the Outstanding Airman ribbon with the bronze service star device and wear the Outstanding Airman badge for one year. They also serve on the Air Force Enlisted Council for one year. For Figueroa, she feels blessed to be chosen as an outstanding Airman. It is still very unreal to me, Figueroa said. I know God placed the right people in my life, and I am very grateful for everyones help! Figueroas advice to Airman is that whatever they want to do, to make sure it comes from the heart. I learned that success comes from trying to help others succeed. It is more fun and more rewarding that way. I would definitely encourage everyone to work hard and not lose sight of what your goals are, Figueroa said. Currently Reading Cliff dancing, Facekinis and other intriguing photos out of China A teen caught riding a lawn tractor around a school campus has received definitive word about where he is not allowed to operate the vehicle. A Midland County sheriffs deputy answered a 7:40 p.m. Tuesday call, bringing him to the Meridian Public Schools campus for a report of a 16-year-old boy riding a lawn tractor around the school grounds. The teen left before the deputy reached the scene, but school staff requested that the student be told he was not allowed to ride the tractor at the school. A red flag waves at the entrance of the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam firing range, warning bystanders that firing is in progress. On the range, military members and civilians train with combat arms instructors from the 36th Security Forces Squadron to ensure personnel are meeting training requirements and can effectively defend military assets and people in a hostile environment. To me, fulfilling this mission means ensuring that whoever goes out that door comes back, said Tech. Sgt. Yerida Vazquez, 36th SFS NCO in charge of combat arms. Knowing that we do our best to qualify and teach students how to utilize their weapons is essential to us. We want to see those individuals come back home, so we emphasize safety when it comes to the weapon, but we also focus on using the weapon if the need arises. On average, 50 to 70 students pass through the training facility each month. The outdoor firing range supports those who are required to qualify yearly in addition to service members preparing for deployment or those that are required to qualify for a permanent change of station. In addition to training service members, the range also supports many outside agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture, Guam Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. Were one of the only ranges on island, so in turn, I would say we help keep the island safe because multiple government agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Federal Bureau of Investigation use this range to qualify, said Staff Sgt. William Adkins, 36th SFS combat arms instructor. Theyre out there keeping the entire island safe, and we facilitate that by letting them use our range. I feel we have a big impact by operating this range. In addition to supporting many outside agencies, the versatile range allows combat arms instructors to provide training on several weapons systems such as the M4 carbine, M11 pistol, M9 pistol, the Remington M870 shotgun, and heavy weapons including the M240 machine gun, M249 light machine gun and M203 grenade launcher. Their skill with various weapons systems and teaching techniques enables them to provide training to many agencies. The instructors are identifiable by their red hats that are a symbol of their skill in their field. To earn the red hat, most instructors go through the Air Forces standard retraining process except they are required to be a security forces member before applying. Those that don the red hat after nine weeks of training are technical experts in the fields of training and maintenance for combat arms. Part of the combat arms teams responsibilities includes keeping track of all the weapons assigned to the 36th Wing and inspecting and performing required maintenance annually. Regular maintenance keeps weapons safe, reliably accurate and decreases the chance of jamming. The instructors follow the Combat Arms Instructors Creed as they perform their duties in maintaining weapons and teaching combat skills. The creed states that their efforts are for the men and women they train. The Air Forces profession of arms depends on the instructors abilities to maintain a force capable of defending itself in times of peace and war. Im motivated by knowing that we keep the people who protect the base safe, Adkins said. If they have to use their weapon, its usually in a life or death situation and we train them to operate on muscle memory so they can react accordingly and use their weapon to save their own life and the lives of others. As firing ceases at the end of the day, the flag lowers, signaling that training has been completed for the day and the combat arms instructors return to their homes knowing theyve helped build effective marksmen charged with protecting Air Force assets and people. Focus on the Flames U.S. Air Force Col. Scott Maskery, the 374th Mission Support Group commander, tries on a firefighting mask before engaging in fire training at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 1, 2016. Maskery suited up to learn about the processes and how Yokota firefighters operate as a team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Delano Scott/Released) Yokota welcomes new 5AF leadership U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Zachary Cody, left, an aircrew flight equipment journeyman, with the 374th Operations Support Squadron, gives a brief description of the F-2B life raft inflating system to Brig. Gen. Michael Winkler, second from the left, 5th Air Force vice commander, during his immersion tour at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 2, 2016. Aircrew Flight Equipment (AFE) specialists with the 374th Operations Support Squadron make sure aircrew have the supplies necessary for their missions. The team of AFE Airmen pack emergency items such as parachutes and survival kits and also maintain helmets and oxygen masks. (U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe/Released) Question: McLean County last fall produced a yield of 63.2 million bushels of corn (almost 400 bushels per resident!), the most of any county in Illinois. But it actually was one other county in the area that produced the most corn PER acre. Do you know which one? (a) DeWitt; (b) Logan; (c) Piatt; (d) Macon. Having made a triumphant trilogy of thrillers in The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Matt Damon announced that he was moving on. He joked that if he ever returned to the character of the rogue CIA assassin, the film should be called The Bourne Redundancy. It was a good hunch. The fifth entry in the series (following Jeremy Renners much-scoffed sidebar spin-off The Bourne Legacy) is as exciting as a carbon copy produced by a clone. In its effort to bring the story into the modern world of Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks, with illegal domestic surveillance and privacy rights locked in a death struggle, Jason Bourne hops around the globe and across inessential subplots. Despite some action sequences that are poetry in motion, and a high-profile cast teaming Damon with fellow Oscar winners Alicia Vikander and Tommy Lee Jones, it feels like an average celluloid spy film at best. We meet Bourne here still physically astounding after a decade of living solo off the grid. Tense as ever, he pays for his tiny flat in the European hinterlands by flattening rivals in gamblers fistfights, punching them like Popeye after a can of spinach. Returning director Paul Greengrass revives his shaky-cam technique for a jittery, quasi-documentary feel, but the rousing you-are-there feeling has evaporated. Bournes amnesia still causes painful flashbacks. But he has abandoned his goal of exposing the truth of the CIA programming project that turned him from ordinary agent into superhuman super-spy. Then his old ally Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) shows up in Athens with newly hacked information regarding his recruitment and the death of his father. The chase is on (and on and on) with the CIA determined to bring Bourne in or bring him down at any cost. The story widens as the agencys scowling director Robert Dewey (Jones) and ambitious cyber analyst Heather Lee (Vikander) link Bournes pursuit to another enemy of their bureau. Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed), a Mark Zuckerberg-like internet billionaire, aims to limit their unlimited surveillance powers on his billions of users. That sort of makes sense. Much of the film is devoted to speed typing beside computer screens, smartphones and GPS maps. Its also an interesting echo of the recent standoff between Apple and the FBI over issues of privacy, but it is not exciting. Greengrass, scripting with his longtime editor Christopher Rouse, is leagues behind the sharp screenplay Tony Gilroy has given the series from the beginning. They move us beyond the shadowy spy program Treadstone to the supposedly scarier Iron Hand, but never light the scary fuse. They introduce the Asset, an assassin Bourne must elude, but provide almost no details about why he is so vengefully eager to kill his target. Vincent Cassel barely scratches below the surface of the personality-free role, wrenching against the steering wheels of zooming vehicles and staring villainously in the eyepiece of his high-tech rifle. The films most intriguing point is its politically charged subtext. The chaos opens in a Molotov-throwing mass riot outside the Greek parliament and ends with a car-smashing race across the Las Vegas Strip. Beginning in the birthplace of democracy and concluding where it is living out its current late stage, Jason Bourne appears to be saying something about our cultural decline. If thats the real implication, the conclusion should have happened in Hollywood. BLOOMINGTON Brian Petersen was a shy, bright, young man who was the center of his parents' lives, a family friend said this week as she and others come to grips with accusations that Petersen murdered his parents Sunday morning in their rural Bloomington home. Chris Carlton of Lexington hired the 25-year-old to help with renovations at her business after he dropped out of Augustana College in 2010. "What you see here is nothing close to the young man who worked for me," said Carlton. Nancy and Bruce Petersen, meanwhile, are being remembered for their involvement in the dog show community. Friends spoke of her cheerfulness and willingness to help and his "unflappable" leadership. Both were extremely kind, thoughtful and generous people, said Karen Burge of Normal, who was the Corn Belt Kennel Club secretary when Bruce Petersen was its president. According to authorities, Nancy Petersen, 63 was stabbed as she sat in a chair and her 68-year-old husband was attacked after he woke up to commotion in the house. Bruce Petersen managed to call 911 shortly before 9 a.m. but he died of his injuries Sunday afternoon at a Peoria hospital. Brian Petersen, an only child, lived with his parents in a home on Lara Trace west of Bloomington. Carlton and Nancy Petersen shared a common background as trained mental health therapists and a love of dogs dating back more than 40 years. Carlton owns Trilogy 2 Counseling Services of Central Illinois in Lexington. Brian Petersen and his parents had a close bond, said Carlton, that included vacations, following his cross country track competitions and supporting his efforts to find a job. "He was happy, bright, and articulate. Everybody loved Brian," said Carlton. Last week, he quit a job as a painter in an El Paso body shop and told his parents he had to travel to Louisville, Ky. On Saturday, Nancy Petersen canceled plans with a friend because her son had been involved in an accident, totaling his car, in Indiana on the way to Kentucky, Carlton said. Indiana State Police could not immediately confirm that information. Friends said they learned on Sunday the couple had been killed and their son was in custody, facing murder charges. According to police, Brian Petersen admitted to killing his parents but said he could not disclose the reason for his actions. During a bond hearing on Monday, Petersen appeared disoriented and unable to answer basic questions from the judge. He was jailed in lieu of posting $600,035. Petersen was evaluated Tuesday by Springfield psychiatrist Dr. Terry Killian, who will determine Petersen's mental fitness to stand trial. If found mentally unfit, Petersen would be transferred to a state mental health facility for treatment. Bruce and Nancy Petersen began training and showing dogs in 1986, first adopting Duggan, an Irish terrier. They began breeding and training dogs and continued to do so until their deaths. An Irish terrier owned by the Petersens was a Best in Breed winner at the 1989 Purina Invitational Dog Show in St. Louis. At the time, the St. Louis event was the largest invitational dog show in the nation. According to a profile on the Town and Country Kennel Club website, the Petersens earned champion titles on 14 dogs they have bred. Nancy Petersen began teaching puppy classes in 2003, participated in curriculum development, and was committed to responsible breeding, temperament testing and proper socialization for all puppies, the profile said. The couple married on June 4, 1983, in Bloomington. Nancy Petersen went to Bloomington High School and had bachelors and masters degrees in education from Illinois State University. Bruce Petersen retired from State Farm after more than 35 years with the company. Training and showing dogs led them to make friends from all over the country, including Karen Passow of Racine, Wis. Nancy always had a big smile on her face and cheered for everyone in the ring, Passow said. Here in Wisconsin, she was always willing to volunteer and help in any way she could. "At the Grays Lake shows in June, Nancy and Bugs went Best in Show in the Owner Handler Series," Passow said. "The smile Nancy had on her face after this win will be how I remember her. The Petersens were heavily involved with the Corn Belt Kennel Club, a co-sponsor of an annual dog show in Bloomington. Burge described Bruce Petersen as always unflappable and said he provided very positive leadership as president. Nancy Petersen, who served on the club's board and various committees, did not know a stranger and she would go out of her way to make people feel welcome and important. Burge said. She always wore a smile and made any contact warm and personal. Burge added, My life is better for having known these two caring people. "Although I would love for the citizens to be able to have their say on the ballot ... my duty is to apply the law here," Circuit Court Judge Scott Kording said. Buckman Europe Achieves OHSAS 18001 Certification for their Ghent Facility August 4, 2016 - In May 2016 Buckman achieved OHSAS 18001 certification in Europe for implementation and operation of a management system for occupational safety and health, intended to control risks and improve performance. Europe joins four other Buckman associate companies China, Mexico, Singapore, and South Africa to hold this prestigious certification. Buckman promotes their safety program, Safe by Choice, at all company and customer sites to raise awareness of safety and health issues in the workplace. Buckman is guided by the golden principle that all occupational illnesses and injuries can be prevented. For this reason the OHSAS 18001 certification is the perfect tool to establish appropriate safety and health policy for companies like Buckman who encourage continuous improvement in all areas. With this certification, Buckman completes its goal of maintaining the highest standard of production and quality in the chemical industry. Buckman is a privately held, global specialty chemical company with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. To learn more, please visit: www.buckman.com. SOURCE: Buckman Disney World has been issued a patent for a foot tracking technology that might help with park security in the future. The innovation allows for a non-invasive way of monitoring guests in the theme parks. However, Disney stated that the technology is not yet going to be introduced in its system any time soon. The feet scanner or foot tracking technology is supposedly fitted with a camera that takes photos of the theme park guests' feet. It might also be supplemented with a robot or machine that will roam from site to site to interact with visitors while inputting their data. Once captured, data on the guests -- which will include the person's name, hometown, favorite rides and foods at Disney -- can then be compiled and transmitted into the system. It will then help Disney generate a more "customized guest experience" for its visitors, according to the US Patent Database. Disney Nabs Patent For Foot-Tracking Technology It Could Someday Use In Its Parks https://t.co/WJMySkUPkY pic.twitter.com/gTuYlioUUD BitcoinAgile (@bitcoinagile) August 2, 2016 However the system is still being researched by Disney World's teams and it's not yet clear when the foot tracking technology will be operational in the parks. At the moment, Disney World tracks guests with a rather invasive and limited system, such as fingerprint or retinal scanning. Disney also has color-coded bracelets called the MagicBand and the FastPass ID. "These methods are obtrusive and some guests may not feel comfortable providing this type of biometric information to a third party," Disney World stated, per Orlando Sentinel. If the foot scanner does become viable at Disney World in the future, then it will eliminate invasive tracking that could inconvenience park visitors. It will also make park monitoring operations more seamless as guests can go from ride to ride while being tracked via foot traffic. Disney World receives at least 20 million visitors every year. It remains one of the world's top theme parks. As such, the company makes it a point to invest billions in their security and guest tracking technology, per Wired. The mother of a toddler in the United Kingdom who experienced what has been dubbed as the worst case of chicken pox is calling on the National Health Service to give free vaccination against the disease. Current health policy limits the vaccine to certain children based on medical grounds. "We are one of the only countries who do not routinely vaccinate against chickenpox - Europe, the USA and Australia all now do," said the mother, Sarah Allen, as per a report from The Telegraph. Allen called on others to sign her petition so "so everyone else has the choice" whether they want their children vaccinated against chickenpox or not. 'Worst case of chickenpox' sparks call for rethink on vaccination via @guardian https://t.co/jUpU3PFw4T Tomorrows Consultant (@2morrowsC) August 2, 2016 According to the report, Allen's son, two-year-old Jasper spent a total of five days in a hospital after suffering from infection from his chicken pox sores that were all over his body. Allen said that 48 hours before being admitted, a receptionist at a local GP surgery turned her request for an appointment with a doctor as it was deemed that the toddler's condition was not severe enough. "People say their child had bad chickenpox, but when we show people pictures of Jasper none of them can believe just how bad it was," said Sarah Allen, as per a report from the BBC. Allen said doctors in the hospital Jasper was admitted to "all wanted to come and see this worst ever case of chickenpox." A report from The Guardian said that currently, vaccination against chicken pox is only given to children and adults "who are in close contact with someone who is either immuno-suppressed or would otherwise be at risk if they got chickenpox." There is no impending change in policy, the report added, but a review of the childhood vaccination program against chicken is expected to end next year. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough clinical commissioning group, which oversees GP services in Allen's area reportedly did not receive any complaint from Allen about being turned down. The group advised parents to "keep a watchful eye" on their children who have chickenpox, as it may result to complication in rare cases. Dick Morris, former advisor to America's ex-president Bill Clinton, went to Youtube with a short video counterstatement to Hillary Clinton's New Bedford tale in Democratic National Convention speech. Hillary Clinton, in her nationally broadcasted acceptance speech at DNC Convention, remembered a handicapped young lady in a wheelchair from New Bedford, Massachussets, who couldn't go to any school due to her disability. These are the things she told to the audience: "So, I went to work for the Children's Defense Fund, going door-to-door in New Bedford, Mass., on behalf of children with disabilities who were denied the chance to go to school. I remember meeting a young girl in a wheelchair on the small back porch of her house. She told me how badly she wanted to go to school - it just didn't seem possible in those days. And I couldn't stop thinking of my mother and what she'd gone through as a child. It became clear to me that simply caring is not enough. To drive real progress, you have to change both hearts and laws. You need both understanding and action. So we gathered facts. We built a coalition. And our work helped convince Congress to ensure access to education for all students with disabilities." But it was absolute NONSENSE. Morris revealed in his video that: "She (Hillary Clinton) Lied. She just flat out lied. And Bill's speech contained the reference to the same story. Complete fabrication." And he also exposed what Jack Markey, the New Bedford's mayor in 1973, has revealed at WSBM: "It's not true. I'm even a Democrat, but the truth is the truth.. I took over as Mayor in January of 1973. We had a budget for vans with drivers and provided services to students with disabilities. It was Tremblay Bus. They would pick them up and drop them off at their homes. Now, they may not have been able to go to the local school, depending on whether or not the schools were accessible for wheelchairs but there were many schools then which could and did accommodate our handicapped students in wheelchairs." According to Morris, there is local guy who was a paraplegic and he was injured in a diving accident, then came to his office many times to advocate for the disabled. The guy actually spent one whole day (in year 1973) in a wheelchair to better understand the challenges they face everyday. Soon they were also out in the sidewalks on wheelchairs, doing things in New Bedford before the laws ever compelled them to. Everything was absolutely a lie as Morris firmly suggests. He has posted the video all over so that his claims can catch up the lie. Vallejo police are facing a federal lawsuit after a woman and her boyfriend charged them of mishandling the former's kidnapping case. The police defended themselves that the kidnapping appeared to be a joke because of the strange behavior of the abducted. Los Angeles Times reports that Denise Huskins, was kidnapped last March 3, 2015 in her Vallejo home which she shares with her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn. According to Quinn's narrative to the police, he was drugged and later woke up with Huskins, his car and his belongings all gone. Quinn reported to Vallejo police that his girlfriend was missing eight hours after the incident. This made police doubt Quinn's innocence. He may have accidentally killed his girlfriend and was making up a kidnapping story to save his freedom. Interestingly, Quinn cooperated with all the demands of the police for investigation. He allowed police access to his e-mails where they found out that the kidnapper's emails were coming from Quinn's account. Quinn also let the Vallejo police take his blood samples (via Los Angeles Times). Quinn was a lead but there was no strong evidence to link him to the kidnapping case so the police was delighted when two days after, Huskins surfaced. She was dropped off at her family''s Huntingon Beach home. Police then booked Huskins a flight to Northern California for interview where her family was also waiting for her. However, she did not appear on the time of the flight which police found speculative because abductees who had just been found would normally want to be reunited with their family as soon as possible (via Los Angeles Times). Four months after, former lawyer, Matthew Muller was identified as Huskins'kidnapper. Huskins claimed that she was sexually assaulted by the lawyer. The couple decided to file a lawsuit against the Vallejo police for destroying their reputations by suggesting that the kidnapping might be hoax or a joke. Vallejo police defended themselves saying that there was fear in the Vallejo community after the abduction so they had to assure the people of their safety. After judging that the circumstances are safe, they were prompted to announce that it may have been "an orchestrated event" rather than a real kidnapping by a stranger. As per Property Casualty 360, if a kidnapping occurs, the first people to contact should be risk management experts like Terra Firma. Usually though, the kidnapper would like to talk directly to a family member or relative so anyone must be prepared to negotiate. First, demand for proof that the loved one is still alive and then, bargain: start with a low amount of ransom and never exceed the amount you can give. Do not rush and always listen to the trusted family lawyer. For abducted children, AMBER alert is to the rescue. Since the 1990s, the alert service has been helping families reunite with their abducted children (via Legal Dictionary). Sound off your thoughts on the Comments section and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates. Fans are definitely getting more excited for the upcoming premiere of "Scandal" season 6. As a matter of fact, latest spoiler reports are already teasing some mind-blowing storylines for the upcoming TV comeback of the hit ABC political series in 2017. Just like those cliffhanging season finale of other TV series, the previous season of "Scandal" has piqued the curiosity of many fans on what to expect in season 6. What's more interesting to know is what's behind Olivia Pope's dad Rowan's (Joe Morton) impish smirk during "Scandal" season 5 finale. Based on the latest "Scandal" season 6 spoiler reports, President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) will officially retire from his position as the head of state of the United States. That's why, Ecumenical News hinted that Fitz will finally have all the time in the world to "pursue his own happiness" by making the best efforts to win back Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington). "He'll be much happier as the post-president than as the president," Goldwyn told The Hollywood Reporter in April. "He'd want to do something like Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton did with the Clinton Global Initiative and use his leverage and influence to make a real difference in the world without all the politics. You really hope it includes Olivia Pope and a little jam." Aside from the possible Fitz-Liv reunion in "Scandal" season 6, CarterMatt also suggested that the series might do some "big, bold and impactful things" to make headlines. Interestingly, CarterMatt predicted the possibility that creator Shonda Rhimes might kill off some characters. On the site's "TV Death Toll" series, the writer listed several "Scandal" season 6 characters along with a short explanation why they were on the safe side or in danger to be killed in the upcoming season. Among the possible targets named were Rowan, David and Mellie. Meanwhile, "Scandal" season 6 air date has been moved from its typical schedule of September to early 2017, which will reportedly fall sometime in February due to Washington's pregnancy, Design & Trend noted. However, Zap2It speculated that the delay might be due to the upcoming 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections. What do you think will happen in "Scandal" season 6? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates. Reports are saying that Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are having marital issues again as "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 is ending. And it is all because of Nina Dobrev. "The Vampire Diaries" having its final season was expecting the return of Nina Dobrev and finally put a closure to her relationship with Ian Somerhalder. However,Nina Dobrev avoided her return to the final season as she may still be in love with Ian Somerhalder. Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed got married last April 2015 and fans are wondering whether Nina's avoiding "TVD" is because of the two. Nina Dobrev promised she would be back for the last season but now she may not be because she is still in love with "The Vampire Diaries" actor. Executive producer of "The Vampire Diaries" Julie Plec was asked about the return of Nina to the show and she mostly hold onto the promise Nina Dobrev gave them when she left. "Not to put too much pressure or anything on Nina Dobrev, but a promise was made," Plec said. "An emotional promise that I'd like to see come to life." However, Celebrity Laundry reported that that Nina Dobrev is glad that she did not end up with Ian Somerhalder and that Nikki Reed is a good match for him. Reports are also saying that she made a good choice since after her work with "The Vampire Diaries," her career took off. Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed on the other hand, are very happy and very much in love as Just Jared confirmed the latest images of the duo during the 2016 San Diego Comic-con for "TVD." And while most would understand why Nina Dobrev might not confirm yet if she is returning to "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8, fans would be glad to know that the show will end up on a very high note with the rest of the cast to support each other. "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 will be a fresh baptism of fire for Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane, who is taking on an "SH" villain without Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) for the first time. Reports say that Tom Mison will find Ichabod Crane pitted against billionaire Malcolm Dreyfuss played by "Lost" actor Jeremy Davies. Parent Herald cites reports that "Sleepy Hollow" will transition to a Washington setting as Ichabod Crane leaves New York and the memories of Abbie Mills behind. Understandably the "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 premiere will set the tone significantly for the fate of the new "SH" given fan outrage over Abbie Mills shocking death in the S3 finale. So far "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 seems a hopeful promise as Tom Mison will not only find Ichabod Crane battling his new villain but also integrating into a new team. TVLine reports that Jeremy Davies will also be joined by fellow newcomer, "The Vampire Diaries" actress Janina Gavankar, who plays Abbie Mills' Washington counterpart Diana in "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4. No need to go on a hunt for episodes of #SleepyHollow: https://t.co/2KwnjjHdmG pic.twitter.com/Ln3b4WfZPV Sleepy Hollow (@SleepyHollowFOX) July 30, 2016 The media outlet describes Jeremy Davies' Magnus Dreyfuss as an eccentric billionaire techy bent on "conquering" worlds. Carter Matt points out that "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 is taking on a more modern tone with the addition of Magnus Dreyfuss. According to the media outlet, for Ichabod Crane this will be a key shift away from the type of villains he and Abbie Mills battled in previous seasons of the "Sleepy Hollow" series. This time around, Ichabod Crane will battle a villain from this era in "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 setting an experimental tone for the new "SH" episodes. FOX is expected to confirm the "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4 premiere for an early 2017 release date. Which other characters would you like to see with Ichabod Crane, Magnus Dreyfuss and Diana in "Sleepy Hollow" Season 4? "You can get the baby out of here" were one of the strong lines that lingered on the recently held Trump rally at Briar Woods High School. The first line came from a very young Donald Trump supporter who said profane words against Hilary Clinton and the second from the GOP presidential nominee himself. Los Angeles Times reports an interesting fusion of side events on Trump's rally held Tuesday. First is a child who looked no more than ten stood up from the media section and shouted bad words at the mere mention of Hillary Clinton's name. Naturally, the child's profane words drew attention but being a minor, the mother protected her child at once. She identified herself as Pam Kohler of Mount Vernon, Va., and refused to give her son's name and age (via Los Angeles Times). The mother also had an interesting response when she was briefly interviewed by the press. She says that her son has the right to express himself in whatever way he wants and that he learned to speak profanity from "Democratic schools." That's not the only thing the media is talking about during that particular Trump rally. According to another Los Angeles Times article, the GOP presidential nominee once again is taking the headlines when he targeted a crying baby from the audience. At first, Trump said that he didn't mind a baby crying at his rally because he adores them. Five minutes later, he changes his mind and says in the microphone, "I was only kidding. You can get the baby out of here." Following the incident, The Washington Times reported an online comment from the United States biggest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. The healthcare provider tweeted, "Add babies to the list of people [Donald Trump] would kick out of his campaign rallies." This prompted netizens to join in the conversation and comment on how paradoxical Planned Parenthood's tweet is, considering the nature of its services. Do you think acts like these on an election rally should be tolerated? Is it an exercise of freedom of speech for a child to speak profane words on a rally and was it right for Trump to call out the crying baby? We'd love to hear from you! Comment below your thoughts and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates. Back-to-school season is almost here and retails stores are already putting up their special items and teasers for sales and deals. However, parents need to be discerning when it comes to spending for back-to-school items. Next to the Christmas holidays, back-to-school is also a time for many expenses. So, how can parents become smart consumers during back-to-school season? Below are some guides and tips to make this a breeze this year. Retail stores kick off back-to-school shopping as early as July and many shoppers might notice that sale signs are already up at some stores. The early start gives parents more time to shop, which is a great idea as it eliminates going through long lines at the payment counters. "Right now is when you have all the good selections," said Jackie Suarez, who has started back-to-school shopping already, per ABC. She avoids late shopping because "the end is when it gets messy." 85% of parents plan on using a smartphone for back-to-school shopping. @Retale https://t.co/q8geQX1i5H WPMediaInsights (@WPMediaInsights) July 25, 2016 However, the early start doesn't mean mommies and daddies have to jump at the chance to score a discount each time they see a sale sign as this might only lead to overspending. Stores will be rolling out back-to-school deals until September, when school season officially starts, according to Buffalo News. So, there should always be a good deal cropping up, if you know where to look. Parents should remember that stores intend to cash in on this busy season, hence they entice consumers with discounts and other offers to make profit. Be wary of this sale tactic. Mom Jamie Clark has two children who require two different lists of back-to-school items. She advices for parents with more than one child to not shop in one go because it will only be stressful for the parent and children. "I take them one at a time, make it a special afternoon outing with each of them and that way I can focus on just that one child," she said per WSLS. Meanwhile, the American Family Association is warning parents who might be shopping for back-to-school clothes for their kids to stay off Target's fitting rooms and restrooms. Target has a unisex fitting and restroom policy and the group warns that this may be eyed by sexual predators, per Charisma News. Be alert and keep an eye on your kids. Do you have any back-to-school shopping tips to share to our readers? We invite you to share them in the comments section below! "Supernatural" Season 12 will see Sam and Dean Winchester battle against a new bunch of creatures and see how Mary's return can affect them. In an interview with Misha Collins, the actor teased that Castiel will become "more powerful" in the upcoming season of The CW series. This article contains spoilers. Read on if you want to learn more about the details of this story. "Supernatural" Season 12 spoilers reveal that Castiel will become even more powerful in the upcoming season. In an interview with Blastr, Misha Collins hinted that after his character went through a difficult phase in Season 11, he will get the chance to recover and get stronger in Season 12. Collins teased that in "Supernatural" Season 12, Castiel will no longer be "broken;" instead, he will be working towards fixing all the things he did in the past. The teaser for the upcoming season was also released during the SDCC and in one of the clips, Sam's eyes appeared to be pitch black, which led to speculations that Sam will be possessed in the new season. Meanwhile, Jared Padalecki told Buddy TV during the 2016 San Diego Comic Con that in "Supernatural" Season 12, Sam will be tortured. Padalecki admitted that he was not surprised when he read that his character will be subjected to some sort of torture by the Men of Letters. "Sam and Dean aren't used to being told what to do or how to do it or answering to any sort of hierarchy," said Padalecki. It is believed that in "Supernatural" Season 12, the Men of Letters would be the next big bad. However, there have also been speculations that The CW drama will return to its monster-of-the-week theme next season. Padalecki also noted on the small possibility that Sam and God would get the chance to talk to each other in "Supernatural" Season 12. According to the actor, with all the creatures and villains that Sam and Dean have to face next season, this conversation will have to be set aside for the moment. "Supernatural" Season 12 premieres on Oct. 13 on The CW. In the age of industrial revolution, the demand for competency-based hiring is on the rise, making professional education degrees appeared irrelevant in most job descriptions. That's why, many experts believed that education technology's (EdTech) potential to transform the field of education can also be useful in bridging the burgeoning skills and learning gap in the workforce industry. As professional education continuously evolves, having a college degree seemed to have lost its importance in the society these days. In fact, only 20 percent of college degree holders are ready to work in spite of the fact that millennials are currently the most educated generation, Quartz revealed. As smart technology and automation continue to rise, the workforce industry is needing individuals who are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to launch a career hence investing in lifelong learning could be a competitive advantage, Parent Herald previously reported. But with education technology, continuing education and the "age-old dilemma" on whether to continue on studying or stop to concentrate on landing a job can also be finally addressed. According to The Financial Express, education technology can eliminate the "huge gap" between what is being taught in schools and what is pertinent for the industry. Just like India, other developing nations and the United States are also facing one of the major setbacks of higher education where the work-age population lacks the necessary skills and knowledge deemed worthy in the real world. Since education technology is more affordable and accessible to students and working professionals, the need for continuous education is possible through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other popular interactive digital learning formats. Due to this, EdTech will not only be enhancing an individual's learning experience but also prepare them with new and useful skill-sets Business Wire noted. Aside from the fact that education technology can provide sufficient opportunities to bridge the burgeoning skills gap, individuals can also pursue and complete an online course of their choice in a short amount of time and while still earning a living. With the combination of EdTech and other digital tools such as artificial intelligence, gamification, virtual reality, machine learning and interactive digital learning, skills gap in the workforce industry would be gradually eliminated. In other education technology-related news, the inclusion of EdTech into the New Zealand school curriculum as a separate subject was reportedly denied, Computerworld learned. Unfortunately, the disapproval have ignited a protest from the industry sector of the nation. "Experts participating in the review from the tech profession, industry, digital technologies teachers, researchers and other domain experts were clear that moving it into its own subject learning area was absolutely necessary, thus the decision by the minister to block this was disappointing," Institute of IT Professionals NZ (IITP) said. Do you think education technology can address the burgeoning skills gap in the workforce industry? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates. Nah. I dont think so. This story picks up the most obvious examples right now. The Christians dying, imprisoned, beheaded, tortured and forced into exile, largely due to ISIS. But when those of us back in the States look at this, as often as not, well link it to our policies in the Middle East, the Iraq invasion, our departure from Iraq, something. In other words, we focus on their plight to give extra oomph to the political point were trying to drive home. Really. Next time you see a story about the suffering of Christians in the Middle East, ask if it is only in the part part of the Middle East directly impacted by our policies, and then see if it somehow manages to make the focus of the story about our policies. In some cases, mostly across more conservative media, well hear stories about Christians persecuted, oppressed, or in some way marginalized or punished in the Muslim world due to their Christian Faith. Thats often to challenge the phrase Religion of Peace. Thats a point a fellow at my wifes church made a few months ago. We were talking about the Middle East issues. Since he is from Syria, I was interested to hear his take. Needless to say, hes no fan of Donald Trumps immigration proposals. But then he also thinks it would be foolish not to be cautious. When it came to the Syrian crisis, like so many who are asked, he was not quiet about blaming the rise of ISIS on our invasion of, and subsequent withdrawal from, Iraq. But that was the immediate blame. To hear him talk, it went all the way back to the Ottoman Empire. While he was regaling me with a history of the last two hundred years of Middle Eastern intrigues, he said something that grabbed me. He said he couldnt help but notice Americans seem pretty tolerant of the worst elements of Islam. Oh he has Muslim friends from his days in Syria, and in no way did he suggest that all Muslims are terrorists. Then again, I know of few credible individuals who have made the claim, contrary to popular belief. But he did say that just because Christians werent always being killed by ISIS doesnt mean the rest of the history of Christianity in the Islamic world is one giant love story. Quite the contrary. Its a bit like blacks in America, he said, before the Civil Rights movement. After all, even before Civil Rights, you had black millionaires, black congressmen, black Harvard Graduates. Blacks could do all sorts of things. But there were still some pesky issues. Throughout the Islamic world, its the same thing. And its often looked at as nothing other than pesky issues. As I posted on back here, from one end to the other, Christians suffering oppression, intimidation, meddling, discrimination, and outright violence is not something new, and it isnt confined to one corner of the Islamic world that only has problems because of US policies. One thing Ive learned from my wifes Orthodox church, for instance, is that some Christian communities in Islamic lands celebrate the great feasts of the Christian Calendar on alternate days. So the big Easter gathering is often on Palm Sunday. Why Palm Sunday and not Easter? Because in some areas of the Islamic world, officials make policies that create problems for Christians gathering on their most holy day of the year. So to avoid that, over the generations, they learned to pick an alternate day for the big services. In Indonesia, local governments put extra burdens on new church plants. In Nigeria, war has raged between Islamic and Christian factions for decades. In Turkey, where the city formerly known as Constantinople still holds a sizable Christian community, the Church is always aware that at any time a new regulation or restriction could be placed on them at a moments notice. And yet, this fellow observed, we call Islam the Religion of Peace. At the same time, we trash and brutalize America and its history for the same thing. Were a racist nation. Discrimination and oppression and segregation! The sins of America! The evil, the bigotry. But insofar as things done to Christian minorities now and throughout the ages within various parts of the Islamic world? Well now, lets not go overboard Dave. A few bad apples shouldnt ruin the barrel. Take those as freakish exceptions, or use them to trash Americas foreign policy as always, and then its The Religion of Peace! I found that interesting. Its not surprising, and when I have time Ill unpack the great American guilt that dominates our modern thinking about our own country. But more than that, he said that its a slap to those who live in the Islamic world in a way we wouldnt tolerate in our own. He said its a slap in the face every time he hears the annual 9/11 news stories that focus on Islamophobia and the endless millions of persecuted and terrorized Muslims in America. Not that it never happens. In a country with the third largest population on the planet, youre going to have evil of every sort. And goodness knows, when it does happen it makes the 24/7 news cycle for weeks on end. But then, when we hear the stories of persecution, oppression, discrimination, intimidation, imprisonment, torture, exile and murder across the Islamic world every year, what is the response? Unless we can make some political hay out of it by using their sufferings to score partisan points, not a whole lot. If, indeed, we hear about it at all. So heres to us. The enlightened post-moderns. Pray for the Christians dying for the faith in the Middle East. Pray for all of the Christians and religious minorities who have been in different ways ill treated because of their faith across the lands of the Islamic world. And most of all, pray for us, who wear the garments of a mourner for the victims, but never seem able to budge beyond focusing on the victims who only help advance the more important agendas and narratives to which we so desperately cling. An Appeal to Christian Congregations and Christians Worldwide We, the heirs of Black Churches and their traditions, in the Spirit of the Prophets, the Apostles, and the Early Church 1.1 We believe in God Our Creator and the Father, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Source and Fountain of Love (1st John 4: 8) who loves all people from every tribe and nation and who is the same God who appoints seasons of justice and peacemaking (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). 1.2 We believe in Jesus of Nazareth conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary to be the risen Son of God who Ministered and Healed the Sick, Liberated the Oppressed and suffered under the occupation of the Roman Empire where he was persecuted, brutalized, and executed on Calgary. We celebrate the power of God bringing life into that which we thought was dead, represented by the resurrection of Jesus, giving us victory over sin and death (Colossians 2:14-15). 1.3 We believe in the Holy Spirit, Our Comforter and Guide throughout every dispensation who continues to prepare the World for the Good News that the Church Universal is called to proclaim and embody. The Spirit blows where God wills (John 3:9), breathing life in every generation (Ecclesiastes 7:10), making a better tomorrow possible until Christs return. 1.4 We believe Black Lives Matter. Scripture speaks of the infinite worth of ALL of humanity (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 9:6), and the Triune God distinctly created us with intentionality and purpose. God loves us in our DIFFERENCES and reveals that the Body will only find true unity in this midst of seeking the purpose of our divinely composed diversity (Revelation 5:9; Revelation 14:6). The holy writ portrays a sovereign God as caught up in the scandal of particularity moving through the lives of the powerless from the election of Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrews out of Egypt to their Gentile neighbors in ancient Syria, Ethiopia, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine (Amos 9:7). In each of these circumstances we are able to testify to God affirming our differences and addressing unique plights throughout human history. Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday gave a warm send-off to the first batch of Haj pilgrims at a function held at the Haj Bhawan where more than 300 people had gathered to receive pre-departure tips for their 40-day trip to Mecca and Medina. The first flight of the pilgrims is scheduled to take off from Patna Airport on Thursday morning. It will first make a stop in New Delhi from where it will fly for Jeddah. More than 7,000 pilgrims from Bihar are expected to leave for Haj with the last flight to leave on September 3. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister asked the pilgrims to pray for the success of prohibition in Bihar that, he said, had tremendous impact on poor families in the state. "I want you to pray for Bihar and the success of prohibition in the state that some people with vested interests are trying to derail. I also ask you to pray for peace and harmony in Bihar that some people are trying to disturb," the Chief Minister said. State Finance Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Minority Welfare Minister Abdul Ghafoor, Haj Committee chairperson Hafiz Iliyas, and Chief Secretary (Home) Amir Subhani were among many who were present on the occasion. Much have been said and written about the state of education in Bihar describing the causes and effects elucidating shambolic state of its education system. The wide reportage of cheating in examinations and the recent toppers scam awakened our senses like never before and rightly so. The government was quick to respond and took necessary actions and further assured that they are determined to improve the education system that has attained quite a notoriety. Bihar which is on the path of development cant afford to neglect education which is one of the most basic tenets of human development. The backwardness of Bihar in almost every field is both a challenge as well as an opportunity. The former is obvious and latter in the sense that in the last in the last 40-50 years world has seen every facet of development and its impeding costs and the best model churned out of these experiences is sustainable development. Today, Bihar is in best position to accept and implement this model. This model of sustainable development can rightly be extended in parallel to cover education as well which means not just education which has its own constraints but sustainable education which uplift people towards economic prosperity through skill, imagination, innovation and intelligence. Again, Bihar is at advantage to adopt this model. Going by some newspaper reports and government surveys dropout rate in class I-VIII was as high as 83 per cent in 2013, it has 6 colleges per lakh students against national average of 26 and Puducherry leading with 64; gross enrollment ratio in higher education(18-23 years) of 13.1 with national average being 20.4 . These are some vital statistics that make national news but what goes overlooked is the ground realities of wide absenteeism of teachers, untimely conduct of examinations, financial irregularities and lackluster administration of schools and colleges. Amid the dismal picture there are some glimmers of hope in the innovations like Super30/Rahmani30 which are helping students from disadvantaged sections to get admission into premier institutions of the country. Such initiatives have inspired more such institutes in other parts of country which is a welcome sign. Bicycle scheme provided wings to our daughters and never before in history has witnessed such upsurge. These examples instill the belief that with determination change is just a matter of time and Bihar is capable for it. The recent decision of opening Purnia and Pataliputra universities is a step in right direction. Seemanchal (comprising Araria, Purnia, Katihar and Kishanganj) is among the most backward regions. Purnia University will surely help to manage and evolve the colleges of the hinterland which are in sheer neglect since independence. Itll also help the future prospects of establishing medical, engineering and other professional college in the region. Pataliputra University will take off the burden from Patna and Magadh universities and they can channelize their energy and resource to develop themselves into state of art facilities. A development cant be sustainable if it is centered only around the capital city. Patna-centric development will create economic, social and ecological imbalance. All the roads should lead to the capital but the traffic must be two way. When we talk of making villages self-sufficient it means the corresponding districts should be well equipped to ensure such self-sufficiency. To weed out the educational imbalance there is a crying need to strengthen the higher education ecosystem at the district level. Universities and colleges are vital cog in the wheel of nation building. If we are able to develop a robust higher education ecosystem, the development will percolate downstream to school and vocational level as well. This top to bottom approach will lead to knowledge economy which will strengthen agriculture and production activities as well. These propositions are not building castle in air, they are very much in our capacity and reach. History is the greatest teacher and if there is disgrace of recent past which was a warning bell then weve inspiration of ancient past in the form of Nalanda University which can guide us to regain our lost glory. Biharis are supremely capable people, the world knows it and it is the time world gets a taste of Brand Bihar in true sense and its strong population of 99 million has its contribution in nation building. White House Rejects Charges It Paid Iran Ransom To Free Prisoners 08/04/16 Source: RFE/RL The White House has rejected a charge from Republican leaders that it secretly paid Iran $400 million in cash in January as ransom for the release of imprisoned Americans. The payment, which settled a decades-old reimbursement claim by Tehran for a cancelled U.S. arms deal, was delivered a day after five American prisoners in Tehran were released on January 16 as part of a prisoner exchange. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 3 that the administration secretly airlifted the money in cash in multiple currencies to Iran -- a revelation that prompted Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and other GOP leaders to charge that the payment amounted to a ransom for the prisoners. "The United States, under President [Barack] Obama, has not paid a ransom to secure the release of Americans unjustly detained in Iran," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on August 3. "It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages." Earnest did acknowledge, however, that the administration secretly airlifted the cash to Tehran. He said the payment was made in cash because the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran. The administration said in January that the five American prisoners who were freed on January 16, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, were released in exchange for seven Iranians held in the United States for sanctions violations. The prisoner exchange and the $400 million claims payment also came at the same time as the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran on January 17. At the time, the United States said the payment settled a long-standing Iranian claim at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague for reimbursement of $400 million in military weapons ordered by the shah of Iran that were never delivered after the shah was deposed by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. As part of a negotiated settlement of The Hague case, the United States also agreed to provide Iran with another $1.3 billion in interest at a future date. Republicans, including Trump, seized on the the paper's revelation about the secret airlift of cash as evidence that the payment was a ransom for freeing prisoners, however. Senator John McCain said the timing of the payment suggested it was a ransom that has now incentivized more bad behavior from Iran. "If true, this report confirms our long-standing suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran," House Speaker Paul Ryan said. "It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal." Representative Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, demanded that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry appear before his panel to explain the payment. Trump sought to tie the payment to his Democratic opponent in the White House race, saying in a tweet, "Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!" Moreover, Trump sought to tie the payment to Iran's release of 10 American sailors who had veered off course in the Persian Gulf and been taken prisoner for one day by Iran's Revoluationary Guards on January 12 -- five days before the payment was delivered. "It looks like we paid $400 million for the hostages," Trump said."When they took our sailors, they forced them to their knees and the only reason we got them back is that we hadn't paid the money yet. And that's the only reason we got 'em back. Otherwise, they would've had to wait until I became president." Trump added that he believes the "terror money airlift [will] undoubtedly find its way into the hands of terrorists." While there have long been questions about the timing of the $400 million payment, one Iranian concern was that the Obama administration could face too much domestic political criticism if it delayed acting on The Hague settlement. Moreover, U.S. officials argue that they had to make the payment in euros, Swiss francs, and other currencies due to restrictions on providing Iran with U.S. dollars under U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's support for terrorist groups. With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS How Might the Outcome Affect US/Iran Relations 08/04/16 By Kambiz Zarrabi Caricatures of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. (Photo: DonkeyHotey/flickr/cc) What is the most important step a candidate for any office, including that of the presidency of the United States, must take to reach that goal? The answer is simple: try your best to get elected by attracting the greater number of voters to his or her camp. As elementary as that answer appears at first glance, the means of achieving that objective are anything but simple, straight forward or even honest and acceptable for the average voter. To start with, the candidate for the highest office in the land must raise somewhere around one-billion, that is one-thousand-million, dollars to cover his or her campaign costs. Most of that money comes from mega donors, i.e. the for-profit corporations and special interest lobbies and individuals. And, quite obviously, you simply dont fork out millions of dollars from the kindness of your heart or for philanthropic reasons without expecting something back. So, the candidates must use those moneys to promote themselves through the national media by promising and selling to the public what they know the voters like to hear. And, once elected, the winner is expected to live up to the promises to promote policy directions that had attracted those major donors, or else! Or else means that, if those expectations are not met, the new president will be handicapped to deal with a Congress that owes its own body to the same special interest groups and lobbies, and settle for a one-term occupation of the White House, or even less!! The mainstream media, the principle means the candidates have to present themselves to the public, might seem to side with one or the other candidate on many mostly internal grounds; but when it comes to the issues summarized below, there is no diversion of opinions. The mainstream media are also for-profit corporations with their special interests and agendas. Most, if not all, are owned or managed by powerful pro-Israel Zionists, whose principle agenda when it comes to any issue dealing with the Middle East is to support and protect Israels interests above and beyond all else, no matter what: just looking at the roster of hosts, their guests and those opinion-molders and pundits appearing on the major networks should convince even the most skeptic! And that fact does affect how the candidates address foreign policy issues during their campaigns. So, what do the voters prefer to hear? When it comes to policy issues that the public might be concerned about, particularly matters of foreign affairs, terrorism and homeland security, the American people are already well-primed to uphold certain facts as essentially undisputable; these include the following: America needs to have even a stronger military than it already has. Our biggest terror threats are from radical Islamists and Islamic ideology, regardless of what we choose to call it. Russia is a clear and present danger, not only to America, but also to our European allies; and Vladimir Putin is a reckless power hungry thug. Israel is Americas only true supporter and ally in the Middle East and must be supported and protected at any cost to us or to the region! Iran is an evil rogue regime that cannot be trusted, and must be carefully monitored and seriously dealt with when it steps out of line. Here, it really matters not at all whether any of these assertions is correct or false; what matters is that the majority of Americans believe them to be true. Now, with that background, just imagine if, for example, Hillary Clinton were to criticize Israel and put its leaders on notice to cut off Americas taxpayer-funded aid to that country if it continues to defy the United Nations, as well as Americas own mandates regarding the illegal expansion of its settlements in the occupied territories. Or, Imagine if Donald Trump were to declare that America already possesses enough nuclear bombs to obliterate the Planet Earth six times over, and that there is no need to waste the nations resources to beef up the bloated military budget that saps the resources which should be allocated to the much needed improvements to the nations crumbling infrastructure. And, just imagine a candidate suggesting that the United States has given Mr. Putin little choice but to allocate more resources to beefing up its defenses against NATOs expansion; or that the ballistic missile shields erected in Eastern Europe is actually a breach of anti-missile-shield agreement signed with Russia, and not to defend against potential Iranian missile attacks against Europe - a stupid joke not even deserving a laughter! All that brings us to some interesting questions: Is it even possible for high profile politicians, especially those who are running for the highest office in the land, to honestly say what they believe if truthfulness doesnt get them elected? Is there something wrong with being a hypocrite, proclaiming or promising something that you know is wrong but necessary to get elected, and take a different course once elected? And, isnt it the ultimate irony when professional hypocrites criticize hypocrisy?! Now lets take a look at Clinton versus Trump political campaign warfare reflecting the above mentioned five points. But before we begin, let us keep in mind that, in our democracy, a college professors vote counts as much as that of an illiterate trailer trash! [In the ancient Greece, the Athenian democracy, which is being quite wrongly upheld as the model for the Western liberal democracies, gave only the thin upper crust of society, the wealthy aristocrats, property and slave owners, the right to vote! That, of course, had its advantages in a small city state over a millennium ago, and is actually the model used today in many pretend democratic states in the world where not all votes are counted, or count as equal.] One issue that has most recently created an uproar and concern among both political camps is the allegation, whether true or not, that Russians have hacked into the Democratic Party emails in order to damage the Democrats campaign in favor of the Republicans and Donald Trump, implying that Mr. Putin would like Trump to be the next US President. What a bunch of crap that is!? If Vladimir Putin is a master political chess player, which he is, he would obviously know that his own image and that of Russia as portrayed by the media here are anything but favorable. Putin is portrayed as a thug and an adversary of the United States, and the voting public has bought into that portrayal. So, if Mr. Putin actually does favor Donald Trump, isnt that a good reason not to vote for the republicans? In other words, if your enemy favors someone, wouldnt it be a betrayal of what you stand for if you also favor that same person? So, isnt this a master stroke by Russia to appear as though Mr. Putin favors Donald Trump, in order to create a more favorable situation for Hillary Clinton? [By the way, there are those who, for whatever rationale or ideological reasons, like to see the demise of what they regard as the evil American Empire, and the rise of some alternative such as the BRICS group of nations, in order to bring a measure of balance in the global dynamics. They support Trump because they see how a reckless, inexperienced buffoon could bring that dream to fruition.] It seems to this writer that the Russian leadership actually favors a Clinton presidency, and for good reasons. The top Iranian leadership, those on the know, also favor a Clinton presidency, even though, for very understandable reasons, we see severe criticism by Irans highest ranking officials of President Obamas Administration for failing to live up to the negotiated and agreed upon nuclear accord and the JCPOA process. Just as it is the official position of politicians in both camps to regard Iran as an untrustworthy rogue regime, so is the United States regarded as an unreliable and untrustworthy superpower, as Irans Supreme Leader has publicly proclaimed. But behind the rhetoric lies the reality. The Republican leadership in the US Congress, as well as the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, intend to tear up the nuclear accord reached between the P5+1 and Iran, which according to Trump, was a disaster of a deal for the United States. Reneging on the nuclear agreement would mean the reinstatement of the draconian economic and diplomatic sanctions against Iran and a continuation of mutual animosities that have served neither sides best interests. Such policy would, of course, sit quite well with the special regional interests of Israel, which has always used regional instability and tensions as the prime excuse to extort the United States for more money and other strategic advantages; and the Saudis and their partners who see Iran and its influence in the Middle East as a threat to their monarchies or sheikdoms. The Democrats, including President Obama, his Secretary of State, John Kerry, and now the presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton, have been very careful in wording their statements about Iran. As mentioned above, no politician or candidate could dare sound conciliatory toward Iran; thats a given. But in addressing the relation with the Islamic Republic of Iran, although deliberately sounding tough and even aggressive, the bragging point is always that the United States succeeded in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. As I have brought this subject into focus several times in my previous articles, while this may be regarded as a true statement, it is most certainly not the whole truth. Even though it sounds like a victory for the United States (and for Israel) against the Islamic Republic, it is masking the fact that Iran never intended to arm itself with nuclear weapons in the first place and, therefore, signing that agreement was simply for paving the way toward eliminating the economic and trade sanctions that were already faltering, as well as to create a potential for a rapprochement between Iran and the United States. The Iranian leaders knew all along that the so-called nuclear crisis was a fabricated allegation created to serve other purposes not all of which well thought out and conducive for Americas best strategic interests in the region. It was high time to rethink the whole thing. It was not just good luck or a miracle that hostile rhetoric, muscle flexing by the United States and defiant mud-slinging by Iran, did not reach a flashpoint and open warfare between the two countries. Behind the scenes, both sides had demonstrated the interest that it was time to find some way toward an opening, while tough words continued to muddy the surface waters. The negotiations to ensure that Irans nuclear program would not lead to the development of atomic weapons, in exchange for lifting of the sanctions against Iran imposed by the United States, was obviously the best approach; the sanctions regime was reaching its end as a useful tool, and Irans nuclear program was aimed at peaceful energy production all along. But the main obstacle to achieving that goal by the Obama administration remains in place and the pressure continues unrelenting. We must not forget that the United States Congress, especially those powerful committees that deal in any shape or form with Americas policies toward the outside world, particularly in the Middle East, are packed with handpicked members who are in one way or another beholden to influential special interest lobbies and sources of money, all with their own specific agendas. It is no surprise that, for a good example, a freshman Senator who has been on the job for only a few short months, Tom Cotton, was endorsed as a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, with his assigned agenda of attacking Iran and opposing any opening between the United States and the Islamic Republic. This man is so recklessly transparent that it leaves little doubt as to what lobby or source of money has been behind his rise. Senator Bob Corker, the Chairman of that Committee, has obediently followed the same assignment; both now among close advisors to Donald Trump in foreign policy issues! Mr. Cotton made a statement during a Committee Hearing a few months ago that Irans Ghuds Force operating in Iraq had only one agenda; to kill Americans! No, he is not an idiot; he simply takes it for granted that his constituents and supporters are a bunch of idiots; and he could be right! Interestingly, the Iranian politicians and diplomats are not reacting nearly as crudely and acrimoniously toward their American detractors in the US Congress. If the anti-Iran hardliners in the US Congress are staunchly beholden to their puppeteers for their private personal gains, the anti-American hardliners in the Iranian Parliament owe their allegiances to the Supreme Leader of the country, who does understand the intricacies of the art of politics and diplomacy. There is a significant difference to be noted here. I have no doubt that, contrary to the disclaimers by both the Iranian and American officials, behind the scenes dialogue has been continuing between the two governments for some time, both sides keeping the potentials for a positive breakthrough alive until the grounds for at least a detente, if not an honest rapprochement, are better prepared. It is, therefore, my belief that honest efforts have been made by the Obama White House to bridge the gap between the United States and Iran, first through the back channels and later, particularly during his second term, through open dialogue and diplomacy. He and his advisors knew that the Iranian leadership would welcome such dialogue, as Irans economic growth and industrial development suffocating under trade and monetary sanctions were in dire need of relief; and on the American side, it had long been clear that the continued animosity between the two countries was counterproductive to Americas own best regional interests. In the meantime, shouts of Down with America and the Great Satan continue to echo from the state media and the pulpits throughout Iran; while the American media and the members of the Congress never hesitate to refer to Iran as the worlds biggest supporter of international terrorism and a violator of human rights. [I have addressed these allegations against Iran in my previous articles posted on various websites, especially on payvand, should readers want to search in this years archives.] Reasons for my cautious optimism if Hillary Clinton is elected as the new President of the United States this November are as follows: I predicted, and continue to believe, that the Republican Party will be unraveling altogether and will re-congeal as a new political party, because the wrecking ball of Donald Trump has done and continues to do irreparable damage to its image and very fabric. It is, therefore, extremely likely that Hillary Clinton will become the third-term Democratic Party President, following Barak Obamas second term. Mr. Obama is the only President who has dared to redress the US/Iran issues objectively and courageously. It would be naive to think that he was the only American President who was aware of the realities behind the veil of propaganda and misinformation that saturate the public domain. He was, nevertheless, the first to break the tradition and challenge the well-entrenched policies that he understood to be formulated by special interest groups, and not serving Americas own interests. His success in breaking the deadlock to a US/Iran rapprochement through the loophole of resolving Irans nuclear program did not come easy. The Republican congressional majority threatens to torpedo his efforts by introducing new anti-Iran legislations that are clearly against the spirit of the P5+1 and the JCPOA agreements, and would leave no choice for Iran but to back out of the deal. President Obama has threatened to veto any such legislation as long as he is the President. The only area where Hillary Clinton opposes President Obamas policy position is regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership or Trade Deal, where she would touch up some of the clauses in the agreement to better protect the American workers interests. But her statements during the campaign show no indication that she would not follow through with President Obamas position regarding the Iran agreement; she would also veto any legislation that would in any way create obstacles in the implementation of the agreements. A President Hillary Clinton will also have to sound off in favor of a bigger military, caution us against radical jihadists, be supportive of a stronger NATO to discourage Russian aggressions, show strong support of Israel, and warn Iran against any nuclear weapons ambitions; that much we have to expect. What is hoped for, however, is that after sitting at the helm in the Oval Office, even if the Republicans retain their majority position in the Congress, she would press on for the implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which has remained stagnant, creating great anxiety for the Iranians waiting to see the American side living up to its obligations, and great stress for the Iranian President, Rouhani, and Foreign Minister, Zarif, John Kerrys counterpart in the negotiations. Even though the leadership in Iran is aware of the problems, it is difficult to convince the public and the hardline politicians that not much should be expected before the new American President takes charge of the Executive Branch of the US Government in January 2017. About the author: Kambiz Zarrabi is the author of In Zarathushtra's Shadow and Necessary Illusion.He has conducted lectures and seminars on international affairs, particularly in relation to Iran, with focus on US/Iran issues. Zarrabi's latest book is Iran, Back in Context. 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 Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. (Opens in a new window) You must keep a close eye on your income, expenses, budget, and investments. Your credit score is also an essential part of the equation, especially if you plan to take on debt. The best personal finance software helps you track your money to make better, more informed decisions about spending and credit. Many are free, and the rest are reasonably affordable. We tell you about the best ones here. Click through for an in-depth review of each, and see advice on how to choose the right personal finance software toward the end of this article. Financial anxiety is high around the globe, between hits from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and high inflation in 2022. Its important to know where you stand with your money, regardless of whether youve been affected by any major shocks. After all, no one can accurately predict where they'll be in a month, six months, or a year. More About Our Picks Mint.com 4.5 Outstanding Best for Free, Automated Financial Tracking Bottom Line: Mint is a free personal finance service that's in a class by itself. No web-based rival provides as comprehensive a collection of tools for tracking your income, spending, budgeting, and goals at no charge. The latest redesign hurts the app a little, however. Pros Free, fast, and easy Free, fast, and easy Good use of automation and AI Good use of automation and AI Simple budgeting tools Simple budgeting tools Helpful notifications Helpful notifications Tracks credit score Tracks credit score Terrific mobile apps Cons Weak investment tracking Weak investment tracking Intrusive financial product ads Why We Picked It Mint has been the gold standard for personal finance websites for years, thanks to its simplicity, usability, and smart financial tools. It lets you connect to all your online finance accounts, check your credit score, create budgets, and get a good estimate of your net worth, among many other financial management tasks. Furthermore, Mint is free, so you can try it without obligation. Who Its For Mint is for everyone. Its ease of use, creative presentation of data and tools, and smart personal finance features help virtually everyone keep a close eye on their money. Mint lets you track and manage your income and spending, budgets, savings goals, and investments. It's both simple and comprehensive, so it appeals to both financial novices and seasoned money managers. Read Our Mint.com Review $0.00 at Mint.com See It (Opens in a new window) Quicken Deluxe 4.5 Outstanding Best for Managing Investments Bottom Line: Quicken Deluxe includes more personal finance management tools than any competitor. This desktop software comes with a connected companion website, and its quite customizable and intuitive. No one does personal finance more comprehensively. Pros Robust set of personal finance, planning, and investment tools Robust set of personal finance, planning, and investment tools New Dashboard displays data on one screen New Dashboard displays data on one screen Connected companion website is excellent Connected companion website is excellent Flexible, in-depth transaction tracking Flexible, in-depth transaction tracking Great support options Cons Inconsistent user experience Inconsistent user experience Electronic bill pay not available Electronic bill pay not available Can be intimidating for some Why We Picked It Quicken has been helping people track their income and expenses for decades. Its evolved into the most feature-rich personal finance application available today. Quicken Deluxe for Windows is desktop software with an online companion app that shows you the financial information you need when youre away from your computer. The software earns its annual subscription fee by supporting every element of personal finance: simple account management, budgeting, bills, and investing. Who Its For Quicken Deluxe for Windows is best suited to personal finance power users who dont mind setting up an application on their desktop and doing some of their work there. The software comes in four versions, so a beginner might like the Quicken Starter edition, while people who need more in areas like planning, investing, and small business money management could use one of the more advanced versions. Anyone whos comfortable working in Windows should find it easy to use. Read Our Quicken Deluxe Review $46.79 Per Year at Quicken See It (Opens in a new window) Credit Karma 4.0 Excellent Best for Free Credit Scores Bottom Line: Credit Karma offers daily credit scores from two credit bureaus, as well as reports and thorough credit profiles. It does a great job of helping you understand your credit and your credit options. The product offers can be distracting, however. Pros Free Free Daily scores from two credit bureaus Daily scores from two credit bureaus Credit card snapshots Credit card snapshots Bill pay Bill pay Drive feature may reduce auto insurance fees Drive feature may reduce auto insurance fees Great mobile app Cons Ubiquitous financial product recommendations Ubiquitous financial product recommendations Doesn't connect to financial institutions Doesn't connect to financial institutions Could use an organizational overhaul Why We Picked It Credit Karma not only keeps you up to date on your all-important credit score, but also informs you of potential credit breaches. It also has tools that help you find and secure the best credit card, loan, vehicle, and auto insurance deals. If you ever wondered why your credit score is what it is, or how to improve it, Credit Karma answers those questions too. It does all of this at no cost. Great mobile apps make the sites information available on the go. Who Its For Credit Karma is especially good for individuals who want to improve their credit scores because of its smart educational tools. Those who already have good scores can use it to stay alert to unexpected credit problems and to search for better financial products when its time. Read Our Credit Karma Review $0.00 at Credit Karma See It (Opens in a new window) NerdWallet 4.0 Excellent Best for Finance-Related Educational Resources Bottom Line: NerdWallet's new design makes it easier to access your account details, cash flow, net worth, and credit score. It's highly capable and offers more effective guidance, in the form articles and calculators, than competitors. Plus it's all free. Pros Includes account management Includes account management Explores credit score, net worth, cash flow Explores credit score, net worth, cash flow Useful editorial content and calculators Useful editorial content and calculators Financial product reviews and rankings Financial product reviews and rankings Minimal advertising intrusion Minimal advertising intrusion Free Cons Minimal transaction management Minimal transaction management Few transaction categories Few transaction categories Requires excessive scrolling at times Why We Picked It NerdWallet arms consumers and small businesses with the tools, information, data, and insight they need to make financial decisions and improve their financial health. This content takes two primary forms: articles about personal finance, and offers for credit cards, mortgages, and other financial products. Like many of the best personal finance apps, NerdWallet lets you track your net worth and cash flow, as well as learning about your credit score. Who Its For NerdWallet is a good choice for people who want free financial account management and credit score management without being constantly interrupted by ads for financial products like credit cards. The ads are there to support content creation and tools, but the sites recent redesign has made them less intrusive and improved the user experience. Read Our NerdWallet Review $0.00 at NerdWallet See It (Opens in a new window) Simplifi 4.0 Excellent Best for Transaction Management Bottom Line: Simplifi is a personal finance app that offers a simple, understandable way to view your financial accounts and learn instantly how much money you have left to spend each month. It provides quick and clear access to the numbers you need. Pros Exceptional user experience with great dashboard Exceptional user experience with great dashboard Excellent transaction management Excellent transaction management Helpful Spending Plan and Watchlists Helpful Spending Plan and Watchlists Good reports Good reports Top-notch mobile apps Cons Subscription fee Subscription fee Lacks credit score Lacks credit score Lightweight bill tracking Lightweight bill tracking Features not particularly good for the self-employed Why We Picked It Simplifi by Quicken has only been around for a few years, but weve been impressed by how fast it has grown into an excellent personal finance website. A concise and helpful dashboard gives you a quick overview of your finances. Innovative views of your data (watchlists, spending plans, and reports) keep you in constant sync with your finances. Who Its For Though it was developed by the makers of Quicken, Simplifi is not Quicken-lite. This app is designed for a younger demographic who wants to track their financial accounts, keep an eye on day-to-day spending, and work toward savings goalswithout spending hours poring over charts, lists, and reports. Read Our Simplifi Review Free Trial at Quicken See It (Opens in a new window) YNAB 4.0 Excellent Best for Detailed Budgeting Bottom Line: YNAB stands for You Need a Budget, and it's true. You do. Built on a philosophy of financial responsibility and diligence, this online service teaches you an effective budgeting method to help you get your spending on track. You won't learn it in one day, though. Pros Built on an effective budgeting philosophy Built on an effective budgeting philosophy Flexibility improves chances of success Flexibility improves chances of success Enhancements geared toward beginners Enhancements geared toward beginners Multiple bank connection options Multiple bank connection options Voluminous tutorials and educational material Cons Takes time and commitment to understand and use Takes time and commitment to understand and use Relatively pricey Relatively pricey Not as effective for 1099 workers as W-2 Why We Picked it YNAB stands alone when it comes to providing online tools for individuals serious about creating and adhering to a budget. Based on an effective budgeting philosophy, the site combines accounting management and a unique tracking system for budgets with voluminous educational resources. Who Its For If you want a more innovative method of budgeting that helps you balance your monthly budget rather than just comparing budgeted amounts to actual income and spending, then YNAB is an excellent choice. In fact, it can be a good adjunct to Mint or Quicken Deluxe if you're serious about controlling your budget. It requires a financial commitment and the willingness to spend time understanding how it works, so casual budget watchers would likely not be interested. Read Our YNAB Review $14.99 Per Month at You Need a Budget See It (Opens in a new window) Credit Sesame 3.5 Good Best for Mobile Credit Management Bottom Line: Credit Sesame tells you your credit score and helps you understand and manage your debt. Its free version lacks calculators, simulators, and other tools competitors offer, however, and some features require a subscription fee. Pros Free subscription tier Free subscription tier Includes debt tracking and analysis Includes debt tracking and analysis Great mobile apps Great mobile apps Rent payment reporting offered Cons Free version only pulls from one credit bureau Free version only pulls from one credit bureau Must subscribe to Premium to get tools like credit monitoring Must subscribe to Premium to get tools like credit monitoring Lacks calculators, simulators, and other tools Lacks calculators, simulators, and other tools No assistance with retiring debt Why We Picked It Credit Sesame is another site that promotes smart credit management. Its free version helps you learn how you can bump up your credit score and it offers useful credit- and debt-tracking tools. You need a premium subscription, however, if you want a laser-focused view of your credit and additional services. A companion bank account, Sesame Cash, may help you get paid two days early, among its other financial features. Who Its For The real differentiator for Credit Sesame is the companion Sesame Cash account. It may be a smart choice for people in underserved communities who have had bad experiences with traditional banks (or folks who want to be rewarded for using cash as a means to improve their credit scores). The site itself helps you report your rent-payment track record so it can be considered as a part of your credit score. Its free tools may be enough for anyone watching their credit use. Read Our Credit Sesame Review $0.00 at Credit Sesame See It (Opens in a new window) Moneydance 3.5 Good Best for Adding Integrations Bottom Line: Moneydance is a personal finance app that features strong support for transactions and bill pay, multiple currencies, account management, and investment tracking. However, it has a dated interface and the mobile app is limited. Pros Detailed, flexible dashboard Detailed, flexible dashboard Supports multiple currencies, including cryptocurrencies Supports multiple currencies, including cryptocurrencies Capable transaction management Capable transaction management Supports online bill pay Supports online bill pay Add-on extensions are available Add-on extensions are available Good investment tracking and reports Cons Dated user interface Dated user interface Operations could be more intuitive Operations could be more intuitive Simplistic mobile apps Simplistic mobile apps Doesnt auto-assign spending categories Why We Picked It Moneydance is a desktop-based personal finance program thats been around almost as long as Quicken has. It costs about the same as Quicken Deluxe, and it offers much of the same functionality, including income and expense management, online banking and bill pay, investment tracking, budgeting, and reports. It supports multiple international currencies and cryptocurrencies. What makes it different is add-ons: You can expand what Moneydance can do by adding extensions. Who Its For Moneydance is great for people who will make use of its extensions(Opens in a new window). For example, one extension enables financial forecasting and another lets you import transactions from a PayPal Business account. Beyond extensions, Moneydance appeals to people who want to do online bill-pay through their personal finance app at no charge except for possible bank fees (depending on your financial institution). People who are looking for an alternative to Quicken would also like Moneydance. It's also great for people who use Windows, Mac, or Linux. Read Our Moneydance Review Visit Site at Moneydance See It (Opens in a new window) Personal Capital 3.5 Good Best for Investment Tracking Bottom Line: Personal Capital is light on personal finance tools but heavy on investment tracking and retirement planning. The site does offer basic transaction management and budgeting, but its emphasis is on looking toward your future. Pros Free Free Exceptional user experience Exceptional user experience Excellent investment data and feedback Excellent investment data and feedback Personalized retirement planning Personalized retirement planning Good customer support Cons Limited transaction management and budgeting Limited transaction management and budgeting No credit health information No credit health information Doesn't let you manually enter transactions Why We Picked It Personal Capital has some personal finance features, but it mainly focuses on investments and retirement planning. The service offers numerous views of your holdings, gives sound personalized advice, and makes retirement estimations. It has some transaction management and cryptocurrency-tracking features, too. Personal Capital helps you see how what you do today affects your ability to retire when you want. It's free. Its user experience is outstanding. And it offers the option of adding investment and retirement planning if you pay for those features. Who Its For Personal Capital is for people who want not only excellent investment-tracking and retirement-planning tools, but also feedback on their portfolios and plans based on the financial account information they provide. You can get a lot of this for free, but Personal Capital also has a fee-based advisory service for investors whose portfolios consist of at least $100,000 in holdings. Read Our Personal Capital Review Visit SIte at Personal Capital See It (Opens in a new window) WalletHub 3.5 Good Best for Monitoring and Analyzing Credit Bottom Line: WalletHub is a good tool for checking your credit score, accessing your credit report, and analyzing and improving your credit. Just don't expect financial account management and other personal finance tools. Pros Monitors your credit report and score Monitors your credit report and score Good educational resource Good educational resource Useful financial tools Useful financial tools Excellent mobile apps Excellent mobile apps New WalletScore Cons Doesn't connect to bank accounts for transactions Doesn't connect to bank accounts for transactions No budgeting or goal-setting No budgeting or goal-setting Sprawling interface Sprawling interface Limited personal finance articles Why We Picked It WalletHub has a singular focus, unlike other personal finance sites that offer a variety of tools and resources. Its all about your credit scorewhat it is, how to analyze it, and ways to improve it. Because it emphasizes that one element of personal finance, individuals can pop in and quickly get the information they need without wading through menus and toolbars. Who Its For Since WalletHub pays for its own operations by displaying ads for credit cards and loans, its a good site for credit shoppers who want help finding the best financial products for their own situations. Its numerous calculators also make it an appealing personal finance app to anyone looking for ways to shape their budgets, compare borrowing costs, and plan for the future. Read Our WalletHub Review $0.00 at WalletHub See It (Opens in a new window) How to Connect Your Bank Account to Personal Finance Software All the personal finance apps and services we review have a variety of features and functions, but they share common characteristics. For example, most of them support online connections to your financial institutions. That is, you can download cleared transactions and other account data from your bank accounts, credit card accounts, brokerages, and other financial institutions, and see all of the data neatly displayed in the applications' registers. To connect, you typically enter your login credentials for those financial sites, though you usually have to provide additional security informationwhich is, of course, a good thing. Is Personal Finance Software Safe to Use? The personal finance apps we reviewed are all safe to use. The ones that connect to your financial accounts, like Mint, use encryption and other safety measures on their side to keep your login information protected. However, you must also do your part to make the experience safe. Three key things you can do are: Use a unique username and password for not only your financial logins but also for the personal finance app. A password manager is the tool you'll want to use here. Enable multi-factor authentication wherever it's supportedagain, meaning both for logging into the personal finance app and for any connected bank accounts. Keep all your personal details, such as your date and city of birth, private because they can be used as authenticators to access financial data and accounts. It's never a bad idea to brush up on best practices for preventing identity theft online to protect yourself further. What Is Two-Factor Authentication? What Is Two-Factor Authentication? What Can You Do With Transaction Data in Personal Finance Software? After importing a batch of transactions from credit card and bank accounts into a personal finance app, most people spend some time cleaning up the data. Transactions need to be correctly categorized as income (salary, freelance payment, and interest, for example) and expenses (food, mortgage, utilities, and so on). Most apps guess the categories, but you can always change them, and you can split transactions among different categories. If you're conscientious about categorizing your income and spending, you'll get charts and reports that accurately summarize where your money comes from and where it goes. This information can also be helpful when tax preparation time rolls around and when you run reports. Depending on the service, you might be able to add tags to transactions, too. That way, you can search for transactions that are related in ways other than category assignments. For example, you might set up a tag called tax-deductible, which gives you an easy way to pull up all your tax-deductible expenses at the end of the year. Some personal finance apps let you add notes and attach files. If you bought something with cash, though, your bank won't have a record of it. In those circumstances, you can manually create a transaction. The best personal finance app for this kind of transaction management is Quicken Deluxe. Another reason it's helpful to see a list of all transactions across all your accounts in a personal finance app is that if there's spending you didn't authorize, you can see it as soon as you log in. The sooner you catch an unauthorized transaction, the quicker you can alert your bank and cut off access to the account. Getting an Overview of Your Financial Picture With Personal Finance Software Every personal finance service we review has a dashboard you see when logging in. Sometimes the dashboard is the only screen you need to see because it displays the most pertinent information about your financial situation, such as your account balances and pending bills. Charts and graphs on the dashboard tell you, for example, what your income is versus your spending, and how you're doing with your budget. You may be able to set financial goals and gauge your progress at meeting them, as well as see live updates on your investment portfolio if markets are open. Basically, this overview shows you snippets and highlights of the data analysis these services do behind the scenes, with options to dive deeper. Click a checking account balance in Mint, for example, and you'll go to the transaction list for that account. Click your credit score in Credit Karma to learn what contributes to it and how it's recently changed. In short, the dashboard of your personal finance app gives you a quick look at your money situation and is a springboard to a deeper financial study. Learning How to Budget With Personal Finance Software Being conscientious about your finances includes minimizing your expenses so that they are lower than your income. Thats the philosophy that the developers behind Personal Capital have: Spend less than you earn every month. Having a realistic, detailed budget helps. Budgeting tools in personal finance apps range from very simple (Personal Capital) to exceedingly complex (YNAB, which stands for You Need a Budget). The mechanics of creating a workable budget are much easier than the process of specifying your limits. Its often guesswork until youve had a budget for several months and start to see how your money comes and goes. For that reason, Quicken Deluxe and some other personal finance apps let you use past income and expenses as models. That way you can answer the question, "How much do I usually spend each month?" by relying on past data. Mint treats each category as a budget. You select one, choose a frequency (for example, every month), and enter an amount. For example, how much do you want to spend every month on your car? What about groceries? The site shows you how well you're adhering to each budget by displaying a series of colored horizontal bars that show where your spending is currently, compared with your budgeted amount. Green means you're doing OK, and red means you've gone over your self-imposed limit. You can tweak each budget as you learn more about your spending habits by clicking up and down arrows. Quicken Deluxe considers a budget to be a comprehensive table that contains all categories. The software also lets you view your budgets by a variety of time periods (monthly, annually, and so on). It also provides tools to help automate your data entry. Setting Financial Goals With Personal Finance Software Setting goals, such as establishing an emergency fund, isn't rocket science. With a personal finance app, you specify the amount you're trying to save and the target date for achieving it, and the application tells you how much you have to save every month to meet your goals. Some sites do more. NerdWallet, for example, lets you link your goals to the appropriate spending account, so your progress is automatically tracked. Big-Picture Planning With Personal Finance Software Most personal finance websites do not focus on the theory and implementation of retirement planning, much less lifetime financial planning. Quicken Deluxe, though, includes additional tools to help you pay off your debts faster, plan for taxes, and establish a comprehensive lifetime financial plan. Personal Capital has free planning tools on its website, but it also has a team of financial professionals that provide advanced planning services for a fee. Does Personal Finance Software Help You Pay Bills? Of the applications we review, only one offers online bill-paying tools included for free: Moneydance. You can set up a connection to the bank where you have a checking account and use the banks bill-pay tools (if theyre supported) through the service (bank fees may apply). Quicken offers bill pay, but it charges a monthly fee for it if youre using the Deluxe version. Other applications let you at least record bills and bill payments, though you have to pay them elsewhere. But at least you can figure the amount you pay in bills into your personal finance picture. Mint and Quicken Deluxe are especially good at this. You can set up automatic connections to online billers (Xcel Energy or Verizon, for example) or enter offline bills from suppliers who dont bill you electronically, such as a dog walker or babysitter. The site alerts you when they're due to be paid and lets you record payments manually. Can Personal Finance Software Boost Your Credit Score? An excellent credit score is gold. Beyond helping you get approved for a credit card, mortgage, car loan, and so on, it helps minimize the interest rate you pay. It's important to know not only what your credit score is at any given time, but also how it gets calculated and what you can do to improve it. Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, NerdWallet, and WalletHub, all free websites, meet these critical needs. Credit Karma is especially comprehensive and efficient in this regard. It regularly pulls your score daily from two of the three major bureaus, and gives you access to your credit reports. It also explains how different factors contribute to your credit score and what you can do to try and boost it. One of the ways you can improve your credit score is to use financial productscredit cards, mortgagesthat have attractive interest rates and other benefits, making it easier for you to pay off debt as quickly as possible. Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, NerdWallet, and WalletHub help pay for the services they provide by displaying occasional ads for products that might appeal to you based on your credit profile. You can also browse marketplaces for additional candidates. Mint uses a similar business model so the site can remain free. Of course, frequently canceling credit cards and acquiring new, different ones affects your credit score. Still, it's good to learn about these suggested products so that when the time comes, you'll know the best options. Can Personal Finance Software Show an Accurate Picture of Your Net Worth? You may only want to use a personal finance service for day-to-day income- and expense management, budgeting, and goal-setting. That said, Mint and Quicken Deluxe let you track your assets, including homes, vehicles, and investment holdings, which contribute to your net worth. If you keep your financial data and assets updated and connect the app to all your financial accounts (including accounts in debt), you get a running tally that reflects your total net worth. You don't have to connect to all your accounts, however. If there's an account you don't want to be reflected in your app, just leave it out. Managing Money on the Go With Personal Finance Software You probably don't need advanced money-management tools when you're away from your desktop or laptop. But when you're out spending money, you do need to know how much you have available. All the personal finance services reviewed here are available as mobile apps. Most offer somewhat reduced functionality, but you can at least check your account balances, view transactions, add transactions, and see graphs related to your spending and cash flow. You may also be able to get your credit score and check the status of pending bills. Is Personal Finance Software Easy to Use? All the services reviewed here are easy to use. Theyre geared toward consumers who want to understand how much money they have, how much theyve spent, how much they've earned, and what they have to do to ensure that their income remains greater than their expenses. Personal finance apps try to minimize the time required to learn all of those things. Some are more successful than others. Simplifi by Quicken offers the best, freshest, most understandable user experience, incorporating state-of-the-art interfaces with can't-miss navigation tools. NerdWallet blends editorial content with a credit score, plus limited income- and expense-tracking tools. Moneydance and CountAbout (which didn't score high enough to make this list) are certainly easy enough to use, but they have dated user interfaces. Quicken Deluxe has been around for so long and offers so much that its user experience is a little uneven. Its blend of old and new content can be a little jarring when compared with a solution built from the ground up to live online. YNAB takes some study to understand and use it effectively, though its friendlier to new users than it used to be. So none of these applications has a tough learning curve. If youve ever used desktop software or websites that employ standard navigation conventions like toolbars, drop-down menus, and interactive hyperlinks, you shouldnt have any trouble mastering them quickly. What's the Best Personal Finance Software? Which personal finance app is "the best?" It depends on what you need at the moment. If you don't want to pay anything for a personal finance app and you want overviews of nearly everything related to your finance, Mint is best. If you want a total picture of your money and financial health, plus some tools for managing investments, Quicken Deluxe is best. If you want to understand and improve your credit score, youll probably want to use Credit Karma and NerdWallet. If you need to focus on budgeting your money down to the penny, YNAB is best. But theres no reason you cant use more than one personal finance app at a time. You might use Mint for tracking income and expenses, plus WalletHub for keeping an eye on your credit report, for example. Each of these personal finance solutions offers something the others don't. That said, their skill at delivering the tools consumers need, and the cost at which they offer them, varies. Mint has won our Editors' Choice award for free personal finance services for several years, and it does so again. Quicken Deluxe, on the other hand, is our Editors' Choice pick for paid personal finance services. We'd send people first to Mint if they're considering online personal finance, because of its usability, thorough tool selection, and useful feedback. And, of course, it's free. Free is good in these days of economic uncertainty. Lazy people will love Windows 10 and its ability to automate home tasks, and the operating systems smart-home credentials are getting a serious boost with a recent internet of things pact. Microsoft wants to put Windows 10 at the center of smart homes. The company wants users to be able to tell the operating systems Cortana voice assistant to switch on a light, open a door, release food for a cat, and even check the contents of a refrigerator. For Windows 10 to be successful, the OS will have to work with a wide range of smart home and IoT devices, and that goal has taken a big step forward thanks to a recent agreement between standards bodies the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) and the Thread Group. The two organizations will work together on improving interoperability between smart home and IoT devices. This means devices running Windows 10 will be able to connect with most smart home products and program home automation tasks based on events or times of the day. The new alliance will see the major IoT standards-settings groups working together to make it easy for devices to discover and communicate with one another. As members of OCF, we are very excited by this development and look forward to moving closer to a world where smart home devices just work together regardless of brand or make, a Microsoft representative said in an email. The alliance will benefit smart-home customers, with less guesswork involved in getting devices to work together. The alliance between OCF and Thread Group will help Windows 10 devices natively support and communicate with products from companies like Nest Labs, an Alphabet company. Multiple IoT standards have hurt interoperability between devices, and the alliance gets rid of the fragmentation in standards thats threatening the IoT and smart home markets. Founders of the Thread Group include ARM, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Nest. The OCF brings together security, discovery, and connectivity tools from the Microsoft-backed AllSeen Alliance and the former Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), with key members including Intel, Samsung, and Dell. The OIC was renamed OCF. Microsofts plan is to integrate OCF protocols which are due to be released in 2017 into Windows 10. The integration will ultimately bring the Thread Group protocols and network transports to Windows 10. Users could then automate tasks using a Windows PC, mobile device, Xbox console, or Raspberry Pi 3. Users will be able to create profiles and assign actions for smart home devices. For example, users could establish a specific profile in Cortana like activate smart home, which would trigger actions like switching on lights and air conditioning. Microsoft will have to incorporate Thread APIs into its plans for OCF tools. Microsoft has already released an open-source bridge to connect OIC tools, called IoTivity, with the AllSeen Alliances AllJoyn APIs. It will help AllJoyn devices talk to OIC-compatible IoT devices. Marc Tarabella wants to swipe left on Tinders privacy policy. The companys terms of use breach European Union privacy laws, according to Tarabella, a member of the European Parliament. Tarabella particularly dislikes the way the company gives itself the right to swipe the personal information and photos of its users, and to continue using it even if they deactivate their accounts. Its not just Tinder: Tarabella is also unhappy about how much personal information Runkeeper keeps about runners movements, even when the app is inactive. He has the same concerns about Happn, a sort of missed-connections dating service. The lawmaker wants the European Commission to root out abusive clauses in the terms of use of a number of mobile apps, and to penalize their developers. The problem is always the lack of transparency, and the notion of consent. For example, the consumer has never consented to the transmission of their data to third parties when the app is offline in the case of Runkeeper or Happn, he wrote Wednesday. Mobile apps simplify our daily lives, he said, but they should not become a lawless zone where the consumer is systematically taken advantage of. Privacy rules should be fair, transparent and easy to understandand respect consumers legal rights, he said. But in calling for an investigation by the European Commission, Tarabella appears to be swiping the wrong way. While some laws, such as those on competition and cartels, are both enacted and enforced by the Commission, the rules on privacy and protecting consumers from unfair contract terms are for national data protection authorities to enforce, a Commission spokeswoman said Thursday. Tarabella, a Belgian MEP, may find a better match with the Belgian Privacy Commission, responsible for protecting the personal information of Belgian citizens. The Belgian Privacy Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tinders privacy policy. Authorities in other countries, however, are taking an interest. Earlier this year the Norwegian Consumer Council launched a campaign calling on app developers to respect their users privacy. In an entertaining video, it invited users to imagine what life would be like if everyone treated personal information the way some apps do, by setting up a market stall selling intimate photos of strangers. Norway is not a member of the EU, although it is a member of the European Economic Area, where EU privacy and consumer protection rules also apply. An Inland Republican Party official resigned from his state government job Thursday, Aug. 4, a day after he sent tweets from the partys official Twitter account that featured a menacing hangman and the words Im Ready for Hillary. Nathan Miller stepped down and admitted sending the tweet, said Russell Lowery, chief deputy to Board of Equalization member Diane Harkey. Miller had worked as an advisor to Harkey, an elected Republican official, for about nine months, Lowery said. Lowery did not know whether Miller, who lives in Corona, was on taxpayer time when he sent the tweets. State law forbids public employees from engaging in political activities during work hours. Secret Service agent Robert Savage confirmed the agency was aware of the tweets, which could be construed as a threat to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, although he added: We dont discuss protective intelligence investigations. UPDATE: The latest fallout from the Republican hangman Ready for Hillary tweets Miller, who is vice president the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday. His Facebook page listed him as a deputy district director for the Board of Equalization, which administers taxes and oversees fee collections. His job paid him roughly $100,000 a year. On Wednesday, Aug. 3, the county GOPs official Twitter account sent out two tweets of the picture, which featured a portrait of a masked hangman holding a noose with blood on his shirt and running down his apron. The words Im Ready for Hillary were directly below the hangman. The tweets were made in response to a Democrat who tweeted at the county GOP asking where she could find Republicans for Hillary signs. One of the hangman tweets included the caption: sorry they never arrived but this is pretty popular. The tweets, which were posted around midday Wednesday, were taken down early Wednesday afternoon after a Press-Enterprise reporter contacted county GOP Chairman Scott Mann. At first, Mann described the tweets as political satire. He later apologized and said the tweets horrified him. I have taken steps to ensure the individual who posted the tweet no longer has access and I can assure you the person responsible will be held accountable, he said in an emailed statement. Mann declined further comment Thursday. California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte condemned the tweets. It was an offensive and inappropriate tweet and the Riverside County chairman did the right thing by taking it down the minute he became aware of it and he did the right thing by apologizing to anyone and everyone, Brulte said Thursday. This kind of tweet has no place in American political dialogue, period. Miller is the county GOPs north west vice chairman. He was elected to the college board in 2012. News of the tweets spread on social media as outraged Democrats denounced the portrait as a threat to Clintons well-being. The hangman had an ax hanging at his side and blood on his shirt and apron as two empty nooses swung from gallows in the background. Donald Trump has opened the floodgates of hatred and intolerance, and until Republicans unify to condemn him well see more of this, California Democratic Party spokesman Michael Soller said. Trump is setting the standard for violent rhetoric at the top and that has to stop. Miller offered political commentary on the Democratic National Convention to The Press-Enterprise last month. In one piece, he described what he said was a lack of Democratic Party unity. Earlier this year, Miller said his party affiliation had been switched from Republican to Democrat without his knowledge or consent. It was upsetting, he said at the time. Thoughts run through your head as to how this could happen, how weak the system could be in place is it a weak system or is the person who did it exceptionally savvy? The Riverside County district attorneys office later confirmed it found evidence that voters party affiliations had been tampered with online. But the California Secretary of State expressed confidence in the security of voter information. Two years ago, the city of San Bernardino had an opportunity to develop and propose sensible medical marijuana policies on its own terms. Today, the city faces a situation of its own making, as at least three measures pertaining to the regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries will be on the November ballot. On Monday, the council approved a formal resolution placing a measure backed by the California Cannabis Coalition, as well as another citizen-backed initiative, on the ballot. Both measures would allow varying numbers of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, with differing restrictions and regulations. The city, for its part, advanced a proposal of its own to authorize marijuana dispensaries. The proposal from the city, written in the past month, calls for allowing city-approved and vetted dispensaries so long as they are not within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, libraries, recreation centers, religious facilities or another dispensary. Under the proposal, dispensaries would have to operate under specific hours of operation, have security guards and security cameras, among other safety measures. Despite the objections of Mayor Carey Davis to allowing marijuana dispensaries in the city, the council voted 5-2 to move forward with the proposal, with Councilmen Fred Shorett and James Mulvihill opposed. Marijuana dispensaries, which are already ubiquitous throughout the city, simply cannot be left to the whims of the black market. For years, the city has spent vast sums of money chasing dispensaries in an expensive game of whack-a-mole. Two years ago, the city came close to discussing regulation, but that conversation ended abruptly. Rather than thinking of the permitting of marijuana dispensaries as approval of marijuana use, sensible regulation should be considered an opportunity to gain some control over an otherwise uncontrolled market. While we continue to parse the different proposals, were glad to see the city is finally considering medical marijuana dispensaries and contemplating an end to a failed policy of prohibition. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Norco is standing by its decision to reject a Hindu temple, denied in part because its design wasnt western enough. Norco City Council members voted 4-0 Wednesday night, Aug. 3, against City Manager Andy Okoros suggestion to create a committee that would have given temple proponents another chance to meet city requirements. Councilman Berwin Hanna was absent. The Council voted July 6 to block the 3,700-square-foot facility, saying it didnt fit the citys western aesthetic and presented drainage and parking problems. But Project Director Manu Patolia called the decision blatant cultural discrimination, and said Thursday, Aug. 4, that he may pursue legal action against the city. This is clearly, clearly, violating some of our fundamental rights, Patolia said. We had some hope from (Okoros) proposal, but not anymore. Were quiet, peace-loving people. Those who live quiet and peacefully, they have no rights. When you get loud, then the city will listen. One of the main reasons Okoro suggested the committee was to dispel what he called misunderstanding about why the project on a 4-acre Norconian Drive parcel was denied. He said planning commissioners and city council members issues are solely with the size of the multipurpose hall, adequate parking and drainage. Norco City Attorney John Harper said revised building plans presented to the council July 6 were essentially brand new engineered plans that should have first been reviewed by the planning commission. Council isnt in a position to review those, Harper said. Council was kind of blindsided. The revised plans show an earth-toned building with stone pillars and a single dome that falls beneath the citys height allowance. Public Works Director Chad Blais previously said developers submitted adequate preliminary drainage plans. Patolia said the house of worship could potentially exceed its 107-parking space limitation a couple of days out of the year, including the annual Patotsav celebration of the faith. To resolve that issue, Patolia said during a planning commission meeting hed suggested renting spaces from nearby businesses. The proposed committee of two council members and two planning commissioners would have provided recommendations for the project to meet city requirements. Instead, Okoro said leaders of Swaminarayan Gurukul, a Hindu denomination, can meet with city employees at their leisure. They will have to wait at least a year before reapplying for a building permit. My gut reaction was that we should form an ad-hoc, that was just my opinion, but I completely understand councils viewpoint, Okoro said, adding that forming a committee could have set a bad precedent. This (opportunity) was not provided to other folks whove had their projects denied in the past. Patolia said members of his faith organization have been meeting in area homes for the past two years, and the cramped quarters are wearing on the congregation. We have to continue our heritage, our culture, Patolia said. Christians go to church, Muslims go to their mosque, we need a place to go. Contact the writer: 951-368-9644, poneill@pressenterprise.com, @PE_PatrickO As promised, Democrats are using Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump against GOP congressional incumbents and candidates, including an Inland Rep. Ken Calvert of Corona. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has issued press releases demanding to know where GOP candidates stand on Trumps feud with the family of a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq. A recent release called out five Republican incumbents or candidates, including Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, whose Democratic challenger finished within roughly 5 percentage points of Issa in the June 7 primary. Tim Sheridan, the Lake Elsinore Democrat running against Calvert in Californias 42nd Congressional District, recently issued a statement challenging Calverts refusal to speak out against Trumps reaction to the appearance by Khizr and Ghazala Khan at the Democratic National Convention. At the convention, Khizr Khan said Trump has sacrificed nothing and no one and asked Trump, who has proposed a ban on Muslims from entering the United States, if he has ever read the Constitution. Trump asked if Ghazala Khan wasnt allowed to speak; she said she was didnt because she was in pain over her sons death. Trump added: I think Ive made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. Ive created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. Ive had tremendous success. I think Ive done a lot. Sheridan, who lost to Calvert in 2014, condemned Trumps comments and said Calvert has remained silent. Mr. Calverts shameful failure to speak out against the comments made against a Gold Star family is inexcusable, Sheridan said in a news release. It continues a consistent pattern from Mr. Calvert of being out-of-touch with those in Californias 42nd district an area of the country with many active military and retired veterans and their families. In an emailed response, Calvert said: Our military is the finest fighting force in the world because of the extraordinary bravery, heroism and professionalism of the men and women who serve in it. Every service member and their family makes incredible sacrifices while some make the ultimate sacrifice. Ive spoken with Gold Star parents, held their hands and shared hugs with them in grief. They deserve our support and undying appreciation, and theres no question theyve earned the right to say how they feel. Calvert announced his support for Trump earlier this year, saying it was vital to defeat Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. He also was the only one of the Inland Empires three GOP congressmen to attend the Republican National Convention. Democrats hope a voter backlash against Trump will give them a Senate majority and cut into the GOPs House of Representatives majority. Political prognosticators expect the anti-Trump vote will help Democratic incumbents, including Inland congressmen Mark Takano of Riverside, Pete Aguilar of Redlands and Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert. That said, Sheridan faces an uphill battle in trying to unseat Calvert, the Inland regions longest-serving congressman. Calvert holds a fundraising advantage over Sheridan and the 42nd, which runs from Eastvale down through Corona and Norco to Murrieta and surrounding areas, has more Republican voters than Democrats. CORRECTION: A previous version of this article listed the incorrect amount of money Hemet will spend from its reserve account this fiscal year. Although the California auditor has placed Hemet on its high risk list due to ongoing budget deficits, city leaders were satisfied with a report released Thursday, Aug. 4. The report focused on the citys longstanding financial challenges, but found no wrongdoing. There are no signs of waste, fraud or abuse, City Manager Alex Meyerhoff said. We support the findings of the audit; were pleased to be working with the state. The report noted the Hemet Fire Department has considerable needs with regards to staffing and infrastructure, creating a risk to public safety. Yet public safety officials took solace in the fact the report suggested that the police and fire departments be kept in house. Hemet came close to contracting fire services to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department in 2014 and while there was never official discussion about contracting police services, a segment of the community was clamoring for that, as well. We reviewed the potential for outsourcing the Hemet police department to determine if it would be a cost-effective option for the city, the report reads. Maintaining the police department appears to be a more practical option at this time than outsourcing this function. The Hemet Fire Department is one the busiest in the county with more than 16,000 calls last year, Chief Scott Brown said. They are on target to top 18,000 calls in 2016. A lack of personnel has led to high overtime costs. The audit stated that if the department cant address its shortfall through a proposed sales tax increase or by implementing an emergency services fee, it could pursue a joint powers authority with other local governments for shared fire services. Voters on Nov. 8 will decide if the city should increase its sales tax rate from 8 percent to 9 percent, generating about $10 million annually. Although a general tax, city leaders have vowed to use it toward public safety. This independent report further supports the need for the additional revenue that will be generated by Measure U, going to voters in November, Hemet Mayor Bonnie Wright said in a release from the city. The audit noted the city is addressing some key risks that have caused financial stress and affected the efficiency and effectiveness of its government, but significant work remains to ensure that the city is stable over the long term. The auditors office pointed out that Hemet has had shortfalls for eight of the past nine fiscal years, with its fiscal year 2015-16 budget projecting a $5 million deficit. Meyerhoff said after years of deficit spending, the city will use $350,000 of its reserves this year about 1 percent of the budget and things are on track on Hemets five-year plan to solvency. The report noted that the city has been given options to reach a balanced budget, including charging nonresidents for library services. We have to ask our library patrons if they are willing to pay and how much, Meyerhoff said. In response to the audit findings, the city is required to submit a corrective action plan to the state. The city of Hemet is committed to openness and transparency, Meyerhoff said. This will make us stronger on an ongoing basis. Were at a point where the community is looking to go forward. Animals names: Bonkers and Jitters Gender and breed: Bonkers is female kitten. Jitters is a male Yorkie mix. Age: Both are 2 months old About the animals: Bonkers and Jitters are best friends. Bonkers helps take care of Jitters and Jitters thinks hes a kitten. He even uses the litterbox. Rescuers would like to place them in the same home. Agency: Pet Rescue Thrift Store Foster Army Animal Rescue, a nonprofit that supports animal rescue groups and rescues companion animals Location: 3564 Central Ave., Riverside Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (Mondays maybe) Information: 951-222-2104 or petrescuethrift.com Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com Declining levels of toxicity caused by blue-green algae prompted Lake Elsinore officials to rescind their week-long ban on recreational lake use. But officials there and at San Bernardino Countys Silverwood Lake are urging visitors to be cautious about body contact in the wake of the blooms at both lakes. Results that came back Thursday, Aug. 4 from water quality samples taken Monday at Lake Elsinore indicate toxin levels resulting from cyanobacteria have dropped lower than the threshold for a ban, said Senior Management Analyst Nicole Dailey, who oversees lake issues. RELATED: Drinking water taste funny? Blame Silverwood Lake algae bloom Cyanobacteria is the scientific name for blue-green algae, which release several toxic substances in dying off. While the prohibition was lifted, officials warned visitors to avoid contact with algae and water near the shoreline, while pets and livestock owners should keep their animals away from the lake. While the levels have declined, toxins still exist in the lake, particularly near the algae and scum, Dailey said. City officials shuttered the lake July 28 after tests showed unsafe levels of the toxins cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin-a and microsystins. They can cause rashes, skin and eye irritations, allergic reactions and gastrotestinal problems among humans and can be life-threatening to dogs and other animals. Lake Elsinores reopening coincided with a blue-green algae warning issued for Silverwood Lake, where people have been advised to stay out of the water. The emergence of the algae as a threat comes amid rising concern about the proliferation of the species throughout the state. Two lakes in the Bay Area and a Sacramento Delta bay have been shut down. Scientists say the phenomenon is spawned by the drought and shrinking lake levels, which is especially true at Lake Elsinore. While it is Southern Californias largest freshwater non-manmade water body, it is extremely shallow having dropped to a maximum depth of about 15 feet. This (algae issue) is a direct result of the dropping lake level, said Administrator Mark Norton of the Lake Elsinore & San Jacinto Watershed Authority, one of the agencies that monitors the lake. Lake Elsinore is a natural lake and in the past has had some severe algae blooms. Lake managers say they are exploring methods of combating the algae, but no solution is in sight given the expense and environmental complications. After the city issued notifications that the restriction was lifted, Dailey said, boat activity resumed immediately. They were eager to get out on the water, Dailey said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com There is light at the end of the tunnel for a Rialto woman sentenced to life behind bars for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. This was her first offense. She was pardoned Wednesday by President Barack Obama along with 213 other federal inmates including 67 inmates serving life sentences. Josephine Ledezma, 58, of Rialto, has already served 24 years of that sentence. According to records, Ledezma gave an envelope of money to someone in 1992 who was going to drive cocaine from California to Washington, D.C. During the trip, that person was pulled over in Memphis, Tennessee where police discovered the cocaine. Ledezma was convicted on federal conspiracy charges and received the maximum sentence. The White House called Wednesdays pardon process the largest batch of commutations on a single day in more than a century. The power to grant pardons and commutations embodies the basic belief in our democracy that people deserve a second chance after having made a mistake in their lives that led to a conviction under our laws, Obama said. Its unclear when Ledezma will be officially released from federal prison into the arms of her three children and nine grandchildren. The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report. Contact the writer: dsaunders@scng.com, @crimeshutterbug on Twitter For those of us who have lost children, whether to medical reasons, accidents, violence or military service, the first question we as parents ask is, How did this happen? We expect the doctor who calls us out into the hallway or the police officer who knocks on our door to be honest and truthful. The parents of those four Americans killed in Benghazi did not receive the truth. Instead, after their sons caskets were taken off the plane in Dover Airforce Base and the ceremony was over, Hillary Clinton told those parents this incident was caused by an awful video, and she would find out who was responsible. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Clinton, Ty Woods father kept a journal. As soon as possible he recorded in his journal exactly what he had been told. Later on, Mrs. Clinton was asked by the press if someone had lied about what they were told. Her answer, Well, I dont know but it wasnt me. Now my question to you is: Do we really want someone so insensitive to parents grief that they would lie to protect the political party which they are affiliated? Do you really want Hillary Clinton as president of the United States? The pain of losing a child never goes away. Please remember this when you go to the voting booth in November. Carol Lewis Canyon Lake Not the party of Lincoln I was somewhat depressed after watching the Republican convention. It reminded me of a torch-bearing mob of villagers screaming. Burn the witch. Logic and facts were overwhelmed by base instincts of fear, resentment and hatred. I had never considered it remotely possible that we could break apart like the Wiemar Republic until now. The GOP has become the party of a serial con artist without scruples. Hillary was not my candidate, but I know she has spent her life in public service. The Democratic convention left me feeling we are all in this together. We can move into the future together, leading the world by example, not bluster. Mark Hanisee Riverside An 84-year-old Jurupa Valley woman was killed when the vehicle she was traveling in slammed into the back of a tractor trailer Tuesday night, Aug. 2, in Ontario, officials said. The crash took place just after 9 p.m. along Jurupa Street near Sarah Place in Ontario, according to the San Bernardino County Coroners website. The elderly woman was a right front passenger in a 2000 Mercedes SUV that was traveling east on Jurupa Street, officials said. For reasons yet to be determined, the unnamed driver of the Mercedes rear-ended a tractor trailer. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has not been released. The Ontario Police Department is investigating the collision. Madeline Wall, co-producer and co-director of Lauren Gundersons I and You, is only 18. Despite Walls youth, her Wall Climbers Theatre Project is producing the 90-minute play in conjunction with another up-and-coming company, The Gestalt Theatre Project through Aug. 13. But, as the recenet graduate of Redlands High School said, what better opportunity and fit than a confused, awkward teenager to direct a play about confused, awkward teenagers? Although Wall admits its a rather daunting experience, no one else has my perspective. In the two-character play by the 34-year-old, award-winning San Francisco-based writer, Anthony shows up unannounced at classmate Carolines door with waffle fries and a battered copy of Walt Whitmans poetry. Hes ready to mow through Leaves of Grass, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Caroline hasnt been to school in months because of an illness. The two 17-year-olds let down their guards, spilling secrets as the mundane poetry project brings to light a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I and You delivers a surprising twist while celebrating youth, life, love and human connection. Wall, whos performed leading roles in two Gestalt productions The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Arcadia and bagged a plum part in Riverside Repertory Theatres Spring Awakening, was eager to stretch her talents beyond acting. Wall said I and You affected her deeply when she was 15 and saw the play while living in Rochester, N.Y. So she pitched the idea to Patrick Brien, founding member of The Gestalt Theatre Project, who is also the co-director and co-producer of I and You. As one of Walls mentors, he was eager to turn over the reins to this promising artist, who heads to Minneapolis in a few weeks to major in theater at the University of Minnesota. If I couldnt give this opportunity to Madeline, Brien said, its all been for naught. Contact the writer: llucas@scng.com, 951-368-9559 Two babies have been born with Zika virus-related defects in California, but neither of them were born in the Inland region, health officials said Thursday, Aug. 4. The infants were born with smaller than normal heads or microcephaly to mothers who were infected outside the United States, California Department of Public Health officials reported. Severe microcephaly can involve brain damage. Neither baby was born in Riverside or San Bernardino counties, and no pregnant women have tested positive for the virus here, county health officials confirmed. State health officials wont say what counties the babies were born in. One woman and her baby have since returned to the mothers home country. The other woman and infant are still in California and are doing well, Dr. Karen Smith, state health officer, said in a media teleconference Thursday. This is a sobering reminder for Californians that Zika can cause serious harm to a developing fetus, Smith said. As of July 29, California has had 114 travel-related Zika cases, with one person infected by sexual transmission. The state public health departments July 29 weekly Zika infections update reported 21 pregnant women have tested positive for Zika. Two were the women who gave birth to the infants with defects. Only one person has been found to have Zika in Riverside County and that person was male, said the countys Director of Disease Control Barbara Cole. San Bernardino County has had six people test positive for Zika. None were pregnant women, said county Department of Public Health spokeswoman Claudia Doyle. While no mosquitoes have been found to have transmitted the virus in California, the Centers for Disease Control reported Tuesday that 15 people have been infected by mosquitoes in Miami. Zika is most commonly spread by tropical Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Men can spread the virus during sex and pregnant women can pass Zika to fetuses or to babies around the time theyre born, according to the CDC. The non-native Aedes aegypti or yellow fever mosquito is now present in 12 California counties, including San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Aedes albopictus or Asian tiger mosquito has been found in six counties, including San Bernardino County. The CDC reports that people can spread Zika to mosquitoes through mosquito bites during the first week theyre infected. If mosquitoes do spread Zika here, transmission is expected to be very limited, Smith said. Most infected people have mild symptoms or none at all and recover from the symptoms in about a week. The virus circulates about seven days. Zika antibodies, but not the virus, remain in the body the rest of peoples lives and are currently believed to shield people from becoming infected again, Cole said. Cole urged Inland residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites and pregnant women to talk with their obstetricians about possible travel to areas with active Zika transmission. We continue to the stress the importance of preventive measures, she said. In California, Los Angeles and San Diego counties far outpace other counties in the number of people with Zika. According to the states most recent weekly update, 24 people were found to have Zika in Los Angeles County and 23 tested positive in San Diego County. Smith said the public health department will follow infants with obvious birth defects as well as infants who appear normal at birth to learn more about Zika-related defects. Staff writer Courtney Perkes contributed to this story. Contact Suzanne Hurt: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com Parliament on Tuesday passed the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Amendment Bill to significantly strengthen the Central Banks functional autonomy, governance and ability to respond to banking sector crises. The Bill seeks to plug the loopholes identified in Act 612, following an examination of current international trends and what pertains in other jurisdiction. A statement signed by Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, Deputy Minister of Finance, said the amendment also seeks to separate the autonomy provisioned from other objectives of the bank to strengthen the autonomy of the BoG in the performance of its functions. The Bill introduces a new qualification criterion for Board members, including extensive knowledge and experience as regards monetary, banking, financial and economic matters or any discipline relevant to the functions of the Board. It is important to note that with the amendment of this Bill, the Minister of Finances influence in the appointing of members of the Monetary Policy Committee has been revoked and the Bank of Ghana takes full responsibility for that, the statement said. This amendment of the BoG Bill comes in the middle of the IMF programme that requires zero BoG financing with a window of two three per cent of BoG financing for liquidity management. The statement said Government remained committed to the IMF-supported Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Programme and emphasised the significant progress made in implementing the Programme as evident in two successful reviews of the IMF Programme. The third review mission was concluded in May, and we are awaiting the Fund to go to the Board for the approval of the third review on August 29, the statement said. Even though Parliament has passed a BoG financing limit of five per cent of previous years revenue in the BoG Amendment Bill, the Government remains committed and would still continue to implement the ECF Programme as agreed with the Fund. In doing so, we will continue to adhere to the requirement of zero BoG financing under the IMF-ECF Programmeas a matter of fiscal prudenceas we have done since the beginning of the year. Currently, government has no incentive to borrow from the BoG policy rate is above the market rate for Governments instrument. Prior to this year, we observed a reduction in BoG financing of the budget from 10 per cent, under the BoG Act, to five per cent in 2015, the statement said. Furthermore, it should be noted that under the Fund programme, Government is allowed to temporarily borrow up to two per cent of previous years revenue within a 90- day windows in special circumstances. To help us manage liquidity pressures under the zero financing, we are improving domestic revenue mobilisation with the implementation of tax measures as well as improving tax administration. We have switched successfully to the Ghana Stock Exchange to finance long-term Budget needs, compared to the relatively short-term BoG Treasury Bill market or auctions. Additionally, a number of initiatives to strengthen cash management are being implemented, including a Cash Management Operational Framework which forecast revenue and public expenditure numbers two weeks ahead of time has been developed. The framework provides information on government cash flows on a weekly basis. The new Public Financial Management (PFM) Bill, currently being debated in Parliament, contains provisions for prudent economic management to codify for the first time, some of the measures being implemented under the Governments own Home-Grown (and now IMF) Programme. For the first time, extensive provisions relating to budget and fiscal rules, including the budget deficit, financing and public debt, are also codified in the PFM Bill. Source: GNA 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. Featured Video Ghana has had to scrap its 4th Eurobond sale in as many years after investors virtually rejected the bond by demanding astronomic rates amid concerns on the health of Ghanas economy and the governments commitment to fiscal targets ahead of elections. A statement issued by the Finance Ministry announcing the scrapping of the Bond stated, the Government will continue to build on this dialogue with international investors while monitoring the markets and the IMF Board process with respect to the Third Review of the Program and will issue new notes at the optimal time and the right conditions. The respected Bloomberg financial journal, only yesterday raised issues about the high rates investors were demanding for Ghanas bonds despite a general fall in the rates of other bonds issued by other countries in Sub-saharan Africa. The cost of floating the bond looks prohibitively expensive, Celeste Fauconnier, Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana and Neville Mandimika, analysts at Johannesburg-based RMB, said in a note on Tuesday according to Bloomberg. The risk of debt distress remains high. We do not believe the faith in the market is strong enough to prevent an expensive transaction, the RMB analysts said. Reporting on the scrapping of the Bond, Bloomberg disclosed that it was down to investor rejection of the Ghana Bonds and the high rates investors demanded. Ghana scrapped plans to sell its fourth Eurobond in as many years, balking at the price investors demanded amid concern that the West African nation may relax its commitment to fiscal targets ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections, the report said. Its not an entire surprise, Nicolas Jaquier, an emerging-markets economist at Standard Life Investments Ltd. in London, said by phone. The timing of the new issue was a bit puzzling, coming to issue a bond just before some of the pending issues with the IMF were being ironed out. Thats what kept many investors away, Bloomberg quoted. It is 30 percent pricing and 70 percent bad timing, said Richard Segal, an analyst at Manulife Asset Management, who attended an investor meeting on Monday and who was also quoted by Bloomberg. Investors asked more than they were willing to pay. Ghanas IMF Programme is currently on the rocks after the failure of the Fund to present the third review of the Programme to the IMF Board and the governments decision to reject a proposal to enact a zero Central Bank financing law; choosing instead to limit Central Bank financing to 5% of the previous years revenues. It will be recalled that NPP Vice-Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in May this year, warned the government against going for another Eurobond citing the high rates it could come at and the current state of the Economy. With the debt to GDP ratio at 73%, i.e. beyond the threshold of debt sustainability, what is amazing is that the government wants to issue another sovereign bond of some US$1billion this year to add more to the countrys debt burden. My humble advice to the government is that please dont. The last Eurobond was issued at some 10.75% even with a World Bank guarantee! You will only get the economy into more trouble and create more unemployment. When you find yourself in a hole please stop digging! he stressed while speaking at the Accra Polytechnic on 5th May. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana with additional files from Bloomberg 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. Featured Video Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress [NDC], Koku Anyidoho has voiced out his frustration over how the opposition New Patriotic Party [NPP] blindly criticizes everything state agencies do including the Electoral Commission [EC]. NPP is heading Ghana on the wrong path with their unhealthy criticisms. Its really sad, he said. According to him the elephant fraternity still doesnt believe they lost the 2012 election and are in opposition, so they are doing everything within their means to frustrate government. Because they lost the elections, they [NPP] are trying all means to bring this country down. Today they complain about this, tomorrow about that. What at all do they want? he queried. Speaking to NEAT FMs morning show host, Kwesi Aboagye on Ghana Montie, Koku described as unfortunate and hypocritical on the part of the NPP, recent accusations by the opposition party it was not involved in the decision to transmit the December 7 polls results electronically. He stressed that the idea to use the electronic medium, which has been adopted by Ghanas electoral body, was suggested by the NPP at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting. These accusations are not true. The NPP has been involved with decision with regards to ECs electronic transmission. The EC has proved that so why is the NPP complaining? Now we are sick and tired of the NPP. Weve pampered them for too long and they are becoming a spoilt child. Now we will crack the whip. The NDC will provide documented evidence to prove that the NPP has always been in the know regarding electronic transmission of election results and other electoral matters. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007 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. Featured Video Irbard Ibrahim has criticized the silence of the first gentleman of the Republic of Ghana on a critical court ruling that has created some tension between the Executive and the Judiciary. He called on the President to speak to the nation on the issue to put matters to rest. The Supreme Court has handed a four-month prison sentence to the Host of the Pampaso political show on Accra-based Montie FM, Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe, and the two panelists, Alistair Nelson, and Godwin Ako Gunn, for threatening to kill judges of the Supreme Court during a radio discussion. The three were also fined Ghc30,000, with each of them paying Ghc10,000. Failure to pay the amount according to the Court, will attract another one-month prison term. The four directors of Network Broadcasting Limited, owners of Montie FM; Ato Ahwoi, Edward Addo, Kwesi Kyei Atuah, and Kwesi Bram Addo, are to pay a fine of Ghc30,000. Mr. Harry Zakuor, owner of Zeze media, which owns Montie FM frequency, 100.1, is also to pay a separate fine of Ghc30,000. They were also asked to pay the amount by close of the following. They were also to provide measures they would put in place to prevent such inflammatory comments on the radio station. They were all found guilty of contempt charges last week. Source: kasapafmonline.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. Featured Video Latest information reaching your authoritative Republic Newspaper has it that efforts by key loyalists of the standard bearer of the party, Nana Ado Danquah Akuffo Addo, to re-instate the former General Secretary of the party has hit a crescendo. This paper understands that a meeting was held between Mr. Kwabena Agyepong and the former Trades Minister Dr. Kofi Konadu Aprakulast week to discuss the return of Kwabena Agyepong to the party and what it will take for that to happen. The move has been confirmed by a leading member of the party in the Ashanti Region Mrs. Esther Agyemang who spoke to Accra-based Ahutor fm. According to her, the one hour meeting ended inconclusively because Mr. Kwabena Agyepong gave conditions to be met before he agrees. According to Mrs. Agyemang, the move to bring back Mr. Agyepong has become even more critical because the acting General Secretary is considering dropping his acting GeneralSecretaryPositionto concentrate on his National Organizer position as hes struggling to combine both roles. When they went there [to the meeting] Mr. Agyepong first of all wanted to find out from them why they had decided to come to him alone when indeed they were a group of people who had been treated unfairly and suspended illegally. Mr. Agyepong therefore told them that if indeed they want him back then they will have ensure that the other suspended national officers be brought back, she told Ahutorfm She said the NPP has made a big mistake by suspending the trio because it is having a serious toll on the political operations of the party. My party has made a big mistake and Nana Addo and his people know that but because of pride and lack of honesty they are unable to concede. Its getting more and more serious by the day because NPP needs these gentlemen to prosecute an effective campaign but here we are we have such a bad leadership that I believe are in to do business and not to redeem us from the Mahama Administration. So here we are. I am not surprised John Boadu is already tired and has written to the party to relieve him of his duty as the acting general secretary of the party. Hes tired. How long can he continue to hold these two positions? I dont know what we are going to do now because we are in crisis Mrs. Agyemang added. It will be recalled that this paper reported some months back that theres a well calculated plan by Nana Akufo Addo and his Kyebi Mafia to heavily influence suspended General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong to resume his post. The desperate decision follows agitations about the poor performance of John Boadu, the NPPs National Organizer, who has been assigned additional responsibility to act as General Secretary following the suspension of Kwabena Agyepong. Intel picked indicates that a certain Kwabena Aidoo who interestingly is benefiting from huge NDC Government contracts; is allegedly the one financing Kwabena Agyepongs entry into Akufo-Addos Kyebi dominated NPP. According to deep throat sources; the said Kwabena Aidoo is bragging that he has given Kwabena Agyepong $2.5 million to support Akuffo-Addo. The latest development follows revelations that Nana Akufo Addo is fast losing grounds in NPPs stronghold which is the Ashanti region because of how he and his loyalists have treated perceived supporters of former President Kufuor mainly in the region. Many of those disappointed in the NPP are particularly angry with the intolerant flag bearer who has succeeded in kicking out some incumbent MPs from the 2016 parliamentary race and silenced other outspoken members of the party. Sources close to the group indicate the agenda is to use Kwabena Agyapong to fight Kufuors Ashanti cabal. The plan according to sources is to use Kwabena Agyepong and dump him in the unlikely event that the NPP wins the 2016 elections. It is interesting to note that former President John Agyekum Kufuor, party financier and former Chief of Staff, Kwadjo Mpiani and other founding members like Dr. Nyaho Nhyaho Tamakloe, Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey, Economist Kwame Pianim among several other NPP stalwarts have gone silent over recent developments in the party. Nana Akufo Addo, now 72 is virtually deserted by some old guards after he and his Kyebi Mafia led by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Kwame Akuffo, Ken Ofori-Atta, Nana Asante Bediatuo, Amfo Kwakye, Nana Akomea, Atta-Akyea just to name a few seem to have taken charge of the elephant party. It will be interesting to note that this click has been severally referred to in Dr. Arthur Kennedys book Chasing the Elephant into the Bush From page 53 to 56 of the 173 page book, Dr. Kennedy wrote about the Kyebi Mafia, saying If they really care about him, as much I presume they do, they would adjust their behavior accordingly, to make themselves and Nana Akufo-Addo more effective. Reports say one of the biggest challenges NPP is facing today is the difficulty in raising funds because the party is no longer attractive and Nana Akufo Addo is unable to embark on a vigorous campaign compelling running mate Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia to take charge. Some Political analysts say NPP must prepare for another defeat if it fails to mend its cracks. Suspended National Chairman, Paul Afoko is in Court challenging the legal basis of the action taken by the party while 2nd Vice Chairman, Sammy Crabbes case is also in the pipeline. With four months to the Presidential elections, NPP is yet to conduct outstanding Parliamentary elections in some constituencies. In a desperate attempt to prepare the minds of electorates for a defeat, the party has decided to discredit the national electoral body. Former Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadjo Afari Gyan was first to receive the attacks. The party apparatchiks including pressure group, Let My Vote Count Alliance, Alliance for Accountable Governance and some friendly Civil Society groups joined efforts to tarnish the image of the his successor, Charlotte Osei after failing to push a dirty agenda to push for a new voters register. Attempts to bring Kwabena Agyapong back after demonizing him branding him as an agent of the AGENDA 2020 looks quite interesting. John Boadus failure is an open secret but Kwabena Agyapong is likely to damage his political carrier should he accept the monetary influence. It will be an indictment of his integrity after the attacks incited by his own party members who branded him as an NDC mole. This latest attempt is also meant to further alienate former chairman Paul Afoko who has gone public to state that Nana Akufo Addo is not his friend and not sure Nana will win the elections. The Nana Addo-Kyebi Mafia is bent on destroying the J.A Kufuor influence and take over the party dominated by Ashantis. Source: The Republic 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. Featured Video A youth group linked to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Krobo Youth for Mahama, has pledged its unflinching support for President Mahama and has vow to work hard to ensure a second term victory for the president in the December polls. Speaking at the group leaders conference held at the Oklemekuku Community Center at Odumase Kroboon Saturday, the Convener of the Group, Francis Amanor, a former TEIN Executive of the Koforidua Polytechnic said, our group includes young men and women who share in the vision of the NDC and its 2016 agenda 50-50 in the Eastern Region. We are gathered here today in response to the call by thousands of our youth in the Krobo constituencies to once again demonstrate our appreciation to the NDC for all that it has done for our Communities. The NDC has proven has over the years that it is the party for the nation, not for a few, through infrastructural development, improved health care delivery, improved security, numerous social interventions in our Communities, and throughout the country. Our objective is to ensure that his Excellency John Dramani Mahama secures an overwhelming victory come December 7, 2016 and to ensure the Eastern Region NDC snatches eight parliamentary seats from the NPP to add to the seven the party currently has. The seats we will work hard for the NDC to snatch from the NPP include Asuogyaman, Ayensuano, Abetifi, Fanteakwa North, Abirim, Suhum, AkimOda and Ofoase-Ayirebi.As a group, we will reach out to all the communities across the Krobo constituencies to ensure an effective mobilization of the youth and first time voters. We will educate them on matters relating to the elections and promote our presidential and parliamentary candidates. Its our belief that when the parliamentary candidates do well in the polls, it will provide a shine for our flag-bearers victory he said. The Chief Executive of the Lower Manya Municipal Assembly, Francis Acolatse, who chaired the function urged the youth to work hard to garner lots of votes for the President and the NDC parliamentary candidates in all the Krobo Constituencies. I urge you to extend your influence to all Krobo speaking people in every part of the Eastern Region. We need all of them to come out in their numbers to show their love for President Mahama by voting massively for hm. An Adviser to the Krobo Youth for Mahama, Owula Mangortey went through the NDC Green book and highlighted the many infrastructuraldevelopments and social Interventions of the government. He said, if Nana Oye Lithur is to speak of the impact of the social intervention programs in the rural and urban poor communities that will get the electorates expressing gratitude to President Mahama by way of massive votes in the December elections. As we work hard to navigate phase two of the Transformational Agenda with Mahama as our leader and president, we are convinced that more initiatives and development projects shall be rolled out. John Mahama is post-independence-born president and he gives us hope and confidence. Having risen through the ranks as a member of parliament for 12 years, a deputy Minister/Minister of communication for four years, and Vice president for three and half years, and a President, it is only natural that the good people of Ghana give Mahama the opportunity to serve his second term. President Rawlings had 8 years to complete his agenda. President Kufuor had 8 years. President Mahama deserves 6 years to leave us a legacy and a great heritage, I am urging you to work hard to ensure total and uncontestable victory for President Mahama Owula Mangortey told the youth The Lower Manya Krobo Municipality has a total population of 89,246 with males and females constituting 46.5 percent, and 53.5 percent of the population respectively. The Municipality has a youthful population with 35.1 percent of the population below 15 years. The aged (60 years and older) constitute 8.3 percent of the population. With a household population of 87,649 the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality has an average household size of four persons per households which is slightly higher for rural areas (4.2) than urban areas (3.9). Majority (61.7%) of the household population in the Municipality live in extended family households. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana 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. Featured Video General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC) Atik Mohammed has punched holes in the Electoral Commission's (EC) quest to electronically transmit the 2016 election results. Head of Communications for the EC, Mr. Eric Kofi Dzakpasu has revealed that the Commission's idea to transmit the election results electronically is part of the 27 operational administrative guidelines set up by the Electoral Reform Committee. He explained on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show that the Electoral Reform Committee's work is divided into two; one being operational (administrative) comprising 27 guidelines and the other borders on legal issues which need Parliamentary approval. But according to Atik Mohammed, the electronic transmission of the election results is not feasible due to certain complications he outlined on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'. Atik Mohammed told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that he doesn't trust politicians and so would not bet on the success of the exercise in the hands of various political parties who would have to play an instrumental role in transmitting the results from the polling stations. He hoped there would be no exploitation of the system by the political actors. Transmitting results from 29000 polling stations, its not going to be an easy task. It means youre supposed to be scanning 29000; its not going to be easy . . . Were trying to perfect the system but weve not reached there yet. So, why do we want to create an opportunity? And to tell you the truth, I dont trust politicians in Ghana. He further noted that the exercise also "comes with cost . . . we shouldn't make democracy so expensive and out of reach." Touching on the EC's extension of the re-registration exercise, Atik Mohammed advised electorates who failed to check their names during the exhibition to seize the opportunity to re-register before the December polls this year. All those who were affected by this NHIS registration and whose names were produced by the Electoral Commission, please do not take it for granted that oh, once you registered once and you dont do it; the Electoral Commission cannot remove your name. If you dont go to cross-check and to make sure that youre re-registered, you will not be allowed to vote on the Election Day because your name would have been deleted from the register. So, this is an important exercise everybody who was affected by this arrangement should take seriously and make sure that the person will go and get re-registered," he said. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana 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. Featured Video A woman has been stabbed to death in a horrific attack in Central London, with up to six more people reportedly rushed to hospital with injuries. Metropolitan police were called to the area surrounding Russell Square pub, Imperial Hotel, at about 10:30pm local time after reports of a knife-wielding individual injuring people. One person, presumably the suspect, was arrested at the site of the attack after being tasered by officers. Ambulances are currently attending the scene, according to eyewitnesses. London: Stabbing attack in #RussellSquare . One female dead and six injured. Suspect arrested. Possibly terrorism. pic.twitter.com/SlBUuaGcIG Moshe Zichmir (@mosezichmir) August 4, 2016 As with any incident of this nature, terrorism isnt being ruled out by police. Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage, read a statement. The condition of the six injured, and the details of their injuries, remains unknown. Well update you as more information comes to hand. Source: The Guardian. Photo: London Tourism Office. Gruen made its triumphant return to our TV screens last night, with the ABCs behemoth (arguably one of the most inexplicably popular shows in Australian TV history) immediately reasserting its position as a ratings juggernaut. The show dragged in a commanding audience of 954,000 viewers, meaning not only was it the most-watched show on the ABC for the evening, it even beat out fancied rivals on other networks like The Bachelor. Yes, more people watched Gruen than The Bachelor last night. Wonders: They never cease. Along with the return of Wil Andersons wildly entertaining show about advertising came the series ever-popular segment The Pitch, in which two rival ad companies are given a brief to sell an unsellable product. Whereas in the past these products have been wildly out-of-the-question like whale meat or tourism in Baghdad, last nights one might have been the most unsellable of all: Gun control in the United States. Ad companies Rumble and Marmalade offered up some kind-of genius takes to get the issue over in the country that outright refuses to use its own common sense. Marmalade proposed tapping into Americans sense of patriotic duty with a buyback scheme that would see people voluntarily hand in their guns, which would then be melted down and made into statues honouring fallen troops. Meanwhile Rumble took a more political slant, proposing a crowdfunding campaign to take on the almighty NRA at their own financial game by declaring Senators for Sale. Course neither of these would be likely to enact any serious shift in attitude in the US were they to air over there; the country, at this point, is simply too entrenched in their own warped sense of liberty, and itd take a group of politicians willing to sacrifice their careers to get anything meaningful done (which is about as likely as the earth reversing its rotation tomorrow). But still, its a damned good effort. A damned good effort indeed. Welcome back, Gruen. Source: Gruen/Facebook. There exists a horrifying alternate reality where our very own Richie isnt some adorable lunk. In this parallel realm, hes apparently a scumdog who cant rein in his violent and sexually threatening outbursts, even though his munted words are destined to appear on national television. That alternate reality is called America. The show is Bachelor in Paradise, and Richies equal-but-opposite is Chad Johnson, who managed to get himself booted off the show exactly one episode in due to his rampaging BS. Oh, and it certainly appears like he shat his dacks in the process. While the show hasnt graced our shores yet the premise is basically to burl a bunch of former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants together into a fuck-off big island party for the USAs amusement. Johnson had previously made a (bad) name for himself on a season of the Bachelorette, so his inclusion makes sense in retrospect. In reality (well, in reality TV), the bloke sparked up some rapport with another former villain in Lace Morris. After some back-and-forth, a lil kissing and presumably some comically large coconut cocktails, Johnsons further advances were rebuffed. The response was apoplectic, and far removed from the largely stellar humans invited to grace our screens. Johnson called her a bitch, and then directly called out another contestants physical disability, saying fuck that one-armed bitch you suck that dick. He then launched a patently insane tirade against literally everyone else: Ill murder everyone here. Ill kill your children and murder your family. Dolla, dolla bills, yo. Another contestant said Chads talking about murder, rape, killing. Generally speaking, those arent great topics for reality TV. Or anywhere. Eventually, Chad passed out. Contestants also believe he loosened his bowels like he loosened his mouth. Other competitors spoke to the camera about the ordeal, with one saying every time Chads around, it just makes me nervous because thats actually scary and abusive and weird behaviour that shouldnt be happening. Host Chris Harrison had words for him the following day, as he was booted. Understandably. The aftermath of that was more rage, with Johnson saying you think this is all fun and games? This is my life. Youre going to sit here and try and make me look like a bitch? Fuck you, Chris Harrison. Come at me. Let me just search for the correct terminology ah, yes. I believe the correct response here is bitch, bye. US media outlets have actually praised the show for taking such a solid stance, despite the shows patently ridiculous and fluff-filled premise. The Atlantic, of all publications, said it was a valuable, if sobering, message: Even in an escapist world, bad behavior cant be escaped. FWIW, Johnson has since spoken out on Twitter about the ordeal. His responses have been in keeping with the character presented on TV, and they also go against the shows pants-browning narrative. I shouldve never ever EVER said that abt @sarahherron tonight. I was a dic k im disappointed in myself pic.twitter.com/6hV2suBHRY Chad Johnson (@realchadjohnson) August 3, 2016 There was no pants shitting U dicks lol I own 2 pairs of the same swimshorts. How do you tell which ones u wore the previous day? #SmellTest Chad Johnson (@realchadjohnson) August 3, 2016 Have I said anything disrespectful, or did I just state something that was a fact but in an unflattering tone? #SorryKinda #NoFilterOops Chad Johnson (@realchadjohnson) August 4, 2016 People, I was not payed to go on the show and I am not a payed actor. Maybe my brains a bit fuckulated but I yam who I yam #ChadIsChad Chad Johnson (@realchadjohnson) August 4, 2016 Maybe it was this crab that did all the fuckulating. Thats a more comforting thought than accepting the fact an actual bad dude was given the keys to the reality TV kingdom again. Source: news.com.au / The Atlantic. Photo: ABC Television Network / YouTube. Orlando Bloom actor, elf, pirate and Miranda Kerr baby daddy is currently on vacation in Italy with his beloved Katy Perry. He is naked. More specifically, he is paddleboarding while naked. Yes, the year is 2016 and the still-famous Orlando Bloom stripped off on a Sardinian beach to paddleboard in the starkers, letting his trouser snake fly free ( ) while his lady love ponders her fate before him. FULL BLOOM: Orlando Bloom bares all on vacation with @katyperry https://t.co/xDWmgcQGKl pic.twitter.com/U7khHrP1IQ NY Daily News Gossip (@NYDNgossip) August 3, 2016 In the series of entirely censored photos published on NY Daily News, Orlando and Katy are seen frolicking at the beach with a number of other people. They kiss, they snorkel, they sunscreen, and then Orlando gets a cheeky look in his eye. Really? he seems to say to Katy. You reckon I should just do it? He does it. And while the entire photo story is censored with black bars, the thirsty internet has discovered what appears to be evidence of Orlandos monster cock. Orlando Bloom could make world peace happen with this machine pic.twitter.com/Nrp1T4kwsq roman (@RomanNavy) August 3, 2016 The exactness of the size is, of course, up for debate. The shadow could be enlarged thanks to a trick-of-the-light, or it could very well be legit. All THIS writer knows is that shes available whenever the people who hand out the Walkleys are. Source: NT Daily News. Photo: The Lord of the Rings. FILE - In this Saturday, July 9, 2016, file photo, police officers arrest activist DeRay McKesson during a protest along Airline Highway, a major road that passes in front of the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters in Baton Rouge, La. Mckesson sued the city of Baton Rouge and police officials on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, saying officers responded in a "militarized and aggressive manner" in arresting him and other people protesting a police shooting death. (AP Photo/Max Becherer, File) Director of U.S. Office of Indian Education visits East Jordan schools Julian Guerrero Jr. visited the district to discuss their Title VI policies and see their Native American education opportunities. Argentina confirmed China's leading role in country economic relations Macri reviewed and confirmed China's leading role in Argentina. MONTEVIDEO Petroleumworld.com 08 04 2016 China's role in Argentina's foreign relations will be more balanced than during the Kirchner administrations, with a larger role played instead by the United States and European countries, the country's ambassador to Beijing Diego Guelar said, claiming Chinese investment will have to be more competitive. China's role will be growing but more balanced. Argentina's historic allies were always Latin America, the US and Europe. But that's now changing. The challenge ahead isn't to minimize China's role but instead to give more room for the US and Europe, Guelar said. The fact that we relate with China makes it more attractive for US firms to come. Argentina's diplomatic relations with China were upgraded to strategic integral alliance status in the president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner administration, who exchanged visits with President Xi Jinping and inked deals on culture, technology, energy, economy and central bank swaps to prop the Argentine currency. Nevertheless, the more than 20 deals signed by CFK with China were questioned by president Mauricio Macri, claiming they were filled with irregularities specially the Nestor Kirchner and Jorge Cepernic hydroelectric complex in Santa Cruz. The initiative was first put on hold due to growing environmental concerns but then confirmed by the government. During the last few years, the deals with China were made without a proper tender process. But now Chinese investment will have to be more competitive and at lower interest. The main objectives for the next 10 years will be competitive bids, cheaper financing, a growing role for private Chinese investment and a growing tourism, Guelar said. There's no contradiction in having a closer relationship with the US and Europe, as China is also their main partner. There are plenty of opportunities for everybody, he added. Argentina and China have an asymmetric trade relationship, something acknowledged by the two administrations and one of the challenges highlighted by Guelar. Argentina registered last year a US$5 billion deficit in bilateral trade with China. Exports to China totaled almost US$5 billion, while imports hit US$10 billion, a sizeable disparity. Today, 96% of Argentina's export basket consists of primary or manufactured products based on natural resources, while it imports a diverse array of low, medium and high technology manufactured products. China is our main energy and financial partner. They financed projects worth US$25 billion in Argentina, including dams, nuclear and solar energy, rail works, an aqueduct, a pileline and road works, Guelar said. The energy model of Argentina for the next 20 years will be closely linked to China, without excluding anybody. As well as the dams in Santa Cruz, Argentina and China signed deals to renovate the fleet of trains and the state-run Belgrano Cargas network, to build two nuclear power stations Atucha IV and Atucha V, to build two pipelines in Cordoba, to build an aqueduct in Entre Rios and to develop solar energy projects in San Juan and La Rioja. Argentina also leased land for a satellite tracking station in Patagonia, which has been questioned by the United States. Another objective cited by Guelar is to increase the number of Chinese tourists in Argentina. In order to do so, he said the long-term objective is to eliminate the requirement of a visa, which could allow Argentina to welcome up to one million Chinese tourists per year a reasonable goal considering the 200 million who will be travelling around the world in 2020. We have to increase the number of flights and improve our tourist structure if we want to reach that goal, he said. The Chinese tourist spends twice as much as the one from the US or Europe. That is why in no more than 10 years we have to eliminate the visa with China. We have to discuss that. Guelar said steps in that direction are already being taken such as not asking for visa of those Chinese citizens who already have a US or European visa, something agreed to by the Macri administration last week. But that is only the initial step before plainly eliminating visa requirements for Chinese citizens, he said. Last year there were 120 million Chinese citizens that travelled because of tourism around the world. That figure would reach 200 million in 2020. We only welcomed 25,000 Chinese tourists last year, he said. We have a 10-year history with China and it is a new strategic partner. We can easily progress towards the elimination of the visa Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) Police on Thursday questioned two of the foreign suspects arrested in the theft of more than NT$83 million (US$2.6 million) from First Bank automatic teller machines (ATMs) as part of their investigation into the whereabouts of more than NT$5 million in stolen cash that is still unaccounted for. The Rev. Eliot Schwer is new to the community of Fremont and to St. Patricks Church where he is serving. He is not new to Nebraska. He was born in Wisconsin and moved to Omaha as a preschooler when his father, a civil engineer, took a position at University of Nebraska to teach civil engineering at the Lincoln and Omaha campuses. Schwer attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he majored in psychology. While there, he became active in ecumenical campus religious organizations. He went to Jacksonville, Fla., with Navigators for a summer training program. Navigators in Florida visit with strangers they meet on the beaches or streets about faith. During the daytime, they work. We had to have day jobs and pay our own way, Schwer said. I went job hunting with guys from Kansas State University at a place that was hiring temporary help. When they found out we were from Kansas and Nebraska, they hired us on the spot. They said they liked the Midwestern work ethic. There were conversations on the beach about trusting and having faith that God has brought you to this place for a reason. Its not just extroverts that engage people about faith. Schwers religious upbringing differs from that usually associated with men who become priests in the Catholic Church. Most are cradle Catholics, born into a family with deep Catholic roots and encouraged by that family to discern a call to priesthood. I was not born Catholic, he said. My mom had left the Catholic Church shortly before we moved to Omaha. My parents church shopped for a while, then were drawn to Trinity Community Church, now Lifegate. Her faith came alive there and thats where she found that God was the most important person in her life. I went to Trinity School there from kindergarten through eighth grade. When a student in Lincoln, Schwer continued his affiliation with Navigators as well as Crusade for Christ, both active groups on the UNL campus. It was in Navigators that I met my first Catholic who wore her faith on her sleeve, he said. She would talk about having a relationship with God and reading the Bible. It was through her witness that I was called from being a non-denominational Christian to being Catholic. It was a long, slow process. I knew her for quite a few years before I began to dig deeply. As a Christian, I knew that it was my responsibility to seek the truth and follow the Lord wherever He was leading me. Those early years in Omaha, when his parents were visiting different churches in Omaha and worshipping in different places each Sunday left him wondering. I was kind of scandalized by all the different denominations, Schwer said. He asked himself questions about the lack of unity in Christianity, because he believed that unity was truly Christs hope for His church. I was not able to see what I was to do with my disenchantment, he said. I was convinced that Jesus is God, the Way, the Truth and the Life, but is seemed that articles of faith should be more certain rather than relying on my own subjectivity and intuition and basing my faith on that. The journey began. Armed with a deep faith and the conviction that the answers were there for those seeking for them, Schwer began to read. He wanted to study Christian traditions and thoughts. He read a lot of C.S. Lewis. A turning point was the book The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. The author, through interviews, tackles some of the big problems that cause people to reject faith. Schwers friend invited him to events held by Focus, a campus fellowship group associated with the Catholic Church. After graduation, he worked for Focus for two years. At the very beginning of my second year, I went to a retreat center just outside of Estes Park, Colo., he said. Thats where I really began to accept the possibility that God was calling me to priesthood. There was something more for him, something deeper, something requiring more from him, something that would affect his whole family. Mom had left the church and was baffled by it, he said. Dad thought it was interesting. Mom came back to the church and dad became Catholic a few years later. My brother became Catholic after I did. He went to Kendrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., graduating this May and was ordained on June 4. His work at St. Patricks will encompass the priestly duties of celebrating the Mass, presiding at weddings, baptisms and funerals, making parish calls, meetings and all the miscellaneous and sundry things that fill the life of a full-time priest. He also will focus on helping with the Spanish ministry and teaching at Bergan Catholic High School. He will begin to establish a Catholic presence at Midland University for those students who are Catholic. Its a call full of tasks and challenges. Schwer is ready and eager to begin this work in Fremont. Pearl Durian Review from Johor Malaysia Pearl Durian is not a new type of durian but it is not popular as Musang King, Red Prawn, XO or D24. Pearl Durian comes from Johor and they are more popular with Singaporeans as it is just across the border. We came across this durian type recently when we went to a durian makan session at Sinnaco Durian Specialist in SS 19 (Durian Street). There, we found many new unheard of durian types (for us) and we tasted quite a few durians including the Golden Phoenix durian. Pearl Durian is rare in Kuala Lumpur as most of them are exported to Singapore (since they are willing to pay for it and the high Singapore dollar currency exchange). To find Pearl Durian in Klang Valley, you must find bigger durian stalls like Sinnaco Durian Specialist in SS 19. They are located at The owner of Sinnaco Durian Specialist John called Pearl Durian an ugly duckling. The shape of the durian is ugly but the taste is top of its class. When you open the Pearl Durian, you can easily spot the light colour durian flesh similar to pearl colour. The flesh is soft in texture and the seed is small. When you hold the durian flesh, you can tell how soft and creamy it is. The taste is of Pearl Durian is immense with sweet and bitter taste. It is very enjoyable and this gives a direct competition to Musang King in our opinion. Since this is rare, the price of the Pearl Durian is more expensive than Musang King. Thus, this makes this a sought after durian like Black Thorn Durian. There are Black Pearl and Pearl durian types and the difference is Pearl Durian is more bitter than Black Pearl Durian. Thus, if you think Black Pearl is awesome wait till you taste Pearl Durian! If you never tasted Pearl Durian before, we do encourage you to do so. The place to find it is at Sinnaco Durian Specialist SS19. Please call them in advance to know the stock availability for Pearl Durian or check out their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/SinnacoDurianSpecialist/ We heard they do bring in Black Thorn Durian from time to time so please give them a call or check on their Facebook Page. The beauty of Sinnaco Durian Specialist is they are wholesaler so they carry many varieties of durians. Many durian stalls in Klang Valley get their stock from them and they also supply to popular supermarkets around Malaysia. Drop by at their shop at No 60, Jalan 19/3, Seksyen 19 and we recommend you to call them first or check out their availability on their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/SinnacoDurianSpecialist/ Sinnaco Durian Specialist Address: No, 60, Jalan 19/3, Seksyen 19, 46300 Selangor, Malaysia Phone: +60 3-7960 2600 Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts Jeanne Kocher, hypnotist practitioner, will teach self-hypnosis for better sleep, on Tuesday evenings, starting Aug. 16. Classes will be held at the Blue Yoga Studios in Fremont at 529 N. Main St. The cost is $200 for four class sessions. Discounts are available for those who convince another person to sign up. To reserve a slot, ask for discount prices or ask questions, call Kocher at 402-317-2809. Kocher is a certified hypnotherapist and member of the International Board of Hypnotherapy. For more information, visit www.fremonthypnosis.com and Facebook page (FremontHypnosis). Phil Hellmuth and Brandon Cantu Film Scene for Showtime's "Billions" August 03, 2016 PokerNews Staff In case you've been living under a rock, you know that Phil Hellmuth has a love for the lights and camera of a television shoot like no other. Well, based on their Twitter feeds it looks like Hellmuth and fellow poker pro Brandon Cantu got themselves a little TV time this week, filming scenes for the hit Showtime TV series Billions. The show which premiered in January of 2016 features a star-studded cast including Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff, and Malin Akerman (pictured with Hellmuth) and dives in to the world of high finance and financial crimes. According to Wikipedia, the show draws inspiration from the life of poker industry villain, Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York who successfully shut down online poker giants PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker in the United States on April 15, 2011. We're certainly eager for Season Two after seeing a poker scene is certainly in the works for the show featuring Hellmuth and Cantu among others. Phil Hellmuth Seems Impressed by the Stars of Billions What time is it? What city am I in? Did I just sleep 3.5 hrs? 5:27 AM, Manhattan, and Yes! Here to shoot @SHO_Billions, 6 AM CPU CarPickUp phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) Man, actors work hard!! @Lewis_Damian hit the @SHO_Billions set yesterday at 6:30 AM, left 10:20 PM! Back before 9 AM... #Baller phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) Golden Globes & Emmy Award winner: and star of @SHO_Billions, Band of Brothers, Life, and Homeland has it together! My Ego would be flaring! phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) Brandon Cantu Wonders if He's an Official Actor Now Doing filming for the show "Billions" 6AM NYC... Does this make me an official actor? pic.twitter.com/y3KRnWpZof Brandon Cantu (@brandoncantu) August 2, 2016 What a day 16 Hrs of filming. I'll never watch a show the same again after knowing how much work goes into a scene. Brandon Cantu (@brandoncantu) Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Lead image via Phil Hellmuth's Twitter PokerNews Cup Retrospective: An Ever-Changing Event August 04, 2016 Mo Nuwwarah Editor PokerNews is known worldwide as the leading website in poker media, but that's not the only offering of value from the iBus Media Network. One thing many stateside poker players might know little, if anything, about is the PokerNews Cup, a tournament series presented by the very news resource they utilize on a day-to-day basis. That's about to change, as the PokerNews Cup is coming to the U.S. for the very first time from Sept. 20-21 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. In advance of PokerNews Cup's stateside debut, as well as the upcoming PokerNews Cup at King's Casino, here is a brief retrospective on the Cup. 2007 The PokerNews Cup made its debut in 2007 at Crown Casino in Australia. It featured a six-event schedule capped off by an AU$3,000 Main Event that drew 428 players. In that Main Event, native Aussie Dory Zayneh emerged as the victor, claiming AU$300,000 in prize money after besting Kenny Ng heads up. Amazingly, it remains Zayneh's only live cash to date. Another notable finisher at the final table was third-place finisher Grant Levy, whose live poker career has seen him cash for more than $2 million to date. 2008 A new venue played host to the next stop of the PokerNews Cup: Montecasino in Johannesburg, South Africa. This time, it was a $3,353 Main Event and 175 turned up. Local players again showed out, with South Africans taking five of the top seven spots, including the $140,575 awarded to top finisher Darren Kramer. Sweden's Anton Bertilsson finished eighth. Next, the PokerNews Cup headed to back to its roots in Australia for a seven-event series. There, Nali Kaselias continued the tradition of local victors, picking up AU$250,000 for beating a field of 410 in the AU$2,200 Main Event. Levy made it two PokerNews Cup final tables in a row in Australia as he finished eighth. A final stop saw the Cup head to Concord Card Casino in Austria for a 650 Main Event that drew 55 runners. Estonian Stan Klaasen took it down for 4,070, still making him the second champ of the series with only the one cash still on his record. 2009 The PokerNews Cup kicked off 2009 with another new venue, this time Alpine Palace Card Casino, also in Austria. It was Marcus Naalden topping a field of 129 in the 1,500 Main Event, including a final table that included bracelet winner Mark Vos, for a first-place prize of 46,474. A few months later, it was back to Australia for another AU$2,200 Main Event, with the series scaled back to a couple of special events and the Main Event. Aussies again dominated the 381-player field, taking the top nine prizes. Con Tsapkounis grabbed the AU$250,000 first-place prize when he beat Joe Cabret heads up. Sam Khouiss got fourth for AU$48,000. 2014 The PokerNews Cup was shelved for a few years before a return in 2014 at Montesino Pokertainment Centre in Austria. The new-look 250 Main Event was a rebuy that drew 403 total entries. Austrian Hanh Tran carried the day for a 19,010 prize. 2015 The successful return of the new, smaller-stakes PokerNews Cup continued in 2015 with two events, the first of which was at King's Casino in Czech Republic. The 250 Main Event was a big success with 1,230 entries and 235 rebuys, and a couple of Germans topped the field. Christian Krupp beat countryman Torsten Wichtrup for 57,473. The turnout had been so encouraging that another PokerNews Cup was held later that very year at King's Casino, this time drawing 689 entries and 131 rebuys. Poker players aren't always the most agreeable sort, but they proved even in decent numbers they can be amenable at times, as the final table participants managed to agree on a nine-way chop before a single hand was dealt. Another German, Daniel Can, took the official win and 16,805 in prize money. That wraps it up for the history of the PokerNews Cup. For a schedule of the upcoming event at King's Casino, beginning on Aug. 10, click here. Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Throwback Thursday: A Look at Tallinn to Get You Amped for 888Live August 04, 2016 Sarah Herring Digital Media Manager Tallinn is the perfect poker destination! Whether you are a history buff, or love to forget your bad beat by raging at the club, this city has what you are looking for. And lucky for you, 888Live is heading to Tallinn, Estonia from August 25th-28th. PokerNews Presenter Sarah Herring checked out the sights in this video in 2011 just to give you a taste. You can qualify directly for an 888Poker package or play in one of 888Poker's STEPS tourneys for as little as one cent by signing up for an 888Poker account right here at PokerNews! A Washington, D.C., Metro Transit police officer who was a convert to Islam and once dressed up as Jihadi John for Halloween was charged on Wednesday with trying to provide material support to ISIS -- the first time a law enforcement officer has been charged with an ISIS-related crime. Virginia resident Nicholas Young, 36, who has served with the department since 2003, was arrested Wednesday morning by FBI agents, reports Fox News. The lanky, slim-built 36-year-old was dressed in a prison issue white t-shirt and dark pants and sported long hair as he made his initial appearance in court Wednesday afternoon. No attorney was present. Young spoke only to request a public defender be appointed to represent him. Young will be held in Alexandria until his detention hearing, which is set for Friday at 2 p.m. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. Authorities allege in a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday that Young attempted to send money to ISIS through a mobile-based gift card using an unnamed messaging service the terror group utilizes for recruiting purposes. The transaction, which was redeemed by the FBI for $245, was made in July 2016. Despite Wednesdays arrest, the Department of Justice said there was never any threat to the public or a plot by Young to target the public transit system he was hired to protect. Young had been under FBI investigation since 2010, when the Metro Transit Police Department alerted the feds to suspicions about Young. During the investigation, the FBI kept extremely close tabs on Young through the use of undercover agents and confidential informants, a source told Fox News. A pipe bomb exploded on a police vehicle in suburban Maryland early Wednesday, the police said. The vehicle was parked on the street outside an officer's house in Thurmont, Maryland, Police Chief Greg Eyler told CBS Washington, D.C., affiliate WUSA-TV. At around 12:30 a.m., the officer heard an explosion, Eyler told WUSA-TV. He and his wife went outside, and they found the remains of a pipe bomb beside his vehicle. Eyler said it looked like someone placed the pipe bomb on the hood of the vehicle against the windshield. The main damage to the vehicle was to the windshield, and the bomb also blew out at least one side window. The explosion sent shrapnel into a nearby house, sources told CBS News homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues. No one was injured, Eyler said. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print As I wrote earlier this week, Donald Trump is already teeing up excuses as to why he might lose the election to Hillary Clinton in November. In a softball interview with Fox News host Bill OReilly on Tuesday night, Trump said he is very concerned about voter fraud costing him the race. Video: Trump said: Well, Im looking at all of these decisions coming down from the standpoint of identification/voter ID. And Im saying, what do you mean? You dont have to have voter ID to now go in and vote and its a little bit scary and Ive heard a lot of bad things. Four years ago, I was hearing a lot of bad things having to do with the Romney campaign where when the vote came out there were some districts that were shockingly different from what they were anticipated to be. Ive been seeing it and Ive been hearing it a lot. The whole thing with voter ID identification I think is really I mean people are going to walk in, they are going to vote 10 times maybe. Who knows? They are going to vote 10 times. I am very concerned and I hope the Republicans are going to be very watchful and I hope the authorities are going to be very watchful. Because I want to tell you I believe its going to, just like Bernie Sanders I said it was rigged, well its rigged here too believe me. So I just hope the Republicans are going to be very watchful. The decisions the Republican nominee is referring to are those being made by federal courts to strike down right-wing voter ID laws in several states. While advocates of those laws claim to be fighting fraud at the polls a problem that doesnt exist theyre actually just making it harder for certain groups of people to vote. Those groups happen to vote in large numbers for Democratic candidates. What is irking Trump is that the courts are seeing right through this effort, which means more people will be able to legally cast their ballot against him in November. When the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out North Carolinas voter ID law last week, they said, The new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision. In North Dakota, a federal judge rejecting that states voter ID law said, The undisputed evidence before the Court reveals that voter fraud in North Dakota has been virtually non-existent. Not only is voter fraud nonexistent in North Dakota its virtually non-existent across the country. According to the Brennan Center for Justice: The Brennan Centers ongoing examination of voter fraud claims reveal that voter fraud is very rare, voter impersonation is nearly non-existent, and much of the problems associated with alleged fraud in elections relates to unintentional mistakes by voters or election administrators. Our report The Truth About Voter Fraud reveals most allegations of fraud turn out to be baseless and that of the few allegations remaining, most reveal election irregularities and other forms of election misconduct. To underscore that point, Vox put together a handy chart using information from Justin Levitt of Loyola Law School and US Elections Project. Their data shows that, between 2000 and 2014, there were over 800 million votes cast in general elections in the United States. Of those ballots, there were only 35 credible cases of voter fraud. In other words, people are more likely to be killed by vending machines or spot a UFO than they are to commit voter fraud. Donald Trumps recent comments suggesting that foul play in ballot boxes across this country will cost him the election are baseless. Trump will lose because of Trump not because of some disproven conspiracy theory. Nebraskas growing immigrant population plays a vital role in the states economy, a new study documented Wednesday as business, civic and cultural leaders launched a new campaign for federal immigration reform. We need Congress to update our antiquated immigration laws in order to grow Nebraskas economy, drive innovation and keep our communities strong, said Jim Partington, executive director of the Nebraska Restaurant Association. The study was released as immigration reform emerges as a major issue in this years presidential campaign. Republican nominee Donald Trump has made a crackdown on illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has proposed comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship. A 40-page study of immigrants in Nebraska revealed the growing impact of immigration here. In 1990, immigrants made up 1.8 percent of the states population; by 2010, it was 6 percent; between 2010 and 2014, the immigrant population grew at a 10 percent rate, far greater than the 2.3 percent native-born growth rate. Undocumented immigrant workers contribute to a range of industries that could not thrive without a pool of workers willing to take on highly labor-intensive roles, and that includes meatpacking plants and service industries. Nebraska is now home to more than 120,000 foreign-born residents, 73 percent of whom are in their prime working years. Less than 50 percent of the native population is in their prime working years. Immigrant Nebraskans contributed $616 million in taxes in 2014. Immigrants have played a large role helping Nebraska avoid the type of population decline that has hurt many other states in recent years, depriving businesses of customers and cities of the taxpayers they need, the report stated. An estimated 41,484 undocumented immigrants now live in Nebraska, the vast majority of whom came here for work opportunities, according to the study. In most cases, they are taking jobs few Americans are interested in pursuing, like meat-processing. In Nebraska, there is evidence that undocumented immigrants are playing an important role in the workforce, the report stated. Undocumented immigrants in Nebraska contribute to a range of industries that could not thrive without a pool of workers willing to take on highly labor-intensive roles. The report estimated that 84.5 percent of the states undocumented population has been in the United States for five or more years and that more than 40.4 percent speak English well, very well or fluently. Release of the report marked the launch of an immigration reform campaign called Reason for Reform in all 50 states. Its an effort sponsored by the Partnership for a New American Economy that has enlisted business, civic and cultural leaders. We know that updating our immigration laws is the right thing to do to preserve the unity of families who make up the cornerstone of strong communities, said John Griffith, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Omaha. This report confirms that new immigration laws are also wise economic policy, he said. We must act now to stop the unnecessary and devastating impact of family separation caused by our current outdated system. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A new poll of Latino voters in Florida spells trouble for Donald Trumps hopes of carrying the Sunshine State in November. According to the Latino Voice survey, less than 13 percent of Latinos plan to vote for the Republican nominee in November. This is a dismal number in a state where nearly 2 million Hispanic voters make up 18 percent of the total electorate. Latino Voice Florida Poll: Trump at 12.9% support among Hispanic voters (Romney had 39% in Florida). https://t.co/8xk2IE9C2j Benchmark Politics (@benchmarkpol) August 3, 2016 If these numbers hold and there is no reason to think they wouldnt Trump is likely to suffer a huge defeat in a state he must win to become president. According to FiveThirtyEight, Florida is the state most likely to decide the election. If previous Republican nominees had this level of support among Hispanic voters, the results wouldnt be anywhere near as close as they have been in recent years. In fact, Florida wouldnt have even been a contest. Trump at 13% among FL Latinos! https://t.co/sGQmhy7Ly0 Had Romney gotten thathed have lost FL by 9% instead of 1% Bush 04? -10%, not +3% Taniel (@Taniel) August 3, 2016 Mitt Romney would have lost the Sunshine State by an additional eight points in 2012 if his numbers looked like Trumps. George W. Bush wouldve been defeated in the state by 10 points in 2004 and, in the process, John Kerry wouldve won the presidency. As Univision reported today, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appears to be facing an insurmountable wall among Latino voters in the key swing state of Florida. Looks like Donald Trump isnt the only one who wants to build a wall. Except, unlike his, this one is likely to be effective. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said of Trump, Im an American before Im a Republican How can I support that (Trump)? Watch CNNs The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer clip here: .@RepKinzinger on Trump: How can I support him? Im an American before Im a Republican. https://t.co/8tPf5sETZb https://t.co/awG53Fejfu The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) August 3, 2016 And when I see a frontrunner or actually a nominee now that throws all of these Republican principles on their head, that a president who has almost unchecked power in foreign policy who talks about how great Vladimir Putin is and he doesnt even know the Russians are in Ukraine, makes fun of the disabled, and the whole litany of things from the Gold Star family and on, for me personally and Im not trying to say for other people that you cant, how can I support that, Kinzinger said earnestly. Because he has crossed so many red lines that a Commander in Chief or a candidate for Commander in Chief should never cross. A tough position for me to be in. This is called integrity. Kinzinger is not in an endangered seat according to Cook Political Reports chart and he won his reelection in 2014 62%-38%. So there doesnt appear to be a political motive for this call to integrity other than he seems to present himself as a moderate Republican, whatever that means these days. I think it means youre not crazy, but the grading curve is very steep. Kingzinger is said to have higher aspirations, and if so, hes playing this right. But his motives or lack thereof arent the issue this is not an issue of policy but of character and integrity. Even if hes only doing this for the long haul, it shows good judgment and its not easy to do. This is the kind of Republican the party should be advancing, people who can wrap the message in a palatable exterior. The country would be well served if Kingzinger and his ilk were to take control of the Republican Party. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Hillary Clinton has opened up big leads in three states that Republicans hoped would be battlegrounds for Donald Trump in November. A new poll conducted for The Detroit News and WDIV-TV found that Clinton has opened up a 9 point lead over Trump (41%-32%) with Gary Johnson and Jill Stein included in the polling. Trump is viewed as unqualified to be president by 61% of Michigan voters, and 67% of women voters. Clinton leads by 21 points with women. Trumps unfavorable rating has stayed at 59% in the state, while Clintons unfavorables have dropped to 53%. In Pennsylvania, the news is worse for Trump. A new Franklin and Marshall College Poll found Hillary Clinton opening up an 11 point lead in the Keystone State, Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 49% to 38% among likely voters. The Democratic convention appeared to benefit Secretary Clinton more than the Republican convention benefitted Mr. Trump. Nearly two in three (62%) of those who watched the Democratic convention reported being more likely to vote for Secretary Clinton, while only two in five (40%) of those who watched the Republican convention said they were more likely to vote for Mr. Trump. More voters believe Secretary Clinton rather than Mr. Trump has the experience to be president and is better prepared to handle foreign policy issues, although they are evenly divided on which candidate is more honest and trustworthy and which candidate has the ability to fix the countrys economic problems. The numbers in Pennsylvania look good compared to what is happening to Trump in New Hampshire. A new WBUR/MassINC poll found that the contest has gone from a 44%-42% Clinton lead in May to a 15 point Clinton lead today (47%-32%), Beyond Clintons lead over Trump, the conventions also had an impact on how voters perceived the candidates. Compared to the last survey in May, Clintons unfavorable rating has dropped a dramatic 13 points, from 58% to 45%. Meanwhile, Trumps unfavorable rating remained essentially unchanged from 58% to 60%. Additionally, 55% of respondents said that Clinton came out of the convention looking stronger while 22% said weaker. For Trump, 39% of voters said he looked stronger while 38% said weaker. The state level polling shows some consistent problems for Trump. His negative ratings are not getting better. Voters view him as unqualified to be president, and Hillary Clintons positive campaign message is going over well with voters. The Trump campaign lacks both the infrastructure and candidate discipline that would be needed to turn these numbers around. Trumps next big chance to make an impact with voters will be at the first presidential debate in September. The Republican convention seemed to have hurt Trump with voters and reaffirmed the perception that he is unqualified to be president. Democrats need to work harder and keep doing what they are doing, but it is clear that Hillary Clinton is currently on the right path to victory in November. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print According to Joe Scarborough on Wednesdays Morning Joe on MSNBC, during a foreign policy briefing several months ago, Trump asked three times in an hour about nukes, If we have them, why cant we use them? This is the same Donald Trump, by the way, who said back in 2014 that the global warming we should be worried about is the global warming caused by NUCLEAR WEAPONS in the hands of crazy or incompetent leaders! One of the most meaningful responses to Trump, because of his particular expertise, is that of John Noonan. He is a conservative, which adds further cachet to his speaking out. Currently he is a national security analyst for The Weekly Standard. He was a foreign policy advisor to Mitt Romney in 2012 and a national security policy advisor to Jeb Bush in 2016; in his earlier days he served in the Air Force as a missile-launch officer at a nuclear silo in Wyoming. Shortly before midday yesterday, and looking back on those days, Noonan embarked on what can only be called a tweetstorm with this tweet: 1. I cant get this in one tweet. So bear with me as I air some laundry here on Scarborough's claim Trump's interested in nuclear First Use John Noonan (@noonanjo) August 3, 2016 It was all downhill from there for one Donald J. Trump. Because over the next 15 minutes or so, Noonan issued 20 tweets about Trump and the potential release of nuclear weapons: 1. I cant get this in one tweet. So bear with me as I air some laundry here on Scarboroughs claim Trumps interested in nuclear First Use 2. Pulled 300 nuclear alerts, 100 ft under the Wyoming turf. Job is serious and full of serious people. 3. When we went into ICBM training, we went through a battery of tests and interviews. Are you sane? Are you willing to turn your key? 4. I see how those might sound at odds. 5. But the whole idea behind nuclear deterrence is that you dont use the damn things. So I thought the mission credible and worthy. 6. There are a hell of a lot of bad actors out there who have nukes. They are restrained only by our ability to instantly lay waste to them. 7. The nuke triad, which Trump doesnt have a clue about, has been the single greatest contributor to global peace for decades. You heard me 8. I dont know if Scarborough is telling whole truth here. Anonymous sources suck. BUT if he is buckle the hell up. 9. Because Trump would be undoing 6 decades of proven deterrence theory. The purpose of nukes is that they are never used. Trump disagrees? 10. This would be the single greatest strategic shift in US national security in decades. In a Trump Presidency, our foreign policy 11. .would be this. Leave our alliances, fall back on a nuclear first use policy. Does he understand just how Fing dangerous that is? 12. But what really concerns me, as a former nuke guy, is the idea of a narcissist walking around with nuclear authenticators. 13. I could sit 100ft underground, on alert, knowing that the POTUS would not make me do my duty not unless it was absolute last resort 14. But imagine having to turn launch keys not knowing if we were under attack or if it was b/c foreign leader said a mean thing on twitter 15. The power is there to kill millions. Permanently alter the geopolitical landscape. It is a sacred, sobering responsibility. 16. Idea that nukes would be used, say over Raqqa or Mosul, simply because we have no more allies and its a simple, easy fix is nauseating 17. Simply signaling that youre open to using strategic weapons as a tactical solution rewrites the rule book. Russia, China, others will 18. respond. Nuclear deterrence is about balance. Trump is an elephant jumping up and down on one side of the scale. So damn dangerous. 19. But geopolitics aside, I cant get my mind off the young officers on nuke alert right now. Wondering if theyll soon answer to a madman. 20. And be asked to do a duty that should morally be asked of no human being, ever. //end Noonan says if Scarboroughs sources are accurate, buckle the hell up. It is important to note that while Paul Manafort is denying the whole thing, Trump has previously stated, Im never going to rule anything out I wouldnt want to say. Even if I wasnt, I wouldnt want to tell you that because at a minimum, I want them to think maybe we would use them. Worse for Trump and Manafort, as CBS Sopan Deb reminds us, Trump actually said much the same thing in an interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC: Then why are we making them? Why do we make them? I think at this point, even without Scarboroughs revelations, were all pretty sure you would. This is an old poster from Cold War days, from when I was growing up, and it used to be readily available. If Trump becomes president, I predict it will become very popular again: As Noonan said, nuclear deterrence is about balance and Trump is upsetting that balance. Noonan speaks of sacred, sobering responsibility, and those are words than cannot in good conscience be attached to Donald Trump. He is a madman a madman who doesnt understand the consequences of even the smallest actions, let alone one that can destroy our entire species. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Donald Trump is now losing ground with veterans. They were his only hope, if ever he had one. After praising Saddam Hussein, accusing U.S. troops of stealing millions and millions in Iraq, calling our military a disaster, and falsely bragging that he had donated $6 million to veterans, Trump was fine with veterans. But the Republican presidential nominee has finally found the straw that broke the camels back by attacking a Gold Star family Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of fallen warrior Captain Khan, who died in 2004. Donald Trump has sagging numbers with veterans in a Fox News poll. Thirty-nine percent of veterans would vote for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine if the 2016 election were held today (the day they answered the poll, July 31-August 2, 2016) and 53% would vote for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Yes, 53% is bigger than 39% but this is a constituency that Republicans have always counted on and Trump needs them more than ever because he has alienated women, Latinos, Muslims, African Americans, well, pretty much everyone except white men, which I find odd given his history of not paying workers i.e., harming the working class to which many of these white men belong, but there it is. The facts dont always make sense. Back in May of 2012, we had Mitt Romney at 58% with veterans, a large bump above Barack Obama who was at 34%. Granted national polling is dubious at this point and military polling is even more complicated due to vast disparities between officers, troops, and veterans. For example, in May of 2016, the Military Times found active duty troops support Donald Trump by huge margins of 54-25 over Hillary Clinton. But this drop in support from veterans for Donald Trump is still noteworthy, and heres a few reasons why. A full 69% said Trumps response to Khan was out of bounds. Sixty percent of veterans think Hillary Clinton has the knowledge to serve as president, while 39% say no and 1% arent sure. Just 52% say Trump has the knowledge and 47% say he doesnt, with 1% unsure. So on the issue of knowledge, Trump is lagging behind Clinton with veterans. Fifty-five percent of veterans say Donald Trump doesnt have the temperament to be president. Just 45% think he does. All is not horrid for Donald Trump, though bear in mind this poll ended on August 2 and that is the night that Donald Trumps campaign spokesperson blamed President Obama for Captain Khans death in 2004, which demonstrated that the campaign didnt even care enough to look at Khans most basic history before attacking him and even after attacking him and getting flack for it. Demonstrating that the Republican game plan of accusing Hillary Clinton of wrongdoing and investigating her for years has paid off, even though she has repeatedly been found not guilty of intentional wrong doing even in Republican investigations in the honest and trustworthy section, Clinton scores very low with just 29% saying she is and 70% saying she isnt. With Trump, who lies so much the media is having a collective meltdown trying to keep up, its split 49% to 49%. How about that craziness? People trust a man who refuses to show them his taxes, pals up with Putin, and lies so much that no one dares guess what he will do or say next. For comparison, if youre thinking etch-a-sketch, Donald Trump doesnt lie like Mitt Romney, who lied with purpose and strategy. Donald Trump lies because he seems to see the world the way he wants to at that moment, which means he says something different at every turn and believes what hes saying even when its a far distance from reality. Sad to say that it didnt seem to matter much when Trump attacked Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and said he wasnt a hero because he was captured, nor did it matter when Trump slyly avoided being called out for calling for privatization of the VA by suggesting he was going to offer veterans a choice, but this is the benefit of not having actual policies. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), a former Marine Corps officer, said of Trumps VA privatization references, You never really know what Donald Trump is saying, but hes talked about privatizing the VA We know from experience over the past decade that privatization doesnt work. We know this because Republicans ran the VA Choice program. Its been implemented and wait times have gone up. With a scant few Republican leaders willing to stand up to Donald Trump, these numbers with veterans could get worse and not better. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) fell on this sword, refusing to un-endorse Trump even after the repugnant comments hes made about the Khan family. Although its worth noting that Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said of Trumps behavior, Im an American before Im a Republican How can I support that? Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A new poll reveals that Hillary Clinton is riding a wave of Hispanic and female support to a lead over Donald Trump in Florida. According to the Suffolk University Poll: In a two-way race, Clinton (48 percent) leads Trump (42 percent) by six percentage points, with 9 percent undecided. In a four-way scenario, Clinton (43 percent) leads Trump (39 percent) by 4 percentage points, while Libertarian Gary Johnson receives 4 percent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein gets 3 percent, with 11 percent undecided. . In the two-way ballot test, Clinton led by 12 points among women (50 percent to 38 percent) while carrying the south Florida region 57 percent to 33 percent. Trump won among registered Republicans 74 percent to 16 percent but Clinton performed a little better among registered Democrats, besting Trump 81 percent to 13 percent. When Clinton and Trump voters were asked if their vote is for their candidate or against the other, 67 percent of Clinton voters said their vote was for her while 28 percent said it was more of a vote against Trump. Conversely, only 52 percent of Trump voters said their vote was for him, while 39 percent said it was more of a vote against Clinton. President Obama is the most popular politician in Florida with a 52% favorability rating. Donald Trump is the least popular with a 54% unfavorable rating. Trump is being beaten in Florida by women and Hispanic voters. During the campaign, Trump has frequently promised that he will win Florida, but the Sunshine State is looking fairly static. Polls released today also show Trump losing badly in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Voters who may not have paid attention to the primaries are getting their first eyeful of the presidential candidates, and it is clear that they do not like what they see out of Donald Trump. No poll is one hundred percent accurate, and leading in the polls does not equal a victory on Election Day, but over the past week, there has been a clear trend line established towards Hillary Clinton. The presidential election is moving in her direction, but it is up to Democrats to turn that trend into results at the ballot box. Trump calls Florida his second home, and boasts about how much property he owns in the state, but Hillary Clinton is beating the GOP nominee on his own turf, and embarrassing Donald Trump in Florida. Portfolio English Edition's premium content is available only for subscribers Learn about the hottest news of the day, along with immediate follow-up analyses and 1000's of exclusive articles with full access to the premium content. Register and apply for a 14 days free trial period. The Buckeye is out, as is Ovation. The name of the new 92-unit apartment and retail complex being built on the corner of Fourth Street and Third Avenue Southeast in downtown Rochester has fluctuated during the planning phase. Now that a major hole has been dug across from the Olmsted County Government Centerand Rochester City Hall, the developer unveiled the official name for the $15 million project. Nate Stencil, of Stencil Homes,confirmed Wednesday it is now called Flats on Fourth. The South Dakota developer is driving the project with his partner, Sean A. Kaufhold. The new name was announced this morning during a public event organized by the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, according to Stencil. ADVERTISEMENT The name was a minor issue in the neighborhood, because some people objected to having it called The Buckeye. The complex is being built on the corner where the longtime Buckeye Liquorstore once stood. The store since has moved a little farther south down Third Avenue. As the project progressed through the early planning stages, the project name was changed to Ovation on Stencil's website. However, it turns out that was just a possible name that was ultimately rejected. Now, when this complex opens next summer, the name over the door will be Flats on Fourth. While they haven't started marketing the space, Stencil says there already has been interest in the ground level retail space in the complex. "We've had some inquiries on the retail end, but not from the kind of retail we are looking for. We're looking for very specific tenants that will be a good fit for that area," he said. Stencil recently built and opened two other apartment complexes, Nue52and Kascade Place. Both are near Rochester's 65th Street Northwest interchange across U.S. 52 from the North Menardsstore. Another Rochester apartment project by Stencil, The Pines, still is under construction. Once Flats on First and The Pines open, Stencil will own 463 apartments in Rochester. -- Jeff Kiger A Rochester apartment complex is slated for a $5.2 million renovation after its recent $7.6 million sale. A development group led by Andy Chafoulias purchased the Northgate Plaza apartment complex at 902 11th Ave. NW last week for $7.6 million. The younger Chafoulias bought it from a group led by his father, Gus Chafoulias. The new owner group consists of Northgate Partners as the general partner and R4 Capital of New York City as the new equity investor. Gus Chafoulias previously worked with Capital Housing Partners of San Francisco as the equity partner. Sheila Thoma, Titan director of marketing and communications, explained it was Capital Housing that spurred the changes. "We are changing ownership, because the previous equity partner wanted to sell," she wrote in an email. ADVERTISEMENT Gus Chafoulias built the 151-unit complex in 1977 to house seniors and people with disabilities who meet low-income guidelines. The Northgate neighborhood opposed the project in 1977, though the complex has since become of a key part of the neighborhood. Now Andy Chafoulias' Titan Development & Investments is planning to launch an extensive update to the brick complex. The estimated $5.2 million renovation will be Northgate Plaza's first major renovation in many years. Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. is expected to start work later this month on the project. The renovations will include new elevators, boilers, air conditioning units, windows, kitchen cabinets, common area flooring as well as exterior brick work. The developers hope to complete the work in April. "We are excited to have this opportunity to renovate Northgate Plaza in order to provide a home the residents can enjoy for many years to come," Titan President Mark Steege said in the announcement of the deal. Factoring in all the fees and other "soft costs," the total price on the Northgate purchase and renovation is estimated at $18.4 million. Financing for the project is coming from a tax-exempt loan via a bond issue of up to $14.5 million from the city of Rochester plus low-income housing tax credits from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The loan was originated by Jones Lang LaSalle Capital Markets and then purchased by Freddie Mac. R4 Capital purchased the tax credits generating equity for the project. KJCY Christian Radio will celebrate its 18th year of on-air broadcasting during its annual "Share-a-thon" Nov. 12-14. Featuring this year's theme, "Answers. Light. Hope!," the Share-a-thon fundraiser will feature interviews with local listeners, special guests, music and free family events. It will also provide listeners and friends with the opportunity to share a tax-deductible donation with the listener-supported ministry of KJCY. KJCY is part of the nonprofit and listener-supported "Kinship Christian Radio" ministry that has expanded from a single radio station formed in 1983 to serve most of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa through its eight full power stations and 14 translator (repeater) stations. KJCY can be heard in the Rochester area at 105.7 FM. In addition to the Share-a-thon broadcast, the three days of celebration will feature a number of fun activities and free family events. For more information, visit Kinshipradio.org or call 800-810-5559. ADVERTISEMENT Autumn Ridge hosts 'Time for Women' "A Time for Women" meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Common Grounds Cafe of Autumn Ridge Church, 3611 Salem Road SW, Rochester. Elann Wright will be sharing an interesting devotional titled "My Cinderella Story." Also on the program is "Making Cards for ARC Senior Saints" led by Dawn Pruett & Char Burkhard. Even if you haven't made cards before, this is an opportunity to learn and help. For more information, text or call 507-269-7653 and leave a message. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/a.time.for.women . Learn about theologian, Nazi resister Christ United Methodist Church is offering a 3-week class about Dietrich Bonhoeffer who has been called a man for our time. The class will meet Wednesday evenings 6:05 - 6:55 pm, November 6, 13, and 20 in Room 145. Bonhoeffer was a pastor and theologian; he wrote on the role of the church, discipleship and ethics; and he was a Nazi resister who was executed April 8, 1945. His legacy is a life that was lived as he preached. Christ United Methodist Church is located at 400 5th Ave. SW, Rochester. ADVERTISEMENT The class is fee of charge and all are welcome. for more information contact CUMC at 507-289-4019. Join congregation for supper at St. Mark's LAKE CITY -- St. Mark's Episcopal Church invites the community for supper in McNairy Hall on Wednesday, November 13 from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. This monthly supper is open to everyone who is interested in good food, camaraderie, entertainment, fellowship and ecumenical interaction. Coleen Fowler will entertain you with her keyboard selections of crowd pleasers and sing-a-long to the oldies. Tell Coleen what you'd like to hear and she'll try to please you with your wishes. Dinner will include ham, potatoes, green beans, lettuce salad. dinner rolls, desserts and beverages and the Lake City Girl Scouts will help with preparation, serving and clean-up. If you need assistance, they are there for you. Last month Jeremy, Beth and Cadie Wolf helped with the October dinner. Please join us at 110 S. Oak St., Lake City, across from Patton Park -- the church with the historical red door. Christian Women's Connection hosts fall luncheon Rochester Christian Womens Connection hosts a "Fall Blessings Luncheon," 11:45 a.m. Nov. 12 at the Eagles Club in Rochester. ADVERTISEMENT The event will include a silent auction and feature a speaker, Scott Gottschalk of Kimball, Minn., on the topic "Are Angels Real?" the amazing story of deliverance of a family from near death, that only can be explained by acknowledging supernatural intervention. Admission is $15 per person. The Eagles Club is at 917 15th Ave. SE. Reserve your place by calling Jan, 288-1144, or email mploetz@hbcsc.net. Supermarket Saturday set for Nov. 16 Oasis Church will hold Supermarket Saturday, in partnership with Channel One Food Shelf, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 16. You must present a photo ID with birthdate to pick up food at Oasis Church. You can visit only one Channel One food site per month. If you have any questions, call 289-8596. Oasis Church is at 1815 38th St. NW, Rochester. Family Promise Concert set for Saturday, Nov. 16 Bethel Lutheran Church will host the annual Family Promise Concert, "Homeward Bound" on Saturday, Nov. 16, beginning with a silent auction at 11:30 a.m. The concert begins at 1 p.m., featuring choirs from six local churches, Polishes Brass, Arioso Rochester Area Homeschool Choir, First Players Concert Band, Rochester Area Handbells and the Rochester Pops Orchestra. Admission is free. A free-will offering and proceeds of the silent auction go to Family Promise Rochester to continue its work serving homeless families with children. Website is www.familypromiserochester.org. Bethel Lutheran Church is at 810 Third Ave. SE. While I was growing up, a famous Native American quote hung on my family's kitchen wall: "Never criticize a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins." As a child, I didn't grasp the complexity of that message. But lately I've been drawn to this sentiment as our country seems to be stuck in a "judge first, ask questions later" mindset. (Just think about our current political climate.) What has happened to the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?" The Golden Rule and the Native American sentiment encourage us to think about "the other person" before ourselves. Most married people do it every day for their spouses. Now think about how different our society would be if we also paused to think about all of the OTHER "other people" in our daily interactions. Who are your frequent "other people?" Your "other people" could be your children, co-workers and anyone else you run into tomorrow who needs your attention, compassion and care. Are there people you've avoided due to their political views or the color of their skin? "The others" could be people we refuse to see every day even though they're right in front of us. Think about the panhandler on the corner or the employees who helped you buy your groceries. ADVERTISEMENT Our model for care and compassion is Jesus. He spent considerable amounts of time with "the other" of his society. Remember Jesus coming to the rescue of the woman about to be stoned to death? He looked around the crowd and said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." When I think, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," I often think about volunteer opportunities. I attended the annual Channel One Food Bank volunteer appreciation dinner this spring. There were over 300 people at the event and the need continues. I also recently learned a more about Family Promise Rochester . This organization helps homeless families; it helps the adults to find stable jobs and housing for the family as they get back on their feet. Their need for donations and volunteers for their Interfaith Hospitality Network is great. I know there are many other wonderful organizations that serve our nearby communities. Which of them could you help? Where could your time and talents "do unto others as you would have them do unto you?" I encourage each of us to reflect on the "other" people who truly need our attention, compassion and care. Early this month our Earth, in its orbit around the sun and traveling at better than 67,000 mph, is running into a dust debris trail left behind by a comet. This cosmic trash is courtesy of Comet Swift-Tuttle that last visited our part of the solar system in 1992. Comets are basically dirty snowballs that turn into litterbugs as they partially melt and leave behind trails of dust and debris no bigger than pebble size. When the Earth runs into these trails, we get a meteor shower as some of the debris gets gravitationally sucked into our atmosphere. Air friction then goes to work and 99.9 percent of the debris gets toasted and burned up about 50 to 75 miles above the ground. The meteor shower lighting up our Rochester skies this week is one of the best of the year. It's the annual Perseid shower. Most would agree that it's certainly the most weather-friendly meteor shower. You can stay out all night long under the stars and catch a great show especially after midnight, when you're on the side of the Earth that's heading into the comet debris. Before midnight, you're facing the other way in space, but after midnight our part of Earth will have rotated in the direction of Earth's orbit around the sun. It's just like taking a drive after dark in the countryside. You're going to get more dead bugs on your front windshield than you will on your rear window. ADVERTISEMENT The very best morning this week for the Perseids will be this coming Friday, Aug. 12, from 1 a.m. to the start of morning twilight. That's when the Earth will be in the thickest part of the debris trail. If possible, however, don't put all of your meteor watching eggs in one basket. It could easily be too cloudy or worse Friday morning. Every morning this week the Perseids will be a part of our skies, and with a little patience and the right strategy you may get to see at least a few of them. Some will be visible in the early mornings after Friday morning's peak as well. If you can, view the Perseid meteor shower away from city lights, from somewhere out in the boonies. Even in areas with limited dark skies you may see 50 meteors an hour, and maybe as many as 100 an hour. So if you have to view the Perseids in a moderately light-polluted sky, you should still be able to spot at least 10 to 20 an hour if you do it right. This meteor shower is called the Perseids because the meteors seem to emanate from the general direction of the constellation Perseus the Hero, which is in the high northeast sky in the predawn hours. You can pull up a sky chart on my website, lynchandthestars.com , or from free software like Stellarium to see exactly where to locate Perseus, but that's not all that important. You'll want to scan the whole sky, because if you restrict your gaze to just the area around Perseus, you're bound to miss some meteors. They seem to come from Perseus but they travel throughout the celestial dome. The more people you have watching with you the more you'll collectively see. The dust particle to pebble-size ammunition from this meteor shower incinerates over your head because of extreme air friction, but the light you're seeing is not from combustion. That makes perfect sense. How could a tiny little speck burning up that high produce such a bright light? The light produced as these meteors streak into our atmosphere at over 130,000 miles a second, way faster than a bullet out of a gun, is from photochemical reactions. These particles are ripping through their respective columns of air so fast that the atoms and molecules in those columns are temporarily destabilized, producing the light that we see. Meteors can be all different colors, but the disrupted nitrogen and oxygen atoms in our atmosphere a produce a lot of blue and green tinges in the quick streaks across the heavens. What's nice this year for the Perseids is that there won't be any moonlight whitewashing the skies. The crescent to first quarter (half moon) sets before the best early-morning Perseid pursuit begins ADVERTISEMENT Pray for clear skies this week and enjoy the Perseids. They're worth losing sleep over! ----- Perseid viewing tips Available every night this week, but best between 1 a.m. and morning twilight. Peaks in the early morning of Aug. 12. Lie back on the ground or in a reclining chair and scan the whole sky, but particularly the eastern sky. Motto:The international world may have borders, but there are few boundaries in fashion. Heidi McLeod, a visiting graduate student in the Mayo Clinic Center for the Science of Healthcare Delivery, took an international route to get here. She's from Barbados, went to college in Scotland and the U.S., and after college joined the Foreign Service of Barbados and lived in New York, Santiago, Chile, and Geneva. After a conference in South Africa, she met her husband-to-be. "A year and a half later we were married and started our life together in Washington, D.C.," she said. "Chris, my husband, is a physician and a few years later started an internal medicine residency and later a cardiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic. Eleven years later, we are still in Rochester with our three boys Kai, 10, Liam, 9, and Jack, 4, and a golden retriever, Coconut." ADVERTISEMENT Map out your style for us. I aim for understated elegance and have been told that what I have actually achieved is eclectic. Points of inspiration? Many of my friends and family members are fashionistas extraordinaire and they have all influenced my sense that there are few boundaries in fashion. Has your style changed with your life? Absolutely. But some signature pieces have remained constant. I grew up in the Caribbean, and bright colors with minimal coverage think bikinis, cover-ups and funky necklaces were my go-to style in my teenage years. Mayo Clinic demands a more formal style. I try to be relaxed yet elegant for work and at play I aim for something a little more edgy. Is your style reflective of Minnesota in any way? Much more so of other places that I have lived. However, I don't think my style today would be the same without eyewear from Alain Mikli at EyeQ and Cydwok shoes from Counterpoint. They combine funky and comfort and take accessories to a new level. ADVERTISEMENT Do you have a priceless sentimental piece? I have two: 1. My wedding dress. I bought it from a small boutique in France, just across the border from Geneva where I was living at the time. 2. A jumpsuit from a Brazilian designer, Mara Mac. My best friends in Rochester gave it to me for a special birthday. Anything surprising in your wardrobe? Riding boots. I grew up riding horses and have had them for years, yet I haven't ridden a horse since I moved to Minnesota 10 years ago. And shalwar kameez from Pakistan. These were a gift from a very good friend from Pakistan and I treasure them and wear them whenever an occasion warrants something special. Parting thoughts for readers? Be uniquely fabulous. Be you and don't be afraid to take fashion risks. Anne Murphy is a Rochester freelance writer who has been a professional journalist for more than 30 years. Do you know somebody who's got special style? Send nominations to life@postbulletin.com or call Life section editor Jeff Pieters at 507-285-7748. WABASHA A Rush City man who appealed his original prison term for the sexual assault of a Wisconsin girl has had about 2 1/2 years shaved off the sentence. Benjamin Danton Newman, 40, was re-sentenced last week in Wabasha County District Court; Judge Terrence Walters handed down concurrent terms of 187 months and 48 months for Newman's convictions on felony counts of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was charged in March 2014 with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, all felonies. In August of that year, he pleaded guilty and sentencing was set for that October. However, Newman withdrew the plea at sentencing and chose to take his case to a jury. In January 2015, a Wabasha County jury convicted him of the second-degree count and one of the first-degree counts. He was sentenced in March 2015 to concurrent prison terms of 216 months and 48 months; the 216-month sentence was the maximum sentence possible. Newman appealed not only the lengthy sentence, but his conviction as well, challenging the admissibility of the expert-witness testimony during his trial, and alleging prosecutorial misconduct because of comments made during closing statements. ADVERTISEMENT In April, the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the conviction but reversed Newman's sentence. The justices agreed that the record of Newman's criminal history wasn't sufficiently developed, bringing into question the maximum sentence handed down. The ruling sent Newman's case back to Wabasha County to make further findings relative to his criminal history, leading to the new, shorter sentence. The abuse occurred when the girl was younger than 13 and Newman was 36, according to the criminal complaint. The first incident was in June 2012, when the girl was visiting; she told investigators Newman touched her and kissed her, according to the complaint. About a month later, the complaint says, the victim drank beer and liquor provided by Newman. He then took her into his bedroom and had sex with her. The girl told investigators a third incident occurred a few weeks later. KASSON Helen Leqve sat primly at the small table Monday, her instructional materials in front of her, as she prepared to tell 10 friends and neighbors how she helped win World War II. The Kasson woman is eager to give that talk again and again because she believes so few know what she, and thousands of women, did to help defeat the Axis Powers. She was one of the women who replaced men, gone to combat roles, to build thousands of airplanes. They became known, thanks to a famed Norman Rockwell poster, as Rosie the Riveter. She's proud of that nickname and her work. "Yes, I am, I really am," she said. "I want people to know what we did during the war." Leqve, 94, said she always has had that pride, but she didn't always have the drive to talk about it because she didn't think others were interested. Then her great-grandson, Tyler Collett, 13, of Northfield, asked. He's a history buff, and one thing led to another until last year when she spoke before the Lions Club in Northfield. That led to talks in Owatonna and Mantorville, and finally, Monday to her friends in the Westfield Court area. Now, she wants to speak out even more. "I would talk to anybody," she said. ADVERTISEMENT One of the neighbors there Monday was Mary Gillard, who moved into the unit next to Leqve. Her friend mentioned being a Rosie the Riveter but didn't say all that much, she said. "That is why a lot of the neighbors here didn't know," she said. On Monday, she learned more and thinks her neighbor did a good job. Leqve said her riveting career began because, when she was in high school in Aitkin, she wanted to be a nurse. When World War II broke out, she realized it would take four more years of training to be a nurse, but if she worked in a defense plant, she could help the war effort immediately. She took a Greyhound bus to California to work in Lockheed's Burbank Defense Plant. "It's a huge, huge plant," she said. She was told she was going to be a riveter. To drive the rivets, she would get one in dry ice so it would shrink small enough to go through a hole in the metal that would be part of a B-17's wing. A woman, called a bucker, stood on the other side holding a heavy piece of metal against it so when Leqve drove it in, the other side would mushroom and as it warmed, would swell. Because she and the bucker were small, they were called upon to slide into the tightest parts of the wing. She stayed with an aunt and uncle and needed a ration book to get certain food items. She still has one of the books. "The younger people have no idea what they are," she said. Her dad later came out and worked in the same plant as a crane operator. He would, at times, be directly above his daughter and drop down candy or gum, Leqve said. She later was injured and sent home, then brought to a huge plant in Utah where she did other chores on tail turret machine guns. Oddly, she never saw a complete airplane and didn't realize what her work was doing. When the war ended, she and her husband, Merlin Leqve, moved back to Minnesota and eventually to Kasson. She kept a scrapbook that is now part of the history museum in Colorado. ADVERTISEMENT That's where Helen Leqve's story ended Monday. Afterwards, she served cake and coffee. One friend was impressed: "Helen," she said, "you've had a very interesting life." P.S. Last year, besides first speaking out, Leqve got to see a completed B-17 when one was flown to Rochester. She was impressed how big it was. A former Rochester Public Schools employee whose job was focused on helping at-risk students prepare for life after high school has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the district after her job was cut from the budget earlier this year. Regina Seabrook, who coordinated the district's Student and Family Engagement program, filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis June 29 against Independent School District 535 and Assistant Superintendent Brenda Lewis. Seabrook, who's African-American, alleges seven counts of discrimination based on race and sex, a hostile and abusive working environment, sexual harassment, retaliation by the district and a civil rights violation. The SAFE program was eliminated from the district's budget this past spring. The district said budget cuts were the primary reason, but Seabrook alleges she wasn't offered a comparable position as had been done for "similarly situated persons from a non-protected race." Seabrook alleges her time at the school district was characterized by a variety of job reclassifications, which she said is a part of a broader "pattern of discriminatory practices against African-American citizens" in the district. Schools Superintendent Michael Munoz strongly rejected her claims in an email statement to the Post-Bulletin Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT "Regina Seabrook has commenced a baseless lawsuit against Rochester Public Schools and its Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Brenda Lewis. Every allegation of wrongdoing in the complaint is false," Munoz said. He said the district "plans to vigorously defend against the lawsuit and will be bringing a motion to dismiss the case in its entirety." The district said in its answer to Seabrook's complaint that the allegations surfaced after she found out the district was considering the elimination of the SAFE program and after she applied for but wasn't hired for a vacant principal position. "Even if taken as true, (the district's actions) would not rise to the level of unlawful discrimination or harassment," the school district's attorney, Michael Waldspurger, said Wednesday. Waldspurger, with Minneapolis-based Rupp, Anderson, Squires & Waldspurger noted he's attempting to get the suit dismissed altogether. The case will go to pre-trial on Sept. 7. Program was eliminated The SAFE program was funded in part with money from the United Way of Olmsted County and Olmsted County Community Services. The decision to eliminate the program was criticized by some because it came on the heels of a finding by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights that students of color in the district have been disproportionately disciplined. In an effort to correct the disparity, the district has hired equity specialists and a principal specifically to review discipline data. Lewis said in June that these positions won't replace the SAFE program but will do many of the same things. She also pointed to recently implemented listening circles, which are a time for students to gather in small groups with equity specialists and talk. Don Barlow, a pastor at Rochester Community Baptist Church and candidate for the Rochester school board this fall, said in June, "If you have a program that's working, why eliminate that? ... The SAFE program, and (its coordinator) in particular, have demonstrated a proven success track and record. It's a program that has helped extend the educational profile of the Rochester Public Schools." The suit also alleges that "sexual and non-sexual harassment, overt discrimination and retaliation was so pervasive and severe that they altered the terms and conditions of her employment to the extent that a hostile and abusive work environment was created." ADVERTISEMENT Seabrook alleges in the complaint that Lewis repeatedly sexually harassed her and that she was retaliated against for reporting that harassment. She says she filed a complaint with the district in July 2015 because Lewis had made many inappropriate comments "often focusing on the size of women's breasts and the sexual activities of district employees," and noted in her complaint the "sexually based comments also revealed that Lewis believed in the racial stereotype that African Americans are hypersexual." Two months later, after an investigation, Seabrook allegedly received a letter from Munoz that said the complaint was not sustained. "(Lewis) was the root of the problem -- she's the decision-maker, basically," said Seabrook's attorney, William French, of Rochester. He said Lewis retained "ultimate control over (Seabrook's) employment." In November 2015, Seabrook said she was called into a meeting with Munoz, Lewis and Brooke Bass, the district's director of human resources at that time. Munoz allegedly yelled at Seabrook, "seeking to intimidate her," according to the complaint, and told her "people did not like her, and that people in the community did not want to work with her." The school district , in its response to Seabrook's complaint, characterized the meeting as Munoz, Lewis and Bass talking about "concerns with (Seabrook's) conduct and her job performance." EEOC complaint was dismissed In March 2016, Seabrook filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging racial and sexual discrimination in employment. It was dismissed in April without investigation. Seabrook said she was never given a performance evaluation, never met with Lewis and was not invited to departmental meetings, according to the complaint. The district denies those allegations. ADVERTISEMENT On Oct. 5, 2015, Seabrook was placed on paid administrative leave for "insubordination to a principal," according to her complaint. The school district confirmed that, in its response, but noted she was "placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that had been made against (Seabrook)." Seabrook was discharged in May 2016 as part of what the district called "budget cuts." In its answer to the complaint, the district acknowledged that that it ended the SAFE program and placed Seabrook on paid administrative leave for the remainder of the school year, "based, in part, on concerns about (Seabrook's) behavior in the workplace." Seabrook alleges she was not allowed on district property to come to the school board meeting where board members voted on the discontinuation of the program , effectively putting her out of a job. Seabrook is seeking compensatory damages in excess of $75,000, a retroactive return to employment in the district with a comparable or enhanced position with backpay and benefits, front pay at her most recent employment level until she reaches 70 years of age when she says she would have retired from the district, attorney's fees and any other damages the court may deem equitable. School Board Chairman Gary Smith declined to comment on the case when contacted by the Post-Bulletin Wednesday. Differing styles of leadership were on display Wednesday during a Post-Bulletin Dialogues event featuring two candidates for the Rochester City Council's at-large seat. Incumbent Council President Randy Staver touted his experience in striking balance, while challenger Sean Allen promised a proactive approach to leading the local government. Through discussion of Destination Medical Center, development, arts and culture, the candidates returned to the theme of leadership. "At the end of the day, I have to try to balance the needs of our city, our citizens and, in fact, our future," Staver said." I think what's important to me is that I create an environment where progress can happen." Few issues are "black and white," Staver said, and few people could appreciate the complexity of the council's leadership position. He has held the seat since May 2013 after being elected in November 2010. Allen called his approach "proactive," and he focused on a shared vision, planning and finding solutions inside the community to upcoming issues. Allen has not held elected office; he is a small business owner and development consultant. ADVERTISEMENT "I believe it's the role of a leader to proactively seek solutions to the challenges and opportunities we face," Allen said. "I've been a passionate advocate for the arts, for affordable housing and for neighborhoods. I've actually worked to create real solutions here in Rochester around those issues. I hope to bring that style to city government." About 250 people attended the event at the Rochester Art Center. It was recorded and will be available on the Rochester Public Library website for review. Destination Medical Center Staver: Staver called the DMC legislation one of his proudest accomplishments as a member of city council. The DMC Development Plan epitomizes planning for the city's future, he said, while also maintaining authority for the city of Rochester in its partnership with the state and Mayo Clinic. "We worked very, very diligently because we felt that this was the most significant, innovative economic development package that this state, and in fact many places of this country, have ever seen." Allen: DMC is an economic development initiative to help Mayo Clinic grow, Allen said, and he has taken issue with an apparent lack of focus on community growth in DMC actions so far. Allen wants DMC decisions that make the city its residents can be proud of, as well as visitors, he said. "The fundamental idea that what's good for Mayo Clinic is good for Rochester I think isn't necessarily true. But I do think what's good for Rochester and the people of Rochester is good for Mayo Clinic." Development process ADVERTISEMENT Staver: The city has made improvements to its development process through partnership with DMC agencies, Staver said. The city is also considering a development coordinator position to facilitate communication and process questions. In regard to developer issues with the Building Safety Department, Staver said effective change would come in the form of many, incremental changes. "More often than not it is a series of incremental changes to any organizational structure to achieve that final outcome." Allen: Allen said he could not support a development coordinator position; the city should fix its "terrible process," he said. He called for an overhaul of the Building Safety Department and said he would propose an ordinance that would require timely action on building permits "I don't think that you incrementally change a problem like what we have with building safety. It needs to be a major overhaul of that department," he said. "It's literally an impediment to small business development in this community and it's something we have to change and we have to change it dramatically." Arts Staver: The city's role in most cases is to invest in public infrastructure and let arts organizations go from there, Staver said. He, and the city, are committed to continuing to invest in arts and culture. Allen: Becoming an arts-oriented community is more important than the size of investments in public arts infrastructure, Allen said. The investment has to be made in the right places, and right now, it's grassroots artists and arts organizations. Public projects ADVERTISEMENT Staver: Staver said he did not support a $55 million expansion of Rochester Public Library in its current location, but would support library development at a new site. The council is still considering proposals for the Armory. The proposal for an ice arena in Mayo Park was too preliminary to give much thought, he said, but warranted the preliminary discussion it received at past council meetings. Allen: Allen said he supported the $55 million expansion on site for Rochester Public Library. He voiced some admiration for the Rochester Arts and Cultural Initiative's proposal at the Armory. The ice arena proposal in Mayo Park was a "non-starter" and should not have received the council consideration it did, he said. REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. There were many farmers unhappy with both presidential candidates on Wednesday at the annual Farmfest show in southwest Minnesota. At an event where talk about politics is as common as talk about corn prices, participants were unusually undecided and reticent about the presidential candidates. Nationally, farmers are overwhelmingly inclined to vote Republican, according to the 2016 Agri-Pulse Communications Producer Survey. One farmer, who said he typically votes Republican, declined an interview request but threw up his hands, asking "is this the best we can do?" The farmers' indecision and disappointment are somewhat of a microcosm for many Americans' attitudes this election. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the most unpopular major party candidates of all time. ADVERTISEMENT The common theme in more than a dozen conversations at Farmfest was this: They never would vote for Clinton but weren't ready to commit to Trump either. Several people said their vote would come down to which candidate was the lesser evil. Some farmers thought Trump talked too much. Roger Knudson, of Westbrook, said Trump's rhetoric is "demeaning of everyone." Knudson said he's leaning toward Clinton but may still change his mind. Others were concerned about Trump's immigration positions, saying U.S. agriculture needs workers from other countries to help fill open positions. There was plenty of criticism of Clinton as well, with several farmers saying they don't trust her. Kyle Noyes, who works part time on his family farm, says Trump needs to do better to win his vote. "I consider myself to be a Republican but a little disappointed in our candidate," Noyes said. "Lack of specifics, and he seems to always be putting his foot in his mouth. Just the way he handles himself, I don't like it, I guess." Tom Olsem, who farms near the town of Dundee, wondered how much farmers will get out of either campaign. He says there hasn't been much mention of agriculture yet in the war of words this campaign season. But there's still three months to go, and he's hoping his industry gets a little more attention. ADVERTISEMENT The three-day agriculture show near Redwood Falls concludes this year's run today. 1st District Republican primary Volunteers for Judge Sturino encourage you to vote Aug. 9 for District Incumbent Judge Carmaine Sturino. Public service has been her lifelong commitment. She was named judge after a rigorous months-long process of interviews, reference letters and background checks. She has worked and volunteered for public entities and had her own private practice. She has worked in criminal, civil, family and conciliation courts. As an attorney, Sturino represented children and adults, homeless people and wealthy people, as well as those accused of crimes and those who were victims. She visited clients who were patients in behavioral health hospitals or were inmates at correctional facilities. That inspired her passion to treat others with fairness and compassion. Judge Sturino makes children her priority and gives a voice to victims. She also believes in accountability. She recognizes our communities are dealing with very real challenges such as increased access to illegal drugs, a lack of resources to support desired specialty courts, and the fact that many parents are working multiple jobs to support their families. Judge Carmaine Sturino is more than qualified to continue as a Third Judicial District judge. She is devoted to the community, and to ensuring a culture of accountability and safety. ADVERTISEMENT You can find more information about Judge Sturino on her website, www.JudgeSturino.com. Please vote for her on Aug. 9. Larry Ruud Dakota We have a good school district with a great staff, but there has been several issues recently that has caused community concern. For the fourth year in a row we have seen our Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments scores decline, now below the state average. After the passage of the referendum to keep what we have and fund the district through 2019-2020, we are told that is not enough. In seven months, the board spent the $9.6 million. This year alone, district leadership is planning an additional levy of $2.9 million. Where is the transparency, accountability and communication? I value this community. You have shown strong support in our education system both with community involvement and financial investment. That support has wavered, and I will work very hard to restore trust again. We need to foster stronger relationships with not only the community but the staff and students by proactively communicating district directions. I will be accountable to the citizens of Rochester for my decisions, and I will talk to the community about those decisions. We need to restore confidence again, questions need to be asked, conversations need to happen, and I am committed to doing just that. ADVERTISEMENT It's time for new leadership and your voice to be heard. I am Bobbie Gallas running for School Board Seat 3. I ask for your vote in the Aug. 9 primary. Bobbie Gallas Rochester Until today when he was fired, Nicholas Young was a transit police officer for Washington, D.C.s Metro system which operates the citys subway system. Today, Young was arrested and charged with providing material support to ISIS. He is said to the first police officer in the United States arrested and charged with supporting ISIS. Youngs involvement with foreign terrorists extends back to at least 2010. According to CNN: Young has been in contact with undercover law enforcement officers and informants since 2011 and was interviewed as early as 2010 about his relationship with a friend, Zachary Chesser, who pleaded guilty to supporting a foreign terrorist organization, according to court documents. In addition, Young allegedly met several times with Amine El Khalifi before el Khalifi was arrested in 2012 for plotting to carry out a suicide bombing at the US Capitol building. But Youngs guilt goes well beyond mere association. The Washington Post tells us: [Young] threatened FBI agents, gave advice to suspected terrorists and mused about joining the Islamic State. . . .[He] sent codes for mobile messaging cards to an undercover federal agent in the belief that they would be used by Islamic State fighters overseas to communicate. In addition, Young traveled to Libya in 2011 and tried to go a second time, saying that he was working with rebels to overthrow Moammar Gaddafi, according to the court documents. Numerous times he allegedly expressed desires to stockpile weapons and kill law enforcement officers. Allegedly, he threatened to kidnap and torture an agent who interviewed him and to leave the head of anyone who betrayed him in a cinder block at the bottom of Virginias Lake Braddock. It turns out that he had a massive stockpile of weapons. I suppose it was inevitable that ISIS supporters would eventually turn up in law enforcement. If a terrorist can be an officer at Fort Hood, why cant one be a policeman in Washington? What disturbs me most about this story is the fact that, although the FBI first became aware of Youngs involvement with terrorists in 2010, he remained on the job as a Metro police officer until today. How could this have happened? The Post explains that it was not until last week that federal agents decided Young had committed the crime of attempting to support a terrorist organization. It seems to me that this conclusion, or the conclusion that he had committed another crime, was long overdue. More fundamentally, we once again see terrorism being treated as a law enforcement issue. Whether or not Young had technically committed a crime, he should not have been working in law enforcement, especially on a subway system that might well be the target of terrorists. It seems to me that Young should have been removed from that position years ago and, at a minimum, have been placed under intense surveillance. Authorities say that that in the years they watched and interacted with Young, there never was any credible or specific threat to the Metro system. This claim strikes me as shockingly naive. A Metro police officer who supports ISIS, stockpiles arms, and threatens to kill people is an inherent threat to the Metro system. After the recent attacks in Nice and the church outside Rouen, where French authorities seemed to drop the ball, I asked whether the U.S. is playing better defense than the French and whether we are less naive, and expressed doubt on both accounts. The case of Nicholas Young doesnt cause me to alter this assessment. Part of the propaganda campaign against the Iraq war was the claim that coalition troops were torturing captured Iraqis. Those claims made a pretty big splash in the United States, and probably even a bigger one in Europe. Now it turns out that large numbers of Iraqis may have been paid by British lawyers to make false claims of torture: One of the countrys leading human-rights lawyers faces a criminal inquiry into claims Iraqi civilians were bribed to bring abuse claims against British soldiers, The Telegraph can reveal. Phil Shiner is accused by legal regulators of knowing about the bribes which were allegedly disguised as expenses and then submitted as legal aid claims funded by the taxpayer. Shiner became wealthy (the Telegraph says he made his career) by representing more than 1,000 Iraqis who said they were abused by British soldiers. The British government paid out millions of pounds to settle those claims, and Mr. Shiners firm (Public Interest Lawyers) was paid 3 million pounds by the Legal Aid Agency. [F]ollowing the Al Sweady inquiry which found that some Iraqi witnesses had lied about murder and torture allegedly committed by British troops the methods of the law firms have been thrown into doubt. On Tuesday, the Legal Aid Agency, after its own 18-month investigation, stripped PIL of its access to public money, preventing it bringing any more legally aided cases. But now the agency has revealed it has been in contact with the National Crime Agency, which has a duty to investigate serious and organised crime. The Legal Aid Agency told The Telegraph that in our view the action PIL was taking could be criminal. A source claimed: Evidence exists showing that Professor Shiner was aware of disguised bribes being paid in relation to publicly funded matters. Mr. Shiner, of course, has been much honored, as well as enriched, for his work on behalf of Iraqi insurgents. Whatever punishment may now be meted out, justice will come much too late for thousands of British soldiers whose careers and lives were ruined by false accusations. The United States purchased $400 million of cash in European currencies from European central banks; the cash was purchased with American dollars. The United States then delivered the $400 million in cash to the Iranian regime in an unmarked cargo plane on the day that four Americans held by the Iranian regime were released. The transaction was kept secret from the American people. Among other things, the Obama administration sought to conceal the the obvious. Jay Solomon and Carol Lee reported the transaction in a page-one Wall Street Journal story earlier this week. The Journals Devlin Barrett has now followed up with a story on the Department of Justices objections to the transaction. Solomon and Lee explain the indirection in the cash payment: The $400 million was paid in foreign currency because any transaction with Iran in U.S. dollars is illegal under U.S. law. This is the kind of workaround that would land lesser mortals in prison. Solomon and Lee somewhat cruelly note: Since the cash shipment, the intelligence arm of the Revolutionary Guard has arrested two more Iranian-Americans. Tehran has also detained dual-nationals from France, Canada and the U.K. in recent months. In following developments related to the nuclear deal with Iran, I have frequently found the Iranian press and Iranian authorities to be a more reliable source of information on their dealing with the Obama administration than the administration itself. I believe that is the case here as well. Solomon and Lee add: Iranian press reports have quoted senior Iranian defense officials describing the cash as a ransom payment. The Iranian foreign ministry didnt respond to a request for comment. Obama administration spokesman Josh Earnest is not so shy. He was asked about Solomon and Lees story at his daily press conference yesterday. C-SPAN has posted the video here. The White House has posted the transcript here. Earnest was in a tough spot. He defends the indefensible. He denies the undeniable. He castigates those who have observed that Emperor Obama wears no clothes. According to Earnest, they are liars and worse. It is truly a disgusting performance. I have gone through the transcript to extract questions and excerpt answers of interest. I can only say that it is worth reading. What he says is as interesting as what he doesnt say. Has any of the cash gone to support Irans terrorist activities? Earnest responds at various points: [T]he Iranian government has spent the money largely in the way that we expected that they would. The analysis that weve done confirms what we predicted is that, largely, that money was spent to address the dire economic condition of the nation of Iran. The President was quite forward-leaning, in advance of the nuclear deal even being completed, in acknowledging that we know that Iran supports terrorism. We know that Iran supports Hezbollah and the Assad regime. And it certainly is possible that some of the money that Iran has is being used for those purposes too. I think, Ron, the point is right now that we do know how Iran has spent a lot of that money. And the amount of money that Iran has received is far less than what critics predicted. So they were either wrong or lying. You can go ask them. I trust you can translate the double-talk and disparagement on your own. It sets the pattern here. Why are we only learning about this particular transaction now? Drawing on the classic scandal playbook, Earnest asserts that this is old news. This is almost laughable: I guess the point that Im trying to make, Margaret, is we could not possibly have been more transparent about this arrangement than to have the President of the United States announce it to all of you on live national television on the day that the agreement was reached. What about the timing of the cash payment coincident with the release of the American prisoners? Analyze this: Q This financial dispute you mentioned has been going on for 35 years. Why was it necessary to airlift in the pallets of cash on the very weekend that the American prisoners were released? MR. EARNEST: Again, Scott, the reason is simple. The United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran. So Q That explains that it was cash, but it doesnt explain the timing. MR. EARNEST: Because we reached the agreement and Iran wanted their money back. So, again Q They waited 35 years. MR. EARNEST: Right, so you might expect that they would be eager for them to get their money back. Again, this all stems from a payment that Iran had made into a U.S. account related to a military sale that didnt actually go through. The military equipment wasnt provided. So, again, you could understand why theyre quite eager for the money. You also would understand that theyre quite eager for the money when you consider that the value of their currency has plummeted, that they havent been able to invest in infrastructure, that theyve got debts that need to be paid, and that theyre in the middle of a recession. So at the time, they were eager to try to address the legitimate concerns of the Iranian people about the state of the Iranian economy. Q And why was the U.S. government so eager to pay MR. EARNEST: Im sorry? Q Why was the U.S. eager to deliver the money so quickly? MR. EARNEST: Well, again, I would not describe the United States as eager I would describe the Iranians as eager. I think what the United States is, is were a country that lives up to the commitments that we make. And thats exactly what we did. Another reporter takes a whack: Q So its been called a ransom payment by Iran. Thats not exactly surprising. But would those prisoners have been released had this payment not been made at the time that it was? And so it isnt essentially a ransom payment then, even if the U.S. does not view it that way? MR. EARNEST: No. It is not a ransom payment. The United States does not view it that way, and its not accurate to describe it that way. Q So would those prisoners have been released then if this money hadnt been paid then? MR. EARNEST: Well, again, I think what is true is that there were a team of negotiators let me just start from the beginning. What I know is true is there were a team of negotiators in the United States that were interacting with Iranian officials to secure the release of five Americans who were unjustly detained in Iran. That negotiating work was successful and those Americans are at home. Hmmmm. He really doesnt want to answer the question. He seems to be taking a long way around avoiding the answer. Then another reporter pursues the point and Earnest resorts to the ad hominem attacks that should be a red flag to sentient observer: Q I think a lot more people find this interesting than just people who are opposed to it. But, again, would those prisoners have been released then if this money had not been paid then? MR. EARNEST: What I can tell you is that our negotiators who were talking with the Iranians about what was necessary to secure the release of American citizens in Iran succeeded. That was different than the group of negotiators who were involved in The Hague negotiating with their Iranian counterparts to settle these longstanding financial claims. Q So because U.S. policy is opposed to ransom payments, even if it were only for the appearance of this not being a ransom payment, why would you not have made Iran wait even a week longer? I mean, why would Irans eagerness to get their hands on their money be more important than making sure that this was not a quid pro quo that was based on the exact timing being right? MR. EARNEST: Well, I think the answer to that is pretty obvious, which is that even a week delay would not have prevented Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio from falsely claiming that theyre a ransom. Because, Michelle, come on, I saw you sigh. If we announced this financial settlement on the same day that the prisoners were released, thats fodder to our Republican critics. I get that. After other questions a reporter comes back to the question of ransom: Q Thanks, Josh. If I can circle back to Iran briefly. Is it your contention that it is not a ransom payment because there was no quid pro quo or because it was Iranian money that was flown in? MR. EARNEST: It is our contention that there was no ransom paid to secure the release of U.S. citizens who were being unjustly detained in Iran because, A, its against the policy of the U.S. government to pay ransoms. And thats something that we told the Iranians that we would not do. We would not we have not, we will not pay a ransom to secure the release of U.S. citizens. Thats a fact. That is our policy and that is one that we have assiduously followed. You dont have to be a student of logic to observe that there is a certain circularity in Earnests answer. As in all matters related to the Obama administrations dealing with Iran, the abasement of the United States is complete, the humiliation thorough, the lying pervasive, the damage devastating, the scandal hiding in plain sight. A story that has become all too familiar: in Columbia, Pennsylvania, police officers responded to a report of shots fired and were themselves fired upon. Officers in the borough of Columbia were responding to a report of gunshots near a cemetery just before 3:30 a.m. Friday when their own vehicles came under fire. The shooters were soon apprehended, and at least one of them admitted his involvement: I was shooting at you. Marquell Rentas, 17, and Trenton Nace, 18, were arrested and remained jailed Tuesday on $2 million bail. The two, who are cousins, face charges including attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer. What is different about this story is that the boys parents are placing the blame squarely where it belongs: The mother of one of two central Pennsylvania teenagers charged with shooting at police officers last week contends the Black Lives Matter movement is to blame for his actions. They are in jail for doing what Black Lives Matter wanted them to do: shoot at cops, Luz Rentas wrote in a statement given to a number of news organizations over the weekend. The truth is that these are two punk kids following the orders of an irresponsible organization and now theyre gonna pay for it. Naces father, Roberto Rentas, made a similar statement to WHTM-TV that the Black Lives Matter movement influenced the teens actions. Of course it did. Why would anyone doubt that? A local representative of Black Lives Matter issued a ritual denial that the organization encourages violence, which might be plausible but for the fact that pretty much every Black Lives Matter demonstration features chants of kill the pigs and pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon. What is needed is a massive push-back by African-Americans against a bunch of self-serving political opportunists who have not only encouraged the murder of Hispanic, white and Asian police officersblack ones too, for that matterbut have caused a degradation of law enforcement in cities across America. The Science and Environmental Policy Project puts out a weekly electronic newsletter called The Week That Was that brings together links to everything notable on the topic of climate. If you want to keep up on the global warming debate and related scientific issues, you really should subscribe to it. This week SEPP takes note of the Democratic Partys platform on energy: Generally, TWTW does not comment on political issues. However, the 2016 Democratic Party Platform deserves particular mention. Westernized urban and suburban civilization requires reliable electricity to run its communication systems, medical facilities, sewer and water purification systems, refrigeration, food storage, subways, elevators, heating, cooling air handling systems, neighborhood traffic lights, etc. Without reliable electricity, modern life becomes chaotic. Other than fossil fuels, the only proven sources of reliable electricity are nuclear and hydro. Hydroelectric power is dependent on weather (the EIA considers it as such) and is regional. Nuclear is strongly opposed by many environmental groups, as seen by the letter by Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, to the Wall Street Journal and repeated in the July 2 TWTW. There are no other reliable, affordable sources proven at this time. Countries such as the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Greece are littered with projects that promised reliable, affordable electricity, but failed to deliver. Any possible learning curve is largely exhausted. Industrial-scale solar may have promise, but is yet to be proven and may work only in a small area of the US. For over one hundred years, utilities have been searching for ways to store electricity, generated when it is not needed for when it is needed. The only storage technology existing on a large scale is pumped-hydro storage. This system has a cycle cost of about 25% or more, meaning that only 75% or less of the electricity put into the system can be retrieved. As seen on El Hierro Island in the Canary Islands, the storage needs may be greatly underestimated, as well as the costs. Large, commercial scale batteries offer promise, but have yet to be proven. Construction on a 100 megawatt battery (very small by standards needed) west of Los Angles, is planned, but not yet underway, much less proven or shown to be cost-effective. This is not to say that such technologies cannot be developed, similar to the development of the technology to extract oil and natural gas from dense shale which are making the US largely fossil fuel independent of the petrostates. But there are no demonstrations that technologies in solar and wind along with electricity storage are reliable and affordable. In spite of these experiences, the 2016 Democratic Party Platform calls for the effective abandonment of fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation. The naivety is staggering. It states: The Democrats are of the mind that human-caused climate change is one of the major problems facing the country/world today, describing it as an urgent threat and a defining challenge of our time. There is no empirical or physical evidence that demonstrates CO2 threatens humanity. The threat is largely invented by political actors such as the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the EPA. We do not understand the natural causes of climate change; thus it is virtually impossible to delineate the human causes. The IPCC and its US followers have failed the American public by not investigating the natural causes of climate change. Yet, the Platform calls for getting 50% of electricity from clean energy sources within a decade. The sources are not identified or the costs calculated. Further, the Platform states: We are committed to a national mobilization, and to leading a global effort to mobilize nations to address this threat on a scale not seen since World War II. In the first 100 days of the next administration, the President will convene a summit of the worlds best engineers, climate scientists, policy experts, activists, and indigenous communities to chart a course to solve the climate crisis. Our generation must lead the fight against climate change and we applaud President Obamas leadership in forging the historic Paris climate change agreement. We will not only meet the goals we set in Paris, we will seek to exceed them and push other countries to do the same by slashing carbon pollution and rapidly driving down emissions of potent greenhouse gases like hydrofluorocarbons. In WW II, most of the US weapons used were already in production or theoretically understood. Even the atomic bombs were theoretically investigated by the UK, Germany and Japan. Only the US employed the necessary resources to make the fuel. The plan to fight climate change without theoretically understanding its causes or [having] an understanding of the resources needed to replace fossil fuels, is not a commitment similar to that made by the US in WWII, but more like the one made by President Johnson when he committed hundreds of thousands of troops into Vietnam, without a strategic plan and without understanding the opposition, thereby violating the maxim: Know your enemy! MTN Nigerias subsidiary, Visafone, has commenced the test-run of its fourth generation long term evolution (4G LTE) internet technology service for smartphone users. MTN said in a statement on Thursday that the roll-out of the 4G LTE services would help provide superior high-speed internet services in major cities to empower Nigerians with the latest mobile broadband technology. MTN executive, Amina Oyagbola, said the company was determined to deepen broadband penetration in the country. Our recent license acquisition further demonstrates our faith in the future of Nigeria, Mrs. Oyagbola said. We believe in supporting the positive transformation of Nigeria and we have demonstrated this belief through the level of our investment since 2001, which currently stands at approximately $16 billion. General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanoge, said the specifics of the test-run and subsequent launch of the 4G LTE technology would be launched with the sole objective of providing Nigerians with the best, fastest and most competitive ICT services for all stakeholders. He said MTN Nigeria was pleased to set the pace and breaking new boundaries with the test run, which would be available for now for only Visafone customers, currently provisioned on the 800 MHz band. When we roll-out fully, especially with our 2.6 GHz spectrum, the launch will help to enhance customer experience for our over 60 million subscribers, while ensuring greater coverage, access, affordability and ultimately a smart lifestyle for everyone, he said. He said the 4G LTE roll-out was a demonstration of the companys commitment to accelerate the achievement of the countrys targeted broadband penetration by 2018. The Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld the election of Yahaya Bello as the duly elected governor of Kogi State. Details of the judgment is still sketchy, but our reporter covering the case said Mr. Bello prevailed in the appeal brought against him by James Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives. We will provide details in our coming updates. Mr. Faleke challenged the emergence of Mr. Bello as governor and asked the tribunal to declare him governor because the election of late Abubakar Audu was almost concluded before he died. Mr. Bello was nominated by the APC to replace its late candidate, Mr. Audu. Mr. Faleke ran as deputy governorship candidate with Mr. Audu and they were coasting to victory before Mr. Audu suddenly died. INEC declared the election inconclusive and asked the APC to nominate a replacement for the deceased. Mr. Bello was nominated and he nominated Mr. Faleke as his deputy, an offer the latter refused. But on June 6, the Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, dismissed Mr. Falekes petition, saying the lawmaker was unable to prove his case. The tribunal said the fact that INEC declared the first election held on November 21, 2015 inconclusive meant no governor or deputy governor-elect had emerged. It also averred that all votes cast belong to political parties, it is the political party, through the instrumentality of its candidate that runs for election. The tribunal said Mr. Faleke therefore lacked the locus standi to challenge the nomination of Mr. Bello to replace the late Mr. Audu since he was never a deputy governor-elect. The tribunal therefore, threw away his petition as lacking in merit. No right can accrue from an inconclusive election, it said. Dissatisfied with the judgment, Mr. Faleke headed to the appellate court, which has now thrown out his appeal. The Federal Government on Thursday blacklisted the Nigerian Development and Construction Company (NDCC), an importer and seller of explosives in Koko, Delta State, for allegedly diverting explosives. The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, who gave the blacklisting order said the companys business premises should immediately be sealed off, in addition to the withdrawal of its explosive distribution licences. The action by the government followed the outcome of investigations by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), which revealed that the company was involved in illegal diversion of about 9,000 kilogramme of Nitro-glycerine explosives and 16,420 pieces of electrical detonators from its magazines between 2015 and 2016. A statement from the ministers office warned manufacturers, importers, sellers and end users of explosives in the country to desist from unprofessional activities, including the sale, procurement, storage and use of explosives in line with the provisions of the Explosives Act of 1964 , the Explosives Regulations of 1967 and other extant policy directives. The Nigerian government has in recent years tightened its control on the distribution of explosives, as it fights a brutal insurgency by Boko Haram. The group has killed thousands of people using suicide and car bombs since 2009. Experts also believe that explosives, used legally by construction firms, are easily sourced by militants in the Niger Delta where oil and gas installations are frequently attacked. It is however unclear whether the decision to blacklist NDCC had to do with such security threat. The United Kingdoms Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday sentenced a Nigerian woman, Franca Asemota, to 22 years in jail after she was found guilty of attempting to traffic Nigerian girls through Heathrow Airport to work as sex workers in brothels across Europe. Ms. Asemota, 38, was found guilty on Wednesday of a 12-count charge that includes conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual exploitation, trafficking persons outside of the UK for sexual exploitation, and assisting unlawful immigration. She was part of a criminal network that trafficked girls, boys and women from Nigeria to Europe using threats to guarantee their compliance. Ms. Asemota, who was identified as a trafficking suspect in 2012, fled from Italy to Nigeria when some of her co-conspirators were arrested by Immigration Enforcement investigators. She spent time in Europe before the National Crime Agency (NCA) tracked her down to Nigeria. In an operation co-ordinated by the NCA, she was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Benin City in March 2015. Once her identity was confirmed, Ms. Asemota was extradited back to the UK in January this year. After a four-week trial, the Isleworth Crown Court found her guilty of conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation and assisting unlawful immigration. The head of the Immigration Enforcement crime team, David Fairclough, described Ms. Asemota as the lynchpin of a trafficking ring which targeted vulnerable young women in Nigeria, promising them a brighter future working in Europe. Mr. Fairclough said it however became clear soon that what she claimed to be doing was far different, as the victims, some who were as young as 13, were told they would be sold into prostitution. Asemota travelled with the girls in order to threaten them and keep them in line. Trafficking is a despicable crime, as this case shows. We work closely with our law enforcement colleagues internationally to identify the criminal gangs responsible and put them before the courts, Mr. Fairclough said. The head of the NCAs UK Human Trafficking Centre, Martin French, said: Franca Asemota and her criminal network took advantage of these vulnerable young women in some of the worst ways possible. They promised them a better life but in reality treated them as nothing more than a commodity to be sold into slavery. Asemota thought she could evade arrest by fleeing Europe and hiding in Nigeria. But the NCAs partnerships give us global reach and mean international borders are no barrier to justice. This conviction is the result of many years of dogged investigation and co-operation between the NCA, Immigration Enforcement and our law enforcement colleagues both at home and overseas. Ms. Asemotas gang targeted teenage girls in remote Nigerian villages, some of whom had never left their home area before, deceiving them that educational work awaited them in Europe. The girls would stay with her before leaving, and in interviews with specialist officers from the NCAs Vulnerable Persons Team many of the girls told how they referred to her as Auntie Franca. Asemota travelled with the girls on flights from Lagos, Nigeria, to Heathrow, between August 2011 and May 2012, with the intention of reaching France. They remained airside during the transit at Heathrow so were not subject to Border Force passport checks. However, the trafficking attempts were prevented when French Authorities identified the girls false documents on arrival in France. When they were then returned to the UK, Border Force officers carried out further investigations and the case was quickly referred to Immigration Enforcement criminal investigations. Five of Asemotas victims gave evidence against her during the trial. One of them was rescued from prostitution in Montpellier, France, during a joint operation by Immigration Enforcement and the NCA. The cases were part of Operation Hudson, an Immigration Enforcement-led investigation targeting a number organised crime groups suspected of trafficking young women, via London, for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Two other persons were convicted in 2013 as part of Operation Hudson. Odosa Usiobaifu, of Enfield, London, and David Osawaru, of Benin City, were sentenced to 14 years and nine years respectively. The Nigerian government has dismissed a report that the extremist group, Boko Haram, has a new leader. The government said the report was a mere propaganda by the defeated terrorist organization. The Nigerian Government has described as cheap propaganda the report that ISIS has appointed a new leader for Boko Haram, saying it is too late to employ such tactics to revive the defeated Nigerian terrorist organization, a statement released by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said. The statement was signed by Segun Adeyemi, the ministers spokesperson. The report in the 41st edition of ISIS Al-Naba magazine, published Tuesday, carried an interview with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, referenced as Boko Harams governor for West Africa, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. SITE monitors militant jihadist media. The report made no mention of Abubakar Shekau, who was previously known as the leader of the sect. Mr. Shekau was last seen in a Boko Haram propaganda video in 2015, while Mr. al-Barnawi had been cited in a January 2015 video as a Boko Haram spokesman. The Nigerian military had earlier said the report was of no effect to its operations against the deadly group. The Director of Defence Information, DHQ, Rabe Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday that the military remained focused on its operation in the north east. He said the announcement of a new leader for the group was only aimed at seeking attention and relevance. As far as we are concerned, what Boko Haram or their cohorts are doing is of no relevance to our operations against them. We are just focused on clearing the remnants of the insurgents that are scattered around. What they are doing is to seek relevance and to tell the world that they are still around whereas they have been decimated. Their latest move is the antics of a fading group and I believe that in the shortest time they will be history, Mr. Abubakar, a Brig. Gen., said. In the statement from the ministry of information, the government called on Nigerians to ignore the ISIS report. Dont believe the cheap propaganda by the global terrorist group ISIS, which has reportedly named a new leader for Boko Haram. Our gallant military has put Boko Haram on the run and nothing will bring back the terrorists, not even the wishful thinking by ISIS, the statement said. The Nigerian government has blamed past administrations for the current economic crisis that has left many families struggling to feed and to survive. The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said on Thursday that Nigerians are suffering today because past governments did not properly manage the countrys oil wealth. Mr. Mohammed spoke at the 2016 edition of the All Nigeria Editors Conference in Port Harcourt. He urged the media to trace the story of hardship to its beginning. Nigeria has nothing to rely on to cushion the effects of the lost earnings. Many other oil producing countries and fellow OPEC members are faring better, because they saved for the rainy day. Saudi Arabia, with about one fifth of Nigerias population, has in foreign reserves about 600 billion dollars (which is 23 times what Nigeria has in foreign reserves), he said. United Arab Emirates, with less than 10 million people, has 75 billion dollars in foreign reserves. Qatar, with 2.4 million people, has 36 billion dollars in foreign reserves. Even Angola, with just 24 million people, has about 25 billion dollars in foreign reserves, Mr. Mohammed said. There have been increasing criticisms of the governments response to the economic crisis that has caused increase in prices, pay cuts and owed salaries, job losses and growing unemployment. On Wednesday, fiery Catholic Priest, Ejike Mbaka, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of focusing more on fighting corruption than responding to an economic emergency that has left many families struggling or unable to feed. It is not easy everywhere. Hunger everywhere. As the president is fighting corruption, some of us are praying that he will equally fight hunger. Hunger is in the atmosphere, Mr. Mbaka said in a sermon to his congregation on July 23, 2016. All this noise about EFCC arrest this and that, after one week that one is over. People are dying of hunger. Dollar is growing every day and naira is dying every day. Euro is rising every day and naira is collapsing every day. Pounds is on hike every dayon a mega level- and naira is dwindlingon a hyper level. The landlords are crying, tenants are lamenting. Sellers are crying. Buyers are lamenting. There is hunger on the street. Many students are being rusticated from school, why? Because they cant pay for school feels. Proprietors are distressed. Many companies are winding up. The economy is hard. But the information minister, Mr. Mohammed, said Nigerias economy is hard hit by the fall in the price of crude oil because the country failed to save for the rainy day. He said the previous governments also failed to invest in infrastructure. Mr. Mohammed said Nigerians should know that people are suffering today because previous administrations did not save. We are not saying we should continue to lament about missed opportunities, the massive corruption or profligacy of the past, but is it is important for Nigerians to know where and when the rain started beating them; that no provision was made for any umbrella to shield them from the elements, and that indeed genuine efforts are now being made to turn things around, he said. Mr. Mohammed urged the media to spread the message of hope proposed by the current administration to the Nigerian people. We must give hope to our people, while also giving encouragement to those who are working non-stop to revamp our economy, he said. Nigerian military personnel can be found on active deployment in no fewer than 30 states of the federation, tackling internal security threats that ordinarily should have been left to the police and paramilitary agencies to contain, a report said Wednesday. SBM Intelligence, a strategic intelligence analysis firm, said the situation had taken an appalling toll on the overall capacity of the military, and explained the frequent clashes between soldiers and civilians. The report also says that Nigeria has one of the lowest military-to-civilian ratio of nine personnel to every 10,000 people, a situation it said was alarming for the countrys security framework. The military involvement in security of almost every state in the country speaks to the sorry state of our policing and a failure of intelligence services, the report said. Police reforms are overdue and the APC government must now make good its promise to devolve policing to the local level. According to the report, Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Edo, Imo, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Osun, Oyo represented states in which the military has been deployed to deal with organised crime. Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba and Zamfara represented states in which the military has been deployed against a non-state actor which actively takes Nigerian lives or destroys government and private property. Adamawa, Borno and Yobe were said to be the states in which the military deployed and in an ongoing battle to reclaim Nigerian territory or pacify reclaimed territory. Military personnel have not been deployed to Ebonyi, FCT, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto in a security capacity within the last six months. The report urged the government to make more use of intelligence than force in dealing with crises. Intelligence needs to be more surgical in its execution so that the security issues that require force to correct are rather prevented or arrested before they escalate, it said. President Muhammadu Buhari has called for stronger trade and economic relations between Nigeria and Italy. This is contained in a statement issued by Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity in Abuja on Thursday. The statement said Mr. Buhari made the call when Paolo Gentiloni, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation paid him a courtesy call at the State House. The president said although relations between Nigeria and Italy were very strong, concerted efforts should be made to strengthen the ties. Mr. Shehu said Buhari commended the resilience of Italian businesses in Nigeria and expressed happiness that new businesses are about to come up in the country. He also commended Italy for supporting the government in tackling the humanitarian situation in the North-East and the training being given to Nigerian policemen. The statement said Mr. Gentiloni, who was accompanied by the Italian Minister of State for Interior, Domenico Manzione, announced his governments 10 million dollars humanitarian assistance to the countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. Member-countries of the commission include Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. This is within the framework of the European Union, the statement added. Mr. Shehu said the visit of the Italian delegation was a fulfilment of the promise made by the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, when he visited Nigeria. The Italian prime minister had pledged to strengthen economic and political relations with Nigeria. (NAN) Ejike Mbaka, one of Nigerias most outspoken clergymen, has come down hard on President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of indifference to the countrys worsening economic situation. Mr. Mbaka, a Catholic priest and lead minister at the Adoration Prayer Ministry, Enugu, said Mr. Buhari stood a high chance of losing the support of many Nigerians if he allowed the hardship Nigerians are facing to linger for much longer. The preacher said he would not allow his closeness to the president get in the way of his longstanding advocacy for the masses. It is not easy everywhere. Hunger everywhere. As the president is fighting corruption, some of us are praying that he will equally fight hunger. Hunger is in the atmosphere, Mr. Mbaka said in a sermon to his congregation on July 23, 2016. Yesterday, some people were saying Father Mbaka started preaching againstwhatever. The issue is that Father Mbaka is preaching as the spirit prompts him. There is hunger everywhere. My job is to tell our leaders the truth. Mr. Mbaka attracted public attention in the lead up to the 2015 election after he withdrew his support for President Goodluck Jonathan and backed then candidate Buhari. The endorsement was widely believed to have provided a much-needed boost for Mr. Buharis acceptance amongst evangelicals and people of Igbo extraction. The preacher took issues with Mr. Buhari for his signature war against corruption, a policy he suggested paled into insignificance in the face of dwindling economic indices, widespread financial troubles and acute poverty across the country. All this noise about EFCC arrest this and that, after one week that one is over. People are dying of hunger. Dollar is growing every day and naira is dying every day. Euro is rising every day and naira is collapsing every day. Pounds is on hike every dayon a mega level- and naira is dwindlingon a hyper level, Mr. Mbaka said. Mr. Mbaka slammed Mr. Buhari for his apparent fixation with the war against corruption, saying such an endeavour would not address immediate challenges afflicting the nation. The landlords are crying, tenants are lamenting. Sellers are crying. Buyers are lamenting. There is hunger on the street. Many students are being rusticated from school, why? Because they cant pay for school feels. Proprietors are distressed. Many companies are winding up. The economy is hard, he said. Mr. Mbaka said he was compelled to express his strong stance against the direction Mr. Buhari was steering the country because of a noticeable uptick in the number of people trooping to him and the Catholic Church because they could no longer afford to feed themselves, adding that situation had cut deep into his personal pocket. When somebody like me can bring my cheque and all the money I have in my account will finish in school feels and in charity and hospital fees and whatever. If it is well with these people, would they be coming to me? I am receiving the shock, the pain directly. The quantum of charity that were doing in the ministry is telling me the level of poverty that is in the atmosphere, Mr. Mbaka said. Mr. Mbaka said he made concerted efforts and used his own resources to ensure that the raging hostilities in the oil-rich Niger-Delta were contained, saying the crisis could have been aborted if Mr. Buhari and others in charge of the countrys affairs were wise. Before this Avengers phenomenon, I did something that, if the leaders of today are wise, the problem could have been averted. By the gift of the Holy Spirit, the sagacity, I was proactive. I wont tell you what I spent to make that happen so that the president would not suffer what hes about to suffer now. Mr. Mbaka said he believed other neutral voices like himself would soon emerge from their corners to speak truth to power. As Ive told you, this is just the good morning of it. Very soon, those who are quiet would begin to talk. He also lampooned the Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, for his recent comments in which he suggested that Niger Delta militants are saboteurs. Yesterday the vice president announced that the avengers are saboteurs. Should he say that? He should not. Go to Niger Delta, you will cry. The place where the oil sustaining this country is coming from. No good water to drink. No farm land. No road. No quality lifestyle. No industry, the clergyman said. Mr. Mbaka said Mr. Buhari should take measures to revamp the countrys economy and propose far-reaching reforms for the judiciary, saying the current practices had left the country worse off. We need economic experts and the gurus, sages, that are sincere who can come in and think about our economic revamp. And a judicial reformation. How can a case be in court for more than 10 years? Even if you prosecute all the senators, the matter may linger until next 20 years. So, what have we achieved? Mr. Mbaka said he was too concerned about the countrys appalling economic situation to bother about his relationship with Mr. Buhari, saying the God he served was sufficient for him. I dont need the president to survive. I need God. I need the Holy Spirit. All I need is Jesus. So, people are suffering. Suffering is everywhere. People are smelling on suffering. In spite of the perfumes they put on their body, when you smell them they smell of suffering. We men are tired of such stories. People are not even talking about jobs anymore. More students everywhere. Graduates everywhere. Those who are making it now are those who are selling dollars. And somebody called me last week and said Father please, pray for this condition to last. Hes trading in dollar. More attacks Mr. Mbaka said the Nigerian government should revoke all oil bloc licences in private hands and find a pragmatic solution to the plight of the people of Niger Delta to avoid further social unrest, and came down hard on the president for failing to reflect the diversity of Nigeria in appointing people to federal positions. Our president may be an expert in fighting corruption, we clap for him over that. In fighting insurgency? Hes a guru in that. But economic management? I dont know. And this is not a military Buhari we knew. This is a democratic Buhari. So, he must find a democratic solution that is non-tribalistic. And he should begin to do things in a way and manner that people should not begin to wag their tongues. Look at the last NNPC board configurations. Not less than 11 of them. How many Yoruba are in that board? How many Igbo are there? I think none. Niger-Delta, I think one. Kachikwu is not an Igbo man, hes a Delta man. If an Etiku man begins to answer Mohammed, his name doesnt mean hes an Hausa man, hes an Etiku man. How many Niger-Delta people are there and how many northerners are there? People are watching. Mr. Mbaka said he would continue to condemn Mr. Buhari and others in a position of authority behind the pulpit if they failed to make themselves available to the benefit of the common man, saying it was part of what culminated in his strained relationship with Mr. Jonathan. You know in Jonathans time, there was a time I demanded I would be telling him what I should tell him, so that I would not be tempted to be speaking from the pulpit. But they didnt give me that opportunity. How can I pray for one month or two months to get somebody that I want to speak to so that that person can talk to another person that would talk to another person that would talk to another person that would talk to the president? How? Is it not our country? Presidential spokespersons, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES text messages seeking comments for this story. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), says the announcement of a new Boko Haram leader is irrelevant and inconsequential to the militarys operation in the north east. The Director of Defence Information, DHQ, Rabe Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday that the military remained focused on its operation in the north east. He said the announcement of a new leader for the group was only aimed at seeking attention and relevance. As far as we are concerned, what Boko Haram or their cohorts are doing is of no relevance to our operations against them. We are just focused on clearing the remnants of the insurgents that are scattered around. What they are doing is to seek relevance and to tell the world that they are still around whereas they have been decimated. Their latest move is the antics of a fading group and I believe that in the shortest time they will be history, Mr. Abubakar, a Brig. Gen., said. In a related development, the Commandant, National Defence College, Samuel Alade, a Rear General, has expressed optimism that the country has developed the requisite manpower to address Nigerias contemporary security challenges. Mr. Alade, who spoke at the 2016 graduation dinner of the college, said the participants conduct at the college had been satisfactory and encouraging hence his confidence on the participants. In view of the outcome of the individual performances of course 24 participants I am confident that we have among them a crop of strategic leaders that can be relied upon to address challenging issues in the nation. Despite this optimism, I want to say that it is also a moment of reflection for the graduands as much is expected of them to impact positively on societys challenges. Mr. Alade noted that past fellows of the college had distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavour. He said the NDC had and would continue to contribute to development of strategic policies that would help address security challenges affecting the country. ISIS had announced Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram after Abubakar Shekaus exit. Mr. Al-Barnawi was the spokesperson of the group under Shekau. ISIS did not say what happened to Shekau who has been out of the picture since 2015. Boko Haram had earlier in 2015 pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group. (NAN) The Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted bail to Abiodun Agbele, an aide to Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State. Mr. Agbele was given a N500 million bail for alleged money laundering. The judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who granted the bail on Thursday, ordered the applicant to produce two sureties in the sum of N250 million each. Mr. Dimgba said the prosecution could not substantiate its claim that the defendant would jump bail. I note that the offence the defendant is charged with carries a sentence of three years imprisonment. Under Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), I am required to release a person charged within the threshold of the penalties referenced above to bail. This is, however, except in circumstances where there is reasonable ground to believe that the defendant when released on bail will commit another offence. Taking a holistic appraisal of all the materials before me, I am not convinced that the prosecution has provided sufficient evidence as to stop the court from exercising its jurisdiction to grant bail. I hold, therefore, that I am inclined to admit the defendant to bail and I so admit him, Mr. Dimgba declared. He said every citizen charged with an offence was entitled to a conducive environment devoid of fear to prepare his defence. The judge held that Mr. Agbele would forfeit the N500 million to the Federal Government if he jumps bail. He said that the sureties could be private businessmen, professionals or civil servants, adding that if in the civil service, he must not be less than the rank of a director. Mr. Dimgba said the sureties must also be owners of property within the Federal Capital Territory and in Ikeja or Victoria Island, Lagos. The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passports with the registrar of the court and must not travel abroad without the permission of the court. He further said that the trial shall be accorded accelerated hearing and the defendant would remain in prison custody until he perfected his bail conditions. He adjourned the case till Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 for hearing. Mr. Agbele was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering. Mr. Agbele had pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Others charged with Mr. Agbele were Musliu Obanikoro, A. O Adewale, Tunde Oshinowo, Olalekan Ogunseye, who are all still at large and Sylvan Mcnamara Limited. Mr. Agbele and others are standing trial for conspiring among themselves to commit an illegal act to launder N4.6 billion transferred from the Office of the National Security (NSA). (NAN) A former senator from Rivers state, Magnus Abe, has responded to Governor Nyesom Wikes accusation that he embezzled funds meant for the construction of a road in Ogoniland. The Rivers state governor, Mr. Wike, said, Wednesday, that the immediate past administration of Rotimi Amaechi had awarded the contract worth over N4 billion to Mr. Abe for the construction of Kpopie-Bodo City Road, but that the former senator failed to complete the project. Mr. Wike said Mr. Abe embezzled the money meant for the road construction. But Mr. Abe, in a swift response, said Mr. Wike was stooping low and indulging in bare faced lies just so he could stop the former senator from getting re-elected into the senate. Mr. Abe, who is the All Progressives Congress candidate in the legislative re-run election for Rivers South-East Senatorial District, said, Let it be told to Rivers people and the Ogoni that no money was embezzled on the project rather the governor is owing the contractor to the tune of more than N400 million, which could have helped in completing the project. Mr. Abes response was contained in a statement sent on Wednesday evening to PREMIUM TIMES by his spokesperson, Parry Saroh Benson. It is unfortunate to state that the governor being petty and vindictive has refused to pay the contractor in order to get back at Senator Abe, former Governor Chibuike Amaechi and the Ogoni as well as cancel and re-award the contract to his cronies. Any responsible person occupying the respected office of the governor should in public interest complete previous projects started by his predecessors. This, former Governor Amaechi did by completing all projects started by Chief Celestine Omehia. Such as Mile one/ Town markets, Okrika Ring Road, Eliozu fly-over and many more. It is expedient to tell Governor Wike that if the idea of the allegation is to stop Senator Abe from being voted to the Senate, he has failed woefully as the Ogoni have taken the decision to vote for him, the statement said. Kano State Government has sacked nine officials of the state Ministry for Local Government for alleged fraud. Similarly, the government has suspended a director with the Ministry of Finance for the same offence. A statement signed by Mustapha Fagge, the Public Relations Officer in the office of the Head of Service, indicated that four officials had been handed over to the police for tampering with pension funds. According to the statement, the nine affected workers and director were indicted in the report of the committee which investigated salary payments in the state. The statement added that the affected officials would be prosecuted for the roles in defrauding the government. The statement explained that four staff of the state pension funds trustees had been handed over to the police for alleged fraudulent activities. The perpetrators have been handed over to police while the matter is currently under investigation at the state Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, it said. It said that the Head of Service, Muhammad Naiya, has warned civil servants in the state against fraudulent activities as anyone caught would be sacked. It is therefore pertinent to make it abundantly clear that government will not condone fraudulent activities, and will also ensure that all the stolen funds are recovered and culprits punished. (NAN). ( Read 10751 Times) Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development. This statement of Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations is a clarion call for every country to place education amongst the foremost national priorities along with health care. There is no substitute for education in order to bring about freedom and prosperity in every society and nation at large. Education holds the master key towards effective nation building as it plays a vital role in the economic and social growth of the country. It is the backbone of our society and a strong pillar of development. Every individual has a right to receive education and a proper environment needs to be provided in order to exercise this right in complete freedom. A truly free nation ensures that every child has access to quality education and is well prepared for life as an informed and responsible citizen.As we are on the threshold of the 70thIndependence Day celebration of our country on 15thAugust, we can boast of India being a special country which is known to have one of the oldest civilizations, having the largest democracy and being blessed with a very rich human resource base in the world. India is a young country. Out of the total population of 1.25 billion, over 430 million are in the age group of 15-34. It has been forecast that by 2020, India is set to become the worlds youngest country with 64 per cent of its population in the working age group. The young population makes our country vibrant and dynamic in the whole world. Also the Indian education system is among the largest in the world with over 1.44 million schools and 200 million children. Since Intendance, the government and various organisations have taken various initiatives to bring quality education to every child in the country. We have been pursuing the vision of establishing the world-class institutions, higher education programmes, multi-skill development centres and schools to provide technology integrated quality education in both urban and rural areas of our country. Free and compulsory education and right to education act of our government highlight the attempt being made to educate every child. In recent decades, India has even made significant progress on access to schooling and enrollment rates in primary education.In-spite of all the paradigm changes taking place in the segment of education, India still has a staggering number of over 1.4 million children out of school, according to a United Nations report. Problems such as poverty, unemployment, sanitation and illiteracy still continue to list India among the developing countries. The unequal access to opportunity in urban and rural India and the lack of emphasis on education remains a persistent problem. School dropout rates and low levels of learning also remains a challenge for countrys progress and development.India as a developing nation with a large youth population can soar the height of success only if it invests prudently in young peoples education and health and protects their rights and freedom. It is high time for us to know that Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom, as stated by George Washington. In education, we need to develop infrastructure and focus on innovation, teacher development, leadership and management. Poor quality education cannot continue as it has been observed that a large number of our engineering graduates are unemployable in the job market due to the lack skill sets required. The need of the hour is to work towards bridging the skill gap. Along with the state-of-the-art curriculum and suitable classroom environment, we need to develop conceptual understanding, creativity or collaborative learning among our young generation.In this diverse and complex situation, we need to take huge strides at all levels. India has been blessed with wonderful thinkers and educationists who have given us excellent ideas and policies. However, what is lacking is the implementation of those policies at all levels. If we identify various problems plaguing the implementation process and take appropriate steps in the right direction, education will make a huge difference in the lives of people in every stratum of our nation. Education means more than just a degree required for a better job; it is a lifelong process which seeks the holistic development and equips one to accomplish the vision. Education liberates people from poverty, unemployment and other ills as it opens a door of innumerable opportunities to excel. If our youth receives quality education, they will be armed with skills and knowledge to conquer the world.Oprah Winfrey has said, Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom. It is only true education that will give our youth voice to speak up, equip them with ability and responsibility to decide and empower them to stand for what is just and right with complete freedom. It is through education that we can give wings of freedom to our children and lead our country on the path of progress and development. 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. Slate overwhelmingly approved at annual member meeting during Agile2016 conference PORTLAND, Oregon, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Agile Alliance, a global nonprofit organization committed to advancing Agile development principles and practices, today announced that it has overwhelmingly approved the slate of candidates put forth for the 2017 Board of Directors. The board comprised of Agile thought leaders from a variety of backgrounds shares its passion to deliver software better every day with Agile professionals around the world. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131119/DC20276LOGO Results for the 2017 election were reported to the Agile Alliance membership by Board Secretary Shane Hastie at the annual membership meeting held July 27 at Agile2016, the organization's annual North American conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. The Agile Alliance membership elected three members to two-year terms on the Board of Directors Juan Banda (Bolivia) was re-elected, and Ellen Grove (Canada) and Craig Smith (Australia) were newly-elected. All three will assume their board seats on January 1, 2017. Juan Banda founded Percella, an Agile consulting and training company headquartered in Cochabamba, Bolivia . He is passionate about serving his team, clients and community by building beautifully crafted software. Banda has served on the board since 2013. founded Percella, an Agile consulting and training company headquartered in Cochabamba, . He is passionate about serving his team, clients and community by building beautifully crafted software. Banda has served on the board since 2013. Ellen Grove hails from Canada . She is an Agile coach and trainer at Agile Partnership in Montreal where she helps teams to do better work by coaching them to create the circumstance in which they can work most productively and effectively. hails from . She is an Agile coach and trainer at Agile Partnership in where she helps teams to do better work by coaching them to create the circumstance in which they can work most productively and effectively. Craig Smith is an Agile coach and director at Unbound DNA, a consulting company in Brisbane, Australia . An Agile practitioner for more than ten years, he is one of his country's heaviest contributors to the local Agile community. Craig was on the program team for last year's Agile Alliance Technical Conference. Other 2017 board members include Rebecca Parsons (Chair, USA), Linda Cook (Treasurer, USA), Declan Whelan (Canada), Stephanie Davis (USA), Victor Hugo Germano (Brazil), Paul Hammond (England), and Phil Brock (Managing Director, USA). The board wishes to thank outgoing members Ola Ellnestam (Sweden) and Shane Hastie (Secretary, New Zealand) for their years of service in furthering Agile Alliance's goals. About Agile Alliance Agile Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the concepts of Agile software development as outlined in the Agile Manifesto. With nearly 33,000 members and subscribers around the globe, Agile Alliance is driven by the principles of Agile methodologies and the value delivered to developers, organizations and end users. Agile Alliance organizes the annual North American Agile20xx Conference, the industry's premier event that attracts practitioners, academia, business and vendor-partner community members worldwide. Media Contact Pam Dyer Marketing Chief, Agile Alliance +1 971.204-8989 Related Links http://www.agilealliance.org SOURCE Agile Alliance LONDON, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- APRIL International UK, the specialist international private health insurance provider, has slashed sterling prices by up to 35% across its long term Individual private international health insurance policies. US dollar pricing has been reduced by up to 43%, whilst euro denominated policies are down by up to 40%. The move will see premium reductions of over a third on April International UK's entry cover levels and up to 26% on comprehensive cover levels. The new pricing applies to Individual long term new business policies incepted from 1st August 2016. For a typical 39 year old expatriate living and working overseas, this could save anything from just under 700 in annual premium costs, depending upon the range of benefits and policy option taken. Commenting on the pricing initiative, APRIL International UK's Business Development Director Joe Thomas said, "Since rebranding and launching APRIL International UK at the end of last year, we have seen significant inflows of new business and a strong commitment from existing and new brokers. We have set ourselves ambitious growth targets and introduced a number of new business efficiencies. The latest reductions in premium rates together with the enhancements introduced last year will help us achieve these goals." Globally, the APRIL Group cover almost 6 million policyholders worldwide, representing some 86 different nationalities located in more than 120 countries. The company has a hard earned reputation for delivering service excellence and flexible underwriting solutions, actively helping brokers to grow their businesses. APRIL International recently announced a range of standout added value benefits on all policies taken out including the Best Doctors, red24 services and The Blood Care Foundation. Best Doctors gives clients access to a free second professional medical opinion, whilst red24 offers clients complimentary access to their extensive global travel and risk management services. The Blood Care Foundation operates an emergency Blood Care programme designed to provide screened blood to APRIL International UK clients worldwide. APRIL International UK offers international health insurance to individuals on a short or long term basis, to employee groups and to students studying around the world. For details of APRIL International's International health insurance plans visit http://www.APRIL-international.co.uk, Email info@APRIL-international.co.uk or call +44 (0) 20 3418 0470. Note to Editors April International UK Limited (until recently known as MediCare International) is part of the April Group which was founded in France more than 35 years ago. It is an internationally known and respected insurance services group with operations in 37 different countries, looking after close to 6 million policyholders worldwide, consisting of some 86 different nationalities located in more than 120 countries. April International UK are specialists in designing and delivering outstanding, flexible international health insurance solutions for individuals and companies, with long term, short term and student healthcare plans available. All April International UK plans include the additional services of Best Doctors (second medical opinion), Blood Care Foundation (screened blood available worldwide) and RED24 (crisis management specialists) Cover under group plans may also available for local nationals. Discounted group rates start with 3 lives and full medical history disregarded underwriting is available on groups of 10 or more employees, making April International one of the most competitive group cover providers. April International UK Limited is an Appointed Representative of APRIL Medibroker Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: Minster House, 42 Mincing Lane, London, EC3R 7AE, United Kingdom Registered in England No7261287. SOURCE APRIL International UK NEW YORK, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to market research "Global Cleanroom Doors Market Size, Share, Development, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2022 - Industry Insights by Type (Swing Doors, Sliding Doors, Roll up Doors and Others), and by End-User (Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Medical Device Industry, Research Labs and Institutes, Hospitals and Others)" by P&S Market Research, the global cleanroom doors market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% during the period 2016 - 2022. The cleanroom doors market is growing due to increasing utilization of cleanroom doors in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical device industry, hospitals, and research laboratories and institutes. The growing demand of cleanrooms globally is resulting in increased demand of cleanroom doors. Explore Detailed Table of Content at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-doors-market Cleanroom doors are vital component of cleanrooms. Cleanroom doors with low quality may cause degradation and alteration of the quality of products manufactured in cleanrooms. Doors are required to be airtight with high cycle speed, to keep the clean room free from contaminants. Therefore, the need for improved and effective quality of environmental conditions while preparing pharmaceutical and other healthcare products is expected to fuel the demand for cleanroom doors in the coming years. As a result, the demand for cleanroom doors is expected to increase during the forecast period. Get Sample Pages at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cleanroom-doors-market/report-sample In addition, the growth of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry in various countries across the globe are leading to increased demand of cleanrooms and cleanroom doors. Various pharmaceuticals, such as vaccines, injections and ointments, need to be prepared in microbes and particulates free environment. Cleanroom offers suitable environmental conditions by lowering the level of pollutants, such as dust, chemical vapors, microbes and aerosol particles. Various medical devices, such as implants and surgical equipment need to be manufactured in special environmental conditions with minimal pollutants. Various legislations have been passed worldwide regarding the manufacturing of medical devices in cleanrooms. These legislations focus on the manufacturing of contamination free products which can be used directly for internal purposes without the risk of infection. Browse Related Research: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/industry-report/healthcare GLOBAL CLEANROOM DOORS MARKET SEGMENTATION By Type > Swing Doors Market > Sliding Doors Market > Roll up Doors Market > Others By End-User > Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Medical Device Industry > Research Labs and Institutes > Hospitals > Others By Geography > North America- U.S., Canada and Rest of North America > Europe- U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Rest of Europe > Asia-Pacific - China, Japan, India and Rest of Asia-Pacific > Rest of the World (RoW)- Brazil and Rest of RoW Browse Other Published Reports by P&S Market Research Global Sleeping Aids Market- https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/sleeping-aids-market Global Digital Health Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/digital-health-market Global IOT Healthcare Market - https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/internet-of-things-in-healthcare-market About P&S Market Research: P&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals. As one of the top growing market research agency, we're keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions. Contact: Deep Assistant - Client Partner 347, 5th Ave. #1402 New York City, NY - 10016 Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada) Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com SOURCE P&S Market Research SINGAPORE, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud4C - world's 1st Tier-4 public cloud and managed services provider today announced a global premium supplier partnership with SAP to provide infrastructure services for SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud is a private, secure cloud fully managed by SAP and supported by global partners, and is offered for companies that run mission-critical applications in the cloud. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395631LOGO) SAP plans to leverage the Cloud4C - premium IT infrastructure and managed services to expand availability of SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud throughout the Asia Pacific region and later to other global markets. To begin with, the partnership will have two phases - it will start in India, Thailand and later expand across South East Asia followed by Australia and New Zealand. The primary objective of the partnership is to enhance the availability of SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud services throughout the region. With this agreement, Cloud4C becomes one of the select few global partners delivering cloud infrastructure for SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. Cloud4C offers rich and differentiated features such as fully-automated provisioning with security, monitoring, high availability, disaster recovery, backup, continuity via multiple geography, elasticity/auto scaling, self-provisioning portal with fail-proof 4-copy architecture. The 4-copy architecture of Cloud4C enables continuity, compliance, control and customization providing the power to deliver a mature environment to handle mission- critical environments. "We are delighted to partner with SAP," said Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder and CEO, Cloud4C. "We believe this partnership is a perfect fit for customers seeking a comprehensive, robust and secure solution to host SAP HANA. As the world leader in the enterprise software domain, SAP is absolutely the right partner to help transform the way businesses adopt SAP HEC and experience the potential business benefits." According to Peter Harkin, SAP Head of HANA Enterprise Cloud and Managed Services Sales for Asia Pacific and Japan, "The capabilities of SAP HANA, combined with the ability to run mission-critical business applications in a cloud environment, are enabling our customers across the region to transform digitally and run live. Our partnership with Cloud4C began nearly 3 years ago in India. Since that time we worked together to deliver HANA Enterprise Cloud Services to 13 customers - 11 of which are in productive use today. This promotion of Cloud4C to HEC Premium Partner status is recognition of the work we have done together to help the digital transformation of SAP customers." About Cloud4C Cloud4C is world's 1st Tier 4 public cloud with 4 copies and built-in Disaster Recovery (DR). It has been built indigenously to address the needs of large enterprises and start-ups alike. It's a 'Make in India' cloud offering rivaling the best services provider across the globe. The company has its global footprint in India, Middle East, South East Asia and USA. Cloud4C offering comprise of cloud (private, hybrid, public), managed services, infrastructure as a Service, DR as a Service, CDN, RIM and SAP HANA hosting, Security Operations Center and Total Infrastructure Outsourcing. https://www.cloud4c.com/ Media Contact B S Rao Vice President bsrao@cloud4c.com +91-4042030700 SOURCE Cloud4C - Diebold receives unconditional clearance in Poland, satisfying all closing conditions for planned acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf AG - Takeover offer expected to be settled on Aug. 15 NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD), a global leader in financial self-service technology, services and software, announced today that it received antitrust clearance in Poland for its planned acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf AG (FWB: WIN). As a result, the company has attained all antitrust clearances required as a closing condition under the offer document for the acquisition. All closing conditions required for the consummation of the takeover offer are now satisfied and the takeover offer is expected to be settled on Aug. 15. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080725/DIEBOLDLOGO The offer consideration, in total consisting of 9,928,514 newly issued common shares of Diebold and approximately 891.7 million in cash, will be distributed to the shareholders of Wincor Nixdorf that tendered their shares in the offer at the time of settlement. Diebold has applied for listing of the newly issued Diebold common shares on the New York Stock Exchange and will apply for listing of all 89,907,516 of its common shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Trading of the tendered Wincor Nixdorf shares on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange will cease after the end of the regular stock exchange trading hours on Aug. 5, 2016. For more information about the business combination between Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf, please visit www.diebold.com/dieboldwincor. IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS In connection with the proposed business combination with Wincor Nixdorf, Diebold has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which was declared effective by the SEC on February 5, 2016, that includes a prospectus of Diebold to be used in connection with the takeover offer. In addition, on February 4, 2016, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt fur Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, "BaFin") approved the publication of the offer document in German in connection with the takeover offer. Diebold has published the German offer document on February 5, 2016. The acceptance period for the takeover offer expired at the end of March 22, 2016 (Central European Time), and the statutory additional acceptance period expired at the end of April 12, 2016 (Central European Summer Time). INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROSPECTUS AND THE OFFER DOCUMENT, AS WELL AS OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC OR BaFin OR PUBLISHED AT DIEBOLD'S WEBSITE at www.diebold.com UNDER THE INVESTOR RELATIONS SECTION, REGARDING THE PROPOSED BUSINESS COMBINATION AND THE OFFER BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. You may obtain a free copy of the prospectus, an English translation of the offer document, and other related documents filed by Diebold with the SEC on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The prospectus and other documents relating thereto may also be obtained for free by accessing Diebold's website at www.diebold.com under the Investor Relations section. You may obtain a free copy of the offer document on BaFin's website at www.bafin.de, and, along with an English translation thereof, at Diebold's website at www.diebold.com under the Investor Relations section. Further, upon request, you may obtain a copy of the offer document free of charge from Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Taunusanlage 12, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, or e-mail to dct.tenderoffers@db.com or by telefax to +49 69 910 38794. This document is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of Wincor Nixdorf or Diebold. Terms and further provisions regarding the public offer are disclosed in the offer document, which was published on February 5, 2016, and in documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC. Investors and holders of Wincor Nixdorf-Shares, or of such instruments conferring a right to directly or indirectly acquire Wincor Nixdorf shares, are strongly encouraged to read the prospectus, the offer document and all documents in connection with the public offer because these documents contain important information. No offering of securities will be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and a German offer document in accordance with applicable European regulations, including the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act and the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz). Subject to certain exceptions to be approved by the relevant regulators or certain facts to be ascertained, the public offer would not be made directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction, or by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including without limitation, facsimile transmission, telephone and the internet) of interstate or foreign commerce, or any facility of a national securities exchange, of any such jurisdiction. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ABOUT FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future including, without limitation, the proposed business combination with Wincor Nixdorf and the takeover offer. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of Diebold and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. Such forward-looking statements may include statements about the business combination and the offer, the likelihood that such transaction is consummated and the effects of any transaction on the businesses and financial conditions of Diebold or Wincor Nixdorf, including synergies, pro forma revenue, targeted operating margin, net debt to EBITDA ratios, accretion to earnings and other financial or operating measures. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industries in which Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. In addition, risks and uncertainties related to the contemplated business combination between Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf include, but are not limited to, the expected timing and likelihood of the completion of the contemplated business combination, the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any governmental and regulatory approvals that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the contemplated business combination, the risk that any announcements relating to the contemplated business combination could have adverse effects on the market price of Diebold's common shares, and the risk that the contemplated transactions or the potential announcement of other transactions could have an adverse effect on the ability of Diebold to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its suppliers, and on its operating results and businesses generally. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the contemplated business combination, are more fully discussed in the prospectus that is attached as Annex 4 to the German offer document and has been filed with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Diebold's reports filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Any forwardlooking statements speak only as at the date of this document. Except as required by applicable law, neither Diebold nor Wincor Nixdorf undertakes any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Diebold Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) provides the technology, software and services that connect people around the world with their money - bridging the physical and digital worlds of cash conveniently, securely and efficiently. Since its founding in 1859, Diebold has evolved to become a leading provider of exceptional self-service innovation, security and services to financial, commercial, retail and other markets. Diebold has approximately 15,000 employees worldwide and is headquartered near Canton, Ohio, USA. Visit Diebold at www.diebold.com or on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DieboldInc. Related Links http://www.diebold.com SOURCE Diebold, Incorporated DUBLIN, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global - Adult Vaccines Market - Company Analysis and Forecast to 2021" report to their offering. The adult vaccines market has been forecasted to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 6% over the next five years. Adults are as likely as children to die from diseases that they can be immunized. For example, vaccination can prevent about 50% of deaths from pneumococcal disease and 80% of deaths from influenza-related complications in the elderly. Adult vaccines continue to be one of the growing segment for pharmaceutical companies. The driving factors for adult vaccines growth are an increasing acceptance of adult vaccines and the public health focus on flu prevention, as well as introductions of new vaccines. The vaccines industry also faces hindrances such as vaccine safety, shortages and delays, vaccine development time line as well as entry barriers for new manufacturers. Adult Vaccines Market - Disease Wise Analysis The influenza vaccines capture maximum share of the total adult vaccines market. It is the most popular and accepted vaccination amongst adults. The hepatitis vaccines account for second highest share of the total adult vaccines market in 2015. The HPV/cervical cancer vaccines and pneumococcal vaccines captures the third and fourth highest share of the adult vaccines market respectively in 2015. While vaccines for zoster shingles and DTP are also gaining ground in adult vaccines market landscape. Adult Vaccines Market - Disease Wise Company Sales Analysis GSK generates maximum adult vaccines sales from Hepatitis and DTP vaccines, while Sanofi Pasteur remains focused on maintaining its leadership in the influenza vaccines market. The cervical cancer and zoster shingles vaccines contributes maximum share of the total Merck adult vaccines sales. Novartis main source of adult vaccines sales revenue is the influenza vaccines. In 2011, Sanofi Pasteur replaced GSK and became the dominant player in the influenza vaccines landscape, while in the cervical cancer vaccines market, Merck is at the forefront and is expected to maintain its dominancy over a longer period of time. GSK is the clear leader in hepatitis vaccines market. Adult Vaccines Market - Regional Distribution On a regional basis, the United States comprises the single largest market for adult vaccines being closely followed by Europe. Japan's adult vaccines market share is expected to remain flat during the forecasting period, while China's adult vaccines market is likely to show continuous growth. South America and India are competing closely with each other to grab maximum share of the adult vaccines market pie. The 9 Diseases covered in the report are analyzed from four viewpoints: 1. Adult Vaccines Market (2007 - 2021) 2. Number of Adults Vaccinated (2007 - 2021) 3. Number of Doses (2007 - 2021) 4. Company Sales Share (2010 - 2021) The 7 Companies covered in the report are analyzed from two viewpoints: 1. Disease Wise - Adult Vaccines Sales (2007 - 2021) 2. Strategic Alliances Global Adult Vaccines Market, Number of Adults Vaccinated and Doses - Disease Wise Analysis to 2021 (9 Disease Analysed) 1. Influenza 2. Cervical Cancer 3. Zoster Shingles 4. Pneumococcal 5. Meningococcal 6. MMRV 7. Hepatitis 8. DTP 9. Travel and Miscellaneous Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Global - Adult Vaccines Analysis and Forecast (2007 - 2021) 3. Global Adult Vaccine Market Share Analysis and Forecast (2010 - 2021) 4. Global Adult Vaccine Market - Disease Wise Analysis 5. Global Adult Vaccine Market - Company Analysis and Strategic Alliances 6. Global Adult Vaccine - Disease Wise Company Sales and Forecast (2007 - 2021) 7. Global Adult Vaccine Market - Regional Distribution (2011 - 2021) 8. Major Vaccine Related Acquisitions (2005-2015) 9. Adult Vaccines Market - Driving Factors 10. Adult Vaccines Market - Challenges Companies Mentioned - bioCSL - GlaxoSmithKline - Merck - Novartis - Pfizer - Protein Sciences - Sanofi Pasteur For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fvbppv/global_adult 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, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Indonesia Diesel Genset Market (2016 -2022)" report to their offering. The report thoroughly covers the market by KVA rating, verticals, applications and regions. The report provides the unbiased and detailed analysis of the on-going trends, opportunities/high growth areas, market drivers which would help the stakeholders to device and align their market strategies according to the current and future market dynamics. Indonesia is the key revenue generating country in South-East Asia's diesel genset market. Led by factors such as expanding infrastructures, power demand-supply gap, increasing telecom infrastructure, rising residential societies and intensifying industrial base, the market for diesel gensets in Indonesia is expected to surge in the coming years. In Indonesia, diesel gensets with rating 5KVA-75KVA have captured key share of the market owing to wide adoption across various verticals. Telecommunication, residential and SMEs are the prime consumers of these gensets. Amongst all verticals, commercial vertical accounts for major share of pie in overall Indonesia diesel genset market, where, telecommunication, IT/ITeS, data centers, small businesses and commercial centers are the key revenue contributing sub-segments. The report provides the detailed analysis of the following market segments: By KVA Ratings - 5KVA - 75KVA - 75.1 KVA - 375 KVA - 375.1 KVA - 750 KVA - 750.1 KVA - 1000 KVA - 1000.1 KVA - 2000 KVA - 2000.1KVA & Above By Verticals - Commercial -- Telecommunication -- IT -- Data Centers -- Small Businesses -- Commercial Centers -- Warehouses -- Others - Industrial -- Utility & Power Generation -- Chemicals and Plastic -- Palm Oil, Food and Beverages -- Paper and Printing -- Micro Electronic and Electrical -- Glass Industry -- Car Manufacturing -- Others - Residential -- Single-Family Homes and Cottages -- Apartments -- Infrastructure -- Airports -- Hospitals -- Railways -- Public Buildings -- Military & Aerospace -- Others By Applications (Including Market by Verticals) - Standby Power - Prime Power By Regions (Including Market by KVA Ratings) - Java - Sumatra - Kalimantan - Sulawesi - Papua - Nusa Tenggara - Maluku Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Global Diesel Genset Market Overview 3 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Overview 4 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Dynamics 5 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Trends 6 Indonesia 5KVA-75KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 7 Indonesia 75.1KVA-375KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 8 Indonesia 375.1KVA-750KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 9 Indonesia 750.1KVA-1000KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 10 Indonesia 1000.1KVA-2000KVA Diesel Genset Market Overview 11 Indonesia 2000.1KVA & Above Diesel Genset Market Overview 12 Indonesia Diesel Genset Vertical Market Overview 13 Indonesia Diesel Genset Regional Market Overview 14 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Industry Regulations 15 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Price Trends 16 Indonesia Diesel Genset Market Competitive Landscape 17 Company Profiles (Manufacturers & Distributors) 18 Key Strategic Pointers Companies Mentioned - Caterpillar Inc. - Cummins Inc. - Deutz AG - Doosan Corporation - FG Wilson - Himoinsa Power System Inc - MTU Aero Engines AG - Mitsubishi Corporation - PT. Altrak - PT. Bach Multi Global - PT. Berkat Manunggal Jaya - PT. Dein Prima Generator - PT. Maxi Utama Energy - PT. Pioneer - PT. Trakindo Utama - PT. Traktor Nusantara - PT. Yanmar Indonesia - Perkins Engines Company Limited - Tan Energy Indonesia (Taneko) - Yanmar Co. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dkxb88/indonesia_diesel 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets About 1,000 years ago, on the territory of modern-day Afghanistan, Mahmud, the ruler of the Ghaznavids, ordered his engineers to build a boat-bridge across the Amu-Darya River. Mahmud used the bridge to invade Transoxania, in what is now modern-day Central Asia. For the last two years there has been fighting in northern Afghanistan, just across the Amu-Darya River. The situation has gradually grown worse. Central Asia is in no danger of being invaded, but the governments of bordering Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are concerned about the potential implications of Afghanistan's problems for their own security situations, even more so since some of their nationals are members of the militant groups in Afghanistan. The breakdown in security in northern Afghanistan has coincided with a severe downturn in the economies of Central Asia, so the frustration is rapidly mounting in Ashgabat, Tashkent, and Dushanbe. In the last week there has been plenty to worry about along the Afghan border. RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, and RFE/RL's Tajik Service, known locally as Ozodi, and RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, have been closely following recent events along the Central Asian-Afghan border. Since July 26, there has been fierce fighting in the Qoshtepa district of Afghanistan's Jowzjan Province, which borders Turkmenistan and is very close to the southwestern tip of Uzbekistan. Jowzjan Governor Rahmatullah Azizi told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service there were some 500 militants involved in the attacks in Qoshtepa. Azizi said most of the militants were (Afghan) Taliban, but there were also Pakistanis and Uzbeks. According to Azizi and Haji Ubaidullah, an Arbaky paramilitary commander in the Qoshtepa district, these Uzbeks are remnants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). But that is no longer what they call themselves. These Uzbeks are from a new organization called the Termezi group. There appear to be only about 50 of them but they are playing leading roles among the militant groups in Jowzjan, acting as instructors and teaching how to build improvised explosive devices (IEDs). From Bad To Alarming The day after fighting started in Qoshtepa, Uzbek President Islam Karimov chaired a meeting of the country's Security Council. The topic was security along the southern border. There were subsequently unconfirmed reports that the order was given to strengthen forces along the Afghan border. RFE/RL's Gandhara website reported recently about Uzbek security forces crossing into Afghanistan and taking Afghans back into Uzbekistan. The areas just south of Tajikistan are where the security problems began several years ago. The situation in northeastern Afghanistan since then has alternated between bad and alarming. RFE/RL's Turkmen Service spoke with some locals in Afghanistan's Kunduz Province who live in villages along the Amu-Darya, across from Tajikistan but also very near Uzbekistan. They told RFE/RL's Turkmen Service there are militants sheltering on some of the islands in the Amu-Darya. They were sure, they said, because some of the militants regularly cross the river to Afghanistan to get food. The city of Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz Province, briefly fell to Taliban and militant forces at the end of September 2015. There has been fighting around the city all this year and some local officials have voiced concerns that the militants could capture Kunduz city again. Heavy fighting has also taken place in the Qala-i Zal district of Kunduz Province, which borders Tajikistan's Khatlon region. Local Arbaky commander Muhammad Nabi Kechi said the "Taliban and foreign mercenaries" partially or fully controlled 45 of about 50 villages in Qala-i Zal district. He said they had not yet reached the Amu-Darya but they were close. Further east, in the neighboring Dasht-i Archi district, there has also been fighting for weeks and militants now seem to control most of the district. That fighting has spilled over into the Hojagor district of the neighboring Takhar Province, which also borders Tajikistan's Khatlon region. The militants have already captured some villages in Hojagor. Takhar Province Governor Muhammadyosin Ziyo told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that Afghan government forces are preparing an operation against the militants to drive them out, but there have been no reports saying that operation has started. Information from RFE/RL correspondents in the area suggest there are not even any preparations being made for this security operation. Wary Truck Drivers As to claims that the Taliban has actually captured and occupied villages in these northeastern provinces of Afghanistan, it is worth mentioning that the Taliban has not claimed this in any statements. Tajikistan has been strengthening its border with Afghanistan for several years with help from Russia, China, the United States, NATO, and the European Union. The border is far from being 100-percent sealed but Tajik forces are well positioned and provisioned to repel any attempted incursions. The more immediate problem is that the fighting has shut down what had been growing cross-border trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, easily the most vibrant trade Afghanistan has with any Central Asian country. Some days the border is closed. In Tajikistan, there are a dwindling number of truck drivers willing to take the risk of making the trip into Afghanistan because of the breakdown in the security situation. Similarly, Turkmenistan's plans to build a railway and a gas pipeline through Afghanistan have been stymied by the outbreak of fighting just across the border. Turkmenistan has also taken to increasing the guard and establishing new fortifications on its border with Afghanistan. Trade with Central Asia was supposed to have helped Afghanistan recover economically and bring stability back to the country. Instead, the continued fighting in northern Afghanistan is forcing its Central Asian neighbors to further close themselves off. Sirojiddin Tolibov from RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, Mirzo Salimov from RFE/RL's Tajik Service, and Toymyrat Bugaev and Shahmardanqul Muradi from RFE/RL's Turkmen Service helped in preparing this report. PUNE, India, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global and Chinese Industrial Camera Market 2016 Research Report starts with a basic overview of the industry that covers definition, applications and manufacturing technology, post which the report explores into the international and Chinese players in the market. Complete report on Industrial Camera market spread across 150 pages providing 8 company profiles and 98 tables and figures is available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/642098-global-and-chinese-industrial-camera-industry-2016-market-research-report.html. The 'Global and Chinese Industrial Camera Industry, 2016 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Industrial Camera market with a focus on the Chinese industry. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Industrial Camera manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2011-2016 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Industrial Camera industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2016-2021 industry development trends of Industrial Camera market. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Industrial Camera Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2021 global and Chinese Industrial Camera market covering all important parameters. Order a copy of Global and Chinese Industrial Camera Industry, 2016 Market Research Report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=642098. Another research titled Global and Chinese Speed Dome Camera Industry, 2016 Market Research Report is an exhaustive study on the present market scenario of the global Speed Dome Camera industry with a special focus on the China market of this industry. The report summarizes key statistics of the market and the overall status of the Speed Dome Camera manufacturers. The report is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. The report encapsulates all the latest news and developments in the industry along with the progress in the technology front. It mentions the recent trend in this market along with a market outlook both at the global and Chinese market level. The report mentions top eight manufacturers of this market. The details covered in this portion include a detailed profiling of the company along with its products offerings, product information over the period of 2011-2016 along with the key contact person in the firm. The Speed Dome Camera Industry report covers the capacity of production of this industry along with production value, supply and consumption. It includes the level of competition in this market and the performance of the players in specific geography like USA, EU, Japan and China. Explore more reports on the Semiconductor and Electronics Market at http://www.reportsnreports.com/market-research/semiconductor-and-electronics/. About Us: ReportsnReports.com is an online market research reports library of 500,000+ in-depth studies of over 5000 micro markets. Not limited to any one industry, ReportsnReports.com offers research studies on agriculture, energy and power, chemicals, environment, medical devices, healthcare, food and beverages, water, advanced materials and much more. Contact: Ritesh Tiwari UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune - 411013 Maharashtra, India. + 1 888 391 5441 sales@reportsandreports.com Connect With Us on: Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ReportsnReports/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/reportsnreports Twitter: https://twitter.com/marketsreports G+ / Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/111656568937629536321/posts RSS/Feeds: http://http://www.reportsnreports.com/feed/l-latestreports.xml SOURCE ReportsnReports New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Analysis of the Western European Respiratory Protection Market (http://www.frost.com/sublib/display-report.do?id=MC1E-01-00-00-00&src=PR), finds that the market earned revenues of 646.6 million in 2015 and estimates this to reach 712.8 million in 2020. Disposable respirators were the biggest revenue generator, followed by non-disposable respirators and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Powered air-purifying apparatus (PAPR) is a growing segment, while airline and escape respirators are relatively small segments. To request exclusive information about this research and to schedule your one-on-one strategy dialogue with our analysts now, please click here or send an e-mail to Evgenia Oleynikova: evgenia.oleynikova@frost.com "Resurgent economies and improving awareness of the potential risks of inhaling contaminated air have opened up further application opportunities in the chemical industry, machine operations, asbestos removal in the construction industry, agriculture, spray paints, and firefighting," said Frost & Sullivan Visionary Science Research Analyst Sanjana Prabhakar "Low exposure limits in countries like the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia will augment both volume and prices of respiratory protection equipment." However, the slowdown in the mining, oil and gas industries, low-cost imports, and lack of streamlined regulations can rein in the market's potential in the short term. The inadequate scope for innovation will also cause the market to compete on price in the lower-end segments such as disposable masks. In advanced segments (PAPRs, SCBAs), wearables and sensors will enjoy higher uptake, if the cost differential is minimal. The added ease offered by PAPR through the elimination of fit-testing and seal, while using loose fitting equipment is attracting customer away from the disposable and non-disposable segments. The greater use of complex respirators will entail regular servicing and maintenance, which is an important source of recurring revenues. Going forward, manufacturers will start offering multi-functional products that can be easily integrated with other PPE such as above. Manufacturers may also incorporate electronics in their products to make respirators smarter. "Increasing emphasis on customer service and training will fuel new business opportunities, particularly for companies that tie in training services with products," noted Sanjana Prabhakar. "Continued partnerships with customers and strong focus on understanding local market needs will help manufacturers stand out in the intensely competitive market." Analysis of the Western European Respiratory Protection Market is part of the Future of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (http://ww2.frost.com/research/industry/visionary-science/future-personal-protective-equipment-ppe) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related studies include: North American Industrial Hand Protection Market, North American Industrial Protective Clothing Market, Changing Face of Personal Protective Equipment Distribution, Wearables and Smart Technologies for Industrial Environment - A PPE Perspective, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Distribution Trends in North America and Snapshot of the UK and Ireland Personal Protective Equipment 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. 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? Analysis of the Western European Respiratory Protection Market MC1E-39 Contact: Evgenia Oleynikova Corporate Communications Europe P: +48 224816210 E: Evgenia.Oleynikova@frost.com http://www.frost.com Related Links http://www.frost.com SOURCE Frost & Sullivan NEW YORK, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Growing automobile and plastics industries coupled with mounting demand from conductive applications to drive global specialty carbon black market through 2021 According to TechSci Research report, "Global Specialty Carbon Black Market By Type, By Application, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021", the global specialty carbon black market is poised to surpass US$ 2.9 billion by 2021 owing to growing demand from plastics industry coupled with increasing applications in paints & coatings sector. Global plastics production increased from 279 million tons in 2011 to 311 million tons in 2014, exhibiting a CAGR of around 3.7% during 2011-2014. Backed by booming plastics production, global specialty carbon black market is expected to grow at a healthy pace over the next five years. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 ) Browse 41 market data Tables and 152 Figures spread through 228 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "Global Specialty Carbon Black Market" https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-specialty-carbon-black-market-by-type-lamp-black-acetylene-black-conductive-black-others-by-application-plastics-printing-inks-toners-paints-coatings-others-by-region-competition-forecast-opportunities-2011-2021/741.html On the basis of type, global specialty carbon black market has been segmented into lamp black, acetylene black, conductive blacks and others. In 2015, lamp black accounted for the largest share in global specialty carbon black market due to its extensive range of applications. Globally, plastics is the largest application area for specialty carbon blacks owing to increasing demand for plastic compounds with high jetness and enhanced UV stability. Over the next five years, plastics industry is expected to continue its dominance in global specialty carbon black market on account of anticipated growth in plastics industry, especially in Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. Download Sample Report @ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=741 Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report. "In order to reduce the dependency on petroleum coupled with increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, governments across the globe are offering incentives on manufacturing and purchase of electric vehicles. A healthy growth in global electric vehicles market is expected to steer demand for rechargeable batteries, which in turn, is expected to boost demand for raw materials, including specialty carbon black over the next five years.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm. "Global Specialty Carbon Black Market By Type, By Application, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" has analyzed the potential of global specialty carbon black market and provides statistics and information on market sizes, consumer behavior and trends. The report will suffice in providing the intending clients with cutting-edge market intelligence and help them in taking sound investment decisions. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers and key challenges faced by the industry. Browse Related Reports Global Pigments Market By Type (Inorganic, Organic and Specialty), By Application (Paints and Coatings, Plastics, Printing Inks, Construction and Others), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-pigments-market-by-type-inorganic-organic-and-specialty-by-application-paints-and-coatings-plastics-printing-inks-construction-and-others-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/641.html Global Activated Carbon Market By Type (Powdered Activated Carbon, Granular Activated Carbon and Others), By Raw Material (Wood, Coconut Shells, Coal and Others), By Application, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-activated-carbon-market-by-type-powdered-activated-carbon-granular-activated-carbon-and-others-by-raw-material-wood-coconut-shells-coal-and-others-by-application-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/679.html Global Tire Chemicals Market By Type (Natural Rubber, Synthetic Rubber, Carbon Black, etc.), By Tire Category (Passenger Car, Bus and Truck etc.), By Region, Competition Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2011-2021 https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-tire-chemicals-market-by-type-natural-rubber-synthetic-rubber-carbon-black-etc-by-tire-category-passenger-car-bus-and-truck-etc-by-region-competition-market-forecast-opportunities-2011-2021/682.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. Contact Mr. Ken Mathews 708 Third Avenue, Manhattan, NY, New York - 10017 Tel: +1-646-360-1656 Email: sales@techsciresearch.com Connect with us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TechSciResearch Connect with us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/techsci-research SOURCE TechSci Research DUBLIN, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Latin America - Regulatory Compliance Requirements across the Life Science Industry (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, And Chile) : 2-Day In- Person Seminar" conference to their offering. The Latin America Regulatory compliance requirement training/seminar will cover topics across the full Life-Cycle of Company & Product licensing in the key markets of Latin America. Written Regulations vs. Skilful Negotiation will be explained across every critical topic. The importance of local resources, Agency meetings and knowing how to navigate the regulatory landscape will accelerate country establishment and successful product licensing. Reasons to attend: This 2 day course will specifically focuses on the overall regulatory compliance requirements and procedures for Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Biologics, Biosimilars, Orphan Drugs and Combination Products in Latin America. The primary countries covered will include: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Other countries such as Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru and Venezuela will be discussed. The course will also cover topics relating to full product life-cycle management, as well as, address the structure of the regulatory agencies in Latin America. Content will include descriptions of the methods by which regulators in the corresponding agencies process filings and registrations and what is expected in the authorization and dossier maintenance of licensed products. The current regulatory climate in Latin America is discussed in detail and several examples will be provided to illustrate effective compliance procedures and techniques. Common issues that have caused difficulties for Life Sciences firms in the region are outlined. Course content will explain how Latin America interacts with and utilizes ICH standards and how they relate with other national regulatory agencies. Additionally, participants will learn how personnel can best address the conflicts, which arise and the best course for resolution. For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xpph68/latin_america Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com BOSTON, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "For most families, a 529 College Savings Plan is the best investment option for saving for higher education costs for their children," assert the authors of a new book, Plan and Finance Your Family's College Dreams (Peterson's). Co-author Peter Mazareas, Ph.D. should know. He helped Congress pass the landmark legislation 20 years ago this month and has helped design and launch many of the nations' largest and successful 529 Plans over the past 20 years. "Many Congressional and tax experts view Section 529 as one of the most generous tax provisions ever passed by Congress for the benefit of American families," says Mazareas. "These plans combine tax-free incentives with a host of unique features and benefits designed to encourage families at all income levels to save for college-related expenses." Parents can use all of the help they can get. Total student loan debt now exceeds 1.3 trillion dollars. College tuition and fees rose 504% over the past 30 years, compared to 265% for medical care or 116% for the Consumer Price Index. 529 Savings Plans and prepaid programs have increased greatly, from $15 billion in 2001 to an estimated $275 billion today. The authors' book identifies these top 10 reasons to utilize the 529 Plan: Tax-deferred growth; interest, dividends, and capital gains accumulate free of federal taxes. Tax free distributions when the proceeds are used for qualified higher education expenses at over 7,000 schools in the United States and abroad. Special estate and gift tax treatment, with five-year accelerated gifting. Continued ownership and control for account owners, including the ability to change beneficiaries to extended family members without penalty. Professional financial management of investments by states, in partnership with leading financial services firms. Very high maximum contribution and account balance limits. No income limits restricting who can invest. No age restrictions on beneficiary or contributor. No required distributions in most programs. Protection of savings from bankruptcy for account owner against creditors. "529 Plans are treated favorably for financial aid purposes," says co-author John A. Hupalo. "529 assets are treated just as savings accounts, mutual funds, or other financial assets are for purposes of financial aid calculations. One myth that is occasionally promulgated by the media and some ill-informed financial advisors is that 529s more so than other savings assets will reduce the amount of financial aid you might otherwise qualify for. This is simply not true." Contact : Media Connect Stephen Matteo 212-583-2776 [email protected] SOURCE John Hupalo BALTIMORE, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Apkudo announced that it has launched Carrier Pack on the NUU N5L and N4L. Carrier Pack allows original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to develop a generic software SKU that can serve individual carrier customization requirements. Carrier Pack dynamically manages configurable device settings such as APNs and network settings as well as other experiences such as start-up screens, pre-load apps, contacts and content. Carrier Pack enables carrier configuration and customization to be packaged, distributed, and installed on devices in a flexible and simple manner, similar to consumer apps. Carriers are empowered to own and manage the configuration of their devices without the overhead and barrier-to-entry of requiring direct OEM support, improving time to market, competitiveness, and consumer happiness. OEMs are able to target and support a far broader reach of carriers - hence, consumers - with much lower overhead and cost, while still maintaining the necessary control and security over their own brand and the experiences provided by their devices. "Apkudo's Carrier Pack technology is designed to provide efficiencies to both OEMs and carriers while allowing flexibility to customize the device experience with ease," said Josh Matthews, Co-founder and CEO of Apkudo. "We are excited about this partnership with CCA and Apkudo to bring a quality, customized device to market," said John Murtha, VP of Sales at NUU Mobile. "It's partnerships like this that we believe can really separate NUU Mobile from its competitors and allow the company to best serve its customers." Apkudo and NUU Mobile are participating in the CCA Device Hub, powered by Apkudo. CCA Device Hub Member Union Wireless trialed and tested the Carrier Pack technology with device manufacturer NUU Mobile and will distribute devices through wireless phone wholesaler YAM Wireless. About Apkudo Apkudo is a smart device test company that places user experience at the forefront of device testing. Because devices are app platforms, Apkudo has moved beyond traditional pass/fail testing methodology to pioneer new analytics, collaboration, and management methodologies that significantly improves the experience delivered throughout the entire device lifecycle. Visit www.apkudo.com About NUU Mobile NUU Mobile, a subsidiary of Noetic Inc., is headquartered in Rochester, Minnesota with offices in Miami, London, Hong Kong and Malaysia. The company has been manufacturing and supplying unlocked smartphones since 2012 and have won various awards for its phones such as Top 10 Unlocked Phones of 2015 by PC Mag. The company employs over 3,000 people worldwide with over 250 R&D staff. For more information, please visit www.nuumobile.com. Apkudo Contact: Melissa Blanken, +1 703 930 6669 NUU Mobile Contact: Ciara Spevacek, +1 507 529 0041 SOURCE Apkudo Related Links http://www.apkudo.com U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has welcomed the foreign ministers from the five Central Asian states -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- to Washington. Their meeting, dubbed the C5+1, follows up on the inaugural session of the group, which was held last year in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. With its involvement in Afghanistan winding down, the United States is attempting to restructure the relationship it has had with Central Asia for the last 15 years -- where for Washington, security had been the priority. Washington is hoping to open new trade ties with Central Asia, a difficult task at a time when Central Asia's neighbor China has come to dominate the region economically during the last decade. The United States is also seeking to reemphasize the need for the Central Asian governments to show greater respect for basic human rights and take more credible and visible steps toward establishing and developing democratic institutions. Washington was active in prodding Central Asian governments towards democratic reforms in the 1990s, but after the September 11, 2001, attacks its focus shifted to counterterrorism efforts in neighboring Afghanistan. Some critics have said that the U.S. change in policy was unpopular with the governments and many people in Central Asia and changed the region's view of the United States. While Kerry is likely to encourage the five foreign ministers to move toward greater regional integration and cooperation, the reality on the ground in Central Asia is the opposite. The five countries have been drifting further apart since they became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991. That might mean Washington will choose to focus on its relationships with the individual countries. Talking Democracy For Western governments, including the United States, Kyrgyzstan still remains the great hope for democracy taking root in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is holding a presidential election next year and the incumbent, Almazbek Atambaev, has repeatedly said he will abide by the constitutional one-term limit and step down. Peaceful transitions of power and strict observance of constitutional term limits are something Washington would like all the Central Asian governments to embrace, so U.S. officials will likely hold lengthy discussions with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev. On the agenda might also be the case of Azimjon Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek rights activist and journalist jailed in the wake of interethnic riots in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010. The United States has criticized the jailing and the U.S. State Department gave Askarov its Human Rights Award in July 2015. That recognition immediately soured ties between the two countries, with Kyrgyzstan renouncing a 1993 cooperation agreement with the United States. Separate meetings with Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov will likely focus on economic ties. The largest U.S. investment in Central Asia is Chevron's participation in Kazakhstan's massive Tengiz oil field. The TengizChevroil project in western Kazakhstan has provided a basis for U.S.-Kazakh ties for more than two decades. However, Kazakhstan has regressed in recent years in its attempts to implement democratic reforms. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has amended legislation to allow himself to remain president until he dies. Snap parliamentary elections earlier this year excluded any genuine opposition parties and reestablished a subservient parliament bound to do the bidding of the president. Nazarbaev just turned 76 at the start of July and has no apparent successor. Kazakhstan doesn't have a system designed to produce a second president genuinely chosen by the masses. Individual meetings with the foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are likely to cover the same ground. All three states have entrenched presidents, repressive political systems, and all three are vulnerable to security threats emanating from their neighbor to the south, Afghanistan. Afghan Insecurity With Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, security will likely remain the focus, with their foreign ministers undoubtedly seeking guarantees that the United States will not withdraw from Afghanistan -- and leave the problem of Afghanistan's worsening security situation on their doorsteps. For a while, Washington has been engaged in ongoing consultations with all three countries about the situation in Afghanistan and has provided military aid and infrastructure support, particularly to Uzbekistan, which in early 2015 received more than 300 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles to help guard its frontier with Afghanistan. Most likely, Washington will be seeking some indications that the three governments are open to moving forward on long-stalled political reforms. That might be a futile hope at this point, as all three countries are led by presidents who show no sign of ever leaving office and are resistant to altering their political systems to allow the inclusion of opposition voices. Washington officials will likely discuss with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov the Uzbek-U.S. car-making joint venture GM Uzbekistan, which has been mired in scandal after it emerged that the Uzbek management at the plant had allegedly embezzled millions of dollars. Those officials are in custody and facing trial in Uzbekistan but the incident will damper any enthusiasm from other U.S. companies to invest in Uzbekistan. There is also the question of what to do with the approximately $800 million of Uzbek assets frozen by U.S. authorities, which Tashkent is attempting to get back. The frozen millions are connected to Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov. Karimova is under house arrest in Uzbekistan after a series of bribery and money-laundering scandals became public in several European countries. With Russia still the major guarantor of security in Central Asia and China the dominant economic power, the United States is attempting to craft a role that includes security and trade, but crucially offers something those two great powers can't. NCTE Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick notes, "Matt de la Pena is a frequent participant in NCTE. He is an inspiration and presence among NCTE scholars and educators as they connect students with literacy and language to develop understanding of our world. The experiences of de la Pena illustrate why NCTE's longstanding and vocal commitment to intellectual freedom is a cornerstone of the organization's beliefs and practices." De la Pena, a Newbery Medal-winning author of six young adult novels (including Mexican WhiteBoy, The Living, and The Hunted) and two picture books (A Nation's Hope and Last Stop on Market Street), has worked to ensure that children of all ages have access to books, especially books that are reflections of themselves. In 2012, his novel Mexican WhiteBoy was banned from the Tucson, Arizona, schools as a result of the termination of the Mexican American Studies programs. Scheduled to speak to a group of high school students in Tucson shortly after, Matt donated his speaking fee to buy copies of Mexican WhiteBoy, which he gave to the students. "I want to give back what was taken away," noted de la Pena. We applaud and honor Matt de la Pena not only for creating books that offer students a "secret place to feel" but also for standing up for all students' right to read! Courtney Kincaid of North Richland Hills Public Library, North Richland Hills, Texas, will receive an Honorable Mention National Intellectual Freedom Award this year. The National Council of Teachers of English (http://www.ncte.org), with 25,000 members worldwide, is the nation's oldest literacy organization. With the expertise of its members, NCTE has led the nation in its most important decisions and trajectories around preK16+ literacy thinking. NCTE is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395763 SOURCE National Council of Teachers of English Related Links http://www.ncte.org SAN FRANCISCO, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global cardiovascular information system (CVIS) market is expected to reach USD 1.2 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. The global cardiovascular devices industry is growing swiftly owing to the increasing prevalence of heart diseases and other cardiovascular problems. Grand View Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/Grand View Research_ Inc_) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 ) In accordance with the growing patient population there is an exponential surge in the patient history documents and patient data records. The resultant, rising burden of patient data is pushing forward the demand for effective management tools; thus, offering increased accessibility of patient information to surgeons and the healthcare staff and hence enhancing the operational efficiency of the practices. In addition, factors, such as technological advancements and the gradually growing awareness regarding the availability of these improved systems are expected to fuel the growth of the cardiovascular devices market. However, factors, such as high system costs and the lack of skilled operators are impeding the overall growth. In addition, the presence of alternative data management tools is challenging the adoption of the information systems specific to cardiovascular data management. Some of the key players in the market are implementing strategies to expand market share. For instance, companies, such as Philips Healthcare and GE Healthcare offer CVIS systems along with their cardiac imaging products. Browse full research report with TOC on "Cardiovascular Information System (CVIS) Market Analysis by System types (CVIS and CPACS), Mode of Operation (Web-based, On-site and cloud-based) and Segment Forecasts To 2024" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/cardiovascular-information-system-market Further key findings from the study suggest: The CVIS segment captured the largest market share of the global market in 2015. Integration of these systems with imaging devices is responsible for the highest adoption rate of this segment. Owing to the high cost of these systems, the CVIS segment is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period The cloud-based segment is anticipated to exhibit the fastest growth rate during the forecast period. The associated advantages, such as the affordable cost, remote accessibility of data, and the user friendly interface, are expected to fuel the adoption of the cloud-based mode of operation. North America captured the largest market share of around 36% in 2015. The dominance of the segment is expected to continue with a CAGR of 5.8% from 2016 to 2024. captured the largest market share of around 36% in 2015. The dominance of the segment is expected to continue with a CAGR of 5.8% from 2016 to 2024. The factors contributing to the growth of the North America market include the increasing prevalence of heart diseases and the technological advancements in the region. Moreover, factors, such as the availability of highly advanced healthcare facilities and the higher adoption rate of the data management tools are augmenting the market growth in North America . market include the increasing prevalence of heart diseases and the technological advancements in the region. Moreover, factors, such as the availability of highly advanced healthcare facilities and the higher adoption rate of the data management tools are augmenting the market growth in . Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Countries, such as India and China are expected to be the fastest growing markets in the region owing to the large pool of cardiovascular patients and the rising healthcare expenditure. is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Countries, such as and are expected to be the fastest growing markets in the region owing to the large pool of cardiovascular patients and the rising healthcare expenditure. The booming medical tourism in Asia Pacific due to the availability of advanced healthcare facilities and services at a lower cost in comparison to the other developed countries serves as the pivotal factor in attracting cardiac patients worldwide to this region. Some major players in this market include Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare, McKesson Corporation, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Merge Healthcare, Inc., Agfa Healthcare N.V., Cerner Corporation, Fujifilm Medical Systems, Inc., Lumedx Corporation, and Digisonics, Inc. Grand View Research has segmented the cardiovascular information system (CVIS) market on the basis of system type, mode of operation and geography. Cardiovascular information system market, by system, 2013 - 2024 (USD Million) CVIS CPACS Cardiovascular information system market, by mode of operation, 2013 - 2024 (USD Million) Web-based On-site Cloud-based Cardiovascular information system market, by region, 2013 - 2024 (USD Million) North America U.S. Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems Canada Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems U.S. Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation Canada Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation Europe U.K. Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems Germany Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems U.K. Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation Germany Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation Asia Pacific China Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems India Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems China Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation India Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation Latin America Brazil Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems Mexico Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems Brazil Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation Mexico Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation MEA South Africa Cardiovascular Information System, by Systems South Africa Cardiovascular Information System, by Mode of Operation Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Pneumonia Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pneumonia-market High Content Screening Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/high-content-screening-market Pulmonary Drug Delivery Systems Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pulmonary-drug-delivery-systems-market Spinal Non Fusion Technologies Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/spinal-non-fusion-technologies-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 - ni2014.org, grandviewresearch.com/blogs/healthcare Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. In 2015, Carnival Corporation announced 10 goals for reducing its environmental footprint, while enhancing the health, safety and security of its guests and crew members, and ensuring sustainable business practices among its brands, business partners and suppliers. As part of the effort to achieve these goals, the company and its 10 global brands have implemented strategic energy reduction and conservation initiatives. The most notable progress made against these 10 goals to date, as outlined in the infographic here , includes: Reduced the company's carbon intensity rate by 2.8 percent resulting in a 23.4 percent overall carbon dioxide emission reduction relative to the 2005 baseline Equipped 41 percent of fleet with exhaust gas cleaning technology to reduce sulfur compounds and particulate matter from engine exhaust Improved the company's carbon footprint with order of world's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships, as well as the first cruise ship to be powered by an LNG hybrid barge On track to meet the 10 percentage point increase in fleet-wide capacity coverage of advanced waste water purification systems (AWWPS) "We know it is increasingly important to have sustainable and transparent operations, so we work hard every day to run our company in a sustainable way, and to share those practices broadly, so that our guests can feel confident that they are making a responsible decision when they book a vacation with us," said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. "We are committed to providing a safe and comfortable voyage for our guests and crew members as our cruise line brands create great vacations, while at the same time maintaining our deep commitment to protecting the oceans, seas and destinations we visit." Carnival Corporation's Commitment to Sustainability Carnival Corporation and its brands implement extensive measures to deliver on its commitment to continue to keep guests and crewmembers safe and comfortable, protect the environment, develop and provide opportunities for its workforce, strengthen its stakeholder relations and enhance the communities in which the company visits and operates. Those measures are detailed in the company's 2015 sustainability report in three key areas cruising, commitment and community. Cruising In 2015, Carnival Corporation introduced its 10th and newest brand, Fathom, which is pioneering a new travel category, social impact travel, which combines people's love for travel with their desire to make a difference in the world. Later in the year, Carnival Corporation made history with its Fathom brand by receiving U.S. approval to sail to Cuba, laying the groundwork for it to become the first cruise company in over 40 years to sail from the U.S. to Cuba in May of 2016. Commitment In 2015, Carnival Corporation made progress toward its focus on maintaining measured capacity growth with the delivery of innovative, more efficient ships for its fleet by finalizing agreements for 15 new ships for delivery between 2016 and 2020 four of which will be next-generation ships that will pioneer a new era in the use of cleaner fuels as the first cruise ships to be powered by LNG both at sea and in port. The introduction of LNG the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel is a major step for the corporation in reducing its carbon footprint from the reduced carbon and cleaner emissions of LNG. In 2015, AIDAsol from the company's AIDA Cruises' German-based brand was the first cruise ship in the world to be supplied with power by an LNG hybrid barge while in port. Other strides Carnival Corporation made in 2015 to deliver on its commitment to its guests, crew, stakeholders and the environment include: Actively undertaking shipbuilding research and development for new abatement technologies and equipment to improve energy efficiency including: air lubrication systems using air bubbles to reduce friction between the ship's hull and the water; exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS); and alternative fuels like the industry-first use of LNG as the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel Working with suppliers on expanding its sourcing of cage free eggs to 100 percent by 2025 Expanding tour operator sustainable practices Community Another key milestone for the company in 2015 was the opening of its newest port and Caribbean destination, Amber Cove, located in the Dominican Republic. The new destination represents Carnival Corporation's single largest direct port development project with an $85 million investment to date, the largest cruise industry investment ever made in the Dominican Republic. As a part of Carnival Corporation's commitment to the region, its Fathom brand also announced in 2015 that it would be making trips every other week to the area to enrich the lives of its travelers as they work alongside the locals, assisting them in improving the quality of their lives. Carnival Corporation reinforced its leadership position in the China cruise region with the successful introduction of a fourth ship in 2015 Costa Serena from its Costa Cruises brand. The company also announced in 2015 that it would introduce two more year-round ships one each from Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises making it the first cruise company with six ships based in China, maintaining its industry leadership in the country. Carnival Corporation also formed a strategic joint venture by partnering with state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation and China Investment Corporation to launch a new cruise brand in the Chinese vacation region. Other strides Carnival Corporation made in 2015 to deliver on its commitment to the communities in which it operates include: Donating $5 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami to create the Carnival Center for Excellence that will serve as the headquarters for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami to Big Brothers Big Sisters of to create the Carnival Center for Excellence that will serve as the headquarters for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Donating reusable goods such as furniture, kitchenware, toiletries and other items from its ships to people in need throughout the communities it visits Providing in-kind donation of cruises totaling over $2 million in 2015 Partnering with The Nature Conservancy to Advance Ocean Health In 2015, Carnival Corporation continued its partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), one of the world's leading conservation organizations, with a $2.5 million financial commitment over a five-year period, starting in 2014. Carnival Corporation's partnership with TNC supports the organization's Mapping Ocean Wealth (MOW) program that creates maps showing the extent and distribution of benefits that habitats like coral reefs and mangroves provide, including fish production, flood mitigation, erosion control and recreation. Progress made in 2015 with the help of Carnival Corporation's donation include: Generating new knowledge about coral reef conditions, comparisons of nature-based and artificial defenses, innovative financing and other important topics Publishing groundbreaking research on fish production associated with oyster reefs Pioneering innovative methods, such as using social media to measure tourism activities, natural resources available, distribution, intensity of use and user satisfaction through the work being performed on the development of a global map of mangrove tourism Developing an online web mapping tool allowing users to view and download models and maps of ocean benefits associated with coral reefs, mangroves and other critical coastal systems More information about Carnival Corporation's sustainability efforts and the full versions of its past sustainability reports can be found here. About Carnival Corporation & plc Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest leisure travel company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia comprised of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK). Together, these brands operate 101 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world and totaling 225,000 lower berths with 15 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2020. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices. Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com, www.carnival.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com and www.fathom.org. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395557-INFO SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc Related Links http://www.Carnivalcorp.com CLARION, Pa., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nestled in the historic Oil Valley region of Pennsylvania, Clarion University's Venango campus is committed to providing students with a high-quality educational experience in a smaller setting, allowing for individualized services and support. This campus creates the opportunity for ambitious students to attend Clarion University without having to venture to Clarion, Pa. At its Oil City, Pa. location, students can earn a two-year, stand-alone associate degree in 11 academic disciplines, as well as select baccalaureate and masters degree's. Students may also choose to begin work in any of Clarion University's 90+ programs at the Venango campus. For individuals looking to improve their earning potential, there are also one-year certificate programs designed to help improve work skills in order to enter or retrain a fulfilling career. Students on the Venango campus find its convenient, congenial location to be the perfect environment in which to learn. In addition to strong academics, the campus offers many extracurricular activities including intramurals, club sports, and recreational resources such as an easily accessible fitness and wellness center. To learn more about Clarion University of Pennsylvania and its Venango campus, please visit www.clarion.edu/venango. For more media information: Alycia Rea The Zimmerman Agency 850.668.2222 [email protected] SOURCE Clarion University of Pennsylvania Related Links http://www.clarion.edu Geekologie has shut down. Thank you to everybody. Now go be happy. ALBANY, New York, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global urgent care centers (UCCs) market has several private companies operating urgent care chains in the market such as AFC/Doctors Express, FastMed Urgent Care, MD Now, Concentra Inc., CareSpot Express Healthcare LLC, MedExpress, MinuteClinic LLC, NextCare Urgent Care, Pateint First and U.S. HealthWorks Inc. Also, a large number of small market players are trying to enter and establish in the urgent care centers market. This has resulted in a highly fragmented market for UCCs industry with large number of urgent care chains accounting for less than 1% of the total market. Moreover, many private insurance firms are also becoming attracted towards the UCCs market. Download Free Sample Brochure: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2254 Cost Effective Visits and Faster Service Maintain UCCs on the Growth Front Urgent care centers provide immediate care services to patients with minor injuries. The service time and quality of health care services in a UCC are better than that in an emergency department (ED). Additionally, the fee per visit paid by a patient, whether with health insurance or not, in UCCs is much lower than the fee paid in EDs. These advantages of UCCs over EDs are expected to increase the number of visits to UCCs, thus driving the growth of the global urgent care centers (UCCs) market. Moreover, appointment flexibility provided by UCCs coupled with reduced waiting time has increased their popularity amongst patients. A surge in the population of insured people is also driving the urgent care centers market. The considerably low cost of treatment is attracting a large pool of insured patients. Furthermore, the growth of UCCs is backed by many private and public investors, thus increasing the pace of growth of urgent care centers exponentially. Unavailability of Physicians Likely to Harm Visits to Urgent Care Centers Continued shortages in the number of physicians are likely to limit the growth of the market and it will worsen in the next few years according to the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) survey report. This can adversely affect the growth of the UCCs market. However, the effect of this restraint could be alleviated with physician assistants and nursing practitioners compensating this deficiency to some extent. Another impediment to the growth of the UCCs market is the high initial cost required for the set-up of the urgent care centers. Apart from the establishment costs, a large number of patient visits per week are required to meet the huge operational costs of UCCs. Browse Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/urgent-care-centers-market.htm North America Leads With a Substantial Margin Owing to High Adoption Rate of UCCs By geography, the global UGCs market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). North America, which was the leading segment by value in 2013, is anticipated to retain its leadership with a share of 73.6% in 2020. Europe, which stands second, is expected to lose its share by the end of 2020 due to lack of interest shown by private investors. In terms of services, illness is the leading segment by revenue and is anticipated to remain the largest segment until 2020. However, screening services represent the fastest growing segment. The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, 'Urgent Care Centers Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020.' Browse Market Research Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/2015/08/urgent-care-centers-market.html Global Urgent Care Centers Market: By Services Illness Injuries Physical Vaccination Diagnostics Screening Global Urgent Care Centers Market: By Geography North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of the World (RoW) Browse Other Latest Research Reports: Aged Care Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/aged-care-market.html Skilled Nursing Care Services Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/skilled-nursing-care-services-market.html Elderly and Disabled Assistive Devices Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/elderly-disabled-assistive-devices.html About Us: Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S. based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations. US Office Contact Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/ SOURCE Transparency Market Research WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cotton Council International (CCI) (www.cottonusa.org), the overseas promotion arm of the National Cotton Council of America, has appointed Cramer-Krasselt (www.C-K.com) as its new agency following a review. CCI's mission is to increase exports of U.S. cotton fiber, manufactured cotton products, as well as cottonseed and its by-products. CCI has 20 offices in 18 countries and covers more than 50 countries. C-K will lead its global brand marketing and communications effective immediately. In making the announcement, Bruce Atherley, executive director of CCI said, "It's an important time in our organization's history to add an expert agency partner to help us communicate the benefits of U.S. cotton to our audiences from a center out approach. Our decision was based on our confidence in the quality of the team, business orientation, strategic insights and creativity. We look forward to our new partnership with C-K to help CCI with our mission to support the export marketing of U.S. cotton." "This is an exciting, highly competitive global category and U.S. cotton is outstanding in its quality," noted Karen Seamen, president and COO of Cramer-Krasselt. "We are proud to embark on this partnership to develop and deploy a strategic global plan that will continue to elevate its position around the world." In April 2016, CCI retained the services of Joanne Davis Consulting to assist in the agency review process. The search culminated in late July. About Cotton Council International As the export promotion arm of the National Cotton Council of America, Cotton Council International (CCI) is dedicated to increasing U.S. exports of cotton fiber, manufactured cotton products, as well as cottonseed and its by-products. Through its COTTON USA program, CCI offers support to customers at each stage of the supply chain, from the cotton farmer and exporter, to the brand and retailer. With offices in Washington, Memphis, London, Hong Kong, Seoul and Shanghai and dedicated representatives in numerous other countries, CCI plays the lead role in educating and strengthening the market for U.S. cotton and U.S. cotton products around the world. For more information, please visit www.cottonusa.org. About Cramer-Krasselt At C-K, our mission is simple: Make friends, not ads. This philosophy has helped fuel seven years of the best sales Porsche has ever had, 28 quarters of record Corona Extra results while the rest of the industrys major brands are in decline, six consecutive years of record-breaking revenues at Cedar Fairs 14 amusement parks and similar results for Vitamix and Edward Jones. Its also how we helped make the BIC Flex 5 the #1 disposable razor. Our friend-making mindset not only drives our ideas, it also drives our structure. We're built without silos or competing interests to truly tap into an ever-expanding range of disciplines, from advertising to SEM/SEO to social to analyticswhatever it takes to create compelling brand experiences. It has also fueled our growth, making C-K the nation's second-largest independent ad agency and placing us among the top 20 advertising and digital firms in the country with nearly 500 employees and $900 million in annual billings. Headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York, Milwaukee and Phoenix, we represent major brands across virtually every industry, including Benihana, BIC Razors and Stationery, Cedar Fair Amusement Parks (Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm and 10 others), Casa Noble Tequila, Corona Extra, Edward Jones, General Tire, Giant Foods, Nikon, Pacifico Beer, Paper and Packaging Board, Porsche, Roundy's (Pick 'n Save and Mariano's) and Vitamix. We are all about outcome, not output. And our results prove it. For more information, visit C-K.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395714LOGO SOURCE Cramer-Krasselt Related Links http://www.C-K.com NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 3, 2016 , Credit Suisse declared coupon payments for the following ETNs: Credit Suisse X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Mortgage REIT ETN (NYSE Arca: REML) Credit Suisse X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSE Arca: AMJL) Credit Suisse X-Links Multi-Asset High Income ETN (NYSE Arca: MLTI) On August 4, 2016 , Credit Suisse announced expected coupon payments for the following ETNs: Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (NASDAQ: GLDI) Credit Suisse X-Links Silver Shares Covered Call ETN (NASDAQ: SLVO) Summary coupon information is provided below. Declared Coupon Payments ETN Ticker ETN Name Closing Indicative Value on 7/29/16 Ex-Date Record Date Payment Date Coupon Amount Coupon Frequency Current Yield1 REML Credit Suisse X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Mortgage REIT ETN $26.4513 8/9/16 8/11/16 8/19/16 $0.0758 Monthly 3.44%2 AMJL Credit Suisse X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN $27.7484 8/9/16 8/11/16 8/19/16 $0.4488 Monthly 6.61%3 MLTI Credit Suisse X-Links Multi-Asset High Income ETN $27.9420 8/9/16 8/11/16 8/19/16 $0.1040 Monthly 6.39%3 Expected Coupon Payments ETN Ticker ETN Name Closing Indicative Value on 7/29/16 Ex-Date Record Date Payment Date Expected Coupon Amount4 Coupon Frequency Expected Current Yield5 GLDI Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN $10.7158 8/18/16 8/22/16 8/25/16 $0.1732 Monthly 17.42% SLVO Credit Suisse X-Links Silver Shares Covered Call ETN $10.6990 8/18/16 8/22/16 8/25/16 $0.2669 Monthly 21.49% For each ETN, the Current Yield equals the Coupon Amount annualized and divided by the Closing Indicative Value, as discussed in more detail below. The Current Yield is not indicative of future coupon payments, if any, on the ETNs. You are not guaranteed any coupon payment or distribution under the ETNs. Coupon payments for the ETNs (if any) are variable and do not represent fixed, periodic interest payments. The Coupon Amount may vary significantly from coupon period to coupon period and may be zero. Any payment on the ETNs is subject to Credit Suisse's ability to pay its obligations as they become due. Accordingly, the Current Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant. For more information regarding any ETN's coupon payments, please refer to such ETN's pricing supplement. The ETN launched on July 12, 2016 . The Current Yield for the ETN equals the Coupon Amount, multiplied by twelve (to annualize such amount), divided by the Closing Indicative Value, and rounded to two decimal places for ease of analysis. The Current Yield for the ETN equals the sum of (i) the Coupon Amount plus (ii) the amount of the ETN's two most recent coupon payments, multiplied by four (to annualize such amounts), divided by the Closing Indicative Value, and rounded to two decimal places for ease of analysis. On July 11, 2016 , the Credit Suisse NASDAQ Gold FLOWS 103 Index and the Credit Suisse NASDAQ Silver FLOWS 106 Index (the "Indices") concluded the notional sale of options on GLD shares and SLV shares with August 2016 expiration. We expect that the notional cash distribution generated by this sale of options will be withdrawn from the Indices on August 15, 2016 , subject to adjustment in the event of any market disruption events. Assuming no redemption or acceleration of GLDI and SLVO, and that the notional cash distribution is withdrawn from the Indices on August 15, 2016 , we expect to declare a Coupon Amount for GLDI and SLVO, respectively, equal to the corresponding Expected Coupon Amount. The Expected Coupon Amount is subject to change upon the occurrence of a disruption event or other unforeseen circumstances. For each ETN, the Expected Current Yield equals the Expected Coupon Amount annualized and divided by the Closing Indicative Value, as discussed in more detail below. The Expected Current Yield is not indicative of future coupon payments, if any, on the ETNs. You are not guaranteed any coupon payment or distribution under the ETNs. Coupon payments for the ETNs (if any) are variable and do not represent fixed, periodic interest payments. The Expected Coupon Amount may vary significantly from coupon period to coupon period and may be zero. Any payment on the ETNs is subject to Credit Suisse's ability to pay its obligations as they become due. Accordingly, the Expected Current Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant. For more information regarding any ETN's coupon payments, please refer to such ETN's pricing supplement. For each ETN, the Expected Current Yield equals the sum of (i) the Expected Coupon Amount plus (ii) the amount of the ETN's two most recent coupon payments, multiplied by four (to annualize such amounts), divided by the Closing Indicative Value, and rounded to two decimal places for ease of analysis. The Expected Current Yield is subject to change upon the occurrence of a disruption event or other unforeseen circumstances. The ETNs may not be suitable for all investors and should be purchased only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of investing in the ETNs. The ETNs are subject to the credit risk of Credit Suisse. You may receive less, and possibly significantly less, than the principal amount of your investment at maturity or upon repurchase or sale. Coupon payments on the ETNs will vary and could be zero. There is no actual portfolio of assets in which any investor in the ETNs has any ownership or other interest. Investors in the ETNs do not have voting rights, distribution rights or other rights with respect to the assets included in the tracked indices. An investment in the ETNs involves significant risks. For further information regarding risks, please see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the applicable pricing supplement. Credit Suisse AG Credit Suisse AG is one of the world's leading financial services providers and is part of the Credit Suisse group of companies (referred to here as 'Credit Suisse'). As an integrated bank, Credit Suisse offers clients its combined expertise in the areas of private banking, investment banking and asset management. Credit Suisse provides advisory services, comprehensive solutions and innovative products to companies, institutional clients and high-net-worth private clients globally, as well as to retail clients in Switzerland. Credit Suisse is headquartered in Zurich and operates in over 50 countries worldwide. The group employs approximately 47,760 people. The registered shares (CSGN) of Credit Suisse's parent company, Credit Suisse Group AG, are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CS), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com. Credit Suisse has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, for the offering to which this press release relates. Before you invest, you should read the applicable Pricing Supplement, the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015 and the Prospectus dated May 4, 2015 that Credit Suisse has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Credit Suisse and this offering. You may obtain these documents without cost by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or clicking the hyperlinks below: REML: Pricing Supplement dated July 12, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015: https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=REML AMJL: Pricing Supplement dated May 17, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015: https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=AMJL MLTI: Pricing Supplement dated June 9, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015: https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=MLTI GLDI: Pricing Supplement dated April 14, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015: https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=GLDI SLVO: Pricing Supplement dated April 14, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015: https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=SLVO Alternatively, Credit Suisse, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC or any agent or any dealer participating in this offering will arrange to send you the applicable pricing supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus if you so request by calling 1-800-320-1225. This document was produced by and the opinions expressed are those of Credit Suisse as of the date of writing and are subject to change. Copyright 2016, CREDIT SUISSE GROUP AG and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091204/CSLOGO SOURCE Credit Suisse AG Related Links http://www.credit-suisse.com LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, August 4, 2016, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office dismissed all felony charges against Insomniac's CEO, Pasquale Rotella. Gary Jay Kaufman, Mr. Rotella's attorney, issued the following statement in response to Thursday's dismissal: "I am so pleased that all of the charges in the grand jury indictment against Mr. Rotella have now been dismissed. We have maintained from day one that Mr. Rotella is innocent, and today's dismissal finally confirms this. I am elated for Mr. Rotella and his family." Mr. Rotella issued his own statement as follows: "I always knew the charges were politically motivated and publicity driven. While it's taken too long to finally put this behind me, I can now focus my energy where it belongs: my family and my company. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this." About Insomniac Insomniac produces some of the most innovative, immersive music festivals and events in the world. Enhanced by state-of-the-art lighting, pyrotechnics and sound design, large-scale art installations, theatrical performers and next-generation special effects, these events captivate the senses and inspire a unique level of fan interaction. The quality of the experience is the company's top priority. Throughout its 23-year history, Insomniac has produced more than 1,000 festivals, concerts and club nights for nearly 5 million attendees across three continents. Insomniac's events are held in California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New York, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Brazil. The company's premier annual event, Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, is the largest multi-day music festival in North America, and attracted more than 400,000 fans over three days in June 2016. The company was founded by Pasquale Rotella, and has been based in Los Angeles since it was formed in 1993. Keep up with Insomniac announcements and news on Insomniac.com, Facebook and Twitter. Media Contact: Nedda Soltani Insomniac [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395829LOGO SOURCE Insomniac Related Links https://www.insomniac.com ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EndoChoice Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GI) announced today financial results for the second quarter 2016. Highlights Revenue of $19.3 million , up 3.3% year-over-year , up 3.3% year-over-year Pathology revenue up 29% year-over-year, driven by 33% specimen growth Gross margins improve 9% sequentially Launched Generation 3 Fuse system in May ahead of schedule Lumos Adaptive Matrix Imaging received FDA clearance on August 2, 2016 Shipped 25 Fuse Systems Non-cash intangible asset impairment of $12.6 million Updated full year 2016 financial guidance Mark Gilreath, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EndoChoice, said: "We remain highly optimistic about the long-term outlook of our business as we continue to provide the most innovative and robust product portfolio to the GI specialist. Our base business of single use products and pathology produced steady growth as well as gross margin improvement driven by a significant volume increase in pathology and new product introductions, particularly among Fuse customers. Second quarter Fuse placements were below our expectations as there was weakness in certain European markets and some domestic customers paused their purchase decisions to evaluate the new Gen 3 product. Our win rates remain strong against market leading competitors and physician feedback on the Gen 3's new ergonomic design has been incredibly positive. It may take until the end of the third quarter to fully equip our salesforce with the new Gen 3 product, and this delay could impact our Fuse sales in the second half of the year. As a result, we have lowered our full year 2016 guidance, however, we remain confident in our ability to leverage our increasingly tenured sales force and new product launches to achieve our long-term growth objectives". Second Quarter 2016 Financial Review Total revenue for the second quarter 2016 was $19.3 million, compared to $18.6 million in the second quarter 2015, an increase of 3.3%. Second quarter 2016 revenue growth was driven by growth in the pathology business as well as single use products which offset the weaker than expected Fuse system placements. Second quarter 2016 total revenue consisted of $5.5 million in Imaging, $9.4 million in Single-Use Products, and $4.3 million in Pathology. This compares to second quarter 2015 total revenue, which consisted of $6.1 million in Imaging, $9.2 million in Single-Use Products, and $3.4 million in Pathology. During the second quarter 2016, the Company shipped 25 Fuse systems, including 15 domestically, 7 to international end-users, and 3 international demo units. This compares to the shipment of 27 Fuse systems in the second quarter 2015, including 15 domestic, 10 to international end-users, and 2 international demo units. Gross profit was $6.4 million, or 33.4% of revenue, for the second quarter 2016, compared to gross profit of $6.5 million, or 35.0% of revenue, for the second quarter 2015. Second quarter 2016 gross margin was negatively impacted by a $0.5 million obsolescence charge for older versions of Fuse parts which will no longer be used in the Gen 3 Fuse system. During the second quarter of 2016 and as a result of revised estimates of future performance, an analysis was performed on the recoverability of the intangible assets arising from the 2013 acquisitions of Peer Medical Ltd and RMS Endoskopie-Technik Stephan Wieth e.K, which created the current Fuse imaging business. Based on this assessment, the financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 include a pre-tax impairment charge of $12.6 million, resulting in full impairment of the intangible assets remaining net book value as of June 30, 2016. Operating expenses for the second quarter 2016 were $33.1 million, which includes the $12.6 million of intangible asset impairment. Net of the impairment charge, operating expenses for the second quarter 2016 were $20.5 million, compared to $21.4 million for the second quarter 2015. The decrease was driven by lower general and administrative and research and development expenses, partially offset by higher sales and marketing expenses in response to the increase in the number of Territory Managers and Account Managers in our domestic sales force. Net loss for the second quarter 2016 was $24.7 million, or ($.99) per share, compared to a net loss of $19.5 million for the second quarter 2015, or ($1.01) per share. Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding were 25.0 million for the second quarter 2016. On a non-GAAP basis, the Company reported an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $10.5 million, or (54.7%) of revenue, for the second quarter 2016, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $9.6 million, or (51.5%) of revenue, for the second quarter 2015. Fuse Generation 3 Launch On May 19, 2016, EndoChoice announced the full market release of its Generation 3 Full Spectrum Endoscopy (Fuse) system. Fuse Generation 3 includes an ergonomically advanced control body, incorporating over 50 system enhancements and a novel Adaptive Matrix Imaging technology called Lumos that enables physicians to see more with enhanced clarity. Financial Guidance EndoChoice is lowering its financial guidance for the full year 2016: Total revenue in the range of $80.0 million to $82.0 million ; ; Gross margin of 32-33%; Operating expenses, including the impairment charge, in the range of $91.0 million to $92.5 million ; ; Net loss after the $12.6 million of impairment charges, in the range of ($65.0) million to ($66.5) million , or to ($2.59) to ($2.65) per share, assuming 25,100,000 weighted average shares outstanding for the year; of impairment charges, in the range of to , or to per share, assuming 25,100,000 weighted average shares outstanding for the year; Adjusted EBITDA loss in the range of ($38.0) million to ($39.5) million ; and to ; and Free Cash Flow in the range of ($43.0) million to ($45.0) million and capital expenditures of $7.0 million . Additional information regarding EndoChoice's results can be found by visiting the Investor Relations section of EndoChoice's website at http://investor.endochoice.com. Conference Call EndoChoice will hold a conference call on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the results. The dial-in numbers are (877) 328-5344 for domestic callers and (412) 317-5469 for international callers. A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the investor relations section of the Company's website at http://investor.endochoice.com. A replay of the call will be available starting on August 3, 2016 through August 10, 2016. To access the replay, dial (877) 344-7529 for domestic callers and (412) 317-0088 for international callers, with the replay access code 10083795. The webcast replay will be available in the investor relations section of the Company's website for 90 days following the completion of the call and a transcript will be posted to the investor relations website. Forward-Looking Statement This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under U.S. federal securities laws, including, among other things, statements about our operations and financial performance. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our projected total revenue, gross margin, operating expense, net loss, Adjusted EBITDA and cash flow for the full year 2016. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this press release. Factors that could affect these statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to achieve or sustain profitability; general economic, market, or business conditions; the opportunities that may be presented to and pursued by the Company; conditions in the medical technology industry; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the ability to successfully commercialize our products, including Fuse; competition from new or existing competitors; and other risks described from time to time in EndoChoice's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") (including our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the prospectus filed by EndoChoice with the SEC on June 5, 2015). The discussion of these risks is specifically incorporated by reference into this press release. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and our current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. You should not rely on our forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to future events, risks and uncertainties many of which are beyond our control or are currently unknown to us as well as potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations and projections. Except as required by law, we disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures The Company has supplemented its GAAP net loss with a non-GAAP measure of Adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful supplemental information to management and investors regarding the performance of EndoChoice, and provides an additional meaningful comparison of results for current periods with previous operating results, and assists management in analyzing future trends, making strategic and business decisions and establishing internal budgets and forecasts. A reconciliation of the GAAP net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is provided in the schedule below. There are limitations in using this non-GAAP financial measure because it is not prepared in accordance with GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. This non-GAAP financial measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial measures. Investors and potential investors should consider non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with EndoChoice's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP and the reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure provided in the schedule below. About EndoChoice: Based near Atlanta, EndoChoice (NYSE: GI) is a medtech company focused on the manufacturing and commercialization of platform technologies including endoscopic imaging systems, devices and infection control products and pathology services for specialists treating a wide range of gastrointestinal conditions, including colon cancer. EndoChoice leverages its direct sales organization to serve more than 2,500 customers in the United States and works with distribution partners in 30 countries. The Company was founded in 2008 and has rapidly developed a broad and innovative product portfolio, which includes the Full Spectrum Endoscopy System (Fuse). EndoChoice, Fuse, and Full Spectrum Endoscopy are registered trademarks of EndoChoice Holdings, Inc. Company Contact: David Gill, President & Chief Financial Officer [email protected] 678-585-1040 Investor Contacts: Nick Laudico or Zack Kubow The Ruth Group 646-536-7030 / 7020 [email protected] [email protected] EndoChoice Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) in thousands (except share and per share data) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 Assets: Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 14,458 $ 34,033 Short-term marketable securities(1) 42,488 33,872 Receivables, net 10,706 9,880 Inventories 15,773 17,473 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,240 3,108 Total current assets 86,665 98,366 Long-term marketable securities(1) 19,748 Property and equipment, net 12,613 11,523 Intangible assets, net 13,819 Goodwill 20,323 20,105 Deferred income taxes 354 Deposits and other long-term assets 768 777 Total assets $ 120,723 $ 164,338 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity: Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 5,956 $ 8,434 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 8,551 9,203 Current portion of deferred rent 128 85 Deferred revenue 768 812 Total current liabilities 15,403 18,534 Long-term debt, net of discount 42,696 42,643 Deferred rent, less current portion 733 761 Deferred income taxes 2,493 Other long-term liabilities 806 614 Total liabilities 59,638 65,045 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share; 50,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 Common stock, $0.001 par value; 150,000,000 shares authorized; 25,173,551 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2016; 24,886,516 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 26 26 Additional paid-in capital 260,493 257,384 Accumulated deficit (198,296) (156,549) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,138) (1,568) Total stockholders' equity 61,085 99,293 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 120,723 $ 164,338 (1) Marketable securities are comprised of U.S. Treasury, U.S. government agency, commercial paper, and investment-grade corporate debt securities. Short-term marketable securities have a remaining maturity of less than one year, and long-term marketable securities have a remaining maturity of less than two years. EndoChoice Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, in thousands (except share and per share data) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenues: GI equipment and supplies $ 14,930 $ 15,285 $ 29,344 $ 29,080 GI pathology services 4,322 3,357 8,370 6,310 Net revenues 19,252 18,642 37,714 35,390 Cost of revenues: GI equipment and supplies 11,233 10,952 23,630 20,978 GI pathology services 1,570 1,157 3,106 2,300 Cost of revenues 12,803 12,109 26,736 23,278 Gross profit 6,449 6,533 10,978 12,112 Operating expenses: Research and development 4,971 5,166 8,994 9,849 Sales and marketing 8,670 7,557 18,279 15,800 General and administrative 6,196 7,944 12,520 12,361 Amortization of intangible assets 699 690 1,381 1,377 Impairment of intangible assets 12,589 12,589 Operating expenses 33,125 21,357 53,763 39,387 Operating loss (26,676) (14,824) (42,785) (27,275) Other income (expense): Other income (expense) 130 (598) 294 (1,631) Interest expense (1,150) (1,503) (2,297) (3,094) Loss on early retirement of debt (2,282) (2,282) Total other expense (1,020) (4,383) (2,003) (7,007) Net loss before income taxes (27,696) (19,207) (44,788) (34,282) Income tax benefit (expense) 3,011 (280) 3,041 (479) Net loss (24,685) (19,487) (41,747) (34,761) Other comprehensive income (loss): Foreign currency translation adjustments (1,081) 1,796 301 1,056 Change in fair value of available-for-sale securities 14 129 Other comprehensive income (loss) (1,067) 1,796 430 1,056 Comprehensive loss $ (25,752) $ (17,691) $ (41,317) $ (33,705) Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted $ (0.99) $ (1.01) $ (1.67) $ (2.01) Weighted-average shares of common stock used to compute net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted 25,030,906 19,300,197 24,993,954 17,320,472 EndoChoice Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, in thousands 2016 2015 Cash flows from operating activities: Net loss $ (41,747) $ (34,761) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operations: Impairment of intangible assets 12,589 Depreciation and amortization 4,501 4,027 Stock-based compensation 2,590 3,501 Loss on disposal of property and equipment 30 227 Non-cash interest expense and discount amortization 189 475 Amortization of premium on marketable securities, net 336 Change in fair value of warrant liability 435 Provision for doubtful accounts 705 588 Unrealized foreign currency (gain) loss (288) 952 Deferred income tax (benefit) expense (2,989) 176 Loss on early retirement of debt 2,282 Loss on impairment of property and equipment 423 912 Changes in certain working capital components and other assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (1,473) (467) Inventories 1,964 875 Prepaid expenses and other current assets (110) (432) Other assets 163 299 Accounts payable, accrued expenses, and other liabilities (3,261) 2,350 Net cash used in operations (26,378) (18,561) Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures (4,604) (2,555) Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities 10,925 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 6,321 (2,555) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from term loan 43,000 Principal payments on term loan (40,000) Prepayment and end of term fees for early retirement of debt (2,306) Payments for debt financing fees (417) Payments of contingent consideration (50) Proceeds from issuance of member units, net 31,000 Proceeds from issuance of common stock in initial public offering, net of issuance costs 94,460 Proceeds from issuance of common stock under ESPP 486 Proceeds from option exercises 28 71 Net cash provided by financing activities 464 125,808 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 18 6 Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (19,575) 104,698 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 34,033 13,761 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 14,458 $ 118,459 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash paid during the period for: Interest $ 2,096 $ 2,824 Income taxes $ 35 $ 6 EndoChoice Holdings, Inc. Reconciliation of Net Loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, in thousands 2016 2015 2016 2015 Net loss $ (24,685) $ (19,487) $ (41,747) $ (34,761) Adjustments to net loss: Interest expense 1,150 1,503 2,297 3,094 Income tax (benefit) expense (3,011) 280 (3,041) 479 Impairment of property and equipment 423 912 Impairment of intangible assets 12,589 12,589 Depreciation and amortization 2,168 1,926 4,501 4,027 EBITDA(1) $ (11,789) $ (15,778) $ (24,978) $ (26,249) Stock-based compensation expense 1,253 3,496 2,590 3,501 Warrant liability mark-to-market adjustment 407 435 Loss on early retirement of debt 2,282 2,282 Adjusted EBITDA(2) $ (10,536) $ (9,593) $ (22,388) $ (20,031) (1) We define EBITDA as net loss plus interest expense, income tax expense, impairment of property and equipment, impairment of intangibles, and depreciation and amortization. (2) We define adjusted EBITDA as net loss plus interest expense, income tax expense, impairment of property and equipment, impairment of intangibles, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, warrant liability mark-to-market adjustments, and loss on early retirement of debt. SOURCE EndoChoice Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.endochoice.com CEDAR RAPIDS Ag means trade, so when he hears presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump express opposition to trade deals, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey gets concerned. Iowa farmers and food processors produce way more than 3 million people can consume, the Spirit Lake corn and soybean farmer and third-term ag secretary said Thursday. Northey was in Cedar Rapids to welcome the National Association of County Office Employees convention. They are the people who staff the USDA Farm Service Agency offices. Iowa annually exports $1 billion worth of pork, for example, and almost 40 percent of its soybean crop, Northey said. Trade is hugely important to Iowa agriculture, Northey said. We ship almost 40 percent of our soybeans overseas and 70 percent of our exports go to China. He understands that some people have concerns with Chinese trade, especially enforcement of trade agreements. But we dont want to lose them as customers, he said. I would argue they need our beans as much as we need to sell them. So it worries him when the presidential candidates talk about trade, especially their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. How serious are they? Northey said. Are they really looking at tariffs or blowing up NAFTA? Trump has called trade a zero-sum game, meaning the U.S. is losing if it imports more than it exports. He has talked of levying high tariffs on companies that move jobs outside the U.S. Clintons stance has shifted in recent year because of what she calls a different political environment. Although she supported the TPP as secretary of state, she now opposes it as a candidate. If the TPP is defeated by Congress or never brought to a vote, I dont think anything changes very much tomorrow or next month or next year other than the loss of opportunity, Northey said. Long-term, however, we will be on the less aggressive side of trade, with less opportunity to decrease barriers in the future and I think it has serious long-term effects. Theres more, he added. The U.S. stands to lose its leadership on trade if it doesnt participate in the TPP. Its not only important for the ag community but for the country, Northey said. It would seem like it would make sense for us to be very careful about things that could damage (trade) and try to be aggressive in those things that could improve that. BRUSSELS, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The EU-Romania Business Society today announced their launch in Brussels. The organisation will campaign for greater business development and market-opening investment between Romania and her EU partners. The Society has registered with the European Commission's transparency initiative and is based in Brussels. It will work with business, investors, European institutions, governments, MEPs and members to promote trade and investment between Romania, the Danube Region and the rest of Europe. The EU-Romania Business Society will advocate for conditions fostering business, investment and strong social and economic development and will champion close co-operation and the exchange of opportunities and ideas between Romania, the countries of the Danube Region and Romania's European partners. Planned activities for the year ahead include round table discussions and seminars, networking events, reports and analysis on Romania's business environment and trade relations, outreach to political audiences to promote favourable business conditions and media activity to promote the EU's Danube Strategy and business and investment opportunities in Romania. The Society is actively campaigning to recruit new members who share the organisation's ambitions. Today also sees the launch of the Society's website which can be found at http://www.eu-romaniabusiness-society.org SOURCE EU-Romania Business Society TORONTO, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - IAMGOLD Corporation ("the Company") reports with deep regret the death of a contractor's employee this morning in a bus accident between Dori and Kaya, at around 170 km north of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. In addition to the fatality, seven injured IAMGOLD employees were taken to Ouagadougou for medical treatment. Two employees have been released, and the other five remain in stable condition in the hospital. The accident involved two IAMGOLD buses operated by Transcordec, which were transporting employees from the Essakane Mine to Ouagadougou. Essakane's emergency response team was immediately activated and internal and external emergency services personnel were called to the site, along with police authorities. Our thoughts are with the family, friends and co-workers of our Transcordec colleague, and we are offering assistance and support to the individual's family. An investigation into the accident has been initiated by the Company and we are working with our contractor Transcordec and the local authorities to determine the cause. The relevant government authorities have been notified. Please note: This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through CNW Group's website at www.newswire.ca. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx. SOURCE IAMGOLD Corporation Related Links http://www.iamgold.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ivins, Phillips & Barker, Chartered, the nation's premier corporate tax and employee benefits law firm, is pleased to announce that Harry L. ("Hank") Gutman has joined the firm as Of Counsel, effective July 1, 2016. Mr. Gutman, former Chief of Staff of the United States Congress Joint Committee on Taxation, joins the firm's corporate tax group and will lead the firm's Federal Tax Policy Group. Former Tax Committee Chief of Staff Joins Ivins "Hank's reputation as one of Washington's preeminent tax lawyers precedes him, and his unrivaled familiarity with tax policy and the Washington tax landscape adds a dimension to the practice that will be invaluable to our clients as they plan for their future in this era of tax uncertainty and potential reform," commented Ivins partner, Les Schneider. Rosina Barker, a partner in the Ivins employee benefits group noted that, "Hank allows us to give clients what they need actionable Washington intelligence and insight tailored to their specific facts." Mr. Gutman has had a distinguished legal career. He started practice in Boston, but was soon called to Washington to serve in the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Tax Policy from 1977 to 1980, first as an Attorney-Adviser and then as Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel. While at Treasury, Mr. Gutman received the U.S. Treasury's prestigious Exceptional Service Award. He then turned his sights to academia, teaching tax law full-time to aspiring attorneys at the University of Virginia and University of Pennsylvania. In 1991, however, Mr. Gutman was again called to public service, to serve as Chief of Staff of the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. In that role, Mr. Gutman served as the key non-partisan adviser to the fiscal committees of each branch of the U.S. Congress. Following this service, Mr. Gutman again returned to private practice and, in 1999, was asked to join KPMG's Washington National Tax practice. At KPMG, he served for more than fifteen years as Principal-in-Charge of the firm's Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services group and as Director of the KPMG Tax Governance Institute. Mr. Gutman left KPMG in 2015. Throughout his years in private practice, Mr. Gutman has counseled major multinational corporations on various implications of tax legislative change. He has also represented clients in legislative and administrative matters before Congress, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service. He has delivered over 1,000 presentations to corporate boards, audit committees, C-Suite executives, financial executives, Chief Tax Officers and corporate tax departments, on diverse topics associated with U.S. federal income taxation. Recent presentation topics have focused on international and domestic legislative activity relating to the taxation of business income, the tax legislative process, the economic effects and policy implications of alternative methods of taxing business income, and the implications of international efforts to curb base erosion (e.g., BEPS). Regarding Mr. Gutman's decision to join Ivins, he said, "I am delighted to join the superb lawyers at Ivins and augment the firm's existing world-class tax practice with a practical policy component. The synergies of our combined experiences create an unmatched ability to assist clients in understanding, navigating and influencing the ever-changing tax legislative landscape." Mr. Gutman has served as Chairman of the Tax Policy and Government Relations Committees of the American Bar Association's Tax Section, and has been a member of the Board of Advisors of the NYU/IRS Continuing Legal Education Program and the NYU Federal Tax Institute Advisory Board. He is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and was a trustee of the American Tax Policy Institute. He is a Life Member of the American Law Institute (ALI) and has served as Reporter for the ALI Generation-Skipping Tax Project. Mr. Gutman earned his undergraduate degree cum laude from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, a B.A. degree in Jurisprudence from University College, Oxford University and his LL.B. cum laude from Harvard Law School. Ivins, Phillips & Barker, Chartered, is a specialty law firm devoted exclusively to tax and employee benefits, with offices in Washington, DC and Los Angeles. Ivins specializes in representing Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 clients in corporate tax and employee benefits matters, and has developed an extraordinary number of senior-level tax executives in U.S. government service. For more information about Ivins, please visit our website at www.ipbtax.com. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395742 SOURCE Ivins, Phillips & Barker Related Links http://www.ipbtax.com FRANKFURT, Germany, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FRA/gk-rap - In the first half of 2016, the Fraport Group achieved revenue of just over 1.2 billion. Although this represents a 17.1 million (or 1.4 percent) decline year-on-year, it must be taken into account that a change in the Group's scope of consolidated companies occurred in the previous business year. During 2015, Fraport sold 51 percent of its capital shares in the FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services subsidiary and also made a full disposal of Air-Transport IT Services, both formerly wholly-owned subsidiaries. Adjusting for these changes, Group revenue in the first half of 2016 advanced by 19.2 million, up 1.6 percent. Revenue was positively impacted by higher revenue from the sales of land, among other factors. Outside of Frankfurt, the Group's subsidiaries, Lima Airport Partners, Twin Star and AMU Holdings Inc., also contributed to revenue growth. Among other things, declining passenger volumes at Frankfurt Airport contributed to negative effects on revenue. The Group's EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) declined by 1.7 percent to 378.4 million in the first six months of 2016. This was also due to the slowdown in passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport and the corresponding drop in retail revenues. With depreciation and amortization remaining almost constant, Group EBIT reached 214.6 million (down 3.3 percent). The slightly improving financial result as well as lower income tax expenses led to a Group result of 99.7 million (down 3.2 percent). Higher cash flow used in investing activities and one-off tax effects in the first quarter of 2016 caused free cash flow to contract by 40.4 million to 149.3 million. Fraport AG's executive board chairman, Dr. Stefan Schulte, emphasized that the Group achieved solid first-half results despite the challenging environment. Schulte said: "With air traffic being negatively impacted by geopolitical circumstances, several of our Group airports experienced significant traffic declines." Thus, Fraport AG's executive board has revised its passenger forecast for Frankfurt Airport and is now expecting a slight drop in passenger traffic. Schulte, however, reconfirmed the Group's financial target for the full year: "Also taking into account the expected positive effects resulting from the sale of a partial stake in St. Petersburg, we are maintaining our outlook for the Group's asset, financial, and earnings position for the 2016 business year, despite the challenging environment." Fraport's home-base Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed a total of 28.7 million passengers in the first six months of 2016, representing a 0.9 percent decline year-on-year. In particular, the second quarter saw flight bookings drop amid travelers' concerns after terrorist attacks in various countries. Cargo throughput (airfreight + airmail) rose by 0.4 percent in the reporting period, to over 1.0 million metric tons. Aircraft movements decreased by 1.0 percent to some 227,000 takeoffs and landings, reflecting airlines' ongoing consolidation measures and the general trend towards deployment of larger aircraft. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs), by contrast, climbed by 1.2 percent - reaching a new record high. Fraport AG's international portfolio of airports reported mixed results in the first half of 2016. Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia welcomed 598,271 passengers in the January-to-June period, a 4.5 percent decline on the previous year (in June 2016, down by 9.2 percent to 135,757 passengers). At Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru's capital, by contrast, traffic soared by 11.0 percent to 8.9 million passengers (in June 2016, up 13.0 percent to 1.5 million passengers). The two Twin Star airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast also reported significant traffic growth: combined, the two airports welcomed 1.2 million passengers - an increase of 24.8 percent year-on-year (in June 2016, up 23.4 percent to 779,938 passengers). Passenger numbers at Antalya Airport (AYT) in Turkey continued to decline. In the first half of year, traffic at AYT contracted by 30.5 percent to 7.3 million passengers (in June 2016, down 47.1 percent to 1.9 million passengers). Also Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia, experienced a noticeable slowdown in the first six months of the year, with traffic dropping by 6.5 percent to 5.7 million passengers (in June 2016, down 7.6 percent to 1.4 million passengers). Hanover Airport (HAJ) in northern Germany also registered a slight 0.7 percent decline in traffic to 2.4 million passengers (in June 2016, down 2.9 percent to 521,676 passengers). By contrast, Xi'an Airport (XIY) in central China continued its strong growth path of recent years. In the first half of 2016, traffic at XIY climbed by 11.3 percent to 17.5 million passengers (in June 2016, up 10.8 percent to 2.9 million passengers). The Group Interim Report can be found on the Fraport website at http://www.fraport.com/en/investor-relations/events-und-publications/publications/interim-reports.html Print-quality photos of Fraport AG and Frankfurt Airport are available for free downloading via the photo library located in our Press Center on the Fraport Web site. For TV news and information broadcasting purposes only, we also offer free footage material for downloading. If you wish to meet a member of our press team when at Frankfurt Airport, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact details are available here. Fraport AG - which ranks among the world's leading companies in the global airport business - offers a full range of integrated airport management services and boasts subsidiaries and investments on three continents. The Fraport Group generated sales of 2.6 billion and profit of about 297 million in 2015. In 2015, some 111 million passengers used airports around the world in which Fraport has more than a 50 percent stake. In its Mission Statement, Fraport places the focus on customers. The Group's commitment to ensuring a "good trip" to all passengers and travelers is also reflected in the corporate slogan: "Gute Reise! We make it happen". This dedication applies to all of Fraport's business activities in Frankfurt as well as the Group's airports worldwide. At its Frankfurt Airport (FRA) home base, Fraport welcomed more than 61 million passengers and handled about 2.1 million metric tons of cargo (airfreight and airmail) in 2015. For the current summer timetable, FRA is served by 95 passenger airlines flying to 290 destinations in some 100 countries worldwide. Half of FRA's destinations are intercontinental (beyond Europe) - underscoring Frankfurt's role as a leading hub in the global air transportation system. In Europe, Frankfurt Airport ranks second in terms of cargo tonnage and is the fourth busiest for passenger traffic. With about 59 percent of all passengers using Frankfurt as a connecting hub, FRA also has the highest transfer rate among the major European hubs. Frankfurt Airport City has become Germany's largest job complex at a single location, employing more than 80,000 people at some 500 companies and organizations on site. Almost half of Germany's population lives within a 200-kilometer radius of the FRA intermodal travel hub - the largest airport catchment area in Europe. FRA Airport City also serves as a magnet for other companies located throughout the economically vital Frankfurt/Rhine-Main-Neckar region. Thanks to synergies associated with the region's dynamic industries, networked expertise, and outstanding intermodal transportation infrastructure, FRA's world route network enables Hesse's and Germany's export-oriented businesses to flourish in global growth markets. Likewise, FRA is a strategic gateway for companies wanting to access the huge European marketplace. Frankfurt Airport - which is strategically located in the heart of Europe - is one of the most important hubs in the global logistics chain. Fraport AG Christopher Holschier Spokesperson Press Office, Corp. Communications, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany Telephone: +49-69-690-70553 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.fraport.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport SOURCE Fraport AG HOUSTON, July 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gastar Exploration Inc. (NYSE MKT: GST) ("Gastar") announced today that it will release its second quarter 2016 results on Thursday, August 4, 2016 after the market closes. In conjunction with the release, Gastar has scheduled a conference call for 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Central Time) on Friday, August 5, 2016. Investors may participate in the call either by phone or audio webcast. By Phone: Dial 1-412-902-0030 at least 10 minutes before the call. A telephone replay will be available through August 12 by dialing 1-201-612-7415 and using the conference ID: 13641002. By Webcast: Visit the Investor Relations page of Gastar's website at www.gastar.com under "Events & Presentations." Please log on a few minutes in advance to register and download any necessary software. A replay will be available shortly after the call. For more information, please contact Donna Washburn at Dennard-Lascar Associates at 713-529-6600 or e-mail [email protected]. About Gastar Exploration Gastar Exploration Inc. is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids in the United States. Gastar's principal business activities include the identification, acquisition, and subsequent exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties with an emphasis on unconventional reserves, such as shale resource plays. In Oklahoma, Gastar is developing the primarily oil-bearing reservoirs of the Hunton Limestone horizontal play and is testing other prospective formations on the same acreage, including the Meramec Shale and the Woodford Shale, which is referred to as the STACK Play and emerging prospective plays in the shallow Oswego formation and in the Osage formation, a deeper bench of the Mississippi Lime located below the Meramec Shale. For more information, visit Gastar's website at www.gastar.com. Contacts: Gastar Exploration Inc. Michael A. Gerlich, Chief Financial Officer 713-739-1800 / [email protected] Investor Relations Counsel: Lisa Elliott / [email protected] Dennard-Lascar Associates: 713-529-6600 SOURCE Gastar Exploration Inc. Related Links http://www.gastar.com FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phebe N. Novakovic will speak at the Jefferies 2016 Industrials Conference in New York City on Tuesday, August 9, at 10 a.m. EDT. A live webcast of the presentation will be available at www.generaldynamics.com. DENVER, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Louis, Missouri based Gershman Mortgage recently announced an agreement with California based private mortgage banker, Land Home Financial Services (Land Home), to provide outsourced HUD loan solutions to Land Home's commercial lending division. This agreement creates an opportunity for Land Home to offer competitive rates and long term financing to their commercial, multifamily and healthcare clients. The rates are available to lenders as part of the National Housing Act and insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. "We are excited about our partnership with Gershman Mortgage's Multifamily and Healthcare Group," says Chris Thomas, Land Home Financial Services Commercial Division Director. "As the US population ages there will be an ever increasing demand in this sector. Our partnership will enable us to continue to serve our clients and meet this demand for years to come." Land Home was founded in 1988 by President Brad Waite and has since grown in a vast, nationwide operation with 6 divisions and over 5 billion in servicing. The Commercial Division of Land Home officially broke ground in early 2016 with the goal of providing more resources to the growing client base of Land Home. "We are excited that this relationship has been initiated and see this as an opportunity to expand our FHA platform to Land Home Financial Services offices throughout the country," says Bruce Sandweiss, Executive Vice President of Gershman's Multifamily Division. Michael Thomas, Vice President of Multifamily and Healthcare at Gershman Mortgage, will oversee the operations of this venture. Gershman Mortgage is a direct lender under these programs and is one of a few select lenders to be fully approved for both the FHA MAP (Multifamily Accelerated Processing) and LEAN (for healthcare projects) processing programs. As one of the largest originators of FHA insured multifamily loans in the nation, Gershman offers attractive financing options for new construction and substantial rehab projects as well as refinancing for existing property owners. Named one of the nation's "Top Commercial Servicers" by Mortgage Servicing News, and a Ginnie Mae mega-servicer, Gershman services $1.5 billion in loans. Michael Thomas can be contacted directly at (303) 953-4775 or by cell at (303) 810-5170. His email address is [email protected]. Land Home Financial Services, Inc. (Land Home) is a private mortgage banker headquartered in Concord, CA, licensed in 49 states and the District of Columbia with branch offices in California, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona, North Carolina and Hawaii. Since 1988, Land Home has provided expert, service oriented mortgage advice built on knowledge, commitment and trust. Their relationship centric lending model has led to elite rankings by the Scotsman Guide and Mortgage Executive Magazine, multiple years running, and is proud to be an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB) business since 2012. Land Home is comprised of six divisions (Retail, Wholesale, Reverse, Manufactured, Insurance and Builder) offering a vast array of services in the residential mortgage industry. Land Home is proud to be Your Preferred Community Lender, donating close to $1 Million over the last five years to a community of nationwide partners with their "Fund It Forward" initiative. For more information visit LHFS.com, call 800-672-9470, or follow @LHF_Loans. Land Home Financial Services, Inc. | 1355 Willow Way, Suite 250, Concord, CA 94520 | NMLS #1796 | CA-DBO FLL #6052040/RMLA #4150086 | CalBRE #00988341| Complete Licensing available at nmlsconsumeraccess.org Contact: Ryan Smith Land Home Financial Services 1355 Willow Way #250 Phone: 925.338.8209 Concord, CA 94520 Fax: 925.459.6764 www.LHFS.com SOURCE Gershman Mortgage LONDON, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2015, global new installed wind power capacity reached 63.01GW, up 22.41% YoY, refreshing new installed wind power capacity records again. China continues to lead the global wind power market with new installed capacity of 30.75GW in 2015 and the first worldwide ranking for six consecutive years. The wind power market will continue to be buoyant during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). The global total installed wind power capacity is expected to surpass 700GW by 2020, of which, China will reach around 250GW. Large-scale wind power is the development trend of wind power technology in recent years. China's new per-unit power of wind turbine has been on the rise since 2000, hitting 1,837kW in 2015, more than three times as much as that in 2000. Concerning China's new installed wind power capacity in 2015, 1.5MW and 2MW wind turbines were predominant with a combined 84% share, of which, 2MW wind turbine outperformed 1.5MW wind turbine for the first time and accounted for 50%. Development of offshore wind power growing at a steady pace is expected to accelerate in the future. In 2015, China's new grid-connected capacity of offshore wind power was recorded at 360.5MW, occupying 10.7% of the global total. China's total installed grid-connected capacity of offshore wind power is planned to hit 30GW by 2020, while the cumulative actual installed capacity was merely 1GW in 2015. Given this, the offshore wind power construction will be greatly sped up. To solve the wind turbine suspension problem, distributed wind power generation will be the first choice in the future. There has been a phased saturation for large-scale wind power development in Northwest, Northeast and North China, where the wind turbine suspension problem is increasingly severe. In 2015, wind turbine suspension volume reached a peak i.e. 33.9 billion kWh in five years, registering an average suspension rate of 15%. To improve the situation, the government has proposed the priority development of distributed wind power during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. According to the plan, the installed distributed wind power capacity will be 25GW by 2020 and 70GW by 2050. The report covers the followings: Global wind energy resources, installed wind power capacity and structure, wind power development in major countries, corporate competition, etc.; China's installed wind power capacity and structure, offshore wind power, exports, corporate competition, etc.; Market status of wind turbine parts (e.g. blade, gearbox, tower, converter, generator, bearing) as well as operation of key players; Wind energy resources, wind power development mode, construction achievements, main developers, etc.; Operation, R&D, etc. of 5 global and 10 Chinese wind turbine companies. With global new installed capacity of 7.8GW, Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd. became the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer in 2015, followed successively by Vestas, GE, Siemens and Gamesa. In June 2016, Siemens announced the signing of a binding agreement with Gamesa on merging wind power business of both sides (including Siemens Wind Power Services). Affected by this, the global wind turbine market structure will be changed in 2016. In addition to Goldwind Science & Technology, there were 8 Chinese players reporting new installed wind power capacity of over 1MW in 2015, namely United Power, Envision Energy, Mingyang Wind Power, CSIC (Chongqing) HaizhuangWindpower Equipment, Shanghai Electric, XEMC Windpower, DongfangElectric Corporation and Zhejiang Windey, in succession. Furthermore, wind-turbine parts companies in China have good supply capability. In terms of wind power blade, China has possessed the 1.5MW wind blade R&D and production capacity, which will increase gradually to 3MW, 5MW and even more; representative firms include AVIC HuitengWindpower Equipment Co., Ltd., Shanghai FRP Research Institute Co., Ltd., Lianyungang ZhongfuLianzhong Composites Group Co., Ltd. and Sinoma Science & Technology Co.,Ltd. With respect to wind power gearbox, Nanjing High Accurate Drive Equipment Manufacturing Group Co., Ltd. (NGC) as a leader in China and even in the world registers a share of 60% domestically and 23% globally. In the aspect of wind power converter, foreign brands like ABB, Converteam and Emerson take the leading position; however, Sungrow Power Supply, Hopewind Electric, Shanghai Hi-tech Control System Co., Ltd. (HITE) and other local firms are rising. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3345216/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com CHICAGO, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/-- Dairy industry leaders assembled at the 10th Global Dairy Congress in London on June 28, 2016 focusing on the growth opportunities within dairy innovation and the opportunities within the $130 billion functional products category. (Source: "Functional Foods and Drinks: A Global Strategic Business Report" by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., 2015) Accepting the Award for Best Functional Dairy Product, Ross Vangalis, President of Queue Marketing Communications said, "We are thrilled to recognize the achievement this award represents to the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) in launching the Live Real Farms Energy Drink." Ross further commented, "In the United States we have seen a vast consumer shift in preventive health, partly due to rising healthcare costs. As such, we are observing a lot our clients expanding their food and beverage capabilities to grow share in the growing functional foods category." Award host, FoodBev Media Director, Bill Bruce stated, "The pace of change and real innovation demonstrated in the wide variety of entries is evidence the industry continues to deliver for the consumer. The awards highlight the best of the best." Global Dairy Congress speakers spoke on the importance of functional products to the $47 billion dairy industry. Including Fairlife Dairy CEO, Steve Jones, Dairy Farmers of America SVP, Jay Waldvogel, Powerful Yogurt CEO, Carlos Ramirez and many more. (Source: The Dairy Farmers Market Research Report, by IBISWorld, 2016) About Queue Marketing Communications Queue is a full-service agency with over 10 years of expertise in integrated marketing services in the functional food and beverage category, focusing on transforming emerging category trends into scalable brand growth. About Dairy Farmers of America DFA is a leading national dairy marketing cooperative, serving over 14,000 farmer owners in 48 states. One of the country's most diversified manufacturers of dairy products, food components and ingredients. About Live Real Farms About FoodBev World Dairy Innovation Awards SOURCE Queue Marketing Communications Related Links http://www.in-queue.com/ A new report saying that Hillary Clintons campaign has talked with California officials about how the Renewable Fuel Standard might be revamped is drawing criticism from a top Republican in Iowa. The Clinton campaign said Wednesday, however, that while the RFS, which heavily utilizes corn-based ethanol, needs to be put back on track, she does not support replacing it with what is called a low-carbon fuel standard. Reuters on Wednesday reported that Clinton advisers have contacted the California Air Resources Board to discuss whether the states market-based Low Carbon Fuel Standard could be applied at the national level to replace or augment the Renewable Fuel Standard. The article cited as a source officials with the state air resources board. The report prompted a response Wednesday from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who called the RFS a tremendous success and warned against changes. A low-carbon fuel standard, which exists in California, is an invention of those who belittle the carbon benefit of traditional corn ethanol, using a scientifically questionable rationale, Grassley said in a statement. Any proposal that opens up or undermines the RFS and results in less ethanol, biodiesel and cellulosic biofuels is a non-starter with those of us who understand the value of renewable fuels and the potential for industry innovation to continue indefinitely. Iowa is a key battleground state in the presidential election and support for energy incentives, whether theyre for biofuels or wind energy, have often been issues in political campaigns. The RFS, which was created by Congress a decade ago, then expanded, requires that a certain amount of renewable fuels be blended into the nations fuel supply. By 2020, the goal is to use 36 billion gallons. The oil industry has pushed the Obama administration to back off the authorized levels, citing less demand for gasoline and slow development of advanced biofuels. Corn growers and Iowa politicians have pushed back, urging the Obama administration to stick to levels recommended in the law. Clinton has said that the RFS still can be a powerful tool in advancing renewable fuels but that changes in the energy landscape shouldnt be ignored. She authored an op-ed in the Cedar Rapids Gazette last year saying changes to the RFS should protect consumers, give investors certainty and improve access to biofuels, including E15, E85 and biodiesel blends. In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the campaign said it has engaged in a wide range of discussions but it is not supporting a California-like standard at the national level as a replacement for the RFS. As Hillary Clinton has said repeatedly during the primary, she is committed to getting the RFS back on track and making sure the U.S. remains a leader in advanced biofuels, the campaign said. While we have engaged a wide range of stakeholders and experts throughout the campaign on biofuels and other issues, we do not support replacing the RFS with a national low-carbon fuel standard. Californias low-carbon standard, established in 2007, requires that fuel producers lessen the carbon intensity of their products. But it gives producers the leeway to develop their own fuels or buy credits on an open market from companies that develop or sell low-carbon fuels. The standard requires a 10 percent reduction in 2020. ATLANTA, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gray Television, Inc. ("Gray," "we," "us" or "our") (NYSE: GTN and GTN.A) today announces record-setting results of operations for the period ended June 30, 2016, including record revenue, record net income, and record Broadcast Cash Flow. Moreover, adjusting for the impact of acquisitions, the results reported today confirm that Gray continues to post organic revenue growth while maintaining solid expense controls. Financial Highlights As-Reported Basis Our total revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2016 (the "second quarter of 2016") was $196.6 million, which was the highest for any quarter in our history. Moreover, total revenue increased $53.2 million, or 37%, for the second quarter of 2016 when compared to the three months ended June 30, 2015 (the "second quarter of 2015"). Our net income was $17.7 million for the second quarter of 2016, which was the highest for any second quarter in our history and a 46% increase from the second quarter of 2015. Our Broadcast Cash Flow was $79.3 million for the second quarter of 2016, which was also the highest for any second quarter in our history and a 38% increase from the second quarter of 2015. We earned $9.6 million in political advertising revenue during the second quarter of 2016, consistent with our previous guidance. Our record-setting performance in the second quarter of 2016 resulted in basic net income per share of $0.25. Combined Historical Basis The results reported today also reflect organic revenue growth at Gray. On a Combined Historical Basis, as defined herein, total revenue increased 8%, net income increased 6% and Broadcast Cash Flow increased 4% in the second quarter of 2016 compared to the second quarter of 2015. In addition, on a Combined Historical Basis, our broadcast operating expenses, excluding network compensation fees, were virtually unchanged in the second quarter of 2016, when compared to the second quarter of 2015. Significantly, the expected increases in network compensation fees were offset by increases in gross retransmission revenue. Also noteworthy is that in the first six-months of 2016, when compared to the first six months of 2015 on a Combined Historical Basis, our national sales commission expenses decreased over $2.0 million as a result of our termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements at the beginning of 2016. We have reduced our national sales commission expenses while building a positive and direct relationship with our national sales customers. Other Highlights The financial results demonstrate the success of our recent acquisitions, organic revenue growth and prudent operational cost controls across our entire portfolio of television stations. In addition, we achieved additional milestones during the second quarter of 2016 as we continue to execute prudent and opportunistic transactions. On June 14, 2016 , we completed the private placement of $500.0 million of 5.875% senior notes due 2026 (the "2026 Notes"), at par. The 2026 Notes represented the lowest cost, as well as the longest tenor, of any bond issuance in Gray's history. Concurrent with the issuance of these bonds, both S&P and Moody's raised their ratings on Gray's credit facilities. , we completed the private placement of of 5.875% senior notes due 2026 (the "2026 Notes"), at par. The 2026 Notes represented the lowest cost, as well as the longest tenor, of any bond issuance in Gray's history. Concurrent with the issuance of these bonds, both S&P and Moody's raised their ratings on Gray's credit facilities. On June 3, 2016 , we announced that we agreed to acquire, for $270.0 million in cash, television stations WBAY-TV (ABC) in the Green Bay, Wisconsin television market and KWQC-TV (NBC) in the Davenport, Iowa television market as part of the divestiture of stations resulting from the pending merger of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. ("Nexstar") and Media General, Inc. We anticipate that this transaction will be completed late in 2016. , we announced that we agreed to acquire, for in cash, television stations WBAY-TV (ABC) in the television market and KWQC-TV (NBC) in the television market as part of the divestiture of stations resulting from the pending merger of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. ("Nexstar") and Media General, Inc. We anticipate that this transaction will be completed late in 2016. On June 1, 2016 , we made an initial payment of $16.5 million and acquired the non-license assets of television stations WDTV-TV (CBS) and WVFX-TV (FOX/CW), a legal duopoly in the Clarksburg - Weston, West Virginia television market (the "Clarksburg Acquisition"). Also, on June 1, 2016 we began to operate the stations, subject to the control of the stations' current licensees, under a local programming and marketing agreement (or "LMA"). We anticipate that this acquisition will be completed late in 2016. , we made an initial payment of and acquired the non-license assets of television stations WDTV-TV (CBS) and WVFX-TV (FOX/CW), a legal duopoly in the - television market (the "Clarksburg Acquisition"). Also, on we began to operate the stations, subject to the control of the stations' current licensees, under a local programming and marketing agreement (or "LMA"). We anticipate that this acquisition will be completed late in 2016. On April 14, 2016 , we made a $3.0 million strategic equity investment in Syncbak, a technology company that replicates over-the-air broadcasts for delivery over-the-top of the Internet. , we made a strategic equity investment in Syncbak, a technology company that replicates over-the-air broadcasts for delivery over-the-top of the Internet. On June 27, 2016 , we closed the previously announced acquisition of KYES-TV (MY, Ant.) in the Anchorage, Alaska television market (the "KYES-TV Acquisition"), for $0.5 million . In connection with our various acquisition transactions, we incurred professional fees of approximately $0.5 million and $7.2 million in the second quarter of 2016 and the six-months ended June 30, 2016, respectively; and $0.3 million and $0.7 million in the second quarter of 2015 and the six-months ended June 30, 2015, respectively. These expenses are included in our corporate and administrative operating expenses. As of June 30, 2016, our Total Leverage Ratio, Net of All Cash, as defined herein, was 5.25 times on a trailing eight-quarter basis, netting all $176.3 million of cash on our balance sheet against our debt balance. We maintain our previously issued guidance regarding our 2016 year-end net leverage ratio. Effects of Acquisitions and Divestitures on Our Results of Operations From October 31, 2013 through June 30, 2016, we completed 19 acquisition transactions and three divestiture transactions. These transactions added a net total of 43 television stations in 25 television markets to our operations, including 20 new television markets. During February 2016, we completed the acquisition of several television and radio stations from Schurz Communications, Inc. ("Schurz"); divested the assets of the Schurz radio stations; exchanged KAKE-TV for WBXX-TV and cash; and exchanged WSBT-TV for WLUC-TV (collectively the "Schurz Acquisition and Related Transactions"). During June 2016, we entered into the Clarksburg Acquisition and completed the KYES-TV Acquisition. The transactions completed during the six-months ended June 30, 2016 added the following 13 television stations to our operations: Station Primary Network Affiliation Market WBXX-TV CW Knoxville, TN KWCH-TV(1) CBS Wichita-Hutchinson, KS WDBJ-TV CBS Roanoke, VA KYTV-DT, KCZ, KSPR-TV(2) NBC, CW, ABC Springfield, MO WAGT-TV NBC Augusta, GA KTUU-TV, KYES-TV NBC, MY Anchorage, AK WDTV-TV(3), WVFX-TV(3) CBS, FOX Clarksburg-Weston, WV KOTA-TV(4) ABC Rapid City, SD WLUC-TV NBC/FOX Marquette, MI (1) The acquired station includes three satellite stations re-broadcasting the programming associated with the primary (CBS) network affiliation. (2) Gray provides certain non-sales, back-office services to KSPR-TV. KSPR is owned by Schurz. (3) On June 1, 2016, we acquired the non-license assets of the television station and entered into an LMA, under which we operate the station, subject to the control of the licensees. Our ultimate acquisition of the station's Federal Communications Commission license and license related assets is pending regulatory and other approvals. (4) We have acquired the indicated program stream in this market and are broadcasting this program stream on our previously existing station in this market, which has changed its call letters to KOTA-TV (ABC), as well as two satellite stations that we also acquired in the Schurz Acquisition and Related Transactions. We refer to the stations acquired and retained and to those we operate under an LMA entered into in 2016 as the "2016 Acquired Stations." During 2015, we completed six acquisitions, which collectively added seven television stations in six markets (four new markets) to our operations at various times during that year, and we refer to the stations acquired in those acquisitions as the "2015 Acquired Stations." During 2014, we completed seven acquisitions, which collectively added 22 television stations in 12 markets (10 new markets) to our operations at various times during that year, and we refer to the stations acquired in those acquisitions as the "2014 Acquired Stations." Unless the context of the following discussions requires otherwise, we refer to the 2016 Acquired Stations, the 2015 Acquired Stations and the 2014 Acquired Stations, collectively, as the "Acquired Stations." Due to the significant effect that our acquisitions and divestitures have had on our results of operations, and in order to provide more meaningful period over period comparisons, we also present herein certain financial information on a "Combined Historical Basis." Unless otherwise defined, Combined Historical Basis reflects financial results that have been compiled by adding Gray's historical revenue and broadcast expenses to the historical revenue and broadcast expenses of the Acquired Stations and removing the historical revenues and historical broadcast expenses of divested stations as if they had been acquired or divested, respectively, on January 1, 2014 (the beginning of the earliest period presented). In addition, our Combined Historical Basis non-GAAP terms "Broadcast Cash Flow," "Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses," "Operating Cash Flow as Defined in our Senior Credit Agreement" and "Free Cash Flow" give effect to the financings related to the acquisition of the Acquired Stations, as if these financings occurred on January 1, 2014, and certain anticipated net expense savings resulting from the completed acquisitions. Free Cash Flow presented on a Combined Historical Basis also includes adjustments to the purchase of property and equipment and income taxes paid, net of refunds as if the acquisition of the Acquired Stations occurred on January 1, 2014. Combined Historical Basis financial information for acquisitions does not reflect all purchase accounting and other adjustments required for Regulation S-X pro forma financial statements. Selected Operating Data on As-Reported Basis Three-Months Ended June 30, % Change % Change 2016 to 2016 to 2016 2015 2015 2014 2014 (dollars in thousands, except per share data) Revenue (less agency commissions): Total $ 196,633 $ 143,464 37 % $ 107,249 83 % Political $ 9,649 $ 2,197 339 % $ 8,616 12 % Operating expenses (1): Broadcast $ 117,335 $ 86,445 36 % $ 66,002 78 % Corporate and administrative $ 8,524 $ 6,444 32 % $ 9,848 (13)% Net income $ 17,662 $ 12,110 46 % $ 1,591 1010 % Non-GAAP cash flow (2): Broadcast Cash Flow $ 79,267 $ 57,244 38 % $ 40,530 96 % Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses $ 71,713 $ 51,591 39 % $ 31,408 128 % Free Cash Flow (3) $ 25,928 $ 27,388 (5)% $ 8,881 192 % Six-Months Ended June 30, % Change % Change 2016 to 2016 to 2016 2015 2015 2014 2014 (dollars in thousands, except per share data) Revenue (less agency commissions): Total $ 370,356 $ 276,767 34 % $ 198,546 87 % Political $ 19,304 $ 3,356 475 % $ 11,408 69 % Operating expenses (1): Broadcast $ 225,903 $ 173,292 30 % $ 126,386 79 % Corporate and administrative $ 24,202 $ 13,291 82 % $ 16,347 48 % Net income $ 26,652 $ 17,705 51 % $ 2,868 829 % Non-GAAP cash flow (2): Broadcast Cash Flow $ 145,164 $ 103,968 40 % $ 71,149 104 % Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses $ 122,900 $ 92,218 33 % $ 56,881 116 % Free Cash Flow (3) $ 50,144 $ 49,379 2 % $ 16,334 207 % (1) Excludes depreciation, amortization, and loss on disposal of assets. (2) See definition of non-GAAP terms and reconciliation of the non-GAAP amounts to net income included elsewhere herein. (3) 2016 periods reflect increase in cash tax payments due to anticipated use of remaining net operating loss carry-forwards in 2016. See further discussion of cash tax payments on pages 8, 11 and 15 herein. Selected Operating Data on Combined Historical Basis Three-Months Ended June 30, % Change % Change 2016 to 2016 to 2016 2015 2015 2014 2014 (dollars in thousands, except per share data) Revenue (less agency commissions): Total $ 198,031 $ 182,874 8 % $ 172,384 15 % Political $ 10,064 $ 2,572 291 % $ 14,688 (31)% Operating expenses (1): Broadcast $ 118,203 $ 112,591 5 % $ 103,687 14 % Corporate and administrative $ 8,524 $ 6,444 32 % $ 9,848 (13)% Net income $ 18,108 $ 17,065 6 % $ 18,003 1 % Non-GAAP cash flow (2): Broadcast Cash Flow $ 80,046 $ 77,031 4 % $ 76,018 5 % Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses $ 72,490 $ 71,378 2 % $ 66,896 8 % Operating Cash Flow as defined in the Senior Credit Facility $ 71,927 $ 71,734 0 % $ 71,855 0 % Free Cash Flow (3) $ 28,280 $ 41,340 (32)% $ 40,904 (31)% Six-Months Ended June 30, % Change % Change 2016 to 2016 to 2016 2015 2015 2014 2014 (dollars in thousands, except per share data) Revenue (less agency commissions): Total $ 387,097 $ 351,972 10 % $ 325,612 19 % Political $ 19,971 $ 3,810 424 % $ 19,570 2 % Operating expenses (1): Broadcast $ 240,416 $ 225,101 7 % $ 203,891 18 % Corporate and administrative $ 24,202 $ 13,291 82 % $ 16,347 48 % Net income $ 24,922 $ 24,159 3 % $ 29,030 (14)% Non-GAAP cash flow (2): Broadcast Cash Flow $ 150,140 $ 140,367 7 % $ 133,871 12 % Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses $ 127,876 $ 128,617 (1)% $ 119,603 7 % Operating Cash Flow as defined in the Senior Credit Facility $ 133,568 $ 131,374 2 % $ 125,173 7 % Free Cash Flow (3) $ 60,006 $ 70,746 (15)% $ 61,488 (2)% (1) Excludes depreciation, amortization, and loss on disposal of assets. (2) See definition of non-GAAP terms and reconciliation of the non-GAAP amounts to net income included elsewhere herein. (3) 2016 periods reflect increase in cash tax payments due to anticipated use of remaining net operating loss carry-forwards in 2016. See further discussion of cash tax payments on pages 8, 11 and 15 herein. Reclassification of Revenue Through 2015, we reported our local television advertising revenues and our internet/digital/mobile advertising revenues separately. Beginning in 2016, we report a single line item identified as "Local (including internet/digital/mobile)" that combines both our local television advertising revenues and our internet/digital/mobile advertising revenues. Because this revenue originates within each local market in which we operate and is sold by each local sales force, we believe this classification is more consistent and more representative of our operating focus, to maximize all aspects of local revenue. All prior periods presented herein have been reclassified to reflect our current presentation. Results of Operations for the Second Quarter of 2016 Revenue (less agency commissions) on As-Reported Basis The table below presents our revenue (less agency commissions), or revenue, by type for the second quarter of 2016 and 2015 (dollars in thousands): Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Percent Percent Amount of Total Amount of Total Revenue (less agency commissions): Local (including internet/digital/mobile) $ 104,727 53.3% $ 83,091 57.9% National 26,070 13.3% 18,949 13.2% Political 9,649 4.9% 2,197 1.5% Retransmission consent 50,549 25.7% 36,909 25.7% Other 5,638 2.8% 2,318 1.7% Total $ 196,633 100.0% $ 143,464 100.0% Total revenue increased $53.2 million, or 37%, to $196.6 million for the second quarter of 2016 compared to the second quarter of 2015. Total revenue from the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, collectively, accounted for approximately $46.8 million of our total revenue, or 88% of the increase from the second quarter of 2015, with the remaining revenue increases resulting from our stations owned since the start of 2015. The 2015 Acquired Stations did not contribute any revenue during the second quarter of 2015 because all of the 2015 Acquired Stations were acquired after June 30, 2015. In addition to the total revenue contributed by the 2016 Acquired Stations and the 2015 Acquired Stations, our total revenue increased in the second quarter of 2016, as compared to the second quarter of 2015, primarily due to increases in retransmission revenue, due primarily to increased retransmission consent rates; and increases in political advertising revenue, due to 2016 being the "on-year" of the two-year election cycle. The principal types of revenue for the second quarter of 2016, compared to the second quarter of 2015, were as follows: Local advertising revenue (including internet/digital/mobile) increased $21.6 million , or 26%, to $104.7 million ; , or 26%, to ; National advertising revenue increased $7.1 million , or 38%, to $26.1 million ; , or 38%, to ; Political advertising revenue increased $7.5 million , or 339%, to $9.6 million ; , or 339%, to ; Retransmission consent revenue increased $13.6 million , or 37%, to $50.5 million ; and , or 37%, to ; and Other revenue increased $3.3 million , or 143%, to $5.6 million . Within our local and national advertising revenue types, and excluding revenue attributable to the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, our five largest customer categories experienced the following approximate changes during the second quarter of 2016 compared to the second quarter of 2015: Automotive increased 5%; Medical decreased 4%; Restaurant decreased 4%; Furniture and appliances increased 4%; and Communications decreased 15%. Revenue on Combined Historical Basis On a Combined Historical Basis, total revenue increased $15.2 million, or 8%, to $198.0 million in the second quarter of 2016 as compared to the second quarter of 2015. On a Combined Historical Basis, the principal types of revenue for the second quarter of 2016, compared to the second quarter of 2015, were approximately as follows: Local advertising revenue (including internet/digital/mobile) was unchanged at $105.3 million ; ; National advertising revenue decreased $0.8 million , or 3%, to $26.2 million ; , or 3%, to ; Political advertising revenue increased $7.5 million , or 288%, to $10.1 million ; , or 288%, to ; Retransmission consent revenue increased $8.1 million , or 19%, to $50.8 million ; and , or 19%, to ; and Other revenue increased $0.5 million , or 9%, to $5.6 million . Within our local and national advertising revenue types, and including revenue from the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, our five largest customer categories experienced the following approximate changes during the second quarter of 2016, compared to the second quarter of 2015: Automotive increased 5%; Medical decreased 3%; Restaurant decreased 1%; Furniture and appliances increased 6%; and Communications decreased 12%. Broadcast Operating Expenses on As-Reported Basis Broadcast operating expenses (before depreciation, amortization and loss on disposal of assets) increased $30.9 million, or 36%, to $117.3 million for the second quarter of 2016 compared to the second quarter of 2015. The 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, collectively, accounted for approximately $28.0 million of our broadcast operating expenses, or 91% of the increase from the second quarter of 2015. The 2015 Acquired Stations had no effect on our broadcast operating expenses for the second quarter of 2015 because all of the 2015 Acquired Stations were acquired after June 30, 2015. Non-compensation expense increased $15.2 million in the second quarter of 2016. Non-compensation expenses associated with the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations totaled $12.4 million in the second quarter of 2016. Other network program fees increased $2.7 million reflecting increased fees payable to networks under our affiliation agreements. National sales commissions decreased $0.8 million in the second quarter of 2016 primarily as a result of the termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements at the beginning of 2016. in the second quarter of 2016. Non-compensation expenses associated with the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations totaled in the second quarter of 2016. Other network program fees increased reflecting increased fees payable to networks under our affiliation agreements. National sales commissions decreased in the second quarter of 2016 primarily as a result of the termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements at the beginning of 2016. Compensation expense increased $15.7 million in the second quarter of 2016 as a result of compensation expenses attributable to the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations. Non-cash share based compensation expenses were $0.3 million in the second quarter of 2016 compared to $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2015. Broadcast Operating Expenses on Combined Historical Basis On a Combined Historical Basis, broadcast operating expenses (before depreciation, amortization and loss on disposal of assets) increased $5.6 million, or 5%, to $118.2 million in the second quarter of 2016 as compared to the second quarter of 2015. The increase reflects, in part, the following: Non-compensation expense increased primarily as a result of network program fees that increased $5.4 million consistent with the growth of retransmission consent revenue. consistent with the growth of retransmission consent revenue. Non-compensation expense increases were offset, in-part, by a $1.2 million decrease in national sales commissions in the second quarter of 2016 resulting from our termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements in the first quarter of 2016. decrease in national sales commissions in the second quarter of 2016 resulting from our termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements in the first quarter of 2016. Compensation expense increased by approximately $1.5 million in the second quarter of 2016 compared to the second quarter of 2015. Non-cash share based compensation expenses were $0.3 million in the second quarter of 2016 compared to $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2015. Corporate and Administrative Operating Expenses on As-Reported Basis Corporate and administrative expenses (before depreciation, amortization and loss on disposal of assets) increased $2.1 million, or 32%, to $8.5 million in the second quarter of 2016 as compared to the second quarter of 2015. The increase reflects, in part, the following: Non-compensation expense increased $1.6 million in the second quarter of 2016 primarily due to $2.3 million of professional fees related, in-part, to the acquisition of the 2016 Acquired Stations, compared to $1.2 million of professional fees incurred in the second quarter of 2015 related, in-part, to the acquisition of the 2015 Acquired Stations. in the second quarter of 2016 primarily due to of professional fees related, in-part, to the acquisition of the 2016 Acquired Stations, compared to of professional fees incurred in the second quarter of 2015 related, in-part, to the acquisition of the 2015 Acquired Stations. Compensation expense increased $0.5 million primarily due to increases in incentive compensation and travel costs which were offset, in part, by reductions in relocation expenses. Non-cash share based compensation expenses were $1.0 million in the second quarter of 2016 compared to $0.8 million in the second quarter of 2015. Cash Tax Payments As previously disclosed, Gray anticipates fully utilizing its remaining federal net operating loss carryforwards ("NOLs") by December 31, 2016. During the three months ended June 30, 2016, the Company made aggregate federal and state estimated tax payments totaling $13.9 million compared to $1.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015. Based on our current forecasts, we anticipate that our aggregate federal and state tax payments for the entire year of 2016 will range between $16.0 million and $21.0 million. Results of Operations for the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2016 Revenue (less agency commissions) on As-Reported Basis The table below presents our revenue (less agency commissions), or revenue, by type for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (dollars in thousands): Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Percent Percent Amount of Total Amount of Total Revenue (less agency commissions): Local (including internet/digital/mobile) $ 194,081 52.4% $ 157,956 57.1% National 48,149 13.0% 36,716 13.3% Political 19,304 5.2% 3,356 1.2% Retransmission consent 97,818 26.4% 73,160 26.4% Other 11,004 3.0% 5,579 2.0% Total $ 370,356 100.0% $ 276,767 100.0% Total revenue increased $93.6 million, or 34%, to $370.4 million for the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015. Revenue from the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, collectively, accounted for approximately $77.5 million of our total revenue, or 83% of the increase from the six-months ended June 30, 2015. The 2015 Acquired Stations did not contribute any revenue during the six-months ended June 30, 2015 because all of the 2015 Acquired Stations were acquired after June 30, 2015. In addition to the total revenue contributed by the 2016 Acquired Stations and the 2015 Acquired Stations, our total revenue increased in the six-months ended June 30, 2016, as compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015, primarily due to increases in retransmission revenue, due primarily to increased retransmission consent rates; and increases in political advertising revenue, due to 2016 being the "on-year" of the two-year election cycle. Local and national advertising revenue also included approximately $2.1 million of revenue from the broadcast of the 2016 Super Bowl on our CBS channels, an increase of approximately $0.6 million compared to the $1.5 million of revenue from the broadcast of the 2015 Super Bowl on our NBC channels. The principal types of revenue for the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015 were as follows: Local advertising revenue increased $36.1 million , or 23%, to $194.1 million ; , or 23%, to ; National advertising revenue increased $11.4 million , or 31%, to $48.1 million ; , or 31%, to ; Political advertising revenue increased $15.9 million , or 475%, to $19.3 million ; , or 475%, to ; Retransmission consent revenue increased $24.7 million , or 34%, to $97.8 million ; and , or 34%, to ; and Other revenue increased $5.4 million , or 97%, to $11.0 million . Within our local and national advertising revenue categories, and excluding the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, our five largest customer categories experienced the following approximate changes during the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015: Automotive increased 3%; Medical was unchanged; Restaurant decreased 1%; Furniture and appliances increased 4%; and Communications decreased 13%. Revenue on Combined Historical Basis On a Combined Historical Basis, total revenue increased $35.1 million, or 10%, to $387.1 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015. The Combined Historical Basis components of revenue for the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015 were approximately as follows: Local advertising revenue increased $2.9 million , or 1%, to $203.2 million ; , or 1%, to ; National advertising revenue decreased $1.6 million , or 3%, to $50.5 million ; , or 3%, to ; Political advertising revenue increased $16.1 million , or 420%, to $20.0 million ; , or 420%, to ; Retransmission consent revenue increased $17.0 million , or 20%, to $101.5 million ; and , or 20%, to ; and Other revenue increased $0.8 million , or 7%, to $11.9 million . Within our local and national advertising revenue categories, and including revenue attributable to the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, our five largest customer categories experienced the following approximate changes in revenue during the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015: Automotive increased 3%; Medical was unchanged; Restaurant increased 2%; Furniture and appliances increased 8%; and Communications decreased 9%. Broadcast Operating Expenses on As-Reported Basis Broadcast operating expenses (before depreciation, amortization and loss (gain) on disposal of assets) increased $52.6 million, or 30%, to $225.9 million for the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015. The 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations, collectively, accounted for approximately $46.3 million of our total broadcast operating expenses, or 88% of the increase from the six-months ended June 30, 2015. The 2015 Acquired Stations had no effect on our broadcast operating expenses for the six-months ended June 30, 2015 as the 2015 Acquired Stations were acquired after June 30, 2015. Non-compensation expense increased $26.3 million for the six-months ended June 30, 2016 . Non-compensation expenses associated with the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations totaled $20.5 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 . Other network program fees increased $5.7 million , reflecting increased fees payable to networks under our affiliation agreements. National sales commissions decreased $1.8 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 , primarily as a result of the termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements at the beginning of 2016. for the six-months ended . Non-compensation expenses associated with the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations totaled in the six-months ended . Other network program fees increased , reflecting increased fees payable to networks under our affiliation agreements. National sales commissions decreased in the six-months ended , primarily as a result of the termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements at the beginning of 2016. Compensation expense increased $26.3 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 , primarily as a result of $25.8 million compensation expenses attributable to the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations. Non-cash share based compensation expenses were $0.6 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to $0.5 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2015 . Broadcast Operating Expenses on Combined Historical Basis On a Combined Historical Basis, broadcast operating expenses (before depreciation, amortization and loss (gain) on disposal of assets) increased $15.3 million, or 7%, to $240.4 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015. The increase reflects, in part, the following: Non-compensation expense increased primarily as a result of network program fees that increased $10.9 million consistent with the growth of the related retransmission consent revenue. consistent with the growth of the related retransmission consent revenue. Non-compensation expense increases were offset, in-part, by decreases in national sales commissions of $2.2 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 , resulting from our termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements in the first quarter of 2016. in the six-months ended , resulting from our termination of substantially all of our national sales representation agreements in the first quarter of 2016. Compensation expense increased $5.3 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 . Non-cash share based compensation expenses were $0.6 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to $0.5 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2015 . Corporate and Administrative Operating Expenses on As-Reported Basis Corporate and administrative expenses (before depreciation, amortization and loss (gain) on disposal of assets) increased $10.9 million, or 82%, to $24.2 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-months ended June 30, 2015. The increase reflects, in part, the following: Non-compensation expense increased $10.1 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 due to $11.6 million of professional fees, primarily related to the acquisition of the 2016 Acquired Stations compared to $2.3 million of professional fees incurred in the six-months ended June 30, 2015 , primarily related to the acquisition of the 2015 Acquired Stations. in the six-months ended due to of professional fees, primarily related to the acquisition of the 2016 Acquired Stations compared to of professional fees incurred in the six-months ended , primarily related to the acquisition of the 2015 Acquired Stations. Compensation expense increased $0.8 million primarily due to increases in incentive compensation costs which were offset, in-part, by reductions in relocation expenses. Non-cash share based compensation expenses were $1.9 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2016 compared to $1.5 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2015 . Cash Tax Payments As previously disclosed, Gray anticipates fully utilizing its remaining NOLs by December 31, 2016. During the six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company made aggregate federal and state estimated tax payments totaling $14.0 million compared to $1.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Based on our current forecasts, we anticipate that our aggregate federal and state tax payments for the entire year of 2016 will range between $16.0 million and $21.0 million. Detailed table of Operating Results Gray Television, Inc. Selected Operating Data (Unaudited) (in thousands except for per share data) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenue (less agency commissions) $ 196,633 $ 143,464 $ 370,356 $ 276,767 Operating expenses before depreciation, amortization and loss (gain) on disposal of assets, net: Broadcast 117,335 86,445 225,903 173,292 Corporate and administrative 8,524 6,444 24,202 13,291 Depreciation 11,617 8,754 22,743 17,552 Amortization of intangible assets 4,242 2,731 8,130 5,502 Loss (gain) on disposals of assets, net 1,228 332 (420) 314 Operating expenses 142,946 104,706 280,558 209,951 Operating income 53,687 38,758 89,798 66,816 Other income (expense): Miscellaneous income, net 141 67 710 74 Interest expense (24,269) (18,587) (45,544) (37,117) Income before income tax expense 29,559 20,238 44,964 29,773 Income tax expense 11,897 8,128 18,312 12,068 Net income $ 17,662 $ 12,110 $ 26,652 $ 17,705 Basic per share information: Net income $ 0.25 $ 0.17 $ 0.37 $ 0.27 Weighted-average shares outstanding 71,878 71,637 71,835 64,968 Diluted per share information: Net income $ 0.24 $ 0.17 $ 0.37 $ 0.27 Weighted-average shares outstanding 72,748 72,270 72,665 65,529 Political advertising revenue (less agency commissions) $ 9,649 $ 2,197 $ 19,304 $ 3,356 Other Financial Data June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 (in thousands) Cash $ 176,345 $ 97,318 Long-term debt $ 1,705,361 $ 1,220,084 Borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility $ 60,000 $ 50,000 Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 (in thousands) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 44,023 $ 32,470 Net cash used in investing activities (448,437) (8,438) Net cash provided by financing activities 483,441 167,382 Net increase in cash $ 79,027 $ 191,414 Guidance for the Three-Months Ending September 30, 2016 (the "third quarter of 2016") Based on our current forecasts for the third quarter of 2016, we anticipate the changes from the three-months ended September 30, 2015 (the "third quarter of 2015") as outlined below. Our estimates for the third quarter of 2016 include approximately $49.0 million of revenue and $29.8 million of broadcast operating expense estimated to be contributed by the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations. The 2015 Acquired Stations accounted for $8.3 million of revenue and $4.6 million of broadcast operating expense, which were included in our as-reported third quarter of 2015 results of operations. Three Months Ending September 30, Low End % Change From High End % Change From Guidance for As-Reported Guidance for As-Reported As-Reported the Third Third the Third Third Third Quarter of Quarter of Quarter of Quarter of Quarter of Selected operating data: 2016 2015 2016 2015 2015 (dollars in thousands) OPERATING REVENUE: Revenue (less agency commissions) $ 223,000 48 % $ 231,000 53 % $ 151,102 OPERATING EXPENSES (before depreciation, amortization and loss on disposals of assets): Broadcast $ 123,000 24 % $ 125,000 26 % $ 98,921 Corporate and administrative $ 7,000 (30)% $ 8,000 (20)% $ 10,022 OTHER SELECTED DATA: Political advertising revenue (less agency commissions) $ 40,000 771 % $ 46,000 901 % $ 4,594 Comments on Third Quarter of 2016 Guidance Revenue on As-Reported Basis Based on our current forecasts for the third quarter of 2016, we anticipate the following changes from the third quarter of 2015, as outlined below: We believe our third quarter of 2016 local advertising revenue (including internet/digital/mobile) will increase within a range of approximately 23% to 25%. We expect our third quarter of 2016 national advertising revenue will increase within a range of approximately 24% to 29%. We believe our third quarter of 2016 political advertising revenue will be within a range of approximately $40.0 million to $46.0 million . Our political advertising revenue was approximately $4.6 million in the third quarter of 2015; approximately $22.0 million in the third quarter of 2014; and approximately $24.5 million in the third quarter of 2012. . Our political advertising revenue was approximately in the third quarter of 2015; approximately in the third quarter of 2014; and approximately in the third quarter of 2012. We believe our third quarter of 2016 retransmission consent revenue will be within a range of approximately $50.0 million to $50.5 million . . The 2016 Olympic broadcasts are anticipated to generate at least $7.3 million of advertising revenue for the Company. This amount is included in our overall guidance for local advertising revenue (including internet/digital/mobile) and national advertising revenue. Broadcast Operating Expenses (before depreciation, amortization and gain or loss on disposal of assets, net) on As-Reported Basis For the third quarter of 2016, we anticipate our broadcast operating expenses will increase from the third quarter of 2015, reflecting the $25.2 million incremental impact of the 2016 Acquired Stations and the 2015 Acquired Stations as well as anticipated increases in payroll and related employee benefits. We anticipate that our broadcast operating expenses will also reflect an increase in network fees of approximately $6.9 million (to total approximately $24.9 million for the third quarter of 2016). Corporate and Administrative Operating Expenses (before depreciation, amortization and gain on disposal of assets) on As-Reported Basis For the third quarter of 2016, we anticipate our corporate and administrative operating expense will decrease to within a range of approximately $7.0 million to $8.0 million, primarily attributable to decreases in professional services fees related to acquisitions offset, in-part, by routine increases in compensation and professional service fees. Third Quarter of 2016 on Combined Historical Basis Based on our current forecasts for the third quarter of 2016, we anticipate the following changes from the Combined Historical Basis results for the third quarter of 2015 as outlined below. For the purposes hereof, our Combined Historical Basis for the third quarter of 2015 have been adjusted to give effect to both the 2016 Acquired Stations and 2015 Acquired Stations. Revenue on Combined Historical Basis We believe our third quarter of 2016 total revenue will be within a range of approximately $223.0 million to $231.0 million (or increase approximately +22% to +26%). (or increase approximately +22% to +26%). We believe our third quarter of 2016 local advertising revenue (including internet/digital/mobile) will be within a range of approximately $103.0 million to $105.0 million (or increase approximately +2% to +4%). (or increase approximately +2% to +4%). We believe our third quarter of 2016 national advertising revenue will be within a range of approximately $26.0 million to $27.0 million (or change approximately -5% to -1%). (or change approximately -5% to -1%). We believe our third quarter of 2016 political advertising revenue will be within a range of approximately $40.0 million to $46.0 million . Our political advertising revenue was approximately $5.1 million in the third quarter of 2015; approximately $33.7 million in the third quarter of 2014; and approximately $42.3 million in the third quarter of 2012. . Our political advertising revenue was approximately in the third quarter of 2015; approximately in the third quarter of 2014; and approximately in the third quarter of 2012. We believe our third quarter of 2016 retransmission consent revenue will be within a range of approximately $50.0 million to $50.5 million (or increase approximately +13% to +14%). Broadcast Operating Expenses (before depreciation, amortization and gain or loss on disposal of assets) on Combined Historical Basis Our total broadcast operating expenses for the third quarter of 2016 are anticipated to increase from the third quarter of 2015 on a Combined Historical Basis by a range of approximately $2.5 million to $4.5 million (to total within a range of approximately $123.0 million to $125.0 million). This increase reflects an expected increase of $5.1 million in network fees (expected to total approximately $24.9 million). Cash Tax Payments As previously disclosed, Gray anticipates fully utilizing its remaining NOLs by December 31, 2016. Based on our current forecasts, we anticipate that our aggregate federal and state tax payments for the third quarter of 2016 will range between $1.0 million and $3.5 million. During the six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company made aggregate federal and state estimated tax payments totaling $14.0 million. Based on our current forecasts, we anticipate that our aggregate federal and state tax payments for the entire year of 2016 will range between $16.0 million and $21.0 million. Non-GAAP Terms From time to time, Gray supplements its financial results prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") by disclosing the non-GAAP financial measures Broadcast Cash Flow, Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses, Operating Cash Flow as defined in Gray's Senior Credit Agreement ("Operating Cash Flow"), Free Cash Flow and Total Leverage Ratio, Net of All Cash. These non-GAAP amounts are used by us to approximate the amount used to calculate key financial performance covenants contained in our debt agreements and are used with our GAAP data to evaluate our results and liquidity. These non-GAAP amounts may be provided on an As-Reported Basis as well as a Combined Historical Basis. We define Broadcast Cash Flow as net income plus loss from early extinguishment of debt, corporate and administrative expenses, broadcast non-cash stock based compensation, depreciation and amortization (including amortization of intangible assets and program broadcast rights), any loss on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous expense, interest expense, any income tax expense, non-cash 401(k) expense less any gain on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous income, any income tax benefits, payments for program broadcast obligations and network compensation revenue. We define Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses as net income plus loss from early extinguishment of debt, non-cash stock based compensation, depreciation and amortization (including amortization of intangible assets and program broadcast rights), any loss on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous expense, interest expense, any income tax expense, and non-cash 401(k) expense, less any gain on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous income, any income tax benefits, payments for program broadcast obligations and network compensation revenue. We define Operating Cash Flow as Combined Historical Basis net income plus loss from early extinguishment of debt, non-cash stock based compensation, depreciation and amortization (including amortization of intangible assets and program broadcast rights), any loss on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous expense, interest expense, any income tax expense, non-cash 401(k) expense and pension expenses less any gain on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous income, any income tax benefits, payments for program broadcast obligations, network compensation revenue and cash contributions to pension plans. We define Free Cash Flow as net income plus loss from early extinguishment of debt, non-cash stock based compensation, depreciation and amortization (including amortization of intangible assets and program broadcast rights), any loss on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous expense, amortization of deferred financing costs, any income tax expense, non-cash 401(k) expense and pension expense, less any gain on disposal of assets, any miscellaneous income, any income tax benefits, payments for program broadcast obligations, network compensation revenue, contributions to pension plans, amortization of original issue discount on our debt, capital expenditures (net of any insurance proceeds) and the payment of income taxes (net of any refunds received). Our Total Leverage Ratio, Net of All Cash is calculated as our Operating Cash Flow for the preceding eight quarters, divided by two, which is then divided by our long term debt, excluding net premiums and net deferred financing costs, but including any other debt, net of all cash. These non-GAAP terms are not defined in GAAP and our definitions may differ from, and therefore not be comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies, thereby limiting their usefulness. Such terms are used by management in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and should be considered as supplements to, and not as substitutes for, net income and cash flows reported in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliation on As-Reported Basis Quarter Reconciliation of net income to the non-GAAP terms, in thousands Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2014 Net income $ 17,662 $ 12,110 $ 1,591 Depreciation 11,617 8,754 6,986 Amortization of intangible assets 4,242 2,731 1,179 Non-cash stock based compensation 1,272 1,009 980 Loss on disposals of assets, net 1,228 332 48 Miscellaneous income, net (141) (67) (3) Interest expense 24,269 18,587 15,825 Loss from early extinguishment of debt - - 4,897 Income tax expense 11,897 8,128 876 Amortization of program broadcast rights 4,813 3,553 3,005 Common stock contributed to 401(k) plan excluding corporate 401(k) contributions 7 7 6 Network compensation revenue recognized - - (113) Payments for program broadcast rights (5,153) (3,553) (3,869) Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation 7,554 5,653 9,122 Broadcast Cash Flow 79,267 57,244 40,530 Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock based compensation (7,554) (5,653) (9,122) Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses 71,713 51,591 31,408 Pension expense 40 1,789 1,519 Contributions to pension plans (1,113) (1,433) (1,755) Interest expense (24,269) (18,587) (15,825) Amortization of deferred financing costs 1,196 798 702 Amortization of net original issue premium on 7 1/2% senior notes due 2020 (216) (216) (216) Purchase of property and equipment (7,544) (5,547) (6,654) Income taxes paid, net of refunds (13,879) (1,007) (298) Free Cash Flow $ 25,928 $ 27,388 $ 8,881 Reconciliation on As-Reported Basis Year to Date Reconciliation of net income to the non-GAAP terms, in thousands Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2014 Net income $ 26,652 $ 17,705 $ 2,868 Depreciation 22,743 17,552 13,370 Amortization of intangible assets 8,130 5,502 1,468 Non-cash stock based compensation 2,556 2,002 3,051 Loss (gain) on disposals of assets, net (420) 314 379 Miscellaneous income, net (710) (74) (3) Interest expense 45,544 37,117 31,099 Loss from early extinguishment of debt - - 4,897 Income tax expense 18,312 12,068 1,735 Amortization of program broadcast rights 9,209 7,160 5,918 Common stock contributed to 401(k) plan excluding corporate 401(k) contributions 14 13 12 Network compensation revenue recognized - - (221) Payments for program broadcast rights (9,130) (7,141) (7,692) Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation 22,264 11,750 14,268 Broadcast Cash Flow 145,164 103,968 71,149 Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock based compensation (22,264) (11,750) (14,268) Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses 122,900 92,218 56,881 Pension expense 80 4,190 3,092 Contributions to pension plans (1,633) (1,433) (2,717) Interest expense (45,544) (37,117) (31,099) Amortization of deferred financing costs 2,267 1,597 1,394 Amortization of net original issue premium on 7 1/2% senior notes due 2020 (432) (432) (432) Purchase of property and equipment (13,475) (8,396) (10,456) Income taxes paid, net of refunds (14,019) (1,248) (329) Free Cash Flow $ 50,144 $ 49,379 $ 16,334 Reconciliation on Combined Historical Basis Quarter Reconciliation of net income to the non-GAAP terms, in thousands Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2014 Net income $ 18,108 $ 17,065 $ 18,003 Depreciation 11,652 11,186 11,052 Amortization of intangible assets 4,251 4,326 2,987 Non-cash stock-based compensation 1,272 1,009 980 Loss (gain) on disposals of assets, net 1,228 491 (19) Miscellaneous income, net (145) (141) (19) Interest expense 24,314 23,476 21,437 Loss from early extinguishment of debt - - 4,897 Income tax expense 11,874 7,434 1,371 Amortization of program broadcast rights 4,813 3,553 3,077 Common stock contributed to 401(k) plan excluding corporate 401(k) contributions 8 7 6 Network compensation revenue recognized - - (113) Payments for program broadcast rights (5,153) (3,553) (3,899) Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation 7,556 5,653 9,122 Other 268 6,525 7,136 Broadcast Cash Flow 80,046 77,031 76,018 Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation (7,556) (5,653) (9,122) Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses 72,490 71,378 66,896 Pension expense 40 1,789 1,519 Contributions to pension plans (1,113) (1,433) (1,755) Other 510 - 5,195 Operating Cash Flow as defined in Senior Credit Agreement 71,927 71,734 71,855 Interest expense (24,314) (23,476) (21,437) Amortization of deferred financing costs 1,196 798 702 Amortization of net original issue premium on 7 1/2% senior notes due 2020 (216) (216) (216) Purchase of property and equipment (7,544) (6,250) (8,750) Income taxes paid, net of refunds (12,769) (1,250) (1,250) Free Cash Flow $ 28,280 $ 41,340 $ 40,904 Reconciliation on Combined Historical Basis Year to Date Reconciliation of net income to the non-GAAP terms, in thousands Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2014 Net income $ 24,922 $ 24,159 $ 29,030 Depreciation 23,489 22,597 21,934 Amortization of intangible assets 8,972 8,822 4,910 Non-cash stock-based compensation 2,556 2,002 3,051 (Gain) loss on disposals of assets, net (204) 526 (32) Miscellaneous income, net (741) (173) (27) Interest expense 47,903 46,793 44,647 Loss from early extinguishment of debt - - 4,897 Income tax expense 18,127 10,856 1,477 Amortization of program broadcast rights 9,209 7,160 5,990 Common stock contributed to 401(k) plan excluding corporate 401(k) contributions 14 13 12 Network compensation revenue recognized - - (221) Payments for program broadcast rights (9,130) (7,141) (7,722) Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation 22,264 11,750 14,268 Other 2,759 13,003 11,657 Broadcast Cash Flow 150,140 140,367 133,871 Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation (22,264) (11,750) (14,268) Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses 127,876 128,617 119,603 Pension expense 80 4,190 3,092 Contributions to pension plans (1,633) (1,433) (2,717) Other 7,245 - 5,195 Operating Cash Flow as defined in Senior Credit Agreement 133,568 131,374 125,173 Interest expense (47,903) (46,793) (44,647) Amortization of deferred financing costs 2,267 1,597 1,394 Amortization of net original issue premium on 7 1/2% senior notes due 2020 (432) (432) (432) Purchase of property and equipment (13,475) (12,500) (17,500) Income taxes paid, net of refunds (14,019) (2,500) (2,500) Free Cash Flow $ 60,006 $ 70,746 $ 61,488 Reconciliation of Total Leverage Ratio, Net of All Cash Reconciliation of net income to the non-GAAP term, in thousands Combined Historical Basis Operating Cash Flow Eight Quarters Ended as defined in the Senior Credit Agreement: June 30, 2016 Net income $ 148,423 Depreciation 91,589 Amortization of intangible assets 38,151 Non-cash stock-based compensation 8,537 (Gain) loss on disposals of assets, net 1,461 Miscellaneous income, net (1,002) Interest expense 191,226 Loss from early extinguishment of debt 189 Income tax expense 69,125 Amortization of program broadcast rights 31,183 Common stock contributed to 401(k) plan excluding corporate 401(k) contributions 53 Network compensation revenue recognized (235) Payments for program broadcast rights (31,137) Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation 64,890 Other 33,906 Broadcast Cash Flow 646,359 Corporate and administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortization of intangible assets and non-cash stock-based compensation (64,890) Broadcast Cash Flow Less Cash Corporate Expenses 581,469 Pension expense 7,321 Contributions to pension plans (11,107) Other 14,714 Operating Cash Flow as defined in Senior Credit Agreement $ 592,397 Operating Cash Flow as defined in Senior Credit Agreement, divided by two $ 296,199 June 30, 2016 Adjusted Total Indebtedness: Long term debt $ 1,705,361 Capital leases and other debt 644 Total deferred financing costs, net 29,745 Premium on subordinated debt, net (3,668) Cash (176,345) Adjusted Total Indebtedness, Net of All Cash $ 1,555,737 Total Leverage Ratio, Net of All Cash 5.25 The Company We are a television broadcast company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that owns and operates television stations and leading digital assets in markets throughout the United States. We own and/or operate television stations in 51 television markets that broadcast over 185 separate program streams, including 36 channels affiliated with CBS, 27 channels affiliated with NBC, 19 channels affiliated with ABC and 14 channels affiliated with FOX. We own the number-one or number-two ranked television station operations in 50 of those 51 markets. Our stations reach approximately 9.5 percent of total United States television households. Cautionary Statements for Purposes of the "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the federal securities laws. These "forward-looking statements" are not statements of historical facts, and may include, among other things, statements regarding our current expectations and beliefs of operating results for the third quarter of 2016 or other periods, the impact of recently completed transactions, future expenses and other future events. Actual results are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and may differ materially from the current expectations and beliefs discussed in this press release. All information set forth in this release is as of August 4, 2016. We do not intend, and undertake no duty, to update this information to reflect future events or circumstances. Information about certain potential factors that could affect our business and financial results and cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements are included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and may be contained in reports subsequently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Conference Call Information We will host a conference call to discuss our second quarter operating results on August 4, 2016. The call will begin at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. The live dial-in number is 1 (866) 249-5224 and the confirmation code is 3173477. The call will be webcast live and available for replay at www.gray.tv. The taped replay of the conference call will be available at 1 (888) 203-1112, Confirmation Code: 3173477 until September 3, 2016. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160210/331974LOGO SOURCE Gray Television, Inc. Related Links http://www.gray.tv TSX: GPR NYSE MKT: GPL VANCOUVER, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - GREAT PANTHER SILVER LIMITED (TSX: GPR; NYSE MKT: GPL) ("Great Panther"; the "Company") today reported financial results for the Company's three and six months ended June 30, 2016. The full version of the Company's unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements, and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") can be viewed on the Company's website at www.greatpanther.com, or SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All financial information is prepared in accordance with IFRS and all dollar amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. "Great Panther's mine operating earnings before non-cash items increased 96% over the second quarter of 2015 due to higher silver and gold prices, favourable foreign exchange rates, and continued strong operating performance. These factors were also reflected in significant increases in operating cash flow and adjusted EBITDA, and contributed to significant growth in our cash and net working capital balances", stated Robert Archer, President and CEO. "The substantial increase in our cash flow and margins were also reflective of 74% and 43% reductions in our cash cost and all-in sustaining cost compared to the second quarter of 2015. These came in at an impressive US$1.72 and US$7.19, respectively, for the second quarter. As such, we are taking the step to reduce our cash-cost and all-in sustaining cost guidance for the year while maintaining our production guidance." During the second quarter of 2016, the Company generated $13.2 million in mine operating earnings before non-cash items, and $9.9 million in operating cash flows before changes in non-cash net working capital. This reflected increases of 96% and 176%, respectively, over the results from the second quarter of 2015. These strong operating results are attributable to a 74% reduction in cash cost per payable silver ounce (in US dollar terms) and to the benefit of higher metal prices and favorable foreign exchange rates on revenues. Notwithstanding the strong mine operating earnings, the Company reported a net loss of $1.7 million for the second quarter of 2016, mainly due to unrealized (non-cash) foreign exchange losses of $6.4 million on inter-company loans and advances by the Company to its Mexican subsidiaries and a $2.2 million (non-cash) impairment charge associated with the termination of the option agreement for the Coricancha project. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 134% to $9.8 million. Cash and net working capital at June 30, 2016 increased 48% and 46% to $28.8 million and $49.4 million, respectively, compared to the balances at the start of the year. This was largely a function of the improvement in cash-flows from operating activities, and $6.6 million in proceeds from an At-the-Market share offering. Subsequent to the second quarter, on July 12, 2016, the Company closed an equity bought deal offering for gross proceeds of US$29.9 million that further improved the Company's cash position and significantly improved net working capital positions. The Company continues to have no debt. Highlights of the second quarter 2016 compared to second quarter 2015, unless otherwise noted: Metal production decreased 5% to 1,037,728 Ag eq oz; Silver production decreased 17% to 536,726 silver ounces; Gold production increased 13% to 6,010 gold ounces; Cash cost decreased 74% to US$1.72 per payable silver ounce; per payable silver ounce; AISC decreased 43% to US$7.19 per payable silver ounce; per payable silver ounce; Revenue increased 33% to $25.6 million ; ; Mine operating earnings before non-cash items increased to $13.2 million compared to $6.7 million ; compared to ; Adjusted EBITDA improved to $9.8 million from $4.2 million ; from ; Net loss totalled $1.7 million , compared to a net loss of $4.7 million ; , compared to a net loss of ; Cash flow from operating activities, before changes in non-cash net working capital ("NCWC"), increased to $9.9 million , from $3.6 million ; , from ; Cash and cash equivalents increased to $28.8 million at June 30, 2016 , from $17.9 million at December 31, 2015 ; and at , from at ; and Net working capital increased to $49.4 million at June 30, 2016 from $33.3 million at December 31 , 2015. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL RESULTS SUMMARY (CAD 000s, unless otherwise noted) Q2 2016 Q2 2015 Change Six months ended June 30, 2016 Six months ended June 30, 2015 Change OPERATING Tonnes milled (excluding custom milling) 99,905 87,476 14% 188,588 186,728 1% Silver equivalent ounces ("Ag eq oz") produced1 1,037,728 1,088,355 -5% 2,047,556 2,076,241 -1% Silver ounce production 536,726 648,810 -17% 1,076,198 1,245,921 -14% Gold ounce production 6,010 5,322 13% 11,609 10,025 16% Payable silver ounces 601,449 607,898 -1% 1,079,547 1,230,238 -12% Ag eq oz sold 1,148,467 1,022,727 12% 1,994,779 2,030,734 -2% Cost per tonne milled (USD)2 $ 86 $ 109 -21% $ 90 $ 105 -14% Cash cost (USD)2 $ 1.72 $ 6.63 -74% $ 2.81 $ 7.68 -63% AISC (USD)2 $ 7.19 $ 12.54 -43% $ 8.10 $ 13.52 -40% FINANCIAL Revenue $ 25,576 $ 19,183 33% $ 44,030 $ 39,434 12% Mine operating earnings before non-cash items2 $ 13,165 $ 6,713 96% $ 20,911 $ 13,366 56% Mine operating earnings $ 11,526 $ 1,668 591% $ 17,673 $ 2,193 706% Net (loss) income $ (1,738) $ (4,722) 63% $ (6,199) $ (1,132) -448% Adjusted EBITDA2 $ 9,847 $ 4,205 134% $ 13,580 $ 7,792 74% Operating cash flows before changes in non-cash net working capital $ 9,852 $ 3,567 176% $ 13,852 $ 8,397 65% Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 28,835 $ 19,432 48% $ 28,835 $ 19,432 48% Net working capital at end of period $ 49,421 $ 33,942 46% $ 49,421 $ 33,942 46% Average realized silver price (USD)3 $ 17.82 $ 15.47 15% $ 17.10 $ 16.24 5% PER SHARE AMOUNTS Earnings (loss) per share basic and diluted $ (0.01) $ (0.03) 67% $ (0.04) $ (0.01) -300% ______________________________ 1 Silver equivalent ounces are referred to throughout this document. For 2016, Aq eq oz are calculated using a 70:1 Ag:Au ratio and ratios of 1:0.0504 and 1:0.0504 for the price / ounce of silver to lead and zinc price/pound, respectively and applied to the relevant metal content of the concentrates produced, expected to be produced, or sold from operations. Comparatively, in 2015 Aq eq oz were calculated using a 65:1 Ag:Au ratio, and ratios of 1:0.050 and 1:0.056 for the price/ounce of silver to lead and zinc price/pound, respectively, and applied to the relevant metal content of the concentrates produced, expected to be produced, or sold from operations. 2 The Company has included the non-IFRS performance measures cost per tonne milled, cash cost, AISC, mine operating earnings before non-cash items, cost of sales before non-cash items and adjusted EBITDA throughout this document. Refer to the Non-IFRS Measures section of this MD&A for an explanation of these measures and reconciliation to the Company's reported financial results in accordance with IFRS. As these are not standardized measures, they may not be directly comparable to similarly titled measures used by others. 3 Average realized silver price is prior to smelting and refining charges. REVIEW OF FINANCIAL RESULTS During the second quarter of 2016, revenue increased by $6.4 million or 33% relative to the second quarter of 2015. This was primarily attributable to the increase in precious metal prices, which had an estimated impact of $2.8 million, and to the 12% increase in metal sales volumes due to timing of shipments which had an estimated impact of $2.2 million. In addition, the stronger US dollar ("USD") relative to the Canadian dollar ("CAD") in the second quarter of 2016 had an estimated positive $1.5 million impact on the revenues reported in CAD. These positive factors were partly offset by the $0.2 million higher smelting and refining charges resulting from the higher sales volumes relative to the second quarter of 2015. Mine operating earnings before non-cash items for the second quarter of 2016 were $13.2 million, an increase of $6.5 million compared to the second quarter of 2015. This was predominantly the result of higher precious metal prices as the realized silver price increased from US$15.47 to US$17.82. In addition, the Company benefitted from favourable foreign exchange rates. The stronger USD relative to the CAD during the second quarter of 2016 had the effect of increasing revenue in CAD terms. Conversely, the CAD strengthened 13% against the Mexican peso ("MXN"), which had the impact of reducing MXN production costs in CAD terms. These factors were augmented by the impact of the higher metal sales volumes, as the Company increased the volume of customer shipments. Exploration, evaluation and development ("EE&D") increased by $0.9 million for the second quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, primarily as a result of exploration and evaluation programs related to the Coricancha project, which commenced after the Company entered into an option agreement to acquire the mine and related processing facilities during the second quarter of 2015. In addition, the Company recorded $0.4 million in EE&D expenses associated with the Guanajuato Mine during the second quarter of 2016, whereas such costs were still being capitalized to mineral properties during the second quarter of 2015. The impairment charge recognized in the second quarter of 2016 relates to the termination of the Coricancha option agreement during the quarter. Finance and other expense increased significantly due to a $6.3 million net foreign exchange loss recognized in the second quarter of 2016, compared to a $3.8 million foreign exchange loss recorded during the same period in 2015. The net foreign exchange loss for the second quarter of 2016 includes a $6.4 million non-cash unrealized loss related to intercompany balances made up of a US$38.8 million loan from the Company to one of its Mexican subsidiaries, as well as $40.9 million of CAD and USD balances payable by the Company's Mexican subsidiaries to the Company. In addition, a fair value loss of $0.4 million was recorded on the outstanding foreign currency forward contracts as at June 30, 2016, which was partly offset by realized foreign exchange gains of $0.3 million. The net loss of $1.7 million for the second quarter of 2016 reflects the impact of predominantly unrealized foreign exchange loss and the non-cash impairment charge recorded during the period related to the termination of the option agreement associated with the Coricancha project. Net loss decreased compared to a net loss of $4.7 million for the same period in 2015. The decrease is primarily attributable to a $9.9 million increase in mine operating earnings. This factor was partly offset by a $2.4 million increase in net foreign exchange loss, a $0.9 million increase in EE&D expenditures, a $1.3 million increase in income tax expense and the $2.2 million impairment charge recorded against the Coricancha project. Adjusted EBITDA of $9.8 million for the second quarter of 2016 increased compared to $4.2 million in the same period of 2015. The increase in adjusted EBITDA is primarily due to the $6.5 million increase in mine operating earnings before non-cash items. This was partly offset by a $0.9 million increase in EE&D expenses (net of changes in non-cash share based compensation and changes in estimate of reclamation provisions). CASH COST AND ALL-IN SUSTAINING COST Cash cost was US$1.72 for the second quarter of 2016, a 74% decrease compared to the second quarter of 2015. The decrease in cash cost was predominantly the result of higher gold by-product credits per payable silver ounce as a result of an increase in gold production, and an increase in average realized gold prices. In addition, the strengthening of the USD compared to the MXN reduced cash operating costs in USD terms. AISC for the second quarter of 2016 was US$7.19, a 43% decrease compared to the second quarter of 2015, primarily due to the reduction in cash cost described above. A reduction in mine development expenditures also contributed to the decrease in AISC, due to changes in the timing of capital expenditure and development plans. The Company expects an increase in sustaining capital expenditures and sustaining EE&D expenses in subsequent quarters, which is expected to increase AISC from the levels reported in the second quarter of 2016 Please refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for further discussion of cash cost and AISC, and for a reconciliation to the Company's financial results as reported under IFRS. OUTLOOK The Company is reducing its cash cost and AISC guidance for the year ending December 31, 2016 as shown in the table below. The improvement in the outlook for cash cost and AISC reflects the fact that both cash cost and AISC for the first half of 2016 have been well below the Company's original guidance for the year, and the Company's outlook for these measures remains positive for the second half of the year. However, the Company does expect AISC for the second half of 2016 to increase meaningfully over the very low levels in the first half as capital and development expenditures will be more significant in the second half. In addition, the Company is increasing its planned drilling activities and expenditures for the second half of the year given the improvement in precious metal prices seen in the first half of the year, and the resulting increase in mine operating earnings and cash-flow. This change is also highlighted in the table below. Production and cash cost guidance 1H 2016 Actual FY 2016 Revised Guidance FY 2016 Original Guidance FY 2015 Actual Total silver equivalent ounces1 2,047,556 No change 4,000,000 4,200,000 4,159,121 Cash cost (USD)2 $ 2.81 $4.00 6.00 $ 5.00 7.00 $ 7.50 AISC (USD)2 $ 8.10 $12.00 14.00 $ 13.00 15.00 $ 13.76 Exploration drilling operating mines (metres) 5,844 18,500 11,000 17,680 _________________________ 1 For 2016 guidance, Aq eq oz have been established using a 70:1 Au:Ag ratio, and a ratio of 1:0.0504 for the US dollar price of silver ounces to the US dollar price for both lead and zinc pounds. For 2015, Aq eq oz were calculated using a 65:1 Ag:Au ratio, and ratios of 1:0.050 and 1:0.056 for the price/ounce of silver to lead and zinc price/pound, respectively. 2 Cash cost and AISC are non-IFRS measures. Refer to the Non-IFRS Measures section of this MD&A for an explanation of these measures and reconciliation to the Company's reported financial results in accordance with IFRS. As these are not standardized measures, they may not be directly comparable to similarly titled measures used by others. The Company's previously-announced guidance for capital expenditures and EE&D expenses for the year ending December 31, 2016 remains unchanged. Despite the increase in planned drilling metres for 2016, these expenditures are expected to be offset by lower than planned development costs. Capex and EE&D expense guidance (in CAD millions) 1H 2016 Actual FY 2016 Guidance FY 2015 Actual Capital expenditures buildings, plant & equipment $1.5 $3.5 5.0 $3.2 Capitalized development costs operating mines $0.2 $0.5 $3.2 EE&D operating mines $1.7 $7.0 8.0 $4.6 Exploration and evaluation expense Coricancha $1.7 $1.0 3.0 $2.7 The timing of the capital expenditures and EE&D is weighted to the second half of the year. In particular, there are significant planned capital expenditures associated with the expansion of the Topia tailings dam. At this time, the Company believes it can complete the design and construction by late 2016 or early 2017. However, the timeline is tight and may be affected by a number of risks and uncertainties. This presents the possibility that planned capital expenditures may not be incurred in 2016, which would further reduce AISC guidance for 2016. The timing of the permitting and construction of the Topia tailings dam expansion and related reviews of the existing tailings facility also presents a risk that the Company may not meet its production guidance for 2016, however, the Company believes that this risk is manageable at this stage, as Topia is the smaller of the Company's operations accounting for less than 25% of overall production and the Company believes it can manage the transition to the new tailings facility without an impact to its 2016 production guidance. The statements presented above in this Outlook section represent "forward looking statements". Investors should consider the risks and assumptions underlying this forward looking information, as summarized above and in the section entitled Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Statements below, in considering these forward looking statements. WEBCAST AND CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS SECOND QUARTER 2016 FINANCIAL RESULTS Great Panther will hold a live webcast and conference call to discuss the financial results on August 4, 2016 at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time). Hosting the call will be Mr. Robert Archer, President and CEO, and Mr. Jim Zadra, CFO and Corporate Secretary. Shareholders, analysts, investors and media are invited to join the live webcast and conference call by logging in or dialing in just prior to the start time. Live webcast and registration: www.greatpanther.com U.S. & Canada Toll-Free: 1 866 832 4290 International Toll: +1 919 825-3215 Passcode / Conference ID: 54783660 A replay of the webcast will be available on the Investors section of the Company's website approximately one hour after the conference call. NON-IFRS MEASURES The discussion of financial results in this press release includes reference to mine operating earnings before non-cash items, adjusted EBITDA, cash cost, and AISC, which are non-IFRS measures. The Company provides these measures as additional information regarding the Company's financial results and performance. Please refer to the Company's MD&A for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, for definitions and reconciliations of these measures to the Company's financial statements. ABOUT GREAT PANTHER Great Panther Silver Limited is a primary silver mining and exploration company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol GPR, and on the NYSE MKT trading under the symbol GPL. Great Panther's current activities are focused on the mining of precious metals from its two wholly-owned operating mines in Mexico: the Guanajuato Mine Complex, which includes the San Ignacio Mine, and the Topia Mine in Durango. Robert A. Archer President & CEO CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (together, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements may include but are not limited to the Company's plans for production at its Guanajuato Mine Complex and Topia Mines in Mexico, exploring its other properties in Mexico, the overall economic potential of its properties, the availability of adequate financing, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to be materially different. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to potential political risks involving the Company's operations in a foreign jurisdiction, uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, uncertainty in mineral resource estimation, physical risks inherent in mining operations, currency fluctuations, fluctuations in the price of silver, gold and base metals, completion of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, permitting risks, the inability or failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form and Material Change Reports filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and reports on Form 40-F and Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. GREAT PANTHER SILVER LIMITED CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) As at June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (Unaudited) June 30, December 31, 2016 2015 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 28,835 $ 17,860 Trade and other receivables 17,850 12,576 Inventories 6,244 8,536 Other current assets 1,734 1,110 Derivative assets 358 - 55,021 40,082 Non-current assets: Mineral properties, plant and equipment 18,298 21,252 Exploration and evaluation assets 2,756 5,427 Intangible assets 3 111 Deferred tax asset 231 413 $ 76,309 $ 67,285 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current liabilities: Trade and other payables $ 5,600 $ 6,830 Non-current liabilities: Reclamation and remediation provision 5,002 4,762 Deferred tax liability 3,846 3,998 14,448 15,590 Shareholders' equity: Share capital 134,949 125,646 Reserves 18,199 11,137 Deficit (91,287) (85,088) 61,861 51,695 $ 76,309 $ 67,285 GREAT PANTHER SILVER LIMITED CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share data) For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (Unaudited) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenue $ 25,576 $ 19,183 $ 44,030 $ 39,434 Cost of sales Production costs 12,411 12,470 23,119 26,068 Amortization and depletion 1,537 5,010 3,087 11,010 Share-based compensation 102 35 151 163 14,050 17,515 26,357 37,241 Mine operating earnings 11,526 1,668 17,673 2,193 General and administrative expenses Administrative expenses 1,517 1,587 3,174 3,661 Amortization and depletion 67 61 136 125 Share-based compensation 225 115 432 214 1,809 1,763 3,742 4,000 Exploration, evaluation, and development expenses Exploration and evaluation expenses 808 444 2,644 1,215 Mine development costs 1,101 509 1,689 653 Share-based compensation 29 88 56 145 1,938 1,041 4,389 2,013 Impairment charge 2,191 - 2,191 - Finance and other income (expense) Interest income 32 87 61 226 Finance costs (37) (47) (62) (67) Foreign exchange gain (loss) (6,250) (3,837) (12,394) 2,129 Other income 21 32 44 58 (6,234) (3,765) (12,351) 2,346 (Loss) income before income taxes (646) (4,901) (5,000) (1,474) Income tax expense (recovery) 1,092 (179) 1,199 (342) Net (loss) income for the period $ (1,738) $ (4,722) $ (6,199) $ (1,132) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax Items that are or may be reclassified subsequently to net income (loss): Foreign currency translation 3,600 1,847 7,180 (207) Change in fair value of available-for-sale financial assets (net of tax) - - 4 - 3,600 1,847 7,184 (207) Total comprehensive (loss) income for the period 1,862 (2,875) 985 (1,339) Earnings (loss) per share Basic and diluted $ (0.01) $ (0.03) $ (0.04) $ (0.01) GREAT PANTHER SILVER LIMITED CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars) For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (Unaudited) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Cash flows from operating activities Net income (loss) for the period $ (1,738) $ (4,722) $ (6,199) $ (1,132) Items not involving cash: Amortization and depletion 1,604 5,071 3,223 11,135 Impairment charge 2,191 - 2,191 - Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gains) 6,477 3,406 12,902 (1,410) Income tax expense (recovery) 1,092 (179) 1,199 (342) Share-based compensation 356 238 639 522 Other non-cash items 116 (39) 132 (158) Interest received 41 11 58 60 Income taxes paid (287) (219) (293) (278) 9,852 3,567 13,852 8,397 Changes in non-cash working capital: Decrease (increase) in trade and other receivables (5,760) 1,262 (7,112) (1,765) Decrease in inventories 1,405 936 1,010 1,030 Decrease (increase) in other current assets (385) 82 (760) (477) Increase (decrease) in trade and other payables 150 (341) (1,366) 164 Net cash from operating activities 5,262 5,506 5,624 7,349 Cash flows from investing activities: Additions to mineral properties, plant and equipment (1,155) (2,160) (1,730) (3,485) Acquisition of Cangold - (62) - (994) Additions to exploration & evaluation assets - (2,157) - (2,157) Net cash used in investing activities (1,155) (4,379) (1,730) (6,636) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from At-the-Market offering, net of expenses 6,571 - 6,571 - Proceeds from exercise of share options 1,304 - 1,971 9 Net cash from financing activities 7,875 - 8,542 9 Effect of foreign currency translation on cash and cash equivalents (128) (389) (1,461) 742 Increase in cash and cash equivalents 11,854 738 10,975 1,464 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 16,981 18,694 17,860 17,968 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 28,835 $ 19,432 $ 28,835 $ 19,432 SOURCE Great Panther Silver Limited Related Links http://www.greatpanther.com NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Greensward, a cheese created by Murray's Cheese in partnership with Jasper Hill Farm of Greensboro, VT, was recognized as an industry best by the American Cheese Society at its annual awards presentation last week. The cheese was recognized as the #1 Soft-Ripened Washed Rind Cheese and took 3rd place overall in the prestigious Best of Show category. This recognition comes at an exciting time for Murray's, as the New York shop has recently expanded its cave aging facilities and begun to develop its first proprietary cheeses. "We are excited about this recognition for Greensward, as it solidifies our commitment to true affinage and our dedication to maintaining high standards in the production and aging of all of our cheeses," said Steve Millard, Vice President of Foodservice and Merchandising for Murray's Cheese. "We truly appreciate our long standing relationship with our friends at Jasper Hill and their willingness to work with us on exciting projects like this. And we can't forget to thank the American Cheese Society for bestowing this recognition. On behalf of the Murray's team and our Certified Cheese Professionals and mongers across the US, we are proud and humbled and more committed than ever to our craft." Greensward was created four years ago exclusively for Eleven Madison Park restaurant. The cheese recipe was developed by the team at Jasper Hill and the aging process was a collaboration between Murray's staff, Jasper Hill and chef Daniel Humm. The cow's milk cheese was washed in beer and aged in Murray's cheese-aging caves in Long Island City, NY. The cheese has evolved over the past four years under the guidance of Millard and Murray's Cavemaster Peter Jenkelunas, who have changed the original wash from beer to cider; adjusted the length of aging; and worked with Jasper Hill to use younger cheese for a different and unique flavor profile. "Working with Jasper Hill to create and perfect Greensward truly opened our eyes to Murray's potential for aging cheeses," according to Murray's Cavemaster Peter Jenkelunas. "The distinct impact our caves have on the flavor development in Greensward inspired us to consider every cheese that comes out of our caves as an opportunity to create something new we make a similarly distinct, positive impact on every cheese we age. So it's especially fulfilling to be recognized for the hard work that went into creating this fantastic cheese." "This win is the fruition of many years of collaboration between Jasper Hill and Murray's Cheese," said Jasper Hill Co-Founder Mateo Kehler. "There is so much more to come and we couldn't be more pleased that our hard work is being recognized." Greensward is named for the "Greensward Plan," the city of New York's original plan for the development of Central Park. When it first launched, Greensward was on a New York-inspired menu at Eleven Madison Park and the cheese grew in popularity from there. "Working with the team at Murray's to create this cheese was truly a collaborative experience and I'm so proud of what we've been able to achieve together," said Chef Daniel Humm. "The goal was to create something reminiscent of Vacherin Mont d'or, a creamy, funky, incredibly delicious cheese from Switzerland that I grew up with, but to also make something distinctive and different for our guests. The cheese was washed with a beer from Ithaca Brewing that we served as part of the picnic basket course at the restaurant and from the moment we started serving it guests fell in love. It's relationships like this that we love having, where we can craft something together with like-mind farmers or artisans, and enhance the experience of our guests while celebrating the amazing ingredients we have in the region." Greensward is one of seven exclusive Cavemaster Reserve cheeses created through partnerships between Murray's and some of the world's best cheese makers. Others include Hudson Flower, Hollander, Barden Blue, Other Stephen, Project X and Cornelia. All are aged to perfection in Murray's cheese-aging caves and are available exclusively at Murray's flagship stores in Greenwich Village and Grand Central Terminal; at Murray's Cheese Bar; online at www.murrayscheese.com; and at Murray's shops in select Kroger locations across the US. For a complete list of Kroger locations, visit www.murrayscheese.com/locations. The American Cheese Society (ACS) is the leader in supporting and promoting American cheeses. Founded in 1983 to support the North American artisan and specialty cheese industry, ACS provides advocacy, education, business development and networking opportunities for members of the cheese industry, while striving to raise the quality and availability of cheese in the Americas. ACS hosts North America's foremost educational conference and cheese competition, which included 1,685 entries from 248 companies in 2016. About Murray's Cheese: Founded in 1940 in the heart of Greenwich Village, Murray's Cheese is one of New York's most beloved cheese shops. The mission of Murray's Cheese is to bring the best cheese selection to the United States and to educate customers about cheese. Murray's flagship stores on Bleecker Street and in Grand Central Station's food market offer hundreds of domestic and imported artisan cheeses, along with a large selection of specialty goods. Through an exclusive partnership with Murray's, the Kroger family of stores features nearly 300 Murray's Cheese counters across the U.S. Follow Murray's on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @MurraysCheese. About Kroger: Every day, the Kroger Family of Companies makes a difference in the lives of eight and a half million customers and 431,000 associates who shop or serve in 2,778 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Kroger and its subsidiaries operate an expanding ClickList offering a personalized, order online, pick up at the store service in addition to 2,230 pharmacies, 785 convenience stores, 323 fine jewelry stores, 1,400 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Kroger is recognized as one of America's most generous companies for its support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150408/197347LOGO SOURCE The Kroger Co. Related Links http://www.kroger.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- HubSpot, Inc. (NYSE: HUBS), a leading inbound marketing and sales software company, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30th, 2016. Financial Highlights: Revenue Total revenue was $65.0 million , up 51% compared to the second quarter of 2015. , up 51% compared to the second quarter of 2015. Subscription revenue was $60.9 million , up 55% compared to the second quarter of 2015. , up 55% compared to the second quarter of 2015. Professional services and other revenue was $4.1 million , up 11% compared to the second quarter of 2015. Operating Loss GAAP operating margin was (17.0%) for the quarter, compared to (26.4%) in the second quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP operating margin was (3.9%) for the quarter, an improvement of approximately 9 percentage points from (13.2%) in the second quarter of 2015. GAAP operating loss was ($11.0) million for the quarter, compared to ($11.3) million in the second quarter of 2015. for the quarter, compared to in the second quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP operating loss was ($2.5) million for the quarter, compared to ($5.7) million in the second quarter of 2015. Net Loss GAAP net loss was ($11.1) million , or ($0.32) per share for the quarter, compared to ($11.4) million , or ($0.34) per share, in the second quarter of 2015. , or per share for the quarter, compared to , or per share, in the second quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP net loss was ($2.6) million , or ($0.07) per share for the quarter, compared to ($5.7) million , or ($0.17) per share, in the second quarter of 2015. , or per share for the quarter, compared to , or per share, in the second quarter of 2015. Second quarter weighted average common shares outstanding were 35.0 million compared to 33.2 million shares in the second quarter of 2015. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow The company's cash, cash equivalents and investments balance was $148 million as of June 30, 2016 . as of . During the second quarter of 2016, the company generated $8.6 million of operating cash flow and invested $5.7 million in purchases of property and equipment and capitalization of internally developed software, resulting in free cash flow of $2.9 million . During the second quarter of 2015, the company generated $1.6 million of operating cash flow and invested $1.2 million in purchases of property and equipment and capitalization of internally developed software, resulting in free cash flow of $400 thousand . Additional Recent Business Highlights Grew total customers to 20,444 at June 30 th , 2016, up 29% from June 30 th , 2015. , 2016, up 29% from , 2015. Increased average subscription revenue per customer during the second quarter of 2016 to $11,978 from $10,127 in the second quarter of 2015. "The second quarter was another strong set of results for HubSpot," said Brian Halligan, co-founder and CEO. "We were able to deliver solid revenue growth, while showing significant operating leverage that allowed us to generate both positive operating and free cash flow in the quarter. As we continue to build on our product offerings across sales and marketing, we're really excited to help usher in a new era of doing business that matches the way modern humans buy." Business Outlook Based on information available as of August 3, 2016, HubSpot is issuing guidance for the third quarter of 2016 and raising guidance for full year 2016 as indicated below. Third Quarter 2016: Total revenue is expected to be in the range of $67.2 million to $68.2 million . . Non-GAAP operating loss is expected to in the range of ($5.2) million to ($4.2) million . This excludes stock-based compensation expense of approximately $9.0 million and amortization of acquired intangible assets of approximately $20 thousand . to . This excludes stock-based compensation expense of approximately and amortization of acquired intangible assets of approximately . Non-GAAP net loss per common share is expected to be in the range of ($0.14) to ($0.12) . This excludes stock-based compensation expense of approximately $9.0 million and amortization of acquired intangible assets of approximately $20 thousand . This assumes approximately 35.4 million weighted common shares outstanding. Full Year 2016: Total revenue is expected to be in the range of $263 million to $265 million . . Non-GAAP operating loss is expected to in be in the range of ($20) million to ($18) million . This excludes stock-based compensation expense of approximately $33.2 million and amortization of acquired intangible assets of approximately $84 thousand . to . This excludes stock-based compensation expense of approximately and amortization of acquired intangible assets of approximately . Non-GAAP net loss per common share is expected to be in the range of ($0.55) to ($0.51) . This excludes stock-based compensation expense of approximately $33.2 million and amortization of acquired intangible assets of approximately $84 thousand . This assumes approximately 35.2 million weighted common shares outstanding. Conference Call Information HubSpot will host a conference call on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) to discuss its second quarter 2016 financial results and business outlook. To access this call, dial (877) 201-0168 (domestic) or (647) 788-4901 (international). The conference ID is 43638681. Additionally, a live webcast of the conference call will be available in the "Investor" section of the HubSpot's web site at www.hubspot.com. Following the conference call, a replay will be available until 11 pm on August 10, 2016 at (855) 859-2056 (domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (international). The replay pass code is 43638681. An archived webcast of this conference call will also be available in the "Investor" section of HubSpot's web site at www.hubspot.com. The company has used, and intends to continue to use, the investor relations portion of its website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. About HubSpot HubSpot is a leading inbound marketing and sales platform. Over 20,000 customers in over 90 countries use HubSpot's award-winning software, services, and support to create an inbound experience that will attract, engage, and delight customers. Learn more at www.hubspot.com . The tables at the end of this press release include a reconciliation of generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") to non-GAAP operating loss, operating margin, subscription margin, expense, expense as a percentage of revenue, and net loss for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. An explanation of these measures is also included below under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures." Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements concerning our financial guidance for the third fiscal quarter of 2016 and full year 2016, our position to execute on our growth strategy in the mid-market, and our ability to expand our leadership position and market opportunity for our inbound platform. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts and statements identified by words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects as reflected in or suggested by those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control including, without limitation, our history of losses, our ability to retain existing customers and add new customers, the continued growth of the market for an inbound platform; our ability to differentiate our platform from competing products and technologies; our ability to manage our growth effectively to maintain our high level of service; our ability to maintain and expand relationships with our marketing agency partners; our ability to successfully recruit and retain highly-qualified personnel; the price volatility of our common stock, and other risks set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 4, 2016 and our other SEC filings. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) June 30, December 31, 2016 2015 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 58,661 $ 55,580 Short-term investments 58,831 48,972 Accounts receivable net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $306 and $371 at June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively 25,643 25,142 Deferred commission expense 8,128 8,114 Prepaid hosting costs 1,224 3,047 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 9,206 4,899 Total current assets 161,693 145,754 Long-term investments 30,507 40,566 Property and equipment, net 28,034 18,161 Capitalized software development costs, net 4,990 4,655 Restricted cash 370 363 Other assets 1,111 1,007 Intangible assets, net 56 100 Goodwill 9,773 9,773 Total assets $ 236,534 $ 220,379 Liabilities and stockholders' equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 2,707 $ 2,588 Accrued compensation costs 11,442 11,371 Other accrued expenses 15,406 12,313 Capital lease obligations 714 542 Deferred rent 194 86 Deferred revenue 76,507 64,407 Total current liabilities 106,970 91,307 Capital lease obligations, net of current portion 259 277 Deferred rent, net of current portion 8,164 6,345 Deferred revenue, net of current portion 675 732 Other long-term liabilities 14 10 Total liabilities 116,082 98,671 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Common stock 35 34 Additional paid-in capital 342,435 322,833 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (446) (805) Accumulated deficit (221,572) (200,354) Total stockholders' equity 120,452 121,708 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 236,534 $ 220,379 Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except per share data) For the Three Months Ended June 30, For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenues: Subscription $ 60,916 $ 39,273 $ 115,852 $ 74,212 Professional services and other 4,058 3,668 8,082 6,895 Total revenue 64,974 42,941 123,934 81,107 Cost of Revenues: Subscription 9,985 7,484 18,895 14,424 Professional services and other 5,210 3,789 10,271 7,314 Total cost of revenues 15,195 11,273 29,166 21,738 Gross profit 49,779 31,668 94,768 59,369 Operating expenses: Research and development 11,278 8,158 21,082 15,658 Sales and marketing 39,140 26,291 74,338 50,188 General and administrative 10,391 8,541 20,239 16,255 Total operating expenses 60,809 42,990 115,659 82,101 Loss from operations (11,030) (11,322) (20,891) (22,732) Other (expense) income: Interest income 201 101 380 108 Interest expense (93) (79) (180) (109) Other (expense) income (202) (55) (535) 572 Total other (expense) income (94) (33) (335) 571 Loss before income tax benefit (provision) (11,124) (11,355) (21,226) (22,161) Income tax benefit (provision) 60 (37) 8 (89) Net loss $ (11,064) $ (11,392) $ (21,218) $ (22,250) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.32) $ (0.34) $ (0.61) $ (0.69) Weighted average common shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share: 35,023 33,208 34,858 32,432 Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Operating Activities: Net loss $ (11,064) $ (11,392) $ (21,218) $ (22,250) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash and cash equivalents provided by operating activities Depreciation and amortization 3,022 1,818 5,223 3,565 Stock-based compensation 8,474 5,642 14,705 10,783 Provision for deferred income taxes (168) (165) 26 Amortization of bond premium discount 190 190 411 192 Noncash rent expense 837 24 1,949 192 Unrealized currency translation 188 159 (63) (289) Changes in assets and liabilities Accounts receivable (732) (667) (385) (2,118) Prepaid expenses and other assets (221) (2,201) (2,624) (3,352) Deferred commission expense 296 (18) (3) (14) Accounts payable 1,106 800 302 (310) Accrued expenses 3,091 3,890 1,937 4,542 Deferred rent (11) 265 (34) 265 Deferred revenue 3,634 3,068 11,786 9,531 Net cash and cash equivalents provided by operating activities 8,642 1,578 11,821 763 Investing Activities: Purchases of investments (12,142) (52,499) (21,111) (78,283) Maturity of investment 12,468 21,343 Purchases of property and equipment (4,628) (158) (11,269) (1,183) Capitalization of software development costs (1,078) (1,022) (2,512) (1,792) Acquisition of a business (600) Net cash and cash equivalents used in investing activities (5,380) (53,679) (13,549) (81,858) Financing Activities: Secondary offering proceeds, net of offering costs paid of $573 33,679 Payment of offering costs (435) Employee taxes paid related to the net share settlement of stock-based awards (384) (7,852) (1,342) (7,852) Proceeds related to issuance of common stock under stock plans 3,176 5,223 6,168 6,189 Repayments of capital lease obligations (177) (25) (319) (49) Net cash and cash equivalents provided by (used in) financing activities 2,615 (3,089) 4,507 31,967 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (235) 50 302 (358) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 5,642 (55,140) 3,081 (49,486) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 53,019 129,375 55,580 123,721 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 58,661 $ 74,235 $ 58,661 $ 74,235 Reconciliation of non-GAAP operating loss and operating margin Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 (in thousands, except percentages) GAAP operating loss $ (11,030) $ (11,322) $ (20,891) $ (22,732) Stock-based compensation 8,475 5,642 14,705 10,783 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 20 26 44 44 Non-GAAP operating loss $ (2,535) $ (5,654) $ (6,142) $ (11,905) GAAP operating margin (17.0%) (26.4%) (16.9%) (28.0%) Non-GAAP operating margin (3.9%) (13.2%) (5.0%) (14.7%) Reconciliation of non-GAAP net loss Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 (in thousands, except per share amounts) GAAP net loss $ (11,064) $ (11,392) $ (21,218) $ (22,250) Stock-based compensation 8,475 5,642 14,705 10,783 Amortization of acquired intangibles 20 26 44 44 Non-GAAP net loss $ (2,569) $ (5,724) $ (6,469) $ (11,423) Non-GAAP net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.07) $ (0.17) $ (0.19) $ (0.35) Weighted average common shares used in computing basic and diluted GAAP and non-GAAP net loss per common share: 35,023 33,208 34,858 32,432 Reconciliation of non-GAAP expense and expense as a percentage of revenue (in thousands, except percentages) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 COS, Subscription COS, Prof. services & other R&D S&M G&A COS, Subscription COS, Prof. services & other R&D S&M G&A GAAP expense $ 9,985 $ 5,210 $ 11,278 $ 39,140 $ 10,391 $ 7,484 $ 3,789 $ 8,158 $ 26,291 $ 8,541 Stock -based compensation (131) (477) (2,272) (3,469) (2,126) (92) (347) (1,629) (2,077) (1,497) Amortization of acquired intangibles (13) $ $ (7) $ (19) $ $ (7) $ Non-GAAP expense $ 9,841 $ 4,733 $ 9,006 $ 35,664 $ 8,265 $ 7,373 $ 3,442 $ 6,529 $ 24,207 $ 7,044 GAAP expense as a percentage of revenue 15.4 % 8.0 % 17.4 % 60.2 % 16.0 % 17.4 % 8.8 % 19.0 % 61.2 % 19.9 % Non-GAAP expense as a percentage of revenue 15.1 % 7.3 % 13.9 % 54.9 % 12.7 % 17.2 % 8.0 % 15.2 % 56.4 % 16.4 % Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 COS, Subscription COS, Prof. services & other R&D S&M G&A COS, Subscription COS, Prof. services & other R&D S&M G&A GAAP expense $ 18,895 $ 10,271 $ 21,082 $ 74,338 $ 20,239 $ 14,424 $ 7,314 $ 15,658 $ 50,188 $ 16,255 Stock -based compensation (224) (800) (4,030) (5,895) (3,756) (159) (604) (3,262) (4,132) (2,626) Amortization of acquired intangibles (31) $ $ (13) $ (30) $ $ (14) $ Non-GAAP expense $ 18,640 $ 9,471 $ 17,052 $ 68,430 $ 16,483 ` $ 14,235 $ 6,710 $ 12,396 $ 46,042 $ 13,629 GAAP expense as a percentage of revenue 15.2 % 8.3 % 17.0 % 60.0 % 16.3 % 17.8 % 9.0 % 19.3 % 61.9 % 20.0 % Non-GAAP expense as a percentage of revenue 15.0 % 7.6 % 13.8 % 55.2 % 13.3 % 17.6 % 8.3 % 15.3 % 56.8 % 16.8 % Reconciliation of non-GAAP subscription margin (in thousands, except percentages) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 GAAP subscription margin $ 50,931 $ 31,789 $ 96,957 $ 59,788 Stock -based compensation 131 92 224 159 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 13 19 31 30 Non-GAAP subscription margin $ 51,075 $ 31,900 $ 97,212 $ 59,977 GAAP subscription margin percentage 83.6 % 80.9 % 83.7 % 80.6 % Non-GAAP subscription margin percentage 83.8 % 81.2 % 83.9 % 80.8 % Non-GAAP Financial Measures In this release, HubSpot's non-GAAP operating loss, operating margin, subscription margin, expense, expense as a percentage of revenue, net loss, and free cash flow are not presented in accordance with GAAP and are not intended to be used in lieu of GAAP presentations of results of operations. Management presents these non-GAAP financial measures because it considers them to be important supplemental measures of performance. Management uses the non-GAAP financial measures for planning purposes, including analysis of the company's performance against prior periods, the preparation of operating budgets and to determine appropriate levels of operating and capital investments. Management also believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide additional insight for analysts and investors in evaluating the company's financial and operational performance. However, these non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool and are not intended to be an alternative to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We intend to provide these non-GAAP financial measures as part of our future earnings discussions and, therefore, the inclusion of these non-GAAP financial measures will provide consistency in our financial reporting. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures has been provided in the financial statement tables included above in this press release. These non-GAAP measures exclude share-based compensation and amortization of acquired intangible assets. We believe investors may want to exclude the effects of these items in order to compare our financial performance with that of other companies and between time periods: (a) Stock-based compensation is a non-cash expense accounted for in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. We believe that the exclusion of stock-based compensation expense allows for financial results that are more indicative of our operational performance and provide for a useful comparison of our operating results to prior periods and to our peer companies because stock-based compensation expense varies from period to period and company to company due to such things as differing valuation methodologies and changes in stock price. (b) Expense for the amortization of acquired intangible assets is a non-cash item, and we believe that the exclusion of this amortization expense provides for a useful comparison of our operating results to prior periods and to our peer companies. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110817/NE53515LOGO SOURCE HubSpot Related Links http://hubspot.com SKOKIE, Illinois, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrated DNA Technologies ("IDT") is donating reagents to Eliminate Dengue Brazil to help combat the spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil. The Eliminate Dengue Program is an international, non-profit research collaboration led by Prof Scott O'Neill of Monash University, Australia. The team is developing a natural method for controlling mosquito-transmitted diseases, including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. The Brazil project team, led by Dr Luciano Moreira (FIOCRUZ/Centro de Pesquisas Rene Rachou, Brazil), is applying the method towards controlling the spread of ZIKV. The researchers infect the mosquitoes with naturally occurring bacteria, called Wolbachia, that reduce the ability of the mosquitoes to transmit the disease-causing virus to humans. Wolbachia occurs naturally in up to 60% of all insect species and is passed to new generations during reproduction. Dr Moreira notes, "One of the most important features of our project is how sustainable it is. After we release Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes into an area over the period of a few months, they increase and maintain their prevalence naturally without us having to continually release more mosquitoes." Dr Moreira's team uses IDT's ZEN Double-Quenched Probes to monitor the persistence of viruses within the mosquito population. Their recent research in Brazil shows that by dispersing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, they can significantly reduce risk of transmission of ZIKV and dengue virus. Now IDT is donating reagents to Eliminate Dengue Brazil so that additional research can be completed quickly and efficiently. Dr Joseph A Walder, IDT founder and chief executive officer, said, "IDT is committed to sponsoring innovative research that drives medical, agricultural, and environmental advances. We are proud to be able to support the work being done by Eliminate Dengue Brazil to reduce Zika virus transmission. This is an important global issue being addressed using a natural, sustainable, and safe method." For more details on Dr Moreira's research on ZIKV, read IDT's DECODED newsletter article, Dengue, Zika transmission slowed by Wolbachia bacterium. Follow us on twitter @idtdna for real-time updates and insights. For more information about IDT visit http://www.idtdna.com and to learn more about the Eliminate Dengue Program, their research, and their accomplishments, visit http://www.eliminatedengue.com/program and http://www.eliminatedengue.com/rio-de-janeiro. SOURCE Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) DES MOINES A Waterloo woman says her son was beaten by staff and denied necessary medical attention while he was serving a sentence in the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. Bertha Johnson of Waterloo said that two weeks ago her son Terrance Sayles was physically assaulted by staff at the state prison after he asked for medical assistance and that he was not receiving necessary medication. Johnson spoke at a rally Wednesday outside the offices of the Iowa Department of Corrections. The event was organized by Sayles family and a pair of advocacy organizations, the Des Moines Workers Alliance and the Des Moines Catholic Worker. I want them to free Terrance. Hes done his time, Johnson said. And give him his medical attention that he needs. Sayles, 26, has four years remaining on a 20-year sentence for prohibited acts with a firearm. Johnson said Sayles spent 11 months in solitary confinement and did not receive necessary medical treatment. Johnson said Sayles asked for medical care two weeks ago, and prison staff sprayed him with pepper spray and physically assaulted him, including forcing his head into the cells toilet. Johnson said that at one point, Sayles stopped breathing. Robert Cook, a Presbyterian minister who says he was granted visiting rights to Sayles, said that during the incident, Sayles was maybe talking out of his mind. Well, who wouldnt be talking out of their minds after 11 months in isolation, Cook said. When asked about the allegations, Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta issued a statement: Interactions with Terrance Sayles by staff at the Iowa State Penitentiary were in compliance with Iowa Department of Corrections medical, mental health and operational policies and procedures.Speakers at Wednesdays rally called for criminal justice reforms, including ending solitary confinement and reducing prison sentences. Sayles has since been moved to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. Johnson said her son is now receiving medical attention and is a totally different person because of it. He was more uplifting (in) his spirits, more talkative, Johnson said. When he was in Fort Madison, he was a zombie. He wasnt talking, just staring at you. He would just look at you in a daze. This move has been great. Its been a blessing, said Sayles sister, Laquetta Sayles, of Waterloo. SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intralign Health, a leading provider of OR Optimization solutions, today announced the appointment of Sriram Iyer to the position of CEO to advance its strategy to improve hospital profitability through value-based solutions. Mr. Iyer was previously President and CEO of RainTree Oncology, a leading oncology alliance, and CEO of Engage Health, a patient engagement company focused on driving compliance. Prior to this, Mr. Iyer was an executive at The Advisory Board Company, a best practice research, analytics and consulting firm serving over 2,500 hospitals, where he built population management and revenue cycle solutions to improve hospital profitability. At RainTree Oncology, Mr. Iyer led the company's transition from a GPO to a provider network that optimized the specialty pharmacy, so independent practices can thrive under a value-based reimbursement model. Intralign Founder, Rick Ferreira said, "Having accomplished our goal of capturing tangible savings for hospitals by optimizing intra-operative processes, Intralign is now focused on creating value-based solutions that enable hospitals to thrive under payment reform. We are excited to have Sriram lead Intralign's expansion, particularly given his expertise in healthcare analytics and value-based care." Mr. Ferreira remains an Intralign Board Member and will focus on future growth opportunities and on managing strategic relationships for the company. Mr. Iyer said, "With the rollout of payment reform, hospitals need solutions that drive profitability across the full episode of care. In Orthopedics, for example, hospitals participating in CJR are now responsible for managing utilization for up to 90 days after the patient has left the hospital. Intralign has captured sustainable savings for hospitals by optimizing surgical performance and is well positioned to manage both cost and quality across the full episode." Intralign's Episode of Care Modeling and Bundle Performance Program applies CMS's rules and data to map out a strategy for each hospital on how best to optimize clinical and operational processes for CJR. This roadmap includes quality and complications scoring, as well as qualitative on-site care path analysis. All interested hospitals should contact Intralign's Executive Vice President, Arthur Goodrich, at [email protected] or by calling 415 515 7776. About Intralign Health Intralign Health is a leading provider of surgical optimization solutions to hospitals. The company enables hospitals to better control utilization across the full episode of care - starting with a focus on orthopedics. Intralign integrates technology and tools with hands-on clinical and operational support to ensure providers maximize their profitability. Contact: Arthur Goodrich Executive Vice President [email protected] +1-415-515-7776 SOURCE Intralign Health SHANGHAI, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. ("JinkoSolar" or the "Company") (NYSE: JKS), a global leader in the solar PV industry, today announced that it has donated 16.9 kilowatts (kW) of PV modules for the construction of the Miami Science Barge ("Barge"), a floating marine lab and environmental education center in Miami, Florida. The Miami Science Barge, a 3,600 square foot barge docked in the Museum Park in Biscayne Bay, was designed to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and sustainability initiatives. It features three interconnecting zones which will educate visitors on a number of topics including living ecosystems, marine experiments, and renewable energy. JinkoSolar's high-efficiency modules will be powering the Barge, allowing it to function completely off the grid. Aboard the Barge there will be around 75 kWh of storage, enough for a total of 3 days' worth of stored energy. There will be a cost savings of over $1,000 per year, which will be used towards ensuring that the Barge's programs can be provided free to those with limited financial means. Sonnedix USA Services Limited, a member of the Sonnedix Group of Companies (collectively, "Sonnedix"), donated the solar inverters, provided engineering support, and coordinated the donation of energy storage equipment from Pittsburgh, PA based Aquion Energy. Andreas Mustad, Director and CEO of the Sonnedix Group of companies, said: "Spurring an interest in Miami's youth regarding how easily a self-sustaining platform can be implemented on even a limited footprint such as the science barge leaving ample room for the activities aboard is something we are extremely proud to be a part of and one of several corporate social responsibility initiatives we are committed to supporting globally." "The Miami Science Barge embodies sustainability and solar panels are a critical part of our identity. We are one of the few places in South Florida where the public are able to see solar energy at work and learn about how the Sunshine State should be a leader in harvesting this amazing renewable resource." said Nathalie Manzano, Director of the Miami Science Barge, "The Miami Science Barge team is thankful to JinkoSolar, Sonnedix, and Aquion Energy for donating the solar energy system which we depend on to provide reliable, constant energy to keep our plants and animals alive." "JinkoSolar is proud to be involved in this unique project where innovation meets education," said Nigel Cockroft, General Manager of JinkoSolar (U.S.) Inc., "ensuring a more sustainable future begins with education; the Science Barge embodies this statement. We commend Nathalie Manzano-Smith and her team for championing a project that teaches individuals the importance of going green, while simultaneously promoting the sustainable growth of the city of Miami." About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is a global leader in the solar industry. JinkoSolar distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and other countries and regions. JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 3.5 GW for silicon ingots and wafers, 3 GW for solar cells, and 6 GW for solar modules, as of March 31, 2016. JinkoSolar also sells electricity in China, and had connected approximately 1,007 MW of solar power projects to the grid, as of March 31, 2016. JinkoSolar has over 15,000 employees across its 5 productions facilities in Jiangxi and Zhejiang Provinces, China, Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa, 16 oversea subsidiaries in Japan (2), Singapore, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia and South Africa. 18 global sales offices in China (2) ,United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico. To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com. About Sonnedix Sonnedix is an Independent Solar Power Producer (IPP) with a proven track record in delivering high performance cost competitive solar photovoltaic plants to the market. Sonnedix develops, builds, owns and operates solar power plants globally. To find out more, please visit www.sonnedix.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements 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, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends, "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company's operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: Mr. Sebastian Liu JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. Tel: +86 21-5183-3056 Email: [email protected] SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. Related Links http://www.jinkosolar.com NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With a continued cultural focus on advancing the educational experience, skills and careers of its next generation of leaders, KPMG LLP has worked with The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business and Villanova School of Business to develop a bold new approach to learning with master's degree programs emphasizing data and analytics (D&A) in accounting. "The KPMG program encompasses the newest innovation to our firm's award-winning recruiting and learning culture by facilitating data and analytics innovations in the Master of Accounting programs of two of our nation's leading business schools," said Scott Marcello, KPMG's Vice Chair, Audit. "This program integrates perfectly into KPMG's D&A and cognitive capabilities, and starts real action toward meeting our profession's great demand for talent. It foundationally changes the recruiting and preparation of auditors with the right skills to analyze the vast volumes of information produced by today's business organizations. "The degree coursework developed by each business school will drive critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in a data- and analytics-focused accounting curriculum," Marcello added. "Students in the KPMG program will also have their coursework supplemented by real-world experience on KPMG teams auditing some of the world's largest companies." This KPMG program will pay the full tuition, room and board for 50 students who will enter the universities' graduate programs in the fall of 2017 and will work between semesters as KPMG audit interns, applying what they learn in the coursework, extensively using KPMG's data and analytics tools on audit teams and preparing for the program's second semester. The KPMG program will also involve working with The Ohio State and Villanova to integrate the latest audit technology into the classroom. Upon graduation from Fisher College of Business or the Villanova School of Business in the summer of 2018, the students will join KPMG's audit practice through an advanced entry program. Created to develop auditors in the data age, the program innovations are part of broader data analytics initiatives at Fisher College of Business and the Villanova School of Business. For the students, the KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics Program combines practical use of the latest analytics technology and data sets, as well as real-world experience using the firm's proprietary tools in the classroom and as members of KPMG audit teams. Villanova School of Business Vice Dean Daniel Wright, Ph.D., called this master's degree "a rarity in academic-business cooperation that goes well beyond tuition reimbursement. We know of no other program where a company directly funds students' master's degrees in accounting analytics and provides a full-time position upon graduation." "Strong partnerships between leading companies and top academic institutions are essential to building an agile workforce equipped to meet today's business challenges," said Anil Makhija, Dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at Fisher College of Business. "Fisher is proud to join with KPMG and the Villanova School of Business in recognizing the importance of data analytics in accounting and in providing the next generation of industry leaders with a truly unique academic and professional experience." Fisher College of Business and the Villanova School of Business are among dozens of schools with strong, ongoing relationships where KPMG is pioneering integrated business and data coursework as part of its educational investments to enhance audit quality and advance its culture of learning. The firm, which hopes to expand the program to other schools to enhance its close relationship with academia, already funds dozens of academic research projects and activities for professors, engages faculty to advise on audit research topics and methodologies, provides a website with materials and presentations for faculty to use in their classrooms, and offers internship opportunities for students. Among its extensive academic programs, the KPMG University Connection site offers curriculum and case-study materials on technical topics, professional judgment and ethics. KPMG also sponsors webinars and a faculty symposium, and provides partners and professionals for presentations to students and faculty throughout the country. The KPMG Foundation-sponsored PhD Project encourages diversity within business school faculty through programming for doctoral students in underrepresented minorities. Click here to learn more about the program. About KPMG LLP KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm (www.kpmg.com/us), is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"). KPMG International's member firms have 174,000 professionals, including more than 9,000 partners, in 155 countries. About The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business Since 1916, The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business has served as a recognized leader in business education, critical research and innovative partnerships. Its missioncreating ideas, encouraging scholars and developing leaders who positively impact their communities and the worldis influenced by the tenets of Mr. Fisher, a leading industrialist, philanthropist and public servant. Fisher prepares its students to transcend the expectations of business education through its top-ranked programs and its vast network of partnerships that reaches from the surrounding business community to multinationals, nonprofits and startups across the globe. Fisher students learn from distinguished faculty from across all facets of business. Fisher's students are uniquely prepared and highly sought by Fortune 500 companies and leading organizations around the world. Students at Fisher leverage the college's rigorous, applied learning environment with the resources of The Ohio State, a premier research university with 500,000 proud Buckeye alumni. About Villanova University School of Business The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is ranked #1 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek and has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to six Centers or Institutes of Excellence (the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights, the Center for Church Management & Business Ethics and the Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Institute) with each center and institute designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and teaching opportunities for business faculty. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu. Contact: Robert Wade KPMG LLP 201-307-7482 [email protected] Joe Arnold The Ohio State University 614-292-3380 [email protected] Cathy J. Toner Villanova University 610-519-6678 [email protected] SOURCE KPMG LLP Related Links http://www.kpmg.com/us LONDON, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LEOcoin, the cryptocurrency created by London-based LEOcoin Foundation has made an important change to its protocol to make it more robust and user-friendly. The organization reports successful migration from the previously used Proof of Work consensus protocol, similar to that of Bitcoin to a more efficient Proof of Stake consensus protocol. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395467 The introduction of Proof of Stake algorithm makes it possible for everyone to get involved in the staking process, without having to invest in specialized equipment like ASICs or mining farms. Anyone who can operate a computer can now take part in the staking by opening their free to use LEOcoin wallet and clicking on a button. By eliminating the need for specialized equipment LEOcoin offers a greener alternative to Bitcoin, drastically reducing the carbon footprint for every newly created coin. LEOcoin has also introduced a new rewarding structure for staking depending upon the number of coins (stake) held by each participant. Dan Andersson, the co-founder of LEOcoin offers a brief outline of the new rewards structure where those holding 1000 LEOcoins or more will receive about 10 percent returns per year, while those with 5000 and more will receive 15 percent and those with over 50000 will be receiving 20 percent returns on their stake each year. There are also new platforms being created to help spread adoption of LEOcoin, as well as other digital currencies. The latest products include My LEO Travel and LEOcoin Merchants. My LEO Travel is a travel and hotel booking platform where people can plan their trip and pay with LEOcoin alongside other payment options. LEOcoin Merchants is a recently launched site that displays merchants and businesses who are happy to accept LEOcoin in payment for the goods and services. LEOcoin is a digital currency created in 2014 by the LEOcoin Foundation for entrepreneurs and businesses. The digital currency allows individuals to make fast and secure transactions over a decentralized peer-to-peer network. Like Bitcoin, LEOcoin offers a certain degree of anonymity and it is simple and easy to use. The Proof of Stake algorithm used in LEOcoin also ensures active community participation, further strengthening the network every passing day. LEOcoin has been appreciated by various diplomats and bureaucrats from across the world. They have also extended their support to the digital currency ecosystem created by LEOcoin. The founders of LEOcoin have participated in various international events and gatherings, rubbing shoulders with powerful people from governments who are striving to promote entrepreneurship and businesses in their home countries and outside alike. Recently, LEOcoin was supported by a representative from the Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom among others in an event which saw diplomats from over 20 countries in attendance. About LEOcoin LEOcoin is a cryptocurrency conceptualized by the well-known UK-based entrepreneurial skills training company Learning Enterprises Organization. LEOcoin is a decentralized, easy to use peer to peer digital currency maintained by LEOcoin Foundation. It is supported by a large community of established and aspiring entrepreneurs who are actively involved in building the LEOcoin community and increasing its adoption across the world. To know more about LEOcoin, please visit https://www.leocoin.org/ Learn about Learning Enterprises Organisation here http://www.learnearnown.com/ LEOcoin on Bitcoin Talk- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1545712.0 Visit My LEO Travel at https://myleotravel.com LEOcoin Merchants is available at http://leocoinmerchants.com Trade LEOcoin: https://www.leoxchange.com/MarketData.aspx https://www.cryptopia.co.nz/Exchange/?market=LEO_BTC https://leobit.net/exchange/btc https://c-cex.com/?p=leo-btc https://www.livecoin.net/ Media Contact Contact Name Mihir Magudia Contact Email [email protected] The LEOcoin community 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. Related Links Bitcoin PR Buzz LEOcoin Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS2XDkMGwjY This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. SOURCE LEOcoin community SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lithium Technologies today announced the next generation of Klout Enrichments for Twitter's Gnip 2.0 products that will provide marketers, advertisers, customer support and analytics providers with deep, meaningful data into their customers, competitors and trends. With this update, customers of Gnip 2.0 can now better understand their influencers' areas of interest and expertise, with each tweet. Additionally, it delivers features that achieve maximum value and utility for use cases including analytics, marketing automation and Twitter Advertising. The addition of new enrichments come after a multi-year partnership for Klout's deep portfolio of data with Gnip. "The most successful brands think of themselves as a person interacting with other people and use data in a smart and useful way to act accordingly," said Rob Tarkoff, President and CEO of Lithium Technologies. "This next generation of Klout Enrichments for Gnip 2.0 arms brands with the information to truly understand their customers' influence and expertise so that they can more effectively engage with them." "Klout allows our customers to understand influence, expertise and essential context about users," said Chris Moody, Vice President of Data Strategy of Twitter. "The new Klout Enrichment in Gnip 2.0 is a natural progression of our partnership and helps us ensure customers are equipped with the insights they need to make highly informed, actionable decisions." The Klout Enrichment for Twitter's Gnip 2.0 includes: The Klout Score : The industry standard for at-a-glance social influence scoring. : The industry standard for at-a-glance social influence scoring. Klout Influence Topics: The top five topics an account drives engagement for and is known for. The top five topics an account drives engagement for and is known for. Klout Influence Expertise Scores : A measurement of how influential an account is in a given topic, compared to other relevant category influencers. : A measurement of how influential an account is in a given topic, compared to other relevant category influencers. Klout Interest Topics : The top five areas that an account is interested in, culled from posts, bios and engagement, authenticated against Klout's standards. : The top five areas that an account is interested in, culled from posts, bios and engagement, authenticated against Klout's standards. Klout Interest Topic Scores: A measurement of how interested a user is in a given topic, relative to other interests deduced by Klout. Klout offered the first online influence measurement system for individuals to gauge and track their impact on social channels and remains the undisputed leader in online influencer measurement. Acquired by Lithium in March 2014 and operating as a Lithium brand, Klout is a centerpiece to Lithium's social ecosystem, powering the data driving Community, Response and Reach products. Today, more than 750 million social profiles are contained in the Klout system, which evaluates more than 400 signals from social networks. Each day, more than 15 billion pieces of data are processed to update Klout Data. About Lithium: Lithium builds trusted relationships between the world's best brands and their customers, helping people get answers and share their experiences. Customers in more than 34 countries rely on Lithium to help them connect, engage, and understand their total community. With more than 100 million monthly visits over all Lithium communities and 750 million online profiles scored by Klout, Lithium has one of the largest digital footprints in the world. Using that data and the company's software, Lithium customers boost sales, reduce service costs, spark innovation, and build long-term brand loyalty and advocacy. To find out how Lithium can transform your businessand to share the experience enjoyed by 300 other leading brands around the world, visit www.lithium.com, join our community at community.lithium.com, or follow us on Twitter @LithiumTech. Lithium is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco. The Lithium logo is a registered Service Mark of Lithium Technologies. All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Lithium Technologies Related Links http://www.lithium.com MASON CITY The Mason City River City Sunrise Rotary Club will be recognized for years of philanthropic giving at its 7 a.m. meeting Aug. 4 at the public library. District Gov. Jim Coloff will recognize the club which has contributed $216,817 to the Rotary Foundation on behalf of Rotary District 5970. The money some of which has come from the clubs annual duck race fundraiser has supported efforts of the foundation, including Polio Plus, a Rotary project that has resulted in the near-eradication of polio worldwide. Donations by individual Rotarians have also supported numerous community projects and international humanitarian projects like building water wells, providing medical services in third-world countries and educating children worldwide. The Rotary Foundation also supports Youth Exchange, which sends Iowa high school students overseas for a year of study while hosting incoming students in local homes; Rotary youth leadership awards; and ambassadorial scholarships, which allow Iowa students to attend graduate classes abroad. MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to their jobs, new research reveals many professionals would like more information about how their efforts contribute to the company's bottom line. While nearly half of workers in the Robert Half Management Resources survey reported they are always able to see the connection between their duties and their firm's performance, the majority, 53 percent, also said they want greater insights. Fourteen percent of those polled noted they rarely or never see how their work affects the organization. Majority of workers want more insights on how they help their company's bottom line The findings uncovered different sentiments among age groups. Fifty-nine percent of professionals 55 years of age and older consistently see how their work contributes to the company's bottom line, but just 38 percent of those 35 to 54 years old agreed. Forty-four percent of respondents ages 18 to 34 said they are able to make the association between their efforts and organizational performance; this group also is the most likely to seek a greater understanding. View an infographic of the survey results. Workers were asked, "How frequently, if at all, are you able to make the connection between your day-to-day duties and how they contribute to the company's bottom line?" Their responses: All workers 18-34 years old 35-54 years old 55+ years old Always 47% 44% 38% 59% Sometimes 39% 50% 44% 25% Rarely 9% 4% 13% 11% Never 5% 2% 6% 6% 100% 100% 101%* 101%* * Totals do not equal 100 percent due to rounding. Workers also were asked, "Do you wish you had more insight into the effects of your contributions on your company's bottom line?" Their responses: All workers 18-34 years old 35-54 years old 55+ years old Yes 53% 64% 51% 46% No 47% 36% 49% 54% 100% 100% 100% 100% "Employees who see the direct correlation between their contributions and company performance are more engaged, make better spending decisions, and can identify new ways to increase productivity and growth," said Tim Hird, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. "It is concerning that so many workers who are 35 to 54 a group that often serves as managers and top executives lack a complete understanding of how their responsibilities help their organization's bottom line." Hird added Generation Y and Generation Z professionals prioritize feedback and connecting their roles to a larger purpose. "Millennials commonly crave insights on their performance and how it impacts the firm. Managers who do not have regular conversations with staff about how their work affects the company are missing a major opportunity to develop ideas for improving the business." Robert Half Management Resources highlights three ways employers can incorporate connecting individual roles to the bottom line into their staffing management: Don't stop at the top. Discussions about company performance and goals should happen with staff members at all levels. Understanding how their role contributes to the organization can help employees boost their own performance. Discussions about company performance and goals should happen with staff members at all levels. Understanding how their role contributes to the organization can help employees boost their own performance. Make the discussions ongoing. Managers should look for opportunities such as staff meetings, performance reviews and regular check-ins to communicate how individuals' contributions benefit the business. Managers should look for opportunities such as staff meetings, performance reviews and regular check-ins to communicate how individuals' contributions benefit the business. Tap external perspectives. Check with network contacts and consultants for their insights on how the company is faring and to learn best practices from other firms. About the Research The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 1,000 U.S. workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments. About Robert Half Management Resources Robert Half Management Resources is the premier provider of senior-level finance, accounting and business systems professionals to supplement companies' project and interim staffing needs. The company has more than 145 locations worldwide and offers assistance to business leaders and consultants at roberthalf.com/management-resources and on its blog at roberthalf.com/management-resources/blog. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395503-INFO SOURCE Robert Half Management Resources Related Links http://www.roberthalfmr.com "With an estimated 1 in 68 children in the U.S. diagnosed with autism every year, it was extremely important to McAlister's that we do something to help the families and communities impacted by the disorder," said Rick Altizer, President, McAlister's Deli. "We pride ourselves on treating each and every guest that walks through our doors with genuine hospitality, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. Autism Speaks shares this goal of inclusion, and we are honored to be working with them throughout August." In addition to monetary donations, McAlister's has developed a series of awareness activities for the whole family to enjoy both in and outside of the restaurant, including a blue sugar cookie recipe, puzzle piece coloring sheets and an educational foldable activity. Crafts are available for download at: http://bit.ly/mcalistersforacause and guests are invited to share their masterpieces by using #McAlistersForACause. For more information, and to find a McAlister's Deli near you, please visit: http://www.mcalistersdeli.com/. To connect with McAlister's please follow us @TeaFreaks (Facebook) and @McAlistersDeli (Twitter and Instagram). About McAlister's Founded in 1989, McAlister's Deli is a fast casual restaurant chain known for its sandwiches, spuds, soups, salads, desserts and McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea. In addition to dine-in and take-out service, McAlister's also offers catering with a selection of sandwich trays, box lunches, desserts, a hot spud bar and more. With numerous industry accolades, the McAlister's brand has more than 361 restaurants in 28 states. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, visit www.mcalistersdeli.com. About Autism Speaks Autism Speaks is the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Since its inception, Autism Speaks has committed more than $570 million to its mission, the majority in science and medical research. On the global front, Autism Speaks has established partnerships in more than 70 countries on five continents to foster international research, services and awareness. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit AutismSpeaks.org. CONTACT: Brenna Tudor Allison+Partners [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395756 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160705/386062LOGO SOURCE McAlister's Deli Related Links http://www.mcalistersdeli.com HARRISON, N.Y., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) today announced the development of Clear Skies, a revolutionary new platform designed to allow a company to implement a layer of security for data stored in the Cloud. This allows a company to ensure any lapses of security at the Cloud level do not subject the company's data to breaches, effectively providing the same level of security as an on premise database. "Founded on the tenants of security, anonymity and privacy, Clear Skies is an enterprise-level application that gives businesses and customers full control of their data and provides de-facto end-to-end encryption. Clear Skies provides the same end-user convenience and benefits as the traditional Cloud, but without the risk and consequences of hosting data on somebody else's servers, only to be hacked when they fail to keep us safe," said Eijah. "Privacy must come first. To see the true beauty of the sky we must first get rid of the clouds." Powered by the Demonsaw technology, Clear Skies allows businesses to collaborate in real-time, synchronize and share files, audio and video chat, configure on-the-fly anonymous traffic routing networks similar to TOR, and secure applications that were previously vulnerable to hackers, such as clear-text email and web browsing. Clear Skies enables businesses and individuals to break free from the cyber security limitations of Cloud data storage, empowering them to take back control of their future. The solution to cyber security threats is not to relinquish more of our data, but to keep it close where it is safest. Clear Skies is just the beginning to the groundbreaking ways that we can integrate the Demonsaw technology to meet the emerging needs of the Business world," said Mr. McAfee. "Behind every Cloud is a silver lining. Change is coming. MGT would like to welcome you to Clear Skies." Increasingly, businesses have discovered that data storage in the Cloud is not the paradise that was once promised. Companies and individuals trust their most precious and sensitive information, freely given, to these online entities every day. As history has shown, when the companies managing the Cloud get hacked, their accountability is rare and the companies or individuals that whose data was exposed are left holding the bag. While the Cloud may promise convenience, it cannot guarantee security. Through Clear Skies, companies will be able to access the benefits of the Cloud without surrendering control of their data. About MGT Capital Investments, Inc. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MGT) is in the process of acquiring a diverse portfolio of cyber security technologies. With cyber security industry pioneer, John McAfee, at its helm, MGT Capital is positioned to address various cyber threats through advanced protection technologies for mobile and personal tech devices, including tablets and smart phones. The Company is currently in the process of acquiring D-Vasive, a provider of leading edge anti-spy software, and Demonsaw, a provider of a secure and anonymous file sharing software platform. MGT Capital intends to change its corporate name to "John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc." upon closing of the D-Vasive transaction. For more information on the Company, please visit http://ir.stockpr.com/mgtci. Forwardlooking Statements This press release contains forwardlooking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forwardlooking statements." MGT's financial and operational results reflected above should not be construed by any means as representative of the current or future value of its common stock. All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forwardlooking statements. This includes all statements about the Company's plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates and projections, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include issues related to: rapidly changing technology and evolving standards in the industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries operate; the ability to obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain adequate cash flow, profitably exploit new business, license and sign new agreements; the unpredictable nature of consumer preferences; and other factors set forth in the Company's most recently filed annual report and registration statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Readers should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investor Contact Garth Russell Managing Director KCSA Strategic Communications [email protected] 212.896.1250 Media Contact Tiffany Madison Director of Corporate Communications MGT Capital Investments, Inc. [email protected]mailto:[email protected] 469.236.9569 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130409/NY91046LOGO SOURCE MGT Capital Investments, Inc. Related Links http://www.mgtci.com MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Military.com launched a free mobile app today that assists military members through their transition out of military service and prepares them for civilian life. Transition by Military.com is sponsored by Citi, and is free on Google Play and the Apple App Store (iTunes). The app provides a personalized approach to the transition process with an interactive checklist and notifications to alert the user of upcoming tasks and important military paperwork as far as 18 months before separation from the military. Subject areas featured in the app include: employment, finances, relocation, transition requirements, health benefits, education and veteran benefits. The new app is sponsored by Citi Salutes, Citi's firm-wide commitment to veterans, service members and families, led by Citi Community Development. The app also includes veteran employment resources such as a job search function from Monster, the parent company of Military.com. The app allows the user to search for upcoming job fairs and leverage tools to translate their military skills to corresponding civilian occupations. The app is designed for all members of the armed forces (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard) and members of the National Guard and reserve components. "This app highlights the increasingly important role technology plays in the transition process. Our veterans are accessing more of the information they want on mobile devices and we felt it was crucial to make our tools available in a mobile format," said Greg Smith, President of Military.com and retired Navy admiral. The app tailors the transition experience to the user, acknowledging that veterans are a diverse group of people with different needs. A senior officer or enlisted person with 20-plus years in the service will have very different transition needs than a junior officer or enlisted member with four to eight years of service. Smith said that range of experience levels was one of the driving factors behind developing the app. "We know the military and we know what veterans need as they leave the service. We are proud to partner with Citi to break new ground in how we equip our veterans to transition to post-military life." "At Citi, we are committed to empowering military personnel and veterans with the tools they need to realize their economic and professional ambitions as they transition out of the military," said Mike O'Neill, Chairman, Citigroup Inc. and former Marine Corps Lieutenant. "Whether it is finding employment, purchasing a new home, or learning how to create a budget, it is our duty to help ensure that our nation's transitioning servicemembers get the support they need." "Through Citi Salutes, our firm-wide commitment to veterans, service members, and families, led by Citi Community Development, we are proud to collaborate with Military.com to harness technology to provide vital resources that will serve those who bravely served our country," said Ruth Christopherson, Senior Vice President of Citi Community Development and Citi Salutes and retired Colonel, South Dakota National Guard. Citi is a past recipient of numerous awards for veteran and military efforts, including the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, Victory Media's Top 100 Military Friendly Companies, and the Financial Institutions Supporting Heroes Award from VeteransPlus. The firm is also a founding partner of Veterans on Wall Street. About Military.com Military.com is the nation's largest military and veteran online news and membership organization serving active duty personnel, reservists, guard members, retirees, veterans, family members, defense workers and those considering military careers. A leader in veteran employment and solutions for companies looking to hire veterans, Military.com offers employment tools, transition assistance, and employer resources as well as military discounts, and information on all of the benefits earned in service. Military.com is a business unit of Monster Worldwide Inc. More information is available at www.military.com. About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube:www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi. Links: Military.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/Militarydotcom Military.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/MilitaryDotCom Military.com Google+: http://plus.google.com/+MilitaryDotCom Military.com Press Center: http://www.military.com/aboutus/twocolumn/0,15929,Press-Room,00.html SOURCE Military.com Related Links http://www.military.com MILWAUKEE, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This August, Northwestern Mutual is a platinum sponsor of the annual ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America) Convention in Dallas, an event to help build the confidence of young Latino professionals and empower the next generation of Latino leaders. Northwestern Mutual's support of ALPFA, a national non-profit organization that develops Latino leaders in every sector of the global economy, is a key element of the company's diversity and inclusion efforts which are focused on attracting and retaining talent and increasing the financial confidence of multicultural audiences including Latinos. The annual ALPFA convention provides a rich platform for Latinos who are looking to connect and grow their careers with companies like Northwestern Mutual. ALPFA represents just one example of Northwestern Mutual's efforts to build its diversity and inclusion bench strength. The company has also been a major sponsor of national programs including the "I Am Latino In America Tour," hosted by Soledad O'Brien, and in 2015, was listed as one of the Top 50 employers in the country by Equal Opportunity Magazine for providing a positive working environment for minority groups. Additionally, the nearly 160-year-old company continues to evolve its financial services for Latinos through its national network of financial representatives, providing Spanish-language print materials, website and bilingual customer service capabilities. "Northwestern Mutual is deeply committed to growing the financial confidence of Latinos to ensure they have a strong plan in place that will serve as the foundation for future success, whatever an individual's personal, professional and financial goals in life," said Karl Gouverneur, vice president and chief technology officer for Northwestern Mutual and panelist at this year's convention. "Whether someone dreams of owning their own business or leading a global company, our goal through sponsorships like ALPFA is to empower everyone on their journey." Northwestern Mutual-sponsored sessions at the 2016 ALPFA Convention: Student Lunch & Learn | Saturday, August 6: This collaborative session will focus on personal finances and provide information on how to develop a sound financial plan, including cash management, emergency savings and retirement planning. Power Breakfast | Sunday, August 7: This panel will showcase how developing new skills can propel career opportunities, including what is needed to make a career change and how leadership skills can translate across industries. Professional Workshop | Sunday, August 7: This seminar will cover how to effectively leverage differences in an ever-changing marketplace while identifying competitive advantages for business success. Leadership Luncheon | Tuesday, August 9: This panel will highlight the importance of leaders in raising the bar and exploring new professional heights while aiming high, taking calculated risk and remaining inspiring without becoming complacent. For a full schedule of ALPFA sessions and panels, visit www.alpfa.org/events. About ALPFA ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America) was the first national Latino professional association in the United States, established in Los Angeles in 1972. Throughout our 43-year history we have experienced steady growth and demonstrated consistent value. ALPFA continues to build upon its proud legacy with a mission: To empower and develop Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, in every sector of the global economy. ALPFA currently serves more than 72,000 professional and student members across the country a number we plan to grow aggressively to 100,000 within the next two years. In addition to networking and professional leadership development opportunities, our members have access to 50,000 paid summer internships through hundreds of Fortune 1000 corporate partners. We aspire to be the business partner of choice for companies seeking to hire and develop Latino talent. About Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for nearly 160 years. Our financial representatives build relationships with clients through a distinctive planning approach that integrates risk management with wealth accumulation, preservation and distribution. With $238.5 billion in assets, $27.9 billion in revenues and more than $1.6 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.4 million people who rely on us for insurance and investment solutions, including life, disability income and long-term care insurance; annuities; trust services; mutual funds; and investment advisory products and services. Northwestern Mutual ranks 100 on the 2016 FORTUNE 500, and is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2016. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, life insurance with long-term care benefits, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC). SOURCE Northwestern Mutual Related Links http://www.northwesternmutual.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media are invited to watch engineers test a mockup of NASA's Orion spacecraft in a simulated ocean splashdown Thursday, Aug. 25, at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The test is planned for 3:30 p.m. EDT, but due to the nature of the testing, the exact time of the drop could change. Prior to the test, media will get a poolside update on the tests, as well as overall progress made in preparing Orion for NASA's Journey to Mars. Briefing participants will include: Bill Hill , deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, NASA Headquarters , deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, NASA Headquarters Dave Bowles , Langley director , Langley director Lara Kearney , manager, Orion Crew and Service Module, NASA's Johnson Space Center , manager, and Service Module, NASA's Johnson Space Center Mike Hawes , Orion program manager, Lockheed Martin The deadline for U.S. citizens to apply for media access is noon Wednesday, Aug. 24. Interested media should contact Sasha Ellis by email at 757-864-5473 or [email protected]. Media must arrive by 2:30 p.m. at the Langley badge and pass office on the day of the test. Accreditation for international media is closed. Orion has been undergoing a series of water impact tests in the center's Hydro Impact Basin to help engineers understand how to best protect the crew and spacecraft when they return to Earth from deep space missions. The test capsule, coupled with the heat shield from Orion's first spaceflight, will swing like a pendulum into Langley's 20-foot-deep basin. Inside the capsule will be two test dummies one representing a 105-pound woman and the other, a 220-pound man -- outfitted in spacesuits equipped with sensors. These sensors will provide critical data that will help NASA understand the forces crew members could experience when they splash down in the ocean. Water impact testing is helping NASA evaluate how the Orion spacecraft may behave when landing under its parachutes in different wind conditions and wave heights. During Orion's next flight test, Exploration Mission-1, the uncrewed spacecraft will launch on NASA's Space Launch System rocket, travel more than 40,000 miles beyond the moon, and return at speeds of up to 25,000 mph. To learn more about Langley's many contributions to Orion, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1vKhx1j For more information on Orion, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov MASON CITY You can design a town for cars or you can design a town for people but you cant do both, a Blue Zones expert said Thursday. Dan Burden, who has been a consultant to more than 3,700 cities in his career, proposed some innovative ideas when he spoke at a session of the Iowa Downtown Conference at The Music Man Square. The three-day conference, which ended Thursday, attracted civic leaders from all over the state. One of his suggestions, something he said has worked in many communities, is to reduce speed limits to 20 miles an hour and eliminate stop signs and stoplights. Put round-abouts up instead of stop signs. The noise level drops and people actually get to their destinations sooner, said Burden. The lower speed limit also allows people the opportunity to see more of the community and perhaps see somewhere theyd like to stop. And when they stop, they meet people, and when that happens, you have a happier community, he said. Burden also places a heavy emphasis on a citys walkability not only for the exercise but for the opportunity for people to meet and greet one another. The key to success is the foot, he said. Cities should be built to encourage short trips, places you can go by walking or biking. If you build for the car, people dont linger, said Burden. How many conversations have you struck up at the drive-up window at McDonalds? We need to get away from standards and start using common sense, he said. Theres another advantage to cities building with people in mind rather than automobiles. If you build for people, the adjacent land value will go up, said Burden. He said downtowns should have an age-friendly design. When I go into a downtown, I like to see elderly people there and children. Burden first came to Mason City in 2010 and said he is amazed at the progress the city has made, particularly with trails. He praised the City Council for investing $1.8 million in the bicycle-pedestrian trails master plan. Angie Determan, head of the Blue Zones project in Mason City, and retired doctor Steven Schurtz, a recreational cyclist and Blue Zones Community Public Policy Committee member, also gave presentations. NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Brooklyn has always been home to Josef A. Shehebar, MD, FACS, FASCRS. When he was recruited recently by NYU Lutheran to expand and grow the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Dr. Shehebar couldn't pass up the opportunity to work in the borough where his roots are firmly planted. Born and raised in Brooklyn where he still resides, Dr. Shehebar is keenly aware of the borough's unmet healthcare needs especially when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of colon and rectal cancer. "Although surgery is a key component in the treatment of colon and rectal cancer, prevention is always the first line of defense," he said. Working with primary care providers and gastroenterologists, Dr. Shehebar is determined to assist in increasing the rate of colon and rectal cancer screening and detection with colonoscopy and physical exam. "Earlier detection leads to a greater chance for cancer-free survival and we must continue to educate the public about the benefits of colonoscopy and the warning signs of colon and rectal cancer, such as anorectal bleeding, weight loss, anemia, or change in bowel habits," he emphasized. Dr. Shehebar additionally stresses the importance of family history in assessing a patient's risk factors for developing colon and rectal cancer. "NYU Lutheran is pleased to welcome Dr. Shehebar as director of its Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery," said Kenneth M. Rifkind, MD, chief of surgery at NYU Lutheran. "He is a highly skilled surgeon who is well-versed in traditional open and laparoscopic surgery, as well as advanced robot-assisted procedures. His addition to our faculty will greatly enhance our surgical oncology program at NYU Lutheran for the people of Brooklyn." H. Leon Pachter, MD, the George David Stewart Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery for NYU Langone Health System, added: "It is important for the residents of Brooklyn to feel that they are receiving the same level of care at NYU Lutheran that they would receive at our main hospital in Manhattan. Bringing on board highly skilled surgeons like Dr. Shehebar will help us achieve this goal." Before joining NYU Lutheran, Dr. Shehebar, who also will serve as an assistant professor of surgery at NYU School of Medicine, served as an attending surgeon at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. He received his medical degree from Sackler School of Medicine of Tel Aviv University in Israel where he graduated with high honors, and completed his postgraduate training, including a year as administrative chief resident in Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He then spent a year as a fellow in Colon and Rectal Surgery at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center/Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Shehebar's clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of colon and rectal cancer, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and complex anorectal procedures. For Brooklyn residents who wish to be treated with top-flight care close to home, Dr. Shehebar offers the most up-to-date and cutting-edge treatment for all colon and rectal conditions. The latest da Vinci Xi robotic system at NYU Lutheran provides a three-dimensional view, high magnification, and increased dexterity in instrument movement that can give the surgeon greater control and ability to preserve tissues and prevent complications. It offers patients several advantages: smaller incisions, less blood loss, less pain -- hence lessening the need for potentially addictive narcotics, a shorter hospital stay, and quicker recovery and faster return to activities of daily living. Dr. Shehebar also treats patients for hemorrhoids, anal fissures, abscesses and fistulas, as well as functional bowel disorders such as rectal prolapse, constipation and fecal incontinence. Dr. Shehebar is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. His office is located at NYU Lutheran Medical Arts Pavilion, 8714 Fifth Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY, 11209. For an appointment, call 718-630-8600. Media Inquiries: Neal Gorman Phone: 718-630-8316 [email protected] Colin DeVries Phone: 718-630-7414 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150715/237434LOGO This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com SOURCE NYU Langone Medical Center Related Links http://nyulangone.org ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxygen Forensics, the worldwide developer and provider of advanced forensic data examination tools for mobile devices and cloud services, invites forensic experts to join a new 3-day training course called Oxygen Forensic Complete. Oxygen Forensics (PRNewsFoto/Oxygen Forensics) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141209/720351 ) "For our current and prospective customers, this training course is really the heartbeat of what Oxygen Forensics is all about," said Lee Reiber, Oxygen Forensics COO. "Since the world of forensics changes almost daily with technological advancements and hardware/software changes in devices, Oxygen Forensics remains committed to passing that changing knowledge on with modern forensic tools so experts can invest a couple of days to keep up to day with the technology and how to extract information in a forensic fashion." Students attending an Oxygen Forensic training course will obtain a start to finish education on the use of Oxygen Forensic Detective. The course introduces advanced methods of smart device collections and data analysis. Students will examine, collect and analyze data from iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Students will work to obtain physical images, understand file system formats, storage methods and evidence locations. Students also receive training and instruction on cloud storage and extraction techniques. To find out more information on the complete training schedule for Oxygen Forensics please visit our website. About Oxygen Forensics, Inc. Founded in 2000, Oxygen Forensics is the worldwide leading maker of the advanced forensic data examination tools for smartphones and other mobile devices. The company is dedicated to delivering the universal forensic solution covering the widest range of mobile devices running Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Symbian and other operating systems. Law enforcement and government agencies, institutions, corporations and private investigators, help desk personnel and thousands of private consumers rely on Oxygen Forensics products to ensure evidence availability in the event of mobile device data analysis and recovery. For more information about Oxygen Forensics, please visit http://www.oxygen-forensic.com. SOURCE Oxygen Forensics BELIZE CITY, Belize, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- XMLGold, part of the XML Corp is a leading cryptocurrency trading platform serving the community for over 10 years. While XMLGold supports over 21 different electronic currencies/ payment options, Bitcoin continues to be an all-time favourite among its customers. The convenience of bitcoin trading on XMLGold in unprecedented. Both existing and new users can start trading bitcoin within seconds on the platform, without having to go through the whole process of registration. The company has received outstanding feedback from its customers regarding the ease of trading and rates offered on the platform. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395788 XMLGold's instant online bank transfer option is the platform's other offering that has received accolades from customers. The instant banking feature allows clients to pay for their cryptocurrency purchases directly from their bank accounts within minutes. This will allow customers to trade cryptocurrencies whenever they want without having to worry about the liquidity on the platform. However, the instant banking feature is currently available only in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other countries where the platform offers its services. XMLGold is continuously working on increasing its reach by extending its services to more countries. All the services offered by XMLGold are profoundly compatible with each other, viz., AdvCash EUR and USD; Bank Transfer EUR; Bank Transfer GBP; Bank Transfer USD; Bitcoin; BTC-E Code; C-CEX USD; CoinMate EUR; Ecoin-Code-USD; EPay EUR and USD; Litecoin; MoneyPolo EUR; OKPAY EUR and USD; Payeer USD; PayPal USD; PerfectMoney EUR and USD; Online Bank Transfer EUR; lastly, XMLMoney USD. The wide range of services offered by XMLGold ensures that all users will be able to find the most convenient option to transact the digital currency of their choice. XMLGold platform maintains transparency in its operations and all the transactions happening over the platform are protected by SSL 256-bit encryption, which combined with a user-friendly interface makes interaction with the platform, a pleasurable experience. XMLGold prefers to grow with its customers and affiliates by offering the best deals to its users and have one of the markets most generous referral programs. By offering 10% of the profits to its affiliates the company hopes to reach out to more users worldwide. About XMLGold: XMLGold is part of XML Corp, a Belize registered company. XMLGold is one of the leading digital currency exchange which has been around since 2000. The platform is known for its reliability and high security standards with all the transactions in and out of the platform protected by SSL 256-bit encryption. To know more about XMLGold, please visit: https://www.xmlgold.eu/ Find out more about the XMLGoldreferral program at: https://www.xmlgold.eu/en/referal/index XMLGold 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. Related Links Bitcoin PR Buzz XMLGold This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com. SOURCE XMLGold ST. ANSGAR | St. Ansgar State Bank is teaming up with St. Ansgar Insurance to provide school supplies for students. Employees donate to local causes in exchange for wearing jeans on Fridays. Current donations will be used to purchase 15 backpacks and other supplies. St. Ansgar teachers will have supplies on hand by the first day of school if there is a student in need. A notebook and pencil will be given to every student in the school district on the first day of school, as well as crayons for elementary students. Community members are encouraged to donate school supplies or give cash donations. Supplies will be given to the school to use as needed throughout the year. School supplies needed most are whiteboard markers and erasers, glue sticks, Kleenex, cleaning wipes, scissors, Ziploc bags, snacks, folders, pencils, erasers and notebooks. For every 125 items donated, the bank will donate $125 (up to the first 2,500 items) in gift certificates purchased at local merchants and given to the teachers. Donations can be dropped off at either bank branch through the end of August or at school registration. DUBLIN, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Organophosphorus Flame Retardant Market 2016-2021: Trends, Forecast, and Opportunity Analysis" report to their offering. The global organophosphorus flame retardant market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2016 to 2021 The major drivers of growth for this market are stringent government regulations related to prohibition of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), growing awareness on fire safety, and increasing market penetration of organophosphorus flame retardants in various end-use industries. ATH flame retardants are used in a variety of applications, such as polyolefin, epoxy, rubber, unsaturated polyester resin, polyvinyl chloride and others. The report predicts that the demand for engineering thermoplastics is likely to experience the highest growth in the forecast period supported by growing demand in end product manufacturing. Within the organophosphorus flame retardant market, the building and construction segment is expected to remain as the largest market by value and volume. Stringent government regulations related to prohibition of the use of halogenated flame retardants is expected to spur growth for this segment over the forecast period. North America is expected to emerge as the largest market due to government initiatives and inclination of original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) towards sustainable and safer alternatives of halogenated flame retardants leading to wider acceptance of organophosphorus flame retardants in various end-use industries. Asia Pacific and the rest of the world are expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period because of growing awareness related to fire safety and growth in construction, electrical and electronics, and transportation sector. Israel Chemicals Ltd., Clariant, Chemtura Corporation, Lanxess, and THOR group are among the major suppliers of the organophosphorus flame retardants. Some companies are opting for M&A as a strategic initiative for driving growth. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. The Organophosphorus Flame Retardant Industry: Background and Classifications 3. Market Trends and Forecast Analysis 4. Competitor Analysis 5. Growth Opportunity and Strategic Analysis 6. Company Profiles of Leading Players - Amfine Chemicals - Chemtura Corporation - Clariant International Ltd - Daihachi Chemical Industry Co. Ltd - Delamin - Dupont - Huber Engineered Materials - Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL) - Jiangsu Yoke Technology Co., Ltd - Lanxess - Thor Specialties, Inc. - Zhejiang Wansheng For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zf4ngk/global Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com NEW YORK and LONDON, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rothschild & Co Group, one of the world's leading independent financial advisory groups, today announced that James M. ("Jimmy") Neissa, one of the industry's eminent M&A professionals, will join the group as Head of Rothschild & Co North America. Mr. Neissa will lead the continued development of the North American business primarily focusing on Rothschild Global Advisory. The group also announced that Lee LeBrun, a widely respected M&A banker, will join Rothschild Global Advisory as Head of M&A in North America. Both Jimmy Neissa and Lee LeBrun will assume their positions in September. Announcing the appointments, Robert Leitao, Head of Rothschild Global Advisory, said: "We see a lot of opportunities to grow Rothschild & Co's North American presence, building on our record performance in the most recent fiscal year. Jimmy Neissa is one of the finest bankers in the industry and his experience, knowledge and vision will serve our clients well. He brings broad industry expertise and a robust track record of developing successful investment banking businesses in the United States, Europe and Latin America. We are delighted that Jimmy is continuing his career with Rothschild & Co. "On behalf of Rothschild & Co," Mr. Leitao continued, "I thank Steve Ledoux for his many contributions to the group, in particular the recent transformation of our North American M&A business. Steve has asked to take a well-deserved break to spend more time with his family, and we hope that he will rejoin the group in a leadership position in the near future." Mr. Neissa said, "I am thrilled and humbled to join Rothschild & Co, which for more than 200 years has provided its clients with unparalleled capabilities and perspective. The group's guiding principles mirror my personal business philosophy and I look forward to working with my new colleagues as we continue to deliver differentiated services in the North American market, while making a meaningful difference in the world of business and wealth. In doing so, we will build upon Rothschild & Co's position as a leading independent financial advisory firm in North America." Over the last several years, the North American office has advised on a number of high profile transactions, including Intel's US$16.7bn acquisition of Altera; Solera's US$6.5bn sale to Vista Equity Partners; Hostess Brands' US$2.3bn merger with Gores Holdings; Alpha Natural Resources' $3.9 billion chapter 11 restructuring process; Visteon's $3.6bn sale of its 70% stake in Halla Visteon Climate control; Discovery Communications' 491m acquisition of the remaining 49% interest it did not already own in Eurosport from TF1 Group. Mr. Neissa joins Rothschild & Co after more than 20 years as an M&A professional at UBS Investment Bank (UBS) and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). While at UBS, he was most recently Joint Global Head of Investment Banking and a member of the Global Executive Committee. Prior to these roles, Mr. Neissa was Co-Head of Global M&A at UBS, based in London and New York, where he helped build a leading M&A franchise in the U.S. Before joining UBS, he was Co-Head of European M&A at DLJ. Over the course of his distinguished career in the US, Europe and Latin America, Mr. Neissa built up extensive experience in a broad variety of sectors, including industrials, telecom, technology and media, among others. Mr. LeBrun was also previously at UBS, where he served as Co-Head of M&A - Americas. Before joining UBS, he was a senior M&A banker in New York and London at DLJ. Notes to Editors: Rothschild Global Advisory in North America has 28 Managing Directors including the most recent hires: David Baron, James Ben, Kieran Doran, Eric Hirschfield, PJ Moses, Adam Reeder, Dan Skolds, and Kenneth Surjadinata. About Rothschild & Co Rothschild & Co is a family-controlled and independent business that has been at the centre of the world's financial markets for over 200 years. It is one of the world's largest independent financial advisory groups, employing approximately 2,800 people in 40 countries around the world. Rothschild & Co provides strategic M&A, wealth management and fundraising advice and services to governments, companies and individuals worldwide. There are three main arms to the Group - Global Advisory, Private Wealth & Asset Management and Merchant Banking. For further information: North America Mark Semer or Daniel Yunger KEKST [email protected] / [email protected] + 212 521 4800 United Kingdom Alex Simmons Smithfield [email protected] +44 7970 174 353 SOURCE Rothschild & Co Group STRATFORD, Conn., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, will leverage its assets in Colombia to provide BLACK HAWK helicopter operators in Mexico with maintenance, component repair and pilot simulator training, the company announced today as a step toward establishing Colombia as a nexus for supporting BLACK HAWK operators throughout Latin America. The initiative will enable Mexico's growing BLACK HAWK helicopter fleet operators to take advantage of a five-axis flight simulator as well as a fully equipped maintenance and repair depot in Melgar. More than 40 Spanish-speaking Sikorsky Colombia employees staff the two facilities. "Securing the appropriate approvals to be able to offer support and training for our customers in Mexico is a step toward fulfilling our long-term plan to position Sikorsky Colombia as the support hub for all Latin American countries that operate BLACK HAWK aircraft," said Adam Schierholz, Sikorsky Regional Executive for Latin America. "In just four years, Sikorsky Colombia has grown from an administrative office in Bogota to a model of efficiency and effectiveness covering logistics, maintenance support, repair operations and simulator flight training." Formed in 2012 to serve the region's largest BLACK HAWK helicopter user, Sikorsky Colombia supports the Colombian Army, Air Force and National Police, which collectively have acquired more than 100 BLACK HAWK aircraft since 1988. Sikorsky Colombia's BLACK HAWK Helicopter Flight Simulator Center opened for pilot and flight crew training in early 2013. Located in a specially built facility at the Colombian Air Force Base in Melgar, the center contains the region's only full motion, five-axis BLACK HAWK simulator with high fidelity views of the visual world outside the cockpit. The center is managed by Corporacion de la Industria Aeronautica de Colombia, an aerospace support provider for the Colombian Ministry of Defense, which also books flight time on the simulator. At the nearby Tolemaida Colombia Army Base, Sikorsky Colombia operates a 2,972 sq. m (32,000 sq. ft.) BLACK HAWK helicopter depot repair facility. Employing more than 30 engineers and mechanics, the facility is fully tooled and equipped to provide complete airframe structural repairs. The new license also will enable Sikorsky Colombia's support team to travel to Mexico for field repairs. Mexico, with the second-largest BLACK HAWK fleet in the region, is expected to double its fleet of BLACK HAWK aircraft in the next five years. Today, 23 aircraft are in service with the Federal Police, Mexican Air Force, Navy and the State of Jalisco. Sikorsky is in the process of obtaining approvals to offer the same services to BLACK HAWK operators in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160229/338377LOGO SOURCE Lockheed Martin HUNT VALLEY, Md., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The return to school calls for easy family meals that deliver big on flavor. This fall, McCormick is serving up delicious one-dish dinners made with wholesome ingredients families can feel good about, like spaghetti squash and quinoa. And, because these recipes bring everything together in a baking dish or skillet, there's less prep and cleanup, and more time for reconnecting around the dinner table. "Back-to-school season is the one of the busiest times of year for families, and it's tempting to reach for a ready-made meal or takeout menu," said McCormick Executive Chef Kevan Vetter. "Instead, throw a quick skillet dish together using cooked quinoa, ground turkey, fresh tomatoes and corn. Season the mixture with organic taco seasoning and sprinkle with Mexican cheese and you've got a delicious kid-friendly dinner that cooks in 30 minutes." Mexican Skillets: Quinoa Taco Skillet : McCormick Organics Taco Seasoning Mix adds kid-friendly flavor to this skillet dinner of quinoa, ground turkey, fresh tomatoes and corn. McCormick Organics Taco Seasoning Mix adds kid-friendly flavor to this skillet dinner of quinoa, ground turkey, fresh tomatoes and corn. Tex-Mex Macaroni Casserole: This flavorful south-of-the-border skillet casserole combines whole grain elbow macaroni, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes and ground beef for a delicious dinner even the pickiest eater won't resist. Seasonal Skillets: Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Lo Mein : Load up on veggies with this weeknight version of an Asian takeout favorite. Carrots, bell pepper and shrimp are flavored with soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Try a microwave shortcut to cook the spaghetti squash and have it on the table in no time. Load up on veggies with this weeknight version of an Asian takeout favorite. Carrots, bell pepper and shrimp are flavored with soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Try a microwave shortcut to cook the spaghetti squash and have it on the table in no time. Fall Skillet Pot Pie: Rotisserie or leftover chicken, refrigerated biscuits and an oven-proof skillet make this comfort food favorite a weeknight reality. Add sweet potatoes, peas and flavor with thyme, cinnamon and garlic powder. Quick Simmers: Chicken Fajita Soup : Warm up with a one-pot wonder that gets a Tex-Mex twist from McCormick Organics Fajita Seasoning Mix. Let the family customize with toppings like avocado, cheese, sour cream and tortilla strips. Warm up with a one-pot wonder that gets a Tex-Mex twist from McCormick Organics Fajita Seasoning Mix. Let the family customize with toppings like avocado, cheese, sour cream and tortilla strips. Chicken Chili with Apple and Sweet Potato: Say goodbye to beans and make a quick fall chili the whole family will love. Kitchen Basics Organic Chicken Stock gives the quick dish a rich, simmered-all-day flavor. Comforting Classics: Creamy Tomato Italian Parmesan Chicken : Tender chicken simmered in a creamy red sauce, fresh parmesan and freshly ground Italian herbs make for a perfect weeknight dish. Whether you serve with pasta, atop Italian bread or let the chicken be the star, this dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Tender chicken simmered in a creamy red sauce, fresh parmesan and freshly ground Italian herbs make for a perfect weeknight dish. Whether you serve with pasta, atop Italian bread or let the chicken be the star, this dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Chicken Noodle Casserole: The ultimate comfort soup gets the casserole treatment. Pasta, chicken, vegetables and gooey cheese come together with the flavors of garlic and Italian seasoning. The perfect casserole for weeknight leftovers. For more tips and recipes for back-to-school season, visit McCormick.com. Also, check us out on Pinterest and Facebook. To download food photography, visit the digital press room at www.McCormick.com/Press-Room. About McCormick McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global leader in flavor. With $4.3 billion in annual sales, the company manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the entire food industry retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. Every day, no matter where or what you eat, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. McCormick Brings Passion to Flavor. For more information, visit www.mccormickcorporation.com. SOURCE McCormick Related Links http://www.mccormickcorporation.com SAN DIEGO, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SourcingLink.net Inc. (OTC Pink:SNET) SNET is pleased to announce the beginning of a surface exploration program in September on the Lac Fire lithium property located in James Bay Quebec. The Lac fire property is located adjacent to Critical Elements' Rose Tantalum-Lithium Property, which has a 43-101 compliant resource (26.5 Mt+ at 1.30% Li2O eq. indicated and 10.7 Mt+ at 1.14% Li2O eq. The Lac Fire property is surrounded on three sides by claims held by Critical Elements and is completely surrounded by additional staking by third parties. From 2010 to 2011 the property was worked by the previous claim holders. At this time, the Lamothe lithium showing was discovered. The Lamothe showing consists of several NW-SE trending surface occurrences of spodumene-bearing granitic intrusives or pegmatites that were uncovered within a 300 metres by 200 metres area. The main spodumene bearing intrusive is at least 10 meters wide at surface and has been uncovered over 25 meters length. The other intrusives run parallel and they all tend to be sub-horizontal. There was also a significant spodumene bearing angular boulder field associated with the discovery trending further to the south possibly indicating additional spodumene-bearing intrusives. The average grade of the 19 grab samples from the Lamothe Showing was 1.06% Li2O, 1,441 g/t Rubidium, 75 g/t Tantalum and 72 g/t Gallium. A total of 9 diamond drill holes were drilled to intersect a 300 meter segment of the Lamothe Showing. It was found to consist of a series of metric-wide pegmatite dykes located within a transition corridor between a syenite-pyroxenite intrusive body to the north and a mixed unit of granitic gneisses, granites and amphibolites to the south. The zone extends in NW-SE direction for 300 meters surface length and 50 meters surface width, to a drilled depth of 50 meters, and remains open in all directions. The estimated spodumene content of the pegmatites of the Lamothe Showing ranges from 3 to 10%. Significant drill intersections included: 1.22% Li 2 O and 134.8 g/t Ta2O5 over 3.11 meters 1.19% Li 2 O and 97.2 g/t Ta2O5 over 2.03 meters Critical Elements claims immediately to the west of the Lac Fire property contain the following showings: Helico South Showing (surface channel sample yielded 0.44% Li2O, 3,565 g/t Rubidium, 187 g/t Gallium and 196 g/t Tantalum over 116 meters) some 500 meters to the northwest. About The Eldor and Lac Fire Projects: SourcingLink.net, Inc. acquired 8 new lithium-tantalum claims in James Bay, Quebec, Canada. The block of 8 new claims share a 12 km boundary which is on three sides with the Rose Lithium Tantalum Property of Critical Elements Corp. The new Lac Fire property was staked to strategically cover ground that may be on strike and have similar geology to the Rose Lithium Tantalum Resource. The company has signed an agreement to acquire 100% interest in the Eldor Rare Earth Property Claims (The Eldor Project) located in Northern Quebec, Canada (one of the most favorable mining jurisdictions in the world). The Eldor Project consists of 34 mineral claims covering approximately 3951 acres and is located in Northern Quebec which is considered one of the most favorable mining jurisdictions in the world. About SourcingLink.net, Inc.: SourcingLink.net is a U.S. based publicly traded exploration and development company. Their focus in on rare metals and rare earth elements which are among the primary input materials for the 21st Century technology. Forward-looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which contain words such as "expect," "believe" or "plan," by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. These uncertainties may cause actual future events to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements. Contact: SourcingLink.net 12526 High Bluff Drive, Ste 300 San Diego, CA 92130 Phone +1-855-726-RARE (7273) Website: http://www.sourcinglink.org Email: [email protected] SOURCE SourcingLink.net, Inc. GRAPEVINE, Texas, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Snowball Express, a Texas-based national non-profit which serves the children of America's fallen military heroes, today announced that La Quinta Inns & Suites, a leading owner, operator and franchisor of select-service hotels is pledging both financial and operational support for their 2016 National Program and gathering of families of America's fallen military heroes. La Quinta's President and CEO, Keith Cline presented Snowball Express with a check of $50,000. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160804/395783 Captain Katie Hansen, U.S. Air Force, La Quinta Inns & Suites USAF Fellow; Buck Kern, Executive Director, Snowball Express; Keith Cline, President & CEO, La Quinta Inns & Suites; Air Force Veteran Andrew Albrecht, VP of Information Security - CISO, La Quinta Inns & Suites; Bob Apetz, Board Chairman, Snowball Express "La Quinta is privileged to partner with Snowball Express by joining them in their mission to provide hope and happy memories to the children and surviving families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We believe it is our civic duty to pay tribute and support those left behind," said La Quinta's Keith Cline. "Our employees and team members look forward to creating a magical experience in Dallas-Fort Worth during an unforgettable four-day adventure during the holiday season." "We are very honored to have La Quinta as our partner in supporting the children of our fallen," says Snowball Express Executive Director, Buck Kern. "This donation is significant and will help assure our families receive a meaningful, life changing and "best of class" experience this December. La Quinta has a long-standing tradition of supporting our military and their families. Their support of Snowball Express is yet one more example of the importance La Quinta places on supporting our military, their families and the families of our fallen heroes. We are proud to have La Quinta as our partner and very thankful for such significant support." Bob Apetz, Chairman of the Board for Snowball Express, added, "We are proud that La Quinta is standing alongside our Presenting Sponsor, American Airlines to support our Gold Star families. We are blessed to have La Quinta's support. We are thrilled that in addition to the significant financial support, La Quinta's team will be a part of our planning committee and help make the Snowball Express annual program our very best." "La Quinta's donation will be used to support our families during this year's annual gathering. The funds will be used to provide a "best of class" welcome day with a "Walk of Gratitude" and "family meal" for the nearly 2,000 family participants. We are pleased Mr. Cline has accepted our invitation to be a part of welcoming our families during this annual event and "Walk of Gratitude." About Snowball Express Over the past decade, true American Heroes, the men and women of the United States Military and their families, have made and continue to make extraordinary sacrifices to protect our freedom. Since 2006, Snowball Express, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has hosted an annual gathering that brings children of fallen military heroes together from around the nation. The mission of Snowball Express is to honor America's fallen military service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice since 9/11 by humbly serving the families they left behind. Champion their children's future success by creating opportunities for joy, friendship, education, and communal healing, by connecting these families to one another. This annual gathering is made possible by our presenting sponsor, American Airlines, who transports families traveling from 72 cities across the United States via ten chartered and 51 commercial flights. Hundreds of American employees volunteer their time to host send-off parties, staff the trip and assist with activities. Snowball Express is a Charity Navigator 4-star rated charity. Over ninety-five percent of total contributions go directly to support its programs. To learn more about Snowball Express and to get involved please visit www.snowballexpress.org or on social media at: Facebook.com/SnowballExpressUSA, and follow us on Twitter @SnowballExpress. About La Quinta La Quinta Holdings Inc. is a leading owner, operator and franchisor of select-service hotels primarily serving the upper-midscale and midscale segments. The Company's owned and franchised portfolio consists of more than 880 properties representing approximately 87,500 rooms located in 48 states in the U.S., and in Canada, Mexico and Honduras. These properties operate under the La Quinta Inn & Suites, La Quinta Inn and LQ Hotel brands. La Quinta's team is committed to providing guests with a refreshing and engaging experience. For more information, please visit: www.LQ.com/military. Related Links www.LQ.com/military Related Video https://vimeo.com/150042037 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Snowball Express Related Links http://snowballexpress.org DALLAS, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boards of directors from the four largest unions at Southwest Airlines, representing nearly 38,000 of SWA's approximately 50,000 employees, all completed votes of "no confidence" in the CEO and COO of the airline. The representative organizations include the flight attendants (TWU 556), mechanics (AMFA), pilots (SWAPA), and Ground Operations (TWU 555) employees. All four groups, representing nearly 80 percent of the company's workforce, are frontline employees affected directly by the operational decisions of management and are the "face" of the company to customers. These are the same employees who worked directly with customers to help minimize the trauma when the operation failed on a grand scale last month. They are frustrated with the operational failures that are impacting customers and jeopardizing the long-term success of the company. While three of these unions are several years into contract negotiations, this collective includes a union who is not in negotiations, and speaks to the fact that this issue transcends contracts. The majority of the employees of Southwest Airlines believe that their airline has been moving in an unhealthy and unsustainable direction, and they demand a course correction. "Gone are the days of Herb Kelleher and Colleen Barrett who built a company that believed in taking care of their employees first," said TWU 555 president, Greg Puriski. "Those days have been, sadly, replaced by a focus on the bottom line. After witnessing the recent electronic meltdown that left customers and flight crews stranded in airports, our members trying to pick up the pieces of delayed and cancelled flights, we will no longer remain silent but join with SWAPA, AMFA and TWU 556 in declaring our vote of 'No Confidence'." "Over the past several years, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly and COO Mike Van de Ven have failed to recognize and adequately fix the operational failures that continue to plague our airline," said TWU Local 556 President Audrey Stone. "Our Flight Attendants, along with other front-line employees, end up bearing the brunt of these failures. Management's failures continue to erode the morale of employees, endangering the famous culture upon which our beloved airline was founded." "It has been one leadership failure after another, culminating in the most recent colossal breakdown affecting the operation and flying public," said Louie Key, National Director of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA). "As employees, shareholders, and guardians of aircraft safety, we are concerned that a 'profit over people' mentality has overtaken the core values that Southwest Airlines was built on. We are in agreement with our fellow labor unions that it's time for a change." "This is about more than just one failure in the operation or a contract," said Captain Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association. "This is about the reputation of the company we love. After years of operational failures and a degradation of our culture that risks slowly eroding our loyal customer base, we must speak up and be catalysts for change. We are faithful to our company and its founding principles, and we feel that our CEO and COO have broken the faith with both." The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association represents more than 8,300 pilots. Transport Workers Union 556 represents more than 14,500 flight attendants. Transport Workers Union Local 555 represents more than 11,500 ramp, operations, provisioning and freight agents. Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association represents more than 2,600 Southwest Airlines technicians. SOURCE Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association Related Links http://www.swapa.org VERONA, Va., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexus Services, Inc. CEO Mike Donovan issued the following statement regarding President Obama's historic commutations of 214 federal inmates. "On behalf of the Nexus Services family of companies, I applaud President Obama's historic decision to grant clemency to 214 nonviolent federal inmates. Most of these individuals were low-level drug offenders and many were serving life sentences under outdated sentencing guidelines. "Nexus was founded on the belief that every human life has inherent worth and dignity. Unfortunately, far too often, our criminal justice system neglects to recognize this basic fact. The result of this are cycles of incarceration that have disproportionately targeted minority communities, ripped apart families, and burdened taxpayers. This has to stop. "While the President's commutations are a much welcome step, more has to be done. Accordingly, I urge the Congressional leadership to support the bipartisan effort to reform our broken criminal justice system. The lives of the thousands of nonviolent offenders who are sitting in our jails, many of whom are innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted, are too important to wait for acts of presidential pardons and clemency. "I further urge Governor McAuliffe of the Commonwealth of Virginia to follow this act by President Obama and issue his own round of commutations and pardons. Prisons in the Commonwealth of Virginia are full of people serving long sentences for crimes that in other jurisdictions wouldn't likely result in any term of imprisonment. "The over incarceration of Americans, and specifically Virginians, is a wrong that disproportionately affects socio-economically disadvantaged communities and communities of color. We must act in concert to right this wrong and emerge from a period of our history clouded by racial prejudice and a disregard for the poor and downtrodden." SOURCE Nexus Services, Inc. KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TeamHealth Holdings, Inc. ("TeamHealth") (NYSE: TMH), a leading physician services organization, today announced that its management team will attend and present at the following conferences: 2016 Avondale Healthcare 1-1 Conference August 10th, 2016 Boston, MA 2016 Canaccord Genuity Growth Conference August 11th, 2016 Presentation 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time Boston, MA Interested investors and other parties may listen to a simultaneous webcast of the presentations by logging on to the Investor Relations section of the company's website at www.teamhealth.com. The on-line replays will be available immediately following the presentations. To learn more about TeamHealth, please visit the company's website at www.teamhealth.com. TeamHealth uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. Financial and other materials information regarding TeamHealth is routinely posted on the company's website and readily accessible. About TeamHealth At TeamHealth (NYSE: TMH), our purpose is to perfect our physicians' ability to practice medicine, every day, in everything we do. Through our more than 19,000 affiliated physicians and advanced practice clinicians, TeamHealth offers outsourced emergency medicine, hospital medicine, critical care, anesthesiology, orthopedic hospitalist, acute care surgery, obstetrics and gynecology hospitalist, ambulatory care, post-acute care and medical call center solutions to approximately 3,400 acute and post-acute facilities and physician groups nationwide. Our philosophy is as simple as our goal is singular: we believe better experiences for physicians lead to better outcomesfor patients, hospital partners and physicians alike. Join our team; we value and empower clinicians. Partner with us; we deliver on our promises. Learn more at http://www.teamhealth.com. The term "TeamHealth" as used throughout this release includes Team Health Holdings, Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates, affiliated medical groups and providers, all of which are part of the TeamHealth organization. "Providers" are physicians, advanced practice clinicians and other healthcare providers who are employed by or contract with subsidiaries or affiliated entities of Team Health Holdings, Inc. All such providers exercise independent clinical judgment when providing patient care. Team Health Holdings, Inc. does not have any employees, does not contract with providers and does not practice medicine. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131111/CL14595LOGO SOURCE TeamHealth Related Links http://www.teamhealth.com SAN DIEGO, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The plaintiffs in two separate cases, Jerome Lew v. Jeffrey C. Wang, M.D., Regents of the University of California, and DOES 1 through 100, inclusive (Los Angeles Superior Court, Central District, Case No. SC 120518) and Ralph Weiss; Deborah Weiss v. Jeffrey C. Wang, M.D., Mark Mikhael, M.D., The Regents of the University of California, and DOES 1 through 100, inclusive (Los Angeles Superior Court, Central District, Case No. SC 113977), claimed that they were injured by former UCLA spine surgeon, Jeffrey Wang, M.D., who failed to inform them of his extensive financial and research ties to the manufacturers of the medical devices he implanted in them. According to the lawsuits, Mr. Jerome Lew, 52, and Mr. Ralph Weiss, 61, both suffered injuries due to the fraud perpetrated by Dr. Wang and The Regents of the University of California/UCLA. The Regents settled with Mr. Lew for $4.2 million and with Mr. and Mrs. Weiss for $4.25 million. The payouts confirm a troubling trend where the medical device industry uses financial and research incentives to influence the patient treatment decisions by physicians. "In both cases, the nature and extent of the surgeries appeared to be influenced by Dr. Wang's research and financial interests," explained Attorney Robert Vaage, who represented the plaintiffs. "The surgeries were far more extensive than their underlying conditions required. Even the ways the spinal fusion devices were used in these surgeries were contraindicated by their labeling." Attorney Vaage made clear that The Regents/UCLA bore some responsibility for his clients' injuries. He told the Los Angeles Times that UCLA was aware, well before the surgeries took place, of Dr. Wang's relationships with Medtronic and other device manufacturers, but allowed him to continue to conceal those relationships from patients. "Dr. Wang was bringing a lot of business into the university from the number of procedures to the amount of clinical studies he was doing," Vaage said. Vaage is emphatic that patients have a right to know if their physician receives compensation from a medical device company or pharmaceutical company. "It's not up to the physician to decide whether he/she has a conflict of interest; that decision should be left up to the patient." The Law Offices of Robert Vaage is a premier Southern California injury law firm based in San Diego. Attorney Vaage and his team have not only recovered millions of dollars for their clients, but have set an impressive standard of knowledge, insight, and advocacy in the personal injury, product liability, and medical malpractice arenas. For more information about the firm, please visit www.vaagelaw.com. SOURCE Law Offices of Robert Vaage Related Links http://www.vaagelaw.com KINGSTON, N.J., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tuchman Foundation is pleased to announce the completion of the Laurel Avenue School which has been unoccupied for 10 years. Established in 1995 by Martin Tuchman, The Tuchman Foundation has a long history of philanthropy which supports education. Not only has Martin Tuchman established scholarships, fellowships and an endowed chair at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, resulting in naming of The Tuchman School of Management at NJIT, but he also supports annual scholarships at Seton Hall University and Trenton Catholic Academy. The renovation of the Laurel Avenue School, which includes 13 classrooms, one library, performance space, a commercial kitchen, and multipurpose space with a gymnasium, supports Martin Tuchman's continuous philanthropic endeavors as the school will be the new location for various community initiatives and the YingHua International School, an independent school focusing on the bilingual education of native Mandarin Chinese speakers in Kingston Township New Jersey. "Primary and secondary school education is the foundation of every child's educational future. Moreover, the integration of the Chinese language into the curriculum ensures our young leaders are armed with bilingual skills in a business culture that is becoming increasingly diverse. I am proud to provide a home to YingHua International School in the name of education and look forward to seeing how its graduates evolve," says Martin Tuchman. About Martin Tuchman Martin Tuchman is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Tuchman Group, which oversees investments in Real Estate, International Shipping, Domestic Transportation, and Commercial Banking. Earlier at the Railway Express Agency, together with a group of shipping engineers at the American National Standards Institute, he created the current standard for intermodal containers and chassis still in use today. Subsequently, he co-founded Interpool, which was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and became one of the world's leading container leasing companies. The company was ultimately sold for $1 billion. At Yardville National Bank, where he was also one of the largest shareholders, he was part of the group that sold the bank to PNC for $403 million. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of First Choice Bank and along with a Special Committee he worked on the merger with Berkshire Hills Bank, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, creating a bank with $9 billion in assets. Tuchman and his fellow shareholders will own 12.2% of this merged entity, with Tuchman being the largest shareholder. Active in Parkinson's Disease philanthropy, Mr. Tuchman is on the Board of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and Chairman of The Tuchman Foundation, working closely with Parkinson's organizations to secure NIH research grant approval. The Tuchman Foundation and its affiliates have thus far funded $15 million of research into finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. He is also on the Boards of the American Cancer Society of Mercer County and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. In addition, Tuchman serves as Advisor on National Security to Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney of the 14th Congressional District. He has received numerous honors including Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, the Hero medal at The Smithsonian Institute, and the naming of The Martin Tuchman School of Management at NJIT. Mr. Tuchman earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and his MBA from Seton Hall University. Recipient of NJIT's Alumni of the Year Award, he has been a member of the school's Board of Trustees and is currently on its Board of Overseers. Contact: Rick Gross E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (609) 921-7642 SOURCE The Tuchman Foundation Related Links www.tuchmanfoundation.org BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With many students soon heading back to college campuses around the nation, Valeant Dermatology, a division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, today announced the winners of its ASPIRE HIGHER Scholarship Program. Nine undergraduate and graduate students were selected from a pool of 970 applicants and awarded up to $10,000 each toward tuition expenses for the coming school year. The winners were chosen based on a written essay describing the impact a dermatologic condition had on their life and the role their healthcare practitioner played in treating their condition. Three scholarships were awarded in each of three categories: Undergraduate Scholar Awards for those pursuing and an undergraduate degree, Graduate Scholar Awards for students pursuing a graduate degree and Today's Woman Scholar Awards for students who are mothers and pursuing any higher-education degree. "Valeant congratulates the winners of this year's scholarship program and thanks all of the applicants for sharing their personal stories of how their lives were affected by their skin condition and the clinician who helped with its treatment," said Eric Abramson, Valeant Dermatology's Senior Vice President and General Manager. "We are proud to support these outstanding and dedicated students in achieving their academic ambitions." The nine winners will attend the following schools of higher education this year: Undergraduate student winners: Colin Axner of Tracy, California will attend the University of California, Berkeley will attend the Courtney Sayre of Marcellus, New York will attend the State University of New York, Oswego of will attend the Jordyn Schara of North Freedom, Wisconsin will attend the University of Wisconsin, Madison Graduate student winners: Neela Persad of Homestead, Florida will attend Columbia University of will attend Stephanie Laning of Worth, Illinois will attend Utah State University of will attend Joshua Haag of New York, New York will attend Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus of will attend Today's Woman Scholar winners: Siobhan Reagan of Front Royal, Virginia is currently attending Lord Fairfax Community College of is currently attending Farah Sayyed-Unas of Bloomingdale, New Jersey will attend Rutgers University of will attend Laura Lasseter of Flowery Branch, Georgia will attend the University of Georgia Graduate School "There were so many compelling stories and deserving applicants that it was extremely difficult to choose the winners," said Linda Stein Gold, M.D., Director, Dermatology Clinical Research, Henry Ford Health System, one of three judges of the scholarship awards. "It's truly inspiring to see how they dealt with their condition and turned challenging circumstances into something positive in their lives." Enrollment information for the 2017 scholarship program will be announced early next year. For more information, visit www.ValeantAspireHigher.com. About Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America, LLC Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of pharmaceutical products primarily in the areas of prescription dermatology, eye health, consumer healthcare and other pharmaceutical products. More information about Valeant can be found at www.valeant.com. SOURCE Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC Related Links http://www.valeant.com DUBLIN, August 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Advanced Driver Assistance Systems" report to their offering. Globally North America is estimated to be the largest market for ADAS during the forecast period. Higher share of North American ADAS market is largely due to the U.S., which is the second-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world. Furthermore, the technology adoption rate in the region is relatively high, apart from this North America has some of the most stringent vehicle safety regulations in the world; these are expected to further boost the market for ADAS technologies. North America is expected to be followed by Asia-Pacific as the second largest market for ADAS. Asia-Pacific is also expected to be the fastest growing market for ADAS. Demand for ADAS is expected to be driven by growing exports of vehicles from the region coupled with tightening regulations in the region. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are systems developed to automate/adapt/enhance vehicle systems for safety and better driving. Safety features are designed to avoid collisions and accidents by offering technologies that alert the driver to potential problems, or to avoid collisions by implementing safeguards and taking over control of the vehicle. Adaptive features may automate lighting, provide adaptive cruise control, automate braking, incorporate GPS/ traffic warnings, connect to smartphones, alert driver to other cars or dangers, keep the driver in the correct lane, or show what is in blind spots. Demand for advanced driver-assistance systems, especially those that help with monitoring, warning, braking, and steering task is expected to increase over the next decade, fueled largely by regulatory and consumer interest in safety applications that protect drivers and reduce accidents. The report segments the ADAS market by technology, sensor technology, vehicle type, and region. It determines the market size of the ADAS market, and provides a forecast for the same in key countries for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The report also segments ADAS technologies based on the sensors used. Additionally, the study analyzes market dynamics, recent industry developments, and profiles of key ADAS manufacturers. The growing awareness regarding driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety has fueled the growth of the global ADAS market. Government authorities have mandated the use of certain ADAS technologies, such as tire pressure-monitoring systems, in North America and Europe. Asian countries, such as Japan, China, and India, are also planning to introduce regulations mandating the use of specific ADAS technologies. These factors are expected to accelerate the growth of the ADAS market during the forecast period. Scope of the Report By Technology - Adaptive cruise control - Lane de - PARTure warning - Blind spot detection - Adaptive front lights - Night vision system - Head-up display - Road sign recognition - Drowsiness-monitoring system - Park assist - Brake assist - Pedestrian detection system - Tire pressure-monitoring system By Sensor Technology - Radar - Lidar - Camera - Infrared - Ultrasonic - By Vehicle Type - Passenger cars - Commercial vehicles Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Market Overview 5 Technology Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Technological Evolution of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems 5.3 Legislative Trends in Advanced Driver Assistance System Implementation 5.4 Cyber Security Issues Associated With Advanced Driver Assistance Systems 5.5 Advanced Driver Assistance Technologies: an Overview 6 Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Region & Technology 7 Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Sensor Technology 7.1 Introduction 7.2 ADAS Sensor Technologies 8 Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Vehicle Type 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Global Advanced Driver Assistance System Market, By Vehicle Type 8.3 Passenger Car ADAS Market, By Region 8.4 Commercial Vehicle ADAS Market, By Region 9 Competitive Landscape 9.1 Competitive Situations & Trends 9.2 OEM Market Share Analysis, By ADAS Suppliers 9.3 New Product Launch 9.4 Agreements/Joint Ventures/Partnerships 9.5 Expansion 9.6 Mergers & Acquisitions 10 Company Profile 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Continental AG 10.3 Delphi Automotive PLC 10.4 Denso Corporation 10.5 Robert Bosch GmbH 10.6 Autoliv Inc. 10.7 Wabco Holdings Inc. 10.8 Valeo S.A. 10.9 Mobileye N.V. 10.10 Magna International Inc. 10.11 Infineon Technologies AG For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hwjj8r/advanced_driver Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] 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 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com OSWEGO, Kan., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis featured such wonders as the first electrical outlets and a newly invented treat called the ice cream cone. But the exhibits that caught the eye of the late R.O. Deming were those featuring intricate exotic woodwork from Chile, Brazil and Venezuela. Deming bought the wood and shipped it home on 42 rail cars to build what has been known ever since as the Deming Mansion. And that 12,800-square-foot mansion is now set to be sold at auction on Saturday, Aug. 27, with Torchia-Holmes Real Estate Agency conducting the auction in cooperation with J.B. Robison Auctioneers & Realty. "It's really stunning, even today," said David Holmes, broker for the agency. "It's full of old, fine woods, with seven fireplaces, leaded glass windows and a third floor so big it has at times been used as a bowling alley and skating rink." Deming, who moved to Oswego in 1887 to establish a mortgage company, used the home for years as a showplace where he and his family entertained friends and business associates nationwide and abroad. The mansion, at 918 West 6th Street, Oswego, Kansas, will be sold at noon Saturday, Aug. 27. The contents will be sold over a two-day period Aug. 26 and 27, beginning at 9 a.m. each day. Individuals seeking additional information may visit www.davidholmesauctions.com or call 620-429-1330. "The real estate will sell to the highest bidder at or above $150,000. Everything in the home will sell individually to the highest bidder hundreds of pieces of fine furniture, lamps, artwork, mirrors, chandeliers and much more," said Holmes. The home will be open for showings from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 7 and Aug. 14. Torchia-Holmes Real Estate Agency, based in Columbus, Kansas, specializes in residential and commercial real estate. J.B. Robison Auctions & Realty, based in Vinita, Oklahoma, pioneered the use of the auction method to sell real estate in the Grand Lakes area and continues to market real estate, commercial and farm equipment, commercial and residential homes, and land, as well as personal property. For more information: Carl Carter, 205-823-3273 SOURCE Torchia-Holmes Real Estate Agency Related Links http://davidholmesauctions.com NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yieldbot, a digital media technology and marketplace that connects brands with active consumer intent, today announced it has raised a $35 million Series C round of funding. The round was led by new investor, Staley Capital with participation from all existing venture investors RRE, New Atlantic Ventures, SJF Ventures, Converge Venture Partners as well as capital participation by City National Bank. "We are excited about the addition of Staley Capital to our roster of investors," said Jonathan Mendez, CEO of Yieldbot. "This level of investment, in this difficult market, is a testament to the unparalleled results that the Yieldbot technology is delivering by enabling brands to connect at the moment of greatest relevance with their consumers." Yieldbot continues to pioneer intent-based media access via header bidding and cookieless technology to deliver premium consumer interactions for brands. IntentRank, Yieldbot's machine learning system, recognizes and scores the active motivation of consumers and responds with relevant brand messages to produce superior measured performance. "We've proven our cookieless intent technology understands what people are doing right now," said Mendez. "No data is more important to deliver relevance in today's mobile world then understanding and activating immediate consumer needs." The funding will fuel an expanded sales and marketing presence across the U.S. as well as accelerate product growth across mobile, video and explore strategic acquisition opportunities. "This new capital gives us additional resources to continue innovating with first-party data for brands and premium publishers through the expansion of our real-time marketplace and using our technology to increase the value of digital media for all participants; publishers, brands and most of all consumers." "Staley Capital invested in Yieldbot because we have seen their proprietary and consumer friendly first-party cookieless data is the special sauce that drives real-time intent targeting across all digital advertising. There is no one in the marketplace better than Yieldbot in driving measured performance for marketers while facilitating the best monetization for premium publishers," said Renny Smith of Staley Capital. In 2015 Yieldbot experienced 150% revenue growth from the previous year, and nearly a 16X increase from 2013, its first full year of revenue. Q4 2015 also marked the first profitable (EBITDA) quarter for the business. The company's 3 and a half-year growth trajectory puts it in select company with the fastest growing businesses in all of technology. About Yieldbot Yieldbot is the only marketplace for real-time consumer intent in premium content. The company's real-time data and header bidding media connect brands to the active intent of consumers on over 1000 websites. Yieldbot's consumer friendly technology does not use cookies for targeting and has a first-party relationship with all data. IntentRank, Yieldbot's machine learning system, recognizes and scores the active motivation of consumers and responds with relevant brand messages to produce superior measured media performance. Over half of the Top 100 US advertisers are Yieldbot customers. Yieldbot is headquartered in New York with offices in Bentonville, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Portland. For more information, please visit: http://www.yieldbot.com. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Yieldbot Related Links http://www.yieldbot.com If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Damascus/Moscow, Aug 1 : A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was on Monday shot down by ground fire in Syria after it had delivered humanitarian supplies to Aleppo, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Three crew and two officers from Russia's Reconciliation Centre aboard the chopper died, the Kremlin said. The three crew and two officers from Russia's reconciliation centre were returning to the Russian air base at Khmeimim, the ministry said in a statement. "On August 1, an Mi-8 transport helicopter has been shot down by ground fire in Idlib province after a delivery of humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo. Three crew members and two officers from the Russian Reconciliation Centre in Syria were on board," the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed in a statement later in the day that all those on board were dead. "Those on board the helicopter were killed, as we learned from the Defence Ministry's report. They died heroically as [the crew] tried to divert the helicopter to minimise casualties on the ground," Peskov said, adding that the Mi-8 had been on a humanitarian mission. "The Kremlin conveys its deep condolences to the families of those killed in action," he added. Shortly after the crash, a number of on-the-spot videos have emerged online, allegedly showing helicopter debris, including a tail rotor and parts of the fuselage. RT could not immediately verify authenticity of those videos. It was the third Russian helicopter lost in action in Syria this year. In July, an Mi-25 attack chopper was shot down near Palmyra, killing two Russian pilots. The aircraft had been engaging the advancing Islamic State militants at the Syrian Army's request when it was taken down, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. In April, an Mi-28N attack helicopter crashed while performing a flight near the city of Homs, with the Defence Ministry stressing it was not shot down. The crash left both pilots dead, with technical failure cited by Moscow as the likely cause of the accident. Last October, another Mi-8 helicopter was badly damaged and then destroyed by IS fighters after an emergency landing in the middle of search and rescue operation to extract a surviving co-pilot of a Su-24M bomber jet shot which was downed by a Turkish Air Force F-16. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Ahead of National Handloom Day, which falls on Sunday, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani has launched a #IWearHandloom' initiative, which has gone viral online. FDCI president Sunil Sethi too has urged the fashion fraternity to promote handloom consumption. #IWearHandloom encourages the wearing and sharing of handwoven garments and accessories. The campaign began on Monday, and has found takers from all quarters. The Twitter-based campaign is aimed at empowering handloom weavers of the country, and the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is a frontrunner in the celebration of warp, weft and weaves. "With more and more trend-setters like you (Irani) recognising the value of hand-woven textiles and finding them relevant, the time is right to set the stage for a grander spectacle," Sethi, who himself shared a photograph flaunting handloom garments, said in a statement. The initiative soon went viral on Twitter getting immense support from fashion designers, sportsmen, politicians and the public in general. Acknowledging the support extended by FDCI, Irani said: "I thank the FDCI along with top designers across the country who have played a critical role in making this campaign a success and helping mainstream handloom globally." On Monday, Irani took to her social media account and posted: "I support Indian weavers, here's my #IWearHandloom look - Handwoven Silk from Bihar. Share your look and tag five people." Damascus, Aug 4 : At least seven people were killed and 20 others suffered suffocation and breathing difficulties from chemical gas attack in Aleppo, state news agency SANA said on Wednesday, citing a Russian observation centre. The Nour Addien al-Zinki rebel group on Monday fired rockets filled with poisonous gas on the government-controlled Salahuddien district in Aleppo, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying. Russia had informed the US about the rebel use of poisonous materials in Aleppo, reported SANA. Meanwhile, the rebels also accused the government on Tuesday of dropping barrel bombs stuffed with chlorine gas on the rebel-held town of Saraqeb. Both sides have repeatedly traded accusations about the use of chemical materials in the battles. SANA said seven people were killed and 41 others were wounded on Wednesday by fresh rebel shelling on the government-controlled parts of Aleppo. Aleppo has seen intensified battles and violence recently with the government troops tightening the noose on the rebel-held areas in the eastern part, while the rebels unleashed several offensives to break government siege on rebel-held areas, Xinhua news agency reported. SANA said the air force carried out 100 air strikes on rebel positions in the countryside of Aleppo on Wednesday, managing to foil a wide-scale offensive of the rebels, the third to hit within a couple of weeks. Jammu, Aug 4 : Night traffic resumed on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway after remaining closed due to protests in Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. Randeep Kumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ramban told reporters that the traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was restored and vehicular traffic was moving smoothly. For the last 28 days, authorities allowed traffic on the strategic highway only during the night. The highway remains shut during the day as protesters at various places in south Kashmir either physically block the road or resort to heavy stone pelting on passing traffic. Amarnath Yatra pilgrims also use the highway to reach the cave shrine in Kashmir. Since the Valley has been reeling under officially imposed curfew and the protest shutdown called by the separatists since July 9, various retail outlets are already running thin with supplies as the highway is the only route for various essentials to reach Kashmir. New Delhi, Aug 4 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said the King of Saudi Arabia has given instructions to help the thousands of Indian workers stuck in the Gulf kingdom, including giving them free passage back home. The Saudi King has instructed his officials to resolve the crisis faced by Indians, the minister said in identical suo moto statements on the Saudi situation in both houses of parliament. "The Saudi King has instructed his officials to solve the problem in two days. General V.K. Singh is there. He met the Labour Minister there yesterday (Wednesday), he said instructions have been given to give the Indian workers exit visa; they will send them back in their own flights, at their own expense," Sushma Swaraj said. "They have also permitted that those who are found suitable may be given another job," she said. Sushma Swaraj said V.K. Singh has interacted with important Saudi authorities, including Saudi Minister of Labour and Social Development Mufrej Al Haqbani. Regarding the dues of workers, the minister said: "Every worker will file their claim with the labour office, and the claims will be settled even after they come back." She also said the Saudi administration was arranging for providing food and other assistance to the camps where Indians were lodged. "Besides, they offered to arrange for medical care, food, and sanitation in the camps where Indians are," she said. The minister thanked the Saudi King for the assistance. She said: "I want to thank Saudi rulers on behalf of India and the house. I also thank the Prime Minister. This is happening because of the relations he made during his visit to Saudi Arabia." Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad also welcomed the move. "This is a very good thing. we must thank them on behalf of people of India," he said. Some 7,700 Indian workers employed with a company in Saudi Arabia are facing a financial crisis after it shut down and laid off workers. Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh is in Riyadh to sort out the problem, including arranging to bring back those workers who want to return. In the Lok Sabha, just as some Congress members including Jyotiraditya Scindia and K.C. Venugopal wanted to speak on the issue, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked, "Do you want to compliment the minister? Sometime you must appreciate the good work." Scindia said: "I want to compliment External Affairs Minister that she came up with her statements on the issue without members raising these. On similar line, I hope other NDA ministers will also emulate External Affairs Minister and come well prepared in the house." "I also feel like the manner External Affairs Minister spoke about bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, she will speak on countries like Pakistan and China too," Scindia added. While Saudi Arabia has over three million expatriate Indians, there are over 800,000 of them in Kuwait. Most of them are blue collared workers. Manila, Aug 4 : The UN has condemned an increase in executions of suspected drug dealers and drug addicts in Philippines as part of an aggressive anti-narcotics campaign, local media reports said on Thursday. According to radio ABS-CBN, 810 people have died since May 10 - a day after the general elections - till Wednesday in the drug war initiated by new President Rodrigo Duterte, EFE news reported. Of these, 496 were killed in police operations, 240 were executed by unidentified gunmen, and the bodies of another 74 alleged drug dealers had surfaced after being killed. Yury Fedotov, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) condemned it, saying "the reports of extrajudicial killing of suspected drug dealers and users" in the Philippines and called Duterte's anti-drug campaign as a "breach of fundamental rights and freedoms". During his election campaign, Duterte had promised to kill thousands of criminals and drug addicts to end crime in the country during the first six months of his mandate. "Such responses contravene the provisions of the international drug control conventions, do not serve the cause of justice, and will not help to ensure that 'all people can live in health, dignity and peace, with security and prosperity,'" said Fedotov. The UNODC official also added they are prepared to help the Philippines "to bring drug traffickers to justice with appropriate legal safeguards, in line with international standards and norms." However, despite recent criticism from several international agencies, Duterte expressed his unwavering commitment to the campaign in his State of the Nation address in July. "There will be no let-up in this campaign (...) We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier, and the last pusher have surrendered or put behind bars or below the ground, if they so wish," he said. He had added that the campaign had led to the arrest of more than 3,600 drug offenders and that 120,000 addicts have been delivered to the authorities. Duterte, sworn in on June 30, enjoys huge popularity in the Philippines, and latest polls say 91 per cent of those surveyed trust the controversial figure, the highest score ever received by a Philippine president. Washington, Aug 4 : The US Supreme Court has temporarily overturned a ruling that allowed a transgender high school student to use the bathroom of his choice. The school board in Gloucester county, Virginia, is challenging a decision by a federal appeals court that ruled it must allow a student, who was born a girl but now identifies as male, to use the boys' bathroom during the coming school year, NBC News reported. While the board prepares to appeal the decision, it asked the Supreme Court to block the lower court order. On Wednesday, the justices granted that request in a brief order. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented and said they would not have put the ruling on hold. Wednesday's order means the student, Gavin Grimm, 17, will not be able to use the restroom of his choice when school starts, NBC News said. It is the first time that the fraught discussion over transgender bathroom rights has reached the country's highest court. An appeals court ruled earlier this year that the ban was discriminatory and violated Title IX, a federal law that bans sex discrimination by schools receiving federal funds, NBC News noted. The court is yet to give a definite ruling on the matter. A number of places in the US - most recently North Carolina - have passed laws requiring transgender people to use a public toilet that corresponds to the sex listed on their birth certificate. Mumbai, Aug 4 : Search engine giant Google on Thursday showcased its smart, modern and secure offerings here that will enable customers take advantage of the emerging digital technologies. Google's enterprise offerings comprise the full array of IT needs from communication and productivity with apps to application hosting, data analysis and infrastructure with cloud platform and workplace devices with chrome and android hardware. Senior leaders from etailer Flipkart, Hero MotoCorp, market research form PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Mahindra's startup arm SmartShift were present at the event who spoke about the adoption of Google's enterprise offerings that are enabling their teams to be more connected, collaborative and competitive. For enterprises, Google is providing a seamless experience from desktop to mobile -- accommodating the current needs of a digital, collaborative, connected and integrated workforce while continuing to build for future shifts, the company said in a statement. Further, Google is making heavy investments in growth areas, particularly Google Cloud Platform, its cloud infrastructure offering that benefits from deep networking and machine learning expertise to provide businesses with powerful application hosting, data analysis and computing resources. Google India hosted over 2,000 business leaders and also arranged livestreaming sessions at the event. London, Aug 4 : An American woman was killed and five others were injured in a stabbing spree by a 19-year-old Norwegian of Somali origin in central London, police authorities said. British police said the attacker was arrested and there was no evidence the man was radicalised or motivated by terrorism. The police said mental health was a "significant factor" in the wanton attack that took place in Russell Square, a busy area close to the British Museum where many hotels and restaurants popular with tourists are located. According to the London Metropolitan Police, the young attacker was arrested at 10.39 p.m. on Wednesday night after an officer fired a taser gun at him, BBC reported. He was taken to a south London police station after receiving treatment in hospital. "While the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said, speaking outside Scotland Yard headquarters, describing the situation as "spontaneous attack". The woman who fell to the stabbing attack was an American national, Rowley said, adding that those injured were Australian, American, Israeli and British nationals. An eyewitness said the man was carrying a knife and had blood on his hands while another witness added he saw a "dark-skinned man" in his "late 20s" being arrested. The authorities said there would be an increased police presence on the streets of London from Thursday "for reassurance and safety". The attack was not linked with a separate stabbing in Wandsworth, southwest London, on Wednesday in which a man was killed and two others were injured, the Metropolitan Police said. The stabbings came after authorities earlier on Wednesday announced London would increase its presence of armed police after recent terror attacks in Europe. In the terror attacks of July 7, 2005, the Underground subway line running close to Russell Square was hit by the most devastating of the four bombs that killed 52 people and left injured over 700 others. The police have not established a terror link to the attack. New Delhi, Aug 4 : The Union government on Thursday welcomed the Delhi High Court's verdict that the Lt Governor is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory and advised the AAP to shun "politics of confrontation" for development. "The decision reflects that law of land is supreme and clears all misconceptions of Delhi government about the constitutional authority of the LG," Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told reporters. Naidu suggested the Aam Aadmi Party government to "leave the politics of confrontation" and "focus on the development" of the city. Criticising Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for dragging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in every issue, he said: "The NDA government believes in working with states for the development of the country." Raigad (Maharashtra), Aug 4 : Maharashtra Housing Minister Prakash Mehta on Thursday faced flak for clicking a selfie near a bridge that collapsed in the flood in Savitri river and later misbehaving with media persons here. Mehta -- the guardian minister of Raigad district -- was seen cliking a selfie when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and opposition Leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil visit the tragedy site on Wednesday afternoon. When some media persons questioned him on the matter and also the fact that he reportedly learnt of the tragedy after nearly nine hours, Mehta lost his cool and hurled abuses at a television channel reporter on Thursday. While the media called for a boycott of Mehta, opposition Congress leaders like Vijay Wadettiwar and Abdul Sattar demanded his resignation for clicking a selfie when rescue operations were in full swing to locate two missing buses, other vehicles and their occupants. Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil said that "this shows the seriousness of the government and its minister". Even ally Shiv Sena raised eyebrows, with party legislator Neelam Gorhe urging Fadnavis to take cognisance of the matter. "It is surprising this has come from a senior minister," she said. Irked by the minister's behaviour, several media organisations, including the Press Club of India, Mumbai Press Club, TV Journalists Association, Mantralay ani Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh, Crime Reporters Association and others condemned him. At least two buses with 22 people and four to five private vehicles were washed away early on Wednesday in floodwaters after a British-era bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa highway. Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 4 : Kerala's Local Self Government Minister K.T. Jaleel, who was asked by the state government to fly to Saudi Arabia to coordinate efforts with Kerala cultural groups amid reports of hundreds of Keralites in the Gulf kingdom having been rendered jobless and facing a food crisis, Thursday evening said he was denied a diplomatic passport. Speaking to reporters here, Jaleel said that he is surprised by the turn of events. "We were expecting to fly out to Saudi Arabia the moment my visit was cleared. When we checked out on the website, we were surprised to see that my application for a diplomatic passport was denied. It's too early to say if there was a political motive behind the denial," he said. The state cabinet on Wednesday had asked Jaleel and state government official V.J. Baby to fly to Saudi Arabia to meet up with the people of Kerala who are reported to have been holed up in labour camps, many of them being denied salaries and finding it tough to get food and water, following the financial problems being faced by a few Saudi Arabian companies. Jaleel had planned to arrive first at Jeddah and had already established contact with various Kerala cultural organisations there who were to assist him. Union Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh is in Saudi Arabia to coordinate with Saudi officials to air lift Indians wishing to return. Meanwhile a source in the know of things said that Jaleel will have no problem in travelling on a normal passport. Islamabad, Aug 5 : Key suspect in the 2008 Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks has been arrested by security agencies in Pakistan, it was announced late on Thursday. The terror which evoked world condemnation the claimed over 160 lives, including foreigners, and 308 others were wounded. Suspect Sufiyan Zafar, wanted in connection with the attacks, had reportedly assisted prime suspect Hammad Amin Sadiq financially, a sources close to the development said. According to the sources, an anti-terrorism court granted eight-day physical remand of the suspect. Sources further said that a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team, headed by Director Mazhar Kakakhel, was interrogating the suspect. Kabul/Islamabad, Aug 5 : A Pakistani helicopter made a crash landing in a remote district of eastern Afghanistan's Logar province on Thursday, crew unhurt but reportedly taken hostage by Taliban, a provincial government spokesman said. "The initial findings by our provincial security sources showed that a Pakistani chopper made an emergency landing at around midday in Azra district of Logar province. But the crew remained unhurt following the crash," spokesman Salem Salah told media. While the Pakistani army has denied its helicopter was involved in the incident in the mountainous Afghan province bordering Pakistan, some reports suggested that the helicopter was belonging to the government of Pakistan. The Pakistani Embassy in Kabul has reportedly announced that the chopper was en route to Russia for maintenance. Unofficial sources said the six-member crew was captured by Taliban militants after the chopper went down in the province 60 km south of Kabul. The Conveyancing Association (CA), the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry in the UK, has outlined a number of recommendations to end what it believes to be significant delays and overcharging taking place within the leasehold sector. A growing number of leasehold sales are taking place each year across all UK regions, up from 220,000 in 2011 to 260,000 in 2015, with 57% in Greater London and 40% in the North West. As a result the CA wants to see a streamlined process taking out the unnecessary delays and a cut to what it describes as unwarranted fees charged by many lease administrators who administer the terms of the lease to the leaseholder. In a recent survey of conveyancers some 56% of CA member firms said they believe that in 30% of transactions lease administrators charge unreasonable fees, and a further 32% said in 16% to 30% of sales they charge unreasonable fees. On top of this, 62% of estate agents, the traditional buffer between the consumer and the process, say that the provision of leasehold sale information causes real issues in the house moving process, with 34% branding it an absolute nightmare. Common problems within the process include identifying the lease administrator as there is no registration or regulation required and significant delays can be incurred attempting to find the right person or company. There is also a recognised imbalance of bargaining power between the lease administrator and the leaseholder as there is currently no requirement for the publication of costs or any control over their extent in relation to receipt of service of notice, deed of covenant, share transfer or certificate of compliance. When it comes to overcharging on the part of the lease administrators the CA has seen cases where costs levied are up to nine times more than what the conveyancing industry might expect them to charge for carrying out such work. On average Lease Administrators are charging between 250 per hour and 360 per hour for administrative work, far in excess of what conveyancers and customers might expect those charges to be. The CA also points out that there is also often a duplication of costs with leaseholders required to pay multiple parties to complete their LPE1 (Leasehold Property Enquiry) form and no redress system is currently available to existing or incoming leaseholders with no effective consumer rights and no recourse to the Ombudsman given its lack of jurisdiction over costs unless the complaint is in respect of a breach of agreement for those costs. It points out that there can be significant delays in the provision of the LPE1 information and dealing with other requirements post-sale necessary for the registration and protection of the leaseholders title. This causes significant distress to a chain of house movers and can cause sales to fall through. To reduce the impact of these issues the CA suggests that delays in the provision of information required in the conveyancing process should be minimised and a level playing field created across managing agents, management companies and landlords. Specifically, the CA wants to see an update to the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 to include all administrative payments to lease administrators by any party to be a reasonable fee and these fees should not be duplicated were there are multiple lease administrators. It is calling for an obligation to provide the data within 20 days of receipt of payment and for lease administrators to be required to be a member of one of the three existing property ombudsmen schemes and for the digitisation of lease administrators held by the Land Registry to create a Lease Administrators Register. For many people the process of purchasing a leasehold property can be fraught with delay and significant unexpected extra costs that seem arbitrary in the extreme, said Beth Rudolf, director of delivery at the Conveyancing Association. Talk to those who have gone through that process and you will hear an acute sense of frustration that begins with attempting to track down the Leasehold Administrator, moves on to trying to get the necessary information out of them within a normal timescale, and finally ends with sometimes multiple charges to different parties, often for the same tasks, which in no way reflect the level of work required to deliver that information, she explained. Given this, and the fact that the number of leasehold transactions continues to grow, the CA believes now is the time for action to take place in order to develop a much fairer system, with transparent and reasonable costs, as well as an obligation to provide the data required within a 20 day timescale, explained. The, quite frankly, extortionate costs being levelled by some coupled with a distinct lack of motivation to provide the necessary information means action has to be taken, especially when by our reckoning 75% of leaseholders are being charged excessive fees for the work involved and in 2015 this equates to 200,000 cases. If you add in the sellers who have to pay for the LPE1 this number can be upped to 400,000, she pointed out. Of course, there are some great lease administrators out there and we are working with their trade associations who are just as frustrated by the rogues. We understand they would like to see all lease administrators under the jurisdiction of the Ombudsmen, just as their members already are, to ensure there is a level playing field and to give guidance as to what reasonable fees and timescales should be, Rudolf added. We will continue to work with them to provide a platform for the industry to develop solutions to right these wrongs. By changing the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 and collating a register of all Lease Administrators we will go a long way towards developing a process which is far fairer and more fit for purpose for what looks likely to be a growing number of transactions within the purchase market, she concluded. British investors are one of the largest group of investors in Dubais property markets but the decision by the UK to leave the European Union is unlikely to have much of an impact, according to experts. As the most open real estate market in the Middle East, Dubai has always found itself more susceptible to external factors. But, despite the interim uncertainty brought about as a result of Brexit the emirate unlikely to feel any long term effects, says a report from international real estate firm JLL. British citizens are the third largest investors into Dubais real estate market, potentially leaving them more susceptible to any negative impacts from Brexit, however, JLLs Craig Plumb, head of research for The Middle East and North Africa, believes that any negative ramifications will only be temporary. Even though it is too early to predict the long-term implications, overall there is a slight probability of British investors being negatively impacted by the devaluation of the British Pound following Britains decision to exit the European Union, he said. However, we believe the effect of the decision will only have temporary repercussions as a substantial number of British investors who work and reside in the UAE avoid sourcing their income in sterling, he explained. If we dissect the market further, particularly for residential, we notice that expatriates in Dubai are most likely to continue renting their homes instead of switching to ownership, resulting in sales being more negatively affected than the rental sector. If external factors stabilize over the rest of the year, we expect the Dubai residential market to easily recover in early 2017, he pointed out. During the second quarter of the year, office vacancy rates throughout Dubai showed a general downward trend. However, Plumb attributes this to a lack of supply, confirming that Dubai remains the largest and most active office market in MENA with many businesses still preferring to use the Emirate as their regional hub. Meanwhile, the retail and hotel sectors have fared less well in the immediate aftermath of the decision given the devaluation of the British pound. Dubai and the MENA region as a whole has become an increasingly expensive destination for European visitors, Plumb added. St Helens Plant based in Merseyside, UK are well known for their innovations in fabrications. Designing, manufacturing and supplying a wide and diverse range of system scaffolding, scaffolding supplies, scaffolding safety products and access systems. Providing global solutions ranging from scaffolding and access equipment and supplies to formwork, groundwork systems and metal fabrications. The start of this month sees yet another problem solving solution designed, manufactured and supplied by the UKs leading scaffolding manufacturers. The Universal Gate has been designed with the ability to be used in conjunction with all types of scaffolding including; Cuplock, Kwikstage and Ringlock system scaffolds. The flexibility of the gate means it can seamlessly be used on both types of system, providing cost saving benefits for those that stock, supply and utilise various types of system. The Universal Gate is an industry first in the field when it comes to hybrid-type scaffolding supplies and non-mechanical access equipment. Over recent years the popularity of Cuplock and Kwikstage has soared, with many scaffolding companies either supplying or utilising various types of system. St Helens Plant manufacture both the original version of Cuplock and Kwikstage alongside their own accredited version, R2Lok and R2Stage. Providing customers locally, nationally and internationally with guaranteed safety of supply, innovation in fabrication and diversity in solutions. In February of this year the team became finalists in the UKs Construction News Specialists Awards, due their innovations, fabrications and commitment on safety of supply. We spoke to a representative of St Helens Plant, who commented; Our passion is in the production; our pride is in the quality. We take great pride in guaranteeing safety of supply in every product, system, component and fitting. 2016 looks to continue being a problem solving year for the fabrications team at St Helens Plant, with many new innovative scaffolding supplies soon to be unveiled. Today, Free Service Tire Company is comprised of 18 locations across five states, with 200 employees, a retread plant, four wholesale centers and two commercial tire centers. Knoxville-based Free Service Tire Company is announcing the opening of another location in Johnson City, TN. The Johnson City store will make the 18th store for the business, in the interest of better serving their customers. Free Service Tire Company was founded in 1919, when Dan Wexler, Sr came back from service in WWI and started the company with partner Robert Wiley. The company name, Free Service Tire Company, arose from the philosophy that the company came from Dan's philosophy that they shouldn't charge for service, but only for the gasoline and tire patches they sold. In those early days, a fleet of yellow-and-blue motorcycles with sidecars, were dispatched to deliver gas, water or oil to stranded drivers. Free Service Tire Company's motorcycle roadside service was offered well into the 1930s. Free Service Tire Company grew, adding stores around Tennessee, and Dan Wexler, Sr. passed the business on to his son Lewis. The younger Wexler retired in 2005 and control of the business stayed in the family with his son Lewis, Jr. Over the years, Lewis Sr and Lewis Jr further developed their management skills; the elder Wexler took a Professional Management Development course at Harvard, while Lewis Jr learned the tire industry from the inside out with a career at Goodyear. Lewis's brother Harrison eventually joined the company after graduating from Wofford College in South Carolina. Today, Free Service Tire Company is comprised of 18 locations across five states, with 200 employees, a retread plant, four wholesale centers and two commercial tire centers. Freeservicetire.com is powered by TCS Technologies. TCS Technologies, a Microsoft Certified Partner, develops and markets both off-the-shelf and custom tire software solutions, web applications, ecommerce platforms, and support and consulting services to tire and automotive service companies across the US and Canada. As the industrys only full-service technology provider, TCS has built a product base which continues to prove itself as a revenue increasing, business streamlining asset to any size tire or automotive service business. TCS has tools unmatched in the industry, and customization within each of its products to cater to the way tire dealers and retreaders do business. TCSs home office is located outside Nashville, TN with a second location in Salt Lake City, UT. Mark Bouck, President and CEO of pharmaceutical services provider TrialCard, was named to the PharmaVoice 100 list this week. The list recognizes inspirational individuals for their positive contributions to the life-sciences industry. Nominees are selected based on substantive accounts describing how they have affected positive changes in their organizations and contributed to the betterment of the industry as a whole. Since assuming the helm of TrialCard in 2012, Bouck has guided the companys transformation from a niche provider of co-pay savings programs to a full-service patient access (HUB) provider that delivers integrated solutions to help patients overcome barriers to therapy and achieve positive health outcomes. It is a tremendous honor to be named to the PharmaVOICE 100. The individuals who share this accolade represent some of the brightest minds in our industry, and Im truly humbled to be considered in the same company with them, said Bouck. Bouck was specifically highlighted by PharmaVOICE for the characteristics of Drive and Integrity, and he said those markers are key components of everything the company does. This award is certainly reflective of our employees drive to make our vision of what a pharmaceutical services provider should be a reality, he remarked. In addition, the business of healthcare is ultimately a people business, so demonstrating the integrity to always do what is best for the patient is critically important to us. During Boucks tenure as TrialCard President and CEO the company has dramatically grown its HUB services division, which provides benefit investigation and prior authorization support, specialty pharmacy triage, nursing outreach and clinical support for patients, as well as analytic consulting services. The company has also grown its Virtual Engagement business line to provide tele-detail, tele-promotion, and patient lead generation campaigns in support of pharmaceutical manufacturers. Awardees on the list will be honored at the annual PharmaVOICE 100 celebration, to be held on September 15, 2016 in New York City. About TrialCard TrialCard, Incorporated provides product access, medication adherence, and patient support services on behalf of pharmaceutical manufacturers. Founded in 2000, TrialCard has become the largest provider of patient access programs in the industry, processing over $1 billion in reimbursement benefits per year. TrialCard holds nine US patents related to the processing and marketing of patient access programs. The company is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina. For more information about TrialCard, please visit http://www.trialcard.com. About PharmaVOICE Published monthly, with the combined July/August PharmaVOICE 100 and November/December Year in Preview issues, PharmaVOICE is expressly written and designed to deliver the views, opinions, and insights of the executives who are shaping the direction of the dynamic and multifaceted life-sciences industry. PharmaVOICE reaches more than 41,000 BPA qualified subscribers and 100,000 users with its digital edition. PharmaVOICE's unique horizontal editorial approach cuts across industry silos, providing a holistic overview of the life-sciences industry, addressing a range of topics from molecule through market. By engaging compelling personalities from diverse industry sectors, PharmaVOICE provides multiple perspectives on business challenges, trends, and topics. Editorial content sparks dialog, initiates debate, and opens the lines of communication to facilitate and improve business-to-business relationships. PharmaVOICE's multiple-perspective and in-depth original forums, feature articles, topics, and departments are audience-driven. PharmaVOICE provides executives with useful peer-to-peer insights on a broad range of business practices and topics to a wide range of life-science sectors. For more information visit http://www.pharmavoice.com. Numerica was recently awarded a contract to deliver a public safety data warehouse and information sharing solution to the Colorado Information Sharing Consortiums (CISC) 55 police departments, sheriffs offices, and state level agencies. The Regional Data Warehouse (RDW) provides a centralized state-of-the-art data repository that serves as the foundation of law enforcement and public safety information sharing and analysis. The Numerica data warehouse delivers the security, control and flexibility needed to effectively share and analyze all types of information among CISC member agencies, said David Shipley, CISC Manager. The era of closed, proprietary systems dictating how agencies can interpret and share their own data is now over. RDW is designed to support the demanding data needs of modern public safety. It can integrate data from virtually any electronic source, including records management systems and jail management systems, license plate readers, court and offender management systems, and many other data sources. The system supports a vendor-agnostic interface to allow public safety agencies to connect multiple analytics and search systems into the RDWs single data platform. RDW is a secure and flexible solution that can meet the data sharing needs of public safety organizations now and into the future. We built RDW to promote a data advantage for public safety organizations and to reduce the headaches that have traditionally come with the management of so many different IT systems and proprietary data, said Jeff Poore, President of Numerica. The data in RDW is owned by the customers. We are here to help them use their data as effectively as possible to improve public safety. RDW is a scalable solution designed for regional data sharing initiatives servicing anywhere from tens to hundreds of agencies. Agencies seeking to improve data sharing capabilities, or replace cumbersome and expensive legacy solutions, are turning to RDW to meet their expanding data sharing needs. Visit http://www.numerica.us/rdw for more information. Since 1996, Northern Colorado-based Numerica Corporation has been a research and development small business leader solving some of the worlds most challenging information science problems. Our team of world class scientist, engineers and business professionals develop advanced mathematical algorithms and software for tracking targets, fusing data, managing uncertainty, optimizing operations, and integrating networks. Numericas technology solutions translate complex data streams into real-time, actionable information for U.S. Department of Defense agencies, NASA, law enforcement, and commercial customers. Numerica provides state-of-the-art solutions in the areas of air defense, missile defense, space situational awareness, cyber security, intelligence, and law enforcement. Numericas public safety products include Lumen, CJISvault, PROact, and RDW. The CISC is a legal entity created to help its 55 member law enforcement agencies share and analyze huge amounts of data. Supported by Colorados largest agencies, the CISC provides three key services. First, it provides secure and reliable data storage. Second, to help agencies share and make sense of the data, it facilitates affordable access to outstanding data analysis software. Finally, the CISC connects Colorado agencies with others nationally to share data, promote greater agency effectiveness and make safer communities possible. ISA expands its Night-time Brightness Guidelines for Electronic Message Centers. "Were thrilled to be able to republish this document with even more useful information to help local officials develop reasonable sign codes." David Hickey, ISA vice president of advocacy The International Sign Association has expanded its popular publication, Night-time Brightness Level Recommendations for On-Premise Electronic Message Centers. While the recommended brightness levels remain 0.3 footcandles above ambient lighting, the new publication provides more detailed information on how to measure brightness levels with and without operational control. It also includes case studies of three communities that have successfully adopted the brightness guidelines. This publication has proven to be extremely beneficial to communities across the country, said David Hickey, ISA vice president of advocacy. Were thrilled to be able to republish this document with even more useful information to help local officials develop reasonable sign codes. These recommendations provide a reasonable solution to the hot-button issue of EMC brightness, and they are resulting in more of these kinds of signs being accepted and sold. The Night-time Brightness Level Recommendations for On-Premise Electronic Message Centers was published based upon the work of noted lighting scientist Dr. Ian Lewin. ISA asked Dr. Lewin to help the industry develop scientifically researched, understandable recommendations for EMC brightness, settling upon the widely adopted 0.3 footcandles. To date, more than 200 communities have adopted the recommendations in whole or in part; three of them provide case studies in the publication: Columbus, Ohio; Sparks, Nevada; and Kitsap County, Washington. It is available for free download at http://www.signs.org/EMCs. The publication is just the latest in a growing body of information available about EMCs. In 2012, the Signage Foundation published research from Texas A&M University, which found no link between the addition of an EMC and traffic accidents. It is available at http://www.thesignagefoundation.org/trafficsafety. The Signage Foundations research into the economic impact of illuminated signsincluding EMCsis also available at http://www.thesignagefoundation.org/library. About ISA The International Sign Association (ISA) represents manufacturers, suppliers, and users of on-premise signs and sign products from the United States and 60 countries around the world. ISA and its Affiliated Associations work to support, promote, and improve the worldwide sign and graphics industry, which employs more than 200,000 American workers and has an economic impact of $37.5 billion. The Fair Marketing team was undeterred by the 100 degree heat as they arrived, 8am on a Saturday morning, at the job site for Habitat for Humanity's latest build. CEO Roger Janik enthusiastically brought 15 of his employees out bright and early, where they worked side by side. While arguably these professionals are more familiar with SEO and PPC than home construction, they soon got the hang of cutting, measuring, and installing the siding that would finish off a home for a local low-income homeowner-beneficiary of the Habitat program. The job was complete by noon, leaving the team exhausted, but happy. "It's a great feeling, knowing you've helped someone in this really tangible way. Also, who doesn't love working with power tools?" says David York, the Fair Marketing VP of Technology, who was part of the work crew. Helping people is a big part of the Fair Marketing company culture. Fair Marketing routinely donates a portion of its profits to local charities. Janik himself has been involved with various charity events and organizations on a regular basis over the years. Recently, Janik took this involvement to the next level by launching "The Search for Good," (http://www.searchforgood.ngo) a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing businesses together in order to combat homelessness, hunger, and healthcare shortages around the world. Each member company pledges a minimum of 2% of its quarterly profits for life. The profits go to a board-chosen charity which changes on a regular basis. The Search for Good is currently donating those profits to Habit for Humanity, making Fair Marketing's participation in this particular project all the more poignant. "Participation in events like this one is right in line both with the spirit of Fair Marketing values and the mission of the Search for Good foundation," says Janik, who plans to bring his employees out to more Habitat events in the future. "Personally, I can't wait," notes York. "I will definitely be ready to get out there and get to work on the next project." ABOUT FAIR MARKETING Since 2005, Fair Marketing has helped clients across the nation establish and cultivate a strong online identity by using an innovative, trademarked approach. Fair Marketing has gained recognition from local publications, industry ranking services, consumer review sites and the Better Business Bureau. The company has consistently ranked among the top five web marketing firms in the United States. Visit http://www.fairmarketing.com to learn more. ZOG Digital, a premier digital agency of record for leading brands, announced today that LuRae Lumpkin has been named Executive Vice President of Strategic Development. The announcement was made by Jeff Herzog, CEO of ZOG Digital, to whom Lumpkin will report. In her new role she will be responsible for strategic growth initiatives at the agency. We are excited to have Ms. Lumpkin join us in this executive role as we continue our market expansion. Lumpkins background and experience with both large global brands and international agencies, makes her a perfect addition to the ZOG Digital team, said Jeff Herzog, Chief Executive Officer of ZOG Digital. Search, social and content marketing has evolved and continues to be critically important to the success of brands. Ms. Lumpkins background will help support our client growth and industry leadership. Lumpkin has held numerous executive level positions in both client and agency roles, throughout her career. As well as heading Client Development for GroupM, a WPP company headquartered in New York, she also has held positions as Vice President of Global Paid Media for Covario/iProspect and was head of strategy for iCrossing. ZOG Digital has deep roots and experience in the search, social and content space, stated Lumpkin. The organization has a storied history, dating back to the founding of one of the largest international search agencies. I personally consider Jeff Herzog as a titan within the industry and I am thrilled at the opportunity to work together again. I hope to bring my global vision to their incredible team of industry experts and drive a competitive advantage for the agency. Lumpkin is a well-known thought leader in the industry and sits on various industry and technology advisory boards. She writes for numerous publications and speaks regularly on trends in the media and at industry events. She holds a bachelors degree in advertising from the University of Oregon School of Journalism. About ZOG Digital ZOG Digital, Inc. is a leading digital marketing agency, focused on developing brand influence, driving engagement and generating customer sales conversions. Our unique blend of award-winning discovery marketing solutions, includes SEO, social media, content marketing, web design and development. ZOG Digital delivers a simple brand promise; powerful digital insight, execution and results. Headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., the companys clients are leaders across all industries and include Wyndham, KitchenAid, Capital One, Pep Boys and CarMax. For more information, please visit http://www.zogdigital.com. Why would folks who like country music vote for a guy who owns country clubs? Why, in other words, is Hillary Clinton doing worse with straight, white working-class men than any other demographic? According to myriad studies, polls and my friend Beverly Anne, They watched (Donald Trump) on The Apprentice and they think they know him. They loved his condescending Youre fired! tag line because it was generally aimed at unpopular and MBA-educated contestants who, coincidentally, were the same people the viewers hated. I suspect shes right. Initially I thought mens resistance was rooted in the idea of a female commander in chief. Men have been willing to fight on a womans behalf but rarely have they been expected to fight at a womans command. Then I had a radical idea: I started asking men what they thought. Former student Dave Hanley, now 32 and working in Boston, is not inspired by Hillary Clinton although he will vote for her. Shell be like the co-worker I dont ever want to hang out with but you have to admit is excellent at her job, he said. Hanley says that in this election scenario, the choice is between that co-worker and a new hire who burns the whole office down on his first day because he wanted to put tinfoil in the microwave despite being told by every single person not to that. J. Barrett Wolf, poet and former San Francisco police officer who holds a Bronze Medal of Valor from the San Francisco Police Department, answered my question by referring to a conversation he had in the small town where he now lives: A guy said, Im not voting for the vagina. The same guy (in his 50s, at least) says hes looking for a 27-year-old wife. It is an astonishing level of misogyny built into the culture of rural and small-town America. Mark Goldblatt, professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and a conservative, has a different perspective, suggesting that many opponents to Clinton and President Obama are neither sexist nor racist but instead are intelligent, well-intentioned people who notice that pretty much everything HRC has ever touched in public life has gone to (expletive) ... and that the only substantial case for her presidency is that shes running against a historically unfit opponent. According to Dave Borland, a self-employed father of twins who lives in Illinois: Being a woman or a minority has a multiplier effect for many conservatives. Conservatives are happy to have women or blacks join their ranks. Theyre more valuable than another white man. Yet, Dave explains, If a woman or black are typical liberals, then their gender or race becomes a negative two-fer. Worse than a white male spouting the same liberalism. It was one of my women friends, author and potter Suzy Staubach, however, who wanted to make sure I guarded against stereotyping all white working-class men. They are not all Archie Bunker with guns, she said. Perhaps its not a female commander in chief that worries some men but simply having a woman making any decisions. Many men, perhaps its safe to say a majority, have never had a female boss, argues Paul Bylaska, a college consultant. When they consider one leading the nation, it resurrects all the cliches and stereotypes. ... She comes across as more the stern principal type ready to call you on the carpet. All youve done is to be different from other women and youve made a little success at it. As Ive told you before, that is the one unforgivable sin in any society. Many disenfranchised men regard Hillary Clintons success as a rebuke to their own inability to rise. The Democrats must address this issue, however unwarranted and however unnerving, directly and with respect. SharePoint Fest Seattle is pleased to announce that Pressly, a silver sponsor, will join other sponsors in bringing this annual technology conference back to the Washington State Convention Center. Conference delegates will hear from keynote speakers and attend breakout sessions. Over 70 sessions will be offered across multiple tracks, as well as two optional days of workshops preceding the conference. There will also be a networking reception held at the end of the first day of the conference. About Pressly Pressly offers simple content sharing for a more connected business. Our Sharepoint integrations will take all the great content you have locked inside your Sharepoint instance, and help you get it out. Imagine, no idea left unshared. Use Presslys secure Sharepoint integration for: DRAG AND DROP NEWSLETTERS: Beautiful, branded, crowd-curated newsletters that you can create in an instant. Increase click-through rate by 5X. CONTENT HUB: Centralize and embed the best original and third party content. SOCIAL AMPLIFICATION: The best way to reach a new audience through your employees voice. Drive 7X reach for your company. Pressly clients include: Avaya, Deloitte, DocuSign, Accenture, Rogers, HollisWealth, Scotiabank. Helping businesses think together. Web Site:http://www.pressly.com About SharePoint Fest SharePoint Fest is in its sixth year. It offers a two-day conference (with an optional two days of workshops) that brings together SharePoint enthusiasts and practitioners, with many of the leading SharePoint experts and solution providers in the country. Attend SharePoint Fest Seattle where attendees will be able to attend workshops and seminars taught by Microsoft Certified Trainers, Microsoft engineers, and Microsoft MCM's and MVPs covering Enterprise Content Management, Implementation/Administration, Business Value, Search, Business Intelligence, Office 365 and SharePoint Development. Attendees will be able to choose one complete learning track or mix and match based on what content best meets their current needs. At SharePoint Fest Seattle, there will be sessions created for SharePoint administrators, software developers, business analysts, information architects, and knowledge workers, which will ensure that attendees walk away with as much knowledge as they desire to truly leverage SharePoint in their current environment. Web Site: http://www.sharepointfest.com/Seattle What started out as two people with a dream now stands 50 marketers strong. We have enjoyed a long relationship with Natacha throughout the years, and I am proud to finally announce the relationship in a more official capacity Powerhouse digital marketing and branding agency BrightHaus announced this week that the company is slated to open a new location in Los Angeles, complementing its current base location in San Diego. In addition, the agency will welcome celebrated digital marketing strategist Natacha Gaymer-Jones to head up the new location based in West Hollywood. BrightHaus offers SEO, web design, conversion-rate optimization, social media, content marketing and other services, working with clients around the globe. The agency has worked with brands such as Fox & Jane, Warner Bros, Ray Ban, University of San Diego, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Ronald McDonald House, and hundreds of others. The company operates under the mantra Out of clutter, find simplicity. The work done by BrightHaus is echoed by the teams goal of achieving maximum success for clients without clutter in a niche that is often bogged down with various forms of advertising, over-analyzing, jargon, and the like. The team is looking forward to launching the new location, as well as working with Gaymer-Jones. BrightHaus has stood the test of time for over 15 years, explains Michael Harbron, CEO and Co-Founder of the agency. What started out as two people with a dream now stands 50 marketers strong. We have enjoyed a long relationship with Natacha throughout the years, and I am proud to finally announce the relationship in a more official capacity, he explains. Natacha Gaymer-Jones has over 15 years of digital experience under her belt and focuses on agency operations and digital production. Her background includes having been a founder and managing partner for iolite Studios, a Sr. Project Manager for Fox Networks Group, Director of Digital Production for Dailey & Associates, IT Project Manager for Jenny Craig, an Internet marketing specialist for Microsoft, and more. In the past two years, Natacha has been very involved in the tech startup scene in Los Angeles. She has taught Product Management at General Assembly and has consulted with over 15 successful startups with Series A Capital. She has a mantra of helping transform thinkers into creators who will launch successful products. For more information on BrightHaus and its marketing and branding offerings, interested parties can visit http://www.BrightHaus.com or call 800.605.8913. BrightHaus is a team of online digital marketing professionals based in San Diego, California, who specialize in strategies to get brands to perform at their best. With more than a decade of experience in search and advertising, BrightHaus increases the online presence of clients using tactics ranging from intuitive strategic web design and development to creative strategy, search engine optimization, and conversion optimization. Interested parties can learn more about BrightHaus by visiting http://www.BrightHaus.com or by calling 800-605-8913. NEW ACCOUNTANT Discover the nine-step program where highly motivated accounting students can pass the CMA exam before graduation New Accountant Magazine, the trusted professional journal for college accounting students since 1985, has released the latest issue, available both in print and online. The featured cover story is Are CPAs Becoming Extinct? Some Distressing Trends in CPA Exam Statistics and What They Mean to You by Liz Kolar. She outlines a disturbing trend of data that has emerged regarding participants who have dropped from completing the CPA Exam. Kolar notes that this significant decline is due to the difficulty of the CPA Exam, the study time required to prepare for the CPA Exam, and work conflicts with study time. To help students with passing the CPA Exam, Kolar teamed up with Jack Surgent of the Surgent CPA Review team to fix this problem. The team built an adaptive learning platform that does the work of identifying the specific content that each student needs to study (based on their unique strengths and weaknesses, as well as AICPA weighting)saving literally hundreds of hours of study time. To continue with CPA Exam help, Double Up And Stand Out by Professors Joseph M. Hargadon of Widener University and Professor Lori R. Fuller of West Chester University, outline their nine-step program to help students pass the CMA Exam before graduation and the CPA within six months after graduation. Brian Wilson of St. Cloud State University writes Additional Accounting Certifications. In this article Wilson discusses the specialty certifications that one can pursue in addition to a CPA and CMA. Certified accountants are increasingly utilized for top to bottom organizational design &, implementation of internal controls to reduce risk and gather reliable information for sound decision making, according to Steven N. Polydoris, Editor & Publisher of New Accountant. Featured advertisers include American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Bay Path University, Colorado State University, Institute of Management Accountants, Lambers, Nichols College, Northern Arizona University, Post University, Thomson Reuters CheckPoint Learning, University of California - Riverside, University of Illinois, Isenberg UMASS Amherst, University of South Dakota, University of Washington - Tacoma, Villanova Business, Western New England University & WeiserMazars LLP. About: Published since 1985, New Accountant is a professional print and online publication edited for college accounting students and accounting professionals to prepare for a career in accounting, auditing, and all aspects of the profession. For more information, visit http://www.NewAccountantUSA.com, email inquiries(at)newaccountantusa(dot)com. Maker Faire in Balboa Park The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to be a part of Maker Faire San Diego on October 1 and 2. MFSD needs assistance with set-up, tear-down, exhibitors, attendees and staff members while the event is up and running. Volunteers must have a positive, hardworking attitude and excellent skills in customer service. In exchange for volunteer hours, the festival of invention and creativity will give participants two free tickets to Maker Faire and a T Shirt. To sign up, contact Cody Nelson at sdmakerfaire(at)gmail(dot)com. Learn more at: http://sandiego.makerfaire.com/volunteer/ Available shifts for volunteers at Maker Faire San Diego 2016: Friday, September 30 SET UP 8:00am 12:00pm 11:30am 3:30pm 3:00pm 7:00pm Saturday, October 1 SHOWTIME 7:30am 11:30am 11:00am 3:00pm 2:30pm 6:30pm Sunday, October 2 SHOWTIME 7:30am 11:30am 11:00am 3:00pm 2:30pm 6:30pm ABOUT MAKER FAIRE SAN DIEGO: Maker Faire San Diego is a festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement and Do-It-Yourself Culture in the San Diego Region. Unique from other Maker Faires, MFSD will incorporate all of Balboa Park in what is being called an outside-in" model to include Maker exhibitions within the museums as well as throughout the Balboa Park. WEBSITE: http://sdmakerfaire.org/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SDMakerFaire TWITTER: https://twitter.com/SDMakerFaire INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/sdmakerfaire/ ABOUT MAKER FAIRE: Maker Faire is an award winning, family friendly event celebrating technology, education, science, arts, crafts, engineering, food, sustainability, and more. Maker Faire has become part of pop-culture, a place for experiential marketing, debuting new technologies and inventions, and celebrating geekdom. Maker Media produces two annual flagship Maker Faires, partners with museums to produce Featured Maker Faires, and works with communities to license Mini Maker Faires around the world. HISTORY OF MAKER FAIRE: The first Maker Faire launched in May 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area and was quickly followed by Faires in Austin, Detroit and New York City, as well as others around the world. Technology has lowered the barriers to entry to becoming a Maker and this launched the Maker Movement which fuels Maker Faire. Maker Faire was designed to be forward-looking, showcasing Makers who are exploring new forms and new technologies. But its not just for exhibiting whats new in technical fieldsMaker Faire features innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft. ABOUT THE BALBOA PARK CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP: Balboa Park Cultural Partnership is a nonprofit organization through which 28 arts, science and cultural institutions in Balboa Park collaborate to achieve shared goals. By helping these groups achieve greater organizational efficiency, innovation and excellence, it seeks to contribute to the vitality and sustainability of Balboa Park. For more information visit http://www.bpcp.org. #### "...she also brings with her a stronghold on prime real estate all along Southern Californias coast a collection of gems that will gain exposure to the worlds most affluent clientele through our collaboration. - - Michael Hannon European-based premium real estate brand, Engel & Volkers, announced today that industry influencer, Holly Nanula, is joining the elite team with the launch of the Del Mar shop. License Partner for Engel & Volkers San Diego Ranch Coast, Michael Hannon, describes the fitting addition of Nanula to the E&V team. Not only does Hollys expertise and experience fall perfectly in line with our brand, but she also brings with her a stronghold on prime real estate all along Southern Californias coast a collection of gems that will gain exposure to the worlds most affluent clientele through our collaboration. The union could not come at a more perfect time. With beachfront landscapes and San Diego, in particular, ranking high on the radar for Europeans and international investors alike, owners are racing to list with Holly as she makes the Engel & Volkers switch. The blend of the two client bases and real estate inventories sets the foundation for the perfect marriage of industry trailblazers. Nanula is thrilled to begin a new chapter of her career under the Engel & Volkers umbrella. I was instantly drawn to the brands clients first platform, collaborative approach, boutique nature, and authentic family feel, says Nanula. She goes on to express the exceptional integrity, inspiration, and leadership she felt from California CEO, Mathias Bode, as well as her confidence in her swift transition, considering the parallel clientele and impressive property portfolios she carries with her. Bode equally looks forward to working with Nanula, describing her as an outstanding act to follow with a multifaceted skillset. Nanulas very first deal as a licensed real estate agent was for her own home. From then on, her genuine passion for the industry and the gratification that came with helping her clients find their first homes, or their dream homes was undeniable. An active community member, Nanula is a participant of the Del Mar Village Association, in addition to her philanthropic work geared towards childrens charities a cause that is most dear to her heart. Coming full circle, intertwining her industry successes and her devotion to helping others, after every closing of a deal, Nanula works together with her clients to donate a portion of the commission to a charity of their choice. With this level of care and commitment, Nanula heads the Engel & Volkers Del Mar team and opens shop this August. About Engel & Volkers Since its beginning in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Volkers has become one of the worlds leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property, yachts and private aviation. Engel & Volkers currently operates a global network of over 7,000 real estate advisors in more than 700 brokerages spanning 37 countries across five continents, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. It established its North America corporate headquarters in 2007 and opened its first brokerage in the same year. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and tools; multiple platforms for mobile, social and web; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Engel & Volkers is an active supporter of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. # # # For more information please contact: Sheela Shouhed Director of Communications Sheela.Shouhed(at)evusa(dot)com Connixts mobile functionality helps utilities effectively manage field assets and work, with minimal deployment effort and no increase in their IT footprint California-based Connixt, a provider of break-through cloud-based mobile solutions for utilities, transit agencies and construction companies, announced today that it has earned a place in the list of 20 Most Promising Utilities Technology Solution Providers 2016 by CIOReview. CIOReview featured Connixt in its July edition based on nominations from Connixts clients who cited the ease of deploying Connixts comprehensive mobile solution suite within days and with no hardware or software requirements. A panel of experts and members of CIOReviews editorial board further reviewed and selected the company based on a number of factors including customer satisfaction, technology leadership and the long-term solution road-map. Connixts mobile functionality helps utilities effectively manage field assets and work, with minimal deployment effort and no increase in their IT footprint, said Jeevan George, Managing Editor of CIOReview. We are particularly pleased that Connixt made the cut because of their robust product vision that will help utilities address the challenges of the future, including areas such as remote asset monitoring and maintenance. Utilities and aligned industries are in urgent need of low cost, fast deployment mobility solutions that can be quickly configured to meet their specific needs, and we are glad our customers have seen success with this approach, said G Satish, co-founder and CEO of Connixt. Connixts cloud-based mobile solutions connect utilities with their employees and assets on the field, to accomplish efficient work management, asset condition review and condition based maintenance. Connixt integrates seamlessly integration with existing back-end systems, and can also be used stand-alone. To make this list is an honor and a recognition of our philosophy of Simple, Smart and Easy solutions for our clients, said Prabu Ekambaram, co-founder & CTO. About Connixt Connixts cloud-based, pre-built mobile solutions provide the fastest means for businesses to connect with their field employees, assets, contractors, suppliers and customers. Connixts simple, smart, easy apps provide comprehensive field functionality spanning work management and scheduling from the field, asset status monitoring, inspections and condition based maintenance. Connixts mobile app suite requires no hardware or software, deploys within days and used either stand-alone or integrated with backend systems. California-based Connixts apps are used by utilities, construction companies, transit agencies and manufacturers around the world. Visit http://www.connixt.com. About CIOReview Published from Fremont, California, CIOReview is a print magazine that explores and understands the plethora of ways adopted by firms to execute the smooth functioning of their businesses. A distinguished panel comprising of CEOs, CIOs, IT VPs including CIOReview editorial board finalized the 20 Most Promising Utilities Technology Solution Providers 2016 in the U.S. and shortlisted the best vendors and consultants in the utility arena. For more info: http://www.cioreview.com ### This assay is the only one of its kind on the market that can replace animal testing for vasoactivity studies. Nano3D Biosciences (n3D) has just published an article in Scientific Reports http://go.nature.com/2asc61N in collaboration with LC Sciences and AstraZeneca, in which they developed a novel assay for vasoactivity using its core 3D cell culture platform, magnetic 3D bioprinting. A compound's effect on vasoactivity, or the contraction and dilation of blood vessels, is of significant interest to the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. However, most assays for vasoactivity involve animal testing that is costly, low-throughput, and not predictive of responses in humans. With pressure to not only improve throughput and accuracy, but also to reduce animal testing, safety labs worldwide are looking for in vitro alternatives. n3D tries to meet this demand by developing a cell-based assay to rapidly and accurately screen compounds for vasoactivity. In this work entitled "A high-throughput in vitro ring assay for vasoactivity using magnetic 3D bioprinting", it demonstrates the vasoactive effect for a panel of vasodilating and vasoconstricting compounds. "We validated this assay with bioprinted animal and human cells, and by doing so, we have an alternative to animal testing to screen vasoactivity" said Hubert Tseng, Senior R&D Scientist at n3D and lead author on this publication. Vasoactivity was measured in real-time with an Apple iPod Touch imaging system, and the vasoactive response detected was found to be distinct from a toxic response. n3D President and CSO Dr. Glauco Souza said, "The speed and throughput of our vasoactivity assay sets us apart from other 3D cell culturing and 3D bioprinting techniques, such as the ones from Insphero and Organovo. We are looking forward to this assay becoming the standard in compound toxicity testing and in the development of new vasoactive drugs." "This assay is the only one of its kind on the market that can replace animal testing for vasoactivity studies. This assay not only addresses an unmet need in this space, but also highlights our versatility and innovation of n3Ds magnetic 3D bioprinting technology. We are excited to have a new tool for CROs and pharma to further support drug development and toxicity studies in the cardiovascular space. Speed and throughput will greatly assist in controlling cost and enabling better screening of drug candidates earlier in the drug discovery pipeline." says n3D Director of Sales & Marketing Cal Froberg. This publication can be found here: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep30640 About Nano3D Biosciences Inc. n3D is a privately held company based in the world famous Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX. The company specializes in developing products and providing services utilizing its magnetic 3D cell culture and 3D bioprinting technologies for drug discovery, toxicology, and life science research markets. Products and services are offered through direct sales and its distribution partner, Greiner Bio-One. For more information visit http://www.n3dbio.com or email at info(at)n3dbio(dot)com. these candidates emotionally participating in prayer with thousands watching is comforting the evangelical world for the Trump-Pence ticket Trump-Pence Town Hall in Roanoke, Virginia, became the setting for a patriotic prayer that has gone viral on Facebook with over 1.7 million views in five days. http://www.facebook.com/bestoftrump/videos/1055888134504306/ At the end of the Town Hall, Trump announced that there would be only one more question. As hundreds shouted Trump heard Jesse Connors in the cacophony asking, How can we be praying for you? Quieting everyone down, Trump directed the microphone to Jesse where he told Trump and Pence that he loved them and wanted to pray for them. In one of the most truly beautiful moments of the campaign, Trump and Pence both agreed. This unplanned moment of these candidates emotionally participating in prayer with thousands watching is comforting the evangelical world for the Trump-Pence ticket. About Jesse Connors Jesse Connors is the founder of a faith-based Virginia non-profit TrueLife.org, which provides video answers to lifes hard questions from a Christian perspective. TrueLife.org has partnered with thousands of churches across the country to promote church invitation and Christian evangelism. Jesse is a Liberty University Communications alumnus (02), Former White House intern for George W. Bush, former Fox News Channel employee and congressional staffer. He later graduated with a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (07). Jesse is an experienced public speaker and available for comment on the Trump candidacy and Christian Values. It was such an incredible feeling to be recognized by your peers. I shared the stage with some of the most successful sales and marketing professionals in the country, which was both inspirational and motivational. DMG Co. traveled to New York City to attend the 2016 US Sales and Marketing Awards. The invite only, Black Tie Awards Gala is the most highly anticipated event in the sales and marketing event calendar. Sales and marketing professionals from all over the US attend the awards ceremony each year and many international guests fly in especially for the annual event. The awards ceremony is held in a different location each year and this years ceremony was hosted in New York City at 583 Park Avenue; a magnificent venue boasting a rich history of hosting prestigious events. Built in 1923 the building was designed by renowned architectural firm Delano & Aldrich. 583 Park Avenue has hosted many high profile corporate events and non-profit benefits. About DMG Co: http://www.dmgco.com/about-us.html The event started with a champagne reception on arrival, allowing attendees to socialise as well as the chance to form new networking connections, which is so critical in business. After the hour-long champagne reception, attendees were ushered into the Ballroom to allow the prompt commencement of the awards ceremony at 7p.m. The itinerary for the evening saw a collection of awards being handed out as well as guest speakers, who shared their success stories and provided motivation for those in attendance. One of the firms management team, Pani Varma walked away with two awards on the evening, the 50/50 Performance Award and the Presidents Club Award. It was such an incredible feeling to be recognized by your peers. I shared the stage with some of the most successful sales and marketing professionals in the country, which was both inspirational and motivational. This has really driven me to keep up the momentum we have gained at DMG Co. and to make sure next year DMG Co. picks up the big prize, said Pani Varma when speaking about his win. Also among the award winners for DMG Co. was Fernando Campos, who was awarded the 20/20 Performance Award for consistency, recognition for his efforts and consistent results over the last twelve months. This years awards ceremony included both a Silent Auction and Casino to raise money for Charity with all funds raised from the Silent Auction being split between United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and Childrens Home + Aid. Attendees had the opportunity to bid on over $10,000 worth of prizes which were donated especially for the event including: a 7-9 Course Tasting Menu for 4 people at the Michelin Star Restaurant Eleven Madison Park, New York, a Spa Day, a MacBook Air, an American Airlines $500 Gift Card, Microsoft Surface Pro 4, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel Stay, an Apple iWatch, a Hitachi 50 TV, Powerbeats and more. There were also some incredible trips available to be bid on including; 7 Nights in the Bahamas (up to 4 people), the Ultimate Las Vegas Escape (for 2 people), a 4-day Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Experience (for 2 people), an Ultimate New York City Break (for 2 people) and more. Based in Providence, Rhode Island, DMG Co. is an outsourced sales and marketing firm. They utilize a variety of personalized mediums to represent brands professionally and effectively. Through face-to-face customer communications the firm works on behalf of their clients to strengthen customer connections, deliver a memorable customer service and increase overall sales results. The firms portfolio of satisfied clients consists of some of the largest companies in the US, from Telecommunications and Energy to Charities. 2015 was an incredible year at DMG Co. and the first two quarters of 2016 have built on the momentum generated last year. Walking away from this years ceremony with three awards was a massive pat on the back for DMG Co. and acknowledgement of the great work they are doing. Among the 58 students completing the summer Money Talks financial literacy course were Ideal President/CEO Brian Sherrick's daughters Baylie & Bree, center. The overall program objective is to provide the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage financial resources effectively for a lifetime of financial well-being. - Ideal CU President/CEO Brian Sherrick. Ideal Credit Union recently hosted two sessions of its popular Money Talks financial literacy program in July, attracting 58 students from around the metro area. The peer-to-peer program, led and taught by Ideal CU Student Credit Union employees, teaches students the building blocks of personal finance: budgeting, savings and investments, credit, and money management tools. Students in attendance came from all different locations, including Inver Grove Heights, Maplewood, Mahtomedi, Somerset, St. Paul, Centerville, Apple Valley, White Bear Lake and more. The overall program objective is to provide the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage financial resources effectively for a lifetime of financial well-being, stated Ideal CU President/CEO Brian Sherrick. Ideal Credit Union is committed to financial literacy and to helping youth develop lifelong skills for managing their money. This program is so important that I encouraged my two own daughters, ages 17 and 19, to take the class this summer and I am proud to say they both learned a lot and passed the course. Participants earned a $100 cash stipend for completing the day-long course and passing the Im Financially Ready exam. All students must establish a Savings Account with Ideal before completion of the course in order to receive the $100 stipend. Approximately 300 students have been through the Money Talks financial literacy program since its inception in 2013. To-date Ideal CU has awarded over $30,000 to students completing this program. Ideal CU offers a suite of student financial products to help youth build their financial future, including Free Student Checking, a Student Savers CD and a unique Credit Builder loan to help establish that all-important credit rating. Ideal CU has operated a student-run branch since January 2013 at Tartan High School in Oakdale, MN. Located in the DECA school store, the Ideal Student Credit Union is an innovative approach in business education, teaching students the basic principles and practices of the Financial Services Industry. The Money Talks educational series, developed in partnership with Tartan DECA students and school leaders, is held several times throughout the school year. Founded in 1926, Ideal Credit Union is a member owned financial institution that specializes in providing excellent member service, great rates and convenience. Ideal CU offers a complete range of services, including a full suite of electronic banking products, savings, checking, loans, mortgage products and title services, exclusive VIP member payback, business services, investment services and more. Visit http://www.idealcu.com for details and locations. Were always pleased to see advancements in alternative energy in Iowa, and two recent developments continue to fuel Iowas stature as a leader in that field. North Iowa will gain new jobs and healthy new property taxes from a $1 billion wind energy project in Franklin County. That ties in nicely with a report that Iowas overall energy situation is moving in a positive direction. Alliant Energy announced the $1 billion expansion of Whispering Willow Wind Farm in Franklin County. It will go west of the current wind farm and will involve 300 construction workers onsite. Additional jobs will be created in a ripple effect with contractors and others during construction. Once completed, estimated for early 2019, staff would be equal to the current Whispering Willow operation 16 to 20 employees. Currently, Whispering Willow Wind Farm spans 33,000 acres with 121 turbines and a capacity to generate 200 megawatts enough to power about 50,000 homes. The $1 billion expansion will create another 200 megawatts, according to Alliant. And the companys looking five years out when it expects to add up to 500 megawatts to the wind farm. The project will add significantly to county coffers, generating tens of millions of dollars in property taxes resulting in more than 1,500 jobs at the height of construction, according to a statement from Alliant, which in more good news plans to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent from 2005 to 2030. County officials seem pleased with the proposal and why not, given the added property taxes and jobs. Its extremely good for Franklin County, said Supervisor Gary McVicker. It helps us get over the loss of the Prestage pork plant. Prestage ended up selecting Wright County for its $240 million pork processing plant. Iowa for years has been a leader in wind energy production. This latest megaproject will push Iowa even higher in national rankings, and thats something for the state to be proud of and use in recruiting new business and industry and the employees that come with them. Were also pleased to see the report that were gaining ground on per-capita energy use, even though theres work to be done in that area. Energy analyst Simon Tripp said Iowa consumes more raw energy than it produces and imports more raw energy than it produces. There is good reason for that. Without a significant base of fossil resources, Iowa has to currently import more than two times the raw energy it produces, he said. But he noted that the states investment in renewable energy is significantly improving Iowas balance of energy equation. Doing so, Tripp said, will enhance Iowas balance of trade and benefit the Iowa economy. So without question, the state is on the right track for energy production. We grow the products that make biofuels and harness the wind to create electricity and were doing it more and in better ways. As Tripp pointed out, without the traditional fossil fuel resources, Iowa has managed to maintain low-cost, reliable electricity and energy in general while introducing state-of-the-art renewable energy. Iowans can be proud of whats been done so far and excited about projects blowing in the wind. The numbers support our leadership role, vibrancy and relevance throughout the industry. With the completion of the first phase of our platform integration strategy, we anticipate it will contribute to our continued growth. YourMembership (YM), a leading cloud-based software provider for associations and member-based organizations worldwide, today announced strong first half 2016 organic growth of more than 20 percent versus the same period in 2015. New customer acquisitions, improved customer retention rates and healthy sales performance drove double-digit growth across all YM products, including its membership software as well as career center, learning management and advertising solutions. YM now extends its growth over an 18-month period as the company ended 2015 with a 25 percent increase in revenue. YM expects strong double-digit growth to continue throughout 2016 led by its new-found partnership with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and recent platform integration that incorporates the functionality of all YM products to create a comprehensive view for organizations in what they offer and how they connect to their members. Were seeing the results of a concerted, ongoing effort to retain our customers and keep them growing, while our sales productivity is on the rise, said JP Guilbault, CEO of YourMembership. The numbers support our leadership role, vibrancy and relevance throughout the industry. With the completion of the first phase of our platform integration strategy, we anticipate it will contribute to our continued growth. Guilbault added: Our ability to enable organizations of all sizes to see a complete picture of their members activity and development will prove successful for them and reinforce the value of making that major connection between the products they use and their member communities. More innovative and forward-facing associations understand how technology and demographics are changing, and with it, theres a need to simplify things. A single platform helps them evolve faster. The primary focus of the YM platform integration is to make it easier to use membership management, learning management and career center products together, while promoting continuous communication across all products. The new features and enhancements include: A single sign-on and one profile for administrators across the AMS, LMS and job board solutions. A member profile synchronization between the AMS and LMS so only one profile exists and no data is duplicated. A unified shopping cart for all LMS and AMS transactions. The e-commerce portion of the backend now allows administrators or other staff members to enter new products or certifications once and apply it to all products, streamlining and automating inventory management instead of requiring manual operation. The addition of professional development credits to the AMS after members complete their courses using the LMS. This enables administrators to now get a single view into members professional development by sharing data between systems. (For example, when a member completes a course, its attached to the member profile and administrators are able to see in the LMS all of the courses taken and certifications earned by each member.) The management and tracking of course enrollments and purchases in one system. The use of data to leverage member interests. Organizations can now present appropriate job certifications members may have an interest in or job opportunities after a member just completed a new certification. This integration makes the efforts of organizations more efficient, said Dan Gaertner, Chief Product Officer of YourMembership. With member data hosted on a single platform, it gives associations an opportunity to cross-promote their products. Inevitably, the more we integrate these products and the more organizations learn about their users, the more often they can create greater value for their members by putting relevant content like events, courses and career opportunities in front of their users. To learn more, visit YourMembership August 14-15 at booth 605 during the 2016 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. For more information about YM, its integrated platform, and its portfolio of membership and organization management products, visit us at YourMembership.com. About YourMembership YourMembership, established in 1998, empowers associations, organizations, nonprofits and other companies worldwide to deliver more value to their users, drive non-dues revenue through innovative career centers and buyers guides, increase their relevance using ground-breaking engagement tools, and enhance overall operational efficiencies. YourMembership's cloud-based membership management solution enables associations to effectively brand their organizations, engage their customer bases, and streamline their administrative processes. As the worlds largest provider of membership and company management software, YourMembership provides comprehensive membership solutions to more than 5,000 customers in 32 countries. For more information, visit YourMembership.com. To learn more now, call 1-727-827-0046. To get the latest industry updates, read our blog at yourmembership.com/resource-library/blog/. Get social with YM on Facebook at facebook.com/yourmembership/, on Twitter at twitter.com/yourmembership, on Google+ at plus.google.com/u/0/+Yourmembership/posts and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/yourmembership-com. Yearbook Unvieling at Lincoln College Prep Entourage believes that, like Lincoln College Prep, schools across the country will be able to invest in education and technology if they are given the tools to escape the cycle which causes yearbook programs to suffer. This month, Entourage Yearbooks released a short film which follows the yearbook team at the historic Lincoln College Preparatory Academy located in Kansas City, Missouri. Entourage produced the film hoping to inspire and help schools that face similar difficulties that Lincoln College Prep experienced when launching their program. When Jenny Raynor began teaching the yearbook course a couple years ago, she was surprised to learn that the old yearbook program had accumulated a considerable amount of debt. Ms. Raynors decision to work with Entourage Yearbooks has enabled the school to overcome their debt and surpass sustainability to create a program which is enriching as well as enjoyable for the students. According to Sara Mackay, video creator and marketing representative at Entourage Yearbooks, low yearbook sales and low funds can contribute toward a downward cycle of limited resources. She acknowledges that the success of many schools may be attributed to the sacrifices made by the advisor, who might invest their own personal time and money to make the yearbook happen. Entourage believes that, like Lincoln College Prep, schools across the country will be able to invest in education and technology if they are given the tools to escape the cycle which causes yearbook programs to suffer. For that reason, Entourage is committed to providing superior cost-effective products and fundraising tools which can help schools to maximize their savings. Entourage has also established the Advisors Council so that yearbook advisors have a forum to share ideas. Mackay explained that the Advisors Council is a resource for advisors across the country who want help from the people who are most familiar with what they're going through. She added that Ms. Raynor did an amazing job being our first ever Advisors Council President. While Ms. Raynor has passed on the role of president to another member, Entourage is thankful for her continued support and excited that she will remain active with the council through the end of the end of the 2016 year. This film was the first produced by Entourage to follow the progress of a school yearbook program. However, the company believes that there are many other schools with inspiring success stories, and continues to welcome the stories of their success schools. Visit Entourage Yearbooks' social media pages, or contact Sara Mackay at sara(at)entourageyearbooks.com, to share your experiences and help inspire other advisors. Roger Posacki, PlayCore President I am extremely honored to be joining the talented team at PlayCore and look forward to contributing to the ongoing success of this dynamic company PlayCore is pleased to announce the addition of Roger Posacki to its executive team. Roger has joined the organization in the role of President, and will work from PlayCores Chattanooga corporate office, reporting to the companys CEO, Bob Farnsworth. The team will continue to focus on the Companys strategic priorities and goals. Roger brings a wealth of senior executive experience with a proven ability to grow large and profitable businesses in challenging markets. He has been instrumental in creating value through a variety of sales and acquisition strategies and consistently achieving profit goals while managing top-line growth. His background includes a variety of companies focused on school and education markets, most recently as the President & Chief Executive Officer of Elmers Products, an iconic brand with legacy status among core customers. He strategically positioned Elmers to become an umbrella company of brands building value with customers, driving innovation, and leveraging an analytical approach to become thought leaders. Prior to Elmers, Roger was the Chief Operating Officer at Carson-Dellosa Publishing overseeing their 3 operating units focused on education and curriculum. Rogers earlier career began in sales and marketing with Proctor & Gamble then with Crayola serving as President of Crayola of Canada. Roger has been actively involved on the Board of Directors with the Kids in Need Foundation and he has participated on other non-profit Boards and industry associations. He and his family are excited about relocating to the Chattanooga community. Roger expressed, I am extremely honored to be joining the talented team at PlayCore and look forward to contributing to the ongoing success of this dynamic company as we continue to build and strengthen communities through play. Farnsworth added, We are excited to cultivate and strengthen our quality team at PlayCore as our business continues to grow. About PlayCore PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships. They infuse this learning into their complete family of brands. PlayCore combines best in class planning and education programs with the most comprehensive array of recreation products available to create solutions that match the unique needs of each community they serve. The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) will host Aviation Adventure Day, in conjunction with National Model Aviation Day, on August 13, 2016, at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, IN. The event is free and will include activities for all ages. Aviation Adventure Day will be packed with entertaining activities for the entire family. Attendees will learn while having fun by building make-and-take model airplanes and kites, and launch model rockets. In addition to the hands-on activities, attendees can tour the National Model Aviation Museum, try their hand at a flight simulator, and fly a real model airplane. Youth full-scale airplane rides will also be available for kids 8-17 through the Anderson chapter of the EAA Young Eagles. Space is limited and parents can register their children online. The first 100 kids in attendance will receive a free T-shirt. The AMA will also host its first Community Takeoff Challenge as part of its Aviation Adventure Day. Local companies, nonprofit organizations, clubs, and groups of friends are encouraged to participate by building their own catapult-launch gliders to compete for a $250 cash prize. Teams must register by August 10 at http://nationalmodelaviationday.org/muncie/community-take-off-challenge/community-challenge-sign-up/. AMA would like to thank its national Platinum sponsors, Ready Made RC, Hobbico, Horizon Hobby, and HobbyKing; local Takeoff Challenge sponsors MedExpress Urgent Care, and Brady Ware and Company; Flightline sponsors Cintas Corporation, Frederick Family Chiropractic,LLC, The Laundry Basket; and STEM sponsors CS Kern, Farmhouse Creative, Jay-Crew Landscape Inc., and First Merchants Bank for the great support. A special thank-you goes to Applebees in Muncie for providing snacks for participants. Aviation Adventure Day is one of more than 100 nationwide events that will be held August 13 to celebrate the fourth annual National Model Aviation Day. Information about the national celebration is available at http://www.nationalmodelaviationday.org. To learn more about AMAs Aviation Adventure Day, visit http://www.nmadMuncie.org. ### The Academy of Model Aeronautics, founded in 1936, continues to be devoted to national airspace safety. It serves as the nations collective voice for approximately 190,000 modelers in 2,400 clubs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Muncie, Indiana, AMA is a membership organization representing those who fly model aircraft for recreation and educational purposes. For more information, visit http://www.modelaircraft.org. Kickfurther, the leading inventory crowdfunding marketplace that connects companies and individuals, is taking part in Startup Day Across America today in Boulder, Colorado, at an event to be attended by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker & Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colo). Startup Day is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of entrepreneurial activity and job creation and to help generate support for startup communities across the country. Mattermark rankings recently placed Kickfurther as the 4th fastest growing company in Boulder. The Kickfurther marketplace enables consumer product companies seeking capital to grow by sharing retail opportunities with individuals interested in entrepreneurship and consumer products. We bring the public into the retail supply chain and enable fans to fuel the growth of their favorite brands, said Kickfurther Co-Founder & CEO Sean De Clercq. Why not share profits with the customers and fans who have been supporting your business from the start? We appreciate that our hometown Congressman, Representative Polis, is supportive of efforts like ours to break new ground. Representatives Jared Polis and Darrell Issa launched Startup Day Across America in 2013 with the goal of engaging local entrepreneurs with members of Congress in talks about how federal policy can support their efforts to test new ideas, create new products, and grow their businesses. More details about the Startup Showcase in Boulder are available here. About Kickfurther Kickfurther is a leading inventory crowdfunding marketplace that connects companies with individuals. The Kickfurther marketplace enables consumer product companies seeking capital to grow by sharing sales opportunities with individuals interested in participating in micro-retail. Businesses post Consignment Opportunities by choosing the amount of inventory they want, the consignment profit buyers will earn, and the estimated duration of time it will take to sell the inventory based on prior sales history. Since its 2015 launch, Kickfurther has funded $9.6 million of inventory in 325 Consignment Opportunities by more than 270 companies. Kickfurther users have earned, on average, more than 2% consignment profit per month on completed Co-Ops. For additional information, please visit http://www.kickfurther.com. Stevens & Tate Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner Make no mistake, seniors are online. Their adult children are online. Senior living/aging care organizations are embracing this fact and looking to learn the most effective ways to engage them. Senior living/aging care services organizations around the country appreciate the benefits that relevant and focused marketing education can provide. Over the last few years, speakers from Stevens & Tate have been selected by numerous LeadingAge chapters and related associations to share their insight at exciting events nationwide. This summer, Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner is gearing up for a few select appearancesone of which is the LeadingAge Tennessee 2016 Annual Meeting & Vendor Showcase. The event (themed be the difference) is being held from August 8-10, 2016 at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee. As the premier showcase for the Tennessees senior living/aging care services marketplace, hundreds of industry professionals are expected to attend. Wagner will present Embrace the Conversation: Strategies for Using Search & Social to Attract Residents on Tuesday, August 9th from 11:00am-12:00pm. When asked about the upcoming speaking engagement, Wagner stated that she is pleased that so many senior care organizations are embracing the value of marketing, and want to learn more about how they can enhance results. The agency is thrilled to be able to reach so many new organizations within new markets each year. This is due to their extensive industry expertise, as well as the positive feedback they continue to receive from event attendees. Make no mistake, Wagner said. Seniors are online. Their adult children are online. Senior living/aging care organizations are embracing this fact and looking to learn the most effective ways to engage them. My search engine marketing and social media presentations have been so well received by this audience because I offer a real-world approach to the strategies and tactics that work best in todays marketplacewith specific examples tailored to their business, she continued. It is exciting to hear the positive feedback from members who have implemented these techniques to strengthen their marketing programs and maximize the impact of their efforts. Nicole Wagner looks forward to having another well-received session and helping participants take their online marketing experience to a new level. LeadingAge Tennessee includes members across continuing care retirement communities, assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities, and affordable housing providers, as well as corporations who provide services, products, and trusted advice. For more information about the 2016 Annual Meeting & Vendor Showcase, visit http://www.leadingagetennessee.org/?page=AnnualConference. Stevens & Tate Marketing is a full service advertising agency offering Internet marketing; award-winning, on-strategy creative; integrated message development; and cost-effective media planning and execution. Stevens & Tate creates focused, targeted solutions for all its clients in senior living, medical/healthcare, business-to-business, food, grocery, retail, travel/tourism, and real estate industries. To learn more about the speakers at Stevens & Tate Marketing, visit http://www.stevens-tate.com/speaking. To discuss specific speaking opportunities for your organization or association, contact Stevens & Tate Marketing by calling (630) 627-5200. Key measures of new business creation in the United States point upward for the second year in a row, according to the 2016 Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, released today. The Startup Activity Index, a key annual indicator of new business creation, rose to 0.38 in 2016 going up for the second year in a row a mere two years after plunging to its lowest level in two decades. The latest Startup Activity Index data show entrepreneurship finally recovering, with new business creation reaching close to the peak preceding the Great Recession drop, said Arnobio Morelix, senior research analyst at the Kauffman Foundation, which conducts the study. Based on the increasing number of new entrepreneurs the nations job-creation engine the United States entrepreneurial economy has begun expanding. Recent job creation numbers by the Bureau of Labor Statistics also show this, with 889,000 jobs created by new establishments in the last quarter of 2015 alone the highest job creation number by new establishments since early 2008. The Rate of New Entrepreneurs increased by more than 15 percent from two years ago, with approximately 330 out of every 100,000 adults becoming entrepreneurs each month during the latest year. The large increase in female entrepreneurs was a major driver in the rising startup activity levels, said Robert Fairlie, professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, and an author of the study. Further, more people are pursuing entrepreneurship as an opportunity, rather than out of necessity; this is a big change from the levels of necessity entrepreneurship we saw during and after the Great Recession. Understanding what is happening to our countrys startups and entrepreneurs is essential to any policymaker hoping to accelerate and expand on the recent progress we have seen in entrepreneurial activity, said Senator David Vitter, chairman of the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee, who wrote the reports foreword. The Kauffman Foundation, through the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity and its many valuable initiatives, not only provides an important source of information for all of us who care about expanding entrepreneurship in America, but also puts into practice what their research tells us, as we work to help build the businesses of today and the bedrock of tomorrows economy. Along with the overall positive recent trend of the Index, certain underlying indicators still point to a long-term decline in startup density when compared to the levels of new business creation in the '80s, '90s and early 2000s. The Kauffman Index of Startup Activity relies on three indicators to evaluate new business creation: The Rate of New Entrepreneurs in the economy, calculated as the percentage of adults becoming entrepreneurs in a given month. The Opportunity Share of New Entrepreneurs, calculated as the percentage of new entrepreneurs driven primarily by opportunity vs. necessity. Startup Density, the ratio of the number of new employer businesses divided by the total population of existing employer businesses. Learn more about the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity here. Follow the conversation on Twitter at #KauffmanIndex. About the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity The Kauffman Index of Startup Activity is an index measure of broad range startup activity across the United States and is an early indicator of new business creation. Rather than focusing on inputs, the Kauffman Index focuses primarily on entrepreneurial outputs the actual results of entrepreneurial activity, such as new companies, business density and growth rates. The data presented in the Startup Index draws from a nationally representative sample size of more than half a million adults each year, and the universe of all employer businesses in the United States covering approximately 5 million companies. The Startup Index is a unique measure of entrepreneurship because it is more timely and dynamic, excludes casual businesses and includes all types of business activity, regardless of industry. About the Kauffman Foundation The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that aims to foster economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit http://www.kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation on http://www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and http://www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn. Sean McKenna has joined the Dallas office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder in the Health & FDA Business Practice. McKenna, who is a former Assistant United States Attorney, has extensive experience in health care civil, criminal, and regulatory matters, investigations, enforcement actions, and litigation matters. This addition comes shortly after the recent hires of Corporate & Securities Associate Joshua Merrill and Tax Associate Josh Prywes, whose experience will further expand the offices transactional offerings. We are very pleased to welcome Sean to our team, said Joseph F. Coniglio, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurigs Dallas office. His unique background and understanding of various enforcement and regulatory agencies will be an invaluable resource for both current and future clients in Texas and across the firm. Our approach at Greenberg Traurig is to always find ways to grow strategically to provide greater value to meet our clients legal needs. The addition of Sean is a key example of that commitment, and we are proud to have his significant experience available to serve our clients." Adding Sean in Dallas allows us to expand our considerable health care capabilities in Texas and more broadly support clients with health care fraud needs, said Nancy E. Taylor, co-chair of Greenberg Traurigs Health & FDA Business Practice. I am delighted Sean has joined the firm and I look forward to working with him. McKenna focuses his practice on health care enforcement and regulatory issues, representing individuals and providers under civil or administrative investigation by the Department of Justice, Offices of Inspector General, and Attorneys General Medicaid Fraud Control Units, as well as in criminal investigations and matters involving the United States and State Attorneys General. As a former 10-year Assistant United States Attorney, Associate Counsel to the Inspector General, and General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, McKenna focuses his practice on matters involving the health care industry and regularly represents clients before Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial contractors. McKenna earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Merrill focuses his practice on public and private mergers and acquisitions, with an emphasis on representing private equity firms and their portfolio companies. Merrill earned his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and his B.S. from Oklahoma State University. Prywes focuses his practice on federal, multistate and local tax planning and implementation for both U.S. and foreign companies. He has advised a variety of businesses on the tax implications of inbound and outbound transactions. Prywes earned his LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, his J.D. from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and his B.A. from Emory University. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP Texas Greenberg Traurig has more than 100 attorneys in Texas, serving clients from offices in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 2,000 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is No. 1 on the 2015 Law360 Most Charitable Firms list, second largest in the U.S. on the 2016 Law360 400, Top 20 on the 2015 Am Law Global 100, and among the 2015 BTI Brand Elite. More information at: http://www.gtlaw.com. Jacqueline Rushin, Head of Operations, Qmatic - U.S. With our current business growth and engagement with larger and more diverse client environments, Jacques expertise and commitment to operational excellence are critical. Qmatic, a global leader in customer journey technology and insights, has named Jacqueline Rushin as the head of operations for Qmatic - U.S. The appointment reflects the companys continued strategic focus on expanding its presence in North America as well as the evolution of Orchestra, its award-winning customer journey management enterprise software platform. Rushin, a veteran leader in the Atlanta tech community, brings a proven track record of operational excellence with global enterprise organizations to her new role. She has led successful complex deployments of technology solutions to customers across various industries. As a leader in cloud- and mobile-based enterprise customer journey solutions, Qmatic helps public and private sector clients offer a personalized and seamless customer experience across online and onsite engagement points. Qmatics customer journey management solutions serve Department of Motor Vehicle customers in 24 states, and are used widely by companies in the healthcare, retail and banking industries. With our current business growth and engagement with larger and more diverse client environments, Jacques expertise in deploying complex technical solutions and commitment to operational excellence are critical to our future success, said Jeff Green, Qmatic U.S. CEO. And as a respected leader in the Atlanta tech and non-profit communities, she brings an exceptional level of energy and passion to our growing team at Qmatic. Prior to joining Qmatic, Rushin most recently was founder and managing principal of Rich Rush Enterprises and held multiple positions leading technical support and deployment operations for more than a decade with a leading hospitality company. Rushin has been honored with several industry awards. She was recognized as a Diversity Game Changer in Technology in the latest issue of Hub Magazine, and in 2011 she received the International Alliance of Women 100 Award for her efforts in advancing the economic empowerment of women. A passionate leader in the non-profit sector, Rushin is president of Women in Technology, Inc., a regional organization that advocates for women in the tech industry and STEM education for girls. She also serves on the Technology Association of Georgia board of directors, as well as several others grounded in supporting her community such as Project Healthy Grandparents. She is a writer and has her Masters of Business Administration from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. The U.S. market represents a considerable growth opportunity for Qmatic as the many ways consumers can interact with organizations expand. Customer experience is quickly becoming an important brand differentiator for many companies. shared Rushin. Im eager to steward operational excellence in our client deployments as we help them optimize their customer engagements. Rushin is based in the companys North American headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. About Qmatic Qmatic Group leads the market in customer journey management technology solutions. For more than 30 years, we have helped public and private organizations create remarkable customer experiences with software and hardware solutions that seamlessly connect online and onsite engagements. Our integrated enterprise platform and analytics provide the insights to better orchestrate customer interactions, offer timely promotions, and optimize staff and resource planning. Every year we enable 1.8 billion customer journeys across 120 countries. Qmatic has its headquarters in Sweden and is represented globally through a broad network of subsidiaries and partners. We are committed to Keeping the World in Go! Temperature dependences of relaxation times of ice-Iha and ice-Ihc. differences likely arise as a result of the ice preparation conditions and resulting impurity levels PRESS RELEASE For immediate release: 5 August 2016 Tokai University research: Ice dielectric response studies find preparation is key (Hiratsuka City, 5 August 2016) Researchers explain a decades-old conundrum over the dielectric response of ice by using different freezing techniques. The findings are published in ACS Journal of Physical Chemistry, April 2016. Despite numerous studies on the dielectric properties of water ice, a discrepancy in the results of different studies had remained unexplained for decades. Now a collaboration of researchers at Tokai University in Japan show that the differences likely arise as a result of the ice preparation conditions and resulting impurity levels. In 1952 Auty and Cole published results from studies of water ices dielectric relaxation time, ice the lag in the response of molecules to changes in the electric field. They found a linear Arrhenius relationship between ice and temperature. However in 1981 Johari and Whalley reported observed changes in the relationship at 230 K. Subsequent experiments using various parameters thereby excluding possible explanations based on crystal size or a metastable crystal surface - have also noted temperatures at which the dielectric behaviour apparently crosses over to a new regime. The conundrum also affects studies of proteins and glycerol dissolved in ice. As Naoki Shinyashiki and colleagues explain in their report, An explanation of the mechanism underlying the difference between the ice (Auty-1952) and ice (Johari-1981) would enable the use of ice observed in aqueous systems to be utilized effectively not only for understanding ice dynamics but also as a probe of the dynamic viscoelastic behaviour of water and solute molecules through ice growth. Kaito Sasaki, Rio Kita, Naoki Shinyashiki, and Shin Yagihara prepared ice for the study in three different ways and found that the agreement with Auty et al. or Johari et al. depended on the preparation process. Ice that was slow-cooled using a magnetic stirrer to avoid bubbles and rapid crystallization replicated the results of Auty et al down to the lowest temperatures considered in the 1952 study. The researchers suggest this is caused by the lower level of impurities for ice prepared this way. Background Dielectric relaxation A dielectric material is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by an electric field. The delay in its response to the electric field is the dielectric relaxation time. The simplest mathematical description for this relaxation process the Debye equation as set out by Peter Debye in 1913 - describes the molecules as identical dipoles. Modifications to the equation have been developed since, including those by Debye himself with Erich Huckel in 1923, which allows for ionic solutes, whereby the perfect dipole approximation breaks down. Alongside Kenneth S Cole, Robert H Cole co-author with Auty in the 1952 paper on the dielectric properties of ice - set forth the modified Cole-Cole formulations of dielectric behaviour that incorporate broadening or dampening in the response time. This Cole-Cole behaviour is observed in the results reported here by the Tohai group. The Arrhenius relationship Svante Arrhenius proposed the Arrhenius relationship in 1889 to describe the relationship between rates of reaction and temperature. The relationship suggests a linear relationship, such that reaction rates double with every 10 K increase in temperature. Arrhenius explained the relationship with the concept of an activation energy the minimum energy required for reactants to form a product. The concept of an activation energy also applies to dielectric properties of activation as reported in the Cole-Cole temperature-dependent behaviour reported here. Arrhenius relationships were observed in ice for all the three preparation techniques described by the researchers at Tohai University, although below a certain temperature they crossover into another temperature-dependent dielectric regime. For ice slow-cooled with a magnetic stirrer this crossover is not observed down to temperatures below that reported by Auty et al. The researchers suggest this is due to the absence of impurity-produced orientational defects. Proteins in ice Proteins are normally found in aqueous environments. In all studies of the dielectric properties of proteins dissolved in aqueous ice an unknown relaxation process is observed within a similar frequency range. Understanding the dielectric properties of ice can help to understand the contributions to the dielectric response of protein solutions and their viscoelastic properties. Reference Kaito Sasaki, Rio Kita, Naoki Shinyashiki,* and Shin Yagihara, Dielectric Relaxation Time of Ice-Ih with Different Preparation, 2016 J. Phys. Chem. B, 120, 39503953, (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b01218 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b01218 Department of Physics, School of Science, Tokai University, 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa 259-1292, Japan*To whom correspondence should be addressed Further information Research Group of Molecular complex System http://www.sp.u-tokai.ac.jp/~rgms/ Micro/Nano Technology Center, Tokai University http://www.mnc.u-tokai.ac.jp/ About Tokai University Tokai University is a private university established by Shigeyoshi Matsumae in 1942. "Tokai" of "Tokai University" refers to the sea to the east of Asia, namely the Pacific Ocean, and symbolizes the desire to foster the kinds of big hearts, rich spirits, and broad perspectives symbolized by the expanse of an ocean. The white cross of the school flag symbolizes "Love" and "Justice," and expresses the presence of "Truth" where love and justice meet. The Tokai University Educational System is one of the largest general education and research institutions in Japan today. To seek mutual understanding and global peace through the education of, and interaction with, young scholars from around the world, we began accepting foreign students from at early stage and have consistently promoted Japanese-language education. For more information, please visit http://www.u-tokai.ac.jp/english/ As a Navy veteran and mother of an active duty service member, the pain this Gold Star family has endured, and will continue to endure, is a painful reminder of the sacrifices our military families make. The Khan family has earned the right to ask the tough questions of our leaders, and for Donald Trump to repeatedly attack them dishonors their son's sacrifice. And for our Congressman Blum to sit by silently in the wake of Trump's abhorrent comments is an insult to all Iowa veterans and their families. Vocal support of our military is the very least we should expect of our elected representatives. Laura Hubka, Riceville By literally putting Philadelphia on the map with Chinese tourists and their travel agents, we will be establishing Philadelphia as a key destination to visit with ease on their trip to the Northeast. Past News Releases RSS Attract China Announces New... Global Business Expansion Veteran... Philadelphia magazine and Attract China announced a partnership to reach Chinese tourists and Chinese nationals living in Philadelphia with the magazines award-winning content, Attract Chinas travel website, XiaoYaoDao.cn (Happy Travel) and high-quality, passport-sized city guides for use by travel agents, concierges and travelers. In 2014, 61,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Philadelphia, an increase of 52.5% over the previous year. Visitation estimates for the US are forecasted to increase 17.5% per year through 2020. In Philadelphia that translates into 186,000 visitors by 2020 spending $600MM a year. Philadelphia has become a mecca for students from China, including many from wealthy families, who seek the value and lifelong impact of an American college degree. As such, many travelers are visiting their children who are students at Philadelphia-area universities and colleges. -- Two Great Ways to Reach Chinese Tourists in Philadelphia -- Attract Chinas XiaoYaoDao.cn website caters to independent travelers providing them with tailored itineraries, hotel and restaurant recommendations, and cultural calendars. The companys Chinese-language city guides unfold to direct travelers to top retailers, restaurants and attractions. Monthly city guide distribution includes: travel agents in China, Philadelphia-based hotels, the Independence Visitor Center, and Philadelphia International Airport. -- A Boom In Chinese Tourists -- Travelers from across the globe are recognizing our city as an easily accessible and very affordable destination with so much to do, resulting in strong international tourism growth and interest from travelers across the globe and those in China are no exception, stated Brian Said, Executive Director of Tourism for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. Our team, which includes an office in China, raises Philadelphias international profile by promoting our arts and culture, cuisine, tax-free shopping and the many diverse attractions in our city. Having additional in-language content available to visitors from China will only help those efforts. This partnership with Attract China and Philadelphia Magazine is essential for effectively reaching this lucrative market. By literally putting Philadelphia on the map with Chinese tourists and their travel agents, we will be establishing Philadelphia as a key destination to visit with ease on their trip to the Northeast. Plus, once tourists have arrived, Attract China's website, XiaoYaoDao.cn, and their Philadelphia city guide, both in Mandarin, will provide day-of planning ideas for Chinese visitors, concierges and tour guides to our state. -- Luxury Goods A Powerful Draw -- Luxury goods are still a big draw for Chinese travelers with the same products costing anywhere from 40 to 68 percent more in mainland China. Chinese students have significant purchasing power as well. Attract China has attracted iconic brands, including Torneau, Four Seasons, Macys, and Hard Rock Cafe. -- Real Estate In United States A Lower Investment Risk for Chinese -- Wealthy Chinese are already the largest group of foreign real-estate buyers in the US, with 16 percent of the single homes and condominiums purchased by foreign buyers snapped up by Chinese in the twelve-month period ending March 2015, according to the US National Homebuyers Association. These houses are typically more expensive properties worth on average $831,800. For additional details on ad partnership opportunities available now for the Fall/Winter 2016 map contact Meghan Cima mcima (at) phillymag.com; 610-304-2377. About Philadelphia Magazine Philadelphia magazine connects modern-minded Philadelphians to what matters most in our city, sparking conversation about what it means to live, work and play here now. As an innovative multi-media company, Philadelphia magazine creates powerful marketing campaigns for advertisers and dynamic, relevant content for its readers. Follow Philadelphia magazine @phillymag and @phillymagevents. About Attract China Launched in Boston in 2014 and now headquartered in New York with an office in Beijing, Attract China is the Leading Gateway to the Chinese Traveler. Through its destination portal, XiaoYaoDao.cn, its social channels, like Lovebos, and Chinese language pocket maps, Attract China provides the platform for clients to reach, attract and maintain lasting relationships with independent Chinese travelers. Learn more at attractchina.com. Botox, Vampire Face Lifts, CoolSculpting...there's no doubt about it - medical spa treatments are surging in popularity in the United States. More and more people are seeking out ways to improve their appearance through trips to medical spas that provide noninvasive, budget-friendly options. However, many don't know exactly what makes a medical spa the right choice for them. In order to provide exactly this type of information, the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa) is extending its reach to the consumer through the recent debut of the consumer section on its website, accessible now. This new website addition features a Medical Spa Treatment Directory, providing potential patients with everything they need to know about medical spa treatments and procedures, from cost estimates to length of recovery to who should be administering the procedure. Some treatment examples include CoolSculpting, Laser Hair Removal, Dermal Fillers, Liposuction, Thread Face Lifts, Vampire Face Lifts (PRP) and more. Did you know that each state has different requirements in regard to what type of licensed professional can do what type of treatment in a medical spa and medical aesthetics environment? AmSpa wants to encourage medical spa patients to take their medical spa safety and wellbeing seriously! Consumers must take the initiative to inform themselves about the medical spa treatments available to them and who should be providing the treatment. In response to the rapidly growing profile of the medical spa industry, AmSpa is continuing to grow through new platforms to meet the needs of potential patients. Created specifically for the consumer, AmSpaNow focuses on the latest news and advances in the medical spa industry for the consumer. This just-launched blog will be growing in the coming weeks and months to include articles and giveaways relevant to the medical spa and medical aesthetics consumer! For more information on AmSpa and medical spa consumers, or to schedule an interview with founder and director, Alex Thiersch, contact AmSpa at 312-981-0993 or info(at)americanmedspa(dot)org. We have also hired more teachers who embrace our fresh approach to education that incorporates experiential, nature-centric and peer-based learning. With a newly assembled faculty of capable and enthusiastic teachers, Carlton Landing Academy will begin the academic year on August 8 as a new charter school, the first outside Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. Offering tuition-free education to any Oklahoma child, the school has registered students from the towns of Carlton Landing, Eufaula, McAlester, Crowder, Checotah and Wilburton. While eligible for state, local and federal funding, Carlton Landing Academy is exempt from many state regulations, enabling the school to implement an innovative, progressive learning model that encourages students to apply their education to everyday life. Our new status as a charter school has allowed us to enroll more students who will benefit from our personalized approach to education, says Jen Humphreys, chairperson of the Carlton Landing Academy School Board. We had 20 students last year, and we are excited to welcome more than 50 to this years student body. As a result, we have also hired more teachers who embrace our fresh approach to education that incorporates experiential, nature-centric and peer-based learning. Humphreys notes that Carlton Landing Academys model is built on a solid foundation of reading, writing and math proficiency. However, the curriculum also relies on innovative nature-centric and project-based learning exercises, whereby Academy students reconnect with nature through an Edible Schoolyard and regular time in the Carlton Landing Nature Center, located just across the street. Carlton Landing Academy is pleased to welcome the following faculty members: Ashlee Parker (Encumbrance Clerk) Ashlee Parker began working in the public school system five years ago when her youngest sons entered preschool. She has been a substitute teacher, secretary, teachers aide, personnel officer and adjunct teacher. Being on both the classroom and business side of education gives her a well-rounded, unique perspective of her school duties. Jon Parker (High School Teacher & Principal) Jon Parker has been in the classroom for 13 years, mostly in rural schools. While his passion is teaching history, he has taught everything from junior high science to high school economics. As someone with professional experience outside the classroom, he strives to make every lesson relevant to daily life. Lindsay Rucker (1st through 3rd grade) A University of Arkansas graduate with a BS in Education for Early Childhood Education, Lindsay is certified to teach preschool through fourth grade in Arkansas, kindergarten through third grade in Oklahoma, and kindergarten through twelfth grade students with Severe/Profound and Multiple Disabilities and Mild and Moderate Disabilities in Oklahoma. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Education for Special Education Instruction K-12, with the projected date of graduation being August 2016, and an additional Master of Education in Educational Leadership, with a projected date of graduation in August 2017, both from Arkansas State University. Rucker strives to foster a love of learning in her students, while empowering them to be independent. She encourages students to realize there are no wrong answers, but rather answers from which they can learn. Haley Turner (Pre-K/Kindergarten) An Oklahoma City native and graduate of Oklahoma University with a major in Early Childhood Education, Haley Turner comes to Carlton Landing Academy after teaching Kindergarten at a small private school in Moore, Oklahoma. She is excited about this school year and looks forward to teaching Pre-k and Kindergarten in such a beautiful environment. Turner finds it deeply gratifying to see young children make new discoveries and witness their creativity. Nathan Yarbrough (4th through 6th grades) A former graphic designer, Nathan Yarbrough came to Carlton Landing Academy from Hilldale High School in Muskogee, OK, where he taught Art I, Art II, and Web Design. While at Hilldale, Nathan was the assistant director and the art director for the all-school musical. His roles included designing and painting the set, developing young actors and actresses, as well as handling the finances of the Hornet Theatre Company. Nathan also led the Fine Arts Professional Learning Community for Hilldale High School. Yarbrough has taught PASS, Common Core, and OAS aligned classes, promoting analytical and argumentative analysis of fine artworks, student artwork, and texts from history.He received his B.A. in Fine Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK. He also is a pastor of Ekklesia Muskogee/Checotah. Student applications for Carlton Landing Academy are available at http://carltonlanding.academy/enroll-now/ ABOUT CARLTON LANDING Carlton Landing is Oklahomas newest town. Grant and Jen Humphreys, the lakeside communitys first residents, founded the community in 2011. The town occupies one of Lake Eufaulas most picturesque areas, with sandy beaches, towering cliffs, beautiful woodlands and some of the lakes finest water quality. Famed planner and architect Andreas Duany, known for designing the Rosemary Beach and Seaside communities on the Florida panhandle, crafted the Carlton Landing master plan with Humphreys in 2008. Inspired by the New Urbanism movementwhich holds that life, work and play are all central to a communitys vitalityCarlton Landing is the first development of its kind to become a distinct municipality. The master plan includes schools, a waterfront chapel, Nature Center, community parks, trails, and a town center with restaurants and shops. Plans call for more than 3,000 homes, a private residence club and a generational development timeline. For more information, visit http://www.carltonlanding.com. # # # Tanner has so much to offer entrepreneurs in terms of indomitable spirit. - Charlie Fusco CEO Powercast co-hosts Charlie Fusco and Evan Morgenstein sat down with 2012 U.S. Paralympian Tanner Gers in the latest episode of their weekly podcast released Wednesday. With less than a week before the Olympics begin, spirits are high and controversy abounds. Episode 11 covers hot topics including the Rule 40 restrictions on athletes, the legacy of Oscar Pistorius and the realities that come with being an Olympic athlete. At 21, Tanner was in a severe car accident that left him blind and battling the harsh realities that come with such a life-altering event. Instead of shutting down, he made a conscious decision to go all in in every aspect of his life from that moment forward. He went on to win the Gold Medal in the long jump at the 2012 Paralympic Trials before representing the U.S. at the Paralympic Games in London that summer. He has since become the popular host of his own podcast, The Creative Success Show, and a successful corporate consultant helping young entrepreneurs and businesses tap into their own creativity. Tanner has so much to offer entrepreneurs in terms of indomitable spirit, said Fusco. Tanners background made for some great conversation this week on the growing controversy surrounding the far-reaching restrictions placed on Olympic athletes and how he has managed to build and grow his audience through motivational speaking and podcasting. He also provides some great tips on planning and time management that can help any athlete, entrepreneur or active individual maximize productivity each day. Listen to Episode 11 of CEO Powercast available now at http://www.ceopowercast.podbean.com and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes to automatically receive new episodes to your phone, tablet or PC. About CelebExperts CelebExperts is a leading consulting firm dedicated to demystifying the celebrity acquisition process and finding creative solutions to effectively market your brand, leveraging the power of a celebrity. For more information on how your brand could utilize a celebrity talent as a spokesperson for upcoming marketing campaigns, please contact our team at consulting(at)celebexperts(dot)com or give us a call at (919) 459-5426. About Synergixx Synergixx, LLC is a creative think tank leading the way in merging traditional and online direct to consumer health and lifestyle product and service marketing strategies on TV, radio, print and online. The firm handles all media buying internally, and has an in-house, 24-7 sales and customer service call center for immediate fulfillment when clients products or services are advertised. For more information, visit http://www.synergixx.com. National College for DUI Defense The National College for DUI Defense, Inc. (NCDD) announces a new course in forensic science and trial advocacy, focusing on accusation of driving under the influence of drugs. Serious Science: Advanced Course in Blood Drug Analysis and Trial Advocacy will take place in Arlington, Texas on December 9 14, 2016. This course follows the same format as the NCDDs other nationally acclaimed Serious Science course in blood-alcohol analysis and trial advocacy. The course is limited to 21 students. Registration opens August 3, 2016, at http://www.NCDD.com. The Serious Sciences course combine two days of study of specific case-related issues in forensic science, with three days of training in how to effectively communicate scientific concepts in the courtroom. The all-star science faculty includes Kevin Schug PhD, Andreas Stolz Phd, Steven Oakes PhD, Janine Arvizu CQA, and Anthony Palacios. The law faculty includes Betsy Greene, Kimberly Benjamin, and Joshua Karton, instructors from the Spence Trial Lawyers College. The NCDD courses are the nations most advanced courses in forensic science and trial advocacy. Together with Mastering Scientific Evidence, and Science as Your Best Defense: Metrology 3.0 the four courses make up the NCDDs advanced curriculum in forensic science and trial advocacy. No other curriculum in the country is as effective in teaching a lawyer how to handle forensic science in the courtroom, said Andrew Mishlove, Serious Science Course Director. Students who complete all four courses receive a Certificate of Completion of the NCDD Advanced Curriculum in Forensic Science and Trial Advocacy. ABOUT THE NATIONAL COLLEGE FOR DUI DEFENSE: With over 2100 members, the National College for DUI Defense is the largest organization of DUI defense attorneys in the world. Through its educational programs the College trains lawyers to represent persons accused of drunk driving. NCDD's members have extensive experience litigating issues regarding breath blood and urine tests for alcohol and other drugs. NCDD has appeared as amicus curiae in several drunk driving cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. UPCOMING EVENTS: September 22 - September 24, 2016 DWI Means Defend with Ingenuity-High Gear Defenses For Getting to Victory Lane, Las Vegas NV Co-Sponsored by NACDL November 4 - November 5, 2016 Science as Your Best Defense: Metrology 3.0, San Diego, California January 18 - January 20, 2017 NCDD Winter Session, DUI in the Desert Tucson, Arizona Membership in NCDD is only available to DUI and DWI defense attorneys. For more information on membership, click here. Senza HF10 Therapy System "HF10 therapy has been a revolutionary advancement in spinal cord stimulation and pain control," said Dr. Andrew Cottingham Drs. Berlin, Cottingham and Phillips at OPTIMAL Pain & Regenerative Medicine are now offering a new FDA-approved spinal cord stimulator developed by Nevro known as the Senza HF10 therapy to treat patients in the Dallas, Ft. Worth and Arlington, Texas area who are suffering from chronic back pain and leg pain. HF10 therapy is the first spinal cord stimulator that is paresthesia-free and is clinically proven to eliminate back and leg pain. According to a study released last year by the National Institute of Healths National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, nearly 50 million American adults suffer from daily chronic pain or severe pain. Since 1967, spinal cord stimulation technology has been used to treat chronic back pain and leg pain. In May of 2015, the FDA approved the new HF10 therapy by Nevro. This treatment is the first spinal cord stimulator completely paresthesia-free, which means the stimulation-induced sensation, such as tingling, burning or pricking seen in many traditional spinal cord stimulators is gone. "In the past, spinal cord stimulators caused paraesthesias and lost efficacy in as little as six months for some patients, said Dr. Andrew Cottingham. Patients also needed a remote control to frequently adjust their settings. HF10 therapy has been a revolutionary advancement in spinal cord stimulation and pain control. Now patients can have drastically improved, long-term relief of chronic back, neck and/or extremity pain without the paraesthesias or need for a remote control." Patients who have chronic back and leg pain experience abnormal pain signals that are sent through the spinal cord and into the brain. HF10 therapy calms the nerves that carry these signals to provide lasting pain relief. In a simple procedure, thin insolated wires are inserted in the back near the spinal cord and connected to a compact battery-operated pulse generator, which is implanted just under the skin. HF10 therapy sends mild electronic pulses to the spinal cord to calm the nerves returning them to a more normal state. Pain management physician Dr. Berlin said, "High frequency spinal cord stimulation has dramatically changed our outcomes for treating patients with low back pain with or without leg symptoms. In the past, patients have had limited choices for long-term pain relief for chronic low back pain. Our experience with HF-10 therapy so far has been remarkable. Most of our patients implanted with this new technology have been completely weaned from all their narcotic analgesics and have returned to a normal drug free life. Many of our patients remark that they are pain free for the first time in years." A study by the Journal of the America Society of Anesthesiologists found that HF10 therapy lead to a substantially positive impact on the management of back and leg pain. 8 out of 10 patients who have used HF10 therapy experience significant, lasting relief from back and leg pain allowing patients to return to their everyday activities. The HF10 therapy procedure is quick, minimally invasive and may not require a hospital stay. Patients who have gone through failed surgery, or failed pain management treatments to alleviate back pain and leg pain are strong candidates for HF10 therapy. Before fully committing to the treatment, the doctors at OPTIMAL will assess the effectiveness for each individual patient. 9 out of 10 patients who try HF10 therapy stick with the treatment. To learn if you are a candidate for HF10 therapy, please click here: HF10 Therapy. About OPTIMAL Pain & Regenerative Medicine Regenerative medicine physicians Dr. Scott Berlin, Dr. Andrew Cottingham and Dr. Michael Phillips strive to be at the forefront in providing leading edge interventional pain management and regenerative medicine options to patients in Dallas, Ft. Worth and Arlington. All double board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine, their collective expertise includes a full range of treatment options. No matter what your stage of life, OPTIMAL delivers comprehensive, current and most importantly, compassionate medical care. If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 3, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF) has increased the delivery of pool and spa education around the world to improve the health and safety of pools and patrons. Since 1984, an outstanding 139 active NSPF Instructors outside of the US have provided CPO Certification opportunities in 97 countries and certified over 19,900 students. The non-profit organization has accomplished much in the year 2016 in terms of bringing a higher standard of pool care to numerous countries. May was a busy month internationally and began in Barcelona with NSPF representatives and Consejo Superior de Normalizacion y Seguridad Integral en Piscinas (CNORSIP) members meeting with the governor from Tarragona, Spain. Evidence that minimum educational requirements help keep pools safer and encourage more people to live happier and healthier lives was presented to a roundtable of peers. Ishtvan Kokhan represented NSPF in Ukraine at Aquatherm Kyiv providing information on standards/requirements for public pools in the U.S. and how CPO Certifications can benefit operators, patrons, and facility owners. Kokhan had an incredibly active Q&A session which demonstrates that the Ukrainian pool industry is ready to grow and learn. Over 420 companies from 20 different countries joined Aquatherm Kyiv and NSPF was on the forefront of providing answers to the eager crowd. NSPF held an Instructor Training Course in Puerto Rico recently. Students from Canada, Dubai, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela became new NSPF Instructors. NSPF Instructor, Rudy Stankowitz, also held the first CPO Certification course in Guyana, South America. The director of engineering at the Guyana Marriott Hotel Georgetown wanted the custodial staff of eight to be certified for the country's upcoming Golden Jubilee. "The CPO Certification has such a long and incredible history in protecting swimmers at aquatic facilities throughout the world. I was extremely flattered at the opportunity to bring this program into the country of Guyana," stated Rudy Stankowitz, CEO and President, Aquatic Training & Consultants. "You could see the tremendous amount of pride and excitement in the faces of the individuals at this facility as they received their test results knowing that they were making swimming pool history in being the first in their entire country to earn this certification." NSPF is continuing its efforts in Australia and Mexico to impart pool care knowledge. An NSPF Instructor Course, CPO Certification Course, and marketing seminar will take place at the SPLASH! Pool & Spa Trade Show on August 15-17 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Center in Australia. NSPF will also have an exhibit booth at SPLASH! Candidates participating in the NSPF Instructor course will hail from Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Australia The Asociacion De Profesionales de la Piscina A. C. (APPAC) will conduct, for the fifth consecutive year, a CPO Certification Course during the Expo Tecno Agua in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico from August 31-September 2, 2016. NSPF has had a long standing partnership with APPAC, who has trained over 25 NSPF Instructors, who have, in turn, certified over 900 students with the CPO Certification The National Swimming Pool Foundation has had a busy summer, and intends to continue educating countries around the world about pool and spa operation. Keeping pools open and safer begins with providing knowledge and imparting skills to aquatic professionals that will foster healthier recreational waters. To learn more about bringing CPO Certification to a new country, email service@nspf.org. About NSPF We believe everything we do helps people live healthier lives. We believe we can make a difference by making pools safer, keeping pools open, and attracting more people to use pools, spas and aquatic facilities. We do this by offering the world's leading NSPF and Genesis educational products and programs that are technically sound, convenient, and beautifully designed. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, proceeds from all of our educational products fund research and help create swimmers through our Step Into Swim campaign with a goal to create 1 million more swimmers within 10 years. To find ways we can serve you, please visit www.nspf.org, email service@nspf.org, or call 719-540-9119. Photos accompanying this release are available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=41005 CONTACT:Jacki Krumnow PR Specialist 719-540-9119 jacki.krumnow@nspf.org WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Andrews & Springer LLC, a boutique securities class action law firm focused on representing shareholders nationwide, is investigating potential breach of fiduciary duty claims against the Board of Directors of Talen Energy Corporation (Talen Energy or the Company) relating to the sale of the Company to private investment firm Riverstone Holdings LLC (Riverstone). On June 3, 2016, the two parties announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Riverstone will acquire Talen Energy in a merger in a deal worth $5.2 billion. As a result of the merger, Talen Energy shareholders are only anticipated to receive $14.00 per share in cash in exchange for each share of Talen Energy. Andrews & Springers investigation so far has revealed that the consideration Talen Energy shareholders are expected to receive is inadequate. The consideration is less than the $15.00 per share price target given by SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in May 2016, one month before the merger was announced. While the Company claims that shareholders will receive a premium for their shares, the $14.00 per share consideration is still 15.8% below Talen Energys 52-week high of $16.22. Our investigation has also revealed that the process leading up to the announcement of the merger appears to have significant conflicts of interest thus making the process and consideration unfair. If you own shares of Talen Energy and want to receive additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit us at http://www.andrewsspringer.com/cases-investigations/talen-energy-class-action-investigation or contact Craig J. Springer, Esq. at cspringer@andrewsspringer.com, or call toll free at 1-800-423-6013. You may also follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/andrews-&-springer-llc, Twitter www.twitter.com/AndrewsSpringer or Facebook - www.facebook.com/AndrewsSpringer for future updates. Andrews & Springer is a boutique securities class action law firm representing shareholders nationwide who are victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty or corporate misconduct. Having formerly defended some of the largest financial institutions in the world, our founding members use their valuable knowledge, experience, and superior skill for the sole purpose of achieving positive results for investors. These traits are the hallmarks of our innovative approach to each case our Firm decides to prosecute. For more information please visit our website at www.andrewsspringer.com. This notice may constitute Attorney Advertising. TORONTO, Aug. 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE:MUX) (TSX:MUX) is pleased to announce consolidated quarterly production of 39,555 gold equivalent ounces(1), which accounts for 27,888 ounces gold and 875,006 ounces silver. The Company reported net income of $8.4 million(2) and $21.3 million as well as earnings from mining operations of $19.3 million(3) and $38.8 million(3) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively. The Company generated $4.8 million and $19.5 million of net cash flow from operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 respectively. During the quarter we purchased a royalty on our El Gallo property for $5.3 million which reduced our cash flow but increased our future leverage to higher gold and silver prices. We ended the second quarter of 2016 with liquid assets of $55.7 million composed of cash of $36.7 million, precious metals of $14.3 million and marketable securities of $4.7 million. The Company has no debt. As at August 2, 2016 we had liquid assets of $51.8 million. The tables below provide selected operating and financial results for Q2, comparative results for Q2 2015, and our production and cost guidance for full year 2016. For our SEC Form 10-Q Financial Statements and MD&A please refer to: http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0000314203 Table 1: Q2 Comparative Financial Results Q2 2016 Q2 2015 Year to Date Guidance FY2016 Corporate Total Gold ounces produced 27,888 28,483 56,863 99,500 Silver ounces produced 875,006 801,119 1,548,773 3,337,000 Gold equivalent ounces produced(1) 39,555 39,164 77,513 144,000 Gold equivalent total cash cost ($/oz)(1)(3) $ 719 $ 713 $ 663 $ 780 Gold equivalent co-product AISC ($/oz)(1)(3) $ 942 $ 1,048 $ 873 $ 935 Gold equivalent all-in cost ($/oz)(1)(3) $ 1,201 $ 1,151 $ 1,046 - El Gallo Mine Mexico Gold ounces produced 15,536 17,208 35,551 54,500 Silver ounces produced 7,815 8,775 14,263 37,000 Gold equivalent ounces produced(1) 15,640 17,325 35,741 55,000 Gold equivalent total cash cost ($/oz)(1)(3) $ 465 $ 351 $ 445 $ 780 Gold equivalent co-product AISC ($/oz)(1)(3) $ 495 $ 546 $ 517 $ 840 San Jose Mine(4) - Argentina Gold ounces produced 12,352 11,275 21,312 45,000 Silver ounces produced 867,191 792,344 1,534,510 3,300,000 Gold equivalent ounces produced(1) 23,915 21,839 41,772 89,000 Gold equivalent total cash cost ($/oz)(1)(3) $ 849 $ 933 $ 806 $ 780 Gold equivalent co-product AISC ($/oz)(1)(3) $ 1,075 $ 1,215 $ 1,006 $ 990 Footnotes: Silver production is presented as a gold equivalent. Gold equivalent calculations are based on prevailing spot prices at the beginning of the year. The gold to silver ratio used for 2015 and 2016 is 75:1. All amounts are reported in US dollars unless otherwise stated. Earnings from mining operations, total cash costs, all-in sustaining costs (AISC), all-in costs, average realized prices, and liquid assets, are non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standardized definition under U.S. GAAP. Please see page 35 of the Companys quarterly report on form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. See Cautionary Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures for additional information, including definitions of these terms. The San Jose Mine is owned by Minera Santa Cruz S.A. (MSC), which is a joint venture 49% owned by McEwen Mining Inc. and 51% owned and operated by Hochschild Mining plc. Figures include only the portion attributable to us from our 49% interest in MSC. See Cautionary Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures for additional information about Advanced-stage Projects. Table 2: Q2 Comparative Production and Financial Results Q2 2016 Q2 2015 Gold equivalent ounces sold 34,373 36,016 El Gallo Mine 11,593 13,577 San Jose Mine 22,780 22,439 Average realized prices(3) Gold ($/oz) $ 1,267 $ 1,172 Silver ($/oz) $ 18.08 $ 15.34 (Millions of U.S. dollars except per share amounts) Earnings from Mining Operations(3) 19.3 13.4 Earnings from mine operations per share 0.07 0.05 Cash Flow from Operations 4.8 0.4 Cash flow from operations per share 0.02 0.00 Net Income (loss) 8.4 (14.1 ) Net Income (loss) per share 0.03 (0.05 ) Operating & Financial Highlights Production Costs Consolidated total cash costs, all-in sustaining costs (AISC) and all-in costs per gold equivalent ounce in Q2 were $719, $942 and $1,201, respectively. At the El Gallo Mine total cash costs and AISC were $465 and $495 per gold equivalent ounce, respectively. At the San Jose Mine total cash costs and AISC were $849 and $1,075 per gold equivalent ounce, respectively. The all-in costs per gold equivalent ounce in Q2 include the $5.5 million purchase for the royalty on our El Gallo properties plus an exploration property in Mexico acquired in May 2016. These additions were partly offset by the $1.2 million decrease in exploration expenses as well as lower property holding costs incurred during 2016. Production Production in Q2 totaled 39,555 gold equivalent ounces, which includes 15,640 gold equivalent ounces from the El Gallo Mine and 12,352 gold ounces and 867,191 silver ounces attributable to us from our 49%(4) interest in the San Jose Mine. Ounces Sold Sales in Q2 totaled 34,373 gold equivalent ounces, accounting for 23,179 gold ounces and 839,602 silver ounces. Earnings from Mining Operations Earnings from mining operations were $19.3 million or $0.07 per share for Q2, compared to earnings of $13.4 million or $0.05 per share for the six months ended June 30, 2015 (Q2 2015). Cash Flow Net cash provided by operations was $4.8 million or $0.02 per share for Q2, compared to net cash flow generated of $0.4 million or $nil per share in Q2 2015. Net Income (loss) Consolidated net income was $8.4 million or $0.03 per share for Q2, compared to a net loss of $14.1 million or $0.05 per share loss in Q2 2015. This is a result of an increase in net income from our investment in Minera Santa Cruz (MSC), and lower all-in sustaining costs at the El Gallo Mine compared to Q2 2015. Average Realized Prices The average realized prices of gold and silver sold during Q2 were $1,267 and $18.08 per ounce, respectively. Production and Cost Guidance Our 2016 production guidance remains 99,500 gold ounces and 3.3 million silver ounces, or approximately 144,000 gold equivalent ounces, at total cash costs and AISC of $780 and $935 per gold equivalent ounce, respectively. Treasury We ended the second quarter of 2016 with liquid assets of $55.7 million composed of cash of $36.7 million, precious metals of $14.3 million and marketable securities of $4.7 million. The Company has no debt. As at August 2, 2016 we had liquid assets of $51.8 million. Return of Capital (Yield) The next semi-annual return of capital installment of a cent per share will be distributed to shareholders of record on August 24, 2016. The distribution will be paid on August 29, 2016. Redemption of Exchangeable Shares At our Annual Meeting held on June 6, 2016, shareholders of the outstanding shares of McEwen Mining Minera Andes Acquisition Corp. (TSX:MAQ) (the Exchangeable Shares) voted to allow the early redemption of their shares. On August 22, 2016 we will cause each remaining Exchangeable Share to be redeemed in exchange for one common share of McEwen Mining Inc. Notice has been mailed to holders of Exchangeable Shares. Holders of Exchangeable Shares may continue to exercise their normal retraction rights at any time before August 22, 2016. El Gallo Mine, Mexico (100%) The El Gallo Mine delivered production results in line with guidance accounting for 15,640 gold equivalent ounces, compared to 17,325 gold equivalent ounces during the same period in 2015. Production in Q2 was lower than the prior quarter due to lower ore grades, as we previously forecasted (2.3 gpt in Q2 2016 vs. 3.6 gpt in Q1 2016). This decrease in the grade is the result of moving from the higher grade Samaniego pit to the lower grade Lupita pit. Our full year guidance for El Gallo remains 55,000 gold equivalent ounces out of which 35,741 have been produced in the six months ended June 30th, 2016. As such, the rate of production will be reduced in the second half of the year. For 2016, we have budgeted $3.7 million for sustaining costs and capital expenditures, and $2.9 million for exploration activities. During Q2 we spent $1.8 million at the El Gallo Mine, which mostly related to an expansion of the heap leach pad that was completed during the second quarter of 2016, and $0.8 million in exploration activities aligned with our plan. San Jose Mine, Argentina (49%) Our attributable production from San Jose in Q2 was 12,352 gold ounces and 867,191 silver ounces, for a total of 23,915 gold equivalent ounces. Compared to Q2 2015, gold production was up 10% and silver production was up 9%. Tax reforms, including the elimination of export tax on dore and concentrate, and other macroeconomic developments in Argentina, as well as the devaluation of the Argentinean Peso, have resulted in a significant improvement of operations and cash flows at San Jose. As a result, we received $2.8 million in dividends from MSC(4) in Q2 and we have received $5.4 million in dividends year-to-date against an original dividend forecast of $7.5 million for 2016 (in comparison, the Company received $500,000 in dividends for all of 2015). The Company expects to receive additional dividends throughout the year provided gold and silver prices remain at current or higher levels. The 2016 exploration budget has been increased from $4.5 million to $6.5 million. This is the first time in several years that a significant budget has been allocated to exploration. Gold Bar Advanced-Stage Project(5), Nevada, U.S. (100%) As outlined in our Feasibility Study dated September 19, 2015, the Gold Bar asset, the upside case for Gold Bar at $1,300/oz gold provides improved economics over the original base case of $1,150/oz as outlined below (see chart below). Table 3: Sensitivity Analysis on Gold Bar Base Case $1,150/oz gold Upside Case $1,300/oz gold IRR 20 % 36 % NPV@5% Discount Rate(2) $30 million $67 million Average Annual Cash Flow $22.5 million $31.5 million Average Operational Profit Margin $395/oz $537/oz Payback Period 3 years 2 years The Company estimates that we will receive a permitting decision from the Bureau of Land Management during the first quarter of 2017. This final permit, once received, will allow us to begin construction of the mine, which we have estimated to take 12 months. Production is estimated to begin the following year in 2018. For 2016, we have budgeted approximately $4.7 million to be spent towards advancing the project closer to the production stage, of which $1.3 million has been spent during the six month period ended June 30, 2016. Mine permitting and engineering activities continue to advance at Gold Bar. El Gallo Silver Advanced-stage Project(5), Mexico (100%) During the quarter, we completed a positive internal economic scoping study on a new development plan for the El Gallo Silver project. Given prevailing silver prices, we are undertaking a new feasibility study on the project expected to be completed later this year. Los Azules Exploration Project, Argentina (100%) The Company is preparing an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for Los Azules. We believe the recent policy shifts in Argentina such as the elimination of export taxes, the devaluation of the peso and the lifting of certain import restrictions on equipment will improve the economics of Los Azules over the previously published PEA completed in 2013. For 2016, we have budgeted $1.0 million to advance the project, and will commence a drill program in early 2017. Q2 2016 Conference Call Details McEwen Mining will be hosting a conference call to discuss the Q2 2016 results and project developments on: DATE Thursday August 4th, 2016 at 11:00 am ET WEBCAST: http://www.gowebcasting.com/lobby/7774 TELEPHONE: Participant Dial-in numbers: (877) 291-4570 (North America) / (647) 788-4922 (International) Conference ID: 61127273 REPLAY: Dial-in numbers: (800) 585-8367 (North America) / (416) 621-4642 (International) Conference ID: 61127273 04/08/2016 14:00 ET - 11/08/2016 23:59 ET About McEwen Mining (www.mcewenmining.com) McEwen Minings goal is to qualify for inclusion in the S&P 500 Index by creating a high growth, profitable gold and silver producer focused in the Americas and Europe. McEwen Mining's principal assets consist of the San Jose Mine in Santa Cruz, Argentina (49% interest), the El Gallo Mine and El Gallo Silver project in Sinaloa, Mexico, the Gold Bar project in Nevada, USA, and the Los Azules copper project in San Juan, Argentina. McEwen Mining has a total of 299 million shares outstanding and 305 million fully diluted. Rob McEwen, Chairman and Chief Owner, owns 25% of the Company. TECHNICAL INFORMATION The technical contents of this news release have been reviewed and approved by Nathan M. Stubina , Ph.D., P.Eng., FCIM, Managing Director and a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects". RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION REGARDING THE SAN JOSE MINE Minera Santa Cruz S.A., the owner of the San Jose Mine, is responsible for and has supplied to the Company all reported results from the San Jose Mine. McEwen Minings joint venture partner, a subsidiary of Hochschild Mining plc, and its affiliates other than MSC do not accept responsibility for the use of project data or the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING NON-GAAP MEASURES In this report, we have provided information prepared or calculated according to U.S. GAAP, as well as some non-U.S. GAAP ("non-GAAP") performance measures. Because the non-GAAP performance measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP, they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Total Cash Costs and All-in Sustaining Costs Total cash costs consist of mining, processing, on-site general and administrative costs, community and permitting costs related to current explorations, royalty costs, refining and treatment charges (for both dore and concentrate products), sales costs, export taxes and operational stripping costs. All-in sustaining cash costs consist of total cash costs (as described above), plus environmental rehabilitation costs, amortization of the asset retirement costs related to operating sites, sustaining exploration and development costs, and sustaining capital expenditures. In order to arrive at our consolidated all-in sustaining costs, we also include corporate general and administrative expenses. Depreciation is excluded from both total cash costs and all-in sustaining cash costs. For both total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs we include our attributable share of total cash costs from operations where we hold less than a 100% economic share in the production, such as MSC, where we hold a 49% interest. Total cash cost and all-in sustaining cash cost per ounce sold are calculated on a co-product basis by dividing the respective proportionate share of the total cash costs and all-in sustaining cash costs for the period attributable to each metal by the ounces of each respective metal sold. We use and report these measures to provide additional information regarding operational efficiencies both on a consolidated and an individual mine basis, and believe that these measures provide investors and analysts with useful information about our underlying costs of operations. A reconciliation to the nearest U.S. GAAP measure is provided in McEwen Mining's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. Earnings from Mining Operations The term earnings from mining operations used in this report is a non-GAAP financial measure. We use and report this measure because we believe it provides investors and analysts with a useful measure of the underlying earnings from our mining operations. We define earnings from mining operations as gold and silver revenues from our El Gallo 1 Mine and our 49% attributable share of the San Jose mine's net sales, less their respective production costs applicable to sales. To the extent that production costs applicable to sales may include depreciation and amortization expense related to the fair value increments on historical business acquisitions (fair value paid in excess of the carrying value of the underlying assets and liabilities assumed on the date of acquisition), we deduct this expense in order to arrive at production costs applicable to sales that only include depreciation and amortization expense incurred at the mine-site level. The San Jose Mine net sales and production costs applicable to sales are presented, on a 100% basis, in Note 5 of McEwen Mining's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. Average Realized Prices The term average realized price per ounce used in this report is also a non-GAAP financial measure. We report this measure to better understand the price realized in each reporting period for gold and silver. Average realized price is calculated as sales of gold and silver (excluding commercial deductions) over the number of ounces sold in the period. Liquid Assets Liquid assets corresponds to cash, investments and precious metals, which is also a nonGAAP financial measure. We report this measure to better understand our liquidity in each reporting period. Cash, investments and precious metals are calculated as the sum of cash, investments and ounces of dore held in inventories with precious metals, valued at the London PM Fix spot price at the corresponding period. A reconciliation between precious metals valued at cost and precious metals valued at market value is provided in McEwen Mining's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30th, 2016. Advanced Stage Projects Advanced-stage properties consist of properties for which a feasibility study has been completed indicating the presence of mineralized material, and that have obtained or are in the process of obtaining the required permitting for construction and operation. Our designation of certain properties as Advanced-stage Properties should not suggest that we have proven or probable reserves at those properties as defined by the SEC Industry Guide 7. In addition, as described under the Critical Accounting Policies section contained in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, we define Mine Development Costs as the costs incurred to design and construct mining and processing facilities, including engineering and metallurgical studies, drilling, and other related costs to delineate an ore body, and the removal of overburden to initially expose an ore body at open pit surface or underground mines. Since no proven and probable reserves have been established on any of our properties except for our 49% interest in the San Jose mine, mine development costs are not capitalized at any of the our properties, but rather are expensed as incurred, and allocated within Mine Development Costs in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income. CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements and information expressed, as at the date of this news release, McEwen Mining Inc.'s (the "Company") estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and results. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies, and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, factors associated with fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks, political, economic, social and security risks associated with foreign operations, the ability of the corporation to receive or receive in a timely manner permits or other approvals required in connection with operations, risks associated with the construction of mining operations and commencement of production and the projected costs thereof, risks related to litigation, the state of the capital markets, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral resources and reserves, and other risks. The Companys dividend policy will be reviewed periodically by the Board of Directors and is subject to change based on certain factors such as the capital needs of the Company and its future operating results. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. See McEwen Mining's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption "Risk Factors", for additional information on risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the forward-looking statements and information regarding the Company. All forward-looking statements and information made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement. The NYSE and TSX have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by management of McEwen Mining Inc. PLANO, Texas, Aug. 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE:DNR) (Denbury or the Company) today announced a net loss of $381 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2016. The Company also reported adjusted net income(1) (a non-GAAP measure) for the quarter of $29 million, or $0.08(1)(2) per diluted share. Adjusted net income(1) for the second quarter of 2016 differs from the quarters GAAP net loss primarily due to the exclusion of (1) a $479 million ($299 million after tax) full cost pool ceiling test write-down, (2) a $150 million ($93 million after tax) loss due to noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives(1) (a non-GAAP measure) and (3) a $28 million ($17 million after tax) payment related to a previously announced legal settlement, with the GAAP and non-GAAP measures reconciled in tables beginning on page 8. Sequential and year-over-year comparisons of selected quarterly financial items are shown in the following table: Quarter Ended ($ in millions, except per-share and unit data) June 30, 2016 March 31, 2016 June 30, 2015 Net loss $ (381 ) $ (185 ) $ (1,148 ) Adjusted net income (loss)(1) (non-GAAP measure) 29 (9 ) 47 Net loss per diluted share (1.03 ) (0.53 ) (3.28 ) Adjusted net income (loss) per diluted share(1)(2) (non-GAAP measure) 0.08 (0.03 ) 0.13 Cash flows from operations 61 2 289 Adjusted cash flows from operations(1)(3)(4) (non-GAAP measure) 93 57 252 Revenues $ 253 $ 194 $ 374 Receipt on settlements of commodity derivatives 52 72 124 Total $ 305 $ 266 $ 498 Average realized oil price per barrel (excluding derivative settlements) $ 43.38 $ 30.71 $ 56.92 Average realized oil price per barrel (including derivative settlements) 52.61 42.71 76.30 Lease operating expenses per BOE 17.04 16.23 19.70 Total production (BOE/d) 64,506 69,351 73,716 (1) A non-GAAP measure. See accompanying schedules that reconcile GAAP to non-GAAP measures along with a statement indicating why the Company believes the non-GAAP measures provide useful information for investors. (2) Calculated using average diluted shares outstanding of 372.4 million and 351.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. (3) Adjusted cash flow from operations for the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 includes a $28 million payment to Evolution in connection with our settlement agreement to resolve all outstanding disputes and claims, and the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 includes severance-related payments associated with the 2016 workforce reduction of approximately $9 million. Excluding these payments, adjusted cash flows from operations would have totaled $121 million and $66 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and March 31, 2016, respectively. (4) Adjusted cash flows from operations reflects cash flows from operations before working capital changes. MANAGEMENT COMMENT Phil Rykhoek, Denburys President and CEO, commented, During the second quarter of 2016, we continued to make significant strides in our core objectives for 2016, which include lowering costs, preserving cash and liquidity, and reducing leverage. We have continued to steadily improve our business, working towards maximizing our efficiency and shaping the path for the future of the Company. Our overall cash costs per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) were reduced by another $0.60 this quarter to approximately $32 per BOE, as reductions in general and administrative costs more than offset a slight increase in unit operating expenses. Lease operating expenses totaled $100 million during the second quarter of 2016, a 24% decrease from the prior-year quarter, and general and administrative expenses totaled $23 million, a decrease of 41% from the prior-year quarter, further evidencing the success of our cost reduction efforts. Our 2016 production remains on track to meet the mid-point of our 2016 guidance when adjusted for extraordinary weather-related downtime and our pending asset sale. During the second quarter, we experienced two separate 100-year flood events at Thompson Field, resulting in minimal production there this quarter which, coupled with weather-related production downtime at Conroe Field, negatively impacted our second quarter production by approximately 1,450 BOE/d. Also, in the third quarter, we expect to close on the sale of our non-core Williston assets, which produced approximately 1,300 BOE/d in the first half of the year. After adjusting for these two items, the mid-point of our full-year guidance is now approximately 1,000 BOE/d lower than our previous guidance. During the first half of 2016, we entered into debt exchange and purchase transactions, resulting in a net reduction of our debt principal balance of approximately $540 million, and have recently reduced debt by another $5 million through open-market debt purchases. We remain focused on preserving our liquidity in this low oil price environment and continue to look for opportunities to reduce debt and enhance our balance sheet. DEBT REDUCTION As previously disclosed, during May 2016, the Company entered into privately negotiated exchange agreements to exchange $1,058 million in aggregate principal amount of its outstanding senior subordinated notes for $615 million in aggregate principal amount of the Companys new 9% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2021 (Senior Secured Notes) plus 40.7 million shares of the Companys common stock, resulting in a $12 million pre-tax gain on debt extinguishment. For financial reporting purposes, $255 million of future interest on the Senior Secured Notes has been recorded as debt, and will be reduced as semi-annual interest payments are made, with the remaining $23 million of future interest to be recognized as interest expense over the term of the Senior Secured Notes. Therefore, future interest expense on the Senior Secured Notes reflected in the Companys financial statements will be significantly lower than the actual cash interest payments to be made, and management currently anticipates that for the remainder of 2016 approximately $13 million of interest per quarter on the Senior Secured Notes will not be reflected as interest expense. In July 2016, the Company spent $14 million (excluding accrued interest) to repurchase an additional $3 million principal amount of senior subordinated notes due 2021 and $16 million principal amount of senior subordinated notes due 2022. These transactions resulted in a net reduction of approximately $5 million in the Companys debt principal balance. PRODUCTION Denburys total production for the second quarter of 2016 averaged 64,506 BOE per day (BOE/d), including 39,212 barrels per day (Bbls/d) from tertiary properties and 25,294 BOE/d from non-tertiary properties. Production in the second quarter of 2016 decreased 7% sequentially and 12% compared to the second quarter of 2015. The higher than anticipated decline was primarily due to weather-related shut-in production. In April 2016, a series of strong thunderstorms in the Houston area damaged a primary tank battery in Conroe Field and flooded Thompson Field. While most of the Conroe production was brought back online in June, additional record rainfall in May 2016 flooded Thompson Field a second time, forcing most of that field to remain shut in through the end of the quarter. The Company is currently working to restore full production, most of which is expected to be back online during the third quarter. Together, these storms and flooding impacted quarterly production by approximately 1,450 BOE/d. During the second quarter, the Companys quarterly production was further impacted by production shut-in due to economics, resulting in a decrease to quarterly production of approximately 2,750 BOE/d, representing an incremental decrease of approximately 300 BOE/d compared to the first quarter of 2016 and approximately 2,100 BOE/d compared to the second quarter of 2015. As of June 30, 2016, approximately 2,600 BOE/d remained shut in due to economics. Second quarter of 2016 production was 96% oil, similar to the prior-year period. Tertiary oil production during the second quarter of 2016 decreased 3%, or 1,252 Bbls/d, on a sequential-quarter basis and 8%, or 3,372 Bbls/d, from the second quarter of 2015. The decreases during both periods were largely driven by Tinsley Field facility seasonal processing constraints and Oyster Bayou Field maintenance and workovers, partially offset by increased production at Delhi and Bell Creek fields. Non-tertiary oil-equivalent production was down 12%, or 3,593 BOE/d, on a sequential-quarter basis and 19%, or 5,838 BOE/d, from second quarter of 2015. These decreases were greater than anticipated primarily due to the previously discussed weather-related shut-in production at Conroe and Thompson fields. REVIEW OF FINANCIAL RESULTS Oil and natural gas revenues, excluding the impact of derivative contracts, decreased 33% when comparing the second quarters of 2016 and 2015, due to a 21% decline in realized commodity prices and a 12% decrease in production. Denburys average realized oil price per Bbl, excluding derivative settlements, was $43.38 in the second quarter of 2016, compared to $30.71 in the first quarter of 2016 and $56.92 in the prior-year second quarter. Including derivative settlements, Denburys average realized oil price per Bbl was $52.61 in the second quarter of 2016, compared to $42.71 in the first quarter of 2016 and $76.30 in the prior-year second quarter. The oil price realized relative to NYMEX oil prices (the Companys NYMEX oil price differential) in the second quarter of 2016 was $2.18 per Bbl below NYMEX prices, compared to a differential of $3.02 per Bbl below NYMEX in the first quarter of 2016 and $0.89 per Bbl below NYMEX in the second quarter of 2015, largely due to volatility in oil sold at the Light Louisiana Sweet index. The Companys lease operating expenses over the past two years have decreased across all expense categories, and total lease operating expenses decreased 24% from the second quarter of 2015, significantly impacted by the reduction in CO 2 injection volumes over the past year. During the second quarter of 2016, the Companys CO 2 use further declined to 459 million cubic feet per day, a decrease of 40% when compared to the second quarter of 2015. On a per-BOE basis, lease operating expenses in the second quarter of 2016 averaged $17.04 per BOE, an increase of 5% from the $16.23 per-BOE average in the first quarter of 2016, primarily due to a higher workover activity level and lower production volumes, and decreased 14% from the $19.70 per-BOE average in the second quarter of 2015 due to cost decreases in most lease operating expense categories, partially offset by the reduction in production volumes. Taxes other than income, which includes ad valorem, production, and franchise taxes, were relatively unchanged on a sequential-quarter basis and decreased $14 million from the prior-year second quarter level due primarily to lower ad valorem taxes in the 2016 period due to lower assessed tax values and a decrease in severance taxes due to lower oil and natural gas revenues. General and administrative expenses were $23 million in the second quarter of 2016, decreasing $15 million, or 41%, from the prior-year second quarter level. This reduction was largely due to an approximate 28% reduction in headcount since March 31, 2015, which has resulted in lower employee compensation and related costs. Interest expense, net of capitalized interest, decreased to $36 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to $40 million in the second quarter of 2015. As a result of the Companys notes exchange discussed above, interest expense in the second quarter of 2016 excludes approximately $7 million of interest on the Companys new Senior Secured Notes because it is recorded as debt for financial reporting purposes and is therefore not reflected as interest expense. Cash interest expense decreased approximately $3 million between the respective quarters. As a result of the continued decrease in average commodity pricing compared to 2015 levels, the Company recognized a full cost pool ceiling test write-down of $479 million during the second quarter of 2016, compared to $256 million during the first quarter of 2016 and $1.7 billion during the second quarter of 2015. In determining these write-downs, the Company is required to use the average rolling first-day-of-the-month NYMEX oil and natural gas prices for the preceding 12 months, adjusted for market differentials by field. The preceding 12-month NYMEX prices averaged $43.12 per Bbl for crude oil for the period ended June 30, 2016, down from $46.26 per Bbl for the period ended March 31, 2016 and $71.68 per Bbl for the period ended June 30, 2015. Denburys overall depletion, depreciation, and amortization (DD&A) rate was $11.34 per BOE in the second quarter of 2016, compared to $22.05 per BOE in the prior-year second quarter and $12.26 per BOE in the first quarter of 2016, with the decreases primarily driven by a reduction in depletable costs resulting from the full cost pool ceiling test write-downs recognized during 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, as well as lower production and reductions in future development costs. Receipts on settlements of oil and natural gas derivative contracts were $52 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to receipts of $72 million in the first quarter of 2016 and receipts of $124 million in the prior-year second quarter. These settlements resulted in increases in average net realized prices of $8.86 per BOE in the second quarter of 2016, $11.44 per BOE in the first quarter of 2016, and $18.51 per BOE in the second quarter of 2015. Denburys effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2016 was 36.9%, up from 35.6% in the prior-year second quarter. The effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2016 was lower than the Companys statutory rate of 38% primarily due to the Companys full cost pool ceiling test write-down recorded during the quarter. 2016 CAPITAL BUDGET AND ESTIMATED PRODUCTION The Companys 2016 capital budget, excluding acquisitions and capitalized interest, remains unchanged from the previously estimated amount of approximately $200 million; however, the Company could potentially adjust this budget higher or lower based on changes in estimated levels of cash flow. The capital budget consists of approximately $145 million of tertiary, non-tertiary, and CO 2 supply and pipeline projects, plus approximately $55 million of estimated capitalized costs (including capitalized internal acquisition, exploration and development costs and pre-production tertiary startup costs). Of this combined capital expenditure amount, approximately $101 million (50%) has been incurred through the second quarter of 2016. The Company expects to close the sale of its interests in non-core Williston assets in the third quarter for $58 million (before final closing adjustments) with an effective date of April 1, 2016. Production from the Williston assets averaged approximately 1,300 BOE/d during the first half of 2016. As a result of this pending sale and the impacts of extraordinary weather-related downtime in the Gulf Coast region, Denbury now expects full-year 2016 production to range between 64,000 BOE/d and 66,000 BOE/d, as compared to the Companys previous guidance of between 64,000 BOE/d and 68,000 BOE/d, with production for the remainder of the year anticipated to be relatively flat after adjusting for the Williston asset sale. CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION Denbury management will host a conference call to review and discuss second quarter 2016 financial and operating results, as well as financial and operating guidance for the remainder of 2016, today, Thursday, August 4, at 10:00 A.M. (Central). Additionally, Denbury has published presentation materials on its website which will be referenced during the conference call. Individuals who would like to participate should dial 800.230.1093 or 612.332.0226 ten minutes before the scheduled start time. To access a live webcast of the conference call and accompanying slide presentation, please visit the investor relations section of the Companys website at www.denbury.com. The webcast will be archived on the website, and a telephonic replay will be accessible for at least one month after the call by dialing 800.475.6701 or 320.365.3844 and entering confirmation number 361969. Denbury is an independent oil and natural gas company with operations focused in two key operating areas: the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. The Companys goal is to increase the value of its properties through a combination of exploitation, drilling and proven engineering extraction practices, with the most significant emphasis relating to CO 2 enhanced oil recovery operations. For more information about Denbury, please visit www.denbury.com. This press release, other than historical financial information, contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including estimated 2016 production and capital expenditures and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Denburys most recent report on Form 10-K. These risks and uncertainties are incorporated by this reference as though fully set forth herein. These statements are based on engineering, geological, financial and operating assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information; however, managements assumptions and the Companys future performance are both subject to a wide range of business risks, and there is no assurance that these goals and projections can or will be met. Actual results may vary materially. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent the Companys estimates only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its estimates as of any future date. Denbury assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements. DENBURY CONTACTS: Mark C. Allen, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, 972.673.2000 John Mayer, Investor Relations, 972.673.2383 FINANCIAL AND STATISTICAL DATA TABLES AND RECONCILIATION SCHEDULES Following are unaudited financial highlights for the comparative three and six month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 and the three month period ended March 31, 2016. All production volumes and dollars are expressed on a net revenue interest basis with gas volumes converted to equivalent barrels at 6:1. DENBURY RESOURCES INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED) The following information is based on GAAP reported earnings (along with additional required disclosures) included or to be included in the Companys periodic reports: Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, In thousands, except per-share data 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Revenues and other income Oil sales $ 244,572 $ 361,732 $ 184,816 $ 429,388 $ 654,002 Natural gas sales 2,096 5,159 2,987 5,083 10,359 CO 2 sales and transportation fees 6,622 7,152 6,272 12,894 14,124 Interest income and other income 1,858 2,651 769 2,627 5,858 Total revenues and other income 255,148 376,694 194,844 449,992 684,343 Expenses Lease operating expenses 100,019 132,170 102,447 202,466 273,254 Marketing and plant operating expenses 12,999 14,215 13,194 26,193 25,900 CO 2 discovery and operating expenses 1,071 945 607 1,678 1,892 Taxes other than income 19,504 33,555 20,092 39,596 60,234 General and administrative expenses 22,545 37,947 33,901 56,446 84,227 Interest, net of amounts capitalized of $6,289, $8,738, $5,780, $12,069 and $17,147, respectively 36,058 39,863 42,171 78,229 79,962 Depletion, depreciation, and amortization 66,541 147,940 77,366 143,907 297,898 Commodity derivatives expense (income) 98,209 48,926 22,826 121,035 (34,150 ) Gain on debt extinguishment (12,278 ) (94,991 ) (107,269 ) Write-down of oil and natural gas properties 479,400 1,705,800 256,000 735,400 1,852,000 Other expenses 34,688 1,544 36,232 Total expenses 858,756 2,161,361 475,157 1,333,913 2,641,217 Loss before income taxes (603,608 ) (1,784,667 ) (280,313 ) (883,921 ) (1,956,874 ) Income tax benefit Current income taxes (1,696 ) (5 ) (5 ) (121 ) Deferred income taxes (222,940 ) (634,472 ) (95,115 ) (318,055 ) (700,508 ) Net loss $ (380,668 ) $ (1,148,499 ) $ (185,193 ) $ (565,861 ) $ (1,256,245 ) Net loss per common share Basic $ (1.03 ) $ (3.28 ) $ (0.53 ) $ (1.58 ) $ (3.59 ) Diluted $ (1.03 ) $ (3.28 ) $ (0.53 ) $ (1.58 ) $ (3.59 ) Dividends declared per common share $ $ 0.0625 $ $ $ 0.1250 Weighted average common shares outstanding Basic 370,566 350,039 347,235 358,901 349,653 Diluted 370,566 350,039 347,235 358,901 349,653 DENBURY RESOURCES INC. SUPPLEMENTAL NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED) Reconciliation of net loss (GAAP measure) to adjusted net income (loss) (non-GAAP measure) Adjusted net income (loss) is a non-GAAP measure provided as a supplement to present an alternative net income (loss) measure which excludes expense and income items (and their related tax effects) not directly related to the Companys ongoing operations. Management believes that adjusted net income (loss) may be helpful to investors by eliminating the impact of noncash and/or nonrecurring items not indicative of our performance from period to period, and is widely used by the investment community, while also being used by management, in evaluating the comparability of the Companys ongoing operational results and trends. Adjusted net income (loss) should not be considered in isolation, as a substitute for, or more meaningful than, net income or any other measure reported in accordance with GAAP, but rather to provide additional information useful in evaluating the Companys operational trends and performance. Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, In thousands, except per-share data 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Net loss (GAAP measure) $ (380,668 ) $ (1,148,499 ) $ (185,193 ) $ (565,861 ) $ (1,256,245 ) Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted net income (loss) (non-GAAP measure) Noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives (1) 150,235 173,077 95,053 245,288 238,466 Write-down of oil and natural gas properties (2) 479,400 1,705,800 256,000 735,400 1,852,000 Gain on debt extinguishment (3) (12,278 ) (94,991 ) (107,269 ) Legal settlements included in other expenses (4) 30,250 30,250 Write-off of debt issuance costs included in interest expense (5) 4,509 1,044 5,553 Severance-related payments included in general and administrative expenses (6) 9,315 9,315 Transaction costs and other (7) 4,531 1,107 5,638 Estimated income taxes on above adjustments to net loss and other discrete tax items (8) (247,178 ) (683,473 ) (91,432 ) (338,610 ) (763,877 ) Adjusted net income (loss) (non-GAAP measure) $ 28,801 $ 46,905 $ (9,097 ) $ 19,704 $ 70,344 Adjusted net income (loss) per common share Basic $ 0.08 $ 0.13 $ (0.03 ) $ 0.05 $ 0.20 Diluted $ 0.08 $ 0.13 $ (0.03 ) $ 0.05 $ 0.20 (1) The net change between periods of the fair market values of open commodity derivative positions, excluding the impact of settlements on commodity derivatives during the period. (2) Full cost pool ceiling test write-downs related to the Companys oil and natural gas properties. (3) Gain on extinguishment related to the Companys debt exchange. (4) Settlements related to previously outstanding litigation, the most significant of which pertaining to a $28 million payment to Evolution in connection with the settlement resolving all outstanding disputes and claims. (5) Write-off of debt issuance costs associated with the Companys senior secured bank credit facility, related to reductions in the Companys lender commitments resulting from (1) the May 2016 redetermination and (2) the February 2016 amendment. (6) Severance-related payments associated with the Companys February-2016 workforce reduction. (7) Transaction costs related to the Companys debt exchange during the three months ended June 30, 2016 and a loss on sublease during the three months ended March 31, 2016. (8) The estimated income tax impacts on adjustments to net loss are generally computed based upon a statutory rate of 38%, applicable to all periods presented, with the exception of the write-down on oil and natural gas properties, which are computed individually based upon the Companys effective tax rate. In addition, recorded valuation allowances of $30.5 million have been adjusted for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015. DENBURY RESOURCES INC. SUPPLEMENTAL NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED) Reconciliation of cash flows from operations (GAAP measure) to adjusted cash flows from operations (non-GAAP measure) Adjusted cash flows from operations is a non-GAAP measure that represents cash flows provided by operations before changes in assets and liabilities, as summarized from the Companys Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Adjusted cash flows from operations measures the cash flows earned or incurred from operating activities without regard to the collection or payment of associated receivables or payables. Management believes that it is important to consider this additional measure, along with cash flows from operations, as it believes the non-GAAP measure can often be a better way to discuss changes in operating trends in its business caused by changes in production, prices, operating costs and related factors, without regard to whether the earned or incurred item was collected or paid during that period. Three Months Ended Six Months Ended In thousands June 30, March 31, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Net loss (GAAP measure) $ (380,668 ) $ (1,148,499 ) $ (185,193 ) $ (565,861 ) $ (1,256,245 ) Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted cash flows from operations Depletion, depreciation, and amortization 66,541 147,940 77,366 143,907 297,898 Deferred income taxes (222,940 ) (634,472 ) (95,115 ) (318,055 ) (700,508 ) Stock-based compensation 3,263 7,118 859 4,122 14,967 Noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives 150,235 173,077 95,053 245,288 238,466 Gain on debt extinguishment (12,278 ) (94,991 ) (107,269 ) Write-down of oil and natural gas properties 479,400 1,705,800 256,000 735,400 1,852,000 Other 9,439 620 2,890 12,329 482 Adjusted cash flows from operations (non-GAAP measure) (1) 92,992 251,584 56,869 149,861 447,060 Net change in assets and liabilities relating to operations (32,077 ) 37,373 (54,840 ) (86,917 ) (20,339 ) Cash flows from operations (GAAP measure) $ 60,915 $ 288,957 $ 2,029 $ 62,944 $ 426,721 (1) The three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2016 include a $28 million payment to Evolution in connection with our settlement agreement to resolve all outstanding disputes and claims, and the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 includes severance-related payments associated with the 2016 workforce reduction of approximately $9 million. Excluding these payments, adjusted cash flows from operations would have totaled $121 million and $66 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and March 31, 2016, respectively, and $187 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016. DENBURY RESOURCES INC. SUPPLEMENTAL NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED) Reconciliation of commodity derivatives income (expense) (GAAP measure) to noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives (non-GAAP measure) Noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives is a non-GAAP measure and is different from Commodity derivatives expense (income) in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations in that the noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives represents only the net change between periods of the fair market values of open commodity derivative positions, and excludes the impact of settlements on commodity derivatives during the period. Management believes that noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives is a useful supplemental disclosure to Commodity derivatives expense (income) because the GAAP measure also includes settlements on commodity derivatives during the period; the non-GAAP measure is widely used within the industry and by securities analysts, banks and credit rating agencies in calculating EBITDA and in adjusting net income to present those measures on a comparative basis across companies, as well as to assess compliance with certain debt covenants. Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, In thousands 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Receipt on settlements of commodity derivatives $ 52,026 $ 124,151 $ 72,227 $ 124,253 $ 272,616 Noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives (non-GAAP measure) (150,235 ) (173,077 ) (95,053 ) (245,288 ) (238,466 ) Commodity derivatives income (expense) (GAAP measure) $ (98,209 ) $ (48,926 ) $ (22,826 ) $ (121,035 ) $ 34,150 DENBURY RESOURCES INC. OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Production (daily net of royalties) Oil (barrels) 61,952 69,837 66,139 64,045 70,199 Gas (mcf) 15,328 23,273 19,270 17,299 23,014 BOE (6:1) 64,506 73,716 69,351 66,929 74,034 Unit sales price (excluding derivative settlements) Oil (per barrel) $ 43.38 $ 56.92 $ 30.71 $ 36.84 $ 51.47 Gas (per mcf) 1.50 2.44 1.70 1.61 2.49 BOE (6:1) 42.02 54.69 29.76 35.67 49.58 Unit sales price (including derivative settlements) Oil (per barrel) $ 52.61 $ 76.30 $ 42.71 $ 47.50 $ 72.79 Gas (per mcf) 1.50 2.89 1.70 1.61 2.90 BOE (6:1) 50.88 73.20 41.20 45.87 69.92 NYMEX differentials Gulf Coast region Oil (per barrel) $ (1.22 ) $ 1.86 $ (1.95 ) $ (1.78 ) $ 0.79 Gas (per mcf) (0.69 ) (0.10 ) (0.26 ) (0.46 ) (0.17 ) Rocky Mountain region Oil (per barrel) $ (3.98 ) $ (6.48 ) $ (5.04 ) $ (4.73 ) $ (7.19 ) Gas (per mcf) (0.80 ) (0.68 ) (0.34 ) (0.56 ) (0.51 ) Total company Oil (per barrel) $ (2.18 ) $ (0.89 ) $ (3.02 ) $ (2.81 ) $ (1.87 ) Gas (per mcf) (0.73 ) (0.30 ) (0.29 ) (0.50 ) (0.29 ) DENBURY RESOURCES INC. OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, Average Daily Volumes (BOE/d) (6:1) 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Tertiary oil production Gulf Coast region Mature properties (1) 9,415 11,170 9,666 9,540 10,987 Delhi 3,996 3,623 3,971 3,984 3,587 Hastings 4,972 5,350 5,068 5,020 5,024 Heidelberg 5,246 5,885 5,346 5,296 5,955 Oyster Bayou 5,088 5,936 5,494 5,291 5,899 Tinsley 7,335 8,740 7,899 7,617 8,833 Total Gulf Coast region 36,052 40,704 37,444 36,748 40,285 Rocky Mountain region Bell Creek 3,160 1,880 3,020 3,090 1,922 Total Rocky Mountain region 3,160 1,880 3,020 3,090 1,922 Total tertiary oil production 39,212 42,584 40,464 39,838 42,207 Non-tertiary oil and gas production Gulf Coast region Mississippi 1,280 1,400 978 1,129 1,580 Texas 4,104 6,304 6,148 5,126 6,396 Other 456 906 549 503 956 Total Gulf Coast region 5,840 8,610 7,675 6,758 8,932 Rocky Mountain region Cedar Creek Anticline 16,325 18,089 17,778 17,052 18,304 Other 3,129 4,433 3,434 3,281 4,591 Total Rocky Mountain region 19,454 22,522 21,212 20,333 22,895 Total non-tertiary production 25,294 31,132 28,887 27,091 31,827 Total production 64,506 73,716 69,351 66,929 74,034 Pending property sales Williston Assets (2) (1,267 ) (1,561 ) (1,364 ) (1,315 ) (1,602 ) Continuing production 63,239 72,155 67,987 65,614 72,432 (1) Total mature properties include Brookhaven, Cranfield, Eucutta, Little Creek, Lockhart Crossing, Mallalieu, Martinville, McComb and Soso fields. (2) Includes non-tertiary production in the Rocky Mountain region related to the sale of remaining non-core assets in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana, expected to close in the third quarter of 2016. DENBURY RESOURCES INC. PER-BOE DATA (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Oil and natural gas revenues $ 42.02 $ 54.69 $ 29.76 $ 35.67 $ 49.58 Receipt on settlements of commodity derivatives 8.86 18.51 11.44 10.20 20.34 Lease operating expenses (17.04 ) (19.70 ) (16.23 ) (16.62 ) (20.39 ) Production and ad valorem taxes (2.90 ) (4.43 ) (2.72 ) (2.81 ) (3.93 ) Marketing expenses, net of third-party purchases, and plant operating expenses (1.85 ) (1.86 ) (1.84 ) (1.84 ) (1.66 ) Production netback 29.09 47.21 20.41 24.60 43.94 CO 2 sales, net of operating and exploration expenses 0.95 0.93 0.89 0.92 0.91 General and administrative expenses (3.84 ) (5.66 ) (5.37 ) (4.63 ) (6.29 ) Interest expense, net (6.14 ) (5.94 ) (6.68 ) (6.42 ) (5.97 ) Other (4.22 ) 0.97 (0.24 ) (2.16 ) 0.77 Changes in assets and liabilities relating to operations (5.46 ) 5.57 (8.69 ) (7.14 ) (1.52 ) Cash flows from operations 10.38 43.08 0.32 5.17 31.84 DD&A (11.34 ) (22.05 ) (12.26 ) (11.81 ) (22.23 ) Write-down of oil and natural gas properties (81.67 ) (254.29 ) (40.56 ) (60.37 ) (138.21 ) Deferred income taxes 37.98 94.58 15.07 26.11 52.28 Gain on debt extinguishment 2.09 15.05 8.81 Noncash fair value adjustments on commodity derivatives (25.59 ) (25.80 ) (15.06 ) (20.14 ) (17.79 ) Other noncash items 3.30 (6.73 ) 8.10 5.78 0.36 Net loss $ (64.85 ) $ (171.21 ) $ (29.34 ) $ (46.45 ) $ (93.75 ) CAPITAL EXPENDITURE SUMMARY (UNAUDITED) (1) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, In thousands 2016 2015 2016 2016 2015 Capital expenditures by project Tertiary oil fields $ 31,934 $ 53,694 $ 31,964 $ 63,898 $ 96,594 Non-tertiary fields 4,903 21,595 5,873 10,776 52,579 Capitalized internal costs (2) 11,314 15,499 14,473 25,787 33,911 Oil and natural gas capital expenditures 48,151 90,788 52,310 100,461 183,084 CO 2 pipelines 135 5,517 135 6,296 CO 2 sources 630 10,482 Other 9 282 8 17 44 Capital expenditures, before acquisitions and capitalized interest 48,295 97,217 52,318 100,613 199,906 Acquisitions of oil and natural gas properties 680 21,698 224 904 21,959 Capital expenditures, before capitalized interest 48,975 118,915 52,542 101,517 221,865 Capitalized interest 6,289 8,738 5,780 12,069 17,147 Capital expenditures, total $ 55,264 $ 127,653 $ 58,322 $ 113,586 $ 239,012 (1) Capital expenditure amounts include accrued capital. (2) Includes capitalized internal acquisition, exploration and development costs and pre-production tertiary startup costs. DENBURY RESOURCES INC. SELECTED BALANCE SHEET AND CASH FLOW DATA (UNAUDITED) (1) June 30, December 31, In thousands 2016 2015 Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,545 $ 2,812 Total assets 4,989,973 5,885,533 Borrowings under senior secured bank credit facility $ 320,000 $ 175,000 Borrowings under senior secured second lien notes (principal only) (2) 614,919 Borrowings under senior subordinated notes (principal only) 1,642,198 2,852,250 Financing and capital leases 267,572 283,090 Total debt (principal only) $ 2,844,689 $ 3,310,340 Total stockholders equity $ 865,304 $ 1,248,912 (1) Certain amounts as of December 31, 2015 have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. On the Companys Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, (1) debt issuance costs associated with the Companys senior subordinated notes have been reclassified from Other assets to Long-term debt, net of current portion and (2) deferred tax assets have been reclassified from Deferred tax assets, net to Deferred tax liabilities, net. Such reclassifications were made as a result of the adoption of new accounting pronouncements and had no impact on previously reported net income or cash flows. (2) Excludes $255 million of future interest payable on the notes as of June 30, 2016, accounted for as debt for financial reporting purposes. See Debt Reduction above for further discussion. Six Months Ended June 30, In thousands 2016 2015 Cash provided by (used in) Operating activities $ 62,944 $ 426,721 Investing activities (127,520 ) (336,512 ) Financing activities 64,309 (108,949 ) Cash dividends paid $ 413 $ 43,528 TRADITION, Miss., Aug. 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute (NDORI) today announced an affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute designed to enhance diabetes- and obesity-related research, discover better treatment protocols, and, ultimately, cultivate a healthier Mississippi and nation. The affiliation combines the academic, clinical and research components of the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute with the newly formed diabetes and research institute. The Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute is ranked No. 3 in the nation for diabetes care by U.S. News & World Report. I am delighted to announce this groundbreaking affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute. Their extensive expertise in diabetes, obesity, and endocrinology research is an essential element in establishing NDORI as the preeminent diabetes and obesity research center in the United States, said Phil Bryant, Governor of the State of Mississippi. Diabetes and prediabetes affects over one million people in the state of Mississippi, almost a third of our population, so there is no greater place to conduct this groundbreaking research. The hope is that the National Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute will help find a cure and enhance healthcare, not only in Mississippi but across the United States, said Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves. Improving the health and well-being of our citizens afflicted by diabetes also makes good fiscal policy for the state as healthcare programs are hit by related costs. With this new research, better protocols and treatments, we can reduce this number and improve our overall healthcare system. The National Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute (NDORI) is the vision of Joseph C. Canizaro, real estate developer and philanthropist. Mr. Canizaros passion for diabetes research and drive to find a cure comes from his personal experience with type 2 diabetes. NDORI will be part of a 150-acre learning medical city located in the Tradition community on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and will be modeled after successful research centers at the heart of communities that are anchored by healthcare and educational organizations. NDORI will work closely with a core team of Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute experts, led by Richard Shewbridge, M.D., an endocrinologist and the executive medical director for this affiliation. Thanks to this affiliation, NDORI and the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute will join forces to advance diabetes research and fight diabetes, said Dr. Shewbridge. We will focus on four strategic areas: diabetes and obesity research, diabetes and obesity clinical care, patient and provider education, and an outcomes and research database. James Young, M.D., a cardiologist and chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute said, With this affiliation, NDORI and the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute will compare different approaches in various locations, including Mississippi, the Gulf Coast, and Ohio. This is an exciting opportunity to further our mission of finding better approaches to managing the scourge of diabetes and obesity in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 30 million Americans have diabetes thats about 1 out of every 11 people nationwide. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that 15.4 percent of the population in Mississippi has diabetes. And, about 13.5 percent of the population in Ohio has diabetes. Once the affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute is fully implemented, the patients of NDORI will enjoy greater access to best practices related to diabetes and obesity treatment. Leading Mississippi healthcare systems, such as Memorial Hospital and Coastal Family Health Centers, William Carey Universitys nursing and medical related programs, as well as the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will have an opportunity to access NDORIs resources via an affiliate program. In the future, NDORI would like to expand its scope of work beyond the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the rest of the state and the nation, including rural areas where multiple underserved or uninsured individuals are affected by diabetes. About NDORI The National Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute was founded in 2015 by a group of key healthcare, education and business leaders in Mississippi, along with state and local government officials. This research facility is affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute, and is dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes, conducting and sharing ground-breaking clinical trials and research, reducing diabetes instances nationally, and using technology and other healthcare channels to address the disparities in underserved and at risk populations. The Institute will be located in Mississippi, center of the diabetes epidemic in the United States, and is a central element of the 150-acre Learning Medical City located in the Tradition community on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Nationally renowned experts in the fields of diabetes and obesity from the Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute will work side by side with other renowned researchers to develop treatment protocols that will be implemented nationally. To learn more, visit www.diabetescure.me. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nationaldiabetesobesityresearchinstitute. About Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nations best hospitals in its annual Americas Best Hospitals survey. Among Cleveland Clinics 49,000 employees are more than 3,400 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 14,000 nurses, representing 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, nine community hospitals, more than 150 northern Ohio outpatient locations including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers and locations in Weston, Fla.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2015, there were 6.6 million outpatient visits, 164,700 hospital admissions and 208,807 surgical cases throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 180 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. Editors Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request. GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) reported financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Total revenues: Q2 2016 of $101.5 million; six months 2016 of $212.5 million GAAP net loss: Q2 2016 of $(10.9) million, or $(0.27) per diluted share; six months 2016 of $(7.0) million, or $(0.17) per diluted share Adjusted net income/loss: Q2 2016 net loss of $(7.1) million, or $(0.18) per diluted share; six months 2016 net income of $0.3 million, or $0.01 per diluted share EBITDA: Q2 2016 of $(4.8) million, or $(0.12) per diluted share; six months of $12.4 million, or $0.31 per diluted share Adjusted EBITDA: Q2 2016 of $(2.2) million, or $(0.05) per diluted share; six months 2016 of $17.3 million, or $0.43 per diluted share Q2 2016 & RECENT BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENTS Spin-off of Aptevo Therapeutics completed Repurchase program for up to $50 million of the Companys common stock authorized Building 55 milestones achieved towards Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure Supplemental Biologics License Application accepted Pre-approval inspection completed PDUFA date of August 15, 2016 established BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) granted Orphan Drug status by the FDA for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of anthrax disease (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) granted Orphan Drug status by the FDA for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of anthrax disease Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed intent to award a follow-on procurement contract for BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) by September 23, 2016 (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) by September 23, 2016 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a request for proposal seeking a next generation anthrax vaccine; today the company submitted a response proposing its product candidate NuThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed with CPG 7909 Adjuvant) Task order for up to $21.9 million to develop and manufacture three cGMP lots of a Zika vaccine received from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority 2016 OUTLOOK The Company will continue to temporarily postpone its financial guidance for 2016 until further clarity is reached on the following U.S. government contracts and solicitations: Current BioThrax procurement contract : By letter dated April 26, 2016 the CDC indicated that it anticipated procuring less than the total remaining doses of BioThrax under the existing procurement contract and did not quantify the number of doses anticipated to be procured. : By letter dated April 26, 2016 the CDC indicated that it anticipated procuring less than the total remaining doses of BioThrax under the existing procurement contract and did not quantify the number of doses anticipated to be procured. Follow-on BioThrax procurement contract : On June 21, 2016, HHS issued a Sole Source Notification indicating its intention by September 23, 2016 to award to the Company a follow-on contract to procure 29.4 million doses of BioThrax with a period of performance of five years. The terms of the contract, including the price per dose and the timing of deliveries, remain subject to contract negotiation. : On June 21, 2016, HHS issued a Sole Source Notification indicating its intention by September 23, 2016 to award to the Company a follow-on contract to procure 29.4 million doses of BioThrax with a period of performance of five years. The terms of the contract, including the price per dose and the timing of deliveries, remain subject to contract negotiation. Notice of Solicitation for Next Generation Anthrax Vaccine : On June 21, 2016, HHS issued a request for proposal seeking a next generation anthrax vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease with the ability to confer protection in one or two doses and meeting additional specific criteria relating to safety, efficacy and manufacturing. 2016 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE (I) Quarter Ended June 30, 2016 (unaudited) Revenues Product Sales For Q2 2016, product sales were $58.5 million, a decrease of 29% as compared to 2015. The decrease in BioThrax sales was primarily due to a reduction in shipments to the CDC consistent with the April 26, 2016 letter from CDC that indicated that it anticipated procuring less than the total remaining doses of BioThrax under the existing procurement contract. The increase in Other Biodefense sales was primarily due to VIGIV sales to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The increase in Aptevo sales was mainly due to increased sales of IXINITY (received FDA licensure and launched in Q2 2015). (in millions) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 % Change Product Sales BioThrax $ 40.0 $ 72.2 (45 )% Other Biodefense $ 8.3 $ 2.8 192 % Total Biodefense $ 48.3 $ 75.1 (36 )% Total Aptevo Products $ 10.2 $ 6.9 47 % Total Product Sales $ 58.5 $ 82.0 (29 )% Contract Manufacturing For Q2 2016, revenue from the Companys contract manufacturing operations was $10.2 million, an increase of 15% as compared to 2015. The increase is due primarily to services related to plasma collection and related testing activities. Contracts, Grants and Collaborations For Q2 2016, contracts, grants and collaborations revenue was $32.8 million, a decrease of 7% as compared to 2015. Operating Expenses Cost of Product Sales and Contract Manufacturing For Q2 2016, cost of product sales and contract manufacturing was $35.6 million, an increase of 31% as compared to 2015, attributable to an increase in rejected BioThrax work-in-process material, as well as increased Other Biodefense and Aptevo product sales. Research and Development For Q2 2016, gross research and development (R&D) expenses were $35.3 million, a decrease of 14% as compared to 2015. The decrease primarily reflects lower contract service costs. For Q2 2016, net R&D expenses were $2.5 million, a decrease of 55% as compared to 2015. Net R&D expenses, which are more representative of the Companys actual out-of-pocket investment in product development, are calculated as gross research and development expenses less contracts, grants and collaboration revenues. (in millions) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 % Change Research and Development Expenses (Gross) $ 35.3 $ 40.9 (14 )% Adjustments: - Contracts, grants and collaborations revenues $ 32.8 $ 35.2 (7 )% Net Research and Development Expenses $ 2.5 $ 5.7 (55 )% Selling, General and Administrative For Q2 2016, selling, general and administrative expenses were $44.1 million, an increase of 21% as compared to 2015. This increase includes costs associated with the Aptevo spin-off along with increased professional services to support our strategic growth initiatives, higher IXINITY selling costs, and information technology investments. Net Income/(Loss) For Q2 2016, GAAP net loss was $(10.9) million, or $(0.27) per diluted share, versus GAAP net income of $14.1 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, in 2015. (II) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 (unaudited) Revenues Product Sales For the six months of 2016, product sales were $130.3 million, an increase of 30% as compared to 2015. The increase in BioThrax sales was primarily due to the suspension of shipments to the CDC in Q1 2015 following the discovery of foreign particles in a limited number of vials in two manufactured lots of BioThrax, resulting in reduced sales volume in the first half of 2015. The decrease in Other Biodefense sales was primarily due to lower RSDL shipments. The increase in Aptevo sales was mainly due to increased sales of IXINITY. (in millions) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 % Change Product Sales BioThrax $ 99.1 $ 72.2 37 % Other Biodefense $ 13.0 $ 14.8 (12 )% Total Biodefense $ 112.1 $ 87.1 29 % Total Aptevo Products $ 18.1 $ 13.3 37 % Total Product Sales $ 130.3 $ 100.3 30 % Contract Manufacturing For the six months of 2016, revenue from the Companys contract manufacturing operations was $17.7 million, a decrease of 16% as compared to 2015. The change is primarily due to a decrease of $3.8 million from services related to the production of an MVA Ebola vaccine in 2015. Contracts, Grants and Collaborations For the six months of 2016, contracts, grants and collaborations revenue was $64.5 million, a decrease of 6% as compared to 2015. Operating Expenses Cost of Product Sales and Contract Manufacturing For the six months of 2016, cost of product sales and contract manufacturing was $64.1 million, an increase of 39% as compared to 2015, primarily attributable to the 37% increase in BioThrax product sales. Research and Development For the six months of 2016, gross research and development (R&D) expenses were $69.5 million, a decrease of 13% as compared to 2015. The decrease primarily reflects lower contract service costs. For the six months of 2016, net R&D expenses were $5.0 million, a decrease of 56% as compared to 2015. (in millions) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 % Change Research and Development Expenses (Gross) $ 69.5 $ 79.6 (13 )% Adjustments: - Contracts, grants and collaborations revenues $ 64.5 $ 68.3 (6 )% Net Research and Development Expenses $ 5.0 $ 11.3 (56 )% Selling, General and Administrative For the six months of 2016, selling, general and administrative expenses were $83.9 million, an increase of 18% as compared to 2015. This increase includes costs associated with the Aptevo spin-off along with increased professional services to support our strategic growth initiatives, additional selling effort for IXINITY, and information technology investments. Net Loss For the six months of 2016, GAAP net loss was $(7.0) million, or $(0.17) per diluted share, versus GAAP net loss of $(7.4) million, or $(0.19) per diluted share, in 2015. (III) RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET INCOME/(LOSS) TO ADJUSTED NET INCOME/(LOSS), EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA This press release contains three financial measures (Adjusted Net Income/(Loss), EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization), and adjusted EBITDA) that are considered non-GAAP financial measures under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules and regulations. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered supplemental to and not a substitute for financial information prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Companys definition of these non-GAAP measures may differ from similarly titled measures used by others. Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) adjusts for specified items that can be highly variable or difficult to predict, or reflect the non-cash impact of charges resulting from purchase accounting. EBITDA reflects net income excluding the impact of depreciation, amortization, interest expense and provision for income taxes. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes specified items that can be highly variable and the non-cash impact of certain purchase accounting adjustments. The Company views these non-GAAP financial measures as a means to facilitate managements financial and operational decision-making, including evaluation of the Companys historical operating results and comparison to competitors operating results. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the Companys operations that, when viewed with GAAP results and the reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP financial measure, may provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the Companys business. The determination of the amounts that are excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures are a matter of management judgment and depend upon, among other factors, the nature of the underlying expense or income amounts. Because non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of items that will increase or decrease the Companys reported results of operations, management strongly encourages investors to review the Companys consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety. Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income/(Loss) to Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) The following table provides a reconciliation of GAAP Net Income/(Loss) to Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) for the three month periods as indicated. (in millions, except per share value) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Source GAAP Net Income/(Loss) $ (10.9 ) $ 14.1 NA Adjustments: + Spin-off and acquisition-related costs (transaction & integration) 2.6 1.4 SG&A + Non-cash amortization charges 2.8 2.8 COGS, SG&A, Other Income Tax effect (1.6 ) (1.3 ) NA Total Adjustments 3.8 2.9 NA Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) per Diluted Share $ $ (7.1 (0.18 ) ) $ $ 17.0 0.36 NA The following table provides a reconciliation of GAAP Net Loss to Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) for the six month periods as indicated. (in millions, except per share value) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Source GAAP Net Loss $ (7.0 ) $ (7.4 ) NA Adjustments: + Spin-off and acquisition-related costs (transaction & integration) 4.9 2.5 SG&A + Non-cash amortization charges 5.5 5.3 COGS, SG&A, Other Income + Impact of purchase accounting on inventory step-up - 0.1 SG&A Tax effect (3.1 ) (2.4 ) NA Total Adjustments 7.3 5.6 NA Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) per Diluted Share $ $ 0.3 0.01 $ $ (1.8 (0.05 ) ) NA Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income/(Loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA The following table provides a reconciliation of GAAP Net Income/(Loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the three month periods as indicated. (in millions, except per share value) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 GAAP Net Income/(Loss) $ (10.9 ) $ 14.1 Adjustments: + Depreciation & Amortization 8.5 8.4 + Provision For/(Benefit From) Income Taxes (3.9 ) 5.5 + Total Interest Expense 1.5 1.6 Total Adjustments 6.1 15.5 EBITDA EBITDA per Diluted Share $ $ (4.8 (0.12 ) ) $ $ 29.6 0.62 Additional Adjustments: + Spin-off and acquisition-related costs (transaction & integration) 2.6 1.4 Total Additional Adjustments 2.6 1.4 Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA per Diluted Share $ $ (2.2 (0.05 ) ) $ $ 31.0 0.65 The following table provides a reconciliation of GAAP Net Loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the six month periods as indicated. (in millions, except per share value) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 GAAP Net Loss $ (7.0 ) $ (7.4 ) Adjustments: + Depreciation & Amortization 17.0 16.5 + Provision For/(Benefit From) Income Taxes (0.6 ) (2.8 ) + Total Interest Expense 3.0 3.3 Total Adjustments 19.4 17.0 EBITDA EBITDA per Diluted Share $ $ 12.4 0.31 $ $ 9.6 0.25 Additional Adjustments: + Spin-off and acquisition-related costs (transaction & integration) 4.9 2.5 + Impact of purchase accounting on inventory step-up - 0.1 Total Additional Adjustments 4.9 2.6 Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA per Diluted Share $ $ 17.3 0.43 $ $ 12.2 0.32 CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION Company management will host a conference call at 5:00 pm (Eastern Time) today, August 4, 2016, to discuss these financial results. This conference call can be accessed live by telephone or through Emergents website: Live Teleconference Information: Dial in number: (855) 766-6521 International dial in: (262) 912-6157 Passcode: 29444249 Webcast Information: Live webcast feed can be accessed using this link: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/7wsyx2ie/lan/en. A replay of the call can be accessed on Emergents website www.emergentbiosolutions.com under Investors. ABOUT EMERGENT BIOSOLUTIONS INC. Emergent BioSolutions is a global specialty biopharmaceutical company dedicated to one simple missionto protect and enhance life. We develop, manufacture, and deliver a portfolio of medical countermeasures for biological and chemical threats as well as emerging infectious diseases. Through our work, we envision protecting and enhancing 50 million lives with our products by 2025. Additional information about the company may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com. Follow us @emergentbiosolu. SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, , any statements containing the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "forecasts", "estimates" and similar expressions in conjunction with, among other things, discussions of the Companys outlook, financial performance or financial condition, growth strategy, product sales, potential government procurement contracts or awards, manufacturing capabilities, product development, regulatory approvals or expenditures are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current intentions, beliefs and expectations regarding future events. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be accurate. Investors should realize that if underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could differ materially from our expectations. Investors are, therefore, cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, and, except as required by law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, events or circumstances. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including the ability to obtain a new procurement contract for BioThrax; the ability to obtain a development and procurement contract under the request for proposal for a next generation anthrax vaccine; appropriations for procurement of BioThrax and a next generation anthrax vaccine; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax; availability of funding for our US government grants and contracts; whether the operational, marketing and strategic benefits of the spin-off of our biosciences business can be achieved and the timing of any such benefits; our ability to identify and acquire or in-license products or late-stage product candidates that satisfy our selection criteria; whether anticipated synergies and benefits from an acquisition or in-license are realized within expected time periods or at all; our ability to achieve FDA licensure of Building 55; our ability to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; our ability and the ability of our contractors and suppliers to maintain compliance with cGMP and other regulatory obligations; the results of regulatory inspections; the outcome of the purported class action lawsuit recently filed against us and possible other future material legal proceedings; our ability to meet operating and financial restrictions placed on us and our subsidiaries that are contained in our senior credit facility; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our product candidates; and our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk factors identified in our periodic reports filed with the SEC, when evaluating our forward-looking statements. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOLLOW Emergent BioSolutions Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands, except share and per share data) June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 ASSETS (Unaudited) Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 333,395 $ 312,795 Accounts receivable, net 66,749 120,767 Inventories 96,674 76,936 Income tax receivable, net 9,184 6,573 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 22,045 20,339 Total current assets 528,047 537,410 Property, plant and equipment, net 359,034 331,856 In-process research and development 41,800 42,501 Intangible assets, net 52,645 57,375 Goodwill 54,902 54,902 Deferred tax assets, long-term, net 18,192 11,286 Other assets 1,846 2,154 Total assets $ 1,056,466 $ 1,037,484 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 58,974 $ 45,966 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 2,482 6,229 Accrued compensation 29,778 34,683 Contingent consideration, current portion 2,983 2,553 Provisions for chargebacks 2,512 2,238 Deferred revenue, current portion 7,129 7,942 Total current liabilities 103,858 99,611 Contingent consideration, net of current portion 22,580 23,046 Long-term indebtedness 247,393 246,892 Deferred revenue, net of current portion 8,410 6,590 Other liabilities 1,553 1,328 Total liabilities 383,794 377,467 Stockholders equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 15,000,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding at both June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 - - Common stock, $0.001 par value; 200,000,000 and 100,000,000 shares authorized as of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. 40,852,511 shares issued and 40,429,681 shares outstanding at June 30, 2016; 39,829,408 shares issued and 39,406,578 shares outstanding at December 31, 2015 41 40 Treasury stock, at cost, 422,830 common shares at both June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (6,420 ) (6,420 ) Additional paid-in capital 337,947 317,971 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (3,080 ) (2,713 ) Retained earnings 344,184 351,139 Total stockholders equity 672,672 660,017 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 1,056,466 $ 1,037,484 Emergent BioSolutions Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except share and per share data) Three Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 (Unaudited) Revenues: Product sales $ 58,546 $ 82,023 Contract manufacturing 10,156 8,859 Contracts, grants and collaborations 32,785 35,230 Total revenues 101,487 126,112 Operating expense: Cost of product sales and contract manufacturing 35,612 27,266 Research and development 35,347 40,941 Selling, general and administrative 44,148 36,453 Income (loss) from operations (13,620 ) 21,452 Other income (expense): Interest income 220 273 Interest expense (1,509 ) (1,628 ) Other income, net 17 (497 ) Total other expense, net (1,272 ) (1,852 ) Income (loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes (14,892 ) 19,600 Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 3,945 5,500 Net income (loss) $ (10,947 ) $ 14,100 Net income (loss) per share - basic $ (0.27 ) $ 0.37 Net income (loss) per share - diluted $ (0.27 ) $ 0.32 Weighted-average number of shares - basic 40,202,821 38,480,754 Weighted-average number of shares - diluted 40,202,821 47,410,413 Emergent BioSolutions Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except share and per share data) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 (Unaudited) Revenues: Product sales $ 130,252 $ 100,314 Contract manufacturing 17,743 21,102 Contracts, grants and collaborations 64,494 68,329 Total revenues 212,489 189,745 Operating expense: Cost of product sales and contract manufacturing 64,115 46,014 Research and development 69,501 79,643 Selling, general and administrative 83,932 70,946 Loss from operations (5,059 ) (6,858 ) Other income (expense): Interest income 406 355 Interest expense (3,033 ) (3,288 ) Other income (expense), net 133 (397 ) Total other expense, net (2,494 ) (3,330 ) Loss before provision for income taxes (7,552 ) (10,188 ) Provision for income taxes 597 2,769 Net loss $ (6,956 ) $ (7,419 ) Net loss per share - basic $ (0.17 ) $ (0.19 ) Net loss per share - diluted $ (0.17 ) $ (0.19 ) Weighted-average number of shares - basic 39,872,738 38,216,524 Weighted-average number of shares - diluted 39,872,738 38,216,524 Emergent BioSolutions Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2016 2015 Cash flows from operating activities: (Unaudited) Net loss $ (6,956 ) $ (7,419 ) Adjustments to reconcile to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: Stock-based compensation expense 9,945 7,790 Depreciation and amortization 17,770 17,298 Income taxes 547 630 Change in fair value of contingent consideration 935 751 Impairment of long-lived assets 1,114 - Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation (10,442 ) (7,241 ) Other 775 153 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable 53,933 (40,884 ) Inventories (19,738 ) (19,034 ) Income taxes (14,556 ) (16,740 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (1,713 ) 2,465 Accounts payable 11,287 2,062 Accrued expenses and other liabilities (3,533 ) 157 Accrued compensation (4,966 ) (5,473 ) Provision for chargebacks 274 (253 ) Deferred revenue 1,007 2,368 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 35,683 (63,370 ) Cash flows from investing activities: Purchases of property, plant and equipment (39,246 ) (19,681 ) Net cash used in investing activities (39,246 ) (19,681 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from long-term debt obligations - 2,000 Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options 14,524 13,162 Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation 10,442 7,241 Contingent obligation payments (971 ) (5,002 ) Net cash provided by financing activities 23,995 17,401 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 168 (8 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 20,600 (65,658 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 312,795 280,499 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 333,395 $ 214,841 A Bay Ridge restaurant can't quite understand why a signed headshot of Donald Trump hanging in their dining room might cause a bit of a stir. Schnitzel Haus, a German restaurant on the neighborhood's busy 5th Avenue, recently removed a photo of The Donald from their walls following some scrutiny by customers on Yelp, who felt uncomfortable eating while being watched by a rotting baby carrot spewing hate speech. "I just couldn't stop thinking about me, a black man with plenty of Mexican friends, supporting a business that supports such a racists and disgusting person as he is," wrote Andrew L. from the Bronx on July 28th. "Imagine going to a place and they having a picture of Hitler just because he visited them at one point in time. Just not cool. Should be removed." "Honestly, I was very upset," Amber Urban, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband Fred, told Brooklyn Daily. "I dont know how posting a picture on the wall is promoting hatred." The photo has been a fixture at the restaurant more or less since it opened, but with Trump just an election a way from his finger on the button, the photo jumps out more than before. Fred Urban penned an uncomfortable reply a day after the review, explaining that they'd begrudgingly removed the offending photo since Andrew and others had felt uncomfortable with the Republican nominee's spray tan in their midst. We have many Mexican, black, Hispanic, Chinese, white, Milano, Indian, German, Italian ( I can go on and on) patrons that adore the schnitzel Haus for its food and hospitality. The picture of trump was given to us after he visited the day after we opened 9 years ago to wish us good luck. He meet us at an event we sponsored during German heritage month at NYU. He was the German American ambassador for the year we opened. If he wasn't running for president we would not even been wasting time on here chatting about this however living in America and the ability to have freedom of speech is obviously not a stronghold that was learned by many. We have removed the picture tonight because I don't like To waste time defending my right to display a picture in my own restaurant. I am hoping autographed Al Pacino picture didn't offend you also. Urban concluded the note, "Thanks for your time. And hey all lives matter!! Be strong!" because of course he did. The Urbans seemed oblivious to the many connections that tie Trump to an anti-semitic or Nazi-esque message, repeatedly praising Das Trump's connections to the Fatherland. "I was honored to hang the photo," Fred doubled down to Brooklyn Daily. "He's a prominent businessman and a big supporter of German-American heritage." If nothing else, at least Trump/Pence have a safe haven in NYC if there's no room at Chili's. A little more than one year after being named executive director of the Book Industry Study Group, Mark Kuyper has resigned. In a brief announcement, BISG said that Kuypers resignation is effective immediately and that he intends to explore other areas of interest. Kuyper took over as executive director in June 2015 following the departure of Len Vlahos who left to buy Tattered Cover Book Store. Prior to moving to BISG, Kuyper was president and CEO of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. He was also a BISG board member. We wish Mark the very best in all his future endeavors, said Tara Catogge of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. and chair of the BISG board. A search for a new executive director has already started, BISG said. Kuyper said he was proud of the changes he was able to institute during his tenure, which will be able to support BISG and its members education and research needs into the next decade." The BISG annual meeting is planned for September 30 in New York and it was unclear Wednesday afternoon if a new executive director will be in place by that date. New Zealand drum & bass sensations Shapeshifter reveal new single Stars by Khyle Deen . Published Thu 04 Aug 2016 15:28 Acclaimed New Zealand drum & bass outfit Shapeshifter have unleashed their new single Stars, which is the first track taken from their brand new studio album, due out later this year. Stars premiered with Clash who said, it's a bold return from the New Zealand band. Bulging with sub-low frequencies, it's a breaks-laden roller that echoes the power of those famed live sets. More than just a system smasher, though, it finds Shapeshifter placing renewed emphasis on the song - there's a finesse, a confidence to each twist and turn. https://soundcloud.com/shapeshifternz/shapeshifter-stars Featuring throbbing basslines, glistening synths and punchy breakbeats topped with the reggae tinged, soulful vocals of PDigsss, Stars is an uplifting electronic pop roller and the perfect embodiment of everything that fans around the globe have come to love about Shapeshifter. Nick Robinson (bass/synths) explains, Stars is a bubbling, rolling, summery track on the D&B vibe. The instrumental track always seemed to be full of life and had some special kind of energy over quite a simple progression but when Digsss came into the studio and laid down his vocal lines, there was magic in the air! I knew straight away it was going to the next level and is going to be a stonker live too. Hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand, the genre-defying five piece have already seen success with four platinum selling albums charting at No. 1 in their homeland, alongside multiple hit singles. The upcoming new album follows its highly praised predecessor Delta which was released in 2013. Delta again reached platinum status and featured the platinum selling single In Colour, earning the band the accolade of Best Group and Best Electronica Album at the New Zealand Music Awards. Reaching out across the globe as well, their stadium-sized electronica has captured the hearts of an army of fans around the world. Playing sold-out shows across Europe including headline shows at both Londons The Forum and Shepherds Bush Empire in the past few years, the band have also made a big impact on the UK festival circuit with appearances at Glastonbury, Lovebox and Global Gathering. And now with Stars and their upcoming album alongside a soon-to-be-announced major UK and European tour, Shapeshifter look set to cement themselves worldwide as one of the most electrifying bands around. What, you thought the Mafia had called it quits? FBI agents arrested dozens of alleged mobsters this morning in a sweep running up and down the East Coast, from Florida to Massachusetts. The FBI announced the indictment of 46 purported members of the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, Bonanno, and Philadelphia crime families today. Three suspects were already in state and federal prison, and four others are still at large. In the sweep, the feds say they found three handguns, a shotgun, gambling items, and $30,000 in cash (which between 39 people isn't a huge amount of dough, let's be honest). "Todays charges against 46 men, including powerful leaders, members and associates of five different La Cosa Nostra families, demonstrate that the mob remains a scourge on this city and around the country," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "From loansharking and illegal gambling, to credit card and health care fraud, and even firearms trafficking, todays mafia is fully diversified in its boundless search for illegal profits. And as alleged, threatening to assault, maim and kill people who get in the way of their criminal schemes remains the go-to play in the mobs playbook." Purported wise guys were rounded up in the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Yonkers, Rockland County, Orange County, the Jersey Shore, Bergen County, Springfield, Massachusetts, various cities in the Miami area, and Costa Rica. The alleged schemes include an illegal casino in Yonkers, and a crime ring allegedly run out of a restaurant in the Bronx's Little Italy. The Yonkers casino, allegedly run by Pasquale "Patsy" Parrello and four others, hosted poker tournaments and dice tournaments, took bets on horse races, and included poker machines. Parrello runs Pasquale's Rigoletto on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and the feds claim he is a Genovese capo who used his business as a headquarters. Suspects also frequently met at highway rest stops to avoid law enforcement scrutiny, according to the indictment. In June 2011, Parrello allegedly ordered guys with nicknames such as "The Beast" and "Buddy" to beat up a panhandler who had bothered some customers. "Remember the old days in the neighborhood when we used to play baseball?...A ball game like that was done," the Beast allegedly told Pasquale underling Anthony "Anthony Boy" Zinzi in a wiretapped call. An informant worked under Parrello and apparently recorded thousands of hours of conversations with these fellows, as well as people working under Joey Merlino, alleged boss of the Philadelphia family, whom the informant helped out with Parrello's permission. Meanwhile, an undercover agent infiltrated the Genovese sub-organization allegedly run by Eugene "Rooster" O'Nofrio on Mulberry Street and in Springfield. In early 2011, while Parrello was under federal supervision for a prior conviction, the casino allegedly run by Zinzi in Yonkers was suffering as a rival club raked in profits, according to the feds. Zinzi allegedly ordered his guys to torch the car of the rival club's owner. In seeking to shake down the rival club owner for a gambling debt, Parrello allegedly sent Zinzi, Buddy (Israel Torres), and Vincent "Big VInny" Terracciano to threaten him repeatedly over more than two years. On one occasion, Parrello allegedly said, "I want Buddy to choke him, choke him, actually choke the motherfuckerand tell him, Listen to menext time Im not gonna stop choking Im gonna kill you.'" In strategizing collection from another debtor, Parrello allegedly said: Cut his fuckin tire. That way he has to change the tire. So then you know you can catch up with him. Give him a flat. Take the air out of the tire, whatever the fuck you got to do. Then you catch up with him because then hes there, ya know, hes got to get it fixed, he cant go nowhere, and then you surround the motherfucker. Thats how yous do it. Prosecutors say the sap paid up. In Massachusetts, four men were charged with interfering with interstate commerce through threats and violence, racketeering, loan-sharking, and extortion. Some of the suspects, including Parrello, are said to have been involved in credit card fraud, medical fraud, and selling more than $3 million in untaxed cigarettes. In a separate but possibly related state bust out of Queens, John Gotti's 23-year-old grandson John Gotti was arrested with seven others early today on narcotics charges, NBC4 reports. 18 alleged Genovese operatives from New York City and Long Island were charged federally in May. Robert Frank arrived in America in 1947 and for the next twelve years he held it in his grasp, capturing its packed streets, ruined alleys, curving highways, bright diners, bandstands, churches, bars, and homes with his camera. His most enduring work is unquestionably The Americans, a book of 83 black and white images taken during a 10,000 mile roadtrip in 1955. Having been born in 1924 into Zurich's staid efficiency, Frank adored the democratic, open character of his new country and took over 27,000 photos as he drove from New York to Miami, Detroit, Alabama, and LA. What he came back with is an unforgettable document of private life observed by a careful eye. Frank found a black nurse cradling a white baby in Charleston, drunk cowboys in a New Mexico bar, sprawling and ugly rooftops in Montana, horny teenagers in California, everyday Jim Crow in New Orleans, and many white children playing beneath the American flag. Today, nearly 60 years since it was published, The Americans still rattles with the tremulous hope and panic that enveloped the nation post-WWII. It is, simply put, the finest book by a living photographer. But only a year after it was published, Frank put his Leica down for good. He took up filmmaking. For the rest of his life, Frank used motion pictures as a means of exploring the outside world and coming to terms with himself, and while each of his photos contained a discrete idea, the films he made turned out messy with all their moving parts exposed. His actors were untrained, his scripts were mere outlines, and his directing was strange. Frank's style bordered on gonzo and used almost none of the steady, beautifying techniques of Hollywood. His first release, 1959's Pull My Daisy, was a badly-lit manic comedy populated by beat writers; Allen Ginsberg starred and a wasted-off-applejack Kerouac provided narration. It's impossible to follow but a joy to experience all the same, and The Times has referred to it as "indie cinema before indie existed." Like most of the films Frank went on to make, there was little planning, no budget, and practically no audience. Pull My Daisy will be the first film shown at BAM's new long-running retrospective of Frank's work. All told, 25 of his 31 films will be played, including the haunting 1968 feature Me and My Brother, which follows the poet Peter Orlovsky as he reconnects with his schizophrenic brother Julius, who had been confined to a mental institution for 12 years then thrust back into the clamor of Manhattan. The film is an unkempt heartbreak as Frank shows us footage of Julius wandering alone, followed by shooters holding clunky super-8 cameras. At one point, a young Christopher Walken steps in to play Frank. "Don't make a movie about making a movie. Make it," one of the actresses tells Frank, raising the sad question of purpose that was Frank's motive all along. Frank's most difficult piece of work is 1969's Conversations in Vermont, which shows the director/artist reckoning with his greatest failure: fatherhood. In order to make The Americans, Frank chose to abandon his young family for many months, and his son Pablo and daughter Andrea grew up estranged from their celebrated father. The family is the main cast of Conversations, which shows Frank visiting them at a New England private school in which he enrolled them, hoping they'd grow up sheltered from his messy New York scene ("I feel the burden of bringing myself up," Pablo tells his father). Slow-moving and sad, the movie is made all the more chilling by the fact that in 1974, Andrea died in a plane crush. In 1994, Pablo committed suicide. The gravitas of Walker Evans inspired Frank's photography, and the downtown beat scene powered his early films, but eventually he had to find new sources of creative energy. BAM plans to close the series on September 22nd with a screening of his most controversial, rarest film, 1972's Cocksucker Blues, which was born out of a Rolling Stones photoshoot and became a malformed ride-along diary of how the band passed their off-hours. When Frank turned it in, the Stones hated what they saw and barred its theatrical release. Its elusiveness lent it mythical cult status (Don DeLillo claims to have watched a badly-copied version decades ago), but luckily BAM managed to strike a deal with Frank's legal team and now legitimate tickets for Cocksucker Blues are on sale. "We didnt choose a subset or organize [the films] around a theme, BAM Cinematek coordinator Jesse Trussel told Crain's New York. "Its a celebration of all of his films." Trussel worked closely with Frank's longtime film editor Laura Israel, who met Frank in the 1980s when both were hired to make a music video for Joy Division. Israel recently finished Don't Blink, which serves as a masterful biopic of Frank's life told in his own words, and it was her documentary work that catalyzed the new BAM series into being (Don't Blink is currently showing until August 9th at Film Forum and is a must-see for Frank fans). Over the course of his life, Frank knew great success and terrible pain. Now, at age 92, he lives a quiet life in his dusty Manhattan loft with his longtime wife June Leaf. Don't Blink reveals it to be a calm place decorated with memories: reels of unfinished movies, film negatives, notebooks, letters. Despite the societal strife he captured in photos and manic dread he forced onto film, the aged Frank appears at peacehe laughs easily and smiles for the camera. It's possible that he's able to rest assured that his art comforted the disturbed, and disturbed the comforted. He did it by putting all of himself into his work. For the next two months at BAM, we can see him for ourselves. G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now! BVWP 2030 pledges investment in around 1000 transport projects, allocating 132.8bn to the road network, 112.3bn to rail, and 24.5bn to waterways in the period to 2030. The plan prioritises spending on maintenance of existing infrastructure, which accounts for 70% of the total allocation, compared with 56% in BVWP 2003. Other priorities include strengthening infrastructure on core corridors and easing bottlenecks to optimise traffic flows across the entire network. BVWP 2030 includes provisions for the elimination of around 800km of rail bottlenecks. BVWP 2030 is the first federal infrastructure plan to incorporate public feedback, and a six-week public consultation took place earlier this year. However, Allianz pro Schiene, a coalition of 22 non-profit organisations and over 120 companies from across the German rail industry argues the consultation period was too brief to have any tangible impact on the plan. The nearly 40,000 statements from associations, the public and transport experts can hardly be taken into consideration before the revised transport infrastructure plan is presented to the cabinet on August 3, says managing director Mr Dirk Flege. Under such circumstances, the development of a modern vision transport will not be successful. Flege also warns BVWP is too road-orientated, committing 55% federal spending on new construction and infrastructure upgrades to highway projects. For railway projects there is a lack of both funding and the appropriate high level of prioritisation, he says. In both the transport infrastructure plan and the legislation on upgrades and construction there is no timetable for essential rail projects. Urgent upgrades to the rail network to enable operation of 740m-long freight trains as well as construction on major rail junctions are unanimously considered by experts to be essential climate protection measures. In contrast, the transport ministry, after spending the last 6 years working on its infrastructure plan, has still not completed an evaluation. Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Siemens and Talgo will compete for the contract to supply a minimum of 15 trains and maintain the fleet for 30 years. In May an administrative court ruled against Renfe and ordered the company to restart the procurement process after suppressing a clause that required bidders to manufacture most of the components for the trains in Spain. The framework contract has a value of 1.1bn on its minimal extension, but could reach 2.6bn if Renfe decides to buy 15 additional trains and to extend the maintenance period to 40 years. The initial 15 trains will seat more than 400 passengers and have a maximum speed of 320km/h. At least 10 of the trains will be allocated to cross-border operation between France and Spain, and will therefore be equipped with three different electrification systems, and three different signalling systems (ETCS, TVM 430 and Asfa). Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK Donald Trump has been taking up a lot of America's mental bandwidth for the last year or so, in a way that extends far beyond the typical partisan doomsaying that goes on during a typical presidential election. Whatever people thought about Bernie Sanders's math on free college, Hillary Clinton's Goldman Sachs transcripts, Ted Cruz's one-page tax form (wut), or Jeb Bush's charter school profiteering, a queasy consensus seems to have emerged among coastal liberal elites, most women, a vast majority of people of color, and even union-busting, abortion-clinic-closing, anti-gay-marriage Republicans like Ohio Governor John Kasich. In Never Trump Landwelcomeall agree that Trump represents a unique threat to American democracy and must be stopped. Much in Trump's personality, public statements, and advertised positions gives credence to this theory. Trump has called Mexican immigrants rapists and encouraged violence against protesters at his rallies. He has said he'll break international trade pacts and military treaties, kill the families of suspected terrorists, embrace torture once more, "open up" libel laws to suppress critical media outlets, shut down mosques, and ban Muslims from entering the country. He has pushed conspiracy theories about thousands of Muslims cheering September 11th, President Obama being born outside of the U.S., and much more. Slate has a handy, ranked run-down of un-presidential/unhinged Trump outbursts here. Trump is also toxic as a businessman. He had the good fortune to inherit millions of dollars from his developer dad, and over the past three decades has made some money marketing himself as a comic-book ideal of wealth and ruthlessness. On the flip side, his companies have declared bankruptcy six times; he personally admits, in a roundabout way, that his billions of net worth are inflated and based in part on his own imagination; and he has left a trail of thousands of lawsuits, spurned business partners, unpaid workers, fraud investigations, and harassed and discriminated-against tenants in his wake. A full accounting of the wreckage could fill the Trump Tower. For a somewhat brief rundown, here's The Atlantic. The threat is clear to the Never Trumpers, who, given that the Republican Party has lent its name to the duck-lipped would-be strongman, have a stronger toehold in blue states. But how does one get the necessity of stopping Trump across to people who, as George Saunders wrote for the New Yorker, believe that "Vince Foster has still been murdered, Dick Morris is a reliable source, kids are brainwashed 'way to the left' by going to college, and Obama may yet be Muslim"? What can those of us who live in blue (or red) states do if we think we're living in Germany in 1933, or, understanding that the rise of Hitler is an imperfect analogy, believe that "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing"? Let me preface this set by saying that I know the pundits and analysts, even those who purport to operate exclusively in the realm of data, have been wrong on Trump every step of the way. They failed to predict the rise of Trump, and when he was the Republican frontrunner, they desperately predicted that the wheels would fall off his campaign because of his latest outrageous statement or some other event TBD. Clearly, Trump's fear-mongering, irreverence, and emphasis on American might and jobs, however untethered from facts, speaks to people. And clearly the editors at national media outlets who shudder in horror at his every move have yet to penetrate that appeal. In fact, their ruffled feathers are fuel for a campaign that may be the most elaborate exercise in trolling ever conceived. Still, I've got some ideas. (Justin Sullivan/Getty) If you want to give money, don't give money to Hillary Clinton Give money to down-ticket Democratic candidates with positions you can fully get behind. Your money will go further. As of June 30th, Clinton and her backers had raised $600 million for this campaign. As my one-time Obama ground-campaign operative friend put it, "You give Hillary Clinton $30, it's a drop in the bucket. Goldman Sachs gives her a million times that." (The economy-wrecking financial juggernaut has given Clinton about $890,000 over her career, plus more than $2 million in speaking fees to her and Bill, more than a quarter million to the Clinton Foundation, and CEO Lloyd Blankfein invested an unknown amount with son-in-law Marc Mezvinsky's hedge fund.) The former organizer continued, "If you give Clinton $30, it's going to pay for one person's catered food one night at a fundraiser. If you give it to a down-ticket candidate, it's going to pay for the copying of voter lists, copying of maps." The DNC and the Clinton campaign had claimed that the Hillary Clinton Victory Fund, criticized by the Sanders campaign for supposedly circumventing campaign fundraising rules, was spreading money around to down-ticket races, but emails published through the DNC leaks revealed that less than one percent of the $82 million raised ended up with state party organizations. "The long-term impact is in the success of down-ticket people and local organization building," according to the former organizer I talked to. And a key final point here, if you agree with the premise of this article, is that, "Everyone [a down-ticket candidate] turns out to vote is likely to vote for Hillary Clinton." For an idea of who you could support, check out the Progressive Change Campaign Committee website. Also, in South Florida, Berniecrat Tim Canova is running against incumbent congresswoman and disgraced former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, attacking her past opposition to medical marijuana, her support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and her support from Wall Street. Phone-bank and canvass for a down-ticket candidate Before you hop in a rental car and head to Pennsylvania, hold on a second. If you're reading this and haven't yet linked up with the Clinton campaign, chances are you don't want to. You're not alone: a recent Gallup poll found that 52 percent of people currently view Hillary Clinton unfavorably (the silver lining: 62 percent think the same of Trump). If the fear of a Trumpocalypse is weighing on you even more than your Clinton fatigue and you feel so compelled, pick a candidate or state party organization in a swing state and get to work pitching people on a Democrat you have more enthusiasm for. Your script may call for you to work in some Hillary love, or not. The fact is that moving Democrats who otherwise would not have voted to the polls for a local candidate is a net good for Clinton, and provides a kind of mobilization her massive, extremely well-financed campaign operation cannot. It also, hopefully, will end up helping the people who end up having to live with the winner of the local race. (Scott Olson/Getty) Consider canvassing for Gary Johnson in white suburban and rural areas You may not agree with Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson on everythingsure he wants to legalize marijuana and end the U.S.'s long run as an global military interventionist; he's also hazy on who Harriet Tubman is. Still, the guy is polling at 8 and 9 percent, and he could well siphon off support from Trump if those keen on Trump's brand of economic and military isolationism are grossed out by his mushroom-cloud-sized ego and onion-paper-thin skin. Polls suggest that the Trump is doing best among voters who are white, male, and lack a college education. People fitting that bill happen to be concentrated outside of cities. It is not necessarily impossible to imagine someone successfully converting a Trump vote to a Clinton vote in the white rural South, but as the former campaigner I spoke to put it, "The time it would take you, at that point, you might as well get a part-time job and donate the money you earn." The factors that motivate Trump voters are many and multi-faceted, it's true. However, the prospect of stopping Hillary Clinton is a very strong and persistent one, built up through decades of conspiratorial right-wing messaging and actual shadiness by the Clintons. If you have a Fox-News-watching family member, think of how difficult it is to talk to that person about why he should vote Clinton, then imagine doing it with a stranger. And while you're at it, call your conservative relative and tell him about all that Johnson has to offer. On the flip side, there is some chance that by canvassing for Johnson in a swing state, even in a rural area, you might peel away some small sliver of support for Clinton. So, I dunno, take solace in the fact that politics is more interesting and relevant to people's lives when there are more than two parties in play? Swap votes with a swing state voter to empower the Green Party without helping to elect Trump Third-party candidates need five percent of the vote to get federal election funding for their parties the next go-round. If you're on board with single-payer healthcare, breaking up big banks, ending domestic spying, drawing down mass incarceration, etc., but also want to ensure that people vote Clinton where it truly counts, talk to someone in a swing state about swapping votes. The swing state resident votes for Hillary; you vote for Jill Stein; and no one can accuse either of you of throwing the election to Trump (though they will anyway). Voters in decidedly red states could also offer to trade with a swing-state resident, since the red state is going Trump anyhow. People who set up websites for vote-swapping in 2000 shut them down after drawing law enforcement scrutiny. Selling your vote is definitely illegal, but after some courthouse back-and-forth, an appeals court ruled that the voluntary, non-binding agreement to swap votes is protected free speech. A group called Vote Pact considers the tactic I'm describing a cop-out and is trying to arrange a mutual exiting of the dominant parties by liberals and conservatives through one-to-one agreements to vote third party on either side. The more practical Swap My Vote is running in the United Kingdom but hasn't landed here yet. Perhaps this could all be accomplished on Reddit now, idk. (Drew Angerer/Getty) Understand that swing states aren't monolithic (and don't talk down to people) We get it: you went to a decent college, you live in the big city, you have great opinions, perhaps the best opinions. You either escaped the hell of your small town in the middle of the country or, as a native of Westchester County, never had to suffer the indignity of visiting such a place. Nevertheless, this should go without saying, but for God's sake, never utter the phrase "flyover state." No matter how many "Go back to Ohio" jokes you've told, no matter your level of disdain for private automobile ownership, there's no way you will connect with people if you don't fundamentally respect them and approach your conversation with an open mind and the knowledge that the person you're speaking to has had a unique life experience with its own set of challenges, and comes from a particular place with its own set of norms. Take Ohio. Ohio is a complex place with a lot of sociopolitical and economic variation from county to county. The southern part of the state has more in common with Appalachia than Indiana. The northeast is home to majority Democratic, formerly industrial, majority-minority cities decades into a decline wrought by the departure of manufacturers. The suburbs of those cities can be Trump territory, also suffering from de-industrialization, but seeing a different set of solutions. Columbus is a diverse college town in the middle that's doing pretty decently, thanks very much. There are some militiamen and stretches of endless corn-fields out there, for sure, and racism is not a figment of our collective imagination, but yelling at someone about how they're ignorant and wrong is no way to bring them around to your point of view. And on that note, Bernie or Bust protesters outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Tyler LaRiviere/Gothamist) Don't yell at your friends in blue states for disliking Hillary Clinton If you live in a state that has voted Democratic in past presidential elections and you think a single-digit percentage of people voting for Jill Stein gives Trump a chance there, we have much bigger problems than that guy you went to high school with who's still talking about affidavit ballot counting. Assuming that blue states remain blue in November, yelling at your Bernie bud is going to accomplish exactly nothing. If the goal is Democratic Party unity, Bernie Sanders supporters need convincing that their vision of a Democratic Party accountable to the grassroots and helping working people is going to be embraced, not dismissed. You might think Hillary Clinton's policies are exponentially preferable to Trump's, but respect that people have serious issues with her track record that extend far beyond guttural cries of "Benghazi!" For example: At a time when banks have been formally recognized as too big to fail and bankers as too big to jail, when our prisons are packed with drug users and street hustlers and the lives of government employees are ruined for blowing the whistle on domestic spying, it's not a good look for Clinton to get a pass from the FBI for storing classified material on an insecure server. Sanders fans' complaints that the primary process was unfair are no longer easily caricatured now that the top leaders of the DNC have had to step down because hacked DNC emails showed they were colluding with the Clinton campaign well before the primary contest with Sanders was over. Nor are the people who want money out of politics thrilled about the tens of millions of dollars that hedge funds, banks, insurance companies, and other financial services companies have given to Clinton's campaign, or the billions raised by the Clinton Foundation from corporate giants and foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, or the leveraging of Hillary's secretary of state job to make Clinton allies money. To the progressive eye, President Obama had a troubling tendency to take actions far to the right of what his thoughtful, constitutional-law professor background would suggest. The man who campaigned on promises to close the extra-judicial prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has failed at all three. The U.S. is currently carrying out drone wars in three countries, and has troops in combat areas in five others, including Iraq and Afghanistan. On Monday, Obama opened a ninth theater of war when the U.S. started bombing ISIS in Libya, the country which has been in chaos since the Clinton-backed effort to oust Muammar Gaddafi. Obama, the presidential candidate who pledged to create a citizenship process for undocumented immigrants has, as president, deported more people than any U.S. president in history. If Obama was hoping for some conservative props for all this, he has obviously not gotten them. Obama's speech at the DNC framed Clinton's presidency as a seamless handoff from him to his understudy, and Clinton's record of pushing for even more war than Obama wanted suggests that she will be quicker to pursue military escalation if elected, though she would surely phrase it more politely than "bombing the shit out of 'em." Someone expressing that Hillary Clinton is not someone's choice of a leader is not letting the perfect being the enemy of the goodit's beginning a conversation about what has actually been done in the name of Democrats, and all Americans, and what should be done in the future. But I'm getting off track here. When feeling the need to scold your friends about politics, go punch a dumpster instead. At least you'll get some exercise out of it! Upper East Side residents sound off at a community board meeting. (Scott Heins/Gothamist) Get involved in local politics I'm not saying Trump won't start a nuclear war if elected, but for perspective, Reagan expressed numerous times that he was game for that, and said all sorts of other crazy shit during his campaign and subsequent two terms, all while barely showing up to work and possibly suffering from early stages of Alzheimer's. Look, I think we can all agree (in Never Trump Land) that nuclear annihilation, internment camps, (continued) mass deportations and the like are a bad idea and we should resist them however we can. That said, the decisions that most affect what the world looks like outside your front door are being made every day in City Hall, in Albany, and in the halls of Congress. And by and large, nobody pays attention to any of it. That's how our mayor, who is currently the subject of six or seven separate investigations and whose deputies sold off a nursing home to be turned into condos and tried to cover up the extent of their involvement, could be elected by a "landslide" with 750,000 votes. That's how we ended up with two terms of a governor who says, "Our progressive government is working in New York" at the DNC while his aides are being investigated for possibly selling favors, while New York continues to have one of the most restrictive voter participation processes in the country, while Cuomo has allied himself with Republicans and so-called Independent Democrats to create an artificial Republican majority in the state Senate, and while he is planning elaborate vanity projects for our public transit system as funding for practical matters such as modernizing the subways' signaling to speed trains has yet to fully materialize. That's how our lacadaisical congressional representatives end up elected to 12th terms on the strength of 5,000 votes in a primary, or if they're unopposed, no votes at all. The rise of Donald Trump is not unprecedented. It is the latest product of decades of Republican messaging and organizing that began with the Southern Strategy, Richard Nixon's plan to recruit white Southern Democrats who were upset about the passage of the Civil Rights Act (it worked). That thread runs through the ascent of Fox News to the top of the cable ratings, the Koch brothers-incubated Tea Party, and the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. The Republican Party may have lost its grip on the latest figurehead of the neo-John Birch Society it stirred up for votes, but the fact that Republicans control the House and the Senate, and that Trump has a shot at the presidency at all is a testament not just to the anger and xenophobia of a large chunk of the U.S. population, but also to the effectiveness of ground-level conservative organizations at mobilizing voters, writing legislation, and shepherding hand-picked judges into power. How does the old saying go? Don't mournorganize! A new RAND study titled War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable found that improving Chinese military capabilities challenge the assumption that the United States would emerge an early and decisive victor in a war with China. The report noted that the advanced strike capabilities of each side, combined with the shrinking of the military gap between them, could make such a war intense, highly destructive, and yet protracted. David C. Gompert, the lead author of the study and an adjunct senior fellow at RAND, recently participated in a Q&A on what the study does, and does not, say about the potential for a Sino-U.S. war and its possible outcome. Are you predicting that the United States and China may soon go to war? We do not predict a war between the United States and China. Rather, it is plausible that such a war could arise out of a mishandled crisis and, given improvements in the strike capabilities of both countries, could be intense, destructive, and protracted. What kind of spark might ignite a Sino-U.S. war? Tensions exist between the United States and China on a number of issues, and a crisis could occur and involve incidents or miscalculations that lead to hostilities. For example, China could try to intimidate its neighbors below the threshold of U.S. intervention and misjudge where that threshold is, or underestimate U.S. willingness to back Japan militarily in a crisis over disputed territory in the East China Sea. How might a war scenario play out? At present, Chinese military losses would significantly exceed U.S. losses during a war. However, the unrelenting improvement of Chinese anti-access capabilities could increase U.S. losses and, as U.S. strike capabilities are depleted, reduce Chinese losses. But even as China improves its military abilities, it could not be confident of gaining military advantage. This suggests the strong possibility of a prolonged and inconclusive war. Could a Sino-U.S. war go nuclear? Nuclear war is highly unlikely. Even in an intensely violent conventional conflict, neither side would regard its losses as so serious, its prospects so dire, or the stakes so vital that it would run the risk of devastating nuclear retaliation by using nuclear weapons first. If such a war were to break out, how might Japan react? We do not predict that Japan would enter such a war. Rather, we say it could be militarily significant if Japan were to do so. It is more likely that Japan would enter a conflict between the United States and China if it was threatened or attacked. U.S. use of bases in Japan could well lead to Chinese threats or attacks against Japan. Likewise, if China attacked Japanese forces, Japan would presumably be more likely to resist. While we would not predict how Japan would react in circumstances such as these, the very possibility that Japan might enter a conflict on the side of the United States would weigh heavily on Chinese decisionmaking. Thus, a strong U.S.-Japanese alliance and capable Japanese forces could be major deterrents against a war. What about other U.S. allies in the region? In addition to Japan, the United States has several other important allies in East Asia, including the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. It is inherent in these ties that any conflict in the region would trigger consultations and possible joint action. This being the case, military planning for a variety of contingencies is prudent. We do not speculate on whether such planning would result in any particular U.S. ally entering a conflict. Would Russia and NATO join the fray? Internationally, Russia might line up behind China and NATO might back the United States, but it is unlikely that either power would have a significant bearing on the fighting. How might North Korea react? Predicting the behavior of North Korea in the event of a Sino-American war is fraught with uncertainty. However, if it involved attacks against Japan, the ballistic-missile defenses currently under development and construction could provide considerable protection. Why think the unthinkable? A Sino-U.S. war may seem unthinkable, but the course and consequences need more thought in both countries. History suggests that wars that are very destructive to both combatants have a way of persisting as long as neither side faces complete defeat. A Sino-U.S. war would be so harmful that both sides should place a very high priority on avoiding one. While such prospects make premeditated war highly improbable, they also dictate effective individual and bilateral crisis management, as well as other measures to avoid misperceptions and mistakes. What is needed to help those who are homeless in Grand Rapids? Safe, affordable housing, writes Tami VandenBerg, the Director of Well House. Recently I have been inundated with questions about homelessness in Grand Rapids. Some of these questions have come in response to the lively and colorful discussions about the state of the historic Heartside neighborhood. I've been alarmed at some of the misinformation I've seen spread around on social media and through some media outlets. I decided I needed to take action. Something I've heard repeated in various spheres is that Grand Rapids has become a 'destination for homeless people. I'm not sure what data/research/evidence supports this as I've never seen any cited. Absolutely it is true that our city has people coming now for all kinds of reasons. We also have many people leaving and looking for cheaper housing and more opportunity elsewhere. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] Point in Time Homelessness Count, our county experienced Another commonly repeated statement is that the majority of people who experience homelessness are mentally ill or are addicted to illegal drugs or alcohol. Dennis Culhane, a leading researcher on the issue of homelessness in the United States, states the following: According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, one in five people on the street on any given night struggle with addiction. It can be both a cause and a consequence of homelessness, but it is often vastly overstated in discussions around homelessness. Some claim that there are many people living on the street who do not want housing. I can tell you that in the last 20 years I have encountered very few people who turned down safe, low-cost, dignified, permanent housing. Those who did were often extremely traumatized, suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or did not want to be separated from a pet or a community that had been established on the street or in an encampment. I strongly believe that good data is essential to solving any social problem, and I applaud our community for taking big steps to improve our data. Each January Kent County is required to submit a Another key data point in the HUD There is a solution to homelessness, and the solution is housing. The reasons people lose their housing are varied, and no two stories are exactly alike. But the solution is always the same: housing. This can be achieved through rent subsidies, single room occupancy projects, and rehabilitating our stock of vacant/boarded up houses (19,000 in the county according to the 2010 census). The The Housing First Model is based on the concept that a homeless individual or household's first and primary need is to obtain stable housing, and that other issues that may affect the household can and should be addressed once housing is obtained. "If you can get somebody off the street, it saves the emergency room visits, it saves the police, it saves the justice system and so when you add up all those extra costs ... you can buy a lot of housing for that amount of money," Medicine Hat Mayor Ted Clugston Alberta's Ministry of Human Services said that supports for chronically homeless people can cost more than $100,000 per year (in Canada), taking into account justice, health and emergency services. Housing First costs less than $35,000 a year, the ministry reports. Central Florida found that residents pay $31,065 per chronically homeless person every year they live on the streets. A study from 2014 found that it would cost taxpayers just $10,051 per homeless person to give them a permanent place to live and services like job training and health care in the same region. So what are we waiting for, Grand Rapids? I think we really all want the same thing. We want safe, clean, successful business districts, and we want dignified housing for all of our residents. Business owners, faith leaders, community activists and most of all, our homeless neighbors all want homelessness to end in Grand Rapids and Kent County. This op-ed is part of Rapid Growth's Rapid Blog series , which highlights the voices of leaders making positive change in Grand Rapids. This week's post comes from Tami VandenBerg, who owns The Meanwhile Bar on Wealthy Street and The Pyramid Scheme Bar in Heartside with her brother, Jeff VandenBerg. She is also Director of Well House, a nonprofit organization that uses the Housing First Model to move people out of homelessness and into permanent housing. She lives in the Eastown neighborhood of Grand Rapids with her family. a 12 percent decrease from 2015 to 2016 in the number of people staying in emergency shelters and on the streets.In my own research, I have calculated that the rate of severe mental illness among the homeless (including families and children) is 13 to 15 percent. Among the much smaller group of single adults who are chronically homeless, however, the rate reaches 30 to 40 percent. So while this is an important piece of the conversation, there is simply no research to back up the idea that most homeless people have severe mental illness. 'Point in Time' Count to HUD. This count includes people living in emergency shelters, transitional housing units and on the streets. Eight-hundred people were included in this count on January 27, 2016. This count provides a 'snapshot' of the issue, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates there are five times that number in any given city who are 'doubled up, living temporarily with friends or family. While the homeless population in Heartside are the most visible, 189 of those counted on January 2016 were children.homelessness study is 368 of the 800 people counted identify as Black/African American. That is, 46 percent in a county that, according to the 2010 census, is 9.7 percent Black/African American. As our city and county grapple with our very serious lack of racial equity (see this Forbes article from January 2015), our discussions need to include this alarming disparity in homelessness. Housing First Model , developed by Sam Tsemberis in New York City in the early 2000s, has been widely implemented in states such as Utah and cities such as Medicine Hat in Alberta, Canada. Utah has since reduced chronic homelessess by 91%. Medicine Hat provided housing to 885 people, virtually ending homelessness in that city, and saving money in the process. The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released a report agreeing with the renewable industries dual claim that even though technologies like wind and solar power are now cost-competitive with conventional energy sources, governments should continue to subsidize them. This rhetoric suggests that American taxpayer dollars should continue to prop up the profitability of select companies compared with what the free market would objectively and more efficiently determine. In other words, the IEA implicitly confirms that by removing government support, many renewable energy companies would collapse like a house of cards because they arent competitive without it. Further, the report concludes that without government subsidies for renewable companies, investors would not be comfortable investing private capital. Why then would the U.S. government want America to put all of her eggs in a renewables basket? Warren Buffet, billionaire and major investor in wind energy, has admitted that wind isnt all that its cracked up to be. The only reason to build them [wind farms] is the subsidies; They dont make sense without them. Assertions that renewables are not a profitable investment without taxpayer dollars are based on the industrys cost structure. Since the bulk of the costs for renewable projects are fixed, the profitability of new projects are dependent on current and future fiscal and regulatory environment. The IEA report confirms that renewable energy technologies depend more on government action than fossil-fuel based investments. Unlike renewables, coal and natural gas producers can respond to market signals by adjusting their output and operating costs. Texas is at the center of this debate over preserving renewable subsidies because the state leads the nation with 18.2 GW of combined installed wind and solar capacity. The Texas Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) goal of reaching 10,000 MW by 2025 was met in 2010, 15 years ahead of schedule. The Texas Legislature now faces a dilemma of whether to increase the costly RPS after long meeting its goal. Renewable supporters strong resistance to Senate Bill 931 in 2015 suggests that the industry is well aware that subsidies are necessary to be competitive. This bill would have eliminated the Texas RPS and make the purchase of renewable energy credits by utilities voluntary. This would promote a return to a more market-oriented approach to renewable energy production rather than one mandated by government. Unfortunately, the bill eventually died in the Texas House. Since the RPS was not increased or made voluntary, renewable energy credits for new projects have become even more scarce than they were during the boom of projects in the early 2000s. Despite this, Texas has reached 16 GW of installed wind capacity since the boom and now produces roughly 20 percent of the nations wind-powered electricity generation. Given the scarcity of renewable energy credits, how did Texas renewables achieve this growth? According to the IEA, about one-third of the 4.8 GW of wind power installed in Texas in 2014 was financed using synthetic power purchase agreements, also known as hedges. Under these agreements, the power producer sells its electricity directly into the wholesale spot market and receives the prevailing market price. To compensate for the unpredictability of market prices, however, the power producer signs a contract for a financial product known as a hedge to provide protection against volatility and increase the stability of future cash flows. These agreements effectively enable project developers, in combination with federal tax incentives, to secure debt and equity financing required to finance their projects.* Extensive, unregulated use of hedging was blamed for the 2008 financial crisis, though government was also to blame for creating the financial market boom that would eventually bust. Given the incentives in place, financial companies purchased vast insurance against risky markets that ultimately collapsed, followed by the government bailing out many financial firms and over-regulating them through Dodd-Frank. Regarding renewables, producers are hedging their bets on production with synthetic power purchase agreements to ensure profitability despite receiving government subsidies. All this to finance energy that cannot be produced when its not windy or sunny outside. As with the financial sector, renewables have had a boom led by government intervention and hedging that may ultimately bust as markets cant efficiently work. This would not only threaten the reliability and price of electricity, but it would also come at the expense of taxpayers. Further, the IEAs assertion to subsidize renewables to keep them cost-competitive makes the strongest possible statement against subsidizing them. Its time for Texas to take a closer look at the effect of increasing renewable generation and steer the competitive electricity market away from growing subsidies for unreliable energy sources. Once Texas, the nations leading energy producer, starts to move the dial, other states and the federal government should follow to allow free markets to work instead of contributing to a boom and bust cycle. Frederic C. Hof, director at the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, served as a special adviser for transition in Syria at the State Department in 2012. This article was created in collaboration with the Atlantic Council. The views expressed are solely those of the author. When things go badly for declared U.S. policy in Syria, locals in the region -- regardless of which side they are on -- often conclude that what is declared is really deception: that surely the world's sole superpower cannot be as clueless as it sometimes seems. A group of visiting Lebanese Army officers, commenting on the desultory military campaign against Islamic State in eastern Syria, recently offered the view that Washington wants the terror group to survive. Syrian rebels desperately resisting besiegement in the city of Aleppo no doubt see the collaboration of the American-supported Kurdish PYD militia with Russia and the Assad regime as 'proof' that Washington supports the government of Bashar Assad. Locals find it hard to believe that what happens in Syria does not reflect American intent. In truth, the ongoing disaster in Syria reflects a host of factors. Washington's intent is not among them. Yes, President Barack Obama really does want Assad to step aside in a choreographed political transition. Yes, the president really meant it when he vowed in 2014 to degrade and destroy ISIS. But other things got in the way. They still do. It is unlikely that President Obama would be in the position today of not having defended one single Syrian civilian from the Assad regimes brutal tactics were it not for Irans involvement in the war. Fear that complicating Assad's murderous rampage with modest military means would offend Tehran and nix the nuclear negotiations stayed the president's hand. Keeping Iran on board with the deal reached last year continues to do so. Now, Russian intervention offers another excuse for looking the other way as civilians in their homes, hospitals, schools, bakeries, and mosques are deliberately targeted and obliterated, all for the recruiting benefit of ISIS. Many Syrians and others in the region believe Washington's indifference reflects its intent: that the administration is looking for a way to ratify diplomatically Moscow's successful military intervention so that common cause can be made with Russia and the regime against Islamic State. Those who believe this should consider President Obamas 2014 remarks in Brisbane, Australia, at the G20 press conference: Certainly no changes have taken place with respect to our attitude towards Bashar al-Assad. And Ive said this before, but let me reiterate: Assad has ruthlessly murdered hundreds of thousands of his citizens, and as a consequence has completely lost legitimacy with the majority of the country. For us to then make common cause with him against ISIL would only turn more Sunnis in Syria in the direction of supporting ISIL, and would weaken our coalition that sends a message around the region this is not a fight against Sunni Islam, this is a fight against extremists of any stripe who are willing to behead innocent people or kill children, or mow down political prisoners with the kind of wanton cruelty that I think weve very rarely seen in the modern age. No doubt there are officials in the Obama administration who think the issue of Assads criminality -- wanton war crimes and crimes against humanity -- should be soft-pedaled in the hope that the head of Syrias premier crime family might be induced to share or yield power through negotiations. No doubt Russian diplomats counsel American counterparts to go easy on the crime angle; in addition to protecting a client they have a strong interest in whitewashing Moscows deliberate targeting of Syrian civilians. Fortunately, the American commander in chief has spoken definitively on the matter. There will be no common cause with Assad, period. And although Obama will not interfere with his secretary of states quest for a negotiated settlement, he knows that someone will have to compel the Assad family and its entourage to cooperate: war criminals correctly see power-sharing as the slippery slope toward accountability. And that someone will not, due to Irans support of Assad, be the United States. Would Iran bolt from the nuclear deal if Syrian rebels received the means to protect populations from air attacks? Would Tehran really spurn the economic benefits of nuclear detente if an occasional volley of cruise missiles against regime air bases dissuades the dictator from mass murder? The view here is no: Tehran sees merit and self-interest in the nuclear deal. It negotiated the nuclear agreement while pursuing a policy in Syria aimed principally at securing the regional position of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a terrorist gang no stranger to targeting Americans. Iranians understand how to categorize and segregate policies dispassionately; Americans create self-paralyzing, false linkages. If the Iranian aspect of the Syrian crisis has been overthought in Washington, so too has the battle against ISIS. The descendent of al-Qaeda in Iraq found sanctuary in Syria courtesy of Assads bloody bid to retain control of the country. From its capital in Raqqa, Islamic State sustains operations in Iraq and executes mass terror incidents in Europe: atrocities it hopes to replicate in North America. A combination of coalition air attacks and ground maneuvers by a predominantly Kurdish militia has damaged ISIS in Syria. A professional ground force -- U.S.-led with regional, European, and American units -- could finish the Syrian wing of this monstrosity quickly. But justifications for inaction are legion: Only indigenous ground forces should be permitted to do the job; beating these people in Syria will just encourage the survivors to go elsewhere; closing with and killing the ersatz caliph and his co-conspirators only plays into their crusader propaganda; there is no one prepared to administer eastern Syria once ISIS is destroyed. This is self-defeating excuse-making; some of it self-realizing. What exactly has the United States done to strengthen the Syrian opposition since it first recognized the Syrian National Council in 2011 as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people? Still, the administration would immediately disregard its own excuses if ISIS were to carry out a mass atrocity in the United States like those recently seen across Europe. Syria is at the core of an international crisis, one roiling the domestic politics of U.S. allies in ways that give aid and comfort to a Russian leader eager to defeat NATO and dismember the European Union. Syrians and others in the region think America understands this. They cannot believe that Washingtons failure to halt Assads mass murder terrorism of a different variety that sustains other terrorists -- and its go-slow campaign against ISIS merely reflect indecision and loss of self-confidence. This is not the America they thought they knew. They choose to see design, and in this they are wrong. But Assad, with Russian and Iranian connivance, continues to conduct mass murder. And ISIS continues to dodge bombs from the air and Kurds on the ground. Being wrong analytically does not make one blind or immune to the consequences of what the United States has done, and failed to do, in Syria. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available A gunman wielding an array of rifles and shotguns shot and killed at least a dozen people in Texas on Monday, including an unborn baby, four 18 year old college students and the first police officer on the scene. One of the victims was killed at a distance of nearly half a kilometer. Over 30 people were wounded, many dragged to safety behind cover provided by an armored car donated to the Austin Police Department by a local security company. As the gunfire continued, a local man few armed citizens with rifles (reportedly including a graduate student with an M1 carbine and two fraternity brothers with deer rifles) began attempting to suppress the gunman responding APD, Travis County Sheriffs deputies and Texas DPS troopers being unable to adequately respond with their services pistols and shotguns. Take note of that: responding law enforcement officers were assisted by armed citizens, who were later credited with saving many lives. Find a student with a high-powered scoped rifle in his apartment a few blocks away, drive him to get it, drive to a nearby hardware store and procure some ammunition for the rifle and drive to a building just south of the tower and mallHe asks what if he should get a beed [sic] on one of the snipers, McCoy wrote, and I tell him to shoot the [expletive] out of him. Officer H. McCoy, Austin PD, describing his actions during the shooting. Approximately an hour and a half after the shooting began, three police officers and one (now deputized) armed citizen confronted the gunman and killed him, ending the carnage. Gunman Kills at Least a Dozen People in Texas Take five minutes to watch this. The gunman was Charles Whitman. This past Monday, August 1st, 2016 was the 50th anniversary of the University of Texas tower murders. It was also the day Texas became the eight state in the country that allows college students to bring guns onto college campuses. Are students in your area allowed to exercise their Second Amendment right? Read about the events of that day in detail here on the Austin-American Statesman. If you're unfamiliar with the story, or would like to read a reminder, check out this piece from the Washington Post. A Republican State Assemblyman from Staten Island is planning to introduce legislation, called the "Blue Lives Matter" bill, that would make assaulting a police officer akin to a hate crime. The bill, Assemblyman Ron Castorina says, is intended to "promote peaceful assembly at protests" across the state, apparently by compelling civilians to think twice before "causing chaos." "We want to protect police officers by making the public pause before they would throw a bottle or a rock or a punch," Castorina told us Wednesday, en route to a press conference to announce the bill on Staten Island. The law would make assault on an on-duty cop, currently a Class C Felony, a Class B Felony. Aggravated assault, defined as assault with intent to cause "serious harm," would be elevated to the maximum Class A, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Under current law, hate crime status can only be applied to cases in which a person is attacked based on their race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability status. But just last week, Louisiana enacted a similar "Blue Lives Matter" bill, elevating violence against police officers and firefighters to a hate crime. "It appears there's a movement across the country," Castorina said. Recent FBI and Bureau of Justice statistics show that police fatalities and murders, as well as assaults against cops and police officer injuries on duty, have been on the decline for decades in the US. But Castorina says that his legislation was inspired by what he perceives to be an uptick in assaults and attacks: the killings of Officers Ramos and Liu while they sat in their patrol car in Bed-Stuy in December 2014, and, more recently, the killings of uniformed officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, and in a Baton Rouge parking lot. "The notion is that police officers have been targeted just because they happen to be police officers," Castorina said. He also referenced an NYPD officer who was attacked with a hatchet in Queens last May, and a Black Lives Matter protester who was arrested during an anti-police brutality march last April after allegedly assaulting a plainclothes officer. (The same officer then drew his firearm and pointed it into a crowd of protesters.) A civilian who kills a police officer already faces heightened penalties. When seven people were accused of assaulting two NYPD lieutenants on Brooklyn Bridge during a December 2014 march for Eric Garner, the police posted a $25,000 reward for information on their whereabouts. By contrast, Peter Liang, the first NYPD officer to be found guilty of killing a civilian in decades, is serving probation rather than prison time. "With those terrible acts of terror [against police officers], there was accountability," said Brooklyn Councilmember Jumaane Williams on Thursday, challenging the proposed legislation. "Many of us don't think the same things happen for black people who are killed. That's why saying 'Blue Lives Matter' is redundant." (Scott Heins / Gothamist). According to Castorinawho, it's worth noting, recently referred to abortion as "African-American genocide"the legislation does not raise questions of racial inequality. "We have a very diverse police force in NYC, including men and women of color, so I don't see how this is a racial issue at all unless you are looking at this through a leftist prism of race, which is completely unnecessary," he said. "The use of 'Blue Lives Matter' is racialized, because it's in direct response to 'Black Lives Matter,'" Williams countered. NYC Republican Councilmember Joe Borelli, who is planning to enter a resolution at the city level supporting the "Blue Lives Matter" bill (he's also a support of Donald Trump), said this week that the legislation wouldn't increase tension between police and the civilians they serve. "Look, there is a national problem with the police and community relationship," he said. "We can't not acknowledge that. But we're not taking anything away from anyone else's positions, motivations, or beliefs with this bill. We're simply saying that police officersas we've seen anecdotally for a number of years, and now we're seeing in increasing actualityare deserving to be a protected class." Civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, who stresses that he supports both police officers and the Black Lives Matter movement, said Thursday that civilians already face heightened penalties when they interact with police officersthat police already are protected. "I tell people, during protests, don't put your pinky on a cop," he said. "In that context, it's the cop's word against the resident, and if there's no video [evidence], the cop's word goes." With a new school year fast approaching, many students are moving in and out and in need for Parking near the dorms may not be available during move in days, the release said. Also, any vehicles left unattended near the dorms for more than an hour will be towed. SHARE Photo by David McClister By Jon Lewis Brandi Carlile is returning to the Cascade Theatre on Saturday and in addition to The Twins, aka Tim and Phil Hanseroth, shes bringing the newest family member her infant daughter, Evangeline and a new recording that threatens to ruin her best-kept-secret status once and for all. The Washington state native with the big voice has been adored for more than a decade for blending country, folk, rock, pop and blues into a rich and distinctive stew. Even with four well-received albums on the Colombia label, hundreds of sold-out shows and two humongous hits (2007s The Story and That Wasnt Me in 2012), Carlile somehow has avoided nationwide acclaim. That might change with The Firewatchers Daughter, her 2015 release on the Indie-friendly ATO Records label that earned Carlile her first Grammy nomination in the Best Americana record category. Carliles new label, which was founded by Dave Matthews, gave her and The Twins complete freedom (that rarest of liberties) and the musicians took full advantage. All 12 songs were tracked live with a bare minimum of rehearsing. We really wanted the songs to happen in the studio, Carlile said in an interview with Seattle radio station KEXP. Theres that brief moment when youve learned the song, but dont know it so well that you have any control over it. I really felt like we needed to capture that for the record to sound really fresh. Weve never done that before. The recording period was liberating, yet stressful. All three band members were dealing with family interactions: both the Hanseroths had become fathers and Carliles wife, Catherine Shepherd, was pregnant. A lot of the songs are in about the highest key I can sing them in. The vocals were very emotional for me. I was right on the edge Id been off the road for a long time, I was on the precipice of becoming a mother, and there was a lot that needed to come out before that could happen, Carlile says in a prepared statement. The result is both a more rock-oriented album and a return to the three-part harmony singing that tied Carlile and The Twins together since their earliest days. go now What: Brandi Carlile in concert Where: Cascade Theatre When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Tickets: $29 to $49; call 243-8877 or visit www.cascadetheatre.org Opening act: Brothers Reed FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2012, file photo. products labeled with Non Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) are sold at the Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins store in Los Feliz district of Los Angeles. Its a food fight in Congress over genetically modified foods. Its a food fight in Congress over genetically modified foods. The Senate is moving ahead on bipartisan legislation that would for the first time require food packages to carry labels listing genetically modified ingredients. Vermonts senator's, Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy, argue that the measure falls short, especially compared to the tougher labeling in their state that kicked in last Friday, July 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) SHARE By PHUONG LE, Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) Genetically modified wheat not approved for sale or commercial production in the United States has been found growing in a field in Washington state, agriculture officials said Friday, posing a possible risk to trade with countries concerned about engineered food. The Food and Drug Administration says genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are safe and little scientific concern exists about the safety of those on the market. But critics say not enough is known about their risks, and they want GMOs labeled so people know what's in their food. Several Asian countries temporarily banned U.S. wheat imports after genetically modified wheat was found unexpectedly in a field on an Oregon farm in 2013. It also popped up in a field at a university research center in Montana in 2014. It wasn't immediately clear how altered wheat cropped up in Washington. But the U.S. Agriculture Department said there is no evidence it has entered the market. If it did, the FDA concluded that "it is unlikely that the wheat would present any safety concerns if present in the food supply," the department said. A farmer discovered 22 plants in an unplanted field, and the wheat was developed to be resistant to the herbicide known as Roundup, created by seed giant Monsanto, the USDA said. An agency spokeswoman did not know where in the state it was found. Federal officials said they were working with the farmer to ensure that none of the modified wheat is sold. Out of caution, the agency said it is holding and testing the farmer's full wheat harvest, but so far it has not found GMOs. The plants are a type of wheat that had been evaluated in limited field trials in the Pacific Northwest from 1998 to 2001 but never commercialized, Monsanto said in a statement. It said the type found in Washington state is similar to the one discovered in Oregon three years ago; it has the same inserted DNA but in a different location. No variety of genetically engineered wheat has been approved for commercial use or production in the U.S. GMOs are plants or animals that have had genes copied from other plants or animals inserted into their DNA. Most genetically engineered crops are corn and soybeans eaten by livestock or made into popular processed food ingredients like cornstarch, soybean oil or high fructose corn syrup. Only a handful of modified fruits and vegetables are available, including Hawaiian papaya, some zucchini and squash and a small percentage of sweet corn. The FDA also has approved for consumption a genetically engineered salmon that would grow faster than traditional salmon, but it's not yet available in grocery stores. South Korea said Friday that it will inspect U.S. wheat imports for genetically modified wheat, the Yonhap News Agency reported. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it has asked the USDA for information on the unapproved wheat and inspection methods. The USDA said it has validated a test that Monsanto developed for the herbicide-resistant wheat, which would be available to trading partners. "Trading partners will get the tests. I believe that once they have those in place, they'll continue buying," said Glen Squires, CEO of the Washington Grain Commission, a state agency that represents wheat farmers. "We don't anticipate any major disruptions." The USDA also said it has beefed up oversight of genetically engineered field trials and now requires developers to apply for a permit for those involving GMO wheat starting this year. In 2014, genetically modified wheat plants were found at a university research center in Huntley, Montana, where it was legally tested by Monsanto in the early 2000s. The plants in eastern Oregon were found in a field that had never conducted such tests, and the USDA closed its investigation two years ago unable to determine how the wheat got there. Different strains were found in each state. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Washington State Agriculture Department referred questions to federal authorities. ___ This story has been clarified to show that genetically modified wheat has not been approved for sale or production in the U.S. FILE - This 2006 file photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is behind the large outbreaks of Zika virus in Latin America and the Caribbean. On Friday, July 29, 2016, Florida said four Zika infections in the Miami area are likely the first caused by mosquito bites in the continental U.S. All previous U.S. cases have been linked to outbreak countries. (James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP, File) SHARE By JENNIFER KAY and KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press MIAMI (AP) a There's no official warning to stay clear of Florida, but the crowds that usually wander among the bold street murals in Miami's trendy Wynwood arts district may be thinner after reports that mosquitoes in the area have spread the Zika virus on the U.S. mainland for the first time. Officials are trying to reassure tourists they'll be safe when visiting Florida's theme parks and urban arts districts. But some Miami residents said Friday they were stocking up on mosquito repellent and planning to bring lunches to work instead of sitting at outdoor cafe tables under Wynwood's bright murals. "I'm freaking out ... but at the same time I don't want to freak out," said Wynwood resident Zoe Schultze as she cradled her 6-month-old son in her arms while she stopped for coffee with her husband. No mosquitoes in Miami or elsewhere in Florida have tested positive for Zika, but four Miami-area patients who contracted the disease did not get it by traveling to an outbreak country or from sex with an infected person. Officials say those four are apparently the first of over 1,650 U.S. Zika cases to have gotten the disease from a mosquito in the U.S. Gov. Rick Scott pinpointed the infections to Wynwood, and the state's agriculture commissioner issued a mosquito declaration that triggers aggressive mosquito control efforts within a 200-yard radius of the homes of the patients with locally acquired cases. Leasing agent Crystal Armand said she'd avoid the area's boutiques and art galleries for a while. "I'll probably bring lunch for a couple more weeks until they clear it up," she said. The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday there were no plans to recommend limiting travel to South Florida. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he's confident in local mosquito control because they've successfully fought off outbreaks of West Nile, dengue fever and chikungunya. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said repellent is sold at entrances to the Orlando area's three major theme parks. "If you're coming to Florida as a tourist, if you're coming to the theme parks, then you're coming to some of the safest places in the world because they have mosquito control down like no place else," said Jacobs. The theme parks are known for keeping their properties well-maintained. Officials say the parks also have far bigger mosquito control operations than local governments. "They keep their property very clean, spic and span," said Carl Boohene, director of mosquito control in Polk County, where LEGOLAND Florida is located. Walt Disney World is surrounded by swamps and woodland areas, which aren't habitat for the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus, said Kelly Deutsch, acting manager of Orange County's mosquito control. The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes prefer living among people in urban areas. While Universal Orlando and SeaWorld are in Orlando, nothing around them is cause for concern, Deutsch said. "Most of these areas are pretty well manicured and maintained," she said. Osceola County mosquito control officials have been talking with independent and mom-and-pop hotels near Disney that may not contract pest control like national hotel chains. "What we have been doing is going out to the hotels and talking to the maintenance staff and educating them what to look for, because going out and mowing the grass and just keeping the place clean isn't the same as looking for standing water," said Terry Torrens, the county's mosquito control director. Repellent is available at LEGOLAND Florida, which follows county guidelines for mosquito spraying and removing standing water where insects can breed. "We also offer several air conditioned attractions, including the newly reimagined imagination zone if they'd prefer to spend time indoors," resort spokeswoman Brittany Williams said in an email. A Disney spokeswoman referred questions about its Zika preparedness to the CDC guidelines for preventing mosquito bites. Officials at Universal Orlando and SeaWorld did not respond to emails asking for information. The parks intensified their fight against nuisance mosquitoes over a decade ago when the West Nile virus first surfaced in the U.S., said industry consultant Dennis Speigel. "It's something that goes on daily, multiple times a day. They spend a ton on it," he said. The state activated a Zika information hotline for residents and visitors, and health officials have led public campaigns reminding people to wear repellent. Visitors to South Florida in the last month have been urged to put off donating blood. Anyone bitten by mosquitoes in Florida could help public health experts trying to track the disease through the Mosquito Byte! smartphone app, a project led by North Carolina State University entomologist Michael Reiskind. Women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant should take extra precautions. The health risk will drop further in the fall after the region's mosquito season peak, Reiskind said. "It seems a likely place to see a pathogen emerge because there's lots of travelers," he said. "But if there's good mosquito control, it doesn't matter, you won't get transmission." ___ Associated Press writer Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report. SHARE By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight A scam targeting small-business owners in the North State wants money for a fire inspection that never happened. The Redding Fire Department reports a business received a $413.11 bill for an annual state required inspection. Red Mountain Security & Fire Protection out of Livermore is the name at the top of the invoice sent to at least one Redding business in July. The problem is the address points to a post office box at a UPS Store, according to Redding Fire Chief Gerry Gray. "The letter is intended to give the impression of a mandated fire inspection," Gray said. "I think it is just important for the community to become familiar with the company name." Shasta County is not unique in being a target for the scam. Other states have reported similar false inspection notices being sent out, said Deputy District Attorney Lucky Jesrani. "These are kind of wide scams, with fly-by-night individuals behind them with private mail boxes," said Jesrani. "Investigating these individuals presents numerous challenges." Red Mountain Security & Fire Protection is not reinventing the wheel when it comes to its scam. There have been a number of fire protection scams throughout the North State over the years. The name on the letterhead might change, but the scams all ask for cash for a service that was never delivered. Jesrani said residents or business owners can be cautious when reviewing an invoice for a service they are unsure of and if they feel they're being scammed they can report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "They would determine if mail fraud is being committed and take the appropriate action," Jesrani said. Different scams seem to have seasonal patterns, with income tax phishing scams creeping in around spring time and offers for great, cheap vacations popping up in the summer. "We like to tell people there is a scam for every type of person," Jesrani said. Jesrani adds that as more people become aware of the scam, it loses its teeth. "The scam becomes ineffective as (fewer) people are duped." SHARE Fire scorches 90 acres, barn A vegetation fire north of Red Bluff burned 90 acres Wednesday just before 5:30 p.m. The Baker Fires spread was stopped by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Tehama Unit, but not before it burned a barn. It continued to burn into the evening and crews from Cal Fire and the Red Bluff Department worked to contain the fire. Evacuations were in order as the fire spread and remained in effect even after the fires progress was stopped, according to Kevin Colburn with Cal Fire. Burglar sentenced to state prison A Redding burglar who assaulted a 91-year-old man in his home was sentenced Wednesday in Shasta County Superior Court to four years in prison, prosecutors said. Johnnie Ray Davis, 45, was sentenced to prison after he pleaded no contest to first-degree residential burglary. Redding Police said Davis came out of the elderly victims room after that man had discovered a broken window in his home. Davis knocked him to the ground before running away, police said, adding that DNA from a glove that was left behind linked Davis to the burglary. Davis must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole, prosecutors said. Two critical in head-on crash A drunk driver is to blame for a head-on collision on Highway 44 that caused one car to catch fire and traffic to back up Wednesday afternoon. The driver of a 2006 Chevrolet, Matthew Castaneda, 36, of Redding, was driving west in the eastbound lane of Highway 44 and passing traffic around 2:40 p.m. near Skylight Ridge. Castaneda tried to swerve back into his lane when he saw a 2012 Mini Cooper approaching, but he lost control and collided with the car, said the California Highway Patrol. The driver of the Mini Cooper, Ellen Berblinger, 73, and its passenger, Evelyn Blake, 81, were both from Shingletown and received major injuries, according to CHP. All three were taken to Mercy Medical Center. Both Blake and Berblinger are in critical condition. Castaneda received moderate injuries. Castaneda was under the influence during the crash and the CHP will file felony DUI charges with the Shasta County District Attorneys Office and the investigation is ongoing. BLM imposes fire restrictions Due to hot and dry conditions, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is imposing fire restrictions starting Friday on land it manages in the North State. The restrictions include Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra and Lassen counties and prohibit fires outside of developed campgrounds. Smoking is also prohibited, except in vehicles and buildings. Chain saw use is prohibited after 1 p.m. daily. Target shooters may not use tracer, metal jacket, incendiary or exploding ammunition or targets that explode or emit sparks, the BLM said. Possessing fireworks is not allowed and motor vehicles must remain on established roads and trails. All fires require a fire permit, which are available at all U.S. Forest Service, BLM and Cal Fire offices. SHARE By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight Redding homeowners may see savings in their insurance premiums after the city's fire-fighting class rating got upgraded. The class 2 ranking from 3 places Redding in the top 2 percent of some 50,000 communities that are surveyed by Insurance Service Office (ISO). In a talk with the Redding City Council on Wednesday, Fire Chief Gerry Gray credited better marks across the board for the fire department, SHASCOM dispatch, Redding Water Utility and Bella Vista Water District. What also gave the audit a boost was the retention of nine firefighters, whose positions being paid through cash reserves could be cut at the end of this fiscal budget if new funding is not identified. "The whole time I have been here," said Mayor Missy McArthur, who will finish eight years on the council in December, "we have been always concerned about the ISO. Getting this number is just fantastic." The new rating goes into effect on Oct. 1. Although audits are scheduled every 10 years, Gray cautioned they can happen any time if the agency becomes aware of changes in services. The agency put the city on notice after the council in 2010 voted to close Station 2. Gray said the department received a letter from ISO that it planned to open an audit. Fire officials were helped because they were working to secure a $1.9 million Homeland Security grant and they had not lost firefighters. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant and pension and health insurance concessions of $2.5 million over six years from the Redding Professional Firefighters Local 1934 allowed officials to re-open the station 20 months later, in October 2012. The city also got bonus points in its audit from a newly created category for community risk reduction. "Forget the fact that we got the bonus points. Everybody got the bonus points," Gray said. "Kudos to all of us for getting there (new class)." Councilwoman Francie Sullivan told her peers that someone who works in the insurance industry had told her with all the fires in California, getting insurance or keeping it from getting canceled is significant. "One of the biggest benefit to our community may be for the people on the fringe who might not be able to get insurance and now because of our good rating, they are in a better position," she said. In other business, the council approved the appointments of five residents to an advisory committee that will see how money from a public safety-mental health sales tax is spent, provided Measure D and Measure E pass on Nov. 8. The members are retired Shasta County Judge Steven Jahr, retired undersheriff Larry Schaller, Chief Probation Officer Tracie Neal and business owners Shawn Bernardi and Ryan Denham, who also will represent the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce. Jake Mangas, also of the chamber, will serve as an alternate member. Measure D is a half-cent sales tax to pay for more firefighters, community service officers and police officers, jail space and a mental health center. Measure E advises what areas in public safety the money should go. Separately, Councilman Gary Cadd met Tuesdays deadline to submit arguments against the measure. McArthur said she and Vice Mayor Brent Weaver will be writing the rebuttal, and Sullivan asked to sign on to the rebuttal. The Waco Brothers at Piece Brewery & Pizzeria's 15th anniversary party, free chocolate chip cookies at Union Station and more things to do in Chicago on Thursday, Aug. 4. EAT National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (Free!) Advertisement Union Station 225 S. Canal St. 404-879-9136 Advertisement DoubleTree by Hilton and Amtrak employees celebrate by doling out pairs of chocolate chip and walnut cookies so you have one to eat and one to share. The first 25 people who mention Nice Travels, the hotel's random acts of kindness program, receive a free tin full of cookies. 4-7 p.m. Free. DRINK 15th Anniversary Piece Brewery and Pizzeria 1927 W. North Ave. 773-772-4422 The Wicker Park spot taps a new Quinceanera Mexican-style lager ($5) and re-releases its Marketing Ploy double pale ale ($6) created through a collaboration with 3 Floyds Brewing Co. The Waco Brothers perform around 9 p.m. 8 p.m. No cover. First Anniversary Crown Liquors 2821 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-252-9741 Vamos! and Lil Tits perform at the Logan Square bar, which offers celebratory drink specials including $5 Old Forester old fashioneds, $3 Jack Daniels shots and $1 hot dice shots, where the booze is determined by rolling dice. 8 p.m. No cover. DO Modern Beauty Girls Night Out Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > Revel Fulton Market Advertisement 1215 W. Fulton Market 312-461-9400 Try new beauty products and mini-services from salons and spas, shop accessories and clothing from Chicago designers, and enjoy cocktails, cider, beer, wine and appetizers at this bash hosted by StyleChicago.com. 6-9 p.m. $35-$45. Tickets: brownpapertickets.com 'Not From Here' Under The Gun Theater 956 W. Newport Ave. 773-270-3440 The two-person improv and sketch team presents a weekly variety show through Aug. 25 featuring crazy characters, comedic songs, Trump impressions and stand-up. 9 p.m. $12. Tickets: underthegun.theater HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAY Belly Up Smokehouse & Saloon (1132 S. Wabash Ave. 312-929-3856) offers $4 drafts, $5 glasses of select house wine and $6 well cocktails from 4-6 p.m. For more Eat & Drink news, click here. In a world in which men still dominate the institutional landscape, gender-neutrality is as much their responsibility as womens, says Kanika Datta. Sheryl Sandberg is only partly right in her yawn-inducing book-length advice to women to lean in and demand their entitlements as equal professionals in the workplace. One of the more depressing realities to emerge from a triad of recent events is that leaning in needs male colleagues to lean forward and meet women halfway in the interests of establishing any modicum of gender-neutrality in the workplace. This much was clear from Donald Trumps confirmation as the Republican nominee for US President even as rape and harassment charges and certified misogyny loom large in his record, Fox News founding CEO Roger Ailes ignominious resignation on multiple sexual harassment accusations, and a Caravan cover story setting out in relentless, headache-making detail the awesome effort former Teri chief R K Pachauri expended in strategising ways to importune sundry women colleagues for sexual favours. The paradox about these three men is that they were not necessarily gender-biased in their judgement of talent. They frequently did promote women in professional roles and held a genuine belief in their abilities. Yet gender-neutrality is the last thing for which anyone will give them credit. The wilful obfuscation in which Mr Trump habitually indulges makes it difficult to verify his claims that Trump Organisation has more women than men in executive positions and that they are in equal or higher pay grades (corroborating documents? zero). So it is possible to dismiss his glamorously banal daughter Ivankas assertion at last weeks Republican Convention that her father was colour blind and gender neutral, provoking much hilarity on Twitter. Mr Trump was, however, the first major realtor to put a woman, Barbara Res, in charge of the construction of his signature Trump Tower - that too, in the 1980s when construction sites were all-male strongholds. Ms Res, who now runs a construction consultancy, is one of several women executives who loyally attest to Mr Trumps non-discriminatory dealings. Set against complaints and law suits from a long line of women who were associated with his business ventures and his modelling agency, this image is hard to sustain. At the time of writing, Mr Trump leads Hillary Clinton by two percentage points in the polls at 39 to 37 per cent. If he wins in November, the signal going out from the worlds most powerful office is that sexual harassment is A-Okay. Mr Ailes, once a media consultant to Republican stalwarts and overlord of one of Americas more unattractive TV networks, appears to have been, simultaneously, a promoter of women in his media empire and a douche-bag of Bill Cosby-esque proportions. Then came sacked Fox and Friends co-host Gretchen Carlsons volcanic sexual harassment lawsuit against Mr Ailes, alleging that her dismissal was the result of spurning his sexual advances. That set off, like hot lava, serial accusations against Mr Ailes some dating from women he met in the sixties and seventies all of which his office denied. His career cratered when Megyn Kelly, the Fox News anchor who was the recipient of a particularly offensive comment by Mr Trump as well, confirmed that she had been subjected to similar advances by Mr Ailes. Some suggested that Ms Carlson would not have filed the suit had she not been dismissed. This is circular reasoning, since her dismissal was not the result of falling ratings, as the network alleged; the actual numbers showed otherwise. One point that was overlooked in this sorry episode is that Ms Carlson had reported similar boorish behaviour from her male co-host and was punished for doing so. This incident is a good representation of the organisational culture that is created when the leader is also Sexual-Harasser-in-Chief. The practice then gets embedded enough to attract amused tolerance, indifference and occasional emulation by men, and denial or resigned acceptance from women. Everyone seems to be bound in some kind of Omerta - until a victim chooses to raise her head above the trenches to complain. As in Trump Organisation and Fox News, in Teri, Mr Pachauris conduct was an open secret but no one thought fit to lodge a generic complaint with the sexual harassment complaints committee. Ms Carlsons experience at Fox News and the fate of the complainant at Teri explain why women are wary of reporting misbehaviour. But few men felt obliged to risk their jobs to bring to anyones notice the Neanderthal behaviour in the corner office. Though several men expressed their aversion to Mr Pachauris behaviour to Caravan reporter Nikita Saxena, none of them spoke out before. Several others thought the whole thing a huge joke and couldnt wait for the next office party at which Mr Pachauri was prone to lifting women as a demonstration of his strength. Perhaps it is time for men to step up and be counted. In a world in which men still dominate the institutional landscape, gender-neutrality is as much their responsibility as womens. Photograph: Reuters Move comes after he was declared proclaimed offender last week The Enforcement Directorate is planning to attach personal assets of liquor baron Vijay Mallya, including shares pledged with banks and free assets provided as guarantee. Enforcement officers sought details of shares pledged from YES Bank, HDFC Bank and other financial institutions. The assets are estimated to be worth over Rs 6,000 crore (Rs 60 billion). The move came after Mallya was declared proclaimed offender under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in court last week, after he failed to appear before it on July 29. We are collating shares pledged by Mallya and his family to banks and financial institutions. "We have already received details from a few banks and are anticipating few more in this week, a senior ED officer told Business Standard. After examining the details we will seek an attachment order from the court under sections 82 and 83 of Code of Criminal Procedure, which is applied on proclaimed offenders, added the officer. As of June this year, Mallya, son Siddharth and mother Lalitha own about 31 per cent shares in United Breweries, through various companies, worth about Rs 6,300 crore (Rs 63 billion). About 48 per cent or Rs 3,000 crore (Rs 30 billion) of these shares are pledged. United Breweries, the beverage company that makes Kingfisher beer, which Mallya built into the country's largest beer brand, is now 42.22 per cent owned by Dutch beverage maker Heineken. Mallya's 3.72 per cent stake in United Spirits is valued at Rs 1,250 crore (Rs 12.5 billion), of which nearly half was pledged. The value of Mallya's shareholding in other companies is not so significant. His 52 per cent shareholding in United Breweries (Holdings) is worth Rs 110 crore (Rs 1.1 billion), of which 37 per cent was pledged as on June 2016. Also, some of UBHL shares have been used as securities against loans availed from HDFC Bank and Yes Bank. Image: Vijay Mallya. Photograph: PTI Lower fuel prices, fewer passengers make airlines cut prices for international destinations, report Arindam Majumder and Aneesh Phadnis For those planning a trip abroad, its a sweet time with international airlines offering cheap tickets in a slow season. Compared to August last year, fares are down by up to 30 per cent, according to an analysis done by travel website Yatra. Last year, on August 3 and 4, one had to shell out Rs 51, 961 for a ticket to London. This year, the same ticket is priced at Rs 37,143 -- a fall of about 29 per cent. Explaining the reasons for such an offer, Sharat Dhall, president, Yatra.com, said, The fall in crude price has significantly lowered the cost for airlines, allowing them to offer such low fares. Trips to other destinations are cheaper, too. Singapore Airlines low-cost unit Silk Air is offering return fares starting at Rs 63,000 from various Indian cities to eight destinations in Australia. Travellers from Mumbai and Delhi can get premium economy return fares starting at Rs 38,000. The tickets are available till August 3. The travel period for which the discount is being offered ends on April 30 next year. Those taking a Qatar Airways flight can avail of promotional offers that give a 50 per cent discount on business class fares. Tickets will be available till August 5, for the travel period ending March 31 next year. If you are planning to take a flight to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur from Chennai or Bengaluru, respectively, you can get a one-way ticket for about Rs 4,000. Airlines are also allowing extra benefits, such as British Airways, which is letting passengers take a little extra with their check-in luggage. Government-owned Air India, too, has joined the price war. It is also offering some tickets to a few destinations at less-than-average prices. For a Delhi-London flight, one could have bought a ticket on Wednesday for Rs 24,789. Explaining the reason for a lower fare, an Air India official said it was because of competitive pressure. Foreign airlines are offering tickets at such lower price. We have to match it or risk losing passengers. Another reason, said travel agents, was that airlines had increased passenger capacity significantly since last year but demand had not gone up at the same rate. Its all because of demand and supply, said Rajji Rai, the chairman of travel agency Swift Travels. Passengers capacity for most airlines has increased by about 25 per cent, thanks to jumbo aircraft. "Demand, however, is down 10 per cent this year. Many airlines have indeed switched over to bigger planes. Airlines from the Gulf are flying Airbus A380 on the Mumbai-Abu Dhabi route. Lufthansa will use Airbus A350 next year. In a lean period, the tourism industry often provides incentives to encourage tourist traffic. "If marketed well, any destination will see an influx of tourists. Discounts are a part of this strategy, said a Jet Airways official. The airline has reduced its economy and business class fares by a quarter for its flights to European tourism hotspots such as London, Paris, and Amsterdam. The image is used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Reuters People move from investment banking to growth equity or from venture capital to growth equity or entrepreneurship, depending on whats attractive at different points of life. Private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) firms have seen a churn in the past few months while PE inflows shrank 48 per cent to $7.54 billion for the six months ended June 2016. These entries and exits were mostly at the mid-level. Last month, Dhruv Kapoor left Helion Ventures to head Sistema Asia Fund as its managing director. Kapoor served Helion for eight years as vice-president - from July 2008 to July 2016 - at its Gurgaon office. He assisted Helion with 18 investments in technology and non-tech sectors. In April, Nitin Goel quit as managing partner at real estate private equity fund Milestone Capital Advisors after a three-year stint with the fund. In March, Dhruv Jain quit as chief financial officer (CFO) of Milestone in less than two years after joining the firm. Two other executives had quit the firm last year: Navin Kumar quit to float his consultancy while Alok Agarwal who was CFO, had quit to join Brookefield India as chief executive officer (CEO). In April, when Matrix Partners announced a fundraising of $110 million, it also disclosed that one of its partners, Rishi Navani, quit the firm. A venture capital veteran, Navani had worked for VC firms such as Indoocean Ventures, Apax Partners and WestBridge Capital, and was responsible for bets on Chumbak, Mswipe and Daily Hunt. Hes believed to have floated a new investment firm, Epiq Capital. Mukul Singhal and Rohit Jain, principals at venture capital firm SAIF Partners, recently put in their papers to set up an early-stage fund. Singhal, based in New Delhi, and Jain in Bengaluru led early-stage bets at SAIF. The duo worked on about a dozen deals, including education technology firm Toppr and household services firm Urban Clap. They will invest $500,000 in 15-20 start-ups and compete with micro-venture capital firms such as Blume Ventures, Kae Capital, Orios Venture Partners and India Quotient. In people-intensive financial services, theres always a flux, as people keep changing roles. People move from investment banking to growth equity or from venture capital to growth equity or entrepreneurship, depending on whats attractive at different points of life. It's not unusual in this sector. But, since it is still small in India, it becomes noticeable, says Bala Deshpande, senior managing director, New Enterprise Associates India. She feels it is not unusual to see this kind of churn. Even in the US, many first-time funds dont raise a second fund and 80 per cent of the capital goes to big firms like Sequoia or NEA; the churn happens in the remaining 20 per cent of the sector. Sanjay Nath, co-founder and managing partner at venture capital firm Blume Ventures, says the larger story is that theres a renewed focus on performance and exits. The writing was on the wall; it has now come to the forefront. Theres a renewed focus on performance; the pure growth story has gone. The metrics have changed even for the venture capital firms, he says. Its not just exits. The PE-VC firms have also seen several people joining them, including some high-profile executives who quit plum jobs as CEOs of multinationals to join private equity firms. Sanjay Purohit, managing director at Levi Strauss & Co, was hired as CEO of Sapphire Foods and partner consumer & retail practice for Samara Capital last month. Sapphire Foods was set up last year by Samara Capital-led consortium of four PE funds to acquire 300 KFC and Pizza Hut stores in India and Sri Lanka. Purohit comes with rich experience at consumer firms such as Cadbury and Asian Paints. Similarly, Sameet Gupte joined as CEO at customer engagement management service provider Servion Global Solutions. He came from global information technology consultancy VirtusaPolaris, where he was executive vice-president and global head of financial services. Gupte has a track-record of building information technology (IT) services businesses across Asia, America and Europe. Though these professionals move to smaller businesses, the opportunity is far more challenging and rewarding, Sumeet Narang, founder and managing director at Samara Capital, told Business Standard in a recent interview. Everstone had earlier roped in Aseem Soni, director at Cargill Foods India, to drive growth at Modern Foods. Everstone acquired Modern Foods from Hindustan Unilever in April. PEs are hiring people with operating experience, who can take these companies to the next level of growth. Last week, Dilip Jose resigned as CEO of the Abraaj Group-owned CARE Hospitals, and will join TPG Capital from October. In April, TPG Capital had bought a 65 per cent stake in Cancer Treatment Services International for $33 million. In February, the firm invested $144 million in Manipal Healthcare. 'These inhuman people will never find a place in Jammu & Kashmir or hold in any sway over the youth here.' IMAGE: Protesters hurl stones at a police vehicle after Burhan Wani's death. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI Shayk Dr Abdul Lateef Al-Kindee (he is a PhD in Islamic Studies), secretary general, Jamiat Ahle Hadees, an Islamic religious outfit that espouses pristine Islamic teachings, spoke to Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about how peace can return to the Kashmir Valley and the reasons why controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik has not succeeded in influencing the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. Do you think Burhan Wani's death will attract more Kashmiri youth towards the gun as is being made out by some people? The Jamiat Ahle Hadees has always preached peace and non-violence in the valley through our religious discourses and message to the awam (the people of Jammu & Kashmir) from mosques. We are opposed to terrorism and militancy. Whatever is happening in Kashmir today is a political issue, though, and we appeal to all the political parties to sit across the table, engage in a dialogue and debate the issue to reach a peaceful settlement. We would only request all the parties involved here that they should not indulge in any act that gives an excuse to the other to use violence and justify the same. We also appeal that there should be no excesses against anybody or any section or any stakeholder who are out in the streets of Kashmir. Violence has no place in our jamhooriyat (democracy). Do you think Burhan Wani's death will attract more Kashmiri youth towards the gun as is being made out by some people? I don't think so. Dr Zakir Naik has visited Jammu & Kashmir for his religious sermons. Do you think he has a wide following in the state as the Jamiat Ahle Hadees too has worked with him during his visits to the valley? You must understand that currently the media runs the reins of this country. And there are many people who take whatever is told to them by the media at face value. And as far as teachings -- whether good or bad -- are concerned, there are always followers of both the traits. I personally don't follow or believe in whatever he says, but a large section of Indians, Muslims as well as non-Muslims, who understand English, follow him or listen to his sermons. Only those youth who understands English and has easy access to the Internet approach his preaching to listen to him. And there are followers who believe in what he says or preaches. I can only say that there are a few people in Jammu & Kashmir, who understand and learn English, follow and listen to Dr Zakir Naik. But it is just media propaganda that the terrorist who slain people in Dhaka were influenced by Dr Zakir Naik's teaching. I have not heard even a single discourse of Zakir Naik that emboldened Muslims to become terrorists or indulge in acts of terror. Isn't he preaching on television and the Internet? Or does he have a secret medium of preaching too? How can we trust a terrorist who inflicted pain and misery on innocent lives? Have you heard Dr Zakir Naik's name being dragged into any other terror attack? I am surprised that the media has put its blind trust in a Bangladeshi terrorist. This is no way of doing justice (to the man). Does Dr Naik have a hold over the youth of the state? No, he doesn't have too many followers here or are beholden to his teachings. Do you identify with the school of thought of Islam that Dr Naik preaches? We don't agree with all the things that he says about Islam and Islamic jurisprudence. He has a different style of reaching out, a different way of preaching the tenets of Islam. We have our own style and beliefs. What would be your message to the youth of Kashmir who are out in the streets, pelting stones at security personnel? Here's my humble appeal to all those intellectual and peace-loving people: Don't create a point-of-no-return situation. People want peace and mutual co-existence. This is a political issue and must be tackled at the political level. Neither am I a politician nor does Jamiat Ahle Hadees has any political footprint or aim in the state. We are a religious outfit and believe in peaceful co-existence of human beings. We have made an appeal through various popular newspapers in Kashmir that people should act with patience and engage in any activities that harm the interests of the youth of Kashmir. By 'any activities,' do you mean acts of violence? We are not on the side of violence. We want everybody to abdicate violence and find a solution to this issue by sitting across the table, one which is based on rationale and intellect. Strong emotions cannot be a solution to an issue like this one. Jamiat Ahle Hadees had protested vociferously reports that the state government was tapping the phones of the ulemas (Muslim scholars) in the valley. We were reacting to reports in the media. On the one hand, they (the state government) were saying that there should be reforms of imams and on the other hand they are tapping our phones. The only thing we want to say is that Islam is an apostle of peace in the world. And the imam (religious teacher) or aleem (servant of the omniscient) is the naib (second in command) of paigambar (Prophet Mohammed). Which means an imam always preaches about peace and brotherhood. So what message are you sending to the people by tapping the phones of imams? Politicians spoil the environment on the ground and then the lightening falls on the imams. We think politicians should help people find employment, food and housing and not interfere in the affairs of religious people. Why has Islamic State (Da'esh) not succeeded in swaying the youth in Jammu & Kashmir? Why do we need such people in my state? What noble deeds have they done for people to get enamoured of them? These inhuman people will never find a place in Jammu & Kashmir or hold in any sway over the youth here. '... and all of the symbolism, history, the colours of his motherland, the earth, the sky, all of that is there and it always remains with him.' IMAGE: S H Raza's interest in the form and subtext that dictated much of his later work did not wane with age. Photograph: Sheela Bhatt It was Hugo Weihe who triumphantly slammed down the auctioneer hammer June 10, 2010, in Christie's South Kensington auction house, London, declaring Syed Haider Raza's Saurashtra sold for a whopping Rs 16.42 crore (then $3,486,965)! That made it the most precious Indian painting to have been be sold by the firm in the British capital, in the nearly 300 years it had been in business since the French Revolution. Weihe's triumph should have been all the more sweet, then, because a visit to Gorbio, southern France, just a few years earlier, had already shown to this Christie's expert on Indian and southeast Asian art that the work of S H Raza had a rare sincerity and vitality that would capture global attention. Six years later, as Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel sat down to discuss Raza's legacy at Saffronart's central Mumbai showroom, where Weihe is now the chief executive, it feels like the artist is very much in the room. By a strange coincidence, one of his works, a 15.75 in x 11.75 in acrylic on canvas titled Naga and Bindu -- which goes on to sell a few hours later for $31,800 (around Rs 21 lakh/Rs 2.1 million) -- hangs in the gallery, its 'primordial symbol of energy, the still centre, or the seed (Raza's words)' reminding us that life renews and reinvents itself eternally. Weihe, in the colourful, passionate manner in which he describes the Babaria, Madhya Pradesh-born master, virtually invites Raza into our presence, so little is the distance perhaps between imagination and augmented reality. The visit to the Cote d'Azur village, a skip-hop-and-jump from Italy, was not the first time Weihe met Raza. The two had met "many, many times" before, Weihe thinks once in Paris and once in India, at least, for sure. Gorbio though was easily the most memorable meeting where Weihe had an opportunity to view the artist at work in his vast, breezy studio, the sunny outdoors of the French Riviera, even as the simple, cherished colours of his native Mandla roamed perpetually in his mind's eye. Weihe, who trained in art under his artist grandfather, but decided to make a career in "appreciating it" instead, going on to do a PhD in art history from the University of Zurich, writing, researching, advising on Asian art before becoming the head of South Asian art at Christie's, vigorously believes that the Padma Vibushan and Legion d'Honneur-awarded Raza is one of India's most significant art heroes and the man who helped Indian modernism reach a wider recognition, worldwide. He says Raza is an icon, not just for his work, but for his pioneering role. Certainly like the ancient Gupta scholar who gave mathematical birth to the dot-decimal, Raza, living some 2,500 years later, has loaded an immeasurable artistic significance and invested life onto the same dot Bindu, which he affectionately referred to as his 'lodestar,' making certain that whenever you see a full stop-bindu-dot-period you remember the gentle world soul from the forests of central India. A two-part interview. IMAGE: Hugo Weihe with one of Raza's abstract helical works. Photograph: Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com Raza said in a 2011 interview to the seniors magazine Harmony India (external link): 'What we leave behind of ourselves through work is most important.' What do you think he has left behind? What is his legacy? It has been an extraordinary journey for him, starting out with his colleagues forming the Progressive Group. It was for him an extraordinary situation to meet Henri Cartier Bresson, the great French photographer, who was in India in the 1940s, who encouraged him to study French. (He said) 'Come to France. That will an enormous step for you.' Raza embraced that: He studied French (laughs), passed the exam, and was given the grant by the government of France. From the 1950s onwards it was a huge eye-opener for him to be in Paris, study all the Western art, and absorb all of that (Raza studied at the E'cole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts). After (Indian) Independence it was a new beginning, artistically for everyone. All the artists -- and he was one of the leaders then -- to absorb all the possibilities, to find a new modernism, a new path forward for Indian art. He did it by going to what he deemed was the most important centre then, Paris still, representing Western art. He was able to see everything. Then he met Janine (Monggillat, fellow art student and later well-known sculptor, who he married and who died in 2002) who was very, very important to him. He always felt that she was certainly on equal footing with him as an artist. They had the house there in the south of France. It was her house in Gorbio, in which I visited him. It was an extraordinary place -- with the beautiful azure blue of the Mediterranean and the rocks, the colour of the stone there. He was sitting outside his house. (I visited him around) the time when the museum opened there and showed a retrospective of his work. There was a former castle or a church, an old fortification, in which they gave him the space to show a little retrospective there. (When I met him) he was sitting outside of his house, the canvas leaning against the stone wall of his house and painting with the colours that were inspired (in him) by the south of France, just as much as Madhya Pradesh, in a sense. He blended the two together. It was very, very moving -- an impressive moment for me. He expanded his thoughts... It is very interesting (that he) pursued the path from the realist paintings in the 40s, through the abstract landscapes of the 50s and 60s and then moved towards the Bindu and symbolism behind all of that. It is a logical trajectory for him. Once he had achieved it; that was the final achievement. I find the journey he took the most remarkable and rewarding to examine. Then, of course, he wanted to come back to India at some point. That was kind of inevitable. While he carried India in his heart -- and all of the symbolism, history, the colours of his motherland, the earth, the sky, all of that is there and it always remains with him -- it was inevitable that he would return to India. That closed the loop. What else do you remember of that meeting? What was memorable? Why were you there? I wanted to visit. It was a natural rapport that one immediately felt with him. Always. He was very warm. And very open. I have always appreciated talking to artists and he was one of those who were extraordinarily gracious and extraordinarily open. And you felt right (away) that you connected on that level and could understand what he is doing, what he (was) looking to do and it was just immediately clear. You were working at Christie's then and running their department of South Asian art. Is that why you sought him out? We were looking at all of the Indian modernist and contemporary (work). I made it a point to meet all the artists. Of course, you want to have a bigger understanding. Above all, I always appreciated -- and that's the great thing with any contemporary artist situation -- the work is there, but the master is there too. You can connect the two, compare the two and have the privilege to talk to the person who created the work, which is not the case with an antiquity. Or for something (work of an artist) that is further back, where the work, over time, must stand for itself. And speak for itself. I find it a fascinating thing to have the chance to speak to the artist and see how it all matches up. We are here because S H Raza has died at the age of 90 on July 23. But in a sense an artist never dies. Death is just an event in the trajectory of his art. And art doesn't die at all. Beautifully put. Yes, art never dies. And it is forever young. It is there. And therefore he is also there? That's what he left behind. And it is totally pure of thought, of conception and of execution. And it is something that is amazing. It is clear: That will never go away. Every artist then also stands for a whole culture behind him. That's what we remember. That's the achievement of the time. IMAGE: S H Raza's studio is a poignant reminder of the artist's passion for the abstract. Photograph: Sheela Bhatt Do you remember when you first saw a painting of his? What impact did it make on you? I was really struck by his large canvases of the late 50s. The first one was Saurashtra that set a world record for Indian modernism and it stood for many, many years. I had the privilege of auctioneering that. I won't forget that moment and the stir it created. It was very clear to all of us that that painting was an extraordinary achievement; the whole physicality, the size of it, the impact it had, it was clearly an icon of Indian modernism. Raza was the one who had created it. We were very happy and gratified to see that it achieved that sort of level. It is now in a very important Indian institution (the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi) and one of their key works. I was connected to those milestones (of his). We had late 50s big works, there was one famous one in the Rockefeller Collection of that type, which I also thought was very, very powerful, the way you can see again -- back to my earlier point -- how his work evolves, how there is a natural progression. Those were powerful moments too in the 50s that he achieved -- with thick oil and pastel and bright colors looking at the landscape of southern France, with the churches, the sea behind the rocks, the rocky cliffs. It's very compelling. I think every step along the way he changed his style So, he had a proper artistic journey? He had a proper journey. And every time he succeeded in achieving a milestone. 'Despite living in a free nation for so many years, if atrocities like rapes, public flogging, social boycotts are faced by Dalits, then conversion is the only option.' Banaskantha Dalit Sanghatan President Jayantibhai Makwana speaks to Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about the deplorable state of Dalits in Gujarat and why they plan to convert to Buddhism soon. Why do you want the Dalits of Gujarat to convert to Buddhism? What purpose will it solve? The Dalits of Gujarat have been subjected to extreme injustice in the recent past. The most recent incident is which some Dalits, who were skinning a dead cow, were beaten black and blue by Shiv Sena goons in the name of gau raksha (cow protection). 31 people assaulted these 4 Dalits who were doing a job that these gau rakshaks will never ever think about doing even in their dreams. This recent attack has gone viral but four years ago, the police fired upon unarmed Dalits who were protesting in Thangadh (a village in Surendranagar district that witnessed firing upon Dalits when they went to the local police station to file a complaint against the upper castes) with AK-47 assault rifles. Three Dalits lost their lives in that attack. You are saying three Dalits were killed by police armed with AK-47 rifles? Yes, the police fired upon them with AK-47s. The incident took place in (September 22-23) 2012 but till now, not even a chargesheet has been filed against the accused police officers. No government has yet filled the backlog in reserved category of government jobs in Class I, II, III and IV in the state. And the state government is converting these reserved category posts into open category, lying to us that the Dalit quota has been filled as per the law. Is the state government doing this openly? Why didn't the Dalits raise this issue earlier? Why now? We did raise our voices, filed petitions with the state government, held demonstrations and protests across the state, but all our efforts to get the Gujarat government take cognisance of our demands bore no fruits. The state government said the backlog since 1976 had been filled, but today, since the population of Dalits has increased compared to the 1970s, the Dalits think that the backlog has not been filled. In response, the Banaskantha Dalit Sanghatan filed 49 petitions against the government in the Gujarat high court and the latter ordered that the former's position was not borne by facts and the Dalits should get government jobs based on the backlog since the 1970s. The government responded by saying 'the backlog quota has been completely filled.' A backlog of more than 6,000 jobs that were reserved for Dalits is yet to be filled by the state. The Constitution of India guarantees us seven per cent jobs in the state government, but we don't get it. Look how small the number of Dalit IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police Service) officers deputed by the central government is compared to the seven per cent of their total population in India. Only three per cent of cases filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, get justice and in the rest, the accused get acquitted for want of proof or other reasons, ably supported by the state government's official machinery. You will just find one case where an accused of a crime against a Dalit was awarded a sentence of more than seven years, that too in a case under Section 302 (of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with murder). This was a case in a village in Vav town in Banaskantha district. You will not find a single case filed under the SC/ST Act where an accused has been sentenced for seven years. Only three per cent of the accused get sentenced, that too under *Summary B and not under *Summary C that invites severe punishment. Also, you will not find a single special court in Gujarat to try cases of atrocities against Dalits that has been guaranteed by our Constitution. When policemen or government employees violate the SC/ST Act, no case is filed against them. When Dalits try to file a case against any cop or government employee under the act, the police never entertains them and refuses to file a first information report. The Una incident is the best example. Not a single policeman has been booked under the Act despite there being witnesses saying the police watched from a distance as Shiv Sena goons bashed up the Dalits. Those policemen are only suspended, but not charged under the Act. The Act clearly states that not just the attackers but those who support them tacitly or openly should also be booked. There is also an Act of the state government that calls for allocation of land to landless labourers, taking away land from those landlords/farmers who own more than 54 acres in any particular block. According to the Gujarat Zameen Toch Maryada Dhara Act, 1960, the government, after getting possession of land in excess of 54 acres from farmers/landlords holding it, should allocate it to the landless labourers. Does the Act mandate allocation of land in excess of 54 acres to landless labourers or Dalit landless labourers? Landless labourers, but most Dalits in Gujarat or India don't own land. The state government is in possession of more than 700 acres of land in Banaskantha district under this Act, but not a single plot has been given to any landless Dalit. While the government claims that land has been transferred in the name of Dalits, there has not been a single instance where government employees have gone to the farm along with the Dalit allotee to the place, stood there, mapped the boundary of the land that is to be officially allocated to Dalits, in the absence of which the Dalits do not have the strength to fight the farmer whose land the government has allotted to him. These are some of the most pressing issues that make us feel disenfranchised and powerless and so Dalits will convert to Buddhism in protest against such atrocities. Do you think the situation will change once the Dalits in Banaskantha change their religion? I don't know if converting to Buddhism will solve the atrocities and injustices faced by the Dalits, but at least we will feel emancipated emotionally from the clutches of a system that treats Dalits as dirt and shit. We want equality before the law and I am sure Buddhism will help us feel equal to other citizens of India. We have the right to convert, as per the Constitution framed by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and we will be making use of that freedom guaranteed to us by the Constitution. He too converted to Buddhism to escape the inhuman treatment meted out to the Dalits by Hindus. Converting to Buddhism will be a befitting reply to manuwadi (casteist) attitudes that have only been getting bolder and bolder in recent times and openly slogging the Dalits. How many Dalits are planning to convert? As of now, we have got forms of over 1,000 Dalits who say they want to convert and given it to the district collector (of Banaskantha). As per the Constitution, conversion is our right and we have to just give it in writing to the district collector that we want to convert. We do not need the permission of the collector to do so. We have told the collector that we do not want to be a part of this religion (Hinduism) and we want to convert (to Buddhism). When are you planning to bring these conversions into effect? Till now we have submitted only 1,000 forms. The day we get 10,000 to 15,000 forms, we will hold a mass conversion to Buddhism. We will undertake this conversion on some important day like Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti, or Buddha Jayanti, or the birth anniversary of great reformers like Shahu Maharaj, Savitribai Phule, or Mahatma Phule. Were you also part of the Dalit Mahasammelan that was called out in Ahmedabad on July 31? Yes, because we believe that to seek justice and equal rights for Dalits is not the job of one person or leader. Unless we organise ourselves in large numbers across the state, across India, there will be no change in the condition of Dalits. So, we have to come together under one platform. And that is what was disseminated at the Dalit Mahasammelan that took place in Ahmedabad on Sunday (July 31). At the Mahasammelan we have pledged with our Dalit brothers and sisters not to skin dead animals or enter drainage lines to clean the gutters and filth. After doing such menial work, if we are still going to face such grave injustices and atrocities, then why should Dalits do these dirty jobs? Don't you think the presence of many Muslim leaders and Rahul Sharma, the former IPS officer who has been at loggerheads with BJP leaders in Gujarat, will give your movement a communal or political twist? We have made it very clear at the outset that whoever wants to support our movement should be an apolitical person. We don't want our movement to take a political turn at all. We have kept away people from the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), the Congress, the Janata Dal or the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) and carry forward our revolution for the betterment and upliftment of Dalits. That is our biggest and most important goal. Despite being living in a free nation for so many years, if atrocities like rapes, public flogging, social boycotts are faced by the Dalits and the government keeps quiet then conversion is the only option left to us to gain respect and equality. After being in power for more than 20 years now if the BJP is feigning ignorance about our plight and are only giving platitudes to Dalits, then what else can we do? Are you blaming only the BJP for the condition of Dalits in Gujarat? Every government that was in power ever since Gujarat became a state is responsible for our pitiable condition. No government fought for the rights of Dalits and that has emboldened these gau rakshaks to treat us like animals. Narendra Modi was chief minister when the Thangadh killings took place. No chargesheet has been filed till now against the police officers who killed the three Dalits then. If he really believed in sab ka vikas (development for all), then we wouldn't have been driven to this situation. IMAGE: Dalits attend the Mahasammelan in Ahmedabad, July 31, 2016, in the wake of the recent Una incident. Photograph: PTI Photo *Note: According to indiankanoon.org, there are three kinds of summary which can be asked for by the investigating officer when s/he is of the opinion that there is no sufficient evidence to justify the forwarding of the accused to the magistrate. A request for 'A' Summary is to be made when the officer investigating the case is of the view that the offence is true but undetected and where there is no clue whatever about the culprits or property or where the accused is known but there is no evidence to justify his being sent up for trial. A request for 'B' Summary is to be asked for when the complaint is maliciously false and 'C' Summary when the complaint is neither true nor false, that is, due to mistake of facts or is of a civil nature. Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah arrived in Ahmedabad on Thursday and initiated talks with party leaders at his residence as a part of an exercise to finalise the name of the successor of Anandiben Patel, who resigned as the chief minister of Gujarat. State BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma and party treasurer Surendra Patel met Shah on Thursday morning upon his arrival. The other top state leaders and ministers are expected to meet him in the evening. Anandiben had on Wednesday submitted her resignation to the Governor, after the partys parliamentary board in Delhi accepted her offer to resign, paving way for selection of a new chief minister for the BJP-ruled Gujarat, to lead the party in the 2017 state assembly polls. Ahead of her resignation, Sharma engaged in hectic consultation with top BJP leaders and ministers in Gandhinagar over selection of the next CM. Sharma told media persons that BJP legislature party meeting in the presence of state observers will decide the name of the next chief minister by Friday. Though suspense still prevails about the next CM, the names doing rounds as potential successor to Patel include the number two in the Cabinet and Health Minister Nitin Patel, Union Minister Purshottam Rupala and assembly speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader. State BJP chief Vijay Rupani s name was earlier in the contention but he indicated on Wednesday that he is not in the race as he is happy with his current task. Nitin Patel has now emerged as a strong contender for the post. The name of the next Chief Minister of Gujarat to succeed Anandiben Patel would be announced on Friday even as Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah held intensive deliberations with party leaders to finalise the candidate. BJP's parliamentary board accepted Anandiben Patel's offer to resign on Wednesday at its meeting in Delhi, paving the way for appointment of a new chief minister to lead the party in 2017 assembly polls. A meeting of party MLAs and office-bearers will be held on Friday evening at the BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar where the next CM would be announced, said state BJP president Vijay Rupani, who is also the state transport minister. "Apart from Amit Shah, all the party MLAs, office bearers and our observers Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will remain present at the meeting," said Rupani, after holding a long discussion with Shah at latter's residence. Shah, who arrived in the morning, has been busy holding meetings with state BJP leaders and ministers at his house. Among others, he met state BJP in-charge Dinesh Sharma, national joint general secretary (organisation) V Satish, party treasurer Surendra Patel, education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and former state BJP chief R C Faldu. Health Minister Nitin Patel, considered to be the front-runner for the job, was also present during Shah's meeting with Rupani. When asked by reporters whether he would accept the post of CM, Patel evaded a direct answer but said, "Whoever is chosen by the party, we all will work together." Dinesh Sharma, who arrived on Wednesday, engaged in hectic parleys with BJP leaders and ministers on Thursday. It is believed that he apprised Shah of his observations. The names that are doing the rounds for the post are 'number two' in the cabinet Nitin Patel, Union Minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader. Rupani's name also came up early on, but he indicated on Wednesday that he was not in the race as he was happy with his current job. After this, Nitin Patel has emerged as a strong contender. The Rajya Sabha on Thursday witnessed a face-off between Opposition and government over dismissal of Congress dispensations in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, bringing into close scrutiny the role of governors. "What happened in Arunachal last year and in Uttarakhand this year shocked the country and invited censure of the Supreme Court and high court of Uttarakhand," said Congress Deputy leader Anand Sharma. Photograph: PTI Photo The main opposition party alleged "trampling" of democracy by the BJP-led government which hit back by reminding that Congress had "butchered" democracy by misusing Article 356 about 100 times. The Congress pressed for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, since he talks of "cooperative federalism". The clash took place as the House took up a discussion on 'Developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh leading to change in governments there and the role of Governors in the respective States'. What happened in the two states was a "brazen violation of Constitution" and "insult to democracy", said Deputy Leader of Congress Anand Sharma while initiating the debate. "What happened in Arunachal late last year followed by Uttarakhand in Janauary this year shocked the country and invited censure of the Supreme Court and High Court of Uttarakhand," he said. Questioning the role of Governors, the former minister said he or she is "not supposed to interfere in day-to-day functioning... take unilateral decisions... Constitution was not respected... It is insult to peoples mandate." Citing the developments in both the states, he said Governors do not meddle in politics or undermine elected governments but "brazen violation of constitution" occured in both the states. He alleged that the Governors in both the states "willingly became tools to pursue nefarious agenda of the ruling party". Citing the Supreme Court orders on the dismissal of governments in these two states, Sharma asked why no action was taken against Uttarakhand Governor. "Sack that Governor. Remove him. If he continues to hold the post you are insulting constitution," Sharma said. "What happened was shameful. The government conduct was outrageous... Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of constitutional federalism... At the same time ruling party president talks of Congress-mukt Bharat...that is the official position of the ruling party and its national executive... this is insult to democracy and misuse of authority to destabilise elected governments," Sharma charged. Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu intervened to say that it is "the Devil quoting the scriptures". This was objected to by the Congress after which Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said he will examine whether it fell under unparliamentary language. Naidu said, "Issue is ...does the Congress party have any moral right to raise this. It has misused Article 356 at least 90 to 100 times... Such a party is giving sermons." Naidu said the "the original Congress was National Congress. This is a notional Congress. He said the Sarkaria Commission report had spoken about misuse of Article 356 by the successive Congress governments. Justifying imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and then in Uttarakhand, Naidu said there was Constitutional crisis there at that time. He was responding to Sharma's allegation that Governors in the two states had "willingly become tools to pursue nefarious agenda of the ruling party" and had acted as "political agents" of the government to topple the elected governments, Sharma also questioned whether BJP respects the Constitution or not. Naidu replied, "You should have been aware of the consequences. The arguments are over now. Your man did not have majority. He has resigned. How can you blame it on us? Had you taken appropriate action at appropriate time this would not have happened." Naidu quoted Sarkaria Commission recommendation that Article 356 be used sparingly as the last resort and in extreme urgency as misuse will have disastrous consequences. He gave details about how it was misused 12 times till 1967 and was later used umpteen times to topple several elected governments with the crescendo in 1977. "It is not the first time Article 356 is used, not the first time any Central government has intervened at any particular stage in a state... Congress party has done this umpteen times all these years. Several non-Congress governments became casualties because of your political considerations," the minister retorted. Referring to instances of imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Naidu said such a situation arose due to internal squabbling within the Congress party. Defending the action to recommend Presidents rule in Arunachal Pradesh, he said, "It was your problem and we were compelled to step in because of the constitutional breakdown." He asserted, "We believe in cooperative federalism, we want to take states along us. We are following the 'Team India' spirit. So you please cooperate and set your own house in order. Rest we can all address it together." Recalling how he was arrested during Emergency just for inviting socialist leader Jaiprakash Narain to college, Naidu said, "you disqualify MLAs and get Constitution bill passed. You have misused, dismissed and murdered popular elected Governors." He added, "Let us not score political points. We have to be responsible to the Constitution. Rules cannot be one for you and the other for me. We never say we want a Congress-mukt Bharat but we want a party like Congress to benefit." Naidu told Congress not to point accusing finger at government. "Let us reform the system," he said. After Naidu's intervention, Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress) raised a point of order under Rule 261 on use of "Devil preaches scripture" remark. To this, Kurien said, "I will examine this." Immediately after this, there were peals of laughter in the House as Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said he just wanted to know why Naidu was so aggressive and whether he had had chillies today instead of his usual sweets. Kurien said, "you can offer him sweets." Soon after this, Prabhat Jha (BJP) said Congress had no right to charge BJP as this was the party which had sterlised unmarried youth during Emergency. This provoked protests by members from Congress. Amid the din, Jha said, "you have no right on this issue. Your party has forced President's Rule as many as 123 times and barring the two newly-carved states Telangana and Chhattisgarh, no other state has been spared from it." There was ruckus in the House when Jha said that during the Emergency 2 lakh people had been jailed and there was rampant violation of Constitution with government even censoring media. Kurien then urged members to restore peace. Meanwhile, Jha said Congress should have courage to listen to the truth. As the Congress members continued to protest, Kurien warned that he would adjourn the House if the members failed to restore peace and sit down allowing the House to conduct business. The altercation between members of the two major parties escalated to such an extent that the Chair had to reprimand Congress member Mohammad Ali Khan and even threatened that the House would be adjourned for the day if the debate continues in a disorderly way. "I am sorry, I will adjourn the House for the day. This notice was given by Anand Sharma, Digvijay Singh and Bhubaneswar Kalita. All are from one party. They are blocking the discussion. Why do you think for every point raised you should reply. This is most disorder discussion. This behaviour I cannot accept," Kurien said. He told Sharma, "If you cannot control your members. I will apply (Rule) 255." The Chair also admonished Khan. Order was then restored in the House. Continuing, Jha said the Congress was leveling charges against the Modi government instead of changing its behaviour. "I challenge you. Let's debate on Emergency. How you trampled upon the Constitution.... We have got the full mandate, we are not going to submit before you," he added. Neeraj Shekhar (SP) said BJP was committing the same mistakes that Congress had done. "You fight on politics, you fight on principles, but not personal. What is happening in Uttar Pradesh? It pains me. You please recall the Governor and send some civilized person," he said. He wanted apology from both Congress and BJP for misuse of Article 356, while questioning the necessity of having the post of Governor. "Why should we require Governor? They are propagandist and using the Raj Bhawan for this purpose. Is it the job of a Governor to dethrone the government" he asked. He sought to know if the report of the Sarkariya Commission report on role of Governor is being followed in letter and spirit. The report defines a Governor as one who should be away from politics. "He can do politics to some extent but not propaganda. Whether you are following this report? I am unable to understand the role of Governor," he said. Shekar urged the government not to misuse power of governor and ensure image of governor is kept clean. Vijila Sathyananth (AIADMK) condemned the actions of Governors in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh and called upon the President to remove them. "If this (misuse of Governor's post) is not curbed, this is dangerous to the federal state and the autonomy of a state. This issue is not confined to Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. If this is done in any other part of the country, it will have reverberation," she said. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (Trinamool Congress) sought review of the appointment of Governors and demanded putting in place of eligibility and qualification criteria for selection. This is necessary as recent developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh prove that some Governors have "acted as agents," he said. "Article 157 of the Constitution deals with the appointment of a Governor and this must be reviewed. The qualification should be provided," he said. He also sought review of the Article 356 even as he observed that the ruling party was giving "uncanny respect" to the Constitution. Ramnath Thakur (JD-U) said both Congress and BJP have committed mistakes and asked if strict action would be taken against violators of the Constitution. He also hoped that the debate would find a solution to this problem. The motormouth minister is at it again. M I Khan reports from Patna. Union Minister Giriraj Singh, known for dancing in controversy, has shot his mouth off yet again. In a video that has gone viral on social media, the Union minister of state for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises describes Hindus as 'hijras' (eunuchs). 'Hinduo jaisa koi hijra kaum dusra nahin hain,' Singh was heard saying in the video clip. 'Agar Hindu hota toh, Patna ke Kargil chowk pe koi Pakistan zindabad ka nara nahin lagata, sabko eke k dhela marker maar detein ('If they were Hindus, then they wouldn't dare chant "Pakistan zindabad" slogans or else they would be beaten up),' the mantri added. Singh warns Hindus in the video that it is the beginning of worse things to come. When asked about his statements, Singh said he had not made any such statements in public and it was wrong and unethical of the media to record private conversations and put them out for all to listen. In April, Singh had targeted IITians, saying, 'Aaj samaj mein jo bachche gir gaye hain ha, gau maans kha rahein hain. Padhe likhe dus log jo gau maans kha rahein hain unmein se nau IITs ke hain ('People who have fallen in society eat beef. Out of 10 educated people who eat beef, 9 are from IITs').' Earlier, Singh demanded that the voting rights of couples with more than two children be revoked, to develop the nation. The minister last year made racist remarks on Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Singh had been widely condemned for saying: 'If Rajiv Gandhi had married a Nigerian lady and not a white-skinned woman, then would the Congress have accepted her leadership?' In April 2014, during the Lok Sabha election campaign, Singh was booked for saying that 'those who oppose Narendra Modi should go to Pakistan.' In a setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat ahead of the leadership change, the Gujarat high court on Thursday quashed the ordinance providing 10 per cent quota for the economically backward among the unreserved category, promulgated to pacify the agitating Patel community. The state government said it will challenge the high court decision. The HC stayed the order for two weeks on the request of the state government pleader so that they can approach the Supreme Court. Terming the ordinance issued on May 1 as "inappropriate and unconstitutional", a division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi rejected the state's argument that it is a classification under the general category and not the reserved category and held that it will breach the 50 per cent quota cap set up by the Supreme Court. Significantly, the high court order has come when the BJP government is all set to have a new chief minister after the resignation of Anandiben Patel as the ruling party grapples with multiple challenges, including Patidar quota stir, ahead of next year's assembly polls. Sticking to its stand on the EBS quota, the BJP government said it will move the Supreme Court against high court decision to scrap the ordinance which was announced by Anandiben to pacify the agitating Patidars who were demanding quota in jobs and educational institutions under OBC quota. However, Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel welcomed the order and said their agitation for quota under OBC category will continue. The court observed that 10 per cent reservation for poor among the unreserved category takes the total quota beyond 50 per cent, which is not permitted as per the Supreme Court's earlier decision. The high court also said that the government took the decision without any study or scientific data. Petitioners Dayaram Verma, Ravjibhai Manani, Dulari Basarge and Gujarat Parents' Association had separately challenged the ordinance announcing reservation of 10 per cent seats to candidates belonging to the unreserved category with family income cap of Rs 6 lakh annually in government jobs and educational institutions. Their petitions were heard together. The Patel quota stir, spearheaded by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samity led by Hardik Patel, is seen to be a key factor that led to the leadership change in the state, where assembly polls are due in a little over an year. The BJP had suffered heavy losses in the rural local bodies polls, which were blamed on the quota stir of the numerically and socially strong Patel community. Reacting to the order, Health minister Nitin Patel, considered to be a front runner for the chief minister's post, said the government will stick to the provision of EBC quota and challenge the HC order in the apex court as soon as possible. The government pleader had told the court that the reservation is actually "a further classification in the general, open, unreserved category" and does not violate either Supreme Court order or Constitutional provisions. The state government, in its affidavit, said the ordinance does not violate provisions of the Constitution nor does it go against the Supreme Court orders. "The ordinance should be read with Article 46 of Constitution (which states that social justice is required for weaker sections of society) and not with reference to backward class quota," the affidavit said. The petitioners submitted before the court that the reservation violates the Supreme Court's order providing 50 per cent ceiling for quota in the Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case. They said that additional 10 per cent reservation reduced the number of seats in educational institutions for candidates from unreserved category with annual family income of more than Rs 6 lakh. On May 1, the state had issued the ordinance providing 10 per cent reservation to persons from economically weaker sections from unreserved category, other than the SC, ST and OBC, for admissions in educational institutions and government jobs. The reservation is applicable to persons with annual family income cap of Rs 6 lakh. "When we announced the 10 per cent EBC reservation, our government had clearly stated that we will stick to this provision of EBC quota in any situation. Thus, we will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against Thursday's order by high Court, which rejected this quota," Nitin Patel said. Hailing the order, Hardik Patel said, "The court had clearly said that EBC quota was unconstitutional. "We welcome the order, as we always wanted reservation as per the Constitution. Thus, our agitation for reservation under OBC quota will continue till we get justice" Patel said through a video message from Udaipur, Rajasthan. He was directed to stay out of Gujarat for six months by the high court while being granted bail in a sedition case related to the agitation last month. There are 18 judges per 10 lakh people as compared to 50 judges recommended by the Law Commission in its 1987 report which the Chief Justice of India had recently cited seeking an increase in the judges strength. According to the data put out by the law ministry in public domain, the judge to population ratio in India stands at 17.86 judges per 10 lakh people. Mizoram has the highest judge to population ratio which stands at 57.74. In Delhi, it stands at 47.33, while in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of the country, the ratio is 10.54 judges per 10 lakh people. West Bengal has the lowest judge to population ratio at 10.45 judges per 10 lakh people. The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court today stands at 31 judges, including the CJI as compared to 25 in 2009. The apex court faces a shortage of 3 judges. Four new judges were recently appointed to the apex court. The sanctioned strength of the high courts till 2014 was 906 judges and it was increased to 1,079 in June this year. There are 24 high courts in the country. But despite the increase in the sanctioned strength, the high court, as in July this year, faced a shortage of 477 judges. The subordinate courts in the country, the backbone of justice delivery system, have a sanctioned strength of 20,502. But there are only 16,070 judicial officers serving in the courts and the shortage stood at 4,432 as on December 31, 2015. Addressing the inaugural session of Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts in New Delhi in April, CJI T S Thakur had said since 1987, when the Law Commission had recommended an increase in the number of judges from then 10 judges per 10 lakh people to 50, "nothing has moved". Justice Thakur had said following the Law Commission's recommendation, the Supreme Court in 2002 had also supported increasing the strength of the judiciary. A Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committee on Law, then headed by Pranab Mukherjee, had also recommended taking the ratio to 50 from 10. On July 28, the government had informed the Lok Sabha that the Law Commission has reviewed the criteria of judge-population ratio for determining the number of judges needed which the Chief Justice of India had cited to say that India needed 50 judges per million people. Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary had said in a written response that the criteria of the judge-population ratio for determining the adequacy of the judge strength in the country has been reviewed by the Law Commission in its 245th report (submitted in 2014) prepared on the directions of the Supreme Court. The apex court had asked the law panel to evolve a method for scientific assessment of the number of additional courts to clear the backlog of cases. "In the 245th report, the Law Commission has observed that filing of cases per capita varies substantially across geographic units as filings are associated with economic and social conditions of population. As such, the Commission did not consider the judge-population ratio to be a scientific criterion for determining the adequacy of the judge strength in the country," the minister said. The Commission had found that in the absence of complete and scientific approach to data collection across various high courts, the 'rate of disposal' method to calculate the number of additional judges required to clear the backlog as well as to ensure that the new backlog is not created, is more pragmatic and useful, Chaudhary had said. The Delhi High Court verdict that the Lt Governor is the city administration's boss triggered a fresh war of words on Thursday between the Aam Aadmi Party government and incumbent Najeeb Jung, who said he felt sorry for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and that his interpretation of the Constitution is "laughable". Refusing to back down, the AAP government said it will challenge the order in the Supreme Court, asserting it has been targeted for trying to contain corruption. It also questioned why the Constitution was amended to have a legislative assembly if the city was to be run by the LG. Jung said that all the issues raised by AAP government have been declared wrong by the Court, suggesting that approaching the apex court on the matter will be futile. "I feel sorry for him (Kejriwal). Because he shows a paranoia which is really of concern. He should mature," Jung said, calling handling of certain issues by the Chief Minister "childish" and his interpretation of certain provisions of the Constitution "laughable". Jung also said the Delhi government will have to take corrective measures after the verdict. "We respectfully disagree with the High Court verdict," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, adding there was a "big difference" between any other Union Territory and the national capital and alleged that on the "pretext of rules", various decisions aimed at curbing corruption have been stalled. Jung, addressing a rare press conference, said a number of decisions including Delhi Government's directions to power regulator DERC, appointment of government representatives to BSES board and certain orders relating to tax will have to be "corrected" as they did not have his concurrence. At the same time, he said the Court's ruling that he is the "administrative head" of Delhi was neither a victory for him nor a defeat for Kejriwal, noting fulcrum of the verdict was to protect the sanctity of Constitution. The BJP and Congress attacked the AAP government asking it to respect Constitutional provisions. Arguing that AAP government has been targeted for trying to contain corruption, Sisodia said "The High Court says Delhi is merely an Union Territory. If as per Constitution Delhi is only an UT, then why was it amended to make Delhi an UT with legislature. "If Delhi was to be run by the Lt Governor, then why was the Constitution amended to have state assembly. Why provision was made to have an elected government. We were targeted as we tried to rid the city of corruption," he told reporters. Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain said city government will move the Supreme Court against the HC verdict. "Several acts of the Parliament relating to Delhi have defined both the Lt Governor and the Government of NCT as different entities. So, if Constitution had considered Delhi a mere UT, the city would have functioned like Chandigarh, Lakshadweep and Andamans. But it is not so," Sisodia said. In a huge setback to the Kejriwal government, the High Court held that the LG is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory and the AAP government's contention that he is bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance". The Lt Governor, who had a long running battle with the AAP government on a host of jurisdictional issues, said he always wanted to protect the provisions of the Constitution and did not agree to AAP government's decisions when he found they were at variance with the laid down norms. "It is not a victory of anyone. It is not a win for Najeeb Jung and loss for Arvind Kejriwal. The court order is a kind of clarification that incorrect things will have to be corrected," he said. On Kejriwal's attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jung said stature of a PM is far bigger than that of a chief minister of a Union Territory. Asked about the language used by Kejriwal to criticise him, Jung said a Chief Minister should not use such language. "I have stopped reacting." "I have not differed from the Constitutional line even to a comma. So, what has been stopped has been violative of the Constitution." On the Commission of Inquiry ordered by Kejriwal into alleged irregularities in DDCA, he said it was done with a "malafide" intention. Sisodia said people of Delhi had brought AAP to power with a historic mandate hoping that that corruption will "end" in all spheres of governance and when AAP started to fulfil people's aspirations, the efforts to curtail "rights of a democratically elected government" had started. Targeting Jung, Sisodia said Kejriwal government was consistently prevented by the LG and Centre from taking any action against corruption since it was formed. "They wanted a government in Delhi which cannot take action in cases of corruption, compensate farmers, transfer officials. "This decision of the High Court should be seen in this background. The government had approached the court after it was stopped from doing all these works," he said. A Delhi government spokesperson said that the verdict shows it has "undermined powers of council of ministers mentioned in the Constitution". Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha said "a democratically elected government cannot be undermined. This isn't a fight for supremacy, but democracy". Photograph: PTI Photo American defence major Lockheed Martin on Thursday said it has offered to move its lone production line of the latest version of fighter aircraft F 16-Block 70 to India from Texas to meet Indian and global requirement. However, the company made it clear the proposal is "conditional" to IAF choosing the world's largest-sold fighter aircraft for its fleet. "The offer we have given to the Indian government is unmatched and from our side unprecedented," Randall L Howard, F16 Business Development head at Lockheed Martin, said in New Delhi. Interacting with mediapersons, Howard said the company wants to make F 16-Block 70 "for India, from India and export to the world". However, he parried questions on whether the company is willing to give a commitment not to sell F16s to Pakistan saying it will be part of discussions between the Indian and American governments. Asked if the offer to move the production line from Fort Worth to India is conditional to IAF picking up the aircraft for its fleet, Abhay Paranjape, National Executive, India said, "Yes". He said it is conditional to assured orders from the Indian Air Force which is looking to acquire new aircraft to beef up its depleting strength. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said India will choose at least one more aircraft, besides the indigenous Tejas, for the IAF through the 'Make in India' route. Lockheed Martin, which has sold 4,588 F16s in the world, faces competition from its American rival Boeing (F/A-18E), Dassault Aviation of France (Rafale), Swedish plane Gripen by Saab and the Eurofighter. All the companies have offered to set up a production facility here. "But we are offering not only moving the lone production line to India but also meeting the global requirement through the same unit here," Howard said, adding it is a "win-win situation". Arguing the F 16-Block 70 will be the best fighter aircraft in the Indian region, he said, "It is critical for you to pick up a partner who will deliver on his promise". Howard said the company is having multiple discussions with the government here besides the industry and "they have not been told to go away", indicating the discussions are on. He added Lockheed believes the production in India will also bring down the cost of the aircraft which in turn will increase its global demand. Howard did not reply to questions on the kind of investment the company plans to make in the country and whether it would be looking at a 100 per cent FDI, saying it was too early to discuss this. He said the aim of the company right now was to give maximum data to the government and the IAF so they can be helped in making an informed decision. The company termed India as the "new epicenter of the world's most extensive, industrial defence network". Company sources said besides catering to India's demand, they are also looking at a potential export order of another 100 aircraft. Lockheed officials said the US Air Force will continue to fly F16s for decades to come. They added the new avionics configuration is the largest leap in F16 combat capability and represents the most significant F16 upgrade till date. The company said current order allows the production line in the US to stay open till late 2017. If a foreign order comes through, for which talks are on with the US government, the production line will be open till 2021. Photograph: US Air Force A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in Afghanistan, with seven people on-board including one Russian, feared to have been taken hostages by the Taliban, official said. The Russian-made chopper, owned by the provincial government of Punjab, was on its way to Russia on routine maintenance when it suffered unknown technical glitch and had to force land in Azra district of restive Logar province on Thursday. "We believe that it was our chopper but we need confirmation from the Afghan government," an official of Punjab government said. The official could not confirm the whereabouts of the seven people who were in the chopper. However, he said, it included one Russian engineer and six Pakistanis, including four former army personnel. There were conflicting reports about the fate of the chopper as some reports suggested that it was set on fire by Taliban while others said that it caught fire while landing. Foreign Office said in a statement that helicopter owned by the Punjab government took off at 8.45 am (local time) for Russia. "We are trying to ascertain if it was the same helicopter which went down in Afghanistan," FO said in a statement. Afghan media reported through government sources that it was a Pakistani helicopter and that all those on board were captured by Taliban and transported to unknown location. A spokesman for Pakistani embassy in Kabul confirmed the crash, but did not provide any details on the fate of the passengers. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that so far he has no information about the incident. Pakistan Army uses Russian-made MI-17 choppers, several of which have carshed in the recent past. Seven people including two foreign ambassadors were killed in May last year when an Mi-17 army helicopter crashed at a holiday resort in the mountains of Gilgit. Representative Image: Mian Khursheed/Reuters Raising the Kashmir issue at the SAARC meeting, Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday alleged that the violence being committed in Kashmir is "open terrorism". Addressing the one-day Interior/Home Ministers Conference of SAARC countries in Islamabad, Khan equated the use of force by Indian security forces with "terrorism". There is a difference between fighting for freedom and terrorism, he was quoted as saying by local media. "The violence being committed against the innocent people" of Kashmir is "open terrorism", he said, speaking extempore. Local media reports said that it seemed Khan decided to ignore the written notes in order to respond to the speech of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who without naming Pakistan lambasted it for supporting terrorism. The Express News reported that Khan left his seat of the speaker to address all issues point by point raised by the home ministers of the member countries. "We have always wished to work in close cooperation with all our neighbours and we believe all pending issues can be addressed through dialogue," he said. Khan said Pakistan suffered heavy losses in the fight against terrorism and the country condemned every single incident of terror which claimed innocent lives. The SAARC group includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Later, while addressing a media briefing, Khan said he responded to Singh's speech at the SAARC conference to "put the record straight" on the issue of terrorism. "I had to respond, though I would have avoided after elected as chairman to run the proceedings," Khan said. "When someone tries to cast aspersions on Pakistan, then it becomes necessary to clarify our stance and position," he said. Khan said Rajnath had not named Pakistan but his intentions and target was clear. "I said that not only terrorist attacks in Dhaka, Mumbai and Pathankot should be condemned but also those committed in Peshawar, Karachi and Lahore," he said. "I also said that there is blatant foreign intervention in Pakistan across from the borders but we do not raise a storm," he said. Khan said he offered that instead of blaming each other, it was better to sit together for talks over differences and other issues. He also said that the meeting of SAARC ministers was successful and all agenda items were discussed. Khan said the next meeting would be held in Sri Lanka in 2017. A statement issued by Pakistan's Interior Ministry said, "Khan called on regional countries to differentiate between terrorism and freedom movements sanctified by the UN Security Council." "The Interior Minister highlighted that Pakistan itself has been the biggest victim of terrorism and instead of engaging in a blame game and taking swipes at each other we should take time out to reflect and sit down together and try to work out the problems and reservations which we might have towards each other," the statement said. "He (Khan) maintained that Pakistan is ready to engage in any dialogue process based on mutual respect and dignity. It is for those who put conditions and sub conditions for initiating dialogue to reconsider and realign their positions. He said, that unlike mentioned by India, terrorist activities are not only restricted to India, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh. Scores of terror incidents taking place in Pakistan are equally condemnable if not more," it said. Photograph: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com India on Thursday delivered a blunt message to Pakistan asking it to stop encouraging terror groups and "glorification" of terrorists and also called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism and their isolation. Without mincing any words amid the strain in Indo-Pak relations, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough and that there are "no good terrorists or bad terrorists". Singh in his address to the 7th SAARC Interiors Ministers Conference said terrorism continued to remain the biggest challenge and threat to the region. The current strain in Indo-Pak relations was apparently evident when Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time on Thursday and the two leaders barely shook hands. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. Members of the Indian media, which came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment or the conference and was kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, leading to a verbal duel between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official. The only broadcaster allowed inside the venue was state-owned Pakistan Television, the reports said. However, India described the reports of a 'blackout' as "misleading". "With reference to the home ministers meeting in Islamabad earlier, media reports of a 'blackout' of our home minister's statement are misleading. "It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media while the rest of the proceedings are in camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues," a government source said. In Islamabad, an interior ministry official also said that there was no such blackout of Rajnath's speech as none of the speeches of participating ministers was shown. "It is true that his (Rajnath's) speech was not shown live because (the) speech(es) of none of the participating ministers was shown live by the state media." He said only the inaugural session was shown live when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan made welcome speeches. The official said Singh was not discriminated at all by the state media and he was given full official protocol. The home minister also skipped the lunch being hosted by Khan after the meeting as the host had left the venue. Speaking in Hindi at the conference, Singh said there should be "strongest action not only against terrorists or organisations but also against those individuals, organisations and nations who support terrorism." "It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronized by any state," Singh said in a veiled dig at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singh's comments came against the backdrop of Sharif's praise of Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 and his description of Hizbul Mujahideen commander as a martyr, much to Indias ire. "One countrys terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. I also speak for the entire humanity -- not just for India or other SAARC members -- in urging that in no circumstances should terrorists be eulogised as martyrs." Calling for isolation of countries or individuals who provide any kind of support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorists, he said "strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organisations but also those individuals, institutions, organisations or nations that support them. "Only this will ensure that the forces engaged in promoting the heinous crime of terrorism against humanity are effectively countered." Image: Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Islamabad for the seventh SAARC Home Ministers meeting. Photograph: PTI Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan experiences a missile launch through Cinematic techniques after the inauguration of DRDO exhibition at Parliament Library Building to showcase the products and systems developed by various DRDO laboratories, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI The remaining portion of the Mahad-Poladpur bridge which was washed away in flood water of Savitri river on the Mumbai-Goa highway in Raigad district on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Brahmos missile launcher on display at an exhibition showcasing products and systems developed by various DRDO laboratories at Parliament house in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Police chasing away protesters throwing stones on them during a clash in Srinagar on Wednesday. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI Villagers wade through flood water in East Champaran district of Bihar on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Police baton charge SC/ST students at a demonstration against scholarship cuts by the Bihar government during monsoon session of the assembly in Patna on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI BJP National President Amit Shah addressing at BJP Pradesh Parishad Sammelan in Kolkata on Wednesday. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI A girl plays with a bicycle on a deserted street during curfew in Srinagar on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Congress activists protesting against price rise of vegetable and pulses in Patna on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Kashmiri women react as they watch the body of Riyaz Ahmad Shah, a civilian, who according to local media was killed on Tuesday night by pellets fired by the police, being carried away for his funeral in Srinagar. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters A woman covers her face as a municipal worker fumigates a slum area in Kolkata. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters The state government on Thursday announced a judicial probe in the collapse of a British-era bridge here in which at least 22 people in two buses went missing, even as rescuers have fished out nine bodies so far from the swollen Savitri river. Two state buses, with 22 people, including the crew, and some other vehicles got washed away in the river amid heavy rains late Tuesday following the collapse of a bridge on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad, about 170 km from Mumbai. Nine bodies have so far been fished out as massive multi-agency operations continue to find the missing vehicles and rest of the passengers. About 20 boats with nearly 160 personnel of Coast Guard, NDRF, and Navy, apart from local fishermen and rafters, are at the work to find the remains of the two buses and other vehicles, which are also suspected to have been swept away. The local administration has set up a help centre for the kin of the victims. Earlier, a 300-kg magnet was lowered in the waters with the help of a crane to trace the missing buses. Something has got stuck to the magnet and efforts are on to pull it out of the river, a local official said. Deepak Mundhe, the son of Gorakhnath Mundhe, the driver of one of the ill-fated buses of the State Transport Corporation, expressed deep shock over the incident but has not lost hope. "We have not lost our hope. We are hoping that my father would come alive," Mundhe said. An NDRF jawan, who came out of the river after three hours of intense search, said, "The fast flow of flood water is posing a tough challenge for us but that is not going to be a deterrent in our mission." In the state Assembly, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a judicial probe into the bridge collapse. "A judicial inquiry will be conducted," Fadnavis said replying to a discussion on the issue. The chief minister said directives have been issued to conduct structural audit of old bridges. In 2013, the then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and then deputy CM had received complaints about the dilapidated bridge, Fadnavis pointed out. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the government should expand the scope of search operation. A body was found 100 kms from the accident site. This shows that there's a need to expand scope of search operations, he said. The government machinery showed negligence which led to the Mahad tragedy, Vikhe Patil alleged. He demanded the PWD minister should own up responsibility and a judicial inquiry conducted into the incident. Nationalist Congress Party MLA Ajit Pawar said a Sena legislator had a year ago, through a query in the assembly, spoken of fears about a tragedy waiting to happen due to the dilapidated state of the British-era bridge. While replying to the query, PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil had said the bridge was technically sound, Pawar said. Chandrakant Patil was at fault, he alleged. The International Army Games kicked off in Russia this last weekend at the Alabino shooting range near Moscow with a tank biathlon competition and would continue until August 13. Invented by the Russian military a few years back, tank biathlon basically works like normal biathlon... but with tanks. According to the rules of tank biathlon, crews must navigate a distance of up to 20 kilometers evading various obstacles, crossing rivers and bridges and shoot at a set of targets. Tanks that miss a target get a penalty lap. Unlike previous years, this year's competition with 23 contests is taking place in two countries -- Russia and Kazakhstan -- and includes 23 events in field, air and marine training involving over 3,000 military personnel from 20 countries. India is participating only in the Tank Biathlon. All teams are using the T-72B3 tanks provided by Russia; the only exceptions being the Chinese who brought a new variant of the third-generation ZTZ-96 main battle tank, and the Belarus team who are using their T-72 tank. Scroll below to see some stunning photographs from the competition: (Photographs Courtesy: Sergei Bobylev/Russian Defence Ministry Press Office) Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Islamabad to participate in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ministerial conference, on Thursday along with his counterparts from the member countries called on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Singh was part of the joint delegation of the Interior/Home Ministers of SAARC nations when they called on the Pakistani prime minister at his office. "It was a formal courtesy call, nothing else," an official said. The Interior/Home Ministers' of SAARC nations were with Sharif for about 20 minutes during which only pleasantries were exchanged, the official said, adding nothing formal was discussed. Sharif's meeting with a senior Indian functionary came amidst the ongoing strain in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan following the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen militant Burhan Wani in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8. Not only did Prime Minister Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity. The decision of Singh joining the Interior/Home Ministers in the courtesy call of Sharif was taken after several rounds of consultations among top officials of ministries of home, external affairs and prime minister's office on Wednesday. The eight-member SAARC grouping comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Image: Rajnath Singh with his counterparts from SAARC nations called on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad. Photograph: @pmln_org/Twitter As Barack Obama delivers his final address as president of the United States, here's a look at some of his most memorable speeches, which captured hearts and minds around the world. Thank you Obama, for your words... 1. Keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, 2004 When Obama delivered this 17-minute speech, he was running for the US Senate. His rousing words, rooted in optimism, is arguably the finest political speech in recent American history. 2. A More Perfect Union, 2008 In 2008, when America witnessed protests, police shootings and inflammatory political rhetoric (much as it, alas, does now) the junior Senator from Illinois -- the outsider (Hillary Clinton was the frontrunner, remember?) vying for the Democratic party presidential nomination -- drew on the history of his nation and his family to explore the complex issues of race and discrimination. The Pew Research Centre called the speech 'arguably the biggest political event of the campaign,' while The New Yorker magazine felt the speech helped elect Obama President. 3. A New Beginning, the Cairo address in 2009 After assuming office, President Obama wanted to signal a clean break with the Bush administration's policies towards the Arab and Muslim worlds (the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan) and proclaim a new beginning based not on military might and intervention, but on 'dialogue.' Then acclaimed by the Muslim world, the eloquent speech was, however, felled later by the complexities and realpolitik of the Middle East and Islamist radicalism. 4. Together We Thrive: Tucson and America memorial Perhaps the most moving moment of Obama's first term as President came when he spoke at the memorial for victims of the shooting in Arizona that killed nine people and injured 13, including US Congresswoman Gabby Gifford. Obama, who teared up at one point and had to collect himself, rose above the intensely partisan political discourse, calling for a new era in civility in America. 5. 50th anniversary of the Selma March, 2015 Fifty years after those marches for equality and the end to racial discrimination, Obama -- whose father was black and mother was white -- spoke of the turbulence in the 1950s and 1960s that led to the march on Selma (which was led by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr) and reminded Americans that the legacy of Selma was that there is still work to do, bringing blacks and whites together. 6. The 2015 Charleston shooting eulogy Obama delivered the eulogy for the victims of the June 2015 Charleston shooting, where a white supremacist murdered nine members of a black church. The President spoke of the safe space the black church had been throughout the centuries-long struggle for civil rights, leaving his audience in Charleston and indeed worldwide moved by the sheer power of his words. 7. Remarks at the Democratic Convention, 2016 Twelve years after he first addressed the Democratic National Convention, Obama said he felt more optimistic about the nation's future than he did when he first took office. He credited it, in part, to his supporters and asked them to 'carry' Hillary Clinton to the Oval Office and after, the way they carried him all this time. And this is why Obama is the king of mic drops... Defending its nuclear cooperation with its close ally Pakistan, China on Thursday said its supply of reactors to Islamabad were in accordance with the principles of National Security Guard and under the supervision of United Nations nuclear watchdog. Refuting a US think tank report which said that Chinas nuclear cooperation with Pakistan was in contravention with the Nuclear Suppliers Group principles, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said China-Pakistan cooperation is in accordance with the 48-member nuclear club, which supervises global nuclear commerce. China has stated on many occasions that the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the civil nuclear energy sector is completely for peaceful purpose, Hua said. Such cooperation is subject to the safeguards and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency and in accordance with the NSGs principles and the international obligations assumed by the two countries, Hua said. The Arms Control Association has expressed concern over export of nuclear materials by China to Pakistan saying that it is in violation of international norms and established procedures. China has taken significant steps over the past several years to strengthen its export controls. However, Beijings decision to continue selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan in contravention of NSG and its sales of missile technologies to countries of concern earns China a failing grade, the ACA report said. In its updated report card 2013-2016 Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, ACA gave China a failing F Grade on nuclear weapons related export control. China had joined the NSG in 2004 and its national export controls include provisions related to export licensing, control lists, end-user controls, and import controls. At the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in 2015, China had said it carried out stringent reviews on its export controls and adjusts its trigger lists according to technical progress. In March 2016, Beijing said it started to implement the Nuclear Export Control List that was updated in January 2016. Despite progress on its export controls China continues to supply Pakistan with nuclear power reactors, despite objections that the sale of the reactors did not receive a consensus exemption from the NSG, the report said. Pakistan, which is neither an Non-Proliferation Treaty member nor under full-scope IAEA safeguards, is therefore ineligible to receive such assistance under NSG rules, it argued. ACA observations about the consensus and NPT were significant as China blocked Indias application to join NSG in the recent NSG Plenary meeting in Seoul despite the support of majority of its members, saying that it lacked the mandatory requirement of consensus among the group. China also said India was not a signatory to NPT, yet another obligatory requirement to join the NSG. In defence of its continued supply of nuclear reactors to Pakistan, China argues that they were part of the decision reached before it joined the NSG. China has argued that the reactor transfer was based on a contract negotiated with Pakistan in 2003, one year before Beijing joined the NSG, and grandfathered in when China joined the regime, the ACA report said. However, the 2003 exemption was widely understood to apply solely to the two nuclear power reactors whose sale was completed before Chinas acceptance into the NSG in 2004, the report said. In February 2015, Wang Xiaotao, vice-minister of the Chinas planning body the National Development and Reforms Commission said China had assisted Pakistan to build six nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 3.4 million kws amid Beijings plans to build two 1100 mw reactors in Karachi with $6.5 billion assistance. It was the first detailed disclosure by a Chinese official about Chinas supply of reactors to Pakistan which remained under wraps for long. China had built two 300 mw reactors at Chasma in Punjab followed by two 320 mw units at the same place. It is currently building two 1100 mw reactors in Karachi at a cost of $6.5 billion, saying they are aimed at easing power problems in Pakistan. India and the US have expressed concerns over it and said the reactors were being built without the sanction of the NSG. While India has secured the NSG waiver after the India-US civil nuclear deal in 2008 to get more nuclear reactors and fuel, Pakistan has not got any such exemption. China which is rapidly expanding its nuclear reactors domestically to reduce dependence on coal is now aggressively marketing its newly acquired nuclear technology to build 1100 mw reactors abroad. Besides Pakistan, China signed an agreement to build a pressurised water reactor nuclear power plant in Argentina. It did not take long for us from introducing this (nuclear) technology to exporting it, Wang said. According to a report released last year, China had 27 nuclear power generating units in operation as of the end of October 2015, with a total installed capacity of 25.5 gigawatts, while another 25 units with a total installed capacity of 27.51 GW under construction. The worlds second largest economy plans to raise its installed nuclear power capacity to 58 GW with an additional 30 GW under construction by 2020 and build itself into a strong nuclear power country by 2030. India on Thursday sought strengthening of SAARC monitoring desks on terrorism and drugs, underlining that illicit funds generated from narcotics and fake currency networks are being fed into supporting terror activities. Terming drug abuse a grave challenge, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the SAARC Interior Ministers that it is a problem which is connected with all types of organised crime. "Today, drug business generates the highest illegal fund flows. Trafficking of drugs, coupled with the problem of increasing circulation of fake currency, feeds into supporting terrorism and can create economic de-stabilisation in our region," Singh said at the seventh SAARC Interior Ministers' conference in Islamabad. He said that towards implementation of the regional convention on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, India has offered its full support and cooperation by way of capacity building and training programmes. "There is also a felt need to achieve the full potential of the SAARC terrorist offences monitoring desk and the SAARC drug offences monitoring desk," he said. The SAARC terrorist offences monitoring desk, established in Colombo in 1995, collates, analyses and disseminates information about such crimes, tactics of terror groups, their strategies and methods. SAARC drug offences monitoring desk is a similar desk established in Colombo in 1992 focussing on activities of narcotics traffickers. Singh also highlighted signature schemes of the Modi government like 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' asking the SAARC countries to give due priority to safety and security of women and children. "Safety and security of women and children will determine the well-being and strength of our nations. It is timely and relevant that SAARC has accorded due priority to this area of cooperation, since new threats are emerging with increasing access to information technology and the changing nature of global economy," Singh said. The home minister said that in India, number of new initiatives such as the 'Track Child' national portal and 'Operation Smile' have been taken to rescue children. "We shared our experience at the ministerial meeting of the south Asia initiative to end violence against children, which we were privileged to host recently. Our prime minister had launched the flagship 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' programme," Singh said. He said the scheme has rapidly expanded and has started contributing to ensuring the survival, protection, education and empowerment of the girl child. "Since this August forum also discusses our cooperation against corruption, I would like to mention that achieving greater transparency and good governance is a cornerstone of our policy," the minister said. He said that through financial inclusion scheme 'Jan Dhan Yoyana' that leverages world's largest biometric Unique ID system Aadhar, and Direct Benefit Transfers, India has been able to transform services delivery to ensure that benefits of public schemes reach the grass-root levels. Stressing for greater regional prosperity and cooperation between South Asian countries, Singh, however, said that mounting threats and terror incidents endanger regions peace and stability. "Terrorism remains the biggest challenge and threat to our peace. South Asia continues to be deeply affected by this malady, as witnessed most recently in cowardly terrorist attacks in Pathankot, Dhaka, Kabul and other places," Singh said after listening to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. "Merely strong condemnation of such terrorist attacks is not enough. We must harden our resolve to eradicate this menace and also take serious steps to this end," he said without mincing words. The home minister also touched upon the issue of countries providing safe haven to terrorists and other criminals. Singh said the will and the mandate of international community against proscribed and wanted terrorists and their outfits must also be respected and implemented. "If we are to rid ourselves of terrorism, we will have to genuinely believe that attempts to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' terrorists are misleading," he said, adding no type of terrorism or support to it can be justified on any grounds whatsoever. Advocating an immediate and effective action against all those who support or encourage international terrorism in any way, whether they are state actors or non-state, he said "only then justice will be ensured for the victims of terrorist attacks such as in Mumbai and Pathankot. We must have the approach of 'zero tolerance' against any type of terrorism." Singh called for implementation of SAARC regional convention on suppression of terrorism and its additional protocol, saying that it was "crucial" in common fight against terrorism. The convention includes ensuring effective measures so that those committing terrorist acts do not escape prosecution and punishment, and are extradited or prosecuted. Singh also touched upon misuse of social and digital media, a modern-day tool used by terror groups. "In our effort to tackle terrorism, we should look into all possible avenues of cyber-crime, its linkages with the terrorist world, and how these could be dealt with. "Attention and efforts need to be devoted to ensure that social media and other modern technology is not misused for misleading especially the youth or promoting terrorism in any way." He drew the attention of the participants to ratification of the SAARC convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters. "We have not been able to benefit from the convention, as some member states are yet to ratify it. I would urge remaining member states to consider ratifying the convention at the earliest," he said. He also thanked the participants for extending support to India's proposal for being the host of second meeting of the high level group of eminent experts to strengthen the SAARC anti-terrorism mechanism in Delhi from September 22 to September 23. Image: Rajnath Singh along with the Indian delegation at the SAARC Home Ministers' Conference in Islamabad. Photograph: PTI Belarus: "Alternative service exists, not for me" Publisher Forum 18 Author Olga Glace Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as Forum 18, Belarus: "Alternative service exists, not for me", 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2d89e4.html [accessed 28 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. Brest Regional Court unconstitutionally rejected an appeal by 21-year-old Jehovah Witness conscientious objector Viktor Kalina against his conviction and large fine for refusing to do military service. The appeal rejection came one week before Belarus' Alternative Service Law came into force on 1 July. 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. UN 'deeply troubled' by latest DPRK missile launch Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN 'deeply troubled' by latest DPRK missile launch, 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2dbcc40b.html [accessed 28 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. 3 August 2016 - The United Nations is "deeply troubled" by the recent missile launches of the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), a UN spokesperson said today after one of the rockets, reportedly landed in or near Japanese waters for the first time. "Such actions seriously undermine regional peace and stability. We reiterate the call on the DPRK to heed the united call of the international community to reverse its course and return to the process of sincere dialogue," said Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the regular daily briefing at UN Headquarters today. Mr. Dujarric added that later today, the UN Security Council will hold closed-door consultations on the situation. The day after the U.S. Air Force announced the F-35 Lightning II is combat ready, U.S. Reps. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., and Jeff Miller, R-Florida, joined Department of Defense contractors in Helena Wednesday to talk about the aircrafts capabilities and take a ride in an F-35 cockpit simulator. Defense giant Lockheed Martin contracted with Helena-based Pioneer Aerostructures for construction of titanium bulkheads for the F-35. The highly machined bulkheads create ribbing for structural stability for the fighter jet, and Pioneer is among nearly 1,300 suppliers for the F-35 program nationwide. Pioneer president Tom Hoffman noted the importance of the F-35 program and the potential to expand with the aircraft and Lockheed in the future. The firm currently has three contracts with Lockheed and 21 employees manufacturing the titanium bulkheads. Miller, a member of the House Armed Service Committee, praised the nationwide effort to produce the F-35. The jet is particularly important in his district which includes Eglin Air Force Base and the largest fleet of F-35s in the country. Zinke, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, threw his support behind Pioneer as a model for Montana-based manufacturing. "Not everything is doom and gloom, theres a lot of good things happening in Montana and one of them is right here," Zinke said. "When I went to school, who wouldve thought Helena would be on the cutting edge of manufacturing precision parts for the world's most technologically advanced airplane?" Lockheed brings the simulator to various firms that contributed to the program as an opportunity for those who worked on the plane to see the culmination of their efforts. We want to say thank you to the folks that build the aircraft and the community that supports what were doing to provide this capability to the men and women of the armed services, said Danny Conroy, director of the USAF F-35 program. The U.S. military was in desperate need of new fighters to replace the 25-year-old F-16, Conroy said. The F-35 answers that need as stealthy, aerodynamic and with missions systems that bring information into the cockpit that allow the airplane to go very deep into highly defended territory. The F-35 program has come under fire as software and design problems caused delays and ballooned budgets. The initial price tag came in at more than $100 million per jet, making the $379 billion program the most expensive weapon program in Defense history, according to the Associated Press. In April, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called the program a scandal and cost overruns disgraceful, the AP reported. Conroy defended the program, saying that after initial challenges, Lockheed since 2010 has met its deadlines and is working to bring costs down. With the Air Forces announcement, it was good to be turning the page and talking about putting the advanced airplanes in the hands of servicemen and servicewomen, he said. Lockheed and its contractors plan to build 53 F-35s this year and more than 60 next year. The company hopes to bump production up to 15 per month with costs expected to settle near $85 million per jet by the end of the year, Conroy said, making the F-35 cost similar to that of a fully equipped F-16. In my heart of hearts, it gets that combat capability out to the folks that need it quicker, he said of increased production. This story has been edited to say that Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida, is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Ban reiterates strong condemnation of 'heinous' crimes committed by ISIL in Sinjar Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Ban reiterates strong condemnation of 'heinous' crimes committed by ISIL in Sinjar, 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2dbeb411.html [accessed 28 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. 3 August 2016 - Marking the second anniversary of the seizure of Sinjar by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his profound sympathy to the families of the victims and the survivors as well as deep concern for safety of the people - particularly thousands of Yazidi women and children - still being held captive. "The Secretary-General reiterates his strong condemnation of the heinous crimes that continue to be committed by ISIL against the diverse ethnic and religious communities of Iraq," said a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson. The UN chief in his statement went on to express deep concern about the safety of the people who remain in ISIL's captivity, in particular the thousands of Yezidi women and children, and he called on all those engaged in the fight against ISIL [also known as Da'esh] to make their release a "prime objective" in their military operations. "The Secretary-General stresses that the crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide," the statement continued, underscoring Mr. Ban's call on the Iraqi Government and the international community to continue to support the survivors. Mr. Ban also called on the Government of Iraq to continue identifying ways to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice without delay, based on fair trial and due process, which could include the option of a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Meanwhile, earlier in the day, a United Nations-mandated inquiry on human rights in Syria today called for an end to the genocide and other crimes committed by ISIL/Da'esh against the Yazidis, recommending that the UN Security Council refer the situation to the ICC or an ad hoc tribunal. In the early hours of 3 August 2014, fighters of ISIL, also known as ISIS, left their bases and brutally attacked the Yazidis of Sinjar, a distinct religious group whose beliefs and practice span thousands of years, the Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in a statement. The Commission's report, titled They Came to Destroy: ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis, released on 16 June 2016, determined that ISIS has committed the crime of genocide, as well as multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes, against the Yazidis. Two years on, crimes committed by ISIS against the Yazidis, including genocide, are "ongoing," with more than 3,200 women and children still held by the group and being subjected to almost-unimaginable violence, the Commission said. Most are in Syria where Yazidi women and girls continue to be sexually enslaved and Yazidi boys, indoctrinated, trained and used in hostilities. Thousands of Yazidi men and boys remain missing. The Commission called for renewed attention to its findings and its wide-ranging recommendations to the UN, the Syrian Government and the wider international community, including the one encouraging the Security Council to urgently refer the situation to ICC or an ad hoc tribunal with relevant geographic and temporal jurisdiction, in line with each State's individual obligations under the Genocide Convention. "It is the responsibility of the United Nations, and the international community to take action to stop the on-going genocide, to care for its victims, and to bring those responsible to justice," the statement said. UN warns of escalating tension in eastern Ukraine as casualties hit highest since last August Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN warns of escalating tension in eastern Ukraine as casualties hit highest since last August, 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2dc0f40c.html [accessed 28 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. 3 August 2016 - Civilian causalities in eastern Ukraine spiked in June and July, prompting the United Nations human rights chief to call on the parties to the conflict to make protection of civilians a priority and take urgent steps to de-escalate the increasingly tense situation at the contact line. The escalation of hostilities and the accompanying civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine over the last two months are very worrying, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said today in a news release. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented 69 civilian casualties in June, including 12 dead and 57 injured, and 73 civilian casualties in July, including eight dead and 65 injured, the highest figures since August 2015. The average of 71 for these two months was more than double the monthly average of 34 from September 2015 through May 2016. The many casualties we have documented in recent weeks suggest that neither Ukrainian forces nor the armed groups are taking the necessary precautions to protect civilians, Mr. Zeid said, urging all sides to respect the ceasefire provisions, to remove combatants and weapons from civilian areas, and to scrupulously implement the provisions of the Minsk agreements. More than half of all the casualties recorded in the past two months were caused by shelling. Between 1 June and 31 July 2016, 72 civilians were injured and six killed by shelling, including allegedly through the use of weapons expressly prohibited by the Minsk agreements. Mines, explosive remnants of war, booby traps and improvised explosive devices were responsible for most of the remaining casualties. UN human rights teams on both sides of the contact line have documented reports of civilian homes looted, schools and hospitals shelled or used by Ukrainian forces and armed groups. An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people cross the contact line each day, using five crossings that are surrounded by inadequately marked minefields, according to OHCHR. In recent weeks, the situation has become even more dangerous as exchanges of fire have reportedly taken place between Ukrainian forces and armed groups, particularly around the footbridge at Stanytsia Luhanska, the only crossing point in Luhansk region. Mr. Zeid urged the parties to heed the calls of the international community to disengage from the contact line and adhere to a full and sustainable ceasefire. The High Commissioner recalled that Ukraine has committed to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, but has yet to do so. The ratification of the Statute, with its focus on individual criminal responsibility, will serve as incentive for all parties to the conflict to respect the law and ensure the protection of civilians, he said. In total, from mid-April 2014 to 31 July 2016, the UN human rights office has documented 31,690 casualties, including 9,553 killed and 22,137 injured in the conflict area in eastern Ukraine, including Ukrainian forces, civilians and members of the armed groups. Young, alone, abused Publisher IRIN Author Tania Karas Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as IRIN, Young, alone, abused, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2e0b94.html [accessed 28 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. Sixteen-year-old Hamza, an Afghan refugee, can't shake the memory of another teenager's bloody, dying body on the ground metres from his tent. The victim, also an Afghan refugee aged 16, suffered severe stab wounds and head injuries in a massive brawl. Fights are a daily occurrence at Elliniko, a sprawling camp complex where 3,200 migrants and refugees, mostly Afghans, shelter in the Greek capital's crumbling former airport and moribund 2004 Olympic venues. It is an overcrowded, squalid space plagued by a lack of adequate food and medical services. The teen, thought to be staying at Elliniko with relatives, died in a nearby hospital. According to Greek police, three Afghans who had been living in the camp are under investigation for his murder. "In my country, I saw dead people in the streets," Hamza told IRIN. The young Afghan hadn't thought that a new life in Europe would bring him more of the same. In January, Hamza and his uncle had set out for Europe from Kunduz, the northern city briefly overtaken by Taliban insurgents in October. The pair parted ways in Greece after they encountered a closed northern border. Hamza's uncle paid a smuggler to continue onward, but Hamza's funds were running low and he had no choice but to stay put. He owns one set of clothes, sleeps on a tattered blanket, and usually eats just once daily. Alone at Elliniko, Hamza is an "unaccompanied minor", the legal term for those under 18 who have crossed borders without their parents or caregivers. They tend to be males aged 14 to 17, often sent to Europe by their parents as beacons of hope for the family from conflict-torn nations like Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Eritrea. Detentions and beatings Human rights groups and Greece's own health agency have declared conditions at many Greek refugee camps unfit for humans. They're especially improper for children and teens. Their status as minors is supposed to entitle them to special international protections and rights. But in Greece, a safe haven is often nowhere to be found. Months after braving dangerous voyages by land and sea to reach Europe, they still face threats more akin to warzones. A Human Rights Watch report last week showed that Greek authorities regularly detain unaccompanied, asylum-seeking children in police cells, often for weeks and months. Fifty-six were in police custody as of last weekend. In Greece, keeping unaccompanied minors in police stations is meant as a temporary, protective measure until a bed can be found within the chronically overstretched shelter network. But the children in HRW's report described the conditions as "unsanitary, overcrowded cells, including dirty blankets and bugs, and lack of access to information or services such as counselling and legal aid." Some had been held longer than 45 days, the legal maximum. On the Greek islands, hundreds are kept in large detention centres where they cannot come and go freely, and there are accounts of them being beaten by police. A group of Greek lawyers has filed a case with the European Court of Human rights on behalf of four Afghan unaccompanied minors, including one in police detention. How big is the problem? Almost 90,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum across the EU last year, according to Eurostat part of the wave of some one million souls to reach the continent by sea. Slightly more than half of unaccompanied minor applicants were Afghan. Sweden received the largest share with 40 percent, followed by Germany with 16 percent. Just 420 applied in Greece, traditionally a transit country to northern Europe. But the near-total shutdown of the Western Balkans migration route changed everything. Four months on, Greece is just beginning to take stock of the unaccompanied minors among the 57,000 migrants and refugees stranded within its borders. "Pre-registration", a joint programme by the Greek Asylum Service and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, went camp by camp this summer to get everyone in line for an asylum appointment. It uncovered at least 690 unaccompanied minors previously unknown to the government and living among the general refugee and migrant populations. At present, Greece counts more than 2,000 and only has beds in permanent, long-term shelters for 407, according to the National Centre for Social Solidarity (EKKA), the government agency responsible. The wait is at least three months. "This is the longest waiting list we've ever had, by far, and it's gone up by 30 percent because of the pre-registration procedure," Christos Hombas, who manages accommodation requests for EKKA, told IRIN. "We are expecting it to go up further." Greece is scrambling to care for the hundreds of unaccompanied youths no longer able to continue their onward journeys so easily. The country's protracted financial crisis has crippled its ability to scale up. International aid groups such as UNHCR and Save the Children, along with Greek NGOs Praksis, ARSIS, and Metadrasi, have stepped in to provide temporary "transit shelters" for some 270 minors until they can be placed in a more permanent setting. Another 360 spaces are in the pipeline, including Greece's first foster care programme, which has placed 12 children with families so far. Five open camps on the Greek mainland contain 'safe spaces' for minors. Elliniko, slated to be cleared, is not one of them. The next phase will be planning for unaccompanied youths' long-term care, as legal options to leave the country are scarce. Only 29 unaccompanied minors have so far been relocated to other EU member states as part of the EU's official relocation mechanism. Afghans and Iraqis are excluded from the programme. The repercussions With support still lagging, and without enough access to specialised care in Greece's open camps or the streets, unaccompanied minors suffer greatly in the meantime. Many experience symptoms of psychological trauma from graphic violence they witnessed back home or during their voyages to Europe. Their current living situations often overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe do not allow for them to start healing, let alone integrate into a country that could become their new home. "There's this idea that you can come to Europe and seek refuge, that you can finally take a sigh (of relief)," Shala Gafary, an American lawyer of Afghan descent who came to Greece as a volunteer, told IRIN. "They have not sighed yet. So all of this trauma is not only there, it's bottling up and pressurising." Their vulnerabilities as youths living alone open them up to threats to their personal safety. Some are being sucked into a seedy underworld of child prostitution, performing sex acts in Pedion tou Areos park in Athens for as little as five euros, according to one recent report. Formal camps are not much safer. Social workers with the Greek office of Medecins du Monde, as well as ARSIS, told IRIN they had received several reports of physical or sexual abuse among young refugees in camps throughout Greece. "They come to us and say they're afraid to go back to their camps because someone is abusing or harassing them," said Nancy Retinioti, who heads MDM's social work department in Athens. Often, the victims are reluctant to share details due to a deep sense of shame. Some attacks are fuelled by alcohol or drug use, which doctors and social workers report is on the rise in both formal and informal refugee shelters. The most common drugs are marijuana or heroin, Retinioti said. Many picked up the habit since arriving in Greece. "The thing is that in these camps there is no recreation and no operational structure," Retinioti told IRIN. "There are no rules. People come and go. No one knows what is prohibited or allowed." Anywhere else will do For many unaccompanied teens, help likely won't come fast enough. Many will turn 18 before the Greek state gets to them, meaning they'll lose their status as minors and any special rights that came with it. This includes the right to shelter in a safe, protective environment as well as a right to family reunion with any immediate family members residing in the EU, via the Dublin III Regulation. This is the danger for Abbas Ali Nazaree, a 17-year-old living out of a tent in Elliniko's parking lot. He will turn 18 in five months. In Afghanistan, his older brother had worked as a cook for a US contractor on Kandahar airfield. Taliban fighters then threatened him due to his affiliation with the Americans. Eighteen months ago, Abbas said, his brother reached Austria. But Abbas, who set out seven months ago, after the Taliban threatened him too, saw his own trip cut short by the border closures. "I lost my phone, so I lost my number," Abbas said. He is not sure how the Greek authorities will notify him once it's time for his asylum interview or if a shelter bed becomes available. EKKA's Hombas admitted that on his 1,400-strong accommodation waiting list were some 400 like Abbas: youths with whom, for whatever reason, the state has lost contact. "A lot of them are totally homeless," Hombas said. "They could be in unofficial camps or living in basements. Maybe they have fled Greece." Not every child has a phone, and those who do sometimes run out of money to buy new SIM cards, so often there is no way for EKKA to follow up on initial requests for shelter. Many unaccompanied minors end up taking matters into their own hands. Greece's shelters see high rates of runaways. Some are turning to Balkan smugglers, a lucrative business in the wake of tighter European borders. Others are turning to old smuggling routes out of western Greek ports, where refugees and migrants hide under lorries bound for Italy by ferry (A second Human Rights Watch report last week showed that Italy is illegally returning migrant children to Greece). "Here, there is no hope. No one cares about us. I see it clearly." Hamza, however, just wants to go home, and has sought out so-called voluntary return programmes. "They told me because I'm a minor, they can't let me go back because I have special rights in Europe," Hamza explained, with no trace of irony in his voice. Back in Kunduz, Hamza's father is trying to gather a few hundred euros to smuggle his son back to Afghanistan. At least there, despite the constant threat of violence, he can be with his family. "Here, there is no hope," Hamza said. "No one cares about us. I see it clearly." (TOP PHOTO: Migrant children play in the port of Piraeus in Athens, where many arrive from the Greek islands having crossed the Aegean. Credit: Georgiev/UNICEF) "The new terrible" Publisher IRIN Author Mbom Sixtus Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as IRIN, "The new terrible", 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2e1f24.html [accessed 28 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 deepening but often overlooked humanitarian crisis in West Africa's Lake Chad region has been described "as the new terrible" by the UN's top relief official, Stephen O'Brien. Of the region's 20 million people, 9.2 million are now in need of life-saving assistance, while severe acute malnutrition rates for children under five have surpassed the emergency threshold in the affected areas of four separate countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. In a statement to the UN Security Council last week, O'Brien said: "this region, which hosts Africa's fastest-growing displacement crisis, needs our urgent, united and collective attention." It is not just the 2.8 million people forced from their homes by the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram that are in need, but also the local host communities that are sheltering the bulk of the displaced. They are themselves among the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. A neglected crisis "For months I have been shouting into what feels like an empty room to highlight the dire situation in the Lake Chad Basin," said O'Brien, who is also the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. "We urgently need to strengthen international attention onto this neglected crisis." John Ngule was among the first Nigerian refugees to arrive in Cameroon, fleeing Boko Haram attacks on his hometown in 2013. He is now in Minawao refugee camp in Cameroon's Far North Region. He moves to the shade of the veranda of a classroom in the camp's school, where he teaches, to avoid the scorching sun. A staunch Christian, he is fasting in the hope that his prayers will be better heard, and is feeling weak as a result. Ngule was a local government chairman in Nigeria, and "people who looked up to me still look up to me for support even in this camp where I own nothing," he told IRIN. "Though I lost my houses and businesses, they still think I am influential." He helps where he can with the little salary he earns as a science teacher in the camp's secondary school. "But things have got worse," he said. "Salaries have been reduced from [$205] to [$128], the food rations have been dropped without explanations and things are getting expensive in the local market. I cannot even help myself now." Going home? He has thought many times of returning to Nigeria, as other refugees have done, despite the fears of continuing insecurity. "None of our fellow refugees who leave the camp has ever called us by phone to say he had arrived in his hometown safely," said Ngule. "But, you know, when a rat is escaping from fire and meets a man, it runs back into the fire. That is how refugees feel - they prefer to go back into the fire." In 2014, Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land in Nigeria's northeast where it proclaimed a caliphate. It also raided into neighbouring countries, killing and kidnapping, insisting its interpretation of Islam was the only legitimate faith. Joint military operations with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon have pushed the group out of most of the areas it once held, but pockets of violence continue in small towns and villages across the Lake Chad region. The violence means that hundreds of thousands of farmers have missed successive harvests, leaving them further impoverished. In Nigeria, an estimated 244,000 children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition in areas that used to be no-go due to security restrictions. The Lake Chad Basin area is a fragile environment. Communities in the region were already vulnerable due to chronic drought, growing desertification and government neglect before the Boko Haram insurgency. "Neither the authorities nor communities across the Lake Chad Basin can keep up with the tide of human suffering," the UN's emergency aid coordination body, OCHA, said in a report. An under-funded response Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri and its one million inhabitants now host up to 1.6 million displaced people. Across the border in Diffa, Niger one of the poorest places on earth there is one refugee for every four residents. "Time is running out, and a failure to act now will result in deeper and broader suffering" "Our main concern is that unless we promptly scale up humanitarian aid and delivery, this will only be the beginning of the biggest humanitarian crisis seen in this part of Africa," said Eve Sabbagh in the UN's Office of the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel. Any further delay in funding aid operations will not only contribute to a deepening of the crisis, but will require larger aid interventions to rescue even more people later in the year, Sabbagh told IRIN. At the beginning of 2016, the UN issued the humanitarian response plans for each of the four Lake Chad Basin countries. But Niger's plan is currently only 31 percent funded; Nigeria has attracted just 29 percent of required financing; Cameroon 24 percent; and Chad 18 percent. In May, the UN re-costed the response at $535 million, targeting just 5.2 million of the 9.2 million people in need. The UN system has also launched a new 90-day plan highlighting the priority humanitarian needs in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad. It's valued at $221 million and prioritises the urgent needs up until September in all the different sectors: food security, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, protection, shelter, and education. To kick-start relief operations, OCHA has used its rapid, short-term Central Emergency Response Fund. But O'Brien has warned that this mechanism can only supplement rather than replace contributions from member states. "Time is running out, and a failure to act now will result in deeper and broader suffering," warned Sabbagh. Amid a bloody drug war, hopes for peace in the Philippines Publisher IRIN Author Simone Orendain Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as IRIN, Amid a bloody drug war, hopes for peace in the Philippines, 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2e24f4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. In just over a month in power, the tough-talking new president of the Philippines has started one war and made moves to end two others. Rodrigo Duterte rode to victory on campaign promises to crack down on drug crime nationwide and resolve conflicts in the southern island of Mindanao, where more than 150,000 people have died in decades of fighting as government forces tackled separate insurgencies by communists and Islamist rebels. He has begun to deliver on both, but with decidedly mixed results. Duterte, the former mayor of the Mindanao city of Davao, has waged war on drug dealers and users, encouraging security forces and private citizens to kill them and offering those who do immunity from prosecution. His words, unsurprisingly, have ignited a bloodbath: hundreds of suspected dealers and users have been gunned down in the streets during the past month most of them poor people and none of them powerful kingpins. The outlook is brighter when it comes to peace talks with insurgent groups. Renewed negotiations The new government has reached out to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the National People's Army, after negotiations with the communists collapsed in 2011. Jesus Dureza, who heads the government office overseeing the peace process, confirmed that they will begin again on 20 August in Oslo, Norway. Duterte's administration is also prodding the various rebel groups and others from the affected area to redraft legislation that would provide the legal foundation to create an autonomous region for Muslims, who are a small minority nationwide but the majority in Mindanao. The previous congress failed to pass similar legislation, which had been agreed upon by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's largest rebel group. Dureza says the government expects other armed groups, most significantly the Moro National Liberation Front, which the MILF split from 40 years ago and which now includes seven factions, to take part in the process. Provincial and local government officials as well as non-Muslim indigenous people all with their own interests will also weigh in on the draft law. SEE: Forgotten Conflicts The Philippines "The good thing about the approach of President Duterte is his sincerity to reach out to all the players that are deemed neglected in previous talks," said Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research. "Duterte has strong political capital to promote this new approach to peace." philippines_2.jpg Indigenous people displaced by war between communist insurgents and the Philippines government took refuge at a church compound in Davao CityCredit: Jared Ferrie/IRINTitle Text: Indigenous people displaced by war between communist insurgents and the Philippines government took refuge at a church compound in Davao CityDescription: Alt Text: Indigenous people displaced by war between communist insurgents and the Philippines government took refuge at a church compound in Davao City Long road to peace Drafting new legislation with input from those parties will slow down a peace process that has already been characterised by several stops and starts. Mohagher Iqbal, who represented the MILF in previous negotiations, said it was too early to hope the new government would push through legislation to create the proposed autonomous region for Muslims, known as Bangsamoro. But his group has gotten used to the glacial pace of change and has learned to take setbacks in its stride, including the failure of the previous congress to approve the Bangsamoro Basic Law. "Our experience in the past decades is that as long as the trust and confidence between the two parties are very high, we can also overcome all obstacles along the way, including resolving all conflicts about federalism and the BBL," he told IRIN. Turning the Philippines into a federal state is another prong in Duterte's peace plan. The archipelago nation spans more than 7,000 islands populated by people of different ethnicities and religions. Duterte has argued that the current political structure as a republic concentrates power and creates tensions between the capital, Manila, and the regions. Federalism would devolve power and more accurately reflect the aspirations of various groups, thus diminishing the incentive to take up arms. The government negotiator, Dureza, said the idea was for the federalism plan to be taking shape while a new version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is hammered out in congress. Although the new law may not deliver the full sense of self-determination that federalism could allow, it could get Muslims closer to it and quicker. "They should determine for themselves whether they want an early enabling law to at least install something closer to what they aspire for," he told IRIN. With regards to negotiations with the communists, Dureza said the government would temporarily release 11 NPA members so they can take part in the talks, and that they could be granted amnesty afterwards. Exiled Communist Party founder Jose Maria Sison told IRIN this pledge was an encouraging sign after many failed attempts to negotiate with previous administrations. "An interim ceasefire shall be declared in connection with the release of all the current political prisoners through general amnesty," he said in an email from his home in Oslo, adding that a permanent ceasefire would "involve mutual amnesty for combatants on both sides". Blood in the streets Even as Duterte moves forward with attempts to forge peace with insurgents, rights groups warn that his war on drugs could spiral into even greater violence. Duterte himself said during his campaign that 100,000 people could be killed, and that fish in Manila bay may grow fat from feeding on all the dead bodies. "We urge him to desist from inflammatory rhetoric that can only turn this country into one vast killing field where a rogue police force and vigilantes roam with impunity," said the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates last week in a statement. Yesterday, more than 300 international organisations coordinated by the International Drug Policy Consortium released a letter calling on the UN to pressure Duterte to stop the killings, which have claimed more than 700 lives since 10 May (Duterte won the election on 9 May, but did not take up the presidency until 30 June). "We are calling on the UN drug control bodies to publicly condemn these atrocities in the Philippines," said IDPC executive director Ann Fordham in a statement. "This senseless killing cannot be justified as a drug control measure." 244,000 hungry children Publisher IRIN Author Eromo Egbejule Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as IRIN, 244,000 hungry children, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2e3454.html [accessed 28 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. After his father, a welder from Bama, died in a camp for internally displaced people in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, 17-year-old Dauda began to cater for the two wives and eight other children who had survived him. Aided by the little money donated by one of the locals bringing food to the Dalori camp, home to 18,000 people rendered homeless by the Boko Haram insurgency, he now sells caps to provide two square meals a day for his family. Not everyone has been that lucky. The situation in the region, where the insurgency has claimed more than 20,000 lives since 2009, was grave enough for Medecins Sans Frontieres to warn last week that malnourished children were dying in large numbers. The following day, an insurgent attack led to the suspension of the delivery of vital supplies, compounding the crisis. Thierry Laurent-Badin, programme director for Action Contre la Faim in Nigeria, estimates that about 244,000 children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition in areas that used to be a complete no-go due to security restrictions, a figure also announced recently by UNICEF. "We just got access to areas previously under Boko Haram control and completely inaccessible for the last few years; areas like Monguno, Baga, Kukawa, Gamboru-Ngala, Dikwa, Bama, Gwoza and more," Laurent-Badin told IRIN. One of the biggest problems in the region is malnutrition and children are particularly vulnerable. For the malnourished, susceptibility to and death from other diseases like diarrhoea, and malaria, which is prevalent in the region, is nine times higher. A further two million people remain inaccessible and have no humanitarian assistance whatsoever. MSF reported that 15 percent children screened by their teams in the region suffered from severe acute malnutrition, which puts their lives at risk. In one town, nearly one child in three is malnourished. Farms and food stores have been destroyed in the wake of the insurgency and farming is yet to resume in areas cut off by instability, even more so as the fields remain barren. For most families, their breadwinners and farm hands are either missing or have been killed in the crisis. Continued security threat At one time, Boko Haram had annexed a swathe of land the size of Belgium from the territory of Nigeria and renamed it Islamic State West Africa Province. While joint military operations with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon have led to the reclamation of most of the area and the Nigerian government has repeatedly insisted that it has "technically defeated" the extremists, pockets of violence remain in small towns and villages in the region. Last week, insurgents ambushed a UN convoy returning from Bama, north of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, injuring two aid workers. It was the first attack of its kind in the region and prompted all UN agencies to halt missions to areas outside the city. "We are reviewing the security situation, and, for now, because of our central security system, all UN agencies have suspended trips outside Maiduguri temporarily," Doune Porter, chief of communications at UNICEF Nigeria, told IRIN. "The attack has serious consequences for us, however our partners remain in Bama and are still delivering assistance." The attack had far-reaching consequences on the distribution of food and other supplies to hundreds of thousands of civilians living outside Maiduguri who have been uprooted by the seven years of violence. Even before the recent travel suspension, only the UN had the capacity to travel to high-risk areas. Some other international aid agencies refused to use armed escorts due to neutrality concerns. In a statement released after the attacks, UNICEF urged donors and other humanitarian organisations "to scale up the response to the emerging disaster in Borno state", and pledged to continue to work at full strength in Maiduguri. Corruption The Nigerian government, which announced a nutritional emergency in Borno State in June, has sent representatives of the National Emergency Management Agency to assess the situation. But there have long been allegations of rampant misappropriation of resources by government stakeholders. The tentacles of corruption, a major issue in Nigeria, seem to have spread to the humanitarian sector as well. In May, fights broke out between soldiers and policemen in Maiduguri over trucks of rice and other foodstuffs donated by Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, when he personally visited the Bakassi and Dalori camps in the city. A month later, a video showing officials of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency repackaging food items allocated to the IDP camps by NEMA and diverting them for resale went viral on social media. "A lot of sharing and sorting is done, so not everything gets to the IDPs at the end of the day," an aid worker told IRIN on condition of anonymity. "Right now in Bakassi camp, IDPs say they are given raw food rations weekly, and left to figure out how they get it cooked, I suppose. The arrangement used to be that NEMA provides staples then SEMA provides firewood and condiments, but SEMA hasn't been living up to their end. A lot of money has gone down the drain. You need to hear [the] ridiculous amounts they claim to use to get stuff like firewood." "It is not reasonable to expect that the government of Nigeria will be able manage it single-handedly, without major support," said Laurent-Badin, who has called for more funding for the northeast region. "The needs are overwhelming." "The 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan for the crisis in northeast Nigeria is only 28 percent funded as of June 2016: the world must deliver on its promises to leave no one behind in this crisis," he said. "We urge donors to allow humanitarian actors to re-channel existing funding to these newly accessible areas and to expedite the release of new funding to meet the large-scale humanitarian needs." A reporter for Radio Miraya , a radio station operated by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), George Livio is being held incommunicado at the Juba headquarters of South Sudan's intelligence agency. He has not been formally charged and has not been able to see a lawyer or relatives since his arrest. Only UNMISS representatives have been able to visit him. RSF points out that, by holding Livio incommunicado and arbitrarily, the authorities are violating article 64 of South Sudan's code of criminal procedure, which says: "A person arrested by the police as part of an investigation, may be held in detention, for a period not exceeding twenty-four hours for the purposes of investigation." "These two years of unwarranted imprisonment constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," RSF said. "We demand that the South Sudanese authorities notify Livio of the charges against him so that he can obtain due process." RSF is meanwhile relieved to learn that Juba Monitor editor Alfred Taban was released on 29 July after being held for 13 days in connection with the publication of a communique calling on all parties to the conflict to face up to their responsibilities. Taban has been charged with "publishing or communicating false information to Southern Sudan" and "undermining the authority of or insulting the president" under articles 75 and 76 of the 2008 Penal Code Act. The situation in South Sudan has worsened in recent weeks, exposing journalists and human rights defenders to even greater dangers. South Sudan has fallen 26 places in RSF's World Press Freedom Index since the start of the conflict and is ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the 2016 Index. "What these two cases Boaz Ntaconayigize in Uganda and Jean Bigirimana in Burundi have in common is the complete impunity enjoyed by those responsible for abuses against journalists," said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk. "We call on the Burundian authorities to end these practices, which are just aggravating the crisis and delaying the possibility of a return to the rule of law." The SOS Media Burundi news site said Boaz Ntaconayigize reported having being attacked and stabbed at around 9 p.m. on 1 August near his home by four men who left him for dead in a gutter. Bonesha FM director Patrick Nduwimana, who has also fled Burundi, said Ntaconayigize told him a week ago that SNR agents were trying to infiltrate the Burundian refugee community in Uganda in order to track down journalists and civil society activists. "He was attacked one week after issuing that warning so we cannot help thinking that they wanted to eliminate him," said Nduwimana, who also reported that Ntaconayigize recognized two of his assailants as Burundians who pose as refugees and who have a business in Kampala. Ntaconayigize was on the air at Bonesha FM's headquarters in Bujumbura when the station was attacked and destroyed on 14 May 2015. Esdras Ndikumana, a Radio France Internationale correspondent who was badly beaten by SNR officers inside SNR headquarters in Bujumbura exactly a year ago, on 2 August 2015, has voiced the same concern about SNR infiltration. In exile in Kenya, Ndikumana has reported that unscrupulous members of the Kenyan police were paid to attack Burundian refugees who criticize Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza. After Ndikumana's beating a year ago, the president's office announced that an investigation would be carried out in order to identify those responsible. But no progress was made with the investigation. According to reliable sources, the first judge was transferred, the second resigned for unknown reasons, and thereafter no other judge was appointed to handle the case. If the SNR is able to export its violent methods beyond Burundi's borders, it should come as no surprise that journalists still inside the country are even more exposed to danger. Jean Bigirimana, who works for two media outlets, Infos Grands Lacs and Iwacu, is being held incommunicado by the SNR in Bujumbura because he was in contact with Radio Publique Africaine journalists now living in exile, a reliable source told RSF yesterday. A decision on whether he will be charged will probably be taken this week, the source added. Bigirimana is unfortunately not the only journalist currently in detention. Julien Barinzigo, a journalist who works for the Oximity News website and other media outlets, has been held since 17 June. He was arrested by plainclothesmen in Cibitoke, a district to the north of Bujumbura, and was taken to an SNR detention centre. He has been brought before a judge twice, the second time on 1 August, and is charged with insulting the president and endangering internal state security. When reached by RSF, he said he was worried that the second charge had been revived after the prosecutors dropped it during the first court appearance. The request for his release that his lawyers submitted has not been examined because, according to the judges, Bujumbura's courts are in the process of being reorganized. "There are no consequences for members of the security and intelligence services who commit acts of violence or intimidation against journalists," RSF added. "Journalists are targeted simply because they are journalists, regardless of what they actually report. This has become a full-blown witch-hunt." An example of this was the beating that Infos Grands Lacs journalist Nestor Ndayitwayeko received at the hands of a policeman as he was leaving a bar in the southeastern town of Rutana. The policeman simply accused him of being a journalist. As Ndayitwayeko pointed out: "A journalist is not an enemy of the people. We are the people. The police are there to protect us. The justice system must also do its job." Burundi is ranked 156th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index, after falling more places in a single year than any other African country. Oman: newspaper editor held over article about pressure on judiciary Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Oman: newspaper editor held over article about pressure on judiciary, 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2e4e24.html [accessed 28 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. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores Omani newspaper editor Ibrahim Al-Maamari's detention by the Muscat police for the past five days for reporting that that senior officials had pressured the judiciary in a case involving a large inheritance. The editor of the daily Azamn, Ibrahim Al-Maamari was arrested on 28 July in connection with an article published two days earlier alleging that government officials tried to get the judicial authorities to change a 2015 ruling in the case in order to benefit certain influential figures. "We condemn Ibrahim Al-Maamari's arrest and continuing detention," said Alexandra El Khazen, the head of RSF's Middle East desk. "By punishing this journalist in this way and by keeping him in detention, the Sultanate of Oman is sending a negative message about media freedom and is demonstrating an inability to tolerate criticism of the political and judicial system. We call for an independent and impartial investigation and for Al-Maamari's immediate release." A public prosecutor's office spokesman said the offending newspaper article was regarded as "a public crime," one that discredited the integrity of the judiciary and government officials. He said a number of complaints had been received, leading to Al-Maamari's arrest under article 4 of the Criminal Procedures Act. There were other as yet unnamed "suspects," he added. The prosecutor's office said the article was incorrect, that there was still no final decision in the inheritance case and that Al-Maamari, by publishing false information, had violated articles 25 and 29 of the Press and Publications Law, which is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine. He is also accused of undermining the prestige of the state under article 135 of the Penal Code and publishing news that would disturb public order under article 19 of the Cyber Crimes Act. Azamn wanted to run a story about his case on its front page yesterday but the information ministry did not authorize it so instead Azamn printed half of its front page blank in protest. It also published an editorial that included solidarity messages from intellectuals. A source close to the newspaper told RSF that Al-Maamari has not been allowed to receive visits or communicate with anyone at the newspaper. This is not the first time that the authorities have targeted Al-Maamari and Azamn. Al-Maamari was arrested and sentenced to five months in prison in September 2011 (and the newspaper was banned for a month) because a May 2011 article was deemed to have insulted the justice minister and one of his deputies. The sentence was quashed after Azamn published an apology although the conviction was upheld on appeal in January 2012. Meanwhile, Almoatasem Al-Bahlani, the editor of the online magazine Al-Falq, was freed on 28 July after being held for two days in connection with comments he posted on Twitter, the Omani Observatory for Human Rights has reported. The official reasons for his arrest have not been made public. The Sultanate of Oman is ranked 125th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. Armenia: RSF calls for end to impunity for police violence against journalists Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 2 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Armenia: RSF calls for end to impunity for police violence against journalists, 2 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2e5e74.html [accessed 28 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. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the violence used by police against journalists while dispersing a demonstration in Yerevan on the evening of 29 July. At least 12 journalists were injured. Plainclothes police armed with batons and steel bars hit three reporters with the Armenian service of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty who were clearly identified and who were filming the events. Reporters and cameramen with A1+, CivilNet, Arachin Lratvakan, Panorama.am, Lragir.am and the Russian TV channel Life were injured by smoke and stun grenades fired by the police. Two journalists with state-owned Armenia TV were hit by individuals in civilian dress who also smashed their camera and microphone. A freelance photographer was also hit and his camera was stolen. Several journalists had to be hospitalized with burns and other injuries. "Clearly identified journalists carrying cameras were deliberately targeted," said Johann Bihr, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. "Some continued to be beaten after promising to stop filming. Such behaviour must be punished so that it does not recur. We urge the authorities to end the impunity for police violence against journalists and to give the police clear instructions not to do it again." The police have promised to conduct an investigation in order to shed light on what happened. Last year, 21 journalists were the victims of abuses in similar circumstances but only one investigation was carried out into all the various individual cases and no one was ever charged. Incidents of this kind often recur in Armenia. The demonstration on 29 July was in support of a group of hostage-takers who had seized a police station in Yerevan. According to a health ministry communique, 73 people were injured, including police officers. Armenia is ranked 74th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. Its not your typical Holter art show. Nor is it meant to be. And thats one of the many reasons why the Holter Museum of Arts interim executive director Chris Riccardo is excited about the new show, The Art of the Motorcycle. It opens 5 p.m. Friday with a reception. He and the board of directors see the Holter as a museum that belongs to everybody in Helena, said Riccardo. The show fits perfectly with our new vision for the museum. We want to show something that appeals to as many people in Helena as we can. The Holter just featured a beautiful handcrafted porcelain show, he said. Now we have these beautiful handcrafted motorcycles. So I think its a really cool contrast -- one right after the other. "The Art of the Motorcycle, curated by Helenan Jimmy Wollenberg, features 22 legendary motorcycles ranging from the early 20th century through 1974, many of which are rare. Riccardo and Wollenberg hope the exhibit draws in not the usual suspects. While Captain America, the iconic chopper from Easy Rider, isnt in the show, its photo is and is featured on the shows publicity. The photo was shot by Wollenberg, a freelance photographer who particularly focuses on motorcycles and cars, and a number of his photos are in the show. I approached the Holter with an idea for an exhibition on motorcycles, similar to what the Guggenheim Museum exhibited, in both New York City and Las Vegas, said Wollenberg. We met, and the Museum board of directors liked the idea. ...This installation is something completely different from anything the Holter has ever done. It is a must see event. Wollenberg credits part of the shows inspiration to the fact hes an amateur bike builder himself and, of course, loves to ride. Hes been a motorcycle enthusiast for 48 years, ever since he was a teenager. He also saw The Guggenheims motorcycle exhibit in Las Vegas. When the show originally opened in 1998 at The Guggenheim in New York City, it proved to be the most popular show in that museums history. The show gave me the inspiration we could do something like that on a smaller scale in the Holter, he said. I hand-picked all the bikes. I got to meet a lot of people with a lot of background in motorcycles in Helena. The exhibition includes motorcycles from each decade from the 1910s through the early 1970s. Among the many famous manufacturers are Velocette, BSA, Indian, Triumph, Greeves, Honda, Harley-Davidson and Excelsior. Theres also a 1966 CZ manufactured in the Czech Republic, he said. It was owned originally and imported to the US by a CBS correspondent upon his return from an assignment covering the war in Sarajevo. We have on loan some very rare and limited production motorcycles, Wollenberg added. Truly beautiful pieces of art. One part of the exhibit that should draw keen interest is a bike that belonged to daredevil Evel Knievel as well as a lot of Evels memorabilia. A lot of people will identify with the Evel Knievel memorabilia, said Riccardo. And theres some really old bikes that are really beautiful. The exhibition also includes a comprehensive collection of motorcycle memorabilia -- period helmets, racing leathers, posters, photographs and distinctive original artwork. My main deal is I really want the art community to see it with an open mind and see it as art and be wowed by it, said Wollenberg. The exhibition runs through Oct. 31. On Saturday, Aug. 27, the Holter will host a Ride In event with food, music and family activities to celebrate the exhibition. Cruse Avenue will be closed for through traffic that day and will be open to motorcycle parking only. We hope to attract riders from all over Montana and the Northwest. It should be a really great event, said Wollenberg. Holter Museum of Art is at 12 E. Lawrence, 442-6400, www.holtermuseum.org. The harassment is related to a wave of anti-government protests that began several months ago and were sparked by revelations about the vast sum (more than 700,000 euros) that the state lavished on Mugabe's 92nd birthday celebrations despite a deep economic crisis. Pastor Evan Mawarire is the figurehead of this new wave of opposition. After criticizing the regime's flaws in a series of Internet posts, Mawarire was arrested on 12 July on a charge of trying to overthrow the government and was held for 48 hours until a Harare court dismissed the case. As a result of the growing grass-roots opposition, the authorities are clamping down on all those perceived as possible critics of the government and ZANU-PF including journalists. "We condemn the violence against journalists," RSF said. "Far from condemning these excesses, the president condones them because he identifies journalists with the opposition and does not recognize their public service function. After the latest case at his rally he said: 'To journalists I say go and tell those who you are representing that (...) Mugabe is still here.' "We call on the Zimbabwean judicial authorities to conduct an investigation into all this violence in order to end the impunity for abuses against journalists, abuses that clearly violate both the country's constitution and its laws." ZANU-PF members act with impunity The latest victim was Daily News reporter Mugove Tafirenyika, who was badly beaten by young ZANU-PF members acting as security enforcers at a political meeting in Harare on 27 July. He had just taken a photo of an altercation between the youths and a politician who had himself taken a photo of the VIP tent where Mugabe was. When Tafirenyika refused to delete his photo on the grounds that he had official accreditation, the youths attacked him. The other journalists present then left the meeting in solidarity with Tafirenyika. Stones and clubs were used to attack Albert Masaka, a journalist with the daily NewsDay, when he attended a ZANU-PF meeting in Chitungwiza, a town a few kilometres outside Harare, on 18 June. The police intervened but failed to arrest his young attackers, who left with his equipment. Five journalists Edgar Gweshe, Garikai Chauza, James Jemwa, Khumbulani Zamuchiya and Chris Mahove were arrested on 26 June while covering one of the regular protests outside Harare's luxurious Rainbow Towers Hotel. The protesters want to evict second Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, who has been living there for nearly two years and has run up a tab of several hundred thousand dollars. When Agence France-Presse reporter Farai Mugano went to cover the protest on 14 July, he was arrested and was later released without charge. Censorship does not spare foreign journalists Alex Crawford, a visiting reporter for Britain's Sky News, and her cameraman, Garwen McLuckie, were deported on 13 July although they had permission to come and do a report in Zimbabwe. They were arrested after interviewing Pastor Mawarire and were taken straight to the airport, where they were held for 12 hours without being allowed to talk to their lawyer. Their equipment was searched and some of their papers were photographed. Far from apologizing, information minister George Charamba told AFP: "They breached our laws, we kicked them out. You don't enter a country without accreditation." Mugabe is on RSF's list of 40 "predators of press freedom", while Zimbabwe is ranked 124th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. The Rise of the Afghan Saleswoman Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Publication Date 29 July 2016 Citation / Document Symbol ARR 551 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, The Rise of the Afghan Saleswoman , 29 July 2016, ARR 551, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2e9dc4.html [accessed 28 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. Aqila, a 22-year-old cosmetics saleswoman in Kabul's Raees Khan Business Centre, has acquired quite a following among her customers. Women who enter the shop greet her with delight, and she says that she has signed many exclusive contracts with make-up artists. "Because I sell nice, good quality products and behave in a friendly manner with customers, they really trust me," Aqila said, adding, "Women prefer to deal with the shop assistants of the same sex." Aqila has been working as a sales assistant for the last three years and earns a monthly wage of 250 US dollars, a significant sum in a low-income society and one she says has made a real difference to her family income. But not everyone approves of a woman going out to work in this way, Aqila added. "Being a saleswoman is something new here, and many of the traditions and customs which dominate our society still make it hard for us," she said. "We should fight against these customs so as to get rid of them for good." Women's economic power has been growing in Afghanistan ever since the overthrow of the Taleban in 2001. Now entrepreneurs and shopping centre managers are encouraging more women to start working as sales assistants, judging that this will in turn increase the number of female customers. Ahmad Melad Sharifi, who runs the Faisal Business Centre in Kabul, said that out of just over 100 employees, 13 were women who earned between 250 and 300 dollars each month. Transport facilities were also laid on for all workers, which meant women employees did not need to fear harassment on their way to work each day. And saleswomen were particularly useful when marketing products such as clothes, shoes and cosmetics. "By appointing female workers, we solve problems with female customers who feel far more comfortable bargaining and dealing with women rather than men," Sharifi continued. "Also, women who order dresses prefer female tailors to take their measurements." Female consumers agree that that they far prefer dealing with women in shops and markets. "I always try to buy what I need from women," said one shopper, Tahmina Khorasani. "I can speak so much more comfortably with saleswomen because there are some specific products which are only used by women and I can't even ask for them from male shopkeeper because of embarrassment. "When women try to buy those products from men, male shopkeepers start ogling and staring which irritates women." Strict gender segregation in Afghan society also meant that it was less acceptable for women to do their won shopping themselves and risk encountering a male shop worker. "Having female sales assistants in our society has solved many problems," explained Malalai, another shopper. "Now we don't need to ask men to buy us what we need. In the past when we wanted something, we asked men to purchase the products for us, but they forgot or sometimes they bought us low-quality products. Today there are many saleswomen so we can go to their shops and we can comfortably purchase the products we need." Nonetheless, conservative traditions in Afghan society means that women working outside the home are often jeered at and taunted. One female sales assistant, Anosha, said that she had simply got used to the frequent harassment. "There are people who come here to buy products and leave, but some people here just to bother and irritate us by pestering and mocking us," she said. "Nowadays this teasing has just become a part of life and I don't react as I am used to it." Muslim scholars say they support female participation in the workplace, although with some caveats. "Islam sets out all women's legal, financial and economic rights," religious scholar Nasir Frotan said, adding, "Women can earn money and own properties and merchandise. "Islam clearly explains inheritance, dowry issues and how women must be supported women. Islam also insists on women's economic independence and men have to respect such rights given to women." However, he emphasised that women still had to uphold three requirements during all economic, social and political dealings. These were "wearing Islamic hijab, avoiding mixing too much with the opposite sex and asking permission before leaving the house". Others argue that women joining the workforce does not need to contradict cultural traditions. "The participation of women in economic activities develops our country, " said Pariza Rahmani, a social activist. "In many Islamic countries including Iran and other countries, there are many saleswomen who work in shops. Women are the best caretakers of properties and money, but men are spenders in fact, women are good at economic activities." Government officials claim credit for the growth of Afghan women's economic power, both as consumers and producers. "All the developments and achievements of women in the last 13 years are due to the hard work of government and especially the ministry of women's affairs," said Hasan Ali, the ministry's director of economic expansion coordination. "Today there are 760 economic foundations which are supported by the ministry of women's affairs and run by women Our ministry is currently working on economic strategies, women's professional activities and also on plans to empower women economically." But social affairs analyst Mahbooba Saraj warned against complacency, arguing that there had been little long-term planning. The ministry of women's affairs, she continued, "just conducts some short, ineffective and temporary programmes". "This ministry does not have an effective and developed system to manage its affairs. There isn't even proper communication and coordination between the different departments. In fact, there is chaos and therefore work is not done effectively." Fatha Ahmadzai, an advisor at the ministry of women's affairs, insisted that change would take time. "The laws of our country clearly state that men and women have equal rights in the workplace and that there is no discrimination regarding this issue. "There are no limitations for working women," Ahmadzai continued, adding, "There are many men who don't know anything about the Afghan constitution, so they are taken aback when they see female sales assistants. The more we expand this profession, the more people will get used to it and it will become ordinary and everyday. When people see changes in society, they get used to them gradually and after a while, they become part of their lives." Copyright notice: Institute for War & Peace Reporting Mexico: Intimidation of lawyers defending journalists Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 1 August 2016 Cite as Article 19, Mexico: Intimidation of lawyers defending journalists, 1 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2eaf04.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The Board of the ARTICLE 19 Office for Mexico and Central America views with concern and indignation the order of the Eighth District Civil Judge and the Fifth Circuit Court to call the lawyers of this organization involved in the lawsuit filed by Jesus Ortega Martinez against the journalist Sanjuana Martinez Montemayor to testify. We the members of the Board consider this decision an act of intimidation against defence lawyers representing journalists being sued for libel. ARTICLE 19 joined Sanjuana Martinez's defence team to support the application for a judicial review (amparo) after the courts of Mexico City ruled against her in the main trial. The application for a judicial review (amparo) was brought before the Eighth District Civil Judge. While this organisation accepts the judicial decision against Sanjuana Martinez, it considers an act of harassment by those federal courts the fact that, at the request of Jesus Ortega, lawyers of this organization have been summoned for a court appearance in which they could be forced to violate professional secrecy. At least seven lawyers took part in the application for a judicial review brought by Sanjuana Martinez, yet the court summons was only addressed to the Regional Director of ARTICLE 19, Ana Cristina Ruelas Serna, and the Protection and Defence Programme Officer, Leopoldo Maldonado Gutierrez. We consider that the citation against those specific persons and not the other members of the defence team constitutes an act of intimidation against the organization. The ARTICLE 19 Board condemns these judicial summons as it is unlawful for a judge to request evidence from lawyers representing one of the parties in a case, since it creates a procedural imbalance. We interpret this decision as an attempt to deter the legal defence work that this organization undertakes in support of journalists. Moreover, as this is a case that involves a prominent member of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which is currently governing Mexico City, it is inevitable to suspect that this is an act of pressure by the authorities of the country's capital, validated by the Federal Judiciary. Therefore, we demand an end to judicial harassment against legal professionals dedicated to defending the principle of freedom of expression. Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19 Philippines: Condemn Surge in Killings of Criminal Suspects Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 2 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Philippines: Condemn Surge in Killings of Criminal Suspects, 2 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2fdf84.html [accessed 28 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. Update August 2: The number of signatories to the IDPC joint letter rose to more than 300 after Human Rights Watch had finalized this press release. This news release has been adjusted to reflect this. (New York) The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) should urgently condemn the alarming surge in killings of suspected drug users or dealers in the Philippines, Human Rights Watch said today. These global authorities with responsibility for international drug control should call for an immediate halt to the killings. "International drug control agencies need to make clear to Philippines' President Roderigo Duterte that the surge in killings of suspected drug dealers and users is not acceptable 'crime control,' but instead a government failure to protect people's most fundamental human rights," said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "President Duterte should understand that passive or active government complicity with those killings would contradict his pledge to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law." The Philippine Daily Inquirer's "Kill List," which is published twice weekly and tallies the killings of suspected drug dealers and users by police and unidentified vigilantes, has recorded a "marked and unmistakable" rise in such killings, the Inquirer said. It recorded 465 deaths between June 30, 2016, the day Duterte assumed office, and August 1. Official statistics also support assertions of an alarming increase in police killings of drug-related criminal suspects. Philippines National Police data indicate that police killed at least 192 such criminal suspects between May 10 and July 10.That death toll in the two months following Duterte's electoral victory dwarfs the 68 killings of suspects that police recorded during "anti-drug operations" between January 1 and June 15. Police have attributed the killings to suspects who "resisted arrest and shot at police officers," but have not provided further evidence that the police acted in self-defense. At his inauguration, Duterte identified illegal drugs as one of the country's top problems and vowed that his government's anti-drug battle "will be relentless and it will be sustained." Now in office, Duterte has praised the killings as proof of the "success" of the anti-drug campaign and urged police to "seize the momentum." After calls for a Senate probe of those killings, the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director-General Ronald dela Rosa, slammed the calls on July 11 as "legal harassment" and said they "dampen the morale" of police officers. That same day, Duterte's top judicial official, Solicitor-General Jose Calida, defended the legality of the killings and said that the number of such deaths was "not enough." In the letter, the consortium calls on the UNODC and INCB to communicate the following messages to the Philippines government: Assert that President Duterte's actions to incite these extrajudicial killings cannot be justified as being in line with global drug control. All measures taken to control drugs in the Philippines must be grounded in international law; Request that President Duterte put an immediate end to incitements to kill people suspected of committing drug-related offenses; Encourage President Duterte to uphold the rule of law and ensure that the right to due process and a fair trial is guaranteed to all people suspected of committing drug-related crimes, in line with the conclusions of the 2016 UNODC World Drug Report; Promote an evidence-based and health-focused approach to people who use drugs, including voluntary treatment and harm reduction services, instead of compulsory detention, in line with UNODC's guidance; and In line with the international human rights obligations of the Philippines and with the official position of both the UNODC and the INCB call on the Philippines not to re-impose the death penalty for drug offenses. "International drug control agencies can play an invaluable role in halting the rising body count of suspected drug dealers and users killed by both police and unidentified vigilantes," Kine said. "The current status quo in the Philippines puts human rights, rule of law, and the safety and security of Filipinos in immediate peril." Correction An earlier version of this news release misidentified the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) as the International Drug Control Consortium (IDCC). The news release has been changed to reflect this. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Australia: Appalling Abuse, Neglect of Refugees on Nauru Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 2 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Australia: Appalling Abuse, Neglect of Refugees on Nauru, 2 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a2fecb4.html [accessed 28 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. About 1,200 men, women, and children who sought refuge in Australia and were forcibly transferred to the remote Pacific island nation of Nauru suffer severe abuse, inhumane treatment, and neglect, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The Australian government's failure to address serious abuses appears to be a deliberate policy to deter further asylum seekers from arriving in the country by boat. Refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru, most of whom have been held there for three years, routinely face neglect by health workers and other service providers who have been hired by the Australian government, as well as frequent unpunished assaults by local Nauruans. They endure unnecessary delays and at times denial of medical care, even for life-threatening conditions. Many have dire mental health problems and suffer overwhelming despair self-harm and suicide attempts are frequent. All face prolonged uncertainty about their future. "Australia's policy of exiling asylum seekers who arrive by boat is cruel in the extreme," said Anna Neistat, senior director for research at Amnesty International, who conducted the investigation on the island for the organization. "Few other countries go to such lengths to deliberately inflict suffering on people seeking safety and freedom." Australian authorities are well aware of the abuses on Nauru. The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a Senate Select Committee, and a government-appointed independent expert have each highlighted many of these practices, and called on the government to change them. The Australian government's persistent failure to address abuses committed under its authority on Nauru strongly suggests that they are adopted or condoned as a matter of policy. By forcibly transferring refugees and people seeking asylum to Nauru, detaining them for prolonged periods in inhuman conditions, denying them appropriate medical care, and in other ways structuring its operations so that many experience a serious degradation of their mental health, the Australian government has violated the rights to be free from torture and other ill-treatment, and from arbitrary detention, as well as other fundamental protections, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said. Driving adult and even child refugees to the breaking point with sustained abuse appears to be one of Australia's aims on Nauru. "Australia's atrocious treatment of the refugees on Nauru over the past three years has taken an enormous toll on their well-being," said Michael Bochenek, senior counsel on children's rights at Human Rights Watch who conducted the investigation on the island for the organization. "Driving adult and even child refugees to the breaking point with sustained abuse appears to be one of Australia's aims on Nauru." Australia and Nauru impose strict secrecy on the processing of asylum seekers on Nauru and refuse most requests to visit from journalists or researchers. Nevertheless, an Amnesty International researcher and a Human Rights Watch researcher were able to enter Nauru legally and remain for a total of 12 days in July 2016. They were not asked about their organizational affiliations when they completed entry formalities. They interviewed 84 refugees and asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Bangladesh, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, including stateless Kurds who had been living in Iran or Iraq. Twenty-nine were women. Five were girls, and four were boys. The researchers also interviewed several service providers, who agreed to share information despite risking prosecution for providing information. Nauru, a tiny, impoverished island of 21 square kilometers, or eight square miles, is smaller than Melbourne's airport. The population is 10,000. The island's interior, devastated by 40 years of phosphate mining, is mostly uninhabitable and uncultivable. Employment opportunities are scarce, and basic services, such as health and education, are largely inadequate. Australia has been forcibly transferring families with children, unaccompanied children, and single men and women to Nauru since September 2012, under Memorandums of Understanding between the two countries. Australia agreed to cover all costs associated with the offshore detention and processing of the asylum seekers and refugees. The Australian government spent 415 million Australian dollars (US$314 million) on its Nauru operations in the fiscal year ending on April 30, 2015, nearly $350,000 for each person held on the island in that year alone. Those transferred to Nauru initially spent a year or more housed in cramped vinyl tents in a detention facility called the "Regional Processing Centre" (RPC), with temperatures indoors regularly reaching 45 to 50 degrees Celsius (113 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit), and torrential rains and flooding. Refugees and asylum seekers described conditions in these detention camps as "prison-like," with regular searches of their tents by the guards, confiscation of "prohibited" items including food and sewing needles two-minute showers, and filthy toilets. The RPC is run by a private company hired by the Australian government, which has effective control of the facility and is responsible for ensuring the health and welfare of the asylum seekers detained there. Australia shares responsibility with Nauru for human rights violations committed against the refugees and asylum seekers. Those the Australian and Nauru governments recognize as refugees are generally provided accommodation in open camps or other housing throughout the island. Families are generally assigned prefabricated units or converted containers, and single men are placed in rooms with space only for a bed and a small shelf. About one-third of the 1,200 refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru remain in the tents, people interviewed said. Since October 2015, Nauru has allowed asylum seekers greater freedom of movement around the island, a step widely interpreted as a response to litigation in Australia challenging the lawfulness of asylum seekers' detention. But those who remain in the tents may not bring smartphones into the center, are monitored by guards, and face other restrictions on their liberty. Prolonged detention in appalling conditions exacerbated the trauma many had suffered from persecution in their home countries and the abuses and other hazards they faced on their journeys to Australia, as the Australian Human Rights Commission and UNHCR, among others, have found. Refugees and asylum seekers interviewed said they have developed severe anxiety, inability to sleep, mood swings, prolonged depression, and short-term memory loss on the island. Children have begun to wet their beds, suffered from nightmares, and engaged in disruptive and other troubling behavior. Adults and children spoke openly of having wanted to end their lives. However, refugees on Nauru do not receive adequate support or mental health treatment. The standard of medical care for refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru is also poor. Medical equipment is rudimentary, and specialist medical attention is not regularly available. Dental services are largely limited to tooth extraction. Refugees and asylum seekers described long delays on seeing specialists for serious conditions or for being transferred to medical facilities outside Nauru for care not available there. Under new policies, those transferred to Australia for care must go without their family members in most cases, an apparent attempt to force them to return to Nauru. When Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch put these concerns about medical care to International Health and Medical Services, the company hired by the Australian government to provide medical services on Nauru, senior staff denied that care was poor. The physical safety of those held on Nauru is a serious concern, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said. Many asylum seekers had been beaten and robbed. Every woman interviewed said she could not go out alone. Interviewees said that local police made little or no effort to investigate attacks against them. Children who attend local schools described frequent bullying and harassment from Nauruan students, who tell them to go back to their home countries. Many have stopped attending classes altogether. Some refugees and asylum seekers said that the abuses they endured gave them little option but to accept or request return to countries where they face a real risk of persecution or other serious harm. The Australian government should immediately resettle the refugees in Australia and close the Nauru offshore processing center. While refugees and asylum seekers remain on Nauru, Australia should ensure that they receive quality medical and mental health care. Nauru should allow independent human rights monitors and journalists access to the island, and Australia should do likewise for its "processing centers" for asylum seekers. A Wall of Secrecy The Australian government's offshore operation on Nauru is surrounded by a wall of secrecy, with both Australia and Nauru going to great lengths to prevent the flow of information off the island. Service providers and others who work on the island face criminal charges and civil penalties under Australian law if they disclose information about conditions for asylum seekers and refugees held offshore. Nauru has banned Facebook on the island and has enacted vaguely worded laws against threats to public order that legal experts fear could be used to criminalize protests by refugees and asylum seekers. Journalists in particular face severe restrictions on entry, with an $8,000 non-refundable visa fee and a protracted application process. Nauru has granted visas to just two media outlets since January 2014. Other requests have been rebuffed or met with no response. UN officials have been denied entry or in some cases have concluded that a visit would be impractical due to severe limitations on their access. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented cases in which Nauruans, alone or in groups, assaulted and robbed refugees and asylum seekers, sometimes at knifepoint, during daylight or in the evening. In all, more than 20 of those we interviewed said they had been attacked by Nauruans. A refugee from Bangladesh suffered serious head trauma in May 2016, when a Nauruan man threw a large rock at him, kicked the refugee off his motorbike, and beat him after he fell. A Somali woman reported that several Nauruan men attacked her husband in March, hitting him on the head with a machete. The following night, a group of Nauruans tried to break into the family's housing. A Somali man said a Nauruan man robbed him when he attempted to hitchhike to a store. Many others spoke of being attacked by Nauruan men, who stole their money, mobile phones, and motorbikes, as the refugees went to work or bought food. A service provider confirmed that such assaults happen "several times a week, especially over the weekend." As a result, refugees and asylum seekers said they were afraid to leave their accommodations, particularly at night. Women said they almost never left the camps and then only in groups, or with male companions. Six women described sexual assault or harassment, including groping, touching, explicit threats, demands for sex, and attempted rape. One woman said that on two occasions Nauruan men tried to drive her to the jungle when she was catching a ride with them, clearly intending to rape her. She also said that at one point she got a job at a shop on the island but had to quit after the first day because other employees kept touching her. One young woman said she married for protection after being released into the community: After I left the camp, I felt very unsafe, I could not go out. I decided to marry a man who is 15 years older, just to have protection. If you are alone, everything is a struggle. At least he could go shopping or accompany me. Now he is in the hospital, and I have to rely on my case manager if I need to go out of the house. Another woman said: We are always scared, all the time. I am always checking the door to see if it is locked. We can't go out alone. A lot of times, some Nauruans get drunk and come near the entrance by the road and shout at us. Refugees and asylum seekers said that Nauruan police disregard their complaints and sometimes discourage them from filing reports. Police have dismissed some complaints as "made for media exposure only," a news report said. Several refugees provided Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International with copies of reports they filed with local police following the attacks, saying that police had done nothing to investigate or apprehend the attackers, even if the victims were able to identify them. Service providers, who said they often have to accompany refugees to file police reports, confirmed these statements. Nauru's former chief justice, Geoffrey Eames, QC, testified before an Australian Senate Select Committee in July 2015, that "there is a serious question about [police] independence and about their willingness to investigate allegations against Nauruans who are charged with assaults of non-Nauruans." (Eames, an Australian national, was forced out of office after Nauruan authorities revoked his visa in January 2014.) Medical Care International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), a company hired by the Australian government, is the main health service provider for refugees and asylum seekers. Some of its staff have publicly condemned the appalling treatment of refugees on Nauru, raising concerns about the company's operations there. Specialized medical equipment and staff are not available on Nauru; Nauruans who require more than basic medical care are sent to Australia or Fiji. Refugees and asylum seekers reported that the hospital lacks even basic supplies, such as bandages or sterile gloves. Refugees and asylum seekers reported that both the IHMS medical staff and Nauru's hospital often refuse to take their complaints seriously and, in most cases reported to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, prescribe nothing but painkillers. Some of those interviewed said that they had developed serious medical problems in Nauru and that they had received virtually no specialized medical attention. They had heart and kidney diseases; diabetes accompanied by weight loss and rapidly deteriorating eyesight; and back problems leading to reduced mobility, among other conditions. When Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch raised these concerns with senior IHMS staff in Australia, they "strongly refuted" allegations of poor quality medical care. Parents were particularly critical of services available to women during pregnancy and childbirth and said that newborns suffered from persistent infections and other medical conditions. An asylum seeker described conditions while his wife was in labor: I saw my wife lying under the bed. The bed didn't have a mattress. I saw the nurse, an Australian nurse, playing on her tablet. My wife was crying. I said, "Please do something for my wife. This is like a jail, not a delivery room." The bathroom didn't have tissue or handwashing liquid. I went out to buy handwashing liquid and rolls of tissue. Because they cannot leave the island without authorization, they are completely dependent on the Australian authorities and service providers to arrange for them to be transferred to medical facilities outside Nauru. Interviewees described long delays while suffering with serious conditions, without any information, before eventually being transferred to hospitals in Papua New Guinea or Australia for tests or surgery. One father said: My son has kidney problems. We have been visiting IHMS for two years now, and they keep promising he would see a regular doctor, but it hasn't happened. They just take tests, but do not prescribe any treatment. My daughter has been having such problems with her eyesight that she cannot see the blackboard in school and has to ask her classmates for help but there is no way to get glasses, or even get her eyesight properly tested here. A young man with diabetes said that after he lost 27 kilograms (60 pounds), he went to the IHMS manager. The manager told him that such weight loss is "normal" and that he only would be "moderately worried" if the weight loss continued. The family recorded the conversation on a mobile phone and provided a copy to researchers. A young woman who had been forced to undergo genital mutilation in her home country said that as a result, she was experiencing severe pain and was not able to have sexual intercourse. She has received no treatment for her condition in her time on Nauru. She said: For five months, they just kept referring me to a mental health specialist. I had no idea what was wrong with me, and just kept blaming myself for everything. I've been able to see a gynecologist a few times since, but there is nothing they can do here for my condition, and for a year and [a] half now they keep telling me that I need to be transferred for treatment, but so far it has not happened. Refugees and asylum seekers reported multiple situations in which they tried calling an ambulance when their friends or family members needed urgent help, but the hospital refused to send one. A service provider confirmed these accounts: When people call [an] ambulance, or even when we call, they sometimes come, and sometimes not, sometimes in 20 minutes and sometimes in three hours. But we are also not allowed to call ambulances for our clients, or transport them to the hospital in our vehicles because it is considered "advocacy," and we are supposed to help our clients be "independent." We often have people discharged while they are still sick, sometimes half-conscious; once a patient still had needles in the hands. We are not allowed to ask the hospital why they are being discharged, or what medication they've been prescribed, or for their medical records. Even getting a pair of glasses can be an ordeal; one woman reported that she waited nine months for her prescription to be filled from Australia. Denial of Access to Medical Records At least five refugees and asylum seekers reported that their personal requests for their medical records have been denied or have yielded partial records lacking information on surgery they had undergone, for example. In some instances, they received pages that were blank except for their name and age and the doctor's initials. In several of the cases Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reviewed, doctors made written requests in medical reports for overseas treatment for refugees and asylum seekers because the hospital lacked the necessary expertise or equipment. Those referred for overseas treatment may wait for months before they are transferred. Medical Transfers to Australia, Papua New Guinea Medical transfers are frequently carried out with little notice, often separating family members. In one case, a man was told that his wife would need prolonged specialized treatment for her mental health condition, which they asked him to authorize without giving him any information about when she would be transferred: The next thing I heard was, "Oh, we sent your wife to Australia on an emergency flight." That was the next day. My son took it very bad. He was in shock. He wasn't able to say goodbye to his mother. [On arrival in Australia] my wife woke up, and she didn't have any information; she didn't even know she was in Australia.... I am really worried about my son. For the last 40 days, he hasn't left his room. He had a special relationship with his mother. Now he doesn't talk. He's very angry, and he doesn't talk. I can't control his behavior. Everything has changed about him. His 13-year-old son was having nightmares, had begun wetting his bed, and was hostile to and refused to interact with anybody other than his father, the man said. Returns to Nauru following medical care in Australia are even more abrupt, and are sometimes carried out in a deeply humiliating and traumatizing way. A man who had been in Brisbane with his wife while she gave birth said: They handcuffed my wife and me and said we had to go back to Nauru. My wife wasn't ready. She wasn't dressed. She was sleeping. It was not good. Why did they need to do it like this? If we have to go back to Nauru, that's not a big deal. Why early in the morning, and with handcuffs? They took us from the room at 7 a.m. and took the baby from us. We didn't see the baby until after 7 p.m. In another case, a woman said: I was sound asleep, and the door was locked. Suddenly there was an officer in front of my face, with a camera. He said, "Wake up!" I couldn't move. I didn't know where I was. There was an officer on each side of me holding my arms, and more officers behind me. My legs were shaking. My heart was pounding. I lost my footing, but they dragged me into a room. They didn't even allow me to put on my glasses. They didn't care about what the doctor had to say. They put me on the airplane. I'm still scared. When I try to sleep, I'm still remembering this. Some said they were brought back to Nauru even though doctors had advised immigration authorities that they should not travel in their condition. Others described having serious chronic conditions requiring transfers for treatment, which has sometimes been cut short by their forcible return to Nauru. In one such case, a young woman who developed lumps in her breasts, throat, and uterus, and was also diagnosed with ulcers, said that she was sent for treatment first to Australia and later to Papua New Guinea: When I was in Australia, my doctor told immigration that I needed surgery for my breasts, but they still sent me back. My problems deteriorated, and a year later they sent me to Papua New Guinea for endoscopy and colonoscopy, but then returned me again. They gave me some pills, but they are not working, and I am in constant pain and cannot eat anything. In another case, a man who suffered a heart attack after a year on the island was eventually sent to Australia, where he stayed for four months: When they came to take me back to Nauru, IHMS people were there, and I tried to plead with them and the security, but they just took me and my family. I was scared, because the doctors found a blood clot in my heart, and clogged arteries, and said it was very dangerous. When I arrived, an IHMS doctor saw my file and said, "I cannot be responsible for you, they should not have sent you back." I had another heart attack since, and the doctors keep saying that they cannot do anything here, that I need professional treatment and a proper hospital. When Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch asked IHMS if they had any medical concerns about the timing and manner of transfers, senior medical staff replied that the organizations would have to ask the Australian Department of Immigration about this issue. Beginning in February 2016, Australian immigration authorities have insisted on medical transfers to Papua New Guinea rather than Australia, service providers said. In cases in which the transfer to Australia is still deemed necessary, Australian immigration officials usually authorize transfer of the patient alone. Service providers said that this new practice was introduced after lawyers in Australia were successful in preventing the returns of some of the refugees to Nauru following medical treatment. "Now that their families remain on the island, they have no choice but to return," one said. Mental Health Refugees and asylum seekers suffering psychological trauma and severe mental health conditions do not receive adequate support or treatment. Only two types of mental health services are available. International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), the private contractor hired by the Australian government which is the main health service provider for refugees and asylum seekers, appears to make heavy use of strong sedative and anti-psychotic medication for children as well as adults to address mental health issues. Refugees and asylum seekers said that these medications have severe side effects but provide little relief. IHMS senior staff in Australia "strongly refuted" allegations of poor quality care, including the charge that prescriptions were inappropriate, when Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch spoke with them in advance of publication. Another agency, Offshore Service for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (OSSTT), officially deals only with previous trauma. Families can wait for months to have their children seen by a visiting specialist. Nearly all interviewees reported mental health issues of some kind high levels of anxiety, trouble sleeping, mood swings, and feelings of listlessness and despondency were most commonly mentioned that they said began when they were transferred to Nauru. In many cases, the consequences appeared to be severe; they repeatedly self-harmed, cutting their hands or banging their heads against the wall, did not speak to anybody for months, did not recognize their relatives, and stayed in bed for weeks, refusing to go outside or take showers. One woman told researchers that during her time on Nauru she had begun to wash her hands compulsively, hundreds of times a day. Family members said that children also began to wet their beds, suffer nightmares, act out, and in some instances had stopped interacting with or even speaking to people outside of their immediate families. Even so, refugees and asylum seekers sometimes received diagnoses that were not reached on the basis of full psychiatric evaluations and did not appear to take into account their experiences of trauma in their home countries, their prolonged detention on Nauru, and their uncertainty about their future. Many of the interviewees said that when they reported their own or their relatives' mental problems to the IHMS, the complaints were often dismissed, and in some cases they were accused of acting and "mimicking" the conditions that they had seen in other asylum seekers and refugees who have been transferred to Australia for mental health treatments. Moreover, patients whose mental health issues were apparently severe enough to justify their transfer to Australia were returned several months later into the same conditions that doctors had identified as contributing to their trauma. A service provider reported being aware of more than 20 such cases, some of which led to tragedy. For example, Hodan Yasin, a Somali woman who was considered suicidal, was admitted to a hospital in Australia for several months, then forcibly returned to Nauru. She was still considered highly suicidal and placed in a special ward in one of the camps, which was supposed to have 24-hour observation. However, she managed to escape, buy gasoline, and set herself on fire, burning 86 percent of her body. More than a dozen of the adults interviewed said they had tried to kill themselves by overdosing on medication; swallowing bleach, other cleaning products, or razors; hanging or strangling themselves; or setting themselves on fire; many more said that they had seriously considered ending their lives. Some children had injured themselves with lighters, razor blades, or in other ways. Nearly all made references to Omid Masoulmali, a 23-year-old Iranian man who died in May after setting himself alight, and to Yasin, who set herself on fire the following week. "I have the oil ready," one man stated matter-of-factly. "I'm tired of my life," said a 15-year-old girl, who said she had tried to commit suicide twice. A woman whose husband had been transferred to Australia for urgent medical treatment said that their 9-year-old son had repeatedly talked about suicide after the family had been separated: "Two weeks ago, my son took the lighter. He said, 'I want to burn myself. Why should I be alive? I want my daddy. I miss my daddy.' I look in his eyes and I see sadness." Conditions in the Processing Center For months and sometimes years after their arrival in Nauru, asylum seekers have been held in prison-like camps in the Nauru Regional Processing Centre (RPC), surrounded by fences and guarded by security services. They live in crowded tents where the heat is unbearable, even after some basic fans were installed. With humidity between 75 and 90 percent, mold grows quickly on tent walls and ceilings, and skin rashes and other infections spread rapidly. Sudden, torrential rains flood roads and pool on the tent floors. On several occasions, rains have also uncovered unexploded World War II ordnance on the detention center grounds. Food is distributed at set times, and no one is allowed to bring any food into the tents, even for young children. Living conditions in the RPC improved after October 2015, when Nauru allowed most of those housed there greater freedom of movement. Until early 2015, the asylum seekers could take one two-minute shower a day. Several of the women we interviewed cried recalling how guards forced them out of the shower after two minutes, shampoo still in their hair. There were long lines for toilets that quickly became so dirty that cleaners refused to clean them. They could use the Internet once a week at most, and could not leave the camp. Most of the approximately 400 refugees and asylum seekers who remain in the RPC are allowed to leave during the day, although they are subject to monitoring by guards and other restrictions on their liberty. Smartphones are prohibited inside the camp. One male asylum seeker said: When we came to this place, we found tents in a jungle. They put eight families together, with six kids, young kids, under one tent. Every day, every night, we had no rest. No sleep. Every day, the kids would fight because they were so close together. Most of the day, they kept the water locked up. They just gave us a small amount. It wasn't enough, with the strong sun. Sometimes we couldn't shower for two or three days. The kids started getting bad skin. We suffered these problems for two years. A woman recalled: The tents were terrible. It was too hot, so hot you felt you couldn't breathe. The children always felt bad because it was too hot for them. There wasn't enough water to drink. For the shower, we had a specific time. If the children needed to take a shower at a different time, they couldn't. Security wouldn't let them take showers except at the specific time. After three years, children in that bad situation have mental problems. Bedwetting. Nightmares. At the end of May 2016, according to Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection, 466 people, including 50 children, were housed in the RPC. Most, if not all, continued to be housed in tents, asylum seekers said. Immigration Department records say that the agency had completed refugee status determinations for 1,194 people held on the island, of whom 915 were recognized as refugees. The remaining 279 received negative determinations. Most recognized refugees are now housed in other camps or in houses in the community, Human Rights Watch heard from refugees and asylum seekers, but some remain in the camp while they await housing assignments. Most of those rejected for refugee status are still on the island and in the tents, although refugees and asylum seekers reported that a handful had accepted return to their home countries. Bullying, Harassment in School Parents and children reported that students from families of refugees and asylum seekers are frequently bullied by Nauruan students. A 15-year-old girl said that she stopped going to school because Nauruan children always tried to pull off her headscarf and constantly taunted her. One mother said: When they go to school, the Nauruan children call our children "refugee," not by name. People have names. They say, "Why are you here? This is our country. You should leave. We don't like you staying here." A 10-year-old girl gave a similar account: All the kids at school, they say, "Refugee, refugee, refugee." They don't say our names. They hit us. And when we try to talk to the teachers, they don't say, "Why are you Nauruan kids hitting the other kids?" They say to us, "Why are you fighting with the Nauruan kids?" We try to explain, but they don't listen. Two brothers, 13 and 14 years old, said they went to school for a month initially, but then stopped and haven't attended school for almost three years. The older brother said: Local kids kept attacking us, and even throwing stones. When we complained to the principal, the kids were made to say "sorry" to us. But when we left the principal's office, they got even angrier at us. Save the Children Australia estimates that 85 percent of asylum seeker and refugee children on Nauru do not attend local schools, in part because of the prevalence of bullying and harassment. Corporate Responsibility for Abuse Australia's operations on Nauru rely on private companies and service providers. These service providers face penalties if they speak out, and some staff members have taken a considerable risk to do so to expose the conditions on the island. The companies that provide services on Nauru are aware of the situation and the impact on refugees and asylum seekers. The companies' involvement facilitates the continuation of the abusive situation. The Australian and Nauruan governments would have great difficulty maintaining their Memorandum of Understanding and the offshore processing center without their services. Most are working directly on behalf of the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch sought comment from the two key companies contracted by the Australian government to provide services for its Nauru operation: Broadspectrum, the company that runs the RPC, and IHMS, the main medical service provider. Broadspectrum responded to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch's summary of findings that it "firmly rejected" any suggestion that the company did not respect human rights. IHMS stated that its role was to deliver services, and not to engage in Australian government policy, and "strongly refuted" the allegations put to it by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Dr. Peter Young, a psychiatrist who was until July 2014 IHMS's director of mental health, commented: It is a basic ethical requirement for doctors and other health care workers to advocate for the best health interests of their patients and to speak out against policies and practices that do harm to health. The Australian government has followed a deliberate policy to cause suffering to asylum seekers coming to Australia by boat. Being subject to abuses, lack of health services, delays in treatment, and inhumane procedures are necessary components of coercing returns and deterring others. Health providers who accept this and do not speak out, collude with secrecy and harmful practices causing harm to health. They are caught in an irresolvable conflict of interest, breach their ethical obligations and fail to provide a satisfactory standard of care. Full clinical independence, public reporting of health data and proper independent oversight are necessary minimum standards to provide safe and ethical services. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch believe that their ongoing involvement in the Nauru center amounts to complicity in violations of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. These businesses are profiting from an abusive context, and based on Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch's investigations on the island, some are directly responsible for serious abuse and the failure to provide appropriate medical care. An Uncertain Future All of the refugees and asylum seekers interviewed reported that when they were sent to Nauru, immigration authorities told them they were being transferred for "processing" and would be then resettled in a third country. They said that Australian immigration authorities' description of the time they would be held on Nauru has changed frequently since August 2013 with every new version of the timetable accompanied by a denial that Australian officials had ever announced a different version. At this point, even those who have received positive refugee status determinations have no idea what to expect and are unable to receive any clear answers from Nauruan or Australian authorities. They have no way of leaving the island, even if they have financial means to do so, and even when they have been issued "travel documents." Researchers saw travel documents issued by the government of Nauru to some refugees. These papers described the nationality of the individuals as "refugee," and refugees who have tried to apply for visas to go to other countries are rejected. One man said: They didn't say how long we have refugee status for. When I came to Nauru, they said it would be five years maximum. They said within that time we would go to another country. Not Australia. After two years, they said, "You will stay in Nauru for 10 years or go to Cambodia." Another man said: Even if they had said when I came to Nauru that it would be 10 years, no problem. But they said it would be a maximum of five years and then we would go to another country. Which country, I don't know. But after two years in Nauru, the government said 10 years here or Cambodia or return home. Another man said: Refugee status in Nauru is not permanent. The government has only offered us temporary resettlement. They give us a travel document which is useless, because we cannot leave here. We are still in prison. We cannot leave this island. And a woman said: People here don't have a real life. We are just surviving. We are dead souls in living bodies. We are just husks. We don't have any hope or motivation. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch China: Confessions, Closed Trials Mock Justice Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 3 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, China: Confessions, Closed Trials Mock Justice, 3 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a3053f4.html [accessed 28 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. The trials of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm director Zhou Shifeng and activists Hu Shigen, Zhai Yanmin, and Gou Hongguo, which are being held this week at Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, are a miscarriage of justice, Human Rights Watch said today. Chinese authorities should immediately drop all charges against the lawyers, legal assistants, and rights activists detained in connection with the sweep of July 9, 2015. The trials, held between August 2 and 5, have not been open and public as claimed by Chinese authorities. On August 1, state media and pro-Beijing press in Hong Kong reported that Tianjin authorities had also released on bail Wang Yu, one of the most prominent Fengrui lawyers, and broadcast a confession by her that appeared coerced. Her whereabouts remain unknown. "These cases lay bare Chinese authorities' shameless manipulation of the legal system to silence rule of law advocates and critics," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "Authorities have lied about an open trial, and faked Wang Yu's release. The only hard truth here is China's appalling backsliding on rights." Starting on August 2, Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court is hearing the case of "subversion" against Zhou, Hu, Zhai and Gou. There is no credible evidence of the charges publicly available, and all four defendants' and Wang Yu's lawyer have stated they are innocent of the charges. According to Xinhua News Agency, the trial is "open to the public." Yet authorities failed to notify any of the defendants' family members or lawyers that the trials were taking place, nor did those authorities allow them to attend or represent the defendants. While the trial purported to include media outlets and lawyers, only those handpicked by the authorities were invited to attend. According to Xinhua, Zhai was convicted for participating in various protests, "distorting facts" about these cases on the internet, and joining a gathering with other human rights lawyers and activists discussing how to get involved other "sensitive cases." Through his thoughts, speech and activities, Zhai "attacked the national and legal system," and "stirred up hatred against the government" with the aim to start a "color revolution." Subversion is a serious political crime that can result in a life sentence, according to Article 105(1) of the Criminal Law. On July 29, Liu Ermin, Wang Xiaoling, Li Wenzu, and Fan Lili wives of lawyers and activists detained in Tianjin went to the court seeking information about the trial. Instead, authorities detained them. On August 1, Liu, Wang, and Li were then put under house arrest to prevent them from attending the trials. "If China upheld the rule of law as officials so often claim, Wang Yu would be able to freely explain what has happened to her, and family members could go to authorities to obtain routine information about cases without fear of being detained themselves," Richardson said. Between July 9 and September 2015, Chinese police rounded up about 300 rights lawyers, legal assistants, and activists across the country for their support or association with Beijing Fengrui Law Firm. While many were released within a day or two after questioning, at least 16 remain detained, according to the group Chinese Human Rights Defenders. Since that time, authorities have committed multiple, severe procedural violations in these cases. During much of their year-long detention, many of those 16 detainees have been held incommunicado, and have had no access to lawyers of their choice or their family members. While the lawyers were held incommunicado, the authorities allowed state press, or pro-Beijing media based in Hong Kong, access to the detainees to record their purported confessions, which were made public afterwards. In a May 2015 report, Human Rights Watch documented police abuse in the course of videotaping criminal proceedings: suspects were tortured or threatened before participation in the recordings, and recanting those confessions in subsequent proceedings often resulted in torture or other ill-treatment. The latest such public confession was published by Oriental Daily, a Hong Kong-based pro-Beijing daily, as well as mainland media on August 1, the day before the secret trial. In that confession Wang Yu expressed remorse about her work, attacked her colleague Zhou Shifeng as "an unqualified lawyer," said she was "used" by foreign organizations to "smear China," and stated that she "will not accept" international awards in recognition of her work. Friends and colleagues have noted that these comments are contrary to Wang Yu's character, who is known for her dedication to human rights and has a long track record of defending activists in high-profile cases, including Uighur economist Ilham Tohti and women's rights activist Li Tingting. Wang Yu's lawyer has not been able to contact her or confirm her release. Her husband, Bao Longjun remains detained, and their teenage son, Bao Mengmeng, is under house arrest. On July 7, Zhao Wei a legal assistant to Li Heping who had also been detained since July 2015 was similarly "released" on bail. She allegedly posted a written confession on her weibo account, yet her family and lawyer have been unable to contact her. In a demonstration of international concern regarding the cases, approximately eight foreign governments sent diplomats to try to observe the trial proceedings outside the Tianjin No.2 Intermediate People's Court on August 1. Human Rights Watch urges them to issue statements condemning the secret trial, coerced confessions, and the continued detentions, and call for the detainees' release. Several governments have issued statements, including an unprecedented March 2016 joint statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council, to release activists and lawyers, cease broadcasting confessions, and guarantee the right to a fair trial. "These cases bear no resemblance to fair or transparent justicethey are simply political persecution masquerading as legal proceedings," Richardson said. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Tajikistan: Government Critic Facing Prison Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 4 August 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Tajikistan: Government Critic Facing Prison, 4 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a306364.html [accessed 28 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. Tajik authorities should immediately release Abubakr Azizkhodzhaev, a well-known businessman and government critic who was sentenced on July 7, 2016 to two-and-a-half years in prison. The sentence followed a trial on politically motivated charges and ill-treatment in custody, Human Rights Watch said today. Relatives told Human Rights Watch they learned about the July 7, 2016 verdict against Abubakr Azizkhodzhaev only on August 2 because the trial was closed to the public, even to his immediate relatives, and occurred without the participation of counsel. Azizkhodzhaev was detained in February after publicly and privately criticizing the son-in-law of President Emomali Rahmon for alleged corrupt business practices. "Abubakr Azizkhodzhaev is the latest casualty of Tajikistan's war on dissent, but he won't be the last unless Tajikistan's international allies loudly protest this travesty of justice," said Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. "No one should be thrown behind bars for simply criticizing a public figure." Tajikistan is in the midst of the worst political and religious crackdown since the end of the country's 1992-1997 civil war, Human Rights Watch said. Over the past two years, authorities have arrested, imprisoned, and tortured members of the country's peaceful political opposition, and have jailed numerous perceived critics, including opposition activists, lawyers, and journalists. Hundreds of perceived critics and their family members have fled the country, according to observers' estimates. But Tajik authorities have also targeted perceived critics abroad, seeking their detention and extradition back to Tajikistan, and have forcibly disappeared critics abroad, only to have them reappear in Tajik custody. Police detained Azizkhodzhaev on February 26, at his home in the capital, Dushanbe, and he has been in custody ever since, Initially, authorities told him he was being detained as a witness, but they soon charged him with "inciting national, racial, regional, or religious hatred" under article 189 of Tajikistan's Criminal Code for his remarks about Rahmon's son-in-law. A relative close to the case told Human Rights Watch that authorities withheld complete information about the timing for the trial from Azizkhodzhaev's lawyer. Relatives said they have had extremely limited access to Azizkhodzhaev. They said that jail officials accepted food and clothing meant for Azizkhodzhaev but did not pass on the items. Friends and family who were able to visit him in the first week of May said they had seen burns on his body. Others who saw Azizkhodzhaev during the second week of May said that he walked with a limp. Azizkhodzhaev told relatives that jail officials had beaten him. On June 9, in a resolution on the "situation of prisoners of conscience" in Tajikistan, the European Parliament called specifically for his release along with the release of all those "imprisoned on politically motivated charges." Azizkhodzhaev, a successful entrepreneur, made public allegations of government corruption, including in an "Open Letter to [Tajikistan's] President." He published the allegations after his business, which produced license plates, suffered devastating losses when the government cancelled a contract with his firm and moved the business to a firm owned by Shamsullo Sohibov, the president's son-in-law. Azizkhodzhaev also corresponded with journalists, opposition activists, and others over social media and in private emails, describing what he saw as nepotism and corruption at the heart of the government's policies. A lawyer for Azizkhodzhaev told his relatives that his corruption allegations against the government formed the basis of the charges of "inciting national, racial, regional or religious hatred" leveled against him. Beyond his public statements on corruption, the authorities have not pointed to any other activities or actions to support charges of incitement to hatred. The United States, the European Union, and other key international entities should make unequivocal calls for the release of Azizkhodzhaev and others imprisoned on politically motivated charges, Human Rights Watch said. They should press the Tajik government to uphold its international obligations to respect freedom of association, assembly, expression, and religion and impose targeted punitive measures, such as asset freezes and visa bans, on Tajik government officials responsible for imprisoning peaceful activists, torture, and other grave human rights violations. "The fact that Azizkhodzhaev's trial proceeded without a lawyer in the courtroom to present a defense, and after he had been ill-treated is a strong indication that Tajik authorities don't want the world to scrutinize the charges against him," Swerdlow said. "Dushanbe should live up to its human rights commitments, release Azizkhodzhaev immediately, and investigate his claims of ill-treatment." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Jazz in the Woods on Sunday Celebrate summer with the annual Jazz in the Woods concert with the Wilbur Rehmann Quintet, plus special guests, on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 6-8 p.m. at Moose Creek Ranger Station. In a historic outdoor location, this musical group will shine a light on jazz standards. Experience original interpretations in a casual and very relaxed setting. Bring a picnic, lawn chairs or blanket and enjoy great music in the great outdoors. This program is family-friendly, free and open to the public. To get to Moose Creek Ranger Station, turn south on Rimini Road and drive approximately 5 miles. There is parking just north of the cabin. There is significant road construction taking place on Rimini Road so please drive with caution. There will be volunteers on hand to assist with parking. For more information, please call the Montana Discovery Foundation at 495-3711. *** Camp-Mak-A-Dream benefit upcoming The Camp-Mak-A-Dream walleye benefit will be held on Saturday, Aug. 13, at Canyon Ferry from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $60 per boat or team from shore. A donation entry fee of $50 goes to the cancer camp in Gold Creek, which allows children with this devastating disease to enjoy the outdoors with medical and support staff. Canyon Ferry habitat receives a donation of $10 from the entry fee. This benefit tournament is open to all ages, and a team consists of as many people as is legal and safe in a boat. Families, fishing buddies and corporate teams are encouraged. Register on Friday, Aug. 12, before the barbecue and rules meeting. Call Carol Henckel for information, or to register or donate at 406-633-2598. Money prizes as well as raffle and grand prizes are awarded to all ages. Designed by the late Mark Henckel, outdoor editor of the Billings Gazette, his wife, Carol, continues to give an opportunity to families and friends to get out in the outdoors and help others through donating to the camp. *** Surplus animal licenses on sale Surplus deer, elk and antelope licenses will go on sale online at approximately 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 8. Theyll be available at license providers when they open that day and at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices at 8 a.m. A complete list of hunting districts with surplus licenses will be available online. For more information, please go online to fwp.mt.gov or call you FWP regional office. *** Fish, wildlife commission to meet Aug. 11 The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will make final decisions on a variety of proposals and hear information on a handful of others at its regular monthly meeting Aug. 11 at Montana WILD in Helena. The meeting will include a regular morning session followed by an afternoon tour to the upper Clark Fork River where the commission will see re-vegetation efforts, the Racetrack Pond Fishing Access Site acquisition and tour the Warm Springs Pond Wildlife Management area. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. Also on the agenda for final decisions are: Future Fisheries Project approvals Bass fishing contest petition Duck Creek Fishing Access Site construction closure (R6) Blackfoot Clearwater forestry project Keogh Conservation Easement addition Selection of organizations to auction 2017 moose, sheep, goat, mule deer and elk licenses *** PLPW Council meets Aug. 15-16 The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council will meet in Helena Aug. 15, from 1-8 p.m., and Aug. 16, from 8 a.m.-noon at the Holiday Inn Express Conference Room located at 3170 N. Sanders St. During the meeting, the council will get updates on elk shoulder seasons, block management enrollment, and 2016 FWP license sales, and then spend the remainder of the meeting in structured information/question-and-answer sessions focused around the FWPs Block Management program payment system, program audit issues, program structure, delivery and administrative process. Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting. Public comment is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday. For more information about the PL/PW Council, contact Hank Worsech, License Bureau Chief, at 444-2663 or by email at hworsech@mt.gov. Or, visit the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov on the Hunting page under Hunter Access. *** BLM seeks comment on Marysville plan The Bureau of Land Managements Butte Field Office is looking for comments on its Draft Proposed Action for the Marysville Landscape Restoration Environmental Assessment. The Marysville Planning Area is in Lewis and Clark County, 20 miles northwest of Helena, and includes 14,170 acres of public lands administered by the BLM. The Proposed Action would, among other things, restore and improve forest health in the Marysville area and treat hazardous fuel conditions to provide for the safety of firefighters and the general public. Documents regarding the Proposed Action are available at the Butte Field Office at 106 N. Parkmont in Butte, or on the BLMs ePlanning website at http://1.usa.gov/1t28HMN. Public comments may be used to alter the Proposed Action and/or create new alternatives to be analyzed prior to issuing an Environmental Assessment. Comments should be as specific as possible, including any suggestions regarding resource issues or changes to the Proposed Action. Comments can be sent to the Butte Field Office at 106 N. Parkmont, Butte, MT 59701, or by email to ctuss@blm.gov. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 15. To be considered, all comments must contain the name and address of the submitter. For more information about the project and the Proposed Action, call 533-7634. *** Drawing for hunting camp extensions upcoming The Rocky Mountain Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest will again be accepting applications Sept. 1 for 25 hunting camp extensions in the Beaver-Willow road closure area. To be eligible, applications need to be submitted to the Rocky Mountain Ranger District between Sept. 1-15. The drawing for successful applicants will take place on or after Sept. 16. Applicants will be notified of the results of the drawing no later than Friday, Sept. 23. Interested parties must complete an application form and mail or hand-deliver it, along with the required application/permit fees, to the Rocky Mountain Ranger District by the deadline. All applicants will be required to pay a a permit/monitoring fee of $155, and a non-refundable cost recovery fee of $59. The permit/monitoring fee will be returned to applicants who were not selected. All funds collected will be used to cover the costs of administering the hunting-camp-extensions program. For more information, contact the Ranger District office in Choteau at 466-5341. *** Black bear season license available Hunters may purchase a license at all FWP offices, FWP license providers, or online at fwp.mt.gov, under "Online Services" until Aug. 31. After that date there is a 24-hour wait on the use of bear hunting licenses. Black bear hunters must have successfully completed the Black Bear Identification Test and must present a certificate of completion when purchasing a black bear license. The training and test are available on FWPs website at fwp.mt.gov, under "Quick Links" choose "Education." A paper version of the test may be obtained at FWP offices. Black Bear hunting regulations for 2016 are available on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov, from FWP license providers and at FWP offices. Mayor Costin provides council district update & talks about other city projects A town hall was held at Martinsville City Hall Thursday evening where residents were encouraged to attend and discuss their concerns or questions with Martinsville Mayor Kenny Costin. 4|THURSDAY Hometown Helena 7 a.m. weekly gathering of Helena-area people interested in what's going on in Helena. Montana Club, 24 W. Sixth Ave., 442-5980. $3 charge for coffee whether or not you drink it. Show and go hikes 9 a.m. meet in the Ben Franklin parking lot in the Lundy Center. The group meets every Thursday in rain, snow or sunshine and is usually back by mid-afternoon. Call Connie at 202-2534 for more information. Three Forks Young Eagles 9 a.m.-noon at the Three Forks Airport. The Helena EAA Chapter 344 will host a rally offering free plane rides for kids 8 to 17. The goal is to encourage careers in aviation. Call 285-3503 to learn more. Holter art shows 10 a.m. at the Holter Museum of Art, 12 E. Lawrence. Daniela Abel and M. Scott Miller are featured in the Held Hallway until Aug. 28. Pat Branting, a Bozeman artist, is featured in the Nicholson Gallery. Call 442-6400 to learn more. Admission is free. Attack of the bloodsuckers 10 a.m. at ExplorationWorks!, 995 Carousel Way. Enjoy learning about all sorts of creepy, freaky, disgusting creatures at this summers exhibit. Call 457-1800 ext. 1 for more information. Kids Feed N Fun June 12-Aug. 12, Monday-Friday at area parks: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. noon at Memorial Park; 11 a.m.-noon at Barney Park; 11-11:45 a.m. at Lincoln Park; 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at Bryant Elementary; and noon-12:45 p.m. at Skelton Park. Meals are free for children 18 and under. More information can be found at www.helenaschools.org or call 406-324-2570. Last Chance Tour Train 11 a.m., 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Tours depart outside the Montana Historical Society, 225 N. Roberts. Visit www.lctours.com or call 442-1023 to learn more. Out to Lunch 11:30 a.m. at the Great Northern Town Center amphitheater, 989 Carousel Way. Come and enjoy live music and food every Thursday through Aug. 25. Last Chance Toastmasters Noon on Thursdays at MDT Headquarters, 2701 Prospect Ave. Learn public speaking. Call 227-0505 to learn more. Helena Wood Carvers 1 p.m. at the Neighborhood Center, 200 S. Cruse Ave. Come and learn about the different types of carving. Call 447-1680 for more information. Cooking, nutrition classes 3-4 p.m. at Lewis & Clark Public Health Dept., 1930 9th Ave. Join us for this free series of classes at the WIC Clinic every Thursday, June 23-Aug. 11. Learn how to plan meals, make fast and simple meals, and have a chance to taste delicious samples. Each class includes a free kitchen gift and graduates will receive a cookbook. Sign up at the WIC Clinic or call Kim at 447-8042. Children are welcome. Yoda Coster live 5-8 p.m. at Ten Mile Creek Brewery, 48 N. Last Chance Gulch. Live music 6 p.m. at Aster Restaurant, 22 N. Last Chance Gulch. Live music weather permitting on the patio on Thursdays and Sundays throughout the summer. Call 443-8515. Made in Montana at Millers 6 p.m. at Millers Crossing, 52 S. Park Ave. Every week features a different Montana brewery, distillery or winery with live music. Call 442-3290. Red Stiletto live 6 p.m. at On Broadway, 106 E. Broadway. Call 443-1929. Casual Conversers Toastmasters Club 6:30 p.m. Dedicated to improving members' confidence and skills in the areas of public speaking, presentations and leadership skills in a professional, supportive environment. Meets weekly on Thursdays at Perkins Restaurant, 1803 Cedar St. Call 431-6040 for more information. James and the Giant Peach 7:30 p.m. at Grandstreet Theatre, 325 N. Park Ave. A musical about a boy on a journey of enormous proportions. Call 442-4270 or visit grandstreettheatre.com. Karaoke at Haps 8 p.m.-1 a.m. at 1505 Railroad Ave. Join us Wednesday-Sunday for karaoke. Call 443-2804 for more information. State Capital Band performs 8 p.m. at the Memorial Park Band Shell. Concerts are every Thursday through Aug. 4. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the evening. Karaoke at East Helena VFW Fun starts at 9 p.m., 113 E. Main St., East Helena, 227-8163. While many people at the Abilene/Taylor County Law Enforcement Center at noon Wednesday were there to buy signs in support of first responders, Aubrey Rodriguez came in bringing a gift. Lisa Maikranz, founder/director of Back the Blue Abilene, was selling 'Back the Badge' yard signs and car magnets. She was doing a brisk business in the first half-hour, but Rodriquez came in wanting to show her support in a different way. Eight-year-old Aubrey, who will be going into the third grade later this month, had written a letter to the Abilene Police Department and decided Wednesday would be a good day to deliver it. Showing support to people who serve the public is something she does regularly, said her dad. 'Last year, she wrote a letter to the Marines, because I was in the Marines,' said Michael Connors. 'The sergeant came to her school in his dress blues and read her letter in class.' Not only has her father served in the military, but her grandfather has been a firefighter in Sweetwater for years. Connors said his daughter has grown up with an awareness of people who defend others. She wasn't the only youngster at the police station. Carey Kitts, a Clack Middle School history teacher, brought his three sons 7-year-old twins Carter and Jackson and 4-year-old Wilson to buy magnets and yard sign. 'I wanted to show them it's important to support them,' Kitts said. Maikranz said the money raised by selling the yard signs ($20) and the magnets ($10) will go toward helping fund local law enforcement officers who take part in the annual Police Unity Tour, a 300-mile bike ride from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., to raise money for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Foundation. Maikranz said each officer rides in honor of an officer who has been killed in the line of duty, and each is responsible for raising nearly $2,000 and travel expenses to ride. 'They use their vacation time to take part in it,' she said. 'It's always scheduled on Mother's Day, so thank the wives who allow them to do it.' Local officers ride under the banner of Texas Wheels of Justice, a charity that represents police officers, sheriff's deputies, correctional officers and firefighters. As it turned out Wednesday, no one from the APD was in the law enforcement center lobby to accept the Aubrey's letter, so she gave it to Taylor County Sheriff's Office deputy Cliff Griffin and Lt. John Cummins. Both Griffin and Cummins said they appreciated the letter and other displays of support from the community since the deaths of five police officers in Dallas on July 7. 'They (the deputies) have had a lot of support,' said Griffin. 'They've had people anonymously pay for their dinners and thank them for their work.' Cummins said the past few weeks have been similar to the time following 9/11. 'Right after 9/11 it was like this,' he said. 'Because there's been so much happen, the citizens want us to know they appreciate what we do. They just make an extra effort to show they appreciate us.' Maikranz said her goal was to have Back the Badge signs outnumber political yard signs this fall. 'Wouldn't that be cool?' she asked. She indicated she would not be surprised if that was the case. 'Abilene is such a great community,' she said. 'I just want as many people who can get a sign to get a sign.' Today in history: On Aug. 3, 2008, the bodies of three civil rights workers who had been reported missed June are found buried in an earthen dam near Philadelphia, Mississippi. Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman had traveled south from New York to help organize civil rights efforts with James Chaney. Schwerner and Goodman are while, Chaney an African-American. An FBI investigation was launched, code name 'Mississippi Burning,' which would be the name of the movie about their deaths. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Television screen shot of Chinese lawyer Zhou Shifeng being escorted by police officers to Tianjin No.2 Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin, Aug. 4, 2016. A court in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin sentenced a leading human rights lawyer to seven years in prison on Thursday, the third subversion trial this week of attorneys and activists who were rounded up in a sweeping crackdown on rights defenders a year ago. Zhou Shifeng, 52, was the director of Beijing's Fengrui Law Firm, which took on sensitive cases of dissidents, the banned and persecuted Falun Gong spiritual sect and others who challenged authorities. The firm was the main target of a nationwide crackdown that saw more than 300 human rights lawyers and associates detained beginning on the night of July 9, 2015. Zhou has long been influenced by anti-China forces and gradually established ideas to overturn the country's political system, Chinas official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a court statement. "I plead guilty," Zhou said in his final statement, "My actions have brought instability and risks to society," said Xinhua. The report said Zhou would not appeal. The jailing of Zhou, the first lawyer to go on trial since the crackdown, follows the sentencing Wednesday of activist Hu Shigen to 7 years. On Tuesday, activist Zhai Yanmin received a suspended three-year sentence. The trial of Zhous fellow Fengrui lawyer Li Heping is expected to follow soon. Beijing-based activist Li Meiqing told RFAs Mandarin Service she and fellow activists were detained when they tried to monitor Zhous trial. "When we got there the front gate of the Court House was under strict guard. We then went around the building to the back door of the court, where the security was less strict and we got into the Court, she said. But a guard inside questioned our identity, and we answered as citizens coming to audit the trial. He then demanded that we provide citizen IDs and once we produced them, he took us out of the court, said Li. The police first sent us to a petitioners office, and finally to a petitioner confinement facility, said Li, who was later released. 'The law is fake' Liu Xiaoyuan, former legal colleague of Zhou, told RFA that Zhous jail term is so heavy that it will definitely affect other lawyers considering representing some sensitive cases. Some lawyers may consider their own safety leading to not accept those (sensitive) cases, said Liu. Beijing rights lawyer Chen Jiangang said the case should be seen as a political issue. "We believe that law (in China) is true, but the authorities know that law is a fake. When they want to punish people, they act under the disguise of law, Chen told RFA. For them the judicial system is just a knife or a weapon. Please do not have the illusion that under a dictatorship law can limit the power of the rulers. That is totally unrealistic. Along with dissidents, Zhous clients also included the parents of children sickened or killed by one of China's biggest dairies in a massive tainted infant formula scandal that the government had tried to cover up. I think they exaggerated the things in this (subversion) case, the father of one of the tainted milk victims told RFAs Cantonese Service. He declined to give his name or home province Reported by Yang Fan and Xin Lin for RFAs Mandarin Service and Wong Lok-to for the Cantonese Service. Translated by Chen Ping and Wong Lok-to. Written in English by Paul Eckert. MISSOULA -- A hunting rifle, old parking meters, hub caps and roofing metal. Those were just a few of the items among the nearly 300 pounds of trash that volunteers dragged out during the annual Blackfoot River Cleanup this past Saturday. The old parking meters from downtown Missoula, that was kind of disconcerting, said Chrissy Oschell, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks river manager for Region 2. Thats a really odd one. How did they end up in the river? There were quite a few. And some of the folks in the nearby area during the highway cleanup found a bunch. About 78 volunteers showed up to wade, raft, tube and snorkel the stretch of river from Whittaker Bridge to Johnsrud Park. Missoula Fresh Market provided food at cost and brought tents and barbecues. The grocery store staff all got on boats to help, and the Bureau of Land Management, the University of Montana Outdoor Program and the Blackfoot Home & Community Club also chipped in. Oschell said that the volunteers found lots of cans and plastic bottles. We found a lot of sunglasses and shoes, lots of things that people could easily put in a mesh bag that we give out for free, she said. We found a lot of clothing, pieces of inner tubes, plastic trim from cars and a piece of a boat motor. The good news, according to Oschell, is that the volunteers find less trash every year. Its because were out there cleaning it, she said. But we always find trash. Its not good for the river itself and its also an eyesore. Its not something people expect to see in a natural area. We like to treat it like you treat any place thats important to you. Take out what you bring in. Craig Holtet, the co-owner of the Missoula Fresh Markets and the Orange Street Food Farm, said that the rifle was turned over to police. He had a crew of divers that scoured every deep hole. We found a 12-foot fiberglass oar that they had been trying to get out of the river bottom for three years, he said. We found a lot of barbed wire, parts of wooden boats with screws and nails sticking up. We found a lot of pull tabs. We found glass bottles, and I found six different full beers. Holtet said he's been floating the river for years and thinks it's getting cleaner. "It's neat to see the cooperation of the community come together and create a culture of people that want to take care of that situation," he said. "I might be getting kind of old and sentimental but it's kind of cool." The free mesh bags are available at the FWP office at 3201 Spurgin Road, at both Missoula Fresh Markets and at the Orange Street Food Farm. This undated file photo shows the China's northeastern border city of Dandong in the distance from the North Korean border town of Siniuju. As North Korea ramps up security along the border with China, business travelers are being forced to do the full monty as the strip search is becoming a common procedure, sources tell RFAs Korean Service. Even though we dont have a big load, the body search has become excessive, one Chinese peddler told RFA. It takes a minimum of three to four hours, but often more than five hours to go through security procedure. That procedure has become more complicated since Kim Jong Un became North Koreas supreme leader, and now authorities there are often forcing foreign business people to bare all, the sources tell RFA. I recently experienced humiliation during the security search when I was traveling from Sinuiju City (North Korea) to Dandong City (China), said the Chinese peddler, who spoke on condition of anonymity. I showed all my belongings, my hair pin and everything during the procedure, but the metal detectors alarm continued to go off, she added. I had to go into a guest room and go through a metal detector without wearing a single thread of clothing. Even though she was completely naked, the metal detectors alarm continued to sound, she said. 'Did you swallow gold?' The security guards would glare and mumble: Did you swallow gold? or The machine is broken, until the inspection was finished, said the source. My experience is only one of many examples. There are more people experiencing this type of humiliation during the departure procedure, which I think is a violation of human rights. A Chinese businessman also told RFA hed been subjected to the strip search. The guards excessively go through our belongings, bags and other items when traveling in and out of North Korea, he told RFA on condition of anonymity. The guards ban us from carrying any books or printouts, no matter what the content is. He added: The cellphone search is a very complicated process, but I have never experienced such an excessive body search that required me to take off my underwear. The search has become such a routine that Chinese travel agents attempt to educate tourists in advance. Not only do they give tourists a list of items they should not carry in North Korea, but they also put the travelers through a preliminary inspection just to make sure. Chinese authorities are also ramping up the search for any illicit cargo that travels between North Korea and China. A trader in Dandong City, China told RFA: Sending apple rice to North Korea has become impossible. Chinese rice packed in an apple box, instead of a rice bag is known as apple rice, explained the source. Its a symbolic term used for goods that are sent to North Korea that is packaged with different items than those displayed on the outside packaging, the source said. These packages are loaded on vans for trading. If a trader is caught during the inspection, not only do they pay a fine, but their goods are not permitted to clear security. Reported by Joonho Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Jackie Yoo. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. Driven by growing pressure to complete a showcase construction project on schedule, project managers at a building site in North Koreas capital Pyongyang are openly supplying their exhausted work force with powerful methamphetamines called ice, North Korean sources say. And this has led to the appearance in the tightly controlled state of graffiti mocking production slogans, with some proclaiming Pyongyang speed is drug speed and others demeaning workers in North Korean construction battalions as drug troops, sources told RFAs Korean Service. The writings, which were discovered on July 27 in an unfinished building littered with bottles and cigarette butts, are being treated as a political offense, with police officers in Pyongyang now actively searching for those responsible, one source in North Jagang province said. Investigators are warning construction workers that they will be severely punished for further incidents of this kind, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. In a symbolic rebuke of international sanctions imposed for nuclear weapons tests, North Korea is forging ahead with the massive construction scheme, drafting thousands of city residents to labor on the project till late at night under harsh conditions, sources said in earlier reports. The construction of apartment blocks and other public buildings on Pyongyangs Ryomyung Street has pulled in hundreds of thousands of workers from the capital city alone, with others brought in from other provinces, one source told RFA. [They] are undergoing terrible sufferings in their work, the source said. 'Pointless' to report Officials in charge of the project are pushing workers hard to finish frame construction on the buildings, which include a 70-story high-rise apartment building and at least 60 other structures, before the weather gets too cold, sources said. Project managers are now openly providing drugs to construction workers so that they will work faster, RFAs source in North Jaggang said. A source in Yanggang Province told RFA that construction officials had pointlessly played up the graffitis significance by reporting it to the police, though. There is already a lot of graffiti with obscene content at construction sites or in public restrooms, and even if this graffiti was political in its tone, the best way to handle the incident would have been to cover it over and move on, he said. More serious cases of graffiti attacking national leader Kim Jong Un were reported earlier this year in Yanggang, and residents were required for a while to provide handwriting samples, he said. Now, officials ignore a fair amount of graffiti because of this traumatic experience, he said. Reported by Sunghui Moon for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Jackie Yoo. Written in English by Richard Finney. North Korean officials are offering financial incentives to brokers who find jobs for the countrys citizens in neighboring China in a bid to generate much-needed foreign currency for the Kim Jong Un regime, North Korean sources said. The isolated country has exported workers to China and places farther afield such as Russia, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa for years, but requires them to remit much of their earnings to the North Korean government. Now officials want to increase the number of workers they send across the border to China, sources said. North Korea is sending its public officials who have connections in China to China in order to help export its labor force, a North Korea source in China, who declined to be named, said. North Korea is promising to give incentives to brokers who help find businesses that will hire North Korean workers. One public official offered the source a monthly incentive of 100 yuan (U.S. $15) for each North Korean worker he procured for job placements in Chinese businesses that hire North Koreans, he said. Receiving a 10,000-yuan (U.S. $1,500) incentive to find 100 job placements in businesses that hire North Korean workers is an attractive offer, he said. Similar offers were not only made to me but also to other people, he said. It seems as though North Korea is in urgent need of foreign currency. North Korean traders who already do business in China are just as eager to help their government send in more of their fellow countrymen, said another North Korean source in China. Even North Korean traders in China are constantly on the move to help export North Korean workers to China, he said. They are actively working to find job placements in Chinese businesses so they can receive part of the commission as an incentive payment. Stiffing the Chinese North Korea, however, often stiffs the Chinese who find job placements for its citizens in China by not paying them the full amount of the incentives it has promised, said a third north Korean source. Generally, North Korea weasels out on giving incentives after two to three months of scheduled payments for successfully exporting labor workers, he said. All the Chinese brokers can do is criticize North Korea because they have no legal recourse to sue officials who fail to pay them the amounts they are owed, he said. Many Chinese businesses that hire North Korean workers ignore legal formalities concerning foreign employees, sources said. The Chinese government knows this and condones the behavior, they said. RFAs sources have estimated that about 50,000 North Koreans work outside the country. North Korea, which has been placed under multiple and increasing United Nations economic sanctions for conducting banned nuclear and missile tests, has sought new sources of income by sending its citizens abroad to earn hard currency. The labor exports have drawn scrutiny from U.N. agencies and governments charged with upholding sanctions aimed at preventing Kim Jong Uns regime from getting the cash it needs to fund its illicit weapons programs. Reported by Joonho Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Jackie Yoo. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Sixty-two migrants from Myanmar wait at a house in Padang Besar, Thailand, to be taken into police custody, Aug. 2, 2016. Thai authorities said they plan to charge and deport 62 undocumented migrants from Myanmar, including five Rohingya Muslims, who were arrested after human smugglers left them in a house near Thailands southern border with Malaysia. The 62 were waiting to cross into Malaysia illegally but were taken into Thai custody Tuesday after being found at a townhouse in Padang Besar, a subdistrict of Songkhla province, officials said. Padang Besar is the same area where dozens of graves of trafficked Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants were found in the jungle in May 2015. That discovery precipitated a Thai crackdown on human smuggling that contributed to a regional migration crisis. Meanwhile, some 139 graves of other victims of human-smuggling were discovered on the other side of the border in northern Malaysias Perlis state. At around that time, thousands of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis came ashore in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia after being abandoned in smugglers boats adrift in the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca. The 62 immigrants have been detained and questioned at Padang Besar police station. The police have been interrogating them, and will press charges of illegal entry. They intend to deport them to where they came from, Lt. Col. Prapan Areebambud, deputy chief of the police station in Padang Besar, told Benar News on Thursday. Police were notified about the group of undocumented foreigners by a woman from Myanmar who was being kept in the same house but managed to sneak out, according to the superintendent of the Thai police anti-human trafficking branch in Songkhla. We interrogated a Myanmar woman who escaped from the house to seek help from authorities. She said Thai and Malaysian brokers brought them from border checkpoints in Mae Sod district, in Tak province, and the border in Ranong province, and they each paid them 200,000 kyats (U.S. $168.50), said the superintendent, Police Col. Narong Tedwiboon, referring to Thai provinces along the border with Myanmar. They were kept there for five days, waiting for the next brokers to take them into Malaysia, but no one came. They were afraid that they were cheated, so she sneaked out to seek help from authorities, Narong told BenarNews. Way too small Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim and relatively prosperous country, has been a prime destination in Southeast Asia for Rohingyas, with southern Thailand serving as an overland transit route for many. Rohingyas belong to a stateless minority in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar whose members have been fleeing ethnic and religious persecution in Rakhine state, in search of better employment and educational prospects abroad. Last years crackdown on human-smuggling in Thailand resulted in arrests warrants being issued for 153 suspected members of a transnational ring linked to the jungle graves in Padang Besar. Ninety-two of the suspects, including an army general, police officers, and some local officials, are standing trial in Bangkok on human-trafficking charges. Nu Muhammad, a Rohingya expat who has lived in Thailand for more than 10 years, said human-smuggling into the country from Myanmar will go on on because operators at the ground level have not been caught, he said. The traffickers are using land routes because they can no longer go by sea, he told BenarNews. A trafficker in Padang Besar, who declined to reveal her real name, indicated that many more people were being trafficked through the area on their way to Malaysia. The arrest of 62 is way too small. To traffic [such] a small number is not worth the economy of scale, she said, adding that human trafficking in the area was bouncing back after a lull that followed last years crackdown. Reported by BenarNews Myanmars central government is demolishing Buddhist and Islamic religious structures across the country that were built on state-owned land without permission from state or regional officials, director of the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs Myint Win Zaw said Thursday. Every religion in Myanmar has to follow rules and regulations, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. We announced this in newspapers to let people know that every person and organization needs permission to build religious buildings. The government grants permission to build mosques, temples, and pagodas called stupas to people who obtain proper documents, including recommendations or agreements from the state or regional governments and local organizations and residents, he said. If there are religious buildings that were built without permission, we will remove them, and we will take action against those who constructed them if they dont listen to us when we tell them to remove them, Myint Win Zaw said. The government is now removing 173 Buddhist monasteries in lower Myanmars Yangon region and 86 monasteries in other states and regions that were constructed without official permission, he said. The central governments actions come as authorities in northern Myanmars Kachin state arrested five local villagers who led a Buddhist mob that burned down a mosque on July 1 in Lebyin Village of Lone Khin Village Tract of Hpakant township. Several days prior to the incident, township authorities told trustees of the mosque that they would have to demolish the structure because it had not been legally authorized for religious purposes, according to a report in the online journal The Irrawaddy. The trustees removed three extensions to the mosque, but refused to demolish one part because it had been funded by private donations, the report said. Authorities charged the trustees with violating the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management Law of 2012, but the mob burned down the structure before legal proceedings could begin, it said. The five people responsible for the incident will be tried in court in Kachin state, Myint Win Zaw said. Pagoda-building spree Tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims in various parts of the country flare up from time to time over the building of religious structures. Buddhist monk Myaing Kyee Ngu, also known as U Thuzana, has been erecting stupas on the grounds of churches and mosques in eastern Myanmars Karen State since April in an act of defiance to supposedly reclaim ancient Buddhist lands. Despite objections by religious authorities, Myaing Kyee Ngu and his supporters built several stupas on the grounds of St. Mark Anglican church in Kondawgyi village of Hlaingbwe township and elsewhere in the village. In June, an angry mob of about 200 Buddhists destroyed parts of a mosque and a house belonging to a Muslim family following a disagreement between a Muslim man and a Buddhist over the building of a Muslim school in Thuye Thamain village in south-central Myanmars Bago region. The Muslim man suffered head injuries during the attack, and 70 Muslim residents sought overnight shelter in a local police station. Reported by Wai Mar Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. A threat issued this week by China to jail foreign fishermen who enter disputed areas of the South China Sea prompted the head of an influential Vietnamese fishing organization on Thursday to dismiss the move and assert that fishermen will continue to work in those waters, with his country taking measures against China if necessary. Vietnamese fishermen will continue fishing in the area as usual, said Phan Huy Hoang, chairman of Quang Ngai Province Fishery Association. If China should take any action [against the fishermen], the government of Vietnam will apply measures to deal with it. This statement is just like other statements they [the Chinese] have made in the past to ban any fishing activities in the South China Sea within a certain area and time period, he said. Those statements that ban fishing activities within their nine-dash line are illegitimate, and nobody should acknowledge them. Chinas Supreme Court said on Tuesday that the country will protect its territorial sovereignty and navigation interests within a nine-dash demarcation line that Beijing uses to claim 90 percent of the South China Sea, and jail those caught illegally fishing in its waters for up to one year. We already have had difficulties [fishing in the South China Sea], and I can see that we will have more difficulties, Hoang said. We assert our legitimate right to places where we have economic activities. The international community does not accept Chinas statements, so I think this should not affect the activities of Vietnamese fishermen in general and Quang Ngai fishermen in particular in their traditional fishing grounds in the South China Sea, he said. On July 12, an international arbitration tribunal decided in a case brought by the Philippines that China has no right to resources within the nine-dash demarcation line. It also ruled that the nation cannot claim a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone around reefs and atolls in the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which Vietnam and other countries claim as part of their own territory and from which Chinese forces have attacked and chased away Vietnamese fishing boats over the last few years. The Spratly and Paracel Islands, which Vietnam calls Truong Sa and Hoang Sa, respectively, are located amid strategic shipping lanes and abundant fishing grounds, and may contain oil and natural gas reserves under the seabed. Vietnam welcomed the courts decision and has continued to assert its sovereignty over the islands. China, however, dismissed the ruling, which invalidated nearly all of Beijings claims of exclusive access to the waters. China must comply Responding to the Chinese Supreme Courts announcement, Vietnams Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said on Thursday that China must comply with international law regarding the treatment of fishermen in the disputed region of what Vietnam calls the East Sea. The treatment of fishermen working in the East Sea must comply with international law and agreements reached between countries, and take on a humanitarian spirit, he said during a regular news conference in Hanoi, the state-owned Vietnam News Agency reported. Vietnam reserves the necessary measures for protecting its fishermens legitimate interests in line with international law and practice, he said. He also responded to a call by Chinas defense minister for the army, police, and people to prepare for a war at sea by saying that disputes concerning the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully. Disputes in the waters must be resolved peacefully on the basis of international law, and without use of or threat to use force, he was quotes as saying. China has been aggressively grabbing disputed land masses and building artificial islands in the South China Sea and outfitting them with runways and military infrastructuremoves that have threatened peace and stability in the region, a Vietnamese government spokesman said earlier this year. Reported by Thanh Truc for RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. A group of foreign tourists escorted by an Afghan Army convoy has been attacked in the western province of Herat. Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat's governor, said at least six tourists and their Afghan driver were wounded in the August 4 attack in Chesht-e Sharif district. Farhad said the tourists, who included eight Britons, three Americans, and one German, were on their way to Herat from Bamiyan and Ghor provinces when they were ambushed by the Taliban. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as Taliban militants intensify their annual summer offensive. Afghanistan's main roads have become increasingly dangerous, with militant attacks and kidnappings frequent. Based on reporting by AFP, Khaama Press, and BBC Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has dismissed the first deputy director of the countrys National Security Service, Hrant Yepiskoposian. A statement from Sarkisian's press service on August 4 about the dismissal of Yepiskoposian did not state the reasons for the decision. It said Yepiskoposian was being replaced at the post by Karapet Davtian. Yepiskoposian's dismissal comes four days after the surrender of an armed opposition faction that occupied a police building in Yerevan for more than two weeks. Based on reporting by TASS and Reuters A forensic report has found a British-Pakistani woman suspected to have been the victim of an "honor killing" died an unnatural death through suffocation, Pakistani police say. Mukhtar Kazam had charged that his wife Samia Shahid, 28, was murdered during a visit to her family in Punjab Province on July 20 because she married him against the family's wishes. Shahid's father has denied the charge and claimed his daughter died of natural causes. At a press conference last week, Kazam presented a copy of a postmortem report that said Shahid had marks on her neck, suggesting she had been strangled. Pakistani investigators appeared to confirm that conclusion on August 3, saying the "death occurred due to asphyxia" after her breathing was choked. Police said Shahid's divorced first husband, Mohammad Shakeel, her parents, and a cousin are under investigation. Kazam has described his wife's death as an "honor killing", a near daily occurrence in Pakistan where nearly 500 women are killed each year by relatives who believe they have brought shame on the family. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP Well, it turns out that July wasn't just the deadliest month in a year for Ukrainian soldiers. According to statistics released this week by the United Nations, it was also the deadliest month in a year for Ukrainian civilians as well. Eight civilians were killed and 65 were wounded in July, according to the UN. June wasn't much better, when 12 were killed and 57 wounded. So in case anybody hasn't noticed yet, you can pretty much stick a fork in the Minsk cease-fire agreement -- because it's done. The conflict in the Donbas is shaping up to be a war without end. It's a war without end because Vladimir Putin's regime is not going to accept any settlement that does not give Russia a de facto veto over Ukraine's future political direction. It's a war without end because the authorities in Kyiv and the Ukrainian people -- quite sensibly and reasonably -- aren't going to accept any settlement that does give Moscow a veto over Ukraine's political future. It's a war without end because there is just no way to reconcile these two positions. And most importantly, it's a war without end because it is in the Kremlin's interest for it to be a war without end. The war in the Donbas represents Moscow's only leverage over Kyiv. And if it ended on any terms other than those Russia is demanding, then Moscow would stand to lose all of its leverage. So the Kremlin keeps the conflict simmering. And as they do, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians keep dying. Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page. Retired University of Montana Professor Harry Fritz and I recently returned after delivering a series of lectures on the U.S. political system at Nankai University in Tianjin, a city of 12 million people near the Chinese capital of Beijing. This was my fourth trip to China. Americans who have been there know that Chinese cities are forests of building cranes on the tops of countless high-rise buildings. While one would think the construction boom that is powering Chinas domestic economy will reach a saturation point, the Chinese expect their population will support it. Projections show Chinas population of 1.4 billion falling to 1.125 billion over the next 50 years. That is why the government has modified its one-child mandate and now allows two children per family. According to the Chinese model, population sustains growth. Labor-intensive projects provide millions of jobs. Vast amounts of electrical power must be generated to keep Chinas manufacturing and employment colossus surging forward. China is a nation of builders, both for its domestic use, and for products exported abroad. The rapid rise of China has been likened to a rhino climbing into the canoe of world nations. It is greatly destabilizing. While Chinas economy will likely overtake ours, the huge population required to sustain it also has to be sustained. Per capita income in China is improving, but it is only about $14,100 compared to more than $55,800 in the U.S. Chinas push for productivity is primary. Environmental fallout from total economic emphasis is shocking. Montanans would say you could cut the air there with a knife. While working at the University of Montana in 2006, I spent several weeks at Nankai University. On this recent visit, Professor Fritz and I lectured to the senior-level international relations class of Professor Han Zhaoying. I had explained American politics and culture to that same class when I was there 10 years ago. All have had a minimum of 12 years of English. While few American college kids have any knowledge of Mandarin, no interpreter is necessary in communicating with many upper division college students in China. Though bright and motivated as ever, these students were also noticeably more reticent to express themselves than those I encountered a decade ago. The reason is probably because the new regime of Xi Jianping is returning to a tougher and more authoritarian form of Maoism. Xis fire wall of blocking information into China from the outside world has been surprisingly effective. The Communist Party has a greater hands-on presence in Chinese society now than when I was there previously. Students seemed clearly more uncomfortable about sharing their thoughts in class discussions. They were very aware of Chinese military expansion into the South China Sea. They accepted Xis construct that since China was once the worlds greatest civilization, and because of its new rise to economic greatness, China should expand its sphere of military influence to match the glory of its past. Essentially, Xi is sounding a theme that we have heard in our country. Hes going to make China great again. A highlight of our trip was attending the annual American Independence Day Celebration sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. It was festive and patriotic. Montanas former Sen. Max Baucus, now U.S. ambassador, spoke well and effectively as our countrys representative in China. Harry and I felt deeply grateful for our freedoms symbolized there in China by Independence Day. Baucus made us proud to be Americans and Montanans in this challenging time in world history. Bob Brown of Whitefish is a former Montana secretary of state and state Senate president. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the world faces the most dangerous decade since World War II and predicted that the historical period of the West's "undivided dominance over world affairs" is coming to an end. Speaking on October 27 at a conference of international policy experts in Moscow, Putin said the decade ahead is "probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, important...since the end of World War II." 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. Putin laid the blame for the situation at the feet of Western countries, which he said have cast aside the norms of international affairs in order to maintain dominance and hold down countries they see as "second-class civilizations." The Russian leader also said he had no regrets about sending troops into Ukraine and sought to explain the conflict as part of the efforts by Western countries to secure their global domination. Putin claimed in his speech to the Valdai Discussion Club, a think tank, that the West had helped incite the conflict and also seeks to stoke a crisis over Taiwan in an attempt to enforce global dominance. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, triggering the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II and driving relations with Western countries that back Ukraine and its drive to be part of the European Union and NATO to their lowest depths since the Cold War. Putin cast the conflict in Ukraine as a battle between the West and Russia for the fate of the second-largest Eastern Slav country. It is partly a "civil war," he said, as Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Kyiv has flatly rejected both of those ideas. The goal of what Russia refers to as a "special military operation" is to take the eastern Donbas region, Putin said, adding that in his view the region would "not have survived" on its own had Russia not intervened militarily in Ukraine. WATCH: A local official told Russian conscripts "You are not cannon fodder" in a video published online recently. The men responded by angrily shouting that, actually, that's exactly what they are. But the war has gone far beyond the Donbas region, with Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, and other nonmilitary structures, killing tens of thousands of Ukrainians across the country. Putin used the speech largely to rail against the West, saying it has nothing to offer to the world "except its own domination," and the goal of globalization "is neocolonialism to dominate the world." He said Russia is only trying to defend its right to exist in the face these Western efforts. Putin also asserted that more and more nations refuse to follow Washington's demands and Russia will never accept the West's attempts to dominate the world. Citing gay pride parades and the acceptance of transgender people in Western countries, Putin also defended "traditional values" and said "nobody can dictate to our people how to develop and what society we should build." He also said Russia has never considered the West an enemy and has many things in common with it but will continue to oppose the diktat of Western neoliberal elites. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Putin's speech presented no new ideas. "We don't believe that Mr. Putin's strategic goals have changed here. He doesn't want Ukraine to exist as a sovereign, independent nation state," Kirby said. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Putin's speech can be described as "for Freud," referring to psychoanalysis founder Sigmund Freud. "The person who invaded a foreign country, annexed its land, and committed genocide accuses others of violating international law and the sovereignty of other countries? One truth: The person who started a wind will get a storm. The storm is coming," he said on Twitter. Answering questions from journalists after his speech, Putin reiterated the Kremlin's assertion that Ukraine plans to use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory. The claim has been dismissed as false by Ukraine and its allies, who say Russia may have raised the matter because it plans to use such a bomb in Ukraine as a pretext for escalation. "It was me who ordered [Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu to inform by phone all his colleagues about it," Putin said, adding that Russia does not need to use dirty bombs in Ukraine. Putin also said he supported plans by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit Ukraine's nuclear power plants for inspections. "It must be done as soon and as openly as possible because we know that Kyiv authorities are now working to cover up such [dirty-bomb attack] preparations," Putin said, without giving any exact information proving the claim. Ukraine invited IAEA inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities after the Kremlin made its unsubstantiated claim about the preparation of a dirty bomb -- which would use the explosion of a conventional warhead to spread radioactive material or chemicals over a wide area. Ukraine said it would welcome inspections because it had "nothing to hide." According to Putin, Russia has never talked about the use of nuclear weapons in the war with Ukraine despite his own promise to defend Russian territory with any means at our disposal" and saying his words were "not a bluff." "We see no need for [using nuclear weapons in Ukraine]," Putin told reporters. "There is no sense for that, neither political, nor military." Ukrainians have increasingly woken up to the sound of suicide drones as Russia turns to Iranian-made imports to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Now they may have another deadly Iranian weapon to worry about -- ballistic missiles. Cheap but effective, Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 "kamikaze" drones have already made a deadly impact in Ukraine. If U.S. intelligence assessments pan out, Russia will soon be able to supplement its use of Iranian suicide drones and its own cruise and ballistic missiles with powerful short-range Iranian Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles. Coming as the Kremlin is reportedly struggling to maintain its depleted stockpile of aerial weapons as it ramps up strikes, the missiles would potentially boost Russia's ability to continue its costly air campaign. Jeremy Binnie, a Middle East defense specialist at the global intelligence company Janes, said having more missiles gives Russia the ability to sustain the bombardment against Ukraine." Going Ballistic The Fateh-110, which was unveiled in 2001 and has a stated range of 300 to 500 kilometers, was developed from a heavy artillery rocket dating from the 1980s. To increase the weapon's accuracy, the Fateh-110 was given a guidance system and movable fins that allow it to be steered as it approaches its target. The Zolfaghar, which debuted in 2016 and also has guidance capabilities, comes from the same family as the Fateh-110 but boasts a much longer range due to its use of a lighter carbon-fiber airframe and a smaller warhead. Binnie said the Zolfaghar's use against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in eastern Syria confirmed that the missile was capable of reaching at least 650 kilometers, which he said is "a statement of how much the Iranian tactical missile program has really advanced over the years." Iran's claim that the Zolfaghar can travel even farther -- up to 700 kilometers -- would put the western Ukrainian city of Lviv within range of strikes launched from Russian territory, while the more powerful Fateh-110 could potentially hit the city from Belarus, which has served as a staging ground for Russian attacks. While there has been no indication that Russia plans to purchase launching systems from Iran, Binnie suggests that the Russian military could pair the missiles with existing equipment because the Iranian launchers were adapted from a Soviet-era system. "It might be possible for the Russians to quickly adapt some old equipment they have lying around into launch systems," Binnie said. The Iranian military, he added, fitted the Soviet system to trucks, allowing for mobility and concealment. "Those civilian trucks can be covered over to make it hard to spot that they're actually missile launchers," Binnie said. 'Lawnmowers' And 'Mopeds' Iranian military drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have been homing in on targets across Ukraine since late August, according to the United States. The buzzing sound of the Iranian Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones, built with off-the-shelf components, have earned them derisive monikers such as "lawnmowers" and "mopeds." But the slow-moving, low-flying drones, which are maneuvered to crash into their target, have proven themselves capable of hitting their mark both in terms of military effectiveness and cost. It is capable of extracting or delivering attrition and damage when launched, but it costs little compared to other UAVs that Russia has in its own arsenal," said Samuel Bendett of the Virginia-based Center for Naval Analyses (CNA). Ukraine alleges Russia has ordered 2,400 of the Iranian suicide drones, and its military has claimed to have shot them down in great numbers, often using conventional anti-aircraft guns or even small-arms fire. But their ability to be launched in bunches of five -- often from the cover of civilian trucks -- improves their chances of reaching their target. "The Ukrainians are stopping most of these, but the whole point of these drones is that they fly in a large mass," Bendett said. "The air defense does not always catch all of them. All it takes is for several or even one to make it through." The estimated range of the Shahed-136 varies, but Iran says it is capable of traveling 2,500 kilometers. The slightly smaller and older Shahed-131, which has been used by Huthi rebels in Yemen to attack Saudi targets in the Arabian Peninsula, has been estimated to have a range of 900 kilometers, according to tests conducted by the Ukrainian military. Ukraine's Defense Ministry has published multiple images of downed Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks, and the Ukrainian National Guard on October 19 claimed to have shot down a Shahed-131. Ukraine has also claimed to have shot down a more advanced Iranian combat UAV, the Mojer-6 drone capable of carrying out both reconnaissance missions and aerial strikes within a range of 200 kilometers. There have also been reports of Russian interest in obtaining Irans Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 combat drones. "When launched from any territory that Russia controls or is allied with -- anywhere from the south, from the Donbas, from Belarus -- they're able to strike a lot of Ukrainian targets," Bendett said. In addition to the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia will soon boost its arsenal with Iranian ballistic missiles, as first reported by The Washington Post on October 16, the White House on October 20 said that Iranians are now "directly engaged on the ground" in Moscows war against Ukraine after sending "a relatively small number" of personnel from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to assist Russian forces in using the Iranian drones. Iran has denied sending combat drones to Russia, and Moscow has rejected claims that it is using Iranian UAVs. Images of downed Iranian drones appear to show that they have been rebranded to look Russian-made, experts say, with the markings in Cyrillic naming them as the Geran-1 (the Shahed-131) and Geran-2 (the Shahed-136). Observers are widely skeptical of Russia's denials, noting that the drones are essentially identical right down to the font of the serial numbers. Even Russian Defense Ministry experts have unwittingly admitted that the suicide drones are Iranian. But the rebranding of the drones to make them appear to be Russian has opened the possibility that Moscow could, if it is not already doing so, seek to manufacture or assemble the Iranian drones on its own territory. Sustaining A Campaign The new aerial weaponry fits well with the Russian military's renewed focus on striking military and civilian targets far from the front lines in southern and eastern Ukraine. The air assault has ratcheted up following the October 8 appointment of Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, a former Aerospace Forces commander, to lead the Russian war effort. Just days after Surovikin's appointment, Russia launched the biggest air strikes since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in February. Moscow said the drone and missile strikes, which targeted civilian areas and infrastructure in cities throughout Ukraine, were in response to a bomb blast that damaged a key bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. While the Kremlin has accused Ukraine's intelligence services of carrying out the "terrorist" attack on the Crimea Bridge, Ukraine has denied responsibility. Since the initial air assault in response to the bridge blast, Russia has continued to pound Ukrainian infrastructure, often targeting power plants in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said is a deliberate effort to wear down the Ukrainian people by denying them heat and electricity as winter approaches. "Civilian infrastructure is obviously the new layer in this war. The Ukrainian economy is now the target, the Ukrainian population is now the target," Bendett said. Hard To Stop The hypersonic speed and high trajectory of Iran's Fateh-110s and Zolfaghars, should they arrive, would be extremely difficult for Kyiv to counter without a network of high-tech and costly antimissile batteries it currently does not possess. Ukraine has repeatedly requested more advanced missile-defense systems from the West, and in the face of the threat of the delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles reportedly sent an official request to Israel this week for components of its "Iron Dome" system. While the United States has said that it is seeking to expedite the process of sending two U.S. air defense systems known as NASAMS, Washington has appeared reluctant to provide more advanced Patriot missile systems. Janes' defense expert Binnie is skeptical that the delivery of the Patriot system, which has proven to be successful in shooting down ballistic missiles, is realistic for Ukraine. "It's eye wateringly expensive and it's probably not really practical because each [missile] battery only covers one city," he said. "You would never get enough batteries to get the coverage you would want. You just wouldn't be able to find them, produce them, and train enough Ukrainians." The Syrian civil war is as confusing and opaque as it is sadistic and bloody. On one side stands Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a barbarous tyrant backed by Iran and Russia, Hizbullah, and Shi'ite militias from Iraq, the remnants of the Syrian army, and the odd Kurdish splinter group. Against him are arrayed multiple rebel groups including the Islamic State extremist group, Al-Qaeda, and a host of more moderate rebel factions. It is often hard for the observer to make sense of events, let alone understand their true importance. But one thing is clear: the insurgent offensive under way right now in Aleppo aimed at breaking the government siege of rebel-held areas in the east of the city may reshape the direction of the entire war. On the weekend of July 30-31, the surrounded rebels who held the center of Aleppo city and a larger body of rebel groups to the west of the city tried to reconnect their battle lines, striking at a position in the strategic Ramouseh district. But, as ever, outgunned, the regime fought back: using Russian airstrikes to try to halt the advance. Syria's revolution is now unequivocally in the balance. As Kyle Orton, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, points out in an e-mail interview with RFE/RL, Aleppo is the last major urban holding of the mainstream armed opposition in Syria. If the political process is to amount to anything other than a regime victory in all but name, the rebels have to hold Aleppo City. For its part, the regime, with Russian and Iranian help, has severely lessened the strategic threat from the insurgency already -- for them to retake Aleppo City would kill it. Orton is blunt: "In short, the course of the entire war is in the balance with the fate of Aleppo." If the rebels succeed in breaking the siege then the pro-regime coalition will suffer a serious strategic setback. As Orton further notes, "the pro-Assad forces [are holding] out in northwestern Syria by some relatively tenuous supply lines through Hama and southern Aleppo." If the rebel positions in Idlib Province and southwestern Aleppo are expanded to include areas of Aleppo City, Assad's bases in the north come under serious threat, and with it Assad's chance of crushing the rebellion entirely. Detoxifying The Islamist Brand But there is another more complex and disturbing possibility that encapsulates the problems of Syria in a microcosm. The main rebel players in the offensive are Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front), Ahrar al-Sham, and Free Syrian Army brigades. Al-Qaeda in Syria's renaming of itself as Fatah al-Sham -- officially for the sake of "rebel unity" -- is, in reality, little more than a move to publicly detoxify its brand. And this is where a major question about the timing of the offensive comes in. Endless rounds of failed peace talks have yielded nothing for the rebels. Discussions of talks scheduled for late August are likely to yield nothing once again. With Iran and now Russia behind it, the regime is now so strong it has little incentive to compromise. Meanwhile, Russian support is not merely confined to the battlefield. Its diplomatic efforts have deftly changed the conversation from one centering on Assad's removal to the conditions under which he will stay in power. As each cease-fire inevitably failed (almost invariably broken by pro-Assad forces), Al-Qaeda was eventually able to claim, back in December 2015, that the entire peace process was a "conspiracy" against the revolution. And its absurd claims gained traction among an increasingly desperate population who saw little reaction from the onlooking global community. More than this, after each cease-fire ended, Al-Qaeda was the mainstay of much of the rebel fight back -- it was even able to make significant gains in southern Aleppo. In essence, the rebels allowed Al-Qaeda back into the mainstream opposition by their own adherence to previous cease-fire agreements. Under its new Jabhat Fatah al-Sham banner, the group can now use the Aleppo offensive as a means by which to further integrate into the mainstream rebel alliance. As Orton states, it presents the group with its best chance yet of using "the rebellion as a shield against external attack, annexing what is an objectively good cause -- breaking the nascent terror-siege of Aleppo City[to] show its utility as the military tip of the spear to act as a kind of special forces for the insurgency -- andmake connections and alliances that can facilitate its vanguardist program." Short Supplies Meanwhile, the possibility of (yet another) humanitarian catastrophe becomes increasingly distinct. The UN estimates that some 300,000 people are trapped inside the city with rapidly shrinking medical supplies and, critically, declining stocks of food. The regime is clearly going all-out to capture Aleppo and crush the rebellion once and for all.Thus far, however, it has been slow to respond to the rebel counterattack. This state of affairs will not last. It will rain down destruction from the air and the ground. So far reports are sketchy due to an insurgency media blackout in the area, but it does appear that the rebels are making significant steps toward breaking the siege. According to some reports, on August 1, they captured the strategic Al-Mishrefah area, south of the Ramousah air force artillery base. But they still needed to advance another 2.5 kilometers to take the city's artillery base, one of the biggest in all of Syria and a base that has been the linchpin of Assad's defenses in the city. Achieving this would allow them to reach their fellow rebels on the Aleppo side. Now, according to Orton, "fragmentary reports [say] there has been intense fighting and very rapid and significant gains for the insurgencycoming within several hundred yards of breaking the siege on eastern Aleppo City." If these reports are true -- or if the rebels are able to make minor gains or at least maintain the status quo in the city -- then once again it will be Jabhat Fatah al-Sham that benefits the most. In leading the charge to rescue the besieged population while the world looks on, it will have irretrievably bound itself to the armed opposition in Northern Syria. And that is a scenario that benefits no one -- not the mainstream rebels and most of all, not Syria's long-suffering people. A court in Kazakhstan has granted early release to the leader of the unregistered opposition party Algha (Forward), Vladimir Kozlov. The director of the Almaty-based Charter for Human Rights Foundation, Zhemis Turmaghambetova, says the Qapshaghai City Court accepted on August 4 Kozlovs request for release on parole. The decision will come into force in 15 days. Kozlov was arrested in January 2012 for his role in a mass strike by oil workers in the country's west that ended in violence in December 2011. During the unrest, police shot dead at least 16 people in the western town of Zhanaozen. In October 2012, Kozlov was found guilty of inciting social discord and sentenced to 7 1/2 years in jail. Kozlov has insisted the case against him was politically motivated. Based on reporting by vlast.kz and KazTAG Kazakhstan has suspended cattle imports from Russia amid concerns over an anthrax outbreak in northwestern Siberia. The Kazakh Agriculture Ministry says the imports have been suspended as of August 3. Russian officials say the anthrax outbreak in Yamalo-Nenets region has killed a 12-year-old boy, and more than 20 local residents have been diagnosed with the bacterial disease. The outbreak, which officials say was fueled by a heat wave, has killed more than 2,300 reindeer in recent days in the remote region 2,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, where indigenous nomadic people traditionally herd reindeer. In June, an anthrax outbreak in Kazakhstan's Qaraghandy and East Kazakhstan regions killed two villagers. Based on reporting by KazTAG and Kazinform Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has signed into law amendments allowing the authorities to deprive those convicted of terrorism of their citizenship. The presidential press service says the amendments to the Criminal and Administrative codes, signed on August 4, "toughen punishment for terrorism-related crimes and outline steps to deprive individuals convicted of terrorism and extremism of Kyrgyz citizenship." The announcement comes a day after Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said some 600 Kyrgyz nationals had joined Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq in recent years, including more than 100 women. More than 70 Kyrgyz citizens who joined Islamic militants in the two Middle Eastern countries have been killed in several years, according to the UKMK. Based on reporting by AKIpress and Interfax Officials in Islamabad say a government helicopter crash-landed in Taliban-held territory in Afghanistan on August 4 and that all passengers and crew -- including a Russian navigator -- were feared to have been captured by militants. DawnNews reported that a Punjab government Mi-17 helicopter had seven people aboard and was traveling to Uzbekistan for maintenance when it went down close to the Afghan-Pakistan border and Pakistan's Kurram tribal area. It reported that all seven people onboard survived the crash but were taken hostage by Taliban militants who set the helicopter on fire. Pakistani Army General Asim Bajwa said those captured by Taliban militants included retired military officers and a Russian navigator. Bajwa also said that Army Chief General Raheel Sharif had called the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicolson, and was assured all possible help to recover the helicopter crew. Afghanistans TOLO News reported that the helicopter belonged to Pakistans military. Based on reporting by AP, Reutes, and DawnNews The Russian military has charged that Syrian militants used a toxic agent against civilians in Aleppo, killing seven and sickening another 23 people. The head of Russian military's Reconciliation Center at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, Lieutenant General Sergei Chvarkov, said on August 3 that the rebels struck a residential area in eastern Aleppo with a toxic agent. Chvarkov didn't identify the substance used in the attack, which he said occurred on August 2, but he said the victims suffocated or suffered lung burns. Chvarkov said the attack was launched by Nour el-Deine Zengi, a militant group he said had been considered by the United States as part of the moderate opposition. He said the Russian military had informed the United States about the incident. Nour el-Deine Zengi didn't immediately issue a response to the allegations. The Russian claim came a day after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 24 people suffered breathing difficulties in rebel-held Saraqeb, a town south of Aleppo, after a barrel-bomb attack. Residents said chlorine gas had been used in the attack. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Interfax GOP governors office hopeful Greg Gianforte doesnt understand paycheck fairness issues and should prove his company had just as many women in high-level, high-paying positions as men, a trio of female Democratic Montana lawmakers told reporters on Thursday. Speaking in front of the womens mural on the Capitols third floor, the legislators, all Democrats from Helena, said the Bozeman multimillionaire and tech entrepreneur had dissembled on the issue of equal pay and offered financial support to groups that have opposed efforts to close the gender pay gap. State Sen. Christine Kaufmann wrapped up her statement with echoes of pointed criticisms offered earlier by Reps. Moffie Funk and Jenny Eck, calling on Gianforte to throw his support behind equal pay legislation Gov. Steve Bullock has pledged to reintroduce in the upcoming Legislative session. Bullock earlier this week embarked on a five-city tour to promote that bill, known as the Paycheck Transparency Act, along with a new website and executive order meant to encourage employers to offer equal wages to female employees. First of all, we expect him not to criticize the governors actions, Kaufmann said of Gianfortes response to those efforts. Heres an initiative that has the support of lots of Montanans. Wed like some indication that he understands the issue. I think also wed like to see a statement of support for the Paycheck Fairness Act. If passed, that bill would require all Montana businesses to refrain from retaliating against employees who ask for wage information, post a salary range when advertising open positions and agree not to ask an employees wage history. Recent job openings advertised by each of the five businesses that hosted stops on the governors equal pay tour -- as well as at least one posted by a member of the governors equal pay task force -- failed to meet one or both of the latter two requirements. Four of those businesses said they planned to comply with the provisions if and when Bullocks proposed bill passes into law. One other business, in addition to the task force member, did not immediately return requests for comment. Nor did the Montana Democratic Party. None of the partys four job postings provided applicants with salary range information as of Thursday morning. A Gianforte spokesman said the candidate was proud of his hiring record at RightNow -- the software company he co-founded and sold to tech giant Oracle in 2012 -- and believed "promotions and paychecks should be blind to gender and other personal attributes and based solely on ability to do a job." "Clearly Montana's daughters deserve better," campaign communications director Aaron Flint added in a Thursday email. "We're 49th in the nation in wages, and dead last in millennial income. ... Maybe these lawmakers should point the finger at the governor who talks a big game about women in the workforce. "(Bullock) is the same guy who, as Attorney General, led a (Department of Justice) that paid women 72 percent of what they paid men." For more information on the governors equal pay efforts, visit www.equalpaymt.gov. Four men who are said to be members of the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir have been sentenced to eight years in prison in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk. Russia's Federal Security Service said on August 4 that the men were found guilty of being members of a banned terrorist group and of propagating extremist ideas. Several members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization have been arrested or sentenced in recent months in the Chelyabinsk region, which borders Kazakhstan and Russia's mainly Muslim region of Bashkortostan. Critics say such actions are often politically motivated. Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global organization based in London that seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate. Russia's Supreme Court banned the group in 2003, branding its supporters as "extremists." Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir insist the group is peaceful. Based on reporting by chelyabinsk.ru and Interfax A Syrian group said on August 4 that it has the bodies of five people killed when a Russian helicopter was shot down and is demanding the release of prisoners in exchange for the bodies. The Russian military helicopter was shot down in opposition-held territory in Syrias Idlib Province on August 1, killing all five people onboard. It was the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria in September 2015. The demand for the exchange was signed off by a group calling itself the General Foundation for Prisoners' Affairs. It wanted the release of prisoners held in Syrian government jails and by Damascus's Lebanese Shi'ite ally Hizballah in Lebanon. The group did not name the prisoners it wanted to be released or say how many it wanted. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Tajikistan has jailed 170 people for complicity in an armed attempt by a deputy defense minister to topple President Emomali Rahmon last year, the country's prosecutor-general says. Yusuf Rahmon said on August 4 that the 170 had been sentenced to prison terms of between one and 30 years on a number of charges, including murder and membership of a criminal group. General Abduhalim Nazarzoda, the rebellious deputy defense minister, was killed with 15 other plotters in a special operation by security forces following the attempted coup in September 2015. The authorities closed the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRPT) after they suppressed the rebellion, accusing it of backing the renegade general. IRPT leader Muhiddin Kabiri, who is currently in self-imposed exile abroad, denies any involvement of his party in the attempted coup. Based on reporting by Reuters and news.tj A Ukrainian nationalist website has published an e-mail archive that contains copies of identification cards and personal information about Ukrainian and international journalists. The new leak, which allegedly comes from a disenchanted separatist official, was published on August 4. It contains thousands of e-mails -- including some e-mails that contain photographs and copies of journalists' travel identification. On August 3, Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, praised the website, Myrotvorets, saying it has become an electronic mass-media resource. Ukraines Deputy Minister of Information Policy Tetyana Popova, who spoke strongly against the website, announced her resignation on August 3 to protest what she said were attacks on journalists and freedom of speech. The Myrotvorets online project had raised concerns about the safety of journalists in May when it leaked names and contact information for thousands of correspondents who have reported from parts of Ukraine that are controlled by Russia-backed separatists. The website claimed it was targeting enemies of Ukraine -- because these journalists collaborate with fighters from terrorist organizations. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko condemned the May leak, but Myrotvorets was never closed. Based on reporting by AP, Kyiv Post, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service The United States has designated a Pakistani Taliban splinter group and a suspect in terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris as global terrorists. The terrorist designation is a "powerful tool" against the Taliban group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and bombing suspect Mohamed Abrini because it puts the public on notice that they are "actively engaged in terrorism" and imposes strict financial sanctions on them, the U.S. State Department said. Islamabad welcomed the decision, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria saying, "Pakistan has long pleaded to take concrete action against the [Pakistani Taliban] and their like who are hiding in Afghanistan and Pakistan." Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has been blamed for several attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in March targeting Christians celebrating Easter in Lahore. At least 70 people, mostly women and children, were killed and more than 300 injured. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar was founded in August 2014 by a former leader of a Pakistani Taliban umbrella group and is based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, the department said. Its attacks in the region have targeted civilians, religious minorities, military personnel, and law enforcement, and include the March slayings of two Pakistani employees of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar. Abrini, 31, has been in custody since April 8 and is expected to face trial in France. Police believe Abrini was the so-called "man with the hat" who brought a bomb to the Brussels airport on the day of the attacks and abandoned it there. He has confessed to being the surviving bomber who fled the airport before the bombs went off on March 22. In addition to his suspected role in the Brussels attacks, Abrini is believed to have taken part in surveillance prior to the November 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people. With reporting by dpa Colonial Heights City Manager Thomas L. Mattis said Thursday that hes leaving the city to accept the job as city manager in Elgin, a town of 10,000, in his native Texas. Mattis, who came to Virginia in 2010, said he wants to be closer to his two adult children in Austin, where the family still owns a home. Both my kids are there, and the town we are going to is right outside of Austin, so this was a great opportunity to go home, Mattis said. During his tenure in Colonial Heights, the city built and opened a highly anticipated new courthouse, finished a Boulevard modernization program and renovated Shepherd Stadium. The construction of the courthouse was controversial at the time, with many in the neighborhood pushing to locate it elsewhere in the city. At $20 million, it is the biggest expenditure the city has ever made. Its one of the lasting things we have built. Its a landmark that will stay for generations, Mattis said. And once we got it built, we really only heard compliments. Mattis said he informed members of City Council individually last week about his departure. The council is set to formally accept his resignation on Tuesday. Tom has done an outstanding job serving the city of Colonial Heights. His dedication and leadership has made a positive impact to our community, Mayor Greg Kochuba said in a statement. He will be greatly missed, but has an opportunity to return to Texas, where is family is located. We wish him the best. In Colonial Heights, a city of 17,000, Mattis oversaw an organization with about 250 full-time employees. Elgin, where he will go next, has a local government half the size. This was a well-vetted process with a lot of good candidates, Elgin Mayor Chris Cannon said in a statement released by Mattis office. But we are confident we got the right man for Elgin. Mattis said that he will leave Colonial Heights after the Labor Day weekend. This is certainly a bittersweet situation for us, as Colonial Heights has been great to me and my family. I have been blessed with a great staff, mayors, and City Council in my time here, Mattis said. This opportunity in Elgin, however, is a special one for us, as it allows us to return home to family and friends and be part of a historic, but growing, community. Three men, one of whom was shot in the hand, have been arrested and charged in connection with a Monday morning robbery in North Richmond. Martez D. Sweeden, 19, of the 2000 block of Idlewood Avenue and Adaam I. Ali, 18, of the 3200 block of North Avenue were taken into custody shortly after the incident on Monday, according to Richmond police. Sweeden is charged with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Ali is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Davonte S. Stovall, 20, of the 200 block of East Leigh Street turned himself in to police Wednesday morning. He is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Officers arrived at about 12:30 a.m. Monday to the 1900 block of Fourth Avenue in Highland Park after one man said he and two friends were robbed by two other men. An investigation later revealed that there may have been three people involved, according to a police spokeswoman. Police said there was a struggle between one of the victims and a suspect and a shot was fired. Less than 15 minutes later, a man with a gunshot wound to the hand arrived at the emergency room at VCU Medical Center for treatment of the non-fatal injury, police said. Detectives with the major crimes unit and 4th Precinct questioned two individuals matching descriptions given by the robbery victims, and arrested Sweeden and Ali, according to police. Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to call major crimes Detective Ed Aeschlimann at (804) 646-3351 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000. The public also can text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the key word ITip followed by your tip, or submit a tip online at www.7801000.com. Richmond officials on Wednesday presented three potential approaches to redeveloping the riverfront near the old Intermediate Terminal. One focused on tailoring the space to active uses, providing a playground, a play area, a lawn and terraced seating that steps down to the river. The approach preserves part of the large concrete pad, sometimes referred to as the Sugar Pad, for deck games such as shuffleboard. Another focused on nature, maximizing green space and removing as much concrete as possible, but still sloping toward the river to provide access to boaters and fishermen. A third preserves the bulk of the concrete pad in homage to the industrial history of the area, which for much of the citys history was an active shipping terminal. Mark Olinger, the citys director of planning, said the ideas are not mutually exclusive and a final proposal will be developed over the coming months based on feedback from residents. All of the approaches provide parklike amenities, including restrooms, fish-cleaning stations, lighting and picnic areas. The proposals will remain at the conceptual stage for the foreseeable future, Olinger said. Theres currently no money in the citys budget to advance the project to the final design or construction stage, he said. But once the conceptual work is complete, the elements can be adopted as part of the citys larger riverfront plan, Olinger said. Officials also provided an update on other riverfront projects. Notably, Mayor Dwight C. Jones opened the meeting by saying construction of the first pedestrian-only crossing over the river, the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge from Browns Island to Manchester, is on schedule to be completed by the end of the year. Jones encouraged the roughly 100 attendees to continue advocating for riverfront improvements after his administration concludes. His replacement will be elected in November. Hoda Kotb is "juiced." The Virginia Tech graduate is usually seen on morning television as the co-host of the fourth hour of the "Today" show. But she will move into prime time Friday night as one of three hosts for NBC's telecast of the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. "It's a little daunting," Kotb, 52, said in a recent phone interview. "I've been looking at old opening ceremonies and I got chills. "To be part of the coverage is beyond an honor. I'm so excited." More than 40 million viewers tuned in to NBC's telecast of the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Games in London. "It'll probably be the biggest audience I've ever had in my career and will ever have," Kotb said. Kotb will co-host the opening ceremonies with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira. Savannah Guthrie was supposed to be one of the hosts, but Kotb was announced as her replacement in June after Guthrie became pregnant and decided not to go to Rio out of concern for the Zika virus. Kotb will have additional roles during the Olympics. The "Today" show will broadcast live from Rio from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. each weekday, with Kotb, Lauer, Natalie Morales, Al Roker and Billy Bush on hand. Kotb will also pop up as a reporter during NBC Sports' Olympic telecasts. "I'm a huge sports fanatic," Kotb said. "I've covered the Olympics from Torino [in 2006] and Beijing [in 2008] and London and loved every minute of it, so I'm juiced." Kotb said if she had been told when she graduated from Virginia Tech 30 years ago that she would one day co-host the Olympic opening ceremonies, her "mind would've exploded." "One of the lessons for anybody who's young right now is never, ever think about the odds," said Kotb, who was a communications major at Tech after graduating from an Alexandria high school. "A lot of people don't even try for something because they think the odds are too daunting. "If someone would've said to me in college, 'You'll be hosting the [opening] ceremonies, or 'You'll be working on the Today show, I would've thought the odds would've been a million to one." During the opening ceremonies, Kotb and Lauer will handle the parade of nations. Kotb said she has been "studying the globe" to get ready. "As the countries are passing you have a minute or so with each country, if even that, so you just try to find something to give it texture understanding a little bit about the country, about the athletes," she said. "Some of my favorite delegations to see are the tiny ones." Kotb will try not to talk too much Friday night, though. "Watching the opening ceremony, don't you watch and go sometimes, 'Oh my God, why are they talking over everything?" she said. "You are just there to kind of guide the viewer through." In her reporting role during NBC Sports' daily and nightly Olympics coverage, Kotb plans to show viewers the color of Rio, including the city's hot spots. She said she loves the Olympics because they show "the best of every nation." "When you look at the parade of nations, Iran walks down the track and is followed by Iraq two countries who've been enemies for years are competing and marching side by side," she said. "There's something about the magic of that. And there's also something about youth, isn't there? Young people who are walking in as no-names and could walk out as legends. There's something about being wide-eyed and excited and full of possibility that just turns me on. "I think we're ready for something uplifting and joyful and full of goodness. I think the country's ready for it." Kotb, who graduated from Virginia Tech in 1986, joined NBC News as a correspondent in 1998. She has co-hosted the fourth hour of the "Today" show (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.) since 2007. Kathie Lee Gifford became her co-host in 2008. Their portion of the "Today" show will not be seen the next two weeks because NBC Sports' weekday Olympic broadcasts will begin at 10 a.m. "The fourth hour, the most important one the drinking and laughing and scratching hour is going to be pre-empted," Kotb cracked. Wine glasses are as much a part of the fourth hour of the "Today" show as the co-hosts' banter and interviews. "We drink real wine," Kotb said. "That's for sure." Kotb, who lives in Manhattan, said she still loves her lighthearted "Today" show gig. "When you wake up and you're kind of juiced about or excited about going to work, then you know you're doing what you're supposed to be doing," Kotb said. "I used to do a lot of hard news. I just so enjoy this kind of life. I like that we get to make people happy." The "Today" show has made her one of Virginia Tech's most famous graduates (well, of the nonathlete variety). Kotb, who was the university's commencement speaker in 2008, is proud of her Tech ties. "I was on the plaza [outside the Today studio] not too long ago and there were a whole bunch of kids from Tech. If I ever see a VT hat on the plaza, they get the first hug," she said. "It's even that way when I walk down the streets of New York and I see a VT hat. I go, 'Oh my God! Go Hokies!' A hiker, who had two dogs on retractable leashes, reported Wednesday an encounter with a mother bear and two cubs on the Snead Farm Fire Road near Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, about 4.6 miles into the Skyline Drive trail. The hiker fled, according to the parks Facebook page, and the bear attacked one of the trailing dogs, which later died of its injuries. A bicyclist was hit and killed early Thursday in Nottoway County, Virginia State Police said. The crash happened about 4 a.m. when a pickup truck hit the cyclist on westbound U.S. 460 near the intersection with Bible Road, police said. The cyclist was driving in the right lane of U.S. 460 when the crash occurred, police said. State police described the truck involved in the crash as a 1996 to 2006 Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup with damage to the front right side. Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe took aim at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Thursday, blasting him over remarks directed at the parents of decorated Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who died protecting his men in Iraq. As an advocate for military service members and their families, I am deeply disturbed by Donald Trumps disgraceful attacks on the Khan family, and I believe that he owes them an apology, McAuliffe said in a statement. As the mother of a U.S. Marine, I cannot imagine any greater sacrifice than what the Khans have made, said McAuliffe, whose son Jack is in the Marine Corps. No Gold Star family deserves to be treated with this level of disrespect and degradation from anyone, let alone someone campaigning to be the commander in chief of our armed forces. Khans father, Khizr Khan, drew international attention last week when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention and criticized Trumps proposals to restrict Muslims entry into the U.S. At one point in the brief speech, the Charlottesville-based lawyer, with his wife, Ghazala, at his side, produced a copy of the U.S. Constitution and questioned whether Trump had read it. You have sacrificed nothing, Khan said to Trump. Trumps response questioning why Khans wife did not speak and later saying he had sacrificed through his work as a businessman further fanned the flames that have engulfed the candidate for the past week. Ever since, he has drawn widespread criticism from military veterans and elected officials in his own party, even as his running mate issued a more conciliatory statement last weekend. Donald Trump and I believe that Capt. Humayun Khan is an American hero and his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said in the statement. The town of Sheridan waited almost four weeks to alert the public to elevated lead levels in the city's drinking water supply. During routine sampling, the Department of Environmental Quality analyzed the drinking water for Sheridan on July 8 and notified the town of the problem the same day, officials said Wednesday. DEQ spokesperson Kristi Ponozzo said the town has 60 days in which to "educate the public" on DEQ's findings, so the town's Aug. 3 notification to the media fell within state regulations. Madison County spokesperson Bonnie O'Neill concurred, saying the town had a period of time to inform the public and that, "they (town officials) responded as quick as they could." Sheridan residents are being provided free bottled water. O'Neill told The Montana Standard that by mid-afternoon Wednesday, 45 people had picked up free water. "There's no confusion. There's no panic," O'Neill said. Authorities arent sure of the lead source, but are working on the problem, and are providing the bottled water as a precaution. Town officials are holding both a town hall for meeting the public and a news conference at 12 p.m. Thursday at the Sheridan Fire Department, 103 E. Hamilton Street. Elevated levels of 32 parts per billion were found in the samples collected by DEQ, said Ponozzo. Twenty-six samples were taken. The action level set by EPA is 15 parts per billion in drinking water. Anything over that triggers a response. Residents will continue to receive free bottled water until the situation is remedied. Ponozzo said DEQ pays for the bottled water. A notice and a brochure will be mailed to the residents of Sheridan, population 700, addressing the health effects and ways to reduce exposure. Sheridan is working in conjunction with DEQ, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Madison County. DEQ is providing free individual blood-lead tests and free home water lead-testing kits for Sheridan residents. Drinking water and home water lead-testing kits are available from Sheridan Town Hall. Blood sampling will be performed at the Ruby Valley Hospital. Ponozzo said DEQ has been collecting water sampling data from Sheridan since 1975 and this is the first time lead has shown up in the sampling over the action level. Sheridans drinking water comes from several groundwater wells, said Ponozzo. Tap water that contains elevated lead levels can be drunk in moderation for most people, but children, pregnant women and people with kidney problems or high blood pressure should drink bottled water only, she said. However, the bottled water will be available for everyone out of an abundance of caution, said Ponozzo. The city of Butte does not have elevated lead levels in its drinking water, said Dave Schultz, Butte-Silver Bow Public Works director. Jim Dennehy, Buttes water treatment manager, said he had about 90 percent of Butte's drinking supply sampled and analyzed this summer and all have come back below the drinking water standard for both lead and copper. Dennehy added that the county injects a corrosion inhibitor to coat pipes to prevent metals from leaching or precipitating in the water. The recent Flint, Michigan, crisis of lead in its drinking water happened over the last two years because that town switched its drinking water supply to a local river and failed to add a corrosion inhibitor at the source. The river water corroded the lead piping, according to The New York Times. Sheridan is about 60 miles southeast of Butte on Highway 287, just south of Twin Bridges. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Nearly 300 pages of Charles City County records that were pilfered by Union soldiers during the Civil War have returned to Virginia filling in some of the blanks on wills, deeds and other court filings from the 1600s. Its a godsend, an absolute godsend, said John Metz, deputy of collections and programs at the Library of Virginia. Im a historian. This is the kind of thing we live for. This is remarkable, said Judith Ledbetter, historian with the Richard M. Bowman Center for Local History in Charles City. Except for the 10 pages that the library already had of this book, its pretty much the earliest we have of Charles City records that would be complete deeds and wills. The recovered pages, numbered from 188 to 486 from a single book, cover the period from 1694 through 1700. Signatures on the laid rag paper in the book include many of the notable names in early American history, such as William Byrd, Benjamin Harrison and Capt. William Randolph. Charles City was settled in 1613 and was one of four original boroughs created by the Great Charter delivered to Jamestown in 1618. Its records were among the oldest in the country when Union soldiers ransacked the courthouse in August 1862. The New York Times reported on Aug. 20, 1862, that in Charles City, the records of real estate titles and other papers have been wantonly scattered in confusion about the premises, covering the floors and dooryards, and are almost wholly destroyed. A more impressive exhibition of the destructive effects of war could scarcely be imagined, than to see those old and cherished books of record and title papers scattered to the winds or trodden under foot. On Aug. 15, the 154th anniversary of the day the records were carried away, local and state officials will meet at 10 a.m. in front of the old Charles City County Courthouse to celebrate the documents return. The papers were preserved in recent decades by three generations of the Urbania family in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The late Karl Urbania, a machinist, had bought them from an antiques dealer at some point, said Evan Urbania, his grandson. It was stored for so many years in a large shirt box in my fathers closet, Evan Urbania said. Paul Urbania, Evans father, was a lawyer who enjoyed reading through it and comparing it to history. My dad showed it to me as a child, Urbania said. We figured out it was court records. At some point we all looked at each other and said, This needs to go back where it belongs. Urbania took the records to Philadelphia, where he lives, and connected with Nathan Raab, a historical document dealer at the Raab Collection. Raab recalled the conversation starting out like many others regarding the value of a document. Probably within 24 hours I had a sense that this was special and different. It had a lot of information that scholars would die to get at, Raab said. The family was ready to find it the right home. Neither the family nor Raab made any money on the donation, Raab said. Charles City is among about 20 Virginia counties whose records were destroyed during the war, some by fire after they were sent to Richmond for safekeeping and others by marauding troops. Thousands of Union troops were quartered in Charles City for 45 days in 1862 at the end of the Union Armys unsuccessful Peninsula Campaign, said John Coski, historian at the American Civil War Museum. The irony, if you will, [is] a lot of Union soldiers were impressed with the history, to be in Virginia where the nation began, Coski said. For every soldier who ransacked, there was another who treated it with a certain amount of reverence. There were men of conscience who hated to see it happen. They tried to make sense of it and explain it away as the fortunes of war. ... Such is war, and we didnt start it. The records will be conserved to clean and repair pages that havent been properly protected for more than 150 years. After that, they will be scanned to make them available to the public and research community, probably by December, said Metz. The pages are in great condition, considering what theyve been through, said Vince Brooks, senior local records archivist at the Library of Virginia. Ive seen many in the courthouse that were properly stored that look worse, Brooks said. A copy of the digitized records will go to the Urbania family. Its through the good grace and generosity of people like the Urbania family, and through the incredible good nature and good will of Nathan Raab and his company, that items like these pilfered records make their way back to where they belong, Metz said. Were hoping a story like this gets people to look at what theyve got and make sure these items make their way back to the right home, where a larger group of people can benefit from them. As reported by WisPolitics.com, the Joint Finance Committee approved redirecting more than $21 million in bonding to offset rising costs for Milwaukee and Racine counties as they build new facilities for young offenders. Meanwhile, one committee member warned inflation will likely raise the AN ARRAY of weapons ranging from rifles, a harpoon gun and samurai swords to a cheese knife and a nunchaku were handed in to police during a three week weapons amnesty. Police said they were delighted the weapons are now in their custody and dont face the risk of falling into the hands of criminals. A total of 65 firearms, 120 knives and swords and more than 200 rounds of ammunition were given in at police stations across South Yorkshire during the amnesty that ended last Tuesday. Many are believed to be family heirlooms which modern owners realise are now illegal, and others have been handed over by antiques dealers after house clearances. Four times the number of weapons have been handed in during the latest amnesty than in a previous one two years ago. The weapons haul was revealed at Rotherham Police Station on Main Street by DCI Steve Whittaker who said that although no details were taken when the weapons were handed over, each one would be forensically examined to see if it is linked to any crimes nationally. Many of the weapons will be melted down and DCI Whittaker said there has been a suggestion that the metal is formed into a plaque. More unusual examples will be given to the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds. Mr Whittaker said the amnesty had been an unprecedented success and admitted the size of the collection had taken officers aback. He said: I think people are more aware of firearms in the light of the terrorist attacks in Paris. The landscape with regard to handguns has changed a lot over the last 12 months. People are more aware of the impact weapons can have now. Its all about removing the potential chance of the weapons coming into the hands of criminals. Mr Whittaker admitted the weapons were unlikely to have been handed in by hardened criminals but said it meant that each one could not now fall into the hands of criminal gangs. Some of the weapons handed in may date from as far back as First World War, said Mr Whittaker, and although many are currently unable to fire they could easily be converted into dangerous weapons again. He said that blank firers could still be used to intimidate crime victims. Mr Whittaker said: I want to thank the people of South Yorkshire for bringing the weapons in. Its important to run amnesties to show to the public that the police take firearms seriously. Mr Whittaker said that while the haul of weapons may be frightening to some people, it was important to realise that gun crime is still uncommon. He said: What I would say is a lot of gun crimes are targeted attacks. In our experience its a small amount of people that are going around thinking its their business to sell drugs and enforce that with firearms. Diamcor more than doubles Q2 revenue Diamcor generated gross revenues of about $3 million from its operations in the interim period ended September 30, 2022, compared to $1,4 million for the same period in the previous year. The company is still conducting trial mining exercises at its... IBJA commits to Declaration of Responsibility & Sustainability Principles The Indian gold industry has signed a Declaration of Responsibility and Sustainability Principles, convened by the LBMA and the World Gold Council, which expresses a commitment to operate responsibly and sustainably, based on a clear set of shared goals... De Beers boosts Q3 output, maintains production guidance De Beers rough diamond production rose 4% to 9.6 million carats, mainly due to the treatment of higher grade ore at both Orapa in Botswana and South Africa as well as continued strong performance in Namibia, according to its parent company, Anglo... Hong Kongs major jewellery fairs are set to return in 2023 An announcement from Informa Markets Jewellery indicates that the industrys two biggest B2B sourcing events will be back in action in Hong Kong in 2023 following a three-year forced pandemic break. Research and Markets said Botswana had the world's third-largest diamond reserves at the end of 2014, with 130 million carats or 17.8 percent of the global total. It said the countrys significant diamond reserves were found in the Central and Kgalagadi districts. Botswanas diamond mining industry was export oriented and rough diamonds contributed about 70 percent of the country's total exports revenue, valued around $1.7 billion in the first six months of 2015, it said. Apart from diamonds, Botswana had deposits of copper, nickel and silver. Mining plays an important role in the country's economy, accounting for 22.9 percent of GDP in 2014. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished Gem International Resources, which partnered with Global Gems on the Dala diamond project in Angola's diamond-rich Lunda Sul Province, has concluded the second tranche of its non-brokered private placement raising C$400 000 from 8 million units at a price of 5 cents per unit. The company has now completed the non-brokered private placement consisting of the issuance of a total of 24.12 million units for gross proceeds of C$1,2 million. Proceeds of the placement would be used to prospect for diamonds at the Dala diamond project in Angola. The project was located 25 km south of the fourth largest diamond mine in the world, the Catoca Mine. It offers potential for the immediate development of alluvial deposits and with systematic exploration, the discovery of diamondiferous kimberlites. Follow-up work included 102 ground magnetic survey grids over airborne anomalies and 29 compelling exploration targets were identified from this work. A total 11 were drill tested with four kimberlite pipes confirmed. Work at the project stopped in 2009 due to the global economic crisis before the pipes were evaluated for diamond potential. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished DECATUR -- HSHS St. Marys Hospital Food Service and Nutrition employee Mary Lee was already an organ donor. If I pass away, I want to be able to help someone -- save some lives, Lee said. But what Lee didnt know was that as of May 2015, nearly 58 percent of the more than 123,000 patients on the waiting list for an organ were minorities. While whites have a 93 percent chance of finding a match, blacks only have a 66 percent chance. Wow, said Lee, who is black. I didnt know that. Thats good to know. St. Marys held a National Minority Donor Awareness Week donor drive on Tuesday. The Illinois Secretary of States Organ/Tissue Donor Program (Life Goes On) was there relaying information and signing up those who werent already donors. Also, Central Illinois Community Blood Center was there promoting its Be the Match bone marrow donation program and area blood drives. Sister Ritamarie Brown, a health advocate at St. Mary's, said, like many, she had no idea the need for minority donors when she first got involved in the crusade for organ donation. There wasnt a lot of focus on this until three years ago, Brown said. But the need is great. Were just trying to get awareness out there. Most organs can be used across races. Although organs are not matched according to race, with kidneys, its preferred to have donors be the same race as the recipient. The chance of rejection is lower and the organ is more likely to take with the same race, Life Goes On regional coordinator Liz Hager said. With the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and corneas, it doesnt make a difference. The reason is human leukocyte antigens (HLA) types. A black person is more likely to have an HLA type similar to another black person. Further driving need is that blacks have higher rates of the leading causes of kidney disease, hypertension and diabetes. In addition to becoming an organ donor, Central Illinois Community Blood Center was signing up bone marrow and stem cell donors, and also providing blood type checks and promoting local blood drives. Bone marrow/stem cell donors must be between 18 and 44. "You just fill out the form and have your cheek swabbed," said Blood Center marrow recruitment specialist Amanda Howie. "Once your on the registry, your chance of being a match is one in 500 -- you have to be a perfect match. But it's possible you could save a life." Over the past six months, Severalmaz belonging to ALROSA Group processed nearly 2 million tons of ore and recovered more than 0.9 million carats of diamonds in Pomorie. Archangelskgeoldobycha, a subsidiary of LUKOIL, operating in the same area processed over 2.2 million tons of ore and recovered more than 1.7 million carats of diamonds. These results were announced by the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region, which noted that tax revenues from natural diamond production to the local budget exceeded 1.04 billion rubles. The tax payers are Archangelskgeoldobycha developing the Grib Diamond Mine in the Mezen District of the Arkhangelsk Region and Severalmaz operating on the Lomonosov Diamond Field in the Primorski District of the Arkhangelsk Region. Recently, both companies have passed a certain threshold: each of them mined 100 million cubic meters of rock mass since starting the development of their diamond mines. Igor Orlov, Governor of the Arkhangelsk Region in his address to the local parliament stressed that the mining sector in this province was demonstrating a steady growth thanks to the development of major diamond mining projects. He said that the amount of "diamond taxes" paid to the local treasury was 1.5 times higher in the first half of this year compared with one year ago. Konstantin Doronin, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Complex of the Arkhangelsk Region, noted that tax revenues from the diamond industry are paid not only to the budget of the Arkhangelsk Region, but also to the budgets of local districts. Vladimir Malakhov, Rough&Polished, Moscow The Donald Trump Campaign has demanded an investigation into a report that in January, the Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the release of four Americans detained in Tehran. "This administration has embarrassed our country as no administration has before, going so far as to fund Islamic terror through cash payments to Iran. Nothing less than a full investigation is required, and if email-destroying Hillary Clinton can't break from Obama on this then she is even more corrupt than anyone imagined." said Stephen Miller, Senior Policy Advisor of Trump. The White House has denied it was a quid pro quo, but critics charge the payment amounted to ransom for the release of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Americans. "It's against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday. Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday quoting U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation. People familiar with the discussions were quoted as saying that senior Justice Department officials objected to this at the same time that Iran released four imprisoned Americans, but their objections were overruled by the State Department. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Donald Trump blamed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for flaws in the US policy in Libya and the Middle East, and for the emergence of Islamic State. "Take a look at Orlando. Take a look at San Bernardino. Take a look at the World Trade Center. Take a look at what's going on, and then worldwide, and we let ISIS take this position," the New York magnate told a campaign event at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, Wednesday, referring to the Islamic terrorist group. According to Trump, Clinton should get an award from them for founding Islamic State. It evoked calls from his supporters "lock her up." The septuagenarian told the election rally that it would be embarrassing to lose against Clinton, his opponent one year younger to him. "Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible." He denied reports that the Republican party was divided over his recent controversial comments. "There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!," Trump said on Twitter. "Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!," he continued to tweet, referring to a report that the Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the release of four detained Americans in Tehran in January. The Donald Trump Campaign has demanded an investigation into the report. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News In the latest sign some Republican lawmakers are distancing themselves from Donald Trump, Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Col., released a new campaign ad admitting that he doesn't like the GOP presidential nominee very much. "People ask me, 'What do you think about Trump?'" Coffman says in the ad. "Honestly, I don't care for him much." Noting his experience as Marine, Coffman declares that "country comes first" and promises to "stand up" to Trump if the real estate tycoon becomes president. The Colorado Congressman also says he doesn't trust Hillary Clinton and pledges to hold the Democratic presidential nominee accountable if she wins the election. According to Politico, this represents the first time a House Republican has used explicitly anti-Trump messaging in paid advertising. Coffman, who is expected to face a tough re-election fight this year, will also reportedly release a Spanish-language version of the ad. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., also recently revealed that he will not support Trump, while retiring Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., explicitly said he will vote for Clinton. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Japan will on Friday see preliminary June figures for its leading and coincident indexes, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The leading index is expected to hold steady with a score of 99.7, while the coincident is tipped to rise to 111.3 from 109.9 in May. Japan also will see June data for labor cash earnings, which are tipped to add 0.4 percent on year after slipping 0.2 percent in May. Australia will see July data for the Performance of Construction Index from AiG; in June, the index score was 53.2. Also, the Reserve Bank of Australia will release its quarterly statement on monetary policy. Taiwan will release July numbers for consumer and wholesale prices. CPI is expected to add 1.01 percent on year after rising 0.9 percent in June. WPI is called lower by an annual 2.17 percent after slipping 2.67 percent in the previous month. The Philippines also will see July data for consumer prices, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 2.1 percent on year - up from 1.9 percent in June. Malaysia will provide June figures for imports, exports and trade balance. In May, imports were worth 56.7 billion ringgit and exports were at 59.9 billion ringgit for a trade surplus of 3.3 billion ringgit. Indonesia will provide Q2 figures for gross domestic product; in the first quarter, GDP was down 0.34 percent on quarter and up 4.92 percent on year. 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. There are times when the status quo is best and other times when change is the best way to move forward. The state's community cares program is one of those instances. Illinois should not move forward with an eligibility and program change that would determine how the state's seniors are provided in-home help from the Department on Aging. Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration favors hiring outside agencies, rather than individual workers, to help provide those services, such as bathing and laundry, that keep help seniors stay at home rather than move to a nursing home or assisted living facility. Rauner once supported, but has changed his mind, about adjusting eligibility standards that some groups said eventually could cut services to thousands of seniors. Proposed changes to the program, the administration says, would save about $200 million from a $1 billion program. That sounds great on paper, but likely would cause more problems than solutions, including the possibility of waiting lists for people who need help or more people going to nursing homes. As earlier reported by The Associated Press, most home and community-based programs are based on personal care services that can cost far less than nursing home care. The (Springfield) State Journal-Register, in reporting a veto by Rauner last week, said the governor said the proposal would mean "a person could qualify for both institutional care and homebased services." Rauner looks at the state's expenses and programs like the businessman he is. In many areas, that's a good thing. He can look objectively at a budget and propose changes more common among publicly held businesses where stockholders hold leadership accountable. But such changes don't always work in instances where the frail or disenfranchised are those served. In this case, the current service model may be expensive, but it's the best way - and the fairest way - to serve the state's elderly population. Change, however, is the right move for the state's marijuana laws regarding small, personal-use amounts of the drug. A bill signed by Rauner last week would make possession of those amounts into a civil penalty, rather than a criminal penalty, for offenses against the state law. The decision does not affect any local laws governed by city ordinance. Making a criminal penalty for personal-use amounts is akin to making a mountain out of a mole hill. The Illinois court and prison systems have more serious crimes and criminals to deal with; clearing the docket and prisons of low-level drug offenses and offenders will provide the time needed to prosecute those who truly deserve it and also save much-needed money. SPRINGFIELD (AP) Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration Wednesday suspended its no-overtime policy for workers caring for disabled residents in their homes, just hours before the workers' union planned to file a lawsuit challenging the plan's legality. Secretary of Human Services James Dimas said the agency would seek permission to bar overtime hours through an administrative rule with the consent of the Illinois legislature. Human Services prohibited overtime earlier this year after the federal government decided home care workers deserved time-and-a-half pay for work over 40 hours a week. Dimas said the policy not fully enforced until May has saved $5 million and provides a break for some caregivers who routinely worked double-digit hours. "Previously, we had people working 17 or 20 hours in a day," Dimas said. "I don't think people are very fresh and responsive if they put in that kind of schedule." A Kane County judge approved a restraining order on the policy last month, and Dimas said he put enforcement on hold because the workers' union SEIU Healthcare Illinois aimed to expand the ban statewide through a lawsuit it was prepared to file Wednesday. SEIU argues that forcing severely disabled residents to choose backups for their caregivers is disruptive and that there are too few people willing to do the sometimes distasteful work for $13 an hour. An SEIU statement said Wednesday's decision "is an acknowledgement that the Rauner administration violated the law." The union claims the policy breaks federal law and court orders meant to keep disabled people out of institutional care. Preferred home care costs about $15,000 a year compared with the $52,000 cost of a nursing home. The union has said the policy has been applied inconsistently, and it threatened to make victims of conscientious caregivers because violating the overtime rule three times could lead to dismissal. A proposed administrative rule, which must be approved by a bicameral, bipartisan legislative panel, will be similar to the policy as it's been practiced, Dimas said. It could take several months for a decision on the rule, and DHS will not enforce the no-OT plan during that time. 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 ... New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 76F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. A medium-range ballistic missile fired Wednesday by North Korea flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters, Seoul and Tokyo officials said, one of the longest flights by a North Korean missile. The U.S. Strategic Command said North Korea fired two presumed Rodong missiles simultaneously, not just one. The command said initial indications were that one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the second was tracked over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan. North Korea has recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. South Korean defense officials say North Korea doesn't yet have such a weapon, but some civilian experts believe the North has the technology to mount warheads on shorter-range Rodong and Scud missiles that can strike South Korea and Japan. According to the South Korean and Japanese announcements, one suspected Rodong missile lifted off from the North's western Hwanghae province and flew across the country before falling in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it "strongly condemns" the missile launch because it explicitly shows the North's intentions of being able to launch missile attacks on South Korea and neighboring countries. Japan's Defense Ministry said the missile landed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the 200-nautical mile offshore area where a nation has sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting resources. Japanese media reported it was the first North Korean missile that has splashed down in Japan's EEZ. "It imposes a serious threat to Japan's security and it is an unforgivable act of violence toward Japan's security," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. At the United Nations, the Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon in response to a request by the United States and Japan. The United States condemned the launches as violating U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology. "This provocation only serves to increase the international community's resolve to counter (North Korea's) prohibited activities, including through implementing existing U.N. Security Council sanctions," said Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the launches, saying North Korea should "immediately cease and abandon all its existing nuclear and ballistic missile activities in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner" and "refrain from any further provocative actions." North Korea has previously fired Rodong and other missiles into the sea, but South Korean analysts say Wednesday's 1,000-kilometer flight was one of the longest for a North Korean test. Several other North Korean rockets have gone farther and even over Japan. But North Korea called them satellite launches while Washington, Seoul and Tokyo said they were disguised tests of missile technology. After several failures, the North put its first satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket in December 2012, and conducted another successful satellite launch in February. In June, North Korea, after a string of failures, sent another type of mid-range missile known as Musudan more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) high. Analysts said the high-altitude flight meant North Korea had made progress in its push to be able to strike U.S. forces throughout the region. North Korea routinely conducts weapons tests, but the latest launch came after North Korea warned of unspecified "physical counter-actions" against a U.S. plan to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea by the end of next year. On July 19, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea, according to Seoul defense officials. The North's state media later confirmed that it fired ballistic rockets carrying trigger devices for nuclear warheads as part of simulated pre-emptive atomic attacks on South Korea. Analyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul's Institute for Far East Studies said the latest Rodong launch appeared to be aimed at showing an ability to attack U.S. military bases in Japan, a major source of reinforcements for U.S. troops should a war break out on the Korean Peninsula. Hyon Kwang Il, director of the scientific research department at the North's National Aerospace Development Administration, told The Associated Press last week that Pyongyang's military had mastered "the main and core techniques in long-range ballistic missile technology, including the starter engine technology, how to separate the different stages, guidance control techniques and re-entry and it's all ready to be operational." North Korea is known to have an arsenal of estimated 300 Rodong missiles whose maximum range is 1,300 kilometers (800 miles). A Rodong fired in March flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) while two other Rodongs launched in 2014 flew about 650 kilometers (400 miles). North Korea is expected to carry out more weapons launches in coming weeks to protest annual U.S.-South Korean military drills that begin later this month. North Korea describes the drills as an invasion rehearsal. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea and tens of thousands of more in Japan. -AP Dear Editor, Its sad what happened to the tourist at Tiavi and we hope that it won't happen again. But what can you do? Progress come's hand in hand with problems such as this. In the 60 minutes interview, Tuilaepa mentioned that Samoa is no longer under the least developed nations status which means less aid or funding from overseas. Yes we still get assistance but it's a drop in the bucket, and it's a little rich for the reporter to criticise the government about the $30mil from AusAid, you can't run a country on $30million. And a stupid fence would be low on any government's list of priorities. After the tsunami another reporter hounded the P.M. and asked him on air where the $90mil tala from aid raised in NZ had gone, all the P.M. had to say is that they just had to relocate two to three whole villages which included infrastructure such as roads, power, water, home's etc then you've got to provide food, medical and not just for a week but months and even year's so get lost with your dumb questions. No government gives cash handouts to people after a disaster, the idiot goes and interviews villagers and asks them "has the government given you any money? I didn't see the NZ government give cash handouts to the people of Christchurch after the earthquake! That hole is still not fixed yet either. But again the P.M. looked silly because he was ill advised on how to respond to media. Next time Tui, just release a press statement and be done with that. If youre really desperate, do all your interviews in Samoan not English and don't accept any more interviews from 60minutes because they're crooks with their own agenda, ie: the kidnapping case in Beirut. And please someone on the P.M.'s staff do some research and make sure the P.M. is well informed before he does anymore interviews with the overseas press. Jetz Artour Sargsyan, the man who drove his car through a police cordon to deliver food to the armed Sasna Dzrer group on July 26, has been charged with taking hostages and the illegal procurement and possession of weapons. These are the same charges levied against the members of the Sasna Dzrer group who seized a Yerevan police building on July 17 and held it until surrendering two weeks later. In court, Sargsyan said he was innocent of the charges and that those who committed crimes were law enforcement officers. Hes been issued two months pre-trial detention. Arayik Papikyan, Sargsyans lawyer, says the indictment specifies his client as a member of the armed group. The claim is ridiculous says Papikyan who asks who then did Sargsyan leave the building, surrounded by police, only to return later carrying food. The lawyer will appeal the charges and the pre-trial detention. Dear Editor, This issue of the impact of cultural practices on lives has been kicked around in the media for some time now and I applaud the media for featuring those who are directly affected by the impact of changes in our cultural practices. Perhaps, it is most appropriate that we hear more opinions from those who live paycheque by paycheque or better yet, those who are struggling in subsistent living. This issue/ problem has gained more traction in the media but fall short of its place in the political agenda for Members of Parliaments attention. The Minister of Public Cultural Affairs is key to providing a solution to address this problem. At least Samoa is one step ahead to have established a quasi-cultural sanctioning body to oversee such matters. However, regulating culture or the practise thereof would still remain questionable at best. Our culture by design is basically operated on the premise of core values which determine our actions and reactions as well as our perception of proper decorum in the practice of our cultural affairs. Traditionally, our unadulterated culture was very simple, practical, and affordable. . .until the introduction of the foreign cash economy. We as a people have adopted and applied a monetary value on our traditional cultural implements and also replace other things for convenience. We have also placed much value in our reputation; personal, family, public. etc,. Our core values also dictate that we are more communal or group oriented rather than the individual or self. In this context, we emphasize more respect for others than to ourself, an outward expression of respect in proper decorum which demands the same reciprocity. E.g., we tend to place others in a position ascension higher than us to show ultimate respect. I think this premise could explain our excessive expression of giving (reciprocity) as demonstrated in handling of our cultural exchanges in funerals and weddings. During our unadulterated and pure days of the culture, everyone was on the same level playing field. In my book, character precedes reputation, not the other way around. As my mother tells me, ole faaSamoa, e tutu e tatou ivi ae ave aano ma tagata. . . o le faaalo lena a le Samoa. Ia manuia le faasausauga a le Atunuu. Joe Faamuli PR - Reports that infamous prisoner Lauititi Tualima is again at large have been dismissed by Tafaigata Prison Warden, Taitosaua Edward Winterstein. Lauititi remains under lock and key and in isolation, said Taitosua. He (Lauititi) wanted to be put in isolation from the general prisoner population because he feared for his safety. He also knows that to leave the prison compound would compromise his safety due to his actions that has humiliated every Samoan. Taitosaua also dismissed recent media reports that Lauititi when he was last captured after escaping for the third time was attacked by an inmate with a pair of scissors. It was not Lauititi that was wounded but another inmate. That incident left the wounded prisoner with a superficial injury to his arm and he has since recovered. And we have also dealt with the offender appropriately. Lauititi, 23 years old of Satapuala and Luatuanuu, in the meantime has pleaded guilty to the rape and attack on the Australian couple Angie Jackson and Tommy Williams. He was charged with 3 counts of sexual assault, 1 unlawful entry, 1 of robbery, 1 of threatening to kill, and 1 of armed with a dangerous weapon. He originally pleaded not guilty to the sexual charges, but when the matter was called in February 2016 for hearing, he changed his plea to guilty. During the court proceeding, the prosecution had requested the Court for a 20 year starting point for sentence on the 3 counts of sexual assault leaving the other offences to the discretion of the court. The Court will sentence him on August 16th. The majority of families at Sogi have agreed to relocate. This is the latest update from the Samoa Land Corporation in the long-standing fight with Sogi residents to relocate to Falelauniu. Speaking to the Samoa Observer on the condition of anonymity, the Senior Officer said they have already met with the families and they are happy leave. Weve already discussed this issue (relocation) with families at Sogi and they have all agreed to relocate, the official said. This does not include one of the families. They didnt want to relocate and they insist, then the Samoa Land Corporation might look for lands to relocate them to. The official did not say which family has not budged. As of today, not more than ten families are still at Sogi, the official said. Thats all we can say for now until further notice. The last day of May 2016 was the deadline given to the families at Sogi to relocate as part of the governments plan to mitigate against the impact of climate change. But during a recent interview with Sogi resident, Nanai Liu Tokuma, he told Samoa Observer that they are not going anywhere. For your information, this land was given to our father, the late Tokuma Torurae by the late Mataafa - the first Prime Minister of this country, he said. With his words to my father Go live on the land with your children; the government cant afford to pay what we owe your father, now the land is yours forever. Nanai said his father had been mistakenly charged for the death of another businessman. He was sentenced to death, he said. I remembered vividly when our father said goodbye to us with his hands already handcuffed, ready to be executed. His hands were already tied, with a rope on his neck and cloth that covered his face. While walking towards where he would be hung, two Chinese men ran and told the Police that they were the ones who killed the business man. My fathers life was spared. My father walked out free while fighting back tears right in front of us and our mother thats why we were offered this land where were living now. According to Nanai, the Prime Minister at the time gave them the piece of land as a peace offering. He told my father in front of us that the government doesnt have money to pay him but they offer him and his children this land for their rest of their lives. Thats why weve been living here. And now after all these years, the government is telling us to go away. Whats worse is that they are asking us to buy a piece of land at Falelauniu when we have no money to do that. Nanai said he rejects the offer. I heard theyre going to build a hotel here. This is on the land that we were for the life of our father. Weve invested large amounts of money in developing our homes and families for many years. Referring to the warning from the government, Nanai said that Prime Minister Tuilaepa was just a young man at the time and he would not understand. Whats very sad is that after the past four prime ministers, its only Tuilaepa who has jumped into this conclusion and told us to go to Falelauniu, he said. Not only that, he is telling us to buy land when they are not giving us any money. Were not going to pay for anything, were not stupid. The government told us to relocate to Falelauniu because of climate reasons but I heard that theyre planning to build a hotel here. Nanai said if push comes to shove, they would take their fight to Court. I know the government has all the power in running the government. I dont care still, we have all the right to fight for this land. The decision by the government to relocate residents of Sogi was initially announced in 2011. The government then offered families a quarter acre of land at Falelauniu which they will lease to own at just over $30,000 and $3,000 cash to relocate. Many families at Sogi have taken up the offer. But many others have refused. Two months ago, an elderly mother, Tala Leiataua, issued a heartfelt plea to Prime Minister Tuilaepa. Were ready to face the consequences but we want to be buried on this land, Tuilaepa, this land is where our grave is, she said. Please let us stay on this land. This is where we belong. Our ancestors have worked so hard to level this swamp during the German colonial times for us. We want to stay. Should the government insist to evict, Tala said: I ask the government to dig a hole and throw us all in there. Id rather die and be buried on the land my ancestors passed down to us. The Associate Minister of the Ministry of the Prime Minister, Peseta Tevaga Vaifou, is not a happy man. He tells the Samoa Observer that he is still in the dark about progress of a complaint he lodged with the Police against another Minister. Peseta is referring to a complaint he filed last year against the former Speaker of the House and now Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi. Speaking to the Samoa Observer, Peseta assured that all the documents required for the investigation have been made available to the Police and the relevant authorities. They continue to tell me that its still under investigation, said Peseta. But what puzzles me is all the documents they needed like financial statements and others have already been handed over to them. So I do not understand the reason behind the delays. His lawyer, Leuluaialii Olinda Woodroffe, shares her clients frustration. The matter is beyond my control and that of Peseta, she said. The delay is just unjustified, unexplainable and questionable. According to the lawyer, it has been 18 months since Peseta lodged the complaint with the Police. Thus far when make an inquiry on the investigation they keep saying its continuing. My question is why it is taking so long to investigate his complaint? Leuluaialii reiterated that her client has the right to know and the right to question the process. The Director of the National Prosecution Office, Mauga Precious Chang was recently asked about the complaint from Peseta. In response she said the investigation is still not complete. The police are working together with the Associate Minister and our office, said Mauga. Our office has requested further matters to be done as well as further documents and information from the Associate Minister and his lawyer before any determinations can be done as to whether there is a crime or not. At this stage it is still only an investigation based on a complaint brought to the Police of an allegation. Mauga did not say what the allegation was. In the meantime, Peseta, the M.P. for Faasaleleaga No. 4 is awaiting the hearing of a criminal matter where he faces one count of forgery and another charge of fraud in relation to a document he is alleged to have forged. The hearing of the matter has been adjourned until September this year. Peseta denies the charges. In the interim, he had a filed a complaint against the Ministry of Police about the handling of the matter which led to the charges against him. Think a minuteDuring World War II, an uneducated man who lived out in the hills brought this letter to the city to hand deliver it to the United States Army. Since he could not read or write, his wife had written it for him. The letter said this: Dear United States Army: My husband asked me to write a recommendation that he supports his family. He cannot read. Please take him. He aint no good to me. He aint done nothing but make trouble and drink beer since I married him 8 years ago. And I got to feed his 7 kids. Maybe you can get him to carry a gun. Hes good at huttin squirrels and eatin. Take him. I need his food and bed for the kids. Dont tell him I said this, just take him. Well, I suppose its safe to say that husbands ignorance was not bliss! What he didnt know did hurt him! A story is told of a thief in ancient times who stole a very valuable coat. The coat was made of the finest materials, including buttons of pure silver and gold. When he returned to his friends after selling the coat in the market, they asked him how much money hed got for the coat. He answered, A hundred pieces of silver. His friends were shocked and upset. They said: You only got a hundred pieces of silver for that rare, valuable coat! The thief looked surprised and asked: Why? Is there a number higher than 100? You see, if you dont know theres more, you wont ever get it. Theres so much in life for us to enjoy, just waiting for us to get it. If all youre used to eating is bread and water, then you dont know you could be eating steak and lobster! Theres one person who can show you everything there is to be enjoyed in life. Naturally, that is the one who created life. Jesus Christ came to show us what it means to be fully human and fully alive, so we can live our lives to the fullest! He also knows the dangers that can trick and trap us. Hell protect you from the pain you and your family will have if you dont live your Makers way that He designed for your happiness. So why not ask Jesus to forgive you for living your own way, and ask Him to take charge and start showing you how to live His satisfying way? Its the only way you wont miss out on every exciting, good thing He has planned for your life. Just Think a Minute President Barack Obama vigorously denied that a $400 million cash payment to Iran was ransom to secure the release of four Americans jailed in Tehran. He defended the transaction as evidence that the nuclear accord with Iran has allowed for progress on other matters. "This wasn't some nefarious deal," Obama said Thursday during a news conference at the Pentagon. The cash was delivered to the Iranian government in January, at the same time the nuclear deal was settled and the Americans were released. The payment was part of a decades-old dispute over a failed military equipment deal dating to the 1970s, before the Islamic revolution in 1979. The president's appearance before reporters followed an hours-long meeting with military leaders at the Pentagon on the fight against the Islamic State group. Obama said there have been gains in weakening IS in Iraq and Syria, but he conceded that the extremist group is shifting its tactics to carrying out attacks elsewhere around the world. "It still creates the kinds of fear and concern that elevates their profile," he said. The session at the Pentagon occurred as the U.S. was bombing targets in and around the Libyan city of Sirte, a notable expansion of the U.S.-led coalition's military mission against IS. At the urging of the Pentagon, Obama authorized the strikes that started this week and include precision strikes against IS tanks, rocket launchers and fighting positions. Italy, just across the Mediterranean Sea from Libya, has said it's prepared to allow the U.S. to use its bases or airspace to launch strikes against IS in Libya. The extremist group's spread to Libya and elsewhere in North Africa has deeply alarmed European countries already worried about the specter of terrorism in European cities. Obama typically convenes the National Security Council at the White House, but over the past year he has occasionally held such meetings at other agencies like the State Department and the CIA. The goal of the meeting at the Pentagon was to illustrate the multifaceted U.S. approach to defeating IS. Mired in chaos following the ouster of strongman Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya became a target for IS extremists hoping to build a safe haven outside its initial territory in Iraq and Syria. Though the number of IS fighters in Libya has dwindled, the U.S. is hoping to help Libya's fledgling U.N.-backed unity government finish the job. Egypt's military said on Thursday that the leader of the Islamic State's affiliate has been killed in the Sinai Peninsula, along with several key aides and 45 other members of the extremist group. Few details were immediately available and there was no word from the extremist group's branch in Egypt on what, if confirmed, would be a major setback for the Sinai-based militants. A posting on the Facebook page of the Egyptian military's chief spokesman, Brig-Gen Mohammed Samir, said Abu Doaa al-Ansari was killed in an operation south of the coastal city of el-Arish. It said the operation was carried out by counterterrorism forces backed by warplanes and guided by "accurate intelligence." The statement did not provide a total number of those killed or say when the operation took place, but two military officials with first-hand knowledge of the conflict in the turbulent northern part of Sinai said al-Ansari and his aides were killed in an airstrike that targeted a house located amid olive groves south of el-Arish. Aerial images of the strike released by the military appeared to confirm the account given by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation with the media. The name of Abu Doaa al-Ansari is not widely known and had not been previously mentioned as that of the leader of the Sunni militant group, which was known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Soldiers of Jerusalem, before it swore allegiance to the Islamic State group fighting in Syria and Iraq. Al-Ansari's name is likely a nom de guerre something militants typically take when joining groups such as IS. These names often allude to the country or city a militant hails from or the place he adopted as his home. Mohannad Sabry, an Egyptian expert on the Sinai insurgency, said it was a "seriously embarrassing situation" that the military did not provide al-Ansari's real name, something he said casts doubts on the purported leader's identity and the report of his death. "Even if someone with this nom de guerre exists, this will be one more time Egypt's military announces that it has killed the leader, or a leader of a group that never publicly named its leader," Sabry told The Associated Press. The military's report could not be independently confirmed. Egypt has virtually banned independent media from northern Sinai while the pro-government press relies almost entirely on often brief army and police statements on the fighting there. Also, an anti-terrorism law adopted last year places severe restrictions on media coverage of anti-government activity, with heavy fines and up to five years' imprisonment for publishing news that contradicts official statements or is perceived as promoting militant causes. According to the Egyptian military officials, the airstrike that killed al-Ansari was part of an ongoing, intense air campaign that began more than a week ago and in which jet-fighters, helicopter gunships and drones are being used. The campaign of airstrikes, at least in part, were in response to the growing threat to ground troops posed by roadside bombs planted by the militants, they said. The officials also suggested that the 45 who were mentioned in the military spokesman's statement as slain alongside al-Ansari, may have perished in a series of airstrikes earlier this week that targeted IS positions and ammunition depots near the border town of Rafah. Egyptian forces have been battling Islamic militants in Sinai for years but the insurgency there has grown deadlier since the 2013 ouster by the military of Mohammed Morsi, the Islamist president whose one year in office proved divisive for the country. Earlier this week, a 35-minute video released by the Islamic State's branch in Sinai purported to show IS attacks against Egyptian security forces, including roadside bomb blasts, gun battles and sniper fire. The military officials dismissed the video as a compilation of heavily edited footage of past attacks. -AP By Hansford County Sheriff Tim Glassto read the original story clickAround 11 AM on Tuesday, July 26, 2016, the Hansford County Sheriffs Office received a call in reference to a white pickup truck stuck in a cornfield off of County Road D between FM 1261 and TX Hwy 136 in the Oslo area. While en route to the call, information was obtained that there may be four subjects, and they may be armed.Further information given was that a vehicle similar to the one stuck in the corn field had been reported stolen earlier in the morning in the Guymon, OK area and confirmed reports of shots having been fired at officers during the theft.As we had unconfirmed information as to the number of suspects, and the possibility of them being armed, the Texas DPS helicopter was requested to assist, said Hansford County Sheriffs Department Chief Deputy Bob Mahaffee.Deputies from Texas County Oklahoma assisted the Hansford County Sheriffs Department in securing a perimeter around the cornfield while awaiting the arrival of a helicopter.The DPS helicopter arrived around 1 PM and located only one suspect. Commands were given to the suspect in order to help him make his way out of the cornfield, however, the helicopter advised that the suspect kept collapsing after walking a few feet.Fearing possible heat-related issues, Hansford County Deputies entered the cornfield in order to retrieve the suspect, said Chief Deputy Mahaffee.Guided by the helicopter, our deputies were able to secure the suspect who was removed from the cornfield and treated by Gruver EMS, who were on the scene.The suspect has been identified as Ezra Marc Purcell, 19, of Hooker, OK. He was transported to Hansford County Hospital, where he was treated and then transported to the Hansford County Jail, where he was booked for outstanding Texas County warrants for distribution fo marijuana and burglary.Charges for the stolen vehicle are pending from Oklahoma.The vehicle was confirmed to be the one stolen earlier that morning. A search of the vehicle was conducted and a Glock model 43 9MM pistol was located just inside the drivers door.I would like to take this opportunity to thank Texas County Sheriffs Office, Texas DPS, Spearman Police Department, Ochiltree County Sheriffs Department, and of course, my deputies, for a job well done, said Hansford County Sheriff Tim Glass. Incidents like these are the kind of cooperation that we enjoy with our neighboring law enforcement agencies.